Search

The migration motion of defects in metal halide perovskites' quantum dots (MHPQDs) results in charge-carrier trapping which has become more complicated. We study two-step trapping mediated by mobile defects between the ground state of MHPQDs and a fixed-depth defect using a full-configuration defect method, where all possible trapping processes mediated by these mobile defects could be reproduced and the fastest channels among them are picked out. We find that these two-step trapping processes could keep more one order of magnitude faster than these direct ones as mobile defects with the appropriate localization strength, which implies that these indirect trapping should play the crucial rule to determine the non-radiative recombination losses. These results provide the significant explanation for studying non-radiation processes of carriers in the presence of the migration defects in recent experiments. Moreover, this model will be available to analyze some key performance related defects in electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One method of understanding landscape pattern changes is through an understanding of land use/land cover (LULC) changes, which are closely related to landscape pattern changes. Previous studies have monitored LULC changes across North Korea but did not consider landscape changes at a local scale. Using multiple LULC products to construct sample points, the LULC was classified using a random-forest algorithm and Landsat satellite dataset. The overall accuracy of the classification was 97.66 ± 1.36%, and the Kappa coefficient was 0.95 ± 0.03. Based on the classification results, landscape indices were used to quantify and monitor landscape pattern changes. The results showed that, from 2000 to 2020, there was an increasing trend in built-up and forest areas in Pyongyang, while cropland showed a decreasing trend, and landscape fragmentation increased. However, urban expansion was not the main factor affecting fragmentation. The main factors were forest recovery and cropland reduction, leading to an increase in landscape fragmentation in Pyongyang. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rehabilitation is a high-potential approach to improving physical and cognitive functions in Parkinson's disease (PD). Dual-task training innovatively combines motor and cognitive rehabilitation in a comprehensive module. Patients perform motor and cognitive tasks at the same time in dual-task training. The previous studies of dual-task training in PD had high heterogeneity and achieved controversial results. In the current review, we aim to summarize the current evidence of the effect of dual-task training on motor and cognitive functions in PD patients to support the clinical practice of dual-task training. In addition, we also discuss the current opinions regarding the mechanism underlying the interaction between motor and cognitive training. In conclusion, dual-task training is suitable for PD patients with varied disease duration to improve their motor function. Dual-task training can improve motor symptoms, single-task gait speed, single-task steep length, balance, and objective experience of freezing of gait in PD. The improvement in cognitive function after dual-task training is mild. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a chronic musculoskeletal disease that can cause joint pain and dysfunction, affecting the quality of life of patients. Nonsurgical treatment is the conventional treatment of KOA, among which physical therapy is widely used because of its simplicity, convenience and effectiveness. The functional biomarker will add to the clinical fidelity and diagnostic accuracy. Therefore, our study chose a more objective evaluation indicator, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), to identify between healthy people and KOA patients, and to detect the pain change before and after treatment of KOA patients. Methods: The study will be conducted in the Rehabilitation Medical Center of West China Hospital of Sichuan University and divided into 2 stages. In the first stage, we will compare and determine the differences in baseline data between healthy volunteers and KOA patients. In the second stage, 72 KOA patients will be randomly divided into two groups: the drug therapy group (DT) and the combination therapy group (CT) for 10 treatments. Outcome measures will be measured at baseline and on the 5th and 10th days after the intervention, including the numerical rating scale (NRS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), pain catastrophizing scale (PCS), the association of pain severity with task-state functional connectivity fNIRS and association of pain severity with task-activated fNIRS. Discussion: By analyzing the fNIRS data of healthy volunteers and KOA patients, our study will be determined whether fNIRS can be used as a new indicator to reflect the severity of pain in KOA patients. Subsequently, the same fNIRS data for KOA patients before and after the intervention will be collected to provide an accurate evaluation criterion for the effect of physical therapy on KOA. Trial registration: The study was registered on the Chinese Registry website (registered in ChiCTR.org with the identifiers ChiCTR2200064175 and 29/09/2022). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the data released by the International Cancer Research Institute of the World Health Organization (WHO), breast cancer is the malignant tumor with the highest incidence rate in women, and seriously endangers women's health. Many impressive advances have been achieved in fundamental and translational research of breast cancer, which deepened the understanding of the molecular nature of breast cancer and provided new scientific strategies for the precision treatment of breast cancer. This paper summarized the annual advances in fundamental and translational breast cancer research in 2022 in seven sections: tumor metabolism, tumor microenvironment, microbes and tumors, tumor metastasis, tumor drug resistance and drug screening, multi-omics research and artificial intelligence. Furthermore, we proposed an outlook on the future directions of breast cancer research to provide a reference for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerns have been raised about whether and how groups at high risk of COVID-19 are more likely affected by online vaccine misinformation during the pandemic. This study examined the associations between exposure to online vaccine misinformation and vaccination intention through vaccination perceptions and investigated the moderating role of individuals' socioeconomic status. eHealth literacy was also investigated as a protective factor that mediated the effect of socioeconomic status. A survey of 1,700 Chinese netizens revealed that increased exposure to online COVID-19 vaccine misinformation predicted lower vaccination intention, which was mediated by negative attitudes, lowered subjective norms, lowered perceived benefits, and higher perceived barriers toward vaccination. Socio-economic status (i.e. education, income, and residence), in general, did not guarantee individuals against the negative impacts of vaccine misinformation. eHealth literacy is critical in reducing susceptibility to vaccine misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient and novel strategy for the synthesis of phosphoric esters has been developed via visible‐light‐promoted tandem oxyphosphorylation etherification of α‐diazoesters under mild conditions in the absence of any catalysts and additives. The reaction simply utilizes air (O2) as the environmentally friendly and sustainable oxygen source, delivering functionalized phosphoric esters in moderate to excellent yield with operational simplicity and gram‐scale synthesis, as well as good functional‐group tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Leaf structure plays an important role in photosynthesis. However, the causal relationship and the quantitative importance of any single structural parameter to the overall photosynthetic performance of a leaf remains open to debate. In this paper, we report on a mechanistic model, eLeaf, which successfully captures rice leaf photosynthetic performance under varying environmental conditions of light and CO2.We developed a 3D reaction‐diffusion model for leaf photosynthesis parameterised using a range of imaging data and biochemical measurements from plants grown under ambient and elevated CO2 and then interrogated the model to quantify the importance of these elements.The model successfully captured leaf‐level photosynthetic performance in rice. Photosynthetic metabolism underpinned the majority of the increased carbon assimilation rate observed under elevated CO2 levels, with a range of structural elements making positive and negative contributions. Mesophyll porosity could be varied without any major outcome on photosynthetic performance, providing a theoretical underpinning for experimental data.eLeaf allows quantitative analysis of the influence of morphological and biochemical properties on leaf photosynthesis. The analysis highlights a degree of leaf structural plasticity with respect to photosynthesis of significance in the context of attempts to improve crop photosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Design.: A prospective study. Objective.: To develop a simplified Chinese version of Lumbar Spine Instability Questionnaire (SC-LSIQ) and test its measurement properties. Summary of Background Data.: The LSIQ has been translated into several languages. Different versions of LSIQ have proved good reliability and validity in evaluating patients with low back pain. However, there is no simplified Chinese version of LSIQ (SC-LSIQ). Materials and Methods.: The SC-LSIQ has been translated into a simplified Chinese version according to a standard procedure. A total of 155 patients with low back pain completed the SC-LSIQ along with Oswestry Disability Index, Roland-Morris disability questionnaire, Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia, and visual analogue scale (VAS). The internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and validity of SC-LSIQ were then calculated to evaluate the measurement properties of SC-LSIQ. Results.: The results of SC-LSIQ demonstrated that there was no ceiling or floor effect detected. The Cronbach α coefficient of 0.911 determined a well internal consistency. The intraclass correlation coefficient (0.98) presented an excellent reliability of SC-LSIQ. The Pearson correlation coefficient (r) showed that the SC-LSIQ was excellent correlated to Oswestry Disability Index (r =0.809), Roland-Morris disability questionnaire (r =0.870), and Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (r =0.945,). Furthermore, it moderately correlated to visual analogue scale (r =0.586). Conclusion.: The SC-LSIQ features good internal consistency, reliability, and validity for evaluating Chinese patients with LBP. Results suggest that the SC-LSIQ can be appropriately applied to patients with LBP in routine clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designing a natural, usable, and efficient gesture‐based virtual locomotion interface in immersive environments has been challenging. Freehand‐based virtual locomotion technique (VLT) has the advantage of eliminating the need to see the handhold devices and has been implemented in many applications. Translation control and direction control are two essential components of freehand‐based VLT; however, the transfer function of turning speed in direction control has not been well explored. In this article, we systematically investigate the effects of turning speed on freehand‐based virtual locomotion for the first time. A transfer function that maps the position of the hand to the turning speed is defined, and three parameters related to the turning speed are investigated. In the experiment, participants are asked to travel in the virtual environment from a first‐person perspective with different parameters. Statistical analysis of the experimental results reveals the relationship between the turning speed and the traveling performance as well as the traveling experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study evaluated the effect of fermentation with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum B7 and Bacillus subtilis natto on phenolic compound levels and enzyme activity, as well as antioxidant capacity of the rose residue. Results showed that the polyphenol content of rose residue was significantly increased from 16.37 ± 1.51 mg/100 mL to 41.02 ± 1.68 mg/100 mL by fermentation at 37 °C and 2.0% (v/v) inoculum size for 40 h. The flavone, soluble dietary, and protein contents were also enhanced by almost 1-fold, 3-fold, and 1-fold, respectively. Fifteen phenolic compounds were quantified in the fermented broth, among which the concentration of gallic acid, quercetin, and p -coumaric acid increased by 5-fold, 4-fold, and almost 8-fold, respectively. Chlorogenic acid was a new phenolic compound produced during fermentation. Moreover, the fermented rose residue presented higher superoxide dismutase, α-amylase, and protease activity. ABTS•+, hydroxylradical, and DPPH• scavenging activity increased by 60.93%, 57.70%, and 37.00%, respectively. This provides an effective means of transforming rose residue into a highly bioactive value-added substance. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An image encryption algorithm is proposed by combining chaotic system with semi-tensor product theory. First, the four-way diffusion is performed on the plaintext image with a random interpolation. To further destroy or eliminate the image structure features, the image pixels are split into the octal plane and confused by Josephs scrambling with a variable step. Finally, the ciphertext image is obtained by performing a semi-tensor product operation on an encryption matrix. In this algorithm, the selection of the positions in the chaotic sequence is highly correlated with the plaintext image, which ensures the security of the algorithm without affecting the encryption efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taxanes are widely used in cancer therapy, yet their mitotic-independent mechanisms in vivo remain enigmatic. Vennin et al. illuminate a mode of action whereby taxanes directly stimulate T cells to release cytotoxic extracellular vesicles to eradicate tumor cells. Taxanes-pre-treated T cells may enhance anti-tumor effects while circumventing systemic toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) have become a promising biomarker for assessing tumor immune microenvironment and predicting immunotherapy response. However, the assessment of TILs relies on invasive pathological slides.Methods: We retrospectively extracted radiomics features from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to develop a radiomic cohort of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) (n = 139), among which 116 patients underwent transcriptomic sequencing. This radiomic cohort was randomly divided into the training cohort (n = 98) and validation cohort (n = 41) to develop radiomic signatures to predict the level of TILs through a non-invasive method. Pathologically evaluated TILs in the H&E sections were set as the gold standard. Elastic net and logistic regression were utilized to perform radiomics feature selection and model training, respectively. Transcriptomics was utilized to infer the detailed composition of the tumor microenvironment and to validate the radiomic signatures.Results: We selected three radiomics features to develop a TILs-predicting radiomics model, which performed well in the validation cohort (AUC 0.790, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.638-0.943). Further investigation with transcriptomics verified that tumors with high TILs predicted by radiomics (Rad-TILs) presented activated immune-related pathways, such as antigen processing and presentation, and immune checkpoints pathways. In addition, a hot immune microenvironment, including upregulated T cell infiltration gene signatures, cytokines, costimulators and major histocompatibility complexes (MHCs), as well as more CD8+ T cells, follicular helper T cells and memory B cells, was found in high Rad-TILs tumors.Conclusions: Our study demonstrated the feasibility of radiomics model in predicting TILs status and provided a method to make the features interpretable, which will pave the way toward precision medicine for TNBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pathogenic viral infections have become a serious public health issue worldwide. Viruses can infect all cell-based organisms and cause varying injuries and damage, resulting in diseases or even death. With the prevalence of highly pathogenic viruses, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), it is urgent to develop efficient and safe approaches to inactivate pathogenic viruses. Traditional methods of inactivating pathogenic viruses are practical but have several limitations. Electromagnetic waves, with high penetration capacity, physical resonance, and non-contamination, have emerged as a potential strategy to inactivate pathogenic viruses and have attracted increasing attention. This paper reviews the recent literature on the effects of electromagnetic waves on pathogenic viruses and their mechanisms, as well as promising applications of electromagnetic waves to inactivate pathogenic viruses, to provide new ideas and methods for this inactivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is an incurable neurodegenerative disease. We aimed to investigate the health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) and the determinants of HRQoL in patients with MSA. Methods: The five‐level EuroQol five‐dimensional questionnaire (EQ‐5D‐5L) was used to evaluate patients' HRQoL. The results of HRQoL were indicated by the EQ‐5D‐5L index values and visual analog scale (EQ VAS) scores. Specific scales were used to measure disease severity, cognition, frontal lobe function, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and sleep disorders. The beta mixture model and the linear regression model were used to explore the determinants of HRQoL in patients with MSA. Results: A total of 205 patients with cerebellar variants (MSA‐C; 53.9%) and 175 patients with parkinsonian variants (MSA‐P; 46.1%) were included in this cross‐sectional study. The mean values of the EQ‐5D‐5L index values and EQ VAS scores were.558 and 59.5, respectively. Problem with mobility was the problem reported by the highest proportion of patients (92.1%), followed by problems with usual activities (88.7%), self‐care (81.3%), anxiety/depression (72.1%), and pain/discomfort (53.9%). The determinants of the lower EQ‐5D‐5L index values in patients with MSA were greater disease severity, fatigue, Parkinson's disease‐related sleep problems (PD‐SP), depressive mood, and anxious mood. Greater disease severity, fatigue, and depressive mood were associated with lower EQ VAS scores. Conclusion: The problem reported most frequently by Chinese individuals with MSA was mobility. In addition to the greater disease severity of MSA, fatigue, PD‐SP, depression, and anxiety were determinants of poor HRQoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Charge transfer always occurs in molecular valence tautomers, leading to the redistribution of electron density and exhibiting electrical, optical, and magnetic properties, and can be further controlled by multiple external stimuli such as temperature, light and electric field. The design of molecule-based materials capable of charge transfer remains a challenge. Herein, a linear Cu3 compound [(CH3)3NCH2CH2Br]2[Cu3L4(H2O)2] (H2L = chloranilic acid) (1) with a multi-center donor–acceptor architecture was constructed using the redox-active chloranilic acid quinoid ligand. Temperature-dependent dielectric measurement was performed to capture the charge transfer valence tautomer transition because it is difficult to detect this transition by crystal structure and magnetism analysis. Temperature-dependent XPS and EPR further confirmed that the charge transfer valence tautomer transition is based on the CuII–L2− to CuI–L−˙ multi-center charge transfer. Thus, the present work builds a charge transfer compound with a multi-center donor–acceptor architecture and proves that dielectric measurement is a very effective means to detect charge transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The activation of stimulator of interferon genes (STING) was reported to enhance cetuximab-mediated natural killer cell activation and dendritic cell maturation. Polymorphisms in genes in the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-STING pathway may affect innate immune response. Therefore, we hypothesised that genetic variants in the cGAS-STING pathway may predict the efficacy of cetuximab-based treatment in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Genomic DNA from blood samples of patients enrolled in FIRE-3 (cetuximab arm, n = 129; bevacizumab arm, n = 107) and TRIBE (bevacizumab arm, n = 215) was genotyped using the OncoArray-500K bead chip panel. Seven selected single nucleotide polymorphisms in 3 genes (cGAS, STING and interferon B1 (IFNB1)) were analysed for the association with overall survival and progression-free survival. In the cetuximab cohort, patients with STING rs1131769 any T allele showed significantly shorter overall survival (36.3 versus 56.1 months) than carriers of C/C in both univariate [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.08; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06–4.07; P = 0.03] and multivariate (HR = 2.98; 95% CI: 1.35–6.6; P = 0.0085) analyses; patients carrying IFNB1 rs1051922 G/A and A/A genotype showed a significantly shorter progression-free survival than carriers of G/G allele in both univariate (G/A versus G/G, 10.2 versus 14.1 months, HR = 1.84; 95% CI 1.23–2.76; A/A versus G/G, 10.7 versus 14.1 months, HR = 2.19; 95% CI 0.97–4.96; P = 0.0077) and multivariate analyses (G/A versus G/G, HR = 2; 95% CI 1.22–3.3; A/A versus G/G, HR = 2.19, 95% CI 0.92–5.26, P = 0.02). These associations were not observed in the bevacizumab arm of FIRE-3 or TRIBE. These results suggest for the first time that germline polymorphisms in STING and IFNB1 genes may predict the outcomes of cetuximab-based treatment in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. • Predictive values of SNPs involved in cGAS-STING pathway were tested. • STING rs1131769 was significantly associated with OS in patients receiving cetuximab-based first-line treatment.IFNB1 rs1051922 was significantly associated with PFS in patients receiving cetuximab-based first-line treatment. • Associations between tested SNPs and bevacizumab efficacy were not significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of new technologies, smart shipping makes possible one system that connects ports and ships to help stakeholders make decisions with greater efficiency, minimized costs and smaller ecological footprints. However, smart shipping is at the preliminary stage, and the related literature on smart shipping systems or domains is still lacking. To understand and develop smart shipping, our study intends to establish an index system based on the literature review and the Delphi method. Consequently, the system, which includes four first-level indexes, 17 second-level indexes, and 61 third-level indexes, is established. As the main domains, smart waterways, smart ports, smart ships, and maritime intelligence compose the smart shipping system. Among these four domains, the coordinated opinion of experts proposes that smart ports are very important for achieving smart shipping. Furthermore, based on the means of each index, indexes with higher scores can help stakeholders who want to participate in smart shipping make decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HRA (Human Reliability Analysis) can be seen as a symmetric problem, as it is mainly reflected in two aspects of failure and success. Human error is the most common accident in industrial systems; furthermore, an astronaut is in a very complex environment, and coupled with weightlessness, it is easy to cause human error. For this reason, this paper took the human-computer interface in a spacecraft cabin as the background, and based on the literature, questionnaire inquiry, and the division of three cognitive processes during the interaction between the astronaut and human, a computer interface was determined. This paper proposed a human reliability influencing factors system of different cognitive phases for the human-computer interface in a spacecraft cabin, a task analysis tree with a symmetry of success and failure, an HRA model with symmetry of failure and success based on cognitive stages, and Game Theory and Fuzzy Center of Gravity Method, and obtained influencing factors weights of three cognitive stages. By simulating an experiment, the trend of error probability curves shows the rationality of the human reliability method. Finally, an example was illustrated, and the analysis process of the example demonstrates that an HRA model with symmetry provides a feasible analysis process and method for the cognitive reliability of the spacecraft cabin human-computer interface interaction. The research achievements in this paper can provide theoretical guidance to improve human error root reason analysis, an analysis basis of how to improve influencing factors level, and provide a HRA method based on cognitive stages for the human-computer interaction process in a spacecraft cabin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guest‐induced host–guest assembly in metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) has become a critical strategy to achieve circularly polarized luminescence (CPL). Herein, chiral metal–organic clusters (MOCs) induced CPL of achiral MOF are reported. Enantiopure titanium‐oxo clusters (R/S‐TOCs) are effectively loaded into the pores of a fluorescent, highly stable MOF NU‐901 thin film by using a liquid‐phase epitaxial layer‐by‐layer encapsulation method. The resulting chiral TOCs@NU‐901 MOF thin films exhibit strong chirality, intense photoluminescence, and excellent CPL performance with the highest dissymmetry factor (±0.025) reported so far for the downshifted MOF‐based materials. Further, the comparison experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrate that the excellent performance benefited from the strong chirality and charge transfer caused by the significant π–π interactions between the host (MOF) and guest (R/S‐TOCs). This novel chiral MOCs induced approach provides a powerful toolbox for new host–guest CPL thin film materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Port State Control inspects foreign ships in national ports to verify that ships' conditions and equipment obey international regulations and that the ships are crewed and operated in accordance with these regulations. Port State Control has proven useful in ensuring a "safer ship and cleaner ocean." To support the effectiveness and efficiency of inspections, targeted ships should only be considered if they are at a high risk for accidents. The key factors for ship selection have been included in inspection regimes, but their combined effect on causing ship detention is unclear. Meanwhile, certain factors are characterized by data uncertainty that may influence inspection results and even the time window of an inspection. Furthermore, although tens of thousands of inspection data items are produced yearly, the probability of ship detention is around 3%. Therefore, a new uncertain random forest algorithm has been developed to address factor uncertainty and data imbalances. This algorithm generates rules for the relationships between the multi-factors and ship detention with high accuracy and robustness performance. Based on uncertain random forest models, the following three results are presented. First, the optimal data balancing strategy is a detention ratio of 30% rather than 50%, which could better balance inspection accuracy and efficiency. Second, data uncertainty influences the prediction probability of ship detention; as the uncertainty interval range increases, the prediction probability decreases. Third, the uncertain random forest algorithm generates Port State Control's association rules. Thus, this algorithm can help port authorities identify substandard vessels more efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cynaroside promoted healthspan and lifespan in C. elegans. • Cynaroside extended healthspan via insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway in C. elegans. • Cynaroside activated the Forkhead box O (FOXO) transcription factor DAF-16 in C. elegans. • Cynaroside improved neurodegeneration diseases through insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway. The evolutionarily conserved insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway plays a central role in aging and aging related diseases such as neurodegeneration diseases. Inhibition of insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway has been proposed as an effective way to extend lifespan and delay neurodegeneration diseases in different organisms. Cynaroside (Cyn), a flavonoid contained in many medical plants and in vegetables, had been shown to exhibit pharmacological properties such as anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and anti-oxidant effects. The study demonstrated that lifespan extension and neurodegeneration diseases improving could be achieved by targeting evolutionarily conserved insulin/IGF-1 pathway through using pharmacological interventions. Via using this approach in tractable model Caenorhabditis elegans , we found that 10 μM Cynaroside significantly promoted the healthy lifespan in wild-type animals. Furthermore, via genetic screen, we showed that Cynaroside acted on IGF-1-R /DAF-2, which was followed by the activation of transcription factor DAF-16/FOXO to extend the healthy lifespan. Intriguingly, Cynaroside also improved neurodegeneration diseases such as Alzheimer's and polyglutamine disease by suppressing insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway. Our work suggests that Cynaroside may be a promising candidate for the prevention and treatment of aging and neurodegeneration diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exploration of active ingredients and new activities of industrial crops could expand their scope of applications. Liriodendron chinense (L. chinense), an important ornamental and economic forest tree in China, has been widely used in timber, medicine and landscape. Flavonoids are major constituents of L. chinense leaves, while their effects of preventing brain damage are still unclear. In this study, flavonoids from L. chinense leaves (LCLF) were obtained through AB-8 resin chromatography and UPLC-MS/MS assay indicated that 16 compounds were identified from LCLF. LCLF treatment showed significant scavenging activities against DPPH•, ABTS•+, •OH, FRAP and total reducing power. D-galactose-impaired exploratory behaviors, cognitive functions and histopathological alterations in hippocampus of mice were obviously recovered by LCLF administration. Network pharmacology results demonstrated that LCLF could produce the healing efficacy through multiple pathways, mostly related to oxidative stress and inflammation. Further i n vivo experiments revealed that LCLF treatment could regulated MDA content, SOD, CAT and GSH-Px activity, as well as the production of inflammatory factors (NO, IL-1β and IL-6). The underlying mechanisms of LCLF were probably related to Nrf2/HO-1, NF-κB and AMPK/SIRT1 pathways. Molecular docking results and surface plasmon resonance analysis validated that especially hesperidin in LCLF had strong binding activities with all 8 genes in the mentioned pathways. Our study revealed the beneficial effects of LCLF on oxidative activity and D-galactose-induced brain injury, offering experimental support for its potential application in pharmaceutical and other industries. [Display omitted] • LCLF was a flavonoid-rich fraction from L. chinense leaves. • LCLF showed significant scavenging capacities against different radicals. • LCLF prevented D-galactose-induced brain injuries via AMPK/SIRT1-mediated Nrf2/HO-1 and NF-κB pathways. • Hesperidin in LCLF had strong binding activities with 8 genes in the mentioned pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underground coal gasification (UCG) is a process that produces combustible gas by the in-situ gasification of coal seams. For a steady and efficient gasification project, the ignition of coal seam is a prerequisite. The heating method and reacting process of coal seam play an essential role to the ignition. A coal seam ignition model coupled with heptane combustion was created to simulate the deep UCG ignition stage employing the chemical ignition method. A 1700 K heptane jet flame and a U-shaped pyrolysis gas flame formed the heat source. The flame temperature of pyrolysis gas was around 1300 K. The effective heating length of the flame increased with the heating time, which reached 600 mm at 400 s. The coal seam reaction process was divided into four stages: (1) heptane flame stabilization, (2) coal seam heating, (3) pyrolysis gas release, and (4) pyrolysis gas flame stabilization. It was the third stage when the coal seam ignited. The coal seam would ignite faster with a lower excess air coefficient, and the ignition time ranged from 225 to 275 s when the excess air coefficient was 1.39. The outlet carbon dioxide concentration increased by about 5 %–17 % when the coal seam ignited. • A coal seam ignition model coupled with heptane combustion was created. • The ignition process of a deep Underground coal gasification was simulated. • Coal seam reaction characteristics in four stages were explored. • The increase in outlet CO 2 can be used as an indication of coal seam ignition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Pt, Ru, or Rh single-atom transforms the CO 2 physisorption to chemisorption on MgO (1 0 0). • The Ru@MgO surface has the maximum CO 2 adsorption energy of −1.46 eV. • The Ru@MgO surface activates the inactive O = C = O bond of CO 2. • CO 2 electro-catalyzed to CH 4 on Ru@MgO exhibits high activity and selectivity. CO 2 capture and electrochemical CO 2 conversion are both extremely energy-intensive processes, and synergistic coupling between the two processes can increase the ecological sustainability of the system and decrease the cost of the generated products. Here, we investigated the enhancement of CO 2 capture performance on MgO (1 0 0) surface by thirteen types of metal single-atom engineering using density functional theory (DFT) method. The doping of Pt, Ru, or Rh single atom transforms the adsorption of CO 2 on the surface of MgO (1 0 0) from physical to chemical processes. The MgO surface doped with Ru single atom has the maximum CO 2 adsorption energy of −1.46 eV. Notably, this chemical interaction with the surface activates inactive O = C = O bond of CO 2 significantly, which is advantageous for the generation of the intermediate *COOH during the electrochemical conversion process. Reaction pathway analysis shows that Ru@MgO surface exhibits high activity and selectivity for the electrochemical conversion of CO 2 to CH 4. DFT results show that Ru@MgO can be used to separate CO 2 from flue gas and electro-catalyze CO 2 into CH 4 in-situ efficiently, paving the way for the development of a novel CO 2 separation technology with low energy consumption and high efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rational design of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts with indestructible active sites for high-performance Zn-air batteries (ZABs) remains a significant challenge. Herein, we achieve an innovative active site design by encaging Co nanoparticles within the Co−N 4 atomic sites-dispersed graphite nanopocket (Co SAs-NPs /NC), leading to outstanding alkaline ORR activity and stability, and consequently ultra-high power density of 193.8 mW cm–2 and specific capacity of 819.1 mAh g Zn –1 at 10 mA cm–2 of a primary ZAB assembled, along with impressive power density of 73.4 mW cm–2 and charging/discharging stability up to 110 cycles of a flexible solid-state ZAB. Theoretical calculations unveil the enhanced ORR kinetics can be traced to the significantly optimized local electronic structure of Co−N 4 sites with upshifted d-band center and reduced energy barrier of rate-limiting step by the encaged Co nanoparticle. This study showcases a creative conformational design for guiding the construction of valid synergy in hybridized metal/single-atom catalysts. [Display omitted] ● A MOF-based ligand exchange strategy is designed for the synthesis of Co SAs-NPs /NC. ● Co NP encaged in atomic Co-dispersed graphite nanopocket is found in Co SAs-NPs /NC. ● Co SAs-NPs /NC owns alkaline electrocatalytic ORR performance exceeding that of Pt/C. ● High-performing liquid and solid-state flexibile Zn-air batteries are both gained. ● DFT results verify the strong electronic synergy between Co-NPs and Co-SAs for ORR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current concrete surface crack detection methods cannot simultaneously achieve high detection accuracy and efficiency. Thus, this study focuses on the recognition and classification of crack images and proposes a concrete crack detection method that integrates the Inception module and a quantum convolutional neural network. First, the features of concrete cracks are highlighted by image gray processing, morphological operations, and threshold segmentation, and then the image is quantum coded by angle coding to transform the classical image information into quantum image information. Then, quantum circuits are used to implement classical image convolution operations to improve the convergence speed of the model and enhance the image representation. Second, two image input paths are designed: one with a quantum convolutional layer and the other with a classical convolutional layer. Finally, comparative experiments are conducted using different parameters to determine the optimal concrete crack classification parameter values for concrete crack image classification. Experimental results show that the method is suitable for crack classification in different scenarios, and training speed is greatly improved compared with that of existing deep learning models. The two evaluation metrics, accuracy and recall, are considerably enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuroinflammation is being increasingly recognized as a vital factor in the development of various neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases. Lipopolysaccharides (LPS), an outer membrane component of gram-negative bacteria, can trigger innate immune responses, resulting in neuroinflammation and subsequent cognitive deficits. The expression of glutamate receptors (GluRs) on glial cells can induce glial activation. Therefore, we hypothesized that repeated LPS exposure can increase GluR levels, promoting microglial activation and ultimately affecting synaptic plasticity and cognitive function. In this study, C57/BL6 mice were repeatedly exposed to LPS to construct a neuroinflammation animal model. The levels of GluRs, inflammatory cytokines, ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1, postsynaptic density protein 95, synaptophysin 38, NMDA receptor 2 A, and NMDA receptor 2B (GluN2B) were measured in the hippocampi. Furthermore, dendritic spine density in the CA1 hippocampal region was determined. Repeated LPS exposure induced cognitive impairments and microglial activation and increased GluR1 and GluR2 levels. This was accompanied by a significant decrease in GluN2B expression and dendritic spine density in the hippocampi. However, CFM-2, an α-amino-3- hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate receptor antagonist, reversed these anomalies. Furthermore, minocycline, a microglial inhibitor, reversed these anomalies and downregulated GluR2 but not GluR1 expression. In summary, we demonstrated that GluR2 plays an essential role in microglia-induced neuroinflammation, resulting in synaptic plasticity and cognitive impairment induced by repeated exposure to LPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A spillover crisis arises when an external organization's events create worry, ambiguity, or unfavorable perceptions for another organization. The study shows that organizational response strategies for spillover crises are influenced by an anchoring effect, where competitors' level of accommodation in their crisis response serves as an anchor point. The difference between accommodative and advocative crisis responses becomes more pronounced when the anchor response has a lower level of accommodation. Additionally, stakeholders' confidence in an organization's ability to manage crises can predict its reputation during spillover crises. If an organization chooses to respond with advocacy, it may experience a decline in reputation compared to adopting a competitor's accommodative anchor response due to decreased stakeholder confidence. Conversely, using an accommodative response can result in a higher organizational reputation than following a competitor's advocative anchor response since it boosts stakeholder confidence. The study highlights the importance of considering situational factors such as competitor responses in the contingency theory of accommodation. Additionally, this study provides evidence that a continuum of public response confidence could be another valuable tool for understanding how crises impact reputation. • Competitors' level of accommodation in their crisis response serves as an anchor point in crisis communication. • Opting for advocative response over competitor's accommodative approach can damage organization's reputation by reducing stakeholder confidence. • Opting for accommodative response over competitor's advocacy approach boost organizational reputation by increasing stakeholder confidence. • The study highlights the importance of considering situational factors such as competitor responses in the contingency theory of accommodation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we are committed to the study of generalized difference gap (D-gap) functions and error bounds for hemivariational inequalities in Hilbert spaces. By introducing a new gap function, we define a generalized D-gap function for the hemivariational inequality considered, for which we investigate the local Lipschitz continuity and coercivity. Then, some error bound results for the generalized D-gap function are established and the relationship between the solution to the hemivariational inequality and the stationary point of the generalized D-gap function is discussed. Finally, we construct a descent algorithm for solving the hemivariational inequality based on the generalized D-gap function and further prove a convergence result for the algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The steel–concrete (SC) composite beams used in bridge engineering are experimentally tested under contact explosion. • The effects of shear connectors on the failure mode, acceleration response, and energy absorption mechanisms of concrete slab and steel beam are investigated. • Stress wave propagation within the cross-section and stress changes in the typical locations are investigated. The steel–concrete composite beam, consisting of a concrete slab, a steel beam, and shear connectors, is extensively utilized in bridge engineering due to its effective utilization of material properties and convenient construction. Considering the significant impact of explosive incidents on bridge safety, and the limited experimental research on blast performance of composite beams, this study tested three small-scale SC composite beams arranged with commonly used shear connectors, including studs, PBL ribs, and combination connectors, under contact explosion with 200 g of TNT. Finite element (FE) models, validated by the experimental data, were established to conduct damage analysis to understand the damage mode and characteristics of SC composite beams. The results showed that the SC composite beams exhibit a localized damage pattern concentrated in the mid-span of the beams under contact explosions. The concrete spalling on the bottom surfaces could be divided into two parts by the top flange of the steel beam. The concrete slab, which absorbs more than 94 % of the total internal energy of the SC composite beams, plays the most important role in reducing the damage to the beams under contact explosion. In some aspects, the type of shear connectors influences the crack pattern, concrete spalling degree, the deformation of the steel beam, and the difference in acceleration response between the concrete slab and steel beam, but on the whole, it has a limited effect on the damage mode and degree of SC composite beams subjected to contact explosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fentanyl, a critical component of opioid analgesics, poses a severe threat to public health, exacerbating the drug problem due to its potential fatality. Herein, we present two novel haptens designed with different attachment sites conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH), aiming to develop an efficacious vaccine against fentanyl. KLH- Fent-1 demonstrated superior performance over KLH- Fent-2 in antibody titer, blood-brain distribution, and antinociceptive tests. Consequently, we immunized mice with KLH- Fent-1 to generate fentanyl-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) using the hybridoma technique to compensate for the defects of active immunization in the treatment of opioid overdose and addiction. The mAb produced by hybridoma 9D5 exhibited the ability to recognize fentanyl and its analogs with a binding affinity of 10−10 M. Subsequently, we developed a human IgG1 chimeric mAb to improve the degree of humanization. Pre-treatment with murine and chimeric mAb significantly reduced the analgesic effect of fentanyl and altered its blood-brain biodistribution in vivo. Furthermore, in a mouse model of fentanyl-induced respiratory depression, the chimeric mAb effectively reversed respiratory depression promptly and maintained a certain level during the week. The development of high-affinity chimeric mAb gives support to combat the challenges of fentanyl misuse and its detrimental consequences. In conclusion, mAb passive immunization represents a viable strategy for addressing fentanyl addiction and overdose. [Display omitted] • Two novel haptens were synthesized to prepare fentanyl vaccines that mitigate fentanyl efficacy. • A new sequence of fentanyl-specific mAb with high affinity was reported. • A chimeric mAb was prepared to counteract the pharmacological activities of fentanyl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Timely monitoring of inland water quality using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote sensing is critical for water environmental conservation and management. In this study, two UAV flights were conducted (one in February and the other in December 2021) to acquire images of the Zhanghe River (China), and a total of 45 water samples were collected concurrently with the image acquisition. Machine learning (ML) methods comprising Multiple Linear Regression, the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator, a Backpropagation Neural Network (BP), Random Forest (RF), and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) were applied to retrieve four water quality parameters: chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphors (TP), and permanganate index (CODMn). Then, ML models based on the stacking approach were developed. Results show that stacked ML models could achieve higher accuracy than a single ML model; the optimal methods for Chl-a, TN, TP, and CODMn were RF-XGB, BP-RF, RF, and BP-RF, respectively. For the testing dataset, the R2 values of the best inversion models for Chl-a, TN, TP, and CODMn were 0.504, 0.839, 0.432, and 0.272, the root mean square errors were 1.770 μg L−1, 0.189 mg L−1, 0.053 mg L−1, and 0.767 mg L−1, and the mean absolute errors were 1.272 μg L−1, 0.632 mg L−1, 0.045 mg L−1, and 0.674 mg L−1, respectively. This study demonstrated the great potential of combined UAV remote sensing and stacked ML algorithms for water quality monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Pancreatic surgery is a complex operation that has been associated with severe intraoperative and postoperative complications, especially in patients with previous abdominal surgery (PAS). Our study aimed to assess the impact of PAS on pancreatic surgery. Methods: A total of 1430 patients who underwent pancreatic surgery were included in this retrospective study and classified into the following 3 groups: previous upper abdominal surgery (PUAS) (n = 135); previous lower abdominal surgery (PLAS) (n = 161), and no history of abdominal surgery (non-PAS) (n = 1134). Using propensity score matching (PSM), patients were matched to one another at a 1:1:1 ratio with balanced baseline characteristics. Intraoperative factors, surgical complications, hospital costs, and postoperative hospitalization were collected and compared. Results: A longer operative duration was observed in the PUAS group compared to the non-PAS group (187.54 vs. 150.50 min, p = 0.016). The intraoperative blood loss in the PUAS group was significantly higher (193.68 vs. 150.51 and 156.81 mL, p < 0.05), while the intraoperative plasma transfusion volume was higher in PLAS patients than in non-PAS patients (183.8 vs. 102.7 mL, p = 0.008). Intra-abdominal adhesions in PUAS patients were most severe, and non-PAS patients exhibited significantly lower intra-abdominal adhesion grading (p < 0.001). No significant differences were observed in postoperative complications, postoperative histopathology, postoperative hospitalization, or hospital cost. Conclusion: PAS has no significant influences on surgical outcomes, and pancreatic surgery is relatively safe in this patient population. A patient history of PAS may prolong operation duration and increase intraoperative blood loss but has no impact on postoperative complications and does not increase the economic burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reactive astrocytes undergo morphological, molecular, metabolic, and functional remodeling in response to central nervous system (CNS) damage. However, we still know very little about how the metabolic switching of astrocytes influences, or is influenced by, reactive astrocytes in response to neurological diseases. In this review, we initially cover a brief introduction into reactive astrocyte function under pathological conditions. Subsequently, we summarize the emerging roles of glucose and lipid metabolism in reactive astrocytes in the context of CNS injury to provide a new insight into metabolic mechanisms of reactive astrocyte-mediated neuroprotection or damage. Finally, we propose that deciphering the mechanistic link between astrocyte heterogeneity metabolism and improved methods is an emerging frontier for the therapeutic investigation of CNS injury and disease. The morphological and functional diversity of astrocytes, named astrocyte heterogeneity, depends largely on their location, microenvironment, developmental stage, and stimuli. Increasing evidence suggests that simple binary divisions of reactive astrocytes into good versus bad or neurotoxic versus neuroprotective cannot represent the heterogeneity of reactive astrocytes. Knowledge of metabolic alteration (e.g., glucose and lipid metabolism) in influencing the phenotype of reactive astrocytes in neurological diseases provides novel insights into the potential causal relationships between metabolic changes and astrocyte heterogeneity. A deep deciphering of the initiating metabolic mechanisms that determine the heterogeneity of reactive astrocytes may provide therapeutic targets for related neurological disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Big data will cause the system for business public opinion to be overburdened, and dynamic changes in computing resources will cause tasks to be delayed. To end the situation, this study assigns non-fixed execution time to each task node based on the task soft deadline and task constraints and solves the problem of difficult task scheduling caused by task dependency constraints. Aiming at the problem of task delay caused by dynamic changes of computing resources, this paper proposes an adaptive offloading and scheduling algorithm for dependent tasks in the mobile edge computing environment. This study takes the economic efficiency analysis system as an example and uses the resource allocation management algorithm based on linked lists and edge servers to study the communication resource allocation management of the economic efficiency analysis system. In addition, this study designs experiments to perform performance analysis of the algorithm proposed by this study. The research results show that the proposed algorithm has an obvious effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A ratiometric fluorescence fiber-optical sensor system (RFFS) merging a Y-type optical fiber spectrometer and CdTe QDs composite functionalized with glutathione and mercaptopropionic acid (GMPA@CdTe-QDs) for highly selective and on-site detection of ciprofloxacin (CIP) in environmental water samples was designed. Our preliminary results suggested that the red fluorescence of the synthesized GMPA@CdTe-QDs was effectively quenched by CIP. Based on this, the RFFS/GMPA@CdTe-QDs system was successfully fabricated and used for highly selective and rapid detection of CIP on site in the concentration range from 0 to 45 μM with the detection limit of 0.90 μM. The established method exhibited good interference resistance to the analogues of CIP and provided a great potential platform for real-time detection of CIP residues in environmental water. In addition, the fluorescence quenching mechanism of GMPA@CdTe-QDs by CIP was also investigated by means of temperature effect, fluorescence lifetime, ultraviolet (UV) visible absorption, and fluorescent spectra. Our results suggested clearly that the red fluorescence of GMPA@CdTe-QDs was quenched by CIP via the photoinduced electron-transfer (PET) mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer with HER2 overexpression is highly invasive, with a poor prognosis. With the development of new targeted agents, which agents have ideal therapeutic effects must be determined. This network meta-analysis analyzed the effectiveness and tolerability of targeted agents combined with chemotherapy in HER2-positive GC/GEJ cancer. Methods: Public databases were searched from the date of inception to October 22, 2020. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on targeted agent-related regimens for HER2-positive advanced GC or GEJ cancer were included. Subgroup analyses based on publication language, first-line treatment, second/third-line treatment, and HER2 staining intensity were performed. Results: In total, 13 articles were included. The trastuzumabderuxtecan (TraD) and pertuzumab plus trastuzumab and chemotherapy (PerTraChemo) regimens were considered to have high effectiveness but low tolerability. In the subgroup analysis, PerTraChemo still had high effectiveness with low tolerability as the first-line therapy. As the second- or third-line therapy, TraD and lapatinib plus chemotherapy (LapChemo) had high effectiveness and moderate tolerability. In terms of overall survival (OS) time, PerTraChemo had a relative advantage in the immunohistochemistry (IHC) 2+/in situ hybridization (ISH)+ population, whereas TraD, PerTraChemo, and trastuzumab plus chemotherapy (TraChemo) had a relative advantage in the IHC3+ population. Conclusion: TraD had relative advantages as the second- or third-line therapy and in the IHC3 + population. PerTraChemo is a potential first-line therapy, but it requires further confirmation because the JACOB phase III clinical trial failed to confirm the superiority of PerTraChemo over TraChemo with regard to OS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Steatorrhea, a sign of severe pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI), is related to consequences caused by pancreatitis. This study aimed to identify predictors and to construct a nomogram for steatorrhea in idiopathic chronic pancreatitis (ICP). Methods: ICP patients admitted to our hospital from January 2000 to December 2013 were enrolled in this retrospective–prospective cohort study and randomly assigned to the training and validation cohorts. The cumulative rate of steatorrhea was calculated. A Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to identify predictors for steatorrhea and construct the nomogram. Internal and external validation of the nomogram was then performed. Results: There were 1633 ICP patients enrolled, with a median follow‐up duration of 9.8 years and 20.8% (339/1633) of patients developed steatorrhea following onset of ICP. Steatorrhea was observed in 93, 115, and 133 patients at 1, 3, and 5 years following diagnosis of CP, with a cumulative rate of 6.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 5.1%–7.9%), 8.0% (95% CI 6.2%–9.8%), and 9.3% (95% CI 6.6%–12.0%), respectively. Male sex (hazard ratio [HR] 2.479, P < 0.001), diabetes mellitus at/before diagnosis of ICP (HR 2.274, P = 0.003), and aged less than 18 years at onset of ICP (HR 0.095, P < 0.001) were identified risk factors for steatorrhea. Initial manifestations were associated with development of steatorrhea. The nomogram was proven to have good concordance indexes. Conclusions: We identified predictors and developed a nomogram for predicting steatorrhea in ICP. It was recommended that high‐risk populations be followed up closely, which might contribute to the early diagnosis and treatment of PEI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Postoperative delirium (POD) is a common postoperative complication that is relevant to poor outcomes. Therefore, it is critical to find effective methods to identify patients with high risk of POD rapidly. Creating a fully automated score based on an automated machine‐learning algorithm may be a method to predict the incidence of POD quickly. Materials and methods: This is the secondary analysis of an observational study, including 531 surgical patients who underwent general anesthesia. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) was used to screen essential features associated with POD. Finally, eight features (age, intraoperative blood loss, anesthesia duration, extubation time, intensive care unit [ICU] admission, mini‐mental state examination score [MMSE], Charlson comorbidity index [CCI], postoperative neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio [NLR]) were used to established models. Four models, logistic regression, random forest, extreme gradient boosted trees, and support vector machines, were built in a training set (70% of participants) and evaluated in the remaining testing sample (30% of participants). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to explore independent risk factors for POD further. Results: Model 1 (logistic regression model) was found to outperform other classifier models in testing data (area under the curve [AUC] of 80.44%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 72.24%–88.64%) and achieve the lowest Brier Score as well. These variables including age (OR = 1.054, 95%CI: 1.017~1.093), extubation time (OR = 1.027, 95%CI: 1.012~1.044), ICU admission (OR = 2.238, 95%CI: 1.313~3.793), MMSE (OR = 0.929, 95%CI: 0.876~0.984), CCI (OR = 1.197, 95%CI: 1.038~1.384), and postoperative NLR (OR = 1.029, 95%CI: 1.002~1.057) were independent risk factors for POD in this study. Conclusions: We have built and validated a high‐performing algorithm to demonstrate the extent to which patient risk changes of POD during the perioperative period, thus leading to a rational therapeutic choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Astronauts' cognitive and operational processes are partly or absolutely influenced by the thinking and operation habits derived from a previous task or some tasks, which results in disturbance to human error—the disturbance may promote human error or inhibit human error. To explore the mechanism and measurement model of path dependence in human error, this study develops a method for judging the mode of the path dependence symmetric effect, and a mathematical symmetric model for quantifying the degree of the path dependence effect on human error is created. Taking the robotic manipulator teleoperation task as a study object, this study establishes a set of factors that influence the symmetric effect of path dependence, including facilitating or inhibiting human error, and identifies the relationships between these influencing factors. Based on questionnaire analysis, a fuzzy evaluation method for measuring the symmetric degree of the facilitating/inhibiting effect is obtained, by analyzing the simulation data, and the fuzzy method has good convergence, sensitivity and differentiation capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Core-shell ZrC/Ti 2 AlC reinforced intermetallic composite coatings were successfully prepared by laser cladding in-situ reaction using TiAl–TiC–Al powder preset on R60702 zirconium alloy surface. As-obtained coatings showed good metallurgical bonding with substrates. Composite coatings mainly contained dendritic ZrC/Ti 2 AlC reinforced phase with core-shell structure and intermetallic matrix of Ti x Al y and Zr x Al y , with small amounts of Ti 3 AlC. During laser pool solidification, TiC nucleated at boundary of primary precipitated ZrC dendrite. Al atoms then diffused into TiC outer layer during subsequent solidification process to finally form core-shell structure with ZrC as core and Ti 2 AlC as outer layer. Ti 2 AlC phase of shell structure improved physical performance between hard ZrC particles and matrix in terms of hardness and thermal expansion coefficient. The maximum hardness of cladding layer (848.8 HV) was 5-fold higher than that of zirconium alloy substrate. Also, no cracking was found inside the coatings or at the junction with substrates. In sum, these findings look promising for future applications of MAX phase composite coatings in nuclear power equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metformin, a widely prescribed first‐line drug for the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus, has been shown to extend lifespan and delay the onset of age‐related diseases. The precisely mechanisms by which these effects are realized remain elusive. We find that metformin exposure is restricted to adults, which is sufficient to extend lifespan. However, limiting metformin exposure to the larvae has no significant effect on Caenorhabditis elegans longevity. Here, we show that after metformin treatment, the level of S‐adenosylmethionine (SAM) is reduced in adults but not in the larvae. Potential mechanisms by which reduced SAM might increase lifespan include altering the histone methylation. However, the molecular connections between metformin, SAM limitation, methyltransferases, and healthspan‐associated phenotypes are unclear. Through genetic screening of C. elegans, we find that metformin promotes the healthspan through an H3K4 methyltransferase/demethylase complex to downregulate the targets, including mTOR and S6 kinase. Thus, our studies provide molecular links between meformin, SAM limitation, histone methylation, and healthspan and elucidate the mode action of metformin‐regulated healthspan extension will boost its therapeutic application in the treatment of human aging and age‐related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multiagent path finding (MAPF) problem identifies the scheduling of multiple agents simultaneously, such that all of them can reach their targets efficiently. To date, MAPF systems have been assigned important tasks such as traffics and warehouses. It is essential to conduct testing for MAPF systems to detect potential failures. Namely, in an MAPF system, a test case is a specific MAPF scenario, including the initial locations of the agents and the environment for these agents to play in. By testing, we intend to find the scenarios (i.e., test cases) whose executions reveal failures. Testing MAPF systems is challenging due to the complexity of its input and the interactions among multiple agents. This article proposes the testing approach based on the adaptive random testing (ART) for MAPF systems. ART aims to generate new test cases far from the already executed ones. Particularly, to calculate the distance between each pair of test cases, we introduce two metrics, the initial density distribution and the destination density distribution, to characterize the distribution of the agents’ initial and destination nodes, respectively. Benefit from ART, the diversity of the information generated during testing can be improved. Experimental results show that compared with the random testing, our approach can detect more diverse failure-revealing scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low electrocatalytic activity of pristine graphite felt (GF) electrodes toward V(II)/V(III) and V(IV)/V(V) redox couples is a major concern in vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs). For overcoming this challenge, herein a novel composite electrode is proposed comprising of two components: multidimensional frame carbon (MFC) derived from edge‐rich carbon and GF that serves as the frame for the in situ growth of MFC. The high electrocatalytic activity, rapid charge migration, and reduced local current emanating from the 0D, 2D, and 3D coexistent structures of the MFC material, respectively, enhance the performance of the GF. Consequently, the battery assembled using the MFC GF electrode achieves a maximum current density of 500 mA cm−2, along with high stability and preeminent energy efficiency at a current density of 200 mA cm−2 for over 400 cycles. For the first time via density functional theory analysis on VRFBs, this study reveals that the edge‐rich carbon atoms possess higher electrocatalytic activity in both positive and negative electrolytes than the plane carbon atoms and heteroatoms. Therefore, this study is of immense significance in guiding and promoting the application of edge‐rich carbon in the battery‐based energy storage industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel pyrene-pyridyl conjugated oligomer (OPP-OMe) was conveniently prepared by one-pot Sonogashira coupling. Intriguingly, it was found that introducing only one methoxy moiety at the 4-pyridyl position can be sufficient for creating an oligomer-based ultrafine reactive fluorescent nanoprobe, i.e., OPP-OMe NPs (ca. 2.5 nm in diameter). Spectral analyses and elucidation of the intermediate structure revealed that the methoxy triggered-oxidation, together with nanoaggregation of OPP-OMe NPs, results in rapid, specific and supersensitive sensing of hypochlorite (LOD, 0.3 nM, S/N = 3). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) small phosphatase like 2 (CTDSPL2), also known as SCP4 or HSPC129, is a new member of the small CTD phosphatase (SCP) family and its role in cancers remains unclear. Here, we used a Phos-tag technique to screen a series of phosphatases and identified CTDSPL2 as a mitotic regulator. We demonstrated that CTDSPL2 was phosphorylated at T86, S104, and S134 by cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) in mitosis. Depletion of CTDSPL2 led to mitotic defects and prolonged mitosis. Resultantly, CTDSPL2 deletion restrained proliferation, migration, and invasion in pancreatic cancer cells. We further confirmed the dominant negative effects of a phosphorylation-deficient mutant form of CTDSPL2, implying the biological significance of CTDSPL2 mitotic phosphorylation. Moreover, RT2 cell cycle array analysis revealed p21 and p27 as downstream regulators of CTDSPL2, and inhibition of p21 and/or p27 partially rescued the phenotype in CTDSPL2-deficient cell lines. Importantly, both CTDSPL2 depletion and phosphorylation-deficient mutant CTDSPL2 hindered tumor growth in xenograft models. Together, our findings for the first time highlight the novel role of CTDSPL2 in regulating cell mitosis, proliferation and motility in pancreatic cancer and point out the implications of CTDSPL2 in regulating two critical cell cycle participants (p21 and p27), providing an alternative molecular target for pancreatic cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• SAM enhances innate immunity by reducing the bacterial burden in the intestine. • SAM induces the expression of immune response genes, including irg-1 and T24B8.5. • SAM functions in germline to enhance innate immunity via an H3K4 methyltransferase complex to up-regulate the immune response genes. • SAM protects mice from P. aeruginosa PA14 infection by reducing the bacterial burden in lung. S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) was a methyl donor for modifying histones, which had crucial roles in lipid accumulation, tissue injury, and immune responses. SAM fluctuation might be linked to variations in histone methylation. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of whether the SAM diet influenced the immune response via histone modification remained obscure. In this study, we utilized the Caenorhabditis elegans as a model to investigate the role of SAM diet in innate immunity. We found that 50 μM SAM increased resistance to Gram-negative pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14 by reducing the bacterial burden in the intestine. Furthermore, through the genetic screening in C. elegans , we found that SAM functioned in germline to enhance innate immunity via an H3K4 methyltransferase complex to upregulate the immune response genes, including irg-1 and T24B8.5. Intriguingly, SAM also protected mice from P. aeruginosa PA14 infection by reducing the bacterial burden in lung. These findings provided insight into the mechanisms of molecular connections among SAM diet, histone modifications and innate immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]