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A-site high entropy Ba4(La0.2Nd0.2Sm0.2Eu0.2Y0.2)2Ti4Nb6O30 tungsten bronze ceramics were designed and prepared by a standard solid state sintering process. First-order ferroelectric transition occurs around 240 °C on heating, while around 136 °C on cooling. Pinched and asymmetric P–E hysteresis loops were observed within and below the thermal hysteresis temperature range of the ferroelectric transition. Pinched P–E hysteresis loops were attributed to the coupling between the ferroelectric transition and the commensurate/incommensurate modulation transition. The reason for the asymmetry of the hysteresis loop was the presence of an internal bias electric field. Different measuring procedures were designed to clarify the evolution of hysteresis loop asymmetry. The existence of oxygen vacancy and Eu3+/Eu2+ was identified by x-ray photoemission spectroscopy. The electric field cycling with elevated temperatures caused defect dipoles incline to align along the direction of spontaneous polarization leading to the internal bias electric field. Due to the A-site high entropy effect, dielectric strength of Ba4(La0.2Nd0.2Sm0.2Eu0.2Y0.2)2Ti4Nb6O30 ceramics is up to 300 kV/cm, which is increased by more than 50% than that with the single element in the A1-site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A retrospective study was conducted to explore the urinary expression of α 1-microglobulin (α1MG) and β2-microglobulin (β2MG) in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, aiming to evaluate their predictive capability for renal injury. Method: One hundred and five male HIV-infected patients treated with Tenofovir (TDF) regimen (TDF+3TC or the third drug TDF/FTC+) were selected between March 1, 2021, and March 1, 2022, in Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital. Three months after TDF treatment, the renal function injury was evaluated with the standard creatinine clearance rate. The urinary levels of α1MG and β2MG were compared between the initiation of TDF treatment and three months thereafter. Spearman correlation was utilized to analyze the correlation between the urinary expression of α1MG and β2MG and renal injury in HIV patients. The logistic regression was used to analyze the predictive value of urinary α1MG and β 2-microglobulin expression in renal injury. Results: Up to the first follow-up, 29 (27.6%) cases of the 105 male HIV patients had varying degrees of renal function injury, including 14 (13.3%) mild injury, 9 (8.6%) moderate injury, and 6 (5.7%) severe injury cases. Patients with severe renal injury had the highest levels of urinary α1MG and β2MG expression while those with mild injury demonstrated higher levels compared to the non-injury group (P < 0.05). Spearman correlation analysis indicated that urinary α1MG and β2MG were positively correlated with renal impairment in HIV patients (Rho = -0.568, and -0.732; P < 0.001). The ROC curve analysis demonstrated that the area under the curve (AUC) for urine α1MG and β2MG in predicting kidney damage among HIV patients were 0.928, 0.916, and 0.889, respectively. The sensitivity values were 96.55%, 82.76%, and 89.66% while the specificity values were 84.07%, 94.51%, and 89.29% for urine α1MG and β2MG, respectively. Conclusion: The expression level of urinary α1MG and β2MG in HIV patients was significantly higher compared to normal people. Detection of these two indexes can enable early determination of renal injury and its severity in HIV patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a diffusive zooplankton–phytoplankton model with time delay and hunting cooperation is established. First, the existence of all positive equilibria and their local stability are proved when the system does not include time delay and diffusion. Then, the existence of Hopf bifurcation at the positive equilibrium is proved by taking time delay as the bifurcation parameter, and the direction of Hopf bifurcation and the stability of bifurcating periodic solutions are investigated by using the center manifold theorem and the normal form theory in partial differential equations. Next, according to the theory of Turing bifurcation, the conditions for the occurrence of Turing bifurcation are obtained by taking the intraspecific competition rate of the prey as the bifurcation parameter. Furthermore, the corresponding amplitude equations are discussed by using the standard multi-scale analysis method. Finally, some numerical simulations are given to verify the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cervical cancer (CxCa) is the fourth most frequent cancer in women. This study aimed to determine the role and underlying mechanism of fibronectin type III domain‐containing protein 5 (FNDC5) in inhibiting CxCa growth. Experiments were performed in human CxCa tissues, human CxCa cell lines (HeLa and SiHa), and xenograft mouse model established by subcutaneous injection of SiHa cells in nude mice. Bioinformatics analysis showed that CxCa patients with high FNDC5 levels have a longer overall survival period. FNDC5 expression was increased in human CxCa tissues, HeLa and SiHa cells. FNDC5 overexpression or FNDC5 protein not only inhibited proliferation, but also restrained invasion and migration of HeLa and SiHa cells. The effects of FNDC5 were prevented by inhibiting integrin with cilengitide, activating PI3K with recilisib or activating Akt with SC79. FNDC5 inhibited the phosphorylation of PI3K and Akt, which was attenuated by recilisib. PI3K inhibitor LY294002 showed similar effects to FNDC5 in HeLa and SiHa cells. Intravenous injection of FNDC5 (20 μg/day) for 14 days inhibited the tumor growth, and reduced the proliferation marker Ki67 expression and the Akt phosphorylation in the CxCa xenograft mouse model. These results indicate that FNDC5 inhibits the malignant phenotype of CxCa cells through restraining PI3K/Akt signaling. Upregulation of FNDC5 may play a beneficial role in retarding the tumor growth of CxCa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non‐traditional intrinsic luminescent (NTIL) polymer is an emerging field, and its color‐tunable modification is highly desirable but still rarely investigated. Here, a click chemistry approach for the color‐tunable modifications of NTIL polymers by introducing clickable polymerization‐induced emission luminogen (PIEgen), is demonstrated. Through Cu‐catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition click chemistry, a series of PIEgens is successful prepared, which is further polymerized via reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. Interestingly, after clickable modification, these monomers are nonemissive in both solution and aggregation states; while, the corresponding polymers exhibit intriguing aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) characteristics, confirming their PIEgen characteristics. By varying alkynyl substitutions, color‐tunable NTIL polymers are achieved with emission wavelength varying from 448 to 498 nm, revealing a series of PIEgens and verifying the importance of modification of NTIL polymers. Further luminescence energy transfer application is carried out as well. This work therefore designs a series of clickable PIEgens and opens a new avenue for the modification of NTIL polymers via click chemistry, which may cause inspirations to the research fields including luminescent polymer, NTIL, click chemistry, AIE and modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environmental temperature alters the frictional behaviour by changing the state of the current-carrying contact interface, which makes the electrical contact invalid. In this work, the effects of three different temperatures (− 20, 0, 20 °C) on the current-carrying tribological behaviour of C–Cu tribo-pairs in high humidity environment (85%) were discussed. The evolution laws of friction coefficient, wear volume, contact surface properties, and contact resistance of tribo-pairs were studied, and the current-carrying wear mechanism of C–Cu at low temperature was analyzed in depth. The variation of friction coefficient with temperature shows a similar rule before and after current-carrying, that is, regardless of the current, the friction coefficient increases as temperature falls. However, the average friction coefficient at each temperature is lower than that without current. Although it will hasten the material surface's oxidation, a drop in temperature will effectively lessen the transfer behaviour of copper to carbon surface and reduce the wear volume of carbon materials. The amount of copper transferred increases as current rises. Compared with current, the change of temperature has a greater impact on the damage of tribo-pairs. At room temperature, the contact resistance under high current is greater than that of low current. However, the rule is just the opposite under low temperature (0 and − 20 °C). In addition, at 0 °C, although the contact resistance of low current (5 A) decreases significantly in the early stage of friction, its average resistance and fluctuation amplitude are the largest. As the temperature decreases, the current-carrying wear mechanism of C–Cu contact pairs gradually changes from adhesive wear to fatigue wear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver metastasis stands as the primary contributor to mortality among patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC). Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) emerge as pivotal players in the progression and metastasis of cancer, showcasing promise as prognostic biomarkers. Our objective is to formulate a predictive model grounded in genes associated with neutrophil extracellular traps and identify novel therapeutic targets for combating CRLM. We sourced gene expression profiles from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Neutrophil extracellular trap-related gene set was obtained from relevant literature and cross-referenced with the GEO datasets. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified through screening via the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression and random forest modeling, leading to the establishment of a nomogram and subtype analysis. Subsequently, a thorough analysis of the characteristic gene CYP4F3 was undertaken, and our findings were corroborated through immunohistochemical staining. We identified seven DEGs (ATG7, CTSG, CYP4F3, F3, IL1B, PDE4B, and TNF) and established nomograms for the occurrence and prognosis of CRLM. CYP4F3 is highly expressed in CRC and colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM), exhibiting a negative correlation with CRLM prognosis. It may serve as a potential therapeutic target for CRLM. A novel prognostic signature related to NETs has been developed, with CYP4F3 identified as a risk factor and potential target for CRLM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constructing heterostructures is an efficient strategy to develop high‐performance and robust electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, an ion‐impregnation method and an environmentally friendly in situ carbonization strategy are successively employed to fabricate a novel Co3Mo/Mo2C heterostructure anchored on nitrogen‐doped carbon (Co3Mo/Mo2C@NC). Thanks to the formation of heterostructure, the obtained Co3Mo/Mo2C@NC exhibits an enhanced catalytic performance toward OER with a low overpotential (282 mV @ 10 mA cm−2, 322 mV @ 50 mA cm−2, and 355 mV @100 mA cm−2) and robust stability (100 mA cm−2 for 200 h) in alkaline media. Detailed experimental results combined with theoretical calculations reveal the formation of a Co3Mo/Mo2C heterojunction interface can decrease the energy barrier of the rate‐determining step for intermediates during the OER process, thereby inherently enhancing the OER performance. This work presents a rational synthetic route for designing high‐performance heterostructures for energy conversion technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the open problems in the study of stochastic differential equations is regularity analysis and approximations to stochastic partial differential equations driven by multiplicative fractional Brownian motions (fBms), especially for the case |$H\in (0,\frac {1}{2})$|⁠. In this paper, we address this problem by considering a class of stochastic evolution equations (SEEs) driven by multiplicative fBms. We analyze the well-posedness and regularity of mild solutions to such equations with |$H\in (0,\frac {1}{2})$| and |$H\in (\frac {1}{2},1)$| under the Lipschitz conditions and linear growth conditions. The two cases are treated separately. Compared with the standard Brownian motion case, the main difficulty is that fBm is neither a Markov process nor a semimartingale such that some classical stochastic calculus theories are unavailable. As a consequence, we need to explore some new strategies to complete the existence and uniqueness and regularity analysis of the solutions. Especially for the case |$H\in (0,\frac {1}{2})$|⁠ , we utilize some delicate techniques to overcome the difficulties from the singularity of the covariance of fBms. In addition, we give a fully discrete scheme for such equations, carried out by the spectral Galerkin method in space and a time-stepping method in time. The obtained regularity results of the equations help us to examine the strong convergence of the discrete scheme. In final, several numerical examples are done to substantiate the theoretical findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to its applications in signal analysis and image processing, the quaternionic Fourier analysis has received increasing attention. In particular, quaternionic Gabor frames (QGFs) attracted some mathematicians' interest. From the literatures, some results on QGFs are based on quaternionic Fourier orthonormal bases. But those used so-called quaternionic Fourier orthonormal bases have a gap that they are all incomplete. In this paper, we present a class of quaternionic Fourier orthonormal bases, and using them derive the corresponding Gabor orthonormal bases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ground deformation is one of the crucial issues threatening many cities in both societal and economic aspects. Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) has been widely used for deformation monitoring. Recently, there has been an increasing availability of massive archives of SAR images from various satellites or sensors. This paper introduces Multi-Satellite SBAS that exploits complementary information from different SAR data to generate integrated long-term ground displacement time series. The proposed method is employed to create the vertical displacement maps of Almokattam City in Egypt from 2000 to 2020. The experimental results are promising using ERS, ENVISAT ASAR, and Sentinel-1A displacement integration. There is a remarkable deformation in the vertical direction along the west area while the mean deformation velocity is −2.32 mm/year. Cross-validation confirms that the root mean square error (RMSE) did not exceed 2.8 mm/year. In addition, the research findings are comparable to those of the previous research in the study area. Consequently, the proposed integration method has great potential to generate displacement time series based on multi-satellite SAR data; however, it still requires further evaluation using field measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cinnamic ester is a common and abundant chemical substance, which can be extracted from natural plants. Compared with traditional esters, cinnamic ester contains α,β‐unsaturated carbonyl structure with multiple reactive sites, resulting in more abundant reactivities and chemical structures. Here, a versatile polymerization‐induced emission (PIE) is successfully demonstrated through Barbier polymerization of cinnamic ester. Attributed to its abundant reactivities of α,β‐unsaturated carbonyl structure, Barbier polymerization of cinnamic esters with different organodihalides gives polyalcohol and polyketone via 1,2‐addition and 1,4‐addition, respectively, which is also confirmed by small molecular model reactions. Meanwhile, these organodihalides dependant polyalcohol and polyketone exhibit different non‐traditional intrinsic luminescence (NTIL) from aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) type to aggregation‐caused quenching (ACQ) type, where novel PIE luminogens (PIEgens) are revealed. Further potential applications in explosive detection are carried out, where it achieves TNT detection sensitivity at ppm level in solution and ng level on the test paper. This work therefore expands the structure and functionality libraries of monomer, polymer and NTIL, which might cause inspirations to different fields including polymer chemistry, NTIL, AIE and PIE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A low-power transmitter driver for chiplet interconnection was designed and experimentally implemented based on the interchip interconnection standard proposed by the UCIe protocol. The driver circuit adopts a source series terminated (SST) diver, whose power consumption is only 1/4 that of the current mode logic (CML) structure. In add-on, based on adjustable feedforward equalization technology, the driver circuit adjusts the equalization strength for different channel attenuations. By de-emphasizing equalization, it enhances the quality of the transmitted signal, ultimately reducing inter-symbol interference. This circuit was designed under CMOS 28 nm process. The front-end simulation results show that the maximum equalization intensity is --3. 7 dB when the 0. 9 V voltage is supplied. When the 32 Gbps NRZ signal passes through the 21 mm channel (the attenuation at the 16 GHz Nyquist frequency is --2. 37 dB), after adjusting the appropriate equalization intensity, the eye height of the output waveform eye diagram is 253 mV (71.8%), the eye width is 27 ps (87%), and the simulation power consumption is only 4. 0 mW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) is defined as a reduction in ovarian reserve and oocyte quality. The pathophysiology of DOR has not been completely explained as of yet. Scholars have uncovered a large number of exosomes that have been detected in follicular fluid, and exosomal miRNAs have been proven to play a critical role in controlling ovarian disorders and follicle formation. We focused on the expression profile of follicular fluid-derived exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) and attempted to understand if their role is connected to the pathomechanism of DOR. Methods: The follicular fluid-derived differentially expressed exosomal miRNAs (DEmiRs) between patients with DOR and those with normal ovarian function were investigated using the next-generation sequencing (NGS) method. The main metabolic and signaling pathways of DEmiRs were identified using the KEGG pathway database, disease ontology (DO) analysis, and gene ontology (GO) analysis. In the end, a Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) network was built to search for exosomal miRNAs and their target genes that were potentially strongly connected with DOR. Results: In comparison to normal controls, 52 DEmiRs were discovered in follicular fluid-derived exosomes of DOR patients, of which 19 were up-regulated and 33 were down-regulated (|log2(fold change) |>2, P < 0.05). GO, DO analysis, and the KEGG pathway database revealed that many of these DEmiRs have broad biological roles that are connected to ovarian function and disorders. The top ten DEmiRs in terms of expression were then chosen for miRNA-mRNA interaction analysis. Totally, 8 experimentally supported miRNAs (hsa-miR-1246, hsa-miR-483-3p, hsa-miR-122-5p, hsa-miR-130b-3p, hsa-miR-342-3p, hsa-miR-625-3p, hsa-miR-675-3p, and hsa-miR-134-5p) and 126 target genes were filtrated by utilizing Cytoscape software. The module analysis findings of the PPI network showed that the main module cluster with a score > 6.0 (MCODE score = 15) had six hub genes, including IGFR, VEGFA, KRAS, ERBB2, RHOA, and PTEN (MCODE score = 11.472). Conclusion: Our data suggested a special expression profile of follicular fluid-derived exosomal miRNAs in patients with DOR, which was probably correlated to ovarian dysfunction and follicle formation. These results may give a unique insight into a better understanding of the molecular process in the pathogenesis of DOR or other ovarian diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ketamine-induced anxiety and impairment in mice reveal distinct proteomics in different brain regions. • Alterations in prefrontal cortex proteins may be primarily associated with immuno-inflammatory processes. • Proteins associated with synaptic plasticity and mitochondrial function are predominantly regulated in the hippocampus. • Changes were observed in the expression levels of glutamatergic system-related proteins in the hippocampus. Schizophrenia, a complex psychiatric disorder with diverse symptoms, has been linked to ketamine, known for its N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonistic properties. Understanding the distinct roles and mechanisms of ketamine is crucial, especially regarding its induction of schizophrenia-like symptoms. Recent research highlights the impact of ketamine on key brain regions associated with schizophrenia, specifically the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus (Hip). This study focused on these regions to explore proteomic changes related to anxiety and cognitive impairment in a chronic ketamine-induced mouse model of schizophrenia. After twelve consecutive days of ketamine administration, brain tissues from these regions were dissected and analyzed. Using tandem mass tag (TMT) labeling quantitative proteomics techniques, 34,797 and 46,740 peptides were identified in PFC and Hip, corresponding to 5,668 and 6,463 proteins, respectively. In the PFC, a total of 113 proteins showed differential expression, primarily associated with the immuno-inflammatory process, calmodulin, postsynaptic density protein, and mitochondrial function. In the Hip, 129 differentially expressed proteins were screened, mainly related to synaptic plasticity proteins and mitochondrial respiratory chain complex-associated proteins. Additionally, we investigated key proteins within the glutamatergic synapse pathway and observed decreased expression levels of phosphorylated CaMKII and CREB. Overall, the study unveiled a significant proteomic signature in the chronic ketamine-induced schizophrenia mouse model, characterized by anxiety and cognitive impairment in both the PFC and Hip, and this comprehensive proteomic dataset may not only enhance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying ketamine-related mental disorders but also offer valuable insights for future disease treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glycerol, as a by-product, mainly derives from the conversion of many crops to biodiesel, ethanol, and fatty ester. Its bioconversion to 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) is an environmentally friendly method. Continuous fermentation has many striking merits over fed-batch and batch fermentation, such as high product concentration with easy feeding operation, long-term high productivity without frequent seed culture, and energy-intensive sterilization. However, it is usually difficult to harvest high product concentrations. Results: In this study, a three-stage continuous fermentation was firstly designed to produce 1,3-PDO from crude glycerol by Clostridium butyricum, in which the first stage fermentation was responsible for providing the excellent cells in a robust growth state, the second stage focused on promoting 1,3-PDO production, and the third stage aimed to further boost the 1,3-PDO concentration and reduce the residual glycerol concentration as much as possible. Through the three-stage continuous fermentation, 80.05 g/L 1,3-PDO as the maximum concentration was produced while maintaining residual glycerol of 5.87 g/L, achieving a yield of 0.48 g/g and a productivity of 3.67 g/(L·h). Based on the 14 sets of experimental data from the first stage, a kinetic model was developed to describe the intricate relationships among the concentrations of 1,3-PDO, substrate, biomass, and butyrate. Subsequently, this kinetic model was used to optimize and predict the highest 1,3-PDO productivity of 11.26 g/(L·h) in the first stage fermentation, while the glycerol feeding concentration and dilution rate were determined to be 92 g/L and 0.341 h−1, separately. Additionally, to achieve a target 1,3-PDO production of 80 g/L without the third stage fermentation, the predicted minimum volume ratio of the second fermenter to the first one was 11.9. The kinetics-based two-stage continuous fermentation was experimentally verified well with the predicted results. Conclusion: A novel three-stage continuous fermentation and a kinetic model were reported. Then a simpler two-stage continuous fermentation was developed based on the optimization of the kinetic model. This kinetics-based development of two-stage continuous fermentation could achieve high-level production of 1,3-PDO. Meanwhile, it provides a reference for other bio-chemicals production by applying kinetics to optimize multi-stage continuous fermentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of supramolecular templates in aligning atomically precise heterometal arrays is important for pursuing functional materials. Herein, we report that a bilayered supramolecular tri‐deprotonated melamine dimer functions as an effective template in the construction of a heterometallic gold(I)‐silver(I) macrocyclic cluster [μ6‐(C3N6H3)3−]2−AuI6AgI6. X‐ray single crystal structural analysis showed that a crown‐like AuI6AgI6 macrocycle is aligned around two parallelly stacked μ6‐(C3N6H3)3− moieties hold together with π–π interactions. Theoretical calculations revealed that the [μ6‐(C3N6H3)3−]2 motif dominantly contributes to the near‐occupied orbitals in the electronic structure, which is closely related to its luminescence properties. This work demonstrates that the supramolecular templates containing multiple symmetric binding sites may present a facile approach in the construction of functional metal clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• NSC-EVs alleviate CORT-induced neuronal injury in depression rats. • NSC-EVs reduce CORT-induced PC12 cell apoptosis. • EVs reduce CORT-induced apoptosis by carrying miR-16-5p into PC12 cells. • miR-16-5p reduces CORT-induced PC12 cell apoptosis by targeting MYB. • NSC-EVs alleviate neuronal injury in depression rats via the miR-16-5p/MYB axis. Depression is a common mental illness. Neural stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (NSC-EVs) are involved in repairing neuronal injury. We estimated the mechanism of miR-16-5p in depression rats. EVs were extracted from NSCs. The depression rat model was established by corticosterone (CORT) induction and treated with NSC-EVs. The depression behavioral/pathological changes in rats were assessed using forced swimming test, open field test, sucrose consumption test and western blotting. The neuronal apoptosis in hippocampal tissue were detected. CORT-induced PC12 cell model was established. EV uptake by PC12 cells was measured and PC12 cell apoptosis was detected. The downstream targets of miR-16-5p were predicted and verified. The expressions of miR-16-5p and MYB in rats, PC12 cells, and EVs were measured. Functional rescue experiments were conducted to verify the role of miR-16-5p and MYB in PC12 cell apoptosis. CORT induction increased neuronal apoptosis in hippocampal tissue and induced depression-like behaviors in rats, while NSC-EV treatment improved depression-like behaviors and apoptosis in rats. In PC12 cells, NSC-EVs decreased CORT-induced PC12 cell apoptosis. NSC-EVs carried miR-16-5p into PC12 cells. miR-16-5p knockdown in EVs partially reversed the inhibitory effects of NSC-EVs on CORT-induced PC12 cell apoptosis. miR-16-5p targeted to inhibit MYB to repress CORT-induced PC12 cell apoptosis. In vivo experiments further verified that NSC-EVs reduced neuronal injury in CORT-induced depression rats via the miR-16-5p/MYB axis. NSC-EVs-mediated alleviation on neuronal injury by carrying miR-16-5p to target MYB was highly likely one of the mechanisms by which NSC-EVs mediated miR-16-5p in neuroprotection of depression rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, the strategy of multielements co‐substitution for BiFeO3 ceramics was adopted to enhance the ferroelectricity and magnetoelectric coupling effect where the effective radius of rare‐earth ions was equivalent to that of Sm3+. Differing from the case of Sm‐substituted BiFeO3 ceramics, the symmetry of the present ceramics changed from R3c to Pbnm directly without the formation of Pna21 with increasing RE‐substitution content. The ferroelectricity was significantly improved, and the saturated polarization−electric field (P‐E) hysteresis loop with Pr = 37.63 μC/cm2 was obtained in Bi0.95(La0.20Nd0.20Sm0.20Gd0.20Lu0.20)0.05FeO3 ceramics. The leakage current was reduced by almost six orders of magnitude in multielements co‐substituted BiFeO3 ceramics, which was much lower than that of BiFeO3 end‐member. Moreover, the magnetoelectric coupling coefficient αME of 0.96 mV/cm Oe was achieved in Bi0.86(La0.20Nd0.20Sm0.20Gd0.20Lu0.20)0.14FeO3 ceramics, which was larger than that of Sm‐substituted BiFeO3 ceramics. The strategy of multielements co‐substitution might provide a new approach to improving ferroelectricity and magnetoelectric coupling effect in BiFeO3 ceramics, which could be physically interpreted as the results of the reduced leakage current and increased local polarization configuration caused by the multiple elements substitution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Australia has demonstrated high efficacy and safety of medical termination of pregnancy (MToP) using a mifepristone–buccal misoprostol regime. The provision of medical termination services in primary care has the potential to alleviate access barriers, particularly in rural and regional populations. Large‐scale data are needed to support the expansion of this model. Aim: The aim was to determine the efficacy and safety of nurse‐led MToP within a regional general practice clinic. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of patients prescribed MToP from October 2014 to April 2020. Clinic nurses assessed patient eligibility and provided information, non‐directive counselling and instructions. The general practitioner then confirmed eligibility, obtained informed consent and prescribed. Patients were administered 200 mg of mifepristone orally in a pharmacy and then self‐administered 800‐μg buccal misoprostol 36–48 h later at home. Results: A total of 998 patients were included in this study, with the median patient age being 27.3 years and 30.3% of patients travelling over 100 km to access the service. MToP was successful in 965 (96.7%) patients. There were 36 (3.6%) complications, of which 33 were incomplete MToP. Haemorrhage requiring transfusion, pain requiring hospital treatment and suspected infection were rare, each having a frequency of one (0.1%). Our follow‐up rate was 74.8%, with a strong correlation identified between increased gestational age and decreased follow‐up (P < 0.001). Conclusion: This study is a large Australian example demonstrating high efficacy and safety of nurse‐led MToP within regional general practice. The establishment of similar services in rural and regional Australia may address geographical and financial barriers to termination access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Glial cell‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) maintains gut homeostasis. Dopamine promotes GDNF release in astrocytes. We investigated the regulation by dopamine of colonic GDNF secretion. Experimental Approach: D1 receptor knockout (D1R−/−) mice, adeno‐associated viral 9‐short hairpin RNA carrying D2 receptor (AAV9‐shD2R)‐treated mice, 6‐hydroxydopamine treated (6‐OHDA) rats and primary enteric glial cells (EGCs) culture were used. Incubation fluid from colonic submucosal plexus and longitudinal muscle myenteric plexus were collected for GDNF and ACh measurements. Key Results: D2 receptor‐immunoreactivity (IR), but not D1 receptor‐IR, was observed on EGCs. Both D1 receptor‐IR and D2 receptor‐IR were co‐localized on cholinergic neurons. Low concentrations of dopamine induced colonic GDNF secretion in a concentration‐dependent manner, which was mimicked by the D1 receptor agonist SKF38393, inhibited by TTX and atropine and eliminated in D1R−/− mice. SKF38393‐induced colonic ACh release was absent in D1R−/− mice. High concentrations of dopamine suppressed colonic GDNF secretion, which was mimicked by the D2 receptor agonist quinpirole, and absent in AAV‐shD2R‐treated mice. Quinpirole decreased GDNF secretion by reducing intracellular Ca2+ levels in primary cultured EGCs. Carbachol (ACh analogue) promoted the release of GDNF. Quinpirole inhibited colonic ACh release, which was eliminated in the AAV9‐shD2R‐treated mice. 6‐OHDA treated rats with low ACh and high dopamine content showed decreased GDNF content and increased mucosal permeability in the colon. Conclusion and Implications: Low concentrations of dopamine promote colonic GDNF secretion via D1 receptors on cholinergic neurons, whereas high concentrations of dopamine inhibit GDNF secretion via D2 receptors on EGCs and/or cholinergic neurons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMVECs) and microglia play critical roles in regulating cerebral homeostasis during ischemic stroke. However, the role of HBMVECs‐derived exosomes in microglia polarization after stroke remains unknown. We isolated exosomes (Exos) from oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD)‐exposed HBMVECs, before added them into microglia. Microglia polarization markers were tested using RT‐qPCR or flow cytometry. Inflammatory cytokines were measured with ELISA. Endothelial cell damage was assessed by cell viability, apoptosis, apoptosis‐related proteins, oxidative stress, and angiogenic activity using CCK‐8, flow cytometry, western blot, ELISA, and endothelial tube formation assay, respectively. We also established middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) mice model to examine the function of circ_0000495 on stroke in vivo. Our study found that HBMVECs‐Exos reduced M2 markers (IL‐10, CD163, and CD206), increased M1 markers (TNF‐α, IL‐1β, and IL‐12), CD86‐positive cells, and inflammatory cytokines (TNF‐α and IL‐1β), indicating the promotion of microglial M1‐polarization. Microglial M1‐polarization induced by HBMVECs‐Exos reduced viability and promoted apoptosis and oxidative stress, revealing the aggravation of endothelial cell damage. However, circ_0000495 silencing inhibited HBMVECs‐Exos‐induced alterations. Mechanistically, circ_0000495 adsorbed miR‐579‐3p to upregulate toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4) in microglia; miR‐579‐3p suppressed HBMVECs‐Exos‐induced alterations via declining TLR4; furthermore, Yin Yang 1 (YY1) transcriptionally activated circ_0000495 in HBMVECs. Importantly, circ_0000495 aggravated ischemic brain injury in vivo via activating TLR4/nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) pathway. Collectively, OGD‐treated HBMVECs‐Exos transmitted circ_0000495 to regulate miR‐579‐3p/TLR4/NF‐κB axis in microglia, thereby facilitating microglial M1‐polarization and endothelial cell damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses quaternionic dual Gabor frames under the condition that the products of time‐frequency shift parameters are rational numbers. For a general overcomplete quaternionic Gabor frame with the product of time‐frequency shift parameters not equal to 12$$ \frac{1}{2} $$, we show that its corresponding frame and translation operators do not commute, which leads to its canonical dual frame not having the Gabor structure, but it may have other dual frames with Gabor structure. We characterize when two quaternionic Gabor Bessel sequences form a pair of dual frames, and present a class of quaternionic dual Gabor frames. We also characterize quaternionic Gabor Riesz bases and prove that their canonical dual frames have Gabor structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most organelle dyes are derived from organic molecules with limited photostability and biocompatibility, making long-term dynamic monitoring challenging. Herein, two photostable carbon dots (Y-CDs and R-CDs) with bright yellow and red fluorescence were prepared via simple one-pot solvothermal treatment with p-phenylenediamine and subsequent column chromatography. More significantly, the two carbon dots had individual targeting ability toward different organelles, namely the endoplasmic reticulum and lysosome, respectively. A series of studies were carried out to elucidate the difference between the two CDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we report a palladium-catalyzed regioselective carbomonofluoromethylation of unactivated alkenes. The reaction uses easily available fluorobis(phenylsulfonyl)methane (FBSM) as a fluoromethylating reagent, and proceeds smoothly with a wide variety of carbon electrophiles, including (hetero)aryl iodides, styrenyl iodides and TIPSBr. A range of remote γ-CH2F/CD2F carboxylic acid derivatives were constructed rapidly after a simple reductive desulfonylation step. The reaction features high regioselectivity, mild and simple reaction conditions and a broad substrate scope, and is easy to scale up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insects are rich in various microorganisms, which play diverse roles in affecting host biology. Although most Drosophila species prefer rotten fruits, the agricultural pest Drosophila suzukii attacks ripening fruits before they are harvested. We have reported that the microbiota has positive and negative impacts on the agricultural pest D. suzukii on nutrient‐poor and ‐rich diets, respectively. On nutrient‐poor diets, microbes provide protein to facilitate larval development. But how they impede D. suzukii development on nutrient‐rich diets is unknown. Here we report that Acetobacter pomorum (Apo), a commensal bacterium in many Drosophila species and rotting fruit, has several detrimental effects in D. suzukii. Feeding D. suzukii larvae nutrient‐rich diets containing live Apo significantly delayed larval development and reduced the body weight of emerged adults. Apo induced larval immune responses and downregulated genes of digestion and juvenile hormone metabolism. Knockdown of these genes in germ‐free larvae reproduced Apo‐like weakened phenotypes. Apo was confirmed to secrete substantial amounts of gluconic acid. Adding gluconic acid to the D. suzukii larval diet hindered larval growth and decreased adult body weight. Moreover, the dose of gluconic acid that adversely affected D. suzukii did not negatively affect Drosophila melanogaster, suggesting that D. suzukii is less tolerant to acid than D. melanogaster. Taken together, these findings indicate that D. suzukii is negatively affected by gluconic acid, which may explain why it prefers ripening fruit over Apo‐rich rotting fruit. These results show an insect's tolerance to microbes can influence its ecological niche. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on improving Knowledge Tracing (KT) in e-learning systems by addressing the Skill Switching Phenomenon (SSP). Topics include the challenges posed by SSP, the limitations of existing deep learning-based methods, and the proposed Memory-augmented Attentive Network (MAN) model to enhance knowledge state prediction.

The crystal structure evaluation of Ba1−xSrxHfO3 and Sr1−yCayHfO3 ceramics with varying composition was determined together with its influence on microwave dielectric characteristics. The variation mechanism of temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (τf) was discussed in details, and the strong correlation between τf and bond valence sum (BVS) and tolerance factor (t) was interpreted from the view point of energy. With increasing Sr‐content, the stable phase of Ba1−xSrxHfO3 at room temperature changed from Pm3¯$\bar{3}$m (x ≤ 0.25) to I4/mcm (0.35 ≤ x ≤ 0.40), then to Imma (0.50 ≤x < 0.75) and finally to Pnma (0.75 ≤ x ≤ 1.0). The peak temperature of dielectric constant changed due to the structure transition, resulting in that τf rapidly declined at first, reached near zero, then slowly decreased, and finally rapidly decreased. Sr1−yCayHfO3 (0 ≤ y ≤ 1.0) belonged to space group Pnma. As the bond lengths and bond angles between B‐atom and O‐atom became more and more changeable (or BVS became smaller), the crystal could store more input heat energy through bond vibrational energy, and consequently τf became closer to zero with increasing Ca‐content, which was consistent with the physical meaning of the rattling effect on τf. With decreasing t, the dominant mechanisms responsible for tuning τf changed from (i) phase transition and (ii) dilution of ion polarizability to (iii) rattling effect. One could investigate what were the dominant mechanisms tuning τf and hopefully predict its trend with the help of τf–t graph. These findings provided a new idea for developing solid solution ceramics with excellent temperature stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a second-order accurate and linear numerical scheme for the phase field crystal equation and prove its convergence in the discrete L\infty sense. The key ingredient of the error analysis is to justify the boundedness of the numerical solution, so that the nonlinear term, treated explicitly in the scheme, can be bounded appropriately. Benefiting from the existence of the sixth-order dissipation term in the model, we first estimate the discrete H2 norm of the numerical error. The error estimate in the supremum norm is then obtained by the Sobolev embedding, so that the uniform bound of the numerical solution is available. We also show the mass conservation and the energy stability in the discrete setting. The proposed scheme is linear with constant coefficients so that it can be solved efficiently via some fast algorithms. Numerical experiments are conducted to verify the theoretical results, and long-time simulations in two- and three-dimensional spaces demonstrate the satisfactory and high effectiveness of the proposed numerical scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the characteristics of lightweight aggregate concrete, analyzes the design method of lightweight aggregate mix ratio, summarizes the research progress of different lightweight aggregate concrete properties affected by various factors at home and abroad in recent years, explores the microscopic representation of lightweight aggregate concrete, points out the existing defects of lightweight aggregate concrete such as poor workability, easy to block pumpability, and gives reasonable suggestions. The future development direction and application prospect of lightweight aggregate concrete are prospected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Autoimmune glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) astrocytopathy is a novel autoimmune disease of central nervous system (CNS). It is unclear whether Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is related to autoimmune GFAP astrocytopathy. Objective: To describe the clinical, laboratory, and imaging characteristics of patients with autoimmune GFAP astrocytopathy. Methods: The clinical, laboratory, and imaging findings of patients are presented. The levels of GFAP in CSF were detected by ELISA. T and B cell subsets in CSF were detected by flow cytometry. GFAP‐IgG in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were tested by cell‐based assay (CBA) and tissue‐based assay (TBA). Results: All three patients had fever, cognitive dysfunction, limb weakness, and positive GFAP‐IgG with EBV infection in CSF. Enteric glia cells may involve in this disease. Typical imaging findings include the gadolinium enhancement of linear perivascular radial perpendicular to the ventricle, meningeal enhancement (especially in midbrain interpeduncal fossa), longitudinally extensive lesions involving spindle cords, and more T2/Flair‐hyperintense lesions in the periventricular white matter at late stage. The patients had poor response to antiviral treatment and strong response to steroid pulse therapy. Conclusion: EBV could induce CNS autoimmune response in autoimmune GFAP astrocytopathy. The detection of GFAP‐IgG and EBV may facilitate the early diagnosis in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Luminochromic gold clusters have potential applications in sensing due to the unique optical properties arising from their geometric and electronic structures. However, the rational design of such clusters is extremely challenging, especially when the goal is to impart reversible stimuli‐responsive properties to gold clusters. Herein, the reversible multi‐stimuli responsiveness of a carbon‐centered hexagold(I) CAuI6 cluster protected by N,N'‐dibenzylbenzimidazolylidene (BIBn) ligands is reported. Two types of crystals emitting blue (λemmax = 479 nm) and turquoise (λemmax = 497 nm) photoluminescence (PL) are obtained and found to be interconvertible by the addition and removal of solvent. Single‐crystal X‐ray structure analysis has revealed significant differences between the crystal structures, including the conformation of the BIBn ligands. Theoretical calculations suggest that these conformational differences directly affect the photophysical properties and that the flexibility of the BIBn ligands attached to the CAuI6 core makes this possible. Furthermore, when these crystals are grounded with a spatula, they are found to emit green PL (λemmax = 520 nm) following a partial loss of crystallinity. This is a remarkable example of both vapoluminochromism and mechanoluminochromism in an N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC)‐protected gold cluster and holds promise as a model compound for understanding the principles governing stimuli‐responsiveness in metal clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Architected stretchable materials with well-organized microarchitectures evolve very rapidly due to their potential in customizing mechanical properties and achieving exotic functions. In many applications, the architected stretchable materials are required to sustain large deformation, and their fracture is size-dependent. However, the size effect on the fracture of architected stretchable materials is still elusive. Here, we study this issue by experiment and finite element calculation. It is found that the fracture energy of architected stretchable materials increases with the specimen size ratio, H/h, within a range. When H/h reaches a transition ratio, Rt, the fracture energy approaches a plateau. This transition ratio differentiates the size-dependent and size-independent fracture behavior of architected stretchable materials. The mechanical properties of constituent material only have a minor effect on the transition ratio. The degree of constraint and stress concentration at the node, which are affected by the geometry of the unit-cell, dominate the specimen size effect. The result gives a practical guidance in choosing the specimen size to measure the steady state fracture energy of this class of materials. This work provides insights into the fracture of architected stretchable materials and design for fractureresistant architected stretchable devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and hypothesis: The pathogenesis of vaginal wind remains unclear. This study was aimed at assessing the association between functional constipation and vaginal wind in women at 6 weeks postpartum. Methods: This is a multicenter cross-sectional study. We collected data, such as baseline demographic, clinical characteristics, pelvic organ prolapse quantification score. and surface electromyography parameters of pelvic floor muscles, of women at 6 weeks postpartum who visited the postpartum rehabilitation clinic between May 2022 and September 2022. The cohort data were from women who visited the postpartum rehabilitation clinic of the First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University and the Women and Children's Health Care Hospital of Yudu County. Follow-up for the control and study cohorts was conducted until 6 weeks postpartum. Results: Among the 377 women, 101 (26.79%) reported vaginal wind. Multivariate regression analysis showed that postpartum women with functional constipation were at a higher risk for vaginal wind than women without functional constipation (odds ratio [OR], 2.41). The results remained stable across the propensity score analyses (OR, 1.86–2.30). In addition, we found age, body mass index, mode of delivery, changes in the anatomical location of Bp points, urinary incontinence, pelvic floor muscle strength, and birth weight of the neonate were not associated with increased odds of vaginal wind in women at 6 weeks postpartum. Conclusions: Vaginal wind is common among women at 6 weeks postpartum and is associated with functional constipation. Functional constipation may serve as a reference for the pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment of vaginal wind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of the height-corrected definition of metabolic syndrome(MetS) in adolescents. A retrospective study was conducted on US adolescents aged 12 to 17 years. Waist-to-height ratio and blood pressure-to-height ratio were substituted for waist circumference and blood pressure when defining MetS in adolescents. The proportions of insulin resistance of adolescents with 1 (30.1%), 2 (50.7%), and ≥3 components (77.8%) of MetS were 2.578 (P <.001), 6.882 (P <.001), and 23.992 (P <.001) times than the proportion of adolescents without the component of MetS (14.2%). The proportions of low-grade inflammation of adolescents with 1 (3.4%), 2 (5.3%), and ≥3 components (14.4%) of MetS were 2.050 (P =.106), 3.699 (P =.005), and 10.664 (P <.001) times than the proportion of adolescents without the component of MetS (1.7%). This study demonstrates that height-corrected definition of MetS is a simple and accurate method for identifying insulin resistance and low-grade inflammation in adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To build T2WI-based multiregional radiomics for predicting tumor deposit (TD) and prognosis in patients with resectable rectal cancer. Materials and methods: A total of 208 patients with pathologically confirmed rectal cancer from two hospitals were prospectively enrolled. Intra- and peritumoral features were extracted separately from T2WI images and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator was used to screen the most valuable radiomics features. Clinical-radiomics nomogram was developed by radiomics signatures and the most predictive clinical parameters. Prognostic model for 3-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) was constructed using univariate and multivariate Cox analysis. Results: For TD, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for intratumoral radiomics model was 0.956, 0.823, and 0.860 in the training cohort, test cohort, and external validation cohort, respectively. AUC for the peritumoral radiomics model was 0.929, 0.906, and 0.773 in the training cohort, test cohort, and external validation cohort, respectively. The AUC for combined intra- and peritumoral radiomics model was 0.976, 0.918, and 0.874 in the training cohort, test cohort, and external validation cohort, respectively. The AUC for clinical-radiomics nomogram was 0.989, 0.777, and 0.870 in the training cohort, test cohort, and external validation cohort, respectively. The prognostic model constructed by combining intra- and peritumoral radiomics signature score (radscore)–based TD and MRI-reported lymph nodes metastasis (LNM) indicated good performance for predicting 3-year RFS, with AUC of 0.824, 0.865, and 0.738 in the training cohort, test cohort and external validation cohort, respectively. Conclusion: Combined intra- and peritumoral radiomics model showed good performance for predicting TD. Combining intra- and peritumoral radscore-based TD and MRI-reported LNM indicated the recurrence risk. Clinical relevance statement: Combined intra- and peritumoral radiomics model could help accurately predict tumor deposits. Combining this predictive model-based tumor deposits with MRI-reported lymph node metastasis was associated with relapse risk of rectal cancer after surgery. Key Points: • Combined intra- and peritumoral radiomics model provided better diagnostic performance than that of intratumoral and peritumoral radiomics model alone for predicting TD in rectal cancer. • The predictive performance of the clinical-radiomics nomogram was not improved compared with the combined intra- and peritumoral radiomics model for predicting TD. • The prognostic model constructed by combining intra- and peritumoral radscore-based TD and MRI-reported LNM showed good performance for assessing 3-year RFS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) has not been systematically studied in patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA). Objective: We sought to explore whether MSA patients suffer from a heavier CSVD burden relative to healthy individuals and whether CSVD has a relationship with motor, cognitive, and emotional dysfunction in patients with MSA. Methods: This study consecutively recruited 190 MSA patients and 190 matched healthy controls whose overall CSVD burden and single CSVD imaging markers (including white matter hyperintensity (WMH), microbleeds, lacunes, and enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVS)) were measured. Of the MSA patients, 118 completed multi-dimensional outcome assessments. Spearman's correlations and multivariable linear regressions were performed. Results: We observed a greater burden of overall CSVD, WMH, and EPVS in MSA patients compared with controls, but not for microbleeds and lacunes. Motor dysfunction and cognitive impairment were significantly worse in subjects with severe CSVD than those with none-to-mild CSVD. In patients with MSA, the severity of CSVD burden was positively associated with motor impairments as measured by the Unified Multiple System Atrophy Rating Scale-II (β= 2.430, p = 0.039) and Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (β= 1.882, p = 0.015). Of CSVD imaging markers, different associations with MSA outcomes were displayed. WMH was associated with motor, cognitive, and emotional deficits, while the EPVS in the centrum semiovale, basal ganglia, and hippocampus regions was correlated only with motor severity, anxiety, and cognition, respectively. Similar findings were noted in MSA-cerebellar and MSA-parkinsonian patients. Conclusions: Concomitant CSVD may be correlated with worse multi-dimensional dysfunction in patients with MSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individual omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), principally linoleic acid (LA) and arachidonic acid (AA), may have differential impacts on cardiovascular risk. We aimed to summarize the up-to-date epidemiology evidence on the relationship between blood levels of omega-6 PUFAs and the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Population-based studies determining PUFA levels in blood were identified until May 2021 in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library. Random-effects meta-analyses of cohorts comparing the highest versus lowest category were conducted to combine study-specific risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Blood levels of omega-6 PUFAs were compared between the CHD case and non-case, presented as a weight mean difference (WMD). Twenty-one cohorts and eleven case-control studies were included. The WMD was −0.71 (95% CI: −1.20, −0.21) for LA and 0.08 (95% CI: −0.28, 0.43) for AA. LA levels were inversely associated with total CHD risk (RR: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.71, 1.00), but not AA. Each one-SD increase in LA levels resulted in 10% reductions in the risk of fatal CHD (RR: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.86, 0.95), but not in non-fatal CHD. Such findings highlight that the current recommendation for optimal intakes of omega-6 PUFAs (most LA) may offer a coronary benefit in primary prevention. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2022.2056867. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Myelodysplastic syndrome is a malignant clonal disorder of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) with both myelodysplastic problems and hematopoietic disorders. The greatest risk factor for the development of MDS is advanced age, and aging causes dysregulation and decreased function of the immune and hematopoietic systems. However, the mechanisms by which this occurs remain to be explored. Therefore, we explore the association between MDS and aging genes through a classification model and use bioinformatics analysis tools to explore the relationship between MDS aging subtypes and the immune microenvironment. Methods: The dataset of MDS in the paper was obtained from the GEO database, and aging-related genes were taken from HAGR. Specific genes were screened by three machine learning algorithms. Then, artificial neural network (ANN) models and Nomogram models were developed to validate the effectiveness of the methods. Finally, aging subtypes were established, and the correlation between MDS and the immune microenvironment was analyzed using bioinformatics analysis tools. Weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) and single cell analysis were also added to validate the consistency of the result analysis. Results: Seven core genes associated with ARG were screened by differential analysis, enrichment analysis and machine learning algorithms for accurate diagnosis of MDS. Subsequently, two subtypes of senescent expressions were identified based on ARG, illustrating that different subtypes have different biological and immune functions. The cell clustering results obtained from manual annotation were validated using single cell analysis, and the expression of 7 pivotal genes in MDS was verified by flow cytometry and RT-PCR. Discussion: The findings demonstrate a key role of senescence in the immunological milieu of MDS, giving new insights into MDS pathogenesis and potential treatments. The findings also show that aging plays an important function in the immunological microenvironment of MDS, giving new insights into the pathogenesis of MDS and possible immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The carpooling service, which is the sharing of journeys heading in similar directions, is expected to be more efficient. In this article, we study the impact of providing a carpooling service on customer waiting time and driver utilization in an on-demand service platform. We build an M / G / N queueing model to approximate the dynamics of the on-demand service platform that provides two services: a standard service and a carpooling service. We find that two factors influence the efficiency of the carpooling service: the source of customers who use the carpooling service, and the length of a normalized detour. If the carpooling service attracts customers who have not used this on-demand service before, i.e., the market size increases, then both the customer waiting time and driver utilization increase when more customers use the carpooling service. If the carpooling service primarily attracts customers who already use the standard on-demand service before, i.e., customers switch from the standard service to the carpooling service, then the impact of the carpooling service depends on the normalized detour. It is possible that customer waiting time and driver utilization first increase and then decrease as customers switch from the standard service to the carpooling service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The available surface defect detection methods for disposable wooden spoons still involve screening with the naked eye. This detection method is not only inefficient but also accompanied by problems such as false detection and missed detection. Therefore, this paper proposes a detection method based on an improved YOLOv5 network model (YOLOv5-TSPP). This method uses the K-Means ++ algorithm to cluster the target samples in the data set to obtain anchor frames that are more in line with different target scales. The Coordinate Attention module is added to the backbone network of the YOLOv5 network model to improve the feature extraction ability of the model. A new SPP module is added to the backbone network to increase the important features in the receptive field extraction network to improve the detection accuracy of small targets. The experimental results show: The YOLOv5-TSPP algorithm has better detection performance and the mAP of defect detection reaches 80.3%, which is 9.2% higher than that of the YOLOv5 algorithm. Among them, the detection accuracy of black knot defect reached 98.6%, the detection accuracy of back crack defect reached 92.1%, and the detection accuracy of mineral line defect reached 92.3%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secernin-1 (SCRN1) is a regulator of exocytosis in mast cells. Recently, SCRN1 was reported to be correlated with the prognosis of colorectal cancer and gastric cancer, but its functional effects on oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remain unclear. Our aim was to explore the expression pattern and the migration and invasion effects of the newly identified SCRN1 in OSCC. Western blotting (WB) was performed to measure SCRN1 expression in human OSCC tissue samples and OSCC cell lines. The effects of SCRN1 on OSCC cell proliferation, invasion and migration were analyzed by cell counting kit-8 and Transwell assays. The expression levels of TGF-β, Smad3 and phosphorylated Smad3 (p-Smad3) were measured by WB. The secretion of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 was determined by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression of SCRN1 was significantly elevated in OSCC tissues and cell lines. SCRN1 knockdown reduced the expression of TGF-β and p-Smad3 in OSCC cells. TGF-β stimulation promoted proliferation, invasion and migration and enhanced the expression of p-Smad3 and the secretion of MMP9 in SCRN1-knockdown OSCC cell lines. Our study demonstrated that SCRN1 is upregulated in OSCC. Further analyses demonstrated that SCRN1 promotes the proliferation, invasion and migration of OSCC cells via TGF-β/Smad3 signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gastric cancer (CC) is a disease with high incidence and mortality rate. Immunotherapy is an important method for gastric cancer while lack of effective predictor. Integrins play an important role in the development. We aimed to explore the predictive value of β1 integrin (ITGB1) as a predictor of immunnotherapy in gastric cancer. Methods: Differential expression analysis was conducted using the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) 2.0 and GEO databases. GEPIA data were used to evaluate the prognostic value of ITGB1 in gastric cancer (GC). Transcriptomic and clinical data of GC and normal tissues were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database, and the TIMER database was used to evaluate the association between ITGB1 and immune infiltration. Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to determine the prognostic value of ITGB1. To verify ITGB1 expression at the protein level, immunohistochemical staining was conducted. In addition, to analyze the correlation of ITGB1 with PD-1 and PD-L1, we examined levels of PD-1 and PD-L1 by IHC and determined the predictive value of ITGB1 for anti-PD-1 therapy in GC by ROC curve analysis. Results: Compared with normal tissues, analysis of GEPIA and data at protein levels showed significantly higher expression of ITGB1 in GC. In addition, higher expression of ITGB1 was associated with worse pathological G-staging and tumor T-staging, which suggested that ITGB1 is a risk factor for poor prognosis in GC. The level of ITGB1 expression was positively correlated with CD8 + T cells, neutrophils, macrophages, and dendritic cells. ITGB1 expression was also correlated with PD-L1 expression, and this was further verified at the protein level by immunohistochemical analysis. The area under the ROC curve was 0.808. Conclusion: ITGB1 may be a promising prognostic biomarker and effective predictor for anti-PD-1 therapy in GC. Trial registration: Retrospectively registered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Anxious behaviors often occur in individuals who have experienced early adversity. Anxious behaviors can bring many hazards, such as social withdrawal, eating disorders, negative self‐efficacy, self‐injurious thoughts and behaviors, anxiety disorders, and even depression. Abnormal behavior are is closely related to changes in corresponding circuit functions in the brain. This study investigated the relationship between brain circuits and anxious behaviors in maternal‐deprived rhesus monkey animal model, which mimic early adversity in human. Methods: Twenty‐five rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were grouped by two different rearing conditions: 11 normal control and mother‐reared (MR) monkeys and 14 maternally deprived and peer‐reared (MD) monkeys. After obtaining images of the brain areas with significant differences in maternal separation and normal control macaque function, the relationship between functional junction intensity and stereotypical behaviors was determined by correlation analysis. Results: The correlation analysis revealed that stereotypical behaviors were negatively correlated with the coupling between the left lateral amygdala subregion and the left inferior frontal gyrus in both MD and MR macaques. Conclusion: This study suggests that early adversity‐induced anxious behaviors are associated with changes in the strength of the amygdala–prefrontal connection. The normalization of the regions involved in the functional connection might reverse the behavioral abnormality. It provides a solid foundation for effective intervention in human early adversity. Significance Statement: This study suggests that early adversity‐induced anxious behaviors are associated with changes in the strength of the amygdala–prefrontal connection. The higher the amygdala–prefrontal connection strength, the less stereotyped behaviors exhibited by monkeys experiencing early adversity. Thus, in the future, changing the strength of the amygdala–prefrontal connection may reverse the behavioral abnormalities of individuals who experience early adversity. This study provides a solid foundation for effective intervention in humans' early adversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of different tendon reflexes in detecting diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). Material and methods: According to the changes in tendon reflexes, all patients with diabetes were divided into three strata: impaired Achilles reflex only, impaired lower extremity reflexes, and impaired lower and upper extremity reflexes. Taking nerve conduction studies (NCS) as the gold standard, the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive ability of the tendon reflexes of these three strata, as well as the Toronto clinical scoring system (TCSS) and Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI), were calculated. Then, the electrophysiological characteristics of diabetic patients with different tendon reflexes were analysed. Results: Among the 240 patients studied, 92 (38.3%) presented evidence of neuropathy, which was confirmed by abnormal NCS, while 148 (61.7%) had normal NCS results. Taking NCS as the gold standard, stratum 1 yielded a sensitivity and specificity of 93.5% and 54.7%, respectively, while stratum 3 had higher specificity (96.6%) and lower sensitivity (34.8%) when compared to stratum 1. However, stratum 2 had the highest specificity (75.7%). Conclusions: The assessment of tendon reflexes can be proposed as a test for screening diabetic polyneuropathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feline coronavirus (FCoV) is the causative agent of feline infectious peritonitis and diarrhoea in kittens worldwide. In this study, a total of 73 feline diarrhoeal faecal samples were collected from animal hospitals and pet markets in ShanDong province from 2017 to 2019. FCoV was detected in 58.23% (46/73) of the samples, using the RT-PCR method. The results showed that the detection rate of FCoV in healthy cats and sick cats was 41.7% (10/24) and 81.6% (40/49), respectively. Full gene amplification and sequencing of the N, M, and S2 genes of FCoV isolates were performed. An amino acid mutation (M1058L) in the S2 gene was found that can be used as a marker for distinguishing feline enteric coronavirus (FECV) from feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV). This study provides new epidemiological information about FCoV that will aid in the prevention of FCoV in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Qizhi Xiangfu Pills (QXPs) are a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) used clinically for qi stagnation and blood stasis. The current quality control of QXPs in the ministry standards and the reported literature is minimal, and requires improvement. Objective: This study aimed to analyze and determine the active ingredients in QXPs for its overall evaluation. Methods: In this study, a quantitative analysis of multi-components by a single marker (QAMS) method was established to simultaneously determine caryophyllene oxide, cyperotundone, ligustilide, and a-cyperone in QXPs by GC. Moreover, the GC fingerprints of 22 batches of samples were also established, and the common peaks were initially identified by GC-MS, then classified in various dimensions using chemometric methods, and the main markers causing the discrepancies between groups were analyzed by orthogonal partial least-squares discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA). Results: Compared with an internal standard method (ISM), the determination results obtained by QAMS had no significant difference. Twenty-two common peaks were distinguished in the fingerprint of 22 batches of QXPs, 17 of which were identified, and the similarity of the fingerprints was greater than 0.898. The 22 batches of QXPs were roughly divided into 3 categories, and 12 main markers causing the discrepancies were discovered. Conclusion: The established QAMS method combined with the GC fingerprint and chemometrics is convenient and feasible, which helps to improve the quality evaluation of QXPs and provides a demonstration for the related study of compound preparations and single herbs. Highlights: QAMS combined with a GC fingerprint and chemometrics method was established to evaluate the quality of QXPs for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: RAD23 (RADIATION SENSITIVE23) proteins are a group of UBL‐UBA (ubiquitin‐like‐ubiquitin‐associated) proteins that shuttle ubiquitylated proteins to the 26S proteasome for breakdown. Drought stress is a major environmental constraint that limits plant growth and production, but whether RAD23 proteins are involved in this process is unclear. Here, we demonstrated that a shuttle protein, MdRAD23D1, mediated drought response in apple plants (Malus domestica). MdRAD23D1 levels increased under drought stress, and its suppression resulted in decreased stress tolerance in apple plants. Through in vitro and in vivo assays, we demonstrated that MdRAD23D1 interacted with a proline‐rich protein MdPRP6, resulting in the degradation of MdPRP6 by the 26S proteasome. And MdRAD23D1 accelerated the degradation of MdPRP6 under drought stress. Suppression of MdPRP6 resulted in enhanced drought tolerance in apple plants, mainly because the free proline accumulation is changed. And the free proline is also involved in MdRAD23D1‐mediated drought response. Taken together, these findings demonstrated that MdRAD23D1 and MdPRP6 oppositely regulated drought response. MdRAD23D1 levels increased under drought, accelerating the degradation of MdPRP6. MdPRP6 negatively regulated drought response, probably by regulating proline accumulation. Thus, "MdRAD23D1‐MdPRP6" conferred drought stress tolerance in apple plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]