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Simple Summary: The molecular mechanism underlying muscle development in goats is complex, and the key genes commanding the growth performance and meat quality of different breeds remain unclear. Herein, we present temporal transcriptome research on Longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle of two goat breeds from embryo to 12 months old, with extreme phenotypic differences in production and meat quality traits, using an Illumina system for the identification of key genes to improve production efficiency in goats. In this study, we measured the growth performance and intramuscular fat (IMF) content of the Longissimus dorsi (LD) of Fuqing goats (FQs) and Nubian goats (NBYs), which exhibit extreme phenotypic differences in terms of their production and meat quality traits. RNA-Seq analysis was performed, and transcriptome data were obtained from the LD tissue of 3-month fetuses (E3), 0-month lambs (0M), 3-month lambs (3M), and 12-month lambs (12M) to reveal the differences in the molecular mechanisms regulating the muscle development and IMF deposition between FQs and NBYs. The results showed that a higher body weight and average daily gain were observed in the NBYs at three developmental stages after birth, whereas a higher IMF content was registered in the FQs at 12M. Additionally, transcriptome profiles during the embryonic period and after birth were completely different for both FQs and NBYs. Moreover, DEGs (KIF23, CCDC69, CCNA2, MKI67, KIF11, RACGAP1, NUSAP1, SKP2, ZBTB18, NES, LOC102180034, CAPN6, TUBA1A, LOC102178700, and PEG10) significantly enriched in the cell cycle (ko04110) at E3 (FQs vs. NBYs), and DEGs (MRPS7, RPS8, RPL6, RPL4, RPS11, RPS10, RPL5, RPS6, RPL8, RPS13, RPS24, RPS15, RPL23) significantly enriched in ribosomes (ko03010) at 0M (FQs vs. NBYs) related to myogenic differentiation and fusion were identified. Meanwhile, the differences in glucose and lipid metabolism began at the E3 timepoint and continued to strengthen as growth proceeded in FQs vs. NBYs. DEGs (CD36, ADIROQR2, ACACA, ACACB, CPT1A, IGF1R, IRS2, LDH-A, PKM, HK2, PFKP, PCK1, GPI, FASN, FADS1, ELOVL6, HADHB, ACOK1, ACAA2, and ACSL4) at 3M (FQs vs. NBYs) and 12M (FQs vs. NBYs) significantly enriched in the AMPK signaling pathway (ko04152), insulin resistance (ko04931), the insulin signaling pathway (ko04910), fatty acid metabolism (ko01212), and glycolysis/gluconeogenesis (ko00010) related to IMF deposition were identified. Further, the results from this study provide the basis for future studies on the mechanisms regulating muscle development and IMF deposition in different breeds of goats, and the candidate genes identified could be used in the selection process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatiotemporal symmetry breaking induced the coexistence of ferroelectric and magnetic order phases. To realize multiferroic orders at room temperature in BiFeO 3 ceramics, structure symmetry modulation was introduced by doping Tb, where the R 3 c - P bnm phase transition and unlocking ferromagnetism by destroying the cycloidal spin structure were observed. The phase structure, its fraction, and properties were investigated, including ferroelectric polarization, magnetic orders, dielectric trait, and optical absorption. The electronic structure in doped ceramics can support the parasitic ferromagnetic phase and robust ferroelectric order. The energy band is composed of the hybridization of the O-2 p state and Fe-3 d states, where charge transfer occurs from the O-2 p valence band to the Fe-3 d conduction band, driven by the localized Coulomb repulsion between d - f electrons. The present work provides insight into the regulation of the multiferroic traits of BiFeO 3 from the electronic structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "Who's watching? Classifying sports viewers on social live streaming services." The errors in the abstract and various sections of the article are addressed and corrected. The corrections include updating the number of viewers, clarifying the data analysis process, and fixing errors in tables and figures. The corrections ensure the accuracy and integrity of the article's findings. [Extracted from the article]

In this study, a series of Mg3Fe1‐layered double oxide/xcarbon nanotubes (Mg3Fe1‐LDO/xCNTs) catalysts were constructed from the topological shift of Mg3Fe1‐layered double hydroxide (Mg3Fe1‐LDH) precursor. The as‐prepared catalysts were innovatively evaluated as potential candidates for low temperature selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH3 (NH3‐SCR). It was found that Mg3Fe1/10CNTs catalyst exhibited superb NH3‐SCR activity, with NOx conversion exceeding 80 % at low temperatures (180–270 °C). Moreover, excellent durability and stability towards SO2 was obtained. Such high catalytic efficiency can be attributed to the proper surface acidity and redox capacity of the catalyst, which might be correlated with higher dispersion and more appropriate valence distribution of Fe species caused by the moderate CNTs doping content. This work provides a fundamental understanding on Fe3+/Fe2+ synergistic effect of NH3‐SCR, which is propitious for the rational design and optimization of Fe‐based oxide low‐temperature denitrification (de‐NOx) catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The cilia- and flagella-associated protein 43 (CFAP43) gene plays an important role in the formation of flagella and cilia, and limited research has been conducted on the effect of this gene on animal body traits. Herein, the relationships between three insertion/deletion polymorphisms (L-13, L-16, and L-19) of the goat CFAP43 gene and body traits were analyzed in 1827 Shaanbei white cashmere goats. The findings showed that L-13 was related to chest depth; L-16 was associated with body length, chest width, cannon circumference, and back height; L-19 was associated with body length, chest circumference, and cannon circumference. The ideal genotypes for most of these traits are the deletion/deletion or insertion/deletion genotypes, which is consistent with previously published ideal genotypes for litter size at these loci; therefore, these loci are expected to be molecular markers for improving both body traits and litter size traits. The cilia- and flagella-associated protein 43 (CFAP43) gene encodes a member of the cilia- and flagellum-associated protein family. Cilia on the cell surface influence intercellular signaling and are involved in biological processes such as osteogenesis and energy metabolism in animals. Previous studies have shown that insertion/deletion (InDel) variants in the CFAP43 gene affect litter size in Shaanbei white cashmere (SBWC) goats, and that litter size and body traits are correlated in this breed. Therefore, we hypothesized that there is a significant relationship between InDel variants within the CFAP43 gene and body traits in SBWC goats. Herein, we first investigated the association between three InDel variant loci (L-13, L-16, and L-19 loci) within CFAP43 and body traits in SBWC goats (n = 1827). Analyses revealed that the L-13, L-16, and L-19 loci were significantly associated with chest depth, four body traits, and three body traits, respectively. The results of this study are in good agreement with those previously reported and could provide useful molecular markers for the selection and breeding of goats for body traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • SDSO intercalated CuMgAl-LDH was successfully prepared. • CuMgAl-SDSO-LDO was novelly employed as NH 3 -SCR catalyst. • The best carbon doped Cu-based oxides candidate was determined. • The reasons for different DeNOx performance of Cu-based oxides were revealed. In this work, sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDSO) intercalated CuMgAl Layered double hydroxide (CuMgAl-SDSO-LDH) was fabricated and derived catalyst (CuMgAl-SDSO-LDO) was innovatively evaluated as potential candidates for low temperature selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH 3 (NH 3 -SCR). The results indicated that the existence of carbon from SDSO obviously affected the denitrification activity of CuMgAl-NO 3 -LDO, besides, the successful intercalation of SDSO was essential to catalytic performance. Series of characterizations analysis revealed that the best performance for CuMgAl-SDSO-LDO catalyst could be ascribed to higher dispersion and more appropriate valence state distribution of Cu, which were intrinsically relative with the moderate carbon doping content, thus leading to excellent SCR performance with 90% NO x conversion at 210 °C, above 75 % N 2 selectivity at 90–330 °C and strong H 2 O/SO 2 resistance ability. This work may provide a novel method to develop the carbon doped Cu-based catalysts and expand the applications of LDH in the field of SCR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precise modulation of the optical wavefront is the main way in which metasurfaces act, and the exceptional point (EP) topological phase provided by non-Hermitian metasurfaces offer an additional degree of freedom for the metasurface design. Here, we design an F-shaped non-interleaved metasurface whose unit cell consists of two basic resonators – a nanowire and a split ring resonator (SRR). By adjusting the strength and coupled-mode of these two resonators, the 2π phase accumulation enclosing the EP, the asymmetric transport properties, and the evolution of wavelength-dependent EP are observed. These properties allow for flexible wavefront manipulation in polarization, amplitude and wavelength dimensions. We simulate and demonstrate a spin-decoupled metasurface hologram, a dual-wavelength decoupled metasurface hologram, as well as a dual-wavelength metasurface for near-field nanoprinting and far-field holography. Non-Hermitian topological metasurfaces can be conveniently combined with other wavefront manipulation mechanisms, showing promising applications in the design of nanophotonic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Recent research has shown that hypomagnesemia is associated with increased all-cause mortality in hemodialysis patients. However, the relationship between the long-term prognosis of peritoneal dialysis (PD) and the study is not yet clear. This study will analyze the effects of hypomagnesemia on all-cause, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and non-CVD mortality in PD patients. Method: In a retrospective cohort study, 1,004 samples were selected from 7 PD centers in China. Based on the baseline blood magnesium level at the beginning of stable dialysis, all patients were classified into blood magnesium <0.7 mmol/L group, 0.7–1.2 mmol/L group, and >1.2 mmol/L group (the end event was death). The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the difference in cumulative survival rate; the Cox proportional hazard model was used to analyze the risk factors of all-cause, CVD, and non-CVD death causes. Results: Cox multiple regression analysis results (reference comparison of 0.7–1.2 mmol/L group): patients with serum magnesium <0.7 mmol/L have a higher risk ratio of all-cause mortality (HR = 1.580, 95% CI: 1.222–2.042, p = 0.001), and it is also obvious after correction by multiple models (HR = 1.578, 95% CI: 1.196–2.083, p = 0.001). Subgroup analysis of the causes of death was as follows: CVD risk (HR = 1.628, 95% CI: 1.114–2.379, p = 0.012) and non-CVD risk (HR = 1.521, 95% CI: 1.011–2.288, p = 0.044). Further analysis of the causes of infection-related death in non-CVD is also significant (HR = 1.919, 95% CI: 1.131–3.1257, p = 0.016). On the other hand, the serum magnesium>1.2 mmol/L group had lower all-cause mortality after correction (HR = 0.687, 95% CI: 0.480–0.985, p = 0.041), and subgroup analysis of the cause of death had no statistical significance (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Hypomagnesemia (serum magnesium <0.7 mmol/L) during stable dialysis in PD patients is a risk factor for CVD- and non-CVD-related mortality, especially infection-related death causes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] A metal–organic framework (MOF) thin film constructed from Zn nodes and naphthalenediimide (NDI) linkers was grown in-situ uniformly on a transparent conducting glass substrate. This transparent thin film exhibits intriguingly high-contrast electrochromic (EC) switching between canary yellow and dark brown by means of a one-electron redox reaction at its NDI linkers. The findings provide a basic comprehension of the relations between redox state and electrochromism and enrich the application of MOF in the field of optoelectronic materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, pure phase Cu2.5Mn0.5MgAl precursor was synthesized by layered double hydroxides (LDHs) precursor template method. Subsequently, Cu2.5Mn0.5MgAl-LDH is calcined at 500, 600 and 700 ℃ to obtain the corresponding layered double oxides (LDO) catalysts for simultaneous removal of NOx and toluene. The results show that Cu2.5Mn0.5MgAl-500 exhibits the best catalytic performance in both NOx reduction and toluene oxidation reactions and the conversion of NOx and toluene can reach 85% and 88% at 210 ℃, respectively. XRD, SEM, BET, NH3-TPD, H2-TPR, XPS and in situ DRIFT were applied to characterize the prepared catalysts. The obtained Cu2.5Mn0.5MgAl-500 has abundant acid sites, excellent redox capacity and the highest concentration of surface Mn4+ and Cu+ species, which are considered to be the main factors determining its excellent catalytic performance. In addition, Cu2.5Mn0.5MgAl-500 shows superior durability and good tolerance to H2O/SO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune-inflammatory biomarkers (IIBs) have been shown to be correlated with prognosis in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between a novel comprehensive biomarker, the pan-immune-inflammation value (PIV), and the prognosis of patients undergoing PD. We retrospectively analyzed data from a multicenter, large-sample PD database. PIV was calculated as (neutrophil count × platelet count × monocyte count)/lymphocyte count. The prognostic endpoints in this study were all-cause death all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and infection-related death. The Kaplan–Meier method, a Cox proportional hazards regression, Fine–Gray competing risk model, smooth curve, and subgroup analysis were used to analyze the independent relationship between PIV and the prognosis of patients undergoing PD. A total of 2796 cases of PD were included, and the study population was divided into Tertiles 1, 2, and 3, according to the tertiles of baseline PIVs. After adjusting for multiple model factors, patients in the Tertile 3 group had a significantly higher risk of all-cause death, CVD death and infection-related death compared with patients with PIV in the Tertile 1 group. Interaction tests showed no positive correlations for subgroup parameters. Regarding all-cause death, compared with the lowest tertile, the multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) of the highest and middle tertiles were 1.55 (1.25–1.94) and 1.77 (1.43–2.19), respectively; PIV (log2 processing) was associated with 17% excess of mortality in the continuous model. A high PIV at baseline was significantly associated with an increased risk of deaths due to all-causes, CVD and infection in patients undergoing PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We solve the problem that it is difficult to balance the accuracy and stability of point cloud classification. • We combine a stable backbone, i.e., PointNet, with three accuracy enhancement modules, i.e., three transformers. • Our method achieves a high accuracy with moderate memory and low processor consumptions. • Our method is extremely stable even when the number of points is drastically reduced. PointNet is a deep neural network that directly takes 3D point cloud data as inputs. Due to its strong stability and computational efficiency, PointNet has become one of the most popular point cloud classification methods in the real applications. Recently, transformer techniques have achieved great successes in classifying objects with image inputs, which inspires us to transplant transformers into the object classification with point cloud inputs. In this paper, we propose a 3D point cloud classification method based on PointNet with transformers. Firstly, an offset-attention module is added after the spatial alignment network and multi-layer perceptron (MLP) of PointNet. Then, a cascade-attention module (CA) is introduced into the feature alignment network of PointNet. Finally, a CA is added after the feature alignment network and MLP of PointNet. Experimental results show that our method outperforms PointNet in terms of not only classification accuracy but also stability. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widely studied topological edge states are protected against weak disorder, but this topological protection breaks down for a sufficiently strong disorder. Here, a 2D valley-Hall topological photonic insulator (PTI) with strong robust structure is constructed inspired by metallic nanoparticle metamaterials, working in the visible light band. Based on the multilevel nested structure of the PTI, it is easy to construct topological waveguides with large defects in each unit cell and lead to a strong global disorder. The robust transport of edge states is verified in the global disordered topological waveguide by simulation, and there is no noticeable performance degradation. By introducing systematic disorder, the degradation process of robustness is evaluated. This study enriches the design of valley-Hall PTIs in visible light waveband and provides progress in disordered topological photonic devices. • A 2D valley-Hall photonic topological insulator (PTI) in visible light waveband is proposed. • The PTI is constructed inspired by poly amidoamine dendrimer-based silver nanoparticle metamaterials. • The robustness of topological valley transport against a strong global disorder is proved. • The robustness of this structure is effectively observed and evaluated in the case of increasing systematic disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1 delta ( EEF1D ) gene encodes guanine nucleotide exchange protein eEF1Bδ, which participates in the eukaryotic protein synthesis, and plays important roles in regulating cell cycling and milk production. This study firstly focused on detecting the isoforms of dairy goat EEF1D gene and their mRNA expression characterization. Herein, two novel isoforms, EEF1Da and EEF1Dc , were identified in dairy goat. The entire coding sequences of EEF1Da and EEF1Dc isoforms were 843 bp and 267 bp in length, respectively. Goat EEF1Da had complete conserved domains of elongation factor 1 (EF1) family, and the evolution of goat EEF1Da isoform was agreed with the evolution of species. Expression pattern analysis of different isoforms revealed relatively ubiquitous expression of EEF1D and EEF1Da . While EEF1Dc only expressed in heart, lung, kidney, adipose and muscle. Combining with the analysis results of cloning, qRT-PCR and bioinformatics, EEF1Da is the major alternative splicing form of EEF1D gene. Interestingly, qRT-PCR result showed that the highest expression of EEF1D was in adipose, which is the major component of mammary. This result was consistent with the early research that EEF1D expressed highly in the mammary, which indicated that EEF1D played a potential key role in regulating adipose development and milk production. All these findings would provide a foundation for the further research of EEF1D gene and development of dairy goat industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) has been shown to play key roles in cell development and apoptosis. In this study, we reported three novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the STAT3 gene: AC_000176:g.45204C > T (SNP1), g.62058A > G (SNP2), and g.62230C > T (SNP3) in the second, tenth, and eleventh introns, among two Chinese native goat breeds. By using the forced polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism technique, the SNPs were genotyped and we determined the minor allelic frequencies of Xinong Saanen dairy (XNSN) goats and Hainan black (HN) goats. Haplotype frequencies and linkage disequilibrium (LD) coefficients demonstrated that the CAC and CGT haplotypes had the highest frequencies, and the SNP2 and SNP3 loci had strong LD values in these breeds. Statistical analyses indicated a positive association between either a single SNP locus or and combined genotypes of two- or three-loci associations with some growth traits ( P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). Next, we found the different genotypes were significantly associated with mRNA expression levels of the STAT3 gene. Together, we show that the expression of STAT3 is associated with goat growth traits, which will be beneficial for animal breeding in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The newly emergent social live streaming services (SLSSs) provide the sport consumers with a synchronised and more interactive viewing experience. In order to help the sport SLSSs firms understanding and engaging with the viewers effectively, this research aims to classify the sports SLSS viewers based on their engagement behaviour, and identify the perceived value and value contribution of each group of viewers. Firstly, 52,545 sports SLSSs viewers' viewing duration time is predicted by a feedforward neural network. Second, the predicted viewing duration time and other extracted viewer behavioural data (number of messages, number of virtual gifts, and value of virtual gifts) are analysed through two-step clustering in SPSS, and classified viewers into four types. Semi-structured interviews were then conducted to understand how each type of viewer co-creates value. The results identified four groups of viewers, namely content consumers, super co-creators, co-creators, and tourists, and identified their distinct value co-creations and perceived value. This study sheds light on combining engagement behaviour and value co-creation literature to classify the sports viewers in the context of SLSSs. This understanding assists the decision-making processes of marketers and operators to promote viewers' co-creation effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To study the effects of erythropoietin (rhEPO) in high glucose induced proliferation and apoptosis of human kidney proximal tubular epithelial (HK-2) cells, and the possible mechanism thereof. Methods HK-2 cells cultured in vitro were divided into several groups randomly: blank control group, high glucose group, mannitol group, rhEPO control group, different concentrations of rhEPO treatment groups (5, 10, 20 U/mL) and Rho kinase group. The reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to evaluate the mRNA levels of RhoA and ROCK after 24 hours. Tetrazolium salt method (MTT) was used to determine the cell proliferation. Cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. Results Compared with blank control group the expression levels of RhoA and ROCK1 mRNA were significantly increased in high glucose group (P < 0.05). RhoA, ROCK1 mRNA expressions significantly decreased in rhEPO group than those of high glucose group (P < 0.05). There was a positive correlation between the expression levels of RhoA mRNA and ROCK1 mRNA in high glucose group and rhEPO group. MTT method showed that rhEPO significantly promoted the proliferation of HK-2 cells (P < 0.05). Flow cytometry analysis showed that high glucose induced apoptosis in HK-2 cells, which was significantly inhibited in rhEPO group and Rho kinase group as compared to that of high glucose group in a concentration dependent manner (P < 0.05). Conclusion rhEPO can promote HK-2 cell proliferation and inhibit apoptosis, which may be related to RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, MnTi metal–organic frameworks (MnTi‐MOFs) were successfully prepared, and derived catalysts were innovatively applied to the removal of NOx by selective catalytic reduction with NH3 (NH3‐SCR). The test results show that the one‐step controllable synthesis of MnTi‐MOFs material is achieved through adjusting the Mn/Ti molar ratios and the proportion of metal to organic ligands, in which the ratio of organic ligands is vitally significant for the synthesis of MnTi‐MOFs (MnTi‐MOFs can only be synthesized with the ligand to metal molar ratio in the range of 3–4). Owing to the special heterogeneity of MOFs, the catalyst sample derived from the MnTi‐MOFs precursor prepared with suitable raw material ratio exhibits the best SCR performance. Series of characterization analyses show that the catalysts derived from MOFs precursors with ordered lattice structure exhibit an appropriate surface chemical adsorption oxygen, an increased Mn4+/Mnn+ content, and enhanced acidity of the surface of the sample. This research affords an innovative method to the controllable preparation of dual metal MOFs and expands the development of catalysts in the field of low‐temperature de‐NOx. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The paired-like homeodomain transcription factor 2 (PITX2) gene plays a critical role in cell proliferation, differentiation, hematopoiesis and organogenesis. This gene regulates several genes' expressions in the Wnt/beta-catenin and POU1F1 pathways, thereby probably affecting milk performance. The goal of this study was to characterize the genetic variants of the PITX2 gene and test their associations with milk traits in dairy goats. Herein, four novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), AC_000163:g.18117T>C, g.18161C>G, g.18322C>A and g.18353T>C, within the caprine PITX2 gene, were found in two famous Chinese dairy goat breeds. These SNPs mapping at Cys28Arg, Pro42Pro, IVS1+79C>A and IVS1+110T>C, were genotyped by the MvaI, SmaI, MspI and RsaI aCRS–RFLP or PCR–RFLP methods, respectively. Accordingly, two main haplotypes (CGCT and CGCC) were identified among the specimens. Association testing revealed that the SmaI and RsaI polymorphisms were significantly associated with the milk fat content, milk lactose content and milk density (P <0.05 or P <0.01) in the Guanzhong (GZ) dairy goats, respectively. At the same time, the RsaI locus was also found to significantly link to the second lactation milk yield, milk fat content, milk lactose content, milk density and milk total solid content (P <0.05 or P <0.01) in the Xinong Saanen (XNSN) dairy goats, respectively. These results indicated that the caprine PITX2 gene had the significant effects on milk traits. Hence, the RsaI and SmaI loci could be regarded as two DNA markers for selecting superior milk performance in dairy goats. These preliminary findings not only would extend the spectrum of genetic variation of the goat PITX2 gene, but also would contribute to implementing marker-assisted selection (MAS) in breeding and genetics in dairy goats. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Although clinical experience suggests that patients with diabetes mellitus are more susceptible to several types of infections, the overall scope of pneumonia in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN) has received little attention. Methods: This was a prospective observational cohort study in CAPD patients in which prognostic risks of pneumonia were evaluated in DN and non-DN patients by Cox regression analysis. Hazard ratios of pneumonia events, all-cause and pneumonia-related mortality were calculated by Kaplan-Meier curves and the Cox proportional hazards model for DN versus non-DN patients. Results: A total of 1148 patients (58.6% male, 48.34±15.78 years) had a median follow-up of 23.8 months and a maximum follow-up of 72.0 months. The pneumonia incidence rate of 62.3/1,000 patient-years in CAPD patients with DN was significantly higher than that of 28.5/1,000 patient-years in non-DN patients. On multivariate analysis, independent predictors of pneumonia occurrence in CAPD patients with DN were high body mass index (hazard ratio [HR], 1.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01–1.31; P = 0.037) and low serum albumin level (HR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.78–0.98; P = 0.014). Older age (HR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.35–1.96; P<0.001) was an independent risk factor for the presence of pneumonia in non-DN patients. CAPD patients with DN had higher pneumonia-related mortality (HR, 4.424; 95% CI, 1.871–10.461; P<0.001) and all-cause mortality (HR, 2.608; 95% CI, 1.890–3.599; P<0.001) hazards than their non-DN counterparts, even when extensive demographics, comorbidities, and lab adjustments were made. Conclusions: The pneumonia and all-cause mortality risks were strikingly higher in CAPD patients with DN than in non-DN counterparts, which may warrant further investigation and therapeutic care intensification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the microenvironment structure‐activity relationship of singlet‐atom catalysts (SACs) is imperative for the development of high‐performance photocatalytic devices. However, the challenge remains to finely regulate the coordination microenvironment of SACs. Herein, single‐atom Nx─Cu─O4‐x (x = 1–4) photocatalysts with different coordination environments are successfully prepared based on pre‐design reticular supramolecular covalent organic frameworks (COFs) for direct photocatalytic 1O2 production from O2. The results show that the high activity of Cu SACs is closely related to the N,O‐coordination microenvironment, which is primarily ascribed to the different electrophilicity of the N, O atom. The electron configuration of N3‐Cu‐O1 endows photocatalyst enhanced charge transfer capability and the nearest D‐band center to the Fermi level. The “end‐on” type adsorption configuration of O2 at the N3─Cu─O1 active site can promote the breaking of Cu─O bonds rather than O─O bonds. As a result, the N3‐Cu‐O1@COF photocatalyst exhibits the most optimal formation and desorption energies for intermediates •OOH, which provides an advantageous reaction pathway with fewer steps and a lower barrier for 1O2 production. This work highlights the structure‐activity relationship of SACs for long‐term applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manganites exhibit many novel properties, such as giant magnetoresistance and a large magnetocaloric effect (MCE). In this work, we report the magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effects of polycrystalline Bi 0.3- x La x Ca 0.7 MnO 3 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2) ceramics from perspective of symmetry, where Raman active modes and corresponding phonons are used as probes to detect charge disorder and local structure distortion. Further, the large MCE is elucidated by the La doping induced Jahn-Teller distortion and valence perturbations. The orthorhombic and rhombohedral structural transition in doping manganites has shown a link between the complex magnetic phase transition and magnetic entropy. We attribute these intriguing behaviors to the temperature-dependent competition between the orbital order and charge order. Our results provide an approach to improve the MCE of manganite systems for future magnetic refrigeration applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RAR related orphan receptor A (RORA), which encodes the retinoid-acid-related orphan receptor alpha (RORα), is a clock gene found in skeletal muscle. Several studies have shown that RORα plays an important role in bone formation, suggesting that RORA gene may take part in the regulation of growth and development. The purpose of this research is to study the insertion/deletion (indel) variations of the RORA gene and investigate the relationship with the growth traits of Shaanbei white cashmere (SBWC) goats. Herein, the current study identified that the P4-11-bp and P11-28-bp deletion sites are polymorphic among 12 pairs of primers within the RORA gene in the SBWC goats (n = 641). Moreover, the P11-28-bp deletion locus was significantly related to the body height (p = 0.046), height at hip cross (p = 0.012), and body length (p = 0.003). Both of P4-11-bp and P11-28-bp indels showed the moderate genetic diversity (0.25

With the rapid development of selective catalytic reduction by ammonia gas (NH3-SCR) technology in industrial flue gas, it is of great significance to develop a catalyst for selective oxidation of escaping ammonia (NH3-SCO) with matching temperature window. Based on the catalytic properties of Co and V metal oxides in the NH3-SCO reaction, this paper attempts to prepare CoV composite oxide catalysts (CoV-MEC, CoV-IMP, CoV-LDO) by using different methods (mechanical assembly, impregnation, hydrotalcite-like template method) to assemble Co and V, and the effect of the synthesis way on the physical and chemical properties and the removal performance of escaping ammonia of the catalysts was systematically evaluated. The results show that CoV oxide catalysts derived from the hydrotalcite-like precursor had larger specific area, richer surface acid content and more suitable redox capacity, showing better N2 selectivity compared with mechanical assembly and impregnation methods. It can better balance NH3 oxidation performance and N2 selectivity in the range of 150-360 °C. NH3 removal efficiency was nearly 100% and N2 selectivity was kept at 70% at 360 °C. Its excellent performance is related to the fact that NH3 adsorbed on its surface can be rapidly oxidized to NO by O2, and the reaction follows the i-SCR mechanism. This work can provide important reference for constructing CoV-based mixed oxides catalysts with excellent performance in applications for NH3-SCO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The glucose-to-lymphocyte ratio (GLR), a glucose metabolism and systemic inflammatory response parameter, is associated with an adverse prognosis for various diseases. However, the association between serum GLR and prognosis in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD) is poorly understood. In this multi-center cohort study, 3236 PD patients were consecutively enrolled between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2018. Patients were divided into four groups according to the quartiles of baseline GLR levels (Q1: GLR ≤ 2.91, Q2:2.91 < GLR ≤ 3.91, Q3:3.91 < GLR < 5.59 and Q4: GLR ≥ 5.59). The primary endpoint was all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) related mortality. The correlation between GLR and mortality was examined using Kaplan–Meier and multivariable Cox proportional analyses. During the follow-up period of 45.93 ± 29.01 months, 25.53% (826/3236) patients died, of whom 31% (254/826) were in Q4 (GLR ≥ 5.59). Multivariable analysis revealed that GLR was significantly associated with all-cause mortality (adjusted HR 1.02; CI 1.00 ∼ 1.04, p =.019) and CVD mortality (adjusted HR 1.02; CI 1.00 ∼ 1.04, p =.04). Compared with the Q1 (GLR ≤ 2.91), placement in Q4 was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality (adjusted HR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.02 ∼ 1.56, p =.03) and CVD mortality (adjusted HR 1.76; CI 1.31 ∼ 2.38, p <.001). A nonlinear relationship was found between GLR and all-cause or CVD mortality in patients undergoing PD (p =.032). A higher serum GLR level is an independent prognostic factor for all-cause and CVD mortality in patients undergoing PD, suggesting that more attention should be paid to GLR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paired-like homeodomain transcription factor 1 (PITX1) is a pivotal gene in the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, which is a well-known pathway affecting lactation performance. The aim of this study was to analyze the DNA methylation profile of the PITX1 gene and its relevance to milk performance in Xinong Saanen dairy goats; thus, potential epigenetic markers of lactation performance were identified. A total of 267 goat blood samples were divided into "low" and "high" groups according to two milk traits: the average milk yield (AMY) and the average milk density (AMD). One CpG island in the 3 ′ -flanking region of the PITX1 gene was identified as being related to milk performance. Fisher's exact test demonstrated that the methylation rates of the overall CpG island and the 3rd and 12th CpG-dinucleotide loci in the blood were significantly associated with the AMY, and the overall methylation rate of the high AMY group was relative hypomethylation compared with the low AMY group. The overall methylation rates of this CpG island in mammary gland tissue from dry and lactation periods again exhibited a significant difference: the lactation period showed relative hypomethylation compared with the dry period. Bioinformatic transcription factor binding site prediction identified some lactation performance related transcription factors in this CpG island, such as CTCF, STAT, SMAD, CDEF, SP1, and KLFS. Briefly, overall methylation changes of the CpG island in the PITX1 gene are relevant to lactation performance, which will be valuable for future studies and epigenetic marker-assisted selection (eMAS) in the breeding of goats with respect to lactation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malnutrition and inflammation are associated with mortality in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Serum albumin and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) are independently associated with mortality in PD patients. Combining albumin and non-HDL-C with mortality may be more plausible in clinical practice. This retrospective cohort study included 1954 Chinese PD patients from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2016. Kaplan–Meier curve was used to determine the relationship between albumin to non-HDL-C ratio and all-cause mortality. Cox regression analysis was applied to assess the independent predictive value while adjusting for confounding factors. Competitive risk analysis was used to examine the effects of other outcomes on all-cause mortality prognosis. In the 33-month follow-up period, there were 538 all-cause deaths. Kaplan–Meier analysis presented significant differences in all-cause mortality. Multivariate Cox regression showed that the risk of all-cause mortality was lower in the moderate group (9.36–12.79) (HR, 0.731; 95% CI, 0.593–0.902, p = 0.004) and the highest group (>12.79) (HR, 0.705; 95% CI, 0.565–0.879, p = 0.002) compared to the lowest group (≤9.36). Competitive risk analysis revealed significant differences for all-cause mortality (p < 0.001), while there was no statistical significance for other competing events. Low albumin to non-HDL-C ratio was associated with a high risk of all-cause mortality in PD patients. It may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker in PD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generalized zero-shot learning (GZSL) aims to solve the category recognition tasks for unseen categories under the setting that training samples only contain seen classes while unseen classes are not available. This research is vital as there are always existing new categories and large amounts of unlabeled data in realistic scenarios. Previous work for GZSL usually maps the visual information of the visible classes and the semantic description of the invisible classes into the identical embedding space to bridge the gap between the disjointed visible and invisible classes, while ignoring the intrinsic features of visual images, which are sufficiently discriminative to classify themselves. To better use discriminative information from visual classes for GZSL, we propose the n-CADA-VAE. In our approach, we map the visual feature of seen classes to a high-dimensional distribution while mapping the semantic description of unseen classes to a low-dimensional distribution under the same latent embedding space, thus projecting information of different modalities to corresponding space positions more accurately. We conducted extensive experiments on four benchmark datasets (CUB, SUN, AWA1, and AWA2). The results show our model's superior performance in generalized zero-shot as well as few-shot learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to their unprecedented ability to flexibly manipulate the parameters of light, metasurfaces offer a new approach to integrating multiple functions in a single optical element. In this paper, based on a single-celled metasurface composed of chiral umbrella-shaped metal–insulator–metal (MIM) unit cells, a strategy for simultaneous multiple polarization generation and wavefront shaping is proposed. The unit cells can function as broadband and high-performance polarization-preserving mirrors. In addition, by introducing a chiral-assisted Aharonov–Anandan (AA) geometric phase, the phase profile and phase retardation of two spin-flipped orthogonal circular polarized components can be realized simultaneously and independently with a single-celled metasurface via two irrelevant parameters. Benefiting from this flexible phase manipulation ability, a vectorial hologram generator and metalens array with spatially varying polarizations were demonstrated. This work provides an effective approach to avoid the pixel and efficiency losses caused by the intrinsic symmetry of the PB geometric phase, and it may play an important role in the miniaturization and integration of multipolarization-involved displays, real-time imaging, and spectroscopy systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large number of studies have shown that proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are associated with infection events. Therefore, we retrospectively evaluated the association of PPI therapy with the occurrence of first pneumonia and peritoneal dialysis(PD)-related peritonitis events in the maintenance PD patients. We collected PD patients in two large hospitals from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2016, and divided them into the PPI group and the non-PPI group. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were applied to evaluate the cumulative incidence and hazard ratios (HRs). Inverse probability of treatment weight (IPTW) method was used to adjust for covariate imbalance between the two groups and further confirm our findings. Finally, 656 PD patients were included for data analysis, and the results showed that PPI usage was associated with an increased risk of pneumonia [HR 1.71; 95% CI 1.06-2.76; p = 0.027] and peritonitis [HR 1.73; 95% CI 1.24-2.40; p = 0.001]. IPTW-adjusted HRs for the association of PPIs with pneumonia and peritonitis were 1.58 (95% CI:1.18-2.12; p = 0.002) and 2.33 (95% CI:1.91-2.85; p < 0.001), respectively. Moreover, the competitive risk model proved that under the conditions of competition for other events(including transfer to hemodialysis therapy, kidney transplant, transfer from our research center, loss to follow-up, and death), the differences in endpoints events between the two groups were still statistically significant (p = 0.009, p < 0.001, respectively). PPIs was associated with an increased risk of first pneumonia and PD-related peritonitis events in PD patients, which reminds clinicians to be cautious when prescribing acid-suppressing drugs for PD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a critical regulator of nuclear factors affecting adipogenesis, deleted in breast cancer 1 (DBC1) leads to the hyperacetylation of p53, a target of the NAD + -dependent histone deacetylase Sirtuin 1, and activation of the apoptotic pathway. To date, the transcript variants of DBC1 and their functions have never been reported in dairy goats. Herein, we identified two novel transcripts of dairy goat DBC1 , namely, DBC1 and DBC1a . DBC1 was 42 base pairs longer than DBC1a , and the splice site of the 42- nucleotide deletion complied with the classic “GT-AG” rule. The goat DBC1a in this study had a high degree of homology with other predicted goat DBC1 variants as well as the only known bovine DBC1 variant, DBC1-X4 . DBC1 and DBC1a were widely expressed in different tissues and highly expressed in the pancreas, spleen, lung, liver, kidney, and mammary gland. Moreover, DBC1 has a significantly higher expression than DBC1a in the pancreas, kidney, liver, heart, muscle, brain, and testis. Interestingly, in mammary gland, DBC1 and DBC1a demonstrated similar mRNA expression levels, implying that DBC1a variant plays an important role in milk production. This is the first report on the alternative splicing of goat DBC1 and its mRNA expression profile, which will provide a foundation for further study the function of DBC1 in dairy goat industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) is widespread in patients with impaired renal function. Whether angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin II receptor blockers (ACEi/ARBs) potentially take a crucial role in avoiding GIB incidence among peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients is unknown. Methods: Overall, 734 PD patients were enrolled after using propensity score matching. Kaplan–Meier analysis and COX regression were used to explore correlation between ACEi/ARBs and GIB. Competitive risk model was aimed to identify whether other events were confounding factors. Forest plot was applied to assess the influence of ACEI/ARBs on GIB incidence in different groups. Results: During 8-year follow-up, 89 (12.13%) cases of GIB were recorded. Kaplan–Meier analysis revealed that the incidence of GIB among patients taking ACEi/ARBs was lower than those subjects who had not (log rank = 6.442, P = 0.011). After adjusted different confounding factors, administration of ACEi/ARBs was associated with lowered GIB incidence (adjusted HR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.32–0.77, P = 0.002). In competitive risk model, considering of other events, the incidence of GIB in two groups was still statistically significant (P = 0.010). Subgroup analysis showed ACEi/ARBs taking impeded GIB in the ≥ 60 age group (HR = 0.52, 95% CI 0.28–0.98, P = 0.040). Conclusion: PD patients who were submitted to ACEi/ARBs inclined to have a lower risk for GIB. In this regard, ACEi/ARBs offered a promising choice to GIB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. A high urine albumin/creatinine ratio (UACR) is associated with microvascular disease in hypertensive patients. However, hypertensive patients frequently have other comorbidities. Thus, it is difficult to distinguish the role of UACR from that of comorbidities in microvascular disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between UACR and microvascular disease in elderly hypertension patients without comorbidities. Methods. A cross-sectional cohort study of 2252 essential hypertension patients aged 65-94 years without comorbidities between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2017, was conducted. Microvascular disease was evaluated by hypertension retinopathy (HR). Multivariable adjusted odds of HR by UACR quartiles were determined using logistic regression. Results. The HR prevalence was 22.1% (n = 472) among the cohort study and was significantly different among UACR quartiles (19.7%, 20.3%, 22.0%, and 26.4% in quartiles 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively, P = 0.036). After adjustment for covariates, higher UACR (odds ratio OR = 1.42 , 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05-1.92, quartile 4 versus 1) were significantly associated with HR. Among male patients, higher UACR (OR = 1.65 , 95% CI 1.07-2.55, quartile 4 versus 1) were significantly associated with HR after adjustment for covariates. Among female patients, however, 64% and 40% increased odds of HR were noted in the highest and lowest UACR (quartiles 4 and 1, respectively) compared to UACR quartile 2. Conclusions. Microvascular disease was associated with higher UACR in elderly male essential hypertension patients without comorbidities but was associated with lower and higher UACR in female patients without comorbidities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. A high urine albumin/creatinine ratio (UACR) is associated with microvascular disease in hypertensive patients. However, hypertensive patients frequently have other comorbidities. Thus, it is difficult to distinguish the role of UACR from that of comorbidities in microvascular disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between UACR and microvascular disease in elderly hypertension patients without comorbidities. Methods. A cross-sectional cohort study of 2252 essential hypertension patients aged 65-94 years without comorbidities between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2017, was conducted. Microvascular disease was evaluated by hypertension retinopathy (HR). Multivariable adjusted odds of HR by UACR quartiles were determined using logistic regression. Results. The HR prevalence was 22.1% (n = 472) among the cohort study and was significantly different among UACR quartiles (19.7%, 20.3%, 22.0%, and 26.4% in quartiles 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively, P = 0.036). After adjustment for covariates, higher UACR (odds ratio OR = 1.42 , 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05-1.92, quartile 4 versus 1) were significantly associated with HR. Among male patients, higher UACR (OR = 1.65 , 95% CI 1.07-2.55, quartile 4 versus 1) were significantly associated with HR after adjustment for covariates. Among female patients, however, 64% and 40% increased odds of HR were noted in the highest and lowest UACR (quartiles 4 and 1, respectively) compared to UACR quartile 2. Conclusions. Microvascular disease was associated with higher UACR in elderly male essential hypertension patients without comorbidities but was associated with lower and higher UACR in female patients without comorbidities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atherosclerosis, the main cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD), is prevalent in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD). Atherogenic index (AI) is a strong predictor of atherosclerosis. However, its prognostic value in CVD outcomes and all-cause mortality among patients undergoing PD remains uncertain. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the association between AI and all-cause and CVD mortality in PD patients. Calculated based on lipid profiles obtained through standard laboratory procedures, AI was evaluated in 2682 patients who underwent PD therapy between January 2006 and December 2017 and were followed up until December 2018. The study population was divided into four groups according to the quartile distribution of AI (Q1: <2.20, Q2: 2.20 to <2.97, Q3: 2.97 to <4.04, and Q4: ≥4.04). Multivariable Cox models were employed to explore the associations between AI and CVD and all-cause mortality was evaluated. During a median follow-up of 35.5 months (interquartile range, 20.9–57.2 months), 800 patients died, including 416 deaths from CVD. Restricted cubic splines showed non-linear relationship between AI and adverse clinical outcomes. The risks of all-cause and CVD mortality gradually increased across quartiles (log-rank, p < 0.001). After adjusting for potential confounders, the highest quartile (Q4) showed significantly elevated hazard ratio (HR) for both all-cause mortality (HR 1.54 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.21–1.96]) and CVD mortality risk (HR 1.78 [95% CI, 1.26–2.52]), compared to the lowest quartile (Q1). AI was independently associated with all-cause and CVD mortality in patients undergoing PD, suggesting that AI might be a useful prognostic marker. [Display omitted] • The predictive role of atherogenic index (AI) in CVD outcomes in peritoneal dialysis is limited. • We investigated the association between AI and all-cause and CVD mortality. • AI was associated with peritoneal dialysis patient mortality. • AI requires further study as a predictive marker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To evaluate associations between diabetes mellitus (DM) coexisting with hyperlipidemia and mortality in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study with 2939 incident PD patients in China from January 2005 to December 2018. Associations between the DM coexisting with hyperlipidemia and mortality were evaluated using the Cox regression. Results: Of 2939 patients, with a median age of 50.0 years, 519 (17.7%) died during the median of 35.1 months. DM coexisting with hyperlipidemia, DM, and hyperlipidemia were associated with 1.93 (95% CI 1.45 to 2.56), 1.86 (95% CI 1.49 to 2.32), and 0.90 (95% CI 0.66 to 1.24)-time higher risk of all-cause mortality, compared with without DM and hyperlipidemia, respectively (P for trend < 0.001). Subgroup analyses showed a similar pattern. Among DM patients, hyperlipidemia was as a high risk of mortality as non-hyperlipidemia (hazard ratio 1.02, 95%CI 0.73 to 1.43) during the overall follow-up period, but from 48-month follow-up onwards, hyperlipidemia patients had 3.60 (95%CI 1.62 to 8.01)-fold higher risk of all-cause mortality than those non-hyperlipidemia (P interaction = 1.000). Conclusions: PD patients with DM coexisting with hyperlipidemia were at the highest risk of all-cause mortality, followed by DM patients and hyperlipidemia patients, and hyperlipidemia may have an adverse effect on long-term survival in DM patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is closely associated with pneumonia in the general population, its relationship is unclear in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Methods: This is a cohort study consisting of 739 PD patients and dividing into two groups. Kaplan–Meier curves were applied to observe the incidence of the first occurrence of pneumonia, competitive risk analysis was conducted to compare whether there was a significant difference in each NLR group in the presence of other competing events, multivariable COX regression analysis was used to evaluate the hazard ratios (HRs), as well as forest plot was used to analyze the relationship between NLR and the first occurrence of pneumonia in different subgroups. Results: Of all the patients, 116 cases of first-time pneumonia were recorded. The first-time pneumonia incidence rate was 71.67/1000 patient-years in high NLR group, which was markedly higher than that of 45.81/1000 patient-years in low NLR group. Kaplan–Meier curves indicated significant differences in the incidence of the first occurrence of pneumonia between two groups (log-rank test p = 0.015). The competitive risk model suggested a significant difference in the cumulative incidence of first pneumonia between the two groups (p = 0.032). Compared to low NLR group, adjusted Cox model showed that high NLR group was associated with increased risk of pneumonia incidence (HR, 1.51; 95% CI 1.04–2.21; p = 0.031). Forest plot showed no interaction was found in subgroups. Conclusions: The risk of pneumonia was significantly increasing in PD patients with high NLR, which may have a certain guiding significance for the clinic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Though neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) level appears to be related with stroke events in general population, its relationship with stroke in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients is still uncertain. This study aims to investigate the association between NLR and the first occurrence of stroke in PD patients.Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, 1507 PD patients were enrolled from four centers in China and stratified into tertiles of NLR levels. The incidence of the first occurrence of stroke was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier cumulative incidence curve among different NLR tertiles, competing risk analysis was used to calculate the incidence of the first occurrence of stroke in the presence of competing risk of other events, multivariable COX regression analysis was performed to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) for the first occurrence of stroke, as well as forest plot was utilized to describe the relationship between NLR and the first occurrence of stroke in different subgroups.Results: During follow-up, 84 new-onset stroke events were recorded. Kaplan-Meier cumulative incidence curves showed significant differences in the incidence of the first occurrence of stroke among three groups (log-rank test: P < .001). In competing risk analysis, the cumulative incidence curves for tertiles of NLR levels were highly significant for the first occurrence of stroke (P < .001), but they were not statistically different for the occurrence of other events. Compared to the lowest tertile of NLR level, the highest tertile was associated with increased risk of the first occurrence of stroke in the adjusted Cox model (HR = 2.39, 95% CI: 1.37 to 4.15; P < .05). As for forest plot, there was no interaction in all subgroups.Conclusion: High NLR was an independent risk factor for the first occurrence of stroke in PD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties have been widely investigated not only because they thoroughly circumvent the notorious aggregation-caused quenching effect encountered in conventional fluorophores but also due to their promising applications in organic light-emitting diodes, fluorescent sensors and bioimaging. In this work, we reported a study of the molecular packing and luminescence properties of AIE active positional isomers (m-BPCDM and p-BPCDM) with carbazole and dicyanovinyl groups. The compound m-BPCDM based on meta-substitution showed more evident AIE processes than the compound p-BPCDM based on para-substitution, which can be attributed to the strong π–π stacking effect brought by the spatial structure of p-BPCDM. Moreover, the two positional isomers also exhibited distinct mechanochromic luminescence properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. The monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), as a new marker of the systemic inflammatory response, is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in the general population and hemodialysis patients. However, the association between the MLR and CVD mortality in peritoneal dialysis (PD) has received little attention. Methods. In this multicenter retrospective cohort study, 1753 incident PD patients from November 1, 2005, to June 30, 2017, with a baseline MLR were enrolled. The primary endpoint was CVD mortality. The association of MLR with CVD mortality was assessed using a multivariable-adjusted Cox model and the Fine and Gray competing risk model. Results. Of 1753 patients, the mean age was 51.1 ± 14.9 years, 56.9% of patients were male, and the Charlson comorbidity index was 4.29 ± 1.75. During the follow-up period of 31.2 ± 18.4 months, 368 patients died, of which 200 (54.3%) deaths were caused by CVD events. CVD mortality rates for the lowest, middle, and highest MLR tertiles were 70.6, 78.4, and 88.9 per 1000 patient-years, respectively (P < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that survival rates were significantly different among the three MLR groups (log rank = 22.41 , P < 0.001). After adjusting for confounding factors, the highest MLR tertile was significantly associated with a hazard ratio (HR) for CVD mortality of 1.45 (95% confidence interval, 1.13-2.51, P = 0.016). The Fine and Gray method analysis showed that using all-cause mortality as competing risk, the highest MLR tertile remained an independent predictor of CVD mortality (HR = 1.39 , 95% CI 1.10-2.47, P = 0.021). Conclusions. Higher MLR levels at the commencement of PD may be independently associated with increased CVD mortality in PD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deformation monitoring of the propeller can help understand its deformation under various operating conditions, provide guidance for the optimization and theoretical design of its structure, and realize the health monitoring of its structure. In this paper, a contact measurement method based on Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor (FBG) is used to monitor the underwater operation status of the propeller. Using the inverse finite element method, the strain information collected by FBG is converted into the deformation information of the propeller to achieve deformation monitoring during the propeller operation. Fluid-structure coupling simulation analysis of the propeller is performed on the platform of ANSYS Workbench under different operating conditions. By comparing the reconstructed and simulated displacements of propellers operating underwater with different velocity coefficients and different rotational speeds, it can be found that relative errors between the reconstructed and simulated displacements of the propeller are within 15%, proving that it is feasible to monitor the operating deformation of the underwater propeller based on the FBG sensing network. • In this paper, a contact measurement method based on Fiber Bragg Grating(FBG) Sensor is used to monitor the underwater operation status of the propeller. • Using the inverse finite element method, the strain information collected by FBG is converted into the deformation information of the propeller to achieve deformation monitoring during the propeller operation. • A propeller underwater deformation monitoring system was designed based on fiber Bragg grating sensor network. • The fluid-solid coupling simulation analysis is carried out on the platform of ANSYS Workbench. Comparison of the reconstructed and simulated displacements of the propeller reveals that the relative error is within 15%, which proves that it is feasible to monitor the operational deformation of the underwater propeller based on the FBG sensing network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Periodontal disease is common among adults and is associated with an increasing risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We aimed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of CKD in patients with periodontal disease in China. Methods: In the current cross-sectional study, patients with periodontal disease were included from Guangdong Provincial Stomatological Hospital between March 2011 and August 2011. CKD was defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 mL/min/1.73 m2, the presence of albuminuria, or hematuria. All patients with periodontal disease underwent a periodontal examination, including periodontal probing pocket depth, gingival recession, and clinical attachment level by Florida Probe. They completed a questionnaire and had blood and urine samples taken. The adjusted prevalence of indicators of kidney damage was calculated and risk factors associated with CKD were analyzed. Results: A total of 1392 patients with periodontal disease were invited to participate this study and 1268 completed the survey and examination. After adjusting for age and sex, the prevalence of reduced eGFR, albuminuria, and hematuria was 2.7% (95% CI 1.7–3.7), 6.7% (95% CI 5.5–8.1) and 10.9% (95% CI 9.2–12.5), respectively. The adjusted prevalence of CKD was 18.2% (95% CI 16.2–20.3). Age, male, diabetes, hypertension, history of CKD, hyperuricemia, and interleukin-6 levels (≥7.54 ng/L) were independent risk factors for reduced eGFR. Female, diabetes, hypertension, history of CKD, hyperuricemia, high level of cholesterol, and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) (≥1.03 mg/L) and TNF-α levels (≥1.12 ng/L) were independently associated with an increased risk of albuminuria. Female, lower education (