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Prediction of protein-protein binding (PPB) affinity plays an important role in large-molecular drug discovery. Deep learning (DL) has been adopted to predict the changes of PPB binding affinities upon mutations, but there was a scarcity of studies predicting the PPB affinity itself. The major reason is the paucity of open-source dataset with PPB affinity data. To address this gap, the current study introduced a large comprehensive PPB affinity (PPB-Affinity) dataset. The PPB-Affinity dataset contains key information such as crystal structures of protein-protein complexes (with or without protein mutation patterns), PPB affinity, receptor protein chain, ligand protein chain, etc. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest publicly available PPB affinity dataset, and we believe it will significantly advance drug discovery by streamlining the screening of potential large-molecule drugs. We also developed a deep-learning benchmark model with this dataset to predict the PPB affinity, providing a foundational comparison for the research community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In micro-milling process, the prediction of cutting forces is important for investigating the mechanism of material removal, optimizing the process parameters, and monitoring the machining process. To improve the modelling accuracy, this paper proposes a novel instantaneous uncut chip thickness (IUCT) model that considers the elastic recovery accumulation (ERA) in the micro-milling process. It thus includes the phenomenon of varying IUCT at the current tool tip due to the elastic recovery of the previous tool tip during tool rotation. When the IUCT is less than the minimum uncut thickness (MUCT), the height of the elastic recovery can be increased due to the effect of ERA, while the height keeps constant after IUCT reaches above MUCT. Three cases of ERA are presented by comparing the feed per tooth with both tool runout and MUCT. Finally, micro-milling experiments have been conducted to verify the proposed cutting force model. In comparing with the measured cutting forces, it is shown that the predicted cutting forces with the ERA considered exhibit a much better accuracy than that without the ERA considered. When the feed per tooth is at a small amplitude, the improvement of the cutting force prediction accuracy becomes even more significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Software Effort Estimation (SEE) is a process to predict the effort required for developing a software product. It usually takes time for a company to complete software projects, and thus the collection of training examples for SEE would usually be time-consuming, often resulting in the small data problem within the local company. To address the small data problem, many studies have explored the data from external companies to enlarge the amount of local data. However, the presence of heterogeneous features in the data from external companies poses a challenge. These heterogeneous features cannot be directly adopted as additional training examples for models of the local company. To address this issue, this paper proposes the Feature Alignment via Heterogeneous Data Mapping (FAHDM) framework. FAHDM aims to align the external data with the local company by mapping the heterogeneous features into the local feature space, thereby enabling their use as additional training examples. We conducted two sets of experiments on 16 datasets to verify the effectiveness and advancement of the proposed method. The experimental results based on seven datasets show that our proposed method improves the performance of training sets with different sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rebound of liquid droplets on solid surfaces exhibits behavior reminiscent of elastic spheres, albeit with distinct contact dynamics. While the rapid detachment of droplets from surfaces holds significant relevance for various applications, previous endeavors relying on engineered surfaces can only reduce the contact time to several milliseconds, primarily due to capillary effects dominating droplet bounce. Here, we present ultrafast rebound by designing heterogeneous core-shell droplets encapsulating a particle (DEP), which achieves an unprecedentedly short contact time of 0.3 ms and 0.05 ms with polydimethylsiloxane and glass particles, respectively. This remarkable contact-time reduction is universally applicable to diverse systems, including both water and oil droplets, elastic and rigid particles, super-repellent and superlyophilic surfaces, and is effective across a wide range of impact velocities. Beyond exhibiting liquid-like dynamics, DEP manifests solid-like behavior owing to asynchronized motions between the particle and the droplet, which effectively breaks down the dominance of capillarity. With systematic experimental and analytical studies, we delineate contact times in three bouncing regimes and identify critical conditions governing regime transitions. DEP amalgamates the bouncing dynamics of both solids and liquids, offering a robust and versatile strategy for tailoring contact time to suit diverse applications involving solid-liquid composite systems. It is essential to have a short contact time for self-cleaning, anti-icing, anti-fog, heat transfer, droplet manipulation, and energy harvesting. In this study, the authors discuss the extremely quick bounce seen when droplets containing a particle impact a surface, achieving a contact time of only 0.3 milliseconds with an elastic particle and 0.05 milliseconds with a rigid particle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The understanding of the coupling relationship between tourism industry, urbanization, and ecological environment is important due to the complex interaction in environmental effects induced by tourism industry and urbanization. In this paper, a comprehensive evaluation index system of tourism industry, urbanization, and ecological environment is established, and the coupling degrees and coordination degrees of the three subsystems of Shandong province in China from 2001 to 2017 are calculated. After identifying the temporal and spatial evolution characteristics of coupling of the subsystems, this paper summarizes the driving factors of tourism industry, urbanization, and ecological environment. The results shown are as follows: (1) The level of comprehensive development of Shandong's tourism industry and urbanization subsystems has steadily increased, while its ecological environment subsystem has shown fluctuating development trends between 2001 and 2017. (2) The coupling coordination degree of tourism industry, urbanization, and ecological environment has increased from a low level of coordination to a very high level of coordination. A spatial difference in coupling coordination between cities is more unbalanced. The coupling coordination of "dual-core" cities (Qingdao and Jinan) is better than that of other cities. (3) The main factors influencing spatial differentiation are regional economic strength, industrial structure, market scale, technological innovation ability, government regulation, and control factors. Different factors have obvious temporal heterogeneity. The significance of this research not only helps increase the focus on ecological tourism and new urbanization, but also optimize the quality and path of tourism industry and new urbanization development, promote an environmentally friendly society, and achieve high-quality economic development and sustainable development in Shandong Province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crossover recombination is a hallmark of meiosis that holds the paternal and maternal chromosomes (homologs) together for their faithful segregation, while promoting genetic diversity of the progeny. The pattern of crossover is mainly controlled by the architecture of the meiotic chromosomes. Environmental factors, especially temperature, also play an important role in modulating crossovers. However, it is unclear how temperature affects crossovers. Here, we examined the distribution of budding yeast axis components (Red1, Hop1, and Rec8) and the crossover-associated Zip3 foci in detail at different temperatures, and found that both increased and decreased temperatures result in shorter meiotic chromosome axes and more crossovers. Further investigations showed that temperature changes coordinately enhanced the hyperabundant accumulation of Hop1 and Red1 on chromosomes and the number of Zip3 foci. Most importantly, temperature-induced changes in the distribution of axis proteins and Zip3 foci depend on changes in DNA negative supercoils. These results suggest that yeast meiosis senses temperature changes by increasing the level of negative supercoils to increase crossovers and modulate chromosome organization. These findings provide a new perspective on understanding the effect and mechanism of temperature on meiotic recombination and chromosome organization, with important implications for evolution and breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sir2-HerA is a widely distributed antiphage system composed of a RecA-like ATPase (HerA) and an effector with potential NADase activity (Sir2). Sir2-HerA is believed to provide defense against phage infection in Sir2-dependent NAD+ depletion to arrest the growth of infected cells. However, the detailed mechanism underlying its antiphage activity remains largely unknown. Here, we report functional investigations of Sir2-HerA from Staphylococcus aureus (SaSir2-HerA), unveiling that the NADase function of SaSir2 can be allosterically activated by the binding of SaHerA, which then assembles into a supramolecular complex with NADase activity. By combining the cryo-EM structure of SaSir2-HerA in complex with the NAD+ cleavage product, it is surprisingly observed that Sir2 protomers that interact with HerA are in the activated state, which is due to the opening of the α15-helix covering the active site, allowing NAD+ to access the catalytic pocket for hydrolysis. In brief, our study provides a comprehensive view of an allosteric activation mechanism for Sir2 NADase activity in the Sir2-HerA immune system. Deletion of cellular NAD+ via Sir2-depentent NADase provides immunity against phage infection in the Sir2-HerA immune system. Here the authors reveal supramolecular assembly for the allosteric activation on Sir2 NADase function in the Sir2-HerA antiphage system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of college students is not promising and needs to be improved through effective interventions. This study aimed to investigate the associations of nutrition literacy (NL) with HRQOL and anxiety among college students, and to identify the role of anxiety in the relationship between NL and HRQOL. The cross-sectional survey was conducted via the "Wenjuanxing" platform from September to November 2023. The Food and Nutrition Literacy Questionnaire (FNLQ), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) diagnostic tool and the SF-12 scale were used to assess NL, anxiety, and HRQOL, respectively. Logistic regression models, mediation analysis, additive and multiplicative interaction analyses were used. 2066 college students participated in the analysis. After adjusting for potential confounders, we found that college students with higher NL had higher HRQOL (OR = 2.52, 95% CI: 2.09–3.03, p < 0.001) and a lower risk of anxiety (OR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.39–0.73, p < 0.001). Additionally, anxious college students had lower HRQOL (OR = 0.16, 95% CI: 0.11–0.24, p < 0.001). Furthermore, mediation analysis confirmed that anxiety was a partial mediator of the relationship between NL and HRQOL (β = 0.600, 95% CI: 0.406–0.779/0.430–0.818). Significant additive interactions were found between NL and Anxiety (RERI = 6.96, 95% CI: 2.74–11.17; AP = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.37–0.64; SI = 2.21, 95% CI: 1.58–3.07). Higher levels of NL are associated with better HRQOL and lower anxiety among college students. Additionally, anxiety partially mediated the relationship between NL and HRQOL. Furthermore, there is a synergy between NL and anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Gram–staining–negative, facultative aerobic, motile strain, designated strain ZSDE20T, was isolated from the surface seawater of Qingdao offshore. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene of strain ZSDE20T, affiliated it to the genus Photobacterium. It was closely related to Photobacterium lutimaris DF-42 T (98.92% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). Growth occurred at 4-28ºC (optimum 28ºC), pH 1.0–7.0 (optimum 7.0) and in the presence of 1–7% (w/v) NaCl (optimum 3%). The dominant fatty acids were summed feature 3 (C16:1 ω7c or/and C16:1 ω6c, 34.23%), summed feature 8 (C18:1 ω7c and C18:1 ω6c, 10.36%) and C16:0 (20.05%). The polar lipids of strain ZSDE20T comprised phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, lyso-phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol dimannoside, phosphatidylinositol mannosides and two unknown lipids. The major respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-8 (Q-8). The DNA G + C content of strain ZSDE20T was 45.6 mol%. Average nucleotide identity (ANI) values between ZSDE20T and its reference species were lower than the threshold for species delineation (95–96%); in silico DNA-DNA hybridization further showed that strain ZSDE20T had less than 70% similarity to its relatives. Based on the polyphasic evidences, strain ZSDE20T is proposed as representing a novel species of the genus Photobacterium, for which the name Photobacterium pectinilyticum sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is ZSDE20T (= MCCC 1K06283T = KCTC 82885 T). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Chinese nurses in promoting physical activity among cancer survivors and the relationships between these attributes and to identify the factors hindering nurses’ clinical practice. Methods: Nurses from oncology-related departments of 10 public tertiary hospitals in Shandong Province completed self-administered questionnaires that included information about demographics; knowledge, attitudes, and practices of physical activity promotion; and barriers to clinical practice. The STROBE statement for observational studies was applied. Results: A total of 502 valid questionnaires were obtained. The average standardized scores of knowledges, attitudes, and practice were 75.33%, 82.36%, and 62.60%, respectively. Oncology specialist nurses and nurses who had received relevant training had higher levels of knowledge, nurses from general hospitals reported higher levels of practice, and nurses who had learned the relevant guidelines were better in terms of knowledge, attitude, and level of practice. Attitude had a statistically significant mediating effect between knowledge and practice. Lack of time, lack of multidisciplinary clinical teams, and lack of clear guidelines were the most frequently reported barriers to practice. Conclusion: In China, nurses have a moderate level of knowledge and practice in promoting physical activity among cancer survivors, but a positive attitude. Numerous barrier factors present challenges in nurses’ clinical practice. Attitude plays a partial mediating role between knowledge and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Germline stem cells are a crucial type of stem cell that can stably pass on genetic information to the next generation, providing the necessary foundation for the reproduction and survival of organisms. Male mammalian germline stem cells are unique cell types that include primordial germ cells and spermatogonial stem cells. They can differentiate into germ cells, such as sperm and eggs, thereby facilitating offspring reproduction. In addition, they continuously generate stem cells through self-renewal mechanisms to support the normal function of the reproductive system. Autophagy involves the use of lysosomes to degrade proteins and organelles that are regulated by relevant genes. This process plays an important role in maintaining the homeostasis of germline stem cells and the synthesis, degradation, and recycling of germline stem cell products. Recently, the developmental regulatory mechanism of germline stem cells has been further elucidated, and autophagy has been shown to be involved in the regulation of self-renewal and differentiation of germline stem cells. In this review, we introduce autophagy accompanying the development of germline stem cells, focusing on the autophagy process accompanying the development of male spermatogonial stem cells and the roles of related genes and proteins. We also briefly outline the effects of autophagy dysfunction on germline stem cells and reproduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although various aspects of cisplatin resistance have been studied, the impact of genetic variations still needs to be explored. Aim: This study aimed to investigate the impact of cisplatin on meningiomas using a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach, employing genetic variants associated with cisplatin use as instrumental variables. Method: We conducted a two-sample MR analysis using genome-wide association study (GWAS) data. Instrumental variables were derived from single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with meningioma to estimate the causal relationship with cisplatin resistance. Sensitivity analyses were performed to confirm the findings. Results: Genetic predisposition to meningioma significantly increased the risk of cisplatin resistance (odds ratio (OR): 1.63; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.44–1.85, P < 0.05). Sensitivity analyses supported the causal link. Conclusion: This MR study suggests that genetic predisposition to meningioma increases susceptibility to cisplatin resistance. Further research is needed to uncover the mechanisms behind these causal effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myelination is a crucial process in the nervous system. This study aimed to evaluate the progression of myelin sheath development in different brain regions of neonatal rats at distinct developmental stages using Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (CEST) 7-T MRI. Male SD rats of different ages (3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 1 month, 2 months) were selected for the study. Advanced in vivo MRI experiments were conducted using a 7-T MRI scanner. Custom MatLab scripts were employed to generate MR images and process the data. Myelin staining was used to assess myelin distribution in various brain regions. Statistical analysis was performed using repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and Spearman’s rank correlation. The progression of myelination was significantly different in different brain regions (F(5, 30) = 3.34, P < 0.05), with the corpus callosum showing an accelerated rate of myelination. Within the first month alone, there was an increase of 46.1% in myelination (t(35) = 2.29, P < 0.05). The hypothalamus and internal capsule exhibited a more gradual yet consistent increase in myelination over the two-month period, with increases of 47.1% (t(35) = 2.27, P < 0.05) and 39.8% (t(35) = 2.59, P < 0.05), respectively. A substantial positive correlation was found between the MRI-based and histological measurements of myelination (r = 0.31, P < 0.05). This study demonstrates the potential of CEST 7-T MRI as a non-invasive tool for assessing myelination progression and provides insights into the differential myelination rates across various brain regions during early development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous landslide susceptibility assessments often overlook the heterogeneity of landslides across different regions and their generalization ability. The objective of this study was to explore the landslide susceptibility model from geomorphic zones-based K-means constructed sub-regions to geomorphic label-based matching whole regions. To achieve this, we divided the study area into slope units based on curvature calculation and utilized a Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM) to construct the susceptibility model. For model training, we randomly selected fourteen townships in Fengjie County, Chongqing, China. By employing K-means clustering, we established geomorphic zones for the landslide susceptibility model, which were assigned a corresponding geomorphic label. Notably, the model divided the entire study area into four geomorphic zones, with zone 4 demonstrating the highest accuracy of 0.85. Additionally, we developed two comparative models to assess the effectiveness of our proposed approach. The first comparative model considered only ten conditioning factors, resulting in a model accuracy of 0.73. The second comparative model incorporated the classification results of geomorphic labels as explanatory variables for landslides and achieved a model accuracy of 0.75. In this study, we successfully established a model with an accuracy of 0.87 by automatically matching and generalizing the remaining townships with the existing geomorphic labels. Our findings suggest that a geomorphic label-based model, adopting a framework from sub-regions to the whole region, offers better quantification of the landslide occurrence mechanism in the region and demonstrates stronger generalization ability compared to the overall-based model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum dots are broadly used to prepare light-emitting-diode (LED) devices for color display. However, their surface defects such as suspended bonds result in low photoluminescent (PL) properties. Here, surface coating and polymeric compositing were adopted to fabricate polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)/CdSe@ZnS composite films. CdSe quantum dots with various sizes, CdSe@ZnS core–shell quantum dots with narrow size distribution and PVDF-based composite films were prepared. After ZnS coating, PL intensity of quantum dots is enhanced with a blue-shifted emission. Core–shell quantum dots with an increased size emit green, yellow, orange and red light in turn, and their solutions have an increased emission wavelength. Films emit various colors of bright light. Compared to solutions, films have the well-preserved emission wavelengths. Highly dispersed core–shell quantum dots in PVDF are obtained with a preserved fluorescence emission. Fluorescent devices of using the films were constructed on commercial blue-chips. PL emission wavelengths of devices with emitting different colors of light are well-preserved compared to films. White-light-emitting-diode (WLED) device was prepared, and LED lamp emits strong white light. This research can advance a large-scale construction of devices used in LED digital dynamic color display. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer is a global public health problem. Natural polysaccharides have been shown to enhance the effectiveness of cancer treatments. Polygonatum sibiricum (PS) has been used for millennia to treat diverse diseases. PS comprises numerous active constituents, including saponins, peptides, volatile oils, polysaccharides, and lectins. Many studies have highlighted the crucial role of polysaccharides in PS. Modern studies have shown that Polygonatum sibiricum polysaccharide (PSP) exhibits diverse pharmacological activities, including immunomodulatory, antitumor, antioxidant, and anti-aging effects. However, further study of the antitumor mechanisms is difficult because the activities of PSP are closely associated with its complex structural features and the different molecular weights of its components. Therefore, this review focuses on the research background and the extraction and purification of PSP. Studies related to the mechanism of the antitumor effects of PSP constituents of different molecular weights are also summarized, and perspectives on PSP research are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese landscape paintings, realistic landscape photographs, and oil paintings each possess unique artistic characteristics and painting features. Image-to-image translation between these three domains is an extremely challenging task. Existing image-to-image translation networks suffer from deficiencies in preserving content or conveying style, posing difficulties in achieving this task. To address this issue, we propose a novel two-stage multi-domain generative adversarial network approach (TMGAN). We add edge maps as additional guidance input and implement content control to better retain content information. In addition, we design the IOST (In/Out module for Style Transfer) module to better assist the style transfer task. By employing a clever design, we decompose the image translation task into two stages: content extraction and style injection. In the content extraction stage, TMGAN extracts high-resolution edge images from content images. In the style injection stage, TMGAN takes the high-resolution edge image as input and injects the specified style for generation. Notably, we accomplish this two-stage task using only a single multi-domain generator network. Extensive qualitative and quantitative experiments conducted against the baseline model validate the exceptional performance of TMGAN. Furthermore, to facilitate further research, we release MLHQ, a high-quality multi-domain landscape dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-performance and room-temperature gas sensors are ideal for industrial production and environmental detection. Enhancing gas-detection capability by the use of highly conductive MXene in conjunction with metal oxide materials is a potential approach. In this work, we have prepared a gas-sensing composite device based on SnO2/V2CTx nanocomposites, which can be used to detect the concentration of SO2 gas at room temperature (~ 20 ℃). This paper modified two-dimensional (2D) V2CTx MXene with SnO2 nanoparticles by electrostatic binding method to synthesize SnO2/V2CTx composite nanomaterials. The experimental results show that at room temperature, the addition of SnO2 nanoparticles can markedly improve the gas-sensing response (from 66 to 83%) characteristics of pure V2CTx to SO2. The gas sensitivity of SnO2/V2CTx MXene nanocomposites can reach 83%, and its response/recovery time is 98 s/81 s under 10 ppm SO2. The gas-sensing composite devices made of SnO2/V2CTx composite nanomaterials also show good selectivity and application prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automated written corrective feedback (AWCF) has been widely applied in second language (L2) writing classrooms in the past few decades. Recently, the introduction of tools based on generative artificial intelligence (GAI) such as ChatGPT heralds groundbreaking changes in the conceptualization and practice of AWCF in L2 pedagogy. However, students' engagement in such an interactive and intelligent learning environment remains unstudied. The present study aims to investigate L2 writers' behavioral, cognitive, and affective engagement with ChatGPT as an AWCF provider for writing products. This mixed-method multiple case study explored four L2 writers' behavioral, cognitive, and affective engagement with AWCF provided by ChatGPT. Bearing the conversational and generative mechanisms of ChatGPT in mind, data on students' engagement were collected from various sources: prompt writing techniques, revision operations, utilization of metacognitive and cognitive strategies, and attitudinal responses to the feedback. The results indicated that: 1) behavioral engagement was related to their individual differences in language proficiencies and technological competencies; 2) the participants have failed to metacognitively regulate the learning processes in an effective manner; and 3) ChatGPT ushered in an affectively engaging, albeit competence-demanding and time-consuming, learning environment for L2 writers. The study delivers conceptual and pedagogical implications for educators and researchers poised to incorporate GAI-based technologies in language education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For half a century, only Bi2Te3-based thermoelectrics have been commercialized for near room temperature applications including both power generation and refrigeration. Because of the strong layered structure, Bi2Te3 in particular for n-type conduction has to be texturized to utilize its high in-plane thermoelectric performance, leaving a substantial challenge in toughness. This work presents the fabrication and performance evaluation of thermoelectric modules based on n-type Ag2Se paring with commercial p-Bi2Te3. Ag2Se mechanically allows an order of magnitude larger fracture strain and thermoelectrically secures the module efficiency quite competitive to that of commercial one for both refrigeration and power generation within ± 50 K of room temperature, enabling a demonstration of a significantly tougher alternative to n-type Bi2Te3 for practical applications. The authors report better toughness in n-type Ag2Se than commercial Bi2Te3. The fabricated n-Ag2Se/p-Bi2Te3 modules show good performance and long-term stability for both refrigeration and power generation near room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have provided evidence of structural and functional changes in the brains of patients with tension-type headache (TTH). However, investigations of functional connectivity alterations in TTH have been inconclusive. The present study aimed to investigate abnormal intrinsic functional connectivity patterns in patients with TTH through the voxel-wise degree centrality (DC) method as well as functional connectivity (FC) analysis. A total of 33 patients with TTH and 30 healthy controls (HCs) underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scanning and were enrolled in the final study. The voxel-wise DC method was performed to quantify abnormalities in the local functional connectivity hubs. Nodes with abnormal DC were used as seeds for further FC analysis to evaluate alterations in functional connectivity patterns. In addition, correlational analyses were performed between abnormal DC and FC values and clinical features. Compared with HCs, patients with TTH had higher DC values in the left middle temporal gyrus (MTG.L) and lower DC values in the left anterior cingulate and paracingulate gyri (ACG.L) (GRF, voxel-wise p < 0.05, cluster-wise p < 0.05, two-tailed). Seed-based FC analyses revealed that patients with TTH showed greater connections between ACG.L and the right cerebellum lobule IX (CR-IX.R), and smaller connections between ACG.L and ACG.L. The MTG.L showed increased FC with the ACG.L, and decreased FC with the right caudate nucleus (CAU.R) and left precuneus (PCUN.L) (GRF, voxel-wise p < 0.05, cluster-wise p < 0.05, two-tailed). Additionally, the DC value of the MTG.L was negatively correlated with the DASS-depression score (p = 0.046, r=-0.350). This preliminary study provides important insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms of TTH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The commercialization of perovskite solar cells is badly limited by stability, an issue determined mainly by perovskite. Herein, inspired by a natural creeper that can cover the walls through suckers, we adopt polyhexamethyleneguanidine hydrochloride as a molecular creeper on perovskite to inhibit its decomposition starting from the annealing process. The molecule possesses a long-line molecular structure where the guanidinium groups can serve as suckers that strongly anchor cations through multiple hydrogen bonds. These features make the molecular creeper can cover perovskite grains and inhibit perovskite decomposition by suppressing cations' escape. The resulting planar perovskite solar cells achieve an efficiency of 25.42% (certificated 25.36%). Moreover, the perovskite film and device exhibit enhanced stability even under harsh damp-heat conditions. The devices can maintain >96% of their initial efficiency after 1300 hours of operation under 1-sun illumination and 1000 hours of storage under 85% RH, respectively. The decomposition of perovskite materials during annealing could impact on their stability. Here, the authors adopt a molecular creeper to inhibit perovskite decomposition by suppressing the escape of cations, achieving certified efficiency of 25.36% for solar cells with operational stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taxi drivers often take much time to navigate the streets to look for passengers, which leads to high vacancy rates and wasted resources. Empty taxi cruising remains a big concern for taxi companies. Analyzing the pick-up point selection behavior can solve this problem effectively, providing suggestions for taxi management and dispatch. Many studies have been devoted to analyzing and recommending hotspot regions of pick-up points, which can make it easier for drivers to pick-up passengers. However, the selection of pick-up points is complex and affected by multiple factors, such as convenience and traffic management. Most existing approaches cannot produce satisfactory results in real-world applications because of the changing travel demands and the lack of interpretability. In this paper, we introduce a visual analytics system, T-PickSeer, for taxi company analysts to better explore and understand the pick-up point selection behavior of passengers. We explore massive taxi GPS data and employ an overview-to-detail approach to enable effective analysis of pick-up point selection. Our system provides coordinated views to compare different regularities and characteristics in different regions. Also, our system assists in identifying potential pick-up points and checking the performance of each pick-up point. Three case studies based on a real-world dataset and interviews with experts have demonstrated the effectiveness of our system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) is a major cause of child death. We investigated the epidemiology of S. pneumoniae in a pediatric fever clinic and explored the genomics basis of the limited vaccine response of serotype 14 strains worldwide. Methods: Febrile disease and pneumonia were diagnosed following criteria from the WHO at the end of 2019 at a tertiary children's hospital. Spn was isolated by culture from nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs. The density was determined by lytA-base qPCR. Isolates were serotyped by Quellung and underwent antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Whole-genome sequencing was employed for molecular serotyping, MLST, antibiotic gene determination, SNP calling, recombination prediction, and phylogenetic analysis. Results: The presence of pneumococcus in the nasopharynx (87.5%, 7/8, p = 0.0227) and a high carriage (100%, 7/7, p = 0.0123) were significantly associated with pneumonia development. Living with siblings (73.7%, 14/19, p = 0.0125) and non-vaccination (56.0%, 28/50, p = 0.0377) contributed significantly to the Spn carriage. Serotype 14 was the most prevalent strain (16.67%, 5/30). The genome analysis of 1497 serotype 14 strains indicated S14/ST876 strains were only prevalent in China, presented limited vaccine responses with higher recombination activities within its cps locus, and unique variation patterns in the genes wzg and lrp. Conclusion: With the lifting of the one-child policy, it will be crucial for families with multiple children to get PCV vaccinations in China. Due to the highly variant cps locus and distinctive variation patterns in capsule shedding and binding proteins genes, the prevalent S14/ST876 strains have shown poor response to current vaccines. It is necessary to continue monitoring the molecular epidemiology of this vaccine escape clone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selective loading of spatially separated redox cocatalysts on direct Z-scheme heterojunctions holds great promise for advancing the efficiency of artificial photosynthesis, which however is limited to the photodeposition of noble metal cocatalysts and the fabrication of hollow double-shelled semiconductor heterojunctions. Moreover, the co-exposure of discrete cocatalyst and semiconductor increases the product diversity when both the exposed sites of which participate in CO2 photoreduction. Herein, we present a facile and versatile protocol to overcome these limitations via surface coating of Z-scheme heterojunctions with bifunctional noble-metal-free cocatalysts. With Cu2O/Fe2O3 (CF) as a model heterojunction and layered Ni(OH)2 as a model cocatalyst, it is found that Ni(OH)2 lying on the surfaces of Cu2O and Fe2O3 separately co-catalyzes the CO2 reduction and H2O oxidation. Thorough experimental and theoretical investigation reveals that the Ni(OH)2 outer layer: (i) mitigates the charge recombination in CF and balances their transfer and consumption; (ii) reduces the rate-determining barriers for CO2-to-CO and H2O-to-O2 conversion, (iii) suppresses the side proton reduction occurring on CF, and (iv) protects the CF from component detachment. As expected, the redox reactions stoichiometrically proceed, and significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity, selectivity, and stability in CO generation are achieved by the stacked Cu2O/Fe2O3@Ni(OH)2 in contrast to CF. This study demonstrates the significance of the synergy between bifunctional cocatalysts and Z-scheme heterojunctions for improving the efficacy of overall redox reactions, opening a fresh avenue for the rational design of artificial photosynthetic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Respiratory coronaviruses (RCoVs) significantly threaten human health, necessitating the development of an ex vivo respiratory culture system for investigating RCoVs infection. Here, we successfully generated a porcine precision-cut lung slices (PCLSs) culture system, containing all resident lung cell types in their natural arrangement. Next, this culture system was inoculated with a porcine respiratory coronavirus (PRCV), exhibiting clinical features akin to humans who were infected by SARS-CoV-2. The results demonstrated that PRCV efficiently infected and replicated within PCLSs, targeting ciliated cells in the bronchioles, terminal bronchioles, respiratory bronchioles, and pulmonary alveoli. Additionally, through RNA-Seq analysis of the innate immune response in PCLSs following PRCV infection, expression levels of interferons, inflammatory cytokines and IFN stimulated genes were significantly upregulated. This ex vivo model may not only offer new insights into PRCV infection in the porcine respiratory tract but also serve as a valuable tool for studying human respiratory CoVs infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying cancer risk groups by multi-omics has attracted researchers in their quest to find biomarkers from diverse risk-related omics. Stratifying the patients into cancer risk groups using genomics is essential for clinicians for pre-prevention treatment to improve the survival time for patients and identify the appropriate therapy strategies. This study proposes a multi-omics framework that can extract the features from various omics simultaneously. The framework employs autoencoders to learn the non-linear representation of the data and applies tensor analysis for feature learning. Further, the clustering method is used to stratify the patients into multiple cancer risk groups. Several omics were included in the experiments, namely methylation, somatic copy-number variation (SCNV), micro RNA (miRNA) and RNA sequencing (RNAseq) from two cancer types, including Glioma and Breast Invasive Carcinoma from the TCGA dataset. The results of this study are promising, as evidenced by the survival analysis and classification models, which outperformed the state-of-the-art. The patients can be significantly (p-value<0.05) divided into risk groups using extracted latent variables from the fused multi-omics data. The pipeline is open source to help researchers and clinicians identify the patients' risk groups using genomics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon-supported noble-metal-free single-atom catalysts (SACs) have aroused widespread interest due to their green chemistry aspects and excellent performances. Herein, we propose a "ligand regulation strategy" and achieve the successful fabrication of bifunctional SAC/MOF (MOF = metal–organic framework) nanocomposite (abbreviated NiSA/ZIF-300; ZIF = ZIF-8) with exceptional catalytic performance and robustness. The designed NiSA/ZIF-300 has a planar interfacial structure with the Ni atom, involving one S and three N atoms bonded to Ni(II), fabricated by controllable pyrolysis of volatile Ni-S fragments. For CO2 cycloaddition to styrene epoxide, NiSA/ZIF-300 exhibits ultrahigh activity (turnover number (TON) = 1.18 × 105; turnover frequency (TOF) = 9830 molSC·molNi−1·h−1; SC = styrene carbonate) and durability at 70 °C under 1 atm CO2 pressure, which is much superior to Ni complex/ZIF, NiNP/ZIF-300, and most reported catalysts. This study offers a simple method of bifunctional SAC/MOF nanocomposite fabrication and usage, and provides guidance for the precise design of additional original SACs with unique catalytic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1978, Campbell and Meyer proposed the notion of minimal rank weak Drazin inverses of complex matrices. In this paper, we define minimal weak Drazin inverses of elements in semigroups using Green’s preorder ⩽ R , which generalize minimal rank weak Drazin inverses of complex matrices. For two elements a, y of a semigroup, it is proved that y is a minimal weak Drazin inverse of a if and only if y a k + 1 = a k for some nonnegative integer k and a y 2 = y. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unsustainable and widespread utilization of fossil fuels continues to drive the rapid depletion of global supplies. Biodiesel has emerged as one of the most promising alternatives to conventional diesel, leading to growing research interest in its production. Microbes can facilitate the de novo synthesis of a type of biodiesel in the form of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs). In this study, Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolic activity was engineered to facilitate enhanced FAME production. Initially, free fatty acid concentrations were increased by deleting two acetyl-CoA synthetase genes (FAA1, FAA4) and an acyl-CoA oxidase gene (POX1). Intracellular S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) levels were then enhanced via the deletion of an adenosine kinase gene (ADO1) and the overexpression of a SAM synthetase gene (SAM2). Lastly, the S. cerevisiae strain overproducing free fatty acids and SAM were manipulated to express a plasmid encoding the Drosophila melanogaster Juvenile Hormone Acid O-Methyltransferase (DmJHAMT). Using this combination of engineering approaches, a FAME concentration of 5.79 ± 0.56 mg/L was achieved using these cells in the context of shaking flask fermentation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first detailed study of FAME production in S. cerevisiae. These results will provide a valuable basis for future efforts to engineer S. cerevisiae strains for highly efficient production of biodiesel. Key points: De novo synthesis of FAMEs was demonstrated in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. FAME production was improved by increasing concentrations of fatty acids and SAM. FAMEs produced in S. cerevisiae mainly included C16 and C18 fatty acid methyl esters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To deepen the understanding of flow mechanisms related to corner separation and associated control techniques, a passive control scheme based on a vortex generator (VG) installed on the end wall of the cascade passage was adopted. Detailed particle image velocimetry investigations were performed at different attack angles and flow velocities in a low-speed wind tunnel. At a 5° attack angle, the VG control cascade can effectively suppress the corner separation for chord Reynolds numbers (Rec) of 2.1 × 104 and 3.1 × 104. As Rec increases to 3.8 × 104 and 4.8 × 104, the original separation zone is relatively small, and the strong trailing vortex generated by the VG fails to intersect it, instead producing excessive interference to the main flow, resulting in additional flow loss. The separation zone is generally small at a 0° attack angle, and the VG control cascade performs similarly to that at the 5° attack angle. Through analysis of the instantaneous velocity and vorticity, it is discovered that the primary mechanism by which the VG suppresses corner separation is the unsteady disturbance of the trailing vortex to the separation, which increases the kinetic energy in the separation zone, lowers the accumulation of low-energy fluid, thereby suppressing the corner separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible thin film with both good ferroelectric and ferromagnetic properties has more extensive applications in the field of flexible and/or wearable devices and sensors. In this experiment, the flexible Bi0.9Gd0.1Fe0.98Mn0.02O3 (BGFMO) thin film is successfully deposited on fluorophlogopite (F-Mica) single-crystalline substrate by sol–gel method. The flexible BGFMO thin film exhibits a rhombohedrally distorted perovskite structure, uniform grain size, and a relatively smooth surface. It has good ferroelectricity, with a remnant polarization (Pr) value of 74.88 μC/cm2 and ferromagnetism with anisotropic saturation magnetization (in-plane saturation magnetization of about 32.00 emu/cm3, out-of-plane saturation magnetization of about 29.80 emu/cm3). The flexible thin film can maintain good ferroelectric properties at different frequencies and temperatures, and the ferroelectric properties can be adjusted by mechanical bending. Therefore, the flexible BGFMO thin film with excellent ferroelectric and ferromagnetic properties has great application potential in flexible electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A scalable strategy for the convenient and rapid preparation of nitrogen-doped carbon-coated iron-based alloy catalysts was developed. By controlling the type and amount of metal salts in the precursor, various types of nitrogen-doped carbon-coated alloy catalysts can be prepared in a targeted manner. Fe2Ni2@CN materials with small particle sizes and relatively homogeneous basic sites showed promising results in the N-alkylation reaction of benzyl alcohol with aniline (optimum yield: 99%). It is worth noting that the catalyst can also be magnetically separated and recovered after the reaction, and its performance can be regenerated through simple calcination. Furthermore, it was confirmed by kinetic experiments that the activation of C–H at the benzyl alcohol benzylic position is the rate-determining step (RDS). According to density flooding theory calculations, Fe2Ni2@CN catalysts require less energy than other materials (Fe@CN and Ni@CN) for the RDS (dehydrogenation reaction) process. Therefore N-alkylation reactions are more easily carried out on Fe2Ni2@CN catalysts, which may be the reason for the best catalytic activity of Fe-Ni alloy materials. These carbon-coated alloy materials will show great potential in more types of heterogeneous catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chloroxylenol is a commonly used antimicrobial agent in antibacterial and disinfection products, which has been detected in various environments, such as wastewater treatment plants, rivers, seawater, and even drinking water, with concentrations ranging from ng/L to mg/L. However, the biodegradation of chloroxylenol received limited attention with only sporadic reports available so far. In this study, an efficient chloroxylenol-degrading consortium, which could degrade 20 mg/L chloroxylenol within two days, was obtained after five months of enrichment. Amplicon sequencing analysis revealed a decrease in the α-diversity (e.g., Shannon index and Inv_Simpson index) of the community during the domestication process. Microbial community dynamics were uncovered, with sequences affiliated to Achromobacter, Pseudomonas, and Rhodococcus identified as the most abundant taxonomic groups. From the consortium, five pure isolates were obtained; however, it was found that only one strain of Rhodococcus could degrade chloroxylenol. Strain Rhodococcus sp. DMU2021 could degrade chloroxylenol efficiently under the conditions of temperature 30–40 °C, and neutral/alkaline conditions. Chloroxylenol was toxic to strain DMU2021 and triggered both enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant systems in response. This study provides novel insights into the biodegradation process of chloroxylenol, as well as valuable bioresources for bioremediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commensal bacteria generate immensely diverse active metabolites to maintain gut homeostasis, however their fundamental role in establishing an immunotolerogenic microenvironment in the intestinal tract remains obscure. Here, we demonstrate that an understudied murine commensal bacterium, Dubosiella newyorkensis, and its human homologue Clostridium innocuum, have a probiotic immunomodulatory effect on dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis using conventional, antibiotic-treated and germ-free mouse models. We identify an important role for the D. newyorkensis in rebalancing Treg/Th17 responses and ameliorating mucosal barrier injury by producing short-chain fatty acids, especially propionate and L-Lysine (Lys). We further show that Lys induces the immune tolerance ability of dendritic cells (DCs) by enhancing Trp catabolism towards the kynurenine (Kyn) pathway through activation of the metabolic enzyme indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) in an aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-dependent manner. This study identifies a previously unrecognized metabolic communication by which Lys-producing commensal bacteria exert their immunoregulatory capacity to establish a Treg-mediated immunosuppressive microenvironment by activating AhR-IDO1-Kyn metabolic circuitry in DCs. This metabolic circuit represents a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases. Here, Zhang et al. identify a metabolic axis by which Lys-producing commensal bacterium Dubosiella newyorkensis mediates a Treg-mediated immunosuppressive microenvironment by activating AhR-IDO1-Kyn metabolic circuitry in dendritic cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the dynamic responses of bottom karst caves on the shield tunnels under oblique SV waves according to the project of Dalian Metro Line 5. The viscous-spring artificial boundaries are employed and validated to assure the accuracy of seismic input. The characteristics of deformation and stress, damage evolution process and damage state of the tunnel are discussed, such as under different filling conditions of karst caves, incident angles of SV waves, the elastic modulus of grouting materials, and the combination of multiple karst caves. According to the relationship between tensile damage value and crack width, the damage state classification is divided. The results show that the tunnel's displacement and stress increase and the damage state is from no damage to severe damage with the increasing incident angle. When the incident angle is 30°, the tunnel's displacement and stress reach to the maximum, and the axial cracks width higher than 0.2 mm appear on the outer surface of the vault and bottom. The filling conditions of the bottom karst caves can influence the tunnel's circumferential damage. The structural dynamic response does not change significantly when the elastic modulus of the grouting material is greater than 10 GPa. Compared with one single cave, the damage severity of the inner surface under the multiple karst caves with a large clear distance is weakened and tends to be averaged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The critical factor of spatial constraint, provided by the external confinement (e.g., matrix), is often overlooked during photodynamic inactivation, despite playing a crucial role in determining the molecular photophysical process and subsequent antipathogen performance. Here, as a proof-of-concept model, we employed two types of polymers with varying interaction energies with dopants to investigate the intrinsic relationship between spatial constraint and the essential excited-state behaviors of doped photosensitizer (4-(2-(5-(4-(diphenylamino)phenyl)thiophen-2-yl)ethyl)-1-methylquinolin-1-ium iodine, TPP). Through experimental investigation and theoretical calculations, we found that TPP tends to remain in the excited state for a shorter dwell time under weaker spatial constraints due to less restricted molecular motion in polyurethane (PU) nanofibers. Consequently, the singlet oxygen (1O2) generated from doped-TPP shows a 9.23-fold enhancement in PU than in the polyvinylchloride (PVC) matrix. Under light irradiation, the PU@TPP nanofiber can efficiently eliminate the coronavirus MHV-A59 (⩾99.9997%) at a 220,000-fold higher concentration than the infected space. Its antibacterial efficacy has also been demonstrated, with a killing rate of ⩾99%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wearable devices and flexible electronics have promoted the development of flexible thin film materials. Flexible films with excellent performance and adapted to the operating conditions of flexible electronic devices are required. Here, the flexible BiFe0.97Cr0.03O3/BiFe1−xMnxO3 (x = 0.05–0.09) ferroelectric thin films were successfully prepared on LaNiO3/fluorophlogopite (F-Mica) by the sol–gel method. The flexible BiFe0.97Cr0.03O3/BiFe0.93Mn0.07O3 (BFC0.03O/BFM0.07O) sample shows a best ferroelectricity with a real residual polarization value of 106.59 µC/cm2 was obtained from the Positive Up Negative Down (PUND). The flexible sample maintains true ferroelectric performance at different frequencies and shows excellent bending fatigue resistance after mechanical bending with 10000 cycles. The residual stress generated by mechanical bending increases the polarization of the flexible sample while maintaining the true ferroelectric polarization. The larger residual stress results in the enlargement of the defect. This provides an interesting approach to the ferroelectric regulation of flexible thin films. The flexible BiFe0.97Cr0.03O3/BiFe1−xMnxO3 thin films with excellent ferroelectricity and bending fatigue resistance are promising for the applications in high temperature flexible electronic components and sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global requirements for waste classification management are increasingly stringent, yet developing countries, represented by China, face poor classification problems, low resident participation and a lack of transparency in flow data. Existing waste classification management technologies, such as the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence, emphasize waste separation and identification, but ignore stakeholders' responsibilities and cooperation. This study aims to compensate for the above shortcomings and enhance the efficiency of waste classification management through blockchain technology. This study builds a blockchain-based waste classification model including software and hardware, and applies it to a pilot community to test its management effect. According to results (January, 2022/September, 2022), the waste bin overflow rate decreased by 41.67%; the public participation rate increased from 52.4 to 95.9%. From July to September 2022, the average rate of violations traced by regulations was 82.4%; 85.9% of interviewers responded positively to regulative monitoring and enforcement. The recycling potential of the recyclable has been increasing, reaching 95.05% in September 2022. Additionally, the researchers refined the model functions and experimental contents through the entropy matter-element method. In conclusion, the blockchain model emphasizes public involvement, government monitoring and quality of waste classification and recycling, which improves waste management efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Exogenous gonadotropin (Gn) is given to regulate follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels to achieve optimal ovarian response in in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI). The objective of this study was to analyze the optimal degree of change in FSH blood concentration with ovarian responsiveness in a short-acting gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a) long protocol for IVF/ICSI. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at Changzhou Maternity and Child Health Hospital's Reproductive Center from May 2017 to May 2023. A total of 794 ovarian stimulation cycles for IVF/ICSI using the short-acting GnRH-a long protocol was included. Ovarian responsiveness was assessed based on the number of follicles > 14 mm on human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) trigger day, refine-follicular output rate (Refine-FORT) and good quality embryos. Delta 1 referred to the change in FSH level between days 6–8 of gonadotropin usage and baseline FSH, while Delta 2 referred to the change in FSH level between HCG trigger day and days 6–8 of gonadotropin usage. Simple and multiple linear regression analysis were performed to adjust for confounding factors. Results: The number of follicles > 14 mm on HCG trigger day was found to be the most suitable indicator for evaluating ovarian responsiveness compared to the number of follicles > 16 mm and the number of retrieved oocytes. When Delta 1 ranged from 1.94 to 3.37, the number of follicles > 14 mm on HCG trigger day was the highest. When Delta 1 ranged from 3.37 to 5.90, the Refine-FORT was the highest. However, when Delta 1 exceeded 5.90, the number of follicles > 14 mm on HCG trigger day, Refine-FORT and good quality embryo all significantly decreased. On the other hand, when Delta 2 was ≤ − 1.58, the number of follicles > 14 mm on HCG trigger day and the Refine-FORT were both the highest. Conclusion: This study identifies optimal Delta 1 and Delta 2 ranges for effective ovarian responsiveness in a short-acting GnRH-a long protocol for IVF/ICSI and introduces the novel measure of the number of follicles > 14 mm on HCG trigger day. The optimal range for Delta 1 was 1.94 to 3.37, and Delta 2 should be < − 1.58 for achieving a higher number and quality of oocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The high expression of the transmembrane glycoprotein trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2 (Trop2) was strongly associated with the progression of solid tumors, including pancreatic and gastric cancers. Our study aimed to construct Trop2-specific immuno-positron emission tomography (immunoPET) probes and assess the diagnostic abilities in preclinical pancreatic and gastric cancer models. Methods: The expression of Trop2 in pancreatic cancer was determined by single-cell sequencing and immunohistochemistry on tissue microarray (TMA). Flow cytometry was used to screen the expression of Trop2 in pancreatic cancer cell lines. Two nanobodies (i.e., RTD98 and RTD01) targeting Trop2 were developed and labeled with gallium-68 (68Ga, T1/2 = 1.1 h) to construct immunoPET imaging probes. The agents were researched in cell-derived pancreatic and patient-derived gastric cancer models expressing varying Trop2. Results: Single-cell sequencing results showed high expression of Trop2 in pancreatic ductal cells as well as acinar cells and immunohistochemical staining of TMA from pancreatic cancers showed significantly higher expression of Trop2 in cancerous than in paracancerous tissues. ImmunoPET utilizing [68Ga]Ga-NOTA-RTD98 could clearly delineate subcutaneous tumors, both in cell-derived pancreatic cancer models and patient-derived gastric cancer models, superior to imaging using [18F]-FDG or a non-specific probe [68Ga]Ga-NOTA-RTD161. Another probe with improved pharmacokinetics targeting Trop2, [68Ga]Ga-NOTA-RTD01, was further prepared and showed advantageous diagnostic capabilities in preclinical pancreatic cancer models. Conclusion: In the work, we reported two nanobody tracers targeting human Trop2 which may facilitate better use of Trop2-targeted therapeutics by noninvasively displaying expression dynamics of the target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aplastic anaemia (AA) is a haematopoietic disorder caused by immune-mediated attack on haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Stem cell transplantation and immunosuppressive therapy remain the major treatment choice for AA patients but have limited benefits and undesired side effects. The aim of our study was to clarify the protective role of immunity of chronic intermittent hypobaric hypoxia (CIHH) and the underlying mechanism in AA. Our integrative analysis demonstrated that CIHH pre-treatment significantly improved haematopoiesis and survival in an AA rat model. We further confirmed that CIHH pre-treatment was closely associated with the Th1/Th2 balance and a large number of negative regulatory haematopoietic factors, such as TNF-α and IFN-γ, produced by hyperactive Th1 lymphocytes released in AA rats, which induced the death program in a large number of CD34+ HSCs by activating the Fas/FasL apoptosis pathway, while CIHH pre-treatment effectively downregulated the expression of TNF-α and IFN-γ, resulting in a reduction in Fas antigen expression in CD34+ HSCs. In summary, this study provides evidence that CIHH has good protective effect against AA by modulating immune balance in Th1/Th2 cells and may provide a new therapeutic strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The networked AlCl3·6H2O@β-CD composite was constructed by "one-pot" method via mechanical grinding for the first time. The results confirm that the formation of Al–O–Al and C-O–Al bonds is the key to the effective combination of AlCl3·6H2O and β-CD. The AlCl3·6H2O@β-CD plays a dual role as a catalyst and dispersant in the reaction system which leads to the high catalytic activity and stability for the synthesis of Bisindolylmethane compounds under solid-phase grinding conditions. Environmental friendliness and zero-waste are the most important features of this catalyst, offering the possibility of its wider application in the field of green synthesis and catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The freezing and thawing of roadbed soils in seasonal frozen zones can cause uneven settlement and other road problems, which puts road operation at risk. This paper focuses on the rapid construction of expressways and analyzes the effects of using fly ash and cement as modifiers on the physical properties and chemical composition of subgrade soil. The study found that cement admixtures can improve soil mechanical attributes and frost resistance, while also increasing the degree of fly ash hydration. And the freeze-thaw cycle process can enhance the mechanical characteristics of soils with higher cement admixture content. This is due to the development of hydrates in cement fly ash-enhanced soils during freeze?thaw cycles, resulting in a denser interior structure. The use of neural network prediction analysis showed that using ANN4-10-3 to forecast soil mechanical property parameters can produce superior results. Therefore, it is recommended to use cement fly ash-enhanced soil for roadbed construction in seasonal freezing areas, and neural network can be used to predict soil mechanical parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional methods for assessing plant health often lack the necessary attributes for continuous and non-destructive monitoring. In this pilot study, we present a novel technique utilizing a customized fiber optic probe based on attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) with a contact force control unit for non-invasive and continuous plant health monitoring. We also developed a normalized difference mid-infrared reflectance index through statistical analysis of spectral features, enabling differentiation of drought and age conditions in plants. Our research aims to characterize phytochemicals and plant endogenous status optically, addressing the need for improved analytical measurement methods for in situ plant health assessment. The probe configuration was optimized with a triple-loop tip and a 3 N contact force, allowing sensitive measurements while minimizing leaf damage. By combining polycrystalline and chalcogenide fiber probes, a comprehensive wavenumber range analysis (4000–900 cm−1) was achieved. Results revealed significant variations in phytochemical composition among plant species, for example, red spinach with the highest polyphenolic content and green kale with the highest lignin content. Petioles displayed higher lignin and cellulose absorbance values compared to veins. The technique effectively monitored drought stress on potted green bok choy plants in situ, facilitating the quantification of changes in water content, antioxidant activity, lignin, and cellulose levels. This research represents the first demonstration of the potential of fiber optic ATR-FTIR probes for non-invasive and rapid plant health measurements, providing insights into plant health and advancements in quantitative monitoring for indoor farming practices, bioanalytical chemistry, and environmental sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Danmaku, a real-time comment function covering the top of the video, appears from the right of the video like a bullet and slides out horizontally from the left, which is gaining popularity in Asia. In recent years, the research on the analysis of massive danmaku data has mushroomed. The danmaku data contains a host of valuable information, such as the emotional expressions, attitudes, and opinions of the people watching the video, which helps people quickly get the content and effect of the video. The information is more representative and comprehensive with the ever-increasing amount of danmaku data over time. However, extracting valuable danmaku from huge amounts of data is a challenging task. Therefore, in this paper, we introduce VisDmk, an interactive visual analysis system, to help to analyze video content and effect. VisDmk incorporates five views: the projection view to exhibit emotion distribution, the detail view to analyze specific danmaku information, the individual view to illustrate the difference between viewers, the theme-aware view to identify themes in different periods, and the video view to ascertain some inference within a video. Case studies and user observation were conducted to evaluate this system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Aberrant expression of circular RNA (circRNA) has been demonstrated to be related to atherosclerosis (AS) formation. However, the mechanism of circCHMP5 (also known as hsa_circ_0003575) in AS formation remains unclear. Methods: Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) was used to treat human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to construct a cell injury model. The expression level of circCHMP5, miR-532-5p, and Rho-associated protein kinase 2 (ROCK2) was measured using quantitative real-time PCR. Cell cycle, apoptosis, proliferation, and angiogenesis were determined by flow cytometry, 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay, and tube formation assay. In addition, the protein expression of apoptosis markers, inflammation factors, and ROCK2 was detected by western blot analysis. The interaction between miR-532-5p and circCHMP5 or ROCK2 was assessed by dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay. Results: Our results indicated that circCHMP5 was overexpressed in ox-LDL-induced HUVECs. CircCHMP5 knockdown promoted cell cycle, proliferation, and angiogenesis while inhibiting apoptosis and inflammation in ox-LDL-induced HUVECs. MiR-532-5p could be sponged by circCHMP5, and its inhibitor reversed the negative regulation of si-circCHMP5 on ox-LDL-induced HUVECs injury. ROCK2, a target of miR-532-5p, reversed the inhibition effect of miR-532-5p on ox-LDL-induced HUVECs injury. Furthermore, we confirmed that circCHMP5 upregulated ROCK2 by sponging miR-532-5p. Conclusion: To sum up, our data showed that circCHMP5 regulated the miR-532-5p/ROCK2 axis to accelerate ox-LDL-induced HUVECs injury, confirming that circCHMP5 might be a potential target for AS treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary restriction is an effective anti-ageing intervention across species. However, the molecular mechanisms from the metabolic aspects of view are still underexplored. Here we show ACS-20 as a key mediator of dietary restriction on healthy ageing from a genetic screen of the C. elegans acyl-CoA synthetase family. ACS-20 functions in the epidermis during development to regulate dietary restriction-induced longevity. Functional transcriptomics studies reveal that elevated expression of PTR-8/Patched is responsible for the proteostasis and lifespan defects of acs-20. Furthermore, the conserved NHR-23 nuclear receptor serves as a transcriptional repressor of ptr-8 and a key regulator of dietary restriction-induced longevity. Mechanistically, a specific region in the ptr-8 promoter plays a key role in mediating the transcription regulation and lifespan extension under dietary restriction. Altogether, these findings identify a highly conserved lipid metabolism enzyme as a key mediator of dietary restriction-induced lifespan and healthspan extension and reveal the downstream transcriptional regulation mechanisms.Dietary restriction is one of the most effective ways to delay ageing. Here, the authors discover a highly conserved lipid metabolism gene functions through transcriptional regulation mechanisms to regulate proteostasis, lifespan and healthspan in response to low nutrients in C. elegans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]