Association of severity of menstrual dysfunction with cardiometabolic risk markers among women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with a wide range of unfavorable cardiometabolic risk factors, including obesity, hypertension, insulin resistance, impaired glucose metabolism, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome. Compared with women with regular menstrual cycles, women with a history of irregular menstrual periods have an increased unfavorable cardiometabolic risk. Recently, the association between the severity of oligomenorrhea and hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance has been demonstrated. However, evidence linking the severity of menstrual cyclicity with cardiometabolic risk in PCOS women is scarce. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This work was a prospective cross-sectional study. A total of 154 women diagnosed with PCOS by the Rotterdam criteria were recruited from July 2021 to September 2022. PCOS women with eumenorrheic (eumeno group), oligomenorrhea (oligo group), and amenorrhea (ameno group) underwent history and physical examination, gonadal steroid hormone measurement, lipid profile, oral glucose tolerance test, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance. RESULTS: A trend toward an increase in unfavorable cardiometabolic risk markers including obesity, hypertension, prevalence of insulin resistance, prediabetes, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome was observed in the ameno group (n = 57) as compared with the eumeno (n = 24) or oligo group (n = 73). A higher prevalence of insulin resistance (odds ratio [OR]: 3.02; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03-8.81) and prediabetes (OR: 3.94; 95% CI: 1.01-15.40) was observed in the ameno group than in the eumeno group, and a higher proportion of dyslipidemia (OR: 2.44; 95% CI: 1.16-5.15) was observed in the ameno group than in the oligo group in the binary logistic regression analysis after adjusting for confounding factors. CONCLUSIONS: PCOS women with amenorrhea show a higher prevalence of insulin resistance, prediabetes, and dyslipidemia compared with those with oligomenorrhea or eumenorrhea. The severity of menstrual dysfunction could be used as a readily obtainable marker for the identification of PCOS women at greatest risk of cardiometabolic diseases.

Mass-Produced Skin-Inspired Piezoresistive Sensing Array with Interlocking Interface for Object Recognition.

E-skins, capable of responding to mechanical stimuli, hold significant potential in the field of robot haptics. However, it is a challenge to obtain e-skins with both high sensitivity and mechanical stability. Here, we present a bioinspired piezoresistive sensor with hierarchical structures based on polyaniline/polystyrene core-shell nanoparticles polymerized on air-laid paper. The combination of laser-etched reusable templates and sensitive materials that can be rapidly synthesized enables large-scale production. Benefiting from the substantially enlarged deformation of the hierarchical structure, the developed piezoresistive electronics exhibit a decent sensitivity of 21.67 kPa-1 and a subtle detection limit of 3.4 Pa. Moreover, an isolation layer is introduced to enhance the interface stability of the e-skin, with a fracture limit of 66.34 N/m. Furthermore, the e-skin can be seamlessly integrated onto gloves without any detachment issues. With the assistance of deep learning, it achieves a 98% accuracy rate in object recognition. We anticipate that this strategy will render e-skin with more robust interfaces and heightened sensing capabilities, offering a favorable pathway for large-scale production.

Hierarchical Piezoelectric Composites for Noninvasive Continuous Cardiovascular Monitoring.

Continuous monitoring of blood pressure (BP) and multiparametric analysis of cardiac functions are crucial for the early diagnosis and therapy of cardiovascular diseases. However, existing monitoring approaches often suffer from bulky and intrusive apparatus, cumbersome testing procedures, and challenging data processing, hampering their applications in continuous monitoring. Here, a heterogeneously hierarchical piezoelectric composite is introduced for wearable continuous BP and cardiac function monitoring, overcoming the rigidity of ceramic and the insensitivity of polymer. By optimizing the hierarchical structure and components of the composite, the developed piezoelectric sensor delivers impressive performances, ensuring continuous and accurate monitoring of BP at Grade A level. Furthermore, the hemodynamic parameters are extracted from the detected signals, such as local pulse wave velocity, cardiac output, and stroke volume, all of which are in alignment with clinical results. Finally, the all-day tracking of cardiac function parameters validates the reliability and stability of the developed sensor, highlighting its potential for personalized healthcare systems, particularly in early diagnosis and timely intervention of cardiovascular disease.

Management of pulmonary arterial hypertension：before, during and after pregnancy.

Pregnancy complicated with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a severe and dangerous condition for both the mother and the fetus. Pregnancy-specific alterations in the maternal cardiovascular system suggest that PAH in pregnancy may manifest more severe symptoms compared with those in non-pregnant patients. Although most societal guidelines recommend early termination in the case of PAH, some recent data suggests that maternal mortality among patients with PAH is lower than previously observed and suggests if a woman decides to proceed with the pregnancy, she should be counseled about the potential risks of continuing with the pregnancy. This review paper starts with a real clinical case of PAH complicating with pregnancy, then summarizes the clinical features, diagnosis, and risk stratification. Effective treatments were also clarified, including pre-conception counseling and monitoring, general and supportive care, medication and immune therapy, delivery and postpartum care, counseling on contraception and breastfeeding, maternal and fetal outcomes, and cardiac surgery. The article summarizes points of uncertainty in both laboratory and clinical practices, as well as current guidelines and clinical recommendations.

The association between prepregnancy dietary fatty acids and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus: A prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Epidemiologic studies have examined the association between dietary fatty acids and type 2 diabetes risk in general populations. Evidence regarding their associations with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) risk remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate prepregnancy fatty acids intake in relation to GDM risk. METHODS: 3,725 pregnant women from the Xi'an Birth Cohort Study who were free of previous GDM or pre-existing chronic diseases were included. Dietary intake of total fat and individual fatty acids (including saturated fatty acids [SFA], monounsaturated fatty acids [MUFA], polyunsaturated fatty acids [PUFA], and trans fatty acids) during the year preceding pregnancy was assessed by a validated food-frequency questionnaire before 16 weeks of gestation. GDM was confirmed based on the 75-g oral glucose tolerance test. Log-binomial or modified Poisson regression models were applied to estimate the relative risks (RRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (95%CIs) of GDM for fatty acids intake. Generalized linear regression was adopted for blood glucose levels with fatty acids intake. RESULTS: 644 (17.3 %) incident GDM cases were confirmed in our study. Participants in the highest intake of total fat substituting for carbohydrates had a 33 % reduced risk of GDM than those in the lowest intake (RR:0.67; 95%CI:0.55,0.81). For individual fatty acids, only PUFA intake was associated with a lower risk of GDM, with RR comparing extreme tertiles of 0.61 (95%CI:0.49,0.76). Each 2 % increase in energy from total fat and PUFA replacing carbohydrates decreased the risk of GDM by 6 % (95%CI:3 %,9 %) and 15 % (95%CI:9 %,21 %), respectively. Similar inverse associations with intake of total fat and PUFA were observed for blood glucose levels. Further analyses of SFA substitution showed that replacement of 2 % energy from SFA with PUFA and MUFA was associated with 26 % (RR:0.74; 95%CI:0.62,0.88) and 30 % (RR:0.70; 95%CI:0.50, 0.98) decreased risk of GDM, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Greater intake of total fat and PUFA before pregnancy was associated with lower risk of GDM when replacing carbohydrates. Substitution SFA with PUFA and MUFA was also inversely associated with GDM risk. These findings support the important role of optimal dietary fatty acids composition in the prevention of GDM.

Analyzing the low carbon and pro-environment behavior of agricultural enterprises based on organizational commitment and role models' guidance.

Climate change has always been a core issue in the field of agricultural security. From the perspective of "passive adaptation" and "active change," climate response is manifested as climate "adaptation behavior" and "low carbon and pro-environment behavior" respectively. In the long run, low carbon and pro-environment behavior make more sense. As an indispensable part of the modern agricultural management system, agricultural enterprises are the core power to promote the organic reorganization of various agricultural production factors, and the optimal low carbon and pro-environmental behavior is the key to the implementation of national ecological environmental protection policies. The purpose of this paper is to reveal the mechanism of pro-environment behavior of organization members based on the organizational background of agricultural enterprises. Taking advantage of 189 valid survey data of agricultural enterprises, structural equation model was used to explore the effects of organizational commitment and role models' guidance on low carbon and pro-environment behavior. Results show that organizational commitment has a significant positive effect on the low carbon and pro-environment behavior of agricultural enterprises. And what is not expected is that role models' guidance has a significant negative effect on the low carbon and pro-environment behavior of agricultural enterprises, and organizational commitment has a negative impact on the low carbon and pro-environment behavior of agricultural enterprises through role models' guidance. Recommendations such as practicing green culture and enhancing emotional engagement; fostering social responsibility and strengthening normative commitment; providing a fair path and increasing the influence of role models; improving the selection system of role models and also the criteria; improving the level of leadership and achieving high quality interaction or creating a business environment are proposed.

Value of Intrauterine Autologous Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy on Endometrial Receptivity: A Literature Review.

Endometrial receptivity is an important factor that influences embryo implantation. Thus, it is important to identify an applicable approach to improve endometrial receptivity in women undergoing assisted reproductive technology. Recently, growing evidence has indicated that intrauterine platelet-rich plasma (PRP) infusion is an effective method to obtain a satisfactory reproductive outcome by increasing endometrial thickness and improving endometrial receptivity. Therefore, the present review aims to outline the possible mechanisms of PRP on endometrial receptivity and summarize the present literature on the effects of PRP therapy in improving endometrial receptivity.

The impact of logistic environment and spatial spillover on agricultural economic growth: An empirical study based on east, central and west China.

BACKGROUND: To vigorously promote the integrated development and mutual adaptation of agriculture and logistics is an important way to realize agricultural modernization and rural revitalization. Along with the policy support of agricultural industry chain and the steady rise of the demand for agricultural products market, the total amount of agricultural product logistics continues to increase, and the growth rate remains stable. With the booming development of "Internet + agriculture" and e-commerce platform, agricultural logistic market welcomes a new round of development opportunities, reaching several trillion yuan. Compared with the developed countries, our agricultural product logistics is still far behind. At present, only 15% of vegetables and fruits and 30% of fresh meat have professional logistic transportation, while most of the rest are still in the state of local and primitive. The gap of logistic environment construction and logistic elements determines the difference in final benefit of agricultural products. The purpose of this study is to find out the influence of logistic elements on regional agricultural economic growth, and whether the influence between neighboring regions presents "the same prosperity", "the same loss" or "sharing weal and woe". METHODS: Based on the panel data of the statistical yearbook of 31 provinces in China from 2005 to 2020, the spatial Durbin model was constructed under the spatial weight matrix of economic distance and economic geographical distance to conduct empirical analysis, and the internal factors of logistics industry, factor spillover effect and its impact on agricultural economic growth were studied. RESULTS: Results showed that: (1) considering economic distance factor, the spatial coefficient of the time-fixed effects model passed the significance test in eastern China. Considering economic geographic distance factors, the individual and double fixed effect models passed the significance test in central China, and all models passed the significance test in western China. (2) From the perspective of logistic infrastructure, AVLFA, HM, TN and RM had a positive effect on the growth of agricultural economy in eastern China, but LIAV is on the contrary. AVLFA had a positive effect on agricultural economic growth, but TN was on the contrary in central China. In western China, LIAV and TN promoted agricultural economy while HM and RM held back it. From the perspective of the volume of logistics activity, both eastern and central regions did not pass the significance test, but FA was tested by the double fixed effect model and showed negative in western China. From the perspective of control variables, FU, AO and PT all promoted agricultural economy in eastern China, and FU and AO did the same in central and western China. PT was invalid in central regions and hindered agricultural economy in western China, which was different. CONCLUSION: From the perspective of spatial spillover effect decomposition, the eastern region presents "one prosperity and all prosperity, and sharing weal and woe", while the central and western regions present "one prosperity and all prosperity, and one lost and all lost". At last suggestions as formulating the overall plan for the development of regional logistics, paying attention to regional differences and promoting coordinated development of logistics and agriculture in light of local conditions, and paying attention to the spatial spillover effect of elements were put forward.

Photoacoustic/ultrasound-guided gene silencing: Multifunctional microbubbles for treating adjuvant-induced arthritis.

AIMS: To effectively deliver small interfering RNA (siRNA) to inflammatory tissues for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA), we developed the multifunctional microbubbles (MBs) to perform photoacoustic/ultrasound-guided gene silencing. METHODS: Fluorescein amidite (FAM)-labelled tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-siRNA and cationic MBs were mixed to fabricate FAM-TNF-α-siRNA-cMBs. The cell transfection efficacy of FAM-TNF-α-siRNA-cMBs was evaluated in vitro on RAW264.7 cells. Subsequently, wistar rats with adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) were injected intravenously with MBs and simultaneously subjected to low-frequency ultrasound for ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD). Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) was utilized to visualize the distribution of siRNA. And the clinical and pathological changes of AIA rats was estimated. RESULTS: FAM-TNF-α-siRNA-cMBs were evenly distributed within the RAW264.7 cells and significantly reduced TNF-α mRNA levels of the cells. For AIA rats, the entering and collapsing of MBs was visualized by contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). Photoacoustic imaging showed markedly enhanced signals following injection, indicating localization of the FAM-labelled siRNA. The articular tissues of the AIA rats treated with TNF-α-siRNA-cMBs and UTMD showed decreased TNF-α expression levels. CONCLUSIONS: The theranostic MBs exhibited a TNF-α gene silencing effect under the guidance of CEUS and PAI. The theranostic MBs served as vehicles for delivering siRNA as well as contrast agents for CEUS and PAI.

Storage duration of vitrified embryos does not affect pregnancy and neonatal outcomes after frozen-thawed embryo transfer.

Background: With the refinement of cryopreservation technology, the number of frozen-warmed embryo transfer (FET) cycles and cryopreserved embryos has increased rapidly. However, studies investigating the effect of storage duration on pregnancy outcomes after vitrification are limited and their results are controversial. Furthermore, the available studies did not take patients' demographic nor clinical treatment characteristics into account and the cryo-storage duration was short. So this study aimed to explore the effect of storage duration of vitrified warmed embryos on pregnancy and neonatal outcomes in patients with good prognosis and long storage duration of vitrified embryos. Methods: This study was a bi-centre, retrospective study including 1037 women undergoing their first FET cycles following a fresh cycle from January 2012 until December 2021. Patients were divided into four storage groups in accordance with the storage duration of transferred embryos (612 patients in group I, with storage duration between 1 and 6 months; 202 patients in group II, with storage duration between 7 and 12 months; 141 patients in group III, with storage duration between 13 and 36 months; and 76 patients in group IV, with storage duration between 37 and 84 months). The pregnancy and neonatal outcomes were compared amongst different storage duration groups. Results: Amongst the different groups, no significant differences were observed in the pregnancy outcomes, including biochemical pregnancy rate, implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate, ongoing pregnancy rate and live birth rate. In addition, no evidence of differences amongst different storage duration groups was observed in terms of preterm birth, birth length and low birthweight. Conclusions: The pregnancy and neonatal outcomes of embryos after vitrification were not impaired by storage duration up to 7 years.

Contribution and Effects of PM2.5-Bound Lead to the Cardiovascular Risk of Workers in a Non-Ferrous Metal Smelting Area Considering Chemical Speciation and Bioavailability.

Lead is known to have toxic effects on the cardiovascular system. Owing to its high concentration, transmission range, and absorption efficiency in organisms, inhalation of fine particulate matter (PM2.5)-bound lead (PM2.5-Pb) may cause significant cardiovascular damage. However, the contribution and adverse effects of PM2.5-Pb on workers and residents in non-ferrous metal smelting areas are not fully understood. In this work, the concentration and chemical speciation of PM2.5-Pb were analyzed to determine its pollution characteristics at a typical non-ferrous metal smelting site. A panel study conducted among factory workers revealed that PM2.5-Pb exposure makes an important contribution to the human absorption of Pb. Although the chemical speciation of PM2.5-Pb suggested poor water solubility, a high bioavailability was observed in mice (tissue average value: 50.1%, range: 31.1-71.1%) subjected to inhalation exposure for 8 weeks. Based on the bioavailability data, the relationship between PM2.5-Pb exposure and cardiovascular damage was evaluated in animal simulation experiments. Finally, a damage threshold and cardiovascular-specific risk assessment model were established for the non-ferrous metal smelting area. Our project not only accurately estimates the risk of PM2.5-bound heavy metals on the cardiovascular system but also offers a scientific basis for future prevention and therapy of PM2.5-Pb-related diseases.

How Does Agricultural Mechanization Service Affect Agricultural Green Transformation in China?

Agricultural mechanization service (AMS) is a critical path to achieving agricultural green transformation with smallholders as the mainstay of agricultural production. Based on the panel data of 30 Chinese provinces from 2011 to 2020, this paper measures the AGTFP using the Super-SBM model and examines the effects of different AMS supply agents on AGTFP and spatial spillover effects through the spatial Durbin model. The main conclusions are as follows: First, China's AGTFP showed a stable growth trend, with the mean value increasing from 0.1990 in 2011 to 0.5590 in 2020. Second, the specialization (SPO) and large-scale (LSO) of AMS supply organizations have significantly positive effect on the AGTFP of the local province. However, SPO has a significantly positive effect on the AGTFP of the neighboring provinces, while LSO has the opposite effect. Third, the specialization of AMS supply individuals (SPI) has significantly negative effect on the AGTFP of the local province. In contrast, the large-scale AMS supply individuals (LSI) has the opposite effect. Furthermore, the spatial spillover effects of both are insignificant. Fourth, the spatial spillover effect of AGTFP shows asymmetry among different regions and indicates that AMS resources flow from non-main grain production and economically developed regions to main grain production and less developed regions. These findings provide helpful policy references for constructing and improving the agricultural mechanization service system and realizing the agricultural green transformation in economies as the mainstay of agricultural production.

A 14-bp deletion in bovine EPAS1 gene is associated with carcass traits.

EPAS1 (Endothelial PAS Domain Protein 1) gene is well-known for its function in plateau hypoxia adaptability. It encodes HIF-2α, which involved in the induction of genes regulated by oxygen and then affects multiple physiological processes such as angiogenesis and energy metabolism. All of these indicate it may affect the development of animals. In this study, a 14-bp deletion in EPAS1 gene was uncovered in Shandong black cattle population (n = 502). Two genotypes (II and ID) were found and the frequency of the homozygous II genotype is higher than the heterozygous ID genotype. This population is consisted with HWE (p > 0.05). And more importantly, the 14-bp deletion was associated with outside flat (p = 0.003), brisket (p = 0.001), and knuckle (p = 0.032). These findings suggested that the 14-bp deletion is significantly associated with carcass traits, which could be served as a molecular marker applied to cow breeding.

Synovial Oxygenation at Photoacoustic Imaging to Assess Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity.

Background Synovial hypoxia is a hallmark of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Photoacoustic (PA) imaging, based on the use of laser-generated US, can detect the oxygenation status of tissue in individuals with RA. However, large studies are lacking, with few investigating the correlation between oxygenation status and disease activity. Purpose To measure synovial oxygenation status in participants with RA by using a multimodal PA US imaging system and to determine the correlation between PA imaging-measured oxygen saturation (SO2) and disease activity. Materials and Methods In this prospective observational cohort study, multimodal PA US imaging examinations were performed on small joints of consecutive participants with RA, who were treated at two outpatient rheumatology clinics from 2019 to 2021, and healthy controls. The SO2 values of the synovium were measured with dual-wavelength PA imaging and classified into three categories-hyperoxia, intermediate oxygenation status, or hypoxia-based on the signal coloration and clustering analysis of the SO2 values. The correlations of oxygenation status with power Doppler US (PDUS) scoring and clinical disease activity index were evaluated with one-way analysis of variance and the Kruskal-Wallis test with Bonferroni correction. Results A total of 118 participants with RA (median age, 55 years [IQR, 41-62 years]; 92 women) and 15 healthy control participants (median age, 37 years [IQR, 33-41 years]; 11 women) were included. The wrist synovium was categorized as hyperoxic in 36 participants with RA, of intermediate oxygenation status in 48 participants, and hypoxic in 34 participants. All control participants had hyperoxic synovial tissues. For participants with RA, hyperoxic synovium had more affluent Doppler US-depicted vasculature than those with hypoxia and intermediate oxygenation status (mean PDUS grade: hyperoxia, 2.7 ± 0.6 [SD]; intermediate, 1.3 ± 0.7; hypoxia, 1.1 ± 0.8; P < .001). Participants with intermediate status synovium had a lower clinical disease activity index than those with hypoxia (intermediate, 11.0 [IQR, 5.0-21.5] vs hypoxia, 26.0 [IQR, 18.0-39.0]; P = .001). Conclusion Photoacoustic imaging-detected hypoxia in thickened synovium correlated with less vascularization and higher disease activity in participants with rheumatoid arthritis. Clinical trial registration no. NCT04297475 © RSNA, 2022 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

Identification and verification of diagnostic biomarkers based on mitochondria-related genes related to immune microenvironment for preeclampsia using machine learning algorithms.

Preeclampsia is one of the leading causes of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Preeclampsia is linked to mitochondrial dysfunction as a contributing factor in its progression. This study aimed to develop a novel diagnostic model based on mitochondria-related genes(MRGs) for preeclampsia using machine learning and further investigate the association of the MRGs and immune infiltration landscape in preeclampsia. In this research, we analyzed GSE75010 database and screened 552 DE-MRGs between preeclampsia samples and normal samples. Enrichment assays indicated that 552 DE-MRGs were mainly related to energy metabolism pathway and several different diseases. Then, we performed LASSO and SVM-RFE and identified three critical diagnostic genes for preeclampsia, including CPOX, DEGS1 and SH3BP5. In addition, we developed a novel diagnostic model using the above three genes and its diagnostic value was confirmed in GSE44711, GSE75010 datasets and our cohorts. Importantly, the results of RT-PCR confirmed the expressions of CPOX, DEGS1 and SH3BP5 were distinctly increased in preeclampsia samples compared with normal samples. The results of the CIBERSORT algorithm revealed a striking dissimilarity between the immune cells found in preeclampsia samples and those found in normal samples. In addition, we found that the levels of SH3BP5 were closely associated with several immune cells, highlighting its potential involved in immune microenvironment of preeclampsia. Overall, this study has provided a novel diagnostic model and diagnostic genes for preeclampsia while also revealing the association between MRGs and immune infiltration. These findings offer valuable insights for further research and treatment of preeclampsia.

Validation of photoacoustic/ultrasound dual imaging in evaluating blood oxygen saturation.

Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) was performed to evaluate oxygen saturation (sO2) of blood-mimicking phantoms, femoral arteries in beagles, and radial arteries in humans at various sO2 plateaus. The accuracy (root mean square error, RMSE) of PAI sO2 compared with reference sO2 was calculated. In blood-mimicking phantoms, PAI achieved an accuracy of 1.49% and a mean absolute error (MAE) of 1.09% within 25 mm depth, and good linearity (R = 0.968; p < 0.001) was obtained between PAI sO2 and reference sO2. In canine femoral arteries, PAI achieved an accuracy of 2.16% and an MAE of 1.58% within 8 mm depth (R = 0.965; p < 0.001). In human radial arteries, PAI achieved an accuracy of 3.97% and an MAE of 3.28% in depth from 4 to 14 mm (R = 0.892; p < 0.001). For PAI sO2 evaluation at different depths in healthy volunteers, the RMSE accuracy of PAI sO2 increased from 2.66% to 24.96% with depth increasing from 4 to 14 mm. Through the multiscale method, we confirmed the feasibility of the hand-held photoacoustic/ultrasound (PA/US) in evaluating sO2. These results demonstrate the potential clinical value of PAI in evaluating blood sO2. Consequently, protocols for verifying the feasibility of medical devices based on PAI may be established.

Detection of genetic variation in bovine CRY1 gene and its associations with carcass traits.

The biological clock (also known as circadian clock) is closely related to growth and development, metabolism, and diseases in animals. As a part of the circadian clock, the cryptochrome circadian regulator 1 (CRY1) gene is involved in the regulation of biological processes such as osteogenesis, energy metabolism and cell proliferation, however, few studies have been reported on the relationship between this gene and animal carcass traits. Herein, a total of four insertion/deletion (InDel) loci within the CRY1 gene were detected in Shandong Black Cattle Genetic Resource (SDBCGR) population (n = 433). Among them, the P1-6-bp-del locus was polymorphic in population of interest. Moreover, the P1-6-bp-del locus showed two genotypes, with a higher insertion/insertion (II) genotype frequency (0.751) than insertion/deletion (ID) genotype frequency (0.249). Correlation analysis showed that the P1-6-bp-del locus polymorphisms were significantly associated with twenty carcass traits (e.g., slaughter weight, limb weight, and belly meat weight). Individuals with II genotype were significantly better than those with ID genotype for eighteen carcass traits. Therefore, the P1-6-bp-del locus of the CRY1 gene can be used as a molecular marker for beef cattle breeding.

Deep Intelligence-Driven Efficient Forecasting for the Agriculture Economy of Computational Social Systems.

In the vision of smart cities, everything is highly connected with the aid of computational intelligence. Therefore, the cyber-physical society has been named a computational social system for a long time. Due to the high relation with vast populations' national livelihood, agriculture will still serve as a core industry in the national economy. As a result, this study focused on an efficient forecasting method for the agriculture economy. In recent years, the conception of deep intelligence has received overall prevalence in academia because of its excellent performance in implementing intelligent information processing tasks. Hence, this paper utilized deep intelligence driven by neural networks and managed to investigate an efficient prediction method for the agriculture economy of computational social systems. To fit the time-series forecasting scene of the long-term development of the agriculture economy, the convolutional neural network model is slightly improved by revising its parallel structure into the recurrent format. Finally, simulations on realistic datasets are carried out to evaluate the proposed forecasting method.

Environment-Friendly Behavior of New Agricultural Business Main Body Based on the Internet of Things.

The Internet of Things economy is necessary for the reform of China's economic industrial structure and international development, and it brings new opportunities and new challenges to the Chinese economy. The comprehensive informatization of the society is the prerequisite for the economic development of the Internet of Things. The Chinese government will adopt a strategy of simultaneous development to continue to accelerate the development of traditional agriculture while developing emerging strategic agriculture of the Internet of Things, accelerating the transformation of economic production methods. Family farming is a new type of agricultural business in the microeconomy. It is not only a producer and mobilizer of agricultural products but also an important carrier for implementing agricultural innovation technologies and promoting agricultural modernization. This article uses game theory, resource endowment theory, expectation theory, etc. to describe the impact mechanism of economies of scale, profit maximization, and environmental behavior on family farms from a game perspective and discusses the specific effects of resource endowments and psychological expectations. Through the research of the Internet of Things and the rural green energy cycle, this article applies it to the new agricultural business entities, thereby promoting the development of proenvironmental behavior analysis.

Evaluation of Appendicular Muscle Mass in Sarcopenia in Older Adults Using Ultrasonography: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The measurement of appendicular muscle mass is essential for the diagnosis of sarcopenia. Ultrasonography is an accurate and convenient method used to evaluate muscle mass. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of ultrasonography for appendicular muscle mass in sarcopenia in older adults and find out proper ultrasound parameters. METHODS: Medline, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science databases were searched for relevant articles. Published studies on the validity and/or reliability of ultrasonography for quantifying muscle mass of the limbs in sarcopenia in the older population were included. A systematic review was conducted based on specific muscles and reference methods. A meta-analysis was conducted to assess the validity and reliability of the ultrasonography. RESULTS: Forty articles were included in this review. There were nine, nine, nine, and four studies included in the qualitative synthesis for a diagnostic test, correlation coefficient, intra-class reliability, and inter-class reliability, respectively. The diagnostic value of rectus femoris (RF) or gastrocnemius (GM) thickness on ultrasonography for sarcopenia or low muscle mass was moderate (the area under summary receiver operating characteristic curve [SROC] = 0.76, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.72-0.79, SROC = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.76-0.83, respectively). The pooled correlation between muscle mass on dual-energy X-ray (DXA) or bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and muscle thickness (MT) on ultrasound was moderate (r = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.49-0.62). There was a low-to-moderate correlation between muscle mass on DXA or BIA and cross-sectional area (CSA) on ultrasound (r = 0.267-0.584). The correlation was high to very high between muscle mass from DXA and the ultrasound-predicted formula (r = 0.85-0.963). The CSA from ultrasound had a high or very high correlation with that from computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging (r = 0.826, intra (inter)-correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.998-0.999). The respective meta-analyses showed good inter-rater and intra-rater reliabilities (ICC > 0.9). CONCLUSION: Ultrasonography is a reliable and valid diagnostic method for the quantitative assessment of appendicular muscle mass in sarcopenia in older people. The thickness and CSA of the RF or GM seem to be proper ultrasound parameters to predict muscle mass in sarcopenia. Multicenter studies with large samples and the application of new ultrasonic techniques will be the future research directions.