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We design a p-aminothiophenol (pATP) modified Au/ITO chip to determine nitrite ions in lake water by a ratiometric surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) method based on nitrite ions triggering the transformation of pATP to p,p′-dimercaptoazobenzene (DMAB). Intriguingly, by using the SERS peak (at 1008 cm−1) from benzoic ring deforming as an internal standard instead of the traditional peak at 1080 cm−1, the detection sensitivity of the method was improved 10 times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We design a p-aminothiophenol (pATP) modified Au/ITO chip to determine nitrite ions in lake water by a ratiometric surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) method based on nitrite ions triggering the transformation of pATP to p,p′-dimercaptoazobenzene (DMAB). Intriguingly, by using the SERS peak (at 1008 cm−1) from benzoic ring deforming as an internal standard instead of the traditional peak at 1080 cm−1, the detection sensitivity of the method was improved 10 times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient global optimization is a widely used method for optimizing expensive black-box functions. In this paper, we study the worst-case oracle complexity of the efficient global optimization problem. In contrast to existing kernel-specific results, we derive a unified lower bound for the oracle complexity of efficient global optimization in terms of the metric entropy of a ball in its corresponding reproducing kernel Hilbert space. Moreover, we show that this lower bound nearly matches the upper bound attained by non-adaptive search algorithms, for the commonly used squared exponential kernel and the Matérn kernel with a large smoothness parameter ν . This matching is up to a replacement of d/2 by d and a logarithmic term log R ϵ , where d is the dimension of input space, R is the upper bound for the norm of the unknown black-box function, and ϵ is the desired accuracy. That is to say, our lower bound is nearly optimal for these kernels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microhomology-mediated end joining (MMEJ) is a highly mutagenic pathway to repair double-strand breaks (DSBs). MMEJ was thought to be a backup pathway of homologous recombination (HR) and canonical nonhomologous end joining (C-NHEJ). However, it attracts more attention in cancer research due to its special function of microhomology in many different aspects of cancer. In particular, it is initiated with DNA end resection and upregulated in homologous recombination-deficient cancers. In this review, I summarize the following: (1) the recent findings and contributions of MMEJ to genome instability, including phenotypes relevant to MMEJ; (2) the interaction between MMEJ and other DNA repair pathways; (3) the proposed mechanistic model of MMEJ in DNA DSB repair and a new connection with microhomology-mediated break-induced replication (MMBIR); and (4) the potential clinical application by targeting MMEJ based on synthetic lethality for cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over-the-air computation (AirComp) is a disruptive technique for fast wireless data aggregation in Internet of Things (IoT) networks via exploiting the waveform superposition property of multiple-access channels. However, the performance of AirComp is bottlenecked by the worst channel condition among all links between the IoT devices and the access point. In this paper, a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) assisted AirComp system is proposed to boost the received signal power and thus mitigate the performance bottleneck by reconfiguring the propagation channels. With an objective to minimize the AirComp distortion, we propose a joint design of AirComp transceivers and RIS phase-shifts, which however turns out to be a highly intractable non-convex programming problem. To this end, we develop a novel alternating minimization framework in conjunction with the successive convex approximation technique, which is proved to converge monotonically. To reduce the computational complexity, we transform the subproblem in each alternation as a smooth convex-concave saddle point problem, which is then tackled by proposing a Mirror-Prox method that only involves a sequence of closed-form updates. Simulations show that the computation time of the proposed algorithm can be two orders of magnitude smaller than that of the state-of-the-art algorithms, while achieving a similar distortion performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creatinine level in urine is an important biomarker for renal function diseases, such as renal failure, glomerulonephritis, and chronic nephritis. The Au@MIL-101(Fe) was prepared by in situ growth of Au nanoparticles in MIL-101(Fe) as a selective SERS substrate. The Au@MIL-101(Fe) offers the great local surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect due to gold nanoparticles aggregation inside metal-organic frameworks. The framework structure could enrich trace target samples and drag them into SPR hot spots. The optimal Au@MIL-101(Fe) composite substrate is used for analyzing creatinine in urine and the limit of detection is down to 0.1 μ mol/L and a linear relationship is ranging from 1 μ mol/L to 100 μ mol/L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a decentralized algorithm for non-convex optimization over tree-structured networks. We assume that each node of this network can solve small-scale optimization problems and communicate approximate value functions with its neighbors based on a novel multi-sweep communication protocol. In contrast to existing parallelizable optimization algorithms for non-convex optimization, the nodes of the network are neither synchronized nor assign any central entity. None of the nodes needs to know the whole topology of the network, but all nodes know that the network is tree-structured. We discuss conditions under which locally quadratic convergence rates can be achieved. The method is illustrated by running the decentralized asynchronous multi-sweep protocol on a radial AC power network case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the application of the recently proposed augmented Lagrangian alternating direction inexact Newton (aladin) method to non-convex ac optimal power flow problems (ac-opf) in a distributed fashion. In contrast to the often used alternating direction of multipliers method (admm), aladin guarantees locally quadratic convergence for ac-opf. Numerical results for 5–300 bus test cases indicate that aladin is able to outperform the admm and to reduce the number of iterations by about one order of magnitude. We compare aladin to numerical results for the admm documented in the literature. The improved convergence speed comes at the cost of increasing the communication effort per iteration. Therefore, we propose a variant of aladin that uses inexact Hessians to reduce communication. Additionally, we provide a detailed comparison of these aladin variants to the admm from an algorithmic and communication perspective. Moreover, we prove that aladin converges locally at a quadratic rate even for the relevant case of suboptimally solved local nonlinear programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Low-concentration atropine is an emerging therapy for myopia progression, but its efficacy and optimal concentration remain uncertain. Our study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of low-concentration atropine eye drops at 0.05%, 0.025%, and 0.01% compared with placebo over a 1-year period. Design Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-masked trial. Participants A total of 438 children aged 4 to 12 years with myopia of at least −1.0 diopter (D) and astigmatism of −2.5 D or less. Methods Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1:1 ratio to receive 0.05%, 0.025%, and 0.01% atropine eye drops, or placebo eye drop, respectively, once nightly to both eyes for 1 year. Cycloplegic refraction, axial length (AL), accommodation amplitude, pupil diameter, and best-corrected visual acuity were measured at baseline, 2 weeks, 4 months, 8 months, and 12 months. Visual Function Questionnaire was administered at the 1-year visit. Main Outcome Measures Changes in spherical equivalent (SE) and AL were measured, and their differences among groups were compared using generalized estimating equation. Results After 1 year, the mean SE change was −0.27±0.61 D, −0.46±0.45 D, −0.59±0.61 D, and −0.81±0.53 D in the 0.05%, 0.025%, and 0.01% atropine groups, and placebo groups, respectively (P < 0.001), with a respective mean increase in AL of 0.20±0.25 mm, 0.29±0.20 mm, 0.36±0.29 mm, and 0.41±0.22 mm (P < 0.001). The accommodation amplitude was reduced by 1.98±2.82 D, 1.61±2.61 D, 0.26±3.04 D, and 0.32±2.91 D, respectively (P < 0.001). The pupil sizes under photopic and mesopic conditions were increased respectively by 1.03±1.02 mm and 0.58±0.63 mm in the 0.05% atropine group, 0.76±0.90 mm and 0.43±0.61 mm in the 0.025% atropine group, 0.49±0.80 mm and 0.23±0.46 mm in the 0.01% atropine group, and 0.13±1.07 mm and 0.02±0.55 mm in the placebo group (P < 0.001). Visual acuity and vision-related quality of life were not affected in each group. Conclusions The 0.05%, 0.025%, and 0.01% atropine eye drops reduced myopia progression along a concentration-dependent response. All concentrations were well tolerated without an adverse effect on vision-related quality of life. Of the 3 concentrations used, 0.05% atropine was most effective in controlling SE progression and AL elongation over a period of 1 year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern energy infrastructure has evolved into an integrated electricity and natural gas systems (IEGS), which often encompasses multiple geographically-diverse energy areas. This paper focuses on the decentralized adjustable robust operation problem for multi-area IEGS. Existing distributed algorithms usually require synchronization of all area subproblems, which is hard to scale and could result in under-utilization of computation resources due to the heterogeneity of local areas. To address those limitations, this paper proposes an asynchronous alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) based decentralized model for multi-area IEGS. This asynchronous decentralized structure only requires local communications and allows each area to perform local updates with information from a subset of but not all neighbors, where the individual areas' subproblems are solved independently and asynchronously. Meanwhile, the linear decision rules (LDRs)-based adjustable robust operation model is tailored to combine with the automatic generation control (AGC) systems to fully exploit its potential in dealing with renewable energy uncertainty. Numerical results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. • Proposing asynchronous decentralized ADMM structure for multi-area IEGS. • Exploiting the potential of AGC systems in dealing with renewable energy uncertainty. • Proposing a tailored LDRs-based adjustable robust model compatible with AGC systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity is a critical threat to global health, and brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a potential target for the treatment of obesity and comorbidities. Xuezhikang Capsule (XZK), an extract of red yeast rice, has remarkable clinical efficacy and is widely used for the treatment of hyperlipidemia and coronary heart disease. However, its modulatory effect on BAT remains unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective mechanism of XZK in the obese spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) model by evaluating the regulatory effect of XZK on the BAT gene profile through transcriptome sequencing. The SHRs were randomly divided into four groups: the standard chow diet (STD) group, the STD supplemented with 126 mg/kg of XZK group, the high-fat diet (HFD) group, and the HFD supplemented with 126 mg/kg of XZK group. All SHRs were fed for 18 weeks. The metabolic phenotypes, including body weight, fat mass, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and serum glucose and lipid levels, was evaluated, and hematoxylin and eosin staining (H&E) staining was performed to evaluate the adipose tissue histopathological phenotype. Transcriptome sequencing was performed to determine the mechanism by which XZK improves the metabolic phenotype and the expression of key differential expression genes was verified by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). XZK inhibited HFD-induced weight gain and adipose tissue remodeling in SHRs and prevented hypertrophy of epididymal adipocytes and maintained the brown fat phenotype. XZK intervention also improved glucose and lipid metabolism in SHRs, as suggested by a reduction in serum triglyceride (TG), low-density cholesterol (LDL-C), and fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels as well as increasing in serum high-density cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. Transcriptome sequencing analysis confirmed the regulatory effect of XZK on the gene expression profile of BAT, and the expression patterns of 45 genes were reversed by the XZK intervention. Additionally, the results of the transcriptome analysis of 10 genes that are important for brown fat function were in line with the results of qRT-PCR. XZK protected SHRs from HFD-induced obesity, inhibited fat accumulation and improved glucolipid metabolism. Additionally, the protective effect of XZK on the overall metabolism of obese SHRs might partly be related to its regulatory effect on the BAT gene expression profile. These findings might provide novel therapeutic strategies for obesity-related metabolic diseases in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). [Display omitted] • Xuezhikang protects SHRs from obesity induced by high-fat diet. • Xuezhikang improves glucolipid metabolism disorder in high fat-fed SHRs. • Xuezhikang protects adipose tissue phenotypes in high fat-fed SHRs. • Xuezhikang regulates the iBAT gene expression profile in high fat-fed SHRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Searching visual objects in large image or video data sets is a challenging problem, because it requires efficient matching and accurate localization of query objects that often occupy a small part of an image. Although spatial context has been shown to help produce more reliable detection than methods that match local features individually, how to extract appropriate spatial context remains an open problem. Instead of using fixed-scale spatial context, we propose a randomized approach to deriving spatial context, in the form of spatial random partition. The effect of spatial context is achieved by averaging the matching scores over multiple random patches. Our approach offers three benefits: 1) the aggregation of the matching scores over multiple random patches provides robust local matching; 2) the matched objects can be directly identified on the pixelwise confidence map, which results in efficient object localization; and 3) our algorithm lends itself to easy parallelization and also allows a flexible tradeoff between accuracy and speed through adjusting the number of partition times. Both theoretical studies and experimental comparisons with the state-of-the-art methods validate the advantages of our approach. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

[Display omitted] • ITO/Au/Cu 2 O with Schottky junction has excellent PEC performance. • Au film improves the harvest of light and inhibits Cu 2 O self-photo-reduction. • ITO/Au/Cu 2 O sensor has high sensitivity to detect PQ in water and good recovery. Paraquat (PQ) as a widely used herbicide has high toxicity. Therefore, it calls for development of sensitive analytic methods to monitor the residue of PQ in environment. In this work, a photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensing strategy via preparation of the photocathode of ITO/Au/Cu 2 O is proposed. The introduction of Au film in the PEC system significantly improves the photoelectric property of Cu 2 O, which may be attributed to the enhanced light utilization and the inhibited self-photoreduction of Cu 2 O. As expected, under the visible light illumination, the fabricated ITO/Au/Cu 2 O photocathode shows excellent sensitivity in determination of trace paraquat. The quantitative linear range is from 10-9 to 10-5 mol L-1 and the limit of detection (2.93 × 10-10 mol L-1) could be reached. For detection of real samples, the ITO/Au/Cu 2 O photocathode-based PEC sensor demonstrates interference-free, detection reproducibility and acceptable recoveries. This study highlights the heterostructure advantage of metal–semiconductor for promoting the PEC sensing application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing application of voltage source converter (VSC) based high voltage direct current (VSC-HVDC) technology in power grids has raised the importance of incorporating DC grids and converters into the existing transmission network. This poses significant challenges in dealing with the resulting optimal power flow (OPF) problem. In this paper, a recently proposed nonconvex distributed optimization algorithm—Augmented Lagrangian based Alternating Direction Inexact Newton method (aladin), is tailored to solve the nonconvex AC/DC OPF problem for emerging voltage source converter (VSC) based multiterminal high voltage direct current (VSC-MTDC) meshed AC/DC hybrid systems. The proposed scheme decomposes this AC/DC hybrid OPF problem and handles it in a fully distributed way. Compared to the existing state-of-art Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (admm), which is in general, not applicable for nonconvex problems, aladin has a theoretical convergence guarantee. Applying these two approaches to VSC-MTDC coupled with an IEEE benchmark AC power system illustrates that the tailored aladin outperforms admm in convergence speed and numerical robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retinoblastoma is the most common intraocular cancer in childhood. Loss of function in both copies of the RB1 gene is the causal mutation of retinoblastoma. Current treatment for retinoblastoma includes the use of chemotherapeutic agents, such as the DNA damaging agent etoposide, which is a topoisomerase II poison that mainly generates DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and genome instability. Unfaithful repairing of DSBs could lead to secondary cancers and serious side effects. Previously, we found that RB knocked-down mammalian cells depend on a highly mutagenic pathway, the micro-homology mediated end joining (MMEJ) pathway, to repair DSBs. Poly ADP ribose polymerase 1 (PARP1) is a major protein in promoting the MMEJ pathway. In this study, we explored the effects of olaparib, a PARP inhibitor, in killing retinoblastoma cells. Retinoblastoma cell line Y79 and primary retinoblastoma cells expressed the cone-rod homeobox protein (CRX), a photoreceptor-specific marker. No detectable RB expression was found in these cells. The co-treatment of olaparib and etoposide led to enhanced cell death in both the Y79 cells and the primary retinoblastoma cells. Our results demonstrated the killing effects in retinoblastoma cells by PARP inhibitor olaparib after inducing DNA double-strand breaks. The use of olaparib in combination with etoposide could improve the cell-killing effects. Thus, lower dosages of etoposide can be used to treat retinoblastoma, which would potentially lead to a lower level of DSBs and a relatively more stable genome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The SnO 2 /Bi 2 S 3 shows significantly improved photoelectrochemical performance. • SnO 2 /Bi 2 S 3 with tobramycin -binding aptamer was constructed as aptasensor. • The sensor is used to selectively and sensitively determine trace TOB in milk sample. Abuse of tobramycin (TOB) causes a series of diseases. Therefore, the development of rapid and sensitive method for analyzing TOB in food products is necessary. In this work, aptamer modified SnO 2 /Bi 2 S 3 -based photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensor was developed for the determination of TOB in milk. Under optimal condition, a wide linear response for TOB from 5 to 50 nmol/L with a limit of detection of 4.28 nmol/L is reached. The possible detection mechanism is that TOB molecules are specifically captured by aptamer, increasing electron transfer resistance and declining the photocurrent. Thanks to the favorably matched energy level of SnO 2 , and Bi 2 S 3 , the PEC aptasensor exhibits high sensitivity, and with the aid of oxalate, the sensitivity of the sensor is further improved. Importantly, the stability of the PEC aptasensor is also satisfactory due to the calcination of SnO 2 /Bi 2 S 3 at 450 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A specific surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) assay for dopamine (DA) based on an azo derivatization reaction is proposed for the first time by preparation of p-aminothiophenol (PATP)-modified composite SERS substrate, composed of metal–organic framework (MIL-101) decorated with Au and Ag nanoparticles. As the result, the SERS method for detection of the azo reaction between PATP and DA exhibits superior sensitivity, selectivity, and stability. A reasonable linearity in the range 10−6 to 10−10 mol∙L−1 is achieved, and the limit of detection is 1.2 × 10−12 mol∙L−1. The reactive SERS assay is free from interference in complex physiological fluid. The feasibility of the proposed SERS method for the detection of DA levels in fetal bovine serum (FBS) samples and human serum samples is validated by HPLC–MS methods, displaying promising application potential in early disease diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inactivation of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor gene (RB1) leads to genome instability, and can be detected in retinoblastoma and other cancers. One damaging effect is causing DNA double strand breaks (DSB), which, however, can be repaired by homologous recombination (HR), classical non-homologous end joining (C-NHEJ), and micro-homology mediated end joining (MMEJ). We aimed to study the mechanistic roles of RB in regulating multiple DSB repair pathways. Here we show that HR and C-NHEJ are decreased, but MMEJ is elevated in RB-depleted cells. After inducing DSB by camptothecin, RB co-localizes with CtIP, which regulates DSB end resection. RB depletion leads to less RPA and native BrdU foci, which implies less end resection. In RB-depleted cells, less CtIP foci, and a lack of phosphorylation on CtIP Thr847, are observed. According to the synthetic lethality principle, based on the altered DSB repair pathway choice, after inducing DSBs by camptothecin, RB depleted cells are more sensitive to co-treatment with camptothecin and MMEJ blocker poly-ADP ribose polymerase 1 (PARP1) inhibitor. We propose a model whereby RB can regulate DSB repair pathway choice by mediating the CtIP dependent DNA end resection. The use of PARP1 inhibitor could potentially improve treatment outcomes for RB-deficient cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The electrospun 3D SnO 2 nanofibers is decorated by AuNPs through electrodeposition. • Highly sensitive PEC sensor is due to the synergistic effect of SnO 2 -AuNPs and Ru(bpy) 3 2+. • A photoelectrochemical sensor is successfully used to detect trace NO 2 − in urine. A three-dimensional (3D) network nanocomposite is constructed by electrospinning tin dioxide nanofibers (SnO 2 NFs) on the surface of indium tin oxide (ITO) and then in-situ electrodepositing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). With the aid of large surface area of SnO 2 NFs and the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of AuNPs, the novel 3D architecture is beneficial to the mass transfer and the separation efficiency of photogenerated electrons and holes. In the presence of photosensitizer of Ru(bpy) 3 2+ (tris (2,2′-bipyridyl) dichlororuthenium (II) hexahydrate (Ru(bpy) 3 (PF 6) 2), the ITO/SnO 2 -AuNPs electrode shows good photoelectrochemical (PEC) response to nitrite (NO 2 −) under visible light irradiation. The linear range for NO 2 − determination is from 10−9 to 10−5 M with a low detection limit of 4.8 × 10−10 M. The ITO/SnO 2 -AuNPs photoanode based PEC sensor is also successfully applied to analyze trace NO 2 − in human urine, showing excellent anti-interference and stability. This work may pave the way for designing noble metal-semiconductor heterogeneous materials with tailored properties for the field of biosensor design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The reduced polyaniline (PANI R) is electrochemically deposited on ITO/Au surface. • PANI R is oxidized by H 2 O 2 to generate new Rmana band of oxidized PANI. • Fenton reaction realizes rapid SERS detection of H 2 O 2 with ITO/AuNPs/PANI R sensor. • Such SERS sensor is used for on-site rapid detection of trace H 2 O 2 in foodtuffs. • Renewability of the sensor could be achieved within 30 s by easy acidic treatment. Hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) residue in foodstuffs will bring great harm to human health. We immobilize the composite of the reduced polyaniline (PANI R) modified gold nanoparticles on the surface of ITO (ITO/AuNPs/PANI R) to develop surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensor for H 2 O 2. detection. The principle is that PANI R is oxidized by H 2 O 2 to generate a new SERS peak at 1460 cm−1 for realizing quantitative analysis of H 2 O 2. Fe2+-Fenton reaction is introduced to catalytically react with H 2 O 2 to hydroxyl radical, which speeds up the oxidation of PANI R. Before SERS detection, acidic treatment could guarantee the reduced state of PANI R in composite. Limit of detection of ITO/AuNPs/PANI R -based SERS assay for H 2 O 2 is down to 1.78 × 10−12 mol/L and a good linear relationship from 1 × 10−10 to 3.16 × 10−7 mol/L is achieved. Furthermore, the SERS sensor could be regenerated by acidic treatment. As a scenario, the renewable SERS sensor is utilized to monitor H 2 O 2 residues in food and environmental samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic inflammation and metabolic dysfunction are key features of systemic aging, closely associated with the development and progression of age-related metabolic diseases. Bazi Bushen (BZBS), a traditional Chinese medicine used to alleviate frailty, delays biological aging by modulating DNA methylation levels. However, the precise mechanism of its anti-aging effect remains unclear. In this study, we developed the Energy Expenditure Aging Index (EEAI) to estimate biological age. By integrating the EEAI with transcriptome analysis, we aimed to explore the impact of BZBS on age-related metabolic dysregulation and inflammation in naturally aging mice. Methods: We conducted indirect calorimetry analysis on five groups of mice with different ages and utilized the data to construct EEAI. 12 -month-old C57BL/6 J mice were treated with BZBS or β-Nicotinamide Mononucleotide (NMN) for 8 months. Micro-CT, Oil Red O staining, indirect calorimetry, RNA sequencing, bioinformatics analysis, and qRT-PCR were performed to investigate the regulatory effects of BZBS on energy metabolism, glycolipid metabolism, and inflammaging. Results: The results revealed that BZBS treatment effectively reversed the age-related decline in energy expenditure and enhanced overall metabolism, as indicated by the aging index of energy expenditure derived from energy metabolism parameters across various ages. Subsequent investigations showed that BZBS reduced age-induced visceral fat accumulation and hepatic lipid droplet aggregation. Transcriptomic analysis of perirenal fat and liver indicated that BZBS effectively enhanced lipid metabolism pathways, such as the PPAR signaling pathway, fatty acid oxidation, and cholesterol metabolism, and improved glycolysis and mitochondrial respiration. Additionally, there was a significant improvement in inhibiting the inflammation-related arachidonic acid-linoleic acid metabolism pathway and restraining the IL-17 and TNF inflammatory pathways activated via senescence associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Conclusions: BZBS has the potential to alleviate inflammation in metabolic organs of naturally aged mice and maintain metabolic homeostasis. This study presents novel clinical therapeutic approaches for the prevention and treatment of age-related metabolic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cooperative control of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) promises smoother traffic flow. In mixed traffic, where human-driven vehicles with unknown dynamics coexist, data-driven predictive control techniques allow for CAV safe and optimal control with measurable traffic data. However, the centralized control setting in most existing strategies limits their scalability for large-scale mixed traffic flow. To address this problem, this paper proposes a cooperative DeeP-LCC (Data-EnablEd Predictive Leading Cruise Control) formulation and its distributed implementation algorithm. In cooperative DeeP-LCC, the traffic system is naturally partitioned into multiple subsystems with one single CAV, which collects local trajectory data for subsystem behavior predictions based on the Willems' fundamental lemma. Meanwhile, the cross-subsystem interaction is formulated as a coupling constraint. Then, we employ the Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM) to design the distributed DeeP-LCC algorithm. This algorithm achieves both computation and communication efficiency, as well as trajectory data privacy, through parallel calculation. Our simulations on different traffic scales verify the real-time wave-dampening potential of distributed DeeP-LCC, which can reduce fuel consumption by over 31.84% in a large-scale traffic system of 100 vehicles with only 5%–20% CAVs. • Distributed data-driven predictive control. • Cooperative control of Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs). • Mitigating traffic waves in mixed traffic. • Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resistive switching memory (RRAM) is considered as one of the most promising devices for parallel computing solutions that may overcome the von Neumann bottleneck of today's electronic systems. However, the existing RRAM-based parallel computing architectures suffer from practical problems such as device variations and extra computing circuits. In this work, we propose a novel parallel computing architecture for pattern recognition by implementing k-nearest neighbor classification on metal-oxide RRAM crossbar arrays. Metal-oxide RRAM with gradual RESET behaviors is chosen as both the storage and computing components. The proposed architecture is tested by the MNIST database. High speed (~100 ns per example) and high recognition accuracy (97.05%) are obtained. The influence of several non-ideal device properties is also discussed, and it turns out that the proposed architecture shows great tolerance to device variations. This work paves a new way to achieve RRAM-based parallel computing hardware systems with high performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Photoelectrodes modified with nanocomposites of tin oxide and gold nanoparticles. • SnO 2 -AuNPs nanocomposites enhanced photoelectric conversion. • Successful photoelectrochemical detection of nitrite and superoxide radicals. The integration of plasmonic metal nanoparticles and semiconductors improves the photoelectric conversion efficiency. We describe here a simple method for preparing photoelectrodes modified with nanocomposites of tin oxide (SnO 2) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). This preparation process is more convenient, economical, and efficient than the previous methods. The nanocomposite of SnO 2 -AuNPs on indium tin oxide (ITO) conductive glass electrodes enhanced photoelectric conversion and increased conductivity. The electrodes prepared with SnO 2 -AuNPs nanocomposites were used as photoanodes in photoelectrochemical methods for the determination of nitrite (NO 2 −) and superoxide radical (O 2 −). The detection of superoxide radicals was achieved by stoichiometric conversion of superoxide radicals to nitrite, which overcomes a common problem of chemical instability of superoxide radicals. The photoelectrochemical method for the determination of NO 2 − had a detection limit of 0.1 nmol/L and a linear dynamic range from 10−9 to 10−5 mol/L. The method was successfully used to assess the photochemical generation of O 2 − by irradiating a photosensitizer, rose bengal (RB). The photoelectrochemical responses increased with the concentration of the photosensitizer and the time of photo irradiation (532 nm) as expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A core-shell Au@4-Mpy@Ag NPs is prepared as effective SERS tags. • A specific SERS assay for OGT determination is developed based on protease-protection strategy. • The LOD of OGT down to 0.1 nM is achieved with a wide linearity range. Protein glycosylation plays a key role in the process of life, and the related O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) has become a sweet new target for cancer diagnosis and therapy. Herein, based on protease-protection strategy combining with the well-designed surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) tags, a sensitive SERS assay was developed for specifically OGT activity determination. In the assay, a peptide containing both glycosylation and protease sites was designed. The two ends of the peptide are biotin and cysteine residues. Therefore, the SERS tags and the magnetic bead can be connected to the two ends of the peptide through Ag-S bond and affinity interaction, respectively. Peptide glycosylation occurs in the presence of OGT, which will protect the peptide from the next cleavage by proteinase K, and more SERS tags left in the surface of magnetic beads will contribute a high SERS signal. The SERS intensity was identified to be correlate with the activity of OGT during the measurement, and the minimum detection concentration of OGT down to 0.1 nmol/L was achieved with a wide linearity range from 10−10 to 10-7 mol/L. The inhibition assay and serum sample detection confirmed the feasibility of the SERS assay in practical application, which is essential for drug development and clinical diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present FoveaBox, an accurate, flexible, and completely anchor-free framework for object detection. While almost all state-of-the-art object detectors utilize predefined anchors to enumerate possible locations, scales and aspect ratios for the search of the objects, their performance and generalization ability are also limited to the design of anchors. Instead, FoveaBox directly learns the object existing possibility and the bounding box coordinates without anchor reference. This is achieved by: (a) predicting category-sensitive semantic maps for the object existing possibility, and (b) producing category-agnostic bounding box for each position that potentially contains an object. The scales of target boxes are naturally associated with feature pyramid representations. In FoveaBox, an instance is assigned to adjacent feature levels to make the model more accurate.We demonstrate its effectiveness on standard benchmarks and report extensive experimental analysis. Without bells and whistles, FoveaBox achieves state-of-the-art single model performance on the standard COCO and Pascal VOC object detection benchmark. More importantly, FoveaBox avoids all computation and hyper-parameters related to anchor boxes, which are often sensitive to the final detection performance. We believe the simple and effective approach will serve as a solid baseline and help ease future research for object detection. The code has been made publicly available at https://github.com/taokong/FoveaBox. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bazi Bushen (BZBS), a traditional Chinese medicine, has been proven effective in the treatment of age-related disease in mouse models. However, whether its therapeutic effects are due to antiaging mechanism has not yet been explored. In the present study, we investigated the antiaging effects of BZBS in naturally aging mice by using behavioral tests, liver DNA methylome sequencing, methylation age estimation, and frailty index assessment. The methylome analysis revealed a decrease of mCpG levels in the aged mouse liver. BZBS treatment tended to restore age-associated methylation decline and prune the methylation pattern toward that of young mice. More importantly, BZBS significantly rejuvenated methylation age of the aged mice, which was computed by an upgraded DNA methylation clock. These results were consistent with enhanced memory and muscular endurance, as well as decreased frailty score and liver pathological changes. KEGG analysis together with aging-related database screening identified methylation-targeted pathways upon BZBS treatment, including oxidative stress, DNA repair, MAPK signaling, and inflammation. Upregulation of key effectors and their downstream effects on elevating Sod2 expression and diminishing DNA damage were further investigated. Finally, in vitro experiments with senescent HUVECs proved a direct effect of BZBS extracts on the regulation of methylation enzymes during cellular aging. In summary, our work has revealed for the first time the antiaging effects of BZBS by slowing the methylation aging. These results suggest that BZBS might have great potential to extend healthspan and also explored the mechanism of BZBS action in the treatment of age-related diseases. [Display omitted] • BZBS prevents age-dependent alteration of DNA methylation changes. • BZBS targets SIRT3-FOXO1 pathway and ERCC2 via methylation regulations. • BZBS rejuvenates mice DNA methylation age and extends their health span. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work reports that the magnetically oriented porous hydrogel installed on the glove sensor is first time constructed as a wearable solidoid sensing platform for on-site chemical contamination evaluation. Such hydrogels with uniform porous distribution and highly tunable anisotropic MWCNT-Fe 3 O 4 strips act as the electrochemical cell and medium of analyte diffusion to enhance the permeability and effectively speed electrolyte ion diffusion. The MWCNT-Fe 3 O 4 strips doped in the three-dimensional rigid hydrogel exhibit a quick recovery from compressive strength within 2 min. The hydrogel could be easily and tightly assembled onto the wearable glove sensor by using a magnet, improving the stability and sensitivity of the sensing platform. The wearable glove sensor is successfully applied for rapid detection (< 5 min) of trace Cd2+ in tea, rice, and soil. [Display omitted] • Magnetically oriented hydrogel is prepared to realize wearable electrochemical solid sensing. • Magnetic porous hydrogel has excellent conductivity and mechanical performance. • The wearable sensing platform is used to monitor Cd2+ in tea, soil, and rice powder. • Swipe sampling method is introduced to pretreat the solid samples on-field. Developing wearable sensors to determine chemical contamination in solidoid is currently a great challenge. Hydrogels with polymeric networks have been employed as electrochemical cells and media to realize wearable solidoid sensing. However, it is still a hard task to enable hydrogel to simultaneously possess effective mass transfer, mechanical robustness as well as easy and tight adhesion to sensing electrodes. Routinely, a hydrogel with improved adhesion to the electrode surface by introducing additives may deteriorate the mass transfer capability. Increasing the porosity of hydrogel could enhance mass diffusion but sacrifices mechanical robustness. Herein, a composite hydrogel is achieved by embedding magnetic oriented MWCNT-Fe 3 O 4 strips in porous agarose (MMFPA), which exhibits enhanced permeability and speeding diffusion of electrolyte ions. Moreover, the orientation in order and strip-like MWCNT-Fe 3 O 4 three-dimensional composites improve the compressive strength of hydrogel, which could recover back within 2 min in water after removal of pressure. Such magnetic hydrogel is beneficial to be assembled to the wearable glove sensor by using magnets to achieve a stable and compact sensing platform. As the application example, the resultant wearable sensing protocol is successfully utilized to monitor Cd2+ trace residues in rice, tea, and soil with an affordable response as low as 0.112 mg/kg and rapid signal acquisition (<5 min). It paves an attractive, accessible, and effective way to on-site evaluate solidoid Cd2+ level for forewarning food safety and environmental risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]