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Background: Modeling brain stimulation at the microscopic scale may reveal new paradigms for various stimulation modalities. Objective: We present the largest map to date of extracellular electric field distributions within a layer L2/L3 mouse primary visual cortex brain sample. This was enabled by the automated analysis of serial section electron microscopy images with improved handling of image defects, covering a volume of 250 × 140 × 90 μm³. Methods: The map was obtained by applying a uniform brain stimulation electric field at three different polarizations and accurately computing microscopic field perturbations using the boundary element fast multipole method. We used the map to identify the effect of microscopic field perturbations on the activation thresholds of individual neurons. Previous relevant studies modeled a macroscopically homogeneous cortical volume. Result: Our result shows that the microscopic field perturbations – an ‘electric field spatial noise’ with a mean value of zero – only modestly influence the macroscopically predicted stimulation field strengths necessary for neuronal activation. The thresholds do not change by more than 10 % on average. Conclusion: Under the stated limitations and assumptions of our method, this result essentially justifies the conventional theory of ''invisible'' neurons embedded in a macroscopic brain model for transcranial magnetic and transcranial electrical stimulation. However, our result is solely sample-specific and is only relevant to this relatively small sample with 396 neurons. It largely neglects the effect of the microcapillary network. Furthermore, we only considered the uniform impressed field and a single-pulse stimulation time course.

Abstract The excessive release of reactive oxygen species (ROS) after myocardial infarction (MI) disrupts the natural healing process, leading to cardiac fibrosis and compromising patient prognosis. However, the clinical application of many antioxidant drugs for MI treatment is hindered by their poor antioxidant efficacy and inability to specifically target the heart. Here we developed a tannic acid-modified MnO2 nanozyme (named MnO2@TA), which can achieve cardiac targeting to inhibit post-MI fibrosis and enhance cardiac function. Specifically, the MnO2@TA nanozyme, endowed with superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities, effectively scavenges ROS, suppressing fibroblast activation and mitigating cardiac fibrosis without affecting cardiac repair. Notably, the incorporation of TA improves the nanozyme’s affinity for the elastin and collagen-rich extracellular matrix in cardiac tissues, significantly increasing its retention and uptake within the heart and thereby enhancing its anti-fibrotic efficacy. In a murine myocardial infarction model, MnO2@TA demonstrates remarkable cardiac protection and safety, significantly improving cardiac function while attenuating cardiac fibrosis. This study presents a valuable reference for clinical research aimed at inhibiting cardiac fibrosis and advancing myocardial infarction treatments. Graphical Abstract

Abstract Aortic dissection (AD) poses a significant threat to cardiovascular health globally, yet its underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Smooth muscle cells death and phenotypic switching are critically important pathological processes in AD. Currently, no pharmacological therapies have proven effective in managing AD. This study aims to elucidate the involvement of ferroptosis in AD progression and explore ferroptosis inhibition as a potential therapeutic approach for AD management. Elevated expression of ferroptosis markers (HMOX1, ACSL4, and 4-HNE) was observed in AD patients and β-Aminopropionitrile (BAPN)-induced mice. In vivo administration of silibinin (SIL) attenuated aortic dilation, inflammation, mitochondrial injury, and ferroptosis. SIL treatment enhanced cell viability and mitochondrial function while reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and mitigating ferroptosis in primary human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) induced by RSL3 or IKE. Mechanistically, RNA-sequencing analysis identified dysregulation of iron homeostasis and endoplasmic reticulum stress, which were modulated by SIL. Molecular docking, cellular thermal shift assay, drug affinity responsive target stability, and surface plasmon resonance analysis confirmed HMOX1 as a direct target of SIL, highlighting its role in modulating iron homeostasis. Moreover, NCT-502, a PHGDH inhibitor, reversed the protective effect of SIL in RSL3-induced HASMCs. Conversely, 4-PBA and ZnPP demonstrate a facilitative role. This suggests that SIL plays a crucial role in ferroptosis development by modulating iron homeostasis and endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated serine biosynthesis, both in vitro and in vivo. Iron homeostasis and endoplasmic reticulum stress of HASMCs drive the development of aortic dissection. These findings unveil a novel role of SIL in mitigating ferroptosis in HASMCs, offering a promising therapeutic avenue for treating AD.

With the gradual use of packaging boxes for potato storage, the influence of different stacking methods on the storage effect of potatoes was studied. This study used direct computational fluid dynamics numerical methods to simulate the models of potatoes in packaging boxes under different stacking forms. By comparing and analyzing the gas velocity and temperature distribution uniformity in various stacking forms, the impact on the storage effect was analyzed, and the optimal stacking method was determined. The results showed that the gas velocity in the intermediate layer of the packaging box was relatively high, resulting in a lower temperature of the potatoes. The gas velocity in the other planes was lower, and the temperature of the potatoes was higher than that in the intermediate layer but with a more uniform distribution. After 300 minutes of ventilation, the temperature of the potatoes in the packaging box decreased to 3~5 ℃, meeting the expected requirements and demonstrating good ventilation effects. For different stacking patterns, when arranged in a staggered pattern, the maximum gas flow velocity on the upper and lower planes was 2.5 times the minimum value, and the maximum temperature difference was 0.2 °C. On the middle plane, the maximum gas flow velocity was 4.8 times the minimum value, with a difference of about 2.85 m/s, and the gas flow velocity inside the bin was uniform, with a good cooling effect. For the storage of boxed potatoes, the staggered arrangement stacking method should be prioritized to achieve better storage results.

A fast BEM (boundary element method) based approach is developed to solve an EEG/MEG forward problem for a modern high-resolution head model. The method utilizes a charge-based BEM accelerated by the fast multipole method (BEM-FMM) with an adaptive mesh pre-refinement method (called b-refinement) close to the singular dipole source(s). No costly matrix-filling or direct solution steps typical for the standard BEM are required; the method generates on-skin voltages as well as MEG magnetic fields for high-resolution head models within 90 s after initial model assembly using a regular workstation. The forward method is validated by comparison against an analytical solution on a spherical shell model as well as comparison against a full h-refinement method on realistic 1M facet human head models, both of which yield agreement to within 5 % for the EEG skin potential and MEG magnetic fields. The method is further applied to an EEG source localization (inverse) problem for real human data, and a reasonable source dipole distribution is found.

Coastal wetlands are the main distribution of blue carbon in coastal zones and well known for their high carbon sequestration capacity. Investigating the variation of carbon budget is crucial for understanding the functionality of coastal wetlands and effectively addressing climate change. In this study, a bibliometric analysis of 4,509 articles was conducted to reveal research progress, hot issues, and emerging trends in the coastal wetland carbon budget field. The number of publications and citations in this field increased exponentially from 1991 to 2022. The leading subject category was Environmental Sciences with 1,844 articles (40.9%). At present, studies have been focused on blue carbon, the effects of climate change and man-made disturbances on carbon cycle, and the restoration of coastal wetlands. Based on the hotspots and trends in this field, the future researches should include (1) exploring the functional mechanisms of various factors affecting carbon cycle and establishing a methodological system for the estimation of blue carbon in coastal wetlands; (2) researching restoration techniques of coastal wetland and constructing wetland restoration evaluation index system; and (3) formulating enforceable carbon trading policy and strengthening international cooperation. HIGHLIGHTS Bibliometric analysis of the carbon budget of coastal wetlands was conducted.; The number of publications and citations increased exponentially from 1991 to 2022.; Research hotspots of coastal wetlands shifted from greenhouse gases to blue carbon.; More attention should be paid to restoration techniques of coastal wetlands.;

This work investigates the impact of C-class solar flare events (XRA) on ionospheric and low-frequency signal propagation by analyzing the maximum correlation lag time, correlation, and Granger causality between low-frequency time-code signal strength and XRA. The results show that within the lag interval of (−5, 5) minutes, XRA exhibits the highest correlation and causality with signal strength, supporting the theory of a rapid ionospheric response and early warning to XRA. The correlation coefficient increases significantly with flare intensity, indicating that XRA has both linear and nonlinear dual effects on the disturbance of low-frequency signal propagation paths. Granger causality tests further confirm that XRA events have an immediate and sustained direct impact on signal strength. These findings provide a basis for understanding the disturbance mechanism of solar activity on the Earth’s ionosphere and support the use of low-frequency signals in space weather forecasting.

Abstract Pitting corrosion in seawater is one of the most difficult forms of corrosion to identify and control. A workhorse material for marine applications, 316L stainless steel (316L SS) is known to balance resistance to pitting with good mechanical properties. The advent of additive manufacturing (AM), particularly laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), has prompted numerous microstructural and mechanical investigations of LPBF 316L SS; however, the origins of pitting corrosion on as-built surfaces is unknown, despite their utmost importance for certification of LPBF 316L SS prior to fielding. Here, we show that Mn-rich silicate slags are responsible for pitting of the as-built LPBF material in sodium chloride due to their introduction of deleterious defects such as cracks or surface oxide heterogeneities. In addition, we explain how slags are formed in the liquid metal and deposited at the as-built surfaces using high-fidelity melt pool simulations. Our work uncovers how LPBF changes surface oxides due to rapid solidification and high-temperature oxidation, leading to fundamentally different pitting corrosion mechanisms.

Low-Frequency Time Code time service technology, as an important means of ground-based radio time dissemination, can be divided into ground wave zone and sky wave zone according to different receiving and transmitting distances. Ground waves travel primarily along the Earth’s surface, while sky waves propagate over long distances by reflecting off the ionosphere. This paper utilizes the raw observation data received by the Low-Frequency Time Code dissemination monitoring stations before and after the 6.8 magnitude earthquake in Luding, Sichuan, China on 5 September 2022. A Low-Frequency Time Code time service monitoring system was built in Xi’an to continuously monitor the 68.5 kHz time signal broadcast by the BPC station. The data was then processed and analyzed through visualization. Simultaneously, we analyzed the signal fluctuation for multiple days before and after the earthquake to see the changes in the Low-Frequency Time Code signal during the earthquake. By combining seismic activity, solar activity, and geomagnetic data, this study aims to explore the causes and patterns of signal parameter variations. The results show that the field strength of the Low-Frequency Time Code signal fluctuated significantly within a short period during the earthquake. The value began to decrease about 60 min before the earthquake, dropping by approximately 8.9 dBμV/m, and gradually recovered 2 h after the earthquake. The phase also mutated by 1.36 μs at the time of the earthquake, and the time deviation fluctuated greatly compared to the 2 days before and after. Earthquake occurrences influence ionospheric variations, leading to changes in the sky wave propagation of Low-Frequency Time Code signals. Analysis of the influence of earthquakes on the propagation of Low-Frequency Time Code signals can provide references for research on Low-Frequency Time Code signal propagation models and earthquake prediction.

As the eLoran signal propagates, its strength gradually diminishes with increasing distance, making subsequent signal capture and terminal development challenging. To address this phenomenon, this paper proposes an improved method based on wavelet hard thresholding. This method applies hierarchical processing to the coefficients obtained after wavelet decomposition, based on the signal’s center frequency. It effectively addresses issues like the disappearance of trailing edges and the presence of the noise with large coefficients. Simulation results show that the improved method has the largest output signal-to-noise ratio and effectively improves the problem of tailing vanishing and eliminates the noise with large coefficients. In analog source signal testing, the results show that the method can extract signals of 30 dBμv/m and above well. In actual signal testing, the improved method can extract eLoran signals transmitted over a distance of approximately 1000 km. Based on the results, it can be deduced that the input signal-to-noise ratio is −28.8 dB. Therefore, this method is a suitable and effective solution for extracting weak eLoran signals, providing strong support for signal monitoring in areas at the coverage boundaries of eLoran signals.

BackgroundAortic aneurysm is a chronic arterial disease that can lead to aortic rupture, causing severe complications and life-threatening risks for patients, and it is one of the common causes of death among the elderly. Increasing evidence suggests that inflammation plays an important role in the progression of aortic aneurysm. However, there is a lack of literature-based quantitative analysis in this field.MethodsUp to March 30, 2023, we collected 3,993 articles related to aortic aneurysm and inflammation from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database for bibliometric analysis. The collected literature data were subjected to visual analysis of regional distribution, institutions, authors, keywords, and other information using tools such as CiteSpace, VOSviewer, the R package “bibliometric,” and online platforms.ResultsThe number of publications in this research field has been steadily increasing each year, with the United States and China being the main contributing countries. Harvard University in the United States emerged as the most active and influential research institution in this field. Jonathan Golledge and Peter Libby were identified as the authors with the highest publication output and academic impact, respectively. Researchers in this field tend to publish their findings in influential journals such as the Journal of Vascular Surgery and Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology. “Abdominal aortic aneurysm,” “giant cell arteritis,” “arterial stiffness,” and “smooth muscle cells” were identified as the hottest topics in the field of aortic aneurysm and inflammation. In terms of keyword co-occurrence analysis, “Clinical relevant studies of AA“ (red), “Inflammatory activation” (green), “Inflammatory mechanisms related to pathogenesis” (dark blue), “Cytokines” (yellow), “Risk factors” (purple), and “Pathological changes in vascular wall” (cyan) formed the major research framework in this field. “Inflammation-related pathogenesis” and “inflammation activation” have emerged as recent hot research directions, with “monocytes,” “progression,” and “proliferation” being the prominent topics.ConclusionThis study provides a comprehensive analysis of the knowledge network framework and research hotspots in the field of aortic aneurysm and inflammation through a literature-based quantitative approach. It offers valuable insights to guide scholars in identifying meaningful research directions in this field.

Objective: This study evaluated the reno-protective effects of quercetin in animal models of acute kidney injury (AKI).Methods: We conducted a systematic search of literature published before April 2023 in PubMed, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases. Methodological quality was assessed by SYRCLE’s RoB tool. Funnel plot, Egger’s test, and Begg’s test were used to determine publication bias.Results: A total of 19 studies with 288 animals were included in this meta-analysis. The methodology quality scores of the included studies ranged from 4 to 7. The results indicated that quercetin reduced blood urea nitrogen (SMD = −4.78; 95% CI: 6.45, −3.12; p < 0.01; I2 = 84%) and serum creatinine (SMD: 2.73, 95% CI: 3.66, −1.80; p < 0.01; I2 = 80%) in AKI models. The result of sensitivity analysis was stable, while the results of funnel plot indicated asymmetric. In addition, we further analyzed inflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress levels, and kidney injury scores, and found that quercetin treatment had antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and improved kidney injury scores in animal models of AKI.Conclusion: Quercetin exhibited a promising reno-protective effect in AKI animal models.Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO (CRD42023433333).

Disuse muscle atrophy (DMA) is a significant healthcare challenge characterized by progressive loss of muscle mass and function resulting from prolonged inactivity. The development of effective strategies for muscle recovery is essential. In this study, we established a DMA mouse model through hindlimb suspension to evaluate the therapeutic potential of lactate in alleviating the detrimental effects on the gastrocnemius muscle. Using NMR-based metabolomic analysis, we investigated the metabolic changes in DMA-injured gastrocnemius muscles compared to controls and evaluated the beneficial effects of lactate treatment. Our results show that lactate significantly reduced muscle mass loss and improved muscle function by downregulating Murf1 expression, decreasing protein ubiquitination and hydrolysis, and increasing myosin heavy chain levels. Crucially, lactate corrected perturbations in four key metabolic pathways in the DMA gastrocnemius: the biosynthesis of phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan; phenylalanine metabolism; histidine metabolism; and arginine and proline metabolism. In addition to phenylalanine-related pathways, lactate also plays a role in regulating branched-chain amino acid metabolism and energy metabolism. Notably, lactate treatment normalized the levels of eight essential metabolites in DMA mice, underscoring its potential as a therapeutic agent against the consequences of prolonged inactivity and muscle wasting. This study not only advances our understanding of the therapeutic benefits of lactate but also provides a foundation for novel treatment approaches aimed at metabolic restoration and muscle recovery in conditions of muscle wasting.

No current RNA-targeted interference tools have been reported to simultaneously up and down-regulate different gene expressions. Here we characterized an RNA-targeted genetic regulatory strategy composed of a flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1) and specific mis-hairpin DNA probes (mis-hpDNA), to realize the orthogonal genetic regulation. By targeting mRNA, the strategy hindered the translation and silenced genes in human cells with efficiencies of ~60%. By targeting miRNA, the strategy prevented the combination of miRNA to its specific mRNA and increased this mRNA expression by about 3-folds. In combination, we simultaneously performed CXCR4 gene knock-down (~50%) and EGFR gene activation (1.5-folds) in human cells. Although the functional property can be further improved, this RNA-targeted orthogonal genetic regulating strategy is complementary to classical tools.

Background: Acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) is life-threatening and needs urgent and highly invasive surgery. So far, there is no comprehensive review of the status quo of ATAAD studies. Therefore, this study aimed to quantify and identify the global trends of ATAAD research over the past two decades through bibliometric analysis and to provide reference for clinical practice, research funding allocation, and decision-making. Methods: The original research articles and reviews related to ATAAD research were downloaded from the Web of Science Core Collection on March 19, 2023. CiteSpace (6.2.1) and VOSviewer (1.6.18) were used for bibliometric analysis of the number of publications by each country, institution, and authors and the establishment of knowledge maps. The raw data collected were examined using the Online Analysis Platform of Bibliometric to assess the collaboration of countries in the field. Results: The number of documents on ATAAD research increased continuously. A total of 1,943 publications published from 2002 to 2022 from 66 countries/regions were identified: 637 (32.78%) were conducted in China and 360 (18.53%) in the United States; 152 (cited frequency 941) were conducted by Capital Medical University and 107 (cited frequency 370) by Fujian Medical University. The Journal of Cardiac Surgery was the most frequently published journal (143 publications, cited frequency 695). The highest citation and co-cited journal was the Annals of Thoracic Surgery (cited frequency 3,888, co-cited frequency 6,224). We identified 8,050 authors among which Lizhong Sun (61 publications, cited frequency 721) had the largest number of publications, and Nienaber Christoph A (cited frequency 1,536, co-cited frequency 392) was co-cited most often. Meanwhile, the most common keywords were acute type A aortic dissection (occurrences, 1,211), surgery (occurrences, 657), repair (occurrences, 404), and management (occurrences, 386). The earliest and latest used keywords were “axillary artery” (average publication year: 2011.23) and “inflammation” (average publication year: 2019.09), respectively. The keyword “surgical treatment” (strength 12.31) and the co-cited reference “Evangelista A, 2018, Circulation” (strength 28.55) had the highest citation bursts. The keywords “impact” and “acute kidney injury” remained high citation bursts. The co-cited references with the largest and smallest size clusters were “cerebral protection” (#0, size = 126) and “pregnancy” (#12, size = 11). The reference “Hagan PG, 2000, JAMA” (cited frequency, 350) had the highest co-citations. Conclusions: The bibliometric and visualized analysis generated objective evidence for a comprehensive understanding and evaluation of ATAAD research.

Summary Numerous viral outbreaks have threatened us throughout history. Here, we demonstrated a nucleic acid‐based antiviral strategy named AntiV‐SGN. Unlike those CRISPR‐mediated methods, AntiV‐SGN has advantages of no targets' sequence limitation, such as protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) or protospacer flanking sequence (PFS), being universal for both DNA and RNA viruses. AntiV‐SGN was composed of a FEN1 protein and specific hpDNAs targeting viruses' nucleic acid. Its antiviral ability was tested on SARS‐CoV‐2 and HBV respectively. Reporter assays in human cells first illustrated the feasibility of AntiV‐SGN. Then, it was verified that AntiV‐SGN destroyed about 50% of live RNAs of SARS‐CoV‐2 in Vero cells and 90% cccDNA of HBV in HepG2.2.15 cells. It was also able to remove viral DNA integrated into the host's genome. In the mouse model, AntiV‐SGN can be used to significantly reduce HBV expression at a level of 90%. Actually, in some cases, when viruses mutate to eliminate PAM/PFS or hosts were infected by both DNA and RNA viruses, AntiV‐SGN could be a choice. Collectively, this study provided a proof‐of‐concept antiviral strategy of AntiV‐SGN, which has potential clinical value for targeting a wide variety of human pathogens, both known and newly identified.

The relationship between structure and performance in alkaline Zn batteries is undeniable, where anode utilization, dendrite formation, shape change, and passivation issues are all addressable through anode morphology. While tailoring 3D hosts can improve the electrode performance, these practices are inherently limited by scaffolds that increase the mass or volume. Herein, a direct write strategy for producing template‐free metallic 3D Zn electrode architectures is discussed. Concentrated inks are customized to build designs with low electrical resistivity (5 × 10−4 Ω cm), submillimeter sizes (200 μm filaments), and high mechanical stability (Young's modulus of 0.1–0.5 GPa at relative densities of 0.28–0.46). A printed Zn lattice anode versus NiOOH cathode with an alkaline polymer gel electrolyte is then demonstrated. This Zn||NiOOH cell operates for over 650 cycles at high rates of 25 mA cm−2 with an average areal capacity of 11.89 mAh cm−2, a cumulative capacity of 7.8 Ah cm−2, and a volumetric capacity of 23.78 mAh cm−3. A thicker Zn anode achieves an ultrahigh areal capacity of 85.45 mAh cm−2 and a volumetric capacity of 81.45 mAh cm−3 without significant microstructural changes after 50 cycles.

This paper analyzes the deformation responses of single-cylinder and four-cylinder suction pile foundations in soft clay under horizontal cyclic loading. Based on the existing stiffness degradation model of soft clay, a more suitable model for marine soft clay is proposed by carrying out dynamic triaxial experiments under different stress levels. The stiffness degradation and cumulative displacement of soil under cyclic loading are implemented in ABAQUS by compiling a USDFLD subroutine. The rationality is verified by comparison with the displacement response of the pile measured by the centrifugal model test and the scaled model test reported in the literature. With the aid of the current model, the stress state and deformation of suction pile foundations under horizontal cyclic load are further analyzed. The numerical results reveal the path of soil stiffness degradation and the deformation response of foundations during horizontal cycling. The cumulative displacement generated by the cyclic load is quantitatively displayed. It is proved that this model has the capability to reflect the cumulative displacement under cyclic loading and shows promise in analyzing the long-term deformation response of offshore foundations.

Three redox-sensitive nanocarriers were rationally designed based on amphiphilic low molecular weight chitosan-cystamine-octylamine/dodecylamin/cetylamine (LC-Cys-OA, LC-Cys-DA, LC-Cys-CA) conjugates containing disulfide linkage for maximizing therapeutic effect by regulating hydrophobic interaction. The resultant spherical micelles had the characteristics of low CMC, suitable size, excellent biosafety and desired stability. The drug-loaded micelles were fabricated by embedding doxorubicin (Dox) into the hydrophobic cores. The effect of hydrophobic chain lengths of amphiphilic conjugates on encapsulation capacity, redox sensitivity, trigger-release behavior, cellular uptake efficacy, antitumor effect and antimigratory activity of Dox-loaded micelles was systematically investigated. Studies found that Dox-loaded LC-Cys-CA micelle had superior loading capacity and enhanced redox sensitivity compared with the other two micelles. Release assay indicated that the three Dox-loaded micelles maintained sufficiently stability in normal blood circulation but rapidly disintegrated in tumor cells. More importantly, the LC-Cys-CA micelle with a longer hydrophobic chain length exhibited a higher accumulative Dox release percentage than the other two micelles. Additionally, an increase in hydrophobic chain lengths of amphiphilic conjugates improved cellular uptake efficiency, antitumor effect and antimigration activity of Dox-loaded micelles, which could be explained by enhanced loading ability and redox sensitivity. Our research was expected to provide a viable platform for achieving a desired therapeutic efficacy via the alteration of hydrophobic interaction.

To provide reference for technical feasibility and process setting of physical cold disinfection of salad dressing, the commercial salad dressing was irradiated by electron beam at different doses of 0 kGy,1 kGy and 2 kGy. The disinfection effect of electron beam irradiation on salad dressing and the changes in terms of microorganism, color, texture, flavor, stability of irradiated salad dressing after storing for 40 days at room temperature were studied. The results showed that, electron beam irradiation had a good disinfection effect on Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, the aerobic plate count, molds and yeasts of salad dressing. 1 kGy irradiation could reduce pathogenic bacteria by 3 log to 6 log, with no aerobic plate count, molds and yeasts found. After 40 days storage at room temperature, sensory evaluation showed that electron beam irradiation at 1 kGy had no significant effect on the color, texture, aroma and taste of salad dressing. There was no obvious difference in the results of electronic nose analysis, texture parameters and centrifugal resolution rate, but the taste score of 2 kGy irradiation was significantly lower than that of non-irradiation and 1 kGy irradiation. Significant difference of texture parameters was found between 2 kGy irradiation, non-irradiation, and 1 kGy irradiation. Therefore, we conclude electron beam irradiation can effectively control the pathogenic bacteria in salad dressing. The electron beam irradiation at doses of 1 kGy has no obvious undesirable effect on the color, texture, flavor, stability of the salad dressing, which could be used as a disinfection method for salad dressing.

Abstract The contribution of intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES) to the global carbon cycle has largely been overlooked. Flood events can impact hydrological processes, carbon (C) transport, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This study monitored river flow and sediment concentrations in an intermittent river during a flood event. Water samples were measured for water quality factors and C transport indices. CO2 partial pressure (pCO2) and CO2 flux (FCO2) were also analyzed. Remote sensing data were used to analyze soil erosion in the basin. Results indicate that the total sediment load from the flood was approximately 5503.1 t, with sediment concentrations showing a direct relationship with flow discharge. By completing a hysteresis loop and soil erosion level analysis, soil erosion from the river source and runoff surface scour were found to be the primary sources of sediment. The flood significantly increased particulate organic carbon and decreased dissolved organic carbon. During the flood, pCO2 ranged between 669 and 1229 ppm, indicating that the IRES served as a carbon source, with pH and total dissolved solids being the main influencing factors. The FCO2 varied between 20.16 and 568.33 mg m−2 h−1 and revealed a significant positive correlation with pCO2. After the flood ended, CO2 emissions increased and remained high for a long time. The study findings have substantial implications for IRES responses to extreme flood events, which are predicted to increase in intensity under climate change.

Objective: To delineate the mortality trends of malignant tumors, heart disease and cerebrovascular disease in China.Methods: The crude mortality from 2003 to 2019 was derived from the China Health Statistical Yearbook, and the mortality rates were analyzed through joinpoint regression supplemented by descriptive statistics and χ2 tests.Results: The fitting model of age-standardized mortality due to malignant tumors showed three joinpoints. The APCs from 2003 to 2005, 2005–2008, 2008–2012 and 2012–2019 were −11.00%, 9.63%, −4.67% and −1.40%, respectively, and the AAPC was −1.54%. The mortality rate of cerebrovascular disease consistently decreased (APC = AAPC = −0.98%). In the subgroup analyses, significant differences were observed between sexes and regions. The mortality rate of heart disease among rural females exhibited an upward trend (APC = AAPC = 2.33%). Older adults aged over 75 years had the highest mortality rates and the most drastic change.Conclusion: The three diseases had variable change trends. The government should focus more on policies that promote the equalization of basic public health services. Continuous education on heart disease, which includes not only beneficial behaviors but also knowledge of first aid, should be strengthened for rural females.

We report on integrating ultrathin monolithic nanoporous gold (npAu) catalyst coatings for CO2 reduction in a large electrode area (25 cm2) electrochemical membrane reactor with gas diffusion electrodes at 100 mA/cm2. The CO Faraday efficiency increases with increasing thickness, from 65% to 75% and 80% for 1, 5, and 10 layers of npAu leaves where each npAu leaf layer is 100 nm thick. For the one npAu leaf layer configuration, this corresponds to an extremely high CO current density of 955 A/g gold thus demonstrating the potential for commercial applications.

Abstract We have studied optical properties of single-layer and multi-fold nanoporous gold leaf (NPGL) metamaterials and observed highly unusual transmission spectra composed of two well-resolved peaks. We explain this phenomenon in terms of a surface plasmon absorption band positioned on the top of a broader transmission band, the latter being characteristic of both homogeneous “solid” and inhomogeneous “diluted” Au films. The transmission spectra of NPGL metamaterials were shown to be controlled by external dielectric environments, e.g. water and applied voltage in an electrochemical cell. This paves the road to numerous functionalities of the studied tunable and active metamaterials, including control of spontaneous emission, energy transfer and many others.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil inorganic carbon (SIC) are key components of the global wetland soil carbon pool, which plays a crucial role in carbon cycling. However, research on carbon storage in riparian wetland soils, especially in inland steppe river environments impacted by human activities, is relatively scarce. Thus, we evaluated the SOC and SIC distributions and storage in riparian wetland soils under the pressure of human activities in the Xilin River Basin (XRB). We collected surface and profile soil samples, determined the SOC and SIC contents, aboveground biomass, and soil physicochemical properties, and calculated the SOC and SIC storage (SOCs and SICs) values. The surface soil SOC content decreased substantially from the upstream to the downstream zones (mean value range: 76.30–3.18 g/kg), and the SIC content showed the opposite trend (mean value range: 0.08–34.38 g/kg). The SIC content of the riparian wetlands along the permanently flowing stretch of river was much lower than that in the wetlands along the intermittently flowing stretch. In the XRB, the SOCs was primarily affected by vegetation coverage, soil water content, and soil pH, whereas the SICs was greatly affected by soil texture. A dry lake zone was markedly affected by wetland degradation, indicating a potential increase in the decomposition rate of the surface soil SOC; however, the SOC in the deep soils was relatively stable. The high SIC content most likely resulted from weathering, resuspension, and carbonate rock reprecipitation. Compared to different steppe grassland types, riparian wetlands appear to be potential hotspots of SOCs and SICs in the Inner Mongolian region. Riparian wetland SOCs in the upstream zones was substantially greater than in adjacent terrestrial locations. However, the SOCs in the downstream wetlands was similar to that in the grasslands. Under the impact of human activities, the water and soil environments in the downstream zone of the Xilin River were substantially modified, leading to severe wetland degradation, which most likely caused the carbon storage function of the riparian wetlands to weaken and carbon loss to accelerate. The mean SOCs in the riparian wetland soils decreased from 33.3 kg/m2 in the upstream area to 16.2 kg/m2 downstream, and the mean SICs increased from 2.3 kg/m2 to 34.6 kg/m2. Therefore, urgent measures are needed to restore the carbon sink function of river wetlands for long-term climate change mitigation.

Abstract A rich variety of smart materials developed via supramolecular assembly strategies have been introduced in the past decades. However, most materials reside in the thermodynamic equilibrium state, opposed to those nonequilibrium structures with sophisticated functions that are observed in living systems. To develop advanced synthetic systems, chemists have begun to focus on how to use strategies similar to those used in biological systems for fabricating artificial out‐of‐equilibrium systems. Heretofore, a rich variety of artificial out‐of‐equilibrium systems have been developed. In this review, we have summarized the recent progress of artificial out‐of‐equilibrium systems and categorized them in terms of the chemical fuel used, including adenosine triphosphate (ATP), acid/base, carbodiimide reagents, and many others. For these self‐assembling systems, their design strategies, potential applications, as well as advantageous features have been discussed. At the end of this review, the remaining challenges and an outlook of the chemical‐fuel‐driven out‐of‐equilibrium systems were also discussed. It is believed that this review has provided some insights and could be useful for those who are interested in the out‐of‐equilibrium supramolecular assembling systems and their subsequent constructing strategies for various transient materials.

The Yellow River Delta, with the most typical new wetland system in warm temperate zone of China, is suffering from increasingly serious salinization. The purpose of this study is to utilize five typical surface parameters, including Albedo (the surface Albedo), NDVI (vegetation index), SI (salinity index),WI (humidity index), and (Iron oxide index), to construct 10 different feature spaces and, then, propose two different kinds of monitoring models (point-to-point model and point to line model) of soil salinization. The results showed that the inversion accuracy of the feature space detection index based on the point-to-point model was the highest with R2=0.86. However, the inversion accuracy of Albedo-NDVI feature space detection index based on the point-to-point model is the lowest with R2=0.72. This is due to the fact that NDVI is not sensitive enough to indicate the status of vegetation grown in the region with low (disturbance of soil background) and high (influenced by the saturation effect) vegetation coverage. The chemical weathering is also a primary cause of soil salinization, during which Fe2O3 is formed by the reaction of oxygen present in the atmosphere with primary Fe2+ minerals in the soil .Therefore, the feature space detection index based on the point-to-point model has a stronger applicability to monitor the information of soil salinization in the Yellow River Delta. This above point-to-point detection model can be utilized as a better approach to provide data and decision support for the development of agriculture, construction of reservoirs, and protection of natural ecological system in the Yellow River Delta.

Background: Myocardial fibrosis is a key pathological process after myocardial infarction, which leads to poor outcomes in patients at the end stage. Effective treatments for improving prognosis of myocardial fibrosis are needed to be further developed. Methyl ferulic acid (MFA), a biologically active monomer extracted and purified from the Chinese herbal medicine, is reported as an attenuator in many diseases. In this study, we aim to reveal the role it plays in myocardial fibrosis after myocardial infarction and its possible mechanism.Results: Firstly, we found that MFA attenuated the expression of fibrosis-related proteins and the ability of migration and proliferation in TGF-β1–induced human cardiac fibroblasts (HCFs). Then, myocardial fibrosis after myocardial infarction models on mouse was built to reveal the in vivo affection of MFA. After 28 days of treatments, fibrosis areas, cardiac function, and expression of fibrosis-related proteins were all improved in the MFA-treated group than the myocardial infarction group. Finally, to elucidate the mechanism of phenomenon we observed, we found that MFA attenuated HCF differentiation after myocardial infarction by suppressing the migration and proliferation in HCFs, which was by suppressing the pRB-E2F1/CCNE2 and the RhoA/ROCK2 pathway.Conclusion: Our findings showed that MFA attenuated the expression of fibrosis-related proteins, and the ability of migration and proliferation in HCFs improved the cardiac function of myocardial infarction mice; meanwhile, the mechanism of that was by suppressing the pRB-E2F1/CCNE2 and the RhoA/ROCK2 pathway.

Septic cardiomyopathy is a common complication of severe sepsis, which is one of the leading causes of death in intensive care units. Therefore, finding an effective therapy target is urgent. Neferine is an alkaloid extracted from the green embryos of mature seeds of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn., which has been reported to exhibit various biological activities and pharmacological properties. This study aims to explore the protective effects of neferine against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced myocardial dysfunction and its mechanisms. The LPS-induced cardiac dysfunction mouse model was employed to investigate the protective effects of neferine. In this study, we demonstrated that neferine remarkably improved cardiac function and survival rate and ameliorated morphological damage to heart tissue in LPS-induced mice. Neferine also improved cell viability and mitochondrial function and reduced cell apoptosis and the production of reactive oxygen species in LPS-treated H9c2 cells. In addition, neferine significantly upregulated Bcl-2 expression and suppressed cleaved caspase 3 activity in LPS-induced mouse heart tissue and H9c2 cells. Furthermore, neferine also upregulated the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mechanistic target of rapamycin (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) signaling pathway in vivo and in vitro. Conversely, LY294002 (a PI3K inhibitor) reversed the protective effect of neferine in LPS-induced H9c2 cells. Our findings thus demonstrate that neferine ameliorates LPS-induced cardiac dysfunction by activating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and presents a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of LPS-induced cardiac dysfunction.

Verbena officinalis is one kind of traditional medical herb which has potential for multiple diseases’ treatment. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome sequence of V. officinalis was assembled. Its complete circular chloroplast DNA length was 153,491 bp. The genome was made up of a large single-copy region of 84,518 bp, a small single-copy region of 17,357 bp, and a pair of inverted repeat regions of 25,808 bp. The genome totally encoded 128 genes, containing 83 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that V. officinalis belongs to the verbenaceae family.

Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) maintains intestinal homeostasis by restricting its hyperproliferation but whether it directly regulates the stem cells is unknown. Here the authors show that BMP constrains the Lgr5+stem cell expansion under both homeostatic and injury conditions through Smad-mediated repression of stem cell signature genes.

Due to the short duration, high intensity and sudden intensity of torrential rain, mountain torrents are easily formed in the northern hilly area.The distributed hydrological model is used as the main means of rain-flood forecasting. Rainfall as an important input,its spatial interpolation accuracy and time scale directly affect the forecast results.Therefore, in this paper, the spatial interpolation calculation and analysis of rainstorm process with hourly scale is carried out in the northern hilly area. Taking Licheng district in Jinan as the research area, the spatial interpolation methods, such as IDW,OK and OCK, are used to calculate the spatial interpolation of 16 time-by-time rainstorm processes for 11 typical rainfall with different duration, and the interpolation results are cross-validated and error analysis is carried out.The results show that the accuracy of the collaborative Kriging interpolation considering the elevation is higher in the short duration rainstorm process of the hilly area.

We have studied emission kinetics of HITC laser dye on top of glass, smooth Au films, and randomly structured porous Au nanofoams. The observed concentration quenching of luminescence of highly concentrated dye on top of glass (energy transfer to acceptors) and the inhibition of the concentration quenching in vicinity of smooth Au films were in accord with our recent findings. Intriguingly, the emission kinetics recorded in different local spots of the Au nanofoam samples had a spread of the decay rates, which was large at low dye concentrations and became narrower with increase of the dye concentration. We infer that in different subvolumes of Au nanofoams, HITC molecules are coupled to the nanofoams weaker or stronger. The inhibition of the concentration quenching in Au nanofoams was stronger than on top of smooth Au films. This was true for all weakly and strongly coupled subvolumes contributing to the spread of the emission kinetics. The experimental observations were explained using theoretical model accounting for change in the Förster radius caused by the strong energy transfer to metal.

Lgr5+ intestinal stem cells are crucial for fast homeostatic renewal of intestinal epithelium and Wnt/β-catenin signaling plays an essential role in this process by sustaining stem cell self-renewal. The poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases tankyrases (TNKSs) mediate protein poly-ADP-ribosylation and are involved in multiple cellular processes such as Wnt signaling regulation, mitotic progression and telomere maintenance. However, little is known about the physiological function of TNKSs in epithelium homeostasis regulation. Here, using Villin-creERT2;Tnks1-/-;Tnks2fl/fl (DKO) mice, we observed that loss of TNKSs causes a rapid decrease of Lgr5+ intestinal stem cells and magnified apoptosis in small intestinal crypts, leading to intestine degeneration and increased mouse mortality. Consistently, deletion of Tnks or blockage of TNKS activity with the inhibitor XAV939 significantly inhibits the growth of intestinal organoids. We further showed that the Wnt signaling agonist CHIR99021 sustains the growth of DKO organoids, and XAV939 does not cause growth retardation of Apc-/- organoids. Consistent with the promoting function of TNKSs in Wnt signaling, Wnt/β-catenin signaling is significantly decreased with stabilized Axin in DKO crypts. Together, our findings unravel the essential role of TNKSs-mediated protein parsylation in small intestinal homeostasis by modulating Wnt/β-catenin signaling.

Reliability is critical for complex engineering systems. Traditionally, reliability analysis and fault diagnosis of complex engineering systems is based on reliability block diagram and fault tree. These methods are limited either on the flexibility for system characterization or on the capability for quantitative analysis. Recently, the Bayesian network has been introduced in reliability engineering, and it has been demonstrated with great flexibility. In this article, the Bayesian network is investigated for reliability analysis and fault diagnosis of complex engineering systems through two real cases. It includes the case of a high-speed train representing the complex system with standardized components and the case of a critical subsystem of a high-power solid-state laser representing the complex system with highly customized components. In particular, Bayesian networks are constructed to model the reliability of these systems, where transformations of reliability block diagram and fault tree into Bayesian networks are presented. Reliability assessment of the systems is obtained through forward inference of Bayesian network. In addition, fault diagnosis is studied for identifying critical components, major causes, and diagnosis routes by utilizing backward inference of Bayesian network.

A conceptual high-back pressure (HBP) heating system cooperating raw coal pre-drying for combined heat and power (CHP) was proposed to improve the performance of the HBP-CHP unit. In the new design, besides of heating the supply-water of the heating network, a portion of the exhaust steam from the turbine is employed to desiccate the raw coal prior to the coal pulverizer, which further recovers the waste heat of the exhaust steam and contributes to raising the overall efficiency of the unit. Thermodynamic and economic analyzes were conducted based on a typical 300 MW coal-fired HBP-CHP unit with the application of the modified configuration. The results showed that the power generation thermal efficiency promotion of the unit reaches 1.7% (absolute value) owing to suggested retrofitting, and meanwhile, the power generation standard coal consumption rate is diminished by 5.8 g/kWh. Due to the raw coal pre-drying, the energy loss of the exhaust flue gas of the boiler is reduced by 19.1% and the boiler efficiency increases from 92.7% to 95.4%. The impacts of the water content of the dried coal and the unit heating capacity on the energy-saving effect of the new concept were also examined.

An improved heating system integrated with waste pressure utilization (WPU) for combined heat and power (CHP) cogeneration was proposed. The new heating system efficiently utilized the excess pressure of the extraction heating steam to drive the WPU turbine and generator for producing electricity, achieving higher energy efficiency and lower fuel consumption of the CHP unit. The results of the detailed thermodynamic analysis showed that applying the proposed concept in a typical 300 MW coal-fired CHP unit could reduce the standard coal consumption rate by 9.84 g/(kW·h), with a thermal efficiency improvement of 1.97% (absolute value). Compared to that of the original heating process, the energy efficiency of the proposed process decreased by 0.55% (absolute value), but its exergy efficiency increased dramatically by 17.97% (absolute value), which meant that the proposed configuration could make better use of the steam energy and contribute to the better performance of the CHP unit. As the unit generation load and supply and return-water temperatures declined and the unit heating load rose, the WPU system would generate more electricity and its energy-saving benefit would be enhanced. This work provides a promising approach to further advance the CHP technology and district heating systems.