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Inspired by biological channels, achieving precise separation of ion/water and ion/ion requires finely tuned pore sizes at molecular dimensions and deliberate exposure of charged groups. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs), a class of porous crystalline materials, offer well-defined nanoscale pores and diverse structures, making them excellent candidates for nanofluidic channels that facilitate ion and water transport. In this study, we perform molecular simulations to investigate the structure and kinetics of water and ions confined within the typical COFs with varied exposure of charged groups. The COFs exhibit vertically arrayed nanochannels, enabling diffusion coefficients of water molecules within COFs to remain within the same order of magnitude as in the bulk. The motion of water molecules manifests in two distinct modes, creating a mobile hydration layer around acid groups. The ion diffusion within COFs displays a notable disparity between monovalent (M+) and divalent (M2+) cations. As a result, the selectivity of M+/M2+ can exceed 100, while differentiation among M+ is less pronounced. In addition, our simulations indicate a high rejection (R > 98%) in COFs, indicating their potential as ideal materials for desalination. The chemical flexibility of COFs indicates that would hold significant promise as candidates for advanced artificial ion channels and separation membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explored the utility of brief Mycobacterium tuberculosis whole-genome sequencing (WGS) "snapshots" at a sentinel site within Lima, Peru, for evaluating local transmission dynamics over time. Within a 17-km2 area, 15 of 70 (21%) isolates with WGS collected during 2011–2012 and 22 of 81 (27%) collected during 2020–2021 were clustered (P =.414), and additional isolates clustered with those from outside the area. Isolates from the later period were disproportionately related to large historic clusters in Lima from the earlier period. WGS snapshots at a sentinel site may not be useful for monitoring transmission, but monitoring the persistence of large transmission clusters might be. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We theoretically investigate the subgap transport in a ferromagnetic silicene/superconductor junction and highlight the role of the interface. It is demonstrated that the subgap conductance spectra for the continuous and discontinuous interface models are significantly different. In particular, the intravalley Andreev reflection (AR) may occur at the discontinuous interface, and then the subgap conductance will be remarkably enhanced when the silicene sheet is highly valley polarized. This novel AR resulted from the valley-mixing scattering, which is absent in the continuous interface model. The influence of the interface coupling strength on the subgap conductance is also computed. Our results can be directly tested experimentally using scanning tunnel microscope measurements and/or point-contact spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cervical endoscopic spine surgery is rapidly evolving and gaining popularity for the treatment of cervical radiculopathy and myelopathy. This approach significantly reduces muscular damage and blood loss by minimizing soft tissue stripping, leading to less postoperative pain and a faster postoperative recovery. As scientific evidence accumulates, the efficacy and safety of cervical endoscopic spine surgery are continually affirmed. Both anterior and posterior endoscopic approaches have surfaced as viable alternative treatments for various cervical spine pathologies. Newer techniques, such as endoscopic-assisted fusion, the anterior transcorporeal approach, and unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression, have been developed to enhance clinical outcomes and broaden surgical indications. Despite its advantages, this approach faces challenges, including a steep learning curve, increased radiation exposure for both surgeons and patients, and a relative limitation in addressing multi-level pathologies. However, the future of cervical endoscopic spine surgery is promising, with potential enhancements in clinical outcomes and safety on the horizon. This progress is fueled by integrating advanced imaging and navigation technologies, applying regional anesthesia for improved and facilitated postoperative recovery, and incorporating cutting-edge technologies, such as augmented reality. With these advancements, cervical endoscopic spine surgery is poised to broaden its scope in treating cervical spine pathologies while maintaining the benefits of minimized tissue damage and rapid recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients of interstitial lung disease (ILD) combined with pulmonary lesions are increasingly common in clinical practice. Patients with ILD are at significantly higher risk for complications after pulmonary resection (including lobectomy and sublobar resection), especially acute exacerbations of ILD (AE-ILD). The purpose of this study is to summarize the short-term and long-term outcomes after pulmonary resection in ILD patients and to analyze the clinical factors affecting surgical safety. Methods: From January 2004 to January 2022, a total of 78 patients who were diagnosed with ILD and underwent pulmonary resection at our center were enrolled in this study. Clinical data, pathological findings, surgical procedures, and intraoperative safety of these patients were collected retrospectively. Postoperative 90-day complications and mortality, long-term surgical outcomes from postoperative 90 days to 24 months, and changes in ILD condition were investigated. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors associated with postoperative complications. Results: The median age of patients was 66.5 (range 33–86) years, 82.1% (64/78) of patients were male, and 78.2% (61/78) of patients had comorbidities. Idiopathic ILD and secondary ILD accounted for 86% and 14%, thoracotomy and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery accounted for 12.8% and 87.2%, and lobectomy and sublobar resection accounted for 37.2% and 62.8%, respectively. Postoperative 90-day complications occurred in 25.6% (20/78) of patients, with pulmonary complications and AE-ILD occurring in 15.4% and 9.0% of patients, respectively. The postoperative 90-day mortality rate was 5.1% (4/78), and the cause of death was AE-ILD. Exacerbation of ILD or other complications occurred in 12.8% (10/78) of patients from postoperative 90 days to 24 months. Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that comorbidity, extent of resection, systemic lymph node dissection, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, and pathology of pulmonary lesion were associated with postoperative 90-day complications. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index and intraoperative blood loss were identified as independent risk factors of postoperative 90-day complications. Conclusions: Patients with ILD have a significantly higher risk of postoperative 90-day complications and mortality after pulmonary resection, especially pulmonary complications and AE-ILD. After postoperative 90 days, the risk of deterioration of pulmonary status remains high, including exacerbation of ILD and complications associated with long-term use of glucocorticoids and immunosuppressant. Age, comorbidity and intraoperative blood loss are high risk factors for postoperative 90-day complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple primary lung cancers (MPLCs) are becoming more and more common and these patients can benefit from minimally invasive surgery. Here, we report a case of a patient diagnosed with synchronous MPLCs who underwent bilateral thoracoscopic pulmonary resections in a two‐stage strategy, and achieved a good surgical outcome and high quality of life. A 66‐year‐old female was found to have one major ground‐glass nodule (GGN) in the right upper lobe and eight minor GGNs in the left upper and lower lobes. The patient underwent right upper lobe resection and systematic mediastinal lymph node dissection via single‐utility port thoracoscopic surgery in September 2018. Pathology was lepidic predominant adenocarcinoma pT1bN0M0, IA2. Regular high‐resolution computed tomography examination during 36 months after right upper lobectomy showed gradually increasing diameter and solid component of multiple GGNs in left lung. The patient underwent thoracoscopic multiple pulmonary resections using an intraoperative localization technique in a hybrid operating room in October 2021 and all eight nodules in the left lung were resected. Two segmentectomies and four wedge resections were performed, and the pathological results of the eight nodules included four adenocarcinomas, three adenocarcinomas in situ, and one alveolar epithelial hyperplasia. The two operations were successful with no intra‐ or postoperative 90‐day complications. During more than 20 months of follow‐up after the second operation, the patient had well recovered pulmonary function and physical status with a Karnofsky performance status score of 90 and no local recurrence or metastasis. A two‐stage surgical strategy for synchronous MPLCs is therefore feasible. The surgical strategy, timing of intervention, and extent of pulmonary resection should be individually designed according to the location and characteristics of each nodule. Intraoperative localization of small GGNs is very important to ensure that all nodules are completely and accurately resected during the operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical treatment by FDA-approved ROS1/ALK inhibitor Crizotinib significantly improved the therapeutic outcomes. However, the emergence of drug resistance, especially driven by acquired mutations, have become an inevitable problem and worsened the clinical effects of Crizotinib. To combat drug resistance, some novel 2-aminopyridine derivatives were designed rationally based on molecular simulation, then synthesised and subjected to biological test. The preferred spiro derivative C01 exhibited remarkable activity against CD74-ROS1G2032R cell with an IC50 value of 42.3 nM, which was about 30-fold more potent than Crizotinib. Moreover, C01 also potently inhibited enzymatic activity against clinically Crizotinib-resistant ALKG1202R, harbouring a 10-fold potency superior to Crizotinib. Furthermore, molecular dynamic disclosed that introducing the spiro group could reduce the steric hindrance with bulky side chain (Arginine) in solvent region of ROS1G2032R, which explained the sensitivity of C01 to drug-resistant mutant. These results indicated a path forward for the generation of anti Crizotinib-resistant ROS1/ALK dual inhibitors. SAR of a series of 2-aminopyridine ROS1/ALK inhibitors was studied. The spiro derivatives exhibited remarkable dual ROS1/ALK activity. C01 potently inhibited Crizotinib-refractory ALKG1202R and ROS1G2032R mutants. Molecular simulations gave a probable explanation for the activity of C01. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotic resistance has emerged as one of the most significant threats to global public health. Plasmids, which are highly efficient self-replicating genetic vehicles, play a critical role in the dissemination of drug-resistant genes. Previous studies have mainly focused on drug-resistant genes only, often neglecting the complete functional role of multidrug-resistant (MDR) plasmids in bacteria. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive investigation of the transcriptomes and proteomes of Escherichia coli J53 transconjugants harboring six major MDR plasmids of different incompatibility (Inc) groups, which were clinically isolated from patients. The RNA-seq analysis revealed that MDR plasmids influenced the gene expression in the bacterial host, in particular, the genes related to metabolic pathways. A proteomic analysis demonstrated the plasmid-induced regulation of several metabolic pathways including anaerobic respiration and the utilization of various carbon sources such as serine, threonine, sialic acid, and galactarate. These findings suggested that MDR plasmids confer a growth advantage to bacterial hosts in the gut, leading to the expansion of plasmid-carrying bacteria over competitors without plasmids. Moreover, this study provided insights into the versatility of prevalent MDR plasmids in moderating the cellular gene network of bacteria, which could potentially be utilized in therapeutics development for bacteria carrying MDR plasmids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are essential regulators involved in the fate determination of diverse RNA species; however, emerging evidence indicates that a subset of RBPs may physically interact with chromatin and function at the transcriptional level. Here, we highlight the recently discovered mechanisms of chromatin-interacting RBPs (ChRBPs) in the regulation of chromatin/transcriptional activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Preoperative prediction of prolonged postoperative opioid use (PPOU) after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) could identify high-risk patients for increased surveillance. The Skeletal Oncology Research Group machine learning algorithm (SORG-MLA) has been tested internally while lacking external support to assess its generalizability. The aims of this study were to externally validate this algorithm in an Asian cohort and to identify other potential independent factors for PPOU. Methods: In a tertiary center in Taiwan, 3,495 patients receiving TKA from 2010–2018 were included. Baseline characteristics were compared between the external validation cohort and the original developmental cohorts. Discrimination (area under receiver operating characteristic curve [AUROC] and precision-recall curve [AUPRC]), calibration, overall performance (Brier score), and decision curve analysis (DCA) were applied to assess the model performance. A multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate other potential prognostic factors. Results: There were notable differences in baseline characteristics between the validation and the development cohort. Despite these variations, the SORG-MLA (https://sorg-apps.shinyapps.io/tjaopioid/) remained its good discriminatory ability (AUROC, 0.75; AUPRC, 0.34) and good overall performance (Brier score, 0.029; null model Brier score, 0.032). The algorithm could bring clinical benefit in DCA while somewhat overestimating the probability of prolonged opioid use. Preoperative acetaminophen use was an independent factor to predict PPOU (odds ratio, 2.05). Conclusions: The SORG-MLA retained its discriminatory ability and good overall performance despite the different pharmaceutical regulations. The algorithm could be used to identify high-risk patients and tailor personalized prevention policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Subjective "ladder" measurements of socio-economic status (SES) are easy-to-administer tools that ask respondents to rate their own SES, allowing them to evaluate their own material resources and determine where it places them relative to their community. Here, we sought to compare the MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social status to the WAMI, an objective measure of SES that includes data on water and sanitation, asset ownership, education, and income. Methods: Leveraging a study of 595 tuberculosis patients in Lima, Peru, we compared the MacArthur ladder score to the WAMI score using weighted Kappa scores and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. We identified outliers that fell outside the 95th percentile and assessed the durability of the inconsistencies between scores by re-testing a subset of participants. We then used Akaike information criterion (AIC) to compare the predictability of logistic regression models evaluating the association between the two SES scoring systems and history of asthma. Results: The correlation coefficient between the MacArthur ladder and WAMI scores was 0.37 and the weighted Kappa was 0.26. The correlation coefficients differed by less than 0.04 and the Kappa ranged from 0.26 to 0.34, indicating fair agreement. When we replaced the initial MacArthur ladder scores with retest scores, the number of individuals with disagreements between the two scores decreased from 21 to 10 and the correlation coefficient and weighted Kappa both increased by at least 0.03. Lastly, we found that when we categorized WAMI and MacArthur ladder scores into three groups, both had a linear trend association with history of asthma with effect sizes and AICs that differed by less than 15% and 2 points, respectively. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated fair agreement between the MacArthur ladder and WAMI scores. The agreement between the two SES measurements increased when they were further categorized into 3–5 categories, the form in which SES is often used in epidemiologic studies. The MacArthur score also performed similarly to WAMI in predicting a socio-economically sensitive health outcome. Researchers should consider subjective SES tools as an alternative method for measuring SES, particularly in large health studies where data collection is a burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Periodic assembly and break-up of supercontinents since at least two billion years ago (Ga), dubbed the supercontinent cycle, provides the first-order tectonic control on the evolution of the Earth System including episodic orogenic events, mineralization, the formation and closure of oceans and superoceans, and even the evolution of life. However, the lifespan of the supercontinents appears to decrease with time, from ∼300 million years (Myr) for Nuna/Columbia, to 200–250 Myr for Rodinia and ∼150 Myr for the youngest supercontinent Pangaea. To understand what caused such a secular decrease in supercontinental lifespan, we conduct 3-D geodynamic modeling using realistic tectonic settings. The results show that the yield stress of newly formed orogens during the assembly of a supercontinent provides the dominant control on the lifespan of the supercontinent, implying that the yield stress of young orogens becomes lower with time. We hypothesize that the decreasing mantle temperature due to Earth's secular cooling might have caused new orogens to become weaker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earth's known supercontinents are believed to have formed in vastly different ways, with two endmembers being introversion and extroversion. The former involves the closure of the internal oceans formed during the break-up of the previous supercontinent, whereas the latter involves the closure of the previous external superocean. However, it is unclear what caused such diverging behavior of supercontinent cycles that involved first-order interaction between subducting tectonic plates and the mantle. Here we address this question through 4D geodynamic modeling using realistic tectonic set-ups. Our results show that the strength of the oceanic lithosphere plays a critical role in determining the assembly path of a supercontinent. We found that high oceanic lithospheric strength leads to introversion assembly, whereas lower strength leads to extroversion assembly. A theoretically estimated reduction in oceanic crustal thickness, and thus its strength, during Earth's secular cooling indicates that introversion was only possible for the Precambrian time when the oceanic lithosphere was stronger, thus predicting the assembling of the next supercontinent Amasia through the closure of the Pacific Ocean instead of the Indian-Atlantic oceans. Our work provides a new understanding of the secular evolution of plate tectonics and geodynamics as the Earth cooled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: More than 8% of responders who participated in the search and rescue efforts at the World Trade Center (WTC) following 9/11 developed early-onset cognitive impairment (CI). Approximately 23% were also diagnosed with chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).Objective: To shed light on the pathophysiology of these WTC-related conditions, we examined diffusion connectometry to identify altered white matter tracts in WTC responders with CI and/or PTSD compared to unaffected responders.Methods: 99 WTC responders (mean age 56 years) consisting of CI-/PTSD- (n = 27), CI+/PTSD- (n = 25), CI-/PTSD+ (n = 24), and CI+/PTSD+ (n = 23) were matched on age, sex, occupation, race, and education. Cognitive status was determined using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and PTSD status was determined using the DSM-IV SCID. Diffusion tensor imaging was acquired on a 3T Siemens Biograph mMR scanner. Connectometry analysis was used to examine whole-brain tract-level differences in white matter integrity as reflected by fractional anisotropy (FA) values after adjusting for confounders.Results: Analyses identified that FA was negatively correlated with CI and PTSD status in the fornix, cingulum, forceps minor of the corpus callosum and the right uncinate fasciculus. Furthermore, FA was negatively correlated with PTSD status, regardless of CI status in the superior thalamic radiation and the cerebellum.Conclusion: This is the first connectometry study to examine altered white matter tracts in a sample of WTC responders with CI and/or PTSD. Results from this study suggest that WTC responders with early-onset CI may be experiencing an early neurodegenerative process characterized by decreased FA in white matter tracts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Notch signaling mutation is associated with enhanced anti-tumor immune response in colorectal cancer (CRC). In this study, we aim to investigate the underlying mechanism and the predictive potential of Notch signaling mutation for responding to immunotherapy in CRC.Methods: We analyzed the immune response associated genes in CRC with Notch signaling mutation concomitant with or without microsatellite instability (MSI) using TCGA dataset and investigated the mutation profiles of the Notch signaling pathway using cBioPortal. The Notch signaling scores and immune cell infiltration scores in different groups were calculated. We applied the Kaplan-Meier method for survival analysis in CRC patients who underwent immunotherapy, and the log-rank test to determine the statistically significant differences in survival. Notch1-knock-down cell line was constructed to detect the pathway and gene variations.Results: We found that Notch signaling pathway mutation was associated with activated immune response, especially in those with MSI. Such association is useful for predicting a prolonged overall survival of CRC patients who underwent immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment. The mutation resulted in the functional loss of Notch signaling and may modulate the tumor immune microenvironment by increasing the expression of chemokines that are important for recruiting immune cells.Conclusions: The Notch signaling mutation can modulate the chemotaxis of immune cells by upregulating the chemokine levels of the tumor immune microenvironment, and CRC patients with Notch signaling pathway mutation have better overall survival after immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global navigation satellite system (GNSS)-based passive radar shows potential for permanent maritime surveillance. In this article, the GNSS signals are exploited for vessel target imaging. From the obtained radar image, meaningful information about the vessel, such as its shape, position, length, and orientation can be extracted. In addition, the vessel is observed from different angles by spatially diverse GNSS satellites, and the multistatic geometry enables to enhance the imagery quality. The main drawback of GNSS-based passive radar stays in its limited power budget. And the inaccessible motion makes the noncooperative vessel smeared using conventional radar imaging methods. To address the problems, at first, each bistatic echo over a long observation time is integrated with the range and Doppler (RD) domain after removing the 2-D migrations. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) can be increased after the step. Then, with respect to a particular target velocity, the local Cartesian plane is constructed, and the multiple RD maps are projected and combined in the plane to obtain the multistatic image. In view of the inaccessibility of target kinematic parameters, such imaging processing is modeled as an optimization problem, where vessel’s velocity is set as a decision variable and the aim is to minimize the image entropy. Finally, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is applied to solve the optimization problem, after which a well-focused vessel image can be obtained. In May 2021, we have successfully carried out the world’s first BeiDou-based passive radar maritime experiment, and the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified against the experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demoralization has become increasingly prevalent among college students who have lost motivation in life and feel hopeless about their future. Many college students who demonstrate symptoms of demoralization are neglected because they might fail to typical symptoms of depression. Taiwanese college students are simultaneously influenced by bicultural-self system, such as individual- and social-oriented views of self, which vary considerably in the view of self, achievement motivation, and the value of self-realization, and may even create contradictory expectations and behavioral standard. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent of the relationship between attitude towards demoralization, individual- and social-oriented views of self. Three-hundred fifty-six college students completed the online questionnaire, which was designed to explore their demoralization status and cultural differences. Four groups were divided into bicultural self, individual-oriented self, social-oriented self, and unintegrated self. Bicultural group demonstrated significantly lower demoralization overall scores than other groups. Moreover, the five dimensions of demoralization in college students were mostly significantly and negatively correlated with individual- and social-oriented views of self, indicating that college students' bicultural views of self may contribute to or prevent demoralization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many cryopreservation carriers have been introduced to freeze rare human spermatozoa, however, these carriers relative attributes and comparative effectivenesses have not yet been systematically studied. Objectives: Is the micro‐straw cryopreservation carrier more effective for cryopreserving rare human spermatozoa compared with the Cryoplus and a new micro‐straw (LSL straw) carriers? Materials and methods: This study involves 93 samples from healthy sperm donors and 40 samples from patients diagnosed with oligospermia, asthenospermia, oligoasthenospermia, or obstructive azoospermia. We determined the optimal freeze–thaw protocol for the Micro‐straw carrier. The post‐thaw survival rate, normal sperm morphology, acrosome integrity, and DNA fragmentation for Micro‐straw, Cryoplus, and LSL carriers were then determined. Finally, we verified the effects of freezing using these carriers by comparing the qualities of post‐thaw spermatozoa from patients. Results: The highest total motility (TM) and progressive motility (PR) survival rates were obtained by placing the Micro‐straw at 1 cm above the LN2 surface for 70 s during freezing and in a 42°C water bath for 40 s during thawing. No differences were observed in the PR survival rate, acrosome integrity, and DNA fragmentation of the post‐thaw spermatozoa from the three carriers. However, the normal morphology rate of spermatozoa frozen using the Micro‐straw carrier was higher than for the Cryoplus carrier (p < 0.05), and the TM survival rate of spermatozoa frozen with the Micro‐straw was higher than that for the LSL carrier (p < 0.01). In verification tests, there were no significant differences in the quality of post‐thaw spermatozoa cryopreserved using these carriers for both rare spermatozoa or epididymal sperm. Discussion and conclusion: Micro‐straw, Cryoplus, and LSL carriers are all efficient means of freezing rare human spermatozoa. However, the Micro‐straw carrier is more economical, safe, and user‐friendly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) neurons are one of the most densely distributed cell types in the central amygdala (CeA), and are involved in a wide range of behaviors including anxiety and learning. However, the fundamental input circuits and patterns of CeA-CRF neurons are still unclear. Here, we generate a monosynaptic-input map onto CeA-CRF neurons at single-cell resolution via a retrograde rabies-virus system. We find all inputs are located in 44 nested subregions that directly innervate CeA-CRF neurons; most of them are top-down convergent inputs expressing Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, and are centralized in cortex, especially in the layer 4 of the somatosensory cortex, which may directly relay information from the thalamus. While the bottom-up divergent inputs have the highest proportion of glutamate decarboxylase expression. Finally, en passant structures of single input neuron are revealed by in-situ reconstruction in a modified 3D-reference atlas, represented by a Periaqueductal gray-Subparafascicular nucleus-Subthalamic nucleus-Globus pallidus-Caudoputamen-CeA pathway. Taken together, our findings provide morphological and connectivity properties of inputs onto CeA-CRF neurons, which may provide insights for future studies interrogating circuit mechanisms of CeA-CRF neurons in mediating various functions. Viral retrograde tracing identifies input regions and patterns into the corticotropin releasing factor-expressing neurons in central amygdala, providing an important resource to disentangle the role of these cells in fear and anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article puts forward a BeiDou-based passive multistatic radar (PMR) maritime moving target (MMT) detection technique via space–time hybrid integration (STHI) processing. Compared with passive bistatic radar (PBR), the utilization of multiple satellites provides an improvement in MMT detection performance, together with the capabilities of localization and velocity estimation. However, the multiple satellite transmitters cause the differences principally in bistatic range and Doppler centroid (DC) of the MMT. To integrate the PMR echoes, the biggest challenge is the two differences that need to be handled. In the proposed technique, first, the centroid-compensated keystone transform (CCKT) is proposed and applied to each PBR echo. It not only corrects range cell migration (RCM) but also equalizes the DC to the same. Then, the long-time integration is performed on each PBR echo, after which it is integrated into the range-Doppler frequency rate (DFR) domain. Finally, in order to settle the difference in bistatic range, an MMT position and velocity domain (i.e., the $X$ – $Y$ – $V$ domain) is constituted. The obtained multiple range-DFR maps are projected to the $X$ – $Y$ – $V$ domain, and then, the effective integration of multistatic echoes can be implemented. The final STHI result allows detecting the MMT reliably. Meanwhile, according to the 3-D position where the MMT is located in the $X$ – $Y$ – $V$ domain, the MMT can be localized, and its velocity can be estimated simultaneously. In May 2021, we have successfully carried out the world’s first BeiDou-based PMR MMT detection experiment, and the experimental results are given to prove the effectiveness of this technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are covalently closed single-stranded RNAs. Four subclasses of circRNAs have been identified in animal cells, and they have unique features in their biogenesis, degradation, and transport. CircRNAs have diverse molecular functions in sponging miRNAs, regulating transcription, modulating RNA-binding proteins, and even encoding proteins. Some circRNAs are important regulators of various physiological processes to maintain homeostasis. Dysregulation of circRNAs is associated with human disorders, and individual circRNAs are crucial factors that contribute to major diseases including non-immunological diseases such as cancers, neurological disorders, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic disease. Debates on circRNAs have also been raised in recent years, and further studies would help to resolve these disputes and potentially lead to biomedical applications of circRNAs. All circRNAs are covalently closed single-stranded RNAs, but they are diverse in their sequence composition, metabolism, roles, and functional mechanisms. The dynamic expression and functional roles of circRNAs are closely associated with different physiological states, and various circRNAs are known to serve as crucial regulators of normal homeostasis. Perturbations in circRNA expression are linked to an array of complex diseases. In particular, numerous individual circRNAs repress or induce the initiation and/or progression of various non-immunological diseases. CircRNAs hold great potential as clinical diagnostic and prognostic markers, therapeutic targets, and even treatment reagents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waterway traffic monitoring is an important content in waterway traffic management. Taking into account that the number of monitored water areas is growing and that waterway traffic management capabilities are insufficient in the current situation in China, this paper investigates the location optimization of the vessel traffic service (VTS) radar station. During the research process, radar attenuation and environmental occlusion, as well as variable coverage radius and multiple covering are all considered. In terms of the radar attenuation phenomenon in the propagation process and obstacles such as mountains and islands in the real world, judgment and evaluation methods in a three-dimensional space are proposed. Moreover, a bi-objective mathematical model is then developed, as well as a modified adaptive strategy particle swarm optimization algorithm. Finally, a numerical example and a case are given to verify the effectiveness of the proposed methods, model, and algorithm. The results show the methods, model, and algorithm proposed in this paper can solve the model efficiently and provide a method to optimize the VTS radar station location in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precise ion/water and ion/ion separation requires pores of size closely aligned with the dimension of filtering molecules or ions. Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs), a class of porous crystallizes with well-defined Å ngstrom pores and diverse structures, making them promising candidates for nanofluidic channels. In this work, we perform molecular simulations to explore the structures and kinetics of water and ions confined in 4 typical ZIFs, including ZIF-65, ZIF-8, SALEM-2 and ZIF-Cl. Our findings reveal that the structure of water molecules within these ZIFs closely resembles that of bulk water but two diffusion regimes are identified. Notably, the diffusion coefficients (D) of the water are one order of magnitude lower than bulk water while the order of D for different ZIFs cannot be simply attributed to steric effects. The ion diffusion barriers exhibit a distinct contrast between monovalent and divalent cations, closely mirroring ion-valence selectivity as biological channels. Additionally, the Å ngstrom-scale pores within ZIFs demonstrate exceptional capability of filtering alkali metal ions with the selectivity as high as 10–100. Further analysis underscores the substantial effects of pore flexibility. The comprehensive simulation results strongly indicate that ZIFs hold significant promise for utilization in development of artificial ion channels and precise ion separation membranes. [Display omitted] • The atomic-level mechanisms governing the transport of water and ions within 0+3D confined spaces of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs). • The distinct contrast in diffusion barriers between monovalent and divalent cations highlights the potential of ZIFs as promising candidates for achieving ideal ion-valence selectivity, akin to the selectivity observed in biological channels. • ZIFs as an exceptional capacity to selectively filter alkali metal ions, showcasing selectivity levels ranging from 10 to 100. • The significant role of pore flexibility in facilitating ion transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Sewage sludge and fresh leachate were used to enhance the corn straw digestion. • Co-digestion had both antagonistic and synergistic effects on methanogenic potential. • The dominant Bathyarchaeia helped degrade lignocellulose but limited methane yield. • The correlation of synergy with microbial community was established. Effects of sewage sludge (SS) and fresh leachate (FL) addition on corn straw (CS) digestion and underlying mechanisms were investigated. Co-digestion of CS, SS and FL significantly increased cumulative methane production by 7.2–61.1%. Further analysis revealed that co-digestion acted mainly on slowly degradable substrates and exerted dual effects on methane production potential, which was closely related to the volatile solids (VS) content. Antagonistic effects of co-digestion resulted from the dominance of norank_c_Bathyarchaeia , a mixotrophic methanogen that may generate methane inefficiently and consume existing methane. The synergistic enhancement of methane production (0.7–12.7%) was achieved in co-digestion with 33.5–45.5% of total VS added as SS and FL. Co-digestion with more balanced nutrients and higher buffering capacity enriched Actinobacteriota , Firmicutes , and Synergistota , thereby facilitating the substrate degradation. Furthermore, the predominant acetoclastic methanogens, increased hydrogenotrophic methanogens, and decreased methylotrophic methanogens in the digester combined to prompt the synergy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HAP crystallization use waste foam concrete as a calcium source, studied the impact of typical organic compounds in simulated pig wastewater on phosphorus recovery, and applied them to actual wastewater. Energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer(EDS) and SEM indicate: citric acid had a stronger inhibitory effect on crystallization compared to humic acid. Citric acid chelated Ca2+ ions, competing with crystallization ions and interfering with crystal nucleation. Humic acid hindered crystal growth through adsorption and ion exchange mechanisms. When citric acid and humic acid were added together, they competitively interacted, reducing the inhibition of phosphorus recovery. HAP crystallization alone reduced phosphorus content and turbidity in secondary pig wastewater, while combining 2 mL(5 g/L)PAM yielded favorable outcomes. Effluent phosphorus concentration was only 1.0 mg/L, with turbidity below 25. here was a noticeable reduction in Pseudomonas pathogenic bacteria from the Aspergillus phylum, along with a significant downward trend in the CL500_29_marine_group , which represents water body eutrophication. The combined method cost RMB 1.15 yuan/ton of water treated, a 26 % decrease compared to the original treatment plant. This method is suitable as an add-on unit for secondary pig wastewater treatment. • Foam concrete is applicable as source of Ca for HAP crystallization. • Citric acid and humic acid inhibit HAP crystal formation. • When both are added together, the inhibition of crystal formation is reduced. • HAP crystals add trace amounts of PAM, obtain lower effluent TP and turbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Systematic reviews have focused on sperm recovery and post‐thaw parameters after cryopreservation, but there is no information on the associated clinical outcomes. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have reported cryopreservation of a single sperm due to the importance of fertility preservation. Objectives: To assess whether the cryopreservation of single human spermatozoa improves clinical outcomes in patients with azoospermia or severe oligospermia. Materials and methods: We conducted an extensive literature search using the following databases: CENTRAL, CNKI, Cochrane Systematic Reviews, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PUBMED, and Web of Science for relevant studies published through December 31, 2019. We calculated the pooled proportions of cryopreservation of a single human spermatozoon to assess the recovery, survival, fertilization, pregnancy, miscarriage, and delivery rates. Subgroup analyses were performed for the following covariates, (a) different carriers, (b) year of publication, and (c) source of sperm. Results: We included 25 studies, which included 13 carriers. The pooled proportion of recovery rate of spermatozoa cryopreserved was 92% (95% CI, 87%–96%), and the survival, fertilization, pregnancy, miscarriage, and delivery rates were 76% (95% CI, 69%–83%), 63% (95% CI, 58%–67%), 57% (95% CI, 39%–74%), 12% (95% CI, 0%–33%), and 40% (95% CI, 12%–71%), respectively. Based on the subgroup analysis, the recovery and survival rates of frozen spermatozoa in a subgroup of different carriers were statistically significant. In the past decade, frozen single human spermatozoon technology has improved the recovery rates of frozen‐thawed spermatozoa. However, the differences in clinical outcomes of frozen spermatozoa in subgroups of different sources of sperm were not statistically significant. Discussion and conclusion: The techniques for single human spermatozoa are feasible and efficient and may benefit patients with severe oligospermia or azoospermia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives : To examine the association between modifiable lifestyle factors and the main semen parameter values, the number of qualified sperm donors, and to provide some sensible guidance for sperm donors. Methods: Healthy men screened as potential sperm donors were recruited in the Hunan Province Human Sperm Bank of China from March 2019 to December 2019. Participants were invited to complete interviewer-assisted questionnaires on eleven items of information. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to analyze which lifestyle factors collected by the questionnaire had an impact on the eligibility and main semen parameters of sperm donors. Results: The eligibility of men as sperm donors was strongly influenced by the duration of abstinence (P = 0.002). The rate of eligibility sperm donors increased significantly with the number of days of abstinence. In addition, semen volume increased with abstinence time (P = 0.000). Exercise frequency (P = 0.025) and abstinence time (P = 0.000) were positively correlated with sperm concentration, and masturbation frequency was negatively correlated with sperm concentration (P = 0.013). Progressive sperm motility was significantly affected by abstinence time (P = 0.000) and bedtime (P = 0.047). Conclusions: Abstinence time was highly associated with semen parameters and donor qualification. Increase the abstinence time before donation may be meaningful in improving the proportion of eligible sperm donors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the prominent electrochemiluminescence (ECL) performances of molybdenum disulfide-graphene quantum dots (MoS2-GQDs) nanocomposite and combined with enzyme-assisted recycling DNA walker signal amplification, an "on-off" switch ECL biosensor was proposed for sensitive assay of specific DNA sequences. Noticeably, MoS2 with two-dimensional nanosheet structure increased the loading capacity of GQDs to support abundant hairpin DNA (H). The composites of MoS2 and GQDs facilitated the charge transfer in ECL process, which significantly improved the ECL signal to achieve an "on" state. Then, the DNA walker cyclic amplification was performed by adding the target DNA and exonuclease III (Exo III). Finally, the DNA2-Fc-DNA1 was introduced into the system as ECL signal quencher, turning the ECL signal into an "off" state. The sensitive assay of ultra-low concentration specific DNA sequences was realized according to the variation of ECL signal strength before and after the existence of target DNA. The proposed ECL biosensor showed a good linear relationship ranging from 1 nM to 100 aM with a detection limit of 25.1 aM, providing a powerful strategy for biomedical research and clinical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effects of group art therapy on self‐concept and peer relationships among adolescents using a mixed‐method approach. Twelve recruited adolescents from a high school in Northern Taiwan attended weekly 2‐h group art therapy sessions for 8 weeks. Through a discovery‐oriented approach incorporating focus group interviews and individual interviews, qualitative results revealed that the participants started getting to know themselves better and were able to explore their inner selves while noticing their own emotions. Their self‐concept also became more positive along with reduced negative self‐concept, increased positive self‐concept, and clearer visions towards future goals. Furthermore, the therapy modified adolescents' negative peer relationships by reducing their social anxiety and adjusting their complicated experiences. Participants were found to experience trustable, allied, and compassionate positive peer relationships while having reduced loneliness and improved social skills at the same time. Besides, the participants answered self‐concept and peer relationship scales at pre‐ and post‐interventions as well as a 12‐month follow‐up thereafter. Friedman test on the longitudinal data showed participants reporting consistently higher self‐concept and peer relationship at post‐intervention and 12‐month follow‐up than at the pre‐intervention stage. Taken together, the findings duly support art therapy in boosting adolescents' self‐concept and peer relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of dyslipidemia and its related factors among urban adults aged 35 to 79 years in Southwestern China. From September 2013 to March 2014, a multi-stage sampling was conducted, and a total of 10,221 people aged 35–79 years living in Chengdu and Chongqing were included. More than 30 investigators were trained in data collection, including questionnaire, anthropometric measurements and blood biomarkers testing. The prevalence of high triglycerides (≥ 2.3 mmol/L), high total cholesterol (≥ 6.2 mmol/L), high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (≥ 4.1 mmol/L), low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (< 1.0 mmol/L), and dyslipidemia were 15.7% (95% confidence interval, 15.0–16.4%), 5.4% (4.9–5.8%), 2.5% (2.2–2.8%), 5.7% (5.3–6.2%), and 27.4% (26.5–28.2%), respectively. The prevalence of dyslipidemia was positively correlated with higher education level, monthly income over 2000 CNY, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, overweight and obesity, and central obesity, and negatively correlated with daily physical exercise. The prevalence of dyslipidemia in Southwestern China is lower than the national average level, with high triglycerides being the most common form of dyslipidemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a vector data net solver is proposed, which can reduce bivariate discrete-time dynamic programming (DP) computation time by 98.0% without losing accuracy. Therefore, for the first time, bivariate discrete-time DP can operate under model predictive control rolling optimization to calculate future optimum vehicle velocity in real time considering future road altitude and instant traffic information. Simulation results indicate that with the solution presented in this paper, front vehicles and the proper windows to pass through front intersections can be constantly considered. Meanwhile, the calculated optimum vehicle velocity almost remains the same as the global optimum solutions. Simulation results are validated by real-car tests, and the test new energy vehicle (NEV) electricity consumption is reduced by up to 48.6%. A comparison experiment is performed between the solution presented in this paper and commonly used adaptive dynamic programming (ADP), and the results indicate that the former has better performance and stability. This paper describes a novel solution for online optimum velocity calculation under vehicle to everything (V2X) environment and can be used by all smart NEVs with autonomous driving or active cruise control functions for lower electricity consumption and better riding comfort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Techniques for the cryopreservation of epididymal sperm was are widely used in clinical practice. However, given the unique characteristics of sperm from patients with obstructive azoospermia, epididymal sperm cryopreservation is more difficult because of low count and weak motility; therefore, conventional methods of sperm cryopreservation may not result in the best outcomes. We used the micro-straw method to store small quantities of sperm obtained from patients with severe oligozoospermia or azoospermia and achieved successful deliveries in the previous study. This retrospective study of ICSI cycles included the first ICSI cycles of fresh or frozen/thawed epididymal sperm that were performed in patients suffering from obstructive azoospermia who were admitted to the CITIC-Xiangya Hospital of Reproduction and Genetics of China from June 1, 2015 to June 31, 2019. A total of 2441 patients with obstructive azoospermia were divided according to the use of fresh (n = 2342) or frozen/thawed (n = 99) epididymal sperm. The results showed that the fertilisation rate was higher with fresh epididymal sperm than that with frozen/thawed epididymal sperm (85.14% vs. 79.26%, respectively; p = 0.000). However, the rates of embryo cleavage, high-quality embryos, clinical pregnancy, miscarriage, singletons and birth defect were similar between fresh and frozen/thawed epididymal sperm (98.28% vs. 99.13%, 60.34% vs. 57.29%, 67.90% vs. 70.51%, 8.12% vs. 10.91%, 57.76% vs. 49.09%, 1.59% vs. 1.45%respectively; p = 0.088, 0.109, 0.628, 0.462,0.203 and 0.686). In addition, the short-term cryostorage of small quantities of epididymal sperm did not affect clinical outcomes. The results indicated that in cases of obstructive azoospermia, cryostorage of small quantities epididymal sperm is a reliable option. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High-intensity interval training (HIIT) and aerobic training (AT) both improve cardiac function; however, their effects on cardiac function after myocardial infarction (MI) and the molecular mechanisms are unclear. In this study, HIIT, AT and sedentary (SED) interventions were performed for 4 weeks to compare the effects on cardiac function after MI and explore a more suitable approach for clinical application and the potential mechanisms.Methods: Twenty-four (24) male rats were randomly divided into a control group (CON), MI-sedentary group (MI-SED), MI-aerobic training group (MI-AT), and MI-high-intensity interval training group (MI-HIIT). After 4 weeks of intervention the exercise capacity, heart rate (HR), left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD), left ventricular end systolic diameter (LVESD), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), AMP-activated protein kinase α1 (AMPKα1), cardiomyocyte morphology, and cardiac mitochondria were assessed.Results: After intervention: 1) exercise capacity in the MI-AT (49.08±3.141 m; p<0.001) and MI-HIIT (51.70±7.572 m; p<0.001) groups was significantly more increased than the MI-SED group; there was no significant difference between the MI-AT and MI-HIIT group (p=0.33). 2) LVEDD and LVESD in the MI-SED (p<0.01) and MI-HIIT (p<0.01) groups was significantly more increased than the CON group; the MI-AT group showed no significant difference in LVEDD and LVESD compared with the CON group; LVEF in the MI-AT (53.47±7.913%; p=0.03) and MI-HIIT (56.20±7.224%; p=0.006) groups was significantly more increased than the MI-SED group, and there was no statistical difference between the MI-AT and MI-HIIT groups. 3) AMPKα1 expression was significantly increased in the MI-AT (1.15±0.264; p=0.001) and MI-HIIT (1.04±0.238; p=0.003) groups and decreased in the MI-SED group (0.71±0.257; p<0.001) when compared with the CON group. 4) The MI-SED group exhibited sarcoplasmic dissolution and fibrous hyperplasia in the myocardium, cardiac mitochondrial damage and reduced mitochondrial numbers; the MI-HIIT group displayed swollen and vacuolated cardiac mitochondria with disrupted cristae; the MI-AT and MI-HIIT groups had significantly increased cardiac mitochondrial numbers than the MI-SED group; there was no statistical difference between the MI-AT and MI-HIIT groups.Conclusions: Aerobic training and HIIT for 4 weeks had similar cardioprotection and were superior to SED intervention. Both AT and HIIT improved cardiac function and exercise capacity by upregulating AMPKα1 expression. However, 4 weeks of intervention resulted in left ventricular dilation and cardiac myocardial mitochondrial injury in the MI-HIIT group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Individuals who participated in response efforts at the World Trade Center (WTC) following 9/11/2001 are experiencing elevated incidence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) at midlife.Objective: We hypothesized that white matter connectivity measured using diffusion spectrum imaging (DSI) would be restructured in WTC responders with MCI versus cognitively unimpaired responders.Methods: Twenty responders (mean age 56; 10 MCI/10 unimpaired) recruited from an epidemiological study were characterized using NIA-AA criteria alongside controls matched on demographics (age/sex/occupation/race/education). Axial DSI was acquired on a 3T Siemen's Biograph mMR scanner (12-channel head coil) using a multi-band diffusion sequence. Connectometry examined whole-brain tract-level differences in white matter integrity. Fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), and quantified anisotropy were extracted for region of interest (ROI) analyses using the Desikan-Killiany atlas.Results: Connectometry identified both increased and decreased connectivity within regions of the brains of responders with MCI identified in the corticothalamic pathway and cortico-striatal pathway that survived adjustment for multiple comparisons. MCI was also associated with higher FA values in five ROIs including in the rostral anterior cingulate; lower MD values in four ROIs including the left rostral anterior cingulate; and higher MD values in the right inferior circular insula. Analyses by cognitive domain revealed nominal associations in domains of response speed, verbal learning, verbal retention, and visuospatial learning.Conclusions: WTC responders with MCI at midlife showed early signs of neurodegeneration characterized by both increased and decreased white matter diffusivity in regions commonly affected by early-onset Alzheimer's disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What are the risks associated with cryopreserved semen collected during and after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic wave in Wuhan, China? Retrospective cohort study involving young adult men who were qualified sperm donors at the Hunan Province Human Sperm Bank (China) during the pandemic wave (1 January 2020 to 30 January 2020) and after the wave and return to work (7 April 2020 to 30 May 30 2020). One hundred paired semen and blood specimens from 100 donors were included. One-step single-tube nested quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (OSN-qRT-PCR) was used to detect SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, to control the unacceptable risk of false-negative results, a second round of screening was performed with pooled RNA from negative semen samples using crystal digital PCR (cd-PCR). For individual blood and semen samples, the target genes, namely the nucleocapsid protein (N) and open reading frame (ORF-1ab) genes, tested negative in all of the 100 paired samples. Further, as per cd-PCR results, there were >20,000 droplets per well in the RNA for each combined sample and no positive droplets were present for either of the aforementioned target genes. A total of 100 paired semen and blood samples from these two groups tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. Cryopreserved semen at the Hunan Province Human Sperm Bank during and after the COVID-19 pandemic wave was free of SARS-CoV-2 and was judged safe for external use in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The detection rate of bilateral multiple pulmonary nodules (BMPNs) is increasing due to widespread use of chest computed tomography (CT) screening. However, there is no consensus on the treatment options for BMPNs and whether simultaneous bilateral pulmonary resection is safe remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of simultaneous bilateral pulmonary resection for BMPNs. Methods: A total of 16 consecutive patients with BMPNs who underwent simultaneous bilateral pulmonary resection in Beijing Hospital from June 2013 to July 2020 were enrolled in this study. Clinical characteristics, imaging and pathological features, and perioperative outcomes were retrospectively reviewed. Results: There were 10 males and six females included in the study with a mean age of 61.9 (range: 39–78) years. A total of 35 nodules were resected in 16 patients including 12 patients with bilateral primary lung cancer, three patients with primary lung cancer on one side and a benign nodule on the contralateral side, and one patient with bilateral benign nodules. All patients underwent bilateral pulmonary resection via single‐utility port video‐assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Nine, four, two, and one patients underwent lobectomy with contralateral segmentectomy or wedge resection, segmentectomy with contralateral wedge resection, bilateral segmentectomy and bilateral wedge resection, respectively. All operations were accomplished successfully without intraoperative blood transfusion, conversion to thoracotomy, major complication and postoperative 90‐day death. The mean operation time was 220.1 ± 65.6 minutes, median thoracic drainage duration was four days (range: 2–8 days), mean pleural drainage was 1387.5 ± 694.7 mL, and median postoperative hospital stay was seven days (range: 5–18 days). There were three cases (18.8%) of minor complications, including one case of pulmonary air leakage, one case of atrial fibrillation, and one case of poor healing of surgical site. A total of 50% (8/16) of the patients had severe postoperative pain and required additional analgesia. Conclusions: For selected patients, simultaneous bilateral pulmonary resection via single‐utility port VATS is a safe and feasible minimally invasive procedure for BMPNs. Adequate postoperative analgesia via a multimodal analgesia strategy should be used to prevent postoperative pain. Key points: Significant findings of the study: The incidence of major complication after minimally invasive bilateral pulmonary resection is low for patients with good pulmonary function, but there is a relatively high incidence of minor complications and pain at the surgical site. Adequate postoperative analgesia via multimodal analgesia strategy should be used to prevent postoperative pain. What this study adds: For the treatment of bilateral multiple pulmonary nodules, simultaneous bilateral pulmonary resection via single‐utility port video‐assisted thoracoscopic surgery is safe and feasible for selected patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare neoplasm of the serosal membranes. MPM usually manifests as local invasion, rarely with distant haematogenous metastases in different organs. Few cases of tongue metastasis have been documented. Here, we report the case of a 68‐year‐old man diagnosed with malignant pleural epithelioid mesothelioma together with a simultaneous tongue lesion, which was found to be metastatic malignant mesothelioma. Tongue metastasis from MPM is rare and the oral symptoms it causes could be an early sign of clinical manifestation. For patients with oral symptoms and a newly discovered tongue lesion, clinicians should be aware of the possibility of tongue metastasis and search for a primary malignancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Range uncertainty in carbon ion therapy can diminish treatment efficacy because it may cause deviation from the planned dose distribution. The precise and accurate determination of relative stopping power (RSP) maps of carbon ions in the patient is a direct solution to this problem. To obtain RSP maps in patients undergoing carbon ion radiography, our team developed a preliminary prototype of a composite ionization chamber detection (CICD) system. The CICD prototype employs synchronously gated integral electronics with the ability to measure the depth-to-dose curve and the beam profile simultaneously. Carbon ion radiography experiments were performed on hemispherical, sloped, and stepped phantoms using the Heavy Ion Medical Machine (HIMM) beam. The beam energy was 190.19 MeV/μ and the beam spot full width at half maximum (FWHM) was 7.42 mm. The radiographic image of the sloped phantom, the thickness prediction accuracy of each pixel (2 mm) is 88.25%, its absolute mean error (AME) is 1.07 mm, and the maximum absolute deviation (MAD) is 2.64 mm. The prediction accuracy of the CICD prototype is mainly affected by electronic noise, with a noise-to-signal ratio (NSR) of about 14.36 dB. Carbon ion radiography simulations were performed in this study using Geant4 software to eliminate the effect of the electronic noise. The thickness prediction accuracy is 98.54%, 98.62%, and 99.07% per pixel for hemispherical, sloped and stepped phantoms, respectively, with AME of 0.09 mm, 0.27 mm, and 0.48 mm. Carbon ion radiography utilizing the CICD prototype scheme has the ability to refine the accuracy and resolution of radiographic images, consequently establishing a scientific foundation for diminishing the effects of range uncertainty and fully exploiting the advantages of precision particle therapy. • In this paper, we propose a method that can effectively reduce the range uncertainty in carbon ion therapy. • The proposed method effectively reduces the range uncertainty of carbon therapy, as proven by experiments and simulations • Geant4 verifies that by optimizing and upgrading the prototype, higher resolution radiographic images can be obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In lately December 2019, a novel coronavirus (SARS‐CoV‐2) outbreak occurred in Wuhan, PR China. It is a high contagious virus that has threatened human health worldwide. SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, termed COVID‐19, causes rapidly developing lung lesions that can lead to multiple organ failure in a short period. Whenever a novel virus emerges, reproductive risk assessments should be performed after infection. In this review, we show that male fertility might be damaged by coronavirus associated with (i) direct cytopathic effects derived from viral replication and viral dissemination in the testis; and (ii) indirect damage to male fertility derived from immunopathology. In this review, we briefly describe the impaired fertility of humans and animals infected with coronaviruses to deduce the impact of the new coronavirus on male fertility. Together with information related to other coronaviruses, we extrapolate this knowledge to the new coronavirus SARS‐CoV‐2, which may have a significant impact on our understanding of the pathophysiology of this new virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is a common neurosurgical condition with an increasing incidence and favorable prognosis. Surgery is the standard treatment for CSDH, and bur hole evacuation is the most widely employed technique. However, if mixed computed tomography (CT) density is found, burr hole hematoma evacuation is prone to recurrence. Endoscopic examination of the hematoma cavity provides a novel strategy. Here, we present a modification of burr hole evacuation by using neuroendoscopy through a novel small trapezoid bone flap and assess the advantages and risks of the procedure. Methods Twenty-five patients diagnosed with CSDH of mixed CT density were included in this study. Radiographic, epidemiologic, and clinical data were collected and analyzed. In all procedures the burr hole was replaced by a small trapezoidal cross-sectional bone flap, ∼2 cm in diameter. Neuroendoscopy was employed after the subdural cavity was cleaned and drained. The CSDH cavity was inspected thoroughly. If a blood clot, septa, stretching of cortical vessels, or intraluminal trabecular structures with active bleeding were found, the surgeon aspirated the region with a syringe pipe and/or used bipolar electrocoagulation. Results All 25 patients who received 26 neuroendoscopy-assisted operations achieved favorable clinical outcomes. The recurrence rate was 4%. The average operation time was slightly increased compared with the traditional burr hole evacuation due to the use of the neuroendoscope and eventual subsequent treatment. Conclusion Neuroendoscopy provides excellent illumination and vision when a small bone flap is employed. The main advantages of this technique include the precise treatment of structures which are related with progression and recurrence of CSDH, and the minimally invasive nature of the procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: More and more people are suffering from depression in modern society. It is believed that the development of depression results from alterations in synaptic transmission, especially in the hippocampus. Animal experiments and clinical studies have demonstrated that retinoids are essential components in hippocampal synaptic plasticity, and they have a close relationship with depression. However, it is still unclear how excessive retinoic acid (RA) causes depression and what synaptic and molecular mechanisms underlie it.Methods: Behavioral, electrophysiological, and molecular approaches were employed to characterize the effects of RA on depression and synaptic plasticity. RA was continuously administered intracerebroventricularly through an osmotic pump.Results: RA treatment induced depression-like behaviors, as evidenced by decreased sucrose preference and increased immobile duration in both the forced swim test and the tail suspension test. RA administration also induced anxiety-like behaviors, indicated by decreased duration in the open arms of the elevated plus maze and the central of the open field. RA treatment decreased the neuronal excitability of the hippocampus either by changing the excitatory/inhibitory receptor balance or by promoting the synthesis of inhibitory neurotransmitters. Moreover, long-term potentiation was decreased in both the excitatory postsynaptic potential and the population spike in RA-treated rats, presumably a consequence of the reduced glur1 transcript level.Limitations: The mechanism of how excess RA affects the hippocampal gene expression and synaptic plasticity requires further study.Conclusions: RA treatment can induce depression-like behavior in rats and impair hippocampal plasticity. Thus, improving synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus may ameliorate the affective disorders caused by excessive RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate a novel micro-straw as an efficient, simple method for freezing a small number of human spermatozoa for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).Design: Prospective cohort study.Setting: Sperm bank.Patient(s): Men with severe oligozoospermia or azoospermia undergoing a total of 143 ICSI cycles at the CITIC-Xiangya Hospital of Reproduction and Genetics from June 1, 2015, to June 31, 2019, and 20 donors at the Hunan Province Human Sperm Bank from 2001 to 2016.Intervention(s): Analysis of sperm samples and clinical outcomes after sperm use.Main Outcome Measure(s): Clinical information, including number of motile sperm before and after freezing, freeze-thaw survival rates, two-pronuclear fertilization rates, clinical pregnancy, and early pregnancy loss rates after sperm use.Result(s): In the feasibility experiment using the micro-straw, we found a freeze-thaw survival rate of 73% ± 8.3% and no difference in normal sperm morphology, normal acrosome integrity, or DNA fragmentation index between the micro-straw and 1.8-mL cryotubes. The prospective cohort included 1,325 cases, and we collected sperm from testicular, epididymis, and ejaculation sources. We observed motile sperm in 1,294 (97.6%) of 1,325 frozen-thawed samples. Postthaw sperm were available for ICSI in 140 (97.9%) of 143 of cycles. The fertilization, cleavage, and high-quality embryo rates were 1,007 (81.7%) of 1,233; 995 (98.8%) of 1,007; and 537 (53.9%) of 995, respectively. Sixty-nine (49%) clinical pregnancies were achieved, and the miscarriage rate was 6 (8.6%) of 69.Conclusion(s): The micro-straw is suitable and clinically useful for the cryopreservation of small numbers of spermatozoa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, dynamic programming (DP) economical cruise control algorithms under discrete distance and discrete time strategies are designed to improve battery electric vehicle (BEV) energy consumption and riding comfort. In our experiment, energy consumption of constant-speed driving is reduced by up to 21.6% using the optimum velocity profiles from discrete distance DP. 'Variable step length and boundary conditions' are utilized to reduce discrete distance DP processing time by 90.8% with no effect on accuracy. Under discrete time DP, position is introduced as an additional variable, so discrete time DP allows more inputs including real-time preceding vehicle position and traffic information. The experiment results indicate that under traffic situation, discrete time DP further improves energy consumption and riding comfort by avoiding unnecessary stop at intersections compared with discrete distance DP. Further analysis indicates that under properly controlled velocity, the transfer between potential energy and kinetic energy is more efficient than that between potential energy and electric energy. These DP economical cruise control algorithms are effective for BEVs, hybrid electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. 'Variable step length and boundary conditions' method in DP can also be applied in other domains where DP processing time is crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Not until recently, was a gate-tunable, high-temperature superconducting proximity effect in graphene demonstrated experimentally. And usually in d-wave superconductor (SC) hybrid structure, ferromagnetism and spin-triplet states could result in a splitting zero-bias conductance peak (ZBCP). Herein, we theoretically present an anomalous splitting ZBCP in a graphene-based ferromagnet/Rashba spin–orbit coupling (RSOC)/insulator/d-wave SC hybrid structure. With increasing the exchange field from h/EF = 0, the ZBCP starts to turn into a splitting one with a zero-bias conductance dip (ZBCD) sandwiched in between two subpeaks, while from h/EF = 1, the two subpeaks and ZBCD begin to gradually shrink till the ZBCP reappears. The anomalous splitting ZBCP can be modulated by the RSOC strength, magnitude of Fermi wave vector mismatch as well as insulator barrier strength. These peculiar features are ascribed to the novel spin-triplet Andreev reflection in the context of the RSOC, characteristic by the anisotropic d-wave pair symmetry combined with the relativistic nodal fermions, which in turn can be experimentally used to directly identify not only the proximity-induced ferromagnetism and RSOC but d-wave pair symmetry in graphene. These results pave the way to a new class of tunable, high-temperature superconducting spintronic devices based on large-scale graphene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Few studies have evaluated the association between preexisting vitamin D deficiency and incident tuberculosis (TB). We assessed the impact of baseline vitamins D levels on TB disease risk.Methods and Findings: We assessed the association between baseline vitamin D and incident TB in a prospective cohort of 6,751 HIV-negative household contacts of TB patients enrolled between September 1, 2009, and August 29, 2012, in Lima, Peru. We screened for TB disease at 2, 6, and 12 months after enrollment. We defined cases as household contacts who developed TB disease at least 15 days after enrollment of the index patient. For each case, we randomly selected four controls from among contacts who did not develop TB disease, matching on gender and year of age. We also conducted a one-stage individual-participant data (IPD) meta-analysis searching PubMed and Embase to identify prospective studies of vitamin D and TB disease until June 8, 2019. We included studies that assessed vitamin D before TB diagnosis. In the primary analysis, we defined vitamin D deficiency as 25-(OH)D < 50 nmol/L, insufficiency as 50-75 nmol/L, and sufficiency as >75nmol/L. We estimated the association between baseline vitamin D status and incident TB using conditional logistic regression in the Lima cohort and generalized linear mixed models in the meta-analysis. We further defined severe vitamin D deficiency as 25-(OH)D < 25 nmol/L and performed stratified analyses by HIV status in the IPD meta-analysis. In the Lima cohort, we analyzed 180 cases and 709 matched controls. The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for TB risk among participants with baseline vitamin D deficiency compared to sufficient vitamin D was 1.63 (95% CI 0.75-3.52; p = 0.22). We included seven published studies in the meta-analysis and analyzed 3,544 participants. In the pooled analysis, the aOR was 1.48 (95% CI 1.04-2.10; p = 0.03). The aOR for severe vitamin D deficiency was 2.05 (95% CI 0.87-4.87; p trend for decreasing 25-(OH)D levels from sufficient vitamin D to severe deficiency = 0.02). Among 1,576 HIV-positive patients, vitamin D deficiency conferred a 2-fold (aOR 2.18, 95% CI 1.22-3.90; p = 0.01) increased risk of TB, and the aOR for severe vitamin D deficiency compared to sufficient vitamin D was 4.28 (95% CI 0.85-21.45; p = 0.08). Our Lima cohort study is limited by the short duration of follow-up, and the IPD meta-analysis is limited by the number of possible confounding covariates available across all studies.Conclusion: Our findings suggest vitamin D predicts TB disease risk in a dose-dependent manner and that the risk of TB disease is highest among HIV-positive individuals with severe vitamin D deficiency. Randomized control trials are needed to evaluate the possible role of vitamin D supplementation on reducing TB disease risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Our lab has previously found that structural integrity in tracts from the raphe nucleus (RN) to the amygdala, measured by fractional anisotropy (FA), predicts remission to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in major depressive disorder (MDD). This could potentially serve as a biomarker for remission that can guide clinical decision-making. To enhance repeatability and reproducibility, we replicated our study in a larger, more representative multi-site sample.Methods: 64 direction DTI was collected in 144 medication-free patients with MDD from the Establishing Moderators and Biosignatures of Antidepressant Response for Clinical Care (EMBARC) study. We performed probabilistic tractography between the RN and bilateral amygdala and hippocampus and calculated weighted FA in these tracts. Patients were treated with either sertraline or placebo, and their change in Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) score reported. Pretreatment weighted FA was compared between remitters and nonremitters, and correlation between FA and percent change in HDRS score was assessed. Exploratory moderator and voxel analyses were also performed.Results: Contrary to our hypotheses, FA was greater in nonremitters than in remitters in RN-left and right amygdala tracts (p = 0.02 and 0.01, respectively). Pretreatment FA between the raphe and left amygdala correlated with greater, not reduced, HDRS (r = 0.18, p = 0.04). This finding was found to be greater in the placebo group. Moderator and voxel analyses yielded no significant findings.Conclusions: We found greater FA in nonremitters between the RN and amygdala than in remitters, and a correlation between FA and symptom worsening, particularly with placebo. These findings may help reveal more about the nature of MDD, as well as guide research methods involving placebo response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Approximately 10%-15% of patients with breast cancer die of cancer metastasis or recurrence, and early diagnosis of it can improve prognosis. Breast cancer outcomes may be prognosticated on the basis of surface markers of tumor cells and serum tests. However, evaluation of a combination of clinicopathological features may offer a more comprehensive overview for breast cancer prognosis.Materials and Methods: We evaluated serum human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (sHER2) as part of a combination of clinicopathological features used to predict breast cancer metastasis using machine learning algorithms, namely random forest, support vector machine, logistic regression, and Bayesian classification algorithms. The sample cohort comprised 302 patients who were diagnosed with and treated for breast cancer and received at least one sHER2 test at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou between 2003 and 2016.Results: The random-forest-based model was determined to be the optimal model to predict breast cancer metastasis at least 3 months in advance; the correspondingarea under the receiver operating characteristic curve value was 0. 75 (p < 0. 001).Conclusion: The random-forest-based model presented in this study may be helpful as part of a follow-up intervention decision support system and may lead to early detection of recurrence, early treatment, and more favorable outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The natural fracture system exerts a significant influence on the physical and mechanical properties of rock masses. The heat transfer in fractured rock masses is much more complicated than that of intact rock due to the thermal contact resistance induced by natural fractures with varying size, aperture, roughness, and orientation. This work describes a method for determining the representative element volume (REV) of heat transfer and the 3D thermal conductivity tensor of fractured rock masses. The method is based on the element-wise averaging of temperature and heat flux, which can be obtained from a finite element solution to a steady state heat transfer problem with specific boundary conditions. A case study was conducted based on the geological data of a potential area for high level radioactive waste disposal in China. The results indicate that the size of heat transfer REV of the rock masses in the study area is approximately 18 m × 18 m × 18 m. 3D thermal conductivity tensor, the magnitudes and directions of the three principal thermal conductivities, and anisotropy of the fractured rock masses were obtained. Influences of main fracture parameters including density, disc diameter, and thermal contact resistance on the heat transfer characteristics were investigated. The research results in this work can provide a better understanding of the discontinuous heat transfer processes in fractured rock masses and their homogenization methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The turbulent Reynolds stress in the ocean surface boundary layer (OSBL) is investigated using two sets of turbulence measurements conducted on an offshore tower-based platform in the coastal region of the northern South China Sea. Observations reveal that the turbulent Reynolds stress in the OSBL (τ w) is mainly determined by surface waves rather than by wind and ocean currents under swell-dominated conditions. This stress is closely related to the Stokes drift velocity (u s); a parameterization scheme is proposed for τ w as a function of u s. This scheme indicates that τ w increases with wave amplitude, and decays exponentially with water depth. Further analysis shows that the turbulent stress estimated using this scheme has a high correlation with the observed stress, evidenced by a correlation coefficient of 0.92 during our two measurement periods. • The turbulent Reynolds stress in the OSBL is investigated with field observations. • This stress is related more to surface waves than to wind and ocean currents. • This stress increases with wave height and decays exponentially with water depth. • A parameterization scheme of this stress is proposed as a function of Stokes drift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]