The study of rumor spreading has become an important issue on complex social networks. On the basis of prior studies, we propose a modified susceptible–exposed–infected–removed (SEIR) model with ...hesitating mechanism by considering the attractiveness and fuzziness of the content of rumors. We derive mean-field equations to characterize the dynamics of SEIR model on both homogeneous and heterogeneous networks. Then a steady-state analysis is conducted to investigate the spreading threshold and the final rumor size. Simulations on both artificial and real networks show that a decrease of fuzziness can effectively increase the spreading threshold of the SEIR model and reduce the maximum rumor influence. In addition, the spreading threshold is independent of the attractiveness of rumor. Simulation results also show that the speed of rumor spreading obeys the relation “BA network > WS network”, whereas the final scale of spreading obeys the opposite relation.
•SEIR rumor spreading model considering hesitating mechanism is proposed.•The attractiveness and fuzziness of rumor are introduced into the SEIR model.•The dynamical equations of SEIR model by using the mean-field method are derived.•There exists the spreading threshold in the SEIR model with hesitating mechanism.•The spreading threshold and final rumor size are greatly impacted by the fuzziness.
ABSTRACT
Biochar amendment is one of the most promising agricultural approaches to tackle climate change by enhancing soil carbon (C) sequestration. Microbial‐mediated decomposition processes are ...fundamental for the fate and persistence of sequestered C in soil, but the underlying mechanisms are uncertain. Here, we synthesise 923 observations regarding the effects of biochar addition (over periods ranging from several weeks to several years) on soil C‐degrading enzyme activities from 130 articles across five continents worldwide. Our results showed that biochar addition increased soil ligninase activity targeting complex phenolic macromolecules by 7.1%, but suppressed cellulase activity degrading simpler polysaccharides by 8.3%. These shifts in enzyme activities explained the most variation of changes in soil C sequestration across a wide range of climatic, edaphic and experimental conditions, with biochar‐induced shift in ligninase:cellulase ratio correlating negatively with soil C sequestration. Specifically, short‐term (<1 year) biochar addition significantly reduced cellulase activity by 4.6% and enhanced soil organic C sequestration by 87.5%, whereas no significant responses were observed for ligninase activity and ligninase:cellulase ratio. However, long‐term (≥1 year) biochar addition significantly enhanced ligninase activity by 5.2% and ligninase:cellulase ratio by 36.1%, leading to a smaller increase in soil organic C sequestration (25.1%). These results suggest that shifts in enzyme activities increased ligninase:cellulase ratio with time after biochar addition, limiting long‐term soil C sequestration with biochar addition. Our work provides novel evidence to explain the diminished soil C sequestration with long‐term biochar addition and suggests that earlier studies may have overestimated soil C sequestration with biochar addition by failing to consider the physiological acclimation of soil microorganisms over time.
Aims
This study sought to compare healthcare quality and 30 day, 90 day, and 1 year mortality rates among patients admitted to secondary and tertiary hospitals for heart failure (HF) in Beijing.
...Methods and results
This study retrospectively enrolled patients hospitalized with a primary discharge diagnosis of HF during January 2014 to December 2015, from five tertiary and four secondary hospitals, in Beijing, China. Mortality data were extracted from Beijing Death Surveillance Database. HF healthcare quality indices were used to evaluate in‐hospital care. Associations between hospital level and mortality rates were assessed using generalized linear mixed models, adjusting for patients' baseline characteristics and intra‐hospital correlation. Data from 1413 patients (median interquartile range age = 74 65–80 years, 52.7% female) from secondary hospitals and 1250 patients (median interquartile range age = 72 61–79 years, 43.3% female) from tertiary hospitals were collected. Rates of left ventricular ejection fraction assessment (73.2% vs. 90.1%) and combined use of β‐blockers and angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin II receptor blockers (30.1% vs. 49.3%) were lower in secondary hospitals than those in tertiary hospitals, respectively. Patients admitted to secondary hospitals had a higher 90 day mortality 10.8% vs. 5.0%; adjusted odds ratio (OR): 2.06; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.10–3.84, P = 0.024 and a higher 1 year mortality rate 21.0% vs. 12.1%; adjusted OR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.02–2.62, P = 0.039, but 30 day mortality rates were not significantly different (5.5% vs. 3.0%; adjusted OR: 1.49; 95% CI: 0.63–3.52, P = 0.368).
Conclusions
Worse quality of care for patients with HF in secondary hospitals was associated with higher 90 day and 1 year mortality rates. Improving care quality in secondary hospitals is crucial to improve prognosis of patients they served.
Introduction
Catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF‐CA) in patients with situs inversus dextrocardia (SID) can be challenging because of the contrary anatomy and associated anomalies. Cases ...and literature regarding AF‐CA in SID are rare and provide little information. Our study aims to present an improved procedure, ablation strategies, and evaluate the safety and outcomes of AF‐CA in patients with AF and SID.
Methods
A total of 10 patients with AF‐SID (mean age, 60.4 ± 15.7 years; six paroxysmal AF, four persistent atrial fibrillation PeAF) were enrolled. For the improved procedure, images obtained by preacquired computed tomography and three‐dimensional electroanatomical mapping, integrating intracardiac echocardiography, and x‐ray imaging data are necessary to optimize the transseptal puncture and ablation procedure.
Results
All patients successfully underwent 13 AF‐CA procedures without complications, including three patients received repeat procedures. However, two PeAF patients presented sick sinus syndrome (SSS) after the AF‐CA procedure, and one underwent permanent pacemaker implantation therapy during hospitalization. During the follow‐up period (6‐72 months), the outcomes were not favorable: three patients (30%) maintained sinus rhythm (SR) after the initial procedure; after repeated procedures, the overall SR rate was 40% (four patients).
Conclusion
With the improved strategy, AF‐CA can be safely and effectively performed with low radiation exposure in patients with SID. However, the long‐term outcomes were not favorable, even when managed at a tertiary center by a team of specialists. Moreover, patients with PeAF might also have masked SSS, which should be carefully considered.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) metastasis is largely responsible for HCC-associated recurrence and mortality. We aimed to identify metastasis-related long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) to understand the ...molecular mechanism of HCC metastasis. We first identified that miR-1258 was downregulated in HCC tissues both in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (SYSUCC) dataset. MiR-1258 expression negatively correlated with recurrence-free survival and overall survival of HCC patients. MiR-1258 overexpression inhibited migration and invasion of HCC cells both in vitro and in vivo, whereas miR-1258 downregulation promoted cell metastasis. Luciferase assays verified direct binding of miR-1258 to Smad2 and Smad3, thereby attenuating TGF-β/Smad signaling. We further established that lncRNA LINC01278 was a negative regulator of miR-1258. In vivo and in vitro assays demonstrated that LINC01278-mediated HCC metastasis was dependent on miR-1258 expression. Furthermore, miR-1258 downregulation in turn increased LINC01278 expression. We also observed that TCF-4 could bind to the LINC01278 promoter site. In addition, LINC01278 downregulation decreased migration and invasion of HCC cells induced by β-catenin and TGF-β1 both in vitro and in vivo. We uncovered a novel mechanism for β-catenin/TCF-4-LINC01278-miR-1258-Smad2/3 feedback loop activation in HCC metastasis, and the study indicated that LINC01278 could serve as a therapeutic target for HCC metastasis.
Left bundle branch block (LBBB) and atrial fibrillation (AF) are commonly coexisting conditions. The impact of LBBB on catheter ablation of AF has not been well determined. This study aims to explore ...the long-term outcomes of patients with AF and LBBB after catheter ablation.
Forty-two patients with LBBB of 11,752 patients who underwent catheter ablation of AF from 2011 to 2020 were enrolled as LBBB group. After propensity score matching in a 1:4 ratio, 168 AF patients without LBBB were enrolled as non-LBBB group. Late recurrence and a composite endpoint of stroke, all-cause mortality, and cardiovascular hospitalization were compared between the two groups.
Late recurrence rate was significantly higher in the LBBB group than that in the non-LBBB group (54.8% vs. 31.5%, p = .034). Multivariate analysis showed that LBBB was an independent risk factor for late recurrence after catheter ablation of AF (hazard ratio HR 2.19, 95% confidence interval CI 1.09-4.40, p = .031). LBBB group was also associated with a significantly higher incidence of the composite endpoint (21.4% vs. 6.5%, HR 3.98, 95% CI 1.64-9.64, p = .002).
LBBB was associated with a higher risk for late recurrence and a higher incidence of composite endpoint in the patients underwent catheter ablation.
The tumor microenvironment (TME), which includes acidic and hypoxic conditions, severely impedes the therapeutic efficacy of antitumor agents. Herein, MnO2‐loaded, bovine serum albumin, and PEG ...co‐modified mesoporous CaSiO3 nanoparticles (CaM‐PB NPs) are developed as a nanoplatform with sequential theranostic functions for the engineering of TME. The MnO2 NPs generate O2 in situ by reacting with endogenous H2O2, relieving the hypoxic state of the TME that further modulates the cancer cell cycle status to S phase, which improves the potency of co‐loaded S phase‐sensitive chemotherapeutic drugs. After the hypoxia relief, CaM‐PB can sustainably release drugs due to the enlarged pores of mesoporous CaSiO3 in the acidic TME, preventing the drug pre‐leakage into the blood circulation and insufficient drug accumulation at tumor sites. Moreover, the Mn2+ released from the MnO2 NPs at tumor sites can potentially serve as a diagnostic agent, enabling the identification of tumor regions by T1‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging during therapy. In vivo pharmacodynamics results demonstrate that these synergetic effects caused by CaM‐PB NPs significantly contribute to the inhibition of tumor progression. Therefore, the CaM‐PB NPs with sequential theranostic functions are a promising system for effective cancer therapy.
An MnO2‐loaded, poly(ethylene glycol) and bovine serum albumin co‐modified mesoporous CaSiO3 nanoparticle (CaM‐PB) is developed for the engineering of the tumor microenvironment (TME). CaM‐PB can sequentially relieve the hypoxic state of the TME, tune cancer cell cycle to S phase, and sustainably release S phase‐sensitive drugs for improved cancer therapy, simultaneously providing a TME‐responsive magnetic resonance imaging for real‐time monitoring.
Abstract
Fluopyram is commonly used to control banana leaf spot, anthracnose, and scab in tropical agricultural areas. To explore its behaviour in tropical agricultural environments, dissipation, ...adsorption, and leaching behaviours of fluopyram in three typical banana planting soils were studied. Also, its dissipation and migration capabilities in different regions and different soil types were evaluated. The results showed that the dissipation of fluopyram was in accordance with the first-order kinetic equation in the three banana soils, but the degradation rates were quite different. The degradation half-lives in the Hainan latosol, Yunnan sandy soil, and Fujian Plain alluvial soil were 46.21 days, 36.48 days and 57.76 days, respectively. Fluopyram also exhibited high adsorption and low leachability in the three soils. The Fujian Plain alluvial soil had the highest adsorption capacity for fluopyram, while fluopyram had the low leachability in the Yunnan sandy soil.
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