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Anxiety is a common psychological disorder associated with other mental disorders, with depression being the most common comorbidity. Few studies have examined the neural mechanisms underlying anxiety after controlling for depression. This study aimed to explore whether there are differences in cortical activation in anxiety patients with different severities whose depression are normal. In the current study, depression levels were normal for 366 subjects—139 healthy subjects, 117 with mild anxiety, and 110 with major anxiety. Using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and a verbal fluency task (VFT) to test subjects' anxiety and depression and cognitive function, respectively. A 53‐channel guided near‐infrared spectroscopic imaging technology (fNIRS) detected the concentration of oxyhemoglobin (oxy‐Hb). Correlation analysis between anxiety severity and oxy‐Hb concentration in the brain cortex was performed, as well as ANOVA analysis of oxy‐Hb concentration among the three anxiety severity groups. The results showed that anxiety severity was significantly and negatively correlated with oxy‐Hb concentrations in the left frontal eye field (lFEF) and in the right dorsolateral prefrontal area (rDLPFC). The oxy‐Hb concentration in the lFEF and the rDLPFC were significantly lower in the major anxiety disorder group than that in the control group. This suggests that decreased cortical activity of the lFEF and rDLPFC may be neural markers of anxiety symptoms after controlling for depression. Anxiety symptoms without depression may be result from the dysfunction of the cognitive control network (CCN) which includes the lFEF and rDLPFC. Anxiety disorders often experience an internal sense of loss of control and often be associated with depression. This study aimed to explore the neural mechanisms underlying anxiety after controlling for depress ive symptoms. We found that decreased cortical activity of the lFEF and rDLPFC may be neural markers of anxiety symptoms after control depressive symptoms. Anxiety symptoms without depressive symptoms may be result from the dysfunction of cognitive control network including lFEF and rDLPFC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The academic community has spent a lot of time and effort in recent years discussing the fact that gamification has a significant positive impact on encouraging user engagement behaviour. As the mainstream of current research, gamification affordance refers to the action possibilities provided by the gamified elements and features of gamified systems. However, there is a lack of research on how to improve users’ knowledge sharing behaviour by introducing gamification affordances into the social question and answer (Q&A) community. This study develops a causal relationship model between gamification affordance and knowledge sharing behaviour by utilising the social Q&A community as the research object. The fundamental characteristics of gamification affordance which users value are defined through a semi-structured interview based on a focus group. The results of the structural equation model analysis on Chinese users (n = 310) demonstrate that gamification affordances enhance the gamified experience of users, thus improving user satisfaction, and ultimately affecting users’ knowledge sharing behaviour. Furthermore, this study explored the important role of gamification affordance in the development of the social Q&A community and verified the significant role of gamified experience in enhancing the psychological outcomes of users. The study concludes with a discussion-worthy theoretical and practical significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Ottelia Pers. is in the Hydrocharitaceae family. Species in the genus are aquatic, and China is their centre of origin in Asia. Ottelia alismoides (L.) Pers., which is distributed worldwide, is a distinguishing element in China, while other species of this genus are endemic to China. However, O. alismoides is also considered endangered due to habitat loss and pollution in some Asian countries. Ottelia alismoides is the only submerged macrophyte that contains three carbon dioxide-concentrating mechanisms, i.e. bicarbonate (HCO3−) use, crassulacean acid metabolism and the C4 pathway. In this study, we present its first genome assembly to help illustrate the various carbon metabolism mechanisms and to enable genetic conservation in the future. Data description: Using DNA and RNA extracted from one O. alismoides leaf, this work produced ∼ 73.4 Gb HiFi reads, ∼ 126.4 Gb whole genome sequencing short reads and ∼ 21.9 Gb RNA-seq reads. The de novo genome assembly was 6,455,939,835 bp in length, with 11,923 scaffolds/contigs and an N50 of 790,733 bp. Genome assembly completeness assessment with Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs revealed a score of 94.4%. The repetitive sequence in the assembly was 4,875,817,144 bp (75.5%). A total of 116,176 genes were predicted. The protein sequences were functionally annotated against multiple databases, facilitating comparative genomic analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current assessment methods for diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) lack objectivity and consistency, posing a significant risk to diabetes patients, including the potential for amputations, highlighting the urgent need for improved diagnostic tools and care standards in the field. To address this issue, the objective of this study was to develop and evaluate the Smart Diabetic Foot Ulcer Scoring System, ScoreDFUNet, which incorporates artificial intelligence (AI) and image analysis techniques, aiming to enhance the precision and consistency of diabetic foot ulcer assessment. ScoreDFUNet demonstrates precise categorization of DFU images into "ulcer," "infection," "normal," and "gangrene" areas, achieving a noteworthy accuracy rate of 95.34% on the test set, with elevated levels of precision, recall, and F1 scores. Comparative evaluations with dermatologists affirm that our algorithm consistently surpasses the performance of junior and mid-level dermatologists, closely matching the assessments of senior dermatologists, and rigorous analyses including Bland–Altman plots and significance testing validate the robustness and reliability of our algorithm. This innovative AI system presents a valuable tool for healthcare professionals and can significantly improve the care standards in the field of diabetic foot ulcer assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most aggressive form of primary brain tumor, poses a considerable challenge in neuro-oncology. Despite advancements in therapeutic approaches, the prognosis for GBM patients remains bleak, primarily attributed to its inherent resistance to conventional treatments and a high recurrence rate. The primary goal of this study was to acquire molecular insights into GBM by constructing a gene co-expression network, aiming to identify and predict key genes and signaling pathways associated with this challenging condition. To investigate differentially expressed genes between various grades of Glioblastoma (GBM), we employed Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) methodology. Through this approach, we were able to identify modules with specific expression patterns in GBM. Next, genes from these modules were performed Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis using ClusterProfiler package. Our findings revealed a negative correlation between biological processes associated with neuronal development and functioning and GBM. Conversely, the processes related to the cell cycle, glomerular development, and ECM-receptor interaction exhibited a positive correlation with GBM. Subsequently, hub genes, including SYP, TYROBP, and ANXA5, were identified. This study offers a comprehensive overview of the existing research landscape on GBM, underscoring the challenges encountered by clinicians and researchers in devising effective therapeutic strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attack of donor tissues by pre‐formed anti‐pig antibodies is well known to cause graft failure in xenotransplantation. Genetic engineering of porcine donors to eliminate targets of these pre‐formed antibodies coupled with advances in immunosuppressive medicines have now made it possible to achieve extended survival in the pre‐clinical pig‐to‐non‐human primate model. Despite these improvements, antibodies remain a risk over the lifetime of the transplant, and many patients continue to have pre‐formed donor‐specific antibodies even to highly engineered pigs. While therapeutics exist that can help mitigate the detrimental effects of antibodies, they act broadly potentially dampening beneficial immunity. Identifying additional xenoantigens may enable more targeted approaches, such as gene editing, to overcome these challenges by further eliminating antibody targets on donor tissue. Because we have found that classical class I swine leukocyte antigens are targets of human antibodies, we now examine whether related pig proteins may also be targeted by human antibodies. We show here that non‐classical class I swine leukocyte proteins (SLA‐6, ‐7, ‐8) can be expressed at the surface of mammalian cells and act as antibody targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noncontiguous 2-level cervical disc herniation (NCT-CDH) is a common condition that often requires surgical intervention. In this study, we developed a surgical approach for the treatment of NCT-CDH using anterior percutaneous full-endoscopic single incision through the vertebral body. We provide a brief overview of its safety, efficacy, and feasibility, along with a description of our relevant surgical experience. A retrospective study was conducted, involving 30 patients who were followed up for at least 12 months. Preoperative and postoperative visual analog scale, Japanese Orthopedic Association scores, Nurick scores, intervertebral disc height, and modified Macnab criteria were recorded. Patients underwent regular radiological evaluations throughout the follow-up period. Postoperative computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and X-ray examinations revealed bone tunnel healing, intact drilled vertebral bodies without collapse, adequate decompression of the spinal canal, and normal cervical mobility. There was a significant improvement in postoperative visual analog scale, Japanese Orthopedic Association scores, Nurick scores, and modified Macnab criteria compared to the preoperative values (P < 0.05). Our study revealed that the anterior percutaneous full-endoscopic transcorporeal with single-incision treatment for NCT-CDH is a safe and feasible surgical method. Therefore, it can be considered as a viable treatment option for patients with NCT-CDH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Nanozyme with high oxidase-like activity was prepared by doping Mn2+ into PCN-224. • A colorimetric and photothermal dual-mode probe was developed for OPs detection. • TMB was the common signal of colorimetric and photothermal. • The probe realized the detection of OPs in tea, brown rice, and wheat flour. • Results of the two modes can be verified mutually, thus increasing sensitivity. Herein, a novel dual-mode probe for organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) colorimetric and photothermal detection was developed based on manganese modified porphyrin metal–organic framework (PCN-224-Mn). PCN-224-Mn had excellent oxidase-like activity and oxidized colorless 3,3,5,5-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to blue–green oxidation state TMB (oxTMB), which exhibited high temperature under near-infrared irradiation. l -ascorbate-2-phosphate was hydrolyzed by acid phosphatase to produce ascorbic acid, which weakened colorimetric and photothermal signals by impacting oxTMB generation. The presence of OPs blocked the production of ascorbic acid by irreversibly inhibiting the activity of acid phosphatase, causing the restoration of chromogenic reaction and the increase of temperature. Under the optimal conditions, the probe showed a good linear response to OPs in the concentration range of 5 ∼ 10000 ng/mL, using glyphosate as the analog. The detection limits of glyphosate in colorimetric mode and photothermal mode were 1.47 ng/mL and 2.00 ng/mL, respectively. The probe was successfully used for sensitive identification of OPs residues in tea, brown rice, and wheat flour. This work proposes a simple and reliable colorimetric/photothermal platform for OPs identification, which overcomes the problem that single-mode detection probes are susceptible to external factors, and has broad application potential in the field of food safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pod dehiscence brings much loss for modern agricultural production, and multiple pod dehiscence components have been identified in many plant species. However, the pod dehiscence regulation factors in soybean are limited. In this study, we investigate the function of GmDIR26, a close homologues gene of pod dehiscence genes GmPdh1, PvPdh1, and CaPdh1, in the regulation of pod dehiscence in soybean. The secondary and tertiary structure analysis reveals that GmDIR26 protein has a similar structure with GmPdh1, PvPdh1, and CaPdh1 proteins. Synteny analysis of soybean and chickpea genomes shows that the genomic region surrounding GmDIR26 and CaPdh1 might be evolved from the same ancestor, and these two genes might have similar function. GmDIR26 shows an increased expression pattern during pod development and reaches a peak at beginning seed stage. Meanwhile, GmDIR26 exhibits high expression levels in dorsal suture and pod wall, but low expression pattern in ventral suture. In addition, GmDIR26 shows higher expression levels in pod dehiscence genotype than that in pod indehiscence accessions. Overexpression of GmDIR26 in soybean increases pod dehiscence in transgenic plants, of which the lignin layer in inner sclerenchyma pods is thicker and looser. The expression levels of several pod dehiscence genes are altered. Our study provides important information for further modification of pod dehiscence resistance soybean and characterization of soybean pod dehiscence regulation network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As microelectronic technology advances, electronic devices have become faster and smaller. The electromagnetic radiation has negative effects on electronic device operation, how to eliminate the electromagnetic radiation has attracted much attention. Copper foil is the most commonly used and effective material for reducing electromagnetic radiation. In practical applications, it is necessary to use adhesive to fix it onto the surface of electronic devices. In this work, an integrated electromagnetic shielding material (AgPs/TPU@Cu hybrid film) was designed and prepared by a facile way, in which the mixture of silver particles (AgPs) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) was cured to form a AgPs/TPU composite film on the surface of copper foil (Cu) by a one-pot heating press processing. The horizontal and vertical electrical resistances of AgPs/TPU composite film decreased to 0.2 Ω and 0.47 Ω at the AgPs loading of 38 wt%, respectively, and the corresponding thermal conductivity reached 0.81 W m−1 K−1. Moreover, the AgPs/TPU@Cu hybrid film at the AgPs loading of 38 wt% exhibited the maximum electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) value of 105 dB. This work provides valuable information about EMI shielding technologies for practical electronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) possesses the potential of providing good curative effects with no side effects for the effective management of slow transit constipation (STC), an intestinal disease characterized by colonic dyskinesia. Mulberry leaves (Morus alba L.) and black sesame (Sesamum indicum L.), referred to as SH, are processed and conditioned as per standardized protocols. SH has applications as food and medicine. Accordingly, we investigated the therapeutic potential of SH in alleviating STC. The analysis of SH composition identified a total of 504 compounds. The intervention with SH significantly improved intestinal motility, reduced the time for the first black stool, increased antioxidant activity, and enhanced water content, thereby effectively alleviating colon damage caused by STC. Transcriptome analysis revealed the SH in the treatment of STC related to SOD1, MUC2, and AQP1. The analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated notable differences in the abundance of 10 bacteria between the SH and model. Metabolomic analysis further revealed that SH supplementation increased the levels of nine metabolites associated with STC. Integrative analysis revealed that SH modulated amino acid metabolism, balanced intestinal flora, and targeted key genes (i.e., SOD1, MUC2, AQP1) to exert its effects. SH also inhibited the AQP1 expression and promoted SOD1 and MUC2 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The six-dimensional (6D) pose object estimation is a key task in robotic manipulation and grasping scenes. Many existing two-stage solutions with a slow inference speed require extra refinement to handle the challenges of variations in lighting, sensor noise, object occlusion, and truncation. To address these challenges, this work proposes a decoupled one-stage network (DON6D) model for 6D pose estimation that improves inference speed on the premise of maintaining accuracy. Particularly, since the RGB images are aligned with the RGB-D images, the proposed DON6D first uses a two-dimensional detection network to locate the interested objects in RGB-D images. Then, a module of feature extraction and fusion is used to extract color and geometric features fully. Further, dual data augmentation is performed to enhance the generalization ability of the proposed model. Finally, the features are fused, and an attention residual encoder–decoder, which can improve the pose estimation performance to obtain an accurate 6D pose, is introduced. The proposed DON6D model is evaluated on the LINEMOD and YCB-Video datasets. The results demonstrate that the proposed DON6D is superior to several state-of-the-art methods regarding the ADD(-S) and ADD(-S) AUC metrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite 2-staged stereotactic radiosurgery (2-SSRS) has been reported to provide patients with improved survival and limited toxicity, 2-SSRS for brainstem metastases (BSM) larger than 2 cm3 remains challenging. We tried to find out the effectiveness and safety of 2-SSRS plus bevacizumab therapy for BSMs over 2 cm3 and prognostic factors that related to the tumor local control. Patients that received 2-SSRS plus bevacizumab therapy from four gamma knife center were retrospectively studied from Jan 2014 to December 2023. Patients' domestic characteristics and the tumor features were evaluated before and after the treatment. Cox regression model was used to find out prognostic factors for tumor local control. 53 patients with 63 lesions received the therapy. The median peri-tumor edema volume greatly reduced at the end of therapy (P < 0.01), the median tumor volume dramatically reduced (P < 0.01) and patients' KPS score improved significantly (P < 0.05) 3 months after the therapy. Patients' median OS was 12.8 months. The tumor local control rate at 3, 6, and 12 months was 98.4%, 93.4%, and 85.2%. The incidence side effects were mainly oral and nasal hemorrhage (5.7%, 3/53), and radiation necrosis (13.2%, 7/53). Patients with primary lung adenocarcinoma, therapeutic dose over 12 Gy at second-stage SRS, primary peri-tumor edema volume less than 2.3 cm³, primary tumor volume less than 3.7 cm³ would enjoy longer tumor local control. These results suggested that 2-SSRS plus bevacizumab therapy was effective and safe for BSMs over 2 cm3. However, it is important for patients with BSM to receive early diagnosis and treatment to achieve good tumor local control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractChatGPT and other AI chat information retrieval and processing service systems can deal with many problems, which are crucial for users, yet current research lacks depth in user experience. And those studies predominantly focus on positive aspects of user intention, which have a large limitation. Against this backdrop, this study, framed by Behavioral Reasoning Theory, utilizes factor analysis and linear regression to create a comprehensive user intention evaluation scale and model. The eight-factor evaluation scale, shaped by user values, includes supporting reasons like usefulness, convenience, growth, and interactivity, and inhibiting factors such as inaccuracy, semantic rigidity, security risk, and cognitive limitation. Attitude serves as an intermediary, positively affected by supporting factors and negatively influenced by inhibiting ones. Core factors impacting user intention are convenience, cognitive limitation, and security risk. This research not only bridges existing gaps but also lays a theoretical foundation for related industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Huanglian-Hongqu herb pair (HH) is a carefully crafted traditional Chinese herbal compound designed to address disorders related to glucose and lipid metabolism. Its primary application lies in treating hyperlipidemia and fatty liver conditions. This study explored the potential mechanism of HH in treating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) through network pharmacology, molecular docking, and in vivo animal experiments. Ultrahigh performanceliquid chromatography-quadrupole/orbitrapmass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was employed to identify the chemical composition of HH. Network pharmacology was used to analyze the related signaling pathways affected by HH. Subsequently, the prediction was verified by animal experiment. Finally, we identified 29 components within HH. Network pharmacology unveiled interactions between HH and 153 NAFLD-related targets, highlighting HH's potential to alleviate NAFLD through NF-κB signaling pathway. Molecular docking analyses illuminated the binding interactions between HH components and key regulatory proteins, including NF-κB, NLRP3, ASC, and Caspase-1. In vivo experiments demonstrated that HH alleviated NAFLD by reducing serum and liver lipid levels, improving liver function, and lowering inflammatory cytokine levels in the serum. Moreover, HH administration downregulated mRNA and protein levels of the NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway. In conclusion, our findings demonstrated that HH has potential therapeutic benefits in ameliorating NAFLD by targeting the NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway, facilitating the broader application of HH in the field of NAFLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Huanglian-Hongqu herb pair (HH) is a carefully crafted traditional Chinese herbal compound designed to address disorders related to glucose and lipid metabolism. Its primary application lies in treating hyperlipidemia and fatty liver conditions. This study explored the potential mechanism of HH in treating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) through network pharmacology, molecular docking, and in vivo animal experiments. Ultrahigh performanceliquid chromatography-quadrupole/orbitrapmass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was employed to identify the chemical composition of HH. Network pharmacology was used to analyze the related signaling pathways affected by HH. Subsequently, the prediction was verified by animal experiment. Finally, we identified 29 components within HH. Network pharmacology unveiled interactions between HH and 153 NAFLD-related targets, highlighting HH's potential to alleviate NAFLD through NF-κB signaling pathway. Molecular docking analyses illuminated the binding interactions between HH components and key regulatory proteins, including NF-κB, NLRP3, ASC, and Caspase-1. In vivo experiments demonstrated that HH alleviated NAFLD by reducing serum and liver lipid levels, improving liver function, and lowering inflammatory cytokine levels in the serum. Moreover, HH administration downregulated mRNA and protein levels of the NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway. In conclusion, our findings demonstrated that HH has potential therapeutic benefits in ameliorating NAFLD by targeting the NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway, facilitating the broader application of HH in the field of NAFLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the increasing significance of reverse channels in business-to-business markets, there is a need to establish a comprehensive understanding of issues related to reverse channel. The authors conduct a literature review to address the following questions: To what extent has theoretical development progressed in reverse channel research? What potential directions exist for future research in this domain? How can we enhance our understanding of research on reverse channels? The authors use Leavitt's diamond theory to discuss the research focus in reverse channel studies, specifically addressing channel strategies, actors, relationships, and technologies. Based on a literature review of reverse channel in academic journals across various disciplines, the authors summarize these studies on four topics: (1) Reverse channel strategies: This category primarily explores channel selection strategies and channel governance strategies. (2) Reverse channel actors: Research in this area differentiates between traditional, specialized, and complementary actors. (3) Reverse channel relationships: Studies on relationships delve into the various forms and outcomes, with an emphasis on incentives, positive interactions, joint actions, and trust. (4) Reverse channel technologies: Research in this domain focuses on relevant technologies in reverse channels, with an emphasis on information sharing and the transformative impact of Industry 4.0. The authors provide the first comprehensive literature review on reverse channels, summarizing critical research issues, and identifying potential topics for future research. Additionally, the paper offers important managerial implications on the design, setup, and operation in reverse channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renal involvement is common in monoclonal gammopathy (MG); however, the same patient may have both MG and non-paraprotein-associated renal damage. Accordingly, distinguishing the cause of renal damage is necessary because of the different clinical characteristics and associated treatments. In this multicenter retrospective cohort study, we described the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of 703 patients with MG and renal damage in central China. Patients were classified as having MG of renal significance (MGRS), MG of undetermined significance (MGUS), or hematological malignancy. 260 (36.98%), 259 (36.84%), and 184 (26.17%) had MGRS, MGUS, and hematological malignancies, respectively. Amyloidosis was the leading pattern of MGRS (74.23%), followed by thrombotic microangiopathy (8.85%) and monoclonal immunoglobulin deposition disease (8.46%). Membranous nephropathy was the leading diagnosis of MGUS (39.38%). Renal pathological findings of patients with hematological malignancies included paraprotein-associated lesions (84.78%) and non-paraprotein-associated lesions (15.22%). The presence of nephrotic syndrome and an abnormal free light chain (FLC) ratio were independently associated with MGRS. The overall survival was better in patients with MGUS than in those with MGRS or hematological malignancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence and distinction between first Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and reinfection with the Omicron variant among healthcare workers (HCWs) remain unclear. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a hospital in Southern China. The study included 262 HCWs who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 between April and June 2023, with 101 cases of first infection and 161 ones of reinfection. Student’s t-test, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and Mann-Whitney U tests were used based on the distribution of quantitative variables. Pearson’s chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were used based on the expected frequencies of categorical variables. Results: The reinfection rate among HCWs was 11.5% (161/1406). The majority of the infected HCWs were female (212/262, 80.9%, first infection vs. reinfection: 76.2% vs. 83.9%). The nursing staff, had the highest percentage of SARS-CoV-2 infection (42.0%), especially of its reinfection (47.8%). Out of the 262 infected individuals, 257 had received SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, primarily inactivated vaccines (243/257, 91.1%). The first infection group, which received four doses (24, 23.8%), was significantly higher than that in the reinfection group (6, 3.7%) (P < 0.001). The proportion of asymptomatic infections among HCWs in the two groups was 1.0% and 1.2%. The main symptoms during the first infection and reinfection were fever (83.2% and 50.9%) and sore throat (78.2% and 77.0%). There were significant differences in the prevalence of fever (83.2% vs. 50.9%), rhinorrhea (45.5% vs. 60.9%) and myalgia (56.4% vs. 37.9%) between the first infection and reinfection (P < 0.05). The average interval for SARS-CoV-2 reinfection was 149.9 (range: 114–182, SD = 11.9) days. Notably, physicians had the shortest average interval of 142.8 (8.8) days, while management and administrative staff had the longest average interval of 153.8 (13.5) days. Conclusions: Although the symptoms of HCWs during reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 were milder, the high reinfection rate and short interval between infections indicate the need to enhance monitoring and protective measures for HCWs during the epidemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Von Hippel–Lindau (VHL) protein, which is frequently mutated in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), is a master regulator of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) that is involved in oxidative stresses. However, whether VHL possesses HIF-independent tumor-suppressing activity remains largely unclear. Here, we demonstrate that VHL suppresses nutrient stress-induced autophagy, and its deficiency in sporadic ccRCC specimens is linked to substantially elevated levels of autophagy and correlates with poorer patient prognosis. Mechanistically, VHL directly binds to the autophagy regulator Beclin1, after its PHD1-mediated hydroxylation on Pro54. This binding inhibits the association of Beclin1-VPS34 complexes with ATG14L, thereby inhibiting autophagy initiation in response to nutrient deficiency. Expression of non-hydroxylatable Beclin1 P54A abrogates VHL-mediated autophagy inhibition and significantly reduces the tumor-suppressing effect of VHL. In addition, Beclin1 P54-OH levels are inversely correlated with autophagy levels in wild-type VHL-expressing human ccRCC specimens, and with poor patient prognosis. Furthermore, combined treatment of VHL-deficient mouse tumors with autophagy inhibitors and HIF2α inhibitors suppresses tumor growth. These findings reveal an unexpected mechanism by which VHL suppresses tumor growth, and suggest a potential treatment for ccRCC through combined inhibition of both autophagy and HIF2α. Synopsis: PHD1-mediated prolyl hydroxylation targets HIF-1α for VHL-dependent ubiquitination and is a key step in the cell's oxygen sensing machinery. This work shows that PHD1 and VHL also inhibit Beclin1 and autophagy initiation, with dysregulation leading to clear-cell renal cell carcinoma progression. PHD1 mediates Beclin1 Pro54 hydroxylation on pre-autophagosomal structures in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma cells. VHL binds to Pro54-hydroxylated Beclin1 and prevents the association between ATG14L and Beclin1/VPS34. VHL inhibits VPS34-dependent PI(3)P production, autophagy initiation, and kidney tumor growth. The Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) E3 ligase binds to proline-hydroxylated Beclin1, inhibiting the initiation of autophagy and blocking kidney tumor growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct asymmetric hydrogenation (AH) and asymmetric transfer hydrogenation (ATH) are among the most efficient approaches to produce chiral building blocks. Recently, these types of transformations have witnessed a shift towards the use of molecular catalysts based on earth‐abundant transition metals due to their ready availability, economic advantage, and novel properties. With particular regard to manganese, catalyst development has seen both the efficiency and substrate scope in AH and ATH greatly improved, with the emergence of a large number of well‐defined Mn‐complexes employed in this field. The reaction scope includes the AH and ATH of C=O bonds, asymmetric reduction of C=N bonds and the asymmetric reductive transformations of C=C bonds. Herein, our survey of the area focuses on the catalytic activity of such complexes, their versatility towards asymmetric transformations and the routes employed to convert substrates to their target molecules. We consider the collected findings of this article will be helpful to the reader by providing an insight into ligand design, thereby aiding future catalyst development. Moreover, this review is aimed at highlighting the remarkable progress made in the last seven years in the development of manganese complexes for enantioselective reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the widespread application of vortex tube in various fields, it becomes essential to quantitatively explore the separation effect of different fluids (natural fluids, hydrocarbons, etc.) within the vortex tube and to promote its utilization. A new approach has been developed in this study to establish quantitative models for predicting the thermal effects of different fluids in a vortex tube. These models are based on both the macro properties of the working fluid and micro molecular descriptor through a molecular scale. A dataset of 11 numerical simulation results of hydrocarbons and hydrofluorocarbons refrigerants is employed. Three operating conditions, 10 property parameters, and 115 molecular descriptors are screened and identified using random forest feature analysis. Two types of models (micro and macro) have been developed by employing artificial neural network (ANN) modeling techniques. In the result, four key influencing fluid property parameters (the specific heat ratio γ, the multiplication of heat capacity and the molar weight cp·M, the kinematic viscosity ν, and the thermal conductivity λ) and nine molecular descriptors in affecting the thermal effect are identified and respectively chosen as the input in the macro and the micro ANN model establishment. Both types of developed models show a high correlation coefficient (R >.999) and a comparatively low mean square error (MSE). When R600 is employed in the validation, most of the relative error is less than 10%, suggesting both types of models can work effectively in predicting the thermal effect for other fluid. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the thermodynamic effect of vortex tubes and provide a valuable tool for selecting and optimizing working fluids in various applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a recent systematic review, Bastos et al. (Ann Intern Med. 2021;174(4):501–510) compared the sensitivities of saliva sampling and nasopharyngeal swabs in the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection by assuming a composite reference standard defined as positive if either test is positive and negative if both tests are negative (double negative). Even under a perfect specificity assumption, this approach ignores the double-negative results and risks overestimating the sensitivities due to residual misclassification. In this article, we first illustrate the impact of double-negative results in the estimation of the sensitivities in a single study, and then propose a 2-step latent class meta-analysis method for reevaluating both sensitivities using the same published data set as that used in Bastos et al. by properly including the observed double-negative results. We also conduct extensive simulation studies to compare the performance of the proposed method with Bastos et al.'s method for varied levels of prevalence and between-study heterogeneity. The results demonstrate that the sensitivities are overestimated noticeably using Bastos et al.'s method, and the proposed method provides a more accurate evaluation with nearly no bias and close-to-nominal coverage probability. In conclusion, double-negative results can significantly impact the estimated sensitivities when a gold standard is absent, and thus they should be properly incorporated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quantile regression technique is introduced into the Lotka–Volterra ecosystem analysis framework. The quantile grey Lotka–Volterra model is established to reveal the dynamic trade relationship between China and the United States. An optimisation model is constructed to solve optimum quantile parameters. The empirical results show that the quantile grey Lotka–Volterra model shows higher fitting accuracy and reveals the trade relationships at different quantiles based on quarterly data on China–US trade from 1999 to 2019. The long-term China–US trade relationship presents a prominent predator–prey relationship because exports from China to the US inhibited China's imports from the United States. Moreover, we divide samples into five stages according to four key events, China's accession to the WTO, the 2008 global financial crisis, the weak global economic recovery in 2015, and the 2018 China–US trade war, recognising various characteristics at different stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work presented in this paper employed a resonant acoustic mixing (RAM) process to optimize the fine particle agglomeration process for dry powder inhalation to achieve efficient pulmonary delivery of melatonin. The formulation prepared by acoustic mixing with the double layer grids demonstrated superior agglomerate particle size distribution and approximately 90% of the metered dose in the dosing chamber was emitted from Turbuhaler® (90% emitted dose). Acceleration force during acoustic mixing significantly affected the packing fraction of mixtures and mechanical strength of agglomerates resulting in improved fine particle fraction. The particle agglomeration via RAM can improve the efficiency of agglomerate production by utilizing the internal space of the mixer to induce more particle collision. The agglomerates formulation exhibited ideal fine particle fraction of 47.65 ± 1.46% and 56.02 ± 2.55% at flow rates of 30 and 60 L/min, respectively. The fine particle deposition was only slightly affected at the lower air-flow rate, suggesting a reliable inhalation performance in vivo. [Display omitted] • Agglomeration was optimized via resonant acoustic mixing with double layer grids. • Emitted dose of about 90% was achieved by optimized agglomerate size distribution. • The superior dispersion contributed to a fine particle fraction of about 60%. • Aerosolization was only slightly affected by air flow rate to facilitate clinical trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellular blebbing has been widely recognized as a hallmark of processes such as apoptosis and cell migration. Here, we developed a novel double-layer compression microfluidic device to trigger the enforced blebbing of cells in a programmable manner. It was found that the critical compression for inducing membrane bleb in highly invasive or drug-resistant breast and lung cancer cell lines could be several times higher than that of their non-invasive or drug-sensitive counterparts. Furthermore, we showed that knockdown of annexin-6, a protein known to be heavily involved in membrane and calcium dynamics in cells, led to a significantly reduced cellular volume, reflecting a lowered intracellular pressure, and an ∼twofold increase in the critical compressive strain for triggering blebbing. The fact that hundreds of cells can be tested and automatically analyzed in our device at the same time highlights the potential of this simple and label-free method in applications such as cell sorting and disease detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through the implementation of a one-pot strategy, five examples of non-symmetrical [N,N-diaryl-11-phenyl-1,2,3,7,8,9,10-heptahydrocyclohepta[b]quinoline-4,6-diimine]iron(II) chloride complexes (aryl = 2,6-Me2Ph Fe1, 2,6-Et2Ph Fe2, 2,6-i-Pr2Ph Fe3, 2,4,6-Me3Ph Fe4, and 2,6-Et2-4-MePh Fe5), incorporating fused six- and seven-membered carbocyclic rings and appended with a remote para-phenyl group, were readily prepared. The molecular structures of Fe2 and Fe3 emphasize the variation in fused ring size and the skewed disposition of the para-phenyl group present in the N′,N,N″-ligand support. Upon activation with MAO or MMAO, Fe1–Fe5 all showed high catalytic activity for ethylene polymerization, with an exceptional level of 35.92 × 106 g (PE) mol−1 (Fe) h−1 seen for mesityl-substituted Fe4/MMAO operating at 60 °C. All catalysts generated highly linear polyethylene with good control of the polymer molecular weight achievable via straightforward manipulation of run temperature. Typically, low molecular weight polymers with narrow dispersity (Mw/Mn = 1.5) were produced at 80 °C (MMAO: 3.7 kg mol−1 and MAO: 4.9 kg mol−1), while at temperatures between 40 °C and 50 °C, moderate molecular weight polymers were obtained (MMAO: 35.6–51.6 kg mol−1 and MAO: 72.4–95.5 kg mol−1). Moreover, analysis of these polyethylenes by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy highlighted the role played by both β-H elimination and chain transfer to aluminum during chain termination, with the highest rate of β-H elimination seen at 60 °C for the MMAO-activated system and 70 °C for the MAO system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Allam cycle is a promising power cycle that could achieve 100% carbon capture as well as high efficiency. In order to further enhance system operating performance, here we propose a modified Allam cycle with an improved liquified natural gas (LNG) cold energy utilization method. The flow rate fluctuation of LNG is suppressed by variable speed adjustment of the air compressor, and the cold energy of LNG is transferred to liquid oxygen, which could implement a stable cold energy supply. The whole process is modeled including air separation unit and LNG supply path. Furthermore, the system thermodynamic and economic performance is evaluated through parametric analysis, and the proposed system superiority is highlighted by comparing with conventional Allam-LNG cycle. The results indicate that the system could achieve 70.93% of net thermal efficiency, 65.17% of electrical efficiency, and $403.63 million of net present value, which performs 5.76% and 6.48% enhancement of efficiency and 11% improvement of economic revenue. Moreover, the system off-design operation is assessed; 87% to 100% of compressor speed adjustment range is determined that could cope with −13% to 9% of LNG flow rate fluctuation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a reinforcement learning–based adaptive attitude control (RLAC) method for a class of hypersonic flight vehicles (HFVs) output constrained nonaffine attitude control problems subject to unmatched disturbances. First, by considering the strong coupling of HFVs attitude dynamics, the uncertainty of aerodynamic parameters and the complexity of the flight environment, a second-order multivariable nonaffine nonlinear control system is obtained. Then, by introducing specific nonlinear function and coordinate transformation techniques, the output constrained nonaffine control problem is transformed into a stabilization problem of several new variables. Moreover, dual actor-critic networks and their adaptive weight update laws are designed to cope with unknown unmatched and matched structural uncertainties. Meanwhile, two super-twisting disturbance observers integrated with dual actor-critic networks are designed to compensate unknown unmatched and matched external disturbances. With the help of the Lyapunov direct method, output constraint, convergence of the estimated weights, and stability of the system are proved. Finally, the validity as well as superiority of the proposed method are verified by numerical simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radio frequency current condensation effect reported in Reiman and Fisch (2018 Phys. Rev. Lett. 121 225001) is modeled in the nonlinear resistive magnetohydrodynamic code. A series of numerical investigations have been performed to investigate the enhancement of electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) by the current condensation effect during the control of neoclassical tearing mode (NTM) in tokamak plasmas. In the numerical model, both the parallel transport and the perpendicular transport of electron temperature are considered. The EC driven current and driven perturbed electron temperature can nonlinearly evolve within the given magnetic configuration and eventually reach saturation states. The input power threshold of ECCD and the fold bifurcation phenomenon are numerically verified via nonlinear simulations. The numerical results show good agreements with the analytical results. Moreover, spatial distributions of EC current for the two solutions at different condensed level are displayed. The control effectiveness of ECCD for large NTM islands has been evaluated while considering the current condensation effect. While taking into account current condensation effect, for a sufficiently large input power, a larger island can be more effectively stabilized than a smaller one, which suggests a reassessment of the previous idea that the ECCD should always be turned on as early as possible. The potential physics mechanism behind the ECCD control have all been discussed in detail. Furthermore, the condensation effect is found to have favorable effects on the radial misalignment of ECCD. In the consideration of the situation for extremely localized control needs, a highly peaked heating profile is adopted to verify that the fold bifurcation phenomenon still exists and the current condensation effect can still take effect in this extreme condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic diabetic wound repair is a global medical challenge. Developing a hydrogel dressing to effectively promote angiogenesis and detect wound state in diabetic wound management is an unmet medical requirement. Herein, a facile and efficient strategy to prepare self‐healing hydrogel with enhanced angiogenesis and real‐time monitoring for diabetic wounds is presented, by cross‐linking carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) with precoordinated europium‐ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (Eu‐EDTA) complexes. Benefiting from the dynamic and reversible coordination interaction formation, the hydrogel exhibits remarkable injectability and self‐healing properties, thus forming efficient coverage in irregular and deep wounds with minimally invasive procedures. Furthermore, the fluorescence of the hydrogel changes linearly with pH value in the range of 4.5–7.5 and enables real‐time pH measurement to monitor the wound state. More importantly, the hydrogel can effectively promote the proliferation and migration of endothelial cells and enhance tube formation ability, demonstrating great angiogenesis capacity in tissue remodeling. The in vivo experiments manifested that the hydrogel can enhance angiogenesis by upregulating the expression of angiogenesis‐related factors and downregulating matrix metalloproteinase‐9 (MMP‐9), contributing to granulation tissue formation, collagen deposition, and diabetic wound repair. This work can provide a promising strategy for diagnosis and therapy in clinical diabetic wounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exponential growth of global data traffic is driven by the unprecedented digitalization of the world. To meet the demands of next‐generation high‐capacity data communication systems, innovative solutions are required. Silicon photonics has gained significant attention due to its ability to integrate multiple core functions of optical interconnects into small‐scale chips, offering cost‐effective and scalable manufacturing capabilities. By leveraging silicon photonics, it becomes possible to address the challenge of scaling system complexity while reducing size, cost, and energy consumption. Despite its advantages, silicon has inherent limitations that restrict its application range, such as the weak plasma dispersion effect and relatively large bandgap. Recently, graphene has emerged as a promising solution for traditional silicon photonics because of its exceptional electrical and optical properties. For instance, graphene on a silicon chip enables nearly pure phase modulation and ultrafast photodetection beyond 500 GHz. Moreover, the demonstrated compatibility of graphene with wafer‐level integration paves the way for mass production of graphene‐based silicon photonic devices, offering improved yield, scalability, and cost‐effectiveness. In this work, a comprehensive review is provided, focusing on graphene‐based silicon photonic devices and their applications in optical interconnects, aiming to explore the potential of graphene in advancing silicon photonic technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Usutu virus (USUV) is an emerging arthropod-borne flavivirus that has expanded into multiple European countries during the past several decades. USUV infection in human has been linked to severe neurological complications, and no vaccine is now available against USUV. In this work, we develop a live-attenuated chimeric USUV vaccine (termed ChinUSUV) based on the full-length infectious cDNA clone of the licensed Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) vaccine strain SA14-14-2. In vitro studies demonstrate that ChinUSUV replicates efficiently and maintains its genetic stability. Remarkably, ChinUSUV exhibits a significant attenuation phenotype in multiple mouse models even compared with the licensed JEV vaccine. A single immunization with ChinUSUV elicits potent IgG and neutralizing antibody responses as well as T cell response. Passive transfer of sera from ChinUSUV-immunized mice confers significant protection against lethal homologous challenge in suckling mice. Taken together, our results suggest that ChinUSUV represents a potential USUV vaccine candidate that merits further development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Excessive abdominal fat deposition significantly impacts feed efficiency and meat yield of chicken, which is closely associated with adipocyte differentiation (adipogenesis). Adipogenesis is regulated by various transcription factors and signaling molecules. Our previous transcriptome study found that the NOTCH signaling pathway is significantly enriched during avian adipocyte differentiation. However, in previous studies, NOTCH1 exerts both positive and negative effects on adipogenesis. Here, we perturbed NOTCH1 expression in chicken adipocytes using different strategies and investigated the effects of NOTCH1 on gene expression and adipogenesis. This study demonstrated that NOTCH1 is a key regulator of avian adipogenesis and provides a potential target for molecular breeding to reduce abdominal fat deposition in chicken. The NOTCH signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in diverse developmental processes, including cell proliferation and differentiation. In this study, we investigated whether this signaling molecules also contribute to avian adipogenesis. Using previous mRNA-seq datasets, we examined the expression of 11 signaling members during avian adipocyte differentiation. We found most members are down-regulated throughout differentiation (p < 0.05). As a representative, NOTCH1 was decreased in cultured chicken abdominal adipocytes during adipogenesis at mRNA and protein levels (p < 0.05). Moreover, using an overexpression plasmid for NOTCH1's intracellular domain (NICD1), as well as siRNA and DAPT to activate or deplete NOTCH1 in cells, we investigated the role of NOTCH1 in avian adipogenesis. Our findings illuminate that NOTCH1 activates the expression of HES1 and SOCS3 while it decreases NR2F2 and NUMB (p < 0.05), as well as inhibits oleic acid-induced adipocyte differentiation (p < 0.01). We further demonstrate that HES1, a downstream transcription factor activated by NOTCH1, also significantly inhibits adipogenesis by suppressing PPARγ and C/EBPα (p < 0.01). Collectively, these findings establish NOTCH1 as a negative regulator of avian adipocyte differentiation, unveiling NOTCH signaling as a potential target for regulating avian fat deposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The zonal sea surface temperature (SST) gradient across the tropical Pacific is a pacemaker of the variable rates of global warming. In both historical simulations and future projections, the current state-of-the-art climate models show evident spread in the changes of zonal SST gradient, but the reasons remain unknown. Here, we quantify the contributions of internal variability and model spread to the uncertainty of zonal SST gradient changes by analyzing 342 realizations from CMIP5 and CMIP6 models and several sets of large-ensemble simulations. We found that the internal variability dominates the total uncertainty at multidecadal time scales (∼31-yr trends). Although the ratio of internal uncertainty to the total uncertainty declines along with higher emission of greenhouse gases under global warming, it is still over 80% at the multidecadal time scales in the future. The Pacific decadal oscillation is identified as the key internal mode responsible for the multidecadal uncertainty. For the future projections at centurial time scales, the uncertainty of zonal SST gradient changes is mainly from the intermodel spread in response to external forcing, accounting for about 70% of the uncertainty based on the difference between 2070–99 and 1970–99. The model spread in the cloud–shortwave radiation–SST feedback over the tropical Pacific is important in the uncertainty of zonal SST gradient changes. In particular, the intensity of negative convective cloud feedback in the western Pacific dominates the spread in CMIP5 models, while the intensity of stratocumulus cloud feedback over the southeastern Pacific is the primary process influencing the uncertainty in CMIP6 models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Poor ovarian response (POR) is a big challenge for in vitro fertilization. The traditional Chinese medicine, Cai's Prescription of Tonifying Kidney and Strengthening Vitals (Cai's Prescription) has yielded satisfactory results for POR treatment clinically, but systematic scientific research of Cai's Prescription is not well reported. This study aimed to investigate the clinical effect of Cai's Prescription on poor ovarian responders and its biological mechanism. Methods: Serum was collected from poor ovarian responders, and IL-1β, INFγ, FSH, E2 and AMH levels were analyzed by ELISA. Ovarian antral follicles were identified and counted using transvaginal ultrasound. The embryo quality grading were done on day 3 after retrieval. We used high-throughput sequencing of granulosa cells to investigate the gene transcription patterns of ovarian granulosa cells in poor ovarian responders after Cai's Prescription pretreatment. The expression level of ARHGAP4 was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR and western blot. The effects of ARHGAP4 for granulosa cells were analyzed by CCK-8 assay, annexin-V and PI staining, ELISA and western blot. The effects of Cai's Prescription on the expression of PI3K-Akt pathway and apoptosis were analyzed by western blot. Results: In this study, we found that Cai's Prescription pretreatment had the tendency to improve the ovarian reserve function and could increase the number of high quality embryos for poor ovarian responders. Through high-throughput sequencing of mRNA in granulosa cells, we discovered ARHGAP4, which is a member of GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) may be a candidate target for POR treatment. ARHGAP4 was significantly increased in poor ovarian responders and can be recovered after Cai's Prescription pretreatment. Mechanically, combining the cell line model and clinical tissue samples, we found that ARHGAP4 can accelerate cell apoptosis and inflammation response in granulosa cells via PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. In addition, Cai's Prescription pretreatment for three months significantly reduced the high level of ARHGAP4 in poor ovarian responders. Conclusion: This study shows that the traditional Chinese medicine, Cai's Prescription yielded satisfactory results for poor ovarian responders clinically and ARHGAP4 may be a candidate target for POR treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information metasurfaces (IMSs) have been considered to be a revolutionary technology for improving the spectral efficiency of sixth‐generation (6G) wireless communications due to their superior ability to manipulate electromagnetic (EM) waves. However, there are still problems to be solved before the widespread application of IMSs. The first is to reduce power consumption, and the second is to achieve a long‐range remote control. In this paper, a long‐range and nearly passive radio frequency identification (RFID)‐controlled IMS is proposed. The proposed IMS comprises four RFID tags and 8 × 8 elements, each of which is integrated with a single‐pole‐double‐throw switch chip to achieve 1‐bit phase reconfigurability. With the remote control of the RFID system, the IMS can be programmed to switch between three functionalities, including beam splitting, beamforming, and EM‐wave absorption. Experiments are performed and the beam‐splitting functionality is demonstrated. The measurement results indicate that the wireless communication between the RFID reader and the IMS is robust within 21.7 m. Additionally, the power consumption of the IMS is as low as 0.576 mW, which can be negligible. The scheme presented in this paper paves the way for the large‐scale applications of IMSs in 6G wireless communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prestress loss of anchor cables can cause a change in the internal force for the support structure of a foundation pit or slope, which may cause engineering accidents. The coupling effect between an anchor cable and the creep of rock and soil is the main factor that leads to the loss of prestress of the anchor cables. However, the traditional Hooke–Kelvin (H-K) viscoelastic model could not accurately predict the long-term loss of prestress. To solve this problem, based on the H-K viscoelastic model, a new H-3K viscoelastic model was proposed, consisting of two generalized Kelvin bodies connected in parallel, and its creep equation and relaxation equation were also derived. Focusing on slope engineering in Longnan City, Gansu Province, China, the prestress of anchor cables calculated by the proposed model were compared with the monitoring data. The result that the H-K creep coupling model is more accurate in predicting prestress loss of anchor cables in the initial stage, but from a long-term perspective, the H-3K creep coupling model provided a more accurate prediction. By connecting more generalized Kelvin bodies in parallel, stress shared by the elastic body can be reduced and stress loss due to anchor cable relaxation can be approximately compensated for to make the prediction results closer to the monitored values. However, when there are more than three Kelvin bodies in parallel, the model prediction results will change only slightly. Therefore, the H-3K creep coupling model is sufficient for practical engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flexible movement of racks in the mobile-rack picking system (MRPS) significantly improves the picking efficiency of e-commerce orders with the characteristics of "one order multi–items" and creates a challenging problem of how to place racks in the warehouse. This is because the placement of each rack in the MRPS directly influences the distance that racks need to be moved during order picking, which in turn affects the order picking efficiency. To handle the rack location optimization problem (RLOP), this work introduces a novel idea and methodology, taking into account the heat degree and the relevance degree of racks, to enhance the efficiency of rack placements in the MRPS. Specifically, a two-stage solution strategy is implemented. In stage 1, an integer programming model (Model 1) is developed to determine the heat and relevance degree of racks, and it can be solved quickly by the Gurobi. Stage 2 entails developing a bi-objective integer programming model (Model 2) with the objective to minimize the travel distances of robots in both heavy load and no-load conditions, using the rack heat and relevance degree as inputs. In light of the challenge of decision coupling and the vast solution space in stage 2, we innovatively propose two lower bounds by slacking off the distance between storage locations. A matheuristic algorithm based on Benders decomposition (MABBD) is designed, which utilizes Benders-related rules to reconstruct Model 2, introduces an enhanced cut and an improved optimal cut with RLOP characteristics, and designs the warm start strategy and the master variable fixed strategy. Given the substantial size of real-life problems, the Memetic algorithm (MA) is specifically devised to address them. Instances of varying sizes are also employed to validate the science and efficacy of the model and algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A robust diphosphine-ruthenium(II) complex has been developed that can efficiently catalyze hydromethylation of N-heteroarenes to form N-methyl saturated N-heterocycles viz the reduction of N-heterocycles coupled with C–N bond formation. Both indoles and quinolines can be transformed to their corresponding N-methyl indolines and N-methyl 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolines with high conversion (e.g., 12 indoles and 9 quinolines). On the basis of a series of experiments, a possible mechanism has been proposed to account for the hydrogenation and methylation processes involved in the catalytic pathway. More importantly, this approach provides a potential route for using DME as a methyl source for the production of N-methyl saturated N-heterocycles via hydromethylation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the hydrogen atom abstraction (HAA) from C(sp3)−H bond has been well explored, the radical‐mediated chemo‐ and regio‐selective functionalization of allenic C(sp2)−H bond via direct HAA from C(sp2)−H bond of allene remains an unsolved challenge in synthetic chemistry. This is primarily due to inherent challenges with addition of radical intermediates to allenes, regioselectivity of HAA process, instability of allenyl radical toward propargyl radical et al. Herein, we report a copper catalyzed allenic C(sp2)−H cyanation of an array of tri‐ and di‐substituted allenes with exceptional site‐selectivity, while mono‐substituted allene was successfully cyanated, albeit with a low yield. In the developed strategy, steric N‐fluoro‐N‐alkylsulfonamide, serving as precursor of hydrogen atom abstractor, plays a crucial role in achieving the desired regioselectivity and avoiding addition of N‐centered radical to allene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the hydrogen atom abstraction (HAA) from C(sp3)−H bond has been well explored, the radical‐mediated chemo‐ and regio‐selective functionalization of allenic C(sp2)−H bond via direct HAA from C(sp2)−H bond of allene remains an unsolved challenge in synthetic chemistry. This is primarily due to inherent challenges with addition of radical intermediates to allenes, regioselectivity of HAA process, instability of allenyl radical toward propargyl radical et al. Herein, we report a copper catalyzed allenic C(sp2)−H cyanation of an array of tri‐ and di‐substituted allenes with exceptional site‐selectivity, while mono‐substituted allene was successfully cyanated, albeit with a low yield. In the developed strategy, steric N‐fluoro‐N‐alkylsulfonamide, serving as precursor of hydrogen atom abstractor, plays a crucial role in achieving the desired regioselectivity and avoiding addition of N‐centered radical to allene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aphids, the important global agricultural pests, harbor abundant resources of symbionts that can improve the host adaptability to environmental conditions, also control the interactions between host aphid and natural enemy, resulting in a significant decrease in efficiency of biological control. The facultative symbiont Serratia symbiotica has a strong symbiotic association with its aphid hosts, a relationship that is known to interfere with host–parasitoid interactions. We hypothesized that Serratia may also influence other trophic interactions by interfering with the physiology and behavior of major predators to provide host aphid defense. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the effects of Serratia on the host aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum and its predator, the ladybeetle Propylaea japonica. First, the prevalence of Serratia in different A. pisum colonies was confirmed by amplicon sequencing. We then showed that harboring Serratia improved host aphid growth and fecundity but reduced longevity. Finally, our research demonstrated that Serratia defends aphids against P. japonica by impeding the predator's development and predation capacity, and modulating its foraging behavior. Our findings reveal that facultative symbiont Serratia improves aphid fitness by disrupting the predation strategy of ladybeetle larvae, offering new insight into the interactions between aphids and their predators, and providing the basis of a new biological control strategy for aphid pests involving the targeting of endosymbionts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large skin wounds are one of the most important health problems in the world. Skin wound repair and tissue regeneration are complex processes involving many physiological signals, and effective wound healing remains an enormous clinical challenge. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a strategy to rapidly kill bacteria, promote cell proliferation and accelerate wound healing. At present, electrical stimulation (ES) is often used in the clinical treatment of skin wounds and can simulate the endogenous biological current of the body and accelerate the repair process of skin wounds. However, a single ES strategy has difficulty covering the entire wound area, which may lead to unsatisfactory therapeutic effects. To overcome this deficiency, it is essential to develop a collaborative treatment strategy that combines ES with other treatments. In this study, gold nanoparticles and antibacterial peptides (Os) were loaded on the surface of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) material through the reducibility and adhesion of polydopamine (PDA) and improved the electrical activity, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and biocompatibility properties of the polymer material. At the same time, this composite membrane material (Os/Au-PDA@PLGA) combined with ES was used in wound therapy to improve the wound healing rate. The results show that the new wound repair material has good biocompatibility and can effectively promote cell proliferation and migration. Through the combined application of gold nanoparticles and antibacterial peptides Os, the polymer materials have more efficient bactericidal and antioxidant effects. The antibacterial experiment results showed that gold nanoparticles could further enhance the antibacterial activity of antibacterial peptides. Furthermore, the Os/Au-PDA@PLGA composite membrane has good hydrophilicity and electrical activity, which can provide a more favorable cell microenvironment for wound healing. In vivo studies using a full-thickness skin defect model in rats showed that the Os/Au-PDA@PLGA composite membrane had a better therapeutic effect than the pure PLGA material. More importantly, the combination of the Os/Au-PDA@PLGA composite with ES significantly accelerated the rate of vascularization and collagen deposition and promoted wound healing compared with non-ES controls. Therefore, the combination of the Au/Os-PDA@PLGA composite membrane with ES may provide a new strategy for the effective treatment of skin wounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agglomerate formulations for dry powder inhalation (DPI) formed with fine particles are versatile means for the highly efficient delivery of budesonide. However, uncontrolled agglomeration induces high deposition in the upper airway, causing local side effects due to high mechanical strength, worse deagglomeration, and poor fine-particle delivery. In the present study, fine lactose was mechanically dry-coated prior to particle agglomeration, and the agglomerates were then spheroidized via ultrasonic vibration to improve their aerosol performance. The results showed that the agglomerate produced with the surface-enriched hydrophobic magnesium stearate and ultrasonic vibration demonstrated improved aerosolization properties, benefiting from their lower mechanical strength, less interactive cohesive force, and improved fine powder dispersion behavior. After dispersion utilizing a Turbuhaler® with a pharmaceutical cascade impactor test, a fine particle fraction (FPF) of 71.1 ± 1.3% and an artificial throat deposition of 19.3 ± 0.4% were achieved, suggesting the potential to improve the therapeutic outcomes of budesonide with less localized infections of the mouth and pharynx. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the road performance of asphalt mixture in high altitude regions, different amounts of UV absorber(UV-531)/naphthenic oil(NPO) were selected for the composite modification of SBS asphalt. To investigate the effect of compound modifiers on the road performance of SBS modified as-phalt and mixtures. The results showed that the UV-531/NPO compound modifier significantly improved the low-temperature deformability and temperature-sensitive properties of SBS asphalt of SBS asphalt com-pared to the original SBS asphalt, but reduced the high-temperature performance of the asphalt(ductility increased by 117.6%, equivalent brittle point and temperature sensing coefficient decreased by 52.0% and 11.9%, equivalent softening point reduced by 2.3 °C). At the same time, the compound modifier can significantly improve the low-temperature crack resistance of the mixture (9.61% reduction in bending stiffness modulus and 11.20% increase in maximum bending and tensile strain). However, it will have a certain degree of negative impact on its high-temperature stability and water stability. High altitude regions mainly consider the low-temperature crack resistance of the mixture. Hence, UV-531/NPO Compound modified asphalt and its mixture have great potential for application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This study aimed to investigate the role of plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1), a long non‐coding RNA, in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and its impact on the tumor microenvironment (TME). Methods: We assessed aberrant PVT1 expression in glioma tissues and its impact on GBM cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, we investigated PVT1's role in influencing glioma‐associated macrophages. To understand PVT1's role in cell growth and the immunosuppressive TME, we performed a series of comprehensive experiments. Results: PVT1 was overexpressed in GBM due to copy number amplification, correlating with poor prognosis. Elevated PVT1 promoted GBM cell proliferation, while its downregulation inhibited growth in vitro and in vivo. PVT1 inhibited type I interferon‐stimulated genes (ISGs), with STAT1 as the central hub. PVT1 correlated with macrophage enrichment and regulated CX3CL1 expression, promoting recruitment and M2 phenotype polarization of macrophages. PVT1 localized to the cell nucleus and bound to DHX9, enriching at the promoter regions of STAT1 and CX3CL1, modulating ISGs and CX3CL1 expression. Conclusion: PVT1 plays a significant role in GBM, correlating with poor prognosis, promoting cell growth, and shaping an immunosuppressive TME via STAT1 and CX3CL1 regulation. Targeting PVT1 may hold therapeutic promise for GBM patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Full endoscopic techniques are being gradually introduced from single-segment cervical disc herniation surgery to two-segment cervical disc herniation surgery. However, there is no suitable full endoscopic treatment for mixed-type two-segment cervical disc herniation (MTCDH) in which one segment herniates in front of the spinal cord and the other segment herniates behind the spinal cord. Therefore, we introduce a new full endoscopic technique by combining an anterior transcorporeal approach and a posterior translaminar approach. In addition, we provide a brief description of its safety, efficacy, feasibility, and surgical points. Methods: Thirty patients with MTCDH were given full endoscopic surgical treatment by a combined transcorporeal and transforaminal approach and were followed up for at least 12 months. Results: Clinical assessment scales showed that the patient's symptoms and pain were significantly reduced postoperatively. Imaging results showed bony repair of the surgically induced bone defect and the cervical Cobb angle was increased. No serious complications occurred. Conclusion: This technique enables minimally invasive surgery to relieve the compression of the spinal cord by MTCDH. It avoids the fusion of the vertebral body for internal fixation, preserves the vertebral motion segments, avoids medical destruction of the cervical disc to the greatest extent possible, and expands the scope of adaptation of full endoscopic technology in cervical surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• O 3 accelerates the electron transfer between Mn4+/Mn3+ in the Mn-TiO 2 catalyst. • O 3 synergizes with the Mn-TiO 2 catalyst to increase the mercury removal efficiency to 98%. • O 3 enables the oxidation adsorption of Hg0 in ESP temperature window (120–150 °C). • After the addition of O 3 , O latt becomes the primary active oxygen species. Ozone, known for its strong oxidizing properties, is commonly utilized in water pollution control. However, the catalytic ozonation of gaseous pollutants also shows potential as an emission reduction technology. The challenge lies in the high concentrations of ozone required in the catalytic process, which increases costs and complexity, hindering widespread adoption. Industrial electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) powered by high-voltage sources can produce ozone during operation, potentially causing environmental pollution if not managed. This study suggests utilizing a catalyst in the low-concentration ozone environment generated by an ESP for the catalytic oxidation of Hg0 in flue gas. The removal efficiency of Hg0 by either the catalyst alone or ozone alone (O 3 : 10 ppm) is modest at 43 % and 8 % respectively. However, when combined, the catalyst and ozone demonstrate a remarkable removal efficiency of over 98 %, significantly outperforming their individual capabilities. Furthermore, this process exhibits consistent high efficiency in a wide temperature range of 50–150 ℃. The study reveals that in the absence of O 3 , adsorbed oxygen acts as the primary oxidant, limiting the oxidation of Hg0. The introduction of O 3 enhances electron transfer within the Mn-Ti catalyst, optimizing the electronic structure of oxygen and enhancing the oxidizing capacity of lattice oxygen, resulting in superior Hg0 removal efficiency. These findings offer valuable insights for the catalytic ozonation of Hg0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]