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Whether continuous ridge–furrow plastic film mulch (PM) and flat planting with PM is sustainable for soil water status and yield remain unknown. The study investigated effects of ridge–furrow PM applied in spring (RFMS) or autumn (RFMA), flat planting with no mulch (CK), flat planting with 60% mulch in spring (MS) or autumn (MA) on soil water and maize yield from 2016 to 2019. High yields in RFMA resulted from high soil water storage (SWS) consumption in 0–220 cm soil layer during the growing season, with main water supply for early plant growth coming from 0 to 80 cm layer and can be recovered from rainfall during later in the growing season. From 80 to 220 cm, SWS declined during growing season but recovered during next fallow season. The 2016 growing season had the lowest precipitation, and RFMA and MA had significantly more deep soil water consumption, which was replenished to normal levels in the following fallow season of 2016–2017. After four growing seasons, all PM treatments did not reduce deep soil water, compared to CK, or follow a declining trend over time, i.e., continuous cultivation with PM on Loess Plateau did not reduce soil water status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shortwave infrared (SWIR, ∼900 to 2000 nm) holds promise for label-free measurements of water and lipid content in thick tissue, owed to the chromophore-specific absorption features and low scattering in this range. In vivo water and lipid estimations have potential applications including the monitoring of hydration, volume status, edema, body composition, weight loss, and cancer. To the best of our knowledge, there are currently no point-of-care or wearable devices available that exploit the SWIR wavelength range, limiting clinical and at-home translation of this technology. To design and fabricate a diffuse optical wearable SWIR probe for water and lipid quantification in tissue. Simulations were first performed to confirm the theoretical advantage of SWIR wavelengths over near infrared (NIR). The probe was then fabricated, consisting of light emitting diodes at three wavelengths (980, 1200, 1300 nm) and four source-detector (S-D) separations (7, 10, 13, 16 mm). In vitro validation was then performed on emulsion phantoms containing varying concentrations of water, lipid, and deuterium oxide (D2O). A deep neural network was developed as the inverse model for quantity estimation. Simulations indicated that SWIR wavelengths could reduce theoretical water and lipid extraction errors from ∼6 % to ∼1 % when compared to NIR wavelengths. The SWIR probe had good signal-to-noise ratio (>32 dB up to 10 mm S-D) and low drift (<1.1 % up to 10 mm S-D). Quantification error in emulsion phantoms was 2.1 ± 1.1 % for water and −1.2 ± 1.5 % for lipid. Water estimation during a D2O dilution experiment had an error of 3.1 ± 3.7 %. This diffuse optical SWIR probe was able to quantify water and lipid contents in vitro with good accuracy, opening the door to human investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a three-node wireless powered communication system is studied, where a power receiver harvests energy from a wireless power transmitter via wireless power transfer in the downlink and then executes information transfer in the uplink. According to this simple harvest-then-transmit protocol, the power receiver cannot harvest energy and send information simultaneously. Thus, it is necessary to investigate the tradeoff between wireless power transfer and information transfer to obtain good performance. The goal of this paper is to achieve the maximum throughput by balancing the time duration between the wireless power transfer phase and the information transfer phase while satisfying the energy causality constraint, the time duration constraint, and the quality-of-service constraint (i.e., the symbol error rate is lower than a target value). By solving the optimization problem, an optimal time allocation can be obtained. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Water activity (a w) of peanut butter increases with temperature. • Thermal death of Salmonella in peanut butter follows the first-order kinetics. • Temperature and a w of peanut butter are two key factors to the D -value. • Peanut butter has no special protective effect on Salmonella from heat inactivation. It has been a challenge in developing effective thermal pasteurization processes for foods with high-fat and low-moisture contents like peanut butter, due to a general lack of reliable data on thermal resistance of pathogens in those food matrices. Recent studies on low-moisture foods like wheat flour and almond flour suggest that temperature and water activity (at the process temperatures) are two key factors that influence thermal inactivation of bacteria. In this study, we measured high-temperature water activities of peanut butter of two moisture content (MC), 3.1% and 5.6% (dry basis), and investigated the thermal death kinetics of Salmonella enterica Enteritidis PT 30 (S. Enteritidis) in those samples at 70, 80, 90, and 100 °C. The results indicated that the water activity of peanut butter increased with increasing temperature, e.g., from 0.33 and 0.53 at 23 °C, up to 0.39 and 0.59 at 100 °C, respectively. The thermal death of S. Enteritidis in peanut butter followed the first-order kinetics. Overall, higher moisture content and a higher treatment temperature led to a smaller D- value (decimal reduction time of the survival population) of S. Enteritidis. The maximum D- value was 102.6 ± 15.2 min at MC 3.1% and 70 °C, and the minimum D- value was 0.3 min (predicted) at MC = 5.6% and 100 °C. The log D -value reduced linearly with temperature at a given a w, with Z -values equal to 15.4 °C (for MC = 3.1%) and 12.6 °C (for MC = 5.6%). Based on this study, the first-order kinetic model can be employed for developing and validating thermal pasteurization processes for peanut butter. The moisture content of peanut butter and the process temperature are two key parameters that need to be controlled for sufficient lethality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Multi-metallic Prussian blue compound Ni1.125Co0.375[Fe(CN)6]·6.8H2O has been synthesized. The Mössbauer spectroscopy at room temperature and IR spectra study revealed that the metal ions are bonded through cyanide ligand and the presence of low spin FeIII(S =1/2) and high spin FeIII(S =5/2) ions, as showed in these structure: FeIII(S =1/2)-CN-(CoII/NiII)(96%) and FeIII(S=5/2)-NC-(CoII/NiII) (4%). The Curie constant of C =3.00cm3 Kmol−1 and Weiss paramagnetic Curie temperature of θ =16.43K were observed in fitting according to Curie–Weiss law. These results indicate that there existed a ferromagnetic exchange interaction in the complexes. The observed value of coercive field (H c) and remanent magnetization (M r) at 4K for the compound are 497Oe and 1.03Nβ. The presence of spin-glass behaviours in the compound is ascribed mainly to domain mobility or domain growth under different cooling conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• A novel cascade method is proposed for automatic localization and segmentation of L3 vertebra's body tissue. • Vertebra localization network applies Gaussian cube to spine detection and infers the location of L3 vertebra through vertebra segmentation. • The tissue segmentation network uses adversarial modeling with two sub-networks and a novel Cross-Stage Attention block with both spatial- and channel-wise information to quantize body tissue of the L3 vertebra. • The experimental results show the outperformance of our proposed method, exceeding existing body tissue segmentation networks. Objective: The impact of body composition on disease prognosis is increasingly recognized. Analysis of computed tomography (CT) scans at the level of the third lumbar (L3) spine is considered a standard approach to measure muscle and adipose tissue body composition parameters. However, existing approaches need manually select the L3 vertebra and then analyze body composition, which is time-consuming. Thus, how to automatically analyze body composition becomes the problem. Methods: In this paper, a novel two-step method is proposed and can automatically localize the L3 vertebra and segment body tissue accurately. Initially, the lumbar spine region is coarsely detected, and then each lumbar vertebra is determined. Secondly, the slice at the L3 vertebra is selected to quantize tissue (muscle, subcutaneous adipose tissue, visceral adipose tissue, etc.) based on a segmentation network. To achieve high performance, a Cross-Stage Attention (CSA) block and an adversarial structure are jointly utilized in tissue segmentation. Results: The experimental results show that the L3 vertebra localization result achieves 95.08 % Dice. The CSA block and adversarial structure play positive roles in improving the tissue segmentation performance with an average Dice from 95.15 % to 97.44 %. Conclusion: The results demonstrate that our method outperforms other existing body tissue segmentation approaches in terms of sensitivity, positive predictive value (PPV), Dice score, and Jaccard score. Significance: The time cost of data collection and annotation can be significantly reduced due to integrating L3 vertebra localization before tissue segmentation. Simultaneously, our method can be extended to all lumbar vertebrae and quantize each tissue volume in the abdomen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Density functional tight binding (DFTB) simulations were performed to study structures, energy, and Mülliken populations for Zigzag type (n,0) (n = 3–14) bamboo-like nitrogen carbon nanotubes with spaced packing patterns. After performing self-consistant-charge DFTB calculations, geometric parameters of bamboo-type nitrogen carbon nanotubes were obtained, including the nearest neighbor length of C C or N N atoms, the average C N length, the diameters of C or N rings, the C-C-N angle and the C-N-N angle of the six-atom ring parallel to the tube axis, the C-C-C angle and the N-N-N angle perpendicular to the tube axis. The intrinsic energy，energy gap, and chemical potential were analyzed, and they present apparent differences compared with their pure carbon counterparts. We have thoroughly analyzed the charges transfer of the C and N atoms for the bamboo-like nitrogen‑carbon nanotubes. Mülliken populations present different prospects on these C or N atoms as the chiral index increases, especially for these relative small indexes. [Display omitted] • Zigzag Bamboo-like N-CNTs with spaced nitrogen and carbon atoms were studied by DFTB algorithm. • We obtained geometric parameters of twelve bamboo-like N-CNTs, such as diameter, angle and bond length of C-N joints. • The intrinsic energy, energy gap and chemical potential were acquired for pure CNTs and the bamboo-like N-CNTs. • Mülliken population were also analyzed to exam the charge transfer among the atoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qingxuan Tongluo formula and curcumin might play roles in the treatment of MPP by upregulating the expression of glycolytic-related proteins to increase productivity, relieve the oxidative stress of host cells and improve host hypercoagulability. ENO1 and PLG are potential drug targets. • Qingxuan Tongluo formula can reduce the blood hypercoagulability of MPP. • ENO1 and PLG are potential drug targets of the Qingxuan Tongluo formula. • MP infection can inhibit the correct folding of host proteins. • Hsp90aa1/GRP94 can be used as a biomarker for the diagnosis of MPP. Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) is the only pathogen in the Mycoplasma family that can cause respiratory symptoms, including acute upper respiratory tract infection and bronchitis, which are often attributed to Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP). MPP is one of the diseases that commonly affects the pediatric respiratory system, but its pathogenesis is unclear. This study investigated the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of Qingxuan Tongluo formula and its main component, curcumin, on MPP. A mouse model of MPP was obtained by nasal drip of the MP strain. The effects of Qingxuan Tongluo formula and curcumin on the treatment of MPP were studied. The proteomic profiles of the alveolar lavage fluid of mice in the model group, Qingxuan Tongluo formula group and curcumin group were evaluated by LC–MS/MS. ELISA and immunohistochemistry were used to verify the possible presence of MP infection biomarkers and drug target proteins. Compared with the mice in the model group, the MPP mice in the Qingxuan Tongluo formula group had significantly reduced fever and cough and prolonged the cough incubation period. Moreover, the pulmonary pathology of the MPP mice was significantly improved, and the lung histopathological score was decreased. After treatment with Qingxuan Tongluo formula and curcumin, the functional and pathway abnormalities caused by MP were mainly inhibited. Levels of HSP90AA1, GRP94, ENO1 and PLG expression were verified by ELISA and immunohistochemistry. Qingxuan Tongluo formula significantly reduced fevers and cough and prolonged the cough incubation period of MPP mice. Qingxuan Tongluo formula and curcumin significantly improved the pathological changes in lung tissue caused by MP infection. Proteomics analyses indicated that Qingxuan Tongluo formula and curcumin may have therapeutic effects on MPP by regulating energy metabolism, relieving oxidative stress and activating the fibrinolytic system. ENO1 and PLG were found to be potential drug targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aims to explore the effect of YiQi GuBen capsule on improving mitochondrial dysfunction in an animal model of asthma.Methods: The mice (n = 8) were divided into four groups including control (NC), ovalbumin (OVA), dexamethasone (OVA + DEX), and YiQi GuBen (OVA + YQGB) groups. Firstly, we established an OVA-induced mouse asthma model except for the NC group, which then were treated with dexamethasone and YiQi GuBen capsule. Subsequently, HE staining and Masson staining were used for pathological analysis of mice lung tissues. Next, we used transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to observe the effect of the Yiqi Guben capsule on the ultrastructure of mitochondria. Flow cytometry was used to analyze the ROS level, membrane potential, and the number of mitochondria in lung tissue. Moreover, we analyzed the copy number of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and the expression levels of activator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) and mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM).Results: The results of the pathological analysis showed that after treatment with the YiQi GuBen capsule, the lung tissue damage was significantly reduced. In addition, we observed that the ultrastructural damage of mitochondria was improved. Flow cytometry proved that after treatment with the YiQi GuBen capsule, the level of ROS in the mitochondria was effectively reduced, while the mitochondrial membrane potential decreased and the number increased significantly. Moreover, we found that the copy number of mtDNA was significantly increased and the expression levels of PGC-1α and TFAM were significantly upgraded.Conclusion: This study suggests YiQi GuBen capsule can effectively improve mitochondrial dysfunction in the OVA-induced mouse model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• POP2 had higher radical scavenging activity than phlorizin. • POP2 decreased adipocytes viability. • POP2 reduced the accumulation of TG in the adipocytes. • POP2 inhibited adipocytes differentiation. Phlorizin is a natural polyphenol with many bioactivities, however, its low water solubility limits its application. Phlorizin oxidation product 2 (POP2) has higher water solubility than phlorizin. However, reaction velocity and conversion rate of POP2 are low, and its bioactivity has not been elucidated. Thus, we have established a new method for preparation of POP2 with a purity of 96.8%, and the inhibitory activity of POP2 on 3T3-L1 preadipocytes was investigated. POP2 decreased adipocyte viability and inhibited the accumulation of intracellular triglycerides (TG). Furthermore, POP2 suppressed transcription of fatty acid synthase (FAS) and glucose transporter 4 (GLUT-4), led to reduce lipid accumulation. Also, POP2 down-regulated transcription and expression of PPAR γ, C/EBPα, and FAS, led to inhibition of adipocyte differentiation. An efficient method to produce POP2 was developed, and we demonstrated that POP2 reduced lipid accretion. These results are useful for potential applications of phlorizin in the food and pharmaceutical industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wintergrazer-70 and Ganyin No1 are high-yield forage varieties suitable for cultivation in high-altitude areas of Tibet (4300 m above sea level). Ganyin No1 was developed from Wintergrazer-70, with the latter serving as its parent variety. Ganyin No1 was identified as a spring variety, and subsequent RNA sequencing was conducted. RNA sequencing analysis identified 4 differentially expressed genes related to vernalization and 28 genes related to photoperiod regulation. The Sc7296g5-i1G3 gene is related to the flowering inhibition of rye, which may be related to the phenotypic difference in the Ganyin No1 variety in winter and spring. This finding provides valuable insights for future research on Ganyin No1, especially in addressing feed shortages in Tibet during winter and spring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early spontaneous abortion (ESA) is a common adverse pregnancy outcome mainly attributed to embryo chromosomal abnormalities. However, as a quantitative marker, whether the anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) can reflect oocyte quality is still controversial. By integrating biological evidence and adjusting many cofounders, this study aimed to clarify the controversies about the association between AMH and ESA caused by embryo aneuploidy during assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment. We strictly preselected 988 patients receiving first ART treatment for analyzing clinical data, while 55 of them acquired chorionic villi karyotype results. In addition, 373 biopsied embryos from 126 patients receiving preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGT) were tracked to compare embryo karyotypes. Univariate and multiple factor regressions were applied to analyze the risk factors leading to ESA. As covariates unadjusted, AMH (odds ratio 0.87, 95% CI 0.82–0.93) was the significant variable contributing to ESA. However, AMH played no significant role in the following regression models after age was adjusted. Also, AMH had no significant association with ESA in most age-adjusted subgroups, except in the male factors engaged subgroup. Additionally, compared to the patients with euploid chorionic villi karyotypes, those with aneuploid karyotypes were older and acquired fewer oocytes, yet their AMH levels were not significantly different. Furthermore, the embryo aneuploidy was independent of AMH while associated with maternal age, retrieved oocyte number, and embryo quality. This study suggested that AMH was unassociated with the ESA caused by embryo aneuploidy in ART therapy. As a critical cofounder, age remains the variable closely related to ESA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the molecular mechanism of Ma Huang‐Ku Xing Ren, a traditional Chinese medicine formula, in treating pediatric pneumonia. The focus is on the regulation of caspase‐3 activation and reduction of alveolar macrophage necrosis through network pharmacology and bioinformatics analyses of Ephedra and bitter almond components. Active compounds and targets from ephedrine and bitter almond were obtained using TCMSP, TCMID, and GeneCards databases, identifying pediatric pneumonia‐related genes. A protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed, and core targets were screened. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses identified relevant genes and pathways. An acute pneumonia mouse model was created using the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) inhalation method, with caspase‐3 overexpression induced by a lentivirus. The mice were treated with Ephedra and bitter almond through gastric lavage. Lung tissue damage, inflammatory markers (IL‐18 and IL‐1β), and cell death‐related gene activation were assessed through H&E staining, ELISA, western blot, flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence. The study identified 128 active compounds and 121 gene targets from Ephedra and bitter almond. The PPI network revealed 13 core proteins, and pathway analysis indicated involvement in inflammation, apoptosis, and cell necrosis, particularly the caspase‐3 pathway. In vivo results showed that Ephedra and bitter almond treatment significantly mitigated LPS‐induced lung injury in mice, reducing lung injury scores and inflammatory marker levels. It also decreased caspase‐3 activity and cell death in alveolar macrophages. In conclusion, the active ingredients of Ma Huang‐Ku Xing Ren, particularly targeting caspase‐3, may effectively treat pediatric pneumonia by reducing apoptosis in alveolar macrophages, as demonstrated by both network pharmacology, bioinformatics analyses, and experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the connection between the leakage sign (LS) and hematoma expansion (HE) in cases of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage. The investigation employs dual-energy computed tomography angiography (DECTA). A prospective cohort study was conducted, in which clinical and DECTA imaging data were collected from intracerebral hemorrhage patients within 6 hours of onset between January 2021 and June 2023. Exposure factors included DE-LS and traditional imaging biomarkers. The occurrence of HE on computed tomography rescanned within 24 hours was the observed outcome. Exposed and confounding factors were considered in both univariate and multivariate regression analyses based on the results. Logistic and adjusted Poisson regressions were employed, and odds ratios (ORs) and relative risks (RRs) were calculated with 95% confidence intervals. The study enrolled a total of 90 patients, of whom 32 cases manifested HE, while 58 cases did not exhibit HE. Univariate analysis revealed statistically significant differences in parameters such as admission diastolic blood pressure, C-reactive protein, Glasgow Coma Scale, baseline hematoma volume, and imaging biomarkers like DE-spot sign and DE-LS. The OR value of DE-LS was determined as 48.21, with an RR value of 7.51. Multivariate adjusted Poisson regression analysis demonstrated that DE-LS was a robust independent predictor (RR = 4.11, 95% confidence interval: 1.49–11.35; P < 0.001). DECTA-based DE-LS stands out as an independent predictor of HE. The utilization of RR values over OR values is endorsed when assessing the risk of HE prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The doped N atoms make the Mulliken charge distributions in the C 58 N 2 structures significantly localized, and the C-N covalent bonds are directional. • Variation of electric field direction can change the phase of molecular orbitals of the configuration having relatively high energy. • The change of electric field strength has a more pronounced effect on the electron distribution at the LUMO levels. Self-consistent charge density functional tight-binding simulations are performed to investigate the effect of externally electrostatic field on nitrogen-doped fullerene C 58 N 2 molecules. Based on the obtained geometric structures of twenty-three C 58 N 2 configurations, electric field is applied to six selected configurations. We analyze the effects of the direction and strength of the electric field on the HOMO and LUMO energy levels, chemical potential, energy gap, dipole moment, Mulliken populations on atoms, and the variations of molecular orbitals at HOMO and LUMO energy levels of these configurations. The calculation results show that the electric field can change them. The effects of the electric field on the Mulliken charge distribution on the atoms in each configuration present complex patterns, and changing electric field's direction and strength significantly affect the molecular orbitals. Here, variation of electric field direction can change the phase of molecular orbitals of the configuration having relatively high energy, and the change in the strength of the electric field has a more pronounced effect on the electron distribution at the LUMO levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sialylation, a crucial post-translational modification of glycoconjugates, entails the attachment of sialic acid (SA) to the terminal glycans of glycoproteins and glycolipids through a tightly regulated enzymatic process involving various enzymes. This review offers a comprehensive exploration of sialylation within the gut, encompassing its involvement in mucosal protection and its impact on disease progression. The sialylation of mucins and epithelial glycoproteins contributes to the integrity of the intestinal mucosal barrier. Furthermore, sialylation regulates immune responses in the gut, shaping interactions among immune cells, as well as their activation and tolerance. Additionally, the gut microbiota and gut-brain axis communication are involved in the role of sialylation in intestinal health. Altered sialylation patterns have been implicated in various intestinal diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), colorectal cancer (CRC), and other intestinal disorders. Emerging research underscores sialylation as a promising avenue for diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic interventions in intestinal diseases. Potential strategies such as sialic acid supplementation, inhibition of sialidases, immunotherapy targeting sialylated antigens, and modulation of sialyltransferases have been utilized in the treatment of intestinal diseases. Future research directions will focus on elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying sialylation alterations, identifying sialylation-based biomarkers, and developing targeted interventions for precision medicine approaches. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]