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With the in-depth construction of the new power system, the importance of demand-side resources is becoming more and more prominent. The virtual power plant (VPP) has become a powerful means to explore the potential value of distributed resources. However, the differentiated resources between different VPPs are not reasonably deployed, and the problem of realizing the sharing of resources and the distribution of revenues among multi-VPP needs to be urgently solved. A cooperative operation optimization strategy for multi-VPP to participate in the energy and reserve capacity markets is proposed, and the potential risks associated with uncertainty in distributed generators (DGs) output are quantitatively assessed using conditional value-at-risk (CVaR). Firstly, due to the good adjustable performance of electric vehicles (EVs) and thermostatically controlled loads (TCLs), their virtual energy storage (VES) models are established to participate in VPP scheduling. Secondly, based on the asymmetric Nash negotiation theory, a P2P trading method between VPPs in a multi-marketed environment is proposed, which is decomposed into a virtual power plant alliance (VPPA) benefit maximization subproblem and a cooperative revenue distribution subproblem. The alternating direction multiplier method is chosen to solve the model, which protects the privacy of each subject. Simulation results show that the proposed multi-VPP cooperative operation optimization strategy can effectively quantify the uncertainty risk, maximize the alliance benefit, and reasonably allocate the cooperative benefit based on the contribution size of each VPP.

The excellent optical properties and biocompatibility of red fluorescence carbon dots (R-CDs) provide a new approach for the effective analysis of hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) in environmental and biological samples. However, the application of R-CDs is still limited by low yield and unfriendly synthesis route. In this study, we developed a new type of R-CDs based on a simple and green solid-phase preparation strategy. The synthesized R-CDs can emit bright red fluorescence with an emission wavelength of 625 nm and also have an obvious visible light absorption capacity. Furthermore, the absorption and fluorescence signals of the R-CDs aqueous solution are sensitive to Cr(VI), which is reflected in color change and fluorescence quenching. Based on that, a scanometric and fluorescent dual-mode analysis system for the rapid and accurate detection of Cr(VI) was established well within the limit of detection at 80 nM and 9.1 nM, respectively. The proposed methods also possess high specificity and were applied for the detection of Cr(VI) in real water samples. More importantly, the synthesized R-CDs with good biocompatibility were further successfully applied for visualizing intracellular Cr(VI) in Hela cells.

22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2 DS) is the second most common cause of congenital heart disease. The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) has recently recommended implementing non-invasive prenatal screening (NIPS) for 22q11.2 DS for all pregnant women. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of routine NIPS for screening 22q11.2 deletion in a cohort of 38,495 pregnancies from the general population. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 38,495 pregnant women who underwent NIPS at Longgang Maternal and Child Health Hospital in Shenzhen from December 2022 to March 2024. Chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) was performed on fetuses and pregnant women identified as high-risk for 22q11.2 DS by NIPS, using amniotic fluid samples and the leukocyte cells, respectively. Of the 38,495 cases, 22 were identified as high risk for 22q11.2 deletion by NIPS. Of these, 17 underwent amniocentesis, and 5 refused prenatal diagnosis. Concordant results between CMA and NIPS were observed in 8 cases, giving a positive predictive value (PPV) of 47.06% (8/17). Nine fetuses did not show 22q11.2 deletion by CMA, although the mothers of three fetuses were identified as having a maternal 22q11.2 deletion. Follow-up on 5 cases without prenatal diagnosis revealed one postpartum case of congenital heart disease (ventricular septal defect and atrial septal defect), three cases that were terminated, and one case that continued with normal fetal development. Routine non-invasive prenatal screening for 22q11.2 deletion demonstrates practical clinical utility and provides valuable insights for identifying pregnant women at risk for 22q11.2DS.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious and frequently observed disease associated with high morbidity and mortality. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) is a research method that converts the relationship between tens of thousands of genes and phenotypes into the association between several gene sets and phenotypes. We screened potential target genes related to AKI through WGCNA to provide a reference for the diagnosis and treatment of AKI. Key biomolecules of AKI were investigated based on transcriptome analysis. RNA sequencing data from 39 kidney biopsy specimens of AKI patients and 9 normal subjects were downloaded from the GEO database. By WGCNA, the top 20% of mRNAs with the largest variance in the data matrix were used to construct a gene co-expression network with a p-value < 0.01 as a screening condition, showing that the blue module was most closely associated with AKI. Thirty-two candidate biomarker genes were screened according to the threshold values of |MM|≥0.86 and |GS|≥0.4, and PPI and enrichment analyses were performed. The top three genes with the most connected nodes, alanine—glyoxylate aminotransferase 2(AGXT2), serine hydroxymethyltransferase 1(SHMT1) and aconitase 2(ACO2), were selected as the central genes based on the PPI network. A rat AKI model was constructed, and the mRNA and protein expression levels of the central genes in the model and control groups were verified by PCR and immunohistochemistry experiments. The results showed that the relative mRNA expression and protein levels of AGXT2, SHMT1 and ACO2 showed a decrease in the model group. In conclusion, we inferred that there is a close association between AGXT2, SHMT1 and ACO2 genes and the development of AKI, and the down-regulation of their expression levels may induce AKI.

This paper reports on the measurement of optical property mapping of apples at the wavelengths of 460, 527, 630, and 710 nm using spatial-frequency domain imaging (SFDI) technique, for assessing the soluble solid content (SSC), firmness, and color parameters. A laboratory-based multispectral SFDI system was developed for acquiring SFDI of 140 “Golden Delicious” apples, from which absorption coefficient ( μ a ) and reduced scattering coefficient ( μ s ′ ) mappings were quantitatively determined using the three-phase demodulation coupled with curve-fitting method. There was no noticeable spatial variation in the optical property mapping based on the resulting effect of different sizes of the region of interest (ROI) on the average optical properties. Support vector machine (SVM), multiple linear regression (MLR), and partial least square (PLS) models were developed based on μ a , μ s ′ and their combinations ( μ a × μ s ′ and μ eff ) for predicting apple qualities, among which SVM outperformed the best. Better prediction results for quality parameters based on the μ a were observed than those based on the μ s ′ , and the combinations further improved the prediction performance, compared to the individual μ a or μ s ′ . The best prediction models for SSC and firmness parameters [slope, flesh firmness (FF), and maximum force (Max.F)] were achieved based on the μ a × μ s ′ , whereas those for color parameters of b* and C* were based on the μ eff , with the correlation coefficients of prediction as 0.66, 0.68, 0.73, 0.79, 0.86, and 0.86, respectively.

Objective Analyze the ultrasound findings, single-nucleotide polymorphism array (SNP-array) results, and pregnancy outcomes of fetuses with 17q12 deletions and duplications in the second and third trimesters. Explore the prenatal ultrasound characteristics and pregnancy outcomes of these fetuses. Methods Retrospective data were collected for 16 fetuses diagnosed with 17q12 deletion and seven fetuses with 17q12 duplication through SNP-array during prenatal diagnosis at a single Chinese tertiary medical center from January 2017 to December 2023. Maternal demographics, ultrasound findings of the fetuses, SNP-array results, pregnancy outcomes, and follow-up information were reviewed and analyzed. Peripheral blood from the parents was extracted to determine whether the CNVs in the fetuses were inherited or de novo. Results The copy-number variation (CNV) sizes ranged from 1.39 to 1.94 Mb in cases of 17q12 deletion and from 1.42 to 1.91 Mb in cases of 17q12 duplication. These CNVs included 15 OMIM genes, such as HNF1B, LHX1, and ACACA. In fetuses with a 17q12 deletion, the primary manifestation was renal abnormalities (93.8%, 15/16). Of these, 13 cases (81.3%, 13/16) exhibited bilateral or unilateral hyperechogenic kidneys, and 12 cases (75%, 12/16) had multicystic hyperechogenic kidneys. Two cases (12.5%, 2/16) showed multiple organ structural abnormalities. In fetuses with a 17q12 duplication, four cases (57.1%, 4/7) revealed cardiovascular system abnormalities, including tetralogy of fallot, pulmonary artery stenosis, ventricular septal defect, and tricuspid regurgitation. Two cases (28.6%, 2/7) presented with upper gastrointestinal obstruction. Additionally, one case was particularly unique, characterized by multiple structural malformations, such as ventricular septal defect, microcephaly, cleft lip, and palate. Nine cases opted for pregnancy termination, and 14 chose to continue the pregnancy. Two cases underwent surgical treatment after birth for upper gastrointestinal obstruction, and the prognosis was good. Among the 10 cases of 17q12 deletion, six cases showed consistent prenatal ultrasound findings and postnatal clinical features. Four cases were found to have discrepancies with prenatal ultrasound findings; while the renal ultrasound phenotype appeared normal during the last follow-up, two of these cases were subsequently diagnosed with neuropsychiatric phenotypes. Conclusion Our study expanded the clinical phenotype spectrum of fetuses with 17q12 deletion and duplication, and conducted a preliminary evaluation of prenatal ultrasound findings and postnatal clinical phenotypes in follow-up cases. We further demonstrated a high correlation between fetuses with 17q12 deletion and hyperechogenic, multicystic kidneys. The primary manifestations in fetuses with 17q12 duplication are likely cardiovascular system malformations, which also exhibit a broad spectrum of phenotypic features.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious and frequently observed disease associated with high morbidity and mortality. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) is a research method that converts the relationship between tens of thousands of genes and phenotypes into the association between several gene sets and phenotypes. We screened potential target genes related to AKI through WGCNA to provide a reference for the diagnosis and treatment of AKI. Key biomolecules of AKI were investigated based on transcriptome analysis. RNA sequencing data from 39 kidney biopsy specimens of AKI patients and 9 normal subjects were downloaded from the GEO database. By WGCNA, the top 20% of mRNAs with the largest variance in the data matrix were used to construct a gene co-expression network with a p-value < 0.01 as a screening condition, showing that the blue module was most closely associated with AKI. Thirty-two candidate biomarker genes were screened according to the threshold values of |MM|≥0.86 and |GS|≥0.4, and PPI and enrichment analyses were performed. The top three genes with the most connected nodes, alanine—glyoxylate aminotransferase 2(AGXT2), serine hydroxymethyltransferase 1(SHMT1) and aconitase 2(ACO2), were selected as the central genes based on the PPI network. A rat AKI model was constructed, and the mRNA and protein expression levels of the central genes in the model and control groups were verified by PCR and immunohistochemistry experiments. The results showed that the relative mRNA expression and protein levels of AGXT2, SHMT1 and ACO2 showed a decrease in the model group. In conclusion, we inferred that there is a close association between AGXT2, SHMT1 and ACO2 genes and the development of AKI, and the down-regulation of their expression levels may induce AKI.

Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers, which ranks third among the leading causes of cancer death. Biopsy of gastric mucosa is a standard procedure in gastric cancer screening test. However, manual pathological inspection is labor-intensive and time-consuming. Besides, it is challenging for an automated algorithm to locate the small lesion regions in the gigapixel whole-slide image and make the decision correctly.To tackle these issues, we collected large-scale whole-slide image dataset with detailed lesion region annotation and designed a whole-slide image analyzing framework consisting of 3 networks which could not only determine the screening result but also present the suspicious areas to the pathologist for reference. Experiments demonstrated that our proposed framework achieves sensitivity of 97.05% and specificity of 92.72% in screening task and Dice coefficient of 0.8331 in segmentation task. Furthermore, we tested our best model in real-world scenario on 10,315 whole-slide images collected from 4 medical centers.

In the context of a charge qubit under continuous monitoring by a single electron transistor, we propose an unraveling of the generalized quantum Markovian master equation into an ensemble of individual quantum trajectories for stochastic point process. A suboptimal feedback algorism is implemented into individual quantum trajectories to protect a desired pure state. Coherent oscillations of the charge qubit could be maintained in principle for an arbitrarily long time in case of sufficient feedback strength. The effectiveness of the feedback control is also reflected in the detector's noise spectrum. The signal-to-noise ratio rises significantly with increasing feedback strength such that it could even exceed the Korotkov-Averin bound in quantum measurement, manifesting almost ideal quantum coherent oscillations of the qubit. The proposed unraveling and feedback protocol may open up the prospect to sustain ideal coherent oscillations of a charge qubit in quantum computation algorithms.