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Background: Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is an important health issue for women. Infection and inflammation play an important role in carcinogenesis and PID has been reported to be associated with ovarian cancer in some small scale studies.Aim: We sought to determine whether PID is associated with an elevated risk of ovarian cancer in Asian women.Methods: Using data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD), our retrospective cohort study included women diagnosed with PID (cases) between the years of 2000 till 2012. Each case was matched with two women without PID (controls) by age and the year of first entry into the database. Both study cohorts were followed-up until the first event of ovarian cancer, withdrawal from the NHI program, death, or the end of the study period (December 31, 2012). Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate crude and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs and aHRs) with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for the association of PID and ovarian cancer risk, with and without adjusting for potential confounders.Results: During an approximate 10 years of follow-up, cases were significantly more likely than controls to develop ovarian cancer (incidence rates of 0.27 and 0.16 per 1,000 person-years, respectively; P < 0.001). Women with a history of PID had a 1.49-fold elevated risk for ovarian cancer (aHR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.21-1.84; P < 0.001).Conclusion: Our study evidence supports the contention that PID increases the risk of developing ovarian cancer among Taiwanese women. Gynecologists should undertake careful assessments and closely follow patients with PID, who are at long-term risk of developing ovarian cancer. Our findings need further verification in other international cohorts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We systematically analyze the effects of the derivatives of the hydrodynamic fields on axial Wigner function that describes the spin polarization vector in phase space. We have included all possible first-order derivative contributions that are allowed by symmetry and compute the associated transport functions at one-loop using the linear response theory. In addition to reproducing known effects due to the temperature gradient and vorticity, we have identified a number of potentially significant contributions that are overlooked previously. In particular, we find that the shear strength, the symmetric and traceless part of the flow gradient, will induce a quadrupole for spin polarization in the phase space. Our results, together with hydrodynamic gradients obtained from hydrodynamic simulations, can be employed as a basis for the interpretation of the Λ (anti-Λ) spin polarization measurement in heavy-ion collisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Late-life depression issues in developing countries are challenging because of understaffing in mental health. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is effective for treating depression. Aim: This pilot trial examined the adherence and effectiveness of an eight-session adapted CBT delivered by trained lay health workers for older adults with depressive symptoms living in rural areas of China, compared with the usual care. Method: Fifty with screen-positive depression were randomly assigned to the CBT arm or the care as usual (CAU) arm. The primary outcomes were the session completion of older adults and changes in depressive symptoms, assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Results: The majority (19/24) of participants in the CBT arm completed all sessions. Mixed-effect linear regression showed that the CBT reduced more GDS scores over time compared with CAU. Conclusion: Lay-delivered culturally adapted CBT is potentially effective for screen-positive late-life depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stigma among healthcare professionals may lead to poor quality of healthcare services for patients with mental illness. This study conducts a network meta-analysis to estimate the relative efficacy between different types of anti-stigma interventions for healthcare professionals. Network meta-analysis. The attitudes and behavior intension of healthcare professionals toward mental illness. A total of 18 studies (22 trials) from 9 countries are included in the analysis. In the network meta-analysis, rank probabilities show interventions with indirect contact plus lecture (SUCRA = 81.5%), direct contact plus problem-based learning workshop (SUCRA = 77.4%), and indirect contact (SUCRA = 72.2%) having the highest probability of being ranked first, second, and third, respectively. Our findings suggest that education combining social contact is the most effective anti-stigma intervention, which can be implemented in clinical practices to help reduce this stigma and improve healthcare services for patients with mental illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volumetric placental measurement using 3-D ultrasound has proven clinical utility in predicting adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, this metric cannot currently be employed as part of a screening test due to a lack of robust and real-time segmentation tools. We present a multiclass (MC) convolutional neural network (CNN) developed to segment the placenta, amniotic fluid, and fetus. The ground-truth data set consisted of 2093 labeled placental volumes augmented by 300 volumes with placenta, amniotic fluid, and fetus annotated. A two-pathway, hybrid (HB) model using transfer learning, a modified loss function, and exponential average weighting was developed and demonstrated the best performance for placental segmentation (PS), achieving a Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) of 0.84- and 0.38-mm average Hausdorff distances (HDAV). The use of a dual-pathway architecture improved the PS by 0.03 DSC and reduced HDAV by 0.27 mm compared with a naïve MC model. The incorporation of exponential weighting produced a further small improvement in DSC by 0.01 and a reduction of HDAV by 0.44 mm. Per volume inference using the FCNN took 7–8 s. This method should enable clinically relevant morphometric measurements (such as volume and total surface area) to be automatically generated for the placenta, amniotic fluid, and fetus. The ready availability of such metrics makes a population-based screening test for adverse pregnancy outcomes possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To analyze the changes in white matter tracts in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and the correlation between these changes and social communication deficits. Methods: Diffuse tensor imaging was used to assess white matter integrity using tract-based spatial statistics in a sample of 50 right-handed children with ASD aged 2– 6 years vis a reference sample of 46 typically developing children aged 2– 6 years. We then correlated these significant different fiber tracts between groups with communication and social interaction scores using the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised Assessment (ADI-R) Scale. Results: We observed decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) in tracts including the left superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), the splenium of the corpus callosum (splCC), the left corticospinal tracts, and the left inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF) in children with ASD. Specifically, there was reduced white matter integrity of these tracts in the left cerebral hemisphere. In addition, we found that the decreased FA of left SLF and ILF was negatively associated with the ADI-R scores in children with ASD. Conclusion: The structural integrity of some white matter tracts in the five-level anatomical model for the social communication was reduced. The reduced integrity white matter that we observed primarily in the left cerebral hemisphere may be a neural substrate of social communication deficits in preschool children with ASD, and we speculate that the reduction is associated with the severity of social interaction. The reduced FA of the splCC might be a substantial biomarker for children with ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose Jensen–Shannon divergence (JSD) based on horizontal visibility graph (HVG) to measure the time series irreversibility for both stationary and non-stationary series efficiently. Numerical simulations are first conducted to show the validity of the proposed method and then empirical applications to the financial time series and traffic time series are investigated. It can be found that JSD shows better robustness than Kullback–Leibler divergence (KLD) on quantifying time series irreversibility and correctly distinguishes the different type of simulated series. For the empirical analysis, JSD based on HVG is able to detect the significant time irreversibility of stock indices and reveal the relationship between different stock indices. JSD results show the time irreversibility of speed time series for different detectors and present better accuracy and robustness than KLD. The hierarchical clustering based on their behavior of time irreversibility obtained by JSD classifies the detectors into four groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To introduce a novel surgical protocol for safe and accurate placement of C1 lateral mass screws in patients with atlas assimilation, basilar invagination and atlantoaxial instability, and to categorize the screw accuracy and perioperative complications regarding this technique in a large case series. Methods: Between January 2015 and January 2020, patients who had atlas assimilation, basilar invagination and atlantoaxial instability, and underwent atlantoaxial fixation using C1 lateral mass screws were reviewed. C1 lateral mass screws were placed with a novel surgical protocol following a series key steps, including posterior para-odontoid ligament release, panoramic exposure of the invaginated lateral mass, and diligent protection of the abnormal VA. Screw accuracy and related complications were specifically evaluated. Results: A total of 434 C1 lateral mass screws were placed. Fifteen screws (3.5%) were classified as unacceptable, 54 screws (12.4%) were classified as acceptable, and 365 screws (84.1%) were classified as ideal. Overall, 96.5% of screws were deemed safe. There were no cases of vascular injury or permanent neurological defects. One patient with an unacceptable screw presented with hypoglossal nerve paralysis and recovered after an immediate revision surgery. Thirty-seven patients complained about occipital neuralgia and were successfully managed with medication. Conclusion: Placement of C1 lateral mass screws in patients with atlas assimilation, basilar invagination and atlantoaxial instability following this surgical protocol is safe and accurate. Thorough para-odontoid ligamental release, wide exposure of the invaginated lateral mass, and diligent protection of the vertebral artery are critical to maximize the chances of successful screw placement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cancers located on the right and left sides of the colon have distinct clinical and molecular characteristics. This study aimed to explore the regulatory mechanisms of location-specific long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) in colon cancer and identify potential prognostic biomarkers. Method: Differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs), miRNAs (DEMs), and genes (DEGs) between right- and left-side colon cancers were identified by comparing RNA sequencing profiles. Functional enrichment analysis was performed for the DEGs, and a ceRNA network was constructed. Associations between DELs and patient survival were examined, and a DEL-based signature was constructed to examine the prognostic value of these differences. Clinical colon cancer tissues and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets were used to validate the results. Results: We identified 376 DELs, 35 DEMs, and 805 DEGs between right- and left-side colon cancers. The functional enrichment analysis revealed the functions and pathway involvement of DEGs. A ceRNA network was constructed based on 95 DEL–DEM–DEG interactions. Three DELs (LINC01555, AC015712, and FZD10-AS1) were associated with the overall survival of patients with colon cancer, and a prognostic signature was established based on these three DELs. High risk scores for this signature indicated poor survival, suggesting that the signature has prognostic value for colon cancer. Examination of clinical colon cancer tissues and GEO dataset analysis confirmed the results. Conclusion: The ceRNA regulatory network suggests roles for location-specific lncRNAs in colon cancer and allowed the development of an lncRNA-based prognostic signature, which could be used to assess prognosis and determine treatment strategies in patients with colon cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the association between hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and the risk of bone fracture in menopausal women in Taiwan.Study Design: The longitudinal, population-based, nested case-control study in Taiwan involved 5269 women aged > 45 years with fractures and 21,076 matched randomly selected controls without fractures. A conditional logistic regression model of analysis was employed.Main Outcome Measures: The association between the risk of bone fracture and various HRT-related parameters, including the timing, dosage, and adherence, was investigated.Results: Women with menopausal syndrome were protected from fractures when they received hormone drugs at high cumulative defined daily doses (DDDs) (Cumulative DDDs≥360) (odds ratio [OR]: 0.90, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 0.82-0.99) and when their adherence was high (over 0.5) (OR: 0.70, 95 % CI: 0.60-0.82). The risk of fracture also decreased with high cumulative DDDs and high adherence combined (OR: 0.71, 95 % CI: 058-0.86). Subgroup analyses suggested that estrogen-containing regimens showed a protective effect against fractures at high cumulative DDDs or when adherence was high. Similar results were also observed with progestogen-containing regimens. Past exposure to an estrogen-containing regimen showed a protective effect against fractures when adherence was high. Past exposure to a progestogen-containing regimen showed a protective effect against fractures at high cumulative DDDs and when adherence was high.Conclusions: The results indicate that past exposure to estrogen-containing or progestogen-containing regimens exerts protective effects against bone fracture. These effects increased with higher cumulative DDDs and with adherence in a dose-dependent manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To establish a machine learning model for identifying patients coinfected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) through two sexual transmission routes in Jiangsu, China. Methods. A total of 14197 HIV cases transmitted by homosexual and heterosexual routes were recruited. After data processing, 12469 cases (HIV and HBV, 1033; HIV, 11436) were left for further analysis, including 7849 cases with homosexual transmission and 4620 cases with heterosexual transmission. Univariate logistic regression was used to select variables with significant P value and odds ratio for multivariable analysis. In homosexual transmission and heterosexual transmission groups, 10 and 6 variables were selected, respectively. For identifying HIV individuals coinfected with HBV, a machine learning model was constructed with four algorithms, including Decision Tree, Random Forest, AdaBoost with decision tree (AdaBoost), and extreme gradient boosting decision tree (XGBoost). The detective value of each variable was calculated using the optimal machine learning algorithm. Results. AdaBoost algorithm showed the highest efficiency in both transmission groups (homosexual transmission group: accuracy = 0.928 , precision = 0.915 , recall = 0.944 , F − 1 = 0.930 , and AUC = 0.96 ; heterosexual transmission group: accuracy = 0.892 , precision = 0.881 , recall = 0.905 , F − 1 = 0.893 , and AUC = 0.98). Calculated by AdaBoost algorithm, the detective value of PLA was the highest in homosexual transmission group, followed by CR, AST, HB, ALT, TBIL, leucocyte, age, marital status, and treatment condition; in the heterosexual transmission group, the detective value of PLA was the highest (consistent with the condition in the homosexual group), followed by ALT, AST, TBIL, leucocyte, and symptom severity. Conclusions. The univariate logistics regression combined with the AdaBoost algorithm could accurately screen the risk factors of HBV in HIV coinfection without invasive testing. Further studies are needed to evaluate the utility and feasibility of this model in various settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HOTAIR is a well-known long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) involved in various cellular signaling, whereas its functional impacts on endometriosis development are still largely unknown. To this end, six potential functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in HOTAIR, with minor allele frequencies more than 10% in Han population and altered net energy of RNA structures larger than 0.5 kcal/mol, were selected for genotyping study. The study included 207 endometriosis patients and 200 healthy women. Genetic substitutions at rs1838169 and rs17720428 were frequently found in endometriosis patients, and rs1838169 showed statistical significance (p = 0.0174). The G-G (rs1838169-rs17720428) haplotype showed the most significant association with endometriosis (p < 0.0001) with enhanced HOTAIR stability, and patients who harbor such haplotype tended to show higher CA125. Data mining further revealed higher mRNA HOTAIR levels in the endometria of patients with severe endometriosis which consistently showed reduced HOXD10 and HOXA5 levels. HOTAIR knockdown with specific shRNAs down-regulated cell proliferation and migration with the induction of HOXD10 and HOXA5 expression in human ovarian clear cancer cells. Our study therefore provided evidence to indicate a prominent role of HOTAIR in promoting endometriosis, which could be used as a potential target for clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using claims data from the universal health insurance program of Taiwan, we conducted a retrospective cohort study to investigate whether endometriosis and hormone therapy are associated with the risk of developing hyperlipidemia. We selected 9,155 women aged 20–55 years with endometriosis diagnosed during the period 2000–2013 and 212,641 women without endometriosis with a median follow-up time of 7 years. Among patients with endometriosis, 86% of cases were identified on the basis of diagnosis codes with an ultrasound claim, and 14% were defined by diagnostic laparoscopy or surgical treatments. In a Cox proportional hazards model, the adjusted hazard ratio was 1.30 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.19, 1.41) for all women, 1.04 (95% CI: 0.81, 1.32) for women under 35 years of age, 1.17 (95% CI: 1.03, 1.32) for women aged 35–44 years, and 1.34 (95% CI: 1.18, 1.52) for women aged 45–54 years. Hysterectomy and/or bilateral oophorectomy accounted for 46.9% of the association between endometriosis and hyperlipidemia, and hormone therapy accounted for 21.6%. Among women with endometriosis, the marginal structural model approach adjusting for time-varying hysterectomy/bilateral oophorectomy showed no association between use of hormone medications and risk of hyperlipidemia. We concluded that women with endometriosis are at increased risk of hyperlipidemia; use of hormone therapy by these women was not independently associated with the development of hyperlipidemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pogostemon oil (PO) is a volatile oil extracted from Pogostemon cablin. , a traditional Chinese medicinal plants. Clinical studies have confirmed that PO has broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, but the resistance and protective mechanism of PO against Streptococcus agalactiae (SA) infection in Genetically Improved Cultured Tilapia (GIFT, Oreochromis niloticus.) are still unclear. The purpose of our study was to verify the resistance of PO feed to SA infection and reveal the potential immune mechanism. These 252 Tilapias were randomly divided into three groups, each with three replicates. The control group CON was fed with basic diet; These experimental groups PO5 and PO15 were fed with 5 μ L / g, 15 μ L / g PO diet, respectively; After 28 days feeding, Tilapia were randomly selected from CON, PO5, and PO15 groups, respectively: 22 fishes in each group were intraperitoneally injected with PBS to produce NC, NP5, and NP15 groups; other 22 fishes in each group were intraperitoneally injected with SA to produce CK, SP5, and SP15 groups. Twelve hours after SA challenge, spleen tissues were collected to study the effect of PO feed resist SA infection in Tilapia by RNA-Seq. In addition, two independent acute SA challenge experiments were added to verify the protective ability of PO against SA infection. In the transcriptome results, co-expressed genes in MEgreen (divided by WGCNA) were enriched in immune-related pathways by KEGG analysis, including Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, RIG-I-like receptor signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, and C-type lectin receptor signaling pathway. Cluster analysis of 166 shared DEGs responsible to SA infection identified two major clusters with almost opposite expression trends. il-1β (interleukin-1 beta) , gpr84 (G protein-coupled receptor 84) , and OXER1 (oxoeicosanoid receptor 1) belonged to both share DEGs and key co-expressed genes, were up-regulated by PO after SA infection. In the survival challenge of LD 50 concentration of SA, 5μL / g (0.67% vs 53.33%, P < 0.01), 10 μL / g (0.67% vs 53.33%, P < 0.01), and 15 μL / g (33.33% vs 53.33%, P > 0.05) PO feed groups decreased Tilapia mortality compared to basic diet group. In the challenge of SA concentration 10 times higher than LD 50 , 15 μL / g PO feed (55% vs 95%, P < 0.05) reduced mortality compared to basic diet group, and 5 μL / g PO feed significantly prolonged the median survival time of 1 day. In general, 5–15 μL / g PO feeds improved the resistance of Tilapia to SA infection and reduced the mortality of Tilapia. The results of RNA-Seq provide data support for the molecular mechanism of PO feeds regulating the immune response of Tilapia to SA. Collectively, PO may have the potential to be developed as a dietary supplementation for preventing and treating SA infections. • Our study first demonstrates patchouli oil protects against Streptococcus agalactiae infection in Tilapia through immune protection using RNAseq analysis. • Noticeably, clusters analysis of shared DEGs shows the expression trends were almost converse in cluster 1 and 3. • Many immune-related genes regulated by PO were identified, e.g., il-1b, il1rl1, tp53i3, tnfaip6, nccrp1, gpr84, oxer1, hamp, acod1, gas7a and egln3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• First paired δ7Li data of different components were reported for the cap carbonates. • Marine clay authigenesis is intense during the late neoproterozoic. • δ7Li data indicate highly congruent weathering in the Marinoan aftermath. The termination of the Cryogenian period marks a transition from an extreme ice- to a greenhouse climate, likely initiated by increased atmospheric CO 2 , however uncertainties persist on continental weathering regarding this climate transition. Here we present paired lithium isotope data from carbonate (δ7Li carb) and carbonate-hosted silicate (δ7Li sili) components of the Marinoan cap carbonates to constrain C and Si cycles in the deglacial period. We find that the silicate component of cap carbonates is dominated by marine authigenic clays with minor contributions from terrestrially detrital materials and oxides. Built from δ7Li sili data, large variations of seawater δ7Li suggest a heterogeneous marine Li reservoir due to a stratified ocean in the deglacial period. Overall, widespread clay authigenesis and low seawater δ7Li values indicate active carbon-silicon cycling and congruent silicate weathering due to warm climate and exposure of fresh rock surface in the Marinoan aftermath, which promotes the deposition of cap carbonates and stabilization of Earth's surface environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To provide guidelines for surgery and reduce the incidence of fracture, this study analyzed the relationship between femoral fracture and related factors in direct anterior approach (DAA) total hip arthroplasty (THA) in the lateral decubitus position. Method: A retrospective series of 273 consecutive patients who underwent THA with the DAA in the lateral decubitus position was analyzed. Each surgery was performed by the same surgeon with a conventional operation bed and femoral stem. The correlations between the incidence of fracture and sex, age, body mass index (BMI), height, osteoporosis, the anterior superior iliac spine-greater trochanter distance (ASIS-GTD), and hip joint disease were analyzed by univariate analysis and logistic regression analysis. Results: Among all hip arthroplasty procedures, 35 hips had femoral fractures, including 30 greater trochanter fractures, 4 proximal femoral splits, and 1 femoral perforation. The incidence of fracture was 12.82%. Univariate analysis showed no significant difference in the incidence of fracture by sex, BMI, or age. However, osteoporosis caused an increase in the incidence of fracture, while the incidence of fracture decreased as height and the ASIS-GTD increased. The incidence of femoral neck fracture was lower in cases of osteonecrosis of the femoral head than in cases of other diseases. Logistic regression showed a significant correlation between osteoporosis, the ASIS-GTD, and fractures. Patients with osteoporosis had a high possibility of fracture (OR = 2.414); the possibility of fracture decreased with increasing ASIS-GTD (OR = 0.938). Conclusion: Lateral decubitus DAA THA can be successfully performed using a conventional operation bed and stem, effectively saving medical resources. Osteoporosis and a shorter ASIS-GTD were independent risk factors for femoral fracture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies have revealed that mutations of Spalt Like Transcription Factor 1 (SALL1) are responsible for Townes-Brocks syndrome (TBS), a rare genetic disorder that is characterized by an imperforate anus, dysplastic ears, thumb malformations and other abnormalities, such as hearing loss, foot malformations, renal impairment with or without renal malformations, genitourinary malformations, and congenital heart disease. In addition, the protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type Q (PTPRQ) gene has been identified in nonsyndromic hearing loss patients with autosomal recessive or autosomal dominant inherited patterns. Methods: A Chinese family with TBS and hearing loss was enrolled in this study. The proband was a two-month-old girl who suffered from congenital anal atresia with rectal perineal fistula, ventricular septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus, pulmonary hypertension (PH), and finger deformities. The proband's father also had external ear deformity with deafness, toe deformities and PH, although his anus was normal. Further investigation found that the proband's mother presented nonsyndromic hearing loss, and the proband's mother's parents were consanguine married. Whole-exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing were applied to detect the genetic lesions of TBS and nonsyndromic hearing loss. Results: Via whole-exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing of the proband and her mother, we identified a novel heterozygous mutation (ENST00000251020: c.1428_1429insT, p. K478QfsX38) of SALL1 in the proband and her father who presented TBS phenotypes, and we also detected a new homozygous mutation [ENST00000266688: c.1057_1057delC, p. L353SfsX8)] of PTPRQ in the proband's mother and uncle, who suffered from nonsyndromic hearing loss. Both mutations were located in the conserved sites of the respective protein and were predicted to be deleterious by informatics analysis. Conclusions: This study confirmed the diagnosis of TBS at the molecular level and expanded the spectrum of SALL1 mutations and PTPRQ mutations. Our study may contribute to the clinical management and genetic counselling of TBS and hearing loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accumulating evidence has converged to suggest that childhood trauma may contribute to bipolar disorder (BD). This study aimed to investigate the patterns of childhood trauma among patients with bipolar I (BD-I) and bipolar II (BD-II) disorders, according to DSM-IV and in contrast with healthy volunteers. We also explored whether the relationship between childhood trauma and onset of bipolar disorder is mediated by immature defense mechanisms.Methods: Participants were patients with BD-I (n=44) and BD-II (n = 42), and healthy controls (HCs, n = 43). Childhood traumatic experiences and defense mechanisms were assessed by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and the Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ), respectively.Results: BD patients experienced more severe childhood trauma than HCs. Physical neglect sub-score and total score of the CTQ had both direct and indirect effects on the diagnosis of BD-I, and an immature defense style mediated the indirect effects. The diagnosis of BD-II was mainly related to the physical neglect and emotional abuse subs-core and total score of the CTQ, as mediated by the immature defense mechanisms. BD-I and BD-II significantly differed in the emotional abuse sub-score of the CTQ.Conclusions: Physical neglect sub-score and total score of the CTQ were associated with the diagnosis of BD (both BD-I and BD-II), as mediated by an immature defense style. Furthermore, emotional abuse might be an important risk factor for BD-II compared to BD-I. These findings may inform risk reduction and psychosocial intervention strategies to prevent and treat patients with bipolar disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine whether suicidal ideation or suicide attempts are linked to poor neurocognitive function among individuals with first‐episode schizophrenia (FES). Method: We performed a cross‐sectional study on 159 Chinese inpatients (Mage = 27.1 years; 52.2% females) with minimal‐treated FES and collected their suicidal history through interviews and medical records. Neurocognitive performance, psychopathology, and depressive symptoms were assessed using the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, and the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia, respectively. Results: Approximately 1/10 FES inpatients had any suicide attempts, and more than 1/4 reported lifetime suicidal ideation. Inpatients with a suicide attempt or suicidal ideation scored significantly worse in the overall seven neurocognitive domains compared with those without past suicidal ideation or a suicide attempt. Linear regression suggested that suicide attempts were mainly associated with lower scores in working memory and speed of processing, after adjusting for education levels. The associations remained robust after further controlling for psychopathological and depressive symptoms. Conclusion: First‐episode schizophrenia patients with suicide attempts had more severely impaired neurocognitive performances in specific domains. Fundamental neurocognitive dysfunctions should be assessed, detected, and treated after their suicide risk assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soybean film is a traditional nonfermented soy product in China. It is a film formed on the surface of the soymilk during heating process. The nutrient components of soymilk will affect the quality of the soybean film. The results of this study showed that during the peeling process, the proportion of protein and carbohydrate in soymilk decreased, and the proportion of lipid increased. The mechanical properties (fracture extension and tensile strength) of the soybean film decreased during the peeling process. During the heating treatment, the Maillard reaction occurred and its intermediate products accumulated, which caused the change in soybean film color. White globular protein granules (<100 nm) existed on the surface of the soybean film. The lipid that was not wrapped by the protein network structure was exposed, and the evaporation of water led to the formation of black and gray holes on the skin (<500 nm). In addition, the results of correlation analysis showed that the changes in color, taste, and odor, as well as the mechanical properties of the skin, were all related to the changes in nutrients in the soybean film during peeling. This research provided a deeper understanding of the quality change in the soybean milk and the soybean film during the heating process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enrofloxacin (ENR) is widely used in aquaculture practice, but little is known about its pharmacokinetic, withdrawal period and dietary risk in fish via bath administration. The purpose of this study was to provide data support for the use of ENR bath therapy in the northern snakehead (Channa argus). The pilot study was carried out to evaluate the therapy concentrations of ENR in northern snakehead with immersion concentrations ranged from 5 to 40 mg/L for 6 h. Based on results of the pilot study, an ENR immersion concentration of 20 mg/L was used for the formal experiment. At this dose, the peak concentrations of ENR in plasma, muscle plus skin, liver and kidney were 4.85, 4.55, 3.87 and 7.42 μg/mL (or g), respectively. According to the AUC0‐∞ values, the distribution of ENR in northern snakehead followed the order of kidney > plasma > liver > muscle + skin. The elimination of ENR in northern snakehead was very slow, the half‐lives (T1/2λz) were up to 90.31, 85.5, 104.56 and 120.9 h in plasma, muscle plus skin, liver and kidney, respectively. Ciprofloxacin (CIP) was not detected in any samples in the pilot study and was only occasionally detected in muscle plus skin and liver samples in formal experiment. Based on the calculated PK/PD index AUC/MIC and Cmax/MIC, the current bath treatment regimen will have a good therapeutic effect on infections caused by bacteria with MIC below 0.6 μg/mL. The dietary risk assessment suggested that there was a dietary risk (Hazard Quotients > 10%) until day 6 after bath treatment. It is mandatory for ENR to maintain a withdrawal period of at least 450°C‐day in northern snakehead after bath treatment ceased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blood stream infection is one of the major public health issues characterized with high cost and high mortality. Timely effective antibiotics usage to control infection is crucial for patients' survival. The standard microbiological diagnosis of infection however can last days. The delay in accurate antibiotic therapy would lead to not only poor clinical outcomes, but also to a rise in antibiotic resistance due to widespread use of empirical broad-spectrum antibiotics. An important measure to tackle this problem is fast determination of bacterial antibiotic susceptibility to optimize antibiotic treatment. We show that a protocol based on surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy can obtain consistent antibiotic susceptibility test results from clinical blood-culture samples within four hours. The characteristic spectral signatures of the obtained spectra of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli—prototypic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria—became prominent after an effective pretreatment procedure removed strong interferences from blood constituents. Using them as the biomarkers of bacterial metabolic responses to antibiotics, the protocol reported the susceptibility profiles of tested drugs against these two bacteria acquired from patients' blood with high specificity, sensitivity and speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Context: The mechanical strength provided by internal fixation is crucial for maintaining reduction and facilitating bony fusion. Though satisfactory results with the C1-C2 technique have been acquired in most clinical reports, the related problems of fusion delay and pseudarthrosis still exist. To increase the chance of bony fusion, a transverse connector (TC) is frequently used to augment torsional stiffness of thoracolumbar screw/rod constructs. Nevertheless, the clinical implication of TC in the management of atlantoaxial dislocation (AAD) and basilar invagination (BI) remains largely unknown.Purpose: To evaluate the effects of TC application on C1-C2 screw-rod constructs based on consecutive adult patients with AAD and BI in a single institution over a 10-year period.Study Design: A retrospective study.Patient Sample: Patients with AAD and BI, who were treated with posterior C1-C2 screw-rod technique with or without TC usage from June 2007 to June 2017 at a single institution.Outcome Measures: The radiological measurements included the anterior atlantodental interval (AADI), posterior atlantodental interval (PADI), height of odontoid process above Chamberlain line, and cervicomedullary angle (CMA). Patients' neurologic status was evaluated with the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score. Fusion status was evaluated at different follow-up periods.Methods: We compared the difference of clinical, radiological, and surgical outcomes between the TC and NTC groups postoperatively.Results: In total, there were 149 consecutive patients in the TC group and 168 patients in the NTC group. On average, 1.2 TCs per patient were used in the TC group. No significant differences were identified for operative time and blood loss between groups. There was also no statistical difference in the radiological measurements of AADI, PADI, Chamberlain line, and CMA between the TC and NTC groups preoperatively and postoperatively. A significantly higher JOA score was obtained in the TC group than that in the NTC group postoperatively. The fusion rates were higher in the TC group than those in the NCT group at the early stage postoperatively (3 and 6 months; p<.01).Conclusions: Use of TCs seems to improve bony fusion and neurologic outcomes in the treatment of AAD and BI with C1-C2 screw-rod technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleep quantification and automatic scoring of sleep stages via electroencephalogram (EEG) signals has been a challenge for years. It is crucial to investigate the correlation of brain waves by sleep EEG analysis due to the association between rhythmic oscillations of neuronal activity and neocortical synchronization. Multiscale joint permutation entropy (MJPE) had been proven to be capable of measuring the correlation between time series from the view of multiple time scales and thus can be a promising approach to address the challenge. Instead of simulation, we tested the MJPE method on a widely used open dataset of sleep EEG time series from healthy subjects and found that the correlation index obtained by MJPE had the capability of quantifying the brain wave correlations under different sleep stages, reflecting the typical sleep patterns and indicating the weakened correlation with aging. A higher level of correlation was found as the sleep stage advanced. The findings based on the MJPE results were in accordance with previous studies and existing knowledge in sleep medicine. In the second part of the study, we applied MJPE on sleep EEGs from subjects under pathological conditions (sleep apnea and sleep at high altitude). Likewise, the correlation index also properly revealed their sleep architectures, with consistent trends of the correlation through the nights. The effectiveness and practicability of the MJPE method had been verified on sleep EEGs. Therefore, the MJPE method should be encouraged to be widely used for analyzing large-scale sleep EEGs under various pathological conditions to provide insight into the mechanisms of the sleep process and neuron synchronization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate a porous ZK60 magnesium alloy Bio-Transfix nail system compounded with bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) on tendon-bone healing in a beagle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction model. Three dogs were utilized to assist in nail design; the remaining 18 dogs were randomly divided into porous ZK60 magnesium alloy Bio-Transfix nail system compounded with BMP-2 group (BMP-2 group), porous ZK60 magnesium alloy Bio-Transfix nail group (porous group), and non-porous ZK60 magnesium alloy Bio-Transfix nail group (control group). Imaging examinations including X-ray, Micro-CT, and MRI were examined to detect the dynamic bone growth after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction separately at 4 days, 4, 8 and 12 weeks postoperatively. Fail-to-load test, histology examination, and energy spectrum were further conducted to determine the condition of tendon-bone healing. With the degradation of ZK60 magnesium alloy Bio-Transfix nail system, imaging examinations confirmed the new bone growth surrounding the implant; the BMP-2 group showed the least hydrogen accumulation among the groups. Fail-to-load test demonstrated that BMP-2 group presented higher fail-to-load strength than the porous group and control group. Scanning electron microscope results indicated that most of the ZK60 magnesium alloy Bio-Transfix nails have degraded and lost original appearance at 12 weeks postoperatively, only BMP-2 group showed a non-complete degradation; meanwhile, the BMP-2 group presented with a better new bone-implant growth among groups. The porous ZK60 magnesium alloy Bio-Transfix nail system nail with BMP-2 compounded could ideally induce new bone growth and promote tendon-bone healing, which has the potential value to be generalized in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen has the best recovery property compared to other gases such as N2 and SF6. Therefore, it has a potential application on the multipulse or high repetitive pulse modulator. This paper introduced a high pressure hydrogen gas switch with two cylindrical structures. The stress of the switch under high pressure was analyzed theoretically, and the hydrogen gas switch was hydrostatically tested with pressure up to 30 atm. Such a switch was employed on a high power pulse modulator using water as the dielectric of pulse forming line. At the switch breakdown voltage of 520 kV and the pressure of hydrogen 12 atm, 230 kV, 31 kA, and 60 ns pulse width electron beams were obtained at the field emission diode. Furthermore, when the switch was filled with different gases such as H2, N2, and SF6, the rise times of diode voltage of modulator had been compared at the gas breakdown voltage 400 kV. The results showed that the rise times of diode voltage were reduced obviously when hydrogen was used as the dielectric of spark gap switch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence of Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colorectal Cancer (HNPCC) is 2 to 5% in the Caucasian population. HNPCC is caused by genomic mutations in DNA mismatch repair genes (MMR), namely MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, PMS2, and EPCAM. A non-hereditary, acquired process of hypermethylation of the MLH1 promoter can also lead to silencing of MLH1 protein expression. Diagnosis of HNPCC in patients with colorectal and other related cancers is important in the clinical treatment and surveillance of related cancers. The prevalence and clinical characteristics of HNPCC in Asian colorectal cancer patients has been reported in small studies and unique features have been suggested.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical characteristics of Asian patients who were diagnosed of colon cancer between 1/2002 and 6/2015, and performed IHC for four MMR protein expressions on tumor specimens as a screening test for HNPCC, followed by confirmatory tests of genomic sequencing and hypermethylation analysis.Results: One hundred forty-three patients were identified. Thirty-one patients were diagnosed younger than 50 years old, while 112 patients were diagnosed older than 50 years old. Six cases of HNPCC were found with a prevalence of 4.19%. The prevalence in the group of patients diagnosed younger than 50 years old is 16.1%, and that in patients diagnosed older than 50 years old is 0.89%. All patients with HNPCC had family histories of colon or gastric cancer. Tumor locations in the HNPCC patients were predominantly in the descending or sigmoid colon (67%). Half of the HNPCC patients had MSH6 mutations. Hypermethylation of the MLH1 gene was only present in 2.80% of the patients.Conclusion: The prevalence of HNPCC is high in patients younger than 50 years old and extremely low in those older than 50 years old. These results may be useful in the future development of guidelines for HNPCC laboratory screening among Asian patients. The pathological and clinical features of HNPCC in this group of Asian immigrant patients are more similar to those reported on Asian patients in their home countries than to Caucasian patients in Western countries, and will warrant further large-scale evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Periodic dynamic flow, including pulsatile flow and oscillatory flow, has many applications at the microscopic scale in chemistry, biology, and pharmacy. Conventional devices for periodic flow are either bulky, complicated, or inflexible. Here, we propose a novel on-chip flow generator with multi-pattern outputs possessing the obvious advantages of small size, simple structure, and being easy to be implemented. The fluid flow is synergistically driven by the constant pressure and the alternating pressure in a pair of conical channels. We design and fabricate a simple on-chip prototype following this conical-channel-based constant–alternating (C3A) driving method, and validate its performance through both numerical simulation and flow experiment. The results demonstrate the synergistic effects of the constant and alternating pressures on the fluid flow, and can implement four flow modes, i.e., steady flow, oscillatory flow, pulsatile flow, and complex flow, simply by modulating the input voltage. The proposed flow generator with multi-pattern outputs, simple structure and small footprint can be flexibly integrated with other on-chip devices for various biomedical applications, and the proposed strategy utilizing multiple synchronous sources can also inspire more delicate manipulation in the context of microfluidics. [Display omitted] • A conical-channel-based constant-alternating (C3A) driving method is proposed to drive fluid flow in a microchannel. • A novel on-chip flow generator for multi-pattern periodic dynamic (PD) flow is developed following the proposed C3A driving strategy. • Four flow modes can be implemented using the proposed on-chip prototype. • The proposed flow generator has the advantages of small size, simple structure, and being easy to be implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most widespread histological form of primary liver cancer, and it faces great diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties owing to its tumor diversity. Herein, we aim to establish a unique prognostic molecular subtype (MST) and based on this to find potential therapeutic targets to develop new immunotherapeutic strategies. Using calcium channel molecules expression-based consensus clustering, we screened 371 HCC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas to screen for possible MSTs. We distinguished core differential gene modules between varying MSTs, and Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion scores were employed for the reliable assessment of HCC patient immunotherapeutic response rate. Immunohistochemistry and Immunofluorescence staining were used for validation of predicted immunotherapy outcomes and underlying biological mechanisms, respectively. We identified two MSTs with different clinical characteristics and prognoses. Based on the significant differences between the two MSTs, we further identified Follistatin-like 3 (FSTL3) as a potential indicator of immunotherapy resistance and validated this result in our own cohort. Finally, we found that FSTL3 is predominantly expressed in HCC stromal components and that it is a factor in enhancing fibroblast-M2 macrophage signaling crosstalk, the function of which is relevant to the pathogenesis of HCC. The presence of two MSTs associated with the calcium channel phenotype in HCC patients may provide promising directions for overcoming immunotherapy resistance in HCC, and the promotion of FSTL3 expressed in stromal components for HCC hyperfibrosis may be responsible for the poor response rate to immunotherapy in Cluster 2 (C2) patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoporosis (OP) is often associated with other complications, such as impaired glucose homeostasis. Vitamin D deficiency is common and has been linked to bone metabolism and the regulation of blood sugar levels. The aim of this study was to evaluate the independent relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) and fasting blood glucose levels (FBG) in a group of patients diagnosed with OP. This is a retrospective cross-sectional study from a prospectively collected database at our tertiary referral center. Consecutive 2084 OP patients who were hospitalization were finally analyzed in this study. FBG is the dependent variable, serum 25(OH)D level of OP patients is exposure variable of this study. There was a linear significantly negative association between serum 25(OH)D and FBG (β, − 0.02; 95% CI − 0.03 to − 0.01; P = 0.0011) in the fully adjusted models. Specifically, when serum 25(OH)D level was less than 23.39 ng/mL, FBG decreased by 0.04 mmol/L for every 1 ng/mL increase of serum 25(OH)D level. When serum 25(OH)D was greater than 23.39 ng/ mL, the negative association was insignificant (P = 0.9616). If the association is confirmed, the clinical management of blood glucose in OP patients with serum 25(OH)D deficiency has instructive implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new metal-organic coordination polymers, namely {[Cu(4,4'-bipy)(5-Hoipa)2](H2O)2}n (I, 5-H2oipa = 5-Hydroxyisophthalicacid, 4,4'-bipy = 4,4'-bipyridine), {[Cu2(4,4'-bipy)(tzb)2](DMF)3} (II, H2tzb = 4-(1H-Tetrazol-5-yl)benzoic acid), and {[Cu(cpdba)(2,2′—bpy)]}n (III, H2cpdba = 4-(4-carboxyphenylamino)-3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid, 2,2'-bipy = 2,2'-bipyridine), have been successfully prepared by using two similar pyridine ligands with different co-ligands under different reaction conditions (slow volatilization for II, solvothermal for I and III). Their structures have been unambiguously determined by both single-crystal X-ray study and elemental analysis. Additionally, the newly synthesized compounds were evaluated to identify the molecular characteristics contributing to their cytotoxicity. They were tested against three human gastric cancer cells (MGC-803, SGC-790 and MKN45) with the 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we develop the concept of forbidden/missing ordinal patterns into the forbidden/missing joint ordinal patterns and propose the ratio of the number of missing joint ordinal patterns (RMJPs) as a sign of interdependence. RMJP in a surrogate analysis can be used to differentiate the forbidden joint ordinal patterns from the missing joint ordinal patterns due to small sample effects. We first apply RMJP to the simulated time series: a two-component autoregressive fractionally integrated moving average process, the Hénon map, and the Rössler system using active control and discuss the effect of the length of the time series, embedding dimension, and noise contamination. RMJP has been proven to be capable of measuring the interdependence in the numerical simulation. Then, RMJP is further used on the electroencephalogram (EEG) time series for empirical analysis to explore the interdependence of brain waves. With results by RMJP obtained from a widely used open dataset of the sleep EEG time series from healthy subjects, we find that RMJP can be used to quantify the brain wave interdependence under different sleep/wake stages, reveal the overall sleep architecture, and indicate a higher level of interdependence as sleep gets deeper. The findings are consistent with existing knowledge in sleep medicine. The proposed RMJP method has shown its validity and applicability and may assist automatic sleep quantification or bring insight into the understanding of the brain activity during sleep. Furthermore, RMJP can be used on sleep EEG under various pathological conditions and in large-scale sleep studies, helping to investigate the mechanisms of the sleep process and neuron synchronization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the geometry and surface in Daya Bay, we artificially divided the reclamation projects into three periods to analyze the influences and changes on hydrodynamic conditions as a result of the reclamation projects. Three periods of tidal current fields, tidal prisms, and water exchange capacity are simulated by the Finite-Volume, primitive equation Community Ocean Model and the characteristics and trends of hydrodynamics in Daya Bay are discussed. The combination of observation and simulation in this paper gives a good description on the tidal dynamic system in Daya Bay. As indicated by model results, the tidal current velocity in the Bay totally decreases after numerous activities associated with reclamation construction. The decreasing current velocity region is mainly distributed near the Xiachong and Gangkou chain islands. The current velocity in 2015 decreases by approximately 5 cm s−1 compared with velocities before 2000. Future reclamation activities will exacerbate these decreasing current velocity trends in some regions. Compared with 2015, the tidal prism has significantly decreased by 1.3622 × 107 m3 due to planned reclamation. The half-water exchange times for Daya Bay in 2015 and after planned reclamation are 178.9 and 177.4 days, respectively. The water exchange capacity in Fanhe Harbor is weaker than other water fields throughout Daya Bay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Aims: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a wide range of neurodevelopmental disorders involving deficits in social interaction and communication. Unfortunately, autism remains a scientific and clinical challenge owing to the lack of understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying it. This study aimed to investigate the pathophysiological mechanism underlying leukocyte‐endothelial adhesion in autism‐related neurovascular inflammation. Methods: Male BTBR T+tf/J mice were used as an autism model. The dynamic pattern of leukocyte‐endothelial adhesion in mouse cerebral vessels was detected by two‐photon laser scanning microscopy (TPLSM). Using FACS, RT‐PCR, and Western blotting, we explored the expression of cell adhesion molecules, the mRNA expression of endothelial chemokine, the protein levels of cathepsin B, and inflammatory mediators. Results: We found a significant increase in leukocyte‐endothelial adhesion in BTBR mice, accompanied by elevated expression of the adhesion molecule neutrophils CD11b and endothelial ICAM‐1. Our data further indicate that elevated neutrophil cathepsin B levels contribute to elevated endothelial chemokine CXCL7 levels in BTBR mice. The pharmacological inhibition of cathepsin B reverses the enhanced leukocyte‐endothelial adhesion in the cerebral vessels of autistic mice. Conclusion: Our results revealed the prominent role of cathepsin B in modulating leukocyte‐endothelial adhesion during autism‐related neurovascular inflammation and identified a promising novel approach for autism treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium metal is one of the most promising anode materials for high-energy-density Li batteries. However, low stability caused by dendrite growth and volume change during cycling hinders its practical application. Herein, we report an ingenious design of bio-inspired low-tortuosity carbon with tunable vertical micro-channels to be used as a host to incorporate nanosized Sn/Ni alloy nucleation sites, which can guide Li metal's plating/stripping and meanwhile accommodate the volume change. The pore sizes of the vertical channels of the carbon host can be regulated to investigate the structure–performance correlation. After compositing Li, the bio-inspired carbon host with the smallest pore size (∼14 μm) of vertical channels exhibits the lowest overpotential (∼18 mV at 1 mA cm−2), most stable tripping/plating voltage profiles, and best cycling stability (up to 500 cycles) in symmetrical cells. Notably, the carbon/Li composite anode is more rewarding than Li foil when coupled with LiFePO4 in full cells, exhibiting a much lower polarization effect, better rate capability and higher capacity retention (90.6% after 120 cycles). This novel bio-inspired design of a low-tortuosity carbon host with nanoalloy coatings may open a new avenue for fabricating advanced Li-metal batteries with high performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this paper, we propose the multiscale joint permutation entropy (MJPE) to study the synchronism between two complex time series from the view of ordinal pattern and multiple scales. First, we use the Rossler system using active control, two-component ARFIMA processes to test the effectiveness of MJPE and also add some noise to the ARFIMA time series and apply MJPE to find the effect of noise. The results show the necessity of investigating the synchronism on the multiple scales, prove the effectiveness of MJPE method and show the sensitiveness of MJPE method to noise. Then MJPE method is employed to financial time series and traffic time series to validate the applicability of the proposed MJPE method for the complex time series in the real world. The conclusion from these MJPE results for financial time series is consistent with the actual situation of the synchronism and correlation between stock indices. Meanwhile, the results for traffic time series suggest the need for study the synchronism from the perspective of multiple scales and point out the different synchronisms for traffic time series of weekdays and weekends. MJPE method has a broad application prospect on the investigation of synchronism on the complex time series from different fields. Highlights • We propose MJPE method to study the synchronism between two time series. • We apply MJPE method to the simulated time series to test the validity. • The results show the necessity of multiscale and prove the effectiveness of MJPE. • MJPE method is employed to the financial and traffic time series. • MJPE results present the synchronisms from multiscale view successfully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Unfamiliarity with the morphometry of the assimilated C1 lateral mass (C1LM) could make screw placement dangerous. In the present study, we defined the morphometric dimensions of the occipitalized C1LM to provide surgeons with valuable information for preoperative planning. Methods Thin-slice computed tomography scanning data from 131 patients with occipitalization of the atlas (OA) and 50 control cases were imported into Mimics software for analysis. The widths and heights of the C1LM were fully measured in the different planes. The ideal inward angulation and the safe maximum cephalic angulation of C1 screw trajectory were evaluated. Results Except for the medial height, all the widths and heights of C1LM were significantly shorter in the OA group than those in the control group. The ideal inward angle (α) was significantly larger in the OA group (23.8° ± 8.3°) than that (15.3° ± 3.8°) in the control group; the corresponding screw length was also significantly longer in the OA group (20.9 ± 2.9 mm). The safe maximum cephalic angles (β) of the screw trajectory did not reach a significant difference between the 2 groups. All the widths and heights were shorter in the females than those in the males. The α angle also did not reach a significant difference between the sexes; however, the β angles in the males (35.9° ± 10.4°) was significantly larger than that in the females (32.0° ± 9.4°). Conclusions Although the hypoplastic C1LM brings limitations to screw insertion to some extent, it is still broad enough to accommodate a screw safely in both female and male patients. Considering the irregularity of the C1LM in patients with OA, the preoperative imaging assessment is critical, and C1LM screw placement should be performed individually. Highlights • The volume of the C1LM with occipitalization is hypoplastic. • The assimilated C1LM is still broad enough to accommodate a screw safely in both female and male patients. • The inward angle of the screw trajectory will be larger in the OA group than that in the control group. • The safe maximum cephalic angle of the screw trajectory was not different between the OA and control groups. • The volume of the C1LM in women is small compared with that in men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this work, a reliable and affordable QuEChERS sampling method is developed for simultaneous detection and quantification of 13 perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in aquatic products. Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used for rapid analysis and the analytes were extracted using styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer (PS-DVB). The performances of the sorbents were evaluated based upon parameters, such as recovery and matrix effect. Under optimized conditions, the limits of detection of 13 PFCs were found to be lying within the range of 0.001–0.070 μg kg−1. The application of aquatic sampling demonstrated that ultra-trace levels of PFCs were successfully detected and quantified within the range of 0.028–31.0 μg kg−1 in tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), salmon (Oncorhynchus mykiss), mussels (Perna viridis) and clam (Ruditapes philippinarum). Compared with the solid phase extraction method, the application of PS-DVB beads as an adsorbent proved to be quicker and successful in the determination of PFCs in aquatic samples. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Aquatic products contain PFCs. • Extraction with polymer based sorbent — PS-DVB offers the excellent extraction performance. • QuECHERS method and LC–MS/MS detection is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A durable high-performance anode with a unique microstructure of a hetero-structured surface layer and exsolved Fe–Cu bimetal nano-fibers is fabricated from a self-assembled dual-phase precursor consisting of a single perovskite (SP) and a Ruddlesden–Popper (RP) layered perovskite component. This work opens up new opportunities to fabricate high-performance anodes for IT-SOFCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Temozolomide (TMZ)-based chemotherapy represents an effective way for treating human glioma. However, its clinical application is limited because of its side effects and resistance to standard chemotherapy. Hence, the search for novel chemosensitizers to augment their anticancer efficiency has attracted much attention. Natural borneol (NB) has been identified as a potential chemosensitizer in treating human cancers. However, the synergistic effect and mechanism of NB and TMZ in human glioma have not been investigated yet. Materials and methods: U251 human glioma cells were cultured, and the cytotoxicity and apoptosis of NB and/or TMZ were examined by MTT assay, flow cytometric analysis and Western blot. Nude mice tumor model was also employed to evaluate the in vivo anticancer effect and mechanism. Results: The results showed that the combined treatment of NB and TMZ more effectively inhibited human glioma growth via triggering mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in vitro, accompanied by the caspase activation. Combined treatment of NB and TMZ also caused mitochondrial dysfunction through disturbing Bcl-2 family expression. Further investigation revealed that NB enhanced TMZ-induced DNA damage through inducing reactive oxide species (ROS) overproduction. Moreover, glioma tumor xenograft growth in vivo was more effectively inhibited by the combined treatment with NB and TMZ through triggering apoptosis and anti-angiogenesis. Conclusion: Taken together, our findings validated that the strategy of using NB and TMZ could be a highly efficient way to achieve anticancer synergism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A composite anode composing of in-situ exsolved Fe Ni alloy (FNA) nanoparticles and Ruddlesden-Popper perovskite SrLaFeO 4 (SLF) substrate has been prepared by reducing La 0.5 Sr 0.5 Fe 0.8 Ni 0.20 O 3-δ (LSFN) perovskite precursor in humidified H 2 (3% H 2 O) at 800 °C. Roles of FNA and SLF, respectively, in performance and stability of the anode are systematically studied. The electric conductivity of the reduced LSFN and single cell performance of the composite (SLF-FNA) are examined in comparison with those of the SrLaFeO 4-δ (SLFO 4 ) anode alone. The significantly improved performance of the composite anode cell at lower temperatures (<700 °C) may be predominately ascribed to the enhanced electrochemical activity as well as electric conductivity due to the presence of FNA exsolution. The maximum power densities (P max s) of a single cell with the composite anode achieve 0.74, 0.58, 0.40, and 0.25 W cm −2 at 800, 750, 700 and 650 °C, respectively, which is comparable to the performance of Fe Ni-SDC cermets anode. However, the long time stability of the composite anode is superior to that of the Fe Ni-SDC cermets in various fuels, suggesting that SLF-FNA is sulfur-tolerant and coking-tolerant composite anode material, which possess great potentials for future application. The results can be used as guidance for designing high-performance composite anodes for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The CO2 seasonal cycle amplitude (SCA) in the Northern Hemisphere has increased since the 1960s--a feature attributed mainly to enhanced vegetation activity along climate warming and CO2 increase. We identified a temporal change in the sign of the correlation between SCA and air temperature (T) from positive to negative around the year 2000 at most Northern Hemisphere ground stations, consistent with signals from satellite column CO2 measurements since the mid-2000s. Further, we explored potential causes of this change using net biome productivity estimates from three atmospheric inversions for the period 1980-2015. The change in the SCA-T relationship is primarily attributable to changes in the net biome productivity-T relationship: positive correlations weakened in the spring in the high latitudes, confirming a limit to the "warmer spring-bigger carbon sink" mechanism; negative correlations diminished in the autumn/winter in the mid-to-high latitudes, challenging the "warmer winter-larger carbon release" assumption and highlighting the complexity of carbon processes outside the peak growing season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We are quite capable of distinguishing those outcomes we cause from those we do not. This ability to sense self-agency is thought to be produced by a comparison between a predictive representation of an outcome and the actual outcome that occurs. It is unclear, though, specifically what types of information can be entered into agency computations. Here, we demonstrate that information from non-target stimuli (stimuli that are not directly acted upon) incidentally present in our surroundings can influence predictions of outcomes, consequently modulating the sense of agency over clearly-defined target outcomes (those that occur to acted-upon stimuli). This provides the first evidence that our sense of agency is contextualized with respect to what is in our immediate visual environment. Furthermore, our data suggest that agency computations, instead of just a single comparison, may involve comparisons performed in stages, with different stages involving different types/classes of information. A model of such multi-stage comparisons is described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With distinct ion insertion-induced tinting behavior, tungsten oxide (WO 3 ) has been intensively studied as a representative electrochromic (EC) material for many years. To enhance its EC properties, strategies including nanostructuring, plasmonic engineering, and metal ion doping have been adopted. Here, we show that rare earth element of gadolinium (Gd) doping can effectively improve the coloration efficiency ( η ) of a sputtered amorphous WO 3 (∼30% enhancement at the maximum of eye-sensitive wavelength of 520 nm for 0.57 wt% doping). By combining the film structural characterization and electrochemical analysis, such an increment can be attributed to the monoclinic Gd 2 O 3 nanoislands formed on WO 3 surface which enhanced charge capacity and reaction kinetics of the film. The large transmittance modulation (76% at 800 nm), high coloration efficiency (68.3 cm 2  C −1 at 633 nm) and fast switching speed (7.8 and 10.4 s for coloration and bleach time, respectively) were achieved for the modest Gd-doped WO 3 film (0.9%). However, further increasing of Gd doping results in decreasing of η , which could be attributed to the excess amount of Gd 2 O 3 that inhibits the penetration of electrolyte into the active material. We believe that the understanding of the Gd-doping effect on the electrochemical behaviours of WO 3 may shed light on selecting the proper doping elements and their concentration for energy-saving smart windows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the core content of the prediction is that, on the basis of text label attributes, we can use the algorithm and a heuristic approach to acquire the association of texts, and extract the available text for the user. Therefore, this paper proposes a new content. First, the multi-label attributes are chosen to be the feature structure of text, and it is given the classification and assignment according to the distinguish method of the statistical data. Second, considering the relation between texts, we improve the traditional maximum entropy method. We are able to control the number of multiple leading text and subsequent text at the same time. Our method makes stronger association of text, and it leads to a more unified direction and higher correlation of obtained text through the label attributes. Then we can predict the similar texts. Experiments show that with the consideration of multi-label attributes of text and the control of the number of leading text as well as the subsequent text, the recall rate and precision are definitely improved when compared to similar existing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Berberine (BBR) is a traditional Chinese medicine which recently was applied as a biological pesticide. Here, we studied the antimicrobial mode of BBR and its impact on soil bacterial diversity. BBR was more effective against fungi than bacteria due to the specific interaction between BBR and glucan. Also, BBR was degraded rapidly in soil, leading to the limited effect on soil bacterial diversity. Collectively, BBR is an environment-friendly pesticide and it is promising in dealing with fungal plant diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Based on the hindcast data from third-generation wave model WAVEWATCH III, this study presents a notable interannual variability of significant wave height in the northern South China Sea. As indicated by the empirical orthogonal function analysis result of the significant wave height during 1976-2005, the first mode of this analysis captures a monopole structure with maximum amplitude in the southwestern Luzon Strait. Power spectrum analysis of the first empirical orthogonal function time series indicates that the significant wave height peaks at 2.67 and 8 year periods in the northern South China Sea. The first-time series had good correlation with El Niño events, with a correlation coefficient of -0.58. By comparing frequency and total duration of the intense tropical cyclones with the significant wave height in the northern South China Sea, it is revealed that the two were associated during 1978-1998 and that the recent increase of the significant wave height is due to the increase in total duration of intense tropical cyclones during 1999-2005. The sea level pressures also support the interannual variability of significant wave height in the northern South China Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) is a key non-invasive imaging technique for cancer diagnosis and tumor treatment assessment, reflecting Brownian movement of water molecules in tissues. Since densely packed cells restrict molecule mobility, tumor tissues produce usually higher signal (a.k.a. less attenuated signal) on isotropic maps compared with normal tissues. However, no general quantitative relation between DWI data and the cell density has been established. In order to link low-resolution clinical cross-sectional data with high-resolution histological information, we developed an image processing and analysis chain, which was used to study the correlation between the diffusion coefficient (D value) estimated from DWI and tumor cellularity from serial histological slides of a resected non-small cell lung cancer tumor. Color deconvolution followed by cell nuclei segmentation was performed on digitized histological images to determine local and cell-type specific 2d (two-dimensional) densities. From these, the 3d cell density was inferred by a model-based sampling technique, which is necessary for the calculation of local and global 3d tumor cell count. Next, DWI sequence information was overlaid with high-resolution CT data and the resected histology using prominent anatomical hallmarks for co-registration of histology tissue blocks and non-invasive imaging modalities’ data. The integration of cell numbers information and DWI data derived from different tumor areas revealed a clear negative correlation between cell density and D value. Importantly, spatial tumor cell density can be calculated based on DWI data. In summary, our results demonstrate that tumor cell count and heterogeneity can be predicted from DWI data, which may open new opportunities for personalized diagnosis and therapy optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]