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Remote sensing image super-resolution is an important research topic, which helps to improve the quality of remote sensing images. However, because remote sensing images are usually quite large while the satellite equipment often have low computing capacity and small memory, it is appealing to develop lightweight and fast models to perform the super-resolution task for the remote sensing images. In this paper, we empirically study the effectiveness of conventional super-resolution approaches for remote sensing images, and propose an effective way to reduce the model parameters and computational cost. Specifically, motivated by Res2Net, we design a new multi-scale hierarchy residual block to replace the ResBlock in EDSR to provide a more diverse receptive field for each residual block. The proposed modified method has fewer parameters and faster speed compared with the original EDSR. Moreover, we also build two benchmark super-resolution datasets (i.e., DOTA-SR and LEVIR-SR) from DOTA and LEVIR-CD, respectively, for experimental evaluation. We perform experiments on the two datasets, and results show that our method is light and have comparable performance over the existing super-resolution baselines.

How to improve the predictive accuracy of box office revenue with social media data is a big challenge and is particularly important for movie distributors and cinema operators. In this research, we find that microblogging UGC (MUGC) is a significant predictor of box office revenue and has stronger predictive power than UGC on Douban! Movies (DUGC) based on our examination of 60 movies released in China in 2012. To increase the attendance rate of movies, cinema operators can consider previous valence and volume of MUGC before scheduling the current film screenings because these messages can quickly predict the future box office revenue of a movie. Besides, we find that the volume of enterprise microblogs (i.e., MGC) can predict both box office revenue and MUGC, indicating that movie distributors should optimize their online media strategy by shifting more resources to utilizing enterprise microblogging. Although rebroadcasting volume from microblogging platforms does not predict box office revenue directly, it can indirectly predict it via MGC. Accordingly, compared with third-party platforms, rebroadcasting as one of the key distinct functions of microblogging platforms also shows its usefulness in box office revenue prediction. Overall, metrics from microblogging platforms are more effective in predicting box office revenue than those from third-party platforms. In this research, we build a prediction model of movie box office revenue by empirically exploring its intricate relationships with user-generated content (UGC) as well as marketer-generated content (MGC) on a microblogging platform and UGC on a third-party platform. Our analyses are based on a panel vector autoregression (PVAR) model that is calibrated with a combination of data from Weibo (microblogging platform) and Douban! Movies (third party). Our empirical results show that microblogging UGC (MUGC) is a significant predictor of box office revenue and has stronger predictive power than UGC on Douban! Movies (DUGC). In addition, we find that the volume of enterprise microblogs (i.e., MGC) predicts box office revenue directly and also indirectly via MUGC, and MUGC thus exerts a partial mediating effect on the predictive relationship between the volume of enterprise microblogs and box office revenue. Finally, a prediction model of box office revenue using lagged box office revenue, MGC, MUGC, and DUGC is proposed, and its forecasting accuracy is found to outperform that of existing models. Managerial implications on utilizing social media for enterprises are provided. The e-companion is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2018.0797 .

Environmental information disclosure is critical avenue for stakeholders to gauge the fulfillment of corporate environmental responsibilities, as well as a key path for companies to gain social reputation and achieve sustainable development. To achieve both economic and social sustainability and improve the environmental information disclosure by private firms, this study delves into the impact mechanism and realization path of mixed ownership reform on environmental information disclosure among Chinese private enterprises listed between 2010 and 2020. Utilizing a panel fixed effect model, we scrutinize the interplay between state capital involvement and the disclosure of environmental information by private enterprises. Our findings reveal that state capital involvement may encourage private enterprises to disclose environmental information through resource allocation and governance improvements. The higher the shareholding ratio of state-owned participating shareholders, the more it helps private firms to disclose environmental information. State-owned shareholders play a pivotal role in the appointment of supervisors, directors, and executives, effectively improving corporate governance mechanisms and positively moderates how private companies with state-owned capital participate in disclosing environmental information. Moreover, the magnitude of media coverage and the public opinion pressure faced by private enterprises further amplify the influence of state-owned capital involvement on environmental information disclosure. Additionally, our research reveals that corporate profitability partially interplays with the effects of state-owned capital disclosure of environmental information by private companies. According to the research results, we recommend that the government proactively promote mixed ownership reform with private enterprises as the main participants, fully leveraging the resource advantages and influence of state-owned capital. At the same time, it is imperative to strengthen the governance effect of internal state-owned shareholders and external public opinion supervision in private enterprises. Enhancing profitability is also identified as a key driver for private enterprises to engage in more robust environmental information disclosure practices.

Titanium alloys are advanced lightweight materials, indispensable for many critical applications 1 , 2 . The mainstay of the titanium industry is the α–β titanium alloys, which are formulated through alloying additions that stabilize the α and β phases 3 – 5 . Our work focuses on harnessing two of the most powerful stabilizing elements and strengtheners for α–β titanium alloys, oxygen and iron 1 – 5 , which are readily abundant. However, the embrittling effect of oxygen 6 , 7 , described colloquially as ‘the kryptonite to titanium’ 8 , and the microsegregation of iron 9 have hindered their combination for the development of strong and ductile α–β titanium–oxygen–iron alloys. Here we integrate alloy design with additive manufacturing (AM) process design to demonstrate a series of titanium–oxygen–iron compositions that exhibit outstanding tensile properties. We explain the atomic-scale origins of these properties using various characterization techniques. The abundance of oxygen and iron and the process simplicity for net-shape or near-net-shape manufacturing by AM make these α–β titanium–oxygen–iron alloys attractive for a diverse range of applications. Furthermore, they offer promise for industrial-scale use of off-grade sponge titanium or sponge titanium–oxygen–iron 10 , 11 , an industrial waste product at present. The economic and environmental potential to reduce the carbon footprint of the energy-intensive sponge titanium production 12 is substantial. Combining alloy design with additive manufacturing process design creates α–β titanium–oxygen–iron alloys that are both strong and ductile, with the potential to revitalize off-grade sponge titanium and thereby reduce the carbon footprint of the titanium industry.

Microorganisms are found in diverse communities whose structure and function are determined by interspecific interactions. Just as single species seldom exist in isolation, communities as a whole are also constantly challenged and affected by external species. Though much work has been done on characterizing how individual species affect each other through pairwise interactions, the joint effects of multiple species on a single (focal) species remain underexplored. As such, it is still unclear how single-species effects combine to a community-level effect on a species of interest. To explore this relationship, we assayed thousands of communities of two, three, and four bacterial species, measuring the effect of single, pairs of, and trios of 61 affecting species on six different focal species. We found that when multiple species each have a negative effect on a focal species, their joint effect is typically not given by the sum of the effects of individual affecting species. Rather, they are dominated by the strongest individual-species effect. Therefore, while joint effects of multiple species are often non-additive, they can still be derived from the effects of individual species, making it plausible to map complex interaction networks based on pairwise measurements. This finding is important for understanding the fate of species introduced into an occupied environment and is relevant for applications in medicine and agriculture, such as probiotics and biocontrol agents, as well as for ecological questions surrounding migrating and invasive species. Bacteria can be found almost everywhere on earth. Often, multiple species of bacteria live together in communities, which perform vital roles that affect everything from our health to the planet’s ecosystems. A single species within this community can sometimes be particularly important, for example if it is causing disease in its host or producing a vital nutrient. However, the other species within this community can influence the growth of this focus species, either by inhibiting or promoting it. It is challenging to predict how a certain species is going to fare within a bacterial community as it remains partly unclear how groups of bacteria affect each other. Some theory suggests that adding up or averaging the influences of all the bacteria in a community would be the best way to predict what will happen. To study these microorganism interactions, Baichman-Kass, Song and Friedman monitored thousands of bacterial communities, consisting of two to four different species. By using species that express fluorescent proteins, they were able to measure the abundance of the specific bacteria of interest in each of these communities. Baichman-Kass et al. found that in communities where all the species were only competing with or supporting the bacteria of interest, the individual affecting species with the strongest effect dominated the combined effect. This ‘strongest effect’ model offered accurate predictions for the joint effects of competitive communities, however predicting outcomes in supporting communities proved more difficult. This could indicate that the mechanisms for supporting other species are more intricate than the means of competition. The study of Baichman-Kass et al. brings us closer to understanding how the abundance of a given bacterium can be influenced through the actions of other bacterial species. Among other uses, it may be important in medicine, where it is desirable to reduce the amount of a bacteria that causes disease, or in agriculture where bacteria that protect plants from diseases and fungi, need to be boosted. Improving our ability to predict the outcome of introducing new species to an environment increases both the effectiveness and possible scope of such applications.

BackgroundCardio-cerebral infarction (CCI) is a rare syndrome characterized by acute ischemic stroke (AIS) occurring shortly after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Currently, there are no evidence-based guidelines for perioperative anesthesia management in patients with CCI.Case summaryA 58-year-old male underwent coronary stent implantation for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) 4 days prior and was admitted for emergency mechanical thrombectomy due to occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery. Preoperative transthoracic echocardiography revealed left ventricular systolic dysfunction (ejection fraction <40%), segmental wall motion abnormalities, and a left ventricular apical thrombus, this case extends beyond simple post-myocardial infarction thromboembolism because the patient’s AIS occurred in the specific context of acute, severe cardiac dysfunction (EF <40%) with a documented left ventricular thrombus—a direct embolic source stemming from the recent AMI. This fulfills the criteria for “asynchronous cardio-cerebral infarction”, where the brain insult is a direct consequence of the cardiac event within a short temporal window. Anesthesia was managed using a non-intubated general anesthesia approach, involving titration of sedation with sufentanil and remifentanil, combined with norepinephrine to maintain mean arterial pressure (MAP) within ±20% of baseline. The risk of ischemia and hemorrhage was balanced with restrictive fluid management and continuous infusion of tirofiban. Intraprocedural hemodynamics remained stable, and the procedure was successfully completed. The patient was transferred to the general ward on postoperative day three and discharged on day eleven. Troponin I and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels showed a downward trend, with no evidence of heart failure, hemorrhagic transformation, or acute kidney injury.ConclusionIn this case of CCI patients, immediate echocardiography was helpful in quickly assessing cardiac function and determining the source of the thrombus. Non-invasive general anesthesia was beneficial in maintaining hemodynamic stability and airway safety. The multidisciplinary individualized anesthesia plan developed in this challenging scenario may provide practical references for perioperative management of similar high-risk CCI patients, but its general applicability still needs to be verified in larger-scale studies.

Obesity imposes a global health threat and calls for safe and effective therapeutic options. Here, we found that protein-rich diet significantly reduced body fat storage in fruit flies, which was largely attributed to dietary cysteine intake. Mechanistically, dietary cysteine increased the production of a neuropeptide FMRFamide (FMRFa). Enhanced FMRFa activity simultaneously promoted energy expenditure and suppressed food intake through its cognate receptor (FMRFaR), both contributing to the fat loss effect. In the fat body, FMRFa signaling promoted lipolysis by increasing PKA and lipase activity. In sweet-sensing gustatory neurons, FMRFa signaling suppressed appetitive perception and hence food intake. We also demonstrated that dietary cysteine worked in a similar way in mice via neuropeptide FF (NPFF) signaling, a mammalian RFamide peptide. In addition, dietary cysteine or FMRFa/NPFF administration provided protective effect against metabolic stress in flies and mice without behavioral abnormalities. Therefore, our study reveals a novel target for the development of safe and effective therapies against obesity and related metabolic diseases.

A novel homogeneous Mg-1Bi-0.5X (X = Gd, Y, Nd, Ce, La) alloy was fabricated in this study, and its electrochemical properties as well as discharge characteristics as an anode material for primary magnesium-air batteries were systematically investigated through electrochemical tests and battery discharge experiments. The results demonstrate that the addition of Nd promotes the formation of a refined grain structure and semi-continuous network-distributed NdBi secondary phase, which significantly enhances the discharge performance. Microstructural analysis reveals that the discharge products of Mg-1Bi-0.5Nd exhibit a loose, porous morphology. This structure facilitates product exfoliation via crack propagation, thereby improving electrolyte accessibility and enhancing the anode’s discharge stability and efficiency. At a current density of 20 mA cm −2 , the alloy achieves a specific capacity of 1492.54 mAh g −1 and an anodic efficiency of 68.5%, representing a 114.1% improvement over that of the AZ31. These results highlight the superior discharge performance of the Mg-1Bi-0.5Nd anode.

A thorough interrogation of the immune landscape is crucial for immunotherapy strategy selection and prediction of clinical responses in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) techniques have prompted the opportunity to dissect the distinct immune signatures between lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), the two major subtypes of NSCLC. Here, we performed scRNA-seq on 72,475 immune cells from 40 samples of tumor and matched adjacent normal tissues spanning 19 NSCLC patients, and drew a systematic immune cell transcriptome atlas. Joint analyses of the distinct cellular compositions, differentially expressed genes (DEGs), cell–cell interactions, pseudotime trajectory, transcriptomic factors and prognostic factors based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), revealed the central roles of cytotoxic and effector T and NK cells and the distinct functional macrophages (Mφ) subtypes in the immune microenvironment heterogeneity between LUAD and LUSC. The dominant subtype of Mφ was FABP4- Mφ in LUAD and SPP1- Mφ in LUSC. Importantly, we identified a novel lymphocyte-related Mφ cluster, which we named SELENOP- Mφ, and further established its antitumor role in both types, especially in LUAD. Our comprehensive depiction of the immune heterogeneity and definition of Mφ clusters could help design personalized treatment for lung cancer patients in clinical practice.

Chalcone synthase is a key and often rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of anthocyanin pigments that accumulate in plant organs such as flowers and fruits, but the relationship between CHS expression and the petal coloration level in different cultivars is still unclear. In this study, three typical crabapple cultivars were chosen based on different petal colors and coloration patterns. The two extreme color cultivars, 'Royalty' and 'Flame', have dark red and white petals respectively, while the intermediate cultivar 'Radiant' has pink petals. We detected the flavoniods accumulation and the expression levels of McCHS during petals expansion process in different cultivars. The results showed McCHS have their special expression patterns in each tested cultivars, and is responsible for the red coloration and color variation in crabapple petals, especially for color fade process in 'Radiant'. Furthermore, tobacco plants constitutively expressing McCHS displayed a higher anthocyanins accumulation and a deeper red petal color compared with control untransformed lines. Moreover, the expression levels of several anthocyanin biosynthetic genes were higher in the transgenic McCHS overexpressing tobacco lines than in the control plants. A close relationship was observed between the expression of McCHS and the transcription factors McMYB4 and McMYB5 during petals development in different crabapple cultivars, suggesting that the expression of McCHS was regulated by these transcription factors. We conclude that the endogenous McCHS gene is a critical factor in the regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis during petal coloration in Malus crabapple.