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Abstract Recipients of solid organ transplantation (SOT) rely on life-long immunosuppression (IS), which is associated with significant side effects. Extracorporeal photochemotherapy (ECP) is a safe, existing cellular therapy used to treat transplant rejection by modulating the recipient’s own blood cells. We sought to induce donor-specific hypo-responsiveness of SOT recipients by infusing ECP-treated donor leukocytes prior to transplant. To this end, we utilized major histocompatibility complex mismatched rodent models of allogeneic cardiac, liver, and kidney transplantation to test this novel strategy. Leukocytes isolated from donor-matched spleens for ECP treatment (ECP-DL) were infused into transplant recipients seven days prior to SOT. Pre-transplant infusion of ECP-DL without additional IS was associated with prolonged graft survival in all models. This innovative approach promoted the production of tolerogenic dendritic cells and regulatory T-cells with subsequent inhibition of T-cell priming and differentiation, along with a significant reduction of donor-specific T-cells in the spleen and grafts of treated animals. This new application of donor-type ECP-treated leukocytes provides insight into the mechanisms behind ECP-induced immunoregulation and holds significant promise in the prevention of graft rejection and reduction in need of global immune suppressive therapy in patients following SOT.

This study was conducted to explore the potential effect of Yucca schidigera extract (YSE) on the metabolism of beef cattle. Thirty Angus crossbreed steers were selected, with an initial mean body weight of 506.6 ± 33.3 kg, and assigned to two treatments: a diet with no additives (CON group) and a diet supplemented with 1.75 g/kg of YSE (YSE group) (on a dry matter basis). The experiment lasted for 104 days, with 14 days for adaptation. The results showed that adding YSE could significantly improve the average daily gain (ADG) from 1 to 59 d (15.38%) (p = 0.01) and 1 to 90 d (11.38%) (p < 0.01), as well as dry matter digestibility (DMD) (0.84%) (p < 0.05). The contents of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and bilirubin and the total antioxidant capacity were increased and blood urea was reduced in the YSE group, compared to the CON group (p < 0.05). Both the glycerophospholipids and bile acids, including phosphocholine, glycerophosphocholine, PC(15:0/18:2(9Z,12Z)), PE(18:0/20:3(5Z,8Z,11Z)), PE(18:3(6Z,9Z,12Z)/P-18:0), LysoPC(15:0), LysoPC(17:0), LysoPC(18:0), LysoPC(20:5(5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z,17Z)), deoxycholic acid, glycocholic acid, and cholic acid, were upregulated by the addition of YSE. In summary, YSE may improve the ADG by increasing the blood total antioxidant capacity and glycerophospholipid synthesis, maintaining steers under a healthy status that is beneficial for growth. Furthermore, YSE may also increase the expression of bile acid synthesis, thereby promoting DMD, which, in turn, offers more nutrients available for growth.

Metasurface has garnered extensive attention across multiple disciplines owing to its profound capability in electromagnetic (EM) manipulations. To determine its EM characteristics accurately, full-wave simulations are essential. These simulations necessitate significant amounts of time and memory resources, hindering the efficiency of the design process. In this article, we propose MetaPhyNet, a novel physics-driven neural network based on temporal coupled-mode theory (CMT) to address the challenges of low efficiency and high memory consumption in large-scale metasurface design. In the proposed approach, a surrogate model is developed to achieve rapid prediction of the EM responses of ultra-large-scale metasurfaces. In comparison with the full-wave EM simulation, the proposed model reduces the simulation time of the ultra-large-scale metasurface by up to two orders of magnitude and the memory consumption by more than two orders of magnitude. Our proposed approach aims to enhance the efficiency and intelligence in metasurface design by leveraging the principles of CMT within a neural network framework. Through this innovative integration of physics-based modeling and machine learning, we seek to achieve significant advancements in the design efficiency of metasurfaces. We apply the proposed model to optimize the design of two metasurface absorbers to showcase the effectiveness of our proposed approach. Simulations and experimental results are provided to demonstrate the value and impact of our approach in addressing existing challenges in full-wave EM simulation-based design optimizations of metasurfaces.

Dendrobium huoshanense is a famous edible and medicinal herb, and polysaccharides are the main bioactive component in it. In this study, response surface methodology (RSM) combined with a Box–Behnken design (BBD) was used to optimize the enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE), ultrasound–microwave–assisted extraction (UMAE), and hot water extraction (HWE) conditions and obtain the polysaccharides named DHP-E, DHP-UM, and DHP-H. The effects of different extraction methods on the physicochemical properties, structure characteristics, and bioactivity of polysaccharides were compared. The differential thermogravimetric curves indicated that DHP-E showed a broader temperature range during thermal degradation compared with DHP-UM and DHP-H. The SEM results showed that DHP-E displayed an irregular granular structure, but DHP-UM and DHP-H were sponge-like. The results of absolute molecular weight indicated that polysaccharides with higher molecular weight detected in DHP-H and DHP-UM did not appear in DHP-E due to enzymatic degradation. The monosaccharide composition showed that DHPs were all composed of Man, Glc, and Gal but with different proportions. Finally, the glycosidic bond types, which have a significant effect on bioactivity, were decoded with methylation analysis. The results showed that DHPs contained four glycosidic bond types, including Glcp-(1→, →4)-Manp-(1→, →4)-Glcp-(1→, and →4,6)-Manp-(1→ with different ratios. Furthermore, DHP-E exhibited better DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities. These findings could provide scientific foundations for selecting appropriate extraction methods to obtain desired bioactivities for applications in the pharmaceutical and functional food industries.

Nociceptors are kinds of sensory neurons that send warning information to the central nervous system in response to noxious stimuli. Thermal nociception happens as the thermal stimulus exceeds 45 °C as this temperature is perceived to be potentially harmful. Simulating this function is of great significance to developing bioinspired electronic skins and humanoid robots, which thus creates more demands for electronic devices that can simulate thermal nociception. Herein, an artificial thermal nociceptor (ATN) is fabricated by integrating a temperature sensor and a synaptic transistor, which can simulate the thermal pain threshold of the human body and operates in a very similar way as the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1). For this ATN, the function of temperature sensing is realized by a graphite–polydimethylsiloxane (Gr–PDMS) composite temperature sensor, and the synaptic functions, as well as nociceptor features, are emulated through a synaptic transistor using xanthan gum polysaccharide electrolyte as gate dielectric, providing energy‐efficient building blocks for brain‐inspired computation systems. In a word, the ATN proposed can help to open a new avenue and provides more possibilities in the design of artificial sensory systems with the functions of temperature perception and thermal feedback.

Abstract Background The Debriefing Experience Scale (DES) is a tool that is used to explore nursing students’ subjective experiences during a debriefing and to help determine best debriefing practices. A Chinese version of the scale has not been found; its development can enhance learning in simulation activites in Chinese healthcare education programs. Methods A simplified Chinese version of the DES was developed and tested using 34 Chinese undergraduate (second year) nursing students. They participated in six simulation scenarios and debriefings. Eight experts were consulted to determine the content validity of the scale. Critical ratio method, Cronbach’s alpha, intraclass correlation coefficient, correlation coefficient and factor analysis were used in testing the psychometric properties of the scale. Results Analysis of 200 scales showed that the simplified Chinese version of the DES had good potential in discriminatiing Chinese nursing students’ experiences of debriefing. Conclusions The simplified Chinese DES was effective in evaluating the experience of debriefing. A larger sample size and multicenter research is needed to confirm these findings.

Homozygous deletion (HD) of CDKN2A and CDKN2B (CDKN2A/BHD) is the most frequent copy‐number variation (CNV) in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). CDKN2A/BHD has been associated with poor outcomes in LUAD; however, the mechanisms of its prognostic effect remain unknown. We analyzed genome, transcriptome, and clinical data from 517 patients with LUAD from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and from 788 primary LUAD tumor and matched control samples from the MSK‐IMPACT clinical cohort. CDKN2A/BHD was present in 19.1% of the TCGA‐LUAD cohort and in 5.7% of the MSK‐IMPACT cohort. CDKN2A/BHD patients had shorter disease‐free survival and overall survival compared with CDKN2A/BWT individuals in both cohorts. Differences in clinical features did not influence the outcomes in the CDKN2A/BHD population. Mutation analyses showed that overall tumor mutational burden and mutations in classical drivers such as EGFR and RB1 were not associated with CDKN2A/BHD. In contrast, homozygous deletion of type I interferons (IFN‐IHD) frequently co‐occurred with CDKN2A/BHD. CDKN2A/B and IFN‐I are co‐located in the same p21.3 region of chromosome 9. The co‐occurrence of CDKN2A/BHD and IFN‐IHD was not related to whole‐genome doubling, chromosome instability, or aneuploidy. Patients with co‐occurring CDKN2A/BHD and IFN‐IHD had shorter disease‐free survival and overall survival compared with CDKN2A/BWT patients. CDKN2A/BHDIFN‐IHD had downregulated several key immune response pathways, suggesting that poor prognosis in CDKN2A/BHD LUAD could potentially be attributed to an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment as a result of IFN‐I depletion.

Germline variants that predispose to lung cancer have been mostly studied in Western populations, but data from Chinese patients is lacking. Here the authors analyze lung cancer germline variants in 1794 Chinese patients, finding exclusive variants or with different frequency compared to TCGA data.

The tire factory mainly inspects tire quality through X-ray images. In this paper, an end-to-end lightweight semantic segmentation network is proposed to realize the error detection of bead toe. In the network, firstly, the texture feature of different regions of tire is extracted by an encoder. Then, we introduce a decoder to fuse the output feature of the encoder. As the dimension of the feature maps is reduced, the positions of bead toe in the X-ray image have been recorded. When evaluating the final segmentation effect, we propose a local mIoU(L-mIoU) index. The segmentation accuracy and reasoning speed of the network are verified on the tire X-ray image set. Specifically, for 512 × 512 input images, we achieve 97.1% mIoU and 92.4% L-mIoU. Alternatively, the bead toe coordinates are calculated using only 1.0 s.

Summary: Homeostatic synaptic scaling entails adjustment of synaptic strength on a cell to prolonged changes of neuronal activity, which is postulated to participate in neuropsychiatric disorders in vivo. Here, we find that sustained elevation in ambient GABA levels, by either genetic deletion or pharmacological blockade of GABA transporter-1 (GAT1), leads to synaptic scaling up of corticostriatal pathways, which underlies locomotor hyperactivity. Meanwhile, medium spiny neurons of the dorsal striatum exhibit an aberrant increase in excitatory synaptic transmission and corresponding structural changes in dendritic spines. Mechanistically, GAT1 deficiency dampens the expression and function of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) and endocannabinoid (eCB)-dependent long-term depression of excitatory transmission. Conversely, restoring mGluR function in GAT1 deficient mice rescues excitatory transmission. Lastly, pharmacological potentiation of mGluR-eCB signaling or inhibition of homomeric-GluA1 AMPA receptors eliminates locomotor hyperactivity in the GAT1 deficient mice. Together, these results reveal a synaptic scaling mechanism in corticostriatal pathways that regulate locomotor activity.

A variety of immune cell subsets occupy different niches in the cardiovascular system, causing changes in the structure and function of the heart and vascular system, and driving the progress of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The immune cells infiltrating the injury site are highly diverse and integrate into a broad dynamic immune network that controls the dynamic changes of CVDs. Due to technical limitations, the effects and molecular mechanisms of these dynamic immune networks on CVDs have not been fully revealed. With recent advances in single-cell technologies such as single-cell RNA sequencing, systematic interrogation of the immune cell subsets is feasible and will provide insights into the way we understand the integrative behavior of immune populations. We no longer lightly ignore the role of individual cells, especially certain highly heterogeneous or rare subpopulations. We summarize the phenotypic diversity of immune cell subsets and their significance in three CVDs of atherosclerosis, myocardial ischemia and heart failure. We believe that such a review could enhance our understanding of how immune heterogeneity drives the progression of CVDs, help to elucidate the regulatory roles of immune cell subsets in disease, and thus guide the development of new immunotherapies.

The liver partakes as a sensor and effector of peripheral metabolic changes and a regulator of systemic blood and nutrient circulation. As such, abnormalities arising from liver dysfunction can influence the brain in multiple ways, owing to direct and indirect bilateral communication between the liver and the brain. Interestingly, altered bile acid composition resulting from perturbed liver cholesterol metabolism influences systemic inflammatory responses, blood-brain barrier permeability, and neuron synaptic functions. Furthermore, bile acids produced by specific bacterial species may provide a causal link between dysregulated gut flora and neurodegenerative disease pathology through the gut-brain axis. This review will cover the role of bile acids—an often-overlooked category of active metabolites—in the development of neurological disorders associated with neurodegeneration. Further studies into bile acid signaling in the brain may provide insights into novel treatments against neurological disorders.

BackgroundSimo decoction (SMD) is a traditional prescription for treating gastrointestinal diseases. More and more evidences prove that SMD can treat constipation by regulating intestinal microbiota and related oxidative stress indicators, but the specific mechanism is still unclear.MethodsA network pharmacological analysis was used to predict the medicinal substances and potential targets of SMD to alleviate constipation. Then, 15 male mice were randomly divided into normal group (MN group), natural recovery group (MR group), and SMD treatment group (MT group). Constipation model mice were constructed by gavage of Folium sennae decoction and control of diet and drinking water, and SMD was used for intervention after successful modeling. The levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), and fecal microbial activities were measured, and the intestinal mucosal microbiota was sequenced.ResultNetwork pharmacology analysis showed that a total of 24 potential active components were obtained from SMD, and 226 target proteins were obtained after conversion. Meanwhile, we obtained 1,273 and 424 disease-related targets in the GeneCards database and the DisGeNET database, respectively. After combination and deduplication, the disease targets shared 101 targets with the potential active components of SMD. When the mice were intervened with SMD, the 5-HT, VIP, MDA, SOD content, and microbial activity in MT group were close to MN group, and Chao 1 and ACE in MT group were significantly higher than that in MR group. In the Linear discriminant analysis Effect Size (LEfSe) analysis, the abundance of beneficial bacteria such as Bacteroides, Faecalibacterium, Alistipes, Subdoligranulum, Lactiplantibacillus, and Phascolarctobacterium in MT group increased. At the same time, there were some associations between microbiota and brain-gut peptides and oxidative stress indicators.ConclusionSMD can promote intestinal health and relieve constipation through brain-bacteria-gut axis associating with intestinal mucosal microbiota and alleviate oxidative stress.

Objectives: In August 2021, the Ministry of Health, Singapore revised the uniform policy in public hospitals to allow female Muslim staff, including nurses, to wear the tudung as an add-on to their uniforms. Institutions were advised that incorporation of the tudung should still align with current infection prevention guidelines. On May 2, 2021, in response to evolving evidence of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, our institution adopted the use of N95 masks for all HCWs in clinical settings. Prior to this revision in uniform policy, most female Muslim staff were mask fitted without tudungs. No existing international guidance recommends whether mask refitting of should be conducted with tudungs. As such, we looked at the N95 mask concordance for these staff undergoing mask fitting. Methods: Between November 1, 2021, and January 14, 2022, we mask fit-tested all new staff and refitted existing staff both with and without the tudung. We conducted qualitative fit-testing using their personal tudung, and we tested 2 models of N95 mask: 3MTM 1870+ and AIR+. When an HCW only passed the fitting of 1 or none of the models, additional N95 mask fit-testing was conducted with other available mask models according to our department’s existing workflow. Results: In total, 334 staff underwent N95 mask fitting. Overall, 326 (97.6%) passed with the same N95 mask models both with and without the tudung. The remaining 8 staff (2.4%) had passed 2 N95 mask models without the tudung but required a different N95 mask model while wearing the tudung. No staff required quantitative fit testing. Conclusions: N95 mask concordance for female Muslim staff undergoing fit-testing both with and without the tudung was high at 97.6%. Further evaluation of the 8 staff who did not show concordance could be retested using a quantitative fit-testing method.

BackgroundConcussion is a common condition that can lead to a constellation of symptoms that affect quality of life, social integration, and return to work. There are several evidence-based behavioral and psychological interventions that have been found to improve postconcussion symptom burden. However, these are not routinely delivered, and individuals receive limited support during their concussion recovery. ObjectiveThis study aimed to develop and test the feasibility of a digital health intervention using a systematic evidence-, theory-, and person-based approach. MethodsThis was a mixed methodology study involving a scoping review (n=21), behavioral analysis, and logic model to inform the intervention design and content. During development, the intervention was optimized with feedback from individuals who had experienced concussions (n=12) and health care professionals (n=11). The intervention was then offered to patients presenting to the emergency department with a concussion (n=50). Participants used the intervention freely and input symptom data as part of the program. A number of outcome measures were obtained, including participant engagement with the intervention, postconcussion symptom burden, and attitudes toward the intervention. A selection of participants (n=15) took part in in-depth qualitative interviews to understand their attitudes toward the intervention and how to improve it. ResultsEngagement with the intervention functionality was 90% (45/50) for the symptom diary, 62% (31/50) for sleep time setting, 56% (28/50) for the alcohol tracker, 48% (24/50) for exercise day setting, 34% (17/50) for the thought diary, and 32% (16/50) for the goal setter. Metrics indicated high levels of early engagement that trailed off throughout the course of the intervention, with an average daily completion rate of the symptom diary of 28.23% (494/1750). A quarter of the study participants (13/50, 26%) were classified as high engagers who interacted with all the functionalities within the intervention. Quantitative and qualitative feedback indicated a high level of usability and positive perception of the intervention. Daily symptom diaries (n=494) demonstrated a wide variation in individual participant symptom burden but a decline in average burden over time. For participants with Rivermead scores on completion of HeadOn, there was a strong positive correlation (r=0.86; P

Spent coffee grounds (SCG) disposal is an environmental problem. These residues from coffee brewing and instant coffee production have potential to produce novel alcoholic beverages. SCG valorization through sequential alcoholic and malolactic fermentation was investigated using a yeast, Lachancea thermotolerans Concerto and a lactic acid bacterium (LAB), Oenococcus oeni Lalvin 31 in this study. Our results showed that sequential inoculation prevented early death of yeast confronted when simultaneous inoculation was adopted, allowing for growth and persistence of both yeast and LAB till the end of fermentation. Adequate ethanol production (4.91 ± 0.13 %, v/v) with low residual sugar content was also attained. In addition, relatively lower levels of acetic, lactic, and succinic acids were produced by sequential inoculation than that of simultaneous inoculation. Furthermore, SCG hydrolysates fermented via sequential inoculation had the widest variety of volatiles (e.g. esters and ketones). Overall, our results indicated that sequential inoculation of L. thermotolerans and O. oeni in SCG hydrolysates might be a way to develop novel beverages with pleasant flavor profiles.

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the leading causes of cancer-associated death across the globe. Malignant ascites are the major clinical attributes in cancer patients. Despite the advancements in HCC treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, and hormonal therapy, researchers are pursuing novel natural edible compounds for the treatment of cancer to eliminate dreadful side effects. Pleurotus ostreatus is one of the most edible cuisines in Asia as well as all over the world. It has been a source of nutritious diet since it was classified as an edible mushroom with no or negligible side effects. The present study focused on the natural anti-cancerous and anti-ascites capabilities of polysaccharides extracted from Pleurotus ostreatus in-vivo as well as in-vitro. Administration of polysaccharide Pleurotus ostreatus showed a significant decrease in tumor cell metastasis while the increase in the survival period among mice models of H22 malignant ascites. Downregulation of regenerative genes Foxp3 and Stat3 and secretion of immunological factors such as IL-2, TNF α, and INF γ were observed after treating with the partially pure extracted polysaccharide. Twining with the hypothesis of tumor suppression in-vivo model polysaccharide showed a decrease in invasion and migration abilities and henceforth responsible for the gene regulation such Cytochrome C which supposedly induced the chain of gene regulation process resulting in apoptosis in HCC cell lines observed in-vitro experiments. Collective research findings manifested that polysaccharide extracted from Pleurotus ostreatus bears anti-proliferative activity and thus influence tumor suppression in-vivo and in-vitro against hepatocellular carcinoma and can be used for therapeutic purposes as a potential anti-cancerous source in the future.

Abstract Mesenchymal progenitors differentiate into several tissues including bone, cartilage, and adipose. Targeting these cells in vivo is challenging, making mesenchymal progenitor cell lines valuable tools to study tissue development. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be isolated from humans and animals; however, obtaining homogenous, responsive cells in a reproducible fashion is challenging. As such, we developed two mesenchymal progenitor cell (MPC) lines, MPC1 and MPC2, generated from bone marrow of male C57BL/6 mice. These cells were immortalized using the temperature sensitive large T-antigen, allowing for thermal control of proliferation and differentiation. Both MPC1 and MPC2 cells are capable of osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic differentiation. Under osteogenic conditions, both lines formed mineralized nodules, and stained for alizarin red and alkaline phosphatase, while expressing osteogenic genes including Sost, Fgf23, and Dmp1. Sost and Dmp1 mRNA levels were drastically reduced with addition of parathyroid hormone, thus recapitulating in vivo responses. MPC cells secreted intact (iFGF23) and C-terminal (cFGF23) forms of the endocrine hormone FGF23, which was upregulated by 1,25 dihydroxy vitamin D (1,25D). Both lines also rapidly entered the adipogenic lineage, expressing adipose markers after 4 days in adipogenic media. MPC cells were also capable of chondrogenic differentiation, displaying increased expression of cartilaginous genes including aggrecan, Sox9, and Comp. With the ability to differentiate into multiple mesenchymal lineages and mimic in vivo responses of key regulatory genes/proteins, MPC cells are a valuable model to study factors that regulate mesenchymal lineage allocation as well as the mechanisms that dictate transcription, protein modification, and secretion of these factors.

Developing meat analogues of superior amino acid (AA) profiles in the food industry is a challenge as plant proteins contain less of some essential AA than animal proteins. Mathematical optimisation models such as linear/non-linear programming models were used to overcome this challenge and create high-moisture meat analogues (HMMA) with AA profiles as close as possible to chicken breast meat. The effect on the physiochemical properties and specific mechanical energy (SME) of the HMMA was investigated. The AA content of HMMA was generally lower than chicken. Strong intermolecular bonds present in the globulin fraction could hinder protein acid hydrolysis of HMMA. Plant proteins also affect the HMMA colour as certain AA forms Maillard reaction products with higher browning intensity. Lastly, different characteristics of plant proteins resulted in different SME values under the same extrusion conditions. While mathematical programming can optimise plant protein combinations, fortification is required to match the AA profile of HMMA to an animal source.

The gut microbiome has been implicated in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) pathophysiology. PCOS is a disorder with reproductive, endocrine and metabolic irregularities, and several studies report that PCOS is associated with a decrease in microbial diversity and composition. Diet is an important regulator of the gut microbiome, as alterations in macronutrient composition impact the balance of gut microbial communities. This study investigated the interplay between macronutrient balance and PCOS on the gut microbiome of control and dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-induced PCOS-like mice exposed to diets that varied in protein (P), carbohydrate (C) and fat (F) content. The amount of dietary P, C and F consumed significantly altered alpha (α) and beta (β) diversity of the gut microbiota of control and PCOS-like mice. However, α-diversity between control and PCOS-like mice on the same diet did not differ significantly. In contrast, β-diversity was significantly altered by PCOS pathology. Further analysis identified an operational taxonomic unit (OTU) within Bacteroides (OTU3) with 99.2% similarity to Bacteroides acidifaciens, which is inversely associated with obesity, to be significantly decreased in PCOS-like mice. Additionally, this study investigated the role of the gut microbiome in the development of PCOS traits, whereby PCOS-like mice were transplanted with healthy fecal microbiota from control mice. Although the PCOS gut microbiome shifted toward that of control mice, PCOS traits were not ameliorated. Overall, these findings demonstrate that while diet exerts a stronger influence over gut microbiota diversity than PCOS pathology, overall gut microbiota composition is affected by PCOS pathology.

IntroductionThe pathophysiology of coronary chronic total occlusion (CTO) has not been fully elucidated.MethodsIn the present study, we aimed to investigate the potential plasma biomarkers associated with the pathophysiologic progression of CTO and identify protein dynamics in the plasma of CTO vessels immediately after successful revascularization. We quantitatively analyzed the plasma proteome profiles of controls (CON, n = 10) and patients with CTO pre- and post- percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (CTO, n = 10) by data-independent acquisition proteomics. We performed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to further confirm the common DEPs in the two-group comparisons (CON vs. CTO and CTO vs. CTO-PCI).ResultsA total of 1936 proteins with 69 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were detected in the plasma of patients with CTO through quantitative proteomics analysis. For all these DEPs, gene ontology (GO) analysis and protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis were performed. The results showed that most of the proteins were related to the negative regulation of proteolysis, regulation of peptidase activity, negative regulation of hydrolase activity, humoral immune response, and lipid location. Furthermore, we identified 1927 proteins with 43 DEPs in the plasma of patients with CTO vessels after immediately successful revascularization compared to pre-PCI. GO analysis revealed that the above DEPs were enriched in the biological processes of extracellular structure organization, protein activation cascade, negative regulation of response to external stimulus, plasminogen activation, and fibrinolysis. More importantly, we generated a Venn diagram to identify the common DEPs in the two-group comparisons. Seven proteins, ADH4, CSF1, galectin, LPL, IGF2, IgH, and LGALS1, were found to be dynamically altered in plasma during the pathophysiological progression of CTO vessels and following successful revascularization, moreover, CSF1 and LGALS1 were validated via ELISA.ConclusionsThe results of this study reveal a dynamic pattern of the molecular response after CTO vessel immediate reperfusion, and identified seven proteins which would be the potential targets for novel therapeutic strategies to prevent coronary CTO.

Abnormal cognitive aging in older adults is a growing public health problem. Previous studies showed inconsistent results pertaining to the effects of leisure activities on cognitive function in older adults. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of published observational longitudinal studies to examine and synthesize the effects of leisure activities on cognitive function in older adults. MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCO), and Web of Science databases were searched from January 2012 to January 2022. Relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled using random-effects meta-analysis. Most studies found that leisure activities had a positive effect on cognitive function in older adults. The pooled RR for the effect of leisure activity on cognitive function was 0.77 (95% CI: 0.72–0.81, p

BackgroundOlder adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) have the possibility of reverting to normal cognitive function. Leisure activity engagement (LAE) plays a critical role in the progress of the cognitive function. A better understanding of the dynamic relationship between LAE and MCI reversion would inform the implementation of preclinical dementia interventions. This study aimed to investigate the association between change patterns of LAE and MCI reversion among older adults using the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) database.Study designLongitudinal population-based study.MethodsOlder adults with MCI at the baseline were enrolled in this study. Information about cognitive function, overall, cognitively stimulating, physically active/demanding, and socially engaged LAE was collected at baseline and follow-up. Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for reversion and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by Cox hazard models with time as the underlying time metric. We also assessed potential effect modifications by creating a cross-product of the stratifying variable with LAE change patterns in the fully adjusted model.ResultsThe restricted cubic spline showed that the association between LAE change scores and MCI reversion rate was statistically significant and nonlinear (p

The expanded use of hypothesis-free gene analysis methods in autism research has significantly increased the number of genetic risk factors associated with the pathogenesis of autism. A further examination of the implicated genes directly revealed the involvement in processes pertinent to neuronal differentiation, development, and function, with a predominant contribution from the regulators of synaptic function. Despite the importance of presynaptic function in synaptic transmission, the regulation of neuronal network activity, and the final behavioral output, there is a relative lack of understanding of the presynaptic contribution to the pathology of autism. Here, we will review the close association among autism-related mutations, autism spectrum disorders (ASD) phenotypes, and the altered presynaptic protein functions through a systematic examination of the presynaptic risk genes relating to the critical stages of synaptogenesis and neurotransmission.

Cancer is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and therefore there has been interest in discovering the phytoconstituents of medicinal plants exhibiting anticancer activities. Morinda citrifolia L., commonly known as Noni, has shown anticancer properties in in vitro, in vivo, and in clinical studies. A systematic review was conducted to collate scientific evidence on the anticancer properties of M. citrifolia using pre-determined keywords on 5 electronic databases: MEDLINE, CENTRAL, LILACS, Web of Science, and EBSCOHost. A total of 51 clinical and preclinical studies comprising 41 efficacy and 10 safety studies were included in this review. Our findings showed that M. citrifolia demonstrated various anticancer properties in different cancer models, via multiple mechanisms including antitumor, antiproliferative, pro-apoptotic, antiangiogenesis, antimigratory, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory activities. M. citrifolia is deemed to be a potentially valuable medicinal plant in the treatment of cancer through its many intrinsic pathways. More well-designed and reported preclinical efficacy and safety studies are needed to allow for better translation into future clinical studies which could further substantiate the role of M. citriflolia in cancer treatment.

BackgroundThis study aimed to develop a vaccine that targets mutation-derived neoantigen in Chinese non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).MethodsA cohort of 1862 Chinese NSCLC patients who underwent targeted sequencing with a 1021-gene panel was investigated. HLA typing was done using OptiType v1.0 and neoantigens were predicted by netMHCpan v4.0. HLA LOH was inferred using the lohhla algorithm and TMB were quantified by counting the total number of non-synonymous ones based on our panel data. CIBERSORT was utilized to estimate the TME in different EGFR mutant subtype by using TCGA data.ResultsHLA-A*11:01(42.59%) was the top one allele and HLA-A*33:03(12.94%) ranked 12th. EGFR L858R (22.61%) was the most prevalent gene variant. The binding affinity (IC50 MT = 22.9 nM) and shared frequency (2.93%) of EGFR L858R in combination with HLA-A*33:03 were optimal. In a subsequent further analysis on immunological features of EGFR mutant subtypes, 63.1% HLA loss of heterozygosity LOH (HLA LOH) and 0.37% (7 of 1862) B2M aberrations were found in our population, both had no significant association with EGFR mutant subtypes suggesting that the process of antigen presentation involved HLA LOH and B2M mechanisms in EGFR L858R is working. Tumor mutation burden (TMB) was investigated by utilizing our panel and showed that EGFR L858R had the lowest TMB compared with other EGFR mutant subtypes. In addition, analysis of 22 immune cell types from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data showed EGFR L858R was correlated with low level of CD8 T cells, activated CD4 memory T cells and elevated level of macrophage M2 suggesting an inhibited tumor microenvironment (TME).ConclusionOur study identified that EGFR L858R neoantigen had the potential to generate cancer vaccines in NSCLC patients with HLA A*33:03. The neoantigen-based vaccines may become an effective salvage regimen for EGFR L858R subgroup after targeted therapy or immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) failure.

Neonatal calf diarrhea (NCD) is a broad symptom encompassing many potential underlying causes. While alterations in the gut microbiota have been correlated with diarrhea, the effects of diarrhea on gut communities have not been sufficiently studied. To explore these effects and identify key microbiota involved, we profiled the fecal microbial community of 21 calves with varying health conditions using the 16S rRNA gene. In comparison to healthy calves, diarrheic calves exhibited significantly decreased diversity and evenness indices. There was a notable increase in the relative abundance of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteriota, and a significant decrease in the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes. At the genus level, there were increased relative abundances of Escherichia-Shigella and Lactobacillus. Notably, the abundance of Lactobacillus continued to increase during the recovery from diarrhea. Clinical observation and bacterial typing analysis revealed fecal microbiome dysbiosis as a significant characteristic of NCD. This work identifies dysbiosis as a key factor promoting diarrhea in neonatal calves, characterized by a low-diversity microbiome. The increased abundance of Lactobacillus might contribute to the curative properties of diarrhea.

Apium graveolens is an indigenous plant in the family Apiaceae, or Umbelliferae, that contains many active compounds. It has been used traditionally to treat arthritic conditions, gout, and urinary infections. The authors conducted a scoping review to assess the quality of available evidence on the overall effects of celery when treating neurological disorders. A systematic search was performed using predetermined keywords in selected electronic databases. The 26 articles included upon screening consisted of 19 in vivo studies, 1 published clinical trial, 4 in vitro studies and 2 studies comprising both in vivo and in vitro methods. A. graveolens and its bioactive phytoconstituent, 3-n-butylphthalide (NBP), have demonstrated their effect on neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke-related neurological complications, depression, diabetes-related neurological complications, and epilepsy. The safety findings were minimal, showing that NBP is safe for up to 18 weeks at 15 mg/kg in animal studies, while there were adverse effects (7%) reported when consuming NBP for 24 weeks at 600 mg daily in human trials. In conclusion, the safety of A. graveolens extract and NBP can be further investigated clinically on different neurological disorders based on their potential role in different targeted pathways.

The aim of this paper is to analyze the deformation-failure degree and microstructure variations in coal under the cryogenic-freezing effect of liquid CO2. In this paper, X-ray CT scanning technology is adopted to measure the microscopic-morphological parameters of coal. Drawing support from the image processing and three-dimensional (3D) visualization functions of Avizo software, 3D spatial structure variation rules, as well as the deformation and permeability parameters, are quantitatively calculated. Under the effect of LCO2 cryogenic freezing, the macroscopic mechanical properties and deformation-failure degree of coal are thoroughly analyzed. The results show that fracture-scale parameters of treated coal are significantly increased, resulting in spatial structure parameters including the coal plug total volume (Vt), fracture network volume (V0), and proportion of fracture network (μ0) to increase by 17.11%, 56.57%, and 55.59%, respectively. A comparison analysis indicates that the coverage area of a single value function from the percolation theoretical model for treated coal plugs becomes larger, and its percolation curves are more intensive; the quantitative coal permeability coefficients are increased to more than 40% on average, which further proves that the permeability of coal by using LCO2 cryogenic freezing is significantly improved. Under the same uniaxial stress loading rate, the peak stress threshold value required by treated coal in the compaction and elastoplastic deformation stage is decreased. The corresponding output acoustic emission energy is apparently increased, owing to the increased brittleness of coal, and deformation failure of coal occurs more easily. Simultaneously, the fracture network and matrix surface of treated coal are more complex, and the corresponding fractal characteristic is obvious. It could be thus concluded that the coal plugs have deformation-failure changes under cryogenic freezing by using LCO2, increasing the proportion of coal microstructure and enhancing coal permeability. Therefore, the capability of gas migration through the coal microstructure becomes easier, which is favorable for coalbed methane recovery.

Plant-based meat analogs have been shown to cause less harm for both human health and the environment compared to real meat, especially processed meat. However, the intense pressure to enhance the sensory qualities of plant-based meat alternatives has caused their nutritional and safety aspects to be overlooked. This paper reviews our current understanding of the nutrition and safety behind plant-based meat alternatives, proposing fermentation as a potential way of overcoming limitations in these aspects. Plant protein blends, fortification, and preservatives have been the main methods for enhancing the nutritional content and stability of plant-based meat alternatives, but concerns that include safety, nutrient deficiencies, low digestibility, high allergenicity, and high costs have been raised in their use. Fermentation with microorganisms such as Bacillus subtilis, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Neurospora intermedia, and Rhizopus oryzae improves digestibility and reduces allergenicity and antinutritive factors more effectively. At the same time, microbial metabolites can boost the final product’s safety, nutrition, and sensory quality, although some concerns regarding their toxicity remain. Designing a single starter culture or microbial consortium for plant-based meat alternatives can be a novel solution for advancing the health benefits of the final product while still fulfilling the demands of an expanding and sustainable economy.

The manufacturing process for ointments typically involves a series of heating, cooling, and mixing steps. Precise control of the level of mixing through homogenization and the cooling rate, as well as temperature at different stages, is important in delivering ointments with the desired quality attributes, stability, and performance. In this work, we investigated the influence of typical plant processing conditions on the microstructure, stability, and sensorial properties of a model ointment system through a Design of Experiments (DoE) approach. Homogenization speed at the cooling stage after the addition of the solvent (propylene glycol, PG) was found to be the critical processing parameter that affects stability and the rheological and sensorial properties of the ointment. A lower PG addition temperature was also found to be beneficial. The stabilization of the ointment at a lower PG addition temperature was hypothesized to be due to more effective encapsulation by crystallizing mono- and diglycerides at the lower temperature. The in vitro release profiles were found to be not influenced by the processing parameters, suggesting that for the ointment platform studied, processing affects the microstructure, but the effects do not translate into the release profile, a key performance indicator. Our systematic study represents a Quality-by-Design (QbD) approach to the design of a robust manufacturing process for delivering stable ointments with the desired performance attributes and properties.

Abstract Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is most common pathological type of lung cancer. LUAD with brain metastases (BMs) usually have poor prognosis. To identify the potential genetic factors associated with BM, a genomic comparison for BM cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and primary lung tumor samples obtained from 1082 early- and late-stage LUAD patients was performed. We found that single nucleotide variation (SNV) of EGFR was highly enriched in CSF (87% of samples). Compared with the other primary lung tissues, copy number gain of EGFR (27%), CDK4 (11%), PMS2 (11%), MET (10%), IL7R (8%), RICTOR (7%), FLT4 (5%), and FGFR4 (4%), and copy number loss of CDKN2A (28%) and CDKN2B (18%) were remarkably more frequent in CSF samples. CSF had significantly lower tumor mutation burden (TMB) level but more abundant copy number variant. It was also found that the relationships among co-occurrent and mutually exclusive genes were dynamically changing with LUAD development. Additionally, CSF (97% of samples) harbored more abundant targeted drugs related driver and fusion genes. The signature 15 associated with defective DNA mismatch repair (dMMR) was only identified in the CSF group. Cancer associated pathway analysis further revealed that ErbB (95%) and cell cycle (84%) were unique pathways in CSF samples. The tumor evolution analysis showed that CSF carried significantly fewer clusters, but subclonal proportion of EGFR was remarkably increased with tumor progression. Collectively, CSF sequencing showed unique genomic characteristics and the intense copy number instability associated with cell cycle disorder and dMMR might be the crucial genetic factors in BM of LUAD.

Chloroplasts are essential for plant photosynthesis and growth. Many genes have been identified that regulate plant chloroplast development. However, it is not known at a molecular level how these genes regulate chloroplast biogenesis. In this study, we isolated a mutant ygl2 (yellow-green leaf2) that exhibited a pigment-defective phenotype. YGL2 encodes a geranylgeranyl reductase, and in mutant ygl2, there was a single base change (T1361G) located in the third exon of YGL2 that resulted in a missense mutation (L454R) in the encoded product. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that chloroplast development was impaired in the ygl2 mutant. The expression levels of plastid-encoded genes were significantly altered in the ygl2 mutant. Furthermore, in a yeast two-hybrid assay, we found that YGL2 interacted with the RNA editing factor MORF8.

Abstract Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cancer type whose mechanism of metastasis remains elusive. Methods In this study, we characterised the evolutionary pattern of metastatic CRC (mCRC) by analysing bulk and single-cell exome sequencing data of primary and metastatic tumours from 7 CRC patients with liver metastases. Here, 7 CRC patients were analysed by bulk whole-exome sequencing (WES); 4 of these were also analysed using single-cell sequencing. Results Despite low genomic divergence between paired primary and metastatic cancers in the bulk data, single-cell WES (scWES) data revealed rare mutations and defined two separate cell populations, indicative of the diverse evolutionary trajectories between primary and metastatic tumour cells. We further identified 24 metastatic cell-specific-mutated genes and validated their functions in cell migration capacity. Conclusions In summary, scWES revealed rare mutations that failed to be detected by bulk WES. These rare mutations better define the distinct genomic profiles of primary and metastatic tumour cell clones.

Multi-region sequencing of small cell lung cancers (SCLC) can improve our understanding of the disease. Here the authors analyse 120 multi-region samples from 40 SCLC patients with whole exome sequencing and characterise their mutational burden, evolution, heterogeneity, and potential prognostic biomarkers.

An avalanche photodiode is an opto-electronic amplifier that uses impact ionization to provide enhanced sensitivity at the expense of excess noise. In this manuscript, the authors demonstrate that a small amount of Bismuth (Bi) in Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) avalanche photodiodes significantly reduces this excess noise.

Abstract Liver is the most common site where metastatic lesions of colorectal cancer (CRC) arise. Although researches have shown mutations in driver genes, copy number variations (CNV) and alterations in relevant signaling pathways promoted the tumor evolution and immune escape during colorectal liver metastasis (CLM), the underlying mechanism remains largely elusive. Tumor and matched metastatic tissues were collected from 16 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer and subjected to whole-exome sequencing (WES) and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) for studying colorectal cancer clonal evolution and immune escape during CLM. Shared somatic mutations between primary and metastatic tissues with a commonly observed subclonal-clonal (S-C) changing pattern indicated a common clonal origin between two lesions. The recurrent mutations with S-C changing pattern included those in KRAS, SYNE1, CACNA1H, PCLO, FBXL2, and DNAH11. The main CNV events underwent clonal-clonal evolution (20q amplification (amp), 17p deletion (del), 18q del and 8p del), subclonal-clonal evolution (8q amp, 13q amp, 8p del) and metastasis-specific evolution (8q amp) during the process of CLM. In addition, we revealed a potential mechanism of tumor cell immune escape by analyzing human leukocytes antigens (HLA) related clonal neoantigens and immune cell components in CLM. Our study proposed a novel liver metastasis-related evolutionary process in colorectal cancer and emphasized the theory of neo-immune escape in colorectal liver metastasis.

In thermal powered direct blow coal powder manufacturing at high-temperatures, the mechanism and key parameters of the spontaneous combustion of coal powder are not clear, which makes the prevention of such spontaneous combustion difficult. Therefore, the spontaneous combustion of coal powder for different oxygen concentrations (oxygen concentrations of 5, 7, 9, 13, 17, 21%) and volumes (21, 200, 300, 400, and 500 cm3) in a high-temperature environment was studied experimentally by the physical similarity simulated experimental appliance. The results indicate that when the oxygen concentration in the coal powders from the LHG sample (Liuhuanggou mine coal sample) and Hongliu mine coal sample (HL sample) samples was higher than 13% and 9%, respectively, the temperature of the center-point rises rapidly beyond other conditions. As the temperature increases, the concentrations of the CO and C2H4 gases increase gradually and the CO/CO2 ratio increases exponentially. However, the C2H4/C2H6 ratio is unstable when the temperature is lower than 180°C, beyond which it gradually increases. The minimum ignition temperature of the coal powder increases gradually with the decrease in the oxygen concentration, and the ignition delay time is also prolonged considerably.

Background Because of advances in medical treatments, a substantial proportion of patients with heart failure (HF) have experienced recovery of ejection fraction (EF), termed HF with recovered EF (HFrecEF). Insulin resistance (IR) is prevalent in HF and tightly related with prognosis. This study investigates the relationship between IR and the incidence of HFrecEF in patients who are nondiabetic. Methods and Results A total of 262 patients with HF with reduced EF (HFrEF) who were nondiabetic were consecutively enrolled. Patients were classified into HFrecEF (follow‐up EF>40% and ≥10% absolute increase) or otherwise persistent HFrEF based on repeat echocardiograms after 12 months. IR was estimated by an updated homeostasis model assessment for IR (HOMA2‐IR). The median HOMA2‐IR level was 1.05 (interquartile range [IQR], 0.67–1.63) in our cohort of patients with HF who were nondiabetic. During follow‐up, 121 (odds ratio [OR], 46.2% [95% CI 40.2–52.2]) patients developed HFrecEF. Compared with patients with HFrEF, patients with HFrecEF had significantly lower HOMA2‐IR levels (0.92 [IQR, 0.61–1.37] versus 1.14 [IQR, 0.75–1.78], P=0.007), especially in nonischemic HF. Log2‐transformed HOMA2‐IR was inversely correlated to improvements in EF (Pearson's r=−0.25, P

The effects of Rhodotorula benthica culture (RBC) and antibiotics (AB) on the growth performance, nutrients digestibility, morphological indicators, and colonic microbiota of weaning piglets were explored. Ninety-six (Duroc × Landrace × Large) weaned piglets (21-day-old) weighing 7.7 ± 0.83 kg, were randomly allocated to 4 dietary treatments. They were fed with basal diet (CON), basal diet + 25 mg/kg bacitracin zinc + 5 mg/kg colistin sulfate (AB), 5 g/kg reduction in soybean meal of basal diet + 5 g/kg RBC (RBC1), or 10 g/kg reduction in soybean meal of basal diet + 10 g/kg RBC (RBC2). The results showed that dietary RBC1 improved the body gain/feed intake (G/F) of weaned piglets than the CON diet, and the RBC2 diet improved the average daily gain and G/F than CON and AB diets from days 15 to 28 (P < 0.05). Supplementation of RBC2 improved the apparent total tract digestibility of dry matter, nitrogen, and gross energy in weaned piglets compared to controls from days 15 to 28 (P < 0.05). Dietary AB, RBC1, and RBC2 enhanced the ileal villus height (VH) and VH/crypt depth (CD), and these two indicators were greater in the RBC2-treated piglets than in the AB- and RBC1-treated piglets (P < 0.05). The activity of serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) was enhanced by dietary AB, RBC1, and RBC2 (P < 0.05). Serum glutathione (GSH) concentration was elevated by dietary RBC1 and RBC2 (P < 0.05). According to 16S rRNA sequence analysis, AB- and RBC2-treated piglets had a higher relative abundance of Firmicutes and Lachnospiraceae in the colon digesta, and more abundant Lactobacillus was found in RBC1-treated piglets, as compared to the CON group. Additionally, RBC2 supplementation increased the α diversity [Chao1, PD-whole-tree, and observed operational taxonomic units (OTUs)] compared to the CON group. Taken together, the dietary RBC improved the growth performance of weaned piglets. In addition, 10 g/kg of RBC2 in the diet achieved better effects on higher ADG, ileal villi morphology, and stronger antioxidant capacity than dietary AB and RBC1 in weaning piglets.

Homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) is a critical feature guiding drug and treatment selection, mainly for ovarian and breast cancers. As it cannot be directly observed, HRD status is estimated on a small set of genomic instability features from sequencing data. The existing methods often perform poorly when handling targeted panel sequencing data; however, the targeted panel is the most popular sequencing strategy in clinical practices. Thus, we proposed HRD-MILN to overcome the computational challenges from targeted panel sequencing. HRD-MILN incorporated a multi-instance learning framework to discover as many loss of heterozygosity (LOH) associated with HRD status to cluster as possible. Then the HRD score is obtained based on the association between the LOHs and the cluster in the sample to be estimated, and finally, the HRD status is estimated based on the score.In comparison experiments on targeted panel sequencing data, the Precision of HRD-MILN could achieve 87%, significantly improved from 63% reported by the existing methods, where the highest margin of improvement reached 14%. It also presented advantages on whole exome sequencing data. Based on our best knowledge, HRD-MILN is the first practical tool for estimating HRD status from targeted panel sequencing data and could benefit clinical applications.

In insects, the emergence of mating behavior requires the interplay among sex-determination hierarchy mechanisms that regulate sex-specific differentiation, perception and integration of different sensory cues, and precisely patterned behavioral outputs. Biogenic amines, including octopamine (OA), dopamine (DA), tyramine (TA), serotonin and histamine, have been identified and proposed as putative neurotransmitters, neurohormones and/or neuromodulators in the central nervous system of insects to influence multiple physiologies and behaviors. The current study provides the physiological roles and pharmacology of these biogenic amines in the mating performance of Bactrocera dorsalis. Silencing gene expressions coding for biosynthetic enzymes of DA and serotonin in male flies could decrease mating rates, while OA, TA and histamine had no such effects on mating. Furthermore, injection of DA or the DA receptor antagonist chlorpromazine could affect mating rate, as well as injection of serotonin. Pharmacological treatments with other biogenic amines or their receptor antagonists in male flies have no roles in regulating mating performance. We conclude that DA and its receptors are involved in regulating male mating behaviors in B. dorsalis, while changes in serotonin levels in male flies could also affect mating rates. In the current study, the modulatory effects of these biogenic amines on mating performance were investigated, and these results will be helpful in providing a new strategy for controlling B. dorsalis.

Our knowledge of the vertical variabilities in turbulence and ozone perturbation in the free atmosphere is severely limited because of the scarcity of high-resolution observation data. Based on the Thorpe method, a new set of sounding data in Shanghai, China, was used herein to analyze the distributions of turbulence and ozone perturbation. The region in which turbulence activity is relatively frequent spans from 5-15 km in the middle and upper troposphere. Due to the combined action of large wind shear and thermal convection, the low-troposphere stratification conditions are conducive to the generation of large-scale turbulence. Turbulence has a certain effect on atmospheric ozone concentration exchanges; in most regions located near turbulence, ozone partial pressure perturbations occur. In the troposphere, the ozone profile is most influenced by atmospheric static instability, while in the stratosphere, both wind shear and thermal convection play important roles in the emergence of ozone perturbations.