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Bidirectional relations have long been of interest in psychology and other social behavioral sciences. In recent years, the widespread use of intensive longitudinal data has provided new opportunities to examine dynamic bidirectional relations between variables. However, most previous studies have focused on the effect of one variable on the other (i.e., cross-lagged effects) rather than the overall effect representing the dynamic interplay between two variables (i.e., feedback effects), which we believe may be due to a lack of relevant methodological guidance. To quantify bidirectional relations as a whole, this study attempted to provide guidance for the estimation and interpretation of feedback effects based on dynamic structural equation models. First, we illustrated the estimation procedure for the average and person-specific feedback effects. Then, to facilitate the interpretation of feedback effects, we established an empirical benchmark by quantitatively synthesizing the results of relevant empirical studies. Finally, we used a set of empirical data to demonstrate how feedback effects can help (a) test theories based on bidirectional relations and (b) reveal correlates of individual differences in bidirectional relations. We also discussed the broad application prospects of feedback effects from a dynamic systems perspective. This study provides guidance for applied researchers interested in further examining feedback effects in bidirectional relations, and the shift from focusing on cross-lagged effects only to a comprehensive consideration of feedback effects may provide new insights into the study of bidirectional relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractResearch has indicated that mindfulness is a protective factor against suicidal ideation. However, the dynamic reciprocal relation between them has been understudied. In this study, 110 female college students with suicidal ideation completed a measure of trait mindfulness and a 28-day diary of suicidal ideation and three-dimensional state mindfulness, including acting with awareness, present-moment attention, and nonjudgmental acceptance. Dynamic structural equation modeling was used to examine the dynamic and bidirectional effects between dimensions of state mindfulness and suicidal ideation and the moderating effect of trait mindfulness. Results showed that suicidal ideation predicted lower levels of present-moment attention the next day. More importantly, there was a dynamic and bidirectional relation between nonjudgmental acceptance and suicidal ideation for people with trait mindfulness higher than the average level (i.e., M + 0.15SD). Our findings suggested that studies and interventions on suicide should pay more attention to specific dimensions of state mindfulness and trait mindfulness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rational synthesis of zeolites with designed morphology is a highly challenging task. In this study, we propose 1,5-bis(methylpiperidine)pentylammonium hydroxide (BMPPAOH) as an organic structure-directing agent (OSDA) based on theoretical calculations. The morphology of zeolite samples is characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, N2 sorption isotherms, and UV Raman spectroscopy. This simple bis-quaternary ammonium salt favored the formation of spiral morphology in Beta zeolite spheres (S-Beta). The crystallization of zeolite in the presence of BMMPAOH is a two-stage process, where nanoparticles agglomerate into spheres in the early stages followed by the emergence of S-Beta crystals with spiral morphology. The synthesized Pt-S-Beta catalysts show higher catalytic activity in VOC abatement compared with other Pt-Beta samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intensive longitudinal data has been widely used to examine reciprocal or causal relations between variables. However, these variables may not be temporally aligned. This study examined the consequences and solutions of the problem of temporal misalignment in intensive longitudinal data based on dynamic structural equation models. First the impact of temporal misalignment on parameter estimation were investigated in a simulation study, which showed that temporal misalignment led to incomparable cross-lagged effects between variables. Then, two solutions, model adjustment and data interpolation, were proposed, and their performance was compared with those of the naive estimation which blindly treating temporally misaligned data as aligned. The simulation results supported the effectiveness of the model adjustment method over the other two methods. Finally, all three methods were applied to two empirical data collected by daily diaries and empirical sampling method, and recommendations were made for collecting and analyzing intensive longitudinal data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Osteoporosis can cause bone fractures and disability, but early diagnosis faces challenges. Our proposed diagnostic indicators offer a new approach for early detection, which benefits early identification. Purpose: To determine the most appropriate threshold for predicting osteoporosis in patients with each section of vertebral body. Material and Methods: A retrospective analysis of 210 patients, including 646 vertebrae, who had both abdominal computed tomography (CT) and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) within six months. The correlation between DXA T-score and CT Hounsfield units (HU) values was tested by Pearson. The area under the curve (AUC) was calculated using the threshold obtained from the regression equation. Results: The thresholds matching the T-score of −2.5 were 85, 95, 85, and 90 HU for the upper axial plane of the vertebral body (Lau), the middle axial plane of the vertebral body (Lam), the lower axial plane of the vertebral body (Lad), and the mid-sagittal plane of the vertebral body (Lsm), respectively. Defining osteoporosis using CT as Lau ≤ 85, Lam ≤ 95, Lad ≤ 85, or Lsm ≤ 90 HU had a specificity of 88.1% (116/134) and sensitivity of 90.8% (69/76) for distinguishing DXA osteoporosis of the lumbar spine in 210 patients. T-score ≤−2.5 defined as Lau ≤85 or Lam ≤95 or Lad ≤85 or Lsm ≤90 HU had a specificity of 85.9% (275/320) and sensitivity of 82.8% (270/326) for DXA T-score ≤−2.5 in 646 lumbar vertebrae. Conclusion: CT HU values obtained based on different sections of the vertebral body in abdominal CT can be used as a supplementary measure to assess osteoporosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Providing feedback is effective to reduce dangerous driving behaviour. • The effects of various types of feedback content vary with driving scenario. • The mediating effect of drivers' responsibility was confirmed, providing a possible explanation of the mechanism of feedback. The serious problem of road traffic accidents is in urgent need of coping strategies, among which feedback has proven to be helpful. The main purpose of this study is to explore effective feedback content and the mediating effect of drivers' responsibility based on the triangle model of responsibility. We designed a mixed study with 3 driving scenarios (getting too close to lead vehicle, speeding, and running a yellow light) and 4 feedbacks (no feedback, feedback with only a prescription, feedback with only an event, feedback with both prescription and event) as within-subject factors and 2 driver identities (feedback without driver identity, feedback with driver identity) as a between-subjects factor. A total of 110 Chinese drivers completed this study. The results showed that providing feedback enhanced drivers' willingness to drive safely, while the effects of feedback with different contents varied with scenario. In addition, the mediating effect of drivers' responsibility between feedback and speeding was confirmed. This study revealed that the effectiveness of feedback would be significantly influenced by a subtle change in feedback content in different driving scenarios, suggesting the importance of tailoring feedback content according to specific situations. Additionally, we provided a possible explanation of the mechanism of feedback by verifying the mediating effect of responsibility. Our findings of effective feedback contents corresponding to specific driving scenarios could be used to design driving feedback in safety warning systems to improve the effectiveness of such systems in facilitating safe driving behaviour and reducing road traffic accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The organization-level safety climate (OSC) scale and the group-level safety climate (GSC) scale for truck drivers were adapted into Chinese. • Agreeableness, neuroticism and openness were confirmed to be predictors of both positive and dangerous driving behaviors of truck drivers. • Trucking safety climate at both the organizational level and the group level could mediate the effect of personality on driving behavior. • Our study reminded trucking companies to pay attention to the construction and promotion of both levels of the safety climate. Introduction: The number of traffic accidents involving truck drivers remains high, and strategies to eliminate the probability of such accidents have been proposed, among which enhancing the safety climate has attracted much interest. The main purpose of the current study was to validate the Chinese version of the safety climate scale for truck drivers and apply it to investigate the mediating effect of safety climate between truck driver personality and driving behavior. Method: A total of 389 male truck drivers completed the Big Five Inventory, the Chinese version of the trucking safety climate scale, the driver behavior questionnaire and the positive driver behavior scale. Results: The reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the organization-level safety climate scale and the group-level safety climate scale were confirmed through factor analysis. More importantly, a path analysis revealed that the organization-level safety climate mediated the effects of agreeableness and neuroticism on aggressive violations, ordinary violations and lapses, while the group-level safety climate mediated the influences of agreeableness, neuroticism and openness on positive behavior and all four kinds of aberrant driving behaviors. Conclusions: This study introduced the trucking safety climate scale into China and stressed the significance of improving both the organizational and the group levels of safety climate to reduce accidents involving professional truck drivers. Practical Applications: First, the adapted safety climate scale for Chinese truck drivers contributes to further investigating the role that safety climate plays in the safety problem of truck drivers in China. Moreover, the critical impacts of both levels of the trucking safety climate serve as reminders for relevant companies to not only pay attention to establishing an organization-level safety climate but also invest more effort into promoting the group-level safety climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intensive longitudinal data (ILD) has been collected to capture the dynamic fluctuations of procrastination; however, researchers have typically measured daily procrastination by modifying trait measures (e.g., adding a time reference “today”) without adequately testing their reliabilities. The main purpose of this study was to use an advanced approach, dynamic structural equation modeling, to assess the between- and within-person reliabilities of a widely used six-item measure of daily procrastination. A total of 252 participants completed retrospective measures of various types of trait procrastination and daily measures of procrastination over 34 consecutive days. The results showed that the entire scale for daily procrastination and five of its six items had high between- and within-person reliabilities, but one item had much lower reliabilities, suggesting that this item may be inappropriate in everyday contexts. Furthermore, we found moderate to strong associations between the latent trait factor of procrastination and trait measures of procrastination. In addition, we identified substantial between-person variation in person-specific reliabilities and explored its relevant factors. Overall, this study assessed the reliabilities of a daily measure of procrastination, which facilitated future studies to obtain more reliable and consistent results and to better estimate the reliability of ILD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study found that the expression level of SLC35A2 is associated with the prognosis of osteosarcoma patients. • This study found that SLC35A2 can modulate the proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells. • This study discovered that SLC35A2 can regulate mitophagy in osteosarcoma cells. • This study discovered that SLC35A2 can regulate mitophagy in osteosarcoma cells through the PI3K/AKT/mTOR axis. • This study discovered that SLC35A2 can regulate osteosarcoma growth in vivo. The treatment of osteosarcoma patients exhibits individual variability, underscoring the critical importance of targeted therapy. Although (Solute carrier family 35 member A2) SLC35A2′s role in the progression of various cancers has been extensively investigated, its specific implications in osteosarcoma remain unexplored. Leveraging data from the (The Cancer Genome Atlas) TCGA and (Genotype-Tissue Expression) GTEx databases, we have discerned that SLC35A2 is notably upregulated in osteosarcoma and correlates with the prognosis of osteosarcoma patients. Consequently, it becomes imperative to delve into the role of SLC35A2 in the context of osteosarcoma. Our research substantiates that SLC35A2 exerts a notable influence on mitochondrial autophagy in osteosarcoma, thereby exerting cascading effects on the proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells. Mechanistically, SLC35A2 orchestrates mitochondrial autophagy via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Moreover, we have conducted rigorous animal experiments to further corroborate the repercussions of SLC35A2 on osteosarcoma growth. In summation, our study elucidates that SLC35A2′s modulation of mitochondrial autophagy through the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway constitutes a pivotal factor in the malignant progression of osteosarcoma, unveiling promising therapeutic targets for patients grappling with this condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the therapeutic effect of subconjunctival injection of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) pre-stimulated bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) on ocular alkali burns in a rat model. Methods: After applying a 6 mm filter paper soaking in 1 N NaOH on the cornea of rats, the suspension of TNF‐α pre-stimulated BMMSCs, BMMSCs and PBS were given subconjunctivally and respectively. Corneal epithelial defect, corneal opacity, inflammation as well as PTGS2 and TSG-6 expression on day 7 and fibrosis on day 14 were compared. Results: TNF‐α pre-stimulated BMMSCs group had a more predominate effect on promoting corneal epithelial repairing, decreasing corneal opacity, reducing inflammatory cells and CD68 + macrophages on day 7 and suppressing fibrosis on day 14 compared to BMMSCs group. Besides, it had significant increased expressions of PTGS2 and TSG-6 in vitro. Pre-treated with Indomethacin revealed a reverse effect on above-mentioned changes. Conclusion: Subconjunctival injection of TNF‐α pre-stimulated BMMSCs enhanced anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effect in ocular alkali burns, which was possibly though up regulation of PTGS2 and TSG-6 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical systems with gain and loss can be described by a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian, which is degenerated at the exceptional points (EPs). Many new and unexpected features have been explored in the non-Hermitian systems with a great deal of recent interest. One of the most fascinating features is that chiral state conversion appears when one EP is encircled dynamically. Here, we propose an easy-controllable levitated microparticle system that carries a pair of EPs and realize slow evolution of the Hamiltonian along loops in the parameter plane. Utilizing the controllable rotation angle, gain and loss coefficients, we can control the structure, size and location of the loops in situ. We demonstrate that, under the joint action of topological structure of energy surfaces and nonadiabatic transitions, the chiral behavior emerges both along a loop encircling an EP and even along a straight path away from the EP. This work broadens the range of parameter space for the chiral state conversion, and proposes a useful platform to explore the interesting properties of exceptional points physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The relationships between the Big Five personality traits and driving behaviors were reviewed and meta-analysed. • Risky and aggressive driving behaviors were negatively associated with conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness, and positively associated with neuroticism. • Positive driving behaviors were positively associated with conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness. • The association between the Big Five personality traits and driving behaviors could be moderated by age, gender and type of personality measure. Although a large number of studies have examined the relationship between the Big Five personality traits and driving behaviors, consistent evidence for their relationships is still lacking. The main purpose of this study was to systematically review the relationships between the Big Five personality traits and various driving behaviors with different intentions (including risky, aggressive, and positive driving behaviors) through a meta-analysis. A total of 34 articles met the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. The results showed that risky and aggressive driving behaviors were negatively associated with conscientiousness (r = –0.21; r = –0.26), agreeableness (r = –0.23; r = –0.37), and openness (r = –0.08; r = –0.07), positively associated with neuroticism (r = 0.11; r = 0.26), and nonsignificantly associated with extraversion (r = 0.06; r = –0.06). Positive driving behaviors were positively associated with conscientiousness (r = 0.30), agreeableness (r = 0.32) and openness (r = 0.20) but nonsignificantly associated with extraversion (r = 0.08) and neuroticism (r = –0.10). In addition, the association between the Big Five personality traits and driving behaviors could be moderated by age, gender and type of personality measure. In conclusion, this study contributes to the literature by quantitatively synthesizing existing findings and reconciling previous debates on the relationship between the Big Five personality traits and driving behaviors. From a practical perspective, our findings provide valuable insights into driver selection and screening, policy development, and safety intervention design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The moving target tracking results of multiple single cameras can rarely be efficiently collaborated by using the current multi-camera target tracking algorithms, in the layout of partly overlapping regions (LOPOR) with multi-camera. To solve this problem, a novel algorithm of moving target collaborative tracking with multi-camera, based on LOPOR with multi-camera, is presented. The completely overlapping region in LOPOR with multi-camera is taken by the algorithm to calibrate multiple single cameras collectively. The results of single camera target tracking and tracking targets significance rank are collaborated. Finally, the results of single camera targets tracking are modified using the targets’ overall information. Then, interaction and sharing of each single camera target tracking are realized. The experimental results show that the single camera target tracking can be collaborated efficiently using the algorithm in LOPOR with multi-camera, with high monitoring efficiency and accurate location. In this manner, moving targets were tracked sustainably over a long distance for a large scene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At high inlet pressure extent ( p avg = 20 MPa) in water hydraulic fields, the relationship between inlet pressure fluctuations and unsteady cavitation process condition inside a water hydraulic poppet valve has been numerically analyzed using a two-phase mixture model via computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software ANSYS Fluent 14.5. The effects of different inlet pressure fluctuations and a groove at valve port on unsteady cavitation process and flow field are investigated. The results reveal that under sine-wave-type inlet pressure fluctuations condition, unsteady cavitation process and flow field physical parameters show periodic changing characteristics; cavitation content inside valve port is more related to the value of amplitude A and frequency f . In a certain extent, increasing or decreasing frequency f can suppress the occurrence or enhancement of cavitation. The existence of a groove at valve port can reduce the intensity of cavitation under inlet pressure fluctuations condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the swash plate–slipper in water hydraulic axial piston pump, a rotary model is built using the molecular dynamics approach to study the frictional characteristics in the perspective of atoms. The model consists of a diamond rotator and a copper substrate and the diamond rotator rotates around the cooper substrate at different external loads. The frictional force is calculated by summing all the atomic forces of diamond rotator along the opposite direction of linear velocity and the real contact area is defined by the number of atoms that interact chemically across the contact interface. Influences of external load on the frictional force and coefficient of friction are analyzed. The simulation results show that the total atomic force varies with rotary cycle according to the sine law with a periodic cycle of 2π in the rotary model. However, the frictional force is basically not a periodic signal. It fluctuates around the average frictional force which is linearly dependent on the real contact area. Besides, it is demonstrated that the coefficient of friction decreases with the increase of external load, which is due to the nonlinear increase of real contact area. As a result, the present work will have an important impact on the fundamental understanding of the wear mechanism of rotary model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cold atmospheric plasma was shown to induce cell apoptosis in numerous tumor cells. Recently, some other biological effects, such as induction of membrane permeation and suppression of migration, were discovered by plasma treatment in some types of tumor cells. In this study, we investigated the biological effects of plasma treatment on multiple myeloma cells. We detected the detachment of adherent myeloma cells by plasma, and the detachment area was correlated with higher density of hydroxyl radical in the gas phase of the plasma. Meanwhile, plasma could promote myeloma differentiation by up-regulating Blimp-1 and XBP-1 expression. The migration ability was suppressed by plasma treatment through decreasing of MMP-2 and MMP-9 secretion. In addition, plasma could increase bortezomib sensitivity and induce myeloma cell apoptosis. Taking together, combination with plasma treatment may enhance current chemotherapy and probably improve the outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The osteoporosis self-assessment tool for Asians (OSTA) is a common screening tool for osteoporosis. The seventh thoracic CT (CT-T7) Hounsfield unit (HU) measured by chest CT correlates with osteoporosis. This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of OSTA alone, CT-T7 alone, or the combination of OSTA and CT-T7 in osteoporosis. Materials and methods: In this study, 1268 participants were grouped into 586 men and 682 women. We established multiple linear regression models by combining CT-T7 and OSTA. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the ability to diagnose osteoporosis. Results: In the male group, the mean age was 59.02 years, and 108 patients (18.4%) had osteoporosis. In the female group, the mean age was 63.23 years, and 308 patients (45.2%) had osteoporosis. By ROC curve comparison, the CT-T7 (male, AUC = 0.789, 95% CI 0.745–0.832; female, AUC = 0.835, 95% CI 0.805–0.864) in the diagnosis of osteoporosis was greater than the OSTA (male, AUC = 0.673, 95% CI 0.620–0.726; female, AUC = 0.775, 95% CI 0.741–0.810) in both the male and female groups (p < 0.001). When OSTA was combined with CT, the equation of multiple linear regression (MLR) was obtained as follows: female = 3.020–0.028*OSTA-0.004*CT-T7. In the female group, it was found that the AUC of MLR (AUC = 0.853, 95% CI 0.825–0.880) in the diagnosis of osteoporosis was larger than that of CT-T7 (p < 0.01). When the MLR was 2.65, the sensitivity and specificity were 53.9% and 90%, respectively. Conclusion: For a patient who has completed chest CT, CT-T7 (HU) combined with OSTA is recommended to identify the high-risk population of osteoporosis, and it has a higher diagnostic value than OSTA alone or CT-T7 alone, especially among females. For a female with MLR greater than 2.65, further DXA examination is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frequently, multiple doses of an active treatment and multiple endpoints are simultaneously considered in the designs of clinical trials. For these trials, traditional multiplicity adjustment procedures such as Bonferroni, Hochberg and Hommel procedures can be applied when treating the comparisons of different doses to the control on all endpoints at the same level. However, these approaches will not take into account the possible dose-response relationship on each endpoint, and therefore are less specific and may have lower power. To gain power, in this paper, we consider the problem as a two-dimensional multiplicity problem: one dimension concerns the multiple doses and the other dimension concerns the multiple endpoints. We propose procedures which consider the dose order to form the closure of the procedures and control the family-wise type I error rate in a strong sense. For this two-dimensional problem, numerical examples show that procedures proposed in this paper in general have higher power than the commonly used procedures (e.g. the regular Hochberg procedure) especially for comparing the higher dose to the control. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The parallel gatekeeping strategy proposed by Dmitrienko et al. ( Statist. Med. 2003; 22:2387-2400) provides a flexible framework for the pursuit of strong control on study wise type I error rate. This paper further explores the application of the weighted Simes parallel gatekeeping procedure recommended by Dmitrienko et al. and proposes some modifications to it to better incorporate the interrelationships of different hypotheses in actual clinical trials and to achieve better power performance. We first propose a simple method to quantitatively control the impact of secondary tests on the testing of primary hypotheses. We then introduce a matched gatekeeping procedure to exemplify how to address special relationships between individual primary and secondary tests following the parallel gatekeeping framework. Our simulation study demonstrates that the enhanced gatekeeping procedures generally result in more powerful tests than the parallel gatekeeping procedure in Dmitrienko et al. whenever applicable. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When only a certain proportion of subjects respond to treatment ('responders') or may never experience an event of interest (thus 'cured'), mixture models often lead to increased understanding of the treatment or disease process. This paper focuses on hypothesis testing in a dose-response framework and shows that increased power is possible by using a mixture model where both the logit of the response rate and the response mean are linear functions of the dose level. Three score tests are developed for testing an overall effect and permutation methods are used to control the type I error. Extensive simulations establish the power properties of the tests and show that our proposed score test has the best performance. The approach is illustrated by a multi-country clinical trial of rapid acting Intramuscular Olanzapine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite of its lasting popularity, the application of the exact Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney (WMW) test has never been free of inappropriateness or unnecessary inefficiency in practice. The goal of this paper is to exemplify some modifications that can be conducted to the application of the exact WMW test in small sample cases to achieve more precise and more powerful estimations and tests. At first, we propose a modified procedure to replace the current generalized Hodges–Lehmann procedure in Proc-StatXact 5® to correctly derive the exact WMW test based interval estimates for the shift parameter in the presence of ties. We then propose a variance adjustment for the exact WMW test to achieve more powerful exact test as the variance adjusted WMW statistic has less discrete distribution than the conventionally unadjusted WMW statistic. We find that the proposed variance adjusted exact method is noticeably less conservative than the conventional exact WMW method, especially when ties in observation are not very heavy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several scales assessing problematic pornography use (PPU) are available. However, in most previous studies, primarily nonclinical and Western samples were used to validate these scales. Thus, further research is needed to validate scales to assess problematic pornography use across diverse samples, including subclinical populations. The aim of the present study was to examine and compare the psychometric properties of the PPCS-18 in Hungarian and Chinese community samples and in subclinical men. A sample of Chinese community men (N1 = 695), a sample of subclinical men who were screened for PPU using the Brief Pornography Screen (N2 = 4651), and a sample of Hungarian community men (N3 = 9395) were recruited to investigate the reliability and validity of the PPCS-18. Item-total score correlation, confirmatory factor analyses, reliability, and measurement invariance tests showed that the PPCS-18 yielded strong psychometric properties among Hungarian and Chinese community men and indicated potential utility in the subclinical men. The network analytic approach also corroborates that the six factors of the PPCS-18 can reflect the characteristic of the participants from different cultural contexts, and participants from community and subclinical populations. In sum, the PPCS-18 demonstrated high generalizability across cultures and community and subclinical men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High pressure water jet propulsion is a new type of propulsion, which has the characteristics of simple system structure, small energy loss in the water inlet duct, easy vectored control, without additional drag force and so on. Underwater jet noise radiation of high pressure waterjet propulsion is an important factor that would directly determine the stealth performance of underwater vehicles. A co-simulation method combining the CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) and CAA (Computational Aeroacoustics) was used in this paper to study and analyze the underwater jet noise radiation characteristics of high pressure water jet propulsion. The Realizable k-ε turbulence model was used to numerically simulate the flow field of waterjet. And the FFT processing of the flow field results were implemented by use of the Actran iCFD module in order to obtain the sound source of the waterjet radiation. Then, the Lighthill acoustic analogy theory was utilized to achieve the underwater jet noise radiation characteristic. Consequently, the effects of inlet velocity on the underwater jet noise radiation characteristics of high pressure waterjet propulsion were researched. The results indicated that the underwater jet noise radiation of high pressure water jet propulsion mainly comes from the mixing area where is the 8–10 times diameter away from the nozzle outlet, and the increase of the inlet flow velocity would enlarge the sound pressure level of the underwater jet noise radiation. In addition, the underwater noise jet radiation is directional and mainly propagates in the axial direction. However, the inlet velocity has little influence on the frequency domain characteristics of underwater jet noise radiation and the underwater jet noise radiation has high energy below the frequency 200 Hz. The research provides theoretical guidance for reducing the underwater jet noise radiation of high pressure waterjet propulsion and improving the stealth performance of underwater vehicles. 1. A novel propulsion system driven by high pressure waterjet was presented. 2. A hybrid method combing CFD simulation with Lighthill acoustic analogy was utilized to study the noise radiation characteristic of underwater jet. 3. The noise radiation characteristic of high pressure water jet propulsion including amplitude and frequency characteristic was analyzed. 4. The influence factors on the flow field and noise radiation characteristics of the high pressure propulsion were analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coupled neural P (CNP) systems are a recently developed Turing-universal, distributed and parallel computing model, combining the spiking and coupled mechanisms of neurons. This paper focuses on how to apply CNP systems to handle the fusion of multi-modality medical images and proposes a novel image fusion method. Based on two CNP systems with local topology, an image fusion framework in nonsubsampled shearlet transform (NSST) domain is designed, where the two CNP systems are used to control the fusion of low-frequency NSST coefficients. The proposed fusion method is evaluated on 20 pairs of multi-modality medical images and compared with seven previous fusion methods and two deep-learning-based fusion methods. Quantitative and qualitative experimental results demonstrate the advantage of the proposed fusion method in terms of visual quality and fusion performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It was recently found that dendrites are not just a passive channel. They can perform mixed computation of analog and digital signals, and therefore can be abstracted as information processors. Moreover, dendrites possess a feedback mechanism. Motivated by these computational and feedback characteristics, this article proposes a new variant of neural-like P systems, dendrite P (DeP) systems, where neurons simulate the computational function of dendrites and perform a firing–storing process instead of the storing–firing process in spiking neural P (SNP) systems. Moreover, the behavior of the neurons is characterized by dendrite rules that are abstracted by two characteristics of dendrites. Different from the usual firing rules in SNP systems, the firing of a dendrite rule is controlled by the states of the corresponding source neurons. Therefore, DeP systems can provide a collaborative control capability for neurons. We discuss the computational power of DeP systems. In particular, it is proven that DeP systems are Turing-universal number generating/accepting devices. Moreover, we construct a small universal DeP system consisting of 115 neurons for computing functions. • We consider dendrites as information processors. • We propose a new model, dendrite P systems (DeP systems, in short). • We prove that DeP systems are Turing-universal number generating/accepting devices. • We construct a small universal DeP system of 115 neurons for computing functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors describe a novel electrochemical determination method for bisphenol A (BPA) based on the electrosynthesised Cu-BTC (H3BTC: trimesic acid) films. Using H3BTC as the ligand, Cu(NO3)2 as the precursor of copper ions, and triethylamine hydrochloride (Et3NHCl) as the probase source, Cu-BTC films were directly deposited on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface via cathodic electrochemical reduction under −1.30 V. Considering the electrocatalytic activity of metal center Cu2+, Cu-BTC films were applied to construct the electrochemical determination platform for BPA. Chronocoulometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were used to study the signal enhancement mechanism. The determination conditions were optimized. As a result, a sensitive electrochemical method was constructed for BPA. The peak currents, best measured at voltage of 0.496 V vs. SCE (KCl saturated calomel reference electrode), increase linearly in the range from 5.0 to 2000 nM. The value of determination limit is 0.72 nM. The proposed method was successfully applied to determine BPA in spiked urine, spiked waste water samples and plastic products. The results were in good agreement with those obtained for the same samples by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rubber isolator is commonly used as vibration isolation device for piston pump, and the vibration of piston pump can be effectively reduced by adjusting the dynamic stiffness of rubber isolator. In this paper, in order to study the effect of rubber isolator's dynamic stiffness on the dynamic of seawater hydraulic piston pump (SWHPP), four kinds of rubber isolators with different dynamic stiffness were selected. An experimental modal analysis (EMA) experiment was conducted to study the influence of rubber isolator's dynamic stiffness on the natural frequency of SWHPP. The experimental results indicated that the natural frequency of the pump structure decreased as the dynamic stiffness of rubber isolator increased. Then, the influence of the rubber isolator's dynamic stiffness on the vibration of SWHPP was further studied, and conclusions can be obtained that: the vibration level of the pump decreases with the dynamic stiffness of rubber isolator increases. For the four kinds of rubber isolators, when the dynamic stiffness of rubber isolator is 5800N/cm, the vibration reduction effect of the isolator is the best, which reaching 38%. In addition, the dynamic stiffness of rubber isolator mainly affects the vibration of the pump in the frequency of 0–20 Hz. • The influence of rubber isolator's dynamic stiffness on the natural frequency of SWHPP was studied by experimental modal analysis. • The vibration and vibration reduction effect of SWHPP with different rubber isolator's dynamic stiffness was tested. • The relationship between the dynamic stiffness of rubber isolator and the vibration of SWHPP was summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An investigation into the dynamic behavior of the piston pump is an important method to reduce its vibration and noise. In this paper, an approach to predict the dynamics of a seawater hydraulic piston pump (SWHPP) from output-only transmissibility measurements is introduced. In order to eliminate the harmonic interference generated by spindle rotation, the excitation in this method is the pressure which caused by the SWHPP operating at a constant speed and under different loading conditions. The first four modes of the SWHPP were estimated utilizing the method proposed in this paper, and the influence of the pressure on the dynamics of the SWHPP structure was further studied. The experimental results indicated that peak occurred around the frequency of 20 Hz, and the reason is that the estimated second-order natural frequency (19.8 Hz) is near to the frequency of 20 Hz which is the excitation frequency of the swash plate and the flat valve of the SWHPP. In addition, this method can identify modal parameters of the piston pump structure in the working state, so it can effectively predict the dynamic behaviors of the piston pump. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonlinear spiking neural P (NSNP) systems are a class of neural-like computational models inspired from the nonlinear mechanism of spiking neurons. NSNP systems have a distinguishing feature: nonlinear spiking mechanism. To handle edge detection of images, this paper proposes a variant, nonlinear spiking neural P (NSNP) systems with two outputs (TO), termed as NSNP-TO systems. Based on NSNP-TO system, an edge detection framework is developed, termed as ED-NSNP detector. The detection ability of ED-NSNP detector relies on two convolutional kernels. To obtain good detection performance, particle swarm optimization (PSO) is used to optimize the parameters of the two convolutional kernels. The proposed ED-NSNP detector is evaluated on several open benchmark images and compared with seven baseline edge detection methods. The comparison results indicate the availability and effectiveness of the proposed ED-NSNP detector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] A simple and regioselective cross-coupling of styrene oxides with arylboronic acids in the presence of Rh(PPh 3) 3 Cl in biomass-derived ggg-valerolactone has been developed. The reactions proceeded smoothly to give 1,2-diaryl ethanols as the predominant products in moderate to good yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] A simple and regioselective cross-coupling of styrene oxides with arylboronic acids in the presence of Rh(PPh 3) 3 Cl in biomass-derived ggg-valerolactone has been developed. The reactions proceeded smoothly to give 1,2-diaryl ethanols as the predominant products in moderate to good yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic threshold neural P (DTNP) systems are recently developed neural-like membrane computing models. By introducing the delay mechanism on synapses, we propose a variant, called dynamic threshold neural P systems with delay on synapses or termed as DTNP-DS systems. DTNP-DS systems possess three recognizable features: spiking mechanism, dynamic threshold mechanism, and delay mechanism on synapses. Based on the three mechanisms, we develop a novel algorithm based on DTNP-DS systems for solving shortest path problems. In principle, the three mechanisms provide a parallel search way for the shortest path in a given network, and they can effectively control the speed and direction of the search. Simulation results demonstrate that DTNP-DS systems can provide an effective solution for the shortest path problems. • We propose dynamic threshold P systems with delay on synapses, termed as DTNP-DS systems. • We develop an effective algorithm based on DTNP-DS systems for solving the shortest path problems. • Two case studies are considered to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonlinear spiking neural P (NSNP) systems are a recently developed theoretical model, which is abstracted by nonlinear spiking mechanism of biological neurons. NSNP systems have a nonlinear structure and the potential to describe nonlinear dynamic systems. Based on NSNP systems, a novel time series forecasting approach is developed in this paper. During the training phase, a time series is first converted to frequency domain by using a redundant wavelet transform, and then according to the frequency data, an NSNP system is automatically constructed and adaptively trained in frequency domain. Then, the well-trained NSNP system can automatically generate sequence data for future time as the prediction results. Eight benchmark time series data sets and two real-life time series data sets are utilized to compare the proposed approach with several state-of-the-art forecasting approaches. The comparison results demonstrate availability and effectiveness of the proposed forecasting approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Layered RePS electrocatalysts were successfully fabricated by a simple method. • Layered structure provides ample electron transfer channels. • The formed heterostructure can greatly enhance the catalytic stability during HER process. • The optimized RePS catalysts show small overpotential of 57 mV at 10 mA cm−2 for HER in acidic media. Construction of electrocatalysts with exceptional intrinsic activity and rich active sites has proved to be an effective strategy for remarkably enhancing the activity of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In this work, durable and highly efficient layered Re 2 P/ReS 2 (RePS) heterostructures were successfully fabricated by an in-situ phosphating layered ReS 2. Taking advantage of the unique layered structure can provide abundant reaction active sites and the strong electronic interaction between ReS 2 and Re 2 P can enhance the intrinsic activity, the optimized RePS electrocatalysts show superior catalytic activities of 69 and 57 mV at 10 mA cm−2 for HER in alkaline and acidic media, respectively. The density functional theory results suggest that the formed heterostructures between ReS 2 and Re 2 P play an important role in optimizing the catalytic kinetics of the electrocatalysts. This work not only demonstrates that modulation of the electronic structure of catalysts is an efficient way to improve the HER activity but also confirms that the layered RePS heterostructure is a promising candidate for robust and high performance HER catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel stacked piezoelectric energy harvester is proposed to solve the sustainable power supply problem of wireless sensors in water hydraulic system, and two energy conversion models are established. The effects of connection modes and pressure pulsation parameters on the energy harvesting performance are studied. The results show that the model without considering the influence of electric field is more consistent with the experimental results. There is an optimal resistance to obtain the maximum average power, and the optimum resistance in series connection is n 2 times of that in parallel connection when the number of piezoelectric ceramic disks is n. The root mean square voltage increases with the pressure pulsation amplitude, and the average power are proportional to the square of pulsation amplitude. The ability of the energy harvester is significantly improved as the pressure pulsation frequency increases from 40 Hz to 80 Hz, but the theoretical results exhibit some errors at low frequency due to the inaccuracy of replacing measured pressure with sinusoidal waveform. Using the pressure pulsation with multiple frequency components as input can improve the accuracy of model. This paper provides new ideas for the design of stacked piezoelectric energy harvester in water hydraulic system. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Eight lastest heuristic optimization algorithms are used to locate the critical slip surface of soil slope. • The solution quality, robustness and convergence of the eight algorithms are compared in three cases. • Four algorithms including equilibrium optimizer are first used for locating the critical slip surface of soil slope. • The equilibrium optimizer outperforms the other algorithms. Calculating the minimum safety factor for locating or investigating the critical slip surfaces of soil slopes is a complex optimization problem. In this work, a series of variables are utilized to represent the slip surfaces of the slope, and the Morgenstern and Price's method is used to calculate the safety factor of a given slip surface. The performances of eight heuristic optimization algorithms (grey wolf optimizer, particle swarm optimization algorithm, whale optimization algorithm, salp swarm algorithm, multi-verse optimizer, ant lion optimizer, cuckoo search algorithm, and equilibrium optimizer) for locating the critical slip surfaces of slopes are compared. Three cases (one homogeneous slope and two multi-layered slopes) show that the equilibrium optimizer is superior to the other algorithms in terms of the quality of the solution, the convergence rate, and the robustness. One should carefully use the salp swarm algorithm and ant lion optimizer to locate the critical slip surfaces of slopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spiking neural P systems with inhibitory rules (in short, SNP-IR systems) are a distributed parallel computing model, abstracted by the spiking and inhibitory mechanisms of biological neurons. Computational completeness of SNP-IR systems as number generating/accepting and function computing devices has been studied recently. However, computational completeness of SNP-IR systems as language generating devices still has not been investigated. We discuss the relationship of languages generated by SNP-IR systems with regular languages. Moreover, we prove that SNP-IR systems can generate recursively enumerable languages by means of a projection of inverse-morphic image. • We prove that the family of regular languages can be generated by SNP-IR systems. • We prove that recursively enumerable languages can be generated by SNP-IR systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the numerous industrial applications of zeolites as adsorbents, catalysts, and ion-exchangers, the development of new zeolite structures is highly desired to expand their practical applications. Currently, a general route to develop new zeolite structures is to use interlayer expansion agents to connect layered silicates. In this review, we briefly summarize the novel zeolite structures constructed from the lamellar precursor zeolites MWW, RUB-36, PREFER, Nu-6(1), COK-5, and PLS-1 via interlayer expansion. The contents of the summary contain detailed experiments, physicochemical characterizations, possible expansion mechanisms, and catalytic properties. In addition, the insertion of metal heteroatoms (such as Ti, Fe, Sn) into the layered zeolite precursor through interlayer expansion, which could be helpful to modify the catalytic function, is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We discuss a sequential dendrite P system, inspired from the information processing and feedback mechanisms of dendrites. • We prove that Turing universality of sequential dendrite P systems as number generating/accepting devices. • We construct a universal function computing device of sequential dendrite P systems having 91 neurons. Dendrite P (DeP) systems are a new variant of neural-like P systems, abstracted by the information processing and feedback mechanisms of dendrites. In the variant, a global block is assumed to synchronize all of neurons, hence, DeP systems work in synchronous mode. This paper investigates sequential version of the variant, that is, sequential dendrite P (SDeP) systems. Based on maximum number of spikes in neurons, two sequential modes are distinguished: max-sequentiality and max-pseudo-sequentiality strategies. SDeP systems have two interesting and recognizable features: (i) it behaves as a firing-storing process; (ii) cooperative firing mechanism. The computational completeness of SDeP systems is discussed. We prove that SDeP systems can be used as Turing universal number generating/accepting devices for max-sequentiality and max-pseudo-sequentiality strategies. We also establish a small universal function computing device of SDeP systems with 91 neurons in max-sequentiality strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events and mortality. Objective: The goal of this study was to assess whether nebivolol (NEB), a vasodilatory β1-selective blocker, is a safe and efficacious monotherapy for individuals with systolic stage II hypertension. Methods: In this multicenter trial, 18- to 64-yearolds who had not used antihypertensive treatment for at least 4 weeks and had SBP/diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 160 to 180/90 to 110 mm Hg were randomized to receive double-blind medication for 6 weeks (NEB, n = 290; placebo [PBO], n = 142). Depending on response, the starting dose (5 mg/d) could be increased directly to 20 mg/d. Primary parameters were baseline- end point changes in trough seated SBP and DBP (intent-to-treat [ITT] population); the Hochberg method was used to control the type I error (α = 0.05). Responder analysis was also performed. Safety and tolerability assessment included monitoring of adverse events (AEs). Results: Mean age at baseline (ITT) was 50.7 years, and the mean SBP/DBP values were 167/101 mm Hg; 202 (47.3%) participants were women, 276 (63.9%) had body mass index =30 kg/m2, 152 (35.2%) were black, and 161 (37.3%) were Hispanic. Completion rates were 79.7% (PBO) and 90.3% (NEB). After 2 weeks of treatment, 92% and 95% participants in the NEB and PBO groups, respectively, had SBP in the range of 130 to 180 mm Hg and were titrated to the 20-mg/d NEB dose or its matching PBO tablet. After 6 weeks of treatment, the NEB group experienced significant mean reductions compared with the PBO group for both SBP (-18.2 vs -12.3 mm Hg; P < 0.001) and DBP (-12.3 vs -5.7 mm Hg; P < 0.001), down to mean SBP/DBP values of 149/89 mm Hg and 155/95 mm Hg, respectively, and had a significantly higher percentage of individuals who achieved BP control (SBP/DBP <140/90 mm Hg, 30.6% vs 17.3%; P = 0.004). Post hoc analyses suggest that NEB was not efficacious in reducing SBP in black participants. Mean changes in pulse rate were -12.8 beats/min for the NEB group and -1.6 beats/min for the PBO group (P < 0.001). Rates of discontinuations due to an AE (NEB vs PBO) were 1.4% in both groups, rates of any treatment- emergent AEs were 19.7% versus 19.0%, and rates of serious AEs were 0.3% versus 2.1%. The most common AEs (NEB vs PBO) were headache (2.1% vs 2.8%) and hypertension (0.7% vs 2.1%). Conclusions: NEB monotherapy was an efficacious and well-tolerated treatment option for these study individuals with systolic stage II hypertension, but most of them would need combination therapy to achieve BP control. Clinical Trials.gov identifier: NCT01057251. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Centrifugal pumps are widely used in modern industry, and blades are the key parts of it. The cracks on blades may result in a very serious consequence. In this paper, a fault diagnosis method based on principal component analysis (PCA) and Gaussian mixed model (GMM) was proposed, which combined signal processing and knowledge. Also, the theory model of proposed methods was established, and Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm was used to make the model converge. PCA was used to reduce the data dimensionalities and increase the feature resolution, and GMM was used as classifier for crack fault. In order to verify the diagnostic effect of the model, the experimental bench of centrifugal pump was established, and various working conditions of the centrifugal pump were simulated. Experimental results showed that the classifier based on these parameters performed very well in data testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired from spiking and dynamic mechanisms of neurons, dynamic threshold neural P systems (DTNP systems) have been developed and their computational completeness as number-generating/accepting devices and function computing devices has been investigated. However, a universality result of DTNP systems as language generators has not been established so far. This paper discusses computational power of DTNP systems as language generators. We first discuss the relationship between the languages generated by DTNP systems and finite languages, and then prove that regular languages can be generated by finite DTNP systems. Moreover, we prove that recursively enumerable languages can be characterized by projections of inverse-morphic images of the languages generated by DTNP systems. • We discuss the relationship between finite languages and the languages generated by DTNP systems. • We prove that the family of regular languages can be generated by DTNP systems. • We prove that recursively enumerable languages can be generated by DTNP systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water hydraulic pump is an essential component of water hydraulic system, and periodic pressure pulsation is generated during its operation. A hydraulic piezoelectric energy harvester (HPEH) with excellent sealing and insulation performance is proposed to recover the vibrational energy from pressure pulsation. The energy harvesting performance of HPEH is investigated through simulation and experiment under different parameter combinations. The results show that the transient voltage and transient pressure exhibit the same fundamental and harmonic frequencies. Higher pressure amplitude is favorable for deformation and can lead to higher electric energy generation, but the static pressure has little effect on the energy harvesting performance. Although the voltage increasing with increasing the resistance, the average power increases first and then decreases. Compared with the existing piezoelectric energy harvesters, the present HPEH has advantages in voltage and power density. The root mean square voltage, average power and power density can reach up to 9.9 V, 791.7 μW and 2.067 μW/(bar·mm3), respectively. Moreover, 42 LEDs connected in parallel are lighted to demonstrate the feasibility of using the HPEH as a power source. This study can lay a foundation for driving low-power components using piezoelectric harvesting energy from pressure pulsation in water hydraulic system. • A hydraulic piezoelectric energy harvester for water pressure pulsation is proposed. • Transient voltage and pressure exhibit same fundamental and harmonic frequencies. • Higher pressure amplitude is propitious to generate higher voltage. • Moderate resistance is good for improving the energy harvesting characteristics. • The generated voltage and power can respectively reach 9.9 V and 791.7 μW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pressure pulsation from water hydraulic system exhibits great potential in vibration energy harvesting. Herein a novel hydraulic piezoelectric energy harvester is proposed, which exhibits excellent insulation and sealing performance. The effect of connection modes such as single output, series and parallel connection, on the energy harvesting performance is investigated at different parameters by the experiment. The theoretical analysis and simulation study are employed to explain the energy harvesting process. The results show that the transient voltage exhibits alternating characteristics, and it has the same period with the transient pressure. The piezoelectric disk closer to the liquid inlet has greater energy harvesting ability. The voltage increases as the static pressure rises and the main influence factor is pulsation amplitude rather than static pressure. Moreover, the root mean square voltage of series connection is highest, and it increases with the increasing resistance, but the average power first increases and then decreases. The parallel connection mode has higher average power and lower optimal resistance. The average power and power density can respectively reach 394 μW and 1.34 mW/cm3 under 3 MPa and 20 KΩ. This paper can provide methods for the sustainable power supply of sensors in water hydraulic system. • A novel hydraulic piezoelectric energy harvester for pressure pulsation is proposed. • Single output, series connection and parallel connection can be easily achieved. • The parallel connection mode exhibits higher average power and lower optimal resistance. • The average power of parallel connection can reach 394 μW at 3 MPa and 20 KΩ. • The study lays a foundation for the sustainable power supply of sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple studies have confirmed the pro‐oncogenic effects of PAX3 in an array of cancers, but its role in prostate cancer (PCa) remains largely undefined. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of PAX3 in PCa. PAX3 expression was compared between PCa tumor tissue and nontumor tissues and PCa cell lines and normal prostate epithelial cells (PNT2) by western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry staining. MTT and immunofluorescence assays were used to detect PCa cell proliferation. Flow cytometry was used to evaluate cell apoptosis in PCa. Transwell assays were used for the determination of cell migration and PCa cell invasion. PAX3 expression was higher in PCa tissues and human PCa cell lines. Moreover, PAX3 silencing inhibited the proliferation, metastasis, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) of PCa cells, and increased the rates of apoptosis. PAX3 silencing inhibited transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β)/Smad signaling in PCa cells. The effects of si‐PAX3 on the proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis, and EMT of PCa cells were alleviated by TGF‐β1 treatment. PAX3 silencing inhibits PCa progression through the inhibition of TGF‐β/Smad signaling. This reveals PAX3 as a novel biomarker and therapeutic target for future PCa treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]