Corrigendum: The central inflammatory regulator IκBζ: induction regulation and physiological functions.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1188253.].

SASEGAN-TCN: Speech enhancement algorithm based on self-attention generative adversarial network and temporal convolutional network.

Traditional unsupervised speech enhancement models often have problems such as non-aggregation of input feature information, which will introduce additional noise during training, thereby reducing the quality of the speech signal. In order to solve the above problems, this paper analyzed the impact of problems such as non-aggregation of input speech feature information on its performance. Moreover, this article introduced a temporal convolutional neural network and proposed a SASEGAN-TCN speech enhancement model, which captured local features information and aggregated global feature information to improve model effect and training stability. The simulation experiment results showed that the model can achieve 2.1636 and 92.78% in perceptual evaluation of speech quality (PESQ) score and short-time objective intelligibility (STOI) on the Valentini dataset, and can accordingly reach 1.8077 and 83.54% on the THCHS30 dataset. In addition, this article used the enhanced speech data for the acoustic model to verify the recognition accuracy. The speech recognition error rate was reduced by 17.4%, which was a significant improvement compared to the baseline model experimental results.

Graphene-based iron single-atom catalysts for electrocatalytic nitric oxide reduction: a first-principles study.

The electrocatalytic NO reduction reaction (NORR) emerges as an intriguing strategy to convert harmful NO into valuable NH3. Due to their unique intrinsic properties, graphene-based Fe single-atom catalysts (SACs) have gained considerable attention in electrocatalysis, while their potential for NORR and the underlying mechanism remain to be explored. Herein, using constant-potential density functional theory calculations, we systematically investigated the electrocatalytic NORR on the graphene-based Fe SACs. By changing the local coordination environment of Fe single atoms, 26 systems were constructed. Theoretical results show that, among these systems, the Fe SAC coordinated with four pyrrole N atoms and that co-coordinated with three pyridine N atoms and one O atom exhibit excellent NORR activity with low limiting potentials of -0.26 and -0.33 V, respectively, as well as have high selectivity toward NH3 by inhibiting the formation of byproducts, especially under applied potential. Furthermore, electronic structure analyses indicate that NO molecules can be effectively adsorbed and activated via the electron "donation-backdonation" mechanism. In particular, the d-band center of the Fe SACs was identified as an efficient catalytic activity descriptor for NORR. Our work could stimulate and guide the experimental exploration of graphene-based Fe SACs for efficient NORR toward NH3 under ambient conditions.

QoS-driven resource allocation in fog radio access network: A VR service perspective.

While immersive media services represented by virtual reality (VR) are booming, They are facing fundamental challenges, i.e., soaring multimedia applications, large operation costs and scarce spectrum resources. It is difficult to simultaneously address these service challenges in a conventional radio access network (RAN) system. These problems motivated us to explore a quality-of-service (QoS)-driven resource allocation framework from VR service perspective based on the fog radio access network (F-RAN) architecture. We elaborated details of deployment on the caching allocation, dynamic base station (BS) clustering, statistical beamforming and cost strategy under the QoS constraints in the F-RAN architecture. The key solutions aimed to break through the bottleneck of the network design and to deep integrate the network-computing resources from different perspectives of cloud, network, edge, terminal and use of collaboration and integration. Accordingly, we provided a tailored algorithm to solve the corresponding formulation problem. This is the first design of VR services based on caching and statistical beamforming under the F-RAN. A case study provided to demonstrate the advantage of our proposed framework compared with existing schemes. Finally, we concluded the article and discussed possible open research problems.

Similar electronic state effect enables excellent activity for nitrate-to-ammonia electroreduction on both high- and low-density double-atom catalysts.

Double-atom catalysts (DACs) for harmful nitrate (NO3-) electroreduction to valuable ammonia (eNO3RR) is attractive for both environmental remediation and energy transformation. However, the limited metal loading in most DACs largely hinders their applications in practical catalytic applications. Therefore, exploring ultrahigh-density (UHD) DACs with abundant active metal centers and excellent eNO3RR activity is highly desired under the site-distance effect. Herein, starting from the experimental M2N6 motif deposited on graphene, we firstly screened the low-density (LD) Mn2N6 and Fe2N6 DACs with high eNO3RR activity and then established an appropriate activity descriptor for the LD-DAC system. By utilizing this descriptor, the corresponding Mn2N6 and Fe2N6 UHD-DACs with dynamic, thermal, thermodynamic, and electrochemical stabilities, are identified to locate at the peak of activity volcano, exhibiting rather-low limiting potentials of -0.25 and -0.38 V, respectively. Further analysis in term of spin state and orbital interaction, confirms that the electronic state effect similar to that of LD-DACs enable the excellent eNO3RR activity to be maintained in the UHD-DACs. These findings highlight the promising application of Mn2N6 and Fe2N6 UHD-DACs in nitrate electroreduction for NH3 production and provide impetus for further experimental exploration of ultrahigh-density DACs based on their intrinsic electronic states.

Tailoring the coordination environment of double-atom catalysts to boost electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction: a first-principles study.

Tailoring the coordination environment is an effective strategy to modulate the electronic structure and catalytic activity of atomically dispersed transition-metal (TM) catalysts, which has been widely investigated for single-atom catalysts but received less attention for emerging double-atom catalysts (DACs). Herein, based on first-principles calculations, taking the commonly studied N-coordinated graphene-based DACs as references, we explored the effect of coordination engineering on the catalytic behaviors of DACs towards the electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR), which is realized through replacing one N atom by the B or O atom to form B, N or O, N co-coordinated DACs. We found that B, N or O, N co-coordination could significantly strengthen N2 adsorption and alter the N2 adsorption pattern of the TM dimer active center, which greatly facilitates N2 activation. Moreover, on the studied DACs, the linear scaling relationship between the binding strengths of key intermediates can be attenuated. Consequently, the O, N co-coordinated Mn2 DACs, exhibiting an ultralow limiting potential of -0.27 V, climb to the peak of the activity volcano. In addition, the experimental feasibility of this DAC system was also identified. Overall, benefiting from the coordination engineering effect, the chemical activity and catalytic performance of the DACs for NRR can be significantly boosted. This phenomena can be understood from the adjusted electronic structure of the TM dimer active center due to the changes of its coordination microenvironment, which significantly affects the binding strength (pattern) of key intermediates and changes the reaction pathways, leading to enhanced NRR activity and selectivity. This work highlights the importance of coordination engineering in developing DACs for the electrocatalytic NRR and other important reactions.

What Is the Impact of the Novel Coronavirus and the Vaccination on Guillain-Barre Syndrome?

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has resulted in devastating medical and economic consequences worldwide over the past 3 years. As the pandemic enters a new stage, it is essential to consider the potential impact on rare diseases such as Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), which has been intimately associated with COVID-19 since the first COVID-19-related GBS case was reported in January 2020. There are notable differences between COVID-19-related GBS and GBS without COVID-19 in terms of diagnostic types and clinical manifestations. Furthermore, with the widespread administration of COVID-19 vaccines, there have been reports of GBS occurring shortly after vaccination, which requires close attention despite its rarity. This review also explores the vaccines associated with heightened GBS risks, offering insights that may guide vaccination policies and clinical practice. To provide a visual summary of these findings, we have included a graphical abstract. This article will discuss the characteristic manifestations of GBS patients after being positive for the novel coronavirus and the safety of several COVID-19 vaccines. Firstly, this article comprehensively expounds and discusses the epidemiological aspects of novel coronavirus-related GBS. For example, from the perspective of the same population, the expected incidence of GBS in the COVID-19-positive population (persons/100,000 persons/ year) is about 43 times that of the COVID-19-negative population, and the incidence of GBS is significantly increased. Secondly, the clinical characteristics of COVID-19-negative GBS patients and SARS-CoV-2-GBS (SC2-GBS) patients were summarized and compared. Thirdly, this article reviews GBS cases in the current adverse events after COVID-19 vaccination and analyzes and discusses from multiple perspectives, such as the incidence of GBS events, the age proportion of patients, and the interval of onset.

IFI27 Integrates Succinate and Fatty Acid Oxidation to Promote Adipocyte Thermogenic Adaption.

Mitochondria are the pivot organelles to control metabolism and energy homeostasis. The capacity of mitochondrial metabolic adaptions to cold stress is essential for adipocyte thermogenesis. How brown adipocytes keep mitochondrial fitness upon a challenge of cold-induced oxidative stress has not been well characterized. This manuscript shows that IFI27 plays an important role in cristae morphogenesis, keeping intact succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) function and active fatty acid oxidation to sustain thermogenesis in brown adipocytes. IFI27 protein interaction map identifies SDHB and HADHA as its binding partners. IFI27 physically links SDHB to chaperone TNF receptor associated protein 1 (TRAP1), which shields SDHB from oxidative damage-triggered degradation. Moreover, IFI27 increases hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase trifunctional multienzyme complex subunit alpha (HADHA) catalytic activity in ß-oxidation pathway. The reduced SDH level and fatty acid oxidation in Ifi27-knockout brown fat results in impaired oxygen consumption and defective thermogenesis. Thus, IFI27 is a novel regulator of mitochondrial metabolism and thermogenesis.

The central inflammatory regulator IκBζ: induction, regulation and physiological functions.

IκBζ (encoded by NFKBIZ) is the most recently identified IkappaB family protein. As an atypical member of the IkappaB protein family, NFKBIZ has been the focus of recent studies because of its role in inflammation. Specifically, it is a key gene in the regulation of a variety of inflammatory factors in the NF-KB pathway, thereby affecting the progression of related diseases. In recent years, investigations into NFKBIZ have led to greater understanding of this gene. In this review, we summarize the induction of NFKBIZ and then elucidate its transcription, translation, molecular mechanism and physiological function. Finally, the roles played by NFKBIZ in psoriasis, cancer, kidney injury, autoimmune diseases and other diseases are described. NFKBIZ functions are universal and bidirectional, and therefore, this gene may exert a great influence on the regulation of inflammation and inflammation-related diseases.

Homochiral organic molecular cage RCC3-R-modified silica as a new multimodal and multifunctional stationary phase for high-performance liquid chromatography.

In this work, homochiral reduced imine cage was covalently bonded to the surface of the silica to prepare a novel high-performance liquid chromatography stationary phase, which was applied for the multiple separation modes such as normal phase, reversed-phase, ion exchange, and hydrophilic interaction chromatography. The successful preparation of the homochiral reduced imine cage bonded silica stationary phase was confirmed by performing a series of methods including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and infrared spectroscopy. From the extracted results of the chiral resolution in normal phase and reversed-phase modes, it was demonstrated that seven chiral compounds were successfully separated, among which the resolution of 1-phenylethanol reached the value of 3.97. Moreover, the multifunctional chromatographic performance of the new molecular cage stationary phase was systematically investigated in the modes of reversed-phase, ion exchange, and hydrophilic interaction chromatography for the separation and analysis of a total of 59 compounds in eight classes. This work demonstrated that the homochiral reduced imine cage not only achieved multiseparation modes and multiseparation functions performance with high stability, but also expanded the application of the organic molecular cage in the field of liquid chromatography.

One-pot synthesis of 2D Ag/BiOCl/Bi2O2CO3 S-scheme heterojunction with oxygen vacancy for photocatalytic disinfection of Fusarium graminearum in vitro and in vivo.

2D Ag/BiOCl/Bi2O2CO3 S-scheme heterojunction was prepared with oxygen vacancy (OVs) via one-pot hydrothermal method. The XRD and XPS analysis indicated the synthesized sample contained Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) instead of Ag ions. The SEM and HRTEM pictures showed that BiOCl/Bi2O2CO3 nanosheets were modified with AgNPs. Compared with AgNPs, BiOCl, and Bi2O2CO3, Ag/BiOCl/Bi2O2CO3 exhibited highly photocatalytic inactivation of pathogenic fungi (Fusarium graminearum) due to the wide light absorption range and S-scheme heterojunction structure, which improved the production and transfer of photogenerated carrier, and enhanced the separation of photogenerated e-/h+ pairs. In addition, the improved photocatalytic disinfection against Fusarium graminearum of Ag/BiOCl/Bi2O2CO3 was verified in Sedeveria Letizia plant. Furthermore, active species capture assay and ESR experiments disclosed the involvement of OVs, h+, ∙O2-, ∙OH, and -for Fusarium graminearum destruction during photocatalysis process. The S-scheme heterojunction was proved via oxygen vacancy, which was extensively beneficial to increase charge transmission and separation efficiency. Our work proposed Ag/BiOCl/Bi2O2CO3 was an efficient and ecological fungicide to inactive Fusarium graminearum in vitro and vivo for crop disease.

Re-Exploring the Inflammation-Related Core Genes and Modules in Cerebral Ischemia.

The genetic transcription profile of brain ischemic and reperfusion injury remains elusive. To address this, we used an integrative analysis approach including differentially expressed gene (DEG) analysis, weighted-gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), and pathway and biological process analysis to analyze data from the microarray studies of nine mice and five rats after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and six primary cell transcriptional datasets in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). (1) We identified 58 upregulated DEGs with more than 2-fold increase, and adj. p < 0.05 in mouse datasets. Among them, Atf3, Timp1, Cd14, Lgals3, Hmox1, Ccl2, Emp1, Ch25h, Hspb1, Adamts1, Cd44, Icam1, Anxa2, Rgs1, and Vim showed significant increases in both mouse and rat datasets. (2) Ischemic treatment and reperfusion time were the main confounding factors in gene profile changes, while sampling site and ischemic time were not. (3) WGCNA identified a reperfusion-time irrelevant and inflammation-related module and a reperfusion-time relevant and thrombo-inflammation related module. Astrocytes and microglia were the main contributors of the gene changes in these two modules. (4) Forty-four module core hub genes were identified. We validated the expression of unreported stroke-associated core hubs or human stroke-associated core hubs. Zfp36 mRNA was upregulated in permanent MCAO; Rhoj, Nfkbiz, Ms4a6d, Serpina3n, Adamts-1, Lgals3, and Spp1 mRNAs were upregulated in both transient MCAO and permanent MCAO; and NFKBIZ, ZFP3636, and MAFF proteins, unreported core hubs implicated in negative regulation of inflammation, were upregulated in permanent MCAO, but not in transient MCAO. Collectively, these results expand our knowledge of the genetic profile involved in brain ischemia and reperfusion, highlighting the crucial role of inflammatory disequilibrium in brain ischemia.

Plasma Connective Tissue Growth Factor as a Biomarker of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Associated With Congenital Heart Disease in Adults.

BACKGROUND: Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) has diagnostic value for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) associated with congenital heart disease (CHD) in children; however, its value in adult patients remains unclear. This study evaluated CTGF as a biomarker in adult PAH-CHD patients.Methods and Results: Based on mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP), 56 CHD patients were divided into 3 groups: without PAH (W; mPAP <25 mmHg; n=28); mild PAH (M; mPAP 25-35 mmHg; n=18); and moderate and severe PAH (H; mPAP ≥35 mmHg; n=10). The control group consisted of 28 healthy adults. Plasma CTGF and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) concentrations were determined. Plasma CTGF concentrations were higher in the H and M groups than in the W and control groups, and were higher in the H than M group. Plasma CTGF concentrations were positively correlated with pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP), mPAP, and pulmonary vascular resistance, and negatively correlated with mixed venous oxygen saturation. CTGF, BNP, red blood cell distribution width, and World Health Organization Class III/IV were risk factors for PAH in CHD patients, and CTGF was an independent risk factor for PAH-CHD. The efficacy of CTGF in the diagnosis of PAH was not inferior to that of BNP. CONCLUSIONS: CTGF is a biomarker of PAH associated with CHD. It can be used for early diagnosis and severity assessment in adult patients with CHD-PAH.

Charge transport dynamics of a C6H4NH2CuBr2I/TiO2 heterojunction in aqueous solution under reverse bias.

The photocurrent output of the C6H4NH2CuBr2I/TiO2 heterojunction photoelectrode in an aqueous solution is super stable even after 30 000 s. However, the photocurrent is extremely weak. Intensity-modulated photocurrent spectroscopy revealed that the electron transfer in the C6H4NH2CuBr2I/TiO2 photoelectrode without bias is not sufficiently fast to compete with the charge recombination process due to the short diffusion length (∼23 nm), resulting in a low photocurrent. The charge separation and charge transfer efficiency in the bulk of C6H4NH2CuBr2I could be significantly improved under a small reverse electric field (Er), resulting in an enhanced photocurrent.

Porous Organic Cage-Embedded C10-Modified Silica as HPLC Stationary Phase and Its Multiple Separation Functions.

Reduced imine cage (RCC3) was covalently bonded to the surface of silica spheres, and then the secondary amine group of the molecular cage was embedded in non-polar C10 for modification to prepare a novel RCC3-C10@silica HPLC stationary phase with multiple separation functions. Through infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and nitrogen adsorption-desorption characterization, it was confirmed that RCC3-C10 was successfully bonded to the surface of silica spheres. The resolution of RCC3-C10@silica in reversed-phase separation mode is as high as 2.95, 3.73, 3.27 and 4.09 for p-phenethyl alcohol, 1-phenyl-2-propanol, p-methylphenethyl alcohol and 1-phenyl-1-propanol, indicating that the stationary phase has excellent chiral resolution performance. In reversed-phase and hydrophilic separation modes, RCC3-C10@silica realized the separation and analysis of a total of 70 compounds in 8 classes of Tanaka mixtures, alkylbenzene rings, polyphenyl rings, phenols, anilines, sulfonamides, nucleosides and flavonoids, and the analysis of a variety of chiral and achiral complex mixtures have been completed at the same time. Compared with the traditional C18 commercial column, RCC3-C10@silica exhibits better chromatographic separation selectivity, aromatic selectivity and polar selectivity. The multifunctional separation mechanism exhibited by the stationary phase originates from various synergistic effects such as hydrophobic interaction, π-π interaction, hydrogen bonding and steric interaction provided by RCC3 and C10 groups. This work provides flexible selectivity and application prospects for novel multi-separation functional chromatographic columns.

Liver function parameters aspartate aminotransferase and total protein predict functional outcome in stroke patients with non-cardioembolism.

Stroke, classified as cardioembolism and non-cardioembolism (non-CE), entails a large socioeconomic burden on the elderly. The morbidity and mortality of non-CE are high, whereas studies concerning prognostic factors impacting function outcome remain underdeveloped and understudied. Liver function parameters are convenient approaches to predicting prognosis in cardiovascular diseases, but their clinical significance has not been well characterized in stroke, especially in non-CE. In our study, a total of 576 patients with non-CE at 1 year of follow-up were enrolled in a cohort from a consecutive hospital-based stroke registry, with randomly 387 patients as the development cohort and 189 patients as the validation cohort. The univariate and multivariate analyses revealed the following novel findings: (i) The incidence of unfavorable functional outcomes after non-CE was significantly greater (p < 0.01) in patients with higher age, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, and depressed total protein (TP); (ii) We established a novel model and nomogram to predict stroke prognosis, in addition to the known factors (age and the NIHSS score). The levels of AST and TP were independently correlated with the incidence of unfavorable outcomes [AST: odds ratio (OR) = 1.026, 95% CI (1.002-1.050); TP: OR = 0.944, 95% CI (0.899-0.991)]; (iii) The results persisted in further subgroup analysis stratified by age, gender, the NIHSS score, and other prespecified factors, especially in males 60 years or older. Overall, this study demonstrates that hepatic parameters (AST and TP) after non-CE are considered to be associated with functional outcomes at 1-year follow-up, especially in males aged ≥ 60 years.

A High Serum Phosphate and Calcium-Phosphate Product Is Associated With Cerebral Small Vascular Disease in Patients With Stroke: A Real-World Study.

Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is a slowly progressive disease, often accompanied by stroke, and results in dementia, depression, and cognitive impairment. It was already known that calcium and phosphorus metabolism (CPM) disorders were associated with vascular-related adverse events. The risk factors of CSVD and the relationship between serum calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), calcium-phosphate product (Ca × P), and CSVD in patients with stroke without CPM disorders are still obscure. In our study, 528 patients with stroke without CPM disorders were enrolled in a cohort from a consecutive hospital-based stroke registry, with 488 patients with CSVD as cases and 140 without CSVD as controls. The patients with CSVD were further sub-grouped into lacunes, white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), and cerebral microbleeds (CMBs). By applying univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis, the following novel findings were obtained: (i) up to 76.19% of patients with stroke had signs of CSVD, and lacunes are the most common subtype. Notably, 22.96% of patients with CSVD had multiple subtypes coexisted. (ii) Compared with patients without CSVD, patients with CSVD had higher levels of age, rate of hypertension or diabetes, serum Ca, P, Ca × P, and lower levels of white blood cell (WBC) and hemoglobin (HB). (iii) We developed 2 predictive models and nomograms for predicting CSVD, in addition to the known factors (age and hypertension). The levels of P and Ca × P were positively correlated with the risk of CSVD (P: OR = 3,720.401, 95% CI (646.665-21,404.249); Ca × P: OR = 1.294, 95% CI (1.222-1.370)). (iv) The models were further validated in subtypes of CSVD, including lacunes, WMHs, and CMBs, and the results were still valid among the subtypes. In summary, CSVD was highly prevalent in patients with stroke, and high serum P and Ca × P are potential risk factors of CSVD and all subtypes including lacunes, WMHs, and CMBs.

Preparation and chiral resolution properties of bridged bis(cyclodextrin)s hybrid spheres for high performance liquid chromatography.

Selenium-bridged bis(ß-cyclodextrin)s organic-inorganic hybrid silica material with regular spherical shape as new type of chiral stationary phase was directly synthesized under the one-pot hydrothermal synthesis method, and the chiral stationary phase was further characterized by infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetry, and elemental analysis. The results of chiral separation showed that eight chiral compounds including various types of chiral alcohols and flavanone were successfully separated in the reversed-phase separation mode by high performance liquid chromatography, which showed the better chiral resolution effect than that on the C2 position of single ß-cyclodextrin. The mechanism of chiral separation was likely due to multiple interactions such as inclusion, hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interaction, dipole-dipole interaction, and the synergistic effect of two cyclodextrins during the chiral resolution process. The synergy of the two cyclodextrins has great potential for development in chiral resolution.

Optimized extraction of astaxanthin from shrimp shells treated by biological enzyme and its separation and purification using macroporous resin.

The best enzymatic protease treatment of shrimp shells was identified by comparing the enzymatic hydrolysis effects of many different types of biological enzymes using fresh Arctic sweet shrimp as raw materials. The optimal enzymolysis conditions were determined using neutral protease as the best enzymatic protease. Among multiple macroporous adsorption resins, XDA-8 macroporous adsorption resin was preferable due to its static adsorption rate and desorption rate. The yield of astaxanthin (134.20 µg/g) after treatment with neutral protease was 3.7 times higher than that of the control group (36.03 µg/g). The yield of astaxanthin was obviously improved after enzymolysis of the shrimp shells. The purity of the astaxanthin was up to 87.34%, approximately 6508 times higher than that of the raw material. The production cost of astaxanthin would be greatly reduced by use of XDA-8 resin to obtain high-purity astaxanthin. This technique offers a high value-added utilization of shrimp shells.