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Purpose: To investigate the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) based on radiomics using T2-weighted imaging fat suppression (T2WI-FS) and contrast enhanced T1-weighted imaging (CE-T1WI) sequences in differentiating T1-category nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) from nasopharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia (NPH). Materials and methods: This study enrolled 614 patients (training dataset: n = 390, internal validation dataset: n = 98, and external validation dataset: n = 126) of T1-category NPC and NPH. Three feature selection methods were used, including analysis of variance, recursive feature elimination, and relief. The logistic regression classifier was performed to construct the radiomics signatures of T2WI-FS, CE-T1WI, and T2WI-FS + CE-T1WI to differentiate T1-category NPC from NPH. The performance of the optimal radiomics signature (T2WI-FS + CE-T1WI) was compared with those of three radiologists in the internal and external validation datasets. Results: Twelve, 15, and 15 radiomics features were selected from T2WI-FS, CE-T1WI, and T2WI-FS + CE-T1WI to develop the three radiomics signatures, respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) values for radiomics signatures of T2WI-FS + CE-T1WI and CE-T1WI were significantly higher than that of T2WI-FS (AUCs = 0.940, 0.935, and 0.905, respectively) for distinguishing T1-category NPC and NPH in the training dataset (Ps all < 0.05). In the internal and external validation datasets, the radiomics signatures based on T2WI-FS + CE-T1WI and CE-T1WI outperformed T2WI-FS with no significant difference (AUCs = 0.938, 0.925, and 0.874 for internal validation dataset and 0.932, 0.918, and 0.882 for external validation dataset; Ps > 0.05). The radiomics signature of T2WI-FS + CE-T1WI significantly performed better than three radiologists in the internal and external validation datasets. Conclusion: The MRI-based radiomics signature is meaningful in differentiating T1-category NPC from NPH and potentially helps clinicians select suitable therapy strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constipation is a major health problem worldwide that requires effective and safe treatment options. Increasing evidence indicates that disturbances in gut microbiota may be a risk factor for constipation. Administration of lacidophilin tablets shows promising therapeutic potential in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease owing to their immunomodulatory properties and regulation of the gut microbiota. The focus of this study was on investigating the ability of lacidophilin tablets to relieve constipation by modulating the gut microbiome. Rats with loperamide hydrochloride induced constipation were treated with lacidophilin tablets via intragastric administration for ten days. The laxative effect of lacidophilin tablets was then evaluated by investigating the regulation of intestinal microflora and the possible underlying molecular mechanism. Our results reveal that treatment with lacidophilin tablets increased the intestinal advancement rate, fecal moisture content, and colonic AQP3 protein expression. It also improved colonic microflora structure in the colonic contents of model rats mainly by increasing Akkermansia muciniphila and decreasing Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1. Transcriptome analysis indicated that treatment with lacidophilin tablets maintains the immune response in the intestine and promotes recovery of the intestinal mechanical barrier in the constipation model. Our study shows that lacidophilin tablets improve constipation, possibly by promoting Akkermansia colonization and by modulating the intestinal immune response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proper axial length of the eye is crucial for achieving emmetropia. In this study, we present a wireless battery-free eye modulation patch designed to correct high myopia and prevent relapse. The patch consists of piezoelectric transducers, an electrochemical micro-actuator, a drug microneedle array, μ-LEDs, a flexible circuit, and biocompatible encapsulation. The system can be wirelessly powered and controlled using external ultrasound. The electrochemical micro-actuator plays a key role in precisely shortening the axial length by driving the posterior sclera inward. This ensures accurate scene imaging on the retina for myopia eye. The drug microneedle array delivers riboflavin to the posterior sclera, and μ-LEDs' blue light induces collagen cross-linking, reinforcing sclera strength. In vivo experiments demonstrate that the patch successfully reduces the rabbit eye's axial length by ~1217 μm and increases sclera strength by 387%. The system operates effectively within the body without the need for batteries. Here, we show that the patch offers a promising avenue for clinically treating high myopia. The proper axial length of the eye is crucial for achieving emmetropia. Here, authors introduce a wireless battery-free eye modulation patch designed to correct high myopia and prevent relapse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social recognition encompasses encoding social information and distinguishing unfamiliar from familiar individuals to form social relationships. Although the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is known to play a role in social behavior, how identity information is processed and by which route it is communicated in the brain remains unclear. Here we report that a ventral midline thalamic area, nucleus reuniens (Re) that has reciprocal connections with the mPFC, is critical for social recognition in male mice. In vivo single-unit recordings and decoding analysis reveal that neural populations in both mPFC and Re represent different social stimuli, however, mPFC coding capacity is stronger. We demonstrate that chemogenetic inhibitions of Re impair the mPFC-Re neural synchronization and the mPFC social coding. Projection pathway-specific inhibitions by optogenetics reveal that the reciprocal connectivity between the mPFC and the Re is necessary for social recognition. These results reveal an mPFC-thalamic circuit for social information processing. How the brain distinguishes familiar individuals from unfamiliar ones is not fully understood. Here, the authors show that neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex and thalamus encode social information and the two brain areas interact with each other to promote social recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To predict the wave loads of a flexible trimaran in different wave fields, a one-way interaction numerical simulation method is proposed by integrating the fluid solver (Star-CCM+) and structural solver (Abaqus). Differing from the existing coupled CFD-FEA method for monohull ships in head waves, the presented method equates the mass and stiffness of the whole ship to the hull shell so that any transverse and longitudinal section stress of the hull in oblique waves can be obtained. Firstly, verification study and sensitivity analysis are carried out by comparing the trimaran motions using different mesh sizes and time step schemes. Discussion on the wave elevation of uni- and bi-directional waves is also carried out. Then a comprehensive analysis on the structural responses of the trimaran in different unidirectional regular wave and bi-directional cross sea conditions is carried out, respectively. Finally, the differences in structural response characteristics of trimaran in different wave fields are studied. The results show that the present method can reduce the computational burden of the two-way fluid-structure interaction simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most important stability concepts for network formation is pairwise stability. We develop a homotopy algorithm that is effective in computing pairwise stable networks for a generic network formation problem. To do so, we reformulate the concept of pairwise stability as a Nash equilibrium of a non-cooperative game played by the links in the network and adapt the linear tracing procedure for non-cooperative games to the network formation problem. As a by-product of our main result, we obtain that the number of pairwise stable networks is generically odd. We apply the algorithm to the connections model and obtain a number of novel insights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate the predictive performance of pretreatment dual-energy CT (DECT) for early response to induction chemotherapy and survival in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods: In this retrospective study, 56 NPC patients who underwent pretreatment DECT scans with posttreatment follow-up were enrolled. The DECT-derived normalised iodine concentration (nIC), effective atomic number (Zeff), 40–180 keV (20 keV interval), and Mix-0.3 value of the tumour lesions were measured to predict the early response to induction chemotherapy and survival in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The Mann‒Whitney U test, ROC analysis, Kaplan‒Meier method with log-rank test, and Cox proportional hazards model were performed to evaluate the predictive performance of DECT parameters, respectively. Results: Among all DECT-derived parameters, ROC analysis showed the predictive performances of nIC and Zeff values for early objective response to induction chemotherapy (AUCs of 0.803 and 0.826), locoregional failure-free survival (AUCs of 0.786 and 0.767), progression-free survival (AUCs of 0.856 and 0.731) and overall survival (AUCs of 0.765 and 0.799) in NPC patients, respectively (all p < 0.05). Moreover, multivariate analysis showed that a high nIC value was an independent predictor of poor survival in NPC. In addition, survival analysis indicated that NPC patients with higher nIC values in primary tumours tend to have lower 5-year locoregional failure-free survival, progression-free survival and overall survival rates than those with lower nIC values. Conclusions: DECT-derived nIC and Zeff values can predict early response to induction chemotherapy and survival in NPC; in particular, a high nIC value is an independent predictive factor of poor survival in NPC. Clinical relevance statement: Preoperative dual-energy computed tomography may provide predictive value for early response and survival outcomes in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and facilitate their clinical management. Key Points: • Pretreatment dual-energy computed tomography helps to predict early response to therapy and survival in NPC. • NIC and Zeff values derived from dual-energy computed tomography can predict early objective response to induction chemotherapy and survival in NPC. • A high nIC value is an independent predictive factor of poor survival in NPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saposhnikovia divaricata (Turcz.) Schischk (S. divaricata, Fangfeng) is a herb in the Apiaceae family, and its root has been used since the Western Han Dynasty (202 B.C.). Chromones and coumarins are the pharmacologically active substances in S. divaricata. Modern phytochemical and pharmacological studies have demonstrated their antipyretic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-tumor, and anticoagulant activities. Technological and analytical strategy theory advancements have yielded novel results; however, most investigations have been limited to the main active substances—chromones and coumarins. Hence, we reviewed studies related to the chemical composition and pharmacological activity of S. divaricata, analyzed the developing trends and challenges, and proposed that research should focus on components' synergistic effects. We also suggested that, the structure-effect relationship should be prioritized in advanced research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore the alterations of whole brain functional network using the degree centrality (DC) analysis in neovascular glaucoma (NVG) and the correlation between DC values and NVG clinical indices. Materials and methods: Twenty NVG patients and twenty normal controls (NC), closely matched in age, sex, and education, were recruited for this study. All subjects underwent comprehensive ophthalmologic examinations and a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scan. The differences in DC values of brain network between NVG and NC groups were analyzed, and correlation analysis was performed to explore the relationships between DC values and clinical ophthalmological indices in NVG group. Results: Compared with NC group, significantly decreased DC values were found in the left superior occipital gyrus and left postcentral gyrus, while significantly increased DC values in the right anterior cingulate gyrus and left medial frontal gyrus in NVG group. (All P < 0.05, FDR corrected). In the NVG group, the DC value in left superior occipital gyrus showed significantly positive correlations with retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness (R = 0.484, P = 0.031) and mean deviation of visual field (MDVF) (R = 0.678, P = 0.001). Meanwhile, the DC value in the left medial frontal gyrus demonstrated significantly negative correlations with RNFL (R = − 0.544, P = 0.013) and MDVF (R = − 0.481, P = 0.032). Conclusions: NVG exhibited decreased network degree centrality in visual and sensorimotor brain regions and increased degree centrality in cognitive-emotional processing brain region. Additionally, the DC alterations might be complementary imaging biomarkers to assess disease severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Skull base invasion in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) was shown to be a poor negative prognostic factor, and dual-energy CT (DECT) has heralded a new approach to detect this condition. The study aims to evaluate the value of DECT for detection of skull base invasion in NPC and compare the diagnostic performance of DECT with those of simulated single-energy CT (SECT) and MRI. Methods: The imaging findings of 50 NPC patients and 31 participants in control group which underwent DECT examinations were assessed in this retrospective study. The skull base invasions were evaluated using 5-point scale by two blind observers. ROC analysis, Mcnemar test, paired t test, weighted K statistics and intraclass correlation coefficient were performed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of simulated SECT, MRI and DECT. Results: Quantitative analysis of DECT parameters showed higher normalized iodine concentration and effective atomic number values in sclerosis and lower values in erosion than those in normal bones (both p < 0.05). Compared with simulated SECT and MRI, the diagnostic sensitivity for DECT was significantly improved from 75% (simulated SECT) and 84.26% (MRI) to 90.74% (DECT) (both p < 0.001), specificity from 93.23% and 93.75% to 95.31 (both p < 0.001), accuracy from 86.67% and 90.33% to 93.67%, and AUC from 0.927 and 0.955 to 0.972 (both p < 0.05), respectively. Conclusions: DECT demonstrates better diagnostic performance than simulated SECT and MRI for detecting skull base invasions in NPC, even those slight bone invasions in early stage, with higher sensitivity, specificity and accuracy. Clinical relevance statement: DECT demonstrates better diagnostic performance than simulated SECT and MRI for detecting skull base invasions in NPC, which could provide detailed information for determining treatment regimens in NPC patients. Key points: DECT appears to be more accurate in the diagnosis of skull base invasion when compared with SECT and MRI. DECT derived normalized iodine concentration (nIC) and effective atomic number (Zeff) values provide detailed quantitative parameters for diagnosing bone invasions. Different energy-dependent absorption behaviors of DECT helps detecting slight bone invasions with high sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As for the contact mechanics between the catheter and trachea tissue during bronchoscopy, the anterior and curved part of the catheter were selected for analysis. The material parameters of each sample were obtained by uniaxial tensile experiments. And this paper verified the stress changes during the contact process using ABAQUS software from three aspects: different material property parameters, contact angle, and catheter bending angle. The results show that: when the characteristic parameter is 90°, the force on the trachea is minimal. And the force changes in a small range when the contact angle is kept at 45°–75°. When the catheter enters the next level of the trachea, the bending part is in contact with the trachea wall. At this time, keeping the bending angle at 15°–30° helps to reduce the contact force. This study could provide a theoretical basis for surgical instruments' interventional therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imbalances in NAD+ homeostasis have been linked to aging and various diseases. Nicotine, a metabolite of the NAD+ metabolic pathway, has been found to possess anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remained unknown. Here we find that, independent of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, low-dose nicotine can restore the age-related decline of NAMPT activity through SIRT1 binding and subsequent deacetylation of NAMPT, thus increasing NAD+ synthesis. 18F-FDG PET imaging revealed that nicotine is also capable of efficiently inhibiting glucose hypermetabolism in aging male mice. Additionally, nicotine ameliorated cellular energy metabolism disorders and deferred age-related deterioration and cognitive decline by stimulating neurogenesis, inhibiting neuroinflammation, and protecting organs from oxidative stress and telomere shortening. Collectively, these findings provide evidence for a mechanism by which low-dose nicotine can activate NAD+ salvage pathways and improve age-related symptoms. Nicotine, a metabolite of the NAD+ metabolic pathway, has been found to possess anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remained unknown. Here, the authors show that low-dose nicotine promotes SIRT1 deacetylation of NAMPT and enhanced NAMPT activity which boosts NAD generation and improves age related symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Newts can regenerate their limbs throughout their life-span. Focusing on muscle, certain species of newts such as Cynops pyrrhogaster dedifferentiate muscle fibers in the limb stump and mobilize them for muscle creation in the regenerating limb, as they grow beyond metamorphosis. However, which developmental process is essential for muscle dedifferentiation, metamorphosis or body growth, is unknown. To address this issue, we tracked muscle fibers during limb regeneration under conditions in which metamorphosis and body growth were experimentally shifted along the axis of development. Our results indicate that a combination of metamorphosis and body growth is necessary for muscle dedifferentiation. On the other hand, ex vivo tracking of larval muscle fibers revealed that newt muscle fibers have the ability to dedifferentiate independently of metamorphosis and body growth. These results suggest that newt muscle fibers have an intrinsic ability to dedifferentiate, but that metamorphosis and body growth are necessary for them to exhibit this hidden ability. Presumably, changes in the extracellular environment (niche) during developmental processes allow muscle fibers to contribute to limb regeneration through dedifferentiation. This study can stimulate research on niches as well as gene regulation for dedifferentiation, contributing to a further understanding of regeneration and future medical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "The computation of pairwise stable networks" published in the journal Mathematical Programming. The original article was published on March 14, 2022, without open access. However, the authors have now opted for Open Choice, and the copyright of the article changed on April 1, 2022. The article is now distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, allowing for use, sharing, adaptation, distribution, and reproduction as long as appropriate credit is given to the original authors and source. The original article has been corrected, and Springer Nature, the publisher, remains neutral regarding jurisdictional claims and institutional affiliations. [Extracted from the article]

Background: A20 is an anti-inflammatory molecule in nucleus pulposus (NP) cells. The anti-inflammatory properties of A20 are mainly attributed to its ability to suppress the NF-κB pathway. However, A20 can protect cells from death independently of NF-κB regulation. This study aimed to investigate the effects of A20 on pyroptosis and apoptosis of NP cells induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Methods: NP cells induced by LPS were used as an in vitro model of the inflammatory environment of the intervertebral disc. Pyroptosis, apoptosis, and mitophagy marker proteins were detected. Then, NP cells were transfected with A20 overexpressed lentivirus or A20-siRNA. Annexin V FITC/PI, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence assays were used to detect the apoptosis, pyroptosis, and mitophagy of NP cells. Furthermore, the expressions of A20, related proteins, and related inflammatory cytokines were detected by western blotting, and ELISA. Results: Apoptosis and pyroptosis of NP cells increased gradually treated with LPS for 12 h, 24 h, and 48 h. Differently, the level of mitophagy increased first and then decreased, and was the highest at LPS treatment for 12 h. Overexpression or knockdown of A20 in NP cells revealed that A20 attenuated the pyroptosis, apoptosis, and production of inflammatory cytokines of NP cells induced by LPS, while A20 sponsored mitophagy, reduced ROS production and collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm). Moreover, A20 also promoted mitochondrial dynamic homeostasis and attenuated LPS-induced excessive mitochondrial fission. Excitingly, inhibition of mitophagy attenuated the effect of A20 on the negative regulation of pyroptosis of NP cells induced by LPS. Pyroptosis was accompanied by a large release of inflammatory cytokines. Inhibition of pyroptosis also significantly reduced apoptosis of NP cells. Finally, The mitochondria-targeted active peptide SS-31 inhibited LPS-induced pyroptosis and ROS production in NP cells. Conclusions: To sum up, A20 attenuates pyroptosis and apoptosis of NP cells via promoting mitophagy and stabilizing mitochondrial dynamics. Besides, A20 reduces LPS-induced NP cell apoptosis by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis. It provides theoretical support for the reduction of functional NP cell loss in the intervertebral disc through the gene-targeted intervention of A20. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hippocampus interacts with the neocortical network for memory retrieval and consolidation. Here, we found the lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC) modulates learning-induced cortical long-range gamma synchrony (20–40 Hz) in a hippocampal-dependent manner. The long-range gamma synchrony, which was coupled to the theta (7–10 Hz) rhythm and enhanced upon learning and recall, was mediated by inter-cortical projections from layer 5 neurons of the LEC to layer 2 neurons of the sensory and association cortices. Artificially induced cortical gamma synchrony across cortical areas improved memory encoding in hippocampal lesioned mice for originally hippocampal-dependent tasks. Mechanistically, we found that activities of cortical c-Fos labeled neurons, which showed egocentric map properties, were modulated by LEC-mediated gamma synchrony during memory recall, implicating a role of cortical synchrony to generate an integrative memory representation from disperse features. Our findings reveal the hippocampal mediated organization of cortical memories and suggest brain-machine interface approaches to improve cognitive function. Hippocampal lesioned mice form new memories. Here, the authors show the lateral entorhinal cortex modulates learning-induced cortical long-range gamma synchrony in a hippocampal-dependent manner and artificially induced cortical gamma synchrony across cortical areas improved memory encoding in hippocampal lesioned mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To explore the value of dual-energy CT (DECT) for differentiating benign sinonasal lesions from malignant ones, and to compare this finding with simulated single-energy CT (SECT), conventional MRI (cMRI), and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). Methods: Patients with sinonasal lesions (38 benign and 34 malignant) who were confirmed by histopathology underwent DECT, cMRI, and DWI. DECT-derived parameters (iodine concentration (IC), effective atomic number (Eff-Z), 40–180 keV (20-keV interval), virtual non-enhancement (VNC), slope (k), and linear-mixed 0.3 (Mix-0.3)), DECT morphological features, cMRI characteristics, and ADC value of benign and malignant tumors were compared using t test or chi-square test. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was performed to evaluate the diagnostic performance, and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was compared using the Z test to select the optimal diagnostic approach. Results: Significantly higher DECT-derived single parameters (IC, Eff-Z, 40 keV, 60 keV, 80 keV, slope (k), Mix-0.3) were found in malignant lesions than those of benign sinonasal lesions (all p < 0.004, Bonferroni correction). Combined quantitative parameters (IC, Eff-Z, 40 keV, 60 keV, 80 keV, slope (k)) can improve the diagnostic efficiency for discriminating these two entities. Combination of DECT quantitative parameters and morphological features can further improve the overall diagnostic performance, with AUC, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 0.935, 96.67%, 90.00%, and 93.52%. Moreover, the AUC of DECT was higher than those of Mix-0.3 (simulated SECT), cMRI, DWI, and cMRI+DWI. Conclusions: Compared with simulated SECT, cMRI, and DWI, DECT appears to be a more accurate imaging technique for differentiating benign from malignant sinonasal lesions. Key Points: • DE can differentiate benign sinonasal lesions from malignant ones based on DECT-derived qualitative parameters. • DECT appears to be more accurate in the diagnosis of sinonasal lesions when compared with simulated SECT, cMRI, and DWI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the general equilibrium with incomplete asset markets (GEI) model, the excess demand functions are typically not continuous at the prices for which the assets have redundant returns. The reason is that, at these prices, the return matrix drops rank and households' budget sets collapse suddenly. This discontinuity results in a serious problem for the existence and computation of general equilibrium. In this paper, we show that this problem can be resolved with a new return matrix, which has constant rank. As a function of the price vector, the continuity of this new return matrix is ensured on a subset of the price space. This enables us to handle incomplete markets using a standard homotopy path-following argument by restricting the price vector to such a subset. The proposed approach naturally provides a constructive proof for the generic existence of general equilibrium. A homotopy method can then be applied to compute equilibria in the GEI model. Numerical experiments are presented to illustrate its efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a reply to a letter to the editor regarding an article titled "Dual-energy CT for the detection of skull base invasion in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: comparison of simulated single-energy CT and MRI." The authors address the comments made by the letter writer and provide further explanation and clarification on their study. They discuss the use of dual-energy CT as a functional imaging technique and the reliability of their results in distinguishing between sclerotic/osteolytic and normal bones. They also explain the criteria they used for the reference standard of skull base invasion and the definition of a score of 4 in their imaging evaluation section. The authors conclude by acknowledging the funding they received for their study and stating that they have no competing interests. [Extracted from the article]

The ε4 allele of the APOE gene is thought to increase risk from amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) to Alzheimer's disease. Cognitive decline in the condition is increasingly considered to worsen functional disconnections in brain network composed of gray matter and white matter. Nevertheless, Whether APOEε4 targets specific white matter functional connectivity in patients with aMCI remains mostly unexplored, mainly due to the challenges of detecting BOLD signals in white matter. Here, we applied a novel approach to investigate APOEε4-related specific bundles and cortical area alterations in aMCI subjects, in order to characterize white matter-gray matter functional connectivity differences throughout the brain. We analyzed 75 patients with aMCI and 76 demographically matched normal controls. The aMCI APOEε4 carriers showed decreased functional connectivity located at left corticospinal tract, bilateral posterior limb of internal capsule, and right temporopolaris, which was different from the regions of aMCI-related changes. We further found that recognition scores were positively associated with the right temporopolaris in aMCI APOEε4 carriers. Collectively, the data provide new evidence that APOEε4 genotype exerts a negative impact on neural activity in both gray and white matter in aMCI, which potentially contributes to functional disconnection and memory decline. A novel method provides full-scale measuring effect of disease conditions on functional architecture throughout the brain. Trial registration: https://www.ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT02225964). Registered January 2014. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanocellulose has become one of the most attractive matrix materials for flexible supercapacitors, owing to the high surface area, good mechanical properties and environmental friendliness. Herein, we developed electrode materials with high capacitance and mechanical flexibility through the in-situ synthesis of polypyrrole (PPy) in TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibril (TOCN)/sulfonated carbon nanotubes (SCNT) composite hydrogels. The TOCN/SCNT/PPy composite hydrogels were thus obtained via a bifunctional Fe3+ in-situ oxidation, showing high specific capacitance of 5299 mF/cm2 at a current density of 1 mA/cm2. Furthermore, the assembled symmetric TOCN-40SCNT-PPy solid-state supercapacitor exhibited outstanding capacitance of 375 mF/cm2 and electrochemical stability with 163.2 % capacitance retention at a current density of 1 mA/cm2 for 2500 cycles. These nanocellulose/carbon nanotube/polypyrrole hydrogels are thus promising in the fields of flexible solid-state supercapacitor with superior electrochemical performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the computation of equilibrium for an exchange economy with constant returns production technologies. We convert such an economy into a pure exchange economy by allocating the production to each consumer's endowment evenly. In this way, the market clearing condition of the original economy is reformulated as that of a pure exchange economy, together with an additional complementarity condition to ensure the feasibility of production plans. A homotopy method is proposed to solve these two problems simultaneously. With this approach, the economic equilibrium model with constant returns production can be handled in a similar way to the pure exchange economy. A path-following algorithm is then developed for computing equilibria in these economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Li2Mn0.98M0.02SiO4 (M = Mg, Ni, Cr) cathode material for lithium-ion batteries was synthesized by traditional solid-phase doping method used Li2CO3, MnCO3, (C2H5O)4Si, and MgC2O4·2H2O (or NiC2O4·2H2O or C2O3) as staring materials. The suitable calcination temperature (700 °C) was obtained by TG-DTA curve. The influence of different doping amount on the crystal structure, micromorphology, and electrochemical properties of Li2MnSiO4 was studied by XRD, SEM, and electrochemical performance measurement. The XRD patterns indicate that the Li2MnSiO4 crystallized in an orthorhombic structure with a space group of Pmn21. It can be seen from SEM images that Mg doping has no effect on the micromorphology, Cr doping can refine the powder, and the particle size is about 200–800 nm. The electrochemical performance measurement demonstrates that the Li2Mn0.98Cr0.02SiO4 shows the best electrochemical performance with an initial discharge capacity of 29.8 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C, and the discharge capacity retention rate after 70 cycles is 20.1%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the computation of perfect stationary point, which is a strict refinement of stationary point. A differentiable homotopy method is developed for finding perfect stationary points of continuous functions on convex polytopes. We constitute an artificial problem by introducing a continuously differentiable function of an extra variable. With the optimality conditions of this problem and a fixed point argument, a differentiable homotopy mapping is constructed. As the extra variable becomes close to zero, the homotopy path naturally provides a sequence of closely approximate stationary points on perturbed polytopes, and converges to a perfect stationary point on the original polytope. Numerical experiments are implemented to further illustrate the effectiveness of our method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outbreaks of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) caused by porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) infection have caused high mortality of piglets and significant economic losses to the Chinese swine industry. In the current study, 184 specimens from pigs with or without signs of diarrhea were collected from 39 farms across eight provinces, mainly around Hunan, People's Republic of China, in 2017 to 2018 in order to obtain epidemiological information on PEDV infections in these regions. The results indicated an average PEDV-positive rate of 38.04% (70/184) and more-pronounced disease severity in diarrheic pigs (48.76%; 59/121) than in non-diarrheic pigs (17.46%; 11/63). Phylogenetic and sequence analysis demonstrated that 14 representative PEDV strains from 14 swine farms belonged to the G2 group (G2-a and G2-b subgroups) and displayed a high degree of genetic variation. In particular, two out of the 14 PEDV strains were found to have unique indels in the S1 gene. The strain HN-SY-2017-Oct had a 9-nucleotide (T1152GAAGCCAAT1160T) insertion, and the strain ZJ-2018-May had a 3-nucleotide (AAA) deletion at position 1126 in the S1 gene. A three-dimensional structural prediction revealed that these unique insertions might lengthen the loop on the surface or increase the likelihood of the surface protein being phosphorylated at 388Y, thereby affecting the virulence or pathogenicity of PEDV. Collectively, the data show that PED remains a severe threat to the pig industry and that variant PEDV stains are circulating in China. The updated PEDV epidemiological data will facilitate the design of PEDV vaccines and the application of effective measures for PED prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nickel-based superalloy lattice sandwich structures present higher stiffness, higher strength and higher temperature resistance in comparison with other metals. In this study, the Kagome unit was adopted to design the lattice sandwich structure and ProCAST software was used to simulate the filling and solidification processes of the nickel-based superalloy. Grain morphology and sizes of the nickel-based superalloy lattice sandwich structures were simulated by using of cellular automaton coupled with finite element model (CAFE), and indirect additive manufacture combining with investment casting were carried out to fabricate the nickel-based superalloy lattice sandwich structures. The calculated grain morphology and sizes are in good agreement with the experimental results. The grains are mainly equiaxed with an average size of about 500 µm. The simulated results also show that the superheat of melting and the mold preheated temperature have significant influence on the grain size of the Kagome lattice sandwich structures, lower superheat of melting and mold preheated temperatures are encouraged to obtain the fine grains while assuring the integrity of the Kagome lattice sandwich structures for industrial application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reversible watermarking technologies have rapidly developed in recent years, but there are few research achievements in the area of reversible watermarking technology for color images. Thus, in this study, a reversible data hiding (RDH) algorithm for color images was constructed based on three-dimensional (3D) histogram shifting. The algorithm improves the peak signal-to-noise ratio and reduces distortion by using rhombus prediction to predict the pixel values of each of the RGB channels of a color image to establish 3D prediction-error groups, and by modifying the mappings of the prediction-error groups in the prediction-error histogram such that mappings with high distortion are rejected and new mappings can be constructed. The experimental results proved that, under the condition of the same embedding capacity, the proposed color image-purposed algorithm, which takes advantage of the correlations between RGB channels, can yield lower distortion than conventional RDH algorithms for color images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The period approximating 100 ka relates to Middle Paleolithic or Middle Stone Age technological behaviors that are generally characterized by prepared core technology, an expanding range of retouched tools, and the novel exploitation and sourcing of raw materials. As opposed to other regions of the world, the technological features of this period in China are deeply debated and remain unclear. Presently, it is suggested that Chinese lithic technology during this period is marked by the continuation of mode 1 artifacts that are characterized by simple cores, flakes, and tools that lack standardization. Here, we present a lithic assemblage associated with the discovery of two archaic human crania at the Lingjing site, securely dated to ~ 125–90 ka. A detailed analysis of stone artifacts shows increased technological advancement of the Lingjing humans during this period, including bi-conical discoidal core reduction strategies, discrete small-sized tool types, and refined retouch on blanks. Those features are also shared by the contemporaneous sites documented across the broader Eurasian and African continents. However, the rarity of prepared core technologies at Lingjing, such as Levallois or laminar flaking, likely indicates a unique technological trajectory compared to sites outside of China. It is due to this that we herein adopt the term Chinese Middle Paleolithic to more clearly refer to the variations we have identified at Lingjing. The Lingjing lithic assemblage, overall, could potentially represent a regional expression of the Middle Paleolithic technocomplex in China, although details about the processes behind its development are still unclear. The study contributes to a new understanding of the long-standing view of the simplified technological behaviors in China before ~ 40 ka and sheds light on the interpretations of the implied human behavioral transformations in the early Late Pleistocene of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a smooth path-following algorithm for computing market equilibrium in a pure exchange economy under a class of piecewise-smooth concave utilities, which can be expressed as u(x)=minℓ{fℓ(x)} with fℓ(x) being a smooth concave function for all ℓ. As a result of a smooth technique for minimax problems, a smooth homotopy mapping is derived from the introduction of logarithmic barrier terms and an extra variable. With this mapping, it is proved that there always exists a smooth path leading to a market equilibrium as the extra variable approaches zero. A predictor-corrector method is adapted for numerically following this path. Numerical results are given to further demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the amplitude and frequency of irregular waves change with time, great difficulties are brought for solving ship load responses in random waves. To take the effect of various frequencies of irregular waves into consideration in load responses of hull, the wave memory effect is necessary. A semi-analytical method is introduced for the time-domain retardation functions, and then a nonlinear hydroelastic method considering memory effect for ships in irregular waves is proposed. Segmented self-propelling model experiments of a container ship were carried out in a towing tank, a ship motion measuring device for self-propelling model test was designed. Whipping responses of the ship in regular and irregular waves are analyzed. Finally, the calculation results are compared with those measured by segmented model experiments, and the result indicates that the memory effect has little effect on load responses of ship in regular waves, but pronounced effect on results in irregular waves. Moreover, the presented method is reasonable for the prediction of ship load responses in irregular waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is the causative pathogen of porcine circovirus-associated diseases (PCVAD). This virus evolves mostly through point mutations and genome recombination between different PCV2 genotypes (e.g. PCV2a and PCV2b), as has been confirmed in swine herds. In the current work, the complete PCV2 genome sequences of 69 clones derived from various tissues (lymph node, spleen and lung,) of an infected individual, were subjected to phylogenetic and alignment analyses. The results not only demonstrate co-infection with distinct PCV2b subtypes (e.g. 1B and 1C) in the same animal, but also highlight another mechanism of evolution - diverse point mutations acquired during immune evasion by this virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) causes increased mortality and poor growth or weight loss in apparently healthy swine. Therefore, methods to detect PCV2-specific antibodies in swine serum are important for prevention, diagnosis, and control of PCV2-associated diseases (PCVAD). In this study, PCV2 virus-like particles (VLPs) were used to develop a rapid, simple and economical indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect (with high sensitivity) PCV2-specific antibodies in swine serum. The PCV2 capsid protein (Cap) was overexpressed in E. coli after optimizing the cap gene. Subsequently, the soluble Cap was rapidly purified in one step by automated fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC). The purified PCV2 Cap was shown by transmission electron microscopy and gel filtration chromatography to be capable of self-assembling into VLPs in vitro. Using the purified VLPs as antigens, optimal operating conditions for the VLP ELISA were determined. The concentration of PCV2 VLPs was 1 µg/ml per well, and the dilution factors for swine serum and horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-labeled goat anti-pig antibody were 1:150 and 1:4000, respectively. Out of 241 serum samples tested with this assay, 83.4 % were found to be positive. Importantly, the VLP ELISA had a total coincidence rate of 97.4 % (74/76) compared to an Ingezim PCV2 ELISA IgG assay. In summary, this rapid, inexpensive VLP ELISA has the potential to greatly facilitate large-scale investigations of PCV2-associated serotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the consumption of homeownership by migrant workers who are long-time residents in Beijing, but purchase real estate properties elsewhere. Most of these workers do not plan to move into their properties any time soon. So for them, homes are less the space they physically inhabit, but rather what anchors their hopes and aspirations and thus transform their class identities by generating feelings of security, fulfillment, and upward social mobility. This paper examines how social exclusion in the urban village and the lure of a booming real estate market cultivate a rural migrant desire for homeownership elsewhere. Many use homeownership as a remedy for their 'in-between status' and assume that owning an urban home will allow them to move from migrant laborer to urban consumer. However, this rural migrant 'in-between status' is not the result of a lack of affordable and decent places to live, but rather the outcome of being incorporated into a spatially divided production/consumption regime. As a result, not only does owning a home somewhere cannot put an end to their 'in-between status,' but also it intensifies their experience of being 'stuck' in an 'in-between' environment/status. The more they desire home ownership, the more likely they will invest in the marketplace as laborers or producers. Meanwhile, the more they become successful in that market, the less likely it is that they will leave their adopted cities and live in the urban properties of their own. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To analyze the correlations between the incidence of tuberculosis and meteorological factors over the same period and previous periods including 1, 2 and 3 years ago, defined according to the Chinese medicine theory of five circuits (Wu Yun) and six qi, to establish medical-meteorological forecast models for the Beijing area of China. Methods: Data regarding the incidence of tuberculosis between 1990 and 2004 were obtained from the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the data regarding the meteorological factors (including daily average temperatures, wind speeds, precipitations, relative humidities, vapor pressures and low cloud covers) between 1987 and 2004 were collected from the Beijing Meteorological Observatory and analyzed. Descriptive statistics and a back-propagation artificial neural network were adopted to analyze the data. Results: There were significant correlations between the incidence of tuberculosis and the meteorological factors in the corresponding year and previous years. Among these correlations, wind speed was the factor with the strongest inflfl uence on tuberculosis (the standardized significance was 100%). Additionally, all prediction models would successfully established, suggesting the use of a collection of meteorological factors spanning from three years ago to the present is superior to the use of single data. Conclusions: The incidence of tuberculosis in Beijing area is correlated to meteorological factors in the current year and previous years, which verifies the practicality of the theory of five circuits and six qi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The histone-like protein (HPhA) is highly homologous to the eukaryotic histones and has the ability to bind to the DNA molecules. In this study, we tested divalent metal ions Mg, Ca, Zn, Pb for their effect on the recombinant HPhA (rHPhA)-DNA binding. We found that only Pb was able to reduce the formation of rHPhA-DNA complex using gel mobility shift assays. Equilibrium dialysis showed that Pb bound to rHPhA by a 2:1 ratio. The interaction of Pb and rHPhA was further studied by spectroscopic method including fluorescence, ultraviolet visible (UV-Vis) absorption, and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopies. Fluorescent spectroscopy results suggested that Pb and rHPhA formed a complex that caused internal quenching of the fluorescence of the protein at the ground state, and the quenching is predominately static and mixed with dynamic quenching. UV-Vis absorption spectrum results showed Pb caused a slightly blue shift of the maximum absorption wavelength of rHPhA which indicated the reduction of the protein's hydrophobicity. The CD spectrum further indicated that a reduction of the α-helix content of rHPhA occurred upon binding to Pb. Synchronous fluorescence spectrometry analysis revealed that Pb was able to affect the polarity of the amino acids that near the Trp and Tyr residues. These results together showed that Pb interact with the recombinant rHPhA and this interaction negatively affect the ability of rHPhA to form complex with DNA molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microglia are phagocytic cells that infiltrate the brain during development and have a role in the elimination of synapses during brain maturation. Changes in microglial morphology and gene expression have been associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. However, it remains unknown whether these changes are a primary cause or a secondary consequence of neuronal deficits. Here we tested whether a primary deficit in microglia was sufficient to induce some autism-related behavioral and functional connectivity deficits. Mice lacking the chemokine receptor Cx3cr1 exhibit a transient reduction of microglia during the early postnatal period and a consequent deficit in synaptic pruning. We show that deficient synaptic pruning is associated with weak synaptic transmission, decreased functional brain connectivity, deficits in social interaction and increased repetitive-behavior phenotypes that have been previously associated with autism and other neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. These findings open the possibility that disruptions in microglia-mediated synaptic pruning could contribute to neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Northeast area of China is a cross region between East Asia and Siberia. Although five populations from this area have been studied in maternal lineage, little is known about the genetics of other populations. In this study, forty-seven Manchu individuals were analyzed using a mitochondrial DNA marker, and fourteen mitochondrial DNA haplogroups, the representative haplogroups of east Eurasian, were identified. All analyses showed that Manchu were close to the neighboring populations such as Mongolian, Korean and northern Han Chinese, and were far from the other populations who lived in the cradle of Manchu, suggesting that the Manchu integrated gradually with natives following its southward migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extended environment, particularly of the second shell about multinuclear copper centers in protein tertiary structures, can be described in terms of polarity, hydrophobicity, secondary structures, solvent accessibility, H-bonding networks, and the presence of statistically significant residue clusters (e.g., histidine-acidic, histidine-cysteine-methionine). Six protein structures with a multinuclear copper core are examined: ascorbate oxidase [oxidized (1aoz – Protein Data Bank (PDB) code) and reduced form (1aso)], ceruloplasmin (hCP – PDB number unassigned), hemocyanin (oxidized 1oxy and deoxygenated forms 1lla), and nitrite reductase (2afn). Analysis of these descriptors for these copper-containing proteins reveals both known and also previously undescribed and possible functionally important features. The novel features are firstly that the trinuclear copper complex in ascorbate oxidase and in ceruloplasmin are similar in that each structure is coordinated in the same 3D orientation by four histidine pairs in the same primary sequence arrangement. By contrast, the second shell of (1aoz) is predominantly polar augmented with three water molecules, whereas the second shell of (hCP) is predominantly hydrophobic. Both structures possess a histidine-acidic cluster overlapping the trinuclear copper environment and extending to a nearby (about 13 Å away) blue copper (type I) center. While the acidic residues in this cluster are not copper ligands, in (hCP) they putatively bind iron ions as part of the enzyme ferroxidase activity. Ceruloplasmin also contains two other separated type I copper ions, and there is a distinctive cysteine-histidine-methionine residue cluster connecting these two separated copper environments. We also identified in ceruloplasmin a significant mixed-charge cluster on the protein surface distant from the several copper ions which may play a role in protein-protein interaction. The second shell of the oxidized dicopper hemocyanin is more hydrophilic than that of the reduced form, the latter being totally buried. The exclusive histidine-acidic and the methionine-cysteine-histidine clusters in nitrite reductase traverse the environment of the Cu (type I) and the nearby (12.7 Å) functionally linked Cu (type II). Analysis of repeats in ceruloplasmin reveals a triple repeat consonant with the three copper type I occurrences but not consistent with the ligation patterns of the trinuclear copper complex, suggesting the possibility of alternative coordination ligand choices and/or alternative structural conformational outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myocardial ischemia in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is associated with poor outcomes. Vasodilator stress cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) can detect and quantitate inducible ischemia in HCM patients. We hypothesized that myocardial ischemia assessed by CMR is associated with myocardial fibrosis and reduced exercise capacity in HCM. In 105 consecutive HCM patients, we performed quantitative assessment of left ventricular volume and mass, wall thickness, segmental wall thickening percent, segmental late Gadolinium enhancement (LGE), and extracellular volume fraction (ECV). Time-signal intensity curves of first pass perfusion sequences were generated for each segment at stress and rest. A myocardial perfusion reserve index (MPRI) (stress/rest slope) was calculated. Patients who underwent an echocardiographic (n = 73) and cardiopulmonary exercise test (n = 37) within 30 days were included. The mean age was 53.2 ± 15.4 years; 60% were male, and 82 patients had asymmetric hypertrophy. Segments with end diastolic thickness ≥ 1.2 cm had a higher burden of LGE (4.1% vs 0.5% per segment), reduced MPRI (2.6 ± 1.5 vs 3.1 ± 1.8) and reduced thickening percent (48.9 ± 41.7% vs. 105.3 ± 59.5%), (P < 0.0001 for all comparisons). Patients with ischemia (any segment with MPRI < 2) were more likely to have dynamic left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction (63.3% vs 36.7%, P = 0.01), to be smokers (17% vs 6.9%, P = 0.04), and had a higher ECV (30% vs 28%, P = 0.04). The total LGE burden was similar between the two groups (P = 0.47). Increasing ischemia burden (number of segments with MPRI < 2) was associated with worsened ventilatory efficiency (VE/VCO2) (P < 0.001) but not peak oxygen consumption or anerobic threshold (P > 0.2). In a patient-level multivariable logistic regression model, only LVOT obstruction remained a significant predictor of ischemia burden (P = 0.03). Myocardial ischemia by CMR is associated with myocardial segmental dysfunction and interstitial fibrosis, as assessed by ECV, in HCM patients, even in segments free of LGE. Conversely, quantitative ischemia burden was not associated with replacement fibrosis as assessed by total LGE burden. Patients with ischemia had greater prevalence of dynamic LVOT obstruction; and in a subset of patients with cardiopulmonary exercise testing, ischemia burden was associated with worsened ventilatory efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Millions of individuals are vaccinated worldwide each year to stimulate their adaptive immune systems to produce protective antibodies and T-cell response against pathogens. Since glycosylation of the Fc region of immunoglobulin G (IgG) can be influenced by the host's immune status, it was inferred that glycosylation profile of IgG might be altered as a result of the immune response. Therefore, subclass-specific glycosylation profiles of serum IgGs from 26 healthy adults before and after vaccination with a trivalent subunit influenza virus vaccine were comprehensively analyzed to explore glycomic signatures for vaccination. The results showed that no significant changes in the glycosylation of total IgGs took place before and after vaccination, but distinct glycosylation profiles in responders (fourfold or more increase of HI titer after vaccination) and nonresponders (less than fourfold increase of HI titer) were observed. This difference between the responders and nonresponders occurred even in the resting state. On the basis of variable importance parameters, glycosylation markers that distinguish responders from nonresponders were identified. These markers can be used as molecular signatures to predict antibody titers after vaccination. This is the first study of serum IgG glycosylation profiles in healthy adults receiving a trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]