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This study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of introducing digital software in music education to improve academic performance and solfeggio class attendance. To assess academic performance, a test consisting of 25 theoretical questions and 25 practical tasks was developed. The Bologna model was used as an assessment system. The groups were compared by calculating the Student's t-test in terms of the "Test Score" and "Missed Classes" parameters. The collected data revealed that the mean score for the experimental group was 87.50 out of 100, while in the control group, it was much lower, namely 65.37. Likewise, the control group was characterized by satisfactory (D) performance in mastering solfeggio, with the mean score ranging between 64 and 73, whereas experimental group participants had an average of 82-89. The statistical data processing results showed that the six-month use of the ChordIQ app contributed to more effective mastering of solfeggio by amateur musicians. At the same time, the difference between the groups turned out to be significant in both cases, so the research hypothesis was confirmed for both of them (p < 0.05). Overall, the results showed that ChordIQ is a useful mobile app teaching the user music in an exciting and interactive way. The findings collected can be used to update traditional solfeggio curricula, conduct scientific studies in the field of interactive music education, as well as create new dedicated software.

BackgroundGinseng Radix et Rhizoma (GS) is frequently used as an adjuvant therapy for patients with heart failure (HF). Metoprolol is widely used in patients with HF. However, there is no report on the combined effects of GS and metoprolol in patients with HF.ObjectiveThis study investigated the combined effects of GS and metoprolol in male C57BL/6J mice with HF and the underlying mechanisms.Materials and methodsWe utilized a mouse myocardial HF model to measure the serum levels of creatine kinase (CK) and creatine kinase-MB form (CK-MB) using an automated biochemical analyzer. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and cardiac troponin (cTnT) levels were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Autophagy of myocardial cells was evaluated using transmission electron microscopy, and changes in signal pathway proteins related to autophagy were analyzed by Western blotting.ResultsGS combined with metoprolol improved heart function, reduced heart damage, and decreased serum levels of CK, CK-MB, LDH, and cTnT. The combination of GS and metoprolol decreased autophagy in myocardial cells by reducing the levels of autophagy-related proteins (LC3, p62, Beclin1, and Atg5) and increasing the ratios of p-PI3K/PI3K, p-Akt/Akt, and p-mTOR/mTOR.ConclusionGS enhanced the anti-heart failure effect of metoprolol. Its mechanism of action might be related to the inhibition of autophagy mediated by the activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway.

This study uses first-principles calculations to investigate the asymmetric Zr2CO/VSe2 heterostructure for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) applications, focusing on its interlayer interactions, electronic structures, and HER performance across six stacking angles. Our findings demonstrate remarkable structural stability, characterized by interlayer distances of 2.1 Å to 2.7 Å and binding energies from −150.521 to −257.939 meV Å−2. Band structure analyses highlight the heterostructures' exceptional conductivity, essential for catalytic efficiency. Additionally, charge density difference calculations reveal significant charge transfer and redistribution at the interface, providing insights into the interlayer interactions and their influence on catalytic activity. Notably, the Gibbs free energy of hydrogen adsorption (ΔGH*) remains within ±0.1 eV across all configurations, indicating superior HER activity. Further analysis shows that the work function (Φ) serves as a critical electronic structure descriptor, influencing HER performance. The relationship between work function and ΔGH* across different interlayer distances underscores the predictive value of the work function for HER activity. These insights provide a theoretical foundation for developing advanced and effective non-noble metal HER catalysts, paving the way for innovations in sustainable energy technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Stoichiometric rules may explain the allometric scaling among biological traits and body size, a fundamental law of nature. However, testing the scaling of elemental stoichiometry and growth to size over the course of plant ontogeny is challenging.Here, we used a fast‐growing bamboo species to examine how the concentrations and contents of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), relative growth rate (G), and nutrient productivity scale with whole‐plant mass (M) at the culm elongation and maturation stages.The whole‐plant C content vs M and N content vs P content scaled isometrically, and the N or P content vs M scaled as a general 3/4 power function across both growth stages. The scaling exponents of G vs M and N (and P) productivity in newly grown mass vs M relationships across the whole growth stages decreased as a −1 power function.These findings reveal the previously undocumented generality of stoichiometric allometries over the course of plant ontogeny and provide new insights for understanding the origin of ubiquitous quarter‐power scaling laws in the biosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Vascular fibrosis is a universal phenomenon associated with aging, and oxidative stress plays an important role in the genesis of vascular damage in line with the aging process. However, whether antioxidants can ameliorate vascular fibrosis remains unclear. Objectives: The present study was to determine antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) could ameliorates aortic fibrosis in aging wild-type C57BL/6 mice. Methods: The aortas were harvested from both 12-week and 60-week wild-type mice. The 60-week mice were treated with and without the NAC for 12 weeks starting at the age of 48 weeks. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and Masson's trichrome staining of aortic samples were performed, and the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), RNA expression of GAPDH, TNF-α, MCP-1, IL-6, IL-10, IL-4, SIRT-1, SIRT-3, FOXO-1, and macrophage polarization were determined. Results: There is a positive relationship between collagen deposition and the M1/M2 macrophage ratio in the aortic wall of aged wild-type C57BL/6 mice. The higher collagen area percentage in the aortas of 60-week-old mice than in 12-week-old mice was reversed by NAC. NAC could not impact the total number of macrophages, but partly promoted M2 macrophage polarization. By performing qRT-PCR using aortic samples from these mice, we identified that SIRT-1, SIRT-3, FOXO-1 could be somehow responsible for aging-related fibrosis. Conclusions: NAC ameliorates aortic fibrosis in aging wild type mice partly by promoting M2 macrophage polarization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accurate evaluation of lymph node (LN) status is critical for determining the treatment options in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study aimed to develop and validate a 18F-FDG PET-based radiomic model for the identification of metastatic LNs from the hypermetabolic mediastinal–hilar LNs in NSCLC. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 259 patients with hypermetabolic LNs who underwent pretreatment 18F-FDG PET/CT and were pathologically confirmed as NSCLC from two centers. Two hundred twenty-eight LNs were allocated to a training cohort (LN = 159) and an internal validation cohort (LN = 69) from one center (7:3 ratio), and 60 LNs were enrolled to an external validation cohort from the other. Radiomic features were extracted from LNs of PET images. A PET radiomics signature was constructed by multivariable logistic regression after using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) method with 10-fold cross-validation. The PET radiomics signature (model 1) and independent predictors from CT image features and clinical data (model 2) were incorporated into a combined model (model 3). A nomogram was plotted for the complex model, and the performance of the nomogram was assessed by its discrimination, calibration, and clinical usefulness. Results: The area under the curve (AUC) values of model 1 were 0.820, 0.785, and 0.808 in the training, internal, and external validation cohorts, respectively, showing good diagnostic efficacy for lymph node metastasis (LNM). Furthermore, model 2 was able to discriminate metastatic LNs in the training (AUC 0.780), internal (AUC 0.794), and external validation cohorts (AUC 0.802), respectively. Model 3 showed optimal diagnostic performance among the three cohorts, with an AUC of 0.874, 0.845, and 0.841, respectively. The nomogram based on the model 3 showed good discrimination and calibration. Conclusions: Our study revealed that PET radiomics signature, especially when integrated with CT imaging features, showed the ability to identify true and false positives of mediastinal–hilar LNM detected by PET/CT in patients with NSCLC, which would help clinicians to make individual treatment decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]