Comparative analysis of differential gene expression in two species of crucian carps in response to Cyprinid herpesvirus 2 (CyHV-2) infection

We assessed the expressions of MHCI, LYZC, keratin8, MPO, DUSP1, IκBα, Rab21, and Rac2 between two species of carps (Erqisi river crucian carp and allogynogenetic crucian carp) after Cyprinid herpesvirus 2 (CyHV-2) infection. The relative expressions of MHCI, LYZC, and keratin8 in the virus-challenged groups were significantly higher than control groups. Moreover, the expression of IκBα in the virus-challenged groups was significantly lower than in the control groups. Compared with the virus-challenged ERO group, the expression of IκBα in the virus-challenged ZHO group decreased. The expression of Rab21 in the virus-challenged groups gradually increased and was significantly higher than in the control groups, and then its expression began to decrease after 24 h. At 72 h, the expression of IκBα in both virus-challenged groups was significantly lower than in the control groups. In addition, the expression of Rab21 in the virus-challenged ZHO group was significantly higher than the virus-challenged ERO group at all time points except for 72 h. Before 24 h, the expression of Rac2 remained unchanged in these four groups, and its expression in the virus-challenged ZHO group was significantly higher than in the other three groups. Nevertheless, its expression began to decrease after 24 h but was still slightly higher than the control group at 72 h. MPO showed a similar expression pattern as Rac2. The expression of DUSP1 in the four groups was the same at 0 h. However, its expression in the virus-challenged ZHO group was significantly higher than in the other three groups at other time points

A prospective approach for enhancing the performance of carbon-mixed concrete via retarder incorporation

The concrete that absorbs carbon dioxide during the mixing process, termed as carbon-mixed concrete, has become a hot research topic under the background of dual carbon goals. However, the workability of concrete significantly decreases even with the absorption of a minimal amount of carbon dioxide, indicating a potential challenge in its practical application. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of incorporating 0.5%, 1.0%, and 2.0% carbon dioxide (relative to the mass of cementitious materials) and retarder on the mechanical properties and microstructure of concrete through mercury intrusion, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy, revealing the mechanism of retarder improving carbon-mixed concrete. The results indicated that the flowability and 28-day compressive strength of concrete mixed with 0.5% carbon dioxide decreased by 68.75% and 10.77%, respectively. However, after adding 0.25% retarder, these values for the carbon-mixed concrete only decreased by 18.75% and 3.52%. Meanwhile, the introduction of carbon dioxide can form carbonates and carboaluminates and refine the internal pores of the concrete matrix. This study proposes an effective method to improve the performance of carbon-mixed concrete, which can promote the efficient absorption of carbon dioxide in the concrete industry

The effect of visual attention process and thinking styles on environmental aesthetic preference: An eye-tracking study

People often form different aesthetic preferences for natural and built environments, which affects their behavioral intention; however, it remains unknown whether this difference in aesthetic preference is due to differences in thinking styles. However, whether tourists’ aesthetic preferences differ when using different visual attention processes has not been studied further. This study used eye-tracking and self-reporting to investigate these questions. The results show that natural environment images are more favored visually because they can evoke in tourists larger pupil diameters and longer scan paths, but we found no significant difference in fixation duration and fixation counts. We also found that the scanning path of tourists who predominantly rely on intuitive thinking is modulated by the bottom-up attention process, while the scanning path of tourists who prefer rational thinking is modulated by the top-down attention process. In the bottom-up process, tourists who prefer rational thinking exhibit more positive aesthetic preferences and emotional arousal. In summary, the present study verified that aesthetic preference is more likely to be influenced by both thinking style and visual attention processing. The results of the present work provide preliminary evidence that the aesthetic preference of the environment is not only related to visual attention but also affected by the individual visual attention process and thinking style

Electrochemical properties of CaZrO3-α-based solid electrolyte

AbstractIn this study, yttrium-doped calcium zirconate powders were synthesized by the conventional solid-state reaction method. The improved emf apparatus has been applied to measure the electrochemical values in the Y-doped CaZrO3 system. The electromotive force of CaZr0.96Y0.04O3−α has been measured by electrochemical cells of the type.(−,ref.),Pt,gas mixture(p′O2,p″H2)|CaZr0.96Y0.04O3−α|gas mixture(p″O2,p″H2),Pt,(meas,+.)The electromotive force (emf) was measured for various oxygen and hydrogen chemical potential gradients. The measurements were performed in a hydrogen-rich atmosphere for the temperature range from 973 to 1473K. For almost all the conditions in the experiment, the measured emfs were well explained by regarding that the substantial predominant charge carrier is the proton. Under the hydrogen-rich atmosphere investigated, it was found that the emf generated only with the hydrogen activity gradient. The detailed analysis of the obtained emf data showed that the transport number of proton in CaZr0.96Y0.04O3−α is almost unity for the hydrogen-rich atmosphere and its proton conduction domain is a little wider than that of the In-doped CaZrO3 system

Multimodal N-of-1 trials: A Novel Personalized Healthcare Design

N-of-1 trials aim to estimate treatment effects on the individual level and can be applied to personalize a wide range of physical and digital interventions in mHealth. In this study, we propose and apply a framework for multimodal N-of-1 trials in order to allow the inclusion of health outcomes assessed through images, audio or videos. We illustrate the framework in a series of N-of-1 trials that investigate the effect of acne creams on acne severity assessed through pictures. For the analysis, we compare an expert-based manual labelling approach with different deep learning-based pipelines where in a first step, we train and fine-tune convolutional neural networks (CNN) on the images. Then, we use a linear mixed model on the scores obtained in the first step in order to test the effectiveness of the treatment. The results show that the CNN-based test on the images provides a similar conclusion as tests based on manual expert ratings of the images, and identifies a treatment effect in one individual. This illustrates that multimodal N-of-1 trials can provide a powerful way to identify individual treatment effects and can enable large-scale studies of a large variety of health outcomes that can be actively and passively assessed using technological advances in order to personalized health interventions

Facilitating granule cell survival and maturation in dentate gyrus with baicalin for antidepressant therapeutics

Baicalin isolated from Scutellaria baicalensis possesses antidepressant abilities through its relation to hippocampal neurogenesis. Current research has found that baicalin can promote the proliferation of hippocampal granule cells, however, the detailed mechanism of baicalin on the survival and maturation of hippocampal granule cells has yet to be sufficiently explored. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether baicalin could facilitate the survival and maturation of hippocampal granule cells, and to explore its potential mechanism. The chronic corticosterone (CORT)-induced mouse model of depression was used to assess antidepressant-like effects of baicalin and to illuminate possible molecular mechanisms by which baicalin affects hippocampal neurogenesis. The survival and maturation of granule cells were measured by immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence and Golgi staining. The expression of Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Protein kinase B (AKT)/glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β)/β-catenin pathway related proteins were measured by western blot analysis. PI3K inhibitor LY292002 and AKT inhibitor Perifosine were administered to HT-22 cells to explore the relationship between the PI3K/AKT/GSK3β/β-catenin pathway and baicalin. The results of the study illustrated that baicalin significantly decreased chronic CORT-induced depressive-like behaviors and reduced serum corticosterone levels. In addition, baicalin (administered at 60 mg/kg) reversed chronic CORT-induced lesions on hippocampal granule cells. Moreover, baicalin significantly increased the phosphorylation rate of PI3K, AKT, GSK3β, and total β-catenin. The study found that administration of LY292002/Perifosine counteracted the effects of baicalin in HT-22 cells. These results demonstrate that baicalin can alleviate chronic CORT-induced depressive-like behaviors through promoting survival and maturation of adult-born hippocampal granule cells and exhibiting protective effect on hippocampal neuron morphology. We propose the underlying mechanisms involve the activation of the PI3K/AKT/GSK3β/β-catenin pathway

Tracheobronchial ossification in children: a case report and review of the literature

ObjectiveThis study aimed to report a case of tracheobronchial ossification (TO) in a child and review the related literature on its clinical signs, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, pathological characteristics, points, and treatment measures.MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of one pediatric patient with TO admitted to the Department of Pediatrics, Fuzhou Pulmonary Hospital. In addition, three relevant articles published up to July 2024 were reviewed from both domestic and international databases, including PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. The clinical features of a total of four pediatric cases of tracheobronchial osteochondroplasia were summarized and analyzed.ResultsA 12-year-old girl with a 5-year history of symptoms was retrospectively reviewed. The patient presented with chronic cough, sputum, hemoptysis, and exertional dyspnea. Comorbidities such as bronchiectasis with cavitation, pneumonia, Klebsiella pneumoniae infection, and sinusitis were observed. Imaging revealed airway wall nodules and structural lung changes. Bronchoscopy showed scattered white nodules; histopathology confirmed mucosal ossification with focal bone marrow formation. Symptomatic improvement was achieved after anti-infective and supportive treatment. A 4-year follow-up revealed recurrent pneumonia and progression of bronchiectasis. Three additional pediatric TO cases (aged 6 months to 9 years) were identified in the literature. Presentations included respiratory symptoms and recurrent infections. Pulmonary function abnormalities, typical radiological and bronchoscopic features, and histopathological evidence were variably reported. Treatments ranged from symptomatic therapy to bronchoscopic intervention. One patient died, one remained stable, and follow-up data were limited.ConclusionTO can develop in children, with atypical chest computed tomography and bronchoscopic changes. Histopathological examination can confirm the diagnosis, and symptomatic treatment is the mainstay

Quantitative Research of 11C-CFT and 18F-FDG PET in Parkinson’s Disease: A Pilot Study With NeuroQ Software

Dopamine transporter (DAT) and glucose metabolism imaging have been applied in the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). We explored the possibility of evaluating for PD with NeuroQ software by analyzing 11C-2β-carbomethoxy-3β-(4-fluorophenyl) tropane (11C-CFT) and 18F-FDG PET/CT. We retrospectively analyzed brain 11C-CFT and 18F-FDG PET/CT of 38 patients with parkinsonism, including 20 with PD, 10 with multiple system atrophy (MSA) and 8 with essential tremor (ET), and compared them with the PET/CT of 11 normal healthy controls (NC). PD patients were divided into mild and moderate-severe grade according to the Hoehn-Yahr (H&Y) scale. The 11C-CFT uptake in the caudate nuclei (CN) and putamen (Pu) normalized with cerebellum (CN/Cb and Pu/Cb) were obtained with a manual method and NeuroQ software, and their diagnostic performance was compared.18F-FDG uptake of specific regions was also obtained with NeuroQ, and the enhancement effect for the differential diagnosis was evaluated. There was significant agreement between the manual method and the NeuroQ method for 11C-CFT uptake by CN (r2= 0.680) and Pu (r2= 0.770). 11C-CFT uptake by CN and Pu in PD and MSA patients was significantly lower compared to NC and ET patients. The cutoffs of CN/Cb and Pu/Cb for the distinction between PD and NC were 1.71 and 2.20, respectively. No difference in uptake ratios occurred between PD and MSA. 18F-FDG uptake by the pons and cerebellum in the MSA group was markedly decreased. It was highly accurate in distinguishing between PD and MSA when combined with analysis of 11C-CFT uptake. Pu/Cb decreased significantly in mild grade PD compared to NC group (1.92 ± 0.33 vs. 2.82 ± 0.43); however no statistically significant decrease in CN/Cb was observed until moderate-severe grade PD (1.43 ± 0.11 vs. 2.23 ± 0.36). In early asymmetric PD, a statistically significant difference could be seen with Pu/Cb between the symptomatic and asymptomatic side (2.17 ± 0.30 vs. 1.95 ± 0.22). 11C-CFT and 18F-FDG PET/CT can be analyzed quantitatively with NeuroQ software, which provides an accurate method for the diagnosis and severity evaluation of PD

Mantle Flow Underneath the South China Sea Revealed by Seismic Anisotropy

It Has Long Been Established that Plastic Flow in the Asthenosphere Interacts Constantly with the overlying Lithosphere and Plays a Pivotal Role in Controlling the Occurrence of Geohazards Such as Earthquakes and Volcanic Eruptions. Unfortunately, Accurately Characterizing the Direction and Lateral Extents of the Mantle Flow Field is Notoriously Difficult, Especially in Oceanic Areas Where Deployment of Ocean Bottom Seismometers (OBSs) is Expensive and Thus Rare. in This Study, by Applying Shear Wave Splitting Analyses to a Dataset Recorded by an OBS Array that We Deployed between Mid-2019 and Mid-2020 in the South China Sea (SCS), We Show that the Dominant Mantle Flow Field Has a NNW-SSE Orientation, Which Can Be Attributed to Mantle Flow Extruded from the Tibetan Plateau by the Ongoing Indian-Eurasian Collision. in Addition, the Results Suggest that E-W Oriented Flow Fields Observed in South China and the Indochina Peninsula Do Not Extend to the Central SCS