Search

Abstract Historic districts play an important role in urban planning and protection. While previous research on soundscapes has focused on acoustic comfort or preferences in these districts, the aspect of authenticity has been somewhat overlooked. Therefore, this study proposes a methodology for constructing soundscapes that enhance the authenticity of such districts. Using the grounded theory approach, we identified four key components for enhancing authenticity via soundscapes: the aim of soundscape design, physical and cultural characteristics of soundscapes, the effects of soundscapes, and the influence of spatial characteristics on soundscapes. A theoretical framework was developed to illustrate the enhancement of authenticity in historic districts via soundscapes. To verify the applicability and advancement of the proposed framework, it was compared with methodologies and steps obtained from previous soundscape research in historic districts. This study underscores the significance of soundscape design in creating authenticity in historic districts, thereby contributing to the development of soundscape design in historic districts and offering sustainable solutions for the protection and renewal of urban cultural heritage.

Abstract Background The maternal gut microbiome is the direct and important source of early colonization and development of the neonatal gut microbiome. However, differences in unique and shared features between mothers with different physiological phenotypes and their newborns still lack exhaustive investigation. Here, using a cow-to-calf model, a comprehensive investigation was conducted to elucidate the pattern and characterization of microbial transfer from the maternal source to the offspring. Results The microbiota in the rumen and feces of dairy cows were divided into two clusters via enterotype analysis. The cows from the enterotype distinguished by Prevotella in the rumen had better production performance, whereas no difference was observed in the cows classified by feces enterotype. Furthermore, through a pairwise combination of fecal and ruminal enterotypes, we screened a group of dairy cows with excellent phenotypes. The gastrointestinal microbiomes of cows with different phenotypes and their offspring differed significantly. The rumen was a more important microbial source for meconium than feces. Transmission of beneficial bacteria from mother to offspring was observed. Additionally, the meconium inherits advantageous metabolic functions of the rumen. The resistome features of the rumen, feces, and meconium were consistent, and resistome abundance from cows to calves showed an expanding trend. The interaction between antibiotic-resistance genes and mobile genetic elements from the rumen to meconium was the most remarkable. The diversity of core metabolites from cows to calves was stable and not affected by differences in phenotypes. However, the abundance of specific metabolites varied greatly. Conclusions Our study demonstrates the microbial taxa, metabolic function, and resistome characteristics of maternal and neonatal microbiomes, and reveals the potential vertical transmission of the microbiome from a cow-to-calf model. These findings provide new insights into the transgenerational transmission pattern of the microbiome. Video Abstract

Abstract As a powerful eukaryotic expression vector, the baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS) is widely applied to the production of heterogeneous proteins for research and pharmaceutical purposes, while optimization of BEVS remains a work in progress for membrane or secreted protein expression. In this study, the impact of the signal peptide (SP) derived from Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) GP64 protein on protein expression, secretion, and the endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD) pathway were investigated in BmN cells and BEVS. Transient expression studies in BmN cells revealed that SP alters the localization and expression levels of recombinant proteins, reducing intracellular accumulation while enhancing secretion efficiency. Quantitative analysis demonstrated that SP-mediated secretion was markedly higher compared to controls, albeit with lower total expression levels. Further exploration into SP-mediated ERAD pathway activation showed increased expression of BiP and other ERAD-associated genes (PDI, UFD1, S1P, and ASK1), correlating with higher SP-driven protein expression levels. RNA interference (RNAi) experiments elucidated that knockdown of ERAD-associated genes enhances both the secretion efficiency of SP-guided proteins and the infectivity of BmNPV. Particularly, interference with BiP demonstrated the most pronounced effect on protein secretion enhancement. Viral infection experiments further supported these findings, showing upregulated ERAD-associated genes during BmNPV infection, indicating their role in viral protein processing and infectivity. In conclusion, this study elucidates the complex interplay between SP-mediated protein secretion, ERAD pathway activation, and viral infectivity in BmNPV-infected cells. These insights suggest strategies for optimizing recombinant protein production and viral protein processing in baculovirus expression systems, with potential implications for biotechnological and biomedical applications. Further research could refine our understanding and manipulation of protein secretion pathways in insect cell-based expression systems.

Abstract Background To describe the indications, techniques and preliminary experience of modified spiral tracheoplasty in the reconstruction of large tracheal defect after thyroidectomy. Methods The medical records of patients who underwent tracheal torsion to repair large tracheal defects after thyroid carcinoma surgery from January 2019 to January 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. The extent of tracheal defect, duration of tracheal reconstruction, postoperative complications and surgery results were analyzed. Results The duration of tracheal reconstruction was 30–60 min. No postoperative bleeding, incision infection, tracheostomy stenosis occurred. Recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy occurred in 5 patients. All patients were followed up for 24 to 60 months. The 2-year overall survival rate was 100%, the 2-year local control rate of trachea was 100%, and the 2-year tumor-free survival rate was 81.8%. Conclusion The modified spiral tracheoplasty is a safe and effective method to repair the large defect of trachea after thyroid carcinoma invading the trachea.

Abstract Phosphorus-modified biochar has been proven to enhance the precipitation and complexation of heavy metal ions from wastewater. However, the current modification methods require large amounts of exogenous P and have high energy consumption. Hence, this study proposes and analyzes a strategy integrating biochar production, phosphorus wastewater treatment, dephosphorization waste recovery, and heavy metal removal. “BC-Ca-P” was derived from Ca-modified biochar after phosphorus wastewater treatment. The adsorption of Pb(II) by BC-Ca-P followed the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo–second–order kinetic models. The maximum adsorption capability of 361.20 mg·g−1 at pH 5.0 for 2 h was markedly greater than that of external phosphorous-modified biochar. The adsorption mechanisms were dominated by chemical precipitation and complexation. Furthermore, density functional theory calculations indicated that oxygen-containing functional groups (P-O and C-O) contributed the most to the efficient adsorption of Pb(II) onto BC-Ca-P. To explore its practical feasibility, the adsorption performance of BC-Ca-P recovered from an actual environment was evaluated. The continuous-flow adsorption behavior was investigated and well-fitted utilizing the Thomas and Yoon–Nelson models. There was a negligible P leakage risk of BC-Ca-P during heavy metal treatment. This study describes a novel and sustainable method to utilize dephosphorization waste for heavy metal removal. Graphical Abstract

ABSTRACT: We investigated the short- and long-term effects of different forage types supplemented in preweaning dairy calves on growth performance, blood metabolites, rumen fermentation, bacterial community, and milk production during first lactation. A total of 60 healthy 30-d-old female Holstein calves were blocked by birth date and body weight and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups (n = 20): normal milk and pelleted starter feeding (CON), supplemented with chopped oat hay (OAH; 75.0 g/d per calf [DM basis]), or alfalfa hay (ALF; 75.0 g/d per calf [DM basis]). The forage supplementation started when calves were 30 d old (d 1 of the experimental period) and ended when they were 73 d old (d 44 of the experimental period, when calves were weaned). Milk and feed intakes and fecal consistency scores were recorded daily. Growth performance, rumen fluid, and blood samples were collected biweekly. After weaning, all the calves were integrated with the same barn and diets. After calving, the milk production was recorded daily. During the experimental period, the OAH group had greater solid feed and total DM intakes and greater rumen pH than the CON group (P ≤ 0.04), but had lower forage intake and CP digestibility than the ALF group (P ≤ 0.04). The ALF group had higher rumen pH and blood BHB concentration (P ≤ 0.04), lower fecal score (P = 0.02), and greater ether extract digestibility (P = 0.02) than the CON group. The ALF and OAH groups had lower concentrations of ruminal total VFA (P = 0.01). Still, the ALF group had a greater proportion of acetate and a relative abundance of cellulose degradation-related bacteria (Lachnoclostridium_1 and Oribacterium) and a lower relative abundance of inflammation-related bacteria (Erysipelotrichaceae_UCG-009) in the rumen compared with CON. Interestingly, the average milk production from 6 to 200 DIM was greater in the ALF group (P < 0.01), even though no significant effects were found on the rumen fermentation parameters and blood metabolites at 200 DIM. Generally, alfalfa hay supplementation in preweaning dairy calves had positive effects in the short- and long-term for rumen development, health status, and future milk production.

This study aimed to develop a compensatory growth model using growing beef cattle by changing dietary protein and to investigate the underlying mechanisms of compensatory protein deposition in muscle tissue. Twelve Charolais bulls were randomly assigned to one of two groups with two periods: 1) a control group (CON) fed a 13% crude protein (CP) diet for 6 weeks; 2) a treatment group (REC) fed a 7% CP diet for 4 weeks (restriction period) and fed a 13% CP diet in the following 2 weeks (re-alimentation period). Growth performance, digestibility, nitrogen balance, targeted metabolomics of amino acids (AA) in plasma, and transcriptional profiling in muscle tissue were analyzed. Protein restriction decreased average daily gain (ADG; P

Built-up land has increased rapidly in recent decades, thus aggravating the competition for land between multiple uses. The increase in urban land can be decomposed into changes in population and changes in built-up land per person. Yet, it is unclear how this decomposition differs by country and how this decomposition changes over time. Moreover, we don’t know whether these changes affect the inequality in built-up land per capita. Here, we analyze the global distribution of built-up land per capita in the year 2020, as well as the changes therein between 1985 and 2020. We find that built-up land per capita in 2020 differs by an order of magnitude between countries, ranging from 15 m2 per person in Ethiopia to 734 m2 per person in Australia. Moreover, we find a wide range of different change trajectories, including both increases and decreases in built-up land per capita and in total population. As the total area of urban land increased in all countries, decreases in urban land consumption reflect a situation where the population increases faster than the total amount of urban land. We also find a large inequality in urban land consumption across countries, as indicated by a Gini index of 0.47 in 1985, decreasing only slightly to 0.45 in 2020. These findings suggest the need for a regionally differentiated approach to reduce urban land take, focusing first on mitigating further increases in those countries that already have a high urban land consumption.

Abstract Background Kagami–Ogata syndrome (KOS) and Temple syndrome (TS) are two imprinting disorders characterized by the absence or reduced expression of maternal or paternal genes in the chromosome 14q32 region, respectively. We present a rare prenatally diagnosed case of recurrent KOS inherited from a mother affected by TS. Case presentation The woman’s two affected pregnancies exhibited recurrent manifestations of prenatal overgrowth, polyhydramnios, and omphalocele, as well as a small bell-shaped thorax with coat-hanger ribs postnatally. Prenatal genetic testing using a single-nucleotide polymorphism array detected a 268.2-kb deletion in the chromosome 14q32 imprinted region inherited from the mother, leading to the diagnosis of KOS. Additionally, the woman carried a de novo deletion in the paternal chromosome 14q32 imprinted region and presented with short stature and small hands and feet, indicating a diagnosis of TS. Conclusions Given the rarity of KOS as an imprinting disorder, accurate prenatal diagnosis of this rare imprinting disorder depends on two factors: (1) increasing clinician recognition of the clinical phenotype and related genetic mechanism, and (2) emphasizing the importance of imprinted regions in the CMA workflow for laboratory analysis.

Abstract The precise extraction of winter wheat planting structure holds significant importance for food security risk assessment, agricultural resource management, and governmental decision-making. This study proposed a method for extracting the winter wheat planting structure by taking into account the growth phenology of winter wheat. Utilizing the fitting effect index, the optimal Savitzky–Golay (S–G) filtering parameter combination was determined automatically to achieve automated filtering and reconstruction of NDVI time series data. The phenological phases of winter wheat growth was identified automatically using a threshold method, and subsequently, a model for extracting the winter wheat planting structure was constructed based on three key phenological stages, including seeding, heading, and harvesting, with the combination of hierarchical classification principles. A priori sample library was constructed using historical data on winter wheat distribution to verify the accuracy of the extracted results. The validation of fitting effect on different surfaces demonstrated that the optimal filtering parameters for S–G filtering could be obtained automatically by using the fitting effect index. The extracted winter wheat phenological phases showed good consistency with ground-based observational results and MOD12Q2 phenological products. Validation against statistical yearbook data and the proposed priori knowledge base exhibited high statistical accuracy and spatial precision, with an extracting accuracy of 94.92%, a spatial positioning accuracy of 93.26%, and a kappa coefficient of 0.9228. The results indicated that the proposed method for winter wheat planting structure extracting can identify winter wheat areas rapidly and significantly. Furthermore, this method does not require training samples or manual experience, and exhibits strong transferability.

Abstract The dominant bacteria in the hindgut of calves play an important role in their growth and health, which could even lead to lifelong consequences. However, the identification of core probiotics in the hindgut and its mechanism regulating host growth remain unclear. Here, a total of 1045 fecal samples were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing from the 408 Holstein dairy calves at the age of 0, 14, 28, 42, 56, and 70 days to characterize the dynamic changes of core taxa. Moreover, the mechanisms of nutrient metabolism of calf growth regulated by core bacteria were investigated using multi-omics analyses. Finally, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in mice were conducted to illustrate the potential beneficial effects of core bacteria. Four calf enterotypes were identified and enterotypes dominated by Bifidobacterium and Oscillospiraceae_UCG-005 were representative. The frequency of enterotype conversion shifted from variable to stable. The close relationship observed between phenotype and enterotype, revealing a potential pro-growth effect of Bifidobacterium, might be implemented by promoting the use of carbohydrate, activating the synthesis of volatile fatty acids, amino acids and vitamin B6, and inhibiting methane production in the hindgut. The FMT results indicated the beneficial effect of Bifidobacterium on host growth and hindgut development. These results support the notion that the Bifidobacterium-dominated fecal microbiome would be an important driving force for promoting the host growth in the early life. Our findings provide new insights into the potential probiotic mining and application strategies to promote the growth of young animals or improve their growth retardation.

Abstract Background Oncology nurses are considered the group with the highest risk for moral distress, compassion fatigue and burnout. Mindful self-care may help oncology nurses improve their well-being and solve psychological problems. However, the investigation and in-depth analysis of mindful self-care among oncology nurses in China is lacking. Objectives To identify heterogeneity groups of oncology nurses on mindful self-care ability and examine the sociodemographic correlation to these profiles. Design Cross-sectional descriptive study. Participants The study was carried out among oncology nurses in two affiliated comprehensive hospitals and one affiliated oncology hospital. A total of 839 oncology nurses were enrolled in this survey. Methods From January to May 2023, a cross-sectional study was carried out among oncology nurses using convenient sampling. The subjects were given the brief Mindful Self-Care Scale (B-MSCS) and the General Demographic Information Questionnaire. Latent profile analysis using the Mplus 7.4 program was used to separate oncology nurses’ mindful self-care into a variety of subgroups. The SPSS 25.0 statistical program was used to analyze the data. One-way ANOVA and the chi-square test were performed to compare the score of B-MSCS in each class and the difference in sociodemographic characteristics among the subgroups. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the influence of the sociodemographic variables on each class. Results The total score of the B-MSCS was 76.40 ± 13.19. The support structure dimension had the highest score, with an average mean value of 3.60, and physical care had the lowest score at 2.57. The findings of the latent profile analysis showed that respondents were divided into three classes, moderate mindful self-care(51.2%), low-low mindful relaxation(14.8%), and high-high mindfulness self-awareness(34.0%). Across scale scores and dimensions, three groups demonstrated statistically significant differences (p

Abstract Background Temperature extremes are anticipated to become more frequent and more intense under the context of climate change. While current evidence on health effects of compound extreme temperature event is scarce. Methods This nationwide cross-sectional study collected daily data on weather and mortality for 161 Chinese districts/counties during 2007-2013. A quasi-Poisson generalized linear model was first applied to assess effects of daytime-only, nighttime-only and compound daytime-nighttime heat wave (and cold spell) on cause-specific mortality. Then a random-effect meta-analysis was used to produce pooled estimates at national level. Stratification analyses were performed by relative humidity, individual and regional characteristics. Results Here we show that mortality risks of compound daytime-nighttime temperature extremes are much higher than those occurring only in the daytime or nighttime. Humid weather further exaggerates the mortality risk during heat waves, while dry air enhances the risk during cold weather. People who are elderly, illiterate, and those with ischemic heart disease and respiratory disease are particularly vulnerable to extreme temperature. At the community-level, population size, urbanization rate, proportion of elderly and PM2.5 are positively associated with increased risks associated with heat waves. Temperature, humidity and normalized difference vegetation index are positively associated with the effects of cold weather, with an opposite trend for latitude and diurnal temperature range. Conclusions This nationwide study highlights the importance of incorporating compound daytime-nighttime extreme temperature events and humid conditions into early warning systems and urban design/planning.

Abstract Background All the scoring methods for the DLQI miss the moderate impact of the disease on patients, which may underestimate the impact of psoriasis on patients’ quality of life. To improve the accuracy of the assessment of the Dermatology Life Quality Index score (DLQI) for patients with psoriasis, this study proposed and validated a new scoring method, the DLQI-NS, which includes the moderate impact option in the self-assessment of each item in psoriasis patients. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in which patients with psoriasis were enrolled. A total of 425 participants completed the DLQI, DLQI-NS and Skindex-16 questionnaires. Reliability, validity, ceiling and floor effects were evaluated of both DLQI and DLQI-NS questionnaires. Results About 14.4-32.5% of the patients reported a moderate impact on quality of life. The DLQI-NS allowed 17 more patients (4.0%) to achieve severe disease. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the DLQI-NS was 0.90, and that of the DLQI was 0.89. The KMO test results for the DLQI-NS and DLQI were 0.927 and 0.916, respectively. One factor was identified for each questionnaire. The items of the DLQI-NS showed an item-total correlation from 0.52 to 0.82, and the DLQI questionnaire’s item-total correlation ranged from 0.47 to 0.83. The DLQI-NS, DLQI total score and Skindex-16 had Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients of 0.89 and 0.84, respectively. Both the DLQI-NS and DLQI showed significant moderate correlations with the BSA (0.51 vs. 0.50) and PASI (0.47 vs. 0.46). No ceiling effects were observed for any of the items of both questionnaires. Conclusion The validity and reliability of the DLQI-NS and DLQI were good, but the DLQI-NS was superior to the DLQI. The DLQI-NS is an effective self-assessment tool for assessing quality of life in psoriasis patients.

Abstract Manganese (Mn) is widely recognized owing to its low cost, non-toxic nature, and versatile oxidation states, leading to the emergence of various Mn-based nanomaterials with applications across diverse fields, particularly in tumor diagnosis and therapy. Systematic reviews specifically addressing the tumor diagnosis and therapy aspects of Mn-derived biomaterials are lacking. This review comprehensively explores the physicochemical characteristics and synthesis methods of Mn-derived biomaterials, emphasizing their role in tumor diagnostics, including magnetic resonance imaging, photoacoustic and photothermal imaging, ultrasound imaging, multimodal imaging, and biodetection. Moreover, the advantages of Mn-based materials in tumor treatment applications are discussed, including drug delivery, tumor microenvironment regulation, synergistic photothermal, photodynamic, and chemodynamic therapies, tumor immunotherapy, and imaging-guided therapy. The review concludes by providing insights into the current landscape and future directions for Mn-driven advancements in the field, serving as a comprehensive resource for researchers and clinicians.

This study investigated the effects of β-alanine (β-Ala) on rumen fermentation, nutrient digestibility, nitrogen (N) metabolism, plasma biochemical parameters, and rumen bacterial communities in beef steers. Six steers with initial liveweight of 252.8 ± 5.2 kg and 3 treatments of supplementing with 0, 30, or 60 g β-Ala per day to basal diet were allocated in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square design. Each experimental period was 20 d, of which the first 15 d were for adaptation and the subsequent 5 d were for sampling. The results showed that β-Ala linearly increased the ruminal concentration of microbial crude protein (MCP) (P = 0.005), but it did not affect the ruminal concentrations of ammonia N and total volatile fatty acids (P > 0.10). β-Ala also linearly increased the dry matter (DM) (P = 0.009), organic matter (OM) (P = 0.017) and crude protein (CP) (P = 0.043) digestibility, tended to decrease the acid detergent fiber digestibility (P = 0.077), but it did not affect the neutral detergent fiber digestibility (P = 0.641). β-Ala quadratically increased the relative abundance of ruminal Bacteroidota (P = 0.021) at the phylum level, and increased Prevotella (P = 0.028) and Prevotellaceae_UCG-003 (P = 0.014), and decreased the relative abundance of NK4A214_group (P = 0.009) at the genus level. Feeding steers with β-Ala linearly increased the urinary N (P = 0.006), urea excretions (P = 0.002) and the N retention (P = 0.004), but it did not affect the N utilization efficiency (P = 0.120). β-Ala quadratically increased the plasma concentration of the total antioxidant capacity (P = 0.011) and linearly increased the plasma concentration of insulin-like growth factor-1 (P

Background: Nonsmall cell lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. The long noncoding RNA MIR4435-2HG has been shown to play a carcinogenic role in various cancers. The purpose of this study was to explore the role and regulatory mechanism of MIR4435-2HG in non-small cell lung cancer. Methods: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to detect MIR4435-2HG and SRY-box transcription factor 2 in nonsmall cell lung cancer cells. Gain- or loss-of-function assays of MIR4435-2HG and SRY-box transcription factor 2 were subsequently conducted. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, glycolysis, and invasion were tested. A nude mouse tumor model was constructed to determine the role of MIR4435-2HG and SRY-box transcription factor 2 in the growth of tumor cells in vivo. Furthermore, the interactions between MIR4435-2HG, miR-371a-5p and SRY-box transcription factor 2 were analyzed via a dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. Results: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction revealed that MIR4435-2HG and SRY-box transcription factor 2 were upregulated in nonsmall cell lung cancer cells. Forced MIR4435-2HG overexpression led to increased cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and glycolysis and repressed cell apoptosis. Overexpressing MIR4435-2HG promoted SRY-box transcription factor 2 expression and PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway activation. Downregulating MIR4435-2HG had antitumor effects both in vitro and in vivo. SRY-box transcription factor 2 overexpression mostly reversed the suppressive effects of MIR4435-2HG downregulation. Mechanistic studies revealed that MIR4435-2HG, a competitive endogenous RNA, directly targeted and inhibited miR-371a-5p. Rescue assays revealed that miR-371a-5p overexpression or SRY-box transcription factor 2 downregulation significantly inhibited MIR4435-2HG-mediated oncogenic effects. Conclusion: MIR4435-2HG promotes nonsmall cell lung cancer cell malignant behaviors and glycolysis by regulating the miR-371a-5p/SOX2 axis.

Fibrosis is significantly associated with a wide variety of diseases and is involved in their progression. Fibrosis activated under the influence of different combinations of factors is considered a double-edged sword. Although there has been much research on organ fibrosis in recent years, a variety of organ fibrosis diseases and cancers are not well controlled in terms of prevention, treatment, and prognosis. Clinical studies still lack exploration and discovery of effective targets for the pathogenesis of organ fibrosis. Prolyl 4-hydroxylase subunit alpha 1 (P4HA1) is a protein kinase and the synthesis and secretion of collagen are related to the sustained activation of P4HA1. As further studies are being conducted, the potential role of P4HA1 in the development of fibrosis-associated diseases and cancer is becoming clear. Consequently, we conducted a systematic review and discussion on the role of P4HA1 in the pathogenesis of various fibrosis-related diseases and cancers. We reviewed the possible strategies of P4HA1 in the diagnosis and treatment of fibrosis-related diseases and cancers, and analyzed its potential relevance as a biomarker in the diagnosis and treatment of fibrosis-related diseases and cancer.

Cancer poses a major global public health challenge. Developing more effective early diagnosis methods and efficient treatment techniques is crucial to enhance early detection sensitivity and treatment outcomes. Nanomaterials offer sensitive, accurate, rapid, and straightforward approaches for cancer detection, diagnosis, and treatment. Inorganic nanoparticles are widely used in medicine because of their high stability, large specific surface area, unique surface properties, and unique quantum size effects. Functional inorganic nanoparticles involve modifying inorganic nanoparticles to enhance their physical properties, enrichment capabilities, and drug-loading efficiency and to minimize toxicity. This Review provides an overview of various types of inorganic nanoparticles and their functionalization characteristics. We then discuss the progress of functional inorganic nanoparticles in cancer biomarker detection and imaging. Furthermore, we discuss the application of functional inorganic nanoparticles in radiotherapy, chemotherapy, gene therapy, immunotherapy, photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, sonodynamic therapy, and combination therapy, highlighting their characteristics and advantages. Finally, the toxicity and potential challenges of functional inorganic nanoparticles are analyzed. The purpose of this Review is to explore the application of functional inorganic nanoparticles in diagnosing and treating cancers, while also presenting a new avenue for cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Research has started using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to elucidate the action of acupuncture on neuroplasticity following ischemic stroke (IS). Acupuncture is thought to be a potentially beneficial treatment for IS. However, the results remain inconsistent because of MRI processing techniques and study design variations. Therefore, this coordinate-based meta-analysis and systematic review aimed to assess the current state of knowledge about the regional brain fMRI imaging characteristics in acupuncture-treated IS patients. Twenty studies—including 392 IS patients and 256 health controls—met the inclusion criteria after searches via Chinese and English databases. The design techniques utilized in this research were mainly owned before-and-after controlled and randomized controlled trials. Only one study used independent component analysis (ICA), while the majority of MRI analytical techniques focus on functional connectivity (FC) and fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF/ALFF). The findings demonstrated a significant rise in the ALFF value of the left supplementary motor region after treatment with acupuncture. The left cerebellum, right inferior frontal gyrus, and hemisphere lobule VIII all showed substantial activation of Reho values. The triangular portion, BA 48, the left inferior network and inferior longitudinal fasciculus, as well as other brain areas decreased in the left inferior frontal gyrus; most research has used FC analysis employing motor areas as seed regions. We found that acupuncture regulated the motor-related network and reorganized the language-related network. Furthermore, acupuncture appears therapeutic for several IS effects, which may be connected to how acupuncture regulates the brain's plasticity.

Research on animal robots utilizing neural electrical stimulation is a significant focus within the field of neuro-control, though precise behavior control remains challenging. This study proposes a parameter-adaptive strategy to achieve accurate path tracking. First, the mapping relationship between neural electrical stimulation parameters and corresponding behavioral responses is comprehensively quantified. Next, adjustment rules related to the parameter-adaptive control strategy are established to dynamically generate different stimulation patterns. A parameter-adaptive path tracking control strategy (PAPTCS), based on fuzzy control principles, is designed for the precise path tracking tasks of pigeon robots in open environments. The results indicate that altering stimulation parameter levels significantly affects turning angles, with higher UPN and PTN inducing changes in the pigeons' motion state. In experimental scenarios, the average control efficiency of this system was 82.165%. This study provides a reference method for the precise control of pigeon robot behavior, contributing to research on accurate target path tracking.

The lipid and flavor in milk are key factors that affect its quality, which profiles during donkey lactation are not yet clear. In this study, the lipids and volatile compounds (VOCs) in donkey milk from stages of lactation were analyzed by using LC-MS and GC-IMS. A total of 1774 lipids were identified in donkey milk, spanning over 6 major categories and attributed to 30 subclasses. The 233 differentially expressed lipids were identified between donkey colostrum and mature milk, which participate in 20 metabolic pathways, including glycerophospholipid, linoleic acid, and sphingolipid. Additionally, 35 VOCs in donkey milk were identified, including 28.57% aldehydes, 28.57% ketones, 25.71% esters, and 8.57% alcohols. Of these VOCs, 15 were determined to be characteristic flavors in donkey milk, mainly including methyl 2-methylbutanoate, 2-pentanone, and butyl acetate. 11 significantly different VOCs were found between the groups. Acetone, 2-heptanone, and ethyl acetate-m were considered potential discriminatory markers.

Donkey milk has attracted attention due to its distinctive nutritional composition and potential health advantages, particularly because of its whey protein content, which includes lysozyme, α-lactalbumin, lactoferrin, and β-lactoglobulin and vitamin C, among other components. These elements contribute to immunoregulatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties, positioning donkey milk as a possible therapeutic option. In addition, due to the low levels of caseins, the casein-to-whey protein ratio, and the β-lactoglobulin content in donkey milk, it presents an optimal alternative for infant formula for individuals with cow’s milk allergies. Moreover, research into donkey milk’s potential for cancer prevention, diabetes management, and as a treatment for various diseases is ongoing, thanks to its bioactive peptides and components. Nevertheless, challenges such as its low production yield and the not fully understood mechanisms behind its potential therapeutic role necessitate more thorough investigation. This review consolidates the existing knowledge on the therapeutic possibilities of donkey milk, emphasizing its importance for human health and the need for more detailed studies to confirm its health benefits.

Background: The utilization of Tuina as a therapeutic intervention for the management of chronic pain has experienced a gradually increase in its popularity, and the purpose of this bibliometric analysis is to offer a comprehensive understanding of the current state and frontier trends, as well as to provide recommendations for future research directions. Methods: Publications on Tuina for chronic pain published between 2004 and 2023 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). Microsoft Excel, CiteSpace, VOSViewer, and the R package “bibliometrix” were used to quantitatively analyse the annual publication volume, countries/regions, journals, institutions, cited references, authors, and keywords. Results: A total of 287 publications were retrieved. The number of annual publications on the use of Tuina for treating chronic pain has gradually increased. Most publications were published in China and the United States. Notably, the most productive institution and author were identified as Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Min Fang, respectively. Medicine ranked first as the most influential affiliate and most productive journal. These publications came from 1650 authors, among whom Edzard Ernst had the most co-citations. Keyword analysis revealed that the new research frontier was low back pain. Conclusion: The utilization of Tuina for the treatment of chronic pain has been gaining increasing recognition. Acupuncture, randomised controlled trials, systematic reviews, etc. were the main research subjects. Furthermore, low back pain is the new research frontier. This study provides an in-depth perspective on Tuina for chronic pain, which provides valuable reference material for clinicians with insights of therapeutic strategy, educators with valuable topics, and researchers with new research directions.

In cities, green infrastructure (GI) is a vital natural life support system that is intimately linked to the daily lives of citizens. High levels of Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) can help mitigate a series of ecological problems faced by cities, which is extremely important for preserving the stability of urban ecosystems and promoting sustainable urban development. However, current research has not fully explored the influencing factors of UGI and the interaction effect between them. Therefore, in order to better explore the results of China’s proposed policy to promote GI development, data from 110 cities in China’s Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) region during the 12th Five-Year Plan and 13th Five-Year Plan periods were measured separately, and natural and geographic environmental conditions, quality of urban construction, level of economic development, socio-cultural development, and eco-environmental quality were selected as the influencing factors. The entropy TOPSIS was used to evaluate the development trend of UGI in the two periods of the region, and the relationship between influencing factors and UGI development was investigated through the use of fs/QCA, and the high-level development path of each city to achieve GI was explained. The results show that (1) Cities with high UGI development are mostly concentrated in economically developed areas, while cities in the YREB’s central and western regions have relatively low levels of UGI development. (2) According to the spatial and temporal differences, the factors driving the high level and non-high level of UGI development in prefecture-level cities in the YREB showed several different configurations, confirming that the development level of UGI was affected by a variety of conditions. (3) During the 12th Five-Year Plan to 13th Five-Year Plan periods, the configuration of urban high-level UGI was found to be more consistent, while the development path of non-high-level UGI is more diversified. The study explores the overall development level and trend of green infrastructure in different cities, and the citation of fs/QCA provides a better understanding of the complex mechanisms of the interactions between these variables, with a view to providing some guidance and enlightenment for enhancing the future urban UGI development and urban high-quality development in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

Abstract Background Aging is a very complex physiological phenomenon, and sEVs are involved in the regulation of this mechanism. Serum samples from healthy individuals under 30 and over 60 years of age were collected to analyze differences in sEVs proteomics. Results Based on PBA analysis, we found that sEVs from the serum of elderly individuals highly express TACSTD2 and identified a subpopulation marked by TACSTD2. Using ELISA, we verified the upregulation of TACSTD2 in serum from elderly human and aged mouse. In addition, we discovered that TACSTD2 was significantly increased in samples from tumor patients and had better diagnostic value than CEA. Specifically, 9 of the 13 tumor groups exhibited elevated TACSTD2, particularly for cervical cancer, colon cancer, esophageal carcinoma, liver cancer and thyroid carcinoma. Moreover, we found that serum sEVs from the elderly (especially those with high TACSTD2 levels) promoted tumor cell (SW480, HuCCT1 and HeLa) proliferation and migration. Conclusion TACSTD2 was upregulated in the serum of elderly individuals and patients with tumors, and could serve as a dual biomarker for aging and tumors.

Osteoarthritis (OA), a common degenerative disease, is characterized by high disability and imposes substantial economic impacts on individuals and society. Current clinical treatments remain inadequate for effectively managing OA. Organoids, miniature 3D tissue structures from directed differentiation of stem or progenitor cells, mimic native organ structures and functions. They are useful for drug testing and serve as active grafts for organ repair. However, organoid construction requires extracellular matrix-like 3D scaffolds for cellular growth. Hydrogel microspheres, with tunable physical and chemical properties, show promise in cartilage tissue engineering by replicating the natural microenvironment. Building on prior work on SF-DNA dual-network hydrogels for cartilage regeneration, we developed a novel RGD-SF-DNA hydrogel microsphere (RSD-MS) via a microfluidic system by integrating photopolymerization with self-assembly techniques and then modified with Pep-RGDfKA. The RSD-MSs exhibited uniform size, porous surface, and optimal swelling and degradation properties. In vitro studies demonstrated that RSD-MSs enhanced bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) proliferation, adhesion, and chondrogenic differentiation. Transcriptomic analysis showed RSD-MSs induced chondrogenesis mainly through integrin-mediated adhesion pathways and glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis. Moreover, in vivo studies showed that seeding BMSCs onto RSD-MSs to create cartilage organoid precursors (COPs) significantly enhanced cartilage regeneration. In conclusion, RSD-MS was an ideal candidate for the construction and long-term cultivation of cartilage organoids, offering an innovative strategy and material choice for cartilage regeneration and tissue engineering.

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurred at 7:58 a.m. (Beijing time) on April 3, 2024, in the sea area of Hualien County, Taiwan Province, China (23.81°N，121.74°E), which had a large seismic hazard impact and attracted widespread attention at home and abroad. This paper introduces the geological and tectonic background of the earthquake and its disaster influence, as well as the volcanic activity on Kueishantao volcano that partially collapsed as a result of the seismic effect, and focuses on a comprehensive analysis of the possibility of whether the earthquake will trigger the volcanic activity. Through the analysis of seismic and hyperspectral gas data, it can be seen that the Kueishantao volcano has not yet shown obvious anomalous responses. Then the probability of triggering is quantitatively judged by introducing the non-dimensional index of earthquake triggering potential volcanoes，and the TRIGI value is 19.8 (> 10), which indicates that the probability of earthquake-triggered eruption of Kueishantao volcano is relatively low in the short term. At present, the volcano is still in the state of dormancy from the analysis of qualitative and quantitative aspects. In the future, we will continue to collect and improve macro and micro precursor anomaly data before volcanic eruption, track and judge the state of volcanic activity, and draw more accurate and reliable conclusions about the triggering possibility.

Abstract Background Osteoporosis is characterized by an imbalance in bone homeostasis, resulting in the excessive dissolution of bone minerals due to the acidified microenvironment mediated by overactive osteoclasts. Oroxylin A (ORO), a natural flavonoid, has shown potential in reversing osteoporosis by inhibiting osteoclast-mediated bone resorption. The limited water solubility and lack of targeting specificity hinder the effective accumulation of Oroxylin A within the pathological environment of osteoporosis. Results Osteoclasts’ microenvironment-responsive nanoparticles are prepared by incorporating Oroxylin A with amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) and coated with glutamic acid hexapeptide-modified phospholipids, aiming at reinforcing the drug delivery efficiency as well as therapeutic effect. The obtained smart nanoparticles, coined as OAPLG, could instantly neutralize acid and release Oroxylin A in the extracellular microenvironment of osteoclasts. The combination of Oroxylin A and ACC synergistically inhibits osteoclast formation and activity, leading to a significant reversal of systemic bone loss in the ovariectomized mice model. Conclusion The work highlights an intelligent nanoplatform based on ACC for spatiotemporally controlled release of lipophilic drugs, and illustrates prominent therapeutic promise against osteoporosis.

Background The prognosis of patients with coronary artery disease is adversely affected by elevated fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels. However, the relationship between FPG levels and in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) remains unclear.Objectives The objective of this study was to investigate the association between FPG levels and IHCA in patients diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).Methods Data from a total of 31,726 ACS patients fitted with inclusion and exclusion criteria across 241 hospitals in the Improving Care for Cardiovascular Disease in China-ACS project from November 2014 to July 2019 were collected. Different logistic regression models were utilized to examine the associations of FPG levels with IHCA. Sensitivity analyses were then conducted to assess the robustness of the findings. Marginal effect analyses were also employed to evaluate the impact of different therapies.Results A total of 335 cases of IHCA and 293 in-hospital mortality were recorded throughout the study. A non-linear relationship between FPG levels and IHCA was identified after adjusting for the covariates. Specifically, a significant association was found between elevated FPG levels (≥6.1 mmol/L) and an increased risk of IHCA. These findings remained consistent across different subgroup analyses including both the diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Additionally, the marginal effect analyses revealed that percutaneous coronary intervention could lower the high FPG-related risk.Conclusions The study findings showed a positive correlation between FPG levels and a higher incidence of IHCA, irrespective of the presence of diabetes.

Applying ICESat-2 and CryoSat-2 freeboards, the Arctic snow depth (ISCS) was obtained from October 2018 to April 2022. The results were assessed using Operation Ice Bridge (OIB) and Multidisciplinary Drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) in situ observations and compared with frequently used remote sensing (AMSR-E/AMSR2), climatology (modified W99 snow climatology data; MW99), and modelled (Pan-Arctic Ice Ocean Modelling and Assimilation Systems; PIOMAS) snow products. The ISCS snow depth exhibited high correlations (r = 0.67) and small mean bias (0.01 ± 0.06 m) against OIB results. We found good correlations (statistically significant) between MOSAiC and all snow depth products, except for MW99. Mean and absolute biases between ISCS and MOSAiC in situ observations were 0.01 ± 0.06 and 0.04 ± 0.04 m, respectively. The ISCS revealed clear spatial distribution from the Canadian Arctic Archipelago to open sea areas. In contrast, the PIOMAS snow depth revealed weak autumn variation, whereas the MW99 snow depth yielded distinct seasonal variability but a weak interannual change. Snow depth in October showed large differences among the various products, from which the AMSR topped the snow depth in the first-year ice region, while MW99 had the highest values for the multiyear ice zone.

Abstract With the rapid development of advanced technologies in the Internet of Things era, higher requirements are needed for next‐generation electronic devices. Fortunately, organic thin film transistors (OTFTs) provide an effective solution for electronic skin and flexible wearable devices due to their intrinsic features of mechanical flexibility, lightweight, simple fabrication process, and good biocompatibility. So far considerable efforts have been devoted to this research field. This article reviews recent advances in various promising and state‐of‐the‐art OTFTs as well as related integrated circuits with the main focuses on: (I) material categories of high‐mobility organic semiconductors for both individual transistors and integrated circuits; (II) effective device architectures and processing techniques for large‐area fabrication; (III) important performance metrics of organic integrated circuits and realization of digital and analog devices for future smart life; (IV) applicable analytical models and design flow to accelerate the circuit design. In addition, the emerging challenges of OTFT‐based integrated circuits, such as transistor uniformity and stability are also discussed, and the possible methods to solve these problems at both transistor and circuit levels are summarized.

Abstract In recent decades, there has been a significant increase in the application of single‐molecule electrical analysis platforms in studying proteins and peptides. These advanced analysis methods have the potential for deep investigation of enzymatic working mechanisms and accurate monitoring of dynamic changes in protein configurations, which are often challenging to achieve in ensemble measurements. In this work, the prominent research progress in peptide and protein‐related studies are surveyed using electronic devices with single‐molecule/single‐event sensitivity, including single‐molecule junctions, single‐molecule field‐effect transistors, and nanopores. In particular, the successful commercial application of nanopores in DNA sequencing has made it one of the most promising techniques in protein sequencing at the single‐molecule level. From single peptides to protein complexes, the correlation between their electrical characteristics, structures, and biological functions is gradually being established. This enables to distinguish different molecular configurations of these biomacromolecules through real‐time electrical monitoring of their life activities, significantly improving the understanding of the mechanisms underlying various life processes.

Abstract Additive manufacturing (AM) is widely recognized as a versatile tool for achieving complex geometries and customized functionalities in designed materials. However, the challenge lies in selecting an appropriate AM method that simultaneously realizes desired microstructures and macroscopic geometrical designs in a single sample. This study presents a direct ink writing method for 3D printing intricate, high‐fidelity macroscopic cellulose aerogel forms. The resulting aerogels exhibit tunable anisotropic mechanical and thermal characteristics by incorporating fibers of different length scales into the hydrogel inks. The alignment of nanofibers significantly enhances mechanical strength and thermal resistance, leading to higher thermal conductivities in the longitudinal direction (65 mW m−1 K−1) compared to the transverse direction (24 mW m−1 K−1). Moreover, the rehydration of printed cellulose aerogels for biomedical applications preserves their high surface area (≈300 m2 g−1) while significantly improving mechanical properties in the transverse direction. These printed cellulose aerogels demonstrate excellent cellular viability (>90% for NIH/3T3 fibroblasts) and exhibit robust antibacterial activity through in situ‐grown silver nanoparticles.

Perovskite light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) with advantages of high electroluminescence efficiency at high brightness, good color purity, and tunable bandgap, are believed to have potential applications in the next generation display and lighting technologies. Due to the complex degradation process, mathematic models to describe the degradation process of perovskite LEDs are absent. In this work, it is found that the mathematical fitting methods which have been widely used to describe the decay trend of organic LEDs and quantum‐dot LEDs, are unable to accurately predict the lifetime of perovskite LEDs. Then an ensemble machine learning model is developed, which utilizes data augmentation technique to predict T50 of perovskite LEDs based on features before T80, achieving an accuracy of 0.995. Furthermore, the model can also accurately predict the T90 lifetime of quantum‐dot LEDs (QLEDs) using features before T98, suggesting it is a useful tool to efficiently evaluate LED lifetimes.

Abstract Background The pupillary response to tetanic electrical stimulation reflects the balance between nociceptive stimulation and analgesia. Although pupillary pain index (PPI) was utilized to predict postoperative pain, it depended on tetanic stimulation and was complex. We aim to describe the potential relationship between PD in the presence of surgical stimulation and pain levels after awakening. Methods According to the Verbal Rating Scale (VRS) score after extubation, the patients were divided into painless group (VRS = 0) and pain group (VRS ≥ 1). Pupillary diameter (PD) and pupillary light reflex velocity (PLRV) were compared between two groups when patients entered the operating room (T1), before incision (T2), 10 s after incision (T3), 30 s after incision (T4), 1 h after incision (T5), at the end of surgery (T6), shortly after extubation (T7), and when patients expressed pain clearly (T8). The magnitude of PD change (ΔPD) compared to the baseline value after anesthesia induction (T2) was calculated. The correlations between pupillary parameters and pain after awakening were calculated. Results Patients with VRS ≥ 1 had greater PD than painless patients at T3-7 (P = 0.04, 0.04, 0.003,

In this study, the effects of L-arginine or L-lysine on the quality of duck meat patties during repeated freeze-thaw cycles were studied to provide a theoretical basis for the application of L-arginine or L-lysine as cryoprotectant in meat products. L-arginine or L-lysine was added in the marinating process of duck meat patties, and the prepared duck meat patties was treated with freeze-thaw cycles. The texture, cooking loss, color, pH, total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N), thiobarbituric reactive substances (TBARS), low-field nuclear magnetic resonance, and microstructure were measured to evaluate the quality of duck meat patties. The results showed that with the increase of freeze-thaw cycles, the hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, chewiness, a* value, pH and P21 of duck meat patties in the blank group decreased significantly (P

In this paper, a characteristic mode (CM)-based design methodology is developed for the reconfigurable microwave metasurface absorbers (MMA) with using commercially available substrates. Theoretical intrinsic connection between modal behaviors and absorption properties is first formulated for the design of the structures. As a proof of the method, a broadband MMA consisting of butterfly elements is step-by-step designed. The positions and values of the impedance loading are determined based on the modal significances and modal currents for broadband operation. The absorption performance is evaluated by the formulated theoretical model and verified by full-wave simulation. After that, a flexible implementation a employed for free-form surfaces conformal. Experimentally, the proposed MMA is fabricated and measured. The absorption fractional bandwidth with reflectivity less than –10 dB is achieved from 3.6 to 11.6 GHz (105%). Good agreements between the simulation and measurement results for both planar and cylindrical cases validate the developed CM-based design methodology. The mimicry of time-varying scattering cross section (SCS) is then further realized through real-time coding absorption states, which is a promising candidate for practical electromagnetic systems.

Abstract Fetal growth restriction (FGR), a leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality, is caused by fetal, maternal, and placental factors. Uniparental disomy (UPD) is a rare condition that leads to imprinting effects, low-level mosaic aneuploidies and homozygosity for pathogenic variants. In the present study, UPD events were detected in 5 women with FGR by trio exome sequencing (trio-WES) of a cohort of 150 FGR cases. Furthermore, noninvasive prenatal testing results of the 5 patients revealed a high risk of rare autosomal trisomy. Trio-WES showed no copy-number variations (CNVs) or nondisease-causing mutations associated with FGR. Among the 5 women with FGR, two showed gene imprinting, and two exhibited confined placental mosaicism (CPM) by copy number variant sequencing (CNV-seq). The present study showed that in FGR patients with UPD, the detection of imprinted genes and CPM could enhance the genetic diagnosis of FGR.

To investigate the effects of hydrolysis time (0, 20, 40, 60, 80 min) on the structure and functional properties of duck myofibrillar protein in low-salt solution, the duck myofibrillar protein was hydrolyzed by trypsin, the structure and functional properties of hydrolysate was assessed by analyzing the degree of hydrolysis, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), solubility, surface hydrophobicity, secondary structure, fluorescence spectrum, Zeta potential and emulsification after hydrolysis treatment. The results showed that in low-salt condition, with the prolongation of hydrolysis time, the solubility increased significantly (P

Current land use classification models based on very high-resolution (VHR) remote sensing images often suffer from high sample dependence and poor transferability. To address these challenges, we propose an unsupervised multisource domain adaptation framework for cross-domain land use classification that eliminates the need for repeatedly using source domain data. Our method uses the Swin Transformer as the backbone of the source domain model to extract features from multiple source domain samples. The model is trained on source domain samples, and unlabeled target domain samples are then used for target domain model training. To minimize the feature discrepancies between the source and target domains, we use a weighted information maximization loss and self-supervised pseudolabels to alleviate cross-domain classification noise. We conducted experiments on four public scene datasets and four new land use scene datasets created from different VHR images in four Chinese cities. Results show that our method outperformed three existing single-source cross-domain methods (i.e., DANN, DeepCORAL, and DSAN) and four multisource cross-domain methods (i.e., M3SDA, PTMDA, MFSAN, and SHOT), achieving the highest average classification accuracy and strong stability. We conclude that our method has high potential for practical applications in cross-domain land use classification using VHR images.

Mode-locked microcombs with flat spectral profiles provide the high signal-to-noise ratio and are in high demand for wavelength division multiplexing (WDM)-based applications, particularly in future high-capacity communication and parallel optical computing. Here, we present two solutions to generate local relatively flat spectral profiles. One microcavity with ultra-flat integrated dispersion is pumped to generate one relatively flat single soliton source spanning over 150 nm. Besides, one extraordinary soliton crystal with single vacancy demonstrates the local relatively flat microcomb lines when the inner soliton spacings are slightly irregular. Our work paves a new way for soliton-based applications owing to the relatively flat spectral characteristics.

Height map estimation from a single aerial image plays a crucial role in localization, mapping, and 3D object detection. Deep convolutional neural networks have been used to predict height information from single-view remote sensing images, but these methods rely on large volumes of training data and often overlook geometric features present in orthographic images. To address these issues, this study proposes a gradient-based self-supervised learning network with momentum contrastive loss to extract geometric information from non-labeled images in the pretraining stage. Additionally, novel local implicit constraint layers are used at multiple decoding stages in the proposed supervised network to refine high-resolution features in height estimation. The structural-aware loss is also applied to improve the robustness of the network to positional shift and minor structural changes along the boundary area. Experimental evaluation on the ISPRS benchmark datasets shows that the proposed method outperforms other baseline networks, with minimum MAE and RMSE of 0.116 and 0.289 for the Vaihingen dataset and 0.077 and 0.481 for the Potsdam dataset, respectively. The proposed method also shows around threefold data efficiency improvements on the Potsdam dataset and domain generalization on the Enschede datasets. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in height map estimation from single-view remote sensing images.

Digital information on sea ice extent, thickness, volume, and distribution is crucial for understanding Earth's climate system. The Snow and Ice Mass Balance Apparatus (SIMBA) is used to determine snow and ice temperatures in Arctic, Antarctic, ice-covered seas, and boreal lakes. Snow depth and ice thickness are derived from SIMBA temperature regimes (SIMBA_ET and SIMBA_HT). In warm conditions, SIMBA_ET temperature-based ice thickness may have errors due to the isothermal vertical profile. SIMBA_HT provides a visible ice-bottom interface for manual quantification. We propose an unmanned approach, combining neural networks, wavelet analysis, and Kalman filtering (NWK), to mathematically establish NWK and retrieve ice bottoms from various SIMBA_HT datasets. In the Arctic, NWK-derived total thickness showed a bias range of −5.64 cm to 4.01 cm and a correlation coefficient of 95%−99%. For Baltic Sea ice, values ranged from 1.31 cm to 2.41 cm (88%−98% correlation), and for boreal lake ice, −0.7 cm to 2.6 cm (75%−83% correlation). During ice growth, thermal equilibrium, and melting, the bias varied from −3.93 cm to 2.37 cm, −1.92 cm to 0.04 cm, and −4.90 cm to 3.96 cm, with correlation coefficients of 76%−99%. These results demonstrate NWK's robustness in retrieving ice bottom evolution in different water environments.

Hall anomaly related to deviations in Hall carrier concentrations have always been recognized as signs of charge incoherence in organic semiconductors, which lack ordered lattices. In this paper, we show that the Hall carrier concentration anomaly in doped polymers might be a result of semimetallization. Based on the observation of semimetal-like states, a dual-channel model, in which electrons and holes compensate the Hall voltages of each other, is employed to account for the anomaly. Observations of possible nonlinear Hall effect and temperature dependent Hall signs further support the origin of Hall anomaly from semimetal states.

Fruit wine production is a practical approach for extending the shelf life and enhancing the value of strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa). Fruit cultivars and juices are important sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that determine fruit wine sensory quality. In this study, VOCs in the juices and wines of four strawberry cultivars were identified using two-dimensional gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and a sensory analysis of the wines was performed. A total of 1028 VOCs were detected. PCA and OPLS-DA distinguished the four cultivars from which the juices and wines were made. Six VOCs with variable importance in projection values greater than one were the main aroma and flavor components of strawberry wines. ZJ wine had the highest sensory scores for coordination (9.0) and overall evaluation (8.9) among the 18 descriptors of strawberry wine evaluated. Overall, the ZJ wine had the highest alcohol content (13.25 ± 0.59%, v/v) and sensory evaluation score, indicating that the ZJ cultivar is more suitable for fermentation. This study reflects the differences between wines made from four strawberry cultivars and provides a reference for brewing fruit wines.

Phenological information on crop growth aids in identifying crop types from remote sensing images, but its incorporation into classification models is insufficiently exploited, especially in deep learning frameworks. This study presents a new model, Phenological-Temporal-Spatial LSTM (PST-LSTM), for mapping tobacco planting areas in smallholder farmlands using time-series Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images. The PST-LSTM model is built on a multi-modal learning framework that fuses phenological information with deep spatial–temporal features. We applied the model to extract tobacco planting areas in Ninghua, Pucheng, and Shanghang Counties, in Fujian Province, and Luoping County in Yunnan Province, China. We compared PST-LSTM with existing methods based on phenological rules and Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) methods, and analyzed its strength in feature fusion. Results showed that our model outperformed these methods, achieving an overall accuracy (OA) of 93.16% compared to 86.69% and 85.93% for the phenological rules and DTW methods, respectively, in the Ninghua area. PST-LSTM effectively integrated time-series data with phenological information derived from different strategies at the feature level and performed better than existing feature fusion methods (based upon fuzzy sets) at the decision level. It also demonstrated a better spatial transferability than other methods when applied to different study areas, achieving an OA of 90.95%, 91.41%, and 80.75% for the Pucheng, Shanghang, and Luoping areas, respectively, using training samples from Ninghua. We conclude that PST-LSTM can effectively extract tobacco planting areas in smallholder farming from time-series SAR images and has the potential for mapping other crop types.

The rising incidence of defects in oral and maxillofacial tissues, linked to factors such as trauma, tumors, periodontal disease, and aging, poses significant challenges. Current treatments, involving autografts, allografts, and synthetic graft materials, face obstacles like secondary trauma, inflammation, and inadequate biocompatibility. Tissue engineering, integrating cell biology and material science since the 1990s, relies heavily on biomaterial scaffolds to promote cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. Traditional scaffold fabrication, including 3D printing, methods lack precision, hindering effective tissue repair by controlling cell distribution and the extracellular matrix. Biomedical engineering advancements have introduced 3D bioprinting as an innovative solution, overcoming constraints of conventional scaffolds. 3D bioprinting technology enables rapid and precise reconstruction of damaged tissues with loaded cells, mimicking in vivo environments. This paper explores key 3D bioprinting technologies such as inkjet-based, extrusion-based, fused deposition modeling, laser-assisted, VAT photopolymerization, freeform reversible embedding of suspended hydrogels, and sacrificial template printing. The selection of materials with suitable mechanical and biological properties is crucial, considering the distinct requirements of each technique. This review provides a comprehensive survey of research progress on 3D printing biomaterial applications in craniofacial and dental tissue engineering, serving as a valuable reference for future medical research.