Ultrastable Copper Iodide Hybrid with Intrinsic Greenish White-Light Emission by Incorporating an Anionic Inorganic Functional Unit into an Extended Structure.

Incorporating a functional unit into the multidimensional coordination polymer skeleton is an efficient way to improve the stability of materials and expand their application. In this paper, anionic copper iodide inorganic functional modules are incorporated into one-dimensional extended chains by using a unique bidentate cationic organic ligand. Benefiting from the ionic extended structure, the resulting hybrid possesses a remarkable stability with a decomposition temperature as high as 300 °C. Meanwhile, the hybrid material exhibits intrinsic greenish white-light emission with a high photoluminescent quantum yield of 70%. The emission was investigated by temperature-dependent emission spectra, which proved to be the result of the synergistic effect of two energy states. The novel synthetic strategy provides an efficient route for the development of functional organic metal halides.

The persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in tissues and its association with long COVID symptoms: a cross-sectional cohort study in China.

BACKGROUND: Growing evidence suggests that symptoms associated with post-COVID-19 condition (also known as long COVID) can affect multiple organs and systems in the human body, but their association with viral persistence is not clear. The aim of this study was to investigate the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in diverse tissues at three timepoints following recovery from mild COVID-19, as well as its association with long COVID symptoms. METHODS: This single-centre, cross-sectional cohort study was done at China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing, China, following the omicron wave of COVID-19 in December, 2022. Individuals with mild COVID-19 confirmed by PCR or a lateral flow test scheduled to undergo gastroscopy, surgery, or chemotherapy, or scheduled for treatment in hospital for other reasons, at 1 month, 2 months, or 4 months after infection were enrolled in this study. Residual surgical samples, gastroscopy samples, and blood samples were collected approximately 1 month (18-33 days), 2 months (55-84 days), or 4 months (115-134 days) after infection. SARS-CoV-2 was detected by digital droplet PCR and further confirmed through RNA in-situ hybridisation, immunofluorescence, and immunohistochemistry. Telephone follow-up was done at 4 months post-infection to assess the association between the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA and long COVID symptoms. FINDINGS: Between Jan 3 and April 28, 2023, 317 tissue samples were collected from 225 patients, including 201 residual surgical specimens, 59 gastroscopy samples, and 57 blood component samples. Viral RNA was detected in 16 (30%) of 53 solid tissue samples collected at 1 month, 38 (27%) of 141 collected at 2 months, and seven (11%) of 66 collected at 4 months. Viral RNA was distributed across ten different types of solid tissues, including liver, kidney, stomach, intestine, brain, blood vessel, lung, breast, skin, and thyroid. Additionally, subgenomic RNA was detected in 26 (43%) of 61 solid tissue samples tested for subgenomic RNA that also tested positive for viral RNA. At 2 months after infection, viral RNA was detected in the plasma of three (33%), granulocytes of one (11%), and peripheral blood mononuclear cells of two (22%) of nine patients who were immunocompromised, but in none of these blood compartments in ten patients who were immunocompetent. Among 213 patients who completed the telephone questionnaire, 72 (34%) reported at least one long COVID symptom, with fatigue (21%, 44 of 213) being the most frequent symptom. Detection of viral RNA in recovered patients was significantly associated with the development of long COVID symptoms (odds ratio 5·17, 95% CI 2·64-10·13, p<0·0001). Patients with higher virus copy numbers had a higher likelihood of developing long COVID symptoms. INTERPRETATION: Our findings suggest that residual SARS-CoV-2 can persist in patients who have recovered from mild COVID-19 and that there is a significant association between viral persistence and long COVID symptoms. Further research is needed to verify a mechanistic link and identify potential targets to improve long COVID symptoms. FUNDING: National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key R&D Program of China, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences, and New Cornerstone Science Foundation. TRANSLATION: For the Chinese translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Unveiling kiwifruit TCP genes: evolution, functions, and expression insights.

The TEOSINTE-BRANCHED1/CYCLOIDEA/PROLEFERATING-CELL-FACTORS (TCP) gene family is a plant-specific transcriptional factor family involved in leaf morphogenesis and senescence, lateral branching, hormone crosstalk, and stress responses. To date, a systematic study on the identification and characterization of the TCP gene family in kiwifruit has not been reported. Additionally, the function of kiwifruit TCPs in regulating kiwifruit responses to the ethylene treatment and bacterial canker disease pathogen (Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae, Psa) has not been investigated. Here, we identified 40 and 26 TCP genes in Actinidia chinensis (Ac) and A. eriantha (Ae) genomes, respectively. The synteny analysis of AcTCPs illustrated that whole-genome duplication accounted for the expansion of the TCP family in Ac. Phylogenetic, conserved domain, and selection pressure analysis indicated that TCP family genes in Ac and Ae had undergone different evolutionary patterns after whole-genome duplication (WGD) events, causing differences in TCP gene number and distribution. Our results also suggested that protein structure and cis-element architecture in promoter regions of TCP genes have driven the function divergence of duplicated gene pairs. Three and four AcTCP genes significantly affected kiwifruit responses to the ethylene treatment and Psa invasion, respectively. Our results provided insight into general characters, evolutionary patterns, and functional diversity of kiwifruit TCPs.

Thermally stable Ni foam-supported inverse CeAlOx/Ni ensemble as an active structured catalyst for CO2 hydrogenation to methane.

Nickel is the most widely used inexpensive active metal center of the heterogeneous catalysts for CO2 hydrogenation to methane. However, Ni-based catalysts suffer from severe deactivation in CO2 methanation reaction due to the irreversible sintering and coke deposition caused by the inevitable localized hotspots generated during the vigorously exothermic reaction. Herein, we demonstrate the inverse CeAlOx/Ni composite constructed on the Ni-foam structure support realizes remarkable CO2 methanation catalytic activity and stability in a wide operation temperature range from 240 to 600 °C. Significantly, CeAlOx/Ni/Ni-foam catalyst maintains its initial activity after seven drastic heating-cooling cycles from RT to 240 to 600 °C. Meanwhile, the structure catalyst also shows water resistance and long-term stability under reaction condition. The promising thermal stability and water-resistance of CeAlOx/Ni/Ni-foam originate from the excellent heat and mass transport efficiency which eliminates local hotspots and the formation of Ni-foam stabilized CeAlOx/Ni inverse composites which effectively anchored the active species and prevents carbon deposition from CH4 decomposition.

A multicenter clinical epidemiology of pediatric pneumococcal meningitis in China: results from the Chinese Pediatric Bacterial Meningitis Surveillance (CPBMS) 2019-2020.

Objective: To analyze the clinical epidemiological characteristics including clinical features, disease prognosis of pneumococcal meningitis (PM), and drug sensitivity of S. pneumoniae isolates in Chinese children. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical, laboratory microbiological data of 160 hospitalized children less than 15 years of age with PM from January 2019 to December 2020 in 33 tertiary hospitals in China. Results: A total of 160 PM patients were diagnosed, including 103 males and 57 females The onset age was 15 days to 15 years old, and the median age was 1 year and 3 months. There were 137 cases (85.6%) in the 3 months to <5 years age group, especially in the 3 months to <3 years age group (109 cases, 68.2%); S. pneumoniae was isolated from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture in 95(35.6%), and 57(35.6%) in blood culture. The positive rates of S. pneumoniae detection by CSF metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS)and antigen detection method were 40.2% (35/87) and 26.9% (21/78). Fifty-five cases (34.4%) had one or more predisposing factors of bacterial meningitis; and 113 cases (70.6%) had one or more extracranial infection diseases Fever (147, 91.9%) was the most common clinical symptom, followed by vomiting (61, 38.1%) and altered mental status (47,29.4%). Among 160 children with PM, the main intracranial imaging complications were subdural effusion and (or) empyema in 43 cases (26.9%), hydrocephalus in 24 cases (15.0%), cerebral abscess in 23 cases (14.4%), intracranial hemorrhage in 8 cases (5.0%), and other cerebrovascular diseases in 13 cases (8.1%) including encephalomalacia, cerebral infarction, and encephalatrophy. Subdural effusion and (or) empyema and hydrocephalus mainly occurred in children < 1 years old (90.7% (39/43) and 83.3% (20/24), respectively). 17 cases with PM (39.5%) had more than one intracranial imaging abnormality. S. pneumoniae isolates were completely sensitive to vancomycin (100.0%, 75/75), linezolid (100.0%,56/56), ertapenem (6/6); highly sensitive to levofloxacin (81.5%, 22/27), moxifloxacin (14/17), rifampicin (96.2%, 25/26), and chloramphenicol (91.3%, 21/23); moderately sensitive to cefotaxime (56.1%, 23/41), meropenem (51.1%, 23/45) and ceftriaxone (63.5, 33/52); less sensitive to penicillin (19.6%, 27/138) and clindamycin (1/19); completely resistant to erythromycin (100.0%, 31/31). The cure and improvement rate were 22.5% (36/160)and 66.3% (106/160), respectively. 18 cases (11.3%) had an adverse outcome, including 6 cases withdrawing treatment therapy, 5 cases unhealed, 5 cases died, and 2 recurrences. S. pneumoniae was completely susceptible to vancomycin (100.0%, 75/75), linezolid (100.0%, 56/56), and ertapenem (6/6); susceptible to cefotaxime, meropenem, and ceftriaxone in the order of 56.1% (23/41), 51.1% (23/45), and 63.5 (33/52); completely resistant to erythromycin (100.0%, 31/31). Conclusion: Pediatric PM is more common in children aged 3 months to < 3 years old. Intracranial complications mostly occur in children < 1 year of age with fever being the most common clinical manifestations and subdural effusion and (or) empyema and hydrocephalus being the most common complications, respectively. CSF non-culture methods can facilitate improving the detection rate of pathogenic bacteria. More than 10% of PM children had adverse outcomes. S. pneumoniae strains are susceptible to vancomycin, linezolid, ertapenem, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, rifampicin, and chloramphenicol.

A statistical investigation of parameters associated with low cell-free fetal DNA fraction in maternal plasma for noninvasive prenatal testing.

BACKGROUND: Noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is the most common method for prenatal aneuploidy screening. Low fetal fraction (LFF) is the primary reason for NIPT failure. Consequently, factors associated with LFF should be elucidated for optimal clinical implementation of NIPT. METHODS: In this study, NIPT data from January 2019 to December 2022 from the laboratory records and obstetrical and neonatal data from the electronic medical records were collected and analyzed. Subjects with FF >3.50% were assigned to the control group, subjects with FF <3.50% once were assigned to the LFF group, and subjects with FF <3.50% twice were assigned to the repetitive low fetal fraction (RLFF) group. Factors, including body mass index (BMI), gestational age, maternal age, twin pregnancy, and in vitro fertilization (IVF) known to be associated with LFF were assessed by Kruskal-Wallis H test and logistic regression. Clinical data on first trimester pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A), beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (ß-hCG), gestational age at delivery, birth weight at delivery, and maternal diseases were obtained from the hospital's prenatal and neonatal screening systems (twin pregnancy was not included in the data on gestational age at delivery and the control group did not include data on maternal diseases.), and were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis H test and Chi-square test. RESULTS: Among the total of 63,883 subjects, 63,605 subjects were assigned to the control group, 197 subjects were assigned to the LFF group, and 81 subjects were assigned to the RLFF group. The median of BMI in the three groups was 22.43 kg/m2 (control), 25.71 kg/m2 (LFF), and 24.54 kg/m2 (RLFF). The median gestational age in the three groups was 130 days (control), 126 days (LFF), and 122/133 days (RLFF). The median maternal age in the three groups was 29 (control), 29 (LFF), and 33-years-old (RLFF). The proportion of twin pregnancies in the three groups was 3.3% (control), 10.7% (LFF), and 11.7% (RLFF). The proportion of IVF in the three groups was 4.7% (control), 11.7% (LFF), and 21.3% (RLFF). The factors significantly associated with LFF included BMI [2.18, (1.94, 2.45), p < 0.0001], gestational age [0.76, (0.67, 0.87), p < 0.0001], twin pregnancy [1.62, (1.02, 2.52), p = 0.0353], and IVF [2.68, (1.82, 3.86), p < 0.0001]. The factors associated with RLFF included maternal age [1.54, (1.17, 2.05), p = 0.0023] and IVF [2.55, (1.19, 5.54), p = 0.016]. Multiples of the median (MOM) value of ß-hCG and pregnant persons' gestational age at delivery were significantly decreased in the LFF and RLFF groups compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: According to our findings based on the OR value, factors associated strongly with LFF include a high BMI and the use of IVF. Factors associated less strongly with LFF include early gestational age and twin pregnancy, while advanced maternal age and IVF were independent risk factors for a second LFF result.

Body mass index, gestational age, maternal age, twin pregnancy, and in vitro fertilization are associated with fetal fraction. We added the repetitive low fetal fraction population and used a large normal population as a control to identify the main factors associated with low fetal fraction.

The significance of machine learning in neonatal screening for inherited metabolic diseases.

Background: Neonatal screening for inherited metabolic diseases (IMDs) has been revolutionized by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). This study aimed to enhance neonatal screening for IMDs using machine learning (ML) techniques. Methods: The study involved the analysis of a comprehensive dataset comprising 309,102 neonatal screening records collected in the Ningbo region, China. An advanced ML system model, encompassing nine distinct algorithms, was employed for the purpose of predicting the presence of 31 different IMDs. The model was compared with traditional cutoff schemes to assess its diagnostic efficacy. Additionally, 180 suspected positive cases underwent further evaluation. Results: The ML system exhibited a significantly reduced positive rate, from 1.17% to 0.33%, compared to cutoff schemes in the initial screening, minimizing unnecessary recalls and associated stress. In suspected positive cases, the ML system identified 142 true positives with high sensitivity (93.42%) and improved specificity (78.57%) compared to the cutoff scheme. While false negatives emerged, particularly in heterozygous carriers, our study revealed the potential of the ML system to detect asymptomatic cases. Conclusion: This research provides valuable insights into the potential of ML in pediatric medicine for IMD diagnosis through neonatal screening, emphasizing the need for accurate carrier detection and further research in this domain.

Maternal cardiovascular health in early pregnancy and the risk of congenital heart defects in offspring.

BACKGROUND: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the predominant birth defect. This study aimed to explore the association between maternal cardiovascular health (CVH) and the CHD risk in offspring. METHODS: We used the prospective data from the Fujian Birth Cohort Study, collected from March 2019 to December 2022 on pregnant women within 14 weeks of gestation. Overall maternal CVH was assessed by seven CVH metrics (including physical activity, smoking, sleep duration, body mass index, blood pressure, total cholesterol, and fasting plasma glucose), with each metric classified as ideal, intermediate or poor with specific points. Participants were further allocated into high, moderate and low CVH categories based on the cumulative CVH score. The association with offspring CHD was determined with log-binominal regression models. RESULTS: A total of 19810 participants aged 29.7 (SD: 3.9) years were included, with 7846 (39.6%) classified as having high CVH, 10949 (55.3%) as having moderate CVH, and 1015 (5.1%) as having low CVH. The average offspring CHD rate was 2.52%, with rates of 2.35%, 2.52% and 3.84% across the high, moderate and low CVH categories, respectively (P = 0.02). Adjusted relative risks (RRs) of having offspring CHD were 0.64 (95% CI: 0.45-0.90, P = 0.001) for high CVH and 0.67 (95% CI: 0.48-0.93, P = 0.02) for moderate CVH compared to low CVH. For individual metrics, only ideal total cholesterol was significantly associated with lower offspring CHD (RR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.59-0.83, P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Pregnant women of high or moderate CVH categories in early pregnancy had reduced risks of CHD in offspring, compared to those of low CVH. It is important to monitor and improve CVH during pre-pregnancy counseling and early prenatal care.

Architecture of integrated solid-state zinc-ion battery based on sodium alginate gelation.

How to construct a new electrode/electrolyte interface structure in solid-state batteries (SSBs), enhance interface stability, and improve the cycling performance of SSBs is a great challenge for the development of SSBs. Here, an all-in-one "interface-free" structure was developed. This interfacial structure constructs a full-interface hydrogen bonding network through the abundant hydrogen bond donors and acceptors in the cathode and electrolyte to enhance the interfacial stability and avoid interfacial failure during charging and discharging, and generates cathode-electrolyte interface (CEI) in-situ to effectively regulate zinc ion transport. Square cells assembled in this structure are stabilized for 100 cycles at a current density of 0.1 mA cm-2. This integrated electrode provides a new idea for the long stable cycle of SSBs.

VDR is a potential prognostic biomarker and positively correlated with immune infiltration: a comprehensive pan-cancer analysis with experimental verification.

The vitamin D receptor (VDR) is a transcription factor that mediates a variety of biological functions of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. Although there is growing evidence of cytological and animal studies supporting the suppressive role of VDR in cancers, the conclusion is still controversial in human cancers and no systematic pan-cancer analysis of VDR is available. We explored the relationships between VDR expression and prognosis, immune infiltration, tumor microenvironment, or gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) in 33 types of human cancers based on multiple public databases and R software. Meanwhile, the expression and role of VDR were experimentally validated in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). VDR expression decreased in 8 types and increased in 12 types of cancer compared with normal tissues. Increased expression of VDR was associated with either good or poor prognosis in 13 cancer types. VDR expression was positively correlated with the infiltration of cancer-associated fibroblasts, macrophages, or neutrophils in 20, 12, and 10 cancer types respectively and this correlation was experimentally validated in PTC. Increased VDR expression was associated with increased percentage of stromal or immune components in tumor microenvironment (TME) in 24 cancer types. VDR positively and negatively correlated genes were enriched in immune cell function and energy metabolism pathways, respectively, in the top 9 highly lethal tumors. Additionally, VDR expression was increased in PTC and inhibited cell proliferation and migration. In conclusion, VDR is a potential prognostic biomarker and positively correlated with immune infiltration as well as stromal or immune components in TME in multiple human cancers.

14-Electron Redox Chemistry Enabled by Salen-Based π-Conjugated Framework Polymer Boosting High-Performance Lithium-Ion Storage.

A paucity of redox centers, poor charge transport properties, and low structural stability of organic materials obstruct their use in practical applications. Herein, these issues have been addressed through the use of a redox-active salen-based framework polymer (RSFP) containing multiple redox-active centers in π-conjugated configuration for applications in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Based on its unique architecture, RSFP exhibits a superior reversible capacity of 671.8 mAh g-1 at 0.05 A g-1 after 168 charge-discharge cycles. Importantly, the lithiation/de-lithiation performance is enhanced during operation, leading to an unprecedented reversible capacity of 946.2 mAh g-1 after 3500 cycles at 2 A g-1. The structural evolution of RSFP is studied ex situ using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, revealing multiple active C═N, C─O, and C═O sites and aromatic sites such as benzene rings. Remarkably, the emergence of C═O originated from C─O is triggered by an electrochemical process, which is beneficial for improving reversible lithiation/delithiation behavior. Furthermore, the respective strong and weak binding interactions between redox centers and lithium ions, corresponding to theoretical capacities of 670.1 and 938.2 mAh g-1, have been identified by density functional theory calculations manifesting 14-electron redox reactions. This work sheds new light on routes for the development of redox-active organic materials for energy storage applications.

Study on the Equivalence Transformation between Blasting Vibration Velocity and Acceleration.

The evaluation of blasting vibrations primarily hinges on two physical quantities: velocity and acceleration. A significant challenge arises when attempting to reference the two types of vibration data in relation to one another, such as different types of seismometers, noise, etc., necessitating a method for their equivalent transformation. To address this, a transformation method is discussed in detail with a case study, and equations for the ratio (Ra) of the particle peak velocity (PPV) to the particle peak acceleration (PPA) are proposed. The findings are twofold: (1) The conventional data conversion processes often suffer from low accuracy due to the presence of trend terms and noise in the signal. To mitigate this, the built-in MATLAB function is used for trend term elimination, complemented by a combined approach that integrates CEEMDAN with WD/WDP for noise reduction. These significantly enhance the accuracy of the transformation. (2) This analysis reveals a positive power function correlation between Ra and the propagation distance of the blast vibrations, contrasted by a negative correlation with the maximum charge per delay. Intriguingly, the Ra values observed in pre-splitting blasting operations are consistently lower than those in bench blasting. The established Ra equations offer a rapid, direct method for assessing the transformation between the PPV and PPA, providing valuable insights for the optimization of blasting design.

An innovative exploration to identify and isolate the dominant-flocculated-species from polytitanium chloride synthesized by electrodialysis.

Abundance of dominant-flocculated-species is the key to determine coagulation performance of coagulant. Titanium-based coagulants have garnered considerable attention due to their high coagulation efficiency, but with a current challenge of the identification and isolation of the dominant-flocculated-species. Herein, polytitanium chloride (PTC), enriched with dominant-flocculated-species, was successfully synthesized by electrodialysis through accurate micro-interface control of the reaction among Ti-hydrolyzed-species and OH-. Special attention was paid to a feasible and high-effective strategy to isolate the dominant-flocculated-species from PTC through one-step rapid ultrafiltration. Selective preference was the ultrafiltration membranes (made of polyethersulfone) with a molecular weight cut-off of 5 kDa, which enabled the isolation of the dominant-flocculated-species, named PTC-5k. Results from the electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-TOF-MS) proved a large proportion of the small and medium-sized hydrolyzed products as dominant-flocculated-species in PTC-5k, with the main signals concentrated between m/z 100 and 500. This composition achieved approximately 15.0% higher removal of organic matter with a 33.0% reduction in dosage compared to PTC. Unique snowflake-like branched structure of PTC-5k enhanced the coagulation mechanisms of sweeping and adsorption-bridging flocculation. Worth noting was the more compact flocs formed by PTC-5k than PTC, which was the probable reason for the mitigated fouling of ceramic membrane when PTC-5k was utilized as pre-treatment methodology. Continuous operation of ceramic membrane filtration up to 30 h, demonstrated 30% improvement in stable flux compared to PTC. This study provides the strategy for the isolation of Ti-dominant-flocculated-species, and lays the foundation for practical application.

Association of sleep duration and sleep quality with gestational diabetes mellitus in pregnant women after treatment with assisted reproductive technology: A birth cohort study.

Maternal sleep is closely related to subsequent gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in natural pregnancies. However, whether this connection exists in pregnant women conceiving with the help of assisted reproductive technology (ART) has not been confirmed. Hence, in this study, we evaluated whether early pregnancy sleep duration or sleep quality is associated with gestational diabetes mellitus in ART-pregnant women, as well as the influence of maternal age on this association. This prospective birth cohort study included 856 pregnant women who successfully conceived with the help of ART treatment. The sleep parameters of ART-pregnant women were assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) in early pregnancy. We explored the association between sleep and the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus using an unconditional binary logistic regression model. Different models were constructed to examine the robustness of the estimation by incorporating different confounding factors. Multivariable logistic regression revealed that sleep duration of more than 10 h among ART-pregnant women was significantly associated with the risk of GDM, and the association between sleep duration and gestational diabetes mellitus varied by maternal age. We found an increased risk of subsequent gestational diabetes mellitus with increasing sleep duration only in pregnant women aged <35 years. Additionally, no statistically significant association between sleep quality and gestational diabetes mellitus was found in this study. In conclusion, excessive sleep duration (≥10 h) is associated with a high risk of gestational diabetes mellitus in pregnant women who conceived with the help of assisted reproductive technology, and maternal age may modify this effect.

Short-term power load forecasting method based on Bagging-stochastic configuration networks.

Accurate short-term load forecasting is of great significance in improving the dispatching efficiency of power grids, ensuring the safe and reliable operation of power grids, and guiding power systems to formulate reasonable production plans and reduce waste of resources. However, the traditional short-term load forecasting method has limited nonlinear mapping ability and weak generalization ability to unknown data, and it is prone to the loss of time series information, further suggesting that its forecasting accuracy can still be improved. This study presents a short-term power load forecasting method based on Bagging-stochastic configuration networks (SCNs). First, the missing values in the original data are filled with the average values. Second, the influencing factors, such as the weather- and week-type data, are coded. Then, combined with the data of influencing factors after coding, the Bagging-SCNs integration algorithm is used to predict the short-term load. Finally, by taking the daily load data of Quanzhou City, Zhejiang Province as an example, the program of the abovementioned method is compiled in Python language and then compared with the long short-term memory neural network algorithm and the single-SCNs algorithm. Simulation results show that the proposed method for medium- and short-term load forecasting has a high forecasting accuracy and a significant effect on improving the accuracy of load forecasting.

Electrochemical Conversion of CO2 into Formate Boosted by In Situ Reconstruction of Bi-MOF to Bi2O2CO3 Ultrathin Nanosheets.

Substantial emissions of CO2 have presented formidable challenges for global climate dynamics. Electrochemical reduction of CO2 to produce formic acid (HCOOH) is considered to be a promising approach for achieving carbon neutrality. Nevertheless, the development of a catalyst exhibiting both high catalytic activity and selectivity toward desired products remains an arduous task. Herein, we report the synthesis of a unique porous bismuth-based MOF (Bi-BTC) through microwave-assisted agitation. The Bi-BTC MOF has a good catalytic performance in electrochemical CO2RR to formate products. At -0.9 V (vs RHE) potential, the Faradaic efficiency of formate can reach 96%, and the current density of the CO2RR is 25 mA/cm2. Bi-BTC also exhibits good electrochemical stability. FEformate and current density were maintained for 24 h with almost no attenuation. It was found that Bi-BTC was reconstructed in the CO2RR process. The shape of nanocolumn before electrolysis is transformed into an ultrathin nanosheet. The soft and hard acid-base theory (HSAB) proves that the reason for the reconfiguration is that the hard base ions (HCO3-) and the intermediate acid (Bi3+) break in the Bi-O bond in Bi-MOF, resulting in the transition of the original column structure of Bi-BTC to Bi2O2CO3 ultrathin nanosheeets. The DFT calculation shows that the restructured Bi2O2CO3 nanosheet exposes a crystal surface structure, which is conducive to lower the activation energy barrier of the electrochemical CO2RR intermediate *OCHO and stabilizing the reaction intermediate. Therefore, it is more beneficial to improve the selectivity of the electrochemical CO2RR to formate formation. This result proves that irreversible reconfiguration of catalyst is beneficial to electrochemical CO2RR. In addition, coupling a Bi-BTC cathode with a stable anode (IrO2) enables battery-driven high-activity CO2RR and an OER with good activity and efficiency.

The effect of reflux ratio on sulfur disproportionation tendency in anaerobic baffled reactor with the heterotrophic combining sulfur autotrophic processes under high concentration perchlorate stress.

In a laboratory scale, an anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) consisting of eight compartments, the heterotrophic combining sulfur autotrophic processes under different reflux ratios were constructed to achieve effective perchlorate removal and alleviate sulfur disproportionation reaction. Perchlorate was efficiently removed with effluent perchlorate concentration below 0.5 µg/L when the influent perchlorate concentration was 1030 mg/L during stages I ~ V, indicating that heterotrophic combining sulfur autotrophic perchlorate reduction processes can effectively achieve high concentration perchlorate removal. Furthermore, the 100% reflux ratio could reduce the contact time between sulfur particles and water; thus, the sulfur disproportionation reaction was inhibited. However, the inhibition effect of reflux on sulfur disproportionation was attenuated due to dilute perchlorate concentration when a reflux ratio of 150% and 200% was implemented. Meanwhile, the content of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in the heterotrophic unit (36.79 ~ 45.71 mg/g VSS) was higher than that in the sulfur autotrophic unit (22.19 ~ 25.77 mg/g VSS), indicating that high concentration perchlorate stress in the heterotrophic unit promoted EPS secretion. Thereinto, the PN content of sulfur autotrophic unit decreased in stage III and stage V due to decreasing perchlorate concentration in the autotrophic unit. Meanwhile, the PS content increased with increasing reflux in the autotrophic unit, which was conducive to the formation of biofilm. Furthermore, the high-throughput sequencing result showed that Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes were the dominant phyla and Longilinea, Diaphorobacter, Acinetobacter, and Nitrobacter were the dominant genus in ABR, which were associated with heterotrophic or autotrophic perchlorate reduction and beneficial for effective perchlorate removal. The study indicated that reflux was a reasonable strategy for alleviating sulfur disproportionation in heterotrophic combining sulfur autotrophic perchlorate removal processes.

Two novel pathogenic variants in the TCOF1 found in two Chinese cases of Treacher Collins syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Treacher Collins Ι syndrome (TCS1, OMIM:154500) is an autosomal dominant disease with a series of clinical manifestations such as craniofacial dysplasia including eye and ear abnormalities, small jaw deformity, cleft lip, as well as repeated respiratory tract infection and conductive hearing loss. Two cases of Treacher Collins syndrome with TCOF1(OMIM:606847) gene variations were reported in the article, with clinical characteristics, gene variants and the etiology. METHODS: The clinical data of two patients with Treacher Collins syndrome caused by TCOF1 gene variation were retrospectively analyzed. The whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed to detect the pathogenic variants of TCOF1 gene in the patients, and the verification of variants were confirmed by Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: Proband 1 presented with bilateral craniofacial deformities, conductive hearing loss and recurrent respiratory tract infection. Proband 2 showed bilateral craniofacial malformations with cleft palate, which harbored similar manifestations in her family. She died soon after birth due to dyspnea and feeding difficulties. WES identified two novel pathogenic variants of TCOF1 gene in two probands, each with one variant. According to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, the heterozygous variation NM_001371623.1: c.877del (p. Ala293Profs*34) of TCOF1 gene was detected in Proband 1, which was evaluated as a likely pathogenic (LP) and de novo variant. Another variant found in Proband 2 was NM_001135243.1: c.1660_1661del (p. D554Qfs*3) heterozygous variation, which was evaluated as a pathogenic variation and the variant inherited from the mother. To date, the two variants have not been reported before. CONCLUSION: Our study found two novel pathogenic variants of TCOF1 gene and clarified the etiology of Treacher Collins syndrome. We also enriched the phenotypic spectrum of Treacher Collins syndrome and TCOF1 gene variation spectrum in the Chinese population, and provided the basis for clinical diagnosis, treatment and genetic counseling.

[Application of convolutional neural networks for the classification of metaphase chromosomes].

OBJECTIVE: To train a deep convolutional neural networks (CNN) using a labeled data set to classify the metaphase chromosomes and test its accuracy for chromosomal identification. METHODS: Three thousand and three hundred individuals undergoing surveillance for chromosomal disorders at the Laboratory for Comprehensive Prevention and Treatment of Birth Defects, Ningbo Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital from January 2013 to July 2019 were enrolled. A total of 3 300×46 chromosome images were included, of which 70% were used as the training set and 30% were used as the test set for the deep CNN. The accuracy of chromosome counting and "cutting + recognition + arrangement + automatic analysis" of the model were respectively evaluated. Another 80 images were collected to record the time and accuracy of chromosome classification by geneticists and the model, respectively, so as to assess the practical value of the model. RESULTS: The CNN model was used to count the chromosomes with an accuracy of 61.81%, and the "cutting + recognition + arrangement + automatic analysis" accuracy of the model was 96.16%. Compared with manual operation, the classification time of the CNN model has been greatly reduced, and its karyotyping accuracy was only 3.58% lower than that of geneticists. CONCLUSION: The CNN model has a high performance for chromosome classification and can significantly reduce the work load involved with the segmentation and classification and improve the efficiency of chromosomal karyotyping, thereby has a broad application prospect.