Developmental Functioning of Infants and Toddlers with Autism and Cerebral Palsy

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often have one or more comorbid medical conditions including cerebral palsy (CP). Due to the overlaps between ASD and CP symptomatology (e.g., impairments in speech, repetitive movements, atypical sensory issues), co-occurring CP often leads to delayed diagnoses of ASD interfering with early interventions and subsequently affecting functional outcome. Utilizing the Baby and Infant Screen for Children with aUtIsm Traits-Part 1 (BISCUIT-Part 1) and the Battelle Developmental Inventory, Second Edition (BDI-2), this study assessed and compared ASD symptomatology and developmental functioning in three groups of infants and toddlers, namely, those with ASD only, those with CP only, and those with comorbid ASD and CP. Results of the current study revealed significant group differences were found in both BISCUIT-Part 1 and BDI-2 total scores. Significant differences were also found in all BISCUIT-Part 1 domains and BDI-2 personal-social and motor domains. Interpretation and implication of the study findings are discussed

Facial Attribute Capsules for Noise Face Super Resolution

Existing face super-resolution (SR) methods mainly assume the input image to be noise-free. Their performance degrades drastically when applied to real-world scenarios where the input image is always contaminated by noise. In this paper, we propose a Facial Attribute Capsules Network (FACN) to deal with the problem of high-scale super-resolution of noisy face image. Capsule is a group of neurons whose activity vector models different properties of the same entity. Inspired by the concept of capsule, we propose an integrated representation model of facial information, which named Facial Attribute Capsule (FAC). In the SR processing, we first generated a group of FACs from the input LR face, and then reconstructed the HR face from this group of FACs. Aiming to effectively improve the robustness of FAC to noise, we generate FAC in semantic, probabilistic and facial attributes manners by means of integrated learning strategy. Each FAC can be divided into two sub-capsules: Semantic Capsule (SC) and Probabilistic Capsule (PC). Them describe an explicit facial attribute in detail from two aspects of semantic representation and probability distribution. The group of FACs model an image as a combination of facial attribute information in the semantic space and probabilistic space by an attribute-disentangling way. The diverse FACs could better combine the face prior information to generate the face images with fine-grained semantic attributes. Extensive benchmark experiments show that our method achieves superior hallucination results and outperforms state-of-the-art for very low resolution (LR) noise face image super resolution.Comment: To appear in AAAI 202

Medical image registration based on PCA and M_PSNR

Medical image registration is not only the premise of medical image fusion, but also the focus of medical image processing. It plays an important role in clinical diagnosis and treatment planning. Aiming at the problem of mutual information value in image registration, a PCA neural network and M_PSNR based method for rigid registration of reference and floating images was proposed. In this method, the centroid of the image needs to be figured out through the image matrix, and the rotation Angle and translation of the image registration can be calculated by PCA method to obtain the optimal rotation transformation and the initial registration value. Finally, M_PSNR method improved by PSNR was used for similarity test to increase the speed and efficiency of registration and simplify the calculation process

Nomogram for Predicting the Severity of Coronary Artery Disease in Young Adults ≤45 Years of Age with Acute Coronary Syndrome

Background: A non-invasive predictive model has not been established to identify the severity of coronary lesions in young adults with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods: In this retrospective study, 1088 young adults (≤45 years of age) first diagnosed with ACS who underwent coronary angiography were enrolled and randomized 7:3 into training or testing datasets. To build the nomogram, we determined optimal predictors of coronary lesion severity with the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator and Random Forest algorithm. The predictive accuracy of the nomogram was assessed with calibration plots, and performance was assessed with the receiver operating characteristic curve, decision curve analysis and the clinical impact curve. Results: Seven predictors were identified and integrated into the nomogram: age, hypertension, diabetes, body mass index, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, mean platelet volume and C-reactive protein. Receiver operating characteristic analyses demonstrated the nomogram’s good discriminatory performance in predicting severe coronary artery disease in young patients with ACS in the training (area under the curve 0.683, 95% confidence interval [0.645–0.721]) and testing (area under the curve 0.670, 95% confidence interval [0.611–0.729]) datasets. The nomogram was also well-calibrated in both the training (P=0.961) and testing (P=0.302) datasets. Decision curve analysis and the clinical impact curve indicated the model’s good clinical utility. Conclusion: A simple and practical nomogram for predicting coronary artery disease severity in young adults≤45 years of age with ACS was established and validated

Evolution of black shale sedimentary environment and its impact on organic matter content and mineral composition: a case study from Wufeng-Longmaxi Formation in Southern and Eastern Sichuan Basin

Due to global geological events and differences in regional sedimentary environments, marine shale reservoirs of Wufeng-Longmaxi Formation in Eastern and Southern Sichuan Basin exhibit significant heterogeneity in organic matter content and mineral composition. In order to reveal the influence of paleoenvironment evolution on reservoir heterogeneity, key geochemical indicators of elements were used to reconstruct the sedimentary environment of marine shale in Eastern and Southern Sichuan Basin. The influence mechanism of paleoenvironment on organic matter content and mineral components was also explored. The results indicate that the Wufeng-Longmaxi Formation in the Southern and Eastern Sichuan Basin can be divided into two third-order sequences (Sq 1 and Sq 2). Each third-order sequence is divided into a transgressive system tract (TST) and a highstand system tract (HST). The average TOC content in the Eastern Sichuan Basin is the highest during the TST1 period with reaching 4.2%, while reached its maximum at 3.9% during the TST2 period in the Southern Sichuan Basin. Due to the influence of high paleo-productivity, the organic matter accumulation and quartz content in the eastern Sichuan region were higher than those in the southern Sichuan region from the TST1 to the middle TST2 period. However, the organic matter accumulation and quartz content in the late TST2 period were lower than those in the southern Sichuan region due to the dilution of terrestrial debris. During the HST2 period, due to the influence of higher paleo-productivity, clay adsorption and preservation condition, the TOC content in the eastern Sichuan region slightly increased in the early stage. At the same time, the marine shale in the southern Sichuan region has a high content of quartz minerals and a low content of clay minerals due to strong weathering intensity and input of coarse-grained debris (silt-size quartz)

Sulfur-doped TiO2 anchored on a large-area carbon sheet as a high-performance anode for sodium-ion battery

Well-tailored sulfur-doped anatase titanium dioxide nanoparticles anchored on a large-area carbon sheet are designed, where the in situ sulfur-doped titanium dioxide directly comes from titanium oxysulfate and the large-area carbon sheet is derived from glucose. When applied as an anode material for sodium-ion batteries, it exhibits an excellent electrochemical performance including a high capacity [256.4 mA h g–1 at 2 C (1 C = 335 mA h g–1) after 500 cycles] and a remarkable rate of cycling stability (100.5 mA h g–1 at 30 C after 500 cycles). These outstanding sodium storage behaviors are ascribed to the nanosized particles (about 8–12 nm), good electronic conductivity promoted by the incorporation of carbon sheet and sulfur, as well as the unique chemical bond based on the electrostatic interaction

Experimental study on shear mechanical properties and damage evolution ofartificial structural plane under constant normal stiffness

To study the influence of asperity angle and normal stiffness on the shear mechanical properties of the structural plane, a direct shear test of the artificial structural plane with constant normal stiffness (CNS) was carried out using the self-developed coal rock shear seepage coupling test system. The results show that the shear stress presents a periodic oscillation attenuation trend when the asperity angles are 15° and 30°. At the end of shearing, the reduction in peak shear stress with the increase of normal stiffness is 1.78, 1.42, 1.36 and 1.27 MPa, respectively, which is gradually decreasing. While the asperity angle is 45°, the shear stress gradually tends to residual strength after reaching the peak shear stress, and there is a one-to-one correspondence between normal displacement evolution and shear stress. With the increase of the asperity angles, the shear stiffness increases gradually. With the increase of normal stiffness, the peak shear stress of structural planes with 15° and 45° asperity angles increases linearly, and when the asperity angle is 30°, it presents the characteristic of piecewise function, but the peak shear dilatancy angle gradually decreases. The failure mode of the structural plane is obtained by analyzing the mass loss before and after shearing, the proportion of debris particle size, and the evolution of three-dimensional morphology parameters. When the fluctuation angles are 15° and 45°, the failure modes are relatively single, namely wear failure and tooth cutting failure. When the fluctuation angle is 30°, the failure mode has a strong and complex dependence on the experimental conditions, mainly including tooth tip shear failure and full tooth cutting failure. By combining the three-dimensional spatial point cloud data of the structural plane with the normal displacement values at the corresponding shear displacement, a simulated cloud map of the structural plane gap width at a specific shear displacement is obtained, which analyzes the dynamic evolution process of the structural plane during the shear process and obtains its failure mechanism

Effect of Nicotinamide Against Candida albicans

Nicotinamide (NAM) has a long history in clinical applications and can be safely used for treating various diseases. In recent years, NAM was found to exhibit antimicrobial activities, inhibiting the growth of Plasmodium falciparum, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Here we investigated the activity of NAM against Candida albicans, one of the most prevalent human fungal pathogens. Our results showed that NAM exhibited significant antifungal activity against C. albicans, including fluconazole-resistant isolates. NAM could also effectively suppress biofilm formation. In addition, NAM exhibited antifungal activity against non-Candida albicans species and Cryptococcus neoformans. Combination of NAM and fluconazole showed an even strong antifungal activity. The antifungal activity of NAM was further confirmed in a mouse model of disseminated candidiasis. Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed that NAM increased cell wall β-glucans exposure and chitin content while decreased mannan level. Furthermore, by screening the C. albicans homozygous deletion mutant library, the C. albicans mutant lacking GIN4, which encodes a septin regulatory protein kinase and is essential for the maintenance of cell wall integrity, was identified to be high sensitive to NAM. These findings suggested that NAM might exhibit antifungal activities through affecting cell wall organization

A second HD mating type sublocus of Flammulina velutipes is at least di-allelic and active: new primers for identification of HD-a and HD-b subloci

Background Sexual development in Flammulina velutipes is controlled by two different mating type loci (HD and PR). The HD locus contains homeodomain (Hd) genes on two separate HD subloci: HD-a and HD-b. While the functionality of the HD-b sublocus has been largely confirmed, the status and content of the HD-a sublocus has remained unclear. Methods To examine the function of the HD-a sublocus, genome sequences of a series of F. velutipes strains were analyzed and tested through series of amplification by specific primer sets. Furthermore, activity of di-allelic HD-a locus was confirmed by crossing strains with different combinations of HD-a and HD-b subloci. Results Sublocus HD-b contained a large variety of fixed Hd1/Hd2 gene pairs, while the HD-a sublocus either contained a conserved Hd2 gene or, a newly discovered Hd1 gene that was also conserved. Identification of whole HD loci, that is, the contents of HD-a and HD-b subloci in a strain, revealed that strains with similar HD-b subloci could still form normal dikaryons if the two genes at the HD-a sublocus differed. At least di-allelic HD-a sublocus, is thus indicated to be actively involved in mating type compatibility. Conclusions HD-a sublocus is active and di-allelic. Using the new information on the HD subloci, primers sets were developed that specifically amplify HD-a or HD-b subloci in the majority of F. velutipes strains. In this way, unknown HD mating types of F. velutipes can now be quickly identified, and HD mating type compatibility conferred by HD-a or HD-b can be confirmed by PCR

Soybean Breeding on Seed Composition Trait

Soybean is a most important crop providing edible oil and plant protein source for human beings, in addition to animal feed because of high protein and oil content. This review summarized the progresses in the QTL mapping, candidate gene cloning and functional analysis and also the regulation of soybean oil and seed storage protein accumulation. Furthermore, as soybean genome has been sequenced and released, prospects of multiple omics and advanced biotechnology should be combined and applied for further refine research and high-quality breeding