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Gynura formosana Kitam possesses beneficial properties such as heat-clearing, detoxification, and cough suppression, making it a highly nutritious plant with significant economic value. During its growth, the plant’s leaves are prone to infections that can impair stomatal function and hinder growth. Effective identification of stomatal openings and timely application of appropriate chemicals or hormones or indirect environmental adjustments (such as light, temperature, and humidity) to regulate stomatal openings are essential for maintaining the plant’s healthy growth. Currently, manual observation is the predominant method for monitoring stomatal openings of Gynura formosana Kitam, which is complex, labor-intensive, and unsuitable for automated detection. To address this, the study improves upon YOLOv8s by proposing a real-time, high-precision stomatal detection model, Refined GIoU. This model substitutes the original IoU evaluation methods in YOLOv8s with GIoU, DIoU, and EIoU while incorporating the SE (Squeeze-and-Excitation) and SA (Self-Attention) attention mechanisms to enhance understanding of feature representation and spatial relationships. Additionally, enhancements to the P2 layer improve the feature extraction and scale adaptation. The effectiveness of the Refined GIoU is demonstrated through training and validation on a dataset of 1500 images of Gynura formosana Kitam stomata. The results show that the Refined GIoU achieved an average precision (mAP) of 0.935, a recall of 0.98, and an F1-score of 0.88, reflecting an excellent overall performance. The GIoU loss function is better suited to detecting stomatal openings of Gynura formosana Kitam, significantly enhancing the detection accuracy. This model facilitates the automated, real-time monitoring of stomatal openings, allowing for timely control measures and improved economic benefits of Gynura formosana Kitam cultivation.

Background Structural imaging holds great potential for precise targeting and stimulation for deep brain stimulation (DBS). The anatomical information it provides may serve as potential biomarkers for predicting the efficacy of DBS in treatment-resistant depression (TRD).Aims The primary aim is to identify preoperative imaging biomarkers that correlate with the efficacy of DBS in patients with TRD.Methods Preoperative imaging parameters were estimated and correlated with the 6-month clinical outcome of patients with TRD receiving combined bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST)–nucleus accumbens (NAc) DBS. White matter (WM) properties were extracted and compared between the response/non-response and remission/non-remission groups. Structural connectome was constructed and analysed using graph theory. Distances of the volume of activated tissue (VAT) to the main modulating tracts were also estimated to evaluate the correlations.Results Differences in fibre bundle properties of tracts, including superior thalamic radiation and reticulospinal tract, were observed between the remission and non-remission groups. Distance of the centre of the VAT to tracts connecting the ventral tegmental area and the anterior limb of internal capsule on the left side varied between the remission and non-remission groups (p=0.010, t=3.07). The normalised clustering coefficient (γ) and the small-world property (σ) in graph analysis correlated with the symptom improvement after the correction of age.Conclusions Presurgical structural alterations in WM tracts connecting the frontal area with subcortical regions, as well as the distance of the VAT to the modulating tracts, may influence the clinical outcome of BNST–NAc DBS. These findings provide potential imaging biomarkers for the DBS treatment for patients with TRD.

The epigenetic modifier N6-methyladenosine (m6A), recognized as the most prevalent internal modification in messenger RNA (mRNA), has recently emerged as a pivotal player in immune regulation. Its dysregulation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various autoimmune conditions. However, the implications of m6A modification within the immune microenvironment of Sjögren's syndrome (SS), a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by exocrine gland dysfunction, remain unexplored. Herein, we leverage an integrative analysis combining public database resources and novel sequencing data to investigate the expression profiles of m6A regulatory genes in SS. Our cohort comprised 220 patients diagnosed with SS and 62 healthy individuals, enabling a comprehensive evaluation of peripheral blood at the transcriptomic level. We report a significant association between SS and altered expression of key m6A regulators, with these changes closely tied to the activation of CD4+ T cells. Employing a random forest (RF) algorithm, we identified crucial genes contributing to the disease phenotype, which facilitated the development of a robust diagnostic model via multivariate logistic regression analysis. Further, unsupervised clustering revealed two distinct m6A modification patterns, which were significantly associated with variations in immunocyte infiltration, immune response activity, and biological function enrichment in SS. Subsequently, we proceeded with a screening process aimed at identifying genes that were differentially expressed (DEGs) between the two groups distinguished by m6A modification. Leveraging these DEGs, we employed weight gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to uncover sets of genes that exhibited strong co-variance and hub genes that were closely linked to m6A modification. Through rigorous analysis, we identified three critical m6A regulators - METTL3, ALKBH5, and YTHDF1 - alongside two m6A-related hub genes, COMMD8 and SRP9. These elements collectively underscore a complex but discernible pattern of m6A modification that appears to be integrally linked with SS's pathogenesis. Our findings not only illuminate the significant correlation between m6A modification and the immune microenvironment in SS but also lay the groundwork for a deeper understanding of m6A regulatory mechanisms. More importantly, the identification of these key regulators and hub genes opens new avenues for the diagnosis and treatment of SS, presenting potential targets for therapeutic intervention.

In contemporary heat flow computations, the widespread application of deep learning, specifically Physical Informed Neural Networks (PINN), has been noted. However, existing PINN methods often exhibit limited applicability to specific operational conditions and are hindered by prolonged training times, rendering them unsuitable for engineering scenarios requiring frequent changes in operational parameters. This study addresses the imperative of enhancing the computational efficiency of conventional PINN methodologies and introduces an innovative end-to-end PINN-based solution—Adaptive Universal Physics-Guided Auto-Solver (AUPgAS) for swift simulation of homogeneous heat flow problems. AUPgAS introduces the operational condition as a variable within the neural network, thereby enhancing the model's versatility in addressing homogeneous problems. Simultaneously, AUPgAS refines training accuracy through the incorporation of adaptive sampling methods. The efficacy of this method is demonstrated through validations on two application cases of laminar incompressible flow with viscosity, namely the flow around a cylinder and the flow around two cylinders. After training, the model demonstrates the capability to predict pressure and velocity fields of the flow around a single cylinder in different locations in case Ⅰ, as well as simulate the flow field when the distance between two cylinders rapidly changes in case Ⅱ. Comparative analyses with traditional computational fluid dynamics methods show that the AUPgAS greatly reduces the solution time, the average time taken by the trained AUPgAS to solve for each problem is 3.4 s, which is a significant improvement in efficiency compared to the average time taken by the traditional fluid dynamics methods, which is 910 s. Furthermore, the agreement of the results obtained by AUPgAS with the reference solution is commendable, with a minimum average error of 13.55%. This end-to-end approach presents an innovative and efficient solution for the rapid simulation of homogeneous heat flow problems, offering promising advancements in the realm of engineering computational efficiency.

Abstract Age-associated hypercoagulability is accompanied by the increase of plasma levels of some coagulation factors including fibrinogen which may contribute to the increased risk of cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and thrombotic diseases in elderly people. However, the underlying mechanism of increased plasma fibrinogen concentration during aging is still elusive. GRSF1 belongs to the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins F/H (hnRNP F/H) subfamily. Here, we report that GRSF1 attenuates hypercoagulability via negative modulation of fibrinogen expression. We demonstrated that GRSF1 negatively regulated fibrinogen expression at both mRNA and protein levels. GRSF1 directly interacted with the coding region (CDS) of FGA, FGB, and FGG mRNAs, and decreased their stability thus mitigating fibrinogen expression. We further identified that only a few G-tracts within the Fib C domain of FGA, FGB, and FGG CDS and the qRRM2 domain of GRSF1 were required for their interaction. Moreover, we confirmed hypercoagulability and the decrease of GRSF1 expression level during mice aging. Functionally, GRSF1 overexpression in old mice liver decreased fibrinogen plasma level, reduced hypercoagulability, and mitigated blood coagulation activity, whereas GRSF1 knockdown in young mice liver increased fibrinogen plasma level and promoted blood coagulation activity. Collectively, our findings unveil a novel posttranscriptional regulation of fibrinogen by GRSF1 and uncover a critical role of GRSF1 in regulating blood coagulation activity.

Abstract Background Worldwide invasion and expansion of Aedes albopictus, an important vector of dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses, has become a serious concern in global public health. Chemical insecticides are the primary means currently available to control the mosquito populations. However, long-term and large-scale use of insecticides has selected for resistance in the mosquito that is accompanied by a genetic load that impacts fitness. Results A number of laboratory strains representing different resistance mechanisms were isolated and identified from laboratory-derived, deltamethrin-resistant Ae. albopictus recovered in previous work. Resistance levels and fitness costs of the strains were evaluated and compared to characterize the evolution of the resistance genotypes and phenotypes. The heterozygous F1534S mutation (1534F/S) in the voltage gated sodium channel (vgsc) gene product (VGSC), first detected in early stages of resistance evolution, not only confers high-level resistance, but also produces no significant fitness costs, leading to the rapid spread of resistance in the population. This is followed by the increase in frequency of homozygous F1534S (1534S/S) mosquitoes that have significant fitness disadvantages, prompting the emergence of an unlinked I1532T mutation with fewer side effects and a mating advantage better adapted to the selection and reproductive pressures imposed in the experiments. Metabolic resistance with no significant fitness cost and mediating a high-tolerance resistance phenotype may play a dominant role in the subsequent evolution of resistance. The different resistant strains had similar vector competence for dengue virus type-2 (DENV-2). Furthermore, a comparative analysis of vectorial capacity revealed that increased survival due to deltamethrin resistance balanced the negative fitness cost effects and contributed to the risk of dengue virus (DENV) transmission by resistant populations. The progressive evolution of resistance results in mosquitoes with both target-site insensitivity and metabolic resistance with lower fitness costs, which further leads to resistant populations with both high resistance levels and vectorial capacity. Conclusions This study reveals a possible mechanism for the evolution of deltamethrin resistance in Aedes albopictus. These findings will help guide practical strategies for insecticide use, resistance management and the prevention and control of mosquito-borne disease.

Abstract It is said that our species use mnemonics – that “magic of memorization” – to engrave an enormous amount of information in the brain. Yet, it is unclear how mnemonics affect memory and what the neural underpinnings are. In this electroencephalography study, we examined the hypotheses whether mnemonic training improved processing-efficiency and/or altered encoding-pattern to support memory enhancement. By 22-day training of a digit-image mnemonic (a custom memory technique used by world-class mnemonists), a group of children showed increased short-term memory after training, but with limited gain generalization. This training resulted in regular odd-even neural patterns (i.e., enhanced P200 and theta power during the encoding of digits at even- versus odd- positions in a sequence). Critically, the P200 and theta power effects predicted the training-induced memory improvement. These findings provide evidence of how mnemonics alter encoding pattern, as reflected in functional brain organization, to support memory enhancement.

Abstract The initial signals governing sex determination vary widely among insects. Here we show that Armigeres subalbatus M factor (AsuMf), a male-specific duplication of an autosomal gene of the Drosophila behaviour/human splicing (DBHS) gene family, is the potential primary signal for sex determination in the human filariasis vector mosquito, Ar. subalbatus. Our results show that AsuMf satisfies two fundamental requirements of an M factor: male-specific expression and early embryonic expression. Ablations of AsuMf result in a shift from male- to female-specific splicing of doublesex and fruitless, leading to feminization of males both in morphology and general transcription profile. These data support the conclusion that AsuMf is essential for male development in Ar. subalbatus and reveal a male-determining factor that is derived from duplication and subsequent neofunctionalization of a member of the conserved DBHS family.

Introduction: Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by exocrine gland dysfunction, leading to loss of salivary function. Histological analysis of salivary glands from SS patients reveals a high infiltration of immune cells, particularly activated CD4+ T cells. Thus, interventions targeting abnormal activation of CD4+ T cells may provide promising therapeutic strategies for SS. Here, we demonstrate that Hect, uba, and wwe domain containing 1 (HUWE1), a member of the eukaryotic Hect E3 ubiquitin ligase family, plays a critical role in CD4+ T-cell activation and SS pathophysiology.Methods: In the context of HUWE1 inhibition, we investigated the impact of the HUWE1 inhibitor BI8626 and sh-Huwe1 on CD4+ T cells in mice, focusing on the assessment of activation levels, proliferation capacity, and cholesterol abundance. Furthermore, we examined the therapeutic potential of BI8626 in NOD/ShiLtj mice and evaluated its efficacy as a treatment strategy.Results: Inhibition of HUWE1 reduces ABCA1 ubiquitination and promotes cholesterol efflux, decreasing intracellular cholesterol and reducing the expression of phosphorylated ZAP-70, CD25, and other activation markers, culminating in the suppressed proliferation of CD4+ T cells. Moreover, pharmacological inhibition of HUWE1 significantly reduces CD4+ T-cell infiltration in the submandibular glands and improves salivary flow rate in NOD/ShiLtj mice.Conclusion: These findings suggest that HUWE1 may regulate CD4+ T-cell activation and SS development by modulating ABCA1-mediated cholesterol efflux and presents a promising target for SS treatment.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a life-threatening disease, associated with poor prognosis and the absence of specific biomarkers. Studies have shown that the ferroptosis-related genes (FRGs) can be used as tumor prognostic markers. However, FRGs’ prognostic value in OSCC needs further exploration. In our study, gene expression profile and clinical data of OSCC patients were collected from a public domain. We performed univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses to construct a multigene signature. The Kaplan-Meier and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) methods were used to test the effectiveness of the signature, followed by the expression analysis of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and immune checkpoints. The Cox regression analysis identified 4 hubs from 103 FRGs expressed in OSCC that were associated with overall survival (OS). A risk model based on the 4 FRGs was established to classify patients into high-risk and low-risk groups. Compared with the low-risk group, the survival time of the high-risk group was significantly reduced. According to the multivariate Cox regression analysis, the risk score acted as an independent predictor for OS. The accuracy of the 4 FRGs risk predictive model was confirmed by ROC curve analysis. Moreover, the low-risk group had the characteristics of higher expression of HLA and immune checkpoints, a lower tumor purity, and a higher immune infiltration, indicating a more sensitive response to immunotherapy. The novel FRGs-OSCC risk score system can be used to predict the prognosis of OSCC patients and their response to immunotherapy.

The necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea is a major threat to strawberry cultivation worldwide. By screening different Fragaria vesca genotypes for susceptibility to B. cinerea, we identified two genotypes with different resistance levels, a susceptible genotype F. vesca ssp. vesca Tenno 3 (T3) and a moderately resistant genotype F. vesca ssp. vesca Kreuzkogel 1 (K1). These two genotypes were used to identify the molecular basis for the increased resistance of K1 compared to T3. Fungal DNA quantification and microscopic observation of fungal growth in woodland strawberry leaves confirmed that the growth of B. cinerea was restricted during early stages of infection in K1 compared to T3. Gene expression analysis in both genotypes upon B. cinerea inoculation suggested that the restricted growth of B. cinerea was rather due to the constitutive resistance mechanisms of K1 instead of the induction of defense responses. Furthermore, we observed that the amount of total phenolics, total flavonoids, glucose, galactose, citric acid and ascorbic acid correlated positively with higher resistance, while H2O2 and sucrose correlated negatively. Therefore, we propose that K1 leaves are more resistant against B. cinerea compared to T3 leaves, prior to B. cinerea inoculation, due to a lower amount of innate H2O2, which is attributed to a higher level of antioxidants and antioxidant enzymes in K1. To conclude, this study provides important insights into the resistance mechanisms against B. cinerea, which highly depend on the innate antioxidative profile and specialized metabolites of woodland strawberry leaves.

Aedes albopictus is one of the most invasive insect species in the world and an effective vector for many important arboviruses. We reported previously that Ae. albopictus Nix (AalNix) is the male-determining factor of this species. However, whether AalNix alone is sufficient to initiate male development is unknown. Transgenic lines that express each of the three AalNix isoforms from the native promoter were obtained using piggyBac transformation. We verified the stable expression of AalNix isoforms in the transgenic lines and confirm that one isoform, AalNix3&4, is sufficient to convert females into fertile males (pseudo-males) that are indistinguishable from wild-type males. We also established a stable sex-converted female mosquito strain, AalNix3&4-♂4-pseudo-male. The pseudo-male mosquitoes can fly and mate normally with wild-type female, although their mating competitiveness is lower than wild-type. This work further clarifies the role of AalNix in the sex determination pathway and will facilitate the development of Ae. albopictus control strategies that rely on male-only releases such as SIT and sex-ratio distortion.

Background Bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have good osteogenic differentiation potential and have become ideal seed cells in bone tissue engineering. However, the osteogenic differentiation ability of BMSCs gradually weakens with age, and the regulatory mechanism is unclear. Method We conducted a bioinformatics analysis, dual-luciferase reporter (DLR) experiment, and RNA binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP) to explore the hub genes that may affect BMSC functions. Results The expression level of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (Malat1) was significantly higher in the BMSCs from elderly than younger mice, while miR-129-5p showed the opposite trend. The results of alkaline phosphatase staining, quantitative reverse transcription PCR and western blot experiments indicated that inhibiting the expression of Malat1 inhibits the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. This effect can be reversed by reducing the expression of miR-129-5p. Additionally, DLR and RIP experiments confirmed that Malat1 acts as a sponge for miR-129-5p. Conclusion Overall, our study findings indicated that lncRNA Malat1 may play a critical role in maintaining the osteoblast differentiation potential of BMSCs by sponging miR-129-5p.

Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common cancer of oral and maxillofacial region. A recent clinical research has shown that tumor immune microenvironment (TIME)cells are closely related to immunotherapy sensitivity and OSCC prognosis. Nonetheless, a comprehensive analysis of TIME in OSCC has not been reported.Methods: Bioinformatics and computational algorithms were employed to determine the significance of TIME cells in 257 OSCC patients. TIME scores were measured by three TIME models, and then used to evaluate the prognosis of OSCC patients.Results: High TIME score was characterized by better prognosis in OSCC patients less than 60 years old, overexpression of immunotherapy targets (e.g., PD-1 and CLTA-4), and higher T-cell activity to inhibit tumor growth. Besides, poor prognosis was associated with low time score.Conclusion: TIME score exhibited potential as a prognostic biomarker and an indicator in predict immunotherapeutic outcomes. Through the understanding of TIME model, this study can provide a better scheme for immunotherapy as the effective treatment of OSCC patients in the future.

The pollution characteristics of multi-size atmospheric particulates in Xinxiang, which was one of the most polluted cities across China, are still unclear even through air quality in Xinxiang has been improved in recent years. PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 samples were synchronously collected from 21 December 2019 to 17 January 2020 to explore pollution levels and reveal sources of PM in Xinxiang. The average mass concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 were as high as 155.53 μg m−3, 120.07 μg m−3, and 85.64 μg m−3 during the observation period, respectively. Almost all of the chemical compositions in PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 increased continuously and obviously with the aggravation of the pollution level. Compared with the clean period, the enhancement of sulfate (23–27%) in PM was obvious higher than nitrate (19–22%) during the pollution period, which demonstrated that sulfate was the main contributor to the high concentration of PM in this study. Similar source distributions for PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 were also found, including traffic source, combustion source, secondary aerosols, industrial source, and fugitive dust, by using the positive matrix factorization (PMF) model. Furthermore, the contributions of the combustion source and secondary aerosol were found to be higher in smaller particles (PM2.5 and PM1), while the contribution of fugitive dust was higher in PM10. Moreover, dust and sand were entrained by air masses from the northwest that increased the contribution of dust in PM at the observation site. The potential source contribution function (PSCF) analysis illustrated that regional emission sources in northern and eastern Xinxiang might be important potential contributors to PM pollution in Xinxiang.

The estimation of the Individual Treatment Effect (ITE) on survival time is an important research topic in clinics-based causal inference. Various representation learning methods have been proposed to deal with its three key problems, i.e., reducing selection bias, handling censored survival data, and avoiding balancing non-confounders. However, none of them consider all three problems in a single method. In this study, by combining the Counterfactual Survival Analysis (CSA) model and Dragonnet from the literature, we first propose a CSA–Dragonnet to deal with the three problems simultaneously. Moreover, we found that conclusions from traditional Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) or Retrospective Cohort Studies (RCSs) can offer valuable bound information to the counterfactual learning of ITE, which has never been used by existing ITE estimation methods. Hence, we further propose a CSA–Dragonnet with Embedded Prior Knowledge (CDNEPK) by formulating a unified expression of the prior knowledge given by RCTs or RCSs, inserting counterfactual prediction nets into CSA–Dragonnet and defining loss items based on the bounds for the ITE extracted from prior knowledge. Semi-synthetic data experiments showed that CDNEPK has superior performance. Real-world experiments indicated that CDNEPK can offer meaningful treatment advice.

CuSbS _2 is a direct p-type semiconductor with a two-dimensional layered structure of orthorhombic system, excellent electrical performance, and a band gap of 1.1–1.5 eV, which has a light absorption coefficient of more than 10 ^4 cm ^−1 in the visible light range. CuSbS _2 particles were synthesized by microwave irradiation method, and the effects of different sulfur sources on the phase structure, morphology and electrochemical performance of CuSbS _2 particles were studied. The results showed that the sample prepared by thiourea as sulfur source was CuSbS _2 phase, and the morphology was composed of flower-like microspheres and rod-like particles. However, nanorod-like CuSbS _2 particles were obtained using L-cysteine or 3-thiopropionic acid as sulfur sources, and the phase of samples contained CuSbS _2 and Sb _2 S _3 phase. Electrochemical tests showed that L-cysteine based CuSbS _2 particles had the largest photocurrent response, a photocurrent density of 1.03 μ A cm ^−2 and impedance of 14.66 Ω.

Mosquito-borne viral diseases (MBVDs) continue to pose a significant global public health burden. Mosquito control remains a core intervention strategy in integrated mosquito management (IMM) programs to reduce the transmission of MBVDs. Mosquito densoviruses (MDVs) are mosquito-specific entomopathogenic viruses, and their attractive biological and pathogenic characteristics make MDVs potential biological control agents as alternatives to traditional chemical pesticides. However, different viral strains vary greatly in their pathogenicity against different mosquito species, which poses an obstacle for the wide application of MDVs in vector control. In this study, a novel MDV, Aedes albopictus densovirus-7 (AalDV-7), was isolated from field-collected Aedes albopictus in the dengue-endemic area of Guangzhou, China. The complete 4,048 nt genome of AalDV-7 was cloned and sequenced, and the transcription and translation of three open reading frames (ORFs) were characterized. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that AalDV-7 clustered with MDVs mostly isolated from indigenous mosquitoes. The pathogenicity of AalDV-7 to A. albopictus, Aedes aegypti, and Culex quinquefasciatus larvae was completely different, and the median lethal dose (LD50) of AalDV-7 in A. albopictus which was 109.48 genome equivalents per ml (geq/ml) was 12 and 46 times lower than those in A. aegypti (1010.56 geq/ml) and C. quinquefasciatus (1011.15 geq/ml). Furthermore, the median lethal time (LT50) value in A. albopictus (7.72 days) was 25% and 26% shorter than those in A. aegypti (10.24 days) and C. quinquefasciatus (10.42 days) at a titer of 1011 geq/ml. Furthermore, the mortality of AalDV-7-infected mosquitoes increased in a dose-dependent manner, and the highest mortality was found in A. albopictus larvae exposed to 1011 geq/ml AalDV-7 (82.00%). Sublethal effects analysis also showed that AalDV-7 infection significantly decreased pupation and emergence rates. The 1st–2nd instar larvae of all three mosquito species showed a near 100% infection rate, and the highest relative vial titer (305.97 ± 67.57 geq/ng) was observed in the 1st–2nd instar larvae of C. quinquefasciatus. These pathogenic characteristics make AalDV-7 a potential MBVDs control agent in China, whereas its negligible pathogenicity and high infection rate and viral dose in vivo make it a good candidate for gene delivery vectors in C. quinquefasciatus gene function analysis. In conclusion, the continuous discovery and isolation of new MDVs enrich the pool of mosquito entomopathogenic viruses and provide a variety of choices for optimal MDVs or combinations of MDVs to target certain mosquitoes.

Adaptive behavior usually requires accurate representations of body positions and ownership, which rely on integration of multiple sources of sensory information. The rubber hand illusion (RHI) presents a compelling example demonstrating that the combination of visual and tactile signals strongly influences the subjective experience of body ownership. However, it still remains unclear how the perception of body ownership in turn alters other aspects of sensory processing, such as pain perception. In the present study, we examined whether the RHI could modulate the subjective experience of pain. We set three conditions corresponding to different levels of ownership of the rubber hand: the synchronous condition in which the rubber and the real hand were simultaneously stroked; the asynchronous condition in which the two hands were asynchronously stroked; the own-hand-only condition in which only the real hand was stroked. Results from the screening experiment indicated that subjects experienced the stronger RHI in the synchronous condition, compared with the strength of RHI in the other two conditions. In the main experiment, subjects were requested to report the intensity and unpleasantness of pain evoked by laser stimuli under the three stroking conditions. Results showed that pain ratings were significantly lower under the synchronous condition than those under the other two conditions, suggesting the RHI could induce a significant analgesic effect. Furthermore, the correlation analysis showed that the degree of the analgesic effect was positively correlated with the RHI strength across individuals. Taken together, these results suggest an analgesic effect of the RHI and support the potential usage of visual illusions in future translational research on pain.

Because of their excellent optical and electrical properties, Cu _2 ZnSnS _4 (CZTS) thin films have been considered as a potential absorber layer for solar cells. However, CZTS suffers from some problems, such as secondary phases, antisite defects, and band tailing issues. Introducing Cd into CZTS to form Cu _2 Cd _x Zn _1−x SnS _4 (CCZTS) is an effective method for alleviating the limitations of CZTS. In this study, the nanoparticle ink method was used to fabricate CCZTS thin films, and the effect of Cd content on the properties of CCZTS thin films was studied. The results showed that the as-prepared thin films had high purity, good crystallinity and photocurrent response. The photosensitivity and power conversion efficiency increased at first and then decreased with increasing Cd content. Due to the relatively excellent crystallization and photoresponse characteristics, the highest conversion efficiency of 0.72% was obtained when x = 0.3.

Temperature and wind are major meteorological factors that affect the takeoff and landing performance of aircraft. Warmer temperatures and the associated decrease in air density in future climate, and changes to crosswind and tailwind, can potentially impact aircraft performance. This study evaluates projected changes to aircraft takeoff performance, in terms of weight restriction days and strong tailwind and crosswind occurrences, for 13 major airports across Canada, for three categories of aircraft used for long-, medium- and short-haul flights. To this end, two five-member ensembles of transient climate change simulations performed with a regional climate model, for Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios, respectively, are analyzed. Results suggest that the projected increases in weight restriction days associated with the increases in daily maximum temperatures vary with aircraft category and airfield location, with larger increases noted for airfields in the south central regions of Canada. Although avoiding takeoff during the warmest period of the day could be a potential solution, analysis focused on the warmest and coolest periods of the day suggests more weight restriction hours even during the coolest period of the day, for these airfields. Though RCP8.5 in general suggests larger changes to weight restriction hours compared to RCP4.5, the differences between the two scenarios are more prominent for the coolest part of the day, as projected changes to daily minimum temperatures occur at a much faster rate for RCP8.5 compared to RCP4.5, and also due to the higher increases in daily minimum temperatures compared to maximum temperatures. Both increases and decreases to crosswind and tailwind are projected, which suggest the need for detailed case studies, especially for those airfields that suggest increases. This study provides useful preliminary insights related to aircraft performance in a warmer climate, which will be beneficial to the aviation sector in developing additional analysis and to support climate change adaptation-related decision-making.