Comparative evaluation of conventional and modified Hughes procedures in reconstructing large full-thickness defects of the lower eyelid.

Purpose: To introduce a modified Hughes procedure for the repair of large full-thickness defects of the lower eyelid.

Methods: This retrospective study included 56 patients: 30 in the conventional group treated with a Hughes flap and 26 in the modified group treated with a full-thickness upper eyelid flap pedicled with levator aponeurosis, Muller muscle and conjunctiva. The reconstruction time, period of pedicle division and complication rates were evaluated.

Investigation of Using Calcined Coal Gangue as the Co-Blended Precursor in the Alkali-Activated Metakaolin.

The feasibility and performance of using calcined coal gangue (CCG) to substitute metakaolin (MK) as the precursor to prepare alkali-activated materials (AAMs) were thoroughly evaluated by conducting combined experiments of flowability test, mechanical measurement, calorimetry and microstructure analysis, etc. It was found that the increased substitution ratio of CCG to MK can increase the flowability of the prepared paste by up to 28.1% and decrease its viscosity by up to 55.

Metabolic engineering combined with site-directed saturated mutations of α-keto acid decarboxylase for efficient production of 6-aminocaproic acid and 1,6-hexamethylenediamine.

6-Aminocaproic acid (6ACA) and 1,6-hexamethylenediamine (HMDA) are key precursors for nylon synthesis, and both are produced using petroleum-based chemical processes. However, the utilization of bio-based raw materials for biological production of monomers is crucial for nylon industry. In this study, we demonstrated that metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli and selected mutations of α-keto acid decarboxylase successfully synthesized 6ACA and HMDA.

Transcriptome analysis indicates the mechanisms of BmNPV resistance in Bombyx mori midgut.

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) caused serious economic losses in sericulture. Analyzing the molecular mechanism of silkworms (B. mori) resistance to BmNPV is of great significance for the prevention and control of silkworm virus diseases and the biological control of agricultural lepidopteran pests.

Expressive Talking Avatars.

Stylized avatars are common virtual representations used in VR to support interaction and communication between remote collaborators. However, explicit expressions are notoriously difficult to create, mainly because most current methods rely on geometric markers and features modeled for human faces, not stylized avatar faces. To cope with the challenge of emotional and expressive generating talking avatars, we build the Emotional Talking Avatar Dataset which is a talking-face video corpus featuring 6 different stylized characters talking with 7 different emotions.

IFN-γ, SCF, MIP1b and IL-16 Were Associated with Risk of Diabetic Nephropathy: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

Background: The impact of inflammatory factors on the risk of diabetic nephropathy (DN) is inconsistent. Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were used to detect the causal role of inflammatory factors in DN risk.

Methods: Inflammatory factor GWAS summary data were collected from a meta-analysis including 8,293 Finnish participants, and DN information was extracted from a GWAS of 213,746 individuals from FinnGen.

NMJ Analyser: a novel method to quantify neuromuscular junction morphology in zebrafish.

Motivation: Neuromuscular junction (NMJ) structural integrity is crucial for transducing motor neuron signals that initiate skeletal muscle contraction. Zebrafish has emerged as a simple and efficient model to study NMJ structural morphology and function in the context of developmental neurobiology and neuromuscular diseases. However, methods to quantify NMJ morphology from voluminous data of NMJ confocal images accurately, rapidly, and reproducibly are lacking.

Discovery, classification and application of the CPISPR-Cas13 system.

Background: The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas system is an acquired immune system of bacteria and archaea. Continued research has resulted in the identification of other Cas13 proteins.

Objective: This review briefly describes the discovery, classification, and application of the CRISPR-Cas13 system, including recent technological advances in addition to factors affecting system performance.

The More, the Better? Social Capital Profiles and Adolescent Internalizing Symptoms: A Latent Profile Analysis.

Past research suggests that offline and online social capital are empirically linked to adolescent psychological adjustment. However, little is known regarding the implications of distinctive combinations of social capital for adolescent internalizing symptoms. The present study aimed to examine adolescent social capital patterns and their associations with internalizing symptoms by using latent profile analysis.

Physiological Functions of the Volume-Regulated Anion Channel VRAC/LRRC8 and the Proton-Activated Chloride Channel ASOR/TMEM206.

Volume-regulated anion channels (VRACs) and the acid-sensitive outwardly rectifying anion channel (ASOR) mediate flux of chloride and small organic anions. Although known for a long time, they were only recently identified at the molecular level. VRACs are heteromers consisting of LRRC8 proteins A to E.

Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of adherence to the 24-hour movement guidelines with mental health problems among Chinese adolescents.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between meeting the 24-Hour Movement Guidelines (recommendations for the optimal amount of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, screen time, and sleep duration per day) and mental health problems among Chinese adolescents.

Methods: A two-wave longitudinal survey was conducted in Huizhou, Guangdong province. A total of 906 junior high school students were recruited in the six-month follow-up survey.

StyleVR: Stylizing Character Animations With Normalizing Flows.

The significance of artistry in creating animated virtual characters is widely acknowledged, and motion style is a crucial element in this process. There has been a long-standing interest in stylizing character animations with style transfer methods. However, this kind of models can only deal with short-term motions and yield deterministic outputs.

Emotional Voice Puppetry.

The paper presents emotional voice puppetry, an audio-based facial animation approach to portray characters with vivid emotional changes. The lips motion and the surrounding facial areas are controlled by the contents of the audio, and the facial dynamics are established by category of the emotion and the intensity. Our approach is exclusive because it takes account of perceptual validity and geometry instead of pure geometric processes.

Efficient bio-production of glutaric acid by a metabolically engineered Escherichia coli LQ-1 based on a novel nitrogen source feeding strategy.

As an important five-carbon platform chemical to synthesize polyesters and polyamides, glutaric acid is widely used in numerous biochemical fields such as consumer goods, textile, and footwear industries. However, the application of glutaric acid is limited by the low yield of its bio-production. In this study, a metabolically engineered Escherichia coli LQ-1 based on 5-aminovalerate (AMV) pathway was used for glutaric acid fed-batch fermentation.

Real-World Efficacy and Safety of PARP Inhibitors in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer Patients With Somatic BRCA and Other Homologous Recombination Gene Mutations.

Background: Real-world data regarding the use of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors in recurrent ovarian cancer patients with non-BRCA homologous recombination (HR) mutations or somatic BRCA mutations are lacking.

Objective: The purpose of our study is to evaluate the response rate, duration of treatment, time to progression (TTP), and toxicities of olaparib, niraparib, and rucaparib in somatic BRCAm and non-BRCA HR-mutated patients.

Methods: This was a retrospective study using the electronic medical record to identify patients across our health system who were initiated on a PARP inhibitor for ovarian cancer between December 2014 and December 2019.

In-situ constructing self-supported NiO/RuO heterostructure for reinforced alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction.

Rationally designing a strongly coupled heterostructure with rich functional sites and high catalytic stability is essential for efficient energy conversion. This work synthesizes a self-supported NiO/RuO heterostructure for hydrogen production via facile dealloying following an in-situ electrochemical oxidation method. It only requires 88 ± 1 mV to drive a current density of -100 mA/cm in the alkaline electrolyte during hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), outperforming NiO, RuO, and Pt foil.

Lethal and sublethal effects of chlorantraniliprole on the migratory moths Agrotis ipsilon and A. segetum: New perspectives for pest management strategies.

Background: Agrotis ipsilon and A. segetum are major migratory pests of many crops in China, and frequent regional outbreaks cause severe yield losses. Use of food attractants is one of the most promising control methods against adult lepidoptera, notably through the attract-and-kill strategy.

Prospect of thioredoxin as a possibly effective tool to combat OSAHS.

Purpose: Obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is characterized by recurrent upper airway disturbances during sleep leading to episodes of hypopnea or apnea, followed by hypoxemia and subsequent reoxygenation. It is believed that this reoxygenation/reperfusion stage leads to oxidative stress, which then leads to inflammation and cardiovascular diseases. The treatments of patient with OSAHS include surgical and non-surgical therapies with various side effects and common complaints.

Element immiscibility assisted Ru@NiB as an efficient electrocatalyst toward alkaline and acidic hydrogen evolution reaction.

Based on the element immiscibility of Ni-Ru, Ru@NiB ( = 0, 0.2, 0.5, 1.

Association between Cataract Surgery and Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the association between cataract surgery and the development and progression of AMD.

Methods: This meta-analysis was registered at PROSPERO (CRD42017077962). We conducted a systematic literature search in August 2020 in Embase and PubMed and included cohort studies, case-control studies, or randomized controlled trials (RCTs) if they examined the association between cataract surgery and AMD.

An Exploration of Self-Reported Sleep Inertia Symptoms Using Network Analysis.

Purpose: Sleep inertia (SI) is the transitional state accompanied by compromised cognitive and physical performance and sleepiness. Network analysis offers a potential new framework to conceptualize a complex network of symptom-symptom interactions, and the network structure is analyzed to reveal the core characteristics. However, no previous study examined the network structure of SI symptoms.