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Context The association between magnesium status and metabolic syndrome (MetS) remains unclear. Objective This study aimed to examine the relationship between kidney reabsorption-related magnesium depletion score (MDS) and MetS among US adults. Methods We analyzed data from 15 565 adults participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003 to 2018. MetS was defined according to the National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel III report. The MDS is a scoring system developed to predict the status of magnesium deficiency that fully considers the pathophysiological factors influencing the kidneys' reabsorption capability. Weighted univariate and multivariable logistic regression were used to assess the association between MDS and MetS. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis was conducted to characterize dose-response relationships. Stratified analyses by sociodemographic and lifestyle factors were also performed. Results In both univariate and multivariable analyses, higher MDS was significantly associated with increased odds of MetS. Each unit increase in MDS was associated with approximately a 30% higher risk for MetS, even after adjusting for confounding factors (odds ratio 1.31; 95% CI, 1.17-1.45). RCS graphs depicted a linear dose-response relationship across the MDS range. This positive correlation remained consistent across various population subgroups and exhibited no significant interaction by age, sex, race, adiposity, smoking status, or alcohol consumption. Conclusion Higher urinary magnesium loss as quantified by MDS may be an independent linear risk factor for MetS in US adults, irrespective of sociodemographic and behavioral factors. Optimizing magnesium nutritional status could potentially confer benefits to patients with MetS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro-absorption spectroscopy is a useful tool for studying the biological characteristics of single cells. However, the weak spectral signal, due to low absorption caused by the tiny optical path length of the cell, makes the spectral data noisy and difficult to analyze. This paper describes a device for single-cell microspectroscopy measurement that integrates an optical fiber spectrometer and an image CCD within a microscopic system, allowing for the simultaneous acquisition of morphology information and the absorption spectrum of a single cell. The device utilizes an illumination source driven by modulated current sources instead of constant current sources and the corresponding spectral signal extraction method to reduce noise levels. It also features a transparent temperature-controlled sample chamber for regulating the sample's temperature, as the absorption of cells may change with temperature. Due to the unwanted baseline drift in the spectral signals, a method of analyzing the similarity degree between the measured spectrum and the standard spectrum is proposed to study the characteristic variation of cells. To verify the feasibility of this method, the device was used for the microscopic spectral measurement and analysis of single red blood cells. The results showed that the variation patterns of spectral parameters correspond to the cell's responses to changes in temperature and storage duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of ketoconazole (KET) in ocular drug delivery is restricted by its poor aqueous solubility though its broad-spectrum antifungal activity. The aim of this study is to develop an ion-sensitive in situ gel (ISG) of KET to promote its ocular bioavailability in topical application. The solubility of KET in water was increased by complexation with hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD), then KET-HPβCD inclusion complex (KET-IC) was fabricated into an ion-sensitive ISG triggered by sodium alginate (SA). The in vitro drug release and antifungal activities investigations demonstrated that the KET-IC-ISG formulation increased drug release and anti-fungal activities compared to pure KET. The ex vivo rabbit corneal permeation studied demonstrated higher permeability of KET-IC-ISG formulation (Papp of (6.34 ± 0.21) × 10−4 cm/h) than pure KET (Papp of (3.09 ± 0.09) × 10−4 cm/h). The cytotoxicity assay and the ocular irritation study in rabbits confirmed the KET-IC-ISG safety and well tolerance. The ocular pharmacokinetics of KET in rabbits was investigated and the results showed that the KET-IC-ISG increased its bioavailability in cornea by 47-fold. In conclusion, the KET-IC-ISG system promoted the precorneal retention, the ocular drug bioavailability and the developed formulation is a potential strategy to treat mycotic keratitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Atherosclerosis is the basis of cardiovascular disease. Ferroptosis is a form of programmed cell death characterized by lipid peroxidation, which contributes to atherogenesis. The plant extract PNS (Panax notoginseng saponins), containing the main active ingredients of Panax notoginseng, exhibits anti‐atherogenic properties. Herein, we determined whether PNS and its major components could attenuate atherosclerosis by suppressing ferroptosis and revealed the underlying mechanism(s). Experimental approach: The anti‐atherogenic effects of PNS and their association with inhibition of ferroptosis was determined in apoE−/− mice. In vitro, the anti‐ferroptotic effect and mechanism(s) of PNS components were demonstrated in the presence of ferroptosis inducers. Expression of ferroptosis markers and the ubiquitination of Keap1 were evaluated in USP2−/− macrophages. Finally, the anti‐atherogenic effect of USP2 knockout was determined by using USP2−/− mice treated with high‐fat diet (HFD) and AAV‐PCSK9. Key results: PNS inhibited ferroptosis and atherosclerosis in vivo. PNS suppressed ferroptosis and ferroptosis‐aggravated foam cell formation and inflammation in vitro. Mechanistically, PNS and its components activated Nrf2 by antagonizing Keap1, which was attributed to the inhibition of USP2 expression. USP2 knockout antagonized ferroptosis and ferroptosis‐aggravated foam cell formation and inflammation, thus mitigating atherosclerosis. USP2 knockout abolished inhibitory effects of PNS on foam cell formation and inflammation in vitro. Conclusion and implications: PNS reduced USP2‐mediated Keap1 de‐ubiquitination and promoted Keap1 degradation, thereby activating Nrf2, improving iron metabolism and reducing lipid peroxidation, thus contributing to an anti‐atherosclerotic outcome. Our study revealed the mechanism(s) underlying inhibition of ferroptosis and atherosclerosis by PNS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) show potential application in many domains, in which photochromic MOFs (PMOFs) have received enormous attention. Researchers mainly utilize photoactive ligands to build PMOFs. Recently, the mixed electron donating and accepting ligands strategies have also been used to construct PMOFs driven by the electron transfer between nonphotochromic moieties. However, the potential interligand competition inhibits the formation of PMOFs. Therefore, the exploration of single‐ligand‐guided assembly is conductive for building PMOFs. Considering the existing electron accepting and donating role of pyridyl and carboxyl, the pyridinecarboxyate derived from the fusion of pyridyl and carboxyl units may serve as single ligand to yield PMOFs (Figure 1d). In this work, the coordination assembly of bipyridinedicarboxylate (2,2′‐bipyridine‐4,4′‐dicarboxylic acid, H2bpdc; 1,10‐phenanthroline‐2,9‐dicarboxylic acid, H2pda) and LaCl3 generate two PMOFs, [La(bpdc)(H2O)Cl] (1) and [La(pda)(H2O)2Cl]⋅2H2O (2). Both complexes feature dinuclear lanthanum as building blocks with differences in the connecting number of likers, in which 1 has (4,8)‐connected topology and 2 exhibits sql topology. Their structural differences result in the diversities of photoresponsive functionalities. Compared with reported PMOFs built from photoactive ligands and mixed ligands, this study provides new available categories of single ligand for generating PMOFs and tuning the structure and photoresponsive properties via ligand substitution and external photostimulus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-precision lunar scene 3D data are essential for lunar exploration and the construction of scientific research stations. Currently, most existing data from orbital imagery offers resolutions up to 0.5–2 m, which is inadequate for tasks requiring centimeter-level precision. To overcome this, our research focuses on using in situ stereo vision systems for finer 3D reconstructions directly from the lunar surface. However, the scarcity and homogeneity of available lunar surface stereo datasets, combined with the Moon's unique conditions—such as variable lighting from low albedo, sparse surface textures, and extensive shadow occlusions—pose significant challenges to the effectiveness of traditional stereo matching techniques. To address the dataset gap, we propose a method using Unreal Engine 4 (UE4) for high-fidelity physical simulation of lunar surface scenes, generating high-resolution images under realistic and challenging conditions. Additionally, we propose an optimized cost calculation method based on Census transform and color intensity fusion, along with a multi-level super-pixel disparity optimization, to improve matching accuracy under harsh lunar conditions. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method exhibits exceptional robustness and accuracy in our soon-to-be-released multi-scene lunar dataset, effectively addressing issues related to special lighting conditions, weak textures, and shadow occlusion, ultimately enhancing disparity estimation accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spark plasma sintering (SPS) is an ultrafast sintering method for the preparation of ceramics and ceramic composites with simple geometrical shapes, with the combined application of uniaxial pressure. This study aims to propose an SPS densification method for Si3N4 ceramic balls without necessitating alterations to tools and equipment. The Si3N4 ceramic balls intended for sintering are positioned within a SiC powder bed inside the conventional die used in SPS. The study systematically investigates the effects of presintering temperature (1400°C, 1500°C, and 1600°C) and SPS temperature (1600°C, 1700°C, and 1800°C) on the sphericity, relative density, phase composition, microstructure, and mechanical properties of Si3N4 ceramic balls. Experimental findings reveal that Si3N4 ceramic balls exhibiting an optimal combination of sphericity (0.94 ± 0.02), relative density (98.4%), and mechanical properties (Vickers hardness: 17.5 ± 0.4 GPa, fracture toughness: 6.4 ± 0.1 MPa·m1/2) were successfully achieved at a pre‐sintering temperature and SPS temperature of 1600°C, coupled with the use of a SiC powder bed and SPS method. Consequently, the SPS method demonstrates its capability to fabricate Si3N4 ceramic balls with excellent performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective This study examined the relationship between cystatin C (CysC) levels and all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cancer mortality in US metabolic syndrome (MetS) patients. Methods The 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) prospective cohort research included 1980 MetS participants. To assess CysC levels and all-cause, CVD, and cancer mortality, fitted curves, Kaplan-Meier survival curves, Cox regression analysis, and receiver operating characteristic curves were performed. Results During a mean follow-up of 15.3 ± 5.4 years, a total of 819 deaths occurred. The fitted and Kaplan-Meier survival curves revealed that greater CysC levels were linked to higher all-cause, CVD, and cancer mortality rates (P <.05). After adjusting for variables, CysC level was associated with all-cause, CVD, and cancer mortality at 1.63 (1.42-1.88), 1.53 (1.19-1.95), and 1.53 (1 ∼ 2.32), respectively (P <.05). Tertile models showed consistent results: high CysC Tertile participants showed higher risk of all-cause mortality (HR 1.87; 1.43-2.45), CVD mortality (HR 1.97, 1.15 ∼ 3.38), and cancer mortality (HR 1.72, 1.01 ∼ 2.91) compared to those in the lowest tertile (P <.05). Subgroup studies by sex and other characteristics confirmed the findings. CysC demonstrated the higher predictive efficacy across mortality outcomes, followed by eGFR, outperforming urea nitrogen, creatinine, uric acid, and C-reactive protein. CysC alone exhibited substantial predictive value for all-cause (AUC 0.773; P <.05) and CVD mortality (AUC 0.726; P <.05). Combining CysC with age enhanced predictive value for all-cause mortality to 0.861 and CVD mortality to 0.771 (P <.05). Conclusion MetS patients with elevated CysC levels have a higher risk of all-cause, CVD, and cancer death. CysC may predict MetS all-cause and CVD mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recurrent neural networks (RNNs) have been heavily used in applications relying on sequence data such as time series and natural languages. As a matter of fact, their behaviors lack rigorous quality assurance due to the black-box nature of deep learning. It is an urgent and challenging task to formally reason about the behaviors of RNNs. To this end, we first present an extension of linear-time temporal logic to reason about properties with respect to RNNs, such as local robustness, reachability, and some temporal properties. Based on the proposed logic, we formalize the verification obligation as a Hoare-like triple, from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives. The former concerns whether all the outputs resulting from the inputs fulfilling the pre-condition satisfy the post-condition, whereas the latter is to compute the probability that the post-condition is satisfied on the premise that the inputs fulfill the pre-condition. To tackle these problems, we develop a systematic verification framework, mainly based on polyhedron propagation, dimension-preserving abstraction, and the Monte Carlo sampling. We also implement our algorithm with a prototype tool and conduct experiments to demonstrate its feasibility and efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the knee joint (KNJ) and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) all belong to the synovial joint, there are many differences in developmental origin, joint structure and articular cartilage type. Studies of joint development in embryos have been performed, mainly using poultry and rodents. However, KNJ and TMJ in poultry and rodents differ from those in humans in several ways. Very little work has been done on the embryonic development of KNJ and TMJ in large mammals. Several studies have shown that pigs are ideal animals for embryonic development research. Embryonic day 30 (E30), E35, E45, E55, E75, E90, Postnatal day 0 (P0) and Postnatal day 30 (P30) embryos/fetuses from the pigs were used for this study. The results showed that KNJ develops earlier than TMJ. Only one mesenchymal condensate of KNJ is formed on E30, while two mesenchymal condensates of TMJ are present on E35. All structures of KNJ and TMJ were formed on E45. The growth plate of KNJ begins to develop on E45 and becomes more pronounced from E55 to P30. From E75 to E90, more and more vascular-rich cartilage canals form in the cartilage regions of both joints. The cartilaginous canal of the TMJ divides the condyle into sections along the longitudinal axis of the condyle. This arrangement of cartilaginous canal was not found in the KNJ. The chondrification of KNJ precedes that of TMJ. Ossification of the knee condyle occurs gradually from the middle to the periphery, while that of the TMJ occurs gradually from the base of the mandibular condyle. In the KNJ, the ossification of the articular condyle is evident from P0 to P30, and the growth plate is completely formed on P30. In the TMJ, the cartilage layer of condyle becomes thinner from P0 to P30. There is no growth plate formation in TMJ during its entire development. There is no growth plate formation in the TMJ throughout its development. The condyle may be the developmental center of the TMJ. The chondrocytes and hypertrophic chondrocytes of the growth plate are densely arranged. The condylar chondrocytes of TMJ are scattered, while the hypertrophic chondrocytes are arranged. Embryonic development of KNJ and TMJ in pigs is an important bridge for translating the results of rodent studies to medical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rigid guide is a crucial component of the mine hoisting system, which plays a role in guiding the smooth operation of the hoisting container in the process of mine hoisting. To address the issue of detection devices mounted on mobile equipment affecting normal production, this paper proposes to install the device inside the groove of the rigid guide, and directly collect the vibration signal of the rigid guide while the mine hoisting system is in operation. The collected vibration signals are preprocessed and subjected to fast Fourier transform. To fully extract the fault information hidden in the spectrogram, the vibration signals are transformed into a two-dimensional spectrogram in polar coordinates and used as a sample dataset for training a convolutional neural network (CNN) to achieve fault classification and identification of the rigid guide. Experimental studies on this method show that the accuracy of CNN in identifying rigid guide fault categories reaches 92.63%. Compared to the method of collecting vibration signals from mobile devices, the fault identification accuracy also exceeds 90%. By analyzing the vibration signals of the rigid guide, it is possible to determine whether there is a fault. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the detection accuracy of vehicles and pedestrians in traffic scenes using object detection algorithms, this paper presents modifications, compression, and deployment of the single-stage typical algorithm YOLOv7-tiny. In the model improvement section: firstly, to address the problem of small object missed detection, shallower feature layer information is incorporated into the original feature fusion branch, forming a four-scale detection head; secondly, a Multi-Stage Feature Fusion (MSFF) module is proposed to fully integrate shallow, middle, and deep feature information to extract more comprehensive small object information. In the model compression section: the Layer-Adaptive Magnitude-based Pruning (LAMP) algorithm and the Torch-Pruning library are combined, setting different pruning rates for the improved model. In the model deployment section: the V7-tiny-P2-MSFF model, pruned by 45% using LAMP, is deployed on the embedded platform NVIDIA Jetson AGX Xavier. Experimental results show that the improved and pruned model achieves a 12.3% increase in mAP@0.5 compared to the original model, with parameter volume, computation volume, and model size reduced by 76.74%, 7.57%, and 70.94%, respectively. Moreover, the inference speed of a single image for the pruned and quantized model deployed on Xavier is 9.5 ms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we estimate the oscillation of harmonic functions on the (N − 1)-dimensional Sierpiński gasket KN, where K3 is the classical Sierpiński gasket. By using this result, we prove that both the box dimension and the Hausdorff dimension of graphs of harmonic functions on KN are log2N. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To synthesize available evidence about core competencies for nurses engaged in palliative care. Design: A scoping review conducted according to the framework from Joanna Briggs Institute. Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist was adopted to report this scoping review. The PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, ScienceDriect, CNKI, WangFang, VIP and Sinomed databases were used to systematically search for published studies from their inception to December 2023. Two researchers independently screened and selected relevant studies and performed the data charting. Results: Twenty‐six studies were included in this scoping review. Among these, 14 studies identified core competency assessment instruments among nurses engaged in palliative care, with the Palliative Care Core Competence Questionnaire was used most frequently; 13 studies investigated the status of core competencies of nurses engaged in palliative care, the majority of included studies indicated that nurse's core competencies were at moderate levels; 11 studies explored the factors influencing the core competencies of the nurses engaged in palliative care, which were classified as sociodemographic‐related factors, palliative care education‐related factors, death attitude, palliative care practice‐related experience and others. Conclusion: This scoping review offers a comprehensive overview of the current landscape of core competencies among nurses in palliative care. Findings suggested that the clinical nursing leaders need to develop tailored strategies and interventions to address specific factors and promote the continuous development of nurses' competencies in palliative care. Relevance to Clinical Practice: Core competency assessment instruments equip nurses and healthcare organizations with a range of validated tools for evaluating their proficiency in palliative care. Targeted core competency enhancement programmes need to be developed to foster a nursing workforce better equipped to improve the quality of life of end‐of‐life patients and their families. Patient or Public Contribution: No patient or public contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The particles stimulated nucleation (PSN) triggered by coarsened T1 phase (Al2CuLi) in Al–Cu–Li alloys is investigated to analyze the formation of recrystallization texture that is unusual from typical PSN. The specimens were uniaxially compressed to a series of compression amount and the recrystallization process is characterized by electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Results showed that the recrystallization occurred by progressive rotation of the matrix units that separated by the three-dimensional arranged T1 precipitates. The rotation of the units towards was observed in the initial grains of various orientations all through the recrystallization process. The massively formed fine grains contribute to a strong fiber texture. The fraction of recrystallization is 67% and the grains are averagely 2.5 μm in the specimen received a stain of 1.61. The PSN initiated by coarsened T1 phase fosters the feasibility to obtain textured and refined structure in Al–Cu–Li alloys which will facilitate the performance improvement of the fabricated components.

Objective This study was conducted to investigate the effect of L-carnitine on the pig semen characteristics during storage. Methods Spermatozoa samples were examined for spermatozoa quality and then randomly divided into 5 groups: 0 (control), 12.5, 25, 50, and 100 mM L-carnitine. Sperm motility, plasma membrane integrity and antioxidant parameters (total reactive oxygen species, total antioxidant capacity, and malondialdehyde) were evaluated after 0, 3, 5, and 10 day cooled-storage at 17°C. Moreover, ATP content, mitochondria activity as well as sperm-binding and in vitro fertilizing ability of preserved boar sperm were also investigated. Results Supplementation with 50 mM L-carnitine could effectively maintain boar sperm quality parameters such as sperm motility and membrane integrity. Besides, we found that L-carnitine had positive effects on boar sperm quality mainly through improving antioxidant capacities and enhancing ATP content and mitochondria activity. Interestingly, by assessing the effect of L-carnitine on sperm fertility and developmental potential, we discovered that the extender containing L-carnitine could improve sperm quality and increase the number of sperms bounding to zona pellucida, without improving in vitro fertility and development potential. Conclusion These findings suggested that the proper addition of L-carnitine to the semen extender improved boar sperm quality during liquid storage at 17°C.