Search

Background: The 2018/2023 ESC/ESH Guidelines underlined a gap how baseline cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk predicted blood pressure (BP) lowering benefits. Further, 2017 ACC/AHA Guideline and 2021 WHO Guideline recommended implementation studies about intensive BP control. Now, to bridge these guideline gaps, we conducted a post hoc analysis to validate whether the baseline CVD risk influences the effectiveness of the intensive BP control strategy, which was designed by China Rural Hypertension Control Project (CRHCP). Methods: This is a post hoc analysis of CRHCP, among which participants were enrolled except those having CVD history, over 80 years old, or missing data. Subjects were stratified into quartiles by baseline estimated CVD risk and then grouped into intervention and usual care group according to original assignment in CRHCP. Participants in the intervention group received an integrated, multi-faceted treatment strategy, executed by trained non-physician community health-care providers, aiming to achieve a BP target of < 130/80 mmHg. Cox proportional-hazards models were used to estimate the hazard ratios of outcomes for intervention in each quartile, while interaction effect between intervention and estimated CVD risk quartiles was additionally assessed. The primary outcome comprised myocardial infarction, stroke, hospitalization for heart failure, or CVD deaths. Results: Significant lower rates of primary outcomes for intervention group compared with usual care for each estimated CVD risk quartile were reported. The hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) in the four quartiles (from Q1 to Q4) were 0.59 (0.40, 0.87), 0.54 (0.40, 0.72), 0.72 (0.57, 0.91) and 0.65 (0.53, 0.80), respectively (all Ps < 0.01). There's no significant difference of hazard ratios by intervention across risk quartiles (P for interaction = 0.370). Only the relative risk of hypotension, not symptomatic hypotension, was elevated in the intervention group among upper three quartiles. Conclusions: Intensive BP lowering strategy designed by CRHCP group was effective and safe in preventing cardiovascular events independent of baseline CVD risk. Trial registration: The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03527719. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study provides a detailed molecular mechanism of the layer‐by‐layer (LbL) film formation process involving BB polymers. The roles of adsorbed and non‐adsorbed chain segments during the layer buildup are revealed by employing surface force apparatus (SFA) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) to probe critical aspects such as surface coverage, polymer conformation at the surface, adhesive properties, and morphology after each layer deposition. The results show that the thickness, nanomechanical properties, and surface chemistry of the nanofilms are significantly influenced by the number of layers. All these cues have an important impact on cell behavior when employed as coatings for culture substrates. The evidence is shown that cells respond very differently to these cues and exhibit behavior that goes from superproliferation down to accelerated death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solvent effects in catalytic reactions have received widespread attention as they can promote reaction rates and product selectivities by orders of magnitude. It is well accepted that the stable five‐membered cyclic intermediates formed between the solvent molecules and Ti species are crucial to the alkene epoxidation in a heterogeneous Ti(IV)−H2O2 system. However, the direct spectroscopic evidence of these intermediates is still missing and the corresponding reaction pathway for the alkene epoxidation remains unclear. By combining in situ 13C MAS NMR, two‐dimensional (2D) 1H−13C heteronuclear correlation (HETCOR) NMR spectroscopy and theoretical calculations, the five‐membered ring structures, where the protic solvents (ROH), and aprotic solvent (acetone), coordinate and stabilize the active Ti species, are identified for the first time over Ti‐Beta/H2O2 system. Moreover, the role of these cyclic intermediates in the alkene epoxidation/hydration conversion is clarified. These results provide new insights into the solvent effect in liquid‐phase epoxidation/hydration reactions over Ti(IV)−H2O2 system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solvent effects in catalytic reactions have received widespread attention as they can promote reaction rates and product selectivities by orders of magnitude. It is well accepted that the stable five‐membered cyclic intermediates formed between the solvent molecules and Ti species are crucial to the alkene epoxidation in a heterogeneous Ti(IV)−H2O2 system. However, the direct spectroscopic evidence of these intermediates is still missing and the corresponding reaction pathway for the alkene epoxidation remains unclear. By combining in situ 13C MAS NMR, two‐dimensional (2D) 1H−13C heteronuclear correlation (HETCOR) NMR spectroscopy and theoretical calculations, the five‐membered ring structures, where the protic solvents (ROH), and aprotic solvent (acetone), coordinate and stabilize the active Ti species, are identified for the first time over Ti‐Beta/H2O2 system. Moreover, the role of these cyclic intermediates in the alkene epoxidation/hydration conversion is clarified. These results provide new insights into the solvent effect in liquid‐phase epoxidation/hydration reactions over Ti(IV)−H2O2 system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of a high density of defects at the perovskite/electron transport layer (ETL) interface results in significant nonradiative recombination losses, thus impeding the efficiency enhancement of perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells (TSCs). In this investigation, a metallocene‐based molecule, cobalt (III) dichlorophene hexafluorophosphate (CcPF6), is employed for perovskite surface passivation. To maximize its efficacy, the molecule is dissolved in a mixed solvent of acetonitrile and chlorobenzene, leading to the reconstruction of the perovskite surface and effective passivation of surface defects. This modification strategy substantially enhances the overall efficiency of perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells by mitigating the issue of low fill factor resulting from non‐uniform coating of the top perovskite layer on the textured silicon bottom cell. Leveraging a double‐sided textured silicon heterojunction (HJT) bottom cell, a certified power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 30.43% for a monolithic perovskite/silicon TSC (1.00 cm2) is achieved, featuring an open‐circuit voltage (Voc) of 1.93 V and a fill factor (FF) of 78.43%. After storage in the drying cabinet (5% humidity at 20 °C) for 1000 h, the device retains 94.27% of its initial performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is difficult to find a valid high-order (of Reynolds number) analytical approximation to the uniform viscous flow past an infinite circular cylinder by applying perturbation techniques. In this study, we show that by accelerating flow past a circular cylinder with taking unsteady Stokes' solution as an initial approximation, higher-order approximation solutions to unsteady Oseen's equation can be obtained by an iteration scheme of perturbation, which exactly satisfy the boundary conditions. As a matter of fact, the nonlinear (convective) term linearized by Oseen's approximation is overweighted especially near the body surface. To eliminate the overweight, a multi-region analysis is proposed in this study to improve analytical unsteady Oseen's solution so as to extend the valid range of Reynolds numbers. In other words, the flow region is hypothetically divided into several annular regions, and the linearized convective term in each region is modified by multiplying with a Carrier's coefficient c (0 < c ≤ 1). The results show that, when the accelerating parameter in the range of 0.5 ≤ a ≤ 4, the maximum effective Reynolds number Reeff of the fourth-order five-region solution is both much larger than that of Stokes' and Oseen's ones. For example, when a = 0.5, Reeff = 22.26 is roughly eight times that of Stokes' solution (Reeff = 2.67), and nine times that of Oseen's solution (Reeff = 2.41). Moreover, when the instantaneous Reynolds number Re(t) is smaller than the Reeff, the flow separation angle and the wake length are both consistent with the numerical results obtained by accurately solving the full Navier-Stokes equations. In addition, the flow properties, including the drag coefficients, streamline patterns, and the pressure coefficients, as well as the vorticity distributions also agree well with the numerical results. This study represents a significant extension of our previous study for unsteady Stokes' equation [Xu et al., Phys. Fluids 35, 033608 (2023)] to unsteady Oseen's equation and its generalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a fixed-time sliding mode control scheme is developed to fulfill the trajectory tracking task of a marine surface vehicle with unknown dynamics. To restrain the adverse effects of the unknown dynamics including the parameter inaccuracy and exogenous disturbances, a fixed-time disturbance observer is designed to estimate the lumped uncertainties using the bi-limit homogeneous theory without requiring any knowledge of the model uncertainties. Then, a nominal tracking controller is proposed to stabilize the error dynamic model in the sense of fixed-time Lyapunov stability, based on which a novel integral-type sliding mode manifold with bi-limit homogeneity is constructed to drive tracking error convergence in fixed time. To enhance the robustness of the vessel control system, a disturbance observer–based fixed-time integral sliding mode tracking controller is finally proposed, and the chattering phenomenon is effectively alleviated by direct estimation compensations. The analysis of Lyapunov stability indicates that the closed-loop system is fixed-time stable. Numerical simulations on a model vessel are carried out to validate theoretical results of the proposed control scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current status data are a type of failure time data that arise when the failure time of study subject cannot be determined precisely but is known only to occur before or after a random monitoring time. Variable selection methods for the failure time data have been discussed extensively in the literature. However, the statistical inference of the model selected based on the variable selection method ignores the uncertainty caused by model selection. To enhance the prediction accuracy for risk quantities such as survival probability, we propose two optimal model averaging methods under semiparametric additive hazards models. Specifically, based on martingale residuals processes, a delete‐one cross‐validation (CV) process is defined, and two new CV functional criteria are derived for choosing model weights. Furthermore, we present a greedy algorithm for the implementation of the techniques, and the asymptotic optimality of the proposed model averaging approaches is established, along with the convergence of the greedy averaging algorithms. A series of simulation experiments demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed methods. Finally, a real‐data example is provided as an illustration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We deal with the following predator-prey model involving nonlinear indirect chemotaxis mechanism { u t = Δ u + ξ ∇ ⋅ (u ∇ w) + a 1 u (1 − u r 1 − 1 − b 1 v) , x ∈ Ω , t > 0 , v t = Δ v − χ ∇ ⋅ (v ∇ w) + a 2 v (1 − v r 2 − 1 + b 2 u) , x ∈ Ω , t > 0 , w t = Δ w − w + z γ , x ∈ Ω , t > 0 , 0 = Δ z − z + u α + v β , x ∈ Ω , t > 0 , under homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions in a bounded and smooth domain Ω ⊂ R n (n ≥ 1 ), where the parameters ξ , χ , a 1 , a 2 , b 1 , b 2 , α , β , γ > 0 . It has been shown that if r 1 > 1 , r 2 > 2 and γ (α + β) < 2 n , then there exist some suitable initial data such that the system has a global classical solution (u , v , w , z) , which is bounded in Ω × (0 , ∞) . Compared to the previous contributions, in this work, the boundedness criteria are only determined by the power exponents r 1 , r 2 , α , β , γ and spatial dimension n instead of the coefficients of the system and the sizes of initial data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the recovery of phosphorus from human urine via electrochemical precipitation, employing magnesium alloy tailings as electrodes. The observed pH change during the process was primarily attributed to ammonium precipitation. However, the hydroxide produced by the cathode could potentially have a negative effect. There was a strong correlation between the amount of precipitate produced and pH, which can serve as a useful parameter for monitoring the effectiveness of the treatment. However, electrode corrosion significantly influenced the purity of the resultant struvite product. To counteract this, a device was designed to separate struvite from the electrode corrosion products using fluid flow, which led to an increase in purity. The pilot-scale application of magnesium electrodes proved to be an effective method for phosphorus recovery, achieving a high removal rate through adjustments to the residence time and current density. However, the limited source of wastewater resulted in a struvite production value that was considerably below the maintenance costs. Hence, the economic feasibility of this process necessitates further enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effects of BaCu(B 2 O 5) (BCB) additive on the low-temperature sintering behaviour, microstructure evolution and microwave dielectric properties of (Co 0.35 Zn 0.65)TiNb2O8 (CZTN) ceramics were systematically investigated by introducing the additive into the solid-state sintering process. Adding BCB successfully lowered CZTN ceramics' sintering temp from 1150 °C to 925 °C while preserving their superior microwave dielectric properties at the lower temperature. However, excessive BCB tends to disrupt the equilibrium between the native ixiolite and rutile phases within the ceramic matrix, thereby instigating a relative augmentation of the rutile phase, ultimately culminating in a positive shift in the temperature coefficient of the resonant frequency. Specific experimental data show that the CZTN ceramics prepared with a BCB content of 4 wt% exhibited good microwave dielectric properties after sintering at 925 ℃ for 4 h: relative dielectric constant (ε r) = 36.7, quality factor (Q × f) = 19,880 GHz, and τ f = +14.2 ppm/℃. In addition, the ceramic system showed good chemical compatibility when co-fired with Ag without significant elemental diffusion. This work reveals the specific role of BCB in enhancing low-temperature sintering of CZTN ceramics and pinpoints its ideal addition range, thereby offering crucial scientific insights and technical support for developing high-performance microwave dielectric ceramics for LTCC technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the status of demoralization syndrome and the factors affecting demoralization in burn patients. This study employed a cross-sectional research design and utilized a face-to-face questionnaire to gather data from adult burn patients with burn depths classified as second-degree or higher. The Demoralization Scale Mandarin Version, the Perceived Social Support Scale, the Herth Hope Index, and the Medical Coping Method Questionnaire were used to assess the level of demoralization, perceived social support, sense of hope, and coping strategies, respectively. General information, including socio-demographic data and disease characteristics, were collected. The patients' level of demoralization was categorized as the mean ± 1 standard deviation of the DS-MV scores. The data was analyzed using IBM SPSS 26.0 software to explore the relationship between the variables. This study included 381 burn patients with a mean DS-MV score of 34.62 ± 18.319. Of these, 66 (17.3%) had mild demoralization, 241 (63.3%) had moderate demoralization, and 74 (19.4%) had severe demoralization. Cause of burn, total burn area, average monthly income of the individual, occupation, sense of hope, perceived social support, and medical coping strategies were the important factors associated with the severity of demoralization in burn patients. Patients with burn injuries exhibit a notable prevalence and severity of demoralization indicating focused attention. By considering associated risk factors, healthcare professionals can devise and execute tailored intervention strategies aimed at mitigating the occurrence and intensity of demoralization in burn patients. • More than half of burn patients suffer from demoralization syndrome. • Hope, perceived social support, and acceptance-resignation coping styles are important factors affecting the burn patients' demoralization syndrome. • Total area of burns, cause of burns, occupation, and economic status can influence the level of demoralization among burn patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapidly ever‐growing wireless communication demands development of low loss, ultralow sintering temperature dielectric ceramics with excellent microwave properties. In this work, fabrication and properties of novel microwave dielectric composite ceramics (1 − x)(Na0.5Bi0.5)MoO4–xBaMoO4 (x = 0.3–0.6), in short as ((1 − x)NBM–xBM), synthesized via solid‐state reaction method with an ultralow sintering temperature is reported. X‐ray diffraction analysis confirms the coexistence of both (Na0.5Bi0.5)MoO4 and BaMoO4 scheelite phases. Scanning electron microscopy analysis demonstrated dense microstructures of ceramics sintered at 650°C and 700°C. The dielectric properties of (1 − x)NBM–xBM (x = 0.3–0.6) ceramic are significantly tailored by incorporation of BaMoO4. With the increase in x from 0.3 to 0.6, the (1 − x)(Na0.5Bi0.5)MoO4–xBaMoO4 displays noticeable change in microwave permittivity εr${\varepsilon }_r$ (varying from 25.4 to 16.6), quality factor (Q×f)$(Q \times f)$ values, and temperature coefficient of frequency (τf)$({\tau }_f)$ (range tunable from +37.6 ppm/°C to −14.2 ppm/°C). The microwave dielectric ceramic, 0.5(Na0.5Bi0.5)MoO4–0.5BaMoO4, has optimum dielectric properties (εr=19.02${\varepsilon }_{\mathrm{r}} = 19.02$, Q×f$Q \times f$ = 15 164 GHz, τf = −0.2 ppm/°C) at sintering temperature of 650°C. The dielectric resonator antenna designed using (1 − x)(Na0.5Bi0.5)MoO4–xBaMoO4 ceramics demonstrated excellent radiation performance at resonance frequency of 5.905 GHz, gain of ∼5.8 dBi and 140 MHz bandwidth, which validates its microwave applications utilization within the field of ultralow temperature cofired ceramics technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider the following quasilinear chemotaxis system involving nonlocal effect u t = ∇ · (φ (u) ∇ u) - ∇ · (u ∇ v) + μ u 1 - ∫ Ω u α d x , x ∈ Ω , t > 0 , [ 2.5 m m ] 0 = Δ v - m (t) + u , m (t) = 1 | Ω | ∫ Ω u (x , t) d x , x ∈ Ω , t > 0 , [ 2.5 m m ] u (x , 0) = u 0 (x) , x ∈ Ω , where Ω = B R (0) ⊂ R n (n ≥ 3) with R > 0 , the parameters μ , α are positive constants and diffusion function φ (u) ≤ C 0 (1 + u) - m for all u ≥ 0 with C 0 > 0 and m > - 1. It has been shown that if 0 < α < min 2 , n 2 , n (m + 1) 2 , then there exist suitable initial data u 0 such that the corresponding radially symmetric solution blows up in finite time. In this work, we extend the blow-up result established by previous researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To test the relationship between social face consciousness (SFC) and life satisfaction (LS) among new employees in a Chinese context, we administered the Consciousness of Social Face Scale, the Satisfaction With Life Scale, the Perceived Social Support Scale, and the Ruminative Responses Scale to 624 employees with 1 year or less of service in the job market. The results showed that SFC had a significant negative predictive effect on new employees' LS, and indirectly affected new employees' LS through perceived social support. Further, rumination played a significant role in moderating the influence of SFC on new employees' LS; specifically, for new employees with a low level of rumination, SFC had no significant predictive effect on LS, whereas for those with a high level of rumination, SFC had a significant negative predictive effect on their LS. Thus, SFC inhibits new employees' LS and affects LS through the intermediary role of perceived social support, while rumination moderates this relationship. This study provides insight into how new employees can improve their LS in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractA large literature has been established for random survival forest (RSF), a popular tool developed to analyze right-censored failure time data, under various situations. However, its prediction performance may not be optimal sometimes. To address this issue, we propose two optimal model averaging methods based on martingale residual processes. In particular, an in-of-bag and out-of-bag (IBOB) data process is defined, and two new IBOB functionals criteria are derived for the selection of weights. Furthermore, for their implementation, a greedy algorithm is presented, and the asymptotic optimality of the proposed model averaging approaches is established along with the convergence of the greedy averaging algorithms. Finally, an extensive simulation study is conducted, which indicates that the proposed methods work well, and an illustration is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IF/TA), a histologic feature of kidney allograft destruction, is linked to decreased allograft survival. The role of lipid metabolism is well-acknowledged in the area of chronic kidney diseases; however, its role in kidney allograft fibrosis is still unclarified. In this study, how lipid metabolism contributes to kidney allografts fibrosis was examined. Methods: A comprehensive bioinformatic comparison between IF/TA and normal kidney allograft in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was conducted. Further validations through transcriptome profiling or pathological staining of human recipient biopsy samples and in rat models of kidney transplantation were performed. Additionally, the effects of enhanced lipid metabolism on changes in the fibrotic phenotype induced by TGF-β1 were examined in HK-2 cell. Results: In-depth analysis of the GEO dataset revealed a notable downregulation of lipid metabolism pathways in human kidney allografts with IF/TA. This decrease was associated with increased level of allograft rejection, inflammatory responses, and epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). Pathway enrichment analysis showed the downregulation in mitochondrial LC-fatty acid beta-oxidation, fatty acid beta-oxidation (FAO), and fatty acid biosynthesis. Dysregulated fatty acid metabolism was also observed in biopsy samples from human kidney transplants and in fibrotic rat kidney allografts. Notably, the areas affected by IF/TA had increased immune cell infiltration, during which increased EMT biomarkers and reduced CPT1A expression, a key FAO enzyme, were shown by immunohistochemistry. Moreover, under TGF-β1 induction, activating CPT1A with the compound C75 effectively inhibited migration and EMT process in HK-2 cells. Conclusions: This study reveal a critical correlation between dysregulated lipid metabolism and kidney allograft fibrosis. Enhancing lipid metabolism with CPT1A agonists could be a therapeutic approach to mitigate kidney allografts fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the following chemotaxis system with nonlinear consumption mechanisms is considered ut = Δu − χ∇ · (u∇v) + ξ∇ · (u∇w) + au − bum, vt = Δv − uαv, wt = Δw − uβw under homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions, where Ω ⊂ R n (n ≥ 2) is a smoothly bounded domain and parameters χ, ξ, a, b, α, β > 0 and m > 1. If m and l = max{α, β} satisfy m > max l (n + 2) 2 , 1 , then the system possesses a global classical solution, which is bounded in Ω × (0, ∞). Furthermore, it has been shown that such solution exponentially converges to equilibrium ( ( a b ) 1 m − 1 , 0 , 0) as t → ∞, where convergence rate can be formally characterized by the parameters of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Berberine (BBR) is a natural alkaloid with multiple biotical effects that has potential as a treatment for fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome (FLHS). However, the mechanism underlying the protective effect of BBR against FLHS remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of BBR on FLHS induced by a high-energy, low-protein (HELP) diet and explore the involvement of the gut microbiota and bile acid metabolism in the protective effects. A total of 90 healthy 140-day-old Hy-line laying hens were randomly divided into three groups, including a control group (fed a basic diet), a HELP group (fed a HELP diet), and a HELP+BBR group (high-energy, high-protein diet supplemented with BBR instead of maize). Our results show that BBR supplementation alleviated liver injury and hepatic steatosis in laying hens. Moreover, BBR supplementation could significantly regulate the gut's microbial composition, increasing the abundance of Actinobacteria and Romboutsia. In addition, the BBR supplement altered the profile of bile acid. Furthermore, the gut microbiota participates in bile acid metabolism, especially taurochenodeoxycholic acid and α-muricholic acid. BBR supplementation could regulate the expression of genes and proteins related to glucose metabolism, lipid synthesis (FAS, SREBP-1c), and bile acid synthesis (FXR, CYP27a1). Collectively, our findings demonstrate that BBR might be a potential feed additive for preventing FLHS by regulating the gut microbiota and bile acid metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) is a hazardous substance that poses significant risks to environmental ecosystems and animal organisms. However, the specific consequences of Cr(VI) exposure in terms of liver damage remain incompletely understood. This study aims to elucidate the mechanism by which Cr(VI) disrupts mitochondrial dynamics, leading to hepatic injury in ducks. Forty-eight healthy 8-day-old ducks were divided into four groups and subjected to diets containing varying doses of Cr(VI) (0, 9.28, 46.4, and 232 mg/kg) for 49 days. Our results demonstrated that Cr(VI) exposure resulted in disarranged liver lobular vacuolation, along with increasing the serum levels of ALT, AST, and AKP in a dose-dependent manner, which indicated liver damage. Furthermore, Cr(VI) exposure induced oxidative stress by reducing the activities of T-SOD, SOD, GSH-Px, GSH, and CAT, while increasing the contents of MDA and H2O2. Moreover, Cr(VI) exposure downregulated the activities of CS and MDH, resulting in energy disturbance, as evidenced by the reduced AMPK/p-AMPK ratio and PGC-1α protein expression. Additionally, Cr(VI) exposure disrupted mitochondrial dynamics through decreased expression of OPA1, Mfn1, and Mfn2 and increased expression of Drp-1, Fis1, and MFF proteins. This disruption ultimately triggered mitochondria-mediated apoptosis, as evidenced by elevated levels of caspase-3, Cyt C, and Bax, along with decreased expression of Bcl-2 and the Bcl-2/Bax ratio, at both the protein and mRNA levels. In summary, this study highlights that Cr(VI) exposure induces oxidative stress, inhibits the AMPK-PGC-1α pathway, disrupts mitochondrial dynamics, and triggers liver cell apoptosis in ducks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with a quasilinear parabolic–parabolic–elliptic chemotaxis system u t = ∇ · (φ (u) ∇ u - ψ (u) ∇ v) + a u - b u γ , x ∈ Ω , t > 0 , v t = Δ v - v + w γ 1 , x ∈ Ω , t > 0 , 0 = Δ w - w + u γ 2 , x ∈ Ω , t > 0 , under homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions in a bounded and smooth domain Ω ⊂ R n (n ≥ 1) , where a , b , γ 1 , γ 2 > 0 , γ > 1 , φ and ψ are nonlinear functions satisfying φ (s) ≥ a 0 (s + 1) α and | ψ (s) | ≤ b 0 s (1 + s) β - 1 for all s ≥ 0 with a 0 , b 0 > 0 and α , β ∈ R. When β + γ 1 γ 2 < max { n + 2 n + α , γ } , then the system has a classical solution which is globally bounded in time. Moreover, when β + γ 1 γ 2 = max { n + 2 n + α , γ } , it has been shown that the existence of global bounded classical solution depends on the size of coefficient b and initial data u 0. Furthermore, we consider a specific system with γ 1 = 1 , γ 2 = κ and γ = κ + 1 for κ > 0. If b > 0 is sufficiently large, the global classical solution(u, v, w) exponentially converges to the steady state ((a b) 1 κ , a b , a b) in L ∞ norm as t → ∞ , where convergence rate is explicitly expressed in terms of the system parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To investigate the effect of timing of statin administration on lipid-lowering efficacy. Methods: Computer searches of Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases from 1986 to 2023. The impact of administration time on the lipid-lowering efficacy of statin drugs was investigated. Following a series of screenings, a funnel plot was constructed to assess its symmetry, and Egger and Beggar tests were conducted using StataMP-64 to evaluate publication bias. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 to combine MD values. Results: Fifteen papers (1352 participants) met and included the criteria. The results of the meta-analysis showed that the effect of morning and evening administration time on plasma triglycerides (TG) (P > 0.05) and plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (P > 0.05) was not statistically significant. There were significant reductions in total cholesterol (TC) (MD: 0.15 mmol/L, 95% CI: 0.06–0.23, P < 0.01) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (MD: 0.10 mmol/L, 95% CI: − 0.00–0.20, P < 0.01) in the night group. According to the analysis results of the half-life of statins, only short half-life statins showed that nocturnal administration reduced LDL-C (MD: 0.21 mmol/L, 95% CI: 0.09–0.33, P < 0.01) and TC (MD: 0.32 mmol/L, 95% CI: 0.18–0.46, P < 0.01) levels and was better than morning administration. Long half-life statins did not show significant differences. In addition, the administration time of short half-life statins also showed that night administration tended to reduce TG (MD: 0.16 mmol/L, 95% CI: 0.02–0.30, P < 0.05) levels. In subgroup analysis according to clinical factors in patients aged < 55 years, there was no significant difference in the timing of administration between the two groups; the efficacy of statins in lowering lipids in patients aged ≥ 55 years was significantly different in the TC group (P < 0.01) and LDL-C group (P < 0.01). The administration time of the TC group (P < 0.05) and LDL-C group (P < 0.05) in the Americas, Europe, and Asian groups was significantly different for statins. In addition, the American group also showed that the administration time of the two groups was significantly different from the TG group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The efficacy of administering short half-life statin drugs at night in reducing plasma levels of TC, LDL-C, and TG surpasses that of morning administration. However, this study did not determine the impact of timing of statin administration in patients taking long half-life statins on the efficacy of the medication. Therefore, it is recommended to consider patient adherence when. The study was registered on PROSPERO (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews) as CRD42022372105 (available at https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

L -Aspartic acid is a naturally occurring compound widely used in various industries, such as pharmaceuticals, food, and cosmetics. In industry, L -aspartic acid is synthetized from fumaric acid using cells containing aspartase, and extracted by isoelectric point titration with sulfuric acid. A method for producing L -aspartic acid has been developed, which involved the coupling of maleate cis–trans isomerase (MaiA) and aspartase. However, two main challenges hinder the implementation of the "one-pot biosynthesis" method for L -aspartic acid production from maleic acid, poor stability of MaiA and enzyme imbalance (significant difference in the catalytic ability between MaiA and aspartase). To enhance the synthesis efficiency, we performed molecular modifications on the rate-limiting enzyme MaiA to enhance its catalytic ability, and optimize the expression elements to rectify the imbalance in enzyme utilization. As a result, a variant of MaiA with significantly improved thermostability and an expression system that exhibited superior catalytic performance were obtained. By employing whole-cell catalysis using 3.2 mol L−1 maleic anhydride and Escherichia coli with an OD600 of 3.0, an impressive conversion rate of 99.5% at 8 h was achieved, which represents a significant improvement over the original system (60.5% conversion rate at 12 h). Moreover, a catalysis-extraction circulation process was developed to solve the environmental pollution problem of sulfuric acid deposition in the preparation of L -aspartic acid. After the extraction process was optimized, the process of extraction of L -aspartic acid by using maleic anhydride was successfully implemented, with a yield of 90.1% and a product purity of 98%. This study represents an important step toward improving the biosynthesis of L -aspartic acid, reducing costs by more than 60% and reducing wastewater discharge and environmental pollution. The results of this study have the potential to benefit various industries that rely on L -aspartic acid as a key ingredient in their products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spectral imaging technology, which aims to capture images across multiple spectral channels and create a spectral data cube, has been widely utilized in various fields. However, conventional spectral imaging systems face challenges, such as slow acquisition speed and large size. The rapid development of optical metasurfaces, capable of manipulating light fields versatilely and miniaturizing optical components into ultrathin planar devices, offers a promising solution for compact hyperspectral imaging (HSI). This study proposes a compact snapshot compressive spectral imaging (SCSI) system by leveraging the spectral modulations of metasurfaces with dual-channel switchable metasurface filters and employing a deep-learning-based reconstruction algorithm. To achieve compactness, the proposed system integrates dual-channel switchable metasurface filters using twisted nematic liquid crystals (TNLCs) and anisotropic titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanostructures. These thin metasurface filters are closely attached to the image sensor, resulting in a compact system. The TNLCs possess a broadband linear polarization conversion ability, enabling the rapid switching of the incidence polarization state between x-polarization and y-polarization by applying different voltages. This polarization conversion facilitates the generation of two groups of transmittance spectra for wavelength-encoding, providing richer information for spectral data cube reconstruction compared to that of other snapshot compressive spectral imaging techniques. In addition, instead of employing classic iterative compressive sensing (CS) algorithms, an end-to-end residual neural network (ResNet) is utilized to reconstruct the spectral data cube. This neural network leverages the 2-frame snapshot measurements of orthogonal polarization channels. The proposed hyperspectral imaging technology demonstrates superior reconstruction quality and speed compared to those of the traditional compressive hyperspectral image recovery methods. As a result, it is expected that this technology will have substantial implications in various domains, including but not limited to object detection, face recognition, food safety, biomedical imaging, agriculture surveillance, and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the following quasilinear chemotaxis system { u t = Δ u − χ ∇ ⋅ (φ (u) ∇ v) − ξ ∇ ⋅ (ψ (u) ∇ w) + f (u) , x ∈ Ω , t > 0 , 0 = Δ v − v + v 1 γ 1 , 0 = Δ v 1 − v 1 + u γ 2 , x ∈ Ω , t > 0 , 0 = Δ w − w + w 1 γ 3 , 0 = Δ w 1 − w 1 + u γ 4 , x ∈ Ω , t > 0 , in a smoothly bounded domain Ω ⊂ R n (n ≥ 1) with homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions, where φ (ϱ) ≤ ϱ (ϱ + 1) θ − 1 , ψ (ϱ) ≤ ϱ (ϱ + 1) l − 1 and f (ϱ) ≤ a ϱ − b ϱ s for all ϱ ≥ 0 , and the parameters satisfy a , b , χ , ξ , γ 2 , γ 4 > 0 , s > 1 , γ 1 , γ 3 ≥ 1 and θ , l ∈ R. It has been proven that if s ≥ max { γ 1 γ 2 + θ , γ 3 γ 4 + l } , then the system has a nonnegative classical solution that is globally bounded. The boundedness condition obtained in this paper relies only on the power exponents of the system, which is independent of the coefficients of the system and space dimension n. In this work, we generalize the results established by previous researchers. In this paper, we study the following quasilinear chemotaxis system in a smoothly bounded domain with homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions, where and for all and the parameters satisfy and It has been proven that if then the system has a nonnegative classical solution that is globally bounded. The boundedness condition obtained in this paper relies only on the power exponents of the system, which is independent of the coefficients of the system and space dimension In this work, we generalize the results established by previous researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the quaternion system, we give a new representation of the complex vague soft set, and related logical operations. This new representation contains more information than before. Three quaternion distance measures are proposed and a decision model is established. The disease diagnosis of breast cancer is applied to the model to reflect the superiority of the model. By comparing the diagnostic errors under the different distance measures, the most suitable distance measure for this dataset is selected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical metasurfaces have been widely investigated for their versatile ability to manipulate wavefront and miniaturize traditional optical components into ultrathin planar devices. The integration of metasurfaces with multifunctionality and tunability has fundamentally transformed optics with unprecedented control over light propagation and manipulation. This study introduces a pioneering framework for the development of tunable metasurfaces with multifunctionality, and an example of a tunable metasurface of dual functionalities is proposed and numerically verified as one of the tunable meta-axicon for generating Bessel beams with a variable depth of focus (DOF) and a continuous-zoom metalens. Specifically, this design achieves dual-functional phase modulation by helicity-multiplexing from the combination of the geometric phase as well as the propagation phase and realizes tunability for both functionalities through rotational actuation between double metasurface layers. As a result, dual functionalities with continuous tunability of the proposed TiO2 metasurface are enabled independently for the left and right circularly polarized (LCP and RCP) incidences at 532 nm. Specifically, LCP light triggers the metasurface to function as a tunable axicon, generating non-diffracting Bessel beams with variable numerical apertures (NA) and DOFs. Conversely, the RCP incidence induces it to operate as a continuous-zoom metalens and generates variable spherical wavefront focusing on diverse focal lengths. This study not only initially implements the design of tunable meta-axicon, but also achieves the integration of such a tunable meta-axicon and continuous-zoom metalens within a single metasurface configuration. The proposed device could find potential applications in biological imaging, microscopic measurement, laser fabrication, optical manipulation, multi-plane imaging, depth estimation, optical data storage, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This meta‐analysis aimed to explore the potential relationship between senile sarcopenia and hypertension in older people. A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library, up to November 2022. Ten studies comprising 14 804 participants were enrolled. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) was pooled to evaluate the correlation between sarcopenia and hypertension in older people utilizing a random‐effects model. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were then carried out to explore the potential sources of heterogeneity. The results revealed a substantial correlation between sarcopenia and hypertension among older people (OR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.15–1.67, p <.01). Further subgroup analysis revealed an association between sarcopenic obesity and hypertension (OR = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.37–1.62, p <.01). In conclusions, our findings highlighted a significant relationship between sarcopenia and hypertension among older people, with sarcopenic obesity amplifying this risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rituals are fundamental social acts that structure relationships and enable the filtering of important cognitive attributes (e.g. working memory and inhibitory control) that make humans what they are today. This study investigated the influence of model age and familiarity on the reproduction of ritual behaviour in five‐year‐old children. Through an exploration of these factors, this study sheds light on the cognitive mechanisms children use to comprehend and replicate rituals. Ninety‐eight five‐year‐old children were divided into two groups: an experimental group, which observed an adult or child model, either familiar or unfamiliar to them, demonstrating eight ritual acts; and a control group, which received no video demonstration. The results revealed that children who observed an adult reproduced more ritual acts than those who observed a child, and children who observed unfamiliar models reproduced ritual acts more frequently than those who observed familiar ones. Additionally, when exposed to unfamiliar models, children's reproductive fidelity was higher. These findings suggest that children have the ability to address new adaptation challenges by participating in rituals at an early age and that they generate suitable solutions depending on the model's characteristics. This provides evidence for the adaptive bias in children's cultural learning from a ritual perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non‐alternant topologies have attracted considerable attention due to their unique physiochemical characteristics in recent years. Here, three novel topological nanographenes molecular models of nitrogen‐doped Stone–Thrower–Wales (S–T–W) defects were achieved through intramolecular direct arylation. Their chemical structures were unambiguously elucidated by single‐crystal analysis. Among them, threefold intramolecular direct arylation compound (C42H21N) is the largest nanographene bearing a N‐doped non‐alternant topology to date, in which the non‐benzenoid rings account for 83 % of the total molecular skeleton. The absorption maxima of this compound was located in the near‐infrared region with a long tail up to 900 nm, which was much longer than those reported for similarly sized N‐doped nanographene with six‐membered rings (C40H15N). In addition, the electronic energy gaps of these series compounds clearly decreased with the introduction of non‐alternant topologies (from 2.27 eV to 1.50 eV). It is noteworthy that C42H21N possesses such a low energy gap (Egopt=1.40 eV; Egcv=1.50 eV), yet is highly stable under ambient conditions. Our work reported herein demonstrates that the non‐alternant topology could significantly influence the electronic configurations of nanocarbons, where the introduction of a non‐alternanting topology may be an effective way to narrow the energy gap without extending the molecular π‐conjugation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non‐alternant topologies have attracted considerable attention due to their unique physiochemical characteristics in recent years. Here, three novel topological nanographenes molecular models of nitrogen‐doped Stone–Thrower–Wales (S–T–W) defects were achieved through intramolecular direct arylation. Their chemical structures were unambiguously elucidated by single‐crystal analysis. Among them, threefold intramolecular direct arylation compound (C42H21N) is the largest nanographene bearing a N‐doped non‐alternant topology to date, in which the non‐benzenoid rings account for 83 % of the total molecular skeleton. The absorption maxima of this compound was located in the near‐infrared region with a long tail up to 900 nm, which was much longer than those reported for similarly sized N‐doped nanographene with six‐membered rings (C40H15N). In addition, the electronic energy gaps of these series compounds clearly decreased with the introduction of non‐alternant topologies (from 2.27 eV to 1.50 eV). It is noteworthy that C42H21N possesses such a low energy gap (Egopt=1.40 eV; Egcv=1.50 eV), yet is highly stable under ambient conditions. Our work reported herein demonstrates that the non‐alternant topology could significantly influence the electronic configurations of nanocarbons, where the introduction of a non‐alternanting topology may be an effective way to narrow the energy gap without extending the molecular π‐conjugation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many advanced physical properties can be realized by using well-designed acoustic metamaterial (AM) structures, which have significant application value in engineering. In particular, thin-walled membrane, plate, and shell-type structures with deep subwavelength thicknesses that can meet light weight requirements have attracted the attention of many researchers and engineers from various specialized fields. This Tutorial systematically introduced the structural design methods, acoustic/elastic wave attenuation and regulation principles, and engineering applications of thin-walled AMs for low-frequency sound insulation, sound absorption, and vibration reduction. In particular, the design methods and sound insulation/absorption properties of thin-walled AMs for realizing narrow-band and broadband sound attenuation were explored. Furthermore, the local resonance bandgap characteristics, quantitative extraction method for the bending wave bandgap, vibration suppression properties, and the design method for local resonance vibration dampers for elastic wave regulation by thin-walled elastic metamaterials were summarized successively. Moreover, other thin-walled AM applications, such as the wavefront steering performance of thin-walled acoustic/elastic metasurfaces, and the active thin-walled AMs, were introduced as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is an important growth factor that supports the culture and maintenance of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) by suppressing spontaneous differentiation. Different LIF sequences may lead to differences in function. The protein sequences of buffalo LIF and mouse LIF differed by 65.5% according to MEGA software analysis. The PB‐LIF‐GFP‐Puro vector was constructed, and the CHO‐K1 cell line was established. The final LIF protein concentration in the CHO‐K1 cell culture medium was approximately 4.268 ng/mL. Here, we report that buffalo LIF effectively maintains the self‐renewal of buffalo spermatogonia during culture. Buffalo spermatogonia were cultured in conditioned medium containing no LIF (0 ng/mL), mouse LIF (1 ng/mL), mouse LIF (10 ng/mL), or buffalo LIF (1 ng/mL). Furthermore, the effects of mouse LIF and buffalo LIF culture on the maintenance of buffalo spermatogonia were determined by analyzing cell colony formation, quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction, cell immunofluorescence, and cell counting. The buffalo LIF (1 ng/mL) group showed similar maintenance of the proliferation of buffalo spermatogonia to that in the mouse LIF (10 ng/mL) group. These results demonstrated that the proliferation of buffalo spermatogonia can be maintained in vitro by adding a low dose of buffalo LIF. This study provides a foundation for the further optimization of in vitro buffalo SSC culture systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a large class of mammalian RNAs. Several protein products translated by circRNAs have been reported to be involved in the development of various tissues and systems; however, their physiological functions in male reproduction have yet not been explored. Results: Here, we report an endogenous circRNA (circRsrc1) that encodes a novel 161-amino-acid protein which we named Rsrc1-161aa through circRNA sequencing coupled with mass spectrometry analysis on mouse testicular tissues. Deletion of Rsrc1-161aa in mice impaired male fertility with a significant decrease in sperm count and motility due to dysfunctions of mitochondrial energy metabolism. A series of in vitro rescue experiments revealed that circRsrc1 regulates mitochondrial functions via its encoded protein Rsrc1-161aa. Mechanistically, Rsrc1-161aa directly interacts with mitochondrial protein C1qbp and enhances its binding activity to mitochondrial mRNAs, thereby regulating the assembly of mitochondrial ribosomes and affecting the translation of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) proteins and mitochondrial energy metabolism. Conclusions: Our studies reveal that Rsrc1-161aa protein encoded by circRsrc1 regulates mitochondrial ribosome assembly and translation during spermatogenesis, thereby affecting male fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 non-Spike (S) structural protein targets on nucleocapsid (N), membrane (M) and envelope (E), critical in the host cell interferon response and memory T-cell immunity, are grossly overlooked in COVID vaccine development. The current Spike-only vaccines bear an intrinsic shortfall for promotion of a fuller T cell immunity. Vaccines designed to target conserved epitopes could elicit strong cellular immune responses that would synergize with B cell responses and lead to long-term vaccine success. We pursue a universal (pan-SARS-CoV-2) vaccine against Delta, Omicrons and ever-emergent new mutants. Methods and findings: We explored booster immunogenicity of UB-612, a multitope-vaccine that contains S1-RBD-sFc protein and sequence-conserved promiscuous Th and CTL epitope peptides on the Sarbecovirus N, M and S2 proteins. To a subpopulation (N = 1,478) of infection-free participants (aged 18–85 years) involved in a two-dose Phase-2 trial, a UB-612 booster (third dose) was administered 6–8 months after the second dose. The immunogenicity was evaluated at 14 days post-booster with overall safety monitored until the end of study. The booster induced high viral-neutralizing antibodies against live Wuhan WT (VNT50, 1,711) and Delta (VNT50, 1,282); and against pseudovirus WT (pVNT50, 11,167) vs. Omicron BA.1/BA.2/BA.5 variants (pVNT50, 2,314/1,890/854), respectively. The lower primary neutralizing antibodies in the elderly were uplifted upon boosting to approximately the same high level in young adults. UB-612 also induced potent, durable Th1-oriented (IFN-γ+-) responses (peak/pre-boost/post-boost SFU/106 PBMCs, 374/261/444) along with robust presence of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells (peak/pre-boost/post-boost CD107a+-Granzyme B+, 3.6%/1.8%/1.8%). This UB-612 booster vaccination is safe and well tolerated without SAEs. Conclusions: By targeting conserved epitopes on viral S2, M and N proteins, UB-612 could provide potent, broad and long-lasting B-cell and T-cell memory immunity and offers the potential as a universal vaccine to fend off Omicrons and new VoCs without resorting to Omicron-specific immunogens. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04773067; ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT05293665; ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT05541861. Author summary: The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 has swept the globe with a rapid succession of dominating sublineages from BA.1, BA.2, to the current BA.5 with increasing infectivity and antibody evasion. Concerningly, the non-Spike structure proteins that promote T-cell immunity have been grossly overlooked in vaccine development. Looking beyond short-interval boosters and omicron-updated vaccines, a pragmatic approach to curbing ever-emergent new mutants would be "universal (pan-SARS-CoV-2) vaccines" as exemplified by UB-612, a multitope-vaccine armed with Spike (S1-RBD and S2) and non-Spike (Nucleocapsid N and Membrane M) targets, allowing booster vaccination to elicit broadly-recognizing and durable B-/T-cell memory immunity. Sequence-conserved Th/CTL epitope peptides were designed from S2, N and M proteins to synergistically enhance memory helper and cytotoxic T-cell immunity and RBD targeted B-cell immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying risk factors for atrial fibrillation (AF) and evaluating their impact are essential to avoid the occurrence of adverse events. However, few studies to date have explored the prevalence, risk factors, and prognosis of AF in hypertensive patients. The objective of this study was to investigate the epidemiology of AF in a hypertensive population and determine the relationship between AF and all‐cause mortality. At baseline, a total of 8541 Chinese patients with hypertension were enrolled from the Northeast Rural Cardiovascular Health Study. A logistic regression model was established to assess the relationship between blood pressure and AF, and Kaplan–Meier survival curve analysis and multivariate Cox regression were used to explore the relationship between AF and all‐cause mortality. Meanwhile, subgroup analyses illustrated the robustness of results. This study found that the overall prevalence rate of AF was 1.4% in its Chinese hypertensive population. After adjusting for the confounding factors, every standard deviation increase in diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was associated with a 37% increase in the prevalence of AF (95% confidence interval: 1.152–1.627, p <.001). Compared to hypertensive patients without AF, those with AF had an increased risk of all‐cause mortality (hazard ratio = 1.866, 95% confidence interval: 1.117–3.115, p =.017) in the adjusted model. The results show that the burden of AF is quite large in rural‐dwelling Chinese hypertensive patients. Focusing on the control of DBP to prevent the occurrence of AF can be helpful. Meanwhile, AF increases risk of all‐cause mortality in hypertensive patients. Our results indicated a huge burden of AF. Considering that most of the risk factors of AF were unmodifiable in hypertensive individuals and given their high risk of mortality, long‐term interventions, including AF education, timely screening, and widespread use of anticoagulant drugs, should be emphasized in hypertensive populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Behavioral health service delivery to children of Asian American immigrant families requires attention to the unique interplay between traditional cultural values, family-oriented dynamics, and acculturation processes. Given the high rates of mental health symptoms among native-born Asian American youth and societal issues raised by media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, practices that facilitate access to quality and culturally sensitive mental health services in this population are of paramount importance. 45 Abe-Kim J, Takeuchi DT, Hong S. Use of mental health-related services among immigrant and US-born Asian Americans: results from the National Latino and Asian American Study. Parental resistance may stem from the cultural stigmatization of mental health problems in traditional Asian cultures.[51] Asian parents, particularly if they are recent immigrants, may dismiss emotional concerns and/or deny the existence of mental illness because of their own cultural beliefs. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Digit amputations affect 45,000 Americans each year and are associated with substantial healthcare expenditures and loss of wages. Few patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are validated in patients with digit amputations. The brief Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (bMHQ) is a 12-item PROM used in several hand conditions. However, its psychometric properties have not been investigated in patients with digit amputations. Methods: The reliability and validity of the bMHQ was investigated using Rasch analysis. Data were collected from the Finger Replantation and Amputation Challenges in Assessing Impairment, Satisfaction, and Effectiveness (FRANCHISE) study. Participants were divided into replantation and revision amputation cohorts and then further separated into single-digit amputation (excluding thumb), thumb-only amputation and multiple-digit amputation (excluding thumb) subgroups. Each of the six subgroups were analysed for item fit, threshold ordering, targeting, differential item functioning (DIF), unidimensionality and internal consistency. Results: All treatment groups demonstrated high unidimensionality (Martin-Löf test = 1) and internal consistency (Cronbach's α > 0.85). The bMHQ is not a reliable PROM in individuals with single-digit or multiple-digit amputations. The aesthetics, satisfaction and two-handed activities of daily living (ADLs) items had the poorest fit to the Rasch model across all categories. Conclusions: The bMHQ is not well-suited for measuring outcomes in patients with digit amputations. We recommend clinicians use more comprehensive assessment tools, such as the complete MHQ, to measure outcomes in these complex patient populations. Level of Evidence: Level III (Diagnostic) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Periodontitis is a long-term inflammatory illness and a leading contributor to tooth loss in humans. Due to the influence of the anatomic parameters of teeth, such as root bifurcation lesions and the depth of the periodontal pocket, basic periodontal treatment on its own often does not completely obliterate flora microorganisms. As a consequence, topical medication has become a significant supplement in the treatment of chronic periodontitis. Berberine (BBR) has various pharmacological effects, such as hypoglycemic, antitumor, antiarrhythmic, anti-inflammatory, etc. The target of our project is to develop a safe and non-toxic carrier that can effectively release berberine, which can significantly reduce periodontal tissue inflammation, and to investigate whether berberine thermosensitive hydrogel can exert anti-inflammatory and osteogenic effects by modulating phosphatifylinositol-3-kinase/Protein Kinase B (PI3K/AKT) signaling pathway. Consequently, firstly berberine temperature-sensitive hydrogel was prepared, and its characterizations showed that the mixed solution gelated within 3 min under 37 °C with a hole diameter of 10–130 µm, and the accumulation of berberine release amounted to 89.99% at 21 days. CCK-8 and live-dead cell staining results indicated that this hydrogel was not biotoxic, and it is also presumed that the optimum concentration of berberine is 5 µM, which was selected for subsequent experiments. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting (WB)results demonstrated that inflammatory factors, as well as protein levels, were significantly reduced in the berberine-loaded hydrogel group, and LY294002 (PI3K inhibitor) could enhance this effect (p < 0.05). In the berberine-loaded hydrogel group, osteogenesis-related factor levels and protein profiles were visibly increased, along with an increase in alkaline phosphatase expression, which was inhibited by LY294002 (p < 0.05). Therefore, berberine thermosensitive hydrogel may be an effective treatment for periodontitis, and it may exert anti-inflammatory and osteogenic effects through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring the ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) mechanism of benzoxazines is a fundamental issue in benzoxazine chemistry. Though some research papers on the topic have been reported, the ROP mechanism of mono‐benzoxazines is still elusive. The key point for mechanistic studies is to determine and characterize the structure and formation pathways of the products generated in ROP. In this paper, the ROP of a vanillin‐furfurylamine‐based benzoxazine and a mono‐azomethine derivative is studied with differential scanning calorimetry, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, respectively. The results show that the products consist of a range of cationic species, zwitterions, fragments, and series of cyclic and linear oligomers of varying molecular sizes. It is proposed that both mono‐benzoxazines undergo thermally activated cationic ring‐opening oligomerization via zwitterion intermediates. Upon thermal induction, multi‐bond‐cleavage takes place to form various zwitterionic intermediates, which react with a monomer, a fragment, or a second zwitterion by several pathways to generate cyclic and linear oligomers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ritonavir has been reported in seven crystal forms notably form I, II, IIIb and IV, as well as a hydrate, an L -tyrosine co-crystal and a formamide solvate. A new form is reported here with a novel quaternary structure with ritonavir as an oxalate salt, oxalic acid co-crystal and acetone solvate in a 1 : 1 : 0.5 : 0.5 stoichiometry. The new oxalate salt form (CCDC deposition number 2009282), was co-crystallised with oxalic acid from a supersaturated acetone solution, and exhibits a polar monoclinic crystal structure with a blocky needle-like crystal habit. The molecular conformation of ritonavir for the new form shows significant differences with respect to the well-characterised form I, II and IIIb polymorphs. Its crystallography is characterised by a 2-fold screw axis along the b axis, in a structure that exhibits multiple hydrogen bonds formed between amide–ureido, oxalate–oxalic acid and amide–amide groups in a layered intermolecular packing structure. Intermolecular stacking of the benzene and thiazole rings takes place along the crystallographic a axis with the needle axis growth of the crystals being likely to be governed by these interactions. The oxalate salt form co-crystal is found to have the characteristic conformations of the N-methyl urea and carbamate groups being in a trans and trans conformation respectively, as is the case for the recently discovered form IIIb, but in distinct contrast to cis and trans for form I, and trans and cis for form II. This may suggest that a cis and cis conformation for another new form may be feasible. The recovery of the form IV crystals at the lower concentrations of oxalic acid is perhaps indicative of its close similarity with the new oxalate salt co-crystal solvate form presented here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the leading cause of death in men and has poor therapeutic outcomes. Methods: A novel endostatin 33 peptide was synthesized by adding a specific QRD sequence on the basis of the endostatin 30 peptide (PEP06) with antitumor activity. Then, bioinformatic analysis and subsequent experiments were performed to validate the antitumor function of this endostatin 33 peptide. Results: We found that the 33 polypeptides significantly inhibited growth, invasion and metastasis and promoted the apoptosis of PCa in vivo or vitro, which is more significant than PEP06 under the same conditions. According to 489 cases from the TCGA data portal, the α6β1 high expression group was closely associated with the poor prognosis (Gleason score, pathological N stage, etc.) of PCa and was mainly enriched in the PI3K-Akt pathway. Subsequently, we demonstrated that endostatin 33 peptide can down-regulate the PI3K-Akt pathway via the targeted inhibition of α6β1, thereby inhibiting the epithelial–mesenchymal transition and matrix metalloproteinase in C42 cell lines. Conclusion: The endostatin 33 peptide can exert antitumor effects by inhibiting the PI3K-Akt pathway, especially in tumors with a high expression of the integrin α6β1 subtype, such as prostate cancer. Therefore, our study will provide a new method and theoretical basis for the treatment of prostate cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nephroblastoma is one of the most common renal malignancies in children, and tumor angiogenesis increases the risk of metastasis and recurrence. This study investigated the effect of the tumor microenvironment on angiogenesis in nephroblastoma cell and its molecular mechanism. The indirect co-culture model of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was established using a conditioned medium from the nephroblastoma cell line G401. Cell medium was collected to prepare tumor-conditioned medium (TCM), which was applied to HUVECs. Western blotting and immunofluorescence assays were used to analyze the expression of tumor endothelial marker 8 (TEM8) and the elements phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (PKB)/AKT signaling pathway at the protein level. In addition, the proliferation, invasion, migration, and tube formation of HUVECs after induction by TCM were analyzed by the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), as well as by transwell invasion, wound-healing, and matrigel tube formation assays. Compared with that of the control group, the expression of TEM8, p-PI3K/PI3K, and p-AKT/AKT was increased, and proliferation, invasion, migration, and tubulogenesis were significantly enhanced in HUVECs induced by TCM. A PI3K pathway inhibitor (LY294002) weakened the canalization of HUVECs. These findings suggest that the nephroblastoma microenvironment can promote the transformation of endothelial cells (ECs) into tumor endothelial cells (TECs), significantly enhancing their proliferation, invasion, migration, and tubular formation, and this effect may be related to the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: In order to reduce the impact of CT radiation, low-dose CT is often used, but low-dose CT will bring more noise, affecting image quality and subsequent 3D reconstruction results. OBJECTIVE: The study presents a reconstruction method based on wavelet transform-total variation (WT-TV) for low-dose CT. METHODS: First, the low-dose CT images were denoised using WT and TV denoising methods. The WT method could preserve the features, and the TV method could preserve the edges and structures. Second, the two sets of denoised images were fused so that the features, edges, and structures could be preserved at the same time. Finally, FBP reconstruction was performed to obtain the final 3D reconstruction result. RESULTS: The results show that The WT-TV method can effectively denoise low-dose CT and improve the clarity and accuracy of 3D reconstruction models. CONCLUSION: Compared with other reconstruction methods, the proposed reconstruction method successfully addressed the issue of low-dose CT noising by further denoising the CT images before reconstruction. The denoising effect of low-dose CT images and the 3D reconstruction model were compared via experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing applications of the planetary roller screw mechanism (PRSM) in mechanical systems particularly machine tools, a comprehensive mathematical model is required to define the kinematic characteristics and relations of the PRSM, such that its performances can be predicted for reliability analysis and design of machine tools. In this paper, the influences of machining and assembly errors on the motion characteristics of the PRSM are analyzed, and the kinematic model of the PRSM is established considering runout errors and elastic deformation. The planetary roller screw mechanism can be considered as a spring-mass system for analysis of the elastic deformation of the ball screw's thread under inertial force. For the spring-mass system, adjacency matrix is introduced to define the relationships between the elastic displacements of the joints and the deformations of the elements. Then, by considering the balance of force and the coordination of deformation, the nonlinear motion model of the double-nut roller screw is established. The effectiveness of the proposed model is verified by comparing the analytical results with the experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reliability allocation of machine tools which is a multi-attribute decision-making problem has great significance in designment of machine tools. This paper integrates the intuitionistic trapezoidal fuzzy numbers and performance sorting technique based on similar ideal solutions to achieve the flexible allocation of machine tools reliability. Firstly, intuitionistic trapezoidal fuzzy numbers are employed to integrate decisions made by multiple decision-makers and fuzzy information of their preferences. Then, intuitionistic trapezoid fuzzy numbers' expectations are treated as the weights of criteria. Finally, performance sorting technique based on similar ideal solutions is used to obtain the reliability allocation weight of every subsystem. To investigate the efficacy and simplicity of the provided approach, reliability distribution in a CNC machine tool is introduced as an example to explain its specific contents. It can be concluded that the provided method is more precise and convenient by comparing the results of this approach with those obtained by analytic hierarchy process method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soybean stem elongation and thickening are related to cell wall composition. Plant morphogenesis can be influenced by blue light, which can regulate cell wall structure and composition, and affect stem growth and development. Here, using proteomics and metabolomics, differentially expressed proteins and metabolites of hypocotyls grown in the dark and under blue light were studied to clarify the effects of blue light on the cell wall structure and carbohydrate metabolism pathway of soybean hypocotyls. Results showed that 1120 differential proteins were upregulated and 797 differential proteins were downregulated under blue light treatment, while 63 differential metabolites were upregulated and 36 differential metabolites were downregulated. Blue light promoted the establishment of cell wall structure and composition by regulating the expression of both the enzymes and metabolites related to cell wall structural composition and nonstructural carbohydrates. Thus, under blue light, the cross-sectional area of the hypocotyl and xylem were larger, the longitudinal length of pith cells was smaller, elongation of the soybean hypocotyl was inhibited, and diameter was increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Splitting and placing interfacing inductance on both sides of the transformer has been proven to be an effective method, which extends the zero-voltage switching region for all the switching devices in the dual active bridge (DAB) converter. With the trend toward operating in higher frequency, achieving higher power density and higher efficiency, the converter model becomes more complex due to the non-negligible parasitic components that brings new challenges to DAB converter design. Traditional analytical methods have made it hard to imitate the proposed converter easily and precisely. Thus, artificial intelligence techniques are able to be utilized to assist the design process. When considering the converter system as a gray-box model, the metaheuristic algorithm can be implemented for the targeted design inside such a gray-box. In this article, a genetic algorithm (GA) is employed in the DAB converter parametric design with an explicit fitness desire to help in discovering the high frequency oscillation (HFO) problem. Consequently, the splitting inductance tuning method is proposed for eliminating the HFO problem and minimizing inductors’ loss. The methodology of implementing GA into converter parametric design, and the proposed splitting inductance tuning method are introduced and verified with a 1 MHz gallium nitride high-electron-mobility transistor based DAB converter prototype. The comparitive experimental results prove the effectiveness of the splitting inductance tuning method and achieve 4% efficiency enhancement with 200 W power delivering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yarrowia lipolytica , an oleaginous yeast with the GRAS status, has been developed as a platform for the chemical production. Promoter engineering is an important approach to regulating gene expression at the transcriptional level, which is of great significance in constructing microbial cell factories. Although some work on promoter study has been carried out in Y. lipolytica , obtained achievements still need further replenishment and development, compared explicitly with Saccharomyces cerevisiae , Bacillus subtilis , and other microorganisms. For this, we screened 81 endogenous promoters in Y. lipolytica , mainly involved in carbon metabolism and nitrogen metabolism. As a result, we obtained 15 strong promoters, 41 medium strength promoters, and 25 weak promoters, with the strength spanning from 0.06 % to 1.60-fold of P TEF promoter. Moreover, as a proof-of-concept, the identified promoter library was applied for expressing UDP-glycosyltransferase to produce salidroside, resulting in a production of 95.64 mg/l in shake flask, which is 3.92-times that of the parental strain. In general, our study provides a unique and available endogenous promoter library for Y. lipolytica. [Display omitted] • Obtaining a promoter library with the strength spanning from 0.06 % to 160 % of P TEF. • Characterizing 15 strong promoters, 41 medium promoters, and 25 weak promoters. • The strongest promoter is P MnDH2 (YALI0D18964g), 1.60-fold of the strength of P TEF. • The weakest promoter is P PHO89 (YALI0E23859g), 0.06 % of the strength of P TEF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a relational two-stage network data envelopment analysis (DEA) model considering undesirable outputs, this paper evaluates both the process and system performances of industrial environmental governance in China's 30 provincial-level regions during 1998–2015. Furthermore, this is the first study to apply the spatial econometric models with a geographical distance matrix to investigate the local and spatial spillover effects of environmental regulations on heterogeneous environmental governance performance (i.e. clean production and end-of-pipe treatment performances). The results show that clean production performance is generally higher than end-of-pipe treatment performance, but both performances present a declining trend during the sample period. The estimation results of the spatial econometric models confirm the Porter hypothesis market-based environmental regulations improve local clean production performance. By contrast, we also find that command-and-control environmental regulations improve end-of-pipe treatment performance but curb clean production performance, and exert a "race-to-the-top" effect on local governments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]