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To explore the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and postoperative outcomes in patients with chronic sinusitis (CRS) after functional endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). We conducted an observational cohort study of 1,047 patients with CRS undergoing ESS. Discharged patients were followed up to 72 weeks for all-cause recurrence events. Baseline SES was established based on occupation, education level, and family income of the patients 1 year before the operation. Kaplan–Meier method was used to calculate the recovery rate after ESS, and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between SES and prognosis. Patients of middle SES had lower unadjusted all-cause recurrence than those of low or high SES; 24-week overall recovery rate was 90.4% [95 % confidence interval (CI) : 89.6%–91.2%] in patients of middle SES, 13.5% (95 % CI : 12.8%–14.2%) in patients of low SES, and 31.7% (95 % CI : 30.7%–32.7%) in patients of high SES (both log-rank P < 0.001). After adjustment for covariates, hazard ratios (HRs) were 7.69 (95 % CI: 6.17–9.71, P trend < 0.001) for all-cause recurrence for low SES versus middle SES, and 6.19 (95 % CI : 4.78–7.93, P trend < 0.001) for middle SES versus high SES. Low SES and high SES were more associated with the worse prognosis of CRS patients after ESS than middle SES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phycocyanin, a type of marine-derived food pigment protein, has been reported to exhibit multiple biological functions, while the function of its potential bioactive peptides is rarely investigated. Previously, a novel phycocyanin-derived bioactive peptide (PCP3: MFDAFTK) was identified in our study. The aim of this study was to further explore its anti-inflammatory function of small intestine based on both intestinal organoids and mice models. The results revealed that PCP3 could significantly ameliorate the inflammatory symptoms induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), as evidenced by the increased intensity and crypt bud numbers of organoids, the decreased levels of inflammatory factor, the promoted expressions of tight junction and intestinal epithelial cell markers, and the reduced oxidative stress levels of organoids. The in vivo experiments also indicated that PCP3 ameliorated LPS-induced small intestinal inflammation in mice through restoring the physiological form of small intestine, as well as intestinal tight junctions. In addition, pathway analysis suggested that Akt and AMPK/autophagy signaling are involved in the improved process of intestinal inflammation mediated by PCP3. Collectively, this study has laid the foundation for the application of phycocyanin and phycocyanin-derived bioactive peptides in the field of intestinal inflammatory disease, and provides a scientific theoretical basis for the amelioration of intestinal inflammation through functional foods and food derivatives. [Display omitted] • PCP3 is discovered as a novel phycocyanin-derived bioactive peptide. • PCP3 exhibits extraordinary anti-inflammatory function in mice. • PCP3 also ameliorates the LPS-induced inflammation of small intestinal organoids. • The impaired tight junctions by inflammation are dramatically restored by PCP3. • Akt and AMPK/autophagy signaling are involved in the regulatory process of PCP3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • High level of miR-34a-5p and low level of miR-338-3p are expressed in T2DM cells. • miR-338-3p and miR-34a-5p act as antagonists in the phycocyanin-mediated process of T2DM amelioration. • PTPRM and NR3C2 are direct targets of miR-34a-5p and miR-338-3p, respectively. • miR-34a-5p/Ptprm and miR-338-3p/Nr3c2 axis are involved in phycocyanin-mediated glucose regulating process. Phycocyanin has been demonstrated to regulate glycometabolism. Previously, we discovered phycocyanin could protect against type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), while its mechanism is still unclear. In this work, a miRNA-seq was employed to investigate potential vital miRNAs. The results indicated that miR-338-3p expression was decreased in T2DM, which was rescued by phycocyanin, while the expression of miR-34a-5p showed opposite trend. Knockdown miR-338-3p expression or overexpression of miR-34a-5p both reduced the glucose utilization of cells, while could be significantly reversed by phycocyanin. Dual-luciferase reporter assays suggested that PTPRM and NR3C2 are direct targets of miR-34a-5p and miR-338-3p, respectively. Strikingly, knockdown PTPRM expression impacted the uptake of glucose in normal cells, while interfering NR3C2 expression alleviated the decreased glucose availability caused by insulin resistance (IR). Thus, the present work demonstrated that miR-338-3p and miR-34a-5p act as antagonists in phycocyanin-mediated process of ameliorating glycometabolism, which highlights a critical role of miRNAs in regulating glycometabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of photovoltaic hot-spot detection by thermal infrared sensors, the fault features cannot be effectively represented due to low pixel ratios and complex environmental interference, which makes it difficult for the detection network to accurately detect hot-spot faults. Therefore, an anchor-free photovoltaic hot-spot fault detection algorithm based on deformable context Transformer and bi-branch multi-level feature fusion is proposed. First, to improve the feature extraction ability of the backbone network for small-scale hot-spot faults, a deformable context Transformer module is constructed. By building an offset network in a multi-headed self-attention mechanism, dynamic and static context information with small-scale fault features can be explored from shallow feature maps. Second, to solve the problem of low target saliency due to the complex background interference, a bi-branch multi-level feature fusion module is designed to aggregate global and local multi-level features in a parallel fusion manner, enabling the detection network to rapidly focus on the fault target region in complex environments. Then, an anchor-free mechanism is introduced, and a dynamic task alignment prediction module is proposed to avoid feature misalignment in the classification and localization tasks and further improve the algorithm detection accuracy. Finally, to verify the superiority of the proposed network, seven detection algorithms are selected for comparison experiments. The experimental results show that the DCMF-AFNet network can accurately detect multi-scale hot-spot targets under various harsh conditions, and the detection accuracy can reach 87.3%. [Display omitted] • A DCTM module is constructed to mine static and dynamic contextual information of small-scale faults. • A BiMFF module is designed to integrates multi-level features from global and local perspectives in a parallel manner. • A DT-Head module is proposed to avoid information misalignment in the classification and localization branches. • Our algorithm can accurately detect multi-scale hot-spot targets under various harsh conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Clinical evaluation of the midface including the paranasal and upper lip regions is highly subjective and complex. Traditional and 3-dimensional cephalometrics were not developed with the clinical appearance of these midfacial areas in mind and are therefore inappropriate surrogates for the clinical appearance of the midface, making them unsuitable as aids in diagnosing dentofacial deformities. The aim of this study was to evaluate traditional as well as newly defined landmarks and measurements and their correlation with clinical appearance of the midface.Methods: Fifty-two subjects who underwent full-field cone-beam computed tomography were recruited for this study. A single examiner assessed each subject's midfacial region (paranasal and upper lip), and a second examiner obtained traditional and newly defined cephalometric measurements for each subject. Both examiners were blinded to each other's data throughout the study. Statistical analysis was performed to assess the correlations of the traditional and novel cephalometric measurements with clinical midfacial findings. The impact of the soft tissue thickness in the paranasal region was also analyzed. The performance of any classification derived from statistically significant variables was analyzed with the use of micro-F scores and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).Results: Both traditional (SNA) and newly defined measurements (SNANS, SNPR, SNNP, SNh) had no statistically significant correlation with clinical paranasal diagnosis. However, in the absence of upper lip procumbency or protrusion, SNNP and SNh had statistically significant correlations with clinical paranasal diagnosis (P = 0.047 and P = 0.003, respectively). For upper lip analysis, both traditional (SNA) and newly defined measurements (SNCEJ) had strong correlations with clinical upper lip diagnosis (P < 0.001). All statistically significant cephalometric variables had good intra- and interobserver reliability (correlation coefficients ≥0.972 and ≥ 0.968, respectively) except SNA, which had a low interobserver reliability (correlation coefficient 0.739). Fitted models for paranasal and upper lip analyses showed low micro-F scores, indicating low precision and recall. However, AUC values of 0.7019 and 0.6362 for the paranasal and upper lip analysis, respectively, suggest improved performance of the model when properly trained with a larger sample size.Conclusions: Newly defined measurements SNh and SNNP correlated with clinical paranasal diagnosis only in the absence of upper lip procumbency and protrusion. SNA and SNCEJ were strongly correlated with clinical upper lip diagnosis. However, fitted models based on this study sample yielded low micro-F scores, making the fitted models currently unsuitable for anything besides correlation with clinical findings. A larger sample size will be necessary to further clarify the potential roles of these measurements, especially given the reasonable AUC values. The findings of this study demonstrate the highly subjective and relative nature of midfacial diagnosis and the importance of clinical judgment despite the potential utility of some traditional and new measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In deepwater oil and gas field development, a Tension Leg Platform (TLP) consists of a hull, tendons, and top tension risers (TTR). When one or more tendons failure due to extreme sea state, a TLP will be under the working condition which is very different from its design condition, showing structural instability and transient effect. To enhance the safety and global stability of whole TLP system, obtaining failure consequences is necessary. By 3D potential flow theory and panel element method, a series of mooring analyses are performed for the target TLP to predict its coupled hydrodynamic response after tendon one-time failure and, in particular, during progressive failure of several tendons. Different directions of environment load that including extreme wind, wave and current and tendon failure positions are considered. In the results, the motion response of the hull, the force from residual tendons and TTRs are presented. • A progressive mooring failure process is calculated for a TLP hull-tendon-riser coupled system under extreme environment. • TTRs' response is analyzed after the local mooring system breakdown and it is compared with tendons' response. • Comparisons are made between the disconnections simultaneously and progressively of multi-tendon. (The fourth point:) A crucial factor in conversion from local mooring failure to global failure is obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Arid areas cover more than one third of global land, and as such, water resources are vital for this fragile ecosystem. In order to reveal the recharge mechanisms among different water bodies in arid areas, precipitation, surface water, and groundwater were sampled in the Ebinur Lake basin, Xinjiang, China, and the isotopic values for hydrogen and oxygen were measured. The stable isotope values of precipitation showed significant seasonal variation, with minimum values in the winter, medium values in the spring and autumn, and maximum values in the summer. The slope and intercept of local meteoric water line were both lower than that of global meteoric water line, indicating subcloud evaporation effect. The vapor source of precipitation was dominated by the westerlies, but the regional re-evaporation vapor accounted for some proportions as well. In the Bortala River and Jinghe River, the stable isotopic values varied spatially, tending to be enriched with the river flow. The stable isotopic values for lake water were significantly higher than those of river water, which reflected a stronger evaporation and concentration effect of the lake water. The stable isotopic values of groundwater featured similar spatial variation compared to the river, and phreatic water evaporated to some extent. In the Bortala River, owing to its specific hydrogeological structure, the exchange rates between the groundwater and the river water were higher upstream than in the middle and lower reaches. In the Jinghe River, the deep groundwater aquifer received recharge from the shallow groundwater layers and from the river. At the edge of the Ebinur Lake, the interaction of groundwater and surface water was low and springs became the important recharge source for the lake. The results of this study provide insights into the determination of river hydrological processes and the management of water resources. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • The recharge rates were calculated among the precipitation, surface water, and groundwater. • The spatio-temporal variations were elaborated among the precipitation, surface water, and groundwater δ2H and δ18O values. • The stable isotope method and HYSPLIT model were used to trace the vapor sources. • A conceptual diagram of regional water cycle was depicted in the Ebinur Lake basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Al-Zn-Mg-Cu aluminum alloys are typically heat-treatable aluminum alloys. The heat treatment has a significant effect on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy. In this study, the solid solution temperature of achieving ultra-high strength in wire-arc additive manufactured 7B55 aluminum alloy was systematically investigated. The results showed that the microstructure of the as-deposited 7B55 aluminum alloy was composed of equiaxed grains with an average grain size of 4.2 ± 0.5 μm. A large number of the second phases were continuously distributed along grain boundaries. The precipitated phases within grains were mainly composed of the larger η phases and the smaller η′ phases, and the amount of precipitated phases was fewer. The second phases distributed along grain boundaries gradually dissolved into α-Al matrix with the increase of solid solution temperature, resulting in a higher supersaturation of the α-Al matrix and more homogeneous distribution of alloy elements. Combined with the results of DSC analysis, the optimal solid solution temperature of the 7B55 aluminum alloy was determined to be 480 °C. After solid solution of 480 °C，the microstructure was still composed of equiaxed grains with an average grain size of 4.8 ± 0.4 μm. The size of the grain did not grow significantly. A larger number of nanoscale fine GP zones, η′ phases and secondary Al 3 (Sc,Zr) particles were precipitated within the grains during subsequently artificial aging process, resulting in a significant increase in tensile properties. The ultimate tensile strength (UTS), yield strength (YS) and elongation (EL) reached 621 MPa, 555 MPa and 5.73%, respectively, which was significantly higher than the strength level of WAAM aluminum alloy reported among all the existing literature. • The solution temperature to achieve maximum supersaturation in Al matrix was studied. • The microstructure of WAAM Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys was composed of fine equiaxed grains. • The intragranular precipitated phases were composed of η' phases and Al 3 (Sc,Zr) phases. • The UTS reached the highest strength level of 621 MPa among reported WAAM aluminum alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • LINC00852 expression is suppressed by phycocyanin in NSCLC cells. • LINC00852 acts as a ceRNA of miR-29a-3p which further targets LAMTOR1 gene. • Phycocyanin inhibits NSCLC vitality through LINC00852/miR-29a-3p/LAMTOR1 axis. • AMPK activation is involved in the above axis-mediated inhibition in NSCLC cells. Phycocyanin has been reported to exert antineoplastic function in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), while the underlying molecular mechanism is still largely unclear. In this study, a whole transcriptome resequencing was employed. Results showed that lncRNA LINC00852 was inhibited by phycocyanin in NSCLC cells. Knockdown LINC00852 expression resulted in the attenuated proliferation, viability and migration ability of NSCLC cells. Meanwhile, dual-luciferase reporter assay indicated that LINC00852 acted as a ceRNA of miR-29a-3p which further targets regulator complex protein LAMTOR1 (LAMTOR1). Overexpression miR-29a-3p or knockdown LAMTOR1 expression decreased the activity of NSCLC cells, respectively. Moreover, AMPK signaling was activated upon LINC00852 knockdown, miR-29a-3p enhancement or LAMTOR1 inhibition, which was in consistent with the phycocyanin exposure results. In summary, we demonstrated that LINC00852 played a key role in phycocyanin-mediated NSCLC regulation process, and the epigenetic signaling LINC00852/miR-29a-3p/LAMTOR1 may be considered as novel molecular targets for fighting NSCLC base on marine functional foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C-phycocyanin (C-PC), a type of functional food colourant, plays a significant role in regulating inflammatory responses. However, its underlying anti-inflammatory mechanism remains unknown. Previously, we have established a 35 S in vivo / vitro labelling analysis for dynamic proteomic (SiLAD) technology. Unlike traditional proteomic methods, SiLAD exclusively detects synthesis rates instead of accumulated amounts through 35 S pulse labelling of newly synthesized proteins, providing a high sensitive way for analysing protein alterations. In this work, we applied SiLAD to explore the anti-inflammatory mechanism of C-PC. We found that the protein synthesis rates were specifically detected and visualised. Strikingly, network analysis suggested programmed cell death 5 protein (PDCD5) was involved in C-PC mediated anti-inflammatory process. Phenotyping experiments demonstrated that C-PC could reduce inflammation through down-regulating PDCD5-NF-κB signaling. These results provided important information for the regulation of C-PC, and offered a novel perspective for regulatory mechanism of functional food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intercalation and conversion are two of the most popular forms of lithium (Li) or sodium (Na) storage. Conversion reactions usually involve transference of more than one electron. Therefore, the electrode materials that store Li- and Na-ions by way of such reactions theoretically deliver specific capacities a few times higher than those of the intercalation materials. Intercalation and conversion reactions can occur in sequence upon Na storage in MoS 2 , but the reversibility of the latter upon Na extraction is still controversial. In this article, we clarify that the conversion reaction of nano-MoS 2 can be reversible in a carbon matrix and the extent of reversibility is highly dependent on the dynamic properties of the composite. In addition, hexagonal NaMoS 2 is recognized as a new phase in the early stage of Na extraction from the reduction products of MoS 2 , Mo+Na 2 S, on the basis of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) characterization and first-principles calculations. These findings enrich the understanding of reaction mechanism of MoS 2 upon Na storage and removal and are helpful to the design and applications of the transition metal sulfides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water splitting is an important process to produce hydrogen fuels and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), the anodic half reaction, is identified as the bottleneck for its kinetic and energetic complexity in improving the overall efficiency. In this communication, we report that cobalt phosphide nanoarray in situ grown on Ti mesh (CoP NA/TM) behaves as a durable robust non-noble-metal electrocatalyst for sodium sulfide (Na 2 S) oxidation with the need of potential of 1.31 V to drive 20 mA cm −2 in 1.0 M KOH with 50 mM Na 2 S. The high hydrogen-evolving activity for CoP NA/TM enables it as a bifunctional catalyst electrode for energy-efficient electrochemical hydrogen generation by replacing OER with Na 2 S oxidation reaction. The CoP NA/TM||CoP NA/TM couple needs a cell voltage of 1.49 V to drive 15 mA cm −2 , 210 mV less than of pure water splitting, with strong long-term electrochemical durability and 100% Faradic efficiency for hydrogen evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The unprotected SOC pool is the largest in the Larix gmelinii forests soils. • Physical-chemical and chemical protected SOC pools tended to be saturated. • Unprotected and physical protected SOC pools are still not saturated. • Soil depth presented stronger effects on the SOC pools than forest age and type. • Soil physicochemical properties were crucial for SOC sequestration of each pool. The stability and dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) pools in forest soils are crucial for assessing and predicting the effectiveness of forest carbon sequestration. Various factors such as soil depth, nutrients availability, crustal elements, pH, and stand characteristics (tree type, tree age) influence the stability of SOC pools. To better understand SOC stability of cold temperate forest soil, soil samples were collected from 0–10 cm, 10–20 cm, 20–40 cm, and 40–60 cm depths in a Larix gmelinii forest. Then, the distribution characteristics of SOC pools under different protection mechanisms and their influencing factors were examined. Our results showed that the unprotected SOC pool was the highest, while the physical–chemical protected SOC pool was the lowest. Total organic carbon (TOC) had a linear positive relationship with unprotected and physical-protected SOC pools, and a logarithmic positive relationship with physical–chemical protected and chemical-protected SOC pools. Soil depth was the predominant factor affecting the SOC pools of each protection mechanism. The physical–chemical protected SOC pool significantly differed from forest types and forest ages, and the chemical-protected SOC pool was associated with the synergistic effects of forest age and type. Furthermore, soil moisture and acidity, and the crustal elements may play prominent role in the variation of SOC pools in the Larix gmelinii forests. Our findings suggested that the silt- and clay-associated SOC pools in the Larix gmelinii forest soils had approached or achieved saturation, while more organic C was fixed in the relatively active unprotected SOC pool. This unprotected pool was more sensitive to ecosystem change, indicating its importance in assessing forest carbon sequestration. Our study provided insights into the active and dynamic SOC pools in forest soils and their responses to different environmental factors. These findings can be utilized to accurately assess the carbon sink potential of cold temperate forest soils and inform the management of forest ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An anchor-free infrared pedestrian detection algorithm is proposed. • To address the negative impact of the discrepancy between the classification and regression tasks on the detector performance, a novel dual-branch decoupled detection head is designed. • A cross-scale feature fusion module is developed, which can enhance the pedestrian detection performance in multiscale and partially occluded regions. • A hierarchical attention mapping module is constructed to improve the pedestrian detection performance in complex environments. An anchor-free infrared pedestrian detection algorithm is proposed to address the problems of multiscale, partial occlusion and environmental interference in infrared images, which make it difficult for traditional algorithms to perform accurate detection. First, a cross-scale feature fusion module is devised to improve the detection performance of multiscale and partially occluded objects. This module fuses the global features of different residual layers and multiscale local region features, thereby improving the multiscale feature fusion capability of the model while expanding the feature receptive field of the backbone network. Second, the object texture features of infrared images are weak owing to the imaging mechanism, which affects the accuracy of detection model. Thus, we construct a hierarchical attention mapping module to enhance the significance of pedestrian features in complex environments while suppressing the background information. Moreover, to improve the detection performance further, a novel dual-branch head detector is designed to decouple the input features from the channel dimension, which can be used for classification and location. Finally, by introducing the anchor-free concept into the network prediction mechanism, the prediction box can learn ground truth regression parameters by itself, thereby simplifying the network structure and improving the model generalization ability. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can accurately detect multiscale infrared pedestrian objects in complex environments and exhibits better objective evaluation indices compared to other pedestrian detection algorithms. The average precision and recall reached 98.78% and 98.67%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resilience has become an essential aspect of the high-quality development of the marine economy. This study considered multiple combinations of dimensions, including politics, economy, culture, society, ecology, and security, in developing marine economy resilience. Based on the adaptability theory, this study measures the resilience of China's marine economy by constructing an evaluation index system using the three resilience sub-dimensions of resistance, adaptability, and evolution from 2000 to 2020 in 11 Chinese coastal provinces. The evaluation index system also considers social factors such as institution, culture, and history. The new technical methods such as remote sensing interpretation and text analysis are used to obtain one-hand data. We use a fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) model to calculate the comprehensive evaluation index and determine the weight of each index using the entropy weight method, analytic hierarchy process, and the least square decision model. Furthermore, based on the Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) time path and spatiotemporal transition probability matrix, we analyze the spatiotemporal characteristic evolution characteristics of marine economic resilience. The results reveal that (1) the resilience, resistance, adaptability, and evolution of the marine economy in 11 coastal provinces show an upward trend from 2000 to 2020. (2) The development speed of the resilience level differs in terms of resistance, adaptability, and evolution, but the overall level shows adaptability > evolution > resistance. (3) The analysis of the spatiotemporal interaction characteristics of resilience shows that the overall spatial characteristic of resilience is relatively stable. Therefore, some measurements are suggested to improve marine economic resilience. For example, government formulates marine plans, sea-related enterprises assume social responsibilities, and individuals actively participate in marine governance. The evaluation model of marine economic resilience applies to other complex systems with multiple factors. • Assess spatiotemporal characteristics of marine economic resilience. • A new compound asymmetric spatial vector weight matrix is constructed. • A new method explores the spatiotemporal evolution of marine economic resilience. • The evaluation model of resilience is applicable to other complex systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with an incidence second only to Alzheimer’s disease. The main pathological feature of PD is the death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. Nicotinic receptor agonists are neuroprotective in several PD models and there is considerable evidence that α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7-nAChRs) are important therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative diseases. However, the involvement of α7-nAChRs and underlying signaling mechanisms in PD pathogenesis are unclear. The objective of the present study was to explore the potential functions of α7-nAChRs in PD pathology, and to determine whether these effects are exerted via Wnt/β-catenin signaling in a mouse PD model. In the in vivo study, α7-nAChR knockout (α7-KO) reversed the beneficial effects of nicotine on motor deficits, dopaminergic neuron loss, astrocyte and microglia activation, and reduced striatal dopamine release induced by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine. Injury to SH-SY5Y cells by 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium treatment was also ameliorated by nicotine, and this effect was abolished by methyllycaconitine (MLA), a selective α7-nAChR antagonist, or by siRNA-mediated α7-nAChR knockdown. Furthermore, nicotine increased expression levels of Wnt/β-catenin signaling proteins in the PD mouse model or in the SH-SY5Y cells treated by 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium, and these effects were also reversed by MLA or α7-siRNA treatment in vivo or in vitro . These results suggest that endogenous α7-nAChR mechanisms play a crucial role in a mouse PD model via regulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type 2 diabetes is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Hyperphosphorylation of the microtubule-associated protein tau has been reported in rodent models of diabetes, including db/db mice, which exhibit insulin resistance and chronically elevated glucocorticoids due to leptin receptor insufficiency. In this report, we investigated endocrine mechanisms for hippocampal tau phosphorylation in db/db and wild-type mice. By separately manipulating peripheral and intrahippocampal corticosterone levels, we determined that hippocampal corticosteroid exposure promotes tau phosphorylation and activates glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β). Subsequent experiments in hippocampal slice preparations revealed evidence for a nongenomic interaction between glucocorticoids and GSK3β. To examine whether GSK3β activation mediates tau phosphorylation and impairs memory in diabetes, db/db and wild-type mice received intrahippocampal infusions of TDZD-8, a non-ATP competitive thiadiazolidinone inhibitor of GSK3β. Intrahippocampal TDZD-8 blocked tau hyperphosphorylation and normalized hippocampus-dependent memory in db/db mice, suggesting that pathological synergy between diabetes and Alzheimer's disease may involve glucocorticoid-mediated activation of GSK3β. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The Vernier effect sensor could measure temperature and strain simultaneously. • MZI and FPI of the Vernier effect sensor have different responses to temperature and strain. • The MZI and FPI are highly symmetrical in structure, which are easy to fabricate and low in cost. A fiber sensor based on Vernier effect for simultaneous temperature and strain measurement is proposed and demonstrated, which consists of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer and a Fabry-Perot interferometer. The two fiber interferometers are highly symmetrical in structure, both contain a hollow core fiber. The interferometer with a hollow core fiber of larger air hole diameter serves as the Fabry-Perot interferometer, and the other one with a hollow core fiber of smaller air hole diameter functions as the Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The Mach-Zehnder interferometer was found to be sensitive to temperature as well as strain, whereas the Fabry-Perot interferometer was only sensitive to strain variation. Due to the different response of two interferometers, the sensor achieved simultaneous measurement of temperature and strain. Leveraging on the Vernier effect and with MZI served as the sensing unit, the sensor provided a temperature sensitivity of − 279.99 pm / ℃ and a strain sensitivity of − 5.95 pm/με, respectively. While using Fabry-Perot interferometer as the sensing unit, the sensor showed an enhanced strain sensitivity of 19.17 pm/με. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, amorphous silica was uniformly embedded at the nano-scale in the tunnel wall of mesoporous carbon, with no free or aggregated silica or carbon particles in the cavity of the tunnels. The tunnel provides sufficient space for the volume expansion of SiO 2 , while the carbon skeleton forms electric conducting paths for the electrochemical reaction/activation of the silica. Therefore, impregnation of inactive and insulating SiO 2 particles in active and conducting mesoporous carbon (SiO 2 -MC) is beneficial for improving the electrochemical activity and cycling performance of the former as an LIB anode. As a result, the SiO 2 -MC composite delivers a reversible capacity of 670 mAh g − 1 , much higher than that of the composite (SiO 2 + MC) containing SiO 2 aggregates (~ 300 mAh g − 1 ). This impregnation concept can be applied in the structural design of composite electrodes for other secondary batteries and preparation of high-efficiency catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Establishing a green power system to achieve reasonable and high-efficiency renewable energy utilization is undoubtedly a large engine to promote the development of sustainable socio-economy. In this context, an ingenious carbon tracking strategy was proposed to enhance glucose electrometabolism by developing a solar-rechargeable bio-photoelectrochemical system (BPECS). The prototype of this BPECS is a glucose/O 2 photo-biofuel cell (PBFC) that contains a Prussian blue/glucose oxidase (PB/GOD) biocathode and a Mo-doped bismuth vanadate (Mo:BiVO 4) photoanode. Benefiting from the specific electrooxidation selectivity of Mo:BiVO 4 towards gluconic acid, namely the by-product of biocathode, the carbon track from glucose (C 6 H 12 O 6) to gluconic acid (C 6 H 12 O 7) and then to arabinose (C 5 H 10 O 5) can be achieved in one-chambered PBFC. Under light illumination, this PBFC obtained an open circuit voltage of 0.52 ± 0.01 V and a maximum output power density of 98.11 ± 2.26 μW cm−2. Furthermore, in response to the intermittent nature of sunlight, a polypyrrole (PPy) capacitor electrode, as energy storage module, was integrated into PBFC to assemble the solar-rechargeable BPECS. Through bio-discharge (biocathode-PPy) and photo-charge (PPy-photoanode) of BPECS, the carbon track is divided into two-step electrometabolism process, which effectively avoids the deficiency of traditional cascade kinetics. Meanwhile, consecutive electricity output can be obtained from BPECS whether day or night. Based on the proposed carbon tracking strategy, this developed solar-rechargeable BPECS not only enhances glucose electrometabolism, but also achieves reasonable utilization of sunlight, which provides a judicious research model for high-efficiency renewable energy exploitation. [Display omitted] • Aiming at high-efficiency bio-energy harvesting, a glucose/O 2 solar-rechargeable BPECS was developed. • Based on an ingenious carbon tracking strategy, a value-added electrometabolism of glucose can be achieved in BPECS. • Through bio-discharge and photo-charge processes, consecutive electricity output can be obtained whether day or night. • The construction of BPECS provides considerable promise for the development of cost-effective green power systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autonomous shipping has been identified as the way forward in the maritime transport. However, the time-optimal path planning, anti-disturbance trajectory tracking and obstacle avoidance are still ongoing challenging problems, which have not been properly addressed for autonomous ship. To fill the knowledge gap, we propose a novel nonlinear model predictive control (MPC), which integrates the time-optimal path planning, anti-disturbance tracking and obstacle avoidance. The proposed controller is designed as a 2-level hierarchical controller. In the high level, a planned path considering time minimum and obstacle avoidance is generated by nonlinear MPC in spatial formulation. A spatial reformulation is adopted to express manoeuvring time as a function mathematically. In the spatial coordinate, the manoeuvring time is minimised by MPC to generate a reference path for tracking. In the low level, vessel tracks the time-optimal planning trajectory by nonlinear MPC with extended Kalman filter in temporal formulation. The deviation of the tracking path in longitudinal direction is 15% ship length and the deviation in width direction is 1% under disturbances. The obstacle avoidance is implemented by using the proposed control method, and the tolerance of obstacle avoidance is 2 L (ship length) to meet the safety requirement. • Integrate path planning and trajectory tracking in a two-level hierarchy model predictive control. • Introduce a spatial reformulation to mathematically generate time-optimal planning path. • Apply Extended Kalman filter estimator to realise anti-disturbance trajectory tracking. • Obstacle avoidance is analysed and a safety tolerance of avoidance is estimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water, energy, and food are essential and strategic resources for human well-being and socio-economic development and form the water-energy-food (WEF) system with competition and synergy. The competitive and synergistic evolution model was developed to remedy the limitations in quantitatively analyzing the tradeoffs and synergies of the WEF system. Firstly, an assessment model was developed for measuring the synergy and competition of the WEF system based on the order degree of each subsystem (That is, the development degree of each subsystem) and synergy theory. Then the synergy evolution model (SEM), with the help of a logistic model and accelerated genetic algorithm (AGA) model, was developed to measure and identify the steady-state. Furthermore, an empirical study was conducted with 30 provinces in China as examples. The results indicated that the food subsystem had the highest average order degree (0.347), followed by the energy subsystem (0.305), and the water subsystem had the lowest (0.281). The degree of order of the three subsystems exhibited an upward trend in time and has differences in the spatial distribution. Also, the results showed that synergistic, restrictive, and competitive relationships exist within the WEF system. Areas with competitive and restrictive relationships are mainly located in South China and North China, respectively, within the relationship between the water and energy subsystems. The entire country showed a restrictive relationship between the water and food subsystems. The energy and food subsystems showed that the eastern regions with relationship, while the western regions with competitive and restrictive relationship. Finally, effective measures (e.g., optimize the industrial structure, continuing to implement the strategy of "storing grain in the land and technology", and to hold the arable land minimum) are suggested to achieve the WEF system coordinated and sustainable development. We believe that the assessment model is also applicable to assess the other complex and dynamic system worldwide that involve multiple factors. • The development degree of water, energy, and food subsystems of 30 provinces in China were measured. • Synergy evolution model and criteria of the steady-state were built with the help of synergy theory. • Synergy evolution relationships of the WEF system in China were investigated. • There were synergistic, restrictive, and competitive relationships exist within the WEF system. • The evaluation model may also be suitable for evaluating other complex and dynamic systems involving multiple factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Phycocyanin inhibits the growth of NSCLC cells. • Phycocyanin induces autophagy and autophagy flux in NSCLC cells. • AMPK signaling pathway activation is involved in phycocyanin-treated lung cancer cells. • Phycocyanin attenuated viability of multiple lung cancer cells through promoting autophagy. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Phycocyanin, a type of marine food additives, has been reported to exert antineoplastic effects in NSCLC. The aim of this study was to investigate roles of autophagy in the anticancer process of phycocyanin in NSCLC. Results showed that phycocyanin increased LC3-II/LC3-I ratio and decreased p62 level of NSCLC cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Laser scanning confocal observation of autophagic LC3 puncta showed phycocyanin promotes autophagy flux of NSCLC cells. In addition, AMPK signaling was activated upon phycocyanin treatment. Strikingly, phycocyanin was shown to synergistically affect the autophagy of cells with rapamycin and chloroquine, thus concertedly inhibiting the viabilities of NSCLC cells. These results indicated that the antineoplastic effect of phycocyanin could be attributed to the activated autophagy and AMPK signaling pathway. Thus, targeting autophagy could be a promising way to improve NSCLC though phycocyanin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate whether cochlear inner hair cells (IHCs) ribbon synapse plasticity would be interrupted by insulin resistance (IR) due to dietary iron overload, we established an IR model in C57Bl/6 male mice with an iron-enriched diet for 16 weeks. Glucose levels were measured at weeks 4, 8, 12, 16. Glucose tolerance test and insulin tolerance test were performed at week 16 after overnight fasting. Then, auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) measurements were performed for hearing threshold shifts. After ABR measurements, cochleae were harvested for assessment of the number of IHC ribbon synapses by immunostaining, the morphology of cochlear hair cells and spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) by transmission electron microscopy or immunostaining. Here, we show that IR due to dietary iron overload decreased the number of ribbon synapses, and induced moderate ABR threshold elevations. Besides, additional components including outer hair cells (OHCs), IHCs, and SGNs were unaffected. Moreover, IR did not disrupt the expression of vesicular glutamate transporter 3 (VGLUT3), myosin VIIa and prestin in hair cells. These results indicate that IHC ribbon synapses may be more susceptible to IR due to dietary iron overload. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Phycocyanin diminishes the viability of A549 cells. • Phycocyanin significantly promotes expressions of miR-3150a-3p, miR-6883-3p and miR-627-5p. • TIRAP is a shared directed target of miR-3150a-3p, miR-6883-3p and miR-627-5p. • Knockdown TIRAP expression resulted in similar cell phenotype as miRNAs overexpression. • Overexpression TIRAP restores the diminished A549 viability caused by miRNAs and phycocyanin. As a type of functional food additives, phycocyanin is well-known for its extraordinary antineoplastic activity in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Previously, a high-throughput miRNA sequencing was employed to excavate miRNAs altered by phycocyanin in A549 cells, while the in-depth regulatory mechanism was inadequate. In this work, three significant up-regulated miRNAs in phycocyanin-treated cells are identified for the first time, including miR-3150a-3p, miR-6883-3p and miR-627-5p. Overexpression of miRNAs obviously diminished the cell growth and colony formation capacity, respectively. Dual-luciferase reporter assay verified that toll/interleukin 1 receptor domain-containing adaptor protein (TIRAP) was a direct shared target of three miRNAs. Knockdown the expression of TIRAP resulted in similar cell growth inhibition phenotype as miRNAs overexpression. Strikingly, overexpression of TIRAP could significantly restore the diminished cell viability caused by miRNAs up-regulation, as well as phycocyanin treatment. Consequently, this study proposes that phycocyanin plays an inhibitory effect of NSCLC cells via a miR-3150a-3p/miR-6883-3p/miR-627-5p-TIRAP axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] We use a mild maternal iron deficiency anemia model to induce hearing impairment in young guinea pigs. [•] Mild iron deficiency anemia induces hair cell apoptosis and caspase-3/9 activation. [•] Apoptosis may play a key role for inhibition of hair cell development caused by mild iron deficiency anemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel fusion algorithm based on visual differentiation feature extraction is proposed. • Visual Saliency Map - Weighted Local Energy is designed to merge the base layers. • A new hierarchical structure decision model is formulated to optimize the fusion result. • Our algorithm can effectively restrain energy loss and preserve texture features in the fusion process. To address the problems of energy loss and edge blur when fusing infrared and visible images with traditional methods, a novel infrared and visible image fusion approach based on the visual differentiation feature extraction is proposed, termed as VDFEFuse. Owing to the unique thermal radiation imaging characteristic of the infrared sensor, more intensity information is preserved in the infrared images. In this approach, we construct a visual differentiation feature extraction operator to compensate for the loss of such significant features in the fusion process to the greatest extent. Then, through the LatLRR-based multilevel decomposition and the specific fusion strategies, a set of fused sub-images is generated. To select the best fusion result from fused sub-images, a novel hierarchical structure decision model is formulated in which the qualitative and quantitative evaluations of all fused sub-images can be taken into account simultaneously. Compared with nine image fusion methods, experiments showed that not only does the proposed algorithm have better visual effects from subjective judgment and objective evaluation, but it also can better retain the rich brightness information in the source image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]