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Mobile learning allows for an interactive way of learning through devices like smartphones. However, current methods usually rely on pre-set situations and struggle to recognize new contexts when they come up during testing. To solve this, we suggest the Open-set Learning Context Recognition Model (OLCRM). This model uses data extracted from smartphone sensors to identify whether a learning context is known or unknown. It also uses a Dual Discriminator Generative Adversarial Network (DDGAN) to create high-quality fake examples, which helps improve the accuracy of recognizing contexts. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of OLCRM in open-set learning context recognition problems.

Abstract Background the salutogenic theory is essential to explain an individual’s ability to maintain health during the perinatal period. While previous studies mainly focused on the perspectives from a family-level orientation and a global orientation, the purpose of the present study was to develop and validate a scale, the childbearing sense of coherence scale (CSOC-scale) from the individual’s perceptions of the stresses, resources, and meaningfulness of childbearing. Methods A total of 3 separate studies contributed to the development of the CSOC-scale between July 2022 and February 2023. In study 1, the initial item pool based on the conceptual framework of the childbearing sense of coherence and the salutogenic theory was developed. Delphi expert consultation was conducted to revise and improve items. Studies 2 and 3 were cross-sectional studies. In study 2, item analysis and explore factor analysis (EFA) (N = 351 for women, N = 256 for men) were used to screen items. In study 3, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and reliability analysis (N = 366 for women, N = 308 for men) were used to test the fit indices and reliability of the final scale. Results final analysis suggested the CSOC-scale includes three factors, consisting of 13 items. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated good model fit (χ 2 = 157.448, df = 62, χ 2 / df = 2.539, RMSEA = 0.065, CFI = 0.974, TLI = 0.968, SRMR = 0.029 for women; χ 2 = 181.363, df = 62, χ 2 / df = 2.925, RMSEA = 0.079, CFI = 0.968, TLI = 0.960, SRMR = 0.033 for men) and high factor loadings (from 0.751 to 0.929 for women; from 0.746 to 0.947 for men). Internal consistency (Cronbach’s α ranging from 0.895 to 0.933 for women and 0.881 to 0.945 for men in three dimensions; Cronbach’s α was 0.919 for women and 0.821 for men in the entire instrument) and split-half reliability (Spearman-Brown coefficients ranging from 0.876 to 0.921 for women and 0.841 to 0.937 for men in three dimensions; Spearman-Brown coefficient was 0.744 for women and 0.785 for men in the entire instrument) were excellent. Conclusions the CSOC-scale has robust psychometric properties. It is reliable and valid in evaluating the childbearing sense of coherence in women and men during pregnancy. Utilisation of this scale can help healthcare professionals understand the health maintenance competencies of couples during the transition of parenthood and provide health promotion services from a salutogenic perspective.

IntroductionThe systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA) consolidate all relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) related to initial immunotherapy treatments for advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Our goal is to thoroughly assess the effectiveness and safety of various immunotherapy methods, focusing on overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) among patients with advanced ESCC positive for PD-L1.MethodsWe conducted a systematic search of the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases, covering all records from their inception until January 22, 2024. The inclusion criteria targeted patients with advanced ESCC undergoing first-line immunotherapy or chemotherapy, limiting the study selection to randomized controlled trials (RCTs) exclusively. The study upholds the values of openness, originality, and dependability, as evidenced by its enrollment in the Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42024504992).ResultsOur analysis encompasses 7 RCTs, totaling 4688 patients, and evaluates 8 distinct immunotherapy combinations. In advanced ESCC patients irrespective of PD-L1 expression, both sintilimab-chemotherapy and toripalimab-chemotherapy regimens demonstrated comparable OS benefits (HR=0.92, 95% CI: 0.64-1.33). The most pronounced PFS advantages were seen with sintilimab-chemotherapy and camrelizumab-chemotherapy as compared to standard chemotherapy (HR=0.56, 95% CI: 0.46-0.58). Notably, camrelizumab-chemotherapy (HR=0.83, 95% CI: 0.59-1.16) and nivolumab-ipilimumab (HR=0.84, 95% CI: 0.60-1.17) demonstrated significant safety profiles over chemotherapy alone. Subgroup analysis based on PD-L1 expression revealed nivolumab-chemotherapy to yield the highest OS benefit (HR=0.54, 95% CI: 0.37-0.79) in ESCC patients with PD-L1 expression ≥1%. Furthermore, camrelizumab-chemotherapy (HR=0.51, 95% CI: 0.39-0.67) exhibited superior PFS benefits. Among patients with PD-L1 expression ≥10%, camrelizumab-chemotherapy (HR=0.52, 95% CI: 0.35-0.78) emerged as the most efficacious in improving OS, while serplulimab-chemotherapy (HR=0.48, 95% CI: 0.34-0.68) was associated with the longest PFS benefit.ConclusionThe integration of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) with chemotherapy appears to significantly enhance survival outcomes in patients with advanced ESCC compared to chemotherapy alone. Sintilimab-chemotherapy is potentially the optimal regimen for patients without PD-L1 expression. In contrast, nivolumab-chemotherapy and camrelizumab-chemotherapy are likely to offer the best OS and PFS benefits, respectively, in patients with PD-L1 expression ≥1%. Among those with PD-L1 expression ≥10%, camrelizumab-chemotherapy is projected to provide the greatest OS advantage, whereas serplulimab-chemotherapy is anticipated to offer the most prolonged PFS benefit. Since most of the patients in this study originated from Asia, the above findings are more applicable to the Asian population.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42024504992.

The widespread utilization of plastic products ineluctably leads to the ubiquity of nanoplastics (NPs), causing potential risks for aquatic environments. Interactions of NPs with mineral surfaces may affect NPs transport, fate and ecotoxicity. This study aims to investigate systematically the deposition and aggregation behaviors of carboxylated polystyrene nanoplastics (COOH-PSNPs) by four types of clay minerals (illite, kaolinite, Na-montmorillonite, and Ca-montmorillonite) under various solution chemistry conditions (pH, temperature, ionic strength and type). Results demonstrate that the deposition process was dominated by electrostatic interactions. Divalent cations (i.e., Ca2+, Mg2+, Cd2+, or Pb2+) were more efficient for screening surface negative charges and compressing the electrical double layer (EDL). Hence, there were significant increases in deposition rates of COOH-PSNPs with clay minerals in suspension containing divalent cations, whereas only slight increases in deposition rates of COOH-PSNPs were observed in monovalent cations (Na+, K+). Negligible deposition occurred in the presence of anions (F−, Cl−, NO3−, CO32−, SO42−, or PO43−). Divalent Ca2+ could incrementally facilitate the deposition of COOH-PSNPs through Ca2+-assisted bridging with increasing CaCl2 concentrations (0–100 mM). The weakened deposition of COOH-PSNPs with increasing pH (2.0–10.0) was primarily attributed to the reduce in positive charge density at the edges of clay minerals. In suspensions containing 2 mM CaCl2, increased Na+ ionic strength (0–100 mM) and temperature (15–55 ◦C) also favored the deposition of COOH-PSNPs. The ability of COOH-PSNPs deposited by four types of clay minerals followed the sequence of kaolinite > Na-montmorillonite > Ca-montmorillonite > illite, which was related to their structural and surface charge properties. This study revealed the deposition behaviors and mechanisms between NPs and clay minerals under environmentally representative conditions, which provided novel insights into the transport and fate of NPs in natural aquatic environments.

Following a fire incident in a coal mine dead-end roadway, shutting down the local ventilator can influence fire progression. This study delves into the impact of local ventilator shutdown time (i.e. air supply cessation time) on fire source combustion dynamics through small-scale experiments. Results indicate that the sudden cessation of air supply will prompt ghosting flame and even fire self-extinguishing. The ghosting flame emerges due to the uneven distribution of fuel vapor and oxygen concentrations, its moving direction is related to ventilation conditions and fire source combustion mode. And the burning time of the fire source after air supply cessation diminishes with increasing air supply cessation time and pool size but increases with higher ventilation velocities. Additionally, sudden cessation of air supply decreases smoke oxygen content and significantly elevates CO levels, particularly impacting ventilation-controlled fires. Moreover, this interruption leads to a substantial rise in smoke temperature, heightening fire risk. Thus, prudent closure of the local ventilator in dead-end roadway fires is recommended, particularly in scenarios of inadequate ventilation and prolonged combustion. These findings offer fresh insights into dead-end roadway fire behavior and furnish valuable guidance for firefighting and rescue operations in similar structures.

Thin endometrium (TE) is a significant factor contributing to fertility challenges, and addressing this condition remains a central challenge in reproductive medicine. Menstrual blood–derived mesenchymal stem cells (MenSCs) play a crucial role in tissue repair and regeneration, including that of TE. The Wnt signaling pathway, which is highly conserved and prevalent in eukaryotes, is essential for cell proliferation, tissue development, and reproductive functions. MALAT1 is implicated in various transcriptional and molecular functions, including cell proliferation and metastasis. However, the combined effects of the Wnt signaling pathway and the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) MALAT1 on the regulation of MenSCs’ regenerative capabilities in tissue engineering have not yet been explored. To elucidate the regulatory mechanism of MALAT1 in TE, we analyzed its expression levels in normal endometrium and TE tissues, finding that low expression of MALAT1 was associated with poor clinical prognosis. In addition, we conducted both in vitro and in vivo functional assays to examine the role of the MALAT1/miR-7-5p/TCF4 axis in cell proliferation and migration. Techniques such as dual-luciferase reporter assay, fluorescent in situ hybridization, and immunoblot experiments were utilized to clarify the molecular mechanism. To corroborate these findings, we established a TE model and conducted pregnancy experiments, demonstrating a strong association between MALAT1 expression and endometrial fertility. In conclusion, our comprehensive study provides strong evidence supporting that lncRNA MALAT1 modulates TCF4 expression in the Wnt signaling pathway through interaction with miR-7-5p, thus enhancing MenSCs-mediated improvement of TE and improving fertility.

ObjectiveTo investigate the impact of diaphragmatic breathing combined with limb training on lower limb lymphedema following surgery for gynecological cancer.MethodsFrom January 2022 to May 2022, 60 patients with lower limb lymphedema post-gynecologic cancer surgery were chosen. They were split into a control group (n = 30) and a treatment group (n = 30). The control group underwent complex decongestive therapy (CDT) for managing lower limb lymphedema after gynecologic cancer surgery, while the treatment group received diaphragmatic breathing combined with limb coordination training alongside CDT. Both groups completed a 4-week treatment regimen. The lower limb lymphedema symptoms were evaluated using the genital, lower limb, buttock, and abdomen (GCLQ) scores; bilateral lower limb circumference measurements; and anxiety and depression scores.ResultsCompared to sole CDT administration, individuals undergoing diaphragmatic breathing coupled with limb coordination training experienced notable reductions in scores for the self-perceived symptom assessment questionnaire (GCLQ), bilateral lower limb circumference, as well as anxiety and depression scores.ConclusionThe incorporation of diaphragmatic breathing combined withalongside limb coordination training can accelerate and augment the efficacy of treating lower limb lymphedema post-gynecologic cancer surgery.

Unprotected areas with endangered species generally face severe human disturbance. Domestic dogs are a special form of human disturbance and are sympatrically distributed with critically endangered Chinese pangolins in remote mountainous regions of Guangdong, China. Conflicts in habitat utilization between domestic dogs and Chinese pangolins have rarely been evaluated, yet these conflicts might result in a decline in population viability in the wild. To address how domestic dogs affect Chinese pangolins (Manis pentadactyla) in spatiotemporal niches, we used camera traps to obtain information on the distribution and activity of Chinese pangolins and GPS collars to track free-ranging domestic dog activity in the Wuqinzhang and Pengzhai forest areas of Guangdong, China. Combined with environmental variables, we used individual and cave locations to predict a potentially suitable habitat for Chinese pangolins with Maxent. We used the minimum convex polygon method (MCP) to obtain the home ranges of the domestic dogs. Then, we calculated the overlap between the potentially suitable habitat for Chinese pangolins and the home ranges of free-ranging domestic dogs. In the temporal niche, we compared the daily activity rhythms between domestic dogs and Chinese pangolins and assessed the influences of domestic dogs on Chinese pangolins through avoidance–attraction ratios (AARs). Our results show that the potentially suitable habitat of the Chinese pangolin comprises only approximately 24% of the Wuqinzhang forest area and 12% of the Pengzhai forest area. The percentages of habitat overlap were approximately 48% and 71% in the Wuqinzhang and Pengzhai forest areas, respectively. There was less overlap in the temporal niche between Chinese pangolins and free-ranging domestic dogs, but their AAR was significant. Our results reveal that the Chinese pangolin is facing severe disturbances from free-ranging domestic dogs in spatial niches in unprotected areas. We suggest that assessments of Chinese pangolins’ survival status should be conducted as soon as possible, especially in unprotected areas. To expand and optimize established nature reserves for the Chinese pangolin, further strengthening of domestic dog management is necessary.

Watersheds have experienced economic and demographic development for decades. In China, this development has been associated with environmental degradation, including water quality deterioration, abnormal stream flow, and biotic resource depletion. Effective watershed management incorporates sustainability and public involvement, enabling the long-term security of the human and natural world. Management strategies however need to take into account local conditions, as every watershed is unique. This paper adopts the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) combined with the random forest model to investigate the shift in participants’ environmental awareness across different socioeconomic groups over the past 15 years. Additionally, it scrutinizes the changing public perceptions on the management priorities and areas requiring enhancement. The AHP index highlighted the importance of environmental behavioral intentions (EBI) as a component of environmental awareness (EA). Between 2006 and 2021, significant changes occurred in public environmental awareness (perception, knowledge, behavioral intention) and perceived management priorities, stressing the need for timely adjustment of management policies. Notably, environmental concern (EC) appears to have decreased over time, reflecting effective management and increased governmental attention. Emphasis on the recreational ecosystem services offered by watershed forests has increased. Males, individuals aged over 40-years-old, and individuals located in the upper reaches possessed higher risk perceptions than other groups. These findings may help policymakers to adjust management priorities based on geographic region and may assist them in promoting more effective measures to communicate watershed sustainable management goals and strategies to the public.

The foveal load effect is one of the most fundamental effects in reading psychology, and also one of the most controversial issues in recent years. The foveal load effect refers to the phenomenon that the difficulty of foveal processing affects parafoveal preview. In Chinese reading, whether the foveal load effect exists, as well as whether this effect is modulated by parafoveal word frequency, remains unclear. In this study, the eye-tracking technique was used to track the eye movements of 48 subjects. Utilized the boundary paradigm with single-character words as parafoveal words, the present study manipulated foveal word frequency (high and low), parafoveal word frequency (high and low), and two types of preview (identical preview and pseudocharacter preview) to investigate these questions. The results revealed that the foveal word frequency does not influence preview, suggesting the absence of the foveal load effect when using single-character words as parafoveal words. Furthermore, parafoveal word frequency does not modulate the effect of the foveal load on the preview. This empirical evidence contributes to refining the understanding of the Chinese reading model.

Torrefaction and combustion have been applied to naturally decomposed red oak logging residues. The results indicated that four-year natural decomposition would lower the energy density of red oak from 20.14 to 18.85 MJ/kg. Torrefaction reduced the O/C and H/C ratios but improved the energy yield values. Two combustion stages were observed for all samples, and no hemicellulose derivative thermogravimetric peak appeared for torrefied samples. The differential scanning calorimetry exothermic heat flow increased after torrefaction. In addition, the Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose average activation energy of untorrefied samples decreased in the first stage (from 157.77 to 149.52 KJ/mol), while it increased in the second stage (from 131.32 to 181.83 KJ/mol). The ∆H, ∆G, and ∆S values of all samples decreased in the first stage, while they increased when the conversion rate was greater than 0.5 for torrefied samples. These findings can aid in a better understanding of the fuel performance of torrefied and untorrefied naturally decomposed red oak logging residues.

Introduction Basilar artery occlusion (BAO) is a devastating minority stroke subtype with variable clinical presentations and high mortality.1,2 The National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) cutoff for poor outcomes is lower in BAO compared to anterior circulation large vessel occlusions (LVO) due to the scale’s weighted scoring towards cortical signs.3,4 To bridge this gap, Alemseged et.al created the underutilized posterior circulation (PC) NIHSS as an improved stroke assessment tool in PC LVO to better identify endovascular therapy (EVT) candidates. 5 Current randomized trials point to mixed evidence regarding EVT for BAO; although recent studies such as Endovascular Treatment for Acute Basilar Artery Occlusion (ATTENTION)6 and Basilar Artery Occlusion Chinese Endovascular Trial (BAOCHE)7 suggest positive results of EVT within 24hrs. Smaller retrospective subgroup analyses demonstrated EVT for BAO with low NIHSS has good clinical outcome of modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 0‐2 at 3 months in 60‐70% of patients4,8. We present a case of tandem vertebrobasilar artery occlusion in a patient with subacute symptoms and low NIHSS treated with mechanical thrombectomy. Methods '‐ Results 41‐year‐old male with past medical history of hypertension, insulin dependent diabetes and active smoking presented with worsening vertigo, nausea and vomiting for 3 weeks with progression to right sided headache and syncope. EMS noted right facial weakness prompting transport to nearest primary stroke center where CT head non‐contrast showed right cerebellar infarct and CT angiogram (CTA) head and neck showed right vertebral artery occlusion with basilar extension. Intravenous thrombolytic (IVT) was deferred due to unclear last known well. He was treated with aspirin 324mg and transferred to our tertiary stroke center. Arrival NIHSS was 1 for right upper extremity ataxia. Premorbid mRS was 0. Repeat CTA redemonstrated right vertebrobasilar artery tandem occlusion. CT perfusion was without mismatch. Patient underwent emergent mechanical thrombectomy with ADAPT to TICI3 revascularization with future plan for possible angioplasty and stenting of R vertebral stenosis. Subsequently admitted to neurocritical care unit and treated with dual antiplatelet therapy. Initially maintained on aspirin and Cangrelor infusion, then transitioned to aspirin and Plavix without hemorrhagic conversion. Diffusion weighted MRI brain showed right cerebellar and right pontine infarcts. Hospital course was complicated by severe intractable hiccups due to area postrema syndrome; ultimately resolved with baclofen and gabapentin after extensive unsuccessful medication trails. NIHSS remained 1 for ataxia throughout admission, although exam also revealed mild unsteady gait requiring home physical therapy and a walker on discharge. Post‐stroke mRS was 1 on discharge; 3‐month mRS is pending. Conclusion Evidence regarding EVT for low NIHSS BAO remains varied with some studies showing superior benefit with IVT alone9 while others suggest improved outcomes with EVT in mild to moderate deficits.4,8 One prospective study particularly revealed better outcomes in EVT for BAO due to tandem occlusions similar to this case.10 Given the potential devastating sequalae of BAO and limited overall treatment options, EVT should remain a strong contender for treatment of PC LVO, especially in patients with milder neurologic deficits or tandem occlusions. Additionally, heightened use of PC‐NIHSS may better prognosticate candidates for EVT.

BackgroundAccurate estimation of incidence and prevalence is vital for preventing and controlling diabetes. Administrative data (including insurance data) could be a good source to estimate the incidence of diabetes. However, how to determine the look-back period (LP) to remove cases with preceding records remains a problem for administrative data. A short LP will cause overestimation of incidence, whereas a long LP will limit the usefulness of a database. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the optimal LP length for identifying incident cases in administrative data. ObjectiveThis study aims to offer different methods to identify the optimal LP for diabetes by using medical insurance data from the Chinese population with reference to other diseases in the administrative data. MethodsData from the insurance database of the city of Weifang, China from between January 2016 and December 2020 were used. To identify the incident cases in 2020, we removed prevalent patients with preceding records of diabetes between 2016 and 2019 (ie, a 4-year LP). Using this 4-year LP as a reference, consistency examination indexes (CEIs), including positive predictive values, the κ coefficient, and overestimation rate, were calculated to determine the level of agreement between different LPs and an LP of 4 years (the longest LP). Moreover, we constructed a retrograde survival function, in which survival (ie, incident cases) means not having a preceding record at the given time and the survival time is the difference between the date of the last record in 2020 and the most recent previous record in the LP. Based on the survival outcome and survival time, we established the survival function and survival hazard function. When the survival probability, S(t), remains stable, and survival hazard converges to zero, we obtain the optimal LP. Combined with the results of these two methods, we determined the optimal LP for Chinese diabetes patients. ResultsThe κ agreement was excellent (0.950), with a high positive predictive value (92.2%) and a low overestimation rate (8.4%) after a 2-year LP. As for the retrograde survival function, S(t) dropped rapidly during the first 1-year LP (from 1.00 to 0.11). At a 417-day LP, the hazard function reached approximately zero (ht=0.000459), S(t) remained at 0.10, and at 480 days, the frequency of S(t) did not increase. Combining the two methods, we found that the optimal LP is 2 years for Chinese diabetes patients. ConclusionsThe retrograde survival method and CEIs both showed effectiveness. A 2-year LP should be considered when identifying incident cases of diabetes using insurance data in the Chinese population.

In this study, smoke movement characteristics and smoke temperature in the blind roadway and the connected main roadway were mainly investigated numerically. The outcomings indicate that as the fire source gradually moves away from the heading face, the flame tilts from the heading face to the portal of the blind roadway. The gas temperature in the blind roadway and the downstream of the main roadway during ventilation is higher than that in the situation without ventilation, and it depends only on the fire location. The high-temperature smoke will generate energy loss as it passed through the bifurcation structure, resulting in a sudden decline in the longitudinal temperature attenuation curve. In addition, blind roadway fires require a higher critical velocity than single-hole tunnel fires. For a given heat release rate, the critical velocity gradually decreases as the fire source approaches the heading face. Besides, the line of L*=1.5 divides the variation of the dimensionless variable Q˙*2/3/v*2 with the dimensionless backlayering length (L*) into two regions with different slopes. Moreover, prediction models take into account the fire location to predict the dimensionless backlayering length and dimensionless critical velocity of the blind roadway are proposed.

3-Ketoacyl-CoA synthase (KCS) is the key rate-limiting enzyme for the synthesis of very long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) in plants, which determines the carbon chain length of VLCFAs. However, a comprehensive study of KCSs in Oryza sativa has not been reported yet. In this study, we identified 22 OsKCS genes in rice, which are unevenly distributed on nine chromosomes. The OsKCS gene family is divided into six subclasses. Many cis-acting elements related to plant growth, light, hormone, and stress response were enriched in the promoters of OsKCS genes. Gene duplication played a crucial role in the expansion of the OsKCS gene family and underwent a strong purifying selection. Quantitative Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) results revealed that most KCS genes are constitutively expressed. We also revealed that KCS genes responded differently to exogenous cadmium stress in japonica and indica background, and the KCS genes with higher expression in leaves and seeds may have functions under cadmium stress. This study provides a basis for further understanding the functions of KCS genes and the biosynthesis of VLCFA in rice.

Previous research has revealed that graded pre-activation rather than specific lexical prediction is more likely to be the mechanism for the word predictability effect in English. However, whether graded pre-activation underlies the predictability effect in Chinese reading is unknown. Accordingly, the present study tested the generality of the graded pre-activation account in Chinese reading. We manipulated the contextual constraint of sentences and the predictability of target words as independent variables. Readers’ eye movement behaviors were recorded via an eye tracker. We examined whether processing an unpredictable word in a solid constraining context incurs a prediction error cost when this unpredictable word has a predictable alternative. The results showed no cues of prediction error cost on the early eye movement measures, supported by the Bayes Factor analyses. The current research indicates that graded predictive pre-activation underlies the predictability effect in Chinese reading.

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the clinical utility of surgical reconstruction of finger pulp defects using a plantar flap derived from the toes, with vascular anastomosis of the toe-finger artery and the plantar-palmar vein of the finger. Methods Between April 2018 and November 2020, 29 patients with finger pulp defects underwent treatment via the transplantation of pulp tissue from the second toe, with the plantar vein of the toe and the palmar vein of the finger being anastomosed during this procedure. In addition, an anastomosis of the toe and finger artery and nerve was conducted, with a flap size of 1.0 cm * 0.8 cm–2.3 cm * 4.0 cm being used for such repair. Donor tissue sites were closed without introducing deformities or other complications. Results In all patients in the present study, flap tissues survived and did not exhibit evidence of vascular crisis over a mean 16.8-month follow-up period (range 8–24 months). After successful skin flap grafting, they exhibited good elasticity and a soft texture. At three months post-surgery, some patients reported partial recovery of touch sensation in the transplanted tissue, while pain recovery was evident in some patients at 4–6 months post-surgery. No deformities or other complications were observed at the donor site, and the ability of patients to walk normally was not impaired. Conclusion The anastomosis of toe plantar flaps with the palmar vein can facilitate the repair of finger pulp injuries without the need to dissect the dorsal vein of the toe, allowing for the suturing of donor tissue sites without causing any deformities or other complications. This surgical approach can easily be conducted with satisfactory clinical outcomes.

Background Numerous studies have confirmed that skilled readers can benefit from a semantically related preview word (i.e., semantic preview benefit, SPB), suggesting that readers can extract semantic information from the parafovea to achieve efficient reading. It is still under debate whether the occurrence of this benefit is because of the semantic association between the preview and target words or because of the contextual fit of the preview word in the sentence context. Methods Two independent factors, preview plausibility (preview plausible/implausible) and semantic relatedness (semantically related/unrelated), were manipulated, and we further strictly controlled for syntactic plausibility in the present study. Results The results showed that the first-pass reading times of the target words were significantly shorter in the plausible preview condition than in the implausible preview condition. However, the main effect of semantic relatedness was found only in the gaze duration measure. Discussion The pattern of results revealed that semantic plausibility affects the semantic preview benefit preferentially in Chinese reading, supporting the contextual fit account. Our findings have implications for a better understanding of parafoveal processing and provide empirical support for the eye-movement control model.

Mine exogenous fire is the main disaster in coal mines. Owing to the complicated structure and the ventilation network, the smoke movement and control in branched roadway fires of coal mines is more complicated than that in traffic tunnel fires. In this study, the smoke backlayering length and critical velocity in a main roadway for fires that occurred in a branch were studied with varying fire locations. The results suggest that the smoke from the branch does not spread along the width centerline of the main roadway, but forms an early “snake-shaped” structure. The variation of dimensionless backlayering length with the dimensionless variable ln(Q˙*1/3/V*) is divided into two regions with different slopes by the line of L* = 1.6. Besides, branched roadway fires have a lower backlayering length and critical velocity compared to single-hole tunnel fires. These two parameters increase with decreasing the fire-node distance. Combined with dimensionless analysis and simulation results, calculation models considering fire location were proposed to estimate the smoke backlayering length and critical velocity. The credibility of prediction models is validated by comparing them with simulation results. The outcomes of the current study guide smoke control in similar-structured mine roadways and traffic tunnels.

Abstract Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are closely associated with the progression of diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) and can be regarded as one of its early biomarkers. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is emerging as a powerful tool for the detection of cardiac abnormalities, but the sensitive and direct ROS‐response MRI probe remains to be developed. This restricts the early diagnosis of DCM and prevents timely clinical interventions, resulting in serious and irreversible pathophysiological abnormalities. Herein, a novel ROS‐response contrast‐enhanced MRI nanoprobe (RCMN) is developed by multi‐functionalizing fluorinated carbon nanosheets (FCNs) with multi‐hydroxyl and 2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidin‐1‐oxyl groups. RCMNs capture ROS and then gather in the heart provisionally, which triggers MRI signal changes to realize the in vivo detection of ROS. In contrast to the clinical MRI agents, the cardiac abnormalities of disease mice is detected 8 weeks in advance with the assistance of RCMNs, which greatly advances the diagnostic window of DCM. To the best of the knowledge, this is the first ROS‐response metal‐free T2‐weighted MRI probe for the early diagnosis of DCM mice model. Furthermore, RCMNs can timely scavenge excessively produced ROS to alleviate oxidative stress.

Nature-based tourism (NBT) has become a popular tool for developing countries to achieve economic growth by the non-destructive use of their natural resources. COVID-19 has caused severe financial impacts on tourism-dependent areas. Revitalizing NBT is needed for economic recovery in those regions and can also help deal with mental health issues worldwide. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (ZNFP), the first national park created in China, was selected to examine the important factors that influence visitor satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic and the relationship between satisfaction and visitors' environmentally responsible behavior (ERB) intention. The authors collected 788 onsite and online questionnaires from visitors to ZNFP during June–September 2020. This paper reveals previously underestimated factors and offers practical applications for park development at ZNFP and other NBT destinations. Visitors had a high level of satisfaction with the natural scenery of the park but were relatively dissatisfied with price reasonableness, park services, activities and events, and artificial attractions. Younger visitors, especially students, and well-educated visitors looking for environmental education opportunities tended to have lower satisfaction rates. Visitor satisfaction may have a positive but limited influence on promoting visitors' ERB intentions. We propose group-specific strategies for national park managers to attract more visitors and increase their length of stay.

Mobile edge computing (MEC) supports terminal devices to offload tasks or applications to edge cloud server for processing. Edge cloud server will consume local resources when processing external tasks, so it is particularly important to build a resource pricing mechanism that charges terminal devices to reward edge cloud. The existing pricing mechanism relies on the static pricing of intermediaries, and high cost and late processing of terminal tasks make it difficult to realize the effective utilization of edge cloud computing resources. Aiming at the above problems, this paper proposes an edge cloud resource pricing mechanism based on Stackelberg game. Firstly, in view of the local task shelving problem of terminal devices due to insufficient funds during resource pricing, an auxiliary mechanism including loans and incentives is proposed to realize the timely processing of terminal devices tasks. Secondly, four price-oriented factors that affect resource pricing are proposed, and two pricing schemes, consistency and elasticity, are formulated to improve the accuracy and efficiency of pricing and prepare for dynamic pricing. Then, in order to make the dynamic pricing between terminal devices and edge cloud directly, a resource pricing mechanism model based on Stackelberg game is built, and the resource demand and pricing problem is transformed into the problem of maximum revenue of edge cloud and minimum payment cost of terminal devices. Finally, through improved reinforcement learning SARSA (state action reward state action) algorithm, the optimal strategy of resource demand and pricing is obtained. Experiments show that the pricing mechanism proposed in this paper is more than 12% better than other pricing algorithms in terms of edge cloud revenue maximization, and the edge cloud revenue under the elasticity pricing scheme is 24% better than that of the consistency pricing scheme.

Human bocavirus 1 (HBoV1) is a human parvovirus that causes lower respiratory tract infections in young children. It contains a single-stranded (ss) DNA genome of ~5.5 kb that encodes a small noncoding RNA of 140 nucleotides known as bocavirus-encoded small RNA (BocaSR), in addition to viral proteins. Here, we determined the secondary structure of BocaSR in vivo by using DMS-MaPseq. Our findings reveal that BocaSR undergoes N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification at multiple sites, which is critical for viral DNA replication in both dividing HEK293 cells and nondividing cells of the human airway epithelium. Mechanistically, we found that m6A-modified BocaSR serves as a mediator for recruiting Y-family DNA repair DNA polymerase (Pol) n and Pol K likely through a direct interaction between BocaSR and the viral DNA replication origin at the right terminus of the viral genome. Thus, this report represents direct involvement of a viral small noncoding RNA in viral DNA replication through m6A modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies indicate that letter position processing is important for word recognition; also, the position processing of external letters (especially the initial letter) is better than that of inner letters in the Roman script. Similarly, the position processing of characters is critical in Chinese word recognition. However, the position processing pattern of characters within Chinese words is still understudied. Therefore, using a single-presentation lexical decision task with 79 university students in China, we conducted two experiments with three- and four-character words to explore this issue. The results revealed clear character position processing with transposed pseudowords. Crucially, we identified a sequence effect in Chinese character position processing within words, directly supporting the hypothesis that character-based processing occurs with Chinese words. We also discussed other possibilities in Chinese character position processing.

Misophonia is a disorder generally characterised by a decreased tolerance to everyday sounds. Although research is increasing in misophonia, a cross-cultural validation of a psychometric tool for measuring misophonia has not been evaluated. This study investigated the validity of the S-Five multidimensional model of the misophonic experience in a sample of Chinese participants. The S-Five was translated in a forward-backward method to Mandarin to establish a satisfactory translation. The translation was also independently back translated to English, with no significant differences when compared to the original S-Five. Through exploratory factor analysis, using responses from 256 Chinese individuals, the five dimensions (internalising appraisals, externalising appraisals, perceived threat and avoidance behaviour, outbursts, and impact on functioning) were replicated, indicating the cross-cultural uniformity of the experience of misophonia as captured by the S-Five. That is, current results point to the stability of the manifestation of misophonia across cultures, seen here for the first time in the literature. By design, the S-Five items were developed to reflect sound sensitivities in a manner that is not specific or matching to individuals of a certain age, gender, ethnicity, nationality, socio-economic status, and educational level. Testimonial to this fact is not only the replication of the five factors, but also the replication of the evidence towards satisfactory psychometric properties (reliability and validity) of the scale. Based on the results of this study, the S-Five is a psychometrically robust tool to be used within the Chinese population.

Amino acid salt (AAS) solvents with equimolar base (used to obtain the salt) to amino acid (AA) have been well studied for CO2 absorption, however, very little is known about the reactions when more base is applied. This study determined the reaction mechanisms of AAS solvents with base to AA ratio over equimolar and the potential benefits of such solvents for CO2 absorption. The CO2 loading capacity was found to be dictated by the molar concentration of the base and was approximately half of the base applied. The reaction mechanisms were investigated based on the compositions of carbamate, carbonate/bicarbonate, and AA using 13C-quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (13C qNMR). An innovative cycling reaction mechanism of CO2 absorption was proposed and experimentally confirmed for AAS solvents with base/AA > 1. Besides all steps of the current widely accepted Zwitterion mechanism, this reaction pathway also contains two cycles: 1) The extra base (i.e., OH−) may react with the protonated AA generated during CO2 absorption to form deprotonated AA which further absorbs CO2 to form more carbamate. 2) The carbamate, as a product of reaction cycle 1, undergoes hydrolysis to yield bicarbonate and deprotonated AA, which further absorbs CO2. As a result, high CO2 loadings were achieved. Compared to the use of alkaline solutions like KOH alone for CO2 absorption, AAS solvents with base to AA ratio over equimolar resulted in lower pH and temperature while maintaining high CO2 loading. These innovative cyclic mechanisms will enable advanced CO2 management approaches using AAS solvents with base/AA > 1.

The pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution, and elimination of enrofloxacin (ENR) and its metabolite ciprofloxacin (CIP) were investigated to the crucian carp (Carassius auratus gibelio) after single (20 mg/kg b. w.) and multiple oral administration (20 mg/kg b.w. one time daily for 5 days) at 28°C. The concentrations of ENR and CIP in the plasma and tested tissues (muscle/skin, liver, and kidney) were detected simultaneously by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and the pharmacokinetic data were analyzed with a non-compartmental model using WinNonLin 6.1 PK software (Pharsight Corporation, Mountain View, CA, USA). The pharmacokinetic characteristics of ENR in crucian carp exhibited slow absorption, wide tissue distribution, and long elimination half-life. In the single-dose group, the peak concentrations (Cmax) of ENR in the plasma, muscle/skin, liver, and kidney were 8.93 μg/mL, 13.9 μg/g, 31.2 μg/g, and 27.3 μg/g, respectively, observed at 3 h, 6 h, 1 h, and 3 h after dosing. The elimination half-lives (T1/2λz) of ENR in plasma, muscle/skin, liver, and kidney were calculated to be 67.4, 82.8, 94.4, and 114 h, respectively. In the multiple-dose group, the Cmax of ENR in the plasma, muscle/skin, liver, and kidney were 18.4 μg/mL, 26.8 μg/g, 82.8 μg/g, and 74.5 μg/g, respectively, achieved at 3 h, 6 h, 1 h, and 1 h after the last dose. The T1/2λz of ENR in the plasma, muscle/skin, liver, and kidney were calculated to be 76.4 h, 91.5 h, 114 h, and 148 h, respectively. During the multiple-dose administration, significant accumulations of ENR and CIP were observed in the plasma and tissues of crucian carp, possibly due to their long elimination half-lives. In both dose groups, the AUC0−∞ for both ENR and CIP followed the order of liver > kidney > muscle/skin > plasma. The finding suggested that the liver may play an important role in the metabolism of ENR. According to the calculated PK/PD indices of Cmax/minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and AUC24h/MIC, the multiple-dose regimen would be highly effective against pathogenic bacteria with a MIC value of ≤ 1.84 μg/ml. Depletion studies indicated that a withdrawal period of at least 29 or 32 days was necessary to guarantee food security after single or multiple oral gavage administration at 28°C.

Phosphate deficiency is one of the leading causes of crop productivity loss. Phospholipid degradation liberates phosphate to cope with phosphate deficiency. Glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterases (GPX-PDEs) hydrolyse the intermediate products of phospholipid catabolism glycerophosphodiesters into glycerol-3-phosphate, a precursor of phosphate. However, the function of GPX-PDEs in phosphate remobilization in maize remains unclear. In the present study, we characterized two phosphate deficiency-inducible GPX-PDE genes, ZmGPX-PDE1 and ZmGPX-PDE5, in maize leaves. ZmGPX-PDE1 and ZmGPX-PDE5 were transcriptionally regulated by ZmPHR1, a well-described phosphate starvation-responsive transcription factor of the MYB family. Complementation of the yeast GPX-PDE mutant gde1∆ indicated that ZmGPX-PDE1 and ZmGPX-PDE5 functioned as GPX-PDEs, suggesting their roles in phosphate recycling from glycerophosphodiesters. In vitro enzyme assays showed that ZmGPX-PDE1 and ZmGPX-PDE5 catalysed glycerophosphodiester degradation with different substrate preferences for glycerophosphoinositol and glycerophosphocholine, respectively. ZmGPX-PDE1 was upregulated during leaf senescence, and more remarkably, loss of ZmGPX-PDE1 in maize compromised the remobilization of phosphorus from senescing leaves to young leaves, resulting in a stay-green phenotype under phosphate starvation. These results suggest that ZmGPX-PDE1 catalyses the degradation of glycerophosphodiesters in maize, promoting phosphate recycling from senescing leaves to new leaves. This mechanism is crucial for improving phosphorus utilization efficiency in crops.

A variable speed drive (VSD) based induction motor power emulator is presented in this paper, which is intended to be used in a real-time multi-converter-based hardware testbed (HTB) system. The presented HTB load emulator can accurately reflect the dynamic performance of a VSD-based load with multiple control algorithms without requiring significant computational resources and simulation time. Therefore, the developed VSD load emulator can not only mimic VSD-driven motor load performance, but also can be flexibly integrated into electric power grid emulators or simulators, which enable more detailed power grid analyses by providing a more accurate model for this particular type of load. This paper discusses the specification of the developed VSD-based load emulator, including multiple control schemes, and the physical realization in a power grid emulator. Finally, the accuracy of the VSD load emulator is demonstrated with experimental results.

Industrial motor systems make up a quarter of all electric sales in the United States. Variable speed drives (VSDs) can provide energy efficiency savings to the customer by regulating motor speed based on specific and varying needs. In addition to the benefits provided to the customer, VSDs can provide support to the grid through ancillary services. The Center for Ultra-Wide-Area Resilient Electric Energy Transmission Networks (CURENT) developed a power electronics converter-based grid emulator to allow testing of various power system architectures and demonstration of key technologies in monitoring, control, actuation, and visualization. This paper proposes using an active front-end VSD's connected motor load to provide frequency regulation to a large scale power grid. Each part of the emulator is described including motor and power electronics model and control. The proposed frequency regulation is implemented in VSDs and modeled in both a transmission system in EMTDC/PSCAD and verified on CURENT's hardware testbed.

Xuejing Wen et al. present a new method, Reverse Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (R-ChIP), for analyzing DNA-protein interactions specifically in plant cells. They apply R-ChIP to identify proteins binding to the promoter of the Arabidopsis gene AtCAT3 and optimize the method using transient transformation of the target promoter to increase efficiency.

Due to its quite high theoretical specific-energy density, FeF2 nanomaterial is a good candidate for the cathode material of high-energy lithium-ion batteries. The preparation of FeF2 nanomaterial is very important for its application. At present, the preparation process mostly involves high temperature and an inert atmosphere, which need special or expensive devices. It is very important to seek a low-temperature and mild method, without the need for high temperature and inert atmosphere, for the preparation and following application of FeF2 nanomaterial. This article reports a novel sugar-assisted solvothermal method in which the FeF3∙3H2O precursor is reduced into FeF2 nanomaterial by carbon derived from the dehydration and condensation of sugar. The obtained FeF2 nanomaterials are irregular granules of about 30 nm, with inner pores inside each granule. Electrochemical tests show the FeF2 nanomaterial’s potential as a lithium-ion battery cathode material.

The oblique impact of microscale water droplets on liquid film is numerically investigated. Two-phase flow problems are simulated using three-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, and the level-set method is employed for capturing the gas-liquid interface. The numerical model is verified using experimental results from a normal and oblique impact via the qualitative comparison of crown profile features and quantitative contrast of the crown height and radius varying with time. The article discusses the influence of tangential impact velocity, water film thickness, Reynolds number, and Weber number on the shape characteristics, tangential momentum, and kinetic energy of the annular crown. The results show that the decreasing momentum in the tangential direction can be divided into three clear stages: rapid decrease, slight increase, and continuous decrease. In addition, film thickness and Weber number have significant effects on the momentum decay rate.

Ice accretion on the inner surface of a fuel tube can fall off and potentially block the filters and small orifices, which thereby restricts the fuel flow to the engines during the long flying of the aircraft in cold conditions. This might cause the engines to shut down and pose a catastrophic safety threat. In this pursuit, the present study evaluates the effects of fuel temperature, entrained water concentration, and duration on the accretion of ice in flowing super-saturated RP-3 aviation jet fuel. A methodology for the quantitative mixing of water mist with fuel for accurately controlling water concentration was proposed. The different kinds of accreted ice, ‘fluffy’ and ‘pebbly’, were observed. As the distance of flow increased, a non-uniform distribution of ice on the cross-sectional area was noted. The amount of ice accretion increased with a decrease in the temperature from −2 °C and −12 °C, and with an increase in entrained water concentration. Besides, the amount of ice accretion showed an increasing trend as time went on and became stable after 2 h. Our experimental results can assist to gain a better understanding of the ice accretion process in flowing super-saturated fuels and may serve as a basis for the design of the aircraft fuel system and airworthiness certification.

Drought stress is a common adverse environment that plants encounter, and many drought-tolerant genes have been characterized. The gene regulatory network (GRN) is important in revealing the drought tolerance mechanism. Here, to investigate the regulatory mechanism of Shanxin poplar (Populus davidiana × P. bolleana) responding to drought stress, a three-layered GRN was built, and the regulatory relationship between genes in the GRN were predicted from expression correlation using a partial correlation coefficient-based algorithm. The GRN contains 1869 regulatory relationships, and includes 11 and 19 transcription factors (TFs) in the first and second layers, respectively, and 158 structural genes in the bottom layers involved in eight enriched biological processes. ChIP-PCR and qRT-PCR based on transient transformation were performed to validate the reliability of the GRN. About 88.0% of predicted interactions between the first and second layers, and 82.0% of predicted interactions between the second and third layers were correct, suggesting that the GRN is reliable. Six TFs were randomly selected from the top layer for characterizing their function in drought, and all of these TFs can confer drought tolerance. The important biological processes related to drought tolerance were identified, including “response to jasmonic acid”, “response to oxidative stress”, and “response to osmotic stress”. In this GRN, PdbERF3 is predicted to play an important role in drought tolerance. Our data revealed the key regulators, TF-DNA interactions, and the main biological processes involved in adaption of drought stress in Shanxin poplar.

Dry mature pericarp of Citrus reticulata “Chachi” (PCR), Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae Chachiensis, is a traditional Chinese medicine that displays characteristics of different usage at different harvest times in clinical use. The corresponding changes in the bioactive components in PCR from different harvest times remain unclear. Therefore, in this study, broadly targeted metabolomics technology was used to compare the differences in bioactive components among pericarps of PCR, which are the raw material of PCR at different growth stages. In the results, 210 kinds of flavonoid metabolites were detected. The content of hesperidin in red PCR harvested in December was higher than that in Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Viride (CRPV) and reddish PCR harvested from July to November. Furthermore, the content of nobiletin, tangeretin, and 3,3′,4′,5,6,7,8-heptamethoxyflavone in CRPV from July to September was higher than that in the PCR harvested at other times. In addition, the result of cluster analysis and PCA showed that CRPV harvested from July to September had an obvious grouping pattern with the reddish PCR and the red PCR harvested from October to December. Differential metabolites in six comparison groups (A1 vs. A6, A1 vs. A2, A2 vs. A3, A3 vs. A4, A4 vs. A5, A5 vs. A6) were 67, 48, 14, 51, 42, and 40, respectively. The common differential metabolite of four comparison groups was 3′,4′,7-trihydroxyflavone (A1 vs. A2, A2 vs. A3, A3 vs. A4, A4 vs. A5). All the flavonoid differential metabolites screened were enriched in 16 metabolic pathways. Moreover, the results of the evaluation of the total antioxidant capacity indicated that CRPV in August was a suitable raw material for the production of antioxidants. Through molecular docking, the content of potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 components in the PCR in October was higher than that in the PCR in other periods. These results further proved that PCR at different harvest times was endowed with different efficacy and usage due to the difference in the accumulation of bioactive components.

Due to anthropogenic activities, environmental pollution of heavy metals/metalloids (HMs) has increased and received growing attention in recent decades. Plants growing in HM-contaminated soils have slower growth and development, resulting in lower agricultural yield. Exposure to HMs leads to the generation of free radicals (oxidative stress), which alters plant morpho-physiological and biochemical pathways at the cellular and tissue levels. Plants have evolved complex defense mechanisms to avoid or tolerate the toxic effects of HMs, including HMs absorption and accumulation in cell organelles, immobilization by forming complexes with organic chelates, extraction via numerous transporters, ion channels, signaling cascades, and transcription elements, among others. Nonetheless, these internal defensive mechanisms are insufficient to overcome HMs toxicity. Therefore, unveiling HMs adaptation and tolerance mechanisms is necessary for sustainable agriculture. Recent breakthroughs in cutting-edge approaches such as phytohormone and gasotransmitters application, nanotechnology, omics, and genetic engineering tools have identified molecular regulators linked to HMs tolerance, which may be applied to generate HMs-tolerant future plants. This review summarizes numerous systems that plants have adapted to resist HMs toxicity, such as physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses. Diverse adaptation strategies have also been comprehensively presented to advance plant resilience to HMs toxicity that could enable sustainable agricultural production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]