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Abstract In the absence of externally applied mechanical loading, it would seem counterintuitive that a solid particle sitting on the surface of another solid could not only sink into the latter, but also continue its rigid-body motion towards the interior, reaching a depth as distant as thousands of times the particle diameter. Here, we demonstrate such a case using in situ microscopic as well as bulk experiments, in which diamond nanoparticles ~100 nm in size move into iron up to millimeter depth, at a temperature about half of the melting point of iron. Each diamond nanoparticle is nudged as a whole, in a displacive motion towards the iron interior, due to a local stress induced by the accumulation of iron atoms diffusing around the particle via a short and easy interfacial channel. Our discovery underscores an unusual mass transport mode in solids, in addition to the familiar diffusion of individual atoms.

Abstract Background Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) belongs to Polygonaceae family and has attracted increasing attention owing to its high nutritional value. UDP-glycosyltransferases (UGTs) glycosylate a variety of plant secondary metabolites to control many metabolic processes during plant growth and development. However, there have been no systematic reports of UGT superfamily in F. tataricum. Results We identified 173 FtUGTs in F. tataricum based on their conserved UDPGT domain. Phylogenetic analysis of FtUGTs with 73 Arabidopsis UGTs clustered them into 21 families. FtUGTs from the same family usually had similar gene structure and motif compositions. Most of FtUGTs did not contain introns or had only one intron. Tandem repeats contributed more to FtUGTs amplification than segmental duplications. Expression analysis indicates that FtUGTs are widely expressed in various tissues and likely play important roles in plant growth and development. The gene expression analysis response to different abiotic stresses showed that some FtUGTs were involved in response to drought and cadmium stress. Our study provides useful information on the UGTs in F. tataricum, and will facilitate their further study to better understand their function. Conclusions Our results provide a theoretical basis for further exploration of the functional characteristics of FtUGTs and for understanding the growth, development, and metabolic model in F. tataricum.

In this paper, we present a modified local region-based active contour model employing an adaptive double potential well function for image segmentation. Initially, to circumvent the issue of the potential well function's excessive evolutionary pace within the zero potential well, which could lead to rapid level set evolution and inadvertent targeting of segmentation areas, we introduce an adaptive double potential well function. This function dynamically modulates coefficient by increasing the diffusion rate during the initial phase, decreasing it in the later stages, and mitigating it in the vicinity of the zero potential well. Subsequently, we incorporate a length term and a penalty term, both predicated on the adaptive double well function, into the energy functional derived from the local region-based Chan-Vese (LRCV) model. This integration serves to augment the edge smoothness of the curve and the precision of the segmentation process. Experimental outcomes demonstrate that our proposed model significantly augments segmentation accuracy when benchmarked against certain related models.

Abstract Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disorder that poses a significant burden on socio-economic and healthcare systems worldwide. However, the currently available therapy of AD is limited, and new strategies are needed to enhance the clearance of β-amyloid (Aβ) protein and improve cognitive function. Photobiomodulation (PBM) is a non-invasive and effective therapeutic method that has shown promise in treating various brain diseases. Here, we demonstrate that 1267-nm PBM significantly alleviates cognitive decline in the 5xFAD mouse model of AD and is safe as it does not induce a significant increase in cortical temperature. Moreover, with the combination of 3D tissue optical clearing imaging and automatic brain region segmentation, we show that PBM-mediated reductions of Aβ plaques in different subregions of prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus are different. The PBM-induced lymphatic clearance of Aβ from the brain is associated with improvement of memory and cognitive functions in 5xFAD mice. Our results suggest that the modulation of meningeal lymphatic vessels (MLVs) should play an important role in promoting Aβ clearance. Collectively, this pilot study demonstrates that PBM can safely accelerate lymphatic clearance of Aβ from the brain of 5xFAD mice, promoting improvement of neurocognitive status of AD animals suggesting that PBM can be an effective and bedside therapy for AD. Graphical Abstract

Propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG) are the most common solvents used in electronic cigarette liquids. No long-term inhalation toxicity assessments have been performed combining conventional and multi-omics approaches on the potential respiratory effects of the solvents in vivo. In this study, the systemic toxicity of aerosol generated from a ceramic heating coil-based e-cigarette was evaluated. First, the aerosol properties were characterized, including carbonyl emissions, the particle size distribution, and aerosol temperatures. To determine toxicological effects, rats were exposed, through their nose only, to filtered air or a propylene glycol (PG)/ glycerin (VG) (50:50, %W/W) aerosol mixture at the target concentration of 3 mg/L for six hours daily over a continuous 28-day period. Compared with the air group, female rats in the PG/VG group exhibited significantly lower body weights during both the exposure period and recovery period, and this was linked to a reduced food intake. Male rats in the PG/VG group also experienced a significant decline in body weight during the exposure period. Importantly, rats exposed to the PG/VG aerosol showed only minimal biological effects compared to those with only air exposure, with no signs of toxicity. Moreover, the transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic analyses of the rat lung tissues following aerosol exposure revealed a series of candidate pathways linking aerosol inhalation to altered lung functions, especially the inflammatory response and disease. Dysregulated pathways of arachidonic acids, the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, and the hematopoietic cell lineage were revealed through integrated multi-omics analysis. Therefore, our integrated multi-omics approach offers novel systemic insights and early evidence of environmental-related health hazards associated with an e-cigarette aerosol using two carrier solvents in a rat model.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to systematically review zuranolone’s efficacy and safety in treating major depressive disorder (MDD).MethodsWe conducted electronic searches in databases like PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science to identify randomized controlled trials using zuranolone for severe depression from study inception to September 15, 2023. Two independent reviewers screened studies, extracted data, and assessed study quality. Our meta-analysis included four studies with 1,454 patients. The findings showed significant improvements with zuranolone across various measures: Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) scores indicated notable alleviation in depressive symptoms (WMD: −2.03; 95% CI: −2.42 to −1.65); the treatment group’s HAM-D score response rate was significantly higher than the control group’s at day 15 (OR: 1.46, 95% CI: 1.11 to 1.92, P = 0.01). The meta-analysis also revealed higher remission rates for the treatment group compared to the control group at day 15 (OR: 1.68, 95% CI: 1.18 to 2.39, P = 0.03). Additionally, HAM-A scores on day 15 and MADRS scores on day 15 showed improvement, and HAM-D scores for 30 mg zuranolone on different treatment days exhibited improvement (WMD, −2.55; 95% CI, −3.24 to −1.58; P = 0.05). However, analyzing HAM-D scores on day 15 for various zuranolone doses revealed no significant differences. Importantly, zuranolone use was associated with an increased incidence of adverse reactions.ResultsOur meta-analysis included four studies with 1454 patients, showing significant improvements with zuranolone across various measures, including HAM-D scores, HAM-A scores, MADRS scores, and specific HAM-D scores for 30 mg zuranolone on different treatment days. However, no significant differences were found in HAM-D scores on day 15 for various doses of zuranolone.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that zuranolone is a promising, simple, and convenient treatment for patients with major depressive disorder, offering potential guidance for clinical practice.

ObjectiveThis study was designed to systematically review the efficacy and safety of repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) combined with escitalopram in treating major depressive disorder (MDD).MethodsDatabases including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP Journal, and China Biomedical Literature databases were electronically searched for randomized controlled trials of rTMS combined with escitalopram intervention for MDD treatment from the inception of these databases to 27 May 2023. Two reviewers independently screened the studies, extracted the data, and assessed the quality of the included studies. R 4.2.2 was then used for a meta-analysis.ResultsIn total, 19 articles involving 1,032 patients were included. The results of the meta-analysis showed that Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) scores were significantly lower in the group receiving rTMS combined with escitalopram (experimental group) than that in the control group [weighted mean difference (WMD) = −5.30, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): −6.44 to −4.17, p

Abstract Intraventricular hemorrhage is one of the most fatal forms of brain injury that is a common complication of premature infants. However, the therapy of this type of hemorrhage is limited, and new strategies are needed to reduce hematoma expansion. Here we show that the meningeal lymphatics is a pathway to remove red blood cells from the brain’s ventricular system of male human, adult and newborn rodents and is a target for non-invasive transcranial near infrared photobiomodulation. Our results uncover the clinical significance of phototherapy of intraventricular hemorrhage in 4-day old male rat pups that have the brain similar to a preterm human brain. The course of phototherapy in newborn rats provides fast recovery after intraventricular hemorrhage due to photo-improvements of lymphatic drainage and clearing functions. These findings shed light on the mechanisms of phototherapy of intraventricular hemorrhage that can be a clinically relevant technology for treatment of neonatal intracerebral bleedings.

Accurately segmenting building roofs from satellite images is crucial for evaluating the photovoltaic power generation potential of urban roofs and is a worthwhile research topic. In this study, we propose an attention-based full-scale fusion (AFSF) network to segment a roof mask from the given satellite images. By developing an attention-based residual ublock, the channel relationship of the feature maps can be modeled. By integrating attention mechanisms in multi-scale feature fusion, the model can learn different weights for features of different scales. We also design a ladder-like network to utilize weakly labeled data, thereby achieving pixel-level semantic segmentation tasks assisted by image-level classification tasks. In addition, we contribute a new roof segmentation dataset, which is based on satellite images and uses the roof as the segmentation target rather than the entire building to further promote the algorithm research of estimating roof area using satellite images. The experimental results on the new roof segmentation dataset, WHU dataset, and IAIL dataset demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed network.

Personalized laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M) Ti-6Al-4V (TC4) has a broader application prospect than that of traditional casting. In this paper, the composition and corrosion resistance of the passive film formation mechanism of TC4 prepared by optimization of PBF-LB/M techniques and traditional casting were systematically studied in 0.9 wt.% NaCl at 37 °C by electrochemical technique and surface analysis. The rates of the passive film formation process, corrosion resistance and composition of TC4 show different characteristics for the different preparation processes. Although the rate of passive film formation of cast-TC4 was higher at the initial immersion, the open circuit potential was more positive, and the film thickness was larger after stabilization, those facts show no positive correlation with corrosion resistance. On the contrary, with no obvious defects on the optimized PBF-LB/M-TC4, the passive film resistance is 2.5 times more, the defect concentration is reduced by 30%, and the TiO2 content is higher than that of the cast-TC4, making the martensitic-based PBF-LB/M-TC4 exhibit excellent corrosion resistance. This also provides good technical support for the further clinical application of PBF-LB/M-TC4.

Abstract Background Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) is an important food and medicine crop plant, which has been cultivated for 4000 years. A nuclear genome has been generated for this species, while an intraspecific pan-plastome has yet to be produced. As such a detailed understanding of the maternal genealogy of Tartary buckwheat has not been thoroughly investigated. Results In this study, we de novo assembled 513 complete plastomes of Fagopyrum and compared with 8 complete plastomes of Fagopyrum downloaded from the NCBI database to construct a pan-plastome for F. tartaricum and resolve genomic variation. The complete plastomes of the 513 newly assembled Fagopyrum plastome sizes ranged from 159,253 bp to 159,576 bp with total GC contents ranged from 37.76 to 37.97%. These plastomes all maintained the typical quadripartite structure, consisting of a pair of inverted repeat regions (IRA and IRB) separated by a large single copy region (LSC) and a small single copy region (SSC). Although the structure and gene content of the Fagopyrum plastomes are conserved, numerous nucleotide variations were detected from which population structure could be resolved. The nucleotide variants were most abundant in the non-coding regions of the genome and of those the intergenic regions had the most. Mutational hotspots were primarily found in the LSC regions. The complete 521 Fagopyrum plastomes were divided into five genetic clusters, among which 509 Tartary buckwheat plastomes were divided into three genetic clusters (Ft-I/Ft-II/Ft-III). The genetic diversity in the Tartary buckwheat genetic clusters was the greatest in Ft-III, and the genetic distance between Ft-I and Ft-II was the largest. Based on the results of population structure and genetic diversity analysis, Ft-III was further subdivided into three subgroups Ft-IIIa, Ft-IIIb, and Ft-IIIc. Divergence time estimation indicated that the genera Fagopyrum and Rheum (rhubarb) shared a common ancestor about 48 million years ago (mya) and that intraspecies divergence in Tartary buckwheat began around 0.42 mya. Conclusions The resolution of pan-plastome diversity in Tartary buckwheat provides an important resource for future projects such as marker-assisted breeding and germplasm preservation.

Abstract Moisture removal and water recovery from the air are vital for regulating indoor humidity and mitigating water scarcity. Most atmospheric water harvesters (AWH) focus primarily on increasing the moisture capture rate, but for it to be economical and sustainable, it is essential to consider the energy required to recover and harvest the captured water. Here, a mechanically flexible, biphilic sorption‐based AWH made of green, environmentally friendly material is presented. It consists of a hygroscopic chitosan polymer embedded within a flexible, hydrophobic silica xerogel that can harvest 86.3 g water/g chitosan at 97% relative humidity and 25°C reaching saturation after 30 days (i.e. 2.88 g water/g chitosan/day). Roughly 88% of the sorbed moisture was recovered by mechanical squeezing (ca. 0.020 MPa) within 150 s. Repeated water harvesting experiments and uniaxial compression tests demonstrate that chitosan‐silica xerogel is durable for long‐term operations, providing a fast, reliable, and sustainable moisture removal and water harvesting tool.

Ticks are blood-sucking arthropods that have negative economic impacts and can spread a variety of diseases through their bites. There are few reports on soft ticks (Acari: Argasidae) and tick-borne pathogens in southern Xinjiang, China. This investigation supplements the available information for this region and is concerned with an argasid tick, apicomplexan parasites of the Babesia and Theileria genera and a bacterium of the Anaplasma genus.

Abstract Traditionally, radar‐based localisation systems are designed to deal with targets in line‐of‐sight (LOS) scenarios. However, the performance of those radar systems is limited by multipath echoes reflected from non‐line‐of‐sight (NLOS) targets and walls in the urban areas. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in multipath exploitation methods aided by urban environmental knowledge. Based on the exploitation of space diversity provided by the multipath effect, this article proposes a novel two‐stage localisation method using a single monostatic radar via association of multipath time‐of‐arrivals (TOAs). In the offline stage, reference TOA data at different locations is generated by a ray‐tracing method to avoid the heterogeneity of multipath propagation at different locations, assuming that the environment information is completely known prior. In the online stage, the TOA set of multipath echoes from the target is estimated by a sparse reconstruction method to achieve super‐resolution rather than the matched filter. Then based on the finite‐set statistics (FISST) theory, a grid‐based multi‐observation data association (GMODA) algorithm is present as the likelihood function of the multipath measurement given a candidate location, which is followed by a maximum likelihood estimation to derive the location of the target. Furthermore, the global nearest neighbour approximation of GMODA is introduced to avoid combinatorial explosion in the association algorithm. Simulation and experiment results on a single antenna millimetre‐wave radar in various scenarios show that the proposed method achieves high localisation accuracy in both LOS and NLOS conditions while maintaining low computational cost at the same time. The presented results suggest that our method can be applied to target localisation applications in the complex urban environment.

Summary: The majority of fluorescent vessel labeling techniques currently available are limited by their expense, incomplete labeling, or complexity. Here, we present VALID (vessel labeling via gelatin-based lipophilic dye solution)—a protocol for complete labeling of different vascular networks. We describe steps for preparing different dye hydrogels, murine vascular casting and tissue harvesting, immunolabeling, tissue clearing, and imaging, as well as detailed analysis of the vascular networks. This protocol is helpful for evaluating vascular lesions in studying different vessel-associated diseases.For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Zhu et al.1 : Publisher’s note: Undertaking any experimental protocol requires adherence to local institutional guidelines for laboratory safety and ethics.

BackgroundInflammation plays an integral role in the development of cardiovascular disease, and few studies have identified different biomarkers to predict the prognosis of cardiac surgery. But there is a lack of reliable and valid evidence to determine the optimal systemic inflammatory biomarkers to predict prognosis.MethodsFrom December 2015 and March 2021, we collected 10 systemic inflammation biomarkers among 820 patients who underwent cardiac surgery. Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) curve at different time points and C-index was compared at different time points. Kaplan–Meier method was performed to analyze overall survival (OS). Cox proportional hazard regression analyses were used to assess independent risk factors for OS. A random internal validation was conducted to confirm the effectiveness of the biomarkers.ResultsThe area under the ROC of lymphocyte-to-C-reactive protein ratio (LCR) was 0.655, 0.620 and 0.613 at 1-, 2- and 3-year respectively, and C-index of LCR for OS after cardiac surgery was 0.611, suggesting that LCR may serve as a favorable indicator for predicting the prognosis of cardiac surgery. Patients with low LCR had a higher risk of postoperative complications. Besides, Cox proportional hazard regression analyses indicated that LCR was considered as an independent risk factor of OS after cardiac surgery.ConclusionLCR shows promise as a noteworthy representative among the systemic inflammation biomarkers in predicting the prognosis of cardiac surgery. Screening for low LCR levels may help surgeons identify high-risk patients and guide perioperative management strategies.

Sarcopenia is an age-related skeletal muscle disorder that causes falls, disability and death in the elderly, but its exact mechanism remains unknown. In this study, we merged three GEO datasets into the expression profiles of 118 samples and screened 22 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) as candidate genes. Pathway analysis demonstrated that the functional enrichment of DEGs is mainly in the cellular response to insulin stimulus, PPAR signaling pathway and other metabolism-related pathways. Then, we identified six key genes by machine learning, which were confirmed to be closely associated with sarcopenia by bioinformatics analysis. It was experimentally verified that SCD1 exhibits the most substantial alterations in the progression of sarcopenia with disturbed lipid metabolism and myosteatosis. In addition, the immune microenvironment of sarcopenia was found to be affected by these key genes, with Th17 cells down-regulated and NK cells up-regulated. Sarcopenic patients consequently presented a more significant systemic inflammatory state with higher CAR (p = 0.028) and PAR (p = 0.018). For the first time, we identified key genes in sarcopenia with high-throughput data and demonstrated that key genes can regulate the progression of sarcopenia by affecting the immune microenvironment. Among them, SCD1 may influence lipid metabolism and myosteatosis process. Screening of key genes and analyzing of immune microenvironment provide a more accurate target for treating sarcopenia.

ObjectivePrior research has shown mixed results regarding the effectiveness of combining donepezil and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to treat mild cognitive impairment (MCI). In light of this, our study aims to examine the efficacy and safety of this treatment approach for patients with MCI.MethodsWe conducted a comprehensive search of various databases, including Medline (via PubMed), Cochrane, Embase, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, and Wanfang Database from their inception to November 16, 2022. The selection of studies, risk of bias assessment, and data extraction were carried out independently by two authors. The statistical analysis was performed using STATA.ResultsOur meta-analysis included a total of 35 studies with 2,833 patients, published between 2008 and 2022, with intervention durations ranging from 4 weeks to 12 months. However, most of the studies had a high risk of detection bias. Our findings indicated that the combination of donepezil and TCM significantly improved the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score (weighted mean difference [WMD] = 2.79, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.82 to 3.75) and the Barthel Index score (WMD = 9.20, 95% CI: 5.39 to 13.00) compared to donepezil alone. However, subgroup analyses showed that the MoCA score did not increase significantly in patients with MCI resulting from cerebrovascular disease (WMD = 1.47, 95% CI: −0.02 to 2.96).ConclusionThe combination of donepezil and TCM may have a more positive effect on cognitive function and activities of daily living in patients with MCI compared to the use of donepezil alone. However, due to the limited quality of the studies included in our analysis, these findings should be interpreted with caution.

The internally blown flap is of efficient lift enhancement ability,but stall angle of attack drops significantly at a higher jet momentum.In order to improve the stall characteristics,the stall characteristics of the internally blown flap with the droop leading edge is studied.The numerical simulation of flow fields of a subsonic airfoil with droop leading edge combined with seamless flaps under the effect of circulation control are conducted.The influence rules of the blowing momentum coefficient on the stall characteristics are studied.The effects of leading edge rigid deflection,camber and thickness changes on the improvement of stall characteristics are studied.The effects of doop leading edge with different flap angle are also studied.The results show that,with the increase of the blowing momentum coefficient,the stall angle of attack is firstly droped rapidly and then slightly increased.The pressure gradient on the upper surface of the airfoil is reduced by the leading edge droop devices,the trend of the momentum thickness of the foil boundary layer increasing with the angle of attack is delayed,and the stall angle of attack is increased effectively.By gradually changing the curvature of the leading edge surface,the target that the leading edge droop design has the best effect on the improvement of stall characteristics is realized.

Summary: Efficient labeling of the vasculature is important for understanding the organization of vascular networks. Here, we propose VALID, a vessel-labeling method that enables visualization of vascular networks with tissue clearing and light-sheet microscopy. VALID transforms traditional lipophilic dye solution into hydrogel by introducing gelatin and restrains the dye aggregation, resulting in complete and uniform vessel-labeling patterns with high signal-to-background ratios. VALID also enhances the compatibility of lipophilic dyes with solvent-based tissue-clearing protocols, which was hard to achieve previously. Using VALID, we combined lipophilic dyes with solvent-based tissue-clearing techniques to perform 3D reconstructions of vasculature within mouse brain and spinal cord. We also employed VALID for 3D visualization and quantification of microvascular damage in a middle cerebral artery occlusion mouse model. VALID should provide a simple, cost-effective vessel-labeling protocol that would significantly widen the applications of lipophilic dyes in research on cerebrovascular complications. Motivation: 3D reconstruction of the entire vasculature is fundamental to understanding vascular lesions during the progression of various neurovascular diseases. The combination of vessel-labeling, tissue-clearing, and optical imaging techniques allow 3D mapping of the vasculature of different tissues/organs. Current vessel-specific marker-based labeling methods can provide biological ground truth for blood vessels but are restricted by either insufficient signal-to-background ratios, incomplete labeling for large vessels, or high cost. Perfusion-based methods can serve as useful alternatives with relative high signal-to-background ratios; however, dye leakage has greatly limited their applications. Additionally, the tissue-clearing compatibility of these methods still needs to be improved. Here, we developed VALID, an efficient, easy-handling, and cost-effective protocol that enables complete and uniform labeling of different vasculatures with bright fluorescence.

Patient value is an important factor in clinical decision making, but conventionally, it is not incorporated in the decision processes. Clinical decision making has some clinical guidelines as a reference. There are very few value-based clinical guidelines, but knowledge about how values affect decision making is mentioned in some scattered studies in the literature. We use a literature review method to extract evidence and integrate it as part of the decision-making model. In this paper, a value-based therapy recommendation comprehensive model is proposed. A literature analysis is conducted to collect value-based evidence. The patients’ values are defined and classified with fine granularity. Categorized values and candidate therapies are used in combination as filtering keywords to build this literature database. The literature analysis method generates a literature database used as a source of arguments for influencing decision making based on values. Then, a formalism model is put forward to integrate the value-based evidence with clinical evidence, and the literature databases and clinical guidelines are collected and analyzed to populate the evidence repository. During the decision-making processes, the evidence repository is utilized to match patients’ clinical information and values. Decision-makers can dynamically adjust the relative importance of the two pieces of evidence to obtain a treatment plan that is more suitable for the patient. A prototype system was implemented using a case study for breast cancer and validated for feasibility and effectiveness through controlled experiments.

The existence of independent, yet time correlated, Extensive Air Showers (EAS) has been discussed over the past years, with emphasis on possible physical mechanisms that could justify their observation. The detector network of the Extreme Energy Events (EEE) Collaboration, with its approximately 60 cosmic ray telescopes deployed over the Italian territory, has the potential to search for such events, employing different analysis strategies. In this paper, we have analyzed a set of EEE data, corresponding to an approximately five month observation period, searching for multi-coincidence events among several far telescopes, within a time window of 1 ms. Events with up to 12 coincident telescopes have been observed. Results were compared to expectations from a random distribution of events and discussed with reference to the relativistic dust grain hypothesis.

BackgroundAn increasing number of studies have proved that patent foramen ovale (PFO) occlusion could reduce the incidence of recurrent stroke more than drug therapy alone under certain conditions. Which is the “best” guidance technique still remains to be discussed.MethodsA single center retrospective study enrolled 120 patients (mean age 52.51 ± 14.29 years) who underwent PFO closure between April 2019 and March 2021. 87 patients (72.5%) had suffered cryptogenic stroke (CS) at least one time, and 24 patients (20%) had repetitive episodes of hemicrania unsourced. 65 patients were in the transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) guidance group (T-group), and the other 55 patients were in the angiographic guidance group (A-group).ResultsThere were no significant differences in crucial clinical characteristics between the two groups. In T-group, the procedural success rate was higher (100% vs. 92.7%, P = 0.028), and the procedural time was shorter (23.15 ± 13.87 vs. 25.75 ± 7.19, P = 0.001). No difference was detected in the procedural complication rate. Follow-up were performed at least 12 months. At 12 months, new atrial fibrillation occurred in 1 patient (1.5%) in the T-group and in 1 patient (1.8%) in the A-group (P = 0.905). Residual shunt occurred in 1 patient (1.5%) in the T-group and in 3 patients (5.5%) in the A-group (P = 0.236). Recurrent cerebral ischemia occurred in 2 patient (3.1%) in the T-group and in 2 patients (3.6%) in the A-group (P = 0.865).ConclusionThe use of only intra-procedural TEE guidance for PFO closure is safe and effective. The whole procedure can be performed without fluoroscopy and contrast medium. The short and medium follow-up results are satisfactory, especially in the residual shunt.

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) regulates the expression of target genes to keep the balance between oxygen supply and oxygen consumption, maintains oxygen homeostasis. HIF-1 regulates autophagy in the cardiovascular system, which involves the HIF target gene BNIP3.

BackgroundIncreasing life expectancy of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) remains to be the major concern of cardiac surgeons. However, few studies have investigated the effect of postoperative skeletal muscle index (SMI) loss on prognosis. This study aims to evaluate the prognostic role of postoperative SMI loss ≥ 5% after CABG, in order to develop a novel nomogram to predict overall survival (OS).MethodsPatients underwent CABG via midline sternotomy from December 2015 to March 2021 were recruited in this study. Preoperative and postoperative 3 months chest computed tomography (CT) images were compared to assess changes in SMI at T12 level. Based on this, patients were classified into the presence or absence of SMI loss ≥ 5%. The association between postoperative SMI loss ≥ 5% and OS was then analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox model. A novel nomogram incorporating independent clinical prognostic variables was also developed.ResultsThe study enrolled 506 patients receiving CABG, of whom 98 patients experienced T12 SMI loss ≥ 5% and had a significantly worse OS (P < 0.0001). Multivariate regression analysis showed that T12 SMI per cent change (%T12 SMI-change) was an independent prognostic factor for OS (HR = 0.809, 95% CI = 0.749–0.874). The nomogram incorporating %T12 SMI-change with other variables was accurate for predicting OS. Besides, we also found that postoperative oral nutritional supplement (ONS) can rescue T12 SMI loss.ConclusionPostoperative SMI loss can predict survival outcome after CABG. The nomogram incorporating changes in SMI provides a superior performance than existing systems.

Background: Qingfei Paidu decoction (QFPDD) has been widely used in treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China. However, studies on the treatment effect of COVID-19 patients and other respiratory diseases have not been well demonstrated. Our study aims to determine the treatment effect of QFPDD in combination with conventional treatment on COVID-19 patients and other respiratory diseases.Methods: This retrospective study recruited COVID-19 patients who were treated with QFPDD for at least two courses (6 days) from seven hospitals in five provinces from January 21 to March 18 2020. Demographic, epidemiological, clinical, laboratory, computed tomography characteristics, treatment, and outcome data were collected and analyzed. The improvements in clinical symptoms before and after QFPDD treatment were compared.Results: Eight COVID-19 patients were included in this study. Of them, six were males (75.0%). The median age of the patients was 66 (60–82) years. Four patients were classified as mild and moderate cases (50.0%); there were two severe cases (25.0%) and critical cases (25.0%). The most common symptom was cough (7 [87.5%]), followed by fever (6 [75.0%]), fatigue (4 [50.0%]), asthma (4 [50.0%]), and anorexia (3 [37.5%]). Abnormal findings included decrease in neutrophils (3 [37.5%]), lymphocytes (2 [25.0%]), alkaline phosphatase (3 [37.5%]), lactic dehydrogenase (4 [50.0%]), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (2 [25.0%]), and C-reactive protein (5 [83.3%]) at admission. After one course (3 days) of QFPDD, nasal obstruction and sore throat completely disappeared, and fever (5 [83.3%]), fatigue (2 [50.0%]), and cough (2 [28.6%]) were improved. After two courses (6 days), the fever disappeared completely in all patients, and the other symptoms showed a tendency to improve. In non-severe patients, 87.5% baseline symptoms completely disappeared. In severe patients, 61.1% of the baseline symptoms completely disappeared after patients were administered QFPDD for two courses. Of the abnormal indicators, 55.6% returned to normal levels. The median duration to complete fever recovery was 1.0 day. The median durations of viral shedding and hospitalization were 10.5 and 21.5 days, respectively. None of the patients worsened and died, and no serious adverse events occurred related to QFPDD during hospitalization.Conclusion: QFPDD combined with conventional treatment improved clinical symptoms in COVID-19 patients with other respiratory diseases, and no serious adverse reactions associated with QFPDD were observed. Larger sample studies confirm our findings in the future.

Heterogeneous catalysts have been widely used for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation to remove persistent contaminants in water. This study successfully prepared cobalt-doped TiO2 using a simple two-step approach for activating PMS to remove tetracycline (TC). The batch experiments showed complete TC degradation within 25 min caused by Co-TiO2 (0.1 g/L) activation of PMS (1 mM) under visible light. The system also demonstrated excellent catalytic efficiency in various water environments, such as artificial seawater, tap water, and wastewater. According to the radical capture tests and electron spin resonance analysis, the contribution of active species involved in the degradation of TC with the Vis/Co-TiO2/PMS system were in the following order: 1O2> SO4•−> O2•−> •OH. The possible TC degradation pathway was proposed using intermediate identification and Fukui function calculation. This study provides a promising method toward organic pollutants degradation and provides a novel perspective on the rational design of competent and stable catalysts.

In this paper, nanoporous gold (NPG) thin films with superior catalytic performance were prepared on glassy carbon electrodes (GCE) by optimizing the process parameters and adopting an improved solid-phase reaction method. The morphology and structures of NPG films were comprehensively investigated and the structural defects on continuous NPG ligaments were observed. The NPG films demonstrated higher sensitivity and a lower detection limit during the amperometric sensing of aniline than NPGs made using conventional techniques. The results of multiple electrochemical tests demonstrated that the NPG/GCE electrodes possess high stability and good reproducibility. The prepared NPG film is a favorable material that can be superior in aniline electrochemical detection and can also be applied in other electrochemical sensing reactions.

Norrie disease (ND; OMIM 310600), a rare X-linked recessive genetic disorder, is characterized by congenital blindness and occasionally, sensorineural hearing loss, and developmental delay. The congenital blindness of ND patients is almost untreatable; thus, hearing is particularly important for them. However, the mechanism of hearing loss of ND patients is unclear, and no good treatment is available except wearing hearing-aid. Therefore, revealing the mechanism of hearing loss in ND patients and exploring effective treatment methods are greatly important. In addition, as a serious monogenic genetic disease, convenient gene identification method is important for ND patients and their family members, as well as prenatal diagnosis and preimplantation genetic diagnosis to block intergenerational transmission of pathogenic genes. In this study, a Norrie family with two male patients was reported. This pedigree was ND caused by large fragment deletion of NDP (norrin cystine knot growth factor NDP) gene. In addition to typical severe ophthalmologic and audiologic defects, the patients showed new pathological features of endolymphatic hydrops (EH), and they also showed acoustic nerves abnormal as described in a very recent report. PCR methods were developed to analyze and diagnose the variation of the family members. This study expands the understanding of the clinical manifestation and pathogenesis of ND and provides a new idea for the treatment of patients in this family and a convenient method for the genetic screen for this ND family.

Abstract Spikelet rot disease (SRD) is an emerging disease of the grain surface of naked oat in China that affects both grain yield and quality. The typical symptom is discoloration from the black structures of the causal fungi. Here, we investigated the fungal communities on the grain surfaces of cultivar Bayou 13 grown in ten ecological oat-producing regions of China, to identify the main pathogens of naked oat SRD. Our results showed that the growth of Alternaria spp. and Davidiella spp. exhibited a competitive relationship and was mainly affected by the elevations of all 10 ecological regions. The dominant pathogens were Davidiella spp. in Shannan Prefecture in Tibet and Haidong Prefecture in Qinghai Province and Alternaria spp. in the other eight regions. The ratios of black pathogens of interest to all pathogens in Shannan Prefecture and Haidong Prefecture were significantly lower than those of the other eight regions, thus indicating that SRD mainly occurred in regions below 2000 m (elevation). We isolated black fungal pathogens from grain surfaces and deduced that they were Alternaria spp. by sequence comparison. The blackened appearance of the grain surfaces was more evident under spray inoculation with a spore suspension of Alternaria than under the control in greenhouse experiments. The recovered pathogen was the same as the pathogen used for inoculation. We thus concluded that Alternaria alone causes naked oat SRD and mainly infects naked oat in regions below 2000 m, which provides a basis for the recognition and management of SRD of naked oat.

Abstract Background There is now ample evidence suggesting that extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) can improve hip mobility and reduce pain in patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). The ability of ESWT to cure bone marrow edema syndrome (BMES) in patients with ONFH, 12 weeks after the initial course of ESWT, needs to be verified further and more relevant clinical research-based evidence should be consolidated. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of ESWT for BMES caused by ONFH. Methods This retrospective cohort study included 67 patients with BMES caused by ONFH who were participating in a rehabilitation program as outpatients. Before and after ESWT, the area of femoral bone marrow edema was evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and the Harris score and Charnley score were evaluated as hip pain and function indicators. Results After ESWT, MRI revealed that the area of bone marrow edema decreased from 984.6 ± 433.2 mm2 to 189.7 ± 214.4 mm2 (P < 0.0001). The Harris score increased from 42.2 ± 9.1 to 77.7 ± 10.8 points (P < 0.0001). The Charnley score increased from 7.3 ± 1.4 to 12.0 ± 1.7 (P < 0.0001). ESWT was effective in treating BMES in 98.5% of the cases. Conclusions This study demonstrated that ESWT can effectively treat BMES caused by ONFH and can aid in pain relief and functional recovery in patients with ONFH. Thus, ESWT should be included in the classic physical therapy regimen for patients with ONFH and BMES.

Compared with cubic Continuously Variable Crown (CVC), quintic CVC presents integrated control capability of quadratic and quartic crown. In order to take full advantage of quintic CVC and have better comprehensive control of the edge wave, center wave, high order wave and complex wave in practical application, it is necessary to further clarify the complicated profile control characteristics of quintic CVC. In this paper, quintic CVC technology in a 1500 mm continuous hot rolling mill production line has been taken as the research object and use finite element method to study its profile control characteristics. Through finite element simulation, an integrated model of rolls and strip was established to analyze the influence of the shifting, bending force and rolling force on strip profile with different strip widths. Both crown adjustment area and transverse stiffness are gained to study the control capability of quintic CVC. The simulation results show that the positive shifting and positive bending of CVC work roll reduce the quadratic crown and increase the quartic crown, and the controlling effect of shifting on both quadratic and quartic crown is more remarkable than that of bending. The control capability of the crown increases with the increase of strip width. That is, wider strip has a larger crown adjustment area. Meanwhile, there is a strong coupling relationship that the increase of quadratic crown can lead to the decrease of the quartic crown, which is not good for the flexible control of strip profile. With the increase of rolling force, the quadratic crown of strip increases significantly, while the quartic crown does not change obviously. Additionally, the increase of strip width significantly increases the transverse stiffness of mill.

The back-up rolls of hot strip mills wear considerably under the conditions of high temperature and heavy load, which affects the roll service period and the stability of strip profile control. Serious uneven wear, short service periods, and spalling problems occurred on conventional back-up rolls of upstream stand CVC mills in 1500 mm continuous hot rolling production lines. Through finite element simulations, the problems are determined to be caused by the configuration of a flat roll contour of the back-up roll and the CVC roll contour of the work roll, which leads to uneven contact pressure between the rolls. The wear distribution form is ‘anti-CVC’ shape, and there is peak contact pressure between the rolls on both sides of the roll body. In particular, the long-term negative shifting of CVC on site further increases the peak contact pressure between the rolls, resulting in uneven wear and spalling accident. Based on the design technology of VCR back-up roll contours with variable contact lengths, and considering the cooperation between the middle of the back-up roll and the CVC work roll contour, the roll contour of the back-up roll has been improved. The designed VCRplus roll contour was analyzed and evaluated by finite element simulation, including the distribution of contact pressure between rolls, the control effect of bending force, and the transverse stiffness of the roll gap. The simulation results show that the VCRplus roll contour can effectively improve the uneven distribution of contact pressure between the rolls, and effectively improve the control effect of bending force and the transverse stiffness of the roll gap. Industrial tests demonstrate that VCRplus back-up roll contours have the advantages of uniform back-up roll wear, enhanced self-sustaining of the roll contour, and further extension of the back-up roll service life. The roll contour has now stably been put into industrial production, and the rolling capacity during the back-up roll service period has been extended from 150,000,000 kg to 250,000,000 kg.

Hydrogen energy is an efficient and renewable clean energy source, and the key issue for its application right moment is the development of hydrogen storage technology with high density and safety. Among many available hydrogen storage materials, metal complex hydrides with the advantages of high hydrogen storage capacity and good safety, are promising for future applications. However, high-capacity hydrogen storage composites suffer from disadvantages such as high hydrogen release temperature and poor reversibility, which severely limit their application. This paper provides a detailed summary of existing approaches to improve the kinetic and thermodynamic properties of NaBH4 for hydrogen storage, including the addition of catalysts, the incorporation of appropriate reactants and the preparation of nanoscale NaBH4, as well as an outlook on the future direction of pyrolysis.

Fine-scale population datasets are essential to many health and development applications. Quite a few population estimate approaches have been proposed and multiple gridded population datasets have been produced. However, it is still a challenge to accurately estimate daily and even hourly population dynamics. In this study, we present an ensemble learning approach to tackle the challenge through integrating a digital footprint dataset and multiple geospatial ancillary datasets to estimate population dynamics. More specifically, we used the geographically weighted regression model to integrate two aspatial tree-based learning models and generated preliminary hourly and daily gridded population estimates. We then adjusted the fine-scale population estimates based on the county-level estimates and their nonlinear relationship with the grid-level covariates. After sufficient model training and parameter tuning, we produced a series 0.01-degree gridded population maps (FinePop) of China for 2018, including a nationwide daily-average map and provincial hourly-average maps. The FinePop is more accurate than the WorldPop and LandScan datasets, as suggested by the highest R2 (0.72) obtained from the comparison against township-level population census data. The root mean squared error of the township population density estimates for FinePop, WorldPop, and LandScan are 3162, 3327, and 3423, respectively. The FinePop also shows its advantages in unraveling transportation networks and the diurnal-nocturnal population migration patterns in both small and large cities.

Background. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been a global threat that pushes healthcare to its limits. Hypertension is one of the most common risk factors for cardiovascular complications in COVID-19 and is strongly associated with disease severity and mortality. To date, clinical mechanisms by which hypertension leads to increased risk in COVID-19 are still unclear. Furthermore, additional factors might increase these risks, such as the consideration of age and sex, which are of interest when in search of personalized treatments for hypertensive COVID-19 patients. Methods. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 543 COVID-19 patients in seven provinces of China to examine the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in this population and to determine risk factors of hypertensive COVID-19 patients. We also used univariable and multivariable logistic regression methods to explore the risk factors associated with hypertensive COVID-19 patients in different age and sex subgroups. Results. Among the enrolled COVID-19 patients, the median age was 47 years (interquartile range (IQR) 34.0–57.0), and 99 patients (18.23%) were over 60 years old. With regard to comorbidities, 91 patients (16.75%) were diagnosed with hypertension, followed by diabetes, coronary disease, and cerebrovascular disease. Of the hypertensive COVID-19 patients, 51 (56.04%) were male. Multivariable analysis showed that old age, comorbid diabetes or coronary heart disease on admission, increased D-dimer, increased glucose, and decreased lymphocyte count were independent risk factors associated with hypertensive COVID-19 patients. Elevated total bilirubin (odds ratio [OR]: 1.014, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.23–1.05; p=0.043) and triglycerides (OR: 1.173, 95% CI: 0.049–1.617; p=0.007) were found to be associated with elderly hypertensive COVID-19 patients. In addition, we found that decreased lymphocytes, basophil, high-density lipoprotein, and increased fibrinogen and creatinine were related to a higher risk of disease severity in male patients. The most common abnormal clinical findings pertaining to female hypertensive COVID-19 patients were hemoglobin, total bile acid, total protein, and low-density lipoprotein. Conclusions. Factors associated with increased risk of hypertensive COVID-19 patients were identified. Results to the different age and sex subgroups in our study will allow for better possible personalized care and also provide new insights into specific risk stratification, disease management, and treatment strategies for COVID-19 patients with hypertension in the future.

Location-aware big data from social media have been widely used to quantitatively characterize natural disasters and disaster-induced losses. It is not clear how human activities collectively respond to a disaster. In this study, we examined the collective human activities in response to Typhoon Hato at multi spatial scales using aggregated location request data. We proposed a Multilevel Abrupt Changes Detection (MACD) methodological framework to detect and characterize the abrupt changes in location requests in response to Typhoon Hato. Results show that, at the grid level, most anomaly grids were located within a radius of 53 km around the typhoon trajectory. At the city level, there are significant spatial difference in terms of the human activity recovery duration (230 h on average). At the subnational level, the absolute magnitude of abrupt location request changes is strongly correlated with the typhoon-induced economic losses and the population affected.

Abstract Objective This research studied the in vivo motion characteristics of the L3–S1 lumbar spine with facet-joint degeneration during functional activities. Methods Thirteen male and 21 female patients with facet-joint degeneration at the L3–S1 spinal region were included in the study. The L3–S1 lumbar segments of all the patients were divided into 3 groups according to the degree of facet-joints degeneration (mild, moderate, or severe). The ranges of motion (ROM) of the vertebrae were analyzed using a combination of computed tomography and dual fluoroscopic imaging techniques. During functional postures, the ROMs were compared between the 3 groups at each spinal level (L3–L4, L4–L5, and L5–S1). Results At L3–L4 level, the primary rotations between the mild and moderate groups during left-right twisting activity were significantly different. At L4–L5 level, the primary rotation of the moderate group was significantly higher than the other groups during flexion-extension. During left-right bending activities, a significant difference was observed only between the moderate and severe groups. At L5–S1 level, the rotation of the moderate group was significantly higher than the mild group during left-right bending activity. Conclusions Degeneration of the facet joint alters the ROMs of the lumbar spine. As the degree of facet-joint degeneration increased, the ROMs of the lumbar vertebra that had initially increased declined. However, when there was severe facet-joint degeneration, the ROMs of the lumbar spine declined to levels comparative to the moderate group. The relationship between the stability of the lumbar vertebra and the degree of facet-joint degeneration requires further study.

Abstract This paper presents two high-order exponential time differencing precise integration methods (PIMs) in combination with a spatially global sixth-order compact finite difference scheme (CFDS) for solving parabolic equations with high accuracy. One scheme is a modification of the compact finite difference scheme of precise integration method (CFDS-PIM) based on the fourth-order Taylor approximation and the other is a modification of the CFDS-PIM based on a (4,4) $(4,4)$-Padé approximation. Moreover, on coupling with the Strang splitting method, these schemes are extended to multi-dimensional problems, which also have fast computational efficiency and high computational accuracy. Several numerical examples are carried out in order to demonstrate the performance and ability of the proposed schemes. Numerical results indicate that the proposed schemes improve remarkably the computational accuracy rather than the empirical finite difference scheme. Moreover, these examples show that the CFDS-PIM based on the fourth-order Taylor approximation yields more accurate results than the CFDS-PIM based on the (4,4) $(4,4)$-Padé approximation.

A novel phosphorus and oxygen co-doped graphitic carbon nitride (sheetP-O-CNSSA) photocatalyst was successfully synthesized and applied for H2 evolution under visible light. In the synthesis process of sheetP-O-CNSSA, the supramolecular complex was developed by the self-assembly and copolymerization reaction among melamine, cyanuric acid (CA) and trithiocyanuric acid (TCA) to act as g-C3N4 precursors, while (NH4)2HPO4 was applied as P and O precursors for element doping. The chemical structures, morphologies, and optical properties of the sheetP-O-CNSSA were characterized by a series of measurements, i.e., XRD, FT-IR, SEM, TEM, UV-vis DRS, and PL. The results suggested that the introduction of P and O elements could enhance the separation and migration efficiency of photogenerated electrons and holes in the energy band of g-C3N4. The photocatalytic tests over Erythrosin B (EB) sensitized sheetP-O-CNSSA indicated that the hydrogen evolution was greatly enhanced compared with other catalysts and non-sensitized sheetP-O-CNSSA under visible light irradiation. Finally, a possible dye-sensitized photocatalysis mechanism was also proposed on the basis of the as-obtained results.

The recently circulating SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.5 is rampaging the world with elevated transmissibility compared to the original SARS-CoV-2 strain. Immune escape of BA.5 was observed after treatment with many monoclonal antibodies, calling for broad-spectrum, immune-escape-evading therapeutics. In retrospect, we previously reported Kansetin as an ACE2 mimetic and a protein antagonist against SARS-CoV-2, which proved potent neutralization bioactivity on the Reference, Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron strains of SARS-CoV-2. Since BA.5 is expected to rely on the interaction of the Spike complex with human ACE2 for cell entry, we reasonably assumed the lasting efficacy of the ACE2-mimicking Kansetin for neutralizing the new SARS-CoV-2 variant. The investigation was accordingly performed on in vitro Kansetin-Spike binding affinity by SPR and cell infection inhibition ability with pseudovirus and live virus assays. As a result, Kansetin showed dissociation constant KD and half inhibition concentration IC50 at the nanomolar to picomolar level, featuring a competent inhibition effect against the BA.5 sublineage. Conclusively, Kansetin is expected to be a promising therapeutic option against BA.5 and future SARS-CoV-2 sublineages.

Knowledge regarding the relationship between muscles and the corresponding motor neurons would allow therapeutic genes to transport into specific spinal cord segments. Retrograde tracing technique by targeting the motor endplate (MEP), a highly specialized structure that offers direct access to the spinal motor neurons, has been used to elucidate the connectivity between skeletal muscles and the innervating motor neuron pools. However, current injection strategies mainly based on blind injection or the local MEP region might lead to an underestimation of the motor neuron number due to the uneven distribution of MEP in skeletal muscles. In this work, we proposed a novel intramuscular injection strategy based on the 3D distribution of the MEPs in skeletal muscles, applied the 3D intramuscular injection to the gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior for retrograde tracing of the corresponding motor neurons, and compared this with the existing injection strategy. The intramuscular diffusion of the tracer demonstrated that 3D injection could maximize the retrograde transport by ensuring a greater uptake of the tracer by the MEP region. In combination with optical clearing and imaging, we performed 3D mapping and quantification of the labeled motor neurons and confirmed that 3D injection could label more motor neurons than the current injection method. It is expected that 3D intramuscular injection strategy will help elucidate the connective relationship between muscles and motor neurons faithfully and becomes a promising tool in the development of gene therapy strategies for motor neuron diseases.

On the basis of national standard method GB/T25223—2010, the method of determining sterols in animal and vegetable oils and fats by gas chromatography was improved and the preparation process of neutral aluminum oxide column was modified. The solvent used for washing sterol in silica gel was replaced by acetone, the derivatization reagent was replaced by 99% BSTFA+ 1% TMCS. The results showed that: The improved method was easier to operate than the national standard method, with high response value and low cost, but longer time.

To solve electrically large scattering problems with limited memory, a Gauss-Seidel iteration scheme is applied to solve the interior penalty integral equation domain decomposition method. Since the original stabilization parameter in this method is frequency-dependent, the convergence of stationary iterations shows obvious dependence on frequency and slow convergence can be observed in some frequency bands. To avoid this dependence and obtain fast convergence in a wide frequency band, a frequency-independent stabilization parameter is introduced. This parameter is chosen proportionally to the average mesh length and inversely proportionally to the wavelength. Numerical examples are proposed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Indoor safety concerns the safety of people′s life and property. Through indoor intrusion detection, it is possible to achieve early warning and avoid loss. Different from the common intrusion detection methods, the CSI(Channel status information) of the wireless communication signal WiFi is used to correlate with human behavior, which can achieve intrusion detection. The relationship between channel impulse response, channel frequency response and CSI is studied. The association between CSI and human behavior is verified using CSI dataset EHUCOUNT and machine learning method. The results show that the accuracy of intrusion detection based on SVM(Support Vector Machine) and CNN(Convolutional Neural Network) in six typical scenarios is 93.35%～99.23% and 89.17%～99.14%, respectively. Actual tests are carried out through collecting the WiFi signal using self-made spectrum sensor nodes. Experiment results show that intrusion detection accuracy is about 98%, which indicates that the intrusion detection based on WiFi signal is applicable to real scenario.

The Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) has achieved a consensus for the diagnosis of malnutrition in recent years. This study aims to determine the prognostic effect of the GLIM after cardiac surgery. A total of 603 patients in the training cohort and 258 patients in the validation cohort were enrolled in this study. Perioperative characteristics and follow-up data were collected. A nomogram based on independent prognostic predictors was developed for survival prediction. In total, 114 (18.9%) and 48 (18.6%) patients were defined as being malnourished according to the GLIM criteria in the two cohorts, respectively. Multivariate regression analysis showed that GLIM-defined malnutrition was an independent risk factor of total complication (OR 1.661, 95% CI: 1.063–2.594) and overall survival (HR 2.339, 95% CI: 1.504–3.637). The c-index was 0.72 (95% CI: 0.66–0.79) and AUC were 0.800, 0.798, and 0.780 for 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival prediction, respectively. The calibration curves of the nomogram fit well. In conclusion, GLIM criteria can efficiently identify malnutrition and has a prognostic effect on clinical outcomes after cardiac surgery. GLIM-based nomogram has favorable performance in survival prediction.

Background and Purpose. Diabetes is common in COVID-19 patients and associated with unfavorable outcomes. We aimed to describe the characteristics and identify the risk factors for COVID-19 patients complicated with diabetes. Methods. In this multicenter retrospective study, patients with COVID-19 in China were included and classified into two groups according to whether they were complicated with diabetes or not. Demographic symptoms and laboratory data were extracted from medical records. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression methods were used to explore the risk factors. Results. 538 COVID-19 patients were finally included in this study, of whom 492 were nondiabetes and 46 were diabetes. The median age was 47 years (IQR 35.0-56.0). And the elderly patients with diabetes were more likely to have dry cough, and the alanine aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, Ca, and mean hemoglobin recovery rate were higher than the other groups. Furthermore, we also found the liver and kidney function of male patients was worse than that of female patients, while female cases should be paid more attention to the occurrence of bleeding and electrolyte disorders. Moreover, advance age, blood glucose, gender, prothrombin time, and total cholesterol could be considered as risk factors for COVID-19 patients with diabetes through the multivariable logistic regression model in our study. Conclusion. The potential risk factors found in our study showed a major piece of the complex puzzle linking diabetes and COVID-19 infection. Meanwhile, focusing on gender and age factors in COVID-19 patients with or without diabetes, specific clinical characteristics, and risk factors should be paid more attention by clinicians to figure out a targeted intervention to improve clinical efficacy worldwide.