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Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) is a frequent cause of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children. The incidence of childhood pneumonia caused by M. pneumoniae infection has been rapidly increasing worldwide. M. pneumoniae is naturally resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics due to its lack of a cell wall. Macrolides and related antibiotics are considered the optimal drugs for treating M. pneumoniae infection. However, clinical resistance to macrolides has become a global concern in recent years. Therefore, it is imperative to urgently identify new targets and develop new anti-M. pneumoniae drugs to treat MMP. Previous studies have shown that deficiencies in HPrK/P kinase or phosphorylase activity can seriously affect carbon metabolism, growth, morphology, and other cellular functions of M. pneumoniae. To identify potential drug development targets against M. pneumoniae, this study analyzed the sequence homology and 3D structure alignment of M. pneumoniae HPrK/P. Through sequence and structure analysis, we found that HPrK/P lacks homologous proteins in the human, while its functional motifs are highly conserved in bacteria. This renders it a promising candidate for drug development. Structure-based virtual screening was then used to discover potential inhibitors among 2614 FDA-approved drugs and 948 bioactive small molecules for M. pneumoniae HPrK/P. Finally, we identified three candidate drugs (Folic acid, Protokylol and Gluconolactone) as potential HPrK/P inhibitors through molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MDs) simulations, and ADMET predictions. These drugs offer new strategies for the treatment of MPP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transmission and prevalence of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) are affected by a variety of natural and socio-economic environmental factors. This study aims to quantitatively investigate the non-stationary and spatially varying associations between various environmental factors and HFMD risk. We collected HFMD surveillance cases and a series of relevant environmental data from 2013 to 2021 in Xi'an, Northwest China. By controlling the spatial and temporal mixture effects of HFMD, we constructed a Bayesian spatiotemporal mapping model and characterized the impacts of different driving factors into global linear, non-stationary and spatially varying effects. The results showed that the impact of meteorological conditions on HFMD risk varies in both type and magnitude above certain thresholds (temperature: 30 °C, precipitation: 70 mm, solar radiation: 13000 kJ/m2, pressure: 945 hPa, humidity: 69%). Air pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, NO2) showed an inverted U-shaped relationship with the risk of HFMD, while other air pollutants (O3, SO2) showed nonlinear fluctuations. Moreover, the driving effect of increasing temperature on HFMD was significant in the 3-year period, while the inhibitory effect of increasing precipitation appeared evident in the 5-year period. In addition, the proportion of urban/suburban/rural area had a strong influence on HFMD, indicating that the incidence of HFMD firstly increased and then decreased during the rapid urbanization process. The influence of population density on HFMD was not only limited by spatial location, but also varied between high and low intervals. Higher road density inhibited the risk of HFMD, but higher night light index promoted the occurrence of HFMD. Our findings further demonstrated that both ecological and socioeconomic environmental factors can pose multiple driving effects on increasing the spatiotemporal risk of HFMD, which is of great significance for effectively responding to the changes in HFMD epidemic outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cancer is a leading global cause of death. Conventional cancer treatments like surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy have associated side effects. Ferroptosis, a nonapoptotic and iron-dependent cell death, has been identified and differs from other cell death types. Research has shown that ferroptosis can promote and inhibit tumor growth, which may have prognostic value. Given the unclear role of ferroptosis in cancer biology, this meta-analysis aims to investigate its impact on cancer prognosis. Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis conducted searches on PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases. Eight retrospective studies were included to compare the impact of ferroptosis inhibition and promotion on cancer patient prognosis. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Studies lacking clear descriptions of hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals for OS and PFS were excluded. Random-effects meta-analysis and meta-regression were performed on the included study data to assess prognosis differences between the experimental and control groups. Meta-analysis results included HR and 95% confidence intervals. This study has been registered with PROSPERO, CRD 42023463720 on September 27, 2023. Results: A total of 2,446 articles were screened, resulting in the inclusion of 5 articles with 938 eligible subjects. Eight studies were included in the meta-analysis after bias exclusion. The meta-analysis, after bias exclusion, demonstrated that promoting ferroptosis could increase cancer patients' overall survival (HR 0.31, 95% CI 0.21–0.44) and progression-free survival (HR 0.26, 95% CI 0.16–0.44) compared to ferroptosis inhibition. The results showed moderate heterogeneity, suggesting that biological activities promoting cancer cell ferroptosis are beneficial for cancer patient's prognosis. Conclusions: This systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated that the promotion of ferroptosis yields substantial benefits for cancer prognosis. These findings underscore the untapped potential of ferroptosis as an innovative anti-tumor therapeutic strategy, capable of addressing challenges related to drug resistance, limited therapeutic efficacy, and unfavorable prognosis in cancer treatment. Registration: CRD42023463720. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let A be a finite dimensional hereditary algebra over an algebraically closed field k. In this paper, we study the tilting quiver of A from the viewpoint of τ -tilting theory. First, we prove that there exists an isomorphism between the support τ -tilting quiver Q(s τ -tilt A) of A and the tilting quiver Q(tilt A ¯ ) of the duplicated algebra A ¯ . Then, we give a new method to calculate the number of arrows in the tilting quiver Q(tilt A) when A is representation-finite. Finally, we study the conjecture given by Happel and Unger, which claims that each connected component of Q(tilt A) contains only finitely many non-saturated vertices. We provide an example to show that this conjecture does not hold for some algebras whose quivers are wild with at least four vertices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ketogenic diet (KD) has demonstrated benefits in numerous clinical studies and animal models of disease in modulating the immune response and promoting a systemic anti-inflammatory state. Here we investigate the effects of a KD on systemic toxicity in mice following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our data indicate that under KD, SARS-CoV-2 reduces weight loss with overall improved animal survival. Muted multi-organ transcriptional reprogramming and metabolism rewiring suggest that a KD initiates and mitigates systemic changes induced by the virus. We observed reduced metalloproteases and increased inflammatory homeostatic protein transcription in the heart, with decreased serum pro-inflammatory cytokines (i.e., TNF-α, IL-15, IL-22, G-CSF, M-CSF, MCP-1), metabolic markers of inflammation (i.e., kynurenine/tryptophane ratio), and inflammatory prostaglandins, indicative of reduced systemic inflammation in animals infected under a KD. Taken together, these data suggest that a KD can alter the transcriptional and metabolic response in animals following SARS-CoV-2 infection with improved mice health, reduced inflammation, and restored amino acid, nucleotide, lipid, and energy currency metabolism. A systems-wide study of mice infected with SARS-CoV2 under ketogenic diet shows that this diet reprograms the transcriptional and metabolic response in animals following infection with improved health, reduced inflammation, and restored metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although cancer immunotherapy is a compelling approach against cancer, its effectiveness is hindered by the challenge of generating a robust and durable immune response against metastatic cancer cells. Nanovaccines, specifically engineered to transport cancer antigens and immune-stimulating agents to the lymph nodes, hold promise in overcoming these limitations and eliciting a potent and sustained immune response against metastatic cancer cells. This manuscript provides an in-depth exploration of the lymphatic system's background, emphasizing its role in immune surveillance and tumor metastasis. Furthermore, it delves into the design principles of nanovaccines and their unique capability to target lymph node metastasis. The primary objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current advancements in nanovaccine design for targeting lymph node metastasis, while also discussing their potential to enhance cancer immunotherapy. By summarizing the state-of-the-art in nanovaccine development, this review aims to shed light on the promising prospects of harnessing nanotechnology to potentiate cancer immunotherapy and ultimately improve patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) has been established as being an effective treatment for advanced gastric cancer (GC), while the predictive biomarker of NACT efficacy remains under investigation. Aspartate β-hydroxylase (ASPH) represents an attractive target which is a highly conserved transmembrane enzyme overexpressed in human GC, and participates in the malignant transformation by promoting tumor cell motility. Here, we evaluated the expression of ASPH by immunohistochemistry in 350 GC tissues (including samples for NACT) and found that ASPH expression was higher in patients undergoing NACT compared with patients without NACT pre-operation. The OS and PFS time of ASPH-intensely positive patients was significantly shorter than that of the negative patients in the NACT group, while the difference was not significant in patients without NACT. We showed that ASPH knockout enhanced the inhibitory effects of chemotherapeutic drugs on the cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro and suppressed tumor progression in vivo. Co-immunoprecipitation revealed that ASPH might interact with LAPTM4B to perform chemotherapeutic drug resistance. Our results suggested that ASPH might serve as a candidate biomarker to predict prognosis and a novel therapeutic target for gastric cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Previous studies have reported that PID2, which encodes a B‐lectin receptor‐like kinase, is a key gene in the resistance of rice to Magnaporthe oryzae strain ZB15. However, the PID2‐mediated downstream signalling events remain largely unknown.The U‐box E3 ubiquitin ligase OsPIE3 (PID2‐interacting E3) was isolated and confirmed to play key roles in PID2‐mediated rice blast resistance. Yeast two‐hybrid analysis showed that the armadillo repeat region of OsPIE3 is required for its interaction with PID2. Further investigation demonstrated that OsPIE3 can modify the subcellular localisation of PID2, thus promoting its nuclear recruitment from the plasma membrane for protein degradation in the ubiquitin–proteasome system. Site‐directed mutagenesis of a conserved cysteine site (C230S) within the U‐box domain of OsPIE3 reduces PID2 translocation and ubiquitination.Genetic analysis suggested that OsPIE3 loss‐of‐function mutants exhibited enhanced resistance to M. oryzae isolate ZB15, whereas mutants with overexpressed OsPIE3 exhibited reduced resistance. Furthermore, the OsPIE3/PID2‐double mutant displayed a similar blast phenotype to that of the PID2 single mutant, suggesting that OsPIE3 is a negative regulator and functions along with PID2 in blast disease resistance.Our findings confirm that the E3 ubiquitin ligase OsPIE3 is necessary for PID2‐mediated rice blast disease resistance regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study linking the two economic and social phenomena of rural labor force migration and energy transition can help analyze the underlying causes of rural "Energy Poverty". However, how off-farm employment affects household low-carbon energy consumption and its potential mechanisms requires further research. Using 1351 sampled rural households from the "Rural Energy, Population Transfer and Well-being" survey in 2018 and 2021 to explore response mechanisms through which off-farm employment can influence low-carbon energy intensity. Utilizing the multivariate regression, Sobel test, and moderating effect test, the results demonstrate that off-farm employment, including short-term and long-term off-farm employment, significantly increases the intensity of low-carbon energy use among rural households. Specifically, long-term off-farm employment tends to have a greater positive contribution to the low-carbon energy intensity than short-term off-farm employment. Furthermore, off-farm employment can affect household low-carbon energy intensity through the total income, and effect of the surrounding people in the off-farm employment process also increases their consumption intensity. The research reveals that the rural energy revolution under the constraints of "Carbon Neutral" and "Carbon Peak" should relate to the off-farm development of rural households to achieve "Precise Energy Poverty Alleviation". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physical properties of shale reservoirs directly affect the form of shale gas and its preservation conditions, and an evaluation of these properties has great significance on the storage and exploitation of shale gas. In this study, the Longmaxi Formation shale in the Sichuan Basin was considered as the research object. The parameters of porosity, permeability, mineral composition, total organic carbon content, density, in-situ stress, brittleness index, and fluid saturation of the samples were obtained through a series of tests. The influence of each parameter on the porosity and permeability was analyzed, and a weight analysis was conducted using an analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The results show that: clay mineral content in the mineral composition has a positive correlation with porosity, and the content of brittle minerals can affect the fracture development density and improve the permeability of samples; the total organic carbon content has a positive correlation with porosity and permeability; increases in density and in-situ stress will significantly reduce the porosity and permeability of samples; the brittleness index has a negative correlation with porosity and a positive correlation with permeability; water saturation has a positive correlation with porosity, gas saturation has a negative correlation with porosity, and the movable oil saturation has an obvious logarithmic relationship with porosity and a negative correlation with permeability. Furthermore, the AHP was used to analyze the specific effects of various parameters on porosity and permeability, with the weight of total organic carbon content > mineral composition > brittleness index > density > in-situ stress > fluid saturation. In this study, we evaluated the physical properties of shale reservoirs, which provides an important basis for shale reservoir evaluation and mining area selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neural-tube defects (NTDs) are one type of the most serious birth defects. Studies have shown that inositol deficiency is closely related to the occurrence of NTDs. Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-mediated Smad signaling pathways have been implicated in neurogenesis and neural-tube closure. However, the role of the BMP/Smad pathway in inositol-deficiency-induced NTDs remains unclear. Inositol-deficiency models in C57 mice and mouse neural stem cells (mNSCs) were induced with Li2CO3 treatment or inositol withdrawal. The role of the BMP/Smad pathway in the regulation of cell proliferation and the development of NTDs was determined utilizing qRT-PCR, HE staining, Western blot, immunostaining, MTT assay, EdU staining, and flow cytometry. The intraperitoneal injection of Li2CO3 at Embryonic Day 7.5 induced the occurrence of NTDs. The mRNA levels of Bmp2, Bmp4, Smad1, Smad5, Smad8 and Runx2, the phosphorylation of Smad1/5/8, and the nuclear translocation of Runx2 were significantly increased in NTD embryonic brain tissues and mNSCs exposed to Li2CO3 or an inositol-free medium, which were suppressed by BMP receptor selective inhibitor LDN-193189. The Li2CO3-induced phosphorylation of Smad1/5/8 was inhibited by inositol supplementation. Cell proliferation was significantly promoted by Li2CO3 exposure or the absence of inositol in mNSCs, which was reversed by LDN-193189. These results suggest that the activation of the BMP/Smad signaling pathway might play an important role in the development of NTDs induced by maternal Li2CO3 exposure via inositol deficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The protection of the isolated heart is very important in heart transplantation surgery, meanwhile, the ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) of the isolated heart is the main cause of its damage. A timely supply of oxygen can significantly improve the prevention of myocardial ischaemia, however, the cardioprotective solution does not have an oxygen supply function. Haemoglobin Based on Oxygen Carriers (HBOCs) is a kind of nano-oxygen drug, which can effectively and timely supply oxygen to hypoxic organs and tissues. However, the oxygen-carrying and releasing capacity (P50) is different with different HBOCs. The aim of our study was to investigate whether STS (a kind of cardioprotective solution, St Thomas Solution) +different P50 HBOCs provide superior myocardial protection and decrease myocardial injury compared to only STS in rats Langendorff isolated heart perfusion model. The results showed that STS + HBOCs can improve cardiac function at 37 °C for 35 min and 120 min, and reduce myocardial infarctions, pathological changes, and apoptosis of cardiomyocytes, and the STS + low P50 HBOCs is more effective than the other two higher P50 HBOCs. We further demonstrated the outstanding protective effect of STS + low P50 HBOCs on cardiac function, reducing myocardial infarctions and apoptosis of cardiomyocytes in rat Langendorff isolated heart perfusion model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are significant issues with commercial separators that must be resolved before they can be used in high-energy-density batteries. These problems include low porosity, poor electrolyte wetting, and low mechanical properties. This study presents a facile method for preparing composite crosslinked hydrogel nanofibers of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS) for lithium-ion battery separators by utilizing methacrylated lignin (LMA) as a bio-based crosslinker. Initially, LMA was synthesized by grafting glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) onto lignin via esterification. Subsequently, a crosslinked hydrogel nanofiber membrane (PVA/AMPS-LMA) was electrospun with varying LMA fractions, which were polymerized by combining free radical copolymerization and esterification reactions. The effectiveness of LMA as a crosslinker was assessed against the N, N′-methylene bisacrylamide (MBA). The study showed that using LMA as a crosslinker significantly improved the membrane's properties. The PVA/AMPS-LMA separator displayed superior features such as mechanical strength, thermal stability, porosity, electrolyte uptake, ionic conductivity, and lithium-ion transference number, when compared with PVA/AMPS, PVA, and Celgard separators. Specifically, the PVA/AMPS-LMA separator demonstrated a high mechanical strength of 24.9 MPa, strong thermal stability at 170 °C with no shrinkage, high porosity (84.3 %), and electrolyte uptake (661.4 %). It also exhibited exceptional ionic conductivity (2.75 mS/cm) and a notable lithium-ion transference number (tLi+ = 0.717). In coin batteries, the PVA/AMPS-LMA separator retained over 96 % capacity (142.4 mAh/g) after 200 cycles at 1C. This performance exceeded that of PVA/AMPS, PVA, and Celgard separators, suggesting that PVA/AMPS-LMA separators have the potential to replace their commercial counterparts. [Display omitted] • The PVA/AMPS-LAM separators made by electrospinning-copolymerization process. • The effect of the LMA on the separator's structure and properties was studied. • PVA/AMPS-LAM showed high-porosity, thermal-stability, and mechanical properties. • PVA/AMPS-LAM had highly electrolyte uptake, ionic conductivity, and ion transfers. • PVA/AMPS-LAM separators displayed outstanding electrochemical performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spintronic neural devices are attracting growing interest for its potential capability in processing massive data with extremely low power consumption. The devices based on magnetic domain walls (DWs) are considered as promising solutions for its nonvolatility, high density, and flexible design. Among the device mechanisms, strong chiral coupling of laterally adjacent nanomagnets through interfacial Dzyaloshinsky–Moriya interaction (DMI) enables field-free correlated switching of neighboring nanomagnets and planar DW racetrack cascading. Here, we apply this lateral coupling mechanism to realize a current-driven magnetic neural device and network. With the spin-orbit-torque (SOT)-driven DW motion and chiral coupling between laterally neighboring out-of-plane (OOP) and in-plane (IP) nanomagnets, this device achieves nonvolatile binary neuromorphic computing. By racetrack cascading of this device, we further implement a three-layer binary neural network (BNN) capable of recognizing images. This device, which realizes all-electric nonvolatile in-memory computing, may inspire the development of ultralow-power spin artificial neurons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approximately 25% of the patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) who are clinically node negative have occult lymph node metastases at radical cystectomy (RC) and pelvic lymph node dissection. The aim of this study was to evaluate preoperative CT-based radiomics to differentiate between pN+ and pN0 disease in patients with clinical stage cT2-T4aN0-N1M0 MIBC. Patients with cT2-T4aN0-N1M0 MIBC, of whom preoperative CT scans and pathology reports were available, were included from the prospective, multicenter CirGuidance trial. After manual segmentation of the lymph nodes, 564 radiomics features were extracted. A combination of different machine-learning methods was used to develop various decision models to differentiate between patients with pN+ and pN0 disease. A total of 209 patients (159 pN0; 50 pN+) were included, with a total of 3153 segmented lymph nodes. None of the individual radiomics features showed significant differences between pN+ and pN0 disease, and none of the radiomics models performed substantially better than random guessing. Hence, CT-based radiomics does not contribute to differentiation between pN+ and pN0 disease in patients with cT2-T4aN0-N1M0 MIBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given their vital role in the homeostasis of the limbal stem cell niche, limbal melanocytes have emerged as promising candidates for tissue engineering applications. This study aimed to isolate and characterize a population of melanocyte precursors in the limbal stroma, compared with melanocytes originating from the limbal epithelium, using magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS) with positive (CD117/c-Kit microbeads) or negative (CD326/EpCAM or anti-fibroblast microbeads) selection approaches. Both approaches enabled fast and easy isolation and cultivation of pure limbal epithelial and stromal melanocyte populations, which differed in phenotype and gene expression, but exhibited similar functional properties regarding proliferative potential, pigmentation, and support of clonal growth of limbal epithelial stem/progenitor cells (LEPCs). In both melanocyte populations, limbus-specific matrix (laminin 511-E8) and soluble factors (LEPC-derived conditioned medium) stimulated melanocyte adhesion, dendrite formation, melanogenesis, and expression of genes involved in UV protection and immune regulation. The findings provided not only a novel protocol for the enrichment of pure melanocyte populations from limbal tissue applying easy-to-use MACS technology, but also identified a population of stromal melanocyte precursors, which may serve as a reservoir for the replacement of damaged epithelial melanocytes and an alternative resource for tissue engineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of insecticides remains important in managing pest insects. Over the years, many insects manifested physiological and behavioral modifications resulting in reduced efficacy of insecticides targeted against them. Emerging evidence suggests that bacterial symbionts could modulate susceptibility of host insects against insecticides. Here, we explore the influence of host microbiota in affecting the susceptibility of insect host against different insecticides in the blood-sucking bed bug, Cimex hemipterus. Rifampicin antibiotic treatment resulted in increased susceptibility to fenitrothion and imidacloprid, but not against deltamethrin. Meanwhile, the host fitness parameters measured in the present study were not significantly affected by rifampicin treatment, suggesting the role of bacterial symbionts influencing susceptibility against the insecticides. 16S metagenomics sequencing revealed a drastic shift in the composition of several bacterial taxa following rifampicin treatment. The highly abundant Alphaproteobacteria (Wolbachia > 90%) and Gammaproteobacteria (Yersinia > 6%) in control bed bugs were significantly suppressed and replaced by Actinobacteria, Bacilli, and Betaproteobacteria in the rifampicin treated F1 bed bugs, suggesting possibilities of Wolbachia mediating insecticide susceptibility in C. hemipterus. However, no significant changes in the total esterase, GST, and P450 activities were observed following rifampicin treatment, indicating yet unknown bacterial mechanisms explaining the observed phenomena. Re-inoculation of microbial content from control individuals regained the tolerance of rifampicin treated bed bugs to imidacloprid and fenitrothion. This study provides a foundation for a symbiont-mediated mechanism in influencing insecticide susceptibility that was previously unknown to bed bugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellular data provide a promising way for congestion detection with low cost and high coverage, and the simulation study is a feasible solution to verify the detection method. This paper presents a simulation approach that uses cellular data to detect traffic congestion on urban arterials based on the relationship between cellular data and traffic status. The virtual testbed, which includes three main modules, is developed to perform the cellular activities generation, collection, and aggregation process between cell phones and cell stations. Then, the correlation between cellular data and traffic status data is studied. Finally, three scenarios using the data from testbed are demonstrated to measure the performance of the proposed method under different conditions. The results indicate that the proposed approach is a feasible and efficient way to simulate cellular data generation, collection, and aggregation process. Also, it can be the base for further analysis to detect traffic congestion on arterials using cellular data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Voronoi constellations (VCs) are finite sets of vectors of a coding lattice enclosed by the translated Voronoi region of a shaping lattice, which is a sublattice of the coding lattice. In conventional VCs, the shaping lattice is a scaled-up version of the coding lattice. In this paper, we design low-complexity VCs with a cubic coding lattice of up to 32 dimensions, in which pseudo-Gray labeling is applied to minimize the bit error rate. The designed VCs have considerable shaping gains of up to 1.03 dB and finer choices of spectral efficiencies in practice compared with conventional VCs. A mutual information estimation method and a log-likelihood approximation method based on importance sampling for very large constellations are proposed and applied to the designed VCs. With error-control coding, the proposed VCs can have higher information rates than the conventional scaled VCs because of their inherently good pseudo-Gray labeling feature, with a lower decoding complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium-ion cells experience significant internal thermal gradients during operation, with a direct impact on their safety, performance, cost and lifetime. The estimation of the internal temperature of cells is therefore particularly important. In this work, a 3D distributed electro-thermal model for internal temperature estimation is developed for a cylindrical cell (LG M50T, NMC811). The model is parameterized and comprehensively validated against experimental data for 21700 cells, including direct core temperature measurements. Multiple types of electrical load are considered, including constant current discharge, pulse discharge, drive cycle and instant discharge/charge switching. The developed model is used to estimate core temperature based on surface temperature measurement. The predictions are shown to have good accuracy at relatively low computational cost. We show that the widely adopted two-node lumped thermal estimation model is increasingly inaccurate for more aggressive discharges, when thermal gradients become higher. Compared to the standard two-node model, the distributed equivalent circuit network model predicts the effects of detailed internal cell structure (electrode, current collector, metal can and tab) and distributed internal heat generation. The results are of immediate interest to cell manufacturers and battery pack designers, while the modelling and parameterization framework is a useful tool for energy storage systems design. • Developed 3D distributed electro-thermal model for internal temperature estimation. • Model parameterized and validated experimentally for 21700 cylindrical cells LGM50T. • Direct core temperature is used for validation of internal cell temperature. • Estimation of core temperature based on surface temperature measurement succeeds. • Prior methods are inaccurate at high discharge due to high internal thermal gradients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study introduces an innovative design for enhancing the energy-dissipating capacity and replaceability of eccentrically braced steel frames using a two-segment replaceable shear link. This design features a 10 mm gap in the mid-length, providing an installation tolerance for easy disassembly. The two segments are connected through channel splicing plates and side plates, emphasizing concentrated plastic deformation in the energy-dissipating region. Fully bolted connections involve non-energy-dissipating components, allowing efficient elastic design and focused plastic behavior. To evaluate seismic performance, two types of replaceable links were designed for cyclic loading tests: one with standard holes and the other with slotted holes in the side plate and channel splicing plate. Test results highlight localized plastic deformation in the energy-dissipating region, with failures such as broken welds, severe flange buckling, and web plate tearing. Stable hysteresis curves exhibit good ductility, energy dissipation, and plastic deformation. The ultimate plastic angle exceeds 0.13 rad, surpassing the AISC 341–16 limit of 0.08 rad. Ductility coefficients range from 6.10 to 7.99, and overstrength coefficients range from 1.82 to 2.09, exceeding the AISC 341–16 limit of 1.5. Furthermore, a two-stage design method for bolted connections, accounting for bolt slip, is proposed. This method enhances the overall understanding and utilization of these innovative replaceable shear links, providing a comprehensive solution for improving the seismic performance of eccentrically braced steel frames. • The seismic performance of two-segment replaceable link with channel splicing plate is evaluated by cycle loading test. • The hysteresis curves of the replaceable link are full and the specimens have a strong plastic deformation capacity. • The experimental study showed that the overstrength coefficient (Ω) for the replaceable link ranged from 1.82 to 2.09. • The bolts slip in the channel splicing plate dissipate more energy due to the slotted hole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional I-beam sections connected with end plates face challenges related to end bolts and excessive residual deformation. In response to these challenges, this study introduces an innovative concept: two-segment replaceable links with separated splicing plates. Two variations of replaceable links have been designed - one with separated splicing plates featuring standard bolt holes, and another with short slotted bolt holes. Cyclic loading tests has been conducted to study their seismic performance. The test results reveal that the failure modes of the links include flange buckling and tearing at the welds connecting the flange and end plate. The hysteresis curves of the specimens are complete and stable. The average overstrength coefficient of the links is 1.75, meeting the specified limit requirement for an overstrength coefficient greater than 1.5 for the link. The ultimate plastic rotation reaches up to 0.19 rad. Notably, specimens with short slotted bolt holes exhibit a relatively significant energy dissipation ratio due to bolts slip during test and they demonstrate optimal replaceability in terms of minimized replacement time and residual shear rotation. Furthermore, the two-stage design method for high-strength bolts in splicing plate is proposed considering bolts slip. • To evaluate the seismic performance of the two-segment replaceable link with separated splicing plates. • The hysteresis curves of the replaceable link are full and the specimens have a strong plastic deformation capacity. • The experimental study showed that the overstrength coefficient (Ω) for the replaceable link ranged from 1.52 to 2.00. • The bolts slip in the splicing plate dissipate more energy due to the long circle holes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adam is one of the most influential adaptive stochastic algorithms for training deep neural networks, which has been pointed out to be divergent even in the simple convex setting via a few simple counterexamples. Many attempts, such as decreasing an adaptive learning rate, adopting a big batch size, incorporating a temporal decorrelation technique, seeking an analogous surrogate, etc., have been tried to promote Adam-type algorithms to converge. In contrast with existing approaches, we introduce an alternative easy-to-check sufficient condition, which merely depends on the parameters of the base learning rate and combinations of historical second-order moments, to guarantee the global convergence of generic Adam for solving large-scale non-convex stochastic optimization. This observation, coupled with this sufficient condition, gives much deeper interpretations on the divergence of Adam. On the other hand, in practice, mini-Adam and distributed. Adam are widely used without any theoretical guarantee. We further give an analysis on how the batch size or the number of nodes in the distributed system affects the convergence of Adam, which theoretically shows that mini-batch and distributed Adam can be linearly accelerated by using a larger mini-batch size or a larger number of nodes. At last, we apply the generic Adam and mini-batch Adam with the sufficient condition for solving the counterexample and training several neural networks on various real-world datasets. Experimental results are exactly in accord with our theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) are effective in treating chronic bacterial prostatitis (CBP), the homing of BMMSCs seems to require ultrasound induction. Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) is an important derivative of artemisinin (ART) and has been previously reported to alleviate inflammation and autoimmune diseases. But the effect of DHA on chronic prostatitis (CP) is still unclear. This study aims to clarify the efficacy and mechanism of DHA in the treatment of CBP and its effect on the accumulation of BMMSCs. The experimental CBP was produced in C57BL/6 male mice via intraurethrally administered E. coli solution. Results showed that DHA treatment concentration-dependently promoted the accumulation of BMMSCs in prostate tissue of CBP mice. In addition, DHA and BMMSCs cotreatment significantly alleviated inflammation and improved prostate damage by decreasing the expression of proinflammatory factors such as TNF-α, IL-1β, and chemokines CXCL2, CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11 in prostate tissue of CBP mice. Moreover, DHA and BMMSCs cotreatment displayed antioxidation property by increasing the production of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), SOD, and decreasing malondialdehyde (MDA) expression. Mechanically, DHA and BMMSCs cotreatment significantly inhibited the expression of TGFβ-RI, TGFβ-RII, phosphor (p)-Smad2/3, and Smad4 in a dose-dependent manner while stimulated Smad7 expression in the same manner. In conclusion, our findings provided evidence that DHA effectively eliminated inflammatory and oxidative stress against prostate injury, and this effect involved the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway in CBP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Transition metal chalcogenides/MXene heterostructures were judiciously designed by a ligand-triggered self-assembly strategy. • Ti 3 C 2 T x (MXene) can serve as an efficient interfacial charge transfer mediator to prolong charge lifetime. • Multifarious photoreduction catalysis has been comprehensively probed. • The role of Ti 3 C 2 T x (MXene) as charge mediator has been evidenced to be universal. Transition metal chalcogenides quantum dots (TMCs QDs) demonstrate emerging potential in solar energy conversion owing to marvelous physicochemical properties, such as quantum size effect, large extinction coefficient, and multiple excitons generation. Nevertheless, TMCs QDs as photosensitizers are unstable owing to high surface energy, and moreover, substantial trap states of TMCs QDs annihilate the photo-induced charge carriers, thus resulting in ultra-short charge lifetime and inferior photoactivities. Herein, 0D/2D TMCs QDs/MXene heterostructures were designed by a ligand-initiated electrostatic self-assembly strategy, wherein positively charged TMCs QDs were anchored on the negatively charged ultrathin Ti 3 C 2 T x nanosheets (NSs) framework, which promotes the anisotropic unidirectional electron transport from TMCs QDs to MXene NSs. MXene functions as an effective charge mediator to decrease the charge recombination and prolong the charge lifetime for photocatalytic hydrogen generation and anaerobic reduction of nitroaromatics to amino compounds under visible light irradiation. Our work would shed new insights on the role of MXene in tuning the directional charge transport for solar energy conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand the molecular and genetic mechanisms related to the litter size in one species of two different populations (high litter size and low litter size), we performed RNA-seq for the oocytes and granulosa cells (GCs) at different developmental stages of follicle, and identified the interaction of genes from both sides of follicle (oocyte and GCs) and the ligand-receptor pairs from these two sides. Our data were very comprehensive to uncover the difference between these two populations regarding the folliculogenesis. First, we identified a set of potential genes in oocyte and GCs as the marker genes which can be used to determine the goat fertility capability and ovarian reserve ability. The data showed that GRHPR, GPR84, CYB5A and ERAL1 were highly expressed in oocyte while JUNB, SCN2A, MEGE8, ZEB2, EGR1and PRRC2A were highly expressed in GCs. We found more functional genes were expressed in oocytes and GCs in high fertility group (HL) than that in low fertility group (LL). We uncovered that ligand-receptor pairs in Notch signaling pathway and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily pathways played important roles in goat folliculogenesis for the different fertility population. Moreover, we discovered that the correlations of the gene expression in oocytes and GCs at different stages in the two populations HL and LL were different, too. All the data reflected the gene expression landscape in oocytes and GCs which was correlated well with the fertility capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) and atherosclerosis (AS) are widespread diseases predominantly observed in the elderly population. Despite their prevalence, the underlying molecular interconnections between these two conditions are not well understood. Methods: Utilizing meta‐analysis, bioinformatics methodologies, and the GEO database, we systematically analyzed transcriptome data to pinpoint key genes concurrently differentially expressed in AD and AS. Our experimental validations in mouse models highlighted the prominence of two genes, NKRF (NF‐κB‐repressing factor) and ZBTB17 (MYC‐interacting zinc‐finger protein 1). Results: These genes appear to influence the progression of both AD and AS by modulating the NF‐κB signaling pathway, as confirmed through subsequent in vitro and in vivo studies. Conclusions: This research uncovers a novel shared molecular pathway between AD and AS, underscoring the significant roles of NKRF and ZBTB17 in the pathogenesis of these disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spin valves (SVs) based on 2-D materials have garnered so much attention in the past decade. One of the major interests is the sake of getting a higher magnetoresistance (MR) ratio to facilitate industrial applications. However, miscellaneous effects are mixed in the obtained MR and the contributions of 2-D materials are not clearly distinguished even. In this article, we report the angle-dependent MR in WSe2 SV for different orientations of applied magnetic field. By setting reference samples with different structures, the contributions of anisotropic MR (AMR) and MR of 2-D materials are distinguished. The MR ratios generated by WSe2 show a monotonic decreasing trend with the increasing included angle between the direction of magnetic field and the length axis of bottom electrode Py. The related angular variation in such SV structure can be used for future researches and industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Received:21December2020 Revised:11January2021 Accepted:14January2021 Publishedonline:25January2021 DOI:10.1002/ctm2.299 LETTER TO EDITOR Alterednitricoxideinducedbygutmicrobiotarevealsthe connectionbetweencentralprecociouspubertyandobesity DearEditor, Central precocious puberty (CPP) is a neuroendocrine disease characterized by the rapid development of genitaliaandthepresenceofsecondarysexualcharacteristics beforeage8ingirlsand9inboys. Notably, the CPP-enriched Gamma-aminobutyric acid-producer Bifidobacterium 6 showed negative associationwiththeHC-enrichedBacteroides(Figure2C),while the correlation was experimentally examined 7 and the neurotransmission-relatedSutterella 5 formedpositivecorrelation with Parabacteroides in CPP patients. Since gut microbiota (GM) associatedwiththehormonesecretionandobesity, 3 itinspires us to detect the mechanism of GM in triggering CPP, and explore their roles for the co-occurrence of obesity andCPP. [Extracted from the article]

This paper presents an innovative design for replaceable shear links, incorporating a variable cross-section that emphasizes concentrated plastic deformation in the energy-dissipating region. The design employs fully bolted connections involving non-energy-dissipating components, enabling both efficient elastic design and focused plastic behavior. To evaluate the seismic performance of this variable cross-section replaceable link, three section configurations were developed for cyclic loading tests: a low-yield-point (LYP160) specimen with an unchanged energy-dissipating region, a Q235 steel specimen with circular holes in the energy-dissipating region, and a Q235 steel specimen with elongated holes in the same region. Experimental results emphasize that plastic deformation is primarily localized in the energy-dissipating region, with failures characterized by buckling and tearing around the region's holes. Notably, the low-yield-point specimen exhibits an overstrength coefficient of up to 3.65, displaying a complete hysteresis curve, exceptional energy dissipation capacity, and a plastic rotation of 0.18 rad. Conversely, the elongated-hole specimen demonstrates notable overstrength exceeding 1.70, but its energy dissipation is compromised due to the weakened section. In contrast, specimens with circular holes exhibit an initial elastic stiffness similar to low-yield-point steel specimens, outperforming elongated-hole specimens by around 84% in stiffness. Additionally, a two-stage design method for bolted connections, accounting for bolt slip, is proposed. This approach enhances the overall understanding and utilization of these innovative replaceable shear links. • To evaluate the seismic performance of the variable cross-section replaceable link by cyclic loading test. • The hysteresis curves of the replaceable link is full and the specimen has a strong plastic deformation capacity. • The overstrength coefficient (Ω) for the variable cross-section replaceable link ranged from 1.70 to 3.65 • Plastic deformation primarily occurs within the energy-dissipating region in variable cross-section link • The two-stage design method for bolts connection considering bolts slip is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demand for large format lithium-ion batteries is increasing, because they can be integrated and controlled easier at a system level. However, increasing the size leads to increased heat generation risking overheating. 1865 and 2170 cylindrical cells can be both base cooled or side cooled with reasonable efficiency. Large format 4680 cylindrical cells have become popular after Tesla filed a patent. If these cells are to become widely used, then understanding how to thermally manage them is essential. In this work, we create a model of a 4680 cylindrical cell, and use it to study different thermal management options. Our work elucidates the comprehensive mechanisms how the hot topic 'tabless design' improves the performance of 4680 cell and makes any larger format cell possible while current commercial cylindrical cells cannot be simply scaled up to satisfy power and thermal performance. As a consequence, the model identifies the reason for the tabless cell's release: the thermal performance of the 4680 tabless cell can be no worse than that of the 2170 cell, while the 4680 tabless tab cell boasts 5.4 times the energy and 6.9 times the power. Finally, via the model, a procedure is proposed for choosing the thermal management for large format cylindrical cell for maximum performance. As an example, we demonstrate that the best cooling approach for the 4680 tabless cell is base cooling, while for the 2170 LG M50T cell it is side cooling. We conclude that any viable large format cylindrical cell must include a continuous tab (or 'tabless') design and be cooled through its base when in a pack. The results are of immediate interest to both cell manufacturers and battery pack designers, while the developed modelling and parameterization framework is of wider use for all energy storage system design. • Distributed 3D electro-thermal model built for cylindrical cells with true structure. • The ability to thermally manage cylindrical cells limits their maximum size. • Surface to volume ratio and inner structure are critical to cell performance. • Large cylindrical cells must be base cooled and have continuous tabs. • For small cylindrical cells side cooling is most efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Whether using tissue adhesive alone after subcutaneous suture can close the skin incision with safety as well as cosmetic appearance after total hip arthroplasty was not clear. Methods: A prospective study was conducted. The same surgical methods were consistent throughout the entire study. After implanting prosthesis, the joint capsule was reconstructed. Fascial and subcutaneous layer were respectively closed by continuous running barbed suture. Patients were randomized allocated to group A with octyl-2-cyanoacrylate tissue adhesive alone, to group B with tissue adhesive after continuous subcuticular suture, or to group C with skin staples. Time of closure, drainage, pain, wound complications, and cosmesis were compared. All data were analyzed statistically. Results: There was no significant difference in drainage, Visual Analog Scale score or early wound complications between the three groups. However, there was significant difference in time of closure (P = 0.013). In pairwise comparison, time of closure in groups A and B was significantly longer than those in group C (P = 0.001 and P = 0.023, respectively); time of closure in group A was significantly shorter than those in group B (P = 0.003). Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale total scores were not significantly different at 6 weeks and 3 months postoperatively (P = 0.078 and P = 0.284, respectively). Conclusion: Tissue adhesive without subcuticular suture was similar with a combination of subcuticular suture and tissue adhesive as well skin staples in terms of safety and cosmetic appearance after total hip arthroplasty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The explosive growth of video applications has produced great challenges for data storage and transmission. In this paper, we propose a new ROI (region of interest) encoding solution to accelerate the processing and reduce the bitrate based on the latest video compression standard H.265/HEVC (High-Efficiency Video Coding). The traditional ROI extraction mapping algorithm uses pixel-based Gaussian background modeling (GBM), which requires a large number of complex floating-point calculations. Instead, we propose a block-based GBM to set up the background, which is in accord with the block division of HEVC. Then, we use the SAD (sum of absolute difference) rule to separate the foreground block from the background block, and these blocks are mapped into the coding tree unit (CTU) of HEVC. Moreover, the quantization parameter (QP) is adjusted according to the distortion rate automatically. The experimental results show that the processing speed on FPGA has reached a real-time level of 22 FPS (frames per second) for full high-definition videos (1 , 9 2 0 × 1 , 0 8 0), and the bitrate is reduced by 10% on average with stable video quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dynamic STIRPAT model used in the current study is based on panel data from the eight most populous countries from 1975 to 2020, revealing the nonlinear effects of urbanization routes (percentage of total urbanization, percentage of small cities and percentage of large cities) on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Using "Dynamic Display Unrelated Regression (DSUR)" and "Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS)" regressions, the outcomes reflect that percentage of total urbanization and percentage of small cities have an incremental influence on carbon dioxide emissions. However, square percentage of small cities and square percentage of total urbanization have significant adverse effects on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The positive relationship between the percentage of small cities, percentage of total urbanization and CO2 emissions and the negative relationship between the square percentage of small cities, square percentage of total urbanization and CO2 emissions legitimize the inverted U-shaped EKC hypothesis. The impact of the percentage of large cities on carbon dioxide emissions is significantly negative, while the impact of the square percentage of large cities on carbon dioxide emissions is significantly positive, validating a U-shaped EKC hypothesis. The incremental effect of percentage of small cities and percentage of total urbanization on long-term environmental degradation can provide support for ecological modernization theory. Energy intensity, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), industrial growth and transport infrastructure stimulate long-term CO2 emissions. Country-level findings from the AMG estimator support a U-shaped link between the percentage of small cities and CO2 emissions for each country in the entire panel except the United States. In addition, the Dumitrescu and Hulin causality tests yield a two-way causality between emission of carbon dioxide and squared percentage of total urbanization, between the percentage of the large cities and emission of carbon dioxide, and between energy intensity and emission of carbon dioxide. This study proposes renewable energy options and green city-friendly technologies to improve the environmental quality of urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a report a generalized Cahn-Hilliard-Swift-Hohenberg model derived using asymptotic theory that describes the quasielastic wrinkling pattern formation and the consequent coarsening dynamics in a curved surfactant-laden thin film. It discusses the findings provide fundamental physical understanding that can be used to (de-)stabilize thin films in the presence of surfactants.

Background: A series of studies have suggested that teachers are likely to experience professional burnout in various regions around the world. To date, no known research has been conducted to investigate the prevalence and correlates of burnout among preschool teachers in China. This study examined the level of self-reported burnout and correlates of burnout among Chinese preschool teachers.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among1795 preschool teachers in Tianjin, China, during August 2018-October 2018. The validated Chinese version of the 15-item Maslach Burnout Inventory was used to assess burnout. A self-administered questionnaire collected the sociodemographic factors. The psychological factors were collected by the Chinese version of the 20-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and the Perceived Stress Scale-14.Results: The prevalence of burnout in Chinese preschool teachers was 53.2% (95% CI:51%─56%). Burnout rate was significantly decreased in overweight (P = 0.001, OR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.42-0.79) and obesity (P = 0.048, OR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.56-1.00) teachers compared with teachers with normal weight. The type of school (P = 0.007, OR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.11-1.91), income satisfaction (P = 0.001, OR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.53-0.86), depression (P < 0.001, OR = 3.08, 95% CI: 2.34-4.05) and perceived stress (P < 0.001, OR = 1.15, 95%CI: 1.13-1.18) were significantly associated with burnout.Conclusions: The prevalence of burnout among preschool teachers in Tianjin, China, is high. Burnout was significantly associated with BMI, the type of school, income satisfaction, depression and perceived stress among Chinese preschool teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common glomerular disease worldwide. It has a high incidence in Asians and is more likely to progress to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). For high-risk IgAN, which is clinically characterized by massive proteinuria and renal dysfunction, however, there has been no international consensus on treatment options. Compared with other developed countries, IgAN patients in China are often found to have severe kidney function loss at initial diagnosis. Yi-Qi-Qing-Jie formula (YQF; a compound recipe of Chinese medicinal herbs) has shown potential renal protection in our previous clinical studies. To further confirm the efficacy and safety of YQF in the treatment of high-risk IgAN, we have designed a prospective double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial.Methods/design: The TCM-WINE study is a single-center, prospective, double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial. We plan to randomize 60 participants with biopsy-proven IgAN to a YQF combined group (YQF compound combined with prednisolone, and cyclophosphamide if necessary) or an immunosuppression group (placebo-YQF combined with prednisolone, and cyclophosphamide if necessary). The two groups will enter a 48-week in-trial treatment phase and receive post-trial follow-up until study completion (3 years). All patients will receive optimal supportive care. The primary composite outcome is defined as the first occurrence of a 40% decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) from the baseline lasting for 3 months, initiating continuous renal replacement treatment, or death due to chronic kidney disease (CKD) during the 3-year study phase. The secondary endpoint events are defined as the mean annual eGFR decline rate (eGFR slope, ml/min per 1.73 m2 per year), which is calculated by the eGFR regression curve for each eligible patient, and proteinuria remission (prescribed as proteinuria < 0.5 g/day) at weeks 24, 36, and 48 during the in-trial phase. The remission rate of symptoms and inflammation status will be evaluated at week 48. Safety monitoring and assessment will be undertaken during the study.Discussion: The TCM-WINE study will evaluate the effects and safety of YQF combined therapy compared with immunosuppression monotherapy on the basis of the optimal supportive treatment in high-risk IgAN. The evidence from this study will provide a novel, effective, and safe Chinese characteristic therapy for high-risk IgAN patients.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03418779. Registered on 18 June 2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A fundamental problem in RNA-seq data analysis is to identify genes or exons that are differentially expressed with varying experimental conditions based on the read counts. The relativeness of RNA-seq measurements makes the between-sample normalization of read counts an essential step in differential expression (DE) analysis. In most existing methods, the normalization step is performed prior to the DE analysis. Recently, Jiang and Zhan proposed a statistical method which introduces sample-specific normalization parameters into a joint model, which allows for simultaneous normalization and differential expression analysis from log-transformed RNA-seq data. Furthermore, an ℓ0 penalty is used to yield a sparse solution which selects a subset of DE genes. The experimental conditions are restricted to be categorical in their work. Results: In this paper, we generalize Jiang and Zhan’s method to handle experimental conditions that are measured in continuous variables. As a result, genes with expression levels associated with a single or multiple covariates can be detected. As the problem being high-dimensional, non-differentiable and non-convex, we develop an efficient algorithm for model fitting. Conclusions: Experiments on synthetic data demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms existing methods in terms of detection accuracy when a large fraction of genes are differentially expressed in an asymmetric manner, and the performance gain becomes more substantial for larger sample sizes. We also apply our method to a real prostate cancer RNA-seq dataset to identify genes associated with pre-operative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The immunological barrier currently precludes the clinical utilization of allogeneic stem cells. Although glial-restricted progenitors have become attractive candidates to treat a wide variety of neurological diseases, their survival in immunocompetent recipients is limited. In this study, we adopted a short-term, systemically applicable co-stimulation blockade-based strategy using CTLA4-Ig and anti-CD154 antibodies to modulate T-cell activation in the context of allogeneic glial-restricted progenitor transplantation. We found that co-stimulation blockade successfully prevented rejection of allogeneic glial-restricted progenitors from immunocompetent mouse brains. The long-term engrafted glial-restricted progenitors myelinated dysmyelinated adult mouse brains within one month. Furthermore, we identified a set of plasma miRNAs whose levels specifically correlated to the dynamic changes of immunoreactivity and as such could serve as biomarkers for graft rejection or tolerance. We put forward a successful strategy to induce alloantigen-specific hyporesponsiveness towards stem cells in the CNS, which will foster effective therapeutic application of allogeneic stem cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The regulation of gene expression is a fundamental cellular process and its misregulation is a key component of disease. Enhancers are one of the most salient regulatory elements in the genome and help orchestrate proper spatiotemporal gene expression during development, in homeostasis, and in response to signaling. Notably, molecular aberrations at enhancers, such as translocations and single nucleotide polymorphisms, are emerging as an important source of human variation and susceptibility to disease. Herein we discuss emerging paradigms addressing how genes are regulated by enhancers, common features of active enhancers, and how non-coding enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) can direct gene expression programs that underlie cellular phenotypes. We survey the current evidence, which suggests that eRNAs can bind to transcription factors, mediate enhancer-promoter interactions, influence RNA Pol II elongation, and act as decoys for repressive cofactors. Furthermore, we discuss current methodologies for the identification of eRNAs and novel approaches to elucidate their functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When observing task demonstrations, human apprentices are able to identify whether a given task is executed correctly long before they gain expertise in actually performing that task. Prior research into learning from demonstrations (LfD) has failed to capture this notion of the acceptability of a task's execution; meanwhile, temporal logics provide a flexible language for expressing task specifications. Inspired by this, we present Bayesian specification inference, a probabilistic model for inferring task specification as a temporal logic formula. We incorporate methods from probabilistic programming to define our priors, along with a domain-independent likelihood function to enable sampling-based inference. We demonstrate the efficacy of our model for inferring specifications, with over 90% similarity observed between the inferred specification and the ground truth—both within a synthetic domain and during a real-world table setting task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Point‐to‐point (PTP) motion of the end effector is an essential part for using robot manipulators to perform precision machining task. Traditionally, it is implemented by several motors with complex transmission mechanism, which causes slow responses, low positioning precision and dynamic performance. Therefore, dynamics analysis and modified electrifying method of a permanent magnet spherical motor (PMSM), which can provide up to three degrees‐of‐freedom independently for PTP motion is presented in this study. First, a new inverse kinematics method for solving PMSM's rotation angle using a cross‐product between two points is proposed. Through dynamics analysis, the control torque is designed by using sinusoidal function to plan the PTP motion. Second, a modified electrifying method by combined coils has been proposed based on the current–torque equation, which deduced the calculation burden by reducing the dimensions of characteristic matrix. Finally, the simulations and experimental results show that PTP motion trajectory planning based on sinusoidal function and the modified electrifying control method can not only reduce the torque disturbance and increase the electromagnetic torque, but also has the advantages of relatively simple control and better tracking control performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A multi-scale modeling strategy was developed to investigate SET-ATRP. • Complicated SET process was revealed by DFT calculations. • Kinetic parameters of reactants, intermediates and products in SET reactions were estimated. • The effects of SET process on polymerization kinetics were elucidated by kinetic modeling. Mechano/sonochemically mediated reversible deactivation radical polymerization has attracted great attention because of the novel electron transfer regulation process and high-efficient process intensification on mass transfer. Herein, a multi-scale modeling strategy combining quantum chemical calculation and kinetic modeling was developed for sonochemically induced electron transfer controlled atom transfer radical polymerization (SET-ATRP) to study the complicated SET process and its effects on polymerization. At the molecular scale, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were used to acquire the electron characteristic and structure–reactivity of the reactants, intermediates and products during SET process, which provides guideline to figure out the underlying mechanism. Results showed that DMSO•• generated under ultrasonication could react with free Me 6 TREN to induce electron transfer for the reduction of CuIIBr/L+ to produce CuI/L+, which is the key step for a successful polymerization. The corresponding elementary reaction rate coefficients were calculated by thermodynamic formulae combining transition state theory and Marcus theory. At the micro-scale, kinetic modeling based on method of moment was established to account for the role of SET process in regulating polymerization. Good agreements between the simulation results and experimental data confirmed the reliability of the as-developed multi-scale modeling strategy. More Me 6 TREN and CuIIBr/L+ resulted in more electron transfer and faster polymerization rate. This work provides an in-depth mechanism insights and kinetic understanding for SET-ATRP, which has a promising potential to promote its progress of application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LINKED CONTENT This article is linked to Mecci et al paper. To view this article, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15296. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a dataset of natural language instructions for object reference in manipulation scenarios. It comprises 1582 individual written instructions, which were collected via online crowdsourcing. This dataset is particularly useful for researchers who work in natural language processing, human–robot interaction, and robotic manipulation. In addition to serving as a rich corpus of domain-specific language, it provides a benchmark of image–instruction pairs to be used in system evaluations and uncovers inherent challenges in tabletop object specification. Example code is provided for easy access via Python. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cortisol awakening response (CAR) has been associated with depression and a broader range of internalizing problems. Emerging adulthood is characterized by numerous stressful transitional life events. Furthermore, the functioning of the neurobiological stress system changes across development. These considerations underscore the importance of evaluating the physiological stress system in emerging adults in identifying the extent to which cortisol levels vary with risk and protective factors for mental health. The present study evaluated the association between internalizing symptoms and perceived life satisfaction with CAR in 32 young adults. Three saliva samples were collected to measure cortisol levels upon awakening and participants completed the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Results show a significant positive correlation between area under the curve for CAR with internalizing symptoms (DASS total) and the DASS-depression subscale, but not with life satisfaction. Study limitations, implications, and future directions for these finding were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen is the most abundant chemical element in the universe, and has been used as an inert gas for a long time. More recent studies have shown that molecular hydrogen as a kind of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptosis, gene expression and signal modulation molecule, can be used for the treatment of many diseases. This review mainly focuses on the research progresses of hydrogen in various medical fields and the possible action mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]