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At fast-spreading centers, faults develop within the axial summit trough (AST; 0 to 250 m around the axis) primarily by diking-induced deformation originating from the axial magma lens (AML). The formation of the prominent abyssal-hill-bounding faults beyond the axial high (>2,000 m) is typically associated with the unbending of the lithosphere as it cools and spreads away from the AST. The presence of faults is rarely mapped between these two thermally distinct zones, where the lithosphere is still too hot for the faults to be linked with the process of thermal cooling and outside of the AST where the accretional diking process dominates the ridge axis. Here, we reveal a remarkable vertical alignment between the distinct morphological features of the magma body and the orientation of these faults, by comparison of 3-D seismic imagery and bathymetry data collected at the East Pacific Rise (EPR) 9°50'N. The spatial coincidence and asymmetric nucleation mode of the mapped faults represent the most direct evidence for magmatically induced faulting near the ridge axis, providing pathways for hydrothermalism and magma emplacement, helping to build the crust outside of the AST. The high-resolution seafloor and subsurface images also enable revised tectonic strain estimates, which shows that the near-axis tectonic component of seafloor spreading at the EPR is an order of magnitude smaller than previously thought with close to negligible contribution of lava buried faults to spreading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Real-World Evidence (RWE) Scientific Working Group (SWG) of the American Statistical Association Biopharmaceutical Section (ASA BIOP) has been reviewing statistical considerations for the generation of RWE to support regulatory decision-making. As part of the effort, the working group is addressing estimands in RWE studies. Constructing the right estimand--the target of estimation--which reflects the research question and the study objective, is one of the key components in formulating a clinical study. ICH E9(R1) describes statistical principles for constructing estimands in clinical trials with a focus on five attributes--population, treatment, endpoints, intercurrent events, and population-level summary. However, defining estimands for clinical studies using real-world data (RWD), that is, RWE studies, requires additional considerations due to, for example, heterogeneity of study population, complexity of treatment regimes, different types and patterns of intercurrent events, and complexities in choosing study endpoints. This article reviews the essential components of estimands and causal inference framework, discusses considerations in constructing estimands for RWE studies, highlights similarities and differences in traditional clinical trial and RWE study estimands, and provides a roadmap for choosing appropriate estimands for RWE studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (AARSs) play an indispensable role in the translation of mRNAs into proteins. It has become amply clear that AARSs also have non-canonical or non-translational, yet essential, functions in a myriad of cellular and developmental processes. In this mini-review we discuss the current understanding of the roles of threonyltRNA synthetase (TARS) beyond protein synthesis and the underlying mechanisms. The two proteins in eukaryotes — cytoplasmic TARS1 and mitochondrial TARS2 — exert their non-canonical functions in the regulation of gene expression, cell signaling, angiogenesis, inflammatory responses, and tumorigenesis. The TARS proteins utilize a range of biochemical mechanisms, including assembly of a translation initiation complex, unexpected protein–protein interactions that lead to activation or inhibition of intracellular signaling pathways, and cytokine-like signaling through cell surface receptors in inflammation and angiogenesis. It is likely that new functions and novel mechanisms will continue to emerge for these multi-talented proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the commercial freight industry, tire retreading decisions are often conservative due to limited knowledge of a tire's remaining service life. This practice leads to increased costs and material waste. This paper proposes a machine learning-based approach for estimating tire casing life and retreadability, focusing on usage data rather than wear information. This approach could extend the tire's lifespan and reduce landfill waste. Data integration from diverse tire casing measurement sources presents challenges, including imbalanced removal data. Our methodology addresses these challenges by using historical inspection, telematics, and finite element modeling (FEM) datasets. We introduce "Tire Casing Energy" as a comprehensive usage input and apply a Variance-Reduction Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique (VR-SMOTE) for data imbalance rectification. A random forest model is used to estimate the state of the tire casing and the casing removal probability, with Bayesian optimization applied for hyperparameter tuning, enhancing model accuracy. The proposed prediction framework is able to differentiate different truck fleets and tire locations based on their usage parameters. With the aid of this machine learning model, the importance and sensitivity of different tire usage parameters can be obtained, which is beneficial to maximize tire life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open biomass burning (OBB) significantly affects regional and global air quality, climate change, and human health. It is susceptible to fire types, including forests, shrublands, grasslands, peatlands, and croplands burning. Global high-resolution satellites can detect active fires, enabling a more accurate estimation of these emissions. In this study, we developed a global high-resolution (1×1 km) daily emission inventory associated with OBB emissions using the Chinese Fengyun-3D satellite's global fire spot monitoring data, satellite and observational biomass data, vegetation index-derived spatiotemporal variable combustion efficiencies, and land-type-based emission factors. The average annual OBB emissions for 2020-2022 were 2,586.88 Tg C, 8841.45 Tg CO2, 382.96 Tg CO, 15.83 Tg CH4, 18.42 Tg NOX, 4.07 Tg SO2, 18.68 Tg OC, 3.77 Tg BC, 5.24 Tg NH3, 15.85 Tg NO2, 42.46 Tg PM2.5 and 56.03 Tg PM10. Specifically, taking carbon emissions as an example, the average annual OBB for 2020-2022 were 72.71 (BONA), 165.7 (TENA), 34.1 (CEAM), 42.9 (NHSA), 520.5 (Southern Hemisphere South America; SHSA), 13 (EURO), 8.4 (MIDE), 394.3 (Northern Hemisphere Africa; NHAF), 847 (Southern Hemisphere Africa; SHAF), 167.4 (BOAS), 27.9 (CEAS), 197.3 (Southeast Asia; SEAS), 13.2 (EQAS), and 82.4 (AUST) Tg. SHAF was identified as the region with the largest emissions. Notably, savanna grassland accounted for the lion's share of total emissions, contributing to 46%, followed by woody savanna/shrubs at 33%. Moreover, notable seasonal variability characterizes the OBB carbon emissions, with marked increases observed in July and August. This surge in carbon emissions is chiefly attributed to fires in the savanna grasslands, woody savanna/shrubs, and tropical forests of SHAF, SHSA, and NHAF. Fires in savanna grasslands were predominant in the NHAF, contributing to 77% of emissions during January-April, whereas in the SEAS, woody savanna/shrubs (52%) and tropical forests (23%) were the primary sources. Our comprehensive high-resolution inventory of OBB emissions provides valuable insights for enhancing the accuracy of air quality modelling, atmospheric transport and biogeochemical cycle studies. The GEIOBB dataset can be downloaded at http://figshare.com with the following identifier DOI: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24793623 (Liu et al., 2023). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metabolic reprogramming plays a critical role in hepatocarcinogenesis. However, the mechanisms regulating metabolic reprogramming in primary liver cancer (PLC) are unknown. Differentially expressed miRNAs between PLC and normal tissues were identified using bioinformatic analysis. RT-qPCR was used to determine miR-10b-5p and SCL38A2 expression levels. IHC, WB, and TUNEL assays were used to assess the proliferation and apoptosis of the tissues. The proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis of PLC cells were determined using the CCK-8 assay, Transwell assay, and flow cytometry. The interaction between miR-10b-5p and SLC38A2 was determined using dual-luciferase reporter assay. A PLC xenograft model in BALB/c nude mice was established, and tumorigenicity and SLC38A2 expression were estimated. Finally, liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry (LC-MS) untargeted metabolomics was used to analyze the metabolic profiles of xenograft PLC tissues in nude mice. miR-10b-5p was a key molecule in the regulation of PLC. Compared with para-carcinoma tissues, miR-10b-5p expression was increased in tumor tissues. miR-10b-5p facilitated proliferation, migration, and invasion of PLC cells. Mechanistically, miR-10b-5p targeted SLC38A2 to promote PLC tumor growth. Additionally, miR-10b-5p altered the metabolic features of PLC in vivo. Overexpression of miR-10b-5p resulted in remarkably higher amounts of lumichrome, folic acid, octanoylcarnitine, and Beta-Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, but lower levels of 2-methylpropanal, glycyl-leucine, and 2-hydroxycaproic acid. miR-10b-5p facilitates the metabolic reprogramming of PLC by targeting SLC38A2, which ultimately boosts the proliferation, migration, and invasion of PLC cells. Therefore, miR-10b-5p and SLC38A2 are potential targets for PLC diagnosis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study determined fatty acid compositions of two cultivated Ganoderma. The canopy and stalk lipids of the Ganoderma were analyzed for fatty acid composition, β-carotene content and antioxidant activities. The results showed that Ganoderma samples contained 51 fatty acids. Their lipid extraction yields ranged between 0.45% and 1.09%. The β-carotene content of the red Ganoderma canopy extract was higher than its stalk extract. The canopy extract also had the highest DPPH hydroxyl radical scavenging activity. The data of the overall heat map showed that over 30 fatty acids were positively and highly correlated to the lipid in the black Ganoderma stalk. The main types of fatty acids in these Ganoderma samples were palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids. The concentration of linoleic acid in the red Ganoderma canopy was as high as 164.02 mg/g lipid. These results suggested that these Ganoderma lipids are lipid-based antioxidants and potential sources of dietary supplements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elevation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels is a general consequence of tumor cells' response to treatment and may cause tumor cell death. Mechanisms by which tumor cells clear fatal ROS, thereby rescuing redox balance and entering a chemoresistant state, remain unclear. Here, we show that cysteine sulfenylation by ROS confers on aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) the ability to dissociate from the heat shock protein 90 complex but to bind to the PPP1R3 family member PPP1R3C of the glycogen complex in drug-treated tumor cells, thus activating glycogen phosphorylase to initiate glycogenolysis and the subsequent pentose phosphate pathway, leading to NADPH production for ROS clearance and chemoresistance formation. We found that basic ROS levels were higher in chemoresistant cells than in chemosensitive cells, guaranteeing the rapid induction of AHR sulfenylation for the clearance of excess ROS. These findings reveal that AHR can act as an ROS sensor to mediate chemoresistance, thus providing a potential strategy to reverse chemoresistance in patients with cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the association of renal surface nodularity (RSN) with the increased adverse vascular event (AVE) risk in patients with arterial hypertension. Methods: This cross-sectional study included patients with arterial hypertension aged 18-60 years who underwent contrasted computed tomography (CT) of kidney from January 2012 to December 2020. The subjects were classified into AVE or not (non-AVE) matched with age (=5 years) and sex. Their CT images were analyzed using both qualitative (semiRSN) and quantitative RSN (qRSN) methods, respectively. Their clinical characteristics included age, sex, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure, hypertension course, diabetes history, hyperlipidemia, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Results: Compared with non-AVE group (n = 91), AVE (n = 91) was at lower age, higher SBP, and fewer rate of diabetes and hyperlipidemia history (all P < .01). Rate of positive semiRSN was higher in AVE than non-AVE (49.45% vs 14.29%, P < .001). qRSN was larger in AVE than non-AVE [1.03 (0.85, 1.33) vs 0.86 (0.75,1.03), P < .001]. The increased AVE was associated with semiRSN (odds ratio = 7.04, P < .001) and qRSN (odds ratio = 5.09, P = .003), respectively. For distinguishing AVE from non-AVE, the area under receiver operating characteristic was bigger in the models combining the clinical characteristics with either semiRSN or qRSN than that of semiRSN or qRSN alone (P =.01). Conclusion: Among the patients with arterial hypertension aged 18-60 years, CT imaging-based RSN was associated with increased AVE risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Studies across the globe generally reported increased mortality risks associated with particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5) exposure with large heterogeneity in the magnitude of reported associations and the shape of concentration-response functions (CRFs). We aimed to evaluate the impact of key study design factors (including confounders, applied exposure model, population age, and outcome definition) on PM2.5 effect estimates by harmonizing analyses on three previously published large studies in Canada [Mortality-Air Pollution Associations in Low Exposure Environments (MAPLE), 1991-2016], the United States (Medicare, 2000-2016), and Europe [Effects of Low-Level Air Pollution: A Study in Europe (ELAPSE), 2000-2016] as much as possible. METHODS: We harmonized the study populations to individuals 65+ years of age, applied the same satellite-derived PM2.5 exposure estimates, and selected the same sets of potential confounders and the same outcome. We evaluated whether differences in previously published effect estimates across cohorts were reduced after harmonization among these factors. Additional analyses were conducted to assess the influence of key design features on estimated risks, including adjusted covariates and exposure assessment method. A combined CRF was assessed with meta-analysis based on the extended shape-constrained health impact function (eSCHIF). RESULTS: More than 81 million participants were included, contributing 692 million person-years of follow-up. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for all-cause mortality associated with a 5-μg/m³ increase in PM2.5 were 1.039 (1.032, 1.046) in MAPLE, 1.025 (1.021, 1.029) in Medicare, and 1.041 (1.014, 1.069) in ELAPSE. Applying a harmonized analytical approach marginally reduced difference in the observed associations across the three studies. Magnitude of the association was affected by the adjusted covariates, exposure assessment methodology, age of the population, and marginally by outcome definition. Shape of the CRFs differed across cohorts but generally showed associations down to the lowest observed PM2.5 levels. A common CRF suggested a monotonically increased risk down to the lowest exposure level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A bottleneck in high-throughput nanomaterials discovery is the pace at which new materials can be structurally characterized. Although current machine learning (ML) methods show promise for the automated processing of electron diffraction patterns (DPs), they fail in high-throughput experiments where DPs are collected from crystals with random orientations. Inspired by the human decision-making process, a framework for automated crystal system classification from DPs with arbitrary orientations was developed. A convolutional neural network was trained using evidential deep learning, and the predictive uncertainties were quantified and leveraged to fuse multiview predictions. Using vector map representations of DPs, the framework achieves a testing accuracy of 0.94 in the examples considered, is robust to noise, and retains remarkable accuracy using experimental data. This work highlights the ability of ML to be used to accelerate experimental high-throughput materials data analytics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal state of mid-ocean ridges exerts a crucial modulation on seafloor spreading processes that shape ~2/3 of our planet's surface. Standard thermal models treat the ridge axis as a steady-state boundary layer between the hydrosphere and asthenosphere, whose thermal structure primarily reflects the local spreading rate. This framework explains the deepening of axial melt lenses (AMLs)--a proxy for the basaltic solidus isotherm--from ~1 to ~3 km from fast-to intermediate-spreading ridges but fails to account for shallow crustal AMLs documented at slow-ultraslow spreading ridges. Here, we show that these can be explained by a numerical model that decouples the potentially transient ridge magma supply from spreading rate, captures the essential physics of hydrothermal convection, and considers multiple modes of melt emplacement. Our simulations show that melt flux is a better thermal predictor than spreading rate. While multiple combinations of melt/dike emplacement modes, permeability structure, and temporal fluctuations of melt supply can explain shallow crustal AMLs at slow-ultraslow ridges, they all require elevated melt fluxes compared to most ridge sections of comparable spreading rates. This highlights the importance of along-axis melt focusing at slow-ultraslow ridges and sheds light on the natural variability of their thermal regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endometriosis is defined as a condition with endometrium-like tissues migrating outside of the pelvic cavity. However, the mechanism of endometriosis is still unclear. Lactate can be covalently modified to lysine residues of histones and other proteins, which is called lactylation. The results showed that the higher level of lactate and lactate dehydrogenase A enhanced the histone H3 lysine 18 lactylation (H3K18lac) in ectopic endometrial tissues and ectopic endometrial stromal cells than that in normal endometrial tissues and normal endometrial stromal cells. Lactate promoted cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in endometriosis. Mechanistically, lactate induced H3K18lac to promote the expression of high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) in endometriosis, and HMGB1 knockdown significantly reduced the cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of the lactate-treated cells through the phosphorylation of AKT. In conclusion, lactate could induce histone lactylation to promote endometriosis progression by upregulating the expression of HMGB1, which may provide a novel target for the prevention and treatment of endometriosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: White matter injury (WMI) in basal ganglia usually induces long-term disability post intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Kv1.3 is an ion channel expressed in microglia and induces neuroinflammation after ICH. Here, we investigated the functions and roles of Kv1.3 activation-induced inflammatory response in WMI and the Kv1.3 blockade effect on microglia polarization after ICH. Methods: Mice ICH model was constructed by autologous blood injection. The expression of Kv1.3 was measured using immunoblot, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and immunostaining assays. Then, the effect of administration of 5-(4-Phenoxybutoxy) psoralen (PAP-1), a selectively pharmacological Kv1.3 blocker, was investigated using open field test (OFT) and basso mouse score (BMS). RT-qPCR, immunoblot, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were taken to elucidate the expression of pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory factors around hematoma. PAP-1's function in regulating microglia polarization was investigated using immunoblot, RT-qPCR, and immunostaining assays. The downstream PAP-1 signaling pathway was determined by RT-qPCR and immunoblot. Results: Kv1.3 expression was increased in microglia around the hematoma significantly after ICH. PAP-1 markedly improved neurological outcomes and the WMI by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokine accumulation and upregulating anti-inflammatory factors. Mechanistically, PAP-1 reduces NF-κB p65 and p50 activation, thus facilitating microglia polarization into M2-like microglia, which exerts this beneficial effect. Conclusions: PAP-1 reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines accumulation and increased anti-inflammatory factors by facilitating M2-like microglia polarization via the NF-κB signaling pathway. Thus, the current study shows that the Kv1.3 blockade is capable of ameliorating WMI by facilitating M2-like phenotype microglia polarization after ICH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this letter, the authors develop a wide-angle Fresnel infrared lens for detecting temperature inside closed switchgear. Based on the structural characteristics of closed switchgear, a frame structure for the lens and a single-sided installation method were devised. A field test was conducted to simulate temperature diagnosis and monitoring. The results indicate that the lens described in this letter enables satisfactory observation of the internal temperature of closed high-voltage switchgear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PCIF1 can mediate the methylation of N6,2'-0-dimethyladenosine (m6Am) in mRNA. Yet, the detailed interplay between PCIF1 and the potential cofactors and its pathological significance remain elusive. Here, we demonstrated that PCIF1-mediated cap mRNA m6Am modification promoted head and neck squamous cell carcinoma progression both in vitro and in vivo. CTBP2 was identified as a cofactor of PCIF1 to catalyze m6Am deposition on mRNA. CLIP-Seq data demonstrated that CTBP2 bound to similar mRNAs as compared with PCIF1. We then used the m6Am-Seq method to profile the mRNA m6Am site at single-base resolution and found that mRNA of TET2, a well-known tumor suppressor, was a major target substrate of the PCIF1-CTBP2 complex. Mechanistically, knockout of CTBP2 reduced PCIF1 occupancy on TET2 mRNA, and the PCIF1-CTBP2 complex negatively regulated the translation of TET2 mRNA. Collectively, our study demonstrates the oncogenic function of the epitranscriptome regulator PCIF1-CTBP2 complex, highlighting the importance of the m6Am modification in tumor progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of N-doped porous carbon-supported CeO2 and ZrO2 nanoparticle catalysts were prepared by pyrolysis of the CeZr-NH2-MOF precursor. These catalysts were designated CeZr-NC-T, where T represents the pyrolysis temperature. The catalytic efficiency of CeZr-NC-T was assessed in the oxidative coupling of benzylamine to imine using oxygen as the sole oxidizing agent. Various techniques were utilized to analyze the crystal structure, specific surface area, relative content of Ce4+/Ce3+, and oxygen vacancies of the catalysts. The results indicated that CeZr-NC-1073 showed outstanding catalytic activity among the tested catalysts, with 97.1% conversion of 4-methoxybenzylamine and 100% selectivity towards the desired N-(4-methoxybenzylidene)-4-methoxybenzylamine at 1 atm oxygen pressure and 383 K for 8 h, using n-decane as the solvent. The superior catalytic properties of CeZr-NC-1073 were mainly attributed to the abundant oxygen vacancies and appropriate number of Ce3+ defect sites. Moreover, CeZr-NC-1073 demonstrated good catalytic stability and versatility, as it was not only reusable for up to eight cycles without noticeable reduction in catalytic activity, but also capable of efficiently converting benzylamine substrates with various functional groups. Additionally, the reaction constant ρ of Hammett's equation was determined to be -0.16, predicting the presence of a positively charged intermediate in the aerobic oxidative procedure. These findings provide valuable insights into the development of highly efficient and stable Ce-based heterogeneous catalysts for aerobic oxidative coupling reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing viable transition metal catalysts for phenol hydrogenation is challenging due to their inherent instability, which impedes the identification of true catalytically active species and their reusability. To overcome this issue, we employed a self-supporting strategy to prevent catalyst clusterization. This approach resulted in the formation of NHC-Rh coordination assemblies, which serve as robust and selective solid molecular catalysts for phenol hydrogenation to cyclohexanols in water under mild conditions. Remarkably, these solid catalysts exhibit exceptional stability, allowing for up to 9 consecutive reuse cycles without compromising their activity or selectivity. This advancement presents a promising and sustainable solution for the future production of valuable cyclohexanols in the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wound healing is a timely and orderly process comprised of coagulation, inflammation, proliferative, and remodeling. Any disruption in the physiological process will delay the healing process and result in chronic wounds. Wound cleansing is the standard management for acute wounds to provide an optimal environment for healing. Besides wound cleansers, topical antimicrobials are commonly used to reduce microbial load and prevent microbial infection. However, they are associated with adverse reactions and antibiotic resistance, resulting in delayed wound healing. To overcome the limitations of conventional wound treatment, herbal therapy as an alternative is implemented for wound management with antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Following the increased demands of herbal therapy in wound management, the innovative polyherbal formulation has gained popularity and has been extensively studied to promote better wound healing. The combined use of multiple herbs is comparatively cost-effective in providing synergistic effects with minimal side effects. This review provides insight into the role and mechanism of diverse medicinal plants with wound healing potential for acute wound management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] The excessive dosage of pesticides required for agronomic reality results in growing contamination of pesticide residues in environment, thus bringing high risks to crop production and human health. This study aims to unveil a novel mechanism for catabolism of two pesticides MTR and FSA facilitated by an uncharacterized Phase II reaction enzyme termed acetyltransferase-1 (ACE1) in rice and to make assessment of its potential for bioremediation to minimize the risks to crop production and food safety. We developed genetically improved cultivars overexpressing OsACE1 (OE) and knockout mutant lines by CRISPR-Cas9 technology to identify the MTR and FSA detoxic and metabolic functions and characterized their metabolites and conjugates by HPLC-LTQ-MS/MS. OsACE1 overexpression conferred rice resistance to toxicity of MTR/FSA compared to wild-type, manifested by improved plant elongation and biomass, attenuated cellular injury, and increased chlorophyll accumulation. The OE plants accumulated significantly less parent MTR/FSA and more degradative metabolites, and removed MTR/FSA from their growth medium by 1.38 and 1.61 folds over the wild-type. In contrast, knocking out OsACE1 led to compromised growth fitness and intensified toxic symptoms under MTR/FSA stress and accumulation of more toxic MTR and FSA in rice. The reduced metabolites of MTR and FSA detected in the Cas9 plants suggest the impaired capability of OsACE1 function. These results signified that OsACE1 expression is required for detoxifying the two poisoning chemicals in rice and plays a critical role in accelerating breakdown of the pesticides mainly through Phase II reaction mechanism pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A range of studies have shown that prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) exposure is associated with offspring autistic-like behaviors, however the potential pathways remain unexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the mediating role of parent-child interactions in early life in the association between PNMS exposure and preschoolers' autistic-like behaviors. Data from 65,928 child-parent dyads were obtained via a primary caregiver-reported questionnaire administered as part of the Longhua Child Cohort Study. To strengthen confidence in the reliability of the results, the analyses were initially conducted on a random selection of 70% of the total sample, and then validated on the remaining 30% of the sample. Analysis of covariance and multiple linear models were employed to estimate the associations between PNMS exposure, parent-child interactions in early life, and children's autistic-like behaviors. The results showed that PNMS exposure was positively associated with the presence of autistic-like behaviors at preschool age. The total indirect effect of the frequency of positive parent-child interactions in early life accounted for 9.69% or 8.99% of the variance of the association. Our findings indicate that parent-child interactions in early life might function as potential mediators of the association between PNMS and the increased risk of offspring autistic-like behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiologic agent for the global COVID-19 pandemic, triggers the formation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-derived replication organelles, including double-membrane vesicles (DMVs), in the host cell to support viral replication. Here, we clarify how SARS-CoV-2 hijacks host factors to construct the DMVs. We show that the ER morphogenic proteins reticulon-3 (RTN3) and RTN4 help drive DMV formation, enabling viral replication, which leads to productive infection. Different SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the delta variant, use the RTNdependent pathway to promote infection. Mechanistically, our results reveal that the membrane-embedded reticulon homology domain (RHD) of the RTNs is sufficient to functionally support viral replication and physically engage NSP3 and NSP4, two viral non-structural membrane proteins known to induce DMV formation. Our findings thus identify the ER morphogenic RTN3 and RTN4 membrane proteins as host factors that help promote the biogenesis of SARS-CoV-2-induced DMVs, which can act as viral replication platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective(s): Pathological micro angiogenesis is a key pathogenic factor in pulmonary diseases such as pulmonary hypertension and hepatopulmonary syndrome. More and more pieces of evidence show that excessive proliferation of pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells is the key event of pathological micro angiogenesis. The purpose of this research is to reveal the mechanism of miR26-5p regulating pulmonary microvascular hyperproliferation. Materials and Methods: Hepatopulmonary syndrome rat model was made by common bile duct ligation. HE and IHC staining were used for analysis of the pathology of the rat. CCK8, transwell, and wound healing assay were used to assess miR26-5p or target gene WNT5A functioned toward PMVECs. microRNA specific mimics and inhibitors were used for up/down-regulated miR26-5p expression in PMVECs. Recombinant lentivirus was used for overexpression/knockdown WNT5A expression in PMVECs. And the regulation relationship of miR26-5p and WNT5A was analyzed by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Results: qPCR showed that miR26-5p was significantly down-regulated in the course of HPS disease. Bioinformatics data showed that WNT5A was one of the potential key target genes of miR26-5p. Immunohistochemistry and qPCR analysis showed that WNT5A was largely expressed in pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells, in addition, this molecule was significantly up-regulated with the progression of the disease. Furthermore, dual luciferase reporter assay showed that miR26-5p could bind to WNT5A 3 'UTR region to inhibit WNT5A synthesis. Conclusion: The results suggested MiR26-5p negatively regulated PMVECs proliferation and migration by WNT5A expression. Overexpression of miR26-5p may be a potentially beneficial strategy for HPS therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Previous studies indicated that air pollution plausibly increases the risk of adverse outcomes in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) via proinflammatory mechanisms. However, there is scant epidemiological data and insufficient prospective evidence assessing associations between ambient air pollution and clinical outcomes of IBD. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate the associations between ambient air pollution and clinical outcomes among individuals with IBD. METHODS: Leveraging data from the UK Biobank, we included 4,708 individuals with IBD recruited in the period 2006-2010 in this study. A land use regression model was used to assess annual mean concentrations of ambient air pollutants nitrogen including oxides (NOx), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and particulate matter (PM) with aerodynamic diameter ≤10 μm (PM10) and PM with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5). Individuals with IBD were followed up for incident clinical outcomes of enterotomy, gastrointestinal cancer, and all-cause mortality, ascertained via death registry, inpatient, primary care, and cancer registry data. Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the magnitude of the associations. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 12.0 y, 265 enterotomy events, 124 incident gastrointestinal cancer, and 420 death events were documented among individuals with IBD. We found that each interquartile range (IQR) increase in exposure to PM2.5 was associated with increased risk of enterotomy (HR = 1.16; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.34, 푝 = 0.043), whereas an IQR increase in exposure to NOx (HR = 1.10; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.20, 푝 = 0.016), NO2 (HR = 1.16; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.29, 푝 = 0.010), PM10 (HR =1.15; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.30, 푝 = 0.015), and PM2.5(HR=1.14; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.28, 푝 = 0.019) was associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality among individuals with IBD. We did not observe any significant associations between air pollutants and gastrointestinal cancer in the primary analyses. Consistent results were observed in subgroup and sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Ambient pollution exposure was associated with an increased risk of enterotomy and all-cause mortality among individuals with IBD, highlighting the important role of environmental health in improving the prognosis of IBD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clarifying the reaction pathways at the solid–water interface and in bulk water solution is of great significance for the design of heterogeneous catalysts for selective oxidation of organic pollutants. However, achieving this goal is daunting because of the intricate interfacial reactions at the catalyst surface. Herein, we unravel the origin of the organic oxidation reactions with metal oxide catalysts, revealing that the radical-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) prevail in bulk water but not on the solid catalyst surfaces. We show that such differing reaction pathways widely exist in various chemical oxidation (e.g., high-valent Mn3+ and MnOX) and Fenton and Fenton-like catalytic oxidation (e.g., Fe2+ and FeOCl catalyzing H2O2, Co2+ and Co3O4 catalyzing persulfate) systems. Compared with the radical-based degradation and polymerization pathways of one-electron indirect AOP in homogeneous reactions, the heterogeneous catalysts provide unique surface properties to trigger surface-dependent coupling and polymerization pathways of a two-electron direct oxidative transfer process. These findings provide a fundamental understanding of catalytic organic oxidation processes at the solid–water interface, which could guide the design of heterogeneous nanocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To measure sales of antibiotics without a prescription in pharmacies in China in 2017 and 2021, before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and determine the factors associated with such sales. Methods We conducted cross-sectional surveys using the simulated patient method in retail pharmacies in 13 provinces in eastern, central and western China in 2017 and 2021. At the pharmacies, the simulated patients (trained medical students) reported that they had mild respiratory tract symptoms and asked for treatment, using a three-stage process: (i) request some treatment; (ii) request antibiotics; (iii) request specific antibiotics. We used multivariable logistic regression analysis to determine factors associated with sale of antibiotics without a prescription. Findings Of the pharmacies visited in 2017, 83.6% (925/1106) sold antibiotics without a prescription; this figure was 78.3% (853/1090) in 2021 (P-value: 0.002). After excluding pharmacies prohibited from selling antibiotics because of COVID-19, this difference was not significant (83.6% versus 80.9%; 853/1054; P-value: 0.11). Factors significantly associated with selling antibiotics without a prescription in both 2017 and 2019 were: location in central and western China compared with eastern China; being in a township or village compared with in a city; and presence of a counter where antibiotics were dispensed. Conclusion Although laws became stricter between 2017 and 2021, antibiotic sales without a prescription were still common in pharmacies across China. Existing regulations need to be more strictly enforced, and pharmacy staff and the public should be made more aware of the risks of antibiotic misuse and dangers of antimicrobial resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large part of research on membrane mufflers focuses on the sound insulation performance of the membrane, and there is less research on the sound absorption performance of the membrane. In most cases, membrane mufflers only have some narrow absorption peaks in the low frequency band. In this paper, a micro-perforated dielectric elastomer membrane sound absorber is introduced to broaden the sound absorption frequency band of the membrane in the low frequency band. Different initial thickness, perforation aperture, and perforation spacing of the dielectric elastomer membranes were designed and fabricated, and the effect of the variation of the parameters was investigated by testing the sound absorption performance of the structural specimens. It was found that increasing the initial thickness of the membrane, appropriately decreasing the perforation aperture, and appropriately controlling the perforation spacing could improve the sound absorption performance of the structure. And based on the perforated membrane, a ring electrode structure was further designed to realize the electrically adjustable sound absorption frequency of the membrane. After the membrane with the ring electrode structure was perforated in the central region, the sound absorption band of the membrane was broadened significantly, and the applied voltage could realize the electrically adjustable sound absorption performance of the structure in the low frequency band. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Whether the positive associations of smoking and alcohol consumption with gastrointestinal diseases are causal is uncertain. We conducted this Mendelian randomization (MR) to comprehensively examine associations of smoking and alcohol consumption with common gastrointestinal diseases. Methods: Genetic variants associated with smoking initiation and alcohol consumption at the genome-wide significance level were selected as instrumental variables. Genetic associations with 24 gastrointestinal diseases were obtained from the UK Biobank, FinnGen study, and other large consortia. Univariable and multivariable MR analyses were conducted to estimate the overall and independent MR associations after mutual adjustment for genetic liability to smoking and alcohol consumption. Results: Genetic predisposition to smoking initiation was associated with increased risk of 20 of 24 gastrointestinal diseases, including 7 upper gastrointestinal diseases (gastroesophageal reflux, esophageal cancer, gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer, acute gastritis, chronic gastritis, and gastric cancer), 4 lower gastrointestinal diseases (irritable bowel syndrome, diverticular disease, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis), 8 hepatobiliary and pancreatic diseases (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, alcoholic liver disease, cirrhosis, liver cancer, cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, and acute and chronic pancreatitis), and acute appendicitis. Fifteen out of 20 associations persisted after adjusting for genetically predicted alcohol consumption. Genetically predicted higher alcohol consumption was associated with increased risk of duodenal ulcer, alcoholic liver disease, cirrhosis, and chronic pancreatitis; however, the association for duodenal ulcer did not remain statistically significant after adjustment for genetic predisposition to smoking initiation. Conclusions: This study provides MR evidence supporting causal associations of smoking with a broad range of gastrointestinal diseases, whereas alcohol consumption was associated with only a few gastrointestinal diseases. Funding: The Natural Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of Zhejiang Province; National Natural Science Foundation of China; Key Project of Research and Development Plan of Hunan Province; the Swedish Heart Lung Foundation; the Swedish Research Council; the Swedish Cancer Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human papillomaviruses (HPV) are small DNA viruses associated with cervical cancer, warts, and other epithelial tumors. Structural studies have shown that the HPV capsid consists of 360 copies of the major capsid protein, L1, arranged as 72 pentamers in a T=7 icosahedral lattice, coassembling with substoichiometric amounts of the minor capsid protein, L2. However, the residues involved in the coassembly of L1 and L2 remain undefined due to the lack of structure information. Here, we investigated the solvent accessibility surfaces (SASs) of the central cavity residues of the HPV16 L1 pentamer in the crystal structure because those internal exposed residues might mediate the association with L2. Twenty residues in L1 protein were selected to be analyzed, with four residues in the lumen of the L1 pentamer identified as important: F256, R315, Q317, and T340. Mutations to these four residues reduced the PsV (pseudovirus) infection capacity in 293FT cells, and mutations to R315, Q317, and T340 substantially perturb L2 from coassembling into L1 capsid. Compared with wild-type (WT) PsVs, these mutant PsVs also have a reduced ability to become internalized into host cells. Finally, we identified a stretch of negatively charged residues on L2 (amino acids [aa] 337 to 340 [EEIE]), mutations to which completely abrogate L2 assembly into L1 capsid and subsequently impair the endocytosis and infectivity of HPV16 PsVs. These findings shed light on the elusive coassembly between HPV L1 and L2. IMPORTANCE Over 200 types of HPV have been isolated, with several high-risk types correlated with the occurrence of cervical cancer. The HPV major capsid protein, L1, assembles into a T=7 icosahedral viral shell, and associates with the minor capsid protein, L2, which plays a critical role in the HPV life cycle. Despite the important role of the L2 protein, its structure and coassembly with L1 remain elusive. In this study, we analyzed the amino acid residues at the proposed interface between L1 and L2. Certain mutations at these sites decreased the amount of L2 protein assembled into the capsid, which, in turn, led to a decrease in viral infectivity. Knowledge about these residues and the coassembly of L1 and L2 could help to expand our understanding of HPV biology and aid in the development of countermeasures against a wide range of HPV types by targeting the L2 protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global climate model (GCM) outputs from Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) were widely used to investigate climate change impacts last 10 years. It is important to know whether Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) is more reliable than CMIP5. Number of studies compared GCMs from two CMIPs in simulating climate variables, but they are not in the field of hydrology for large quantities of watersheds. The objective of this study is to compare CMIP5 and CMIP6 climate model projections in projecting hydrological changes between future (2071-2100) and historical (1976-2005) periods and inter-model variability of hydrological impacts for the future period over 343 catchments in China's mainland. The results show that the GCMs in CMIP6 show more increase in daily mean temperature and mean annual precipitation. However, GCMs in CMIP6 and CMIP5 show similar increases in mean and peak streamflow. Moreover, GCMs in CMIP6 show less inter-model variability for streamflow in southern and northeastern China, but more in central China, which is consistent to that for precipitation after bias correction. Overall, this comparison provides the consistency of future change and uncertainty in predicted streamflow with climate simulations, which bring confidence for hydrological impact studies using CMIP6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting from an interesting coincidence between the bit threads and SS (surface/state) correspondence, both of which are closely related to the holographic RT formula, we introduce a property of bit threads that has not been explicitly proposed before, which can be referred to as thread/state correspondence (see [50] for a brief pre-release version). Using this thread/state correspondence, we can construct the explicit expressions for the SS states corresponding to a set of bulk extremal surfaces in the SS correspondence, and nicely characterize their entanglement structure. Based on this understanding, we use the locking bit thread configurations to construct a holographic qubit threads model as a new toy model of the holographic principle, and show that it is closely related to the holographic tensor networks, the kinematic space, and the connectivity of spacetime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild fires exerts strong influences on the environment, ecology, economy and public security. However, the existing hourly JMA-Himawari fire product presents large uncertainties and not suitable for reliable real-time fire monitoring in China. To fill this gap, we proposed an adaptive hourly NSMC-Himawari fire product for China based on the original Himawari source by employing a dynamical threshold for fire-extraction and a database of ground thermal sources. According to the visually-extracted reference and consistence check, we found NSMC-Himawari fire product effectively removed a majority of false fire alarms included in the JMA-Himawari fire product. Based on a rare field-collected ground reference dataset, we evaluated the reliability of JMA-Himawari and NSMC-Himawari fire product across China. The overall accuracy of JMA-Himawari fire product was 54 % and 59 % (not considering the omission errors) respectively. As a comparison, by identifying more real fire pixels and avoiding a majority of false fire alarms, the overall accuracy of NSMCHimawari fire product was 80 % and 84 % (not considering the omission errors) respectively, making it an ideal source for improved real-time fire monitoring across China. This research also provides useful reference for employing local dataset of underlying surfaces and thermal sources to enhance the accuracy of global fire products in specific regions. NSMCHimawari fire product can be downloaded at http://figshare.com (last access: 14 November 2022) with the identifier DOI: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.21550248 (Chen et al., 2022). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to revise the problem of inferior hand-feeling of cashmere textile anti-filling finished with “addition” or “subtraction-addition” technology and indicate the effects of graphene distributed state in the surface on antistatic properties of cashmere fibers, A couple of flexible hydrophilic cationic polyurethanes used as a dispersion medium for graphene purposefully are designed and prepared. In addition, the state of polymer coating and graphene on the fiber is effectively controlled by foam micro-coating technology. The admirable pilling resistance, static resistance, and hand-feeling of cashmere textile attributed to two-layer polyurethane membranes realized through “bottom coating (BC)” and “surface coating (SC)” are definite and reliable. The results show that the cashmere textile obtained 1.0% (o.m.f. on mass of fabric) weight gain rate (WGR) under the foam bottom coating process, correspondingly, obtained 3–4% (o.m.f.) weight gain rate (WGR) under traditional dipping process, the pilling resistance grade of cashmere textile is improved to Grade 4–5 from Grade 1–2. The semi-embed state of graphene in the “surface coating” resin film on cashmere surface results in the decrease of static voltage half-life from 180 s to about 2 s. Clearly, the foam microcoating technology scheme of “BC+ SC@graphene” has achieved good expected results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: With the update of equipment, the hospital base of this study began to adopt craniospinal irradiation (CSI) intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in May 2018 to replace the traditional CSI conventional radiotherapy (CRT) technology. The purpose of this study was designed to compare the differences in acute hematological adverse reactions induced by CSI-IMRT and CSI-CRT. METHODS: The clinical data and hematological data of 102 patients with central nervous system malignant tumors who underwent CSI treatment at the 900th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force of PLA from January 2008 to August 2022 were analyzed retrospectively. The patients included 63 men and 39 women, aged 3 to 56 years old. On the basis of the radiotherapy technique used, the patients were divided into the CSI-IMRT group (38 cases) and CSI-CRT group (64 cases). Acute hematological adverse reactions during radiotherapy were compared between the two groups according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the measurement data, and the χ² test was used to compare the count data. RESULTS: No significant difference was found between the CSI-IMRT group and the CSI-CRT group in terms of sex, histopathological type, tumor location, spinal cord invasion, surgery, and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group score (χ² = 0.004 to 6.213; all P > .05). No signifi- cant difference was found in onset time of myelosuppression (11 days (interquartile range [IQR]: 7 to 14; minimum [min] to maximum [max]: 0 to 26) vs 8 days (IQR: 7 to 15; min to max: 3 to 29)) and nadir time of myelosuppression (21 days (IQR: 18 to 25; min to max: 12 to 35) vs 22 days (IQR: 15 to 25; min to max: 12 to 36)) between the CSI-IMRT group and the CSI-CRT group (Z = -0.856, -0.248; all P > .05). There were no significant differences in the incidence of decreased white blood cell counts (WBC), platelet counts, and hemoglobin concentration between the CSI-IMRT group and the CSI-CRT group, 86.8% (33/38) vs 78.1% (50/64), 57.9% (22/38) vs 42.2% (27/64), 57.9% (22/38) vs 53.1% (34/64); χ² = 1.195, 2.357, 0.219; all P > .05. There were no significant differences in the incidence of decreased WBC, platelet counts, and hemoglobin concentration (severe myelosuppression) in grades III and IV, 23.7% (9/38) vs 21.9% (14/64), 7.9% (3/38) vs 3.1% (2/64), 5.3% (2/38) vs 9.4% (6/64); χ² = 0.045, 1.164, 0.558; all P > .05. CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant difference in the incidence of myelosuppression and severe myelosuppression (grade III or above) induced by CSI-IMRT and CSI-CRT. CSI-IMRT is worthy of further clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we show the local well-posedness of the generalized Boussinesq equation (gBQ) in L2(d),H1(d) and obtain the global well-posedness, fnite-time blowup and small initial data scattering of gBQ in energy space H1(d). Moreover, we obtain the large radial initial data scattering of the defocusing case for d x 3 by using the method of Dodson-Murphy [Proc. Amer. Math. Soc., 145 (2017), pp. 4859-4867]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crystal structure of the cubic double-perovskite Sr2Cr0.84Ni0.09Os1.07O6, grown at high pressure, was solved using intensity data measured at 113 K. The Os site was modelled with a partial Ni occupancy, and the Cr site was modelled with both Os and Ni partial occupancy. The refined structure shows that this cubic form is stable at 113 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the effect of Gegen Yinlian decoction (GYD), made from lobed kudzuvine root, baicalensis, huanglian and liquorice, and metformin on liver metabolism dysfunction in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) rats. Methods: Wistar rats were treated with high-fat diet and a single intraperitoneal streptozotocin (STZ) injection to establish T2DM model. Thereafter, the T2DM-rats were treated with GYD and metformin (GYD/metformin). Serum triglyceride (TG), TC, LDL, and HDL levels, as well as glucose and insulin tolerance of the rats were evaluated. Furthermore, the effects of GYD/metformin treatment on the expressions of the related genes were determined by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunoblot assay. Results: After GYD-metformin treatment, the metabolic indicators in T2DM rats significantly improved (p < 0.05). However, there was decrease in t liver miR-1955p expressions. Silencing miR-195-5p improved glucose consumption and triglyceride levels of palmitate (PA)-induced pathological state in ALM12 cells (p < 0.05). Furthermore, miR-195-5p targeted insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1). Suppression of IRS1 partly annulled the impact of miR-195-5p silencing on ALM12 cell model. Moreover, IRS1 downregulation significantly mitigated the impact of the silencing on PI3K/AKT pathway activity (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Combination of GYD with metformin ameliorated dysfunctional liver metabolism via control of miR-195-5p/IRS1/PI3K/AKT axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of combined Gegen Qinlian decoction/metformin in the treatment of diabetes mellitus (DM), and its influence on serum C peptide and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbAlc). Methods: One hundred and eighty-six DM patients who received treatment in Tangshan Gongren Hospital, Tangshan City, China from July 2018 to November 2019 were randomly assigned to group X (n = 93) and group Y (n = 93). Group Y was given metformin, while X received a combination of Gegen Qinlian decoction and metformin. Total effectiveness, incidence of adverse reactions, blood glucose, TCM syndrome scores, as well as serum C peptide and HbAlc were determined and compared between the two groups. Results: Compared with group Y, group X had significantly higher treatment effectiveness (p < 0.05), lower incidence of adverse reactions (p < 0.05), significantly lower levels of blood glucose and TCM syndrome score after treatment (p < 0.001), but significantly higher serum C-peptide levels (p < 0.001) and lower levels of HbAlc. Conclusion: the combination of Gegen Qinlian decoction and metformin produces a good anti-diabetic efficacy, with a lower incidence of adverse reactions in patients. Therefore, the combined therapy has potentials for application in clinical practice, but further clinical trials are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of the concentration and distribution of the Ta solute in a solid solution in the shock response and spall failure of a bulk nanocrystalline Cu (nc-Cu) system is investigated using large scale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The nanocrystalline Cu/Ta (nc-Cu/Ta) microstructures comprise a 16 nm grain size Cu matrix with distributions of 3.0%, 6.3%, and 10.0% Ta atoms either along the grain boundary or randomly in the Cu matrix. The shock response is investigated by identifying the modifications in the dynamic evolution of defect structures (dislocation nucleation and interactions), as well as the nucleation and evolution of voids. The MD simulations reveal the complex role of Ta in altering the spall behavior of the nc-Cu system. The presence of Ta is observed to improve the spall strengths of the nc-Cu system, and the strengthening behavior is achieved by limiting the capability to nucleate dislocations during shock compression and under tensile pressures. The highest values for spall strength are observed for a random distribution of Ta at a concentration of 6.3% Ta. While the increase in strength for a 16 nm grain sized nc-Cu system is reported to be~8%, the role of the Ta solute is observed to be more pronounced at a larger grain size of 30 nm with a~15% increase in the spall strength for randomly distributed Ta with a concentration of 6.3%. The links between the concentration and the distribution of Ta in the solid solution and the evolution of microstructures under shock loading conditions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The precipitation oxygen isotopic composition is a useful environmental tracer for climatic and hydrological studies. However, the observed precipitation oxygen is limited at both temporal and spatial scales. Isotope-equipped general circulation models (iGCMs) can compensate for the temporal and spatial discontinuity of observation networks, but they suffer from coarse spatial resolutions and systematic biases. The objective of this study is to build a high-resolution precipitation oxygen isoscape in China for a period of 148 years by integrating observed and iGCMs-simulated precipitation oxygen isotope composition (δ18Op) using data fusion and bias correction methods. The temporal and spatial resolutions are month and 50-60 km for the isoscape, respectively. Prior to building the oxygen isoscape, the performance of two bias correction methods (BCMs) and three data fusion methods (DFMs) is compared after post-processing of eight iGCM simulations. Results show that the outputs of the Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) fusion method exhibit the strongest correlation with observations with correlation coefficient mostly larger than 0.8, and the smallest bias with root mean square error mostly smaller than 2 ‰. The other two DFMs also perform slightly better than the two BCMs, which show similar performance. Thus, precipitation oxygen isoscape is generated by using the CNN fusion method for the 1969-2007 period in which all iGCMs have output and by using the bias correction methods for the remaining years. Based on the precipitation oxygen isoscape, the spatiotemporal patterns of δ18Op across China are investigated. The generated isoscape shows similar spatial and temporal distribution characteristics to observations. In general, the distribution pattern of δ18Op is consistent with the temperature effect in northern China, and with the precipitation amount effect in southern China, and be more specific in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China. The δ18Op time series mirrors a fluctuating upward trend of the temperature or precipitation in most regions of China. The temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of the generated isoscape are consistent with the characteristics of atmospheric circulation and climate change, indicating successful assimilation and extension of the observed precipitation oxygen isotopes in time and space. Overall, the built isoscape is reliable and useful for providing strong support for tracking atmospheric and hydrological processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous cropping soil in the facility cultivation area causes degradation of soil properties and activation of soil-borne pathogens. To investigate the effects of conditioners (biochar and vinegar residue) on the physico-chemical properties, enzyme activities, microorganisms of acidified and salinized soils, and their effects on the growth, photosynthesis, yield, and quality of lettuce, we performed the current study. The results showed that conditioners treatments increased the pH value of acidified and salinized soils, whereas significantly reduced the EC value. Moreover, the application of conditioners enhanced the activities of catalase, sucrase, urease and phosphatase, and the number of microorganisms in the acidified and salinized soils to an extent. The conditioners also increased plant height, fresh and dry weight of lettuce. Compared with acidified and salinized soils alone, T2∼T9 treatments remarkably increased the root vitality by 49.01%, 76.68%, 51.38%, 145.06%, 110.67%, 77.87%, 30.43% and 52.96%, respectively. In addition, the net photosynthetic rate (Pn), vitamin C content, soluble sugar content and yield of lettuce treated with T5 (20 g biochar and 20 g vinegar residue) increased by 119.61%, 82.32%, 49.89%, and 64.82%, respectively, but decreased the nitrate content by 26.62%. These results indicated that the conditioners improved the physical and chemical properties of acidified-salinized soils, and increased the growth, yield, and quality of lettuce. Among the treatments, the best improvement effect was observed in T5 treatment that biochar and vinegar residue were mixed at the ratio of 1: 1 (w/w). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quantitative prediction for a coal burst is challenging since the coal burst mechanism is extremely complex with a verity of influencing factors involved. This study proposes a data-driven strategy to dynamically determine the coal burst hazardous zones in a deep coal mine based on quantitative predictions for microseismic events. A deep learning model, MSNet, comprising a convolutional module, a recurrent module, a skip-recurrent module, and an autoregressive module is built to predict the time, location, and energy for imminent microseismic events. More than ten thousand microseismic events from a workface were collected to form the database for the MSNet model training and testing. The results indicated that the MSNet can predict the event location accurately but that it predicts event timing less accurately. The MSNet demonstrated the worst prediction accuracy for event energy. Furthermore, this study analyzed the possible causes of the model's prediction errors and provided ways for enhancing the model's performance. Finally, a coal burst intelligent pre-warning platform was developed, which has been successfully used in coal mines at present. This study realized the quantitative forecast for coal burst hazardous areas on a preliminary basis while laying a foundation for coal burst timing risk prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five decades ago, Inglehart for the first time described and explained an unprecedented transformation of political cultures in advanced industrial societies, which he called the "silent revolution." It was characterized by the emergence in those countries of postmaterialist values as the result of a sustained period of economic growth, and the profound impact of those values on people's political attitudes and behavior. As China has experienced extraordinary economic growth in the past several decades, has such a "silent revolution" happened there? The answer to this question has been far from complete or clear. Using three longitudinal, cross-sectional national surveys, we find that while the current level of postmaterialist values in China remains relatively low, such values have flourished among younger people, and those values do shape political attitudes and behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parameter regionalization of hydrological models is one of the most commonly used methods for hydrological prediction over ungauged catchments. Although there were many regional studies, there is no clear conclusion on the best-performing regionalization method for global hydrological modelling. The objective of this study is to determine an appropriate global-scale regionalization scheme (GSRS) for global hydrological modelling. To this end, the performance of five regionalization methods with two different average options, two weighting approaches, and seven efficiency thresholds (i.e. Kling-Gupta efficiency (KGE) values to measure hydrological model performances) was compared over thousands of catchments based on four conceptual hydrological models. Results of nine global models from the Global Earth Observation for Integrated Water Resource Assessment (EartH2Observe) project were selected to validate the accuracy of GSRS in estimating global runoff. The results show that: (1) Spatial proximity method with the Inverse Distance Weighting method and the output average option offers the best regionalization result when using the KGE-0.5 as an efficiency threshold for all four hydrological models, (2) the regionalization-based global hydrological simulation schemes (RGHSs), i.e. the proposed GSRS combining with four hydrological models, consistently performs better than the nine global models from EartH2Observe project in the estimation of runoff for most catchments, with varying degrees of improvement in the median, upper and lower quartiles, and whiskers of each performance metric, and (3) the global longterm annual water resources estimated by RGHSs range between 42,592 and 46,810 km³/yr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid system is a dynamic system with mode transition, and the degradation behavior of its components is varied with different operating modes. However, the recent prognosis methodologies treat the degradation of different operating modes as the same and ignore their differences or even do not consider degradation in idle mode. These methods have a significant error on remaining useful life (RUL) prediction of aircraft flap control system, which is a typical hybrid system and also vital for flight safety. In response to this problem, this paper proposes a method based on bond graph, which integrates the mode transition information into global analytical redundancy relations. Here, the mode-dependent fault signature matrix is constructed and different degradation models are identified. Finally, simulation experiments are done, and the RUL prediction value of the proposed method is closer to the preset value than that of the method without considering degradation of the idle mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the prioritization of glycogenesis over lipogenesis in hepatocytes for glucose storage, revealing that uridine diphosphate glucose (UDPG), an intermediate metabolite of glycogenesis, inhibits lipogenesis by binding to site-1 protease (S1P) in the Golgi apparatus. It study demonstrates that this metabolic regulation, involving UDPG-mediated inhibition of SREBP cleavage.

Background: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a potentially life-threatening vascular abnormality, that, if ruptured, is almost universally fatal without repair, and is associated with up to 50% mortality even if repaired in hospital. To date, there is no drug therapy that has clinically proven benefit to reduce or prevent expansion of AAA. The aim of this study was to investigate whether Daxx could affect AAA through inhibiting the PI3K/AKT/ID2 signaling pathway mediated by transforming growth factor β-1 (TGFβ1). Methods: The AAA model was constructed by injecting angiotensinⅡ(Ang-Ⅱ) into rats, and the Daxx lentivirus vector was constructed. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was used to detect the wall thickness of the abdominal aorta in rats. The gene and protein expressions in abdominal aortic tissues were detected utilizing western blot, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Finally, the concentration of TGF-β1 in abdominal aortic tissue was determined by ELISA. Results: The abdominal aortic wall thickness was decreased in the Daxx expression group (by HE staining), and Daxx overexpression markedly reduced the protein expression levels of MMP2 and MMP9. Proteins related to the PI3K/AKT/ID2 signaling pathway were highly enhanced in the aneurysm wall of rats, but were reduced following Daxx addition. Moreover, Daxx reduced the damage to elastin (by IHC), and the expression levels of a-SMA and SM22a were up-regulated by Daxx (by qRT-PCR). The concentration of TGF-β1 was correlated with the activation of the PI3K/AKT/ID2 signaling pathway (by ELISA), whereas AKT overexpression weakened the inhibitory effect of Daxx. Conclusion: Daxx ameliorated several mechanisms that contributed to expansion of AAA suppressing the tissue concentration of TGF-β1, thereby inhibiting the activation of the PI3K/AKT/ID2 signaling pathway. This evidence might form the basis to develop a therapeutic target for AAA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we study the following degenerated Schrödinger equations: {-Δγu+λV(x)u= f(x,u)u∈Eλ, in RN, where λ>0 is a parameter, Δγ is a degenerate elliptic operator, the potential V(x) has a potential well with bottom and the nonlinearity f(x,u) is either super-linear or sub-linear at infinity in u. The existence of ground state solution be obtained by using the variational methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we construct toy models of the black hole and the white hole by setting proper boundaries in the Minkowski spacetime, according to the modern definition. We calculate the thermal effect of the black hole with the tunneling mechanism. We consider the role of boundary conditions at the singularity and on the horizon. In addition, we show that the white hole possesses a thermal absorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]