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Abstract To investigate the characteristics of acute visual dysfunction and fundus lesions in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. A retrospective case series study was conducted. Data from 48 patients (96 eyes) with COVID-19 infection who presented to our ophthalmology department with acute onset visual disturbance between December 5, 2022, and February 28, 2023 were collected. Asymptomatic patients and those who had already recovered were excluded. Data collected included patient demographics, ophthalmic examinations, multicolor imaging (MCI), infrared autofluorescence (IR), spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT), fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA). Of the 48 patients, 15 were male and 33 were female, with a mean age of 32 years. All patients had bilateral involvement. OCT showed hyperreflective signals in the outer plexiform layer and outer nuclear layer of the macular region in all 96 eyes of 48 patients (100%). Additionally, 66 eyes of 33 patients (68.8%) of eyes demonstrated abnormal reflectivity in the ellipsoid and interdigitation zones. MCI revealed petaloid or wedge-shaped hyperreflective areas in the macula in 46 (47.9%) of eyes, corresponding to hyporeflective areas on IR. Cotton-wool spots were observed in the peripapillary or posterior pole area in 54 (56.3%) of eyes. COVID-19 infection can lead to acute, bilateral, symmetric, and widespread retinal damage. Characteristic findings can be observed in ophthalmological examinations such as OCT, MCI, and IR.

Abstract The Southeastern Siberia (SES) region has recently experienced increasingly extensive wildfires in spring, which have threatened its large carbon sequestration capacity from vast forests and peatlands. However, the underlying mechanisms propelling the increased fires and their potential responses to future climate change remain unclear. Here, by using reanalysis data and climate model output together with a deep learning model, we explore the relationship between positive-phase North Atlantic Tripole (NAT) sea-surface temperature anomalies and SES wildfire increases and project the future trend in SES wildfire intensities under climate change. We found that the positive-phase April NAT enhances the Siberian anticyclone, causing increased temperatures and snowmelt via strengthened transport of warm-air advection into the SES region. The latter process heightens the exposure of local high-density peatlands to favorable conditions for fire ignition and leads to more intensive wildfire incidents. We further demonstrate that the projected NAT variations can drive interdecadal changes in future April SES wildfires. With future phase shifting of NAT modes under global warming, the regionally averaged burned area in SES could be increased by 47–62% under different warming scenarios from 1982–2014 to 2015–2100. Our findings reveal the climate-driven escalation of future wildfires in SES in the context of global warming and call for active and urgent fire management strategies to mitigate the fire risk.

Abstract Background Climate change induces perturbation in the global water cycle, profoundly impacting water availability for agriculture and therefore global food security. Water stress encompasses both drought (i.e. water scarcity) that causes the drying of soil and subsequent plant desiccation, and flooding, which results in excess soil water and hypoxia for plant roots. Terrestrial plants have evolved diverse mechanisms to cope with soil water stress, with the root system serving as the first line of defense. The responses of roots to water stress can involve both structural and physiological changes, and their plasticity is a vital feature of these adaptations. Genetic methodologies have been extensively employed to identify numerous genetic loci linked to water stress-responsive root traits. This knowledge is immensely important for developing crops with optimal root systems that enhance yield and guarantee food security under water stress conditions. Results This review focused on the latest insights into modifications in the root system architecture and anatomical features of legume roots in response to drought and flooding stresses. Special attention was given to recent breakthroughs in understanding the genetic underpinnings of legume root development under water stress. The review also described various root phenotyping techniques and examples of their applications in different legume species. Finally, the prevailing challenges and prospective research avenues in this dynamic field as well as the potential for using root system architecture as a breeding target are discussed. Conclusions This review integrated the latest knowledge of the genetic components governing the adaptability of legume roots to water stress, providing a reference for using root traits as the new crop breeding targets.

Abstract Despite medical interventions, the regenerative capacity of the peripheral nervous system is limited. Dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons possess the capacity to detect mechanical signals from their microenvironment, but the impact and mechanism by which these signals regulate axon regrowth and even regeneration in DRG neurons remain unclear. In this study, DRG neurons from newborn rats are cultured on substrates with varying degrees of stiffness in vitro to investigate the role of mechanical signals in axon regrowth. The findings reveal that substrate stiffness plays a crucial role in regulating axon regrowth, with an optimal stiffness required for this process. In addition, the data demonstrate that Piezo1, a mechanosensitive cation channel, detects substrate stiffness at the growth cone and regulates axon regrowth through activating downstream Ca2+–CaMKII–FAK–actin cascade signaling pathway. Interestingly, knocking down Piezo1 in adult rat DRG neurons leads to enhanced axon regeneration and accelerated recovery of sensory function after sciatic nerve injury. Overall, these findings contribute to the understanding of the role of mechanical signals in axon regeneration and highlight microenvironmental stiffness as a promising therapeutic target for repairing nerve injuries.

Abstract To define the characteristics of fundus manifestations in patients after SARS-CoV-2 infection with multimodal imaging techniques. This is a retrospective multicenter and multimodal imaging study including 90 patients. All patients with a visual complaint occurring immediately after SARS-CoV-2 infection were referred to six clinics between December 2022 and February 2023. Demographic information and the temporal relationship between SARS-CoV-2 infection and visual symptoms were documented. The characteristics of the fundus lesions were evaluated using multimodal imaging. Ninety patients from six hospitals were included in this study, including 24 males (26.67%) and 66 (73.33%) females. Seventy-eight patients (86.66%) (146 eyes) were diagnosed with Acute Macular Neuroretinopathy (AMN). The AMN patients were primarily young women (67.95%). Sixty-eight patients (87.18%) had AMN in both eyes. Thirty-eight eyes (24.36%) included Purtscher or Purtscher-like lesions. optical coherence tomography and infrared retinal photographs can show AMN lesions well. Eleven cases were diagnosed with simple Purtscher or Purtscher-like retinopathy (2 cases, 2.22%), Vogt‒Koyanagi‒Harada (VKH) syndrome or VKH-like uveitis (3 cases, 3.33%), multiple evanescent white-dot syndrome (MEWDS) (2 cases, 2.22%), and rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis (ROCM) (5 cases, 5.56%). After SARS-CoV-2 infection, diversified fundus lesions were evident in patients with visual complaints. In this report, AMN was the dominant manifestation, followed by Purtscher or Purtscher-like retinopathy, MEWDS, VKH-like uveitis, and ROCM.

Abstract Surface visibility (SV), a key indicator of atmospheric transparency, is used widely in the fields of environmental monitoring, transportation, and aviation. However, the sparse distribution and limited number of SV monitoring sites make it difficult to fulfill the urgent need for spatiotemporally seamless fine-scale monitoring. Here, we developed the operational real-time SV retrieval (RT-SVR) framework for China that incorporates information from multiple data sources, including Chinese Land Data Assimilation System meteorological data, in situ observations, and other ancillary data. Seamless hourly SV data with 6.25-km spatial resolution are available in real time via the operational RT-SVR model, which was built using a two-layer stacked ensemble approach that combines multiple machine learning algorithms and a deep learning module. Sample-based cross-validation of the RT-SVR model on approximately 41.3 million data pairs revealed strong robustness and high accuracy, with a Pearson correlation coefficient (R) value of 0.95 and a root mean square error (RMSE) of 3.17 km. An additional hindcast-validation experiment, performed with continuous observations obtained over one year (approximately 20.8 million data pairs), demonstrated the powerful generalization capabilities of the RT-SVR model, albeit with slight degradation in performance (R = 0.85, RMSE = 5.28 km). The seamless hourly SV data with real-time update capability enable tracking of the generation, development, and dissipation of various low-SV events (e.g., fog, haze, and dust storms) in China. The developed framework might also prove useful for quantitative retrieval of aerosol-related parameters (e.g., PM2.5, PM10, and aerosol optical depth).

Abstract The Tibetan Plateau (TP), known as the Asian water tower, has been getting wetter since the 1970s. However, the primary drivers behind this phenomenon are still highly controversial. Here, we isolate the impacts of greenhouse gases (GHG), aerosols, natural forcings and internal climate variability on the decadal change of summer water vapor budget (WVB) over the TP using multi-model ensemble simulations. We show that an anomalous Rossby wave train in the upper troposphere travelling eastward from central Europe and equatorward temperature gradient in eastern China due to the inhomogeneous aerosol forcing in Eurasia jointly contribute to anomalous easterly winds over the eastern TP. Such anomalous easterly winds result in a significant decrease in water vapor export from the eastern boundary of the TP and dominate the enhanced summer WVB over the TP during 1979-2014. Our results highlight that spatial variation of aerosol forcing can be used as an important indicator to project future WVB over the TP.

A two-dimensional (2D) piston electro-hydraulic pump has been proposed further to enhance the power density of the electro-hydraulic pump. The 2D piston pump, characterized by high power density and a slender shape, is embedded within the stator of the motor in a co-rotor configuration where the piston and the motor’s rotor are in tandem. The intimate design of the hydraulic pump and the motor results in a coupling between the two, with intricate relationships and influences existing between the geometric parameters of the piston pump and the dimensions of the motor’s rotor. Based on the operational requirements and structure of the 2D piston pump, a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) designed for use with a 2D piston electro-hydraulic pump is developed. This study examines the impact of the motor’s stator iron core geometric parameters on both the electromagnetic and mechanical properties of a PMSM and completes the necessary performance validations. The optimization objectives of the motor are determined through an analysis of the influence of the key parameters of the rotor and stator on torque, torque ripple, and motor loss. A surrogate optimization model is constructed using a metamodel of optimal prognosis (MOP) to optimize the torque, torque ripple, and motor loss. Evolutionary genetic algorithms are utilized to achieve the multi-objective optimization design. A finite element simulation is used to compare the electromagnetic performance of the initial motor and optimal motor. Based on the optimal motor parameters, a 2.5 kW motor prototype is manufactured, and the experimental results validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the motor design and optimization.

W-band (75–110 GHz) is a potential radio frequency band to provide long-distance wireless links for mobile data transmission. This paper proposes and experimentally demonstrates high-speed wireless transmission at W-band using photonics-aided method, including optical heterodyne, photonics-aided down-conversion without RF oscillator and coherent detection. A comparison between the photonics-aided method and the conventional electronic method employing solid-state electronic devices is conducted for the first time. The photonics-aided method is shown to offer advantages such as lower harmonic components, spur, reduced nonlinearity, and no local oscillator leakage, results in a 2.5 dB better performance of the photonic-aided W-band mm-wave transmitter compared to the electronic one. In the terms of receiver, the photonics-aided method can surpass the electronic method, with the help of larger electro-optical modulator bandwidth and lower drive voltage in the photonic down-conversion stage. Ultimately, using the photonics-aided method, a recorded equivalent transmission distance of 29 km@84 GHz and 45km@75.6GHz is achieved respectively for 1Gbaud QPSK signal.

Exploring very-large-scale motions (VLSMs) in open channel flows (OCFs) is crucial for comprehensively understanding material transport and energy exchange. While previous studies focused on OCFs in ideal flumes with simple boundaries, this paper presents large eddy simulation (LES) results on the existence and scale characteristics of VLSMs in complex river morphologies with the Minjiang River in southwestern China as a case study. This research demonstrates that the OpenFOAM-based LES model is capable of accurately reconstructing the time-averaged flow field and providing instantaneous velocity data that capture VLSMs with sufficient resolution. Spectrum analysis of the streamwise fluctuating velocity shows that VLSMs are present in the straight segment of the river, with streamwise wavelengths approximately (16–22) times the water depth but are absent in the bend and confluence segments due to the suppression by secondary currents. This article validates the effectiveness of LES in examining the characteristics of VLSMs in natural rivers, thereby laying a good foundation for further studies on the impacts of such structures on sediment transport and pollutant dispersion.

Abstract An optimized hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-targeted methylation next generation sequencing assay was developed to discover HCC-associated methylation markers directly from urine for HCC screening. Urine cell-free DNA (ucfDNA) isolated from a discovery cohort of 31 non-HCC and 30 HCC was used for biomarker discovery, identifying 29 genes with differentially methylated regions (DMRs). Methylation-specific qPCR (MSqPCR) assays were developed to verify the selected DMRs corresponding to 8 genes (GRASP, CCND2, HOXA9, BMP4, VIM, EMX1, SFRP1, and ECE). Using archived ucfDNA, methylation of GRASP, HOXA9, BMP4, and ECE1, were found to be significantly different (p

Soybean meal is a high quality plant protein resource. Exploring the possibility of using soybean meal instead of soybean protein isolate as raw material for high water extrusion plant protein meat processing is of great significance for production enterprises to control production cost and improve the economic value of soybean meal. In this study, the soybean meal was used as raw material to systemlly explore the effect of the water-added content (10.5, 11, 11.5, 12 kg/h) on the quality and structural characteristics of high-mositure extruded vegetable protein meat through determining the hardness, elasticity, chewiness, color and luster, water-holding capacity, oil-holding capacity, and chemical-crosslinking force and using Fourier infrared spectrum and scanning electron microscope. The results showed that the hardness, elasticity, and chewability of the vegetable protein meat were significantly decreased with the increasing water-added content during extrusion (P

A selenized polysaccharide (Se-SCP) with selenium content of (7.19±0.067) mg/g was synthesized by imidazole-mediated method using sweet corncob polysaccharide (SCP) as raw material. In order to explore the inhibitory effect of Se-SCP on non-enzymatic glycosylation reaction, fructose and bovine serum albumin (BSA) were selected as substrates to establish albumin/fructose simulation system. Fructosamine→α-dicarbonyl compounds→advanced glycation end products (AGEs), the three characteristic products in the non-enzymatic glycosylation process, were determined and analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The effects of protopolysaccharides and selenium polysaccharides on the non-enzymatic glycosylation process were compared and analyzed in terms of microstructure. The results showed that Se-SCP had different degrees of inhibition on the three stages of protein non-enzymatic glycosylation process, and the inhibition rates of characteristic products in non-enzymatic glycosylation process reached 89.5%, 74.9% and 71.7%, respectively. In terms of inhibiting protein cross-linking structure, compared with the SCP group, the texture of Se-SCP was relatively clear, the structural density was small, and the inhibition effect was obvious. The results of SDS-PAGE showed that Se-SCP reduced the formation of high molecular weight cross-linked protein induced by fructose, and the effect of Se-SCP was better, which was similar to that of positive drug. In summary, Se-SCP has good anti-nonenzymatic glycation activity and has great potential in inhibiting diabetes and its complications.

Abstract Background Currently, there are no reliable clinical tools available to identify persistent asthma symptoms among preschool children with recurrent wheezing. We investigated iron homeostasis in the airways of preschoolers with recurrent wheezing and assessed whether iron homeostasis-related indices may reliably predict persistent wheezing. Methods Iron levels and mRNA expression levels of iron homeostasis molecules were examined in bronchoalveolar lavage samples from 89 preschoolers with recurrent wheezing and 56 controls, with a 12-month follow-up conducted. Risk factors for persistent wheezing were identified using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and multivariate logistic regression. The addition of predictive values of iron indices to the modified Asthma Predictive Index (mAPI) or clinical predictors was determined using area under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC). Results Preschoolers with recurrent wheezing had reduced iron levels in their airways, associated with significantly decreased expression of iron export molecule SLC40A1 and increased expression of iron intake factor TFR1 and iron storage factors FTH and FTL. Risk factors for persistent wheezing included mAPI positivity, iron predictors (lower expression of SLC40A1 and higher expression of FTL), and clinical predictors (aeroallergen sensitivity, shorter breastfeeding duration, and earlier age of first wheezing episode). The addition of information on iron predictors significantly enhanced the power of clinical predictors (AUC: 84%, increase of 12%) and mAPI (AUC: 81%, increase of 14%). Conclusions Iron homeostasis is altered in the airways of preschoolers with recurrent wheezing. Adding information on iron-related indices to clinical information significantly improves accurate prediction of persistent wheezing in preschool-aged children.

Graphite carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has been employed as an emerging metal-free catalyst in heterogeneous catalysis. However, the catalyst has a poor activation property for peroxymonosulfate (PMS). In this study, Bi-Fe oxide co-doped g-C3N4 (Bi@Fe/CN) was synthesized for PMS activation to degrade sulfamethoxazole (SMX). In particular, Bi@Fe/CN-3 presented remarkable catalytic performance with 99.7% removal of SMX within 60 min in the PMS system. Additionally, Bi@Fe/CN-3 presented good stability and recyclability through the cycling experiments. Moreover, it was shown that free radicals (O2•−, •OH, and SO4•−) and non-free radicals (1O2) were the primary active species in the Bi@Fe/CN-3/PMS system. Bi, Fe, and surface lattice oxygen were confirmed to be the main contributors to the active species. This work elucidates the mechanism of activation of PMS by Bi@Fe/CN-3, which is beneficial to promote the application of bimetallic oxide-modified g-C3N4/PMS systems in wastewater treatment.

Summary: The dorsal root ganglion (DRG) is characterized by the dense clustering of primary sensory neuron bodies, with their axons extending to target tissues for sensory perception. The close physical proximity of DRG neurons facilitates the integration and amplification of somatosensation, ensuring normal physiological functioning. However, the mechanism underlying DRG neuron aggregation was unclear. In our study, we culture DRG neurons from newborn rats on substrates with varying stiffness and observe that the aggregation of DRG neurons is influenced by mechanical signals arising from substrate stiffness. Moreover, we identify Piezo1 as the mechanosensor responsible for DRG neurons’ ability to sense different substrate stiffness. We further demonstrate that the Piezo1-calpain-integrin-β1/E-cadherin signaling cascade regulates the aggregation of DRG neurons. These findings deepen our understanding of the mechanisms involved in histogenesis and potential disease development, as mechanical signals arising from substrate stiffness play a crucial role in these processes.

ObjectivesThis research aims to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of pre-pregnancy deafness screening policies.MethodsMarried couples from Shanghai, Beijing, and Suzhou in China were enrolled. We conducted high-throughput, pre-pregnancy genetic screenings for deafness in women and their partners. We compared the cost-effectiveness of deafness genetic screening with the status quo. The two-step screening (wife then partner) and following treatments and interventions were included in the decision tree model. We conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis based on the decrease in deaf newborns, healthy newborn births, and cost-utility analysis of pre-pregnancy deafness genetic screening separately. Cost, utility, and probability data used in the three models were collected from a survey combined with literature and expert consultants. A 5% discount rate and a series of one-way sensitivity analyses along with a Monte Carlo simulation were used to test the reliability of this research.ResultsBetween Jan 1, 2019, and Dec 31, 2021, we recruited 6,200 females and 540 male spouses from community health service centers in Shanghai, Beijing, and Suzhou. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) for reducing deaf newborn births was USD 32,656 per case and USD 1,203,926 per case for increasing one healthy newborn birth. This gap exists because of the overall decrease of newborn births. From the perspective of the whole society, deafness genetic screening is not cost-effective for reducing the overall quality-adjusted life years (QALY) in the population.DiscussionPre-pregnancy genetic testing is effective in decreasing the occurrence of congenital deafness. It is a cost-saving measure when compared with the costs of future medical expenditure and income loss for the affected families. However, such screening and preventive avoidance of pregnancy will decrease the population size and QALY. Only post-screening ART with PGT was shown to increase the birth of healthy newborns. Focusing on key groups such as premature births or consanguineous couples may improve the societal effects of screening.

Abstract Weak absorption contrast in biological tissues has hindered x‐ray computed tomography from accessing biological structures. Recently, grating‐based imaging has emerged as a promising solution to biological low‐contrast imaging, providing complementary and previously unavailable structural information of the specimen. Although it has been successfully applied to work with conventional x‐ray sources, grating‐based imaging is time‐consuming and requires a sophisticated experimental setup. In this work, we demonstrate that a deep convolutional neural network trained with a generative adversarial network can directly convert x‐ray absorption images into differential phase‐contrast and dark‐field images that are comparable to those obtained at both a synchrotron beamline and a laboratory facility. By smearing back all of the virtual projections, high‐quality tomographic images of biological test specimens deliver the differential phase‐contrast‐ and dark‐field‐like contrast and quantitative information, broadening the horizon of x‐ray image contrast generation.

It is well recognized that carbon dioxide and air pollutants share similar emission sources so that synergetic policies on climate change mitigation and air pollution control can lead to remarkable co-benefits on greenhouse gas reduction, air quality improvement, and improved health. In the context of carbon peak, carbon neutrality, and clean air policies, this perspective tracks and analyzes the process of the synergetic governance of air pollution and climate change in China by developing and monitoring 18 indicators. The 18 indicators cover the following five aspects: air pollution and associated weather-climate conditions, progress in structural transition, sources, inks, and mitigation pathway of atmospheric composition, health impacts and benefits of coordinated control, and synergetic governance system and practices. By tracking the progress in each indicator, this perspective presents the major accomplishment of coordinated control, identifies the emerging challenges toward the synergetic governance, and provides policy recommendations for designing a synergetic roadmap of Carbon Neutrality and Clean Air for China.

Despite many efforts to control anthropogenic sources, high ambient ozone (O _3 ) concentrations remain a serious air pollution problem in China. Terrestrial vegetation can remove surface O _3 through dry deposition but also enhance surface O _3 through biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) emissions. However, the net impacts of terrestrial vegetation on surface O _3 remains unclear. Here, we perform simulations using a chemistry-vegetation coupled model to assess the impacts of terrestrial vegetation on surface daily maximum 8 h average (MDA8) O _3 in China through biogeochemical processes, including BVOC emissions and stomatal uptake. The results show that vegetation biogeochemical processes increase summer mean surface MDA8 O _3 by 1.3 ppb in the present day in China, with 3.7 ppb from BVOC emissions but −2.7 ppb from stomatal uptake. However, the enhanced summer mean surface MDA8 O _3 from vegetation biogeochemical processes decreases from 5.4 to 2.7 ppb in the North China Plain (NCP), from 7.2 to 0.8 ppb in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), from 8.7 to 1.8 ppb in the Sichuan Basin (SCB) and from 4.2 to 0.4 ppb in the Pearl River Delta by the period of carbon neutrality. Our study highlights that carbon neutrality-driven emission reductions can greatly mitigate the enhanced surface O _3 related to terrestrial vegetation, though there is still a positive impact of terrestrial vegetation on surface O _3 in some hotspots, including the NCP and the SCB.

Introduction: Asthma is the most common chronic condition in children, with allergic asthma being the most common phenotype, accounting for approximately 80% of cases. Growing evidence suggests that disruption of iron homeostasis and iron regulatory molecules may be associated with childhood allergic asthma. However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear.Methods: Three childhood asthma gene expression datasets were analyzed to detect aberrant expression profiles of iron metabolism-related genes in the airways of children with allergic asthma. Common iron metabolism-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) across the three datasets were identified and were subjected to functional enrichment analysis. Possible correlations between key iron metabolism-related DEGs and type 2 airway inflammatory genes were investigated. Single-cell transcriptome analysis further identified major airway cell subpopulations driving key gene expression. Key iron metabolism-related gene SLC40A1 was validated in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells from childhood asthmatics with control individuals by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunofluorescence. The intracellular iron content in BAL cells was assessed by Perls iron staining and the iron levels in BAL supernatant was measured by iron assay to assess airway iron metabolism status in childhood asthmatics.Results: Five common iron metabolism-related DEGs were identified, which were functionally related to iron homeostasis. Among these genes, downregulated SLC40A1 was strongly correlated with type 2 airway inflammatory markers and the gene signature of SLC40A1 could potentially be used to determine type 2-high and type 2-low subsets in childhood allergic asthmatics. Further single-cell transcriptomic analysis identified airway macrophages driving SLC40A1 expression. Immunofluorescence staining revealed colocalization of FPN (encoded by SLC40A1) and macrophage marker CD68. Down-regulation of SLC40A1 (FPN) was validated by qRT-PCR and immunofluorescence analysis. Results further indicated reduced iron levels in the BAL fluid, but increased iron accumulation in BAL cells in childhood allergic asthma patients. Furthermore, decreased expression of SLC40A1 was closely correlated with reduced iron levels in the airways of children with allergic asthma.Discussion: Overall, these findings reveal the potential role of the iron metabolism-related gene SLC40A1 in the pathogenesis of childhood allergic asthma.

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to identify genetic etiology in two unrelated Chinese probands with progressive sensorineural hearing loss. Methods Two unrelated Chinese families were recruited. Genetic etiology was identified by targeted next‐generation sequencing (NGS) and verified by Sanger sequencing. Hearing evaluations included pure tone audiometry, auditory brainstem response to clicks, and otoscopic examination. Medical history and computerized tomography scan of temporal bone were also collected. In addition, linear regression was used to summarize all of the reported cases and estimate the progression of hearing loss. Results A 28‐year‐old man with variant c.68delC had progressive, moderately severe hearing loss and a suspicious history of renal impairment. His hearing result was 63.75 dB HL. The other proband was the youngest patient with MPZL2‐related hearing loss reported so far in the literature (genotype: c.220C>T homozygote). Her hearing result by click‐ABR was 25 dB nHL at 3 months of age, and deteriorated to 40 dB nHL at 15 months. Behavioral audiometry identified a hearing loss of 26.25 dB HL. In summarizing all of the reported cases, using linear regression, MPZL2‐related hearing loss may deteriorate by 0.59 dB HL per year, and different MPZL2 variants may lead to different rates of progression. Conclusion In this study, we first identified two unrelated patients with MPZL2‐related hearing loss in Chinese population, and a novel variant c.68delC. Our results expanded the mutation spectrum of deafness genes. Further studies are required to clarify the genotype–phenotype correlation and the progression of MPZL2‐related hearing loss.

Objective To explore the relationship between climate factors and the number of street voluntary blood donors in Beijing and develop a reliable predictive model, so as to provide reference for donor recruitment. Methods The data of weather and the number of street blood donors from January 2018 to October 2019 were collected to formulate generalized additive model(GAM) and autoregressive integrated moving average model(ARIMA), and the predicative accuracy of the two models was assessed using data from November to December 2019. Results GAM indicated that the number of donors decreased when the wind force was 4 to 5 (95%CI: 0.805, 0.995), and the number on weekends and official holidays was 1.562 (95% CI: 1.510, 1.617) and 1.779 (95%CI: 1.035, 3.055) times that of the working day respectively. The number of blood donors increased with the elevation of temperature until 25℃, then declined with temperature increasing slowly. The two-day predictive accuracy of GAM and ARIMA was 92.14% and 90.55%, with overall accuracy at (84.46±11.12)% and (87.65±9.3)%, respectively. Conclusion Considering official holiday, strong wind and temperature, etc, the ARIMA model runs stable overall, while GAM is good at short-term prediction. The comprehensive use of two predictive models is helpful in guiding the recruitment of blood donors.

The features of stationary random processes and the small parameter expansion approach are used in this work to examine the impact of random roughness on the electromagnetic flow in cylindrical micropipes. Utilizing the perturbation method, the analytical solution until second order velocity is achieved. The analytical expression of the roughness function ζ, which is defined as the deviation of the flow rate ratio with roughness to the case having no roughness in a smooth micropipe, is obtained by integrating the spectral density. The roughness function can be taken as the functions of the Hartmann number Ha and the dimensionless wave number λ. Two special corrugated walls of micropipes, i.e., sinusoidal and triangular corrugations, are analyzed in this work. The results reveal that the magnitude of the roughness function rises as the wave number increases for the same Ha. The magnitude of the roughness function decreases as the Ha increases for a prescribed wave number. In the case of sinusoidal corrugation, as the wave number λ increases, the Hartmann number Ha decreases, and the value of ζ increases. We consider the λ ranging from 0 to 15 and the Ha ranging from 0 to 5, with ζ ranging from −2.5 to 27.5. When the λ reaches 15, and the Ha is 0, ζ reaches the maximum value of 27.5. At this point, the impact of the roughness on the flow rate reaches its maximum. Similarly, in the case of triangular corrugation, when the λ reaches 15 and the Ha is 0, ζ reaches the maximum value of 18.7. In addition, the sinusoidal corrugation has a stronger influence on the flow rate under the same values of Ha and λ compared with triangular corrugation.

Abstract Electroreduction of carbon dioxide into fuels and feedstocks with renewable energy is an attractive route to mitigate carbon emission and solve energy crisis. However, how to improve the selectivity of high‐value multicarbon products is still challenging. Here, we demonstrate that the high‐index crystalline surface of copper could be designed and obtained through a simple square‐wave potential treatment on copper nanowires, which is beneficial to improve the selectivity of multi‐carbon products, especially the reaction route towards ethylene. The Faradaic efficiency of C2+ products can reach nearly 60%, and hydrogen can be suppressed to below 20%. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that (311) high‐index facet can activate CO2 effectively and promote adsorption of the *COCOH intermediate on copper for ethylene formation, therefore improves the selectivity of ethylene and inhibits the competing hydrogen evolution reaction. This method can be extended to the design of other catalytic systems and has inspirations for other electrochemical catalytic reactions.

Soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) is a food and oil crop whose growth and yield are influenced by root and nodule development. In the present study, GmNMHC5 was found to promote the formation of nodules in overexpressing mutants. In contrast, the number of nodules in Gmnmhc5 edited with CRISPR/Cas9 decreased sharply. In 35S:GmNMHC5 mutants, expression levels of genes involved in nodulation were significantly up-regulated. Both in vitro and in vivo biochemical analyses showed that GmNMHC5 directly interacted with GmGAI (a DELLA protein), and the content of gibberellin 3 (GA3) in overexpressing mutants was lower than that in the wild type. These results revealed that GmNMHC5 participates in the classical GA signaling pathway, and may regulate the content of GA3 to match the optimal concentration required for nodule formation, thereby promoting nodulation by directly interacting with GmGAI. A model illustrating the mechanism by which GmNMHC5 promotes soybean nodulation is presented.

Abstract Background POU3F4 is the causative gene for X-linked deafness-2 (DFNX2), characterized by incomplete partition type III (IP-III) malformation of the inner ear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics and molecular findings in IP-III patients by Sanger or nanopore single-molecule sequencing. Methods Diagnosis of IP-III was mainly based on clinical characteristics including radiological and audiological findings. Sanger sequencing of POU3F4 was carried out for these IP-III patients. For those patients with negative results for POU3F4 Sanger sequencing, nanopore long-read single-molecule sequencing was used to identify the possible pathogenic variants. Hearing intervention outcomes of hearing aids (HAs) fitting and cochlear implantation (CI) were also analyzed. Aided pure tone average (PTA) was further compared between two groups of patients according to their different locations of POU3F4 variants: in the exon region or in the upstream region. Results In total, 18 male patients from 14 unrelated families were diagnosed with IP-III. 10 variants were identified in POU3F4 by Sanger sequencing and 6 of these were reported for the first time (p.Gln181*, p.Val215Gly, p.Arg282Gln, p.Gln316*, c.903_912 delins TGCCA and p.Arg205del). Four different deletions that varied from 80 to 486 kb were identified 876–1503 kb upstream of POU3F4 by nanopore long-read single-molecule sequencing. De novo genetic mutations occurred in 21.4% (3/14) of patients with POU3F4 mutations. Among these 18 patients, 7 had bilateral HAs and 10 patients received unilateral CI. The mean aided PTA for HAs and CI users were 41.1 ± 5.18 and 40.3 ± 7.59 dB HL respectively. The mean PTAs for patients with the variants located in the exon and upstream regions were 39.6 ± 6.31 versus 43.0 ± 7.10 dB HL, which presented no significant difference (p = 0.342). Conclusions Among 14 unrelated IP-III patients, 28.6% (4/14) had no definite mutation in exon region of POU3F4. However, possible pathogenic deletions were identified in upstream region of this gene. De novo genetic mutations occurred in 21.4% (3/14) of patients with POU3F4 mutation. There was no significant difference of hearing intervention outcomes between the IP-III patients with variants located in the exon region and in the upstream region.

BackgroundPredicting which preschool children with recurrent wheezing (RW) will develop school-age asthma (SA) is difficult, highlighting the critical need to clarify the pathogenesis of RW and the mechanistic relationship between RW and SA. Despite shared environmental exposures and genetic determinants, RW and SA are usually studied in isolation. Based on network analysis of nasal and tracheal transcriptomes, we aimed to identify convergent transcriptomic mechanisms in RW and SA.MethodsRNA-sequencing data from nasal and tracheal brushing samples were acquired from the Gene Expression Omnibus. Combined with single-cell transcriptome data, cell deconvolution was used to infer the composition of 18 cellular components within the airway. Consensus weighted gene co-expression network analysis was performed to identify consensus modules closely related to both RW and SA. Shared pathways underlying consensus modules between RW and SA were explored by enrichment analysis. Hub genes between RW and SA were identified using machine learning strategies and validated using external datasets and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Finally, the potential value of hub genes in defining RW subsets was determined using nasal and tracheal transcriptome data.ResultsCo-expression network analysis revealed similarities in the transcriptional networks of RW and SA in the upper and lower airways. Cell deconvolution analysis revealed an increase in mast cell fraction but decrease in club cell fraction in both RW and SA airways compared to controls. Consensus network analysis identified two consensus modules highly associated with both RW and SA. Enrichment analysis of the two consensus modules indicated that fatty acid metabolism-related pathways were shared key signals between RW and SA. Furthermore, machine learning strategies identified five hub genes, i.e., CST1, CST2, CST4, POSTN, and NRTK2, with the up-regulated hub genes in RW and SA validated using three independent external datasets and qRT-PCR. The gene signatures of the five hub genes could potentially be used to determine type 2 (T2)-high and T2-low subsets in preschoolers with RW.ConclusionsThese findings improve our understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of RW and provide a rationale for future exploration of the mechanistic relationship between RW and SA.

ABSTRACT Stimulation of unmyelinated C fibers, the nociceptive sensory nerves, by noxious stimuli is able to initiate host responses. Host defensive responses against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection rely on the induction of a robust alpha/beta interferon (IFN-α/β) response, which acts to restrict viral production and promote antiviral immune responses. Alveolar macrophages (AMs) are the major source of IFN-α/β upon RSV infection. Here, we found that C fibers are involved in host defense against RSV infection. Compared to the control mice post-RSV infection, degeneration and inhibition of C fibers by blockade of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) lowered viral replication and alleviated lung inflammation. Importantly, AMs were markedly elevated in C-fiber-degenerated (KCF) mice post-RSV infection, which was associated with higher IFN-α/β secretion as measured in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples. Degeneration of C fibers contributed to the production of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), which modulated AM and IFN-α/β levels to protect against RSV infection. Collectively, these findings revealed the key role of C fibers in regulating AM and IFN-α/β responses against RSV infection via VIP, opening the possibility for new therapeutic strategies against RSV. IMPORTANCE Despite continuous advances in medicine, safe and effective drugs against RSV infection remain elusive. As such, host-RSV interactions and host-directed therapies require further research. Unmyelinated C fibers, the nociceptive sensory nerves, play an important role in regulating the host response to virus. In the present study, from the perspective of neuroimmune interactions, we clarified that C-fiber degeneration enhanced the AM-mediated IFN-α/β response against RSV via VIP, providing potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of RSV infection.

Quantifying the influences of land use/cover (LULC) change on hydrological processes is important for rational utilization of water resources. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impacts of spatiotemporal LULC change on hydrological components in a typical agricultural area located in the North China Plain at both basin and sub-basin scales. LULC change was quantified, and the Soil and Water Assessment Tool was optimized using parameters associated with LULC conditions. We concluded that the urban and forest areas increased by 25.57 and 10.56%, with the cropland area decreased by 36.76%. About half of the surface runoff (SURQ) in the basin was generated from the urban area, with the SURQ increased significantly in the upstream and downstream of the basin where overlapped with urbanized areas. The proportions of evapotranspiration generated by cropland and forest areas increased slightly (0.89 and 0.55%, respectively), especially in sub-basins where the conversion of cropland to forest was obvious. Urban, forest, and cropland were the main types that generated water yield (WYLD). The proportion of WYLD generated on the urban area increased by 9.55% and decreased in other areas, which may be related to the combined effects of urbanization and forest reduction. Highlights The SWAT model was used under different scenarios for a typical agricultural area, North China Plain.; The influences of land use/cover change on key hydrological components were analyzed at both basin and sub-basin scales.; Urbanization and reforestation will affect changes in hydrological components.;

Asthma is the most common chronic condition among children; however, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. Dysregulated immune response and different infiltration states of immune cells are critical for asthma pathogenesis. Here, three childhood asthma gene expression datasets were used to detect key genes, immune cells, and pathways involved in childhood asthma. From these datasets, 33 common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, which showed enrichment in the T helper 1 (Th1) and T helper 2 (Th2) cell differentiation pathway and the T helper 17 (Th17) cell differentiation pathway. Using the weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), CD3D and CD3G were identified as key genes closely correlated with childhood asthma. Upregulation of CD3D and CD3G was further validated in bronchoalveolar lavage cells from childhood asthmatics with control individuals by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The immune cell infiltration analysis indicated that CD3D and CD3G were negatively correlated with increased resting mast cells and eosinophils, and highly correlated with several cell markers of Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells. In addition, we found that CD3D and CD3G were closely related to the Th1 and Th2 cell differentiation pathway and the Th17 cell differentiation pathway. Our results reveal the important roles of two key genes and immune infiltration in the pathogenesis of childhood asthma. Thus, this study provides a new perspective for exploring potential molecular targets for childhood asthma treatment.

The water-sediment regulation scheme (WSRS) imposed on dams throughout the Yellow River not only alleviates siltation in the downstream section but also alters the nutrient characteristics, which indirectly affects the enrichment of nutrients in the estuary. Nevertheless, the long-term changes in the nutrient contents and their causes in the lower Yellow River (LYR) remain unclear, and the nutrients characteristics during the years with and without WSRS have yet to be compared. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the variations in the nutrient contents and limitations at the Lijin station on the LYR over the past decade, especially during the annual WSRS period, and to compare the water quality characteristics at Lijin between the years with and without WSRS. The results reveal that WSRS significantly changed the seasonal nutrient concentrations (nitrogen, phosphorus and silicon) at the Lijin station. The fluxes of these nutrients during WSRS (excluding 2016 and 2017) accounted for 11.64–40.63% of the total annual fluxes. The N concentration in the LYR was higher than that in some global rivers, while the concentrations of dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) and dissolved silica (DSi) were lower than the average levels in other rivers. In addition, higher values of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), DSi and the Redfield ratio indicated that the growth of phytoplankton at the Lijin station was strongly restricted by P. However, during the 2 years without WSRS (2016 and 2017), the proportions of the nutrient fluxes in June were less than 66% of those in the WSRS period in other years. Additionally, there was a potential Si limitation in June in these 2 years. Furthermore, due to the occurrence of floods upstream of the Yellow River and the low-level operation of the Xiaolangdi Reservoir, the fluxes of nutrients during WSRS in 2018 were approximately 0.90–4.20 times those during the same period in 2009–2015 and 6.30–35.76 times those in June 2016 and June 2017. This study shows that WSRS effectively changes the nutrient balance in the LYR and provides a reference for the multi-objective collaborative optimization of WSRS to improve siltation and control flood in the LYR.

In this paper, a decoupled finite element method for a modified Cahn-Hilliard-Hele-Shaw system with double well potential is constructed. The proposed scheme is based on the convex splitting of the energy functional in time and uses the mixed finite element discretzation in space. The computation of the velocity u is separated from the computation of the pressure p by using an operator-splitting strategy. A Possion equation is solved to update the pressure at each time step. Unconditional stability and error estimates are analyzed in detail theoretically. Furthermore, the theoretical part is verified by several numerical examples, whose results show that the numerical examples are consistent with the results of the theoretical part.

Abstract Anthropogenic aerosol (AA) forcing has been shown as a critical driver of climate change over Asia since the mid-20th century. Here we show that almost all Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) models fail to capture the observed dipole pattern of aerosol optical depth (AOD) trends over Asia during 2006–2014, last decade of CMIP6 historical simulation, due to an opposite trend over eastern China compared with observations. The incorrect AOD trend over China is attributed to problematic AA emissions adopted by CMIP6. There are obvious differences in simulated regional aerosol radiative forcing and temperature responses over Asia when using two different emissions inventories (one adopted by CMIP6; the other from Peking university, a more trustworthy inventory) to driving a global aerosol-climate model separately. We further show that some widely adopted CMIP6 pathways (after 2015) also significantly underestimate the more recent decline in AA emissions over China. These flaws may bring about errors to the CMIP6-based regional climate attribution over Asia for the last two decades and projection for the next few decades, previously anticipated to inform a wide range of impact analysis.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) a leading cause of pediatric and adult morbidity and mortality worldwide. It can cause complications in multiple organs, thus increasing hospital stays and costs. However, RSV-based studies have primarily focused on effects in the lungs and blood, thereby potentially neglecting critical genes and pathways. Hence, studying RSV infection via a novel multi-organ approach is important. In this study, lung, intestine, brain, and spleen tissues from six BALB/c mice (6–8 weeks old; three in control group and three in RSV-infected group) were subjected to RNA sequencing. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in each organ were obtained and functional enrichment analysis was performed. We first used CIBERSORT to evaluate the immune-infiltration landscape. Subsequently, common DEGs (co-DEGs) among the four organs were analyzed to identify key genes and pathways. After quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, and external validation analysis of key hub genes, their correlation with immune cells and potential functions were explored. We found that the host response to RSV infection varied among the four organs regarding gene expression profiles and immune cell infiltration. Analysis of the 16 co-DEGs indicated enrichment in the platelet and neutrophil degranulation pathways. Importantly, the key gene hemopexin (Hpx) was strongly correlated with the immune cell fraction in the lungs and may participate in the regulation of platelet activation and immune response.

Abstract The development of low‐cost and high‐efficiency catalysts for both hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline electrolyte is still challenging. Herein, interfacial Co/CoMoN heterostructures supported on Ni foam (Co/CoMoN/NF) are constructed by thermal ammonolysis of CoMoOx. In 1.0 m KOH solution, Co/CoMoN/NF heterostructures exhibit excellent HER activity with an overpotential of 173 mV at 100 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 68.9 mV dec−1. Density functional theory calculations indicate that the low valence state Co site acts as efficient water‐dissociation promoter, while CoMoN substrate has favorable hydrogen adsorption energy, leading to an enhanced HER activity. The Co/CoMoN/NF heterostructures also achieve high OER activity with an overpotential of 303 mV at 100 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 56 mV dec−1. Using Co/CoMoN/NF heterostructures as the cathode and anode, the alkaline electrolyzer requires a low voltage of 1.56 V to reach the current density of 100 mA cm−2 along with superior long‐term durability. This study provides a new design strategy toward low‐cost and excellent catalysts for water splitting.

Summary: Background: There are concerns that the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may increase the risk of adverse outcomes among patients with coronavirus COVID-19. This study aimed to synthesize the evidence on associations between the use of NSAIDs and adverse outcomes. Methods: A systematic search of WHO COVID-19 Database, Medline, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, China Biology Medicine disc, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Database for all articles published from January 1, 2020, to November 7, 2021, as well as a supplementary search of Google Scholar. We included all comparative studies that enrolled patients who took NSAIDs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data extraction and quality assessment of methodology of included studies were completed by two reviewers independently. We conducted a meta-analysis on the main adverse outcomes, as well as selected subgroup analyses stratified by the type of NSAID and population (both positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or not). Findings: Forty comparative studies evaluating 4,867,795 adult cases were identified. Twenty-eight (70%) of the included studies enrolled patients positive to SARS-CoV-2 tests. The use of NSAIDs did not reduce mortality outcomes among people with COVID-19 (number of studies [N] = 29, odds ratio [OR] = 0.93, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.75 to 1.14, I2 = 89%). Results suggested that the use of NSAIDs was not significantly associated with higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with or without COVID-19 (N = 10, OR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.86 to 1.07, I2 = 78%; N = 8, aOR = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.94 to 1.09, I2 = 26%), or an increased probability of intensive care unit (ICU) admission (N = 12, OR = 1.28, 95% CI: 0.94 to 1.75, I2 = 82% ; N = 4, aOR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.65 to 1.22, I2 = 60%), requiring mechanical ventilation (N = 11, OR = 1.11, 95% CI: 0.79 to 1.54, I2 = 63%; N = 5, aOR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.52 to 1.24, I2 = 66%), or administration of supplemental oxygen (N = 5, OR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.52 to 1.24, I2 = 63%; N = 2, aOR = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.89 to 1.12, I2 = 0%). The subgroup analysis revealed that, compared with patients not using any NSAIDs, the use of ibuprofen (N = 5, OR = 1.09, 95% CI: 0.50 to 2.39; N = 4, aOR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.78 to 1.16) and COX-2 inhibitor (N = 4, OR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.35 to 1.11; N = 2, aOR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.45 to 1.18) were not associated with an increased risk of death. Interpretation: Data suggests that NSAIDs such as ibuprofen, aspirin and COX-2 inhibitor, can be used safely among patients positive to SARS-CoV-2. However, for some of the analyses the number of studies were limited and the quality of evidence was overall low, therefore more research is needed to corroborate these findings. Funding: There was no funding source for this study.

As a mode of processing task request, edge computing paradigm can reduce task delay and effectively alleviate network congestion caused by the proliferation of Internet of things(IoT) devices compared with cloud computing. However, in the actual construction of the network, there are various edge autonomous subnets in the adjacent areas, which leads to the possibility of unbalance of server load among autonomous subnets during the peak period of task request. In this paper, a deep reinforcement learning algorithm is proposed to solve the complex computation offloading problem for the heterogeneous Edge Computing Server(ECS) collaborative computing. The problem is solved based on the real-time state of the network and the attributes of the task, which adopts Actor Critic and Policy Gradient's Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient(DDPG) to make optimized decisions of computation offloading. Considering multi-task, the heterogeneity of edge subnet and mobility of edge devices, the proposed algorithm can learn the network environment and generate the computation offloading decision to minimize the task delay.The simulation results show that the proposed DDPG-based algorithm is competitive compared with the Deep Q Network(DQN) algorithm and Asynchronous Advantage Actor-Critic(A3C) algorithm. Moreover, the optimal solutions are leveraged to analyze the influence of edge network parameters on task delay.

As a novel computing technology closer to business ends, edge computing has become an effective solution for delay sensitive business of power Internet of Things (IoT). However, the uneven spatial and temporal distribution of business requests in edge network leads to a significant difference in business busyness between edge nodes. Due to the natural lightweight and portability, container migration has become a critical technology for load balancing, thereby optimizing the resource utilization of edge nodes. To this end, this paper proposes a container migration-based decision-making (CMDM) mechanism in power IoT. First, a load differentiation matrix model between edge nodes is constructed to determine the timing of container migration. Then, a container migration model of load balancing joint migration cost (LBJC) is established to minimize the impact of container migration while balancing the load of edge network. Finally, the migration priority of containers is determined from the perspective of resource correlation and business relevance, and by introducing a pseudo-random ratio rule and combining the local pheromone evaporation with global pheromone update at the same time, a migration algorithm based on modified Ant Colony System (MACS) is designed to utilize the LBJC model and thus guiding the choice of possible migration actions. The simulation results show that compared with genetic algorithm (GA) and Space Aware Best Fit Decreasing (SABFD) algorithm, the comprehensive performance of CMDM in load balancing joint migration cost is improved by 7.3% and 12.5% respectively.

Edge computing can be widely used in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) inspection, field operation control, power consumption information collection and other businesses in the power Internet of Things scene. Edge computing offloads functions such as data processing and applications to network edge nodes near the terminals to provide low-latency services and ensure service quality. However, with the explosive growth of business terminals, the capacity of single edge node is limited and it is difficult to meet all business requirements at the same time. Therefore, this article proposes a task allocation mechanism based on cooperative edge computing. Firstly, a task allocation model based on cooperation of two edge nodes is established to minimize the average task completion delay while meeting business requirements. Secondly, the Two-edge-node Cooperative-task Allocation based on Improved Particle Swarm Optimization (TCA-IPSO) algorithm is proposed, which applies the crossover and mutation strategy in genetic algorithm to improve the particle swarm optimization algorithm, and solves the problem that the task allocation scheme in cooperation is prone to fall into a local optimum. Finally the simulation results show that the proposed TCA-IPSO algorithm reduces the average task completion delay by 53.8% and 36.0% compared to the benchmark and QoS-based Task Distribution (QBTD) algorithm.

With the rapid development of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, Network Function Virtualization (NFV) is introduced in the edge network to provide flexible and personalized service. However, there still exist some problems to be solved, such as high cost, unbalanced load, and low availability. Therefore, a reliability-and-energy-balanced Service Function Chain (SFC) mapping and migration method is presented for IoT applications. First, aiming at improving network performance and reducing expenditure, an SFC mapping algorithm based on cost optimization, load balancing, and reliability is proposed to map SFC requests onto the network and provide backup. Second, aiming at optimizing resource configuration, an SFC migration method based on energy consumption and quality of service is proposed to integrate network resources. Simulation results show that the proposed method outperforms the compared algorithms by 15.5% and 24.55% in the acceptance ratio of SFC requests and the overall costs, respectively.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have been well-established as promising biomarkers that can be leveraged to gauge the prognosis of patients with cancers and to guide patient treatment efforts. Although the scarcity of CTCs within peripheral circulation and the associated phenotypic changes that they exhibit owing to the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process make the reliable isolation of these cells very challenging. Recently, several studies have discussed platforms capable of mediating the efficient and sensitive isolation of CTCs, but these approaches are nonetheless subject to certain limitations that preclude their clinical application. For example, these platforms are poorly-suited to minimizing damage in the context of cellular capture and release or the in vitro culture of captured cells for subsequent molecular analyses, which would better enable clinicians to select appropriate precision treatments on an individualized basis. In this study, we report the layer-by-layer assembly approach to synthesize a novel composite nanomaterial consisting of modified zirconium-based metal-organic-frameworks (MOFs) on the surface of magnetic beads with dual antibody surface modifications capable of capturing CTCs without being hampered by the state of cellular EMT process. Our analyses indicated that these dual antibody-modified nanomaterials exhibited greater capture efficiency than that observed for single antibody. Importantly, captured cells can be gradually released following capture and undergo subsequent in vitro proliferation following water molecule-induced MOF structural collapse. This release mechanism, which does not require operator intervention, may be effective as a means of minimizing damage and preserving cellular viability such that cells can be more reliably utilized for downstream molecular analyses and associated treatment planning. To further confirm the potential clinical applicability of the developed nanomaterial, it was successfully utilized for capturing CTCs from peripheral blood samples collected from cases diagnosed with gastrointestinal tumors.

The cobs of sweet corn, also known as vegetable corn, are a nutritionally rich agricultural by-product. Sweet corncob polysaccharide (SCP-80-I) is a bioactive macromolecule extracted from the sweet corncob. Previous studies have shown that SCP-80-I has beneficial biological activities, including anti-oxidative and hypoglycemic properties. Previously, we showed that SCP-80-I had hypoglycemic effects, but the overall molecular changes associated with SCP-80-I have not yet been clarified in vivo. In this study, we investigated the hypoglycemic effects of SCP-80-I in diabetic rats with insulin resistance and analyzed the hypoglycemic mechanisms of SCP-80-I using tandem mass tag (TMT) -labeled quantitative proteomics. Using gene onotology (GO) annotations and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, the biological process, cell composition, and molecular function terms associated with the differentially expressed proteins were identified, as were the associated signaling pathways. In total, 4780 proteins exhibited a fold-change greater than 1.5. Six differentially expressed proteins related to the development and treatment of diabetes were selected, encoded by the genes Pik3r5, Ndufb3, Pygl, Cbl, Prkcd, and Stat1. SCP-80-I induced hypoglycemia mainly through the PI3K-Akt and JAK-STAT signaling pathways. SCP-80-I also ameliorated diabetes by regulating the expression of the Pik3r5, Ndufb3, Pygl, Cbl, Prkcd, and Stat1 genes. This study provided a theoretical basis for the treatment of diabetes and the development of hypoglycemic drugs. Our results suggested that SCP-80-I plays a beneficial role in reducing blood glucose in diabetic mice, which helps to clarify the molecular mechanisms by which sweet corncob polysaccharide reduces blood glucose.

Abstract The response of precipitation extremes (PEs) to global warming is found to be nonlinear in Community Earth System Model version 1 (CESM1) and other global climate models (Pendergrass et al., 2019), which led to the concern that it is not accurate to approximate the response of PE to a single forcing as the difference between simulations with all forcing agents and those that exclude one specific forcing. This calls into question previous model‐based results that the sensitivity of PE with warming due to aerosol forcing is significantly larger than that due to greenhouse gases (GHGs). We reevaluate the PE sensitivity to GHGs and aerosols using available CESM1 ensemble simulations. We show that although the PE response to warming is nonlinear in CESM1, especially for the high warming projected in the twenty‐first‐century, PE sensitivity to aerosols is still significantly stronger than that due to GHGs when the comparison is made within similar warming regimes to avoid the bias induced by the nonlinear behavior. But the difference is smaller than previously estimated. We also conclude that the additivity assumption is largely valid to isolate the PE response due to aerosol forcing from the paired simulations including the “all forcing” experiment when the warming regime is small (e.g., 1°C–2°C in the next few decades when aerosol forcing is projected to decline and becomes a major source of uncertainty for model projection).

The aerosol optical property products of Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA-2) reanalysis dataset have been extensively investigated on a global or regional scale. However, the understanding of MERRA-2 aerosol component products on an extensive temporal and spatial scale is inadequate. Recently, the aerosol component products have been derived from the observations of Polarization and Directionality of the Earth’s Reflectances/Polarization and Anisotropy of Reflectance for Atmospheric Science coupled with observations from a Lidar (POLDER/PARASOL). This study presents a quantitative evaluation of the MERRA-2 reanalysis dust and black carbon (BC) column concentration using independent satellite-based aerosol component concentration retrievals. Both GRASP/Component and MERRA-2 reanalysis products can capture well the temporal variation in dust column concentration over the dust emission resource and downwind dust-dominated regions with the correlation coefficient (R) varying from 0.80 to 0.98. MERRA-2 reanalysis dust products present higher column concentration than GRASP/Component dust retrievals with relative differences of about 20~70%, except in the Taklamakan Desert and Bay of Bengal, where the relative differences can be negative. The differences in dust column concentration over the African dust regions are larger than that over the Asian dust regions. Similar temporal variations in BC column concentration are characterized by both GRASP/Component BC retrievals and MERRA-2 BC products with R of about 0.70~0.90, except in the North China Plain region. We should pay more caution with the regional applicability of MERRA-2 component products when large differences and high correlation coefficients are obtained simultaneously. The results are favorable for identifying the behavior of MERRA-2 reanalysis component estimation in a new view and demonstrate a practical application of the satellite-based component retrievals, which could make more contributions to the improvement of model estimation in the near future.

Background: Multiple non-invasive ventilation (NIV) modalities have been identified that may improve the prognosis of pediatric patients with acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI). However, the effect of NIV in children with ALRI remains inconclusive. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of various NIV strategies including continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), high flow nasal cannula (HFNC), bilevel positive airway pressure (BIPAP), and standard oxygen therapy in children with ALRI and the need for supplemental oxygen.Methods: Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases were searched from inception to July 2021. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared different NIV modalities for children with ALRI and the need for supplemental oxygen were included. Data were independently extracted by two reviewers. Primary outcomes were intubation and treatment failure rates. Secondary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Pairwise and Bayesian network meta-analyses within the random-effects model were used to synthesize data. The certainty of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation framework.Results: A total of 21 RCTs involving 5,342 children were included. Compared with standard oxygen therapy, CPAP (OR: 0.40, 95% CrI: 0.16–0.90, moderate quality) was associated with a lower risk of intubation. Furthermore, both CPAP (OR: 0.42, 95% CrI: 0.19–0.81, low quality) and HFNC (OR: 0.51, 95% CrI: 0.29–0.81, low quality) reduced treatment failure compared with standard oxygen therapy. There were no significant differences among all interventions for in-hospital mortality. Network meta-regression showed that there were no statistically significant subgroup effects.Conclusion: Among children with ALRI and the need for supplemental oxygen, CPAP reduced the risk of intubation when compared to standard oxygen therapy. Both CPAP and HFNC were associated with a lower risk of treatment failure than standard oxygen therapy. However, evidence is still lacking to show benefits concerning mortality between different interventions. Further large-scale, multicenter studies are needed to confirm our results.Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=172156, identifier: CRD42020172156.

Summary: Electric-field (E-field) control of magnetic switching provides an energy-efficient means to toggle the magnetic states in spintronic devices. The angular tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) of an magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ)/PMN-PT magnetoelectronic hybrid indicates that the angle-dependent switching fields of the free layer can decrease significantly subject to the application of an E-field. In particular, the switching field along the major axis is reduced by 59% from 28.0 to 11.5 Oe as the E-field increases from 0 to 6 kV/cm, while the TMR ratio remains intact. The switching boundary angle decreases (increases) for the parallel (antiparallel) to antiparallel (parallel) state switch, resulting in a shrunk switching window size. The non-volatile and reversible 180° magnetization switching is demonstrated by using E-fields with a smaller magnetic field bias as low as 11.5 Oe. The angular magnetic switching originates from competition among the E-field-induced magnetoelastic anisotropy, magnetic shape anisotropy, and Zeeman energy, which is confirmed by micromagnetic simulations.

Abstract This study developed a next‐generation atmospheric aerosol/chemistry‐climate model, the BCC_AGCM_CUACE2.0. Then, the performance of the model for nitrate was evaluated, and the nitrate direct radiative forcing (DRF) and effective radiative forcing (ERF) due to aerosol‐radiation interactions were simulated for the present day (2010), near‐term future (2030), and middle‐term future (2050) under the Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5, 6.0, and 8.5 scenarios relative to the preindustrial era (1850). The model reproduced the distributions and seasonal changes in nitrate loading well, and simulated surface concentrations matched observations in Europe, North America, and China. Current global mean annual loading of nitrates was predicted to increase by 1.50 mg m−2 relative to 1850, with the largest increases occurring in East Asia (9.44 mg m−2), Europe (4.36 mg m−2), and South Asia (3.09 mg m−2). The current global mean annual ERF of nitrates was −0.28 W m−2 relative to 1850. Due to global reductions in pollutant emissions, the nitrate ERF values were predicted to decrease to −0.17, −0.20, and −0.24 W m−2 in 2030 and −0.07, −0.18, and −0.19 W m−2 in 2050 for Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5, 6.0, and 8.5 relative to 1850, respectively. Although global mean nitrate values showed a declining trend, future nitrate loading remained high in East Asia and South Asia.

Wild relatives of crop plants are invaluable germplasm for genetic improvement. Here, Xie et al. report a reference-grade wild soybean genome and show that it can be used to identify structural variation and refine quantitative trait loci.

Torenia fournieri (T. fournieri) is one of the most widely used horticultural flowers and is considered a potential model plant for the genetic investigation of ornamental traits. In this study, we optimized an efficient protocol for high efficiency preparation and transformation of T. fournieri protoplast. The transformation rate reached ~75% when a 35S:GFP construct was used for the transformation. Using this system, we characterized the subcellular localization of several TEOSINTE BRANCHED1/CYCLOIDEA/PROLIFERATING CELL FACTOR (TCP) transcription factors (TFs), and found a distinct localization pattern between the CIN and CYC classes of TCP TFs. Furthermore, we also demonstrated the feasibility of the expression of dual luciferase assay system in T. fournieri protoplasts for the measurement of the activity of cis-regulatory elements. Taken together, a well-optimized transient expression system in T. fournieri protoplasts would be crucial for rapid exploration of the gene function or cis-regulatory elements.