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Abstract A fuel cell is an energy conversion device that can continuously input fuel and oxidant into the device through an electrochemical reaction to release electrical energy. Although noble metals show good activity in fuel cell‐related electrochemical reactions, their ever‐increasing price considerably hinders their industrial application. Improvement of atom utilization efficiency is considered one of the most effective strategies to improve the mass activity of catalysts, and this allows for the use of fewer catalysts, saving greatly on the cost. Thus, single‐atom catalysts (SACs) with an atom utilization efficiency of 100% have been widely developed, which show remarkable performance in fuel cells. In this review, we will describe recent progress on the development of SACs for membrane electrode assembly of fuel cell applications. First, we will introduce several effective routes for the synthesis of SACs. The reaction mechanism of the involved reactions will also be introduced as it is highly determinant of the final activity. Then, we will systematically summarize the application of Pt group metal (PGM) and nonprecious group metal (non‐PGM) catalysts in membrane electrode assembly of fuel cells. This review will offer numerous experiences for developing potential industrialized fuel cell catalysts in the future.

Objective: Intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (II/R) is a common pathological injury in clinic, and the systemic inflammatory response it causes will lead to multiple organ damage and functional failure. miR-185-5p has been reported to be a regulator of inflammatory response and autophagy, but whether it participates in the regulation of autophagy in II/R is still unclear. Therefore, we aimed to explore the mechanism of miR-185-5p regulating intestinal barrier injury in (II/R). Methods: Caco-2 cells was induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) to establish II/R model. The superior mesenteric artery of C57BL/6 mice was clamped for 45 min and then subjected to reperfusion for 4 h for the establishment of II/R mice model. miR-185-5p mimic, miR-185-5p inhibitor, pcDNA-autophagy-related 101 (ATG101) were respectively transfected into Caco-2 cells. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was performed to assess miR-185-5p expression. Western blot detected the level of ATG101 and tight junction-associated proteins ZO1, Occludin, E-cadherin, β-catenin, as well as autophagy markers ATG5, ATG12, LC3Ⅰ/Ⅱ, Beclin1 and SQSTM1. Transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) values was detected by a resistance meter. FITC-Dextran was performed to measure cell permeability. 5-ethynyl-2’-deoxyuridine (EDU) staining measured cell proliferation. Transmission electron microscope was conducted to observe autophagosomes. Hematoxylin & eosin (H&E) staining observed the damage of mice intestinal. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) measured the percentage of ki67 positive cells. TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay assessed cell apoptosis in intestinal tissues of II/R. Dual-luciferase assay verified the targeting relationship between miR-185-5p and ATG101.Results miR-185-5p was overexpressed in OGD/R-induced Caco-2 cells and intestinal tissues of II/R mice. Knocking down miR-185-5p markedly promoted autophagy and TEER values, reduced cell permeability, and alleviated intestinal barrier damage. ATG101 was a target of miR-185-5p, and overexpression of ATG101 promoted autophagy and dampened OGD/R-induced intestinal barrier damage. Overexpression of miR-185-5p reversed the effect of overexpressed ATG101 on OGD/R-induced Caco-2 cells. Conclusion: Knockdown of miR-185-5p enhanced autophagy and alleviated II/R intestinal barrier damage by targeting ATG101.

Abstract Pt‐Ir catalysts have been widely applied in unitized regenerative fuel cells due to their great activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, the application of noble metals is seriously hindered by their high cost and low abundance. To reduce the noble metals loading and catalyst cost, the atomic layer deposition is applied to selectively surface anchoring of Ir single atoms (SA) on Pt nanoparticles (NP). With the formation of SA‐NP composite structure, the IrSA‐PtNP catalyst exhibits significantly improved performance, achieving 2.0‐ and 90‐times mass activity by comparison with the benchmark Pt/C catalyst for the ORR and OER, respectively. Density functional theory calculations indicate that the SA‐NP cooperation synergy endows the IrSA‐PtNP catalyst to surpass the bifunctional catalytic activity limit of Pt‐Ir NPs. This work provides a novel strategy for the construction of high‐performing dual catalyst through designing the single atom anchoring on NPs.

Summary: Alternative pre-mRNA splicing plays critical roles in brain development. SRSF10 is a splicing factor highly expressed in central nervous system and plays important roles in maintaining normal brain functions. However, its role in neural development is unclear. In this study, by conditional depleting SRSF10 in neural progenitor cells (NPCs) in vivo and in vitro, we found that dysfunction of SRSF10 leads to developmental defects of the brain, which manifest as abnormal ventricle enlargement and cortical thinning anatomically, as well as decreased NPCs proliferation and weakened cortical neurogenesis histologically. Furthermore, we proved that the function of SRSF10 on NPCs proliferation involved the regulation of PI3K-AKT-mTOR-CCND2 pathway and the alternative splicing of Nasp, a gene encoding isoforms of cell cycle regulators. These findings highlight the necessity of SRSF10 in the formation of a structurally and functionally normal brain.

In the research of automatic interpretation of remote sensing images, semantic segmentation based on deep convolutional neural networks has been rapidly developed and applied, and the feature segmentation accuracy and network model generalization ability have been gradually improved. However, most of the network designs are mainly oriented to the three visible RGB bands of remote sensing images, aiming to be able to directly borrow the mature natural image semantic segmentation networks and pre-trained models, but simultaneously causing the waste and loss of spectral information in the invisible light bands such as near-infrared (NIR) of remote sensing images. Combining the advantages of multispectral data in distinguishing typical features such as water and vegetation, we propose a novel deep neural network structure called the multispectral semantic segmentation network (MSNet) for semantic segmentation of multi-classified feature scenes. The multispectral remote sensing image bands are split into two groups, visible and invisible, and ResNet-50 is used for feature extraction in both coding stages, and cascaded upsampling is used to recover feature map resolution in the decoding stage, and the multi-scale image features and spectral features from the upsampling process are fused layer by layer using the feature pyramid structure to finally obtain semantic segmentation results. The training and validation results on two publicly available datasets show that MSNet has competitive performance. The code is available: https://github.com/taochx/MSNet.

The authors present a single-shot 3D imaging approach utilizing carefully designed point clouds projection based on a metasurface device. They show submillimeter depth accuracy and demonstrate the potential for hand gesture detection.

Abstract In this work, extremely thin silicon-on-insulator field effective transistors (ETSOI FETs) are fabricated with an ultra-thin 3 nm ferroelectric (FE) hafnium zirconium oxides (Hf0.5Zr0.5O2) layer. Furthermore, the subthreshold characteristics of the devices with double gate modulation are investigated extensively. Contributing to the advantages of the back-gate voltage coupling effects, the minimum subthreshold swing (SS) value of a 40 nm ETSOI device could be adjusted from the initial 80.8–50 mV/dec, which shows ultra-steep SS characteristics. To illustrate this electrical character, a simple analytical model based on the transient Miller model is demonstrated. This work shows the feasibility of FE ETSOI FET for ultra-low-power applications with dynamic threshold adjustment.

Abstract Switch/sucrose-nonfermenting (SWI/SNF) complexes play a key role in chromatin remodeling. Recent studies have found that SMARCC2, as the core subunit of the fundamental module of the complex, plays a key role in its early assembly. In this study, we found a unique function of SMARCC2 in inhibiting the progression of glioblastoma by targeting the DKK1 signaling axis. Low expression of SMARCC2 is found in malignant glioblastoma (GBM) compared with low-grade gliomas. SMARCC2 knockout promoted the proliferation of glioblastoma cells, while its overexpression showed the opposite effect. Mechanistically, SMARCC2 negatively regulates transcription by dynamically regulating the chromatin structure and closing the promoter region of the target gene DKK1, which can be bound by the transcription factor EGR1. DKK1 knockdown significantly reduced the proliferation of glioblastoma cell lines by inhibiting the PI3K–AKT pathway. We also studied the functions of the SWIRM and SANT domains of SMARCC2 and found that the SWIRM domain plays a more important role in the complete chromatin remodeling function of SMARCC2. In addition, in vivo studies confirmed that overexpression of SMARCC2 could significantly inhibit the size of intracranial gliomas in situ in nude mice. Overall, this study shows that SMARCC2, as a tumor suppressor, inhibits the proliferation of glioblastoma by targeting the transcription of the oncogene DKK1 through chromatin remodeling, indicating that SMARCC2 is a potentially attractive therapeutic target in glioblastoma.

Abstract Background Meningeal carcinomatosis is mainly associated with breast cancer, lung cancer, and melanoma. However, meningeal carcinomatosis secondary to a neurenteric cyst with malignant features is extremely rare. Case presentation We report the case of a 35-year-old woman who was admitted to the hospital with a 10-month history of headache, 6-month history of diplopia, 4-month history of hearing loss, and 1-month history of back pain, suggesting a diagnosis of chronic meningitis. Notably, enhanced brain and spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed extensive lesions with enhancement signals in the pia mater of the pons and cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spinal cord. The cerebral spinal fluid profile showed that pressure was significantly elevated, with a slight increase in leukocytes that mostly comprised mononuclear cells and decreased glucose concentration. Cytology evaluation showed a small cluster of atypical nuclei, which were suspected to be tumor cells arising from the epithelium. However, no primary tumor was found through comprehensive body and skin screening. After a histopathological biopsy of subarachnoid meninx of the thoracic spinal canal, the cause of meningeal carcinomatosis of this patient was determined as neurenteric cysts with malignant features, which is extremely rare. Conclusion This is the first case to ever report neurenteric cysts as a cause of leptomeningeal carcinomatosis and the first ever report of neurenteric cysts presenting as leptomeningeal carcinomatosis without typical cyst visible on brain MRI. This extremely rare case provided a novel view on the pathogenesis of meningeal carcinomatosis and clinical presentation of neurenteric cysts, highlighting the value of meningeal biopsy in chronic meningitis of unknown causes.

Abstract Maintaining a proper balance between the glutamate receptor-mediated neuronal excitation and the A type of GABA receptor (GABAAR) mediated inhibition is essential for brain functioning; and its imbalance contributes to the pathogenesis of many brain disorders including neurodegenerative diseases and mental illnesses. Here we identify a novel glutamate-GABAAR interaction mediated by a direct glutamate binding of the GABAAR. In HEK293 cells overexpressing recombinant GABAARs, glutamate and its analog ligands, while producing no current on their own, potentiate GABA-evoked currents. This potentiation is mediated by a direct binding at a novel glutamate binding pocket located at the α+/β− subunit interface of the GABAAR. Moreover, the potentiation does not require the presence of a γ subunit, and in fact, the presence of γ subunit significantly reduces the potency of the glutamate potentiation. In addition, the glutamate-mediated allosteric potentiation occurs on native GABAARs in rat neurons maintained in culture, as evidenced by the potentiation of GABAAR-mediated inhibitory postsynaptic currents and tonic currents. Most importantly, we found that genetic impairment of this glutamate potentiation in knock-in mice resulted in phenotypes of increased neuronal excitability, including decreased thresholds to noxious stimuli and increased seizure susceptibility. These results demonstrate a novel cross-talk between excitatory transmitter glutamate and inhibitory GABAAR. Such a rapid and short feedback loop between the two principal excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission systems may play a critical homeostatic role in fine-tuning the excitation-inhibition balance (E/I balance), thereby maintaining neuronal excitability in the mammalian brain under both physiological and pathological conditions.

Background: Lower-lid pretarsal fullness rejuvenation is a popular surgery for Asian women. However, the current procedures have clinical complications and are not stable in the long-term. Here, we analyzed the effect of injectable collagen on lower-lid pretarsal fullness rejuvenation. Methods: To investigate the clinical effect of injectable collagen in lower-lid pretarsal fullness rejuvenation, we observed 32 Chinese Han female patients aged 18–55 years with non-distinctive lower-lid pretarsal fullness and no history of lower eyelid surgery or trauma. The injectable collagen products were used for local filling correction. After surgery, the patients were followed up for 12 months. A correction effect was evaluated through an analysis of volume changes using a visual analog scale. Adverse reactions were also recorded. Results: All patients achieved good aesthetic outcomes and strong stereoscopic impressions of lower-lid pretarsal fullness. Complications, such as edema and bruising, were not observed after the injection. Immediately after the operation, the average visual analog score was 2.65 ​± ​0.56. Six months after the operation, the average visual analog score was 2.96 ​± ​0.41. The patients reported high satisfaction levels. Immediately after the operation, the average lower-lid pretarsal fullness volume increase was 0.19 ​± ​0.04 ​mL on the left side and 0.21 ​± ​0.03 ​mL on the right side. After a 12-month follow-up, the average residual volume was 0.17 ​± ​0.06 ​mL on the left side and 0.19 ​± ​0.04 ​mL on the right side, suggesting that the injected collagen impact was stable. Conclusion: Injectable collagen promotes a vivid, natural appearance and is highly effective in rejuvenating lower-lid pretarsal fullness with low absorption rates in later stages. Therefore, injectable collagen should be considered in correcting congenital, non-distinctive, lower-lid pretarsal fullness in clinical practice.

Zwitterionic hydrogels are nonfouling and hemocompatibility but several key challenges such as weak mechanical strength and low adhesion hamper their application as coating materials for devices. Here, the authors report a microgel reinforced zwitterionic hydrogel with excellent mechanical robustness and anti-swelling properties.

Metabolic reprogramming is associated with cancer initiation, progression and resistance to therapy. Here, the authors show that metabolic reprogramming from glycolysis to fatty acid uptake and beta-oxidation is associated with cancer-cell platinum-based chemotherapy resistance.

The ever most widely used eutectic alloys often suffer from limited ductility. Here the authors propose a distinctive concept of phase-selective recrystallization to significantly improve their ductility and strength and pave the way for new applications of the widespread eutectic alloys.

Abstract Purpose Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers worldwide. The extracellular matrix (ECM) microenvironment affects the drug sensitivity and prognosis of pancreatic cancer patients. This study constructed an 8-genes pancreatic ECM scoring (PECMS) model, to classify the ECM features of pancreatic cancer, analyze the impact of ECM features on survival and drug sensitivity, and mine key molecules that influence ECM features in pancreatic cancer. Methods GSVA score calculation and clustering were performed in TCGA-PAAD patients. Lasso regression was used to construct the PECMS model. The association between PECMS and patient survival was analyzed and validated in the CPTAC-3 dataset of TCGA and our single-center retrospective cohort. The relationships between PECMS and features of the matrix microenvironment were analyzed. Finally, PECMS feature genes were screened and verified in pancreatic cancer specimens to select key genes associated with the ECM microenvironment. Result The survival of the PECMS-high group was significantly worse. The PECMS-high group showed higher oxidative stress levels, lower levels of antigen presentation- and MHC-I molecule-related pathways, and less immune effector cell infiltration. Data from IMvigor-210 cohort suggested that PECMS-low group patients were more sensitive to immune checkpoint blockers. The PECMS score was negatively correlated with chemotherapy drug sensitivity. The negative association of PECMS with survival and drug sensitivity was validated in our retrospective cohort. KLHL32 expression predicted lower oxidative stress level and more immune cells infiltrate in pancreatic cancer. Conclusion PECMS is an effective predictor of prognosis and drug sensitivity in pancreatic cancer patients. KLHL32 may play an important role in the construction of ECM, and the mechanism is worth further study.

Objective: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is currently the standard of care in clinically node negative (cN0) breast cancer. The present study aimed to evaluate the negative predictive value (NPV) of 18F-FDG dedicated lymph node positron emission tomography (LymphPET) in cN0 patients. Methods: This was a prospective phase II trial divided into 2 stages (NCT04072653). In the first stage, cN0 patients underwent axillary LymphPET followed by SLNB. In the second stage, SLNB was omitted in patients with a negative preoperative axillary assessment after integration of LymphPET. Here, we report the results of the first stage. The primary outcome was the NPV of LymphPET to detect macrometastasis of lymph nodes (LN-macro). Results: A total of 189 patients with invasive breast cancer underwent LymphPET followed by surgery with definitive pathological reports. Forty patients had LN-macro, and 16 patients had only lymph node micrometastasis. Of the 131 patients with a negative LymphPET result, 16 patients had LN-macro, and the NPV was 87.8%. After combined axillary imaging evaluation with ultrasound and LymphPET, 100 patients were found to be both LymphPET and ultrasound negative, 9 patients had LN-macro, and the NPV was 91%. Conclusions: LymphPET can be used to screen patients to potentially avoid SLNB, with an NPV > 90%. The second stage of the SOAPET trial is ongoing to confirm the safety of omission of SLNB according to preoperational axillary evaluation integrating LymphPET.

A dielectric metalens consisting of ultrahigh aspect ratio TiO2 nanofins array is demonstrated to realize active multiband varifocal functionality. By regulating the orbital angular momentum, the focal length can be switched from 5 mm to 35 mm with large DOFs.

Here, the authors employ the physics of chiral bound states in the continuum and suggest planar chiral metasurfaces with simultaneous ultrahigh quality factor and near-perfect circular dichroism in both linear regime and nonlinear regime.

Abstract The imbalance between neuronal excitation and inhibition (E/I) in neural circuit has been considered to be at the root of numerous brain disorders. We recently reported a novel feedback crosstalk between the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate and inhibitory γ‐aminobutyric acid type A receptor (GABAAR)‐glutamate allosteric potentiation of GABAAR functions through a direct binding of glutamate to the GABAAR itself. Here, we investigated the physiological significance and pathological implications of this cross‐talk by generating the β3E182G knock‐in (KI) mice. We found that β3E182G KI, while had little effect on basal GABAAR‐mediated synaptic transmission, significantly reduced glutamate potentiation of GABAAR‐mediated responses. These KI mice displayed lower thresholds for noxious stimuli, higher susceptibility to seizures and enhanced hippocampus‐related learning and memory. Additionally, the KI mice exhibited impaired social interactions and decreased anxiety‐like behaviors. Importantly, hippocampal overexpression of wild‐type β3‐containing GABAARs was sufficient to rescue the deficits of glutamate potentiation of GABAAR‐mediated responses, hippocampus‐related behavioral abnormalities of increased epileptic susceptibility, and impaired social interactions. Our data indicate that the novel crosstalk among excitatory glutamate and inhibitory GABAAR functions as a homeostatic mechanism in fine‐tuning neuronal E/I balance, thereby playing an essential role in ensuring normal brain functioning.

Abstract Postmenopausal osteoporosis is one of the most prevalent skeletal disorders in women and is featured by the imbalance between intraosseous vascularization and bone metabolism. In this study, a pH‐responsive shell–core structured micro/nano‐hydrogel microspheres loaded with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) using gas microfluidics and ionic cross‐linking technology are developed. This micro/nano‐hydrogel microsphere system (PDAP@Alg/Cs) can achieve oral delivery, intragastric protection, intestinal slow/controlled release, active targeting to bone tissue, and thus negatively affecting intraosseous angiogenesis and osteoclastogenesis. According to biodistribution data, PDAP@Alg/Cs can successfully enhance drug intestinal absorption and bioavailability through intestine adhesion and bone targeting after oral administration. In vitro and in vivo experiments reveal that PDAP@Alg/Cs promoted type H vessel formation and inhibited bone resorption, effectively mitigating bone loss by activating HIF‐1α/VEGF signaling pathway and promoting heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) expression. In conclusion, this novel oral micro/nano‐hydrogel microsphere system can simultaneously accelerate intraosseous vascularization and decrease bone resorption, offering a brand‐new approach to prevent postmenopausal osteoporosis.

BackgroundEarly surgical closure is warranted to prevent aortic valve lesion and aortic regurgitation (AR) in intracristal ventricular septal defects (icVSDs). Experiences for transcatheter device closure of icVSDs are still limited. Our objectives are to investigate AR progression following transcatheter closure of icVSDs in children and to explore the risk factors for AR progression.Methods and resultsFrom January 2007 to December 2017, 50 children with icVSD who had successfully undergone transcatheter closure were enrolled. With 4.0 (interquartile range: 3.0–6.2) years of follow-up, AR progression was observed in 20% (10/50) of patients after icVSD occlusion, among which 16% (8/50) remained in mild level and 4% (2/50) evolved to moderate. None progressed to severe AR. Freedom from AR progression was 84.0%, 79.5%, and 79.5% at 1, 5, and 10 years of follow-up. A multivariate Cox proportional-hazards model revealed that x-ray exposure time [hazard ratio (HR): 1.11, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04–1.18, P = 0.001] and the ratio of pulmonary to systemic blood flows (HR: 3.38, 95% CI: 1.11–10.29, P = 0.032) were independent predictors for AR progression.ConclusionsOur study suggested that transcatheter closure of icVSD in children is safe and feasible in mid- to long-term follow-up. No serious AR progression occurred after icVSD device closure. Greater left-to-right shunting and longer x-ray exposure time were both risk factors for AR progression.

Large-scale and dynamic surface water mapping is crucial for understanding the impact of global climate change and human activities on the distribution of surface water resources. Remote sensing imagery has become the primary data source for surface water mapping due to its high spatiotemporal resolution and wide coverage. However, the reliability of current water products during flood seasons is limited due to the influence of clouds on optical remote sensing images. Moreover, annual and seasonal surface water mapping cannot capture intra-month variations of water bodies. To address these challenges, we proposed a high spatiotemporal surface water mapping framework on Google Earth Engine that combines multi-source remote sensing data. Our framework can generate 10 m spatial resolution surface water maps at a 15-day time step. We classified water bodies using Sentinel-2 images and a classification tree algorithm, and then used Sentinel-1 data to compensate for cloudy and missing data areas in Sentinel-2 images, resulting in seamless cloud-unaffected surface water maps. We evaluated the effectiveness of our proposed framework in six floodplains around the world, and experimental results demonstrate that the water maps generated by our framework outperform existing public datasets and our framework has great potential for hydrological applications. Our proposed framework can capture the details of surface water dynamics with higher spatial and temporal resolution and is free from cloud influence, which is necessary for water resources management, flood monitoring, and disaster response.

Early embryonic development relies on the maternal RNAs and newly synthesized proteins during oogenesis. Zygotic transcription is an important event occurring at a specific time after fertilization. If no zygotic transcription occurs, the embryo will die because it is unable to meet the needs of the embryo and continue to grow. During the early stages of embryonic development, the correct transcription, translation, and expression of genes play a crucial role in blastocyst formation and differentiation of cell lineage species formation among mammalian species, and any variation may lead to developmental defects, arrest, or even death. Abnormal expression of some genes may lead to failure of the embryonic zygote genome before activation, such as BDNF and YBX1; Decreased expression of CENPF, ZSCAN4, TEAD4, GLIS1, and USF1 genes can lead to embryonic development failure. This article reviews the results of studies on the timing and mechanism of gene expression of these genes in bovine fertilized eggs/embryos.

Dual-phase high-entropy alloys with excellent room temperature and high-temperature properties have been widely studied as potential high-temperature structural materials. However, interface weakening causes its high-temperature performance to decline at higher temperatures, severely limiting further development. In this study, a series of Al17Cr10Fe36Ni36Mo1Hfx (x = 0, 0.03, 0.15, 0.3, 0.5, and 0.8 at%) alloys were prepared to study the effect of Hf content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the matrix alloy. The results indicate that with the addition of the Hf, the Hf-rich phase began to precipitate at the interface and inside the B2 phase in the matrix alloy. In contrast, the morphology of both the FCC and B2 phases had no noticeable change. With the increase in Hf content, the high-temperature strength and ductility of the alloy first increased and then decreased, while the room temperature performance remained almost unchanged. Benefiting from the hindrance of the Hf-rich phase to grain boundary sliding and dislocation movement during high-temperature deformation, the tensile strength, yield strength, and plasticity of the matrix alloy increased from 474 MPa, 535 MPa, and 8.7% to 816 MPa, 923 MPa, and 42.0% for the Al17Cr10Fe36Ni36Mo1Hf0.5 alloys, respectively. This work provides a new path for designing a high-entropy alloy with excellent high-temperature mechanical properties.

Based on the panel data of 31 provinces in China from 2005 to 2020, this paper analyzes the mechanism and spatial spillover effect of agricultural insurance on the urban–rural income gap using a fixed effect model, an intermediary effect model, and a two-stage least square method. The results show that agricultural insurance has a significant inhibitory effect on the income gap between urban and rural areas. This inhibitory effect is realized through the path of “improving the development level of agricultural insurance-improving agricultural total factor productivity-reducing the income gap between urban and rural areas”, in which the intermediary effect of agricultural total factor productivity accounts for 19.74% of the total effect. At the same time, the income gap between urban and rural areas in China exhibits typical spatial agglomeration characteristics. The western region has always been the region with the largest income gap between urban and rural areas, while the eastern region is the region with the smallest income gap between urban and rural areas. The development of agricultural insurance has had a spatial spillover effect on the income gap between urban and rural areas, and the development of agricultural insurance in neighboring areas expands the income gap between urban and rural areas in this region. In order to prevent the siphon effect, agricultural insurance investment should be increased in the neighboring regions. The results of this paper support the view of the resource flow model. Finally, we put forward some suggestions for the development of agricultural insurance, improvement in agricultural total factor productivity, and the narrowing of the income gap between urban and rural areas.

Abstract Background To elucidate the clinical and ancillary features of genetic prion diseases (gPrDs) presenting with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) to aid early identification. Methods Global data of gPrDs presenting with FTD caused by prion protein gene mutations were collected from literature review and our records. Fifty-one cases of typical FTD and 136 cases of prion diseases admitted to our institution were included as controls. Clinical and ancillary data of the different groups were compared. Results Forty-nine cases of gPrDs presenting with FTD were identified. Compared to FTD or prion diseases, gPrDs presenting with FTD were characterized by earlier onset age (median 45 vs. 61/60 years, P < 0.001, P < 0.001) and higher incidence of positive family history (81.6% vs. 27.5/13.2%, P < 0.001, P < 0.001). Furthermore, GPrDs presenting with FTD exhibited shorter duration (median 5 vs. 8 years) and a higher rate of parkinsonism (63.7% vs. 9.8%, P < 0.001), pyramidal signs (39.1% vs. 7.8%, P = 0.001), mutism (35.9% vs. 0%, P < 0.001), seizures (25.8% vs. 0%, P < 0.001), myoclonus (22.5% vs. 0%, P < 0.001), and hyperintensity on MRI (25.0% vs. 0, P < 0.001) compared to FTD. Compared to prion diseases, gPrDs presenting with FTD had a longer duration of symptoms (median 5 vs. 1.1 years, P < 0.001), higher rates of frontotemporal atrophy (89.7% vs. 3.3%, P < 0.001), lower rates of periodic short-wave complexes on EEG (0% vs. 30.3%, P = 0.001), and hyperintensity on MRI (25.0% vs. 83.0%, P < 0.001). The frequency of codon 129 Val allele in gPrDs presenting with FTD was significantly higher than that reported in the literature for gPrDs in the Caucasian and East Asian populations (33.3% vs. 19.2%/8.0%, P = 0.005, P < 0.001). Conclusions GPrDs presenting with FTD are characterized by early-onset, high incidence of positive family history, high frequency of the Val allele at codon 129, overlapping symptoms with prion disease and FTD, and ancillary features closer to FTD. PRNP mutations may be a rare cause in the FTD spectrum, and PRNP genotyping should be considered in patients with these features.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of various neoadjuvant regimens for patients diagnosed with early-stage or locally advanced triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Methods: Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched in May 2020 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Bayesian network meta-analysis (NMA) was performed (Registration: PROSPERO CRD42020223012). Results: A total of 35 RCTs involving 8,424 participants were reviewed, of which 22 RCTs with 5,203 patients were included in this NMA focusing on pathologic complete response (pCR). An anthracycline-taxane-based (AT) regimen combined with a platinum (ATPt) [odds ratio (OR) = 2.04, 95% credible interval (CrI): 1.69, 2.48] regimen, and a docetaxel regimen combined with a carboplatin (TCb; OR = 2.16, 95% CrI: 1.20, 3.91) regimen improved pCR beyond that with AT only. AT and ATPt combined with targeted therapy [including bevacizumab (Bev), veliparib, atezolizumab, or pembrolizumab] also improved pCR. Five RCTs included in this NMA reported serious adverse events (SAEs) or grade ≥ 3 AEs. TCb was associated with fewer grade ≥ 3 AEs than was AT (OR = 0.66, 95% CrI: 0.23, 1.72) alone. In contrast, ATPt, AT + Bev, ATPt + Bev, ATPt + veliparib, and ATPt + pembrolizumab were associated with more SAEs than was AT alone. Conclusions: In patients with TNBC, platinum-based neoadjuvant regimens ATPt and TCb increase pCR beyond that with AT alone, but TCb appears to be better tolerated than either AT or ATPt. Platinum-based regimens combined with targeted therapies (Bev, PARPi, and PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor) also improve the pCR rate beyond that with AT alone, but this benefit is accompanied by greater toxicity.

Abstract Background Influenza B virus can cause epidemics with high pathogenicity, so it poses a serious threat to public health. A feature representation algorithm is proposed in this paper to identify the pathogenicity phenotype of influenza B virus. Methods The dataset included all 11 influenza virus proteins encoded in eight genome segments of 1724 strains. Two types of features were hierarchically used to build the prediction model. Amino acid features were directly delivered from 67 feature descriptors and input into the random forest classifier to output informative features about the class label and probabilistic prediction. The sequential forward search strategy was used to optimize the informative features. The final features for each strain had low dimensions and included knowledge from different perspectives, which were used to build the machine learning model for pathogenicity identification. Results The 40 signature positions were achieved by entropy screening. Mutations at position 135 of the hemagglutinin protein had the highest entropy value (1.06). After the informative features were directly generated from the 67 random forest models, the dimensions for class and probabilistic features were optimized as 4 and 3, respectively. The optimal class features had a maximum accuracy of 94.2% and a maximum Matthews correlation coefficient of 88.4%, while the optimal probabilistic features had a maximum accuracy of 94.1% and a maximum Matthews correlation coefficient of 88.2%. The optimized features outperformed the original informative features and amino acid features from individual descriptors. The sequential forward search strategy had better performance than the classical ensemble method. Conclusions The optimized informative features had the best performance and were used to build a predictive model so as to identify the phenotype of influenza B virus with high pathogenicity and provide early risk warning for disease control. Graphical Abstract

ObjectiveTo compare the therapeutic effects of wedge resection and liver segment IVb + V resection on patients with T2b gallbladder cancer.MethodsThe clinical and pathological data of 40 patients with gallbladder cancer admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from January 2017 to November 2019 were retrospectively analyzed, and they were divided into two groups according to different surgical methods. The control group underwent liver wedge resection, while the experimental group underwent liver segment IVb + V resection. Preoperative age, bilirubin index, tumor markers, postoperative complications and survival were compared between the two groups. Log-rank test was used for univariate analysis, and Cox proportional hazards regression model was used for multivariate analysis. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were drawn.ResultsUnivariate analysis showed that tumor markers and degree of differentiation were the risk factors for the prognosis of patients with gallbladder carcinoma after radical cholecystectomy (P

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is associated with hepatic inflammatory activation and iron overload. The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) is an important metabolic mediator during the development of ALD. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of RAGE on iron homeostasis in ALD. We found increased circulating transferrin, hepcidin and ferritin in ALD patients and positively correlated with RAGE level. RAGE knockout (RAGE−/−) and wild-type mice were subjected to chronic alcoholic feeding for 6 weeks to induce ALD, and RAGE inhibitor, iron chelator or lipid peroxidation inhibitor were administered. We showed that chronic alcohol administration triggered hepatic steatosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress, which were eliminated by deficiency or inhibition of RAGE. Surprisingly, pathways of hepatic iron metabolism were significantly altered, including increased iron uptake (Tf/TfR) and storage (Ferritin), as well as decreased iron export (FPN1/Hepcidin). In vitro experiments confirmed that RAGE had different effects on the mechanism of iron metabolism of hepatocytes and macrophages respectively. In conclusion, our data revealed preclinical evidence for RAGE inhibition as an effective intervention for alleviating alcohol-induced liver injury.

Muscle wasting is one of the main characteristics of cachexia associated with cancer and other chronic diseases and is often exacerbated by antineoplastic agents. Increased oxidative stress is associated with muscle wasting, along with depletion of glutathione, the most abundant endogenous antioxidant. Therefore, boosting endogenous glutathione has been proposed as a therapeutic strategy to prevent muscle wasting. Here, we tested this hypothesis by inactivating CHAC1, an intracellular glutathione degradation enzyme. We found CHAC1 expression is increased under multiple muscle wasting conditions in animal models, including fasting, cancer cachexia, and chemotherapy. The elevation of muscle Chac1 expression is associated with reduced glutathione level. CHAC1 inhibition via CRSPR/Cas9 mediated knock-in of an enzyme inactivating mutation demonstrates a novel strategy to preserve muscle glutathione levels under wasting conditions but fails to prevent muscle wasting in mice. These results suggest that preserving intracellular glutathione level alone may not be sufficient to prevent cancer or chemotherapy induced muscle wasting.

BackgroundThe predictive value of biomarkers such as neuron specific enolase (NSE), S100B, neurofilament (NFL), interleukin-6 (IL-6), coagulation factor R, and D-Dimer (DD) after acute Stanford A type aortic dissection (AAAD) with neurological complications has recently gained much attention from the research community. However, results from these studies are conflicting. This meta-analysis is conducted to assess the relationship between the biomarkers and the risk of neurological complications after AAAD.MethodsTwo reviewers performed a systematic literature search across eight databases (CNKI, Wan Fang, VIP, CBM, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE). The studies regarding biomarkers in AAAD patients published up to February 2022 were included. These studies were subjected to rigorous scrutiny and data extraction to determine the weighted mean difference (WMD) and the 95% confidence interval (CI), which were analyzed using the RevMan 5.4 and Stata software 14.0.ResultsA total of 12 studies including 360 cases with neurological complications and 766 controls were incorporated into our meta-analysis. WMD analysis showed that there was a higher NSE levels in AAAD patients with postoperative neurological complications compared with controls (WMD = 0.640, 95% CI: 0.205 ~ 1.075, P = 0.004 < 0.005), and the level of S100B was related to the 6 h and 24 h postoperative neurological complications (6 h: WMD = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.27 ~ 1.02, P = 0.0007 < 0.001; 24 h: WMD = 0.281, 95% CI: 0.211 ~ 0.351, P < 0.001). Moreover, S100B levels at 6 hours after operation were significantly higher than that at 24 hours (WMD = 0.260, 95% CI: 0.166 ~ 0.354, P < 0.001).ConclusionNSE and S100B are both candidate biomarkers to predict postoperative neurological complications in patients with AAAD. Other markers are also valuable when used in conjunction with clinical judgement. The findings accentuate the necessity of further research to establish standardized values for these biomarkers in predicting neurological complications.

ABSTRACT: Background: Although controversial, experimental data suggest the use of propofol may be associated with neurotoxicity. The mechanisms responsible for propofol neurotoxicity in animals are not yet clear. Objective: This study aimed to determine the effects of propofol on the proliferation of neural stem cells in rat hippocampus and the mechanisms underlying these effects. Methods: Forty-five adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: Control (N group), intralipid (V group), 30 mg/kg propofol (Prop30 group), 60 mg/kg propofol (Prop60 group), and 120 mg/kg propofol (Prop120 group). The rats in all groups received 5, once daily intraperitoneal injections. For each of the 5 days, the N group received 6 mL/kg normal saline, the V group received 6 mL/kg fat emulsion, the Prop30 group received 30 mg/kg propofol, the Prop60 group received 60 mg/kg propofol, and the Prop120 group received 120 mg/kg propofol. Memory function was scored daily using the Morris water maze test. Immunofluorescence staining was used to histologically monitor the proliferation and differentiation of the rats’ hippocampal neural stem cells, and real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to determine the expression of Notch3, Hes1, and Hes5. Results: Compared with the N group, the Prop120 group exhibited reduced learning and memory, whereas there were no significant differences for the Prop60 group. The number of β-tubulin III+ cells increased in the Prop60 group, but decreased in the Prop120 group. Compared with the N group, the relative expression of Notch3 and Hes5 increased significantly in the Prop60 group, whereas this expression decreased in the Prop120 group. Conclusions: These data demonstrate that repeated, subchronic (5 days) intraperitoneal injections of 60 mg/kg propofol can effectively promote rat hippocampal neural stem cells proliferation and differentiation, and that this is likely mediated by its effects on the Notch3-Hes5 pathway.

BackgroundSpontaneous isolated superior mesenteric artery dissection (SISMAD) is a rare disease with abdominal pain as the main clinical manifestation, but its optimal treatment strategy has not yet been determined. Based on this, this study explored a safe and effective treatment method by analyzing and comparing the safety and efficacy of conservative treatment and endovascular treatment in SISMAD patients.MethodsThe clinical and imaging data and treatment effects of 85 patients with SISMAD who were admitted to the General Surgery Department of the 900th Hospital of the Joint Logistics Support Force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army from January 2008 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Two groups were treated, the data of patients in conservative treatment group and endovascular treatment group were analyzed, and a safe and effective treatment method for SISMAD was discussed.ResultsThe mean follow-up time was 36.58 ± 25.03 months. The success rate of interventional operation was 86.11% (31/36), and the operation failed because the guide wire could not enter the true lumen in four cases. One case was terminated due to poor physical condition of the patient who could not tolerate surgery. There were no significant differences in gender, body mass index, clinical manifestations, and past history between conservative treatment and endovascular treatment (P > 0.05), but in age, superior mesenteric artery-distal aorta angle, distance from the superior mesenteric artery opening to dissection, dissection length, and true lumen stenosis. There was a statistical difference between the two groups in the rate and Yun classification (P

In order to explore the effect of different pretreatment processes of raw materials (soybean) on the flavor of Zhaotong soybean paste, the amino acids and volatile compounds of Zhaotong soybean paste were analyzed by steaming at 115 ℃ for 10 min (S-10), 15 min (S-15), 20 min (S-20) and 25 min (S-25), and frying at 180 ℃ for 5 min (F-5) and 10 min (F-10). The results showed that there were significant differences in amino acids and volatile components of Zhaotong soybean paste pretreated with different raw materials. The score of Zhaotong soybean paste treated with F-10 was the highest, 89 points, and the total amount of amino acids was the highest in the S-15 treatment group, 29.314 mg/g, included 14.196 mg/g of essential amino acids and 15.082 mg/g of flavor amino acids. The second was the F-10 treatment group, the total amount of amino acids was 28.570 mg/g, of which the content of essential amino acids was 13.047 mg/g and the content of flavor amino acids was 17.949 mg/g, and the content of fresh amino acids in the F-10 treatment group was 15.067 mg/g, which was significantly higher than that in other treatment groups. Different pretreated Zhaotong soybean paste also showed great differences in the content and distribution of volatile components. The volatile components in Zhaotong sauce were mainly composed of olefins, alcohols and esters. The relative content of alcohols in cooking group was higher, up to 17.29% in S-10 group. The relative content of esters in frying group was higher, and phenols were produced. The highest relative content of esters was 12.74% in F-10 group, which was 3.72%~6.91% higher than that in other groups. A total of 12 common components were detected in all samples, of which anethole contributed the most to the flavor, accounting for more than 50%, followed by (+) terpene diene γ-terpinene, eucalyptus oleanol, n-pentadecane, linalool, linalyl acetate, terpinyl acetate α-terpineol, 4-methoxystyrene, anethole, phenylethanol and p-isopropyl benzyl alcohol. These substances mainly present fragrance, licorice, fruit and flower fragrance, which form the common basic flavor components of Zhaotong soybean paste. This paper compared the flavor quality of Zhaotong soybean paste pretreated with different raw materials, so as to provide reference for improving the development of local soybean sauce industry and popularizing local plateau characteristic agricultural products.

Abstract Background Patients undergoing gastroenteroscopy during sedation are prone to aspiration, and most patients with dyspepsia have delayed gastric emptying. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of measuring the gastric antrum cross-sectional area (CSA) to supply a novel clinical diagnostic reference value in patients with dyspepsia. Methods Patients with dyspepsia undergoing elective gastroscopy were included. The Perlas qualitative 0–2 grading scale score was determined before the operation. The anteroposterior diameter (D1) and craniocaudal diameter (D2) between gastric antrum serosal surfaces were measured perpendicular to each other in the supine and right lateral decubitus (RLD) positions. CSA values in the supine position and RLD position were determined. Gastric contents were endoscopically suctioned with the volumes measured and noted as actual gastric volume. Multiple regression analysis was used to fit a mathematical model for estimating the gastric volume. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to determine the accuracy of RLD CSA to detect gastric volumes of > 0.8 ml/kg. Results A total of 117 patients were enrolled and divided into a functional dyspepsia (FD) group and an organic dyspepsia group according to gastroscopy findings. For a gastric volume of > 0.8 ml/kg, cut-off values for FD and organic dyspepsia were 6.7 cm2 and 10.0 cm2, respectively. Two new modified mathematical models were derived to predict an estimated gastric volume for FD and organic dyspepsia: volume = 3.93 × RLD CSA - 0.47 × age; and volume = 6.15 × RLD CSA - 0.61 × age. Conclusion We used the cut-off value of the antral area for the fast diagnosis of gastric volumes in patients with dyspepsia, which may assist clinicians in identifying patients at risk of aspiration. Trial registration www.chictr.org.cn ( CHICTR-DDD-17010871 ); registered 15 March 2017.

Market sentiment has become more easily spread between cities through social media. This study investigates the spatial effect of market sentiment on housing price in a social media environment. In order to extract home-buyer sentiment from social media, we use text sentiment analysis techniques and build a novel housing market sentiment index. A spatial econometric model of housing price volatility is subsequently constructed and the housing market sentiment index is included as an independent variable in the model. Using panel data from 30 large and medium-sized cities in China for 20 quarters from 2016 to 2020, the spatial effect of market sentiment on housing price is empirically analyzed by calculating direct and indirect effects. The results show that market sentiment had a significant positive effect on housing prices in the local and neighboring cities over the research period. However, the impact of market sentiment on housing price was heterogeneous in terms of geographical region; the direct effect was stronger in the eastern region than in the central and western regions, and the indirect effect was significant only in the eastern region. These findings can provide references for government to formulate housing market regulation policies and measures based on market sentiment.

Passive bistatic radar (PBR)-based moving target detection (MTD) has benefited greatly from multi-frequency (MF) integration, which can effectively improve the detection capability of weak targets. However, with the increase in the coherent processing interval (CPI) and carrier-frequency separation, Doppler spread will appear in the range-Doppler maps (RDMs) over different frequency bands, which severely limits the processing gain of MF integration. In this paper, a novel MTD algorithm is proposed to achieve both long-time integration and quasi-coherent MF integration. More specifically, the proposed method consists of two main steps, where a modified Radon–Fourier transform (RFT), termed as MF-based RFT (MF-RFT), is, firstly, used to eliminate the Doppler spread via designing a sequential of MF-based Doppler filter banks. Following the MF-RFT, a phase-compensation-based method is also developed to further remove the residual phase errors. This method involves formulating an optimization problem based on the minimum-entropy criterion and employing a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to solve it, after which quasi-coherent MF integration can be achieved with robustness. Both numerical results and field test results based on digital video broadcasting-satellite (DVB-S) signals demonstrate that the proposed algorithm outperforms the existing methods in the scenario of weak MTD.

The rapid growth of tourism has led to the transformation of numerous traditional dwellings in Yunnan into commercial lodgings, presenting a challenge to the preservation and inheritance of traditional culture. However, the existing renovation practices lack scientific data support and rely heavily on architects’ subjective designs. Thus, finding a scientific and stable approach to maintain the traditional residential characteristics becomes crucial. This study focuses on the renovation of Wenzhi villagers’ residences in Yunnan as a case study. It employs the innovative AHP-QFD design methodology to explore a more scientific and objective method for preserving and promoting the features of traditional dwellings in commercial renovations. Initially, the study assigns weights to the commercial renovation objectives—local traditional features, architectural functions, sustainability, and comfort—using the hierarchical analysis method (AHP). Subsequently, specific design features are derived from transformation requirements through interviews and questionnaires with residents, tourists, government officials, and experts. The innovation of this research lies in the application of AHP and QFD models to the innovative design of commercial renovations for traditional dwellings in Yunnan, resulting in a set of systematic and scientifically supported decision-making methods for renovating and preserving traditional buildings in the region. The study’s findings reveal that building geometry and dimensions, skilled traditional craftsmanship, and flexible and expandable solutions carry the highest weight in design. The application of the AHP-QFD model in commercial transformation design effectively balances the preservation of traditional culture and the pursuit of commercial value. It offers a feasible and innovative design solution for commercial transformations of traditional houses in the Yunnan region, ensuring the preservation of cultural heritage while enhancing commercial appeal.

The citrate industry has a wide range of applications in food, pharmaceutical, and other fields. As a common class of food additives and functional supplements with tremendous development potential and strong core competitiveness, particles with good powder characteristics and functionalization are becoming one of the primary directions in the evolution of citrate into the high-end market. This article reviews the primary citrate crystallization techniques and examines the fundamental citrate crystallization mechanisms by describing citrate nucleation and growth during the industrial crystallization process. A variety of citrate hydrates are also summarized. The primary control conditions of the three essential product indices of purity, particle size, and grain shape are established. The need to take into account the density, fluidity, caking resistance, dissolution rate, suspension, bioavailability, and other indices of products is highlighted, along with applications for products that meet the purity and particle size requirements. While summarizing industrial citrate crystallization equipment, this paper also discusses the beneficial effect of continuous crystallization in achieving industrialization. Finally, the future development of citrate crystals is anticipated, and it is suggested that the combination of basic research and application research should be strengthened to explore the new application field of citrate crystals, and the automation and intelligence of the crystal preparation process should be realized as far as possible.

Dredging materials from reef flats have become an important source of sand and aggregates for meeting the infrastructure needs of coral-lined shores in subtropical and tropical regions, especially for low-lying atoll islands. Dredging at the reef flats can generate artificial excavation pits, which not only have profound influences on coral ecological stability but also deeply affect the hydrodynamic characteristics of coral reefs. To deepen the understanding of the influence of excavation on the wave hydrodynamics of fringing reefs, the wave propagation, wave transformation, wave setup, and wave runup processes of regular waves on fringing reefs with artificial pits have been systematically analyzed using a non-hydrostatic numerical wave solver (NHWAVE). The effects of some significant factors have been carefully investigated. According to the study findings, the existence of artificial pits can result in a slight decrease in the wave height around the artificial pit. The time-mean maximum of wave runup height at the backreef slope can be reduced to some extent when the artificial pit is present. When placed close to the reef edge, the artificial pit can have noticeable effects on the hydrodynamic characteristics of fringing reefs, particularly the wave setup along the reef flat. It is hoped that the study findings can provide further reference for evaluation of the influences of artificial pits on the wave hydrodynamics of fringing reefs.

Gate-all-around (GAA) structures are important for future logic devices and 3D-DRAM. Inner-spacer cavity etching and channel release both require selective etching of Si0.7Ge0.3. Increasing the number of channel-stacking layers is an effective way to improve device current-driving capability and storage density. Previous work investigated ICP selective etching of a three-cycle Si0.7Ge0.3/Si multilayer structure and the related etching effects. This study focuses on the dry etching of a 15-cycle Si0.7Ge0.3/Si multilayer structure and the associated etching effects, using simulation and experimentation. The simulation predicts the random effect of lateral etching depth and the asymmetric effect of silicon nanosheet damage on the edge, both of which are verified by experiments. Furthermore, the study experimentally investigates the influence and mechanism of pressure, power, and other parameters on the etching results. Research on these etching effects and mechanisms will provide important points of reference for the dry selective etching of Si0.7Ge0.3 in GAA structures.

Although HVAC (Heating Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) layout design has transitioned from 2D drawings to 3D BIM models, the traditional manual process of sizing and placing terminal units is still a time-consuming task, which can lead to inappropriate airflow and wastage of resources due to human error. The purpose of this paper is to develop a highly robust method for sizing and placing HVAC terminal units in rooms, while also systematically avoiding obstacles based on the locations of air terminal units and FCUs (Fan Coil Units) to which they belong. The method employs a “scan” approach to solve the problem of insufficient robustness caused by the traditional grid division method. Rule-based iterative algorithms are utilized for the sizing of terminals, airflow verification, and obstacle avoidance to generate a complete set of FCU and CAV (Constant Air Volume) system terminal layouts within a building. The method was tested for the automated design of HVAC terminal layouts in six different buildings and successfully completed the task within seconds, demonstrating the method’s immediacy and robustness. Moreover, airflow organization tests showed that the terminal layouts generated by the algorithm had a 95% pass rate, indicating the effectiveness of the method.

To deliver growth factors controllably for tissue regeneration, poly(aldehyde guluronate) (PAG) was obtained from alginate and covalently cross-linked with aminated gelatin (AG) to form PAG/AG hydrogel as a growth factors carrier. The prepared hydrogel exhibits a slow degradation rate and excellent cytocompatibility. Heparin was conjugated with gelatin and embedded into the hydrogel to reserve and stabilize growth factors. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) was immobilized into the hydrogel and performed sustained release as the hydrogel degraded. The bFGF loaded hydrogel can improve vascularization effectively in a rat dorsal sac model. To summarize, heparin embedded PAG/AG hydrogels would serve as a promising biodegradable vehicle for the controlled delivery of growth factors and promoting vascularization in regenerative medicine.

The evaluation of satellite soil moisture is a big challenge owing to the large spatial mismatch between pixel-based satellite soil moisture products and point-based in situ measurements. Upscaling in situ measurements to obtain the “true value” of soil moisture content at the satellite grid/footprint scale can make up for the scale difference and improve the validation. Many existing upscaling methods have strict requirements regarding the spatial distribution and quantity of soil moisture sensors. However, in reality, soil-moisture-monitoring networks are commonly sparse with low sensor density, which increases the difficulty of obtaining accurate upscaled soil moisture data and limits the validation of satellite products. For this reason, this paper proposes a scheme to upscale in situ measurements using five machine learning methods along with Landsat 8 datasets and DEM data to validate the accuracy of a SMAP-enhanced passive soil moisture product for a sparse network on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. The proposed scheme realizes the upscaling of in situ soil moisture data to the pixel scale (30 m × 30 m) and then to the coarse grid scale (9 km × 9 km) by using multi-source remote sensing data as the bridge of scale conversion. The long-time SMAP SM products since April 2015 on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau were validated based on upscaled soil moisture data. The results show that (1) random forest regression performs the best, and the upscaled soil moisture data reflect the region-average soil moisture conditions that can be used for evaluating SMAP data; (2) the SMAP product meets its scientific measurement requirements; and (3) the SMAP product generally underestimates the soil moisture in the study area.

Abstract Myosin heavy chain 9 (MYH9) plays an essential role in human diseases, including multiple cancers; however, little is known about its role in gliomas. In the present study, we revealed that HMGA1 and MYH9 were upregulated in gliomas and their expression correlated with WHO grade, and HMGA1 promoted the acquisition of malignant phenotypes and chemoresistance of glioma cells by regulating the expression of MYH9 through c-Jun-mediated transcription. Moreover, MYH9 interacted with GSK-3β to inhibit the expression of GSK-3β protein by promoting its ubiquitination; the downregulation of GSK-3β subsequently promoted the nuclear translocation of β-catenin, enhancing growth, invasion, migration, and temozolomide resistance in glioma cells. Expression levels of HMGA1 and MYH9 were significantly correlated with patient survival and should be considered as independent prognostic factors. Our findings provide new insights into the role of HMGA1 and MYH9 in gliomagenesis and suggest the potential application of HMGA1 and MYH9 in cancer therapy in the future.

Abstract Background Mutation processes leave different signatures in genes. For single-base substitutions, previous studies have suggested that mutation signatures are not only reflected in mutation bases but also in neighboring bases. However, because of the lack of a method to identify features of long sequences next to mutation bases, the understanding of how flanking sequences influence mutation signatures is limited. Methods We constructed a long short-term memory-self organizing map (LSTM-SOM) unsupervised neural network. By extracting mutated sequence features via LSTM and clustering similar features with the SOM, single-base substitutions in The Cancer Genome Atlas database were clustered according to both their mutation site and flanking sequences. The relationship between mutation sequence signatures and clinical features was then analyzed. Finally, we clustered patients into different classes according to the composition of the mutation sequence signatures by the K-means method and then studied the differences in clinical features and survival between classes. Results Ten classes of mutant sequence signatures (mutation blots, MBs) were obtained from 2,141,527 single-base substitutions via LSTM-SOM machine learning approach. Different features in mutation bases and flanking sequences were revealed among MBs. MBs reflect both the site and pathological features of cancers. MBs were related to clinical features, including age, sex, and cancer stage. The class of an MB in a given gene was associated with survival. Finally, patients were clustered into 7 classes according to the MB composition. Significant differences in survival and clinical features were observed among different patient classes. Conclusions We provided a method for analyzing the characteristics of mutant sequences. Result of this study showed that flanking sequences, together with mutation bases, shape the signatures of SBSs. MBs were shown related to clinical features and survival of cancer patients. Composition of MBs is a feasible predictive factor of clinical prognosis. Further study of the mechanism of MBs related to cancer characteristics is suggested.