TSPO-induced degradation of the ethylene receptor RhETR3 promotes salt tolerance in rose (Rosa hybrida).

The gaseous plant hormone ethylene regulates plant development, growth, and responses to stress. In particular, ethylene affects tolerance to salinity; however, the underlying mechanisms of ethylene signaling and salt tolerance are not fully understood. Here, we demonstrate that salt stress induces the degradation of the ethylene receptor ETHYLENE RESPONSE 3 (RhETR3) in rose (Rosa hybrid). Furthermore, the TspO/MBR (Tryptophan-rich sensory protein/mitochondrial benzodiazepine receptor) domain-containing membrane protein RhTSPO interacted with RhETR3 to promote its degradation in response to salt stress. Salt tolerance is enhanced in RhETR3-silenced rose plants but decreased in RhTSPO-silenced plants. The improved salt tolerance of RhETR3-silenced rose plants is partly due to the increased expression of ACC SYNTHASE1 (ACS1) and ACS2, which results in an increase in ethylene production, leading to the activation of ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR98 (RhERF98) expression and, ultimately accelerating H2O2 scavenging under salinity conditions. Additionally, overexpression of RhETR3 increased the salt sensitivity of rose plants. Co-overexpression with RhTSPO alleviated this sensitivity. Together, our findings suggest that RhETR3 degradation is a key intersection hub for the ethylene signalling-mediated regulation of salt stress.

Fermentation enrichment, structural characterization and immunostimulatory effects of ß-glucan from Quinoa.

We developed an efficient mixed-strain co-fermentation method to increase the yield of quinoa ß-glucan (Q+). Using a 1:1 mass ratio of highly active dry yeast and Streptococcus thermophilus, solid-to-liquid ratio of 1:12 (g/mL), inoculum size of 3.8 % (mass fraction), fermentation at 32 °C for 27 h, we achieved the highest ß-glucan yield of (11.13 ± 0.80)%, representing remarkable 100.18 % increase in yield compared to quinoa ß-glucan(Q-) extracted using hot water. The structure of Q+ and Q- were confirmed through Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopies. Q+ contained 41.66 % ß-glucan, 3.93 % protein, 2.12 % uronic acid; Q- contained 37.21 % ß-glucan, 11.49 % protein, and 1.73 % uronic acid. The average molecular weight of Q+(75.37 kDa) was lower than that of Q- (94.47 kDa). Both Q+ and Q- promote RAW264.7 cell proliferation without displaying toxicity. They stimulate RAW264.7 cells through the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways, primarily inducing NO and pro-inflammatory cytokines by upregulating CD40 expression. Notably, Q+ exhibited stronger immunostimulatory activity compared to Q-. In summary, the fermentation enrichment method yields higher content of quinoa ß-glucan with increased purity and stronger immunostimulatory properties. Further study of its bioimmunological activity and structure-activity relationship may contribute to the development of new immunostimulants.

Concurrent vs Staged Hybrid Ablation for Long-Standing Persistent Atrial Fibrillation: A Propensity-Matched Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Long-term success rates of catheter ablation (CA) for long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation (LSPAF) are less than satisfactory. Further improvement of ablation methods is crucial for enhancing the treatment of LSPAF. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to compare the outcomes of concurrent vs staged minimally invasive surgical-catheter hybrid ablation for LSPAF. METHODS: From December 2015 to December 2021, 104 matched patients (concurrent and staged, 1:1) were included in study. In the concurrent group, both left unilateral thoracoscopic epicardial ablation (EA) and CA were performed simultaneously in one procedure. In the staged group, EA was performed at the first hospitalization. If the patients experienced atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence, CA was performed between 3 months and 1 year after EA. RESULTS: In the concurrent group, 4 patients were restored to sinus rhythm after EA, and 41 were patients restored to sinus rhythm during CA; 86.5% (45 of 52) achieved intraprocedural AF termination during concurrent hybrid ablation. In the staged group, all 52 patients underwent staged CA because of the recurrence of AF or atrial tachycardia (AT). Forty-seven (90.4%) patients achieved intraprocedural AF or AT termination during CA. Freedom from AF or AT off antiarrhythmic drugs at 2 years after hybrid ablation was 79.9% ± 5.7% in the concurrent group and 86.0% ± 4.9% in the staged group (P = 0.390). Failure of intraprocedural AF termination (HR: 14.378) was an independent risk factor for AF recurrence after hybrid ablation. CONCLUSIONS: Both concurrent and staged hybrid ablation could be safely and effectively applied to treat LSPAF. Improving the intraprocedural AF termination rate predicted better outcomes.

Effectiveness of Maze IV procedure versus thoracoscopic ablation for atrial fibrillation: a propensity score-matched analysis.

Background: Thoracoscopic ablation (TA) has emerged as a promising treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF), with the Cox-Maze IV Procedure (CMP-IV) as the current gold-standard intervention. This study aims to evaluate and compare the outcomes of TA and CMP-IV in treating AF. Methods: Patients with AF underwent either CMP-IV or TA through a left-side chest approach. The CMP-IV entailed bi-atrium ablation, whereas the TA involved creating three circular plus three linear ablations in the left atrium. We analyzed baseline characteristics, perioperative outcomes and recurrence rates using propensity score matching (PSM) at a 1:1 ratio, to ensure comparability between the two treatment groups. Results: A total of 459 patients underwent either CMP-IV (n=93) or TA via left chest (n=366) and 174 patients were deemed eligible for 1:1 PSM. The TA group experienced significantly shorter intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital stays. The mean follow-up period was 31.5±22.1 months. Pre- and post-matching analysis showed that CMP-IV had a higher rate of freedom from recurrence compared to TA, particularly in non-paroxysmal AF patients. Multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that CMP-IV was associated with a reduced risk of recurrence, while an increased left atrial size emerged as an independent predictor of postoperative recurrence, regardless of the use of CMP-IV or TA. Conclusions: Our study suggests that while the therapeutic efficacy of TA for "lone" AF may fall short of the classic CMP-IV, its less invasive nature results in significantly shorter ICU and hospital stays. To enhance patient outcomes following TA, it is essential to improve the quality of ablation, refine the ablation route, and focus on careful patient selection.

Recent advances in mesenchymal stem cell therapy for myocardial infarction.

Myocardial infarction refers to the ischemic necrosis of myocardium, characterized by a sharp reduction or interruption of blood flow in the coronary arteries due to the coronary artery occlusion, resulting in severe and prolonged ischemia in the corresponding myocardium and ultimately leading to ischemic necrosis of the myocardium. Given its high risk, it is considered as one of the most serious health threats today. In current clinical practice, multiple approaches have been explored to diminish myocardial oxygen consumption and alleviate symptoms, but notable success remains elusive. Accumulated clinical evidence has showed that the implantation of mesenchymal stem cell for treating myocardial infarction is both effective and safe. Nevertheless, there persists controversy and variability regarding the standardizing MSC transplantation protocols, optimizing dosage, and determining the most effective routes of administration. Addressing these remaining issues will pave the way of integration of MSCs as a feasible mainstream cardiac treatment.

Targeting EGFR degradation by autophagosome degraders.

Several generations of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors have been developed for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in clinic. However, emerging drug resistance mediated by new EGFR mutations or activations by pass, leads to malignant progression of NSCLC. Proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) have been utilized to overcome the drug resistance acquired by mutant EGFR, newly potent and selective degraders are still need to be developed for clinical applications. Herein, we developed autophagosome-tethering compounds (ATTECs) in which EGFR can be anchored to microtubule-associated protein-1 light chain-3B (LC3B) on the autophagosome with the assistance of the LC3 ligand GW5074. A series of EGFR-ATTECs have been designed and synthesized. Biological evaluations showed that these compounds could degrade EGFR and exhibited moderate inhibitory effects on certain NSCLC cell lines. The ATTEC 12c potently induced the degradation of EGFR with a DC50 value of 0.98 µM and a Dmax value of 81% in HCC827 cells. Mechanistic exploration revealed that the lysosomal pathway was mainly involved in this degradation. Compound 12c also exhibited promising inhibitory activity, as well as degradation efficiency in vivo. Our study highlights that EGFR-ATTECs could be developed as a new expandable EGFR degradation tool and also reveals a novel potential therapeutic strategy to prevent drug resistance acquired EGFR mutations.

Evaluation of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) Program.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) K99/R00 award is intended to help postdoctoral scholars transition in a timely manner to research independence and to foster their development of an impactful cancer research program that is competitive for subsequent independent funding. Here we analyzed factors that impact peer review outcomes and evaluated whether NCI K99/R00 awardees have achieved the goals of the K99/R00 funding mechanism. Our analysis of the K99/R00 review criterion scores demonstrates that while all review criterion scores are positively correlated with the overall impact score, the Research Plan criterion is the strongest predictor of the overall impact score and funding outcomes. In addition, our analysis shows the NCI K99/R00 award facilitated the successful transition of postdoctoral scholars to research independence and enhanced the likelihood of K99/R00 awardees to secure subsequent R01-equivalent NIH grant support although not in an accelerated fashion as originally intended. An NCI K99/R00 award was not determined to be a prerequisite to obtain a faculty position, but for some awardees, it was an asset in that transition. Our results suggest that the NCI K99/R00 award is an important component for training and retention of the next generation of independent cancer researchers and to increasing the percentage of women and promoting the diversity of the cancer research workforce.

The effect of magnesium ions synergistic with mineralized collagen on osteogenesis/angiogenesis properties by modulating macrophage polarizationin vitroandin vivo.

In bone tissue engineering, the bone immunomodulatory properties of biomaterials are critical for bone regeneration, which is a synergistic process involving physiological activities like immune response, osteogenesis, and angiogenesis. The effect of the macrophage immune microenvironment on the osteogenesis and angiogenesis of various material extracts was examined in this experiment using Mg2+and Nano-hydroxyapatite/collagen (nHAC) in both a single application and a combined form. This studyin vitrorevealed that the two compounds combined significantly inhibited the NF-κB signaling pathway and reduced the release of inflammatory factors from macrophages when compared with the extraction phase alone. Additionally, by contributing to the polarization of macrophages towards the M2 type, the combined effects of the two materials can significantly improve osteogenesis/angiogenesis. The results ofin vivoexperiments confirmed that Mg2+/nHAC significantly promoted bone regeneration and angiogenesis. This study offers a promising method for enhancing bone graft material osseointegration.

Genome assembly and multi-omic analyses reveal the mechanisms underlying flower color formation in Torenia fournieri.

Torenia fournieri Lind. is an ornamental plant that is popular for its numerous flowers and variety of colors. However, its genomic evolutionary history and the genetic and metabolic bases of flower color formation remain poorly understood. Here, we report the first T. fournieri reference genome, which was resolved to the chromosome scale and was 164.4 Mb in size. Phylogenetic analyses clarified relationships with other plant species, and a comparative genomic analysis indicated that the shared ancestor of T. fournieri and Antirrhinum majus underwent a whole genome duplication event. Joint transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses identified many metabolites related to pelargonidin, peonidin, and naringenin production in rose (TfR)-colored flowers. Samples with blue (TfB) and deep blue (TfD) colors contained numerous derivatives of petunidin, cyanidin, quercetin, and malvidin; differences in the abundances of these metabolites and expression levels of the associated genes were hypothesized to be responsible for variety-specific differences in flower color. Furthermore, the genes encoding flavonoid 3-hydroxylase, anthocyanin synthase, and anthocyanin reductase were differentially expressed between flowers of different colors. Overall, we successfully identified key genes and metabolites involved in T. fournieri flower color formation. The data provided by the chromosome-scale genome assembly establish a basis for understanding the differentiation of this species and will facilitate future genetic studies and genomic-assisted breeding.

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Soil N mineralization is a key process of nutrient cycling in ecosystems. The mechanism of the seasonal distribution of precipitation on soil N mineralization remains unclear. We conducted a precipitation manipulation experiment in a subtropical forest in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China from 2020 to 2022, with three treatments, including control (CK), decreased precipitation in the dry season with extremely increased precipitation in the wet season (T1), and decreased precipitation in the dry season with proportionally increased precipitation in the wet season (T2). With in situ resin core method, we explored the effect of seasonal distribution of precipitation on soil N mineralization. The results showed that T1 and T2 significantly decreased dry season net nitrification rate by 57.9% and 72.5% and the net N mineralization rate by 82.5% and 89.6%, respectively, and significantly increased wet season net nitrification rate by 64.3% and 79.5% and net N mineralization rate by 64.2% and 81.1%, respectively. Proportionally increased precipitation in the wet season was more conducive to soil N mine-ralization process than extremely increased precipitation in the wet season. Results of the structural equation model showed that change in seasonal distribution of precipitation could significantly affect soil N mineralization processes in the subtropical forest by changing soil water content, ammonium nitrogen, microbial biomass nitrogen, and soil C:N. Our results had important reference for understanding soil nitrogen cycling and other ecological processes, and were conducive to more accurate assessment on the impacts of future changes in seasonal precipitation pattern on subtropical forest ecosystems.

Selective removal of Hg(II) by chitosan derivative covalently modified with double cross-linking agents abundant in N and S atoms.

With rapid industrialization and urbanization, numerous wastewater contains elevated concentration of Hg(II), and its concentration must be reduced to the discharge limit, so as not to cause serious pollution to the environment. In this paper, a modified chitosan adsorbent material, AMT-DMTD-CS (CS = chitosan, AMT = 2-amino-5-mercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole, DMTD = 1,3,4-thiadiazole-2,5-dithiol) was prepared. FT-IR, XPS, elemental analysis, and FE-SEM confirmed that AMT and DMTD were successfully grafted covalently onto CS, with BET analysis showing a specific surface area of 105.55 m2/g for AMT-DMTD-CS. Adsorption study suggests that the optimal pH environment for AMT-DMTD-CS to adsorb Hg(II) is 4.0, and the saturated uptake capacity reaches 687.17 mg/g at 318 K, even after eight regenerations, the removal is still maintained at 80.06 %. Moreover, the adsorption behavior is in perfect agreement with the pseudo-second order kinetic model and the Langmuir isotherm model. In addition, AMT-DMTD-CS shows quite favorable selectivity for Hg(II) in a variety of co-existing metal ions. According to the FT-IR and XPS analysis of AMT-DMTD-CS-Hg(II), the synergistic complexation of -OH, -NH2, -NH, CN, CS and -SH to Hg(II) is considered as the main reason that leading to the elevated adsorption capacity.

RhMYB17 regulates the homeotic transformation of floral organs in rose (Rosa hybrida) under cold stress.

Low temperatures affect flower development in rose (Rosa hybrida), increasing petaloid stamen number and reducing normal stamen number. We identified the low-temperature-responsive R2R3-MYB transcription factor RhMYB17, which is homologous to Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) MYB17. RhMYB17 was upregulated at low temperatures, and RhMYB17 transcripts accumulated in floral buds. Transient silencing of RhMYB17 by virus-induced gene silencing decreased petaloid stamen number and increased normal stamen number. According to the ABCDE model of floral organ identity, class A genes contribute to sepal and petal formation. Transcription factor binding analysis identified RhMYB17 binding sites in the promoters of rose APETALA2 (RhAP2) and APETALA2-LIKE (RhAP2L). Yeast one-hybrid assays, dual-luciferase reporter assays, and electrophoretic mobility shift assays confirmed that RhMYB17 directly binds to the promoters of RhAP2 and RhAP2L, thereby activating their expression. RNA sequencing further demonstrated that RhMYB17 plays a pivotal role in regulating the expression of class A genes, and indirectly influences the expression of class C gene. This study reveals a novel mechanism for the homeotic transformation of floral organs in response to low temperatures.

UCNPs-labeled electrospun scaffolds used to monitor in vivo degradation and bone tissue regeneration.

Biodegradable electrospun bone repair materials are effective means to treat bone defects. However, because the electrospun substrates are mostly organic polymer materials, there is a lack of real-time and intuitive monitoring methods for their degradation in vivo. Therefore, it is of great significance to develop in vivo traced electrospun bone repair materials for postoperative observation of their degradation. In this research, polycaprolactone/up-conversion nanoparticles/magnesium oxide (PCL/UCNPs/MgO) composite scaffolds were prepared by electrospun based on the luminescence characteristics of up-conversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) under near infrared excitation and the osteogenic ability of MgO. The in vivo and in vitro degradation results showed that with the increase of time, the electrospun scaffolds gradually degraded and its luminescence intensity decreased. The addition of UCNPs can effectively monitor the degradation of the scaffolds. In addition, the prepared electrospun scaffolds had great biocompatibility, among which PCL-1%UCNPs-1%MgO (P1U1M) electrospun scaffolds had obvious effect on promoting osteogenic differentiation of mouse embryonic osteoblasts cells (MC3T3-E1) in vitro. In conclusion, P1U1M electrospun scaffolds have the potential to induce bone regeneration at bone defect sites, and can monitor the degradation of electrospun scaffolds. It may be a potential candidate material for bone regeneration in defect area.

Application of Chitosan-Based Hydrogel in Promoting Wound Healing: A Review.

Chitosan is a linear polyelectrolyte with active hydroxyl and amino groups that can be made into chitosan-based hydrogels by different cross-linking methods. Chitosan-based hydrogels also have a three-dimensional network of hydrogels, which can accommodate a large number of aqueous solvents and biofluids. CS, as an ideal drug-carrying material, can effectively encapsulate and protect drugs and has the advantages of being nontoxic, biocompatible, and biodegradable. These advantages make it an ideal material for the preparation of functional hydrogels that can act as wound dressings for skin injuries. This review reports the role of chitosan-based hydrogels in promoting skin repair in the context of the mechanisms involved in skin injury repair. Chitosan-based hydrogels were found to promote skin repair at different process stages. Various functional chitosan-based hydrogels are also discussed.

Clinical application of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid metagenomics next-generation sequencing in cancer patients with severe pneumonia.

OBJECTIVE: Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS), as an emerging technique for pathogen detection, has been widely used in clinic. However, reports on the application of mNGS in cancer patients with severe pneumonia remain limited. This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic performance of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) mNGS in cancer patients complicated with severe pneumonia. METHODS: A total of 62 cancer patients with severe pneumonia simultaneously received culture and mNGS of BALF were enrolled in this study. We systematically analyzed the diagnostic significance of BALF mNGS. Subsequently, optimization of anti-infective therapy based on the distribution of pathogens obtained from BALF mNGS was also assessed. RESULTS: For bacteria and fungi, the positive detection rate of mNGS was significantly higher than culture method (91.94% versus 51.61%, P < 0.001), especially for poly-microbial infections (70.97% versus 12.90%, P < 0.001). Compared with the culture method, mNGS exhibited a diagnostic sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 16.67%, with the positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) being 56.14% and 100%, respectively. The agreement rate between these two methods was 59.68%, whereas kappa consensus analysis indicated a poor concordance (kappa = 0.171). After receipt of BALF mNGS results, anti-infective treatment strategies in 39 out of 62 cases (62.90%) were optimized. Moreover, anti-tumor therapy was a high-risk factor for mixed infections (87.18% versus 65.22%, P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed that cancer patients with severe pneumonia, especially those received anti-tumor therapy, were more likely to have poly-microbial infections. BALF mNGS can provide a rapid and comprehensive pathogen distribution of pulmonary infection, making it a promising technique in clinical practice, especially for optimizing therapeutic strategies for cancer patients.

The F-box protein RhSAF destabilizes the gibberellic acid receptor RhGID1 to mediate ethylene-induced petal senescence in rose.

Roses are among the most popular ornamental plants cultivated worldwide for their great economic, symbolic, and cultural importance. Nevertheless, rapid petal senescence markedly reduces rose (Rosa hybrida) flower quality and value. Petal senescence is a developmental process tightly regulated by various phytohormones. Ethylene accelerates petal senescence, while gibberellic acid (GA) delays this process. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the crosstalk between these phytohormones in the regulation of petal senescence remain largely unclear. Here, we identified SENESCENCE-ASSOCIATED F-BOX (RhSAF), an ethylene-induced F-box protein gene encoding a recognition subunit of the SCF-type E3 ligase. We demonstrated that RhSAF promotes degradation of the GA receptor GIBBERELLIN INSENSITIVE DWARF1 (RhGID1) to accelerate petal senescence. Silencing RhSAF expression delays petal senescence, while suppressing RhGID1 expression accelerates petal senescence. RhSAF physically interacts with RhGID1 s and targets them for ubiquitin/26S proteasome-mediated degradation. Accordingly, ethylene-induced RhGID1C degradation and RhDELLA3 accumulation are compromised in RhSAF-RNAi lines. Our results demonstrate that ethylene antagonizes GA activity through RhGID1 degradation mediated by the E3 ligase RhSAF. These findings enhance our understanding of the phytohormone crosstalk regulating petal senescence and provide insights for improving flower longevity.

A MRI radiomics-based model for prediction of pelvic lymph node metastasis in cervical cancer.

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer (CC) is a common malignancy of the female reproductive tract, and preoperative prediction of lymph node metastasis (LNM) is essential. This study aims to design and validate a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radiomics-based predictive model capable of detecting LNM in patients diagnosed with CC. METHODS: This retrospective analysis incorporated 86 and 38 CC patients into the training and testing groups, respectively. Radiomics features were extracted from MRI T2WI, T2WI-SPAIR, and axial apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) sequences. Selected features identified in the training group were then used to construct a radiomics scoring model, with relevant LNM-related risk factors having been identified through univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. The resultant predictive model was then validated in the testing cohort. RESULTS: In total, 16 features were selected for the construction of a radiomics scoring model. LNM-related risk factors included worse differentiation (P < 0.001), more advanced International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stages (P = 0.03), and a higher radiomics score from the combined MRI sequences (P = 0.01). The equation for the predictive model was as follows: -0.0493-2.1410 × differentiation level + 7.7203 × radiomics score of combined sequences + 1.6752 × FIGO stage. The respective area under the curve (AUC) values for the T2WI radiomics score, T2WI-SPAIR radiomics score, ADC radiomics score, combined sequence radiomics score, and predictive model were 0.656, 0.664, 0.658, 0.835, and 0.923 in the training cohort, while these corresponding AUC values were 0.643, 0.525, 0.513, 0.826, and 0.82 in the testing cohort. CONCLUSIONS: This MRI radiomics-based model exhibited favorable accuracy when used to predict LNM in patients with CC. Relative to the use of any individual MRI sequence-based radiomics score, this predictive model yielded superior diagnostic accuracy.

Deep learning-based tooth segmentation methods in medical imaging: A review.

Deep learning approaches for tooth segmentation employ convolutional neural networks (CNNs) or Transformers to derive tooth feature maps from extensive training datasets. Tooth segmentation serves as a critical prerequisite for clinical dental analysis and surgical procedures, enabling dentists to comprehensively assess oral conditions and subsequently diagnose pathologies. Over the past decade, deep learning has experienced significant advancements, with researchers introducing efficient models such as U-Net, Mask R-CNN, and Segmentation Transformer (SETR). Building upon these frameworks, scholars have proposed numerous enhancement and optimization modules to attain superior tooth segmentation performance. This paper discusses the deep learning methods of tooth segmentation on dental panoramic radiographs (DPRs), cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images, intro oral scan (IOS) models, and others. Finally, we outline performance-enhancing techniques and suggest potential avenues for ongoing research. Numerous challenges remain, including data annotation and model generalization limitations. This paper offers insights for future tooth segmentation studies, potentially facilitating broader clinical adoption.

AIS-based operational phase identification using Progressive Ablation Feature Selection with machine learning for improving ship emission estimates.

The work status of ships' engines and boilers has a significant impact on emission estimates, which are closely related to ships' operational phases. To improve the accuracy of emission estimates, this study proposed a machine learning-based classification model for identifying operational phases. We proposed 12 operational phase relevance features by analyzing motion behavior-related and geospatial characteristics-related features from the Automatic Identification System (AIS) data from the two bulk carriers. The random forest (RF) model showed the best performance in identifying one of the bulk carrier's operational phases among the five machine models, with the accuracy, F1score and Area Under Curve (AUC) of 96.66%, 93.34% and 99.93%, respectively. By adopting the Progressive Ablation Feature Selection (PAFS) method with RF, the number of features was reduced from 12 to 8, and the accuracy (96.38%), F1score (92.70%), and AUC (98.81%) were almost same with that obtained from all 12 features. Additionally, the effectiveness of the RF model was validated on the other bulk carriers. Compared with the traditional algorithms, the RF model showed better performance in ship operational phase identification and improved the average accuracy of NOx emission estimation for the main engine and auxiliary engine by 57.83% and 93.89%, respectively, under different operational phases. These results provide the basis for port traffic management and ship emission control.Implications: A new ship operational phase identification approach was proposed in this study. If the proposed approach is adopted by International Maritime Organization, it will improve the accuracy of ship emission estimates and bring new insights into global shipping greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and their impact on global change. The port authorities could benefit from the proposed approach, which can be extended to ship types with similar behavior to bulk carriers, such as containers and general cargoes. This can reveal patterns of ship behavior in specific areas, which helps to identify potential collision risks, channel blockages, and other safety issues and take appropriate management measures to ensure the safe operation of the port. The proposed approach can help shipping companies to accurately estimate the GHG emissions of their fleets and to accurately predict carbon tax costs. Base on that, carbon emissions and carbon tax burden can be reduced by adopting corresponding management control measures.

Chinese Sumac (Rhus chinensis Mill.) Fruits Prevent Hyperuricemia and Uric Acid Nephropathy in Mice Fed a High-Purine Yeast Diet.

Hyperuricemia (HUA) is a prevalent chronic disease, characterized by excessive blood uric acid levels, that poses a significant health risk. In this study, the preventive effects and potential mechanisms of ethanol extracts from Chinese sumac (Rhus chinensis Mill.) fruits on HUA and uric acid nephropathy were comprehensively investigated. The results demonstrated a significant reduction in uric acid levels in hyperuricemia mice after treatment with Chinese sumac fruit extract, especially in the high-dose group, where the blood uric acid level decreased by 39.56%. Visual diagrams of the kidneys and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained sections showed the extract's effectiveness in protecting against kidney damage caused by excessive uric acid. Further investigation into its mechanism revealed that the extract prevents and treats hyperuricemia by decreasing uric acid production, enhancing uric acid excretion, and mitigating the oxidative stress and inflammatory reactions induced by excessive uric acid in the kidneys. Specifically, the extract markedly decreased xanthine oxidase (XOD) levels and expression in the liver, elevated the expression of uric acid transporters ABCG2, and lowered the expression of uric acid reabsorption proteins URAT1 and SLC2A9. Simultaneously, it significantly elevated the levels of endogenous antioxidant enzymes (SOD and GSH) while reducing the level of malondialdehyde (MDA). Furthermore, the expression of uric-acid-related proteins NLRP3, ACS, and Caspase-3 and the levels of IL-1ß and IL-6 were significantly reduced. The experimental results confirm that Chinese sumac fruit extract can improve HUA and uric acid nephropathy in mice fed a high-purine yeast diet. This finding establishes a theoretical foundation for developing Chinese sumac fruit as a functional food or medicine for preventing and treating HUA.