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Objective: To explore whether the different phases of the nasal cycle have a significant effect on nasal temperature, the nasal mucosal clearance rate, and levels of nasal nitric oxide (nNO) and to investigate the correlation between these nasal conditions. Methods: The study participants were divided into 2 groups: the control group and the rhinitis group. The participants' nasal temperature, cilia clearance rate, and nNO levels were measured during different phases of the nasal cycle (the congestion phase and decongestion phase) in the control group and before and after undergoing inferior turbinate ablation in the rhinitis group. Results: The temperature of the nasal cavity in the control group was significantly higher in the congestion phase than in the decongestion phase (P =.0025), while in the rhinitis group, the temperature of the nasal cavity decreased significantly after inferior turbinate ablation (P =.001). In the control group, the nasal mucosa clearance time was significantly shorter in the congestion phase than in the decongestion phase (P =.001), and in the rhinitis group, the clearance time of the nasal mucosa was significantly shortened after the operation (P =.0025). In the control group, the levels of nNO were significantly higher in the congestion phase than in the decongestion phase (P =.025), while in the rhinitis group, nNO levels decreased significantly after the operation (P =.005). Conclusion: The function of the nasal cavity changes in different phases of the nasal cycle. Therefore, when evaluating the impact of various factors on nasal function, factors associated with the nasal cycle should also be considered. Inferior turbinate plasma ablation can improve the ciliary function of the nasal mucosa, reduce the temperature of the nasal cavity, and reduce nNO levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glomus tumour is an uncommon soft tissue tumour which commonly occurs in the distal extremities, particularly the subungual region of the finger. Due to its rarity, there is a paucity of literature concerning glomus tumour. Therefore, this paper aims to report a case series based on our institution's experience. Methods: A retrospective cross sectional study was performed in a single tertiary institution in Singapore. All patients diagnosed with glomus tumour confirmed on histology from January 2019 to October 2022 were included in the study. Patient demographics and clinical information (presenting signs and symptoms, tumour parameters and presence of recurrence) were retrieved from existing medical records. Results: A total of 31 cases of glomus tumour were diagnosed from January 2019 to October 2022, and the relevant demographics and clinical presentation were reported. Majority of glomus tumours occurred in the finger (61.3%). Pain was present in almost all the cases (96.8%), while a lump was visible in less than half (48.4%). An average of 44.0 months elapsed before patients were properly diagnosed and treated. There were no cases of recurrence despite involved margins in three cases. Conclusion: Glomus tumour can be easily missed if clinicians do not have an index of suspicion for it, resulting in delayed treatment. Once diagnosed, glomus tumour can be treated with complete excision with good outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glomus tumour is an uncommon soft tissue tumour which commonly occurs in the distal extremities, particularly the subungual region of the finger. Due to its rarity, there is a paucity of literature concerning glomus tumour. Therefore, this paper aims to report a case series based on our institution's experience. Methods: A retrospective cross sectional study was performed in a single tertiary institution in Singapore. All patients diagnosed with glomus tumour confirmed on histology from January 2019 to October 2022 were included in the study. Patient demographics and clinical information (presenting signs and symptoms, tumour parameters and presence of recurrence) were retrieved from existing medical records. Results: A total of 31 cases of glomus tumour were diagnosed from January 2019 to October 2022, and the relevant demographics and clinical presentation were reported. Majority of glomus tumours occurred in the finger (61.3%). Pain was present in almost all the cases (96.8%), while a lump was visible in less than half (48.4%). An average of 44.0 months elapsed before patients were properly diagnosed and treated. There were no cases of recurrence despite involved margins in three cases. Conclusion: Glomus tumour can be easily missed if clinicians do not have an index of suspicion for it, resulting in delayed treatment. Once diagnosed, glomus tumour can be treated with complete excision with good outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) has been widely used to study the dynamic expression patterns of transcribed genes, which can lead to new biological insights. However, processing and analyzing these huge amounts of histological data remains a great challenge for wet labs and field researchers who lack bioinformatics experience and computational resources. Results: We present BarleyExpDB, an easy-to-operate, free, and web-accessible database that integrates transcriptional profiles of barley at different growth and developmental stages, tissues, and stress conditions, as well as differential expression of mutants and populations to build a platform for barley expression and visualization. The expression of a gene of interest can be easily queried by searching by known gene ID or sequence similarity. Expression data can be displayed as a heat map, along with functional descriptions as well as Gene Ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, Proteins Families Database, and Simple Modular Architecture Research Tool annotations. Conclusions: BarleyExpDB will serve as a valuable resource for the barley research community to leverage the vast publicly available RNA-seq datasets for functional genomics research and crop molecular breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the contemporary popularization of Tarot reading on China's prominent online video platform Bilibili. It tries to make sense of the cultural and political import of the phenomenon through the conceptual lens of techno-cultural domestication, defined as a process in which a non-native cultural artifact or practice becomes embedded in and tamed by a techno-cultural arena in a receiver country. Based on digital ethnography and textual analysis, the article presents how Chinese online Tarot diviners constructed their participatory ritual by drawing upon the symbols of Western occultism and the technological affordances of Bilibili, especially the function of danmu. However, Tarot divination was also brought in line with dominant social values and state ideologies. It ultimately became a form of 'sheer entertainment' promoting common sense ideas, an image of a good Chinese citizen, private solutions to life's challenges, and a positive social atmosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Spiders are among the most common predators in terrestrial ecosystems and play a crucial role in ecosystems. However, with changing environments, spiders are under pressure from pollution and habitat destruction. In this study, we collected spiders from five parks with different management histories in the greater Memphis, Tennessee area to explore the extent to which human oversight and management of natural areas, especially invasive plant management, influence spider occurrence. Our results showed that invasive plants might provide a valuable habitat for the humpbacked orb-weaver, which was predominantly found on invasive plant species. These findings may have implications for the management of invasive plants in parks and other protected areas. Land management of parks and vegetation complexity can affect arthropod diversity and subsequently alter trophic interactions between predators and their prey. In this study, we examined spiders in five parks with varying management histories and intensities to determine whether certain spider species were associated with particular plants. We also determined whether web architecture influenced spider occurrence. Our results showed that humpbacked orb-weavers (Eustala anastera) were associated with an invasive plant, Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense). This study revealed how invasive plants can potentially influence certain spider communities, as evidenced by this native spider species only occurring on invasive plants. Knowing more about spider populations—including species makeup and plants they populate—will give insights into how spider populations are dealing with various ecosystem changes. While we did not assess the effect of invasive plants on the behavior of spiders, it is possible that invasive species may not always be harmful to ecosystems; in the case of spiders, invasive plants may serve as a useful environment to live in. More studies are needed to ascertain whether invasive plants can have adverse effects on spider ecology in the long term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Our purpose was to explore the relationship between cognitive impairment and neural network changes in patients newly diagnosed with self‐limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (SeLECTS). Methods: The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, fourth edition was used to divide all SeLECTS patients into two groups: patients with full‐scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ) below 80 that corresponded to cognitive impairment, and patients with FSIQ above 80 that corresponded to a normal cognitive function. The data on the resting state were recorded using magnetoencephalography. The properties of the networks were analyzed using graph theory (GT) analysis. Results: The functional connectivity (FC) of the frontal cortex in patients with FSIQ < 80 was reduced in the 12–30 Hz frequency band, and the FC of the posterior cingulate cortex was reduced in the 80–250 and 250–500 Hz frequency bands. The GT analysis showed that patients in the FSIQ < 80 group had higher strength in the 8–12 and 12–30 Hz frequency bands than those in the healthy control and FSIQ > 80 group. However, the path length was reduced in the 80–250 Hz band, and the clustering coefficient was reduced in the 12–30, 80–250, and 250–500 Hz frequency bands. Moreover, the receiver operator characteristic analysis showed that the clustering coefficient in the 12–30 and 80–250 Hz frequency bands, as well as the path length in the 80–250 Hz frequency band possessed a good discriminative ability in distinguishing the FSIQ > 80 group. Conclusions: SeLECTS patients with cognitive impairment in the early stage of the disease developed disordered networks in cognitive‐related brain regions. The clustering coefficient in the 12–30 and 80–250 Hz frequency bands as well as the path length in the 80–250 Hz frequency band might be good indicators to distinguish the cognitive impairment of SeLECTS patients at the early stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern sugarcane cultivars were generated through interspecific crossing of the stress resistance Saccharum spontaneum and the high sugar content Saccharum officinarum which was domesticated from Saccharum robustum. Magnesium deficiency (MGD) is particularly prominent in tropical and subtropical regions where sugarcane is grown, but the response mechanism to MGD in sugarcane remains unknown. Physiological and transcriptomic analysis of the three founding Saccharum species under different magnesium (Mg) levels was performed. Our result showed that MGD decreased chlorophyll content and photosynthetic efficiency of three Saccharum species but led to increased starch in leaves and lignin content in roots of Saccharum robustum and Saccharum spontaneum. We identified 12,129, 11,306 and 12,178 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of Saccharum officinarum, Saccharum robustum and Saccharum spontaneum, respectively. In Saccharum officinarum, MGD affected signal transduction by up-regulating the expression of xylan biosynthesis process-related genes. Saccharum robustum, responded to the MGD by regulating the expression of transcription and detoxification process-related genes. Saccharum spontaneum, avoids damage from MGD by regulating the expression of the signing transduction process and the transformation from growth and development to reproductive development. This novel repertoire of candidate genes related to MGD response in sugarcane will be helpful for engineering MGD tolerant varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homeobox (HB) genes play important roles in plant growth and development processes, particularly in the formation of lateral organs. Thus, they could influence leaf morphogenesis and biomass formation in plants. However, little is known about HBs in sugarcane, a crucial sugar crop, due to its complex genetic background. Here, 302 allelic sequences for 104 HBs were identified and divided into 13 subfamilies in sugarcane Saccharum spontaneum. Comparative genomics revealed that whole-genome duplication (WGD)/segmental duplication significantly promoted the expansion of the HB family in S. spontaneum, with SsHB26, SsHB63, SsHB64, SsHB65, SsHB67, SsHB95, and SsHB96 being retained from the evolutionary event before the divergence of dicots and monocots. Based on the analysis of transcriptome and degradome data, we speculated that SsHB15 and SsHB97 might play important roles in regulating sugarcane leaf morphogenesis, with miR166 and SsAGO10 being involved in the regulation of SsHB15 expression. Moreover, subcellular localization and transcriptional activity detection assays demonstrated that these two genes, SsHB15 and SsHB97, were functional transcription factors. This study demonstrated the evolutionary relationship and potential functions of SsHB genes and will enable the further investigation of the functional characterization and the regulatory mechanisms of SsHBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insufficient sensitivity caused by low radiative intensity of employed fluorescent material is the main obstacle toward early accurate diagnosis of fatal diseases when applying fluorescence analysis. Herein, we have developed a dual amplification procedure to overcome this issue. We first synthesize high-quality CdSe@ZnS@SiO 2 core/shell quantum dots (QDs) with type-I band alignment to confine the carrier wave functions, thus ensuring high quantum yield (∼ 80%). The fluorescence intensity of those QDs is further amplified by localized surface plasmon resonance effect enabled by gold nanoparticles. We finally construct CdSe@ZnS@SiO 2 and Au@SiO 2 immune sandwich biosensor platform, and take C-reaction protein (CRP) as a test case. It is shown that this biosensor platform exhibits a wide detecting range between 0.5 and 100 ng/mL, and detecting limit of 0.076 ng/mL. We further apply this detecting scheme in serum and actual clinical, competing performance compared with the prevailing standard measurements in hospital has been obtained. Both experiment and the finite element analysis (FEA) approach calculation results indicate that a highly enhanced electric field between Au@SiO 2 and CdSe@ZnS@SiO 2 enhances the radiative recombination rates of the QDs@SiO 2 and decreases the fluorescence lifetime of that. The fluorescence intensity amplification scheme proposed herein is of great significance for the real-time and high-sensitivity early detection of biomarkers in the biomedicine. • Designing novel route of biological sensing via high-quality QDs-Gold system. • Highly enhanced electric field between Au@SiO 2 and QDs exists by Experiment and theoretical results. • By LSPR effect, the platform exhibits high sensitivity and wide detection range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) has shown altered immune responses in the periphery. We studied P2X7 (a proinflammatory receptor and a scavenger receptor) and two integrins, CD11b and CD11c, on the surface of circulating leukocytes and analysed their associations with Aβ-PET, brain atrophy, neuropsychological assessments, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers. Total 287 age-matched, sex-balanced participants were recruited in a discovery cohort and two validation cohorts through the AIBL study and studied using tri-colour flow cytometry. Our results demonstrated reduced expressions of P2X7, CD11b, and CD11c on leukocytes, particularly monocytes, in Aβ +ve cases compared with Aβ −ve controls. P2X7 and integrin downregulation was observed at pre-clinical stage of AD and stayed low throughout disease course. We further constructed a polygenic risk score (PRS) model based on 12 P2RX7 risk alleles to assess the genetic impact on P2X7 function in AIBL and ADNI cohorts. No significant association was identified between the P2RX7 gene and AD, indicating that P2X7 downregulation in AD is likely caused by environmental changes rather than genetic factors. In conclusion, the downregulation of P2X7 and integrins at pre-clinical stage of AD indicates altered pro-inflammatory responses, phagocytic functions, and migrating capabilities of circulating monocytes in early AD pathogenesis. Our study not only improves our understanding of peripheral immune involvement in early stage of AD but also provides more insights into novel biomarker development, diagnosis, and prognosis of AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To more accurately predict the migration behavior of pollutants in porous media, we conduct laboratory scale experiments and model simulation. Aniline (AN) is used in one‐dimensional soil column experiments designed under various media and hydrodynamic conditions. The advection‐dispersion equation (ADE) and the continuous‐time random walk (CTRW) were used to simulate the breakthrough curves (BTCs) of the solute transport. The results show that the media and hydrodynamic conditions are two important factors affecting solute transport and are related to the degree of non‐Fickian transport. The simulation results show that CTRW can more effectively describe the non‐Fickian phenomenon in the solute transport process than ADE. The sensitive parameter in the CTRW simulation process is β, which can reflect the degree of non‐Fickian diffusion in the solute transport. Understanding the relationship of β with velocity and media particle size is conducive to improving the reactive solute transport model. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for better prediction of pollutant transport in groundwater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Ultrafast pulse wave velocity (UFPWV) is an innovative and practical technology that can assess blood vessel elastic function. This study explored the elastic function of the carotid artery using UFPWV and factors influencing pulse wave velocity (PWV) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: Overall, 120 patients with RA and 60 healthy controls were evaluated. Participants underwent UFPWV and carotid artery intima‐media thickness (cIMT) assessment. The patients were classified into a mild activity group (group A) and a moderate‐to‐severe activity group (group B). Differences in clinical indicators among the groups were determined, and the correlation between each indicator and PWV values was analyzed. Results: The PWV values were higher in group B than in group A and were higher in group A than in the control group (p <.05). The PWV values in the patient group positively correlated with anticyclic citrullinated peptide (anti‐CCP) antibody, disease course, age, platelets (PLT) count, rheumatoid factor (RF), body mass index (BMI), total cholesterol (TC) level, and triglycerides (TG) level and were negatively correlated with 25‐hydroxyvitamin D3 (25[OH]D3) and hemoglobin (Hb) levels (p <.05). In addition, anti‐CCP antibody, age, RF, and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol were risk factors for arteriosclerosis, whereas Hb and 25(OH)D3 were protective factors (p <.05). Conclusion: UFPWV allows early and accurate detection of changes in arterial elasticity and enables early intervention to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events in patients with RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, remarkable strides have been made in the field of immunotherapy, which has emerged as a standard treatment for many cancers. As a kind of immunotherapy drug, monoclonal antibodies employed in immune checkpoint therapy have proven beneficial for patients with diverse cancer types. However, owing to the extensive heterogeneity of clinical responses and the complexity and variability of the immune system and tumor microenvironment (TME), accurately predicting its efficacy remains a challenge. Recent advances in aptamers provide a promising approach for monitoring alterations within the immune system and TME, thereby facilitating targeted immunotherapy, particularly focused on immune checkpoint blockade, with enhanced antitumor efficiency. Aptamers have been widely used in tumor cell detection, biosensors, drug discovery, and biomarker screening due to their high specificity and high affinity with their targets. This review aims to comprehensively examine the research status and progress of aptamers in cancer diagnosis and immunotherapy, with a specific emphasis on those related to immune checkpoints. Additionally, we will discuss the future research directions and potential therapeutic targets for aptamer-based immune checkpoint therapy, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for targeting immunotherapy molecules and blocking tumor immune escape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noise interference has become a common health risk in population-densified urban areas where social noise occurs frequently. However, the influence of an individual's perception of social noise exposure risk on reactive behavior remains unknown. This study developed an integrative psychosocial perspective-based model that includes constructs from two theoretical frameworks (the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Value-Belief-Norm theory) to analyze noise risk perception and behavioral intention for social noise mitigation. Haidian District, Beijing, was selected as the case study area and 300 questionnaires were distributed. The results showed that personal attributes had significant effects on residents' noise exposure risk perception and noise-mitigation behavioral intentions. Noise perception, as represented by awareness of consequences and ascription of responsibility, was significantly related to noise mitigation behavioral intention. Awareness of consequences directly positively influenced behavioral intention (β = 0.235, p < 0.001) and indirectly positively influenced behavioral intention through the mediating effect of the ascription of responsibility, which accounted for 24 % of the total effect of awareness of consequences on behavioral intention. This study provides valuable insights into the risks of social noise and encourages adaptive measures to reduce it. • Noise perception and behavioral intention was discussed on a community scale. • Education level showed differences in noise perception and behavioral intention. • The ascription of responsibility affected noise reduction behavior intention positively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new type of film packaging made from natural polysaccharide materials, with its environmental safety and friendliness, is considered as a potential substitute for plastics. Novel polysaccharide composite films based upon citrus pectin (CP) and sodium alginate (SA) were successfully prepared and characterized, containing pterostilbene (PTE) at various concentrations (0.2, 0.4, 0.8, 1.6, 3.2 mM). The rheological analysis displayed that all film-forming liquids performed no gelation behavior with G" > G' at low frequency and weak gelation with G" < G' at high frequency. The SA-CP films had good tensile strength (TS) and elongation at break (EB), while adding PTE as an antioxidant to the film reduced both the values. Of note, the SA-CP films with PTE had better moisture resistance than that of the pure SA-CP films, which was related to the changes of its microstructure. The increased roughness of the films containing PTE was observed by microscope. After calcium chloride cross-linking, the water solubility of the films was reduced, while its thermal stability was improved. Notably, the accretion of PTE expressively enhanced the antioxidant properties of the SA-CP films. Thus, the SA-CP composite films containing PTE could be utilized as an excellent antioxidant packaging material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease characterised by cognitive impairment, behavioural alteration, and functional decline. Over 130 AD-associated susceptibility loci have been identified by genome-wide association studies (GWAS), while whole genome sequencing (WGS) and whole exome sequencing (WES) studies have identified AD-associated rare variants. These variants are enriched in APOE, TREM2, CR1, CD33, CLU, BIN1, CD2AP, PILRA, SCIMP, PICALM, SORL1, SPI1, RIN3, and more genes. Given that aging is the single largest risk factor for late-onset AD (LOAD), the accumulation of somatic mutations in the brain and blood of AD patients have also been explored. Collectively, these genetic findings implicate the role of innate and adaptive immunity in LOAD pathogenesis and suggest that a systemic failure of cell-mediated amyloid-β (Aβ) clearance contributes to AD onset and progression. AD-associated variants are particularly enriched in myeloid-specific regulatory regions, implying that AD risk variants are likely to perturbate the expression of myeloid-specific AD-associated genes to interfere Aβ clearance. Defective phagocytosis, endocytosis, and autophagy may drive Aβ accumulation, which may be related to naturally-occurring antibodies to Aβ (Nabs-Aβ) produced by adaptive responses. Passive immunisation is providing efficiency in clearing Aβ and slowing cognitive decline, such as aducanumab, donanemab, and lecanemab (ban2401). Causation of AD by impairment of the innate immunity and treatment using the tools of adaptive immunity is emerging as a new paradigm for AD, but immunotherapy that boosts the innate immune functions of myeloid cells is highly expected to modulate disease progression at asymptomatic stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the problem of attribute scattering center parameter estimation in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image, a method based on the water wave optimization (WWO) algorithm is proposed. First, the segmentation and decoupling of high-energy regions in SAR image are performed in the image domain to obtain the representation of a single scattering center. Afterwards, based on the parameterized model of the attribute scattering center, an optimization problem is constructed to search for the optimal parameters of the separated single scattering center. In this phase, the WWO algorithm is introduced to optimize the parameters. The algorithm has powerfully global and local searching capabilities and avoids falling into local optimum while ensuring the optimization accuracy. Therefore, the WWO algorithm could ensure the reliability of scattering center parameter estimation. The single scattering center after solution is eliminated from the original image and the residual image is segmented into high-energy regions, so the parameters of the next scattering center are estimated sequentially. Finally, the parameter set of all scattering centers in the input SAR image can be obtained. In the experiments, firstly, the parameter estimation verification is performed based on the SAR images in the MSTAR dataset. The comparison of the parameter estimation results with the original image and the reconstruction based on the estimated parameter set reflect the effectiveness of the proposed method. In addition, the experiment is also conducted using the SAR target recognition algorithms based on the estimated attribute parameters. By comparing the recognition performance with other parameter estimation algorithms under the same conditions, the performance superiority of the proposed method in attribute scattering center parameter estimation is further demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead‐containing halide perovskite materials' toxicity and instability severely restrict their ability to be used in further commercial applications. Herein, a new lead‐free and thermal stable Cs12Zn3.1Mn0.9Cl20 perovskite material obtained via a simple room temperature precipitation method is reported. A high photoluminescence quantum yield of 83.1% can be obtained from the perovskite material Cs12Zn3.1Mn0.9Cl20, which is typically made up of tetragonal vertices and is excitable by ultraviolet (UV) light. More importantly, the relative photoluminescence (PL) intensity still retains roughly 60% of that at 30 °C when the temperature continuously increases to 130 °C. The time‐resolved PL decay lifetime is calculated to be 3.40 ms. With the color coordinates at (0.208 and 0.683) provided by the Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage (CIE), a bright green light‐emitting diode (LED) can be created using the green‐emitting Cs12Zn3.1Mn0.9Cl20 perovskite material. Meanwhile, a warm white LED device with the CIE color coordinates at (0.374, 0.289) and a low color‐correlated temperature of 3245 K is fabricated by the Cs12Zn3.1Mn0.9Cl20 perovskite material combining with a commercial blue and red‐emitting phosphors on a UV InGaN chip. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Clinical Message: In patients with lung adenocarcinoma, angiogenesis‐altering drugs can alter the appearance of leptomeningeal metastasis on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. In the ventral brainstem, this can manifest as a unique, linear, non‐enhancing T2‐hyperintense signal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Membrane Electro-Bioreactor (MEBR), with dual function of electrochemical in-situ membrane fouling mitigation and pollutants removal by chlorine evolution reaction (CIER), has emerged as a promising technology of treating mariculture wastewater. However, the fouling control mechanism regarding extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) variations and related microbial community is still unclear. In this study, MEBR was developed with conducting anode-membrane modified by CNTs-TiO 2 -PEDOT for fouling resistant and ammonia/nitrite removal. The CIER electroactivity was enhanced that onset potential negatively shifted from 1.12 to 0.98 V vs. SCE (saturated calomel electrode). Ammonia removal rate (71.49 mgN/(L·day)) was 176.8 % higher and nitrite was significantly reduced in MEBR than MBR at HRT of 45 min. Membrane fouling was mitigated in MEBR that operation duration was extended by 40 % compared with MBR. The EPS of cake layer on the membrane surface rather than the biofilters was found the main fouling contributor. The significant reduction in LB-EPSp (65.4 %) in MEBR (33.8 % in MBR) was the dominant factor contributing to membrane fouling alleviation, which highly depended on the relative abundance of Hyphomonas and Hirschia. This study will be beneficial for fouling control in seawater treatment. [Display omitted] • CIER activity was enhanced that onset potential negatively shifted to 0.98 V vs. SCE. • Ammonia removal rate was 176.8 % higher in MEBR than MBR at HRT of 45 min. • Fouling was in situ reduced by enhanced CIER and membrane modification by 40 %. • Reduced LB-EPSp of cake layer in MEBR was the dominant factor of fouling mitigation. • The reduced EPS highly depended on the proportion of Hyphomonas and Hirschia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organoids, intricate three-dimensional tissue assemblies derived from either pluripotent or adult stem cells cultured under laboratory conditions, emerge as a captivating model and innovative tool for modern medical research. Biomimetic substrates aim to mirror the in vivo microenvironment, proving crucial for the successful cultivation of organoids. Biomimetic hydrogels, meticulously engineered to emulate the native extracellular matrix milieu, now serve as robust analogs of the in vivo niche pivotal for steering stem cell destiny. The present review delves into the evolution and advancements in hydrogel biomaterials tailored for organoid culture. We explore the intrinsic properties of hydrogels that render them suitable for this application, from their biocompatibility to tunable mechanical properties. Special attention is given to the recent innovations in hydrogel design, aiming to achieve meticulous spatiotemporal control over embedded biochemical cues and their consequential impact on organoid formation, differentiation, and maturation. Furthermore, challenges and potential solutions in scaling and commercial application of these hydrogel systems for therapeutic use are discussed. Conclusively, this review highlights the symbiotic relationship between organoids and hydrogels, elucidating the potential and limitations of this partnership in advancing medical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study was aimed to explore the relationship between neural network changes in newly diagnosed children with Benign Childhood Epilepsy with Centrotemporal Spikes (BECTS) and cognitive impairment. Methods: Children's cognition was evaluated using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children‐Fourth Edition (WISC‐IV). Magnetoencephalographic (MEG) data of 18 healthy children and 22 BECTS patients were recorded in order to construct a functional connectivity (FC) network, which was quantified by graph theory (GT). Results: The mean age of the control group was 7.94 ± 1.89 years, and the mean age of BECTS patients was 8.14 ± 1.73 years. Our results show that the WISC‐IV index scores in the BECTS group were significantly lower than those in the control group. Besides, the FC network pattern of BECTS patients changed significantly in the 12–30, 30–80, and 250–500 Hz frequency band. The local functional connections between posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and frontal lobe varied significantly in 12–30, 80–250, and 250–500 Hz. Our GT analysis shows that the connection strength of BECTS patients increases significantly in the 12–30 Hz frequency band, the path length decreases significantly in the 12–30 Hz and 30–80 Hz frequency bands, with the clustering coefficient decreasing significantly in the 12–30 Hz, 30–80 Hz, and 250–500 Hz frequency bands. Correlation analysis showed that the full‐scale IQ (FSIQ) was positively correlated with the 12–30 Hz clustering coefficient, verbal comprehension index (VCI) was positively correlated with the 250–500 Hz clustering coefficient, perceptual reasoning index (PRI) was positively correlated with the 12–30 Hz clustering coefficient, and perceptual reasoning index (PSI) was negatively correlated with the 12–30 Hz path length. Conclusion: There is a trend of cognitive impairment in patients with early BECTS. This trend of cognitive impairment in early BECTS children may be related to the changes in the FC network pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is related to impaired bone healing and an increased risk of bone fractures. While it is recognized that osteogenic differentiation and the function of osteoblasts are suppressed in DM, the influence of DM on osteoclasts is still unclear. Hyperglycemia and inflammatory environment are the hallmark of DM that causes dysregulation of various pro-inflammatory cytokines and alternated gene expression in periodontal ligament cells, osteoblasts, osteocytes, osteoclasts, and osteoclast precursors. A methodological review on conceptual and practical implications of in vitro study models is used for DM simulation on bone cells. Several major databases were screened to find literature related to the study objective. Published literature within last 20 years that used in vitro DM-simulated models to study how DM affects the cellular behavior of bone cells were selected for this review. Studies utilizing high glucose and serum acquired from diabetic animals are the mainly used methods to simulate the diabetic condition. The combination with various simulating factors such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) have been reported in diabetic situations in vitro, as well. Through screening procedure, it was evident DM-simulated conditions exerted negative impact on bone-related cells. However, inconsistent results were found among different reported studies, which could be due to variation in culture conditions, concentrations of the stimulating factors and cell lineage, etc. This manuscript has concisely reviewed currently existing DM-simulated in vitro models and provides valuable insights of detailed components in simulating DM conditions in vitro. Studies using DM-simulated microenvironment revealed that in vitro simulation negatively impacted periodontal ligament cells, osteoblasts, osteocytes, osteoclasts, and osteoclast precursors. Contrarily, studies also indicated beneficial influence on bone-related cells when such conditions are reversed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apple fruit is delicious fruit with great economic value. However, harvested apples are susceptible to the infection of Penicillium expansum , which results in quality degradation. 'Golden Delicious' apples were dipped with melatonin solution to investigate its influence on blue mold and the dynamic changes of the major metabolites contents and enzymes activities in phenylpropanoid metabolism. Melatonin markedly suppressed lesion development of P. expansum -inoculated apple fruit. Melatonin dipping also distinctly improved 4-coumarate coenzyme A ligase, cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase, phenylalanine ammonia lyase, polyphenol oxidase, laccase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and glucose phosphate isomerase activities. Moreover, p-coumaric acid, total phenolic compounds, ferulic acid, flavonoids, erucic acid, caffeic acid, lignin, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan contents were also enhanced by melatonin. All these findings indicate that melatonin treatment activates the key enzyme activity in phenylpropanoid metabolism to accelerate metabolites accumulation in apples, therefore inducing resistance to blue mold. [Display omitted] • Melatonin restricted lesion diameter in apples after Penicillium expansum inoculation. • Melatonin improved the key enzyme activity in phenylpropanoid pathway in apples. • Melatonin increased phenolic acids, flavonoids, and lignin contents in apples. • Melatonin enhanced phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan contents in apples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • It reported a stable and sensitive nanobodies-armed photothermal LFIA. • Nanobodies as the "umbrella of tolerance" improved the stability to environment. • Polydopamine-assisted synthesis of CPNs enhanced the sensitivity of readout signal. • It was validated successfully in Staphylococcal enterotoxin B with high accuracy. Improving the stability and sensitivity of lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) is an eternal theme in the field of analytical chemistry, and the recent emergence of new molecular recognition element (MRE) and various detection signal offer potential biological and technical possibilities. Here, we innovatively report a nanobodies (Nbs)-armed photothermal lateral flow immunoassay (NLFIA) in which Nbs act as the "umbrella of tolerance", greatly improving the stability of LFIA. Meanwhile, this is complemented by Au core-petal nanoparticles (CPNs), a photothermal material synthesized by a polydopamine (PDA)-assisted two-step method, to enhance the sensitivity of the readable signal. Following proof of concept in staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB), we find that the novel NLFIA not only "suits the case" to improve the tolerance of the strips to the detection environment and the specificity of the target, but also increases the accuracy and comprehensibility of the analysis results on the premise of ensuring the detection sensitivity. The detection limit of NLFIA is 1.68 ng mL−1 (colorimetric mode) and 0.58 ng mL−1 (photothermal mode), which is 25-fold lower than gold standard approach (14.80 ng mL−1). In addition, the proposed method is successfully applied to the detection of SEB in food with high accuracy. This study integrates the novel MRE with photothermal LFIA to provide a reference for the development of a more sensitive and stable platform for the detection of foodborne contaminants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the generalization ability of reinforcement learning (RL) agents is an open and challenging problem and has gradually received attention in recent years. Previous work attempts to partially solve this problem by recombining several learned policies to achieve compositional generalization. However, these methods are usually limited to tasks that are composed of fixed subtasks with no task-agnostic environment change. In this paper, we propose a more flexible method termed MER to learn a compositionally generalizable policy that depends on task-dependent invariant elements among tasks, instead of depending on fixed subtasks. As a result, our learned policy can overcome the task-agnostic change in the environment and generalize to more different compositional tasks. Theoretical analysis and experimental results show that our method outperforms traditional methods and exhibits superior generalization ability in unseen new tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract The composite solvent was selected based on COSMO-SAC and DFT theory, which consisted of [HMIM][PF 6 ]and C 8 H 16 O 2. It is the extractant for DLLME technology in order to improve the performance of extracting Phoxim from water. Highlights • The traditional DLLME is improved with composite solvent. • The composite solvent is screened by COSMO-SAC in DLLME. • DFT is used for verifying the reliability of COSMO-SAC method. • The performance of extracting phoxim from water is improved with composite solvent. Abstract The composite solvent containing ionic liquid is applied in dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) to improve its performance. The solvents are screened by COSMO-SAC method and density functional theory (DFT) is used to verify the reliability of COSMO-SAC. At the same time, DFT is also used to prove the superiority and study the mechanism of the composite solvent. The feasibility of molecular design, the optimized composite ratio and the extraction ratio are obtained by the experiment which provides basic data and theoretical guidance for the screening of composite solvent in DLLME. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Multiplicity adjustment plays a critical role for testing multiple endpoints and/or multiple doses in clinical trials. Under the clinical trial setting, multiple hypotheses are usually grouped into primary and secondary families and hierarchically ordered between and within families. The determination of the order and grouping of the hypotheses depends on the objectives of the trial. In such scenarios, strong control of the family-wise error rate (FWER) can be achieved via either gatekeeping procedures or the graphical approach to sequential testing procedures. The aforementioned two types of procedures are related but are not completely overlapping. Both approaches are assessed in this manuscript, with a focus on the comparison and relationship between the two. In addition, the performance of various constructions of gatekeeping and graphical multiple comparison procedures (MCPs) under a typical clinical trial setting with multiple doses and multiple endpoints is studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tetrahydroxystilbene glucoside (TSG) is a main bioactive component of Polygonum multiflorum, a traditional Chinese medicine known for certain anti-aging effects. Since TSG has been found to extend lifespan in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, we hypothesized that TSG might produce anti-aging benefits in mammals.Objective: The aim was to evaluate the anti-aging potential of TSG and to explore its relative molecular mechanism.Methods: Mice were maintained on standard diet, high-calorie diet (HC), or high-calorie plus TSG diet. Survival rates and body weight changes were recorded weekly. Rotarod analysis was performed to assess the physical fitness of mice. Bone mineral density was assessed using micro-computed tomography. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used for the histological examination of heart, liver, and kidney pathology. The mRNA and protein expression of target genes were analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting, respectively. Mitotracker deep red staining and high-content analysis were used to quantify cellular mitochondrial mass and function.Results: In this study, we found that TSG improved the physiology of aged mice consuming excess calories and delayed senile symptoms. The anti-aging benefits of TSG were mediated at least in part by the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/sirtuin 1 (SIRT1)/peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) signaling cascade, leading to significant improvement in motor function, bone mineral density, HC-induced organ pathology, and mitochondrial function.Conclusion: Our findings show that TSG could be a potential drug candidate for the treatment of aging- and high-calorie intake-associated disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The interaction force between soybean protein isolate and chitosan quaternary ammonium salt was elucidated. • The effects of different HACC contents on SPI microstructure were characterized. • The emulsification ability of different concentrations of SPI was evaluated by electrical conductivity. • The non-covalent binding between protein and polysaccharide can improve the emulsifying property of protein. Soy protein isolate (SPI) has good emulsifying ability, but is greatly affected by the environment. The addition of polysaccharides either increases or decreases the stability of SPI. We report and prepared for the first time SPI/HACC complexes with different polysaccharide contents (SPI/HACC ratios are 1:1, 2:1 and 5:1). The binding properties, microstructure and emulsifying properties of the SPI/HACC complexes were determined and analyzed. The results showed that the interaction them is mainly through hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interaction, hydrophobic interaction and steric hindrance effect. The combination of SPI and HACC overcomes their respective limitations and the microstructure is more flat and smooth. It was also found that the emulsifying ability and concentration of SPI showed a certain correlation and the addition of HACC significantly improved the emulsifying ability and storage stability of SPI. This study shows that the prepared SPI/HACC complex has great potential for application in the food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the frequency and characteristics of accessory mental foramina (AMFs) and their bony canals in a selected Chinese population using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT).Materials and Methods: Reconstructed CBCT images of the mandible in 784 Chinese patients (305 males and 479 females) were retrospectively analysed to identify the AMF. The presence, dimension and location of the AMF as well as the origin and course of the associated bony canal were evaluated and classified. Variations in these characteristics were analysed according to gender, side and age.Results: A total of 66 AMFs were found in 57 (7.3%) of the 784 patients. The frequency of AMFs was significantly influenced by gender and side of the mandible (p < .05). Most AMFs were located apically between apices of the first and second premolars. The high-position AMFs (above the mental foramen) accounted for 54.5% of the total. The mean horizontal and vertical diameters of the AMF were 1.38 ± 0.47 and 1.23 ± 0.37 mm, respectively. Two typical types of the bony canal leading to the AMF were identified according to their bifurcation site from the mandibular canal. Most bony canals originated from the anterior loop of the mental canal (56.1%) and coursed posterosuperiorly (36.3%). The mean length of the bony canals was 5.78 ± 2.31 mm.Conclusions: This study presents a considerable frequency of AMFs in a Chinese population. The high-position AMF and the associated bony canal coursing in the oblique upward direction appear frequently. Thus, clinicians should be alert to the presence of the AMF to avoid neurovascular complications especially when dental procedures require periosteum detachment and implant insertion in the mental region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews recent advances in photonic-assisted radio-frequency arbitrary waveform generation (RF-AWG), with emphasis on programmable ultrabroadband microwave and millimeter-wave waveforms. The key enabling components in these techniques are programmable optical pulse shaping, frequency-to-time mapping via dispersive propagation, and high-speed photodetection. The main advantages and challenges of several different photonic RF-AWG schemes are discussed. We further review some proof-of-concept demonstrations of ultrabroadband RF-AWG applications, including high-resolution ranging and ultrabroadband non-line-of-sight channel compensation. Finally, we present recent progress toward RF-AWG with increased time aperture and time-bandwidth product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Control over the number of mtDNA molecules per cell appears to be tightly regulated, but the mechanisms involved are largely unknown. Reversible alterations in the amount of mtDNA occur in response to stress suggesting that control over the amount of mtDNA is involved in stress-related diseases including major depressive disorder (MDD). Using low-coverage sequence data from 10,442 Chinese women to compute the normalized numbers of reads mapping to the mitochondrial genome as a proxy for the amount of mtDNA, we identified two loci that contribute to mtDNA levels: one within the TFAM gene on chromosome 10 (rs11006126, p value = 8.73 × 10 −28 , variance explained = 1.90%) and one over the CDK6 gene on chromosome 7 (rs445, p value = 6.03 × 10 −16 , variance explained = 0.50%). Both loci replicated in an independent cohort. CDK6 is thus a new molecule involved in the control of mtDNA. We identify increased rates of heteroplasmy in women with MDD, and show from an experimental paradigm using mice that the increase is likely due to stress. Furthermore, at least one heteroplasmic variant is significantly associated with changes in the amount of mtDNA (position 513, p value = 3.27 × 10 −9 , variance explained = 0.48%) suggesting site-specific heteroplasmy as a possible link between stress and increase in amount of mtDNA. These findings indicate the involvement of mitochondrial genome copy number and sequence in an organism’s response to stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiplicity control is an important statistical issue in clinical trials where strong control of the type I error rate is required. Many multiple testing methods have been proposed and applied to address multiplicity issues in clinical trials. This paper provides an application oriented and comprehensive overview of commonly used multiple testing procedures and recent developments in statistical methodology in multiple testing in clinical trials. Commonly used multiple testing procedures are applied to test non-hierarchical hypotheses and gatekeeping procedures can be used to test hierarchically ordered hypotheses while controlling the overall type I error rate. The recently developed graphical approach has the flexibility to integrate hierarchical and non-hierarchical procedures into one framework. A graphical multiple testing procedure with “no-dead-end” provides an opportunity to fully recycle α across hypothesis families. Two hypothetical clinical trial examples are used to illustrate applications of these procedures. The advantages and disadvantages of the different procedures are briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in Sn2+ and glycine levels are relevant to many important physiological procedures in human health. However, investigation of their physiological functions is limited because few versatile methods towards Sn2+ and glycine detection have been developed. In this work, a fluorescence turn on–off-on strategy was firstly constructed for rapid and sensitive detection of Sn2+ and glycine through the specific binding between Sn2+ and glycine. Carbon nanodots (CDs) with a quantum yield of 19.5% were synthesized by utilizing inner film of waste eggshell as carbon source and employed as fluorescent probe. In the presence of Sn2+, the fluorescence of CDs was quenched by Sn2+ via the primary inner filter effect (IFE). However, the binding between Sn2+ and glycine prevented the IFE between Sn2+ and CDs, resulting in fluorescence recovery of CDs. Under optimized conditions, the fluorescent response of CDs displayed good linear relationships with the concentrations of Sn2+ in the range of 10–200 µM and 200–5000 µM, and the limit of detection (LOD) was 2.4 µM. For glycine detection, a good linear relationship was obtained in the concentration range of 5–1000 µM with a low LOD down to 0.76 µM. Moreover, the practicability of the assay was also demonstrated by measuring glycine content in human serum samples. This work provides an economical, green and fast method for biological analysis of Sn2+ and glycine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In clinical studies, it is common to have binary outcomes collected over time as repeated measures. This manuscript reviews and evaluates two popular classes of statistical methods for analyzing binary response data with repeated measures: likelihood-based Generalized Linear Mixed Model (GLMM), and semiparametric Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE). Recommendations for choice of analysis model and points to consider for implementation in clinical studies in the presence of missing data are provided based on a comprehensive literature review, as well as, a simulation study evaluating the performance of both GLMM and GEE under scenarios representative of typical clinical trial settings. Under Missing at Random (MAR) assumption, GLMM is preferred over GEE, and the SAS PROC GLIMMIX marginal model is recommended for implementing GLMM in analyzing clinical trial data. When there is an underlying continuous variable used to define the binary response, and the missing proportion is high and/or unbalanced between treatment groups, a two-step approach combining Multiple Imputation (MI) and GEE (MI-GEE) is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignin is a renewable biomass resource with excellent application potential; however, the extremely complex structure of lignin renders it difficult to effectively degrade and use. In this context, it is necessary to identify a catalyst that can be easily recovered to increase the lignin degradation rate. In this paper, two temperature-responsive deep eutectic solvents (TRDESs), which can form homogeneous phases with reactants at a high temperature and separate from the reaction system at low temperature, were designed to catalyse lignin degradation. Based on the |HOMO-LUMO| gap, [Bmim]Cl and ChCl, which have a high catalytic activity, were selected from 22 deep eutectic solvents (DESs). [Bmim]Cl-EDTA (mole ratio = 1:1) was obtained by combining [Bmim]Cl and EDTA. ChCl-SA (mole ratio = 1:1) was obtained by combining ChCl and salicylic acid (SA). Results of COSMO-SAC modelling calculations and solubility experiments indicated that TRDESs can respond to temperature. Specifically, these solvents can form a homogeneous phase with the reactants at high temperatures, thereby increasing the number and uniformity of the reaction sites. Moreover, the solvents can be separated from the reaction system at low temperature, which enables efficient recycling of the catalyst. Results of lignin degradation experiments indicated that the catalytic performance of [Bmim]Cl-EDTA is higher than that of the other DESs: the degradation rate of lignin is 83.63%, and the catalyst exhibits a satisfactory catalytic effect even after multiple cycles. • A molecular design method of temperature-responsive DES is proposed. • Two TRDESs with temperature response are designed. • The two TRDESs solve the problem that the catalyst is not easy to recover. • Two TRDESs can improve the degradation efficiency of lignin. • The reliability of molecular design is proved by experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are inconsistent results of cohort studies analyzing the association between fish intake and mortality. Objective: This study was performed to explore the association of oily fish consumption and nonoily fish consumption with all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality. Methods: A total of 431,062 participants from the UK Biobank who were without cancer or cardiovascular disease (CVD) at baseline between 2006 and 2010 were included in this study, and they were followed up through 2021. We constructed Cox proportional hazard models to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) to assess the correlation of oily fish and nonoily fish intakes with mortality. Then, we performed subgroup analyses, and sensitivity analyses were developed and performed to examine the robustness of this study. Results: Among the participants, 383,248 (88.9%) and 410,499 (95.2%) consumed oily fish and nonoily fish, respectively. Compared with the participants who did not consume oily fish, the adjusted HRs for the association of oily fish consumption (1 serving/week) with all-cause mortality and CVD mortality were 0.93 (0.87 to 0.98; p < 0.05) and 0.85 (0.74 to 0.98; p < 0.05), respectively. The multivariable-adjusted HRs of all-cause mortality for those who reported consuming < 1 serving/week of oily fish were 0.92 (0.86 to 0.98; p < 0.05). Conclusion: Compared with participants who reported never consuming oily fish, the consumption of oily fish with 1 serving/week was more beneficial for all-cause and CVD mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Ni-Fe oxide-PEDOT electrooxidation catalyst for efficient NH 3 -N removal in seawater. • Ammonia removal was 88.2% in E-BAFs, 33.7% higher than BAFs, at HRT of 50 min. • Nitrite removal reached 69.9 % in E-BAFs and 45.3% in the control. • Proportion of nitrifying bacteria and functional genes were more dominant in E-BAFs. • SGR of Sebastes schlegelii was significantly higher in experimental group. Efficient ammonia and nitrite removal in low nutrient recirculating seawater of recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) is critical for healthy cultivation. However, it is hard for conventional biological aerated filters (BAFs) to meet this demand under short hydraulic retention time (HRT). The electrooxidation-BAFs (E-BAFs) were constructed for efficient seawater treatment in a RAS of Sebastes schlegelii , with high activity anodic catalyst Ni-Fe oxide-PEDOT. Satisfactory ammonia removal (88.2% in E-BAFs, 33.7% higher than the control, stage 3) and nitrite removal (69.9 % in E-BAFs, 45.3% in the control) were achieved at HRT of 50 min. The proportion of nitrifying bacteria (Nitrospira, Nitrosomonas and Nitrosopumilus) and nitrification/denitrification genes (amo CAB, nxr AB, nar GHI, et. al) were higher in E-BAFs than the control, suggesting better potential in functional bacteria enrichment. Aerobic colony number in RAS with E-BAFs was lower and specific growth rate (SGR) of Sebastes schlegelii (3.79%) was significantly higher, indicating a better culture effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Patients with Rolandic epilepsy display a wide range of diffuse cognitive deficits. • Children with bilateral spikes had random functional connectivity. • Suboptimal network topology maybe the mechanism of cognitive impairment. • Children with bilateral spikes maybe had at a higher risk of cognitive impairment. Rolandic epilepsy (RE) is one of the most common forms of epilepsy syndromes in children. The condition is usually accompanied with either unilateral or bilateral centrotemporal epileptic discharge. Despite the term "benign", many studies have reported that children with benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) display a range of pervasive cognitive difficulties. In addition, existing research suggests that unilateral and bilateral centrotemporal spikes may affect cognition through different mechanisms. Consequently, the present study aimed to investigate cognitive impairment and the resting-state network topology of children with benign epilepsy with unilateral centrotemporal spikes (U-BECTS) and with bilateral centrotemporal spikes (B-BECTS). This study recruited 14 children with U-BECTS and 14 with B-BECTS. Thereafter, cognition was assessed in 28 children with BECTS and 14 healthy controls, using the fourth edition of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale (WISC-IV). Additionally, the functional network of the brain was constructed through magnetoencephalography (MEG) to record the resting-state brain magnetic signals of the brain and by computing virtual sensor waveforms at the source level. Moreover, graph theory (GT) analysis was used to assess the properties of the brain network. Children in the B-BECTS group had an earlier onset of epilepsy compared to those in the U-BECTS category. In addition, both the B-BECTS and U-BECTS groups had lower Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ), Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI), and Working Memory Index (WMI) scores, compared to the healthy controls although only children in the B-BECTS category had lower Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI) scores. The results also showed that both BECTS groups had increased frontal cortex connectivity in specific frequency bands. Notably, children with B-BECTS showed a more disorderly and randomized network in the 1–4-Hz and 80–250-Hz frequency bands. Moreover, GT analysis showed that children with B-BECTS had lower clustering coefficient and characteristic path length in the 80–250-Hz frequency bands and higher connection strength in the 4–8-Hz frequency bands. On the other hand, the U-BECTS group had a higher clustering coefficient in the 8–12-Hz frequency bands, compared to the healthy controls. Correlation analysis revealed that there were negative correlations between network parameters, clinical characteristics, and neuropsychological data in the U-BECTS category. The findings revealed that children with BECTS display a diffuse early cognitive deficit. In addition, resting-state suboptimal network topology may be the mechanism of cognitive impairment in children with BECTS. The study also showed that and children with B-BECTS may be at a higher risk of cognitive impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capillary zone electrophoresis-multiple/single reaction monitoring (CZE-MRM/SRM), which employed an electrokinetically driven sheath-flow electrospray interface, was used for the rapid and highly sensitive detection of protein analytes in complex tryptic digests. MRM channels were developed against a commercial exponential mixture of bovine proteins. Five proteins spanning four orders of magnitude concentration range were confidently detected from only 2.5 ng of the digest mixture; the mass detection limits (S/N = 3) of two detected proteins, alpha-casein and glutamate dehydrogenase were about 600 zmol and 30 amol, respectively. This technique was then applied to a RAW 264.7 cell lysate digest. Three proteins were confidently and reproducibly detected from 100 pg of this digest. The sample amount corresponds to the approximate protein content from a single cell, which suggests that CZE-MRM may be a useful analytical tool in chemical cytometry. In addition to providing highly sensitive detection of proteins in complex mixtures, this system is highly rapid; migration time of the protein digests was less than 10 min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Epigenetic variants carried by circulating tumor DNA can be used as biomarkers for early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by noninvasive liquid biopsy. However, traditional methylation analysis method, bisulfite sequencing, with disadvantages of severe DNA damage, is limited in application of low-amount cfDNA analysis. Results: Through mild enzyme-mediated conversion, enzymatic methyl sequencing (EM-seq) is ideal for precise determination of cell-free DNA methylation and provides an opportunity for HCC early detection. EM-seq of methylation control DNA showed that enzymatic conversion of unmethylated C to U was more efficient than bisulfite conversion. Moreover, a relatively large proportion of incomplete converted EM-seq reads contains more than 3 unconverted CH site (CH = CC, CT or CA), which can be removed by filtering to improve accuracy of methylation detection by EM-seq. A cohort of 241 HCC, 76 liver disease, and 279 normal plasma samples were analyzed for methylation value on 1595 CpGs using EM-seq and targeted capture. Model training identified 283 CpGs with significant differences in methylation levels between HCC and non-HCC samples. A HCC screening model based on these markers can efficiently distinguish HCC sample from non-HCC samples, with area under the curve of 0.957 (sensitivity = 90%, specificity = 97%) in the test set, performing well in different stages as well as in serum α-fetoprotein/protein induced by vitamin K absence-II negative samples. Conclusion: Filtering of reads with ≥ 3 CHs derived from incomplete conversion can significantly reduce the noise of EM-seq detection. Based on targeted EM-seq analysis of plasma cell-free DNA, our HCC screening model can efficiently distinguish HCC patients from non-HCC individuals with high sensitivity and specificity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignin has great potential as a natural, green, and sustainable broad-spectrum sunscreen active ingredient. However, the coexistence of dark color and sunscreen properties hinders its application in cosmetics. In this study, we focus on the effects of the molecular weight of lignin on tis UV-protecting property and color in order to prepare lignin-based sunscreen with high performance. A prepared sunscreen containing low molecular weight lignin (F5, <1000 g/mol) exhibits good UV-protecting property (sun protection factor (SPF) = 7.14) and light color advantages (ΔE = 46.2). Moreover, a strong synergistic effect on UV-protecting property exists between low molecular weight lignin and ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (EHMC), resulting in high SPF of F5@EHMC-based sunscreen (55.56). Additionally, added TiO 2 can efficiently mitigate the dark color of lignin-based sunscreens due to prominent covering power of TiO 2. Moreover, lignin-based sunscreens have good biocompatibility with HaCaT cells. This work is useful for understanding the mechanism of the UV-protecting property and dark color of lignin, and for designing an efficient and safe lignin-based sunscreen. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Musculoskeletal tissues, such as bone, cartilage, and muscle, are natural composite materials that are constructed with a hierarchical structure ranging from the cell to tissue level. The component differences and structural complexity, together, require comprehensive multiscale mechanical characterization. In this review, we focus on nanoindentation testing, which is used for nanometer to sub-micrometer length scale mechanical characterization. In the following context, we will summarize studies of nanoindentation in musculoskeletal research, examine the critical factors that affect nanoindentation testing results, and briefly summarize other commonly used techniques that can be conjoined with nanoindentation for synchronized imaging and colocalized characterization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation: There is now a large literature on statistical methods for the meta-analysis of genomic data from multiple studies. However, a crucial assumption for performing many of these analyses is that the data exhibit small between-study variation or that this heterogeneity can be sufficiently modelled probabilistically.Results: In this article, we propose ‘assumption weighting’, which exploits a weighted hypothesis testing framework proposed by Genovese et al. to incorporate tests of between-study variation into the meta-analysis context. This methodology is fast and computationally simple to implement. Several weighting schemes are considered and compared using simulation studies. In addition, we illustrate application of the proposed methodology using data from several high-profile stem cell gene expression datasets.Availability: http://works.bepress.com/debashis_ghosh/50/Contact: ghoshd@psu.edu [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Post partum depression (PPD) is relatively common in China but its clinical characteristics and risk factors have not been studied. We set out to investigate whether known risk factors for PPD could be found in Chinese women. Methods: A case control design was used to determine the impact of known risk factors for PPD in a cohort of 1970 Chinese women with recurrent DSM-IV major depressive disorder (MDD). In a within-case design we examined the risk factors for PPD in patients with recurrent MDD. We compared the clinical features of MDD in cases with PPD to those without MDD. Odds ratios were calculated using logistic and ordinal regression. Results: Lower occupational and educational statuses increased the risk of PPD, as did a history of pre-menstrual symptoms, stressful life events and elevated levels of the personality trait of neuroticism. Patients with PPD and MDD were more likely to experience a comorbid anxiety disorder, had a younger age of onset of MDD, have higher levels of neuroticism and dysthymia. Limitations: Results obtained in this clinical sample may not be applicable to PPD within the community. Data were obtained retrospectively and we do not know whether the correlations we observe have the same causes as those operating in other populations. Conclusions: Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that the despite cultural differences between Chinese and Western women, the phenomenology and risk factors for PPD are very similar. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: Years of education are inversely related to the prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD), but the relationship between the clinical features of MDD and educational status is poorly understood. We investigated this in 1970 Chinese women with recurrent MDD identified in a clinical setting. Methods: Clinical and demographic features were obtained from 1970 Han Chinese women with DSM-IV major depression between 30 and 60years of age across China. Analysis of linear, logistic and multiple logistic regression models were used to determine the association between educational level and clinical features of MDD. Results: Subjects with more years of education are more likely to have MDD, with an odds ratio of 1.14 for those with more than ten years. Low educational status is not associated with an increase in the number of episodes, nor with increased rates of co-morbidity with anxiety disorders. Education impacts differentially on the symptoms of depression: lower educational attainment is associated with more biological symptoms and increased suicidal ideation and plans to commit suicide. Limitations: Findings may not generalize to males or to other patient populations. Since the threshold for treatment seeking differs as a function of education there may an ascertainment bias in the sample. Conclusions: The relationship between symptoms of MDD and educational status in Chinese women is unexpectedly complex. Our findings are inconsistent with the simple hypothesis from European and US reports that low levels of educational attainment increase the risk and severity of MDD. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Capillary electrophoresis can provide fast and efficient separations of peptides. However, the high speed separation and limited loading capacity of capillary electrophoresis requires the use of a fast and sensitive detector. While laser-induced fluorescence provides exquisite sensitivity and millisecond response time, it inherently generates a low information content signal. In contrast, mass spectrometry provides an information rich signal that is attractive for peptide analysis. The recently introduced Velos-Orbitrap mass spectrometer is capable of fast and sensitive tandem MS acquisition and simultaneous high accuracy MS acquisition, which is well suited for coupling with fast and efficient separation methods for peptide analysis. We evaluated this instrument as a detector for peptide separation by capillary electrophoresis. In MS mode, we observed low attomole detection limits for a number of peptides in a tryptic digest of standard proteins with high mass resolution (30,000 at m/z 400). The response time of the Orbitrap at this resolution was ∼0.70s, which was adequate to reconstruct the peak shape and area of our electrophoretic peaks. The linear ion-trap successfully recorded tandem MS spectra of tryptic peptides at 20nM concentration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Aldehyde- and NHS-activated magnetic microspheres were used to immobilize trypsin (CHO-trypsin and NHS-trypsin), and their performance for protein digestion was evaluated by reversed phase liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry using an LTQ Orbitrap Velos instrument. NHS-trypsin provided greater sequence coverage and identified more peptides for the digestion of bovine serum albumin. A 1-min digestion at room temperature using the immobilized trypsin also identified more peptides (96±6 vs. 48±1) and produced higher sequence coverage (90±2% vs. 75±2%) than traditional free trypsin digestion for 12h at 37°C. Analysis of 15nM (0.001mg/mL) BSA digested by NHS-trypsin in 1min at room temperature consistently yielded one detected peptide; 150nM BSA generated 22 peptides. Peptide intensity and protein spectral count were used to evaluate the run-to-run digestion reproducibility of NHS-trypsin with a three-protein-mixture. Three high intensity peptides for each protein generated intensity ratios from 0.70 to 1.09 and spectral count ratios from 0.78 to 1.18. Finally, RAW 264.7 cell lysates were digested by NHS-trypsin for 10min and 30min at room temperature, 604 and 697 protein groups, respectively, were identified by RPLC–ESI-MS/MS, with a peptide false discovery rate of less than 1%. Digestion by solution phase trypsin for 12h at 37°C resulted in identification of 878 protein groups. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]