Prescribed Performance Fault-Tolerant Control for Synchronization of Heterogeneous Nonlinear MASs Using Reinforcement Learning.

In this article, a novel approach of prescribed performance synchronization control is developed for heterogeneous nonlinear multiagent systems (MASs) subject to unknown actuator faults. Considering that not all followers are able to access the information of the leader, a distributed auxiliary perception system is proposed to estimate the state information of the leader to guarantee that the estimation errors converge to zero within fixed time. Then, based on the estimated states, a prescribed performance fault-tolerant control (FTC) approach is proposed, which achieves the user-defined performance specifications even in the presence of system faults. Moreover, as accurate system dynamic models are perhaps hard to acquire in practical engineering, a data-based method is proposed by using the reinforcement learning (RL) algorithm to design the fault-tolerant controller, which only needs the off-policy online data and is independent of the model dynamics of followers. The stability and synchronization with the prescribed behavior are guaranteed through the Lyapunov stability theorem. Finally, simulation results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the developed controller.

The role of inflammation in silicosis.

Silicosis is a chronic illness marked by diffuse fibrosis in lung tissue resulting from continuous exposure to SiO2-rich dust in the workplace. The onset and progression of silicosis is a complicated and poorly understood pathological process involving numerous cells and molecules. However, silicosis poses a severe threat to public health in developing countries, where it is the most prevalent occupational disease. There is convincing evidence supporting that innate and adaptive immune cells, as well as their cytokines, play a significant role in the development of silicosis. In this review, we describe the roles of immune cells and cytokines in silicosis, and summarize current knowledge on several important inflammatory signaling pathways associated with the disease, aiming to provide novel targets and strategies for the treatment of silicosis-related inflammation.

[Advances in the research of transformation and stabilization of soil organic carbon from plant and microbe]. / æ¤ç‰©æºå’Œå¾®ç”Ÿç‰©æºåœŸå£¤æœ‰æœºç¢³è½¬åŒ–ä¸Žç¨³å®šç ”ç©¶è¿›å±•.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is the core component of terrestrial carbon (C) sink. Exploring the transformation and stabilization mechanism of SOC is key to understand the function of terrestrial C sink which copes with climate change. The traditional perspective is that plant residues are the initial source of SOC. The new concept of "soil microbial C pump" emphasizes that the synthesized products of soil microbial assimilation are important contributors to the stable SOC. This provides a new insight to the sequestration mechanism of SOC. Due to the complex and variable decomposition process of plant residues and the high heterogeneity of microbial residues, the transformation and stabilization mechanism of plant residues and microbial residues into SOC is still unclear. We reviewed research progress in plant and microbial residues, and introduced the characterization methods of quantification and transformation of plant residues and microbial residues, and also summarized the new findings on the transformation of plant and microbial residues into SOC. We further discussed the contribution and driving factors of microbial and plant-derived C to SOC. Finally, we prospected the future development direction and research focus in this field. This review would provide the scientific reference for the research of soil C sequestration in terrestrial ecosystem.

Systemically functional characterization of regiospecific flavonoid O-methyltransferases from Glycine max.

Plants produce diverse flavonoids for defense and stress resistance, most of which have health benefits and are widely used as food additives and medicines. Methylation of the free hydroxyl groups of flavonoids, catalyzed by S-adenosyl-l-methionine-dependent O-methyltransferases (OMTs), significantly affects their physicochemical properties and bioactivities. Soybeans (Glycine max) contain a rich pool of O-methylated flavonoids. However, the OMTs responsible for flavonoid methylation in G. max remain largely unknown. We screened the G. max genome and obtained 22 putative OMT-encoding genes that share a broad spectrum of amino acid identities (25-96%); among them, 19 OMTs were successfully cloned and heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli. We used the flavonoids containing the free 3, 5, 7, 8, 3', 4' hydroxyl group, such as flavones (luteolin and 7, 8-dihydroxyflavone), flavonols (kaempferol and quercetin), flavanones (naringenin and eriodictyol), isoflavonoids (daidzein and glycetein), and caffeic acid as substrates, and 15 OMTs were proven to catalyze at least one substrate. The methylation activities of these GmOMTs covered the 3, 7, 8, 3', 4'- hydroxyl of flavonoids and 7, 4'- hydroxyl of isoflavonoids. The systematic characterization of G. max flavonoid OMTs provides insights into the biosynthesis of methylated flavonoids in soybeans and OMT bioparts for the production of methylated flavonoids via synthetic biology.

Unveiling global land fine- and coarse-mode aerosol dynamics from 2005 to 2020 using enhanced satellite-based monthly inversion data.

Accurate fine-mode and coarse-mode aerosol knowledge is crucial for understanding their impacts on the climate and Earth's ecosystems. However, current satellite-based Fine-Mode Aerosol Optical Depth (FAOD) and Coarse-Mode Aerosol Optical Depth (CAOD) methods have drawbacks including inaccuracies, low spatial coverage, and limited temporal duration. To overcome these issues, we developed new global-scale FAOD and CAOD from 2005 to 2020 using a novel deep learning model capable of the synergistic retrieval of two aerosol sizes. After validation with the aerosol robotic network (AERONET) and sky radiometer network (SKYNET), the new monthly FAOD and CAOD showed significant improvements in accuracy and spatial coverage. From 2005 to 2020, the new data showed that China had the greatest decrease in FAOD and CAOD. In contrast, India and South Latin America had a significant increase in FAOD versus North Africa in CAOD. FAOD in the regions of Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay in South America have shown an upward trend. The results reveal that FAOD and CAOD display distinct patterns of change in the same regions, particularly on the west coast of the United States where FAOD is increasing, while CAOD is decreasing. Aside from the year 2020 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the analysis showed that although China has seen at least an +85% increase in energy consumption and urban expansion in 2019 compared to 2005 due to the needs of development and construction, the implementation of China's air pollution control policies has led to a significant decrease in FAOD (-46%) and CAOD (-65%) after 2013. This research enriches our comprehension of global fine and coarse aerosol patterns, additional investigations are needed to determine the potential global implications of these changes.

Combined anti-PD-1, HDAC inhibitor and anti-VEGF for MSS/pMMR colorectal cancer: a randomized phase 2 trial.

Epigenetic modifications of chromatin, including histone acetylation, and tumor angiogenesis play pivotal roles in creating an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. In the randomized phase 2 CAPability-01 trial, we investigated the potential efficacy of combining the programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibody sintilimab with the histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) chidamide with or without the anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) monoclonal antibody bevacizumab in patients with unresectable chemotherapy-refractory locally advanced or metastatic microsatellite stable/proficient mismatch repair (MSS/pMMR) colorectal cancer. Forty-eight patients were randomly assigned to either the doublet arm (sintilimab and chidamide, n = 23) or the triplet arm (sintilimab, chidamide and bevacizumab, n = 25). The primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS) rate at 18 weeks (18wPFS rate) was met with a rate of 43.8% (21 of 48) for the entire study population. Secondary endpoint results include a median PFS of 3.7 months, an overall response rate of 29.2% (14 of 48), a disease control rate of 56.3% (27 of 48) and a median duration of response of 12.0 months. The secondary endpoint of median overall survival time was not mature. The triplet arm exhibited significantly improved outcomes compared to the doublet arm, with a greater 18wPFS rate (64.0% versus 21.7%, P = 0.003), higher overall response rate (44.0% versus 13.0%, P = 0.027) and longer median PFS rate (7.3 months versus 1.5 months, P = 0.006). The most common treatment-emergent adverse events observed in both the triplet and doublet arms included proteinuria, thrombocytopenia, neutropenia, anemia, leukopenia and diarrhea. There were two treatment-related fatalities (hepatic failure and pneumonitis). Analysis of bulk RNA sequencing data from the patients suggested that the triplet combination enhanced CD8+ T cell infiltration, resulting in a more immunologically active tumor microenvironment. Our study suggests that the combination of a PD-1 antibody, an HDACi, and a VEGF antibody could be a promising treatment regimen for patients with MSS/pMMR advanced colorectal cancer. ClinicalTrials.gov registration: NCT04724239 .

Biosynthesis of the highly oxygenated tetracyclic core skeleton of Taxol.

Taxol is a widely-applied anticancer drug that inhibits microtubule dynamics in actively replicating cells. Although a minimum 19-step biosynthetic pathway has been proposed and 16 enzymes likely involved have been characterized, stepwise biosynthetic reactions from the well-characterized di-oxygenated taxoids to Taxol tetracyclic core skeleton are yet to be elucidated. Here, we uncover the biosynthetic pathways for a few tri-oxygenated taxoids via confirming the critical reaction order of the second and third hydroxylation steps, unearth a taxoid 9α-hydroxylase catalyzing the fourth hydroxylation, and identify CYP725A55 catalyzing the oxetane ester formation via a cascade oxidation-concerted acyl rearrangement mechanism. After identifying a acetyltransferase catalyzing the formation of C7-OAc, the pathway producing the highly-oxygenated 1ß-dehydroxybaccatin VI with the Taxol tetracyclic core skeleton is elucidated and its complete biosynthesis from taxa-4(20),11(12)-diene-5α-ol is achieved in an engineered yeast. These systematic studies lay the foundation for the complete elucidation of the biosynthetic pathway of Taxol.

Modulator of TMB-associated immune infiltration (MOTIF) predicts immunotherapy response and guides combination therapy.

Patients with high tumor mutational burden (TMB) levels do not consistently respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), possibly because a high TMB level does not necessarily result in adequate infiltration of CD8+ T cells. Using bulk ribonucleic acid sequencing (RNA-seq) data from 9311 tumor samples across 30 cancer types, we developed a novel tool called the modulator of TMB-associated immune infiltration (MOTIF), which comprises genes that can determine the extent of CD8+ T cell infiltration prompted by a certain TMB level. We confirmed that MOTIF can accurately reflect the integrity and defects of the cancer-immunity cycle. By analyzing 84 human single-cell RNA-seq datasets from 32 types of solid tumors, we revealed that MOTIF can provide insights into the diverse roles of various cell types in the modulation of CD8+ T cell infiltration. Using pretreatment RNA-seq data from 13 ICI-treated cohorts, we validated the use of MOTIF in predicting CD8+ T cell infiltration and ICI efficacy. Among the components of MOTIF, we identified EMC3 as a negative regulator of CD8+ T cell infiltration, which was validated via in vivo studies. Additionally, MOTIF provided guidance for the potential combinations of programmed death 1 blockade with certain immunostimulatory drugs to facilitate CD8+ T cell infiltration and improve ICI efficacy.

Living, Heat-Killed Limosilactobacillus mucosae and Its Cell-Free Supernatant Differentially Regulate Colonic Serotonin Receptors and Immune Response in Experimental Colitis.

Lactobacillus species have been shown to alleviate gut inflammation and oxidative stress. However, the effect of different lactobacilli components on gut inflammation has not been well studied. This study aims to identify the differences in the effect and mechanisms of different forms and components of Limosilactobacillus mucosae (LM) treatment in the alleviation of gut inflammation using a colitis mouse model that is induced by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). Seventy-two C57BL/6 mice were divided into six groups: control, DSS, live LM+DSS (LM+DSS), heat-killed LM+DSS (HKLM+DSS), LM cell-free supernatant + DSS (LMCS+DSS), and MRS medium + DSS (MRS+DSS). The mice were treated with different forms and components of LM for two weeks before DSS treatment. After that, the mice were sacrificed for an assessment of their levels of inflammatory cytokines, serotonin (5-HT) receptors (HTRs), and tryptophan metabolites. The results showed that, compared to other treatments, LMCS was more effective (p < 0.05) in the alleviation of DSS-induced body weight loss and led to an increase in the disease activity index score. All three forms and components of LM increased (p < 0.05) the levels of indole-3-acetic acid but reduced (p < 0.05) the levels of 5-HT in the colon. HKLM or LMCS reduced (p < 0.05) the percentages of CD3+CD8+ cytotoxic T cells but increased (p < 0.05) the percentages of CD3+CD4+ T helper cells in the spleen. LM or HKLM increased (p < 0.05) abundances of CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells in the spleen. The LM and LMCS treatments reduced (p < 0.05) the expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines Il6 and Il17a. The mice in the HKLM+DSS group had higher (p < 0.05) mRNA levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokine Il10, the cell differentiation and proliferation markers Lgr5 and Ki67, the 5-HT degradation enzyme Maoa, and HTRs (Htr1a, Htr2a, and Htr2b) in the colon. All three forms and components of LM reduced the phosphorylation of STAT3. The above findings can help to optimize the functionality of probiotics and develop new dietary strategies that aid in the maintenance of a healthy gut.

Artificial intelligence-assisted system for the assessment of Forrest classification of peptic ulcer bleeding: a multicenter diagnostic study.

BACKGROUND: Inaccurate Forrest classification may significantly affect clinical outcomes, especially in high risk patients. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a real-time deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) system to assess the Forrest classification of peptic ulcer bleeding (PUB). METHODS: A training dataset (3868 endoscopic images) and an internal validation dataset (834 images) were retrospectively collected from the 900th Hospital, Fuzhou, China. In addition, 521 images collected from four other hospitals were used for external validation. Finally, 46 endoscopic videos were prospectively collected to assess the real-time diagnostic performance of the DCNN system, whose diagnostic performance was also prospectively compared with that of three senior and three junior endoscopists. RESULTS: The DCNN system had a satisfactory diagnostic performance in the assessment of Forrest classification, with an accuracy of 91.2% (95%CI 89.5%-92.6%) and a macro-average area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.80 in the validation dataset. Moreover, the DCNN system could judge suspicious regions automatically using Forrest classification in real-time videos, with an accuracy of 92.0% (95%CI 80.8%-97.8%). The DCNN system showed more accurate and stable diagnostic performance than endoscopists in the prospective clinical comparison test. This system helped to slightly improve the diagnostic performance of senior endoscopists and considerably enhance that of junior endoscopists. CONCLUSION: The DCNN system for the assessment of the Forrest classification of PUB showed satisfactory diagnostic performance, which was slightly superior to that of senior endoscopists. It could therefore effectively assist junior endoscopists in making such diagnoses during gastroscopy.

Alleviation of allergic asthma by rosmarinic acid via gut-lung axis.

BACKGROUND: Asthma affects 3% of the global population, leading to over 0.25 million deaths. Due to its complexity, asthma is difficult to cure or prevent, and current therapies have limitations. This has led to a growing demand for alternative asthma treatments. We found rosmarinic acid (RosA) as a potential new drug candidate from natural medicine. However, RosA has poor bioavailability and remains mainly in the gastrointestinal tract after oral administration, suggesting the involvement of gut microbiota in its bioactivity. PURPOSE: To investigate the mechanism of RosA in alleviating allergic asthma by gut-lung axis. METHODS: We used 16S rRNA gene sequencing and metabolites analysis to investigate RosA's modulation of gut microbiota. Techniques of molecular biology and metabolomics were employed to study the pharmacological mechanism of RosA. Cohousing was used to confirm the involvement of gut microbiota in RosA-induced improvement of allergic asthma. RESULTS: RosA decreased cholate levels from spore-forming bacteria, leading to reduced 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) synthesis, bronchoconstriction, vasodilation, and inflammatory cell infiltration. It also increased short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) levels, facilitating the expression of intestinal tight junction proteins to promote intestinal integrity. SCFAs upregulated intestinal monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs), thereby improving their systemic delivery to reduce Th2/ILC2 mediated inflammatory response and suppress eosinophil influx and mucus production in lung. Additionally, RosA inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS) production and translocation, leading to reduced TLR4-NFκB mediated pulmonary inflammation and oxidative stress. CONCLUSIONS: The anti-asthmatic mechanism of oral RosA is primarily driven by modulation of gut microbiota-derived 5-HT, SCFAs, and LPS, achieving a combined synergistic effect. RosA is a safe, effective, and reliable drug candidate that could potentially replace glucocorticoids for asthma treatment.

Brain mechanism of acupuncture for children with anisometropic amblyopia: a resting functional magnetic resonance imaging study based on voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity.

AIM: To explore the brain mechanism of acupuncture for children with anisometropic amblyopia using the voxel-mirror homotopic connectivity (VMHC) analysis method of resting functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) technology based on clinical effectiveness. METHODS: Eighty children with anisometropic monocular amblyopia were randomly divided into two groups: control (40 cases, 1 case of shedding) and acupuncture (40 cases, 1 case of shedding) groups. The control group was treated with glasses, red flash, grating, and visual stimulations, with each procedure conducted for 5min per time. Based on routine treatment, the acupuncture group underwent acupuncture of "regulating qi and unblocking meridians to bright eyes", Jingming (BL1), Cuanzhu (BL2), Guangming (GB37), Fengchi (GB20) acupoints were taken on both sides, with the needle kept for 30min each time. Both groups were treated once every other day, three times per week, for a total of 4wk. After the treatment, the overall curative effect of the two groups and the latency and amplitude changes of P100 wave of pattern visual-evoked potential were counted. At the same time, nine children with left eye amblyopia were randomly selected from the two groups and were scanned with rs-fMRI before and after treatment. The differences in the brain regions between the two groups were compared and analyzed with VMHC. RESULTS: Chi-square test showed a notable difference in the total efficiency rate between the acupuncture (94.87%) and control groups (79.49%). Regarding the P100 wave latency and amplitude, the acupuncture group had significantly shorter latency and higher amplitude of P100 wave than the control group. Moreover, the VMHC values of the bilateral temporal lobe, superior temporal gyrus, and middle temporal gyrus were notably increased in the acupuncture group after treatment. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture combined with conventional treatment can significantly improve the corrected visual acuity and optic nerve conduction in children with anisometropic amblyopia. Compared with the conventional treatment, the regulation of acupuncture on the functional activities of the relevant brain areas in the anterior cerebellum may be an effective acupuncture mechanism for anisometropic amblyopia.

Diterpenoid Tanshinones Can Inhibit Lung Cancer Progression by Improving the Tumor Microenvironment and Downregulation of NF-κB Expression.

Diterpenoid tanshinones (DTs) are a bioactive fraction extracted from Salvia miltiorrhiza. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed the presence of four compounds, namely, tanshinone IIA, tanshinone I, cryptotanshinone, and dihydrotanshinone. In this study, we aimed to propose a possible mechanism for the anti-lung cancer effect of DT. To do so, we utilized a lung cancer nude mice model and a lung cancer cell line (PC9) to investigate the effect of DT on lung cancer. We employed immunohistochemistry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, hematoxylin and eosin staining, and immunofluorescence to analyze the pharmacological role of DT in the inhibition of lung cancer growth. The results showed that DT inhibited tumor growth, induced apoptosis in the nude mice model, and reduced inflammatory cell infiltration. Additionally, DT inhibited PC9 lung cancer cells, growth, proliferation, and migration. The mechanism of action of DT involves not only directly inhibiting cell proliferation and migration but also improving the tumor microenvironment. DT significantly increased the expression of important intestinal gap junction proteins, such as zonula occludens 1 (ZO-1) and occludin I. This upregulation contributes to the reinforcement of the intestinal mucosal barrier, thereby reducing the paracellular transport of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) through the intestine. Consequently, the decreased LPS levels lead to the inhibition of NF-κB expression and downregulation of macrophage polarization, as indicated by the decreased expression of CD68. In conclusion, this study has confirmed that DT has anti-lung cancer properties by improving the inflammatory tumor microenvironment via regulating macrophage polarization and inhibiting LPS-associated immune response. These results provide new insights into the mechanism of DT action against lung cancer.

Machine learning-based extrachromosomal DNA identification in large-scale cohorts reveals its clinical implications in cancer.

The clinical implications of extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) in cancer therapy remain largely elusive. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of ecDNA amplification spectra and their association with clinical and molecular features in multiple cohorts comprising over 13,000 pan-cancer patients. Using our developed computational framework, GCAP, and validating it with multifaceted approaches, we reveal a consistent pan-cancer pattern of mutual exclusivity between ecDNA amplification and microsatellite instability (MSI). In addition, we establish the role of ecDNA amplification as a risk factor and refine genomic subtypes in a cohort from 1015 colorectal cancer patients. Importantly, our investigation incorporates data from four clinical trials focused on anti-PD-1 immunotherapy, demonstrating the pivotal role of ecDNA amplification as a biomarker for guiding checkpoint blockade immunotherapy in gastrointestinal cancer. This finding represents clinical evidence linking ecDNA amplification to the effectiveness of immunotherapeutic interventions. Overall, our study provides a proof-of-concept of identifying ecDNA amplification from cancer whole-exome sequencing (WES) data, highlighting the potential of ecDNA amplification as a valuable biomarker for facilitating personalized cancer treatment.

Effectiveness of a novel composite filler to enhance phosphorus removal in constructed wetlands.

Improving the adsorption performance of wetland fillers is of great significance for enhancing pollutant removal in constructed wetlands. Currently, limited by complex preparation processes and high costs, large numbers of high adsorption fillers studied in lab are difficult to be applied in practical engineering. In this study, a newly low-cost and efficient phosphorus removal composite wetland filler (CFB) is prepared by using industrial and agriculture waste (steel slag and oyster shells) and natural ore (volcanic rock) as raw materials. The results show that phosphorus removal efficiency was largely enhanced by synergistic effects of steel slag, oyster shells, and volcanic rock, and it was mainly influenced by the proportion of each component of CFB. Based on the fitting of the classical isothermal equation, the adsorption capacity of CFB is 18.339 mg/g. The adsorption of phosphorus by CFB is endothermic and spontaneous, and there are heterogeneous surfaces and multi-layer adsorption processes, as well as pH value and temperature, are free from the influence on CFB phosphorus removal. During the practical wastewater application experiments, the phosphorus removal rate of the CFB-filled constructed wetland apparatus (CW-A) can reach 94.89% and is free from the influence on the removal of other pollutants (COD, TN, and NH3-N) by the system. Overall, the prepared CFB is of excellent decontamination effect, an extremely simple preparation process, low cost, and sound practical engineering application potential, providing new ideas and approaches for enhancing the phosphorus removal capacity and waste resource utilization of constructed wetland systems.

Thirty years of experience in water pollution control in Taihu Lake: A review.

Taihu Lake has suffered from eutrophication and algal blooms for decades, primarily due to increasing anthropogenic pollutants from human activities. Extensive research and widespread implementation of water pollution control measures have significantly contributed to the improvement of water quality of Taihu Lake. However, the relevant experience of Taihu Lake pollution control has not been well summarized to provide insight for future lake restoration. This review article seeks to address this gap by first providing a comprehensive overview of Taihu Lake's water quality dynamics over the past thirty years, characterized by two distinct stages: (I) water quality deterioration (1990s-2007); and (II) water total nitrogen (TN) improvement but total phosphorus (TP) fluctuation (2007-current). Subsequently, we conducted a thorough review of the experiences and challenges associated with water pollution control during these two stages. Generally, pollution control practices emphasized point source control but overlooked non-point sources before 2007, possibly due to point sources being easier to identify and manage. Accordingly, the focus shifted from industrial point sources to a combination of industrial point and agricultural non-point sources after 2007 to control water pollution in the Taihu Lake Basin. Numerous studies have delved into non-point source pollution control, including source control, transport intercept, in-lake measures, and the integration of these technologies. Taken together, this paper provides suggestions based on the needs and opportunities of this region. Further research is needed to better understand and model the underlying pollution processes, as well as to increase public participation and improve policy and law implementation, which will assist decision-makers in formulating better water management in Taihu Lake.

Combining physical mechanisms and deep learning models for hourly surface ozone retrieval in China.

As surface ozone (O3) gains increasing attention, there is an urgent need for high temporal resolution and accurate O3 monitoring. By taking advantage of the progress in artificial intelligence, deep learning models have been applied to satellite based O3 retrieval. However, the underlying physical mechanisms that influence surface O3 into model construction have rarely been considered. To overcome this issue, we considered the physical mechanisms influencing surface O3 and used them to select relevant variable features for developing a novel deep learning model. We used a wide and deep model architecture to account for linear and non-linear relationships between the variables and surface O3. Using the developed model, we performed hourly inversions of surface O3 retrieval over China from 2017 to 2019 (9:00-17:00, local time). The validation results based on sample-based (site-based) methods yielded an R2 of 0.94 (0.86) and an RMSE of 12.79 (19.13) µg/m3, indicating the accuracy of the models. The average surface O3 concentrations in China in 2017, 2018, and 2019 were 82, 78, and 87 µg/m3, respectively. There was a diurnal pattern in surface O3 in China, with levels rising significantly from 55 µg/m3 at 9:00 a.m. to 96 µg/m3 at 15:00. Between 15:00 and 16:00, the O3 concentration remained stable at 95 µg/m3 and decreased slightly thereafter (16:00-17:00). The results of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of the physical mechanisms of ozone and facilitate further studies on ozone monitoring, thereby enhancing our understanding of the spatiotemporal characteristics of ozone.

Enhanced light extraction efficiency of GaN-based green micro-LED modulating by a thickness-tunable SiO2 passivation structure.

Green micro-light emitting diodes (micro-LEDs) is one of the three primary color light sources as full-color display, which serves as a key research object in the field of micro-LED display. As the micro-LED size decreases, the surface-area-to-volume ratio of the device increases, leading to more serious damage on the sidewall by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching. The passivation process of SiO2 provides an effective method to reduce sidewall damage caused by ICP etching. In this work, green rectangular micro-LEDs with passivation layer thickness of 0∼600 nm was designed using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation. In order to verify the simulation results, the micro-LED array was fabricated by parallel laser micro-lens array (MLA) lithography in high speed and large area. The effect of the SiO2 passivation layer thickness on the performance of the green micro-LED was analyzed, which shows that the passivation layer thickness-light extraction efficiency curve fluctuates periodically. For the sample with 90 nm thickness of SiO2 passivation layer, there exists a small leakage current and higher operating current density, and the maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) is 2.8 times higher than micro-LED without SiO2 passivation layer.

Effect of acupuncture at the acupoints for Yizhi Tiaoshen on the functional connectivity between the hippocampus and the brain in the patients with Alzheimer's disease. / 针刺"益智调神"ç©´æ–¹å¯¹é˜¿å°”èŒ¨æµ·é»˜ç— æ‚£è€ æµ·é©¬ä¸Žå ¨è„‘åŠŸèƒ½è¿žæŽ¥çš„å½±å“.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the effect of acupuncture at the acupoints for Yizhi Tiaoshen (benefiting the intelligence and regulating the spirit) on the functional connectivity between the hippocampus and the whole brain in the patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and reveal the brain function mechanism of acupuncture in treatment of AD using resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). METHODS: Sixty patients with mild to moderate AD were randomly divided into an acupuncture + medication group (30 cases, 3 cases dropped out) and a western medication group (30 cases, 2 cases dropped out). In the western medication group, the donepezil hydrochloride tablets were administered orally, 2.5 mg to 5 mg each time, once daily; and adjusted to be 10 mg each time after 4 weeks of medication. Besides the therapy as the western medication group, in the acupuncture + medication group, acupuncture was supplemented at the acupoints for Yizhi Tiaoshen, i.e. Baihui (GV 20), Sishencong (EX-HN 1), and bilateral Shenmen (HT 7), Neiguan (PC 6), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Xuanzhong (GB 39). The needles were retained for 30 min in one treatment, once daily; and 6 treatments were required weekly. The duration of treatment was 6 weeks in each group. The general cognitive function was assessed by the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and Alzheimer's disease assessment scale-cognitive part (ADAS-Cog) before and after treatment in the two groups. Using the rs-fMRI, the changes in the functional connectivity (FC) of the left hippocampus and the whole brain before and after treatment were analyzed in the patients of the two groups (11 cases in the acupuncture + medication group and 12 cases in the western medication group). RESULTS: After treatment, compared with those before treatment, MMSE scores increased and ADAS-Cog scores decreased in the two groups (P<0.05); MMSE score was higher, while the ADAS-Cog score was lower in the acupuncture + medication group when compared with those in the western medication group (P≤0.05). After treatment, in the western medication group, FC of the left hippocampus was enhanced with the left fusiform gyrus, the inferior frontal gyrus of the left triangular region, the bilateral superior temporal gyrus and the right superior parietal gyrus (P<0.05), while FC was weakened with the left inferior temporal gyrus, the left middle frontal gyrus and the right dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus when compared with that before treatment (P<0.05). After treatment, in the acupuncture + medication group, FC of the left hippocampus was increased with the right gyrus rectus, the left inferior occipital gyrus, the right superior temporal gyrus and the left middle occipital gyrus (P<0.05), and it was declined with the left thalamus (P<0.05) when compared with those before treatment. After treatment, in the acupuncture + medication group, FC of the left hippocampus was strengthened with the bilateral inferior temporal gyrus, the bilateral middle temporal gyrus, the right gyrus rectus, the bilateral superior occipital gyrus, the left lenticular nucleus putamen, the left calcarine fissure and surrounding cortex, the inferior frontal gyrus of the left insulae operculum, the left medial superior frontal gyrus and the right posterior central gyrus (P<0.05) compared with that of the western medication group. CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture at the acupoints for Yizhi Tiaoshen improves the cognitive function of AD patients, and its main brain functional mechanism is related to intensifying the functional connectivity of the left hippocampus with the default network (inferior temporal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus and superior frontal gyrus, gyrus rectus), as well as with the sensory (posterior central gyrus) and visual (calcarine fissure and surrounding cortex and superior occipital gyrus) brain regions.