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The failure propagation process has always been a research hotspot in the field of complex system reliability. Most of the research studies focus on the inference of network structure, ignoring one of the most critical parameters for network reliability, failure coupling strength. Here, we develop a generative model describing the failure process to infer the failure coupling strength. Using this model, we generate the node failure sequences under different coupling strength and analyze the spatial properties of failure propagation. We find the failed nodes tend to appear near the previously failed nodes with increasing coupling strength. Based on our generative model, we propose a Bayesian inference method to infer the failure coupling strength from observed system instantaneous failure state data. We find the inferred values are close to the true values for small failure coupling strength. As failure coupling strength increases, error comes from the limits of failure propagation spatial data. We apply this Bayesian inference method to actual biological networks and infer the network failure coupling strength. Our proposed Bayesian inference method helps analyze the hidden failure mechanism from actual scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM), a serious complication during pregnancy which is defined by abnormal glucose regulation, is commonly treated by diabetic diet and lifestyle changes. While recent findings place the microbiome as a natural mediator between diet interventions and diverse disease states, its role in GDM is still unknown. Here, based on observation data from healthy pregnant control group and GDM patients, we developed a new network approach using patterns of co-abundance of microorganism to construct microbial networks that represent human-specific information about gut microbiota in different groups. By calculating network similarity in different groups, we analyze the gut microbiome from 27 GDM subjects collected before and after two weeks of diet therapy compared with 30 control subjects to identify the health condition of microbial community balance in GDM subjects. Although the microbial communities remain similar after the diet phase, we find that the structure of their inter-species co-abundance network is significantly altered, which is reflected in that the ecological balance of GDM patients was not "healthier" after the diet intervention. In addition, we devised a method for individualized network analysis of the microbiome, thereby a pattern is found that GDM individuals whose microbial networks are with large deviations from the GDM group are usually accompanied by their abnormal glucose regulation. This approach may help the development of individualized diagnosis strategies and microbiome-based therapies in the future. Author summary: In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of the gut microbiome in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), a condition that affects pregnant women and is characterized by abnormal glucose regulation. Specifically, we asked whether and how the gut microbiome is affected by diabetic diet which is commonly used to treat GDM patients. We developed a new network approach to analyze patterns of co-abundance of microorganisms in the gut microbiota of GDM patients and healthy pregnant women. Our findings show that although the microbial communities remained similar after the diet phase, the structure of their inter-species co-abundance network was significantly altered, indicating that the ecological balance of GDM patients was not "healthier" after the diet intervention. Furthermore, we suggest that abnormal glucose regulation is associated with large network deviations, which could lead to the development of individualized microbiome-based therapies in the future. Our work highlights the importance of studying the microbiome from a network perspective to better understand the dynamic interactions among microorganisms in the community balance of the microbiome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Omicron pandemic, students in Shenzhen took classes at home via the internet, which could lead to internet addiction (IA) symptoms, and anxiety is often considered an important risk factor for IA. There are several different developmental stages within adolescence. However, no studies have explored the interaction between IA and anxiety at the symptom level using a longitudinal design stratified by age. A total of 2744 students completed the questionnaire 50 days after starting the online classes (T1) and 50 days after they returned to school (T2). A cross-lagged panel network model was used to describe the structure of the comorbidity network. With the help of bootstrapping, the Mann-Whitney U test was used to examine the differences between primary school students' and middle school students' networks. The results found that there is a bidirectional interaction between IA and anxiety, and anxiety plays a dominant role. Feeling afraid is the bridge symptom between IA and anxiety. IA did not show developmental stage differences, but anxiety did. These findings extend the model of compensatory internet use and suggest that, when alleviating IA symptoms in adolescents, attention should be given to their possible comorbid anxiety symptoms, especially in middle school students. • Feeling afraid was a bridging symptom linking IA and anxiety for both primary and middle school students. • Restlessness was a bridging symptom only for middle school students. • There is a bidirectional interaction between IA and anxiety, and anxiety plays a dominant role. • IA did not show developmental stage differences, but anxiety symptoms are more severe in middle school students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Microbial function changes may be responsible for dental pulp transformation from normal to diseased. However, studies on the prediction and verification of the function of the microbial community in the deep dentine and pulp of caries‐induced pulpitis are lacking. Methods: This study included 171 cases of deep dentinal caries divided into normal pulp (NP), reversible pulpitis (RP), and irreversible pulpitis (IRP). In Experiment I, the microbial community composition was identified in 111 samples using 16S ribosomal DNA. Function prediction was performed through phylogenetic investigation of communities by Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States prediction and qPCR. In Experiment II, different microbiome functions were confirmed in 60 samples using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Results: In Experiment I, microbial abundance significantly differed in the IRP group compared to the other two groups. The RP and NP groups had the same microbiome composition, but the predicted functional difference between the RP and NP groups pertained to membrane transport (p <.010). The predicted functional difference between the IRP and NP groups pertained to amino‐acid, co‐factor, and vitamin metabolism (p <.010). In Experiment II, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes functional annotation revealed that the differential metabolites between the RP and NP groups did not participate in membrane transport; however, the differential metabolites between the IRP and NP groups participated in amino‐acid metabolism. Conclusions: The near‐pulp microbiome in RP and NP with deep dentinal caries had the same differential function. However, amino acid metabolism in near the pulp microbial community differed between IRP and NP with deep dentinal caries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Belief Propagation (BP) algorithm has the advantages of high-speed decoding and low latency. To improve the block error rate (BLER) performance of the BP-based algorithm, the BP flipping algorithm was proposed. However, the BP flipping algorithm attempts numerous useless flippings for improving the BLER performance. To reduce the number of decoding attempts needed without any loss of BLER performance, in this paper a metric is presented to evaluate the likelihood that the bits would correct the BP flipping decoding. Based on this, a BP-Step-Flipping (BPSF) algorithm is proposed which only traces the unreliable bits in the flip set (FS) to flip and skips over the reliable ones. In addition, a threshold β is applied when the magnitude of the log–likelihood ratio (LLR) is small, and an enhanced BPSF (EBPSF) algorithm is presented to lower the BLER. With the same FS, the proposed algorithm can reduce the average number of iterations efficiently. Numerical results show the average number of iterations for EBPSF-1 decreases by 77.5% when N = 256, compared with the BP bit-flip-1 (BPF-1) algorithm at E b / N 0 = 1.5 dB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A model for failure coupling network is proposed. • Three typical lifetime distributions emerged from competence between system size and failure coupling strength. • Provide rigorous theoretical analysis for emerged lifetime distributions. • Microscopic mechanism of lifetime distribution is revealed by competence between correlation length and network diameter. Most theoretical analysis for lifetime distribution explains origins of specific distribution based on independent failure. We develop one unified framework encompassing different kinds of lifetime distribution for failure coupling system. For typical complex networks, we found that three types of system lifetime distributions are emerged shaped by system size and failure coupling strength. When the failure coupling strength ϕ dominates, systems exhibit a cascade failure mode, the system lifetime following an exponential distribution as series systems due to long-range correlation. When the system size N dominates, systems exhibit wear-out failure mode, the system lifetime following the Gompertz model as parallel systems due to short-range correlation. When N and ϕ have comparable impact on systems, system lifetime follows a modified Weibull distribution. We find the critical failure coupling strength and critical system size which are helpful to identify the failure mode switch point. We provide rigorous theoretical analysis for emerged lifetime distribution. We reveal the microscopic mechanism of system lifetime distribution switch pattern by analyzing the competence between correlation length and network diameter. Finally, we verify our conclusions in real networks. Our study will help to understand the lifetime origin of complex systems and design highly reliable systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has lasted for two years and caused millions of infections and deaths in humans. Although the origin of SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans remains unknown, infection in animals has been frequently reported in varieties of animals all over the world. Both experimental and natural infections of SARS-CoV-2 in different animal species provide useful information on viral host range and pathogenicity. As the pandemic continues to evolve, SARS-CoV-2 infection in animals will be expanding. In this review, we summarized SARS-CoV-2 testing and infection in animals as well as SARS-CoV-2 strains and transmission in animals. Current data showed that at least 18 different animal species tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. These 18 animal species belong to pet, captive, farmed, and wild animals. Fifteen of the eighteen animal species were known to be positive for the Delta variant and ten animal species were infected with two different types of variants. Human-to-animal, animal-to-animal, and animal-to-human transmission events were suggested in different outbreaks involved in animal infection with SARS-CoV-2. Continued testing, immunization, and surveillance are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between inquiry-based learning and science self-efficacy was analysed using data from 57 countries and economics participating in the 2015 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). This analysis generated a mediating–moderating model, which involved the mediating role of science interest and the moderating role of teacher support. The results indicated that (1) inquiry-based learning had a significant positive correlation with science self-efficacy; (2) science interest partially mediated the relationship between inquiry-based learning and science self-efficacy, with an indirect effect accounting for 20.1% of the total effect; and (3) teacher support moderated the direct effect positively while moderating the indirect effect negatively. These details of the link between inquiry-based learning and science self-efficacy provided theoretical guidance and practical support to improve the application of inquiry-based learning in science education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, the atomic level material removal mechanisms of single-crystal diamond (SCD) (001), (1-10), and (111) planes were investigated through a combination of atomic force microscopy (AFM) scratching experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The results showed that the "soft" directions on the planes of (001) was <100>, the (1-10) was <001>, and the (111) were [11-2], [1-21], and [-211]. These directions exhibited the highest scratching force/depth and the largest quantity of amorphous atoms. We found that the scratching force would lead to the amorphization of the diamond surface atoms during the scratching process, which would facilitate the removal of the surface material. These intriguing findings would provide a theoretical basis for further improving the surface quality of superhard materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS) can cause either transient ischemic attack (TIA) or acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Pathogenesis of ICAS-AIS can be divided into artery-to-artery embolism(A-A), hypoperfusion(HP), and parent-artery atherosclerosis occluding penetrating artery(POPA). However, the prognosis of each type remains uncertain. Our study aimed to investigate potential disparities in the recurrent risk among these four subtypes of symptomatic ICAS. From a prospective, single-center cohort study of acute cerebrovascular diseases from January 2017 to November 2021, we recruited 120 ICAS patients and classified them into four groups based on diffusion weighted imaging. Patients were retrospectively followed up for recurrence in December 2022. The primary outcome was recurrent cerebral vascular events (RCVE) in the same territory. Among 120 recruited patients, POPA(33%) was the most common subtype, followed by A-A(32%), HP(29%), and TIA(6%). Cumulative recurrent rate was 31.2% with median months of follow-up as 27(20–45.5). There was no significant difference in the risk of RCVE in the same territory among four subgroups within three months. However, when considering the risk after three months, TIA(57%) had the highest risk of RCVE, followed by A-A(26%), while HP(4%) and POPA(8%) had lower risks (P = 0.001). Cox regression model indicated that symptom and pathogenesis was an independent risk factor for RCVE in long-term prognosis (P = 0.022), after adjusting for a history of hypertension and cerebral infarction. Distinctive symptoms and pathogenesis of ICAS exhibit varying risks of RCVE in long-term prognosis. The differentiation in recurrent risk may provide valuable insights for guiding secondary prevention strategies. • Recurrence of sICAS, assessed by DWI, is uncertain in real world. • A total of 120 sICAS was recruited in cohort with median follow-up as 27 months. • TIA and artery-to-artery embolism have higher risk than the others after 3 months. • Symptom and pathogenesis is an independent risk factor for RCVE in the long term. • This provides data for further studies of secondary prevention in sICAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Music perception in cochlear implant (CI) users is far from satisfactory, not only because of the technological limitations of current CI devices but also due to the neurophysiological alterations that generally accompany deafness. Early behavioral studies revealed that similar mechanisms underlie musical and lexical pitch perception in CI-based electric hearing. Although neurophysiological studies of the musical pitch perception of English-speaking CI users are actively ongoing, little such research has been conducted with Mandarin-speaking CI users; as Mandarin is a tonal language, these individuals require pitch information to understand speech. The aim of this work was to study the neurophysiological mechanisms accounting for the musical pitch identification abilities of Mandarin-speaking CI users and normal-hearing (NH) listeners. Behavioral and mismatch negativity (MMN) data were analyzed to examine musical pitch processing performance. Moreover, neurophysiological results from CI users with good and bad pitch discrimination performance (according to the just-noticeable differences (JND) and pitch-direction discrimination (PDD) tasks) were compared to identify cortical responses associated with musical pitch perception differences. The MMN experiment was conducted using a passive oddball paradigm, with musical tone C4 (262 Hz) presented as the standard and tones D4 (294 Hz), E4 (330 Hz), G#4 (415 Hz), and C5 (523 Hz) presented as deviants. CI users demonstrated worse musical pitch discrimination ability than did NH listeners, as reflected by larger JND and PDD thresholds for pitch identification, and significantly increased latencies and reduced amplitudes in MMN responses. Good CI performers had better MMN results than did bad performers. Consistent with findings for English-speaking CI users, the results of this work suggest that MMN is a viable marker of cortical pitch perception in Mandarin-speaking CI users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tilapia males are favored by the farming industry due to faster growing and higher body weights in a given period than females, and increasing the male proportion is desired for breeding. Previous studies indicate that high temperature treatment could sporadically transform genetic females of Nile tilapia to become phenotypic males, while the mechanism is unclear. Here, we treated female Nile tilapia with high temperature at early developmental stage, and obtained sex reversed pseudo-male (i.e. masculinized female) fish with morphologically male gonads. Transcriptome sequencing and whole genome methylation analyses were performed on gonads from normal males, females and pseudo-males. The profiles of gene expression and CpG methylation were compared. The results suggested that pseudo-males exhibited strikingly similar gene expression and methylation patterns with genetic males, but highly distinct from females. The differentially expressed genes between pseudo-males and other groups revealed a possibility that alterations in the "potassium ion transportation" processes might play important roles in sex reversal of female tilapia upon high temperature treatment. Our study provided a landscape of global gene expression and methylation status in the heat induced masculinized pseudo-male tilapia. • Male tilapias are favored by the farming industry, and increasing the male proportion is desired for breeding. • Masculinized female (pseudo-male) Nile tilapias were obtained by high temperature treatment at early development stage. • Transcriptome sequencing and methylome analyses were performed on gonads from normal male, female and pseudo-male. • Gene transcription and methylation of pseudo-males are highly similar with genetic males, but different from females. • Alterations in the "potassium ion transportation" processes might play important roles in thermally induced sex reversal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of information technology, third-party platforms have emerged and become the important channels to promote collaborations among manufacturing enterprises. Under this background, this paper focuses on a third-party platform whose multilateral users are manufacturers, suppliers, and logistics providers. There exist various cross-side network effects (i.e., CNEs) and same-side network effects (i.e., SNEs) among users (including manufacturers, suppliers, and logistics providers) at different development stages of the platform, which may affect the multi-value chain collaboration of users positively or negatively. By building a system dynamics model, this paper examines the interactions of the network effects and analyzes their impacts on the multi-value chain collaboration and platform's revenues. Then, the key factors that affect the network effect interactions are explored. The results show that the network effect interactions are significant in the early development stage of the platform. The growth of the SNEs of suppliers and logistics providers has significant impacts on their own CNEs and profits. Interestingly, the increase of manufacturers' SNEs can affect the CNEs of their own and suppliers simultaneously, which may decrease the profits of other participants but does not change their own profits. Affected by multiple network effects, the platform needs to implement a differentiated pricing strategy for its users. That is, the platform should charge suppliers and logistics providers access fee while giving manufacturers a certain subsidy. These findings can provide some valuable insights to the operation of the third-party platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text Objectives: The aim of the study was to reanalyze an updated database of lung asbestos fiber levels for 21 brake repair workers who died of mesothelioma using robust maximum likelihood-based regression methods to address nondetectable measurements. Methods: We applied bivariate normal regression to address the doubly left-censored situation where both the lung fiber concentration of noncommercial (TAA) and commercial amphiboles (AC) were subject to detection limits. For the single left-censored situation, we applied censored normal regression to study the relationship between duration of employment (DOE) and TAA. Results: We found a statistically significant positive relationship between TAA and AC ( β  = 0.49, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.11 to 0.86) and a not statistically significant relationship between DOE and TAA ( β  = 0.02, 95% CI, −0.03 to 0.06). Conclusions: Our results provide additional support for the conclusion that exposure to commercial amphibole asbestos, and not chrysotile, is related to the occurrence of mesothelioma among some brake workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High flow events (including both the high flow pulses and floods) exert many critical ecological functions in riverine ecosystems and their elimination will lead to severe ecological degradation. However, common hydropower operations are only required to legally maintain the minimum environmental flows (e-flows). The extra release of high flow events will result in revenue loss of hydropower producers. In this research, we propose an approach to assessing the eco-compensation standard which is necessary to compensate the loss of hydropower producers and promote the release of high flows to downstream rivers. The scenario tree approach is adopted for the generation of possible scenarios of flows and electricity prices to deal with the uncertainties of the two factors in deregulated electricity markets. A stochastic linear programming method is proposed to determine the maximum mean annual revenues under two e-flow provision scenarios, i.e., only sustaining the minimum e-flows (scenario 1) and sustaining both the minimum e-flows and a specified number of high flow events (scenario 2). The revenue difference under the two e-flow scenarios is set as the eco-compensation standard. A case study in the Wangkuai reservoir, China, demonstrates that the eco-compensation standard is obviously influenced by the installed hydropower generation capacity (IHGC) and the number of high flow events planned to be released. Moreover, the greatest standards may be not corresponding to a very large IHGC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased production of engineered nanoparticles (NPs) has raised extensive concerns about the potential toxic effects on marine organisms. Extensive evidences documented the impact of ocean acidification (OA) on the physiology and fitness of bivalves. In the present study, we investigated the biochemical responses of the mussel Mytilus coruscus exposed to both nano-ZnO and low pH relevant for ocean acidification conditions for 14 d followed by a 7-d recovery period. Most biochemical indexes (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), acid phosphatase (ACP) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP)) measured in gills and hemocytes were increased when the mussels were subject to low pH or high concentration of nano-ZnO, suggesting oxidative stress responses. No significant interactions between the two stressors were observed for most measured parameters. After a 1 week recovery period, low pH and nano-ZnO had less marked impact for SOD, GPx, ACP and ALP in hemocytes as compared to the end of the 14 d exposure. However, no recovery was observed in gills. Overall, our results suggest that both low pH and nano-ZnO induce an anti-oxidative response in Mytilus coruscus with gills being more sensitive than hemocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adherence to medication is critical in achieving effectiveness of many treatments. Factors that influence adherence behavior have been the subject of many clinical studies. Analyzing adherence is complicated because it is often measured on multiple drugs over a period, resulting in a multivariate longitudinal outcome. This paper is motivated by the Viral Resistance to Antiviral Therapy of Chronic Hepatitis C study, where adherence is measured on two drugs as a bivariate ordinal longitudinal outcome. To analyze such outcome, we propose a joint model assuming the multivariate ordinal outcome arose from a partitioned latent multivariate normal process. We also provide a flexible multilevel association structure covering both between and within outcome correlation. In simulation studies, we show that the joint model provides unbiased estimators for regression parameters, which are more efficient than those obtained through fitting separate model for each outcome. The joint method also yields unbiased estimators for the correlation parameters when the correlation structure is correctly specified. Finally, we analyze the Viral Resistance to Antiviral Therapy of Chronic Hepatitis C adherence data and discuss the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coordinated development of industrialization and the ecological environment is vital to achieve ecological civilization in China. Integratively considering the economy, energy and resources, and environment, this study aims to measure the industrial eco-efficiency of 30 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) in China between 2005 and 2013. A three-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) modeling approach is adopted to eliminate interference of the external environment and statistical noise with industrial eco-efficiency measurement. The results show that regional industrial eco-efficiency in China is affected by the factors of the environmental regulation, technological innovation, level of economic development and industrial structure. After eliminating the impacts of external environment and statistical noise, China's national average industrial eco-efficiency declines by 30%. Between 2005 and 2013, the industrial eco-efficiency of the 30 provinces increases but at different rates of growth. The variation of overall regional industrial eco-efficiency is primarily caused by scale efficiency. Furthermore, all the 30 provinces are classified into four groups to interpret the causes of variation and differences of regional industrial eco-efficiency. In general, the management and technology level and the economy of scale of industries should be improved simultaneously, even though specific opportunities for industrial eco-efficiency improvement vary across provinces in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colourless, odourless, and toxic gas. Long-term exposure to high concentrations of CO causes poisoning and even death; therefore, CO removal is particularly important. Current research has focused on the efficient and rapid removal of CO via low-temperature (ambient) catalytic oxidation. Gold nanoparticles are widely used catalysts for the high-efficiency removal of high concentrations of CO at ambient temperature. However, easy poisoning and inactivation due to the presence of SO2 and H2S affect its activity and practical application. In this study, a bimetallic catalyst, Pd-Au/FeOx/Al2O3, with a Au:Pd ratio of 2:1 (wt%) was formed by adding Pd nanoparticles to a highly active Au/FeOx/Al2O3 catalyst. Its analysis and characterisation proved that it has improved catalytic activity for CO oxidation and excellent stability. A total conversion of 2500 ppm of CO at −30 °C was achieved. Furthermore, at ambient temperature and a volume space velocity of 13,000 h−1, 20,000 ppm CO was fully converted and maintained for 132 min. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and in situ FTIR analysis revealed that Pd-Au/FeOx/Al2O3 exhibited stronger resistance to SO2 and H2S adsorption than the Au/FeOx/Al2O3 catalyst. This study provides a reference for the practical application of a CO catalyst with high performance and high environmental stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We aimed to clarify the clinical features of delayed-onset swelling around cochlear implants (CI), and to present our experience on how to avoid and address this problem. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of all CI cases at our institution between June 2001 and June 2020. Information on postoperative complications of swelling in the receiver area > 3 months after implantation were analyzed, and clinical data sheets were drawn. Results: Twenty-six of 1425 patients (1.82%) with an age at implantation ranging from 1 to 9 years experienced delayed-onset swelling around the implant. Swelling episodes occurred as early as 4 months, and as late as 178 months after implantation (median, 79.7 months). The predisposing factor in 12 cases was unclear, 7 cases were caused by trauma at the implantation site, 5 cases were without predisposing factors, and 2 cases were related to infection. We found the frequency of delayed-onset swelling after cochlear implantation with different incision was statistically insignificant (P = 0.423). Nineteen patients (73.1%) were cured after one treatment, and five patients (19.2%) relapsed. Follow-up examinations at least 18 months after surgery revealed that all patients experienced a complete recovery. Conclusions: Delayed-onset swelling at the receiver site is a long term but not exactly uncommon complication after cochlear surgery and long-term follow-up is eagerly required. It can recur more than once, causing more complex treatment strategies in clinical practice. Conservative treatment first recommended, while needle aspiration should initially be considered in recurrent cases also when the effusion swelling is > 3 ml. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) and thermal stress as climate changes become more common in global water ecosystem, especially under eutrophic habitats. Here our study examined the combined impacts of bloom forming cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa and thermal stress on the antioxidant responses of the ecologically important species triangle sail mussel Hyriopsis cumingii. The differential responses of a series of enzymes, e.g. superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST), as well as signal metabolites including reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) involved in antioxidant defense mechanisms were analyzed during 14 d exposure to toxic cyanobacterium M. aeruginosa and 7 d depuration period. The activities of SOD and GPx as well as the content of ROS and MDA in H. cumingii increased, while CAT activity reduced due to M. aeruginosa exposure. Thermal stress resulted in decrease of CAT, the accumulation of GSH and the enhance of GST and SOD. Meanwhile, the interactive effects among M. aeruginosa , thermal stress and time were also observed on most parameters except for GST activity. The total amount of microcystins (MC) in sail mussels increased with concentrations of exposed M. aeruginosa , independently of the presence or absence of thermal stress. Although around 50% of MC in mussels dropped in the depuration period, most parameters showed alterations because of cyanobacteria exposure and thermal stress. Overall, these findings suggested that toxic cyanobacteria or thermal stress induces oxidative stress and severely affects the enzymes activities and intermediates level associated with antioxidant defense mechanisms in sail mussels respectively. More importantly, the toxic impacts on sail mussels could be intensified by their combination. Unlabelled Image • Comprehensive effects of toxic Microcystis aeruginosa and high temperature have been studied on freshwater mussels. • Interaction between toxic M. aeruginosa and high temperature on the physiological indexes of Hyriopsis cumingii were assessed. • High temperature can cause more severe oxidative stress in mussels than toxic M. aeruginosa. • The content of microcystins in soft mussel tissue increased with concentrations of toxic M. aeruginosa. • A long-term exposure to toxic M. aeruginosa or high temperature can have a potential impact on H. cumingii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In lakes and reservoirs, harmful algal blooms and high pH have been deemed to be two important stressors related to eutrophication, especially in the case of CO 2 depletion caused by dense blooms. However, the effects of these stressors on the economically important shellfish that inhabit these waters are still not well-understood. This study evaluated the combined effects of the harmful algae Microcystis aeruginosa (0%, 50%, and 100% of total dietary dry weight) and high pH (8.0, 8.5 and 9.0) on the antioxidant responses of the triangle sail mussel H. cumingii. The mussels were exposed to algae and high pH for 14 d, followed by a 7-day depuration period. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the mussel hemolymph, antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes, such as glutathione-S-transferase (GST), glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the digestive glands were analyzed during the experimental period. GST, SOD and GPx activity levels and the content of GSH increased following exposure to toxic M. aeruginosa , whereas CAT activity was inhibited. pH showed no significant effects on the immune defense mechanisms and detoxification processes. However, a high pH could cause increased ROS and MDA levels, resulting in oxidative injury. After a 7-day depuration period, exposure to toxic M. aeruginosa or high pH resulted in latent effects for most of the examined parameters. The treatment group exposed to the highest pH (9.0) displayed an increased oxidation state compared with the other pH treatments (8.0 and 8.5) for the same concentrations of toxic M. aeruginosa. The trends observed for ROS, MDA, GPx, GST, SOD and GSH levels indicated that a high density of toxic algae could result in severe and continuous effects on mussel health. Image 1 • The comprehensive effects of toxic cyanobacteria and high pH on mussels were assessed. • Interaction between cyanobacteria and high pH on physiological indicator were found. • Compare to high pH, toxic M. aeruginosa induce more severe oxidative stress response. • Toxic algae or high pH exposure history showed latent effects on Hyriopsis cumingii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming is exacerbating flood hazards, making the robustness of flood risk management a critical issue. Without considering future scenarios, flood risk analysis built only on historical knowledge may not adequately address the coming challenges posed by climate change. A comprehensive risk analysis framework based on both historical inundations and future projections to tackle uncertainty is still lacking. In this view, a scenario-based, data-driven risk analysis framework that for the first time integrates recent historical floods and future risk trends is here presented, consisting of flood inundation-prone and high-risk zones. Considering the Poyang Lake Eco-Economic Zone (PLEEZ) in China as the study area, we reproduced historical inundation scenarios of major flood events by using Sentinel-1 imagery from 2015 to 2021, and used them to build the risk baseline model. The results show that 11.7% of the PLEEZ is currently exposed to the high-risk zone. In the SSP2-RCP4.5 scenario, the risk would gradually decrease after peaking around 2040 (with a 19.3% increase in high-risk areas), while under the traditional fossil fuel-dominated development pathway (SSP5-RCP8.5), the risk peak would occur with a higher intensity about a decade earlier. The attribution analysis results reveal that the intensification of heavy rainfall is the dominant driver of future risk increase and that the exploitation of unused land such as wetlands induces a significant increase in risk. Finally, a hierarchical panel of recommended management measures was developed. We hope that our risk analysis framework inspires newfound risk awareness and provides the basis for more effective flood risk management in river basins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermocatalytic decomposition is an efficient purification technology that is potentially applicable to degrading chemical warfare agents and industrial toxic gases. In particular, ZrO2 has attracted attention as a catalyst for the thermocatalytic decomposition of dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP), which is a simulant of the nerve gas sarin. However, the influence of the crystal phase and morphology on the catalytic performance of ZrO2 requires further exploration. In this study, monoclinic- and tetragonal-phase ZrO2 (m- and t-ZrO2, respectively) with nanoparticle, flower-like shape and hollow microsphere morphologies were prepared via hydrothermal and solvothermal methods, and their thermocatalytic decomposition of DMMP was systematically investigated. For a given morphology, m-ZrO2 performed better than t-ZrO2. For a given crystalline phase, the morphology of hollow microspheres resulted in the longest protection time. The exhaust gases generated by the thermocatalytic decomposition of DMMP mainly comprised H2, CO2, H2O and CH3OH, and the by-products were phosphorus oxide species. Thus, the deactivation of ZrO2 was attributed to the deposition of these phosphorous oxide species on the catalyst surface. These results are expected to help guide the development of catalysts for the safe disposal of chemical warfare agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Accumulating evidence demonstrates that aberrant methylation of enhancers is crucial in gene expression profiles across several cancers. However, the latent effect of differently expressed enhancers between INSS stage 4S and 4 neuroblastoma (NB) remains elusive. Methods: We utilized the transcriptome and methylation data of stage 4S and 4 NB patients to perform Enhancer Linking by Methylation/Expression Relationships (ELMER) analysis, discovering a differently expressed motif within 67 enhancers between stage 4S and 4 NB. Harnessing the 67 motif genes, we established the INSS stage related signature (ISRS) by amalgamating 12 and 10 distinct machine learning (ML) algorithms across 113 and 101 ML combinations to precisely diagnose stage 4 NB among all NB patients and to predict the prognosis of NB patients. Based on risk scores calculated by prognostic ISRS, patients were categorized into high and low-risk groups according to median risk score. We conducted comprehensive comparisons between two risk groups, in terms of clinical applications, immune microenvironment, somatic mutations, immunotherapy, chemotherapy and single-cell analysis. Ultimately, we empirically validated the differential expressions of two ISRS model genes, CAMTA2 and FOXD1, through immunochemistry staining. Results: Through leave-one-out cross-validation, in both feature selection and model construction, we selected the random forest algorithm to diagnose stage 4 NB, and Enet algorithm to develop prognostic ISRS, due to their highest average C-index across five NB cohorts. After validations, the ISRS demonstrated a stable predictive capability, outperforming the previously published NB signatures and several clinic variables. We stratified NB patients into high and low-risk group based on median risk score, which showed the low-risk group with a superior survival outcome, an abundant immune infiltration, a decreased mutation landscape, and an enhanced sensitivity to immunotherapy. Single-cell analysis between two risk groups reveals biologically cellular variations underlying ISRS. Finally, we verified the significantly higher protein levels of CAMTA2 and FOXD1 in stage 4S NB, as well as their protective prognosis value in NB. Conclusion: Based on multi-omics data and ML algorithms, we successfully developed the ISRS to enable accurate diagnosis and prognostic stratification in NB, which shed light on molecular mechanisms of spontaneous regression and clinical utilization of ISRS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Indications were found that a diagnostic bias could have contributed to the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) suggestion of a persistent increased mortality risk for nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC). Methods: NCI provided the cohort data updated through 2004. We computed local county rate-based standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) for NPC and all other entities of the pharynx for two time periods. Moreover, SMRs were calculated for pharyngeal cancer in relation to study site by cumulative exposure to formaldehyde (FA). Results: Overall, our results corroborate the indications of a diagnostic bias by strong but contrary temporal trends for NPC and pharynx, not specified. Moreover, it was shown that mortality risks were increased in the Wallingford cohort for all pharyngeal cancer combined and for pharyngeal cancer excluding NPC. In contrast, no increased risks for these categories were found in the nine other study sites combined. Conclusions: Our re-analysis provided little or no evidence to support NCI's suggestion of a persistent association between FA exposure and mortality from NPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Long-term extensive use of glucocorticoids will lead to hormonal necrosis of the femoral head, and osteoblasts play an important role in the prevention of osteonecrosis. However, there is no complete cure for necrosis of the femoral head. Mesenchymal stem cell- (MSCs-) derived exosomes are widely used for the repair of various tissue lesions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism of dexamethasone- (DEX-) induced osteoblast apoptosis and the therapeutic effect of human umbilical cord MSC- (hucMSC-) derived exosome mimetic vesicles (EMVs) on osteoblast-induced apoptosis by DEX. Methods. The viability and apoptosis of primary MC3T3-E1 cells were determined by the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), FITC-Annexin V/PI staining and immunoblot. The intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) after DEX treatment were measured by 2′, 7′ -dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) staining. In this study, hucMSC-EMVs and N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) were used as therapeutic measures. The expression of B-cell lymphoma 2-associated X, Bcl 2, HO-1, and nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-like 2 and MAPK- signaling pathway in osteogenic cell MC3T3-E1 cells treated with Dex was analyzed by the immunoblotting. Results. DEX significantly induced osteoblasts MC3T3-E1 apoptosis and ROS accumulation. MAPK-signaling pathway was activated in MC3T3-E1 after DEX treatment. hucMSC-EMVs intervention significantly downregulated DEX-induced MAPK-signaling pathway activation and ROS accumulation. In addition, hucMSC-EMVs can reduce the apoptosis levels in osteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells induced by DEX. Conclusions. Our study confirmed that hucMSC-EMVs regulates MAPK-signaling pathway and ROS levels to inhibit DEX-induced osteoblast apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oviposition period of the individuals in the pollen + yeast group and the pollen + yeast + sucrose group was significantly longer than that of the individuals in the pollen group (Table 3). The fecundity of the individuals in the pollen + yeast group (25.86) and the pollen + yeast + sucrose group (27.00) was also significantly higher than that of the individuals in the pollen group (13.50). For the pollen group, the pollen + yeast group, and the pollen + yeast + sucrose group, the maximum mean lifetime values were 19.05, 28.13, and 31.88 days, respectively. Individuals in the pollen + yeast and pollen + yeast + sucrose groups had significantly higher net reproductive rates (R SB 0 sb ) and gross reproduction rates (GRR) than those of the pollen group (Table 2) [[20]]. [Extracted from the article]

• Virtual water strategies might lead to economic decline. • A framework is established to identify the non-inferior solutions for the strategies. • Optimized strategies benefit the tradeoff between water conservation and economy. Despite the effectiveness of virtual water strategies for water resource conservation, this approach has not yet been widely adopted in real-world water resource management. One major reason is that previous research on this approach emphasized its water conservation effects, but understated its economic impacts. In the present study, we combined a computable general equilibrium model with Pareto optimality analysis to establish an analytical framework. This framework can help planners to quantify the trade-offs between water resource conservation and economic development, and identify non-inferior solutions for virtual water strategies. We used the Luanhe River Basin as a case study, and considered three strategy sub-modes (promote-imports, limit-production, and dual-policy) and five water-intensive agricultural sub-sectors (cotton, oilseeds, melons and fruits, grains, and vegetables). We found that although the virtual water strategy can improve water conservation, it has negative effects on economic development; compared with the promote-imports modes, the limit-production and dual-policy modes were non-inferior choices; cotton was an inferior agricultural sub-sector to implement the virtual water strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pregnancy induces cognitive reorganization which can lead to mental disorders. The aim of this study is to determine differences in cognitive scores, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and related metabolites between pregnant and non-pregnant participants.Methods: This cross-sectional study included 67 full-term pregnant women and 31 non-pregnant women. We compared scores of mental state and cognitive assessment tests, as well as serum concentrations of SCFAs, hormones, inflammatory factors, and neurotransmitters between these groups.Results: Scores for information processing speed, immediate visual memory, motor response speed and accuracy, execution ability and verbal use ability in the pregnant group were lower than those in the non-pregnant group (p < 0.05 for all tests). Total serum SCFAs in the pregnant group were significantly lower than those in the non-pregnant group (P = 0.031). Among them, acetate and propionate were significantly decreased (P = 0.013 and 0.037, respectively) whereas butyrate was significantly increased (P = 0.035). Serum peptide YY, glucagon-like peptide-1, γ-aminobutyric acid, and dopamine showed no differences between the two groups. However, cortisol, adrenocorticotropic hormone, and acetylcholine were significantly increased in the pregnant group as compared with the non-pregnant group (P = 0.039, 0.016, and 0.012, respectively). Tumor necrosis factor-α was increased and interleukin-10 significantly decreased in the pregnant group (P = 0.045 and 0.019, respectively).Conclusion: According to our study findings, cognitive reorganization in the third trimester of pregnancy showed that both the passive storage capacity of working memory and the executive function of online information processing were decreased to varying degrees. At the same time, the changes in total SCFAs, the proportions of SCFAs and related metabolites were also detected. These changes in the internal environment may be increasing the risk of perinatal mental illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complexes regulate chromatin structure and play important roles in gene expression, differentiation, development and cancer progression. Dysregulation in the subunits of the complexes often has been found in different cancers, but how they influence cancer initiation and progression is not fully understood. Here, we show that Chromatin Accessibility Complex Subunit 1 (CHRAC1), the accessory subunit of chromatin remodeling complex, is highly expressed in lung cancer tissues, which correlates with poor prognosis in lung cancer patients. CHRAC1 overexpression promotes lung cancer cell proliferation and migration in vitro and tumor growth in genetically engineered Kras G12D.LSL lung adenocarcinoma mouse model. Consistent with this, CHRAC1 silencing inhibits cell proliferation and migration in lung cancer cells and suppresses tumor growth in xenograft mouse model. Further, CHRAC1 binds to the transcription coactivator Yes-associated protein (YAP), enhances the transcription of downstream target oncogenes in Hippo pathway and thus promotes the tumor growth. Together, our study defines a critical role of CHRAC1 in promoting YAP transcriptional activity and lung cancer tumorigenesis, which makes it a potential target for lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Naked carp (Gymnocypris przewalskii), endemic to the saline-alkaline Lake Qinghai, have the capacity to tolerate combinations of high salinity and alkalinity, but migrate to spawn in freshwater rivers each year. In this study, we measured the drinking rate over a 24 h period for naked carp exposed to saline-alkaline lake waters with salinities of 15 (L15) and 17 (L17). We also assessed the daily feed intakes of naked carp exposed to L15 and fresh water (FW). Additionally, we studied the daily expression of acid–base regulation and osmoregulation related genes and proteins in the intestine of naked carp exposed to saline-alkaline lake waters. Our results revealed that the drinking rate at night was significantly higher than in daytime when exposed to either L15 or L17, while feed intakes in daytime were significantly higher than at night. The relative expression of Na+/K+-ATPase α (NKA-α), solute carrier family members 26A6 (SLC26A6) and 4A4 (SLC4A4) in the intestine of naked carp exposed to L17 at night was higher than in daytime. Specifically, NKA-α mRNA expression at 4:00 was 7.22-fold and 5.63-fold higher than that at 10:00 and 16:00, respectively, and the expression at 22:00 was 11.29-fold and 8.80-fold higher than that at 10:00 and 16:00, respectively. Similarly, SLC26A6 mRNA expression was greatest at 22:00, exceeding that observed at 4:00, 10:00 and 16:00 by 3.59, 4.44 and 11.14-fold, respectively. Finally, the expression of NKA-α and SLC26A6 protein at the single cell level was also higher at night than during the day, which was 1.65-fold and 1.37-fold higher at 22:00 respectively compared to 16:00. Overall, the present findings revealed that naked carp drinks at night and feeds during the day, demonstrating that intestinal ion regulation exhibits a daily rhythm when exposed to high saline and alkaline lake water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a measuring method to measure the altitude and straightness of hydraulic support groups based on point clouds to tackle the shortcomings in the current measuring methods for measuring the attitude and straightness of hydraulic support groups. First, we build an experimental platform and use three RGB-D cameras to obtain the point cloud of the hydraulic supports from different angles. Then, we calibrated the depth camera and determined the conversion relationship between the camera coordinate system and the world coordinate system. After point clouds preprocessing, we use the method of SAC-IA combined with ICP to conduct point clouds registration, to obtain the complete point cloud of the hydraulic support groups. We analyzed the geometric attitude of a single hydraulic support point cloud and selected characteristic points on each hydraulic support to solve the straightness. Finally, experimental verification is conducted. We did a comparative experiment between SAC-IA combined with the ICP method and ICP method, which proved that the former can effectively reduce the matching error; moreover, we conducted the hydraulic support groups attitude and straightness measurement experiment and compared it with the measured value of the sensors. We found that the errors are all within the acceptable range. It proves the feasibility of adopting point clouds to measure the attitude and straightness of the hydraulic support groups, which is important to realize the transparency and unmanned measuring of the fully mechanized mining face. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many solutions have been proposed in treating of forearm supination. Comparing with other supination function reconstructions, pronator teres rerouting is believed to be less effective due to its insufficient supination strength. The aim of this study is to introduce a modified procedure, and compare its result with two previous approaches.Patients and Methods: From 2015 to 2020, 11 patients have restored forearm supination by rerouting of the pronator teres weave sutured with allogeneic tendons. The average follow-up period was 17.5 months (12 to 24). The range of active supination at the final follow-up was recorded.Results: Almost all patients acquired good supination range. The average active post-operative supination was 72.7° (60° to 80°) at the final follow-up. No complication was observed. All patients retained full range of pronation.Conclusions: This study provides a modified supination function reconstruction with simple operating, fine results, low risks, and no affecting of pronation function. The use of allogeneic tendon makes up for the muscles with insufficient length, making it valuable to reconsider those rebuilding operations that were once considered unpromising by many. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthetic nanotwinned diamond (Nt-D) with unprecedented hardness and toughness is an ideal material for manufacturing ultra-precision cutting tools. It is urgent to investigate the surface formation mechanism of Nt-D under complex stress fields. Here, we developed a compressive-shear biaxial stress field model to study the extreme anisotropic mechanical behavior of Nt-D. It was found that graphitization occurred in all shear directions of the Nt-D (0001) plane through the microstructure evolution of 2H-diamond, 4H-diamond, 6H-diamond, and 9R-diamond, in which the stress release mechanism was accompanied by partial slips in certain specific crystal directions such as 〈1010〉. In addition, the generalized stacking fault energy calculation indicates that the partial slip in 6H- and 9R-diamonds is mainly attributed to the low slip energy barrier between adjacent interlayer. These results expand our understanding of the surface formation mechanism of Nt-D and will contribute to the manufacturing of new-generation ultra-precision tools. [Display omitted] • A compressive-shear biaxial stress field model is developed. • The shear fracture strain of Nt-D is 2–3 times that of single crystal diamond. • Compressive stress enhances the continued load-bearing capacity of the structure. • The graphitization process of Nt-D under complex stress fields is revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: There are limited data on ivabradine therapy in black patients and none in African Americans. We performed an open-label, prospective study at two centers in the United States. African American patients with heart failure (HF) (N = 30), left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 35%, and in sinus rhythm with resting heart rate (HR) ≥ 70 bpm received ivabradine 2.5–7.5 mg twice daily for 57 days. Methods: The primary endpoint was change in HR from baseline to day 57, compared with the −5 bpm change observed in the absence of ivabradine in the placebo group of the SHIFT study. The safety endpoint was treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs). Exploratory endpoints were change from baseline to day 57 in 6-minute walk test (6MWT) distance, HR difference during a 6MWT (i.e. HR at minute 6 − resting HR), and physical activity counts. Results: At day 57, the estimated least squares mean change from baseline in HR was −9.5 bpm (95% CI −13.0, −6.0). The estimated mean treatment difference with ivabradine versus a presumed −5 bpm change from baseline HR, as seen in the placebo group of the SHIFT study, was −4.5 bpm (95% CI −8.0, −1.0; p = 0.013). The mean (SE) changes in 6MWT distance and HR difference during the 6MWT were 16.3 (10.8) meters and 2.3 (3.7) bpm, respectively. Ivabradine therapy did not result in greater physical activity. TEAEs were reported in 11 (36.7%) patients. Conclusion: These data support ivabradine use in African American patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction who meet typical treatment criteria. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT03456856 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Twelve students experienced symptoms of acute respiratory infection (ARI) at a training base in Beijing from August 26 to August 30, 2015. We investigated the cause of this ARI outbreak.Methods: In partnership with the local center for disease control, we collected a total of twelve pharyngeal swab specimens as well as demographic information for the affected patients. We used multiplex real-time PCR to screen for sixteen common respiratory viruses in these samples. To isolate HAdV, we inoculated Hep-2 cells with the human adenovirus (HAdV)-positive samples and then carried out sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the hexon, fiber, and penton genes of the isolated adenoviruses. In addition, we analyzed the entire genome of one strain isolated from the index case to identify single-nucleotide substitutions.Results: We identified ten HAdV-positive students using multiplex real-time PCR. None of the students were co-infected with other viruses. We successfully isolated seven HAdV strains from the pharyngeal swab specimens. The coding sequences of the hexon, fiber, and penton genes of these seven HAdV strains were identical, suggesting that they represented seven strains from a single virus clone. One HAdV isolate obtained from the index case, BJDX-01-2015, was selected for whole genome analysis. From this isolate, we obtained a 34,774-nucleotide sequence. The genome of BJDX-01-2015 clustered with HAdV-B55 in phylogenetic analyses and had 99.97% identity with human adenovirus 55 isolate HAdV-B/CHN/BJ01/2011/55 (GenBank accession no. JX491639).Conclusions: We identified HAdV-B55 as the strain associated with the August 2015 ARI outbreak at a training base in Beijing. This was the first reported outbreak in Beijing due to HAdV-B55. Continuous surveillance of respiratory adenoviruses is urgently needed to understand the epidemiological and evolutionary features of HAdV-B55, and an epidemiological modeling approach may provide further insights into this emerging public health threat. Furthermore, the clinical laboratory data from this outbreak provides important reference for the clinical diagnosis and may ultimately aid in informing the development of strategies to control and prevent respiratory tract infections caused by HAdV-B55. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isovitexin, a bioactive flavonoid constituent isolated from Desmodii Styracifolii, is considered an adjuvant for antiurolithiasis diseases. In this study, an ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with hybrid triple quadruple time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry method was developed to characterize and compare the metabolic profiling of isovitexin experimented on normal and kidney stone model rats. The comparative research indicated that 28 metabolites (18 phase I and 10 phase II) in normal rats and 33 metabolites (20 phase I and 13 phase II) in kidney stone model rats were initially identified. The results of relative quantitative determination reflected that the contents of metabolites produced by deglycosylation, reduction, and isomerization in kidney stone model rats were greater than those in healthy rats. Instead, the levels of oxidative and dehydrogenated metabolites in normal groups were higher than those in kidney stone model groups. The results of this study are valuable and important for understanding the metabolic process of isovitexin in clinical application, and especially the metabolism study in kidney stone model rats could provide a beneficial reference for the further search of effective substances associated with the treatment of kidney stones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Previous studies suggest that organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) can stimulate soil nitrification, but whether autotrophic or heterotrophic nitrification is stimulated and who are active nitrifiers for the nitrification activity is still in debate. We elucidated which nitrification dominated and the active nitrifiers during the decomposition of rice callus. Methods: 15N-labeled callus and acetylene (C2H2) inhibition were used to explore the autotrophic or heterotrophic nitrification during the decomposition of callus and DNA-based stable isotope probing (SIP) and high-throughput sequencing were used to investigate the active nitrifiers. Results: Autotrophic nitrification dominated the nitrification activity, driven by oxidation of ammonia (NH3) produced from mineralization of the callus-derived organic N. Callus significantly stimulated nitrification activity, which was paralleled by changes in the abundance and community composition of AOA. DNA-SIP further demonstrated that the active AOA outnumbered their bacterial counterparts in the 13C-DNA from the soil with callus amendment. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the functional importance of soil fosmid 29i4-like and 54d9-like AOA within soil group 1.1b during the active nitrification with callus cells. Conclusions: NH3 released from the mineralization of callus was the main substrate for autotrophic nitrification and preferentially stimulated the growth of AOA within group 1.1b in the paddy soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The bacteria-mediated anaerobic ammonium oxidation under iron reducing conditions, termed feammox, represents a process for alleviating N accumulation in anoxic soils. Fertilization, as an important agricultural strategy, needs to be investigated in order to determine its effects on nitrogen (N) removal via the feammox process in paddy soils. In this study, a slurry incubation experiment was conducted in fertilized paddy soils with a gradient of microbial reducible Fe(III) levels obtained from Southern China using 15N-isotope tracing techniques. Four fertilizer treatments were examined: an un-fertilized control (NF), chemical fertilizers (CF), chemical fertilizers plus manure (CMF) and chemical fertilizers plus crop straw (CSF). It was estimated that the potential N losses linked with feammox were 3.6–24.9 kg N ha−1 y−1 in all the examined soils. Compared to the unfertilized soil (NF), fertilization stimulated feammox and led to higher (3.4–5.8 times) N losses. We postulate that the variations in the extent and rate of feammox between the unfertilized and fertilized soils were most likely due to differences in the abundance of the Acidimicrobiaceae bacterium A6 and the amounts of microbial reducible Fe(III). Further, the variations between soil treated with fertilizer (CF) only and soils coupled organic-chemical fertilizer (CMF and CSF) were due to the differences in the electron transfer mechanism mediated by electron shuttles from bacteria to Fe(III) minerals arising from the organic carbon applied. Overall, this study clearly illustrated the stimulatory effects of fertilization on feammox that resulted in higher N losses and suggested that feammox could be a crucial N removal pathway in paddy soils. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Nitrogen loss through ferric reduction coupled with anaerobic ammonium oxidation • Fertilization affects the rate and extent of feammox in paddy soils. • Acidimicrobiaceae bacterium A6, soil C and microbial reducible Fe(III) are key drivers for the feammox variations. • The feammox process is important in the N cycle of the rice cropping system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrifying microbes are of critical importance in regulating efficient nitrogen (N) cycling, which plays a crucial role in plant productivity and maintaining soil sustainability. Long-term different intensities of grazing can strongly influence the microbial communities, while our understanding of the complex nitrifying community in the grazed grassland soil environment is still limited. To investigate whether and how long-term grazing with different intensities influence soil nitrifying communities, high-throughput sequencing and quantitative PCR analyses were performed on soil samples from permanent grassland soils under four grazing intensities: 0 (G0), 1.5 (G1), 6 (G2) and 9 (G3) sheep ha −1 . Results showed that the G3 treatment significantly reduced the soil nutrient content and increased the soil bulk density, changes that are not sustainable in the long run. The G1 treatment, on the other hand, significantly increased the soil nutrient content and would improve soil fertility. Some functional microbes were specifically enriched after long term grazing, like Nitrospirae (phylum) to Nitrospira (class) in the G2 samples and Chromatiales (order) to Nitrosococcus (genus) in the G3 soils. The numerically dominant Nitrosococcus watsonii lineage of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) was observed in this grassland soil. The redundancy analysis (RDA) together with the structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis showed that grazing intensity was important in mediating the distribution of soil microorganisms and affected nitrifying communities by impacting soil physicochemical characteristics (e.g., bulk density, NH 4 + -N). These results showed the shifts of nitrifying communities across different grazing intensities, and could aid in the determination of an optimal grazing intensity for these grazed grassland soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine the responses of nitrifiers and denitrifiers to understand microbial pathways of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in grassland soils that received inputs of sheep excreta. Sheep dung and synthetic sheep urine were applied at three different rates, simulating a single, double, or triple overlapping of urine or dung depositions in the field. Quantitative PCR and high-throughput sequencing were combined with process-based modeling to understand effects of sheep excreta on microbial populations and on pathways for N2O production. Results showed that emissions of N2O from urine were significantly higher than from dung, ranging from 0.12 to 0.78 kg N2O-N ha−1 during the 3 months. The N2O emissions were significantly related to the bacterial amoA (r = 0.373, P < 0.001) and nirK (r = 0.614, P < 0.001) gene abundances. It was autotrophic nitrification that dominated N2O production in the low urine-N rate soils, whereas it was denitrification (including nitrifier denitrification and heterotrophic denitrification) that dominated N2O production in the high urine-N rate soils. Nitrifier denitrification was responsible for most of the N2O emissions in the dung-treated soils. This study suggests that nitrifier denitrification is indeed an important pathway for N2O emissions in these low fertility and dry grazed grassland ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) threatens human health and even survival, causing a huge number of hospitalized patients every year. However, as one of the most common respiratory viruses circulated worldwide, the epidemiological and phylogenetic characteristics of human parainfluenza virus (HPIV) in these cases were not well known. Objectives To reveal the epidemiological features of HPIV infection in SARIs in Beijing area from September 2014 to August 2016. Methods A total of 1229 SARI cases in Beijing area were enrolled, investigated, sampled, and tested by multiplex real-time PCR to identify HPIVs and other common respiratory viruses. Eighteen HPIV-3 viruses isolated from all HPIV-positive samples in these SARI cases were sequenced and analyzed. Results Among all enrolled cases, 0.81%, 0.73%, 4.48%, and 0.57% were positive for HPIV-1 to HPIV-4, respectively. The highest yield rate of HPIV infection occurred in children under 5 years old (9.07%), followed by the patients over 60 years old (6.02%). The phylogenetic information of HPIV-3 showed that all viruses belonged to Cluster C3a. Conclusions Besides the young children, the elders older than 60 years also showed a relatively high infection rate of HPIVs, which should be given comparable attentions. Moreover, the HPIV-3 circulating in China undergoes continued evolution, suggesting the potential risk of evolved HPIV infection should not be overlooked. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel intelligent label (CNCB) was prepared by casting and drying a mixed solution of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC-Na) and carrageenan, to which bromothymol blue (BTB) was fixed as the pH indicator. The CNCB label can reply the freshness of fruit through color changes according to the CO 2 concentration inside the package. Variations in the three label components were investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Furthermore, the label morphology and structure were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometry. Lastly, the thermal stability of the labels was analyzed using a synchronous thermal analyzer. Carrageenan enhanced the water resistance of the CMC-Na label and improved the mechanical properties. Moreover, while the BTB dye was added to visually indicate color change, its addition improved not only the physical properties but also the thermal stability of the label. The CNCB label showed different color changes in response to different CO 2 concentrations. When the CNCB label was stored with fresh-cut papaya, its color changed from blue to green, yellow-green, and eventually yellow-brown as the fruit lost its freshness, displaying a strong correlation with the CO 2 concentration in the package. This label prepared from CMC-Na, carrageenan, and BTB, can be used as intelligent label in monitoring the freshness of fresh-cut papaya for the excellent pH sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gymnocypris dobula is a commercially important fishery species and mostly distributed in the freshwater of Tibetan plateau. In this study, genetic diversity and intraspecific population differentiation were examined by using mitochondrial DNA D-loop sequences in 97 individuals sampled from three localities (Pali, Lasa and Yanghu) in the Tibetan plateau. Two hundred and fourteen polymorphic sites and 50 haplotypes were defined among the three localities. Genetic diversity analysis showed that the highest genetic diversity level was found in Pali population. Phylogenetic relationships analysis results indicated that closer phylogenetic relationships were found between the Yanghu and Lasa populations. Genetic population differentiation analysis indicated that the majority of variation (84.91%) was attributed to variations among populations and the largest differentiation was found between Pali and Lasa localities ( F st = 0.874, Nm = 0.036). Moreover, the historical demographic events were assessed by implementing the mismatch distribution analysis, Fajima's D test and Fu's Fs test. The results indicated that the Pali population had undergone a demographic expansion, possibly within the last 0.163 MYA (Million Years Ago). Our study firstly identified the population genetic structure of the G. dobula , which could be helpful for artificial breeding, fishery stock identification and resource conservation for this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scarlet fever is one of a variety of diseases caused by group A Streptococcus (GAS). During 2011, a scarlet fever epidemic characterized by peak monthly incidence rates 2.9-6.7 times higher than those in 2006-2010 occurred in Beijing, China. During the epidemic, hospital-based enhanced surveillance for scarlet fever and pharyngitis was conducted to determine characteristics of circulating GAS strains. The surveillance identified 3,359 clinical cases of scarlet fever or pharyngitis. GAS was isolated from 647 of the patients; 76.4% of the strains were type emm12, and 17.1% were emm1. Almost all isolates harbored superantigens speC and ssa. All isolates were susceptible to penicillin, and resistance rates were 96.1% to erythromycin, 93.7% to tetracycline, and 79.4% to clindamycin. Because emm12 type GAS is not the predominant type in other countries, wider surveillance for the possible spread of emm12 type GAS from China to other countries is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Please cite this paper as: Yang et al. (2011) Seroprevalence of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza and effectiveness of 2010/2011 influenza vaccine during 2010/2011 season in Beijing, China. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 6(6), 381-388. Background In the post-pandemic period, pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus was expected to circulate seasonally and was introduced into trivalent influenza vaccine during 2010/2011 season in the Northern Hemisphere. Objectives The aim of this study was to examine the evolution of herd immunity against pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus in Beijing, China, during 2010/2011 season and effectiveness of the 2010/2011 trivalent vaccine. Methods Two serological surveys were conducted before and after 2010/2011 season in Beijing. A case-control study was used to investigate vaccine effectiveness against influenza-like illness (ILI) and lower respiratory tract infection (LRI). Results A total of 4509 and 4543 subjects participated in the pre- and post-season surveys, respectively. The standardized seroprevalence of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza increased from 22·1% pre-season to 24·3% post-season ( P < 0·001). Significant elevation in seroprevalence appeared in the ≥60 years age-group ( P < 0·001), but not in others. The 2010/2011 trivalent vaccine contributed to the higher post-seasonal seroprevalence in unvaccinated individuals ( P = 0·024), but not in those vaccinated with monovalent pandemic vaccine ( P = 0·205), as well as in those without prior immunity versus those with immunity. The adjusted effectiveness of the 2010/2011 trivalent vaccine was 79% protection against ILI (95% CI, 61-89%) and 95% against LRI (95% CI: 59-99%). Conclusions A slight increase in herd immunity against pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza was observed in Beijing, China, during the 2010/2011 season. Prior vaccination and immunity had a suppressive impact on immune response toward this novel influenza virus, elicited by 2010/2011 trivalent vaccine. This trivalent vaccine conferred good protection against ILI and LRI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schaftoside is a flavone-C-glycoside isolated from Herba Desmodii Styracifolii with valuable anti-kidney stones efficacies. In this study, a six-step strategy was first developed to detect and identify the metabolites in plasma, urine, bile, feces and rat intestinal bacteria samples of healthy and model rats administrated with schaftoside using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS). The number and the relative peak area of metabolites in healthy rats and model rats were compared, and it was noticed that metabolites in bio-samples of healthy and model rats both had obvious differences. A total of 28 metabolites of schaftoside in healthy rats and 30 metabolites in model rats were initially indentified. The relative peak area of the parent drug and every metabolite in model rat plasma samples were larger than those in healthy rat plasma. Those metabolites with high blood concentrations might be beneficial for the treatment of calcium oxalate stones in the kidney. The results are valuable and important for understanding the metabolic process of schaftoside in clinical application, and especially the metabolism study in calcium oxalate kidney stone model rats could provide a beneficial reference for the further search of effective substances associated with the treatment of kidney stones. Image 1 • A practical method by UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS for comparing the metabolites of schaftoside in healthy and model rats was developed. • A six-step strategy was developed to screen and identify metabolites. • 28 metabolites of schaftoside in healthy rats and 30 metabolites in model rats were initially indentified. • Proposed metabolic pathways of schaftoside in healthy and model rats were inferred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]