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Improving customer satisfaction is the key factor in enhancing the core competitiveness of hotels, as higher customer satisfaction can lead to long-term benefits such as a positive reputation, customer loyalty, and sustained profitability. Multi-source user-generated content (UGC) can provide high-quality and sufficient information for improving customer satisfaction; however, related research is limited. Therefore, a method considering multi-source UGC to improve customer satisfaction is proposed in this paper. First, the service attributes of the hotels that customers care about are obtained from multi-source UGC. Then, evaluation information is obtained by processing multi-source UGC based on the heuristic-systematic model, and the credibility of the evaluation information is measured. Furthermore, evaluation information is combined based on evidence theory to estimate the importance and performance of hotel service attributes. Finally, impact asymmetry-gap analysis (IAGA) is proposed to generate customer satisfaction improvement strategies for different attributes. The application of the method is illustrated using data from actual hotels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aging is a known independent risk factor for several cardiovascular diseases. Here, we evaluated potential effects and possible mechanisms through which alginate oligosaccharides (AOS) affect hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced senescence in H9C2 cardiomyocytes. A series of AOS molecules, including oligoM, oligoG, M-5, and G-5, were investigated. AOS significantly decreased SA-β-gal and DAPI-stained positive cells, downregulated p53 and p21 (aging-related markers) expression, and eventually protected H9C2 cells from H2O2-induced senescence. AOS decreased reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde production, recovered mitochondrial function, and alleviated the oxidative stress state by regulating PGC-1α and NADPH oxidase subunit expression. Furthermore, AOS treatment restored the expression of antioxidant enzymes in senescent H9C2 cells. Thus, our results show in vitro evidence that AOS alleviate senescence in H9C2 cells by regulating the redox state; thus, AOS may be an effective therapeutic agent that could protect against cardiomyocyte senescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a Cu–Cu2O junction structure was grown in situ on the surface of Cu plates via chemical etching at room temperature. A novel dopamine (DA) electrochemical sensor based on Cu–Cu2O/glassy carbon electrode (Cu–Cu2O/GCE) was constructed. The Cu–Cu2O/GCE sensor exhibited a wide linear range of 0.03–2.45 mM and a low limit of detection of 7.1 nM (S/N = 3) for DA. The enhanced performance was due to the unique void structure, which increased catalytic active sites and electrochemical active surface areas. Moreover, the optimization of the Cu2O–to–Cu ratio allowed for the effective regulation of the electron configuration of the Cu–Cu2O junction structure. The Cu–Cu2O/GCE sensor also exhibited good reproducibility, stability, and anti-interference ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Few-shot learning has become an important branch of machine learning, which aims to give correct prediction information to unknown samples. Many few-shot models mostly adopt a hierarchical structure and make good use of the sample information at different levels of granularity to finish class prediction. However, existing few-shot learning only focuses on the amount of information correctly predicted and ignores the different risk levels of an incorrect prediction. For example, in the field of medical image pathology analysis, difficult pathological images can only be roughly distinguished as whether they are diseased and cannot be specifically analyzed for the degree of disease. In this paper, we propose a hierarchical few-shot learning based on top-down correction mechanism with stop strategy (HTDS) for few-shot classification. Firstly, we get the coarse-grained of each class by taking the mean value for each class, and we use the coarse-grained and the original fine-grained samples to build a decision tree with a multi-granularity hierarchical structure. The decision tree represents the class relationship among samples. Secondly, a threshold is established to measure the impact of coarse-grained on test sample classification. It stops the correct classification at the coarse-grained level and transfers the incorrect classification down to the fine-grained level. Finally, the fine-grained layer assists the coarse-grained layer in classification via a top-down correction mechanism. It minimizes the coarse-grained risk of misclassification. By using stop strategy and revision mechanisms, we can differentiate pathological images and use auxiliary information to assist in different levels of classification in the field of medical image analysis. The experimental results show that our model is better than some popular multi-granularity hierarchical based few-shot learning models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of cryptography is to provide algorithms that safeguard sensitive information sent via unprotected networks. These methods encrypt the information, making it unintelligible even if adversaries manage to get it. The substitution box (S-box) structure is the most significant and nonlinear component of the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm. In the algorithm, the S-box supplies the confusion or mixing process. A highly non-linearity-valued S-box significantly boosts defenses against a range of threats. Unfortunately, the achievable encryption throughput is constrained by the computationally costly nature of creating S-boxes. This emphasizes the necessity of creating new S-box generators with the best strength and minimum computing requirements to provide optimal security. We presented an efficient approach that uses the composition of Frobenius automorphism and Mobius transformation of G F (2 8) . In this way, we got two highly nonlinear permutations that can produce millions of S-boxes with very strong cryptographic strength. The dynamic behavior of the proposed generator is analyzed by clarifying the requirements for generating distinct S-boxes and ensuring that the produced S-boxes have a uniform probability distribution. Our generator can produce S-boxes with robust cryptographic features, according to a thorough security study. Our novel generation method for building S-boxes efficiently combines the benefits of both algebraic modeling and chaotic mapping, providing a solid basis for building robust S-boxes. Our approach can guarantee that the produced S-boxes have strong variety and outstanding comprehensive performance by using the ergodicity of the chaotic system. Additionally, the experimental findings presented in this study validate that the dynamic S-boxes generated by our technique not only satisfy the criteria for creating encryption methods but also provide enhanced security for picture encryption. Furthermore, our approach generates S-boxes with good efficiency. Our technique has a wide range of possible applications in cryptography, including the creation of dynamic S-boxes for encryption algorithms and high-performance S-boxes for image security. In light of current security risks and computing demands, our theoretical and computational evaluations indicate that our S-box generator is a good contender for real-world applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Maternal diabetes mellitus can influence the development of offspring. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) creates a short-term intrauterine hyperglycaemic environment in offspring, leading to glucose intolerance in later life, but the long-term effects and specific mechanism involved in skeletal muscle dysfunction in offspring remain to be clarified. Methods: Pregnant mice were divided into two groups: The GDM group was intraperitoneally injected with 100 mg/kg streptozotocin on gestational days (GDs) 6.5 and 12.5, while the control (CTR) group was treated with vehicle buffer. Only pregnant mice whose random blood glucose level was higher than 16.8 mmol/L beginning on GD13.5 were regarded as the GDM group. The growth of the offspring was monitored, and the glucose tolerance test was performed at different time points. Body composition analysis and immunohistochemical methods were used to evaluate the development of lean mass at 8 weeks. The exercise capacity and grip strength of the male mouse offspring were assessed at the same period. Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the morphology inside skeletal muscle at 8 weeks and as a foetus. The genes and proteins associated with mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative metabolism were investigated. We also coanalyzed RNA sequencing and proteomics data to explore the underlying mechanism. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and bisulfite-converted DNA methylation detection were performed to evaluate this phenomenon. Results: Short-term intrauterine hyperglycaemia inhibited the growth and reduced the lean mass of male offspring, leading to decreased endurance exercise capacity. The myofiber composition of the tibialis anterior muscle of GDM male offspring became more glycolytic and less oxidative. The morphology and function of mitochondria in the skeletal muscle of GDM male offspring were destroyed, and coanalysis of RNA sequencing and proteomics of foetal skeletal muscle showed that mitochondrial elements and lipid oxidation were consistently impaired. In vivo and in vitro myoblast experiments also demonstrated that high glucose concentrations impeded mitochondrial organisation and function. Importantly, the transcription of genes associated with mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative metabolism decreased at 8 weeks and during the foetal period. We predicted Ppargc1α as a key upstream regulator with the help of IPA software. The proteins and mRNA levels of Ppargc1α in the skeletal muscle of GDM male offspring were decreased as a foetus (CTR vs. GDM, 1.004 vs. 0.665, p = 0.002), at 6 weeks (1.018 vs. 0.511, p = 0.023) and 8 weeks (1.006 vs. 0.596, p = 0.018). In addition, CREB phosphorylation was inhibited in GDM group, with fewer activated pCREB proteins binding to the CRE element of Ppargc1α (1.042 vs. 0.681, p = 0.037), Pck1 (1.091 vs. 0.432, p = 0.014) and G6pc (1.118 vs. 0.472, p = 0.027), resulting in their decreased transcription. Interestingly, we found that sarcopenia and mitochondrial dysfunction could even be inherited by the next generation. Conclusions: Short-term intrauterine hyperglycaemia significantly reduced lean mass in male offspring at 8 weeks, resulting in decreased exercise endurance and metabolic disorders. Disrupted organisation and function of the mitochondria in skeletal muscle were also observed among them. Foetal exposure to hyperglycaemia decreased the ratio of phosphorylated CREB and reduced the transcription of Ppargc1α, which inhibited the transcription of downstream genes involving in mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative metabolism. Abnormal mitochondria, which might be transmitted through aberrant gametes, were also observed in the F2 generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rich phase behavior of block copolymers (BCPs) has drawn great attention in recent years. However, the double diamond (DD) phase is rarely obtained because of the competition between the minimization of interfacial energy and packing frustration. Here, a rod-coil BCP containing mesogen-jacketed liquid crystalline polymer is designed to acquire ordered bicontinuous network nanostructures. The reduction of internal energy originating from the orientational interaction among the rod blocks can compensate for the free energy penalty of packing frustration to stabilize the DD structure. The resulting BCP can also experience lamellae-to-DD and double gyroid-to-lamellae transitions by changing the annealing temperature. These results make the rod-coil BCP an excellent candidate for the self-assembly of ordered network structures, demonstrating great potential in nanopatterning and metamaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-mechanical plating heat treatment induces the formation of an iron–zinc (Fe-Zn) rich intermetallic layer between Zn and ZnSn coatings and the substrate. Despite increased outer coating porosity, the corrosion resistance of Zn- and ZnSn-coated steels significantly improves after heat treatment, attributed to the formation of intermetallic phases. This study employs small- and ultra-small-angle neutron scattering (SANS and USANS) to investigate the behavior of mechanically plated Zn and ZnSn coatings pre- and post-heat treatment. In the presence of a relatively thick steel substrate, strong multiple scattering occurs. However, by identifying a specific high Q-range region where multiple scattering is negligible, we reveal small but significant differences. Porod's slopes, denoted as 'n', are calculated for uncoated steel, and Zn- and ZnSn-coated steels (both with and without heat treatment). These slope values reflect contributions from different interfaces on the particles' surface roughness. Despite the challenges of multiple scattering, our findings offer valuable insights into coatings' behavior. The study lays a foundation for future investigations into coating behavior using SANS/USANS techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "Are societal-level values still relevant measures in the twenty-first century business world? A 39-society analysis" published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Management. The original version of the article contained errors, including missing data in certain sections and missing gray highlighted values in Tables 1 and 2. The errors have been corrected, and the revised version of the article is now available. The correction notice also includes information about a missing Excel file in Appendix E, which has been captured as supplementary information. The publisher, Springer Nature, remains neutral regarding jurisdictional claims and institutional affiliations. The article was authored by multiple individuals. [Extracted from the article]

Since the days of Hofstede (1980), cross-cultural comparisons of countries based on societal-level work values have been a norm. This approach has been represented more recently in Ronen and Shenkar's (2013) 11 clusters of country cultures. However, more contemporary research found within-country heterogeneity of values/behaviors is substantial and growing exponentially across today's twenty-first century businessworld. We investigated, across a sample of 39 societies, whether work values variance within societies was greater than work values variance across societies, and whether individual work values differences contributed more to predictions of behavioral performance criteria than the society in which the individuals lived. Both sets of analyses addressed how work values conceived at societal-levels are relevant in understanding the twenty-first century businessworld. Our findings revealed first that there was substantial within-society values heterogeneity, which resulted in the failure to replicate Ronen and Shanker's (2013) societal cluster aggregations. Second, we found individual-level values contributed significantly to the prediction of employees' behaviors, while societal-level values contributed substantially less. These findings strongly suggest that cross-cultural studies of work values predictive power are most relevant when conducted at the individual-level. Finally, we also make available for future investigators a 51-society database containing 11,780 individual-level records. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) exerts neuroprotective effects early in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Intermittent theta-brust stimulation (iTBS), a more time-efficient modality of rTMS, improves the efficiency without at least decreasing the efficacy of the therapy. iTBS elevates cortical excitability, and in recent years it has become increasingly common to apply iTBS to patients in the early post-IS period. However, little is known about the neuroprotective mechanisms of iTBS. Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS), and ferroptosis have been shown to be involved in the development of I/R injury. We aimed to investigate the potential regulatory mechanisms by which iTBS attenuates neurological injury after I/R in rats. Methods: Rats were randomly divided into three groups: sham-operated group, MCAO/R group, and MCAO/R + iTBS group, and were stimulated with iTBS 36 h after undergoing middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) or sham-operated. The expression of ERS, ferroptosis, and apoptosis-related markers was subsequently detected by western blot assays. We also investigated the mechanism by which iTBS attenuates nerve injury after ischemic reperfusion in rats by using the modified Neurological Severity Score (mNSS) and the balance beam test to measure nerve function. Results: iTBS performed early in I/R injury attenuated the levels of ERS, ferroptosis, and apoptosis, and improved neurological function, including mNSS and balance beam experiments. It is suggested that this mode of stimulation reduces the cost per treatment by several times without compromising the efficacy of the treatment and could be a practical and less costly intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Senescence of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) contributes to aging-related cardiovascular diseases by promoting arterial remodelling and stiffness. Ferroptosis is a novel type of regulated cell death associated with lipid oxidation. Here, we show that pro-ferroptosis signaling drives VSMCs senescence to accelerate vascular NAD+ loss, remodelling and aging. Pro-ferroptotic signaling is triggered in senescent VSMCs and arteries of aged mice. Furthermore, the activation of pro-ferroptotic signaling in VSMCs not only induces NAD+ loss and senescence but also promotes the release of a pro-senescent secretome. Pharmacological or genetic inhibition of pro-ferroptosis signaling, ameliorates VSMCs senescence, reduces vascular stiffness and retards the progression of abdominal aortic aneurysm in mice. Mechanistically, we revealed that inhibition of pro-ferroptotic signaling facilitates the nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling of proliferator-activated receptor-γ and, thereby impeding nuclear receptor coactivator 4-ferrtin complex-centric ferritinophagy. Finally, the activated pro-ferroptotic signaling correlates with arterial stiffness in a human proof-of-concept study. These findings have significant implications for future therapeutic strategies aiming to eliminate vascular ferroptosis in senescence- or aging-associated cardiovascular diseases. Ferroptosis is a novel form of regulated cell death associated with lipid oxidation. Here, the authors demonstrate that the proferroptosis signal is activated and drives vascular aging by inducing senescence in vascular smooth muscle cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the screening length of a moving heavy quarkonium (i.e., Q Q ¯ pair) at finite temperature and chemical potential using a soft wall AdS/QCD model with conformal invariance broken by a background dilaton. We discuss the pair's axis parallel and perpendicular to the hot wind, respectively. It turns out that for both cases the presence of confining scale increases the screening length, reverse to the effects of chemical potential, velocity and temperature. Moreover, the effects of confining scale and temperature on the screening length for the parallel case are virtually the same as for the perpendicular case, but the effect of velocity on the screening length is more pronounced for the perpendicular case when the velocity is large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In large group decision-making, participators with different knowledge structures, backgrounds, and other characteristics are unlikely to accurately evaluate alternatives. For this, it is necessary to decompose alternatives into several elements, and consider the participators' preferences for elements of alternatives and the multiple classifications for participators according to their characteristics. However, related studies are still scarce. The objective of this paper is to propose a multi-elemental large group decision-making method, in which the desirable alternative(s) are selected from a set of feasible alternatives according to the preference information on multiple elements of alternatives provided by participators from multiple subgroups, and multiple classifications for participators are considered. In the method, according to the strict preference ordering of elements provided by participators, the percentage distributions on preferences of each subgroup concerning each element are firstly presented under each classification for participators. Secondly, the decision weight of each subgroup is determined by three factors, i.e., the consensus of preferences provided by each subgroup, the organizer's preference for each subgroup, and the number of participators in each subgroup. Then, the comprehensive preference concerning each element is determined by combing the preference information from multiple subgroups and the decision weights of multiple subgroups, the overall preference vector can be obtained under each classification, and the virtual alternatives are determined by normalizing the overall preference vector. Further, considering multiple classifications for participators, the overall dominant degrees of alternatives can be obtained by calculating the similarity degrees between each virtual alternative and each alternative, thus the ranking order of alternatives can be obtained based on the overall dominant degrees of alternatives. Finally, an example is given to confirm the feasibility of the proposed method. The results of the sensitivity and comparative analyses show that the proposed method is applicable and effective. The proposed method can further enrich and improve the theory and approach of large group decision-making with multiple elements considering multiple classifications for participators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Federated learning has emerged as a distributed learning paradigm by training at each client and aggregating at a parameter server. System heterogeneity hinders stragglers from responding to the server in time with huge communication costs. Although client grouping in federated learning can solve the straggler problem, the stochastic selection strategy in client grouping neglects the impact of data distribution within each group. Besides, current client grouping approaches make clients suffer unfair participation, leading to biased performances for different clients. In order to guarantee the fairness of client participation and mitigate biased local performances, we propose a federated dynamic client selection method based on data representativity (FedSDR). FedSDR clusters clients into groups correlated with their own local computational efficiency. To estimate the significance of client datasets, we design a novel data representativity evaluation scheme based on local data distribution. Furthermore, the two most representative clients in each group are selected to optimize the global model. Finally, the DYNAMIC-SELECT algorithm updates local computational efficiency and data representativity states to regroup clients after periodic average aggregation. Evaluations on real datasets show that FedSDR improves client participation by 27.4%, 37.9%, and 23.3% compared with FedAvg, TiFL, and FedSS, respectively, taking fairness into account in federated learning. In addition, FedSDR surpasses FedAvg, FedGS, and FedMS by 21.32%, 20.4%, and 6.90%, respectively, in local test accuracy variance, balancing the performance bias of the global model across clients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dysregulated hematopoietic niches remodeled by leukemia cells lead to imbalances in immunological mediators that support leukemogenesis and drug resistance. Targeting immune niches may ameliorate disease progression and tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) resistance in Philadelphia chromosome-positive B-ALL (Ph+ B-ALL). Here, we show that T helper type 17 (Th17) cells and IL-17A expression are distinctively elevated in Ph+ B-ALL patients. IL-17A promotes the progression of Ph+ B-ALL. Mechanistically, IL-17A activates BCR-ABL, IL6/JAK/STAT3, and NF-kB signalling pathways in Ph+ B-ALL cells, resulting in robust cell proliferation and survival. In addition, IL-17A-activated Ph+ B-ALL cells secrete the chemokine CXCL16, which in turn promotes Th17 differentiation, attracts Th17 cells and forms a positive feedback loop supporting leukemia progression. These data demonstrate an involvement of Th17 cells in Ph+ B-ALL progression and suggest potential therapeutic options for Ph+ B-ALL with Th17-enriched niches. Philadelphia chromosome-positive B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ B-ALL) represents a high-risk B-ALL subtype. Here the authors report that Th17 cells and IL-17A expression are elevated in Ph+ B-ALL patients and that targeting IL-17A enhances imatinib efficacy in preclinical models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Loess Critical Zone (LCZ) is located in the intersection of bedrock, groundwater, pedosphere, atmosphere and biosphere. It is a key issue to understand the structural characteristics and soil carbon (C) cycle of the LCZ. We summarized the mechanisms of C exchange between rocks and the atmosphere, and discussed the mechanisms of C stabilization and persistence of the LCZ. Due to the deep layer, C stocks of the CLZ could be underestimated. In light of the recent theory of microbial C pump, soil microorganisms play an important role in C cycle, however, the microbial function is not widely considered in C cycling model of the LCZ. For future studies, it is suggested to systematically study the C cycling process from plant canopy to bedrock by the framework system of the LCZ. A variety of techniques and methods are integrated to combine short-term and high-frequency observations with long-term positioning observations, and pay attention to the response and feedback mechanisms of soil organic C (SOC) cycling to global changes and human activities, especially the migration and transformation of SOC in each circle and interface of the LCZ. We also recommend the necessity for intensive and long-term C monitoring in LCZ over broad geographic scale, to improve microbial C model for accurately evaluating terrestrial C budget and its dynamics. Altogether, this is the first review of C cycling, spanning from the land surface down to the bedrock in the LCZ, which is significant implications for biogeochemical cycling of C in surface and deep layers down to the bedrock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trace element compositions of magnetite of alkaline mafic–ultramafic rocks were not previously studied but are potentially useful to constrain their petrogenesis and related metallogenesis. In the Permian Emeishan large igneous province, subalkaline mafic–ultramafic intrusions are widely distributed, but sparse alkaline counterparts are recognized, including the Mouding intrusion. The alkaline intrusions are mainly composed of clinopyroxenite, melteigite, jacupirangite, gabbro, syenogabbro, monzogabbro and monzonite. All these lithologies contain magnetite with composite, sandwich and trellis types of ilmenite intergrowths due to heterogeneous oxy-exsolution. Chromium contents of magnetite grains in the magnetite clinopyroxenite unit of the Mouding intrusion decrease from 1257 to 41 ppm within an 80 m interval, which can best be explained by the diffusion-controlled in situ crystallization in a crystal-liquid framework. Notably, magnetite grains from these alkaline intrusions are rich in Nb, Ta, Zr and Hf relative to those from subalkaline intrusions and iron oxide–apatite (IOA), iron oxide copper gold (IOCG) and porphyry deposits. This enrichment demonstrates that the high field strength elements (HFSE) are rich in the parental magmas of alkaline intrusions and have high partition coefficients between magnetite and alkaline magma. Our study demonstrates that magnetite grains in alkaline mafic–ultramafic intrusions have distinctively different trace element compositions from those in subalkaline intrusions, being useful tools in discriminating magma series and understanding the crystallization processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiovascular disease is the deadliest disease in the world. Previous studies have shown that Dihydrotanshinone I (DHT) can improve cardiac function after myocardial injury. This study aimed to observe the protective effect and mechanism of DHT on H9c2 cells by establishing an oxygen–glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) injury model. By constructing OGD/R injury simulation of H9c2 cells in a myocardial injury model, the proliferation of H9c2 cells treated with DHT concentrations of 0.1 μmol/L were not affected at 24, 48, and 72 h. DHT can significantly reduce the apoptosis of H9c2 cells caused by OGD/R. Compared with the OGD/R group, DHT treatment significantly reduced the level of MDA and increased the level of SOD in cells. DHT treatment of cells can significantly reduce the levels of ROS and Superoxide in mitochondria in H9c2 cells caused by OGD/R and H2O2. DHT significantly reduced the phosphorylation levels of P38MAPK and ERK in H9c2 cells induced by OGD/R, and significantly increased the phosphorylation levels of AKT in H9c2 cells. DHT can significantly reduce the oxidative stress damage of H9c2 cells caused by H2O2 and OGD/R, thereby reducing the apoptosis of H9c2 cells. And this may be related to regulating the phosphorylation levels of AKT, ERK, and P38MAPK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since November 2019, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused the worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the impact of which is huge to the lives of world populations. Many studies suggested that such situation will continue due to the endless mutations in SARS-CoV-2 genome that result in complexity of the efforts for the control of SARS-CoV-2, since the special enrichment of nucleotide substitution C>U in SARS-CoV-2 sequences were discovered mainly due to the editing by human host factors APOBEC3 genes. The observation of SARS-CoV-2 variants Beta (B.1.351) and Omicron (B.1.1.529) firstly spreading in South Africa promoted us to hypothesize that genetic variants of APOBEC3 special in African populations may be attributed to the higher mutation rate of SARS-CoV-2 variants in Africa. Current study was conducted to search for functional variants of APOBEC3 genes associate with COVID-19 hospitalization in African population. By integrating data from the 1000 Genomes Project, Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx), and Host Genetics Initiative (HGI) of COVID-19, we identified potential functional SNPs close to APOBEC3 genes that are associated with COVID-19 hospitalization in African but not with other populations. Our study provides new insights on the potential contribution of APOBEC3 genes on the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 mutations in African population, but further replication is needed to confirm our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elimination of cancer stem cells (CSCs) and reinvigoration of antitumor immunity remain unmet challenges for cancer therapy. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) constitute the prominant population of immune cells in tumor tissues, contributing to the formation of CSC niches and a suppressive immune microenvironment. Here, we report that high expression of inhibitor of differentiation 1 (ID1) in TAMs correlates with poor outcome in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). ID1 expressing macrophages maintain cancer stemness and impede CD8+ T cell infiltration. Mechanistically, ID1 interacts with STAT1 to induce its cytoplasmic distribution and inhibits STAT1-mediated SerpinB2 and CCL4 transcription, two secretory factors responsible for cancer stemness inhibition and CD8+ T cell recruitment. Reducing ID1 expression ameliorates CRC progression and enhances tumor sensitivity to immunotherapy and chemotherapy. Collectively, our study highlights the pivotal role of ID1 in controlling the protumor phenotype of TAMs and paves the way for therapeutic targeting of ID1 in CRC. Inhibitor of differentiation 1 (ID1) has been described as a cancer-promoting factor and also involved in the formation of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Here the authors report that ID1-expressing tumor associated macrophages favor colorectal cancer progression by promoting cancer cell stemness and CD8+ T cell exclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients at high cardiovascular risk are closely associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). Whether proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 monoclonal antibodies (PCSK9 mAbs) can attenuate AF progression remains unknown. Methods: To compare PCSK9 mAbs with placebo or ezetimibe to explore the effect of PCSK9 mAbs therapy on the end-point of incidence of AF, we searched PubMed, Embase, and ClinicalTrials.gov for articles. We used Mantel–Haenszel risk ratio (RR) with corresponding 95% CI for the categorical data, including the incidence of AF and predefined other outcomes of interest. Results: We included 21 articles consisting of 26 randomized controlled trials with a total of 95,635 participants. Quantitative synthesis revealed that PCSK9 mAbs significantly reduce the incidence of AF events (RR 0.84; 95% CI 0.72−0.98; p = 0.03), whereas no obvious differences were seen between the PCSK9 mAbs group and the ezetimibe group (RR 0.90; 95% CI 0.29–2.76; p = 0.85). PCSK9 mAbs also markedly decreased the incidence of cerebrovascular events (RR 0.75; 95% CI 0.66−0.85; p < 0.0001) and new-onset hypertension (RR 0.92; 95% CI 0.87–0.97; p = 0.003), but not the risk of cardiovascular death (RR 0.95; 95% CI 0.85–1.07; p = 0.40) and new-onset diabetes mellitus (RR 1.01; 95% CI 0.95–1.08; p = 0.67). Conclusions: Overall, the PCSK9 mAbs therapy reduced AF and presented certain cardiovascular benefits in patients at high cardiovascular risk. Further big-scale and long follow-up duration randomized controlled trials that compare PCSK9 mAbs with ezetimibe are required to evaluate the effect of PCSK9 mAbs versus ezetimibe on AF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Downregulation of miR-17-5p has been reported in several cancers, but whether and how miR-17-5p is downregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unknown. Here, we examined whether miR-17-5p is downregulated in HCC and whether that affects expression of its target gene encoding transforming growth factor β receptor 2 (TGFβR). Methods: We screened for potential microRNAs (miRNAs) involved in HCC by analyzing published transcriptomes from HCC patients. Expression of miR-17-5p was measured in HCC cell lines and in tissues from HCC patients using quantitative real-time PCR. The in vitro effects of miR-17-5p on HCC cells were assessed by EdU proliferation assay, CCK-8 cell proliferation assay, colony-formation assay, transwell migration/invasion assay, wound healing assay, and flow cytometry. Effects of miR-17-5p were evaluated in vivo using mice with subcutaneous tumors. Effects of the miRNA on the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) were assessed, while its effects on TGFβR2 expression were analyzed using bioinformatics and a dual luciferase reporter assay. Results: Patients with low miR-17-5p expression showed lower rates of overall and recurrence-free survival than patients with high miR-17-5p expression, and multivariate Cox regression identified low miR-17-5p expression as an independent predictor of poor overall survival in HCC patients. In vitro, miR-17-5p significantly inhibited HCC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and the EMT, while promoting apoptosis. In vivo, it slowed the development of tumors. These protective effects of miR-17-5p were associated with downregulation of TGFβR2. Conclusion: The miRNA miR-17-5p can negatively regulate the expression of TGFβR2 and inhibit the EMT, thereby slowing tumor growth in HCC, suggesting a potential therapeutic approach against HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The domestic pig louse Haematopinus suis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Phthiraptera: Anoplura) is a common ectoparasite of domestic pigs, which can act as a vector of various infectious disease agents. Despite its significance, the molecular genetics, biology and systematics of H. suis from China have not been studied in detail. In the present study, the entire mitochondrial (mt) genome of H. suis isolate from China was sequenced and compared with that of H. suis isolate from Australia. We identified 37 mt genes located on nine circular mt minichromosomes, 2.9 kb-4.2 kb in size, each containing 2-8 genes and one large non-coding region (NCR) (1,957 bp-2,226 bp). The number of minichromosomes, gene content, and gene order in H. suis isolates from China and Australia are identical. Total sequence identity across coding regions was 96.3% between H. suis isolates from China and Australia. For the 13 protein-coding genes, sequence differences ranged from 2.8%-6.5% consistent nucleotides with amino acids. Our result is H. suis isolates from China and Australia being the same H. suis species. The present study determined the entire mt genome of H. suis from China, providing additional genetic markers for studying the molecular genetics, biology and systematics of domestic pig louse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Recurrent implantation failure (RIF) is one of the most common conditions affecting In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)/Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) outcomes. Aneuploidy embryos, one of the main types of embryos-related factors, was reported to be a major contributor to RIF. The present study aimed to examine the association between sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) and outcomes of next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) in unexplained RIF patients. Methods: This study analyzed 119 couples with unexplained RIF who underwent 119 PGT-A cycles between January, 2017 and March, 2022. The 119 males were divided into 3 groups according to their sperm DFI levels: Group1 (low, DFI ≤ 15%, n = 50), Group2 (medium, 15% < DFI < 30%, n = 41) and Group3 (high, DFI ≥ 30%, n = 28). Sperm DFI was measured by sperm chromatin structure analysis (SCSA) technique. Trophectoderm biopsy on day 5 or 6 were performed with NGS technique. The following outcomes of PGT-A were analyzed and compared: fertilization, good-quality embryos, aneuploidy rate, miscarriage, live birth and newborn defects. Results: The component of aneuploidy embryos was significantly higher in high DFI group (42.71%) than that of medium group (28.39%) and low group (27.80%). The miscarriage rate of high DFI group (27.27%) and medium group (14.29%) is significantly higher than that of low group (0.00%). No significant differences were found regarding fertility, good-quality embryo rate, pregnancy rate, live birth rate or newborn defects among three groups. Conclusion: The sperm DNA damage is associated with blastocyst aneuploidy and miscarriage rate in unexplained RIF cases. Embryo selection by PGT-A and efforts to decrease sperm DFI before IVF/ICSI treatments should be considered for those male patients with high DFI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To identify specific Chinese medicines (CMs) that may benefit patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and explore the action mechanism. Methods: Domestic and foreign literature on the treatment of GERD with CMs was searched and selected from China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Science and Technology Journal Database, Wanfang Database, and PubMed from October 1, 2011 to October 1, 2021. Data from all eligible articles were extracted to establish the database of CMs for GERD. Apriori algorithm of data mining techniques was used to analyze the rules of herbs selection and core Chinese medicine formulas were identified. A system pharmacology approach was used to explore the action mechanism of these medicines. Results: A total of 278 prescriptions for GERD were analyzed, including 192 CMs. Results of Apriori algorithm indicated that Evodiae Fructus and Coptidis Rhizoma were the highest confidence combination. A total of 32 active ingredients and 66 targets were screened for the treatment of GERD. Enrichment analysis showed that the mechanisms of action mainly involved pathways in cancer, fluid shear stress and atherosclerosis, advanced glycation end product (AGE), the receptor for AGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications, bladder cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis. Conclusion: Evodiae Fructus and Coptidis Rhizoma are the core drugs in the treatment of GERD and the potential mechanism of action of these medicines includes potential target and pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Texture and particularly compositional variations of zoned minerals are important to understand trans-crustal magma plumbing systems of volcanoes. The Sipisupisu volcano in Sunda arc, northern Sumatra, occurs as a stratocone on the northwestern tip of the Toba Caldera and belongs to the large Toba volcanic system, which has produced two super-eruptions in the Quaternary. Compositionally zoned olivine, plagioclase and clinopyroxene grains, together with orthopyroxene reaction rims around olivine from basalts and basaltic andesites of the Sipisupisu volcano indicate open-system processes characterized by multiple episodes of magma recharge and mixing. Based on compositional variations of a variety of zoned olivine and clinopyroxene crystals, melts ascended from the large basaltic magma reservoir at the Moho have resided in at least three staging magma reservoirs within the crust. One magma reservoir is Si-saturated and located < 13 km deep in the upper crust, underlain by two Si-undersaturated ones at a depth from ~ 13 to 25 km. Fe–Mg diffusion modeling shows that olivine residence time from mixing of compositionally more evolved magmas to eruption varies from ~ 7 days to 9 months, whereas that from recharge of more primitive magmas to eruption is ~ 6 months to 5 years. This timescale is, on average, longer than olivine residence time of the majority of mafic arc volcanoes worldwide and may favor prolonged crystal fractionation. The multiple staging magma reservoirs and prolonged crystal residence time of the Sipisupisu volcano could potentially be linked to the large basaltic magma reservoir at depth. Finally, mixing of Si-saturated and Si-undersaturated magmas probably triggered Sipisupisu eruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fungal communities play a key role in the decomposition of crop residues and affect soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics. Conservation tillage enhances SOC sequestration and mitigate global climate change. However, the impact of long-term tillage practices on fungal community diversity and its relation to SOC stock remains unclear. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the relationship between extracellular enzyme activities and fungal community diversity and SOC stock under different tillage practices. A field experiment was conducted with four tillage practices: (i) no-tillage with straw removal (NT0), (ii) no-tillage with straw retention (NTSR, conservation tillage), (iii) plough tillage with straw retention (PTSR), and (iv) rotary tillage with straw retention (RTSR). The results showed that the SOC stock in NTSR was higher than other treatments in the 0–10 cm soil layer. Compared to NT0, NTSR significantly increased soil β-glucosidase, xylosidase, cellobiohydrolase, and chitinase activities at 0–10 cm soil depth (P < 0.05). However, different tillage methods with straw returning had no significant effects on enzyme activity at 0–10 cm soil depth. The observed species and Chao1 index of the fungal communities under NTSR were 22.8% and 32.1% lower than under RTSR in the 0–10 cm soil layer, respectively. The composition, structure, and co-occurrence network of fungal communities differed across tillage practices. A partial least squares path model (PLS-PM) analysis indicated that C-related enzymes were the most influential factors associated with SOC stock. Soil physicochemical properties and fungal communities affected extracellular enzyme activities. Overall, conservation tillage can promote surface SOC stock, which was associated with increased enzyme activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed at building and testing a multiparametric clinic-ultrasomics nomogram for prediction of malignant extremity soft-tissue tumors (ESTTs). Materials and methods: This combined retrospective and prospective bicentric study assessed the performance of the multiparametric clinic-ultrasomics nomogram to predict the malignancy of ESTTs, when compared with a conventional clinic-radiologic nomogram. A dataset of grayscale ultrasound (US), color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI), and elastography images for 209 ESTTs were retrospectively enrolled from one hospital, and divided into the training and validation cohorts. A multiparametric ultrasomics signature was built based on multimodal ultrasomic features extracted from the grayscale US, CDFI, and elastography images of ESTTs in the training cohort. Another conventional radiologic score was built based on multimodal US features as interpreted by two experienced radiologists. Two nomograms that integrated clinical risk factors and the multiparameter ultrasomics signature or conventional radiologic score were respectively developed. Performance of the two nomograms was validated in the retrospective validation cohort, and tested in a prospective dataset of 51 ESTTs from the second hospital. Results: The multiparametric ultrasomics signature was built based on seven grayscale ultrasomic features, three CDFI ultrasomic features, and one elastography ultrasomic feature. The conventional radiologic score was built based on five multimodal US characteristics. Predictive performance of the multiparametric clinic-ultrasomics nomogram was superior to that of the conventional clinic-radiologic nomogram in the training (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] 0.970 vs. 0.890, p = 0.006), validation (AUC: 0.946 vs. 0.828, p = 0.047) and test (AUC: 0.934 vs. 0.842, p = 0.040) cohorts, respectively. Decision curve analysis of combined training, validation and test cohorts revealed that the multiparametric clinic-ultrasomics nomogram had a higher overall net benefit than the conventional clinic-radiologic model. Conclusion: The multiparametric clinic-ultrasomics nomogram can accurately predict the malignancy of ESTTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Bacteria have been observed in the tumor environment for decades and have been demonstrated to play important roles in the pathogenesis and development of several different tumors. So far there is a clear lack of specific studies relating to the presence of bacteria in pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs). Methods: In this study, we performed five region-based amplification and bacterial 16 S rRNA sequencing to identify the microbiome of PitNET tissues across four clinical phenotypes. Multiple filter procedures were performed to inhibit the risk of contamination with bacteria and bacterial DNA. Histological analysis was also conducted to validate the localization of bacteria in the intra-tumoral region. Results: We identified common and diverse bacterial types across the four clinical phenotypes of PitNET. We also predicted the potential functions of these bacteria in tumor phenotypes and found that these functions were reported in certain previous mechanistic studies. Our data indicate that the pathogenesis and development of tumors may correlate with the behavior of intra-tumoral bacteria. Histological results, including lipopolysaccharide (LPS) staining and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for bacterial 16 S rRNA clearly demonstrated the localization of bacteria in the intra-tumoral region. Staining for Iba-1 suggested that the proportion of microglia was more abundant in FISH-positive regions than in FISH-negative regions. Furthermore, in FISH-positive regions, the microglia exhibited a longitudinally branched morphology that was different to the compact morphology observed in FISH-negative regions. Conclusion: In summary, we provide an evidence for the existence of intra-tumoral bacteria in PitNET. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To qualitatively and quantitatively distinguish the boundaries of commercial strong-, mellow- and light- fragrant rapeseed oils in Chinese market, 24 commercial rapeseed oils were symmetrically analyzed to characterize their profiles of physical/chemical components, key aroma compounds, and nutrients and their concentrations. Results showed that strong- fragrant flavor rapeseed oil had highest AV of 0.25–1.73 mg/g, PV of 0.50–3.37 mmol/kg, Lovibond red reading of > 2.0, total tocopherol of > 505 mg/kg, total sterols of over 4445 mg/kg, and average CoQ10 contents of > 204 mg/kg, followed by mellow- and light- fragrant flavor rapeseed oils. Strong- fragrant rapeseed oil held the highest roasted odor and nutty flavor, while mellow- fragrant rapeseed oil had more acceptable taste with highest soft and spicy taste values. The typical volatile compounds such as hexanal, dimethyl sulfoxide and 5-hexenenitrile could be used to quantitatively and qualitatively distinguish three types of rapeseed oils using PCA Cluster analysis. These findings would provide a reference to multi-dimensionally distinguish and select the favorable rapeseed oil for consumers from these types of commercial fragrant rapeseed oils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stroke is one of the major diseases that endangers human health. It is widely reported that enriched environment (EE) can improve the neurological function in different brain injury models. Recently, relevant researches have indicated that MAPK pathway is closely related to the inflammatory response in nervous system related diseases. However, whether pre exposure to EE (EE pretreatment) has a preventive effect, and its mechanism are not clear. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the possible benefits and related mechanisms of EE in preventing brain injury after acute ischemia-reperfusion. Methods: Adult Sprague Dawley rats were kept in enriched or standardized environments for 21 days. Then the middle cerebral artery of rats was occluded for one hour and 30 min, and then reperfusion was performed. Then their neurological deficit score was evaluated. Cerebral edema, along with ELISA and protein quantities of p38MAPK, JNK, ERK, IL-1β, TNF-α, and co-localization of Iba1 were assessed. Changes in neuroinflammation and apoptosis were also detected in the penumbra cortex. Results: Our research showed that EE pretreatment significantly alleviated acute cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats. Including the reduction of brain edema and apoptosis, and the improvement of neurological scores. In addition, the protein level of p38MAPK was significantly down regulated in EE pretreatment group, and the downstream protein STAT1 had the same trend. In addition, immunofluorescence results showed that Iba1 in EE pretreatment group decreased, the ELISA results showed that the classical proinflammatory cytokines increased significantly, while anti-inflammatory cytokines in EE pretreatment group increased, and the same results were obtained by Western blot analysis. Conclusion: On the whole, our research demonstrated that EE pretreatment can have a protective effect on the organism by inhibiting the p38 MAPK/STAT1 pathway. Thus, EE can be one of the most promising means of disease prevention. Secondly, p38MAPK/STAT1 pathway may be a latent target for the prevention of acute ischemic stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Eating Assessment Tool-10 (EAT-10) is used worldwide to screen people quickly and easily at high risk for swallowing disorders. However, the best EAT-10 cutoff value is still controversial. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we estimated and compared the diagnostic accuracy of EAT-10 cutoff values of 2 and 3 for screening dysphagia. We searched the PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CNKI, WANFANG, and VIP databases from May 2008 to March 2022. The meta-analysis included 7 studies involving 1064 subjects from 7 different countries. Two studies were classified as high quality and five studies as medium quality. With an EAT-10 cutoff value of 2, using flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing or video fluoroscopic swallowing study as the gold standard, the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios, and diagnostic odds ratio were 0.89 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.82–0.93), 0.59 (95% CI 0.39–0.77), 2.17 (95% CI 1.38–3.42), 0.19 (95% CI 0.13–0.29), and 11.49 (95% CI 5.86–22.53), respectively. When a cutoff of 3 was used, these values were 0.85 (95% CI 0.68–0.94), 0.82 (95% CI 0.65–0.92), 4.84 (95% CI 1.72–13.50), 0.18 (95% CI 0.07–0.46), and 26.24 (95% CI 5.06–135.95), respectively. Using EAT-10 cutoff values of 2 and 3, the areas under the curve were 0.873 (95% CI 0.82–0.93) and 0.903 (95% CI 0.88–0.93), respectively, showing good diagnostic performance. EAT-10 can be used as a preliminary screening tool for dysphagia. However, a cutoff of 3 is recommended for EAT-10 due to better diagnostic accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical conversion of CO2 into liquid fuels provides an efficient way to store the renewable energy in the production of fuels and chemicals. However, effectively converting CO2 to ethanol remains extremely challenging due to the low activity and selectivity. Herein, we achieve a high ethanol Faradaic efficiency (FE) as high as 85% on Ag nanowires (NWs) for CO2 electroreduction at −0.95 V. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electrochemical experiments prove that such Ag NWs are partially oxidized. Operando Raman spectroscopy finds the important CO intermediate adsorbed on partially oxidized Ag NWs, facilitating the ethanol formation. Density functional theory calculations prove that the reaction energy of CO coupling with the *CHO to *COCHO intermediate on the partially oxidized Ag NWs is smaller than that on the surface of Cu, which explains why the ethanol FE of such partially oxidized Ag NWs can exceed that of Cu, and therefore is the most favorable pathway for the formation of C2 products on partially oxidized Ag NWs. This study provides a new insight to design efficient catalysts and investigate the mechanisms to improve the selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over-application of copper (Cu) is prevalent in citrus orchards of South China. Therefore, the evaluation of citrus Cu tolerance is of significance for better nutrient management and in the breeding of Cu-tolerant citrus species. In this study, seedlings of 'Xuegan' [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck] and 'Shatian pummelo' [Citrus grandis (L.) Osbeck] were treated with 0.5 µM Cu (Control) or 300 µM Cu (Cu toxicity) for 18 weeks in sandy culture medium. The results demonstrated that excess Cu decreased seedling biomass, plant height, and root length and significantly increased Cu accumulation of C. sinensis and C. grandis. The Cu distribution in citrus tissues was following the order: lateral roots > primary roots > stems > leaves. Compared to C. sinensis, C. grandis had a 22.4% higher Cu concentration in the lateral roots under Cu toxicity. According to the stomata limiting theory, the inhibition of the net photosynthetic rate of C. sinensis leaves by Cu toxicity was mainly attributed to non-stomata limitation. The chlorophyll a transient indicated much more severe damage to the structure and function of leaf photosynthetic system II (PS II) in C. sinensis than C. grandis by Cu toxicity. Conclusively, a higher Cu retention in the lateral roots, the maintenance of a stable PS II structure, and higher electron transferring rate from PS II to PS I implied the relatively higher Cu tolerance of C. grandis seedlings. These results provide essential information for further investigation on the Cu-tolerant mechanisms of citrus species and the future breeding of Cu-tolerant citrus species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resistivity is used to evaluate soil water content (SWC), which has the advantages of not causing soil disturbance and in low price. It is an effective way to assess the SWC variability. This paper aims to evaluate the variability of loess slope SWC through the change of resistivity. It provides a simple way for long term SWC monitoring to solve the expensive cost of deploying moisture sensors. In this context, geoelectric and environmental factors such as soil temperature and SWC were monitored for three years. The prediction model of apparent resistivity and SWC was calibrated. The post processing of geoelectric data was introduced. In addition, the SWC collected by Time-Domain Reflectometry (TDR) was used to verify the feasibility of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) data. The SWC variability in the process of rainfall, the evolution of four seasons, and the alternation of drying and wetting were evaluated. The research results show that: i) the SWC monitored by ERT and TDR can reflect the response and hysteretic effect of water content at 0.5–3.0 m depth. ii) The moisture content monitored by ERT reflects that the soil is relatively wet in summer and autumn and dry in winter and spring. iii) From 2017 to 2020, the SWC increased in August, and the soil became dry in January. iv) Two areas with high SWC and three areas with low SWC on loess slope are reflected by resistivity. The outcome can provide the change information of SWC to a great extent without excavating boreholes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a soil layer identification method using probabilistic collaborative representation–based classification (ProCRC). The representative parameters (cone tip resistance qt, pore pressure u2, and pore pressure ratio Bq) are selected from the CPTu data acquired through numerous engineering sites for normalization. Then, the salient features of the data are extracted based on a sparse automatic encoder, and the optimal solution of the test data was obtained. At that point, the soil layer identification and classification can be carried out by combining the ProCRC algorithm. The proposed method was adopted to identify the soil layers in four different kinds of sites and compared with other existing methods. The classification results were analyzed by regression analysis, and it was observed that the proposed method exhibits higher precision and validity than other methods. The underlying soil stratigraphy including interbeds and mixed layers can be well determined via the ProCRC method with CPTu data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stem cell therapy holds great promise for the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI), which can reverse neurodegeneration and promote tissue regeneration via its pluripotency and ability to secrete neurotrophic factors. Although various stem cell-based approaches have shown certain therapeutic effects when applied to the treatment of SCI, their clinical efficacies have been disappointing. Thus, it is an urgent need to further enhance the neurological benefits of stem cells through bioengineering strategies including genetic engineering. In this review, we summarize the progress of stem cell therapy for SCI and the prospect of genetically modified stem cells, focusing on the genome editing tools and functional molecules involved in SCI repair, trying to provide a deeper understanding of genetically modified stem cell therapy and more applicable clinical strategies for SCI repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a daunting task to develop a promising strategy at an industrial scale for simultaneously ameliorating ductility and gas barrier performance of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) films in the application of green packaging. In this work, biaxial stretching and constrained annealing were employed to prepare transparent PLA films with superior ductility and barrier properties. The oriented nano-sized crystals induced by biaxial stretching were developed into regular a form during constrained annealing, which could not only serve as "nano-barrier wall" to impede the diffusion and dissolution of gas molecules, but also strengthen amorphous chain entanglement network as physical crosslink to enhance ductility. As a result, the as-prepared PLA films exhibited an outstanding comprehensive performance with a low oxygen and water vapor permeability coefficient of 0.733×10−14 cm−3·cm·cm−2·s−1·Pa−1 and 3.82×10−14 g·cm·cm−2s−1·Pa−1, respectively, outstanding ductility with elongation at break of 66.0%, high yield strength of 84.2 MPa, and good transparency of more than 80% at 550 nm. The new insight in the relationship between microscopic amorphous and crystalline structure and macroscopic performance is conducive to alleviating the intrinsic defects of brittle and insufficient barrier PLA films without the aid of any heterogenous modifiers, facilitating their widespread commercialization in the booming sustainable packaging market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a mathematical model for simulating the mechanical behaviour of lightning strikes and analysing the resulting damage to the soil. This article focuses on the electro-thermal effect and seepage caused by lightning strikes in particular. Then, a numerical model based on the conservation laws of momentum, mass and energy is developed for soil subjected to lightning strikes. Comparisons to field observations and theoretical calculations are used to demonstrate the efficacy and accuracy of numerical simulations. The findings demonstrate that lightning strikes can cause soils to experience both seepage force and heat stress. Under the calculative condition of this article: by increasing the intrinsic permeability of the soil, kp (≥10−10 m2), the seepage force can be effectively reduced, hence reducing the risk of lightning strikes; improving the electrical conductivity of the soil β (≥10−1 S/m) and lowering its thermal expansion coefficient (≤10−6 K−1) can greatly reduce the damage caused by lightning strikes to the soil. The preceding investigations demonstrate that the suggested model is capable of evaluating mechanical damage caused by lightning in the soil, and the findings contribute to a better understanding of soil mechanical response to lightning strikes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Introduction: SHR6390 is a new developed highly effective and selective small-molecule oral CDK4/6 inhibitor. We aimed to evaluate the effect of food on the pharmacokinetics of SHR6390 tablets. Methods: In an open-label two-way crossover study, 24 healthy Chinese volunteers were randomly divided into Group A and Group B, and 12 volunteers in each group received a single oral dose of a SHR6390 150-mg tablet under fasting and high-fat conditions. Blood samples were collected and determined for pharmacokinetic analyses. A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for determining the SHR6390 concentration. Results: The time to maximum plasma concentration was not significantly affected by a high-fat diet. Compared with the fasting group, maximum plasma concentration, i.e., the area under the concentration–time curve (AUC0–t and AUC0–∞) was altered significantly, as evidenced by an increase of 56.9%, 38.6%, and 37.5% respectively. We identified seven metabolites of SHR6390 from the plasma samples, and we found no sex differences in metabolic pathways. All treatment-emergent adverse events were Grade 1 or 2. Conclusions: Food intake increased the maximum plasma concentration, AUC0–t, and AUC0–∞ significantly compared with the fasting condition. Meanwhile, single-dose SHR6390 for two treatment cycles is safe. SHR6390 was administered in a fasting status in the pivotal phase III study (NCT03927456) and chosen for the final drug label. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Loess is long-term aeolian dust deposition, characterized by loose structure, concentrated participle distribution and unstable mineral composition, and thus easy to cause extensive collapsibility and have general water sensitivity. To reveal the difference in water sensitivity between naturally intact (NI) loess and mechanically compacted (MC) loess used for the check dam, the transient water release and imbibition method (TRIM) was used to acquire the suction stress—expanded hydraulic characteristic curves for the NI and MC loess and explore possible approaches for formulating the potential of loess water sensitivity. Based on the Local Field of Safety (LFS) associated with slope stability, we constructed a finite element model of a check dam to depict its failure processes under different rainfall scenarios. The results revealed the strong water sensitivity in NI loess, while the MC loess retained a certain water-sensitive potential. This capacity depends on the 'water sensitivity coefficient' obtained from the suction-stress characteristic curve, which better presented the deformation potential of the two loess samples at different water content levels. In the context of LFS, we identified two failure patterns in the dam body that were involved in loess water sensitivity under hydromechanical conditions: rainfall erosion-induced shallow mudflow failure, and preferential-infiltration progressive failure. These patterns may provide new insights into dam-breakage mechanisms and potential chain effects of check dams on the Chinese Loess Plateau from the perspective of soil-water interactions, which is vital for predicting the position and timing of check dam failure, and mitigating risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lenvatinib is regarded as the first-line therapy for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study assessed the efficacy and safety of lenvatinib with or without immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with unresectable HCC. Methods: In this multicentric retrospective study, patients with unresectable HCC who treated with lenvatinib with or without ICIs would be enrolled. Overall survival, progression-free survival, objective response rate, and disease control rate were calculated to assess the antitumor response. Results: Between January 2019 and August 2020, 65 patients received lenvatinib plus ICIs while other 45 patients received lenvatinib. The baseline characteristics were comparable between the two groups. Lenvatinib plus ICIs provided significantly higher overall survival (hazard ratio = 0.47, 95% CI 0.26–0.85; p = 0.013) and progression-free survival (hazard ratio = 0.35, 95% CI 0.20–0.63; p < 0.001) than lenvatinib monotherapy. Moreover, patients with lenvatinib plus ICIs had significantly higher objective response rate (41.5% vs 20.0%, p = 0.023) and disease control rate (72.3% vs 46.7%, p = 0.009) per RECIST v1.1 than those with lenvatinib. No treatment-related deaths were observed. Grade 3 or greater adverse events occurring in 10% or more of patients in either treatment group were hypertension [13 (20.0%) of 65 patients treated with lenvatinib plus ICIs vs 8 (17.8%) of 45 patients treated with lenvatinib], and palmar–plantar erythrodysesthesia [seven (10.8%) vs two (4.4%)]. Conclusions: In this real-world study, lenvatinib combined with ICIs showed significantly promising efficacy and manageable safety than lenvatinib alone in patients with unresectable HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]