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Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), as emerging environmental contaminants, have become a threat to human health. Studies have shown that secondary effluent from wastewater treatment plants was an ...

Previous studies have confirmed that miR‐195 expression is increased in cardiac hypertrophy, and the bioinformatics website predicted by Targetscan software shows that miR‐195 can directly target CACNB1, KCNJ2 and KCND3 to regulate Cavβ1, Kir2.1 and Kv4.3 proteins expression. The purpose of this study is to confirm the role of miR‐195 in arrhythmia caused by cardiac hypertrophy. The protein levels of Cavβ1, Kir2.1 and Kv4.3 in myocardium of HF mice were decreased. After miR‐195 was overexpressed in neonatal mice cardiomyocytes, the expression of ANP, BNP and β‐MHC was up‐regulated, and miR‐195 inhibitor reversed this phenomenon. Overexpression of miR‐195 reduced the estimated cardiac function of EF% and FS% in wild‐type (WT) mice. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the ultrastructure of cardiac tissues was damaged after miR‐195 overexpression by lentivirus in mice. miR‐195 overexpression increased the likelihood of arrhythmia induction and duration of arrhythmia in WT mice. Lenti‐miR‐195 inhibitor carried by lentivirus can reverse the decreased EF% and FS%, the increased incidence of arrhythmia and prolonged duration of arrhythmia induced by TAC in mice. After miR‐195 treatment, the protein expressions of Cavβ1, Kir2.1 and Kv4.3 were decreased in mice. The results were consistent at animal and cellular levels, respectively. Luciferase assay results showed that miR‐195 may directly target CACNB1, KCNJ2 and KCND3 to regulate the expression of Cavβ1, Kir2.1 and Kv4.3 proteins. MiR‐195 is involved in arrhythmia caused by cardiac hypertrophy by inhibiting Cavβ1, Kir2.1 and Kv4.3.

Early embryonic arrest is one of the major causes of recurrent assisted reproduction failure. It is characterized by delayed embryonic development and failure to form viable eight-cell stage embryos on day 3 of an assisted reproduction cycle. A recent study reported that biallelic mutations in NLRP5 can cause early embryonic arrest. NLRP5 is a member of subcortical maternal complex, which plays a significant role in embryogenesis. In this study, we described a female in a consanguineous Chinese family who displayed clinical features of early embryonic arrest and identified a novel homozygous variant c.1061C>T (p.Pro354Leu) in NLRP5. This is the second report of the biallelic NLRP5 variant that associates with early embryonic arrest in humans, further confirming the role of NLRP5 variants in early embryonic arrest and expanding the spectrum of known pathogenic variants in NLRP5.

In the production of aquafeeds, exogenous liquid oils are usually added directly or by vacuum coating. In order to evaluate the practicality of fat powder in aquafeeds and aquaculture, four isoproteic (46%) and isolipidic (12%) diets named FOl, BOl, FOp, and BOp were prepared with fish oil (FO) or blend oil (BO, consisting of fish, soybean, rapeseed, and perilla oils) or their corresponding fat powder as dietary lipid, respectively. Each diet was fed to triplicate groups of golden pompano Trachinotus ovatus juveniles (initial body weight about 15.10 g) in floating sea cages (1.0 × 1.0 × 2.0 m, 30 fish per cage) for 10 weeks. Fish were fed to nearly satiation at two times each day. The results showed that the final weight, weight gain rate (WGR), specific growth rate (SGR), food conversion ratio (FCR), condition factor (CF), viscerosomatic index (VSI), and survival rate (SUR) displayed no significant difference among the four dietary groups (P > 0.05), while the hepatosomatic index (HSI) in the BOp group (1.01) was significantly lower than that in FO-base groups (1.19–1.23) (P

Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes (PNS) are rare disorders affecting any part of the central, peripheral or autonomic nervous system that occur in association with cancer. Among cancer patients, less than 1% overall develop PNS. Anti-SOX1 antibodies' positive paraneoplastic neurological disorders are rare and are usually associated with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Here, we report a case of a 61-year-old male patient who presented with an unusual anti-SOX1 positive PNS. The right tibialis anterior showed noticeable low-amplitude motor unit potentials and high amplitude motor potentials in electrodiagnostic study, suggesting the presence of Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS). Typical MRI and PET-CT found a hyperintense lesion with contrast enhancement in the thorax in front of 5-6 centrum of vertebrae, and thoracoscopic biopsy revealed pathological findings for SCLC. The patient underwent several lines of chemotherapy and radiotherapy and survived for 15 months after the diagnosis of SCLC.

Background:Reusing waste water by appropriate treatment is an effective method for substantiating the ever increasing water demand for construction, irrigation, domestic and industrial purposes. The greywater is the domestic waste water that does not contain the toilet effluent and it is converted and used for non-potable purpose through coagulation and flocculation by using natural coagulant.Objective:The main objective of this work is to evaluate the coagulating efficiencies of various natural coagulants on synthetic greywater by varying pH, mixing speed, mixing time and coagulant dosage.Methods:Powdered coagulants obtained from tamarind seeds, moringa oleifera, banana peels and fly ash were compared with conventional commercial coagulants like alum for synthetic and real greywater.Results:The natural coagulants have shown significant performance compared to chemicals like alum.Conclusion:The turbidity removal efficiency for tamarind seeds, moringa oleifera, banana peels and fly ash were found to be 61.33%, 85.75%, 90.42%, 94.27% against 96.49% obtained from alum on treating with synthetic grey water under identical conditions.

Sex differences in brain activity evoked by sexual stimuli remain elusive despite robust evidence for stronger enjoyment of and interest towards sexual stimuli in men than in women. To test whether visual sexual stimuli evoke different brain activity patterns in men and women, we measured haemodynamic brain activity induced by visual sexual stimuli in two experiments in 91 subjects (46 males). In one experiment, the subjects viewed sexual and non-sexual film clips and dynamic annotations for nudity in the clips was used to predict their hemodynamic activity. In the second experiment, the subjects viewed sexual and non-sexual pictures in an event-related design. Males showed stronger activation than females in the visual and prefrontal cortices and dorsal attention network in both experiments. Furthermore, using multivariate pattern classification we could accurately predict the sex of the subject on the basis of the brain activity elicited by the sexual stimuli. The classification generalized across the experiments indicating that the sex differences were consistent. Eye tracking data obtained from an independent sample of subjects (N = 110) showed that men looked longer than women at the chest area of the nude female actors in the film clips. These results indicate that visual sexual stimuli evoke discernible brain activity patterns in men and women which may reflect stronger attentional engagement with sexual stimuli in men than women.

The cardiac benefits of gastrointestinal hormones have been of interest in recent years. The aim of this study was to explore the myocardial and renal effects of the gastrointestinal hormone secretin in the GUTBAT trial (NCT03290846). A placebo-controlled crossover study was conducted on 15 healthy males in fasting conditions, where subjects were blinded to the intervention. Myocardial glucose uptake was measured with [F-18]2-fluoro-2-deoxy-o-glucose ([F-18]FDG) positron emission tomography. Kidney function was measured with [F-18]FDG renal clearance and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Secretin increased myocardial glucose uptake compared with placebo (secretin vs. placebo, means +/- SD, 15.5 +/- 7.4 vs. 9.7 +/- 4.9 gmol/100 g/min, 95% confidence interval (CI) [2.2, 9.4], P = 0.004). Secretin also increased [F-18]FDG renal clearance (44.5 +/- 5.4 vs. 39.5 8.5 mL/min, 95%CI [1.9, 8.1], P = 0.004), and eGFR was significantly increased from baseline after secretin, compared with placebo (17.8 +/- 9.8 vs. 6.0 +/- 5.2 Delta mL/min/1.73 m(2),( ) 95%CI [6.0, 17.6], P = 0.001). Our results implicate that secretin increases heart work and renal filtration, making it an interesting drug candidate for future studies in heart and kidney failure. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Secretin increases myocardial glucose uptake compared with placebo, supporting a previously proposed inotropic effect. Secretin also increased renal filtration rate.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common hormonal disorders among premenopausal women. PCOS is accompanied by many other reproductive, endocrinal, and metabolic disorders thus amassing the difficulties encountered by the women affected. However, there is limited information on its molecular etiology. Synoviolin (SYVN1) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that is thought to participate in the pathology of PCOS. However, the expression and function of SYVN1 in PCOS are unknown. In this study, we found that downregulation of SYVN1 expression was followed by increased apoptosis in the granulosa cells (GCs) of patients with PCOS. Subsequent in vitro experiments indicated that the overexpression of SYVN1 inhibited apoptosis and mitochondrial fission. Furthermore, using immunoprecipitation and western blotting, we identified that SYVN1 promoted the degradation of Drp1 via the proteasome-dependent pathway. Additionally, we generated a PCOS model in female Sprague Dawley rats and treated them with an SYVN1 inhibitor, LS-102. We observed that the inhibition of SYVN1 increased Drp1 levels and exacerbated the degeneration of GCs in the PCOS rat model. Finally, in vitro and in vivo experiments showed that SYVN1 inhibits apoptosis and mitochondrial fission by promoting Drp1 degradation in GCs. These results highlight the function of SYVN1 in PCOS and provide a potential target for the clinical treatment of PCOS.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that impairs the quality of life of patients, and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has emerged as a new treatment strategy. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying the rTMS-induced improvement in PD.We established a PD model by administering 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine to SAMP8 mice. The mice were then subjected to rTMS. Motor coordination and cognition were assessed using rotarod and Morris water maze tests, respectively. Nissl staining was performed to evaluate neuronal apoptosis. Furthermore, western blotting was employed to assess the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Additionally, the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-γ, and interleukin-6 in the cerebrospinal fluid were evaluated using specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. The expression of miR-195a-5p and cyclic AMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) was examined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed using primary cortical rat neurons to validate the interaction between miR-195a-5p and CREB.rTMS improved cognition and motor coordination as well as reduced neuronal apoptosis/ and the levels of inflammatory factors in PD mice. It downregulated the expression of miR-195a-5p but upregulated that of CREB. In primary rat cortical neurons, miR-195a-5p directly targeted CREB, and we found that miR-195a-5p suppression enhanced cognitive and motor functions in PD mice. Moreover, miR-195a-5p downregulation decreased inflammatory response and neuronal loss in the PD mice.rTMS exerted its neuroprotective effects on PD mice by regulating the miR-195a-5p/CREB axis. This finding reveals a novel mechanism through which rTMS improves PD and indicates that miR-195a-5p is a potential therapeutic target for PD treatment.

Although air transport contributes to globalization, airline emissions have attracted focus in green logistics. In this work, we investigate the airline-fleet assignment problem from a risk-averse perspective in which uncertain demand and fuel price are considered simultaneously. The objective is to maximise the total profit in a risk-averse fashion, i.e., the weighted sum of the expected profit and the conditional value at risk of profit. An appropriate assignment can reduce fuel use and carbon dioxide emissions. For the problem, a two-stage stochastic programming model is constructed. The first stage consists of assigning aircraft families to flight legs, while the second stage determines specific aircraft deployment with the realized information. To solve the problem, a sample average approximation (SAA) approach is firstly applied. An efficient string-based heuristic is, further, developed. Numerical experiments are conducted and sensitivity analysis is performed. The results show the efficiency of the proposed heuristic and managerial insights are drawn.

Objectives: Trichophyton rubrum is one of the main pathogens causing superficial dermatophytosis, producing symptoms such as skin itching and pain, which seriously affects the quality of life of patients. Pomegranate peel extract is rich in gallic acid (GA), which has been reported to have biological effects including antifungal activity. However, the morphological and molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of GA on T rubrum are not well understood. The objectives of this study were to determine the antifungal efficacy of GA extracted from pomegranate peel against T rubrum in vitro, and to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. Methods: The effects of 0-, 0.5-, and 1 mg/mL GA in pomegranate peel extract on T rubrum was investigated by detecting cell viability using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to analyze the ultrastructure of T. rubrum, and transcriptome sequencing was used to analyze the enrichment pathway of differentially expressed genes. The identification of biosynthesis-related and key genes in the pathways involved using real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) technology. Terbinafine hydrochloride (TERB) as a positive control group. Results: Pomegranate peel extract has a GA content of 1.0 mg/mL. Compared with untreated group, following treatment with 1.0 mg/mL GA content is rich in pomegranate peel extract, and the microstructure of T rubrum is destroyed. TEM results show that the number of lipid droplets in T rubrum was significantly increased, mitochondrial vacuoles degenerated, the serosa were damaged, and the boundary of thallus was unclear. In addition, 1 mg/mL GA can significantly inhibit T rubrum proliferation, and its inhibition ability is better than TERB. Transcriptomics results show that GA can change the gene expression profile of T rubrum, specifically: The biosynthesis was blocked, drug resistance was weakened, the transport of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) drugs transporter was increased, and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway was significantly inhibited. Conclusions: Pomegranate peel extract is rich in GA, which strongly inhibited the growth of T rubrum and reduced its drug resistance. This extract is a promising natural antifungal agent for clinical use.

Objective: Using three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (3D-STE), we aimed to evaluate left ventricular (LV) function in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods: In total, 97 T2DM patients were categorized into three groups based on hepatic ultrasonography: group A (those without NAFLD, n=30), group B (those with mild NAFLD, n=32), and group C (those with moderate-to-severe NAFLD, n=35). Our conventional echocardiographic parameters included transmitral peak early and late diastolic velocity (E and A), septal and lateral early (e') mitral annular diastolic tissue velocities, and left atrial maximum volume index (LAVImax). LV end-diastolic and -systolic volume, LV mass index (LVMI), and LV ejection fraction were measured using real-time three-dimensional echocardiography. The 3D-STE parameters included LV global radial strain (GRS), global longitudinal strain (GLS), global area strain (GAS), and global circumferential strain (GCS). Results: Our results showed that in group C, GCS, GRS, GLS, GAS, and septal and lateral e' velocity decreased, whereas average E/e' and LAVImax increased compared to groups B and A (p

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) such as myocardial ischemia, myocardial infarction, heart failure, atherosclerosis, hypertension, arrhythmia, and their complications diseases are associated with increased morbidity and mortality, it is necessary to develop new diagnostic markers for CVD. LncRNAs have become a new class of biomarkers in CVD with good development prospects. Numerous studies have confirmed lncRNAs feasibility as diagnostic, prognostic and predictive tools for different types of CVD. In this review, we summarized the available knowledge regarding the clinical application value and pathophysiological mechanism of circulating lncRNA as potential biomarkers of cardiovascular disease. We reviewed the scope of application and changes of circulating lncRNAs such as ZFAS1, CDR1AS, CHAST, UCA1, HOTAIR, MIAT, NEAT1, LIPCAR, H19, NRF, NRON, MHRT, PVT1, Heat2, CASC7, GAS5, MALAT1, APPAT, HIF1A-AS1, KCNQ1OT1, NEXN in different kinds of CVD and discussed their clinical application potential as biomarker, which can help us better understand the mechanism of CVD.

Quantum error correction is a critical technique for transitioning from noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) devices to fully fledged quantum computers. The surface code, which has a high threshold error rate, is the leading quantum error correction code for two-dimensional grid architecture. So far, the repeated error correction capability of the surface code has not been realized experimentally. Here, we experimentally implement an error-correcting surface code, the distance-3 surface code which consists of 17 qubits, on the \textit{Zuchongzhi} 2.1 superconducting quantum processor. By executing several consecutive error correction cycles, the logical error can be significantly reduced after applying corrections, achieving the repeated error correction of surface code for the first time. This experiment represents a fully functional instance of an error-correcting surface code, providing a key step on the path towards scalable fault-tolerant quantum computing.

This study was to investigate the developmental changes in intestinal morphology and immune profiles in suckling and weaning piglets. Seventy-two weaning piglets with equal initial body weight from 8 litters (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire, 9 piglets per litter) were selected. Thirty-two piglets in the suckling group were nursed by sows until they were 17, 21, 28, or 35 days of age. While the other forty piglets were weaned at 14 d of age, and then housed in the same farrowing cage without a sow and slaughtered until they were on d 0, 3, 7, 14 and 21 after weaning at d 14 of age (wd 0, 3, 7, 14, 21). Blood, jejunal mucosa, intraepithelial lymphocyte (IEL) and lamina propria T lymphocyte (LPL) were harvested from suckling piglets at d 14, 17, 21, 28 and 35 of age and weaning piglets on d 0, 3, 7, 14 and wd 0, wd 3, wd 7, wd 14 and wd 21). The results showed that compared with the wd 0, early weaning significantly declined the average daily gain of postweaning 0-7 (wd 0-7) (P 0.05), and jejunal villus height on wd 3 (P 0.05), as well as increased the jejunal crypt depth of piglets on wd 7, 14 and 21 (P 0.05). And there were no significant differences in average daily gain and villus height after suckling (P 0.05). The level of serum interferon-γ (IFN-γ) was increased on wd 7 and decreased on wd 21 (P 0.05), while IFN-γ level in jejunal mucosa was enhanced at wd 3 in comparison with wd 0 (P 0.05). And the serum interleukin-4 (IL-4) levels were increased at wd 14, wd 21, but the mucosa IL-4 concentration was strikingly increased on wd 7 (P 0.05). Moreover, weaning led to the enhanced levels of interleukin-1b (IL-1b), interleukin-2 (IL-2) and soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) in serum (P 0.05), as well as declined the levels of sIL-2R in jejunal mucosa at wd 3 (P 0.05). In suckling piglets, the serum immunoglobulin A (IgA), IL-4 and IL-2 levels were increased with increasing age (P 0.05), whereas the jejunal mucosa IL-1b and serum sIL-2R levels were lower (P 0.05). Furthermore, significantly lower CD4 percentage in peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets were found at wd 3 and wd 7 (P 0.05), whereas the CD8 percentage in peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets were enhanced on wd 3 and wd 7 than wd 0 (P 0.05). Moreover, the weaning piglets at wd 3 had a lower CD4/CD8 ratio than wd 0 (P 0.05). Additionally, we found that weaning decreased IgG, IL-4, IL-2 and IL-1b levels of IEL during 1-week post-weaning (P 0.05). Similarly, the levels of IgA, IgG, IL-2 and sIL-2R in LPL medium were also declined from piglets postweaning 1 week (P 0.05). Early weaning reduced the growth performance, damaged jejunal morphology, disrupted IFN-γ/IL-4, IL-2/sIL-2R and T lymphocyte balance, and impaired the IEL and LPL immune profiles of piglets.

Interleukin (IL)-36 is a subfamily, of the IL-1 super-family and includes IL-36α, IL-36β, IL-36γ, IL-38 and IL-36Ra. IL-36 cytokines are involved in the pathology of multiple tissues, including skin, lung, oral cavity, intestine, kidneys and joints. Recent studies suggest that IL-36 signaling regulates autoimmune disease in addition to antibacterial and antiviral responses. Most research has focused on IL-36 in skin diseases such as psoriasis, however, studies on intestinal diseases are also underway. This review outlines what is known about the bioactivity of the IL-36 subfamily and its role in the pathogenesis of intestinal diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer, gut dysbacteriosis and infection, and proposes that IL-36 may be a target for novel therapeutic strategies to prevent or treat intestinal diseases.

With the acceleration of the pace of the national electricity reform and the wide application of the micro-service architecture, various network threats in the field of information security are increasing, and the power industry has become the “hardest hit area” for cyber attacks. In order to improve the safe implementation of the National Power Grid’s electronic projects and effectively resist the “malicious exploration” of various network threats, this paper proposes a microservice secure communication framework based on the combination of dynamic keys and national secret algorithms for a high concurrency web system based on microservices. The framework uses the national secret SM2 algorithm to generate session-level paired keys and then generates a digital signature through the SM3 algorithm, which effectively guarantees the integrity of the communication. Finally, it extracts the encryption key and encryption offset from the paired keys and uses the SM4 algorithm to encrypt the original request text payload. Timestamps and random numbers are added to each request to prevent tampering and replay attacks effectively. The system framework has been practically applied on the State Grid’s digital capability open platform, which ensures the security of micro-service communication and the safety and efficient transmission of data.

When performed by a person, aero-engine borescope inspection is easily influenced by individual experience and human factors that can lead to incorrect maintenance decisions, potentially resulting in serious disasters, as well as low efficiency. To address the absolute requirements of flight safety and improve efficiency to decrease maintenance costs, it is imperative to realize the intelligent detection of common aero-engine defects. YOLOv5 enables real-time detection of aero-engine defects with a high degree of accuracy. However, the performance of YOLOv5 is not optimal when detecting the same defects with multiple shapes. In this work, we introduce a deformable convolutional network into the structure of YOLOv5s to optimize its performance, overcome the disadvantage of the poor geometric transformability of convolutional neural networks, and enhance the adaptability of feature maps with large differences in the shape features. We also use a depth-wise separable convolution to improve the efficiency of multichannel convolution in extracting feature information from each channel at the same spatial position while reducing the increased computational effort due to the introduction of deformable convolution networks and use k-means clustering to optimize the size of anchor boxes. In the test results, mAP50 reached 83.8%. The detection accuracy of YOLOv5s for common aero-engine defects was effectively improved with only a 7.9% increase in calculation volume. Compared with the metrics of the original YOLOv5s, mAP@50 was improved by 1.9%, and mAP@50:95 was improved by 1.2%. This study highlights the wide application potential of depth science methods in achieving intelligent detection of aero-engine defects. In addition, this study emphasizes the integration of DDSC-YOLOv5s into borescope platforms for scaled-up engine defect detection, which should also be enhanced in the future.

Early embryonic arrest denotes premature termination of development in preimplantation embryos, which is one of the major phenotypes of recurrent assisted reproduction failure. Padi6 is proven to be a member of the subcortical maternal complex (SCMC) in mice, which is essential in oocyte maturation and embryogenesis. We and other groups previously found that biallelic mutations in

Background Timing of frozen embryo transfer (FET) in natural endometrial preparation cycles is often based on luteinizing hormone (LH) surge. However, some patients do not show spontaneous LH surge despite follicular maturation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of spontaneous LH surge on pregnancy outcomes in modified natural cycles (mNC). Methods This retrospective analysis included 1897 FET cycles with modified natural endometrial preparation in normo-ovulatory women between January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2019, at our center: 920 cycles with spontaneous LH surge (≥ 20 IU/L) and 977 without. For cleavage embryos, FET was conducted 4 and 5 days after hCG injection in women with and without LH surge, respectively. For blastocysts, FET was conducted 6 and 7 days after hCG injection in women with and without LH surge, respectively. Multivariate regression was conducted to examine the factors associated with live birth. Results Live birth rate was 43.7% in patients with spontaneous LH surge vs. 43.8% in women without LH surge (P = 0.961). The two groups also had similar implantation rate (36.2% vs. 36.7%, P = 0.772), biochemical pregnancy rate (54.8% vs. 55.4%, P = 0.796) and clinical pregnancy rate (50.9% vs. 51.7%, P = 0.721). In multivariate regression, live birth was not associated with LH surge (aOR, 0.947, 95% CI, 0.769, 1.166). Conclusion Pregnancy outcomes were similar in mNC-FET in cycles with vs. without spontaneous LH surge if FET timing is adjusted.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from indoor materials and products are one of the main factors affecting air quality and human health. Compared with building materials and wooden furniture, leather furniture has a more complex internal structure and uneven emission surfaces. The market share of leather furniture is relatively high, while investigation on this kind of furniture is relatively rare. In this study, we develop a region traversal method to measure the three key parameters of VOC emissions from typical two-layer leather furniture, i.e., the initial emittable concentration, the diffusion coefficient, and the partition coefficient. A series of experiments examining VOC emissions from a leather sofa under different conditions, were carried out in a 1 m

The most devastating and catastrophic deterioration of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) is cardiomyocyte death. Here we aimed to evaluate the role of lncRNA-ZFAS1 in MIRI and delineate its mechanism of action. The level of lncRNA-ZFAS1 was elevated in MIRI hearts, and artificial knockdown of lncRNA-ZFAS1 in mice improved cardiac function. Notch1 is a potential target of lncRNA-ZFAS1, and lncRNA-ZFAS1 could bind to the promoter region of Notch1 and recruit DNMT3b to induce Notch1 methylation. Nicotinamide mononucleotide could promote the expression of Notch1 by competitively inhibiting the expression of DNMT3b and improving the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes and cardiac function.

Background Endometriosis, the presence of active endometrial tissue outside the lining membrane of the uterine cavity, is a common disease in women of childbearing age. The ectopic endometrium has some characteristics of tumor tissue, including invasive and migratory abilities. In addition, endometriosis is associated with inflammation and reduced cellular apoptosis. Methods Western blot analysis, qPCR, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence microscopy, Transwell assay, wound healing assay, and TUNEL staining. Results Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) induced WEE1 expression in endometrial stromal cells (ESCs), suggesting that WEE1 may be upregulated during the endometriosis-induced inflammatory response. Overexpression of WEE1 in cultured ESCs promoted ESC migration while inhibiting apoptosis, whereas WEE1 knockdown reduced ESC migration while promoting apoptosis. Inhibition of WEE1 attenuates fibrosis in ESCs and female C57BL/6 J mice. This pro-fibrotic effect of WEE1 was significantly decreased by treatment with the Wnt/β-catenin inhibitor XAV939, suggesting that WEE1 acts via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Conclusion Our study demonstrates that WEE1 promotes ESC migration and fibrosis via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Thus, WEE1 may serve as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of endometriosis.

Background: Oral progestin has been used to prevent premature ovulation during follicle stimulation protocols performed in combination with a freeze-only strategy. However, no studies have determined how oral progestin clinically compares to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonists in women with normal ovulation. This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of controlled ovarian stimulation between progestin-primed ovarian stimulation (PPOS) protocol and GnRH antagonist (GnRH-ant) protocol.Methods: Young women with infertility and normal ovarian reserve who underwent in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatments were screened and randomly allocated to the PPOS or GnRH-ant group. Women in the PPOS group underwent freeze-all and delayed embryo transfer, whilst fresh embryo transfer was preferred for those in the GnRH-ant group. The primary endpoint was the cumulative live birth rate (CLBR). Secondary endpoints included the incidence of premature luteinising hormone (LH) surge and the number of viable embryos.Results: CLBRs were similar in the PPOS and GnRH-ant group (55.75% vs. 52.87%, respectively, P > 0.05). No premature LH surge was observed during ovarian stimulation in the PPOS group, although six (3.45%) cases were observed in the GnRH-ant group. On the trigger day, LH level was lower in the PPOS group than in the GnRH-ant group (2.30 ± 1.78 mIU/ml vs. 3.66 ± 3.52 mIU/ml, P < 0.01). There were no differences in the number of retrieved oocytes, mature oocytes, or viable embryos between the two groups. Other clinical outcomes including implantation rates (37.27% vs. 36.77%), clinical pregnancy rates (55.75% vs. 55.89%), and miscarriage rates (12.28% vs. 13.76%) were comparable between the PPOS group and GnRH-ant group (P > 0.05). There was also no significant differences in newborn weights for singleton or twin births between the two groups (P > 0.05).Conclusion: Live birth outcomes are similar for PPOS and GnRH antagonist protocols in women with normal ovarian reserve. PPOS is likely to play a promising role in the freeze-only strategy given its simplicity and convenience for the patient. Trial registration: This trial was registered in the China Clinical Trial Registry on September 6, 2018 (number: ChiCTR1800018246).

The endogenous mu-opioid receptor (MOR) system modulates a multitude of social and reward-related functions, and exogenous opiates also influence sex drive in humans and animals. Sex drive shows substantial variation across humans, and it is possible that individual differences in MOR availability underlie interindividual of variation in human sex drive. We measured healthy male subjects’ (n = 52) brain’s MOR availability with positron emission tomography (PET) using an agonist radioligand, [11C]carfentanil, that has high affinity for MORs. Sex drive was measured using self-reports of engaging in sexual behaviour (sex with partner and masturbating). Bayesian hierarchical regression analysis revealed that sex drive was positively associated with MOR availability in cortical and subcortical areas, notably in caudate nucleus, hippocampus, and cingulate cortices. These results were replicated in full-volume GLM analysis. These widespread effects are in line with high spatial autocorrelation in MOR expression in human brain. Complementary voxel-based morphometry analysis (n = 108) of anatomical MR images provided limited evidence for positive association between sex drive and cortical density in the midcingulate cortex. We conclude that endogenous MOR tone is associated with individual differences in sex drive in human males.

Laughter is a contagious prosocial signal that conveys bonding motivation; adult crying conversely communicates desire for social proximity by signalling distress. Endogenous mu-opioid receptors (MORs) modulate sociability in humans and non-human primates. In this combined PET-fMRI study (n=17) we tested whether central MOR tone is associated with regional brain responses to social signals of laughter and crying sounds. MOR availability was measured with positron emission tomography using high-affinity agonist radioligand [11C]carfentanil. Haemodynamic responses to social laughter and crying sounds were measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Social laughter evoked activation in the auditory cortex, insula, cingulate cortex, amygdala, primary and secondary somatosensory cortex, primary and secondary motor cortex; crying sounds led to more restricted activation in auditory cortex and nearby areas. MOR availability was negatively correlated with the haemodynamic responses to social laughter in primary and secondary somatosensory cortex, primary and secondary motor cortex, posterior insula, posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus, cuneus, temporal gyri, and lingual gyrus. For crying-evoked activations, MOR availability was negatively correlated with medial and lateral prefrontal haemodynamic responses. Altogether our findings highlight the role of MOR system in modulating acute brain responses to both positive and negative social signals.

Cargo (laden container) routing and empty container repositioning are crucial components in liner shipping, which are closely relevant. However, most existing works focus on cargo routing and empty container repositioning separately, which cannot optimize the global shipping cost. In addition, (1) appropriate repacking operations for laden containers can curtail the total handling costs, and (2) the perfect information for uncertain laden and empty container demands may be difficult to obtain due to insufficient historical data. This work investigates an integrated cargo routing and empty container repositioning problem with repacking operations in which only partial information about uncertain laden and empty container demands is known. The objective is to minimize the total costs including repacking operation cost and laden and empty container transportation costs. For the problem, a new chance-constrained programming model based on moment-based ambiguous sets is formulated. Then, four distribution-free solution approaches are adopted to solve the investigated problem. Numerical experiments are conducted to compare the proposed methods.

Background: This study was conducted to investigate the short-term efficacy and safety of rhTPO for the management of severe ITP in the elderly as first-line treatment. Methods: A total of 54 elderly patients with severe ITP were studied, including 39 patients treated with a combination regimen of rhTPO plus standard treatment (glucocorticoid; rhTPO group) and 15 patients treated with glucocorticoid treatment alone (control group). The response rate, time to initial response, peak platelet counts, and time to peak platelet counts were compared, and clinical characteristics correlated with the efficacy of rhTPO were analyzed. The efficacy of rhTPO in the elderly is comparable to the non-elderly in terms of the OR, CR, time to initial response, and peak platelet counts. Results: There were no differences in the overall response (OR) and the complete response (CR) in the rhTPO group compared to the control group. The time to initial response in the rhTPO group was shorter than that in the control group (p = 0.032). In patients without intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) and platelet transfusion, the peak platelet counts in the rhTPO group were higher than those in the control group (p = 0.003). Conclusions: Standard glucocorticoid treatment plus rhTPO effectively shortens the time to response and increases platelet counts in the elderly with severe ITP.

Background: Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disorder. The existence of autoreactive T cells has long been proposed in ITP. Yet the identification of autoreactive T cells has not been achieved, which is an important step to elucidate the pathogenesis of ITP. Methods: ITP patients’ peripheral blood was collected prior to the treatment and one month after initiating dexamethasone treatment per related therapeutic guideline. Serum cytokines were profiled to examine T cell subtypes imbalance using a protein chip. TCR Vβ analysis in CD8+T cells of ITP patients, and TCR CDR3 DNA sequencing of CD4+T and CD8+T cells were performed to determine the autoreactive T cells’ clones. Results: Cytokine profiling revealed imbalanced distribution of T cells subtypes, which was confirmed by CD4+T and CD8+T cells’ oligoclonal expansion of TCR Vβ analysis and TCR CDR3 DNA sequencing. VDJ segments were found to be more frequently presented in ITP patients, when compared with health controls. There was an individualized CD4+T cell or CD8+T cell CDR3 sequence in each ITP patient. Conclusions: The present study revealed that T cell clones expanded in ITP patients’ peripheral blood, and each clone had an individualized TCR CDR3 sequence. The expanded T cell clones preferred to use some specific VDJ segment. Further studies are warranted to get access to individualized treatment such as Car-T in patients with ITP.

Sepsis, with its high morbidity and mortality, is a difficult problem in critical care medicine. The purpose of this study is to investigate the involvement of GRB2-associated binding protein 1 (GAB1) in septic lung injury. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mouse model and A549 cell model were used to simulate septic lung injury. Haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was used to observe the pathological changes. The terminal-deoxynucleotidyl transferase/(TdT)-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labelling (TUNEL) staining and flow cytometry were used to detect apoptosis. The levels of inflammatory factors in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In LPS-induced sepsis mice, GAB1 expression was markedly reduced, and GAB1 overexpression significantly attenuated cell apoptosis and decreased levels of macrophages, neutrophils, and inflammatory factors in the BALF. Our results also demonstrated that GAB1 overexpression significantly reduced LPS-induced apoptosis and inflammation of A549 cells. More importantly, GAB1 overexpression significantly inhibited the Toll-like receptor/ NFkappaB (TLR4/NF-κB) pathway, while silencing GAB1 significantly activated the TLR4/NF-κB pathway and induced apoptosis and increased expression of inflammatory factors. However, the TLR4 inhibitor TAK-242 eliminated the effect of GAB1 silencing on A549. In conclusion, GAB1 is a key regulator of sepsis by inhibiting TLR4/NF-κB mediated apoptosis and inflammation.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrinopathy with complex pathophysiology that is a common cause of anovulatory infertility in women. Although the disruption of circadian rhythms is indicated in PCOS, the role of the clock in the etiology of these pathologies has yet to be appreciated. The nuclear receptors REV-ERBα and REV-ERBβ are core modulators of the circadian clock and participate in the regulation of a diverse set of biological functions. However, in PCOS, the expression of REV-ERBs and their effects remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that the levels of REV-ERBα and REV-ERBβ expression were lower in the granulosa cells of PCOS patients than in control subjects. In vitro, we found that the overexpression of REV-ERBα and REV-ERBβ, and their agonist SR9009, promoted the expression of mitochondrial biosynthesis genes PGC-1α, NRF1, and TFAM and inhibited autophagy in KGN cells. Our results also indicate that REV-ERBα and REV-ERBβ can inhibit apoptosis in granulosa cells and promote proliferation. Importantly, the REV-ERB agonist SR9009 ameliorates abnormal follicular development by promoting mitochondrial biosynthesis and inhibiting autophagy in a mouse PCOS model. This allows us to speculate that SR9009 has potential as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of PCOS.

Summary The immune system of skin develops in stages in mice. However, the developmental dynamics of immune cells in human skin remains elusive. Here, we perform transcriptome profiling of CD45+ hematopoietic cells in human fetal skin at an estimated gestational age of 10–17 weeks by single-cell RNA sequencing. A total of 13 immune cell types are identified. Skin macrophages show dynamic heterogeneity over the course of skin development. A major shift in lymphoid cell developmental states occurs from the first to the second trimester that implies an in situ differentiation process. Gene expression analysis reveals a typical developmental program in immune cells in accordance with their functional maturation, possibly involving metabolic reprogramming. Finally, we identify transcription factors (TFs) that potentially regulate cellular transitions by comparing TFs and TF target gene networks. These findings provide detailed insight into how the immune system of the human skin is established during development.

We experimentally study the ergodic dynamics of a 1D array of 12 superconducting qubits with a transverse field, and identify the regimes of strong and weak thermalization with different initial states. We observe convergence of the local observable to its thermal expectation value in the strong-thermalizaion regime. For weak thermalization, the dynamics of local observable exhibits an oscillation around the thermal value, which can only be attained by the time average. We also demonstrate that the entanglement entropy and concurrence can characterize the regimes of strong and weak thermalization. Our work provides an essential step towards a generic understanding of thermalization in quantum systems., Comment: 6+6 pages, 4+8 figures

Case-based payment has extensively been adopted to replace the fee-for-service payment in China. This paper aims to assess the impacts of case-based payment reform on the providers' behaviour using cataract surgery as an example.A total of 400 cataract inpatients were sampled in a tertiary hospital. Data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon rank-sum test and Chi-square test.The number of routine preoperative laboratory tests and drugs significantly declined after the case-based payment reform (p 0.001). Healthcare providers significantly reduced the use frequency of systemic glucocorticoids (GCs) and antibiotics, adjuvant drugs, multiple antibiotic eye drops, generic drugs in cataract surgery after reform (p 0.001), and they reduced non-ophthalmic medications after reform (p 0.01). Notably, all patients were prescribed GC eye drops, antibiotic eye drops, and original drugs in both groups. Moreover, the preoperative, postoperative, and total length of stay (LOS) declined after the reform (p 0.001). Nonetheless, no significant difference was noted in the care quality between the two group.The case-based payment reform decreased the intensity of care by reducing unnecessary drugs and retaining necessary drugs on cataract surgery. Besides, the LOS was shortened. Further, an impaired care quality was not witnessed, however, cost-shifting warrants further attention.

Psychopathy and autism are both associated with aberrant social skills and empathy, yet only psychopaths are markedly antisocial and violent. Here, we compared the functional neural alterations underlying these two groups that both have aberrant empathetic abilities but distinct behavioral phenotypes. We studied 19 incarcerated male offenders with high psychopathic traits, 20 males with high-functioning autism, and 19 age-matched healthy controls. All groups underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while they viewed dynamic happy, angry, and disgusted faces or listened to laughter and crying sounds. Psychopathy was associated with reduced somatomotor responses to almost all expressions, while participants with autism demonstrated less marked and emotion-specific alterations in the somatomotor area. These data suggest that psychopathy and autism involve both common and distinct functional alterations in the brain networks involved in the socioemotional processing. The alterations are more profound in psychopathy, possibly reflecting the more severely disturbed socioemotional brain networks in this population.

Background The payment card (PC) format and the open-ended (OE) format are common methods in eliciting willingness-to-pay (WTP) of one additional quality-adjusted life year (QALY). The aim of this research is to compare these two formats in eliciting the monetary value of a QALY. Methods A contingent valuation survey was carried out using a pre-designed questionnaire with various hypothetical scenarios. The difference between the PC and the OE formats was evaluated by a two-sample equality test. Furthermore, generalized linear models were carried out to control observed heterogeneity and to test theoretical validity. Results In total, 461 individuals were involved, among whom 235 (51%) answered the PC question, while 226 (49%) answered the OE question. Excluding zero response, the mean WTP values of these two formats for different scenarios varied dramatically, which was from 13,278 to 280,177 RMB for the PC, 18,119 to 620,913 RMB for the OE. The OE format tended to elicit lower values for less serious condition and higher values for more serious condition. However, equality test of mean and median demonstrated insignificant difference of these two formats for all scenarios. For both OE and PC format, most variables were found to have significant effect on the value of WTP/QALY. Moreover, joint estimation indicated a statistically significant positive effect on the OE results. Further analysis demonstrated that the imbalanced zero response distribution caused the main difference of these two formats. Conclusions This research indicated insignificantly different WTP/QALY estimates of the PC format and OE format with the grouped data whereas significantly higher estimates of the OE format from the pooled data. These two formats were found to be valid. More research about the difference and the validity of various WTP eliciting methods would be recommended for a robust estimation of WTP/QALY.

Scaling up to a large number of qubits with high-precision control is essential in the demonstrations of quantum computational advantage to exponentially outpace the classical hardware and algorithmic improvements. Here, we develop a two-dimensional programmable superconducting quantum processor, Zuchongzhi, which is composed of 66 functional qubits in a tunable coupling architecture. To characterize the performance of the whole system, we perform random quantum circuits sampling for benchmarking, up to a system size of 56 qubits and 20 cycles. The computational cost of the classical simulation of this task is estimated to be 2-3 orders of magnitude higher than the previous work on 53-qubit Sycamore processor [Nature 574, 505 (2019)NATUAS0028-083610.1038/s41586-019-1666-5. We estimate that the sampling task finished by Zuchongzhi in about 1.2 h will take the most powerful supercomputer at least 8 yr. Our work establishes an unambiguous quantum computational advantage that is infeasible for classical computation in a reasonable amount of time. The high-precision and programmable quantum computing platform opens a new door to explore novel many-body phenomena and implement complex quantum algorithms.

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), as emerging environmental contaminants, are becoming a threat to human health. In this study, the combined processes of powdered activated carbon (PAC)/biological PAC (BPAC)–ultrafiltration (UF) were adopted to reduce the levels of ARGs in secondary effluents from a wastewater treatment plant. The removal of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and the change of normalized flux in the UF process were investigated. In addition, the structural characteristics of the microorganisms of the BPAC were analyzed. The results showed that the appropriate dosage of PAC and BPAC was 40 mg/L. At this dosage, PAC/BPAC–UF combined processes could effectively remove the ARGs in secondary effluents by 1.26–2.69-log and 1.55–2.97-log, respectively; and the removal rates of DOC would be 60.7% and 54.1%, respectively. Relative to the direct UF, the membrane fluxes of the two combined processes were increased by 15.6% and 25.1%, respectively. Significant removal correlations were found between ARGs, intI1, DOC and 16SrDNA. These results revealed that the PAC/BPAC–UF combined process might play a promising role in ARG reduction in secondary effluents from wastewater treatment plants.

Background β-Catenin/T-cell factor 4 (TCF4) signaling is enhanced in ischemic heart disease in which ventricular tachycardia (VT)/ventricular fibrillation occurs frequently. How this signaling links to arrhythmogenesis remains unclear. Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of β-catenin gain of function in the development of arrhythmia. Methods A mouse model with a conditional deletion of CTNNB1 exon 3 resulting in cardiac exon 3–deleted and stabilized β-catenin (β-catΔE3) was used to determine the role of β-catenin gain of function in the regulation of cardiac rhythm. Results Western blotting showed β-catΔE3 expression and significantly decreased NaV1.5 protein in CTNNB1 E3−/− and CTNNB1 E3+/− mouse hearts. Real-time qRT-PCR revealed significantly decreased NaV1.5 messenger RNA with no changes in Na+ channel β1 to β4 expression in these hearts. Immunofluorescence revealed accumulation of β-catΔE3 in the nuclei of CTNNB1 E3−/− cardiomyocytes. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated nuclear localization of β-catenin in cardiomyocytes, which was associated with significantly decreased NaV1.5 messenger RNA in human ischemic hearts. Immunoprecipitation revealed that β-catΔE3 interacted with TCF4 in CTNNB1 E3−/− cardiomyocytes. Whole-cell recordings showed that Na+ currents and depolarization and amplitude of action potentials were significantly decreased in CTNNB1 E3−/− ventricular myocytes. Electrocardiographic recordings demonstrated that in mice with cardiac CTNNB1 E3−/−, the QRS complex was prolonged and VT was induced by the Na+ channel blocker flecainide. However, cardiac function, as determined by echocardiography and heart/body weight ratios, remained unchanged. Conclusion Enhancement of β-catenin/TCF4 signaling led to the prolongation of the QRS complex and increase in susceptibility to VT by suppression of NaV1.5 expression and Na+ channel activity in mice.

Increased nuclear β-catenin interacting with T-cell factor 4 (TCF4) affects the expression of target genes including SCN5A in ischemic heart disease, which is characterized by frequent ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation. A complex of β-catenin and TCF4 inhibits cardiac Na+ channel activity by reducing NaV1.5 expression through suppressing SCN5A promoter activity in HL-1 cardiomyocytes. LF3, a 4-thioureido-benzenesulfonamide derivative and an inhibitor of β-catenin/TCF4 interaction, has been shown to block the self-renewal capacity of cancer stem cells. We performed studies to determine if LF3 can reverse suppressive effects of β-catenin/TCF4 signaling on the expression of NaV1.5 in HL-1 cardiomyocytes. Western blotting and real-time qRT-PCR analyses showed that 10 μM LF3 significantly increased the expression of NaV1.5 but it did not alter β-catenin and TCF4 expression. Subcellular fractionation analysis demonstrated that LF3 significantly increased the levels of NaV1.5 in both membrane and cytoplasm. Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings revealed that Na+ currents were significantly increased with no changes in the steady-state parameters, activation and inactivation time constants and recovery from inactivation of Na+ channel in HL-1 cells treated with LF3. Immunoprecipitation exhibited that LF3 blocked the interaction of β-catenin and TCF4. Luciferase reporter assays performed in HEK 293 cells and HL-1 revealed that LF3 increased the SCN5A promoter activity in HL-1 cells and prevented β-catenin suppressive effect on SCN5A promoter activity in HEK 293 cells. Taken together, we conclude that LF3, an inhibitor of β-catenin/TCF4 interaction, elevates NaV1.5 expression, leading to increase Na+ channel activity in HL-1 cardiomyocytes.

HOXA10 is an important regulator of embryo adhesion. Reduced expression may contribute to embryo implantation failure. The expression of Nur77 and HOXA10 has been shown to be reduced in the endometrium of patients with recurrent implantation failure. In this study, we found that Nur77 was directly bound to the HOXA10 promoter and promoted HOXA10 protein expression in a dose-dependent manner in Ishikawa cells. Furthermore, the promoting effect of Nur77 on embryo adhesion was significantly blocked when endogenous HOXA10 expression was knocked down in Ishikawa cells. Moreover, the Nur77 agonist 6-MP was also confirmed to promote embryo adhesion. This study is the first to show that Nur77 promotes embryo adhesion by transcriptionally regulating HOXA10 expression. Nur77 and 6-MP may provide a basis to develop a new treatment for patients who suffer from embryo adhesion dysfunction.Abbreviations: HB-EGF: heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor; HOXA10: homeobox A10; NGFI-B: nerve growth factor-induced gene B; RIF: recurrent implantation failure; RPL: recurrent pregnancy loss; 6-MP: 6-mercaptopurine; IGFBP-1: insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1; LIF: leukemia inhibitory factor; IL-1β: Interleukin - 1β; CRISPR/Cas9: Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats; AF-1: activation function-1 domain; HIF-1α: hypoxia-inducible factor 1α; CREB: cAMP response element binding.

Entangling gates with error rates reaching the threshold for quantum error correction have been reported for CZ gates using adiabatic longitudinal control based on the interaction between the |11〉 and |20〉 states. Here, we design and implement nonadiabatic CZ gates, which outperform adiabatic gates in terms of speed and fidelity, with gate times reaching $$1.25/(2\sqrt 2 g_{01,10})$$ 1.25 ∕ ( 2 2 g 01 , 10 ) , and fidelities reaching 99.54 ± 0.08%. Nonadiabatic gates are found to have proportionally less incoherent error than adiabatic gates thanks to their fast gate times, which leave more room for further improvements in the design of the control pules to eliminate coherent errors. We also show that state leakage can be reduced to below 0.2% with optimisation. Furthermore, the gate optimisation process is highly feasible: experimental optimisation can be expected to take less than four hours. Finally, the gate design process can be extended to CCZ gates, and our preliminary results suggest that this process would be feasible as well, if we can measure the CCZ fidelity separate from the initialisation and readout errors in experimental optimisation.

To investigate the effects of dietary vitamin C on growth, flesh quality and antioxidant capacity of juvenile golden pompano Trachinotus ovatus, a 56‐day feeding trial with five graded levels of dietary VC (D1: 11.69, D2: 34.89, D3: 59.10, D4: 114.26 and D5: 227.93 mg VC per kg of diet) was performed on 375 fish (triplicate groups of 25 fish per diet, initial weight 13.57 ± 0.09 g). Results showed that fish of D3 group exhibited the maximum specific growth rate (SGR) and the highest liver enzymatic activities of catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐PX), which were consistent with the expression levels of cat and gsh‐px. Besides, the D3 group also showed higher contents of protein and lipid, and lower cooking loss, drip loss and malondialdehyde content in muscle than D1 group. The docosahexaenoic acid proportion in muscle increased with increasing dietary VC levels. Furthermore, the lowest expression levels of carnitine palmitoyltransferase1 (cpt1) and peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor α (pparα) were detected in livers of D3 group. The optimum dietary VC level was 49.73 mg/kg from the broken‐line analysis based on the SGR, in which better growth performance, antioxidative ability and flesh quality were observed in T. ovatus juveniles.

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), as emerging environmental contaminants, have become a threat to human health. Here, we use the combined process of powdered activated carbon (PAC) and ultrafiltration (UF) to investigate the removal of ARGs, the class I integron (intI1), 16S rDNA and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in wastewater effluent. Additionally, the removal mechanisms of ARGs by PAC-UF were investigated. Our results show that a higher PAC concentration might increase DOC and ARGs removal. The maximum removal of DOC and ARGs was 63.2% and 1.35-log-3.35-log, respectively. At the same time, the ARGs are positively correlated with DOC, intI1 and 16S rDNA, indicating that reducing their concentration would contribute to the reduction of ARGs. We also found that the optimal PAC dose could effectively increase membrane flux, reduce membrane fouling resistance and alleviate membrane fouling. This study demonstrates that the PAC-UF process is a potential deep water purification process and control technology for reducing ARGs risk.