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Objectives Materials and Methods Results Conclusion The objective of this study is to analyze the clinical and radiographic outcomes of implant‐supported fixed protheses with cantilever extensions (ISFPCs) in the partially edentulous anterior mandible.Patients who received anterior mandible implant restoration between January 2016 and December 2021 were included. Patients with two, three, or four continuous missing teeth receiving adjacent implant supported single‐unit crowns (ISSCs), ISFPCs, implant‐supported fixed protheses without cantilever extensions (ISFPNs) were divided into groups: ISSC+ISSC, ISFPC, ISSC+ISFPC, three‐unit ISFPN, ISFPC+ISFPC, or four‐unit ISFPN, respectively. We recorded and evaluated survival rates, mechanical and biological complications, peri‐implant marginal bone loss (MBL), esthetic outcomes, and patient perceptions. Statistical analysis was performed using linear mixed models (LMM).The study included 87 patients and 152 implants. No implant loss occurred during an average follow‐up of 3.48 ± 1.85 years (range: 1–7 years). According to LMM models, prosthetic type had a statistically significant impact on MBL during follow‐up periods, in favor of the ISFPC and ISFPC+ISFPC groups (0.16 ± 0.48 mm vs. 0.51 ± 0.49 mm, p = .034; 0.22 ± 0.49 mm vs. 0.60 ± 0.62 mm, p = .043, respectively). Mechanical and biological complications were relatively low and comparable. The four‐unit ISFPC group had higher subjective esthetic scores compared with the ISSC+ISSC group (98.6 vs. 83.8, p < .05), and patients in the ISFPC+ISFPC group expressed greater satisfaction with cleanability than the ISFPN group (98.8 vs. 80.6).ISFPCs offer a highly predictable treatment option in the anterior mandible, characterized by high survival rates, and comparable complication rates, peri‐implant bone stability and esthetics to adjacent ISSCs or ISFPNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural and anthropogenic disturbances are important drivers of tree mortality, shaping the structure, composition, and biomass distribution of forest ecosystems. Differences in disturbance regimes, characterized by the frequency, extent, and intensity of disturbance events, result in structurally different landscapes. In this study, we design a model‐based experiment to investigate the links between disturbance regimes and spatial biomass patterns. First, the effects of disturbance events on biomass patterns are simulated using a simple dynamic carbon cycle model based on different disturbance regime attributes, which are characterized via three parameters: μ (probability scale), α (clustering degree), and β (intensity slope). 856,800 dynamically stable biomass patterns were then simulated using combined disturbance regime, primary productivity, and background mortality. As independent variables, we use biomass synthesis statistics from simulated biomass patterns to retrieve three disturbance regime parameters. Results show confident inversion of all three "true" disturbance parameters, with Nash‐Sutcliffe efficiency of 94.8% for μ, 94.9% for α, and 97.1% for β. Biomass histogram statistics primarily dominate the prediction of μ and β, while texture features have a more substantial influence on α. Overall, these results demonstrate the association between biomass patterns and disturbance regimes. Given the increasing availability of Earth observation of biomass, our findings open a new avenue to understand better and parameterize disturbance regimes and their links with vegetation dynamics under climate change. Ultimately, at a large scale, this approach would improve our current understanding of controls and feedback at the biosphere‐atmosphere interface in the present Earth system models. Plain Language Summary: Forest dynamics are shaped by different disturbances, which are challenging to monitor and predict. Identifying individual disturbance occurrences and their impact on forest carbon stocks (biomass) is complex. However, our study deciphers the characteristics of disturbance occurrence, that is, disturbance regime, from biomass pattern. We characterized this regime across three dimensions: extent (μ), frequency (α), and intensity (β). Through a 200‐year landscape experiment, we explored the synthetic dynamically stable biomass under different disturbance regimes. Statistical features from biomass simulations revealed distinct spatial patterns, forming a connection between these patterns and the disturbance regime parameters via machine learning. Notably, specific biomass pattern statistics influence distinct disturbance regime parameters: μ and β are linked to histogram stats, while α is tied to texture statistics. This approach establishes a framework to diagnose disturbance regimes from biomass patterns, offering a way to incorporate these regimes into Earth system models. Key Points: We investigate the link between disturbance regimes and spatial patterns of aboveground biomass emerging from diverse primary productivityThe proposed framework allows for inferring disturbance probability, size and intensity from spatial features in aboveground biomassDisturbance regimes from high‐res Earth observations can enhance carbon cycle dynamics prediction from interannual to longer time scales [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence (AI) telephone is reliable for the follow‐up and management of hypertensives. It takes less time and is equivalent to manual follow‐up to a high degree. We conducted a reliability study to evaluate the efficiency of AI telephone follow‐up in the management of hypertension. During May 18 and June 30, 2020, 350 hypertensives managed by the Pengpu Community Health Service Center in Shanghai were recruited for follow‐up, once by AI and once by a human. The second follow‐up was conducted within 3–7 days (mean 5.5 days). The mean length time of two calls were compared by paired t‐test, and Cohen's Kappa coefficient was used to evaluate the reliability of the results between the two follow‐up visits. The mean length time of AI calls was shorter (4.15 min) than that of manual calls (5.24 min, P <.001). The answers related to the symptoms showed moderate to substantial consistency (κ:.465–.624, P <.001), and those related to the complications showed fair consistency (κ:.349, P <.001). In terms of lifestyle, the answer related to smoking showed a very high consistency (κ:.915, P <.001), while those addressing salt consumption, alcohol consumption, and exercise showed moderate to substantial consistency (κ:.402–.645, P <.001). There was moderate consistency in regular usage of medication (κ:.484, P <.001). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the grinding process of crankshafts, the grinding parameters were improperly selected, which easily caused the high temperature in the grinding zone and led to burns on the crankshaft journal surface. To address this issue, referencing previous studies, the suitability of the Gaussian heat source model was verified by comparing it with three different heat source models. The Gaussian heat source model was applied to predict the temperature on the surface of the crankshaft connecting rod journal. Transient thermal analysis and investigation of material phase transformation were employed to explore the mechanism of grinding burns. The interaction effects among grinding parameters were analyzed using the Box-Behnken design, and a multiple linear regression equation was established for response surface optimization. The results demonstrated that applying the Gaussian heat source model and response surface optimization yielded the optimal solution, with a maximum deviation of 1.37% between the simulation and optimization results. By selecting a grinding depth (ap) of 0.40 mm, wheel speed (vs) of 40.00 m/s, and feed rate (vx) of 0.036 mm/s as the processing parameters, the temperature in the grinding zone was reduced to 659.37 °C, effectively mitigating grinding burns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce a passive tomography method with deep field of view up to 90 m based on the self-acceleration characteristics of Airy beams. A post-modulation long-distance imaging system was proposed and optimized in its optical configuration and phase modulation parameters. The resolution was analyzed based on theoretical simulation. Experimentally, three LEDs at various distances around 10 m and two outdoor road lamps with distance of 67 and 90 m were reconstructed using the Airy-beam tomography algorithm, respectively, demonstrating excellent tomographic characteristics. This work presents a feasible candidate for the 3D passive detection for long-distance targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The permeability of shale controls gas transport in shale gas reservoirs. The shale has a complex pore structure at the nanoscale and its permeability is affected by multiple transport and action mechanisms. In this study, a 3D fractal model for predicting the apparent gas permeability of shale matrix is presented, accounting for the effects of the transport mechanisms (bulk gas transport and adsorption gas diffusion) and action mechanisms (gas adsorption, real gas properties, water film, stress dependence, and total organic carbon (TOC) content). The proposed model is validated with the published experimental data. A series of sensitivity analyses are performed to investigate the influence of fractal characteristics and action mechanisms on the apparent permeability caused by each transport mechanism. The results show that the real gas properties, water film, and stress dependence cause different effects on the total apparent permeability of shale under different fractal characteristics. The maximum pore diameter is inversely proportional to the effects of these action mechanisms, and the porosity is positively proportional to the effects of real gas properties and water film but inversely proportional to the effects of stress dependence. An increase in TOC content can cause an improvement in the total apparent permeability. Furthermore, the effects of action mechanisms on the apparent permeability caused by different transport mechanisms are differently affected by the fractal characteristics. Changes in fractal characteristics mainly affect the apparent permeability caused by slip flow in the real gas effect, slip flow and Knudsen diffusion in the water film effect, and all transport mechanisms in the stress dependence effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SrFe 12 O 19 is widely used due to its low cost, stability and corrosion resistance. In this study, Sm-doped porous SrFe 12 O 19 powder with high coercivity was synthesized using KCl- assisted spray pyrolysis. The Sm doping, microstructure and magnetic properties were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The results showed that when Sm-doping amount was 0.2, the ferrite powder prepared by KCl-assisted spray pyrolysis had high coercivity of 7.286 kOe and saturation magnetization of 56.422 emu/g. The coercivity of the Sm-doped samples increased by 39.23 % compared with that of the undoped samples. The significant increase in coercivity was associated with the improvement of super-exchange interaction between Fe3+ particles caused by Sm doping, and the size decrease of the hexagonal plate Sr-ferrite particle caused by KCl action. The influencing mechanism of coercivity was discussed in detail based on the analysis of crystal structure and microstructure observation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ofloxacin (OFL) is widely used in animal husbandry and aquaculture due to its low price and broad spectrum of bacterial inhibition, etc. However, it is difficult to degrade and is retained in animal-derived food products, which are hazardous to human health. In this study, a simple and efficient method was developed for the detection of OFL residues in meat products. OFL coupled with amino magnetic beads by an amination reaction was used as a stationary phase. Aptamer AWO-06, which showed high affinity and specificity for OFL, was screened using the exponential enrichment (SELEX) technique. A fluorescent biosensor was developed by using AWO-06 as a probe and graphene oxide (GO) as a quencher. The OFL detection results could be obtained within 6 min. The linear range was observed in the range of 10–300 nM of the OFL concentration, and the limit of the detection of the sensor was 0.61 nM. Furthermore, the biosensor was stored at room temperature for more than 2 months, and its performance did not change. The developed biosensor in this study is easy to operate and rapid in response, and it is suitable for on-site detection. This study provided a novel method for the detection of OFL residues in meat products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wood density is a fundamental property related to tree biomechanics and hydraulic function while playing a crucial role in assessing vegetation carbon stocks by linking volumetric retrieval and a mass estimate. This study provides a high‐resolution map of the global distribution of tree wood density at the 0.01° (~1 km) spatial resolution, derived from four decision trees machine learning models using a global database of 28,822 tree‐level wood density measurements. An ensemble of four top‐performing models combined with eight cross‐validation strategies shows great consistency, providing wood density patterns with pronounced spatial heterogeneity. The global pattern shows lower wood density values in northern and northwestern Europe, Canadian forest regions and slightly higher values in Siberia forests, western United States, and southern China. In contrast, tropical regions, especially wet tropical areas, exhibit high wood density. Climatic predictors explain 49%–63% of spatial variations, followed by vegetation characteristics (25%–31%) and edaphic properties (11%–16%). Notably, leaf type (evergreen vs. deciduous) and leaf habit type (broadleaved vs. needleleaved) are the most dominant individual features among all selected predictive covariates. Wood density tends to be higher for angiosperm broadleaf trees compared to gymnosperm needleleaf trees, particularly for evergreen species. The distributions of wood density categorized by leaf types and leaf habit types have good agreement with the features observed in wood density measurements. This global map quantifying wood density distribution can help improve accurate predictions of forest carbon stocks, providing deeper insights into ecosystem functioning and carbon cycling such as forest vulnerability to hydraulic and thermal stresses in the context of future climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The permeability of shale controls gas transport in shale gas reservoirs. The shale has a complex pore structure at the nanoscale and its permeability is affected by multiple transport and action mechanisms. In this study, a 3D fractal model for predicting the apparent gas permeability of shale matrix is presented, accounting for the effects of the transport mechanisms (bulk gas transport and adsorption gas diffusion) and action mechanisms (gas adsorption, real gas properties, water film, stress dependence, and total organic carbon (TOC) content). The proposed model is validated with the published experimental data. A series of sensitivity analyses are performed to investigate the influence of fractal characteristics and action mechanisms on the apparent permeability caused by each transport mechanism. The results show that the real gas properties, water film, and stress dependence cause different effects on the total apparent permeability of shale under different fractal characteristics. The maximum pore diameter is inversely proportional to the effects of these action mechanisms, and the porosity is positively proportional to the effects of real gas properties and water film but inversely proportional to the effects of stress dependence. An increase in TOC content can cause an improvement in the total apparent permeability. Furthermore, the effects of action mechanisms on the apparent permeability caused by different transport mechanisms are differently affected by the fractal characteristics. Changes in fractal characteristics mainly affect the apparent permeability caused by slip flow in the real gas effect, slip flow and Knudsen diffusion in the water film effect, and all transport mechanisms in the stress dependence effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superhydrophobic SiO 2 was rapidly synthesized from commercial SiO 2 (KH550–SiO 2) at room temperature by innovatively using ultrasound-assisted ball milling. Characterization results showed that N-octyltriethoxysilane was grafted onto KH550–SiO 2 via multiple forces. Superhydrophobic paints were prepared by introducing epoxy resin as a binder. The preparation process is fluorine-free and green. Superhydrophobic paints can easily establish superhydrophobic coating on different substrates through multiple routes, and the prepared coating highlights excellent hydrophobicity, mechanical stability, and durability. Furthermore, the superhydrophobic coating displays superior self-cleaning, antifouling, oil-water separation, and load-increasing properties. We are sure that this work provides a novel green, fast, and scalable route for the synthesis of superhydrophobic nanoparticles. Also, it can promote the engineering applications of superhydrophobic coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superhydrophobic SiO 2 was rapidly synthesized from commercial SiO 2 (KH550–SiO 2) at room temperature by innovatively using ultrasound-assisted ball milling. Characterization results showed that N-octyltriethoxysilane was grafted onto KH550–SiO 2 via multiple forces. Superhydrophobic paints were prepared by introducing epoxy resin as a binder. The preparation process is fluorine-free and green. Superhydrophobic paints can easily establish superhydrophobic coating on different substrates through multiple routes, and the prepared coating highlights excellent hydrophobicity, mechanical stability, and durability. Furthermore, the superhydrophobic coating displays superior self-cleaning, antifouling, oil-water separation, and load-increasing properties. We are sure that this work provides a novel green, fast, and scalable route for the synthesis of superhydrophobic nanoparticles. Also, it can promote the engineering applications of superhydrophobic coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune checkpoint blockades have been prized in circumventing and ablating the impediments posed by immunosuppressive receptors, reaching an exciting juncture to be an innovator in anticancer therapy beyond traditional therapeutics. Thus far, approved immune checkpoint blockades have principally targeted PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4 with exciting success in a plethora of tumors and yet are still trapped in dilemmas of limited response rates and adverse effects. Hence, unveiling new immunotherapeutic targets has aroused immense scientific interest in the hope of expanding the clinical application of immune checkpoint blockades to scale new heights. Human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G), a non-classical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecule, is enriched on various malignant cells and is involved in the hindrance of immune effector cells and the facilitation of immunosuppressive cells. HLA-G stands out as a crucial next-generation immune checkpoint showing great promise for the benefit of cancer patients. Here, we provide an overview of the current understanding of the expression pattern and immunological functions of HLA-G, as well as its interaction with well-characterized immune checkpoints. Since HLA-G can be shed from the cell surface or released by various cells as free soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G) or as part of extracellular vesicles (EVs), namely HLA-G-bearing EVs (HLA-GEV), we discuss the potential of sHLA-G and HLA-GEV as predictive biomarkers. This review also addresses the advancement of HLA-G-based therapies in preclinical and clinical settings, with a focus on their clinical application in cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bi2Te3, as a topological insulator, is able to support plasmonic emission in the visible spectral range. Thin Bi2Te3 flakes can be exfoliated directly from a Bi2Te3 crystal, and the shape of Bi2Te3 flakes can be further modified by focused ion beam milling. Therefore, we have designed a Bi2Te3 triangular antenna with distinct tip angles for the application of plasmonic resonance. The plasmonic emission of the Bi2Te3 triangular antenna is excited and investigated by cathodoluminescence in the scanning electron microscope. Enhanced tip plasmons have been observed from distinct tips with angles of 20º, 36º, 54º, 70º, and 90º, respectively. Due to the confinement of geometric boundaries for oscillating charges, the resonant peak position of tip plasmon with a smaller angle has a blue shift. Moreover, the dependence of plasmonic behavior on the excitation position has been discovered as well. This research provides a unique approach to fabricate Bi2Te3 nanostructures and manipulate the corresponding plasmonic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study studied the alpine meadow soil in Gannan Prefecture. Geostatistical analysis showed that Circular [soil total nitrogen (STN), soil total potassium (STK), soil available phosphorus (SAP)] model, index [bulk density (BD), soil water content (SWC), soil organic carbon (SOC), soil available nitrogen (SAN)] model and Gaussian [soil total phosphorus (STP), soil available potassium (SAK)] model is universal Kriging Method semi-variation function optimization fitting model. In the model, the spatial correlation is weak to medium, and SOC, STN, STP, STK, SAN, SAP, SAK, and SWC have specific spatial trend effects. Then principal component analysis was used to obtain three key factors (SOC, BD, and SWC) affecting soil quality, which accounted for 81.91% of the total variation of soil quality. These factors were taken as the minimum data set (MDS) and soil quality index (SQI) was calculated. According to SQI, the whole region was divided into three soil management zones (SMZs). Recommendations are made for different management areas to ensure resource conservation and reduce environmental footprint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Within root systems, framework pioneer roots mainly function in soil exploration and resource transport, while fibrous roots and their associated fungi extend the foraging soil space for resource absorption. However, the plasticity of pioneer and fibrous roots in response to elevated nutrient availability has received relatively little attention. Methods: For three hardwood species, newly formed root branches were harvested in order to compare pioneer and fibrous roots for variation in morphology, mycorrhizal colonization and anatomy, as well as their trait shifts in response to fertilization. Results: Compared with the fibrous roots, pioneer roots were generally larger in diameter, stele and cortex size, root tissue density, and hydraulic conductivity, but lower in specific root length (SRL) and mycorrhizal colonization rate (MCR). Fertilization generally decreased SRL and MCR in fibrous roots, and increased conduit diameters in pioneer roots. Additionally, fertilization enhanced hydraulic conductivity for all three species: 162, 45 and 263% in pioneer roots, and 46, 13 and 172% in fibrous roots for Juglans mandshurica Maxim., Fraxinus mandshurica Rupr. and Phellodendron amurense Rupr., respectively. Conclusions: Pioneer and fibrous roots responded differently to fertilization. The resulting enhanced resource transportation capacity may serve to mitigate the toxic effect in fibrous roots and avoid pioneer roots becoming a bottleneck for absorbed water and nutrient in an expanding root system, suggesting tightly associated traits and functional equilibrium within an individual root and even the root branches. The observed trait shifts and coordination between pioneer and fibrous roots would facilitate resource acquisition in changing soil conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The isothermal enzyme‐free nucleic acid amplification method plays an indispensable role in biosensing by virtue of its simple, robust, and highly efficient properties without the assistance of temperature cycling or/and enzymatic biocatalysis. Up to now, enzyme‐free nucleic acid amplification has been extensively utilized for biological assays and has achieved the highly sensitive detection of various biological targets, including DNAs, RNAs, small molecules, proteins, and even cells. In this Review, the mechanisms of entropy‐driven reaction, hybridization chain reaction, catalytic hairpin assembly and DNAzyme are concisely described and their recent application as biosensors is comprehensively summarized. Furthermore, the current problems and the developments of these DNA circuits are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To analyze the prognostic significance of plasma total cholesterol (TC) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in patients with gastric cancer receiving oxaliplatin combination with S-1 (SOX) chemotherapy after radical resection and to establish models of relevant prognostic influencing factors. Method: The clinicopathologic features of 301 patients treated with SOX after radical gastrectomy were retrospectively analyzed. Univariate analysis, multivariate analysis, and the Kaplan–Meier survival curve were used to analyze the prognostic value of TC and HDL in patients undergoing adjuvant SOX chemotherapy after curative gastric surgery. Based on the results of multivariate Cox regression, we constructed nomograms to predict 1 and 3-year CSS (cancer-specific survival time) and DFS (disease-free survival time) in patients with adjuvant chemotherapy after radical gastrectomy. We assessed the model's accuracy using the consistency index (C index) and calibration curve, and the ROC curve and DCA curve were applied to compare it with TNM staging. Results: Multivariate analysis revealed that TC and HDL were independent influencing factors of CSS, while HDL was an independent factor unique to DFS. According to Kaplan–Meier curves, low TC and HDL suggested poor survival (P < 0.001). The relevant prognostic factors from the multivariate study were used to build nomograms for DFS and CSS. Both DFS and CSS had C index and AUC values that were higher than 0.71. The calibration curves demonstrated that the predicted results are consistent with the observed results. The AUC valves for DFS and CSS in our models were higher than TNM staging. The decision curve analysis indicated that net benefits were moderately positive. Significant differences in survival were seen between the high and low-risk groups according to the nomogram risk score. Conclusions: TC and HDL have a certain significance for the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer after radical resection receiving adjuvant SOX chemotherapy. Lower TC and HDL suggested poor DFS and CSS. Both prediction models for CSS and DFS demonstrated good predictive ability and had a higher predictive value than the TNM staging system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Alternative splicing (AS) of mRNA plays an important roles in transcriptome diversity, involving regulation of plant growth and stress response. Understanding the variation of AS events underlying GWAS loci in a crop population can provide insight into the molecular mechanisms of complex agronomic traits. To date, genome-wide association studies relating AS events to agronomic traits have rarely been conducted at the population level in crops. Results: Here, a pipeline was constructed to identify candidate AS events related to complex traits. Firstly, ovule transcriptome data were used to characterize intron retention (IR), the predominant type of AS in plants, on a genome-wide scale. This was done in a natural population consisting of 279 upland cotton lines. Secondly, splice quantitative trait locus (sQTL) analysis was carried out, which yielded a total of 2295 sQTLs involving 1607 genes. Of these, 14.25% (n = 427) were cis-regulatory loci. Integration with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) revealed that 53 (21.4%) cis-sGenes were regulated by both cis-sQTLs and cis-eQTLs. Finally, co-localization analysis integrated with GWAS loci in this population showed 32 cis-QTLs to be co-located with genetic regulatory loci related to fiber yield and quality traits, indicating that sQTLs are likely to participate in regulating cotton fiber yield and quality. An in-depth evaluation confirmed that differences in the IR rates of sQTL-regulated candidate genes such as GhLRRK1 and GhGC1 are associated with lint percentage (LP), which has potential in breeding applications. Conclusion: This study provides a clue that AS of mRNA has an impact on crop yield, along with functional sQTLs are new genetic resources for cotton precision breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Members of Didymellaceae have a wide geographical distribution throughout different ecosystems, and most species are associated with fruit, leaf, stem and root diseases of land plants. However, species that occur in aquatic plants are not clearly known. During a survey of the diversity of endophytes in aquatic plants in Yunnan, Sichuan, and Guizhou provinces, we obtained 51 isolates belonging to Didymellaceae based on internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) sequences. Further, the phylogenetic positions of these isolates were determined by combined sequences composed of ITS, partial large subunit nrRNA gene (28S nrDNA; LSU), RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (rpb2) and partial beta-tubulin gene (tub2). Combining morphological characteristics and multi-locus phylogenetic analyses, two new varieties belong to Boeremia and 12 new species distributed into seven genera were recognized from 51 isolates, i.e., Cumuliphoma, Didymella, Dimorphoma, Ectophoma, Leptosphaerulina, Remotididymella, and Stagonosporopsis. Among these species, only one species of Stagonosporopsis and two species of Leptosphaerulina show teleomorphic stages on OA, but have no anamorphic state. Each new species is described in detail, and the differences between new species and their phylogenetically related species are discussed here. The high frequency of new species indicates that aquatic plants may be a special ecological niche which highly promotes species differentiation. At the same time, the frequent occurrence of new species may indicate the need for extensive investigation of fungal resources in those aquatic environments where fungal diversity may be underestimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying and protecting key sites of ecological assets and improving spatial connectivity and accessibility are important measures taken to protect ecological diversity. This study takes Guangxi as the research area. Based on the gross ecosystem product (GEP), the ecological source is identified, and the initial ecological network (EN) is constructed by identifying the ecological corridor with the minimum cumulative resistance model. The internal defects of the initial ecological network are extracted using the circuit theory, the priority areas for restoration and protection with clear spatial positions are determined according to the complex network analysis, and the network's performance before and after optimization is comprehensively evaluated. The results show that 456 initial ecological sources and 1219 ecological corridors have been identified, forming the initial ecological network of Guangxi. Based on the circuit theory, 168 ecological barriers, 83 ecological pinch points, and 71 ecological stepping stones were extracted for network optimization. After optimizing the ecological network, there are 778 ecological sources with a total area of 73,950.56 km2 and 2078 ecological corridors with a total length of 23,922.07 km. The GEP of the optimized structure is 13.33% higher than that of the non-optimized structure. The priority areas for protection are distributed in a large area, and the attached GEP reaches USD 118 billion, accounting for 72% of the total GEP attached to the optimized ecological source area. The priority areas for restoration are scattered in small patches, with a GEP of USD 19.27 billion. The robustness and connectivity of the optimized ecological network have been improved obviously. This study attempts to identify key sites of ecological assets and the priority regions for restoration and conservation using genuine geographical location and reference materials for regional ecological network optimization and implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sluggish kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with complex multielectron transfer steps significantly limits the large‐scale application of electrochemical energy devices, including metal–air batteries and fuel cells. Recent years witnessed the development of metal oxide‐supported metal catalysts (MOSMCs), covering single atoms, clusters, and nanoparticles. As alternatives to conventional carbon‐dispersed metal catalysts, MOSMCs are gaining increasing interest due to their unique electronic configuration and potentially high corrosion resistance. By engineering the metal oxide substrate, supported metal, and their interactions, MOSMCs can be facilely modulated. Significant progress has been made in advancing MOSMCs for ORR, and their further development warrants advanced characterization methods to better understand MOSMCs and precise modulation strategies to boost their functionalities. In this regard, a comprehensive review of MOSMCs for ORR is still lacking despite this fast‐developing field. To eliminate this gap, advanced characterization methods are introduced for clarifying MOSMCs experimentally and theoretically, discuss critical methods of boosting their intrinsic activities and number of active sites, and systematically overview the status of MOSMCs based on different metal oxide substrates for ORR. By conveying methods, research status, critical challenges, and perspectives, this review will rationally promote the design of MOSMCs for electrochemical energy devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The site of fat deposition plays an important role in meat quality and body health. Biologically, the perirenal visceral fat (PF) and back subcutaneous fat (BF) are distinct. Angus and Simmental cattle (Bos taurus) were used as models. HE staining, triglyceride assay kit and RNA-seq were used to analyze the differences in tissue morphology and lipid accumulation, co-genes, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the two tissues. According to the findings, BF has a smaller cell area and greater lipid deposition ability than PF. RNA-seq generated approximately 10.99 Gb of data in each library, and 23,472 genes were identified. The genes FABP4, ADIRF, and SCD that are related to adipose deposition were highly expressed in four tissues. There were 1678 DEGs and 1955 DEGs between BF and PF in Angus and Simmental cattle respectively. Gene Ontology function analysis identified several DEGs involved in metabolism. KEGG pathway analysis showed that four pathways related to fat metabolism were enriched. In the BF, seven genes (COL1A1, COL1A2, COL3A1, COL2A1, RXRA, C1QTNF7, and MOGAT2) were up-regulated. Five genes (ADRB3, ABHD5, CPT1B, CD36, LPIN1) were down-regulated. This study identified candidate genes that led to differences in fat metabolism, which could be useful in cattle breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To radiographically analyze the effects of tenting screw technique (TS) and onlay bone grafts (OG) in horizontal bone augmentation. Materials and Methods: Patients receiving horizontal bone augmentation by TS or OG were selected. The clinical outcomes and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) data were documented pre‐grafting, immediately post‐grafting, before and after implantation. The survival rates, clinical complications, alveolar bone width, and volumetric bone augmentation were evaluated and statistically analyzed. Results: A total of 25 patients and 41 implants were involved in this study, with no grafting failures observed in either the TS group (n = 20) or the onlay group (n = 21). Volumetric bone resorption rate in the TS group (21.34%) was significantly lower than that of the OG group (29.38%). In addition, significant horizontal bone gain was achieved in both groups (TS: 6.15 ± 2.12 mm; OG: 4.86 ± 1.40 mm) during the recovery period, with higher gain in the TS group. No apparent statistical difference in terms of volumetric bone gain was observed between the TS (748.53 mm3, 607.47 mm3) and OG group (811.77 mm3, 508.49 mm3) immediately post‐grafting or after the recovery period. Conclusion: Both TS and OG achieved satisfactory bone augmentation effects, yet TS resulted in more bone augmentation and better stability than OG, with a reduced use of autogenous bone. Overall, the tenting screw technique can serve as an effective alternative to autogenous bone grafts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Winter cold stress is a major environmental factor affecting cattle industry production in northern China. Determining the effects of prolonged cold stress on the relevant biological mechanisms in cattle can help develop effective mitigation measures. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of long-term cold stress on growth performance, physiological mechanisms, blood biochemical, and stress hormones of Simmental crossbred bulls. Results indicated that the physiological behavior, digestive function, and contents of enzymes and hormones in the body changed in Simmental cattle during winter, which enhanced the body's heat production to maintain the body temperature constant and ultimately led to impaired growth and development. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a long-term cold environment on growth performance, physiological behavior, biochemical blood indexes, and hormone levels in Simmental cattle. Thirty Simmental crossbred bulls (weight = 350 ± 17 kg, 13–14 months old) were selected for two trials at autumn suitable temperatures (A-ST) and winter cold temperatures (W-CT) (15 cattle per season). The results showed that compared with the A-ST group, dry matter intake (p < 0.05) and feed:gain (p < 0.01) of the W-CT group increased, while body weight (p < 0.01) and average daily gain (p < 0.01) significantly decreased. Long-term cold stress also increased lying time (p < 0.01), feeding time (p < 0.05), and pulse rate (p < 0.01) in the W-CT group, while the rumen volatile fatty acids content (p < 0.01) and apparent digestibility of nutrients (p < 0.05) were significantly decreased. In terms of blood indicators, long-term cold stress increased the concentrations of glucose, glucose metabolic enzymes, glucocorticoids, triiodothyronine, and tetraiodothyronine in the plasma of the W-CT group (p < 0.05), but the levels of triglycerides, β-hydroxybutyrate, propionate, insulin, and growth hormone were decreased (p < 0.01). In summary, long-term cold stress may inhibit the digestive function of Simmental cattle and enhance the body's energy metabolism and stress hormone imbalance, ultimately damaging the normal growth and development of the body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As military technology continues to evolve and the amount of situational information available on the battlefield continues to increase, data-driven deep learning methods are becoming the primary method for air target intention recognition. Deep learning is based on a large amount of high quality data; however, in the field of intention recognition, it often faces key problems such as low data volume and unbalanced datasets due to insufficient real-world scenarios. To address these problems, we propose a new method called time-series conditional generative adversarial network with improved Hausdorff distance (IH-TCGAN). The innovation of the method is mainly reflected in three aspects: (1) Use of a transverter to map real and synthetic data into the same manifold so that they have the same intrinsic dimension; (2) Addition of a restorer and a classifier in the network structure to ensure that the model can generate high-quality multiclass temporal data; (3) An improved Hausdorff distance is proposed that can measure the time order differences between multivariate time-series data and make the generated results more reasonable. We conduct experiments using two time-series datasets, evaluate the results using various performance metrics, and visualize the results using visualization techniques. The experimental results show that IH-TCGAN is able to generate synthetic data similar to the real data and has significant advantages in the generation of time series data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNAzymes are synthetic deoxynucleotide oligomers with catalytic properties selected through in vitro systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) technique. RNA‐cleaving DNAzymes have attracted increasing attentions in bioanalysis and biomedical applications due to their simple synthesis and modification, stable structure, and high catalytic activity. Especially, their different modes of activity regulation enable their extensive theranostic development. This review introduces the in vitro selection of DNAzymes and some typical ones, followed by the description of various stimuli‐responsive regulation strategies on DNAzyme activity, including metal ion cofactors, small molecules, protease, light, and heat. Then the recent advances of DNAzyme‐based biosensors, therapeutic applications, cell‐cell interaction regulation, and logic operation are summarized. At last, the current challenges and possible development of DNAzyme‐based biosensors are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Breast and ovarian cancers are common malignancies among women, contributing to a significant disease burden, and are characterized by a high level of genomic instability, owing to the failure of homologous recombination repair (HRR). Pharmacological inhibition of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) could elicit the synthetic lethal effect of tumor cells in patients with homologous recombination deficiency, ultimately achieving a favorable clinical benefit. However, primary and acquired resistance remain the greatest hurdle, limiting the efficacy of PARP inhibitors; thus, strategies conferring or augmenting tumor cell sensitivity to PARP inhibitors are urgently required. Methods. Our RNA-seq data of niraparib-treated and -untreated tumor cells were analyzed by R language. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was applied to assess the biological functions of GTP cyclohydrolase 1 (GCH1). Quantitative real-time PCR, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence were applied to confirm the upregulation of GCH1 upon niraparib treatment at transcriptional and translational levels. Immunohistochemistry of patient-derived xenograft (PDX)-derived tissue sections further validated that niraparib increased GCH1 expression. Tumor cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry, while the superiority of the combination strategy was confirmed in the PDX model. Results. The expression of GCH1 was aberrantly enriched in breast and ovarian cancers and increased after niraparib treatment via JAK-STAT signaling. GCH1 was also demonstrated to be associated with the HRR pathway. Subsequently, the enhancement of the tumor-killing effect of PARP inhibitors induced by GCH1 suppression using siRNA and GCH1 inhibitor was validated by flow cytometry in vitro. Finally, using the PDX model, we further demonstrated that GCH1 inhibitors markedly potentiated PARP inhibitors' antitumor efficacy in vivo. Conclusion. Our results illustrated that PARP inhibitors promote GCH1 expression via the JAK-STAT pathway. We also elucidated the potential relationship between GCH1 and the homologous recombination repair pathway and proposed a combination regimen of GCH1 suppression with PARP inhibitors in breast and ovarian cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The competitive advantage of lianas over trees has been widely documented in studies of their leaf functional traits across diverse habitats; however, the relative contribution of root functional traits to the competitive superiority of lianas over trees has not yet been evaluated. The aim of this study was to explore the root functional traits, phylogenetic structure of these traits and root trait dimensions of lianas to clarify why lianas can outperform trees.We sampled 69 liana species from tropical and temperate forests in China and measured nine key functional traits of first‐order roots of each species, including morphological, architectural, anatomical and chemical traits, as well as the percentage of mycorrhizal colonization. Data on these traits were then compared with similar data of 127 tree species from the same biome obtained from the Global Root Traits (GRooT) database and our previous studies.Liana roots had lower construction costs and could acquire resources more rapidly compared with tree roots. Significant differences were observed in most tree root traits between tropical and temperate sites. However, no significant differences were observed in any of the liana root traits between tropical and temperate sites, apart from the root branching ratio.Lianas showed much weaker phylogenetic conservatism in their root traits than trees when species were pooled across sites. Phylogenetic constraint was lower for nearly all root traits of both temperate lianas and trees compared with those of tropical lianas and trees.The root economics space of lianas and trees had two orthogonal dimensions with 'conservation' and 'collaboration' axes. However, lianas occupied the trait space with higher root nitrogen concentration and greater specific root length, showing 'fast' resource acquisition strategy, while trees placed opposite space and exhibited relatively 'slow' strategy.Synthesis. The ability of lianas to outcompete trees in harsh environments might be explained by their faster resource acquisition strategy and the lower phylogenetic constraint in root traits. Generally, lianas might play an increasingly important role in the structure and function of forest ecosystems in the future with ongoing habitat fragmentation and climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a large-eddy simulation (LES) of turbulent non-premixed LO2/CH4 combustion under transcritical conditions is performed based on the Mascotte test rig from the Office National d'Etudes et de Recherches A e ´ rospatiales (ONERA), and the aim is to understand the effects of differential diffusion on the flame behaviors. In the LES, oxygen was injected into the environment above the critical pressure while the temperature was below the critical temperature. The flamelet/progress variable (FPV) approach was used as the combustion model. Two LES cases with different species diffusion coefficient schemes—i.e., non-unity and unity Lewis numbers—for generating the flamelet tables were carried out to explore the effects of differential diffusion on the flame and flow structures. The results of the LES case with non-unity Lewis numbers were in good agreement with the experimental data. It was shown that differential diffusion had evident impacts on the flame structure and flow dynamics. In particular, when unity Lewis numbers were used to evaluate the species diffusion coefficient, the flame length was underestimated and the flame expansion was more significant. Compared to laminar counterflow flames, turbulence in jet flames allows chemical reactions to take place in a wider range of mixture fractions. The density distributions of the two LES cases in the mixture fraction space were very similar, indicating that differential diffusion had no significant effects on the phase transition under transcritical conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Severe respiratory and neurological diseases caused by human enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) pose a serious threat to public health, and there are currently no effective drugs and vaccines. Adenosine deaminase acting on RNA1 (ADAR1) has diverse biological functions in various viral infections, but its role in EV-D68 infections remains undetermined. Methods: Rhabdomyosarcoma (RD) and human embryonic kidney 293 T (293 T) cells, and HeLa cells were used to evaluate the expression level of ADAR1 upon EV-D68 (Fermon strain) and human parainfluenza virus type 3 (HPIV3; NIH47885) infection, respectively. Knockdown through silencing RNA (siRNA) and overexpression of either ADAR1p110 or ADAR1p150 in cells were used to determine the function of the two proteins after viral infection. ADAR1p110 double-stranded RNA binding domains (dsRBDs) deletion mutation was generated using a seamless clone kit. The expression of ADAR1, EV-D68 VP1, and HPIV3 hemagglutinin–neuraminidase (HN) proteins was identified using western blotting. The median tissue culture infectious dose (TCID50) was applied to detect viral titers. The transcription level of EV-D68 mRNA was analyzed using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and the viral 5′-untranslated region (5′-UTR)-mediated translation was analyzed using a dual luciferase reporter system. Conclusion: We found that the transcription and expression of ADAR1 was inhibited upon EV-D68 infection. RNA interference of endogenous ADAR1 decreased VP1 protein expression and viral titers, while overexpression of ADAR1p110, but not ADAR1p150, facilitated viral replication. Immunofluorescence assays showed that ADAR1p110 migrated from the nucleus to the cytoplasm after EV-D68 infection. Further, ADAR1p110 lost its pro-viral ability after mutations of the active sites in the deaminase domain, and 5′-UTR sequencing of the viral genome revealed that ADAR1p110 likely plays a role in EV-D68 RNA editing. In addition, after ADAR1 knockdown, the levels of both phosphorylated double-stranded RNA dependent protein kinase (p-PKR) and phosphorylated eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (p-eIF2α) increased. Attenuated translation activity of the viral genome 5′-UTR was also observed in the dual-luciferase reporter assay. Lastly, the deletion of ADAR1p110 dsRBDs increased the level of p-PKR, which correlated with a decreased VP1 expression, indicating that the promotion of EV-D68 replication by ADAR1p110 is also related to the inhibition of PKR activation by its dsRBDs. Our study illustrates that ADAR1p110 is a novel pro-viral factor of EV-D68 replication and provides a theoretical basis for EV-D68 antiviral research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major method used to reduce the magnetic loss of soft magnetic composites (SMCs) is to coat the magnetic powder with an insulating layer, but the permeability is usually sacrificed in the process. In order to achieve a better balance between low losses and high permeability, a novel photodecomposition method was used in this study to create a ZnO insulating layer. The effect of the concentration of diethyl zinc on the formation of a ZnO insulating film by photodecomposition was studied. The ZnO film was best formed with a diethyl zinc n-hexane solution at a concentration of around 0.40 mol/L. Combined with conventional coupling treatment processes, a thin and dense insulating layer was coated on the surface of iron powder in situ. Treating the iron powder before coating by photodecomposition led to a synergistic effect, significantly reduced core loss, and the effective permeability only decreased slightly. An iron-based soft magnetic composite with a loss value of 124 kW/m3 and an effective permeability of 107 was obtained at the frequency of 100 kHz and a magnetic field intensity of 20 mT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a manifestation of hepatic metabolic syndrome that varies in severity. Hepatocellular carcinoma progresses from NAFLD when there is heterogeneity in the infiltration of immune cells and molecules. A precise molecular classification of NAFLD remains lacking, allowing further exploration of the link between NAFLD and hepatocellular carcinoma. In this work, a weighted gene coexpression network analysis was used to identify two coexpression modules based on multiple omics data used to differentiate NAFLD subtypes. Additionally, key genes in the process of glucose metabolism and NAFLD were used to construct a prognostic model in a cohort of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Furthermore, the specific expression of signature genes in hepatocellular carcinoma cells was analyzed using a single-cell RNA sequencing approach. A total of 19 liver tissues of NAFLD patients were obtained from the GEO database, and 81 glucose metabolism-related genes were downloaded from the CTD database. In addition, based on nine signature genes, we constructed a prognostic model to divide the HCC cohort into high and low-risk groups. We also demonstrated a significant correlation between prognostic models and clinical phenotypes. Furthermore, we integrated single-cell RNA-sequencing data and immunology data to assess potential relationships between different molecular subtypes and hepatocellular carcinoma. Finally, our study discovered that the glucose metabolism pathway may play an important role in the process of NAFLD-hepatocellular carcinoma. In addition, three glucose metabolism-related genes (SERPINE1, VCAN, and TFPI2) may be the potential targets for the immunotherapy of patients with NAFLD-hepatocellular carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the penetration of intermittent renewable energy increases in bulk power systems, flexible generation resources, such as quick-start gas units, become important tools for system operators to address the power imbalance problem. To better capture their flexibility, we proposed a two-stage distributionally robust unit commitment framework with both regular and flexible generation resources, in which the unit commitment decisions for flexible generation resources can be adjusted in the second stage to accommodate the renewable energy intermittency. In order to tackle this challenging two-stage distributionally robust mixed-binary model, to which traditional separation algorithms won’t apply, we designed a revised integer L-shaped algorithm with lift-and-project cutting plane techniques. In comparison to the traditional distributionally robust unit commitment, the proposed approach can reduce the system cost through an improved flexible resource quantification in the modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reported an automatic centrifugal system for rapid quantification of foodborne pathogenic bacteria based on immunomagnetic separation (IMS) for target bacteria enrichment and recombinase aided amplification (RAA) for nucleic acid detection. First, target bacteria were captured by immune magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) to form magnetic bacteria, which were purified and enriched by magnetic separation. Then, nucleic acid extraction buffer was used to extract genomic DNA of magnetic bacteria and dissolve lyophilized RAA reagent. Finally, isothermal amplification and fluorescent detection were conducted for bacteria quantification. Bacteria magnetic separation, nucleic acid extraction and fluorescent RAA detection were elaborately achieved in a centrifugal disc with unique functional chambers and multistage siphon channels. A supporting device was developed to automatically and successively perform the programmed centrifugal protocol, including temperature control for isothermal amplification and fluorescence detection for real-time RAA analysis. Under optimal conditions, this centrifugal system enabled Salmonella detection as low as 10 CFU mL−1 in spiked chicken samples in 1 h with average recovery of 105.6% and average standard deviation of 8.4%. It has been demonstrated as an alternative for rapid detection of Salmonella. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are many contradictions in previous studies of the status of depressive symptoms among Chinese migrant children, the number of which in the compulsory education stage is about 13.9 million. This systematic review and meta-analysis were designed to compare depressive symptoms among migrant children and their urban children. Around 2,710 papers were retrieved from PubMed, OVID, the Web of Knowledge, CNKI, Wan Fang, Chongqing VIP, and Chinese Social Sciences Citation Index on January 27, 2020. Thirty-Two studies met study criteria with 14,906 migrant children and 10,792 urban children. Migrant children scored significantly higher for depressive symptoms score (SMD = 0.307, 95% CI [0.222, 0.393]). Region significantly influenced the difference of depressive symptoms between migrant children and urban children. Large effect sizes came from studies using scales that focus on depressive mood while studies using scales that focus on depressive behavioural symptoms had small effect sizes. Future research should focus on treatments to decrease depressive mood of migrant children. Future studies can add information about the length of their current stay in the urban location to improve the quality of study. PROSPERO registry: Systematic review registration no. CRD42018090676. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Ferroptosis plays a crucial role in the initiation and progression of melanoma. This study developed a robust signature with ferroptosis‐related genes (FRGs) and assessed the ability of this signature to predict OS in patients with skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM). Methods: RNA‐sequencing data and clinical information of melanoma patients were extracted from TCGA, GEO, and GTEx. Univariate, multivariate, and LASSO regression analyses were conducted to identify the gene signature. A 10 FRG signature was an independent and strong predictor of survival. The predictive performance was assessed using ROC curve. The functions of this gene signature were assessed by GO and KEGG analysis. The statuses of low‐risk and high‐risk groups according to the gene signature were compared by GSEA. In addition, we investigated the possible relationship of FRGs with immunotherapy efficacy. Results: A prognostic signature with 10 FRGs (CYBB, IFNG, FBXW7, ARNTL, PROM2, GPX2, JDP2, SLC7A5, TUBE1, and HAMP) was identified by Cox regression analysis. This signature had a higher prediction efficiency than clinicopathological features (AUC = 0.70). The enrichment analyses of DEGs indicated that ferroptosis‐related immune pathways were largely enriched. Furthermore, GSEA showed that ferroptosis was associated with immunosuppression in the high‐risk group. Finally, immune checkpoints such as PDCD‐1 (PD‐1), CTLA4, CD274 (PD‐L1), and LAG3 were also differential expression in two risk groups. Conclusions: The 10 FRGs signature were a strong predictor of OS in SKCM and could be used to predict therapeutic targets for melanoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Current crop models poorly simulate leaf-level photosynthesis under low-temperature stress. • Improved algorithms based on accumulated cold degree days effectively quantify the damage of low-temperature stress on leaf-level photosynthesis. • Improved algorithms quantify the recovery process of leaf-level photosynthesis after low-temperature stress. • Improved algorithms consider sensitivities of different rice cultivars to low-temperature stress. Photosynthesis is crucial for crop growth and yield, yet remains a limitation in enhancing crop production under global climate change. Crop models have been widely used to project the impacts of climate change on crop yields, including extreme temperature events. However, most crop simulation models performed poorly on leaf-level photosynthesis simulation under low-temperature stress (LTS). Here, two rice cultivars, Huaidao 5 and Nangeng 46, were treated under seven LTS intensities (from 27/21 °C to 12/6 °C) and five LTS durations (from 3 to 9 days) during the flowering stage for three years under environment-controlled conditions. The results showed that the observed maximum photosynthetic rate (P max) and initial light-use efficiency (ε) decreased with increasing intensities and durations of LTS, and P max and ε were linearly correlated (R2 = 0.94). Experimental data under different LTS have been tested by four widely used rice models, including RiceGrow, ORYZA2000, RICEPSM, and GEMRICE, indicating that the effects of LTS durations on P max and ε have not been captured well by most existing models. By integrating accumulated cold degree days (ACDD, °C·d) as the LTS index with a cultivar-specific low-temperature threshold parameter (T h), algorithms of temperature factor (FT) and ε were improved, and the effects of LTS on P max and ε were quantified with a double exponential decay function in this research. Compared with the original models, the normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) between observed and simulated photosynthetic rates in the four improved models decreased by about 80 % under LTS treatments, indicating the better performance of the improved models. In addition, the recovery factor of LTS damage to photosynthesis (FLT recover) algorithm was developed to simulate the recovery of the leaf-level photosynthetic rate (P) after LTS treatments. This study could provide an effective quantitative tool for accurately estimating rice photosynthetic production and grain yield under future climate conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the prevalence of service composition, how to recommend API services that meet the Mashup requirements for developers has become a challenging in the field of service computing. Existing works on Web service recommendation typically conduct service recommendation based on the semantic requirements and interaction relationships of Web services, while ignoring the construction intent of Mashup creators. Moreover, they often only focus on the impact of single intent on recommendation, neglecting the diverse requirements of Mashup creators at different intent-levels. As a result, the recommendation models fail to comprehensively understand the construction intent of Mashup creators, which affects the quality and effectiveness of Web service recommendation. To address this problem, this paper proposes an intent recognition-based API recommendation method, denoted as ARIR. This method utilizes the annotation information of Mashup and API to analyse the creation intent of Mashup and the functional intent of API, thereby providing more accurate API with high-quality to Mashup creators. Firstly, it decouples the representations of Mashup and API at different intent-levels and independently initializes the node representations at each intent-level. Secondly, it trains the vector representations at each intent-level using a decoupled graph convolutional neural network module and obtains the representation vectors of Mashup/API at different intent-levels with attention weights. Then, it aggregates the intents of Mashup and API using the Mashup-API interaction relationships, resulting in the final node representations of Mashup/API. Furthermore, it constructs a similarity heterogeneous network by calculating the Mashup-to-Mashup similarity and API-to-API similarity, updating the node representations by using the Mashup and API feature matrices and adjacency matrices, and obtaining the final recommendation prediction results by using a fully connected layer. Finally, the experimental results conducted on real-world Web service datasets demonstrate that the ARIR outperforms the best-performing baseline method with Recall@20 of 1.1% and NDCG@20 of 3.3%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most of embryo losses occur before the day 16 after artificial insemination, but there is no low cost and easy operation that can detect pregnancy with high accuracy within three weeks post-insemination in cattle. In this study, blood samples were collected at day 18 of the estrous cycle, and days 18, 25 and 35 of pregnancy, and relative levels of interferon stimulated genes (ISGs), Toll-like receptor (TLRs), complement components, early pregnancy factor (EPF) and pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPPA) proteins were analyzed through Western blot. In addition, a colloidal gold immunochromatographic test strip was developed using the selected antibody, and the test was used for early pregnancy diagnosis. The results showed that there were changes in relative levels of plasma ISGs, TLRs, complement components, EPF and PAPPA proteins during early pregnancy in cattle, and complement component 1q (C1q) could be used as an ideal marker to develop a colloidal gold immunochromatographic test strip for early pregnancy diagnosis. In addition, the accuracy of pregnancy diagnosis by this test strip was 91.67% (11/12) for pregnant cows and 80% (8/10) nonpregnant cows at day 18 after insemination. In conclusion, the changes in plasma ISGs, TLRs, complement components, EPF and PAPPA proteins may be related to the maternal systemic immune modulation during early pregnancy, and a colloidal gold immunochromatographic test strip was developed for early pregnancy diagnosis using C1q as the ideal marker in cows. However, this colloidal gold immunochromatographic test strip needs further studies to improve the accuracy. • Early pregnancy induces changes in plasma ISGs, TLRs, complement components. • C1q can be used as an ideal marker for early pregnancy diagnosis in cows. • Development of an immunochromatographic test strip for early pregnancy diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a novel method to ease the sluggish electrochemical kinetics of Ni-based selenides by substituting Co ions in nickel selenide. Ni x Co 1-x Se 2 nanotubes were prepared using a typical two-step water thermal selenide method. In the first step, the diameter of the Ni–Co precursor nanorods decreased with the feed amount of Co2+, resulting in a decrease in the diameter and wall thickness of the Ni x Co 1-x Se 2 nanotubes in the second step. Through controlling the feed content of Co ions, the Ni-Co selenide nanotubes electrode achieves superior rate capacity, high specific capacitance, and excellent cycling stability. [Display omitted] • The size of Ni x Co 1- x Se 2 nanotubes could be tuned by the feeding of Co2+. • The introduction of Co ions adjusts the pseudocapacitive kinetics of Ni x Co 1- x Se 2. • The Ni x Co 1- x Se 2 electrode exhibits tunable rate capacity and cycling stability. • The Ni 0.67 Co 0.33 Se 2 //AC HSC shows excellent electrochemical performance. Nickel chalcogenides, as electrode materials, often have low rate capability and poor cycling stability because of their sluggish diffusion-controlled electrochemical kinetics in aqueous alkaline electrolytes. In this study, Co ions serving as both morphological and electronic modulators were introduced to synthesize Ni x Co 1-x Se 2 nanotubes. The chemical composition of these nanotubes can be designed purposefully. Moreover, their electrochemical kinetics and pseudocapacitive behavior can be controlled using a typical two-step hydrothermal strategy by tuning the feed amount of Co2+. The optimized Ni 0.67 Co 0.33 Se 2 electrode provided a distinguished specific capacity (1157F g−1 at 1 A g−1), cycling stability (91% after 2000 cycles), and excellent rate capability (600F g−1 at 20 A g−1). Through calculations, we explain that the obtained Ni 0.67 Co 0.33 Se 2 electrode has both battery and capacitance behavior and a synergistic effect that combines the complementary advantages of metal Ni and Co ions, thus addressing a massive boost in the specific capacity and cycle performance. Density functional theory (DFT) was used to verify the benefit of substituting Co ions for partial Ni ions in nickel selenides in enhancing charge transfer and accelerating OH– adsorption and deprotonation/protonation reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bubble defects severely affect the optical properties of single-crystal fibers (SCFs), so it is necessary to avoid the incorporation of bubbles during crystal growth. The process of bubbles entering a crystal was observed during pulling of Lu3Al5O12 (LuAG) SCFs from ceramic pedestals by the laser-heated pedestal growth (LHPG) method. The effects of orientation and growth chamber pressure on the density and size of bubbles as well as on stress distribution were fully studied. <111>-oriented LuAG crystal fibers are likely to incorporate more and larger bubbles than <100>-oriented fibers. The low pressure in the growth chamber can limit the formation and transport of bubbles, and the bubble densities are decreased by nearly 50% with a chamber pressure of 0.3 atm. Notably, the <111>-oriented LuAG crystal fibers are more sensitive to pressure with an almost 40% decrease in the average bubble size and stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to predict nucleic acid hybridization energies has been greatly enabling for many applications, but predictive models require painstaking experimentation, which may limit expansion to non-natural nucleic acid analogues and chemistries. We have assessed the utility of dye-based, high-resolution melting (HRM) as an alternative to UV-Vis determinations of hyperchromicity in order to more quickly acquire parameters for duplex stability prediction. The HRM-derived model for phosphodiester (PO) DNA can make comparable predictions to previously established models. Using HRM, it proved possible to develop predictive models for DNA duplexes containing phosphorothioate (PS) linkages, and we found that hybridization stability could be predicted as a function of sequence and backbone composition for a variety of duplexes, including PS:PS, PS:PO, and partially modified backbones. Individual phosphorothioate modifications destabilize helices by around 0.12 kcal/mol on average. Finally, we applied these models to the design of a catalytic hairpin assembly circuit, an enzyme-free amplification method used for nucleic acid-based molecular detection. Changes in PS circuit behavior were consistent with model predictions, further supporting the addition of HRM modeling and parameters for PS oligonucleotides to the rational design of nucleic acid hybridization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimating the biomass of Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud., i.e., a common wetland macrophyte, and the associated carbon sequestration capacity has attracted increasing attention. Hanshiqiao Wetland Nature Reserve (HWNR) is a large P. australis wetland in Beijing, China, and provides an ideal case study site for such purpose in an urban setting. In this study, an existing P. australis growth dynamics model was adapted to estimate the plant biomass, which was in turn converted to the associated carbon sequestration capacity in the HWNR throughout a typical year. To account for local differences, the modeling parameters were calibrated against the above-ground biomass (AGB) of P. australis retrieved from hyperspectral images of the study site. We also analyzed the sensitivity of the modeling parameters and the influence of environmental factors, particularly the nutrient availability, on the growth dynamics and carbon sequestration capacity of P. australis. Our results show that the maximum AGB and below-ground biomass (BGB) of P. australis in the HWNR are 2.93 × 103 and 2.49 × 103 g m−2, respectively, which are higher than the reported level from nearby sites with similar latitudes, presumably due to the relatively high nutrient availability and more suitable inundation conditions in the HWNR. The annual carbon sequestration capacity of P. australis in the HWNR was estimated to be 2040.73 gC m−2 yr−1, which was also found to be highly dependent on nutrient availability, with a 50% increase (decrease) in the constant of the nutrient availability KNP, resulting in a 12% increase (23% decrease) in the annual carbon sequestration capacity. This implies that a comprehensive management of urban wetlands that often encounter eutrophication problems to synergize the effects of nutrient control and carbon sequestration is worth considering in future practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The abundance and uneven distribution of renewable energy might cause congestion and curtailment in electric power systems. Transmission expansions can potentially alleviate transmission congestion and reduce renewable energy curtailment. On the other hand, with the substantial cost reduction of electrolyzer technology and the continuing rise of hydrogen demand, converting surplus renewable energy to hydrogen provides synergistic benefits to power and hydrogen systems, but consequently requires joint planning of the two systems. To this end, we propose a joint planning approach for power transmission and hydrogen transportation networks to coordinately optimize the investment and operation of power and hydrogen infrastructure. In our proposed model, detailed truck routing, pipeline, and hydrogen storage are formulated to quantify the flexibility of hydrogen transportation system. A robust joint planning approach is also proposed to address various uncertainties from renewable energy, electric load, and hydrogen demand. Our numerical simulations show that the proposed joint planning model can save the total system cost, reduce renewable energy curtailment, and increase the utilization level of transmission lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have proved to achieve state-of-the-art performance in content-based remote sensing image retrieval (CBRSIR). However, CNNs cannot focus on discriminative features of important objects, resulting in unsatisfactory retrieval performance with complex backgrounds and small objects. We therefore propose a multi-attention fusion network with dilated convolution and label smoothing for CBRSIR. First, a dilated convolutional layer is used to replace the fifth convolutional layer in the network to obtain a large receptive field. Then, a contextual transformer attention (CoT) and an efficient channel attention (ECA) are fused together for spatial-wise and channel-wise discriminative features, respectively. The multi-attention module is embedded between the newly added dilated convolutional layer and the followed average pooling layer. Besides, in order to enhance the differences between the discriminative features of those correct and incorrect classes, label smoothing is used to replace the cross-entropy loss function. Some ablation experiments are conducted on six benchmark datasets. Compared to the baseline AlextNet with the above different modules, the mAP values of the proposed network improve by 14.84% to 24.21%. The results indicate that our network can significantly improve the retrieval performance. In addition, we have also conducted some experiments for network migration and comparison with some recent methods (e.g. a triplet deep metric learning and deep feature learning with latent relationship embedding network). Experimental results illustrate that our network can be effectively migrated to other similar CNN models and can achieve state-of-the-art or competitive results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution, particularly PM 2.5 , is a significant public health concern in China and worldwide. The diurnal fluctuation feature of PM 2.5 is a crucial factor influencing human exposure, but research on its spatiotemporal characteristics across China is limited. This study aims to explore the spatial patterns of diurnal variations in PM 2.5 concentrations across China and identify the factors that influence them. We conducted a comprehensive study to investigate the diurnal range of PM 2.5 concentration and meteorological factors from 1636 fixed monitoring sites in China from January 2015 to December 2021. We calculated the average diurnal variation of PM 2.5 during different seasons at each site and explored the correlation between the diurnal variation of PM 2.5 and various types of factors. The main influencing factors was identified by employing eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP). Our spatial analysis revealed significant variations in both the mean concentration and diurnal range of PM 2.5 across different regions in China. The main factors affecting the diurnal variation of PM 2.5 include topographic factors such as elevation, meteorological factors such as temperature, air pressure, and dew point temperature, and socioeconomic factors such as industry and transportation. This study is beneficial for evidence-based policy decisions aimed at reducing air pollution and protecting public health. • PM 2.5 diurnal variations were analyzed using 1636 sites across China. • China's southeast coast exhibit low diurnal variation of PM 2.5.. • North and west China display high diurnal variation of PM 2.5.. • Altitude and average temperature shape the diurnal variations of PM 2.5.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Culture plating is worldwide accepted as the gold standard for quantifying viable foodborne pathogens. However, it is time-consuming (1–2 days) and requires specialized laboratory and personnel. This study reported a deep learning enhanced digital microfluidic platform for multiplex detection of viable foodborne pathogens. The new method used a Time-Lapse images driven EfficientNet-Transformer Network (TLENTNet) to type and quantify the bacteria through spatiotemporal features of bacterial growth and digital enumeration of bacterial culture. First, the bacterial sample was prepared with LB medium and injected into a pre-vacuumed microfluidic chip with an array of 800 microwells to encapsulate at most one bacterium in each well. Then, a programmed sliding microscopic platform was used to scan all microwells every 15 min, capturing time-lapse images of bacterial growth within each microwell. Finally, the TLENTNet was used to facilitate bacterial typing and quantification. Under optimal conditions, this platform was able to detect four bacterial species (S. typhimurium, E. coli O157:H7 , S. aureus and B. cereus) with an average accuracy of 97.72% and a detection limit of 63 CFU/mL in 7 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid screening of foodborne pathogens is key to preventing food poisoning. In this study, a slidable centrifugal disc was developed for automatic and multi-channel detection of Salmonella typhimurium using Flinders Technology Associates (FTA) cards for nucleic acid extraction and recombinase aided amplification (RAA) for nucleic acid detection. The slidable FTA switching and centrifugal fluidic control were elaborately combined to achieve fully automatic operations, including centrifugation of the bacterial sample to obtain the concentrated bacteria, heating and drying of the FTA card to extract the nucleic acids, washing of the FTA card to remove the impurities, and RAA detection of the extracted DNA to determine the concentration. Under the optimal conditions, this slidable centrifugal disc was able to detect 10 CFU mL−1 in a spiked chicken meat supernatant in 1 h with an average recovery of 101.8% and an average standard deviation of 6.5%. This disc has been demonstrated as an alternative for sample-in-result-out detection of Salmonella and has shown potential for simultaneous detection of multiple bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]