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Background: Pulmonary high-grade neuroendocrine carcinomas(pHGNEC) encompassing small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) are clinically aggressive tumors with poor prognosis. The role of surgery and prognostic factors guiding management remain unclear. We aimed to analyze prognosis following resection and identify predictive variables. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed 259 patients undergoing pHGNEC resection from 2001–2023. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were evaluated using Kaplan–Meier curves. Prognostic factors were assessed with Cox regression and visualized using nomogram tools. Results: Minimally invasive surgery was associated with better OS (p = 0.001) and DFS (p = 0.001). Higher T stage predicted worse OS (T2 p = 0.044, T4 p = 0.007) and DFS (T2 p = 0.020, T4 p = 0.004). Advanced TNM stage III (OS p = 0.018; DFS p = 0.015) and IV (OS p < 0.001; DFS p < 0.001) also correlated with poorer prognosis. In the SCLC subgroup, elevated preoperative CEA independently predicted worse OS (p = 0.012) and DFS (p = 0.004). T4 disease (OS p < 0.001; DFS p = 0.002) and advanced TNM staging (stage III OS p = 0.043; DFS p = 0.045; stage IV OS p < 0.001, DFS p < 0.001) were associated with worse outcomes. In LCNEC patients, VATS resection improved OS (p = 0.048) and DFS (p = 0.027) despite conversion. Prior malignancy predicted worse OS (p < 0.001). Advanced TNM disease (stage III OS p = 0.047; stage IV OS p = 0.003, DFS p = 0.005) were also negative prognostic factors. The prognostic nomogram incorporating above variables effectively stratified risk. Calibration plots revealed good correlation between predicted and actual survival. Conclusions: We identified minimally invasive surgery, early TNM stage, younger age, and normal preoperative CEA as positive prognostic factors following pHGNEC resection. Our study provides an applicable prognostic nomogram to facilitate personalized pHGNEC management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-transcriptional regulation of cytokine/chemokine mRNA turnover is critical for immune processes and contributes to the mammalian cellular response to diverse inflammatory stimuli. The ubiquitous RNA-binding protein human antigen R (HuR) is an integral regulator of inflammation-associated mRNA fate. HuR function is regulated by various post-translational modifications that alter its subcellular localization and ability to stabilize target mRNAs. Both poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) have been reported to regulate the biological function of HuR, but their specific regulatory and crosstalk mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we show that PARP1 acts via p38 to synergistically promote cytoplasmic accumulation of HuR and stabilization of inflammation-associated mRNAs in cells under inflammatory conditions. Specifically, p38 binds to auto-poly ADP-ribosylated (PARylated) PARP1 resulting in the covalent PARylation of p38 by PARP1, thereby promoting the retention and activity of p38 in the nucleus. In addition, PARylation of HuR facilitates the phosphorylation of HuR at the serine 197 site mediated by p38, which then increases the translocation of HuR to the cytoplasm, ultimately stabilizing the inflammation-associated mRNA expression at the post-transcriptional level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modification of BT ceramic particles was achieved using hydrogen peroxide and vinyltriethoxysilane, resulting in the production of core–shell-structured nano-materials (VTS@BT). Upon initiation, moderately cross-linked XL-VTS@BT/PVDF composites were prepared by reacting them with modified polyvinylidene fluoride (MDPVDF). As the amount of VTS@BT increased, the dielectric constant of the composite material increased from 7.89 to 19.1, while the dielectric loss increased only slightly from 0.058 to 0.075. Furthermore, as the filling amount of VTS@BT increased, the grain size gradually increased, the nucleation rate decreased, and the addition of crosslinking agents caused a minor transformation of the β-crystalline phase to the α-crystalline phase. The moderate cross-linking improved the breakdown strength and energy storage density of the composite material, with a cross-linked structure composite material at 10wt% addition achieving an energy storage density of 10.36 J/cm3 at an electric field strength of 340MV/m, which was nearly a 57% increase in energy storage density compared to PVDF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to study the Mode-I penny-shaped crack problem of an infinite body of one-dimensional hexagonal piezoelectric quasicrystal. The problem is transformed into a mixed-boundary value problem in the context of electro-elasticity of quasicrystals, and the corresponding integro-differential equations are analytically solved. Two extreme cases of electrically impermeable and permeable crack surface are considered. By virtue of the generalized potential theory method, the three-dimensional complete analytical solutions of three-dimensional crack problems under symmetric concentrated and uniform loads are expressed in terms of elementary functions. Important parameters in fracture mechanics are explicitly derived, such as crack surface displacements, the distributions of generalized stresses at the crack tip and the corresponding generalized stress intensity factors. The validity of the proposed solutions and the coupling effect of phonon-phason-electric fields are investigagted through numerical examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This study investigates the genetic structure and population dynamics of invasive bullfrogs in China employing cutting-edge genomic technologies. By analyzing microsatellite loci and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), the study identifies three distinct genetic subpopulations of bullfrogs and explores their origins and dispersal pathways. Findings reveal the varying degrees of gene flow between the subpopulations and a severe bottleneck effect followed by a rapid population expansion. Comparison with American bullfrog populations highlights the differences in genetic diversity and suggests potential multiple introductions. The introduction and subsequent range expansion of the American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) is part of a rising trend of troublesome biological invasions happening in China. This detrimental amphibious invasive species has strong adaptability. After its introduction and spread, it established its own ecological niche in many provinces of China, and its range has continued to expand to more areas. Previous studies recorded the introduction time of bullfrogs and calculated the changes in their genetic diversity in China using mitochondria, but the specific introduction route in China is still unknown. Expanding upon previous research, we employed whole-genome scans (utilizing 2b-RAD genomic sequencing) to examine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and microsatellites within Lithobates catesbeianus to screen the genomes of these invasive amphibian species from eight Chinese provinces and two U.S. states, including Kansas, where bullfrogs originate. A total of 1,336,475 single nucleotide polymorphic loci and 17 microsatellite loci were used to calculate the genetic diversity of bullfrogs and their migration pathways. Our results suggest that the population in Hunan was the first to be introduced and to spread, and there may have been multiple introductions of subpopulations. Additionally, the genetic diversity of both the SNP and microsatellite loci in the Chinese bullfrog population was lower than that of the US population due to bottleneck effects, but the bullfrogs can adapt and spread rapidly. This study will offer crucial insights for preventing and controlling future introductions into the natural habitats in China. Additionally, it will assist in devising more precise strategies to manage the existing populations and curtail their continued expansion, as well as aim to improve clarity and originality while mitigating plagiarism risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding urban human mobility, particularly trip purposes, is essential for optimizing traffic management, personalized recommendations, and urban planning. However, in real-world scenarios, trip purposes cannot be directly extracted from the trajectory data. To address this issue, we propose a geometry-driven neural topic model for trip purpose inference. We integrate trajectory data with nearby POI data using a geometry-driven technique to enhance the interpretability of the results. Furthermore, our model captures the semantics and relationships of the data in a high-dimensional space and identifies latent topics representing distinct trip purposes. These learned topics are analyzed using clustering algorithms to group similar trips, enabling trip purpose inference. And we evaluate our model using the trajectory data of Shenzhen and Chengdu, and compare it with baseline models. The results demonstrate that our model performs well. Furthermore, we analyze trajectory data containing trip purpose information to gain insight into human mobility patterns and the influence of trip purposes, paving the way for potential implications and future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate two types of the conditional strong law of large numbers with a new notion of conditionally independent random variables under G-expectation which are related to the symmetry G-function. Our limit theorem demonstrates that the cluster points of empirical averages fall within the bounds of the lower and upper conditional expectations with lower probability one. Moreover, for conditionally independent random variables with identical conditional distributions, we show the existence of two cluster points of empirical averages that correspond to the essential minimum and essential maximum expectations, respectively, with G-capacity one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the effects of metformin (MET) monotherapy and pioglitazone plus MET (PIOMET) therapy on gonadal and metabolic profiles in normal-weight women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods: Sixty normal-weight women with PCOS were recruited between January and September 2022 at the Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University. They were randomly assigned to the MET or PIOMET groups for 12 weeks of MET monotherapy or PIOMET therapy. Anthropometric measurements, menstrual cycle changes, gonadal profiles, and the oral glucose insulin-releasing test (OGIRT) were performed at baseline and after the 12-week treatment. Results: Thirty-six participants completed the trial. MET and PIOMET therapies improved menstrual cycles after the 4- and 12-week treatments; however, there was no statistical difference between the two groups. PIOMET therapy improved luteinizing hormone (LH), luteinizing hormone/follicle stimulating hormone (LH/FSH) ratio, and free androgen index (FAI) levels after the 4-week treatment, whereas MET monotherapy only improved total testosterone (TT) levels compared to baseline (P < 0.05). Both MET and PIOMET therapies improved TT and anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) levels after the 12-week treatment (P < 0.05). In addition, only PIOMET therapy significantly improved sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), FAI, and androstenedione (AND) levels than the baseline (P < 0.05). PIOMET therapy improved SHBG and AMH levels more effectively than MET monotherapy (P < 0.05). Furthermore, PIOMET treatment was more effective in improving blood glucose levels at 120 and 180 min of OGIRT compared to MET monotherapy (P < 0.05). Conclusions: In normal-weight women with PCOS, PIOMET treatment may have more benefits in improving SHBG, AMH, and postprandial glucose levels than MET monotherapy, and did not affect weight. However, the study findings need to be confirmed in PCOS study populations with larger sample sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Objectives Methods Results Conclusions Skin type has a strong influence on how sensitive skin develops, with oily skin accounting for a larger proportion of sensitive skin. However, there has not been a scientifically sound questionnaire for determining oily sensitive (OS)‐type skin in prior studies.In order to identify OS‐type skin in the general population, we therefore intend to create an OS‐type skin evaluation questionnaire, develop various thresholds through data analysis and classify skin based on two dimensions of sensitivity and oiliness.A questionnaire with questions regarding subjects' basic information, skin oiliness and skin sensitivity was given to each individual who participated in the study (n = 1297). To define the thresholds for OS‐type skin, receiver‐operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated. The results of the lactic acid stinging test (LAST) and noninvasive instrument information obtained were compared with the thresholds mentioned above to verify the effectiveness of this tool.According to the ROC curves, questionnaire cut‐off values of 11.5, 20.5 and 29.5 can be used to detect mildly, moderately and severely sensitive skin, respectively. In addition, the questionnaire cut‐off values of 22.5 and 31.5 can be used to detect moderately and severely oily skin, respectively. According to our study, the four sensitive‐skin groups' LAST scores differed significantly from one another, while the skin sebum levels differed significantly between the three oily groups. Additionally, the EI and LAST scores were significantly correlated with skin sensitivity levels, whereas sebum, moisture and EI were positively correlated with skin oiliness levels.We developed an OS‐type skin evaluation questionnaire that has been tested and shown scientifically to be a promising method for evaluating OS‐type skin and to completely examine the traits of sensitive and oily skin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an energy management strategy (EMS) based on double‐deep Q‐Networks (DDQN) with demand torque prediction (DTP) to optimize the fuel consumption of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) by online utilizing vehicle‐to‐vehicle (V2V) information. The main framework of the EMS is designed as DDQN, combining Q‐learning with the deep neural network to realize real‐time training and online optimization of the torque distribution between the internal combustion engine and the electric motor, and given that the model training easily falls into local minima and overestimation, two different Q‐networks are designed to decouple action selection and target evaluation. Meanwhile, BP‐network predicts future demand torque using the ego vehicle speed, front vehicle speed, and distance between the two vehicles to reduce the burden of model training due to the introduction of traffic information. The predicted demand torque is introduced into the DDQN‐based EMS as states, together with the distance traveled in the driving cycle and the current information on HEV. The effectiveness and adaptability to actual driving cycles of the proposed strategy are verified by comparison with DDQN‐based EMS without DTP and rule‐based EMS. The results show that the fuel consumption using DDQN‐based EMS without DTP is reduced by 4.1% compared with rule‐based EMS. The introduction of demand torque prediction resulted in a further 3.9% reduction in fuel consumption. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biofilm dispersal contributes to bacterial spread and disease transmission. However, its exact mechanism, especially that in the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is unclear. In this study, the cellulase activity of the M. tuberculosis Rv0062 protein was characterized, and its effect on mycobacterial biofilm dispersal was analyzed by observation of the structure and components of Rv0062-treated biofilm in vitro. Meanwhile, the metabolite factors that induced cellulase-related biofilm dispersal were also explored with metabolome analysis and further validations. The results showed that Rv0062 protein had a cellulase activity with a similar optimum pH (6.0) and lower optimum temperature (30 °C) compared to the cellulases from other bacteria. It promoted mycobacterial biofilm dispersal by hydrolyzing cellulose, the main component of extracellular polymeric substrates of mycobacterial biofilm. A metabolome analysis revealed that 107 metabolites were significantly altered at different stages of M. smegmatis biofilm development. Among them, a decrease in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) promoted cellulase-related biofilm dispersal, and this effect was realized with the down-regulation of the bacterial signal molecule c-di-GMP. All these findings suggested that cellulase promotes mycobacterial biofilm dispersal and that this process is closely associated with biofilm metabolite alterations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish live in an aquatic environment rich in various microorganisms and pathogens. Fish mucosal-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) plays a very important role in immune defence. This study was conducted to characterize the immune response mediated by CcIgZ3 in common carp (Cyprinus carpio.) and investigate the proliferating CcIgZ3+ B lymphocytes in gill. We determined the expression of CcIgZ3 in many different tissues of common carp following stimulation by intraperitoneal injection of TNP-LPS (2,4,6-Trinitrophenyl hapten conjugated to lipopolysaccharide) or TNP-KLH (2,4,6-Trinitrophenyl hapten conjugated to Keyhole Limpet Hemocyanin). Compared with TNP-KLH, TNP-LPS can induce greater CcIgZ3 expression in the head kidney, gill and hindgut, especially in the gill. The results indicate that the gill is one of the main sites involved in the immune response mediated by CcIgZ3. To examine the distribution of CcIgZ3+ B lymphocytes, immunohistochemistry (IHC) experiments were performed using a polyclonal antibody against CcIgZ3. The results indicated that CcIgZ3 was detected in the head kidney, hindgut and gill. To further examine whether CcIgZ3+ B lymphocytes proliferate in the gills, proliferating CcIgZ3+ B cells were analysed by immunofluorescence staining using an anti-CcIgZ3 polyclonal antibody and an anti-PCNA monoclonal antibody. CcIgZ3 and PCNA (Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen) double-labelled cells in the gills were located within the epithelial cells of the gill filaments of common carp stimulated with TNP-LPS at 3 dps and 7 dps, and relatively more proliferating CcIgZ3+ B cells appeared in the gills of common carp at 7 dps. These data imply that CcIgZ3+ B cells in the gills might be produced by local proliferation following TNP-LPS stimulation. In summary, compared with those in TNP-KLH, CcIgZ3 preferentially affects the gills of common carp following challenge with TNP-LPS. CcIgZ3+ B cells proliferate in the gills to quickly produce the CcIgZ3 antibody. In addition, CcIgZ3+ B cells can be activated to induce a strong immune response very early locally in the gill and produce the antibody CcIgZ3, which helps exert an immune-protective effect. These results suggest that an effective vaccine can be designed to promote production of the mucosal antibody CcIgZ3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ion hydration plays a crucial role in numerous fundamental processes. Various spectroscopic methods are employed to investigate the slowing down of hydration bond dynamics in the proximity of both anions and cations. To date, most of these studies have primarily focused on the properties of binary systems. However, in comparison to ion–water binary systems, ternary systems that involve ions, water, and organic matter are more prevalent in nature and provide more realistic insights into biological processes. This study focuses on ion hydration in water and alcohol mixture using terahertz spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction (XRD). The results reveal a distinct behavior depending on the type of alcohol used. Specifically, the presence of both methanol and ethanol results in the disappearance of absorption peaks associated with NaCl hydrate at low temperatures. In contrast, tert-butanol does not exhibit such an effect, and isopropanol demonstrates a more complex response. By combining these terahertz spectroscopic findings with low-temperature XRD data, we gain insights into the formation, or lack thereof, of NaCl · 2H2O hydrate crystals. Crucially, our observations suggest a dominant correlation between the polarity of the alcohol molecules and its impact on the Na+ hydration. Strongly polar alcohols preferentially solvating the Na+ ion lead to the failure of hydrate formation, while weakly polar alcohols do not have this effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxicarioside H-mediated modulation of the immune microenvironment attenuates ovalbumin-induced allergic airway inflammation by inhibiting NETosis. In the presence of allergens like OVA, neutrophils and other inflammatory cells are recruited, triggering NETosis and the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This process disrupts the balance of immune cells, affecting Th1 and Th2 cells, IL-17 and Treg cells, and memory T cells, thereby promoting allergic asthmatic inflammation. However, ToxH, similar to NEi or NAC, can inhibit NETosis and ROS production, thus modulating the immune environment in allergic asthma and reducing inflammation. [Display omitted] • The novel structural cardiac glycoside, Toxicarioside H (ToxH), effectively inhibits ovalbumin-induced allergic airway inflammation. • ToxH regulates the airway immune microenvironment by maintaining a balance between Th1 and Th2 cells, Th17 and Treg cells, as well as memory T cells. • ToxH mitigates airway inflammation and alters the airway immune microenvironment by suppressing NETosis and reducing ROS production. • Modulating the balance of immune cells in the lung microenvironment with ToxH may represent a promising strategy for treating allergic airway inflammation. Our team identified a new cardiac glycoside, Toxicarioside H (ToxH), in a tropical plant. Previous research has indicated the potential of cardenolides in mitigating inflammation, particularly in the context of NETosis. Therefore, this study sought to examine the potential of ToxH in attenuating allergic airway inflammation by influencing the immune microenvironment. An OVA-induced airway inflammation model was established in BALB/c mice. After the experiment was completed, serum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and lung tissue samples were collected and further examined using H&E and PAS staining, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence observation, and Western blot analysis. Treatment with ToxH was found to be effective in reducing airway inflammation and mucus production. This was accompanied by an increase in Th1 cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-2, and TNF-β), and the Th17 cytokine IL-17, while levels of Th2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13) and Treg cytokines (IL-10 and TGF-β1) were decreased in both the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and the CD45+ immune cells in the lungs. Additionally, ToxH inhibited the infiltration of inflammatory cells and decreased the number of pulmonary CD44+ memory T cells, while augmenting the numbers of Th17 and Treg cells. Furthermore, the neutrophil elastase inhibitor GW311616A was observed to suppress airway inflammation and mucus production, as well as alter the secretion of immune Th1, Th2, Th17, and Treg cytokines in the lung CD45+ immune cells. Moreover, our study also demonstrated that treatment with ToxH efficiently inhibited ROS generation, thereby rectifying the dysregulation of immune cells in the immune microenvironment in OVA-induced allergic asthma. Our findings indicate that ToxH could serve as a promising therapeutic intervention for allergic airway inflammation and various other inflammatory disorders. Modulating the balance of Th1/Th2 and Treg/Th17 cells within the pulmonary immune microenvironment may offer an effective strategy for controlling allergic airway inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the phenomenon of knowledge overload becomes more and more obvious, the automatic summarization technology still needs to break through the bottleneck in order to improve the application value and expand the scope of the application. Traditional training paradigms for extractive summarization systems suffer from the inconsistency in training and evaluation. In this paper, we propose an innovative and interpretable contrastive learning based framework for extractive summarization called DCDSum , which comprises a D iverse Oracle evaluator, a C ontrastive learning extractor, and a D ynamic Top-k selector. Different from previous models that consider the extractive summarization task as a sequence labeling problem, our contrastive learning extractor treats it as a sentence reranking problem and introduces contrastive loss to achieve it, which can bridge the gap between objective function and evaluation metrics. The experimental results demonstrate the outstanding performance of our approach on the CNN/DailyMail, XSum, and PubMed datasets, achieving highly competitive results. In particular, our method achieves ROUGE-1 of 44.65, ROUGE-2 of 21.32, and ROUGE-L of 40.87 on the CNN/DailyMail dataset. The outcomes across various evaluation metrics substantiate that the Diverse Oracle extraction algorithm adeptly captures a broader array of sentences with reduced redundancy, consequently enhancing the interpretability of the DCDSum framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eleutherococcus senticosus , a medicinal and edible plant recognized historically in East Asia, is characterized by a rich composition of saponins and other biologically active ingredients. In this study, 11 cytosine-5 DNA methyltransferases (C5-MTase) and 6 demethylases (dMTase) genes were identified within the genome of E. senticosus. Specifically, two major EsC5-MTases (EsMET1a and EsCMT3b) and two EsdMTases (EsROS1a and EsDME1) were screened through correlation analysis, examining the relationship between their gene expression levels and DNA methylation ratio within E. senticosus genome. Promoter function analysis revealed that the expression of these four prominent genes was regulated by abiotic stresses such as drought and light. In vitro catalytic validation demonstrated the functionality of Es MET1a, Es CMT3b, Es ROS1a, and Es DME1 proteins in modifying DNA methylation patterns of key enzyme genes associated with saponin synthesis in E. senticosus. Additionally, transient in vivo overexpression of the four central genes could alter the saponin content by modulating the DNA methylation levels and secondary metabolic processes in E. senticosus. Molecular docking studies further elucidated the possible mechanism of DNA methylation and demethylation catalyzed by these four primary proteins. [Display omitted] • EsC5-MTase and EsdMTase of Eleutherococcus senticosus were identified. • EsC5-MTase and EsdMTase that play a major role were screened out. • Expression control factors of the effect EsC5-MTase and EsdMTase were clarified. • The function and working mechanism of EsC5-MTase and EsdMTase are explained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fear response is a crucial adaptive mechanism for coping with environmental changes, and the individuals have different levels of fearfulness. The purpose of this study was to determine the status of the immune response and gut health in hens with different fear responses. A total of 80 healthy 75-wk-old native Lindian chickens were individually housed in conventional cages and categorized into high (TH) and low (TL) levels of fearfulness using the tonic immobility (TI) test. The immunological status and intestinal health of the laying hens were assessed, and the intestinal microbial community was sequenced using 16S rRNA testing. The results showed that the immune-related genes of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-4, IL-6, and IgG were significantly upregulated in the spleen of TH hens compared with hens in the TL group (P < 0.01). The inflammatory immune-related genes Toll-like receptor (TLR)2, TLR4, nuclear factor (NF)-κB, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, IL-10, and IgG were significantly increased in the intestinal tract, whereas IL-4, IgA, and the intestinal barrier gene claudin-4 were significantly decreased in TH hens (P < 0.05). In addition, serum concentrations of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, interferon (IFN)-α and IgG were significantly higher in TH hens (P < 0.01). A high fear response also led to changes in gut microbial diversity, with a higher Simpson's index and lower β-diversity similarity than hens with a low-fear response (P < 0.05). The TH group showed an increase in 8 genera, including Bacillaceae and Coprococcus , whereas the genus Anaerorhabdus decreased (P < 0.05). The gut microbiota has also been associated with gut barrier genes, and inflammatory cytokines. Bartonella stimulates IL-1β and IgG secretion, whereas Lactobacillus inhibits IL-6 secretion, and Coprococcus and Subdoligranulum are associated with the maintenance of intestinal barrier function. The results of this study suggest that laying hens with high fear response levels have a more sensitive immune response and a more enriched gut microbiota, which may have positive effects on adapting to a complex environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geopolymer has emerged as an environmentally sustainable alternative to cement for soil stabilization. Although machine learning technology exhibits great potential in designing the geopolymer, its current applications are limited to specific types of geopolymer. This study introduces a composition-based method to develop a machine learning model that facilitates the mix design of diverse types of geopolymer. A unique dataset comprising 990 mix designs of geopolymer for soil stabilization was established. Based on this dataset, a composition-informed machine learning model was developed to predict the unconfined compressive strength of geopolymer-stabilized soils. By using the developed model, a generic framework for the mix design of diverse types of geopolymer is proposed. The performance of the developed model and the effectiveness of the mix designs derived from the proposed framework was evaluated by using datasets that are independent of the dataset established in this study. The results show that the developed model enables the reasonable predictions of the strength of geopolymer-stabilized soils. The mix designs formulated based on the proposed framework is comparable to those derived from experimental studies. The proposed framework can serve as a cost-effective and efficient toolkit for the mix design of diverse of types of geopolymer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to its convenient application in utilizing the medium-deep geothermal energy, the deep borehole heat exchanger has received extensive attention. Here we initiated an integrated system by coupling the multi-casing deep borehole heat exchanger (MDBHE) and heat pump to realize heat extraction and heating in the whole well in winter, and heat storage and cooling in the well upper part in summer. In the MDBHE, an annular pipe was used to store heat. Through the analysis of the simulation results of the influence of several variables on the system performance, it is found that the increase of heat storage temperature, annular pipe length and formation thermal conductivity raised the heat storage rate of the system, but the geothermal gradient is opposite. Benefiting from heat storage, the heat extraction rates in winter is also improved. Meanwhile, the heat pump elevated the heating rate by 15.9% in winter, and the cooling rate of the heat pump were respectively 19.3%, 21.5% and 23.7% less than the heat storage rate of the MDBHE based on the heat storage temperature of 40, 45 and 50 °C. Therefore, the integrated system can simultaneously satisfy the requirements of summer cooling and winter heating and maintain the formation heat balance, so that the urban heat island effect is mitigated. • The multi-casing deep borehole heat exchanger realizes heat extraction and storage. • Heat storage in summer improves heat extraction performance in winter. • MDBHE combined with heat pump achieves winter heating and summer cooling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents an alginate-collagen interpenetrating network (IPN) matrix of incorporating collagen fibrils into an alginate hydrogel by physical mixing and controlled gelation. The resulting matrix closely mimics the physiological and pathological stiffness range of the chondrocyte pericellular matrix (PCM). Chondrocytes were cultured within three-dimensional (3D) alginate-collagen IPN matrices with varying stiffness, namely Firm, Medium, and Soft. Alginate lyase was introduced to study the effects of the changes in stiffness of the Firm on chondrocyte response by in situ softening. The developed alginate-collagen IPN matrix displayed good cell-biocompatibility. Compared with stiffer tissue culture plastic (TCP), chondrocytes grown within Firm displayed a stabilized differentiated phenotype characterized by higher expression levels of aggrecan, collagen II, and SOX-9. Moreover, the developed alginate-collagen IPN matrix exhibited a gradually increased percentage of propidium iodide (PI)-positive dead cells with decreasing stiffness. Softer matrices directed cells towards higher proliferation rates and spherical morphologies while stimulating chondrocyte cluster formation. Furthermore, reducing Firm stiffness by in situ softening decreased aggrecan expression, contributing to matrix degradation similar to that seen in osteoarthritis (OA). Hence, the 3D alginate-collagen IPN constructs hold significant potential for in vitro replicating PCM stiffness changes observed in OA cartilage. • Alginate and collagen are blended to create a bespoke hydrogel that mimics the stiffness of the PCM of human chondrocytes. • Modifying the matrix stiffness by in situ softening was essential for studying cartilage physiology and pathology. • This study presents a new toolkit to probing mechanobiology of articular cartilage function and dysfunction. • The IPN matrix will enhance the clinical translatability of future studies conducted using this culture platform. • It provides methods by which other researchers can study the osteoarthritis disease state in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, motivate by quantile in the field statistics and bounded linex loss function a novel robust bounded quantile loss is proposed for improving the performance of support vector machine (SVM) and support vector regression (SVR). The bounded quantile loss has some important properties such as asymmetry, non-convexity, which make SVM and SVR based on bounded quantile (BQ-SVM and BQ-SVR) robust to noise. The Fisher consistency and generalization error bound of BQ-SVM guarantees the generalization capability of BQ-SVM. In addition, we derive the influence functions of BQ-SVM and BQ-SVR to show that they are less sensitive to outliers. However, the non-convexity of the proposed bounded quantile makes it difficult to optimize. We utilize the concave-convex procedure (CCCP) technique to solve the proposed models. A host of numerical studies on artificial and benchmark datasets are conducted, and various evaluation criteria were considered to demonstrate the effectiveness and the efficiency of the proposed method. Experimental results indicate that our proposed methods is more robust compare to classical and advanced methods when the dataset contains outliers in both classification and regression applications. • A novel bounded quantile loss (L b q loss) is proposed for robust learning problems. • The support vector machines based methods with L b q loss (BQ-SVM and BQ- SVR) are robust. • The designed ClipDCD-based CCCP algorithm is efficient to solve the BQ-SVM and BQ-SVR. • Numerical and theoretical results demonstrate the effectiveness of BQ-SVM and BQ-SVR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents an alginate-collagen interpenetrating network (IPN) matrix of incorporating collagen fibrils into an alginate hydrogel by physical mixing and controlled gelation. The resulting matrix closely mimics the physiological and pathological stiffness range of the chondrocyte pericellular matrix (PCM). Chondrocytes were cultured within three-dimensional (3D) alginate-collagen IPN matrices with varying stiffness, namely Firm, Medium, and Soft. Alginate lyase was introduced to study the effects of the changes in stiffness of the Firm on chondrocyte response by in situ softening. The developed alginate-collagen IPN matrix displayed good cell-biocompatibility. Compared with stiffer tissue culture plastic (TCP), chondrocytes grown within Firm displayed a stabilized differentiated phenotype characterized by higher expression levels of aggrecan, collagen II, and SOX-9. Moreover, the developed alginate-collagen IPN matrix exhibited a gradually increased percentage of propidium iodide (PI)-positive dead cells with decreasing stiffness. Softer matrices directed cells towards higher proliferation rates and spherical morphologies while stimulating chondrocyte cluster formation. Furthermore, reducing Firm stiffness by in situ softening decreased aggrecan expression, contributing to matrix degradation similar to that seen in osteoarthritis (OA). Hence, the 3D alginate-collagen IPN constructs hold significant potential for in vitro replicating PCM stiffness changes observed in OA cartilage. • Alginate and collagen are blended to create a bespoke hydrogel that mimics the stiffness of the PCM of human chondrocytes. • Modifying the matrix stiffness by in situ softening was essential for studying cartilage physiology and pathology. • This study presents a new toolkit to probing mechanobiology of articular cartilage function and dysfunction. • The IPN matrix will enhance the clinical translatability of future studies conducted using this culture platform. • It provides methods by which other researchers can study the osteoarthritis disease state in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Long-term, multi-regional and monthly time-scale optimization models are developed. • Spatial mismatch and monthly fluctuations in demand and resources are considered. • Retrofitting of natural gas infrastructure for hydrogen supply is studied. Low-carbon transition of energy systems features more natural gas and hydrogen consumption to replace coal and oil. Planning of natural gas and hydrogen supply systems with multiple supply sources, end-consumers, large infrastructures and spatio-temporal mismatches are challenging tasks. In this study, two long-term, multi-regional and monthly time-scale optimization models for natural gas and hydrogen supply systems are developed respectively. China is taken as a case. The natural gas demand will initially increase and then decrease, leading to a premature decommissioning of infrastructure. A coupling model is established to explore the retrofitting of decommissioned natural gas infrastructure for hydrogen supply. Results show that 44.14 % decommissioned pipelines and 34.17 % decommissioned storage facilities of natural gas supply system can be retrofitted, with an annual increase of 63.98 % and 62.80 % in hydrogen pipelines and storage facilities, and a 9.15 % reduction in transition costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • 0.5 mg·L−1 of F-53B had no noticeable effect on nitrogen removal performance. • Microbial defluorination was feasible in the anammox process. • Denitratisoma was the dominant bacterial genus (40.7 %) at 0.5 mg·L−1F-53B. • The relative content of H 2 O 2 decreased by 26.1 % with the introduced 0.5 mg·L−1F-53B. • F-53B inhibited ammonium transport by binding to Amt domain. This study investigates the behaviors and effects of F-53B, an alternative to perfluorooctane sulfonate on anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) processes. Results showed that the nitrogen removal efficiency (NRE) reached 83.8 % at a F-53B concentration of 0.5 mg·L−1, while NRE decreased to 66.9 % with 5 mg·L−1 of F-53B. The defluorination rates of 17.8 % (0.5 mg·L−1) and 9.3 % (5 mg·L−1) were observed, respectively, suggesting the occurrence of F-53B degradation. The relative abundance of Ca. Kuenenia decreased from 26.1 % to 16.2 % with the F-53B concentration increasing from 0.5 mg·L−1 to 5 mg·L−1. Meanwhile, Denitratisoma was selectively enriched with a relative abundance of 40.7 % at an F-53B concentration of 0.5 mg·L−1. Ca. Kuenenia could reduce reactive oxygen species induced by F-53B to maintain the balance of oxidative stress. This study gains insight into the behaviors and metabolic mechanisms of F-53B in anammox consortia, suggesting the feasibility of anammox processes for industrial wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trauma caused by tissue damage in clinical applications has posed a serious threat to public safety. Dressings with a single function cannot meet the needs of wound healing, but multifunctional dressings are difficult to achieve and obtain. To address this issue, this research designed a facile one-pot photo-crosslinking method to prepare multifunctional sodium alginate-based hydrogel dressings for effective wound healing. According to irregular wounds, sodium alginate-based hydrogel dressings can be quickly prepared anytime and anywhere. The structure and physicochemical properties of hydrogels are regulated by modulating the proportion of main components sodium alginate and acrylamide. The results showed the sodium alginate-based composite hydrogel as a candidate multifunctional dressing that exhibits excellent stretchability and compressibility, viscoelasticity, and suitable tissue-like adhesion. In vitro drug release and antibacterial experiments indicated that the hydrogel has effective antibacterial properties against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. Furthermore, the haemostatic behaviour of the hydrogel was demonstrated using the coagulation activation test, whole blood-clotting test, and blood cell and platelet adhesion experiments. All these results demonstrated that the sodium alginate-based hydrogel had high application potential as a multifunctional medical dressing for wound healing. Multifunctional sodium alginate-based hydrogel dressing that can be easily and quickly prepared for irregular wounds to combat bacterial infection and coagulation. [Display omitted] • The sodium alginate-based hydrogels were designed by a simple one-pot UV photopolymerization. • The sodium alginate-based hydrogels possessed excellent stretchability and compressibility. • The hydrogels exhibited good tissue adhesion. • The hydrogels had good antibacterial effect on S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. • The hydrogels showed good haemolytic and coagulative properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Performing of hey1 spatio-temporal expression pattern in zebrafish embryonic inner ear. • New role exploring of Pi4kb on the development of vestibular apparatus of zebrafish. • Underlying mechanism elucidation of Pi4kb and BMP-Hey1 axis in the development of cristae hair cells in zebrafish (a good visual model of studying development). Phosphatidylinositol 4 kinase-β (PI4KB) plays critical roles in human genetic diseases. In zebrafish, Pi4kb is strongly expressed in hair cells (HCs), which are necessary for detecting sound vibrations, head movements, and water motion. However, the role of PI4KB in HC or semicircular canal development is unclear. Herein, we report that pi4kb morphants exhibit insensitivity to sound stimulation and abnormal morphological vestibular organs, including cilium loss in HCs of the cristae and semicircular canal malformation. As bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling is associated with HC and semicircular canal development, we analyzed the expression of BMP-related genes; the phosphorylated Smad1/5/9 (p-Smad1/5/9) expression was markedly reduced in otic HCs. RNA-sequencing data indicated that the transcriptional levels of BMP membrane receptor 2 (bmpr2a and bmpr2b) and hes-related family of bHLH transcription factors with YRPW motif 1 (hey1), a direct downstream target gene of p-Smad, were significantly reduced in the pi4kb morphants, as verified using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and in situ hybridization. Co-injection of hey1 mRNA and pi4kb morpholino notably recovered vestibular apparatus development, including the number and length of cilia in HCs of the cristae and semicircular canal formation. Collectively, these results suggest that Pi4kb is involved in vestibular apparatus development in zebrafish by regulating BMP membrane receptor 2 and p-Smad1/5/9 levels, thereby affecting the transcriptional activation of the target gene hey1. This study sheds light on the interaction between Pi4kb and the BMP-Hey1 signaling axis, which is critical for HC and semicircular canal formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detrimental impact of soil salinization on crop productivity and agricultural economy has garnered significant attention. A rhizosphere bacterium with favorable salt tolerance and plant growth-promoting (PGP) functions was isolated in this work. The bacterium was identified as Enterobacter through 16 S rDNA sequencing analysis and designated as Enterobacter sp. JIV1. Interestingly, the presence of putrescine (Put), which had been shown to contribute in reducing abiotic stress damage to plants, significantly promoted strain JIV1 to generate 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic (ACC) deaminase, dissolve phosphorus and secrete indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). However, the synergy of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and Put in improving plant salt resistance has not been extensively studied. In this study, strain JIV1 and exogenous Put effectively mitigated the inhibitory impact of salt stress simulated by 200 mM NaCl on rice (Oryza sativa L.) growth. The chlorophyll accumulation, photosynthetic efficiency and antioxidant capacity of rice were also significantly strengthened. Notably, the combined application of strain JIV1 and Put outperformed individual treatments. Moreover, the co-addition of strain JIV1 and Put increased soil protease and urease activities by 451.97% and 51.70% compared to that of salt treatment group. In general, Put-assisted PGPR JIV1 provides a new perspective on alleviating the salt-induced negative impacts on plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The findings from a nationally representative survey suggest that inflammation biomarkers, such as NLR, MLR, SII, AISI, SIRI, and dNLR, are significantly associated with all-cause mortality and cardio-cerebrovascular mortality. • These biomarkers predict all-cause mortality and CCD mortality in people aged 20 years and older with diabetes. • The segmental Cox results indicate that a positive correlation is observed only when the biomarker surpasses its critical value. This study aimed to examine independent association between inflammatory biomarkers and all-cause mortality as well as cardio-cerebrovascular disease (CCD) mortality among U.S. adults with diabetes. A cohort of 6412 U.S. adults aged 20 or older was followed from the start until December 31, 2019. Statistical models such as Cox proportional hazards model (Cox) and Kaplan-Meier (K-M) survival curves were employed to investigate the associations between the inflammatory biomarkers and all-cause mortality and CCD mortality. After adjusting for confounding factors, the highest quartile of inflammatory biomarkers (NLR HR = 1.99; 95 % CI:1.54–2.57, MLR HR = 1.93; 95 % CI:1.46–2.54, SII HR = 1.49; 95 % CI:1.18–1.87, SIRI HR = 2.32; 95 % CI:1.81–2.96, nLPR HR = 2.05; 95 % CI:1.61–2.60, dNLR HR = 1.94; 95 % CI:1.51–2.49, AISI HR = 1.73; 95 % CI:1.4 1–2.12)) were positively associated with all-cause mortality compared to those in the lowest quartile. K-M survival curves indicated that participants with an inflammatory biomarker above a certain threshold had a higher risk of both all-cause mortality and CCD mortality (Log rank P < 0.05). Some biomarkers such as NLR, MLR, SII, AISI, SIRI, and dNLR, are significantly associated with all-cause mortality and CCD mortality among U.S. adults with diabetes. The risk of both outcomes increased when the biomarkers surpassed a specific threshold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The globally prevalent of sleep disorders is partly attributed to unhealthy dietary habits. This study investigated the underlying mechanisms of elevated palmitic acid (PA) intake on locomotor activity and sleep behavior in Drosophila. Our results indicate that exposure to PA significantly elevated Drosophila 's daytime and nighttime locomotor activity while concurrently reducing overall sleep duration. Utilizing 16S rRNA sequencing, we observed substantial alterations in the composition of the gut microbiota induced by PA, notably, characterized by a significant reduction in Lactobacillus plantarum. Furthermore, PA significantly increased the levels of inflammatory factors Upd3 and Eiger in Drosophila intestines, and downregulated the expression of Gad and Tph , as well as 5 - HT1A. Conversely, Gdh and Hdc were significantly upregulated in the PA group. Supplementation with L. plantarum or lactic acid significantly ameliorated PA-induced disruptions in both locomotor activity and sleep behavior. This supplementation also suppressed the expression of intestinal inflammatory factors, thus restoring impaired neurotransmitter-mediated sleep-wake regulation. Moreover, specific knockdown of intestinal epithelial Upd3 or Eiger similarly restored disrupted neurotransmitter expression, ultimately improving PA-induced disturbances in Drosophila locomotor activity and sleep behavior. These findings provide important insights into the intricate interplay between dietary components and essential behaviors, highlighting potential avenues for addressing health challenges associated with modern dietary habits. [Display omitted] • Elevated palmitic acid (PA) intake disrupts locomotor activity and sleep patterns in Drosophila. • PA alters gut microbiota composition in Drosophila , particularly reducing Lactobacillus plantarum abundance. • PA induces intestinal inflammation and dysregulates neurotransmitter synthesis in Drosophila. • L. plantarum or lactic acid mitigates PA-induced behavioral disturbances by restoring neurotransmitter balance. • Targeting intestinal inflammatory factors offers a promising strategy to alleviate PA-induced sleep-wake disruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The brewing industry generates a large amount of distillation waste, causing environmental pollution and resource wastage. In this study, a putative gene encoding feruloyl esterase detected in 33 bins using metagenomic sequencing, was expressed to exogenously to generate a recombinase with a molecular weight of 40.8 KDa. The feruloyl esterase has been optimized through codon optimization and signal peptide truncation to exhibit optimal activity at pH 6.0 and 50 °C, specifically when using 4-nitrophenyl trans-ferulate as its substrate. By employing this enzyme, p -coumaric acid and ferulic acid were simultaneously produced using brewing waste of distilled spent grain with husk. The yield of the two phenolic acids amounted to 91.2 μg and 89.25 μg from 1 g of distilled spent grain with husk, respectively. Although the yield obtained was lower than that from wheat bran and corn cob, the strategy serves as a model for the high-value utilization of brewing waste and has hold application potential. The integration of enzyme catalysis and metagenomic sequencing revealed a significant importance for clean production from agricultural processing industrial waste. The strategy for ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid production from distilled spent grain with husk by catalysis of a feruloyl esterase from Metagenomic sequencing of forest soils. Natural biomass containing hemicellulose could be degraded by the feruloyl esterase to produce high-value chemicals. It provided a gentle and environmentally friendly method for the biomass utilization. [Display omitted] • An encoding gene for feruloyl esterase was obtained through metagenomic sequencing. • The enzyme catalyzed the co-production of p -coumaric acid and ferulic acid. • A method for recovering chemicals from distilled spent grain with husk is provided. • The yield of p -coumaric acid and ferulic acid amounted to 91.2 μg/g and 89.25 μg/g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, pseudo-bilayer planar heterojunction (PPHJ) all-polymer solar cells (APSCs) were constructed on the basis of the commonly used PY-IT and PM6 as the acceptor and donor, respectively. A nonfullerene small molecular acceptor (NF-SMA) BTP-eC9 was incorporated into the PY-IT layer as the solid additive in consideration of its similar building block to PY-IT. BTP-eC9 can serve as a photon capture reinforcer and morphology-regulating agent to realize more adequate photon capture, as well as a more orderly molecular arrangement for effective carrier transport. By incorporating 2 wt% BTP-eC9, the efficiency of PM6/PY-IT-based PPHJ-APSCs was boosted from 15.11% to 16.47%, accompanied by a synergistically enhanced short circuit current density (JSC, 23.36 vs. 24.08 mA cm−2) and fill factor (FF, 68.83% vs. 72.76%). In another all-polymer system, based on PBQx-TCl/PY-DT as the active layers, the efficiency could be boosted from 17.51% to 18.07%, enabled by the addition of 2 wt% L8-BO, which further verified the effectiveness of using an NF-SMA as a solid additive. This work demonstrates that incorporating an NF-SMA as a solid additive holds great potential for driving the development of PPHJ-APSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractTwo new zinc(II) complexes, [Zn2(PBM)2(terephthalate)(formate)2] (1) and {[Zn(PBM)(fumarate)]∙H2O}n (2), were synthesized using 1,3-bis(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)propane (PBM) and two different dicarboxylic acids under solvothermal conditions. Complexes 1 and 2 have been characterized by infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The structural analysis showed that 1 was a binuclear structure and then formed a 3D supramolecular network structure through hydrogen bond and π-π conjugation, while 2 was a one-dimensional coordination polymer. In 1 and 2, the zinc ions were four-coordinate with an N2O2 donor set and a slightly distorted tetrahedral geometry. The solid-state fluorescence properties indicate that the fluorescence peaks belong to the π*-π transition of the ligand PBM, which has a significant red shift and enhancement with the order being 1 > 2 > PBM. The stronger fluorescence of the complexes than the ligand is due to the immobilization of the ligand through coordination, which reduces the energy loss of thermal vibration. The π∙∙∙π conjugation in 1 results in a stronger fluorescence of 1 than 2. Therefore, coordination and π∙∙∙π conjugation will affect the fluorescence of complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive alien species are a major driver of biodiversity loss. Currently, the process of biological invasions is experiencing a constant acceleration, foreshadowing a future increase in the threat posed by invasive alien species to global biodiversity. Therefore, it is necessary to assess the impact risks of invasive alien species and related factors. Here, we constructed a dataset of negative environmental impact events to evaluate the impact risks of alien species. We collected information on 1071 established alien terrestrial vertebrates and then gathered negative environmental impacts for 108 of those species. Generalized linear mixed‐effects model and phylogenetic generalized least‐squares regression model were used to examine the characteristic (including life‐history traits, characteristics related to distribution, and introduction event characteristics) correlates of species’ impact risks at the global scale for 108 established alien terrestrial vertebrates (mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians). Our results showed that a total of 3158 negative environmental impacts were reported for 108 harmful species across 71 countries worldwide. Factors associated with impact risks varied slightly among taxa, but alien range size, habitat breadth, origin location, and domestication were significantly correlated with impact risks. Our study aims to identify the characteristics of alien species with high‐impact risks to facilitate urgent assessment of alien species and to protect the local ecological environment and biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical molecular tomography (OMT) is a potential pre-clinical molecular imaging technique with applications in a variety of biomedical areas, which can provide non-invasive quantitative three-dimensional (3D) information regarding tumor distribution in living animals. The construction of optical transmission models and the application of reconstruction algorithms in traditional model-based reconstruction processes have affected the reconstruction results, resulting in problems such as low accuracy, poor robustness, and long-time consumption. Here, a gates joint locally connected network (GLCN) method is proposed by establishing the mapping relationship between the inside source distribution and the photon density on surface directly, thus avoiding the extra time consumption caused by iteration and the reconstruction errors caused by model inaccuracy. Moreover, gates module was composed of the concatenation and multiplication operators of three different gates. It was embedded into the network aiming at remembering input surface photon density over a period and allowing the network to capture neurons connected to the true source selectively by controlling three different gates. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, numerical simulations were conducted, whose results demonstrated good performance in terms of reconstruction positioning accuracy and robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenylalanine, as an essential aromatic amino acid, is not only needed for protein and vital molecules such as neurotransmitter and hormone synthesis but also a substrate for the biosynthesis of phenylpropanoids and various bioactive compounds. The metabolism of phenylalanine is dynamic and transitory, which would otherwise inhibit cell growth. Therefore, it is challenging and imperative to monitor intracellular phenylalanine bioavailability in real time, which has great significance for evaluating the effectiveness of introducing pathway-specific genetic modifications to enhance phenylalanine generation. In this study, we proposed a live-cell biomonitoring system to assess phenylalanine bioavailability in real time in cyanobacteria based on codon degeneracy and species-specific usage bias. The biomonitoring system was generated through genetic modification of phenylalanine codons in the chloramphenicol antibiotic resistance gene to wholly preferred and rare codons, in combination with an orthogonal constitutive promoter Trc to express these genes. Cyanobacterial cells equipped with a preferred codon-based gene showed a significant growth advantage over those with rare codons under antibiotic pressure, while the delayed growth caused by rare codon-based genes could be rescued by supplementing phenylalanine in the cultivation medium. Increasing intracellular phenylalanine bioavailability could promote rare codon-based gene containing cell growth to a similar level as wild-type strains harboring preferred codon-based gene, providing a live-cell visualized screening method to relatively define phenylalanine content from either random mutation libraries or pathway-specific engineering cyanobacterial chassis before conducting labor-intensive quantitative measurements. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vegetation coverage of temperate grasslands in China has changed substantially due to climate change during the past decades, which significantly affects the function of grassland ecosystems. To appropriately carry out adaptive management and protect temperate grassland vegetation, it is important to understand the variations in fractional vegetation coverage (FVC) of China's temperate grasslands and how they are responding to climate change. Using the GIMMS NDVI and climatic datasets, this study explored the dynamics of FVC and their climatic drivers across the temperate grassland region of China during 1982∼2015. The results showed that the growing season mean FVC increased by 0.12% per year during 1982∼2015. The increases in precipitation and minimum temperature in the growing-season (especially in spring) could enhance the FVC of various vegetation types. In summer, the FVC of temperate steppe and desert steppe could drastically increase with increasing precipitation. In addition, this study found that the impacts of daytime and night-time warming on the FVC of temperate grasslands were asymmetric. Daytime warming can moderately increase FVC of temperate grasslands, while night-time warming could significantly increase it. Furthermore, the increase in summer daytime and night-time temperatures leads to a weak decrease and a moderate increase in FVC, respectively. This asymmetric effect was more evident for the temperate steppe and desert steppe in the central area. In autumn, the temperatures increase had significant positive impacts on the FVC of temperate meadows and steppes. This study highlights the differences in the impacts of climate change at different time scales on the FVC of grasslands with various vegetation types, and indicates that the asymmetric influences of daytime and night-time temperatures in different seasons on FVC must be included in calculating the vegetation coverage of China's temperate grasslands. The results could provide information for maintaining grassland ecosystem functions and managing environmental systems. • The FVC of temperate grasslands has increased by 0.12% per year from 1982 to 2015. • Increases in growing season precipitation and minimum temperature enhanced the FVC. • Nighttime and daytime temperatures have asymmetric effects on the FVC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The modification of biochar enhances its ability to remove ECs. • Characteristics and evaluation of different modification methods. • ECs adsorbed by modified biochar based on several adsorption mechanisms. • Modified biochar acts as catalyzer to induce the degradation of ECs. • Establishing a unified evaluation standard is the goal for the future. The increasing concern over emerging contaminants (ECs) in aqueous solutions is driven by their potential risks to public health. Handling ECs becomes an urgent mission in the world. Biochar has been applied for ECs removal in wastewater for its low cost and satisfactory efficiency, while its practical applications are hindered by the limited adsorption capacity. To improve the removal efficiency of biochar on ECs, diverse techniques (acid-base modification, metal compound modification, steam activation, magnetization, heteroatom doping, and ball milling) have been applied to modify biochar and imbue it with a range of physicochemical attributes. This leads to unique adsorption outcomes, behaviors, and mechanisms. Herein, effective modification methods, effects and mechanisms of modified biochar on the removal of typical ECs including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), micro(nano)plastics, and endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) in aqueous solution have been systematically discussed. Modified biochar has upgraded removal performance towards ECs, and the removal mechanisms generally follow two pathways: adsorption and catalytic degradation. Future efforts should focus on establishing standardized evaluation criteria for cost, effectiveness, and environmental risk, and leverage artificial intelligence to broaden the applications of modified biochar in ECs removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pasteurella multocida (P. multocida) is a significant zoonotic pathogen that has the ability to infect various animals. The inflammatory response caused by P. multocida and the negative regulatory mechanism are not completely understood. NOD-like receptor family CARD-containing 3 (NLRC3), an intracellular member of the NLR family, has been reported as a negative regulator in human. In this study, we aimed to explore the role of rabbit NLRC3 (rNLRC3) in P. multocida infection. Our findings revealed a negative correlation between the expression of rNLRC3 and inflammatory cytokines during P. multocida infection. The expression of rNLRC3 was reduced at the initial stage of P. multocida infection and then recovered. Furthermore, rNLRC3 significantly inhibited the activation of NF-κB by reducing phosphorylation and nuclear import of p65 in response to P. multocida infection. Additionally, overexpression of rNLRC3 attenuated the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β , IL-6 , IL-8 , and TNF-α. Moreover, we demonstrated that rNLRC3 diminished NF-κB activation by interacting with rTRAF4 and rTRAF6. Overexpression of rNLRC3 promoted P. multocida proliferation, while P. multocida proliferation decreased after knockdown of rNLRC3. We also found that the NACHT-LRR domain is a functional domain of rNLRC3 that regulates the NF-κB pathway. Our study suggests that rNLRC3 negatively regulates P. multocida -induced NF-κB signaling in rabbits. It can serve as a checkpoint to prevent dysfunctional inflammation. • rNLRC3 inhibit P. multocida -induced NF-κB. • NOD-LRR is functional domain. • rNLRC3 diminish NF-κB by interacting with rTRAF4 and 6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A numerical method for describing droplet-driven particle motion at low Weber numbers in fluids is proposed. A coupling strategy combining the Shan–Chen (SC) model and the smoothed profile method (SPM) is employed. The proposed scheme correctly resolves the momentum transfer between solid particles and fluid phases, while effectively controlling the wetting condition. An interaction zone where three phases coexist is introduced to solve the contradiction between the SC model and SPM (i.e. whether fluid particles are allowed at the solid nodes). In the interaction zone, partial solid particles are entrapped in the fluids owing to the coexistence of solid and fluid particles, causing solid particles to exchange momentum with fluid particles. Furthermore, the interaction forces between fluid and solid particles near the solid surface are considered at nodes near pure solid particles within this region. Based on the proposed scheme, the interactions between freely moving particles and freely moving droplets were investigated, along with the effects of wettability (Gads) and volume forces (Fp*) on particle–droplet interactions. When a liquid droplet comes into contact with a solid particle, the adhesion force between the droplet and the solid surface promotes the movement of solid particles toward the droplet. When a double emulsion comes into contact with solid particles, the adhesion force between the emulsion film and solid surface causes the double emulsion to break at the connecting point, and the volume force of the emulsion film Fd* causes the solid particles to penetrate the emulsion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an intelligent insole that contains five wide-range flexible capacitive pressure sensors is developed. The output signal of these five sensors is collected and processed by a portable microprocessor system, which is then transmitted to a cloud platform via a Wi-Fi module. The ensuing data visualization is constructed with a WeChat mini-program. The wide-range flexibility is achieved by employing composition materials with a high pressure-sensitive effect. A novel approach is proposed to fabricate flexible pressure-sensitive dielectrics, thereby significantly enhancing the sensitivity and detection range of pressure sensors. The fabrication process involves utilizing polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as a flexible substrate, incorporating nano-iron powder and polyvinylidene fluoride as sensitizing materials, and applying an external magnetic field to control the distribution of iron nanoparticles during the curing process of PDMS. Furthermore, a motion detection system tailored for these flexible sensors is developed. By integrating sensor networks with Internet of things technology, the application potential of wide-range flexible pressure sensors in kinematics and medical rehabilitation fields can be effectively realized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Mononuclear, heterodinuclear and heterohexanuclear complexes were synthesized. • The aliphatic ether Schiff base ligand cannot sensitize terbium ion to luminescence. • The zinc Schiff base complex [ZnL] unit can sensitize terbium ion to luminescence. • The luminescence of terbium complexes can be adjusted by Zn(II) and co-ligand. Three new Tb(III) complexes containing bis(N -3-methoxysalicylidene)-3- oxapentane-1,5-diamine (H 2 L) ligand, [Tb(H 2 L)(NO 3) 3 ] (1), [ZnTbL(NO 3) 2 (OAc)(MeOH)] (2), [Zn 4 Tb 2 L 4 (TP) 2 ](NO 3) 2 ·DMF (3) (DMF = N,N -dimethylformamide, TP = terephthalate) have been synthesized by ether diffusion and structurally characterized. Complex 1 is a mononuclear, whereas complex 2 forms a heterodinuclear Zn-Tb cluster when introducing zinc ion into the reaction system of Complex 1. Complex 3 is a Zn-Tb heterohexanuclear cluster by adding terephthalic acid into the reaction system of complex 2. Solid-state luminescence studies show that the luminescence peaks of the ligand (π*→π) in the three complexes have undergone significant redshift and enhancement, which may be attributed to the coordination of ligand with metal ions. Moreover, the characteristic emission peak of terbium ions (5D 4 →7F 5 , at 545 nm for 2 and 546 nm for 3) appeared in heteronuclear complexes 2 and 3 , while complex 1 did not. This indicates that the aliphatic ether Schiff base ligand cannot sensitize terbium ion to luminescence, while the zinc Schiff base complex [ZnL] unit can sensitize terbium ion to luminescence. Finally, the structures and luminescence properties of terbium complexes can be adjusted by the introduction of zinc(II) ion and co-ligand. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The multi-material FDM technique is utilized to fabricate the IPC structures. • The mechanical behavior of IPC structures is investigated by FEM and experiment. • The Gibson-Ashby model is used to evaluate property and deformation mechanism. • The property enhancement effect of IPC structures is analyzed quantitatively. The triple periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structures have received widespread attention due to their excellent mechanical properties, such as high specific strength and energy absorption. However, these structures are prone to suffering catastrophic damage due to stress concentration and shear deformation in actual loading environments, affecting their load-bearing performance. In this work, interpenetrating phase composite (IPC) structures were fabricated by filling thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) as a soft material into the diamond minimal surface structure using the multi-material fused deposition modeling technique, and their mechanical behavior was investigated numerically and experimentally. The effects of topological types and volume fractions on the performance of IPC structures were investigated. It is shown that the IPC structure undergoes stretching-dominated deformation, and its strength and toughness are significantly improved compared to the TPMS structure. Due to the addition of a complementary phase structure made of TPU, stress concentration and shear failure are reduced. The global deformation of the IPC structure and stress distribution of the TPMS phase are more uniform, effectively protecting the entire structure from catastrophic failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to examine the longitudinal relationship between social inhibition and behavior problems in preschoolers, as well as the potential moderating role of maternal parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive) in this relationship. A total of 196 preschoolers aged 3–4 years (MT1 = 3.460, SD = .594) and their mothers participated in the study, which involved two‐time points. Specifically, teachers assessed preschoolers' social inhibition at the first time point (November 2018). After 1 year (November 2019), mothers reported parenting styles and preschoolers' behavior problems. The results revealed that higher levels of social inhibition were positively associated with increased behavior problems in preschoolers. Furthermore, it was found that a high maternal authoritative parenting style buffered the positive association between social inhibition and preschoolers' behavior problems. However, maternal authoritarian and permissive parenting styles did not act as moderators. These findings emphasized the importance of maternal authoritative parenting style for behavior problems in preschoolers with social inhibition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sorafenib resistance is becoming increasingly common and disadvantageous for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment. Ferroptosis is an iron dependent programmed cell death underlying the mechanism of sorafenib. Iron is crucial for synthesis of cofactors essential to mitochondrial enzymes and necessary for HCC proliferation, while mitochondrial iron overload and oxidative stress are associated with sorafenib induced ferroptosis. However, the crosstalk among iron homeostasis and sorafenib resistance is unclear. Methods: We conducted bioinformatics analysis of sorafenib treated HCC datasets to analyze GCN5L1 and iron related gene expression with sorafenib resistance. GCN5L1 deleted HCC cell lines were generated by CRISPR technology. Sorafenib resistant HCC cell line was established to validate dataset analysis and evaluate the effect of potential target. Results: We identified GCN5L1, a regulator of mitochondrial acetylation, as a modulator in sorafenib-induced ferroptosis via affecting mitochondrial iron homeostasis. GCN5L1 deficiency significantly increased sorafenib sensitivity in HCC cells by down-regulating mitochondrial iron transporters CISD1 expression to induce iron accumulation. Mitochondrial iron accumulation leads to an acceleration in cellular and lipid ROS. Sorafenib resistance is related to CISD1 overexpression to release mitochondrial iron and maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis. We combined CISD1 inhibitor NL-1 with sorafenib, which significantly enhanced sorafenib-induced ferroptosis by promoting mitochondrial iron accumulation and lipid peroxidation. The combination of NL-1 with sorafenib enhanced sorafenib efficacy in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that GCN5L1/CISD1 axis is crucial for sorafenib resistance and would be a potential therapeutic strategy for sorafenib resistant HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]