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Abstract Sirolimus (SR) is a macrolide with antifungal and antitumor immunosuppressant properties, classified as a selective inhibitor of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). In this study, an ionic in situ gel of SR (SR-SUS-ISG) was formulated using gellan gum, exhibiting stability regardless of temperature and pH variations, causing minimal irritation. Harnessing the physiological conditions of the eye, SR-SUS-ISG underwent gelation upon contact with ions, increasing drug viscosity and prolonging retention on the ocular surface. Concurrently, SR-SUS-ISG displayed favorable shear dilution properties, reducing viscosity at ambient temperature, enhancing fluidity, and facilitating convenient packaging and transport. Biocompatibility assessments on both human corneal epithelial cells and rabbit eyes demonstrated that SR-SUS-ISG could well be tolerated. Pharmacokinetic investigations in rabbit ocular aqueous humor revealed sustained release, improved corneal penetration, and enhanced bioavailability. Additionally, in a rat corneal alkali burn model, SR-SUS-ISG exhibited inhibitory effects on corneal neovascularization, associated with decreased levels of the inflammatory factors VEGF and MMPs. These findings suggested that SR-SUS-ISG held promise as an effective ocular drug delivery system. Graphical Abstract

Abstract Background Lung cancer is the most common malignant tumor. In the present study, we identified a long non‐coding RNA (lncRNA) AC100826.1 (simplify to Lnc1), which was highly expressed in non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues compared with the paracancerous tissues. We also observed the critical role of Lnc1 in regulating the metastasis ability of NSCLC cells. Methods RNA sequencing was performed to detect differential expression levels of lncRNAs in NSCLC tissues and its paracancerous tissues. Effects of Lnc1 on cell proliferation, invasion, and migration were determined by CCK‐8, transwell and scratch assays. The xenograft experiment confirmed the effect of Lnc1 on NSCLC cells proliferation and migration abilities in vivo. RT‐qPCR and western blots were performed to determine the expression levels of mRNAs and proteins. Results The expression level of Lnc1 was related to multiple pathological results, knockdown of Lnc1 can inhibit the proliferation and metastasis abilities of NSCLC cells. silencing phospholipase C, β1(PLCB1) can reverse the promoting effects of overexpression Lnc1 on NSCLC cells proliferation and migration abilities. In addition, the Rap1 signaling pathway was implicated in the regulation of Lnc1 in NSCLC metastasis. Conclusion Our results suggest that Lnc1 regulated the metastatic ability of NSCLC cells through targeting the PLCB1/Rap1 signal pathway.

Purpose This study examined the diagnostic value of high-frequency ultrasound (HFUS) features in differentiating between benign and malignant skin lesions. Methods A total of 1,392 patients with 1,422 skin lesions who underwent HFUS examinations were included in an initial dataset (cohort 1) to identify features indicative of malignancy. Qualitative clinical and HFUS characteristics were recorded for all lesions. To determine which HFUS and clinical features were suggestive of malignancy, univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed. The diagnostic performance of HFUS features combined with clinical information was evaluated. This assessment was validated using internal data (cohort 2) and multicenter external data (cohort 3). Results Features significantly associated with malignancy included age above 60 years; lesion location in the head, face, and neck or genital regions; changes in macroscopic appearance; crawling or irregular growth pattern; convex or irregular base; punctate hyperechogenicity; blood flow signals; and feeding arteries. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, sensitivity, and specificity of HFUS features combined with clinical information were 0.946, 92.5%, and 86.9% in cohort 1; 0.870, 93.1%, and 80.8% in cohort 2 (610 lesions); and 0.864, 86.2%, and 86.6% in cohort 3 (170 lesions), respectively. However, HFUS is not suitable for evaluating lesions less than 0.1 mm in thickness or lesions exhibiting surface hyperkeratosis. Conclusion In a clinical setting, the integration of HFUS with clinical information exhibited good diagnostic performance in differentiating malignant and benign skin lesions. However, its utility was limited in evaluating extremely thin lesions and those exhibiting hyperkeratosis.

For electric vehicles (EVs), it is necessary to improve endurance mileage by improving the efficiency. There exists a trend towards increasing the system voltage and switching frequency, contributing to improve charging speed and power density. However, this trend poses significant challenges for high-voltage and high-frequency motor controllers, which are plagued by increased switching losses and pronounced switching oscillations as consequences of hard switching. The deployment of soft switching technology presents a viable solution to mitigate these issues. This paper reviews the applications of soft switching technologies for three-phase inverters and classifies them based on distinct characteristics. For each type of inverter, the advantages and disadvantages are evaluated. Then, the paper introduces the research progress and control methods of soft switching inverters (SSIs). Moreover, it presents a comparative analysis among the conventional hard switching inverters (HSIs), an active clamping resonant DC link inverter (ACRDCLI) and an auxiliary resonant commuted pole inverter (ARCPI). Finally, the problems and prospects of soft switching technology applied to motor controllers for EVs are put forward.

Abstract Self-reactive and polyreactive B cells generated during B cell development are silenced by either apoptosis, clonal deletion, receptor editing or anergy to avoid autoimmunity. The specific contribution of apoptosis to normal B cell development and self-tolerance is incompletely understood. Here, we quantify self-reactivity, polyreactivity and apoptosis during physiologic B lymphocyte development. Self-reactivity and polyreactivity are most abundant in early immature B cells and diminish significantly during maturation within the bone marrow. Minimal apoptosis still occurs at this site, however B cell receptors cloned from apoptotic B cells show comparable self-reactivity to that of viable cells. Apoptosis increases dramatically only following immature B cells leaving the bone marrow sinusoids, but above 90% of cloned apoptotic transitional B cells are not self-reactive/polyreactive. Our data suggests that an apoptosis-independent mechanism, such as receptor editing, removes most self-reactive B cells in the bone marrow. Mechanistically, lack of survival signaling rather than clonal deletion appears to be the underpinning cause of apoptosis in most transitional B cells in the periphery.

Objective: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a severe stroke that can adversely affect patient outcomes due to the accompanying inflammatory response. As a result, there is a growing interest in studying inflammation in ICH. We systematically reviewed relevant articles using the Web of Science to understand the literature on this subject. This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the field through bibliometric analysis, highlight its current status, identify frontiers, and speculate on future directions. Methods: We conducted a bibliometric analysis of the global English literature on inflammation related to ICH research based on the Web of Science from 1993 to the present to address publication trends and research hotspots. Results: A total of 885 publications were included from 1993 to 2023. These articles were authored by 7375 researchers from 1639 organizations in 68 countries and published in 571 journals. Collectively, they cited 48,980 references from 5621 journals. The author who published the most articles was Dr. Zhang, John H. Interestingly, 6 of the top ten most published authors were from China. Regarding the countries that published the most articles, China was at the top of the list, followed by the United States. The most frequently used keywords were “Inflammation”, “Neuroinflammation”, and “Microglia”. Regarding journal publication and reference citations, Stroke was the most published and cited journal. Conclusions: Over the past 30 years, there has been considerable progress in scientific research concerning inflammation in the context of ICH. The pivotal themes of these studies have been immune cells and inflammatory mediators. It is worth noting, however, that most of the published literature on inflammation in ICH pertains to preclinical studies, with comparatively fewer clinical investigations. Several challenges must be addressed to translate these promising research achievements into clinical practice.

Abstract Background Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a promising therapy for refractory Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS). However, its long-term efficacy, safety, and recommended surgical age remain controversial, requiring evidence to compare different age categories. Methods This retrospective cohort study recruited 102 GTS patients who underwent DBS between October 2006 and April 2022 at two national centers. Patients were divided into two age categories: children (aged 0.05), and the children group received significantly higher improvement in GTS-QOL scores than adults (55.9% vs. 47.9%, p = 0.049). Conclusions DBS showed acceptable long-term efficacy and safety for both children and adults with GTS. Surgeries performed for patients younger than 18 years seemed to show acceptable long-term efficacy and safety and were not associated with increased risks of loss of benefit compared to patients older than 18 at the time of surgery. However, surgeries for children should also be performed cautiously to ensure their refractoriness and safety.

Abstract Background Gut microbiota(GM) have been proven associated with lots of gastrointestinal diseases, but its causal relationship with Gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD) and Barrett’s esophagus(BE) hasn’t been explored. We aimed to uncover the causal relation between GM and GERD/BE and potential mediators by utilizing Mendelian Randomization(MR) analysis. Methods Summary statistics of GM(comprising 301 bacteria taxa and 205 metabolism pathways) were extracted from MiBioGen Consortium(N = 18,340) and Dutch Microbiome Project(N = 7,738), GERD and BE from a multitrait meta-analysis(NGERD=602,604, NBE=56,429). Bidirectional two-sample MR analysis and linkage disequilibrium score regression(LDSC) were used to explore the genetic correlation between GM and GERD/BE. Mediation MR analysis was performed for the risk factors of GERD/BE, including Body mass index(BMI), weight, type 2 diabetes, major depressive disorder(MDD), smoking initiation, alcohol consumption, and dietary intake(including carbohydrate, sugar, fat, protein intake), to detect the potential mediators between GM and GERD/BE. Results 11 bacterial taxa and 13 metabolism pathways were found associated with GERD, and 18 taxa and 5 pathways exhibited causal relationship with BE. Mediation MR analysis suggested weight and BMI played a crucial role in these relationships. LDSC identified 1 taxon and 4 metabolism pathways related to GERD, and 1 taxon related to BE. Specie Faecalibacterium prausnitzii had a suggestive impact on both GERD(OR = 1.087, 95%CI = 1.01–1.17) and BE(OR = 1.388, 95%CI = 1.03–1.86) and LDSC had determined their correlation. Reverse MR indicated that BE impacted 10 taxa and 4 pathways. Conclusions This study established a causal link between gut microbiota and GERD/BE, and identified the probable mediators. It offers new insights into the role of gut microbiota in the development and progression of GERD and BE in the host.

Abstract Background Clinicians traditionally aim to identify a singular explanation for the clinical presentation of a patient; however, in some cases, the diagnosis may remain elusive or fail to comprehensively explain the clinical findings. In recent years, advancements in next-generation sequencing, including whole-exome sequencing, have led to the incidental identification of dual diagnoses in patients. Herein we present the cases of five pediatric patients diagnosed with dual rare genetic diseases. Their natural history and diagnostic process were explored, and lessons learned from utilizing next-generation diagnostic technologies have been reported. Results Five pediatric cases (3 boys, 2 girls) with dual diagnoses were reported. The age at diagnosis was from 3 months to 10 years. The main clinical presentations were psychomotor retardation and increased muscular tension, some accompanied with liver dysfunction, abnormal appearance, precocious puberty, dorsiflexion restriction and varus of both feet, etc. After whole-exome sequencing, nine diseases were confirmed in these patients: Angelman syndrome and Krabbe disease in case 1, Citrin deficiency and Kabuki syndrome in case 2, Homocysteinemia type 2 and Copy number variant in case 3, Isolated methylmalonic acidemia and Niemann-Pick disease type B in case 4, Isolated methylmalonic acidemia and 21-hydroxylase deficiency in case 5. Fifteen gene mutations and 2 CNVs were identified. Four novel mutations were observed, including c.15292de1A in KMT2D, c.159_164inv and c.1427G > A in SLC25A13, and c.591 C > G in MTHFR. Conclusions Our findings underscore the importance of clinicians being vigilant about the significance of historical and physical examination. Comprehensive clinical experience is crucial for identifying atypical clinical features, particularly in cases involving dual rare genetic diseases.

Abstract Objective Idiopathic infantile hypercalcemia (IIH) is a rare disorder of PTH-independent hypercalcemia. CYP24A1 and SLC34A1 gene mutations cause two forms of hereditary IIH. In this study, the clinical manifestations and molecular aspects of six new Chinese patients were investigated. Methods The clinical manifestations and laboratory study of six patients with idiopathic infantile hypercalcemia were analyzed retrospectively. Results Five of the patients were diagnosed with hypercalcemia, hypercalciuria, and bilateral medullary nephrocalcinosis. Their clinical symptoms and biochemical abnormalities improved after treatment. One patient presented at age 11 years old with arterial hypertension, hypercalciuria and nephrocalcinosis, but normal serum calcium. Gene analysis showed that two patients had compound heterozygous mutations of CYP24A1, one patient had a monoallelic CYP24A1 variant, and three patients had a monoallelic SLC34A1 variant. Four novel CYP24A1 variants (c.116G > C, c.287T > A, c.476G > A and c.1349T > C) and three novel SLC34A1 variants (c.1322 A > G, c.1697_1698insT and c.1726T > C) were found in these patients. Conclusions A monoallelic variant of CYP24A1 or SLC34A1 gene contributes to symptomatic hypercalcemia, hypercalciuria and nephrocalcinosis. Manifestations of IIH vary with onset age. Hypercalcemia may not necessarily present after infancy and IIH should be considered in patients with nephrolithiasis either in older children or adults.

Abstract A global outbreak of monkeypox (mpox) caused by the mpox virus (MPXV) has posed a serious threat to public health worldwide, thus calling for the urgent development of antivirals and vaccines to curb its further spread. In this study, we screened 41 anhydride‐modified proteins and found that 3‐hydroxyphthalic anhydride‐modified β‐lactoglobulin (3HP‐β‐LG), a clinically used anti‐HPV agent, was highly effective in inhibiting infection of vaccinia virus Tiantan strain (VACV‐VTT) and MPXV. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that 3HP‐β‐LG bound to the virus, not the host cell, by targeting the early stage of virus entry, possibly through the interaction between the amino acids with negatively charges in 3HP‐β‐LG and the key amino acids with positive charges in the target region of A29L, a key surface protein of MPXV. A synergistic effect was observed when 3HP‐β‐LG was combined with tecovirimat, a small‐molecule antiviral drug approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicine Agency for the treatment of smallpox and mpox. Because of its clinically proven safety and stability, 3HP‐β‐LG shows promise for further development as a prophylactic agent to prevent the sexual transmission of MPXV.

Accurate state of charge (SOC) estimation of lithium-ion batteries is a fundamental prerequisite for ensuring the normal and safe operation of electric vehicles, and it is also a key technology component in battery management systems. In recent years, lithium-ion battery SOC estimation methods based on data-driven approaches have gained significant popularity. However, these methods commonly face the issue of poor model generalization and limited robustness. To address such issues, this study proposes a closed-loop SOC estimation method based on simulated annealing-optimized support vector regression (SA-SVR) combined with minimum error entropy based extended Kalman filter (MEE-EKF) algorithm. Firstly, a probability-based SA algorithm is employed to optimize the internal parameters of the SVR, thereby enhancing the precision of original SOC estimation. Secondly, utilizing the framework of the Kalman filter, the optimized SVR results are incorporated as the measurement equation and further processed through the MEE-EKF, while the ampere-hour integral physical model serves as the state equation, effectively attenuating the measurement noise, enhancing the estimation accuracy, and improving generalization ability. The proposed method is validated through battery testing experiments conducted under three typical operating conditions and one complex and random operating condition with wide temperature variations under only one condition training. The results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves a mean absolute error below 0.60% and a root mean square error below 0.73% across all operating conditions, showcasing a significant improvement in estimation accuracy compared to the benchmark algorithms. The high precision and generalization capability of the proposed method are evident, ensuring accurate SOC estimation for electric vehicles.

Abstract The hyperglycemic pathophysiological environment in diabetic wounds is a major obstacle that impedes the healing process. Glucose‐responsive wound healing materials are a promising approach to address this challenge. In this study, complex coacervate‐based protocells are introduced for diabetic wound healing. By employing a microfluidic chip with an external mechanical vibrator, uniform coacervate microdroplets are generated via electrostatic interactions between diethylaminoethyl‐dextran and double‐stranded DNA. The spontaneous assembly of a phospholipid membrane on the droplet surface enhances its biocompatibility. Glucose oxidase and copper peroxide nanodots are integrated into microdroplets, enabling a glucose‐responsive cascade that produces hydroxyl radicals as antibacterial agents. These features contribute to efficient antibacterial activity and wound healing in diabetic mice. The present protocells facilitate intelligent wound management, and the design of cascade catalytic coacervates can contribute to the development of various smart vehicles for drug delivery.

Objectives: Effective exclusion of low-risk symptomatic outpatient cases for colorectal cancer (CRC) remains diagnostic challenges. We aimed to develop a self-reported symptom-based decision-making model for application in outpatient scenarios. Methods: In total, 8233 symptomatic cases at risk for CRC, as judged by outpatient physicians, were involved in this study at seven medical centers. A decision-making model was constructed using 60 self-reported symptom parameters collected from the questionnaire. Further internal and external validation cohorts were built to evaluate the discriminatory power of the CRC model. The discriminatory power of the CRC model was assessed by the C-index and calibration plot. After that, the clinical utility and user experience of the CRC model were evaluated. Results: Nine symptom parameters were identified as valuable predictors used for modeling. Internal and external validation cohorts verified the adequate discriminatory power of the CRC model. In the clinical application step, all 17 physicians found the model easy to grasp, 99.9 % of the patients were satisfied with the survey form. Application of this model detected all CRC cases. The total consistency ratio of outpatient cases undergoing colonoscopy was 81.4 %. None of the low-risk patients defined by the CRC model had been diagnosed with CRC. Conclusion: This multicenter study developed and validated a simple and user-friendly decision-making model covering self-reported information. The CRC model has been demonstrated to perform well in terms of rapid outpatient decision-making scenarios and clinical utility, particularly because it can better rule out low-risk outpatient cases.

Background: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an immune-mediated form of chronic inflammatory arthritis associated with psoriasis (PsO). It constitutes a significant comorbidity of PsO and is distinguished by the presence of widespread musculoskeletal inflammation. Objective: The aim of this study is to precisely detect asymptomatic PsA using ultrasound (US) examinations and to distinguish between various stages of PsO. Methods: All patients with moderate-to-severe PsO, who consented to undergo musculoskeletal US examinations during their hospitalization between September 2020 and January 2022, were enrolled in the study. We compared patients' demographic characteristics, comorbidities, disease duration, relevant laboratory parameters, and musculoskeletal US findings. Results: A total of 547 patients with PsO were included in the study, and 114 of them received a diagnosis of PsA. Furthermore, 16.45 % of patients with moderate to severe PsO displayed subclinical PsA. We observed a significantly higher frequency of abnormal US findings in patients with PsA compared to those without PsA, with a sensitivity of 95.61 % and a specificity of 79.22 %. Additionally, the incidence of enthesitis and synovitis varied significantly between PsA and non-PsA patients, and they were identified as independent variables predicting the presence of PsA. Furthermore, the interphalangeal joint, knee joint, and calcaneal tendon were the most frequently affected areas in PsA, as indicated by the observed US changes. Conclusion: Ultrasound examination proves to be a valuable tool for detecting subclinical PsA, facilitating early screening of the condition. Particular attention should be directed towards changes in the interphalangeal joint, knee joint, and calcaneal tendon when reviewing ultrasound images of asymptomatic patients.

Alkali-activated slag cement (AASC) has shown immense potential for application as a low-carbon and eco-friendly cementitious material. It’s crucial to modify the AASC with superhydrophobic property to obtain excellent durability performance. In this paper, low-cost and non-toxic stearic acid (SA) is selected as a hydrophobic agent to impart integral hydrophobic property to the alkali-activated Portland slag cement mortar (AAPSCM). The SA-modified AAPSCM (M-AAPSCM) shows superhydrophobicity with a contact angle of 150.6° and a sliding angle of 9.5°, even when hammered to reveal its broken inner structure. The characterization analysis indicates that stearic acid not only successfully grafts onto the mortar surface but also forms calcium stearate, which successfully reduces the surface energy of the material. Combined with the porous rough structure constructed by medium sand and ethanol volatilization, the originally hydrophilic material achieves hydrophobic modification under the dual synergistic effect. The M-AAPSCM reached a compressive strength of 20.8 MPa after 28 days of curing, satisfying the requirements for hydraulic engineering applications. And the M-AAPSCM not only exhibits an excellent self-cleaning ability against contaminants like sand particles and chalk powder, but also demonstrates remarkable mechanical robustness, even after being subjected to blade scratching or mechanical fracture. Concurrently, the initial and final setting times of M-AAPSCM were determined to be 32 minutes and 41 minutes respectively, demonstrating its rapid-setting characteristic. Additionally, following the hydrophobic modification, AAPSCM effectively overcomes its inherent issues of severe autogenous shrinkage and poor carbonation resistance. Furthermore, when compared with the ordinary AAPSCM (O-AAPSCM), the durability of the M-AAPSCM against dry-wet cycles, icing, and freeze-thaw cycles is significantly enhanced.

As inorganic rigid waterproof materials with excellent substrate compatibility, non-toxicity, harmless, and deep penetration depth, cementitious capillary crystalline waterproof materials (CCCW) hold great potential for application in concrete structures. However, the formulations of commercially available CCCW are currently undisclosed, hindering the mechanism study of CCCW, which is not conducive to the development of more efficient and cost-effective CCCW materials. In this study, a new formulation of CCCW active chemicals was developed, consisting of calcium carbonate, sodium silicate, glycine, EDTA-4Na, and sodium acetate. The effectiveness of sodium acetate as a high-quality impermeable admixture to CCCW was explored to enhance the impermeability of the substrate. Subsequently, the fundamental performance of the coatings was subjected to further examination. After application of the coating, the impermeability and strength of the substrate were enhanced, and the fist impermeability strength reached 1.5 MPa. Micro characteristics testing indicated that the coated sample had a denser microstructure, resulting in an increase of calcium carbonate crystals and hydrated calcium silicate in the pores. The harmful pores (100–3000 nm) were transformed into less harmful or harmless pores (< 100 nm). The durability tests indicated a 12.37 % drop in carbonation area over 14 days, with an approximately 30 % drop in the Coulomb electric flux of chloride ions.

In recent years, 3D printing has been rapidly promoted and applied in the field of civil engineering and construction, and has been developed from landscape maintenance structures to load-bearing structures. Different from cast-in-place concrete materials, the contact interfaces between adjacent layers or filaments formed under the additive stacking process lead to distinct mechanical anisotropy of 3D printed concrete materials, and thus the mechanical model of traditional concrete materials and the design method of reinforced concrete structures are inapplicable to 3D printed concrete materials and structures. The establishment of 3D printed concrete materials is therefore of great significance to the design of 3D printed concrete structures. Currently, there is still a lack of research on the constitutive models of 3D printed fiber reinforced concrete. This study tested and analyzed the tensile and shear performances of 3D printed concrete reinforced with steel fibers and polypropylene fibers. According to the distribution porosity, the interface thickness of 3D printed fiber reinforced concrete was measured and determined. The constitutive modeling of mechanical anisotropy of 3D printed fiber-reinforced concrete were established based on the theory of damage fracture of concrete and experimental results. Results show that the interfacial tensile strength at layers and filaments of 3D printed concrete with steel fiber were 6.2 MPa and 6.9 MPa, while the capacities of 3D printed concrete with polypropylene fiber were 4.5 MPa and 4.7 MPa, respectively. The fracture damage constitutive model adopted in this study has favorable fitting degrees, which would contribute to the further finite element simulation and structural design of 3D printed concrete.

Texture features play an important role in the field of remote sensing classification. However, most existing methods lack a comprehensive consideration of spatial continuity, which makes them either destroy the spatial integrity of regular ground objects or fail to quantify the fragmentation degrees of irregular ground objects. These problems weak the ability of existing methods to distinguish ground objects with different fragmentation degrees. Therefore, this study proposed a new texture feature extraction method considering spatial continuity and gray diversity (SCGD). SCGD first connected all pixels in a neighborhood in series from end to end according to the row and column directions, and the diversities of the spatial continuity encoding in different directions were calculated by the Shannon index. Then, the Shannon index was used to calculate the gray diversity. Finally, SCGD calculated the weighted average of spatial continuity diversity and gray diversity to obtain the final texture feature values. Validation results indicated that SCGD can effectively distinguish ground objects with different fragmentation degrees, and its performance is better than that of traditional methods. As the spatial resolution decreases, its performance advantage becomes more obvious. Moreover, SCGD has great application potential in the field of ground object classification, and combining it with deep learning models will contribute to achieving the fine recognition of ground objects.

The Open Radio Access Network (RAN) emerges as a revolutionary architecture promising unprecedented levels of openness, flexibility, and intelligence within radio access networks. Central to this innovation is the integration of Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC), aimed at optimizing network operations and enhancing control mechanisms. This paper undertakes a thorough examination of Open RAN, particularly focusing on its energy consumption aspects, which are pivotal for ensuring the sustainability of future wireless networks. In this paper, we review and compare Open RAN architecture with previous network architectures. In particular we focus on O-RAN Alliance specifications. Additionally, we explore the deployment of ML across various facets of Open RAN and highlights how to estimate the energy consumption of ML models. Through constructing explicit energy consumption models for key O-RAN components, we provide a granular analysis of their energy profiles. Finally we compare the energy dynamics of O-RAN against traditional RAN architectures, delineating the impact of virtualization and disaggregation on energy efficiency.

The CCCH zinc finger proteins play critical roles in a wide variety of growth, development, and stress responses. Currently, limited reports are available about the roles of animal CCCH proteins in plants. In this study, we report the identification of human TTP (hTTP) with functional similarity to PdC3H17 in a hybrid poplar. hTTP and PdC3H17 shared highly similar tandem CCCH zinc-finger RNA-binding domains. The fragments excluding the CCCH domain of both hTTP and PdC3H17 possessed transcriptional activation activities in yeast cells. Compared to the controls, ectopic expression of hTTP in poplar caused dwarfism, and resulted in significant increases in stem xylem vessel number and photosynthetic and ROS-scavenging abilities, thereby enhancing plant tolerance to drought stress. Our results suggest that hTTP may perform a function in poplar through the PdC3H17-mediated system, and provide an example for the application of animal genes in plants.

Abstract The China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite (CSES), with a sun-synchronous orbit at 507 km altitude, was launched on 2 February 2018 to investigate pre-earthquake ionospheric anomalies (PEIAs) and ionospheric space weather. The CSES probes manifest longitudinal features of four-peak plasma density and three plasma depletions in the equatorial/low-latitudes as well as mid-latitude troughs. CSES plasma and the total electron content (TEC) of the global ionosphere map (GIM) are used to study PEIAs associated with a destructive M7.0 earthquake and its followed M6.5 and M6.3/M6.9 earthquakes in Lombok, Indonesia, on 5, 17, and 19 August 2018, respectively, as well as to examine ionospheric disturbances induced by an intense storm with the Dst index of − 175 nT on 26 August 2018. Anomalous increases (decreases) in the GIM TEC and CSES plasma density (temperature) frequently appear specifically over the epicenter days 1–5 before the M7.0 earthquake and followed earthquakes, when the geomagnetic conditions of these PEIA periods are relatively quiet, Dst: − 37 to 19 nT. In contrast, TEC and CSES plasma parameter anomalies occur globally in the southern hemisphere during the storm days of 26–28 August 2018. The CSES ion velocity shows that the electric fields of PEIAs associated with the M7.0 earthquake are 0.21/0.06 mV/m eastward and 0.11/0.10 mV/m downward at post-midnight/post-noon on 1–3 August 2018, while the penetration electric fields during the storm periods of 26–28 August 2018 are 0.17/0.45 mV/m westward/downward at post-midnight of 02:00 LT and 0.26/0.26 mV/m eastward/upward at post-noon of 14:00 LT. Spatial analyses on CSES plasma discriminate PEIAs from global effects and locate the epicenter of possible forthcoming large earthquakes. CSES ion velocities are useful to derive PEIA- and storm-related electric fields in the ionosphere.

Introduction: Investigating the genetic markers and genomic signatures related to chicken meat production by combing multi-omics methods could provide new insights into modern chicken breeding technology systems. Object: Chicken is one of the most efficient and environmentally friendly livestock, especially the fast-growing white-feathered chicken (broiler), which is well known for high meat yield, but the underlying genetic basis is poorly understood. Method: We generated whole-genome resequencing of three purebred broilers (n = 748) and six local breeds/lines (n = 114), and sequencing data of twelve chicken breeds (n = 199) were obtained from the NCBI database. Additionally, transcriptome sequencing of six tissues from two chicken breeds (n = 129) at two developmental stages was performed. A genome-wide association study combined with cis-eQTL mapping and the Mendelian randomization was applied. Result: We identified > 17 million high-quality SNPs, of which 21.74% were newly identified, based on 21 chicken breeds/lines. A total of 163 protein-coding genes underwent positive selection in purebred broilers, and 83 genes were differentially expressed between purebred broilers and local chickens. Notably, muscle development was proven to be the major difference between purebred broilers and local chickens, or ancestors, based on genomic and transcriptomic evidence from multiple tissues and stages. The MYH1 gene family showed the top selection signatures and muscle-specific expression in purebred broilers. Furthermore, we found that the causal gene SOX6 influenced breast muscle yield and also related to myopathy occurrences. A refined haplotype was provided, which had a significant effect on SOX6 expression and phenotypic changes. Conclusion: Our study provides a comprehensive atlas comprising the typical genomic variants and transcriptional characteristics for muscle development and suggests a new regulatory target (SOX6–MYH1s axis) for breast muscle yield and myopathy, which could aid in the development of genome-scale selective breeding aimed at high meat yield in broiler chickens.

The effects of skyscraper development on surrounding firms' innovation in China is assessed in this paper, and empirical results show that skyscraper development significantly promotes the innovation of firms within 1 ​km of skyscrapers. However, such effect only exists around very tall skyscrapers in large cities. This means that skyscraper development in small cities often is unfit for the economic fundamentals of these cities, which may weaken the positive externalities generated by skyscrapers. The mechanism analysis in this paper shows that increased surrounding population density brought by skyscraper development and knowledge sharing between firms surrounding the skyscrapers and other firms in the same city are the main paths through which skyscrapers affect innovation.

Microalgae are a promising sustainable food source with high nutritional value and environmental benefits. This study investigated the presence of toxic metals and rare earth elements (REEs) in 68 microalgal-based food products and conducted a probabilistic risk assessment to evaluate potential health risks. The findings revealed high detection rates of REEs (80.96% to 100%) and heavy metals (83.82% to 100%), with REE concentrations ranging from 0.0055 to 0.5207 mg/kg. Heavy metals were detected at the following average concentrations: As (2.80 mg/kg) > Cr (1.27 mg/kg) > Pb (0.30 mg/kg) > Cd (0.20 mg/kg) > Hg (0.01 mg/kg). Carcinogenic risk analysis for Cd (3.004 × 10−3), Cr (1.484 × 10−3), and As (1.1283 × 10−2) indicated that 95th percentile values exceeded established safety thresholds (10−4). These findings highlight the critical need for stringent monitoring and the establishment of comprehensive regulatory frameworks for the safety of novel microalgae foods.

This paper examines the impact of a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and carbon nanotube (CNT) hybrid coating on the heat transfer and hydraulic performance of serpentine microchannel heat sinks. In an aluminum serpentine microchannel heat sink using deionized water as the working fluid, the heat transfer performance and flow resistance were analyzed for different mass fluxes (G) in both PVDF-CNT coated (PSMC) and uncoated (TSMC) heat sinks under different heat flow densities. The results demonstrate that the PVDF-CNT coating enhances the heat transfer and hydraulic performance of the serpentine flow channel. Compared to the TSMC, the convective heat transfer coefficient of the PSMC increased by up to 61.9%, while the flow resistance coefficient decreased by up to 33.8%. The PVDF-CNT coating offers a superior balance of heat transfer performance and pressure drop compared to the addition of fins. A critical interval for the inlet mass flux G was identified, beyond which the heat transfer efficiency improvement of PSMC over TSMC was more pronounced.

Abstract Construction of biomimetic models for structural color evolution not only gives new photonic phenomena but also provide cues for biological morphogenesis. Here, a novel confined self‐assembly method is proposed for the generation of hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC)‐based cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs) microbubbles. The assembly process relies on the combination of droplet microfluidics, solvent extraction, and a volume confined environment. The as‐prepared HPC structural color microbubbles have a transparent shell, an orderly arranged cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) middle layer, and an innermost bubble core. The size of the microbubble, shell thickness, and the color of the CLC layer can be adjusted by altering the microfluidic parameters. Intriguingly, benefited from the compartmentalization effect provided by droplet microfluidics, microbubbles with multiple cores of different color combinations are generated under precise control. The self‐assembled CLCs microbubbles have bright structural color, suspending ability, and good temperature‐sensitive characteristics, making them ideal underwater sensors. The present confined assembly approach will shed light on creating novel photonic structures and the HPC microbubble will find widespread applications in multifunctional sensing, optical display, and other related fields are believed.

Salmonella has been one of the most important factors restricting the development of the poultry industry and also poses great threat to public health. To get insight into molecular alterations that occur during bacterial infection, we sequenced the cecal tonsil transcriptome in 2 chicken breeds (Beijing-You and Cobb) known to have differing resistance to Salmonella. The 28-day-old chickens were orally challenged by 1.83 × 1011 CFU Salmonella Typhimurium, and the cecal tonsil transcriptome was sequenced 3 d postinfection. Analysis identified 201 and 170 differentially expressed genes response to Salmonella in 2 chicken breeds, respectively. They were involved in the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway and activated the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. The protein–protein interaction (PPI) network suggested MMP9 as a crucial protein that may be involved in extracellular matrix breakdown and leukocyte migration in the resistant breed (Beijing-You). Meanwhile, in susceptible chickens (Cobb), ACOD1 was the key gene in the PPI network and might promote the expression of genes related to oxidative stress response and gastrointestinal tract function. These findings provide insight into the differing resistance of these 2 chicken breeds.

This paper investigated the calcium leaching from plain and fly ash/limestone blended cement mortars under an electric field. The Ca2+ leaching degree and reduced CaO content were measured to assess the extent of calcium leaching, and the compressive strength loss was used as an indicator to evaluate the degradation of the mortars due to leaching. Additionally, the changes in mineralogical composition, micrograph, Ca/Si ratio of C–S–H gel, and pore structure of leached samples were analyzed through X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDS), and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP). The findings indicated a notable acceleration in the leaching of Ca2+ due to the application of an electric field. Consequently, the calcium leaching degree of mortars continuously increased with time. The accelerated calcium leaching resulted in the loose microstructure and increased porosity mainly for the cathode part as well as the reduction in compressive strength of mortars. The addition of fly ash was beneficial in reducing the calcium leaching and strength loss of mortars after 90 days of exposure to the electric field, contrary to the effects observed with the incorporation of limestone powders. Attention should be paid to the durability issues of cement-based materials induced by the electric field.

GeneXpert MTB/RIF, a tool widely used for diagnosing tuberculosis, has limitations for detecting rifampin resistance in certain variants. We report transmission of a pre–extensively drug-resistant variant in Botswana that went undetected by GeneXpert. The public health impact of misdiagnosis emphasizes the need for comprehensive molecular testing to identify resistance and guide treatment.

Abstract Coal spontaneous combustion is determined by a variety of factors. Testing can describe the changes incoal spontaneous combustion with various factors, however, the dependence of spontaneous combustion on various factors is unclear. Therefore, reliability theory was used to deduce the functional relationship of the dependence of coal spontaneous combustion on various factors, and construct a model algorithm for predicting the probability of occurrence of coal spontaneous combustion, which is adopted to evaluate and rank the degree of influence of various factors on coal spontaneous combustion. Effective prevention methods are proposed by strengthening the role of the most important factors. The results show that, by taking the duration of coal heating to 150°C as the measurement standard of coal spontaneous combustion, the duration of the initial stage of coal heating increases linearly with the increase of specific heat capacity, thermal conductivity, and moisture content of coal. With the increase of oxygen concentration, oxidation rate, and initial temperature of the coal, the duration of the initial stage of coal heating decreases exponentially. With the increase of gas flow seepage velocity in the coal body, the duration of the initial heating stage changes in a parabolic manner. At the same time, the probability of spontaneous combustion decreases exponentially with the increase of specific heat capacity and moisture content of the coal. The probability of coal spontaneous combustion increases linearly with the increase of coal thermal conductivity, oxygen concentration, gas seepage velocity, and rate of oxidation. The dependence of coal spontaneous combustion probability on different factors can be expressed as follows: coal temperature > gas seepage velocity > specific heat capacity > oxidation rate > oxygen concentration > moisture content > thermal conductivity.

Abstract Background Emerging evidence suggests bidirectional causal relationships between sleep disturbance and psychiatric disorders, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Understanding the bidirectional causality between sleep traits and brain imaging-derived phenotypes (IDPs) will help elucidate the mechanisms. Although previous studies have identified a range of structural differences in the brains of individuals with sleep disorders, it is still uncertain whether grey matter (GM) volume alterations precede or rather follow from the development of sleep disorders. Results After Bonferroni correction, the forward MR analysis showed that insomnia complaint remained positively associated with the surface area (SA) of medial orbitofrontal cortex (β, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.15–0.37; P = 5.27 × 10–6). In the inverse MR analysis, higher global cortical SA predisposed individuals less prone to suffering insomnia complaint (OR, 0.89; 95%CI, 0.85–0.94; P = 1.51 × 10–5) and short sleep (≤ 6 h; OR, 0.98; 95%CI, 0.97–0.99; P = 1.51 × 10–5), while higher SA in posterior cingulate cortex resulted in a vulnerability to shorter sleep durations (β, − 0.09; 95%CI, − 0.13 to − 0.05; P = 1.21 × 10–5). Conclusions Sleep habits not only result from but also contribute to alterations in brain structure, which may shed light on the possible mechanisms linking sleep behaviours with neuropsychiatric disorders, and offer new strategies for prevention and intervention in psychiatric disorders and sleep disturbance.

Abstract Background After the eradication of smallpox in China in 1979, vaccination with the vaccinia virus (VACV) Tiantan strain for the general population was stopped in 1980. As the monkeypox virus (MPXV) is rapidly spreading in the world, we would like to investigate whether the individuals with historic VACV Tiantan strain vaccination, even after more than 40 years, could still provide ELISA reactivity and neutralizing protection; and whether the unvaccinated individuals have no antibody reactivity against MPXV at all. Results We established serologic ELISA to measure the serum anti-MPXV titer by using immunodominant MPXV surface proteins, A35R, B6R, A29L, and M1R. A small proportion of individuals (born before 1980) with historic VACV Tiantan strain vaccination exhibited serum ELISA cross-reactivity against these MPXV surface proteins. Consistently, these donors also showed ELISA seropositivity and serum neutralization against VACV Tiantan strain. However, surprisingly, some unvaccinated young adults (born after 1980) also showed potent serum ELISA activity against MPXV proteins, possibly due to their past infection by some self-limiting Orthopoxvirus (OPXV). Conclusions We report the serum ELISA cross-reactivity against MPXV surface protein in a small proportion of individuals both with and without VACV Tiantan strain vaccination history. Combined with our serum neutralization assay against VACV and the recent literature about mice vaccinated with VACV Tiantan strain, our study confirmed the anti-MPXV cross-reactivity and cross-neutralization of smallpox vaccine using VACV Tiantan strain. Therefore, it is necessary to restart the smallpox vaccination program in high risk populations.

Enhancing host immunity is an effective way to reduce morbidity in chickens. Heterophil to lymphocyte ratio (H/L) is associated with host disease resistance in birds. Chickens with different H/L levels show different disease resistances. However, the utility of the H/L as an indicator of immune function needs to be further analyzed. In this study, a H/L directional breeding chicken line (Jingxing yellow chicken) was constructed, which has been bred for 12 generations. We compared the function of heterophils, and combined statistical analysis to explore the candidate genes and pathways related to H/L. The oxidative burst function of the heterophils isolated from the H/L selection line (G12) was increased (P=0.044) compared to the non-selection line (NS). The 22.44 Mb genomic regions which annotated 300 protein-coding genes were selected in the genome of G9 (n=92) compared to NS (n=92) based on a genome-wide selective sweep. Several selective regions were identified containing genes like interferon induced with helicase C domain 1 (IFIH1) and moesin (MSN) associated with the intracellular receptor signaling pathway, C–C motif chemokine receptor 6 (CCR6), dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) and hemolytic complement (HC) associated with the negative regulation of leukocyte chemotaxis and tight junction protein 1 (TJP1) associated with actin cytoskeleton organization. In addition, 45 genome-wide significant indels containing 29 protein-coding genes were also identified as associated with the H/L based on genome-wide association study (GWAS). The expression of protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 5 (PTPN5) (r=0.75, P=0.033) and oxysterol binding protein like 5 (OSBPL5) (r=0.89, P=0.0027) were positively correlated with H/L. Compared to the high H/L group, the expressions of PTPN5 and OSBPL5 were decreased (P

Abstract Levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) is a common motor complication in Parkinson’s disease. However, few studies have focused on the pathogenesis of LID at the transcriptional level. NONRATT023402.2, a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) that may be related to LID was discovered in our previous study and characterized in rat models of LID. In the present study, NONRATT023402.2 was overexpressed by injection of adeno-associated virus (AAV) in striatum of LID rats, and 48 potential target genes, including nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR) were screened using next-generation sequencing and target gene predictions. The NONRATT023402.2/rno-miR-3065-5p/NGFR axis was verified using a dual luciferase reporter gene. Overexpression of NONRATT023402.2 significantly increased the abnormal involuntary movements (AIM) score of LID rats, activated the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, and up-regulated c-Fos in the striatum. NGFR knockdown by injection of ShNGFR-AAV into the striatum of LID rats resulted in a significant decrease in the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and c-Fos expression. The AIM score of LID rats was positively correlated with the expressions of NONRATT023402.2 and NGFR. A dual luciferase reporter assay showed that c-Fos, as a transcription factor, bound to the NONRATT023402.2 promoter and activated its expression. Together, the results showed that NONRATT023402.2 regulated NGFR expression via a competing endogenous RNA mechanism, which then activated the PI3K/Akt pathway and promoted c-Fos expression. This suggested that c-Fos acted as a transcription factor to activate NONRATT023402.2 expression, and form a positive feedback regulation loop in LID rats, thus, aggravating LID symptoms. NONRATT023402.2 is therefore a possible novel therapeutic target for LID.

In this study, the nutritional and flavor components of the fruit bodies of 10 Pleurotus pulmonarius strains were analyzed and the results would provide a certain theoretical basis for the development, utilization and deep processing of Pleurotus pulmonarius. The apple sawdust and corn cob were used as substrates for cultivation of 10 strains of Pleurotus pulmonarius (5 strains collected in the field and 5 commercial cultivation strains), and the crude protein, total sugar, hydrolyzed amino acids, mineral elements, γ-aminobutyric acid and other nutrients as well as free amino acids and 5'-nucleotides and other flavor substances of their fruit bodies were determined. And then the protein nutrition were evaluated by comparative analysis of the amino acid score (AAS), chemical score (CS), amino acid ratio coefficient (RC), essential amino acid index (EAAI) and score ratio coefficient amino acid (SRCAA). The results showed that the crude protein in the fruit bodies of the 10 tested Pleurotus pulmonarius strains was between 30.00 and 36.07 g/100 g. The total sugar content was between 31.10% and 47.63%. The γ-aminobutyric acid content was between 249.64 and 485.34 mg/kg. The minerals were rich. And the essential amino acids were rich and balance, especially rich in lysine. The nutritional value of Pleurotus pulmonarius was closed to the nutritional level required by the human body, suggesting it was a good protein source and the nutritional value of the commercial strains were significant super to the wild ones. Comprehensive comparison of 10 test strains found that the index differences among 5 commercial cultivated strains were small and the quality was generally high, among which PL9 showed the best performance, and its protein nutritional value and EUC value were significantly higher than those of the other 4 strains. The difference among the 5 wild strains was significant, and some strains showed a high content of a single nutrient.

Background: Deep brain stimulation of the anterior nucleus of the thalamus (ANT-DBS) is an effective treatment for refractory epilepsy; however, seizure outcome varies among individuals. Identifying a reliable noninvasive biomarker to predict good responders would be helpful. Objectives: To test whether the functional connectivity between the ANT-DBS sites and the seizure foci correlates with effective seizure control in refractory epilepsy. Methods: We performed a proof-of-concept pilot study of patients with focal refractory epilepsy receiving ANT-DBS. Using normative human connectome data derived from 1000 healthy participants, we investigated whether intrinsic functional connectivity between the seizure foci and the DBS site was associated with seizure outcome. We repeated this analysis controlling for the extent of seizure foci, distance between the seizure foci and DBS site, and using functional connectivity of the ANT instead of the DBS site to test the contribution of variance in DBS sites. Results: Eighteen patients with two or more seizure foci were included. Greater functional connectivity between the seizure foci and the DBS site correlated with more favorable outcome. The degree of functional connectivity accounted for significant variance in clinical outcomes (DBS site: |r| = 0.773, p

Abstract Background Improving feed efficiency is the most important goal for modern animal production. The regulatory mechanisms of controlling feed efficiency traits are extremely complex and include the functions related to host genetics and gut microbiota. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), as significant metabolites of microbiota, could be used to refine the combined effect of host genetics and gut microbiota. However, the association of SCFAs with the gut microbiota and host genetics for regulating feed efficiency is far from understood. Results In this study, 464 broilers were housed for RFI measuring and examining the host genome sequence. And 300 broilers were examined for cecal microbial data and SCFA concentration. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) showed that four out of seven SCFAs had significant associations with genome variants. One locus (chr4: 29414391–29417189), located near or inside the genes MAML3, SETD7, and MGST2, was significantly associated with propionate and had a modest effect on feed efficiency traits and the microbiota. The genetic effect of the top SNP explained 8.43% variance of propionate. Individuals with genotype AA had significantly different propionate concentrations (0.074 vs. 0.131 μg/mg), feed efficiency (FCR: 1.658 vs. 1.685), and relative abundance of 14 taxa compared to those with the GG genotype. Christensenellaceae and Christensenellaceae_R-7_group were associated with feed efficiency, propionate concentration, the top SNP genotypes, and lipid metabolism. Individuals with a higher cecal abundance of these taxa showed better feed efficiency and lower concentrations of caecal SCFAs. Conclusion Our study provides strong evidence of the pathway that host genome variants affect the cecal SCFA by influencing caecal microbiota and then regulating feed efficiency. The cecal taxa Christensenellaceae and Christensenellaceae_R-7_group were identified as representative taxa contributing to the combined effect of host genetics and SCFAs on chicken feed efficiency. These findings provided strong evidence of the combined effect of host genetics and gut microbial SCFAs in regulating feed efficiency traits. Video Abstract

Deoxynivalenol (DON), 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol (3-ADON) and 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol (15-ADON) belong to type B trichothecenes that are widely detected in agricultural products as one of the most common classes of mycotoxins. In the present study, we aimed to characterize the alteration of lipid metabolism in normal human hepatocytes by poisoning with DON and its acetylated derivatives. After verifying the hepatotoxicity of the three toxins, DON, 15-ADON, and 3-ADON, the mRNA expression was determined by transcriptomics, and the results showed that DON and 15-ADON had a significant regulatory effect on the transcriptome, in which glycerophospholipid metabolism pathway and phospholipase D signaling pathways have not been reported in studies of DON and its acetylated derivatives. For further validation, we explored lipid metabolism in depth and found that PC (15:0/16:0), PC (16:1/18:3), PC (18:1/22:6), PC (16:0/16:0), PC (16:0/16:1), PC (16:1/18:1), PC (14:0/18:2), PE (14:0/16:0) and PE (18:1/18:3) were downregulated for all nine lipids. Combined with the transcriptome results, we found that hepatic steatosis induced by the three toxins, DON, 15-ADON and 3-ADON, was associated with altered expression of genes related to lipid oxidation, lipogenesis and lipolysis, and their effects on lipid metabolism in L-02 cells were mainly realized through the PC-PE cycle.

This research explores the architecture and efficacy of GaN/AlxGa1−xN-based heterojunction phototransistors (HPTs) engineered with both a compositionally graded and a doping-graded base. Employing theoretical analysis along with empirical fabrication techniques, HPTs configured with an aluminum compositionally graded base were observed to exhibit a substantial enhancement in current gain. Specifically, theoretical models predicted a 12-fold increase, while experimental evaluations revealed an even more pronounced improvement of approximately 27.9 times compared to conventional GaN base structures. Similarly, HPTs incorporating a doping-graded base demonstrated significant gains, with theoretical predictions indicating a doubling of current gain and experimental assessments showing a 6.1-fold increase. The doping-graded base implements a strategic modulation of hole concentration, ranging from 3.8 × 1016 cm−3 at the base–emitter interface to 3.8 × 1017 cm−3 at the base–collector junction. This controlled gradation markedly contributes to the observed enhancements in current gain. The principal mechanism driving these improvements is identified as the increased electron drift within the base, propelled by the intrinsic electric field inherent to both the compositionally and doping-graded structures. These results highlight the potential of such graded base designs in enhancing the performance of GaN/AlxGa1−xN HPTs and provide crucial insights for the advancement of future phototransistor technologies.

Inland aquaculture ponds, as an important land use type, have brought great economic benefits to local people but at the same time have caused many environmental problems threatening regional ecology security. Therefore, understanding the spatiotemporal pattern of aquaculture ponds and its potential influence on water quality is vital for the sustainable development of inland lakes. In this study, based on Landsat5/8 images, three types of land features, namely spectral features, index features, and texture features, and five machine learning algorithms, namely random forest (RF), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), artificial neural network (ANN), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), and Gaussian naive Bayes (GNB), were combined to identify aquaculture ponds and some other primary land use types around a typical inland lake of China. The results demonstrated that the XGBoost algorithm that integrated the three features performed the best among all groups of the five machine learning algorithms and the three features, with an overall accuracy of up to 96.15%. In particular, the texture features provided additional useful information besides the spectral features to allow more accurately separation of aquaculture ponds from other land use types and thus improve the land use mapping ability in complex inland lakes. Next, this study examined the tendency of aquaculture ponds and found a segmented increase mode, namely sharp increase during 1984–2003 and then slow elevation since 2003. Further positive correlation detected between the area of aquaculture ponds and the phytoplankton population dynamics suggest a likely influence of aquaculture activity on the lake water quality. This study provides an important scientific basis for the sustainable management and ecological protection of inland lakes.

Hypothalamic hamartomas (HHs) are congenital developmental malformations located in the hypothalamus. They are associated with a characteristic clinical manifestation known as gelastic seizures (GS). However, the traditional understanding of HHs has been limited, resulting in insufficient treatment options and high recurrence rates of seizures after surgery. This is consistent with the network hypothesis of focal epilepsy that the epileptogenic zone is not only limited to HH but may also involve the distant cerebral cortex external to the HH mass. The epilepsy network theory, on the other hand, provides a new perspective. In this study, we aim to explore HH-related epilepsy as a network disease, challenging the conventional notion of being a focal lesional disease. We analyze various aspects of HHs, including genes and signaling pathways, local circuits, the whole-brain level, phenotypical expression in terms of seizure semiology, and comorbidities. By examining HHs through the lens of network theory, we can enhance our understanding of the condition and potentially identify novel approaches for more effective management and treatment of epilepsy associated with HHs.

Prostate cancer is one of the most prevalent malignant tumors in men worldwide, and early diagnosis is essential to improve patient survival. This review provides a comprehensive discussion of recent advances in prostate cancer biomarkers, including molecular, cellular, and exosomal biomarkers. The potential of various biomarkers such as gene fusions (TMPRSS2-ERG), noncoding RNAs (SNHG12), proteins (PSA, PSMA, AR), and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the diagnosis, prognosis, and targeted therapies of prostate cancer is emphasized. In addition, this review systematically explores how multi-omics data and artificial intelligence technologies can be used for biomarker discovery and personalized medicine applications. In addition, this review provides insights into the development of specific probes, including fluorescent, electrochemical, and radionuclide probes, for sensitive and accurate detection of prostate cancer biomarkers. In conclusion, this review provides a comprehensive overview of the status and future directions of prostate cancer biomarker research, emphasizing the potential for precision diagnosis and targeted therapy.

Waterlogging is one of the world's most dangerous climatic hazards, seriously limiting the safety and sustainable development of cities. Analysis of the factors influencing urban waterlogging and disaster risk assessment are of great importance for the prevention and control of waterlogging. The study constructs a framework for assessing Urban Waterlogging Risk (UWR) from four dimensions: natural condition, social capital, infrastructure and built environment, emphasizing the need to understand and address the vulnerabilities and risks faced by cities in terms of waterlogging. On this basis, the MaxEnt model is used to rank the contribution rate of the indicators and identify positive and negative correlations, as well as to assess the risk of waterlogging and identify waterlogging-prone areas, taking Tianjin Downtown as the research object. The results show that: (1) MaxEnt model has strong applicability for waterlogging risk assessment. (2) The elements with the highest impact on urban waterlogging are population density, impervious surface, precipitation, etc., and prove that the regional waterlogging risk increases with the increase of population, building density, and impervious surface. (3) The high-risk area of waterlogging in Tianjin Downtown is concentrated in the central part of the city, which is characterized by a high degree of development and construction and a dense population; the low-risk area is mainly the area with a low degree of construction at the edge of the city, as well as the area with a large green area or water bodies. In this study, a comprehensive framework for assessing UWR was developed, key factors affecting the spatial distribution of UWR were identified, and the MaxEnt model was used to perform the risk assessment with a high degree of accuracy. The study results can provide a theoretical reference for the urban disaster warning and land use optimization.

Natural polysaccharides extracted from plants have received increasing attention due to their rich bioactivity. In our study, peach gum polysaccharides (PGPs) were extracted by water extraction-alcohol precipitation method. PGPs are typical pyranose polysaccharides with a mean molecular weight of 3.68 × 106 g/mol. The antioxidant activity and hepatoprotective capacity of PGPs were studied. In vitro, assays showed that PGPs scavenged DPPH, OH, and O2– in a dose-dependent manner. PGPs exhibited antioxidative properties against alcohol-induced HL7702 cells, as evidenced by the normalization of MDA, SOD, ROS, and GSH levels. To further elucidate the hepatoprotective mechanism of PGPs, we carried out in vivo experiments in male mice. PGPs exerted hepatoprotective effects in alcohol liver disease (ALD) mice by exerting antioxidant effects, decreasing the inflammatory response and modulating lipid metabolism. In addition, metabolomic analysis indicated that PGPs mainly regulate D-glutamine and D-glutamate metabolism, alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism, and arginine biosynthesis to promote hepatic metabolism and maintain body functions. Overall, this study revealed that the hepatoprotective mechanism of PGPs against ALD might be associated with the regulation of oxidative stress and lipid metabolism.

Summary: Background: Clinical appearance and high-frequency ultrasound (HFUS) are indispensable for diagnosing skin diseases by providing internal and external information. However, their complex combination brings challenges for primary care physicians and dermatologists. Thus, we developed a deep multimodal fusion network (DMFN) model combining analysis of clinical close-up and HFUS images for binary and multiclass classification in skin diseases. Methods: Between Jan 10, 2017, and Dec 31, 2020, the DMFN model was trained and validated using 1269 close-ups and 11,852 HFUS images from 1351 skin lesions. The monomodal convolutional neural network (CNN) model was trained and validated with the same close-up images for comparison. Subsequently, we did a prospective and multicenter study in China. Both CNN models were tested prospectively on 422 cases from 4 hospitals and compared with the results from human raters (general practitioners, general dermatologists, and dermatologists specialized in HFUS). The performance of binary classification (benign vs. malignant) and multiclass classification (the specific diagnoses of 17 types of skin diseases) measured by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were evaluated. This study is registered with www.chictr.org.cn (ChiCTR2300074765). Findings: The performance of the DMFN model (AUC, 0.876) was superior to that of the monomodal CNN model (AUC, 0.697) in the binary classification (P = 0.0063), which was also better than that of the general practitioner (AUC, 0.651, P = 0.0025) and general dermatologists (AUC, 0.838; P = 0.0038). By integrating close-up and HFUS images, the DMFN model attained an almost identical performance in comparison to dermatologists (AUC, 0.876 vs. AUC, 0.891; P = 0.0080). For the multiclass classification, the DMFN model (AUC, 0.707) exhibited superior prediction performance compared with general dermatologists (AUC, 0.514; P = 0.0043) and dermatologists specialized in HFUS (AUC, 0.640; P = 0.0083), respectively. Compared to dermatologists specialized in HFUS, the DMFN model showed better or comparable performance in diagnosing 9 of the 17 skin diseases. Interpretation: The DMFN model combining analysis of clinical close-up and HFUS images exhibited satisfactory performance in the binary and multiclass classification compared with the dermatologists. It may be a valuable tool for general dermatologists and primary care providers. Funding: This work was supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Clinical research project of Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital.

The concept of urban resilience focuses on understanding the process and mechanisms of disaster occurrence, providing innovative approaches to address stormwater flooding. However, existing studies primarily concentrate on enhancing overall system resilience, with limited research examining the temporal progression from stormwater disturbance to flood generation. To fill this gap, this study categorizes the development process of stormwater flooding into three periods: disturbance resistance (DR), adjustment and adaptation (AA), and rapid recovery (RR). Using the SWMM (Storm Water Management Model) software, 27 representative parcels in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region of China were simulated. By sequentially considering single-indicator control variables, resilience indicators that significantly impact the three periods were identified through the construction of a stormwater flooding resilience indicator library. Subsequently, resilience models for each disaster phase were constructed using the BP (Back Propagation) neural network, and genetic algorithms were employed to optimize the models and determine the optimal values of resilience indicators for each period. Finally, the research findings were summarized into a resilience design method for the built environment to address stormwater flooding, accompanied by a guide for improving stormwater flooding resilience.The study reveals the following key findings: (1) the influence of physical and spatial elements in the built environment on stormwater flooding formation varies across different stages of the disaster process; (2) distinct resilience indicators operate at different times and in different ways throughout the entire stormwater flooding resilience process; (3) enhancing stormwater flooding resilience in the built environment does not necessarily require setting specific threshold values for each influencing indicator; instead, an optimal single value emerges when multiple indicators interact. Moreover, when multiple indicators interact, an optimal combination module with the best value for a single indicator exists. This study investigates the complete cycle from storm disturbance to flood disaster formation, offering both solutions for cities to mitigate storm flood disasters and advancing theoretical research on urban storm flood resilience while fostering interdisciplinary integration.

A 3D symmetric memristor-based chaotic system (SMCS) is constructed by introducing a smooth quadratic flux control memristor model into the jerk chaotic system (JCS). The dynamics of SMCS are investigated by means of Lyapunov exponents, bifurcation diagrams, multistability, transient behavior, and spectral entropy complexity. It is found that SMCS is sensitive to parameter b included in the normalized equation. Transition behaviors of coexisting attractors between the equilibrium points will be observed when parameter b changes in a specific interval. Its complexity is demonstrated by the types of three multi-stable behaviors and four types of transient behaviors and distinctly enhanced by the spectral entropy complexity as two parameters variations. Additionally, the physical realizability of SMCS is verified by the implementation of the analog circuit and digital hardware. Finally, the pseudo-random sequence based on JCS and SCMS is compared by NIST testing.

The post-midnight irregularities in equator and its adjcent regions, which have remained least explored so far, are investigated using the in situ electron density (Ne) measurements from 2019 to 2021 obtained by the China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite (CSES) in the topside ionosphere. The followings are salient points of our findings: 1) Equatorial and low latitude post-midnight irregularities are distributed along the dip equator, exhibiting a wavenumber 4 longitude variation pattern and a seasonal variation pattern characterized by peaks in summer and winter and valleys in spring and autumn during low solar activity (LSA) period in the topside ionosphere, 2) The longitude variation pattern of post-midnight irregularities aligns with that of the background Ne, with irregularities concentrated at the peaks of background Ne, 3) The occurrence rate of post-midnight irregularities increases significantly with higher solar flux, which can be attributed to the rapid increase in the background Ne under LSA conditions. Additionally, the growth rate of occurrence rate varies across different longitudes, with the Pacific and the Atlantic longitudes standing out as prominent regions, and 4) Post-midnight irregularities in the topside ionosphere may have two possible origins. One is irregularities generated at the lower altitudes that drift upward into the topside ionosphere, while the other is the irregularities generated directly in the topside ionosphere. The latter is supported by the presence of conditions conducive to irregularity generation in the topside ionosphere during midnight hours in LSA period. Given the scarcity of research on post-midnight irregularity compared to post-sunset irregularity, further investigations are essential to fully comprehend their generation mechanisms. The abundance of post-midnight Ne measurements from the CSES satellite offers a valuable opportunity for this research, which can enhance our understanding of post-midnight ionospheric dynamics, and their variations with solar activity.

Phenylurea herbicides (PUHs) present one of the most important herbicides, which have cause serious effects on ecological environment and humans. Nowadays enzyme strategy shows great advantages in degradation of PUHs. Here density functional theory (DFT), quantitative structure − activity relationship (QSAR) and quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) approaches are used to investigate the degradation mechanism of PUHs catalyzed by P450 enzymes. Two successive N-demethylation pathways are identified and two hydrogen abstraction (H-abstraction) reaction pathways are identified as the rate-determining step through high-throughput DFT calculations. The Boltzmann-weighted average energy barrier of the second H-abstraction pathway (19.95 kcal/mol) is higher than that of the first H-abstraction pathway (16.80 kcal/mol). Two QSAR models are established to predict the energy barriers of the two H-abstraction pathways based on the quantum chemical descriptors and mordred molecular descriptors. The determination coefficient (R2) values of QSAR models are > 0.9, which reveal that the established QSAR models have great predictive capability. QM/MM calculations indicate that human P450 enzymes are more efficient in degradation of PUHs than crop and weed P450 enzymes. Correlations between energy barriers and key structural/charge parameters are revealed and key parameters that have influence on degradation efficiency of PUHs are identified. This study provides lateral insights into the biodegradation strategy and removal method of PUHs and valuable information for designing or engineering of highly efficient degradation enzymes and genetically modified crops.