Search

Abstract Electron-electron correlations can lift the high degeneracies in strong correlated systems, resulting in various symmetry-broken states. Twisted monolayer-bilayer graphene (tMBG) is an especially rich system due to its low crystalline symmetry. Here, we report abundant electric-field tunable symmetry-broken states in tMBG. The ground state at half filling of the conduction flat band is spin- and valley-polarization dominated under positive and negative electric field, respectively, consistent with our theoretical calculations. In addition, we find a symmetry-broken Chern insulator emanating from 1.5 electrons per moiré unit with C = 3 emerges at high magnetic field in a negative electric field range. The C = 3 suggests that one and a half flavor-polarized Chern 2 bands within the same valley are filled, consistent with the valley-polarization-dominated half-filling state under negative electric field, while the fractional filling stems from a density-wave state held by enlarged unit cells containing two moiré units.

Abstract Localized magnetic moments in non-magnetic materials, by interacting with the itinerary electrons, can profoundly change the metallic properties, developing various correlated phenomena such as the Kondo effect, heavy fermion, and unconventional superconductivity. In most Kondo systems, the localized moments are introduced through magnetic impurities. However, the intrinsic magnetic properties of materials can also be modulated by the dimensionality. Here, we report the observation of Kondo effect in a heterodimensional superlattice VS2-VS, in which arrays of the one-dimensional (1D) VS chains are encapsulated by two-dimensional VS2 layers. In such a heterodimensional Kondo superlattice, we observe the typical Kondo effect but with intriguing anisotropic field dependence. This unique anisotropy is determined to originate from the magnetic anisotropy which has the root in the unique 1D chains in the structure, as corroborated by the first-principles calculation. Our results open up a novel avenue of studying exotic correlated physics in heterodimensional materials.

Rhododendron simsii plays important roles in maintaining ecological system stability in the north temperate zone. However, its natural growth is greatly affected by soil microorganisms, particularly rhizosphere microbes. In this study, a comparative analysis was conducted of the bacterial community structure in the rhizosphere of R. simsii at the old, adult, juvenile, and seedlings stages. The results showed that Proteobacteria (38.53%‒47.63%), Actinobacteria (23.45%‒34.03%), and Acidobacteria (10.33%‒17.79%) were the dominant phyla in the R. simsii rhizosphere. In particular, 3, 5, 42, and 33 OTUs were unique to the soil samples of ‘old trees’, ‘adult trees’, ‘juvenile trees’, and ‘seedlings’, respectively. Across four sets of R. simsii rhizosphere microbes sampled from seedlings to old trees, the OTUs first increased, then decreased, and finally increased. Overall, alpha diversity (Chao, ACE, and Sobs) revealed similar trends with the highest value i‒n recorded for the rhizosphere sample of ‘adult trees’ and the lowest for the ‘seedlings’ sample. The bacterial genera in the rhizosphere samples from ‘old trees’ and ‘adult trees’ exhibited close clustering. Notably, the R. simsii population of ‘juvenile trees’, demonstrating the highest genetic diversity, were rich in Bradyrhizobium and Streptomycetes. This research serves to benefit the domestication of wild R. simsii and other Rhododendron resources.

The primary pharmacological components of Desmodium styracifolium (Osbeck.) Merr. are flavonoids, which have a broad range of pharmacological effects and are important in many applications. However, there have been few reports on the molecular mechanisms underlying flavonoid biosynthesis in the pharmacodynamic constituents of D. styracifolium. Flavonoid biosynthesis in D. styracifolium pharmacodynamic constituents has, however, been rarely studied. In this study, we investigated how salt stress, 6-BA (6-Benzylaminopurine) treatment, and PEG 6000-simulated drought stress affect flavonoid accumulation in D. styracifolium leaves. We integrated metabolomics and transcriptomic analysis to map the secondary metabolism regulatory network of D. styracifolium and identify key transcription factors involved in flavonoid biosynthesis. We then constructed overexpression vectors for the transcription factors and used them to transiently infiltrate Nicotiana benthamiana for functional validation. This experiment confirmed that the transcription factor DsMYB60 promotes the production of total flavonoids in Nicotiana tabacum L. leaves. This study lays the foundation for studying flavonoid biosynthesis in D. styracifolium at the molecular level. Furthermore, this study contributes novel insights into the molecular mechanisms involved in the biosynthesis of active ingredients in medicinal plants.

The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the effect of polyphenols on the antioxidant properties and stability of carotenoids. Four common carotenoids (lutein, zeaxanthin, β-carotene, lycopene) and four polyphenols (catechin, quercetin, kaempferol, gallate) were used as raw materials to determine the effects of polyphenols on DPPH radical scavenging and ABTS+ radical scavenging of carotenoids at different concentrations, as well as the effects of polyphenols on carotenoid retention under different conditions of light, temperature, pH, metal ions and antioxidant concentrations. In particular, kaempferol and zeaxanthin had the highest DPPH radical scavenging synergy at a concentration of 0.1 mg/mL, and catechin and β-carotene had the highest ABTS+ radical scavenging synergy at a concentration of 0.02 mg/mL. The addition of catechin and kaempferol increased the retention of carotenoids by 10.32%~13.82%10.32% under natural light and UV light, 6.79%~13.72% under high temperatures below 100 degrees, 1.02%~17.56% under pH

The accelerated development of society and the rapid advancement of urbanization are among the reasons for the current shortage of land resources. In China, the pressure of land resource shortage, the increasing height and complexity of buildings in cities, and the inadequate spatial expression ability of two-dimensional (2D) real estate data pose challenges to government departments that use 2D real estate data as basic management elements. Currently, an effective solution is to establish a three-dimensional (3D) building property rights model. However, this approach has low modeling efficiency, and the model cannot be divided into floor and house, cannot be linked to property rights information, and has a large size and high input cost. To address these problems, this paper presents an automatic method of constructing a 3D building property model based on visual programming language (VPL). The compatibility of this method with several different building types is tested, and the differences in cost, efficiency, and model size between this method and other modeling methods are compared and analyzed. Results show that the average modeling time has been reduced to less than 2 min, representing an efficiency improvement of over 80%. Furthermore, the model size has been reduced by more than 90%. This method cannot only stereoscopize 2D real estate data but also obtain the building property rights model with floor and house and property rights information while ensuring the small model size and low cost. Moreover, this method provides technical support for the 3D management of real estate in China.

Introduction: Adult patients with atrial septal defects (ASD), the most common form of adult congenital heart disease, often die of arrhythmias, and the immaturity of cardiomyocytes contributes significantly to arrhythmias. ASD typically induces a left-to-right shunt, which then leads to the right atrium (RA) volume overload (VO). Whether or not VO contributes to RA cardiomyocyte immaturity and thereby causes arrhythmias in adult patients with ASD remains unclear.Methods: Here, we developed the first neonatal RA VO mouse model by creating a fistula between the inferior vena cava and abdominal aorta on postnatal day 7. RA VO was confirmed by increases in the mean flow velocity, mean pressure gradient, and velocity time integral across the tricuspid valve, and an increase in the RA diameter and RA area middle section.Results: We found that VO decreased the regularity and length of sarcomeres, and decreased the T-element density, regularity, and index of integrity of T-tubules in RA cardiomyocytes, suggesting that the two most important maturation hallmarks (sarcomere and T-tubules) of RA cardiomyocytes were impaired by VO. Accordingly, the calcium handling capacity of cardiomyocytes from postnatal day 21 (P21) RA was decreased by VO. VO caused a significant elongation of the PR interval. The expression of connexin 43 (Cx43) was decreased in RA VO. Moreover, gene ontology (GO) analysis of the downregulated genes in RA demonstrated that there was an abundance of enriched terms associated with sarcomeres and T-tubules exposed to VO. The results were further verified by qRT-PCR.Conclusions: In conclusion, the first neonatal RA VO mouse model was developed; furthermore, using this neonatal RA VO mouse model, we revealed that VO impeded RA sarcomere and T-tubule maturation, which may be the underlying causes of atrial arrhythmias in adult patients with ASD.

This work investigated the relation between hydrogen embrittlement and the scanning rotation angle between adjacent layers in laser-based powder bed fusion (L-PBF) fabricated Ni. The microstructure analysis indicated that all samples failed with an intergranular mode, and all intergranular facets were propagated along the fine-grain region. However, the rotation angle during manufacturing changed the grain shape and size distribution in Ni, which in turn modified the pathway for hydrogen-induced cracking. The sensitivity of LPBFed Ni to hydrogen embrittlement is influenced by the scanning strategy, and the samples with a rotation angle of 0° present the highest resistance to hydrogen embrittlement.

To prepare Aronia melanocarpa and Rubusidaeus L. compound beverage and to study the quality change law of 25 ℃ storage for 28 days. The best process and formula were determined by orthogonal test with sensory evaluation as index. The electronic nose, laser particle size distributor, refractometer and rheometer were used to analyze the quality change during storage and determine the fluid type of compound beverage. Results showed that, the optimum formulation of juice was: Aronia melanocarpa juice 55.0%, Rubusidaeus L. juice 20.0%, sucrose 9.0%, citric acid 0.2% and drinking water 15.8%, with this formula, the sensory score of the product was 79.30. During storage, the soluble solid content increased from 16.10% to 16.57% with a slight change. The precipitation rate increased from 1.86% to 2.79%, the anthocyanin content decreased from 357.30 mg/L to 316.77 mg/L, and the antioxidant capacity also showed a downward trend with little chromatic aberration change. The obvious change of particle size distribution within 7 d, but little change of particle size from 7 d to 28 d. The electronic nose could identify the odor changes of characteristic substances of Aronia melanocarpa and Rubusidaeus L.. The rheometer analysis showed that, it accorded with the characteristics of pseudoplastic fluid. Therefore, the Aronia melanocarpa and Rubusidaeus L. compound beverage had unique flavor, outstanding fruit flavor, bright color, moderate sour and sweet taste, accompanying little change within 28 days of storage and stable quality.

Abstract Background Pulmonary hypoperfusion is common in children with congenital heart diseases (CHDs) or pulmonary hypertension (PH) and causes adult pulmonary dysplasia. Systematic reviews have shown that some children with CHDs or PH have mitigated clinical outcomes with COVID-19. Understanding the effects of pulmonary hypoperfusion on postnatal alveolar development may aid in the development of methods to improve the pulmonary function of children with CHDs or PH and improve their care during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is characterized by cytokine storm and persistent inflammation. Methods and results We created a neonatal pulmonary hypoperfusion model through pulmonary artery banding (PAB) surgery at postnatal day 1 (P1). Alveolar dysplasia was confirmed by gross and histological examination at P21. Transcriptomic analysis of pulmonary tissues at P7(alveolar stage 2) and P14(alveolar stage 4) revealed that the postnatal alveolar development track had been changed due to pulmonary hypoperfusion. Under the condition of pulmonary hypoperfusion, the cell–cell communication and axon guidance, which both determine the final number of alveoli, were lost; instead, there was hyperactive cell cycle activity. The transcriptomic results were further confirmed by the examination of axon guidance and cell cycle markers. Because axon guidance controls inflammation and immune cell activation, the loss of axon guidance may explain the lack of severe COVID-19 cases among children with CHDs or PH accompanied by pulmonary hypoperfusion. Conclusions This study suggested that promoting cell–cell communication or supplementation with guidance molecules may treat pulmonary hypoperfusion–induced alveolar dysplasia, and that COVID-19 is less likely to cause a cytokine storm in children with CHD or PH accompanied by pulmonary hypoperfusion. Graphical Abstract

Infection is a major issue in chronic diabetic wounds. Here, the authors report on a hypoxia triggered drug delivery system to achieve higher drug levels with controlled release to treat wounds infected with multidrug-resistant pseudomonas aeruginosa and demonstrate antibacterial and anti-biofilm action

To accurately predict the shear-bearing capacity of UHPC beams, it is crucial to quantify the shear contribution of the fiber bridging effect and UHPC compression zone. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the shear contribution of UHPC in the compression zone is not fully considered in most existing calculation methods, and the probability distribution of fibers within the matrix is also not taken into full account, which reduces the calculation accuracy of the shear bearing capacity of UHPC beams. In this paper, a UHPC beam shear test database containing 247 samples was created, and the influencing factors on the shear capacity of UHPC beams, such as the shear span ratio, the web reinforcement ratio, and the volume fraction of steel fiber, were analyzed. It was found that the ratio of cracking load to ultimate load ranges from 0.2 to 0.6, and the failure in the compression zone of UHPC beams can be divided into diagonal tension failure and shear compression failure. Based on the failure mechanism of the compression zone, considering the contribution of fiber micro tensile strength, a formula for calculating the shear-bearing capacity of UHPC beams with and without web reinforcement was proposed. Verified by experimental data, the proposed formula accurately predicts the shear-bearing capacity of UHPC beams. In comparison with other shear capacity formulas in current design codes, the proposed formula in this paper provides a higher prediction accuracy.

Abstract Background Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease common in aged populations. Classified by Hoehn & Yahr stages, patients are often divided into mild/early stage, moderate/middle stage, and advanced/late stage. With disease progression, PD shows high heterogeneity in each stage. Based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome differentiation theory and our previous works, we found that during the early stage, the main syndrome is Yin deficiency of the liver and kidney; during the moderate stage, the main syndromes are phlegm heat and wind stirring and blood stasis and wind stirring; and during the late stage, the dominant syndromes are deficiency of Yin and Yang and deficiency of Qi and blood. Hence, we proposed a new model of TCM treatment by the stage of PD. Based on Shudi Pingchan formula, an experimental formula of our team, we developed Ziyin Pingchan formula, Jiedu Pingchan formula, and Fuzheng Pingchan formula to treat each stage. This study is designed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of treating Parkinson’s disease by stages using traditional Chinese medicine and to provide an evidence base for forming a standardized scheme of diagnosis and treatment. Methods This study is designed as a multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Patients will be stratified into 3 subgroups according to Hoehn & Yahr stage; 172, 168, and 72 participants will be required to be in the mild PD, moderate PD, and advanced PD subgroups, respectively, and will be randomized into the treatment or control group at a 1:1 ratio. The mild PD subgroup will receive a 48-week intervention, and the other 2 groups will receive a 24-week intervention. All groups will have a follow-up visit 12 weeks after starting the intervention. The intervention group will receive the Ziyin Pingchan formula, Jiedu Pingchan formula, or Fuzheng Pingchan formula, and the control group will receive the corresponding placebo. The primary outcomes will be the first addition of levodopa for the mild PD subgroup, the duration of the “OFF” period for the moderate PD subgroup, and the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) for the advanced PD subgroup. The secondary outcomes will also be verified by subgroups, including the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Parkinson’s Disease Sleep Scale-2 (PDSS-2), scales for Outcomes in Parkinson’s Disease—Autonomic (SCOPA-AUT), and the nonmotor symptom scale (NMSS). Expected outcomes To our knowledge, this is the first trial to combine TCM syndrome differentiation with PD clinical stages and put it into clinical practice. The results of this trial will provide clinical evidence for the therapeutic effect of TCM formulas on PD patients of all stages and help build a new TCM treatment by stage model of PD. Trial registration: This trial is registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ( http://www.chictr.org.cn/ ). Registration number: ChiCTR2200056373, Date: 2022–02-04, version 1.

Abstract Background Minimally invasive surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome has been consistently the mainstay of treatment. In this study, we developed a novel bush hook via a mini-transverse incision at proximal wrist crease to surgically treat carpal tunnel syndrome and our aim was to compare the results with those of mid-palmar small longitudinal incision in carpal tunnel release. Methods This is a retrospective study on patients who received a mini-transverse incision and a novel bush hook or a mid-palmar small longitudinal incision for treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. The decision to receive either technique was made mainly based on patients' choice. The clinical results were evaluated at 1 week, 1 month, 3 and 6 months postoperatively and compared. Results In total, 58 patients in mini-transverse incision group and 74 in mid-palmar longitudinal incision group were include. The follow-up period was 6.8 ± 1.6 months. The mini-transverse incision group had a significantly smaller incision (4.3 ± 0.4 mm vs. 26.2 ± 1.6 mm), shorter surgical time (7.8 ± 2.6 min vs. 19.7 ± 2.8 min), but not for hospital stay (3.2 ± 1.9 vs. 3.6 ± 2.2 days). Both groups showed significant improvement from baseline level at any time points postoperatively (all P 0.05). In addition, the mini-transverse incision group showed a significantly reduced time to return to the work and activities, tendency to higher rate of excellence and good outcomes and fewer complications. Conclusions This novel technique via a mini-transverse incision and bush hook showed better clinical effectiveness and safety, and can be considered as an alternative for wrist tunnel release after the results are validated by higher-level evidence studies. Evidence level: III.

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP)–concrete hybrid sections, composed of FRP profiles and a concrete slab, have gathered attention in construction due to their lightweight, easy installation, and high durability. However, the low shear strength and brittle behavior of commercially available pultruded FRP profiles often leads to brittle shear failure at low load levels. To enhance the shear strength and ductility, this study proposes a novel H-shaped FRP profile that is built from two U-shaped pultruded FRP profiles and a hand lay-up sandwiched core of multi-directional fibers. Direct shear tests showed that the built-up FRP profiles failed in pseudo-ductile mode while the U-shaped pultruded FRP profiles failed in brittle mode. Built-up FRP had 1.5 times the capacity and 2.8 times the ultimate redundancy compared to pultruded FRP. Additionally, flexural tests of FRP–concrete hybrid beams revealed that the webs of the built-up FRP profiles failed in a higher shear capacity with smeared cracks.

Background Men who have sex with men (MSM), a population bearing the greatest HIV burden in many countries, may also be vulnerable to COVID-19. COVID-19 vaccines are essential to containing the pandemic. However, vaccine hesitancy may compromise vaccine coverage. We aimed to understand the uptake of COVID-19 vaccine and factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among HIV-infected MSM in mainland China. Methods A cross-sectional online survey among HIV-infected MSM was conducted between 13 and 21 February 2021 in mainland China. Variables including demographics, mental health status, HIV characteristics, and knowledge of and attitudes toward COVID-19 pandemic and COVID-19 vaccine were collected. Chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression were used to analyze factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Results A total of 1295 participants were included. The median age was 29.3 years (interquartile range [IQR] 25.2–34.0 years). The uptake of COVID-19 vaccine was 8.7%. Two main reasons for receiving vaccines were “regarded vaccination as self-health protection” (67.3%) and “trust in domestic medical technology” (67.3%). Among participants who did not initiate vaccination, concern about side effects (46.4%) and disclosure of HIV infection (38.6%) were top two reasons, and 47.2% had higher vaccine hesitancy. Men who had with high antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.53, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.35–0.80), often (0.26, 0.17–0.40) or sometimes (0.46, 0.31–0.67) paid attention to information about the COVID-19 vaccine, preferred domestic vaccines (0.37, 0.24–0.59), thought the pandemic had moderate (0.58, 0.38–0.90) and moderately severe or severe impact (0.54, 0.38–0.78) on immunity, who were waiting for vaccination programs organized at workplace (0.60, 0.44–0.81) and who were unaware of where to get COVID-19 vaccine (0.61, 0.45–0.82) had lower degree of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Men who were concerned about the efficacy (1.72, 1.16–2.54) and side effects (2.44, 1.78–3.35) had higher degree of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Conclusion COVID-19 vaccine uptake among HIV-infected MSM is still suboptimal. Understanding influencing factors of vaccine hesitancy among this group and making tailored measures to alleviate hesitancy would help improve the coverage of COVID-19 vaccination in this population.

Objectives The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to ravage the world. People living with HIV (PLHIV) are one of the most vulnerable groups. This study aims to identify the factors associated with the uptake and adverse reactions of COVID-19 vaccination. Methods We recruited PLHIV in China by convenience sampling between 7 and 23 February 2021. Participants were asked to complete an online questionnaire. Chi-squared test and multivariable logistic regression were used to assess factors associated with vaccine uptake. Results A total of 527 vaccinated and 1091 unvaccinated PLHIV were recruited. Individuals who had a higher education, engaged in occupations with a higher risk of COVID-19 infection, received influenza or pneumonia vaccine in the past 3 years (5.40, 3.36–8.77), believed in the effectiveness of vaccines (3.01, 2.20–4.12), and received media information regarding COVID-19 vaccine (2.23, 1.61–3.11), were more likely to be vaccinated. Concerning about adverse reactions (0.31, 0.22–0.44), negative impact on the progression of HIV/AIDS (0.36, 0.26–0.50) or antiretroviral therapy (ART) (0.61, 0.44–0.85), disclosure of HIV infection status (0.69, 0.49–0.96), comorbidities (0.33, 0.22–0.47), being unmarried (0.43, 0.28–0.66) and older age were negatively associated with vaccination. Of the 527 vaccinated PLHIV, 155 (29.4%) PLHIV reported adverse reactions, with pain at the injection site being the most common (18.2%). Conclusions PLHIV, who are concerned about adverse reactions, negative impact on ART outcome and disclosure of HIV infection status, were less likely to adopt COVID-19 vaccination. To increase vaccination coverage among PLHIV, health-care professionals should emphasize the benefits and necessity of vaccination and provide consultancy regarding adverse reactions.

BackgroundHIV self-testing (HIVST) holds great promise for expanding HIV testing. Nonetheless, large-scale data on HIVST behavior are scant. Millions of HIVST kits are sold through e-commerce platforms each year. ObjectiveThis study aims to analyze the spatiotemporal distribution of the HIVST kit–purchasing population (HIVSTKPP) in China. MethodsDeidentified transaction data were retrieved from a leading e-commerce platform in China. A joinpoint regression model was used to examine annual trends of the HIVSTKPP rates by calculating average annual percentage change. Bayesian spatiotemporal analysis was performed to locate hot spots with HIVSTKPP rates. Spatial autocorrelation analysis and space-time cluster analysis were conducted to identify clusters of HIVSTKPP. High-high clusters of HIVSTKPP can be identified by spatial autocorrelation analysis, and high-high clusters indicate that a region and its surrounding region jointly had a higher-than-average HIVSTKPP rate. Spatial regression analysis was used to elucidate the association between the number of HIV testing facilities, urbanization ratio (the proportion of urban population in the total population), and gross domestic product per capita and the HIVSTKPP. ResultsBetween January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2019, a total of 2.18 million anonymous persons in China placed 4.15 million orders and purchased 4.51 million HIVST kits on the web. In each of these 4 years, the observed monthly size of the HIVSTKPP peaked in December, the month of World AIDS Day. HIVSTKPP rates per 100,000 population significantly increased from 20.62 in 2016 to 64.82 in 2019 (average annual percentage change=48.2%; P

Model predictive control (MPC) for smart building operation management has become an increasingly popular and important topic in the academic community. Based on a total of 202 journal articles extracted from Web of Science, this study adopted a science mapping approach to conduct a holistic review of the literature sample. Chronological trends, contributive journal sources, active scholars, influential documents, and frequent keywords of the literature sample were identified and analyzed using science mapping. Qualitative discussions were also conducted explore in details the objectives and data requirements of MPC implementation, different modeling approaches, common optimization methods, and associated model constraints. Three research gaps and future directions of MPC were presented: the selection and establishment of MPC central model, the capability and security of processing massive data, and the involvement of human factors. This study provides a big picture of existing research on MPC for smart building operations and presents findings that can serve as comprehensive guides for researchers and practitioners to connect current research with future trends.

During the process of drug discovery, exploring drug-protein interactions (DPIs) is a key step. With the rapid development of biological data, computer-aided methods are much faster than biological experiments. Deep learning methods have become popular and are mainly used to extract the characteristics of drugs and proteins for further DPIs prediction. Since the prediction of DPIs through machine learning cannot fully extract effective features, in our work, we propose a deep learning framework that uses variational autoencoders and attention mechanisms; it utilizes convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to obtain local features and attention mechanisms to obtain important information about drugs and proteins, which is very important for predicting DPIs. Compared with some machine learning methods on the C.elegans and human datasets, our approach provides a better effect. On the BindingDB dataset, its accuracy (ACC) and area under the curve (AUC) reach 0.862 and 0.913, respectively. To verify the robustness of the model, multiclass classification tasks are performed on Davis and KIBA datasets, and the ACC values reach 0.850 and 0.841, respectively, thus further demonstrating the effectiveness of the model.

Summary: Background: Non-AIDS-defining cancers (NADCs) are now becoming a rising cause of morbidity among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the summary risk of incidence and mortality of a wide range of NADCs among PLHIV compared with the general population. Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis was registered in the PROSPERO (registration number CRD42020222020). We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane library, and Web of Science for relevant studies published before Jan 24, 2022. Cohort or registry linkage studies comparing the incidence or mortality of individual NADCs in PLHIV with that in the general population were included. Studies simply reporting outcomes of cancer precursor lesions or combined NADCs were excluded. We calculated pooled standardised incidence (SIRs) and standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using random-effects models, and used robust variance estimation to account for non-independence in study-level effect sizes. Findings: We identified 92 publications arising from 46 independent studies including 7 articles out of 7 studies from developing countries. Among the 40 types of NADCs investigated, all of the 20 infection-related NADCs, cancers related with human papillomavirus infection in particular, and half of the 20 non-infection-related NADCs occurred in excess in PLHIV compared with the general population. This risk pattern was consistent in most WHO regions and in both high-income and low-and middle-income countries. The increased SIRs for various NADCs were more evident among PLHIV with advanced immunodeficiency, and was explored by HIV transmission route, and use of HAART. PLHIV had increased mortality for anal cancer (SMR 124·07, 95% CI 27·31-563·72), Hodgkin lymphoma (41·03, 2·91−577·88), liver cancer (8·36, 3·86−18·11), lung cancer (3·95, 1·52-10·26), and skin melanoma (3·95, 1·28−12·2). Interpretation: PLHIV had increased incidence and mortality for a wide spectrum of NADCs. Primary prevention and effective treatment for NADCs in this population is urgently needed. Funding: Natural Science Foundation of China Excellent Young Scientists Fund, Natural Science Foundation of China International/Regional Research Collaboration Project, National Science and Technology Major Project of China, Sanming Project of Medicine in Shenzhen, High Level Project of Medicine in Longhua, Shenzhen, Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission Basic Research Program, Special Support Plan for High-Level Talents of Guangdong Province, the Guangzhou Basic Research Program on People's Livelihood Science and Technology, the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Abstract Purpose This study aimed to investigate the outcomes of a mini-transverse incision with a bush-hook versus a conventional open incision for carpal tunnel release (CTR). Methods This was a prospective study. The decision to receive either technique (mini-transverse incision with a bush-hook or conventional open incision) was primarily based on patients’ choice. Patients’ symptom severity, functional status, and symptomatic pain were measured at pre-operation, 1 month, and 3 and 6 months postoperatively, and any relevant complications were recorded. Kelly’s scale was used to evaluate the overall clinical efficacy. Results Eighty-nine patients were included in the open CTR group and 85 patients in the mini-transverse incision group. The mini-transverse incision group had a significantly smaller incision (4.4±0.6 vs 44.8±3.7 mm), shorter surgical time (7.8±1.9 vs 21.2±3.4 min), and shorter hospital stay (3.7±1.6 vs 5.9±2.0 days) than did the open CTR group. Both groups showed significant improvements from baseline levels (all P

Background Pre-hospitalisation, hospitalisation and post-hospitalisation factors may significantly affect depression, anxiety and post-traumatic growth (PTG) among COVID-19 survivors. Objective Our study investigated depression, anxiety and PTG and their correlates among COVID-19 survivors. Method A cross-sectional telephone survey recruited 199 COVID-19 patients (Mean age = 42.7; 53.3% females) at six-month follow-up after hospital discharge in five Chinese cities (i.e. Wuhan, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Dongguan and Nanning). Their demographic information, clinical records and experiences during (e.g. severity of covid-19 symptoms, treatment and exposure to other patients’ suffering) and after hospitalisation (e.g. perceived impact of covid-19, somatic symptoms after hospitalisation), and psychosocial factors (e.g. perceived discrimination, self-stigma, affiliate stigma, resilience and social support) were investigated. Depressive and anxiety symptoms were measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD-7) scale, respectively. PTG was examined by the Post-traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) instrument. Results The proportion of depressive symptoms

Background As a highly infectious disease with human-to-human transmission characteristics, COVID-19 has caused panic in the general public. Those who have recovered from COVID-19 may experience discrimination and internalized stigma. They may be more likely to worry about social interaction and develop social anxiety. Objectives This study investigated the associations among hospitalization factors, social/interpersonal factors, personal factors, and social anxiety to reveal the mechanism of social anxiety in COVID-19 survivors. Methods A cross-sectional, multicenter telephone survey was conducted from July to September 2020 in five Chinese cities (i.e. Wuhan, Nanning, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, and Dongguan); adult COVID-19 survivors were recruited 6 months after they were discharged from the hospital. Linear regressions and path analysis based on the minority stress model were conducted to test the relationships among hospitalization, social/interpersonal factors, personal factors, and social anxiety. Results The response rate was 74.5% (N = 199, 55.3% females). Linear regression analyses showed that various hospitalization, social/interpersonal, and personal factors were statistically significantly associated with social anxiety. Path analysis showed that the proposed model fit the data well (χ2(df) = 3.196(3), p = .362, CFI = .999, NNFI = .996, RMSEA = .018). Internalized stigma fully mediated the association between perceived discrimination/social support and social anxiety, while it partially mediated the association between perceived affiliate stigma and social anxiety. Conclusions The results suggest that social/interpersonal and personal factors have a stronger association with social anxiety than hospitalization factors and highlight the importance of internalized stigma in understanding the mechanisms of these relationships. Clinical psychologists can refer to these modifiable psychosocial factors to develop efficient interventions for mental health promotion.

Abstract Background The incidence of gallbladder carcinoma (GBM) in China has increased in recent years. Here, the functional mechanism of lncRNA TTN-AS1 in GBC was preliminary elucidated. Methods The expression levels of lncRNA TTN-AS1, miR-107, and HMGA1 in tissues and cell lines were assessed by RT-qPCR. Cell proliferation was measured by MTT assays. Cell invasion and migration abilities were evaluated by Transwell assays. The relationship between miR-107 and lncRNA TTN-AS1 or HMGA1 was confirmed by luciferase reporter assay. Results Upregulation of lncRNA TTN-AS1 and downregulation of miR-107 were detected in GBC. Furthermore, the expressions between TTN-AS1 and miR-107 were mutually inhibited in GBC. Functionally, lncRNA TTN-AS1 promoted cell viability and motility in GBC by sponging miR-107. In addition, miR-107 directly targets HMGA1. And HMGA1 can be positively regulated by lncRNA TTN-AS1 in GBC. Furthermore, HMGA1 promoted GBC progression by interacting with lncRNA TTN-AS1/miR-107 axis. Conclusion LncRNA TTN-AS1 acted as a tumor promoter in GBC by sponging miR-107 and upregulating HMGA1.

BackgroundLeft ventricular (LV) volume overload (VO), commonly found in patients with chronic aortic regurgitation (AR), leads to a series of left ventricular (LV) pathological responses and eventually irreversible LV dysfunction. Recently, questions about the applicability of the guideline for the optimal timing of valvular surgery to correct chronic AR have been raised in regard to both adult and pediatric patients. Understanding how VO regulates postnatal LV development may shed light on the best timing of surgical or drug intervention.Methods and ResultsPrepubertal LV VO was induced by aortocaval fistula (ACF) on postnatal day 7 (P7) in mice. LV free walls were analyzed on P14 and P21. RNA-sequencing analysis demonstrated that normal (P21_Sham vs.P14_Sham) and VO-influenced (P21_VO vs. P14_VO) LV development shared common terms of Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) in the downregulation of cell cycle activities and the upregulation of metabolic and sarcomere maturation. The enriched GO terms associated with cardiac condition were only observed in normal LV development, while the enriched GO terms associated with immune responses were only observed in VO-influenced LV development. These results were further validated by the examination of the markers of cell cycle, maturation, and immune responses. When normal and VO-influenced LVs of P21 were compared, they were different in terms of immune responses, angiogenesis, percentage of Ki67-positive cardiomyocytes, mitochondria number, T-tubule regularity, and sarcomere regularity and length.ConclusionsA prepubertal LV VO mouse model was first established. VO has an important influence on LV maturation and development, especially in cardiac conduction, suggesting the requirement of an early correction of AR in pediatric patients. The underlying mechanism may be associated with the activation of immune responses.

In fire emergencies, timely communication with on-site coordinators and accurate localization of first responders facilitates effective task assignment and resource allocation in harsh, low-visibility environments. Building information modeling (BIM) is widely accepted in the architecture, engineering, and construction industries as a central repository of building information. It could provide both the geometric building data and semantic information; however, the convenient linkage and integration with indoor location technologies for emergency purposes have not been addressed according to the authors’ knowledge. A stand-alone BIM-based indoor location (BIMIL) framework and portal were designed and tested to enable the automatic extraction, transformation, and visualization of BIM-related data for public safety purposes in this study. Based on current information technology, this research reduces the gap in cross-application by supporting indoor location to overcome the primary shortcoming of existing indoor building models. Eliminating the need for specific software and skill in data processing, this portal will support on-site coordinators’ importation of BIM files, allowing them to convert those files into processed and visualized indoor information containing key yet simplified geometric building data and essential emergency-related information such as fire rating hours, egresses, and hazardous materials. Additionally, the indoor location data can be integrated into a generalized 3D building model to support decision-making activities and management tasks in the field.

Excessive use of antibiotics in aquaculture causes residues in aquatic animal products and harms human health. However, knowledge of florfenicol (FF) toxicology on gut health and microbiota and their resulting relationships in economic freshwater crustaceans is scarce. Here, we first investigated the influence of FF on the intestinal health of Chinese mitten crabs, and then explored the role of bacterial community in FF-induced intestinal antioxidation system and intestinal homeostasis dysbiosis. A total of 120 male crabs (48.5 ± 4.5 g) were experimentally treated in four different concentrations of FF (0, 0.5, 5 and 50 μg/L) for 14 days. Responses of antioxidant defenses and changes of gut microbiota were assessed in the intestine. Results revealed that FF exposure induced significant histological morphology variation. FF exposure also enhanced immune and apoptosis characteristics in the intestine after 7 days. Moreover, antioxidant enzyme catalase activities showed a similar pattern. The intestinal microbiota community was analyzed based on full-length 16S rRNA sequencing. Only the high concentration group showed a marked decrease in microbial diversity and change in its composition after 14 days of exposure. Relative abundance of beneficial genera increased on day 14. These findings illustrate that exposure to FF could cause intestinal dysfunction and gut microbiota dysbiosis in Chinese mitten crabs, which provides new insights into the relationship between gut health and gut microbiota in invertebrates following exposure to persistent antibiotics pollutants.

BackgroundGay apps are smartphone-based geosocial networking apps where many men who have sex with men (MSM) socialize and seek sex partners. Existing studies showed that gay app use is associated with greater odds of high-risk sexual behaviors and potentially more HIV infections. However, little is known about this behavior among young MSM. ObjectiveWe conducted this study to understand gay app use and its influencing factors among MSM attending university in China. MethodsFrom January to March 2019, participants were recruited from 4 regions with large populations of college students in China: Chongqing, Guangdong, Shandong, and Tianjin. The eligibility criteria were MSM aged 16 years or older, self-identified as a university student, and being HIV negative. A self-administered online structured questionnaire was used to collect data on sociodemographic information, sexual behaviors, gay app use, substance use, and HIV testing history. We performed multivariable log-binomial regression to assess correlates of seeking sex partners via gay apps. ResultsA total of 447 MSM attending university with an average age of 20.4 (SD 1.5) years were recruited. Almost all participants (439/447, 98.2%) reported gay app use at some point in their life, and 240/439 (53.7%) reported ever seeking sex partners via gay apps. Blued (428/439, 97.5%) was the most popular gay app. Higher proportions of sexual risk behaviors (including seeking sex partners via apps [P

COVID-19 survivors who had acute respiratory symptoms might experience prolonged post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to further rehabilitation, somatic symptoms and related distress. The conservation of resource (COR) theory is a well-developed theory to understand how people develop PTSD symptoms in traumatic events. The current study aimed to examine the potential factors of PTSD symptoms and interrelationships among this factors among COVID-19 survivors based on the COR theory. This cross-sectional telephone survey enrolled 199 COVID-19 patients (Mean age = 42.7; 53.3% females) 6 months after their hospital discharge in five Chinese cities (i.e., Wuhan, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Dongguan, and Nanning). The results showed that 7% of participants were classified as having probable PTSD. The significant potential factors relating to PTSD symptoms included socio-demographic status, hospitalization experiences, post-hospitalization experiences, and psychological status. Besides, the proposed statistical mediation model based on the COR framework showed good model fit, χ2(df) = 17.286 (5), p = 0.004, CFI = 0.962, NNFI = 0.951, RMSEA = 0.077. Perceived resource loss/gain fully mediated the association between exposure to other patients' suffering during hospitalization and PTSD symptoms, and partially mediated the relationships from somatic symptoms/perceived impact of being infected with COVID-19 after discharge to PTSD symptoms. On the other hand, resilience was a full mediator in the relationship from ICU experience to PTSD symptoms and a partial mediator in the relationship from perceived impact to PTSD symptoms. The results provide preliminary support on applying the COR theory to understand the factors of PTSD symptoms among COVID-19 survivors. Interventions to reduce PTSD symptoms in this population can be developed based on the modifiable psychosocial mediators.

Abstract We consider the corrosion detection problem in terms of the Laplace equation and study a simply connected bounded domain with Wentzell-type GIBC boundary condition. We derive the systems of integral equations and establish the equivalence to the inverse shape problem in a Sobolev space setting. For the direct problem, we use potential theory to simulate the Neumann data from Dirichlet data on Dirichlet boundary. Then we propose a Newton iterative approach based on the boundary integral equations derived from Green’s representation theorem. After describing the linearization and the iteration scheme for the inverse shape, we compute the Fréchet derivatives with respect to the unknowns. We conclude by presenting several numerical examples for shape reconstructions to show the validity of the proposed method.

Objective: To observe efficacy of pyonex in the treatment of functional dyspepsia (FD) with mild to moderate depression. Methods: 64 FD patients with mild to moderate depression were randomly divided into control group (N=32) and test group (N=32). The test group was given mosapride combined with pyonex, acupuncture at Neiguan, Shenmen, Zusanli and Taichong, and the control group was given mosapride combined with sertraline. The course of treatment was 4 weeks in both groups. The changes of LDQ and HAMD scores were compared between the two groups before and after treatment, and the safety and efficacy were evaluated. Results: ① LDQ scores: The total efficacy of the test group was 87.5%, and that of the control group was 81.3% after treatment. The curative effect of the test group was similar to that of the control group (P>0.05). The total LDQ scores and single symptom scores of the test group were significantly better than those of the control group (P

Objective: To investigate the effects of “Shudi Pingchan Decoction” combined with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on sleep disorders in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods: A randomized, single-blind, placebo/sham-controlled trial was performed on 144 PD patients with sleep disorders. Participants were randomized into rTMS (rTMS with placebo decoction), Chinese medicine (Shudi Pingchan Decoction with sham stimulation), or Shudi Pingchan Decoction combined with rTMS group over a 12-month course. The efficacy was evaluated by Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) I–IV scores, cardiopulmonary coupling (CPC) sleep quality assessment, Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA). Results: (1) After 12 weeks of treatment, rTMS treatment group showed markedly improved UPDRS I score, whereas Chinese medicine treatment group reported improved UPDRS II and UPDRS III scores than rTMS. At the same time, combined therapy improved the UPDRS I–III scores. (2) CPC sleep quality assessment showed that compared with baseline before treatment, sleep latency was significantly shortened after 12 weeks of Chinese medicine treatment. In the rTMS group, the scores of sleep awakening period were significantly decreased after six weeks and 12 weeks of treatment. The total sleep time was significantly extended after six weeks and 12 weeks of treatment in both groups. The sleep-improving effect was stronger in combined treatment group than the single treatment groups after 12 weeks of treatment. (3) Compared with baseline before treatment, the HAMD scores of rTMS group were significantly lower at six weeks and 12 weeks, the HAMA scores of Chinese medicine treatment group were significantly lower at 12 weeks, and the combined treatment resulted in stronger effects. Conclusion: The combined treatment of “Shudi Pingchan Decoction” with rTMS has significant curative effect on PD complicated with sleep disorders, and the combined therapy has complementary advantages.

Cardiovascular diseases have become a major threat to human health. The adhesion formation is an inevitable pathophysiological event after cardiac surgery. We have previously shown that gelatin/polycaprolactone (GT/PCL, mass ratio 50:50) electrospun nanofibrous membranes have high potential in preventing postoperative cardiac adhesion, but the effect of GT:PCL composition on anti-adhesion efficacy was not investigated. Herein, nanofibrous membranes with different GT:PCL mass ratios of 0:100, 30:70, 50:50, and 70:30 were prepared via electrospinning. The 70:30 membrane failed to prevent postoperative cardiac adhesion, overly high GT contents significantly deteriorated the mechanical properties, which complicated the suturing during surgery and hardly maintained the structural integrity after implantation. Unexpectedly, the 0:100 membrane (no gelatin contained) could not effectively prevent either, since its large pore size allowed the penetration of numerous inflammatory cells to elicit a severe inflammatory response. Only the GT:PCL 50:50 membrane exhibited excellent mechanical properties, good biocompatibility and effective anti-cell penetration ability, which could serve as a physical barrier to prevent postoperative cardiac adhesion and might be suitable for other biomedical applications such as wound healing, guided tissue or bone regeneration.

Background Understanding factors associated with post-discharge sleep quality among COVID-19 survivors is important for intervention development. Aims This study investigated sleep quality and its correlates among COVID-19 patients 6 months after their most recent hospital discharge. Method Healthcare providers at hospitals located in five different Chinese cities contacted adult COVID-19 patients discharged between 1 February and 30 March 2020. A total of 199 eligible patients provided verbal informed consent and completed the interview. Using score on the single-item Sleep Quality Scale as the dependent variable, multiple linear regression models were fitted. Results Among all participants, 10.1% reported terrible or poor sleep quality, and 26.6% reported fair sleep quality, 26.1% reported worse sleep quality when comparing their current status with the time before COVID-19, and 33.7% were bothered by a sleeping disorder in the past 2 weeks. After adjusting for significant background characteristics, factors associated with sleep quality included witnessing the suffering (adjusted B = −1.15, 95% CI = −1.70, −0.33) or death (adjusted B = −1.55, 95% CI = −2.62, −0.49) of other COVID-19 patients during hospital stay, depressive symptoms (adjusted B = −0.26, 95% CI = −0.31, −0.20), anxiety symptoms (adjusted B = −0.25, 95% CI = −0.33, −0.17), post-traumatic stress disorders (adjusted B = −0.16, 95% CI = −0.22, −0.10) and social support (adjusted B = 0.07, 95% CI = 0.04, 0.10). Conclusions COVID-19 survivors reported poor sleep quality. Interventions and support services to improve sleep quality should be provided to COVID-19 survivors during their hospital stay and after hospital discharge.

MALAT1-associated small cytoplasmic RNA (mascRNA) is a highly conserved transfer RNA–like (tRNA-like) noncoding RNA whose function remains largely unknown. We show here that this small RNA molecule played a role in the stringent control of TLR-mediated innate immune responses. mascRNA inhibited activation of NF-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling and the production of inflammatory cytokines in macrophages stimulated with LPS, a TLR4 ligand. Furthermore, exogenous mascRNA alleviated LPS-induced lung inflammation. However, mascRNA potentiated the phosphorylation of IRF3 and STAT1 and the transcription of IFN-related genes in response to the TLR3 ligand poly(I:C) both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, mascRNA was found to enhance K48-linked ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of TRAF6, thereby negatively regulating TLR-mediated MyD88-dependent proinflammatory signaling while positively regulating TRIF-dependent IFN signaling. Additionally, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein H (hnRNP H) and hnRNP F were found to interact with mascRNA, promote its degradation, and contribute to the fine-tuning of TLR-triggered immune responses. Taken together, our data identify a dual role of mascRNA in both negative and positive regulation of innate immune responses.

Background: In children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), volume overload (VO) is inevitable, and the right ventricle (RV) pumps blood into the systemic circulation. Understanding the molecular differences and their different responses to VO between the RV and left ventricle (LV) at the neonatal and highly plastic stages may improve the long-term management of children with HLHS. Methods and Results: A neonatal rat ventricular VO model was established by the creation of a fistula between the inferior vena cava and the abdominal aorta on postnatal day 1 (P1) and confirmed by echocardiographic and histopathological analyses. Transcriptomic analysis demonstrated that some of the major differences between a normal neonatal RV and LV were associated with the thyroid hormone and insulin signaling pathways. Under the influence of VO, the levels of insulin receptors and thyroid hormone receptors were significantly increased in the LV but decreased in the RV. The transcriptomic analysis also demonstrated that under the influence of VO, the top two common enriched pathways between the RV and LV were the insulin and thyroid hormone signaling pathways, whereas the RV-specific enriched pathways were primarily associated with lipid metabolism and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC); further, the LV-specific enriched pathways were primarily associated with nucleic acid metabolism and microRNAs in cancer. Conclusions: Insulin and thyroid hormones may play critical roles in the differences between a neonatal RV and LV as well as their common responses to VO. Regarding the isolated responses to VO, the RV favors an ARVC change and the LV favors a reduction in microRNAs in cancer. The current study suggests that insulin, thyroid hormone, and cancer-associated microRNAs are potential therapeutic targets that should be explored by basic science studies to improve the function of the RV to match that of the LV.

Background Current right ventricular (RV) volume overload (VO) is established in adult mice. There are no neonatal mouse VO models and how VO affects postnatal RV development is largely unknown. Methods and Results Neonatal VO was induced by the fistula between abdominal aorta and inferior vena cava on postnatal day 7 and confirmed by abdominal ultrasound, echocardiography, and hematoxylin and eosin staining. The RNA‐sequencing results showed that the top 5 most enriched gene ontology terms in normal RV development were energy derivation by oxidation of organic compounds, generation of precursor metabolites and energy, cellular respiration, striated muscle tissue development, and muscle organ development. Under the influence of VO, the top 5 most enriched gene ontology terms were angiogenesis, regulation of cytoskeleton organization, regulation of vasculature development, regulation of mitotic cell cycle, and regulation of the actin filament‐based process. The top 3 enriched signaling pathways for the normal RV development were PPAR signaling pathway, citrate cycle (Tricarboxylic acid cycle), and fatty acid degradation. VO changed the signaling pathways to focal adhesion, the PI3K‐Akt signaling pathway, and pathways in cancer. The RNA sequencing results were confirmed by the examination of the markers of metabolic and cardiac muscle maturation and the markers of cell cycle and angiogenesis. Conclusions A neonatal mouse VO model was successfully established, and the main processes of postnatal RV development were metabolic and cardiac muscle maturation, and VO changed that to angiogenesis and cell cycle regulation.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are fundamental signal transduction modules in all eukaryotic organisms, participating growth and development, as well as stress response. In the present study, three MAPK genes were successfully identified from the genome of Chlamys farreri, respectively, named CfERK1/2, CfJNK, and Cfp38, and only one copy of ERK, JNK, and p38 were detected. Domain analysis indicated that CfMAPKs possessed the typical domains, including S_TKc, Pkinase, and PKc_like domain. Phylogenetic analysis showed that three CfMAPKs of MAPK subfamilies exists in the common ancestor of vertebrates and invertebrates. All CfMAPKs specifically expressed during larval development and in adult tissues, and the expression level of CfERK1/2 and Cfp38 was apparently higher than that of CfJNK. Under heat stress, the expression of CfERK1/2 and Cfp38 were significantly downregulated and then upregulated in four tissues, while the expression of CfJNK increased in all tissues; these different expression patterns suggested a different molecular mechanism of CfMAPKs for bivalves to adapt to temperature changes. The diversity of CfMAPKs and their specific expression patterns provide valuable information for better understanding of the functions of MAPK cascades in bivalves.

One of the most critical functions of modern intelligent teaching technology is cognitive diagnostics. Traditional cognitive diagnostic models (CDMs) usually use designed functions to deal with the linear interaction between students and exercises, but it is difficult to adequately deal with the complex relationship of non-linear interaction between students and exercises; moreover, existing cognitive diagnostic models often lack the integrated consideration of multiple features of exercises. To address these issues, this paper proposes a neural network cognitive diagnosis model (NeuralNCD) that incorporates multiple features. The model obtains more accurate diagnostic results by using neural networks to handle the nonlinear interaction between students and exercises. First, the student vector and the exercise vector are obtained through the Q-matrix; second, the multi-dimensional features of the exercises (e.g., difficulty, discrimination, guess and slip) are obtained using the neural network; finally, item response theory and a neural network are employed to characterize the interaction between the student and the exercise in order to determine the student’s cognitive state. At the same time, monotonicity assumptions and data preprocessing mechanisms are introduced into the neural network to improve the accuracy of the diagnostic results. Extensive experimental results on real world datasets present the effectiveness of NeuralNCD with regard to both accuracy and interpretability for diagnosing students’ cognitive states. The prediction accuracy (ACC), root mean square error (RMSE), and area under the curve (AUC) were 0.734, 0.425, and 0.776, respectively, which were about 2–10% higher than the related works in these evaluation metrics.

Few-shot classification aims at leveraging knowledge learned in a deep learning model, in order to obtain good classification performance on new problems, where only a few labeled samples per class are available. Recent years have seen a fair number of works in the field, each one introducing their own methodology. A frequent problem, though, is the use of suboptimally trained models as a first building block, leading to doubts about whether proposed approaches bring gains if applied to more sophisticated pretrained models. In this work, we propose a simple way to train such models, with the aim of reaching top performance on multiple standardized benchmarks in the field. This methodology offers a new baseline on which to propose (and fairly compare) new techniques or adapt existing ones.

In many real-life problems, it is difficult to acquire or label large amounts of data, resulting in so-called few-shot learning problems. However, few-shot classification is a challenging problem due to the uncertainty caused by using few labeled samples. In the past few years, many methods have been proposed with the common aim of transferring knowledge acquired on a previously solved task, which is often achieved by using a pretrained feature extractor. As such, if the initial task contains many labeled samples, it is possible to circumvent the limitations of few-shot learning. A shortcoming of existing methods is that they often require priors about the data distribution, such as the balance between considered classes. In this paper, we propose a novel transfer-based method with a double aim: providing state-of-the-art performance, as reported on standardized datasets in the field of few-shot learning, while not requiring such restrictive priors. Our methodology is able to cope with both inductive cases, where prediction is performed on test samples independently from each other, and transductive cases, where a joint (batch) prediction is performed.

Heat shock proteins 90 (HSP90s) are a class of ubiquitous, highly conserved, and multi-functional molecular chaperones present in all living organisms. They assist protein folding processes to form functional proteins. In the present study, three HSP90 genes, CfHSP90, CfGRP94 and CfTRAP1, were successfully identified in the genome of Chlamys farreri. The length of CfHSP90, CfGRP94 and CfTRAP1 were 7211 bp, 26,457 bp, and 28,699 bp, each containing an open reading frame (ORF) of 2181 bp, 2397 bp, and 2181 bp, and encoding proteins of 726, 798, and 726 amino acids, respectively. A transcriptomic database demonstrated that CfHSP90 and CfGRP94 were the primary functional executors with high expression during larval development and in adult tissues, while CfTRAP1 expression was low. Furthermore, all of the three CfHSP90s showed higher expression in gonads and ganglia as compared with other tissues, which indicated their probable involvement in gametogenesis and nerve signal transmission in C. farreri. In addition, under heat stress, the expressions of CfHSP90 and CfGRP94 were significantly up-regulated in the mantle, gill, and blood, but not in the heart. Nevertheless, the expression of CfTRAP1 did not change significantly in the four tested tissues. Taken together, in coping with heat stress, CfHSP90 and CfGRP94 could help correct protein folding or salvage damaged proteins for cell homeostasis in C. farreri. Collectively, a comprehensive analysis of CfHSP90s in C. farreri was conducted. The study indicates the functional diversity of CfHSP90s in growth, development, and environmental response, and our findings may have implications for the subsequent in-depth exploration of HSP90s in invertebrates.

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channel plays a significant role in mediating various sensory physiological functions. It is widely present in the vertebrate and invertebrate genomes and can be activated by multiple compounds, messenger molecules, temperature, and mechanical stimulation. Mollusks are the second largest phylum of the animal kingdom and are sensitive to environmental factors. However, the molecular underpinnings through which mollusks sense and respond to environmental stimulus are unknown. In this study, we systematically identified and characterized 17 TRP channels (C.FA TRPs, seven subfamilies) in the genome of the Zhikong scallop (Chlamys farreri). All C.FA TRPs had six transmembrane structures (TM1–TM6). The sequences and structural features of C.FA TRPs are highly conserved with TRP channels of other species. Spatiotemporal expression profiling suggested that some C.FA TRPs participated in the early embryonic development of scallops and the sensory process of adult tissues. Notably, the expression of C.FA TRPM3 continuously increased during developmental stages and was highest among all C.FA TRPs. C.FA TRPC-α was specifically expressed in eyes, which may be involved in light transmission of scallop eyes. Under high temperature stress, C.FA TRPA1 and C.FA TRPA1-homolog upregulated significantly, which indicated that the TRPA subfamily is the thermoTRPs channel of scallops. Our results provided the first systematic study of TRP channels in scallops, and the findings will provide a valuable resource for a better understanding of TRP evolution and function in mollusks.

Accelerated degradation testing (ADT) is commonly used to obtain degradation data of products by exerting loads over usage conditions. Such data can be used for estimating component lifetime and reliability under usage conditions. The design of ADT entails to establish a model of the degradation process and define the test plan to satisfy given criteria under the constraint of limited test resources. Bayesian optimal design is a method of decision theory under uncertainty, which uses historical data and expert information to find the optimal test plan. Different expected utility functions can be selected as objectives. This paper presents a method for Bayesian optimal design of ADT, based on the inverse Gaussian process and considering three objectives for the optimization: relative entropy, quadratic loss function, and Bayesian D-optimality. The Markov chain Monte Carlo and the surface fitting methods are used to obtain the optimal plan. By sensitivity analysis and a proposed efficiency factor, the Bayesian D-optimality is identified as the most robust and appropriate objective for Bayesian optimization of ADT.

Most traditional engineered systems are designed with a passive and fixed reliability capability and just required to achieve a possibly low level of failure occurrence. However, as the complexity at spatialtemporal scales and integrations increases, modern complex engineered systems (CESs) are facing new challenges of inherent risk and bottleneck for a successful and safe operation through the system life cycle when potential expected or unexpected disruptive events happen. As a prototype for ensuring the successful operation of inherently risky systems, resilience has demonstrated itself to be a promising concept to address the above-mentioned challenges. A standard multi-dimensional resilience triangle model is first presented based on the concept of the three-phase system resilience cycle, which can provide a theoretical foundation for indicating the utility objectives of resilience design. Then, the resilience design problem for CESs is proposed as a multi-objective optimization model, in which the three objectives are to maximize the survival probability, to maximize the reactive timeliness and to minimize the total budgeted cost. Furthermore, the proposed multi-objective optimization programming is solved based on the efficient multi-objective evolutionary algorithm NSGA-II. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed models and solving procedure is illustrated with an engineered electro-hydrostatic aircraft control actuator resilience design problem, a comparative analysis on the case study is also carried out with respect to previous works. This work can provide an effective tradeoff foundation to improve the resilience of CESs.

In this work, the 0.68BiFeO3-0.32BaTiO3 (BFBT) ferroelectric thin film was fabricated with high maximum polarization for energy storage applications. BFBT thin film with pure perovskite phase was deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates at 600°C by Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) method. We measured the ferroelectric hysteresis, dielectric properties and the fatigue performance of the BFBT thin film with thickness of about 200 nm. It was found that the film has a high maximum field-induced polarization value of 86 μC/cm2. Under an applied low electric field of 900 kV/cm, the recoverable energy density (Ure) could reach up to 19 J/cm3, and the energy efficiency (η) is around 51% at room temperature. Furthermore, the film shows outstanding fatigue endurance even after 1×107 cycles. All results suggest that lead-free BFBT ferroelectric thin film is very promising energy storage materials.