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Cancan Huang, Chaotao Zhang, Panpan Yang, Rui Chao, Ziqi Yue, Congshan Li, Jie Guo, Minqi Li Department of Bone Metabolism, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University & Shandong Key Laboratory of Oral Tissue Regeneration & Shandong Engineering Laboratory for Dental Materials and Oral Tissue Regeneration, Jinan 250012, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Minqi LiDepartment of Bone Metabolism, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University & Shandong Key Laboratory of Oral Tissue Regeneration & Shandong Engineering Laboratory for Dental Materials and Oral Tissue Regeneration, Jinan 250012, ChinaTel +86-531-88382095Email liminqi@sdu.edu.cnPurpose: Periodontitis is a major chronic oral disease that is accelerated by activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and the resulting pyroptosis. According to recent studies, active vitamin D and its analogs have been reported to have great anti-inflammatory effects. However, the anti-inflammatory mechanism of a newly found vitamin D analog, eldecalcitol (ED-71), is still unclear. This study investigates whether ED-71 could protect human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) from LPS-induced pyroptosis and, if so, determine its underlying mechanism.Methods: After HGFs were treated with LPS alone or with LPS and ED-71, their viability was measured by CCK8 assay. The degrees of inflammation and pyroptosis were measured via LDH assay, H2O2 assay, fluorescent staining, flow cytometry, and Western blots. Intracellular ROS, Hoechst 33,342, and PI stains were assessed with a fluorescence microscope. ROS inhibitor NAC, NLRP3 inhibitor MCC950, and Nrf2 inhibitor ML385 were added to further clarify the mechanism.Results: LPS induced cytotoxicity in HGFs, as shown by CCK8 assay. LPS also increased intracellular ROS, H2O2 levels, release of LDH, and expression of the pyroptosis-related proteins NLRP3, caspase-1, and IL-1β. NAC and MCC950 reduced LPS-induced NLRP3, caspase-1, and IL-1β. Pretreatment with ED-71 effectively inhibited the LPS-induced pyroptosis and was associated with activation of the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway. This beneficial effect of ED-71 was suppressed by ML385.Conclusion: This study demonstrates the therapeutic effect of ED-71 on LPS-induced NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent pyroptosis in HGFs and further reveals that ED-71 can inhibit pyroptosis by activating the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. Our results thus suggest that ED-71 is a potential candidate for the treatment of periodontitis.Keywords: HGFs, pyroptosis, NLRP3, ED-71, Nrf2/HO-1

In this retrospective study, we identified patients who had undergone outpatient, arthroscopic shoulder surgery utilizing interscalene nerve block, and compared them to those who underwent general anesthesia with multimodal analgesia. We hypothesized that PACU discharge time would be significantly lower, and that pain control would be superior, for patients undergoing ISB with sedation as compared to general anesthesia with MMA. 64 cases were evaluated. The duration of time spent in PACU was significantly lower in the ISB group, while pain scores were both clinically and statistically significantly lower in the ISB group, and opioid requirements were also significantly lower. Peripheral nerve blockade remains superior to MMA for minimizing recovery time, and control of postoperative pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Abstract Load forecasting with distributed energy resources (DERs) behind‐the‐meter is more challenging owing to transformed data patterns. Traditional forecasting method which is only based on unmasked‐load could not suit the present limited masked‐load. To bridge the divergence between unmasked‐load and masked‐load, this article proposes a masked‐load forecasting (MLF) method based on transfer learning technique and Bayesian optimization, which is Maximum Mean Discrepancy‐Neural Network with Bayesian optimization (MMD‐NNb). At first, common feature vectors between unmasked‐load and masked‐load are extracted and an outcome predictor could be established based on feature vectors from historical unmasked‐load. The feature vectors from masked‐load could therefore accommodate to the outcome predictor, and the masked‐load could be forecast. Owing to the excessive hyperparameters involved in training, Bayesian optimization is adopted for hyperparameters fine‐tuning. MMD‐NNb was tested and compared with four related models. The improvements from MMD‐NNb were observed in all comparison scenarios. Also, MMD‐NNb was proved to have high resilience to the different DERs and not requiring additional DERs‐data.

Justice is an ancient concept that originated from commodity exchange and has been continuously critiqued and discussed in philosophy, ethics, and law to identify potential pathways for societies and institutions. Since the 1960s, justice research led by sociologists and political scientists has identified spatial injustices, attributing them to inherent flaws in economic systems, social order, and legal frameworks. Subsequently, the emphasis on spatial aspects, proposed by Henri Lefebvre's "right to the city" and the spatiality of social justice explored by Marxist geographers, inspired scholars such as Pirie, Soja, and Iveson. These scholars have continuously refined the theoretical framework of spatial justice, prioritizing real-world spatial practices. The essence of spatial justice can be understood through a series of dichotomies: it is both a theoretical critique and a practical methodology, passively influenced by social systems yet spatially proactive, static yet dynamic, and both process and outcome. The essential questions are "seeing spatial justice" and "seeking spatial justice", which involve "describing the justice level of social spatial outcomes" and "exploring the spatial causes and formation processes of injustice." Additionally, the two main research directions are "territorial distribution justice" and "local discrimination." Spatial justice does not imply absolute equality in distribution processes or outcomes; rather, it recognizes differences in human needs that lead to unequal distributions. The principles of spatial justice include both equality and differentiation. Scholars generally agree that the principle of equality should meet basic needs, such as transportation infrastructure, primary education, and healthcare services, which ensure minimum living standards. Based on differentiated needs—determined by factors such as region, identity, environment, contributions, and merits—non-essential material goods, social resources, and environmental assets can be allocated unequally. However, the concept of human needs is inherently subjective and is closely related to age, education, perception, and experience. Evaluating the reasonableness of these needs is complex and challenging. Assessing spatial justice from the perspective of human needs requires addressing two key issues: defining the scope of basic and non-basic needs and establishing assessment standards or indices for multidimensional needs. Although researchers such as Davies and Daniels have long argued that distribution should consider actual social needs rather than just population size, current empirical analyses, such as accessibility and availability studies, remain limited to measuring the ratio of resources to population size. Few studies have explored the characteristics and variances in needs related to residents, service levels, quality, and pricing, remaining distant from real, multidimensional, and differentiated human needs. By summarizing existing theories and methods, this study proposes three areas for future research: (1) research on territorial distribution justice should explore actual demand content beyond population size and establish relevant evaluation indicators; (2) urban spatial practices should adopt justice standards from a human-centric perspective to mitigate unjust socio-spatial outcomes; and (3) the forms and methods of achieving justice should be explored at a global regional scale.

To study the influence of faults on the evolution of mining fissures in coal seam group, the mining fissure evolution of coal seam group containing faults was investigated based on similar simulation and numerical simulation methods by taking 151710 working face of Tucheng Coal Mine in Guizhou Province as the research object. The results show that the stress distribution around the working face is significantly different when the No.9 and No.12 coal seams in coal seam group containing faults are mined to the same distance; the advance mining of No.9 coal seam makes No.12 coal seam in the stress reduction zone, and the stress zoning phenomenon appears before and after the working face crosses faults; with the progress of mining, the mining influence range of No.12 coal seam is less than that of No.9 coal seam; when the mining face crosses the fault, the overlying rock cracks develop rapidly, there is significant separation between the rock layers, and different degrees of fractures occur. The drilled and peered resule from roof of return air lane of No.12 coal seam shows that when the working face crosses the fault, the roof is broken seriously and the overlying rock fissure develops disordered.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of solid-state fermentation products of yeast (SFPY) on liver and intestinal health and disease resistance of common carp (Cyprinus carpio). A total of 200 common carp with an initial average weight of 2.55 ± 0.004 g were divided into 5 groups (4 replications per group and 10 fish per replication), and were fed with one of five diets, including a control diet and 4 diets supplemented with 2‰ (Y2), 3‰ (Y3), 4‰ (Y4), or 5‰ (Y5) SFPY, respectively, for 8 weeks. Results indicated that, the addition of SFPY to the diet of common carp did not affect the growth performance or survival rate of fish (P = 0.253). Interestingly, with the addition of SFPY, the triacylglycerol (TAG) content of the liver presented a linear decreasing tendency (P = 0.004), with significantly decreased in Y4 and Y5 groups (P = 0.035) compared with control. Serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS) content and diamine oxidase (DAO) activity presented a negative linear relationship with the addition of SFPY (P = 0.015, P = 0.030), while serum lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP) content first decreased and then increased (P

Abstract Purposes To explore the clinical feasibility and efficacy of a deep inspiration breath-hold (BH) PET/CT using [18F]AlF-NOTA-LM3 on upper abdominal lesions in patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). Methods Twenty-three patients underwent a free-breath (FB) whole-body PET/CT, including a 10 min/bed scan for the upper abdomen with a vital signal monitoring for respiratory gating (RG) followed by a 20-second BH PET/CT covering the same axial range. For the upper abdomen bed, the following PET series was reconstructed: a 2-min FB PET; RG PET (6 bins); a 20-second and 15-second BH PET (BH_15 and BH_20). Semi-quantitative analysis was performed to compare liver SUVmean, lesion SUVmax, MTV, its percentage difference and target-to-background ratio (TBR) between both BH PET and RG PET images. Subgroup analysis considered lesion location, MTV and SUVmax. A 5-point Likert scale was used to perform visual analysis and any missed or additional lesions were identified compared with RG PET. Results Quantitative analysis on overall lesions (n = 78) revealed higher SUVmax and TBR, and smaller MTV for both BH PET compared to FB and RG PET, with lesion location-specific variations. Neither significant difference was observed in all metrics between RG and FB PET in larger lesions, nor in MTV in lower-uptake lesions. However, both BH PET significantly enhanced these measurements. In the visual analysis, both BH PET showed noninferior performance to RG PET, and were evaluated clinically acceptable. Additional and missed lesions were observed in FB and both BH PET compared with RG PET, but didn’t alter the clinical management. The BH_15 PET showed comparable performance to BH_20 PET in any comparison. Conclusion The BH PET/CT using [18F]AlF-NOTA-LM3 is effective in detecting upper abdominal lesions, offering more accurate quantitative measurements. Using a novel PET/CT scanner, a 15-second BH PET can provide comparable and superior performance to RG PET, indicating potential feasibility in clinical routines.

Abstract Macrophages played an important role in the progression and treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). We employed weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to identify macrophage-related genes (MRGs) and classify patients with HNSCC into two distinct subtypes. A macrophage-related risk signature (MRS) model, comprising nine genes: IGF2BP2, PPP1R14C, SLC7A5, KRT9, RAC2, NTN4, CTLA4, APOC1, and CYP27A1, was formulated by integrating 101 machine learning algorithm combinations. We observed lower overall survival (OS) in the high-risk group and the high-risk group showed elevated expression levels in most of the immune checkpoint and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes, suggesting a strong immune evasion capacity. Correspondingly, TIDE score positively correlated with risk score, implying that high-risk tumors may resist immunotherapy more effectively. At the single-cell level, we noted macrophages in the tumor microenvironment (TME) predominantly stalled in the G2/M phase, potentially hindering epithelial-mesenchymal transition and playing a crucial role in the inhibition of tumor progression. Finally, the proliferation and migration abilities of HNSCC cells significantly decreased after the expression of IGF2BP2 and SLC7A5 reduced. It also decreased migration ability of macrophages and facilitated their polarization towards the M1 direction. Our study constructed a novel MRS for HNSCC, which could serve as an indicator for predicting the prognosis, immune infiltration and immunotherapy for HNSCC patients.

Abstract This study used the three-level EuroQol five-dimension questionnaire (EQ-5D-3L) to assess the quality of life (QOL) of Chinese Shidu parents (who have lost their only child) and conducted an in-depth investigation into the factors affecting their QOL using non-parametric tests and the Tobit regression model. A total of 651 Shidu parents were enrolled in this study. The questionnaire included a general information survey, the Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15), the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), and the three-level EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire (EQ-5D-3L). The results revealed that approximately 60% of Shidu parents reported no problems in all five dimensions. Pain and discomfort were the most frequently reported problems among Shidu parents, affecting 23.35% of participants. The Tobit regression model revealed that GDS-15 scores, marital status, education, and self-reported health status were significantly associated with EQ-5D scores. Additionally, SSRS scores, GDS-15 scores, and self-reported health status were significantly associated with EQ-VAS scores. Based on the study's findings, relevant recommendations were proposed.

Abstract Cancer is rarely the straightforward consequence of an abnormality in a single gene, but rather reflects a complex interplay of many genes, represented as gene modules. Here, we leverage the recent advances of model-agnostic interpretation approach and develop CGMega, an explainable and graph attention-based deep learning framework to perform cancer gene module dissection. CGMega outperforms current approaches in cancer gene prediction, and it provides a promising approach to integrate multi-omics information. We apply CGMega to breast cancer cell line and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients, and we uncover the high-order gene module formed by ErbB family and tumor factors NRG1, PPM1A and DLG2. We identify 396 candidate AML genes, and observe the enrichment of either known AML genes or candidate AML genes in a single gene module. We also identify patient-specific AML genes and associated gene modules. Together, these results indicate that CGMega can be used to dissect cancer gene modules, and provide high-order mechanistic insights into cancer development and heterogeneity.

The anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) is a promising technology for not only water reclamation but also virus removal; however, the virus removal efficiency of AnMBR has not been fully investigated. Additionally, the removal efficiency estimation requires datasets of virus concentration in influent and effluent, but its monitoring is not easy to perform for practical operation because the virus quantification process is generally time-consuming and requires specialized equipment and trained personnel. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to identify the key, monitorable variables in AnMBR and establish the data-driven models using the selected variables to predict virus removal efficiency. We monitored operational and environmental conditions of AnMBR in Sendai, Japan and measured virus concentration once a week for six months. Spearman's rank correlation analysis revealed that the pH values of influent and mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) were strongly correlated with the log reduction value of pepper mild mottle virus, indicating that electrostatic interactions played a dominant role in AnMBR virus removal. Among the candidate models, the random forest model using selected variables including influent and MLSS pH outperformed the others. This study has demonstrated the potential of AnMBR as a viable option for municipal wastewater reclamation with high microbial safety. HIGHLIGHTS Virus removal efficiency in the AnMBR was monitored.; The data-driven model to predict virus removal efficiency was built.; The random forest model had the highest prediction performance.; The pH values of influent and MLSS strongly correlated with virus removal efficiency.;

Abstract To understand the mechanical response pattern of the existing structure and ground due to the construction of metro tunnels underneath, the finite difference method is adopted to study the torsional deformation and stress variation of the existing structure and the effect of underground carriageway structures on the surface subsidence. The curves of the maximum differential subsidence, torsion angle, and distortion of the cross‐section of the existing structure show two peaks in succession during traversing of two metro tunnels beneath it. The torsion angle of the existing structure changes when the two tunnels traverse beneath it in opposite directions. The first traversing of the shield tunnel mainly induces the magnitude variation in torsional deformation of the existing structure, but the second traversing of the subsurface tunnel may cause a dynamic change in the magnitude and form of torsional deformation in the existing structure. The shielding effect can reduce the surface subsidence caused by metro tunnel excavation to a certain extent, and the development trend of subsidence becomes slower as the excavation continues.

Abstract As 5G and early‐stage network technologies mature, a wealth of data and experience is accumulated. The ubiquitous sensing and communication network (USCN) can leverage these existing communication infrastructures to maximize resource utilization and reduce the costs of redeployment through integration with modern 6G and beyond 6G networks. However, implementing future integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) functions in USCN may possess different hardware capabilities and communication protocols, presenting significant challenges. This is due to the lack of a unified framework for managing and optimizing these heterogeneous resources, as well as the absence of reasonable performance metrics. This letter proposes a dynamic pricing coordinated resource allocation (DPCRA) mechanism to realize the emerging ISAC in legacy USCNs. The DPCRA is designed to optimize the spectrum efficiency (SE) of USCN and manages resource interactions between heterogeneous devices through price variables, thereby resolving resource conflicts and deadlocks. The novelties include: (1) employing a price mechanism to foster resource cooperation in non‐cooperative networks; (2) introducing an SE metric incorporating an information similarity factor for optimization; (3) dynamically selecting resources to enhance SE. Simulations demonstrate that the DPCRA effectively resolves device deadlock while maintaining high SE levels, promoting device collaboration.

BackgroundTo address the growing burden of older adult care, the Chinese government has introduced a policy that integrates medical care with elder care, launching two batches of national pilot projects. A majority of the older adult population suffers from one or more chronic diseases, with many experiencing multiple chronic conditions, necessitating support from both elder care and medical services.MethodsUsing panel data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) spanning 2011 to 2020, this study employs the difference-in-difference (DID) model to analyze the impact of the integrated medical-nursing policy on the physical health of older patients with chronic diseases.ResultsThe study found that the average annual number of hospitalizations for older individuals with one or more chronic diseases was 0.276. The integrated medical-nursing policy reduced hospitalizations by 0.0405. Additionally, the average annual hospitalization rate for older individuals with two or more chronic diseases was 0.339, higher than the former group. The integrated medical-nursing policy reduced hospitalizations by 0.0738 in this group.ConclusionThe pilot study demonstrates that the implementation of the integrated medical-nursing policy has significantly improved the physical health of older patients with chronic diseases. The government should promote these policies on a larger scale, explore various forms of integrated medical care, and provide more comprehensive medical and elder care services for older patients with chronic diseases.

[18F]-Florbetazine ([18F]-92) is a selective PET tracer for β-amyloid (Aβ) depositions with a novel diaryl-azine scaffold to reduce lipophilicity and to achieve higher gray-to-white matter contrast. We aimed to assess its diagnostic value in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and pharmacokinetics characteristics in human subjects. Methods: Six healthy controls (HCs) and nine AD patients underwent dynamic PET examination with [18F]-Florbetazine and a structural MRI scan. The time-activity-curves (TACs) for volumes of interest (VOIs) in cerebral cortex, cerebellar cortex and cerebral white matter was depicted and their standardized uptake value ratios (SUVRs) with cerebellar cortex as reference were compared between HCs and AD patients. The cerebral gray-to-white matter SUV ratio (GWR) was also calculated. Results: In HCs, radioactivities in the cerebral cortex VOIs were homogeneously low and at the same level as in cerebellar cortex, while in AD patients, cortical VOIs expected to contain Aβ exhibited high radioactivity. Cerebral cortex SUVRs remain relatively low in HCs while keep increasing along with time in AD patients. After 15 min, the cerebral cortex SUVRs became significant higher in AD patients compared to HCs with 100 % discrimination accuracy. In AD patients, GWR remained over 1.3 for all time intervals and visual inspection showed lower uptake in cerebral white matter compared to cerebral cortex. Conclusion: [18F]-Florbetazine PET showed high uptake on Aβ plaques and high gray-to-white contrast in AD patients that are favorable in visual read. [18F]-Florbetazine can be potentially used for detection and quantification of Aβ depositions in the living human brain.

Abstract Mitochondria are the centers of energy and material metabolism, and they also serve as the storage and dispatch hubs of metal ions. Damage to mitochondrial structure and function can cause abnormal levels and distribution of metal ions, leading to cell dysfunction and even death. For a long time, mitochondrial quality control pathways such as mitochondrial dynamics and mitophagy have been considered to inhibit metal-induced cell death. However, with the discovery of new metal-dependent cell death including ferroptosis and cuproptosis, increasing evidence shows that there is a complex relationship between mitochondrial quality control and metal-dependent cell death. This article reviews the latest research results and mechanisms of crosstalk between mitochondrial quality control and metal-dependent cell death in recent years, as well as their involvement in neurodegenerative diseases, tumors and other diseases, in order to provide new ideas for the research and treatment of related diseases.

Abstract The evolution of Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) pushes connectivity from human‐to‐things and things‐to‐things, to AI‐to‐things, has resulted in more complex physical networks and logical associations. This has driven the demand for Internet of Things (IoT) devices with powerful edge data processing capabilities, leading to exponential growth in device quantity and data generation. However, conventional data preprocessing methods, such as data compression and encoding, often require edge devices to allocate computational resources for decoding. Additionally, some lossy compression methods, like JPEG, may result in the loss of important information, which has negative impact on the AI training. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a two‐step attribute reduction approach, targeting devices and dimensions, to reduce the massive amount of data in the AIoT network while avoiding unnecessary utilization of edge device resources for decoding. The device‐oriented and dimension‐oriented attribute reductions identify important devices and dimensions, respectively, to mitigate the multimodal interference caused by the large‐scale devices in the AIoT network and the curse of dimensionality associated with high‐dimensional AIoT data. Numerical results and analysis show that this approach effectively eliminates redundant devices and numerous dimensions in the AIoT network while maintaining the basic data correlation.

Abstract Power system dynamic security assessment (DSA) has long been essential for protecting the system from the risk of cascading failures and wide‐spread blackouts. The machine learning (ML) based data‐driven strategy is promising due to its real‐time computation speed and knowledge discovery capacity. However, ML algorithms are found to be vulnerable against well‐designed malicious input samples that can lead to wrong outputs. Adversarial attacks are implemented to measure the vulnerability of the trained ML models. Specifically, the targets of attacks are identified by interpretation analysis that the data features with large SHAP values will be assigned with perturbations. The proposed method has the superiority that an instance‐based DSA method is established with interpretation of the ML models, where effective adversarial attacks and its mitigation countermeasure are developed by assigning the perturbations on features with high importance. Later, these generated adversarial examples are employed for adversarial training and mitigation. The simulation results present that the model accuracy and robustness vary with the quantity of adversarial examples used, and there is not necessarily a trade‐off between these two indicators. Furthermore, the rate of successful attacks increases when a greater bound of perturbations is permitted. By this method, the correlation between model accuracy and robustness can be clearly stated, which will provide considerable assistance in decision making.

Abstract Dynamic contrast optical coherence tomography (DyC-OCT), an emerging imaging method, utilizes fluctuation patterns in OCT signals to enhance contrast, thereby enabling non-invasive label-free volumetric live cell imaging. In this mini review, we explain the core concepts behind DyC-OCT image formation and its system configurations, serving as practical guidance for future DyC-OCT users. Subsequently, we explore its applications in delivering high-quality, contrast-enhanced images of cellular morphology, as well as in monitoring changes in cellular activity/viability assay experiments.

Chlorophyll is both a cornerstone of plant photosynthesis and an important indicator for assessing crop growth and health. Although many previous studies have explored the use of remote sensing to retrieve chlorophyll content, there is room for improvement in the proposed retrieval models, especially the hybrid model, and its performance in combination with multi-angle remote sensing remains unknown. To this end, we developed a hybrid chlorophyll retrieval model by coupling PROSAIL, Gaussian process regression, and continuous wavelet transform (CWT) based on multi-angle (−60° to 60°) hyperspectral observations of maize. The CWT converts PROSAIL-modeled and measured spectral reflectance into wavelet features (WF) that finely capture signals due to chlorophyll changes, making WF-based hybrid models (HMWF) promising for enhanced chlorophyll retrieval. Our results show that for leaf chlorophyll content (LCC) and canopy chlorophyll content (CCC) retrieval, combining low and medium scale WFs (scales3-5) with hybrid models is more advantageous than using other scale WFs. The accuracy of the HMWF based on the best-scale WF was significantly higher than that of the hybrid model based on original spectrum or vegetation indices. Additionally, our evaluation of the effect of viewing zenith angles (VZAs) on HMWF showed that the accuracies of HMWF acquired at non-nadir angles were generally higher than those acquired at nadir angle. Among all models, the HMWF based on the scale3 WF had the highest accuracy at −10°, with R2 = 0.85 and RMSE=3.55 for LCC retrievals, and R2 = 0.78 and RMSE=0.22 for CCC retrievals. Furthermore, the HMWF showed the least sensitivity to changes in VZAs, especially in the range of −10° to −40°. Overall, these findings highlight the effectiveness of HMWF with multi-angle hyperspectral data in improving chlorophyll retrieval accuracy. This study serves as a reference for crop parameter retrieval, crucial for advancing agricultural monitoring and management.

Long-term cumulative fatigue damage of mooring lines is crucial for the design of floating wind turbine structures (FWTs). Although many efforts are carried out for the offshore floating platforms, there still needs to be an efficient approach for assessing the long-term fatigue damage of the floating wind turbine mooring lines due to the complex loading in FWTs. An active learning approach named AK-DA (Adaptive Kriging Damage Assessment) was recently proposed for the cumulative fatigue damage assessment of wind turbine structures. However, in the original work, the AK-DA approach was only tested on fatigue damage assessment of a 5MW wind turbine tower with monopile support structures. It is unclear whether it is applicable to other parts of the wind turbine system, especially considering the complex loading of FWTs. Therefore, in this work, the AK-DA approach is used to assess the cumulative fatigue damage of mooring lines. The Gaussian process regression (Kriging) model is used to predict the fatigue damage of the mooring line under different wind-wave cases. The cumulative fatigue damage of the mooring lines in the IEA 15MW semi-submersible wind turbines is assessed with the AK-DA approach. The numerical simulation results show that the AK-DA approach can efficiently and accurately estimate the cumulative fatigue damage of the mooring lines. Compared to the traditional simulation approach, the AK-DA approach can increase efficiency by more than 45 times, and the absolute error is less than 1%. This active learning approach could serve as a helpful tool for offshore mooring system designers, facilitating the cumulative fatigue damage assessment during the design process.

The study aimed to understand the main skills of older adult caregivers and find ways to improve these skills. We selected participants using a method called random cluster sampling, where caregivers from 17 different medical and nursing care facilities across seven districts in Hangzhou were chosen. We collected 492 valid questionnaires and conducted interviews with 150 people. To analyze the data, we used T-tests and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to identify what factors affect caregivers’ skills. We also performed multiple regression analysis to explore these factors in more depth. The analysis showed that age (p = 0.041), annual income (p

Abstract Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal nitrides and carbides (MXenes), represented by Ti3C2Tx, have broad applications in flexible electronics, electromechanical devices, and structural membranes due to their unique physical and chemical properties. Despite the Young’s modulus of 2D Ti3C2Tx has been theoretically predicted to be 0.502 TPa, which has not been experimentally confirmed so far due to the measurement is extremely restricted. Here, by optimizing the sample preparation, cutting, and transfer protocols, we perform the direct in-situ tensile tests on monolayer Ti3C2Tx nanosheets using nanomechanical push-to-pull equipment under a scanning electron microscope. The effective Young’s modulus is 0.484 ± 0.013 TPa, which is much closer to the theoretical value of 0.502 TPa than the previously reported 0.33 TPa by the disputed nanoindentation method, and the measured elastic stiffness is ~948 N/m. Moreover, during the process of tensile loading, the monolayer Ti3C2Tx shows an average elastic strain of ~3.2% and a tensile strength as large as ~15.4 GPa. This work corrects the previous reports by nanoindentation method and demonstrates that the Ti3C2Tx indeed keeps immense potential for broad range of applications.

Compressed sensing theory is widely used to accurately reconstruct the original signal from a small number of random observations, i.e., obtain high-dimensional information from low-dimensional information. This feature has shown effectiveness in image super-resolution. In this paper, based on the compressed sensing theory, the ARSR (Adaptive Regularization term Super Resolution) algorithm is proposed to achieve super-resolution reconstruction of images. The algorithm models on the basis of exploiting the image local sparsity prior. On the one hand, by using adaptive regularization coefficients to weight the elements in the norm, we obtain more accurate sparse representation coefficients. On the other hand, we also add an adaptive regularization term behind the optimization model, which is able to take the correlation of the image into account as well. By generating a suitable coefficient, it can adaptively reconcile the relationship between sparsity and correlation. In addition, we derived an approximation to solve the model iteratively using the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM). In this paper, the sparse transform domain is trained by the K-SVD algorithm and the accuracy evaluation indexes of the experiments use peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and structural similarity (SSIM). Compared with existing classical sparse representation-based image super-resolution algorithms, our ARSR algorithm obtains the highest PSNR and SSIM values in different regions of the image with better subjective visual effects.

Abstract Background Aquaculture plays an important role in global protein supplies and food security. The ban on antibiotics as feed additive proposes urgent need to develop alternatives. Gut microbiota plays important roles in the metabolism and immunity of fish and has the potential to give rise to novel solutions for challenges confronted by fish culture. However, our understanding of fish gut microbiome is still lacking. Results We identified 575,856 non-redundant genes by metagenomic sequencing of the intestinal content samples of grass carp. Taxonomic and functional annotation of the gene catalogue revealed specificity of the gut microbiome of grass carp compared with mammals. Co-occurrence analysis indicated exclusive relations between the genera belonging to Proteobacteria and Fusobacteria/Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes, suggesting two independent ecological groups of the microbiota. The association pattern of Proteobacteria with the gene expression modules of fish gut and the liver was consistently opposite to that of Fusobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes, implying differential functionality of Proteobacteria and Fusobacteria/Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes. Therefore, the two ecological groups were considered as two functional groups, i.e., Functional Group 1: Proteobacteria and Functional Group 2: Fusobacteria/Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes. Further analysis revealed that the two functional groups differ in genetic capacity for carbohydrate utilization, virulence factors, and antibiotic resistance. Finally, we proposed that the ratio of “Functional Group 2/Functional Group 1” can be used as a biomarker that efficiently reflects the structural and functional characteristics of the microbiota of grass carp. Conclusions The gene catalogue is an important resource for investigating the gut microbiome of grass carp. Multi-omics analysis provides insights into functional implications of the main phyla that comprise the fish microbiota and shed lights on targets for microbiota regulation. Video Abstract

This letter proposes a reliable transfer learning (RTL) method for pre-fault dynamic security assessment (DSA) in power systems to improve DSA performance in the presence of potentially related unknown faults. It takes individual discrep-ancies into consideration and can handle unknown faults with incomplete data. Extensive experiment results demonstrate high DSA accuracy and computational efficiency of the proposed RTL method. Theoretical analysis shows RTL can guarantee system performance.

Abstract Developing in situ/operando spectroscopic techniques with high sensitivity and reproducibility is of great importance for mechanistic investigations of surface-mediated electrochemical reactions. Herein, we report the fabrication of highly ordered rhombic gold nanocube superlattices (GNSs) as substrates for surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (SEIRAS) with significantly enhanced SEIRA effect, which can be controlled by manipulating the randomness of GNSs. Finite difference time domain simulations reveal that the electromagnetic effect accounts for the significantly improved spectroscopic vibrations on the GNSs. In situ SEIRAS results show that the vibrations of CO on the Cu2O surfaces have been enhanced by 2.4 ± 0.5 and 18.0 ± 1.3 times using GNSs as substrates compared to those on traditional chemically deposited gold films in acidic and neutral electrolytes, respectively. Combined with isotopic labeling experiments, the reaction mechanisms for C-C coupling of CO electroreduction on Cu-based catalysts are revealed using the GNSs substrates.

Abstract Integrated air–ground network enhances AIoT performance by improving spectral efficiency, achieving high-speed, stable network connectivity, and enabling sensing, learning, and decision-making. However, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can lead to local spectrum congestion and competition. To address this issue, intelligent signal processing techniques are employed to enhance AIoT system performance and stability through intelligent multi-channel sensing and communication. A novel communication framework inspired by brain cognition for UAV communication in heterogeneous environments is introduced. This framework iteratively determines the importance of signals, effectively eliminating unimportant signals with interference characteristics, and reducing their transmission power. Simulation results demonstrate the superiority of this method in terms of communication performance.

Abstract Understanding the structure-stability relationship of catalysts is imperative for the development of high-performance electrocatalytic devices. Herein, we utilize operando attenuated total reflectance surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (ATR-SEIRAS) to quantitatively monitor the evolution of Cu single-atom catalysts (SACs) during the electrochemical reduction of CO2 (CO2RR). Cu SACs are converted into 2-nm Cu nanoparticles through a reconstruction process during CO2RR. The evolution rate of Cu SACs is highly dependent on the substrates of the catalysts due to the coordination difference. Density functional theory calculations demonstrate that the stability of Cu SACs is highly dependent on their formation energy, which can be manipulated by controlling the affinity between Cu sites and substrates. This work highlights the use of operando ATR-SEIRAS to achieve mechanistic understanding of structure-stability relationship for long-term applications.

This paper presents a novel low-carbon binder formulated from fly ash (FA), ground granulated blast furnace slag, steel slag, and desulfurization gypsum as a quaternary solid waste-based material. It specifically examines the influence of FA content on the mechanical properties and hydration reactions of the quaternary solid waste-based binder. The mortar test results indicate that the optimal FA content is 10%, which yields a 28-day compressive strength 11.28% higher than that of the control group without FA. The spherical particles of fly ash reduce the overall water demand and provide a “lubricating” effect to the paste due to their continuous gradation, improving the fluidity of the slag-steel slag-gypsum cementitious materials. The micro test results indicate that fly ash has minimal effect on the early hydration products and process of the solid waste-based cementitious materials, but after 7 days, it continuously dissolves silicon-oxygen tetrahedrons or aluminum-oxygen tetrahedrons, consuming Ca2+ and OH− in the system. After 28 days, the amount of ettringite and C-(A)-S-H gel generated increases significantly. The pozzolanic activity of fly ash is mainly stimulated by the Ca(OH)2 from steel slag in the later hydration stage. Additionally, spherical fly ash particles can fill the voids in the hardened paste, reducing the formation of cracks and weak zones, and thereby contributing to a denser overall structure of the hydrated binder. The findings of this paper provide data support for the development of low-carbon cement-free binders using fly ash in conjunction with metallurgical slags, thereby contributing to the low-carbon advancement of the construction materials industry.

In the process of tunnel construction, problems such as high-stress rockburst, large deformation of soft rock, water inrush and mud gushing, secondary cracking of linings, blasting interference, man-made damage, and mechanical damage are often encountered. These pose a great challenge to the installation of monitoring equipment and line protection. In order to solve these problems, the 2# inclined shaft of Muzhailing Tunnel in the Gansu Province of China, which exists under high stress, water bearing, and bias conditions, was taken as the research object in this paper. By assembling a string, drilling grouting and sealing, and introducing multiple modes of protection, new fiber grating sensor group installation and line protection methods were proposed. The automatic continuous monitoring of the deep deformation of surrounding rock and the automatic continuous monitoring of steel arch stress were realized. The field monitoring results showed that: (1) the fiber grating displacement sensor group could be used to verify the authenticity of the surface displacement results monitored by the total station; (2) the NPR anchor cable coupling support effectively limited the large deformation of soft rock and the expansion of surrounding rock in a loose circle, and the range of the loose circle was stable at about 1 m; and (3) the main influence range of blasting was at a depth of 0~5 m in surrounding rock, and about 25 m away from the working face. In addition, to secure weak links in the steel arch due to the hardening phenomenon, a locking tube was set at the arch foot. In the support design, the fatigue life of the steel was found to be useful as the selection index for the steel arch frame to ensure the stability of the surrounding rock and the long-term safety of the tunnel. The present research adopted a robust method and integrates a variety of sensor technologies to provide a multifaceted view of the stresses and deformations encountered during the tunneling process, and the effective application of the above results could have certain research and reference value for the design and monitoring of high stress, water-bearing, and surrounding rock supports in tunnels.

BackgroundIt remains unclear whether intensification of the chemotherapy backbone in tandem with an anti-EGFR can confer superior clinical outcomes in a cohort of RAS/BRAF wild-type colorectal cancer (CRC) patients with initially unresectable colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). To that end, we sought to comparatively evaluate the efficacy and safety of cetuximab plus FOLFOXIRI (triplet arm) versus cetuximab plus FOLFOX (doublet arm) as a conversion regimen (i.e., unresectable to resectable) in CRC patients with unresectable CRLM.Methods and findingsThis open-label, randomized clinical trial was conducted from April 2018 to December 2022 in 7 medical centers across China, enrolling 146 RAS/BRAF wild-type CRC patients with initially unresectable CRLM. A stratified blocked randomization method was utilized to assign patients (1:1) to either the cetuximab plus FOLFOXIRI (n = 72) or cetuximab plus FOLFOX (n = 74) treatment arms. Stratification factors were tumor location (left versus right) and resectability (technically unresectable versus ≥5 metastases). The primary outcome was the objective response rate (ORR). Secondary outcomes included the median depth of tumor response (DpR), early tumor shrinkage (ETS), R0 resection rate, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (not mature at the time of analysis), and safety profile. Radiological tumor evaluations were conducted by radiologists blinded to the group allocation. Primary efficacy analyses were conducted based on the intention-to-treat population, while safety analyses were performed on patients who received at least 1 line of chemotherapy. A total of 14 patients (9.6%) were lost to follow-up (9 in the doublet arm and 5 in the triplet arm). The ORR was comparable following adjustment for stratification factors, with 84.7% versus 79.7% in the triplet and doublet arms, respectively (odds ratio [OR] 0.70; 95% confidence intervals [CI] [0.30, 1.67], Chi-square p = 0.42). Moreover, the ETS rate showed no significant difference between the triplet and doublet arms (80.6% (58/72) versus 77.0% (57/74), OR 0.82, 95% CI [0.37, 1.83], Chi-square p = 0.63). Although median DpR was higher in the triplet therapy group (59.6%, interquartile range [IQR], [50.0, 69.7] versus 55.0%, IQR [42.8, 63.8], Mann-Whitney p = 0.039), the R0/R1 resection rate with or without radiofrequency ablation/stereotactic body radiation therapy was comparable with 54.2% (39/72) of patients in the triplet arm versus 52.7% (39/74) in the doublet arm. At a median follow-up of 26.2 months (IQR [12.8, 40.5]), the median PFS was 11.8 months in the triplet arm versus 13.4 months in the doublet arm (hazard ratio [HR] 0.74, 95% CI [0.50, 1.11], Log-rank p = 0.14). Grade ≥ 3 events were reported in 47.2% (35/74) of patients in the doublet arm and 55.9% (38/68) of patients in the triplet arm. The triplet arm was associated with a higher incidence of grade ≥ 3 neutropenia (44.1% versus 27.0%, p = 0.03) and diarrhea (5.9% versus 0%, p = 0.03). The primary limitations of the study encompass the inherent bias in subjective surgical decisions regarding resection feasibility, as well as the lack of a centralized assessment for ORR and resection.ConclusionsThe combination of cetuximab with FOLFOXIRI did not significantly improve ORR compared to cetuximab plus FOLFOX. Despite achieving an enhanced DpR, this improvement did not translate into improved R0 resection rates or PFS. Moreover, the triplet arm was associated with an increase in treatment-related toxicity.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03493048.

IntroductionThis study delves into the intricate dynamics between fiscal policies supporting agriculture and the non-linear influence of agricultural science and technology innovation on enhancing agricultural resilience. We conducted research across 31 provinces (including autonomous regions and municipalities) in China from 2007 to 2021.MethodBy constructing the evaluation index system of agricultural resilience, the entropy value method is used to measure the value of agricultural resilience, and then standard deviation ellipse and center of gravity migration analysis, benchmark regression model, heterogeneity analysis, threshold regression model are used to analyze the relationship between agricultural science and technology innovation, fiscal policies supporting agriculture and agricultural resilience.Result(1) The analysis of the spatio-temporal evolution trend shows that the overall development of China’s agricultural resilience is relatively stable, the resilience range is expanding, and the geographical area with the southeast as the center of gravity presents a stronger pulling effect; (2) The benchmark regression model shows that agricultural science and technology innovation has a significant positive effect on agricultural resilience; (3) Agricultural science and technology innovation plays a nonlinear role in increasing agricultural resilience when fiscal policies supporting agriculture are used as a threshold variable. (4) Heterogeneity analysis highlights stronger promotion of agricultural resilience through science and technology innovation in non-main producing areas and economically underdeveloped regions.DiscussionTo address this, policymakers should leverage the resilience of the Southeast, boost innovation capacity, tailor innovation to local needs, and reinforce fiscal policies supporting agriculture. These insights provide valuable direction for policymakers in crafting effective measures to enhance agricultural resilience.

This study investigated the effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus fermentation products added to feed on common carp (Cyprinus carpio) on growth, gut and liver health, and gut microbiota. Common carp with an average weight of 1.95±0.4 g were fed five experimental diets: normal diet (normal) and normal diet supplemented with Lactobacillus rhamnosus fermentation products (abbreviation: 0.2% GCC-3, 0.3% GCC-3, 0.4% GCC-3 and 0.5% GCC-3, respectively) for 8 weeks. The results showed that the GCC-3 fermentation product did not affect the growth phenotype of common carp. The diet supplemented with 0.3% GCC-3 significantly reduced the serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels of common carp compared to the control group. Diets with GCC-3 fermentation products significantly reduced liver triacylglycerol (TAG) levels. Diets supplemented with 0.3% GCC-3 fermentation products significantly downregulated the expression of liver liposynthesis gene (fas) and significantly upregulated the expression of liver lipolysis gene (cpt1). Diets supplemented with GCC-3 significantly reduced the serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels of common carp compared to the control group. In addition, dietary supplementation with 0.3% GCC-3, 0.4% GCC-3, or 0.5% GCC-3 all increased the abundance of Cetobacterium and decreased the abundance of Acinetobacter. In summary, dietary supplementation with 0.3% GCC-3, 0.4% GCC-3, and 0.5% GCC-3 reduced liver lipid deposition, and improved gut microbiota homeostasis of common carp. The best positive effect was observed in common carp fed a 0.3% GCC-3 supplemental diet.

Abstract Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG), the well‐characterized human‐derived probiotic strain, possesses excellent properties in the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis, immunoregulation and defense against gastrointestinal pathogens in mammals. Here, we demonstrate that the SpaC pilin of LGG causes intestinal epithelium injury by inducing cell pyroptosis and gut microbial dysbiosis in zebrafish. Dietary SpaC activates Caspase‐3−GSDMEa pathways in the intestinal epithelium, promotes intestinal pyroptosis and increases lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐producing gut microbes in zebrafish. The increased LPS subsequently activates Gaspy2−GSDMEb pyroptosis pathway. Further analysis reveals the Caspase‐3−GSDMEa pyroptosis is initiated by the species‐specific recognition of SpaC by TLR4ba, which accounts for the species‐specificity of the SpaC‐inducing intestinal pyroptosis in zebrafish. The observed pyroptosis‐driven gut injury and microbial dysbiosis by LGG in zebrafish suggest that host‐specific beneficial/harmful mechanisms are critical safety issues when applying probiotics derived from other host species and need more attention.