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Yangyang Hui,1,&ast; Han Wang,2,&ast; Gaoyue Guo,1,&ast; Wanting Yang,1 Xuqian Zhang,3 Jie Yang,1 Fang Yang,4 Xiaoyu Wang,1 Xiaofei Fan,1 Binxin Cui,5 Xin Chen,1 Huanli Jiao,2 Chao Sun1,5 1Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Health Management, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, China Aerospace Science & Industry Corporation 731 Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Digestive System, Baodi Clinical College of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Gastroenterology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital Airport Hospital, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Huanli Jiao; Chao Sun, Tel +8613642060733 ; +8613820846027, Fax +86-022-27813550, Email jiaohuanli@163.com; chaosun@tmu.edu.cnPurpose: The utility of the EuroQol Group 5 Dimension (EQ-5D) measuring health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has been verified; however, knowledge gaps remain concerning predictive performance in cirrhosis. We aimed to identify the optimal threshold for risk stratification and the pronounced domain in the EQ-5D linked to inferior outcomes.Patients and Methods: The X-tile project was used to obtain a threshold, considering the composite outcome of 1-year all-cause mortality or readmission. A restricted cubic spline (RCS) was performed to test the non-linear relationship between the EQ-5D utility value and the primary outcome. Six multivariate Cox regression models incorporating EQ-5D utility value and each of the five domains were constructed.Setting/Participants: Totally, 420 patients with cirrhosis were recruited.Results: The median utility value of the study population was 0.77 and 59.8% reported impairment in minimal one EQ-5D domain. RCS indicated a linear relationship between the utility value and composite inferior outcome. X-tile pinpointed a utility value of 0.59 stratifying populations into high- and low-risk groups based on the outcome. Inpatients with cirrhosis and deteriorated HRQoL (utility value ≤ 0.59) were at higher risk of death or readmission (adjusted HR: 2.18, P < 0.001). Furthermore, mobility and usual activities were the most pronounced domains associated with composite inferior outcome.Conclusion: A utility value ≤ 0.59 can identify cirrhotic inpatients exhibiting compromised HRQoL and mortality/readmission risk. It is tempting to reverse the decreased HRQoL by applying longitudinal measurements and keeping surveillance on utility value, while interventions appear to mainly focus on improving mobility and usual activities.Keywords: EQ-5D, liver cirrhosis, mortality, readmission, disability-adjusted life year

River deltas contain some of the most densely populated areas in the world and are characterized by a rich biodiversity and highly productive ecosystems. Although previous studies have revealed that sediment grain size plays a key role in determining delta morphology, its subsequent effects on deltaic vegetation distribution patterns remain elusive. We used a theoretical templet to facilitate our study by conducting numerical experiments to simulate deltaic morphological evolution in response to various sediment grain sizes and explored the vegetation distribution determined by the elevation profile of a typical river-dominated delta. Our results showed that a fine-grained, cohesive delta would develop vegetation patterns transitioning from high- to low-elevation adapted vegetation species with increasing distance, whereas the same vegetation transformation trend could occur with decreasing distance to the center of a large-grained, noncohesive delta. The modeled vegetation distribution pattern of fine-grained, cohesive and large-grained, noncohesive deltas could be well demonstrated in the natural deltas. In addition, vegetation distribution patterns are related to the grain size-driven morphological processes of deltas, and the leading role of cohesive and noncohesive sediments on constructed delta is critical in determining the resulting vegetation distribution pattern. The dominance of each vegetation type would gradually become stable as delta matures. The interspecies competitions could influence distribution patterns of each vegetation type by enhancing the fragmentation of mid-elevation adapted vegetation. The effects of sediment grain size on the deltaic vegetation patterns associated with a delta's morphological processes have potential implications for the conservation and restoration of deltaic habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydraulic turbine has been used extensively in the field of energy conservation. For turbines that have low heads and large discharge, improving recovery efficiency and stability is crucial due to their significant hydraulic impact. This paper provides a detailed analysis of the correlation between the influence of radial guide vanes on the stability of low-head, large-discharge turbines focusing on hydraulic performance and energy dissipation before and after the implementation of guide vanes. Moreover, in this paper, two types of turbines, with and without guide vanes, were designed considering the desulfurization scenario. Hydraulic efficiency, radial force, and internal flow field mechanics were numerically studied, and validated through experiments. The results reveal that the working range of the hydraulic turbine could be widened and the energy recovery efficiency improved by a maximum of 3.11% in the small flow rate under the action of guide vanes. Furthermore, it results in a substantial reduction in the radial force of the impeller. Subsequently, the variation in entropy production of different components under full flow rate conditions was compared between the models with and without guide vanes. The total energy consumption decreases sharply under overall working conditions due to the flow control ability of guide vanes affecting the flow state. The entropy production rate of the impeller remains the largest regardless of the presence of a guide vane in the turbine. The vortices inside the guide vanes increase obviously with the flow rate increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How plant traits respond to environment changes has been given more concerns worldwide. However, it is hard to reveal the integrative responses of plants only based on independent plant traits without considering the close links among plant traits. Plant trait network (PTN) is emerging as a new way to study how plant traits adapt to changing environment and to find out the key plant trait. We collected soil and plant samples from five sampling zones in Suaeda salsa wetlands of the Yellow River Delta in China to construct hydrological connectivity index (HCI) by principal component analysis of eight indicators. PTNs were estimated by network analysis of nine plant traits. The results showed that five study areas had significant different HCIs. The PTNs showed the max tightness in areas with medium HCI and the complexity of PTNs decreased with the rise of HCI. Generally, PTNs exhibited the best performance in the areas with medium HCI in which were the most appropriate for plants to grow. Plant aboveground biomass was the central trait PTNs since it had a high degree as well as betweenness centrality. The findings indicate that Suaeda salsa takes different growth strategies under different hydrological connectivity conditions. Suaeda salsa enhanced the connections of different traits in areas which were the best for plants to grow while Suaeda salsa formed different groups of function modules in areas where hydrological connectivity was weak. This study may give new sights on how plant response to the change of hydrological connectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide presents a promising pathway to tackle global energy and environmental challenges. Porous carbon materials from metal‐organic frameworks exhibit high specific surface area, abundant active sites, and adjustable pore structure, demonstrating excellent electrocatalytic performance. With their abundant resources and tunability, copper‐based catalysts are well‐suited for efficient carbon dioxide conversion. However, the selectivity and stability of copper‐based catalysts is poor. This study presents the preparation of the first Cu‐doped ZIF‐8‐derived carbon materials and investigates their effect on electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction. At the optimal potential of −0.7 V vs. RHE, the CO Faradaic Efficiency (FE) of the Cu0.5‐N−C catalyst reaches 89 %. Furthermore, the electrochemical current density and CO FE of Cu0.5‐N−C catalyst remain nearly unchanged within 13 hours in 0.1 mol L−1 KHCO3 electrolyte. Compared to most of the reported copper‐based catalysts, Cu0.5‐N−C exhibits better stability. Characterization results show that Cu0.5‐N−C has a larger Cu‐N4, higher pyridinic N content, larger specific surface area, and average pore size, which help promote CO2 adsorption and enhance catalyst stability. This work provides new insights and pathways for electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction, with enormous potential to contribute to the global energy transition and environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have indicated that periodontitis promotes metabolic dysregulation and insulin resistance by affecting the function of white adipose tissue (WAT). However, the mechanisms linking periodontitis to adipose tissue dysfunction still need to be explored. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) deliver messages to distal sites and regulate their function. Also, recent studies have shown that periodontitis changes the composition of EVs in body fluids and that EVs might be one of the mechanisms underlying the relationship between periodontitis and insulin resistance. Herein, we explored the impact of polymicrobial oral infection with periodontal pathogens on the function of WAT and the role of gingival EVs (gEVs) in the process. Mice were subjected to oral inoculation with 109 Porphyromonas gingivalis and 108 Fusobacterium nucleatum every other day for 14 wk. This prolonged bacterial infection induced WAT dysfunction, characterized by reduced levels of AKT phosphorylation, adiponectin, leptin, and genes associated with adipogenesis and lipogenesis. We successfully isolated gEVs with satisfactory yield and purity. The RNA sequencing results showed that the differentially expressed microRNAs in the gEVs of mice with polymicrobial oral infection were involved in insulin signaling and adipose tissue function. Notably, our in vitro experiments and RNA sequencing results revealed the functional similarities between gEVs and plasma-derived EVs. Furthermore, intraperitoneal injection with gEVs derived from mice with oral infection induced the dysfunction of WAT in healthy mice. Overall, our findings provide evidence for the influence of polymicrobial oral infection on WAT function and propose gEVs as a novel pathway through which periodontal infection may exert its effects on WAT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a type of main meat food, pork is widely accepted, and has been used over a long time by residents in China. However, its high cholesterol is the primary unfavourable factor that influences human health. The reduction of cholesterol content in pork through fermentation using probiotics may be a promising candidate approach. In the present work, the probiotic strains were obtained from traditional naturally fermented foods, and identified via monoclonal culture, morphological observation, biochemical detection, and 16S rRNA sequencing. The dominant strain was used to produce sour pork, which was applied to regulate lipid metabolism in mice. Results showed that a total of 31 strains were identified from the traditional naturally fermented foods, of which four strains had similar characteristics to Lactobacillus plantarum, and displayed good capacity for cholesterol degradation with metabolism efficiencies of 75.31% (DC2 strain), 68.01% (PC1 strain), 60.49% (SC1 strain), and 58.02% (DC1 strain). The dominant strain DC2 had 99.93% homology with L. plantarum. Following fermentation with DC2 strain (4 × 106 CFU/g inoculum size, 20-day incubation), the cholesterol in sour pork was significantly reduced with 77.2% efficiency. The serum lipids in mice that were fed with sour pork were significantly lower than those in mice that were fed with normal pork. In summary, a L. plantarum strain with good capacity for cholesterol degradation was obtained (CCTCC NO: M 2019121). The strain can be used to produce fermented sour pork. Dietary sour pork may be beneficial for lowering blood lipid levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water resource shortage has become an important factor limiting agricultural sustainability in China. In addition, the development and utilization of unconventional water resources are greatly important for alleviating agricultural water resource deficit. The Pakchoi was cultivated by using the surface soil (0–20 cm) from the field in this pot experiment. The experiment lasted for approximately 1 month to study microbial community structure variation under brackish water and reclaimed water irrigation. The 16S rDNA high-throughput assays revealed that soil bacteria mainly consisted of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria at the Phylum level, along with Arenimonas and Nocardioides at the Genus level under mixed irrigation with brackish water and reclaimed water. In summary, irrigation with pure reclaimed water promoted part of microbial communities and irrigation with pure brackish water inhibited the growth and activities of certain microbial communities. We found that mixed irrigation improved the microbial community structure diversity compared with that in response to pure brackish water irrigation, while decreased the community structure diversity compared with that in response to fresh water irrigation and pure reclaimed water irrigation.

The concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the air significantly affects environmental protection and public health. Current methods for NO2 concentration prediction lack sufficient characterization of spatiotemporal correlations. Therefore, this study proposes a novel approach using interval type-2 intuitionistic fuzzy neural networks (IT2IFNNs) for spatiotemporal prediction of NO2 concentrations. Firstly, the framework of IT2IFNNs is elucidated, incorporating variable coefficient weighting for its membership and non-membership outputs, and employing a random vector functional-link neural network (RVFLNN) as the rule consequent. Secondly, a hierarchical clustering algorithm is employed to determine the fuzzy rule base and optimize the output weight values of the network consequents using least squares estimation. Finally, numerical validation is conducted using real NO2 concentration data collected in Beijing from January to March 2018. Experimental results demonstrate that compared to existing methods, the proposed approach achieves superior prediction accuracy and efficiency in both short-term and long-term spatiotemporal prediction tasks.

Cinnamomum parthenoxylon is an endemic and endangered species with significant economic and ecological value in Vietnam. A better understanding of the genetic architecture of the species will be useful when planning management and conservation. We aimed to characterize the transcriptome of C. parthenoxylon, develop novel molecular markers, and assess the genetic variability of the species. First, transcriptome sequencing of five trees (C. parthenoxylon) based on root, leaf, and stem tissues was performed for functional annotation analysis and development of novel molecular markers. The transcriptomes of C. parthenoxylon were analyzed via an Illumina HiSeqTM 4000 sequencing system. A total of 27,363,199 bases were generated for C. parthenoxylon. De novo assembly indicated that a total of 160,435 unigenes were generated (average length = 548.954 bp). The 51,691 unigenes were compared against different databases, i.e. COG, GO, KEGG, KOG, Pfam, Swiss-Prot, and NR for functional annotation. Furthermore, a total of 12,849 EST-SSRs were identified. Of the 134 primer pairs, 54 were randomly selected for testing, with 15 successfully amplified across nine populations of C. parthenoxylon. We uncovered medium levels of genetic diversity (PIC = 0.52, Na = 3.29, Ne = 2.18, P = 94.07%, Ho = 0.56 and He = 0.47) within the studied populations. The molecular variance was 10% among populations and low genetic differentiation (Fst = 0.06) indicated low gene flow (Nm = 2.16). A reduction in the population size of C. parthenoxylon was detected using BOTTLENECK (VP population). The structure analysis suggested two optimal genetic clusters related to gene flow among the populations. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed higher genetic variation within populations (90%) than among populations (10%). The UPGMA approach and DAPC divided the nine populations into three main clusters. Our findings revealed a significant fraction of the transcriptome sequences and these newlydeveloped novel EST-SSR markers are a very efficient tool for germplasm evaluation, genetic diversity and molecular marker-assisted selection in C. parthenoxylon. This study provides comprehensive genetic resources for the breeding and conservation of different varieties of C. parthenoxylon.

BackgroundSerum vitamin B12 and α-Klotho are important markers associated with aging. Limited studies have been conducted on the relationship between vitamin B12 and α-Klotho.ObjectivesThis study investigated the relationship between circulating α-Klotho and vitamin B12.MethodsA total of 4,502 American adults with circulating vitamin B12 levels and α-Klotho levels from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2011–2014) were included. A weighted multiple linear regression model was used to evaluate the correlation between vitamin B12 and α-Klotho levels. To clarify potential non-linearities, smoothed curve fitting and threshold effects analysis were employed.ResultsA statistically significant non-linear relationship was found between vitamin B12 levels and circulating α-Klotho levels after adjusting for potential confounders. We observed an inverted U-shaped relationship between serum vitamin B12 levels and circulating α-Klotho levels. Notably, serum vitamin B12 levels below the threshold (1,020 pg/mL) exhibited a positive correlation with circulating α-Klotho levels (β = 0.14, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.09–0.18, p

When a gearbox transmission system fails, the multi-scale mean permutation entropy （MMPE） of different vibration signals corresponds to the fault state to a certain extent. However, the effect of multi-scale mean permutation entropy extraction fault features depends on the selection of parameters. Therefore, this study proposes a gearbox fault identification method based on the improved multi-scale mean permutation entropy and the parameter optimization support vector machine（SVM）. Firstly, the particle swarm optimization （PSO） is referenced to optimize parameters of multi-scale mean permutation entropy. Secondly, the multi-scale mean permutation entropy of the collected gear vibration signals is calculated.Finally, the particle swarm optimization is used to optimize the support vector machine to identify the fault state of the gear. Experimental analysis results are conducted to validate the effectiveness of this proposed method.

As changes in the melting behavior of starch in the extruder affect the physical properties of the extrudate. exploring the melting behavior during starch extrusion is of great significant for the production of ideal thermoplastic starch-based materials. Effects of different extrusion temperatures (60, 70, 80, 90 and 100 ℃) on the structure and physicochemical properties of corn starch were investigated. The results showed that under high temperature and mechanical shear, the starch granules were fragmented and the granule size was reduced. The hydrogen bonds within starch molecules were broken, which made starch easier to bind with water molecules, to improve the hydration properties of thermoplastic starch (TPS). As the temperature increased, the content of amylose increased, and the relative crystallinity (RC) and double-helix order (DO) decreased, indicating that the long-range and short-range ordered structures of corn starch were destroyed during heating. The high temperature treatment of the extruder reduced the enthalpy of TPS and destroyed the ability of starch paste to form a gel network. The samples had a weak gelation behavior, and the rigidity and elasticity were weakened. In conclusion, the temperature of twin-screw extrusion changed the starch particle structure, crystalline structure, hydration and rheological properties to different degrees. This study has provided theoretical basis and new ideas for extruding high quality thermoplastic starch materials.

With the rapid development of modern robotics and medical industry, the use of rehabilitation robots for the treatment of patients with lower limb sports injuries has become one of the research hotspots at home and abroad. In order to achieve better rehabilitation treatment effect, trajectory planning of a three-degree-of-freedom lower limb rehabilitation robot is studied, and the motion law of healthy ankle joint is simulated to optimize the trajectory design of the lower limb rehabilitation robot. Based on the rehabilitation, injury mechanism, and motion form of the ankle joint, a comparative analysis of several low degree of freedom planar symmetric parallel mechanisms is conducted, and a design prototype using a 2UU-UPU mechanism as the rehabilitation actuator is determined; research on trajectory planning for lower limb rehabilitation training of lower limb rehabilitation robots, trajectory planning motion formulas for cycloidal motion laws and superimposed cycloidal motion laws are derived, and the rationality of trajectory under different rehabilitation training conditions is verified. In order to further explore a more reasonable rehabilitation trajectory, the optical motion capture system is used to collect the ankle joint movement trajectory in the sitting position, establish the rehabilitation trajectory constraints, improve the similarity between the planned trajectory and the human movement, and achieve better rehabilitation effect.

Previous studies have shown that puerarin plays a key role in protecting humans and animals from cardiovascular diseases. The exact mechanism of the therapeutic effect of puerarin on various cardiovascular diseases (protective effect on cardiomyocytes) is still unclear. In the present study, we identify the role of puerarin in an animal model of experimental heart failure (HF) and explore its underlying mechanisms. The HF rat model is induced by intraperitoneal injection of adriamycin (ADR), and puerarin is administered intragastrically at low, medium, and high concentrations. We demonstrate that puerarin significantly improves myocardial fibrosis and inflammatory infiltration and, as a result, improves cardiac function in ADR-induced HF rats. Mechanistically, we find for the first time that puerarin inhibits overactivated Na+/H+ exchange isoform 1 (NHE1) in HF, which may improve HF by decreasing Na+ and Ca2+ ion concentrations and attenuating mitochondrial damage caused by calcium overload; on the other hand, puerarin inhibits the activation of the p38 pathway in HF, reduces the expressions of TGF-β and proinflammatory cytokines, and suppresses myocardial fibrosis. In conclusion, our results suggest that Puerarin is an effective drug against HF and may play a protective role in the myocardium by inhibiting the activation of p38 and its downstream NHE1.

ObjectiveTo explore the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of children with central nervous system (CNS) involvement in eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA).MethodsA child who presented with EGPA complicated by CNS involvement was admitted to our hospital in June 2023. The clinical features were analyzed retrospectively, and relevant literatures were reviewed to provide a comprehensive overview of this condition.ResultsA ten-year-old girl, who had a history of recurrent cough and asthma accompanied by peripheral blood eosinophilia for eight months, was admitted to our hospital. On admission, spotted papules were visible on her hands and feet, bilateral pulmonary rales were audible. The laboratory examination revealed that the proportion of eosinophils (EOS) exceeded 10% of white blood cells, the anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (MPO-ANCA) was positive, the immunoglobulin G level was 15.80g/L, and the immunoglobulin E level was greater than 2500.00IU/mL. The imaging examination showed multiple patchy and nodular high-density shadows in both lungs as well as sinusitis. Pulmonary function tests indicated moderate ventilation and diffusion dysfunction. Bone marrow cytology demonstrated a significant increase in the proportion of eosinophils. Skin pathology confirmed leukocytoclastic vasculitis. During the hospitalization, the child had a convulsion. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the brain showed multiple abnormal signal shadows in the bilateral cerebral cortex and the electroencephalogram (EEG) showed epileptic waves. Following the administration of methylprednisolone pulse therapy in combination with cyclophosphamide treatment, her cough and asthma resolved, the skin rash disappeared without any further convulsions. We found that only a young EGPA patient with CNS involvement had been previously reported. The previously reported case began with long-term fever, weight loss, and purpuric rash. Both patients responded well to treatment with glucocorticoids and cyclophosphamide, experiencing significant improvement in their clinical symptoms and normalization of their peripheral blood eosinophils.ConclusionThe diagnosis of EGPA in children can be challenging. When a child is affected by EGPA, it is essential to remain vigilant for signs of CNS involvement. The treatment with glucocorticoids and cyclophosphamide is effective in managing EGPA in children.

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have attracted increasing attention as promising candidates by anion exchanges and selective adsorption in the fluoride treatment field. In this study, three new ternary Zn-Co-Cr-LDHs were synthesized by primarily a one-step TEA-assisted hydrothermal process at various times. They were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, N2 gas adsorption and desorption curves and zeta potential. The effects of dosage amount, reaction duration, initial solution pH, temperature, and co-existing ions were evaluated systematically for the Zn-Co-Cr-LDHs in fluoride removal process. Compared to Zn-LDHs and Zn-Co-LDHs, three Zn-Co-Cr-LDHs showed excellent adsorption performance for F- with maximum adsorption amounts of 108.87 mg/g, 97.27 mg/g, and 97.62 mg/g, respectively. The coexisting anions have less effect on the adsorption of F-. The introduction Cr3+ ion modulation in the Zn-Co-LDHs greatly improved the adsorption of fluoride ions. The kinetic process of fluoride ion adsorption is in accordance with the quasi-secondary kinetic model and the Elovich model, and the adsorption isotherm is in accordance with the Langmuir model. The quasi-secondary kinetic and Elovich models suggest that the process is chemisorption-controlled ion exchange adsorption. Zn-Co-Cr-LDHs are expected to have potential applications in fluoride removal process.

Color plays an indispensable role in the formation of movie style, and hue, as an important part of color, plays a pivotal role in the study of the quality of movie pictures. The study is based on the basic theory of the color and color space of the movie picture, equalizing the histogram of the movie picture, and then combining the HistoGAN network and Laplace algorithm of computer vision algorithms to realize the enhancement of the hue of the movie picture, and then adjusting and improving the quality of the movie picture automatically. Taking 10 comedy movies by Wes Anderson as an example, the movie tones are measured and counted. According to the results, the movie screen tones adjusted have a strong ability to convey image details and have better contrast and clarity enhancement effects while maintaining image fidelity. As the year progresses, the brightness of the adjacent period in Wes Anderson’s comedy movies becomes more frequent and larger after the movie screen hue is adjusted. The overall of his movies is the color matching law of warm tones with larger saturation with cooler tones with smaller saturation, and the hue adjustment gives the movie screen a more advanced sense of beauty.

With the emergence of movie art, many related art forms were born. Animation art has gained a large number of audiences due to its exaggerated expression. In order to improve the problems of character image overlapping and scene distortion that may occur in the original two-dimensional space, this paper constructs a semi-global stereo image matching algorithm based on the use of point cloud matching in the animation screen for the determination of the screen position and the morphology of the animated character. To compensate for the radiation difference in the stereo image matching algorithm, object-square geometric constraints are proposed to improve the matching cost calculation process. After calculating the matching cost, the original animation model is optimized or rebuilt by creating a depth space image. Taking Disney animation characters as an example, the number of joints required for the reconstruction of the “Snow White” character is 2.9 times more than that of the “Mickey” character, but the reconstruction time of the skeleton is only 12 times longer than that of the “Mickey” character. However, the skeleton reconstruction time is only 12.1 seconds longer than that of the “Mickey” character, which indicates that the algorithm proposed in this paper does not produce a large difference in reconstruction time due to the difference in characters. For the construction of animated indoor scenes, in the eight experimental scenes, the maximum number of grids can be divided into 42365412, and the processing time required is 276.413 seconds. It shows that the algorithm in this paper is capable of subregionally refining the indoor space of the animation. The proposed semi-global stereo image matching-based pan can quickly reconstruct animated character models and animated scenes, as can be seen.

Endometrial cancer (EC), a growing malignancy among women, underscores an urgent need for early detection and intervention, critical for enhancing patient outcomes and survival rates. Traditional diagnostic approaches, including ultrasound (US), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), hysteroscopy, and histopathology, have been essential in establishing robust diagnostic and prognostic frameworks for EC. These methods offer detailed insights into tumor morphology, vital for clinical decision-making. However, their analysis relies heavily on the expertise of radiologists and pathologists, a process that is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive but also prone to human error. The emergence of deep learning (DL) in computer vision has significantly transformed medical image analysis, presenting substantial potential for EC diagnosis. DL models, capable of autonomously learning and extracting complex features from imaging and histopathological data, have demonstrated remarkable accuracy in discriminating EC and stratifying patient prognoses. This review comprehensively examines and synthesizes the current literature on DL-based imaging techniques for EC diagnosis and management. It also aims to identify challenges faced by DL in this context and to explore avenues for its future development. Through these detailed analyses, our objective is to inform future research directions and promote the integration of DL into EC diagnostic and treatment strategies, thereby enhancing the precision and efficiency of clinical practice., Competing Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2024.)

Surimi products are favored by domestic and foreign consumers due to their distinctive gelatinous texture, rich nutrition, and convenient consumption. Gel properties are key evaluation indicators for the quality of surimi products, which was mainly determined by the gel-forming ability of the myofibrillar protein (MP). In recent years, the surimi processing industry has faced challenges in product quality that limits the further development, and how to effectively improve the gel properties of surimi products has become one of the key scientific problems to be solved in surimi processing industry. A viable strategy for improving the product quality involves combining surimi with exogenous additives, such as proteins, polysaccharides, and lipids, to enhance the gel-forming ability of MP. At present, there is limited literature review to systematically investigate the role of these exogenous additives in interacting with MPs in surimi gel system and their effect on the gel properties of heat-induced surimi. Therefore, in this review, we systematically discussed the formation mechanism and influencing factors of surimi gel, the interactions of exogenous biomolecules (proteins, polysaccharides, and lipids) with surimi protein, as well as their effects on the gel properties of surimi product. The aim of this review was to help us with a better understanding for the intrinsic action mechanisms of complex surimi system and provide some theoretical guidance for the improvement of gel quality and development of surimi products., (© 2024 Institute of Food Technologists.)

Frequent occurrence of trace antibiotics in reclaimed water is concerning, which inevitably causes aquifer contamination in the case of managed aquifer recharge (MAR). Global governments have formulated strict reclaimed water standards to ensure the safety of water reuse. Recent studies have found that improved antibiotics removal is intimately associated with high ammonia-oxidizing activity. However, the role of NH 4 + -N in the removal of residual antibiotics of reclaimed water during MAR remains unknown. NH 4 + -N removal and the effects of ammonia oxidation on antibiotics biodegradation in the aquifer are the most significant facts for solving the above collision. In this work, the effects of NH 4 + -N (0, 1 and 5 mg/L) in a model refractory antibiotic (oxacillin (OXA), 100 μg/L) attenuation were deciphered by employing three individual simulated MAR columns, which so called N0, N1 and N5. The results showed that 5 mg/L NH 4 + -N in influent upregulated the abundance of amo genes by 28.9 %-68.0 % in N5. And the enriched functional genes encoding key degradation enzymes enhanced the OXA removal by 18.7 % and alleviated the oxidative stress caused by antibiotics. Subsequently, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), mobile gene elements (MGEs) and human bacterial pathogens (HBPs) abundance were all significantly decreased. Moreover, the intimate association between ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms (AOM) and candidate OXA degraders based on microbial network analysis further supported the significance of AOM on OXA biodegradation. This study provides comprehensive evidence that appropriate amounts of NH 4 + -N are beneficial in antibiotics and antibiotic resistance risk reduction, providing compelling insights for refine NH 4 + -N recharge limitation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Wastewater effluent is the main contributor of psychiatric pharmaceuticals (PPs) pollution in surface waters. However, little is known about its spatial evolution dynamics in effluent-dominated rivers. Herein, 10 representative PPs, including 6 chiral pharmaceuticals and 4 achiral pharmaceuticals, were explored in the Beiyun River, a typical wastewater effluent-dominated river, to explore their occurrence, in-stream attenuation and enantioselective fractionation behaviors at a watershed scale. Among the target substances, 8 and 9 drugs were detected in surface water and sediment samples with the ΣPPs concentrations ranging from 78.4 to 260.1 ng/L and 4.8 to 43.4 ng/g dw in surface water and sediments, respectively. Along the mainstream of the Beiyun River, only several PPs detected in surface water, e.g., citalopram, O-demethylvenlafaxine, and fluoxetine, exhibited in-stream attenuation behaviors when reaching rural area, while all PPs detected in sediments displayed in-stream attenuation behavior. Four chiral PPs detected in surface water exhibited an enantioselective attenuation phenomenon, while in sediments, only citalopram displayed an enantioselective fractionation behavior. The differences in the in-stream attenuation and enantioselective environmental behavior of individual PPs caused complex contaminant evolution along the stream reach. This work provides enantiomeric profiles of chiral pollutants for evaluating their in-stream attenuation processes, which would facilitate better understanding of the changing contaminant exposure conditions in complex natural environments., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Herein, a signal stable molecularly imprinted photoelectrochemical (MIP-PEC) sensing platform was designed to sensitively detect Escherichia coli by incorporating polythiophene film with Cu: ZIF-8/KZ3TTz heterojunction. Attributed to the formation of a staggered type II heterostructure between KZ3TTz and Cu: ZIF-8 semiconductors, the Cu: ZIF-8/KZ3TTz heterojunction exhibited stable and significant cathode PEC response. Impressively, selective MIP film was grown on the surface of Cu: ZIF-8/KZ3TTz/GCE by electro-polymerization of 2,2-Dimethyl-5-(3-thienyl)-1,3-dioxane-4,6-dione (DTDD) in the presence of E. coli. After removing E. coli, more electrons were transferred to the electrolyte solution through the imprinting cavity on the MIP film, which was eliminated by O 2 in the electrolyte, causing further enhancement of the cathode PEC response. On the contrary, when the imprinted cavity was filled with E. coli, the cathodic PEC response gradually decreased due to steric hindrance effect. The sensor showed excellent linearity in the range of 10 1 to 10 8  CFU/mL with a detection limit of 4.09 CFU/mL (S/N = 3). This strategy offered a novel approach for pathogenic bacteria detection in food safety and environmental monitoring., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to investigate the fundamental properties, solubility, mechanical properties, barrier performance, and microstructural features of films composed of corn starch and glycerol. Changes in the microstructure were analyzed to understand how they relate to the physical and chemical properties of these films. Specifically, we found that increasing the gelatinization time decreased the film thickness, solubility, water vapor permeability, and maximum degradation temperature and increased the water content. A gradual increase in the water contact angle of the corn starch-glycerol films was observed with increasing gelatinization time. This trend is likely due to the disruptive effect of gelatinization on the crystalline and amorphous structures inherent in corn starch, resulting in reduced film crystallinity, degree of order (DO) and degree of double helix (DD)., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have declared no conflict of interest, (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Microbial electrolysis cell-assisted anaerobic digestion represents a promising approach for enhancing methanogenesis. This study investigated the impact of varying energy levels followed by long-term open circuit on biogas recovery from food waste. The results demonstrated that a mild voltage of 0.4 V resulted in 61.7% increase in methane yield, with a methane composition reaching 78.89% vol and a remarkable reduction in digestion time by 8 days. Additionally, the facilitated effects remained after prolonged periods of open-circuit. In-depth study revealed that energization significantly enhanced organic hydrolysis, redox proteins secretion and sludge electro-activity. Microbial communities showed that the ever-present energization enriched the hydrolytic bacterium and electrophiles. Subsequent investigations also revealed the upgradation of enzyme-encoding genes associated with hydrolysis and the synthesis of flavin and its homologs (i.e. ribE, ssuE and nfrA2). These findings collectively demonstrated the enduring benefits of energization were linked to the enhanced hydrolysis and regulated mediator-mediated electron transfer pathway., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The prevalence of obesity and its associated metabolic disorders has emerged as one of the most significant health threats worldwide. The visceral adipose tissue regulatory T cells (VAT Treg) play an essential role in maintaining homeostasis and preventing obesity mainly by secreting Interleikin-10 (IL-10) and Transforming Growth Factor β (TGF-β). However, the mechanism that regulates VAT Treg quantity and function remains unclear. Here we elucidate the pivotal role of IL-27 signaling in sustaining the accumulation of VAT Treg cells, thereby conferring protection against obesity. We found that mice with the deficiency of IL-27 receptor Wsx1 gained more body weight and VAT weight than their wild-type littermates when fed both a normal-fat diet (NFD) and a high-fat diet (HFD). Notably, the population of VAT Treg cells was reduced in Wsx1 knockout (KO) mice, regardless of whether they were fed a normal-fat diet (NFD) or a high-fat diet (HFD). Correspondingly, the expression levels of the transcription factors FOXP3 and PPAR-γ, essential for VAT Treg function, were also diminished in Wsx1 KO mice. Taken together, our findings indicate that IL-27 signaling plays a protective role in obesity by supporting the maintenance and accumulation of VAT Treg cells., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To explore the causal relationship between ferroptosis-related gene heat shock protein A5 (HSPA5) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)., Methods: A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) design was employed to evaluate the causal relationships among HSPA5, regulatory T cells (Tregs), and liver cancer. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with HSPA5, HCC and Tregs were selected as instrumental variables through publicly available genome-wide association studies (GWAS) databases. MR analysis was used to assess the direct effect of HSPA5 on HCC, followed by two-step MR to analyze the potential mediating role of Tregs. Reverse MR analysis was conducted with liver cancer as the exposure and HSPA5 as the outcome. Inverse variance weighting (IVW) was the primary method for testing causal associations in all MR analyses. Robustness of the results was confirmed through MR Egger, weighted median, weighted mode, and simple mode methods. Heterogeneity of instrumental variables was evaluated using Cochrane's Q statistic, while pleiotropy was tested by MR-Egger intercept and MR-PRESSO, with leave-one-out sensitivity analysis performed for robustness. Data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Human Protein Atlas (HPA) were utilized to verify the expression levels of HSPA5 in liver cancer tissues and its correlation with Tregs to reveal the interaction mechanisms between HSPA5 and Tregs in HCC progression and their relationship with patient prognosis., Results: MR analysis showed a positive correlation between elevated HSPA5 expression and liver cancer risk (all P <0.01), while reverse MR analysis found no statistically significant association between liver cancer and HSPA5 ( P >0.05). HSPA5 expression was significantly correlated with Tregs function (all P <0.05), and the enrichment of Tregs in the liver cancer microenvironment was positively associated with liver cancer progression (all P <0.05). Mediation analysis indicated that Tregs accounted for 5.00% and 7.45% of the mediation effect between HSPA5 and liver cancer. TCGA and HPA database analysis revealed that both HSPA5 mRNA and protein expression levels were higher in liver cancer tissues compared to normal tissues, and high HSPA5 expression was significantly associated with poor patient prognosis. Immune infiltration analysis confirmed a significant positive correlation between HSPA5 and Tregs, with high Tregs infiltration closely related to HCC progression., Conclusions: Elevated HSPA5 expression is significantly associated with HCC development and poor prognosis. HSPA5 may promote HCC progression by regulating the function of Tregs in the tumor microenvironment.

Aryl nitriles are highly versatile and useful compounds. A palladium-catalyzed cyanation of diaryl sulfoxides using bench-stable Zn(CN) 2 as the cyanating reagent has been developed. The reaction proceeded well using Pd(OAc) 2 as the catalyst with the inexpensive ligand PCy 3 in the presence of t -BuONa. The method has a broad scope of substrates and is scalable. The regioselective cyanation of unsymmetrical diaryl sulfoxides was observed at the side of electron-deficient and more steric hindered aryl groups.

New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-5 (NDM-5)-producing carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) is characterized by high virulence, high morbidity, and mortality, and the detection rate in children has increased in recent years. Therefore, it is urgent to develop new therapeutic targets and strategies. Non-coding small RNA (sRNA)-mediated RNA-based therapies offer a new direction for the treatment of bacterial infections, especially resistant bacteria. This study first analyzed the transcriptional expression profiles of NDM-5-producing CRKP and Carbapenem-susceptible Klebsiella pneumoniae (CSKP) isolates from the clinic by RNA-seq. A total of 4,623 genes were obtained, of which 307 genes were differentially expressed in NDM-5-producing CRKP, and these differentially expressed genes are mainly related to metabolism. Then, by analyzing the length and secondary structure of genes that could not match the reference gene and non-redundant protein database, we obtained 268 sRNAs, of which 13 sRNAs were differentially expressed in NDM-5-producing CRKP. After the expression level of differentially expressed sRNA was verified by RT-PCR to be consistent with that of RNA-seq, we chose sRNA207 as our research target. By knockdown of sRNA207 and smf-1 (the predicted target mRNA of sRNA207) in the strain, we found that increased expression of sRNA207 promoted biofilm formation by stabilizing expression of smf -1, which in turn affected the resistance of NDM-5-producing CRKP to carbapenems. This provides a new approach to treat CRKP infection., Importance: sRNAs form a regulatory network that regulates bacterial virulence, drug resistance, and other functions by targeting mRNAs. However, sRNA expression profile and function of NDM-5-producing carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) are still unknown. In this study, we analyzed the sRNA expression profiles of NDM-5-producing CRKP obtained from clinical by referring to the methods of previous articles. A total of 268 candidates sRNAs were obtained, of which 248 were newly discovered. More importantly, 13 sRNAs were differentially expressed in NDM-5-producing CRKP compared with CSKP. We knocked down sRNA207 in NDM-5-producing CRKP to validate its effect on smf -1, biofilm, and resistance of strains. We also confirmed the role of smf -1 in biofilm formation and drug resistance of NDM-5-producing CRKP by constructing smf -1-knockdown strain. The results suggest that smf -1 is the target gene of sRNA207. Increased expression of sRNA207 in NDM-5-producing CRKP stabilizes smf -1 expression, which in turn affects the resistance of the strains through biofilm formation.

To investigate the effect of the through-bond coupling strength on the symmetry-breaking charge separation (SB-CS) dynamics and mechanism, three 9,10-bis((4-hexylphenyl)ethynyl)anthracene dimers with varying distances, viz., a single-bond linked dimer (0-dimer), a phenylene linked dimer (1-dimer) and a para-biphenylene linked dimer (2-dimer), were synthesized and studied systematically using steady-state and transient spectroscopy. Steady-state absorption spectra revealed that the electronic coupling strength decreased gradually with the increase of the inter-chromophore distance, and the transition of S 0 →S 1 includes the dark charge transfer (CT) excitation. fs-TA spectra demonstrated that SB-CS could be conducted in both weakly and highly polar solvents for 0-dimer, but the SB-CS dynamics has a significant difference. In weakly polar solvents, SB-CS only produces the partial CT (PCT) state, but it could generate the CT state via the PCT state in highly polar solvent. In comparison, SB-CS is only proceeded in highly polar solvents in 1-dimer and 2-dimer to produce the CT state directly. These results demonstrate that the SB-CS dynamics is strongly dependent on the inter-chromophore electronic coupling, and the relatively strong electronic coupling is crucial for the occurrence of SB-CS in weakly polar environment that is commonly presented in photoelectric devices., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: none declared.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is susceptible to various abiotic stresses, such as salt, cold, and drought. Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore the relevant genes that enhance tolerance to these stresses. In this study, we identified a gene, OsNCED4 (9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase 4), which regulates tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses. OsNCED4 encodes a chloroplast-localized abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthetic enzyme. The expression of OsNCED4 gene was significantly induced by 150 mM NaCl and cold stress. Disruption of OsNCED4 by CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)/Cas9-mediated mutagenesis resulted in significant sensitivity to NaCl and cold stress. The salt and cold sensitivity of osnced4 mutant was due to the reduction of ABA content and the excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) under stress. Moreover, OsNCED4 also regulates drought stress tolerance of rice seedlings. Taken together, these results indicate that OsNCED4 is a new regulator for multiple abiotic stress tolerance in rice, and provided a potential target gene for enhancing multiple stress tolerance in the future., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

To explore starch straws with low water absorption rate (WAR) and not prone to brittleness during long term storage. Glycerol and erythritol were used as composite plasticizers to explore their effects on the structure of starch straws. The results showed that G:E (60:40) had the lowest bending force (Fb = 12.58 N) and relative crystallinity (RC = 10.05 %). G:E (40:60) had the lowest water absorption rate. With the increase of erythritol contents, the proportion of starch straws short chains (A + B1) increased. Starch straws are easier to be broken during long term storage as the percentages of erythritol increased from 80 to100. However, G:E (40:60) and G:E (60:40) not only had higher flexibility (Eb = 6.12 N/cm and 7.47 N/cm) but greater hardness (Fb = 39.37 N and 45.42 N). Therefore, the addition of glycerol can inhibit the precipitation of erythritol and has an ideal plasticizing effect than single plasticizer., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest We confirm that there are no any conflicts of interest with respect to this publication and there has been no financial support for this article that could influence the outcome., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Ethylbenzene (EB)-induced hepatotoxic effects has been indicated as oxidative damage and mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in vivo in our previous study, yet the mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the role of the mTOR-p70S6K signaling pathway in EB-induced hepatoxic effects in vitro. Normal human hepatocytes (L02 cells) were exposed to different concentrations of ethylbenzene (0-10 mM) for 24 h. In vitro, we found that EB treatment decreased the viability of L02 cells, via inducing oxidative stress, mitochondrial impairments, excessive apoptosis and autophagy. These were accompanied by the inactivation of the mTOR-p70S6K signaling cascade, as manifested by the decreased levels of related molecules Atg family proteins and Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). These findings were further confirmed by mTOR inhibitor treatment and immunofluorescence analysis. Jointly, our results indicate that EB induces hepatoxic effects by triggering mitochondrial impairments and excess apoptosis and autophagy in L02 cells via suppressing the mTOR-p70S6K signaling, and oxidative stress affects the passive up-regulation of HO-1., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Unidirectional spin Hall magnetoresistance (USMR) has emerged as a promising candidate for magnetoresistive random-access memory (MRAM) technology. However, the realization of high signal-to-noise output signal in USMR devices has remained a challenge, primarily due to the limited USMR effect at room temperature. In this study, we report a large USMR effect in FeNi/Pt/Bi₂Se₃ trilayers through interfacial engineering with Pt to optimize the spin current transmission efficiency and electron-magnon scattering. Our devices exhibit a USMR value that is an order of magnitude higher than previously reported systems, reaching 30.6 ppm/MA/cm² at room temperature. First-principles calculations and experimental observations suggest that the Pt layer not only preserves the spin-momentum locked topological surface states in Bi₂Se₃ at the Fermi-level but also generates additional Rashba surface states within the Pt itself to enhance the effective SOT efficiency. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the two-terminal USMR-MRAM devices show robust output performance with 2 nd harmonic resistance variation around 0.11 Ω/mA. Remarkably, the performance of these devices further improves at elevated temperatures, highlighting their potential for reliable operation in a wide range of environmental conditions. Our findings pave the way for future advancements in high-performance, energy-efficient spintronic memory devices., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is one of the most lethal malignancies worldwide. This study aimed to examine the clinical benefits of new systemic therapies derived from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published from 2002 to 2023 based on the magnitude of clinical benefit scale developed by the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO-MCBS)., Methods: We searched PubMed for Phase 3 RCTs on systemic therapy for SCLC published between January 2002 and December 2023. Therapeutic benefit was graded from 5 to 1 according to the ESMO-MCBS framework, with a score of 4 or 5 representing a meaningful clinical benefit. The statistical power of the trial design was also assessed using ESMO-MCBS., Results: Sixty-four RCTs with 23 683 participants were eligible for inclusion. The number of RCTs related to molecular targeted therapy or immunotherapy has increased over the years. Among the 62 RCTs for which statistical power could be evaluated, 38 (61.3%) were designed to identify an effect size that would meet the ESMO-MCBS benefit threshold and were less likely to investigate second- or subsequent-line treatment (15.8% vs. 50.0%, p = 0.004), have noninferiority design (0% vs. 25.0%, p = 0.002) and set PFS (0% vs. 16.7%) or response rate (0% vs. 16.7%) as the only primary endpoint (p = 0.002). The ESMO-MCBS framework was applied in 29 RCTs reporting positive results, and only 8 (27.6%) met the threshold for a clinical benefit. The RCTs designed to detect differences that would meet the thresholds were more likely to demonstrate meaningful clinical benefit (87.5% vs. 50.0%, p = 0.099)., Conclusion: Most positive SCLC-RCTs did not meet the ESMO-MCBS threshold for meaningful clinical benefits. Strict power calculations should be adopted in the design of future RCTs., (© 2024 The Author(s). The Clinical Respiratory Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The main stream of the Tarim River is a crucial part of China's ecological security strategy within the "two screens and three belts" framework, serving the "northern sand control belt" and the ecological civilization corridor. Evaluating and understanding desertification dynamics and driving factors is essential for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and promoting ecological civilization. This study, based on the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, quantified the desertification process of the Tarim River's main stream from 1990 to 2020 using Landsat series satellite imagery from Google Earth Engine. Additionally, we employed panel data models to analyze the driving roles of climate change, socio-economic factors, and policies in desertification.Results indicate that between 1990 and 2020, desertification in the main stream of the Tarim River initially intensified, with 15% of the area experiencing desertification between 1990 and 2000. However, this trend was subsequently reversed, with only 0.6% of the area undergoing desertification over the 30-year period. Extensive economic development (-37.2%) and population growth (-48.7%) were the predominant factors exacerbating desertification in the initial period (1990-2000), whereas positive policies (55.3%) were the key to reversing desertification in the main stream of the Tarim River over the past 30 years.We also explored whether policies necessarily play a positive role in combating and preventing desertification. Based on this, we suggest actively engaging in interdisciplinary research and linking research outcomes with practical situations to formulate scientifically sound policies and measures for desertification prevention and control., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

To achieve starch straws with high strength and large toughness, the effects of annealing time on structural and functional performances of mung bean starch straws were studied. The results revealed that with increasing annealing time from 0to 60 min, the ratios of 1047 cm -1 /1022 cm -1 in Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy decreased from 1.37 to 1.20, and the relative crystallinities decreased from 12.09% to 11.01%. The relative crystallinity increased to 13.28% when annealing time increased to 120 min. The maximum bending force increased from 10.93 to 104.24 N, and modulus of elasticity enhanced from 0.93 to 62.68 N/mm when annealing time increased from 0 to 120 min. Starch straws annealed for 120 min had the lowest water absorption (94.61%), while starch straws annealed for 60 min had the highest water absorption (127.38%). This outcome not only lay a theoretical foundation for preparing biodegradable starch straws with excellent performance, but also apply for beverages, food container, food packaging films, and so on, strongly promoting starch industrial transformation and development., (© 2024 Institute of Food Technologists.)

Contact sites between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and plasma membrane (PM) play a crucial role in governing calcium regulation and lipid homeostasis. Despite their significance, the factors regulating their spatial distribution on the PM remain elusive. Inspired by observations in cardiomyocytes, where ER-PM contact sites concentrate on tubular PM invaginations known as transverse tubules, we hypothesize that PM curvature plays a role in ER-PM contact formation. Through precise control of PM invaginations, we show that PM curvatures locally induce the formation of ER-PM contacts in cardiomyocytes. Intriguingly, the junctophilin family of ER-PM tethering proteins, specifically expressed in excitable cells, is the key player in this process, whereas the ubiquitously expressed extended synaptotagmin-2 does not show a preference for PM curvature. At the mechanistic level, we find that the low-complexity region (LCR) and membrane occupation and recognition nexus (MORN) motifs of junctophilins can bind independently to the PM, but both the LCR and MORN motifs are required for targeting PM curvatures. By examining the junctophilin interactome, we identify a family of curvature-sensing proteins-Eps15 homology domain-containing proteins-that interact with the MORN&#95;LCR motifs and facilitate the preferential tethering of junctophilins to curved PM. These findings highlight the pivotal role of PM curvature in the formation of ER-PM contacts in cardiomyocytes and unveil a mechanism for the spatial regulation of ER-PM contacts through PM curvature modulation., Competing Interests: Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Polysaccharides and various secondary metabolites are the major bioactive ingredients in Bletilla striata tubers and their biosynthesis and accumulation are influenced by light intensity. However, the mechanisms underlying shading effects remain largely unknown. In the present study, we used a combined analysis of the physiology, metabolome, and transcriptome to investigate the physiological activities and bioactive component accumulation of B. striata under different shading treatments (S0, S50, S70, and S90). The dry weight of shoots and tubers, net photosynthetic rate, and polysaccharide content were highest in S50 and lowest in S90. The content of precursors (sucrose, Glucose-6P, and Mannose-6P) for polysaccharide synthesis significantly increased in S50. However, the expression levels of genes involved in starch biosynthesis decreased in S50. Several structural genes involved in secondary metabolism, including cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase (C4H), chalcone synthase (CHS), and 1-Deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase (DXS), showed decreased expression in S50. However, the shading effect on the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites (phenylpropanoids, flavonoids, and terpenoids) was inconsistent. Our study provides the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of shading on the biosynthesis of polysaccharides and secondary metabolites in B. striata and offers a theoretical basis for the artificial cultivation and industrial production of bioactive ingredients., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. The authors declare no conflict interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)