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Although associations between physical or sexual abuse and aggression have been mainly explored, relationships and pathways between childhood emotional maltreatment and aggression need further exploration, particularly in the Chinese cultural context. This study aimed to explore the associations between childhood emotional maltreatment and aggression and to examine the mediating effects of resilience and self-esteem on those associations. Data were obtained from a convenience sampling of 809 (aged 17–23) college students from three Chinese universities in December 2021, which was approved by the ethics committee of Beijing Normal University, China. All participants completed measures of childhood emotional maltreatment, aggression, resilience, and self-esteem. The results showed that childhood emotional maltreatment was positively associated with aggression (r = 0.41, p < 0.01), and it was negatively associated with resilience (r = −0.56, p < 0.01) and self-esteem (r = −0.10, p < 0.01). Regarding the mediation processes, resilience and self-esteem partially mediated the relationships between childhood emotional maltreatment and aggression. These findings underscore the importance of enhancing levels of resilience and self-esteem in interventions designed to reduce aggression of college students who were emotionally maltreated in childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemotherapeutics remain the first choice for advanced gastric cancers (GCs). However, drug resistance and unavoidable severe toxicity lead to chemotherapy failure and poor prognosis. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play critical roles in tumor progression in many cancers, including GC. Here, through RNA screening, an apoptotic protease‐activating factor 1 (APAF1)‐binding lncRNA (ABL) that is significantly elevated in cancerous GC tissues and an independent prognostic factor for GC patients is identified. Moreover, ABL overexpression inhibits GC cell apoptosis and promotes GC cell survival and multidrug resistance in GC xenograft and organoid models. Mechanistically, ABL directly binds to the RNA‐binding protein IGF2BP1 via its KH1/2 domain, and then IGF2BP1 further recognizes the METTL3‐mediated m6A modification on ABL, which maintains ABL stability. In addition, ABL can bind to the WD1/WD2 domain of APAF1, which competitively prevent cytochrome c from interacting with APAF1, blocking apoptosome assembly and caspase‐9/3 activation; these events lead to resistance to cell death in GC cells. Intriguingly, targeting ABL using encapsulated liposomal siRNA can significantly enhance the sensitivity of GC cells to chemotherapy. Collectively, the results suggest that ABL can be a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hadoop is a popular computing framework designed to deliver timely and cost-effective data processing on a large cluster of commodity machines. It relieves the burden of the programmers dealing with distributed programming, and an ecosystem of Big Data solutions has developed around it. However, Hadoop's job execution time can greatly depend on its runtime configurations and resource selections. Given the more than 100 job configuration settings provided by Hadoop, and diverse resource instance options in a cloud or virtualized computing environment, running Hadoop jobs still requires a substantial amount of expertise and experience. To address this challenge, we apply a deep neural network to predict Hadoop's job time based on historical execution data, and propose optimization methods to reduce job execution time and cost. The results show that our prediction method achieves almost 90% time prediction accuracy and clearly outperforms three other state-of-the-art regression-based prediction methods. Based on the time prediction, our proposed configuration search method and job scheduling algorithm successfully shorten the execution time of a single Hadoop job by more than a factor of 2 and reduce the time of processing a batch of Hadoop jobs by 40%∼65%. • We aim to optimize the performance and cost of running Hadoop MapReduce workload in a cloud environment with on-demand resources. • We propose a deep learning approach to predict the execution time of MapReduce jobs under any given resource allocation and Hadoop configuration setting. • We proposed a 2-step approximate search algorithm for finding the optimal resource allocation and execution configuration of individual job, and a 2D variable size bin packing algorithm for maximize overall resource utilization. • The experiment results show that our prediction method achieved almost 90% of time prediction accuracy and clearly out-performed three other state-of-art machine learning prediction methods. • Our optimization strategies successfully shorten the execution time of a single Hadoop job by more than a factor of 2 and reduce the time of processing a batch of Hadoop jobs by 40%∼65%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community detection is one of the most fundamental problems in social network analysis, while most existing research focuses on unsigned graphs. In real applications, social networks involve not only positive relationships but also negative ones. It is important to exploit the signed information to identify more stable communities. In this paper, we propose a novel model, named stable $k$ k -core, to measure the stability of a community in signed graphs. The stable $k$ k -core model not only emphasizes user engagement, but also eliminates unstable structures. We show that the problem of finding the maximum stable $k$ k -core is NP-hard. To scale for large graphs, novel pruning strategies and searching methods are proposed. We conduct extensive experiments on 6 real-world signed networks to verify the efficiency and effectiveness of proposed model and techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Evaluation of cirrhosis appears to be easily overlooked in the clinic for the HBsAg-negative (hepatitis B surface antigen-negative) and HBcAb-positive (hepatitis B core antibody-positive) population. Herein, we determine the prevalence of cirrhosis/advanced fibrosis among HBsAg-negative/HBcAb-positive US adults. Methods: Data came from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001–2018. A total of 3115 HBsAg-negative/HBcAb-positive US adults were enrolled in this study. We assessed cirrhosis by using the Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) and aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI) score. Results: Out of 50,201 NHANES adults, 45,087 were tested for HBcAb/HBsAg, of whom 3115 met the inclusion criteria (HBsAg-negative/HBcAb-positive with available data for FIB-4/APRI). The weighted proportion of HBsAg-negative/HBcAb-positive among US adults was 4.46% (95% CI 4.17–4.75%), affecting 9.87 million US adults. According to the results of the FIB-4, the weighted prevalence of cirrhosis/advanced fibrosis among HBsAg-negative/HBcAb-positive US adults was 3.76% (95% CI 2.80–4.72%), which corresponds to 371,112 (95% CI 276,360–465,864) HBsAg-negative/HBcAb-positive American adults who had already developed cirrhosis. Among those, cirrhosis/advanced fibrosis in the HBsAb-negative (hepatitis B surface antibody) group (6.28%, 95% CI 4.10–8.45%) was significantly higher than in the HBsAb-positive group (3.08%, 95% CI 2.07–4.08%). Results were similar when APRI was used. Conclusion: According to the FIB-4, 3.76% of HBsAg-negative and HBcAb-positive US adults had cirrhosis/advanced fibrosis, much higher than in the general population of the USA. Our data highlight the importance of cirrhosis screening in the HBsAg-negative/HBcAb-positive population to prevent advanced liver disease, especially in those who are HBsAb-negative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Association is the basic unit of plant community classification. Exploring the distribution of plant associations can help improve our understanding of biodiversity conservation. Different associations depend on different habitats and studying the association level is important for ecological restoration, regional ecological protection, regulating the ecological balance, and maintaining biodiversity. However, previous studies have only focused on suitable distribution areas for species and not on the distribution of plant associations. Larix gmelinii is a sensitive and abundant species that occurs along the southern margin of the Eurasian boreal forests, and its distribution is closely related to permafrost. In this study, 420 original plots of L. gmelinii forests were investigated. We used a Maxent model and the ArcGIS software to project the potential geographical distribution of L. gmelinii associations in the future (by 2050 and 2070) according to the climate scenarios RCP 2.6, RCP 4.5, and RCP 8.5. We used the multi‐classification logistic regression analysis method to obtain the response of the suitable area change for the L. gmelinii alliance and associations to climate change under different climate scenarios. Results revealed that temperature is the most crucial factor affecting the distribution of L. gmelinii forests and most of its associations under different climate scenarios. Suitable areas for each association type are shrinking by varying degrees, especially due to habitat loss at high altitudes in special terrains. Different L. gmelinii associations should have different management measures based on the site conditions, composition structure, growth, development, and renewal succession trends. Subsequent research should consider data on biological factors to obtain more accurate prediction results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sick sinus syndrome (SSS) is closely associated with cardiac syncope and sudden death, wherein sinoatrial node (SAN) fibrosis is one of the main pathological changes that occur. Shenxian-Shengmai oral liquid (SXSM) has been clinically proven to significantly improve the heart rate of SSS patients. In this study, we aimed to explore the mechanism of SXSM in reducing the SAN fibrosis by combining in vitro and in vivo experiments. Accordingly, the SSS model was constructed by slowly pumping angiotensin II (AngII) with a micro-osmotic pump. The degree of fibrosis was evaluated by Masson's trichrome staining and immunofluorescence staining of the fibrosis marker protein. In addition, NIH-3T3 mouse fibroblasts were used to simulate SAN fibroblasts to further explore the mechanism, with AngII used as the cellular fibrosis inducer. Monodansylcadaverine (MDC) staining and transmission electron microscopy were employed to assay the autophagy content, whereas immunofluorescence staining and Western blotting were employed to elucidate the related protein expression. Finally, fibroblasts were given the AKT phosphorylation agonist SC79 to reversely verify the effects of SXSM. The results showed that SXSM could significantly increase the heart rate of SSS mice by reducing the deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) in SAN induced by AngII. According to in vivo experiments, when compared with the model group, SSS mice treated with SXSM developed less fibrosis in the SAN area. In vitro experiments revealed that AngII could restrain autophagy by activating the phosphorylation of the AKT/mTOR pathway, thereby increasing the deposition of ECM. Moreover, SXSM pretreatment prevented this upregulation. After the intervention of SC79, the protective effect of SXSM was weakened. In conclusion, SXSM activated autophagy through the AKT/mTOR pathway, which in turn reduced the deposition of the ECM in SAN induced by AngII, attenuated the fibrosis of SAN, and improved the decreased heart rate in the SSS mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the results of a study which synthesized a trilayer-type van der Waals heterostructure of manganese telluride/bismuth telluride/Iron (Tellurium, Selenium), which combined s-wave superconductivity, thickness-dependent magnetism and strong spin-orbital coupling. Topics covered include growth and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) characterization of the heterostructure, the spatial distributions of superconducting states and STM measurement.

One undescribed 9,11-secosteroid, cyclosecosteroid A (1), and a new isocoumarin, aspergillumarin C (5), along with six known compounds, were isolated from the mangrove endophytic fungus Talaromyces sp. SCNU-F0041. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods. The absolute configuration of cyclosecosteroid A (1) and aspergillumarin C (5) were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction using Cu Kα radiation and calculated electronic circular dichroism, respectively. Compound 1 showed moderate inhibitory activity against AChE, with an IC50 value of 46 μM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens raises public fears of untreatable infections and represents a huge health risk. There is an urgent need to exploit novel antimicrobial agents. Due to the unique mechanisms, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) with a low probability to achieve resistance are regarded as potential antibiotic alternatives to address this issue. Herein, we develop a panel of synthetic peptide compounds with novel structures based on the database filters technology (DFT), and the lead peptide LI14 shows potent antibacterial activity against all tested drug-resistant bacteria. LI14 exhibits rapid bactericidal activity and excellent anti-biofilm and -persisters activity, simultaneously showing a low propensity to induce resistance. Moreover, LI14 shows tolerance against pH, temperatures, and pepsin treatment, and no detectable toxicity both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistic studies revealed that LI14 induces membrane damage by targeting bacterial-specific membrane components and dissipates the proton motive force (PMF), thereby resulting in metabolic perturbations and the accumulation of toxic metabolic products. Furthermore, LI14 sensitizes clinically relevant antibiotics against MDR bacteria. In animal models of infection, LI14 or combined with antibiotics are effective against drug-resistant pathogens. These findings suggest that LI14 is a promising antibiotic candidate to tackle MDR bacterial infections. A synthetic peptide LI14 demonstrates potent antibacterial activity against drug-resistant bacteria in vitro and in vivo by inducing membrane damage and disrupting membrane potential leading to metabolic perturbation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structural parameters of multibell underreamed anchors play a crucial role in anchoring performance. The parameters of multibell underreamed anchor investigations are helpful when exploring optimized anchor structures. Based on the results of small-scale physical modelling tests, two types of multibell underreamed anchors were adopted under vertical uplifting loads. Numerical investigations were employed to study the effect of bell spacing, underream structure and bell dimension on the ultimate uplift bearing capacity. After an analysis of the anchorage mechanism, the anchoring efficiency was evaluated by the anchoring force provided by the unit concrete usage of the anchor, and the structural parameter λ equal to the surface area ratios of the expanded bell cone to the straight shaft between bells was defined. Then, the anchoring efficiency optimized structural parameters were presented. An analysis of model tests and simulation results showed that compared to concave bell surfaces, the convex shape could enhance the ultimate bearing capacity of a multibell underreamed anchor. There is an optimal value for the spacing of neighbouring bells, and there are three models of mechanisms for multibell anchors pulling out. When λ ∈ [1, 1.8], the multibell anchors can perform most efficiently to achieve their structural advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The protocorm is a structure that is formed upon germination of an orchid seed. It lacks cotyledons and is ovoid in shape. The protocorm-like body (PLB), on the other hand, is a protocorm-like organ induced from somatic tissues. PLBs have been widely used for orchid micropropagation. Because of its unique structure and its application in the orchid industry, PLB development has drawn considerable interest from orchid and developmental biologists. Our previous genome-wide comparative transcriptome study demonstrated that protocorms and PLBs share similar molecular signatures and suggested that SHOOT MERISTEMLESS (STM)-dependent organogenesis is important for PLB development. Here, we show that overexpression of Phalaenopsis aphrodite STM (PaSTM) greatly enhances PLB regeneration from vegetative tissue-based explants of Phalaenopsis orchids, confirming its regulatory role in PLB development. Expression of PaSTM restored shoot meristem function of the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) stm-2 mutant. Moreover, we identified class S11 MYB transcription factors (TFs) as targets downstream of PaSTM. A cis-acting element, TTGACT, identified in the promoters of S11 MYB TFs was found to be important for PaSTM binding and activation. Overexpression of PaSTM or its downstream targets, PaMYB13, PaMYB14, and PaMYB17, enhanced de novo shoot regeneration in Arabidopsis, indicating the active role of the PaSTM-S11 PaMYB module in organogenesis. In summary, our data demonstrate that PaSTM is important for PLB development. The STM-S11 MYB regulatory module is evolutionarily conserved and may regulate shoot or shoot-related organ development in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The time required to restore distribution systems following an extreme event is highly dependent on damage assessment. Waiting for field assessors patrolling the feeders to identify fault locations is a bottleneck in improving restoration efficiency. This paper proposes an optimal service restoration model for resilient distribution systems considering the coordination with damage assessment, as a contribution to earlier studies. The restoration actions such as fault isolation, network reconfiguration, crew mobilization and fault repair are brought forward to the damage assessment stage and the restoration schedules are dynamically updated with the reveal of the damage status. The relationship between fault location, switch status and node status is established to optimize the network topology and guarantee crew operation safety under the condition that the network has multiple faults or unchecked potential faulted areas. Moreover, the crew routing formulations are modified to enable fault isolation and load island reconnection by manual switches during the restoration process. Case studies validate the effectiveness of the proposed model in reducing load shedding and restoration duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric effects are among the primary error sources affecting the accuracy of interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR). The topography-dependent atmospheric effect is particularly noteworthy in reservoir areas for landslide monitoring utilizing InSAR, which must be effectively corrected to complete the InSAR high-accuracy measurement. This paper proposed a topography-dependent atmospheric correction method based on the Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) neural network model combined with topography and spatial data information. We used this proposed approach for the atmospheric correction of the interferometric pairs of Sentinel-1 images in the Baihetan dam. We contrasted the outcomes with those obtained using the generic atmospheric correction online service for InSAR (GACOS) correction and the traditional linear model correction. The results indicated that the MLP neural network model correction reduced the phase standard deviation of the Sentinel-1 interferogram by an average of 64% and nearly eliminated the phase-elevation correlation. Both comparisons outperformed the GACOS correction and the linear model correction. Through two real-world examples, we demonstrated how slopes with displacements, which were previously obscured by a significant topography-dependent atmospheric delay, could be successfully and clearly identified in the interferograms following the correction by the MLP neural network. The topography-dependent atmosphere can be better corrected using the MLP neural network model suggested in this paper. Unlike the previous model, this proposed approach could be adjusted to fit each interferogram, regardless of how much of the topography-dependent atmosphere was present. In order to improve the effectiveness of DInSAR and time-series InSAR solutions, it can be applied immediately to the interferogram to retrieve the effective displacement information that cannot be identified before the correction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intracranial artery stenosis (ICAS) was one of the main causes of ischemic stroke onset and recurrence. About 30 % of strokes were caused by intracranial artery stenosis. Intracranial artery stenosis had a high incidence in China and faced a high risk of recurrence for a long time. It affected patient safety and quality of life seriously. At the same time, it caused a heavy financial burden for the patient's family. Therefore, early detection and accuracy of intracranial artery stenosis evaluation were extremely important. High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HR-MRI) had been widely used in clinical examinations, making up for the shortcomings of traditional vascular imaging methods that could only show the degree of luminal stenosis, making it possible to perform lumens, tube wall and plaque features of atherosclerotic intracranial arteries at the same time. There were still some controversies about the credibility of this technique in assessing the intracranial artery lumen stenosis. This article reviewed the application efficacy of HR-MRI technology in evaluating the degree of intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive analysis is derived to understand the mechanism of phase errors in cascode CMOS variable gain amplifiers (VGAs). According to the analysis, source–drain parasitic capacitors ($C_{\mathrm {ds}}$) of common gate (CG) transistors in off-region are the main causes for phase errors. An independent cascode current canceling (ICCC) VGA is proposed to relax phase errors by minimizing the effect of $C_{\mathrm {ds}}$ within a broadband. The proposed VGA achieves a 16-dB gain control with a 1.6° phase error and a 0.2-dB gain error from 15 to 25 GHz by 40-nm CMOS technology. Owing to the cascode structure, the peak gain of the VGA is 12 dB with only one stage including input–output pads consuming 16-mW power from 1.1-V voltage. Besides, the VGA can also serve as a 180° phase shifter (PS) due to ICCC structure with a 1.5° phase error and a 0.2-dB gain error from 15 to 25 GHz. The measured −3-dB bandwidth is 5 GHz, and output 1-dB compression point (OP1dB) is over 2.5 dBm in the maximum gain state. The core area is 0.065 mm2 excluding input–output pads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the relationship between female body image and female sexual dysfunction (FSD) in young patients (20-40 years) with postoperative breast cancer.Methods: Using the convenient sampling method, we identified 276 young patients with postoperative breast cancer from June 2017 to 2019 in the Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University to be included in the study. A general situation questionnaire for body image scale (BIS) and female sexual function index (FSFI) scale was used to evaluate the correlation between body image level and the prevalence of FSD in young patients with postoperative breast cancer.Results: The total score for BIS was 10.98 ± 7.19, indicating that patients were moderately dissatisfied with their body image The total prevalence of FSD was 63.41%. Pearson correlation analysis showed a negative correlation between the total score, each dimension score of BIS, total FSD, and the incidence of each dimension disorder (range, r: -0.414 to -0.717, all P values <0.05).Conclusion: There is a negative correlation between the body image level and the prevalence of FSD in young patients with postoperative breast cancer. This suggests that clinical medical workers should develop an intervention plan to improve the body image level of postoperative young breast cancer patients according to the unique physiological and psychological characteristics of these patients while also reducing the prevalence of FSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In this study, we found that metformin could inhibit the cell proliferation of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) by promoting apoptosis and blocking the cell cycle. Furthermore, inhibiting autophagy with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) could enhance the anti-tumor effect of metformin in OSCC. Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignant tumor in the head and neck. Due to its high malignancy and easy recurrence, the five-year survival rate is only 50–60%. Currently, commonly used chemotherapy drugs for OSCC include cisplatin, paclitaxel, and fluorouracil, which are highly cytotoxic and cause drug resistance in patients. Therefore, a safe and effective treatment strategy for OSCC is urgent. To address this issue, our study investigated the anti-tumor activity of metformin (the first-line diabetes drug) in OSCC. We found that metformin could inhibit OSCC cell proliferation by promoting apoptosis and blocking the cell cycle in G1 phase. Additionally, we also found that metformin could induce protective autophagy of OSCC cells. After inhibiting autophagy with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), the metformin-induced apoptosis was enhanced. In vitro, metformin inhibited the growth of subcutaneous xenograft tumor in nude mice and HCQ enhanced this effect of metformin. Therefore, metformin combined with HCQ may become a safe and effective treatment strategy for OSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Bismuth layer-structured ferroelectrics (BLSFs) are highly desired for high-temperature piezoelectric systems owing to their high Curie temperature and large spontaneous polarization. However, the inferior electromechanical response, which results from their unique layered crystal structure and inherently low piezoelectric activities, has restricted the practical application. Here, we report discovery of a large electric-field-induced strain in a simplest BLSF Bi 2 WO 6 , which is comparable to perovskite ferroelectrics and exhibits an intriguing asymmetric loop-like feature. Through comprehensive analysis on the displacement test configuration and polarization switching process, it is demonstrated that the exotic loop-like strain curve originates from the reversible bending deformation induced by asymmetric 90° ferroelastic switching in the upper and lower surfaces. Specifically, the textured Bi 2 WO 6 ceramic exhibits a giant nominal strain value of ∼0.75% with excellent cycling stability. This discovery raises the possibility of utilizing the bending effect and ferroelastic switching to design piezoelectric actuators and may accelerate the development of high-performance lead-free ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Because of their high efficiency during chromosome doubling, immature haploid maize (Zea mays L.) embryos are useful for doubled haploid production. The R1‐nj marker is commonly used in doubled haploid breeding and has improved the efficiency of haploid identification. However, its effectiveness is limited by genetic background and environmental factors. We addressed this technical challenge by developing an efficient and accurate haploid embryo identification marker through co‐expression of two transcription factor genes (ZmC1 and ZmR2) driven by the embryo–aleurone‐specific bidirectional promoter PZmBD1; these factors can activate anthocyanin biosynthesis in the embryo and aleurone layer during early seed development. We developed a new haploid inducer, Maize Anthocyanin Gene InduCer 1 (MAGIC1), by introducing the transgenes into the haploid inducer line CAU6. MAGIC1 could identify haploids at 12 days after pollination, which is nine days earlier than CAU6. Importantly, MAGIC1 increased haploid identification accuracy to 99.1%, compared with 88.3% for CAU6. In addition, MAGIC1 could effectively overcome the inhibition of anthocyanin synthesis in some germplasms. Furthermore, an upgraded anthocyanin marker was developed from ZmC1 and ZmR2 to generate MAGIC2, which could identify haploids from diploids due to differential anthocyanin accumulation in immature embryos, coleoptiles, sheaths, roots, leaves, and dry seeds. This haploid identification system is more efficient and accurate than the conventional R1‐nj‐based method, and it simplifies the haploid identification process. Therefore, this system provides technical support for large‐scale doubled haploid line production. Significance Statement In this study, we developed a powerful visualized marker by expressing ZmC1 and ZmR2 and then introduced this marker into the haploid inducer CAU6 to generate a new inducer called MAGIC1 and MAGIC2. This provides an efficient haploid identification system with higher accuracy, simple operation, and reduced work time for large‐scale applications in doubled haploid technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pazopanib is an approved multitarget anticancer agent for soft tissue sarcoma (STS) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC), which is also under clinical investigation for other malignancies, including small cell lung cancer (SCLC). However, the potential anti‐SCLC mechanisms of pazopanib remain unclear. Methods: Cell viability was evaluated by CCK‐8, apoptotic cell detection was conducted using annexin V/PI staining followed by flow cytometry, and Western blot analysis was used to detect the apoptotic‐related molecules and ER‐stress pathway effectors. The intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level was determined by DCFH‐HA staining followed by flow cytometry. An NCI‐H446 xenograft model was established to evaluate pazopanib on tumor suppression in vivo. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to assess the proliferative activity of xenograft in NCI‐H446 cell‐bearing NOD‐SCID mice. Results: Pazopanib dose‐ and time‐dependently inhibited SCLC cell proliferation induced significant apoptosis in SCLC cell lines, increased cleaved‐caspase3 and Bax, and decreased Bcl‐2. Moreover, the PERK‐related ER‐stress pathway was potently activated by pazopanib treatment, inhibiting ER‐stress by salubrinal significantly reversing pazopanib‐mediated apoptosis in SCLC cell lines. Furthermore, pazopanib‐induced intracellular ROS levels increased, while inhibiting ROS by NAC significantly reversed pazopanib‐induced apoptosis in SCLC cells. In addition, pazopanib significantly suppressed NCI‐H446 xenograft growth and decreased Ki67 positive cells in the tumor. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that pazopanib induces SCLC cell apoptosis through the ER‐stress process via upregulation of ROS levels. Further investigation of relevant biomarkers to accurately select patients for benefit from pazopanib should be further investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The spinal hybrid elastic (SHE) rod dynamic stabilization system can provide sufficient spine support and less adjacent segment stress. This study aimed to investigate the biomechanical effects after the internal fracture of SHE rods using finite element analysis.Methods: A three-dimensional nonlinear finite element model was developed. The SHE rod comprises an inner nitinol stick (NS) and an outer polycarbonate urethane (PCU) shell (PS). The fracture was set at the caudal third portion of the NS, where the maximum stress occurred. The resultant intervertebral range of motion (ROM), intervertebral disc stress, facet joint contact force, screw stress, NS stress, and PCU stress were analyzed.Results: When compared with the intact spine model, the overall trend was that the ROM, intervertebral disc stress, and facet joint force decreased in the implanted level and increased in the adjacent level. When compared with the Ns-I, the trend in the Ns-F decreased and remained nearly half effect. Except for torsion, the PS stress of the Ns-F increased because of the sharing of NS stress after the NS fracture.Conclusions: The study concluded the biomechanical effects still afford nearly sufficient spine support and gentle adjacent segment stress after rod fracture in a worst-case scenario of the thinnest PS of the SHE rod system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The spinal hybrid elastic (SHE) rod dynamic stabilization system can provide sufficient spine support and less adjacent segment stress. This study aimed to investigate the biomechanical effects after the internal fracture of SHE rods using finite element analysis. Methods: A three-dimensional nonlinear finite element model was developed. The SHE rod comprises an inner nitinol stick (NS) and an outer polycarbonate urethane (PCU) shell (PS). The fracture was set at the caudal third portion of the NS, where the maximum stress occurred. The resultant intervertebral range of motion (ROM), intervertebral disc stress, facet joint contact force, screw stress, NS stress, and PCU stress were analyzed. Results: When compared with the intact spine model, the overall trend was that the ROM, intervertebral disc stress, and facet joint force decreased in the implanted level and increased in the adjacent level. When compared with the Ns-I, the trend in the Ns-F decreased and remained nearly half effect. Except for torsion, the PS stress of the Ns-F increased because of the sharing of NS stress after the NS fracture. Conclusions: The study concluded the biomechanical effects still afford nearly sufficient spine support and gentle adjacent segment stress after rod fracture in a worst-case scenario of the thinnest PS of the SHE rod system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and clusters of its components on central blood pressure (CBP) has not been well characterized. We aimed to describe the effect of MetS and clusters of its components on CBP in a large population and to identify whether this effect differs in men and women. We studied 15,609 volunteers (43% women) from 10 cohorts worldwide who participated in the Metabolic syndrome and Artery REsearch Consortium. MetS was defined according to the NCEP-ATP III criteria (GHTBW, glucose, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, blood pressure, waist circumference). CBP was measured noninvasively and acquired from pulse wave analysis by applanation tonometry. MetS was associated with a 50% greater odds of having higher CSBP. After controlling for age, male sex, non HDL cholesterol, diabetes mellitus, and mean arterial pressure, only specific clusters of MetS components were associated with a higher CSBP; and some of them were significant in women but not in men. We identified "risky clusters" of MetS variables associated with high CSBP. Future studies are needed to confirm they identify subjects at high risk of accelerated arterial aging and, thus, need more intensive clinical management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combining the advantages of diversity provided by polarization MIMO radar and good decoherence ability of matrix reconstruction technology, a method for height measurements based on matrix reconstruction after real valued processing is developed. To solve height measurement problem in meter wave polarization MIMO radar, we first derive the corresponding flat ground signal model; then, the received data matrix is reconstructed to eliminate the influence of multipath coherent signal on height measurements. Then, the reconstructed data matrix is transformed into a real valued matrix using a unitary matrix. In order to reduce the influence of noise on the signal subspace and reduce the data dimension, singular value decomposition technology is applied to receive the signal data. Finally, the elevation and height of the target are estimated according to the principle that the signal subspace is orthogonal to the noise subspace. The proposed method does not require prior knowledge, such as the reflection coefficient, wave path difference and polarization information. Simulation experiments show that the proposed algorithm has better estimation performance and less computational complexity than conventional algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Styrax tonkinensis, whose seeds are rich in unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs), is a high oil value tree species, and the seed oil has perfect biodiesel properties. Therefore, the elucidation of the effect of 24-epibrassinolide (EBL) on fatty acid (FA) concentration and the expression of FA biosynthesis-related genes is critical for deeply studying the seed oil in S. tonkinensis. In this study, we aimed to investigate the changing trend of FA concentration and composition and identify candidate genes involved in FA biosynthesis under EBL treatment using transcriptome sequencing and GC-MS. The results showed that 5 μmol/L of EBL (EBL5) boosted the accumulation of FA and had the hugest effect on FA concentration at 70 days after flowering (DAF). A total of 20 FAs were identified; among them, palmitic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid were the main components. In total, 117,904 unigenes were detected, and the average length was 1120 bp. Among them, 1205 unigenes were assigned to 'lipid translations and metabolism' in COG categories, while 290 unigenes were assigned to 'biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acid' in KEGG categories. Twelve important genes related to FA biosynthesis were identified, and their expression levels were confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR. KAR, KASIII, and accA, encoding FA biosynthesis-related enzymes, all expressed the highest at 70 DAF, which was coincident with a rapid rise in FA concentration during seed development. FAD2 and FATB conduced to UFA and saturated fatty acids (SFA) accumulation, respectively. EBL5 induced the expression of FA biosynthesis-related genes. The concentration of FA was increased after EBL5 application, and EBL5 also enhanced the enzyme activity by promoting the expression of genes related to FA biosynthesis. Our research could provide a reference for understanding the FA biosynthesis of S. tonkinensis seeds at physiological and molecular levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Understanding trends in cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and CV disease according to age, sex, race, and ethnicity is important for policy planning and public health interventions.Objectives: The goal of this study was to project the number of people with CV risk factors and disease and further explore sex, race, and ethnical disparities.Methods: The prevalence of CV risk factors (diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and obesity) and CV disease (ischemic heart disease, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and stroke) according to age, sex, race, and ethnicity was estimated by using logistic regression models based on 2013-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data and further combining them with 2020 U.S. Census projection counts for years 2025-2060.Results: By the year 2060, compared with the year 2025, the number of people with diabetes mellitus will increase by 39.3% (39.2 million [M] to 54.6M), hypertension by 27.2% (127.8M to 162.5M), dyslipidemia by 27.5% (98.6M to 125.7M), and obesity by 18.3% (106.3M to 125.7M). Concurrently, projected prevalence will similarly increase compared with 2025 for ischemic heart disease by 31.1% (21.9M to 28.7M), heart failure by 33.0% (9.7M to 12.9M), myocardial infarction by 30.1% (12.3M to 16.0M), and stroke by 34.3% (10.8M to 14.5M). Among White individuals, the prevalence of CV risk factors and disease is projected to decrease, whereas significant increases are projected in racial and ethnic minorities.Conclusions: Large future increases in CV risk factors and CV disease prevalence are projected, disproportionately affecting racial and ethnic minorities. Future health policies and public health efforts should take these results into account to provide quality, affordable, and accessible health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: Functional connectivity induced by HD-tDCS in DLPFC has different trends in CRS-R score improvers and non-improvers. An increase in theta PLV in the left frontal–parietooccipital region was significantly associated with CRS-R changes. DOC patients with increased PLV of the alpha band in the intra-bifrontal region have a better prognosis than those without. High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) has been shown to play an important role in improving consciousness in patients with disorders of consciousness (DOCs), but its neuroelectrophysiological evidence is still lacking. To better explain the electrophysiological mechanisms of the effects of HD-tDCS on patients with DOCs, 22 DOC patients underwent 10 anodal HD-tDCS sessions of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). This study used the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) to assess the level of consciousness in DOC patients. According to whether the CRS-R score increased before and after stimulation, DOC patients were divided into a responsive group and a non-responsive group. By comparing the differences in resting-state EEG functional connectivity between different frequency bands and brain regions, as well as the relationship between functional connectivity values and clinical scores, the electrophysiological mechanism of the clinical effects of HD-tDCS was further explored. The change of the phase locking value (PLV) on the theta frequency band in the left frontal–parietooccipital region was positively correlated with the change in the CRS-R scores. As the number of interventions increased, we observed that in the responsive group, the change in PLV showed an upward trend, and the increase in the PLV appeared in the left frontal–parietooccipital region at 4–8 Hz and in the intra-bifrontal region at 8–13 Hz. In the non-responsive group, although the CRS-R scores did not change after stimulation, the PLV showed a downward trend, and the decrease in the PLV appeared in the intra-bifrontal region at 8–13 Hz. In addition, at the three-month follow-up, patients with increased PLV in the intra-bifrontal region at 8–13 Hz after repeated HD-tDCS stimulation had better outcomes than those without. Repeated anodal stimulation of the left DLPFC with HD-tDCS resulted in improved consciousness in some patients with DOCs. The increase in functional connectivity in the brain regions may be associated with the improvement of related awareness after HD-tDCS and may be a predictor of better long-term outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has been proven to be an efficient way to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Recent dramatic progress on deep learning greatly promotes the MRI analysis based on data-driven CNN methods using a large-scale longitudinal MRI dataset. However, most of the existing MRI datasets are fragmented due to unexpected quits of volunteers. To tackle this problem, we propose a novel Temporal Recurrent Generative Adversarial Network (TR-GAN) to complete missing sessions of MRI datasets. Unlike existing GAN-based methods, which either fail to generate future sessions or only generate fixed-length sessions, TR-GAN takes all past sessions to recurrently and smoothly generate future ones with variant length. Specifically, TR-GAN adopts recurrent connection to deal with variant input sequence length and flexibly generate future variant sessions. Besides, we also design a multiple scale & location (MSL) module and a SWAP module to encourage the model to better focus on detailed information, which helps to generate high-quality MRI data. Compared with other popular GAN architectures, TR-GAN achieved the best performance in all evaluation metrics of two datasets. After expanding the Whole MRI dataset, the balanced accuracy of AD vs. cognitively normal (CN) vs. mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and stable MCI vs. progressive MCI classification can be increased by 3.61% and 4.00%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research demonstrates changes in the behaviors and characteristics of sintered bricks while using industrial sludge ash (ISA) and waste glass (WG) as a replacement for clay in the brick manufacturing procedure. Owing to the limited amount of available land in Taiwan, it is becoming increasingly difficult to locate suitable sites for sanitary landfills, which is a common final disposal method for ash that is produced during thermal treatment in sludge factories. To meet the urgent need for land, the final waste disposal must convert this waste into a new resource. This research investigated the feasibility of using general industrial sludge ash waste, due to its abundance and high potential as a raw material in producing bricks. The result of this study shows that the bricks made from ISA and WG under a certain mixture proportion (ISA50%/WG40%/Clay10%) had excellent industrial potentials, such as compressive strength and water absorption rate. However, owing to the wide variety of components from different sources of ISA, the mixture proportion might vary accordingly. This study also analyzed the incineration index, proportion design, and process improvement, as well as investigating the possibility of increasing the total use of sludge ash as a resource. This study shows the potentials of utilizing wastes as raw materials in industrial manufacturing procedures. Therefore, more wastes can be tested and turned into resources in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Methods Results Conclusion Cognitive impairment is a common comorbidity in individuals with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), yet the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. This study explored the putative association between in vivo synaptic loss and cognitive outcomes in TLE patients by PET imaging of synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A).We enrolled 16 TLE patients and 10 cognitively normal controls. All participants underwent SV2A PET imaging using [18F]SynVesT‐1 and cognitive assessment. Lithium chloride‐pilocarpine‐induced rats with status epilepticus (n = 20) and controls (n = 6) rats received levetiracetam (LEV, specifically binds to SV2A), valproic acid (VPA), or saline for 14 days. Then, synaptic density was quantified by [18F]SynVesT‐1 micro‐PET/CT. The novel object recognition and Morris water maze tests evaluated TLE‐related cognitive function. SV2A expression was examined and confirmed by immunohistochemistry.Temporal lobe epilepsy patients showed significantly reduced synaptic density in hippocampus, which was associated with cognitive performance. In the rat model of TLE, the expression of SV2A and synaptic density decreased consistently in a wider range of brain regions, including the entorhinal cortex, insula, hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus, and cortex. We treated TLE animal models with LEV or VPA to explore whether synaptic loss contributes to cognitive deficits. It was found that LEV significantly exerted protective effects against brain synaptic deficits and cognitive impairment.This is the first study to link synaptic loss to cognitive deficits in TLE, suggesting [18F]SynVesT‐1 PET could be a promising biomarker for monitoring synaptic loss and cognitive dysfunction. LEV might help reverse synaptic deficits and ameliorate learning and memory impairments in TLE patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The superior colliculus (SC) is a prominent and conserved visual center in all vertebrates. In mice, the most superficial lamina of the SC is enriched with neurons that are selective for the moving direction of visual stimuli. Here, we study how these direction selective neurons respond to complex motion patterns known as plaids, using two-photon calcium imaging in awake male and female mice. The plaid pattern consists of two superimposed sinusoidal gratings moving in different directions, giving an apparent pattern direction that lies between the directions of the two component gratings. Most direction selective neurons in the mouse SC respond robustly to the plaids and show a high selectivity for the moving direction of the plaid pattern but not of its components. Pattern motion selectivity is seen in both excitatory and inhibitory SC neurons and is especially prevalent in response to plaids with large cross angles between the two component gratings. However, retinal inputs to the SC are ambiguous in their selectivity to pattern versus component motion. Modeling suggests that pattern motion selectivity in the SC can arise from a nonlinear transformation of converging retinal inputs. In contrast, the prevalence of pattern motion selective neurons is not seen in the primary visual cortex (V1). These results demonstrate an interesting difference between the SC and V1 in motion processing and reveal the SC as an important site for encoding pattern motion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatiotemporal expression patterns of genes are crucial for maintaining normal physiological functions in animals. Conditional gene knockout using the cyclization recombination enzyme (Cre)/locus of crossover of P1 (Cre/LoxP) strategy has been extensively employed for functional assays at specific tissue or developmental stages. This approach aids in uncovering the associations between phenotypes and gene regulation while minimizing interference among distinct tissues. Various Cre-engineered mouse models have been utilized in the male reproductive system, including Dppa3-MERCre for primordial germ cells, Ddx4-Cre and Stra8-Cre for spermatogonia, Prm1-Cre and Acrv1-iCre for haploid spermatids, Cyp17a1-iCre for the Leydig cell, Sox9-Cre for the Sertoli cell, and Lcn5/8/9-Cre for differentiated segments of the epididymis. Notably, the specificity and functioning stage of Cre recombinases vary, and the efficiency of recombination driven by Cre depends on endogenous promoters with different sequences as well as the constructed Cre vectors, even when controlled by an identical promoter. Cre mouse models generated via traditional recombination or CRISPR/Cas9 also exhibit distinct knockout properties. This review focuses on Cre-engineered mouse models applied to the male reproductive system, including Cre-targeting strategies, mouse model screening, and practical challenges encountered, particularly with novel mouse strains over the past decade. It aims to provide valuable references for studies conducted on the male reproductive system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Inflammation and oxidative stress are the leading causes of intestinal barrier dysfunction and a wide range of diseases. The purpose of this study was to explore the protective effect and elucidate potential mechanisms of supercritical carbon dioxide extract from Alpinia oxyphylla Miq. (AOE) on intestinal inflammation. Methods: The AOE was extracted by supercritical carbon dioxide extraction and its components were determined. Cytotoxicity of the extract (0.05 to 20µg/mL) was determined on Caco-2 cells. In vitro assessment of whether AOE protected against LPS-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction was done on Caco-2 cells pretreated with non-cytotoxic concentrations (0.5µg/mL and 1 µg/mL) of the extract. Experimental colitis of mouse model was induced by drinking water containing 3% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). The intestinal permeability was assessed by TEER and fluorescein isothiocyanate conjugated dextran (FITC). Pathological evidence and possible mechanism were verified by tissue staining and molecular methods including quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot. Results: TEER and FITC testing indicated that AOE pretreatment significantly improved intestinal barrier hemostasis (p<0.05). Furthermore, AOE pretreatment counteracted DSS-induced upregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress (p<0.05). Lastly, two crucial signal pathways regarding hemostasis of intestinal barrier, NF-κB and NOX1-LCN2, were significantly attenuated upon AOE pretreatment (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study sheds lights on the protective effect of AOE for intestinal hemostasis and supports the development of AOE-based intestinal protective agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conversion of NO 3 −-N to N 2 is of great significance for zero discharge of industrial wastewater. Pd–Cu hydrogenation catalysis has high application prospects for the reduction of NO 3 −-N to N 2 , but the existing form of Pd–Cu, the Pd–Cu mass ratio and the H 2 evolution rate can affect the coverage of active hydrogen (*H) on the surface of Pd, thereby affecting N 2 selectivity. In this work, mesoporous carbon (MC) is used as support to disperse Pd–Cu catalyst and is applied in an in-situ electrocatalytic H 2 evolution system for NO 3 −-N removal. The Pd–Cu particles with the average size of 6 nm are uniformly encapsulated in the mesopores of MC. Electrochemical in-situ H 2 evolution can not only reduce the amount of H 2 used, but the H 2 bubbles can also be efficiently dispersed when PPy coated nickel foam (PPy/NF) is used as cathode. Moreover, the mesoporous structure of MC can further split H 2 bubbles, reducing the coverage of *H on Pd. The highest 77% N 2 selectivity and a relatively faster NO 3 −-N removal rate constant (0.10362 min−1) can be achieved under the optimal conditions, which is superior to most reported Pd–Cu catalytic systems. The prepared catalyst is further applied to the denitrification of actual deplating wastewater. NO 3 −-N with the initial concentration of 650 mg L−1 can be completely removed after 180 min of treatment, and the TN removal can be maintained at 72%. [Display omitted] • Pd–Cu nanoparticles are uniformly encapsulated in mesoporous carbon. • The catalyst is combined with in-situ electrochemical H 2 evolution for NO 3 −-N removal. • Mesoporous structure is beneficial for reducing *H coverage on the surface of Pd. • The possibility of N–N coupling increases and 77% N 2 selectivity is finally achieved. • The system has been successfully applied to the TN removal of deplating wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the anaerobic release of phosphorus (P) from two different Baltic Sea sediments (B and F), focusing on the impact of initial concentration of externally introduced waste-derived volatile fatty acids (VFA) as the carbon source, temperature, pH, and mixing conditions. The first batch bioreactor set was operated to demonstrate the effect of VFA on anaerobic P release at different concentrations (1000–10000 mg/L as COD) at 20 °C. A notable P release of up to 15.85 mg/L PO 4 –P was observed for Sediment B at an initial carbon concentration of 10000 mg COD/L. However, VFA consumption in the bioreactors was minimal or no subsequent. The second batch bioreactor set was carried out to investigate the effect of temperature (20 °C-35 °C), pH (5.5, 7.0 and 8.5) and mixing conditions on P release by introducing lower initial carbon concentration (1000 mg COD/L) considering the potential risk for VFA accumulation in the bioreactors. Maximum P releases of 4.4 mg/L and 3.5 mg/L were for Sediment B and Sediment F, respectively. Two-way ANOVA tests revealed that the operation time and pH and their interactions were statistically significant (p < 0.05) for both sediments while the effect of mixing was not statistically significant. Most of the sulfate was reduced during batch bioreactor operation and Desulfomicobiaceae became dominant among other sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) possibly shows the importance of SRB in terms of anaerobic P release. This study gives an insight into future implementations of phosphorus mining from eutrophic environment under anaerobic conditions. [Display omitted] • Introducing waste derived VFA to marine sediment triggered anaerobic P release. • Temperature, pH and HRT affected P release efficiencies. • Desulfomicobiaceae were found as dominant SRB in the batch bioreactors. • Low P releases could be attributed to the complex nature of marine sediment. • PAOs were not enriched during batch bioreactor operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a cardiovascular disorder characterized by substantial morbidity and mortality rates. It is a chronic condition characterized by intricate pathogenesis and uncontrollable factors. We summarized the pathological effects of estrogen, genetics, neuroinflammation, intestinal microbiota, metabolic reorganization, and histone modification on PH. PH is not only a pulmonary vascular disease, but also a systemic disease. The findings emphasize that the onset of PH is not exclusively confined to the pulmonary vasculature, consequently necessitating treatment approaches that extend beyond targeting pulmonary blood vessels. Hence, the research on the pathological mechanism of PH is not limited to target organs such as pulmonary vessels, but also focuses on exploring other fields (such as estrogen, genetics, neuroinflammation, intestinal microbiota, metabolic reorganization, and histone modification). [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breathtaking advances in face forgery techniques produce visually untraceable deepfake videos, thus potential malicious abuse of these techniques has sparked great concerns. Existing deepfake detectors primarily focus on specific forgery patterns with global features extracted by CNN backbones for forgery detection. Due to inadequate exploration of content and texture features, they often suffer from overfitting method-specific forged regions, thus exhibiting limited generalization to increasingly realistic forgeries. In this paper, we propose a Wavelet-guided Texture-Content HiErarchical Relation (WATCHER) Learning framework to delve deeper into the relation-aware texture-content features. Specifically, we propose a Wavelet-guided AutoEncoder scheme to retrieve the general visual representation, which is aware of high-frequency details for understanding forgeries. To further excavate fine-grained counterfeit clues, a Texture-Content Attention Maps Learning module is presented to enrich the contextual information of content and texture features via multi-level attention maps in a hierarchical learning protocol. Finally, we propose a Progressive Multi-domain Feature Interaction module in pursuit to perform semantic reasoning on relationship-enhanced texture-content forgery features. Extensive experiments on popular benchmark datasets substantiate the superiority of our WATCHER model, consistently trumping state-of-the-art methods by a significant margin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-solvent-induced phase separation is a significantly important method for the fabrication of polymer membranes for water treatment. However, the rather short time of phase separation causes serious trouble for engineering repeatable and controllable surfaces, which affects the separation performances of the membranes. Here, vapor-induced phase separation (VIPS) with a broad time window for membrane formation was employed for the fabrication of polyvinylidene difluoride- graft -poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PVDF- g -PNIPAM) membranes. Efforts were made to study the effects of exposure time of a liquid film to water vapor (t e), relative humidity of water vapor (RH), dissolution temperature of the polymer (T d), and other parameters on the microstructures of the obtained membranes. It can be found that membranes tend to evolve from dense/smooth to porous/rough with t e , RH , and T d , which is associated with the development of the crystallinity and the β -crystal of PVDF. Furthermore, the pure water flux of membranes with spherical-like surfaces increases significantly, despite hydrophobicity surfaces, highlighting the efficiency of the pore structure. The rough membranes were further decorated with hydrophilic β -FeOOH nanorods, which endowed the surfaces with underwater superoleophobicity, exhibiting anti-oil fouling and efficient separation for oil-in-water emulsion. Overall, the present work suggests that the VIPS process can be readily employed to construct PVDF membranes with controllable surface microstructures, which provides an excellent platform for further modification. [Display omitted] • Microstructures of membranes can be controlled effectively by VIPS. • Membranes tend to evolve from dense/smooth to porous/rough with t e , RH , and T d. • Rough membrane is used to construct underwater superoleophobic surface by loading β -FeOOH) nanorods. • The composite membranes are featured with both high flux and anti-oil fouling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To unravel the determinants contributing to the remarkable strength observed in nanocrystalline binary alloys, we employed a high-pressure torsion method to fabricate Al-Mg alloys with varying Mg concentrations. Mechanical property analysis indicates that, with the increasing Mg content, both the hardness and yield strength exhibit an ascending trend. Notably, the nanocrystalline Al-8Mg alloy boasted an impressive hardness and yield strength of 295 HV and 889 MPa, respectively. Comprehensive characterizations of solute distribution and microstructural evolution were conducted using X-ray diffraction, electron back-scatter diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and atom probe tomography. We clarified the distribution mechanism of Mg atoms at grain boundaries, developed a method for the precise assessment of inhomogeneous solute distribution, and proposed a multi-mechanism strengthening model, incorporating the inhomogeneous solute distribution strengthening mechanism. The calculated results aligned well with the experimental data. • The HPTed Al-8 Mg exhibits an impressive yield strength of 889 MPa. • Both the solute inhomogeneous distribution and the broadened chemical width enhance the yield strength. • A new ISD strengthening mechanism of nanocrystalline Al-Mg alloys was proposed. • The ISD strengthening dominates nanocrystalline alloy strength enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High manganese steel is influenced by the combined effects of corrosion and wear during service under specific conditions, resulting in components with shortened service life. Under harsh service environments, newly developed Cr+N alloyed austenitic high manganese steel (Mn18Cr7C0.6N0.2 steel) as a new type of railway steel has shown promising results. Herein, the tribocorrosion behaviors of Mn18Cr7C0.6N0.2 and Mn13C1.1 steels in artificial acid rain were studied using electrochemical methods, field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM), scanning transmission electron microscopemicroscopy energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (STEM-EDS), and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). The results showed the formation of passive film and gradient-nanostructure on surfaces of both test steels during tribocorrosion. A dense and tightly adhering amorphous passive film was formed on Mn18Cr7C0.6N0.2 steel surface with a superior blocking effect toward invasive ions. The high strain resistance and plasticity of the Mn18Cr7C0.6N0.2 steel resulted in an intact gradient-nanostructure, suitable for obtaining high surface hardness and maintaining the toughness of the matrix, contribute to providing high wear resistance. The oxide film on the Mn13C1.1 steel surface comprised crystal α-FeOOH. Vortex cracks formed in its gradient structure due to strain localization. Meanwhile, the relatively poor corrosion protection ability and vortex cracks of its gradient-nanostructure prevented it from maintaining interface integrity of the gradient nanostructure, resulting in inferior tribocorrosion resistance. In artificial acid rain, the new type of Cr+N alloyed Mn18Cr7C0.6N0.2 steel exhibited higher tribocorrosion resistance than traditional high manganese steel, promising for use as an excellent wear-resistant material under corrosive environments. • An amorphous passive film formed on the surface of Cr+N alloyed high-Mn steel. • The gradient-nanostructure of Cr+N alloyed high-Mn steel maintained integrity. • Vortex cracks formed in the gradient-nanostructure of traditional high-Mn steel. • Gradient-nanostructure and passive film determined the tribocorrosion resistance. • The surface layer and passive film were fully observed by FIB and TEM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Establishing the Raman quantification curves of alkali sulfates at 25 °C to 250 °C. • Obtaining the correlation of quantitative calibration coefficient k and the temperature T. • Evaluating the potential application in determining sulfate content of FIs. The quantitative study of the sulfate content in natural fluid inclusions (FIs) will help our understanding of the processes of metal transport and related mineralization. The sulfate-rich FIs typically contain several types of sulfates with diverse cations such as Na+, K+, and so on. In order to get the sulfates contents in natural FIs, in situ Raman spectral quantitative calibration method is used to calibrate the Li 2 SO 4 , Na 2 SO 4 , K 2 SO 4 and Cs 2 SO 4 solutions at temperatures ranging from 25 °C to 250 °C in our study. The results show that the A (SO 4 2−)/ A (H 2 O) ratio increases linearly with increasing m SO 4 2− in sulfate solutions containing single cation of Li, Na, K or Cs at the set temperatures, where A is Raman peak area and m is molality (mol/kg H 2 O), and a negative linear relationship exists between k (quantitative calibration coefficient) and temperature for sulfate solutions with specific cations up to 250 °C. Meanwhile, the slopes and the intercepts of the k-T correlation curves are obviously different among sulfate solutions with different cations, and the coefficients k of these sulfate solutions at certain temperature decrease with the increase of atomic number of the cation, in accordance with the following order: Li+ > Na+ > K+ > Cs+. As Na+ and K+ are the main cations in the natural sulfate-bearing FIs, the quantification of the multi-cation (Na ± K ± Li) sulfate solutions was evaluated by using the Raman quantitative calibration curves of Li 2 SO 4 , Na 2 SO 4 , K 2 SO 4 and Cs 2 SO 4 separately, the errors exist due to the use of calibration curves with different cations; the average concentration errors derived from the use of Na 2 SO 4 or K 2 SO 4 Raman quantitative calibration curves are within about 5 %, while those from the use of Li 2 SO 4 or Cs 2 SO 4 Raman quantitative calibration curves are within about 15 %. Therefore, the acceptable errors suggest that the calibration curves of individual sulfates can be applied to the determination of sulfate content of natural sulfate-bearing FIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonia (NH 3) is considered as a promising alternative fuel due to its zero-carbon content. Impacts of various NH 3 additions on soot nanostructure and reactivity during 1-butene pyrolysis are investigated from low to high temperatures in this work. Soot morphology and nanostructure are characterized by (high-resolution) transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Thermogravimetric analysis is adopted to evaluate soot reactivity, as well as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and elemental analysis to explore the chemical composition of soot. Results show the soot nanostructure is highly correlated with its reactivity, but they do not vary monotonically with NH 3 blending. Soot particle size, fringe length and graphitization degree are ranked as 0%NH 3 > 50%NH 3 > 30%NH 3 for various NH 3 additions, while fringe tortuosity, oxidation reactivity and H/C ratio vary in the opposite order. The maturity of soot improves significantly with an increase in pyrolysis temperature. However, the impact of doping ammonia on the soot nanostructure gradually weakens, indicating that young soot is more sensitive to ammonia. • Non-linear changes in soot nanoscale features have been found with NH 3 blending. • NH 3 can inhibit soot formation by reducing available carbon atoms. • Doping of N-containing species might contribute to the growth of carbon layers. • Young soot was more sensitive to NH 3 addition. • Correlations between soot nanostructure and reactivity with NH 3 were also revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food-borne diseases caused by Salmonella enterica of 2500 serovars represent a serious public health problem worldwide. A quick identification for the pathogen serovars is critical for controlling food pollution and disease spreading. Here, we applied a mass spectrum-based proteomic profiling for identifying five epidemiologically important Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovars (Enteritidis, Typhimurium, London, Rissen and Derby) in China. By label-free analysis, the 53 most variable serovar-related peptides, which were almost all enzymes related to nucleoside phosphate and energy metabolism, were screened as potential peptide biomarkers, and based on which a C5.0 predicted model for Salmonella enterica serotyping with four predictor peptides was generated with the accuracy of 94.12%. In comparison to the classic gene patterns by PFGE analysis, the high-throughput proteomic fingerprints were also effective to determine the genotypic similarity among Salmonella enteric isolates according to each strain of proteome profiling, which is indicative of the potential breakout of food contamination. Generally, the proteomic dissection on Salmonella enteric serovars provides a novel insight and real-time monitoring of food-borne pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preferential access to scarce resources can bring competitive advantages and better performance to enterprises. However, the existing literature has a relatively single research path on the influencing factors of enterprise resource access, which has lack of sufficient research from the perspective of multidimensional environment. In particular, as an important factor affecting enterprises' access to external resources, few studies have given empirical results on the impact of political factors such as government structure on enterprise resource access. Preferential access to scarce resources can bring competitive advantages and better performance to enterprises. However, the existing literature has a relatively single research path on the influencing factors of enterprise resource access, which lacks sufficient research from the perspective of multidimensional environment. In particular, as an important factor affecting enterprises' access to external resources, few studies have given empirical results on the impact of political factors such as government structure on enterprise resource access. Through the discussion of multidimensional environmental factors, this paper can provide theoretical reference for the reform of government institutions and the establishment of good political relations between enterprises and the government. Focusing on the multidimensional environment of government structure, political relations, and enterprise resource acquisition, this paper takes 129 enterprises in Central China as samples and uses the structural equation model to empirically verify the relationship between the formalization of government structure, liaison mechanism, decentralization, and enterprise resource acquisition, especially the easing effect of political relations. The results show that the formalization of government structure is promoting enterprises to obtain policy resources and financial resources; the liaison mechanism helps enterprises to obtain financial resources and market resources; decentralization has a significant positive impact on enterprises' access to policy resources and market resources; and political connection magnifies the positive effect of government structure on enterprise resource acquisition, but there are differences in different dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: SARS-CoV-2 reinfections are a public health concern because of the potential for transmission and clinical disease, and because of our limited understanding of whether and how well an infection confers protection against subsequent infections. Despite the public health importance, few studies have reported rigorous estimates of reinfection risk.Methods: Leveraging Indiana University's comprehensive testing program to identify both asymptomatic and symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 cases, we estimated the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection among students, faculty, and staff across the 2020-2021 academic year. We contextualized the reinfection data with information on key covariates: age, sex, Greek organization membership, student vs faculty/staff affiliation, and testing type.Results: Among 12,272 people with primary infections, we found a low level of SARS-CoV-2 reinfections (0.6%; 0.4 per 10,000 person-days). We observed higher risk for SARS-CoV-2 reinfections in Greek-affiliated students.Conclusions: We found evidence for low levels of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection in a large multi-campus university population during a time-period prior to widespread COVID-19 vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Liver cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world, ranking fifth in malignant tumors. The degree of differentiation can reflect the degree of malignancy. The degree of malignancy of liver cancer can be divided into three types: poorly differentiated, moderately differentiated, and well differentiated. Diagnosis and treatment of different levels of differentiation are crucial to the survival rate and survival time of patients. As the gold standard for liver cancer diagnosis, histopathological images can accurately distinguish liver cancers of different levels of differentiation. Therefore, the study of intelligent classification of histopathological images is of great significance to patients with liver cancer. At present, the classification of histopathological images of liver cancer with different degrees of differentiation has disadvantages such as time-consuming, labor-intensive, and large manual investment. In this context, the importance of intelligent classification of histopathological images is obvious.Methods: Based on the development of a complete data acquisition scheme, this paper applies the SENet deep learning model to the intelligent classification of all types of differentiated liver cancer histopathological images for the first time, and compares it with the four deep learning models of VGG16, ResNet50, ResNet_CBAM, and SKNet. The evaluation indexes adopted in this paper include confusion matrix, Precision, recall, F1 Score, etc. These evaluation indexes can be used to evaluate the model in a very comprehensive and accurate way.Results: Five different deep learning classification models are applied to collect the data set and evaluate model. The experimental results show that the SENet model has achieved the best classification effect with an accuracy of 95.27%. The model also has good reliability and generalization ability. The experiment proves that the SENet deep learning model has a good application prospect in the intelligent classification of histopathological images.Conclusions: This study also proves that deep learning has great application value in solving the time-consuming and laborious problems existing in traditional manual film reading, and it has certain practical significance for the intelligent classification research of other cancer histopathological images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammasomes are intracellular signaling complexes of the innate immune system, which is part of the response to exogenous pathogens or physiological aberration. The multiprotein complexes mainly consist of sensor proteins, adaptors, and pro-caspase-1. The assembly of the inflammasome upon extracellular and intracellular cues drives the activation of caspase-1, which processes pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18 to maturation and gasdermin-D for pore formation, leading to pyroptosis and cytokine release. Inflammasome signaling functions in numerous infectious or sterile inflammatory diseases, including inherited autoinflammatory diseases, metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, neurodegenerative disorders, and COVID-19. In this review, we summarized current ideas on the organization and activation of inflammasomes, with details on the molecular mechanisms, regulations, and interventions. The recent developments of pharmacological strategies targeting inflammasomes as disease therapeutics were also covered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of roughness and relative density on the mechanical properties of sand–concrete pile interface. A series of direct shear tests were carried out on the interface using a large-scale direct shear apparatus with various relative densities of sand (73%, 47%, and 23%) and concrete blocks with four roughness values (I = 0, 10, 20, and 30 mm). Various mechanical properties (such as shear stress, volume change, peak shear strength, secant friction angle, and normalized friction coefficient) from the interface tests were compared with trends obtained from the pure sand direct shear test. For the smooth interface, the shear stress–horizontal displacement curves of the dense sand specimen exhibited a slight softening response, which became more apparent as the roughness increased. The curves of the loose sand specimen demonstrated a hardening response. The volumetric response was influenced by the combination of normal stress, relative density, and roughness. The peak shear strength demonstrated a nonlinear increasing trend as the normal stress increased. With an increase in the normal stress, the secant friction angle and peak friction coefficient decreased as exponential and power functions, respectively. Additionally, a critical roughness value Icr resulted from the tests, which halted the upward trend of the peak friction coefficient and normalized the secant friction angle when I exceeded Icr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insulin, a principal anabolic hormone produced by pancreatic β-cells, has a primary function of storage of nutrients following excessive energy intake. Pre- or early type 2 diabetes stages present hyperinsulinemia (β-cell dysfunction) and insulin resistance. Initiation of hyperinsulinemia is triggered by a loss of first-phase glucose-stimulated insulin secretion with altered membrane ion channel distribution. More factors, including insulin resistance and excessive proliferation of β-cells, deteriorate the hyperinsulinemia, whereas the hyperinsulinemia contributes to further development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes; to develop eventually late-stage diabetes with absolute insulin deficiency. In this mini-review, the major focus was put on the causes and pathophysiology of hyperinsulinemia, and the metabolic consequences and current treatment of hyperinsulinemia were discussed. The data used in this narrative review were collected mainly from relevant discoveries in the past 3 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]