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• The methodology for the computation of diffusion coefficients in an inhomogeneous gas system has been proposed, encompassing both adsorbed gas and free gas. • The theoretical model for the competitive adsorption-diffusion coupling process has been confirmed by the agreement between the molecular dynamic simulations and the numerical computations. • The residual nitrogen within the shale sample dominates the competitive adsorption with helium, retarding the penetration of helium. • Simulations indicated that the occupation of main adsorption sites by nitrogen induces lower helium density in the nitrogen adsorption layer, compared to that in the free gas domain. Helium, as a probe gas with low adsorption capacity, is widely used for measuring porosity, permeability, and specific surface area in reservoir rocks of unconventional gas such as shale and coal. The pretreatment duration of these rock samples determines the amount of residual nitrogen in their pores, and the competitive adsorption and diffusion of residual nitrogen with the probe gas has a significant impact on the measurement results of their physical properties. This work aims to reveal the mechanisms involved in the competitive adsorption-diffusion coupling process of nitrogen-helium mixtures. Brief experiments were conducted to demonstrate the competitive adsorption between nitrogen and helium in shale. Subsequently, molecular dynamics simulation was employed to investigate this process and provide necessary details. Meanwhile, a theoretical model was developed to describe the diffusion of gas molecules in this process. Our results indicate that helium rapidly permeates shale samples and reaches an equilibrium distribution. However, the competitive adsorption between nitrogen and helium can slow down the helium permeation process, which can be attributed to the main adsorption sites occupied by nitrogen. The agreement between FEM computations and MD simulations validates our model for various mechanisms. Furthermore, our model can be applied to a wider range of porous materials and gas mixtures in related fields. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Thoracic epidural anesthesia (TEA) is often used for analgesia after thoracic surgery. Erector spinae plane block (ESPB) has been proposed to provide adequate analgesia. We hypothesized that ESPB would be noninferior to TEA as a part of multimodal analgesia in pediatric patients undergoing the Nuss procedure.Patients aged 7–18 years and scheduled for the Nuss procedure were randomly allocated to receive bilateral single-shot ESPB or TEA and a multimodal analgesic regimen including parent-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA). At 6 h, 12 h, 18 h, and 24 h postoperatively, pain was evaluated using the numeric rating scale (NRS) and opioid consumption was assessed by counting the number of PCIA boluses. The joint primary outcomes were the average pain score and opioid consumption at 24 h after surgery. The secondary outcomes were the NRS scores and the number of opioid boluses administered at different postoperative time points, adverse events, and recovery quality.Three hundred patients underwent randomization, and 286 received ESPB (147 patients) or TEA (139 patients). At 24 h postoperatively, ESPB was noninferior to TEA in terms of the average NRS score (mean difference, − 0.1, 95% confidence interval [CI], − 0.3–0.1, margin = 1, P for noninferiority < 0.001) and the number of opioid boluses administered (mean difference, − 1.1, 95% CI, − 2.8–0.6, margin = 7, P for noninferiority < 0.001). Adverse events and patient recovery were comparable between groups.The results demonstrate that combined with a multimodal analgesia, ESPB provides noninferior analgesia compared to TEA with respect to pain score and opioid consumption among pediatric patients undergoing the Nuss procedure.Methods: Thoracic epidural anesthesia (TEA) is often used for analgesia after thoracic surgery. Erector spinae plane block (ESPB) has been proposed to provide adequate analgesia. We hypothesized that ESPB would be noninferior to TEA as a part of multimodal analgesia in pediatric patients undergoing the Nuss procedure.Patients aged 7–18 years and scheduled for the Nuss procedure were randomly allocated to receive bilateral single-shot ESPB or TEA and a multimodal analgesic regimen including parent-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA). At 6 h, 12 h, 18 h, and 24 h postoperatively, pain was evaluated using the numeric rating scale (NRS) and opioid consumption was assessed by counting the number of PCIA boluses. The joint primary outcomes were the average pain score and opioid consumption at 24 h after surgery. The secondary outcomes were the NRS scores and the number of opioid boluses administered at different postoperative time points, adverse events, and recovery quality.Three hundred patients underwent randomization, and 286 received ESPB (147 patients) or TEA (139 patients). At 24 h postoperatively, ESPB was noninferior to TEA in terms of the average NRS score (mean difference, − 0.1, 95% confidence interval [CI], − 0.3–0.1, margin = 1, P for noninferiority < 0.001) and the number of opioid boluses administered (mean difference, − 1.1, 95% CI, − 2.8–0.6, margin = 7, P for noninferiority < 0.001). Adverse events and patient recovery were comparable between groups.The results demonstrate that combined with a multimodal analgesia, ESPB provides noninferior analgesia compared to TEA with respect to pain score and opioid consumption among pediatric patients undergoing the Nuss procedure.Results: Thoracic epidural anesthesia (TEA) is often used for analgesia after thoracic surgery. Erector spinae plane block (ESPB) has been proposed to provide adequate analgesia. We hypothesized that ESPB would be noninferior to TEA as a part of multimodal analgesia in pediatric patients undergoing the Nuss procedure.Patients aged 7–18 years and scheduled for the Nuss procedure were randomly allocated to receive bilateral single-shot ESPB or TEA and a multimodal analgesic regimen including parent-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA). At 6 h, 12 h, 18 h, and 24 h postoperatively, pain was evaluated using the numeric rating scale (NRS) and opioid consumption was assessed by counting the number of PCIA boluses. The joint primary outcomes were the average pain score and opioid consumption at 24 h after surgery. The secondary outcomes were the NRS scores and the number of opioid boluses administered at different postoperative time points, adverse events, and recovery quality.Three hundred patients underwent randomization, and 286 received ESPB (147 patients) or TEA (139 patients). At 24 h postoperatively, ESPB was noninferior to TEA in terms of the average NRS score (mean difference, − 0.1, 95% confidence interval [CI], − 0.3–0.1, margin = 1, P for noninferiority < 0.001) and the number of opioid boluses administered (mean difference, − 1.1, 95% CI, − 2.8–0.6, margin = 7, P for noninferiority < 0.001). Adverse events and patient recovery were comparable between groups.The results demonstrate that combined with a multimodal analgesia, ESPB provides noninferior analgesia compared to TEA with respect to pain score and opioid consumption among pediatric patients undergoing the Nuss procedure.Conclusions: Thoracic epidural anesthesia (TEA) is often used for analgesia after thoracic surgery. Erector spinae plane block (ESPB) has been proposed to provide adequate analgesia. We hypothesized that ESPB would be noninferior to TEA as a part of multimodal analgesia in pediatric patients undergoing the Nuss procedure.Patients aged 7–18 years and scheduled for the Nuss procedure were randomly allocated to receive bilateral single-shot ESPB or TEA and a multimodal analgesic regimen including parent-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA). At 6 h, 12 h, 18 h, and 24 h postoperatively, pain was evaluated using the numeric rating scale (NRS) and opioid consumption was assessed by counting the number of PCIA boluses. The joint primary outcomes were the average pain score and opioid consumption at 24 h after surgery. The secondary outcomes were the NRS scores and the number of opioid boluses administered at different postoperative time points, adverse events, and recovery quality.Three hundred patients underwent randomization, and 286 received ESPB (147 patients) or TEA (139 patients). At 24 h postoperatively, ESPB was noninferior to TEA in terms of the average NRS score (mean difference, − 0.1, 95% confidence interval [CI], − 0.3–0.1, margin = 1, P for noninferiority < 0.001) and the number of opioid boluses administered (mean difference, − 1.1, 95% CI, − 2.8–0.6, margin = 7, P for noninferiority < 0.001). Adverse events and patient recovery were comparable between groups.The results demonstrate that combined with a multimodal analgesia, ESPB provides noninferior analgesia compared to TEA with respect to pain score and opioid consumption among pediatric patients undergoing the Nuss procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Friction anisotropy is not only related to macroscopic natural phenomena, but also closely involves the emerging field of nanotechnology. The previous strategies to achieve friction anisotropy requires delicate adjustment, which is difficult to achieve in method, or easy to disappear under large loads. Here, we report the outstanding robustness of frictional anisotropy caused by its own fold structure under high load. The frictional anisotropy is always larger than 200% between the armchair and zigzag direction of Se/Se interface under load up to 5.5 GPa and its maximum value reaches 325%. The frictional anisotropy between these two directions origins from the tremendous difference in charge density redistribution reflected only in direction perpendicular to interface, which is a novel method to quantitatively characterize friction from the perspective of electronic interaction. The load-induced weakening of friction anisotropy derives from the sudden change in chemical interactions between atoms around interface. The exploring of extreme frictional anisotropy caused by its own structure is not only helpful for a comprehensive understanding of frictional anisotropy behavior, but also contributes to the construction of nanodevices required the friction anisotropy to achieve, such as mechanical logic gates. • We report the outstanding robustness of frictional anisotropy for Se/Se interface caused by its own fold structure under high load. • The frictional anisotropy is always larger than 200% under load up to 5.5 GPa and its maximum value reaches 325%. • The frictional anisotropy origins from the tremendous difference in charge density redistribution. • The decrease of friction anisotropy under load is attributed to the change of chemical interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen-doped diamond-like carbon (N-DLC) films with different nitrogen content were prepared on the surface of 304 stainless steel (SS) using plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition technology. Localized failure mechanisms of the N-DLC films under long-term exposure to sodium chloride solutions have been investigated. The results demonstrated that nitrogen doping significantly affected the failure behavior of the N-DLC films. When undoped, the number of pore defects in the film is high, providing a channel for the corrosive medium to attack the substrate metal. Meanwhile, due to the high internal stress within the undoped film, extensive exfoliation of the film occurred under the effect of the growth of oxides at the film-substrate interface. The DLC film on 304 SS is subject to stress corrosion cracking failure during long-term service in sodium chloride solution. However, when nitrogen doping is 10 sccm, the pH of the micro-zone solution was highly variable due to the dissolution of nitrogen in the film and the processes of formation and hydrolysis of NH 4 +. A large number of residual metal cations dissolved from the substrate combine with oxygen at the corrosion pits mouth to form oxides. This can aggravate the occlusion effect of the pits and severe pitting corrosion of 304 SS occurs under autocatalytic effects. The N-DLC film with 5 sccm nitrogen addition showed the excellent durability properties. The evolution mechanism of oxidation and dissolution behaviors in the presence of variations in local hydrochemistry is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Medial opening wedge high tibial osteotomy (MOWHTO) is a mainstream surgical method for treating early medial compartment knee osteoarthritis. Undesirable sequelae such as patella infera may happen following tuberosity osteotomy. We conducted this systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the change in patellar position after proximal tibial tubercle osteotomy (PTO) versus distal tibial tubercle osteotomy (DTO) intervention. Methods: The 11 studies were acquired from PubMed, Medline, Embase and Cochrane Library. The data were extracted by two of the coauthors independently and were analyzed by RevMan5.3. Mean differences, odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Cochrane Collaboration's Risk of Bias Tool and Newcastle–Ottawa Scale were used to assess risk of bias. Results: Eleven observational studies were assessed. The methodological quality of the trials ranged from moderate to high. The pooled results of postoperative patellar height (Caton-Deschamps index and Blackburne-Peel index) and postoperative complications showed that the differences were statistically significant between PTO and DTO interventions. Patellar index ratios decreased significantly in the PTO groups, and 12 (9.2%) complications under DTO surgery and 2 (1.6%) complications under PTO surgery were reported. The differences of postoperative posterior tibial slope (angle) was not statistically significant, but postoperative posterior tibial slope of both groups increased. Sensitivity analysis proved the stability of the pooled results and the publication bias was not apparent. Conclusions: DTO in MOWHTO maintained the postoperative patellar height, and clinically, for patients with serious patellofemoral osteoarthritis, DTO can be preferred. Postoperative complications are easily preventable with caution. In view of the heterogeneity and small sample size, whether these conclusions are applicable should be further determined in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a two-dimensional sound field reproduction method based on Mathieu function expansion (MFE) is proposed. Mathieu functions are orthogonal solutions of the Helmholtz equation in an elliptical coordinate system. A MFE, which is similar to the conventional circular harmonic expansion, is applied to the sound field. The MFE-based method introduces elliptical properties such that the listening area is an ellipse. Three methods are described: an analytical sound field reproduction method for elliptical loudspeaker arrays, a method applying transformation (i.e., stretch, rotation, and translation) to the listening area, and a numerical approach for arbitrarily shaped arrays. A suitable truncation order for the MFE is also derived. The performance of all methods is tested in computer simulations with examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to identify the differentially expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs in inflammatory long head of biceps tendon (LHBT) of rotator cuff tear (RCT) patients and further explore the function and potential targets of differentially expressed lncRNAs in biceps tendon pathology. Methods: Human gene expression microarray was made between 3 inflammatory LHBT samples and 3 normal LHBT samples from RCT patients. GO analysis and KEGG pathway analysis were performed to annotate the function of differentially expressed mRNAs. The real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was admitted to verify their expression. LncRNA-mRNA co-expression network, cis-acting element, trans-acting element and transcription factor (TF) regulation analysis were constructed to predict the potential molecular regulatory mechanisms and targets for LHB tendinitis. Results: 103 differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs, of which 75 were up-regulated and 28 were down-regulated, were detected to be differentially expressed in LHBT. The expressions of 4 most differentially expressed lncRNAs (A2MP1, LOC100996671, COL6A4P, lnc-LRCH1-5) were confirmed by qRT-PCR. GO functional analysis indicated that related lncRNAs and mRNAs were involved in the biological processes of regulation of innate immune response, neutrophil chemotaxis, interleukin-1 cell response and others. KEGG pathway analysis indicated that related lncRNAs and mRNAs were involved in MAPK signaling pathway, NF-kappa B signaling pathway, cAMP signaling pathway and others. TF regulation analysis revealed that COL6A4P2, A2MP1 and LOC100996671 target NFKB2. Conclusions: LlncRNA-COL6A4P2, A2MP1 and LOC100996671 may regulate the inflammation of LHBT in RCT patients through NFKB2/NF-kappa B signaling pathway, and preliminarily revealed the pathological molecular mechanism of tendinitis of LHBT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging, motion errors cannot be obtained accurately when high precision motion sensors are not equipped on the platform. This means that traditional data-based motion compensation (MOCO) cannot be directly implemented due to large measurement errors. In addition, classic autofocusing techniques, such as phase gradient autofocus (PGA) or map-drift algorithm (MDA), do not perform well with spatially variant errors, greatly affecting the imaging qualities, especially for high-resolution and large-swath cases. In this study, an improved spatially variant MOCO approach based on an MDA is developed to effectively eliminate the spatially variant errors. Based on the coarse and precise MDA chirp rate error estimation, motion errors are optimally acquired by the random sample consensus (RANSAC) iteration. Two-dimensional (2D) mapping is used to decouple the spatially variant residual errors into two linear independent dimensions so that the chirp-z transform (CZT) can be performed for echo data correction. Unlike traditional approaches, the spatially variant components can be compensated without any measured motion information, which indicates that the proposed approach can be applied to the common UAV SAR system with significant measurement errors. Simulations and real data experiments were used to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm is able to effectively minimize spatially variant errors and generate much better imaging results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pachypleurosaurs (Pachypleurosauroidea) are a group of small to medium-sized, lizard-like marine reptiles in the Early to Middle Triassic, including Pachypleurosauridae, Keichousauridae and closely related taxa. The group is generally considered as a sauropterygian radiation, but its phylogenetic interrelationships remain highly debated. Here, we present a new pachypleurosaurid, Honghesaurus longicaudalis gen. et sp. nov., from the early Middle Triassic (Anisian, ~ 244 Ma) marine deposits in Luxi, Yunnan, China. The discovery documents the first really long-tailed pachypleurosaur with totally 121 (69 caudal) vertebrae, providing new evidence for the vertebral multiplication and ecological adaption of this group. The long trunk associated with an incredibly long tail could provide Honghesaurus the advantage of maneuverability and energy efficiency for lateral undulatory swimming. Honghesaurus, although possessing a series of autapomorphies, fills the morphological gap between Qianxisaurus from the Ladinian Xingyi Biota and Wumengosaurus from the Anisian Panxian Biota. Phylogenetic studies unite these three pachypleurosaurids as a monophyletic clade above European pachypleurosaurid clades and provide new insights into the interrelationships of this group. Our scenario of pachypleurosaurian phylogeny combined with the stratigraphic data imply that the Tethys Ocean was a west–east corridor for dispersal of pachypleurosaurids from Europe into South China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In order to study the role of the microbiome in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT), researchers collect stool samples from patients at various time points throughout HCT. However, stool collection requires active subject participation and may be limited by patient reluctance to handling stool. Methods: We performed a prospective study on the impact of financial incentives on stool collection rates. The intervention group consisted of allogeneic HCT patients from 05/2017-05/2018 who were compensated with a $10 gas gift card for each stool sample. The intervention group was compared to a historical control group of allogeneic HCT patients from 11/2016-05/2017 who provided stool samples before the incentive was implemented. To control for possible changes in collections over time, we also compared a contemporaneous control group of autologous HCT patients from 05/2017-05/2018 with a historical control group of autologous HCT patients from 11/2016-05/2017; neither autologous HCT group was compensated. The collection rate was defined as the number of samples provided divided by the number of time points we attempted to obtain stool. Results: There were 35 allogeneic HCT patients in the intervention group, 19 allogeneic HCT patients in the historical control group, 142 autologous HCT patients in the contemporaneous control group (that did not receive a financial incentive), and 75 autologous HCT patients in the historical control group. Allogeneic HCT patients in the intervention group had significantly higher average overall collection rates when compared to the historical control group allogeneic HCT patients (80% vs 37%, p<0.0001). There were no significant differences in overall average collection rates between the autologous HCT patients in the contemporaneous control and historical control groups (36% vs 32%, p = 0.2760). Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that a modest incentive can significantly increase collection rates. These results may help to inform the design of future studies involving stool collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current diagnostic standards for PJI rely on inflammatory markers that are typically elevated in autoimmune diseases, thus making the diagnosis of PJI in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and joint replacement particularly complicated. There is a paucity of data on differentiating PJI from rheumatoid arthritis in patients with previous arthroplasty. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the cases of 17 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 121 patients without rheumatoid disease who underwent surgical intervention due to microbiology-positive PJI of the hip or knee joint. We assessed clinical patient characteristics, laboratory parameters, and prosthesis survival rates in patients with and without rheumatoid arthritis and acute or chronic PJI. ROC analysis was conducted for the analyzed parameters. In patients with chronic PJI, peripheral blood CRP (p = 0.05, AUC = 0.71), synovial WBC count (p = 0.02, AUC = 0.78), synovial monocyte cell count (p = 0.04, AUC = 0.75), and synovial PMN cell count (p = 0.02, AUC = 0.80) were significantly elevated in patients with rheumatoid arthritis showing acceptable to excellent discrimination. All analyzed parameters showed no significant differences and poor discrimination for patients with acute PJI. Median prosthesis survival time was significantly shorter in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (p = 0.05). In conclusion, routinely used laboratory markers have limited utility in distinguishing acute PJI in rheumatoid patients. In cases with suspected chronic PJI but low levels of serum CRP and synovial cell markers, physicians should consider the possibility of activated autoimmune arthritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a metabolic disorder defined as the presence of intrahepatic lipid deposition and steatosis as well as chronic inflammation without excessive alcohol consumption. Our previous studies found that inulin could dramatically improve lipid metabolism disorders in NAFLD murine models. In recent years, mounting evidence has approved that there are disproportionately increased bile acids (BAs) in patients with NAFLD while the hepatic bile acids signaling is suppressed. Meanwhile the primary function of bile acids is to promote the excretion of cholesterol and therefore keep the cholesterol metabolism balance. Hence, we investigate whether inulin exerts beneficial effects on lipid metabolism disorders by modulating bile acids signaling in our present study. And we found that inulin treatment significantly reversed the abnormal accumulation of bile acids in high-fat-induced NAFLD mice. Furthermore, our data confirmed that inulin supplementation attenuates NAFLD via restoring the activity of FXR accompanied by increasing hepatic bile acids de novo synthesis and further enhancing bile acids excretion in mice. • Inulin intervention activated the activity of FXR. • Inulin intervention increased the synthesis of bile acids. • Inulin intervention facilitated the excretion of bile acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel method for the fast electromagnetic analysis of finite-sized antenna arrays (FSAAs). The conventional FSAAs are firstly deliberated as the separated elements. The characteristic modes theory (CMT) combined with the method of moments (MoM) are used to fast the simulation of each antenna element. In CMT, we extract the eigenvectors and eigenvalues of the modes. The dominant contribution of the impedance matrix is represented by the main eigenmodes in CMT. Then, the domain green's function method (DGFM) is utilized to accelerate the radiation analysis of FSAAs. The current distribution of the antenna array is calculated by eigenvalue and eigenvector from CMT of element level. The DGFMs are also improved to make it available for the unparallel array. As a result, the far-field radiation from FSAAs is evaluated quickly by the proposed DGFM-CMT. Compared with the conventional DGFM, the proposed method greatly improves the efficiency of solving radiation effects while maintains the same accuracy. Several numerical results are given to validate the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous work on the Osaka dialect (OD) collectively suggests that this western regional variant of Japanese is associated with informality, masculinity, and affective fatherhood—social meanings that can be recruited in the construction of audio-visual media personas. This study examines the use of OD by one protagonist in the film Soshite chichi ni naru/Like father, like son, as well as the social meanings that listeners attribute to this variety of Japanese. Specifically, we ask two questions: (i) to what extent is the production of OD in the film recognizable to native speakers of Japanese, and (ii) what qualities do Japanese language users attribute to OD? A dialect recognition experiment found low recognizability of OD but high recognizability of a general 'nonstandard Japanese' language variety. Qualitative data revealed that Japanese language users perceived OD to index various characteristics including that of a masculine, affective father. (Perception, dialect, fatherhood, Osaka dialect, indexicality) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activation of NOD-like receptor (NLR) signaling pathway can promote downstream cytokine and proinflammatory cytokines release, and inflammation induced by excess nutrients leads to renal metabolic injury. How the NLRs influence metabolic progress and then lead to the renal injury remains poorly investigated. Compared with rodents, minipigs are more similar to humans and are more ideal animal models for human disease research. In this study, we established a diabetic minipig model through a high-sugar and high-fat diet combined with streptozotocin (STZ) injection. Blood biological markers and renal pathological markers, expression of NLRP subfamily members (NLRP1 and NLRP3) and their downstream cytokines (precursors of IL-1β and IL-18 and mature forms of IL-1β and IL-18), expression of NLRC subfamily members (NLRC1, NLRC2, and NLRC5) and their downstream nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway molecules (IKKβ, IκBα, and NF-κB p65), and inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and interleukin-6 (IL-6)) were systematically evaluated. The expression of NLRP3 and its downstream cytokine signaling molecules, the precursors of IL-1β and IL-18, and the mature forms of IL-1β and IL-18 was significantly upregulated. The expression levels of NLRC1, NLRC2, and NLRC5 and activation of the downstream NF-κB pathway molecules phospho-IKKβ, phospho-IκBα, NF-κB p65, and phospho-NF-κB p65 were significantly increased. The TNF-α and IL-6 levels were significantly increased in diabetic pig kidneys. The TGF-β/Smad signaling molecules, TGF-β and P-SMAD2/3, were also increased. These results suggested that the metabolic inflammation activated by NLRs might play an important role in diabetic renal injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the cooperative time‐varying formation control for heterogeneous multi‐agent systems (HMASs) with unknown actuator faults and external disturbances. The HMASs consist of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). In order to overcome the difficulty of coordinated control caused by the different structures of UAVs and UGVs, the comprehensive dynamics models of HMASs are derived, of which the model uncertainties as well as actuator faults and external disturbances of the models are considered. Subsequently, combining the radial basis function neural networks (RBFNNs) with adaptive technology and boundary layer theory, a distributed fault‐tolerant time‐varying formation control method is designed. The proposed control method is totally distributed. Finally, the effectiveness of the controller is verified by several simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: To assess the prognostic significance of immunoglobulin (Ig) paraproteinaemia in mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, 218 patients diagnosed with MALT lymphoma were enrolled in this study. Serum Ig paraprotein was detected in 42 of 218 patients (19.3%), mostly IgM‐K (15, 35.7%), followed by IgM‐L and IgG‐L. Advanced age (p = 0.025), poor Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (p = 0.014), bone marrow involvement (p = 0.019), B symptoms (p = 0.039), advanced disease stage (III−IV) (p < 0.0001), elevated serum β2‐microglobulin level (p < 0.0001), multiple extranodal sites of involvement (p < 0.0001), nodal involvement (p < 0.0001), systemic therapy (p < 0.0001) and higher MALT‐lymphoma International Prognostic Index (MALT‐IPI) scores (p = 0.001) were significantly associated with the presence of serum Ig paraprotein. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that Ig paraproteinaemia was an independent prognostic predictor for inferior progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival. A new prognostic index based on MALT‐IPI and Ig paraproteinaemia, as assessed using receiver operating characteristic curves and the area under the curve statistics, showed better discriminative ability than MALT‐IPI in predicting PFS. In conclusion, Ig paraproteinaemia was a promising prognostic predictor for MALT lymphoma. Ig paraproteinaemia together with MALT‐IPI might contribute to optimising therapeutic management in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: Chronic pelvic pain; Gabapentin; Longer-term benefits EN Chronic pelvic pain Gabapentin Longer-term benefits 321 325 5 02/24/22 20220301 NES 220301 Yi-Feng Ren and Xiu-Mei Fan contributed equally to this work as co-first authors. There are some reasons: (i) In the present analysis, the change in pain scores was calculated as pain score at 3 months or 6 months minus baseline pain scores. [Extracted from the article]

A quasi-mixed-potential layered medium Green’s function (QMP-LMGF) is proposed for non-Galerkin surface integral equation (SIE) formulations in the modeling of homogeneous dielectric objects in layered medium. The formulation is derived based on the pilot vector potential approach. In this method, the field-type LMGF in the $L$ -operator is decomposed into two parts, a “vector potential” term in a dyadic form, and a “scalar potential” term in a vector form, to represent the field components from current and charge sources, respectively. Since the proposed two potential terms (vector potential and scalar potential) do not satisfy the Lorenz gauge, we term them as quasi-mixed-potentials. The property of the two potentials is investigated to reveal that the proposed QMP-LMGF is compatible with the vector and scalar potentials in free space. Moreover, due to the continuity of the integration kernels across the interfaces, undesired line integrals are absent in the proposed QMP-LMGF when the objects are straddling different layers. Three popular non-Galerkin SIEs for dielectric objects in layered medium are studied, and the corresponding numerical results are demonstrated to validate the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite its scarcity, fungal periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is of great clinical relevance as diagnosis and treatment are highly challenging. Previous analyses focused on the treatment rather than the role of the causative fungal agent on clinical outcome. This is the largest study of its kind to evaluate Candida strain–dependent differences in patients with fungal PJI. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 29 patients who underwent surgical intervention due to Candida hip or knee PJI in our department from 2010 to 2018. PJI was defined according to IDSA, recurrent PJI according to modified Delphi consensus criteria. Statistical analysis was performed using t-test, chi-square test with Yates correction, and log rank test. Results: Besides age and affected joint, no significant differences were found between Candida albicans and non-albicans PJI patients (75.83 versus 64.11 years, p = 0.012; 12 hip versus two knee cases, p = 0.013). Most patients received two- (27.59%) or three-stage exchange surgery (41.38%). There was a statistical trend towards an increase in surgery needed in non-albicans Candida PJI (2.92 versus 2.12; p = 0.103). After initial Candida PJI treatment, functional prosthesis implantation was achieved in 72.41% of all patients. At last follow-up, infection-free survival was at 26.79% in Candida albicans versus 72.00% in non-albicans PJI (p = 0.046). Conclusions: In this study, we found infection-free survival rates to be significantly decreased in patients with albicans compared to non-albicans Candida PJI. While age and affected joint might play a confounding role, we speculate the causative pathogen to play a decisive role in disease progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Three new coordination polymers [Mn(BPTH)(H 2 O)] n (1), [Co(BPTH)(phen)] n (2) and [Co(BPTA)(phen)(H 2 O) 2 ]n (3) have been synthesized by solvothermal method. Where (H 2 BPTH = diphenyl-3,3′,4,4′ -tetracarboxyhydrazine, H 2 BPTA = diphenyl-3,3′,4,4′ -tetracarboxylic acid, phen = 1, 10-phenanthroline). • Compound 2 is a one-dimensional chain containing Co₂O₂ clusters, which expands into a two-dimensional supramolecular layer under π... π packing. Compound 3 is a two-dimensional layered structure composed of secondary structural units and ligand coordination, which expands into a three-dimensional supramolecular structure through hydrogen bonds formed by ligands. • The magnetic measurements show that compound 1 exhibits weak ferromagnetic behavior, while compounds 2 and 3 exhibit weak antiferromagnetic interactions at different temperatures. The present study reports the successful synthesis of three new magnetic coordination polymers, namely [Mn(BPTH)(H 2 O)] n (1), [Co(BPTH)(phen)] n (2), and [Co(BPTA)(phen)(H 2 O) 2 ] n (3), through a solvothermal method (H 2 BPTH = biphenyl-3,3′,4,4′-tetracarboxyhydrazide, H 2 BPTA = biphenyl-3,3′,4,4′-tetracarboxylic acid, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline). In compounds 1 and 2, the bishydrazide ligand H 2 BPTH is formed by in situ acylation of H 2 BPTA with hydrazine hydrate. All the three title compounds contain M 2 O 2 clusters (M =Mn(1), Co(2) and Co(3)). In compound 1, the amido-oxygen atoms O1 coordinate with Mn2+ to form a Mn 2 O 2 cluster, while the adjacent Mn 2 O 2 cluster is interconnected by the ligand's oxygen atoms O3 and O4, resulting in an infinite expansion into a 3D network structure. Compound 2 exhibits a 1D chain structure containing Co 2 O 2 clusters, which further extends into a 2D supramolecular layer through π···π stacking interactions. Compound 3 comprises adjacent Co 2 O 2 clusters interconnected by oxygen atoms O1, O2, and O5 on the ligand to form a 2D layered architecture. The 2D layers are linked through intermolecular O–H···O hydrogen bonds of H 2 BPTA ligands to form a 3D supramolecular network. Magnetic measurements reveal weak ferromagnetic behavior for compound 1 while compounds 2 and 3 exhibit weak antiferromagnetic interactions at different temperatures. Overall, this research presents new insights into the design and synthesis of coordination polymers with diverse structures and magnetic properties. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pursuing green and recyclable biocomposites is crucial to promoting sustainable development and carbon balance in the wood-based panel industry. In this study, bamboo and lignin were used as raw materials to create a high-performance biocomposite with better mechanical properties. The biocomposite demonstrates an impressive flexural strength of 97.20 MPa and a tensile strength of 41.43 MPa. These values represent a remarkable increase of 121% and 133%, respectively, compared to traditional fibreboard. This could be due to the lignin in the black liquor undergoing a glassy state transformation during hot pressing and acting as an adhesive to bind bamboo fibres tightly. As a result, the fibres are interconnected by hydrogen bonds and strong chemical bonds. During the recycling experiment, the Hot-pressed B&B20 underwent crushing and partial mixing with bamboo powder in a 1:3 ratio. Despite undergoing this process three times, its strength remained relatively unchanged, with tensile strength ranging from 89.53 to 98.32 MPa and static bending strength ranging from 38.79 to 40.52 MPa. Furthermore, the Hot-pressed B&B20 exhibits excellent machinability, hydrophobicity, heat resistance, and environmental friendliness, which makes it a highly competitive product. [Display omitted] • Glue-free biocomposites produced via hot pressing of bamboo and lignin. • Cell wall collapses enhanced mechanical bonding of fibrous components. • Depolymerization and repolymerization of lignin enhanced hydrogen bonding. • Biocomposites obtained can potentially replace traditional artificial board. • Biocomposites can be recycled after being discarded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel in situ Raman spectral fingerprint to trace the succinimide intermediates in amyloid fibrillation formation is proposed at ca. 1790 cm−1, which is distinctly observed in the denaturation processes of the Bz-Asp-Gly-NH 2 dipeptide and HEWL solutions with thermal/acid treatment. [Display omitted] • A Raman spectral fingerprint to trace the succinimide intermediates in amyloid fibril formation is proposed. • Succinimide intermediates are formed in denaturation process of lysozyme with thermal/acid treatment. • Succinimide intermediates play an important role in the oligomer formation of lysozyme. Succinimide intermediates play the crucial role in the nucleation process for protein amyloid fibril formation, as they can usually induce a non-native conformation in a fraction of soluble proteins to render amyloidogenicity and neurotoxicity. Thus, in situ detection of succinimide intermediates during amyloid fibrillation kinetics is of considerable importance, albeit challenging, because these succinimides are generally unstable in physiological conditions. Here, we found an in situ Raman spectral fingerprint to trace the succinimide intermediates in amyloid fibril formation, wherein the carbonyl symmetric stretching of cyclic imide in the succinimide derivative is located at ca. 1790 cm−1. Using its intensity as an indicator of succinimide intermediates, we have in situ detected and unravelled the role of succinimide intermediates during the oligomer formation from the Bz-Asp-Gly-NH 2 dipeptide or the amyloid fibrillation kinetics of lysozyme with thermal/acid treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advanced thermoplastic composites have garnered significant attention due to the advantages such as secondary thermoforming. In the case of thermoplastic composites based on semicrystalline polymers, the self-nucleation (SN) effect induced by repeated thermal cycling can greatly influence the crystallization behavior and mechanical properties of both the matrix and the composites. This study investigated the SN effect of carbon fiber reinforced polyphenylene sulfide (CF/PPS) composites and its impact on non-isothermal crystallization behavior by differential scanning calorimetry, polar optical microscopes and atomic force microscopes. The results revealed that a lower secondary melting temperature led to a higher crystallization temperature. Furthermore, the SN effect significantly improved the fiber/matrix interfacial interaction and mechanical properties of CF/PPS composites. This improvement was evident in the enhanced compression properties, interlaminar shear properties, and in-plane shear properties at different test temperatures. The study also proposed mechanisms for the improved fiber/matrix interfacial interaction and matrix mechanical properties through the SN effect. This work not only enhances our understanding of the changes in mechanical properties of CF/PPS composites due to matrix crystalline morphology changes during secondary thermoforming but also provides insights into improving the manufacturing efficiency and mechanical properties by selecting a low melting temperature to achieve a high crystallization temperature in secondary thermoforming. The influence of the thermoforming processes on spherulitic size changes the mechanical properties of thermoplastic composites. [Display omitted] • SN behavior in CF/PPS composites results in formation of nanometer-sized crystallites. • Nanometer-sized crystallites enhance the mechanical properties of CF/PPS composites. • SN behavior in CF/PPS composites accelerates the crystallization rate and raising T c. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backgrounds and aims: Plant rhizosphere microbiome play crucial roles in plant growth. However, the mechanisms governing the rhizosphere microbiome assembly remain poorly understood. Here, we studied the contributions of sub-communities, referring to the recruited sub-community from bulk soil microbiome (SR) and the released sub-community from endosphere microbiome (ER), to the taxonomical and functional assembly of the rhizosphere microbiome.We transplanted maize seedlings across different soils to identify the origin source of rhizosphere microbial communities. The profiles of rhizosphere microbial communities were acquired using 16S rRNA marker gene sequencing.The amplicon data analyses revealed that, in the reassembled rhizosphere microbial communities after transplanting, the SR and ER sub-communities were distinguished among different soils and the SR sub-communities showed higher bacterial diversity than ER sub-communities. The SR sub-communities dominated the variable selection process, while the ER sub-communities dominated the homogeneous selection process in rhizosphere microbiome assembly. Moreover, we found that specific taxa derived from endosphere play important roles in promoting nitrogen accumulation and reducing nitrogen losses in nitrogen-deficient soil, suggesting that the soil nitrogen level affects the specific taxa from endosphere to rhizosphere to maintain plant nitrogen requirement.Plants could assemble compensatory functional rhizosphere microbiome to guarantee their nutrient requirement in nutrient-deficient soil. Specifically, some taxa derived from endosphere, make great contributions to the functional compensatory assembly in rhizosphere. These findings facilitate our understanding of the assembly mechanisms in rhizosphere, and further soil biological fertility improvement will benefit from isolation and application of these specific functional microbes.Methods: Plant rhizosphere microbiome play crucial roles in plant growth. However, the mechanisms governing the rhizosphere microbiome assembly remain poorly understood. Here, we studied the contributions of sub-communities, referring to the recruited sub-community from bulk soil microbiome (SR) and the released sub-community from endosphere microbiome (ER), to the taxonomical and functional assembly of the rhizosphere microbiome.We transplanted maize seedlings across different soils to identify the origin source of rhizosphere microbial communities. The profiles of rhizosphere microbial communities were acquired using 16S rRNA marker gene sequencing.The amplicon data analyses revealed that, in the reassembled rhizosphere microbial communities after transplanting, the SR and ER sub-communities were distinguished among different soils and the SR sub-communities showed higher bacterial diversity than ER sub-communities. The SR sub-communities dominated the variable selection process, while the ER sub-communities dominated the homogeneous selection process in rhizosphere microbiome assembly. Moreover, we found that specific taxa derived from endosphere play important roles in promoting nitrogen accumulation and reducing nitrogen losses in nitrogen-deficient soil, suggesting that the soil nitrogen level affects the specific taxa from endosphere to rhizosphere to maintain plant nitrogen requirement.Plants could assemble compensatory functional rhizosphere microbiome to guarantee their nutrient requirement in nutrient-deficient soil. Specifically, some taxa derived from endosphere, make great contributions to the functional compensatory assembly in rhizosphere. These findings facilitate our understanding of the assembly mechanisms in rhizosphere, and further soil biological fertility improvement will benefit from isolation and application of these specific functional microbes.Results: Plant rhizosphere microbiome play crucial roles in plant growth. However, the mechanisms governing the rhizosphere microbiome assembly remain poorly understood. Here, we studied the contributions of sub-communities, referring to the recruited sub-community from bulk soil microbiome (SR) and the released sub-community from endosphere microbiome (ER), to the taxonomical and functional assembly of the rhizosphere microbiome.We transplanted maize seedlings across different soils to identify the origin source of rhizosphere microbial communities. The profiles of rhizosphere microbial communities were acquired using 16S rRNA marker gene sequencing.The amplicon data analyses revealed that, in the reassembled rhizosphere microbial communities after transplanting, the SR and ER sub-communities were distinguished among different soils and the SR sub-communities showed higher bacterial diversity than ER sub-communities. The SR sub-communities dominated the variable selection process, while the ER sub-communities dominated the homogeneous selection process in rhizosphere microbiome assembly. Moreover, we found that specific taxa derived from endosphere play important roles in promoting nitrogen accumulation and reducing nitrogen losses in nitrogen-deficient soil, suggesting that the soil nitrogen level affects the specific taxa from endosphere to rhizosphere to maintain plant nitrogen requirement.Plants could assemble compensatory functional rhizosphere microbiome to guarantee their nutrient requirement in nutrient-deficient soil. Specifically, some taxa derived from endosphere, make great contributions to the functional compensatory assembly in rhizosphere. These findings facilitate our understanding of the assembly mechanisms in rhizosphere, and further soil biological fertility improvement will benefit from isolation and application of these specific functional microbes.Conclusions: Plant rhizosphere microbiome play crucial roles in plant growth. However, the mechanisms governing the rhizosphere microbiome assembly remain poorly understood. Here, we studied the contributions of sub-communities, referring to the recruited sub-community from bulk soil microbiome (SR) and the released sub-community from endosphere microbiome (ER), to the taxonomical and functional assembly of the rhizosphere microbiome.We transplanted maize seedlings across different soils to identify the origin source of rhizosphere microbial communities. The profiles of rhizosphere microbial communities were acquired using 16S rRNA marker gene sequencing.The amplicon data analyses revealed that, in the reassembled rhizosphere microbial communities after transplanting, the SR and ER sub-communities were distinguished among different soils and the SR sub-communities showed higher bacterial diversity than ER sub-communities. The SR sub-communities dominated the variable selection process, while the ER sub-communities dominated the homogeneous selection process in rhizosphere microbiome assembly. Moreover, we found that specific taxa derived from endosphere play important roles in promoting nitrogen accumulation and reducing nitrogen losses in nitrogen-deficient soil, suggesting that the soil nitrogen level affects the specific taxa from endosphere to rhizosphere to maintain plant nitrogen requirement.Plants could assemble compensatory functional rhizosphere microbiome to guarantee their nutrient requirement in nutrient-deficient soil. Specifically, some taxa derived from endosphere, make great contributions to the functional compensatory assembly in rhizosphere. These findings facilitate our understanding of the assembly mechanisms in rhizosphere, and further soil biological fertility improvement will benefit from isolation and application of these specific functional microbes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional wood-based panels composed of wood and petroleum based adhesives is widely used in furniture manufacturing and construction industries. However, these adhesives are not biodegradable, inhibiting the recycling of artificial board. More seriously, the emission of carcinogenic formaldehyde will lead to severe pollution and environmental issues. This study presents a method for preparing self-bonding composites. Waste poplar powder is used as raw material in the biocomposite, in which exogenous lignin is added, and lignin is extracted from the waste of the paper industry - black liquor, which is beneficial to the environment and the recycling of resources. The resulting biocomposites are characterized by aldehyde-free, better strength, and water stability. The dimensional stability and mechanical strength, bending strength (84.40 MPa), and tensile strength (35.40 MPa) of the biocomposite are 2.0 and 1.6 times that of composites obtained by hot pressing without pretreatment and are 2.7 and 2.4 times that of medium density fiberboard (MDF), lignin plays an important role as an adhesive, which is the key to improving mechanical properties. Moreover, the biocomposite features higher water stability and fire resistance than the traditional wood fiberboard. In conclusion, the developed black liquor-wood biocomposites are potential alternatives used to replace the formaldehyde wood-based fiberboard. [Display omitted] • An aldehyde-free wood-based panel was prepared by a resource-saving method. • The flexural and tensile strengths are 84.40 MPa and 35.40 MPa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dark fermentation (DF) is a promising technology for biohydrogen production. Low efficiency of biohydrogen production is a bottleneck of the scale-up prospects for DF. Additives have been extensively studied to improve the biohydrogen production efficiency. Among of them, iron-based additives present a promising application potential due to their demonstrated significant enhancement of DF efficiency and among the low-cost bioactive agents. However, current reviews mainly examined the effects of nano-materials on DF and an in-depth analysis of enhancing mechanisms with addition of iron-based additives in DF is still lacking. To this end, this article comprehensively reviewed and evaluated the effects of iron-based additives on DF. Further, the potential mechanisms, including altering metabolic pathways, improving activities of microbes and enzymes, promoting electron delivery, and enriching hydrogen-producing bacteria, were discussed. Lastly, prospects and challenges of iron-based additives for subsequent research and large-scale application for DF were summarized. • Cost-effective iron-based additives showed a promising application in DF. • Promotion mechanisms of iron-based additives in DF were analyzed. • The combination of multiple biotechnologies will promote the development of DF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The development of an influenza vaccine for poultry that provides broadly protective immunity against influenza H5Nx viruses is a challenging goal. Results: Lactococcus lactis (L. lactis)/pNZ8149-HA1-M2 expressing hemagglutinin-1 (HA1) of A/chicken/Vietnam/NCVD-15A59/2015 (H5N6) and the conserved M2 gene of A/Vietnam/1203/2004 (H5N1) was generated. L. lactis/pNZ8149-HA1-M2 could induce significant humoral, mucosal and cell-mediated immune responses, as well as neutralization antibodies. Importantly, L. lactis/pNZ8149-HA1-M2 could prevent disease symptoms without significant weight loss and confer protective immunity in a chicken model against lethal challenge with divergent influenza H5Nx viruses, including H5N6 and H5N1. Conclusions: L. lactis/pNZ8149-HA1-M2 can serve as a promising vaccine candidate in poultry industry for providing protection against H5Nx virus infection in the field application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Gabapentin has potential analgesic benefits in patients with neuropathic pain, such as post-herpetic neuralgia and diabetic peripheral neuropathy neuropathic pain. However, its efficacy in women with chronic pelvic pain (CPP) remains contradictory. In the present study, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to ascertain the efficacy of this treatment. Methods: We systematically reviewed RCTs published in PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases, up to July 2021. These articles compared gabapentin with placebo or any other active treatment for CPP in women, with 'the change in pain scores from the baseline during the first 3 and 6 months of treatment' taken as the primary outcome. We considered reductions equivalent to 1.0 cm for primary outcomes to be clinically important. Results: Four studies, comprising 469 participants, were included in our meta-analysis. Results revealed that the gabapentin group had significantly higher change in pain intensity scores from baseline to 3 months [weighted mean difference (WMD) − 0.61 cm; 95% confidence interval (CI) − 0.97 to − 0.25; I2 = 0%; p = 0.0009] and 6 months (WMD − 1.38 cm; 95% CI − 1.89 to − 0.88; I2 = 0%; p < 0.00001), relative to the control group. The difference of 6-month pooled result was more clinically important. Results from analysis of secondary outcomes showed that gabapentin had no beneficial efficacy during the first 3 months of treatment. Although gabapentin treatment was associated with a higher risk of dizziness and somnolence, no statistically significant differences were observed with regards to the total incidence of adverse events. Conclusions: Overall, gabapentin could be a potential treatment option for CPP in women. However, as a pilot study, further studies are needed to explore the longer-term benefits and definite safety of this therapy in the future. Registration Number: PROSPERO registration number CRD42021249421. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose to suppress high-power microwave pulses (HPMPs) using nonlinear dispersion and filtering natures of spoof surface plasmon polaritons (SSPPs). Frequency components of a short HPMP are distributed in time domain due to different group velocities and partly cutoff on SSPP transmission lines (TLs), leading to peak suppression of HPMP. To illustrate the protection mechanism in real microwave engineering, an SSPP mono-pulse antenna is designed. Sum and difference beam functions of the antenna are demonstrated by both simulations and experiments. For easy comparison, a microstrip mono-pulse antenna is also fabricated. HPMP incidences from the main lobe directions of the sum beam and difference beam are considered. Compared to the microstrip antenna, obvious suppression of HPMPs is observed in the SSPP mono-pulse antenna in different cases, which verifies the better performance to prevent HPMP damages by SSPPs. The proposed technology to suppress HPMPs by using SSPPs can find wide applications in radar and communication systems in the electronic warfare environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adverse impact of a low family socioeconomic status (SES) on rural-to-urban migrant children's academic achievement has been widely demonstrated. However, knowledge regarding the mechanisms underlying this relationship is limited. The current study aimed to examine the potential mediating effects of educational expectations and the moderating effects of subjective SES on the relationship between family SES and academic achievement among Chinese rural-to-urban migrant adolescents. A sample of 321 rural-to-urban migrant adolescents (48.2% girls; mean age = 11.73 years, SD = 1.16 years) was recruited in China. The results indicated that migrant adolescents' educational expectations mediated the relationship between family SES and academic achievement. In addition, the link between family SES and educational expectations was weak among adolescents with higher levels of subjective SES. These findings suggest that subjective SES serves as a protective factor buffering the negative effects of a low family SES on migrant adolescents' academic achievement through educational expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes elevates endothelin-1 (ET-1) in the vitreous and enhances constriction of retinal venules to this peptide. However, mechanisms contributing to ET-1-induced constriction of retinal venules are incompletely understood. We examined roles of sodium-hydrogen exchanger 1 (NHE1), protein kinase C (PKC), mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), and extracellular calcium (Ca2+) in retinal venular constriction to ET-1 and the impact of diabetes on these signaling molecules. Retinal venules were isolated from control pigs and pigs with streptozocin-induced diabetes for in vitro studies. ET-1-induced vasoconstriction was abolished in the absence of extracellular Ca2+ and sensitive to c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor SP600125 but unaffected by extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) inhibitor PD98059, p38 kinase inhibitor SB203580, or broad-spectrum PKC inhibitor Gö 6983. Diabetes (after 2 weeks) enhanced venular constriction to ET-1, which was insensitive to PD98059 and Gö 6983 but was prevented by NHE1 inhibitor cariporide, SB203580, and SP600125. In conclusion, extracellular Ca2+ entry and activation of JNK, independent of ERK and PKC, mediate constriction of retinal venules to ET-1. Diabetes activates p38 MAPK and NHE1, which cause enhanced venular constriction to ET-1. Treatments targeting these vascular molecules may lessen retinal complications in early diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is a major concern among abiotic stresses in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production. Breeding resistant cultivars are the most effective means to manage drought stress. F6 recombinant inbred lines (RIL) derived from the cross of Berkut/Worrakatta were used to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for drought tolerance at germination stage under treatment of PEG6000 using the wheat 50 K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array. Twenty-eight linkage groups were constructed, covering a length of 2220.26 cM. Eighteen QTL were detected based on the drought tolerance coefficients and D-value, explaining 2.7–6.5% of the phenotypic variances, in which 15 were likely to be novel. Three QTL, QGR.xjau-5AS, QCL.xjau-5AS and QD.xjau-5AS for GR, CL and D-value, respectively, at physical positions of 11.70–20.61 Mb between markers AX-111258240 and AX-94458300 on chromosome 5AS accounted for 3.4–4.8% of the phenotypic variances. Three QTL, QGP.xjau-5DL, QSH.xjau-5DL and QD.xjau-5DL for GP, SH and D-value, respectively, were flanked by markers AX-94524442 and AX-110998507 at 560.42–567.39 Mb on chromosome 5DL, accounting for 4.4–6.5% of the phenotypic variances. In addition, the candidate genes TraesCS5A02G022100, TraesCS5B02G014200 and TraesCS5D02G563900 were predicted. Based on transcriptional expression data, the results showed that the expression level of TaGATAs-5A, TaUbox-5B and TaGSTP-5D changed with the increase of treatment time under drought stress in tolerant and sensitive varieties. These are interesting targets in mining drought tolerance genes and the improvement of drought tolerance in wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A metal‐free approach for the synthesis of seven‐membered N‐heterocycles has been developed by the I2‐promoted intramolecular cross‐coupling/annulation of butenyl anilines. This cyclization reaction involves C−H activation and C−C bond formation and exhibits good functional group tolerance. A series of benzo[b]azepine derivatives are obtained in moderate to good yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient improved spectrum integral method (ISIM) is proposed to accelerate the scattering simulation of cuboid object by method of moment (MoM) in multiplanar layered medium (LM). The layered medium Green’s functions (LMGFs) are studied and decomposed into transmission and reflection terms, which hold the translational invariance and reverse translational invariance, respectively. By virtue of the (reverse) translational invariance of LMGF from the uniform square grids on the surface of the cuboid object, most of the coupling between the expanding basis functions and the testing basis functions can be represented by two kinds of submatrices, i.e., the Toeplitz matrix when transmission term is involved, and the conjugate Toeplitz matrix when reflection term is involved. Moreover, the submatrix coupling the expanding/testing basis functions defined on the edges with those defined on the parallel surfaces/edges is also extended to the (conjugate) Toeplitz matrixes. This will significantly alleviate the heavy computation and memory burden from the conventional SIM. With the improved operations on the basis functions associated with the edges of the cuboid object, the proposed ISIM in LM can reach the computational complexity as low as ${O}$ (${N} ^{1.5}$ log(N)) in the matrix vector production, while the computational complexity of matrix filling and the memory requirement are both ${O}$ (${N}^{1.5}$). Moreover, compared with conventional SIM, both theoretical analysis and numerical results demonstrate that the memory requirement and matrix filling time are dramatically decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning discriminative and invariant feature representation is the key to visual image categorization. In this article, we propose a novel invariant deep compressible covariance pooling (IDCCP) to solve nuisance variations in aerial scene categorization. We consider transforming the input image according to a finite transformation group that consists of multiple confounding orthogonal matrices, such as the D4 group. Then, we adopt a Siamese-style network to transfer the group structure to the representation space, where we can derive a trivial representation that is invariant under the group action. The linear classifier trained with trivial representation will also be possessed with invariance. To further improve the discriminative power of representation, we extend the representation to the tensor space while imposing orthogonal constraints on the transformation matrix to effectively reduce feature dimensions. We conduct extensive experiments on the publicly released aerial scene image data sets and demonstrate the superiority of this method compared with state-of-the-art methods. In particular, with using ResNet architecture, our IDCCP model can reduce the dimension of the tensor representation by about 98% without sacrificing accuracy (i.e., < 0.5%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel electromagnetic modeling method for multidomain planar layered medium (MD-PLM) by surface integral equation (SIE) is proposed. The MD-PLM refers to the whole space that is separated into multiple PLM volumes, e.g., the infinite-sized PLM background with inserted finite PLM objects or multilayered parallel-plate structures. In the conventional SIE method for this scenario, only the exterior domain is considered as PLM that is modeled by layered medium Green’s functions (LMGFs), while the interior domain is treated by the multidomain homogeneous SIE. However, in this work, the surface equivalence formulation for this special scenario is reestablished by the LMGFs. Then, both the exterior and interior domains are considered as PLM that is modeled by the corresponding LMGFs and SIE in each subdomain. As a result, only the boundary of each sub-PLM domain is required to be discretized rather than the interfaces of each interior medium, which is different from the way in conventional SIE. Consequently, compared with the conventional SIEs, the proposed method can reduce a large quantity of unknowns and significantly increase the efficiency by reducing the memory consumption. By some numerical examples, the performance of this method is evaluated and compared with the conventional methods. The validity and efficiency of the newly proposed method are also well demonstrated in the examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A higher order current and charge integral equation (CCIE) approach is developed for accurate electromagnetic scattering analysis of dielectric objects for a wide frequency band, that is from extremely low frequency to microwave frequency. Compared to the conventional CCIE method, its accuracy has been considerably improved by expanding the currents and charges using high-order hierarchical vector basis functions and higher order orthogonal scalar polynomials, respectively. The proposed higher order approach retains whole-frequency-range stability as the traditional low-order counterpart, but characterized with enhanced accuracy and higher convergence rate. Moreover, the consistency of the basis functions’ expansion order in currents and charges is not mandatorily required, which further increase the flexibility in electromagnetic modeling. The scattered fields of penetrable objects are analyzed to validate the effectiveness of this new higher order CCIE, as well as investigate its accuracy, stability, and flexibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hydrogel is a three-dimensional structural body with a polymer network that effectively absorbs and stabilizes a wide range of small molecules and ions, thereby reducing the precipitation of metal ions from the matrix. In this study, we successfully prepared a hydrogel named N-GQDs/CuS/Cv-CNNs-70-2 (abbreviated as NCCH-X) by employing the chemical cross-linking method of sodium alginate and calcium chloride and conducted an in-depth study on the morphological and optoelectronic properties of the hydrogel with different photocatalyst contents, as well as on its effectiveness at removing hexavalent chromium Cr(VI). The study's findings indicated that the composite photocatalyst exhibited high treatment efficiency for chromium-containing wastewater when the photocatalyst content was NCCH-10. The hydrogel achieved a high removal rate of 96.37% with a Cr(VI) concentration of 100 mg L−1 under visible light irradiation for 60 min. Moreover, the unique hydrogel structure effectively avoids the precipitation of excessive Cu2+, which reduces the possibility of the lethal risk of copper to organisms in the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pumilio RNA-binding family member 1 (PUM1) has been implicated in both the progression of colorectal cancer and the regulation of inflammation. The role of PUM1 in the polarization of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) into the M2 phenotype has not yet been reported in hepatocellular carcinoma. Using the PUM1-knockout mice model, flow cytometry, and IHC, we validated the role of PUM1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) TAMs. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) or student’s t-tests was used to compare the experimental groups. We found that PUM1 inhibited anti-tumor immunity in HCC through TAM-mediated inhibition of CD8+ T cells. We also showed that PUM1 promotes the transformation of TAMs into pro-tumorigenic M2-like phenotypes by activating cAMP signaling pathway. This study emphasized the potential of PUM1 as a target for immunotherapy in HCC through TAMs. The present study revealed the molecular mechanism underlying the pro-tumor role of PUM1 in HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The North Carolina Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program (NC BCCCP) provides breast cancer screening services to underserved women to mitigate disparities in access to care. The authors sought to characterize this understudied population. Methods: Women 21 years old or older who underwent their first breast cancer screen through NC BCCCP from 2008 to 2018 were included. Demographic factors associated with the timeline of care and odds of a breast cancer diagnosis were identified with negative binomial and logistic regression, respectively. Results: Of the 88,893 women identified, 45.5% were non‐Hispanic (NH) White, 30.9% were NH Black, 19.6% were Hispanic, 1.7% were American Indian, and 1.1% were Asian. Breast cancer was diagnosed in 2.5% of the women (n = 2255). Hispanic women were the least likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer (odds ratio vs NH White women, 0.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.34‐0.47). Among patients with breast pathology, the median time to diagnosis was 19 days (interquartile range [IQR], 10‐33 days), and the time to treatment was 33 days (IQR, 19‐54 days). After adjustments, a longer time to diagnosis was significantly associated with age (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 1.01; 95% CI, 1.01‐1.02) and being NH Black (vs NH White; IRR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.06‐1.29). A longer time to treatment was significantly associated with age (IRR, 1.01; 95% CI, 1.01‐1.01), being NH Black (vs NH White; IRR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.10‐1.31), and being Hispanic (vs NH White; IRR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.05‐1.41). Conclusions: NC BCCCP participants with breast cancer received treatment within approximately 1 month of presentation, and this finding aligns with quality care benchmarks. Nevertheless, racial/ethnic disparities in timeliness of care persist, and this suggests opportunities for improvement. Lay Summary: This review of approximately 90,000 participants in a breast cancer screening program for uninsured and underinsured women highlights the importance of safety net programs in providing timely care to underserved patients.The authors found that the North Carolina Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program met timeliness benchmarks from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention across all racial/ethnic groups. However, non‐Hispanic Black women experienced relative delays in the time to diagnosis, and both non‐Hispanic Black women and Hispanic women experienced relative delays in the time to treatment.These findings demonstrate how racial/ethnic disparities in the timeliness of care can persist even within a program intended to reduce barriers to access. This retrospective review of almost 90,000 participants in a breast cancer screening program for uninsured and underinsured women highlights the importance of safety net programs in providing timely care to underserved patients. However, these findings also demonstrate that racial/ethnic disparities in timeliness of care persist even when insurance status is mitigated as a barrier to access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Defect monitoring via convolutional neural networks (CNN). • Augmentation of experimental CNN training data with simulated data. • Finite element modeling of DMLS process. • Evaluation of the approach using standard CNN performance metrics. In the additive manufacturing (AM) industry, the direct metal laser solidification (DMLS) process has received significant research interest because of its ultra-high precision and geometry variability. However, many possible process errors can happen during the printing process and in-situ quality control is quite challenging because of the lack of appropriate monitoring and analysis capabilities. Thus, in this work, a part-scale finite element method (FEM) model is developed to investigate the heat transfer behavior of the DMLS process and to extract experimentally relevant thermal features. Specifically, a microscopic and a mesoscale sub-model are initially developed to describe powder properties and the laser behaviors, respectively, and their outputs are directly incorporated in the part-scale FEM model. The FEM model-generated data are then processed to replicate the long-wave infrared (LWIR) camera sensor outputs. Finally, both the experimental and FEM model-generated images are used to train machine learning algorithms for in-situ defect detection applications. In addition, we are endeavoring to look into a convolutional neural network utilizing such realistic thermal features from LWIR images with and without a variety of simulated data augmentation to examine its contribution to the CNN training. The thermal feature extraction and the machine learning algorithm are then utilized for the data reduction purpose. Also, a transmission strategy is demonstrated to filter out a significant amount of redundant data while maintaining high model prediction quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (MHQ), a self-reported questionnaire for patients with hand disorders, has been widely used globally. It has been cross-culturally adapted into different languages across all continents. Aims of this study were to translate the MHQ into Malay language and to evaluate its reliability and validity compared with Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire in a Malay-speaking population. Methods: The MHQ was cross-culturally adapted into a Malay version based on the guidelines. A pre-testing involving thirty patients with hand disorders was performed to assess whether it was comprehensible to the target population. One hundred patients with hand disorders were recruited in this study to answer the MHQ and DASH questionnaires. The MHQ was tested twice with an interval of two weeks in between. Statistical analysis was performed to assess the reproducibility and internal consistency via the test-retest method and Cronbach's alpha calculation, respectively. The association between MHQ and DASH questionnaire was assessed with Spearman's correlation calculation. Results: In the pre-testing, twenty-six patients (86.7%) understood all the questions in the Malay version of MHQ. The test-retest analysis showed a good reliability across the duration of two weeks with the intraclass correlation coefficient of all subscales ranging from 0.925 to 0.984. Cronbach's alpha values of the Malay version MHQ ranged from 0.82 to 0.97, indicating a good internal consistency. Spearman's correlation factor of the MHQ in comparison with DASH showed a fair to moderately strong correlation with the values ranging from 0.513 to 0.757. Conclusions: The Malay version of MHQ was successfully translated and culturally-adapted with excellent reliability (reproducibility and internal consistency) and good construct validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Adding adjuvants to local wound infiltration (LWI) provides long analgesic duration with fewer adverse effects. We aimed to compare the clinical effects of nalbuphine and ketorolac as an adjuvant to LWI in patients undergoing open colorectal cancer surgery. Method: A total of 126 ASA I–III patients aged ≥ 18 years who were scheduled for open colorectal cancer surgery were included. Patients were randomly assigned to receive LWI using 10 mL 0.75% ropivacaine, with 20 mL normal saline (group R), 10 mg nalbuphine in 1 mL (group RN), or 25 mg ketorolac in 0.8 mL (group RK). Analgesia duration was the primary outcome. The total 48-h postoperative morphine-equivalent consumption and additional rescue analgesia rates were recorded as key secondary outcomes. Results: Among 126 patients randomized, 124 completed the trial. The duration until the first press of the analgesia pump was significantly shorter in group R (median: 320.0 min) compared with group RN (median: 829.5 min) and group RK (median: 820.0 min) (P < 0.001). The median difference in morphine consumption was 113.0 mg for group R vs. group RN (P < 0.001), and 115.5 mg for group R vs. group RK (P < 0.001). The proportion of patients using additional morphine within the first day after surgery in group R showed a higher relative risk (RR) compared with group RN (RR, 3.89; P = 0.001) and group RK (RR, 3.17; P = 0.001). There were no apparent differences between the RN and RK groups in any outcomes, whether in adjusted or unadjusted analysis. Conclusions: Among patients undergoing open colorectal cancer surgery, both nalbuphine and ketorolac infiltration achieved equally prolonged duration of analgesia and reduced morphine consumption compared with ropivacaine alone after surgery, suggesting that the equivalent analgesic dose of nalbuphine and ketorolac as local anesthetic adjuvants in LWI could have a similar analgesic effect. Trial Registration: ChiCTR1800019209. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) highlights the need to develop safe and effective vaccines with a top priority. Multiple vaccine candidates are under development, and several vaccines are currently available. Efforts need to be undertaken to counter the threat of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Results: We generated a Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae)-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, EBY100/pYD1-RBD, in which the full-length receptor binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 was expressed on the surface of yeast. Mice vaccinated orally with unadjuvanted EBY100/pYD1-RBD could produce significant humoral and mucosal responses as well as robust cellular immune responses. Notably, EBY100/pYD1-RBD elicited a mixed Th1/Th2-type cellular immune response with a Th1-biased immune response in a mouse model. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of the RBD as a key target to design and develop vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 and provide evidence of oral administration of a S. cerevisiae-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine eliciting significant immune responses. Most importantly, the S. cerevisiae surface display system can serve as a universal technology platform and be applied to develop other oral viral or bacterial vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How raffinose (Raf) family oligosaccharides, the major translocated sugars in the vascular bundle in cucurbits, are hydrolyzed and subsequently partitioned has not been fully elucidated. By performing reciprocal grafting of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) fruits to branch stems, we observed that Raf was hydrolyzed in the fruit of cultivar watermelons but was backlogged in the fruit of wild ancestor species. Through a genome-wide association study, the alkaline alpha-galactosidase ClAGA2 was identified as the key factor controlling stachyose and Raf hydrolysis, and it was determined to be specifically expressed in the vascular bundle. Analysis of transgenic plants confirmed that ClAGA2 controls fruit Raf hydrolysis and reduces sugar content in fruits. Two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the ClAGA2 promoter affect the recruitment of the transcription factor ClNF-YC2 (nuclear transcription factor Y subunit C) to regulate ClAGA2 expression. Moreover, this study demonstrates that C. lanatus Sugars Will Eventually Be Exported Transporter 3 (ClSWEET3) and Tonoplast Sugar Transporter (ClTST2) participate in plasma membrane sugar transport and sugar storage in fruit cell vacuoles, respectively. Knocking out ClAGA2 , ClSWEET3 , and ClTST2 affected fruit sugar accumulation. Genomic signatures indicate that the selection of ClAGA2 , ClSWEET3 , and ClTST2 for carbohydrate partitioning led to the derivation of modern sweet watermelon from non-sweet ancestors during domestication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The liver kinase B1 (LKB1) is an important tumor suppressor and its loss-of-function mutations are observed in around 16% of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases. One of the main functions of LKB1 is to activate AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) via direct phosphorylation. Under metabolic or energy stress conditions, the LKB1-AMPK axis inhibits the anabolic pathways and activates the catabolic pathways to maintain metabolic homeostasis for cell survival. In this study, we found that LKB1-mutant NSCLC cells are particularly susceptible to cell death induced by glucose starvation, but not by other forms of starvation such as amino acid starvation or serum starvation. Reconstitution of LKB1 in LKB1-mutant cells or LKB1 knockout in LKB1-wild type cells highlighted the importance of the LKB1-AMPK axis for cell survival under glucose starvation. Mechanistically, in LKB1-mutant cells, glucose starvation elicits oxidative stress, which causes AMPK protein oxidation and inactivation, and eventually cell death. Importantly, this process could be effectively reversed and rescued by 2DG (a glucose analog capable of producing NADPH, a key antioxidant), A769662 (an allosteric AMPK activator), and N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) (a ROS scavenger), indicating the presence of a vicious circle between AMPK inactivation and ROS in LKB1-mutant NSCLC cells under glucose starvation. Our study thus elucidates the critical role of redox balance in determining the susceptibility to cell death under glucose starvation in LKB1-mutant NSCLC cells. The findings from this study reveal important clues in search of novel therapeutic strategies for LKB1-mutant NSCLC by targeting glucose metabolism and redox balance. [Display omitted] • LKB1-mutant NSCLC cells are highly susceptible to glucose starvation. • The LKB1-AMPK axis determines the susceptibility to glucose starvation. • AMPKα is oxidized and inhibited in LKB1-mutant cells under glucose starvation. • AMPK inactivation and ROS form a vicious circle in LKB1-mutant NSCLC cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We give an explicit formula for the degree of the Grothendieck polynomial of a Grassmannian permutation and a closely related formula for the Castelnuovo-Mumford regularity of the Schubert determinantal ideal of a Grassmannian permutation. We then provide a counterexample to a conjecture of Kummini-Lakshmibai-Sastry-Seshadri on a formula for regularities of standard open patches of particular Grassmannian Schubert varieties and show that our work gives rise to an alternate explicit formula in these cases. We end with a new conjecture on the regularities of standard open patches of arbitrary Grassmannian Schubert varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By tactfully structuring a luminescent molecule as an accurate pH probe with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) feature, it is significant to overcome aggregation-caused quenching of emitted light in practice. Herein, we present a simple AIE-active fluorescence probe for pH detection on the basis of intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) with wide response range and high sensitivity reaction. The donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) style probe utilized a conjugated structural hybrid of the electron-withdrawing nitrile group and electron-donating hydroxyl as well as dimethylamino groups for fluorescent platform. The AIE-active probe possesses good fluorescence under water fraction up to 90% in mixed MeOH/water system. Furthermore, it can be used in profiling and visualization of pH detection in MeOH/water system at fw = 90% under UV 365 nm lamp. What's more, the probe can be employed to be a broad range test paper of pH detection, paving the way for low-cost practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]