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Many studies have investigated the effects of environmental context on biodiversity or multifunctionality in alpine regions, but it is uncertain how human pressure and climate may affect their relationships. Here, we combined the comparative map profile method with multivariate datasets to assess the spatial pattern of ecosystem multifunctionality and further identify the effects of human pressure and climate on the spatial distribution of biodiversity–multifunctionality relationships in alpine ecosystems of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QTP). Our results indicate that at least 93% of the areas in the study region show a positive correlation between biodiversity and ecosystem multifunctionality across the QTP. Biodiversity–multifunctionality relationships with increasing human pressure show a decreasing trend in the forest, alpine meadow, and alpine steppe ecosystems, while an opposite pattern was found in the alpine desert steppe ecosystem. More importantly, aridity significantly strengthened the synergistic relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem multifunctionality in forest and alpine meadow ecosystems. Taken together, our results provide insights into the importance of protecting and maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem multifunctionality in response to climate change and human pressure in the alpine region.

Prenatal breastfeeding intentions impact breastfeeding practices. Racial/ethnic disparities exist in breastfeeding rates; it is unknown if prenatal intentions and meeting intentions differ by race/ethnicity. A longitudinal cohort of USDA's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) which enrolled participants beginning in 2013 were used to estimate prenatal intentions for breastfeeding initiation, exclusive breast milk feeds at 1 and 3 months by race/ethnicity (n = 2070). Meeting intentions were determined by reported breast milk consumption at birth, 1 month and 3 months. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the association of race/ethnicity with meeting intentions. There were no differences in prenatal breastfeeding intentions between non‐Hispanic White and non‐Hispanic Black women (initiation: 86.9% and 87.2%; Month 1: 52.3% and 48.3%; Month 3: 43.8% and 40.9%; respectively), but a higher percentage of Hispanic women intended to breastfeed at all time points (95.5%, 68.3% and 56.4%; respectively, P < 0.05). Among women who intended to breastfeed at Month 1, non‐Hispanic Black and Hispanic women had significantly lower odds of meeting intentions compared with non‐Hispanic White women after adjusting for covariates (aORs: 0.63 [95% CI: 0.41, 0.98]; 0.64 [95% CI: 0.44, 0.92], respectively). Similar findings were seen for Month 3. Despite no differences in breastfeeding intentions, non‐Hispanic Black women were less likely to meet their breastfeeding intentions than non‐Hispanic White women. Hispanic women were more likely to intend to breastfeed yet were less likely to meet their intentions. This suggests that non‐Hispanic Black and Hispanic women face challenges to meeting their longer breastfeeding intentions. Understanding how racism, bias and discrimination contribute to women not meeting their breastfeeding intentions may help efforts to reduce breastfeeding disparities.

Candida albicans ( C . albicans ) is a commensal microorganism that colonizes the mucosal surfaces of healthy individuals. Changes in the host or environment can lead to overgrowth of C . albicans and infection of the host. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are released by almost all cell types and play an increasingly recognized role in fighting microbial infection. The aim of the present study was to assess whether EVs derived from human oral mucosal epithelial (Leuk-1) cells can suppress the growth and invasion of C . albicans . The in vitro efficacy of Leuk-1-EVs against C . albicans was assessed by optical microscopy, laser scanning confocal microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The germ tube formation rate, the percentage of hyphae and the microcolony optical density were also used to analyze the growth of C . albicans in a coculture model with Leuk-1 cells and EVs or after inhibition of the secretion of EVs. A mouse model of oral candidiasis was established and submucosal injection of Leuk-1-EVs in the tongue was performed. Macroscopic observation, H&E staining, PAS staining, and scanning electron microscopy were used to assess antifungal effects of Leuk-1-EVs in vivo . The in vitro results showed that the growth of C . albicans was inhibited and that the morphology and ultrastructure were changed following Leuk-1-EVs treatment. The in vivo results exhibited that white lesions of the tongue, C . albicans infection, and oral mucosal inflammation of the infected mice were significantly alleviated after Leuk-1-EVs treatment. We thus reveal an antifungal capability of EVs derived from oral epithelial cells against C . albicans that is mediated by direct damage effects and potential synergy between EVs and human oral mucosal epithelial cells. This finding offers an intriguing, previously overlooked method of antifungal defense against C . albicans .

Background Advances in nanotechnology have introduced novel methodologies for immunotherapy targeting hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aims to develop a knowledge map and identify potential research hotspots in this field through bibliometric analysis. Methods Publications on HCC immunotherapy utilizing nanotechnology from 2005 to 2024 were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). Data visualization and statistical analysis were primarily conducted using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, R software, and Microsoft Office Excel 2021. Results The systematic search initially retrieved 600 publications from WoSCC, of which 10 were excluded during screening, yielding 590 publications on nanotechnology applications in HCC immunotherapy. Notably, the annual publication count surged from 44 papers in 2020 to 159 papers in 2024, representing an impressive 261% increase over this four-year period. China emerged as the foremost country in publishing volume and international collaborations, although its articles receive relatively few average citations. The USA, ranking second in output, achieves the highest average citation count. The timeline visualization of reference reveals three distinct phases (2005–2009, 2010–2018, and 2019–2024) with the following seven reference clusters: #0 cancer chitosan nanoparticle, #1 hepatocellular carcinoma, #2 antigen presentation, #3 carbon nanotube, #4 targeting PD-L1 expression, #5 natural killer cell, and #6 liver metastases. “Cancer microenvironment”, “drug delivery”, “immunogenic cell death”, and “combination therapy” showed extremely high occurrence frequencies. “mRNA”, “mRNA delivery”, “metabolism” were the key keywords that have emerged recently. Conclusion Nanotechnology-based immunotherapy field has evolved from foundational nanoparticle development (2005–2009) to immune microenvironment modulation (2010–2018) and now embraces mRNA-based precision immunotherapy (2019–2024). Future efforts may prioritize combinatorial nano-immunotherapies integrating metabolic regulation and AI-optimized delivery.

Infants younger than 4 months are not ready for complementary foods/drinks (any solid or liquid other than breast milk or infant formula). Almost half of US infants participate in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), which provides nutrition education and support to low‐income families. We describe the prevalence of early introduction (<4 months) of complementary foods/drinks and examine the association of milk feeding type (fully breastfed, partially breastfed or fully formula fed) with early introduction of complementary foods/drinks. We used data from 3310 families in the longitudinal WIC Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study‐2. We described the prevalence of early introduction of complementary foods/drinks and modeled the association of milk feeding type at Month 1 with early introduction of complementary foods/drinks using multi‐variable logistic regression. Thirty‐eight percent of infants were introduced early to complementary foods/drinks (<4 months). In adjusted models, infants who were fully formula fed or partially breastfed at Month 1 were 75% and 57%, respectively, more likely to be introduced early to complementary foods/drinks compared with fully breastfed infants. Almost two in five infants were given complementary foods/drinks early. Formula feeding at Month 1 was associated with higher odds of early introduction of complementary foods/drinks. There are opportunities to support families participating in WIC to prevent early introduction of complementary foods/drinks and promote child health. Almost two in five infants participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) were given complementary foods/drinks early. The most common food to be introduced early was infant cereal (17%), while the most common drink introduced early was plain water (24%). Formula feeding at Month 1 was associated with higher odds of early introduction of complementary foods/drinks among infants participating in WIC. These findings suggest there are opportunities to support families participating in WIC to prevent early introduction of complementary foods/drinks and promote child health.

In large epidemiologic studies, information on breastfeeding practice is often collected from maternal recall through interviews, but there is concern about the accuracy of the data, especially when mothers are asked to recall their practices from many years earlier. This review examines the validity and reliability of maternal recall of breastfeeding history using 11 studies published between 1966 and 2003 in English with a sample of 10 or more. Validity is the degree to which recall compares with a validation standard or reference, and reliability refers to the degree to which the breastfeeding practices obtained by recall are repeatable over time. The existing studies suggest that maternal recall is a valid and reliable estimate of breastfeeding initiation and duration, especially when the duration of breastfeeding is recalled after a short period (< or= 3 years). Validity and reliability of maternal recall for the age at introduction of food and fluids other than breast milk are less satisfactory. Further and more extensive studies on maternal recall of breastfeeding history and ways to improve such recall are warranted.

Background Oral microbial dysbiosis contributes to the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Our previous study showed that Prevotella intermedia ( P . intermedia ) were enriched in the oral mucosal surface, plaque, and saliva of patients with OSCC. Intratumoral microbiome could reshape the immune system and influence the development of various tumors. However, the invasion status of human OSCC tissues by P . intermedia and the pathway through which intratumoral P . intermedia potentiates tumor progression remain unexplored. Methods P . intermedia in human OSCC or normal tissues was detected by FISH. A mouse OSCC cell line SCC7 was adopted to investigate the effects of heat-killed P . intermedia treatment on cell proliferation, invasion, and cytokine release by using CCK-8 assay, transwell invasion assay and ELISA. Moreover, we established a mouse transplanted tumor model by using SCC7 cells, injected heat-killed P . intermedia into tumor tissues, and investigated the effects of heat-killed P . intermedia on tumor growth, invasion, cytokine levels, immune cell infiltrations, and expression levels by using gross observation, H&E staining, ELISA, immunohistochemistry, mRNA sequencing, and transcriptomic analysis. Results Our results indicated that P . intermedia were abundant in OSCC and surrounding muscle tissues. Heat-killed P . intermedia promoted SCC7 cell proliferation, invasion and proinflammatory cytokine secretions, accelerated transplanted tumor growth in mice, exacerbate muscle and perineural invasion of OSCC, elevated the serum levels of IL-17A, IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and PD-L1, induced Treg cells M2 type macrophages in mouse transplanted tumors. The data of transcriptomic analysis revealed that heat-killed P . intermedia increased the expression levels of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines while reduced the expression levels of some tumor suppressor genes in mouse transplanted tumors. Additionally, IL-17 signaling pathway was upregulated whereas GABAergic system was downregulated by heat-killed P . intermedia treatment. Conclusions Taken together, our results suggest that P . intermedia could inhibit the expression of tumor suppressors, alter the tumor microenvironment, and promote the progression of OSCC.

As a critical intermediate stage in the continuous casting and rolling process for bar production, the heating quality of a walking beam reheating furnace significantly affects billet shaping and the performance of the finished bars. To address issues such as uneven billet temperature distribution during heating, which leads to non-uniform deformation resistance in the rolling process, causing bending deformation, excessive thermal stress, and the initiation of microcracks and propagation of inherited casting cracks, this study uses 20CrNiMoA steel billets as the research object. The temperature field distribution inside the walking beam reheating furnace was simulated with ABAQUS finite element software. The accuracy of the simulation results was verified through ‘black box’ experiments, which demonstrated that the simulation precision meets the standards required for industrial applications. On this basis, the study systematically investigated the effects of temperature and time parameter settings in different heating zones of the furnace on billet temperature distribution and stress evolution. The results show that increasing the charging temperature improves temperature distribution and peak stress during the preheating stage, while lower furnace temperatures during the preheating phase reduce excessive thermal stress, and optimal furnace settings in heating zone I and II enhance heating efficiency and uniformity. The findings provide theoretical foundations and data support for optimizing on-site production heating process parameters and improving billet heating quality.

China’s economic development is strongly constrained by existing resources, and the implementation of low-carbon economy and sustainable development requires enterprises to improve their Innovation and R&D capability. As an important participant in the decision-making and execution of the company, the managerial discretion of top managers is related to the overall direction of the organization Taking Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share listed companies from 2009 to 2020 as the research objects, this paper empirically studies the choice of managerial discretion on enterprise innovation mode, and constructs the mediation model of corporate governance level. The results show that the promotion of executive decision-making power can increase the investment in exploratory innovation but weaken exploitative innovation, and the level of corporate governance plays a partial mediating role in the influence of managerial discretion on exploratory innovation. This paper elaborates the research on the influence of managerial discretion on enterprise innovation mode, which is helpful for enterprises to adjust the size of managerial discretion according to their actual needs, pay attention to the level of corporate governance, and make enterprises better control the choice of dual innovation.

In the course of designing and certifying civil aircraft, a significant number of dynamic tests are necessary. If the test specimen is too large in volume or weight, it will place higher demands on the loading capacity of the test equipment. The main focus in the design process of dynamic test specimens is to ensure consistency in the dynamic characteristics compared to the original structure, specifically with regard to natural frequency and mode shapes. Factors such as stiffness, damping, and boundary conditions are taken into consideration. In order to facilitate test implementation and reduce manufacturing costs, a combined approach involving finite element analysis and experimental verification is employed to provide guidance for the design of dynamic test specimens and fixtures for civil aircraft.