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Cordycepin (3′‐deoxyadenosine) has a demonstrated value in ameliorating nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH); however, its short in vivo metabolism time and high dose‐induced cytotoxicity are challenges limiting its clinical application. Herein, a cordycepin‐loaded macrophage vesicle (C‐MV) is developed for targeted cordycepin delivery to achieve stable and durable mitigation of NASH. The C‐MV is obtained using cytochalasin B‐stimulated RAW 264.7 cells to produce MV, followed by repeated freeze‐thawing and extrusion of MV and cordycepin. C‐MV selectively delivers cordycepin to macrophages at the site of liver injury, slowly releases cordycepin, reduces the toxicity associated with high cordycepin doses, and increases the mice's survival rate from 40% to 90%. Moreover, C‐MV reduces liver apoptosis and attenuated NASH liver injury by activating AMP‐activated protein kinase and inhibiting caspase 6 activity. Overall, C‐MV exhibits better anti‐inflammatory, lipid‐lowering, and anti‐apoptosis properties than free cordycepin, making it a promising delivery system for the potential clinical application of cordycepin. MV combined with cordycepin provides an inspiring bionic strategy for NASH treatment that can achieve effective therapeutic effects in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As many nanoparticles (NPs) have been exploited as drug carriers to overcome the resistance of the blood–brain barrier (BBB), reliable in vitro BBB models are urgently needed to help researchers to comprehensively understand drug nanocarrier–BBB interaction during penetration, which can prompt pre-clinical nanodrug exploitation. Herein, we developed a microfluidic microphysiological model, allowing the analysis of BBB homeostasis and NP penetration. We found that the BBB penetrability of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) was size- and modification-dependent, which might be caused by a distinct transendocytosis pathway. Notably, transferrin-modified 13 nm AuNPs held the strongest BBB penetrability and induced the slightest BBB dysfunction, while bare 80 nm and 120 nm AuNPs showed opposite results. Moreover, further analysis of the protein corona showed that PEGylation reduced the protein absorption, and some proteins facilitated the BBB penetration of NPs. The developed microphysiological model provides a powerful tool for understanding the drug nanocarrier–BBB interaction, which is vital for exploiting high-efficiency and biocompatible nanodrugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: The microstructural alterations of the peripapillary choriocapillaris in high myopes remain elusive. Here, we used optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) to explore factors involved in these alterations. (2) Methods: This cross-sectional control study included 205 young adults' eyes (95 with high myopia and 110 with mild to moderate myopia). The choroidal vascular network was imaged using OCTA, and the images underwent manual adjustments to determine the peripapillary atrophy (PPA)-β zone and microvascular dropout (MvD). The area of MvD and the PPA-β zone, spherical equivalent (SE), and axial length (AL) were collected and compared across groups. (3) Results: The MvD was identified in 195 eyes (95.1%). Highly myopic eyes exhibited a significantly greater area for the PPA-β zone (1.221 ± 0.073 vs. 0.562 ± 0.383 mm2, p = 0.001) and MvD (0.248 ± 0.191 vs. 0.089 ± 0.082 mm2, p < 0.001) compared with mildly to moderately myopic eyes, and a lower average density in the choriocapillaris. Linear regression analysis showed that the MvD area correlated with age, SE, AL, and the PPA-β area (all p < 0.05). (4) Conclusions: This study found that MvDs represent choroidal microvascular alterations in young-adult high myopes, which were correlated with age, SE, AL, and the PPA-β zone. In this disorder, OCTA is important for characterizing the underlying pathophysiological adaptations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to collect the energy consumption data and carry out energy consumption analysis of chemical enterprises, which is helpful to grasp the working conditions of each equipment accurately and to perfect the demand side management (DSM) for the user in the terminal. Design/methodology/approach: The paper proposes a load monitoring system of chemical enterprises to collect the energy consumption data and carry out energy consumption analysis. An Elman neural network based on sparrow search algorithm is proposed to predict the power consumption change and distribution trend of enterprises in the future production cycle. The calculation efficiency and prediction accuracy have been significantly improved. Findings: The paper analyzes the energy saving effect of energy efficiency management as well as "avoiding peak and filling valley" measures, and reasonable control requirements and assumed conditions are put forward to study the operability of enterprise energy saving measures from the DSM. Research limitations/implications: Because of the chosen enterprise data, the prediction accuracy needs to be further improved. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed methodology further. Practical implications: The paper includes implications for the development of energy consumption analysis and load forecasting of chemical enterprises and perfects the DSM for the user. Originality/value: This paper fulfills an identified need to study how to forecast the power load and improve the management efficiency of energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a gynaecological endocrine disease. The objective of the present study was to investigate the role of GTPase immunity-associated protein (GIMAP) 7 in PCOS. A PCOS rat model was established using dehydroepiandrosterone injection. The data showed that GIMAP7 was mainly located in granulosa cells and was abundantly expressed in the ovarian granulosa cells of PCOS rats. GIMAP7 silencing decreased blood glucose levels, HOMA-IR scores, and number of cystic follicles. In addition, GIMAP7 silencing corrected erratic oestrous cycles, inhibited apoptosis and reduced c-caspase-3 protein expression in the ovarian tissues of PCOS rats. GIMAP7 silencing reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) but increased glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels in the serum and ovarian tissues of PCOS rats. The effects of GIMAP7 were further investigated in human ovarian granulosa KGN cells. GIMAP7 silencing increased the viability, promoted proliferation, and increased the percentage of S-phase KGN cells. The apoptosis rate was significantly decreased by GIMAP7 silencing. GIMAP7 also inhibited oxidative stress in KGN cells, resulting in decreased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and MDA and increased levels of GSH and SOD. Notably, GIMAP7 inhibited the sonic hedgehog (SHH) signalling pathway, and GIMAP7 silencing increased the expression of the SHH signalling pathway downstream genes SHH, SMO, and Gli1. Inhibition of the SHH signalling pathway using cyclopamine reduced the effect of GIMAP7 silencing on KGN cells. This study proved that GIMAP7 promotes oxidative stress and apoptosis in ovarian granulosa cells in PCOS by inhibiting the SHH signalling pathway. Highlights: 1. GIMAP7 is upregulated in ovary granulosa cells of PCOS rat; 2. GIMAP7 shRNA relieves the symptoms of PCOS rats; 3. GIMAP7 shRNA inhibits the apoptosis and oxidative stress of KGN cells; 4. GIMAP7 inhibits sonic hedgehog signalling pathway in KGN cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the vibration detection technique based on the piezoelectric cantilever structure, and analyzes the relationship between the resonance frequency and the structure parameters. Although the output of the electrical signal is too small, it can be used to detect vibration during resonance with the maximum output voltage. A vibration testing device is designed based on piezoelectric cantilever structure, because in the vibration environment of the same frequency the vibration detection technology can obtain larger electrical signals. It can realize the automatic detection of real-time vibration state, and the vibration energy can charge the power supply through the energy storage circuit. Through the experimental method to verify relationship between the output voltage of piezoelectric cantilever beam, mass block, piezoelectric cantilever structure parameters and frequency, the experimental value of resonance frequency is very close with theoretical calculation value. The experimental resonant frequency of the designed piezoelectric cantilever beam is 16.5 Hz, which is slightly lower than the theoretical value of resonant frequency of 17.6 Hz, and the peak value of the piezoelectric output open-circuit voltage is 7.1 V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To propose an ultrathin biological amniotic membrane (btAM) thinner than 10 μm as the graft to treat highly myopic macular holes (MH).This pilot study included 14 patients affected by refractory macular holes associated with high myopia. btAM was used as a bandage covering the holes. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), fundus photography, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) before and after surgery were compared.The mean MH size was 865.93 ± 371.72 μm and all the MHs achieved anatomical closure. The btAM located centrally and fully on MHs from fundus photography yet no obvious visual masking was complained. The average BCVA 1 month, 3, and 6 months after surgery were 0.95 ± 0.24, 0.92 ± 0.23, 0.92 ± 0.23 logMAR, respectively, improved significantly compared to pre-operative BCVA (1.24 ± 0.42 logMAR, all P < 0.05). Ten out of 14 (71.4%) exhibited 2C closure patterns (formally closed and no bare RPE) on OCT.The btAM thinner showed a favorable anatomical success with less risk of parafoveal atrophy or iatrogenic injuries and shortened the dissolving time.Methods: To propose an ultrathin biological amniotic membrane (btAM) thinner than 10 μm as the graft to treat highly myopic macular holes (MH).This pilot study included 14 patients affected by refractory macular holes associated with high myopia. btAM was used as a bandage covering the holes. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), fundus photography, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) before and after surgery were compared.The mean MH size was 865.93 ± 371.72 μm and all the MHs achieved anatomical closure. The btAM located centrally and fully on MHs from fundus photography yet no obvious visual masking was complained. The average BCVA 1 month, 3, and 6 months after surgery were 0.95 ± 0.24, 0.92 ± 0.23, 0.92 ± 0.23 logMAR, respectively, improved significantly compared to pre-operative BCVA (1.24 ± 0.42 logMAR, all P < 0.05). Ten out of 14 (71.4%) exhibited 2C closure patterns (formally closed and no bare RPE) on OCT.The btAM thinner showed a favorable anatomical success with less risk of parafoveal atrophy or iatrogenic injuries and shortened the dissolving time.Results: To propose an ultrathin biological amniotic membrane (btAM) thinner than 10 μm as the graft to treat highly myopic macular holes (MH).This pilot study included 14 patients affected by refractory macular holes associated with high myopia. btAM was used as a bandage covering the holes. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), fundus photography, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) before and after surgery were compared.The mean MH size was 865.93 ± 371.72 μm and all the MHs achieved anatomical closure. The btAM located centrally and fully on MHs from fundus photography yet no obvious visual masking was complained. The average BCVA 1 month, 3, and 6 months after surgery were 0.95 ± 0.24, 0.92 ± 0.23, 0.92 ± 0.23 logMAR, respectively, improved significantly compared to pre-operative BCVA (1.24 ± 0.42 logMAR, all P < 0.05). Ten out of 14 (71.4%) exhibited 2C closure patterns (formally closed and no bare RPE) on OCT.The btAM thinner showed a favorable anatomical success with less risk of parafoveal atrophy or iatrogenic injuries and shortened the dissolving time.Conclusion: To propose an ultrathin biological amniotic membrane (btAM) thinner than 10 μm as the graft to treat highly myopic macular holes (MH).This pilot study included 14 patients affected by refractory macular holes associated with high myopia. btAM was used as a bandage covering the holes. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), fundus photography, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) before and after surgery were compared.The mean MH size was 865.93 ± 371.72 μm and all the MHs achieved anatomical closure. The btAM located centrally and fully on MHs from fundus photography yet no obvious visual masking was complained. The average BCVA 1 month, 3, and 6 months after surgery were 0.95 ± 0.24, 0.92 ± 0.23, 0.92 ± 0.23 logMAR, respectively, improved significantly compared to pre-operative BCVA (1.24 ± 0.42 logMAR, all P < 0.05). Ten out of 14 (71.4%) exhibited 2C closure patterns (formally closed and no bare RPE) on OCT.The btAM thinner showed a favorable anatomical success with less risk of parafoveal atrophy or iatrogenic injuries and shortened the dissolving time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Curvature conservation is a common feature for the physical properties with topological constraints, from the macroscopic cosmic string loops to the microscopic quantized vortex rings in the superfluid. Interestingly, ferroelectric domain-wall curvature is important to determine its conduction, which is the key parameter for designing domain-wall nanoelectronic devices. Here, we demonstrate the curvature conservation of the charged domain walls confined in ferroelectric topological structures with specific domain symmetry by combining piezoelectric force microscopy, conducting atomic force microscopy, and phase-field simulations. Significantly, the intrinsic conductivity of the charged domain walls exhibits an inverse functional relationship with the local domain-wall curvature in the ferroelectric BiFeO 3 nano-islands, which can also be precisely and continuously modulated by applying an electric field. This work provides us with an insightful understanding of the conduction mechanism of charged domain walls confined in ferroelectric topological structures with a high degree of spatial symmetry, which paves the way for the application of charged domain walls as flexible conducting channels with continuously changing resistance states to be used for ferroelectric domain-wall memristors. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel open-loop photonic crystal fiber (PCF) refractive index sensor based on the surface plasmon resonance effect is proposed. The gold film is applied to the surface of the air-core PCF to induce the SPR effect. The finite element method is employed to examine the influence of open-angle on the sensing performance. Simulation results show that the sensor is suitable for refractive index measurements ranging from 1.26 to 1.32 when the open-angle ranges from 90 to 130°, demonstrating an average wavelength sensitivity of 1738 nm/RIU. As the angle varies from 140 to 180°, the sensor becomes more appropriate for refractive index measurements ranging from 1.32 to 1.38, displaying an average wavelength sensitivity of 1667 nm/RIU. The sensing range of the sensor is influenced by open-angle, enabling the selection of an appropriate sensor structure according to the desired measurement range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Biomass and its derived biochar addition enhanced iron scraps bioavailability. • Biochar as electron shuttle sustains a sustainable Fe-N electron transfer. • BC-ICW performed better and longer-lasting TN removal capacity. • Electroactive microbes and autotrophic denitrifiers were enriched in BC-ICW. • Functional genes related to Fe and N metabolism were up-regulated in BC-ICW. Considering the unsatisfied denitrification performance of carbon-limited wastewater in iron-based constructed wetlands (ICWs) caused by low electron transfer efficiency of iron substrates, utilization of plant-based conductive materials in-situ for improving the long-term reactivity of iron substrates was proposed to boost the Fe (III)/Fe (II) redox cycle thus enhance the nitrogen elimination. Here, we investigated the effects of withered Iris Pseudacorus biomass and its derived biochar on nitrogen removal for 165 days in ICWs. Results revealed that accumulate TN removal capacity in biochar-added ICW (BC-ICW) increased by 14.7 % compared to biomass-added ICW (BM-ICW), which was mainly attributed to the synergistic strengthening of iron scraps and biochar. The denitrification efficiency of BM-ICW improved by 11.6 % compared to ICWs, while its removal capacity declined with biomass consumption. Autotrophic and heterotrophic denitrifiers were enriched in BM-ICW and BC-ICW, especially biochar increased the abundance of electroactive species (Geobacter and Shewanella , etc.). An active iron cycle exhibited in BC-ICW, which can be confirmed by the presence of more liable iron minerals on iron scraps surface, the lowest Fe (III)/Fe (II) ratio (0.51), and the improved proportions of iron cycling genes (feoABC, korB, fhuF, TC.FEV.OM , etc.). The nitrate removal efficiency was positively correlated with the nitrogen, iron metabolism functional genes and the electron transfer capacity (ETC) of carbon materials (P < 0.05), indicating that redox-active carbon materials addition improved the iron scraps bioavailability by promoting electron transfer, thus enhancing the autotrophic nitrogen removal. Our findings provided a green perspective to better understand the redox properties of plant-based carbon materials in ICWs for deep bioremediation in-situ. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) is a major cause of chronic liver diseases. Inflammatory response is a basic pathological feature of ALD. Mucosal-associated invariant T(MAIT) cells are a novel population of innate immune cells, which may be depleted in various inflammatory diseases. However, the changes of MAIT cell in ALD remains unclear. Results: In this study, the levels of MAIT cell were significantly decreased in patients with alcoholic fatty liver disease, alcoholic cirrhosis, and mixed cirrhosis (alcoholic + viral). Furthermore, the reduction of circulating MAIT cells was correlated with liver function in patients with cirrhosis. Functional changes among circulating MAIT cells in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis, including increased production of IL-17A and perforin, and reduced production of TNF-α. Plasma cytokine and chemokine levels were quantified using multiple immunoassays and ELISA. Serum levels of chemokine IL-8 were correlated with MAIT cell frequency in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis. Moreover, no differences were observed in the expression of CCR6, CXCR6, and PD-1 in circulating MAIT cells of patients with alcoholic cirrhosis. The MAIT cells in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis were prone to apoptosis, which was promoted by IL-12, IL-18, and IL-8. Conclusions: Our findings indicate persistent MAIT cell loss during alcohol-related liver disease and suggest that MAIT cells can be promising indicator and therapeutic targets in ALD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Image deblurring is a fundamental problem in imaging field which often needs to recover the important structure of images. This paper addresses the image deblurring problem by considering an image as a combination of its cartoon (the piecewise smooth part of the image) and texture (the oscillation part of the image) components. To recover both of these parts, we propose the use of coupled analysis-based sparse representations to regularize the cartoon structure and the texture part of the image. We apply anisotropic total variation with a quadratic term to enhance the edges existing in the cartoon part. Furthermore, we develop a multivariable Bregman optimization method to solve the proposed image restoration model by combining the alternating minimization method and the split Bregman iteration. The experiments show that the proposed algorithm not only performs well for image decomposition, but also outperforms the previously established methods in terms of the visual residual error, the structure similarity index and the peak signal-to-noise ratio for image deblurring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the occurrence and risk factors of acute kidney injury (AKI) in ventilated newborns. Methods: In total, 139 newborns receiving mechanical ventilation (MV) were reviewed in this retrospective study. The demographic and clinical data were collected. Then, the independent risk factors for AKI were evaluated using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results: The incidence rate of AKI was 15.11% (21/139) in ventilated newborns. Univariate analysis showed significant differences in gestational age, birth weight, Apagar scores, the highest oxygen concentration, serum creatinine levels at admission and 48 h after MV, history of asphyxia, urine output at 48 h after MV, invasive MV, noninvasive MV, and outcomes between AKI and non-AKI groups (all p <.05). The lower gestational age (odd ratio (OR): 1.194, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.013–1.407, p =.035), the increased use of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) (OR: 4.790, 95% CI: 1.115–20.575, p =.035), and lower birth weight (OR: 0.377, 95% CI: 0.178–0.801, p =.011) were independent risk factors for the occurrence of AKI. Additionally, higher stage of AKI was significantly associated with poor prognosis of AKI (p =.018). Conclusion: In this retrospective study, it was found that lower gestational age, birth weight, and increased use of IMV were independent risk factors for AKI in ventilated newborns. The poor prognosis might be indicated by the higher AKI stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a signal amplification method that enables visualization analysis of membrane proteins on living cells at a single-molecule level. Using the proposed method, we achieved imaging of PTK7 membrane proteins on HeLa cells and analyzed the down-regulated expression of EpCAM on the MCF-7 cell surface during epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Functions of root iron plaque is still a less explored research area in CWs. • Fate of pollutants in CWs is closely linked to the iron plaque formation. • Interactions between IP and C N-P transformation in rhizosphere are discussed in CWs. • IP can act as redox gradient-mediated biofilm that drives nutrients cycling in CWs. • Understanding the mechanism of pollutants removal of IP will add to current knowledge. Ecological restoration of wetland plants has emerged as an environmentally-friendly and less carbon footprint method for treating secondary effluent wastewater. Root iron plaque (IP) is located at the important ecological niches in constructed wetlands (CWs) ecosystem and is the critical micro-zone for pollutants migration and transformation. Root IP can affect the chemical behaviors and bioavailability of key elements (C, N, P) since its formation/dissolution is a dynamic equilibrium process jointly influenced by rhizosphere habitats. However, as an efficient approach to further explore the mechanism of pollutant removal in CWs, the dynamic formation of root IP and its function have not been fully studied, especially in substrate-enhanced CWs. This article concentrates on the biogeochemical processes between Fe cycling involved in root IP with carbon turnover, nitrogen transformation, and phosphorus availability in CWs rhizosphere. As IP has the potential to enhance pollutant removal by being regulated and managed, we summarized the critical factors affecting the IP formation from the perspective of wetland design and operation, as well as emphasizing the heterogeneity of rhizosphere redox and the role of key microbes in nutrient cycling. Subsequently, interactions between redox-controlled root IP and biogeochemical elements (C, N, P) are emphatically discussed. Additionally, the effects of IP on emerging contaminants and heavy metals in CWs rhizosphere are assessed. Finally, major challenges and outlooks for future research in regards to root IP are proposed. It is expected that this review can provide a new perspective for the efficient removal of target pollutants in CWs. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-cell analysis of bioactive molecules is an essential strategy for a better understanding of cell biology, exploring cell heterogeneity, and improvement of the ability to detect early diseases. In single-cell analysis, highly efficient single-cell manipulation techniques and high-sensitive detection schemes are in urgent need. The rapid development of fluorescent analysis techniques combined with microfluidic chips have offered a widely applicable solution. Thus, in this review, we mainly focus on the application of fluorescence methods in components analysis on microchips at a single-cell level. By targeting different types of biological molecules in cells such as nucleic acids, proteins, and active small molecules, we specially introduce and comment on their corresponding fluorescent probes, fluorescence labelling and sensing strategies, and different fluorescence detection instruments used in single-cell analysis on a microfluidic chip. We hope that through this review, readers will have a better understanding of single-cell fluorescence analysis, especially for single-cell component fluorescence analysis based on microfluidic chips. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents two different techniques of a wind energy conversion system (WECS) integration with an islanded microgrid (MG). The islanded microgrid operates in a frequency droop control where its frequency can vary around 50 Hz. The permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) based variable speed WECS is considered, which converts wind energy to a low frequency ac power. Therefore it needs to be connected to the microgrid through a back to back (B2B) converter system. One way of interconnection is to synchronize the MG side converter with the MG bus at which it is connected. In this case, this converter runs at the MG frequency. The other approach is to bring back the MG frequency to 50 Hz using the isochronization concept. In this case, the MG side converter operates at 50 Hz. Both these techniques are developed in this paper. The proposed techniques are validated through extensive PSCAD/EMTDC simulation studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virus-like particles are an established class of commercial vaccine possessing excellent function and proven stability. Exciting developments made possible by modern tools of synthetic biology has stimulated emergence of modular VLPs, whereby parts of one pathogen are by design integrated into a less harmful VLP which has preferential physical and manufacturing character. This strategy allows the immunologically protective parts of a pathogen to be displayed on the most-suitable VLP. However, the field of modular VLP design is immature, and robust design principles are yet to emerge, particularly for larger antigenic structures. Here we use a combination of molecular dynamic simulation and experiment to reveal two key design principles for VLPs. First, the linkers connecting the integrated antigenic module with the VLP-forming protein must be well designed to ensure structural separation and independence. Second, the number of antigenic domains on the VLP surface must be sufficiently below the maximum such that a “steric barrier” to VLP formation cannot exist. This second principle leads to designs whereby co-expression of modular protein with unmodified VLP-forming protein can titrate down the amount of antigen on the surface of the VLP, to the point where assembly can proceed. In this work we elucidate these principles by displaying the 18.1 kDa VP8* domain from rotavirus on the murine polyomavirus VLP, and show functional presentation of the antigenic structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maximum throughput serves as a fundamental metric for evaluating the performance of mobile ad hoc networks. However, the actual maximum throughput still remains significantly unknown in such networks. This paper studies the actual maximum throughput of mobile ad hoc networks under a general routing scheme with reed-solomon coding, where a source node first encodes a group of g packets into w (w≥g) code blocks, and then these code blocks are transmitted to distinct relay nodes, which forward them to destination node. The original g packets can be decoded once the destination node receives any g code blocks. To explore the actual maximum throughput, we first establish two Markov chain models to capture the fastest packet sending and receiving processes at source and destination nodes under the considered routing scheme. Based on the Markov chain models, we then derive a closed-form expression for the maximum throughput in such networks. Finally, extensive simulations and theoretical results are presented to validate the accuracy of our theoretical maximum throughput analysis in mobile ad hoc networks and to illustrate how network parameters influence the maximum throughput performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferroelectric tunnel junctions have attracted intensive research interest due to the fundamental physics and potential applications in high-density data storage and neuromorphic computation. However, the intrinsic physical origin, especially at atomic scale, of polarization-controllable tunneling current is still controversial due to the degradation of ferroelectric polarization and the extrinsic conduction induced by defects or oxygen vacancies. Here, a large tunneling electroresistance effect of over 10,000% in a thick (∼15 nm) tetragonal-phase BiFeO 3 thin film is observed, where a nanoscale point-contact geometry is delicately designed to reduce the extrinsic defect effects. By combining transmission electron microscopy and first-principles calculations, the atomic and electronic structures of BiFeO 3 tunneling layer are investigated. The corresponding results indicate the different charge transfer occurs at the top and bottom interface, which induces distinct tunneling barrier asymmetry when the polarization direction is opposite. Graphical abstract [Display omitted]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have indicated that sentences are comprehended via widespread brain regions in the fronto-temporo-parietal network in explicit language tasks (e.g., semantic congruency judgment tasks), and through restricted temporal or frontal regions in implicit language tasks (e.g., font size judgment tasks). This discrepancy has raised questions regarding a common network for sentence comprehension that acts regardless of task effect and whether different tasks modulate network properties. To this end, we constructed brain functional networks based on 27 subjects’ fMRI data that was collected while performing explicit and implicit language tasks. We found that network properties and network hubs corresponding to the implicit language task were similar to those associated with the explicit language task. We also found common hubs in occipital, temporal and frontal regions in both tasks. Compared with the implicit language task, the explicit language task resulted in greater global efficiency and increased integrated betweenness centrality of the left inferior frontal gyrus, which is a key region related to sentence comprehension. These results suggest that brain functional networks support both explicit and implicit sentence comprehension; in addition, these two types of language tasks may modulate the properties of brain functional networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The excellent motor skills of world class gymnasts amaze everyone. People marvel at the way they precisely control their movements and wonder how the brain structure and function of these elite athletes differ from those of non-athletes. In this study, we acquired diffusion images from thirteen world class gymnasts and fourteen matched controls, constructed their anatomical networks, and calculated the topological properties of each network based on graph theory. From a connectivity-based analysis, we found that most of the edges with increased connection density in the champions were linked to brain regions that are located in the sensorimotor, attentional, and default-mode systems. From graph-based metrics, we detected significantly greater global and local efficiency but shorter characteristic path length in the anatomical networks of the champions compared with the controls. Moreover, in the champions we found a significantly higher nodal degree and greater regional efficiency in several brain regions that correspond to motor and attention functions. These included the left precentral gyrus, left postcentral gyrus, right anterior cingulate gyrus and temporal lobes. In addition, we revealed an increase in the mean fractional anisotropy of the corticospinal tract in the champions, possibly in response to long-term gymnastic training. Our study indicates that neuroanatomical adaptations and plastic changes occur in gymnasts'' brain anatomical networks either in response to long-term intensive gymnastic training or as an innate predisposition or both. Our findings may help to explain gymnastic skills at the highest levels of performance and aid in understanding the neural mechanisms that distinguish expert gymnasts from novices. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A novel and efficient protocol for the synthesis of β-keto-sulfone derivatives via TBAI/TBHP mediated oxidative cross-coupling of vinyl acetates with sulfonylhydrazides has been developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coexistence of F−, Ca2+, nitrates, and other pollutants in water body has aroused widespread concern. In this research, a novel quartz sand biofilm reactor was established, aiming to study the key factors of different carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratios (5:1, 4:1, and 3:1), initial Ca2+ concentration (180 mg L−1, 144 mg L−1, and 108 mg L−1), and hydraulic retention time (HRT) (4 h, 6 h, and 8 h) on simultaneous Ca2+ precipitation, F− removal, and denitrification. Results showed that the removal efficiencies of Ca2+, F−, and nitrate were 55.04%, 82.64%, and 97.69% under the low C/N ratio of 3:1, initial Ca2+ concentration of 180 mg L−1, and HRT of 8 h. 3-D Excitation-Emission Fluorescence Spectroscopy (3-D EEM) demonstrates that extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) was generated during the growth metabolism. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffractometer images showed that Ca2+, F− removed in the form of CaCO 3 , Ca 5 (PO 4) 3 F and CaF 2 under Acinetobacter sp. H12 induction. Moreover, high-throughput sequencing results display that the biomineralized bacteria Acinetobacter sp. H12 exerted great influence in the bioreactor. This research will underpin the practical use of multiple pollutants such as F− and Ca2+ wastewater under the different C/N ratios. [Display omitted] • A novel bioreactor for simultaneously remove Ca2+, F− and nitrate was established. • Ca2+, F− removed in the form of CaCO 3 , Ca 5 (PO 4) 3 F and CaF 2. • 3.3D-EEM showed the effect of C/N ratio on the secretion of EPS by strain H12. • Acinetobacter sp. H12 exhibited good removal potential under low C/N wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The relationship between different surgical treatments and quality of life remains uncertain for differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). The aim of this study is to compare the gasless endoscopic thyroidectomy trans-axillary approach (ET) and traditional open thyroidectomy (OT) through a prospective cohort study focusing on the rate of the efficacy, and quality of life (QoL). Methods: This prospective observational longitudinal cohort study enrolled 134 female patients diagnosed with DTC from December 01/2021 to December 31/2022. Multiple scales were applicated to evaluate the differences in quality of life, effectiveness, safety, etc. between the two groups during preoperative and postoperative follow-up periods, including the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30, version 3.0 (QOL-C30), Symptom Checklist (SCL-90), Scar Cosmesis Assessment and Rating (SCAR-Q), voice impairment score (VIS), swallowing impairment score (SIS), and neck impairment score (NIS). Results: Among them, 68 accepted ET and 66 patients underwent OT. To enhance comparability between the two groups, the patients enrolled in this study are female. Compared with the OT group, the ET group performed significantly better postoperative physical quality of life, including sound (p = 0.036), swallowing (p < 0.001), and neck function (p = 0.010). The ET group was also associated with significantly better cosmetic satisfaction (p < 0.001), and relatively faster recovery in psychological and emotional situation. Conclusions: Gasless endoscopic thyroidectomy through an axillary approach leads to good cosmetic and psychological effects, improves postoperative QoL, and could be recommended for rapid postoperative recovery and involvement in daily and social activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structural transformation ascribed by MoS 2 support and different CO coverages during CO oxidation. • Gold nanoclusters can undergo significant reconstruction during CO oxidation. • Au 19 /MoS 2 transforms into 2D structure for Au 19 (CO) 6 /MoS 2 and quasi-2D structure for Au 19 (CO) 12 /MoS 2. • The stability of reconstructed Au m (CO) n /MoS 2 is confirmed by AIMD simulations. • CO adsorption can change the diffusion of Au nanocluster on MoS 2 support. • The structural reconstruction has remarkable effect on the CO oxidation, varying with Au nanocluster size. The understanding of structural evolution of metal nano-catalysts under real reaction condition is crucial for studying the catalytic properties. DFT calculations with van der Waals correction were performed to study the CO oxidation catalytic activity of Au nanoclusters with reconstruction due to CO adsorption. The global minimum structures of bare and MoS 2 supported Au n (n = 1–20) nanoclusters, as well as Au n (n = 6, 12, 16 and 19)/MoS 2 with different CO coverages, were obtained by minimum hopping algorithm to study the structural evolution. It is noted that three-dimensional Au 19 supported on MoS 2 transforms into two-dimensional structure for Au 19 (CO) 6 /MoS 2 and quasi-2D structure for Au 19 (CO) 12 /MoS 2 with CO coverage increasing. The stability of Au n (CO) m /MoS 2 at 300 K was confirmed by ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, and the effect of CO adsorption on nanoclusters diffusion was also observed. Microkinetic analysis results indicated that the MoS 2 support and structural reconstruction caused by CO adsorption both have remarkable effect on the CO oxidation activity, and the effect varies with Au nanocluster size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel isolated oligotrophic strain FYF8 was identified as Acinetobacter sp. • The highest denitrification (97.90%) was predicted via RSM method. • Nitrogen balance texts elucidate the fate of nitrogen by strain FYF8. • The C/N ratio affects the content of fluorescent substances and EPS. • The biofilm substances increased the ability to capture organic matter. The main purpose of this study is to isolate and purify oligotrophic denitrifying bacteria, Acinetobacter sp. FYF8, so as to study the denitrification capacity and characteristics in response to oligotrophic ecosystem. The RSM showed that the best denitrification efficiency was 97.90% under 7.58 pH, 20.69 °C temperature, and 2.83 C/N ratio. Nitrogen balance experiments showed that the nitrogen gas conversion ratio was 39.88, 68.85, and 78.79% at 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0 C/N ratio, respectively. According to 3D-EEM, tyrosine, tryptophan and aromatic protein were the metabolites produced by strain FYF8. The concentration of polysaccharide (PS) and proteins (PN) in different types of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and the variation trend were quantitatively studied. Different functional groups such as CH 2 , C = O, and C-O-C was characterized by FTIR. These findings indicated that the denitrification strategy of strain FYF8 was related to EPS, which might be a reserve carbon storage in carbon scarcity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] A protein corona forms around nanoparticles when they are intravenously injected into the bloodstream. The composition of the protein corona dictates the interactions between nanoparticles and the biological systems thus their immune evasion, blood circulation, and biodistribution. Here, we report for the first time the impact of nanoparticle stiffness on protein corona formation using a unique emulsion core silica shell nanocapsules library with a wide range of mechanical properties over four magnitudes (700 kPa to 10 GPa). The nanocapsules with different stiffness showed distinct proteomic fingerprints. The protein corona of the stiffest nanocapsules contained the highest amount of complement protein (Complement C3) and immunoglobulin proteins, which contributed to their high macrophage uptake, confirming the important role of nanocapsules stiffness in controlling the protein corona formation thus their in vitro and in vivo behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the intelligent recognition problem of radar detection targets. Aiming at the low accuracy and slow speed of millimeter-wave radar clustering point cloud information, a feature algorithm of millimeter-wave radar suitable for detecting targets is proposed. In the detection of targets by millimeter-wave radar, distance is the biggest factor affecting the number and degree of sparsity. A method that combines the feature information of the point cloud with the KD tree proximity search algorithm and the DBSCAN clustering algorithm is proposed, which can adapt to the problems of uneven target point cloud, small amount of data and slow clustering speed. The improved algorithm can use the KD tree to quickly find adjacent points and calculate the distance between adjacent points. The corresponding number of thresholds is set according to the distance where the target is located, and the radius of the target area reflected by the millimeter-wave radar plus the distance of the last threshold point is used as the neighborhood radius of the improved algorithm. Therefore, fast and adaptive parameter adjustment of the millimeter-wave radar can be realized. Simulation tests show that the improved clustering algorithm has better parameters. The accuracy of the improved algorithm is increased by 4.2%, and it also greatly improves the clustering speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a vision-threatening diabetic complication that is characterized by microvasculature impairment and immune dysfunction. The present study demonstrated that M2 microglia intensively participated in retinal microangiopathy in human diabetic proliferative membranes, mice retinas, retinas of mice with oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) mice, and retinas of streptozotocin-induced DR mice. Further in vivo and in vitro experiments showed that exosomes derived from M2 polarized microglia (M2-exo) could reduce pericyte apoptosis and promote endothelial cell proliferation, thereby promoting vascular remodeling and reducing vascular leakage from the diabetic retina. These effects were further enhanced by M2-exo that facilitated M2 polarization of retinal microglia. Collectively, the study demonstrated the capability of M2-exo to induce retinal microvascular remodeling, which may provide a new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of DR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Restoration of submerged macrophytes is an efficient way for endogenous nutrient control and aquatic ecological restoration, but slow growth and limited reproduction of submerged macrophytes still exist. In this research, the effect of ferrous on the seed germination and growth of Vallisneria natans (V. natans) were studied through aquatic simulation experiments and its influence on the rhizosphere microbial community was also explored. The seed germination, growth, and physiological and ecological parameters of V. natans were significantly affected by the ferrous treatments. Ferrous concentration above 5.0 mg/L showed significant inhibition of seed germination of V. natans and the best concentration for germination was 0.5 mg/L. During the growth of V. natans, after ferrous was added, a brief period of stress occurred, which then promoted the growth lasting for about 19 days under one addition. The diversity and richness of the rhizospheric microbial were increased after the ferrous addition. However, the function of the rhizospheric microbial community showed no significant difference between different concentrations of ferrous adding in the overlying water. Ferrous addition affected the growth condition of plants (content of CAT, Chl a , Chl b , etc.), thus indirectly affecting the rhizospheric microbial community of V. natans. These impacts on V. natans and rhizosphere microorganisms could generalize to other submerged macrophytes in freshwater ecosystems, particularly which have similar habits. These findings would contribute to the ecological evaluation of ferrous addition or iron-containing water, and provide a reference for submerged macrophytes restoration and ecological restoration in freshwater ecosystems. [Display omitted] • 0.5 mg/L ferrous addition significantly improved the germination of V. natans seeds. • Ferrous addition contributed to promoting growth and leaf chlorophyll content. • The diversity and richness of rhizosphere microbes of V. natans were increased. • Addition ferrous can be utilized in promoting submerged macrophytes restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abnormal ocular neovascularization, a major pathology of eye diseases, leads to severe visual loss. The role of lens epithelial cell (LEC)‐derived exosomes (Lec‐exo) is largely unknown. Thus, we aimed to investigate whether Lec‐exo can inhibit abnormal ocular neovascularization and explore the possible mechanisms. In our study, we proved the first evidence that exosomes derived from LECs attenuated angiogenesis in both oxygen‐induced retinopathy and laser‐induced choroidal neovascularization mice models. Further in vitro experiments proved that Lec‐exo inhibited proliferation, migration, and tube formation capability of human umbilical vein endothelial cells in high glucose condition. Further high‐throughput miRNAs sequencing analysis detected that miR‐146a‐5p was enriched in Lec‐exo. Mechanistically, exosomal miR‐146a‐5p was delivered to endothelial cells and bound to the NRAS coding sequence, which subsequently inactivated AKT/ERK signaling pathway. We successfully elucidated the function of Lec‐exo in inhibiting abnormal ocular neovascularization, which may offer a promising strategy for treatment of abnormal ocular neovascularization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A graphical abstract of the article "Synthesis of β-Keto-sulfones via Metal-Free TBAI/TBHP Mediated Oxidative Cross-Coupling of Vinyl Acetates with Sulfonylhydrazides" is presented.

We established an efficient method for single-cell miRNA analysis by droplet microfluidics, which has high sensitivity of single molecule detection and high throughput. Single-cell analysis of multiple miRNAs in various cells shows that miRNA expression is closely related to cancer type. CTC analysis shows that the method is applicable for rare cell analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensory quality is very important for scenic waters. It's necessary to find out the key factors influencing sensory quality of scenic waters and then take corresponding measures to improve it. In this study, transparency, turbidity and surface chroma were chosen as the main sensory quality indexes whose key influencing factors were analyzed by structural equation model (SEM). The results indicated that water's transparency, turbidity and surface chroma were all mainly influenced by suspended solid (SS). Meanwhile, transparency was also influenced by Chlorophyll a (Chl a), pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), particle size and nutrients. Turbidity was influenced by Chl a and particle size as well. To verify this result and improve water's sensory quality, three constructed wetlands (CWs) were set up and operated. CWs could effectively improve the sensory quality of water bodies. When hydraulic retention time (HRT) was 2 days, the water' transparency increased from 18.00 ± 2.83 cm to about 100 cm, the removal rate of turbidity was 56.26% ∼ 97.11%, and the average removal rate of surface chroma of the three CWs was 72.56%, 70.31% and 63.36%, respectively. To get a better improvement effect, planting and extending HRT were feasible measures. The mechanism analysis showed that removing SS, especially large particles in water was the main reason for improving sensory quality by CWs, followed by removing Chl a. The operational results of CWs proved that SS was certainly the key influencing factor of water's sensory quality. [Display omitted] • SS was the key factor affecting scenic waters' sensory quality. • Particle size, Chl a, etc. could also affect scenic waters' sensory quality. • Planting and extending HRT could further improve sensory quality. • Constructed wetlands improved water's sensory quality mainly by removing SS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical equations for the article "Metal-Free tert-Butyl Hydrogenperoxide (TBHP) Mediated Radical Alkylation of Enol Acetates with Alcohols: A New Route to β-Hydroxy Ketones" by Y. Tang and colleagues, appeared in the periodical "Synlett" is presented.

Attitude fluctuation of helicopter-borne platform is an important factor influencing the quality of point cloud products from airborne LiDAR, especially the roll and pitch parts. Therefore, we proposed a method to compensate the attitude fluctuation for helicopter-borne laser scanning; an attitude compensation prototype was designed, to eliminate the impact of both the roll and pitch fluctuations on point cloud products. The mechanical structure and control system of the prototype were designed. In order to test the dynamic compensation effectiveness of the prototype for airborne LiDAR, we established a semi-physical simulation system. In the experiment setup, the prototype, a laser rangefinder as well as a position and orientation system (POS) were all mounted on the platform of a three-axis turntable. The inner and middle shafts of the three-axis turntable rotated with sinusoidal movements to simulate the roll and pitch fluctuations of helicopter-borne platform. The x-axis and y-axis frameworks of the prototype were controlled to rotate inversely halves of the measured rotation angles of the simulated attitude fluctuations by the POS. Hence, the emitting orientations of the pulsed laser beams reflected by the scanning mirror embedded in the prototype would not be affected by the dynamic changing of the roll and pitch fluctuations. Total 11 groups of experiments were carried out to verify the control performance and dynamic compensation effectiveness of the compensation prototype under 11 sets of sinusoidal attitude fluctuations with different frequencies and amplitudes. Experimental results show that, under the impact of different frequencies and amplitudes sinusoidal attitude fluctuations, the attitude compensation prototype can always significantly decrease the unfavorable influence of the attitude fluctuations and have good dynamic compensation effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. To investigate the relationship between aqueous humor cytokines and structural characteristics based on optical coherence tomography (OCT) in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME). Methods. Forty eyes of 28 patients with DME diagnosed in the Affiliated Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University at Hangzhou were included. All patients collected aqueous humor during anti-VEGF treatment, and the IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, VEGF, VCAM-1, ICAM-1, TGF-β1, FGF, and MCP-1 concentrations were detected. OCT examination was performed before anti-VEGF treatment and 1 month after anti-VEGF operation. Central macular thickness (CMT), macular volume (MV), choroidal thickness (CT), and the number of hyperreflective foci (HRF) were obtained for analysis. Each eye was determined whether there is subretinal effusion (SRD), cystoid macular edema (CME), and diffuse retinal thickening (DRT). Results. The levels of IL-6 and FGF in DME patients with SRD were significantly higher than those without SRD (all P < 0.05). The level of VEGF in DME patients with CME was significantly higher than that in DME patients without CME (P = 0.005); IL-6, TGF-β1, and MCP-1 were significantly higher in DME patients with DRT than that without DRT (all P < 0.05). There was no significant correlation between aqueous humor cytokines and retinal thickness and retinal volume. However, the thinner the CT, the higher the level of aqueous humor cytokines IL-6 (r = −0.313, P = 0.049) and FGF (r = −0.361, P = 0.022). A multivariate linear regression analysis showed that IL-6 was significantly correlated with CT (P = 0.002) and SRD (P = 0.017), FGF was also significantly correlated with CT (P = 0.002) and SRD (P = 0.005), and TGF-β1 was correlated with triglycerides (P = 0.030) and HRF (P = 0.021). Conclusion. DME patients with significant macular cystoid edema changes may be related to high VEGF concentrations and thin CT; meanwhile, the presence of SRD or a high number of HRF on OCT macular scans in DME patients may indicate high levels of intraocular inflammatory factors. Thus, OCT morphology characteristics to some extent reflect intraocular inflammatory factors and VEGF levels and may guide treatment alternatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Endometriosis is a common, benign gynecological disorder affecting life quality of reproductive-aged women. Several polymorphisms in the promoter regions of the MMPs genes have been reported that were related to endometriosis risk. However, there are many contradictory conclusions, and no meta-analysis focused on this association systematically.Objectives: To evaluate the associations between various possible polymorphisms of MMPs genes and endometriosis risk, and confirm which kinds of MMPs genetic polymorphisms are associated with endometriosis risk, in order to identify the etiology and pathogenesis of endometriosis and the potential effective markers for predicting the predisposition to endometriosis.Search Strategy: An exhaustive electronic literature search was conducted, using keywords MMP, endometriosis and SNP, in English and Chinese.Selection Criteria: All eligible case-control studies by written in English or Chinese of the associations of MMPs polymorphisms with endometriosis risk, which had sufficient data for examining an odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI), were identified up to March 1, 2015.Data Collection and Analysis: A total of 1833 patients and 2190 controls from 12 studies were included. Allele frequency differences between cases and controls were performed with the use of odds ratios (ORs) and their respective 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for five genetic models.Main Results: For MMP-1 -1607 1G>2G (rs1799750) polymorphism, significant associations were observed both in overall comparison and subgroup analyses based on the stage of endometriosis, ethnicity of each study population and method of genotyping under four genetic models. In contrast, for MMP-2 15918 T>C (rs243847), MMP-2 -753 C>T (rs2285053), MMP-7 -181 A>G (rs11568818), MMP-9 -1562 C>T (rs3918242) and MMP-9 R279Q (rs17576) polymorphisms, no association was found in overall comparison, but in subgroup analyses based on source of control, stage of endometriosis, or ethnicity.Conclusions: MMP-1 -1607 1G>2G polymorphism might modulate risk of endometriosis, so does the MMP-2 15918 T>C, MMP-2 -753 C>T, MMP-7 -181 A>G, MMP-9 -1562 C>T and MMP-9 R279Q polymorphisms in some subgroups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term motor skill learning can induce plastic structural and functional reorganization of the brain. Our previous studies detected brain structural plasticity related to long-term intensive gymnastic training in world class gymnasts (WCGs). The goal of this study was to investigate brain functional plasticity in WCGs by using network measures of brain functional networks. Specifically, we acquired resting-state fMRI data from 13 WCGs and 14 controls, constructed their brain functional networks, and compared the differences in their network parameters. At the whole brain level, we detected significantly decreased overall functional connectivity (FC) and decreased local and global efficiency in the WCGs compared to the controls. At the modular level, we found intra- and inter-modular reorganization in three modules, the cerebellum, the cingulo-opercular and fronto-parietal networks, in the WCGs. On the nodal level, we revealed significantly decreased nodal strength and efficiency in several non-rich club regions of these three modules in the WCGs. These results suggested that functional plasticity can be detected in the brain functional networks of WCGs, especially in the cerebellum, fronto-parietal network, and cingulo-opercular network. In addition, we found that the FC between the fronto-parietal network and the sensorimotor network was significantly negatively correlated with the number of years of training in the WCGs. These findings may help us to understand the outstanding gymnastic performance of the gymnasts and to reveal the neural mechanisms that distinguish WCGs from controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the vibration model of the piezoelectric cantilever, the piezoelectric and electromagnetic output model are established. The simulation analysis of the cantilever vibration is performed using Comsol Multiphysics software. The effects of structural parameters, including cantilever length, cantilever thickness, piezoelectric layer length, piezoelectric layer thickness, coil size and position, on the resonance frequency and output voltage were analyzed. A cantilever vibration energy collection device is designed. The feasibility and accuracy of theoretical analysis were verified through the experiment, and the resonance frequency and the output voltage of the experiment basically agree with the theoretical calculation value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a series of specific surface defects are introduced at the interface of LaPO4/g-C3N4 composites. The photoreduction of CO2 into CO was performed to evaluate the catalytic performance. Among all photocatalysts, g-C3N4 composited with La200 (g-C3N4/La200) samples exhibits the best photocatalytic activity. The yield rate of CO for g-C3N4/La200 is almost 2 times, 2 times, 5 times and 18 times higher than that of La200, g-C3N4, pristine LaPO4 and g-C3N4/LaPO4 samples, respectively. It was revealed that these specific defects (oxygen vacancies) were successfully introduced onto LaPO4−x nanorods' surface (La200 samples) and the g-C3N4 shell completely covered the LaPO4−x nanorods (La200). The introduced oxygen vacancies induced a new defect level below the CB (conduction band bottom) of LaPO4. The photoexcited electrons in the LUMO energy levels of g-C3N4 can easily transfer to the defect energy levels of LaPO4−x. Consequently, the response in the visible region is extended and the photoinduced holes and electrons are separated efficiently. As a result, the La200 samples represented enhanced activity towards CO2 reduction into carbon monoxide. This study may offer better guidance for designing and fabricating novel heterostructure photocatalysts by defect engineering with excellent photocatalytic activity and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A kind of bent multimode fiber (MMF) vector magnetic sensor based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) was proposed. By plating gold film on the curved part of the bent multimode fiber, the surface plasmon mode (SPM) was excited via a whispering gallery mode (WGM). Fabricating the structure only required bending the fiber and plating it with gold, which perfectly ensured the integrity of the fiber and made it more robust compared with other structures. The sensor used magnetic fluid (MF) as the magnetically sensitive material. Through monitoring the shift of the surface plasmon resonance dip, the as-fabricated sensor not only had a high magnetic field intensity sensitivity of 9749 pm/mT but could also measure the direction of a magnetic field with a high sensitivity of 546.5 pm/°. The additional advantages of the proposed sensor lay in its easy fabrication and good integrity, which make it attractive in the field of vector-magnetic-field sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Soybean (Glycine max) is one of the most important crops world‐wide. Under low nitrogen (N) condition, soybean can form a symbiotic relationship with rhizobia to acquire sufficient N for their growth and production.Nodulation signaling controls soybean symbiosis with rhizobia. The soybean Nodule Inception (GmNINa) gene is a central regulator of soybean nodulation. However, the transcriptional regulation of GmNINa remains largely unknown. Nodulation is sensitive to salt stress, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear.Here, we identified an NAC transcription factor designated GmNAC181 (also known as GmNAC11) as the interacting protein of GmNSP1a. GmNAC181 overexpression or knockdown in soybean resulted in increased or decreased numbers of nodules, respectively. Accordingly, the expression of GmNINa was greatly up‑ and downregulated, respectively. Furthermore, we showed that GmNAC181 can directly bind to the GmNINa promoter to activate its gene expression. Intriguingly, GmNAC181 was highly induced by salt stress during nodulation and promoted symbiotic nodulation under salt stress.We identified a new transcriptional activator of GmNINa in the nodulation pathway and revealed a mechanism by which GmNAC181 acts as a network node orchestrating the expression of GmNINa and symbiotic nodulation under salt stress conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malnutrition is a common complication in cancer patients. It often accelerates disease progression and affects treatment outcomes. Thus, in the early census of cancer patients, examination for possible nutritional risks and correcting potential causes of malnutrition are needed to improve patients' quality of life. Our study included 375 patients diagnosed with cancer in Henan province and analyzed the relationship between nutritional risk and indicators like age, serum albumin, serum prealbumin, serum hemoglobin, tumor stage, tumor type, and inflammatory factors. We found that age, hemoglobin, and presence of gastrointestinal tumors were independent risk factors for nutritional risk. We also found significant correlation between inflammatory factors and nutritional risk in cancer patients, so as to provide new prediction indexes for clinical management of nutritional risk and dynamic changes of nutritional status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tone mapping reproduces the true radiance map of a scene from a high dynamic range (HDR) image while preserving sharp edges. Popular approaches extract base and texture layers from an HDR image, adjust and combine them to obtain the final results. Due to the drawbacks of the priors used in layer decomposition, these methods suffer from over-enhancement and halo artifacts. In this paper, to suppress halo artifacts while preserving sharp edges, we propose a new layer decomposition model for tone mapping. We apply L1 regularized anisotropic total variation to model the piecewise part, and impose an L0 regularized two-directional gradient prior on the detail structures to achieve efficient structural layer decomposition. Experiments show that our method outperforms state-of-the-art methods on image decomposition and tone mapping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-α is a proinflammatory cytokine (PIC) and has been implicated in a variety of illness including cardiovascular disease. The current study investigated the inflammatory response trigged by TNFα in both cultured brain neurons and the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), a key cardiovascular relevant brain area, of the Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. Our results demonstrated that TNFα treatment induces a dose- and time-dependent increase in mRNA expression of PICs including Interleukin (IL)-1β and Interleukin-6 (IL6); chemokines including C–C Motif Chemokine Ligand 5 (CCL5) and C–C Motif Chemokine Ligand 12 (CCL12), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), as well as transcription factor NF-kB in cultured brain neurons from neonatal SD rats. Consistent with this finding, immunostaining shows that TNFα treatment increases immunoreactivity of IL1β, CCL5, iNOS and stimulates activation or expression of NF-kB, in both cultured brain neurons and the PVN of adult SD rats. We further compared mRNA expression of the aforementioned genes in basal level as well as in response to TNFα challenge between SD rats and Dahl Salt-sensitive (Dahl-S) rats, an animal model of salt-sensitive hypertension. Dahl-S brain neurons presented higher baseline levels as well as greater response to TNFα challenge in mRNA expression of CCL5, iNOS and IL1β. Furthermore, central administration of TNFα caused significant higher response in CCL12 in the PVN of Dahl-S rats. The increased inflammatory response to TNFα in Dahl-S rats may be indicative of an underlying mechanism for enhanced pressor reactivity to salt intake in the Dahl-S rat model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) causes significant economic loss, reduced food security and poses an ongoing pandemic threat. Poultry vaccination significantly decreases these problems and recognizes that the health of humans, animals and ecosystems are connected. Low-cost manufacture of poultry vaccine matched quickly to the ever-changing circulating strain is needed for effective vaccination. Here, we re-engineered the process to manufacture bacterially synthesized modular capsomere comprising influenza M2e, previously shown to confer complete protection in challenged mice, for application in poultry. Modular capsomere was prepared using a simplified non-chromatographic salting-out precipitation method and its immunogenicity tested in vivo in poultry. Modular capsomere crudely purified by precipitation ( p CapM2e) contained more contaminants than equivalent product purified by chromatography ( c CapM2e). Unadjuvanted p CapM2e containing 80 EU of endotoxin per dose was inferior to highly purified and adjuvanted c CapM2e (2 EU per dose). However, addition of adjuvant to p CapM2e resulting in high immunogenicity after only a single dose of vaccination, yet without any local adverse reaction. This finding suggests a strong synergy between adjuvant, antigen and contaminants, and the possible existence of a “Goldilocks” level of contaminants, where high immunogenicity and low reactogenicity can be obtained in a single-shot vaccination. The simplified process offers potential cost and speed advantages to address the needs in influenza poultry vaccination in low-cost veterinary markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]