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Background: There is a corresponding increase in the prevalence of osteoporosis and related fractures with the aging population on the rise. Furthermore, osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) may contribute to higher patient mortality rates. It is essential to conduct research on risk factors for OVCF and provide a theoretical basis for preventing such fractures. Methods: We retrospectively recruited patients who had spine CT for OVCF or back pain. Demographic and CT data were collected. Quantitative computed tomography (QCT) software analyzed the CT data, using subcutaneous fat and paraspinal muscles as reference standards for BMD processing. BMD of cortical and cancellous bones in each patient's vertebral body was determined. Results: In this study, 144 patients were divided into non-OVCF (96) and OVCF (48) groups. Non-OVCF patients had higher cortical BMD of 382.5 ± 52.4 to 444.6 ± 70.1 mg/cm3, with T12 having the lowest BMD (p < 0.001, T12 vs. L2). Cancellous BMD ranged from 128.5 ± 58.4 to 140.9 ± 58.9 mg/cm3, with L3 having the lowest BMD. OVCF patients had lower cortical BMD of 365.0 ± 78.9 to 429.3 ± 156.7 mg/cm3, with a further decrease in T12 BMD. Cancellous BMD ranged from 71.68 ± 52.07 to 123.9 ± 126.2 mg/cm3, with L3 still having the lowest BMD. Fractured vertebrae in OVCF patients (T12, L1, and L2) had lower cortical bone density compared to their corresponding vertebrae without fractures (p < 0.05). Conclusions: T12 had the lowest cortical BMD and L3 had the lowest cancellous BMD in OVCF patients, with T12 also having the highest incidence of osteoporotic fractures. These findings suggest that reduction in cortical BMD has a greater impact on OVCF than reduction in cancellous BMD, along with biomechanical factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional (2D) monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) that are compatible with Si-based substrates have already exhibited huge application potential in optoelectronics and photonics. The MoS2(1−x)Se2x ternary alloy consisting of two different chalcogens, as a class of lasing gain medium, enriches the family of 2D TMDC materials. Here, monolayer MoS2(1−x)Se2x ternary alloys with tunable composition have been synthesized via single-step chemical vapor deposition method. Raman and photoluminescence studies demonstrate that the bandgap of grown monolayer MoS2(1−x)Se2x alloys can be gradually tuned from 1.59 to 1.82 eV, indicating the continuous changes of the chemical composition x from 0.82 to 0. The oscillation characteristic is further investigated, where the MoS2(1−x)Se2x alloy provides optical gain for the SiO2 microsphere resonant cavity. The achieved resonance modes in a broadband range from 610 to 810 nm not only extend the range of potential TMDC-based lasers, but also drive the applications of alloy materials in various optoelectronics devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs) demonstrate promising potential in the photocatalytic synthesis of H2O2 owing to favorable light absorption, superior charge separation, and considerable surface area. However, the efficiency of H2O2 photosynthesis is impeded by insufficient O2 adsorption sites and a high reaction barrier. In this work, various metal single atoms (Fe, Co, Ni) are introduced onto covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs) with N-N coordination sites to significantly enhance O2 adsorption and optimize H2O2 synthesis. Computational findings suggest that the presence of Fe, Co, and Ni not only enhances O2 adsorption but also exerts an influence on the reaction pathway of H2O2. Significantly, Fe exhibits a distinct advantage in modulating O2 adsorption through its unique electron spin state when compared to Co and Ni, as confirmed by crystal orbital Hamilton population (COHP) analysis. Additionally, this integration of metal atoms also improves light absorption and charge separation in CTFs. The study provides strategic insight into elevating H2O2 production by incorporating tailored metal single atoms into COFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe free vibration characteristics of functionally graded cylindrical shells under magnetic and temperature fields are investigated. According to Donnell’s theory, the kinetic energy, deformation energy, and their variational expressions are obtained. Based on the electromagnetic elasticity theory, the eddy current electromagnetic and magnetization force models are established. Using Hamilton’s principle, the magneto-thermo-elastic free vibration partial differential equations are derived. The modal frequency differential matrix equation with diverse boundary conditions is derived from the Galerkin integral technique. Through numerical examples, the curves and three-dimensional surface diagrams depicting the variations for the natural frequency with diverse parameters are obtained. The feasibility of the proposed solution method in this paper is supported by literature examples. The influence of magnetic induction intensity, temperature, power-law index, wave number, and shell dimension on the natural frequencies are determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The current ISO guidelines for minimal erythema dose (MED) determination require assessment of erythema area of UV‐irradiated skin sites. However, this parameter has not been adequately quantified in daily practice. The aims of this study were to investigate the dose response on the unprotected skin sites by quantifying the erythema area and intensity and to show the potential for improving the precision and consistency of MEDu determination by developing predictive models. Methods: Standard radiation tests were conducted on the back of 31 healthy Chinese volunteers and the MEDu site of each subject was clinically determined by dermatologists. Images of test sites were captured 24 h after radiation, and the erythema area (%EA) and intensity (∆a*) were measured by image analysis. The data were fitted to a logistic 3P function to obtain dose–response curves, and a set of logit (inverse‐logistic) models were then derived. An erythema area threshold of %EA = 52% was established to predict MEDu based on the clinical endpoints defined by ISO 24444:2019. Results: Analysis of the clinically determined MEDu sites revealed wide ranges of %EA (62.3 ± 15% SD) and ∆a* (2.96 ± 0.92 SD). The dose response fitted well to a logistic 3P model (mean R2 = 0.965 and 0.975 for %EA and ∆a*, respectively). Applying the area threshold, values of MEDu were determined by the logit model for the test population, which significantly improved the consistency of MEDu determination (52 ± 0% SD and 2.73 ± 0.61 SD for %EA and ∆a*, respectively). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the dose response of UV‐induced erythema can be quantified and modeled once the erythema area and intensity are measured. The results of this study show the potential to improve the precision and consistency of MEDu determination in an SPF test. The similar potential in photodermatological, therapeutic, and diagnostic applications was also implied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the optimal position of three cannulated screws in an inverted triangle pattern for internal fixation of femoral neck fractures, including the apex–subchondral bone distance, computed tomography (CT) images of the hip were processed using the MIMICS (Materialize Interactive Medical Image Control System) Research software. Points adjacent to the inferior, anterosuperior, and posterior cortex of the femoral neck were selected on the axial view. Subsequently, the positions of these points were adjusted to maximize the area between them, and splines were drawn in the coronal and sagittal planes to represent the cannulated screws. Finally, the virtual anteroposterior and lateral fluoroscopy images of the proximal femur and splines were created and the parameters calculated. Finite element analysis showed this fixation scheme provides stronger fracture support and stability. Twenty patients with femoral neck fractures (Modified group), with the area and perimeter of the triangle formed on axial postoperative CT images, including the shortest distance from the tip of the screw to the subchondral bone was compared with 23 matched patients for whom the conventional inverted isosceles triangle configuration of screws for internal fixation was used (Conventional group). The area and perimeter of the stabilization screws were larger, with a shorter apex–subchondral bone distance for the Modified group. There was no incidence of screw penetration in the femoral neck or head in either group, and all fractures healed within a follow‐up period of 10 months. The modified screw placement method is simple and safe and provides greater fracture stability than the conventional empirical method of fixation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Seagull as a migratory wild bird has become most popular species in southwest China since 1980s. Previously, we analyzed the gut microbiota and intestinal pathogenic bacteria configuration for this species by using 16S rRNA sequencing and culture methods. To continue in-depth research on the gut microbiome of migratory seagulls, the metagenomics, DNA virome and RNA virome were both investigated for their gut microbial communities of abundance and diversity in this study. Results: The metagenomics results showed 99.72% of total species was bacteria, followed by viruses, fungi, archaea and eukaryota. In particular, Shigella sonnei, Escherichia albertii, Klebsiella pneumonia, Salmonella enterica and Shigella flexneri were the top distributed taxa at species level. PCoA, NMDS, and statistics indicated some drug resistant genes, such as adeL, evgS, tetA, PmrF, and evgA accumulated as time went by from November to January of the next year, and most of these genes were antibiotic efflux. DNA virome composition demonstrated that Caudovirales was the most abundance virus, followed by Cirlivirales, Geplafuvirales, Petitvirales and Piccovirales. Most of these phages corresponded to Enterobacteriaceae and Campylobacteriaceae bacterial hosts respectively. Caliciviridae, Coronaviridae and Picornaviridae were the top distributed RNA virome at family level of this migratory animal. Phylogenetic analysis indicated the sequences of contigs of Gammacoronavirus and Deltacoronavirus had highly similarity with some coronavirus references. Conclusions: In general, the characteristics of gut microbiome of migratory seagulls were closely related to human activities, and multiomics still revealed the potential public risk to human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the numerical solutions of Schrödinger–Boussinesq (SBq) system by an orthogonal spline collocation (OSC) discretization in space and Crank–Nicolson (CN) type approximation in time. By using the mathematical induction argument and standard energy method, the proposed CN+OSC scheme is proved to be unconditionally convergent at the order O (τ 2 + h 4) with mesh-size h and time step τ in the discrete L 2 -norm. We devise a new computation method based on the orthogonal diagonalization techniques (ODT) to realize the proposed CN+OSC scheme. In order to compare the performance of ODT, we devise an alternating direction implicit (ADI) method to compute the CN+OSC scheme for high spatial dimension SBq system. As an alternative implementation, the new method ODT not only exhibits more accurate numerical results, but also demonstrates stronger invariance preserving ability. Numerical results are reported to verify the error estimates and the discrete conservation laws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with numerical solution of the two-dimensional Klein-Gordon-Dirac equations by a fourth-order compact finite difference method in space and an energy-preserving Crank-Nicolson-type discretization in time. For convenience of illustrating the conservative properties and investigating the convergence results, we convert the component-wise form of the proposed scheme into an equivalent matrix-vector form. By using the mathematical induction argument and standard energy method, we establish the optimal error estimates under condition τ ≤ 1 | ln (h) | with time step τ and mesh size h. Compared with the condition τ = O (h 1 2) required by existing results in literature for two-dimensional case, this greatly relaxes the dependence of the time step on the grid size. The convergence order of the scalar ϕ and the 2-spinor ψ is of O (τ 2 + h 4) in the maximum norm and the discrete H 1 -norm, respectively. In addition, by using the orthogonal diagonalization technique, a fast solver is designed to solve the proposed scheme. Several numerical results are reported to verify the error estimates and the discrete conservation laws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• ST59-t439-SCC mec Ⅳa revealed the most serious lethal effect on BALB/c mice. • The lung was the most seriously damaged organs, followed by spleen and kidney. • IL-6 and IL-10 were both highly expressed in CA-MRSA cases. • Some virulence genes were up-regulated in pathogenesis of CA-MRSA infection. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has become the most important pathogen of hospital-acquired (HA) or community-acquired (CA) infections. However, it is unclear of the cytokines responsible for pathological hyper-inflammation in sepsis related cytokine storm for MRSA infection. In this study, we selected typical HA-MRSA strain (YNSA163: ST239-t030-SCC mec Ⅲ) and two CA-MRSA isolates (YNSA7: ST59-t439-SCC mec Ⅳa and YNSA53: ST59-t437-SCC mec Ⅴb) from our previous research, infected on BALB/c mice, and analyzed the cytokine storm patterns during infection process. The animal experiments revealed the most serious lethal effect on BALB/c mice caused by YNSA7 strain infection, followed by YNSA53, and no BALB/c mice died for YNSA163 infection. Histopathological analyses revealed that lung was the most seriously damaged organs, followed by spleen and kidney, especially for CA-MRSA infection. The severe inflammatory reactions, tissue destruction, and massive exudation of inflammatory mediators and cells could be identified in CA-MRSA strains infected mice. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-10 were both highly expressed in spleen and lung of YNSA7 and YNSA53 dead cases compared with YNSA53 survived and YNSA163 cases, which demonstrated cytokine storm pattern for CA-MRSA strains infection. The results of IL-6 intervention experiment verified that the enhanced IL-6 secretion was responsible for the host lethality of YNSA7 infection. RNA-sequencing results among three MRSA isolates indicated most of the differentially expressed genes referred to cellular process, metabolism and genetic information processing of bacteria. Specifically, clpP , chp chemotaxis inhibit, fnbB , pathogencity island protein and virulence associated protein E were highly expressed in YNSA7 strain. In general, CA-MRSA strains provoked cytokine storm on BALB/c mice led to severe infection and lethality, the up-regulated of some virulence genes might play important role in pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important pathogen for human infection. Hospital-acquired (HA) and community-acquired (CA) MRSA infections are serious clinical problems worldwide. In this study, we selected typical HA-MRSA strain and CA-MRSA isolates from our previous research and compared their phenotypic and pathogenic abilities both in vitro and in vivo. Results: ST59-t437-SCCmecIVa (YNSA7) and ST59-t437-SCCmecVb (YNSA53) belonged to two prevalent subclones of CA-MRSA, while ST239-t030-SCCmecIII (YNSA163) was an HA-MRSA epidemic clone in Southwest China. ST59-t437 strains demonstrated faster growth ability, higher survival rate resistance to human blood, and more toxin secretion levels and cytotoxicity than ST239-t030. The virulence and regulatory genes of hld, psm-α, RNAIII, agrA, and crtN were highly expressed on CA-MRSA isolates, especially the ST59-t437-SCCmecIVa subclone. However, the ST239-t030 strain had the strongest adhesion and biofilm ability among these MRSA bacteria. Animal experiments revealed the most serious lethal effect on BALB/c mice caused by the YNSA7 strain infection. The survival rates of BALB/c mice infected with the three MRSA strains were 16.7, 50.0 and 100.0% for YNSA7, YNSA53 and YNSA163, respectively. Histopathological analyses of infected animals indicated that the lungs were the most seriously damaged organs, especially for ST59-t437 MRSA. Severe inflammatory reactions, tissue destruction, and massive exudation of inflammatory mediators and cells could be identified in ST59-t437 strain-infected animals. Conclusions: In general, ST59-t437 strains showed higher pathogenic ability than the ST239-t030 isolate, while ST239-t030 MRSA revealed the features prevalent in hospital settings, specifically for adhesion and biofilm ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, an exponential wave integrator sine pseudospectral method is formulated and analysed for discretizing the coupled Schrödinger–Boussinesq system. Our method is based on the utilizations of sine pseudospectral discretization for spatial derivatives followed by exponential wave integrator for temporal derivatives in phase space. The scheme is fully explicit and very efficient due to discrete sine transform (DST), and it is of spectral accuracy in space and second-order accuracy in time. Numerical analysis of the proposed method is carried out and rigorous error estimates are established via discrete energy and induction argument method. The numerical results are reported to verify our theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In recent years, simultaneous or sequential occurrence of MOG antibody disease and anti-NMDAR encephalitis in the same patient has been reported with increasing frequency. Scholars refer to the overlapping occurrence of these two disorders as MOG antibody disease and anti-NMDAR encephalitis overlap syndrome (MNOS). Cortical T2-weighted fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) -hyperintense lesions in anti-MOG-associated encephalitis with seizures (FLAMES) is a rare clinical phenotype of MOGAD in which cortical FLAIR high-signal lesions are unilateral, with little spread to the cortex and meninges bilaterally. Although cases of FLAMES have been consistently reported. However, to our knowledge, such cases of FLAMES combined with NMDARE are rare. Case presentation: Here, we describe a case of FLAMES combined with anti-NMDARE. The patient was a young male, 29 years old, admitted to our hospital with isolated seizures, whose MRI showed unilateral thalamic and bilateral frontal and parietal leptomeningeal involvement. Since we were unaware of the possibility of bilateral meningo-cortical MOGAD manifestations, the case was initially diagnosed as viral encephalitis and was given antiviral therapy. The diagnosis was not clarified until anti-NMDAR-IgG and MOG-IgG positivity was detected in the cerebrospinal fluid and serum. The patient was then treated with high-dose corticosteroids and his symptoms responded well to the steroids. Therefore, this case expands the clinical spectrum of MNOS overlap syndrome. In addition, we describe the clinical features of MNOS by summarizing the existing literature and exploring the possible mechanisms of its immune response. Conclusions: Our case serves as a reminder to clinicians that when patients present with atypical clinical manifestations such as seizures, consideration should be given to MNOS and conduct testing for various relevant autoantibodies (including MOG abs) and viruses in both serum and cerebrospinal fluid, as it is easy to misdiagnose the disease as other CNS diseases, such as viral meningoencephalitis. This syndrome exhibits a high responsiveness to steroids, highlighting the critical importance of recognizing the clinical and neuroimaging features of this overlap syndrome for prompt diagnosis and treatment. Furthermore, it enriches the disease spectrum of MNOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Currently, Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most important pathogens worldwide, especially for methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infection. However, few reports referred to patients' MRSA infections in Yunnan province, southwest China.Methods: In this study, we selected representative MRSA strains from patients' systemic surveillance in Yunnan province of China, performed the genomic sequencing and compared their features, together with some food derived strains.Results: Among sixty selective isolates, forty strains were isolated from patients, and twenty isolated from food. Among the patients' strains, sixteen were recognized as community-acquired (CA), compared with 24 for hospital-acquired (HA). ST6-t701, ST59-t437 and ST239-t030 were the three major genotype profiles. ST6-t701 was predominated in food strains, while ST59-t437 and ST239-t030 were the primary clones in patients. The clinical features between CA and HA-MRSA of patients were statistical different. Compared the antibiotic resistant results between patients and food indicated that higher antibiotic resistant rates were found in patients' strains. Totally, the average genome sizes of 60 isolates were 2.79 ± 0.05 Mbp, with GC content 33% and 84.50 ± 0.20% of coding rate. The core genomes of these isolates were 1593 genes. Phylogenetic analysis based on pan-genome and SNP of strains showed that five clustering groups were generated. Clustering ST239-t030 contained all the HA-MRSA cases in this study; clustering ST6-t701 referred to food and CA-MRSA infections in community; clustering ST59-t437 showed the heterogeneity for provoking different clinical diseases in both community and hospital. Phylogenetic tree, incorporating 24 isolates from different regions, indicated ST239-t030 strains in this study were more closely related to T0131 isolate from Tianjin, China, belonged to 'Turkish clade' from Eastern Europe; two groups of ST59-t437 clones of MRSA in Yunnan province were generated, belonged to the 'Asian-Pacific' clone (AP) and 'Taiwan' clone (TW) respectively.Conclusions: ST239-t030, ST59-t437 and ST6-t701 were the three major MRSA clones in Yunnan province of China. ST239-t030 clonal Yunnan isolates demonstrated the local endemic of clone establishment for a number of years, whereas ST59-t437 strains revealed the multi-origins of this clone. In general, genomic study on epidemic clones of MRSA in southwest China provided the features and evolution of this pathogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dengue fever is a major worldwide public health problem that, as estimated by the WHO, causes epidemics in over 100 countries, resulting in hundreds of millions of dengue virus (DENV) infections every year. In China, dengue fever mainly occurs in coastal areas. Recurring dengue outbreaks were reported by Guangdong Province almost every year since the first epidemic in 1978. DENV infections persisted in Guangzhou in consecutive years since 2000, with the dengue epidemic reaching a historical peak in 2014. Because Guangzhou is one of the largest cities for opening up in China, understanding the epidemiological characteristics of dengue fever in the city can hopefully provide a significant basis for developing effective dengue prevention strategies. In this study, a total of 34 DENV strains, including 29 DENV-1 strains and 5 DENV-2 strains, were isolated from a blood samples drawn from patients who were diagnosed with dengue fever by hospitals in Guangzhou during 2018. To explore the epidemiological characteristics of dengue fever, the envelope (E) gene obtained from the isolates was amplified for phylogenetic analysis. The results from the phylogenetic analysis showed that DENV in Guangzhou was mainly imported from Southeast Asian countries. Additionally, propagation paths based on phylogeographical analysis suggested potential local dengue transmission in Guangzhou. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, two conservative finite difference schemes for fractional Schrödinger–Boussinesq equations are formulated and investigated. The convergence of the nonlinear fully implicit scheme is established via discrete energy method, while the linear semi‐implicit scheme is analyzed by means of mathematical induction method. Our schemes are proved to preserve the total mass and energy in discrete level. The numerical results are given to confirm the theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this paper, a conservative compact finite difference scheme is presented for solving the N-coupled nonlinear Schrödinger–Boussinesq equations. By using the discrete energy method, it is proved that our scheme is unconditionally convergent in the maximum norm and the convergent rate is at O (τ 2 + h 4) with time step τ and mesh size h. Numerical results including the comparisons with other numerical methods are reported to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the method and to confirm our theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the convergence of explicit finite difference schemes which contain a Richardson scheme and a leap-frog scheme for computing the coupled Gross--Pitaevskii equations in high space dimensions. We establish the optimal error estimates of our schemes at the order of O(τ² + h²) in the l∞-norm with the time step τ and the mesh size h. Besides the standard techniques of the energy analysis method, the key techniques in the analysis is to use the method of induction argument and order reduction. The numerical results are reported to confirm our theoretical analysis for the numerical methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This study evaluated the role of anti-tumor immune response of curcumin on tongue squamous cell carcinama (TSCC). Experimental design Cell lines (Cal 27, FaDu) and animal model (4NQO mice model) were uesd in this study. The MTT assay was used to detecte cell proliferation. The Western blotting, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence were used to examine the protein expression. The flow cytometry was performed to determine the number of Treg and MDSC. Results The expression of PD-L1 and p-STAT3 Y705 were does-dependently inhibited in Fadu and Cal 27 cell line. The results of in vivo demonstrated that curcumin significantly attenuated tumor growth in 4NQO mice model. The expression of PD-L1 and p-STAT3 Y705 were similarly decreased in vivo . Moreover, the anti-tumor immune response was remarkably improved after curcumin treatment through increasing CD8 positive T cells and decreasing Tregs and MDSCs. Conclusions Curcumin treatment resulted in inhibition of PD-L1 and p-STAT3 Y705 expression both in vitro and in vivo . Moreover, the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment was changed after curcumin treatment. These data suggested that curcumin could effectively promote anti-tumor immune response in TSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a decoupled and linearized compact difference scheme is investigated to solve the coupled Schrödinger-Boussinesq equations numerically. We establish the convergence rates for the error at the order of in the -norm with the time step τ and mesh size h. The linear scheme is proved to conserve the total energy which is defined as a recursion relationship. Due to the difficulty in obtaining the priori estimate from the discrete energy, we utilize cut-off function technique to prove the convergence. The numerical results are reported to verify the theoretical analysis, and the numerical comparison between our scheme with previous methods are conducted to show the efficiency of our scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Layered GaSe flakes have revealed strongest second‐harmonic (SH) generation among all the two‐dimensional (2D) atomic crystals measured up to now. However, the unique feature of physical atomic thickness at nanometer scale prevents their practical applications in efficient nonlinear optical conversion due to limited light–matter interaction length. In this work, high quality single‐crystal GaSe nanoribbons (NRs) are fabricated and demonstrated as waveguides with good performance. By taking advantage of the strong confinement and long interaction length of the waveguiding approach, significantly enhanced nonlinear light–matter interaction is observed in GaSe NRs. Based on transverse SH generation, a single GaSe NR‐configured optical auto‐correlator is constructed for ultrashort pulse characterization. Because of the large second‐order nonlinear susceptibility, high sensitivity down to few femto‐joule (fJ) is realized. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest energy sensitivity among the reported nanoscale auto‐correlators. Such NR waveguides and devices are highly compatible with standard optical fiber systems. The presented results may enable the construction of future energy efficient nonlinear photonic circuitry, chips, and devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) plays an essential role in bone formation, in part, by inhibiting osteoclast differentiation, maintaining mesenchymal stem cell osteogenesis ability, or reducing osteoblast injury. We aimed to investigate the role of H2S in osteoblast function and its possible molecular target. Results: In this study, we found that cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE) majorly contributed to endogenous H2S production in the primary osteoblast. Overexpressed CSE increased osteoblast differentiation and maturation with higher bone morphogenetic protein 2 and osteopontin expression, alkaline phosphatase activity, and calcium nodule formation; in contrast, knockdown of CSE had opposite effects. Runt-related transcript factor 2 (RUNX2) is required for osteoblast biologic function. CSE-H2S increased nuclear RUNX2 accumulation, DNA binding activity, and target gene transcription. Protein sulfhydration is a common signal by H2S. We confirmed that RUNX2 was also sulfhydrated by H2S. This chemical modification enhanced RUNX2 transactivation, which was blocked by dithiothreitol (DTT, sulfhydration remover). Mutation of two cysteine sites in the runt domain of RUNX2 abolished H2S-induced RUNX2 sulfhydration and transactivation. In a bone -fracture rat model, overexpressed CSE promoted bone healing, which confirmed the effect of CSE-H2S on osteoblasts. Innovation: CSE-H2S is a dominant H2S generation system in osteoblasts and promotes osteoblast activity by the RUNX2 pathway, with RUNX2 sulfhydration as a novel transactivation regulation. Conclusion: CSE-H2S sulfhydrated RUNX2 enhanced its transactivation and increased osteoblast differentiation and maturation, thereby promoting bone healing. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 27, 742-753. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Edible bird's nest (EBN) mainly made of saliva that secreted by a variety of swiftlets is a kind of precious traditional Chinese medicine. EBNs from different biological and geographical origins exhibit varieties in morphology, material composition, nutritive value and commercial value. Here, we collected four different EBN samples from Huaiji, China (Grass EBN), Nha Trang, Vietnam (Imperial EBN) and East Kalimantan, Indonesia (White EBN and Feather EBN) respectively, and applied label-free quantitative MS-based proteomics technique to identify its protein composition. First, phylogenetic analysis was performed based on cytb gene to identify its biological origin. Second, a total of 37 proteins of EBNs were identified, among which there were six common proteins that detected in all samples and exhibited relatively higher content. Gene ontology analysis revealed the possible function of EBN proteins, and principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis based on 37 proteins were performed to compare the difference of various EBNs. In summary, our study deciphered the common and characteristic protein components of EBNs of different origins and described their possible functions by GO enrichment analysis, which helps to establish an objective and reliable quality evaluation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents an effective test method for evaluating the shear performance of repaired honeycomb sandwich panels consisting of glass fiber/epoxy matrix skin and Nomex honeycomb core. Addressing the insufficient research on the shear performance of honeycomb sandwich panels after repair in existing literature, this study conducted mechanical performance tests on the honeycomb sandwich panels before and after repair using the picture frame test method. Surface strain measurements are obtained using digital image correlation (DIC) techniques, and load–displacement and shear stress–strain curves are generated from the experimental results. The study concludes that the repair method utilized in this investigation is effective in restoring the mechanical properties of the sandwich panels. In addition, finite element models of the honeycomb sandwich panels before and after repair are established, and a comparative analysis is conducted between the experimental and simulation results. The study examines the shear modulus, ultimate load, and failure mode of the repaired and unrepaired specimens. The findings verify the feasibility of the picture frame test method for evaluating the shear performance of honeycomb sandwich panels. This study provides valuable insights into the design of shear performance repair for honeycomb sandwich panels and offers theoretical support for material recycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we formulate two orthogonal spline collocation schemes, which consist of a nonlinear and a linear scheme for solving the coupled Schrödinger–Boussinesq equations numerically. Firstly, the conservation laws of our schemes are derived. Secondly, the existence solutions of our schemes are investigated. Thirdly, the convergence and stability of the nonlinear scheme are analyzed by means of discrete energy methods, while the convergence of the linear scheme is proved by cut-off function technique. Finally, numerical results are reported to verify our theoretical analysis for the numerical methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to effectively prevent the hull of the ship from being corroded in the seawater environment, in this study, we prepared organic coating films (SAE-0 , SAE-5 , SAE-10 and SAE-15) that contain various amount of siloxane epoxy resins (1,3-bis[2-(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl)ethyl]tetramethyldisiloxane, BETMS) and bisphenol A epoxy resin (BE-188) in the presence of Doublecure®1172 photoinitiator for the cationic photopolymerization under UV light as the irradiation source. All the photocured polymers afforded good-quality films and had the 5 wt% thermal decomposition temperatures of above 335 °C. In addition, the contact angle decreases in the order of SAE-15 > SAE-10 > SAE-5 > SAE-0 related to the siloxane content. Finally, the potential dynamic polarization curve of the coated film on the galvanized steel surface was also studied to investigate its protection performance in a 3 M NaCl solution. Among all examined films, SAE-15 coated film showed the lowest corrosion current density (I corr), corrosion rate (R corr) and the highest corrosion resistance (R p). As a result, the highest protection ability of this sample can reach up to 97.3 % and even superior better than the control sample (SAE-0 , 90.6 %). Furthermore, SAE-15 coated film shows the best protection capability after immersing into the 3 M NaCl and seawater solution at 28 days. The siloxane-based photocured hybrid film prepared in this study exhibits excellent potential for the marine corrosion protection fields. [Display omitted] • Epoxied resin prepared by cationic photopolymerization and used in corrosion protection. • Siloxane-based epoxy resin was used and prepared. • SAE-15 sample exhibits the highest inhibition efficiency of 97.3 % and good storage stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, two conserved compact finite difference schemes for solving the nonlinear coupled Schrödinger-Boussinesq equation are proposed. The conservative property, existence, convergence, and stability of the difference solutions are theoretically analyzed. The numerical results are reported to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the methods and to confirm our theoretical analysis. © 2016Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 32: 1667-1688, 2016 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We sequenced and analyzed an imported Vibrio cholerae from Mynamar in 2011 by using whole genome sequencing method in Yunnan Province, southwest China. Other 3 isolates of V. cholerae in Yunnan were also sequenced for comparing purpose. Illumina Hiseq2500 was used and the sequencing results were assembled and annotated. The comparative genomic analysis was also performed with 101 reference strains from China and abroad. The results showed the imported V. cholerae (YN2011004) had two chromosomes and one plasmid; chr1 contained 2727 predicted genes, and 958 genes for chr2. Phylogenomic tree results showed YN2011004 belonged to the seventh pandemic strain, clustered into wave 3 and clade 3B. The strain had the highly homology with SN083 and 4remapscaff isolated in 2010 from other parts of China, and clustered with SN117, VC50 remapscaff, VC57 remapscaff and SN034. These references V. cholerae mostly isolated from coastal areas of China in 2008. For the other 3 strains' comparison, it suggested that V. cholerae in 1990s in Yunnan had the close relationship with the prevalence of cholera in Southeast Asia. Therefore, we thought that the cholera in Yunnan was consistent with the epidemic trend of China, being the “sink” for external source and also acted as a “source” for spread. Moreover, we considered that the imported V. cholerae from Myanmar in 2011 actually was the exported strain from China, and it provided us a new sight for the bacterial change and evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) of ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) originating from the left ventricular (LV) papillary muscles (PMs) is challenging. Methods We enrolled 16 consecutive patients who received RFCA for VAs from LV PMs. Three-dimensional electroanatomical mapping was used to construct activation and/or pace maps. RFCA was performed first at the earliest activation site or at the best matched site in the pace maps. When an acceleration or reduction in the incidence of VAs was observed during the first few seconds of the application, the ablation energy was delivered continuously for 60–120 s. Additional ablation was then circumferentially delivered at the base of the PMs. Results RFCA was successfully performed in all 16 patients with no cases of recurrence of VAs after a mean follow-up of 20 ± 12 months. VAs originated from the anterior (n = 8) and posterior (n = 8) PMs. Purkinje potentials were identified at the target sites in seven patients. All VAs were temporarily suppressed by one to two long-duration shots of RFCA at the initial targeted site, but recurrence was subsequently noted. In six patients, the QRS morphologies of the VAs changed after the initial RFCA. A subsequent circumferential approach with multiple ablations applied to the base of the PMs completely eliminated all VAs. In all but one patient, successful RFCA was achieved using an open-irrigated ablation catheter. Conclusions Circumferential RFCA at the base of the PMs overcame anatomical limitations, leading to a high success rate of RFCA for VAs from LV PMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Edible bird's nest (EBN) mainly made of saliva that secreted by a variety of swiftlets is a kind of precious traditional Chinese medicine. EBNs from different biological and geographical origins exhibit varieties in morphology, material composition, nutritive value and commercial value. Here, we collected four different EBN samples from Huaiji, China (Grass EBN), Nha Trang, Vietnam (Imperial EBN) and East Kalimantan, Indonesia (White EBN and Feather EBN) respectively, and applied label-free quantitative MS-based proteomics technique to identify its protein composition. First, phylogenetic analysis was performed based on cytb gene to identify its biological origin. Second, a total of 37 proteins of EBNs were identified, among which there were six common proteins that detected in all samples and exhibited relatively higher content. Gene ontology analysis revealed the possible function of EBN proteins, and principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis based on 37 proteins were performed to compare the difference of various EBNs. In summary, our study deciphered the common and characteristic protein components of EBNs of different origins and described their possible functions by GO enrichment analysis, which helps to establish an objective and reliable quality evaluation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a monoclonal antibody (mAb) with broad-specificity against several carotenoid analogs with equal or similar efficacy was prepared. The obtained mAb C11, with the IgG1 isotype, showed cross-reactivity (CR) with canthaxanthin (100%), β-ionone acid (140.4%), β-carotene (92.9%), capsanthin (90.1%), β-apo-8′-carotenal (92.7%), and xanthophyll (95.8%). Using the mAb C11, a highly sensitive and inexpensive indirect competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ic-ELISA) was developed with a simple sample preparation procedure for the simultaneous detection of these carotenoid compounds in eggs. The limit of detection of the various carotenoids ranged from 1.31 mg kg −1 to 1.48 mg kg −1 . Recoveries from egg yolks spiked with the above carotenoids ranged from 91.8% to 113.3%, with coefficients of variation (CVs) of less than 14.8%. These results suggest that the developed ic-ELISA is a sensitive, specific, accurate, and inexpensive method that is suitable for the screening of carotenoid residues in routine monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper reports on the application of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in triboelectrochemistry. Electrochemical measurements were performed at the constant dc current attained during a permanent regime of friction achieved by a rotating pin-on-disc (P-o-D) tribometer. A model is then proposed which embodies a classical kinetic description of an active-passive transition into the accepted description of the triboelectrochemical response of a passive material. From the derivation of the equation at steady state, a set of parameters were determined allowing to describe correctly both the dc and ac behaviours of the interface and to estimate the different components of the triboelectrochemical signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A long-term climate measurement was implemented in the third largest city of Taiwan, for the check of accuracy of morphing approach on generating the hourly data of urban local climate. Based on observed and morphed meteorological data, building energy simulation software EnergyPlus was used to simulate the cooling energy consumption of an air-conditioned typical flat and the thermal comfort level of a naturally ventilated typical flat. The simulated results were used to quantitatively discuss the effect of urban microclimate on the energy consumption as well as thermal comfort of residential buildings. The findings of this study can serve as a reference for city planning and energy management divisions to study urban sustainability strategies in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Three shear fatigue life criteria of 3D woven composites are proposed. • The concept of S-N curve cluster for 3D woven composites is proposed. • DSR CLD model of out-of-plane shear fatigue of 3D woven composites is established. • The S-N curve clusters based on the DSR CLD model can be predicted. • More predicted results are provided to help other researchers to investigate deeply. A nonlinear constant life diagram (CLD) model based on dual stress ratios (DSR) is proposed to predict the fatigue life of three-dimensional(3D) woven composites. The out-of-plane shear fatigue properties of 3D woven composites with stress ratios of 0.1 and −1 are investigated. Three fatigue life criteria are proposed to judge the critical cycle number (fatigue life). It provides guidance for determining the out-of-plane shear fatigue life of 3D woven composite under different design requirements. The concept of the S-N curve cluster is proposed to characterize the fatigue life at different typical degradation stages. Based on the S-N curve cluster, the DSR CLD model is established. It performs better than the conventional Goodman CLD model. A formula is proposed for the prediction of the out-of-plane shear fatigue life of 3D woven composites with an arbitrary stress ratio. More predicted results are provided to help other researchers to investigate the shear fatigue life of 3D woven composites deeply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The morphological and chemical modifications induced by repeated cycling of conversion-type negative electrode material were studied for iron sulfide thin films in 1M-LiClO4/PC by combining AFM, XPS and ToF-SIMS analysis with electrochemical control. The topographical changes were consistent with irreversible swelling of the material caused by repeated volume expansion/contraction. A 3% capacity fading measured after 9 conversion/deconversion cycles resulted mainly from the loss of electroactive material forming pinhole defects in the thin film electrode. Repeated cycling caused increasing accumulation of non deconverted material in the bulk thin film electrode. Repeated cycling also resulted in continuous surface up-take and increasing accumulation of the SEI layer in the bulk thin film electrode, rich in Li2CO3. Formation of a duplex-like structure with organic and inorganic compounds primarily distributed in the outer and inner parts, respectively, was suggested by ToF-SIMS depth profiling of the SEI layer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] XPS, ToF-SIMS analyses are combined with electrochemical control. [•] Conversion/deconversion mechanism of iron monosulfide thin film electrode is reported. [•] Incomplete process of conversion/deconversion and expansion/shrinkage is evidenced. [•] SEI layer thickness variation upon conversion/deconversion is shown. [•] Penetration of SEI layer into the bulk electrode is demonstrated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Aim Dysregulation of the activity of the disintegrin/metalloproteinase ADAM10 could contribute to the development of atherosclerosis. Although a number of genetic studies have focused on the association of ADAM10 gene polymorphisms with susceptibility to diseases, no genetic association studies of ADAM10 gene variability with atherosclerotic cerebral infarction ( ACI) have been conducted. The aim of this study was to analyze the potential association between ADAM10 promoter polymorphisms and ACI. Methods The associations between rs653765 and rs514049 polymorphisms of the ADAM10 promoter and the possible risk of ACI were assessed among 347 patients with ACI and 299 matched healthy individuals in a case-control study. Results Overall, there was a significant difference in the genotypes frequencies of rs653765 ( P = 0.04) between the ACI and control subjects. In addition, the rs653765 mutated allele of ADAM10 was significantly associated with increased ADAM10 expression in patients with ACI ( P = 0.032). In contrast, the allele frequency of rs514049 was not statistically associated with ACI, and the rs514049 variant A > C did not affect the expression of ADAM10 either. Conclusion Our findings indicate a positive association between the rs653765 polymorphism of ADAM10 and ACI, as well as a negative result for rs514049. In addition, a significant increase in ADAM10 expression was observed in patients with ACI carrying the rs653765 C > T mutation. This new knowledge about ADAM10 might be clinically important and confirm a role for ADAM10 in the pathophysiology of ACI, with potentially important therapeutic implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Firstly, the paper established the link bar coordinate system based on axis direction of manipulator joint. Secondly, according to Denavit-Hartenberg(D-H)notation, the coordinate system transformation matrix was derived.Thirdly, the forward kinematics model was established based on the coordinate system transformation matrix.Finally, we set up the inverse kinematics model based on reversely solving the forward kinematics model.The inverse kinematics model is a kind of multiple object optimization problems, and the optimal solution of the inverse kinematics model has characteristics of high accuracy with minimized rotation extent, and the solution is continuous. For the sake of solving the inverse kinematics model, we proposed an improved multiple population differential evolution (IMPDE) algorithm, which can destroy the aggregation level of the population by choosing different mutation operation based on mutation probability so as to enhance the ability of global search. The numerical results show that the new algorithm can solve the inverse kinematics model efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endogenous hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) plays an important role in bone metabolism. However, the exact role of H 2 S in intestinal calcium and phosphorus absorption and its potential in preventing and treating primary osteoporosis remains unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the potential of H 2 S in promoting intestinal calcium and phosphorus absorption and alleviating primary osteoporosis. We measured the apparent absorptivity of calcium, femoral bone density, expression and sulfhydration of the duodenal endoplasmic reticulum protein of 57 kDa (ERp57), duodenal cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE) expression, and serum H 2 S content in adult and old CSE-knockout and wild-type mice. We also assessed intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Ca2+ content in CSE-overexpressing or knockout intestinal epithelial cell (IEC)-6 cells. In senile mice, CSE knockout decreased endogenous H 2 S, ERp57 sulfhydration, and intestinal calcium absorption and worsened osteoporosis, which were partially reversed by GYY4137, an H 2 S donor. CSE overexpression in IEC-6 cells increased ERp57 sulfhydration, protein kinase A and C activity, and intracellular Ca2+, whereas CSE knockout exerted the opposite effects. Furthermore, hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) stimulation had similar effects as in CSE knockout, which were reversed by pretreatment with sodium hydrosulfide before H 2 O 2 stimulation and restored by DL-dithiothreitol. These findings suggest that H 2 S attenuates primary osteoporosis by preventing ROS-induced ERp57 damage in intestinal epithelial cells by enhancing ERp57 activity and promoting intestinal calcium absorption, thereby aiding in developing therapeutic interventions to prevent osteoporosis. • H 2 S attenuates primary osteoporosis by promoting intestinal calcium absorption. • H 2 S enhances ERp57 activity by sulfhydration in intestinal epithelial cells. • Sulfhydration prevents ROS-induced ERp57 damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-fracture calcium and phosphorus excretion is greater than influx, which might be caused by stress. Glucocorticoid is known to enhance calcium and phosphorous excretion, and hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) has been shown to exert inhibitory effects on glucocorticoid. Therefore, this study explored whether H 2 S could inhibit calcium and phosphorus loss after fracture by regulating glucocorticoid and/or its receptor. The following properties were analyzed in rats with femur fractures: serum and urinary calcium and phosphorus (by colorimetry); bone turnover markers alkaline phosphatase, serum type 1 collagen amino terminal peptide, type 1 procollagen carboxy terminal peptide, and anti-tartaric acid phosphatase (by ELISA); factors related to calcium-phosphorus metabolism including glucocorticoid, parathyroid hormone, calcitonin, fibroblast growth factor 23, and 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 (by ELISA); and sulfhydration of glucocorticoid receptor α in the kidney (by immunoprecipitation linked biotin-switch assay), after supplementing with mifepristone, the H 2 S donor GYY4137 or H 2 S generating enzyme inhibitors aminooxyacetic acid and propargylglycine. Serum H 2 S decreased and glucocorticoid secretion increased in rats post-fracture. The glucocorticoid receptor inhibitor mifepristone partly blunted calcium and phosphorus loss. Furthermore, supplementation with GYY4137 reduced glucocorticoid secretion; inhibited glucocorticoid receptor α activity by sulfhydration; downregulated vitamin D 1α-hydroxylase expression; and upregulated 24-hydroxylase, calbindin-D28k, and sodium phosphate cotransporter 2a expression in the kidney; thereby inhibiting calcium and phosphorus loss induced by fracture. Moreover, inhibiting endogenous H 2 S generation showed opposite effects. Our findings suggest that H 2 S antagonized calcium and phosphorus loss after fracture by reducing glucocorticoid secretion and inhibiting glucocorticoid receptor α activity by sulfhydration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2014, Taiwan has promoted a 1% annual electricity saving target to promote electrical efficiency efforts. As the industrial sector accounts for approximately 60% of the overall electricity consumption of Taiwan, this sector presents the greatest opportunity for improving Taiwan's overall energy efficiency. Here, the energy audit data of industrial energy users are analyzed via logistic regression to understand the factors impacting their likelihood of achieving the targeted 1% electricity saving. Of the variables under study, the number of employees and the rank of the energy administrator were significantly correlated with the likelihood of reaching the electricity saving target. Within the management structure of the factory, energy users with higher-ranking energy administrators are more likely to achieve the targeted 1% electricity saving. As it is impractical to rapidly increase the number of employees, higher-ranking employees, i.e., factory executives, should be appointed as energy administrators to improve users' electrical efficiency and thus reach the targeted 1% annual electricity saving. Based on the findings of our research, we put forward a point of view that in addition to the introduction of new technologies to improve energy efficiency, it can also be achieved through adjustments to the management structure of energy administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Most influenza C virus infections in adults are thought to be reinfections. • The 5-year infection rate of influenza C virus was estimated to be 17.5 %. • Cross-reactive antibodies were observed for the different lineage strains. • The lineage of the main epidemic strain was identical in adults and children. Influenza C virus causes mild respiratory diseases in humans. Previous studies suggested that the predominant hemagglutinin-esterase gene lineage circulating in children might be selected among the adult population, yet the prevalence of influenza C virus in adults has not been described. To evaluate the frequency of influenza C virus infection in adults. We performed hemagglutination inhibition assays of serum samples collected at periodic occupational medical checkups from employees of a hospital. A total of 679 serum samples were collected from 57 subjects who participated in biannual medical checkups between 2011 and 2016 as part of a longitudinal series. Titers of antibodies against the C/Kanagawa and C/Sao Paulo lineage viruses were detected. Ten serum sample pairs from among the 57 subjects showed at least a four-fold increase in influenza C antibody titers. Samples from three subjects exhibited antibody titer increases for both the C/Kanagawa and C/Sao Paulo lineages, four subjects showed an increased titer against the C/Sao Paulo lineage, and three subjects showed an increased titer against the C/Kanagawa lineage. Half of the antibody titer increases for the C/Kanagawa lineage were detected in May 2014, while the increases for the C/Sao Paulo lineage were detected from 2011 to 2016. The 5-year influenza C virus infection rate was estimated at 17.5 %. There were antibodies that cross-reacted with the C/Sao Paulo and C/Kanagawa lineages. The results suggest that C/Sao Paulo was the main lineage in the adult population of this area, with cocirculation of the C/Kanagawa lineage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the potential use of pathobiome strains as live biotherapeutic products for human health. It emphasizes the importance of evaluating these strains at a detailed level, considering factors such as functional genes, ecological niche, and drug interactions. The article acknowledges the role of the gut microbiota in human health and discusses the potential benefits and risks of using pathobiome strains. It also addresses the challenges in developing these products, particularly in terms of safety, efficacy, and quality management. The authors propose further research into gene functions, ecological influences, and the pathogenicity of specific strains, and suggest expanding the applications of live biotherapeutics beyond gastrointestinal diseases. They discuss various development methods, such as large-scale screening and gene editing technology, and highlight the need for further investigation in this field. [Extracted from the article]

• Experimental method is proposed for 3D woven composites under shear fatigue load. • Dominant out-of-plane failure mechanism of the 3D woven composites is discussed. • The out-of-plane shear failure process can be divided into three typical stages. • The temperature is positively correlated with the strain and crack distribution. • The stiffness and temperature changes of the specimen show certain consistency. A set of experimental method is proposed for the out-of-plane shear fatigue performance and damage mechanisms of a type of three-dimensional (3D) woven composites. The S-N curves based on the ultimate failure cycles and the shear fatigue stiffness degradation curve of specimens are obtained. Simultaneously, the relation between the system stiffness degradation and the specimen temperature increase is discussed. Moreover, the damage evolution is captured and analyzed. Microscopic observation of the damage zone on the specimen surface is carried out. Based on the images of infrared thermography and the corresponding crack distribution, the mechanism of heat generation are discussed. It can be found that the temperature distribution of the specimen is positively correlated with the shear strain distribution and crack distribution. The stiffnesses and temperature changes of the specimen show certain consistency. The out-of-plane failure mechanisms under shear fatigue loading for 3D woven composites are revealed on the basis of observation and analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study two compact finite difference schemes for the Schrödinger-Boussinesq (SBq) equations in two dimensions. The proposed schemes are proved to preserve the total mass and energy in the discrete sense. In our numerical analysis, besides the standard energy method, a “cut-off” function technique and a “lifting” technique are introduced to establish the optimal H1 error estimates without any restriction on the grid ratios. The convergence rate is proved to be of O(τ2 + h4) with the time step τ and mesh size h. In addition, a fast finite difference solver is designed to speed up the numerical computation of the proposed schemes. The numerical results are reported to verify the error estimates and conservation laws.In this paper, we study two compact finite difference schemes for the Schrödinger-Boussinesq (SBq) equations in two dimensions. The proposed schemes are proved to preserve the total mass and energy in the discrete sense. In our numerical analysis, besides the standard energy method, a “cut-off” function technique and a “lifting” technique are introduced to establish the optimal H1 error estimates without any restriction on the grid ratios. The convergence rate is proved to be of O(τ2 + h4) with the time step τ and mesh size h. In addition, a fast finite difference solver is designed to speed up the numerical computation of the proposed schemes. The numerical results are reported to verify the error estimates and conservation laws.In this paper, we study two compact finite difference schemes for the Schrödinger-Boussinesq (SBq) equations in two dimensions. The proposed schemes are proved to preserve the total mass and energy in the discrete sense. In our numerical analysis, besides the standard energy method, a “cut-off” function technique and a “lifting” technique are introduced to establish the optimal H1 error estimates without any restriction on the grid ratios. The convergence rate is proved to be of O(τ2 + h4) with the time step τ and mesh size h. In addition, a fast finite difference solver is designed to speed up the numerical computation of the proposed schemes. The numerical results are reported to verify the error estimates and conservation laws.In this paper, we study two compact finite difference schemes for the Schrödinger-Boussinesq (SBq) equations in two dimensions. The proposed schemes are proved to preserve the total mass and energy in the discrete sense. In our numerical analysis, besides the standard energy method, a “cut-off” function technique and a “lifting” technique are introduced to establish the optimal H1 error estimates without any restriction on the grid ratios. The convergence rate is proved to be of O(τ2 + h4) with the time step τ and mesh size h. In addition, a fast finite difference solver is designed to speed up the numerical computation of the proposed schemes. The numerical results are reported to verify the error estimates and conservation laws.In this paper, we study two compact finite difference schemes for the Schrödinger-Boussinesq (SBq) equations in two dimensions. The proposed schemes are proved to preserve the total mass and energy in the discrete sense. In our numerical analysis, besides the standard energy method, a “cut-off” function technique and a “lifting” technique are introduced to establish the optimal H1 error estimates without any restriction on the grid ratios. The convergence rate is proved to be of O(τ2 + h4) with the time step τ and mesh size h. In addition, a fast finite difference solver is designed to speed up the numerical computation of the proposed schemes. The numerical results are reported to verify the error estimates and conservation laws.In this paper, we study two compact finite difference schemes for the Schrödinger-Boussinesq (SBq) equations in two dimensions. The proposed schemes are proved to preserve the total mass and energy in the discrete sense. In our numerical analysis, besides the standard energy method, a “cut-off” function technique and a “lifting” technique are introduced to establish the optimal H1 error estimates without any restriction on the grid ratios. The convergence rate is proved to be of O(τ2 + h4) with the time step τ and mesh size h. In addition, a fast finite difference solver is designed to speed up the numerical computation of the proposed schemes. The numerical results are reported to verify the error estimates and conservation laws.In this paper, we study two compact finite difference schemes for the Schrödinger-Boussinesq (SBq) equations in two dimensions. The proposed schemes are proved to preserve the total mass and energy in the discrete sense. In our numerical analysis, besides the standard energy method, a “cut-off” function technique and a “lifting” technique are introduced to establish the optimal H1 error estimates without any restriction on the grid ratios. The convergence rate is proved to be of O(τ2 + h4) with the time step τ and mesh size h. In addition, a fast finite difference solver is designed to speed up the numerical computation of the proposed schemes. The numerical results are reported to verify the error estimates and conservation laws.In this paper, we study two compact finite difference schemes for the Schrödinger-Boussinesq (SBq) equations in two dimensions. The proposed schemes are proved to preserve the total mass and energy in the discrete sense. In our numerical analysis, besides the standard energy method, a “cut-off” function technique and a “lifting” technique are introduced to establish the optimal H1 error estimates without any restriction on the grid ratios. The convergence rate is proved to be of O(τ2 + h4) with the time step τ and mesh size h. In addition, a fast finite difference solver is designed to speed up the numerical computation of the proposed schemes. The numerical results are reported to verify the error estimates and conservation laws.In this paper, we study two compact finite difference schemes for the Schrödinger-Boussinesq (SBq) equations in two dimensions. The proposed schemes are proved to preserve the total mass and energy in the discrete sense. In our numerical analysis, besides the standard energy method, a “cut-off” function technique and a “lifting” technique are introduced to establish the optimal H1 error estimates without any restriction on the grid ratios. The convergence rate is proved to be of O(τ2 + h4) with the time step τ and mesh size h. In addition, a fast finite difference solver is designed to speed up the numerical computation of the proposed schemes. The numerical results are reported to verify the error estimates and conservation laws.In this paper, we study two compact finite difference schemes for the Schrödinger-Boussinesq (SBq) equations in two dimensions. The proposed schemes are proved to preserve the total mass and energy in the discrete sense. In our numerical analysis, besides the standard energy method, a “cut-off” function technique and a “lifting” technique are introduced to establish the optimal H1 error estimates without any restriction on the grid ratios. The convergence rate is proved to be of O(τ2 + h4) with the time step τ and mesh size h. In addition, a fast finite difference solver is designed to speed up the numerical computation of the proposed schemes. The numerical results are reported to verify the error estimates and conservation laws.In this paper, we study two compact finite difference schemes for the Schrödinger-Boussinesq (SBq) equations in two dimensions. The proposed schemes are proved to preserve the total mass and energy in the discrete sense. In our numerical analysis, besides the standard energy method, a “cut-off” function technique and a “lifting” technique are introduced to establish the optimal H1 error estimates without any restriction on the grid ratios. The convergence rate is proved to be of O(τ2 + h4) with the time step τ and mesh size h. In addition, a fast finite difference solver is designed to speed up the numerical computation of the proposed schemes. The numerical results are reported to verify the error estimates and conservation laws.In this paper, we study two compact finite difference schemes for the Schrödinger-Boussinesq (SBq) equations in two dimensions. The proposed schemes are proved to preserve the total mass and energy in the discrete sense. In our numerical analysis, besides the standard energy method, a “cut-off” function technique and a “lifting” technique are introduced to establish the optimal H1 error estimates without any restriction on the grid ratios. The convergence rate is proved to be of O(τ2 + h4) with the time step τ and mesh size h. In addition, a fast finite difference solver is designed to speed up the numerical computation of the proposed schemes. The numerical results are reported to verify the error estimates and conservation laws.In this paper, we study two compact finite difference schemes for the Schrödinger-Boussinesq (SBq) equations in two dimensions. The proposed schemes are proved to preserve the total mass and energy in the discrete sense. In our numerical analysis, besides the standard energy method, a “cut-off” function technique and a “lifting” technique are introduced to establish the optimal H1 error estimates without any restriction on the grid ratios. The convergence rate is proved to be of O(τ2 + h4) with the time step τ and mesh size h. In addition, a fast finite difference solver is designed to speed up the numerical computation of the proposed schemes. The numerical results are reported to verify the error estimates and conservation laws.In this paper, we study two compact finite difference schemes for the Schrödinger-Boussinesq (SBq) equations in two dimensions. The proposed schemes are proved to preserve the total mass and energy in the discrete sense. In our numerical analysis, besides the standard energy method, a “cut-off” function technique and a “lifting” technique are introduced to establish the optimal H1 error estimates without any restriction on the grid ratios. The convergence rate is proved to be of O(τ2 + h4) with the time step τ and mesh size h. In addition, a fast finite difference solver is designed to speed up the numerical computation of the proposed schemes. The numerical results are reported to verify the error estimates and conservation laws.In this paper, we study two compact finite difference schemes for the Schrödinger-Boussinesq (SBq) equations in two dimensions. The proposed schemes are proved to preserve the total mass and energy in the discrete sense. In our numerical analysis, besides the standard energy method, a “cut-off” function technique and a “lifting” technique are introduced to establish the optimal H1 error estimates without any restriction on the grid ratios. The convergence rate is proved to be of O(τ2 + h4) with the time step τ and mesh size h. In addition, a fast finite difference solver is designed to speed up the numerical computation of the proposed schemes. The numerical results are reported to verify the error estimates and conservation laws.In this paper, we study two compact finite difference schemes for the Schrödinger-Boussinesq (SBq) equations in two dimensions. The proposed schemes are proved to preserve the total mass and energy in the discrete sense. In our numerical analysis, besides the standard energy method, a “cut-off” function technique and a “lifting” technique are introduced to establish the optimal H1 error estimates without any restriction on the grid ratios. The convergence rate is proved to be of O(τ2 + h4) with the time step τ and mesh size h. In addition, a fast finite difference solver is designed to speed up the numerical computation of the proposed schemes. The numerical results are reported to verify the error estimates and conservation laws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanocrystalline silicon carbide films were deposited by thermal plasma chemical vapor deposition, with film growth rates on the order of 10 μm/min. Films were deposited on molybdenum substrates, with substrate temperature ranging from 750-1250 °C. The films are composed primarily of β-SiC nanocrystallites. Film mechanical properties were investigated by nanoindentation. As substrate temperature increased the average grain size, the crystalline fraction in the film, and the hardness all increased. For substrate temperatures above 1200 °C the average grain size equaled 10-20 nm, the crystalline fraction equaled 80-85 %, and the film hardness equaled approximately 50 GPa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP) is one of the most common food-borne diseases in the world. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and spa typing methods were used to characterize Staphylococcus aureus isolates from food surveillance during 2013–2015 in southwest China, and Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) typing was used for methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Isolates were also examined for their antibiotic resistance and carriage of virulence genes. Results: Isolation rate of S. aureus was 2.60% during the three years’ surveillance and 29.50% of them were MRSA. All the S. aureus had hla genes (100%), 14.34% of the strains had tst, and 16.73% had PVL. 163 PFGE-SmaI patterns, 41 ST types and 36 spa types were obtained for all the S. aureus. Among them, ST6-t701 (13.15%), ST7-t091 (12.75%), ST59-t437 (9.96%) and ST5-t002 (7.57%) were the prevalent genotypes. Most of MRSA in this study belonged to SCCmec IV and V, accounted for 74.32% and 20.27% respectively. ST6-SCCmec IV-t701 (36.50%) was the most prevalent clone among isolates from food, followed by ST59-SCCmec V-t437 (20.30%), ST5-SCCmec IV-t002 (12.20%) and ST59-SCCmec IV-t437 (12.20%). Some strains had the identical PFGE patterns, ST and spa types with isolates from patients. Conclusions: S. aureus isolated from food in southwest China displayed heterogeneity. Isolates had the same genotype profiles with isolates from patients, indicating high homology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]