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Abstract: Amorphous SiOx nanowires, with diameters of ∼20nm and lengths of tens of μm, were grown from self-organized GeSi quantum dots or GeSi alloy epilayers on Si substrates. The morphologies and yield of these amorphous nanowires depend strongly upon the synthesis temperature. Comparative experiments indicate that the present SiOx nanowires are induced by metallic Ge as catalysts via the solid liquid solid growth mechanism. Two broad peaks centered at 410nm and 570nm were observed in photoluminescence spectrum, indicating that such SiOx nanowires have the potential applications in white light-emitting diodes, full-colour display, full-colour indicator and light sources. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

To reduce the occurrence of information loss and distortion in image style transfer, a method is proposed for researching and designing image style transfer technology based on multi‐scale convolutional neural networks (CNNs) feature fusion. Initially, the VGG19 model is designed for coarse and fine‐scale networks to achieve multi‐scale CNN feature extraction of target image information. Subsequently, while setting the corresponding feature loss function, an additional least‐squares penalty parameter is introduced to balance the optimal total loss function. Finally, leveraging the characteristics of stochastic gradient descent iteration, image features are fused and reconstructed to obtain better style transfer images. Experimental evaluations utilize peak signal‐to‐noise ratio (PSNR), structural similarity index (SSIM), information entropy (IE), and mean squared error (MSE) as metrics for assessing the transferred images, comparing them with three typical image style transfer methods. Results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves optimal performance across all metrics, realizing superior image style transfer effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To understand the distribution, serotype, and drug resistance of Salmonella in domestic sewage in Jining city, and to analyze the whole genome sequencing so as to provide scientific basis for the prevention and control of Salmonella. Methods From February to March in 2023, two samples of sewage from the intake of 3 urban sewage plants with 500 ml each were collected continuously for 7 weeks. A total of 42 sewage samples were collected for culture, isolation, and identification of Salmonella. The isolated Salmonella was tested for serum agglutination test and fluorescent quantitative PCR serotyping. In total 41 strains of Salmonella were tested for minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 17 drugs in 9 classes by microbroth dilution method, followed by genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. Results The isolation rate of Salmonella from domestic sewage in Jining city was high. Among 24 positive samples, 41 strains of Salmonella were isolated, belonging to 9 serotypes, mainly S.Agona and S.Kentucky. Liying and Jidong sewage treatment plants had their own unique serotypes. Only one strain of S.Give was not resistant, and the other 40 strains of Salmonella were multi-drug resistant. The resistance rates to sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline, ampicillin, and streptomycin were more than 90%, and the resistance rate to ampicillin/sulbactam was more than 80%. There were 19 kinds of drug resistance spectra, of which SXT-TET-STR-AMP-AMS ranked the first place. The resistance spectra of different serotypes of Salmonella were different. S.Kentucky, S.Gold Coast, and S.Infant were multi-drug resistant seriously. The resistance spectrum of the same serotype was also inconsistent in different sewage plants, and the resistance was the most serious in Liying sewage plant. The CARD database was used to prediet drug resistance genes, mainly predicting 18 drug resistance genes in 8 types of drug resistance families, and the drug resistance phenotypes and drug resistance genes were almost all consistent. The ST types of different serotypes of Salmonella were different, and ST13 S.Agona was dominant. The phylogenetic tree was divided into 6 clusters, and strains in different sewage plants were in different branches, indicating that their genomes were different and had different sources. Conclusion There are various serotypes of salmonella in domestic sewage in Jining city, suggesting that they might have exist and spread in the population. Almost all strains are multi-drug resistant bacteria, carrying resistance genes extensively. Some types of strains live persistently and distribute across regions, leading to the potential risk to population. It is necessary to carry out continuous monitor, and scientific prevention and control measures need to be formulated to control the epidemic of salmonella and the aggravation of drug resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rock bridges are commonly encountered in incipiently jointed rock masses and rock engineering practices, which play a significant role in the stabilization of rock masses. Although the effect of joint length, as a key influence factor on mechanical properties of rock bridges, has been extensively studied, the influence of joint dip angle and aperture on fractured rock properties has rarely been investigated. In this study, we carried out an investigation on a new conceptual model of fractured rock bridges, based on the evaluation of a pre-existing transfixion joint in the middle and two rock bridges of equal length on both sides. The specimens with four different joint dip angles and apertures were investigated using uniaxial compression-shear experiments, in which the surface deformation was monitored by the particle image velocimetry (PIV) method. The experimental results demonstrated that the maximum failure load of rock bridges decreased as the joint aperture and dip angle increased, and can be described using a linear and a first-order exponential decay functions, respectively. The rock bridge failure along the projection line of the pre-existing transfixion joint, a dense displacement contours region, was formed along with the formation of new fractures. It was found that the tensile failure effect increases as the aperture increases, and compression failure effect increases with the fracture dip angle decrease. A new method to test rock cohesive c and internal friction angle φ is also provided based on the new conceptual model of artificial rock bridges. The present study helps improve our knowledge of the effect of rock bridges and will contribute to the development of shear strength criteria and test methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article titled "[Retracted] Potentiation of the antitumor activity of adriamycin against osteosarcoma by cannabinoid WIN-55,212-2" was published in Oncology Letters in 2015. However, it has since been retracted by the editor due to concerns raised by a reader regarding anomalous features in the scratch-wound assay data presented in Figure 2. The authors were asked for an explanation but did not respond. The editor apologizes for any inconvenience caused. [Extracted from the article]

Subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) is a type of hemorrhagic stroke that is associated with high morbidity and mortality. New effective treatments are needed to improve outcomes. The pathophysiology of SAH is complex and includes early brain injury and delayed cerebral ischemia, both of which are characterized by blood–brain barrier (BBB) impairment. We isolated brain endothelial cells (BECs) from mice subjected to SAH by injection of blood into the prechiasmatic cistern. We used gene expression profiling to identify 707 unique genes (2.8% of transcripts, 403 upregulated, 304 downregulated, 24,865 interrogated probe sets) that were significantly differentially expressed in mouse BECs after SAH. The pathway involving prostaglandin synthesis and regulation was significantly upregulated after SAH, including increased expression of the Ptgs2 gene and its corresponding COX-2 protein. Celecoxib, a selective COX-2 inhibitor, limited upregulation of Ptgs2 in BECs. In this study, we have defined the gene expression profiling of BECs after experimental SAH and provide further insight into BBB pathophysiology, which may be relevant to other neurological diseases such as traumatic brain injury, brain tumours, ischaemic stroke, multiple sclerosis, and neurodegenerative disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following cerebral infarction, activated microglia cells can release a large amount of inflammatory cytokines, thereby exacerbating neuronal damage. It has been demonstrated that the long non-coding RNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 1 (SNHG1) exerts a protective effect against cerebral infarction. However, its specific role in cerebral infarction and underlying mechanism have yet to be fully elucidated. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of the SNHG1 and microRNA (miR)-329-3p in cerebral infarction and to determine the underlying molecular mechanisms. An in vitro oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) model was established using the BV-2 microglial cell line. The mRNA expression levels of SNHG1 and miR-329-3p were analyzed using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and the protein expression levels of cleaved caspase-3 and caspase-3 were detected using western blotting. The binding relationship between SNHG1 and miR-329-3p was predicted using starBase and verified using a dual luciferase reporter assay. The release of TNF-α and nitric oxide, as well as caspase-3 activity, were detected using appropriate commercial kits. Flow cytometry analysis was performed to measure cell apoptosis. The results of the present study revealed that the expression levels of SNHG1 were upregulated in the OGD-induced BV-2 cell model. miR-329-3p was discovered to directly target SNHG1, and its mRNA expression levels were downregulated in the OGD-induced BV-2 cell model. The SNHG1-plasmid downregulated miR-329-3p expression levels, while this effect was reversed by transfection with the miR-329-3p mimic. The overexpression of SNHG1 or knockdown of miR-329-3p inhibited OGD-induced BV-2 cell activation. In conclusion, the results of the present study suggested that SNHG1 may reduce microglial cell activity by regulating the expression of miR-329-3p, indicating its potential protective role in cerebral infarction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The effectiveness of neuroprotective agents is still unclear. Here we analyzed the clinical outcomes of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients treated with human urinary kallidinogenase (HUK) or edaravone (Eda) combined with butylphthalide (NBP). Methods: From January 2016 to December 2017, a total of 165 AIS patients were enrolled in this open‐label, randomized controlled clinical study. Patients were randomly allocated into HUK group and Eda group in a ratio of 2:1. All the patients received basic treatments and NBP (200 mg p.o. qid) while HUK group received 0.15 PNA unit of HUK injection (ivgtt. qd) and Eda group received 30 mg Eda (ivgtt. bid) for 14 consecutive days. Independency rate [12‐month modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score ≤ 1] and related factors were compared between the two groups. Results: Twelve‐month mRS score of the HUK group (1, IQR 0~1) was significantly lower compared with Eda group (2, IQR 1~3, p <.0001). The HUK treatment achieved an independency rate of 79.1% while the Eda treatment only had 45.3% (p <.0001). Further binary logistic regression showed that recurrent stroke (RR: 0.1, 95% CI: 0.0~0.1, p =.038) and HUK treatment (RR: 4.2, 95% CI: 1.1~16.5, p =.041) could significantly affect patients' 12‐month outcomes. Conclusion: Human urinary kallidinogenase combined with NBP can enhance AIS patients' long‐term independency rate, and the effectiveness of HUK combined therapy is better than Eda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]