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\"Functional Pavements is a collection of papers presented at the 6th Chinese-European Workshop (CEW) on Functional Pavement Design (Nanjing, China, October 18-21, 2020). The focus of the CEW series is on field tests, laboratory test methods and advanced analysis techniques, and cover analysis, material development and production, experimental characterization, design and construction of pavements. The main areas covered by the book include: Asphalt binders for flexible pavements Asphalt mixture evaluation and performance Pavement construction and maintenance Pavement Surface Properties and Vehicle Interaction Cementitious materials for rigid pavements Pavement geotechnics and environment Functional Pavements aims at contributing to the establishment of a new generation of pavement design methodologies in which rational mechanics principles, advanced constitutive models and advanced material characterization techniques shall constitute the backbone of the design process. The book will be much of interest to professionals, academics and practitioners in pavement engineering and related disciplines as it should assist them in providing improved road pavement infrastructure to their stakeholders.\"-- Provided by publisher.

Social insects are prone to pathogen infection because of high exposure rates from social interactions. However, it remains unclear whether queens have enhanced pathogen resistance, because reproduction is largely confined to queens. Here, we used a natural host–pathogen system, the subterranean termite Reticulitermes chinensis and the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae, to investigate the differences in allogrooming, locomotion, and immune gene expression between queens and workers against pathogen infection. We found that fungal infection significantly reduced survival in both queens and workers. Infected queens received significantly more grooming time from sanitary nestmates than infected workers, but they returned much less grooming time to sanitary nestmates than infected workers. Infection resulted in a reduction in the average locomotion speed and distance of queens but had no effect on worker locomotion. Infection resulted in upregulated expression of two immune genes (termicin and transferrin), two antioxidant genes (CAT and SOD), and phosphate genes CYP450 in queens but not in workers. Our results indicated that eusocial termites evolved strategies that prioritize the reproductive castes' welfare in defending against the pathogen infection to ensure continued reproduction and colony persistence.

Nestmate recognition is the primary defense mechanism maintaining the integrity of eusocial insect colonies. While social parasitism is widespread in Hymenoptera, it is rarely documented in termites, and the behavioral boundaries preventing interspecific infiltration remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated the potential for interspecific integration between two closely related termite species under laboratory conditions. We introduced Reticulitermes labralis workers and reproductives (queens and kings) into orphaned groups of R. aculabialis. We found that host workers exhibited caste-dependent aggression: introduced workers were immediately attacked and eliminated, whereas alien reproductives were partially tolerated. Surviving alien reproductives successfully integrated into host group, receiving allogrooming and trophallactic care from host workers. Crucially, these integrated pairs produced viable eggs and larvae. Molecular analysis confirmed that the brood reared by the host workers were the genetic offspring of the introduced R. labralis pair, demonstrating successful “cuckoo-like” reproduction. These findings reveal that termite colony recognition is sufficiently flexible to permit the acceptance of heterospecific reproductives when native royals are absent. While field evidence remains to be discovered, our results demonstrate that the behavioral and physiological prerequisites for social parasitism exist in termites, supporting the hypothesis that close phylogenetic relatedness (Emery’s rule) facilitates the breach of social barriers.

This paper investigates finite-time practical incremental stability (FTPIS) for impulsive systems with application to the design of impulsive control. The notions of FTPIS and finite-time practical stability (FTPS) are proposed for impulsive systems. By employing the methods of Lyapunov-like function and dwell-time, FTPIS criteria with FTPIS settling time estimates are established for impulsive systems. The results are then used to design FTPIS-based impulsive control, including time-triggered impulsive control (T-IC), time-state-triggered impulsive control (TS-IC), and state-triggered impulsive control (S-IC). To verify the validity of the theoretical results, one example on the problem of finite-time practical tracking is given. Both theoretical results and numerical simulations show that, compared with T-IC and S-IC, TS-IC has advantages, with the shortest settling time, the least number of impulsive control required to reach the settling time, and the lowest impulse frequency. Additionally, the designed TS-IC improves the mechanism of impulsive control in the literature, which is either time-triggered or state-triggered.

Sequencing depth is a crucial parameter for variant calling accuracy and sensitivity. The trade‐off between sequencing breadth and depth is a well‐known limitation in capture‐based targeted next‐generation sequencing (NGS). Herein, we propose a differential depth sequencing method, SPRE‐Seq, to acquire different sequencing depths for different targeted regions in an NGS panel. The SPRE‐Seq performance was evaluated using a panel of reference standards and clinical samples based on our custom‐designed homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) assay. By applying SPRE‐Seq, the effective sequencing depths of the homologous recombination repair (HRR) and HRD regions of all seven HRD reference standards met the required thresholds with only half the sequencing data volume (reduced from 12 to 6 GB). The results for the HRR genes and HRD showed 100% consistency with the expected results. In clinical samples, the effective sequencing depth of the HRR regions was significantly higher, with a sequencing data volume of 6 GB using the SPRE‐Seq approach compared with 6 GB using a regular capture approach. However, there was no significant difference between a data volume of 6 GB using SPRE‐Seq and 12 GB using a regular capture method. The SPRE‐Seq approach was feasible and reliable for determining the HRD status and HRR somatic variants in reference standards and clinical samples at a low sequencing volume. SPRE‐Seq is a reliable, feasible, and cost‐effective method that can acquire an adequate sequencing depth of an NGS panel at a low sequencing data volume.

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of local wound infiltration anaesthesia on postoperative wound pain in patients undergoing open liver resection. The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM) and Wanfang databases were searched. The search period spanned from database creation to December 2022. All relevant studies on local wound infiltration anaesthesia for analgesia after hepatectomy were included. Two investigators independently screened the literature, extracted data and evaluated the quality of each study. Review Manager (RevMan) 5.4 software (Cochrane Collaboration) was used for the meta‐analysis, in which 12 studies with 986 patients were included. The results show that local wound infiltration anaesthesia effectively reduced surgical site wound pain at 4 h (mean difference [MD]: −1.26, 95% confidence intervals [CIs]: −2.15 to −0.37, P = .005), 12 h (MD: −0.84, 95% CIs: −1.26 to −0.42, P < .001), 24 h (MD: −0.57, 95% CIs: −1.01 to −0.14, P = .009) and 48 h (MD: −0.54, 95% CIs: −0.81 to −0.26, P < .001) postoperatively; however, there was no significant difference in analgesia at 72 h postoperatively (MD: −0.10, 95% CIs: −0.80 to 0.59, P = .77). These findings suggest that local wound infiltration anaesthesia administered to patients undergoing open liver resection provides good postoperative wound analgesia at the surgical site.

Same-sex sexual behavior is an enigma in behavioral ecology as it does not result in reproduction. Previous studies on the evolution of same-sex sexual behavior have primarily focused on factors such as recognition mechanisms, resource constraints, and challenges in securing an opposite-sex partner, while overlooking the investigation into active same-sex sexual behavior without environmental stress. Here, through experimentation, we investigated the stability of same-sex pairs in tandem running, the mating behavior of pairs that form same-sex tandem runs, and the occurrence of same-sex sexual behavior (SSB) when opposite-sex partners are available. Results indicated that while the stability of same-sex tandems is lower than that of opposite-sex tandems, both males and females are capable of expressing sex-specific behaviors typical of the opposite sex and forming same-sex tandems. Notably, SSB was observed not only in same-sex pairing contexts but also when individuals had the autonomy to choose between same-sex and opposite-sex partners. These results demonstrate that same-sex sexual behavior in termites is not a behavioral response to environmental stress (e.g., the absence of opposite-sex partners) but rather an actively expressed behavior. These findings highlight the role of sex role plasticity in the evolution of same-sex sexual behavior, providing a new mechanistic perspective for understanding same-sex sexual behavior in social insects.

Background: Invasive intracranial pressure (ICP) can result in complications, pain, or even aggravate intracranial hypotension (IH) or headache in patients with IH. Objective: To investigate whether ultrasonographic measurements of optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) could serve as a noninvasive IH marker. Methods: Ultrasonographic ONSD was measured prior to lumbar puncture (LP) and ONSD measurements compared to LP’s opening pressure. We analyzed correlations between ONSD and ICP and determined the optimal ONSD cut-off point for IH. According to their LP on admission, patients were divided into three groups: IH group, normal ICP group, and elevated ICP group. Correlations between ONSD and ICP were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was generated to determine the optimal cut-off point for IH. Results: In total, 136 subjects (75 men, 55.1% men) were included, and 1088 ONSDs were measured. The ONSD of the IH group (2.96 ± 0.15 mm) was significantly lower than that of the normal (3.59 ± 0.33 mm) and elevated ICP groups (4.90 ± 0.42 mm, p < 0.001). There was a significant difference in ONSD within all groups (p < 0.001), and the differences between the two groups were also statistically significant. ONSD and ICP values were strongly correlated, with an r = 0.952 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.924–0.969; p < 0.001). After adjusting for age, diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure, body mass index, waistline, and head circumference, ONSD was positively associated with ICP. ROC curve analysis revealed an area under the curve of 0.990 (95% CI: 0.975–1.000). The ONSD cut-off point for identifying decreased opening pressure on LP was 3.15 mm, with 98.3% sensitivity and 91.7% specificity. Conclusions: Ultrasonographic ONSD may be a noninvasive, valuable, and easy-to-perform bedside technology for evaluating IH.

The prognosis of gastric cancer (GC) patients is poor, and there is limited therapeutic efficacy due to genetic heterogeneity and difficulty in early-stage screening. Here, we developed and validated an individualized gene set-based prognostic signature for gastric cancer (GPSGC) and further explored survival-related regulatory mechanisms as well as therapeutic targets in GC. By implementing machine learning, a prognostic model was established based on gastric cancer gene expression datasets from 1699 patients from five independent cohorts with reported full clinical annotations. Analysis of the tumor microenvironment, including stromal and immune subcomponents, cell types, panimmune gene sets, and immunomodulatory genes, was carried out in 834 GC patients from three independent cohorts to explore regulatory survival mechanisms and therapeutic targets related to the GPSGC. To prove the stability and reliability of the GPSGC model and therapeutic targets, multiplex fluorescent immunohistochemistry was conducted with tissue microarrays representing 186 GC patients. Based on multivariate Cox analysis, a nomogram that integrated the GPSGC and other clinical risk factors was constructed with two training cohorts and was verified by two validation cohorts. Through machine learning, we obtained an optimal risk assessment model, the GPSGC, which showed higher accuracy in predicting survival than individual prognostic factors. The impact of the GPSGC score on poor survival of GC patients was probably correlated with the remodeling of stromal components in the tumor microenvironment. Specifically, TGFβ and angiogenesis-related gene sets were significantly associated with the GPSGC risk score and poor outcome. Immunomodulatory gene analysis combined with experimental verification further revealed that TGFβ1 and VEGFB may be developed as potential therapeutic targets of GC patients with poor prognosis according to the GPSGC. Furthermore, we developed a nomogram based on the GPSGC and other clinical variables to predict the 3-year and 5-year overall survival for GC patients, which showed improved prognostic accuracy than clinical characteristics only. As a tumor microenvironment-relevant gene set-based prognostic signature, the GPSGC model provides an effective approach to evaluate GC patient survival outcomes and may prolong overall survival by enabling the selection of individualized targeted therapy.

Yeast culture (YC) has become a crucial microecological preparation for regulating the ruminal environment and improving ruminant health. -inositol is an effective substance in YC, our study aimed to investigate whether -inositol can regulate metabolism and influence the health of dairy cows. Therefore, this study explored the effects of -inositol on the health, metabolome, and lactation performance of peripartum dairy cows using both and models. The ANKOM RFS gas production system was used for the experiment; Twenty four healthy Holstein cows were assigned to CON group (n = 4; no supplementation of YC or -inositol), YC group (n = 10; 2 g/kg YC), and IN65 group (n = 10; 2 g/kg YC + 16 mg/kg -inositol) for experiment. The concentrations of five volatile fatty acids (acetic acid, butyric acid, isobutyric acid, valeric acid, and isovaleric acid), and total volatile fatty acids were significantly higher in the IN65 group compared to the CON group at 6 h ( < 0.01). Therefore, 2 g/kg YC plus 16 mg/kg -inositol was selected for experiment. It was found that the average milk production of the IN65 group increased by 4.00% and 4.05% respectively, compared to the control group and YC group on day 21 postpartum. The levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), total antioxidant status (TAS), and total oxidative status (TOS) were significantly higher on day 21 compared to day 1 postpartum ( < 0.01). However, a trend indicating a decrease in immune function was observed in the IN65 group compared to the CON group. These findings suggested that -inositol may improve the health of postpartum dairy cows. Additionally, Mantel analysis showed acetic acid was positively correlated with D-glyceric acid and xanthosine. Similarly, D-glyceric acid, inosine 5-monophosphate, and xanthosine were positively correlated with microbiota at the genus, such as and . In summary, -inositol influences energy metabolism by modulating rumen microbial abundance, improving dairy cow health, and increasing milk production.