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Hot-pressed 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (TATB)-based polymer bonded explosives (PBX) will show significant anisotropic and irreversible expansion properties, resulting in both the deterioration of their performance and weapon reliability issues. The anisotropic mechanical and irreversible expansion characteristics of TATB-based PBX have shown to be closely related to the crystal orientation. In this work, the orientations of TATB crystals in PBX under different thermal–mechanical coupling loading conditions were studied by neutron diffraction measurement technology. The microstructures were observed by computed tomography (CT) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the effects of hot pressing parameters (temperature and pressure) on the TATB crystal orientation were systematically analyzed. Combining the density and compression strength of the formed samples, the optimal hot pressing parameters were determined. The results showed that during the in-situ compression process, the TATB crystals would be reoriented. The rotation angle of the (002) plane was mainly concentrated within a 35° angle from the perpendicular pressing direction. After hot compaction, the rotation angle moved from 35° to 52°, and the orientation of the TATB crystals had obvious rebound phenomenon. The (002) plane orientation degree was related to the deformation, fragmentation, and reorientation of the TATB crystals, as well as the phase transition, thermal softening, and gap filling of the binder, and the interfacial interactions. In order to obtain higher detonation energy, better mechanical properties and better shape stability of the formed samples, (120 °C, 140 MPa) was selected as the optimal hot pressing parameters for TATB-based PBX. [Display omitted] • Neutron diffraction was developed for the TATB crystal orientation measurement. • The TATB crystal reorientation during pressing process was obtained. • The effect of the temperature and pressure on the reorientation was quantified. • The mechanism of the crystal reorientation during pressing process was analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We extend the cross-modal prototype learning CMPL framework to three modalities. • CMPL achieves state-of-the-art results on online and offline zero-shot handwritten character recognition. • CMPL shows promising cross-domain generalization ability in zero-shot handwritten character recognition. Traditional methods of handwritten character recognition rely on extensive labeled data. However, humans can generalize to unseen handwritten characters by watching a few printed examples in textbooks. To simulate this ability, we propose a cross-modal prototype learning method (CMPL) to realize zero-shot recognition. For each character class, a prototype is generated by mapping the printed character into a deep neural network feature space. For unseen character class, its prototype can be directly produced from a printed character sample, therefore, not requiring any handwritten samples to realize class-incremental learning. Specifically, CMPL considers different modalities simultaneously - online handwritten trajectories, offline handwritten images, and auxiliary printed character images. The joint learning of the above modalities is achieved through sharing printed prototypes between online and offline data. In zero-shot inference, we feed CMPL the printed samples to obtain corresponding class prototypes, and then the unseen handwritten character can be recognized by the nearest prototype. Our experimental results demonstrate that CMPL outperforms the state-of-the-art methods in both online and offline zero-shot handwritten Chinese character recognition. Moreover, we also show the cross-domain generalization of CMPL from two perspectives: cross-language and modern-to-ancient handwritten character recognition, focusing on the transferability between different languages and different styles (i.e., modern and historical handwritings). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this study was to develop a new prognostic model for osteosarcoma based on cuproptosis-mitochondrion genes. Materials and methods: The data of osteosarcoma were obtained from TARGET database. By using Cox regression and LASSO regression analysis, a novel risk score was constructed based on cuproptosis-mitochondrion genes. Kaplan-Meier, ROC curve and independent prognostic analyses were performed to validate the risk score in GSE21257 dataset. Then, a predictive nomogram was constructed and further validated by calibration plot, C-index and ROC curve. Based on the risk score, all patients were divided into high-risk and low-risk group. GO and KEGG enrichment, immune correlation and drug sensitivity analyses were performed between groups. Real-time quantitative PCR verified the expression of cuproptosis-mitochondrion prognostic model genes in osteosarcoma. And we explored the function of FDX1 in osteosarcoma by western blotting, CCK8, colony formation assay, wound healing assay and transwell assays. Results: A total of six cuproptosis-mitochondrion genes (FDX1, COX11, MFN2, TOMM20, NDUFB9 and ATP6V1E1) were identified. A novel risk score and associated prognostic nomogram were constructed with high clinical application value. Strong differences in function enrichment and tumor immune microenvironment were shown between groups. Besides, the correlation of cuproptosis-mitochondrion genes and drug sensitivity were revealed to search for potential therapeutic target. The expression of FDX1, COX11, MFN2, TOMM20 and NDUFB9 at mRNA level was elevated in osteosarcoma cells compared with normal osteoblast hFOB1.19. The mRNA expression level of ATP6V1E1 was decreased in osteosarcoma. Compared with hFOB1.19, western blotting revealed that the expression of FDX1 was significantly elevated in osteosarcoma cells. Functional experiments indicated that FDX1 mainly promoted the migration of osteosarcoma rather than proliferation. Conclusions: We developed a novel prognostic model of osteosarcoma based on cuproptosis-mitochondrion genes, which provided great guidance in survival prediction and individualized treatment decision making for patients with osteosarcoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Class-incremental learning (CIL) aims to recognize classes that emerged in different phases. The joint-training (JT), which trains the model jointly with all classes, is often considered as the upper bound of CIL. In this paper, we thoroughly analyze the difference between CIL and JT in feature space and weight space. Motivated by the comparative analysis, we propose two types of calibration: feature calibration and weight calibration to imitate the oracle (ItO), i.e., JT. Specifically, on the one hand, feature calibration introduces deviation compensation to maintain the class decision boundary of old classes in feature space. On the other hand, weight calibration leverages forgetting-aware weight perturbation to increase transferability and reduce forgetting in parameter space. With those two calibration strategies, the model is forced to imitate the properties of joint-training at each incremental learning stage, thus yielding better CIL performance. Our ItO is a plug-and-play method and can be implemented into existing methods easily. Extensive experiments on several benchmark datasets demonstrate that ItO can significantly and consistently improve the performance of existing state-of-the-art methods. Our code is publicly available at https://github.com/Impression2805/ItO4CIL. • We explore and study how class incremental learning (CIL) differs from joint training (i.e., the oracle), and identify the crucial difference in both feature space and weight space. Therefore, we propose to improve CIL by imitating the oracle (ItO). • In the feature space, the proposed feature calibration introduces deviation compensation to maintain the class decision boundary of old classes for CIL. • In the weights space, the proposed weight calibration leverages forgetting-aware weight perturbation to increase transferability and reduce forgetting for CIL. • Extensive experiments demonstrate that our ItO can significantly and consistently improve the performance of existing state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SARS-CoV-2 Main protease (Mpro) is pivotal in viral replication and transcription. Mpro mediates proteolysis of translated products of replicase genes ORF1a and ORF1ab. Surveying pre-clinical trial Mpro inhibitors suggests potential enhanced efficacy for some moieties. Concordant with promising in vitro and in silico data, the protease inhibitor GC376 was chosen as a lead. Modification of GC376 analogues yielded a series of promising Mpro inhibitors. Design optimization identified compound G59i as lead candidate, displaying a binding energy of − 10.54 kcal/mol for the complex. Robust interactivity was noted between G59i and Mpro. With commendable ADMET characteristics and enhanced potency, further G59i analysis may be advantageous; moreover, identified key Mpro residues could contribute to the design of neotenic inhibitors. Serial modifications to the SARS-2-CoV main protease (Mpro) inhibitor GC376 yielded promising analogues from which compound G59i was progressed. A more exothermic binding energy was predicted for Mpro ligation compared to GC376. With commendable ADMET characteristics and enhanced potency, further G59i analysis may be advantageous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructures and transport properties of fibrous porous material are significant for chemical catalysts, textile engineering, electronic devices, etc. In this paper, a fractal Monte Carlo method (FMCM) is developed to reconstruct the random microstructure of fibrous porous material based on the fractal scaling laws of fiber columns. And, the two-point correlation function of reconstructed fibrous material is calculated, which shows the effectiveness of the FMCM reconstruction. Also, the single-phase fluid flow through the reconstructed random fibrous porous material is simulated by the finite element method. The predicted permeability indicates good agreement with available empirical formulas. It has been found that the effective permeability of fibrous porous material decreases with the increase of fractal dimensions for fiber column. However, the fractal dimension of fiber column width has a greater influence on the effective permeability of fibrous porous material compared with that of fiber column length. The proposed numerical method provides an effective tool to reconstruct the irregular microstructure and understand the complex transport mechanisms of fibrous porous material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) is suitable for near-net-shaped manufacturing of large-scale components due to compelling factors such as high deposition rates and low feedstock costs. These factors notwithstanding, an understanding of the process-structure-property relations is necessary for the industrial use of this manufacturing process. However, the thermal cycles and heat accumulation in the WAAM process can result in different microstructural transformations. These complexities make it non-trivial to establish the process-structure-property relations. Hence, the objective of this work is to understand the various aspects of microstructure evolution in an as-fabricated material. A suite of characterization techniques, including optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and electron backscatter diffraction were utilized to characterize a wire arc additively manufactured maraging steel 250 thin wall. The characterization findings show grain refinement and variation in precipitation categories and volumetric fraction as a function of the height of the thin wall. These variations are then qualitatively related to the thermal conditions during fabrication. Overall, findings from this work shed light on the impact of thermal cycles and heat accumulation on the microstructure evolution in as-fabricated maraging steel 250. • Thermal cycles and heat accumulation in WAAM lead to in-situ microstructural transformations in Maraging 250 • 23% increase in hardness was observed from the top of the wall to the bottom • Prior austenite grain and martensite block refinement observed along the height of the wall •.In-situ microstructural transformations were observed due to local temperature cycles and global heat accumulation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Objective: To compare the outcomes of post‐acute care between home health (HH) and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) following hospitalization among Medicare beneficiaries with dementia. Despite the fact that both post‐acute care use and dementia are highly prevalent in the Medicare population, very few studies have compared the outcomes of different post‐acute care settings for patients with dementia, leaving patients, caregivers, and clinicians uncertain how to make optimal decisions around hospital discharge. Study Design: Retrospective analysis of secondary data using an instrumental variable design to compare outcomes of HH versus SNF following an acute hospitalization. We used a 100% sample of Medicare inpatient, outpatient, and post‐acute care claims and assessment data from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2016 and used differential distance between home health and SNF as the instrumental variable to account for nonrandom allocation of patients (F‐statistic: 26.5). Outcomes included unplanned 30‐day readmission, 30‐ and 100‐day mortality, and a composite measure of readmission and mortality to address competing risks. Our analysis adjusted for beneficiary characteristics and year of analysis, included fixed effects for hospital and year, and adjusted for clustering at the hospital level. Population Studied: We used MedPAR to identify hospitalizations and Minimum Data Set and Outcome and Assessment Information Set assessments to identify SNF and HH stays following hospital discharge. We excluded beneficiaries younger than age 65, admitted to the hospital from a nursing home, or were enrolled in hospice. We identified dementia using validated diagnostic codes with a three‐year look‐back. We also measured demographics, comorbidities, characteristics of the index hospital stay, prior health care utilization, and both cognitive and physical function on admission to post‐acute care. Principal Findings: Our sample included 1,369,192 beneficiaries with a diagnosis of dementia; 404,539 (29.5%) received HH, while 964,653 (70.5%) went to SNF. The cohort was older (mean age 83), approximately 70% were cognitively impaired on SNF admission, and only 30.4% of patients were independent in Activities of Daily Living. Overall, 16.1% were readmitted to the hospital and 5.9% died within 30 days, while 19.5% died within 100 days of hospital discharge. In the instrumental variable analysis, there were no differences in any outcome between the two post‐acute care settings. These findings were similar when the analysis was stratified by degree of cognitive impairment. Conclusions: In a sample of more than 1.6 million Medicare beneficiaries discharged to post‐acute care following hospitalization, use of home health services and SNF were equivalent in terms of unplanned readmissions and 30‐ and 100‐day mortality. These are important findings given more than 7 in 10 Medicare beneficiaries with dementia are currently discharged to SNF for post‐acute care at much higher cost than HH, and the prevalence of both dementia and post‐acute care use are increasing in the United States. Implications for Policy or Practice: Our findings suggest HH may provide similar outcomes at lower cost following hospitalization for Medicare beneficiaries with a diagnosis of dementia, and that home‐based models of care may provide increased post‐acute care value. Primary Funding Source: University of Pennsylvania Institute on Aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Objective: To compare the outcomes of post‐acute care between home health (HH) and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) following hospitalization among Medicare beneficiaries with dementia. Despite the fact that both post‐acute care use and dementia are highly prevalent in the Medicare population, very few studies have compared the outcomes of different post‐acute care settings for patients with dementia, leaving patients, caregivers, and clinicians uncertain how to make optimal decisions around hospital discharge. Study Design: Retrospective analysis of secondary data using an instrumental variable design to compare outcomes of HH versus SNF following an acute hospitalization. We used a 100% sample of Medicare inpatient, outpatient, and post‐acute care claims and assessment data from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2016 and used differential distance between home health and SNF as the instrumental variable to account for nonrandom allocation of patients (F‐statistic: 26.5). Outcomes included unplanned 30‐day readmission, 30‐ and 100‐day mortality, and a composite measure of readmission and mortality to address competing risks. Our analysis adjusted for beneficiary characteristics and year of analysis, included fixed effects for hospital and year, and adjusted for clustering at the hospital level. Population Studied: We used MedPAR to identify hospitalizations and Minimum Data Set and Outcome and Assessment Information Set assessments to identify SNF and HH stays following hospital discharge. We excluded beneficiaries younger than age 65, admitted to the hospital from a nursing home, or were enrolled in hospice. We identified dementia using validated diagnostic codes with a three‐year look‐back. We also measured demographics, comorbidities, characteristics of the index hospital stay, prior health care utilization, and both cognitive and physical function on admission to post‐acute care. Principal Findings: Our sample included 1,369,192 beneficiaries with a diagnosis of dementia; 404,539 (29.5%) received HH, while 964,653 (70.5%) went to SNF. The cohort was older (mean age 83), approximately 70% were cognitively impaired on SNF admission, and only 30.4% of patients were independent in Activities of Daily Living. Overall, 16.1% were readmitted to the hospital and 5.9% died within 30 days, while 19.5% died within 100 days of hospital discharge. In the instrumental variable analysis, there were no differences in any outcome between the two post‐acute care settings. These findings were similar when the analysis was stratified by degree of cognitive impairment. Conclusions: In a sample of more than 1.6 million Medicare beneficiaries discharged to post‐acute care following hospitalization, use of home health services and SNF were equivalent in terms of unplanned readmissions and 30‐ and 100‐day mortality. These are important findings given more than 7 in 10 Medicare beneficiaries with dementia are currently discharged to SNF for post‐acute care at much higher cost than HH, and the prevalence of both dementia and post‐acute care use are increasing in the United States. Implications for Policy or Practice: Our findings suggest HH may provide similar outcomes at lower cost following hospitalization for Medicare beneficiaries with a diagnosis of dementia, and that home‐based models of care may provide increased post‐acute care value. Primary Funding Source: University of Pennsylvania Institute on Aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrothermal synthesis was used to synthesize SnCNx photocatalysts with different SnO 2 content. The SnCN4 photocatalyst has a well photocatalytic degradation efficiency for pollutants under visible light irradiation. Rising photoactivity may be related to the synergistic effect between SnO 2 and g-C 3 N 4 , which leads to an increase in visible light absorption. The interface interaction between the two components promotes effective charge transfer, thereby increasing visible light absorption. The ·O 2 ¯ and ·OH are the main reaction species in the degradation reaction and we also discussed the possible mechanism of this process. [Display omitted] • Cubic SnO 2 (ca. 50–100 nm) are successfully constructed by an incineration method. • An effective interfacial charge transfer between SnO 2 and g-C 3 N 4 is observed. • MDZ and RhB are quickly photodegraded completely by visible light, respectively. • SnO 2 /g-C 3 N 4 shows better photocatalytic activity than SnO 2 or g-C 3 N 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel, integrated process for the production of ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass is reported which involves simultaneous pretreatment, saccharification and fermentation using environmentally friendly technologies. The lignocellulosic biomass (8.33 g/L rice straw) was pretreated and saccharified with the anaerobic fungus Pecoramyces sp. F1, while the facultative anaerobic bacterium Zymomonas mobilis ATCC 31821 was employed to simultaneously ferment to produce ethanol. Without the need for additional pretreatment, the conversion from lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol was completed in four days with a production yield of 0.32 g ethanol/g glucose and a volumetric productivity of 0.010 g/L/h (0.98 g/L). Meanwhile, other metabolites were produced, including 0.024 g/L/h (2.28 g/L) acetate, 0.002 g/L/h (0.22 g/L) lactate and 0.002 g/L/h (0.15 g/L) formate. Results showed that the integrated process has the potential for ethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass. [Display omitted] • Microbial consortium isolated from the ruminant gastrointestinal tract are excavated for consolidated bioprocessing (CBP). • Harnessing nature's anaerobes Pecoramyces sp. F1 for untreated lignocellulose biomass saccharification. • Appropriate addition of Z. mobilis during co-culture can promote Pecoramyces enzyme activity and biomass degradation. • The integrated process has the advantages of being environment-friendly, low-cost, and time-saving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hospitalized patients with dementia transitioning to post-acute care may be particularly vulnerable to changes in post-acute care utilization driven by payment reforms; however, use of post-acute care in this population is incompletely understood. We sought to describe post-acute care utilization in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and from home health (HH) agencies among Medicare beneficiaries with a diagnosis of dementia. Retrospective, observational study using 100% sample of Medicare beneficiaries from 2013 to 2016. We identified hospitalizations and diagnoses using Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR), SNF stays using the Minimum Data Set, HH episodes using the Outcome and Assessment Information Set, and dementia diagnoses using the Medicare Beneficiary Summary File Chronic Conditions segment. We calculated overall utilization and trends in post-acute care use over time, stratified by dementia diagnosis, type of post-acute care (SNF vs HH), and payer (fee-for-service vs Medicare Advantage). Of the 9,762,208 Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries who received post-acute care from 2013 to 2016, 3,155,560 (32.3%) carried a diagnosis of dementia. Rates of post-acute care use were similar over time. More beneficiaries with a diagnosis of dementia received post-acute care (44.2% vs 27.7%) and proportionally more SNF care (71.7% vs 49.6%). Overall use and trends were similar in the Medicare Advantage population. One-third of all fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries receiving post-acute care have a diagnosis of dementia, and more than 7 in 10 receive this care in an SNF. These findings serve as a foundation for needed evaluations of how best to meet the post-hospital needs of older adults with dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asian Americans became targets of increasingly hostile behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. What motivated this? Fears of contagion arising from a behavioral immune system may have motivated hostility toward Asian Americans, especially among those Americans vulnerable to COVID-19. Additionally, stigmatizing rhetoric from right-wing figures may have legitimated anti-Asian behavior among those Americans who held stronger anti-Asian sentiments to begin with or who were more receptive to right-wing rhetoric. We explore these possibilities using a behavioral game with a representative sample of Americans at two points: in May and October 2020. Participants were partnered with a U.S.- or Chinese-born American in a give-or-take dictator game. The average American discriminated against Chinese-born Americans in May but not October 2020, when China was no longer a COVID-19 hotspot. But among Republicans, who may have held stronger anti-Asian sentiments to begin with and who were likely more receptive to right-wing rhetoric, discrimination—that is, differential treatment—was both stronger in May compared to non-Republicans and persisted into October 2020. Notably, Americans who were more vulnerable to COVID-19 were not especially likely to discriminate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep learning methods are criticized for the requirement of large set of labeled training data. Therefore, few-shot learning (FSL), which enables fast learning with only a few labeled examples, draws increasing attention. In FSL, the model is trained on base classes to learn the meta-knowledge, which is then applied to novel classes. The generalization from base classes to novel classes in FSL suffers from the class-level over-fitting problem. Generally, in traditional classification tasks, training samples and test samples are from the same class set, where over-fitting happens at the sample level. However, in FSL, the model is evaluated with classification tasks on novel classes. Thus, good fitting on base classes does not guarantee a good generalization to novel classes. In this paper, we reveal the class-level over-fitting problem in FSL and provide an explanation of the cause of this problem. Based on the explanation, we argue that simply scaling the logits of classifier during training can alleviate the class-level over-fitting problem, and analyze how scaling logits (SL) alleviates class-level over-fitting based on gradient back-propagation. Extensive experiments show that SL boosts the performance to the extent of 14% on four popular benchmark datasets. Further, SL also demonstrates its effectiveness on confidence calibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Ni, Co, Fe-Mo 2 C-coupled in N-doped carbon sheets (TM/Mo 2 C-NCSs) were synthesized. • TM/Mo 2 C-NCSs show boosted bifunctional HER and OER activities and durability. • Optimization of Mo-H Bonding Energy accelerates the desorption of H 2. • The ternary channels achieve overall fast charge transfer and stable structure. • The vertical growth of TM/Mo 2 C-NCSs on Ni foam aids more active sites exposure. Molybdenum carbide (Mo 2 C) exhibits unique competitive advantages in electrochemical water splitting due to its physicochemical properties. The high intrinsic activity is essential for the high-efficient Mo 2 C catalysts. Herein, transition metal (Ni, Co, or Fe)-Mo 2 C-embedded in N-doped carbon sheets grown on Ni foam (TM/Mo 2 C-NCSs) are synthesized to enhance the intrinsic activity of Mo 2 C by optimizing the Mo-H bonding energy through the interfacial interactions between Ni, Co, or Fe, and Mo 2 C. Owing to the superior intrinsic activity, fast ternary channels, and abundant active sites, the Ni/Mo 2 C-NCSs possess the lowest overpotential for HER (131 mV) and the Fe/Mo 2 C-NCSs show the lowest overpotential for OER (293 mV) at a current density of 100 mA cm−2 in 1 M KOH. The results analyzed with the Density function theory (DFT) calculation indicate that the most superior H adsorption site is at the interface between Mo 2 C and Ni hybrid. H was adsorbed on interface Mo&Ni@Ni/Mo 2 C with proper hydrogen adsorption free energies (ΔG H*), achieving a fast desorption process in HER. This mechanism is absent in the pristine Mo 2 C catalysts. An alkaline electrolyzer with a cathode of Ni/Mo 2 C-NCSs and anode of Fe/Mo 2 C-NCSs demonstrates a small voltage of 1.66 V at a current density of 100 mA cm−2. This work offers an elaborated strategy of interface engineering to enhance the intrinsic catalytic activity of Mo 2 C by accelerating H 2 desorption in HER and enhancing the catalytic kinetics of OER simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 3-D P-wave velocity structure down to 750 km beneath the eastern South China Block is obtained by using a large number of high-quality teleseismic data. Based on our results and those of previous studies, we suggest that late Mesozoic magmatism and lithospheric thinning in the eastern South China Block could be attributed to the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate and its eastward rollback. [Display omitted] • A 3-D P-wave velocity model beneath the eastern South China Block is obtained. • The velocity structures beneath the eastern South China Block are very complicated. • The Paleo-Pacific Plate has had a profound impact on the eastern South China Block. The eastern South China Block (ESCB) is characterized by intense magmatism in the late Mesozoic. To further investigate the mechanism of late Mesozoic magmatism, we apply the tomographic method to construct a P-wave velocity model down to 750 km by using 40,989 P-wave arrival times collected from 687 teleseismic events recorded by 191 stations. Our model shows that (1) a high-Vp anomaly is observed beneath the lower Yangtze Block (YZB) and northern Cathaysia Block (CAB) in the crust and uppermost mantle, which could represent the present lithosphere; (2) two high-Vp anomalies are observed in the upper mantle beneath the YZB, which could be the detached lithosphere and the relict of the subducted SCB; (3) the break-off of the subducted Eurasian Plate has penetrated the 410 km discontinuity beneath central and northern Taiwan Island; (4) the stagnant Paleo-Pacific Plate in the MTZ is mainly beneath the lower YZB; (5) the low-Vp anomaly in the upper mantle that is immediately above the stagnant Paleo-Pacific Plate may represent the thermal asthenosphere caused by plate dehydration; and (6) the low-Vp anomaly beneath the southern CAB extends from the crust downward to the MTZ, which may represent an 'upward channel' for thermal materials. Based on our results and those of previous studies, we suggest that late Mesozoic magmatism in the ESCB could be highly associated with the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate and its eastward rollback. We also suggest that thermal/chemical erosion may be responsible for lithospheric thinning in the ESCB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new flavonoids, 8,2′-diprenyl-3,5,7,5′-tetrahydroxyflavone (1) and 8-(1-methoxy-2,3-dihydroxy-3-methylbutyl)naringenin (2), along with twelve known compounds (3–14), were isolated from the leaves of Macaranga pustulata. The structures of the new compounds 1 and 2 were established by detailed spectroscopic data analysis and ECD computational methods. The inhibitory effects of compounds 1–6 against NLRP3 inflammasome activation as well as the cytotoxic activities of compounds 1–4 against MCF-7 and HCT-116 cancer cell lines were investigated. Compound 3 showed weak cytotoxicity against HCT-116 (IC50 = 55.747 ± 3.212 μM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study provides proof of concept of a colorimetric biosensor for influenza H1N1 virus assay based on the CRISPR/Cas13a system and hybridization chain reaction (HCR). Target RNA of influenza H1N1 virus activated the trans-cleavage activity of Cas13a, which cleaved the special RNA sequence (-UUU-) of the probe, further initiating HCR to copiously generate G-rich DNA. Abundant G-quadruplex/hemin was formed in the presence of hemin, thus catalyzing a colorimetric reaction. The colorimetric biosensor exhibited a linear relationship from 10 pM to 100 nM. The detection limit was 0.152 pM. The biosensor specificity was excellent. This new and sensitive detection method for influenza virus is a promising rapid influenza diagnostic test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nickel oxide (NiOx) has been widely used as a hole transport layer (HTL) of p-i-n type perovskite solar cells (PSCs) because of its many unique properties. However, the poor contact between NiOx and perovskite is disadvantage to the fabrication of high-quality perovskite film, which has bad effect on the open-circuit voltage (V OC), short-circuit current density (J SC) and fill factor (FF) of PSCs. In this report, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was used as a modifier on the surface of NiOx. Experimental results showed that after PVA modification the PCE of PSCs increased significantly from 16.79% to 19.17% due to the increase of J SC and FF. The MAPbI 3 film on top of the PVA modified NiOx showed larger crystal size, less defect intensity and higher hole mobility. The work mechanism of PVA modification was investigated. This work provides an effective and simple method to improve the performance of PSCs. • PVA modification on NiOx increased the PCE of PSCs from 16.79% to 19.17%. • The film quality of MAPbI 3 was improved after PVA modification. • The wettability of MAPbI 3 precursor solution on NiOx was enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A data mining framework for analyzing antibiotics in bays worldwide was developed. • High levels of antibiotics in waters and sediments mainly occurred in Asian bays. • Environmental factors driving antibiotic distribution in bays were identified. • Compositional profiles of antibiotics varied between water and sediment matrices. • Priority antibiotics with potential ecological and health risks were listed. Antibiotics have been widely detected in bay ecosystems, yet little is known regarding their distribution, composition, sources, ecological and human health risks at the regional scale. We developed a systematic framework to mine data from existing publications and compiled an antibiotic concentration-based dataset containing 439 samples from 30 bays, and compared antibiotics across bays and matrices (water, sediment, and biota). Antibiotic concentrations varied considerably between bays, with hotspots occurring in East Asia. The main categories of antibiotics in waters included sulfonamide and macrolide, while tetracycline, quinolone, and macrolide antibiotics were prevalent in sediments. The main sources of antibiotics in bays included sewage treatment plant effluent, domestic sewage, agriculture runoff, and discharges from mariculture activities. Antibiotics with high ecological risks mainly included sulfamethoxazole, erythromycin, clarithromycin, and oxytetracycline. Erythromycin posed a considerable risk to human health, and the human health risks presented by other antibiotics were negligible. Regional variations of concentrations correspond to the uneven geographic consumption of antibiotics and their removal rate during wastewater treatment. Differences in antibiotics' composition between matrices are associated mainly with the physicochemical properties of antibiotics (e.g., molecular structure, solubility, and stability) and the content of total organic carbon, metal ions, chlorophyll a , and clay minerals in the sediments. To reduce the ecological and human health implications, priority should be given to the removal of erythromycin, sulfamethoxazole, oxytetracycline, and clarithromycin, with a special focus on their treatment in the Asian bay areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thoracic aortic dissection (TAD) is a severe disease, characterized by numerous apoptotic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). EDIL3/Del-1 is a secreted protein involved in macrophage efferocytosis in acute inflammation. Here, we aimed to investigate whether EDIL3 promoted the internalization and degradation of apoptotic VSMCs during TAD. The levels of EDIL3 were decreased in the serum and aortic tissue from TAD mice. Global edil3 knockout (edil3−/−) mice and edil3−/− bone marrow chimeric mice exhibited a considerable exacerbation in β-aminopropionitrile monofumarate (BAPN)-induced TAD, accompanied with increased apoptotic VSMCs accumulating in the damaged aortic tissue. Two types of phagocytes, RAW264.7 cells and bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) were used for in vitro efferocytosis assay. edil3-deficient phagocytes exhibited inefficient internalization and degradation of apoptotic VSMCs. Instead, EDIL3 promoted the internalization phase through interacting with phosphatidylserine (PtdSer) on apoptotic VSMCs and binding to the macrophage ITGAV/αv-ITGB3/β3 integrin. In addition, EDIL3 accelerated the degradation phase through activating LC3-associated phagocytosis (LAP). Mechanically, following the engulfment, EDIL3 enhanced the activity of SMPD1/acid sphingomyelinase in the phagosome through blocking ITGAV-ITGB3 integrin, which facilitates phagosomal reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by NAPDH oxidase CYBB/NOX2. Furthermore, exogenous EDIL3 supplementation alleviated BAPN-induced TAD and promoted apoptotic cell clearance. EDIL3 may be a novel factor for the prevention and treatment of TAD.Abbreviations: BAPN: β-aminopropionitrile monofumarate; BMDM: bone marrow-derived macrophage; C12FDG: 5-dodecanoylaminofluorescein-di-β-D-galactopyranoside; CTRL: control; CYBB/NOX2: cytochrome b-245, beta polypeptide; DCFH-DA: 2’,7’-dichlorofluorescin diacetate; EDIL3/Del-1: EGF-like repeats and discoidin I-like domains 3; EdU: 5-ethynyl-2’-deoxyuridine; EVG: elastic van Gieson; H&E: hematoxylin and eosin; IL: interleukin; LAP: LC3-associated phagocytosis; MAP1LC3/LC3: microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3; NAC: N-acetylcysteine; PtdSer: phosphatidylserine; rEDIL3: recombinant EDIL3; ROS: reactive oxygen species; SMPD1: sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase 1; TAD: thoracic aortic dissection; TEM: transmission electron microscopy; VSMC: vascular smooth muscle cell; WT: wild-type [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a sensitive H1N1 virus fluorescence biosensor based on ligation-transcription and CRISPR/Cas13a-assisted cascade amplification strategies. Products are generated via the hybridization of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) probes containing T7 promoter and crRNA templates to a target RNA sequence using SplintR ligase. This generates large crRNA quantities in the presence of T7 RNA polymerase. At such crRNA quantities, ternary Cas13a, crRNA, and activator complexes are successfully constructed and activate Cas13a to enhance fluorescence signal outputs. The biosensor sensitively and specifically monitored H1N1 viral RNA levels down to 3.23 pM and showed good linearity when H1N1 RNA concentrations were 100 pM–1 µM. Biosensor specificity was also excellent. Importantly, our biosensor may be used to detect other viral RNAs by altering the sequences of the two probe junctions, with potential applications for the clinical diagnosis of viruses and other biomedical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • "Flower-like" BiOCl nanowalls (ca. 8 nm) which cover on the g-C 3 N 4 are fabricated by a hydrothermal route first time. • An effective interfacial charge transfer in the BiOCl/g-C 3 N 4 photocatalyst is observed. • Metronidazole in model wastewater are photodegraded completely by visible light in 180 min. A new type of light stabilized nanocatalyst containing different proportions of "flower-like" BiOCl nanosheets and g-C 3 N 4 were synthesized through the traditional hydrothermal method to control the growth process. The superior morphology features of BiOCl/g-C 3 N 4 photocatalysts were explained using SEM, EDS, TEM, XRD, and BET. The prepared BiOCl/g-C 3 N 4 nano photocatalyst was proved by a series of experiments, and the photochemical catalytic performance of BiOCl/g-C 3 N 4 was studied through the degradation reaction of the colorless antibiotic metronidazole. TOC and GC–MS analysis were used to discover the products of metronidazole after photodegradation. Many experiments suggested that BiOCl/g-C 3 N 4 has a very excellent photochemical catalytic performance exposed to visible light irradiation. During the DRS, ESR, and trapping experiment proving, the interaction between BiOCl and g-C 3 N 4 will improve the separation of photo-generated holes and electrons, thus greatly enhancing the photostability and photocatalytic performance of the material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyprinid herpesvirus 2 (CyHV-2), a member of the Alloherpesviridae family belonging to the genus Cyprinivirus, is a fatal contagious aquatic pathogen that affects goldfish (Carassius auratus) and crucian carp (Carassius carassius). Although crucian carp and goldfish belong to the genus Carassius, it is unclear whether they are susceptible to the same CyHV-2 isolate. In addition, the origin of the crucian carp-derived CyHV-2 virus isolate remains unclear. CyHV-2 SH01 was isolated during herpesviral hematopoietic necrosis disease (HVHN) outbreaks in crucian carp at a local fish farm near Shanghai. CyHV-2 SH01 was confirmed by PCR and Western blot analysis of kidney, spleen, muscle, and blood tissue from the diseased crucian carp. Moreover, histopathological and ultra-pathological analyses revealed pathological changes characteristic of CyHV-2 SH01 infection in the tissues of the diseased crucian carp. In the present study, goldfish and crucian carp were challenged with CyHV-2 SH01 to elucidate viral virulence. We found that CyHV-2 SH01 could cause rapid and fatal disease progression in goldfish and crucian carp 24 h post-injection at 28 °C. Experimental infection of goldfish by injection indicated that the average virus titer in the kidney of the goldfish was 103.47 to 103.59 copies/mg. In addition, tissues exhibited the most prominent histopathological changes (cellular wrinkling and shrinkage, cytoplasmic vacuolation, fusion of the gill lamellae, and hepatic congestion) in CyHV-2 SH01-infected goldfish and crucian carp. Thus, crucian carp and goldfish showed a high sensitivity, with typical symptoms, to HVHN disease caused by CyHV-2 SH01. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing studies have shown that circular RNAs (circRNAs) have great diagnostic potential in cancer. Here, we examined whether the blood circRNAs could be promising candidates as diagnostic biomarkers in breast cancer. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to detect levels of five circRNAs (circ_0000501, circ_0000745, circ_0001531, circ_0001640 and circ_0001978) in 129 patients with breast cancer, 19 patients with benign breast tumor and 13 healthy controls. The diagnostic accuracy of circRNAs was assessed using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. A circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network was constructed based on bioinformatic analysis. QRT-PCR validated that circ_0000745, circ_0001531 and circ_0001640 were upregulated in breast cancer, compared with benign tumor and healthy control. ROC curve analysis revealed that circ_0000745, circ_0001531 and circ_0001640 had good diagnostic potential. Notably, a signature comprising the three circRNAs showed better diagnostic potential, with the area under curve (AUC) of 0.9130 (P < 0.0001). And a circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network revealed that the circRNAs could participate in complex regulated network and thus involve in cancer development and progression. Taken together, our findings support the potential of circ_0000745, circ_0001531, circ_0001640 and the three-circRNA signature as biomarkers for breast cancer diagnosis. • Three up-regulated circRNAs in breast cancer whole blood were identified. • The three circRNAs could discriminate breast cancer patients from healthy controls. • The three circRNAs were potentially involved in numerous cancer-related pathways. • The three-circRNA panel showed better diagnostic value than each individual circRNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expansion of mudstone through absorbing water can increase local stress in information, which is one of the main reasons for casing damage in mudstone. To establish a reasonable mechanical model of local stress increase is the key problem for casing damage in locally expansive mudstone. Many models of uniform stress or linear stress are established to simulate the local stress increase. However, the accuracy and scientificity for those models are insufficient. In this paper, a study on casing strength in locally expansive mudstone is carried out based on theoretical analysis and numerical calculation. Firstly, a mechanical model of casings under parabolic-like loads is established to simulate the local stress increase. Then, an analytical solution of casings is obtained based on the stress function method. Next, a finite element calculation of casings under the same boundary condition is carried out. In the end, the comparisons between analytical solution and finite element method (FEM) are conducted. The results reveal that the theoretical solutions are in good agreement with the FEM. In addition, a novel predicting method of the casing stress in locally expansive mudstone is presented. Finally, our theoretical analysis can be the standard for numerical and approximate calculations. It is helpful to explore the casing damage mechanism in mudstone layer and reduce the casing collapse in complex underground environment. • The action of local swelling mudstone on casing is simplified to a parabolic loading. • An analytical solution of the casing under local swelling mudstone is obtained. • The stress distributions of casings under parabolic loads are analyzed theoretically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Prolyl 3-hydroxylase 1 (P3H1) is essential for human collagen synthesis. Here, we investigated its relevance to multiple cancers, especially hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC). Methods. We estimated the relationship of P3H1 with 33 cancers using publicly available databases. And immunohistochemistry was utilized to verify the P3H1 expression in liver, gastric, colon, pancreatic, and rectal cancer. Then, we attenuated P3H1 expression in BEL-7402 and HLF cells by lentivirus technology and assessed the effect of P3H1 on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Results. Bioinformatic analysis revealed a significantly higher expression of P3H1 in almost all tumors, which was consistent with the immunohistochemical findings in the liver, gastric, colon, pancreatic, and rectal cancers. P3H1 expression was associated with overall survival, progression-free interval, disease-specific survival, and disease-free interval in most cancers, particularly in LIHC. Besides, we also found that P3H1 expression was an independent prognostic factor for LIHC. And knockdown of P3H1 significantly reduced liver cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in liver cancer cells. Interestingly, P3H1 expression levels showed a significant positive connection with Th2 infiltration through multiple immune infiltration algorithms. ICI treatment was less effective in LIHC patients with high P3H1 expression. Finally, we also identified an upstream regulatory mechanism of P3H1 in LIHC, namely, AL355488.1, HCG18, and THUMPD3-AS1/hsa-miR-29c-3p-P3H1 axis. Conclusion. We have systematically described for the first time that P3H1 is closely related to various tumors, particularly in LIHC, and interference with P3H1 may be a therapeutic target for patients with LIHC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammation is one of the key injury factors for spinal cord injury (SCI). Exosomes (Exos) derived from M2 macrophages have been shown to inhibit inflammation and be beneficial in SCI animal models. However, lacking targetability restricts their application prospects. Considering that chemokine receptors increase dramatically after SCI, viral macrophage inflammatory protein II (vMIP-II) is a broad-spectrum chemokine receptor binding peptide, and lysosomal associated membrane protein 2b (Lamp2b) is the key membrane component of Exos, we speculated that vMIP-II-Lamp2b gene-modified M2 macrophage-derived Exos (vMIP-II-Lamp2b-M2-Exo) not only have anti-inflammatory properties, but also can target the injured area by vMIP-II. In this study, using a murine contusive SCI model, we revealed that vMIP-II-Lamp2b-M2-Exo could target the chemokine receptors which highly expressed in the injured spinal cords, inhibit some key chemokine receptor signaling pathways (such as MAPK and Akt), further inhibit proinflammatory factors (such as IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17, IL-18, TNF-α, and iNOS), and promote anti-inflammatory factors (such as IL-4 and Arg1) productions, and the transformation of microglia/macrophages from M1 into M2. Moreover, the improved histological and functional recoveries were also found. Collectively, our results suggest that vMIP-II-Lamp2b-M2-Exo may provide neuroprotection by targeting the injured spinal cord, inhibiting some chemokine signals, reducing proinflammatory factor production and modulating microglia/macrophage polarization. [Display omitted] • vMIP-II-Lamp2b-M2-Exo can target the injured spinal cord by vMIP-II. • vMIP-II-Lamp2b-M2-Exo can inhibit MAPK and AKT signaling pathways. • vMIP-II-Lamp2b-M2-Exo can reduce proinflammatory factor production. • vMIP-II-Lamp2b-M2-Exo can inhibit M1 microglia/macrophage polarization. • The early administration of vMIP-II-Lamp2b-M2-Exo is a promising strategy for SCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogenation of CO 2 into methanol at low-temperature on Cu-based catalysts is of great significance, but remains challenging to enhance activity. In this paper, we report an inverse catalyst constructed with nano-ZrZnO x supported on Cu particles with outstanding methanol synthesis performance at 220 ℃, two times higher than that of commercial Cu/ZnO/Al 2 O 3 catalysts under the same conditions. Detailed structure characterization and performance evaluation demonstrate that the ZrZnO x mixed oxide serves as the most active oxide-metal interface site for CO 2 hydrogenation. The ZrZnO x /Cu inverse catalyst increases the weak and medium CO 2 adsorption sites which are further demonstrated responsible to the methanol productivity. In situ DRIFTs studies reveal that the inverse interface accelerates the reduction of asymmetric formate intermediates and prevents the generation of CO. The combination of enhanced CO 2 activation capability and accelerated hydrogenation rate of intermediates over the ZrZnO x /Cu inverse catalyst probably contribute to the remarkable methanol synthesis performance from CO 2. [Display omitted] • Inverse ZrZnO x /Cu is highly active for methanol synthesis from CO 2 hydrogenation. • The inverse catalyst shows room temperature methanol synthesis ability. • The formation of ZrZnO x nano-oxide is responsible for the extraordinary activity. • Inverse interface accelerates the reduction of adsorbed oxygenate intermediates. • Inverse interface inhibits the formation of CO intermediates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A global dataset with 254,738 AMR-related manuscripts was complied. • An AI information retrieval system based on NLP was developed to extract knowledge. • Global foci and current knowledge gaps of AMR research were characterized. • More intersectoral AMR research is urgently needed to guide One Health AMR solutions. • Intrasectoral and intersectoral AMR research co-occurrence networks were constructed. The global health crisis posed by increasing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) implicitly requires solutions based a One Health approach, yet multisectoral, multidisciplinary research on AMR is rare and huge knowledge gaps exist to guide integrated action. This is partly because a comprehensive survey of past research activity has never performed due to the massive scale and diversity of published information. Here we compiled 254,738 articles on AMR using Artificial Intelligence (AI; i.e., Natural Language Processing, NLP) methods to create a database and information retrieval system for knowledge extraction on research perfomed over the last 20 years. Global maps were created that describe regional, methodological, and sectoral AMR research activities that confirm limited intersectoral research has been performed, which is key to guiding science-informed policy solutions to AMR, especially in low-income countries (LICs). Further, we show greater harmonisation in research methods across sectors and regions is urgently needed. For example, differences in analytical methods used among sectors in AMR research, such as employing culture-based versus genomic methods, results in poor communication between sectors and partially explains why One Health-based solutions are not ensuing. Therefore, our analysis suggest that performing culture-based and genomic AMR analysis in tandem in all sectors is crucial for data integration and holistic One Health solutions. Finally, increased investment in capacity development in LICs should be prioritised as they are places where the AMR burden is often greatest. Our open-access database and AI methodology can be used to further develop, disseminate, and create new tools and practices for AMR knowledge and information sharing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to investigate whether early age at menarche is associated with increased risk of postpartum hemorrhage among Chinese women. Clinical data from 6,383 Chinese women who gave birth to live singleton infants at The First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College between October 2016 and October 2019 were extracted from the electronic medical records system. Patients were categorized into four groups according to their age at menarche (≤12, 13, 14 and ≥15 years). Logistic regression analysis was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for postpartum hemorrhage for the different menarche age groups. After controlling for potential confounders, women with menarche at an early age (≤12 years) had a significantly higher risk of developing postpartum hemorrhage than women with an age at menarche of 13 years, and the ORs (95% CIs) for postpartum hemorrhage across the menarche age categories (≤12, 13, 14 and ≥15 years) were 1.27 (1.02–1.81), 1.00 (reference), 0.95 (0.61–1.57), and 0.91 (0.51–1.58), respectively. Moreover, age at menarche was inversely associated with the risk of postpartum hemorrhage after adjustment for all relevant confounding factors, and the OR (95% CI) for postpartum hemorrhage per year of increasing in the age at menarche was 0.93 (0.74–0.99). Early age at menarche was associated with a significantly increased risk of postpartum hemorrhage after adjustment for known confounding factors. This finding could help obstetricians and midwives to identify pregnant women at higher risk of developing postpartum hemorrhage, and allow early preventative strategies to be implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, we studied a roller‐compacted concrete (RCC) arch dam which was reinforced during the construction period to investigate the properties of mechanical parameters of the dam concrete after long‐term operation. Firstly, multiple methods involving core drilling, computerized tomography (CT), spectral analysis of the surface wave (SASW) of elastic waves, and an on‐site inspection were adopted to detect the quality of the dam concrete, which was followed by a forward‐analysis of the measured displacement of the arch dam and the water pressure component of the measured displacement was separated through regression analysis of statistical model of radial horizontal displacement. Subsequently, an optimization inversion of the elastic modulus of the dam body and dam foundation was conducted using a hybrid optimization method. The results showed that the compressive strength of the concrete in the body of the reinforced arch dam was over 30 MPa and the inversion results for the elastic modulus of the dam body were in the range of 30.1 ~ 33.3 GPa. According to the research results of multi‐source inspected and monitoring data during the operation period, the results suggest that the performance of the concrete of the dam body is in accordance with design requirements and the reinforced arch dam is properly operated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The freshwater crayfish Procambarus clarkii is native to North America and Mexico, and it was introduced to China in 1929. The production and consumption of P. clarkii in China are the highest worldwide, reaching 208.96 million tons in 2020. The white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is a major pathogen that affects shrimp, crayfish, crabs and lobsters, and it has caused widespread loss to the P. clarkii industry. Epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate (EGCG), a small‐molecule compound, has a multitude of biological functions and the ability to bind to the 37 kDa/67 kDa laminin receptor (LamR). EGCG has potential antiviral effects against WSSV. In this study, we evaluated the potential anti‐WSSV applications of EGCG in P. clarkii. We demonstrated that various concentrations (10 μg/g·bw, 20 μg/g·bw and 40 μg/g·bw) of EGCG can suppress WSSV infection in P. clarkii. Histopathological examination revealed no characteristic pathological changes due to EGCG administration in P. clarkii tissues. Furthermore, pharmacokinetics studies of EGCG in P. clarkii revealed its rapid absorption (Tmax = 2 h), and the peak concentrations of EGCG were 73.78 µg/g in the liver and 24.87 µg/g in the muscle. Our results indicate the high potential applications of EGCG against WSSV in P. clarkii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ALI is characterized by macrophage-driven inflammation, causing severe lung damage. Currently, there are limited therapeutic options available for ALI. Liensinine (LIEN), with known anti-inflammatory properties, lacks extensive study in the ALI context. This study aimed to investigate the impact of LIEN on ALI and elucidate its molecular mechanisms. A total of thirty-six male BALB/c mice altogether were split into six groups: Control, LPS (10 mg/kg), Low (10 mg/kg LIEN + 10 mg/kg LPS), Middle (20 mg/kg LIEN + 10 mg/kg LPS), High (40 mg/kg LIEN + 10 mg/kg LPS), and DEX (2 mg/kg DEX + 10 mg/kg LPS). Lung tissue injury, pulmonary edema, and inflammatory factor levels were evaluated in lung tissues and LPS-stimulated bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM). TAK1 activation, TRAF6 ubiquitination, and their interactions were assessed to understand the involved molecular mechanisms. LIEN treatment ameliorated lung tissue injury and suppressed LPS-induced inflammatory factor levels in lung tissues and BMDM. Mechanistically, LIEN inhibited TAK1 activation by disrupting TRAF6–TAK1 interactions, limiting p65's nuclear translocation, and reducing the release of inflammatory factors. According to network pharmacology and molecular docking, LIEN most likely prevents inflammation by interfering directly with the Src. Overexpression of Src in BMDM abolished the regulation of TRAF6 by LIEN, supporting the involvement of the Src/TRAF6/TAK1 axis in its mechanism of action. Based on this study, LIEN treats ALI by modifying the Src/TRAF6/TAK1 axis and blocking the activation of the NF-κB pathway, regulating the release of inflammatory factors. These findings highlight the promise of LIEN as a prospective therapeutic option for the treatment of ALI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is one of the most common types of leukemia in adults with a 5-year survival rate of 30.5%. These poor patient outcomes are attributed to tumor relapse, stemming from ineffective innate immune activation, T cell tolerance, and a lack of immunological memory. Thus, new strategies are needed to activate innate and effector immune cells and evoke long-term immunity against AML. One approach to address these issues is through Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) pathway activation, which produces Type I Interferons (Type I IFN) critical for innate and adaptive immune activation. Here, we report that systemic immunotherapy with a lipid-based nanoparticle platform (CMP) carrying Mn2+ and STING agonist c -di-AMP (CDA) exhibited robust anti-tumor efficacy in a mouse model of disseminated AML. Moreover, CMP immunotherapy combined with immune checkpoint blockade against cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (anti-CTLA-4) elicited robust innate and adaptive immune activation with enhanced cytotoxic potential against AML, leading to extended animal survival after re-challenge with AML. Overall, this CMP combination immunotherapy may be a promising approach against AML and other disseminated cancer. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water stress (drought and waterlogging) leads to an imbalance in plant water distribution, disrupts cell homeostasis, and severely inhibits plant growth. Melatonin is a growth hormone that plants synthesise and has been shown to resist adversity in many plants. This review discusses the biosynthesis and metabolism of melatonin, as well as the changes in plant morphology and physiological mechanisms caused by the molecular defence process. Melatonin induces the expression of related genes in the process of plant photosynthesis under stress and protects the structural integrity of chloroplasts. Exogenous melatonin can maintain the dynamic balance of root ion exchange under waterlogging stress. Melatonin can repair mitochondria and alleviate damage caused by reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species; and has a wide range of uses in the regulation of stress-specific genes and the activation of antioxidant enzyme genes. Melatonin improves the stability of membrane lipids in plant cells and maintains osmotic balance by regulating water channels. There is crosstalk between melatonin and other hormones, which jointly improve the ability of the root system to absorb water and breathe and promote plant growth. Briefly, as a multifunctional molecule, melatonin improves the tolerance of plants under water stress and promotes plant growth and development. Melatonin, as an exogenous hormone, has been widely used in improving plant stress resistance. This paper systematically describes how melatonin improves the ability of plants to resist water stress (drought and waterlogging) in the processes of photosynthesis, antioxidation and osmosis at the physiological and genetic levels. Melatonin can also improve plant stress resistance with other hormone crosstalk, which has high application value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The excited state properties of thionated 5‐fluorouridine (2′,3′,5′‐tri‐O‐acetyl‐5‐fluoro‐4‐thiouridine; ta5F4TUrd), synthesized with Lawesson's reagent, have been intensively investigated with nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, time‐resolved thermal lensing, near‐infrared emission, and quantum chemical calculation. The intrinsic triplet lifetime of ta5F4TUrd was determined to be 4.2±0.7 μs in acetonitrile, and the formation quantum yield of the excited triplet state was as large as 0.79±0.01. The quenching rate constants of the triplet ta5F4TUrd by the dissolved oxygen molecule and by the self‐quenching process were found to be nearly equal to the diffusion‐controlled rate of acetonitrile. The quantum yield of the singlet molecular oxygen produced through energy transfer between the triplet ta5F4TUrd and the dissolved oxygen, ΦΔ, was successfully determined to be 0.61±0.02 under the oxygen‐saturated condition. From the oxygen concentration dependence of the ΦΔ value, the fraction of triplet ta5F4TUrd quenched by dissolved oxygen which gives rise to the 1O2* formation, SΔ, was successfully obtained to be 0.78±0.01, which was the largest among the thionucleobases and the thionucleosides reported so far. This could be due to the lower energy and/or the ππ* character of the triplet state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) poses a significant public health risk due to its association with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Given the limited availability of PM 2.5 monitoring stations, there is a pressing need for reliable real-time forecasting models. This study introduces TSPPM25, a novel Transformer-based model designed for spatiotemporal prediction of PM 2.5 levels. TSPPM25 leverages multiple data embedding techniques and various attention layers to effectively capture the intricate spatiotemporal relationships in multivariate data. The model's performance is evaluated using a California Aerosol Optical Depth PM 2.5 dataset and compared with several baseline models, including LSTM, Bi-LSTM, Linear Regression, and basic heuristics models. The results demonstrate that TSPPM25 exhibits superior spatiotemporal learning capabilities, robustness, and stability, outperforming other models across MSE, MAE, and SMAPE metrics. Furthermore, the study explores the underlying patterns in PM 2.5 data through harmonic analysis, revealing that TSPPM25 performs exceptionally well even in complex scenarios characterized by mixed wave patterns. Conclusively, TSPPM25 emerges as a valuable tool for predicting PM 2.5 levels demonstrating its efficacy in the California region, and thereby contributing significantly to the field of air quality forecasting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) has been regarded as a disconnection syndrome with functional and structural disturbances. However, as the anatomic determinants, the structural disconnections in PD have yet to be fully elucidated. Purpose: To non-invasively construct structural networks based on microstructural complexity and to further investigate their potential topological abnormalities in PD given the technical superiority of diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) to the quantification of microstructure. Material and Methods: The microstructural data of gray matter in both the PD group and the healthy control (HC) group were acquired using DKI. The structural networks were constructed at the group level by a covariation approach, followed by the calculation of topological properties based on graph theory and statistical comparisons between groups. Results: A total of 51 patients with PD and 50 HCs were enrolled. Individuals were matched between groups with respect to demographic characteristics (P >0.05). The constructed structural networks in both the PD and HC groups featured small-world properties. In comparison with the HC group, the PD group exhibited significantly altered global properties, with higher normalized characteristic path lengths, clustering coefficients, local efficiency values, and characteristic path lengths and lower global efficiency values (P <0.05). In terms of nodal centralities, extensive nodal disruptions were observed in patients with PD (P <0.05); these disruptions were mainly distributed in the sensorimotor network, default mode network, frontal-parietal network, visual network, and subcortical network. Conclusion: These findings contribute to the technical application of DKI and the elucidation of disconnection syndrome in PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four new diterpenoids (1–4) and four known diterpenoids (5–8) were purified from the whole plant of Euphorbia helioscopia L. Compounds 1 and 2 were jathophanes diterpenoids with a 5/12 polycyclic systems, compound 3 was rhamofolane diterpenoid with a 5/10 bicyclic skeleton and compound 4 was a rare class of euphorbia diterpenes featuring an unusual 5/10 fused ring system. Anti-inflammatory activity tests were conducted on the separated compounds, indicating that compound 4 had significant inhibitory effect on NLRP3 inflammasome with an IC 50 value of 7.75 μM. Further, the inhibitory effect of 4 was determined using immunofluorescence assays. [Display omitted] • Four new diterpenoids (1–4) and four known diterpenoids (5 - 8) were purified from the whole plant of Euphorbia helioscopia L. • Compound 3 was rhamofolane diterpenoid with a 5/10 bicyclic skeleton and 4 was a rare class of euphorbia diterpenes featuring an unusual 5/10 fused ring system • Compound 4 showed strong activity with IC 50 values of 7.75 μM. Frther, the inhibitory effects of 4 on protein levels were determined using immunofluorescence assays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This correction notice is from the Journal of Translational Medicine and addresses an error in the original article titled "Excitatory neurons in the lateral parabrachial nucleus mediate the interruptive effect of inflammatory pain on a sustained attention task." The correction states that Dr. Cheng Cen was not mentioned as one of the corresponding authors and should be included as such. The original article has been updated to reflect this correction. The publisher, Springer Nature, remains neutral in terms of jurisdictional claims and institutional affiliations. [Extracted from the article]

This paper proposes a low-voltage, low-cost multiple-time-programmable nonvolatile memory (MTP NVM) based on a standard CMOS 0.13 μm process for UHF RFID chip applications. The design of the differential structure cell using the tunneling effect reduces the read and write voltage. The read and write simulation test results show that the read and write operating voltage is 10 V, which is 30% lower than that of conventional EEPROMs. Because the UHF RFID tag chip requires higher voltage reduction, the structured memory cell is well suited for UHF RFID applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Fault transient traveling waves in hybrid transmission lines are complex and varied. Hence, this study proposes a method for fault location on the basis of the traveling wave polarity, combining single‐ended and double‐ended traveling wave ranging algorithms. First, the approximate reflected wave time is calculated based on the distance measured by the double‐ended traveling wave ranging algorithms. Then, on the basis of the polarity of the traveling wave, the wave reflected from the point where the fault occurs and the joint point of the hybrid line are accurately identified. Finally, after the reflected wave is accurately identified, the fault is accurately located. In the application of double‐ended traveling wave method, variational mode decomposition (VMD) and Teager energy operator (TEO) are used to improve the accuracy of the initial fault distance calculation. The algorithm proposed in this study can ignore the errors caused by the time synchronization and the difficulty in identifying the reflected wave. Simulation results show that the algorithm proposed in this study has high measurement accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile web-based augmented reality (MWAR) provides users with quick richer information interaction forms due to its convenience and universality. However, the 3D model data service for MWAR is a type of centralized file-based data service, which cannot simultaneously meet diverse user and response delay requirements in large-scale and complex applications. This affects the application and promotion of large-scale and complex MWAR application. To this end, this paper proposes a collaborative model data computing service framework (CMCSF) for MWAR between Mobile Edge Servers (MES), Cloud Servers (CS), and mobile devices. The main contributions of this paper include: (1) The CMCSF converts the file-based 3D model data service in MWAR to a computing-based and interfaced data service to meet the diverse service requirements of users; (2) The CMCSF establishes a collaborative computing model data service between the MES and the CS, and it computes a control and deployment strategy for the collaborative computing model data service in order to reduce the response delay of 3D model data; and (3) The CMCSF optimizes the loading method of the WebGL engine (for example, three.js) and applies the asynchronous loading method of the JSON interface data on the http protocol for browsers to get persistent model data services. An experimental evaluation shows the CMCSF improves the response efficiency of the 3D model data file Significantly when compared with the original centralized file-based 3D model file service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Question: Can any new genetic factors responsible for early embryonic arrest in infertile patients be identified, together with the mechanism of pathogenic variants?Summary Answer: We identified three homozygous variants in the F-box protein 43 gene (FBXO43) in infertile patients and studies on the effects of the variants in HEK293T cells and mouse oocytes provided evidence for a causal relation between FBXO43 and female infertility.What Is Known Already: FBXO43, an inhibitor of the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome, mediates Metaphase II arrest as a component of the cytostatic factor in oocytes. Both male and female Fbxo43 knockout mice are viable but sterile. FBXO43, therefore, appears to be an essential component of the mammalian cell-cycle machinery that regulates both male and female meiosis. Until now, only one article has reported a homozygous FBXO43 variant associated with teratozoospermia, but the causal relationship was not established with functional evidence.Study Design, Size, Duration: Whole-exome sequencing (WES) and homozygosity mapping were performed in 24 probands from consanguineous families who suffered from early embryonic arrest, and two different homozygous variants in FBXO43 were identified in two independent families. WES data from a further 950 infertile women with early embryonic arrest were screened for homozygous and compound heterozygous variants in FBXO43, and a third individual with an additional homozygous variant in FBXO43 was identified. The infertile patients presenting with early embryonic arrest were recruited from August 2016 to May 2020.Participants/materials, Setting, Methods: The women diagnosed with primary infertility were recruited from the reproduction centers of local hospitals. Genomic DNA samples from the affected individuals, their family members, and healthy controls were extracted from peripheral blood. The FBXO43 variants were identified using WES, homozygosity mapping, in silico analysis, and variant screening. All of the variants were confirmed by Sanger sequencing, and the effects of the variants were investigated in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293T cells by western blotting and in mouse oocytes by complementary RNA injection.Main Results and the Role Of Chance: We identified three homozygous variants in FBXO43 (NM_001029860.4)-namely, c.1490_1497dup (p.(Glu500Serfs*2)), c.1747C>T (p.(Gln583*)), and c.154delG (p.(Asp52Thrfs*30))-in three independent families. All of the homozygous variants reduced the protein level of FBXO43 and reduced the level of its downstream target Cyclin B1 in HEK293T cells. In addition, the variants reduced the ability of exogenous human FBXO43 to rescue the parthenogenetic activation phenotype in Fbxo43 knockdown mouse oocytes.Limitations, Reasons For Caution: Owing to the lack of in vivo data from the oocytes of patients, the exact molecular mechanism remains unknown and should be further investigated using knock out or knock in mice.Wider Implications Of the Findings: Our study has identified three pathogenic variants in FBXO43 that are involved in human early embryonic arrest. These findings contribute to our understanding of the role of FBXO43 in human early embryonic development and provide a new genetic marker for female infertility.Study Funding/competing Interest(s): This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFC1003800, 2017YFC1001500, and 2016YFC1000600), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81725006, 81822019, 81771581, 81971450, 81971382, and 82001552), the project supported by the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Major Project (2017SHZDZX01), the Project of the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission (19JC1411001), the Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai (19ZR1444500), the Shuguang Program of the Shanghai Education Development Foundation and the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (18SG03), the Foundation of the Shanghai Health and Family Planning Commission (20154Y0162), the Capacity Building Planning Program for Shanghai Women and Children's Health Service, and the collaborative innovation center project construction for Shanghai Women and Children's Health. None of the authors have any competing interests.Trial Registration Number: N/A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trehalose is a non-reducing disaccharide and participates in physiological activities such as organ formation, energy metabolism, and stress resistance in insects. The Bmtret1 gene family is mainly involved in in the sugar metabolism of silkworm. In the present study, phylogenetic analysis divided 21 Bmtret1 orthologs into three clades. These genes are equally distributed on the nine chromosomes. The cis-elements in the promoter regions of Bmtret1s indicated the possible function of Bmtret1s in response to hormones and environmental stimulus. The qPCR analysis showed the significantly different expression levels of Bmtret1s in different tissues and organs, indicating possible functional divergence. In addition, most Bmtret1s showed disturbed expression levels in response to silkworm nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BmNPV) stresses. Our results provide a clue for further functional dissection of the Tret1s in Bombyx mori and implicate them as potential regulators of antiviral responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]