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With the advancement of global maritime transport, the carriage of foreign organisms by vessels is inciting ecological catastrophes such as red tides, posing a grave threat to China's marine environmental security. Clarifying the geographical distribution of invasive species and their relationship with climate change can provide scientific basis for their prevention and control. In this discourse, the study centers on the typical alien microalgae, Nitzschiella closterium. By integrating environmental variables and distribution data and employing an optimized Maxent model, we delve into its potential distribution in current and future ecological conditions in the coastal waters of China, as well as the response relationship to environmental variables. After model optimization, the results reveal that the Area Under the Curve (AUC) value of the training dataset for Nitzschiella closterium stands at 0.993, denoting a high degree of model accuracy and bestowing credibility upon the simulated outcomes. Currently, the high suitability area constitutes 0.74% of the total suitability area, with an area of 0.44×104 km², and is mainly distributed in the sea area corresponding to Jiangsu Province, Shanghai City, and Zhejiang Province. The most significant environmental factor affecting the geographical distribution of Nitzschiella closterium is the annual temperature variation range (bio24). In the context of future climate changes, there is an overall trend of substantial expansion in the high suitability area for Nitzschiella closterium, which is profoundly affected by climate change, suggesting that the future control will be more severe. This research comprehensively understands the response relationship of the invasive species Nitzschiella closterium to leading environmental variables and its potential geographical distribution in the context of climate change through macro prediction and proposes control countermeasures. It will provide a scientific basis for preventing and controlling Nitzschiella closterium invasions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three leading modes of the North Atlantic atmospheric circulation explain about 70% of the winter climate variability. Although climate models generally can capture these modes, biases may induce large uncertainties in regional climate predictions. Here, we evaluate the leading winter modes simulated by CMIP5‐PMIP3 and CMIP6‐PMIP4 models from the last millennium to future scenarios in comparison with historical reanalysis and paleo‐reconstructions. The models generally have a good representation of the average spatial pattern of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) while showing a larger spread in performance for the East Atlantic and Scandinavian patterns. In contrast to historical reanalysis, the simulated NAO pattern tends to be rather stationary under various climate states over the years 861–2100. Such underestimated spatial variability in the simulated NAO is directly related to the biased spatial shifts in NAO‐related regional temperature and precipitation changes, inducing uncertainties in climate projections over the North Atlantic sector. Plain Language Summary: The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is the most dominant weather pattern over the North Atlantic‐European sector with profound influence on regional climate. The NAO pattern describes the changes in a low‐pressure system over Iceland and a high‐pressure system over the Azores, which are commonly known as the NAO centers of action. However, the NAO centers of action are not always fixed in these two locations, but show spatial movement over time. In this study, we compare the winter weather patterns over the North Atlantic region from the last millennium to future scenarios in climate models with reanalysis products and paleoclimate reconstructions. We find that models generally can capture the spatial structure of the NAO very well but with little changes in its location and shape over time in contrast to historical reanalysis. These biased NAO patterns in climate models can shift the modeled regional temperature and precipitation patterns associated with the NAO. This remains a challenge for the reliability of future climate projections over the North Atlantic region. Key Points: We compare the spatial variability of modeled North Atlantic climate modes over the years 861–2100 with reanalysis and reconstructed dataThe North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) in 13 Coupled Model Intercomparison Project‐Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project models shows underestimated spatial variability compared to historical reanalysisProjections of regional temperature and precipitation may show biased patterns due to the underestimated spatial shifts in simulated NAO [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice bran dietary fiber (RBDF) is a byproduct of rice milling that has potential applications in breadmaking. This study investigated the effects of adding RBDF at different soluble and insoluble fractions on bread quality and storage properties. RBDF was separated into soluble (RBSDF) and insoluble (RBIDF) fractions and added to the bread at various concentrations. The results showed that adding an appropriate amount of RBSDF (6%) improved the texture, specific volume, sensory evaluation, and shelf life of bread while adding too much RBSDF (12%) or RBIDF (>8%) reduced the quality of bread and increased its hardening and moisture loss during storage. The bread quality was improved when the addition of RBSDF and RBIDF were 6% and 5%, respectively, which could enhance the fiber intake, meeting the diversified dietary needs of consumers. [Display omitted] • Rice bran dietary fiber (RBDF) has potential applications in bread making. • Adding 6% RBSDF improves bread's texture, sensory evaluation, and shelf life. • Too much RBSDF (12%) or RBIDF (>8%) increased hardening and moisture loss. • Optimal adding contents of RBSDF and RBIDF are 6% and 5%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision response and feedback in gambling are interrelated. Different decisions lead to different ranges of feedback, which in turn influences subsequent decisions. However, the mechanism underlying the continuous decision-feedback process is still left unveiled. To fulfill this gap, we applied the hidden Markov model (HMM) to the gambling electroencephalogram (EEG) data to characterize the dynamics of this process. Furthermore, we explored the differences between distinct decision responses (i.e. choose large or small bets) or distinct feedback (i.e. win or loss outcomes) in corresponding phases. We demonstrated that the processing stages in decision-feedback process including strategy adjustment and visual information processing can be characterized by distinct brain networks. Moreover, time-varying networks showed, after decision response, large bet recruited more resources from right frontal and right center cortices while small bet was more related to the activation of the left frontal lobe. Concerning feedback, networks of win feedback showed a strong right frontal and right center pattern, while an information flow originating from the left frontal lobe to the middle frontal lobe was observed in loss feedback. Taken together, these findings shed light on general principles of natural decision-feedback and may contribute to the design of biologically inspired, participant-independent decision-feedback systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decreasing trend in diurnal temperature range (DTR) since the 1950s has been widely observed in many regions of the world, including the Tibetan Plateau (TP). However, scarce instrumental records on the TP before the 1950s limit the understanding of DTR variation on a longer timescale, and its internal forcing mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we present two regional records of May–June DTR since 1753 reconstructed from tree rings on the northeastern TP (NETP) and southeastern TP (SETP), respectively. The decreasing trend in DTR in the second half of the twentieth century also occurred in the time earlier than the 1950s, indicating that the reduction in DTR is not unique to global warming. Spatially, both the instrumental and reconstructed DTR show different modes on the NETP and SETP. Composite analysis and superposed epoch analysis reveal the linkage between El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the DTR on the SETP. La Niña (El Niño) winters are generally followed by the stronger (weaker) early Indian summer monsoon so that may lead to the decrease (increase) in May–June DTR. The positive correlation between Niño 3.4 index and the DTR on the SETP over the past two and a half centuries is accompanied by a stable response of the decreased DTR to La Niña events. These results suggest that ENSO is a crucial driver for the DTR variation on the SETP through oceanic‐atmospheric modulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water scarcity is a growing global concern, resulting from drastic climate and societal changes witnessed over the past few decades. Previous attention has predominantly focused on inadequate water quantity as the main cause of water scarcity, but pollution-induced water scarcity has been largely overlooked. Furthermore, there is a lack of understanding about the effectiveness of policy interventions in mitigating water scarcity and its social impact. To address these knowledge gaps, we developed an ecosystem service-based approach to measure quantity- and quality-related water scarcity by comparing supply of and demand for water provision and water purification services. We also developed several water and land management scenarios to examine their potential in alleviating water scarcity under different climate conditions and water quality requirements. Our case study in the Taihu Basin of southeastern China identified four types of water scarcity status across different sub-basins, including quantity-based, quality-based, quantity- and quality-based, and no water scarcity. The degradation of water quality in the Taihu Basin has exacerbated the scarcity of clean water supply. Water conservation measures effectively alleviated quantity-based water scarcity, while nitrogen reduction and grain for green (i.e., conversion of cropland into forest land) exhibited similar efficacy in alleviating quality-based water scarcity. Integrating these measures contributed to alleviating both quantity- and quality-based water scarcity. However, the effectiveness of these measures decreased under drier climate conditions and higher water quality requirements, highlighting the importance of climate and water quality in determining the magnitude, extent, and severity of water scarcity. The approaches and findings presented here provide new insights into the sustainable management of water resources in the Taihu Basin and other similar basins worldwide. • Quantity- and quality-related water scarcity were assessed using an ecosystem service-based approach. • Water scarcity was influenced by changes in climate, land use, and water quality requirement. • Water pollution exacerbated water scarcity in the Taihu Basin of China. • The impact of water scarcity on human populations was further enlarged due to spatial mismatches. • Improved water and land management strategies could potentially alleviate water scarcity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the symbol detection of the multiple antenna ambient backscatter communication systems. In particular, to overcome the problem of the noise uncertainty, the maximum-eigenvalue detector is derived from the general likelihood ratio test, and the approximate bit error rate (BER) performance is characterized. The analytical results show that the BER of the maximum-eigenvalue detector converges to a fixed number in large signal-to-noise ratio or number of receiving antennas $M$ regime. Finally, numerical results are presented to confirm the correctness of theoretical analysis, and reveal that the maximum-eigenvalue detector outperforms the energy detector regarding the BER performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photocatalytic composites with high activity have great potential in the purification of dye wastewater. Herein, reduced graphene oxide (rGO) modified TiO 2 nanobelts (TG) hybrids with desirable nanostructures were successfully prepared by regulating the addition amount of Li+ via a facile solvothermal process. The results of characterizations indicate that the introduction of two-dimensional (2D) graphene sheet restricts the agglomeration of 1D nanostructures and drives the freestanding growth of TiO 2 nanobelts. Meanwhile, the addition of Li+ not only promotes the formation of TiO 2 nanobelts but also affects the distribution of TiO 2 nanobelts on the surface of rGO. The TG-2 synthesized by adding an appropriate amount of Li+ exhibits the best photodegradation activity of these samples, even better than commercial P25. The excellent photocatalytic performance of TG-2 is mainly attributed to the effective separation of charge carriers promoted by the synergistic effect between uniform TiO 2 nanobelts and rGO. The trapping experiments of reactive species show that ∙OH may be the dominant species in the photodegradation process. Moreover, the activity of the catalyst does not decrease after five cycles. Unlabelled Image • Graphene-modified TiO 2 nanobelts hybrids are prepared by regulating the amount of Li+. • Incorporation of graphene promotes freestanding growth of TiO 2 nanobelts. • Moderate amount of Li+ contributes to the formation of uniform TiO 2 nanobelts. • There is synergistic effect between graphene and uniform TiO 2 nanobelts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Color-switch electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensing platform based on a dual-bipolar electrode (D-BPE) is reported in this work. The D-BPE was composed of a cathode filled with buffer and two anodes filled with [Ru(bpy) 3 ]2+-TPrA and luminol-H 2 O 2 solutions, respectively. Both anodes were modified with capture DNA and served as ECL reporting platforms. After introducing ferrocene-labeled aptamer (Fc-aptamer) on both anodes, the ECL emission signal of the [Ru(bpy) 3 ]2+ was difficult to be observed (anode 1), while luminol emitted a strong and visible ECL signal (anode 2). Ferrocene (Fc) did not only prevent the oxidation of [Ru(bpy) 3 ]2+ due to its lower oxidation potential, its oxidation product Fc+ also quenched the [Ru(bpy) 3 ]2+ ECL through efficient energy transfer. For luminol, Fc+ catalyzes the accelerated formation of the excited-state of the luminol anion radical, which leads to the enhancement of the luminol ECL. In the presence of food-borne pathogens, the aptamer was assembled with them, leading to the leaving of Fc from the surface of the D-BPE anodes. The ECL intensity of [Ru(bpy) 3 ]2+ was enlarged, meanwhile, the blue emission signal of luminol became weakened. By self-calibrating the ratio of the two signals, 1–106 CFU mL−1 food-borne pathogenic bacteria can be sensitively detected with a detection limit of 1 CFU mL−1. Ingeniously, the color-switch biosensor can be used to detect S. aureus , E. coli and S. typhimurium by assembling the corresponding aptamers onto the D-BPE anodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Abstract A series of 3D nitrogen-doped graphene gels (NG) were synthesized by the hydrothermal process and further modified by pyrolysis. Characterization results indicated that the distribution of nitrogen- and oxygen-containing groups on the pyrolytic NG surface was significantly affected by the pyrolysis temperature. In the adsorption test, the NG adsorbent treated at 1000 °C showed the best performance for methylene blue. As the temperature increases from 200 to 1000 °C, the adsorptive capacity of pyrolytic NG hybrids was enhanced gradually, accompanied by the improvement of the adsorptive rate. Moreover, all NG adsorbents were fit for Langmuir isotherm. However, the adsorption dynamic behavior of pyrolytic NG hybrids followed pseudo-second-order model rather than pseudo-first-order model when the pyrolysis temperature exceeds 1000 °C. The above results are possibly attributed to the synergistic effect between specific surface area and the functional groups on the surface of adsorbents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design and preparation of chiral metal-organic frameworks (CMOFs) from achiral ligands are a big challenge. Using 3-nitro-4-(pyridin-4-yl)benzoic acid (HL) as a new linker, a total of eight chiral lanthanide-organic frameworks (LOFs), namely poly[diaquatris[μ2-3-nitro-4-(pyridin-4-yl)benzoato-κ2 O:O′]-lanthanide(III)], l- and d-[Ln(C12H7N2O4)3(H2O)2]n [(1), Ln = Eu; (2), Ln = Gd; (3), Ln = Dy, (4), Ln = Tb], were hydrothermally synthesized without chiral reagents and determined by X-ray crystallography. Crystal structure analyses show that l-(1)-(4) crystallize in the hexagonal P65 space group and are isomorphous and isostructural, while the enantiomers d-(1)-(4) crystallize in the hexagonal P61 space group. All LnIII ions are octacoordinated by six carboxyl O atoms of six 3-nitro-4-(pyridin-4-yl)benzoate ligands and two water molecules in a dodecahedral geometry. A one-dimensional neutral helical [Ln2(CO2)3]n chain is observed in (1)-(4) as a chiral origin. These helical chains are further interconnected via directional hydrogen-bonding interactions between pyridyl groups and water molecules to construct a three-dimensional (3D) homochiral network with hex topology. The present CMOF structure is the first chiral 3D hydrogen-bonded hex-net and shows good water stability. Solid-state circular dichroism (CD) signals revealed that (1)-(4) crystallized through spontaneous resolution. Furthermore, (1) and (4) display a strong red and green photoluminescence at room temperature, respectively, but their intensities reduce to almost half at 200 °C. Notably, upon excitation under visible light (463 nm), a circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) of (1) in the solid state is observed for the first time, with a glum value of 2.61 κ 10×-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) affect gene expression through a wide range of mechanisms and are considered as important regulators in many essential biological processes. A large number of lncRNA transcripts have been predicted or identified in plants in recent years. However, the biological functions for most of them are still unknown. In this study, we identified an Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) lncRNA, DROUGHT INDUCED lncRNA (DRIR), as a novel positive regulator of the plant response to drought and salt stress. DRIR was expressed at a low level under nonstress conditions but can be significantly activated by drought and salt stress as well as by abscisic acid (ABA) treatment. We identified a T-DNA insertion mutant, drirD, which had higher expression of the DRIR gene than the wild-type plants. The drirD mutant exhibits increased tolerance to drought and salt stress. Overexpressing DRIR in Arabidopsis also increased tolerance to drought and salt stress of the transgenic plants. The drirD mutant and the overexpressing seedlings are more sensitive to ABA than the wild type in stomata closure and seedling growth. Genome-wide transcriptome analysis demonstrated that the expression of a large number of genes was altered in drirD and the overexpressing plants. These include genes involved in ABA signaling, water transport, and other stress-relief processes. Our study reveals a mechanism whereby DRIR regulates the plant response to abiotic stress by modulating the expression of a series of genes involved in the stress response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After discovery of electron transfer from bacteria, most bacteria known to be electrochemically active are utilized as a self-regenerable catalyst at the anode of microbial fuel cells (MFCs). However, the reverse phenomenon, cathodic catalysts is not so widely researched. This present study demonstrated that E. coli O157:H7 was electrochemically active, and it was able to catalyze oxygen reduction at the cathode of bipolar electrode (BPE). Applying a constant potential to the BPE, E. coli O157:H7 can catalyze electrochemical reduction of O 2 , decrease the overpotential of O 2 reduction at the cathode, which in turn generates an electrochemiluminescence (ECL) reporting intensity change at the anode. Significantly, a majority of food matrix does not exhibit catalytic activity for electrochemical reduction of O 2. Meanwhile, due to the physically separation of two poles of closed BPE, complex food matrix at the cathode does not interfere with the ECL reaction at the anode. Therefore, the effect of food matrix is negligible when measuring E. coli O157:H7 levels in food. A low detection limit of 10 CFU mL−1 E. coli O157:H7 could be identified within 1 h. Thus, biocathodes reducing oxygen in BPE-ECL system has shown excellent characteristics in the field of rapid detection of electroactive bacteria in food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of novel 4-arylaminoquinazoline derivatives were synthesized by five-step reactions, the structure was characterized by IR, 1H NMR, MS and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The result of 5aX crystal was as follows: the crystal belongs to the monoclinic system, space group P21/c with a = 12.3637(4) Å, b = 12.7902(2) Å, c = 13.2240(5) Å, α = 90°, β = 117.030(5)°, γ = 90°, V = 1862.75(12) Å3, Z = 2, F(000) = 804.0, µ = 0.095 mm-1, S = 1.039, R = 0.0569, wR = 0.1535 for 8417 observed reflections with I > 2σ(I). The compound 5cX exhibited an excellent inhibitory effect on the cell line A549 (IC50 < 2.5 µM) and the drug-resistant cell line H1975 (IC50 < 2.5 µM) by the biological activity, which were superior to the positive control Zorifertinib (against A549: IC50 = 31.08 µM; against H1975: IC50 = 64.17 µM). Molecular docking revealed that the better inhibitory activity of compound 5cX was owing to the combining EGFRWT and EGFRL858R/T790M by hydrogen bonding. The physicochemical properties of the compounds were predicted by using ADME data analysis, and the results showed that the compounds all obeyed Lipinski's five rules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A ruthenium-catalyzed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of racemic isoflavanones with dynamic kinetic resolution yields virtually enantiopure isoflavanols as single diastereomers. Subsequent oxidation gives rise to isoflavanones in high enantiomeric purities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spreading depolarization is a wave of neuronal and glial depolarization. Within minutes after spreading depolarization, the neuronal hemichannel pannexin 1 (PANX1) opens and forms a pore complex with the ligand-gated cation channel P2X7, allowing the release of excitatory neurotransmitters to sustain spreading depolarization and activate neuroinflammation. Here, we explore the hypothesis that the P2X7-PANX1 pore complex is a critical determinant of spreading depolarization susceptibility with important consequences for neuroinflammation and trigeminovascular activation. We found that genetic loss of function or ablation of the P2x7 gene inhibits spreading depolarization. Moreover, pharmacological suppression of the P2X7-PANX1 pore complex inhibits spreading depolarization in mice carrying the human familial hemiplegic migraine type 1 R192Q missense mutation as well as in wild-type mice and rats. Pore inhibitors elevate the electrical threshold for spreading depolarization, and reduce spreading depolarization frequency and amplitude. Pore inhibitors also suppress downstream consequences of spreading depolarization such as upregulation of interleukin-1 beta, inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 in the cortex after spreading depolarization. In addition, they inhibit surrogates for trigeminovascular activation, including expression of calcitonin gene-related peptide in the trigeminal ganglion and c-Fos in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that the P2X7-PANX1 pore complex is a critical determinant of spreading depolarization susceptibility and its downstream consequences, of potential relevance to its signature disorders such as migraine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During a survey of the Mali Hka River drainage in Hponkanrazi Wildlife Sanctuary in December 2015, a new species was collected and is described herein as Oreoglanis hponkanensis. It is a member of the O. siamensis species group and can be distinguished from its congeners in having a unique combination of the following characters: lower lip with median notch and posterior margin entire, caudal fin emarginate, nasal barbel reaching about half the distance to eye, tip of maxillary barbel rounded, posterior margin of maxillary barbel entire, absence of pale elliptical patches on sides of body below adipose fin, absence of patch on base of first dorsal fin ray, caudal fin brown with two round, bright orange patches in middle, branched dorsal fin rays 5, branched anal fin rays 2, vertebrae 40, pectoral fin surpassing pelvic fin origin, pelvic fin length 21-26% SL, caudal peduncle length 25-33% SL, caudal peduncle depth 3-5% SL, adipose fin base length 34-39% SL, and dorsal to adipose distance 12-16% SL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One key challenge of face detection is the large appearance variations due to some real-world factors, such as viewpoint, extreme illuminations and expression changes, which lead to the large intra-class variations and making the detection algorithm is not robust enough. In this paper, we propose a locality-sensitive support vector machine using kernel combination (LS-KC-SVM) algorithm to solve the above two problems. First, we employ the locality-sensitive SVM (LSSVM) to construct a local model on each local region, which can handle the classification task easier due to smaller within-class variation. Second, motivated by the idea that local features are more robust compared with global features, we use multiple local CNNs to jointly learn local facial features because of the powerful strength of CNN learning characteristic. In order to use this property of local features effectively, we apply the global and local kernels to the features and introduce the combination kernel to the LSSVM. Extensive experiments demonstrate the robustness and efficiency of our algorithm by comparing it with several popular face detection algorithms on the widely used CMU+MIT dataset and FDDB dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Face representation is a crucial step of face detection system. In this paper, we present a fast face detection algorithm based on representation learnt using convolutional neural network (CNN) so as to explicitly capture various latent facial features. Firstly, in order to improve the speed of detection in the system, we train an Adaboost background filter which can remove the background most quickly. Secondly, we use the CNN to extract more distinctive features for those face and non-face patterns that have not been filtered by Adaboost. CNN can automatically learn and synthesize a problem-specific feature extractor from a training set, without making any assumptions or using any hand-made design concerning the features to extract or the areas of the face pattern to analyze. Finally, support vector machines (SVM) are used to detect instead of using the classification function of CNN itself. Extensive experiments demonstrate the robustness and efficiency of our system by comparing it with several popular face detection algorithms on the widely used CMU+MIT frontal face dataset and FDDB dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is associated with a large tumor burden in extensive-disease small-cell lung cancer (ED-SCLC). This study evaluated the benefit of additional thoracic radiotherapy (TRT) in patients with ED-SCLC with elevated LDH. Methods: We analyzed 94 patients with ED-SCLC and evaluated LDH at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center during the period between January 2000 and March 2010. Patients were divided into two groups according to whether TRT was received. Survival was evaluated by the Kaplan- Meier method and Cox's regression analysis. Results: The median age of the 94 patients with ED-SCLC was 58.5 years. The main metastatic sites included the liver, bone, brain, and adrenal glands. The response rate in the TRT group was 46.9%. There were 32 patients (34.04%) receiving TRT and 5.3% receiving prophylactic cranial irradiation. The median survival time reached 10 months (95% confidence interval: 8.22, 11.78 months), and the 1-, 2-, and 5-year survival rates were 43.6%, 11.7%, and 2.1%, respectively. There was a significant difference in the median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) between the TRT group and the no TRT group (PFS: 9.0 months vs 6.0 months, P=0.018; OS: 13.0 months vs 9.0 months, P=0.006). Conclusion: The use of TRT improves the survival of patients with ED-SCLC. Future studies should use the LDH level for categorizing patients for treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Local infection near an implant may pose a serious problem for patients. Antibiotic delivery from acrylic (poly(methyl methacrylate)-based) cements is commonly used to prevent and treat infections in the proximity of, e.g., hip joint implants. However, at present, the drug release properties of PMMA cements are not optimal. An initial burst followed by very slow release means that an unnecessarily large amount of antibiotic needs to be added to the cement, increasing the risk of bacterial resistance. The main purpose of this study was to enhance drug delivery from PMMA cements without influencing the mechanical properties. Methods: We incorporated strontium-doped calcium phosphate spheres (SCPS) into PMMA cement to enhance the antibiotic release and potentially improve the bone-cement integration. The release of strontium and vancomycin was investigated using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy and UV spectrophotometry, respectively. Results: It was found that incorporating SCPS into PMMA could enhance the antibiotic release and deliver strontium ions to the surroundings. The incorporation of SCPS also increased the radiopacity as well as the working time of the cement. The compressive strength and Young's modulus were not affected. Conclusions: Our results showed that SCPS/PMMA antibiotic-loaded cement had enhanced antibiotic release, delivered strontium ions and maintained mechanical properties, indicating that the SCPS additive could be a good alternative for controlling the drug-delivery properties of PMMA cement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A temporal sensing platform of Staphylococcus aureus based on Ag@C hybrid BPE are established. • Anodic dissolution can improve sensitivity and extend the detection pattern to the time dimension. • The interference of food matrix can be ignored in this strategy. An Ag@C hybrid bipolar electrode (BPE) sensing platform has been established for the temporal detection of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in food. Combining the advantages of anodic dissolution of Ag and cathodic biocatalysis of oxygen (O 2) reduction, this strategy showed an ultralow detection limit down to 10 CFU mL−1. As the formation of Ag@C completely quenched the electrochemiluminescence (ECL) emission of luminol, the ECL emission recovery reflected the extent of anodic dissolution. Meanwhile, S. aureus catalyzed the electrochemical reduction of O 2 at the cathode, reducing the overpotential for cathodic O 2 reduction and thus increasing the rate of anodic electron loss, facilitating Ag dissolution and restoring the ECL emission of luminol. When a constant potential was applied, through monitoring the ECL recovery time before and after the incubation of S. aureus on the cathode, S. aureus could be quantified due to the slight difference of the conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An integrated framework for ecological protection and restoration is proposed. • Recreational service is estimated by considering spatial accessibility. • Priority areas of protection are identified based on trade-off of ecosystem service. • Ecological protection and restoration pattern is identified at the two scales. • Land management measures are proposed for ecological protection and restoration. Ecological protection and restoration is an important bridge to adjust the contradiction between ecological protection and economic development, and it is essential for ecological security and sustainable development. An integrated evaluation framework for multiscale ecological protection and restoration based on multi-scenario trade-offs of ecosystem services was proposed in this study, and the city of Nanjing was taken as an example to identify key areas and land strategies for ecological protection and restoration. In our framework, carbon storage, habitat quality, nitrogen retention, and water conservation services were quantified by InVEST model, and recreational service was quantified as the total areas of green spaces within ecological land accessibility. The ordered weighted averaging model was used to simulate the priority areas of ecological protection under 11 scenarios of trade-offs of ecosystem services, and ecological sources, ecological corridors, ecological pinch points and ecological barriers at the Nanjing city scale and the main urban scale were identified based on circuit theory. We also nested the ecological conservation and restoration patterns at two scales and analyzed the coincidence degree between two scales. Our results showed that the S7 scenario had the highest average conservation efficiency among the 11 scenarios. The priority areas for ecological protection in this scenario had an area of 1582 km2 and are mainly distributed in the central and southern parts of Nanjing. In our study, 50 ecological sources (with an area of 1153.36 km2), 77 ecological corridors (with a length of 443.04 km), 25 key nodes for ecological protection and 31 key nodes for ecological restoration were identified in Nanjing. By nesting the ecological protection and restoration patterns of two scales, we found that the overlap of ecological sources and ecological pinch points at two scales is 100%, and the overlap of ecological corridors and ecological barriers is 45.28% and 57.14%, respectively, which means that the ecological protection and restoration patterns at the two scales in Nanjing were well connected, but the ecological network at the large scale cannot fully reflect the real ecological problems and needs at the small scale. We suggest regarding the ecological protection and restoration pattern at large scale as the basis and the pattern at small scale as the supplement. We also propose that priority should be given to the protection and restoration of key areas where the two scales overlap, and strictly control their land development to promote sustainable development. This framework and these strategies are applicable to other rapidly urbanizing regions of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spread of the low-pathogenicity avian H9N2 influenza virus has seriously increased the risk of a new influenza pandemic. Although whole inactivated virus (WIV) vaccine via intranasal pathway is the effective method of blocking virus transmission, the mucosal barrier seems to be a major factor hampering its development. CpG oligodeoxynucleotides, a known adjuvant, can target downstream dendritic cells (DCs) and effectively enhance the mucosal and systemic immune responses. However, the ability of CpGs to assist H9N2 WIV in transepithelial transport remains unknown. Here, in vitro and in vivo, we showed that CpGs provided assistance for H9N2 WIV in recruiting DCs to the nasal epithelial cells (ECs) and forming transepithelial dendrites (TEDs) to capture luminal viruses. CD103+ DCs participated in this process. Chemokine CCL20 from nasal ECs played a key role in driving DC recruitment and TED formation. Virus-loaded DCs quickly migrated into the draining cervical lymph nodes (CLNs) for antigen presentation. In addition, the competence of CpGs was independent of direct epithelial transport via the transcellular or paracellular pathway. Taken together, our data demonstrated that CpGs enhanced the transport of H9N2 WIV via TEDs of nasal DCs, which might be a novel mechanism for optimal adaptive immune responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ntroduction: The aim of the study was to analyze clinicopathologic characteristics and survival and to identify prognostic factors for Chinese patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. Material and methods: A total of 243 patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, treated during the period 2002 to 2009, were followed up from initial disease diagnosis to death or date of last follow-up (December 2011). Cumulative survival curves were created using Kaplan-Meier analysis with the log-rank test. Prognostic factors were analyzed by univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Results: During follow-up, 205 patients died, with a median OS of 27 months (95% CI: 23.5, 30.5 months), and the 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 84.4%, 38.6%, and 18.1%, respectively. The median OS of HR+ patients was significantly higher than that of HR- patients (p < 0.001). Surgery (hazard ratio = 0.60, p = 0.002), endocrine therapy (hazard ratio = 0.53, p < 0.01), and anti-HER2 therapy (hazard ratio = 0.63, p = 0.003) were favorable independent prognostic factors for patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. Conclusions: These results indicated that surgical intervention, endocrine therapy, and anti-HER2 therapy were good for these HER2 positive patients with metastatic breast cancer, but ECOG performance status < 1 and metastasis to brain were unfavorable independent prognostic factors. HR status was not an independent prognostic factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To understand the clinicopathological features of patients with primary pulmonary large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC), including the frequency of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation, and to explore prognostic factors. Methods: We investigated a cohort of 50 individuals from our center database who were diagnosed with operable pulmonary LCNEC and treated in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center. Serum albumin (ALB) and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) were also collected. Survival curves were obtained with the Kaplan-Meier method, and the differences between groups in survival were tested by the log-rank test. Results: The median age was 59 years (range, 40-80 years). Fourteen patients underwent mutational analysis of EGFR; of these, 12 had wild-type EGFR and the remaining two had EGFR mutations in exons. The median disease-free survival (DFS) of pulmonary LCNEC was 49.3 months and that of overall survival (OS) was not reached. DFS and OS were shorter for patients with decreased serum ALB than for patients with normal serum ALB (P=0.003 and P=0.004, respectively). Meanwhile, a high level of NSE was also significantly associated with short DFS and OS (P=0.005 and P=0.000, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that decrease in serum ALB was an independent prognostic factor for OS (P=0.046). Conclusion: The frequency of EGFR mutation in LCNEC patients is low. Serum ALB and NSE levels are valuable prognostic factors for LCNEC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A water stable porous 3D metal-organic framework, [Cu3L2(µ3-OH)2-(µ2-H2O)]⋅2DMA (1, mother crystal, H2L = 2,2'-dinitrobiphenyl-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid, DMA = N,N-dimethylacetamide), shows unprecedented irreversible solvent-induced substitutions of bridging aqua ligands and guest-exchanges in single-crystal-to-single-crystal (SCSC) transformations at room temperature (RT), producing quantitatively three daughter crystals, [Cu3L2(µ3-OH)2]⋅2S (2: 2A, S = acetone; 2B, S = 2-propanol; 2C, S = 2-butanol), which exhibit reversible interconversion by guest-exchanges at RT in SCSC transformations. MOF 1 shows excellent separation selectivity (128) of CO2/N2 at RT and is a better sorbent of micro-solid-phase extraction (µ-SPE) than currently known benchmark ZIF-8. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low positive cell screening efficiency severely hinders the development of transgenic animals. The major rate-limiting step of positive cell screening is DNA entering the nucleus, particularly for large DNA molecules. To enhance the transport of large DNA molecules into the nucleus, particularly for the production of transgenic animals, nuclear localization sequence (NLS) peptides and the peptide derivative succinimid yl-[4-(psoralen-8-yloxy)]-butyrate (SPB)-NLS were synthesized to mediate transfection in vitro. To investigate the function of NLS and SPB-NLS in vitro, the expression levels of growth hormone (GH) mRNA and green fluorescent protein (GFP) protein were analyzed following transfection mediated by NLS and SPB-NLS. The results demonstrated that the expression of GH mRNA was significantly higher in the NLS (increased by 69%) and SPB-NLS (330%) groups than that in the liposome/ pGN group. Similarly, GFP expression was found to be higher in the SPB-NLS group than that in the liposome group, while the expression in the NLS group was lower than that in the liposome group. Further analysis demonstrated that SPB-NLS enhanced the expression of insulin-like growth factor 1 in hard-to-transfect goat mammary epithelia cells. The results of the microscopy analysis revealed that transfected DNA entered the nucleus via the nuclear pores, facilitated by NLS. Analysis of the cell cycle demonstrated that the cytotoxic effects of NLS and SPB-NLS were low. In conclusion, the results of the present study demonstrate that SPB-NLS acts as a transfection-enhancing agent and may be used both to enhance nuclear delivery and for the development of genetically modified animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The efficacy of trastuzumab in Chinese breast cancer (BC) patients has rarely been reported. This study was designed to compare the clinical outcomes of HER2-positive BC patients receiving or not receiving trastuzumab treatment and HER2-negative BC patients. Patients and methods: This study involved three groups of patients. The first group was 115 human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive BC patients treated with trastuzumab who were enrolled at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center between January 2002 and July 2010; the second group was a matched control group of 115 HER2-positive patients who did not receive trastuzumab treatment; the third group was a matched group of 115 HER2-negative patients who received conventional therapy in the adjuvant setting. The primary endpoint was 3-year and 5-year disease-free survival (3-DFS and 5-DFS, respectively). The Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test, and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model were used for survival analysis. The differences in survival rates among the three groups were also analyzed according to two different periods: 2002-2006 and 2007-2010. Results: The median duration of follow-up was 36 months (range, 12-111 months). The 3-DFS rates in the HER2-negative group, the HER2-positive group who received trastuzumab treatment, and the HER2-positive group who did not receive trastuzumab treatment were 82.6%, 89.6%, and 67.0%, respectively. The 3-DFS rate for the total study population was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Further analysis indicated a statistically significant difference in 3-DFS between either of the first two groups and the third group (P < 0.01), but the difference between the first two groups was not statistically significant (P = 0.157). Among the three groups, the 3-DFS rates during 2002-2006 did not have a significant difference compared with that during 2007-2010. Conclusion: This study has further confirmed the efficacy of trastuzumab for HER2-positive operable BC in Chinese patients. It has also demonstrated that the 3-DFS and 5-DFS rates between HER2-positive patients receiving trastuzumab treatment and HER2-negative patients are comparable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze various possible superconducting pairing states and their relative stabilities in lightly doped graphene. It is shown that, when inter-sublattice electron-electron attractive interaction dominates and the Fermi level is close to the Dirac points, the system will favor intra-valley spin-triplet p + ip pairing state. Based on the novel pairing state, we further propose a scheme for doing topological quantum computation in graphene by engineering local strain fields and external magnetic fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show that an effective magnetic field acting on phonons naturally emerges in the phonon dynamics of magnetic solids, giving rise to the phonon Hall effect. A general formula for the intrinsic phonon Hall conductivity is derived by using the corrected Kubo formula with the energy magnetization contribution incorporated properly. We thus establish a direct connection between the phonon Hall effect and the intrinsic phonon band structure, i.e., the phonon Berry curvature and phonon dispersion. Based on the formalism, we predict that phonons could also display the quantum Hall effect in certain topological phonon systems. In the low-temperature regime, we predict that the phonon Hall conductivity is proportional to T³ for ordinary phonon systems, while that for the topological phonon system has a linear T dependence with a quantized temperature coefficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We obtain a set of general formulas for determining magnetizations, including the usual electromagnetic magnetization as well as the gravitomagnetic energy magnetization. The magnetization corrections to the thermal transport coefficients are explicitly demonstrated. Our theory provides a systematic approach for properly evaluating the thermal transport coefficients of magnetic systems, eliminating the unphysical divergence from the direct application of the Kubo formula. For a noninteracting anomalous Hall system, the corrected thermal Hall conductivity obeys the Wiedemann-Franz law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optimization method proposed by Ji-Huan He(He JH, Int. J. Mod. Phys. B, 22(2008) 3487-3578) is applied to Markowitz Portfolio model, which is used to describe the investment portfolio of Shanghai Stock Market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cognitive radio (CR) is a promising concept for improving the utilization of scarce radio spectrum resources. Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is regarded as a technology which is well matched for CR systems. It is shown that channel estimation errors can result in a severe performance degradation in a multiuser OFDM CR system. A simple back-off scheme is proposed, and simulation results are provided which show that the proposed scheme is very effective in mitigating the negative impact of channel estimation errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We give the exact form of the fidelity for general bosonic Gaussian channels in cases where the channel's input are limited to Gaussian pure states. Some examples have been studied and the properties of the fidelity for memory channel are carefully examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the problem of insufficient supply of aggregate for cemented filling material, the experimental research on the mix ratio of cemented filling material using construction waste as recycled coarse aggregate was carried out. A ternary quadratic regression model was created using the Box-Behnken design (BBD) based on the response surface methodology (RSM), using slump, bleeding ratio, and 28 d uniaxial compressive strength of the filling material as response variables, and the model's accuracy and reliability were confirmed. The findings of the regression model reveal that the response value is influenced by a single component as well as the interaction between the two factors. Finally, based on filling material cost optimization model, an optimal mix ratio is given, in which the wet fly ash/aggregate ratio, Talbol gradation index of recycled aggregate, and dosage of water reducing agent to cement are 0.507, 0.5, and 0.678%, respectively. The filling material which adopted the optimal mix ratio exhibited a good performance with slump of 215 mm and bleeding ratio of 4.00%, uniaxial compressive strength increased significantly within 3 d, and 28 d uniaxial compressive strength was 4.08 MPa, which meet the requirements of field construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The 5-5-1 criteria (> 5 minutes - 5 cannulation attempts - 1 unintended pancreas duct cannulation) were proposed by the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy to define difficult biliary cannulation. However, the criteria may be inappropriate for trainee-involved procedures. We developed criteria for difficult cannulation in trainee-involved procedures.Methods: Patients undergoing biliary cannulation with or without trainee involvement were eligible. Procedures that might be too easy (e. g. fistula) or too difficult (e. g. altered anatomy) were excluded. The primary outcome was difficult cannulation, defined as cannulation time, attempts, or inadvertent pancreatic duct (PD) cannulation exceeding the 75 % percentile of each variable. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was used.Results: After PSM, there were 1596 patients in each group. Trainee-involved procedures had longer median (interquartile range [IQR]) cannulation time (7.5 [2.2-15.3] vs. 2.0 [0.6-5.2] minutes), and more attempts (5 [2-10] vs. 2 [1-4]) and inadvertent PD cannulation (0 [0-2] vs. 0 [0-1]) vs. procedures without trainee involvement (all P < 0.001). The 15-10-2 criteria for difficult cannulation were proposed for trainee-involved cannulation and the 5-5-1 criteria were nearly confirmed for cannulation without trainee involvement. The proportions of difficult cannulation using these respective criteria were 35.5 % (95 % confidence interval [CI] 33.2 %-37.9 %) and 31.8 % (95 %CI 29.5 %-34.2 %), respectively (odds ratio 1.18 [95 %CI 1.02-1.37]). Incidences of post-ERCP pancreatitis following difficult cannulation were comparable (7.8 % [95 %CI 5.7 %-10.3 %] vs. 9.8 % [95 %CI 7.4 %-12.8 %], respectively).Conclusion: By using the 75 % percentiles as cutoffs, the proposed 15-10-2 criteria for difficult cannulation could be appropriate in trainee-involved procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polypyridyl ruthenium complexes as novel photosensitizers had drawn attention due to its high selectivity towards cancer cells and low toxicity to normal cells. Herein, we synthesized a lysosome-targeted polypyridyl ruthenium complex Rhein-Ru(bpy) 3 (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine, rhein = 4,5-dihydroxy-9,10-dioxoanthracene-2-carboxylic acid), tethering with the Chinese medicine herb rhein. Rhein-Ru(bpy) 3 exhibited high phototoxicity with short time of irradiation against tumor cell lines with the IC 50 value of 2.4– 8.7 μM, and higher cytotoxicity against cisplatin-resistant A2780 cell lines, suggesting that Rhein-Ru(bpy) 3 could overcome the cisplatin resistance. Moreover, Rhein-Ru(bpy) 3 displayed low cytotoxicity towards cell lines in dark incubation, which was beneficial to reduce the toxic side effects towards normal cell lines. Besides, the confocal imaging and western blotting assay results suggested that Rhein-Ru(bpy) 3 could induce cancer cell death through the autophagy pathway. These results inspired us that lysosome-targeted photosensitizers based on ruthenium complexes showed great potential for photodynamic therapy (PDT) application in cancer treatment. A lysosome-targeted photodynamic anticancer agent polypyridyl ruthenium complex Rhein-Ru(bpy) 3 (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine, rhein = 4,5-dihydroxy-9,10-dioxoanthracene-2-carboxylic acid) induces cancer cell death under light irradiation through the autophagy pathway. Unlabelled Image • Lysosome-targeted. • High phototoxicity. • No drug resistance. • High lipophilicity. • Autophagy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The P300 event-related potential (ERP) varies across individuals, and exploring this variability deepens our knowledge of the event, and scope for its potential applications. Previous studies exploring the P300 have relied on either electroencephalography (EEG) or functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We applied simultaneous event-related EEG-fMRI to investigate how the network structure is updated from rest to the P300 task so as to guarantee information processing in the oddball task. We first identified 14 widely distributed regions of interest (ROIs) that were task-associated, including the inferior frontal gyrus and the middle frontal gyrus, etc. The task-activated network was found to closely relate to the concurrent P300 amplitude, and moreover, the individuals with optimized resting-state brain architectures experienced the pruning of network architecture, i.e. decreasing connectivity, when the brain switched from rest to P300 task. Our present simultaneous EEG-fMRI study explored the brain reconfigurations governing the variability in P300 across individuals, which provided the possibility to uncover new biomarkers to predict the potential for personalized control of brain-computer interfaces. • Simultaneous EEG-fMRI is used to study P300 variability during the oddball task. • Network reconfiguration helps to uncover the P300 variability. • Low P300 group shows enhanced connectivity deviating from resting state. • The smaller the network updates, the larger the P300 amplitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study amorphous systems with completely random sites and find that, through constructing and exploring a concrete model Hamiltonian, such a system can host an exotic phase of topological amorphous metal in three dimensions. In contrast to the traditional Weyl semimetals, topological amorphous metals break translational symmetry, and thus they cannot be characterized by the first Chern number defined based on the momentum space band structures. Instead, their topological properties will manifest in the Bott index and the Hall conductivity as well as the surface states. By studying the energy band and quantum transport properties, we find that topological amorphous metals exhibit a diffusive metal behavior. We further introduce a practical experimental proposal with electric circuits where the predicted phenomena can be observed using state-of-the-art technologies. Our results open the door to exploring topological gapless phenomena in amorphous systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthetic lethality was proposed nearly a century ago by geneticists and recently applied to develop precision anti-cancer therapies. To exploit the synthetic lethality concept in the design of chemical anti-cancer agents, we developed a bio-orthogonally catalyzed lethality (BCL) strategy to generate targeting anti-tumor metallodrugs both in vitro and in vivo. Metallodrug Ru-rhein was generated from two non-toxic species Ru-N3 and rhein-alkyne via exclusive endogenous copper-catalyzed azide alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction without the need of an external copper catalyst. The non-toxic species Ru-arene complex Ru-N3 and rhein-alkyne were designed to perform this strategy, and the mitochondrial targeting product Ru-rhein was generated in high yield (>83%) and showed high anti-tumor efficacy in vitro. This BCL strategy achieved a remarkable tumor suppression effect on the tumor-bearing mice models. It is interesting that the combination of metal-arene complexes with rhein via CuAAC reaction could transform two non-toxic species into a targeting anti-cancer metallodrug both in vitro and in vivo , while the product Ru-rhein was non-toxic towards normal cells. This is the first example that exclusive endogenous copper was used to generate metal-based anti-cancer drugs for cancer treatment. The anti-cancer mechanism of Ru-rhein was studied and autophagy was induced by increased reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial damage. The generality of this BCL strategy was also studied and it could be extended to other metal complexes such as Os-arene and Ir-arene complexes. Compared with the traditional methods for cancer treatment, this work presented a new approach to generating targeting metallodrugs in vivo via the BCL strategy from non-toxic species in metal-based chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. The immune system of piglets is not fully developed at weaning. The immature adaptive immune system along with the change in the feed types and the living conditions make piglets susceptible to pathogenic infections, and result in diarrhoea and decreased growth. However, the underlying mechanisms require further research. Aims. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of weaning on the growth performance and intestinal immune function of piglets. Methods. In total, 40 piglets with similar bodyweights were selected in pairs at 21 days old and divided into the suckling group (SG, breastfed by their mothers) and weaning group (WG, weaned at 21 days old). Eight piglets from each group were randomly selected and sacrificed at 24 days (SG3 and WG3) and 28 days of age (SG7 and WG7). The growth performance, T lymphocyte subpopulations, the concentration of cytokines and immunoglobulins, and the expression of Notch2 signalling proteins were determined. Key results. The weaning caused a decrease in bodyweight (P < 0.01) and the ratio of CD3+CD4+/CD3+CD8+ T cells in the thymus (P < 0.05). Compared with SG3, the concentration of secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) in the jejunum was decreased, and that of interleukin 2 (IL-2) in serum and ileum, IL-1β and IL-2 in jejunum were upregulated (P < 0.01), while IL-10 in the small intestine was downregulated (P < 0.05) in WG3. Weaning downregulated gene expression of IL-4 and upregulated gene expression of IL-1β, IL-12, and interferon γ (IFN-γ) in small intestine (P < 0.05). Weaning downregulated protein expression of Notch2 and Hes1 but upregulated Jagged1 expression in small intestine of piglets (P < 0.05). Conclusions. Weaning caused an imbalance in T lymphocyte distribution, thus impairing the intestinal immune function of piglets, which might be associated with the Notch2 signalling. Furthermore, weaning caused adverse effects on piglets especially on the first 3 days, which were partly recovered after 3 days, but still existed at 7 days after weaning. Implications. The results of this study may guide the pig-raising industry, especially for the management of piglets shortly after weaning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preventing pathogenic viral and bacterial transmission in the human environment is critical, especially in potential outbreaks that may be caused by the release of ancient bacteria currently trapped in the permafrost. Existing commercial disinfectants present issues such as a high carbon footprint. This study proposes a sustainable alternative, a bioliquid derived from biomass prepared by hydrothermal liquefaction. Results indicate a high inactivation rate of pathogenic virus and bacteria by the as-prepared bioliquid, such as up to 99.99% for H1N1, H5N1, H7N9 influenza A virus, and Bacillus subtilis var. niger spores and 99.49% for Bacillus anthracis. Inactivation of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis confirmed that low-molecular-weight and low-polarity compounds in bioliquid are potential antibacterial components. High temperatures promoted the production of antibacterial substances via depolymerization and dehydration reactions. Moreover, bioliquid was innoxious as confirmed by the rabbit skin test, and the cost per kilogram of the bioliquid was $0.04427, which is notably lower than that of commercial disinfectants. This study demonstrates the potential of biomass to support our biosafety with greater environmental sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The in-plane magnetic logic device is a spin-based technology which offers several advantages over charged-based devices such as non-volatility, ultra-low power and greater integration density. A novel low-power digital latch circuit is proposed by using various shaped nanomagnets. Specifically, a pipelined clocking layout is effectively constructed to ensure sequential and reliable operation. The simulation results show that the magnetic logic latch performs well. The proposed circuit is promising in building future ultra-low power magnetic memories, and may inspire new applications (i.e. magnetic arithmetic circuits). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a systematic study of the spectral functions of a time-periodically driven Falicov-Kimball Hamiltonian. In the high-frequency limit, this system can be effectively described as a Harper-Hofstadter-Falicov-Kimball model. Using real-space Floquet dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT), we take into account the interaction effects and contributions from higher Floquet bands in a nonperturbative way. Our calculations show a high degree of similarity between the interacting driven system and its effective static counterpart with respect to spectral properties. However, as also illustrated by our results, one should bear in mind that Floquet DMFT describes a nonequilibrium steady state, while an effective static Hamiltonian describes an equilibrium state. We further demonstrate the possibility of using real-space Floquet DMFT to study edge states on a cylinder geometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To clarify the path of the temporal branch of facial nerve (TB) crossing the zygomatic arch (ZA). Eighteen fresh adult heads specimens were carefully dissected in the zygomatic region, with the location of TB as well as its number documented. The hierarchical relationship between the temporal branch and the soft tissue in this region was observed on 64 P45 plastinated slices. 1. TB crosses the ZA as type I (21.8 %), type II (50.0 %,), and type III (28.1 %) twigs. 2. At the level of the superior edge of the ZA, the average distance between the anterior trunk of TB and the anterior part of the auricle is 36.36±6.56 mm, for the posterior trunk is 25.59±5.29 mm. At the level of the inferior edge of the ZA, the average distance between the anterior trunk of TB and the anterior part of the auricle is 25.77±6.19 mm, for the posterior trunk is 19.16±4.71 mm. 3. The average length of ZA is 62.06±5.36 mm. TB crosses the inferior edge of the ZA at an average of 14.67±6.45 mm. TB crosses the superior edge of the ZA at an average of 9.08±4.54 mm. 4. At the level of the ZA, TB passes on the surface of the pericranium while below the SMAS. The TB obliquely crosses the middle 1/3 part of the superior margin of the ZA and the junction of the middle 1/3 part and the posterior 1/3 part of the inferior margin of the ZA below the SMAS while beyond the periosteum. It is suggested that this area should be avoided in clinical operation to avoid the injury of TB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Value perception is an important basis for behavior coordination in collaborative governance. Two variables, collaborative ability and relationship quality, were introduced to form the theoretical framework of "perceived-competency-relations-behavior". A chain-mediated model was constructed to explore the mediating effects of collaborative ability, relationship quality, and their joint influence on the relationship between value perception and behavior coordination. The results show that: value perception can significantly enhance behavior coordination in atmospheric collaborative governance; collaborative ability and relationship quality respectively serve as a mediator between value perception and behavior coordination; collaborative ability and relationship quality jointly play a chain mediating role between value perception and behavior coordination. The conclusions enrich the research on the intrinsic mechanism of value perception affecting behavior coordination, and can provide a reference for decision-making in exploring behavior coordination paths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backgrounds: Many studies suggest that both psychotherapy and drug therapy are effective in the treatment of bipolar disorders (BDs). However, the pathophysiology of both types of intervention has not been established definitively. Methods: An activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis was performed to identify the distinct brain activity alterations between psychotherapy and drug therapy for the treatment of BDs. Articles were identified by searching databases including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases. Eligible studies on BDs were published up until 10 June 2021. Results: 21 studies were included and we conducted a meta-analysis for different therapies and imaging tasks. After receiving psychotherapy, BD patients showed increased activation in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and superior temporal gyrus. While after taking drug therapy, BD patients displayed increased activation in the anterior cingulate cortex, medial frontal gyrus, IFG, and decreased activation in the posterior cingulate cortex. The regions of brain activity changes caused by psychotherapy were mostly focused on the frontal areas, while drug therapy mainly impacted on the limbic areas. Different type of tasks also affected brain regions which were activated. Conclusions: Our comprehensive meta-analysis indicates that these two treatments might have effect on BD in their own therapeutic modes. Psychotherapy might have a top-down effect, while drug therapy might have a bottom-up effect. This study may contribute to differential diagnosis of BDs and would be helpful to finding more accurate neuroimaging biomarkers for BD treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To identify possible risk factors associated with post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) pancreatitis (PEP) in biliary stricture (BS), common bile duct stone (CBDS) and unselected patients. Materials and methods: Consecutive ERCP patients with native papilla from January 2010 to December 2014 in Xijing Hospital were eligible. Patient-related and procedure-related parameters were collected retrospectively. The primary outcome was PEP. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used for data analysis. Results: Totally 3133 unselected patients were included. 695 (22.2%) had BS alone and 1893 (60.4%) had CBDS alone. PEP incidence was higher in BS group compared with CBDS group (6.8% vs. 3.8%, p = .001). Among patient-related factors, duodenal stenosis (OR, 2.74; 95%CI, 1.14-6.59) and hilar stricture (OR, 2.59; 95%CI, 1.41-4.77) were found to be independently associated with PEP in BS group. While female gender (OR, 2.11; 95%CI, 1.20-3.73) and normal total bilirubin (OR, 1.93; 95%CI, 1.13-3.32) were related to PEP in CBDS group. Among procedure-related factors, cannulation time ≥ 5 min (OR, 2.38; 95%CI, 1.06-5.33) and precut (OR, 3.20; 95%CI, 1.35-7.59) was respectively the only independent risk factor for PEP in BS and CBDS group. Conclusions: Patients with BS and CBDS had different patterns of patient-related and procedure-related risk factors for PEP. The prophylaxis of PEP may need to be individualized based on different indications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]