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The path planning and obstacle-crossing motion planning of cable trench inspection robots are essential for achieving automated inspection. To improve path planning efficiency and obstacle navigation in complex environments, an enhanced global path planning algorithm based on the A* algorithm has been developed, combined with an improved Dynamic Window Approach (DWA) for local path planning. For unavoidable obstacles, a specific obstacle-crossing motion planning strategy has been formulated. The enhanced A* algorithm improves efficiency and safety through adaptive neighborhood expansion and the elimination of redundant path points. The improved DWA algorithm enables real-time dynamic obstacle avoidance in local path planning. The simulation results on a $20 \times 20$ grid map indicate that the improved A* algorithm reduces the number of nodes by 58.4% and shortens the path length by 6.1% compared to the traditional A* algorithm, demonstrating significant advantages over other conventional path planning algorithms. In the simulation experiments integrating global and local path planning, the enhanced A* algorithm combined with the improved DWA algorithm reduces the path length by 3.2% on the $20 \times 20$ grid map compared to the integration with the traditional DWA algorithm. On the $30 \times 30$ grid maps with different obstacle configurations, the path lengths are reduced by 3.5% and 3.6%, respectively. In the obstacle-crossing experiments, the robot successfully overcame obstacles of 10 cm and 20 cm in height. The proposed path planning algorithm and obstacle-crossing motion planning strategy hold substantial application potential in complex environments, offering reliable technical support for cable trench inspection robots.
Zinc finger protein (Zelda) of Tribolium castaneum (TcZelda) has been showed to play pivotal roles in embryonic development and metamorphosis. However, the regulatory mechanism of TcZelda associated with these physiology processes is unclear. Herein, the developmental expression profile showed that Zelda of T. castaneum was highly expressed in early eggs. Tissue expression profiling revealed that TcZelda was mainly expressed in the larval head and adult ovary of late adults and late larvae. TcZelda knockdown led to a 95% mortality rate in adults. These results suggested that TcZelda is related to the activation of the zygote genome in early embryonic development. Furthermore, 592 differentially expressed genes were identified from the dsZelda treated group. Compared with the control group, altered disjunction (ALD) and AGAP005368-PA (GAP) in the dsZelda group were significantly down-regulated, while TGF-beta, propeptide (TGF) was significantly up-regulated, suggesting that TcZelda may be involved in insect embryonic development. In addition, the expression of Ubx ultrabithorax (UBX), Cx cephalothorax (CX), En engrailed (EN), and two Endocuticle structural glycoprotein sgabd (ABD) genes were significantly down-regulated, suggesting that they may cooperate with TcZelda to regulate the development of insect wings. Additionally, Elongation (ELO), fatty acid synthase (FAS), and fatty acyl-CoA desaturase (FAD) expression was inhibited in dsZelda insects, which could disturb the lipase signaling pathways, thus, disrupting the insect reproductive system and pheromone synthesis. These results may help reveal the function of TcZelda in insects and the role of certain genes in the gene regulatory network and provide new ideas for the prevention and control of T. castaneum.
Dynamic interpersonal therapy (DIT) is a brief, structured psychodynamic psychotherapy with demonstrated efficacy in treating major depressive disorder (MDD). The aim of the study was to determine whether DIT is an acceptable and efficacious treatment for MDD patients in China.
Method
Patients were randomized to 16-week treatments with either DIT plus antidepressant medication (DIT + ADM; n = 66), general supportive therapy plus antidepressant medication (GST + ADM; n = 75) or antidepressant medication alone (ADM; n = 70). The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) administered by blind raters was the primary efficacy measure. Assessments were completed during the acute 16-week treatment and up to 12-month posttreatment.
Results
The group × time interaction was significant for the primary outcome HAMD (F = 2.900, df1 = 10, df2 = 774.72, p = 0.001) in the acute treatment phase. Pairwise comparisons showed a benefit of DIT + ADM over ADM at weeks 12 [least-squares (LS) mean difference = −3.161, p = 0.007] and 16 (LS mean difference = −3.237, p = 0.004). Because of the unexpected high attrition during the posttreatment follow-up phase, analyses of follow-up data were considered exploratory. Differences between DIT + ADM and ADM remained significant at the 1-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up (ps range from 0.001 to 0.027). DIT + ADM had no advantage over GST + ADM during the acute treatment phase. However, at the 12-month follow-up, patients who received DIT remained less depressed.
Conclusions
Acute treatment with DIT or GST in combination with ADM was similarly efficacious in reducing depressive symptoms and yielded a better outcome than ADM alone. DIT may provide MDD patients with long-term benefits in symptom improvement but results must be viewed with caution.
We investigate the global Cauchy problem for a two–phase flow model consisting of the pressureless Euler equations coupled with the isentropic compressible Navier–Stokes equations through a drag forcing term. This model was first derived by Choi–Kwon [J. Differential Equations, 261(1) (2016), pp. 654–711] by taking the hydrodynamic limit of the Vlasov/compressible Navier–Stokes equations. Under the assumption that the initial perturbation is sufficiently small, Choi–Kwon [J. Differential Equations, 261(1) (2016), pp. 654–711] established the global well–posedness and large time behaviour for the three dimensional periodic domain $\mathbb {T}^3$. However, up to now, the global well–posedness and large time behaviour for the three dimensional Cauchy problem still remain unsolved. In this paper, we resolve this problem by proving the global existence and optimal decay rates of classic solutions for the three dimensional Cauchy problem when the initial data is near its equilibrium. One of key observations here is that to overcome the difficulties arising from the absence of pressure in the Euler equations, we make full use of the drag forcing term and the dissipative structure of the Navier–Stokes equations to closure the energy estimates of the variables for the pressureless Euler equations.
Cytochrome P450 proteins (CYPs) in insects can encode various detoxification enzymes and catabolize heterologous substances, conferring tolerance to insecticides. This study describes the identification of a P450 gene (CYP6BQ8) from Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) and investigation of its spatiotemporal expression profile and potential role in the detoxification of terpinen-4-ol, a component of plant essential oils. The developmental expression profile showed that TcCYP6BQ8 expression was relatively higher in early- and late-larval stages of T. castaneum compared with other developmental stages. Tissue expression profiles showed that TcCYP6BQ8 was mainly expressed in the head and integument of both larvae and adults. The expression profiling of TcCYP6BQ8 in developmental stages and tissues is closely related to the detoxification of heterologous substances. TcCYP6BQ8 expression was significantly induced after exposure to terpinen-4-ol, and RNA interference against TcCYP6BQ8 increased terpinen-4-ol-induced larval mortality from 47.78 to 66.67%. This indicates that TcCYP6BQ8 may be involved in T. castaneum's metabolism of terpinen-4-ol. Correlation investigation between the CYP6BQ8 gene and terpinen-4-ol resistance in T. castaneum revealed that the TcCYP6BQ8 gene was one of the factors behind T. castaneum's resistance to terpinen-4-ol. This discovery may provide a new theoretical foundation for future regulation of T. castaneum.
This study aims to assess the contents of COVID-19 vaccine related videos available on iQiYi, which is a popular video website in mainland China.
Methods:
The phrases “新型冠状病毒疫苗”(COVID-19 vaccine) and “新冠疫苗”(the abbreviation of “新型冠状病毒疫苗” according to Chinese habits), were searched separately on iQiYi on July 1, 2021. The 200 most popular videos of each search were screened. Video content and characteristics were identified, extracted and independently rated against Global Quality Scale (GQS), Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct (HONCode) and DISCERN principle by the 2 authors.
Results:
A total of 90 videos, with a total of 1165596 views, 14498 likes, and 1450 forwards as well as 95 comments at the time of data collection were included in the study. The channels, sources, topics, and formats of the videos were diversified. The majority of videos received high scores on GQS and all the videos partly adhere to HONCode and DISCERN principle.
Conclusions:
Overall quality of information on iQiYi regarding COVID-19 vaccines remains good. However, existing evaluation tools cannot reflect the complexity of video websites. New and more effective tools or standards should be developed to help people understand the modern landscape of health communication better.
Aldehyde oxidases (AOXs) are a group of metabolic enzymes that play critical roles in the degradation of xenobiotics and chemicals. However, the physiological function of this enzyme in insects remains poorly understood. In this study, three TcAOX genes (TcAOX1, TcAOX2, TcAOX3) were identified and characterized from Tribolium castaneum genome. Spatiotemporal expression profiling showed that TcAOX1 expression was most highly expressed at the early pupal stage and was predominantly expressed in the antennae of adults, indicating that TcAOX1 was involved in the degradation of chemical signals; TcAOX2 expression was most highly expressed at the late pupal stage and was mainly expressed in the fat body, epidermis of larvae and adults, respectively; and TcAOX3 expression was in all stages and was primarily expressed in the head of adults. Moreover, the transcripts of TcAOX2 and TcAOX3 were significantly induced after exposure to plant oil, and RNA interference (RNAi) targeting of each of them enhanced the susceptibility of beetles to this plant toxicant, suggesting that these two genes are associated with plant toxicant detoxification. Intriguingly, knockdown of the TcAOX1 led to reductions in female egg-laying but unchanged the hatchability and the development of genital organs, suggesting that this gene may mediate fecundity by effecting the inactivation of chemical signals in T. castaneum. Overall, these results shed new light on the function of AOX genes in insects, and could facilitate the development of research on pest control management.
Sarcopenia is a core contributor to several health consequences, including falls, fractures, physical limitations and disability. The pathophysiological processes of sarcopenia may be counteracted with the proper diet, delaying sarcopenia onset. Dietary pattern analysis is a whole diet approach used to investigate the relationship between diet and sarcopenia. Here, we aimed to investigate this relationship in an elderly Chinese population. A cross-sectional study with 2423 participants aged more than 60 years was performed. Sarcopenia was defined based on the guidelines of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia, composed of low muscle mass plus low grip strength and/or low gait speed. Dietary data were collected using a FFQ that included questions on 100 food items along with their specified serving sizes. Three dietary patterns were derived by factor analysis: sweet pattern, vegetable pattern and animal food pattern. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 16·1 %. The higher vegetable pattern score and animal food pattern score were related to lower prevalence of sarcopenia (Ptrend = 0·006 and < 0·001, respectively); the multivariate-adjusted OR of the prevalence of sarcopenia in the highest v. lowest quartiles were 0·54 (95 % CI 0·34, 0·86) and 0·50 (95 % CI 0·33, 0·74), separately. The sweet pattern score was not significantly related to the prevalence of sarcopenia. The present study showed that vegetable pattern and animal food pattern were related to a lower prevalence of sarcopenia in Chinese older adults. Further studies are required to clarify these findings.
The sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused tremendous challenges to the medical system. The government and hospitals have taken robust measures to curb the spread of the deadly virus. Its impact on routine medical services is gradually being taken seriously.
Objective:
To identify the impact of the novel Coronavirus pandemic on emergency department (ED) patient flow and the performance of the routine ED service.
Methods:
This retrospective cohort study was undertaken in a tertiary public teaching hospital ED in Chengdu, China. ED data of patients were routinely collected to compare demographic, clinical characteristics and outcomes during an 8-week period from January 1, 2019 to February 25, 2020. Data were analyzed with the chi-square statistical test.
Results:
Over the study periods, there were 31855 and 25244 patients presented to the ED in 2019 and 2020 respectively. During the pandemic period in 2020, the daily number of average ED visits was lower than that in 2019 (430 ± 134.9 versus 572 ± 38.6, P = 0.00), with fewer triage 1&2 cases (145 ± 33.3 versus 178 ± 15.0, P = 0.00). Nevertheless, the mortality increased remarkably during the pandemic period in 2020 (0.2% versus 0.1%, P = 0.009), with higher APACHE II scores (28 versus 19, P = 0.022) and shorter ED elapsed time (0.2 versus 1.4 days, P = 0.016) among these death cases.
Conclusions:
The COVID-19 pandemic had an evident impact on the patient’s behavioral patterns and routine emergency services, which caused higher ED mortality.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome. Recent evidence has suggested the protective effects of honey consumption against the metabolic syndrome, but the association between honey intake and NAFLD is still unclear. We investigated how the consumption frequency of honey was associated with NAFLD in the general population. This was a cross-sectional study of 21 979 adults aged 20–90 years. NAFLD was diagnosed based on the ultrasound-diagnosed fatty liver without significant alcohol intake and other liver diseases. Diet information, including consumption frequency of honey, was assessed by a validated 100-item FFQ. OR with 95 % CI were calculated by the binary logistic regression model, adjusting for confounding factors identified by the directed acyclic graph. Overall, 6513 adults (29·6 %) had NAFLD. Compared with participants consuming ≤1 time/week of honey, the multivariable OR of NAFLD were 0·86 (95 % CI 0·77, 0·97) for 2–6 times/week and 1·10 (95 % CI 0·95, 1·27) for ≥1 times/d (Pfor trend = 0·90). The results were generally similar in subgroups of BMI at a cut-point of 24·0 kg/m2 (Pfor interaction = 0·10). In this large-scale study, consuming honey 2–6 times/week was inversely associated with NAFLD, whereas consuming honey ≥1 times/d had no association with NAFLD. These results need replication in other large-scale prospective studies.
Emerging evidence has been revealed that high fat diet (HFD) correlate with insulin resistance (IR) which could be induced by endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS). Recently, obesity or HFD induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) could promote alteration of iron metabolism. Disorder of iron metabolism have been linked to unnormal metabolism of glucose and lipid. Herein, we investigated the effect of impaired iron homeostasis on hepatic IR, focusing on ferritinophagy. Male C57/6J mice were administered with HFD (60% energy from fat) or LFD (10% energy from fat) for 10 weeks (n = 10), and Palmitic acid (PA)-insulin treated HepG2 cells were also established. Hepatic IR as evidenced by increased hepatic steatosis and decreased of p-AKT (48%, p < 0.0005), p-GSK-3β (34%, p < 0.05) in the liver of HFD mice. In addition, decreased iron level and expression NCOA4, as well as increased up-regulation of IRE1α and EIF2α were observed in HFD liver. By using desferrioxamine (DFO) and ferric ammonium citrate (FAC), we examined iron level on IRE1α and EIF2α. And glucose uptake assay shown that FAC supplementation, and ERS inhibitors of 4-PBA and STF could improve the glucose uptake of HepG2 cells in the presence of PA. Furthermore, we evaluated the glucose uptake of HepG2 cells incubated with adenovirus which mediated overexpression of NCOA4, FAC, 4-PBA (ERS inhibitor) or STF (IRE1 inhibitor). Taken together, deficiency of iron induced by impaired ferritinophagy induced hepatic IR, partly by aggravating hepatic ERS, especially IRE1 signal pathway in vivo and vitro. These findings provide evidence and new insight for therapeutic strategy of iron deficiency in NAFLD.
To investigate the association of folic acid (FA) supplementation with birth weight, the risk of small for gestational age (SGA) and low birth weight (LBW) in singleton and twin pregnancy.
Design:
A population-based cross-sectional survey.
Setting:
Twenty counties and ten districts in Shaanxi Province of northwestern China, 2013.
Participants:
28 174 pregnant women with their infants, covering 27 818 single live births and 356 twin live births.
Results:
The prevalence of FA supplementation in singletons and twins was 63·9 and 66·3 %. The mean birth weight was 3267 (sd 459·1) g, 2525 (sd 534·0) g and 2494 (sd 539·5) g; the prevalence of SGA was 14·3, 51·4 and 53·4 %; the prevalence of LBW was 3·4, 42·4 and 46·6 % among singleton, twin A and twin B, respectively. Compared with non-users, women with FA supplementation were (β 17·3, 95 % CI 6·1, 28·4; β 166·3, 95 % CI 69·1, 263·5) associated with increased birth weight, lower risk of SGA (OR 0·85, 95 % CI 0·80, 0·92; OR 0·45, 95 % CI 0·30, 0·68) and LBW (OR 0·82, 95 % CI 0·71, 0·95; OR 0·50, 95 % CI 0·33, 0·75) in singletons and twins, and more prominent effects in twins. Moreover, there were significant interactions between FA supplementation and plurality on birth weight, SGA and LBW.
Conclusions:
The present study suggests the association of periconceptional 0·4 mg/d FA supplementation with increased birth weight and reduced risk of SGA and LBW in both singletons and twins, and this association may be more prominent in twins.
Few studies have investigated the association between maternal dietary patterns (DP) during pregnancy, derived from reduced-rank regression (RRR), and fetal growth. This study aims to identify DP during pregnancy associated with macro- and micronutrient intakes, using the RRR method, and to examine their relationship with birth weight (BW). We used data of 7194 women from a large-scale cross-sectional survey in Northwest China. Dietary protein, carbohydrate, haem Fe density and the ratio of PUFA and MUFA:SFA were used as the intermediate variables in the RRR model to extract DP. Generalised estimating equation models were applied to evaluate the associations between DP and BW and related outcomes (including BW z-score, low birth weight (LBW) and small for gestational age (SGA)). Four DP during pregnancy were identified. Socio-demographically disadvantaged pregnant women were more likely to have lower BW and lower adherence to DP1 (high legumes, soyabean products, vegetables and animal-source foods, with relative low wheat and oils). Women with medium and high adherence to DP1 had significantly increased BW (medium 28·6 (95 % CI 7·1, 50·1); high 25·2 (95 % CI 2·7, 47·6)) and BW z-score and had significantly reduced risks of LBW and SGA. The associations were stronger among women with babies <3100 g. There is no association between other DP and outcomes. Higher adherence to the DP that was high in legumes, soyabean products, vegetables and animal-source foods was associated with improved BW in the Chinese pregnant women, particularly among those with disadvantageous socio-demographic conditions.
A novel photocatalyst Tm3+/Yb3+–co-doped bismuth molybdate (Bi2MoO6) were synthesized via the hydrothermal method. The samples were characterized through X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra, and photoluminescence. XPS characterization confirmed the doped rare earth elements. Analysis of the optical properties explained the up-conversion process and its effect on the photocatalytic performance. The as-synthesized samples were employed to decompose Rhodamine B to value its photocatalytic activities under visible light irradiation. The doped samples showed an enhanced photocatalytic activity compared with the bare Bi2MoO6. When the ratio of Tm3+ and Yb3+ was 0.5:5, the degradation efficiency was the highest of 96.1% within 25 min, which was higher than that (74.9%) of pure Bi2MoO6. Moreover, the photocatalytic mechanism of improving the photocatalytic properties was discussed. Besides, the sample showed a super stability in photocatalytic activity. A novel catalyst for industrial pollutant degradation was proposed.
Human coronavirus NL63 (HCoV-NL63) is an enveloped pathogen of the family Coronaviridae that spreads worldwide and causes up to 10% of all annual respiratory diseases. HCoV-NL63 is typically associated with mild upper respiratory symptoms in children, elderly and immunocompromised individuals. It has also been shown to cause severe lower respiratory illness. NL63 shares ACE2 as a receptor for viral entry with SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2. Here, we present the in situ structure of HCoV-NL63 spike (S) trimer at 3.4-Å resolution by single-particle cryo-EM imaging of vitrified virions without chemical fixative. It is structurally homologous to that obtained previously from the biochemically purified ectodomain of HCoV-NL63 S trimer, which displays a three-fold symmetric trimer in a single conformation. In addition to previously proposed and observed glycosylation sites, our map shows density at other sites, as well as different glycan structures. The domain arrangement within a protomer is strikingly different from that of the SARS-CoV-2 S and may explain their different requirements for activating binding to the receptor. This structure provides the basis for future studies of spike proteins with receptors, antibodies or drugs, in the native state of the coronavirus particles.
The effect of maternal folate intake on small-for-gestational-age (SGA) births remains inconclusive. The present study aimed to investigate the associations of maternal folate intake from diet and supplements with the risk of SGA births using data from a cross-sectional study in Shaanxi Province of Northwest China. A total of 7307 women who were within 12 months (median 3; 10th–90th percentile 0–7) after delivery were included. Two-level models were adopted to examine the associations of folate (dietary folate, supplemental folic acid and total folate) intake with the risk of SGA births and birth weight Z score, controlling for a minimum set of confounders that were identified in a directed acyclic graph. Results showed that a higher supplemental folic acid intake during the first trimester was negatively associated with the risk of SGA births (≤60 d v. non-use: OR 0·80; 95 % CI 0·66, 0·96; >60 d v. non-use: OR 0·78; 95 % CI 0·65, 0·94; Ptrend = 0·010; per 10-d increase: OR 0·97; 95 % CI 0·95, 0·99). A higher total folate intake during pregnancy was associated with a reduced risk of SGA births (highest tertile v. lowest tertile: OR 0·77; 95 % CI 0·64, 0·94; Ptrend = 0·010; per one-unit increase in the log-transformed value: OR 0·81; 95 % CI 0·69, 0·95). A similar pattern was observed for the birth weight Z score. Our study suggested that folic acid supplementation during the first trimester and a higher total folate intake during pregnancy were associated with a reduced risk of SGA births.
Astronomy cloud computing environment is a cyber-Infrastructure for Astronomy Research initiated by Chinese Virtual Observatory (China-VO) under funding support from NDRC (National Development and Reform commission) and CAS (Chinese Academy of Sciences). Based on virtualization technology, astronomy cloud computing environment was designed and implemented by China-VO team. It consists of five distributed nodes across the mainland of China. Astronomer can get compuitng and storage resource in this cloud computing environment. Through this environments, astronomer can easily search and analyze astronomical data collected by different telescopes and data centers , and avoid the large scale dataset transportation.
A night-sky luminance survey was carried on in Beijing to assess the level of light pollution. The luminance of the zenith night sky and skies in four directions at six sites with different distances from the city center was measured by using a photometric luminance meter. The Xinglong Station of National Astronomical Observatory was included to study the impacts of city lights on an astronomical observatory. The survey shows that the night-sky luminance decreases with increasing distance from the city center. Measurement results indicate that outdoor lighting in the Xinglong county town which is close to the observatory has non-negligible influence on the night sky at Xinglong Station.
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