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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global pandemic. Known as COVID-19, it has affected billions of people worldwide, claiming millions of lives and posing a continuing threat to humanity. This is considered one of the most extensive pandemics ever recorded in human history, causing significant losses to both life and economies globally. However, the available evidence is currently insufficient to establish the effectiveness and safety of antiviral drugs or vaccines. The entry of the virus into host cells involves binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a cell surface receptor, via its spike protein. Meanwhile, transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2), a host surface protease, cleaves and activates the virus's S protein, thus promoting viral infection. Plant protease inhibitors play a crucial role in protecting plants against insects and/or microorganisms. The major storage proteins in sweet potato roots include sweet potato trypsin inhibitor (SWTI), which accounts for approximately 60% of the total water-soluble protein and has been found to possess a variety of health-promoting properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, ACE-inhibitory, and anticancer functions. Our study found that SWTI caused a significant reduction in the expression of the ACE2 and TMPRSS2 proteins, without any adverse effects on cells. Therefore, our findings suggest that the ACE2 and TMPRSS2 axis can be targeted via SWTI to potentially inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe brake disk and friction material parameters were taken as design variables, with the negative damping ratio of the unstable mode as the optimization target. The central composite design method was employed to obtain suitable data sample points. A neural network response surface model was constructed to predict the real part values of the unstable mode. Structural optimization design was then conducted using a screening method to derive optimized parameters for the brake disk structure and physical parameters such as density, elastic modulus, and Poisson’s ratio of the friction material. The optimized coefficient of the negative damping ratio of the brake system’s unstable mode was enhanced, thereby reducing the likelihood of brake squeal. Harmonic response analysis showed a significant optimization effect on the curve of brake disk amplitude fluctuations with frequency. These findings offer valuable insights for improving the stability of disk brake systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to construct a model based on 23 enrolled molecules to evaluate prognoses of pT2/3N0M0 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients with up to 20 years of follow-up. Methods: The lasso-Cox model was used to identify the candidate molecule. A nomogram was conducted to develop the survival model (molecular score, MS) based on the molecular features. Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis were used in this study. The concordance index (C-index) was measured to compare the predicted ability between different models. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Results: A total of 226 patients and 23 proteins were enrolled in this study. Patients were classified into high-risk (MS-H) and low-risk (MS-L) groups based on the MS score of 227. The survival curves showed that the MS-L cohort had better 5-year and 10-year survival rates than the MS-H group (5-year OS: 51.0% vs. 8.0%; 10-year OS: 45.0% vs. 5.0%, all p < 0.001). Furthermore, multivariable analysis confirmed MS as an independent prognostic factor after eliminating the confounding factors (Hazard ratio 3.220, p < 0.001). The pT classification was confirmed to differentiate ESCC patients' prognosis (Log-rank: p = 0.029). However, the combination of pT and MS could classify survival curves evidently (overall p < 0.001), which showed that the prognostic prediction efficiency was improved significantly by the combination of the pT and MS than by the classical pT classification (C-index: 0.656 vs. 0.539, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Our study suggested an MS for significant clinical stratification of T2/3N0M0 ESCC patients to screen out subgroups with poor prognoses. Besides, the combination of pT staging and MS could predict survival more accurately for this cohort than the pT staging system alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyalectan cleavage may play an important role in extracellular matrix remodeling. However, the proteolytic enzyme responsible for hyalectan degradation for fetal membrane rupture at parturition remains unknown. Here, we reveal that versican (VCAN) is the major hyalectan in the amnion, where its cleavage increases at parturition with spontaneous rupture of membrane. We further reveal that ADAMTS4 is a crucial proteolytic enzyme for VCAN cleavage in the amnion. Inflammatory factors may enhance VCAN cleavage by inducing ADAMTS4 expression and inhibiting ADAMTS4 endocytosis in amnion fibroblasts. In turn, versikine, the VCAN cleavage product, induces inflammatory factors in amnion fibroblasts, thereby forming a feedforward loop between inflammation and VCAN degradation. Mouse studies show that intra-amniotic injection of ADAMTS4 induces preterm birth along with increased VCAN degradation and proinflammatory factors abundance in the fetal membranes. Conclusively, there is enhanced VCAN cleavage by ADAMTS4 in the amnion at parturition, which can be reenforced by inflammation. ADAMTS4 is crucial for VCAN cleavage in the amnion at parturition, which participates not only in extracellular matrix remodeling but also in inflammatory reactions of the fetal membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have employed the highly accurate multistate complete active space second‐order perturbation theory (MS‐CASPT2) method to investigate the photoinduced excited state relaxation properties of one unnatural base, namely Z. Upon excitation to the S2 state of Z, the internal conversion to the S1 state would be dominant. From the S1 state, two intersystem crossing paths leading to the T2 and T1 states and one internal conversion path to the S0 state are possible. However, considering the large barrier to access the S1/S0 conical intersection and the strong spin‐orbit coupling between S1 and T2 states (>40 cm−1), the intersystem crossing to the triplet manifolds is predicted to be more preferred. Arriving at the T2 state, the internal conversion to the T1 state and the intersystem crossing back to the S1 state are both possible considering the S1/T2/T1 three‐state intersection near the T2 minimum. Upon arrival at the T1 state, the deactivation to S0 can be efficient after overcoming a small barrier to access T1/S0 crossing point, where the spin‐orbit coupling (SOC) is as large as 39.7 cm−1. Our present work not only provides in‐depth insights into the photoinduced process of unnatural base Z, but can also help the future design of novel unnatural bases with better photostability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shut-in after fracturing is generally adopted for wells in shale oil reservoirs, and imbibition occurring in matrix nanopores has been proven as an effective way to improve recovery. In this research, a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was used to investigate the effects of wettability and pressure on nanopore imbibition during shut-in for a typical shale reservoir, Jimsar. The results indicate that the microscopic advancement mechanism of the imbibition front is the competitive adsorption between "interfacial water molecules" at the imbibition front and "adsorbed oil molecules" on the pore wall. The essence of spontaneous imbibition involves the adsorption and aggregation of water molecules onto the hydroxyl groups on the pore wall. The flow characteristics of shale oil suggest that the overall push of the injected water to the oil phase is the main reason for the displacement of adsorbed oil molecules. Thus, shale oil, especially the heavy hydrocarbon component in the adsorbed layer, tends to slip on the walls. However, the weak slip ability of heavy components on the wall surface is an important reason that restricts the displacement efficiency of shale oil during spontaneous imbibition. The effectiveness of spontaneous imbibition is strongly dependent on the hydrophilicity of the matrix pore's wall. The better hydrophilicity of the matrix pore wall facilitates higher levels of adsorption and accumulation of water molecules on the pore wall and requires less time for "interfacial water molecules" to compete with adsorbed oil molecules. During the forced imbibition process, the pressure difference acts on both the bulk oil and the boundary adsorption oil, but mainly on the bulk oil, which leads to the occurrence of wetting hysteresis. Meanwhile, shale oil still existing in the pore always maintains a good, stratified adsorption structure. Because of the wetting hysteresis phenomenon, as the pressure difference increases, the imbibition effect gradually increases, but the actual capillary pressure gradually decreases and there is a loss in the imbibition velocity relative to the theoretical value. Simultaneously, the decline in hydrophilicity further weakens the synergistic effect on the imbibition of the pressure difference because of the more pronounced wetting hysteresis. Thus, selecting an appropriate well pressure enables cost savings and maximizes the utilization of the formation's natural power for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The large scatter of the drag coefficient CD at a given wind speed and its discrepancy in coastal regions and open oceans have received increasing attention. However, the parameterization of CD is still an open question, especially in coastal regions. Therefore, this study systematically investigated the influence of surface waves on wind stress based on in situ observations of surface waves and air–sea fluxes on three coastal tower-based platforms in different regions. A formulation that is a function of only wind speed was established in the wind speed range of 1–20 m s−1, and when extended to 30 m s−1, it could predict the saturation of coastal CD at a 20 m s−1 wind speed and then the attenuation. However, this wind-based formulation does not simulate the scatter of CD in practice. By further analyzing the effect of wave states on wind stress, the parameters of wave age and directionality of wind and waves were incorporated into the wind-based formulation, and a new wave-state-based parameterization on CD was proposed, which can estimate the widely spread CD values to a large extent and the saturation of CD. The RMSE between this new parameterization and observations reduce approximately 20% and 9% relative to the COARE and wind-based formula. The applicability of this new parameterization was further demonstrated through a comparison between the newly parameterized CD and observed asymmetric CD in different quadrants of a tropical cyclone. The wave-state-based parameterization scheme requires three parameters, wind speed U10, wave age β, and wave off-wind angle θ, and it is expected to be applied to coastal regions. Significance Statement: Wind stress over the ocean plays an important role in numerical simulations for both the atmosphere and ocean, which requires accurate parameterization. However, parameterization of wind stress or drag coefficient CD is still an open question due to the complexity of the potential factors behind wind stress, especially for coastal regions. This manuscript provided a new wave-state-based parameterization scheme at low to high wind speeds for coastal regions, based on field observations on three coastal towers. This new parameterization can predict the saturation of CD at a wind speed of 20 m s−1 and then the attenuation, agreeing well with the previous coastal observations, and simulate the large scatter of CD to a large extent. Furthermore, it can predict the asymmetric CD in different quadrants of a tropical cyclone, consistent with the observations. This parameterization scheme requires only three parameters, wind speed, wave age, and misalignment angle between wind and wave, which can be conveniently applied to the numerical models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, with the global warming getting worse and increasing demand for energy, countries around the world are trying to develop new energy storage technologies to solve this problem. Currently, potassium‐ion batteries (PIBs) have attracted tremendous attention from researchers as low‐cost and high‐performance energy storage devices. However, due to the huge ionic radius of K+, PIBs face significant volume expansion during cycling, which can easily lead to the collapse of electrode structures. In addition, the poor diffusion kinetics of K+ seriously affect the electrochemical performance of the battery. Carbon nanofibers (CNFs)‐based materials (including CNFs, metal/CNFs composites, chalcogenide/CNFs composites, and other CNFs‐based materials) are widely used as PIBs electrode anode materials due to their three‐dimensional conductive network, heteroatom doping and excellent mechanical properties. This review discusses in detail the research progress of CNFs‐based materials in PIBs, including material preparation, structural design, and performance optimization. On this basis, this article explores the key issues faced by CNFs‐based materials and future development directions, and proposes improvement suggestions for providing new ideas for the development of CNFs‐based materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSB) show excellent potential as future energy storage devices with high energy density, but their slow redox kinetics and the shuttle effect seriously hinder their commercial application. Herein, a 0D@2D composite was obtained by anchoring polar nano-TiO2 onto a 2D layered g-C3N4 surface in situ, and a functional separator was prepared using multi-walled carbon nanotubes as a conductive substrate. Due to their long-range conductivity, multi-walled carbon nanotubes make up for the low conductivity of TiO2@g-C3N4 to some extent. A lithium–sulfur battery prepared with a modified separator exhibited excellent long-term cycle performance, a good lithium ion diffusion rate, and rapid redox kinetics. The initial specific discharge capacity of the composite was 1316 mAh g−1 at 1 C, and a high specific discharge capacity of 569.9 mAh g−1 was maintained after 800 cycles (the capacity decay rate per cycle was only 0.07%). Even at the high current density of 5 C, a specific capacity of 784 mAh g−1 was achieved. After 60 cycles at 0.5 C, the modified separator retained the discharge capacity of 718 mAh g−1 under a sulfur load of 2.58 mg cm−2. In summary, the construction of a heterojunction significantly improved the overall cycle stability of the battery and the utilization rate of active substances. Therefore, this study provides a simple and effective strategy for further improving the overall performance and commercial application of lithium–sulfur batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The processing method of fuzzy information is a critical element in multi-criteria group decision-making (MCGDM). The hesitant Pythagorean fuzzy set (HPFS) has a higher capacity in express the uncertainty of human inherent preference. A composite weighted mathematical programming model with prospect theory and best-worst method (BWM) is proposed to solve the uncertainty of criterion weight acquisition and decision-makers (DMs) psychological behavior under the HPF environment. The decision-making process is as follows: Firstly, a novel spatial distance measurement method is designed which considers the extension space of HPFSs space by five parameters under the HPF environment. Secondly, the optimal criteria weights model minimizes the total distance between the alternatives and the HPF positive ideal solution (HPFPIS), as well as minimizes the consistency ratio of BWM. Thirdly, we propose the prospect decision matrix by the prospect theory and optimal weights, then use the ordered weighted average operator under the normal distribution to calculate the weight of DMs and rank the decision alternatives. Finally, an example is illustrated here, sensitivity and reliability, and comparative analysis are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gaming behavior can induce cerebral changes that may be related to the neurobiological features of gaming disorder (GD). Additionally, individuals with higher levels of depression or impulsivity are more likely to experience GD. Therefore, the present pilot study explored potential neurobiological correlates of GD in the context of depression and impulsivity, after accounting for video gaming behavior. Methods: Using resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a cross‐sectional study was conducted with 35 highly involved male adult gamers to examine potential associations between GD severity and regional homogeneity (ReHo) in the entire brain. A mediation model was used to test the role of ReHo in the possible links between depression/impulsivity and GD severity. Results: Individuals with greater GD severity showed increased ReHo in the right Heschl's gyrus and decreased ReHo in the right hippocampus (rHip). Furthermore, depression and impulsivity were negatively correlated with ReHo in the rHip, respectively. More importantly, ReHo in the rHip was found to mediate the associations between depression/impulsivity and GD. Conclusions: These preliminary findings suggest that GD severity is related to ReHo in brain regions associated with learning/memory/mood and auditory function. Higher levels of depression or impulsivity may potentiate GD through the functional activity of the hippocampus. Our findings advance our understanding of the neurobiological differences behind GD symptoms in highly involved gamers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We theoretically study a one-dimensional non-Hermitian Su–Schrieffer–Heeger model with an imaginary gauge field and spin–orbit coupling. We find that, under open boundary conditions, the dispersions possess the reciprocating real–complex–real transitions with increasing the strength of spin–orbit coupling. Correspondingly, the bulk energy eigenstates exhibit a reciprocating non-Hermitian skin effect. This mechanism can be characterized by the generalized Brillouin zone moduli, which approaches zero or infinity at the transition points. We further demonstrate the non-zero winding number inside the loops of generalized Brillouin zone when the strength of intra-cell spin–orbit coupling is larger than the inter-cell one, which results in the bipolar non-Hermitian skin effect. As the intra-cell and inter-cell spin–orbit coupling strength becomes comparable, the bipolar non-Hermitian skin effect degenerates to the conventional non-Hermitian skin effect. Our work may pave the way for the non-Hermitian optoelectronic devices utilizing the reciprocating non-Hermitian skin effect and the bipolar non-Hermitian skin effect by engineering the spin–orbit coupling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, it has become an acknowledged fact that noise exposure can lead to cognitive impairments, and researchers have shown increasing interest in this area. However, the detrimental impact of noise exposure on Alzheimer's disease (AD) animal models might be considerably greater than on ordinary model mice, yet the mechanisms by which noise exposure affects the hippocampus in these models have been scarcely investigated. This study we used 4D Label-free proteomics to identify distinctive differentially expressed proteins in the hippocampus of AD model mice following noise exposure. Among these proteins, the presence of Cathepsin S(CTSS) cannot be disregarded. Utilizing experimental techniques such as Western blot, immunofluorescence, and rt-qPCR, we confirmed the expression of CTSS in the hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice after noise exposure. Additionally, we examined downstream molecules including P53,BCL-2, BAX, and CASPASE3 using KEGG pathway analysis. The results indicated an elevation in CTSS expression, a reduction in the anti-apoptotic gene BCL-2, and an increase in the expression of BAX and cleaved CASPASE3. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that noise exposure potentially heightens apoptosis within the hippocampus through upregulating CTSS expression, subsequently posing a threat to AD model animals. • This study represents the inaugural utilization of 4D label-free proteomics to explore the hippocampus changes in noise-exposed APP/PS1 mice. • Using 4D label-free proteomics, we found increased levels of CTSS protein in the hippocampus of noise-exposed APP/PS1 mice. • We have observed a link between CTSS protein upregulation and heightened hippocampal apoptosis in noise-exposed APP/PS1 mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Retained placenta is a concern during labor and delivery. However, recent data regarding the profiles of retained placenta are scarce, especially nationwide and in minority populations. This study aimed to investigate the recent incidence of retained placenta and its associated outcomes. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed an American population-based data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) 2016–2019. The outcomes of interest included the incidence of retained placenta, in-hospital mortality, length of hospital stay, and hospitalization costs. We estimated the incidence for retained placenta overall and by racial and ethnic subgroups, utilizing survey weights standardized for each subgroup. Multivariable linear or logistic regression models were employed in our study to investigate the associations between retained placenta and the impact of in-hospital mortality, duration of stay, and hospitalization expenditures for the entire population and further stratified by race and ethnicity, adjusting for potential confounders. Results: Of the 13,848,131 deliveries, there were 108,035 (or 0.78%) birthing persons were identified as having retained placentas. Over time, the incidence of retained placenta increased from 730 per 100,000 (0.73%) in 2016 to 856 per 100,000 (0.86%) in 2019. Native American mothers have the highest rate of retained placenta, with a prevalence almost twice that of the general population, reaching 1,434 cases per 100,000 (1.43%). After adjusting for confounding factors, Native American mothers were more likely to have retained placenta (odds ratio [OR], 1.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.35–1.81), whereas Black (OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.88–0.97) and Hispanic mothers (OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.80–0.89) were significantly less likely to have retained placenta than White mothers. Furthermore, those who delivered with a retained placenta were significantly associated with higher in-hospital mortality, a longer duration of stay, and hospitalization expenditures, which were disproportionately varied by maternal race and ethnicity. Conclusions: The incidence of retained placenta among people undergoing vaginal delivery is exhibiting an upward trend over time, with notable variations observed across different ethnic groups by unclear mechanisms. The ramifications of these findings have the potential to impact the clinical management of maternal health care and the creation of health policies, specifically in relation to the Native American birth population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new dihydrochalcone glucosides, phloretin-4′-O-(4′′-O-galloyl)-β-D-glucoside (1) and phloretin-4′-O-(3′′-O-galloyl)-β-D-glucoside (2), were isolated from the fresh aerial part of Balanophora subcupularis P.C.Tam, together with eight known flavonoid glycosides, phloretin-4′-O-(6′′-O-galloyl)-β-D-glucoside (3), trilobatin (4), 3-hydroxyphloretin-4′-O-β-D-glucoside (5), phloretin-4′-O-(4′′,6′′-O-Sa-hexahydroxydiphenoyl)-β-D-glucoside (6), naringenin-7-O-β-D-glucoside (7), eriodictyol-7-O-β-D-glucoside (8), kaempferol-7-O-β-D-glucoside (9), and quercetin-7-O-β-D-glucoside (10). All of the compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. Their antioxidant activities were examined by DPPH and ABTS assay. Compounds 1–3, 5, 6, and 10 showed significant radical scavenging activities compared with ascorbic acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although previous neuroimaging evidence has confirmed the brain functional disturbances in thyroid‐associated ophthalmopathy (TAO), the dynamic characteristics of brain activity and functional connectivity (FC) in TAO were rarely concerned. The present study aims to investigate the alterations of temporal variability of brain activity and FC in TAO using resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs‐fMRI). Forty‐seven TAO patients and 30 age‐, gender‐, education‐, and handedness‐matched healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled and underwent rs‐fMRI scanning. The dynamic amplitude of low‐frequency fluctuation (dALFF) was first calculated using a sliding window approach to characterize the temporal variability of brain activity. Based on the dALFF results, seed‐based dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) analysis was performed to identify the temporal variability of efficient communication between brain regions in TAO. Additionally, correlations between dALFF and dFC and the clinical indicators were analyzed. Compared with HCs, TAO patients displayed decreased dALFF in the left superior occipital gyrus (SOG) and cuneus (CUN), while showing increased dALFF in the left triangular part of inferior frontal gyrus (IFGtriang), insula (INS), orbital part of inferior frontal gyrus (ORBinf), superior temporal gyrus (STG) and temporal pole of superior temporal gyrus (TPOsup). Furthermore, TAO patients exhibited decreased dFC between the left STG and the right middle occipital gyrus (MOG), as well as decreased dFC between the left TPOsup and the right calcarine fissure and surrounding cortex (CAL) and MOG. Correlation analyses showed that the altered dALFF in the left SOG/CUN was positively related to visual acuity (r =.409, p =.004), as well as the score of QoL for visual functioning (r =.375, p =.009). TAO patients developed abnormal temporal variability of brain activity in areas related to vision, emotion, and cognition, as well as reduced temporal variability of FC associated with vision deficits. These findings provided additional insights into the neurobiological mechanisms of TAO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designing high-performance materials for the detection or removal of toxic decomposition gases of sulfur hexafluoride is crucial for both environmental monitoring and human health preservation. Based on first-principles calculations, the adsorption performance and gas-sensing properties of unsubstituted phthalocyanine (H2Pc) and H2Pc doped with 4d transition metal atoms (TM = Tc and Ru) towards five characteristic decomposition components (HF, H2S, SO2, SOF2, and SO2F2) were simulated. The findings indicate that both the TcPc and RuPc monolayers are thermodynamically and dynamically stable. The analysis of the adsorption energy indicates that H2S, SO2, SOF2, and SO2F2 underwent chemisorption on the TcPc monolayer. Conversely, the HF molecules were physisorbed through interactions with H atoms. The chemical adsorption of H2S, SO2, and SOF2 occurred on the RuPc monolayer, while the physical adsorption of HF and SO2F2 molecules was observed. Moreover, the microcosmic mechanism of the gas–adsorbent interaction was elucidated by analyzing the charge density differences, electron density distributions, Hirshfeld charges, and density of states. The TcPc and RuPc monolayers exhibited excellent sensitivity towards H2S, SO2, and SOF2, as evidenced by the substantial alterations in the band gaps and work functions of the TcPc and RuPc nanosheets. Our calculations hold significant value for exploring the potential chemical sensing applications of TcPc and RuPc monolayers in gas sensing, with a specific focus on detecting sulfur hexafluoride. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), stemming from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has had a profound global impact. This highly contagious pneumonia remains a significant ongoing threat. Uncertainties persist about the virus's effects on human health, underscoring the need for treatments and prevention. Current research highlights angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) as key targets against SARS-CoV-2. The virus relies on ACE2 to enter cells and TMPRSS2 to activate its spike protein. Inhibiting ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression can help prevent and treat SARS-CoV-2 infections. Anisomeles indica (L.) Kuntze, a medicinal plant in traditional Chinese medicine, shows various promising pharmacological properties. In this study, ethanolic extracts of A. indica were examined both in vivo (250 and 500 μM) and in vitro (500 μM). Through Western blotting analysis, a significant reduction in the expression levels of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 proteins was observed in HepG2 (human hepatocellular carcinoma) cells and HEK 293T (human embryonic kidney) cell lines without inducing cellular damage. The principal constituents of A. indica, namely, ovatodiolide (5 and 10 μM), anisomlic acid (5 and 10 μM), and apigenin (12.5 and 25 μM), were also found to produce the same effect. Furthermore, immunohistochemical analysis of mouse liver, kidney, and lung tissues demonstrated a decrease in ACE2 and TMPRSS2 protein expression levels. Consequently, this article suggests that A. indica and its constituents have the potential to reduce ACE2 and TMPRSS2 protein expression levels, thus aiding in the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) image classification has been an important area of research due to its wide range of applications. Traditional machine learning methods were insufficient in achieving satisfactory results before the advent of deep learning. Results have significantly improved with the widespread use of deep learning in PolSAR image classification. However, the challenge of reconciling the complex-valued inputs of PolSAR images with the real-valued models of deep learning remains unsolved. Current complex-valued deep learning models treat complex numbers as two distinct real numbers, providing limited assistance in PolSAR image classification results. This paper proposes a novel, complex-valued deep learning approach for PolSAR image classification to address this issue. The approach includes amplitude-based max pooling, complex-valued nonlinear activation, and a cross-entropy loss function based on complex-valued probability. Amplitude-based max pooling reduces computational effort while preserving the most valuable complex-valued features. Complex-valued nonlinear activation maps feature into a high-dimensional complex-domain space, producing the most discriminative features. The complex-valued cross-entropy loss function computes the classification loss using the complex-valued model output and dataset labels, resulting in more accurate and robust classification results. The proposed method was applied to a shallow CNN, deep CNN, FCN, and SegNet, and its effectiveness was verified on three public datasets. The results showed that the method achieved optimal classification results on any model and dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Woody biomaterials are widely available, renewable, and environmentally friendly. The wood adsorbents are classified into five categories: woody biomass, woody activated carbon, wood ceramics, wood aerogel, and woody activated carbon fiber, according to their preparation process methods and physical properties, and according to economic costs, physical properties, and other process characteristics. Investigate the modification of wood adsorbents and their coupling with other treatment methods for removing pollutants from water and enhancing the adsorption of specific pollutants by imparting new properties to the wood adsorbents for specific pollutants. The adsorption isotherm and kinetic models are presented, focusing on the theory of model assumptions and model characteristics. Thereby, the microscopic adsorption mechanism is macroscopically represented through the fitting of adsorption data and points out the problems of some wood adsorbents in removing pollutants from water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The acid heating extraction process is commonly employed to extract pectin from citrus peels, which results in the leaching of bioactive constituents into solvents. However, the discharge of these solvents represents a significant loss of valuable resources. To address this issue, this study aims to identify the composition and concentration of the bioactive constituents that escape into the solvents and propose an extraction process based on an ethanol‐salt aqueous two‐phase system (ATPS). The well‐designed ATPS enables the enrichment and recovery of the bioactive constituents, and the findings demonstrate that the ethanol/sodium citrate‐based ATPS can recover up to 80.61% of limonoids, 84.11% of flavonoids, and 88.09% of polyphenols that escape at an enrichment efficiency of 50.00%. Moreover, HPLC‐DAD and UPLC‐HRMS analysis of the ATPS extracts revealed the presence of nine bioactive constituents, including flavonoids, phenolic acids, and limonoids. Remarkably, in vitro antioxidant capacity studies indicate that the ATPS extracts exhibit superior antioxidant activity compared to the vacuum‐concentrated solution. Thus, these results suggest that the application of ATPS extraction is a feasible and promising strategy for the recovery of bioactive constituents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the prefabricated construction industry, consumers are sensitive to the construction delivery time, and different power structures are very common. This research uses methods of Stackelberg game, Nash game and supply chain coordination, introduces a manufacturer crashing strategy into a prefabricated construction supply chain and investigates the assembler pricing, manufacturer crashing, and supply chain coordination strategies under three different power structures. It finds that adopting a crashing strategy improves the supply chain's profit, while the dynamic wholesale price contract achieves supply chain coordination. Meanwhile, when consumer time and price sensitivity are low, it is easier to achieve high profits in the supply chain under unequal power distribution. Conversely, the supply chain profit is higher in the case of a Nash game. This study innovatively introduces the thought of power structure and crashing strategy into the prefabricated construction supply chain, and provides the optimal price and delivery time under three different power structures for prefabricated construction enterprises and realizes supply chain coordination. The conclusion can provide decision suggestions for the prefabricated construction enterprises under different competitive environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct conversion of methane to high‐value‐added transportable methanol is a great challenge, which requires high energy input to break the strong C−H bond. Developing efficient catalysts for methane oxidation to methanol under mild conditions is of vital importance. In this work, single transition metal atoms (TM=Fe, Co, Ni, Cu) anchored on black phosphorus (TM@BP) were studied as catalysts to assist the methane oxidation to methanol by means of first‐principles calculations. The results indicate that Cu@BP exhibits an outstanding catalytic activity through the radical reaction pathways and the formation of the Cu−O active site is rate‐determining with an energy barrier of 0.48 eV. Meanwhile, electronic structure calculations and dynamic simulations show that Cu@BP offers excellent thermal stability. Our calculations provide a new approach for the rational design of single atom catalysts for methane oxidation to methanol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radar automatic target recognition (RATR) technology is fundamental but complicated system engineering that combines sensor, target, environment, and signal processing technology, etc. It plays a significant role in improving the level and capabilities of military and civilian automation. Although RATR has been successfully applied in some aspects, the complete theoretical system has not been established. At present, deep learning algorithms have received a lot of attention and have emerged as potential and feasible solutions in RATR. This paper mainly reviews related articles published between 2010 and 2022, which corresponds to the period when deep learning methods were introduced into RATR research. In this paper, the current research status of radar target characteristics is summarized, including motion, micro-motion, one-dimensional, and two-dimensional characteristics, etc. This paper reviews the progress of deep learning methods in the feature extraction and recognition of radar target characteristics in recent years, including space, air, ground, sea-surface targets, etc. Due to more and more attention and research results published in the past few years, it is hoped that this review can provide potential guidance for future research and application of deep learning in fields related to RATR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the consensus problem for a class of interconnected systems with different cyber‐physical topologies is investigated. A two‐layer control framework is proposed where two different connections exist among the systems in physical and cyber layers, respectively. The former directly reflects the physical coupling among systems, while the latter uses the states' information transferred by communication channels to generate control. The physical and cyber topologies are undirected and not required to be connected. An event‐triggered protocol based on cyber local sampled information is designed with no need to solve any matrix equation or inequality. Theoretical sufficient conditions for consensus are derived in terms of algebraic inequality and Zeno behavior is excluded. A novel expandable construction scheme is proposed to construct switching topologies for cyber layer. Numerical simulation and comparison show the effectiveness of the proposed control method and the advantage on saving communication network constructions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "Chemical Constituents from Balanophora involucrata" discusses the chemical compounds found in Balanophora involucrata, a plant used in traditional Chinese medicine. The plant contains triterpenoids, lignans, flavonoids, and phenolic acids, which have various medicinal effects such as anti-tumor, anti-HIV, and anti-inflammatory properties. The article explains the methods used to extract and identify these compounds, providing detailed information on each compound's properties. This research contributes to our understanding of the medicinal properties of Balanophora involucrata and expands our knowledge of its chemical composition. The article also acknowledges the financial support received for the research. [Extracted from the article]

The article "Chemical Constituents of Balanophora laxiflora" explores the chemical makeup of Balanophora laxiflora, a parasitic plant found in Southwest China, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. This plant is used for medicinal purposes in China and Vietnam. Through chemical investigations, researchers have identified various compounds in B. laxiflora, such as phenolic compounds, triterpenoids, steroids, and organic acids. These compounds have demonstrated antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cytotoxic properties. The article presents the isolation and identification of 14 compounds from B. laxiflora, with seven compounds being discovered in this plant for the first time and five compounds being found in the Balanophora genus for the first time. The text provides detailed information about the chemical structures, molecular formulas, physical properties, and spectroscopic data of these compounds, including gallic acid, caffeic acid, hydroquinone, vanillic acid, and various glucopyranosides. The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Science and Technology Project of Guizhou Province. [Extracted from the article]

Y‐box binding protein 1 (YBX1) is a member of the family of DNA‐ and RNA‐binding proteins that play crucial roles in multiple aspects, including RNA stabilization, translational repression, and transcriptional regulation; however, its roles in embryo development remain less known. In this study, to investigate the function of YBX1 and its mechanism of action in porcine embryo development, YBX1 was knocked down by microinjecting YBX1 siRNA at the one‐cell stage. YBX1 is located in the cytoplasm during embryonic development. The mRNA level of YBX1 was increased from the four‐cell stage to the blastocyst stage but was significantly decreased in YBX1 knockdown embryos compared with the control. Moreover, the percentage of blastocysts was decreased following YBX1 knockdown compared with the control. Defecting YBX1 expression increased maternal gene mRNA expression and decreased zygotic genome activation (ZGA) gene mRNA expression and histone modification owing to decreased levels of N6‐methyladenosine (m6A) writer N6‐adenosine‐methyltransferase 70 kDa subunit (METTL3) and reader insulin‐like growth factor 2 mRNA‐binding protein (IGF2BP1). In addition, IGF2BP1 knockdown showed that YBX1 regulated the ZGA process through m6A modification. In conclusion, YBX1 is essential for early embryo development because it regulates the ZGA process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammation of the fetal membranes is an indispensable event of parturition, with increasing prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis as one of the ultimate products that prime labor onset. In addition to PGE2, the fetal membranes also boast a large capacity for cortisol regeneration. It is intriguing how increased PGE2 synthesis is achieved in the presence of increasing amounts of classical anti-inflammatory glucocorticoids in the fetal membranes at parturition. 15(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (15(S)-HETE) synthesized by lipoxygenase 15/15B (ALOX15/15B) has been shown to enhance inflammation-induced PGE2 synthesis in amnion fibroblasts. Here, we examined whether glucocorticoids could induce ALOX15/15B expression and 15(S)-HETE production to promote PGE2 synthesis in amnion fibroblasts at parturition. We found that cortisol and 15(S)-HETE abundance increased parallelly in the amnion at parturition. Cortisol induced ALOX15/15B expression and 15(S)-HETE production paradoxically in amnion fibroblasts. Mechanism study revealed that this paradoxical induction was mediated by p300-mediated histone acetylation and interaction of glucocorticoid receptor with transcription factors CREB and STAT3. Conclusively, cortisol regenerated in the fetal membranes can paradoxically induce ALOX15/15B expression and 15(S)-HETE production in human amnion fibroblasts, which may further assist in the induction of PGE2 synthesis in the inflammatory responses of the fetal membranes for parturition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• T. gondii is a perfect example for adaptive evolutionary theory. • A global view of virulence evolution of T. gondii is offered to study the geographical distribution of it. • The way of transmission is the key factor to the geographical difference of T. gondii virulence around the world. • The diversity of hosts will not always increase the evolutionary diversity of T. gondii virulence. • Superinfection and reproductive mode of T. gondii bring a possibility but not a guarantee to obtain virulence diversity. The genotype of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is expected to be disparate due to its biological and epidemiological diversity; however, these disparities can only be found in Central and South America. Here we attempt to offer an explanation for this contradiction from the perspective of virulence evolution. We provide an evolutionary dynamic framework with the only assumption that the direction of virulence evolution is to maximize its ability to infect more hosts. We made thorough investigations on the experimental and epidemiological survey data of T. gondii to obtain an evaluation of the ranges of transmission related parameters and therefore can capture the global evolutionary scenarios of T. gondii virulence. Our work reveals that transmission route is the key to the geographical difference of T. gondii around the world and the diversity of hosts cannot always increase the diversity of T. gondii virulence. The reproduction mode of T. gondii and frequent human trades are the prerequisites for T. gondii virulence to reach the present status. Our results demonstrate that virulence evolution of T. gondii is a perfect example of evolutionary adaptation to environment, which is also the reason of the successfulness of that parasite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a toxic heavy metal, cadmium (Cd) is one of the principal pollutants influencing rice productivity and food security. Despite several studies, the underlying mechanism of Cd response in plants remains largely unclear. Dehydrins are part of the late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) family which protect plants against abiotic stresses. In this study, a Cd-responsive LEA gene, OsDHN2, was functionally characterized. The chromosome localization results indicated that OsDHN2 was located on chromosome 2 of rice. Meanwhile, cis-acting elements, such as MBS (MYB binding site involved in drought-inducibility), ARE (anaerobic induction), and ABRE (abscisic acid), were present in the OsDHN2 promoter region. Expression pattern analysis also showed that OsDHN2 expression was induced in both roots and shoots under Cd stress. Overexpression of OsDHN2 improved Cd tolerance and reduced Cd concentration in yeast. Moreover, increased expression levels of SOD1, CTA1, GSH1, or CTT1 were found in transgenic yeast under Cd stress, suggesting the increased antioxidant enzymatic activities. These results suggested that OsDHN2 is a Cd-responsive gene that has the potential to improve resistance to Cd in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macrophages are important effector cells in tumor progression and immune regulation. Previously, we demonstrated that the transcription suppressor homeobox containing 1(HMBOX1) exhibits immunosuppressive activity in LPS-induced acute liver injury by impeding macrophage infiltration and activation. We also observed a lower proliferation in HMBOX1-overexpressed RAW264.7 cells. However, the specific mechanism was unclear. Here, a work was performed to characterize HMBOX1 function related to cell proliferation from a metabolomics standpoint by comparing the metabolic profiles of HMBOX1-overexpressed RAW264.7 cells to those of the controls. Firstly, we assessed HMBOX1 anti-proliferation activity in RAW264.7 cells with CCK8 assay and clone formation. Then, we performed metabolomic analyses by ultra-liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry to explore the potential mechanisms. Our results indicated that HMBOX1 inhibited the macrophage growth curve and clone formation ability. Metabolomic analyses showed significant changes in HMBOX1-overexpressed RAW264.7 metabolites. A total of 1312 metabolites were detected, and 185 differential metabolites were identified based on the criterion of OPLS-DA VIP > 1 and p value < 0.05. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis indicated that the elevated HMBOX1 in RAW264.7 inhibited the pathways of amino acid and nucleotide metabolism. Glutamine concentrations decreased significantly in HMBOX1-overexpressed macrophages, and glutamine-related transporter SLC1A5 was also downregulated. Furthermore, SLC1A5 overexpression reversed HMBOX1 inhibition of macrophage proliferation. This study demonstrated the potential mechanism of the HMBOX1/SLC1A5 pathway in cell proliferation by regulating glutamine transportation. The results may help provide a new direction for therapeutic interventions in macrophage-related inflammatory diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stability of surrounding rock is one of the most important problems in the design and construction of a highway tunnel. In this study, the multi-dimensional classification of surrounding rock quality was realized by using the mathematical relationship among surrounding rock classification methods. Based on BQ and RMi systems, the evaluation results of GSI, Q, and RMR systems can be also obtained, which can greatly save decision time and cost for engineering practice. A new surrounding rock risk assessment model considering seven indicators was built by using the analytic hierarchy process, entropy weight method, game theory, and extension theory. The new model was applied successfully in the Beigushan tunnel, and the assessment results obtained by the new model basically agree well with those obtained from field method. In order to facilitate the use of engineering builders, the application called Highway Tunnel Surrounding Rock Classification and Risk Assessment System was developed, thus finally achieving an accurate and rapid quality evaluation of surrounding rock for highway tunnel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we focus on the bifurcation analysis of a multi-stable nonlinear oscillator. This oscillator exhibits multiple equilibrium configurations depending on the parameter of a mechanical model. It is shown that the equilibrium curve undergoes multiple fold bifurcations, a supercritical pitchfork bifurcation, multiple discontinuous bifurcations, and multiple hysteresis bifurcations. Additionally, multiple solutions and different forms of bifurcation are observed for certain parameter values. Moreover, different response orbits under different initial conditions are emphasized by adopting the generalized cell mapping method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Partial liquefaction of residual biomass shows good potential for developing new materials suitable for making bio-based composites. Three-layer particleboards were produced by replacing virgin wood particles with partially liquefied bark (PLB) in the core or surface layers. PLB was prepared by the acid-catalyzed liquefaction of industrial bark residues in polyhydric alcohol. The chemical and microscopic structure of bark and residues after liquefaction were evaluated by means of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), while the particleboards were tested for their mechanical and water-related properties, as well as their emission profiles. Through a partial liquefaction process, some FTIR absorption peaks of the bark residues were lower than those of raw bark, indicating hydrolysis of chemical compounds. The surface morphology of bark did not change considerably after partial liquefaction. Particleboards with PLB in the core layers showed overall lower densities and mechanical properties (modulus of elasticity, modulus of rupture, and internal bond strength), and were less water-resistant as compared to the ones with PLB used in the surface layers. Formaldehyde emissions from the particleboards were 0.284–0.382 mg/m2·h, and thus, below the E1 class limit required by European Standard EN 13986:2004. The major emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were carboxylic acids as oxidization and degradation products from hemicelluloses and lignin. The application of PLB in three-layer particleboards is more challenging than in single-layer boards as PLB has different effects on the core and surface layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current research on the virulence evolution of Toxoplasma gondii is mainly conducted via experiments, and studies using mathematical models are still limited. Here, we constructed a complex cycle model of T. gondii in a multi‐host system considering multiple transmission routes and cat‐mouse interaction. Based on this model, we studied how the virulence of T. gondii evolves with the factors related to transmission routes and the regulation of infection on host behavior under an adaptive dynamics framework. The study shows that all factors that enhance the role of mice favored decreased virulence of T. gondii, except the decay rate of oocysts that led to different evolutionary trajectories under different vertical transmission. The same was true of the environmental infection rate of cats, whose effect was different under different vertical transmission. The effect of the regulation factor on the virulence evolution of T. gondii was the same as that of the inherent predation rate depending on its net effect on direct and vertical transmissions. The global sensitivity analysis on the evolutionary outcome suggests that changing the vertical infection rate and decay rate was most effective in regulating the virulence of T. gondii. Furthermore, the presence of coinfection would favor virulent T. gondii and make evolutionary bifurcation easy to occur. The results reveal that the virulence evolution of T. gondii had a compromise between adapting to different transmission routes and maintaining the cat‐mouse interaction thereby leading to different evolutionary scenarios. This highlights the significance of evolutionary ecological feedback to evolution. In addition, the qualitative verification of T. gondii virulence evolution in different areas by the present framework will provide a new perspective for the study of evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The majority of radiopharmaceuticals for use in disease detection and targeted treatment undergo a single radioactive transition (decay) to reach a stable ground state. Complex emitters, which produce a series of daughter radionuclides, are emerging as novel radiopharmaceuticals. The need for validation of chemical and radiopurity with such agents using common quality control instrumentation is an area of active investigation. Here, we demonstrate novel methods to characterize 227Th and 223Ra. Materials and Methods: A radio-TLC scanner and a γ-counter, two common and widely accessible technologies, as well as a solid-state α-particle spectral imaging camera were evaluated for their ability to characterize and distinguish 227Th and 223Ra. We verified these results through purity evaluation of a novel 227Th-labeled protein construct. Results: The γ-counter and α-camera distinguished 227Th from 223Ra, enabling rapid and quantitative determination of radionuclidic purity. The radio-TLC showed limited ability to describe purity, although use under α-particle-specific settings enhanced resolution. All three methods were able to distinguish a pure from impure 227Th-labeled protein. Conclusions: The presented quality control evaluation for 227Th and 223Ra on three different instruments can be applied to both research and clinical settings as new alpha particle therapies are developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the effect of Cu on the formation of reversed austenite in super martensitic stainless steel by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), a transmission electron microscope (TEM) and an energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS). Our results showed that the microstructure of the steels comprised tempered martensite and diffused reversed austenite after the steels were quenched at 1050 °C and tempered at 550–750 °C. The volume fraction of reversed austenite in the steel with 3 wt.% of Cu (3Cu) was more than that with 1.5 wt.% of Cu (1.5Cu). The transmission electron microscope results revealed that the reversed austenite in 1.5Cu steel mainly had the shape of a thin strip, while that in 3Cu steel had a block shape. The nucleation points and degree of Ni enrichment of reversed austenite in 3Cu steel were higher than those in 1.5Cu steel. The reversed austenite was more likely to grow in ε-Cu enriched regions. Therefore, Cu can promote reversed austenite nucleation and growth. The mechanical properties of 3 Cu steel are obviously better than those of 1.5Cu steel when tempered at 550–650 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Activating transcription factor 7 (ATF7) is a member of the ATF/cAMP response element (CRE) B superfamily. ATF2, ATF7, and CRE‐BPa are present in vertebrates. Drosophila and fission yeast have only one homologue: dATF2 and Atf1, respectively. Under normal conditions, ATF7 promotes heterochromatin formation by recruiting histone H3K9 di‐ and tri‐methyltransferases. Once the situation changes, all members are phosphorylated by the stress‐activated kinase P38 in response to various stressors. However, the role of ATF7 in early porcine embryonic development remains unclear. Results: In this study, we found that ATF7 gradually accumulated in the nucleus and then localized on the pericentric heterochromatin after the late 4‐cell stage, while being co‐localized with heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1). Knockdown of ATF7 resulted in decreases in the blastocyst rate and blastocyst cell number. ATF7 depletion resulted in downregulation of HP1 and histone 3 lysine 9 dimethylation (H3K9me2) expression. These effects were alleviated when P38 activity was inhibited. High temperatures increased the expression level of pP38, while reducing the quality of porcine embryos, and led to ATF7 phosphorylation. The expression level of H3K9me2 and HP1 was decreased and regulated by P38 activity. Conclusion: Stress‐induced ATF7‐dependent epigenetic changes play important roles in early porcine embryonic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies have emphasized the importance of examining psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important to identify the factors that affect the influence of COVID-19 on people's mental health. The present research was a three-wave longitudinal study (N = 1495) examining the concurrent and prospective relations of good personality with subjective well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results showed that good personality positively predicted the subsequent well-being after controlling for the respective autoregressive effects and Big Five personality traits. Specifically, individuals who scored higher on measures of good personality tended to maintain higher well-being in the face of COVID-19. However, subjective well-being could positively predict subsequent personality only at the first time point. In addition, the prospective effect of good personality on subjective well-being was greater than the reverse effect. These findings support the opinion that as a positive value orientation in personality, good personality has a significant positive impact on the response to the pandemic situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of iron-rich calcium sulfoaluminate (IR-CSA) cement is greatly affected by mineral composition and mineral activity in the clinker. This study aims to identify the effect of CaO sources, either CaCO3 or CaSO4, on the phase formation and mineral composition of the IR-CSA clinker. Targeted samples were prepared with different proportions of CaCO3 and CaSO4 as CaO sources at 1300 °C for 45 min. Multiple methods were used to identify the mineralogical conditions. The results indicate that the mineral composition and performance of the IR-CSA clinker could be optimized by adjusting the CaO source. Both Al2O3 and Fe2O3 tend to incorporate into C4A3−xFx S ¯ with an increase in CaSO4 as a CaO source, which leads to an increased content of C4A3−xFx S ¯ but a decreased ferrite phase. In addition, clinkers prepared with CaSO4 as a CaO source showed much higher x value in C4A3−xFx S ¯ and higher compressive strength than clinker prepared with CaCO3 as the sole CaO source. The crystal types of both C4A3−xFx S ¯ and C2S were also affected, but showed different trends with the transition of the CaO source. The findings provide a possible method to produce IR-CSA cement at a low cost through cooperative utilization of waste gypsum and iron-bearing industrial solid wastes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, a QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) pretreatment method was combined with UPLC-MS/MS to facilitate the rapid and reliable simultaneous detection of five calcium channel blockers (CCBs) in human plasma. For this approach, samples were treated with 1 mL of acetonitrile, 350 mg of magnesium sulfate, and 70 mg of PSA adsorbent prior to centrifugation. Supernatants then underwent gradient elution for 8 min with an Agilent C18 column using an acetonitrile-water solution supplemented with 5 mmol⋅L−1 of ammonium acetate. This technique exhibited a good linear response in the 1–800 ng⋅mL−1 range for the analyzed drugs, with an R2≥ 0.9921, an accuracy of 87.54–113.05%, a matrix effect (ME) of 91.21–116.39%, a precision of 0.19–11.64%, and stability of no more than 10.05%. This time-saving QuEChERS reagent-based pretreatment technique thus allowed for the simultaneous and accurate detection of five CCBs in human plasma samples, providing a promising new basis for therapeutic drug monitoring in patients with hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In mammals, E2 factor (E2F) acts as a cell cycle regulator. E2F transcription factor 4 (E2F4) is a member of the E2F family of transcription factors and usually represents predominant E2F activity in cells. The E2F4 gene has been extensively studied in animals and is associated with multiple functions, such as cell cycle regulation and apoptosis; however, little is known about its role during embryonic development. In this study, we investigated the function of E2F4 and its mechanism of action in porcine embryo development. For this purpose, we knocked down E2F4 by microinjecting double-stranded RNA of E2F4 at the 1-cell stage. The results showed that E2F4 knockdown in porcine embryos led to a significant decrease in the blastocyst rate and total cell number. Defective E2F4 expression reduced the level of G1/S checkpoints (cyclin E-cyclin-dependent kinase 2) and cell cycle-related gene expression at the 4-cell embryo stage and blastocyst. Moreover, a decrease in E2F4 expression increased phosphorylated H2A.X variant histones and activated ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) and p53-p21 pathway. In addition, E2F4 depletion caused a significant decrease in histone acetylation. Taken together, E2F4 plays a critical role as a transcriptional activator in the development of porcine embryos, an observation that contradicts its well-established role as a transcription repressor. • E2F4 affected porcine embryonic development. • E2F4 induced DNA damage and G1/S arrest in porcine embryos. • E2F4 decreased histone acetylation in porcine embryos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polylactic acid (PLA) as a "green," renewable corn-soy based polymer resin was assessed as a novel solid-state detector for rapid-turnaround gamma radiation dosimetry in the 1–100 kGy range–of significant interest in biomedical and general nuclear industry applications. Co-60 was used as the source of gamma photons. It was found that PLA resin responds well in terms of rheology and porosity metrics with an absorbed gamma dose (Dg). In this work, rheological changes were ascertained via measuring the differential mass loss ratio (MLR) of irradiated PLA placed within PTFE-framed (40 mm × 20 mm × 0.77 mm) cavities bearing ~0.9 g of PLA resin and pressed for 12–16 min in a controlled force hot press under ~6.6 kN loading and platens heated to 227 °C for the low Dg range: 0–11 kGy; and to 193 °C for the extended Dg range: 11–120 kGy. MLR varied quadratically from 0.05 to ~0.2 (1σ ~ 0.007) in the 0–11 kGy experiments, and from 0.05 to ~0.5 (1σ ~0.01) in the 0–120 kGy experiments. Rheological changes from gamma irradiation were modeled and simultaneously correlated with void-pocket formations, which increase with Dg. A single PLA resin bead (~0.04 g) was compressed 5 min at 216 °C in 0–16 kGy experiments, and compressed 2 min at 232 °C in the 16–110 kGy experiments, to form sturdy ~100 µm thick wafers in the same press. Aggregate coupon porosity was then readily measurable with conventional optical microscope imaging and analyzed with standard image processing; this provided complementary data to MLR. Average porosity vs. dose varied quadratically from ~0 to ~15% in the 0–16 kGy range and from ~0 to ~18% over the 16–114 kGy range. These results provide evidence for utilizing "green"/renewable (under $0.01) PLA resin beads for rapid and accurate (+/−5–10%) gamma dosimetry over a wide 0–120 kGy range, using simple to deploy mass and void measuring techniques using common laboratory equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Pediatric patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are at risk for residual OSA following tonsillectomy with/without adenoidectomy (T ± A). We initiated a quality improvement (QI) project to increase the percentage of postoperative (postop) polysomnography (PSG) completion to identify residual OSA. Methods: This is a prospective QI project carried out at a tertiary pediatric academic hospital. Children ≤18 years of age who underwent T ± A for severe OSA were included. Our Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time‐based (SMART) aim was to increase the percentage of completed postop PSGs in this cohort from a baseline of 70% to95% by May 31, 2021. We focused on patient education and leveraged both clinical decision support and reporting functionalities of the electronic medical record for project implementation. Results: During the pre‐intervention period between January 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020, 472 patients met the inclusion criteria with an average age of 8.6 years (SD 4.6). The rate of postop PSG completion was 69.7% (SD 11.4%) with an average time of 99 days (SD 66) between surgery and the postop PSG. A shift was observed starting in September 2020, and the PSG completion rate improved to 94.9% by September 30, 2021. Post‐intervention, there were 178 patients with an average age of 9.3 years (SD 4.9). The average time between surgery and the postop PSG was significantly reduced to 57 days (SD 16; p <.001). Conclusions: Through a multidisciplinary approach, we successfully completed our SMART aim. With the establishment of QI infrastructure, our goal is to deliver better care in a sustainable fashion using QI methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We extend the contents of the standard model (SM) by introducing TeV-scale scalar leptoquarks to generate neutrino masses and explain some current observed deviations from the SM predictions, including the anomalous magnetic moments of charged leptons (electron and muon) and B-physics anomalies ( R K (∗) and R D (∗) ). The model consists of SU (2) L singlet leptoquark S 1 ∼ (3 ¯ , 1 , 1 / 3) , doublet leptoquark R ~ 2 ∼ (3 , 2 , 1 / 6) and triplet leptoquark S 3 ∼ (3 ¯ , 3 , 1 / 3) . We combine the constraints arising from the low-energy lepton flavor violation, meson decay and mixing observables. We perform a detailed phenomenological analysis and identify the minimized texture of leptoquark Yukawa matrices to accommodate a unified explanation of the anomalies and neutrino oscillation data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperspectral image (HSI) super-resolution aims at improving the spatial resolution of HSI by fusing a high spatial resolution multispectral image (MSI). To preserve local submanifold structures in HSI super-resolution, a novel superpixel graph-based super-resolution method is proposed. Firstly, the MSI is segmented into superpixel blocks to form two-directional feature tensors, then two graphs are created using spectral–spatial distance between the unfolded feature tensors. Secondly, two graph Laplacian terms involving underlying BTD factors of high-resolution HSI are developed, which ensures the inheritance of the spatial geometric structures. Finally, by incorporating graph Laplacian priors with the coupled BTD degradation model, a HSI super-resolution model is established. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves better fused results compared with other advanced super-resolution methods, especially on the improvement of the spatial structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A heteroleptic terminal alkyl lutetium complex stabilized by a bulky guanidinato ligand, LLu(CH2C6H4NMe2-o)(Me)(THF) (1) (L = (PhCH2)2NC(NC6H3iPr2-2,6)2) has been synthesized by the treatment of LLu(CH2C6H4NMe2-o)2 with AlMe3 (1 equiv.) via an alkyl-exchange reaction in toluene/THF (4 : 1) solution and fully characterized. The difference in the activities of aminobenzyl and methyl was also proven through their selective reactivity, including complex 1 with one equivalent of DIC, CS2 and HPPh2, to afford complexes LLu[(NiPr2)2CMe](CH2C6H4NMe2-o) (2), L2Lu2[μ-η1:η2-S2C＝CHC6H4NMe2-o][μ-η2:η2-S2C＝CHC6H4NMe2-o](THF) (4), and {LLu(Me)[μ-O(CH2)4 PPh2]}2 (5), respectively. The subsequent transformations have also been investigated, obtaining complexes LLu[(NiPr2)2CMe][(NiPr2)2C CH2C6H4NMe2-o] (3), {LLu[O(CH2)4PPh2][μ-O(CH2)4PPh2]}2 (6) and dimeric lutetium phosphide {LLu[μ-O(CH2)4PPh2]}2(Me)(PPh2) (7). In addition, the guanidinate bimetallic alkynyl-bridged lutetium complex [LLu(μ-C≡CPh)]2(μ-η2:η2-PhC4Ph) (8) bearing the μ2-butatrienediyl group was obtained from the reaction of 1 with PhC≡CH (2 equiv.). The guanidinate lutetium μ-imido complex [LLu(μ-NPh)(THF)]2 (10) was also obtained in good yield by the treatment of 1 with PhNH2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the continuous emergence of various social and trade networks, network influence analysis has aroused great interest of the researchers. Based on different influence propagation models, many new models and methods for influence maximization on networks have been proposed. As an extension and expansion of the traditional influence maximization problem, influence blocking maximization has become a hotspot of research, and has been widely applied in many areas such as physics, computer science and epidemiology. In recent years, various methods for influence blocking maximization problem have been reported. However, we still lack a comprehensive review to systematically analyze the methodological and theoretical advances in influence blocking maximization problem from the aspects of social networks influence analysis. This review aims to fill this gap by providing a comprehensive survey and analysis of the theory and applications of influence blocking maximization. Not only it advances the theoretical understanding of the influence maximization problem, but will be a point of reference for future researches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]