[Effects of humic acid water-soluble fertilizer on growth and physiological characteristics of Bupleurum chinense seedlings].

The effects of humic acid water-soluble fertilizer on the growth and physiological characteristics of Bupleurum chinense seedlings(Zhongchai No.1) were studied by using a single factor experiment design. When the seedling age was 60 days, the humic acid water-soluble fertilizer was diluted 1 200 times(T1), 1 500 times(T2), 1 800 times(T3), and 2 100 times(T4) for seedling treatment, respectively, and water was used as the control(CK). The effects of different treatments on growth indexes, biomass accumulation, root activity, antioxidant enzyme activity, membrane lipid peroxidation, and photosynthetic characteristics of B. chinense seedlings were analyzed after 30 days. The results showed that compared with CK, stem height, leaf number, root diameter, and root length of the B. chinense seedlings under T3 treatment were significantly increased by 36.82%, 37.03%, 42.78%, and 22.38%, respectively. Root fresh weight, leaf fresh weight, root dry weight, and leaf dry weight under T3 treatment were significantly increased by 90.36%, 98.68%, 123.84%, and 104.38%, respectively. In addition, humic acid water-soluble fertilizer also enhanced TTC reducing activity of the root of B. chinense seedlings, inhibited malonaldehyde(MDA) content, increased superoxide dismutase(SOD), peroxidase(POD), and catalase(CAT) enzyme activities, improved chlorophyll content, and enhanced P_n, G_s, T_r, and other photosynthetic parameters. In conclusion, the application of humic acid water-soluble fertilizer diluted 1 800 times can significantly promote the growth of B. chinense seedlings, enhance root vitality, improve seedling stress resistance, and enhance photosynthesis. The results of this study can provide a theoretical basis for fertilization of B. chinense seedlings.

A Federated Learning and Deep Reinforcement Learning-Based Method with Two Types of Agents for Computation Offload.

With the rise of latency-sensitive and computationally intensive applications in mobile edge computing (MEC) environments, the computation offloading strategy has been widely studied to meet the low-latency demands of these applications. However, the uncertainty of various tasks and the time-varying conditions of wireless networks make it difficult for mobile devices to make efficient decisions. The existing methods also face the problems of long-delay decisions and user data privacy disclosures. In this paper, we present the FDRT, a federated learning and deep reinforcement learning-based method with two types of agents for computation offload, to minimize the system latency. FDRT uses a multi-agent collaborative computation offloading strategy, namely, DRT. DRT divides the offloading decision into whether to compute tasks locally and whether to offload tasks to MEC servers. The designed DDQN agent considers the task information, its own resources, and the network status conditions of mobile devices, and the designed D3QN agent considers these conditions of all MEC servers in the collaborative cloud-side end MEC system; both jointly learn the optimal decision. FDRT also applies federated learning to reduce communication overhead and optimize the model training of DRT by designing a new parameter aggregation method, while protecting user data privacy. The simulation results showed that DRT effectively reduced the average task execution delay by up to 50% compared with several baselines and state-of-the-art offloading strategies. FRDT also accelerates the convergence rate of multi-agent training and reduces the training time of DRT by 61.7%.

Automatic glioma segmentation based on adaptive superpixel.

BACKGROUND: The automatic glioma segmentation is of great significance for clinical practice. This study aims to propose an automatic method based on superpixel for glioma segmentation from the T2 weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging. METHODS: The proposed method mainly includes three steps. First, we propose an adaptive superpixel generation algorithm based on simple linear iterative clustering version with 0 parameter (ASLIC0). This algorithm can acquire a superpixel image with fewer superpixels and better fit the boundary of region of interest (ROI) by automatically selecting the optimal number of superpixels. Second, we compose a training set by calculating the statistical, texture, curvature and fractal features for each superpixel. Third, Support Vector Machine (SVM) is used to train classification model based on the features of the second step. RESULTS: The experimental results on Multimodal Brain Tumor Image Segmentation Benchmark 2017 (BraTS2017) show that the proposed method has good segmentation performance. The average Dice, Hausdorff distance, sensitivity, and specificity for the segmented tumor against the ground truth are 0.8492, 3.4697 pixels, 81.47, and 99.64%, respectively. The proposed method shows good stability on high- and low-grade glioma samples. Comparative experimental results show that the proposed method has superior performance. CONCLUSIONS: This provides a close match to expert delineation across all grades of glioma, leading to a fast and reproducible method of glioma segmentation.

Lotus seed skin proanthocyanidin extract exhibits potent antioxidant property via activation of the Nrf2-ARE pathway.

Lotus seed is well known as traditional food and medicine, but its skin is usually discarded. Recent studies have shown that lotus seed skin contains a high concentration of proanthocyanidins that have multi-functions, such as antioxidation, anti-inflammation, and anti-cancer effects. In the present study, we aimed to isolate and purify the proanthocyanidins from lotus seed skin by acetone extraction and rotary evaporation, identify their chemical structures by HPLC-MS-MS and NMR, and further investigate the antioxidant properties of the extract purified by macroporous resin (PMR) from lotus seed skin both in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that PMR mainly contained oligomeric proanthocyanidins, especially dimeric procyanidin B1 (PB1), procyanidin B2 and procyanidin B4. Although it had limited ability to directly scavenge radicals in vitro, PMR could significantly enhance the expressions of antioxidant proteins via activation of nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)-antioxidant response element (ARE) pathway in HepG2 cells. Molecular data revealed that PB1, a major component in PMR, stabilized Nrf2 by inhibiting the ubiquitination of Nrf2, which led to subsequent activation of the Nrf2-ARE pathway, including the enhancements of Nrf2 nuclear translocation, Nrf2-ARE binding and ARE transcriptional activity. Moreover, the in vivo results in high fat diet-induced mice further verified the powerful antioxidant property of PMR. These results revealed that lotus seed skin is a promising resource for functional food development.

[Comparative analysis on seedling growth dynamics and physiological indices of Bupleurum smithii var. parvifolium and B. scorzonerifolium].

With Bupleurum smithii var. parvifolium and B. scorzonerifolium as test objects, in order to provide a theoretical basis for the introduction and domestication of B. smithii var. parvifolium, the growth and development dynamics of seedlings, biomass accumulation, the content of malonaldehyde(MDA), the activity of antioxidase such as SOD, POD, CAT and APX between them were comparatively analyzed by direct sowing culture in the open field. The results indicated that the morphological index and the biomass accumulation of B. smithii var. parvifolium such as root diameter, root length, plant height and leaf number were inferior to B. scorzonerifolium, the antioxidase SOD and POD activity of B. smithii var. parvifolium was significantly inferior to B. scorzonerifolium (P<0.05), the antioxidase CAT and APX activity of B. smithii var. parvifolium was inferior to B. scorzonerifolium but the difference wasn't significant, while MDA content was superior to B. scorzonerifolium(P<0.05). Thus, compared with cultivated B. scorzoneri folium, the plant growth velocity of wild B. smithii var. parvifolium was relatively slower and its resistance was relatively weaker after introduction and domestication.

Pathway Cross-Talk Analysis in Detecting Significant Pathways in Barrett's Esophagus Patients.

BACKGROUND The pathological mechanism of Barrett's esophagus (BE) is still unclear. In the present study, pathway cross-talks were analyzed to identify hub pathways for BE, with the purpose of finding an efficient and cost-effective detection method to discover BE at its early stage and take steps to prevent its progression. MATERIAL AND METHODS We collected and preprocessed gene expression profile data, original pathway data, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) data. Then, we constructed a background pathway cross-talk network (BPCN) based on the original pathway data and PPI data, and a disease pathway cross-talk network (DPCN) based on the differential pathways between the PPI data and the BE and normal control. Finally, a comprehensive analysis was conducted on these 2 networks to identify hub pathway cross-talks for BE, so as to better understand the pathological mechanism of BE from the pathway level. RESULTS A total of 12 411 genes, 300 pathways (6919 genes), and 787 896 PPI interactions (16 730 genes) were separately obtained from their own databases. Then, we constructed a BPCN with 300 nodes (42 293 interactions) and a DPCN with 296 nodes (15 073 interactions). We identified 4 hub pathways: AMP signaling pathway, cGMP-PKG signaling pathway, natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity, and osteoclast differentiation. We found that these pathways might play important roles during the occurrence and development of BE. CONCLUSIONS We predicted that these pathways (such as AMP signaling pathway and cAMP signaling pathway) could be used as potential biomarkers for early diagnosis and therapy of BE.

Cadmium stress tolerance in wheat seedlings induced by ascorbic acid was mediated by NO signaling pathways.

Ascorbic acid (AsA) and nitric oxide (NO) are well known and widespread antioxidants and gaseous molecules that regulate plant tolerance to several stresses. However, the relationship between them in plant response to stress, especially heavy stress, is largely unclear. This study demonstrated that both AsA and NO could enhance the tolerance of wheat seedlings to cadmium stress evidenced by root length change, which resulted from their roles in maintaining the balance in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reducing the absorption of Cd. Furthermore, exogenous AsA led to a significant increase of NO content and endogenous AsA content in wheat roots, which could be weakened by the NO scavenger c-PTIO. In addition, c-PTIO also inhibits the NO-induced production of endogenous AsA. Although the AsA synthesis inhibitor lycorine significantly inhibited the inductive effect of exogenous AsA on endogenous AsA production, it has little effect on NO content. In addition, we found that the protective effects of NO and AsA on Cd stress were removed by c-PTIO and lycorine. These results indicated that NO accumulation could be necessary for exogenous AsA-induced cadmium tolerance and endogenous AsA production, and the exogenous AsA-induced endogenous AsA production was likely mediated by NO signaling pathways and together they induced the tolerance of wheat to cadmium stress.

Serum CX3CL1/fractalkine concentrations are positively associated with disease severity in postmenopausal osteoporotic patients.

BACKGROUND: The chemokine (C-X3-C motif) ligand 1 (CX3CL1), also called fractalkine (FKN), has recently been reported to be involved in osteoclastogenic process and pathological bone destruction. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the link between serum CX3CL1/FKN levels with disease progression of postmenopausal osteoporotic patients. METHODS: A total of 53 women with postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP group), 51 postmenopausal non-osteoporotic female patients (PMNOP group) and 50 premenopausal non-osteoporotic healthy women of childbearing age (control group) were enrolled in the study. The bone mineral density (BMD) for all subjects was determined via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry of the lumbar spine, femoral neck, internal trochanter, total hip, greater trochanter and Ward's triangle. The levels of FKN in the serum were examined using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. The serum bone resorption markers TRACP-5b, NTX levels, inflammation markers IL-1ß and IL-6 as well as oestrogen-2(E2) were also detected in all participants. The visual analogue scores (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) for low back pain were recorded in PMOP females for evaluation of osteoporotic pain and function. RESULTS: FKN levels were significantly higher in postmenopausal osteoporotic patients compared with postmenopausal non-osteoporotic females (139.8 ± 44.3 pg/mL VS 116.5 ± 23.1 pg/mL, p < 0.05) and healthy controls (139.8 ± 44.3 pg/mL VS 109.7 ± 19.4 pg/mL, p < 0.05). Serum FKN concentrations were negatively associated with BMD at femoral neck (r = -0.394, p = 0.004), total hip(r = -0.374, p = 0.006), internal trochanter(r = -0.340, p = 0.013), greater trochanter(r = -0.376, p = 0.006), Ward's triangle(r = -0.343, p = 0.012), L1-L4 lumbar spine(r = -0.339, p = 0.013) and positively associated with VAS (r = 0.321, p = 0.019) and ODI (r = 0.377, p = 0.005) scores, bone turnover makers (TRACP-5b:r = 0.341, p = 0.012; NTX:r = 0.364, p = 0.007)as well as inflammation markers (IL-1ß: r = 0.396, p = 0.003; IL-6:r = 0.355, p = 0.009) in postmenopausal osteoporotic patients. CONCLUSIONS: Serum FKN may serve as a novel biomarker for assessing disease progression and a new potential therapeutic target for anti-resorptive treatment in osteoporosis patients.

Nonstereotyped lymphoma B cell receptors recognize vimentin as a shared autoantigen.

Ag activation of the BCR may play a role in the pathogenesis of human follicular lymphoma (FL) and other B cell malignancies. However, the nature of the Ag(s) recognized by tumor BCRs has not been well studied. In this study, we used unbiased approaches to demonstrate that 42 (19.35%) of 217 tested FL Igs recognized vimentin as a shared autoantigen. The epitope was localized to the N-terminal region of vimentin for all vimentin-reactive tumor Igs. We confirmed specific binding to vimentin by using recombinant vimentin and by performing competitive inhibition studies. Furthermore, using indirect immunofluorescence staining, we showed that the vimentin-reactive tumor Igs colocalized with an anti-vimentin mAb in HEp-2 cells. The reactivity to N-terminal vimentin of IgG FL Igs was significantly higher than that of IgM FL Igs (30.4 versus 10%; p = 0.0022). However, vimentin-reactive FL Igs did not share CDR3 motifs and were not homologous. Vimentin was expressed in the T cell-rich regions of FL, suggesting that vimentin is available for binding with tumor BCRs within the tumor microenvironment. Vimentin was also frequently recognized by mantle cell lymphoma and multiple myeloma Igs. Our results demonstrate that vimentin is a shared autoantigen recognized by nonstereotyped FL BCRs and by the Igs of mantle cell lymphoma and multiple myeloma and suggest that vimentin may play a role in the pathogenesis of multiple B cell malignancies. These findings may lead to a better understanding of the biology and natural history of FL and other B cell malignancies.

Baicalein modulates Nrf2/Keap1 system in both Keap1-dependent and Keap1-independent mechanisms.

Baicalein, a major component of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi (Huang Qin), is widely used in the traditional Chinese medicine. However, the mechanisms underlying cancer chemoprevention are still not clear. The present study aimed to clarify how baicalein modulate Nrf2/Keap1 system to exert its cytoprotection and cancer chemoprevention. In the upstream cellular signaling, baicalein stimulated the phosphorylation of MEK1/2, AKT and JNK1/2, which were demonstrated to be essential for baicalein-induced Nrf2 expression by their inhibitors. Immunoprecipitation with Nrf2 found that baicalein increased the amount of phosphorylated MEK1/2, AKT and JNK1/2 bound to Nrf2, and also stabilized Nrf2 protein by inhibiting the ubiquitination and proteasomal turnover of Nrf2. Simultaneously, baicalein down-regulated Keap1 by stimulating modification and degradation of Keap1 without affecting the dissociation of Keap1-Nrf2. Silencing Nrf2 using Nrf2 siRNA markedly reduced the ARE activity under both baseline and baicalein-induced conditions. Thus, baicalein positively modulate Nrf2/Keap1 system through both Keap1-independent and -dependent pathways. These finding provide an insight to understand the mechanisms of baicalein in cytoprotection and cancer chemoprevention.

Effect of near-infrared spectroscopy on postoperative delirium in cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Postoperative delirium (POD) is a common anesthetic side effect in cardiac surgery. However, the role of oxygen saturation monitoring in reducing postoperative delirium has been controversial. Therefore, this meta-analysis aimed to analyze whether NIRS monitoring during cardiac surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass could reduce the incidence of postoperative delirium. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases were systematically searched using the related keywords for randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) published from their inception to March 16, 2024. This review was conducted by the Preferred Reporting Project and Meta-Analysis Statement (PRISMA) guidelines for systematic review. The primary outcome was postoperative delirium, and the second outcomes included the length of ICU stay, the incidence of kidney-related adverse outcomes, and the incidence of cardiac-related adverse outcomes. Results: The incidence of postoperative delirium could be reduced under the guidance of near-infrared spectroscopy monitoring (OR, 0.657; 95% CI, 0.447-0.965; P = 0.032; I2 = 0%). However, there were no significant differences in the length of ICU stay (SMD, 0.005 days; 95% CI, -0.135-0.146; P = 0.940; I2 = 39.3%), the incidence of kidney-related adverse outcomes (OR, 0.761; 95% CI, 0.386-1.500; P = 0.430; I2 = 0%), and the incidence of the cardiac-related adverse outcomes (OR, 1.165; 95% CI, 0.556-2.442; P = 0.686; I2 = 0%) between the two groups. Conclusion: Near-infrared spectroscopy monitoring in cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass helps reduce postoperative delirium in patients. Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO, identifier, CRD42023482675.

Numerical Simulation of Compressive Mechanical Properties of 3D Printed Lattice-Reinforced Cement-Based Composites Based on ABAQUS.

Research has established that the incorporation of 3D-printed lattice structures in cement substrates enhances the mechanical properties of cementitious materials. However, given that 3D-printing materials, notably polymers, exhibit varying degrees of mechanical performance under high-temperature conditions, their efficacy is compromised. Notably, at temperatures reaching 150 °C, these materials soften and lose their load-bearing capacity, necessitating further investigation into their compressive mechanical behavior in such environments. This study evaluates the compressibility of cement materials reinforced with lattice structures made from polyamide 6 (PA6) across different structural configurations and ambient temperatures, employing ABAQUS for simulation. Six distinct 3D-printed lattice designs with equivalent volume but varying configurations were tested under ambient temperatures of 20 °C, 50 °C, and 100 °C to assess their impact on compressive properties. The findings indicate that heightened ambient temperatures significantly diminish the reinforcing effect of 3D-printed materials on the properties of cement-based composites.

Norepinephrine versus phenylephrine on cerebral tissue oxygen saturation during prophylactic infusion to prevent spinal hypotension for Caesarean birth.

BACKGROUND: Phenylephrine may cause a reduction in maternal cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (SctO2) during Caesarean birth to prevent spinal hypotension; however, the effect of norepinephrine has not been assessed. We hypothesized that norepinephrine was more effective than phenylephrine in maintaining SctO2 when preventing spinal hypotension during Caesarean birth. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, controlled study. Sixty patients were randomly assigned to prophylactic norepinephrine or phenylephrine to maintain blood pressure during spinal anesthesia for Caesarean birth. SctO2, systolic blood pressure, and heart rate were recorded. The primary outcome was the incidence of a 10% reduction of intraoperative SctO2 from baseline or more during Caesarean birth. RESULTS: The norepinephrine group had a lower incidence of more than 10% reduction of intraoperative SctO2 from baseline than that of the phenylephrine group (13.3% vs 40.0%, P = .02). The change in SctO2 after 5 minutes of norepinephrine infusion was higher than that after phenylephrine infusion (-3.4 ±â€…4.7 vs -6.2 ±â€…5.6, P = .04). The change in SctO2 after 10 minutes of norepinephrine infusion was higher than that after phenylephrine infusion (-2.5 ±â€…4.4 vs -5.4 ±â€…4.6, P = .006). The norepinephrine group showed greater left- and right-SctO2 values than the phenylephrine group at 5 to 10 minutes. However, the change in systolic blood pressure was comparable between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: Norepinephrine was more effective than phenylephrine in maintaining SctO2 when preventing spinal hypotension during Caesarean birth. However, the changes in clinical outcomes caused by differences in SctO2 between the 2 medications warrant further studies.

Wighteone, a prenylated flavonoid from licorice, inhibits growth of SW480 colorectal cancer cells by allosteric inhibition of Akt.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Licorice is a frequently used herbal medicine worldwide, and is used to treat cough, hepatitis, cancer and influenza in clinical practice of traditional Chinese medicine. Modern pharmacological studies indicate that prenylated flavonoids play an important role in the anti-tumor activity of licorice, especially the tumors in stomach, lung, colon and liver. Wighteone is one of the main prenylated flavonoids in licorice, and its possible effect and target against colorectal cancer have not been investigated. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aimed to investigate the anti-colorectal cancer effect and underlying mechanism of wighteone. MATERIALS AND METHODS: SW480 human colorectal cancer cells were used to evaluate the in vitro anti-colorectal cancer activity and Akt regulation effect of wighteone by flow cytometry, phosphoproteomic and Western blot analysis. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) assay, molecular docking and dynamics simulation, and kinase activity assay were used to investigate the direct interaction between wighteone and Akt. A nude mouse xenograft model with SW480 cells was used to verify the in vivo anti-colorectal cancer activity of wighteone. RESULTS: Wighteone inhibited phosphorylation of Akt and its downstream kinases in SW480 cells, which led to a reduction in cell viability. Wighteone had direct interaction with both PH and kinase domains of Akt, which locked Akt in a "closed" conformation with allosteric inhibition, and Gln79, Tyr272, Arg273 and Lys297 played the most critical role due to their hydrogen bond and hydrophobic interactions with wighteone. Based on Akt overexpression or activation in SW480 cells, further mechanistic studies suggested that wighteone-induced Akt inhibition led to cycle arrest, apoptosis and autophagic death of SW480 cells. Moreover, wighteone exerted in vivo anti-colorectal cancer effect and Akt inhibition activity in the nude mouse xenograft model. CONCLUSION: Wighteone could inhibit growth of SW480 cells through allosteric inhibition of Akt, which led to cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and autophagic death. The results contributed to understanding of the anti-tumor mechanism of licorice, and also provided a rationale to design novel Akt allosteric inhibitors for the treatment of colorectal cancer.

Endogenous CSE/H2 S system mediates TNF-α-induced insulin resistance in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

Tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF- α)is a major contributor to the pathogenesis of insulin resistance associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes. It has been found that endogenous hydrogen sulfide (H2 S) contributes to the pathogenesis of diabetes. We have hypothesized that TNF-α-induced insulin resistance is involved in endogenous H2 S generation. The aim of the present study is to investigate the role of endogenous H2 S in TNF-α-induced insulin resistance by studying 3T3-L1 adipocytes. We found that treatment of 3T3-L1 adipocytes with TNF-α leads to deficiency in insulin-stimulated glucose consumption and uptake and increase in endogenous H2 S generation. We show that cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE) is catalysed in 3T3-L1 adipocytes to generate H2 S and that CSE expression and activity are upregulated by TNF-α treatment. Inhibited CSE by its potent inhibitors significantly attenuates TNF-α-induced insulin resistance in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, whereas H2 S treatment of 3T3-L1 adipocytes impairs insulin-stimulated glucose consumption and uptake. These data indicate that endogenous CSE/H2 S system contributes to TNF-α-caused insulin resistance in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Our findings suggest that modulation of CSE/H2 S system is a potential therapeutic avenue for insulin resistance.

Properties investigations of rape stalks fermented by different salt concentration: Effect of volatile compounds and physicochemical indexes.

In order to find out the effect of salt concentration on fermented rape stalks, the physicochemical quality and volatile components was investigated using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and headspace solid phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS). The results showed that there were abundant kinds of free amino acids (FAAs) in all samples, mainly presenting sweet, umami and bitter taste. Through taste activity value (TAV), His, Glu, and Ala contributed significantly to the taste of the sample. 51 volatile components were identified, of which the relative contents of ketones and alcohols were high. By the relative odor activity value (ROAV) analysis, the main components that had a great impact on the flavor were phenylacetaldehyde, ß-Ionone, ethyl palmitate and furanone. Adjusting the appropriate salt concentration for fermentation could improve the comprehensive quality of fermented rape stalks and promote the development and utilization of rape products.

Fear during pandemic promoted holistic cognitive style: The moderating role of uncertainty.

The present study explored the link between fear and holistic cognitive style and the moderating role of uncertainty. We examined these effects in a real-life situation: the long-term, global COVID-19 pandemic, which provided a natural context of fear and uncertainty. The current study comprises three studies recruiting N = 1,310 participants. Study 1 compared the link between fear and holistic style in the United States (a relatively uncertain situation presented by the COVID-19 pandemic) and China (a pandemic situation with relative certainty) in the early days of the pandemic. Study 2 examined the moderation effect of uncertainty in the relationship between fear and holistic style by manipulating participants into a fearful (vs. control) condition. Study 3 employed a longitudinal design to demonstrate the effect of fear-related emotions on holistic style change over a 3-month period. Across three studies, the moderation effect of uncertainty in the relationship between fear-related emotions and holistic style during the COVID-19 pandemic was consistently observed. In sum, this study provided an ecological and explanatory mechanism for understanding the impact of individuals' fear on holistic cognitive style. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Research Advances of Porous Polyimide-Based Composites with Low Dielectric Constant.

With the burgeoning of the microelectronics industry, in order to improve the transmission speed between chips in large-scale integrated circuits to meet the demands of high integration, it is necessary for interlayer insulation materials to possess a lower dielectric constant (k). Polyimide (PI) has been widely used as interlayer insulation materials for large-scale integrated circuits, and the exploration on reducing their dielectric constant has attracted extensive attention in recent years. In this work, porous PI-based composites with a low dielectric constant are mainly reviewed. The application of porous SiO2, graphene derivatives, polyoxometalates, polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane and hyperbranched polysiloxane in reducing the dielectric constant of PI is emphatically introduced. The key technical problems and challenges in the current research of porous polyimide materials are summarized, and the development prospect of low k polyimide is also expounded.

A Stability Training Method of Legged Robots Based on Training Platforms and Reinforcement Learning with Its Simulation and Experiment.

This paper continues the proposed idea of stability training for legged robots with any number of legs and any size on a motion platform and introduces the concept of a learning-based controller, the global self-stabilizer, to obtain a self-stabilization capability in robots. The overall structure of the global self-stabilizer is divided into three modules: action selection, adjustment calculation and joint motion mapping, with corresponding learning algorithms proposed for each module. Taking the human-sized biped robot, GoRoBoT-II, as an example, simulations and experiments in three kinds of motions were performed to validate the feasibility of the proposed idea. A well-designed training platform was used to perform composite random amplitude-limited disturbances, such as the sagittal and lateral tilt perturbations (±25°) and impact perturbations (0.47 times the robot gravity). The results show that the proposed global self-stabilizer converges after training and can dynamically combine actions according to the system state. Compared with the controllers used to generate the training data, the trained global self-stabilizer increases the success rate of stability verification simulations and experiments by more than 20% and 15%, respectively.

Multi-network collaborative lift-drag ratio prediction and airfoil optimization based on residual network and generative adversarial network.

As compared with the computational fluid dynamics(CFD), the airfoil optimization based on deep learning significantly reduces the computational cost. In the airfoil optimization based on deep learning, due to the uncertainty in the neural network, the optimization results deviate from the true value. In this work, a multi-network collaborative lift-to-drag ratio prediction model is constructed based on ResNet and penalty functions. Latin supersampling is used to select four angles of attack in the range of 2°-10° with significant uncertainty to limit the prediction error. Moreover, the random drift particle swarm optimization (RDPSO) algorithm is used to control the prediction error. The experimental results show that multi-network collaboration significantly reduces the error in the optimization results. As compared with the optimization based on a single network, the maximum error of multi-network coordination in single angle of attack optimization reduces by 16.0%. Consequently, this improves the reliability of airfoil optimization based on deep learning.