Search

• BBB damage is a sustained trigger for demyelination during white matter ischemia. • Vessel-adjacent microglia co-activated by myelin and plasma LDL in white matter ischemia. • LDL-stimulated vessel-adjacent microglia showed compromised microglial regenerative properties. • Lowering circulating LDL may show therapeutic potentials in white matter ischemia. The role of microglia in triggering the blood–brain barrier (BBB) impairment and white matter damage after chronic cerebral hypoperfusion is unclear. Here we demonstrated that the vessel-adjacent microglia were specifically activated by the leakage of plasma low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which led to BBB breakdown and ischemic demyelination. Interestingly, we found that LDL stimulation enhanced microglial phagocytosis, causing excessive engulfment of myelin debris and resulting in an overwhelming lipid burden in microglia. Surprisingly, these lipid-laden microglia exhibited a suppressed profile of inflammatory response and compromised pro-regenerative properties. Microglia-specific knockdown of LDLR or systematic medication lowering circulating LDL-C showed protective effects against ischemic demyelination. Overall, our findings demonstrated that LDL-stimulated vessel-adjacent microglia possess a disease-specific molecular signature, characterized by suppressed regenerative properties, which is associated with the propagation of demyelination during ischemic white matter damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MOFs have good potential for X-ray detection, but direct X-ray detection in single crystal form is rarely reported. In this work, we successfully synthesized Pb-TCPE, and the single crystal achieves a low detection limit and high detection sensitivity of 4812.6 μC Gyair−1 cm−2, which exhibits great potential for X-ray detection and imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the development of new scintillation materials with red and near-infrared light emission has had significant advantages based on the development of an avalanche photodiode with high quantum yield. This study used a hydrothermal method to synthesize rare-earth-doped Cs2NaScCl6 crystals, in which a red emission of Cs2NaScCl6:Sm was investigated with high X-ray sensitivity and low detection limit. In addition, a tunable wavelength range of radioluminescence can be achieved, in which a near-white light emission can be generated by precisely controlling the proportion of Sm3+ and Tb3+ doping concentrations. Meanwhile, a Cs2NaScCl6:7%Sm scintillation film has been successfully prepared by direct coating with a thickness of 150 μm, which achieves a spatial resolution of 11.9 lp mm−1 based on X-ray imaging experiments. Therefore, this perovskite material has shown potential application as an eco-friendly multifunctional imaging material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As the number of elderly migrants in China continues to grow, it is necessary to pay closer attention to their health and health services. Some studies have confirmed that social capital plays a significant role in the utilization of health services. Therefore, an in-depth exploration of the relationship between social capital and the utilization of essential public health services (EPHS) by elderly migrants will not only contribute to improving their overall health but also facilitate a more balanced development of public health service system in China. Methods: Based on the cross-sectional data from the 2017 China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS), this study examined the impact of social capital on the utilization of EPHS among elderly migrants. We evaluated social capital at two distinct levels: the individual and the community, and considered two dimensions of social capital: structural social capital (SSC) and cognitive social capital (CSC). The study aimed to delve into the impact of these forms of social capital on the utilization of EPHS among elderly migrants, and whether the migration range moderates this impact by multilevel logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 5,728 migrant elderly individuals were selected. The health records establishment rate and health education acceptance rate were approximately 33.0% and 58.6%, respectively. Social capital influenceed the utilization of EPHS among elderly migrants. Specifically, individual-level SSC and CSC have impacts on both the establishment of health records (OR = 1.598, 95%CI 1.366–1.869; OR = 1.705, 95%CI 1.433–2.028) and the acceptance of health education (OR = 1.345, 95%CI 1.154–1.567; OR = 2.297, 95%CI 1.906–2.768) among elderly migrants, while community-level SSC only affected the acceptance of health education (OR = 3.838, 95%CI 1.328–11.097). There were significant differences in individual-level SSC, health records, and health education among different migration range subgroups among elderly migrants. Migration range moderated the effect of social capital on the utilization of EPHS, crossing provinces could weaken the relationship between SSC and health education. Conclusions: Social capital is associated with a higher utilization rate of EPHS among elderly migrants. It is necessary to encourage them to actively participate in social activities, strengthen public services and infrastructure construction in the area, and improve their sense of belonging and identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High temperatures (>24°C) prevent the development of a yellow peel on bananas called green ripening, owing to the inhibition of chlorophyll degradation. This phenomenon greatly reduces the marketability of banana fruit, but the mechanisms underlining high temperature‐repressed chlorophyll catabolism need to be elucidated. Herein, we found that the protein accumulation of chlorophyll catabolic enzyme MaSGR1 (STAY‐GREEN 1) was reduced when bananas ripened at high temperature. Transiently expressing MaSGR1 in banana peel showed its positive involvement in promoting chlorophyll degradation under high temperature, thereby weakening green ripening phenotype. Using yeast two‐hybrid screening, we identified a RING‐type E3 ubiquitin ligase, MaRZF1 (RING Zinc Finger 1), as a putative MaSGR1‐interacting protein. MaRZF1 interacts with and targets MaSGR1 for ubiquitination and degradation via the proteasome pathway. Moreover, upregulating MaRZF1 inhibited chlorophyll degradation, and attenuated MaSGR1‐promoted chlorophyll degradation in bananas during green ripening, indicating that MaRZF1 negatively regulates chlorophyll catabolism via the degradation of MaSGR1. Taken together, MaRZF1 and MaSGR1 form a regulatory module to mediate chlorophyll degradation associated with high temperature‐induced green ripening in bananas. Therefore, our findings expand the understanding of posttranslational regulatory mechanisms of temperature stress‐caused fruit quality deterioration. Summary statement: RING‐type ubiquitin E3 ligase MaRZF1 interacts with chlorophyll catabolic enzyme MaSGR1, which promotes the ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of MaSGR1, causing the green ripening of banana fruit under high temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objects thrown from tall buildings in communities are characterized by their small size, inconspicuous features, and high speed. Existing algorithms for detecting such objects face challenges, including excessive parameters, overly complex models that are difficult to implement, and insufficient detection accuracy. This study proposes a lightweight detection model for objects thrown from tall buildings in communities, named S-YOLOv5, to address these issues. The model is based on the YOLOv5 algorithm, and a lightweight convolutional neural network, Enhanced ShuffleNet (ESNet), is chosen as the backbone network to extract image features. On this basis, the initial stage of the backbone network is enhanced and the simplified attention module (SimAM) attention mechanism is added to utilize the rich position information and contour information in the shallow feature map to improve the detection of small targets. For feature fusion, the sparsely connected Path Aggregation Network (SCPANet) module is designed to use sparsely connected convolution (SCConv) instead of the regular convolution of the Path Aggregation Network (PANet) to fuse features efficiently. In addition, the model uses the normalized Wasserstein distance (NWD) loss function to reduce the sensitivity of positional bias. The accuracy of the model is further improved. Test results from the self-built objects thrown from tall buildings dataset show that S-YOLOv5 can detect objects thrown from tall buildings quickly and accurately, with an accuracy of 90.2% and a detection rate of 34.1 Fps/s. Compared with the original YOLOv5 model, the parameters are reduced by 87.3%, and the accuracy and rate are improved by 0.8% and 63%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzing historical and reanalysis datasets for wind energy climatic characteristics offers crucial insights for wind farms and short-term electricity generation forecasting. However, large-scale wind farms in Chinese deserts, the Gobi, and barren areas often lack sufficient wind measurement data, leading to challenges in assessing long-term power generation revenue and introducing uncertainty. This study focuses on the Tengger Desert as the study area, processes the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) data, and analyzes and compares wind energy's future characteristics utilizing a developed deep learning (DL) downscaling algorithm. The findings indicate that (1) the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) downscaling model, with the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF) numerical simulation results as the targets, exhibits spatial distribution consistency with WRF simulation results in the experimental area. (2) Through testing and validation with three practical wind measurements, the annual average wind speed error is below 4%. (3) In the mid-term future (~2050), the average wind speed in the experimental area remains stable with a multi-year average of approximately 7.00 m·s−1. The overall wind speed distribution range is significant, meeting the requirements for wind farm development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypergraphs are instrumental in modeling complex relational systems that encompass a wide spectrum of high-order interactions among components. One prevalent analysis task is the properties estimation of large-scale hypergraphs, which involves selecting a subset of nodes and hyperedges while preserving the characteristics of the entire hypergraph. This paper aims to sample hypergraphs via random walks and is the first to perform unbiased random walks for sampling of nodes and hyperedges simultaneously in large-scale hypergraphs to the best of our knowledge. Initially, we analyze the stationary distributions of nodes and hyperedges for the simple random walk, and show that there is a high bias in both nodes and hyperedges. Subsequently, to eliminate the high bias of the simple random walk, we propose unbiased random walk strategies for nodes and hyperedges, respectively. Finally, a single joint walk schema is developed for sampling nodes and hyperedges simultaneously. To accelerate the convergence process, we employ delayed acceptance and history-aware techniques to assist our algorithm in achieving fast convergence. Extensive experimental results validate our theoretical findings, and the unbiased sampling algorithms for nodes and hyperedges have their complex hypergraph scenarios for which they are applicable. The joint random walk algorithm balanced the sampling applicable to both nodes and hyperedges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dictamnine is a representative furan-containing hepatotoxic compound. Administration of dictamnine caused acute liver injury in mice and the metabolic activation of furan to reactive epoxy intermediate was responsible for the hepatotoxicity. This study aimed to characterize the protein adduction by endogenous hepatic aldehydes and investigate its role in dictamnine-induced hepatotoxicity. In the liver sample of dictamnine-treated mice, the protein adduction by five aldehydes was characterized as lysine residue-aldehyde adducts using high-resolution UPLC-Q/Orbitrap MS after exhaustive proteolytic digestion. The levels of protein adduct were increased at 2–3 h after the treatment with dictamnine. The formation of protein adduction increased with increasing doses of dictamnine. Inhibition of the bioactivation by CYP3A inhibitor ketoconazole prevented the protein adduction. Treatment with 2,3-dihydro-dictamnine, an analog of dictamnine that was unable to form the epoxy intermediate, did not lead to an increase in protein adduction. Application of aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 activator ALDA-1 or nucleophilic trapping reagent N -acetyl-L-lysine significantly reduced the protein adduction and attenuated dictamnine-induced liver injury without affecting the bioactivation. In conclusion, the metabolic activation of the furan ring of dictamnine resulted in the protein adduction by multiple hepatic aldehydes and the protein modification played a crucial role in dictamnine-induced liver injury. [Display omitted] • Covalent modification of hepatic protein by five aldehydes was characterized by LC-MS. • Reactive metabolite of dictamnine caused protein adduction by multiple aldehydes. • Protein adduction by aldehydes contributed to the dictamnine-induced hepatotoxicity. • Activation of ALDH2 by ALDA-1 attenuated dictamnine-induced liver injury. • Aldehydes could directly induce mouse liver injury via injection to hepatic vein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species, Sinocyclocheilus xingyiensis, is described based on specimens collected from a karst cave in Guizhou Province, China. The authors used an integrated taxonomic approach, including morphological and molecular data, to identify the new species as a member of the Sinocyclocheilu angularis group, and it can be distinguished from all other members of this group by a combination of the following features: two pairs of long barbels and long pectoral fins, 42–46 lateral‐line scales, 7 (13–14) on outer (inner) side of the first gill arch and 35 (14–15 + 4 + 16 − 17) vertebrae. Phylogenetic analyses based on the cytochrome b (cyt b) gene fragment suggest that S. xingyiensis is a sister lineage to Sinocyclocheilus flexuosdorsalis. The genetic distance (Kimura 2‐parameter) between the S. xingyiensis and S. angularis groups of Sinocyclocheilus species based on cyt b gene fragment ranged from 1.2% to 15.4%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grandparenting duties can affect the well-being of the elderly both positively and negatively. This paper disentangles the interactions between grandparenting, quality of life, and life satisfaction in China. Using a panel dataset of 3205 respondents in three waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in 2011, 2013, and 2015, we find that grandparents who look after grandchildren are less at risk of depression, receive more financial and in-kind transfers from their children, and report greater life satisfaction than grandparents who do not look after grandchildren. These benefits vary across gender and rural-urban status, however. The positive effect of grandparenting is driven mainly by the direct effect with negligible mediating effect attributable to better quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we aim to minimize light loss and achieve high power conversion efficiencies (PCE) in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) by employing a spectral conversion film component with antireflection properties. In our scheme, NaYF4:Tm, Yb, and Gd luminescent nanorod/silica nanosphere-based thin films are applied on CH3NH3PbI3 PSCs to improve the device efficiency. The film was fabricated by spin coating an aged silica sol containing NaYF4:Tm, Yb, and Gd luminescent nanorods. The size and the spectral conversion properties of the NaYF4:Tm, Yb, and Gd luminescent nanorods were controlled by tuning the Gd3+ ion concentration. The microstructure and the transmittance properties of the thin film were controlled by changing the concentration of NaYF4:Tm, Yb, and Gd luminescent nanorod in silica sol. The thin films have excellent spectral conversion properties while exhibiting a maximum transmittance. The photovoltaic performance of PSCs with NaYF4:Tm, Yb, and Gd luminescent nanorod/silica nanosphere-based thin films was systematically investigated. The light transmittance was optimized to 95.1% on a cleaned glass substrate, which resulted in an average increase of about 3.0% across the broadband range of 400–800 nm. The optimized films widen the spectrum of light absorbed by conventional PSC cells and reduce reflections across a broad range, enhancing the photovoltaic performance of PSCs. As a result, the PCE of the PSC increased from 14.51% for the reference device without a thin film to 15.67% for the PSC device with an optimized thin film. This study presents a comprehensive solution to the problem of Fresnel reflection and spectral response mismatch of the PSCs, which provides new ideas for the light management of PSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes a case study of a 9-year-old girl with a novel partial dominant mutation in the IFNGR1 gene, which is associated with Mendelian susceptibility to mycobacterial diseases (MSMD). The girl had a history of BCG infection and presented with symptoms including bone pain and lesions. Multiple tests confirmed a diagnosis of disseminated Mycobacterium avium infection. The study highlights the importance of genetic testing in children with adverse reactions to BCG vaccination and emphasizes the need for early diagnosis and treatment. [Extracted from the article]

The movement of water molecules at the atomic scale within the calcium silicate hydrate (C–S–H) gel pores serves a dual role: it creates an environment for harmful chemical reactions within the pores and functions as a carrier for the transport of detrimental ions, thereby affects the mechanical properties and durability of cementitious materials. However, direct experimental observation poses substantial challenges. This study offers new insights into how temperature (253 K, 273 K, 293 K, and 313 K) affects the capillary transport of water molecules in epoxy-modified C–S–H. The findings demonstrate that the pore size undergoes continuous changes during immersion due to epoxy clustering or detachment, resulting in three scenarios: narrowing of epoxy/C–S–H channels (253 K, 273 K), channel blockage (293 K), and complete detachment (313 K). Moreover, the interactions between water molecules and epoxy lead to epoxy detachment or cluster formation on the C–S–H surface. As the temperature increases, the interaction between C–S–H and cross-linked epoxy resin weakens. The coordination between C–S–H and epoxy resin decreases, while the coordination with water increases. This paper provides valuable insights into the transport behavior of liquids within the epoxy-modified C–S–H pores of cement-based materials. It contributes to a better understanding of how liquids move and interact within the modified pore structure, which is beneficial for enhancing the performance and properties of cement-based materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies batch processing of core maintenance in hypergraph streams. We focus on updating the coreness of each vertex after the hypergraph evolves. Unlike existing works that mainly focus on exact coreness updates for the single hyperedge dynamic or approximate update, we propose the first known batch processing algorithms for exact core maintenance with insertions or deletions of multiple hyperedges. By proposing a hyperedge structure Joint Hyperedge Set, we tackle the challenges of quantifying the range of coreness change and finding potential vertices whose coreness may update. In addition, we accelerate coreness updates even further by finding structures that enable parallel execution. Extensive experiments illustrate the efficiency, scalability, and effectiveness of our batch core maintenance algorithms on real-world hypergraphs. It shows that our algorithms can be faster than the single hyperedge processing approaches by a factor of nearly half the number of hyperedges processed, and our parallel algorithms achieve linear acceleration with the increasing number of threads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Changes in cell-type composition of tissues are associated with a wide range of diseases and environmental risk factors and may be causally implicated in disease development and progression. However, these shifts in cell-type fractions are often of a low magnitude, or involve similar cell subtypes, making their reliable identification challenging. DNA methylation profiling in a tissue like blood is a promising approach to discover shifts in cell-type abundance, yet studies have only been performed at a relatively low cellular resolution and in isolation, limiting their power to detect shifts in tissue composition. Methods: Here we derive a DNA methylation reference matrix for 12 immune-cell types in human blood and extensively validate it with flow-cytometric count data and in whole-genome bisulfite sequencing data of sorted cells. Using this reference matrix, we perform a directional Stouffer and fixed effects meta-analysis comprising 23,053 blood samples from 22 different cohorts, to comprehensively map associations between the 12 immune-cell fractions and common phenotypes. In a separate cohort of 4386 blood samples, we assess associations between immune-cell fractions and health outcomes. Results: Our meta-analysis reveals many associations of cell-type fractions with age, sex, smoking and obesity, many of which we validate with single-cell RNA sequencing. We discover that naïve and regulatory T-cell subsets are higher in women compared to men, while the reverse is true for monocyte, natural killer, basophil, and eosinophil fractions. Decreased natural killer counts associated with smoking, obesity, and stress levels, while an increased count correlates with exercise and sleep. Analysis of health outcomes revealed that increased naïve CD4 + T-cell and N-cell fractions associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality independently of all major epidemiological risk factors and baseline co-morbidity. A machine learning predictor built only with immune-cell fractions achieved a C-index value for all-cause mortality of 0.69 (95%CI 0.67–0.72), which increased to 0.83 (0.80–0.86) upon inclusion of epidemiological risk factors and baseline co-morbidity. Conclusions: This work contributes an extensively validated high-resolution DNAm reference matrix for blood, which is made freely available, and uses it to generate a comprehensive map of associations between immune-cell fractions and common phenotypes, including health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ride-pooling, which accommodates multiple passenger requests in a single trip, has the potential to substantially enhance the throughput of mobility-on-demand (MoD) systems. This paper investigates MoD systems that operate mixed fleets composed of "basic supply" and "augmented supply" vehicles. When the basic supply is insufficient to satisfy demand, augmented supply vehicles can be repositioned to serve rides at a higher operational cost. We formulate the joint vehicle repositioning and ride-pooling assignment problem as a two-stage stochastic integer program, where repositioning augmented supply vehicles precedes the realization of ride requests. Sequential ride-pooling assignments aim to maximize total utility or profit on a shareability graph: a hypergraph representing the matching compatibility between available vehicles and pending requests. Two approximation algorithms for midcapacity and high-capacity vehicles are proposed in this paper; the respective approximation ratios are 1 / p 2 and (e − 1) / (2 e + o (1)) p ln p , where p is the maximum vehicle capacity plus one. Our study evaluates the performance of these approximation algorithms using an MoD simulator, demonstrating that these algorithms can parallelize computations and achieve solutions with small optimality gaps (typically within 1%). These efficient algorithms pave the way for various multimodal and multiclass MoD applications. History: This paper has been accepted for the Transportation Science Special Issue on Emerging Topics in Transportation Science and Logistics. Funding: This work was supported by the National Science Foundation [Grants CCF-2006778 and FW-HTF-P 2222806], the Ford Motor Company, and the Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation [Grants CMMI-1854684, CMMI-1904575, and CMMI-1940766]. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/trsc.2021.0349. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Congenital hemidysplasia with ichthyosiform nevus and limb defects (CHILD) syndrome is a rare X‐linked dominant, lethal male disorder caused by mutations to the NSDHL (NAD(P)H steroid dehydrogenase‐like protein) gene. It primarily exhibits strictly unilateral congenital hemidysplasia with ichthyosiform erythroderma and ipsilateral limb defects in female individuals. Methods: A Chinese couple suffering from recurrent spontaneous abortion in male fetuses was enrolled in this study. Chromosomal microarray analysis and whole‐exome sequencing were performed for genetic etiological diagnosis. Results: A 33‐year‐old pregnant woman with recurrent spontaneous abortion was experiencing her third pregnancy with a male embryo. In this pregnancy, a miscarriage occurred at a gestational age of 10+6 weeks with no copy number variants. However, a novel mutation c.790‐6C>T in the NSDHL gene was observed in the fetus through whole‐exome sequencing (WES). Parental verification indicated that the NSDHL gene variant was inherited from the mother. Additionally, the variant in the NSDHL gene was absent in her subsequent pregnancy with a female fetus. Conclusion: In this study, we detected c.790‐6C>T, a novel variant in the NSDHL gene that results in recurrent miscarriage in males. Our study may broaden the scope of research on the NSDHL gene in CHILD syndrome and strengthens the application value of WES for the genetic etiological identification of recurrent miscarriage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microglia play a critical role in the clearance of myelin debris, thereby ensuring functional recovery from neural injury. Here, using mouse model of demyelination following two-point LPC injection, we show that the microglial autophagic-lysosomal pathway becomes overactivated in response to severe demyelination, leading to lipid droplet accumulation and a dysfunctional and pro-inflammatory microglial state, and finally failed myelin debris clearance and spatial learning deficits. Data from genetic approaches and pharmacological modulations, via microglial Atg5 deficient mice and intraventricular BAF A1 administration, respectively, demonstrate that staged suppression of excessive autophagic-lysosomal activation in microglia, but not sustained inhibition, results in better myelin debris degradation and exerts protective effects against demyelination. Combined multi-omics results in vitro further showed that enhanced lipid metabolism, especially the activation of the linoleic acid pathway, underlies this protective effect. Supplementation with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), both in vivo and in vitro, could mimic these effects, including attenuating inflammation and restoring microglial pro-regenerative properties, finally resulting in better recovery from demyelination injuries and improved spatial learning function, by activating the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR-γ) pathway. Therefore, we propose that pharmacological inhibition targeting microglial autophagic-lysosomal overactivation or supplementation with CLA could represent a potential therapeutic strategy in demyelinated disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this work is to evaluate the corrosion-inhibition behavior of deposited carbon and some iron-oxide hybrid coatings which derived from the in situ deposition method on the surface of Fe foil. Various contents of precursor methane gas were deposited over a mild iron foil substrate and formed different composites. It was found that the incorporation of C into the Fe matrix led to a thin film on the surface of the matrix and produced an anti-corrosion effect. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), potentiodynamic polarization and potentiometric tests were used to compare the corrosion behaviors of the films in air-saturated 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. According to the results, Fe-oxide- and C-composite-coated iron foil has a much higher corrosion resistance than the raw blank sample without the addition of C. Generally, the corrosion charge transfer resistance of one kind of iron oxide coated with carbon layers of several nanometers was enhanced up to 28,379 times (Rct changes from 1487 Ω cm2 to 4.22 × 107 Ω cm2), which is the biggest improvement so far. The maximum protection efficiency was obtained for the in situ grown coating prepared by 10 and 15 sccm CH4 precursor gas (eta = 100%). In conclusion, an iron oxide and carbon composite was found to be a great candidate for applications in the corrosion-resistance area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The governmental subsidy is an important instrument for catalyzing the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). A sustainable subsidy policy must balance between promoting EVs and expanding the charging infrastructure. This paper proposes a dynamic game approach for computing the optimal subsidies, taking into consideration the cross-side network effect between EV adoption and charging infrastructure expansion. The government's objective is to expedite the adoption of EV technology, maintain sustainable EV-to-CS ratios, and maximize cumulative social benefit in the face of uncertainty. The case study of China's EV industry indicates that the existing EV subsidy program, known as the Dual-Credit Policy (DCP), will not be sufficient to support EV growth by 2035 due to inadequate infrastructure investment. In contrast, the optimal subsidies will achieve the target EV market penetration rate and ensure the accessibility to charging infrastructure by 2035. This non-myopic strategy can prioritize the infrastructure expansion, eliminate policy enforcement's monitoring costs, prevent compensation evasion, and help achieve long-term targets by making proactive regulatory policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Birdwatching tourism is a type of ecotourism. When carrying out birdwatching tourism, people should deal with the integration relationship between tourism activities and bird ecological environment protection, so as to meet the needs of the ecological civilization construction in China. Taking Wujia Village in Poyang Lake Wetland Migratory Birds Reserve as an example, the relationship between biodiversity and the behavior and needs of birdwatching tourists was analyzed, and the planning mode and design ideas suitable for birdwatching tourism towns were explored, in order to provide the experience for the planning and design of other birdwatching tourism towns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commercial behavior in towns and cities is mainly divided into formal and informal behavior. Rapid urbanization has enabled formal commerce to develop more and more perfectly in towns, basically meeting the living needs of residents. However, because of problems such as urban history and management mechanism, informal commercial behavior formed by floating stallholders and other employed people is widespread in towns. Due to the characteristics of instability, flexibility and richness, informal commerce has gradually developed into an important business to attract residents and tourists. In this paper, the general characteristics of informal commercial behavior in towns, the characteristics of the urban public space bearing this kind of commerce, and residents' demand for informal commercial space were summarized, and then the optimization strategies of this kind of public space were put forward to help towns make full use of their scattered space, create diversified commercial places, and add vitality to urban space while providing residents and tourists with daily life needs and convenience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most serious health problems worldwide. Chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) is most commonly caused by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. Currently, endoscopic detection of early gastric cancer (EGC) and CAG remains challenging for endoscopists, and the diagnostic accuracy of H. pylori infection by endoscopy is approximately 70%. Artificial intelligence (AI) can assist endoscopic diagnosis including detection, prediction of depth of invasion, boundary delineation, and anatomical location of EGC, and has achievable diagnostic ability even comparable to experienced endoscopists. In this review we summarized various AI‐assisted systems in the diagnosis of EGC, CAG, and H. pylori infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanozymes have attracted wide attention for the unique advantages of low cost, high stability and designability. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have demonstrated great potential as a new type of nanozymes due to their excellent specificity and high affinity. However, effective approaches for creating molecularly imprinted nanozymes still remain limited. Herein, reverse microemulsion template docking surface imprinting (RMTD‐SI) is reported as a new approach for the rational design and engineering of nanozymes with free substrate access for the ligation of ssDNA sequences. As a proof of the principle, octa‐deoxyribonucleotide‐imprinted nanoparticles were successfully prepared. Using tetradeoxyribonucleotides and octa‐deoxyribonucleotide as substrates, the properties, catalytic activity and behavior of the imprinted nanoparticles were thoroughly investigated. The imprinted nanozyme exhibited an enhanced reaction speed (by up to 41‐fold) and good sequence selectivity towards substrate tetra‐deoxyribonucleotides. More interestingly, due to the open substrate access, the imprinted nanozyme also allowed the ligation of a ssDNA that fully matched with the imprinted cavity and other ssDNA substrates to form longer sequences, but at the price of substrate selectivity. Thus, this study provides not only a new avenue to the rational design and synthesis of molecularly imprinted nanozymes but also new insights of their catalytic behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Episiotomy is a surgical solution to relieve perineal stress, resulting in an easily repairable incision, in comparison to the risks of serious vaginal trauma during delivery. The midwife typically adopts such a clinical decision, on experience and subjective judgment. However, the association between perineal stress and episiotomy is poorly characterized. Our aim was to identify a threshold value for perineal stress leading to episiotomy, which eventually may be employed as a clinical tool for assessing whether an episiotomy is required or not.Methods: In total, 245 nulliparous women were investigated for perineal stress during non-instrumental vaginal delivery in Ningbo Women & Children's Hospital. During the second stage of labor, a flexible membrane stress sensor was placed between the fetal head and perineal wall above the anal fissure. Once the entire fetal head pressed against the sensor, real-time perineal stress was measured, and the peak value was recorded. Cases were divided into non-episiotomy group (n = 173) and episiotomy group (n = 72). The correlations between perineal stress and episiotomy was assessed through logistic regression with adjustment for maternal age, estimated birthweight, duration of second stage of labor, maternal body mass index, and presence of analgesia. Midwives were blinded to all stress measurement values. The predictive value of perineal stress on performing episiotomy was evaluated, together with the ideal cut-off perineal stress value for performing episiotomy. A ROC analysis was also performed.Results: The episiotomy group had significantly higher levels of perineal stress in comparison to the non-episiotomy group (140.50 ± 16.03 N versus 118.37 ± 19.21 N, p < 0.01). The episiotomy group was linked to significantly higher perineal stress in comparison to the non-episiotomy group (140.50 ± 16.03 VS 118.37 ± 19.21 N, p < 0.01). ROC analysis between perineal stress and episiotomy revealed a high area under the curve (AUC 0.81, 95% CI 0.75-0.86) and a cut-off value for perineal stress of 124.49 N was identified for episiotomy decision.Conclusion: The level of perineal stress was an independent predictor of performing episiotomy in nulliparous women during non-instrumental vaginal delivery. Perineal stress exceeding 124.49 N was identified as the cut-off prompting midwives to perform episiotomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel nitrogen-doped graphene-decorated FeSe x -Sb 2 Se 3 /C nanofiber composite is prepared by electrospinning. • Graphene nanosheets grown on the fiber surface significantly improve the electrochemical performance of FeSbSe-NGCNFs. • FeSbSe-NGCNFs show excellent potassium-storage performance. Low operating voltage, high theoretical capacity conversion alloyed anodes ideal for potassium ion anodes. However, how to address the structural deformation and volume expansion of the changed alloyed materials throughout the reaction process is a crucial topic. A novel nitrogen-doped graphene-decorated FeSe x -Sb 2 Se 3 /C nanofibers (FeSbSe-NGCNFs) composite is synthesized by adding dicyandiamide (DCDA) during electrospinning. Benefiting from porous one-dimensional nanostructure, graphene-decoration and rich nitrogen doping, the best electrochemical performance is shown by FeSbSe-NGCNFs when used as an anode in PIBs. FeSbSe-NGCNFs provide a reversible discharge specific capacity of 279.9 mAh/g at 100 mA g−1 after 100 cycles with a capacity retention of 87.6 %, in addition to a high capacity of 169.9 mAh/g at a high current of 3000 mA g−1. After 1000 cycles, the composite retained 115.8 mAh/g of capacity at 1000 mA g−1. The main causes of these exceptional cycling multiplicity properties are the porous structure that produces more carbon defects and active sites, increasing the amount of storage capacity for K+ and speeding up K+ transport and electron transfer, as well as the graphene nanosheet structure that enhances electrical conductivity and increases its specific surface area. Therefore, PIBs might benefit from the developed FeSbSe-NGCNFs as anode material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Massive concrete structures are susceptible to thermal cracking due to the large surface-to-internal temperature gradients induced by the exothermic cement hydration, threatening their durability and safety. This study explored a novel thermal-tailored strategy to mitigate thermal cracking of cement-based materials by incorporating carbon fibers (CF) and liquid-metal-based microencapsulated phase change materials (MEPCM). Specifically, spherical MEPCM composed of In-Bi-Sn alloy cores coated by polyvinyl alcohol shells was prepared through a high-speed liquid-phase dispersion method, with average diameters of 36.26 μm and a high volumetric latent heat of 214 MJ/m3. The synergistic effect of CF and MEPCM on the microstructure, mechanical and thermal properties of cement mortars was further investigated. Upon adding 0.3 wt% of CF and 3.2 vol.% of MEPCM, the flexural strength of cement mortars exhibited a significant increase of 30.3 %. Microanalysis revealed that the molten MEPCM could flow to fill the pores and microcracks within its surrounding matrix and form a network skeleton with well-dispersed CF, imparting flexibility to the typically rigid cement hydrates. By this way, the thermal conductivity of cement mortars was increased by 21.7 % and internal temperature rise was decreased by 12 ℃ by adding 4.8 vol.% of MEPCM, contributing to the mitigation of risks associated with thermal cracking. The research outcomes will provide valuable insights into the development of thermal cracking-resistant cement-based materials in a highly efficient way. • Fabrication of microencapsulated phase change materials (MEPCM) based on In-Bi-Sn alloy was achieved. • The synergistic effects of carbon fiber (CF) and MEPCM on the performance of cement mortars was evaluated. • Incorporation of CF and MEPCM significantly enhanced the flexural strength and thermal conductivity of cement mortars. • Cement mortars containing 0.3 wt% CF and 4.8 vol.% of MEPCM exhibited a maximum internal temperature reduction of 12 ℃. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predator-prey interactions are critical in ecological communities. As the wild resources of Pacific abalone are on the verge of exhaustion, efforts to reveal the effects of predation by hostile organisms on the efficiency of its bottom sowing and proliferation are crucial for the success of resource restoration. In this study, abalone and its predator, starfish Asterias amurensis , were placed in a customized monitoring unit. Through continuous infrared video monitoring, predation pressure was found to cause a significant decrease in the distance moved, duration of movement, cumulative feeding duration and orexin levels in hemolymph (P < 0.01). It also caused a significant increase in the average velocity of movement, group cohesion, coordination and cholecystokinin levels in hemolymph (P < 0.01). Surprisingly, when a shelter was set up in the environment, the cumulative feeding duration of abalone was significantly extended in the presence of the predator (P < 0.001), whereas when the predator was removed, the distance moved, duration of movement, and cumulative feeding duration of abalone were found to significantly increase during continuous 24 h monitoring (P < 0.01). These results first identified the anti-predation strategy by nocturnal marine organisms when exposed to predation risk, and supported the pivotal role of shelter in helping abalone make a trade-off between predation pressure and survival needs, which not only provides a new insight to optimizing the strategy for prevention and control of marine ecological disasters and strengthening the protection of marine endangered species, but also results in a productive attempt to restore the marine benthic ecosystem. • Predation pressure did not alter the diurnal ecological habits of abalone. • The presence of shelter eased predation pressure and extended the feeding time of abalone. • Increasing moving velocity and reducing the spacing between individuals are an strategy by abalone against predators. • Short-term predation pressure also resulted in significant changes in endocrine hormone levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Structural similarity metrics and learning techniques are introduced. • A method for classifying algorithms by network structure is proposed. • General applications and research directions of network embedding are promoted. Social networks have a plethora of applications, and analysis of these applications has been gaining much interest from the research community. The high dimensionality of social network data poses a significant obstacle in its analysis, leading to the curse of dimensionality. The mushrooming of representation learning in various research fields facilitates network representation learning (also called network embedding), which will help us address the above-mentioned issue. Structural Representation Learning aims to learn low-dimensional vector representations of high-dimensional network data, allowing maximal preservation of network structural information. This representation can then serve as a backbone for various network-based applications. First, we investigate the techniques used in network representation learning and similarity indices. We then categorize the representative algorithms into three types based on the network structural level used in their learning process. We also introduce algorithms for representation learning of edges, subgraphs, and the whole network. Finally, we introduce the evaluation metrics and the applications of network representation learning and promising future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (sTREM2) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has been described as a biomarker for microglial activation, which were observed increased in a variety of neurological disorders.Objective: Our objective was to explore whether genetically determined CSF sTREM2 levels are causally associated with different neurological diseases by conducting a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study.Methods: Single nucleotide polymorphisms significantly associated with CSF sTREM2 levels were selected as instrumental variables to estimate the causal effects on clinically common neurological diseases, including stroke, Alzheimer's diseases, Parkinson's diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, and epilepsy and their subtypes. Summary-level statistics of both exposure and outcomes were applied in an MR framework.Results: Genetically predicted per 1 pg/dL increase of CSF sTREM2 levels was associated with higher risk of multiple sclerosis (OR = 1.038, 95%CI = 1.014-1.064, p = 0.002). Null association was found in risk of other included neurological disorders.Conclusions: These findings provide support for a potential causal relationship between elevated CSF sTREM2 levels and higher risk of multiple sclerosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internal short circuit is considered as one of the general causes that may lead to battery thermal runaway. The capacity of cells ages with the effect of working conditions. Hence, both micro-short circuit (MSC) and low-capacity cells may exist in a battery pack. However, both two faults perform the same features in the discharging process: state of charge (SOC) deviation increases continuously. If we diagnosed the abnormal states only based on the discharging data, it would misdiagnose these two faults. A fault identification method based on capacity estimation is proposed to distinguish MSC and low-capacity cells in the article. Furthermore, the capacity of the low-capacity cell and the MSC cell could be quantitatively estimated. In the proposed method, a mean-difference model and extended Kalman filter algorithm are used to calculate the cell SOCs in the battery pack. An online capacity estimation method is adopted to estimate the cell capacities in the charging and discharging process. A reasonable threshold considering capacity change characteristics is established to initially identify the fault and for further quantitative diagnosis. The experimental results show that a coexisting MSC fault and low-capacity fault in the battery packs could be diagnosed effectively by using the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study investigates how colonial legacy relates to the FDI's environmental externalities based on a city-level panel dataset. • Several major types of industrial pollution indicators including sulfur dioxide, wastewater, soot and dust emissions are examined. • FDI has a positive effect on environmental pollution and such effect is intensified in regions with colonial influence in general. • The intensified environmental impact of FDI is more pronounced with the western colonial influence but it is insignificant with japanese colonial influence. There has long been a debate on how inward foreign direct investment (FDI) affects host countries' natural environment. From a historical perspective, we investigate how colonial legacy relates to the FDI's environmental externalities in China. Our empirical strategy is based on a panel dataset of 288 Chinese cities over the period from 2011 to 2016 and amassed information about China's modern history from 1842 to 1955, with focus on several types of industrial pollution indicators including sulfur dioxide, wastewater, and haze emissions. Our results show that FDI has a positive effect on environmental pollution and this effect is intensified in regions with colonial influence in general. When we further identify the two natures of colonization experience, we find that the intensified environmental impact of FDI is more pronounced with the Western colonial influence while it is insignificant with Japanese colonial influence. These findings are robust to applying different methods including random effect, fixed effect and system GMM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents, for the first time, a universal theoretical framework based on machine learning (ML) algorithms for the multi-objective optimization (MOO) design of 3D printing low-carbon concrete to meet the sustainability requirements of the construction industry. The study focuses on the simultaneous reduction of carbon emissions and costs during the design process. Specifically, the applicable scenarios are primarily classified into two categories: meet aesthetics requirements (printing layer height error-HE and printing layer width error-WE approaching 0) and strengths requirements (compressive strength-CS approaching 60 MPa and interlayer bonding strength-IBS as high as possible). Through a comparison with the traditional design method, 3D printing concrete based on the intelligent design method achieves a 44% reduction in costs and a 19% reduction in carbon emissions while meeting aesthetics requirements. Under strengths requirements, there is a 57% reduction in costs and a 22% reduction in carbon emissions. This demonstrates the indispensable and crucial role of the MOO method employed in this study in achieving the lowest costs and carbon emissions. Additionally, the results of experimental verification demonstrate that the models developed in this study have successfully achieved a close alignment between design values and experimental values within the allowable error range (The errors are 3.46%–9.83%). This not only holds the potential to drive the widespread application of 3D printing technology in the construction industry but also presents new possibilities for cleaner production, contributing to the achievement of sustainable development goals. [Display omitted] • The prediction model for 3D printing concrete rheological properties was established. • The prediction model for 3D printing concrete printability was established. • The prediction model for 3D printing concrete strengths was established. • Multi-objective optimization design of 3D printing low-carbon concrete was performed. • The effectiveness of multi-objective optimization design was verified by experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the harsh environment of extreme salt-freezing conditions, concrete structures face secondary durability issues after undergoing repairs, making it a critical yet challenging topic. This paper employs a novel ex-situ X-ray computed tomography approach to explore the mechanism of damage evolution in normal concrete (NC) to ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) composites under salt-freezing conditions. For the first time, we consider evolution in both external and internal pores to quantitatively assess the damage. Additionally, slant shear tests, Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP) were also employed to validate the damage mechanism of NC-UHPC. Finally, empirical formulas summarizing the bond strength and pore changes in NC-UHPC were derived. The results reveal a crucial factor influencing the progression of damage in the NC-UHPC composite: the presence of external pores that directly interact with the salty solution. Damage initiation primarily occurs within the NC-UHPC composite due to these external pores located in the NC region, subsequently extending into the overlay transition zone (OTZ) and UHPC sections. Remarkably, the resistance of the OTZ, previously identified as the weakest zone in the NC-UHPC composite, surpasses that of the NC. This exceptional performance can be attributed to the higher porosity of the OTZ, offering additional space for the dissipation of pressure caused by freezing. What's even more important is that this highlights the consistent origin of damage in the NC-UHPC composite, emphasizing that it always begins within the NC. Considering this perspective prompts the question of whether the exceptionally high strength and durability of UHPC may lead to an excess of repair capabilities? • Novel ex-situ X-ray CT explores damage in NC-UHPC under salt-freezing. • Study highlights role of external pores in NC-UHPC damage progression. • UHPC's strength questioned as a repair material due to NC deterioration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing a unified theory to describe granular matter, which can behave like either solid or fluid, is one of the grand challenges in modern science. This is mainly because the current theories, rooted in different origins, interpret granular matter from disparate perspectives and are hard to merge. In this work, we demonstrate that it is possible to generate such a generic theory by bridging the elastoplastic theory of solids with the rheological law of granular flow. The proposed theory or mathematical model can well explain the avalanching behaviours occurring in solid-fluid phase transition, and other related concepts such as interparticle interlocking, dilatancy, hysteresis, scaling law, and flow regimes in describing granular matter. Its applicability is tested in a variety of granular systems where solid- and fluid-like states coexist. This work therefore offers a simple but general theory to describe granular matter in a unified way. [Display omitted] • A theory is proposed for granular matter by bridging elastoplasticity and rheology. • The solid-fluid transition behaviour is theoretically modelled. • The roles of interlocking, dilatancy, hysteresis and particle size are considered. • The model is tested at various solid- and fluid-like granular states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Nano-sized BiPO 4 /rGO was prepared. • The embedding of rGO effectively limits the volume expansion of the BiPO 4. • BiPO 4 /rGO nanomaterials showed excellent performance. BiPO 4 /reduced graphene oxide (BiPO 4 /rGO) composites were prepared by solvothermal method and annealing process. In terms of cycle and rate performance, BiPO 4 /rGO composites surpasses BiPO 4 when utilized as anode materials in potassium ion batteries (PIBs). The discharge capacity of BiPO 4 /rGO composite maintained 204 mAh/g after 500 cycles at 100 mA g−1. The capacity might reach 194 mAh/g at a high current density of 1000 mA g−1. Additionally, the electrochemical reaction mechanism of BiPO 4 /rGO composites in potassium ion batteries is studied using an ex-situ XRD test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Members of the genus Bougainvillea are rich sources of natural dyes, pigments, and traditional medicines. They are also commonly used as ornamentals in roadside landscape construction. However, the horticultural development of Bougainvillea flowers with extended growth periods and coloration is not always feasible. One reason is limited molecular knowledge and no genomic information for Bougainvillea. Here, we compiled an integrative transcriptome of all expressed transcripts for Bougainvillea × buttiana Miss Manila by integrating 20 Illumina-sequencing RNA transcriptomes. The integrative transcriptome consisted of 97,623 distinct transcripts. Of these, 47,006 were protein-coding, 31,109 were non-coding, and 19,508 were unannotated. In addition, we affirmed that the integrative transcriptome could serve as a surrogate reference to the genome in aiding accurate transcriptome assembly. For convenience, we curated the integrative transcriptome database for Bougainvillea, namely InTransBo, which can be freely accessed at http://www.bio-add.org/InTransBo/index.jsp. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the most comprehensive genomic resource for Bougainvillea up-to-date. The integrative transcriptome helps fill the genomic gap and elucidate the transcriptional nature of Bougainvillea. It may also advance progress in the precise regulation of flowering in horticulture. The same strategy can be readily applied toward the systematic exploration of other plant species lacking complete genomic information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a proof-of-concept study on the use of a hybrid design technique to reduce the number of phase shifters of a beam-scanning reflectarray (RA) is presented. An extended hemispherical lens antenna with feeds inspired by the retrodirective array is developed as a reflecting element, and the hybrid design technique mixes the lenses with the microstrip patch elements to realize a reflecting surface. Compared to the conventional designs that only use microstrip antennas to realize a reflecting surface, given a fixed aperture size the presented design uses 25 percent fewer array elements while shows comparable beam-steering performance. As a result of using fewer elements, the number of required phase shifters or other equivalent components such as RF switches and tunable materials is reduced by 25 percent, which leads to the reduction of the overall antenna system's complexity, cost, and power consumption. To verify the design concept, two passive prototypes with a center frequency at 12.5 GHz were designed and fabricated. The reflecting surface was fabricated by using standard PCB manufacturing and the lenses were fabricated using 3D printing. Good agreement between the simulation and measurement results is obtained. The presented design concept can be extended to the design of RAs operating at different frequency bands including millimetre-wave frequencies with similar radiation performances. The presented design method is not limited to the microstrip patch reflecting elements and can also be applied to the design of the hybrid RAs with different types of reflecting elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase retrieval (PR) is an inverse problem about recovering a signal from phaseless linear measurements, which arises in various fields. In practical scenarios, partial measurements can be inevitably corrupted by outliers that can take arbitrary values. To handle this, we propose the median-SAF method which is the smoothed amplitude flow (SAF) method equipped with the median truncation strategy. We find that median-SAF has some inherent advantages in suppressing outliers. Theoretical analysis ensures that median-SAF converges linearly to the original signal via the gradient algorithm from an delicate initial estimate with high probability. Substantial numerical tests empirically illustrate that the proposed method is superior to other state-of-the-art methods in terms of the recovery rate and the performance on suppressing outliers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is concerned with the joint estimation problem for a class of nonlinear systems with the simultaneous unknown of the system state, the parameter, as well as the input signal. A composite estimation scheme is proposed where the estimator consists of both linear and nonlinear components, under which the estimation performance is improved. The analysis and synthesis issues of the developed estimation algorithm are addressed for both the continuous‐time case and the discrete‐time case. By utilizing the Lyapunov stability theory combined with the singular value decomposition technique, sufficient conditions are established for both continuous‐time and discrete‐time cases to guarantee the convergence of the estimation error, rather than the boundedness in most of the existing literature. To facilitate the algorithm implementation in practical engineering, the Newton–Raphson method is adopted to deal with the feasibility issue for the discrete‐time case. Numerical simulations are provided for both the continuous‐ and discrete‐time cases to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed joint estimation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Vancomycin-resistant enterococci infection is a worrying worldwide clinical problem. To evaluate the accuracy of GeneXpert vanA/vanB in the diagnosis of VRE, we conducted a systematic review in the study. Methods: Experimental data were extracted from publications until May 03 2021 related to the diagnostic accuracy of GeneXpert vanA/vanB for VRE in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library. The accuracy of GeneXpert vanA/vanB for VRE was evaluated using summary receiver to operate characteristic curve, pooled sensitivity, pooled specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, and diagnostic odds ratio. Results: 8 publications were divided into 3 groups according to two golden standard references, vanA and vanB group, vanA group, vanB group, including 6 researches, 5 researches and 5 researches, respectively. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of group vanA and vanB were 0.96 (95% CI, 0.93–0.98) and 0.90 (95% CI, 0.88–0.91) respectively. The DOR was 440.77 (95% CI, 37.92–5123.55). The pooled sensitivity and specificity of group vanA were 0.86 (95% CI, 0.81–0.90) and 0.99 (95% CI, 0.99–0.99) respectively, and those of group vanB were 0.85 (95% CI, 0.63–0.97) and 0.82 (95% CI, 0.80–0.83) respectively. Conclusion: GeneXpert vanA/vanB can diagnose VRE with high-accuracy and shows greater accuracy in diagnosing vanA. Author summary: Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), firstly identified in the mid-1980, is a type of antimicrobial resistance bacteria. In recent years, they were found more colonization in patients with critical diseases, showing new resistance to many antibacterial drugs, which is a worrisome clinical problem worldwide. Traditionally, VRE testing is performed mainly by culture which is a standard reference but requires complex steps and takes a long time. Currently, GeneXpert vanA/vanB were approved as a rapid and sensitive molecular assay for detecting VRE. However, the accuracy of GeneXpert vanA/vanB is without systematic-analyses in evidence-based medicine. Therefore, we conducted a data integration and analysis in this study. Finally, we draw a conclusion that GeneXpert vanA/vanB has a high accuracy diagnosing VRE in comparation with conventional culture and PCR. Furthermore, GeneXpert vanA/vanB shows more accuracy in diagnosing vanA. In addition, we suggest that an additional test is needed for further detecting vanB. This finding provides a promising direction for the diagnosis of VRE to a certain extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure and electronic properties of the (PdH)N (N = 10–35) clusters were investigated by combining the artificial bee colony algorithm with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Structure analysis indicates that (PdH)N clusters tend to compose the spherical disordered geometry with the hydrogen atoms generally distribute on the surface in the formation of twofold bridge or threefold hollow sites. The binding energy calculation demonstrated that the formation of (PdH)N clusters is thermodynamic feasible, and the stability of clusters shows an upward trend with the size increasing. Detail structural information show that the bond length of Pd–Pd stretch in the clusters compare with pure Pd bulk since the insertion of H atoms. With respect to the electronic properties, Bader charge analysis revealed the overall trends of charge transfer from Pd to H atoms. The density of states identified the major bonding area of Pd–Pd and Pd-H, as well as the non-magnetic or weakly magnetic characteristics of (PdH)N clusters. Detailed bonding analysis has conducted to (PdH)35 cluster to verify the difference of interaction between Pd and various H atoms. The relationship between inverse projected crystal orbital Hamilton population (-IpCOHP) and Pd-H bond length shows that the bond strength of Pd-H interaction is strongly associated with their structural properties in medium-sized clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multilayer membranes prepared via microlayer coextrusion have attracted wide attention due to their unique properties and broad applications. In present study, the foam/film alternating multilayer sheets based on ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) and high-density polyethylene are successfully prepared via microlayer coextrusion. The cells in the sheets are single-cell-array along the foamed EVA layers with uniform cell size. In addition, the effects of layer number and foam relative thickness on morphology, mechanical properties, damping and heat insulation properties are investigated. The cell size decreases significantly with increasing layer number due to the enhanced confine effects. The tensile strength, elongation at break, and heat insulation also increase significantly. However, the mechanical damping properties change little in the observed frequency. Meanwhile, with higher relative thickness of EVA foam, the sheets have lower tensile strength and lower thermal conductivity, while the damping properties are enhanced in a specific frequency scope. The elongation at break of the optimized sample comes to 800% and the thermal conductivity decreases to 61 mW·m−1·K−1, which shows high toughness and low thermal conductivity, indicating a possible method for preparing materials with high toughness and heat-insulating properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In this study, Li‐excess cation‐disordered rock‐salt cathode materials, xLi3NbO4·(1 − x) NiO (LNNO, 0.55 ≤ x ≤ 0.7), are synthesized to explore the effect of composition on the structure and electrochemical performance using a sol‐gel method for the first time. X‐ray diffraction results combined with Rietveld refinements demonstrate that pure cation‐disordered rock‐salt structure can be obtained at x ≥ 0.6. The electron microscopy results of samples demonstrate the irregular particles with size of 1 to 10 μm and rock‐salt structure is further confirmed. The samples with x = 0.6, 0.65, and 0.7, respectively, exhibit the much higher reversible capacity than their theoretical Ni2+/Ni3+ capacity attributing to anionic redox reaction. The LNNO6 sample deliver the first discharge capacity 155.35 mAh/g and 82.9% capacity retention after 40 cycles. In addition, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses and dV/dQ measurements are utilized to investigate the restricted electrochemical behaviors and performances which are constrained by the competition between Ni2+/Ni3+ and O2−/O−. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complete genome sequence of a novel foveavirus identified in garlic (Allium sativum L.) in China was determined using RNA-seq, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) PCR. The entire genomic RNA (GenBank accession MT981417) is 8748 nucleotides long excluding the 3'-terminal poly(A) tail and contains five open reading frames (ORFs). These ORFs encode the viral replicase, a triple gene block, and a coat protein. The virus was tentatively named "garlic yellow stripe associated virus" (GarYSaV). Pairwise comparisons of protein sequences show that GarYSaV encodes proteins that share less than 47% identity with those of other foveaviruses, suggesting that it represents a new species in the genus. Phylogenetic analysis of amino acid sequences of the replicase and CP confirm that GarYSaV is a member of the genus Foveavirus. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a foveavirus in a monocot plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) are frequently found in the healthy elderly. However, data on the prevalence and risk factors of CMBs in the general population of China are lacking.Methods: A cross-sectional study focusing on the prevalence and risk factors of CMBs was conducted in stroke-free elderly from Shanghai Wuliqiao community. MRI was performed at 3Tesla and cardiovascular risk factors (eg, age, smoking history, and hypertension), cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) markers (eg, white matter hyperintensities, lacunar infarction, and enlarged perivascular space) and genetic information (eg, APOE, CR1) were recorded. Poisson regression was used to analyze the risk factors of the presence and location of microbleeds.Results: A total of 199 participants (70.8±7.2 years old; male 31.2%) were finally included in our analysis. The overall prevalence of CMBs was 12.6% (25/199) and increased with age from 7.5% (55-64 years old) to 19.3% (over 75 years old). Of those with CMBs, most of them (16/25) located in the deep/mixed region and had 1-2 CMBs (18/25). Poisson regression analysis showed that white matter hyperintensities (OR=1.22, 95% CI: 1.16-1.29), APOE ε4+ carrier (OR=2.16, 95% CI: 1.18-3.96) and CR1 non-F/F isoform (OR=7.78, 95% CI: 4.34-13.96) were associated with CMBs. Further analysis found that in addition to the above three risk factors, hypertension (OR=2.98, 95% CI: 1.16-7.64), lacunar infarction (OR=2.39, 95% CI: 1.19-4.81) also increased the risk of deep/mixed CMBs.Conclusion: The prevalence of cerebral microbleeds is similar to other countries. Cardiovascular risk factors, CSVD markers, and genetic factors (APOE ε4, CR1 non-F/F isoform) were associated with CMBs, suggesting an interaction of multiple pathogenesis in Chinese stroke-free community population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since microglia-associated neuroinflammation plays a pivotal role in the progression of white matter diseases, modulating microglial activation has been suggested as a potential therapeutic strategy. Here, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of fingolimod (FTY720) on microglia and analyzed the crosstalk between microglia autophagy and neuroinflammation. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced primary cultured microglia model was established. Microglial phenotypes were assessed by Western blot, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and flow cytometry. Autophagy was evaluated by immunofluorescence, MDC staining and Western blot. Rapamycin was used to investigate the role of autophagic process in regulating microglial phenotypes. The signaling markers were screened by RT-PCR and Western blot. FTY720 shifted microglial phenotype from pro-inflammatory state to anti-inflammatory state and inhibited microglial autophagy under lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment. Rapamycin reversed the effect of FTY720 on phenotype transformation of microglia. The results of mechanism studies have shown that FTY720 notably repressed LPS-induced STAT1 activity, which was reactivated by rapamycin. Our research suggested that FTY720 could significantly transform pro-inflammatory microglia into anti-inflammatory microglia by suppressing autophagy via STAT1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]