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Dysregulated brain cholesterol metabolism is one of the characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). 27-Hydroxycholesterol (27-OHC) is a cholesterol metabolite that plays an essential role in regulating cholesterol metabolism and it is suggested that it contributes to AD-related cognitive deficits. However, the link between 27-OHC and cholesterol homeostasis, and how this relationship relates to AD pathogenesis, remain elusive. Here, 12-month-old ApoE ε4 transgenic mice were injected with saline, 27-OHC, 27-OHC synthetase inhibitor (anastrozole, ANS), and 27-OHC+ANS for 21 consecutive days. C57BL/6J mice injected with saline were used as wild-type controls. The indicators of cholesterol metabolism, synaptic structure, amyloid β 1-42 (Aβ1-42), and learning and memory abilities were measured. Compared with the wild-type mice, ApoE ε4 mice had poor memory and dysregulated cholesterol metabolism. Additionally, damaged brain tissue and synaptic structure, cognitive decline, and higher Aβ1-42 levels were observed in the 27-OHC group. Moreover, cholesterol transport proteins such as ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1), apolipoprotein E (ApoE), low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), and low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein1 (LRP1) were up-regulated in the cortex after the 27-OHC treatment. The levels of cholesterol metabolism-related indicators in the hippocampus were not consistent with those in the cortex. Additionally, higher serum apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1) levels and lower serum ApoE levels were observed in the 27-OHC group. Notably, ANS partially reversed the effects of 27-OHC. In conclusion, the altered cholesterol metabolism induced by 27-OHC was involved in Aβ1-42 deposition and abnormalities in both the brain tissue and synaptic structure, ultimately leading to memory loss in the ApoE ε4 transgenic mice.

As a result of the recent decades of urbanization and industrialization, millions of people have migrated to cities in search of better work opportunities in China. Meanwhile, their children have often been left behind in the care of other family members. To classify the subtypes of antisocial behavior of the left-behind children, this qualitative study interviewed a total of 71 participants, including five groups: left-behind children, parents, teachers, principals and community workers. The findings showed that left-behind children’s antisocial behavior is manifested as the type of limited adolescent antisocial behavior, and the three subtypes of left-behind children’s antisocial behavior were rule-breaking behavior, delinquent behavior and criminal behavior. In addition, the development of children’s antisocial behavior could range from general violations to delinquent behaviors and even to criminal behaviors.

Selective dehydrogenation of ethanol to acetaldehyde has been considered as an important pathway to produce acetaldehyde due to the atom economy and easy separation of acetaldehyde and hydrogen. Copper catalysts have attracted much attention due to the high activity of Cu species in O-H and C-H bonds oxidative cleavage, and low process cost; however, the size of the Cu nanoparticle is difficult to control since it is easily suffers from metal sintering at high temperatures. In this work, the Cu/KIT-6 catalyst exhibited an ultra-high metal dispersion of 62.3% prepared by an electrostatic adsorption method, due to the advantages of the confinement effect of mesoporous nanostructures and the protective effect of ammonia water on Cu nanoparticles. The existence of an oxidation atmosphere had a significant effect on the valence state of copper species and enhancing moderate acid sites. The catalyst treated by reduction and then oxidation possessed a moderate/weak acid site ratio of ~0.42 and a suitable proportion of Cu+/Cu0 ratio of ~0.53, which conceivably rendered its superior ethanol conversion of 96.8% and full acetaldehyde selectivity at 250 °C. The catalyst also maintained a high selectivity of >99% to acetaldehyde upon time-on-stream of 288 h.

Road markings, including road lanes and symbolic road markings, can convey abundant guidance information to autonomous driving cars. However, recent works have paid less attention to the recognition of symbolic road markings compared with road lanes. In this study, a road-marking-segmentation dataset named the RMD (Road Marking Dataset) is introduced to compensate for the lack of datasets and the limitations of the existing datasets. Furthermore, we propose a novel multiscale attention-based dilated convolutional neural network (MSA-DCNN) to tackle the proposed RMD. The proposed method employs multiscale attention to merge the weighting outputs of adjacent multiscale inputs, and dilated convolution to capture spatial-context information. The performance analysis shows that the proposed MSA-DCNN yields the best results by combining multiscale attention and dilated convolution. Additionally, the proposed method gains the mIoU of 74.88%, which is a significant improvement over the existing techniques.

Soil salinization has become a worldwide issue affecting agricultural development. Statistical methods and spatial analysis were used to analyze the degree and type of saline soils and their spatial distribution. The driving factors of soil salinity were explored using Geodetetcor models. In this study, 84 soil samples were collected from a 0–20 cm soil layer, and the total salt concentration and salt ion composition were measured. The results of statistical analysis and cluster analysis showed that SO42− and Ca2+ had the highest concentrations of salt ions in terms of anion and cation contents, respectively. The interpolation results indicated that the study area was dominated by mild saline soils, with sulfate-type saline soils and chloride-sulfate-type soils dominating. Results of the factor detector suggested that the distance to the irrigation system (0.425), and distance to the drainage system (0.42), explained salinity more strongly in the Shardara district, and elevation (0.326) was the most important influencing factor for salinity in the Mahtaaral district. Results of the interaction detector indicate that human factors (distance to irrigation canals ∩ distance to drainage canals) had a stronger explanation both in the Shardara and Mahtaaral districts. This research provides a scientific basis for soil salinity regulation and management, which is crucial for sustainable agricultural development.

In this paper, CoFe2O4@pyrolyzed bacterial cellulose (CFO@PBC) nanocomposites were synthesized by a hydrothermal process and an in situ composite technique as the cathode for rechargeable Li-O2 batteries (LOB). CoFe2O4@Ketjenblack (CFO@KB) were prepared in the same way as the comparison. The as-prepared materials were characterized by SEM, XRD, and BET. The LOB with CFO@PBC-3 showed a maximum initial discharge capacity of 2660 mAh g−1 (electrode) at the current density of 100 mAg−1, while the mass ratio of CoFe2O4 and pyrolyzed bacterial cellulose was 3. The cyclic voltammetry of the CFO@PBC nanocomposite electrodes was investigated at 0.1 mVs−1 in the voltage window of 2.0–4.5 V. With the limited capacity of 640 mAh g−1 (electrode), the CFO@PBC-3 electrode showed the best cycle stability and higher cutoff voltage of discharging. The pyrolyzed bacterial cellulose, as the fibrous 3D backbone in CFO@PBC nanocomposite electrodes, produced better results than the CFO@KB.

Straightening is an important process in the production and application of shafts, tubes, and various profiles. According to the springback theory of small curvature plane bending, the pure bending process and springback of in-plane curved beam with symmetrical section were analyzed, and the over-bend straightening theory was established. Based on this, the straightening mechanism of the existing over-bend straightening process was revealed; that is, a zigzag straightening moment was applied in the three-point multi-step straightening process to approximate the smooth curve of theoretical moment, while the multi-point one-time straightening technology was to discretize the theoretical curve using the broken line, so both of them needed a load correction coefficient to compensate the error between the actual load and theoretical calculation. In order to realize the complete loading of theoretical curve, a new technology of three-roll continuous straightening was further proposed and the experimental equipment for shafts and tubes was built. In order to match the characteristics of a pipe section, an accurate moment calculation equation was established. Three-roll continuous straightening experiments of the tube showed that the straightness of the straightened workpiece could be controlled within 1.5‰, which meets the standard requirements. Therefore, it is suggested that the over-bend straightening theory can predict the load required for straightening in-plane curved parts with any symmetrical cross-section, and the three-roller continuous straightening process is an efficient and highly accurate straightening technique.

Objective: To verify the role of miR-425 in colorectal carcinogenesis. Methods: We conducted sphere formation assay, wound-healing assay, transwell assay, MTT cell proliferation assay, flow cytometric analysis, reverse transcription qPCR, and Western blotting to analyse proliferation and invasion of HCT116 cells transfected with miR-425 mimics, miR-425 inhibitor, miR-425 mimic negative control, and miR-425 inhibitor negative control, respectively. The experimental protocol was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the First People’s Hospital in Kashi (approval number: 2018 Kuaishen No. (100)). All experiments were conducted during December 2016 to July 2017 at Xinjiang Dingju Medical Laboratory, China. Results: Our results showed that miR-425 expression in HCT116 cells after transfection was up-regulated, which inhibited sphere formation. Overexpression of miR-425 inhibited proliferation of HTC116 cells and induced their apoptosis, and inhibited HCC116 cell migration and invasion. Conclusion: Overexpression of miR-425 could inhibited sphere formation, the migration and invasion of HCT116 cells through inhibiting proliferation and promoting apoptosis. Keywords: apoptosis; colonic carcinoma; microRNA; proliferation Continuous....

The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a highly contagious and deadly disease. The elderly people are often accompanied by chronic inflammation and immunodeficiency, showing a frail state. The strength, endurance, and physiological function of the elderly are significantly decreased, and the ability to deal with stress response is weakened. They are the high-risk group that suffering from COVID-19, and rapidly developing to critical illness. Several recent studies suggest that the incidence rate of COVID-19 in elderly patients with frailty is high. Early assessment, detection, and effective intervention of frailty in COVID-19 patients are conducive to significantly improve the quality of life and improve prognosis. However, there are insufficient understanding and standards for the current evaluation methods, pathogenesis and intervention measures for COVID-19 combined with frailty. This study reviews the progress of the research on the potential pathogenesis, evaluation methods and intervention measures of the elderly COVID-19 patients with frailty, which provides a reference for scientific and reasonable comprehensive diagnosis and treatment in clinical.

There are many advantages in obtaining low-temperature plasmas that are rich in active particles by atmospheric pressure glow discharge, so there has been a lot of research on the acquisition method and application of it. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the mechanism of atmospheric pressure glow discharge driven by an AC resonant power supply. In this paper, we describe our study of the characteristic differences between half-cycle positive and negative atmospheric pressure glow discharges driven in open air by an AC resonant power supply, and we describe our analysis of the associated physical mechanism. The comparison and analysis of experimental results indicate that both positive-cycle and negative-cycle discharges led to typical glow discharge and no streamer discharge appeared in the discharge process. There were still charged particles in the discharge channel when the discharge current was zero. With increasing amplitude of the output voltage of the power supply, the glow area near the electrode surface and the plasma distribution area in the discharge channel increased. When the output voltage of the power supply was low, the negative polarity discharge was more likely to form in the gap of the pin-to-plate electrode. In the AC discharge process, the α-mode discharge was dominant, and the developing speed of the positive-cycle discharge was faster than that of the negative-cycle discharge. The polarity effect became less obvious with the increase in the output voltage amplitude of the power supply.

In diabetes mellitus, death of β cell in the pancreas occurs throughout the development of the disease, with loss of insulin production. The maintenance of β cell number is essential to maintaining normoglycemia. SNAPIN has been found to regulate insulin secretion, but whether it induces β cell proliferation remains to be elucidated. This study aimed to explore the physiological roles of SNAPIN in β cell proliferation. SNAPIN expression increases with the age of mice and SNAPIN is down-regulated in diabetes. KEGG pathway and GO analysis showed that SNAPIN- interacting proteins were enriched in cell cycle regulation. B cell cycle was arrested in the S phase, and cell proliferation was inhibited after SNAPIN knockdown. The expression of CDK2, CDK4 and CCND1 proteins in the S phase of the cell cycle were reduced after SNAPIN knockdown, whereas they were increased after overexpression of SNAPIN. In addition, insulin protein and mRNA levels also increased or decreased after SNAPIN knockdown or overexpression, respectively. Conclusions: Our data indicate that SNAPIN mediates β cells proliferation and insulin secretion, and provide evidences that SNAPIN might be a pharmacotherapeutic target for diabetes mellitus.

Different geographical origins can lead to great variance in coffee quality, taste, and commercial value. Hence, controlling the authenticity of the origin of coffee beans is of great importance for producers and consumers worldwide. In this study, terahertz (THz) spectroscopy, combined with machine learning methods, was investigated as a fast and non-destructive method to classify the geographic origin of coffee beans, comparing it with the popular machine learning methods, including convolutional neural network (CNN), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), and support vector machine (SVM) to obtain the best model. The curse of dimensionality will cause some classification methods which are struggling to train effective models. Thus, principal component analysis (PCA) and genetic algorithm (GA) were applied for LDA and SVM to create a smaller set of features. The first nine principal components (PCs) with an accumulative contribution rate of 99.9% extracted by PCA and 21 variables selected by GA were the inputs of LDA and SVM models. The results demonstrate that the excellent classification (accuracy was 90% in a prediction set) could be achieved using a CNN method. The results also indicate variable selecting as an important step to create an accurate and robust discrimination model. The performances of LDA and SVM algorithms could be improved with spectral features extracted by PCA and GA. The GA-SVM has achieved 75% accuracy in a prediction set, while the SVM and PCA-SVM have achieved 50 and 65% accuracy, respectively. These results demonstrate that THz spectroscopy, together with machine learning methods, is an effective and satisfactory approach for classifying geographical origins of coffee beans, suggesting the techniques to tap the potential application of deep learning in the authenticity of agricultural products while expanding the application of THz spectroscopy.

Dietary self-management is an important strategy for controlling bowel symptoms after sphincter-saving surgery; however, the dietary factors influencing bowel symptoms are not completely clear. This study aimed to explore the relationship between the specific consumption of food components and bowel symptoms. This study applied a cross-sectional study design. Using convenience sampling, a total of 169 patients with rectal cancer after sphincter-saving surgery were selected from a tertiary hospital. Data were collected through three questionnaires, including general and treatment-related questionnaires, the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) bowel function scale—Chinese version, and the Food Frequency Questionnaire. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the collected data. It was found that the consumption of fruit, cholesterol, and protein and the interaction of cereals and milk products were the main dietary factors affecting bowel symptoms in patients after sphincter-saving surgery. The consumption of protein and fruit was negatively correlated with the symptoms of frequent and urgent defecation, and the consumption of fruit and protein was negatively correlated with general bowel function. The consumption of fruit was negatively correlated with the abnormal feeling of defecation, and the interaction between cereals and milk products was positively correlated with the abnormal feeling of defecation. The results of this study provide evidence for medical staff to further develop scientific dietary education programs to relieve bowel symptoms and promote the quality of life of patients in the future. More research is also needed to explore the mechanisms of the effects of different food components on bowel symptoms in patients after sphincter-saving surgery in the future.

BackgroundIt has been reported that dyslipidemia is related to coronavirus-related diseases. Critical patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who suffered from multiple organ dysfunctions were treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) in Wuhan, China. Whether the lipids profile was associated with the prognosis of COVID-19 in critical patients remained unclear.MethodsA retrospective study was performed in critical patients (N=48) with coronavirus disease 2019 in Leishenshan hospital between February and April 2020 in Wuhan. The parameters including lipid profiles, liver function, and renal function were collected on admission day, 2-3days after the admission, and the day before the achievement of clinical outcome.ResultsAlbumin value and creatine kinase (ck) value were statistically decreased at 2-3 days after admission compared with those on admission day (P

BackgroundGastric cancer (GC) is a highly heterogeneous tumor with different responses to immunotherapy. Identifying immune subtypes and landscape of GC could improve immunotherapeutic strategies.MethodsBased on the abundance of tumor-infiltrating immune cells in GC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas, we used unsupervised consensus clustering algorithm to identify robust clusters of patients, and assessed their reproducibility in an independent cohort from Gene Expression Omnibus. We further confirmed the feasibility of our immune subtypes in five independent pan-cancer cohorts. Finally, functional enrichment analyses were provided, and a deep learning model studying the pathological images was constructed to identify the immune subtypes.ResultsWe identified and validated three reproducible immune subtypes presented with diverse components of tumor-infiltrating immune cells, molecular features, and clinical characteristics. An immune-inflamed subtype 3, with better prognosis and the highest immune score, had the highest abundance of CD8+ T cells, CD4+ T–activated cells, follicular helper T cells, M1 macrophages, and NK cells among three subtypes. By contrast, an immune-excluded subtype 1, with the worst prognosis and the highest stromal score, demonstrated the highest infiltration of CD4+ T resting cells, regulatory T cells, B cells, and dendritic cells, while an immune-desert subtype 2, with an intermediate prognosis and the lowest immune score, demonstrated the highest infiltration of M2 macrophages and mast cells, and the lowest infiltration of M1 macrophages. Besides, higher proportion of EVB and MSI of TCGA molecular subtyping, over expression of CTLA4, PD1, PDL1, and TP53, and low expression of JAK1 were observed in immune subtype 3, which consisted with the results from Gene Set Enrichment Analysis. These subtypes may suggest different immunotherapy strategies. Finally, deep learning can predict the immune subtypes well.ConclusionThis study offers a conceptual frame to better understand the tumor immune microenvironment of GC. Future work is required to estimate its reference value for the design of immune-related studies and immunotherapy selection.

Abstract Emerging evidence suggested that epigenetic regulators can exhibit both activator and repressor activities in gene transcriptional regulation and disease development, such as cancer. However, how these dual activities are regulated and coordinated in specific cellular contexts remains elusive. Here, it is reported that KDM5C, a repressive histone demethylase, unexpectedly activates estrogen receptor alpha (ERα)‐target genes, and meanwhile suppresses type I interferons (IFNs) and IFN‐stimulated genes (ISGs) to promote ERα‐positive breast cancer cell growth and tumorigenesis. KDM5C‐interacting protein, ZMYND8, is found to be involved in both processes. Mechanistically, KDM5C binds to active enhancers and recruits the P‐TEFb complex to activate ERα‐target genes, while inhibits TBK1 phosphorylation in the cytosol to repress type I IFNs and ISGs. Pharmacological inhibition of both ERα and KDM5C is effective in inhibiting cell growth and tumorigenesis. Taken together, it is revealed that the dual activator and repressor nature of an epigenetic regulator together contributes to cancer development.

Adolescent development of prefrontal cortex (PFC) parallels maturation of executive functions as well as increasing white matter and myelination. Studies using MRI and other methods find that PFC white matter increases across adolescence into adulthood in both humans and rodents. Adolescent binge drinking is common and has been found to alter adult behaviors and PFC functions. This study examines development of oligoprogenitor (OPC) and oligodendrocytes (OLs) in Wistar rats from adolescence to adulthood within PFC white matter, corpus callosum forceps minor (fmi), PFC gray matter, and the neurogenic subventricular zone (SVZ) using immunohistochemistry for marker proteins. In addition, the effects of adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure [AIE; 5.0 g/kg/day, intragastric, 2 days on/2 days off on postnatal day (P)25–54], which is a weekend binge drinking model, were determined. OPC markers NG2+, PDGFRα+ and Olig2+IHC were differentially impacted by both age and PFC region. In both fmi and SVZ, NG2+IHC cells declined from adolescence to adulthood with AIE increasing adult NG2+IHC cells and their association with microglial marker Iba1. PFC gray matter decline in NG2+IHC in adulthood was not altered by AIE. Both adult maturation and AIE impacted OL expression of PLP+, MBP+, MAG+, MOG+, CNPase+, Olig1+, and Olig2+IHC in all three PFC regions, but in region- and marker-specific patterns. These findings are consistent with PFC region-specific changes in OPC and OL markers from adolescence to adulthood as well as following AIE that could contribute to lasting changes in PFC function.

Photocatalytic nitrogen fixation represents an effective technology for the artificial production of ammonia from atmospheric nitrogen, a critical step toward a sustainable economy. Bismuth oxyhalides (BiOX, X = Cl, Br, and I) have emerged as viable catalysts for photocatalytic reduction of nitrogen into ammonia, due to their unique electronic structures and optical properties. Herein, the recent progress of BiOX‐based photocatalysts for nitrogen fixation, with a focus on the reaction mechanism and pathways, materials preparation, and strategies of structural engineering for enhanced performance, is summarized. The article is concluded with a perspective where the promises and challenges of bismuth‐based photocatalysts for nitrogen reduction to ammonia are highlighted, along with possible future research directions.

Redox plays a central part in the pathogeneses and development of tumors. We comprehensively determined the expression patterns of redox-related genes (RRGs) in endometrial carcinoma (EC) cohorts from public databases and identified four different RRG-related clusters. The prognosis and the characteristics of TME cell infiltration of RRGcluster C patients were worse than those of other RRG clusters. When it comes to the gene cluster, there were great differences in clinicopathology traits and immunocyte infiltration. The RRG score was calculated by Cox analyses, and an RRG-based signature was developed. The risk score performed well in the EC cohort. Samples were separated into two risk subgroups with the standard of the value of the median risk score. Low-risk patients had a better prognosis and higher immunogenicity. In addition, RRG score was closely associated with immunophenoscore, microsatellite instability, tumor mutation burden, tumor stem cell index, copy number variation and chemotherapy sensitivity. The nomogram accurately predicted the prognosis of patients, and our model showed better performance than other published models. In conclusion, we built a prognostic model of RRGs which can help to evaluate clinical outcomes and guide more effective treatment.

Dwarfing rootstocks are a valuable genetic resource for managing high-density plantations. The selection of the appropriate scion/rootstock combination is key to improving crop performance and sustainable production in a particular environment and specific training systems. ‘Shatangju’ mandarin scion cultivar grafted onto ‘Flying Dragon’ rootstock tends to be dwarfing and develops short stature plants. To obtain insight into potential mechanisms underlying rootstock-induced dwarfing effects, we conducted a rootstock trial to examine the influence of 11 different rootstocks based on their growth vigor, antioxidants, and hormonal levels of the scion cultivar. The phenotypic observations revealed that size reduction in the ‘Flying Dragon’ rootstock is due to lower node number, shorter internodal length, and a reduced trunk diameter of the scion compared with more vigorous rootstocks. Antioxidant analysis showed that ‘Shatangju’ mandarin grafted onto ’Flying Dragon’ and ‘Trifoliate Orange’ rootstock had significantly lower peroxidase (POD) activity than other tested rootstocks. The hormonal analysis indicated that there were markedly lower amounts of abscisic acid (ABA) in ‘Shatangju’ mandarin grafted with ‘Flying Dragon’ rootstock. In addition, trees grafted with ‘Sour Pummelo’ and ‘Flying Dragon’ depicted minimum amounts of gibberellins (GA24). Moreover, several metabolites associated with organic acids, flavonoids, amino acids, and alkaloids responded differently in plants grafted with ‘Flying Dragon’ (dwarfing) and ‘Shatang Mandarin’ (vigorous) rootstocks. This study concluded that ‘Flying Dragon’ rootstock with a strong dwarfing effect has been proposed to improve high-density cultivation methods. These findings will provide useful insights for future research associated with rootstock-mediated dwarfing mechanisms of citrus rootstocks.

∆Np63α is a key transcription factor overexpressed in types of squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), which represses epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cell migration. In this study, we found that CDK1 phosphorylates ∆Np63α at the T123 site, impairing its affinity to the target promoters of its downstream genes and its regulation of them in turn. Database analysis revealed that CDK1 is overexpressed in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs), especially the metastatic HNSCCs, and is negatively correlated with overall survival. We further found that CDK1 promotes the EMT and migration of HNSCC cells by inhibiting ∆Np63α. Altogether, our study identified CDK1 as a novel regulator of ΔNp63α, which can modulate EMT and cell migration in HNSCCs. Our findings will help to elucidate the migration mechanism of HNSCC cells.

Periodic behaviors of solar magnetic indicators might provide a clue for the understanding of solar dynamic processes. Combining with a Lomb–Scargle periodogram, the concentration of frequency and time via a multitapered synchrosqueezed transform is applied to investigate the periodic variations of modified coronal index for the time interval from 1 January 1939 to 31 August 2020. The main results are as follows: (1) During solar cycles 19 to 23, the Schwabe cycle of the modified coronal index is operating with its length variating between 10.5 and 11-yr, and the average value of length is 10.67-yr with standard deviation of 0.14-yr. (2) The Rieger-type periods are mainly distributed in a range from 120 to 200 days. In addition, the periods vary somewhat intermittently during cycles 18 to 24, which are operating with the highest power in cycles 21 and 22 while the power is much lower in cycles 23 and 24. (3) For rotation periods, the temporal variation exhibits a highly intermittent pattern as an asymmetrical distribution with its 25th, 50th, and 75th quantile of 26, 27.8, and 31-day, respectively. (4) Other mid-range periods are also detected with an average period length of 8.07, 5.44, 3.42, 2.3, and 1.01-yr.

Because of its simplicity, reliability, and sensitivity, the drift tube ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) has been recognized as the equipment of choice for the on-site monitoring and identification of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). However, the performance of handheld IMS is often limited by the size, weight, and drift voltage, which heavily determine the sensitivity and resolving power that is crucial for the detection and identification of VOCs. In this work, we present a low-cost, miniaturized drift tube ion mobility spectrometer incorporated with a miniaturized UV ionization lamp and a relatively low drift voltage. The sensitivity and resolving power are boosted with the implementation of Fourier deconvolution multiplexing compared to the conventional signal averaging data acquisition method. The drift tube provides a high resolving power of up to 52 at a drift length of 41 mm, 10 mm ID dimensions, and a drift voltage of 1.57 kV. Acetone, benzene, dimethyl methyl phosphonate, methyl salicylate, and acetic acid were evaluated in the developed spectrometer and showed satisfactory performance.

The mycelium biofloc bioaugmented by Cordyceps strain C058 effectively purifies water, which may be related to the synthesis of extracellular polymer substances. To verify this conjecture, we analyzed the changes in extracellular polymer substances content in the mycelium biofloc under various hydraulic retention times (36 h, 18 h, and 11 h). The microstructure and microflora composition were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope and high-throughput sequencing. The ordinary biofloc without bioaugmentation was taken as a control. The results showed that under the above hydraulic retention time, the extracellular polymer substances contents of the mycelium biofloc were 51.20, 55.89, and 33.84 mg/g, respectively, higher than that of the ordinary biofloc (14.58, 15.72, and 18.19 mg/g). The protein content or the polysaccharide content also followed the same trend. Meanwhile, the sedimentation performance of the mycelium biofloc was better than that of the ordinary biofloc, attributed to the content of the extracellular polymer substances. It is worth noting that C058 is the main biofloc content, which promotes the synthesis of extracellular polymer substances in the mycelium biofloc. Other functional microorganisms in the mycelium biofloc were Janthinobacterium, Phormidium, Leptolyngbya, Hymenobacter, and Spirotrichea, which also promote the synthesis of extracellular polymer substances.

A tunable dual-wavelength with two separated twin-pulse dissipative solitons (DSs) of Yb-doped mode-locked fiber laser in the all-normal-dispersion (ANDi) regime is firstly reported and demonstrated in this paper. A Sagnac loop is used as an all-fiber format spectral filter in the laser cavity, and stable twin-pulse DSs with different wavelength mode-locked lasers are achieved by the nonlinear polarization evolution (NPE) effect. By adjusting the polarization state of the Sagnac loop, the spectral ranges of the dual-wavelength can be tuned from 1031.3 nm to 1041.5 nm and from 1067.1 nm to 1080.9 nm, respectively. However, the pulse space between the two separated twin-pulse DSs is maintained, i.e., 41.63 ns. Furthermore, the twin-pulse can regress to the single-pulse when the pump power keeps dropping. It has been observed that the highest energy of the two twin-pulse DSs output is 23.36 nJ at a repetition rate of 2.282 MHz with a maximum pump power of 560 mW.

No consensus has yet been reached on the associations of lipid variability (LV) with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and all-cause mortality. We aimed to quantify the associations of different types and metrics of LV with CVDs and all-cause mortality. PubMed, Medline, and Embase databases were searched for eligible cohort studies published until 14 December 2021. Lipids included total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides (TG). Metrics of variability included standard deviation (SD), coefficient of variation (CV), and variation independent of the mean (VIM). The primary outcomes were CVDs and all-cause mortality. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to generate a summary of the relative risks (SRRs). Sources of heterogeneity were explored by subgroup analysis and meta-regression. A total of 11 articles based on seven cohorts were included. Participants in the top quartile of TC variability had an increased risk of CVDs (vs. bottom quartile: TC-CV: SRR 1.29, 95% CI 1.15-1.45; TC-SD: 1.28, 1.15–1.43; TC-VIM: 1.26, 1.13–1.41, respectively) and all-cause mortality (vs. bottom quartile: TC-CV: 1.28, 1.15–1.42; TC-SD: 1.32, 1.22–1.44; TC-VIM: 1.32, 1.25–1.40, respectively). Participants in the top quartile of HDL-C variability had an increased risk of CVDs (vs. bottom quartile: HDL-C-CV: 1.11, 1.07–1.15; HDL-C-SD: 1.18, 1.02–1.38; HDL-C-VIM: 1.18, 1.09–1.27, respectively) and all-cause mortality (vs. bottom quartile: HDL-C-CV: 1.29, 1.27–1.31; HDL-C-SD: 1.24, 1.09–1.41; HDL-C-VIM: 1.25, 1.22–1.27, respectively). LDL-C variability was also associated with an increased risk of CVDs (for top vs. bottom quartile; LDL-C-SD: 1.09, 1.02–1.17; LDL-C-VIM: 1.16, 1.02–1.32, respectively) and all-cause mortality (for top vs. bottom quartile; LDL-C-CV: 1.19, 1.04–1.36; LDL-C-SD: 1.17, 1.09–1.26, respectively). The relationships of TG variability with the risk of CVDs and all-cause mortality were inconclusive across different metrics. The effects of SRR became stronger when analyses were restricted to studies that adjusted for lipid-lowering medication and unadjusted for mean lipid levels. These findings indicate that the measurement and surveillance of lipid variability might have important clinical implications for risk assessment of CVDs and all-cause mortality.

Following the occurrence of a typhoon, quick damage assessment can facilitate the quick dispatch of house repair and disaster insurance works. Employing a deep learning method, this study used aerial photos of the Chiba prefecture obtained following Typhoon Faxai in 2019, to automatically detect and evaluate the roof damage. This study comprised three parts: training a deep learning model, detecting the roof damage using a trained model, and classifying the level of roof damage. The detection object comprised a roof outline, blue tarps, and a completely destroyed roof. The roofs were divided into three categories: without damage, with blue tarps, and completely destroyed. The F value obtained using the proposed method was higher than those obtained using other methods. In addition, it can be further divided into five levels from levels 0 to 4. Finally, the spatial distribution of the roof damage was analyzed using ArcGIS tools. The proposed method is expected to provide a certain reference for real-time detection of roof damage after the occurrence of a typhoon.

Contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) localize in the biome in variable combinations of complex mixtures that are often environmentally persistent, bioaccumulate and biomagnify, prompting a need for extensive monitoring. Many cosmetics include UV filters that are listed as CECs, such as benzophenone derivatives (oxybenzone, OXYB), cinnamates (2-ethylhexyl 4-methoxycinnamate, EMC) and camphor derivatives (4-methylbenzylidene-camphor, 4MBC). Furthermore, in numerous water sources, these UV filters have been detected together with Bisphenols (BPs), which are commonly used in plastics and can be physiologically detrimental. We utilized bioluminescent bacteria (Microtox assay) to monitor these CEC mixtures at environmentally relevant doses, and performed the first systematic study involving three sunscreen components (OXYB, 4MBC and EMC) and three BPs (BPA, BPS or BPF). Moreover, a breast cell line and cell viability assay were employed to determine the possible effect of these mixtures on human cells. Toxicity modeling, with concentration addition (CA) and independent action (IA) approaches, was performed, followed by data interpretation using Model Deviation Ratio (MDR) evaluation. The results show that UV filter sunscreen constituents and BPs interact at environmentally relevant concentrations. Of notable interest, mixtures containing any pair of three BPs (e.g., BPA + BPS, BPA + BPF and BPS + BPF), together with one sunscreen component (OXYB, 4MBC or EMC), showed strong synergy or overadditive effects. On the other hand, mixtures containing two UV filters (any pair of OXYB, 4MBC and EMC) and one BP (BPA, BPS or BPF) had a strong propensity towards concentration dependent underestimation. The three-component mixtures of UV filters (4MBC, EMC and OXYB) acted in an antagonistic manner toward each other, which was confirmed using a human cell line model. This study is one of the most comprehensive involving sunscreen constituents and BPs in complex mixtures, and provides new insights into potentially important interactions between these compounds.

Cathode materials have impeded the development of aqueous Zn batteries (AZBs) for a long time due to their low capacity and poor cycling stability. Here, a “two birds with one stone” strategy is devised to optimize the Ni–Co hydroxide cathode material (NCH) for AZBs, which plays an essential role in both composition adjustment and morphology majorization. The F-doped Ni–Co hydroxide (FNCH) exhibits a unique nanoarray structure consisting of the 2D flake-like unit, furnishing abundant active sites for the redox reaction. A series of analyses prove that FNCH delivers improved electrical conductivity and enhanced electrochemical activity. Contributing to the unique morphology and adjusted characteristics, FNCH presents a higher discharge-specific capacity, more advantageous rate capability and competitive cycling stability than NCH. As a result, an aqueous Zn battery assembled with a FNCH cathode and Zn anode exhibits a high capacity of 0.23 mAh cm−2 at 1 mA cm−2, and retains 0.10 mAh cm−2 at 10 mA cm−2. More importantly, the FNCH–Zn battery demonstrates no capacity decay after 3000 cycles with a conspicuous capacity of 0.15 mAh cm−2 at 8 mA cm−2, indicating a superior cycling performance. This work provides a facile approach to develop high-performance cathodes for aqueous Zn batteries.

The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway is a well-conserved intracellular signal transduction pathway, and has important roles in mammalian reproduction. However, it is unknown whether MAPK also regulates insect reproductive mechanisms. Therefore, we investigated the role of the MAPK signaling pathway in ovarian growth and oviposition in the cabbage beetle Colaphellus bowringi, an economically important pest of Cruciferous vegetables. As an initial step, 14 genes from the extracellular regulated protein kinase (ERK), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38 MAPK (P38) cascades were knocked down using RNA interference (RNAi). The results revealed that RNAi knockdown of MAPK-ERK kinase (MEK), ERK, Kinase suppressor of RAS 2 (KSR2), and P38 induced ovarian development stagnation, low fecundity, and decreased longevity, which indicate that ERK and P38 signaling pathways are important for female C. bowringi survival and reproduction. The potential regulatory role of ERK and P38 pathways in the female reproductive process was investigated using quantitative real-time PCR. We found that ERK pathway possibly regulated ecdysone biosynthesis and P38 pathway possibly involved in the germline stem cell (GSC) development and differentiation. Our findings demonstrated the importance of the MAPK signaling pathway in the female reproduction of insects, and further enhanced the molecular mechanism of female reproductive regulation in insects.

For the axial stretching fiber laser hydrophone, a fiber laser is often exposed to flexural interference. A theoretical model for the flexural vibration of a fiber laser was therefore constructed in this paper to explore the low frequency anti-interference mechanism for the frequency response of an axially tensioned fiber laser hydrophone (FLH). A specific packaging structure was used for finite element comparison and simulation. Packaged FLHs were tested for frequency response. The simulation and test results reveal that the flexible attachment at both ends of a fiber laser leads to lower amplitude of flexural vibration compared with rigid attachment, which therefore promotes a flat acoustic response curve of an FLH. The analysis given in this paper can be taken as a basis for improving the packaging technique.

Background The rapid expansion of urbanization leads to significant losses of soil ecological functions. Microbes directly participate in key soil processes and play crucial roles in maintaining soil functions. However, we still have a limited understanding of underlying mechanisms shaping microbial communities and the interactions among microbial taxa in park soils. Methods In this study, the community variations of bacteria and fungi in urban and suburban park soils were investigated in Shanghai, China. Real-time PCR and high-throughput Illumina sequencing were used to examine the microbial abundance and community composition, respectively. Results The results showed that soil molecular biomass and fungal abundance in urban park soils were significantly higher than those in suburban park soils, while no significant difference was observed in the bacterial abundance between urban and suburban park soils. The alpha diversity of soil microbes in urban and suburban park soils was similar to each other, except for Chao1 index of fungal communities. The results of similarity analysis (ANOSIM) revealed remarkable differences in the composition of bacterial and fungal communities between urban and suburban park soils. Specifically, park soils in urban areas were enriched with the phyla Methylomirabilota and Verrucomicrobiota, while the relative abundance of Gemmatimonadota was higher in suburban park soils. Moreover, the fungal class Eurotiomycetes was also enriched in urban park soils. Compared with suburban park soils, nodes and average paths of the bacterial and fungal networks were higher in urban park soils, but the number of module hubs and connectors of the bacterial networks and negative interactions among bacterial taxa were lower. Compared with suburban park soils, Acidobacteriota bacterium and Mortierellomycota fungus played more important roles in the ecological networks of urban park soils. Soil available zinc (Zn), available nitrogen (N), pH, and total potassium (K) significantly affected fungal community composition in park soils in Shanghai. Soil available Zn was also the most important factor affecting the bacterial community composition in this study. Conclusion There were significant differences in the soil molecular biomass, fungal abundance, and the community composition and co-occurrence relations of both soil bacterial and fungal communities between urban and suburban park soils. Soil available Zn played an important part in shaping the structures of both the bacterial and fungal communities in park soils in Shanghai.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a disorder of impaired glucoregulation due to lymphocyte-driven pancreatic autoimmunity. Mobilizing dendritic cells (DC) in vivo to acquire tolerogenic activity is an attractive therapeutic approach as it results in multiple and overlapping immunosuppressive mechanisms. Delivery of agents that can achieve this, in the form of micro/nanoparticles, has successfully prevented a number of autoimmune conditions in vivo. Most of these formulations, however, do not establish multiple layers of immunoregulation. all-trans retinoic acid (RA) together with transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFβ1), in contrast, has been shown to promote such mechanisms. When delivered in separate nanoparticle vehicles, they successfully prevent the progression of early-onset T1D autoimmunity in vivo. Herein, we show that the approach can be simplified into a single microparticle formulation of RA + TGFβ1 with surface decoration with the T1D-relevant insulin autoantigen. We show that the onset of hyperglycemia is prevented when administered into non-obese diabetic mice that are at the mid-stage of active islet-selective autoimmunity. Unexpectedly, the preventive effects do not seem to be mediated by increased numbers of regulatory T-lymphocytes inside the pancreatic lymph nodes, at least following acute administration of microparticles. Instead, we observed a mild increase in the frequency of regulatory B-lymphocytes inside the mesenteric lymph nodes. These data suggest additional and potentially-novel mechanisms that RA and TGFβ1 could be modulating to prevent progression of mid-stage autoimmunity to overt T1D. Our data further strengthen the rationale to develop RA+TGFβ1-based micro/nanoparticle “vaccines” as possible treatments of pre-symptomatic and new-onset T1D autoimmunity.

Increasing studies show that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play essential roles in various fundamental biological processes. Long non-coding RNA growth arrest-specific transcript 5 (GAS5) showed differential expressions between young and old mouse brains in our previous RNA-Seq data, suggesting its potential role in senescence and brain aging. Examination using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction revealed that GAS5 had a significantly higher expression level in the old mouse brain hippocampus region than the young one. Cellular fractionation using hippocampus-derived HT22 cell line confirmed its nucleoplasm and cytoplasm subcellular localization. Overexpression or knockdown of GAS5 in HT22 cell line revealed that GAS5 inhibits cell cycle progression and promotes cell apoptosis. RNA-Seq analysis of GAS5-knockdown HT22 cells identified differentially expressed genes related to cell proliferation (e.g., DNA replication and nucleosome assembly biological processes). RNA pull-down assay using mouse brain hippocampus tissues showed that potential GAS5 interacting proteins could be enriched into several Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways, and some of them are involved in senescence-associated diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. These results contribute to understand better the underlying functional network of GAS5 and its interacting proteins in senescence at brain tissue and brain-derived cell line levels. Our study may also provide a reference for developing diagnostic and clinic biomarkers of GAS5 in senescence and brain aging.

Echogenic intracardiac focus (EIF) is one of the most common ultrasound soft markers (USMs) in prenatal screening. However, the association of EIF with chromosomal abnormalities is still controversial. From January 2018 to April 2020, a total of 571 fetuses with USMs in our center were enrolled, among which 150 (26.27%) presented EIFs. We analyzed the karyotype anomalies and copy number variations (CNVs) in fetuses who presented EIFs by comparing their ultrasound indications, maternal ages and gestational stages. There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of chromosomal abnormalities between fetuses with EIFs and the fetuses with USMs (4.00 vs. 7.71%, p = 0.112). Additionally, the incidence of chromosomal abnormalities was not related to maternal age (4.10% in maternal age below 35 yeas vs. 3.57% in maternal age above 35, p = 1.000). Interestingly, after 28 weeks of gestation, fetuses with EIFs showed more chromosomal abnormalities (20.00%) than that in the group before 28 weeks of gestation (2.22%, p = 0.014), and this result was attributed to the detection of pathogenic CNVs. After birth, 25 of children conducted cardiac development re-examination. Among them, 9 (36%, 9/25) were diagnosed with congenital heart disease, primarily patent foramen oval and ventricular septal defects (7/9, 77.77%). We concluded that the appearance of EIFs in early or mid-trimester would not indicate an increased risk of fetal chromosomal abnormalities. However, the persistence of EIFs in late trimester was associated with a higher risk of pathology-related CNVs and its persistent appearance may indicate heart development defects after birth. Thus, our results suggest that CNV detection has its advantages in prenatal diagnosis, especially for those with EIFs that persist in the third trimester.

Abstract Recently, numerous species of aquatic invertebrates inhabiting wetlands have been shown to possess endogenous cellulase, following the discovery that termites have cellulase genes encoded in their own genome rather than relying on symbiotic bacteria for decomposing cellulose. Wetlands have been empirically shown to play an important role in the decomposition of land‐originating hard‐to‐degrade polysaccharides such as cellulose. However, the mechanism that connects the cellulase producer and the wetlands remains unknown, which makes it very difficult to evaluate the ecological function of wetlands. Here we found that a macrobenthic bivalve, Corbicula japonica, secretes its cellulase to the wetland sediment. Secreted cellulases are immobilized in the components of the sediment. Moreover, adding cellulose or glucose to C. japonica could trigger its cellulase secretion level. These findings suggest a novel wetland cellulose decomposition mechanism. The decomposition ability of wetlands was previously ascribed only to microbes and/or invertebrates that contain cellulases. Our findings suggest that benthic animals supply wetlands with their enzymes as decomposition agents, while wetland sediments serve as immobilization scaffolds for the enzymes. This system, which was named by us an “environmental bioreactor system,” could provide a key function in wetlands.

Abstract Aim To examine the association of resident characteristics, staff mealtime assistance and environmental stimulation with the pace of food intake. Design A secondary analysis of 36 baseline eating videos involving 19 nursing assistants and 15 residents with dementia in eight nursing homes from a communication intervention study. Methods The outcome variable was the pace of food intake (the number of bites and drinks per minute). The exploratory variables were resident characteristics (age, gender, dementia stage and eating performance), staff mealtime assistance (frequency of verbal, visual, partial and full physical assistance) and environmental stimulation. Multi‐level models were used to examine the association. Results A faster pace of food intake is associated with being male, better eating performance, staff provision of visual and physical assistance and better quality of environmental stimulation that involved interaction. The pace of food intake was not associated with resident age, staff verbal assistance or partial physical assistance.

While water splitting offers a carbon-neutral means to store energy, water oxidation is sluggish and corrosive over earth-abundant electrocatalysts. Here, authors show single ruthenium atoms over cobalt-iron layered double hydroxides to be effective and stable oxygen evolution electrocatalysts.

G-protein-gated inward rectifying potassium channels (GIRKs) require Gβγ subunits and phosphorylated phosphatidylinositides (PIPs) for gating. Here authors use native ion mobility mass spectrometry to monitor small molecule binding events to GIRK2 and shed light on the selectivity of GIRK2 towards PIPs.

Tyrosine phosphatase SHP2 is a promising drug target in cancer immunotherapy due to its bidirectional role in both tumor growth promotion and T-cell inactivation. Its allosteric inhibitor SHP099 is known to inhibit cancer cell growth both in vitro and in vivo. However, whether SHP099-mediated SHP2 inhibition retards tumor growth in vivo via anti-tumor immunity remains elusive. To address this, a CT-26 colon cancer xenograft model was established in mice since this cell line is insensitive to SHP099. Consequently, SHP099 minimally affected CT-26 tumor growth in immuno-deficient nude mice, but significantly decreased the tumor burden in CT-26 tumor-bearing mice with intact immune system. SHP099 augmented anti-tumor immunity, as shown by the elevated proportion of CD8+IFN-γ+ T cells and the upregulation of cytotoxic T-cell related genes including Granzyme B andPerforin, which decreased the tumor load. In addition, tumor growth in mice with SHP2-deficient T-cells was markedly slowed down because of enhanced anti-tumor responses. Finally, the combination of SHP099 and anti-PD-1 antibody showed a higher therapeutic efficacy than either monotherapy in controlling tumor growth in two colon cancer xenograft models, indicating that these agents complement each other. Our study suggests that SHP2 inhibitor SHP099 is a promising candidate drug for cancer immunotherapy. KEY WORDS: Cancer immunotherapy, SHP2, SHP099, PD-1, Colon cancer

Photovoltaic (PV) panel has been widely used in many spectrum splitting systems. However the spectrum splitting normally discussed only with photocurrent. In this paper, the relationship between the current-voltage (I-V) curve and the irradiation spectrum is discussed by combining the single diode model. An explicit elementary analytical model with two defined shape parameters is improved with three approximations and second order Taylor expansion. The relationship between the physical parameters and the condition parameters is applied to extract the shape parameters at different scenarios. Considering the aging effect, the process of calculation to predict I-V curve is simplified as follow: (1) two shape parameters are gotten from I-V data at measurement reference conditions (MRC); (2) short circuit current, open circuit voltage and shape parameters under any splitting spectrum can be calculated based on the relationship provided in article; (3) the performance of PV panel can be predicted with parameters. The validation of this model was experimentally proven leveraging monocrystalline silicon photovoltaic module with different splitting films. Moreover, the presented model performs superior compared to other investigated models when looking at accuracy and simplicity. Keywords: Photovoltaic panel, Explicit model, Spectrum splitting, I-V characteristic prediction, Shape parameter

Fusarium graminearum is a fungal pathogen of wheat and other cereals. Here the authors identify a gene cluster in F. graminearum encoding the production of a non-ribosomal peptide that is required for infection of wheat through cell-to-cell penetration.

Despite that the accuracy and efficiency of stereo matching technology have significantly improved in the past decades, the issue of edge-blurring remains a challenge to most of the existing approaches. In this paper, we propose a minimum spanning tree (MST) based stereo matching method by using the image edge and segmentation optimization to preserve the image boundary. We first exploit a fast disparity range estimation method by combining the Surf and Akaze feature points to improve the computational efficiency. Second, we utilize the image edges and brightness information to generate a self-adaptive weight function, which is able to significantly improve the accuracy of MST aggregating in the regions of complex texture and boundaries with similar color distribution. Third, we employ the image segmentation to extract the invalid regions of the estimated disparity map, and propose a post-processing scheme to refine the disparity result. Finally, we run our method on several Middlebury and KITTI datasets. The comparison results between our method and other state-of-the-art approaches demonstrate that the proposed method has high accuracy for disparity computation and is especially robust to the edge-blurring.

Searchable encryption (SE) is a positive way to protect users sensitive data in cloud computing setting, while preserving search ability on the server side, i.e., it allows the server to search encrypted data without leaking information about the plaintext data. In this paper, a multi-client universal circuit-based full-blind quantum computation (FBQC) model is proposed. In order to meet the requirements of multiclient accessing or computing encrypted cloud data, all clients with limited quantum ability outsource the key generation to a trusted key center and upload their encrypted data to the data center. Considering the feasibility of physical implementation, all quantum gates in the circuit are replaced with the combination of π/8 rotation operator set {Rz(π/4), Ry(π/4), CRz(π/4), CRy(π/4), CCRz(π/4), CCRy(π/4)}. In addition, the data center is only allowed to perform one π/8 rotation operator each time, but does not know the structure of the circuit (i.e., quantum computation), soit can guarantee the blindness of computation. Then, through combining this multi-client FBQC model and Grover searching algorithm, we continue to propose a quantum searchable encryption scheme for cloud data. It solves the problem of multi-client access mode under searchable encryption in the cloud environment, and has the ability to resist against some quantum attacks. To better demonstrate our scheme, an example of our scheme to search on encrypted 2-qubit state is given in detail. Furthermore, the security of our scheme is analysed from two aspects: external attacks and internal attacks, and the result indicates that it can resist against such kinds of attacks and also guarantee the blindness of data and computation.

This paper presents a GaN based synchronous buck DC-DC converter, which monolithically integrates gate drivers and a half-bridge power stage in a 3-μm enhancement-mode (E-mode) GaN-on-Si process. The fabricated synchronous converter with integrated gate drivers is based on E-mode GaN MIS-HFETs (metal-insulator-semiconductor heterojunction-field-effect-transistors), which have a large gate swing of 10 V due to the insertion of 20 nm high-k gate insulator Al2O3. At 100 kHz, the proposed DC-DC integrated circuits (ICs) exhibit good thermal stability at high temperatures up to 250 °C for 25 V down conversion. Furthermore, four different designs (asynchronous and synchronous) including converters with external drivers were systematically evaluated at different input voltages and duty cycles, the GaN-based DC-DC converters with integrated gate drivers exhibit small voltage overshoots and oscillations due to reduced parasitic inductance and chip size. These results validate the advantages of monolithic, lateral integration of half-bridge GaN ICs with gate drivers for high temperature power converters.

With the increasing popularity of location-based services, channel state information (CSI) has received widespread attention in positioning due to the fine-grained information it provides. However, the raw amplitudes of CSI are especially sensitive to noise and easily effected by the frequency-selective fading. As the expanding of test area, positioning is disturbed by random noise and insufficient resolution of features severely. In this paper, we propose Cluster-Mapping (C-Map), an adaptive pre-processing system for CSI amplitude-based fingerprint localization. This system models positioning as a classification problem, an adaptive processing mechanism is constructed according to the characteristics of CSI amplitude. C-Map mainly contains two parts: dynamic denoising and feature enhancement. In the dynamic denoising, effective features are screened out by clustering iteratively, without specifying parameters according to the experimental environment. In the feature enhancement, polynomial fitting with regularization is used to reduce jagged fluctuations, then the trend of variation over 30 sub-carriers are described by combining derivation with nonlinear kernel function. Extensive experiments are conducted in typical environments to verify the superior performance of C-Map for the preprocessing of CSI amplitude. Compared with the combination of mean and multidimensional scaling (MDS), the average positioning error of C-Map is reduced 28.1% in comprehensive indoor environment, and 19% in garage. Furthermore, compared with the combination of DBSCAN and principal component analysis (PCA), the average positioning error of C-Map is reduced 33.1% in comprehensive indoor environment, and 28% in garage.

Zengye decoction (ZYD), a traditional Chinese medicinal formula, has been used in the treatment of various chronic diseases, such as constipation and skin dryness syndrome. Clinically, the specific mechanisms and targets of ZYD for treating disease remain unclear. The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of ZYD on the gut microbiota and host metabolites in aged constipated rats and the relationship between the intestinal microbiota and the host. Rats were divided randomly into three groups, the control group (n = 10), recovery group (n = 10) and ZYD group (n = 10). First, the aged constipation model was established for the ZYD group and recovery group. Then, rats in the ZYD group were treated with ZYD. Urinary and faecal samples of each animal were collected in microcentrifuge tubes. Next, 16s rRNA gene sequencing was employed to analyse the composition of the gut microbiome in faecal samples and afterwards the metabolic function of the altered gut microbiota was predicted. Additionally, 1H NMR profiling was used to detect the alterations of host metabolites in urine and faecal samples to verify the metabolic function results obtained from sequencing. As a result, ZYD reduced the level of harmful bacteria, such as Desulfovibrio, Ruminococcus, Prevotella and Dorea, and increased the abundance of Oxalobacter, Clostridium and Roseburia. The functional prediction of changes in the gut microbiota induced by ZYD revealed that ZYD promoted energy storage, regulated amino acid metabolism, inhibited methane metabolism, strengthened the physiological function of glutathione and reduced bacterial toxin. The 1H NMR profiles revealed that ZYD regulated the carbohydrates, short chain fatty acids, amino acids and amines in the aged constipated rats. In addition, most metabolic changes observed were related to the function of intestinal microbiota. These results suggest that ZYD can regulate the intestinal microbiota of constipated rats to normal levels and change the endogenous metabolites of the host through the intestinal microbiota to achieve therapeutic effects.

The imbalance between precipitation and water evaporation has caused crop yield reduction, drought, and desertification. Furthermore, most parts of the world are short of water, including China. We proposed a low-cost polymer multilayer film to reduce water evaporation by only passing through several sunlight wavelengths necessary for photosynthesis. A series of experiments were conducted to characterize the influence of partial sunlight on the reduction of water evaporation. Evaporation containers and evaporation pans were placed in open-air (CK), under a glass shed (GS), and under a glass-shed covered with multilayer films (GMF). Our results showed a significant reduction in water evaporation under GMF. Cumulative soil surface evaporation of CK, GS and GMF over 45 days was 80.53 mm, 68.12 mm, and 56.79 mm, respectively. Under GMF, cumulative water evaporation from soil and pan surfaces decreased by 29% and 26%. The slope (β1≠0) of simple linear regression showed a significant relationship between evaporation time and cumulative water evaporation (p = 0.000 < α = 0.05 shown in the ANOVA table). The correlation coefficient was more than 0.91 in all treatments, suggesting a strong positive linear relationship. This study may contribute to future drought resistance and agrivoltaic sustainability development.