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Meteoroids entering the Earth's atmosphere lose most of their mass during atmospheric passage and considerably disturb the background ionosphere. To elucidate better the effects of meteoroids on the near-Earth space environment, it is important to simultaneously observe various meteoroids and their related phenomena in the Earth's atmosphere. This study briefly describes a newly developed Meteor and ionospheric Irregularity Observation System (MIOS), which consists of a phased-array radar, a bi-static all-sky radar, and a multi-station optical imaging and spectroscopy subsystem. The MIOS can capture the processes of ablation and evaporation of meteoroids, creating luminous and ionization trails, and measure the properties of both the meteor trail and its corresponding meteoroid within a large field of view. Based on the MIOS, some observational modes and data processing methods have been developed, where the physical and chemical properties of meteoroids (including their velocity, mass, composition, and source region), meteor plasma head and trail irregularity and their structural evolution, and the instantaneous neutral wind can be obtained. Using the MIOS measurements, a preliminary study of some of the characteristics of meteoroids, meteor plasma head, meteor plasma trail field–aligned and non-field–aligned irregularities, meteor flare and dust trail irregularity, and ionospheric irregularity is presented.

BackgroundThoracic Aortic Dissection (TAD) is a life-threatening disease without effective drug treatments. The disruption of HASMCs homeostasis is one direct histopathologic alteration in TAD pathological process. Several miRNAs have been shown abnormally expressed in TAD and to regulate HASMCs homeostasis. The primary goal of this study is to identify the miRNAs and the specific mechanisms that lead to HASMCs homeostasis disruption.MethodsBulk miRNA sequencing was performed to explore the aberrantly expressed miRNA profile in TAD, and differentially expressed miRNAs were verified with qRT-PCR. To explore the role of the key miRNAs (miR-3529) in HASMCs homeostasis, we overexpressed this miRNA with lentivirus in HASMCs. Integrative transcriptomics and metabolomics analysis were used to uncover the functional roles of this miRNA in regulating HASMCs homeostasis. Further, the target gene of miR-3529 was predicted by bioinformatics and verified through a dual-luciferase reporter assay.ResultsBulk miRNA sequencing showed miR-3529 was elevated in TAD tissues and confirmed by qRT-PCR. Further experimental assay revealed miR-3529 upregulation induced HASMCs homeostasis disruption, accompanied by reducing contractile markers and increasing pro-inflammatory cytokines. Integrative transcriptomics and metabolomics analysis showed that miR-3529 overexpression altered the metabolic profile of HASMC, particularly lipid metabolism. ABCA1 was found to be a direct target of miR-3529. Mechanistically, the miR-3529/ABCA1 axis disrupted HASMCs homeostasis through the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.ConclusionsmiR-3529 is elevated in TAD patients and disrupts HASMCs homeostasis by reprogramming metabolism through the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. These findings favor a role for miR-3529 as a novel target for TAD therapy.

The dysfunction of pancreatic β-cells plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Despite numerous studies demonstrating the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of puerarin, the protective effects of puerarin on β-cells remain poorly understood. Hence, this study aimed to explore the effects of puerarin on β-cell dysfunction in a hyperglycemic environment via the PINK/Parkin-mediated mitochondrial autophagy pathway. The alterations in cell viability of MIN6 cells exposed to glucose concentrations of 5 mM, 10 mM, 20 mM, and 30 mM for 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h, respectively, were assessed using the CCK-8 assay to optimize the modeling conditions. Subsequently, cellular insulin secretion was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), apoptosis rate by flow cytometry, mitochondrial membrane potential alteration by JC-1, cellular ROS production by the DCFH-DA fluorescent probe, and fusion of cellular autophagosomes and lysosomes through adenoviral infection analysis. Furthermore, gene and protein expression levels of the PINK/Parkin-mediated mitochondrial autophagy pathway and mitochondrial apoptosis pathway were assessed using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blot, respectively. Results indicated a significant decrease in MIN6 cell viability following 48 h of exposure to 30 mM glucose concentration. Puerarin intervention markedly attenuated ROS production, restored mitochondrial membrane potential, induced PINK/Parkin-mediated mitochondrial autophagy, suppressed activation of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, mitigated apoptosis, and enhanced insulin secretion in a high glucose (HG) environment. The findings of this investigation contribute to a deeper understanding of the precise mechanism underlying the protective effects of puerarin on β-cells and offer a theoretical foundation for advancing puerarin-based therapeutics aimed at ameliorating T2DM.

Despite the corona-virus pandemic, Korean cosmetics maintain brand attachment in the Chinese market. This study identifies critical influencing and outcome factors of brand attachment within this consumer phenomenon. Specifically, it investigates the relationship between Chinese consumers' perceived brand authenticity and brand attachment, brand loyalty, willingness to pay a premium, and forgiveness. To this end, it uses AMOS 21.0 to analyze data collected through a questionnaire, testing the research model. The study reveals several key findings. Firstly, it assesses brand authenticity based on the following five sub-factors: consistency, naturalness, originality, advertisement truthfulness, and reliability. According to the assessment results, originality shows the most significant impact, followed by reliability, consistency, and naturalness. Furthermore, brand attachment significantly enhances brand loyalty, willingness to pay a premium, and forgiveness toward the brand. Higher levels of brand attachment lead to increased brand loyalty. In addition, greater brand attachment correlates with consumers' increased willingness to pay more for products and greater forgiveness towards the brand.

Background: A previous phase 1 dose-escalation study in Taiwan indicated CAN008 (asunercept) with standard concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) improved progression-free survival (PFS) in newly diagnosed glioblastoma (GBM) patients. This study evaluates the efficacy of CAN008 in promoting overall survival (OS) and identifies genetic alterations associated with treatment responses. Methods: We compared OS of 5-year follow-ups from 9 evaluable CAN008 cohort patients (6 received high-dose and 3 received low-dose) to a historical Taiwanese GBM cohort with 164 newly diagnosed patients. CAN008 treatment response-associated genetic alterations were identified by whole-exome sequencing and comparing variant differences between response groups. Associations among patient survival, tumor mutational burden (TMB), and genetic alterations were analyzed using CAN008 cohort and TCGA-GBM dataset. Results: OS for high-dose CAN008 patients at 2 and 5 years was 83% and 67%, respectively, and 40.1% and 8.8% for the historical GBM cohort, respectively. Better OS was observed in the high-dose CAN008 cohort (without reaching the median survival) than the historical GBM cohort (median OS: 20 months; p = 0.0103). Five high-dose CAN008 patients were divided into good and poor response groups based on their PFS. A higher variant count and TMB were observed in good response patients, whereas no significant association was observed between TMB and patient survival in the newly diagnosed TCGA-GBM dataset, suggesting TMB may modulate patient CAN008 response. Conclusion: CAN008 combined with standard CCRT treatment prolonged the PFS and OS of newly diagnosed GBM patients compared to standard therapy alone. Higher treatment efficacy was associated with higher TMB.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and heavy metals in marine systems have been given more and more attention due to their high toxicity and bioaccumulation capacity. After discharging into the marine systems, large proportions of POPs and heavy metals are likely to remain in coastal seas, causing serious contamination and high ecological risks. However, the lack of systematic studies restricts our understanding of POP and heavy metal cycling in coastal regions. Herein, the coastal regions along the Chinese Bohai Sea (an important fishing and typically polluted area) were chosen to establish a study model for investigating long-term spatial–temporal variations, risk assessments, and controlling factors of hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and heavy metals in coastal regions. The results showed that concentrations of HCHs, DDTs, and PAHs in sediment, and contents of heavy metals in seawater and sediment were higher than those in other coastal regions during 2015–2018 and that concentrations of As and Cu in approximately 95% and 20% of sampled organisms exceeded maximum permissible levels recommended by China and the WHO, respectively. The significantly temporal variations in HCH and PAH concentrations were indicative of increasing POP pollution, and no significantly temporal variations in most heavy metal concentrations were found. Meanwhile, the higher concentrations of POPs and heavy metals were mainly located in estuaries and other nearshore areas. The geo-accumulation index (Igeo), potential ecological risk index (PERI), and provisional tolerable daily intake (PTDI) showed that As, Cd and Hg should be listed as the primary heavy metal pollutants in sediment; higher dietary risk was posed by As through seafood consumption; the dietary risks posed by HCHs, DDTs, and PAHs were lower. Finally, the results of multiple regression, Pearson’s, and cluster analyses indicated that anthropogenic activities (e.g., industrial and agricultural discharges, and riverine input) played important roles in controlling HCH, DDT, PAH, and heavy metal distributions in coastal regions along the Chinese Bohai Sea. The outcomes of this study are expected to shed new light on an improved understanding of POP and heavy metal cycling and provide a scientific basis for contamination control in coastal systems.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of buccal acupuncture on postoperative analgesia, perioperative stress response and adverse events in elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic radical gastrectomy.MethodsIt was a prospective, outcome assessor-blinded, randomized controlled trial, involving 90 patients aged 65–80 years who were treated with an elective laparoscopic radical gastrectomy. They were randomly assigned to buccal acupuncture group (Group B) and control group (Group C). Buccal acupuncture was applied to patients of Group B before the induction of general anesthesia, while no additional application was given to those in Group C. Patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) with sufentanil was postoperatively performed in both groups. Sufentanil consumption and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score within 48 h postoperatively were assessed as primary outcomes. Secondary outcomes included peripheral levels of stress markers, intraoperative consumptions of anesthetic drugs and postoperative recovery.ResultsPatients in Group B presented significantly lower VAS scores within 24 h and less consumption of sufentanil within 48 h postoperatively (both p

Objective: To analyze the clinical features and genetic etiology of a patient with developmental and epileptic encephalopathy. Methods: The clinical information and peripheral blood of the patient and their family members were collected before the whole exome sequencing analysis was performed and Sanger sequencing was employed to verify the potential variant. Results: The patient presented with epilepsy and cerebral palsy with his parents, brother, and sister being all healthy. Whole exome sequencing analysis revealed that the child carried the paternal c.823del (p. R275Gfs*31) heterozygous variant and the maternal c.2456del (p.V819Gfs*190) heterozygous variant of the CACNA1B gene. Pedigree verification found that the elder brother and amniotic fluid of fetus in womb carried the paternal c.823del heterozygous variant, and the elder sister carried the maternal c.2456del heterozygous variant, which conformed to the law of autosomal recessive inheritance. Neither of these two variants has been reported in the literature and has not been included in the Genomic Mutation Frequency Database (gnomAD); according to the American Academy of Medical Genetics and Genomics Variation Grading Guidelines (ACMG), both variants are classified as pathogenic variants (PVS1+PM2-Supporting + PM3). Conclusion: This study reported the first case of a child with neurodevelopmental disorder and epilepsy caused by a new compound heterozygous variant of the CACNA1B gene in China, clarified its genetic etiology, enriched the mutation spectrum and disease spectrum of CACNA1B gene, and provided a basis for prenatal diagnosis of the family.

ObjectiveTo explore the effect of applying the online to offline teaching mode in the training of non-anesthesiology residents in department of anesthesiology.Trial designThe randomized controlled trial was performed on non-anesthesiology residents from Affiliated Jiangning Hospital of Nanjing Medical University.MethodsAll selected residents were randomly divided into the traditional teaching group (Group T) and the online to offline teaching group (Group O) by the random number table method. Traditional teaching mode was used in Group T, while the online to offline teaching mode was used in Group O. The training period lasted for two months. At the end of the training, theoretical and clinical skills were assessed for all residents, and students’ satisfaction scores on teaching were investigated from the aspects of teaching mode, stimulating learning interest, improving learning process and teaching satisfaction. The teaching efficiency was compared and analyzed in the two groups.ResultsIn total, 39 cases in Group O and 38 cases in Group T were included in the statistical analysis. Compared with Group T, theory test scores, clinical skills test scores, and overall scores improved significantly in Group O (82.2 ± 8.1 vs. 91.3 ± 7.6; 85.1 ± 4.7 vs. 93.3 ± 5.4 and 83.4 ± 6.4 vs. 92.1 ± 6.7, respectively, p

Isorhamnetin (ISO) is a phenolic compound belonging to flavonoid family, showcasing important in vitro pharmacological activities such as antitumor, anti-inflammation, and organ protection. ISO is predominantly extracted from Hippophae rhamnoides L. This plant is well-known in China and abroad because of its “medicinal and food homologous” characteristics. As a noteworthy natural drug candidate, ISO has received considerable attention in recent years owing to its low cost, wide availability, high efficacy, low toxicity, and minimal side effects. To comprehensively elucidate the multiple biological functions of ISO, particularly its antitumor activities and other pharmacological potentials, a literature search was conducted using electronic databases including Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus. This review primarily focuses on ISO’s ethnopharmacology. By synthesizing the advancements made in existing research, it is found that the general effects of ISO involve a series of in vitro potentials, such as antitumor, protection of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular, anti-inflammation, antioxidant, and more. This review illustrates ISO’s antitumor and other pharmacological potentials, providing a theoretical basis for further research and new drug development of ISO.

Winter continues to witness numerous automobile accidents attributed to graupel and hail precipitation in Japan. Detecting these weather phenomena using radar technology holds promise for reducing the impact of such accidents and improving road maintenance operations. Weather radars operating at different frequencies, such as C- and X-band, prove effective in graupel detection by analyzing variations in backscattered signals within the same radar volume. When particle diameters exceed 5 mm, the study of Mie scattering characteristics across different melting ratios reveals insights. The dual frequency ratio (DFR) shows potential for graupel detection. The DFR presents wider variations with ten-times difference in melting ratios with increased density, offering opportunities for precise detection. Additionally, the DFR amplitude rises with temperature changes. However, for hydrometeor diameters below approximately 3 mm, and within the Rayleigh region, the DFR exhibits minimal fluctuations. Hence, this technique is best suited for diameters exceeding 3 mm for optimal efficacy. Additionally, a “detection alert” for graupel/hail has been proposed. Based on this alert, and with realistic rain/graupel size distributions, graupel/hail can be detected with an approximate probability of 70%.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to investigate the clinical value of radiomics based on non-enhanced head CT in the prediction of hemorrhage transformation in acute ischemic stroke (AIS).Materials and methodsA total of 140 patients diagnosed with AIS from January 2015 to August 2022 were enrolled. Radiomic features from infarcted areas on non-enhanced CT images were extracted using ITK-SNAP. The max-relevance and min-redundancy (mRMR) and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) were used to select features. The radiomics signature was then constructed by multiple logistic regressions. The clinicoradiomics nomogram was constructed by combining radiomics signature and clinical characteristics. All predictive models were constructed in the training group, and these were verified in the validation group. All models were evaluated with the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA).ResultsOf the 140 patients, 59 experienced hemorrhagic transformation, while 81 remained stable. The radiomics signature was constructed by 10 radiomics features. The clinicoradiomics nomogram was constructed by combining radiomics signature and atrial fibrillation. The area under the ROC curve (AUCs) of the clinical model, radiomics signature, and clinicoradiomics nomogram for predicting hemorrhagic transformation in the training group were 0.64, 0.86, and 0.86, respectively. The AUCs of the clinical model, radiomics signature, and clinicoradiomics nomogram for predicting hemorrhagic transformation in the validation group were 0.63, 0.90, and 0.90, respectively. The DCA curves showed that the radiomics signature performed well as well as the clinicoradiomics nomogram. The DCA curve showed that the clinical application value of the radiomics signature is similar to that of the clinicoradiomics nomogram.ConclusionThe radiomics signature, constructed without incorporating clinical characteristics, can independently and effectively predict hemorrhagic transformation in AIS patients.

Cropland is the foundation of agriculture and the cornerstone of ensuring national food security. Ongoing advancement of China’s urbanization and social economy results in a tendency toward ‘non-agriculturalization’ of cropland in pursuit of economic benefits, which greatly threatens food security. Therefore, long-term monitoring of cropland is urgently needed. Based on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform, this paper uses the Landsat series and Sentinel-2 multisource images from 1990–2020 to dynamically monitor cropland in Yunnan Province. First, a multiresolution collaborative sample selection method was proposed and sample labels with resolutions better than 30 m from 1990 to 2015 were obtained. An ‘impervious surface-spectrum-texture-geometry’ (ISTG) feature system was constructed and the Jeffries-Matusita (JM) distance method was used for feature optimization. Finally, the proposed collaborative classification system method of land classification and binary classification was used to extract cropland in Yunnan Province. The results show that: (1) The accuracy of cropland extraction was highly reliable, with an overall accuracy (OA) wall-to-wall ranging from 93.15–98.14% and a kappa coefficient (Kappa) ranging from 86.29–96.26%. (2) The change trend of the cropland area in Yunnan Province from 1990 to 2020 exhibited certain fluctuations, but overall decreased annually. (3) The province’s average annual cropland area is 567.71 × 103 hectares. The proposed method has great potential in large-scale cropland extraction.

Wound infections may disrupt the normal wound-healing process. Large amounts of antibiotics are frequently used to prevent pathogenic infections; however, this can lead to resistance development. Biomaterials possessing antimicrobial properties have promising applications for reducing antibiotic usage and promoting wound healing. Silk sericin (SS) has been increasingly explored for skin wound healing applications owing to its excellent biocompatibility and antioxidant, antimicrobial, and ultraviolet-resistant properties. In recent years, SS-based composite biomaterials with a broader antimicrobial spectrum have been extensively investigated and demonstrated favorable efficacy in promoting wound healing. This review summarizes various antimicrobial agents, including metal nanoparticles, natural extracts, and antibiotics, that have been incorporated into SS composites for wound healing and elucidates their mechanisms of action. It has been revealed that SS-based biomaterials can achieve sustained antimicrobial activity by slow-release-loaded antimicrobial agents. The antimicrobial-loaded SS composites may promote wound healing through anti-infection, anti-inflammation, hemostasis, angiogenesis, and collagen deposition. The manufacturing methods, benefits, and limitations of antimicrobial-loaded SS materials are briefly discussed. This review aims to enhance the understanding of new advances and directions in SS-based antimicrobial composites and guide future biomedical research.

The alloy element Nb plays an important role in improving the performance of zirconium alloys in nuclear reactors. The effect mechanism of Nb doping on mechanical and thermodynamic properties was investigated using experimental and theoretical methods. The results of this study showed us that Nb doping refines grains and enhances hardness. The hardness increases from 2.67 GPa of pure Zr to 2.99 GPa of Zr1.5Nb. Depending on the first-principles calculations, the hardness decreases with the increase in the Nb concentration in the Zr matrix, namely from 2.45 Gpa of pure Zr to 1.78 GPa of Zr1.5Nb. If the first-principles calculations indicate that the hardness decreases with the increase in the Nb concentration in the Zr matrix, grain refinement or defects could play a major role in the increase in hardness. Furthermore, regarding the effect of Nb doping on thermal expansion coefficients, the increase in Nb content causes the thermal expansion coefficients to decrease, which might stem from the strong binding energy between Nb and Zr atoms. The thermal conductivities of three samples show similar changing trends, indicating that thermal conductivity begins to decrease at room temperature and reaches a minimum value of around 400 °C. The thermal conductivity of pure zirconium samples is consistently higher, is more obvious than that of Nb-doped samples in the test range, and decreases with an increase in the doping concentration. The possible reasons for this might stem from the distortion of the Zr matrix due to Nb substitution doping and grain refinement, both of which cause phonon propagation scattering and thus hinder the propagation of phonons. The results obtained herein may be useful for the development of advanced nuclear fuels and waste forms that utilize zirconium in applications beyond their current usage.

This paper investigates the impact of macroprudential policies, capital controls, and their joint effect on income inequality. Using a panel dataset covering 60 countries from 2000 to 2019, we find that macroprudential policies and capital controls can mitigate income inequality, which are robust to various subsets of policy indexes. However, the effectiveness of macroprudential policies on income inequality depends on the tightness of capital controls. We verify that macroprudential policies affect income inequality through private sector leverage, and both capital controls and macroprudential policies have significant influences on gross capital flows and net capital flows to affect income inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marek's disease virus (MDV) integrates its genome into the telomeres of host chromosomes and causes fatal lymphomas in chickens. This integration is facilitated by telomeric repeat sequences (TMRs) at the ends of the viral genome, and is crucial for MDV-induced lymphomagenesis. The SB-1 vaccine virus is commonly used in commercial bivalent vaccines against MDV and also contains TMRs at its ends. Here, we demonstrate that SB-1 efficiently integrates its genome into the chromosomes of latently infected T cells. Deletion of the TMRs from the SB-1 genome did not affect virus replication, but severely impaired virus integration and genome maintenance in latently infected T cells and in chickens. Strikingly, the reduced integration and maintenance of latent SB-1 significantly impaired vaccine protection. Taken together, our data revealed that the TMRs facilitate SB-1 integration and that integration and/or maintenance of the latent viral genome is critical for vaccine protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]