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Through the creation and characterization of novel poly (L-lactic acid) (PLLA)-based nanocomposites containing graphene oxide (GO), nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite (nano-HAP), and nickel oxide (NiO) nanoparticles, this study seeks to improve the performance of bone tissue scaffolds. Utilizing a casting procedure to create nanocomposites, wet chemical methods were used to synthesize nano-HAP. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used to characterize the materials. The nanocomposite comprising 5 % GO + 5 % NiO + 10 % nano-HAP showed a 110 % increase in tensile modulus, a 38 % increase in extension, and a 29 % increase in load-bearing capacity compared to plain PLLA. The results showed a considerable increase in mechanical strength. On the surfaces of the nanocomposite, osteoblast adhesion and proliferation increased by 185 %, according to biological tests. Studies on degradation revealed regulated rates that matched bones' natural mending process while preserving a pH environment that was steady. According to these results, adding nanostructures to PLLA scaffolds improves their mechanical and biological properties considerably, which may lead to therapeutic uses in bone tissue engineering in the future.

Nitrate (NO3−) pollution in groundwater is a worldwide environmental issue, particularly in developed planting-breeding areas where there is a substantial presence of nitrogen-related sources. Here, we explored the key sources and potential health risks of NO3− in a typical planting-breeding area in the North China Plain based on dual stable isotopes and Monte Carlo simulations. The analysis results revealed that the NO3− concentration ranged from 0.02 to 44.6 mg/L, with a mean value of 7.54 mg/L, along with a significant spatial variability. Analysis by combining stable isotopes (δ15N-NO3− and δ18O-NO3−) with the Bayesian isotope mixing model (MixSIAR) revealed that soil N (60.3 %) and manure and sewage (35.9 %) contributed the most NO3− in groundwater, followed by chemical N fertilizer (2.9 %) and atmospheric N deposition (0.8 %). However, the contribution of N fertilizer may be underestimated because it has undergone a long-term applied history and have progressively accumulated in the soil, and then promoted the entry of groundwater under frequent rainfall and irrigation practices. From the probabilistic health risk assessment, a relatively low probability of exceeding the threshold (HI=1) was observed (0.2 % for adults and 2.59 % for children); nevertheless, children still face some nonnegligible risk, particularly for the oral ingestion of drinking water at high-pollution sites. Therefore, we highlight the importance of effective management of manure and sewage from breeding plants and reduction of chemical N fertilizer usage are suggested in developed agricultural areas.

Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum), an anaerobic resident of the oral cavity, is increasingly recognized as a contributing factor to ulcerative colitis (UC). The adhesive properties of F. nucleatum are mediated by its key virulence protein, FadA adhesin. However, further investigations are needed to understand the pathogenic mechanisms of this oral pathogen in UC. The present study aimed to explore the role of the FadA adhesin in the colonization and invasion of oral F. nucleatum in dextran sulphate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mice via molecular techniques. In this study, we found that oral inoculation of F. nucleatum strain carrying the FadA adhesin further exacerbated DSS-induced colitis, leading to elevated alveolar bone loss, disease severity, and mortality. Additionally, CDH1 gene knockout mice treated with DSS presented increases in body weight and alveolar bone density, as well as a reduction in disease severity. Furthermore, FadA adhesin adhered to its mucosal receptor E-cadherin, leading to the phosphorylation of β-catenin and the degradation of IκBα, the activation of the NF-κB signalling pathway and the upregulation of downstream cytokines. In conclusion, this research revealed that oral inoculation with F. nucleatum facilitates experimental colitis via the secretion of the virulence adhesin FadA. Targeting the oral pathogen F. nucleatum and its virulence factor FadA may represent a promising therapeutic approach for a portion of UC patients.

Abstract Identification of tumor neoantigens is indispensable for the development of cancer immunotherapies. However, we are still lacking knowledge about the potential neoantigens derived from sequences outside protein-coding regions. Here, we comprehensively characterized the immunopeptidome landscape by integrating multi-omics data in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Both canonical and non-canonical MHC-associated peptides (MAPs) in AML were identified. We found that the quality and characteristics of ncMAPs are comparable or superior to cMAPs, suggesting ncMAPs are indispensable sources for tumor neoantigens. We further proposed a computational framework to prioritize the neoantigens by integrating additional transcriptome and immunopeptidome in normal tissues. Notably, 6 of prioritized 13 neoantigens were derived from ncMAPs. The expressions of corresponding source genes are highly related to infiltrations of immune cells. Finally, a risk model was developed, which exhibited good performance for clinical prognosis in AML. Our findings expand potential cancer immunotherapy targets and provide in-depth insights into AML treatment, laying a new foundation for precision therapies in AML.

Abstract To address the surrounding rock control problems in high-stressed deep mining roadways, we used Suncun Coal Mine with maximum mining depth in China as the engineering background to analyze failure laws of surrounding rock of gob-side entry driving. Combined with field tests of anchor grouting parameters, we carried out numerical simulation with multi factors. The evolution of surrounding rock stress and displacement under different pressure relief parameters were clarified. On the basis, we proposed an integrated control method for the comprehensive pressure relief for coal and rock mass and anchor grouting reinforcement in deep mining roadway. We used geomechanical model test to compare gob-side entry driving method and this new method. The results showed that this new method can reduce average stress at the working face by 15.8% and peak stress of roadway shoulder by 12.5%. We applied this method in the field, which reduced roadway deformation by 535 mm.

Summary: The dynamics of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) mRNA modification are tightly controlled by the m6A methyltransferase complex and demethylases. Here, we find that auxin treatment alters m6A modification on auxin-responsive genes. Mechanically, TRANSMEMBRANE KINASE 4 (TMK4), a component of the auxin signaling pathway, interacts with and phosphorylates FKBP12-INTERACTING PROTEIN 37 (FIP37), a core component of the m6A methyltransferase complex, in an auxin-dependent manner. Phosphorylation of FIP37 enhances its interaction with RNA, thereby increasing m6A modification on its target genes, such as NITRILASE 1 (NIT1), a gene involved in indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) biosynthesis. 1-Naphthalacetic acid (NAA) treatment accelerates the mRNA decay of NIT1, in a TMK4- and FIP37-dependent manner, which leads to inhibition of auxin biosynthesis. Our findings identify a regulatory mechanism by which auxin modulates m6A modification through the phosphorylation of FIP37, ultimately affecting mRNA stability and auxin biosynthesis in plants.

Studying the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of the coupling coordination of the land–ecology–food system (LEF) aids in promoting green agricultural development and regional resource management. This study enriches food indicators under the dietary structure and uses the coupling coordination degree model to analyze the coupling coordination relationship among the LEF of 18 cities in Henan Province from 2011 to 2020. The gray relational degree model is used to investigate the main influencing factors determining the synergistic development of the system. The results show that the comprehensive development index of the LEF in Henan Province ranges between 0.4 and 0.6. The overall comprehensive evaluation index of various cities is ranked as Southern Henan > Eastern Henan > Central Henan > Northern Henan > Western Henan, with the greatest fluctuation observed in the food subsystem. During the study period, the coupling degree of Henan’s LEF ranged from 0.277 to 0.996, indicating stages from low- to high-level coupling. The coupling coordination degree ranged from 0.338 to 0.775, generally bordering on imbalance and barely coordinated. The impact of each subsystem evaluation index on the system’s coupling coordination degree can be ranked as food subsystem > ecology subsystem > land subsystem, with the correlation degree of internal indicators of the food and ecology subsystems with the system’s coupling coordination degree being over 85%, emphasizing the importance of strict management. In summary, the coupling coordination of the LEF system in Henan Province urgently needs to be improved; especially, the coordination of the agricultural system is particularly important. Clarifying the spatiotemporal pattern of the LEF coupling and its coordination can provide a scientific basis for the coordinated development of land use, agricultural ecology, and grain production in Henan Province.

Agricultural phosphorus (P) loss constitutes a significant factor in agricultural non-point source pollution (ANSP). Due to the widespread occurrence and complexity of ANSP, emphasis on risk prevention and control is preferable to retroactive treatment, to reduce costs. Effective risk identification is an issue that needs to be addressed urgently. Henan Province, a typical intensive agricultural region in China, was used as a case study to develop a straightforward and precise model for assessing the risk of P loss. Total phosphorus (TP) emission intensity at the county level in Henan Province was estimated based on planting, livestock and poultry breeding, and rural domestic activities. Subsequently, influential factors were selected to determine the extent of P loss in rivers. Finally, the model was validated using water quality data. The results indicate that (1) TP emission and rainfall are the primary contributors to the risk of P loss, whereas vegetation coverage has negligible effects. (2) The primary sources of TP emission, in descending order of magnitude, are livestock and poultry breeding, rural domestic activities, and planting. Livestock and poultry breeding represents the largest proportion at approximately 50%. (3) High-risk areas for P loss are concentrated in the plains of the central, eastern, and northern Henan Province, while low-risk areas are mainly located in the western mountainous and hilly regions. (4) The model exhibits high accuracy with a determination coefficient (R2) of 0.81 when compared to surface water quality monitoring data. This study provides a new framework for assessing the risk of P loss in intensive agricultural settings.

ABSTRACTThe present study aimed to characterize the gut microbiota and serum metabolome changes associated with sleep deprivation (SD) as well as to explore the potential benefits of multi-probiotic supplementation in alleviating SD-related mental health disorders. Rats were subjected to 7 days of SD, followed by 14 days of multi-probiotics or saline administration. Open-field tests were conducted at baseline, end of SD (day 7), and after 14 days of saline or multi-probiotic gavage (day 21). Metagenomic sequencing was conducted on fecal samples, and serum metabolites were measured by untargeted liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry. At day 7, anxiety-like behaviors, including significant decreases in total movement distance (P = 0.0002) and staying time in the central zone (P = 0.021), were observed. In addition, increased levels of lipopolysaccharide (LPS; P = 0.028) and decreased levels of uridine (P = 0.018) and tryptophan (P = 0.01) were detected in rats after 7 days of SD. After SD, the richness of the gut bacterial community increased, and the levels of Akkermansia muciniphila, Muribaculum intestinale, and Bacteroides caecimuris decreased. The changes in the host metabolism and gut microbiota composition were strongly associated with the anxiety-like behaviors caused by SD. In addition, multi-probiotic supplementation for 14 days modestly improved the anxiety-like behaviors in SD rats but significantly reduced the serum level of LPS (P = 0.045). In conclusion, SD induces changes in the gut microbiota and serum metabolites, which may contribute to the development of chronic inflammatory responses and affect the gut-brain axis, causing anxiety-like behaviors. Probiotic supplementation significantly reduces serum LPS, which may alleviate the influence of chronic inflammation.IMPORTANCEThe disturbance in the gut microbiome and serum metabolome induced by SD may be involved in anxiety-like behaviors. Probiotic supplementation decreases serum levels of LPS, but this reduction may be insufficient for alleviating SD-induced anxiety-like behaviors.

Abstract Communications between tumor cells and surrounding immune cells help shape the tumor immunity continuum. Recent breakthroughs in high-throughput technologies as well as computational algorithms had reported many important tumor-immune cell (TIC) communications, which were scattered in thousands of published studies and impeded systematical characterization of the TIC communications across cancer. Here, a comprehensive database, TICCom, was developed to model TIC communications, containing 739 experimentally-validated or manually-curated interactions collected from more than 3,000 literatures as well as 4,537,709 predicted interactions inferred via six computational algorithms by reanalyzing 32 scRNA-seq datasets and bulk RNA-seq data across 25 cancer types. The communications between tumor cells and 14 types of immune cells were characterized, and the involved ligand-receptor interactions were further integrated. 14190 human and 3650 mouse integrated ligand-receptor interactions with supplemented corresponding function information were also stored in the TICCom database. Our database would serve as a valuable resource for investigating TIC communications.

Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are a critical component of thermal management systems, with efforts being made to improve their thermal conductivity (k) to enhance their thermal-management performance in electronic devices. However, the heat flow management ability should be the key factor for determining thermal-management performance, instead of the k of the TIMs alone as commonly assumed. Systematically looking for what factors will affect the heat flow management ability and understanding how they can influence the thermal-management performance is urgent. In this work, we combined both experiments and simulations to clarify this issue in a TIM-based thermal management system. The heat flow management ability of TIMs was classified into two categories based on the heat flow directions: the heat transport ability, responsible for transferring heat from the chip to heat sink in through-plane direction; and the heat flow dispersion ability, pertaining to the in-plane dispersion of heat flow within the chip. These two kinds of ability of TIMs were found to be affected by different properties beyond just k: the former was proportional to the thermal resistance of TIMs and the contact area between TIMs and chips, while the latter was influenced by the area and anisotropic k of TIMs. Through systematic analysis of heat flow, a clear understanding of the heat flow management ability was obtained, leading to the proposal of design criteria grounded in the perspective of heat flow management. These criteria aim to guide the development of efficient materials design and further enhance thermal-management performance.

This work emphasizes the current research status of the urban Digital Twins to establish an intelligent spatiotemporal framework. A Geospatial Artificial Intelligent (GeoAI) system is developed based on the Geographic Information System and Artificial Intelligence. It integrates multi-video technology and Virtual City in urban Digital Twins. Besides, an improved small object detection model is proposed: YOLOv5-Pyramid, and Siamese network video tracking models, namely MPSiam and FSSiamese, are established. Finally, an experimental platform is built to verify the georeferencing correction scheme of video images. The experimental results show that the Multiply-Accumulate value of MPSiam is 0.5B, and that of ResNet50-Siam is 4.5B. Besides, the model is compressed by 4.8 times. The inference speed has increased by 3.3 times, reaching 83 Frames Per Second. 3% of the Average Expectation Overlap is lost. Therefore, the urban Digital Twins-oriented GeoAI framework established here has excellent performance for video georeferencing and target detection problems.

An accurate prediction of peak discharge in watersheds is critical not only for water resource management, but also for understanding the complex relationships of hydrological processes. In this study, a modified peak discharge formula based on the Chemicals, Runoff, and Erosion from Agricultural Management Systems (CREAMS) model was developed by introducing rainfall intensity and soil moisture factors. The reliability of the proposed method was tested with data from 1464 storm events in 41 watersheds and was applied to 256 storm events in five remaining typical watersheds using the optimized parameters. The results indicate that the proposed method is highly accurate in terms of model efficiency, as determined by Nash–Sutcliffe efficiencies (NSEs) of 88.60%, 74.04%, and 90.12% during the calibration, validation, and application cases, respectively. Furthermore, it performed better than the original and modified CREAMS methods. Subsequently, using the parameters derived from the initial 41 watersheds and the runoff estimated using the modified Soil Conservation Service curve number (SCS–CN) method, the proposed method was used to predict the peak discharge from the last five typical watersheds. Large NSE (63.88–80.83%) and low root mean square error (RMSE) values (0.31–35.93 m3s-1) were obtained for the five watersheds. Overall, the proposed peak discharge model, combined with the modified SCS-CN method, may accurately predict event-based peak discharge and runoff for general applications under various hydrological and geomorphic conditions in the Loess Plateau region.

Abstract Sonar technology plays an important role in the development of marine resources and military strategy. Due to the bad quality of underwater acoustics channels, the sonar images collected by sonar technology equipment are easily affected by various kinds of distortions. To obtain high‐quality sonar images, the authors devise a novel dual‐path deep neural network (DPDNN) to measure the quality of sonar images. In these two paths, the authors use a batch normalization layer to reduce the training time and use the skip operation to speed up the feature extraction . Based on the above two operations, the authors extract the microscopic and macroscopic structures of sonar images, respectively. Finally, a global average pooling layer and a fully connection layer are used to connect the above two paths. Experiments show that the authors' DPDNN achieves significant improvements in prediction performance and efficiency. The source code will be published in the near future.

Abstract We examine top of atmosphere (TOA), atmospheric, and surface energy budget components of 53 CMIP6 models for the period 2000–2009 on regional scales with respect to two reference data sets: the NASA Energy and Water cycle Study (NEWS), from which we adopt the regional decomposition, and the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) Energy Balanced and Filled (EBAF). Focusing on regional scale, CMIP6 models tend to have more energy entering or less energy leaving the climate systems at TOA over the Northern Hemisphere land, Southern Hemisphere ocean and the polar regions compared to CERES EBAF, while the contrary applies in other regions. Atmospheric net shortwave and longwave fluxes both tend to be underestimated in CMIP6 models as compared to EBAF, with substantial regional differences. Regional surface radiative fluxes as reported by NEWS and EBAF can differ substantially. Nevertheless, robust regional biases exist in CMIP6. Surface upward shortwave radiation is overestimated by 43 (81%) models over Eurasia. For almost all surface radiative flux components over the North Atlantic and Indian Ocean, there are at least 21 (40%) models which fall outside the NEWS uncertainty range. Latent heat flux is overestimated over most of the land and ocean regions while firm conclusions for sensible heat flux remain elusive due to discrepancies between different reference data sets. Compared to CMIP5, there is an overall improvement in CMIP6 on regional scale. Still, substantial deficiencies and spreads on regional scale remain, which are potentially translated into an inadequate simulation of atmospheric dynamics or hydrological cycle.

The protein-protein interactions (PPIs) between human and viruses play important roles in viral infection and host immune responses. Rapid accumulation of experimentally validated human–virus PPIs provides an unprecedented opportunity to investigate the regulatory pattern of viral infection. However, we are still lack of knowledge about the regulatory patterns of human–virus interactions. We collected 27,293 experimentally validated human–virus PPIs, covering 8 virus families, 140 viral proteins and 6059 human proteins. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that the viral interacting proteins were likely to be enriched in cell cycle and immune-related pathways. Moreover, we analysed the topological features of the viral interacting proteins and found that they were likely to locate in central regions of human PPI network. Based on network proximity analyses of diseases genes and human–virus interactions in the human interactome, we revealed the associations between complex diseases and viral infections. Network analysis also implicated potential antiviral drugs that were further validated by text mining. Finally, we presented the Human–Virus Protein-Protein Interaction database (HVPPI, http://bio-bigdata.hrbmu.edu.cn/HVPPI), that provides experimentally validated human–virus PPIs as well as seamlessly integrates online functional analysis tools. In summary, comprehensive understanding the regulatory pattern of human–virus interactome will provide novel insights into fundamental infectious mechanism discovery and new antiviral therapy development.

This paper takes 207 traditional villages in Inner Mongolia as the research object and uses the ArcGIS10.7 software platform, using the nearest neighbor index, coefficient of variation analysis, spatial autocorrelation analysis, imbalance index, kernel density estimation method, geographical detector, and other methods to explore the spatial distribution characteristics and influencing factors of traditional villages in Inner Mongolia. The research shows that: (1) the spatial distribution of traditional villages in Inner Mongolia is condensed; the distribution of cities is uneven; and the overall distribution pattern of ‘two main and two vice’ is presented. (2) The traditional villages are mainly distributed in the altitude area of 500–1500 m, and their spatial distribution characteristics are positively correlated with the annual average temperature, annual precipitation, total population, the proportion of the primary industry, and the number of intangible cultural heritage, and negatively correlated with the slope, river distance, highway density, per capita GDP, urbanization, and the proportion of the secondary industry. (3) The results of GeoDetector2018 software show that socio-economic factors are the primary factors affecting the spatial distribution of traditional villages in Inner Mongolia, followed by natural geographical factors. The interaction and synergy between the influencing factors have increased significantly, which jointly affects the spatial pattern of the distribution of traditional villages in Inner Mongolia. The purpose of the study is to provide reference for the protection and development of traditional villages in Inner Mongolia and the implementation of the national rural revitalization strategy.

Ecological security pattern construction is a fundamental approach to ensuring regional ecological security and enhancing human welfare. Taking Henan Province, a typical region of China’s main agricultural production area, as the study area, we use multi-source spatial data to calculate the high-value areas of ecosystem services and identify ecological source sites. On the basis of calculating the degree of land use development and GDP per land and population density to determine high-demand areas of the ecosystem, the ecological resistance surface coefficient is modified with nighttime lighting data, and the ecological corridor between the source site and the high-demand area is extracted using the minimum cumulative resistance model, so as to construct and optimize the regional ecological security pattern. The following results are presented. (1) The total area of ecological source sites in Henan Province is 3.02 × 104 km2, accounting for 18.12% of the total study area, which is concentrated in the mountainous areas of East Henan and South Henan. (2) The high-demand area of ecosystem services has a total area of 4.1 × 104 km2, accounting for 24.73% of the total study area, mainly concentrated in the central and eastern regions of Henan, with poor spatial matching of ecosystem service supply and demand. (3) The total length of ecological corridors is 1062.3 km, and the overall pattern forms the main corridor axes. The identification of ecological corridors focuses on the ecological demand space and puts forward suggestions for the optimization of the regional ecological security pattern based on it.

Abstract Plant hormones are naturally occurring small molecule compounds which are present at trace amounts in plant. They play a pivotal role in the regulation of plant growth. The biological activity of plant hormones depends on their concentrations in the plant, thus, accurate determination of plant hormone is paramount. However, the complex plant matrix, wide polarity range and low concentration of plant hormones are the main hindrances to effective analyses of plant hormone even when state-of-the-art analytical techniques are employed. These factors substantially influence the accuracy of analytical results. So far, significant progress has been realized in the analysis of plant hormones, particularly in sample pretreatment techniques and mass spectrometric methods. This review describes the classic extraction and modern microextraction techniques used to analyze plant hormone. Advancements in solid phase microextraction (SPME) methods have been driven by the ever-increasing requirement for dynamic and in vivo identification of the spatial distribution of plant hormones in real-life plant samples, which would contribute greatly to the burgeoning field of plant hormone investigation. In this review, we describe advances in various aspects of mass spectrometry methods. Many fragmentation patterns are analyzed to provide the theoretical basis for the establishment of a mass spectral database for the analysis of plant hormones. We hope to provide a technical guide for further discovery of new plant hormones. More than 140 research studies on plant hormone published in the past decade are reviewed, with a particular emphasis on the recent advances in mass spectrometry and sample pretreatment techniques in the analysis of plant hormone. The potential progress for further research in plant hormones analysis is also highlighted.

Sudden flood disasters cause serious damage to agricultural production. Rapidly extracting information such as the flooding extent of agricultural land and capturing the influence of flooding on crops provides important guidelines for estimating the flood-affected area, promoting post-disaster farmland restoration, and providing an auxiliary decision-making basis for flood prevention and disaster relief departments. Taking the flood event in Henan and Shanxi Provinces as example, based on the characteristics of the variations in radar data and optical data before and after the disaster, we propose an extent information extraction method for the flood inundation area and the flood-affected area of agricultural land. This method consists of change detection, threshold extraction, and superposition analysis, which weakens the negative impact of the radar data speckle noise and cloud contamination of the optical data on the extraction of the agricultural land flooding to a certain extent. The method was developed based on a flood event in Henan Province and validated in Shanxi Province. The results show that the production of this method have a clear boundary and accurate extent, and the overall precisions of the flood inundation area and flood-affected area extraction are 0.87 and 0.92, respectively. The proposed method combines the advantages of both radar and optical remote sensing data in extracting the specific extents of the flood inundation area and the flood-affected area in large spatial scale. Finally, the impact of time window size to the performance of the method is further analyzed. In the application of the proposed method, the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform provides a low-cost, fast, and convenient way to extract flood information from remote sensing data. The proposed scheme provides a scientific data basis for restoring production of agricultural land after a flood disaster, as well as for national post-disaster damage assessment and disaster relief decision making.

Two different types of three pairs of coupled lines (TPCL) structures with bandpass and all-stop filtering (ASF) characteristics, respectively, are proposed and analyzed through impedance matrix deduction and input admittance calculation. Combined with the stepped-impedance stubs, high-selectivity single-ended and balanced filters using TPCL structures have been presented. Five transmission poles (TPs) within the passband and six deep transmission zeros (TZs) from 0 to $2f_{0}$ ($f_{0}$ : passband center frequency) can be realized in both of single-ended and balanced filters. For demonstration, two sharp roll-off single-ended and balanced filter prototypes with good in-band characteristics (insertion losses and return losses) and high common-mode suppression are designed, whose measured 3-dB fractional bandwidths are of 35% and 34.4% (differential mode), respectively. Good agreement between the simulations and measurements validates the design concept.

This study aims to investigate whether simple and convenient progressive relaxation training (PRT) is effective in enhancing collegiate student athletes’ mental health and sports performance. An experimental group of 14 (6 female) and a control group of 10 (5 female) collegiate student athletes were recruited from among track and field athletes who were preparing for provincial competition. The experimental group was exposed to a PRT intervention in 30-min sessions conducted twice per week for a duration of one month. At baseline, the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised Short Scale for Chinese (EPQ-RSC) were completed, while only the CSAI-2 was reassessed at one, two, and three weeks after initiation of the intervention. Additionally, within half a day after completing all one’s individual competition events, the CSAI-2 was again assessed in the two groups recalling their memory of their precompetition state anxiety. Then, the differences in the three dimensions of the CSAI-2 between the two groups at the five time points introduced above were compared. This study also explored whether PRT affected sports performance, defined by the athletes reaching their best records or not, by logistic regressive analysis. This study found significant between-group differences in the self-confidence dimension score at the second and third time points. Through logistic regression analysis, a positive effect of PRT was found for the enhancement of sports performance. In sum, PRT showed positive effects on precompetition state self-confidence and enhanced sports performance among collegiate student athletes.

In this paper, a Hewlett-Packard (HP) memristor model with a new window function and its versatile characteristics are presented. SPICE behaviors of the linear and nonlinear memristor model are studied through PSpice simulation. High flexibility is demonstrated for emulating the behaviors of the practical HP memristors. Furthermore, the characteristics of the composite SPICE behaviors are both investigated when two memristors are connected in series and in parallel. The polarity of each memristor is also taken into consideration. The relationships among flux, charge, voltage, current, and memristance of the double memristor circuits are simulated and analyzed.

In response to the recent frequent outbreaks of bursty events, if the supervision is not strengthened, the grievances caused by it will have an extremely negative impact on society. Therefore, how to effectively detect bursty events in social networks has become the focus of research. In order to eliminate the interference of local daily events generated by noisy data, this paper proposes a bursty event detection method for quantifying the influence of microblog text. Through the analysis of high-impact microblogs, the burst words are mined, the potential bursty event data sets are constructed, and the k-means cluster analysis method is applied to detect the event. In order to verify the method, this paper compares with the commonly used detection methods on the real dataset. The experimental results show that the method has certain improvement in accuracy and efficiency.

Directional couplers, as power splitters, have provided a significant contribution for light splitting and combining in silicon photonics. However, the splitting ratio of conventional directional couplers is very sensitive to wavelength, which limits the bandwidth and the transmission performance of the devices. In this work, a silicon nitride bent directional coupler with large bandwidth, large fabrication tolerance, and low thermal sensitivity is proposed and demonstrated through simulation analysis and experiments. Moreover, the fabrication process of 400 nm thick silicon nitride photonic devices is described, which are compatible with complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor technology. The 1 dB bandwidth of the bent waveguide coupler can reach 80 nm, and the thermal sensitivity is reduced by 85% compared to the silicon-based devices.

Aiming to advance a support problem for roadways used with the longwall coal mining method, the S1202 working face of the Ningtiaota Coal Mine is taken as the engineering background. The monitoring and analysis of bolt force, anchor cable force and surrounding rock deformation of two types of roadways within the whole advance pressure influence range are carried out in the present paper. Based on this, a numerical calculation model consistent with the field is established, and numerical comparison tests under different influencing factors are carried out. The rationality of the numerical test results is verified by using the field monitoring data. At the same time, quantitative evaluation indexes, such as characterization deformation, are established, and the deformation law of roadways surrounding rocks under different advance passive support forces is analyzed. The advance support mechanism of the roadway used with the longwall coal mining method is clarified. The test shows that under the condition of no advance passive support, the maximum characteristic deformation of surrounding rock in the haulage roadway and ventilation roadway is 7.1 cm and 10.1 cm, respectively. The above surrounding rock deformation still meets the requirements of on-site safety production. The research results can provide experimental support for the advance support parameters of the roadway used with the longwall coal mining method.

Background: In general, after Panax ginseng is administered orally, intestinal microbes play a crucial role in its degradation and metabolization process. Studies on the metabolism of P. ginseng by microflora are important for obtaining a better understanding of their biological effects. Methods: In vitro biotransformation of P. ginseng extract by rat intestinal microflora was investigated at 37°C for 24 h, and the simultaneous determination of the metabolites and metabolic profile of P. ginseng saponins by rat intestinal microflora was achieved using LC–MS/MS. Results: A total of seven ginsenosides were detected in the P. ginseng extract, including ginsenosides Rg1, Re, Rf, Rb1, Rc, Rb2, and Rd. In the transformed P. ginseng samples, considerable amounts of deglycosylated metabolite compound K and Rh1 were detected. In addition, minimal amounts of deglycosylated metabolites (ginsenosides Rg2, F1, F2, Rg3, and protopanaxatriol-type ginsenosides) and untransformed ginsenosides Re, Rg1, and Rd were detected at 24 h. The results indicated that the primary metabolites are compound K and Rh1, and the protopanaxadiol-type ginsenosides were more easily metabolized than protopanaxatriol-type ginsenosides. Conclusion: This is the first report of the identification and quantification of the metabolism and metabolic profile of P. ginseng extract in rat intestinal microflora using LC–MS/MS. The current study provided new insights for studying the metabolism and active metabolites of P. ginseng.

The evaluation of cereal-based product contamination by pesticide residues is a topic of worldwide importance, and reliable analytical methods for official check analyses and monitoring studies are required for multi-residue analysis at trace levels. In this work, a validated multi-residual analytical method by gas-chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry coupled with a rapid QuEChERS procedure was used for the determination of 37 pesticides (pyrethroids, organophosphorus and organochlorine compounds) in 209 commercially available samples of cereals and 11 legumes, placed on the Italian market in 2018 and 2019, coming from different regions of Italy, eastern Europe, and some non-European countries. No pesticide traces were observed in the analyzed legume samples. A total of 18 cereal samples were found to be contaminated by at least one pesticide, with a concentration level higher than the corresponding quantification limit, but never exceeding the maximum level fixed in the European Regulations. This work is the first part of a surveillance study for pesticide control in food samples.

In recent years, people’s daily lives have become inseparable from a variety of electronic devices, especially mobile phones, which have undoubtedly become necessity in people’s daily lives. In this paper, we are looking for a reliable way to acquire visual quality of the display product so that we can improve the user’s experience with the display product. This paper proposes two major contributions: the first one is the establishment of a new subjective assessment database (DPQAD) of display products’ screen images. Specifically, we invited 57 inexperienced observers to rate 150 screen images showing the display product. At the same time, in order to improve the reliability of screen display quality score, we combined the single stimulation method with the stimulation comparison method to evaluate the newly created display products’ screen images database effectively. The second one is the development of a new no-reference image quality assessment (IQA) metric. For a given image of the display product, first our method extracts 27 features by analyzing the contrast, sharpness, brightness, etc., and then uses the regression module to obtain the visual quality score. Comprehensive experiments show that our method can evaluate natural scene images and screen content images at the same time. Moreover, compared with ten state-of-the-art IQA methods, our method shows obvious superiority on DPQAD.

The nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) transcription factors control many physiological processes including inflammation, immunity, and apoptosis. In our search for NF-κB inhibitors from natural resources, we identified yangonin from Piper methysticum as an inhibitor of NF-κB activation. In the present study, we demonstrate that yangonin potently inhibits NF-κB activation through suppression of the transcriptional activity of the RelA/p65 subunit of NF-κB. This compound significantly inhibited the induced expression of the NF-κB-reporter gene. However, this compound did not interfere with tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-induced inhibitor of κBα (IκBα) degradation, p65 nuclear translocation, and DNA-binding activity of NF-κB. Further analysis revealed that yangonin inhibited not only the induced NF-κB activation by overexpression of RelA/p65, but also transactivation activity of RelA/p65. Moreover, yangonin did not inhibit TNF-α-induced activation of p38, but it significantly impaired activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 and stress-activated protein kinase/c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase. We also demonstrated that pretreatment of cells with this compound prevented TNF-α-induced expression of NF-κB target genes, such as interleukin 6, interleukin 8, monocyte chemotactic protein 1, cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide. Taken together, yangonin could be a valuable candidate for the intervention of NF-κB-dependent pathological conditions such as inflammation. Keywords:: yangonin, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), RelA/p65, transactivation, inflammation

Cryptopleurine, a phenanthroquinolizidine alkaloid, was known to exhibit anticancer activity; however, the underlying mechanism is poorly understood. Because the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) transcription factors control many physiological processes including inflammation, immunity, and development and progression of cancer, we investigated the effects of cryptopleurine on tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)-induced NF-κB activation pathway and on the expression of NF-κB-regulated gene products associated with many pathophysiological processes.MDA-MB231, MDA-MB435, MCF-7, HEK293, RAW264.7 and Hep3B cells were used to examine cryptopleurine's effect on the NF-κB activation pathway. Major assays were promoter-reporter gene assay, electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), in vitro immune complex kinase assay, real-time PCR, Western blot analysis, and Matrigel invasion assay. Experiments documenting cell proliferation and apoptosis were analyzed by MTT method and flow cytometry, respectively. The results indicated that cryptopleurine suppressed the NF-κB activation through the inhibition of IκB kinase (IKK) activation, thereby blocking the phosphorylation and degradation of the inhibitor of NF-κB alpha (IκBα) and the nuclear translocation and DNA-binding activity of p65. The suppression of NF-κB by cryptopleurine led to the down-regulation of gene products involved in inflammation, cell survival, proliferation, invasion, and angiogenesis.Our results show that cryptopleurine inhibited NF-κB activation pathway, which leads to inhibition of inflammation, proliferation, and invasion, as well as potentiation of apoptosis. Our findings provide a new insight into the molecular mechanisms and a potential application of cryptopleurine for inflammatory diseases as well as certain cancers associated with abnormal NF-κB activation.

In order to achieve rapid, automatic, and efficient extraction for trace chemicals from samples, a system of gas-purged headspace liquid phase microextraction (GP-HS-LPME) has been researched and developed based on the original HS-LPME technique. In this system, semiconductor condenser and heater, whose refrigerating and heating temperatures were controlled by microcontroller, were designed to cool the extraction solvent and to heat the sample, respectively. Besides, inert gas, whose gas flow rate was adjusted by mass flow controller, was continuously introduced into and discharged from the system. Under optimized parameters, extraction experiments were performed, respectively, using GP-HS-LPME system and original HS-LPME technique for enriching volatile and semivolatile target compounds from the same kind of sample of 15 PAHs standard mixture. GC-MS analysis results for the two experiments indicated that a higher enrichment factor was obtained from GP-HS-LPME. The enrichment results demonstrate that GP-HS-LPME system is potential in determination of volatile and semivolatile analytes from various kinds of samples.