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Abstract Objectives Freezing of Gait (FOG) is one of the disabling symptoms in patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD). While it is difficult to early detect because of the sporadic occurrence of initial freezing events. Whether the characteristic of gait impairments in PD patients with FOG during the ‘interictal’ period is different from that in non-FOG patients is still unclear. Methods The gait parameters were measured by wearable inertial sensors. Exploratory factor analysis was used to investigate the inherent structure of diverse univariate gait parameters, with the aim of identifying shared characteristics among the gait variables. Results This cross-sectional study involved 68 controls and 245 PD patients (167 without FOG and 78 with FOG). The analysis yielded six distinct gait domains which were utilized to describe the impaired gait observed during the “interictal” period of FOG. Both PD-nFOG and PD-FOG groups exhibited significant impairments in the pace domain, kinematic domain, gait phase domain, and turning process domain compared to the healthy control. The gait phase domain was different in the PD-FOG group compared to the PD-nFOG group (p corrected = 0.004, Cohen's d = -0.46). And it was identified as independent risk factor for FOG (OR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.05–2.55, p = 0.030), as well as other risk factors: gender (OR = 2.67, 95% CI = 1.19–5.99, p = 0.017), MDS-UPDRS IV score (OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.10–1.37, p

Abstract The long-term benefits of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy after achieving sustained virological response (SVR) remain uncertain in the Chinese population. This study evaluates the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), hepatic decompensation, and all-cause mortality among Chinese hepatitis C patients treated with DAAs. We included patients diagnosed since 2011 and followed them until November 1, 2022. The primary outcomes were HCC, hepatic decompensation, and mortality. Multivariable proportional hazards model was used to assess the impact of SVR and cirrhosis status. The cohort consisted of 1272 patients with SVR (92.1%) and 109 without SVR (7.9%), with a median follow-up of 61 months. The incidence of HCC was significantly lower in the SVR group (5.1 per 1000 person-years) compared to the no-SVR group (15.0 per 1000 person-years). Achieving SVR was associated with a significantly reduced risk of HCC (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.32; 95% CI 0.16–0.67). Cirrhosis was linked to an increased risk of developing HCC and hepatic decompensation. These findings highlight the importance of early DAA treatment, particularly for patients with cirrhosis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a major clinical challenge, and effective disease-modifying drugs for OA are still lacking due to the complicated pathology and scattered treatment targets. Effective early treatments are urgently needed to prevent OA progression. The excessive amount of transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) is one of the major causes of synovial fibrosis and subchondral bone sclerosis, and such pathogenic changes in early OA precede cartilage damage. Herein we report a novel strategy of intra-articular sustained-release of pirfenidone (PFD), a clinically-approved TGFβ inhibitor, to achieve disease-modifying effects on early OA joints. We found that PFD effectively restored the mineralization in the presence of excessive amount of TGFβ1 (as those levels found in patients’ synovial fluid). A monthly injection strategy was then designed of using poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) microparticles and hyaluronic acid (HA) solution to enable a sustained release of PFD (the “PLGA-PFD + HA” strategy). This strategy effectively regulated OA progression in destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM)- induced OA mice model, including preventing subchondral bone loss in early OA and subchondral bone sclerosis in late OA, and reduced synovitis and pain with cartilage preservation effects. This finding suggests the promising clinical application of PFD as a novel disease-modifying OA drug.

Abstract The Ideal Plant Architecture 1 (IPA1) transcription factor promotes rice yield and immunity through phosphorylation at its amino acid residue Ser163 as a switch. Although phosphorylated IPA1 mimic, IPA1(S163D), directly targets the promoter of immune response gene WRKY45, it cannot activate its expression. Here, we identified a co-activator of IPA1(S163D), a RING-finger E3 ligase IPA1 interactor 7 (IPI7), which fine-tunes the transcriptional activity of IPA1 to timely promote plant immunity and simultaneously maintain growth for yield. IPI7 interacts with IPA1 and promotes K29-polyubiquitination of IPA1 in vitro and in vivo. However, the stability of IPA1 protein is not affected by IPI7-mediated ubiquitination. The IPI7-promoted K29-polyubiquitination of IPA1 is induced by Magnaporthe oryzae infection and required for phosphorylated IPA1 to transactivate WRKY45 expression for immune response but not for plain IPA1 to transactivate DENSE AND ERECT PANICLES 1 (DEP1) expression for panicle development. IPI7 knockout impairs IPA1-mediated immunity but not yield. Our study reveals that plants utilize non-proteolytic K29-ubiquitination as a response to pathogen infection to fine-tune IPA1 transactivation activity for promoting immunity.

Abstract Limiting global warming to 1.5-2 °C requires a 50-90% reduction in CO2 emissions in 2050, depending on different scenarios, and carbon capture, utilization, and storage is a promising technology that can help reach this objective. Calcium oxide (CaO) carbon capture is an appealing choice because of its affordability, large potential capacity, and ability to withstand the high temperatures of flue gases. However, the structural instability and capacity fading challenge its large-scale industrial applications. Here, we design a reversible reaction shuttle in CaO-based sorbents to improve the structure stability by changing the initial alumina phases. Diverse alumina phases (x-Al2O3) are first synthesized and utilized as the aluminum source for creating CaO@x-Al2O3 composites. As expected, the CaO@δ-Al2O3 composite demonstrates a carbon capture capacity of 0.43 g-CO2/g-sorbent after 50 cycles, with an impressive capacity retention of 82.7%. Combined characterizations and calculations reveal that this stability improvement is attributed to a transition shuttle between Ca3Al2O6 and Ca5Al6O14, which can effectively restrain the complete decompositions of those structure-stabilized intermediate phases. An economic assessment further identifies the significance of heat transfer efficiency improvement upon cycles, and control of capital/operation cost, energy price and carbon tax for a future cost-effective commercialization of current strategy.

Study objectives: Observational and cohort studies have associated Sjögren's syndrome (SS) with various types of cardiovascular disease (CVD), yet causal relationships have not been established. We employed Mendelian randomization (MR) to investigate potential causal links between SS and CVD in the general population. Methods: We conducted a two-sample MR analysis using data from four distinct sources for 11 genome-wide significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with SS and data for 13 types of CVD sourced from FinnGen, IEU OpenGWAS, and GWAS catalog. The inverse variance weighted method was selected as the primary analytical approach, complemented by various sensitivity analyses. Results: MR analyses provide evidence of a significantly increased risk of ischemic stroke associated with genetically predicted SS (odds ratio [OR], 1.0237; 95 % CI, 1.0096 to 1.0379; p = 0.0009), as well as suggestive evidence of a potential causal relationship between SS and an increased risk of chronic heart failure (OR, 1.0302; 95 % CI, 1.0020 to 1.0592; p = 0.0355). Sensitivity analyses reinforced these associations, demonstrating robustness and consistency across multiple statistical methods. The secondary analysis, conducted after outlier correction using MR-PRESSO and RadialMR methods, reaffirmed these associations and also indicated a suggestive causal link between SS and non-rheumatic valvular heart disease (OR, 1.0251; 95 % CI, 1.0021 to 1.0486; p = 0.0323). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that genetically predicted SS is a potential causative risk factor for ischemic stroke, chronic heart failure, and non-rheumatic valvular heart disease on a large-scale population. However, further research incorporating ancestral diversity is required to confirm a causal relationship between SS and CVD.

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is now a cornerstone technology to curb carbon emission by enabling electric vehicles and grid-scale energy storage. However, LIBs are highly materials-intensive, the cost and availability of the key materials, especially the lithium-containing cathode materials, are critical for the goal of decarbonization. High-voltage spinel LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (LNMO) is a promising cobalt-free cathode material to cater to the surging demand for low-cost and high-energy-density LIBs. In this paper, the advantages of LNMO are quantified in terms of performance and sustainability, then the growing interest in the research and development (R&D) of LNMO is assessed by analyzing 559 related patents registered across 22 authorities. The analysis paints a comprehensive picture, including geographical distribution of patenting activities, major developers, and influential patents. Furthermore, the patents are categorized into four key innovation directions. A gradual shift from materials engineering to electrolyte design indicates that the development of novel high-voltage compatible electrolytes is expected to unlock LNMO for next-generation, sustainable, and high-performance batteries.

Abstract This case report details a rare thymic basaloid carcinoma initially misinterpreted as a mediastinal teratoma, underscoring the diagnostic challenges posed by such tumors. A 71-year-old female presented with an asymptomatic anterior mediastinal tumor discovered incidentally during a routine health examination. Surgical intervention, followed by pathological and immunohistochemical analysis including CK-pan, p63, p40, and CD117 molecules, led to a definitive diagnosis of basaloid carcinoma of the thymus. This case highlights the critical importance of differential diagnosis in mediastinal lesions, especially those presenting with multilocular thymic cysts on chest CT. The subxiphoid video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery enabled complete tumor resection with minimal trauma and favorable postoperative outcomes. The patient opted against further radiotherapy or chemotherapy and she has survived for over eight months without recurrence. This case report contributes to the growing understanding of thymic basaloid carcinoma, a rare and potentially aggressive thymic carcinoma subtype. It emphasizes the necessity for precise surgical techniques and enhanced diagnostic acumen among cardiothoracic surgeons and oncologists.

A deep learning-based disruption prediction algorithm has been implemented on a new tokamak, HL-3. An Area Under receiver-operator characteristic Curve of 0.940 has been realized offline over a test campaign involving 72 disruptive and 240 non-disruptive shots, despite the limited training data available from the initial two campaigns. In addition to the well-documented challenge of insufficient training data, a previously unanticipated issue is addressed that the data distribution of a new device is continuously drifting. The plasma scans across a broad parameter space, bringing a drifting distribution of disruption causes and diagnostic data. This problem is often overlooked in previous implementations on steadily operating tokamaks, necessitating greater attention in future tokamaks like ITER. To address these challenges, innovative modules including predict-first neural network, data augmentation, and pseudo data placeholders are developed and implemented, which promotes the accuracy by up to 20%. A series of advantages are also brought by the modules, including the robustness in handling missing input channels, and the interpretability to identify which parameter of plasma is under abnormal condition. The results demonstrate that, with dedicated data collection and algorithm implementation, the issues of limited data and drifting distribution can be overcome, and further, the deep learning-based algorithm can reliably provide disruption alarms on a new tokamak.

Plant spotted leaf (spl) mutants are useful to reveal the regulatory mechanisms of immune responses. Thus, in crop plants, their agronomic traits, especially the grain quality are usually ignored. Here, we characterized a rice spl mutant named spl-A (spotted leaf mutant from A814) that shows autoimmunity, broad-spectrum disease resistance and growth deterioration including decreased rice quality. A single nucleotide mutation of C1144T, which leads to change of the 382nd proline to serine, in the gene encoding the ATPases associated with diverse cellular activities (AAA)-type ATPase LRD6-6 is responsible for the phenotype of the spl-A mutant. Mechanistically, this mutation impairs LRD6-6 ATPase activity and disrupts its interaction with endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT)-III subunits OsSNF7.1/7.2/7.3. And thus, leading to compromise of multivesicular bodies (MVBs)-mediated vesicle trafficking and accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins in both leaves and seeds of spl-A. Therefore, the immune response of spl-A is activated, and the growth and grain quality are deteriorated. Our study identifies a new amino acid residue that important for LRD6-6 and provides new insight into our understanding of how MVBs-mediated vesicle trafficking regulates plant immunity and growth, including grain quality in rice.

Abstract Fungal pathogens typically use secreted effector proteins to suppress host immune activators to facilitate invasion. However, there is rarely evidence supporting the idea that fungal secretory proteins contribute to pathogenesis by transactivating host genes that suppress defense. We previously found that pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae induces rice Bsr-d1 to facilitate infection and hypothesized that a fungal effector mediates this induction. Here, we report that MoSPAB1 secreted by M. oryzae directly binds to the Bsr-d1 promoter to induce its expression, facilitating pathogenesis. Amino acids 103-123 of MoSPAB1 are required for its binding to the Bsr-d1 promoter. Both MoSPAB1 and rice MYBS1 compete for binding to the Bsr-d1 promoter to regulate Bsr-d1 expression. Furthermore, MoSPAB1 homologues are highly conserved among fungi. In particular, Colletotrichum fructicola CfSPAB1 and Colletotrichum sublineola CsSPAB1 activate kiwifruit AcBsr-d1 and sorghum SbBsr-d1 respectively, to facilitate pathogenesis. Taken together, our findings reveal a conserved module that may be widely utilized by fungi to enhance pathogenesis.

Abstract Lithiation dynamics and phase transition mechanisms in most battery cathode materials remain poorly understood, because of the challenge in differentiating inter- and intra-particle heterogeneity. In this work, the structural evolution inside Li1−x Mn1.5Ni0.5O4 single crystals during electrochemical delithiation is directly resolved with operando X-ray nanodiffraction microscopy. Metastable domains of solid-solution intermediates do not appear associated with the reaction front between the lithiated and delithiated phases, as predicted by current phase transition theory. Instead, unusually persistent strain gradients inside the single crystals suggest that the shape and size of solid solution domains are instead templated by lattice defects, which guide the entire delithiation process. Morphology, strain distributions, and tilt boundaries reveal that the (Ni2+/Ni3+) and (Ni3+/Ni4+) phase transitions proceed through different mechanisms, offering solutions for reducing structural degradation in high voltage spinel active materials towards commercially useful durability. Dynamic lattice domain reorientation during cycling are found to be the cause for formation of permanent tilt boundaries with their angular deviation increasing during continuous cycling.

The existence of heavy metals (especially Cr (VI)) in coal gangue has brought great safety risks to the environment. The indigenous bacteria (YZ1 bacteria) were separated and applied for removing Cr (VI) from the coal gangue, in which its tolerance to Cr (VI) was explored. The removal mechanism of Cr (VI) was investigated with pyrite in coal gangue, metabolite organic acids and extracellular polymer of YZ1 bacteria. The concentration of Cr (VI) could be stabilized around 0.012 mg/L by the treatment with YZ1 bacteria. The Cr (VI) tolerance of YZ1 bacteria reached 60 mg/L, and the removal efficiency of Cr (VI) was more than 95% by using YZ1 bacteria combined with pyrite. The organic acids had a certain reducing ability to Cr (VI) (removal efficiency of less than 10%). The extracellular polymers (EPS) were protective for the YZ1 bacteria resisting to Cr (VI). The polysaccharides and Humic-like substances in the soluble extracellular polymers (S-EPS) had strong adsorption and reduction effect on Cr (VI), in which the tryptophan and tyrosine proteins in the bound extracellular polymers (LB-EPS and TB-EPS) could effectively promote the reduction of Cr (VI). YZ1 bacteria could obviously reduce the damage of Cr (VI) from coal gangue to the environment.

ObjectiveParkinson’s disease (PD) is marked not only by motor symptoms but also by neuropsychiatric manifestations, including demoralization, apathy, and depression. Understanding the clinical distribution and characteristics of these co-occurring symptoms is crucial for improving quality of life of PD patients.MethodsThis study enrolled 195 Chinese PD patients from Xinhua Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. The study involved analyzing the clinical characteristics related to the simultaneous presence of demoralization, apathy, and depression in PD patients. Linear regression was employed to elucidate the linear trend between the quantity of negative neuropsychiatric symptoms and cognitive function, as well as motor symptoms and motor complications. SPSS mediation models were utilized to investigate whether the severity of cognitive function mediated the connection between multiple negative neuropsychiatric symptoms and motor symptoms.ResultsAmong PD patients, a notable 57.5% experience the presence of multiple concurrent negative neuropsychiatric symptoms. Our investigation unveiled a correlation where patients with more negative neuropsychiatric symptoms displayed heightened cognitive impairment (P=0.048) and more severe motor symptoms (P=0.024), following a linear trend with increasing symptom numbers. Additionally, cognitive impairment played a partial mediating role in the impact of multiple negative neuropsychiatric symptoms on motor symptoms (β=0.747; 95% bootstrap confidence interval: 0.195 to 1.532).ConclusionsThe co-occurrence of these negative neuropsychiatric symptoms has the potential to worsen cognitive function and motor symptoms in PD patients. Moreover, cognitive impairment was identified as playing a partial mediating role in the relationship between multiple negative neuropsychiatric symptoms and motor symptoms.

Ewing’s sarcoma, characterized by small round cell morphology, is a rare malignancy, with mediastinal Ewing’s sarcoma being even less common. This case describes a distinctive presentation of primary mediastinal Ewing’s sarcoma in a 32-year-old male presenting with sudden and severe chest pain. Initial evaluation excluded cardiac and pulmonary emergencies, revealing a posterior mediastinal mass through advanced imaging. The patient’s clinical symptoms significantly improved following the complete resection of the tumor via thoracoscopy. Subsequent analysis incorporating imaging, histological, immunohistochemical and genetic findings led to the conclusive diagnosis of primary mediastinal Ewing’s sarcoma.

Abstract In this work, we proposed a method of extracting feature parameters for deep neural network prediction based on the vectorgraph storage format, which can be applied to the design of electromagnetic metamaterials with sandwich structures. Compared to current methods of manually extracting feature parameters, this method can automatically and precisely extract the feature parameters of arbitrary two-dimensional surface patterns of the sandwich structure. The position and size of surface patterns can be freely defined, and the surface patterns can be easily scaled, rotated, translated, or transformed in other ways. Compared to the pixel graph feature extraction method, this method can adapt to very complex surface pattern design in a more efficient way. And the response band can be easily shifted by scaling the designed surface pattern. To illustrate and verify the method, a 7-layer deep neural network was built to design a metamaterial broadband polarization converter. Prototype samples were fabricated and tested to verify the accuracy of the prediction results. In general, the method is potentially applicable to the design of different kinds of sandwich-structure metamaterials, with different functions and in different frequency bands.

Abstract The spatialization of anthropogenic carbon emissions is of great significance for achieving the goal of "carbon peaking and neutrality" and promoting the development of carbon trading market. The SVR-ZSSR spatialization model is proposed to solve the problems of "insufficient local feature learning" and "scale dependence of driving factors" existing in the single model, and this model is applied to the study of the spatialization of carbon emissions in China in this paper. The results show that: (1) the simulation results of our proposed model show the distribution characteristics of "high in the East and low in the west"; On the micro-scale, the high carbon emission areas in the simulation results are all concentrated in the built-up land, while the carbon emission in the surrounding areas of the city is significantly lower than that in the center, which is similar to the spatial distribution trend of carbon emission in the existing database. (2) Compared with the results of SVR, the results of our proposed model increase the carbon emission ratio of built-up land in each province by 15.9% on average; Compared with the ODIAC database and SVR model, the carbon emission ratio of built-up land in Gansu Province, Qinghai Province, and other low-carbon emission areas has increased by about 25%.

Pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma (PSC) is a rare and highly invasive malignant tumour. It has similar clinical manifestations and imaging features to ordinary lung cancer. This current case report describes a 65-year-old male patient who had a mass in the apicoposterior segment of the left upper lobe with haemoptysis. Imaging studies revealed a central parenchymal mass surrounded by areas of ground-glass opacity, strongly indicating the presence of a pulmonary malignancy. Intraoperatively, the tumour was discovered to have invaded the chest wall and exhibited a significant propensity for bleeding. Consequently, a left upper lobe resection accompanied by extensive pleural debridement were performed. Subsequent postoperative histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of PSC. Unfortunately, 1 month after the surgery, the patient presented with left-sided haemothorax. Despite employing various haemostatic interventions, the patient eventually succumbed to haemorrhagic shock. This study provides a treatment strategy reference for patients with PSC presenting as haemothorax.

ObjectiveImpulse control behaviors (ICBs) frequently coexist with Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the predictors of ICBs in PD remain unclear, and there is limited data on the biological correlates of ICBs in PD. In this study, we examined clinical, imaging, and biological variables to identify factors associated with longitudinal changes in ICBs in early-stage PD.MethodsThe data for this study were obtained from the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative, an international prospective cohort study that evaluates markers of disease progression in PD. We examined clinical, imaging, and biological variables to determine their associations with ICBs over a period of up to 5 years. Cox regression models were employed to investigate the predictors of ICBs in early-stage, untreated PD.ResultsThe study enrolled 401 individuals with PD and 185 healthy controls (HC). At baseline, 83 PD subjects (20.7%) and 36 HC (19.5%) exhibited ICBs. Over the course of 5 years, the prevalence of ICBs increased in PD (from 20.7% to 27.3%, p

The vesicle trafficking apparatus is a fundamental machinery to maintain the homeostasis of membrane-enclosed organelles in eukaryotic cells. Thus, it is broadly conserved in eukaryotes including plants. Intensive studies in the model organisms have produced a comprehensive picture of vesicle trafficking in yeast and human. However, with respect to the vesicle trafficking of plants including rice, our understanding of the components and their coordinated regulation is very limited. At present, several vesicle trafficking apparatus components and cargo proteins have been identified and characterized in rice, but there still remain large unknowns concerning the organization and function of the rice vesicle trafficking system. In this review, we outline the main vesicle trafficking pathways of rice based on knowledge obtained in model organisms, and summarize current advances of rice vesicle trafficking. We also propose to develop methodologies applicable to rice and even other crops for further exploring the mysteries of vesicle trafficking in plants.

The rapid advancement of remote sensing technology has given rise to numerous global- and regional-scale medium- to high-resolution land cover (LC) datasets, making significant contributions to the exploration of worldwide environmental shifts and the sustainable governance of natural resources. Nonetheless, owing to the inherent uncertainties embedded within remote sensing imagery, LC datasets inevitably exhibit inaccuracies. In this study, a local accuracy assessment of LC datasets in Southwest China was conducted. The datasets utilized in our analysis include ESA WorldCover, CLCD, Esri Land Cover, CRLC, FROM-GLC10, GLC_FCS30, GlobeLand30, and SinoLC-1. This study employed a sampling approach that combines proportional allocation and stratified random sampling (SRS) to gather sample points and compute confusion matrices to validate eight LC products. The local accuracy of the eight LC maps differs significantly from the overall accuracy provided by the original authors in Southwest China. ESA WorldCover and CLCD demonstrate higher local accuracy than other products in Southwest China, with their overall accuracy (OA) values being 87.1% and 85.48%, respectively. Simultaneously, we computed the area for each LC map based on categories, quantifying uncertainty through the reporting of confidence intervals for both accuracy and area parameters. This study aims to validate and compare eight LC datasets and assess precision and area of diverse spatial resolution datasets for mapping and monitoring across Southwest China.

Abstract The knowledge of osteoarthritis (OA) has nowadays been extended from a focalized cartilage disorder to a multifactorial disease. Although recent investigations have reported that infrapatellar fat pad (IPFP) can trigger inflammation in the knee joint, the mechanisms behind the role of IPFP on knee OA progression remain to be defined. Here, dysregulated osteopontin (OPN) and integrin β3 signaling are found in the OA specimens of both human and mice. It is further demonstrated that IPFP‐derived OPN participates in OA progression, including activated matrix metallopeptidase 9 in chondrocyte hypertrophy and integrin β3 in IPFP fibrosis. Motivated by these findings, an injectable nanogel is fabricated to provide sustained release of siRNA Cd61 (RGD−Nanogel/siRNA Cd61) that targets integrins. The RGD−Nanogel possesses excellent biocompatibility and desired targeting abilities both in vitro and in vivo. Local injection of RGD−Nanogel/siRNA Cd61 robustly alleviates the cartilage degeneration, suppresses the advancement of tidemark, and reduces the subchondral trabecular bone mass in OA mice. Taken together, this study provides an avenue for developing RGD−Nanogel/siRNA Cd61 therapy to mitigate OA progression via blocking OPN‐integrin β3 signaling in IPFP.

Representation learning over graph networks has recently gained popularity, with many models showing promising results. However, several challenges remain: (1) most methods are designed for static or discrete-time dynamic graphs; (2) existing continuous-time dynamic graph algorithms focus on a single evolving perspective; and (3) many continuous-time dynamic graph approaches necessitate numerous temporal neighbors to capture long-term dependencies. In response, this paper introduces a Multi-Perspective Feedback-Attention Coupling (MPFA) model. MPFA incorporates information from both evolving and original perspectives to effectively learn the complex dynamics of dynamic graph evolution processes. The evolving perspective considers the current state of historical interaction events of nodes and uses a temporal attention module to aggregate current state information. This perspective also makes it possible to capture long-term dependencies of nodes using a small number of temporal neighbors. Meanwhile, the original perspective utilizes a feedback attention module with growth characteristic coefficients to aggregate the original state information of node interactions. Experimental results on one dataset organized by ourselves and seven public datasets validate the effectiveness and competitiveness of our proposed model.

Transition metal dissolution from cathode materials limits the cycle life of Li-ion batteries. Here, the authors report an atomic-thin protecting layer on the surface of a high-voltage cathode material, enabling long-term Li-ion battery cycling.

Abstract Novel electrolyte is being pursued toward exploring Zn chemistry in zinc ion batteries. Here, a fluorine‐free liquid crystal (LC) ionomer‐type zinc electrolyte is presented, achieving simultaneous regulated water activity and long‐range ordering of conduction channels and SEI. Distinct from water network or local ordering in current advances, long‐range ordering of layered water channels is realized. Via manipulating water activity, conductivities range from ≈0.34 to 15 mS cm−1, and electrochemical window can be tuned from ≈2.3–4.3 V. The Zn|Zn symmetric cell with LC gel exhibits highly reversible Zn stripping/plating at 5 mA cm−2 and 5 mAh cm−2 for 800 h, with retained ordering of water channels. The capability of gel for inducing in situ formation of long‐range ordered layer SEI associated with alkylbenzene sulfonate anion is uncovered. V2O5/Zn cell with the gel shows much improved cycling stability comparing to conventional zinc electrolytes, where the preserved structure of V2O5 is associated with the efficiently stabilized Zn anode by the gel. Via long‐range ordering‐induced regulation on ion transport, electrochemical stability, and interfacial reaction, the development of LC electrolyte provides a pathway toward advancing aqueous rechargeable batteries.

Objective: We explore the candidate susceptibility genes for influenza A virus (IAV), measles, rubella, and mumps and their underlying biological mechanisms.Methods: We downloaded the genome-wide association study summary data of four virus-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) level data sets (anti-IAV IgG, anti-measles IgG, anti-rubella IgG, and anti-mumps virus IgG levels) and integrated them with reference models of three potential tissues from the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project, namely, whole blood, lung, and transformed fibroblast cells, to identify genes whose expression is predicted to be associated with IAV, measles, mumps, and rubella.Results: We identified 19 significant genes (ULK4, AC010132.11, SURF1, NIPAL2, TRAP1, TAF1C, AC000078.5, RP4-639F20.1, RMDN2, ATP1B3, SRSF12, RP11-477D19.2, TFB1M, XXyac-YX65C7_A.2, TAF1C, PCGF2, and BNIP1) associated with IAV at a Bonferroni-corrected threshold of p < 0.05; 14 significant genes (SOAT1, COLGALT2, AC021860.1, HCG11, METTL21B, MRPL10, GSTM4, PAQR6, RP11-617D20.1, SNX8, METTL21B, ANKRD27, CBWD2, and TSFM) associated with measles at a Bonferroni-corrected threshold of p < 0.05; 15 significant genes (MTOR, LAMC1, TRIM38, U91328.21, POLR2J, SCRN2, Smpd4, UBN1, CNTROB, SCRN2, HOXB-AS1, SLC14A1, AC007566.10, AC093668.2, and CPD) associated with mumps at a Bonferroni-corrected threshold of p < 0.05; and 13 significant genes (JAGN1, RRP12, RP11-452K12.7, CASP7, AP3S2, IL17RC, FAM86HP, AMACR, RRP12, PPP2R1B, C11orf1, DLAT, and TMEM117) associated with rubella at a Bonferroni-corrected threshold of p < 0.05.Conclusions: We have identified several candidate genes for IAV, measles, mumps, and rubella in multiple tissues. Our research may further our understanding of the pathogenesis of infectious respiratory diseases.

Introduction Tracheal intubation and invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) significantly decreased mortality of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in extremely preterm infants (28 weeks’ gestational age) whereas bronchopulmonary dysplasia increased. Thus, consensus guidelines recommend the use of non-invasive ventilation (NIV), as the preferred first-line approach for these infants. This trial aims to compare the effect of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) and non-invasive high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (NHFOV) as the primary respiratory support in extremely preterm infants with RDS.Methods and analysis We designed a multicentre, randomised, controlled, superiority trial investigating the effect of NCPAP and NHFOV as the primary respiratory support in extremely preterm infants with RDS in neonatal intensive units in China. At least 340 extremely preterm infants with RDS will be randomised to NHFOV or NCPAP as a primary mode of NIV. The primary outcomes will be the respiratory support failure determined by the need for IMV within 72 hours from birth.Ethics and dissemination Our protocol has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University. We will present our findings at national conferences and peer-reviewed paediatrics journals.Trial registration number NCT05141435.

Water vapor is a crucial component of the atmosphere. Its absorption significantly influences remote sensing by impacting radiation signals transmitted through the atmosphere. Determining columnar water vapor (CWV) from hyperspectral remote sensing data is essential during the imagery atmospheric correction process. Over the past 40 years, numerous CWV inversion algorithms have been developed, with refinements to enhance retrieval accuracy and reliability. In this study, we proposed an enhanced atmospheric pre-corrected differential absorption (APDA) algorithm. This enhancement was achieved by thoroughly analyzing water vapor absorption in relation to elevation and aerosol optical depth and extending look up tables (LUTs). The enhanced method utilizes a pre-built MODTRAN lookup table and is applied to ZY1-02D hyperspectral data from a satellite launched in 2020. We compared the inversion results of 10 ZY1-02D scenes obtained using the improved method with AERONET measurements and inversion results from commonly used atmospheric correction software, namely, FLAASH and ATCOR. The updated algorithm demonstrated a lower average error (0.0568 g·cm−2) and relative average error (10.49%) compared to the ATCOR software (0.17 g·cm−2 and 40.78%, respectively) and the FLAASH module (0.13 g·cm−2 and 30.82%, respectively). Consequently, the enhanced method outperforms traditional CWV inversion algorithms, especially at high altitudes.

Previous studies of vegetation dynamics in the Yellow River Delta (YRD) predominantly relied on sparse time series or coarse-resolution images, which not only overlooked the rapid and spatially heterogeneous changes, but also limited our understanding of driving mechanisms. Here, employing spatiotemporal data fusion methods, we constructed a novel fused enhanced vegetation index (EVI) dataset with a high spatiotemporal resolution (30-meter and 8-day resolution) for the YRD from 2000 to 2020, and we analyzed the vegetation variations and their driving factors within and outside the YRD Nation Natural Reserve (YRDNRR). The fused EVI effectively captured spatiotemporal vegetation dynamics. Notably, within the YRDNRR core area, the fused EVI showed no significant trend before 2010, while a significant increase emerged post-2010, with an annual growth of 7%, the invasion of Spartina alterniflora explained 78% of this EVI increment. In the YRDNRR experimental area, the fused EVI exhibited a distinct interannual trend, which was characterized by an initial increase (2000–2006, p < 0.01), followed by a subsequent decrease (2006–2011, p < 0.01) and, ultimately, a renewed increase (2011–2020, p > 0.05); the dynamics of the fused EVI were mainly affected by the spring runoff (R2 = 0.71), while in years with lower runoff, it was also affected by the spring precipitation (R2 = 0.70). Outside of the protected area, the fused EVI demonstrated a substantial increase from 2000 to 2010 due to agricultural land expansion and human management practices, followed by stabilization post-2010. These findings enhance our comprehension of intricate vegetation dynamics in the YRD, holding significant relevance in terms of wetland preservation and management.

An increasing trend of hydroclimatic disturbances, such as droughts, which are projected to become more frequent and intense with global warming and climate change. Droughts adversely affect the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems, damage vegetation growth, and even increase mortality. In this study, we assess the drought resistance (Rd) of ecosystems in the Tibetan Plateau. Ecosystem water use efficiency (WUE) was used as an indicator of change in carbon and water cycles, and then ecosystem resistance in terms of change in WUE in drought years was analyzed. Our results suggested that the WUE in the Tibetan Plateau exhibited significant spatial heterogeneity and drastically reduced under dry and cool conditions. The evaluation of ecosystem drought resistance indicated that the grassland in most areas of the Tibetan Plateau is resistant to hydroclimatic fluctuations. In particular, the grassland ecosystem in areas with lower temperatures or higher precipitation exhibited greater drought resistance. Our results facilitate the identification of drought-vulnerable areas in the Tibetan Plateau to inform grassland ecosystem management and climate policy-making and sustain ecosystem stability under future climate conditions.

Abstract Constructing intimate coupling between transition metal and carbon nanomaterials is an effective means to achieve strong immobilization of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) in the applications of lithium–sulfur (LiS) batteries. Herein, a universal spinning‐coordinating strategy of constructing continuous metal–nitrogen–carbon (MNC, M = Co, Fe, Ni) heterointerface is reported to covalently bond metal nanoparticles with nitrogen‐doped porous carbon fibers (denoted as M/MN@NPCF). Guided by theoretical simulations, the Co/CoN@NPCF hybrid is synthesized as a proof of concept and used as an efficient sulfur host material. The polarized CoNC bridging bonds can induce rapid electron transfer from Co nanoparticles to the NPCF skeleton, promoting the chemical anchoring of LiPSs to improve sulfur utilization. Hence, the as‐assembled LiS battery presents a remarkable capacity of 781 mAh g−1 at 2.0 C and a prominent cycling lifespan with a low decay rate of only 0.032% per cycle. Additionally, a well‐designed Co/CoN@NPCF‐S electrode with a high sulfur loading of 7.1 mg cm−2 is further achieved by 3D printing technique, which demonstrates an excellent areal capacity of 6.4 mAh cm−2 at 0.2 C under a lean‐electrolyte condition. The acquired insights into strongly coupled continuous heterointerface in this work pave the way for rational designs of host materials in LiS systems.

Abstract Aluminum-ion batteries (AIBs) are promising next-generation batteries systems because of their features of low cost and abundant aluminum resource. However, the inferior rate capacity and poor all-climate performance, especially the decayed capacity under low temperature, are still critical challenges toward high-specific-capacity AIBs. Herein, we report a binder-free and freestanding metal–organic framework-derived FeS2@C/carbon nanotube (FeS2@C/CNT) as a novel all-climate cathode in AIBs working under a wide temperature window between −25 and 50 °C with exceptional flexibility. The resultant cathode not only drastically suppresses the side reaction and volumetric expansion with high capacity and long-term stability but also greatly enhances the kinetic process in AIBs with remarkable rate capacity (above 151 mAh g−1 at 2 A g−1) at room temperature. More importantly, to break the bottleneck of the inherently low capacity in graphitic material-based all-climate AIBs, the new hierarchical conductive composite FeS2@C/CNT highly promotes the all-climate performance and delivers as high as 117 mAh g−1 capacity even under −25 °C. The well-designed metal sulfide electrode with remarkable performance paves a new way toward all-climate and flexible AIBs.

Global food security is threatened by rice blast disease caused by the filamentous fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. An understanding of rice resistance mechanisms is fundamental to developing strategies for disease control. In this review, we summarize recent advances in pathogen-associated molecular pattern-triggered immunity, effector-triggered immunity, defense regulator-mediated immunity, and effects of nutrient elements on rice blast resistance. We outline strategies used for breeding rice cultivars with improved disease resistance. We also present the major research challenges for rice blast disease resistance and propose approaches for future investigation.

Abstract Objective Osteoarthritis (OA) has long been regarded as a disease of cartilage degeneration, whereas mounting evidence implies that low-grade inflammation contributes to OA. Among inflammatory cells involved, macrophages play a crucial role and are mediated by the local microenvironment to exhibit different phenotypes and polarization states. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review to uncover the phenotypic alterations of macrophages during OA and summarized the potential therapeutic interventions via modulating macrophages. Methods A systematic review of multiple databases (PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Medline) was performed up to February 29, 2020. Included articles were discussed and evaluated by two independent reviewers. Relevant information was analyzed with a standardized and well-designed template. Results A total of 28 studies were included. Results were subcategorized into two sections depending on sources from human tissue/cell-based studies (12 studies) and animal experiments (16 studies). The overall observation indicated that M1 macrophages elevated in both synovium and circulation during OA development, along with lower numbers of M2 macrophages. The detailed alterations of macrophages in both synovium and circulation were listed and analyzed. Furthermore, interventions against OA via regulating macrophages in animal models were highlighted. Conclusion This study emphasized the importance of the phenotypic alterations of macrophages in OA development. The classical phenotypic subcategory of M1 and M2 macrophages was questionable due to controversial and conflicting results. Therefore, further efforts are needed to categorize macrophages in an exhaustive manner and to use advanced technologies to identify the individual roles of each subtype of macrophages in OA.

The jarosite crystallization and new extractant system for extractant 7101 was used to separate iron and extract vanadium from titanium white waste liquid (TWWL). The influence factors and mechanisms of crystallization and solvent extraction were investigated and analyzed using SEM-EDS, XRD, FT-IR, solution thermodynamic theory and extraction isothermal curve. More than 97% of iron was precipitated with the following conditions: potassium chlorate 15 g/L, pH value of 1.6, temperature of 95 °C and time of 90 min, in which the crystallization product was jarosite with a purity of 99.5%; the pH value of the solution decreased after precipitation. The extraction efficiency of vanadium reached 88.6% with 10% Fe, 5% Al(III) but less for Mg(II), K(I) and Na(I) under the conditions X7101 of 0.5, pH value of 2.0, time of 4 min and stirring speed of 40 r/min. The extraction of metal ions occurred in the order V(V) > Fe(III) > Al(III) > Mg(II) > K(I). Vanadium minimally existed as at pH 2.0, and the functional groups NH and C–N contributed to vanadium extraction using the extractant 7101. Four stages extraction and three stages of re-extraction were predicated by McCable–Thiele plots. HIGHLIGHTS Crystallization and solvent extraction were studied for separation of Fe and V.; Separation mechanism of Fe and V from TWWL was detected by thermodynamic analysis.; Removal and recovery process of Fe and V was analyzed by XRD, SEM-EDS and FT-IR.;

Abstract Osteoporosis (OP) is a common skeletal disease involving low bone mineral density (BMD) that often leads to fragility fracture, and its development is affected by multiple cellular pathologies and associated with marked epigenetic alterations of osteogenic genes. Proper physical exercise is beneficial for bone health and OP and reportedly possesses epigenetic modulating capacities; however, whether the protective effects of exercise on OP involve epigenetic mechanisms is unclear. Here, we report that epigenetic derepression of nuclear factor erythroid derived 2-related factor-2 (Nrf2), a master regulator of oxidative stress critically involved in the pathogenesis of OP, mediates the significant osteoprotective effects of running exercise (RE) in a mouse model of OP induced by ovariectomy. We showed that Nrf2 gene knockout (Nfe2l2−/−) ovariectomized mice displayed a worse BMD reduction than the controls, identifying Nrf2 as a critical antiosteoporotic factor. Further, femoral Nrf2 was markedly repressed with concomitant DNA methyltransferase (Dnmt) 1/Dnmt3a/Dnmt3b elevations and Nrf2 promoter hypermethylation in both patients with OP and ovariectomized mice. However, daily 1-h treadmill RE significantly corrected epigenetic alterations, recovered Nrf2 loss and improved the femur bone mass and trabecular microstructure. Consistently, RE also normalized the adverse expression of major osteogenic factors, including osteoblast/osteoclast markers, Nrf2 downstream antioxidant enzymes and proinflammatory cytokines. More importantly, the RE-conferred osteoprotective effects observed in the wild-type control mice were largely abolished in the Nfe2l2−/ − mice. Thus, Nrf2 repression due to aberrant Dnmt elevation and subsequent Nrf2 promoter hypermethylation is likely an important epigenetic feature of the pathogenesis of OP, and Nrf2 derepression is essential for the antiosteoporotic effects of RE.

Abstract Background The diagnosis of immunoglobulin G serum antibodies to myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG-IgG) associated inflammatory demyelinating disorders can be confirmed by the presence of MOG-IgG, yet its general cut-off concentration had not yet to be defined. Whether it is significant that a seropositive lower titer level for MOG-IgG could cause disease is still unknown. Case presentation A 55-year-old Chinese woman presented with acute optic neuritis manifestations in the left eye. MRI showed a left optic nerve demyelination image and a T2 hyperintensity at C7 vertebral segment without any extra specific lesions. AQP4-IgG was tested seronegative, while the MOG-IgG was positive, titer 1:10, by indirect immunofluorescence. Considering the lower concentration, we retested serum MOG-IgG after 6 months of steroid therapy, using cell-based assay, then we still got the same result which was also barely above the negative cut-off value. So, the clinical diagnose was “possible MOG-IgG-associated encephalomyelitis”. The woman’s condition improved by steroid therapy without relapse. Conclusions Seropositive MOG-IgG, even at a lower level, could lead to an autoimmune inflammatory demyelination. In adults, it commonly presents as ON and myelitis. Although the patient had a considerable reaction, steroid therapy could not make MOG-IgG seronegative, instead, the antibody may persist even during remission and flare-ups can recur after steroid withdrawal. Therefore, a long-term follow-up is necessary to monitor the patient’s prognosis.

Abstract Quantum resetting protocols allow a quantum system to be sent to a state in the past by making it interact with quantum probes when neither the free evolution of the system nor the interaction is controlled. We experimentally verify the simplest non-trivial case of a quantum resetting protocol, known as the $${{\mathcal{W}}}_{4}$$ W 4 protocol, with five superconducting qubits, testing it with different types of free evolutions and target–probe interactions. After projection, we obtained a reset state fidelity as high as 0.951, and the process fidelity was found to be 0.792. We also implemented 100 randomly chosen interactions and demonstrated an average success probability of 0.323 for $$\left|1\right\rangle$$ 1 and 0.292 for $$\left|-\right\rangle$$ − , and experimentally confirmed the nonzero probability of success for unknown interactions; the numerical simulated values are about 0.3. Our experiment shows that the simplest quantum resetting protocol can be implemented with current technologies, making such protocols a valuable tool in the eternal fight against unwanted evolution in quantum systems.

At present, intravenous infusion in clinical medicine is a very important treatment method in medical care, and it is the main work content of medical staff to ensure the safety and effectiveness of intravenous infusion process. The monitoring system of infusion patient’s physical signs is integrated with sensor technology, bio-electronic technology, and computer network technology. By means of sensor detection, program control and data processing, the automatic detection and control of intravenous infusion process and real-time monitoring of the pulse information are realized. The monitoring equipment has been unable to adapt to the rapid development of medical technology. In this article, based on ZigBee module, automatic control of drip rate, abnormal alarm, real-time liquid crystal display of infusion progress, and other functions are realized without manual intervention. At the same time, the hardware part of the lower computer combines the detection of ECG and pulse to design a multi-parameter monitoring system of vital signs, and realizes the parameter synchronization management requirements of the monitoring terminal based on the local area network. The test proves that the research content in this article is higher than the traditional clinical management mode in terms of monitoring data consistency and data synchronization management accuracy, which can not only reduce the labor intensity of nursing staff, improve work efficiency, but also greatly reduce the potential risks in the nursing process, which is the future application trend of clinical medical nursing work.

Based on inexpensive, safe, and environmentally friendly active redox species, neutral polysulfide-ferrocyanide redox flow batteries (PFRFBs) have attracted much attention for large-scale energy storage. However, the development of PFRFBs is undermined by the expensive commercial membrane materials as well as the sluggish polysulfide redox reactions. This work attempts to solve these critical problems by combining the economical membrane with the highly catalytic electrode. In specific, K+-exchanged sulfonated polyether ether ketone (SPEEK-K) membranes have been investigated in PFRFBs to replace the costly Nafion membrane. SPEEK-K with optimized degree of sulfonation enables the PFRFB high average coulombic efficiency of 99.80% and superior energy efficiency of 90.42% at a current density of 20 mA cm-2. Meanwhile, to overcome the kinetic limitations of polysulfide redox reactions, a CuS-modified carbon felt electrode is demonstrated with excellent catalytic performance, enabling the PFRFB higher and more stable energy efficiency over cycling. The combination of the cost-effective membrane with the catalytic electrode in one cell leads to a capacity retention of 99.54% after 1180 cycles and an outstanding power density (up to 223 mW cm-2). The significant enhancements of electrochemical performance at reduced capital cost will make the PFRFB more promising for large-scale energy storage systems.

BackgroundMasked face is a characteristic clinical manifestation of Parkinson disease (PD), but subjective evaluations from different clinicians often show low consistency owing to a lack of accurate detection technology. Hence, it is of great significance to develop methods to make monitoring easier and more accessible. ObjectiveThe study aimed to develop a markerless 2D video, facial feature recognition–based, artificial intelligence (AI) model to assess facial features of PD patients and investigate how AI could help neurologists improve the performance of early PD diagnosis. MethodsWe collected 140 videos of facial expressions from 70 PD patients and 70 matched controls from 3 hospitals using a single 2D video camera. We developed and tested an AI model that performs masked face recognition of PD patients based on the acquisition and evaluation of facial features including geometric and texture features. Random forest, support vector machines, and k-nearest neighbor were used to train the model. The diagnostic performance of the AI model was compared with that of 5 neurologists. ResultsThe experimental results showed that our AI models can achieve feasible and effective facial feature recognition ability to assist with PD diagnosis. The accuracy of PD diagnosis can reach 83% using geometric features. And with the model trained by random forest, the accuracy of texture features is up to 86%. When these 2 features are combined, an F1 value of 88% can be reached, where the random forest algorithm is used. Further, the facial features of patients with PD were not associated with the motor and nonmotor symptoms of PD. ConclusionsPD patients commonly exhibit masked facial features. Videos of a facial feature recognition–based AI model can provide a valuable tool to assist with PD diagnosis and the potential of realizing remote monitoring of the patient’s condition, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract Background Oxidative stress and neuroinflammation are central pathogenic mechanisms common to many neurological diseases. Isoliquiritigenin (ISL) is a flavonoid in licorice with multiple pharmacological properties, including anti-inflammatory activity, and has demonstrated protective efficacy against acute neural injury. However, potential actions against cognitive impairments have not been examined extensively. We established a rat model of cognitive impairment by intracerebroventricular injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and examined the effects of ISL pretreatment on cognitive function, hippocampal injury, and hippocampal expression of various synaptic proteins, antioxidant enzymes, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and signaling factors controlling anti-oxidant and pro-inflammatory responses. Results Rats receiving LPS alone demonstrated spatial learning deficits in the Morris water maze test as evidenced by longer average escape latency, fewer platform crossings, and shorter average time in the target quadrant than untreated controls. ISL pretreatment reversed these deficits as well as LPS-induced decreases in the hippocampal expression levels of synaptophysin, postsynaptic density-95, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and BCL-2. ISL pretreatment also reversed LPS-induced increases in TUNEL-positive (apoptotic) cells, BAX/BCL-2 ratio, and expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and C-C motif chemokine ligand 3. Pretreatment with ISL increased the expression levels of phosphorylated (p)-GSK-3β, nuclear NRF2, HO-1 mRNA, and NQO1 mRNA, and reversed LPS-induced nuclear translocation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB. Conclusions ISL protects against LPS-induced cognitive impairment and neuronal injury by promoting or maintaining antioxidant capacity and suppressing neuroinflammation, likely through phosphorylation-dependent inactivation of GSK-3β, enhanced expression of NRF2-responsive antioxidant genes, and suppression of NF-κB-responsive pro-inflammatory genes.

Abstract Background Dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) is an uncommon subtype among the intracranial arteriovenous malformations, which is characterized by pathological anastomoses between meningeal arteries and dural venous sinuses, meningeal veins, or cortical veins. While intracerebral hemorrhage accounts for most of the hemorrhagic cases in patients with DAVF, isolated subdural hematoma (SDH) is rarely reported. Case presentation A 45-year-old man was admitted for a progressively worsening headache over 2 weeks. Head computed tomography on admission revealed an isodense chronic SDH (CSDH) on the left hemisphere with mild midline shift. Further angiography of the external carotid artery revealed a DAVF at the transverse sinus. The DAVF was embolized via the middle meningeal artery. His CSDH gradually resolved without surgical intervention. In order to further elucidate this rare entity, a review of relevant literature was also conducted. Conclusions Isolated SDH is a rare complication of DAVF. In this report, we presented a rare case of CSDH secondary to an intracranial DAVF. According to this case report and our literature review, the so-called benign type of DAVF without cortical venous drainage does not always warrant a benign process and might be complicated with SDH. Careful preoperative investigation is needed for relative young patients presenting with idiopathic or atypical SDH.

Rice grain yield consists of several key components, including tiller number, grain number per panicle (GNP), and grain weight. Among them, GNP is mainly determined by panicle branches and spikelet formation. In this study, we identified a gene affecting GNP and grain yield, OsSPL9, which encodes SQUAMOSA-PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) family proteins. The mutation of OsSPL9 significantly reduced secondary branches and GNP. OsSPL9 was highly expressed in the early developing young panicles, consistent with its function of regulating panicle development. By combining expression analysis and dual-luciferase assays, we further confirmed that OsSPL9 directly activates the expression of RCN1 (rice TERMINAL FLOWER 1/CENTRORADIALIS homolog) in the early developing young panicle to regulate the panicle branches and GNP. Haplotype analysis showed that Hap3 and Hap4 of OsSPL9 might be favorable haplotypes contributing to high GNP in rice. These results provide new insights on high grain number breeding in rice.