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The poor lithium ion conductivity of solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer limits the improvement of cycling performance of lithium metal batteries. Here, we pre-designed a Li2S/Li2S2 inorganic layer to participate into the formation of SEI through a simple one-step melting sulfur strategy. Its high ionic conductivity promotes the rapid and uniform transmission of lithium ion, and effectively inhibits the side reaction and the growth of lithium dendrites. Benefiting from these advantages, Li/Li symmetrical batteries using artificial SEI with Li2S/Li2S2 show small polarization voltages (25–40 mV), and can run for nearly 1500 h, which is 2 times than that of bare lithium. Moreover, the application of Li/LiFePO4 battery can be extended to 235 cycles with a high capacity retention of 90% under high load of 21.6 mg cm−2 and lean electrolyte of 2 µL mg−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is of importance to enhance the urban areas' capacity for population aggregation in underdeveloped regions, aiming to rectify the imbalanced and insufficient pattern of economic development in China. Taking the Taiyuan Metropolitan Area (TMA) in central China as a case study, this paper examines the evolutionary process and characteristics of population agglomeration from 2000 to 2020, and identifies factors associated with agglomeration and their spatial effects. The findings indicated that: 1) against the background of sustained population shrinkage in the provincial area, the TMA showed a demographic trend of steady increase, albeit with a decelerated growth rate. In the metropolitan area, urban population size continued to grow rapidly, whereas the rural areas endured sustained losses. Disparities in city size continued to widen, and the polarization of concentrated population in the core cities kept increasing. 2) Agglomerations in both secondary and service industries had significant positive effects on local population agglomeration, with the former effect being stronger. Regional economic development, government fiscal expenditure, and financial advancement all contributed to facilitating local population clustering. From a spatial spillover perspective, service agglomeration and financial development promoted population agglomeration in surrounding areas. Conversely, fiscal expenditure inhibited such agglomeration. As for industrial agglomeration and regional economic development, their spatial spillover effects were non-significant. The results obtained reveal several policy implications aimed at enhancing the population agglomeration capacity of the metropolitan area in underdeveloped regions during the new era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemoresistance is a main reason for treatment failure in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, but the exact regulatory mechanism underlying chemoresistance in nasopharyngeal carcinoma remains to be elucidated. Here, we identify PJA1 as a key E3 ubiquitin ligase involved in nasopharyngeal carcinoma chemoresistance that is highly expressed in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients with nonresponse to docetaxel-cisplatin-5-fluorouracil induction chemotherapy. We find that PJA1 facilitates docetaxel resistance by inhibiting GSDME-mediated pyroptosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells. Mechanistically, PJA1 promotes the degradation of the mitochondrial protein PGAM5 by increasing its K48-linked ubiquitination at K88, which further facilitates DRP1 phosphorylation at S637 and reduced mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production, resulting in suppression of GSDME-mediated pyroptosis and the antitumour immune response. PGAM5 knockdown fully restores the docetaxel sensitization effect of PJA1 knockdown. Moreover, pharmacological targeting of PJA1 with the small molecule inhibitor RTA402 enhances the docetaxel sensitivity of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in vitro and in vivo. Clinically, high PJA1 expression indicates inferior survival and poor clinical efficacy of TPF IC in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients. Our study emphasizes the essential role of E3 ligases in regulating chemoresistance and provides therapeutic strategies for nasopharyngeal carcinoma based on targeting the ubiquitin-proteasome system. While chemotherapy may initially be effective in patient with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), resistance often develops. Here, the authors identify PJA1 as a driver of resistance to docetaxel via inhibition of GSDME-mediated proptosis and target this using a PJA1 inhibitor to restore sensitivity in preclinical models of NPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study conducts an in-depth exploration of the efficacy of deep learning and ensemble learning techniques for slope-unit-based landslide susceptibility prediction within the context of the Three Gorges Reservoir area in China, with a specific focus on Wanzhou District. Leveraging a dataset comprising twelve distinct landslide factors and 1909 Slope Units, the research evaluates three deep learning models (Long Short-Term Memory, Recurrent Neural Network, and Gated Recurrent Unit) as well as three ensemble learning models (LightGBM (LGBM), Extra Trees, and Random Forest) using five performance metrics. Central to this endeavor is the adept utilization of remote sensing technology, including Landsat 8 OLI images, Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data, and Google Earth Pro images. The Landsat 8 OLI images offer a panoramic view of the study area, capturing essential landscape features and variations. The DEM data, providing detailed elevation information, empowers the analysis of terrain morphology crucial for landslide susceptibility assessment. The findings conclusively showcase that ensemble learning models harnessed in this study, augmented by the integration of diverse remote sensing data, exhibit exceptional predictive capabilities in accurately anticipating landslide susceptibility. These models outperform their deep learning model counterparts, attributing their success to the multi-faceted insights derived from the synergy between remote sensing imagery and advanced machine learning algorithms. The ensemble models' enhanced performance metrics, such as F1-score, recall, precision, and area under the curve (AUC) values, underscore their potential utility in real-world landslide prediction scenarios. Especially noteworthy among the ensemble models is LGBM, which emerges as the most promising candidate with the highest F1-score (0.561) and Recall (0.524), indicating that the LGBM model possesses a more robust predictive capability for landslide samples. In-depth interpretability analysis using SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) values and Partial Dependence Plots (PDP) assessments delves into the mechanics of LGBM's predictive prowess. This analysis, reliant on remote sensing data, provides clarity into the contributions of various evaluation factors, emphasizing the roles of attributes such as proximity to the river, rainfall, and elevation. The correlation patterns revealed between these factors and landslide susceptibility add layers of understanding, while the intricate interplay of distance to the river unveils the complex interactions between geological and climatic variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the navigation problem of autonomous vehicles based on reinforcement learning (RL) with both stability and smoothness guarantees. By introducing a data-based Lyapunov function, the stability criterion in mean cost is obtained, where the Lyapunov function has a property of fast descending. Then, an off-policy RL algorithm is proposed to train safe policies, in which a more strict constraint is exerted in the framework of model-free RL to ensure the fast convergence of policy generation, in contrast with the existing RL merely with stability guarantee. In addition, by simultaneously introducing constraints on action increments and action distribution variations, the difference between the adjacent actions is effectively alleviated to ensure the smoothness of the obtained policy, instead of only seeking the similarity of the distributions of adjacent actions as commonly done in the past literature. A navigation task of a ground differentially driven mobile vehicle in simulations is adopted to demonstrate the superiority of the proposed algorithm on the fast stability and smoothness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abnormal mechanical load is a pivotal inducer of endplate cartilage degeneration, which subsequently promotes intervertebral disc degeneration. Our previous study indicated that intermittent cyclic mechanical compression (ICMC) promotes endplate chondrocyte degeneration, but the mechanism underlying this effect is unclear. In this study, we investigated PTEN-induced kinase 1(PINK1) dependent mitophagy during ICMC-induced endplate chondrocyte degeneration. Furthermore, we determined whether NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) activation correlated with PINK1-dependent mitophagy regulation and increased oxidation resistance of endplate chondrocytes under ICMC application. First, we generated a mechanical compression-induced endplate chondrocyte degeneration model in vitro and in vivo. ICMC was found to promote endplate chondrocyte extracellular matrix degradation. PINK1‐mediated mitophagy was suppressed in the ICMC-stimulated endplate chondrocytes, while increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species generation suggested that mitophagy is involved in the protective effect of mechanical strain on endplate chondrocytes. Moreover, Nrf2 expression, interaction with Kelch-like ECH-associated protein (Keap1), and nuclear translocation were inhibited by ICMC. Nrf2 overexpression inhibited reactive oxygen species production and reversed ICMC-induced endplate chondrocyte degeneration. Transfection with PINK1 shRNA abolished this effect and partially blocked Nrf2-induced mitophagy. Our findings suggested that ICMC could inhibit the Nrf2/PINK1 signaling pathway to reduce the mitophagy levels which significantly promote oxidative stress and thereby endplate chondrocyte degeneration. Therapeutic regulation of the Nrf2/PINK1 signaling pathway may be an efficient anabolic strategy for inhibiting this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A solar neutrino detector relying on the charged-current (CC) interaction of ν e on 7 Li is attractive. The total CC interaction cross-section weighted by the solar 8 B electron neutrino spectrum is approximately 60 times that of the neutrino-electron elastic scattering process. The final state effective kinetic energy after the CC interaction on 7 Li directly reflects the neutrino energy, which stands in sharp contrast to the plateau structure of recoil electrons of the elastic scattering. The recent measurement of the optical properties of saturated LiCl water solution, especially the long attenuation length, has once again aroused our interest in LiCl. In this work, with new B(GT) experimental measurements, the CC cross-section on 7 Li is reevaluated to be 3.759 × 10 - 42 cm 2 . Given the high solubility of LiCl of 74.5 g/100 g water at 10 ∘ C and the high natural abundance of 92.41% of 7 Li , a solar neutrino detection proposal is made. The detector with high concentration LiCl water solution has a comparable CC event rate of ν e on 7 Li with that of neutrino-electron elastic scattering. The contained 35 Cl , 6 Li , and H also make a delayed-coincidence detection for ν ¯ e possible. The advantages of studying the upturn effect of solar neutrino oscillation, light sterile neutrinos, and Earth matter effect are investigated in detail. The sensitivities in discovering solar neutrino upturn and light sterile neutrinos are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The harmful dinoflagellate Karenia mikimotoi is responsible for the mortality of aquatic animals. However, the mechanism behind these toxic effects has not been fully determined. Herein, the toxic effects of K. mikimotoi on the growth performance, antioxidative responses, physiological activities, and energetic substance contents of rotifer Brachionus plicatilis were assessed. Rotifers were exposed to Nannochloropsis salina (Eustigmatophyceae), K. mikimotoi, and a mixture of N. salina and K. mikimotoi with biomass ratio proportions of 3:1, 1:1, and 1:3, respectively. Results indicated that K. mikimotoi negatively affected the population growth, survival, and specific growth rates of rotifers within 24 h. The level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), the content of malondialdehyde, and the activity of amylase increased. However, the total antioxidant capacity level, pepsase, cellulase, alkaline phosphatase, xanthine oxidase, and lactate dehydrogenase activities, and glycogen and protein contents decreased with increasing proportions of K. mikimotoi. The mixture of 50% N. salina and 50% K. mikimotoi promoted the increase in glutamic–pyruvic transaminase activity and triglyceride content. These findings underscore ROS-mediated antioxidative responses, physiological responses, and energetic substance content changes in B. plicatilis work together to affect population dynamics inhibition of rotifers by K. mikimotoi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diagnosability problem has been extensively studied over the past two decades for discrete event systems associated with intermittent faults. Diagnosability is a property that requires a large number of sensors for fault detection, which leads to expensive system deployment. To alleviate the above drawbacks, we propose a new property called intermittent fault manifestability, which is a weaker observation requirement for diagnosing the occurrence of intermittent faults. In order to verify the property, we consider fault events and their corresponding reset events and introduce two properties of f-manifestability and r-manifestability, respectively. Based on an intermittent fault pattern automaton, we first propose a diagnoser structure to track the occurrence of intermittent faults and prove that the verification of intermittent fault diagnosability can be transformed into the problem of detecting an intermittent fault language. Then, we present a pair verifier constructed by the strict composition of a fault diagnoser and a normal diagnoser, which are the subparts of the diagnoser with respect to the fault events and the normal events, respectively. Finally, we introduce necessary and sufficient conditions for verifying intermittent fault manifestability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the issue of path optimization for manipulators in multi-obstacle environments. Aimed at overcoming the deficiencies of the sampling-based path planning algorithm with high path curvature and low safety margin, a path optimization method, named NA-OR, is proposed for manipulators, where the NA (node attraction) and OR (obstacle repulsion) functions are developed to refine the path by iterations. In the iterations of path optimization, the node attraction function is designed to pull the path nodes toward the center of their neighbor nodes, thereby reducing the path curvature and improving the smoothness. Also, the obstacle repulsion function is developed to push the path nodes out of the potentially unsafe region by generating a repulsive torque on the path nodes, thus improving the safety margin of the motion. By introducing the effect of NA-OR, the optimized path has a significant improvement in path curvature and safety margin compared with the initial path planned by Bi-RRT, which meaningfully enhances the operation ability of manipulators for the applications that give a strong emphasis on security. Experimental results on a 6-DOF manipulator in 4 scenarios demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method in terms of the path cost, safety margin, and path smoothness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing evidence has revealed the roles of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) as tumor biomarkers. Here, we introduce an immune-associated nine-lncRNA signature for predicting distant metastasis in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA-NPC). The nine lncRNAs are identified through microarray profiling, followed by RT–qPCR validation and selection using a machine learning method in the training cohort (n = 177). This nine-lncRNA signature classifies patients into high and low risk groups, which have significantly different distant metastasis-free survival. Validations in the Guangzhou internal (n = 177) and Guilin external (n = 150) cohorts yield similar results, confirming that the signature is an independent risk factor for distant metastasis and outperforms anatomy-based metrics in identifying patients with high metastatic risk. Integrative analyses show that this nine-lncRNA signature correlates with immune activity and lymphocyte infiltration, which is validated by digital pathology. Our results suggest that the immune-associated nine-lncRNA signature can serve as a promising biomarker for metastasis prediction in LA-NPC. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) can be used for the development of prognostic signatures to predict tumour metastasis. Here the authors identify an immune-associated nine-lncRNA signature for predicting metastasis in a multicentre cohort of locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel bacterial strain, CH91, was isolated from a high-temperature oil reservoir. Morphological characterization, phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA gene sequence and genome relatedness indicated that the strain is a potential new species in the genus Rhodococcus. Strain CH91 could grow in the temperature range of 25–50 °C (optimally at 37 °C) and utilize a broad range of long-chain n-alkanes from hexadecane to hexatriacontane. The utilization of the n-alkanes mixture of strain CH91 revealed that the degradation rate was correlated to the length of the carbon chain. Two novel alkB genes encoding alkane 1-monooxygenase were found in the genome of this strain. The protein sequences of both alkane 1-monooxygenases showed a remarkable phylogenetic distance to other reported AlkB protein sequences. These results would help broaden our knowledge about alkane degradation by Rhodocuccus and its potential ecological role. The ability of the strain in the long-chain alkane degradation and thermal tolerance could also be further exploited for bioremediation of oil contaminations and microbial enhanced oil recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of important components of tumor microenvironment, CAFs (cancer-associated fibroblasts) play a vital role in the development and metastasis of bladder cancer. The present study aimed to develop a CAFs-related gene signature to predict the prognosis of patients and the response to chemotherapy and immunotherapy based on research of multidatabase. Expression data and clinical information were obtained from TCGA and GEO databases. Different bioinformatic and statistical methods were combined to construct the robust CAFs-related gene signature for prognosis. The model was explored from four aspects: single-cell source, immune infiltration, correlation with cancer-related genes and pathways, and prediction of drug response. After screening, five genes (BNC2, LAMA2, MFAP5, NID1, and OLFML1) related to CAFs were used for constructing the signature to divide patients into high- and low-risk groups. Patients in low-risk group had better prognosis and multidatabase analysis confirmed the predictive value. The five genes were mainly expressed by fibroblasts and involved in regulation of pathways related with glycolysis, hypoxia, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). BNC2, LAMA2, and NID1 were strongly associated with drug sensitivity. Moreover, the immunological status was different between high- and low-risk groups. High-risk patients had poor response to chemotherapy or immunotherapy. The CAFs-related gene signature might help to optimize risk stratification and provide a new insight in individual treatment for bladder cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Abu Gabra and Bentiu formations are widely distributed within the interior Muglad Basin. Recently, much attention has been paid to study, evaluate and characterize the Abu Gabra Formation as a proven reservoir in Muglad Basin. However, few studies have been documented on the Bentiu Formation which is the main oil/gas reservoir within the basin. Therefore, 33 core samples of the Great Moga and Keyi oilfields (NE Muglad Basin) were selected to characterize the Bentiu Formation reservoir using sedimentological and petrophysical analyses. The aim of the study is to de-risk exploration activities and improve success rate. Compositional and textural analyses revealed two main facies groups: coarse to-medium grained sandstone (braided channel deposits) and fine grained sandstone (floodplain and crevasse splay channel deposits). The coarse to-medium grained sandstone has porosity and permeability values within the range of 19.6% to 32.0% and 1825.6 mD to 8358.0 mD respectively. On the other hand, the fine grained clay-rich facies displays poor reservoir quality as indicated by porosity and permeability ranging from 1.0 to 6.0% and 2.5 to 10.0 mD respectively. A number of varied processes were identified controlling the reservoir quality of the studies samples. Porosity and permeability were enhanced by the dissolution of feldspars and micas, while presence of detrital clays, kaolinite precipitation, iron oxides precipitation, siderite, quartz overgrowths and pyrite cement played negative role on the reservoir quality. Intensity of the observed quartz overgrowth increases with burial depth. At great depths, a variability in grain contact types are recorded suggesting conditions of moderate to-high compactions. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy revealed presence of micropores which have the tendency of affecting the fluid flow properties in the Bentiu Formation sandstone. These evidences indicate that the Bentiu Formation petroleum reservoir quality is primarily inhibited by grain size, total clay content, compaction and cementation. Thus, special attention should be paid to these inhibiting factors to reduce risk in petroleum exploration within the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most aquatic environments are suffering from microplastic pollution, which poses a threat to the physiological and ecological characteristics of aquatic animals. The phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase gene (PHGPx) has an important function in the antioxidative defense of organisms. Here, we revealed for the first time that the full-length cDNA of PHGPx in Brachionus calyciflorus was 817 bp long and contained a 512 bp open reading frame. B. calyciflorus was exposed to 0 (control), 1 × 104, 1 × 105, 1 × 106, and 1 × 107 particles mL−1 polystyrene (particle size: 1 µm). Specific growth rate (SGR); reproductive rate (R); superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and PHGPx activities; manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), copper and zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD), CAT, and PHGPx expression; and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were investigated. Our results showed that polystyrene enhanced ROS production. SGR, R, PHGPx activity, and PHGPx expression decreased with the increase in polystyrene concentrations. SOD and CAT activities and MnSOD, CuZnSOD, and CAT expression levels increased upon exposure to 1 × 104–1 × 106 particles mL−1 polystyrene but decreased under exposure to 1 × 107 particles mL−1 polystyrene. These results revealed that PHGPx, MnSOD, CuZnSOD, and CAT expression regulates antioxidant enzyme activities, which are involved in the PHGPx-associated antioxidant defense of rotifers in response to polystyrene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using pure statistical evidence about a group to judge a particular member of that group is often found objectionable. One natural explanation of why this is objectionable appeals to the moral notion of respecting individuality: to properly respect individuality, we need individualized evidence, not pure statistical evidence. However, this explanation has been criticized on the ground that there is no fundamental difference between the so-called "individualized evidence" and "pure statistical evidence". This paper defends the respecting-individuality explanation by developing an account of what it means to respect individuality. It combines an idealistic account of respecting individuality and a prioritization account of respecting individuality, and offers a principled way to distinguish individualized evidence from non-individualized evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban river runoff carrying various anthropogenic sources of heavy metals (HMs) is the most important input pathways for HM pollutions in the coastal region, apportioning sources of environmental pollutants is key to controlling coastal HM pollution. In the study, surface sediments were collected from seven urban rivers flowing through Lianyungang City and discharging into Haizhou Bay, Eastern China. The concentrations of HMs of the river sediments were, in mg/kg (mean value ± standard deviation): Mn (550 ± 227) > Zn (67 ± 61) > Cr (33 ± 12) > Ni (21 ± 8.5) > Cu (16 ± 7.6) > Pb (15 ± 5.6) > Cd (0.11 ± 0.06), which were slightly to moderately polluted. As important outlets for municipal and industrial sewages, the Shawang River and Linhong River were the most polluted. Based on the multivariate statistical analysis, HMs were attributed to anthropogenic source (industrial, domestic, and agricultural discharges) and natural source (soil parent materials and atmospheric deposition). Based on isotope source apportionment, Pb was mainly from natural source, exhausts of leaded gasoline vehicles, and coal combustion, with the mean contributions of 39.3%, 23.7%, and 37.0%, respectively, and Sr originated from natural source and anthropogenic source, with mean contributions of 31.8% and 68.2%, respectively. Pb-Sr isotopes illustrated that anthropogenic inputs were the dominant source for HMs in urban river sediments flowing into Haizhou Bay, and the isotope tracing results make up the discriminating deficiency of the multivariate statistical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the problem of the design of controller for fuzzy semi-Markov jump systems with hidden modes against the incomplete information on probability density functions of sojourn time. Two ubiquitous circumstances in practice are taken into account, which are often ignored in other related work: (1) the phenomenon that system modes cannot be accessed entirely is considered proactively; (2) finitely accessible information on probability density functions is studied in this paper. By virtue of hidden semi-Markov chain, the underlying systems are modeled as hidden semi-Markov jump systems, which are more general than semi-Markov jump systems. Sufficient conditions on the existence of desired accessible-mode-dependent fuzzy controller are derived such that the fuzzy hidden semi-Markov jump systems is mean square stable. Based on the emission probability matrix, the presented control policy overcomes the possible mode-mismatch between the system mode and the accessible mode. Finally, an example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Norepinephrine adjusts sensory processing in cortical networks and gates plasticity enabling adaptive behavior. The actions of norepinephrine are profoundly altered by recreational drugs like ethanol, but the consequences of these changes on distinct targets such as astrocytes, which exhibit norepinephrine-dependent Ca2+ elevations during vigilance, are not well understood. Using in vivo two-photon imaging, we show that locomotion-induced Ca2+ elevations in mouse astroglia are profoundly inhibited by ethanol, an effect that can be reversed by enhancing norepinephrine release. Vigilance-dependent astroglial activation is abolished by deletion of α1A-adrenergic receptor from astroglia, indicating that norepinephrine acts directly on these ubiquitous glial cells. Ethanol reduces vigilance-dependent Ca2+ transients in noradrenergic terminals, but has little effect on astroglial responsiveness to norepinephrine, suggesting that ethanol suppresses their activation by inhibiting norepinephrine release. Since abolition of astroglia Ca2+ activation does not affect motor coordination, global suppression of astroglial networks may contribute to the cognitive effects of alcohol intoxication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent deep learning-based methods for saliency detection have proved the effectiveness of integrating features with different scales. They usually design various complex architectures of network, e.g., multiple networks, to explore the multi-scale information of images, which is expensive in computation and memory. Feature maps produced with different subsampling convolutional layers have different spatial resolutions; therefore, they can be used as the multi-scale features to reduce the costs. In this paper, by exploiting the in-network feature hierarchy of convolutional networks, we propose a novel multi-scale network for saliency detection (MSNSD) consisting of three modules, i.e., bottom-up feature extraction, top-down feature connection and multi-scale saliency prediction. Moreover, to further boost the performance of MSNSD, an input image-aware saliency aggregation method is proposed based on the ridge regression, which combines MSNSD with some well-performed handcrafted shallow models. Extensive experiments on several benchmarks show that the proposed MSNSD outperforms the state-of-the-art saliency methods with less computational and memory complexity. Meanwhile, our aggregation method for saliency detection is effective and efficient to combine deep and shallow models and make them complementary to each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rich data provided by satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles bring opportunities to directly model aerial image features by extracting their spatial and structural patterns. Although convolutional autoencoders (CAEs) have been attained a remarkable performance in ideal aerial image feature extraction, they are still challenging to extract information from noisy images which are generated from capture and transmission. In this paper, a novel CAE-based noise-robust unsupervised learning method is proposed for extracting high-level features accurately from aerial images and mitigating the effect of noise. Different from conventional CAEs, the proposed method introduces the noise-robust module between the encoder and the decoder. Besides, several pooling layers in CAEs are replaced by convolutional layers with stride=2. The performance of feature extraction is evaluated by the prediction accuracy and the accuracy loss in image classification experiments. A 5-classes aerial optical scene and a 9-classes hyperspectral image (HSI) data set are utilized for optical image and HSI feature extraction, respectively. High-level features extracted from aerial images are utilized for image classification by a linear support vector machine (SVM) classifier. Experimental results indicate that the proposed method improves the classification accuracy for noisy images (Gaussian noise 2D σ=0.1, 3D σ=60) in both optical images (2D 87.5%) and HSIs (3D 85.6%) compared with the traditional CAE (2D 78.6%, 3D 84.2%). The accuracy loss in classification experiments increases with the increment of noise. Compared with the traditional CAE (2D 15.7%, 3D 11.8%), the proposed method shows the lower classification accuracy loss in experiments (2D 0.3%, 3D 6.3%). The proposed unsupervised noise-robust feature extraction method attains desirable classification accuracy in ideal input and enhances the feature extraction capability from noisy input. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Topic and sentiment detection has been considered as an effective method to reveal the facts and sentiments in a massive volume of information. Existing works mainly focus on separate topic and sentiment extraction or static topic-sentiment associations, neglecting topic-sentiment dynamics and missing the opportunity to provide a in-depth analysis of online news. Actually, sentiment orientations are highly dependent on topic content and thus detecting topic-sentiment associations and their evolution over time is very important. This paper proposes a manifold learning-based model to explore the topic-sentiment associations and their evolution over time in the online news domain. The proposed model can visualize the hidden sentiment dynamics of topics in a low-dimensional space. Extensive experiments are conducted on online news crawled from the American Cable News Networks (CNN) website. The experimental results show that the proposed model outperforms the KL distance-based and the Similarity-based methods and improves the accuracy of topic classification by 12%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine resources are vital to the development of a country. Marine investigation can obtain more marine resources and acquire more marine environmental information. A common method used in the marine investigation consumes a large amount of both time and money. Thus, the scientific path planning is important for improving the efficiency and reducing the costs of the marine investigation. Currently, the most commonly used algorithms for path planning are the genetic algorithm (GA) and the ant colony optimization algorithm (ACOA). Through continuous iterations, the initial solutions obtained by GA and ACOA gradually approach the optimal solutions. However, the final solutions of both algorithms are often suboptimal solutions or local optimal solutions. In particular, in terms of the marine investigation path planning that involves enormous stations, both GA and ACOA are prone to premature and local optimal solutions, leading to the stagnation of the searching. Therefore, in order to solve these problems and save the costs of marine investigation, the ACOA and GA are combined to propose a hybrid algorithm for the further improvement in the quality of the solutions. Through the experiments and software implementation, the proposed hybrid algorithm is proved of high effectiveness and robustness, which could obtain the optimal path for single or multiple research vessels, thereby saving the time and costs of marine investigation path planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serious cyanobacterial blooms lead to the release of harmful microcystin-LR and ammonia to eutrophic waters, thereby posing serious challenges to zooplankton. The physiological and ecological responses of Brachionus calyciflorus Pallas to microcystin-LR and ammonia stresses were evaluated. Neonates (< 2 h old) were exposed to microcystin-LR (0, 10, 50, 100, and 200 µg L−1) and ammonia (0, 740, and 1580 µg L−1) single solutions and mixtures. High doses of 200 µg L−1 microcystin-LR and 1580 µg L−1 ammonia and mixtures of these two toxicants exhibited negative effects on the rotifer net reproduction rate (R0), intrinsic growth rate (rm), and enzymatic activities of glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione S-transferase (GST). Microcystin-LR combined with ammonia decreased the generation time (T), Na+/K+–adenosine triphosphatase (Na+/K+–ATPase) activity, and glutathione reductase (GR) activity, but promoted the reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in rotifers (p < 0.05). The ROS levels were negatively correlated with GSH-related enzymatic activities (p < 0.01). Microcystin-LR and ammonia exerted synergistic effects on R0, rm, and ROS levels and GSH, GR, and GST activities (p < 0.05), but had antagonistic effects on T, Na+/K+–ATPase activity, and GPx activity (p > 0.05). Microcystis metabolites negatively affected growth and reproductive performance of B. calyciflorus. In addition, the life-cycle parameters were related to the effects of microcystin-LR and ammonia on the GSH-related antioxidant defense system of rotifers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil from the Oligocene oil sands of the Lower Ganchaigou Formation in the Northern Qaidam Basin and the related asphaltenes was analyzed using bulk and organic geochemical methods to assess the organic matter source input, thermal maturity, paleo-environmental conditions, kerogen type, hydrocarbon quality, and the correlation between this oil and its potential source rock in the basin. The extracted oil samples are characterized by very high contents of saturated hydrocarbons (average 62.76%), low contents of aromatic hydrocarbons (average 16.11%), and moderate amounts of nitrogen–sulfur–oxygen or resin compounds (average 21.57%), suggesting that the fluid petroleum extracted from the Oligocene oil sands is of high quality. However, a variety of biomarker parameters obtained from the hydrocarbon fractions (saturated and aromatic) indicate that the extracted oil was generated from source rocks with a wide range of thermal maturity conditions, ranging from the early to peak oil window stages, which are generally consistent with the biomarker maturity parameters, vitrinite reflectance (approximately 0.6%), and Tmax values of the Middle Jurassic carbonaceous mudstones and organic-rich mudstone source rocks of the Dameigou Formation, as reported in the literature. These findings suggest that the studied oil is derived from Dameigou Formation source rocks. Furthermore, the source- and environment-related biomarker parameters of the studied oil are characterized by relatively high pristane/phytane ratios, the presence of tricyclic terpanes, low abundances of C27 regular steranes, low C27/C29 regular sterane ratios, and very low sterane/hopane ratios. These data suggest that the oil was generated from source rocks containing plankton/land plant matter that was mainly deposited in a lacustrine environment and preserved under sub-oxic to oxic conditions, and the data also indicate a potential relationship between the studied oil and the associated potential source rocks. The distribution of pristane, phytane, tricyclic terpanes, regular steranes and hopane shows an affinity with the studied Oligocene Lower Ganchaigou Formation oil to previously published Dameigou Formation source rocks. In support of this finding, the pyrolysis–gas chromatography results of the analyzed oil asphaltene indicate that the oil was primarily derived from type II organic matter, which is also consistent with the organic matter of the Middle Jurassic source rocks. Thus, the Middle Jurassic carbonaceous mudstones and organic rock mudstones of the Dameigou Formation could be significantly contributing source rocks to the Oligocene Lower Ganchaigou Formation oil sand and other oil reservoirs in the Northern Qaidam Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitosan is a natural cationic polysaccharide, which is often used for preparing biomedical materials because of its high biocompatibility. In this study, chitosan with a molecular weight of 160 kDa was chosen to prepare chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs) as gene vectors by ionic cross-linking with tripolyphosphate (TPP). CSNPs were characterized in terms of particle size, zeta potential, and polydispersity index (PDI) using a Zetasizer, and morphology was evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Furthermore, the cytotoxicity and biocompatibility of CSNPs were correspondingly examined by a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and histological examination. Agarose gel electrophoresis and UV spectrophotometric methods were performed to measure the loading capacity. The cell transfection efficiency of CSNPs loaded with plasmids or siRNA was analyzed by fluorescence microscopy or laser scanning confocal microscopy. The results showed that CSNPs were prepared successfully by the ionic gelation method, which had a smaller particle size (100 nm −200 nm), stable dispersibility, low cytotoxicity, good tissue-biocompatibility, and high gene-loading efficiency. These CSNPs could transfer the plasmids or siRNA to cells. However, CSNPs might have a much higher transfection efficiency for siRNAs than for plasmids, which implies that CSNPs might be a safer and more efficient vector for delivering siRNAs rather than plasmids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxic cyanobacterial blooms disrupt freshwater recreation and adversely affect zooplankton. The freshwater cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa produces microcystins, which are compounds toxic to rotifers. This study evaluated the effects of M. aeruginosa on enzyme activity and nutrient content in the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus Pallas. The rotifers were fed on Chlorella pyrenoidosa, Scenedesmus obliquus, microcystin-producing and microcystin-free M. aeruginosa alone, and mixtures of green algae combined with toxic and nontoxic cyanobacteria, respectively. Activities of amylase, pepsase, trypsin, cellulase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were assessed after rotifer exposure to an environmental stressor. Nutrients analyzed were glycogen, protein, and triglyceride (TG). Single cyanobacteria and mixtures combined with toxic M. aeruginosa inhibited SOD activity. CAT and GPx activities significantly increased in rotifers fed with the mixture of Chlorella and toxic cyanobacteria. The activity of digestive enzymes increased compared with the Chlorella group in single and mixed diets. Glycogen and protein decreased in Microcystis mixtures, whereas TG content increased. The grazing rate ( G) of the rotifers decreased with grazing time. High G value was observed with green algae in every treatment group. Although the toxins released after grazing on Microcystis affected rotifer enzyme activity and nutrient content, B. calyciflorus changed its physiological performance and grazing intensity with food type in response to eutrophic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Loess-paleosol sequences preserve records of climatic change during the Quaternary, which is important for paleoclimate study. In this study, a loess-palaeosol sequence from the Chumbur-Kosa (CK) site in the Sea of Azov region was investigated to reconstruct climatic variability during the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS)11- MIS 1, using proxies of grain size (GS), magnetic susceptibility (χ and χ), carbonate content (CaCO%) and soil color. The results enabled formulation of a detailed description of the climatic characteristics related to each individual layer. The sequence indicates that the paleoclimate shifted progressively towards increasingly cooler, somewhat drier conditions. The CK section may thus be ideal for reconstructing climatic conditions during the Middle and Late Pleistocene in the Sea of Azov region. However, the χ value of paleosol S2 in the CK profile indicates different characteristics from the other paleosol layers, dilution of carbonate resulting from carbonate leaching in L2 may be the main reason for the decrease in magnetic susceptibility. Furthermore, through simple analysis part of the environmental evolution process in the Sea of Azov region and Serbia during Middle and Late Pleistocene cycles. The climate cycle expressed by χ and χ variations show similar patterns, with rapidly alternating cold and warm intervals. Nevertheless, although the two areas had different climatic regimes, geographical settings, and loess source areas, both exhibited similar climate change trends since the MIS 11. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the study of finance and economics information, we research on the real-time financial news posted on the authority sites in the world's major advanced economies. Analyzing the massive financial news of different information sources and language origins, we come up with a basic theory model and its algorithm on financial news, which is capable of intelligent collection, quick access, deduplication, correction and integration with financial news' backgrounds. Furthermore, we can find out connections between financial news and readers' interest. So we can achieve a real-time and on-demand financial news feed, as well as provide a theoretical basis and verification of the scientific problems on real-time processing of massive information. Finally, the simulation experiment shows that the multilingual financial news matching technology can give more help to distinguish the similar financial news in different languages than the traditional method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to data released by World Health Organization (WHO), chronic non-communicable diseases have become the highest mortality disease. This paper is from the perspective to secure the health of people with chronic diseases. The research achieves the health knowledge from Big Data of the chronic diseases and is applied to Smart Health Service methods. Through collecting data in social media and integrating vast amounts of electronic health records, medical research literature and wearable device in personal health data, our purpose is to build a healthy big data environment. On this basis, we achieve the related knowledge of chronic disease by extracting the symptoms, the diseases and treatment options, inferring adverse drug reactions relationship, collecting health-related emotional reactions, and digging patients' social communication information, etc., which is to provide decision support for the patients and to achieve personalized Medical Services and Community Service. This paper focuses on the contents concluding knowledge discovery technology, personalized decision support technology, community health care services and so on, which relates to the health Big Data in the social media, then proposes collecting, digging and management of chronic disease health Big Data and builds the theoretical framework of chronic disease knowledge, in order to promote the realization of the Smart Health Services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, hydroxyethyl chitosan (HECTS), a water-soluble derivative of chitosan, was used to create a blend membrane and its function and application as a scaffold in repair of mechanically damaged corneal epethelia were examined. The results showed that HECTS significantly promoted growth of corneal epithelial cells (CEpCs) in vitro and that CEpCs grew well on the HECTS-based blend membrane. Fluorescent imaging showed that CEpCs were interconnected and formed layers on the membrane. After transplanting the CEpCs-seeded membranes onto the damaged corneal epithelium, we found that the epithelium was repaired faster compared with control. The repaired corneal epithelium with the membrane had a more compact structure and a smoother surface than control when observed by histology and scanning electron microscope. These results demonstrate an ability of the tissue-engineered scaffold to speed up the repair of mechanically damaged corneal epithelium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that in the computation of Gröbner bases arbitrarily small perturbations in the coefficients of polynomials may lead to a completely different staircase, even if the solutions of the polynomial system change continuously. This phenomenon is called artificial discontinuity in Kondratyev's Ph.D. thesis. We show how such phenomenon may be detected and even 'repaired' by using a new variable to rename the leading term each time we detect a 'problem'. We call such strategy the TSV (Term Substitutions with Variables) strategy. For a zero-dimensional polynomial ideal, any monomial basis (containing 1) of the quotient ring can be found with the TSV strategy. Hence we can use TSV strategy to relax term order while keeping the framework of Gröbner basis method so that we can use existing efficient algorithms (for instance the F algorithm) to compute an approximate Gröbner basis. Our main algorithms, named TSVn and TSVh, can be used to repair artificial $${\epsilon}$$-discontinuities. Experiments show that these algorithms are effective for some nontrivial problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serum cell-free DNA concentrations have been reported to increase in many acute diseases as well as in some chronic conditions such as cancer and autoimmune diseases. The aim of this study was to examine whether serum DNA concentrations were elevated in patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). The effects of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) on serum DNA were also investigated. One hundred twenty-seven people diagnosed with OSAHS by polysomnography (PSG) were admitted into the OSAHS group, and 52 subjects without OSAHS were recruited for the control group. The OSAHS group was further divided into mild, moderate, and severe OSAHS subgroups based on their apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) during sleep. Ten patients with moderate and severe OSAHS were treated with nCPAP. Serum DNA, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and malonaldehyde (MDA) concentrations were measured and were found to be significantly higher in patients with moderate and severe OSAHS groups than those in the mild OSAHS and control groups ( p < 0.05). Univariate analysis showed that serum DNA correlated positively with AHI, oxygen desaturation index (ODI), IL-6, and MDA, and negatively correlated with minimal oxygen saturation (miniSaO) (all p < 0.05). In stepwise multiple regression analysis, only MDA and miniSaO were suggested as significant independent predictors for the serum DNA concentrations. After 6 months of nCPAP therapy, serum concentrations of DNA, IL-6, and MDA were significantly decreased ( p < 0.05). The increasing concentration of serum DNA in patients with OSAHS was positively correlated with disease severity. Serum DNA may become an important parameter for monitoring the severity of OSAHS and effectiveness of therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nano biocomposite scaffolds of non-stoichiometric apatite (ns-AP) and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) were prepared by a prototyping controlled process (PCP). The results show that the composite scaffolds with 40 wt% ns-AP contained open and well interconnected pores with a size of 400–500 μm, and exhibited a maximum porosity of 76%. The ns-AP particles were not completely embedded in PCL matrix while exposed on the composite surface, which might be useful for cell attachment and growth. Proliferation of MG63 cells was significantly better on the composite scaffolds with porosity of 76% than that those with porosity of 53%, indicating that the scaffolds with high porosity facilitated cell growth, and could promote cell proliferation. The composite scaffolds were implanted into rabbit thighbone defects to investigate the in vivo biocompatibility and osteogenesis. Radiological and histological examination confirmed that the new bony tissue had grown easily into the entire composite scaffold. The results suggest that the well-interconnected pores in the scaffolds might encourage cell proliferation, and migration to stimulate cell functions, thus enhancing bone formation in the scaffolds. This study shows that bioactive and biocompatible ns-AP/PCL composite scaffolds have potential applications in bone tissue engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To design and synthesize a novel class of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR)α agonists, which is obtained by the combination of the classical fibrate “head group”, a linker with appropriate length and a chalcone. Methods: Thirty seven compounds were designed and identified employing the virtual screening approach. Six compounds were then selected for synthesis and bioassay according to the virtual screening results, structural similarity, and synthetic complexity. Results: Six new compounds (4b and 4d-h) were synthesized and bioassayed. All were found to be potent PPARα agonists, compound 4 h being the most prominent with a 50% effective concentration value of 0.06 μmol/L. Conclusion: This study provides a promising novel family of chalcones with a potential hypolipidemic effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perinerin is a small antimicrobial peptide (AMP) isolated from an Asian marine clamworm, Perinereis aibuhitensis Grube. It shows marked activity in vitro against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. To obtain it in large amounts, the coding sequence of perinerin was cloned into pET32a(+) vector and expression as a Trx fusion protein in Escherichia coli. The soluble fusion protein collected from the supernatant of the cell lyste was separated by Ni2+-chelating chromatography. The purified protein was then cleaved by Factor Xa protease to release mature perinerin. Final purification was achieved by ion-exchange chromatography. Recombinant perinerin exhibited a similar antimicrobial activity to the native perinerin. These works might provide a significant foundation for the following research on the action of mechanism of marine AMPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanisms of rHu-EPO attenuating the apoptosis after myocardial infraction in rats were studied. Thirty-two rats wre divided into three groups: sham operation group (Sham), acute myocardial infarction group (MI) and rHu-EPO-treated group (MI+EPO). Acute myocardial infarction model was made by ligating the anterior descending coronary artery. rHu-EPO was administered i. p. in MI+EPO group at the dose of 5 000 IU/kg body weight immediately after the ligation. Each rat in MI+EPO group received the same dose of rHu-EPO daily the next 6 days. On the 14th day all rats underwent hemodynamic measurements and then killed. The samples were examined with HE stain, immunohistochemistry technique (bcl-2, bax) and TUNEL dyeing. The results showed that hemodynamic function in MI+EPO group was much better than in MI group. The number of the cells positive for bax and TUNEL in MI+EPO group was less than that in MI group. The number of the cells positive for bcl-2 in MI+EPO group was more than that in MI group. These findings suggested that rHu-EPO could treat myocardial infarction by preventing apoptosis and attenuating post-infarction deterioration in hemodynamic function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neural crest tumors of childhood are particularly resistant to apoptosis induction by chemotherapeutic agents. Mechanisms of resistance include altered glutathione handling that accompanies up-regulation of Bcl-2 and its relatives. We have designed and tested in preclinical model systems approaches to this problem. These approaches include adjunctive use of oxygen radical-generating neurotransmitter analogs taken up by these neural crest tumor cells with scavenging (i.e., “rescue”) agents that are selective for normal neural crest and the use of reduction-dependent prodrugs of apoptosis-inducing agents. Promising prototypes for these conceptual approaches include, respectively, adjunctive use of the oxygen radical generator, 6-hydroxydopamine, with the normal cell-selective antioxidant, Tempol (4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl), and use of the reduction-dependent chemotherapeutic prodrug neocarzinostatin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]