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Abstract Aberrant glucose metabolism is a characteristic of bladder cancer. Hyperglycemia contributes to the development and progression of bladder cancer. However, the underlying mechanism by which hyperglycemia promotes the aggressiveness of cancers, especially bladder cancer, is still incompletely understood. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is a kind of methylation modification occurring at the N6 position of adenosine that is important for the pathogenesis of urological tumors. Recently, it was found that the m6A reader YTHDC1 is regulated by high-glucose conditions. In our study, we revealed that YTHDC1 is not only regulated by high-glucose conditions but is also downregulated in bladder cancer tissue and associated with the prognosis of cancer. We also showed that YTHDC1 suppresses the malignant progression of and the glycolytic process in bladder cancer cells in an m6A-dependent manner and determined that this effect is partially mediated by GLUT3. Moreover, GLUT3 was found to destabilize YTHDC1 by upregulating RNF183 expression. In summary, we identified a novel YTHDC1/GLUT3/RNF183 feedback loop that regulates disease progression and glucose metabolism in bladder cancer. Collectively, this study provides new insight regarding the pathogenesis of bladder cancer under hyperglycemic conditions and might reveal ideal candidates for the development of drugs for bladder cancer.

Abstract Background DNA methylation played a crucial role in the pathogenesis of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). However, genome-wide DNA methylation analysis has not been applied thus far. The present study aimed to provide the first DNA methylation profiling for ITP. Methods Peripheral blood CD4+ T lymphocytes samples were collected from 4 primary refractory ITP cases and 4 age-matched healthy controls, and DNA methylome profiling was performed using Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip. Differentially methylated CpG sites were further validated in another independent cohort of 10 ITP patients and 10 healthy controls using qRT-PCR. Results The DNA methylome profiling identified a total of 260 differentially methylated CpG sites mapping to 72 hypermethylated and 64 hypomethylated genes. These genes were mainly enriched in the actin nucleation of the Arp2/3 complex, vesicle transport, histone H3-K36 demethylation, Th1 and Th2 cell differentiation, and Notch signaling pathway according to the GO and KEGG databases. The mRNA expression of CASP9, C1orf109, and AMD1 were significantly different. Conclusions Given the altered DNA methylation profiling of ITP, our study provides new insights into its genetic mechanism and suggests candidate biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of ITP.

The internal flow of a pump turbine is unstable in part-load pump mode for small guide-vane openings, and the strong vibration caused by pressure pulsation is related to the safe and stable operation of the unit. A pump turbine with a six-splitter-blade runner was chosen for unsteady simulation analyses. A standard k-epsilon turbulence model was adopted to study the unsteady flow and pressure pulsation in part-load pump mode. The predicted results show that the flow in the draft tube and the runner with splitter blades was relatively stable and the flow of the blade-to-blade channel was symmetrical. When the inlet and outlet velocity distribution of the vanes was not uniform, a vortex began to form in the stay-vane domain. The reason for this vortex formation is explained, and it is pointed out that the existence of the vortex and backflow leads to uneven velocity distribution. The unsteady calculation results showed that the pressure-pulsation peak-to-peak amplitudes in the vaneless area and guide vanes were much higher than those of other monitor points because of rotor–stator interference between the rotating runner and the vanes. In addition, the pulsation characteristics of the monitor points at different circumferential positions in the vaneless region were quite different. In the vaneless area, the velocity gradient along the circumferential direction was very large, and there was a phenomenon of backflow. Also, the pressure pulsation was 0.2 times that of the runner rotational frequency, and the blade-passing frequency was a third-order frequency. At the outlet of the guide vane, the pressure pulsation was mainly of a low frequency with a complex vortex flow. Finally, the pressure pulsation began to decrease rapidly in the stay-vane region.

Ribonuclease P (RNase P) complexed with an external guide sequence (EGS) represents a promising nucleic acid-based gene targeting approach for gene expression knock-down and modulation. The RNase P-EGS strategy is unique as an EGS can be designed to basepair any mRNA sequence and recruit intracellular RNase P for hydrolysis of the target mRNA. In this study, we provide the first direct evidence that the RNase P-based approach effectively blocks the gene expression and replication of herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2), the causative agent of genital herpes. We constructed EGSs to target the mRNA encoding HSV-2 single-stranded DNA binding protein ICP8, which is essential for viral DNA genome replication and growth. In HSV-2 infected cells expressing a functional EGS, ICP8 levels were reduced by 85%, and viral growth decreased by 3000 folds. On the contrary, ICP8 expression and viral growth exhibited no substantial differences between cells expressing no EGS and those expressing a disabled EGS with mutations precluding RNase P recognition. The anti-ICP8 EGS is specific in targeting ICP8 because it only affects ICP8 expression but does not affect the expression of the other viral immediate-early and early genes examined. This study shows the effective and specific anti-HSV-2 activity of the RNase P-EGS approach and demonstrates the potential of EGS RNAs for anti-HSV-2 applications.

Crop rotation aims to improve the sustainability and production efficiency of agricultural ecosystems, especially as demands for food and energy continue to increase. However, the regulation of soil microbial communities using crop rotation with oilseed flax and its relationship with key soil physicochemical driving factors are still not clear. In order to investigate this matter, we carried out a field study lasting four years involving various crop rotation sequences including FWPF, FPFW, PFWF, FWFP, ContF, and ContF1. In addition to evaluating soil physicochemical parameters, we employed Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology to explore the structure and variety of soil microbial communities. The findings indicated a notable rise in pH value with the FPFW treatment in contrast to other treatments, along with significant increases in AP, MBC, MBN, and qSMBC compared to ContF. The number of OTUs in the FPFW, WFPF, FPFW, and PFWF treatments was significantly increased by 4.10–11.11% compared to ContF (p < 0.05). The presence of Actinobacteria and Acidobacteria was greatly impacted by the FPFW treatment, whereas the presence of Actinobacteria and Chloroflexi was notably influenced by the ContF treatment. The soil bacterial community was primarily influenced by TC, pH, and NO3−-N according to correlation analysis. Specifically, the FPFW therapy notably raised the soil pH level while lowering the TC level. Furthermore, the FPFW therapy led to a notable rise in the proportion of Acidobacteria and a significant decline in the proportion of Actinobacteria. These findings provide important theoretical support for using FPFW rotation to regulate soil microbial communities and solve the problems of continuous cropping.

Developing novel antiviral agents and approaches is essential for the treatment against human and zoonotic viruses. We had previously produced RNase P-based ribozyme variants capable of efficiently cleaving mRNA in vitro. Here, engineered ribozymes were constructed from an RNase P ribozyme variant to target the mRNA encoding human CC-chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5), an HIV co-receptor. The constructed ribozyme efficiently cleaved the CCR5 mRNA in vitro. In cells expressing the engineered ribozyme, CCR5 expression diminished by more than 90% and the infection of HIV (R5 strain Ba-L) decreased by 200-fold. The ribozyme-expressing cells resistant to R5 strain Ba-L still supported the infection of HIV X4 strain IIIB due to its use of CXCR4 instead of CCR5 as the co-receptor. Thus, the ribozyme is specific against CCR5 but not CXCR4. This indicates that RNase P ribozyme is effective and specific against CCR5 to diminish HIV infection, and also displays the viability of developing engineered RNase P ribozymes against human and zoonotic viruses.

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of automatic cephalometric landmark localization and measurements using cephalometric analysis via artificial intelligence (AI) compared with computer-assisted manual analysis. Methods Reconstructed lateral cephalograms (RLCs) from cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in 85 patients were selected. Computer-assisted manual analysis (Dolphin Imaging 11.9) and AI automatic analysis (Planmeca Romexis 6.2) were used to locate 19 landmarks and obtain 23 measurements. Mean radial error (MRE) and successful detection rate (SDR) values were calculated to assess the accuracy of automatic landmark digitization. Paired t tests and Bland‒Altman plots were used to compare the differences and consistencies in cephalometric measurements between manual and automatic analysis programs. Results The MRE for 19 cephalometric landmarks was 2.07 ± 1.35 mm with the automatic program. The average SDR within 1 mm, 2 mm, 2.5 mm, 3 and 4 mm were 18.82%, 58.58%, 71.70%, 82.04% and 91.39%, respectively. Soft tissue landmarks (1.54 ± 0.85 mm) had the most consistency, while dental landmarks (2.37 ± 1.55 mm) had the most variation. In total, 15 out of 23 measurements were within the clinically acceptable level of accuracy, 2 mm or 2°. The rates of consistency within the 95% limits of agreement were all above 90% for all measurement parameters. Conclusion Automatic analysis software collects cephalometric measurements almost effectively enough to be acceptable in clinical work. Nevertheless, automatic cephalometry is not capable of completely replacing manual tracing. Additional manual supervision and adjustment for automatic programs can increase accuracy and efficiency.

Abstract Background Orthodontic tooth movement (OTM), a process of alveolar bone remodelling, is induced by mechanical force and regulated by local inflammation. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) play a fundamental role in osteogenesis during OTM. Macrophages are mechanosensitive cells that can regulate local inflammatory microenvironment and promote BMSCs osteogenesis by secreting diverse mediators. However, whether and how mechanical force regulates osteogenesis during OTM via macrophage-derived exosomes remains elusive. Results Mechanical stimulation (MS) promoted bone marrow-derived macrophage (BMDM)-mediated BMSCs osteogenesis. Importantly, when exosomes from mechanically stimulated BMDMs (MS-BMDM-EXOs) were blocked, the pro-osteogenic effect was suppressed. Additionally, compared with exosomes derived from BMDMs (BMDM-EXOs), MS-BMDM-EXOs exhibited a stronger ability to enhance BMSCs osteogenesis. At in vivo, mechanical force-induced alveolar bone formation was impaired during OTM when exosomes were blocked, and MS-BMDM-EXOs were more effective in promoting alveolar bone formation than BMDM-EXOs. Further proteomic analysis revealed that ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase isozyme L3 (UCHL3) was enriched in MS-BMDM-EXOs compared with BMDM-EXOs. We went on to show that BMSCs osteogenesis and mechanical force-induced bone formation were impaired when UCHL3 was inhibited. Furthermore, mothers against decapentaplegic homologue 1 (SMAD1) was identified as the target protein of UCHL3. At the mechanistic level, we showed that SMAD1 interacted with UCHL3 in BMSCs and was downregulated when UCHL3 was suppressed. Consistently, overexpression of SMAD1 rescued the adverse effect of inhibiting UCHL3 on BMSCs osteogenesis. Conclusions This study suggests that mechanical force-induced macrophage-derived exosomal UCHL3 promotes BMSCs osteogenesis by targeting SMAD1, thereby promoting alveolar bone formation during OTM. Graphical Abstract

Abstract The development of hydrogel‐based underwater electronics has gained significant attention due to their flexibility and portability compared to conventional rigid devices. However, common hydrogels face challenges such as swelling and poor underwater adhesion, limiting their practicality in water environments. Here, a water‐induced phase separation strategy to fabricate hydrogels with enhanced anti‐swelling properties and underwater adhesion is presented. By leveraging the contrasting affinity of different polymer chains to water, a phase‐separated structure with rich hydrophobic and dilute hydrophilic polymer phases is achieved. This dual‐phase structure, meticulously characterized from the macroscopic to the nanoscale, confers the hydrogel network with augmented retractive elastic forces and facilitates efficient water drainage at the gel‐substrate interface. As a result, the hydrogel exhibits remarkable swelling resistance and long‐lasting adhesion to diverse substrates. Additionally, the integration of carboxylic multiwalled carbon nanotubes into the hydrogel system preserves its anti‐swelling and adhesion properties while imparting superior conductivity. The conductive phase‐separated hydrogel exhibited great potential in diverse underwater applications, including sensing, communication, and energy harvesting. This study elucidates a facile strategy for designing anti‐swelling underwater adhesives by leveraging the ambient solvent effect, which is expected to offer some insights for the development of next‐generation adhesive soft materials tailored for aqueous environments.

Abstract Background The severity assessment of lumbar disc herniation (LDH) on MR images is crucial for selecting suitable surgical candidates. However, the interpretation of MR images is time‐consuming and requires repetitive work. This study aims to develop and evaluate a deep learning‐based diagnostic model for automated LDH detection and classification on lumbar axial T2‐weighted MR images. Methods A total of 1115 patients were analyzed in this retrospective study; both a development dataset (1015 patients, 15 249 images) and an external test dataset (100 patients, 1273 images) were utilized. According to the Michigan State University (MSU) classification criterion, experts labeled all images with consensus, and the final labeled results were regarded as the reference standard. The automated diagnostic model comprised Faster R‐CNN and ResNeXt101 as the detection and classification network, respectively. The deep learning‐based diagnostic performance was evaluated by calculating mean intersection over union (IoU), accuracy, precision, sensitivity, specificity, F1 score, the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC), and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results High detection consistency was obtained in the internal test dataset (mean IoU = 0.82, precision = 98.4%, sensitivity = 99.4%) and external test dataset (mean IoU = 0.70, precision = 96.3%, sensitivity = 97.8%). Overall accuracy for LDH classification was 87.70% (95% CI: 86.59%–88.86%) and 74.23% (95% CI: 71.83%–76.75%) in the internal and external test datasets, respectively. For internal testing, the proposed model achieved a high agreement in classification (ICC = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.86–0.88, P

River and reservoir bacterial communities are the most basic part of river biomes and ecosystem structure, and play an important role in river biological processes. Yet, it remains unclear how highly regulated dam reservoirs affect both soil and sediment bacterial communities. A temporal distribution pattern of bacterial communities was investigated using Illumina MiSeq sequencing in a transition section of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR). In total, 106,682 features belong to the bacteria kingdom, encompassing 95 phyla, 228 classes, 514 orders, 871 families, 1959 genera, and 3,053 species. With water level regulation, Shannon diversity index, and observed species differed significantly, with no significant difference in Simpson evenness. Both in the high water level period (October) and the low water level period (June), Proteobacteria, Acidobacteri, and Chloroflexi were the most abundant phyla. Whereas, based on PCA plots and Circos plot, the microbial community structure has changed significantly. LEfSe method was used to identify the classified bacterial taxa with significant abundance differences between the low water level and high water level periods. KOs (KEGG Orthology) pathway enrichment analysis were conducted to investigate functional and related metabolic pathways in groups. To some extent, it can be inferred that water level regulation affects community growth by affecting the metabolism of the microbial community.

Abstract Background Very low-coverage (0.1 to 1×) whole genome sequencing (WGS) has become a promising and affordable approach to discover genomic variants of human populations for genome-wide association study (GWAS). To support genetic screening using preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) in a large population, the sequencing coverage goes below 0.1× to an ultra-low level. However, the feasibility and effectiveness of ultra-low-coverage WGS (ulcWGS) for GWAS remains undetermined. Methods We built a pipeline to carry out analysis of ulcWGS data for GWAS. To examine its effectiveness, we benchmarked the accuracy of genotype imputation at the combination of different coverages below 0.1× and sample sizes from 2000 to 16,000, using 17,844 embryo PGT samples with approximately 0.04× average coverage and the standard Chinese sample HG005 with known genotypes. We then applied the imputed genotypes of 1744 transferred embryos who have gestational ages and complete follow-up records to GWAS. Results The accuracy of genotype imputation under ultra-low coverage can be improved by increasing the sample size and applying a set of filters. From 1744 born embryos, we identified 11 genomic risk loci associated with gestational ages and 166 genes mapped to these loci according to positional, expression quantitative trait locus, and chromatin interaction strategies. Among these mapped genes, CRHBP, ICAM1, and OXTR were more frequently reported as preterm birth related. By joint analysis of gene expression data from previous studies, we constructed interrelationships of mainly CRHBP, ICAM1, PLAGL1, DNMT1, CNTLN, DKK1, and EGR2 with preterm birth, infant disease, and breast cancer. Conclusions This study not only demonstrates that ulcWGS could achieve relatively high accuracy of adequate genotype imputation and is capable of GWAS, but also provides insights into the associations between gestational age and genetic variations of the fetal embryos from Chinese population.

Phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors can improve sperm motility in patients with asthenozoospermia. However, the most commonly reported nonselective PDE inhibitor pentoxifylline and PDE5 inhibitor sildenafil have the disadvantages of requiring a high concentration and destroying sperm integrity. We examined the PDE10A inhibitor PF-2545920 to compare its ability to promote sperm motility with that of pentoxifylline and sildenafil. After seminal plasma was discarded, several semen samples were subjected to four treatments (control, PF-2545920, pentoxifylline, and sildenafil) to evaluate their ability to affect motility, viability, and spontaneous acrosome reactions. Intracellular calcium and adenosine triphosphate (ATP), mitochondrial membrane potential, and penetration through viscous medium were assessed by flow cytometry, luciferase, and hyaluronic acid after treatment with PF-2545920. Statistical analyses were performed using the analysis of variance statistical test. PF-2545920 elevated the percentage of motile spermatozoa compared to the control, pentoxifylline, and sildenafil groups at 10 μmol l−1 (P < 0.01). It is less toxic to GC-2spd mouse spermatocytes cells and spermatozoa and causes fewer spontaneous acrosomal reactions (P < 0.05). PF-2545920 also increased mitochondrial membrane potential (P < 0.001) and altered intracellular calcium (P < 0.05) in a dose-dependent manner, including increasing sperm hyaluronic acid penetrating ability (P < 0.05). Therefore, PF-2545920 might be an excellent choice for stimulating the sperm motility.

Abstract Background Different countries have differences in social and cultural context and health system, which may affect the clinical characteristics of psychiatric inpatients. This study was the first to compare cross-cultural differences in the clinical characteristics of psychiatric inpatients in three hospitals from Western China and America. Methods Overall, 905 and 1318 patients from three hospitals, one in America and two in Western China, respectively, were included. We used a standardised protocol and data collection procedure to record inpatients’ sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Results Significant differences were found between hospitals from the two countries. Positive symptoms were the main reason for admission in the Chinese hospitals, while reported suicide and self-injury symptoms more frequently led to hospital admission in America. Moreover, there were more inpatients with combined substance abuse in the American hospital (97.6% vs. 1.9%, P

Abstract Cancer immunotherapy has shown promising therapeutic results in the clinic, albeit only in a limited number of cancer types, and its efficacy remains less than satisfactory. Nanoparticle-based approaches have been shown to increase the response to immunotherapies to address this limitation. In particular, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) as a powerful manipulator are an appealing option for comprehensively regulating the immune system in vivo due to their unique magnetically responsive properties and high biocompatibility. This review focuses on assessing the potential applications of MNPs in enhancing tumor accumulation of immunotherapeutic agents and immunogenicity, improving immune cell infiltration, and creating an immunotherapy-sensitive environment. We summarize recent progress in the application of MNP-based manipulators to augment the efficacy of immunotherapy, by MNPs and their multiple magnetically responsive effects under different types of external magnetic field. Furthermore, we highlight the mechanisms underlying the promotion of antitumor immunity, including magnetically actuated delivery and controlled release of immunotherapeutic agents, tracking and visualization of immune response in real time, and magnetic regulation of innate/adaptive immune cells. Finally, we consider perspectives and challenges in MNP-based immunotherapy.

Abstract To accumulate evidence of the phylogeny of Mileewinae and the relationships among Mileewa, Processina, and Ujna genera, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genomes of four Mileewa spp., namely, Mileewa mira, Mileewa lamellata, Mileewa sharpa, and Mileewa amplimacula. The first complete mitogenome of the genus Processina (P. sexmaculata), established by Yang, Deitz & Li from China and comprising five species, was also sequenced in this study. Annotation showed that the five mitogenomes were 14787 –15436 bp in length, and all harbored 37 typical genes. The AT content of the five mitogenomes ranged from 78.3% to 80.2%, which was similar to that of other sequenced Mileewinae species. For protein-coding genes (PCGs), ATN was the start codon, while atp8 and nad5 genes were initiated with TTG, and a great majority of them used TAA or TAG as stop codons, whereas cox2 and nad1 ended with an incomplete codon T–. All tRNAs had a typical cloverleaf secondary structure, except for trnS1, which had a reduced dihydrouridine arm. We further used 59 Membracoidea species and two outgroups to reconstruct phylogenetic trees based on 13 PCGs under an independent partition model with Bayesian inference and Maximum-likelihood methods. Among these two trees, each of the subfamilies Cicadellinae, Typhlocybinae, and Mileewinae were recovered as a monophyletic group with high support values, suggesting that Typhlocybinae was more ancient than Mileewinae and Cicadellinae. Within the Mileewinae subfamily, all species maintained the same relationships and topologies according to both the BI and ML analyses (PP > 0.8, BS > 83) as follows: (M. sharpa + (U. puerana + ((M. ponta + (M. mira + M. lamellata)) + ((M. albovittata + (M. margheritae + M. amplimacula)) + (M. rufivena + (P. sexmaculata + M. alara)))))), and the monophyly of the genera Processina, Mileewa and Ujna were not supported. This study further enriches the Mileewinae mitogenome database and will contribute to future research on the systematics, evolution, and classification of this group.

Equine coronavirus (ECoV) was first identified in the USA and has been previously described in several countries. In order to test the presence of ECoV in China, we collected 51 small intestinal samples from donkey foals with diarrhoea from a donkey farm in Shandong Province, China between August 2020 and April 2021. Two samples tested positive for ECoV and full-length genome sequences were successfully obtained using next-generation sequencing, one of which was further confirmed by Sanger sequencing. The two strains shared 100% sequence identity at the scale of whole genome. Bioinformatics analyses further showed that the two Chinese strains represent a novel genetic variant of ECoV and shared the highest sequence identity of 97.05% with the first identified ECoV strain – NC99. In addition, it may be a recombinant, with the recombination region around the NS2 gene. To our knowledge, this is the first documented report of ECoV in China, highlighting its risk to horse/donkey breeding. In addition, its potential risk to public health also warrants further investigation.

In order to understand the mechanism of action of oil and fatty acid accumulation and desaturase gene expression in how oilseed flax responds to different fertilization conditions, a three-factor split-plot experiment was conducted to investigate the accumulation trends of oil and fatty acids. The results revealed that soluble sugar (SS) and sucrose (SUC) contents decreased, and the starch (ST) content increased gradually with the grain development and maturity of oilseed flax. The application of sheep manure promoted the accumulation of nonstructural carbohydrates in the grains. Soluble sugar (SS) and sucrose (SUC) contents were negatively correlated with the oil content. Compared with chemical fertilizer, organic manure decreased the total saturated fatty acid but increased the unsaturated fatty acid. Organic manure significantly upregulated the expression of various genes, and fad2a gene expression was higher with the 5.8 t ha−1 chicken manure treatment. The 25 t ha−1 sheep manure treatment was more conducive to the expression of fad3a and fad3b genes and promoted the accumulation of linolenic acid (LIN), and the LIN content increased by 0.64–3.90% compared with other treatments. Consequently, an ongoing anthropogenic sheep manure input may impact the regulation of grain oil quality and yield per unit area.

Various crop rotation patterns can result in differences in nutrient consumption and the accumulation of toxic substances in the soil, indirectly impacting the soil environment and its nutrient supply capacity. Implementing optimized crop planting practices is beneficial for maintaining the favorable physical and chemical properties of farmland soil in the arid area of northwestern China. This study aimed to establish a crop rotation pattern to improve key enzyme activities and soil nitrogen conversion efficiency, as well as understand the underlying mechanism for enhancing nitrogen supply capacity. A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of four flax planting patterns, which included 13 crop rotation patterns with different crop frequencies: 100% Flax (Cont F), 50% Flax (I) (WFPF, FPFW, PFWF, FWFP), 50% Flax (II) (FWPF, WPFF, PFFW, FFWP), 25% Flax (WPWF, PWFW, WFWP, FWPW), on the key enzyme activities and the rate of soil nitrogen conversion, as well as the nitrogen supply capacity. Here, F, P, and W represent oilseed flax, potato, and wheat, respectively. The results indicated that the wheat stubble significantly increased the intensity of soil ammonification and denitrification before planting. Additionally, the activity levels of soil nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase under wheat stubble were significantly increased by 66.67% to 104.55%, while soil urease activity significantly decreased by 27.27–133.33% under wheat stubble compared to other stubbles. After harvest, the activities of soil nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase under the wheat stubble decreased significantly, and the intensity of soil ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification reduced significantly by 7.83–27.72%. The WFWP and FWFP treatments led to a significant increase in soil nitrogen fixation intensity under various crop rotations after harvest and significantly increased the levels of inorganic nitrogen in the soil before the planting of the next crop. This study suggests that the long-term rotation planting patterns WFWP and FWFP can significantly enhance the key enzyme activities of soil nitrogen conversion and significantly improve soil nitrogen conversion before crop sowing. This may increase the rate of soil nitrogen transfer and raise the available nitrogen content of the soil. These findings are crucial for reducing soil nitrogen loss and improving soil nitrogen nutrient supply capacity in dry areas of the Loess Plateau of China.

The timely identification of rail internal defects and the application of corresponding preventive measures would greatly reduce catastrophic failures, such as rail breakage. Ultrasonic rail defect detection is the current mainstream rail defect detection method thanks to its advantages of strong penetration, high accuracy, and ease to deploy. The 2D B-scan image output by ultrasonic detectors contains rich features of defects; however, rail engineers manually identify and localize the defect image, which can be time-consuming, and the image may be subject to missing identification or mistakes. This paper adopted state-of-the-art deep learning algorithms for novel B-scan images for the automatic identification and localization of rail internal tracks. First, through image pre-processing of classification, denoising, and augmentation, four categories of defect image datasets were established, namely crescent-shaped fatigue cracks, fishbolt hole cracks, rail web cracks, and rail base transverse cracks; then, four representatives of deep learning object detection networks, YOLOv8, YOLOv5, DETR, and Faster R-CNN, were trained with the defects dataset and further applied to the testing dataset for defect identification; finally, the performances of the three detection networks were compared and evaluated at the data level, the network structure level, and the interference adaptability level, respectively. The results show that the YOLOv8 network can effectively classify and localize four categories of internal rail defects in B-scan images with a 93.3% mean average precision at three images per second, and the detection time is 58.9%, 376.8%, and 123.2% faster than YOLO v5, DETR, and Faster R-CNN, respectively. The proposed approach could ensure the real-time, accurate, and efficient detection and analysis of internal defects to a rail.

The resonant magnetoelectric (ME) effect of Fe78Si9B13/Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (FeSiB/PZT) composites with a surface-modified Fe78Si9B13 amorphous alloy has been studied. The surface-modified FeSiB can improve the ME coefficient at the resonant frequency by optimizing the magnetomechancial power conversion efficiency. The maximum ME coefficient of the surface-modified ribbons combined with soft PZT (PZT5) is two-thirds larger than that of the composites with fully amorphous ribbons. Meanwhile, the maximum value of the ME coefficient with surface-modified FeSiB ribbons and hard PZT (PZT8) is one-third higher compared with the fully amorphous composites. In addition, experimental results of magnetomechanical coupling properties of FeSiB/PZT composites with or without piezoelectric layers indicate that the power efficiency of the composites first decreases and then increases with the increase in the number of FeSiB layers. When the surface crystalline FeSiB ribbons are combined with a commercially available hard piezoelectric ceramic plate, the maximum magnetoelectric coupling coefficient of the ME composite reaches 5522 V/(Oe*cm), of which the electromechanical resonant frequency is 23.89 kHz.

Depressive emotion (DE) refers to clinically relevant depressive symptoms without meeting the diagnostic criteria for depression. Studies have demonstrated that DE can cause spatial cognition impairment. However, the brain network mechanisms underlying DE interference spatial cognition remain unclear. This study aimed to reveal the differences in brain network connections between DE and healthy control (HC) groups during resting state and a spatial cognition task. The longer operation time of the DE group during spatial cognition task indicated DE interference spatial cognition. In the resting state stage, the DE group had weaker network connections in theta and alpha bands than the HC group had. Specifically, the electrodes in parietal regions were hubs of the differential networks, which are related to spatial attention. Moreover, in docking task stages, the left frontoparietal network connections in delta, beta, and gamma bands were stronger in the DE group than those of the HC group. The enhanced left frontoparietal connections in the DE group may be related to brain resource reorganization to compensate for spatial cognition decline and ensure the completion of spatial cognition tasks. Thus, these findings might provide new insights into the neural mechanisms of depressive emotion interference spatial cognition.

Deep neural networks (DNNs) have been shown to be susceptible to critical vulnerabilities when attacked by adversarial samples. This has prompted the development of attack and defense strategies similar to those used in cyberspace security. The dependence of such strategies on attack and defense mechanisms makes the associated algorithms on both sides appear as closely processes, with the defense method being particularly passive in these processes. Inspired by the dynamic defense approach proposed in cyberspace to address endless arm races, this article defines ensemble quantity, network structure, and smoothing parameters as variable ensemble attributes and proposes a stochastic ensemble strategy based on heterogeneous and redundant sub-models. The proposed method introduces the diversity and randomness characteristic of deep neural networks to alter the fixed correspondence gradient between input and output. The unpredictability and diversity of the gradients make it more difficult for attackers to directly implement white-box attacks, helping to address the extreme transferability and vulnerability of ensemble models under white-box attacks. Experimental comparison of ASR-vs.-distortion curves with different attack scenarios under CIFAR10 preliminarily demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed method that even the highest-capacity attacker cannot easily outperform the attack success rate associated with the ensemble smoothed model, especially for untargeted attacks.

BackgroundIntermittent energy restriction (IER) is an effective weight loss strategy. However, the accompanying changes in spontaneous neural activity are unclear, and the relationship among anthropometric measurements, biochemical indicators, and adipokines remains ambiguous.MethodsThirty-five obese adults were recruited and received a 2-month IER intervention. Data were collected from anthropometric measurements, blood samples, and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging at four time points. The regional homogeneity (ReHo) method was used to explore the effects of the IER intervention. The relationships between the ReHo values of altered brain regions and changes in anthropometric measurements, biochemical indicators, and adipokines (leptin and adiponectin) were analyzed.ResultsResults showed that IER significantly improved anthropometric measurements, biochemical indicators, and adipokine levels in the successful weight loss group. The IER intervention for weight loss was associated with a significant increase in ReHo in the bilateral lingual gyrus, left calcarine, and left postcentral gyrus and a significant decrease in the right middle temporal gyrus and right cerebellum (VIII). Follow-up analyses showed that the increase in ReHo values in the right LG had a significant positive correlation with a reduction in Three-factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ)-disinhibition and a significant negative correlation with an increase in TFEQ-cognitive control. Furthermore, the increase in ReHo values in the left calcarine had a significant positive correlation with the reduction in TFEQ-disinhibition. However, no significant difference in ReHo was observed in the failed weight loss group.ConclusionOur study provides objective evidence that the IER intervention reshaped the ReHo of some brain regions in obese individuals, accompanied with improved anthropometric measurements, biochemical indicators, and adipokines. These results illustrated that the IER intervention for weight loss may act by decreasing the motivational drive to eat, reducing reward responses to food cues, and repairing damaged food-related self-control processes. These findings enhance our understanding of the neurobiological basis of IER for weight loss in obesity.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of applying digital technology in orthodontic learning, students' new skills and satisfaction towards it. Methods: In total, 94 undergraduates of stomatology were recruited and randomly allocated to two groups. According to the cross-over design, both groups completed cephalometric measurements through the traditional hand-drawn method and digital technology (the Dolphin software) in different orders. By traditional hand-drawn method, students need to depict the outlines of the craniofacial anatomical structures on the sulfuric transfer paper first, then marked the measurement points and completed the measurement of line spacings and angles. By digital technology, they should mark the points in the software and adjust the automatically generated outlines of the structures and obtained the results. Besides, an online questionnaire was designed to investigate students' attitudes toward the digital technology. Two professional orthodontists were invited as instructors. They measured a lateral cranial radiograph by two methods with one week’s interval, and their intra- and inter-class correlation coefficient were measured. The means of their measurements were set as standards. Results: The inter- and intra-ICC of two instructors surpassed 90%, and there were no significant differences between their measurements, and the measurements by two methods. There were significant differences of students’ measurements (P 1-SNA

Abstract Background According to the Global Cancer Statistics in 2020, the incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer (CRC) rank third and second among all tumors. The disturbance of ubiquitination plays an important role in the initiation and development of CRC, but the ubiquitinome of CRC cells and the survival-relevant ubiquitination are poorly understood. Methods The ubiquitinome of CRC patients (n = 6) was characterized using our own data sets of proteomic and ubiquitin-proteomic examinations. Then, the probable survival-relevant ubiquitination was searched based on the analyses of data sets from public databases. Results For the ubiquitinomic examination, we identified 1690 quantifiable sites and 870 quantifiable proteins. We found that the highly-ubiquitinated proteins (n ≥ 10) were specifically involved in the biological processes such as G-protein coupling, glycoprotein coupling, and antigen presentation. Also, we depicted five motif sequences frequently recognized by ubiquitin. Subsequently, we revealed that the ubiquitination content of 1172 proteins were up-regulated and 1700 proteins were down-regulated in CRC cells versus normal adjacent cells. We demonstrated that the differentially ubiquitinated proteins were relevant to the pathways including metabolism, immune regulation, and telomere maintenance. Then, integrated with the proteomic datasets from the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) (n = 98), we revealed that the increased ubiquitination of FOCAD at Lys583 and Lys587 was potentially associated with patient survival. Finally, we depicted the mutation map of FOCAD and elucidated its potential functions on RNA localization and translation in CRC. Conclusions The findings of this study described the ubiquitinome of CRC cells and identified abnormal ubiquitination(s) potentially affecting the patient survival, thereby offering new probable opportunities for clinical treatment.

Abstract Aims To investigate the proportion and risk factors of diabetic retinopathy (DR) by stages in less-developed rural areas in Hunan Province of China. Background DR is common among people with diabetes but not well recognized in less-developed rural areas. There is insufficient evidence on the risk factors of DR by stages, making it challenging to develop targeted prevention and intervention programs for DR in primary care settings. Methods A multi-site cross-sectional survey was conducted among people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) from four less-developed counties in Hunan Province of China. All participants underwent the screening of DR via digital fundus photography and completed self-reported questionnaires on their socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, diabetes self-efficacy, diabetes self-care behaviors, social support, family function, and health service accessibility. The multinomial logistic regression models were employed to explore the risk factors of DR by stage, which were selected based on the socio-ecological model, literature, and clinical experience. Results A total of 196 participants were included in this study with an average age of 57.43 ± 10.26. 59.6% (117/196) of the participants were identified as DR, including 37.2% (73/196) non-proliferative DR and 22.4% (44/196) proliferative DR. Compared to the non-DR group, the risk factors of non-proliferative DR and proliferative DR were diabetes duration (OR: 1.10, 95 CI%: 1.04–1.17; OR: 1.14, 95 CI% 1.06–1.22) and self-monitoring of blood glucose (OR: 1.09, 95 CI% 1.01–1.17; OR: 1.11, 95 CI%: 1.02–1.20); the protective factors of non-proliferative DR was accessible complication prevention and management education (OR: 0.37, 95 CI% 0.14–0.94) while the protective factors of proliferative DR were physical activities (OR: 0.89, 95 CI%: 0.80–0.98). Compared to the non-proliferative DR group, the protective factors of proliferative DR were physical activities (OR: 0.89, 95 CI% 0.02–0.89) and family function (OR: 0.84, 95 CI%: 0.04–0.84). Conclusion DR was prevalent among people with T2DM in less-developed rural areas, indicating the need of strengthening DR screening. Risk factors of DR varied by stage while sharing some common factors. Future DR prevention and intervention programs may benefit from improving these factors to reduce the risk of DR by stage.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to analyze the changes in structure and function in amygdala sub-regions in patients with postpartum depression (PPD) before and after acupuncture.MethodsA total of 52 patients with PPD (All-PPD group) were included in this trial, 22 of which completed 8 weeks of acupuncture treatment (Acu-PPD group). An age-matched control group of 24 healthy postpartum women (HPW) from the hospital and community were also included. Results from the 17-Hamilton Depression Scale (17-HAMD) and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) were evaluated, and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scans were performed at baseline and after the acupuncture treatment. Sub-regions of the amygdala were used as seed regions to measure gray matter volume (GMV) and analyzed for resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) values separately. Finally, correlation analyses were performed on all patients with PPD to evaluate association values between the clinical scale scores, GMV, and RSFC values, while controlling for age and education. Pearson's correlation analyses were conducted to investigate the relevance between GMV and RSFC values of brain regions that differed before and after acupuncture treatment and clinical scale scores in Acu-PPD patients.ResultsThe HAMD scores for Acu-PPD were reduced after acupuncture treatment (P < 0.05), suggesting the positive effects of acupuncture on depression symptoms. Structurally, the All-PPD group showed significantly decreased GMV in the left lateral part of the amygdala (lAMG.L) and the right lateral part of the amygdala (lAMG.R) compared to the HPW group (P < 0.05). In addition, the GMV of lAMG.R was marginally increased in the Acu-PPD group after acupuncture (P < 0.05). Functionally, the Acu-PPD group showed a significantly enhanced RSFC between the left medial part of the amygdala (mAMG.L) and the left vermis_6, an increased RSFC between the right medial part of the amygdala (mAMG.R) and left vermis_6, and an increased RSFC between the lAMG.R and left cerebelum_crus1 (P < 0.05). Moreover, correlation studies revealed that the GMV in the lAMG.R was significantly related to the EPDS scores in the All-PPD group (P < 0.05).ConclusionOur findings demonstrated that the structure of amygdala sub-regions is impaired in patients with PPD. Acupuncture may improve depressive symptoms in patients with PPD, and the mechanism may be attributed to changes in the amygdala sub-region structure and the functional connections of brain areas linked to the processing of negative emotions. The fMRI-based technique can provide comprehensive neuroimaging evidence to visualize the central mechanism of action of acupuncture in PPD.

ObjectivesTigecycline is recognized as one of the last-line antibiotics to treat serious bacterial infection caused by carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP). The plasmid-borne gene tet(X4) mediates high resistance to tigecycline. However, the prevalence and genetic context of tet(X4) in K. pneumoniae from various sources are not fully understood. Here, we investigated the prevalence of tet(X4)-positive K. pneumoniae and characterized the genetic context of tet(X4)-bearing plasmids in K. pneumoniae isolates.MethodsPolymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect the tet(X4) gene. The transferability of the tet(X4)-carrying plasmids was tested by conjugation assays. The Galleria mellonella infection model was used to test virulence of tet(X4)-positive strains. Whole-genome sequencing and genome-wide analysis were performed to identify the antimicrobial resistance and the virulence genes, and to clarify the genetic characteristics of the tet(X4)-positive isolates.ResultsAmong 921 samples, we identified two tet(X4)-positive K. pneumoniae strains collected from nasal swabs of two pigs (0.22%, 2/921). The two tet(X4)-positive isolates exhibited high minimum inhibitory concentrations to tigecycline (32–256 mg/L) and tetracycline (256 mg/L). The plasmids carrying the tet(X4) gene can transfer from the donor strain K. pneumoniae to the recipient strain Escherichia coli J53. Genetic analysis of the complete sequence of two tet(X4)-carrying plasmids pTKPN_3-186k-tetX4 and pTKPN_8-216k-tetX4 disclosed that the tet(X4) gene was flanked by delta ISCR2 and IS1R, which may mediate the transmission of the tet(X4) gene.ConclusionThe prevalence of tet(X4)-positive K. pneumoniae among different sources was low. ISCR2 and IS1R may contribute to the horizontal transfer of tet(X4) gene. Effective measures should be taken to prevent the transmission of tet(X4)-producing K. pneumoniae in humans or animals.

Background Previous studies found an association between self‐reported sleep duration and mortality. This study aimed to compare the effects of objective and self‐reported sleep duration on all‐cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. Methods and Results A total of 2341 men and 2686 women (aged 63.9±11.1 years) were selected from the SHHS (Sleep Heart Health Study). Objective sleep duration was acquired using in‐home polysomnography records, and self‐reported sleep duration on weekdays and weekends was based on a sleep habits questionnaire. The sleep duration was categorized as ≤4 hours, 4 to 5 hours, 5 to 6 hours, 6 to 7 hours, 7 to 8 hours, and >8 hours. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was used to investigate the association of objective and self‐reported sleep duration with all‐cause and CVD mortality. During a mean follow‐up period of 11 years, 1172 (23.3%) participants died, including 359 (7.1%) deaths from CVD. All‐cause and CVD mortality rates decreased gradually with increasing objective sleep duration. In multivariable Cox regression analysis, the greatest association for all‐cause and CVD mortality was with an objective sleep duration of 5 hours or shorter. In addition, we found a J‐shaped association of self‐reported sleep duration on both weekdays and weekends with all‐cause and CVD mortality. Self‐reported short (≤4 hours) and long (>8 hours) sleep duration on weekdays and weekends were associated with an increased risk of all‐cause and CVD mortality compared with 7 to 8 hours sleep duration. Furthermore, a weak correlation was observed between objective and self‐reported sleep duration. Conclusions This study showed that both objective and self‐reported sleep duration were associated with all‐cause and CVD mortality, but with different characteristics. Registration URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00005275; Unique identifier: NCT00005275.

A series of novel ferulic acid derivatives were designed and synthesized, and the twenty-one compounds were evaluated for their antiviral activities against Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), and enterovirus type 71 (EV71). These derivatives with the core structure of diphenyl acrylic acids had cis-trans isomers, which were confirmed by 1H NMR, HPLC, and UV-vis spectra for the first time. The A5 had a selective effect against RSV but no work on herpes simplex virus type 1 and enterovirus type 71, which showed a therapeutic index (TI) of 32 and was significantly better than ferulic acid. The A5 had no scavenging effect on free radicals, but the A2 as the degradation of A5 showed an obvious scavenging effect on DPPH· and ABTS+·. In addition, the A5 had no toxicity to endothelial cells and even showed a proliferative effect. Therefore, the A5 is worth further optimizing its structure as a lead compound and investigating the mechanism of inhibiting Respiratory syncytial virus.

Orthodontic treatment was accompanied by the remodeling of cancellous bone in alveolar bone (CBAB), which manifested as the increase or decrease in bone mineral density (BMD). BMD is closely related to the mechanical properties of the alveolar bone. Therefore, the aim of this study was to quantify the effect of BMD on its viscoelastic behavior and to assess orthodontic forces at different BMDs. A total of nine CBAB samples were cut from the cervical, middle, and apical regions of the right mandible between canine, premolars, and molars. After scanning with micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). The BMD of samples was measured and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) was performed. Based on the fourth-order generalized Maxwell model, a viscoelastic constitutive model characterizing the BMD variation was constructed. The BMD exhibited variations within different regions of the CBAB. The storage modulus is positively correlated with BMD, and the loss modulus is negatively correlated with BMD.

Deep learning-based automatic modulation recognition networks are susceptible to adversarial attacks, posing significant performance vulnerabilities. In response, we introduce a defense framework enriched by tailored autoencoder (AE) techniques. Our design features a detection AE that harnesses reconstruction errors and convolutional neural networks to discern deep features, employing thresholds from reconstruction error and Kullback–Leibler divergence to identify adversarial samples and their origin mechanisms. Additionally, a restoration AE with a multi-layered structure effectively restores adversarial samples generated via optimization methods, ensuring accurate classification. Tested rigorously on the RML2016.10a dataset, our framework proves robust against adversarial threats, presenting a versatile defense solution compatible with various deep learning models.

To clarify the effects of planting density (PD) and potassium (K) application on the lignin synthesis of oil flax stalks and their relationship with lodging resistance, a two-year field experiment was conducted in the 2020 and 2021 growing seasons. The planting densities were 600 grains·m−2 (D1), 750 grains·m−2 (D2), and 900 grains·m−2 (D3); the potassium application levels were 0 kg K·hm−2 (K0), 60 kg K·hm−2 (K1,) and 90 kg K·hm−2 (K2). Then, the effects of PD and K on the stalk agronomic traits, lignin synthesis, lodging resistance, and grain yield (GY) of oil flax were studied. The results show that D3 increased the oil flax plant height and stem fresh weight, and K1 raised the height of the center of gravity. The enzyme activities of phenylalanine aminolyase (PAL), cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD), and peroxidase (POD) increased with an increase in planting density, whereby K1 promoted and K2 inhibited the lignin metabolic enzymes, respectively. The lignin and cellulose were significantly positively correlated with PAL. The combination of K with the D2 treatment increased the lignin and cellulose content in stems of oil flax at the kernel and maturity stages, and the effect of K1 on lignin metabolism and lodging resistance was better than that of K2. The increased GY was significantly correlated with the number of effective oil flax capsules per plant and the lodging resistance index, which were directly affected by K application. In conclusion, under the same ecological conditions as the experiment, the field management strategy of medium PD (750 grains·m−2) and low K (60 kg K·hm−2) was the best for improving the lodging resistance and GY formation of oil flax.

This article presents a method for extracting neural signal features to identify the imagination of left- and right-hand grasping movements. A functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment is employed to identify four brain regions with significant activations during motor imagery (MI) and the effective connections between these regions of interest (ROIs) were calculated using Dynamic Window-level Granger Causality (DWGC). Then, a real-time fMRI (rt-fMRI) classification system for left- and right-hand MI is developed using the Open-NFT platform. We conducted data acquisition and processing on three subjects, and all of whom were recruited from a local college. As a result, the maximum accuracy of using Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier on real-time three-class classification (rest, left hand, and right hand) with effective connections is 69.3%. And it is 3% higher than that of traditional multivoxel pattern classification analysis on average. Moreover, it significantly improves classification accuracy during the initial stage of MI tasks while reducing the latency effects in real-time decoding. The study suggests that the effective connections obtained through the DWGC method serve as valuable features for real-time decoding of MI using fMRI. Moreover, they exhibit higher sensitivity to changes in brain states. This research offers theoretical support and technical guidance for extracting neural signal features in the context of fMRI-based studies.

The employment inequality between males and females in the context of land expropriation is not conducive for land-expropriated farmers to earn a sustainable livelihood. In this study, based on the data of two waves of household surveys, the “Chinese Family Panel Study” in 2016 and 2018, the PSM-DID method is used to test the effects of land expropriation on the employment behavior of the rural labor force, and the heterogeneous results of men’s and women’s employment behaviors are analyzed. The following conclusions are drawn. Land expropriation significantly reduces the employment probability of the labor force, encouraging the rural labor force to withdraw from the labor market voluntarily; land expropriation significantly shortens the employment distance of the labor force overall, promoting the urbanization of the rural labor force in the vicinity; land expropriation has a greater impact on the unemployment of the female labor force than that of the male labor force, and it increases the employment distance of males and reduces that of females, promoting the return of females’ labor to the family. The policy significance of this study is to attach importance to the long-term sustainable livelihoods of rural households and the employment equality of males and females in urbanization. Findings suggest family–friendly compensation for land expropriation should be formulated, rural construction land should be allowed to enter the market instead of being expropriated, and cooperation between county and developed regions should be encouraged for the creation of more jobs.

Periodontal ligament (PDL) is mainly composed of collagen fiber bundles, and the content of collagen fiber is an important factor affecting the mechanical properties of PDL. Based on this, the purpose of this study is to explore the effect of the PDL collagen fiber content on its viscoelastic mechanical behavior. Transverse and longitudinal samples of different regions of PDL were obtained from the human maxilla. The fiber content at different regions of human PDL was quantitatively measured using image processing software, and a new viscoelastic constitutive model was constructed based on the fiber content. The nano-indentation experiment was carried out with a loading rate of 0.5 mN·s−1, a peak load of 3 mN, and a holding time of 200 s, and the model parameters were obtained through the experiment data. The results showed that with the increase of fiber content, the deformation resistance of PDL also increased, and compared with the neck and middle region, the compressive strain in the apical region of PDL was the largest. The range of reduced elastic modulus of human PDL was calculated to be 0.39~5.08 MPa. The results of the experimental data and the viscoelastic constitutive model fit well, indicating that the model can well describe the viscoelastic behavior of human PDL.

Recognizing highly occluded objects is believed to arise from the interaction between the brain’s vision and cognition-controlling areas, although supporting neuroimaging data are currently limited. To explore the neural mechanism during this activity, we conducted an occlusion object recognition experiment using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). During magnet resonance examinations, 66 subjects engaged in object recognition tasks with three different occlusion degrees. Generalized linear model (GLM) analysis showed that the activation degree of the occipital lobe (inferior occipital gyrus, middle occipital gyrus, and occipital fusiform gyrus) and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) was related to the occlusion degree of the objects. Multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) further unearthed a considerable surge in classification precision when dACC activation was incorporated as a feature. This suggested the combined role of dACC and the occipital lobe in occluded object recognition tasks. Moreover, psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analysis disclosed that functional connectivity (FC) between the dACC and the occipital lobe was enhanced with increased occlusion, highlighting the necessity of FC between these two brain regions in effectively identifying exceedingly occluded objects. In conclusion, these findings contribute to understanding the neural mechanisms of highly occluded object recognition, augmenting our appreciation of how the brain manages incomplete visual data.

Piezoelectric constant and Curie temperature are two important parameters of piezoelectric materials, but currently most piezoelectric materials have the problem of obtaining both high piezoelectric coefficient and Curie temperature. In this work, quaternary piezoelectric ceramics of 0.28Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3-0.32Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3–(0.4-x)PbTiO3-xPbZrO3 (x = 0~0.25) were designed and prepared by a solid-phase method, and the phase structure, dielectric, piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties of 0.28PIN-0.32PZN-(0.4-x)PT-xPZ piezoelectric ceramics were investigated by regulating the Zr/Ti ratio. The results show that the selected compositions are located in the MPB region, and the ceramic samples of each component display high density, the piezoelectric constant (d33) and the electromechanical coupling coefficient (kp) increase and then decrease with the increase of x. The optimum piezoelectric properties are found in compositions at x = 0.1, which showed a high piezoelectric coefficient d33 of 450 pC/N and high Curie temperature Tc of 272 °C. It is promising for use in high-temperature piezoelectric transducers.

Background: Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is the most common type of idiopathic scoliosis, affecting approximately 0.61%–6.15% adolescents worldwide. To date, the results on the relationship between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and AIS were inconsistent, and the association between screen time (ST) and AIS remained unclear. This study aimed to describe MVPA and ST among adolescents, and to explore the independent and joint associations between PA, ST, and AIS. Methods: A frequency-matched case-control study based on the 2021 Chinese School-based Scoliosis Screening Program in Shenzhen city, south China, was conducted. The research involved 494 AIS patients (aged 9–17 years) and 994 sex- and age-matched healthy controls. MVPA and ST were measured using a self-administered questionnaire. Logistic regression models estimated associations between PA, ST, and AIS. Results: Compared to subjects meeting the recommended 60-min daily of MVPA, adolescents reporting daily MVPA time less than 60 min had 1.76 times higher odds of experiencing AIS (95% CI: 1.32–2.35) and adolescents reporting daily MVPA in inactive status had 2.14 times higher odds of experiencing AIS (95% CI: 1.51–3.03). Moreover, participants reporting ST for 2 hours or more had 3.40 times higher odds of AIS compared with those reporting ST less than 2 hours (95% CI: 2.35–4.93). When compared with the adolescents reporting both ST and MVPA meeting the guidelines recommended times (ST < 2 h and MVPA ≥ 60 min/day), those reporting both ST ≥ 2 h and MVPA in inactive status are 8.84 times more likely to develop AIS (95% CI: 3.99–19.61). Conclusions: This study reported that the insufficient MVPA, especially MVPA in inactive status, and excessive ST were risk factors for AIS. Additionally, the joint effects of insufficient MVPA and excessive ST probably increase the risk of AIS.

In order to improve the applicability of herringbone gear modification results， it is necessary to analyze the sensitivity of gear surface modification parameters. Using Romax software， genetic algorithm is used to carry out the optimal modification of tooth profile， drum shape and topology， and the modification deformation momentum is superimposed on the optimal modification. Then considering the center distance installation error， the bearing transmission error amplitude and the maximum contact stress of the pinion are analyzed respectively. Finally， the sensitivity analysis of the change of modification parameters to transmission error and contact stress is obtained. The results show that the load transmission error amplitude is sensitive to the tooth profile modification parameters， but not to the drum shape modification parameters； after the optimal modification of the tooth profile， the bearing transmission error is not sensitive to the center distance installation error， but the drum shape modification is vice versa； the sensitivity of load-bearing transmission error amplitude to topological modification parameters is between tooth profile and drum shape modification. When the tooth profile modification is much greater than the drum shape modification， the load-bearing transmission error amplitude is not sensitive to the center distance installation error.

Abstract Background Low back pain (LBP) is associated with lumbar disc degeneration (LDD) and fatty infiltration of paraspinal muscles. However, there are some controversies about the relationship between LDD and fatty infiltration of paraspinal muscles, and the causation of them is also not clear. Thus, we investigated whether the degree of LDD was associated with fatty infiltration of paraspinal muscles and preliminarily explored the underlying mechanism. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 109 patients with chronic LBP. The degree of LDD was assessed by the Pfirrmann classification. Total muscle cross-sectional area, L4 vertebral body endplate area, and fat cross-sectional area at axial T2-weighted MRI were measured. Multifidus and lumbar disc specimens were taken from eight individuals undergoing discectomy for disc herniation. Gene and protein expression levels of TNF were quantified through qPCR assays and ELISA, respectively. Results The relative cross-sectional area, total muscle cross-sectional area, and muscle cross-sectional area asymmetry were not related to LDD. Pfirrmann grades correlated strongly with fatty infiltration of the multifidus and moderately with fatty infiltration of the erector spinae and the psoas muscles. Linear regression analysis suggested that Pfirrmann grades were most associated with fatty infiltration of the multifidus. Compared with II-degree degeneration discs (mild-degeneration group), fatty infiltration of the multifidus in IV-degree degeneration discs (severe-degeneration group) significantly increased, accompanied by increased mRNA expression of TNF. Meanwhile, the protein expression levels of TNF (pg/g protein) in discs (16.62 ± 4.33) and multifidus (13.10 ± 2.76) of the severe-degeneration group were higher than those in the mild-degeneration group (disc: 9.75 ± 2.18; multifidus: 7.84 ± 2.43). However, the mRNA expression of TNF in the multifidus was not significantly different between the two groups. Conclusions The results suggest that LDD is associated with fatty infiltration of the multifidus. The possible underlying mechanism is that LDD induces fatty infiltration by inflammation. Furthermore, compared with the erector spinae and the psoas muscles, fatty infiltration of the multifidus shows an optimal correlation with LDD, which may contribute to further understanding of LDD pathology.

Abstract Otitis media (OM) is a common disease that can cause hearing loss in children. Currently, the main clinical treatment for OM is antibiotics, but the overuse of antibiotics might lead to bacterial resistance, which is a worldwide public health challenge. Studying the pathogenesis of OM will help us develop new effective treatments. Ferroptosis is one type of programmed cell death characterized by the occurrence of lipid peroxidation driven by iron ions. Many studies have shown that ferroptosis is associated with infectious diseases. It is presently unclear whether ferroptosis is involved in the pathogenesis of OM. In this study, we explored the relationship between ferroptosis and OM by PGPS-induced OM in C57BL/6 mice and treating the induced OM with ferroptosis inhibitors deferoxamine (DFO), Ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1), and Liperoxstatin-1 (Lip-1). We examined the expression of ferroptosis-related proteins acyl-CoA synthetase long chain family member 4 (ACSL4) and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (Cox2), glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) protein as well as lipid peroxidation markers 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) and malondialdehyde (MDA). The results showed that in PGPS-induced OM model mice, several ferroptosis-related proteins including ACSL4 and Cox2 were up-regulated compared to mice treated with saline. Meanwhile, a ferroptosis-related protein GPX4 was down-regulated upon PGPS treatment. The DFO treatment in PGPS-inoculated mice effectively inhibited the development of OM. The inhibitors treatment caused a significant decrease in the expression of ACSL4, Cox2, 4 HNE, MDA, reduction in free iron. Meanwhile, the ferroptosis inhibitors treatment caused increase in the expression of inflammation-related factors tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and antioxidant protein GPX4. Our results suggest that there is a crosstalk between ferroptosis signaling pathway and the pathogenesis of OM. Ferroptosis inhibition can alleviate PGPS-induced OM.

The computational capabilities of quantum annealing in the accessible regimes of operation are still subject to debate. Here, the authors study a model admitting an analytical solution far from the adiabatic regime, and show evidences of better convergence and energy relaxation rates over classical annealing.

Abstract It has been reported that schizophrenia (SCZ) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are related. However, whether there is a bidirectional interaction between them remains unclear. The aim of this study was to conduct a bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to elucidate the causal relationship between SCZ and IBD and its subtypes, including Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) extracted from the summary data of genome-wide association studies were used as genetic instruments. MR was performed using the inverse-variance-weighted method. The MR-Egger and weighted median methods were used for sensitivity analyses. Analysis using 70 SNPs as genetic instruments showed that SCZ was associated with an increased risk of IBD (OR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.09–1.20, P = 9.21 × 10−8), CD (OR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.07–1.25, P = 1.42 × 10−4), and UC (OR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.07–1.21, P = 2.72 × 10−5). The results of the sensitivity analyses were robust and no evidence of pleiotropy was observed. Bidirectional MR analyses showed no causal effects of IBD, CD, or UC on SCZ. This study suggests that SCZ has causal effects on IBD and its subtypes, whereas IBD has no effect on SCZ. Brain-gut axis interactions may help clarify the causal relationship between SCZ and IBD. However, further studies are needed to elucidate the biological mechanisms behind the brain-gut interactions.

Oilseed flax is one of the most important oil crops in China. With the improvement of people's living standards and the deepening knowledge of the nutritional value of oilseed flax, the demand and economic value of oilseed flax are increasing, and the cultivated area in China is expanding. However, the grain yield of oilseed flax is lower than other oil crops. It varies significantly from year to year, combined with a lower degree of mechanization, which has greatly limited the healthy development of the flax industry. Some of the effects of agronomic measures on productivity and water use efficiency of oilseed flax are reviewed in this paper. The major agronomic strategies for the productivity of oilseed flax were presented based on fertilization, plant density, irrigation, cropping pattern and weed control. Future research should investigate the effect of silicon and potassium fertilizers on the mechanism of lodging resistance of oilseed flax, the effects of diversified cropping systems (strip intercropping and crop rotation) on high and stable productivity and efficient utilization of resources.

BackgroundHeart Failure (HF) is the end-stage cardiovascular syndrome with poor prognosis. Proteomics holds great promise in the discovery of novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets for HF. The aim of this study is to investigate the causal effects of genetically predicted plasma proteome on HF using the Mendelian randomization (MR) approach.MethodsSummary-level data for the plasma proteome (3,301 healthy individuals) and HF (47,309 cases; 930,014 controls) were extracted from genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of European descent. MR associations were obtained using the inverse variance-weighted (IVW) method, sensitivity analyses, and multivariable MR analyses.ResultsUsing single-nucleotide polymorphisms as instrumental variables, 1-SD increase in MET level was associated with an approximately 10% decreased risk of HF (odds ratio [OR]: 0.92; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.89 to 0.95; p = 1.42 × 10−6), whereas increases in the levels of CD209 (OR: 1.04; 95% CI: 1.02–1.06; p = 6.67 × 10−6) and USP25 (OR: 1.06; 95% CI: 1.03–1.08; p = 7.83 × 10−6) were associated with an increased risk of HF. The causal associations were robust in sensitivity analyses, and no evidence of pleiotropy was observed.ConclusionThe study findings suggest that the hepatocyte growth factor/c-MET signaling pathway, dendritic cells-mediated immune processes, and ubiquitin-proteasome system pathway are involved in the pathogenesis of HF. Moreover, the identified proteins have potential to uncover novel therapies for cardiovascular diseases.

Continuous welded rails on bridges are extensively employed in high-speed railways, where trains are predominantly electrically powered, and the open-air catenary represents the weakest link in the system. Despite the widespread use of continuous welded rail on bridges for high-speed railways, there exists a relative dearth of research on their vulnerability, particularly regarding seismic vulnerability studies that consider the catenary, track type, and bridge collectively. The vulnerability of fasteners and catenary on bridges under the longitudinal resistance of the line was investigated by constructing a 7−32 m high-speed railway double-line simply-supported box girder bridge. It reveals, for the first time, the influence of the longitudinal resistance of the line on the vulnerability of fasteners and catenary under seismic action. The study indicates that both the fasteners’ and catenary’s vulnerability increases with the intensity of ground shaking, with the catenary being more susceptible. The longitudinal resistance of the line has a greater impact on the fasteners’ vulnerability than the catenary. When the degree of damage is minimal, the order of damage to the fasteners is the ballasted track, small resistance fastener, and ballastless track when the probability of exceedance is 5%. The ballastless track can significantly increase the probability of no damage to the fasteners, and it is recommended that the ballastless track be used when designing high-speed railway bridges in earthquake-prone regions.