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A photorechargeable supercapacitor was constructed using vanadium pentoxide (V2O5), reduced graphene oxide hydrogel (rGH), and zinc trifluoromethanesulfonate (Zn(CF3SO3)2) as the photoanode, cathode, and electrolyte, respectively. The phase composition, microstructure, chemical structure, light absorption, and specific surface area of the synthesized products and the electrochemical performance of the rGH/V2O5 supercapacitor were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method, and an electrochemical workstation, respectively. The results show that the device has a specific capacity of 164 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 under illumination with 95 mW cm−2 light intensity, which is 20.5% higher than that under normal electrical charging. The supercapacitor has a 75% capacity retention rate and 100% coulombic efficiency, respectively, after 10 000 testing cycles under photoelectric synergistic charging and discharging. The as-constructed rGH/V2O5 photorechargeable supercapacitor exhibits promising application potential in electric vehicles and wearable electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most existing domain adaption methods solve the problem of data distribution similarity in single‐source to single‐target domain or multi‐source to single‐target domain adaption, but the more realistic multi‐source to multi‐target domain transfer scenarios are ignored. At the same time, less attention is paid to the similarity of task distribution among domains and the corresponding relationship between coarse‐grained and fine‐grained, which leads to the problem of low classification accuracy. In this paper, a multi‐source to multi‐target domain adaption (MSMTDA) method based on similarity measurement is proposed. Firstly, a cross‐domain similarity measurement mechanism based on the idea of data distribution similarity and task distribution similarity is set up to judge and optimize the distribution difference among source domains and target domains. Secondly, global‐local‐bidirectional alignment is used to solve the problem of poor transfer performance in the existing distributed alignment. Then, the cross‐domain mutual learning strategy is proposed, which reduces classifier discrepancy caused by decision boundaries and distribution difference in multiple domains. Finally, the proposed method is verified on three benchmark datasets in image classification. The experimental results show that the proposed method performs better in both classification accuracy and training time when compared with the conventional method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cognitive dysfunction caused by prediabetes causes great difficulties in human life, and the terrible thing is that the means to prevent the occurrence of this disease are very limited at present, Berberine has shown the potential to treat diabetes and cognitive dysfunction, but it still needs to be further explored to clarify the mechanism of its therapeutic effect. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects and mechanisms of Berberine on prediabetes‐induced cognitive dysfunction. Prediabetes rat model was induced by a high‐fat diet and a normal diet was used as a control. They were fed for 20 weeks. At week 13, the model rats were given 100 mg/kg Berberine by gavage for 7 weeks. The cognitive function of rats was observed. At the same time, OGTT, fasting blood glucose, blood lipids, insulin and other metabolic parameters, oxidative stress, and apoptosis levels were measured. The results showed that the model rats showed obvious glucose intolerance, elevated blood lipids, and insulin resistance, and the levels of oxidative stress and apoptosis were significantly increased. However, after the administration of Berberine, the blood glucose and lipid metabolism of prediabetic rats were significantly improved, and the oxidative stress level and apoptosis level of hippocampal tissue were significantly reduced. In conclusion, Berberine can alleviate the further development of diabetes in prediabetic rats, reduce oxidative stress and apoptosis in hippocampal tissue, and improve cognitive impairment in prediabetic rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the economic gain of anaerobic fermentation, this study proposes a novel chain elongation-based biotechnology of converting food waste (FW) into medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) and long chain alcohols (LCA). These two fermentative products are more profitable due to their higher energy density and easier separation compared to short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). The necessity and the cost for externally dosing an electron donor (ED) for chain elongation were eliminated by inoculating different yeast levels (2.25 × 107, 3.37 × 107, 6.74 × 107, and 8.99 × 107 cells per FW ml Saccharomyces cerevisiae) into the fermenters. In situ ethanol production was then facilitated and was subsequently utilized to produce MCFAs. Overall, MCFA formation was enhanced by yeast inoculation compared to the control. 533 mg of COD per L MCFAs were generated in the batch test with 2.25 × 107 cells per FW ml S. cerevisiae. Higher but similar MCFA yields (∼1500 mg COD per L) were obtained in batch reactors with higher yeast inoculations. The greater endogenous ethanol and SCFA supply, enriched chain elongating organisms, along with the promoted CE pathway based on the increasing gene abundance jointly contributed to the higher MCFA production from FW with yeast inoculation. More interestingly, a high accumulative butanol level (1228 mg COD per L) was observed under 8.99 × 107 cells per FW ml S. cerevisiae inoculation. The more abundant genes encoding the acetone–butanol–ethanol platform and the lower conversion from butanol to caproate likely induced such a high butanol yield according to metagenomics analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Nd doping increases donor density. • Ni 2 P 2 O 7 co-catalyst accelerates water oxidation reaction. • Nd doping and Ni 2 P 2 O 7 co-catalyst enhance the PEC performance of BiVO 4. • These modifications improves the stability of BiVO 4. It is necessary for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting to reduce the electron-hole recombination rate and enhance the water oxidation reaction kinetics. Here, we prepared Ni 2 P 2 O 7 -Nd-BiVO 4 composite photoanodes by coupling Ni 2 P 2 O 7 co-catalysts to neodymium (Nd)-doped BiVO 4 surfaces through photo-assisted electrodeposition. The Ni 2 P 2 O 7 -Nd-BiVO 4 photoanode exhibits a high photocurrent density of 3.6 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), which is three times higher than that of the bare BiVO 4 (1.2 mA cm−2). Detailed characterizations demonstrate that Nd doping reduces the band gap, significantly increases the carrier density and effectively reduces the charge transfer resistance. More importantly, the Ni 2 P 2 O 7 co-catalyst has multiple roles. Specifically, it can act as a hole extraction layer to accelerate hole migration and inhibit hole-electron recombination. At the same time, it significantly improves the water oxidation reaction kinetics. In addition, it also provides more water oxidation active sites. This work provides ideas for the design and study of efficient BiVO 4 -based photoanodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the effects of secukinumab treatment for psoriasis on different functional cytokines and inflammatory mediators in patients' serum Methods: Enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect interleukin (IL)‐1β and IL‐1RA associated with intrinsic immunity; IL‐6, IL‐18, and growth regulated oncogene alpha (GROα) associated with neutrophils; IL‐12, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, and interferon (IFN)‐γ associated with Th1; IL‐23, IL‐17A, and IL‐22 associated with Th17; Thymus activation regulated chemokine (TARC), IL‐13, and defensin beta 2 (DEFB2) associated with Th2; Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)‐A and IL‐10 associated with angiogenesis; and IFN‐γ associated with sepsis in the peripheral blood of 12 patients with common psoriasis treated with secukinumab and 15 healthy controls. IL‐23, IL‐17A, IL‐22 associated with Th17; TARC, IL‐13, DEFB2 associated with Th2; VEGF‐A, IL‐10 associated with angiogenesis and procalcitonin (PCT) associated with sepsis. The differences in expression of the above cytokines before and after treatment and the correlation with psoriasis disease severity［Psoriasis Area Severity Index(PASI) score］, age, and disease duration were analyzed. Results: The mean PASI score of the enrolled patients with moderate to severe psoriasis was 21.6 ± 11.0 before treatment and decreased to below 1 after treatment. Serum IL‐6; IL‐18, GROα, IFN‐γ, TNF‐α, VEGF‐A, and IL‐17A were significantly higher than normal. And IL‐17A and IFN‐γ were positively correlated with disease duration and age, and IL‐18 was positively correlated with PASI score. The expression levels of IL‐6, GROα, VEGF‐A, IFN‐γ, TNF‐α, IL‐17A and IL‐23 were significantly lower after secukinumab treatment compared with those before treatment, but the expression levels of IFN‐γ, VEGF‐A, TARC, IL‐13, and DEFB2 were still significantly higher than those of normal subjects after treatment Conclusions: secukinumab clears skin lesions by antagonizing IL‐17A and simultaneously decreasing the expression levels of IL‐6, GRO α, VEGF‐A, IFN‐γ, TNF‐α, IL‐17A, and IL‐23. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advancing clinical and nonclinical diagnostic technologies is particularly crucial for improved preparedness for the next pandemic and other global healthcare challenges. To this end, marrying advanced microscopic imaging with chip‐scale bioanalytical systems provides fresh modalities by analyzing signals of transmitted, reflected, or scattered light waves. This review brings clarity to the latest progress of refractometric imaging and biodetections on a chip, in which interferences and resonances as cornerstones of optics and plasmonics are breaking new ground. A vast range of nanophotonic and plasmonic transducers are discussed, ranging from planar films, nanoarrays, and waveguiding resonators to holistic designs. The augmented bioanalyses cover immunoassays, single‐molecule analysis, and motion tracking of bacterial pathogens and cells. Compared to single‐point spectroscopic measurements, imaging‐empowered approaches are rapidly evolving with greatly promoted signal‐noise ratio, spatial‐temporal resolutions, multiplexability, and throughput, which can be accomplished in a compact cradle system with minimized bulky components in a spectrometer‐free manner. Besides, advances in machine learning technologies applied for data analytics and transducer designs are highlighted. All in all, there are unlimited opportunities for new optical structures, principles, and ways of data retrieval to tap in, which will raise technological impacts on unveiling fundamental issues in life science and advancing global healthcare technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanisms underlying late-onset preeclampsia (LOPE) remain unknown. Metabolic disturbances have been implicated as a primary factor in LOPE development. Lipids have been shown to have great clinical value in recent years. This study aimed to use lipidomics to provide evidence for the etiology and potential therapeutic approaches for LOPE. Twenty patients with LOPE and 20 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Placental lipidomic data were acquired using liquid chromatographymass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and the data were analyzed by weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA) and statistical methods. Of 1508 identified lipids, 226 were differentially expressed between the LOPE and control groups. In the LOPE group, the abundance of most unsaturated triglycerides (TG) increased, whereas that of other lipids, including phosphatidylcholine (PC), sphingomyelin, and phosphatidylserine (PS) increased. The WGCNA implied that the correlation network module of lipids was highly related to clinical traits. Pathway analysis revealed that these dysregulated lipids are closely related to glycerophospholipid metabolism. Lipidomics may help identify the pathogenesis underlying placental dysfunction in LOPE patients and provide potential therapeutic targets in the future. • A lipidomic analysis of LOPE placenta was conducted in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). • Weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA) was performed to identify significant clinical modules. • The abundances of most unsaturated triglyceride (TG) were significantly increased in LOPE. • We discuss the metabolic dysregulation of late-onset preeclampsia (LOPE). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BiVO4 is a highly promising material for Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting photoanodes due to its narrow band gap value (~2.4 eV) and its ability to efficiently absorb visible light. However, the short hole migration distance, severe surface complexation, and low carrier separation efficiency limit its application. Therefore, in this paper, BiVO4 was modified by loading CoOOH cocatalyst on the rare earth element Nd-doped BiVO4 (Nd-BiVO4) photoanode. The physical characterization and electrochemical test results showed that Nd doping will cause lattice distortion of BiVO4 and introduce impurity energy levels to capture electrons to increase carrier concentration, thereby improving carrier separation efficiency. Further loading of surface CoOOH cocatalyst can accelerate charge separation and inhibit electron–hole recombination. Ultimately, the prepared target photoanode (CoOOH-Nd-BiVO4) exhibits an excellent photocurrent density (2.4 mAcm−2) at 1.23 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode potential (vs. RHE), which is 2.67 times higher than that of pure BiVO4 (0.9 mA cm−2), and the onset potential is negatively shifted by 214 mV. The formation of the internal energy states of rare earth metal elements can reduce the photoexcited electron–hole pair recombination, so as to achieve efficient photochemical water decomposition ability. CoOOH is an efficient and suitable oxygen evolution cocatalyst (OEC), and OEC decoration of BiVO4 surface is of great significance for inhibiting surface charge recombination. This work provides a new strategy for achieving effective PEC water oxidation of BiVO4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gross primary production (GPP) of the mangrove ecosystem determines the upper limit of the scale of its "blue carbon" sink. Tropical cyclones (TCs) are among the most important extreme events that threaten the subtropical mangrove ecosystem and have a serious impact on mangrove ecosystem GPP. However, there are somewhat insufficient scientific findings on regional-scale mangrove ecosystem GPP responding to large-scale weather events such as TCs. Therefore, we selected the subtropical Hainan Island mangrove ecosystem, where more than two TCs pass through per year, as the research area; selected direct-attack TCs as the research object; and took the mangrove vegetation photosynthesis light-use efficiency model established based on the eddy covariance observation data as the tool to evaluate the loss and recovery of mangrove ecosystem GPP after TCs attacked at a regional scale. We found that the TC impacted the mangrove ecosystem GPP through the photosynthetic area and rate, and the recovery of the rate occurred prior to the recovery of the area; the loss of mangrove ecosystem GPP is inversely proportional to the distance to the center of the TC and the distance to the coastline; and the canopy height, diameter at breast height, and aspect where the tree stands significantly influence the response of the mangrove ecosystem GPP to TCs. However, the response varies for different mangrove community compositions, soil conditions, and planting densities as well as different frequencies and intensities of TCs, and they should be analyzed in detail. This study is expected to provide technical and data support for the protection of blue carbon in a subtropical island mangrove ecosystem in response to extreme events and post-disaster recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The precise adjustment of handedness of helical architectures is important to regulate their functions. Macroscopic chirality inversion has been achieved in organic supramolecular systems by pH, metal ions, solvents, chiral and non-chiral additives, temperature, and light, but rarely in coordination polymers (CPs). In particular, salt-assisted macroscopic chirality inversion has not been reported. In this work, we carried out a systematic investigation on the role of pH and salt in regulating the morphology of CPs based on Gd(NO3)3 and R-(1-phenylethylamino)methylphosphonic acid (R-pempH2). Without extra NO3−, the chirality inversion from the left-handed superhelix R-M to the right-handed superhelix R-P can be achieved by pH modulation from 3.2 to 3.8. The addition of NaNO3 (2.0 eq) at pH 3.8 results in an inversion of chiral sense from R-P to R-M as a pure phase. To our knowledge, this is the first example of salt-assisted macroscopic helical inversion in artificial systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ocular blood flow provides a new perspective for studying the effects of diabetes and ischemic heart disease on systemic blood flow, pathological mechanisms, and prognosis. Previous studies have analyzed the hemodynamic changes of the ophthalmic artery (OA) in patients with diabetes and ischemic heart disease, but the results remain controversial due to limited observation methods. We aimed to explore the morphological and hemodynamic features in the OA in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) with and without acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods: In total, 134 participants, including 30 control participants, 34 with ACS only, 34 with T2D only, and 36 with both ACS and T2D, undergoing computed tomography angiography were enrolled. Three-dimensional OA models were reconstructed, and morphological parameters of the OA were measured. In addition, numerical simulations using computational fluid dynamics were used to acquire hemodynamic parameters of the OA. Results: In this study, 134 OA models were reconstructed. Morphological measurements revealed a smaller initial OA diameter in the T2D group than in the other two ACS groups. A hemodynamic simulation showed a significantly lower OA blood velocity in patients with ACS and T2D than that in controls (P < 0.001). The mass flow ratios in all disease groups were lower than those in the control group (P < 0.001, P = 0.020, and P < 0.001, respectively). The ACS and T2D groups had higher OA pressure levels than those of the control group (P = 0.013). The OA blood velocity and mass flow ratio were correlated with several clinical parameters. Conclusions: This study revealed morphological and hemodynamic differences in the OA between patients with T2D with and without ACS. Furthermore, the hemodynamic characteristics of the OA correlated with clinical prognostic biomarkers, suggesting the potential predictive ability of the OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer-derived small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) are emerging as crucial mediators of intercellular communication between cancer cells and M2-tumor-associated macrophages (M2-TAMs) via transferring lncRNAs. We previously reported that miR-134 blocks the expression of its targeting protein LAMC2 via the PI3K/AKT pathway and inhibits cancer stem cell (CSC) migration and invasion in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). This study hypothesize that OSCC-CSC-derived small extracellular vesicles (OSCC-CSC-sEVs) transfer a ceRNA of miR-134 and consequently promote M2 macrophage polarization by targeting LAMC2 via the PI3K/AKT pathway through in vitro and in vivo experiment methods. The results showed that sEVs derived from CD133+CD44+ OSCC cells promoted M2 polarization of macrophages by detecting several M2 macrophage markers (CD163, IL-10, Arg-1, and CD206+CD11b+). Mechanistically, we revealed that the lncRNA UCA1, by binding to miR-134, modulated the PI3K/AKT pathway in macrophages via targeting LAMC2. Importantly, OSCC-CSC-sEV transfer of UCA1, by targeting LAMC2, promoted M2 macrophage polarization and inhibited CD4+ T-cell proliferation and IFN-γ production in vitro and in vivo. Functionally, we demonstrated that M2-TAMs, by transferring exosomal UCA and consequently targeting LAMC2, enhanced cell migration and invasion of OSCC in vitro and the tumorigenicity of OSCC xenograft in nude mice. In conclusion, our results indicated that OSCC-CSC-sEV transfer of UCA1 promotes M2 macrophage polarization via a LAMC2-mediated PI3K/AKT axis, thus facilitating tumor progression and immunosuppression. Our findings provide a new understanding of OSCC-CSC molecular mechanisms and suggest a potential therapeutic strategy for OSCC through targeting CSC-sEVs and M2-TAMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ocular blood flow provides a new perspective for studying the effects of diabetes and ischemic heart disease on systemic blood flow, pathological mechanisms, and prognosis. Previous studies have analyzed the hemodynamic changes of the ophthalmic artery (OA) in patients with diabetes and ischemic heart disease, but the results remain controversial due to limited observation methods. We aimed to explore the morphological and hemodynamic features in the OA in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) with and without acute coronary syndrome (ACS).Methods: In total, 134 participants, including 30 control participants, 34 with ACS only, 34 with T2D only, and 36 with both ACS and T2D, undergoing computed tomography angiography were enrolled. Three-dimensional OA models were reconstructed, and morphological parameters of the OA were measured. In addition, numerical simulations using computational fluid dynamics were used to acquire hemodynamic parameters of the OA.Results: In this study, 134 OA models were reconstructed. Morphological measurements revealed a smaller initial OA diameter in the T2D group than in the other two ACS groups. A hemodynamic simulation showed a significantly lower OA blood velocity in patients with ACS and T2D than that in controls (P < 0.001). The mass flow ratios in all disease groups were lower than those in the control group (P < 0.001, P = 0.020, and P < 0.001, respectively). The ACS and T2D groups had higher OA pressure levels than those of the control group (P = 0.013). The OA blood velocity and mass flow ratio were correlated with several clinical parameters.Conclusions: This study revealed morphological and hemodynamic differences in the OA between patients with T2D with and without ACS. Furthermore, the hemodynamic characteristics of the OA correlated with clinical prognostic biomarkers, suggesting the potential predictive ability of the OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioconversion of medium-chain carboxylic acids (MCCAs) from biowastes through anaerobic mixed-culture fermentation is undergoing a revolution in terms of mitigating the lower fossil fuels requirement and increasing biowaste treatment capacity. Benefiting from hydrophobicity and high energy density of MCCA, this high-valuable biofuel exhibits easier separation and wider application than traditional volatile fatty acid products. The biggest bottleneck for efficiently and simultaneously producing MCCAs by mixed-culture fermentation is complicated or even entangled microbial interaction. Therefore, this review aimed to supply guidelines to understand and steer these microbiomes toward the controllable ones. The metabolic pathway of chain elongation and associated cooperating and competing pathways were firstly discussed to understand the primary microbial interaction in mixed-culture fermentation. In an attempt to inspect the overall performance of mixed-culture CE reactor, the typical microbial community and its variation influenced by reactor parameters were also identified. The methods of in-line extraction of MCCAs for relieving toxicity inhibition on microbiome were also summarized regarding the difficulties lied in continuous MCCAs production. Finally, the future research directions of MCCAs production via mixed-culture fermentation would be proposed to help steer these novel bioproduction processes toward full-scale applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potato is a typical shallow-root crop and a good understanding of its root distribution is critical in potato water management, which is especially important for potato production in areas such as Inner Mongolia where water resource is limited. We conducted field experiments to investigate the dynamic distribution of potato root in the soil, then used this as a basis to design a new irrigation method for potato production in the region; effects of the improved irrigation and conventional method were analyzed as well by measuring plant growth, yield, water productivity and nitrogen use efficiency. The results showed that large difference existed in root distribution of potato plants at different growth stages in Inner Mongolia, suggesting the present water management strategy of uniform irrigation during potato production is inefficient and has great potential for improvement. Adjusting irrigation amount so that the wet soil zone depth covered 80% of root distribution during potato growth significantly increased water productivity, decreased N leaching, improved N absorption, nitrogen use efficiency and plant growth, leading to increased tuber yield. Therefore, the improved water management method can be used extensively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most researches on the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) in the 5G era are focused on the low latency and the massive transmitted data. However, the 5G base station has relatively a small coverage and a high cost, which is the main reason to hinder the development of the 5G applications on the IoV. In this paper, we try to put forward some feasible solutions for this problem. We will use two physical layer communication techniques, the Coherent Beamforming (CB) technique and the Successive Interference Cancellation (SIC) technique, to jointly optimize the throughput of vehicles data transmission and the network infrastructure cost. We first establish the mathematical model based on CB and SIC technology and prove that it cannot be solved directly. Then, we design the Road and CB-nodes Assignment (RCA) algorithm and the Uninstalling Data Scheduling (UDS) algorithm to solve the problem. RCA is based on CB and SIC technology to reasonably arrange CB-nodes, so that CB-nodes set can send data from vehicles to the base station and the base station can receive multiple sets of data at the same time. UDS schedules vehicles based on various factors to optimize the total amount of data transferred by vehicles and improve throughput. In simulations, we conduct some comparative experiments, which are the not using Algorithm 3 scheme, the CB scheme, the SIC scheme, the common scheme and the Relay Task Offloading Scheme in Vehicular Edge Computing algorithm (RVEC Algorithm). Results show that our proposed method has the advantages of cost saving and throughput improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the economically important red macroalga Pyropia, carbohydrates and proteins contents are usually used to evaluate the nutritional status and commercial value. As main component elements of carbohydrates and proteins, C, N and S contents can be the suitable indicators. However, efficient and nondestructive estimation of these elements have not been well established in macroalgae, which is definitely needed in high-throughput phenotyping and selective breeding. In the current study, hyperspectral imaging was used to estimate the C, N and S contents in thalli of Pyropia yesoensis. Based on spectral information acquired by two hyperspectral cameras with range of 400 nm to 1700 nm, two machine learning methods, partial least squares regression (PLSR) and support vector machine regression (SVR), were performed to establish prediction models following different preprocessing methods. The result showed that SVR model following Savitzky-Golay (S-G) smoothing preprocessing performed the best for N content with excellent accuracy (RTest2 = 0.94, RMSE = 0.331, MAPE = 5.47%, RPD = 3.44). Both of PLSR and SVR models could not yet meet satisfactory prediction for C and S content with RTest2 < 0.4 and RPD < 1.5. Further validation on field samples corroborated accuracy and robustness of the optimal estimation model for N. This study demonstrates that hyperspectral imaging is effective for estimating N contents of P.yesoensis thalli. It unveils the capability of hyperspectral imaging with machine learning models for estimating macroelement contents in macroalgae thalli, and offers a convenient, non-destructive, and effective method for the phenotyping and selective breeding of macroalgae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The slow charge transfer kinetics and water oxidation dynamics hinder the efficient photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting of BiVO 4. Here, Nd:BiVO 4 @NiCo-LDH photoanode was successfully prepared by introducing rare earth element Nd with a special 4 f energy level as a dopant and loading a bifunctional NiCo-LDH cocatalyst. The Nd:BiVO 4 @NiCo-LDH photoanode exhibits good PEC performance. The photocurrent density was 4.1 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), which is about 5.1 times more than that of the unmodified BiVO 4 electrode, and the onset potential was negatively shifted by 399 mV. Various physical characterizations and photoelectrochemical tests indicate that the Nd:BiVO 4 @NiCo-LDH photoanode has higher charge transfer rate and lower charge recombination rate than that of BiVO 4. The NiCo-LDH catalyst serves as a bimetallic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) cocatalyst, where Co cation has hole extraction ability to reduce carrier recombination, and Ni addition increases the active site. The synergistic effect of the two significantly boosts the PEC water oxidation activity of the photoanode. This work has broad prospects for the construction of high-performance water oxidation systems in various photoanodes. [Display omitted] • Nd doping dramatically increases the carrier density and reduces the charge transfer resistance. • NiCo-LDH cocatalyst can inhibit electron-hole recombination and passivate the surface states. • The Nd:BiVO 4 @NiCo-LDH photoanode enhanced the water oxidation performance of BiVO 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thelast decade has witnessed growing research interests in the path-planning problem for unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) equipped with RGB-D cameras or LiDARs. However, apart from their extremely high cost, these sensors may be obscured by obstacles, which makes them impractical for many complex scenarios. Besides, most of the existing works for path planning have not considered energy efficiency for UGVs that are usually constrained by limited on-board batteries. Distinct from existing methods, this work presents a vision-based unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-assisted cooperative system for multiple UGVs. The proposed system harnesses the broad vision of UAV and operates in both general outdoor and global positioning system (GPS)-denied indoor environments. In sharp contrast to the conventional heuristic algorithms such as the rapidly exploring random tree (RRT) algorithm and the Dijkstra methods, the proposed energy-efficient path planning for UGVs is formulated as a non-convex optimization problem by considering the collision-aware obstacle-avoidance. More specifically, the proposed path-planning scheme contains two stages, namely the semantic segmentation that localizes UGVs and obstacles in the environment by exploiting the wide-angle camera mounted on the UAV, followed by the trajectory generation in which a disciplined convex and concave programming (DCCP) algorithm is devised for the non-convex energy-minimization problem. Extensive experiments validate the effectiveness of the UAV-UGV cooperative system and the proposed DCCP-based path-planning scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are many challenges in biodiversity conservation, especially for migratory waterbirds because their survival depends on the availability of a suite of interconnected sites at different stages of their annual cycle. Due to habitat loss and degradation, the population of Baer's Pochard (Aythya baeri), a migratory diving-duck, has declined to an extent that it has been listed as a critically endangered species by the IUCN Red List. To better understand the habitat requirements of this threatened waterbird for its effective conservation, we conducted seven years of field surveys within its historical distribution range in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway including China and neighbouring countries, covering 563 observation sites at 185 locations. Twelve new locations were identified as habitats for this species. By combining our surveys with literature and citizen science birding records, 171 Baer's Pochard's presence sites have classified as migratory stopovers, wintering grounds and breeding and potential breeding habitats. We then used Maxent model to estimate the potential distribution range and updated and refined the current IUCN distribution map. Finally, we identified the key conservation gaps by overlaying the distribution with a recent remotely acquired global landcover map. Our results show that: (1) The southernmost breeding site is about 1400 km south of its current IUCN breeding range; (2) the northern most wintering site is 800 km north of the IUCN wintering range; (3) Six newly discovered sites in Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Jiangxi and Hubei provinces, China are confirmed to be used all year round; (4) Most sites (81.8%) are not located in protected areas (PAs), and the majority of the suitable habitats (90%) are not protected by the current PA network. Our findings reveal that great changes have taken place in the distribution of Baer's Pochard and that there are many distribution overlaps throughout its annual migration circle (e.g., many historical stopover sites become breeding habitats). Moreover, the key habitats have retreated into eastern Asia, and most of the habitats overlap with urban developed areas and are outside of current PA network. Our study suggests that the existing PA network may be less effective for the conservation of this critically endangered species under predicted global climate change, and other effective area-based conservation measures should be part of the conservation strategy. More importantly, as the distribution of Baer's Pochard covers at least 15 countries, closely coordinated cross-border cooperation would be critical for its future survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Markov-switching models have become a popular tool in areas ranging from finance to electrical engineering. Determining the number of hidden regimes in such models is a key problem in applications. This paper proposes a strongly consistent estimator of the number of regimes for Markov-switching autoregressive models. By using subadditive ergodic theorem, law of iterated logarithm for martingales, together with results from information theory, we derive sufficient conditions to avoid underestimation as well as overestimation. In particular, we propose a modified information criterion, regime-switching information criterion (RSIC) which generates a simple and consistent model selection procedure. Finally, we conduct a Monte Carlo study to evaluate the efficacy of our procedure in finite sample and also compare the performance of RSIC with popular information criteria including AIC, BIC and HQC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is currently the leading cause of human death. Non-pharmacological therapy of traditional Chinese medicine (NPTCM) is an important characteristic therapy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Questions concerning the efficacy and safety of NPTCM-related interventions in patients with CHD led us to conduct this overview of systematic reviews (SRs). Methods. The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, EBSCO, Epistemonikos, PROSPERO, CNKI, Wanfang Database, and SinoMed were searched without language and publication status restriction from their inception to May 2021, along with grey literature sites and reference lists of included reviews. Systematic reviews comparing NPTCM/a combination of NPTCM and non-TCM interventions with non-TCM interventions/inactive controls for CHD were examined. Two reviewers independently screened titles, abstracts, and full-text articles, and completed data extraction and quality appraisal according to the predefined standards. Results. In total, 1494 titles and abstracts and 66 full-text articles were screened, and a total of 12 SRs (11 with meta-analysis) were finally included. According to PRISMA 2020 checklist, more than 50% of reviews conformed to 80% of 54 items. Consistent evidence of effectiveness or harms across multiple outcomes based on more than one moderate quality review with meta-analysis was found for acupuncture and usual care plus acupuncture/Baduanjin/TCM exercise therapies/TCM emotional therapy. These interventions were mostly evaluated less than 6 months. Conclusion. Acupuncture or acupuncture plus usual care could improve angina symptoms and ECG, and usual care plus Baduanjin/TCM exercise therapies could ameliorate health-related quality of life. Additionally, Baduanjin plus usual care could also improve psychological condition, and it as well as acupuncture could be safe due to no reports on adverse events related to these interventions. TCM emotional therapy plus usual care could benefit patients with CHD and depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Factor strategies have gained growing popularity in industry with the fast development of machine learning. Usually, multi-factors are fed to an algorithm for some cross-sectional return predictions, which are then further used to construct a long-short portfolio. Instead of predicting the value of the stock return, emerging studies predict a ranked stock list using the mature learn-to-rank technology. In this study, we propose a new listwise learn-to-rank loss function which aims to emphasize both the top and the bottom of a rank list. Our loss function, motivated by the long-short strategy, is endogenously shift-invariant and can be viewed as a direct generalization of ListMLE. Under different transformation functions, our loss can lead to consistency with binary classification loss or permutation level 0-1 loss. A probabilistic explanation for our model is also given as a generalized Plackett-Luce model. Based on a dataset of 68 factors in the China A-share market from 2006 to 2019, our empirical study has demonstrated the strength of our method which achieves an out-of-sample annual return of 38% with Sharpe ratio 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work provided a novel anaerobic fermentation paradigm of inoculating yeast to internally generate ethanol from FW as ED for subsequent MCFAs production. [Display omitted] • High MCFAs production from FW was achieved with self-produced ethanol instead of external electron donor. • Ethanol was on-site generated from FW by the inoculation of yeast. • A coordinated metabolic route related to MCFAs production from FW was established. • This novel biotechnology does not require major changes to existing anaerobic fermentation infrastructure but reduce the cost. As food waste (FW) is a largely available and carbon-rich feedstock, bulk production of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) via chain elongation (CE) from FW is of great interest to biotechnology. However, the development of this emerging biotechnology is limited by the high cost from external electron donor (ED) input. To solve this bottleneck, replacing external ED input with self-produced ED in the system is a key. Therefore, this study provided a novel anaerobic fermentation paradigm of inoculating yeast to internally generate ethanol from FW as ED for subsequent MCFAs production. Batch experimental results demonstrated that cumulative 1540 mg COD/L of MCFAs was produced from FW with endogenous ethanol when inoculating 4.50 × 107 cells/ml-FW Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the fermenter over 20 days. In contrast, only a very small amount of MCFAs were detected in the control (58.98 mg COD/L). In continuous operation over 61 days, around 1300 mg COD/L of MCFAs was steadily obtained in the long-term fermenter with yeast assisted, which was almost 1.49 times higher than that from the control. The enriching S. cerevisiae responsible for on-site ethanol generation and chain-elongating bacteria including Caproiciproducens and Oscillibacter jointly promoted FW-derived MCFAs productions. Higher abundance of genes encoding substrate degradation, ethanol biosynthesis and CE further ensured the higher MCFAs production in the yeast-assisted system. This biotechnology does not require major changes to the design and operation of existing anaerobic fermentation infrastructure. Instead, the utilization of FW was enlarged through producing high-value MCFAs while waiving the cost of external ED by using inexpensive cheap yeast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As our ongoing searching for the bioactive natural terpenoids, nine ent -kauranoids (1 – 9), including three previously undescribed ones (1 , 2 , and 9), were isolated from the aerial parts of Isodon amethystoides. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data analysis, including NMR, MS, and ECD. Compounds 1 and 2 were a pair of tautomeric compounds, which was confirmed by the HPLC analysis and low temperature NMR testing. The underlying mechanism of the tautomer was proposed as an intramolecular S N 2 reaction, which was explained by quantum chemical calculation. The HOMO-LUMO gap and the free energy revealed the spontaneous of the tautomeric of the 1 and 2. Additionally, the similar phenomena were also found in the two groups of known compounds 3 and 4 and 6 and 7 , respectively. Apart from the tautomer, compounds 3 and 4 can be hydrolyzed into 5 through ester hydrolysis in CDCl 3 , while compounds 6 , 7 can be hydrolyzed into 8 through ester hydrolysis. These phenomena were also confirmed through HPLC analysis and low temperature nuclear magnetic resonance tests and the mechanism was studied using quantum chemical calculation. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atorvastatin is a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA reductase) inhibitor and inhibits cholesterol synthesis. Recently, atorvastatin also showed anti-inflammatory effect in acute lung injury, ameliorating pulmonary gas-blood exchanging function. Sphingosine kinase 1 plays a central role in endothelial (EC) cytoskeleton rearrangement and EC barrier integrity regulation. In this study, the role of sphingosine kinase 1 in atorvastatin anti-inflammatory effect against acute lung injury was investigated. Both wild-type (WT) and SphK1-/- mice were challenged with high tidal volume ventilation (40 ml/kg body weight, 65 breathing/min, 4 hours). The acute lung injury was evaluated and the mechanisms were explored. In WT mice, atorvastatin treatment significantly decreased acute lung injury responding to high tidal volume ventilation (HT), including protein, cellular infiltration, and cytokine releasing; comparing to WT mice, SphK1-/- mice showed significantly worsen pulmonary injuries on HT model. Moreover, the atorvastatin-mediated anti-inflammatory effect was diminished in SphK1-/- mice. To further confirm the role of SphK1 in VILI, we then compared the inflammatory response of endothelial cells that were isolated from WT and SphK1-/- mice to cyclic stretching. Similarly, atorvastatin significantly decreased cytokine generation from WT EC responding to cyclic stretching. Atorvastatin also significantly preserved endothelial junction integrity in WT EC against thrombin challenge. However, the inhibitory effect of atorvastatin on cytokine generation induced by cyclic stretching was abolished on SphK1-/- mice EC. The endothelial junction integrity effects of atorvastatin also diminished on SphK1-/- mouse EC. Signal analysis indicated that atorvastatin inhibited JNK activation induced by cyclic stretch. SphK1 knockout also blocked atorvastatin-mediated VE-cadherin junction enhancement. In summary, by inhibition of MAPK activity and maintenance of EC junction homeostasis, SphK1 plays a critical role in atorvastatin-mediated anti-inflammatory effects in both cellular and in vivo model. This study also offers an insight into mechanical stress-mediated acute lung injury and potential therapy in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helical architectures with controllable helical sense bias have recently attracted considerable interest for mimicking biological helices and developing novel chiral materials. Coordination polymers (CPs), composed of metal ion nodes and organic linkers, are intriguing systems showing tunable structures and functions. However, CPs with helical morphologies have rarely been explored so far. Particularly, chirality inversion through external stimulus has not been achieved in helical CPs. In this work, we carried out an in‐depth investigation on the self‐assembly of 1D gadolinium(III) phosphonate CPs using GdX3 (X=Cl, Br, I) and Gd(RSO3) (R=CH3, C6H5, CF3) as metal sources and R‐(1‐phenylethylamino)methyl phosphonic acid (R‐pempH2) as ligand. Superhelices were formed by precise control of the interchain interactions through different intercalated anions. Furthermore, the twisting direction of superhelices could be controlled by synergistic effect of anions and pH. This study may provide a new route to fabricate helical nanostructures of CPs with a desirable chiral sense and help understand the inner mechanism of the self‐assembly process of macroscopic helical structures of molecular systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyamines (PAs), especially spermidine and spermine (which are involved in various types of abiotic stress tolerance), have been reported in many plant species. In this study, we identified 14 putative S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase genes (GhSAMDC1-14) in upland cotton. Based on phylogenetic and expression analyses conducted under different abiotic stresses, we selected and transferred GhSAMDC3 into Arabidopsis thaliana. Compared to the wild type, transgenic plants displayed rapid growth and increases in average leaf area and leaf number of 52% and 36%, respectively. In transgenic plants, the germination vigor and rate were markedly enhanced under NaCl treatment, and the plant survival rate increased by 50% under 300 mM NaCl treatment. The spermidine content was significantly increased, possibly due to the synthesis of a series of PAs and oxidant and antioxidant genes, resulting in improved salinity tolerance in Arabidopsis. Various salinity resistance-related genes were upregulated in transgenic plants. Together, these results indicate that ectopic expression of GhSAMDC3 raised salinity tolerance by the accumulation of spermidine and activation of salinity tolerance-related genes in A. thaliana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although molecular analysis offers a wide range of options for species identification, a universal methodology for classifying and distinguishing closely related species remains elusive. This study validated the effectiveness of utilizing the entire chloroplast (cp) genome as a super-barcode to help identify and classify closely related species. Methods: We here compared 26 complete cp genomes of ten Fritillaria species including 18 new sequences sequenced in this study. Each species had repeats and the cp genomes were used as a whole DNA barcode to test whether they can distinguish Fritillaria species. Results: The cp genomes of Fritillaria medicinal plants were conserved in genome structure, gene type, and gene content. Comparison analysis of the Fritillaria cp genomes revealed that the intergenic spacer regions were highly divergent compared with other regions. By constructing the phylogenetic tree by the maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony methods, we found that the entire cp genome showed a high discrimination power for Fritillaria species with individuals of each species in a monophyletic clade. These results indicate that cp genome can be used to effectively differentiate medicinal plants from the genus Fritillaria at the species level. Conclusions: This study implies that cp genome can provide distinguishing differences to help identify closely related Fritillaria species, and has the potential to be served as a universal super-barcode for plant identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Moderate hydrogen peroxide postconditioning (H2O2PoC) activates signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) to alleviate mitochondrial calcium overload during cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). However, the initial time window of STAT3-induced calcium hemostasis, the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in H2O2PoC, and its regulated mechanism remain unknown. This study aimed to investigate H2O2PoC-induced homeostasis of calcium, ROS and ATP, and the role of STAT3 in the regulation. Methods: Isolated rat cardiomyocytes were exposed to H2O2PoC and Janus kinase 2 (JAK2)/STAT3 inhibitor AG490 during I/R. Ca2+ transients, cell contraction, intracellular calcium concentration, ROS production, ATP contents, phosphorylation of STAT3, gene and protein expression of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), metallothionein 1 (MT1) and metallothionein 2 (MT2), as well as activities of mitochondrial complex I and complex II were detected. Results: Moderate H2O2PoC improved post-ischemic Ca2+ transients and cell contraction recovery as well as alleviated cytosolic and mitochondrial calcium overload, which were abrogated by AG490 in rat cardiomyocytes. Moderate H2O2PoC increased ROS production and rate of ROS production at early reperfusion in rat I/R cardiomyocytes, and this phenomenon was also abrogated by AG490. Notably, the expression of phosphorylated nuclear STAT3; gene and protein expression of MnSOD, MT1, and MT2; and activities of mitochondrial complex I and complex II were upregulated by moderate H2O2PoC but downregulated by AG490. Conclusion: These findings indicated that the cardioprotection of moderate H2O2PoC against cardiac I/R could be associated with activated STAT3 at early reperfusion to maintain calcium, ROS, and ATP homeostasis in rat cardiomyocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the optimal execution problem by considering the trading signal and the transaction risk simultaneously. We propose an optimal execution problem by taking into account the trading signal and the execution risk with the associated decay kernel function and the transient price impact function being of generalized forms. In particular, we solve the stochastic optimal control problems under the assumptions that the decay kernel function is the Dirac function and the transient price function is a linear function. We give the optimal executing strategies in state-feedback form and the Hamilton‐Jacobi‐Bellman equations that the corresponding value functions satisfy in the cases of a constant execution risk and a linear execution risk. We also demonstrate that our results can recover previous results when the process of the trading signal degenerates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• For the first time, LN CT radiomics model is developed to preoperatively detect LN+. • A combined radiomics model integrates features of ESCC and LN to detect LN+. • CT radiomics model of LN demonstrates good performance compared to the model of ESCC. • The combined model shows an excellent ability compared to models of LN and ESCC. To develop CT radiomics models of resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and lymph node (LN) to preoperatively identify LN+. 299 consecutive patients with ESCC were enrolled in the study, 140 of whom were LN+ and 159 were LN-. Of the 299 patients, 249 (from the same hospital) were randomly divided into a training cohort (n = 174) and a test cohort (n = 75). The remaining 50 patients, from a second hospital, were assigned to an external validation cohort. In the training cohort, preoperative contrast-enhanced CT radiomics features of ESCC and LN were extracted, then integrated with clinical features to develop three models: ESCC, LN and combined. The performance of these models was assessed using area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), and F-1 score, which were validated in both the test cohort and external validation cohort. An ESCC model was developed for the training cohort utilizing the 8 tumor radiomics features, and an LN model was constructed using 9 nodal radiomics features. A combined model was constructed using both ESCC and LN extracted features, in addition to cT stage and LN+ distribution. This combined model had the highest predictive ability among the three models in the training cohort (AUC = 0.948, F1-score = 0.878). The predictive ability was validated in both the test and external validation cohorts (AUC = 0.885 and 0.867, F1-score = 0.816 and 0.773, respectively). To preoperatively determine LN+, the combined model is superior to models of ESCC and LN alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Current evidence on diagnostic value of aneuploidy with DNA image cytometry (ICM) using brushings for oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) is limited by sample size and inconsistent classification criteria of aneuploidy. This study aimed to explore the optimal cut‐off values of DNA content and evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of DNA‐ICM for detecting dysplasia and/or carcinoma in OPMD. Materials and Methods: A total of 401 consecutive patients with OPMD were enrolled in this prospective diagnostic study. Brushing and biopsy sample form each patient was processed by DNA‐ICM and histological examination respectively. Results: When the optimal cut‐off of at least one aneuploid cell with DNA index (DI) ≥2.3, the area under the curves (AUC) was 0.735 and positive predictive value was 92.7% for detecting dysplasia within OPMD. When the optimal cut‐off of at least one aneuploid cell with DI ≥ 3.5, the AUC was 0.851 and negative predictive values was 96.8% for detecting carcinoma within OPMD. Importantly, multivariate analysis revealed that aneuploidy with DI ≥ 2.3 in OPMD was significantly associated with dysplasia risk (adjusted OR, 5.52; 95%CI, 2.90‐10.51; P <.001), and aneuploidy with DI ≥ 3.5 in OPMD was strongly associated with malignant risk (adjusted OR, 21.05; 95%CI, 9.34‐47.41; P <.001). Conclusions: This largest‐scale diagnostic study optimized the criteria of aneuploidy cytology for noninvasive detection of oral dysplasia and carcinoma within OPMD. DNA aneuploidy in OPMD was an independent marker that strongly associated with oral dysplasia/carcinoma. Our findings suggest that DNA‐ICM may serve as a useful noninvasive adjunctive tool for oral cancer and OPMD screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the performance of pairs trading strategy under a specific spread model. Based on the empirical evidence of mean reversion and jumps in the spread between pairs of stocks, we assume that the spread follows a Lévy-driven Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process with two-sided jumps. To evaluate the performance of a pairs trading strategy, we propose the expected return per unit time as the value function of the strategy. Significantly different from the current related works, we incorporate an excess jump component into the calculation of return and time cost. Further, we obtain the analytic expression of strategy value function, where we solve out the probabilities of crossing thresholds via the Laplace transform of first passage time of the Lévy-driven Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process in one-sided and two-sided exit problems. Through numerical illustrations, we calculate the value function and optimal thresholds for a spread model with symmetric jumps, reveal the non-negligible contribution of incorporating the excess jumps into the value function, and analyze the impact of model parameters on the strategy performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of high-quality phosphor ceramics with high photoelectric efficiencies and thermal stabilities is essential for realizing high-power broadband near-infrared light sources. In this study, a series of pure-phase Gd 3 Sc 2 Al 3 O 12 :Cr3+ near-infrared (NIR) phosphor ceramics (GdScCr NIR-PCs) exhibiting remarkable thermal stability and broadband emission were fabricated for the first time using a vacuum sintering technique. The integrated emission intensity at 423 K is 79.8 % of that at room temperature. The GdSc08Cr exhibits an emission peak at a wavelength of 785 nm, with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 116.9 nm under 460 nm excitation. By integrating the GdScCr NIR-PC with a blue light-emitting diode/laser diode (LED/LD) excitation source, the NIR LED prototype achieved a maximum output power of 112.19 mW at 300 mA with a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 13.64 % at 150 mA, and the NIR LD prototype achieved a maximum power output of 484.34 mW at 2.3 A. The operating temperatures of NIR-PCs were 73.1 °C at 300 mA for LED and 90.7 °C at 2.5 A for LD. Moreover, the application of the prepared GdScCr NIR-PCs for fruit and grain detection was performed. These results demonstrate that the prepared GdScCr NIR-PCs possess substantial potential for application in high-power broadband NIR spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulmonary formulations have been attracting much attention because of their direct effects on respiratory diseases, but also their non-invasive administration for the treatment of systemic diseases. When developing such formulations, they are typically first investigated in mice. As there are various pulmonary administration methods, the researcher has to decide on the best quantitative method for their preclinical investigations among candidate methods, both for total delivery and distribution within the lung lobes. In this study, we investigated the deposition and distribution of siRNA loaded PLGA nanoparticles (NPs) in the different lung lobes via three widely used pulmonary administration methods: intratracheal instillation, intratracheal spraying and intranasal instillation. The NPs were radiolabeled with 111In, administered and a single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT/CT) whole body scan performed. Quantitative image volume of interest (VOI) analysis of all inhalation related organs was performed, plus sub-organ examinations using dissection and gamma counting. Intratracheal instillation and intratracheal spraying deposited >95% and >85% of radiolabeled NPs in the lung, respectively. However, the lung lobe distribution of the NPs was inhomogeneous. Intranasal instillation deposited only ~28% of the dose in the lungs, with even larger inhomogeneity and individual variation between animals. Furthermore, there was a high deposition of the NPs in the stomach. Intratracheal instillation and intratracheal spraying deposit a large number of NPs in the lungs, and are thus useful to test therapeutic effects in preclinical animal studies. However, the inhomogeneous distribution of formulation between lung lobes needs to be considered in the experimental design. Intranasal instillation should not be used as a means of pulmonary administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to investigate the expression of long non-coding HOX transcript antisense RNA (lncRNA-HOTAIR) in the serum of patients with lymph node metastasis of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and the underlying mechanism. A total of 89 patients with PTC at Beijing Geriatric Hospital were recruited in this study. Based on the results of color Doppler ultrasound examination, the patients were evaluated for cervical lymph node metastases, and were thereby divided into a metastasis-negative group and a metastasis-positive group. Quantitative fluorescent PCR was used to assess the expression of HOTAIR in serum samples. The PTC cell line TPC-1 was randomly divided into a control and siRNA group. The control group was transfected with a nonsense sequence, while the siRNA group was transfected with si-HOTAIR. After transfection, cell proliferation was evaluated using the MTT assay, and cell migration and invasion were assessed using the cell scratch assay and Transwell assay. Expression levels of vimentin, E-cadherin and proteins associated with the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway were assessed using western blot analysis. Based on the results of the ultrasound examination, 53 patients were allocated to the metastasis-negative group, and 36 to the metastasis-positive group. The expression level of lncRNA-HOTAIR was higher in the metastasis-positive group than that in the metastasis-negative group (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, cell proliferation was reduced while cell migration rate and the number of migrating cells were increased in the siRNA group. Compared with the control group, the expression levels of WIF1 and E-cadherin were significantly increased, while the levels of β-catenin and vimentin were significantly decreased. In conclusion, lncRNA-HOTAIR is overexpressed in the serum of patients with lymph node metastasis of PTC. In vitro experiments showed that HOTAIR promoted the proliferation and metastasis of PTC cells by regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) mediated by the Wnt/catenin pathway. Thus, lncRNA-HOTAIR is proposed as a molecular target for the treatment of lymph node metastasis of PTC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper documents the existence of a type of local spillovers—free riding among neighbors—in the diffusion of color television sets (CTVs) in rural China. Consistent with the free‐riding hypothesis, we find that households with no TV (non‐BWTV [black and white television set] households) are less likely to buy their first CTV in villages where a higher fraction of households already own BWTVs. Consistent with the free‐riding hypothesis, we further find that this negative relationship is more pronounced for those non‐BWTV households with lower income, facing lower BWTV ownership rates, and living closer to their neighbors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intelligent teaching system is the most important in the field of teaching. It uses artificial intelligence technology to bring a lot of help to learners in terms of knowledge and skill acquisition. In this process, human tutors are not required to participate. The student model is the core of the intelligent teaching system. Using the Bayesian network with strong self-learning ability to construct the intelligent teaching system student model can significantly improve the intelligence level of the intelligent teaching system. Firstly, we discussed the basic concepts of the student model of the intelligent teaching system. Then, from the perspective of students' ability teaching, combined with the students' learning status and characteristics, the factors influencing the students' learning process are analyzed. Finally, an intelligent teaching system student model was built based on Bayesian network. This model can objectively evaluate students' cognitive ability and can infer students' next action. In addition, the model is also applicable to the online test system, and the experimental results obtained demonstrate the effectiveness of the modified model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The term oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) was recommended at the WHO workshop held in 2005 and published in 2007, and increasingly large number of papers related to OPMD are published. The objective of the bibliometric analysis was to investigate the citation characteristics and analyze research trends of OPMD. Methods: A comprehensive search was performed and identified in the Scopus database since 2007 for the bibliometric list of OPMD in the syntax. Results: A total of 795 papers on OPMD were retrieved and the total number of citations was 8870. The mean number of citations is 11.2, with a range of 0 to 580. A substantial increasing tread in the number of citation is observed since 2007. Leukoplakia (42%) and lichen planus (23%) were the two most individual disorders among the general OPMD. A controlled/comparative study (43%) and a retrospective study (16%) were the two most study designs. India (n = 267) and the UK (n = 99) were the two most contributing countries. Tobacco and alcohol use and betel quid chewing (n = 351) are the most common keywords. Notably, early detection and diagnosis of oral cancer (n = 255) and biomarkers of oral carcinogenesis (n = 178) top the list, which may indicate a trend of key topics. Conclusions: The current study for the first time reported the bibliometric characteristics and research trends of the papers on OPMD in the syntax. Clinical relevance: The bibliometric analysis highlights the key topics and studies which have shaped the understanding and management of OPMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to investigate gap acceptance behavior during discretionary lane-changing maneuvers considering the heterogeneity among drivers and lane-changing urgency on a freeway segment from a microscopic perspective. It was found that there were statistically significant differences in gap acceptance behavior between changing lane to the left/right. The accelerated failure time(AFT) model, random parameter AFT model, and correlated random parameters with heterogeneity in means AFT model were established. The results show that the third model have the best goodness of fit. There is obvious mean heterogeneity in the gap acceptance models of different lane change directions, and the correlation between random parameters significantly affects the gap acceptance behavior. The urgency of lane change has a significant heterogeneous effect on the lagging gap acceptance behavior of lane-changing drivers and is significantly correlated with other random parameters. The study results can help improve the safety lane-changing modules for connected and autonomous vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The retronasal aroma of Baijiu is closely related to its quality and consumer preference. Retronasal detection thresholds (RDTs) of 44 aroma compounds were determined in 46% v/v ethanol using a three‐alternative forced‐choice procedure, which varied widely and ranged from less than 0.02 to over 1,000,000 µg/L. Nineteen aroma compounds, including β‐phenylethanol, 2,3,5,6‐tetramethylpyrazine, dimethyl trisulfide, and 2‐methyl‐3‐(methyldisulfanyl)furan, had RDTs lower than their orthonasal detection thresholds. Power function curves were used to establish correlations between RDTs and partition coefficients for five esters and four pyrazines (R2 = 0.9575, 0.9969, respectively). Twenty‐nine aroma compounds had retronasal odor activity values >1 in a soy sauce aroma type Baijiu. Additionally, time‐intensity (TI) results suggested that hexanoic acid, ethyl hexanoate, isoamyl acetate, 3‐methyl‐butanal, and nonanal contributed to a "burst‐aroma" of Baijiu. Conversely, TI results attributed the "after‐odor" of Baijiu to dimethyl trisulfide, methional, 2,3,5,6‐tetramethylpyrazine, β‐phenylethanol, and other compounds. Practical Application: This manuscript provides comprehensive information on the retronasal sensory characteristics of aroma compounds in Baijiu. The results obtained may help understand the contribution of aroma compounds to retronasal aroma perception during Baijiu tasting and give helpful information to the Baijiu industry regarding quality control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our research on naturally occurring sesquiterpenes, eight shizukaol-type dimers, one chlorahololide-type dimer, and one sarcanolide-type dimer were isolated from the roots of Chloranthus fortunei. As the project was implemented, we accidentally discovered that shizukaol-type dimers can be converted into peroxidized chlorahololide-type dimers. This potential change was discovered after simulations of the changes in corresponding shizukaols showed that three peroxide products were generated (1–3), indicating that peroxidation reactions occurred. HPLC-HR-MS analysis results obtained for the shizukaol derivatives further demonstrate that the reaction occurred, and the type of substituent of small organic ester moieties at positions C-15' and C-13' of unit B were not decisively related to the reaction. Quantum chemical calculations of the mode dimer further demonstrated this phenomenon. The highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO)–lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy of the precursor and production revealed the advantageous yield of 4β-hydroperoxyl production. Additionally, the potential reaction mechanism was speculated and validated using the free energy in the reaction which successfully explained the feasibility of the reaction. Finally, the anti-inflammatory activity of the precursors and products was evaluated, and the products of peroxidation showed better anti-inflammatory activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quantum loss in phosphor-in-glass (PiG) and energy loss in LD/LED exciting source could aggravate the thermal load of a glass-based luminescence device. In this study, luminous efficiency of radiation (LER) and thermal shock in LuAG: Ce PiG-based remote LD/LED prototypes were regulated effectively, by controlling the exciting distance between PiG and blue LD/LED. For remote LD, both the simulated temperature and the real working temperature of LuAG: Ce-PiG were initially increased and then declined with increase of the exciting distance (the numerical difference: 9.3%). The maximum working temperature of LuAG: Ce-PiG was 135.1 °C. Remarkably, LER of LuAG: Ce-PiG was initially reduced and then elevated with increase of the exciting distance, and the obtained maximum LER was 203.97 lm/W. Meanwhile, increasing the working distance leads to the decrease of both LER and working temperature of the PiG based LED, since the excitation loss was negatively correlated to the exciting distance. For the better application of LD/LED device in high power lighting and display, this work strictly controlling exciting distance is highly necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is little knowledge about the biological roles and clinical significance of SCNN1A in ovarian cancer. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the biological functions and prognosis value of SCNN1A in ovarian cancer to further seek a potential therapeutic target for patients with ovarian cancer. Materials and Methods: First, the expression level of SCNN1A in ovarian cancer samples obtained from ONCOMINE database was determined, and its expression in cell lines was also investigated. Moreover, correlation analysis was performed to determine the relationship between SCNN1A expression and prognosis in ovarian cancer patients according to the data obtained from GEPIA database and Kaplan-Meier plotter website. The biological roles of SCNN1A on cell growth, migration, and invasion were then examined by knockdown of SCNN1A in ovarian cancer cell line SK-OV-3. Ultimately, Western blotting analysis was carried out to investigate the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transformation markers (including E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Vimentin, and Snail) after silencing SCNN1A. Results: Based on the ONCOMINE-related data and cell lines, SCNN1A was observed to be overexpressed in ovarian cancer samples and cell lines. Survival analysis showed that high expression of SCNN1A was associated with poor overall survival and progression-free survival in ovarian cancer patients. In addition, SCNN1A silence remarkably blocked SK-OV-3 cell growth ability, migration, and invasion potential. Western blotting results showed that SCNN1A silence led to an increase in E-cadherin, whereas a decrease in N-cadherin, Vimentin, and Snail in SK-OV-3 cells. Increased E-cadherin and decreased N-cadherin, Vimentin, as well as Snail inhibited cell invasion of ovarian cancer. Conclusions:SCNN1A might exert crucial roles in cell growth and invasion and migration in ovarian cancer, and might be a potential indicator for prognosis and a therapeutic target for ovarian cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium sulfur batteries have been recognized as a promising on-board energy-storage technology. One of the challenges in this system is the efficient inhibition of polysulfides shuttle with the low-cost sulfur hosts. In this work, we report the fabrication of nanoporous CeO 2 and TiO 2 by a novel chemical dealloying approach as a thin nonconductive interlayer to confine polysulfides in the cathodes. The abundant pores provide channels for the transportation of electrolyte, whereas the dissolved polysulfide species are chemically interacted with the metal oxides. Between the two interlayers, CeO 2 demonstrates superior performance over TiO 2 , which is attributed to the appropriate redox window of the Ce3+/Ce4+ couple to in-situ catalyse the polysulfides. The cells with such a configuration exhibit significantly enhanced capacities and long-term stability. Even at a high sulfur loading of 6 mg cm−2, it is demonstrated stable capacities of ∼600 mAh g−1 over 120 cycles. These results suggest chemical dealloying is an efficient approach to prepare desired nanoporous interlayers to achieve practical cycling performance with a commercial sulfur host. • Nonconductive interlayers have been prepared by a facile dealloying approach. • The nanoporous interlayers exhibit excellent abilities on polysulfide confinement. • Li–S cells with the interlayers demonstrate long-term stability over 1000 cycles. • High areal sulfur loadings and stable capacities have been realized for 150 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cytoskeleton which includes microtubule and actin filaments plays important roles during mammalian oocyte maturation. In the present study, we showed that protein kinase C mu (PKC mu) was one potential key molecule which affected cytoskeleton dynamics in mouse oocytes. Our results showed that PKC mu expressed and localized at the poles of the spindle during oocyte maturation, and PKC mu expression reduced in the oocytes from 6‐month‐old mice or 24 hr in vitro culture. We knocked down the expression of PKC mu in oocytes using morpholino injection to explore the relationship between PKC mu and subcellular structure defects. The loss of PKC mu reduced oocyte maturation competence, showing with decreased polar body extrusion rate and increased rate of symmetric division. Further analysis indicated that PKC mu decrease caused the spindle organization defects, and this could be confirmed by the decreased tubulin acetylation level. Moreover, we found that PKC mu affected the phosphorylation level of cofilin for actin assembly, which further affected cytoplasmic actin distribution and spindle positioning. In summary, our data indicated that PKC mu is one key factor for oocyte maturation through its roles on the spindle organization and actin filament distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a simple strategy for fabricating a 3D nitrogen doped holey graphene hydrogel decorated with NiCo 2 O 4 nanoflowers (NHGH/NiCo 2 O 4) via a one-pot hydrothermal method with subsequent calcination is reported for the first time. The novel NHGH/NiCo 2 O 4 nanocomposites featured high electrical conductivity, large and accessible surface areas, abundant active sites, and excellent electrocatalytic performance. Considering the excellent catalytic activity of NiCo 2 O 4 , a sensitive and bifunctional electrochemical non-enzymatic biosensor was established for the determination of glucose and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2). The obtained biosensor exhibited wide linear ranges (glucose: 0.005–10.95 mM; H 2 O 2 : 1–510 μM) and a low detection limits (glucose: 0.39 μM; H 2 O 2 : 0.136 μM) in alkaline solution (S/N = 3). Excellent electrocatalytic activity of this sensor was ascribed to the synergistic effects of the hybrid structure between the NiCo 2 O 4 nanoflowers and NHGH. Furthermore, the sensitive biosensor also exhibited high selectivity and could be applied to determine glucose in real blood samples. Taken together, the results reveal that the proposed hybrid nanocomposite could be a promising electrochemical biosensor. Schematic illustration of the formation of the NHGH/NiCo 2 O 4 catalysts and the bifunctional electrochemical non-enzymatic glucose and hydrogen peroxide sensing. Unlabelled Image • A novel 3D hierarchical architecture NHGH/NiCo 2 O 4 nanocomposite was prepared. • A bi-functional electrochemical non-enzymatic glucose and hydrogen peroxide biosensor was designed. • NHGH/NiCo 2 O 4 /GCE-based biosensor shows excellent selectivity and reproducibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein (PEBP) gene family exists in all eukaryote kingdoms, with three subfamilies: FT (FLOWERING LOCUS T)-like, TFL1 (TERMINAL FLOWER 1)-like, and MFT (MOTHER OF FT AND TFL1)-like. FT genes promote flowering, TFL1 genes act as a repressor of the floral transition, and MFT genes have functions in flowering promotion and regulating seed germination. We identified and characterized orthologs of the Arabidopsis FT/TFL1 gene family in petunia to elucidate their expression patterns and evolution. Thirteen FT/TFL1-like genes were isolated from petunia, with the five FT-like genes mainly expressed in leaves. The circadian rhythms of five FT-like genes and PhCO (petunia CONSTANS ortholog) were figured out. The expression of PhFT1 was contrary to that of PhFT2, PhFT3, PhFT4, and PhFT5. PhCO had a circadian clock different from Arabidopsis CO, but coincided with PhFT1; it decreased in daytime and accumulated at night. Two of the FT-like genes with differential circadian rhythm and higher expression levels, PhFT1 and PhFT4, were used to transform Arabidopsis. Eventually, overexpressing PhFT1 strongly delayed flowering, whereas overexpression of PhFT4 produced extremely early-flowering phenotype. Different from previous reports, PhTFL1a, PhTFL1b, and PhTFL1c were relatively highly expressed in roots. Taken together, this study demonstrates that petunia FT-like genes, like FT, are able to respond to photoperiod. The expression pattern of FT/TFL1 gene family in petunia contributes to a new insight into the functional evolution of this gene family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]