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BackgroundPortal vein thrombosis (PVT) is a serious complication of liver cirrhosis (LC) and is closely related to gut homeostasis. The study aimed to investigate the composition of gut microbiota and its putative role in PVT development in LC.Methods33 patients with LC admitted between January 2022 and December 2022 were enrolled in this study. Based on imaging findings, they were categorized into LC without PVT (n = 21) and LC with PVT (n = 12) groups. Fecal samples were collected from each participant and underwent 16S rDNA sequencing.ResultsD-Dimer and platelet elevations were the main clinical features of LC with PVT. The alpha and beta diversity of the gut microbiota in LC with PVT group was found to be significantly higher compared to the control group. The structure of the gut microbiota was significantly different between the two groups. Based on LEfSe data, the genera Akkermansia, Eubacterium hallii group, Fusicatenibacter, and Anaerostipes were enriched in the LC with PVT, while Enterococcus, Weissella, Bacteroides, and Subdoligranulum were enriched in those of the LC subjects. Changes in microbiota structure result in significant differences in gut microbiota metabolism between the two groups. Altered levels of the microbiota genera were shown to be correlated with coagulation factor parameters. In animal experiments, the addition of Bacteroides reversed the CCl4-induced PVT.ConclusionLiver cirrhosis with PVT led to a disorder in the gut microbiota, which was characterized by an increase in pathogenic bacteria and a decrease in beneficial bacteria. Furthermore, modulating the gut microbiota, especially Bacteroides, may be a promising therapeutic approach to reduce the progression of PVT in LC.

Focusing on the investigation of a 3 MW wind-turbine gearbox, this paper’s aim is to address the challenge of turbine shutdown due to the internal oil temperature exceeding its limits. Additionally, there is the difficulty in measuring the internal temperature. To tackle these issues, a thermal network model for the entire gearbox was developed. This model is based on an analysis of the thermodynamic behavior of the three-stage transmission in the wind-turbine gearbox and internal oil-spray lubrication. Through this model, thermal balance equations were established to predict the steady-state temperatures under different operating conditions. This study delved into the calculation methods for the power loss of heat sources in thermodynamic balance equations and the calculation methods for different types of thermal resistance between nodes, forming an adapted computational process. Applying this model, simulated analyses yielded temperatures at various nodes and bearing temperatures under different operating conditions. These results were compared with actual SCADA data, and steady-state thermal simulations of the high-speed stages were conducted, demonstrating the model’s effectiveness in predicting steady-state temperatures for a large-megawatt wind-turbine gearbox. Furthermore, the model-based analysis explored the impact of the oil spray parameters on the gearbox temperature, providing a theoretical foundation for further anticipating overheating malfunctions and optimizing the internal cooling systems.

The Shuangjianzishan super-large Ag-Pb-Zn deposit is situated in the southern Great Xing’an Range (SGXR), which is part of the eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) and the northeastern Xing’an-Mongolia Orogenic Belt (XMOB). The host rock of this deposit is the Dashizhai Formation, characterized by a widely distributed, extremely thick slate in the Shuangjianzishan basin. Petrographically, the slate contains secondary minerals such as secondary quartz, biotite, sphalerite, pyrite, galena, and chalcopyrite, in addition to primary quartz, feldspar, and rock fragment. The whole-rock geochemical analysis indicates that the slate was deposited in an oxygen-deficient shale basin, influenced by calcium-rich volcanic ash and magmatic-hydrothermal fluids. The mineralogical characteristics of sulfide minerals and the in-situ sulfur isotopic composition of pyrites suggest that the sulfide minerals were likely formed before the primary metallogenic epoch, indicating pre-enrichment of metals. The color variation from black to green observed in the drilling core of the slate is attributed to differences in feldspar content, with the denser “black” slate marking the metallogenic horizon. Based on previous research, it is inferred that the slate is a product of the post-orogenic extensional tectonic setting of the XMOB in the Late Carboniferous, and it underwent alteration by epithermal magmatic-hydrothermal fluids during the Mesozoic metallogenic episode.

AIM: To determine whether Houttuynia cordata Thunb (HCT) can increase the survival of the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and inhibit microglia activation following retinal ischemia-reperfusion (RIR) injury. METHODS: Rat model of RIR was induced by transient elevation of the intraocular pressure (IOP). HCT was orally administered for 2d before the performance of retinal RIR model and once a day for the next 14d. After 14d of RIR injury, the rats were sacrificed for further analysis. Survival RGCs were stained with haematoxylin and eosin (H&E). Apoptosis of RGCs was detected by TUNEL staining. Retinal function was examined by flash-electroretinography (F-ERG). Retinal microglia were labeled using Iba-1, one specific marker for microglia. The mRNA expression levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) were assessed by quantitative real time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). RESULTS: Systemic HCT treatment significantly reduced RGCs death by H&E staining and exhibited an anti-apoptotic effect as assessed by TUNEL staining at day 14 after RIR injury. HCT greatly improved the retinal function as examined by F-ERG. The number of activated microglia significantly increased after RIR injury, which was significantly attenuated by HCT treatment. Besides, RIR injury induced a strong upregulation of pro-inflammatory genes TNFα, iNOS and IL-1β mRNAs at day 14 post injury, which was suppressed by HCT. CONCLUSION: Neuroprotective effects of HCT encourage the survival of RGCs through inhibiting microglia activation due to RIR injury. Together these results support the use of HCT as promising therapy for the ischemic events of the retina diseases.

In order to improve the service life of the needle roller bearing used in a precision cycloid reducer, and to reveal the skew and collision phenomenon of the needle roller bearing, based on the force analysis of the transmission mechanism of the cycloid reducer and considering the friction between the cycloid wheel, needle roller, cage, and crank shaft, the dynamic contact between the rolling bodies is simulated by the Hertz elastic contact, where the contact between the cage pocket hole and needle roller is equivalent to the spring and damping, and a nonlinear dynamic model of the needle roller bearing is established. The influence of different load and cage clearances on the deflection impact of the rotating needle roller bearing is calculated. The results show that the inclination of rollers is different under different pocket clearances, and the larger the pocket gap, the greater the fluctuation of the roller inclination angle; the action force of the crank shaft on the roller suppresses the deflection of the roller; the impact force of the roller on the cage has periodicity, which is consistent with the impact force of the crank shaft on the roller. The impact force of the cage is different under different loads, and the greater the load, the more rollers there are in the bearing area, the larger the impact force is, and the smaller the impact force of the rollers in the middle of the bearing zone is, compared with that of the rollers on the two sides; when the load is small, a pocket cage gap of 0.3 mm is selected, and when the load is heavy, a pocket cage gap of 0.2 mm is selected in order to make the bearing run more smoothly.

AIM: To identify the effect of Houttuynia cordata Thunb (HCT) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced microglial activation and investigate its possible molecular mechanisms. METHODS: The primary retinal microglial cells were cultured from the retinas of newborn Sprague-Dawley rats and exposed to LPS, and/or HCT with different concentrations. The survival ability of retinal microglia cells was tested by standard MTT method. BrdU cell proliferation assay was used to evaluate the proliferation of retinal microglia. Inflammatory factors in the culture supernatants, including TNF-α, iNOS and IL-1β, were measured using ELISA. Microglia cells’ migration was determined with Transwell migration assay. The total p38-MAPK and phosphorylation of p38-MAPK (p-p38-MAPK) were detected with Western blot. RESULTS: Primary retinal microglia in culture exposed to LPS to induce microglia activation. Pretreatment with HCT significantly inhibited the LPS-induced cell proliferation, but not the cell viability. LPS induced inflammatory reaction in microglia and cell migration. HCT significantly reduced LPS-stimulated release of pro-inflammatory factors and decreased the number of migrating cells substantially in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, the protein levels of p-p38 MAPK were identified as the up regulation and co-treatment with HCT obviously inhibited the upregulation of p-p38 MAPK, but had no effect on the levels of total p38-MAPK. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that HCT inhibits LPS-induced retinal microglial activation via suppression of the p-p38-MAPK. HCT may be used for the treatment of ocular diseases characterized by over-activated microglia.

Abstract As one type of promising inorganic–organic hybrid crystal material, metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted widespread attention in many potential fields, particularly in energy storage and conversion. Recently, effective strategies have been developed to construct uniform nanoscale MOFs (NMOFs), which not only retain inherent advantages of MOFs but also develop some improved superiorities, including shorter diffusion pathway for guest transportation and more accessible active sites for surface adsorption and reaction. Additonally, their nanometer size provides more opportunity for post‐functionalization and hybridization. In this review, recent progress on the preparation of NMOFs is summarized, primarily through bottom‐up strategies including reaction parameter‐ and coordination‐assisted synthesis, and top‐down strategies such as liquid exfoliation and salt‐template confinement. Additionally, recent applications of NMOFs in batteries as electrodes, separators, and electrolytes is discussed. Finally, some important issues concerning the fabrication and application are emphasized, which should be paid attention in future.

Background: Mesh exposure after surgery continues to be a clinical challenge for urogynecological surgeons. The purpose of this study was to explore the risk factors for polypropylene (PP) mesh exposure after transvaginal mesh (TVM) surgery. Methods: This study included 195 patients with advanced pelvic organ prolapse (POP), who underwent TVM from January 2004 to December 2012 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese PLA General Hospital. Clinical data were evaluated including patient's demography, TVM type, concomitant procedures, operation time, blood loss, postoperative morbidity, and mesh exposure. Mesh exposure was identified through postoperative vaginal examination. Statistical analysis was performed to identify risk factors for mesh exposure. Results: Two-hundred and nine transvaginal PP meshes were placed, including 194 in the anterior wall and 15 in the posterior wall. Concomitant tension-free vaginal tape was performed in 61 cases. The mean follow-up time was 35.1 ± 23.6 months. PP mesh exposure was identified in 32 cases (16.4%), with 31 in the anterior wall and 1 in the posterior wall. Significant difference was found in operating time and concomitant procedures between exposed and nonexposed groups (F = 7.443, P = 0.007; F = 4.307, P = 0.039, respectively). Binary logistic regression revealed that the number of concomitant procedures and operation time were risk factors for mesh exposure (P = 0.001, P = 0.043). Conclusion: Concomitant procedures and increased operating time increase the risk for postoperative mesh exposure in patients undergoing TVM surgery for POP.

We investigate the Schur harmonic convexity for two classes of symmetric functions and the Schur multiplicative convexity for a class of symmetric functions by using a new method and generalizing previous result. As applications, we establish some inequalities by use of the theory of majorization, in particular, and we give some new geometric inequalities in the n-dimensional space.

We aimed to develop new effective catalysts for the synthesis of propylene carbonate from propylene oxide and carbon dioxide. A kind of Mx+LClx coordination complex was fabricated based on the chelating tridentate ligand 2,6-bis[1-(phenylimino)ethyl] pyridine (L). The obtained products were characterized by elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. It was found that the catalytic activity of the complexes with different metal ions, the same ligand differed and co-catalyst, where the order of greatest to least catalytic activity was 2 > 3 > 1. The catalytic system composed of complex 2 and DMAP proved to have the better catalytic performance. The yields for complex 2 systems was 86.7% under the reaction conditions of 100 °C, 2.5 MPa, and 4 h. The TOF was 1026 h−1 under the reaction conditions of 200 °C, 2.5 MPa, and 1 h. We also explored the influence of time, pressure, temperature, and reaction substrate concentration on the catalytic reactions. A hypothetical catalytic reaction mechanism is proposed based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations and the catalytic reaction results.

Objective Tan lambs (n = 36, 3 mo old, 19.1±0.53 kg) were used to assess effects of dietary guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) and rumen-protected methionine (RPM) on growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality, and serum parameters. Methods Lambs were randomly assigned to three treatment groups, with 6 pens per group and 2 lambs per pen. Dietary treatments were: basal diet alone (I); basal diet supplemented with 0.08% GAA+0.06% RPM (II); and basal diet supplemented with 0.08% GAA+0.08% RPM (III). Diets were provided three times a day for 90 d. Intake per pen was recorded daily and individual lamb body weight (BW) was measured monthly. Carcass traits were measured after slaughter and meat quality at the end of the experiment, blood samples were taken on a subgroup of lambs for analysis of indicators mostly related to protein metabolism. Results Final BW and average daily gain for the first and second month, and for the entire experiment were greater in Treatment II compared to Treatment I (p