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AbstractA surge of public interest in NMN supplementation has been observed in recent years. However, whether NMN supplements are effective in improving metabolic health remains unclear. The objective of the review was to assess the effects of NMN supplementation on fasting glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL-C, and HDL-C in adults. Studies were located by searching four databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science). Two reviewers independently conducted title/abstract and full-text screening, data extraction, and risk-of-bias assessment. Of the 4049 records reviewed, 12 studies with a total of 513 participants met the criteria for analysis. Random-effects meta-analyses found an overall significant effect of NMN supplementation in elevating blood NAD levels. However, most of the clinically relevant outcomes were not significantly different between NMN supplementation and control group. Risk-of-bias assessment using RoB2 showed some concerns in seven studies and high risk of bias in the other five studies. Together, our findings suggest that an exaggeration of the benefits of NMN supplementation may exist in the field. Although the limited number of eligible studies was sufficiently powered to detect changes in the abovementioned primary outcomes, more studies are needed to conclude about the exact effects of NMN supplementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two vegetation transfer parameters of $\tau $ τ (Vegetation Optical Depth,VOD) and $\omega $ ω (Omega) could vary significantly across microwave channels in terms of frequencies, polarizations, and incidence angles, and their channel-dependent characteristics have not yet been fully investigated. In this study, we investigate the channel dependence of vegetation effects on microwave emissions from soils using a higher-order vegetation radiative transfer model of Tor Vergata. Corn was selected as the subject of investigation, and a corn growth model was developed utilizing field data collected from the multifrequency and multi-angular ground-based microwave radiation experiment from the Soil Moisture Experiment in the Luan River (SMELR). Upon compilation of the simulation dataset of microwave emissions of the corn field, the effective scattering albedo across different channels were calculated using the Tor Vergata model. Results show that vertical polarization of the vegetation optical depth is more affected by incidence angle changes, while horizontal polarization exhibits lower variations in vegetation optical depth due to incidence angle adjustments. The channel dependence of vegetation optical depth can be described as the polarization dependence parameter (${C_P}$ C P ) and the frequency dependence parameter (${C_f}$ C f ). These two parameters enable the calculation of vegetation optical depth at any channel under three adjacent frequencies (L-band, C-band and X-band). The effective scattering albedo of vegetation does not vary significantly with vegetation height or angle. It primarily depends on frequency and polarization, showing an overall increasing trend with increasing frequency. The effective scattering albedo with vertical polarization is slightly higher than that with horizontal polarization at higher frequencies, while both are lower in the L-band. This investigation is helpful for understanding the vegetation effects on microwave emissions from soils, ultimately advancing the accuracy of large-scale soil moisture retrieval in vegetated areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the economic development of various countries entering a new stage, sustainable development has become a focus of development transformation. It is well known that outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) drives the development of the manufacturing industry. However, the OFDI's influence mechanism on the sustainable development of the manufacturing industry still needs to be clarified, and its specific action path requires further exploration. This study thus constructs a performance evaluation indicator system for the manufacturing industry from sustainable perspective. Based on interprovincial panel data of China's 30 provinces from 2008 to 2017, the entropy method is used to measure and analyse the sustainable development level of the manufacturing industry in each province. Second, the influence of OFDI on the sustainable development level of manufacturing industry is verified using a fixed effects model. Finally, through the establishment of the mediation effect and threshold effect models, we conduct in-depth research on its specific mechanism, testing the mediation effect of technological progress and threshold effect of openness. The results reveal that government departments can enhance the sustainable development of manufacturing industry by promoting technological progress through OFDI. Improving the degree of openness can also promote sustainable development in the manufacturing industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil-immersed power transformers generate characteristic gases after failure,Therefore, it is necessary to analyse and monitor the soluble gases in transformer oil samples. In this study, the DFT calculation method was used to study the adsorption properties of H2, CO, C2H2, and C2H4 gases in oil on both intrinsic MoTe2 and Rh-doped MoTe2 films. In order to analyse the adsorption characteristics, this paper first obtains the most stable Rh-doped MoTe2 monolayer model through the modelling and computational analysis of different doping sites, then, the adsorption of these gases on the material surface is studied by analysing adsorption energy, charge transfer, total state density, parting density, energy band structure, differential charge density map, molecular front orbital and desorption time, and finally concludes that Rh-MoTe2 monolayer film is the ideal material for hydrogen sensing elements, due to the extremely long desorption time of CO gas, indicating that CO gas is hard to desorption on the surface of adsorbent,which shows that this process has played a certain role in promoting CO removal. Highlights Study focused on gas adsorption using DFT: Rh-MoTe2 ideal for hydrogen sensing and effective for CO removal, intrinsic MoTe2 ineffective and required metal doping. Rh doping enhanced conductivity and gas adsorption capacity in MoTe2. Rh-MoTe2 was suitable for detecting H2, C2H2, and C2H4 gases. Desorption times vary with temperature, with CO removal particularly effective at higher temperatures. Findings suggest potential applications for Rh-MoTe2 in gas sensing and removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new zinc(II) complexes, [Zn2(PBM)2(terephthalate)(formate)2] (1) and {[Zn(PBM)(fumarate)]∙H2O}n (2), were synthesized using 1,3-bis(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)propane (PBM) and two different dicarboxylic acids under solvothermal conditions. Complexes 1 and 2 have been characterized by infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The structural analysis showed that 1 was a binuclear structure and then formed a 3D supramolecular network structure through hydrogen bond and π-π conjugation, while 2 was a one-dimensional coordination polymer. In 1 and 2, the zinc ions were four-coordinate with an N2O2 donor set and a slightly distorted tetrahedral geometry. The solid-state fluorescence properties indicate that the fluorescence peaks belong to the π*-π transition of the ligand PBM, which has a significant red shift and enhancement with the order being 1 > 2 > PBM. The stronger fluorescence of the complexes than the ligand is due to the immobilization of the ligand through coordination, which reduces the energy loss of thermal vibration. The π∙∙∙π conjugation in 1 results in a stronger fluorescence of 1 than 2. Therefore, coordination and π∙∙∙π conjugation will affect the fluorescence of complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A numerical method for describing droplet-driven particle motion at low Weber numbers in fluids is proposed. A coupling strategy combining the Shan–Chen (SC) model and the smoothed profile method (SPM) is employed. The proposed scheme correctly resolves the momentum transfer between solid particles and fluid phases, while effectively controlling the wetting condition. An interaction zone where three phases coexist is introduced to solve the contradiction between the SC model and SPM (i.e. whether fluid particles are allowed at the solid nodes). In the interaction zone, partial solid particles are entrapped in the fluids owing to the coexistence of solid and fluid particles, causing solid particles to exchange momentum with fluid particles. Furthermore, the interaction forces between fluid and solid particles near the solid surface are considered at nodes near pure solid particles within this region. Based on the proposed scheme, the interactions between freely moving particles and freely moving droplets were investigated, along with the effects of wettability (Gads) and volume forces (Fp*) on particle–droplet interactions. When a liquid droplet comes into contact with a solid particle, the adhesion force between the droplet and the solid surface promotes the movement of solid particles toward the droplet. When a double emulsion comes into contact with solid particles, the adhesion force between the emulsion film and solid surface causes the double emulsion to break at the connecting point, and the volume force of the emulsion film Fd* causes the solid particles to penetrate the emulsion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) especially those undergoing dialysis have a high prevalence of hyperkalemia, which must be detected and treated immediately. But the initial symptoms of hyperkalemia are insidious, and traditional laboratory serum potassium concentration testing takes time. Therefore, rapid and real-time measurement of serum potassium is urgently needed. In this study, different machine learning methods were used to make rapid predictions of different degrees of hyperkalemia by analyzing the ECG. A total of 1024 datasets of ECG and serum potassium concentrations were analyzed from December 2020 to December 2021. The data were scaled into training and test sets. Different machine learning models (LR, SVM, CNN, XGB, Adaboost) were built for dichotomous prediction of hyperkalemia by analyzing 48 features of chest leads V2-V5. The performance of the models was also evaluated and compared using sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, accuracy, F1 score and AUC. We constructed different machine models to predict hyperkalemia using LR and four other common machine-learning methods. The AUCs of the different models ranged from 0.740 (0.661, 0.810) to 0.931 (0.912,0.953) when different serum potassium concentrations were used as the diagnostic threshold for hyperkalemia, respectively. As the diagnostic threshold of hyperkalemia was raised, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and precision of the model decreased to various degrees. And AUC also performed less well than when predicting mild hyperkalemia. Noninvasive and rapid prediction of hyperkalemia can be achieved by analyzing specific waveforms on the ECG by machine learning methods. But overall, XGB had a higher AUC in mild hyperkalemia, but SVM performed better in predicting more severe hyperkalemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary zinc oxide nanoparticle (ZnO NP) possessing multiple biological activities might be a potential substitute for the combination of ZnSO4 and antibiotic growth promoter in broiler diets. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of dietary ZnO NP as a substitute to the combination of ZnSO4 and xanthomycin for growth, antioxidant capacity, immunity, intestinal barrier and liver function in broilers. Arbor Acres chicks (n = 320) were assigned to 5 treatments with 8 replicates. Birds received a basal diet supplemented with 80 mg/kg ZnSO4 plus 5 mg/kg xanthomycin (ZnSO4 + Xanthomycin) or 0 (negative control, NC), 40, 80, and 160 mg/kg ZnO NP for 42 days. The average daily gain, average daily feed intake and feed-to-gain ratio showed dose-dependent increases with the increasing level of dietary ZnO NP during the 21–42 day and 1–42 day stages. The final body weight (42 d) and serum concentrations of insulin-like growth factor 1 and growth hormone increased linearly with the increasing level of dietary ZnO NP. In addition, 80 mg/kg ZnO NP increased the serum concentrations of IgA, IgG, IgM, andinterleukin-10 and peroxidase activity, the jejunal mucosal villus height, villus width and goblet cell numbers. Dietary 80 or 160 mg/kg ZnO NP significantly altered mRNA abundances of genes related to antioxidant status, intestinal barrier and immunity in the jejunal mucosa. These results indicated that dietary supplementation with 40–160 mg/kg ZnO NP caused no obvious negative effects on liver function, but effectively improved growth performance, intestinal barrier function, immunity and antioxidant capacity. Dietary 40–160 mg/kg zinc oxide nanoparticle (ZnO NP) improved growth performance and enhanced immunity of broilers without obvious negative effects on liver function. Dietary 40–160 mg/kg ZnO NP improved intestinal barrier and intestinal morphology, and enhanced antioxidant capacity via Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. Doses of 40–80 mg/kg ZnO NP were suggested to alternate the combination of 80 mg/kg ZnSO4 and 5 mg/kg xanthomycin in diets of broilers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effects of different doses of rutin on the growth performance, immunity, intestinal barrier, and antioxidant capacity of broilers. A total of two hundred and fifty-six 1-day-old male broilers were divided into 4 groups and fed basal diets supplemented with 0 (control group), 250, 500 and 1,000 mg rutin/kg, respectively, for 42 days. In the starter period (days 1–21) and whole trial period (days 1–42), broilers fed diets containing 500 mg rutin/kg had significantly (p < 0.05) higher average daily feed intake, body weight and average daily gain and better feed conversion ratio. Dietary 500 mg rutin/kg increased the villus height, villus height to crypt depth ratio and villus area, while reducing the B cell lymphoma 2 associated X mRNA expression (p < 0.05). Dietary 500 mg rutin/kg increased the level of IgA in serum and decreased serum tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) content, and the nuclear factor kappa-B, interleukin-2 and TNF-α mRNA expression in jejunal mucosa (p < 0.05). Simultaneously, 500 and 1,000 mg rutin/kg significantly decreased serum diamine oxidase activity, D-lactic acid and lipopolysaccharide concentration, increased activities of total superoxide dismutase and total antioxidant capacity in jejunal mucosa (p < 0.05), and upregulated mRNA expressions of genes related to intestinal barrier and antioxidant capacity in jejunal mucosa (p < 0.05). These findings indicate that dietary rutin, especially at 500 mg/kg, improves broilers' growth performance, intestinal barrier function, immunity, and antioxidant capability, which may be related to the nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway. Dietary rutin improved growth performance, jejunal morphology, and intestinal barrier function. Dietary rutin enhanced the immunity via inhibiting NF-κB, and improved antioxidant capacity via activating Nrf2/HO-1 pathway in broilers. The optimal dose of rutin was 500 mg/kg in broiler diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For early stage non-small cell lung cancer, whether limited resection can yield comparable outcomes to those of lobectomy hasn't been established. We compared Overall survival (OS) and lung cancer-specific survival (LCSS) after segmentectomy or lobectomy in stage IA1 (≤10 mm) lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients. We retrospectively recruited patients who'd been diagnosed with lung cancer for the first time and treated with segmentectomy or lobectomy, with or without previous other malignancy. 1788 patients were included. After propensity score matching: 5-year OS were 85.6% for segmentectomy and 84.7% for lobectomy (p=0.951); 5-year LCSS were 93.5% for segmentectomy; and 93.0% for lobectomy (p=0.726). Cox regression analysis revealed segmentectomy was comparable to lobectomy in OS and LCSS. Having a second lung cancer later in life was associated with a worse LCSS for lobectomy (p<0.05) rather than segmentectomy. After patients were stratified according to malignancy history, subgroup analyses showed no significant prognosis differences between two surgeries. For stage IA1 LUAD patients who were diagnosed with lung cancer for the first time, with or without previous other malignancy, segmentectomy yields comparable outcomes to those of lobectomy. It may provide better outcomes for patients with multiple suspicious nodules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research evaluated the efficacy of oral nutritional agents including CoQ10, vitamin E, inositols and vitamin D on androgen-associated hormones, glycolipid metabolism and body weight in women with PCOS. A multi-database search was performed from inception to December 2020. Using multi-variate random effects method, a NMA was conducted by synthesizing data pooled from RCTs. It was registered with PROSPERO (registration number CRD42021230292). Twenty-three RCTs and 1291 participants were included. Based on NMA, CoQ10, vitamin E, CoQ10 combined with vitamin E, and inositols were successful in decreasing TT as compared with PA; vitamin E was superior to other agents. Vitamin E and inositols were successful in increasing SHBG levels; inositols were stronger than vitamin E. CoQ10 alone or combined with vitamin E, and inositols were successful in decreasing HOMA-IR. Inositols had the best results among included nutraceuticals to ameliorate HOMA-IR, FBG, FINS, TG, TC, and LDL-C and correlated to improvements in BMI. There was no significant difference between the CoQ10 or vitamin E group and the PA group in ameliorating lipid metabolism, and vitamin D had no positive effects in ameliorating hyperandrogenism, BMI, glycolipid metabolism profiles compared with PA. For women with PCOS, inositols supplementation have some certain advantages in increasing SHBG and improving glycolipid metabolism when compared with nutraceuticals like CoQ10, vitamin E, vitamin D. Besides, vitamin E may be a better option in reducing TT and increasing SHBG. CoQ10 alone or combined with vitamin E can be helpful in decreasing HOMA-IR as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empirical data are limited to decipher where people live and work in large cities; however, neighborhood information, such as street view image, is rich and abundant. We construct a ResNet-50-based social detection model to explore the potential relationship between street view images and job-housing attributes. The method extracts street view images of a neighborhood in all eight directions to predict land parcels' job-housing attributes and uses an entropy index to measure the degree of job-housing mixture in Shenzhen as an example. The social-detection model performs well with a low RMSE (0.1094) in identifying job-housing patterns. The eight-direction neighborhood method shows the best support for sufficient neighborhood information from street view images (RMSE = 0.1135) compared with other neighborhood methods. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using street-view images and deep learning to characterize job-housing attributes consistent with findings from urban studies with socioeconomic data; for example, the research finding concurs that Shenzhen has many high job-housing mixtures with very few areas designated for jobs or residences. The proposed method, when applied regularly, can help monitor spatial dynamics of urban job-housing patterns to inform city planning and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the nonlinear U model with time-varying coefficients is investigated and the transformation of the nonlinear model is accomplished by the Newton iterative algorithm. Based on the nonlinear U model, a control algorithm with cerebellar model articulation controller and proportional derivative (PD) in parallel is proposed. The algorithm learns online through a neural network while optimizing the output of the PD, which ultimately enables the actual output of the system to track up to the desired output. Considering that the nonlinear object has the characteristic of rapid change with time, the article improves the PD algorithm to nonlinear PD control algorithm to complete the design of the system. The algorithm automatically adjusts the weights according to the error magnitude to complete the controller parameter adjustment, thus reducing the error of the system. The simulation results show that the nonlinear PD algorithm is better than the PD algorithm, meanwhile, the tracking speed and control precision of the system are improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ligustrazine and valsartan are commonly used drugs in the treatment of cardiac and cardiovascular disease. The interaction between ligustrazine and valsartan was studied to investigate the effect of ligustrazine on the pharmacokinetics of valsartan. The pharmacokinetics of valsartan (10 mg/kg) was investigated in Sprague–Dawley rats divided into three groups (with the pretreatment of 4 or 10 mg/kg/day ligustrazine for 10 days and without the pretreatment of ligustrazine as control) of six rats each. The in vitro experiments in rat liver microsomes were performed to explore the effect of ligustrazine on the metabolic stability of valsartan. Ligustrazine changed the pharmacokinetic profile of valsartan. In the presence of 4 mg/kg ligustrazine, the AUC(0–t) (385.37 ± 93.05 versus 851.64 ± 104.26 μg/L*h), t1/2 (5.46 ± 0.93 versus 6.34 ± 1.25 h), and Cmax (62.64 ± 9.09 versus 83.87 ± 6.15 μg/L) of valsartan was significantly decreased, and the clearance rate was increased from 10.92 ± 1.521 to 25.76 ± 6.24 L/h/kg and similar changes were observed in the group with 10 mg/kg ligustrazine (p < 0.05). The metabolic stability of valsartan was also decreased by ligustrazine as the half-life of valsartan in rat liver microsomes decreased from 37.12 ± 4.06 to 33.48 ± 3.56 min and the intrinsic clearance rate increased from 37.34 ± 3.84 to 41.40 ± 4.32 μL/min/mg protein (p < 0.05). Ligustrazine promoted the metabolism of valsartan via activating CYP3A4. The co-administration of ligustrazine and valsartan should be taken into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cotyledon tomentosa Harv. is a well-known succulent plant that have important ornamental and economic value. In this study, we release and detail the complete chloroplast genome sequences of C. tomentosa. The whole chloroplast genome was 149,729 bp in length and comprised 131 genes, including 84 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, eight rRNA genes. The C. tomentosa. chloroplast genome had a GC content of 38.23%. Phylogenetic analysis based on the complete chloroplast genomes showed that C. tomentosa had a close relationship with Kalanchoe tomentosa, Bryophyllum daigremontianum and Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The properties and the formation mechanism of α-Fe2O3 in oxide film on α-Fe bonded grinding wheel without abrasive grains were researched. The content of α-Fe2O3 in oxide film was measured by XRD and XPS, the results show that there are more α-Fe2O3 in the oxide film of the α-Fe bonded grinding wheel without abrasive grains than that of the iron bonded grinding wheel with abrasive grains. The microstructure of oxide film of α-Fe bonded grinding wheel without abrasive grains was measured by SEM and TEM, the results show that the oxide film formed on the surface of α-Fe bonded grinding wheel without abrasive grains was more smooth, uniform, continuous and it's granularity is finer, which was beneficial to ultra-precision polishing. The experimental results show that the α-Fe bonded grinding wheel without abrasive grains is more suitable for ELID (Electrolytic In-process Dressing) ultra-precision polishing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (HSOS) is a rare and life-threatening liver disease. (+)-Catechin is a natural dietary flavonol with high antioxidant capacity. This study aims to investigate the involvement of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) antioxidant signalling pathway in the protection of (+)-catechin hydrate (CAT) against monocrotaline (MCT)-induced HSOS. Results of serum alanine/aspartate aminotransferases (ALT/AST) activities, total bilirubin (TBil) and bile acids (TBA) amounts, liver histological observation, scanning electron microscope evaluation, and hepatic metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression all demonstrated the protection of CAT against MCT-induced HSOS in rats. CAT attenuated MCT-induced liver oxidative injury in rats and the formation of cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in human hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells (HHSECs). CAT-enhanced Nrf2 nuclear translocation in livers from MCT-treated rats and in HHSECs treated with MCT, and further increased the expression of Nrf2-dependent genes including catalytic or modify subunit of glutamate-cysteine ligase (GCLC/GCLM), haem oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1). Moreover, GCL inhibitor L-buthionine-(S, R)-sulfoximine (BSO), NQO1 inhibitor diminutol (Dim), and HO-1 inhibitor zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP) all abrogated CAT-provided the protection against MCT-induced cytotoxicity in HHSECs. The results of molecular docking analysis indicated the potential interaction of CAT with the Nrf2-binding site in kelch-like ECH-associated protein-1 (Keap1) protein. In summary, this study demonstrated the critical involvement of Nrf2 antioxidant signalling pathway in CAT-provided the protection against MCT-induced HSOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a theoretical and empirical basis for the design of teacher professional development studies. We build on previous work by (a) developing estimates of intraclass correlation coefficients for teacher outcomes using two- and three-level data structures, (b) developing estimates of the variance explained by covariates, and (c) modifying the conventional optimal design framework to include differential covariate costs so as to capture the point at which the cost of collecting a covariate overtakes the reduction in variance it supplies. We illustrate the use of these estimates to explore the absolute and relative sensitivity of multilevel designs in teacher professional development studies. The results from these analyses are intended to guide researchers in making more-informed decisions about the tradeoffs and considerations involved in selecting study designs for assessing the impacts of professional development programs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Maternal diabetes has been demonstrated to adversely affect oocyte quality in mouse oocytes. However, the potential molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we established a type I diabetic mouse model and detected the increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and decreased Sirt3 expression in oocytes from diabetic mice. Furthermore, we found that forced expression of Sirt3 in diabetic oocytes significantly attenuates such an excessive production of ROS. The acetylation status of lysine 68 of superoxide dismutase (SOD2K68) is dependent on Sirt3 in oocytes. In line with this, SOD2K68 acetylation levels were markedly increased in diabetic oocytes, and Sirt3 overexpression could effectively suppress this tendency. Importantly, the deacetylation-mimetic mutant SOD2K68R is capable of partly preventing the oxidative stress in oocytes from diabetic mice. In conclusion, our findings support a model where Sirt3 plays a protective role against oxidative stress in oocytes exposed to maternal diabetes through deacetylating SOD2K68. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Adsorption plays an important role in the removal of pollutants such as fluoride from aqueous solutions. With the rapid development of environmental technology, TiO2particle has become promising material to adsorb fluoride ion because of its low cost, non-toxic, good chemical stability, and good sorption ability. This work used sol-gel and hydrothermal synthesis methods to prepare TiO2particles and load them onto SiO2particles. The physicochemical properties such as heat stability, particle size, and surface area of the resulting TiO2adsorbents were characterized with various analytical methods. In addition, their adsorption abilities to fluoride were determined under various conditions including different initial fluoride concentration, pH and coexisting ions. The maximum adsorption capacity of the TiO2adsorbents can reach up to 94.3 mg/g. The adsorption isotherms of fluoride onto the TiO2adsorbents can be closely described by the Langmuir model, suggesting the monolayer adsorption process. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The present study was carried out to investigate the effect of three organic matters (stalk powder, microbial fertilizer, and manure) onLeymus chinensisgermination, growth, and urease activity and available nitrogen (N) in coastal saline soil. The study was conducted in a completely randomized design with eight treatments: J0V0Y0, J1V0Y0, J0V1Y0, J0V0Y1, J1V1Y0, J1V0Y1, J0V1Y1, J1V1Y1. The notations were based on the quantities of each agent added to 1 kg of coastal saline soil: J0– no straw powder, J1– 0.2 kg straw powder, Y0– no manure, Y1– 0.3 kg manure, V0– no microbial fertilizer, V1– 0.2 L microbial fertilizer, each in quantic repeat.L. chinensiswas sown as 50 seeds per pot. Results indicated that addition of organic agents exerted a significantly enhanced germination, increase in fresh weight and elevated soil urease activity. Soil available N levels were significantly positively correlated with soil urease activity and fresh weight, but not with germination rate. It is noteworthy that the halophyteL. chinensisshowed improved characteristics when grown in coastal saline soil with addition of organic amendments. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine well-being or flourishing of adolescents with asthma as well as factors influencing flourishing for these adolescents.Methods: A secondary analysis of data collected for the 2011–2012 National Survey of Children’s Health was conducted. Flourishing of adolescents with and without asthma was compared. Parent coping and anger, child sex and age and child flourishing were examined for adolescents with asthma.Results: Youth with asthma had lower flourishing than those without this disease. Positive parent coping was related to flourishing, while parent anger negatively influenced flourishing of adolescents with asthma. Interaction terms were significant, indicating that the aforementioned variables interacted with adolescent age and sex.Conclusions: Study results point to a complex relationship between parent- and adolescent-level factors and adolescent well-being. Further research is needed to examine relations among flourishing and health outcomes in youth with asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

AbstractCyanobacteria, the only oxygenic photoautotrophs among prokaryotes, are developing as both carbon building blocks and energetic self-supported chassis for the generation of various bioproducts. However, one of the challenges to optimize it as a more sustainable platform is how to release intracellular bioproducts for an easier downstream biorefinery process. To date, the major method used for cyanobacterial cell lysis is based on mechanical force, which is energy-intensive and economically unsustainable. Phage-mediated bacterial cell lysis is species-specific and highly efficient and can be conducted under mild conditions; therefore, it has been intensively studied as a bacterial cell lysis weapon. In contrast to heterotrophic bacteria, biological cell lysis studies in cyanobacteria are lagging behind. In this study, we reviewed cyanobacterial cell envelope features that could affect cell strength and elicited a thorough presentation of the necessary phage lysin components for efficient cell lysis. We then summarized all bioengineering manipulated pipelines for lysin component optimization and further revealed the challenges for each intent-oriented application in cyanobacterial cell lysis. In addition to applied biotechnology usage, the significance of phage-mediated cyanobacterial cell lysis could also advance sophisticated biochemical studies and promote biocontrol of toxic cyanobacteria blooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pangenomes are replacing single reference genomes to capture all variants within a species or clade, but their analysis predominantly leverages graph-based methods that require multiple high-quality genomes and computationally intensive multiple-genome alignments. K-mer decomposition is an alternative to graph-based pangenomes. However, how to directly use k-mers for the population genetic analyses is unknown. Here, we developed a novel strategy that uses the variants of k-mer count in the genome for population analyses. To test the effectivity of this method, we compared it directly to the SNP-based method on the analysis of population structure and genetic diversity of 267 Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains within two simulated datasets and a real sequence dataset. The population structure identified with k-mers recapitulates that obtained using SNPs, indicating the effectiveness of k-mer-based approach, and higher genetic diversity within real dataset supported k-mers contained more genetic variants. Based on k-mer frequency, we found not only SNP but also some insertion/deletion and horizontal gene transfer (HGT) fragments related to the adaptive evolution of S. cerevisiae. Our study creates a framework for the alignment- and reference-free (ARF) method in population genetic analyses, which will be more pronounced in the species with no complete genome or highly diverged species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Based on the Activity Theory, this study investigated the effect of an educational tablet app and conventional teaching method on Chinese preschoolers’ symbolic number abilities. With the significant difference of developmental characteristics, this study divided the 4-year-olds (N = 64) into experimental group and control group. The experimental group was trained for three months using an educational tablet app, while the control group followed regular teaching activities. The results showed that in most aspects of Chinese preschoolers’ symbolic number abilities training, the tablet teaching method was generally superior to conventional teaching method. The one-to-one teaching mode of tablets was more conducive to the integration of the six elements in the Activity Theory, thus effectively promoting the development of preschoolers’ symbolic number abilities. This result further confirmed that educational digital game apps can promote the development of the preschoolers’ symbolic number abilities. Therefore, in future educational and teaching practice, we should attach importance to the critical period of intervention and adapt a more effective teaching approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]