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Abstract Instance segmentation is still challengeable to correctly distinguish different instances on overlapping, dense and large number of target objects. To address this, the authors simplify the instance segmentation problem to an instance classification problem and propose a novel end‐to‐end trained instance segmentation algorithm CotuNet. Firstly, the algorithm combines convolutional neural networks (CNN), Outlooker and Transformer to design a new hybrid Encoder (COT) to further feature extraction. It consists of extracting low‐level features of the image using CNN, which is passed through the Outlooker to extract more refined local data representations. Then global contextual information is generated by aggregating the data representations in local space using Transformer. Finally, the combination of cascaded upsampling and skip connection modules is used as Decoders (C‐UP) to enable the blend of multiple different scales of high‐resolution information to generate accurate masks. By validating on the CVPPP 2017 dataset and comparing with previous state‐of‐the‐art methods, CotuNet shows superior competitiveness and segmentation performance.

Abstract PbI6 octahedron as a fundamental framework endows the perovskite with excellent photoelectric properties, but also the defective and flimsy surface. Here, we report that the treatment of perovskite surface by bidentate ligands molecules N, N’-Dimethyl-1,2-ethanediamine can in-situ form a lead iodide chelates layer with excellently robust chelated lead octahedron, leading to effectively stabilize and passivate the underlying perovskite. The strong chelation with the lead enables the surface to largely inhibit the defects generation, iodide ion migration and skeleton collapse under external stimuli. It also prolongs the carrier lifetime and adjusts the surface energy-level of perovskite. The resultant perovskite solar cells deliver a power conversion efficiency of 25.7% (certified 25.04%) and retain >90% of their initial value after almost 1000 hours aging at maximum power point under simulated AM1.5 illumination.

An untargeted metabolomic analysis of five Eucalyptus species was used to compare their chemical profiles. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) along with multivariate analyses including principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were applied to assess variations in the leaf chemical profiles of E. maidenii F. Muell, E. robusta Smith, E. citriodora Hook (syn Corymbia citriodora), E. tereticornis Smith and E. camaldulensis Dehnh. In total, 299 relevant metabolites were identified and subjected to statistical analyses in order to detect either the major common metabolites of the genus or the specific compounds contributing to the characteristic chemical composition of each species. Organic acids, nitrogenous compounds, and phenolic constituents were the main discriminatory groups between the investigated eucalypts. The cluster analysis revealed that fatty acids and fatty alcohols were more concentrated in the leaves of E. citriodora and distinguished it from other species, whereas sugars, polyols, and glycosides were characteristic to E. camaldulensis.

The rearing system of livestock plays a vital role in animal production, meat quality, and overall welfare. This study aimed to assess the influence of cage-rearing system and forest-rearing system on the ileum microbiota, metabolome, and ileal mucosa transcriptome in meat rabbits. Moreover, 16S rDNA sequencing revealed significant differences in the ileal microbiome composition: caged rabbits exhibited a higher abundance of the genera uncultured Erysipelotrichaceae and Delftia, whereas the levels of Muribaculaceae, unclassified Burkholderiales, and uncultured Eubacteriaceae were lower compared to rabbits reared in the forest. Metabolome analysis identified 372 differentially accumulated metabolites in the ileum content, which were predominantly mapped to amino acid metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, and energy metabolism pathways. The cage-rearing system was found to positively correlate with the efficient utilization of nutrient sources. Additionally, transcriptome analysis of the ileal mucosa revealed 984 differentially expressed genes, predominantly involved in metabolic pathways, signal transduction pathways, and immune response processes. Through Pearson correlation analysis, we were able to elucidate the metabolic pathway, immune responses, and disease resistance mechanisms were affected by the rearing system. Overall, the findings suggested that metabolic adaptation, nutrient utilization, and immune response play crucial roles in how rabbits adjust to different rearing systems. While the cage system may enhance nutrient efficiency, it appears to suppress immune function and disease resistance.

Purpose: To create a diagnostic framework for clinical behavior and pathological tissue prognosis in ovarian cancer by using machine-learning (ML) methods based on multiple biomarkers. Experimental design: Overall, 713 patients with ovarian tumors at Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hospital were randomized into training and test cohorts. Four supervised ML classifiers, namely Support Vector Machine, Random Forest, k-nearest neighbor, and logistic regression were used to derive diagnostic and prognostic information from 10 parameters commonly available from pretreatment peripheral blood tests and age. The best prediction model was selected and validated by comparing the accuracy and the area under the ROC curve of each prediction model and by applying the external data of Guangdong Maternal and Child Health Center. Results: ML techniques were superior to conventional regression-based analyses in predicting multiple clinical parameters pertaining to ovarian tumor. Ensemble methods combining weak decision trees and RF showed the best reference in diagnosis, especially for malignant ovarian cancer. The values for the highest accuracy and area under the ROC curve for malignant ovarian cancer from benign or borderline ovarian tumors with RF were 99.82 % and 0.86 (micro-average ROC curve), respectively. The greatest accuracy and AUC for the diagnosis of pathological tissue with logistic regression curve were 78.0 % and 0.95 (micro-average ROC curve), respectively. In external validation, the random forest prediction model had an accuracy of 0.789 for applying data from external centers to verify tumor benignity and malignancy, and the logistic regression model had an accuracy of 0.719 for predicting the nature of the tumor. Conclusions: An ovarian tumor can be diagnosed and characterized before initial treatment via ML systems to provide critical diagnostic and prognostic information. The use of predictive algorithms can facilitate customized treatment options with patient preprocessing stratification.

The phase with composition Ti4Fe2C0.82O0.18, tetratitanium diiron carbide oxide, was unexpectedly synthesized by high-pressure sintering (HPS) of a stoichiometric mixture with nominal composition Ti2Fe. The Ti4Fe2C0.82O0.18 phase crystallizes in the Fd\overline{3}m space group and can be considered as the Ti2Fe structure filled with C and O atoms co-occupying the same octahedral void [occupancy ratio 0.82 (7):0.18 (7)]. The Ti4Fe2C0.82O0.18 phase is isotypic with Ti4Ni2C and Ti4Fe2O0.407, and is the first example where C and O atoms co-occupy the same site in filled Ti2Fe structures.

【Objective】The transparent traits in Pterophyllum scalare has high economic and scientific value. This article aims to explore the differential expression genes (DEG) between transparent gill cover (TGC) and opaque gill cover (OGC) tissues of P. scalare, and explore the relevant signaling pathways affecting the transparent gill cover traits of P. scalare, so as to provide a theoretical basis for the subsequent screening of key genes regulating the transparent gill cover trait of P. scalare and related mechanism studies.【Method】The gill cover tissue of P. scalare (strain: red-topped tri-color) was selected as the research material, and 6 samples were selected from each group of OGC and TGC. Transcriptomic sequencing was carried out based on the Illumina Novaseq 6000 sequencing platform with using Fastp to perform quality control on raw sequencing data. The transcript and the corresponding single gene (Unigene) were obtained by de novo assembling of quality control data by Trinity software, and the initial assembly sequence was deredundancy analysis and result evaluation by CD-HIT software and BUSCO software, respectively. After redundancy, unigene were functionally annotated based on sequence homology. RSEM software was used to calculate the expression of unigene in each sample. DEGs between OGC and TGC were calculated using DESeq2 software. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis was performed on DEGs using Goatools software and KOBAS software, respectively.【Result】(1) After quality control of sequencing data, the average error rate of each sample sequencing base was less than 0.1%, Q20 was higher than 97.78%, and Q30 was higher than 93.58%, and the sequencing quality was reliable. After de novo assembling, 200 303 transcripts were obtained, corresponding to 123 178 unigenes. After deredundancy analysis, a total of 147 932 transcripts are obtained, corresponding to 108 070 unigenes, with an average length of 991.85 bp and N50 is 2 430 bp. (2) A total of 40 180 unigenes were annotated in the NR, KEGG, eggNOG, GO, Pfam, and Swiss-Prot databases, accounting for 37.98% of the total, of which 10 747 genes were annotated simultaneously in 6 databases, accounting for 26.75% of the total. (3) TGC relative to OGC has a total of 432 DEGs, of which TGC significantly up-regulated 267 genes and down-regulated 165 genes relative to OGC. (4) GO enrichment results showed that 432 DEGs were mainly enriched in 5 biological pathways: IMP biosynthesis, IMP metabolism, "de novo" IMP biosynthesis, amino acid binding, and modified amino acid binding. (5) KEGG enrichment results showed that 432 DEGs were mainly enriched in 7 biological pathways: neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, tyrosine metabolism, purine metabolism, a carbon pool of folate, phenylalanine metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, ubiquinone and other terpene-quinone biosynthesis.【Conclusion】432 genes related to the transparent gill cover trait of P. scalare were obtained by transcriptomic sequencing, which were mainly involved in 12 signaling pathways. The results will provide reference for the mining and functional study of genes related to transparent gill cover trait in P. scalare.

【Objective】Butyrophilin 1A1 (BTN1A1) gene from Symphysodon aequifasciatus was cloned and its express pattern under pathological infection was analyzed, to provide basis for better understanding of the function of BTN1A1 gene in S. aequifasciatu.【Method】The structure and evolutionary characteristics of two BTN1A1 genes (BTN1A1-1 and BTN1A1-2) were analyzed by bioinformatics analysis. Based on the transcriptome data of the skin of the S. aequifasciatu obtained at early stage, the CDS regions of BTN1A1-1 and BTN1A1-2 genes were used to design the primers for gene cloning. The expressions of BTN1A1-1 gene in various tissues and its expression pattern under the stimulus of Aeromonas hydrophila were analyzed by qRT-PCR.【Result】The ORF regions of BTN1A1-1 and BTN1A1-2 were 894 and 1 275 bp, encoding 298 and 424 amino acids, respectively. Both BTN1A1-1 and BTN1A1-2 had a classical structure of BTN, which contained a signal peptide, an Ig domain, an lg_like domain and a transmembrane domain. BTN1A1-2 also had a cytoplasmic domain. BTN1A1-1 showed a closer relationship with the genes found in cichlid fish. It shared the highest homology of 94.14% with the corresponding amino acid sequences of Archocentrus centrarchus; while BTN1A1-2 showed lower similarity with other types of fish, forming a special branch. The expressions of BTN1A1-1 and BTN1A1-2 were highly in gill, intestine and skin of S. aequifasciatu. The expression of BTN1A1-1 decreased significantly and then increased after the infection of A. hydrophila, while the expression of BTN1A1-2 increased significantly and then decreased.【Conclusion】The BTN1A1-1 gene was more evolutionarily conservative than BTN1A1-2. The differential expressions of BTN1A1-1 and BTN1A1-2 in response to immune stimulation suggests that they may be functionally differentiated in the immune defence of S. aequifasciatus.

【Objective】Discus fish (Symphysodon aequifasciatus) has special parental care behavior. In the study, prolactin (PRL) gene from discus fish was cloned and localized and its expression pattern during parental care was analyzed, with an aim to provide a basis for understanding the function of PRL in parental care of discus fish.【Method】A prolactin gene named dfprl was identified by analyzing the whole genome data of the discus fish through BLASTP. The CDS region of dfprl genes were used to design the primer of gene cloing and PCR. The full length of dfprl gene was cloned by RACE technology, and the structure of dfprl gene was analyzed by bioinformatics and its amino acid sequence was analyzed by physicochemical properties and phyletic evolution. Transcriptome sequencing was performed on brain, gonad and skin of discus fish at different rearing stages to explore the expression pattern of dfprl gene during parental care. The dfprl gene in the skin of discus fish was located by paraffin-fluorescence probe-FISH.【Result】The full length of dfprl was 1 282 bp, with 639 bp cDNA sequence encoding 212 amino acids, 309 bp 5'-UTR and 334 bp 3'-UTR. The dfprl protein has the typical domain of PRL family, the Hormone_1 domain. dfprl protein is highly similar to PRL protein of other Cichlidae, and the amino acid sequence homology of dfprl with Archocentrus centrarchus prolactin (AcPRL) was the highest (96.70%). The expression level of dfprl in gonad and skin increased gradually after the parent fish entered the rearing stage, and decreased at the end of the rearing stage. The paraffin-fluorescence probe-FISH results showed that dfprl was expressed in skin mucous cells, and it was coincident with the expression site of prolactin receptor (dfprlr) and was highly expressed in the early stage of parental care.【Conclusion】The dfprl gene is highly conserved and has stable Hormone _1 domain. dfprl gene was highly expressed in the skin during the parental care stage, . and the expression sites of dfprl and dfprlr overlapped in skin mucous cells during the parental care stage of discus fish, suggesting that dfprl might be involved in the occurrence of unique parental care behavior of discus fish.

【Objective】The study was conducted to investigate the genetic diversity of Symphysodon aequifasciatus, analyze the kinship and the genetic differences of a wild population and two artificially bred blue populations, identify candidate genomic regions and loci associated with body color, and provide references for the formulation of classification system of discus fish.【Method】Whole-genome resequencing was conducted on 9 individuals from the wild population (WF), 8 individuals from the solid blue population (BF) and 10 individuals from the albino blue population (ABF), respectively. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci were obtained to calculate population genetic diversity indices, analyze population genetic structure, and perform selective sweep analysis between populations. The candidate SNPs were validated by considering SNP annotation and mutation rates combined with PCR and Sanger sequencing.【Result】A total of 1 360 293 SNPs are identified among the 3 Symphysodon aequifasciatus populations. Genetic diversity, as measured by PIC, Pi, Ho, and He, indicates a decreasing trend from the wild population to the solid blue and albino blue populations, with low heterozygosity in the selected populations. Phylogenetic tree, population structure analysis, and principal component analysis of polymorphic loci all indicate that the three populations are independent of each other and cluster within themselves. Linkage disequilibrium decay analysis indicates that the albino blue population is under significant selection pressure, followed by the solid blue population. The result of population selective sweep based on the population differentiation index (FST) and nucleotide polymorphism (Pi) reveals strong selection signals in large regions of chromosomes 3, 12, 13, 18, and 20 in the solid blue population and chromosomes 1, 16, 18, and 19 in the albino blue population. Thirteen and nine candidate SNPs are identified in the solid blue and albino blue populations, respectively.【Conclusion】The genetic diversity of the 3 Symphysodon aequifasciatus populations is relatively low, and the genetic relationships are consistent with the process of artificial breeding. USP43, FGFR2, DENND4, and MLL1 genes may be closely related to the body color formation of Symphysodon aequifasciatus.

Abstract Background Dietary rationality and health concept have certain influence on individual health level. This study aims to explore the characteristics and existing problems of Chinese residents’ health behaviors from both macro and micro perspectives, and explore the feasibility and realization path of Healthy China strategy. Methods We utilized regression models to evaluate the correlation between diet and the risk of disease causes of death. By use of the linear regression analysis model, we distinguished the impact of each dimension on health literacy index at the individual level. Then, we explored the influential factors of the diet health index using the binary logit regression model. Results Increased consumption of animal-derived foods in China has contributed to the burden of non-communicable diseases. The individuals’ health awareness is still weak, and the health literacy index is greatly affected by the diet, while the individual gender and age are positively correlated with the diet health index, and the individual body mass index (BMI) level is negatively correlated with the diet health index. Conclusions This study provided a comprehensive understanding of existing problems of Chinese residents’ health behaviors. We have proposed a path model for the implementation of the Healthy China strategy from the perspectives of “diet health, physical health, conceptual health and environmental health,” which is also a great contribution to the world.

The effects of Al and Ti on the thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) of a Ni–Fe–Cr-based superalloy, for the application of advanced ultra-supercritical (A-USC) systems, were investigated by combining the experiments and first-principles calculations. The results imply that MC/M23C6 carbides and grain boundary seem to play a minor role in the TEC of alloys due to their relatively low proportions. Al and Ti elements increase the TEC of alloys when present in γ matrix, but they decrease the TEC value by taking part in the formation of γ′ phase. When the amount of γ′ phase is low, the TEC of alloys at 600–700 °C is dominated by γ matrix, and consequently shows an increasing or constant trend with the increase of Al + Ti content. Replacing Al element with Ti element decreases the TEC of alloys in two ways: directly by reducing the TECs of γ matrix and γ′ phase, and indirectly by increasing the amount of γ′ phase. These results can provide the theoretical basis and beneficial guidelines for the composition design and optimization of low-expansion superalloys.

Precipitation strengthening is a key strengthening method for metallic materials. However, the temperature effect on precipitation strengthening is still unclear to date. Based on dislocation theory, a thermally-activated precipitation strengthening model is built by considering the competition between shear and bypass mechanisms. For medium-sized precipitate particles, the thermally-activated shear mechanism dominates the precipitation strengthening, resulting in a plateau region. While, for large or very fine precipitate particles, the thermally-activated bypass mechanism dominates the precipitation strengthening, leading to the strengthening or weakening regions. Moreover, the effects of precipitate phase volume fraction, temperature, shear modulus, strain rate, and mobile dislocation density on precipitation strengthening are also investigated. This study not only provides new insights into precipitation strengthening from the perspective of thermal activation but also offers clear guidance for the design of new materials.

Abstract Blood transfusions save lives and improve health every day. Despite the matching of blood types being stricter than it ever has been, emergency transfusions among incompatible blood types are still inevitable in the clinic when there is a lack of acceptable blood types for recipients. Here to overcome this, a counter measure nanoplatform consisting of a polymeric core coated by a red blood cell (RBC) membrane is developed. With A‐type or B‐type RBC membrane camouflaging, the nanoplatform is capable of specifically capturing anti‐A or anti‐B IgM antibodies within B‐type or A‐type whole blood, thereby decreasing the corresponding IgM antibody levels and then allowing the incompatible blood transfusions. In addition to IgM, the anti‐RBC IgG antibody in a passive immunization murine model can likewise be neutralized by this nanoplatform, leading to prolonged circulation time of incompatible donor RBCs. Noteworthily, nanoplatform made by expired RBCs (>42 days stored hypothermically) and then subjected to lyophilization does not impair their effect on antibody neutralization. Most importantly, antibody‐captured RBC‐NP do not exacerbate the risk of inflammation, complement activation, and coagulopathy in an acute hemorrhagic shock murine model. Overall, this biomimetic nanoplatform can safely neutralize the antibody to enable incompatible blood transfusion.

Background: Hypoxia-induced M1 polarization of microglia and resultant inflammation take part in the damage caused by hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Histone lactylation, a novel epigenetic modification where lactate is added to lysine residues, may play a role in HIE pathogenesis. This study investigates the role of histone lactylation in hypoxia-induced M1 microglial polarization and inflammation, aiming to provide insights for HIE treatment. Methods: In this study, we assessed the effects of hypoxia on microglial polarization using both an HIE animal model and an oxygen–glucose deprivation cell model. Histone lactylation at various lysine residues was detected by Western blotting. Microglial polarization and inflammatory cytokines were analyzed by immunofluorescence, qPCR, and Western blotting. RNA sequencing, ChIP-qPCR, and siRNA were used to elucidate mechanisms of H3K9 lactylation. Results: H3K9 lactylation increased due to cytoplasmic lactate during M1 polarization. Inhibiting P300 or reducing lactate dehydrogenase A expression decreased H3K9 lactylation, suppressing M1 polarization. Transcriptomic analysis indicated that H3K9 lactylation regulated M1 polarization via the TNF signaling pathway. ChIP-qPCR confirmed H3K9 lactylation enrichment at the TNFα locus, promoting OGD-induced M1 polarization and inflammation. Conclusions: H3K9 lactylation promotes M1 polarization and inflammation via the TNF pathway, identifying it as a potential therapeutic target for neonatal HIE.

Background: Endometrial cancer (EC) is the leading gynecological cancer worldwide, yet current EC screening approaches are not satisfying. The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the feasibility and capability of DNA methylation analysis in cervical Papanicolaou (Pap) brush samples for EC detection. Methods: We used quantitative methylation-sensitive PCR (qMS-PCR) to determine the methylation status of candidate genes in EC tissue samples, as well as cervical Pap brushes. The ability of RASSF1A and HIST1H4F to serve as diagnostic markers for EC was then examined in cervical Pap brush samples from women with endometrial lesions of varying degrees of severity. Results: Methylated RASSF1A and HIST1H4F were found in EC tissues. Further, methylation of the two genes was also observed in cervical Pap smear samples from EC patients. Methylation levels of RASSF1A and HIST1H4F increased as endometrial lesions progressed, and cervical Pap brush samples from women affected by EC exhibited significantly higher levels of methylated RASSF1A and HIST1H4F compared to noncancerous controls ( P

Abstract Defects passivation is widely devoted to improving the performance of formamidinium lead triiodide perovskite solar cells; however, the effect of various defects on the α-phase stability is still unclear. Here, using density functional theory, we first reveal the degradation pathway of the formamidinium lead triiodide perovskite from α to δ phase and investigate the effect of various defects on the energy barrier of phase transition. The simulation results predict that iodine vacancies are most likely to trigger the degradation, since they obviously reduce the energy barrier of α-to-δ phase transition and have the lowest formation energies at the perovskite surface. A water-insoluble lead oxalate compact layer is introduced on the perovskite surface to largely suppress the α-phase collapse through hindering the iodine migration and volatilization. Furthermore, this strategy largely reduces the interfacial nonradiative recombination and boosts the efficiency of the solar cells to 25.39% (certified 24.92%). Unpackaged device can maintain 92% of its initial efficiency after operation at maximum power point under simulated air mass 1.5 G irradiation for 550 h.

Single crystals of the intermetallic phase with composition Ti4Ni2C were serendipitously obtained by high-pressure sintering of a mixture with initial chemical composition Ti2Ni. The Ti4Ni2C phase crystallizes in the Fd\overline{3}m space group and can be considered as a partially filled Ti2Ni structure with the C atom occupying an octahedral void. Ti4Ni2C is isotypic with Ti4Ni2O, Nb4Ni2C and Ta4Ni2C, all of which were studied previously by means of powder diffraction.

This study investigated the effect of a Pd/C catalytic extraction process on the hydrothermal depolymerization product properties of ethanol organosolv lignin (EOL) in supercritical ethanol. Phenolic products were separated and analyzed by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and thermogravimetric (TG) analyses. The gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses of obtained liquid oil products from depolymerized EOL confirmed the presence of value-added phenolics. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the morphology of the char product. During ethanol organosolv lignin extraction, 90.5% purity of EOL was obtained. A high yield of EOL up to 39.6% from bamboo without catalysts and with higher yield of EOL up to 44.0% from 1% Pd/C catalyst under 200 °C. A high yield of liquid oil products, up to 65.4%, was recovered from EOL depolymerization under conditions of 240 °C, 240 min, 100 vol % ethanol, and 2% EOL, with only 24% solid residue. The main phenolic products were 2-methoxyphenol, 4-ethylphenol, 4-methoxy-2-methylphenol, 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol, 2,6-dimethoxy-phenol, and 2-methoxy-4-propylphenol.

Abstract Individuals’ early experiences can shape their lifelong development. Notably, healthy parenting experiences will build a good foundation for successful development, whereas inappropriate parenting experiences hinder healthy development. From the goal disengagement perspective, we propose that over-parenting can elicit individual goal disengagement in the development process, which hinders goal-pursuit behaviors. Data collected from 536 university students from China at three time points supported our hypotheses. Specifically, over-parenting promotes more career-exploration goal disengagement, inhibiting career-exploration behavior. In addition, the process mentioned above is more salient for individuals with a high need for parental approval. The theoretical and practical implications of this research are also discussed.

In this study, the effect of high-pressure quenching at 2, 3 GPa on the martensitic transformation characteristics and mechanical properties of 40Cr steel was examined using EBSD, Mössbaue, and TEM. The results reveal that the microstructure following high-pressure quenching is a mixture of lath martensite and plate martensite, with plate martensite content increasing steadily as pressure is increased. Plate martensite exhibits distinct characteristics in the 2 GPa-sample, either crossing the prior austenite grain (PAG) or growing from the grain boundary into the interior. In 3 GPa-sample, the lath and plate martensite are distributed in clusters, with the majority of adjacent laths exhibiting {112} twinning orientation relationship (OR). The number of variants was decreased from 24 for conventional quenching to 15 and the PAG size was refined to 15 μm. The percentage of M2 martensite increased from 67.71% at atmospheric pressure to 72.59% at 3 GPa, resulting in a decrease in the solid solution C content, which appears to incorporate with Cr to form fine, dispersed Cr23C6 particles. The hardness of the 3 GPa sample (807 HV) enhanced by 40%, and the compressive yield strength reached 3.5 GPa, which was three times that of conventional quenching.

Depression is a chronic, severe, and often life-threatening neurological disorder. It not only causes depression in patients and affects daily life but, in severe cases, may lead to suicidal behavior and have adverse effects on families and society. In recent years, it has been found that sub-anesthetic doses of ketamine have a rapid antidepressant effect on patients with treatment-resistant depression and can significantly reduce the suicidal tendencies of patients with major depressive disorder. Current studies suggest that ketamine may exert antidepressant effects by blocking NMDAR ion channels, but its anesthetic and psychotomimetic side effects limit its application. Here, we report efforts to design and synthesize a novel series of ketamine derivatives of NMDAR antagonists, among which compounds 23 and 24 have improved activity compared with ketamine, introducing a new direction for the development of rapid-acting antidepressant drugs.

To address the problems of existing 2D image-based imbalanced fault diagnosis methods for rolling bearings, which generate images with inadequate texture details and color degradation, this paper proposes a novel image enhancement model based on a dual-branch generative adversarial network (GAN) combining spatial and frequency domain information for an imbalanced fault diagnosis of rolling bearing. Firstly, the original vibration signals are converted into 2D time–frequency (TF) images by a continuous wavelet transform, and a dual-branch GAN model with a symmetric structure is constructed. One branch utilizes an auxiliary classification GAN (ACGAN) to process the spatial information of the TF images, while the other employs a GAN with a frequency generator and a frequency discriminator to handle the frequency information of the input images after a fast Fourier transform. Then, a shuffle attention (SA) module based on an attention mechanism is integrated into the proposed model to improve the network’s expression ability and reduce the computational burden. Simultaneously, mean square error (MSE) is integrated into the loss functions of both generators to enhance the consistency of frequency information for the generated images. Additionally, a Wasserstein distance and gradient penalty are also incorporated into the losses of the two discriminators to prevent gradient vanishing and mode collapse. Under the supervision of the frequency WGAN-GP branch, an ACWGAN-GP can generate high-quality fault samples to balance the dataset. Finally, the balanced dataset is utilized to train the auxiliary classifier to achieve fault diagnosis. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated by two rolling bearing datasets. When the imbalanced ratios of the four datasets are 0.5, 0.2, 0.1, and 0.05, respectively, their average classification accuracy reaches 99.35% on the CWRU bearing dataset. Meanwhile, the average classification accuracy reaches 96.62% on the MFS bearing dataset.

In the Al-Fe binary system, the Al13Fe3 phase as well as the Al13Fe4 phase has similar icosahedral building blocks like those appearing in quasicrystals. Therefore, it is of vital importance to clarify the formation process of these two phases. Coexistence of the Al13Fe3 and Al13Fe4 phases was discovered from the educts obtained with a nominal atomic ratio of Al/Fe of 9:2 by high-pressure sintering for the first time. Firstly, single crystal X-ray diffraction (SXRD) combined with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) measurement capabilities were adopted to determine the detailed crystal structures of both phases, which were sharply refined with regard to Al13Fe3 and Al13Fe4. Secondly, the orientation relationship between Al13Fe3 and Al13Fe4 was directly deduced from the SXRD datasets and the coexistence structure model was consequently constructed. Finally, seven pairs of parallel atomic planes and their unique orientation relations were determined from the reconstructed reciprocal space precession images. In addition, the real space structure model of the intergrowth crystal along with one kind of interfacial atomic structure were constructed from the determined orientation relations between two phases.

Although the Al2Fe phase has similar decagonal-like atomic arrangements as that of the orthorhombic Al5Fe2 phase, no evidence for intergrowth samples of Al2Fe and Al5Fe2 has been reported. In the present work, the co-existence of Al2Fe and Al5Fe2 phases has been discovered from the educts obtained with a nominal atomic ratio of Al:Fe of 2:1 by arc melting. First, single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SXRD) as well as scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) measurements have been utilized to determine the exact crystal structures of both phases, which are refined to be Al12.48Fe6.52 and Al5.72Fe2, respectively. Second, the orientation relationship between Al2Fe and Al5Fe2 has been directly deduced from the SXRD data sets, and the co-existence structure model has been constructed. Finally, four pairs of parallel atomic planes and their unique orientation relations have been determined from the reconstructed reciprocal-space precession images of (0kl), (h0l), and (hk0) layers. In addition, one kind of interface atomic structure model is constructed by the orientation relations between two phases, correspondingly.

As vital equipment in modern industry, the health state of rotating machinery influences the production process and equipment safety. However, rotating machinery generally operates in a normal state most of the time, which results in limited fault data, thus greatly constraining the performance of intelligent fault diagnosis methods. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a novel fault diagnosis method for rotating machinery with limited multisensor fusion samples based on the fused attention-guided Wasserstein generative adversarial network (WGAN). Firstly, the dimensionality of collected multisensor data is reduced to three channels by principal component analysis, and then the one-dimensional data of each channel are converted into a two-dimensional pixel matrix, of which the RGB images are obtained by fusing the three-channel two-dimensional images. Subsequently, the limited RGB samples are augmented to obtain sufficient samples utilizing the fused attention-guided WGAN combined with the gradient penalty (FAWGAN-GP) method. Lastly, the augmented samples are applied to train a residual convolutional neural network for fault diagnosis. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated by two case studies. When training samples per class are 50, 35, 25, and 15 on the KAT-bearing dataset, the average classification accuracy is 99.9%, 99.65%, 99.6%, and 98.7%, respectively. Meanwhile, the methods of multisensor fusion and the fused attention mechanism have an average improvement of 1.51% and 1.09%, respectively, by ablation experiments on the WT gearbox dataset.

Objective This study explored the mechanism of squamous cervical cancer (SCC) progression. Methods Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting were used to evaluate the expression of myosin light chain 9 ( MYL9 ) in SCC tissues and cell lines. Furthermore, Transwell and Boyden assays were used to assess the function of MYL9 in SCC progression. In addition, the levels of lactate and aerobic glycolysis were used to explore the detailed mechanism of MYL9 in SCC. Results The mRNA and protein levels of MYL9 were elevated in SCC tissues, and MYL9 knockdown inhibited the migration and invasion of SCC cell lines. A mechanistic study demonstrated that MYL9 promotes SCC migration and invasion by enhancing aerobic glycolysis and increasing the activity of the Janus kinase 2 (JAK2)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) pathway. Conclusions MYL9 was upregulated in SCC, and it enhanced JAK2/STAT3 pathway activity and promoted metastasis and glycolysis in SCC.

The intermetallic phase with composition Al0.88Cu0.94Fe0.18 was synthesized by high-temperature sintering of a mixture with initial chemical composition Al78Cu48Fe13. Al0.88Cu0.94Fe0.18 adopts the CsCl structure type in space-group Pm\overline{3}m. The structure analysis revealed that one site is co-occupied by Al and Cu with a ratio of 0.88 (5):0.12 (5) and the other is co-occupied by Fe and Cu with a ratio of 0.2 (4):0.8 (4). The Al/Cu...Fe/Cu separation is 2.5465 (13) Å.

Nowadays, communication networks are becoming increasingly complex. This paper aims to demonstrate an effective method to achieve the intelligent planning for network base stations (BSs). The various parameters such as BS coordinates (x, y), the collaboration of multiple types of BS, and the density of BS construction are taken as design parameters for BS placement. We construct the objective function using the lowest total cost and the total minimum workload of BS to 90%. To solve the problem of siting planning with large data volume and mixed placement of multiple BS, we propose a new practical three-step model for BS siting planning: (I) roughly selecting the alternative coordinates for the BS using the DBSCAN algorithm; (II) correcting and further refining the alternative BS coordinates using the K-means algorithm; (III) determining the optimal BS construction solution to meet the requirements using simulated annealing algorithm (SAA). The real data of a $2500\times 2500$ area have been used for the simulation test. The simulation result shows that BS placement covers 90.03% of the workload, confirming that the proposed method can handle site planning for large orders of magnitude of data and use a mix of BS to achieve the best economics for the demand. This paper provides basic support for future research on network site optimization.

Deep neural networks have shown excellent performance in the field of pattern classification and are widely used. However, real-world data are often cannot be obtained at once, and the knowledge of old classes will be heavily forgotten when training new classes of data on the network, which is called catastrophic forgetting. Therefore, the incremental learning method to solve this problem came into being. In this paper, we propose a class-incremental learning method based on a big data pre-trained model, which makes full use of the large amount of public knowledge in the pre-trained model’s front network to reduce the forgetting problem of the network in subsequent classification tasks. On the basis of our previous incremental learning method based on PEDCC, we discuss the effects of different pre-trained models, training strategy, training hyperparameters, etc. PEDCC-Loss is used to constrain the cosine distance between the latent feature and the pre-defined class center, and finally the joint prediction is determined by multiple network prediction results. The algorithm in this paper is verified on the CIFAR100, Tiny ImageNet, and FaceScrub datasets with and without partial retention of old samples, and achieves the best results compared to the previous typical class-incremental learning methods. The performance in coarse-grained datasets even exceeds the accuracy of non-incremental learning without pre-trained model. Code is available in https://github.com/byBinWen/Class-Incremental-Learning-Based-on-Big-Dataset-Pre-trained-Models.

Yttrium oxide with a large specific surface area (SSA) (hereafter called LSSA Y2O3) has high-porosity structure, relatively large interface, and relatively abundant active surface sites, and its optical, chemical and thermal stability properties are greatly improved compared with ordinary yttrium oxide. As a result, LSSA Y2O3 has been applied in various fields as a luminescent, catalytic, and adsorbent material, showing enormous market potential. This study creatively presents a process designed to prepare LSSA Y2O3 powders through moderate carbonation in the presence of CO2. Experimentally, CO2 was used to carbonate a yttrium hydroxide [Y(OH)3] slurry. During the initial stage of carbonation, crystalline yttrium carbonate encapsulated Y(OH)3 through heterogeneous nucleation on its surface. This encapsulation considerably improved the filterability of the carbonation product while allowing it to retain the phase structure and high-porosity morphology of Y(OH)3. Further calcination of the carbonation product produced LSSA Y2O3 with an SSA of approximately 84 m2/g. This Y2O3 powder exhibited a relatively high adsorption capacity for methyl orange and was easy to recycle and reuse, thus showing potential for use as an adsorbent. The process developed in this study for preparing LSSA Y2O3 powders through carbonation in the presence of CO2 is advantageous because it requires only moderate conditions, causes no pollution, produces products with a uniform granularity and morphology, and is easy to scale up to meet industrial demands. Therefore, this process can effectively increase the added value and market competitiveness of Y2O3 powders and provide an experimental basis and theoretical guidance for the synthesis of other rare earth (RE) compounds with large SSAs through carbonation.

Coat color is an important phenotypic characteristic of the domestic rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and has specific economic importance in the Rex rabbit industry. Coat color varies considerably among different populations of rabbits, and several causal genes for this variation have been thoroughly studied. Nevertheless, the candidate genes affecting coat color variation in Chinese Rex rabbits remained to be investigated. In this study, we collected blood samples from 250 Chinese Rex rabbits with six different coat colors. We performed genome sequencing using a restriction site-associated DNA sequencing approach. A total of 91,546 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), evenly distributed among 21 autosomes, were identified. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were performed using a mixed linear model, in which the individual polygenic effect was fitted as a random effect. We detected a total of 24 significant SNPs that were located within a genomic region on chromosome 4 (OCU4). After re-fitting the most significant SNP (OCU4:13,434,448, p = 1.31e-12) as a covariate, another near-significant SNP (OCU4:11,344,946, p = 7.03e-07) was still present. Hence, we conclude that the 2.1-Mb genomic region located between these two significant SNPs is significantly associated with coat color in Chinese Rex rabbits. The well-studied coat-color-associated agouti signaling protein (ASIP) gene is located within this region. Furthermore, low genetic differentiation was also observed among the six coat color varieties. In conclusion, our results confirmed that ASIP is a putative causal gene affecting coat color variation in Chinese Rex rabbits.

Abstract The treatment of myocardial infarction (MI) remains a substantial challenge due to excessive inflammation, massive cell death, and restricted regenerative potential, leading to maladaptive healing process and eventually heart failure. Current strategies of regulating inflammation or improving cardiac tissue regeneration have limited success. Herein, a hybrid hydrogel coassembled by acellular cardiac extracellular matrix (ECM) and immunomodulatory glycopeptide is developed for endogenous tissue regeneration after MI. The hydrogel constructs a niche recapitulating the architecture of native ECM for attracting host cell homing, controlling macrophage differentiation via glycopeptide unit, and promoting endotheliocyte proliferation by enhancing the macrophage‐endotheliocyte crosstalk, which coordinate the innate healing mechanism for cardiac tissue regeneration. In a rodent MI model, the hybrid hydrogel successfully orchestrates a proreparative response indicated by enhanced M2 macrophage polarization, increased angiogenesis, and improved cardiomyocyte survival, which alleviates infarct size, improves wall thicknesses, and enhances cardiac contractility. Furthermore, the safety and effectiveness of the hydrogel are demonstrated in a porcine MI model, wherein proteomics verifies the regulation of immune response, proangiogenesis, and accelerated healing process. Collectively, the injectable composite hydrogel serving as an immunomodulatory niche for promoting cell homing and proliferation, inflammation modulation, tissue remodeling, and function restoration provides an effective strategy for endogenous cardiac repair.

IntroductionAlthough carbohydrates and lipids are important energy substances for Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis), little is known about their synergistic effect on the growth, energy utilization characteristics and mechanisms involved in this process.MethodsA 58-d feeding experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary carbohydrate to lipid ratio (C/L) on the growth performance, biochemical indices, and metabolism-related differential gene expression of juvenile E. sinensis in both intermolt (InM) and premolt (PrM) stages. Five experimental diets were formulated with increasing dietary C/L (1.34, 2.39, 3.59, 5.52 and 9.42).ResultsThe results showed that the weight growth rate of juvenile E. sinensis was highest in dietary C/L3.59 group, which was significantly higher than that in the other groups. As dietary C/L increased, the hepatic glycogen contents increased, but triglyceride contents decreased in the hepatopancreas of E. sinensis in the InM. In both two molting stages, the activities of glycogen synthase and fatty acid synthase paralleled with their contents, respectively. Crabs in the InM showed higher contents of triglyceride and the activities of glycolytic rate-limiting enzymes but lower contents of hepatic glycogen than those in the PrM, especially in the C/L 1.34 and C/L 3.59 groups. In all dietary groups, the activities and transcription of gluconeogenesis and fatty acid synthesis related enzymes were significantly higher in the InM than those in the PrM. KEGG analysis showed that differential genes were enriched in fatty acid biosynthesis, fatty acid metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation pathway, pentose phosphate pathway, pyruvate metabolism and steroid biosynthesis between different dietary groups and molting stages.DiscussionTo conclude, the optimal dietary C/L was estimated to be 3.59 for juvenile E. sinensis based on the survival and growth performance. Compared to PrM, E. sinensis in the InM was more active in the carbohydrate metabolism (glycolysis and gluconeogenesis) and fatty acid synthesis, with more triglyceride and less glycogen accumulated in the hepatopancreas.This study could contribute to better understanding the carbohydrate and lipid metabolism between different molting stages, and optimizing the precise feed formulation for juvenile E. sinensis.

Discus fish, Symphysodon spp., have a unique parental care strategy where the fry feed on their parents’ skin mucus after hatching. Here, lipidomics was employed to compare the skin mucus lipid profiles of male or female discus fish during parental and non-parental care. By multivariate statistical analysis, clear separations were found between parental and non-parental female and between parental and non-parental male discus. In the comparison between female discus in the parental and non-parental stages, a total of 107 differentially expressed lipids (DELs) were observed, of which 23 showed increased levels during parental care. For male discus, a total of 108 DELs were found, of which 46 displayed increased levels during parental care. The main DELs were phosphatidyl ethanolamine and phosphatidylinositol, mainly involved in arachidonic acid and sphingolipid metabolism pathways. Further, by comparing parental male and female discus, we found 47 DELs involved in the glycerophospholipid metabolism pathway. Diglyceride showed a higher concentration in the skin mucus of parental females, while phospholipids showed a higher level in that of parental males. Our results revealed changes in the skin mucus lipid profiles of discus fish during parental care, as well as sex-dependent differences between parental fish.

Insulators find extensive use across diverse facets of power systems, playing a pivotal role in ensuring the security and stability of electrical transmission. Detecting insulators is a fundamental measure to secure the safety and stability of power transmission, with precise insulator positioning being a prerequisite for successful detection. To overcome challenges such as intricate insulator backgrounds, small defect scales, and notable differences in target scales that reduce detection accuracy, we propose the AC-YOLO insulator multi-defect detection network based on adaptive attention fusion. To elaborate, we introduce an adaptive weight distribution multi-head self-attention module designed to concentrate on intricacies in the features, effectively discerning between insulators and various defects. Additionally, an adaptive memory fusion detection head is incorporated to amalgamate multi-scale target features, augmenting the network’s capability to extract insulator defect characteristics. Furthermore, a CBAM attention mechanism is integrated into the backbone network to enhance the detection performance for smaller target defects. Lastly, improvements to the loss function expedite model convergence. This study involved training and evaluation using publicly available datasets for insulator defects. The experimental results reveal that the AC-YOLO model achieves a notable 5.1% enhancement in detection accuracy compared to the baseline. This approach significantly boosts detection precision, diminishes false positive rates, and fulfills real-time insulator localization requirements in power system inspections.

Distracted behavior detection is an important task in computer-assisted driving. Although deep learning has made significant progress in this area, it is still difficult to meet the requirements of the real-time analysis and processing of massive data by relying solely on local computing power. To overcome these problems, this paper proposes a driving distraction detection method based on cloud–fog computing architecture, which introduces scalable modules and a model-driven optimization based on greedy pruning. Specifically, the proposed method makes full use of cloud–fog computing to process complex driving scene data, solves the problem of local computing resource limitations, and achieves the goal of detecting distracted driving behavior in real time. In terms of feature extraction, scalable modules are used to adapt to different levels of feature extraction to effectively capture the diversity of driving behaviors. Additionally, in order to improve the performance of the model, a model-driven optimization method based on greedy pruning is introduced to optimize the model structure to obtain a lighter and more efficient model. Through verification experiments on multiple driving scene datasets such as LDDB and Statefarm, the effectiveness of the proposed driving distraction detection method is proved.

BackgroundThere is still a large demand for effective treatments to delay disease deterioration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Typical symptoms of ALS are considered “flaccidity syndrome” in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Huoling Shengji Granule (HLSJ) is a TCM formula used to treat flaccidity syndrome. Results of preclinical tests and a previous clinical study support HLSJ as a novel drug for ALS patients. This trial proposed to examine whether a 48-week course of HLSJ is effective and safe for ALS patients diagnosed with the Chinese medicine syndrome of spleen qi insufficiency and kidney yang deficiency.Methods and analysisIn this phase II, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, riluzole parallel-controlled, superiority-design study, eligible participants had the equal opportunity to be assigned to receive either HLSJ or riluzole randomly. Eleven specialized ALS centers in Mainland China will recruit 144 patients for this trial. The primary and secondary outcomes included the change in the ALSFRS-R score and the Rasch-Built Overall Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Disability Scale (ROADS) from baseline to Week 48.DiscussionHere, we endeavored to evaluate TCM for ALS using a standard evidence-based approach for the first time. In addition, the ROADS, a self-report linear-weighted questionnaire, was selected as a secondary outcome measure. We expect to offer a new reference for the outcome evaluation of ALS trials.Clinical trial registration:http://www.Chictr.org.cn, identifier ChiCTR2100044085.

ObjectiveCognitive impairment (CI) is a common disorder in patients with epilepsy (PWEs). Objective assessment method for diagnosing CI in PWEs would be beneficial in reality. This study proposed to construct a diagnostic model for CI in PWEs using the clinical and the phase locking value (PLV) functional connectivity features of the electroencephalogram (EEG).MethodsPWEs who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were divided into a cognitively normal (CON) group (n = 55) and a CI group (n = 76). The 23 clinical features and 684 PLVEEG features at the time of patient visit were screened and ranked using the Fisher score. Adaptive Boosting (AdaBoost) and Gradient Boosting Decision Tree (GBDT) were used as algorithms to construct diagnostic models of CI in PWEs either with pure clinical features, pure PLVEEG features, or combined clinical and PLVEEG features. The performance of these models was assessed using a five-fold cross-validation method.ResultsGBDT-built model with combined clinical and PLVEEG features performed the best with accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score, and an area under the curve (AUC) of 90.11, 93.40, 89.50, 91.39, and 0.95%. The top 5 features found to influence the model performance based on the Fisher scores were the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of the head for abnormalities, educational attainment, PLVEEG in the beta (β)-band C3-F4, seizure frequency, and PLVEEG in theta (θ)-band Fp1-Fz. A total of 12 of the top 5% of features exhibited statistically different PLVEEG features, while eight of which were PLVEEG features in the θ band.ConclusionThe model constructed from the combined clinical and PLVEEG features could effectively identify CI in PWEs and possess the potential as a useful objective evaluation method. The PLVEEG in the θ band could be a potential biomarker for the complementary diagnosis of CI comorbid with epilepsy.

Strength, as an important indicator of structural materials, has always been an important research topic in materials science. Theoretically, building a strength model is a rewarding method to understand the relationship between the mechanical properties and microstructure of materials. Although many strength models can reduplicate experimental values very well, they are empirical models, and their applicability is limited to materials for which empirical parameters have been obtained. Here, a non-empirical strength model is proposed based on the two-dimensional (2D) displacement potential of dislocation slipping, which can be applied to different chemically bonded crystals. Owing to the large electron localization function (ELF), covalent and ionic crystals have a high 2D displacement potential of dislocation slipping, and their dislocation slip mode prefers the kink-pair mode, further exhibiting a high critical resolved shear stress (CRSS). In contrast, metallic crystals with a small ELF have a low 2D displacement potential of dislocation slipping, and their dislocation slip mode is more inclined to the string mode, showing a low CRSS. This work provides new insights into dislocation-slipping configurations that will be useful for the development of new high-performance structural materials.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formulas can be adjusted on the basis of TCM basic theory to achieve the best curative effect, especially for diseases with complex pathogenesis, such as post-weaning diarrhea (PWD). Shugan Jianwei Sijunzi decoction (SJ-SJZD) can be recognized as modified Sijunzi Decoction (SJZD) supplemented with Astragalus mongholicus Bunge, Bupleurum chinense DC, Citrus × aurantium L., and Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge (fruit) in a fixed dosage ratio. The inactive ingredients were subsequently added to make granule, which was Shugan Jianwei Sijunzi granule (SJ-SJZG). Previous studies have confirmed the antagonism of SJ-SJZG to PWD. However, the mechanism of SJ-SJZG protective effects on small intestine in weaned Rex rabbits remained unclear. Animals were randomly divided into negative control (NC), low dose (LD), medium dose (MD), high dose (HD), and positive control (PC). SJ-SJZG significantly increased the intestinal length and the jejunum villi length. The SIgA level was statistically increased in duodenum and jejunum with the ELISA. Immunohistochemical detection showed that SIgA protein expression was also increased significantly in jejunum. Meanwhile, the relative expression of Zo1 in duodenum and jejunum of SJ-SJZG group increased significantly. SJ-SJZG significantly increased the relative expression of occludin in duodenum and jejunum as well. Moreover, real-time PCR results showed a significant increase in GLUT2 and SGLT1 relative expression in ileum. SJ-SJZG could also obviously enhance the expression of GLUT2 in jejunum and the expression of SGLT1 in duodenum. In conclusion, SJ-SJZG had been proven to be effective in promoting the development of small intestine and improving the immunity of small intestine. Moreover, SJ-SJZG could ensure the integrity of mucosal barrier and increase the ability of intestine to absorb glucose in small intestine.

The crisis anxiety of others is a phenomenon that goes hand in hand with the spread of the occupational health pandemic. It is becoming increasingly important to better understand its emergence process, especially in the era of greater uncertainty. This study aims to examine the impact of the external financial crisis on managerial stress among financial employees. The sample consists of 347 senior managers and financial employees from companies in China. The empirical analysis shows that external financial crises have significant effects on anxiety levels, especially external corporate crisis, debt crisis and growth crisis both have mediating effect on the relationship between anxiety level and pressure management and the relationship between external financial crisis and pressure management. This study explores the rules for the emergence of anxiety among corporate managers and expands the scope of environmental factors that need to be discussed in the study of corporate financial management. This study provides theoretical implications for the psychological study of Financial Management and practical implications for corporate financial management.

A djurleite crystal was discovered from a natural sample originally labelled as chalcocite. The djurleite crystal under investigation has a refined composition of Cu61.39S32, thus revealing a Cu deficiency compared to the originally reported Cu62S32 phase [Evans (1979). Z. Kristallogr. 150, 299–320], where all atomic sites are reported to be fully occupied. In addition, the current refinement revealed a splitting of eight of the Cu sites into pairs.

Changes in modern lifestyle provoke a series of metabolic stresses such as hyperlipidemia. Excessive free fatty acids induce cardiomyocyte metabolic reprogramming and rearrangement of the lipid content of cardiomyocyte and promote oxidative stress. As a newly defined lipid peroxidation-related cell death pathway, the role of ferroptosis in metabolic stress-induced cardiomyocyte injury is poorly revealed. Our work indicates that GSK-J4, a histone lysine demethylase 6A/6B dual inhibitor, can alleviate palmitic acid (PA)-induced hypersensitivity to ferroptosis by suppressing H3K27 demethylation. Mechanistically, PA stimulation reduces the H3K27me3 level and hence promotes the expression of ACSL4, a key lipid modulator of ferroptosis. GSK-J4 pretreatment significantly preserves the H3K27me3 level and reduces the ACSL4 level. GSK-J4 also reduces reactive oxygen species to alleviate oxidative stress, which further decreases lipid peroxidation. Taken together, our data suggest that cardiomyocyte undergoes epigenetic reprogramming under metabolic challenges, rearranging lipid content, and sensitizing to ferroptosis. GSK-J4 can be a potential drug for treating hyperlipidemia-induced cardiomyocyte injury by targeting epigenetic modulations.

To investigate the effects of dietary astaxanthin on fish growth and body color, blood parrotfish juveniles were assigned to three groups: control (CL), fed a diet without astaxanthin supplementation for 12 weeks; coloration (ASTA+), fed a diet containing 0.45 g/kg astaxanthin for 12 weeks; decoloration (ASTA-) fed the diet supplemented with astaxanthin for the first six weeks and then the control diet for the other six. Our results showed that the specific growth rate showed no significant difference between ASTA+ and CL at weeks 3 and 6 and among ASTA+ , ASTA- and CL at weeks 9 and 12. The ASTA+ group showed higher skin redness at weeks 3, 6, 9 and 12 and higher yellowness at weeks 6, 9 and 12 than CL, and than ASTA- at week 12. The ASTA+ group had higher concentrations of astaxanthin, HDL-C and LDL-C than the CL at weeks 3, 6, 9, and 12 and than ASTA- group at weeks 9 and 12. By compared ASTA+ and ASTA- with CL, a total of 4250 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected. Pathways, e.g., PPRA signaling pathway, fatty acid degradation, and ABC transporters, of DEGs involved in carotenoid deposition were enriched. DEGs involved in the absorption and transport (e.g., upregulated lpl and pltp, and downregulated stard7), metabolism (e.g., upregulated adh1 and dhrs7cb, and downregulated cyp7b1, dhrs11, and si:ch211-113j14.1), and deposition of carotenoids (e.g., downregulated apoa1b and apodb) might be associated with skin coloration. Overall, the results of this study could help to understand the biochemical and molecular mechanism of body coloration under the presence and absence of dietary astaxanthin in blood parrotfish.

Introduction: Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with ESRD. In addition to phosphate overload, oxalate, a common uremic toxin, is also involved in vascular calcification in patients with ESRD. The present study investigated the role and mechanism of hyperoxalemia in vascular calcification in mice with uremia. Methods: A uremic atherosclerosis (UA) model was established by left renal excision and right renal electrocoagulation in apoE−/− mice to investigate the relationship between oxalate loading and vascular calcification. After 12 weeks, serum and vascular levels of oxalate, vascular calcification, inflammatory factors (TNF-α and IL-6), oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde [MDA], and advanced oxidation protein products [AOPP]) were assessed in UA mice. The oral oxalate-degrading microbe Oxalobacter formigenes (O. formigenes) was used to evaluate the effect of a reduction in oxalate levels on vascular calcification. The mechanism underlying the effect of oxalate loading on vascular calcification was assessed in cultured human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) and human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs). Results: Serum oxalate levels were significantly increased in UA mice. Compared to the control mice, UA mice developed more areas of aortic calcification and showed significant increases in aortic oxalate levels and serum levels of oxidative stress markers and inflammatory factors. The correlation analysis showed that serum oxalate levels were positively correlated with the vascular oxalate levels and serum MDA, AOPP, and TNF-α levels, and negatively correlated with superoxide dismutase activity. The O. formigenes intervention decreased serum and vascular oxalate levels, while did not improve vascular calcification significantly. In addition, systemic inflammation and oxidative stress were also improved in the O. formigenes group. In vitro, high concentrations of oxalate dose-dependently increased oxidative stress and inflammatory factor expression in HAECs, but not in HASMCs. Conclusions: Our results indicated that hyperoxalemia led to the systemic inflammation and the activation of oxidative stress. The reduction in oxalate levels by O. formigenes might be a promising treatment for the prevention of oxalate deposition in calcified areas of patients with ESRD.

Background: The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has put radiologists at a higher risk of infection during the computer tomography (CT) examination for the patients. To help settling these problems, we adopted a remote-enabled and automated contactless imaging workflow for CT examination by the combination of intelligent guided robot and automatic positioning technology to reduce the potential exposure of radiologists to 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection and to increase the examination efficiency, patient scanning accuracy and better image quality in chest CT imaging . Methods: From February 10 to April 12, 2020, adult COVID-19 patients underwent chest CT examinations on a CT scanner using the same scan protocol except with the conventional imaging workflow (CW group) or an automatic contactless imaging workflow (AW group) in Wuhan Leishenshan Hospital (China) were retrospectively and prospectively enrolled in this study. The total examination time in two groups was recorded and compared. The patient compliance of breath holding, positioning accuracy, image noise and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were assessed by three experienced radiologists and compared between the two groups. Results: Compared with the CW group, the total positioning time of the AW group was reduced ((118.0 ± 20.0) s vs. (129.0 ± 29.0) s, P = 0.001), the proportion of scanning accuracy was higher (98% vs. 93%), and the lung length had a significant difference ((0.90±1.24) cm vs. (1.16±1.49) cm, P = 0.009). For the lesions located in the pulmonary centrilobular and subpleural regions, the image noise in the AW group was significantly lower than that in the CW group (centrilobular region: (140.4 ± 78.6) HU vs. (153.8 ± 72.7) HU, P = 0.028; subpleural region: (140.6 ± 80.8) HU vs. (159.4 ± 82.7) HU, P = 0.010). For the lesions located in the peripheral, centrilobular and subpleural regions, SNR was significantly higher in the AW group than in the CW group (centrilobular region: 6.6 ± 4.3 vs. 4.9 ± 3.7, P = 0.006; subpleural region: 6.4 ± 4.4 vs. 4.8 ± 4.0, P

Abstract Background Apolipoprotein E4 (apoE4) is a major genetic risk factor of Alzheimer’s disease. Its C-terminal-truncated apoE4 (Δ272–299) has neurotoxicity by affecting mitochondrial respiratory function. However, the molecular mechanism(s) underlying the action of apoE4 (Δ272–299) in mitochondrial function remain poorly understood. Methods The impact of neuronal apoE4 (Δ272–299) expression on ER stress, mitochondrial-associated membrane (MAM) formation, GRP75, calcium transport and mitochondrial impairment was determined in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, the importance of ER stress or GRP75 activity in the apoE4 (Δ272–299)-promoted mitochondrial dysfunction in neuron was investigated. Results Neuronal apoE4 (Δ272–299) expression induced mitochondrial impairment by inducing ER stress and mitochondrial-associated membrane (MAM) formation in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, apoE4 (Δ272–299) expression promoted GRP75 expression, mitochondrial dysfunction and calcium transport into the mitochondria in neuron, which were significantly mitigated by treatment with PBA (an inhibitor of ER stress), MKT077 (a specific GRP75 inhibitor) or GRP75 silencing. Conclusions ApoE4 (Δ272–299) significantly impaired neuron mitochondrial function by triggering ER stress, up-regulating GRP75 expression to increase MAM formation, and mitochondrial calcium overload. Our findings may provide new insights into the neurotoxicity of apoE4 (Δ272–299) against mitochondrial function and uncover new therapeutic targets for the intervention of Alzheimer’s disease.