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Three multiphase metallaphotoredox catalysts M−Salen−CMP (M Zn, Cu and Co) with dual-catalytic functions were constructed by linking M−salen (M Zn, Cu and Co) and 2, 4, 6-tris(4-ethylphenyl)-1, 3, 5-triazine (TEPT) monomer via covalent bonds. The catalysts M−SATE−CMP (M Zn, Cu and Co) have different d-band centers based on different metal active centers, resulting in the difference of the optical property as well as their adsorption and activation capacities for the reactants. Therefore, they can selectively photocatalytically oxidize β-keto esters to α-hydroperoxide β-keto esters (ROOH) or α-hydroxyl β-keto esters (ROH), where ROOH is an intermediate of ROH. [Display omitted] Photocatalytic selective oxidation plays an important role in developing green chemistry. However, it is challenging to design an efficient photocatalyst for controlling the selectivity of photocatalytic oxidation reaction and exploring its detailed mechanism. Here, we synthesized three conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) with D-A structures, named M−SATE−CMPs (M Zn, Cu and Co), with different d-band centers based on different metal centers, resulting in the discrepancy in adsorption and activation capacities for the reactants, which produces the selectivity of β-keto esters being catalyzed into α-hydroperoxide β-keto esters (ROOH) or to α-hydroxyl β-keto esters (ROH). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations also demonstrate that the adsorption and activation capacities of the metal active centers in M−SATE−CMPs (M Zn, Cu and Co) for ROOH are the key factors to influence the photocatalytic selective oxidation of β-keto ester. This study provides a promising strategy for designing a metallaphotoredox catalyst whose photocatalytic selectivity depends on the d-band center of metal site in the catalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipid droplets (LDs) are composed of a core of neutral lipids wrapped by a phospholipid (PL) monolayer containing several hundred proteins that vary between different cells or organisms. How LD proteins target to LDs is still largely unknown. Here, we show that RNAi knockdown or gene mutation of let-767, encoding a member of hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD), displaced the LD localization of three well-known LD proteins: DHS-3 (dehydrogenase/reductase), PLIN-1 (perilipin), and DGAT-2 (diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 2), and also prevented LD growth in Caenorhabditis elegans. LET-767 interacts with ARF-1 (ADP-ribosylation factor 1) to prevent ARF-1 LD translocation for appropriate LD protein targeting and lipid homeostasis. Deficiency of LET-767 leads to the release of ARF-1, which further recruits and promotes translocation of ATGL-1 (adipose triglyceride lipase) to LDs for lipolysis. The displacement of LD proteins caused by LET-767 deficiency could be reversed by inhibition of either ARF-1 or ATGL-1. Our work uncovers a unique LET-767 for determining LD protein targeting and maintaining lipid homeostasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project is an international collaboration to build the world's largest radio telescope, whose sensitivity and measurement speed will be an order of magnitude higher than those of all current radio telescopes. Radio continuum survey is one of the main observation mode of the SKA, and the establishment of a standard map of the survey area based on continuum imaging will provide an important foundation for subsequent astronomical science. The GaLactic and Extragalactic All-sky Murchison Widefield Array survey eXtended (GLEAM-X) is a project of the SKA pilot telescope Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) in 2018—2020. GLEAM-X is a new radio continuum survey project to be carried out with the MWA Phase II expansion array in 2018—2020. The experience of optimizing the imaging pipeline based on the distributed execution framework will help to solve the problem of massive data processing. In this paper, we describe the process steps of GLEAM-X imaging pipeline, integrate and improve it, and realize parallel processing of multiple pipelines on the China SKA Regional Centre Prototype (CSRC-P), and verify the deployment and test the correctness of the imaging pipeline system using GLEAM-X observation data. The GLEAM-X observations were used to validate the deployment of the imaging pipeline system and test its correctness. Then, to optimize the pipelines and improve the processing efficiency, the Data Activated Liu Graph Engine (DALiuGE) was used to integrate the imaging pipelines into the DALiuGE execution framework to automate the distributed parallel processing of the pipelines. Performance tests and results' analysis show that the optimized imaging pipeline based on the DALiuGE execution framework has better performance, more flexible adaptability, and scalability than the traditional parallel approach, and can support future large-scale continuum imaging experiments during the first phase of SKA commissioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical reactions are generally assumed to proceed from reactants to products along the minimum energy path (MEP). However, straying from the MEP—roaming—has been recognized as an unconventional reaction mechanism and found to occur in both the ground and first excited states. Its existence in highly excited states is however not yet established. We report a dissociation channel to produce electronically excited fragments, S(1D)+O2(a1Δg), from SO2 photodissociation in highly excited states. The results revealed two dissociation pathways: One proceeds through the MEP to produce vibrationally colder O2(a1Δg) and the other yields vibrationally hotter O2(a1Δg) by means of a roaming pathway involving an intramolecular O abstraction during reorientation motion. Such roaming dynamics may well be the rule rather than the exception for molecular photodissociation through highly excited states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Tracheobronchial foreign body aspiration (TFBA) is a major cause of accidental death in children. Lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) may be caused by TFBA, but there are few reports about LRTI associated with TFBA. This study collected TFBA cases in our hospital to analyze LRTI and determine its risk factors. Methods: A total of 194 children who underwent tracheobronchial foreign body (TFB) extraction in The Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine from June 2019 to April 2020 were enrolled. CT chest is routinely used in the workup of suspected airway FB at our institution to evaluate for patients, a FB was already highly suspected. The retention time was defined as from the time of TFB inhalation or presentation (if there was no history of TFBA) to the time of TFB removal. General characteristics including weight, clinical symptoms, operative records, cervicothoracic CT, retention time, type of TFB and postoperative hospitalization time were collected. Chi-square tests, rank sum tests and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. Results: The incidence of LRTI was 46.6%, 68.6%, and 68.6% when the retention time was within 24 hours, between 24 hours and up to 1 week and more than 1 week, respectively. Postoperative hospitalization time of LRTI group was significantly longer than that of non-LRTI group. Findings for cervicothoracic CT as pneumonia, emphysema, atelectasis meant more serious clinical manifestations and the retention time was longer in the LRTI group than in the non-LRTI group. There was a positive correlation between the retention time of a TFB and LRTI in multivariate logistic regression analysis. Conclusions: The incidence of LRTI caused by TFBA is high. LRTI is association with longer postoperative hospitalization time. The TFB retention time is an independent risk factor for LRTI. If a patient presents with significant LRTI symptoms, a course of steroids and antibiotics maybe a safer approach rather than proceeding immediately with bronchoscopic removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Several reports have noted that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) induced lymphopenia in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. However, the clinical significance of lymphopenia remains unclear. The objective of this study was to analyze the association between lymphopenia at an early stage and the prognosis of COVID-19 patients. Material and methods: All 192 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 were enrolled. Demographic data and clinical characteristics were collected and patient's prognosis was followed up. Results: On admission, 84 (43.8%) patients suffered from lymphopenia among COVID-19 patients. The count and percentage of lymphocytes on admission were lower among patients over 70 years old than those of younger patients. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that older age was a risk factor of lymphopenia. Of interest, chest CT score, a key marker of lung injury, was increased among COVID-19 patients with lymphopenia. By contrast, PaCO2, SpO2 and oxygenation index, several respiratory function markers, were decreased in COVID-19 patients with lymphopenia. Moreover, total bilirubin (TBIL) and direct bilirubin (DBIL), two markers of hepatic injury, creatinine and urea nitrogen, two indices of renal function, and creatine kinase, AST and LDH, three myocardial enzymes, were elevated in COVID-19 patients with lymphopenia. Among 84 COVID-19 patients with lymphopenia, 32.1% died. The fatality rate was obviously higher in COVID-19 patients with lymphopenia. Conclusions: Older COVID-19 patients are more susceptible to lymphopenia. Multiple organ injuries were more serious in COVID-19 patients with lymphopenia. Lymphopenia at an early stage aggravates the severity and elevates the death risk of COVID-19 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Evaluating traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) quality is a powerful method to ensure TCM safety. TCM quality evaluation methods primarily include characterization evaluations and separate physical, chemical, and biological evaluations; however, these approaches have limitations. Nevertheless, researchers have recently integrated evaluation methods, advancing the emergence of frontier research tools, such as TCM quality markers (Q-markers). These studies are largely based on biological activity, with weak correlations between the quality indices and quality. However, these TCM quality indices focus on the individual efficacies of single bioactive components and, therefore, do not accurately represent the TCM quality. Conventionally, provenance, place of origin, preparation, and processing are the key attributes influencing TCM quality. In this study, we identified TCM-attribute-based quality indices and developed a comprehensive multiweighted multi-index-based TCM quality composite evaluation index (QCEI) for grading TCM quality. Methods: The area of origin, number of growth years, and harvest season are considered key TCM quality attributes. In this study, licorice was the model TCM to investigate the quality indicators associated with key factors that are considered to influence TCM quality using multivariate statistical analysis, identify biological-evaluation-based pharmacological activity indicators by network pharmacology, establish real quality indicators, and develop a QCEI-based model for grading TCM quality using a machine learning model. Finally, to determine whether different licorice quality grades differently reduced the inflammatory response, TNF-α and IL-1β levels were measured in RAW 264.7 cells using ELISA analysis. Results: The 21 quality indices are suitable candidates for establishing a method for grading licorice quality. A computer model was established using SVM analysis to predict the TCM quality composite evaluation index (TCM QCEI). The tenfold cross validation accuracy was 90.26%. Licorice diameter; total flavonoid content; similarities of HPLC chromatogram fingerprints recorded at 250 and 330 nm; contents of liquiritin apioside, liquiritin, glycyrrhizic acid, and liquiritigenin; and pharmacological activity quality index were identified as the key indices for constructing the model for evaluating licorice quality and determining which model contribution rates were proportionally weighted in the model. The ELISA analysis results preliminarily suggest that the inflammatory responses were likely better reduced by premium-grade than by first-class licorice. Conclusions: In the present study, traditional sensory characterization and modern standardized processes based on production process and pharmacological efficacy evaluation were integrated for use in the assessment of TCM quality. Multidimensional quality evaluation indices were integrated with a machine learning model to identify key quality indices and their corresponding weight coefficients, to establish a multiweighted multi-index and comprehensive quality index, and to construct a QCEI-based model for grading TCM quality. Our results could facilitate and guide the development of TCM quality control research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the risk factors of lung progression in patients with connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD). Patients and methods: A total of 91 ILD patients (28 males, 63 females; mean age: 54.9±11.3 years; range, 30 to 77 years) were included in the prospective follow-up study conducted throughout 2020. They were divided into progressors (n=27) and nonprogressors (n=64) according to whether the pulmonary disease progressed during a six-month follow-up period. The clinical data of the two groups were analyzed, and a logistic regression model was constructed to analyze the risk factors of the progression of ILD in all patients. Results: Univariate analysis revealed significant differences (p<0.05) between the two groups in smoking history, serum ferritin, FVC% (the percentage of forced vital capacity), DLCO% (the percentage of diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide), and computed tomography involvement range. Further application of a logistic regression model revealed that increased serum ferritin level was an independent risk factor for ILD progression (odds ratio=1.002, 95% confidence interval: 1.000-1.003, p=0.004). The optimal critical value of serum ferritin was 303.25 ng/mL, the sensitivity and specificity were 81.5% and 54.7%, respectively, and the area under the curve was 0.747. Conclusion: The level of serum ferritin may be an independent predictor for ILD progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies in the field of urolithiasis have shed light on the use of laser lithotripsy, specifically with the introduction of the thulium fiber laser (TFL) as a potential alternative to the holmium: yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Ho: YAG) laser. These studies have examined the thermal effects and tissue responses associated with different laser parameters, emphasizing the importance of irrigation in mitigating thermal damage. However, further research is needed to explore long-term histopathological outcomes, functional implications, and the interaction between lasers and different stone compositions and anatomical contexts. Interdisciplinary collaborations and a multidimensional approach to research are necessary to advance laser lithotripsy and improve patient outcomes in urolithiasis management. [Extracted from the article]

We propose a method for the chiral separation and alignment of active paramagnetic particles in a two-dimensional square box with periodic boundary conditions. In a rotational magnetic field, the dynamic behavior of magnetized particles is strongly determined by the competition between the magnetic interaction and differing chirality. By suitably tailoring the parameters, active particles with different chirality can be aggregated into different clusters and separated. However, when either the magnetic interaction or chirality difference is dominant, the particles are prone to mixing. In addition, the external rotational magnetic field plays a decisive role in aligning particles. The numerical results show that there exists an optimal strength and rotation frequency of the magnetic field, as well as a rotational diffusion coefficient, self-propulsion velocity, and packing fraction, at which the separation coefficient takes its maximal value. The proposed method can be exploited to separate naturally occurring chiral active particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Binge Eating Scale (BES) is a widely used measuring tool to assess binge eating problems in Western countries. However, the psychometric properties of such scales among cross-cultural youth groups are insufficient, and the factor structure continues to be debated; therefore, further research is needed. The aim of this study was to examine the properties of BES among overweight college students in Taiwan. Methods: A cross-sectional design and convenience sampling were adopted to recruit 300 overweight students from five universities. A translated Traditional Chinese version of BES was used for the survey, and the validity of the scale was tested using the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Bulimic Investigatory Test, Edinburgh (BITE). The reliability was evaluated using internal consistency and test–retest reliability. Results: The CFA results showed a reasonable model fit. The first-order two-factor model was consistent with that of the original BES and significantly correlated with the criterion of BITE score. Cronbach's α value, representing internal consistency reliability, and the intraclass correlation coefficient of repeated measures made one month apart were both 0.83, indicating good reliability and stability. Significant correlations were observed between the BES score and sex and BMI; however, no correlation was observed between BES scores and age. Conclusion: The BES presents sound psychometric properties, has good cross-cultural applicability, and can be used as a first-line screening tool by mental health professionals to identify the severity of binge eating behavior among overweight college students in Taiwan. It is recommended that participant diversity and obesity indicators be incorporated into the scale in the future to establish a universal psychometric tool. Plain English summary: The Binge Eating Scale (BES) is a screening tool that has been widely used to assess binge eating problems in Western countries. The current study aimed to test the validity and reliability properties of the BES among overweight college students in Taiwan. This research involved 300 overweight and obese college students while using a traditional Chinese-translated questionnaire in the survey and analyzed with subjective and scientific statistics methods afterward. The results indicated that BES has good cross-cultural applicability and can be used as a first-line measuring tool by mental health professionals to identify the severity of binge eating behavior among overweight or obese college students in Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A commentary published in the journal Urolithiasis discusses the role of deficient butyrate metabolism in the gut microbiome as a risk factor for recurrent kidney stone disease. The study found that patients with recurrent kidney stones had a reduced abundance of key enzymes involved in butyrate biosynthesis in their gut microbiome. This suggests that abnormalities in butyrate metabolism may contribute to the formation of kidney stones. Previous research has also highlighted the association between gut microbiome dysbiosis and kidney stones. The commentary suggests that dysfunctional butyrate metabolism in the gut microbiome may represent an emerging risk factor for recurrent kidney stone disease. Future research should focus on expanding the cohort size and combining detailed urine analysis with genetic data to validate these findings. [Extracted from the article]

A microwave angular displacement sensor with dynamic range up to 180° and ultrahigh sensitivity is designed and fabricated. In the proposed sensor, a stator is designed for reference and a rotatable rotor is attached to it to implement real‐time measurement of the rotation angle. As the rotor is attached to the stator, a CSRR‐like resonant structure would be formed, with the resonant frequency linearly changing with the angular displacement. The measurement results show that the resonant frequency of the designed angular displacement sensor increases from 2.398 to 6.348 GHz linearly as the angle varies from 0° to 180°, with an excellent sensitivity of 21.94 MHz/° achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This letter is a comment on an article published in the World Journal of Urology that explores the relationship between weight-adjusted waist circumference index (WWI) and kidney stone risk. The authors of the comment praise the original article for its thorough research and precise statistical analysis. They highlight that the study used a large sample size and employed multivariate logistic regression models, enhancing the scientific nature of the research. The comment also mentions that the original study revealed a non-linear correlation between WWI and the prevalence of kidney stones, providing a more refined reference for assessing kidney stone risk in obese populations. However, the authors note that the predictive effect of WWI on kidney stone risk may still need improvement from a clinical perspective. They suggest that future studies could explore the combined application of WWI with other biochemical parameters to enhance predictive efficacy. Overall, the comment acknowledges the limitations of the original study but recognizes its contribution to understanding the relationship between obesity and kidney stones and offers novel strategies for prevention. [Extracted from the article]

Five analogs of dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP) with additional or shifted Me groups were converted with isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and the fungal variediene synthase from Aspergillus brasiliensis (AbVS). These enzymatic reactions resulted in the formation of several new terpene analogs that were isolated and structurally characterised by NMR spectroscopy. Several DMAPP analogs showed a changed reactivity giving access to compounds with unusual skeletons. Their formation is mechanistically rationalised and the absolute configurations of all obtained compounds were determined through a stereoselective deuteration strategy, revealing absolute configurations that are analogous to that of the natural enzyme product variediene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Periodontitis has been proposed to lead to Helicobacter pylori infection, which could cause many gastrointestinal tract cancers. This study aimed to determine the association or otherwise between periodontitis and survival outcomes in individuals with respect to H. pylori infection. Materials and Methods: The study population comprised 4955 subjects aged 20–90 who had received both periodontal examination and H. pylori serum test in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) database. Logistic regression models were used to analyse the association between periodontitis and H. pylori seropositivity (H. pylori infection). Survival analysis was performed using the NHANES III linked to mortality data. Cox proportional hazard regression was carried out to investigate the association between periodontitis and gastrointestinal tract cancer mortality in individuals with/without H. pylori infection. Results: Compared to periodontal health, periodontitis was significantly associated with increased odds of H. pylori infection (OR = 1.271, 95% CI = 1.177–1.372). Periodontitis significantly increased the mortality risk from all causes (HR = 1.574, 95% CI = 1.327–1.866) and all cancers (HR = 1.948, 95% CI = 1.701–2.232), including gastrointestinal (GI) tract cancer (HR = 4.140, 95% CI = 3.656–4.687), gastric cancer (HR = 4.288, 95% CI = 3.969–4.632), and colorectal cancer (HR = 4.814, 95% CI = 3.849–6.020) in subjects with H. pylori infection after adjusting for health‐related factors. Periodontitis was significantly related to the decreased survival time in subjects with GI tract (p =.001) or colorectal cancer (p =.002) and H. pylori infection. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that periodontitis was significantly associated with higher mortality risk of GI tract, gastric, and colorectal cancer in subjects with H. pylori infection. Owing to an interactive effect between periodontitis and H. pylori infection on cancer mortality, H. pylori infection has a significant moderating effect in regulating the association between periodontitis and mortality due to all cancers, including GI tract cancer and colorectal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acoustic levitation is considered one of the most effective noncontact particle manipulation methods, along with aerodynamic, ferromagnetic, and optical levitation techniques. It is not restricted by the material properties of the target. However, existing acoustic levitation techniques have some drawbacks that limit their potential applications. Therefore, in this article, an innovative approach is proposed to manipulate objects more intuitively and freely. By taking advantage of the transition periods between the acoustic pulse trains and electrical driving signals, acoustic traps can be created by switching the acoustic focal spots rapidly. Since the high-energy-density points are not formed simultaneously, the computation of the acoustic field distribution with complicated mutual interference can be eliminated. Therefore, compared to the existing approaches that created acoustic traps by solving pressure distributions using iterative methods, the proposed method simplifies the computation of time delay and makes it possible to be solved even with a microcontroller. In this work, three experiments have been demonstrated successfully to prove the capability of the proposed method including lifting a Styrofoam sphere, transportation of a single target, and suspending two objects. Besides, simulations of the distributions of acoustic pressure, radiation force, and Gor’kov potential were conducted to confirm the presence of acoustic traps in the scenarios of lifting one and two objects. The proposed tactic should be considered effective since the results of the practical experiments and simulations support each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study a class of integro--differential equation systems in Hilbert spaces which fits the Gurtin--Pipkin model of heat conduction with memory. Well-posedness of the system state equation is established using the operator semigroup approach. Sufficient conditions are then obtained under which infinite-time admissibility of the system observation operator follows from finite-time admissibility of the same observation operator for the associated second order Cauchy system without the first order term and convolution terms. This is done by combining the semigroup approach with the Hardy space method. An illustrative example is given, and the obtained theoretical results are verified by numerical simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider diagonal-times-nonsymmetric-Toeplitz (DNT) preconditioner for Toeplitz-like linear systems arising from one-sided space fractional diffusion equations (OSFDE) with variable coefficients. We first correct the result of Lemma 3.3 in Lin et al. (BIT Numer Math 58, 729–748, 2018) and prove the corrected result. We then extend the DNT preconditioner to Toeplitz-like linear systems arising from OSFDEs, where high order difference operators are applied to discretize the fractional derivative. Theoretically, we prove that the condition number of the preconditioned matrix is uniformly bounded by a constant under mild assumptions and verify that several discretization schemes from the literature satisfy the required assumptions. Numerical results are reported to show the efficiency of the DNT preconditioner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given few reports on the interaction of miRNA-665/target gene pair, we aimed to construct a dual luciferase reporter gene vector for 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of the haematopoietic prostaglandin D synthase (HPGDS) gene and elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism of miR-665 regulation of HPGDS. Bioinformatics software was used to predict miR-665 targeting of 3'-UTR region of HPGDS gene. The reliability of the synthetic psiCHECK-HPGDS-w/m-3'-UTR was determined using double luciferase digestion method. Then, miR-665 mimic/negative control was separately co-transfected with sheep luteal cells, and then, luciferase activity and HPGDS expression were detected. Results showed that 3'-UTR wild-type (psiCHECK2-HPGDS-w-3'UTR) and mutant (psiCHECK2-HPGDS-m-3'UTR) expression vectors for HPGDS were successfully constructed, and dual luciferase reporter gene assay showed that the expression of relative luciferase activity was inhibited in the w-3'-UTR group, with 52% decrease compared to the blank/negative control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Whereas in luteal cells, compared to the blank/negative control group, RT-PCR and western blot assays showed lower HPGDS expression levels when miR-665 overexpression in miR-665-mimic group. Meanwhile, our result also showed that P4 concentration significantly increased using ELISA test in above group. In brief, our data verified that 3'-UTR wild-type dual luciferase reporter gene vector of HPGDS was successfully constructed, and miR-665 could target the gene by acting on the 3'-UTR region of HPGDS to regulate the ovine luteal cell function, providing a strong support to study the function and molecular mechanism of miR-665 in targeting HPGDS, especially in the ovarian-luteal tissue of sheep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider high order numerical methods for the solution of the initial-boundary value problem of two-sided space fractional advection-diffusion equations (SFADEs). We use the Crank-Nicolson (CN) technique to discretize the temporal derivative, and apply 3-point weighted and shifted Grünwald difference (WSGD) operators to discretize the fractional derivatives of order α ∈ (1 , 2) and fractional derivatives of order β ∈ (0 , 1) , respectively. As a result, a new family of CN-WSGD schemes for SFADEs with temporally 2nd order and spatially j th order (j ≥ 2) accuracy are obtained. We then analyse the stability and the convergence of the numerical schemes. The extrapolated WSGD (EWSGD) operators are also discussed. Numerical examples are implemented to verify the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a transformation, which maps the mean velocity profiles of compressible wall-bounded turbulent flows to the incompressible law of the wall, is proposed. Unlike existing approaches, the proposed transformation successfully collapses, without specific tuning, numerical simulation data from fully developed channel and pipe flows, and boundary layers with or without heat transfer. In all these cases, the transformation is successful across the entire inner layer of the boundary layer (including the viscous sublayer, buffer layer, and logarithmic layer), recovers the asymptotically exact near-wall behavior in the viscous sublayer, and is consistent with the near balance of turbulence production and dissipation in the logarithmic region of the boundary layer. The performance of the transformation is verified for compressible wall-bounded flows with edge Mach numbers ranging from 0 to 15 and friction Reynolds numbers ranging from 200 to 2,000. Based on physical arguments, we show that such a general transformation exists for compressible wall-bounded turbulence regardless of the wall thermal condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Materials and Methods Results Conclusions To retrospectively assess the periodontal conditions of teeth adjacent to and contralateral to implants presenting with or without peri‐implantitis, following non‐surgical periodontal and peri‐implant mechanical therapy.One hundred and one patients with existing dental implants and chronic periodontitis, who underwent non‐surgical periodontal and peri‐implant mechanical therapy, were included. The periodontal clinical probing depth (PPD), gingival recession (GR), and bleeding on probing (BOP) were recorded at six sites around the adjacent (Adj‐) teeth and the contralateral (CL‐) teeth relative to the implant. The potential factors influencing the periodontal conditions of 316 teeth were analyzed by multivariate linear regression models with generalized estimating equation methods and α = .05.The PPD of Adj‐teeth was significantly different from that of CL‐teeth before and after non‐surgical therapy when the implant was diagnosed with peri‐implantitis (PI) (p < .05). The PPD of teeth was shown to be affected by neighboring implants diagnosed with peri‐implantitis (β = .825 mm, p < .001), teeth adjacent to implants (β = .245 mm, p = .004), a molar tooth type (β = .435 mm, p = .019), and non‐surgical therapy (β = −.522 mm, p < .001).Relatively compromised periodontal conditions at Adj‐teeth after non‐surgical PI therapy were detected. Therefore, clinicians should be aware that non‐surgical therapy may be less successful at teeth adjacent to implants with PI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, high-order finite difference methods are proposed to solve the initial-boundary value problem for space Riesz variable-order fractional diffusion equations. Based on weighted-shifted-Grünwald-difference (WSGD) operators proposed in Lin and Liu (J. Comput. Appl. Math. 363, 77–91 (2020)) for Riemann-Liouville fractional derivatives, we derive WSGD operators for variable-order ones by using the relation between variable-order fractional derivative and (constant-order) fractional derivative. We then apply Crank-Nicolson-weighted-shifted-Grünwald-difference (CN-WSGD) schemes to the initial-boundary problem for space Riesz variable-order diffusion equations. Theoretical results on the stability and convergence of CN-WSGD schemes are presented and proved. Moreover, we derive a problem-based method to choose suitable CN-WSGD schemes, which leads to unconditioned stable linear systems with optimal upper bound for accuracy. Numerical results show that the proposed schemes are very efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we develop high order numerical schemes for the solution of the initial-boundary value problem of one-dimensional and two-dimensional space fractional diffusion equations of orders belonging to the interval (1 , 2). Firstly, certain weighted and shifted Grünwald difference (WSGD) operator is used to approximate space Riemann-Liouville fractional derivatives, resulting in a linear system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Then an implicit Runge-Kutta (IRK) method is applied to discretize the resulted ODEs. Thus, we get an IRK-WSGD method for the fractional diffusion equation. We prove that under certain hypotheses, the proposed IRK-WSGD schemes are stable and have temporally fourth order accuracy and spatially second/third order accuracy. Preconditioning for discretization linear systems is discussed. Numerical experiments are presented to illustrate the accuracy and efficiency of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing evidence revealed grave prognosis for cryptococcal meningitis (CM), particularly its short-term mortality. However, its long-term survival and prognostic factors remained unknown. This study investigated 3-year mortality and analyzed its predictive factors in patients with CM. This retrospective cohort study with 83 cerebrospinal fluid culture-confirmed CM patients was conducted at China Medical University Hospital from 2003 to 2016. The 3-year mortality rate in patients with CM was 54% (45 deaths among 83 patients). Advanced age, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seronegative state, low Glasgow Coma Scale score on admission, decreased hemoglobin and hyperglycemia on diagnosis were associated with 3-year mortality. After multivariate adjustment in the Cox proportional hazard model, only severe hyperglycemia (serum glucose ≥200 mg/dL) on diagnosis could predict 3-year mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acoustic pyrometer is expected to be a useful noninvasive method for monitoring gas temperature distribution inside a steel-making furnace. On the superficial layer above the burden of a blast furnace, most of the high-temperature gas is concentrated near the center, and tracking the position of the hotspot is critical for productivity. However, most of the existing acoustic temperature distribution reconstruction algorithms are developed with relatively uniform temperature distribution environments. Besides, their capabilities of tracking the pinnacle of temperature distribution in the region of interest (ROI) are rarely discussed. In this research, a reconstruction method of acoustic temperature tomography dedicated for highly centralized gas temperature distribution is proposed and demonstrated. The key metrics include the reproducibility of 2-D temperature distribution, the sensitivity of hotspot shift, and the accuracy of point-to-point (P2P)/peak temperature. To optimize the result of each metric, previous approaches of acoustic temperature tomography have been first evaluated. Then, the investigation of effects from the shape and size of meshes is proceeded to improve the performance. After that, a novel method to address convergence issues while using the iterative method is introduced. Consequently, the reconstruction method proposed in this article could effectively visualize the temperature map while hotspot moves to different locations. It could also sense the occurrence of a hotspot (2.56% of ROI) traveled from center to 1% of ROI’s diameter. Moreover, a competitive accuracy with 5.89% and 1.46% error at P2P root-mean-square (rms) and peak temperature is achieved, respectively. Finally, a practical acoustic 2-D pyrometer consisted of 12 ultrasonic transducers arranged in a circular pattern with a 1-m width of ROI successfully detected the shift of a hotspot when the displacement of a heater reaches 5 cm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased risks of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Nevertheless, the mechanisms remain unknown. This study analyzed the correlations between vitamin D levels and inflammation in COPD patients. One hundred and one patients with COPD and 202 control subjects were enrolled. Serum 25(OH)D level and inflammatory cytokines were detected. Serum 25(OH)D was decreased and inflammatory cytokines were increased in COPD patients. According to forced expiratory volume in 1 s, COPD patients were divided into three grades. Furthermore, serum 25(OH)D was gradually decreased in COPD patients ranging from grade 1-2 to 4. Serum 25(OH)D was inversely associated with inflammatory cytokines in COPD patients. Further analysis found that NF-kB and AP-1 signaling were activated in COPD patients. Besides, inflammatory signaling was gradually increased in parallel with the severity of COPD. By contrast, pulmonary nuclear vitamin D receptor was decreased in COPD patients. In vitro experiments showed that 1,25(OH)2D3 inhibited LPS-activated inflammatory signaling in A549 cells (human lung adenocarcinoma cell). Mechanically, 1,25(OH)2D3 reinforced physical interactions between vitamin D receptor with NF-kB p65 and c-Jun. Our results indicate that vitamin D is inversely correlated with inflammatory signaling in COPD patients. Inflammation may be a vital mediator of COPD progress in patients with low vitamin D levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crisp antimatroid is a combinatorial abstraction of convexity. It also can be incorporated into the greedy algorithm in order to seek the optimal solutions. Nevertheless, this kind of significant classical structure has inherent limitations in addressing fuzzy optimization problems and abstracting fuzzy convexities. This paper introduces the concept of L-fuzzifying antimatroid associated with an L-fuzzifying family of feasible sets. Several relevant fundamental properties are obtained. We also propose the concept of L-fuzzifying rank functions for L-fuzzifying antimatroids, and then investigate their axiomatic characterizations. Finally, we shed light upon the bijective correspondence between an L-fuzzifying antimatroid and its L-fuzzifying rank function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we discuss the accuracy and the stability of the CN-WSGD when it is applied to the initial–boundary value problem for a space fractional diffusion equation. In the CN-WSGD scheme, the weighted and shifted Grünwald difference (WSGD) scheme is used to discretize the space fractional derivative and the Crank–Nicolson (CN) scheme is used to discretize the temporal derivative. There is a free parameter in a CN-WSGD scheme that affects the stability and the accuracy of the scheme. In general, a CN-WSGD scheme has temporally and spatially second order accuracy, and there exists a scheme that has spatially third order accuracy. However, the third order accuracy scheme is not always stable. In this paper, we present and prove some theoretical results (old and new) on the stability of several CN-WSGD schemes, and consider choosing a value for the parameter such that the corresponding CN-WSGD scheme is unconditioned stable and has optimal upper bound for the accuracy. Numerical results are presented to verify the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed a one-pot synthesis of bio-carbon nanowires from the natural product sodium alginate at low temperature, without using any catalyst, for anticoagulation applications. Sodium alginate is carbonized and sulfated/sulfonated in situ by solid state heating of a mixture of sodium alginate and ammonium sulfite. By regulating the heating temperature and the ratio of ammonium sulfite to sodium alginate, we modulated the degree of sulfation/sulfonation and carbonization, as well as the morphology of the carbon nanomaterials. The core-shell sulfated/sulfonated bio-carbon nanowires (CNWs Alg@SOx) made by the reaction of a mixture of ammonium sulfite and sodium alginate with a mass ratio of 5 (ammonium sulfite to sodium alginate) at 165 °C for 3 h, exhibit strong inhibition of thrombin activity due to their ultrahigh binding affinity towards it (dissociation constant (K d) = 8.7 × 10−11 M). The possible formation mechanism of the carbon nanowires has been proposed. The thrombin-clotting time delay caused by CNWs Alg@SOx is ∼ 170 times longer than that caused by sodium alginate. Hemolysis and cytotoxicity assays demonstrated the high biocompatibility of CNWs Alg@SOx. Furthermore, the thromboelastography of whole-blood coagulation and rat-tail bleeding assays further reveal that CNWs Alg@SOx have a much stronger anticoagulation activity than sodium alginate and naturally sulfated polysaccharides (e.g., fucoidan). Our results suggest that the low-temperature prepared, cost-effective, and highly biocompatible CNWs Alg@SOx show great potential as an efficient anticoagulant for the prevention and treatment of diseases associated with thrombosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vitamin D deficiency is correlated with the increased morbidity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the mechanisms underlying these effects have largely remained elusive. This study analyzed the correlations among COPD, vitamin D concentration, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Ninety-five patients with newly diagnosed COPD and 190 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects were recruited for this research. Serum 25(OH)D levels were detected, and pulmonary EMT biomarkers and TGF-β/Smad signaling were evaluated. Serum 25(OH)D level was remarkably decreased in COPD patients compared with that in control subjects. Furthermore, serum 25(OH)D concentration gradually decreased in COPD patients ranging from grade 1-2 to 4. However, reduced expression of the epithelial biomarker E-cadherin and increased expression of the mesenchymal biomarkers vimentin and α-SMA were found in COPD patients. Mechanistic analysis showed that pulmonary nuclear vitamin D receptor (VDR) was decreased in patients with COPD. In contrast, TGF-β/Smad signaling was obviously activated in COPD patients. Furthermore, the level of serum TGF-β in COPD patients increased in parallel with COPD severity. Serum 25(OH)D concentration was inversely associated with TGF-β levels in COPD patients. In vitro experiments showed that active vitamin D3 inhibits TGF-β-induced Smad2/3 phosphorylation in MRC-5 cells. Furthermore, vitamin D concentration was inversely correlated with TGF-β/Smad signaling and EMT in COPD patients, suggesting EMT as a vital mediator of COPD development in patients with low vitamin D concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is increasingly recognized that excessive glucocorticoids induce fetal intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Placental 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2 (11β-HSD2), a glucocorticoid-catalyzing enzyme, prevents active glucocorticoids from maternal circulation into the fetus, thus protecting against IUGR. Previous studies demonstrated gestational LPS exposure caused fetal IUGR. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of LPS on 11β-HSD2 in mice placentas and human placental trophoblasts. Pregnant ICR(CD-1) mice were i.p. injected with LPS (200 µg/kg) on gestational day 16. As expected, gestational LPS exposure downregulated 11β-HSD2 in mice placentas. In vitro, LPS downregulated 11β-HSD2 in human placental trophoblasts. Additional experiment showed that LPS, which activated NF-κB, suppressed rosiglitazone-induced activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) in mice placentas and human placental trophoblasts. Moreover, NF-κB p65 knockdown and specific NF-κB inhibitor attenuated LPS-induced suppression of PPARγ nuclear translocation in human placental trophoblasts. In addition, NF-κB p65 knockdown attenuated LPS-induced downregulation of 11β-HSD2 in human placental trophoblasts. Mechanically, LPS promoted physical interaction between NF-κB p65 and PPARγ in the cytoplasm and nucleus of placental trophoblasts. Finally, pretreatment with rosiglitazone, a PPARγ agonist, partially alleviated LPS-induced reduction of fetal weight and crown-rump length. Taken together, these results suggest that LPS downregulates 11β-HSD2 through suppressing PPARγ in placental trophoblasts. Placental 11β-HSD2 downregulation may contribute partially to LPS-induced fetal IUGR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corneal epithelial healing after refractive surgery is a clinically significant issue, especially for surface ablation procedures, and this can be monitored using optical coherence tomography (OCT). The aim of this work is to investigate the corneal epithelial thickness and irregularity by OCT after transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (t-PRK) and analyse its correlation with visual and refractive outcomes. Patients aged ≥18 years with myopia, with or without astigmatism, who underwent t-PRK between May 2020 and August 2021 were included. All participants were subjected to complete ophthalmic examinations and OCT pachymetry at every follow-up visit. Patients were followed up at 1 week and 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively. A total of 67 patients (126 eyes) were enrolled in this study. One month postoperatively, spherical equivalent refraction and visual acuity achieved preliminary stability. However, central corneal epithelial thickness (CCET) and standard deviation of the corneal epithelial thickness (SDcet) took 3–6 months to progressive recovery. Patients with higher baseline spherical equivalent refraction were associated with slower epithelial recovery. At every follow-up time point, a significant superior-inferior difference in the minimum corneal epithelial thickness area was observed. Higher stromal haze was correlated with higher spherical equivalent refraction (both baseline and residual) but had no relation with visual outcomes. There was a significant correlation between higher CCET with a better uncorrected distance visual acuity and lower corneal epithelial thickness irregularity. CCET and SDcet measured by OCT seem to be a good auxiliary indicator for reflecting the status of corneal wound recovery after t-PRK surgery. However, a well-designed randomised control study is needed to confirm the study results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Paper proposes an improvement of the five- and six-point targeted essentially nonoscillatory (TENO5 and TENO6) schemes by introducing an adaptive dissipation-control strategy. Nonlinear numerical dissipation is controlled by dynamically adjusting the cutoff parameter in the TENO weighting strategy according to the first-order smoothness measure of the local flow scales. For the five-point reconstruction, the dissipation bandwidth of the underlying linear scheme is delayed by introducing slight antidissipation at low wave numbers with small dispersion errors. A new sixth-order scale-separation parameter τ5 is derived, and the modified TENO5-A scheme is third-order accurate. For the six-point reconstruction, the dispersion and dissipation errors are optimized separately, resulting in a modified fourth-order TENO6-A scheme. All necessary parameters are determined by spectral analyses and are shown to be problem independent by numerical experiments. A set of benchmark cases, including highly compressible gas dynamics and nearly incompressible and compressible turbulence decay, is considered. Numerical experiments demonstrate that both the proposed TENO5-A and TENO6-A schemes show excellent performance for shocks and broadband turbulence. The turbulence statistics obtained with TENO6-A at coarse resolution are comparable to those from the state-of-the-art implicit large-eddy simulation model and agree well with direct numerical simulation data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Runge-Kutta Gegenbauer spectral method is proposed to solve an initial-boundary value problem for a nonlinear two-dimensional fractional differential equation with variable coefficients. The solution to the problem at each time step is approximated by a bivariate polynomial based on shifted Gegenbauer polynomials and then the Runge-Kutta method of order 3 is applied to the problem. The convergence rate of the derived method is analysed. Numerical results are presented to verify the effectiveness of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Four new polyhydroxylated steroids lobophysterols A–D (1 – 4), were isolated from the South Chinese Sea soft coral Lobophytum sp. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis and by comparison with those reported in the literature. In bioassay, compound 4 showed weak cytotoxicities against HT-29, SNU-398, and Capan-1 cells. Highlights • Four new polyhydroxylated steroids were isolated from a Chinese soft coral Lobophytum sp. • Lobophysterols A and B with a hydroperoxyl group have been rarely found in the genus Lobophytum. • Lobophysterol D showed weak cytotoxicities against HT-29, SNU-398, and Capan-1 cells. Abstract Four new polyhydroxylated steroids lobophysterols A–D (1 – 4), together with two known related compounds sarcophytosterol (5) and klyflaccisteroid B (6), were isolated from the South China Sea soft coral Lobophytum sp. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis and by comparison with those reported in the literature. In bioassay, compound 4 showed weak cytotoxicities against HT-29, SNU-398, and Capan-1 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract We consider the estimation of the state transition matrix in vector autoregressive models, when time sequence data is limited but nonsequence steady-state data is abundant. To leverage both sources of data, we formulate the least squares minimization problem regularized by a Lyapunov penalty. We impose cardinality or rank constraints to reduce the complexity of the autoregressive model. The resulting nonconvex, nonsmooth problem is solved by using the proximal alternating linearization method (PALM). We prove that PALM is globally convergent to a critical point and that the estimation error monotonically decreases. Explicit formulas are obtained for the proximal operators to facilitate the implementation of PALM. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed method by numerical experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two methodologies are proposed in this paper to reduce electromagnetic vibration and noise of permanent magnet synchronous motor. A multiphysics model is firstly established to predict the vibration and noise. Experimental tests are conducted to validate the model. Then, the source of the vibration and noise peaks from calculated and tested results is located. Two methodologies are proposed to mitigate this source. One is by reducing its amplitude through adjusting slot opening width and magnet shape. The other is by changing the phase of the specific force harmonic along the axial direction through stepwise or continuous magnet skewing. The optimum skewing angle is analytically derived. Based on the validated multiphysics model, optimizations under different methods are compared. It is found that considerable reductions of noise can be achieved by reducing low space harmonics of radial force. In particular, to reduce the noise over a wide frequency band, magnet skewing is a better solution than optimizing slot opening width and magnet shape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acoustic droplet ejection (ADE) has been proven to move liquids in droplet form from a container to mid-air. However, the droplet sizes produced using the traditional ADE setups are proportional to their heights if the physical framework is unchanged. This limitation obstructs further employment of ADE technology since having the exact sizes of droplets at a specific location or different sizes at different locations is required for many applications. To overcome this limitation and enable more possible applications of ADE, this study proposed an innovative ADE configuration that could manipulate the size and height of the ADE droplets with only electrical signals. To achieve this, a low-voltage driving period and a pinhole structure were added to create a water mound before ejection. First, simulations were conducted to validate the proposed method and find the parameters of the novel ADE setup. After that, a driving circuit featuring a high-voltage pulser and a field-programmable gate array was built. However, a 3D spherical resin model was printed to focus the acoustic wave on the water surface, and a cover with a pinhole was added to create water mound. To observe the behavior of the droplets, a recording system and detection algorithm were developed to capture and identify the dimension/height of the droplets, respectively. Finally, the proposed ADE configuration successfully manipulated the droplet size at the same ejecting height under three driving voltages (65, 70, and 75 V) and pinhole diameters (3.7, 4, and 4.4 mm). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hippo tumor suppressor pathway is an important regulator of cell proliferation and apoptosis, and signal transduction occurs through phosphorylation of the effector protein TAZ by the serine/threonine kinase LATS1/2. Here, we report the biophysical and computational studies to characterize the interaction between TAZ and LATS1/2 through WW domain-PPxY motif binding. We show that the TAZ WW domain exhibits a binding preference for the second of the two PPxY motifs of LATS1 in vitro . We modelled the structure of the domain in complex with LATS1 PPxY2 peptide and, through molecular dynamics simulations, show that WW domain-PPxY2 complex is stable with some flexibility in the peptide region. Next, we predict and verify that L143 and T150 of the WW domain are important for TAZ binding with the PPxY2 peptide using mutational and isothermal titration calorimetric studies. Furthermore, we suggest that the electrostatic potential of charged residues within the binding pocket may influence the ligand affinity among otherwise highly similar WW domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, ternary Cu2SnS3 (CTS) nanostructure materials with high crystallinity were successfully prepared via a facile solvothermal method, which was followed by high-temperature treatment. The morphology of the as-synthesized samples is uniform flower-like spheres, with these spheres consisting of hierarchical nanosheets and possessing network features. Sodium storage measurements demonstrate that the annealed CTS electrodes have high initial reversible capacity (447.7 mAh.1 at a current density of 100 mA.1), good capacity retention (200.6 mAh.1 after 50 cycles at a current density of 100 mA.1) and considerable rate capability because of their high crystallinity and unique morphology. Such good performances indicate that the high crystallinity CTS is a promising anode material for sodium ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E-learning becomes an alternative learning mode since the prevalence of the Internet. Especially, the advance of MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) technology enables a course to enroll tens of thousands of online learners. How to improve learners' online learning experiences on MOOC platforms becomes a crucial task for platform providers. In this research, based on Cognitive Load Theory, we built a system to capture and tag a user's mental states while s/he is watching online videos with a commercial EEG device, and used different normalization schemes and time window lengths to process EEG signals recorded from the EEG device. Finally, we adopted different supervised learning algorithms to train and test the classifiers, and then evaluated their classification performance. The results show that the proposed approach can effectively process EEG data to train classifiers, which achieve high accuracy, precision and recall rates compared with those of previous studies. This system can effectively facilitate users' self-awareness of mental efforts in online learning contexts to enable the automatic feedback in synchronous and asynchronous learning contexts, especially taking MOOCs as an example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the characteristics of the electromagnetic noise radiated by an external rotor in-wheel motor (IWM) are investigated with the Doppler effect taken into consideration. First, Maxwell stress tensor method is employed to derive electromagnetic forces on the magnet surface. The effect of common current harmonics is also analyzed. Then, a structural model of the rotor is built and modal test is conducted to validate the model. Nodal forces, which are calculated by finite element method, are transferred from the electromagnetic mesh to the structural model for further vibration prediction. Finally, boundary element method is used to calculate the noise radiated by the rotor. In particular, the Doppler effect is considered. The calculated results are validated by the noise test. It is found that the end cap contributes more to the overall noise than the shell, and obvious sound directivity appears in the noise of the IWM. The noise measured perpendicular to the outer end cap is larger than that measured in other directions. In addition, the Doppler effect would induce additional side-frequency components around high-frequency peaks in the external rotor motor. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A series of highly oxidative new cembranoids with diverse structural features such as a dienoate moiety (sarcophytonolides S – U, 1 – 3 ) or an α , β -unsaturated ε -lactone (sartrolides H – J, 4 – 6 ) were obtained from Hainan soft coral Sarcophyton trocheliophorum , along with known related analogues 7 – 13 . It is an extremely challenging work to determine the absolute configurations of these metabolites. For compounds 1 , 3 and 4 , solution TDDFT calculation of ECD and specific rotation were applied in combination with conformational analysis and NMR data to determine their relative and absolute configurations, leading to the revision of relative configuration of 14 . The absolute configurations of compounds 8 – 10 were determined by the solid-state TDDFT-ECD approach, and that of 8 was further confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiment with Cu Kα radiation. In the bioassays, compound 8 exhibited not only moderate protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) inhibitory activity (IC 50  = 15.4 μM) but also moderate antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus Newman strain (MIC 50  = 250 μM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Linear superposition principle is applied to the Hirota bilinear form of a new (3+1)-dimensional generalized Kadomtsev–Petviashvili equation, which leads to a sufficient and necessary criterion for the existence of linear subspaces of exponential traveling wave solutions. As a result, resonant multiple wave solutions are derived and plotted for the new (3+1)-dimensional generalized Kadomtsev–Petviashvili equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and trigger digits are among the most common nontraumatic hand disorders treated by plastic surgeons. The onset of trigger digits after carpal tunnel release (CTR) has been inconsistently reported. This systematic review assessed the prevalence of trigger digits development in patients after CTR surgery. Methods:We searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE and SCOPUS databases for papers published between January 1966 and August 2016. Eligible studies contained quantitative data on the incidence of trigger digits after CTR. The primary outcome measure was the onset of trigger digits after CTR. The secondary outcome measure was the prevalence of digital involvement in patients who developed trigger digits after CTR. Results:A total of 5654 CTR surgeries were performed in the included nine studies, and 483 patients (8.5%) developed trigger digits after CTR. The reported incidence of trigger digits after CTR ranged from 5.2% to 31.7%. The time to development of trigger digits was approximately 6 months postoperatively. In the eight observational studies and in the randomized controlled trial, the thumb and ring finger were reported as the most commonly involved trigger digits, respectively. Conclusions:The incidence of trigger digits after CTR surgery is not negligible. Thumbs and ring fingers are the most commonly involved digits. This topic should therefore be suitably addressed during preoperative consultations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (IPD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by typical motor impairment. However, lower urinary tract symptoms, including urinary urgency or frequency, which are non-motor phenomena, occur frequently among patients with IPD. In this study, we assess the risk of overactive bladder (OAB) in patients with IPD. Methods: The National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan was used to identify patients with IPD (IPD cohort) and four-fold controls (non-IPD cohort) from 2000 to 2010. The non-IPD cohort was matched according to age, sex, and baseline comorbidities, including benign prostate hyperplasia, stress incontinence, diabetes, and cerebrovascular diseases. The occurrence of OAB was monitored until the end of 2011. Hazard ratios of OAB were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression models. Results: In total, 4,571 and 18,255 patients were included in IPD and non-IPD cohorts, respectively. Results showed a significantly higher overall incidence rate of OAB in the IPD cohort compared with the non-IPD cohort (14.5 vs. 6.37 per 10,000 person-years), with a 2.3-fold increased risk of OAB (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.51–3.51) after controlling for benign prostate hyperplasia and stress incontinence. The mean follow-up period for the IPD cohort was 5.0 years. This cohort study showed that the cumulative incidence of OAB was 0.65% at the fifth year and 1.54% at the tenth year after IPD diagnosis; this risk was highest in the age group 65–74 years. Conclusion: This study reveals that IPD is independently associated with an increased risk of OAB in patients with IPD. The probability of OAB was 1.54% over a 10-year period after IPD diagnosis; the risk of OAB is considered to be age-dependent and most substantial in patients aged 65–74 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]