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Mitochondrial redox imbalance has been recognized as a unifying cause for diabetic cognitive impairment. Currently, a robust method for the in vivo assessment of brain mitochondrial redox imbalance is still lacking. Here, we conducted a spectral study to assess brain mitochondrial redox imbalance in the process of diabetic cognitive impairment by using label-free resonance Raman spectroscopy (RRS). Our findings showed that mitochondrial redox imbalance in cultured neurons and organotypic cortical slices exposed to high glucose were quantified by the reduction of Raman peak area at 750 cm

Objective. To systematically assess the clinical efficacy of the Jie Yu Wan (JYW) formula in treating generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Methods. A multicenter, prospective, double-blind, double-dummy, randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted at four hospitals in China. A total of one hundred thirty-three patients with GAD were enrolled from 2017 to 2019. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) JYW formula on GAD at eight weeks, with the use of Buspirone as the comparator. A stepwise dosing protocol was used (JYW: high dose 24 g/day, low dose 12 g/day; Buspirone: high dose 30 mg/day, low dose 15 mg/day) and the dose was adjusted depending on whether the treatment response of Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) score was less than or equal to 25% after one week. The primary outcome was a change in total score on the HAMA. The secondary outcomes included the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale, and TCM Syndrome Scale. Adverse events were recorded using the Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS). Assessments were conducted at the baseline and 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks. Results. A total of one hundred thirty-three participants were randomly assigned to the JYW group (n = 66) and the Buspirone group (n = 67). One hundred twenty-one patients (91%) completed at least one follow-up session. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of gender, age, disease course, HAMA, HAMD, CGI, and TCM Syndrome Scale scores at baseline (all P > 0.05 ). Repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed statistically significant time effects for the HAMA ( P = 0.002 ), HAMD (P = 0.018), and CGI ( P = 0.001 ) in both groups. Sensitivity analyses supported the credibility of the main results ( P > 0.05 ). The group effect was not significant for the HAMA ( P = 0.43 ), HAMD ( P = 0.27 ), CGI ( P = 0.37 ), and TCM Syndrome Scale ( P = 0.86 ). Furthermore, there were no significant interaction effects between time and group in terms of the HAMA ( P = 0.47 ), HAMD ( P = 0.79 ), CGI ( P = 0.67 ), and TCM Syndrome Scale ( P = 0.69 ). After one week, 53 patients (80%) of the JYW group and 52 patients (78%) of the Buspirone group were adjusted to high doses. The interaction effect between time, group, and the dose was determined by repeated measures ANOVA test, and the HAMA score served as the outcome measure. The interaction effect between time and dose was statistically significant ( P = 0.04 ), which shows that high-dose JYW (24 g/day) was more effective in decreasing patients’ HAMA scores than low-dose JYW (12 g/day), and Buspirone had the same effect, which means that high-dose Buspirone (30 mg/day) was more effective than low dose. (15 mg/day). Conclusions. The conclusion of this study supports that JYW and Buspirone can effectively alleviate the anxiety symptoms of GAD patients, which are both effective and safe for treatment of mild to moderate GAD. Besides, high-dose JYW or Buspirone are more effective than low-dose, which is of great importance in assisting clinical medication choice.

Following systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), the brain is one of the most sensitive organs vulnerable to an external stressor. According to our previous study, ketamine had a protective effect on alleviating SIRS-associated neuronal necroptosis and cecal epithelial cell necroptosis by inhibiting the RIP1-RIP3-MLKL pathway. In this study, we further provided valid evidence that ketamine could safeguard the integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), modulate microglia over-activation, and prevent neural network damage, resulting in relieving cerebral edema and improving system symptoms significantly. Simultaneously, cecum damage was partly reversed by ketamine intervention, which was attributed to a decrease in circulating high mobility group protein 1 (HMGB1). Interestingly, the result showed less cecum injury and relieved BBB disturbance in Rip3-/- mice. Furthermore, circulating HMGB1 content between Rip3-/- mice and mice with ketamine intervention significantly decreased. Moreover, anti-HMGB1 neutralizing antibody identically reversed BBB damage, indicating that cecum-promoted HMGB1 releases extravagated SIRS and BBB leakage. In addition, we clarified that cecectomy reduced serum HMGB1 release level and alleviated BBB damage and microglial activation. Altogether, our work shed light on the new view about the pathogenesis of SIRS, establishing the connection between cecum damage and BBB damage. Besides, we identified ketamine as a candidate to protect the brain from damage like BBB leakage and microglia over-activation, which attributed to the effect on alleviating cecum damage and decreasing circulation HMGB1 release. Our results provided a new theoretical view and therapeutic target for the application of ketamine in SIRS.

Background Heteroplexis Chang is an endangered genus endemic to China with important ecological and medicinal value. However, due to the lack of genetic data, our conservation strategies have repeatedly been delayed by controversial phylogenetic (molecular) relationships within the genera. In this study, we reported three new Heteroplexis chloroplast (cp.) genomes (H. vernonioides, H. impressinervia and H. microcephala) to clarify phylogenetic relationships between species allocated in this genus and other related Compositae. Results All three new cp. genomes were highly conserved, showing the classic four regions. Size ranged from 152,984 − 153,221 bp and contained 130 genes (85 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA, eight rRNA) and two pseudogenes. By comparative genomic and phylogenetic analyses, we found a large-scale inversion of the entire large single-copy (LSC) region in H. vernonioides, H. impressinervia and H. microcephala, being experimentally verified by PCR. The inverted repeat (IR) regions showed high similarity within the five Heteroplexis plastomes, showing small-size contractions. Phylogenetic analyses did not support the monophyly of Heteroplexis genus, whereas clustered the five species within two differentiated clades within Aster genus. These phylogenetic analyses suggested that the five Heteroplexis species might be subsumed into the Aster genus. Conclusion Our results enrich the data on the cp. genomes of the genus Heteroplexis, providing valuable genetic resources for future studies on the taxonomy, phylogeny, and evolution of Aster genus.

AIM To assess the feasibility of preoperative computed tomography (CT) prediction of torsion angle for stratifying the risk of necrosis in patients with adnexal torsion. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this multicentre, retrospective study, 72 patients underwent preoperative CT and surgically verified adnexal torsion. Surgeons identified the torsion angle and adnexal necrosis requiring adnexectomy. The twisted angles were compared between conservative surgery group and salpingo-oophorectomy group. Variables included demographic, pathological and CT details. Logistic analysis was used to identify the indicators of twisted angle associated with high-risk necrosis. RESULTS The necrosis associated with adnexal torsion treated with adnexectomy was performed more often in patients with a torsion angle of ≥720° (odds ratio [OR]=7, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.314–37.295, p=0.023). The enlarged twisted pedicle (OR=14.592, 95% CI: 2.048–103.953, p=0.007) and pedicle haemorrhage (OR=5.612, 95% CI: 1.088–28.941, p=0.039) can predict a torsion angle of ≥720°, and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC=0.758±0.058) was generated with the combined variables. CONCLUSION The risk of adnexal necrosis is high in patients with torsion angle of ≥720°. CT findings of enlarged twisted pedicle and pedicle haemorrhage can be used to predict torsion angle of ≥720° and can imply adnexal necrosis indirectly.

Increasing food output while reducing agricultural carbon emissions (ACE) is a major challenge to achieving green agriculture in China. Previously unexplored research regarding the relationship between agricultural production outsourcing services (APOS) and ACE is investigated using household microsurvey data in China and econometric methods, and the influencing mechanism is also tested empirically. The results reveal that APOS increases the total ACE and reduces ACE per unit area. The mechanism test shows that APOS are beneficial to the expansion of rice planting areas and farmers' adoption of agricultural green production techniques. The increasing effect of rice planting area on ACE was greater than the decreasing effect of green production techniques. In the future, China should accelerate the selection and breeding of rice varieties with low carbon emissions to reduce the increase of ACE caused by large-scale land management in the process of APOS development. Policy support and subsidies should be strengthened for APOS organizations to purchase green production techniques, so as to further drive farmers to adopt green production techniques and reduce ACE. It is also necessary for China to encourage small-scale farmers to outsource their agricultural production activities to APOS organizations. The role of collective action consciousness of agricultural production in increasing the supply capacity of APOS organizations should be enhanced.

Electroacupuncture (EA) pretreatment induces cerebral ischemic tolerance; however, the mechanism remains poorly understood. This study aimed to determine the participation of peroxisome proliferato...

The adaptive tracking control is extended to the nonlinear system with multiple uncertainties consisting of input saturation, unknown parameter and full-state constraints. To deal with the input saturation, a distinctive method of introducing an auxiliary system is used instead of directly approximating it by a smooth function. Then, the adaptive backstepping technique is combined with the barrier Lyapunov function (BLF) to solve the parametric nonlinearities and give a systematic design procedure. Based on this design procedure, an adaptive state-feedback controller is obtained with rigourous stability analysis. It is verified that all the signals are uniformly ultimately bounded, the tracking error is bounded in a compact set of the origin, and the full-states are not violated. Finally, the proposed controller is used to a mass-spring mechanical system, and demonstrates the proposed scheme is effective.

Affected by the pressure and constraints of available resources, plant growth and development, as well as plant life history strategies, usually vary with environmental conditions. Plant buds play a crucial role in the life history of woody plants. Nitraria tangutorum is a common dominant woody species in desertified areas of northern China and its growth is critical to the desert ecosystem. Revealing the allometry of N. tangutorum aboveground bud fates and the linkage between bud traits and plant nutrient contents and stoichiometric ratios can be useful in understanding plant adaptation strategy. We applied seven nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer addition treatments to natural N. tangutorum ramets in Ulan Buh Desert in three consecutive years. We surveyed three types of aboveground buds (dormant buds, vegetative buds, and reproductive buds) in each N. tangutorum ramet, then measured the plant carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) contents and ratios during three consecutive years. We specified that reserve growth potential (RGP), vegetative growth intensity (VGI) and sexual reproduction effort (SRE) are the three indices of bud dynamic pattern. The results showed that the bud dynamic pattern of N. tangutorum ramets differed significantly among different fertilizer addition treatments and sampling years. The allometry of RGP, VGI, and SRE was obvious, showing size dependence. The allometric growth relationship fluctuated among the sampling years. The linkage between bud traits and plant stoichiometric characteristics of N. tangutorum ramets showed close correlation with plant P content, C:P and N:P ratios, no significant correlation with plant C content, N content and C:N ratio. These results contribute to an improved understanding of the adaptive strategies of woody plants growing in desert ecosystems and provide insights for adoption of effective measures to restore and conserve plant communities in arid and semi-arid regions.

MicroRNAs plays important role in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (CIR). However, the role of miR-26b-5p in CIR injury remains unclear. PC12 cells were treated with oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) for 0 h, 2 h, 4 h, 6 h, and then reoxygenated for 24 h to construct an in vitro I/R model. Then, miR-26b-5p mimic, small interfering RNA of KLF10 and KLF10 overexpression plasmid were transfected into cells respectively for mechanism study. Our results showed that miR-26b-5p was downregulated in OGD/R-induced PC12 cells. After overexpression of miR-26b-5p, cell proliferation ability was enhanced, apoptosis, ROS and inflammatory mediators were inhibited. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that miR-26b-5p was directly bound to the 3’ UTR of KLF10, and downregulated the expression of KLF10. KLF10 was upregulated in OGD/R cells, and transfection with si-KLF10 promoted cell proliferation and reduced apoptosis, NO concentration and inflammatory factor secretion. Moreover, pcDNA-KLF10 reversed the inhibitory effects of miR-26b-5p mimic on apoptosis, NO content and inflammatory factor secretion, as well as the downregulation of N-myc and PTEN expression. Meanwhile, I/R rat models were constructed and divided into sham operation group (femoral artery isolation only), model group (middle cerebral artery occlusion model of rats was prepared by thread embolization), treatment group (200 µL of miR-26b-5p mimic was injected into the brain of model rats). We observed that the infarct size of brain tissue was reduced, KLF10 expression was downregulated, and apoptosis and inflammatory response were reduced. These results suggest that miR-26b-5p had protective effects on CIRI and it may be a potential treatment target.

License Plate Recognition technology, as a critical part in Intelligent Transportation Systems, enjoys a broad application. LPR is a technology to read license plates (which include the character and the color) by performing vehicle detection and character recognition on surveillance videos or images. Recently, many different algorithms and models can be applied in license plate detection and character recognition. Yet given that the accuracy of the system will be impacted by image blurring caused by motion blur, low-resolution, low-luminosity, low-contrast and noisy point, concerns have been concentrated in the accuracy uncertainty of complex application scenarios impact. To address these problems, an end-to-end fast solution for number-plate recognition is proposed in this paper. The mainstream algorithm, i.e. Single Shot MultiBox Detector, is employed to auto-detect the location of the license plate. Also, to recognize consecutive characters in the detected license plate area, an end-to-end Convolutional Neural Network classification model is proposed here. The test dataset contains over 6 thousand vehicle images collected in different types of complex scenarios, which include low-resolution, low-luminosity and motion blurring. Besides, the solution proposed in this work is able to achieve 99p accuracy on the test dataset with average computing time being 30 fps, which suggests that the system can meet the requirements of real-time analysis.

Cultivated land protection is an important way to mitigate land pollution and realize the sustainable development of agriculture. To reveal the key factors influencing farmers’ behavior of adopting cultivated land protection techniques (FBACT) from the perspective of land fragmentation and farmland transfer and to analyze the differences, a multivariate probit model is adopted to quantitatively analyze the impacts on FBACT based on field research and questionnaire surveys conducted in Jiangsu Province, China. The results show that farmland transfer promotes FBACT and that large areas of transfer-in land encourage it. Transfer-in land from outside villages reduces FBACT. The willingness of farmers to adopt protection techniques is affected by their age, their education level, family labor and the agricultural labor price, and it is hindered by land fragmentation. Encouraging farmers to transfer-in land from local villages and increasing their expectations of benefits from cultivated land protection will inspire them to adopt protection techniques. To increase the farmland transfer rate and to alleviate land fragmentation, the government should enhance the management of farmland transfer contracts and strengthen the stability of farmland use rights in farmland transfer. Promoting the transfer and integration of adjacent plots and appropriately expanding plot size will help improve FBACT.

This paper investigates the adaptive tracking control problem of stochastic nonlinear systems under the conditions of full-state constraints and input saturation. The barrier Lyapunov function (BLF) is applied to handle the full-state constraints. To deal with the input saturation, a distinctive method of introducing an auxiliary system is adopted. Then, a systematic controller design procedure is given by combining a novel radial basis function neural network (RBF NN) approximation approach with backstepping technique.By this way, an adaptive state-feedback controller with only one adaptive law is obtained, which renders the closed-loop system semi-globally uniformly ultimately bounded. Meanwhile, the tracking error is bounded by an explicit function of the design parameters and saturated input error. In addition, the full-states are not violated. Finally, a simple pendulum system and a numerical example are simulated to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.

This paper is concerned with the practically finite-time (PFT) control problem for a class of more general nonlinear systems subject to mismatching time-varying disturbances. Without any extra assumptions on system nonlinearities, a composite controller is developed by introducing a disturbance observer and finite-time control technique. Based on the designed controller and Lyapunov stability theory, the PFT stability of the closed-loop system is strictly verified and proven to be a better convergence performance. Furthermore, as a byproduct of the proposed design method, the disturbance observer-based PFT control for high-order nonlinear systems is also shown to be possible. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first PFT control result for high-order nonlinear systems with external disturbances. Finally, an application example of a single-link robot system with disturbances and a numerical example are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme, respectively.

Background Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a useful non-invasive modality for observation of ovarian morphologic characteristics. Few studies have focused on the value of MRI-derived indexes in reproductive-aged women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Purpose To assess the diagnostic value of MRI in women with PCOS. Material and Methods This prospective case-control study included 85 women with PCOS and 50 controls who underwent pelvic MRI during 2017–2019. Ovarian volume (OV), follicle count (FC; counts of follicles sizing 2–3, 4–6, 7–9, 2–9 mm, respectively), follicular peripheral distribution, absence of a dominant follicle and stromal to total area ratio (S:A) were determined with MRI. The diagnostic value (sensitivity, specificity, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC]) of OV, FC2–9, and follicular peripheral distribution for PCOS were assessed. Results The AUCs were 0.94 for OV, 0.96 for FC2–9, and 0.78 for follicular peripheral distribution. The optimal threshold to detect PCOS was 8.5 mL for OV (sensitivity 78%; specificity 96%) and 26 for FC2–9 (sensitivity 85%; specificity 98%). Sensitivity and specificity were 73% and 82% for follicular peripheral distribution, respectively. Reproducibility was perfect for OV (ICC = 0.96) and absence of a dominant follicle (k = 0.85), substantial for FC2–9 (ICC = 0.79) and S:A (ICC = 0.69), and moderate for follicular peripheral distribution (k = 0.56). Conclusion Detected by MRI, OV >8.5 mL or FC2–9 >26 are accurate for diagnosing PCOS.

Elaeagnus mollis Diels (Elaeagnaceae) is a species of shrubs and/or dwarf trees that produces highly nutritious nuts with abundant oil and pharmaceutical properties. It is endemic to China but endangered. Therefore, to facilitate the protection of its genetic resources and the development of its commercially attractive traits we generated a high-quality genome of E. mollis. The contig version of the genome (630.96 Mb long) was assembled into 14 chromosomes using Hi-C data, with contig and scaffold N50 values of 18.40 and 38.86 Mb, respectively. Further analyses identified 397.49 Mb (63.0%) of repetitive sequences and 27,130 protein-coding genes, of which 26,725 (98.5%) were functionally annotated. Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Ortholog assessment indicated that 98.0% of highly conserved plant genes are completely present in the genome. This is the first reference genome for any species of Elaeagnaceae and should greatly facilitate future efforts to conserve, utilize, and elucidate the evolution of this endangered endemic species.

As the largest processing sector of primary energy, the transformation and upgrading of the power sector is undoubtedly an effective way to alleviate the situation of energy and environment. This article studies the gradual goals of the transformation and upgrading of China’s power industry, where the conditions of technical judgment, specific profile, and moderate agenda are incorporated. The empirical analysis of China’s provincial power sectors based on the constructed models came to the following results. First, it is of great importance to consider the profile of each region’s power sector in setting energy-saving and emission reduction targets. The analysis of variance demonstrates significant differences in the reference points of inputs and outputs under the 1% confidence level. Second, regardless of the specific quantity, the strongly consistent trends of the short- and long-term targets demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of the gradual goals. Finally, realizing the potential of energy-saving and emission reduction needs a gradual pathway instead of accomplishing in one stroke. The targets of this study, which are attainable for the power sector and still represent a best practice, could serve as transitional benchmarks in power supply and emission reduction. To further achieve carbon neutrality, the management strategy to coordinate power supply and renewable energy accommodation needs to be transformed.

Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is a cost-effective and environment-friendly technology for using biomass to produce bio-crude oil. The critical challenge of HTL is its complicated aqueous product containing high concentrations of organics and diverse toxicants. This paper reports the continuous anaerobic digestion of raw and zeolite-adsorbed Chlorella HTL wastewater using up-flow anaerobic sludge bed reactors. The bio-methane production capacity, total carbon distribution and microbial response were investigated. The anaerobic process was severely suppressed when more than 20% raw wastewater was fed; while it showed essentially improved performance till 60% pre-treated wastewater was added. Produced methane contained 17.3% of the total carbon in feedstock, which was comparable with the value (16.7%) when 25% of raw wastewater was added. The metagenomic analysis revealed distinct microbial community structures in different stages and feedstock shifts. The abundance of functional genes was consistent with anaerobic digester performance.

To identify the diagnostic performance of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for patients with adnexal torsion and to develop a predictive model for necrosis related to torsion. The institutional ethics committee approved this retrospective study. A total of 56 women with a preoperative pelvic MR scan and a surgical and pathologic diagnosis of adnexal torsion were enrolled from five institutions. Three radiologists reviewed the MR images independently. The kappa value of interrater agreement was assessed. Differences between patients treated with conservative surgery and adnexectomy were evaluated by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to assess the ability of the model to predict ovarian necrosis. Fifty-six patients were divided into the conservative surgery group (24/56, 42.9%) or the adnexectomy group (32/56, 57.1%) depending on the surgical outcomes. The radiographic features related to torsion were interpreted by three raters retrospectively with substantial interrater agreement (kappa > 0.60). Older reproductive age and pedicle hemorrhagic infarction were significantly associated with adnexectomy (p

Purpose To assess the performance of combining computed tomography (CT) texture analysis with machine learning for discriminating different histopathological grades of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Methods From July 2012 to August 2017, this retrospective study comprised 56 patients with confirmed histopathological PDAC (32 men, 24 women, mean age 64.04±7.82 years) who had undergone preoperative contrast-enhanced CT imaging within 1 month before surgery. Two radiologists blinded to the histopathological outcome independently segmented lesions for quantitative texture analysis. Histogram features, co-occurrence, and run-length texture were calculated. A support-vector machine was constructed to predict the pathological grade of PDAC based on preoperative texture features. Results Pathological analysis confirmed 37 low-grade PDAC (five well-differentiated/grade I and 32 moderately differentiated/grade II) and 19 high-grade PDAC (19 poorly differentiated/grade III) tumors. There were no significant differences in clinical or biological characteristics between patients with high-grade and low-grade tumors (P>0.05). There were significant differences between low-grade PDAC and high-grade PDAC on nine histogram features, seven run-length features, and two co-occurrence features. Cluster shade was the most important predictor (sensitivity 0.315). Using these texture features, the support-vector machine achieved 86% accuracy, 78% sensitivity, 95% and specificity. Conclusion Machine learning-based CT texture analysis accurately predicted histopathological differentiation grade of PDAC based on preoperative texture features, leading to maximization patient survival and achievement of personalized precision treatment.

Electromyography is a science that studies or detects bioelectrical activity of muscles to analyze skills and morphological changes of the neuromuscular system and contributes to studies on the neuromuscular system. Surface electromyography (SEMG) signal is a bioelectrical signal emitted when nervous and muscular activities are recorded from the surface of human skeletons by means of poles, which can reflect the functional state of nerves and muscles under non-invasive conditions on a real-time basis. SEMG signals found a wide application in different fields including prosthesis control, sports medicine, rehabilitation medicine, and clinical diagnosis. However, how to efficiently exact features from SEMG signals to realize accurate recognition of action modes is a key issue for the practice of electromyography-controlled prostheses and to achieve precision of rehabilitation treatment. Deep learning reveals drastic changes in many fields of machine learning, including machine vision and voice recognition, over the past few years. We use convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to extract deep features from SEMG signals and classify actions. CNNs exhibit good translation invariance due to its characteristics of local connection and weight sharing. If SEMG signals were applied in the modeling of electromyography signal recognition, then the diversity of electromyography signal itself can be overcome using invariance in convolutions. Therefore, in this study, the spectrogram obtained by analyzing electromyography signals is proposed to be used as an image. Intensively used deep convolutional networks in the image were also adopted to conduct the gesture motion recognition of SEMG signals.

Microalgae using non-arable land were considered as promising biomass for biocrude production through hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) and can also be used for environmentally-friendly wastewater treatment. In this study, we illuminated the effect of reaction temperature on the products distribution and biocrude properties from HTL of the Chlorella sp. grown in wastewater from anaerobic digestion (AD) of chicken manure via HTL. The highest biocrude yield (30.35%, daf) and energy recovery rate (49.6%) were both achieved at 330 °C, while the highest HHV (37.17 MJ/kg) of biocrude oil was achieved at 290 °C. The biocrude oil yield increased from 25.46 to 30.35% as the temperature increased from 270 to 330 °C. The gases yield showed a similar trend under 310 °C. On the contrary, the solid products yield decreased as the temperature approached 350 °C. The lowest nitrogen content (4.6%) and highest H/C (1.50) of biocrude oil were obtained at 290 and 270 °C, respectively. Results imply that deoxygenation was enhanced with temperature due to the enhanced decarboxylation at higher temperatures. Specially, the nitrogen content decreased by 39.4–47.4% in the temperature range of 270–350 °C. The integrated pathways for energy production and nutrient recycling from animal manure coupling AD/HTL, and algae technologies were further proposed.

As growing the demand for electrical energy, economic load dispatch (ELD) has become one of the most important and complex issues in the operation of power systems. Owing to the confined optimum convergence and the additional constraints, it does not proficient to crack such problems by the predictable optimization algorithms. In this paper, a self-adaptable differential evolution algorithm integrating with multiple mutation strategies (ADE-MMS) is proposed for the ELD problems. In order to improve the exploration and exploitation capabilities of the original differential evolution algorithm (DE), ADE-MMS has three extensions to DE. Firstly, four types of advanced vectors generated by the different methods are employed in the mutation strategies. Secondly, a self-adaptable selection mechanism for the multiple mutation strategies is implemented in the iterations. Thirdly, the main control parameters are updated according to the fitness value under the tolerance threshold. Additionally, an effective repair method is proposed to handle the equality constraints of the ELD problems. ADE-MMS not only improve the convergence speed of the original DE but also keep equilibrium state between the exploration and the exploration. A tolerance threshold for the main control parameters makes the original DE more adaptive. Moreover, the modified equality constraints handling method is benefit to meet the equality constraints and minimize the impact on the algorithm. The performances of four DE algorithms are tested on the ten ELD problems with diverse complexities. Experimental results and comparisons with other recently reported ELD algorithms confirm that ADE-MMS is capable of obtaining excellent and feasible solutions. It reveal that ADE-MMS has good potential to solvating the ELD problems.

The effect of organic loading rate (OLR) with total solid (TS) control (3%–8%) on the performance of anaerobic digestion of pig manure (PM) using completely stirred anaerobic reactor was investigated. Based on the lab data, how OLR affects mass flow, construction scale and heating requirement in a farm-scale biogas plant was calculated. And three scenarios of typical reactor-heating technology were comparatively analyzed. The optimal OLR was 1.89 g volatile solid (VS)/(L.d) with methane yield of 438.38 mL/gVS in the lab condition. The lower OLR, the larger amount of water and energy consumption, lower methane production and larger amount of liquid digestate was observed. Thus, the reactor with low OLR was suitable in tropical regions with the main target of disposing PM and fertilizer production. High OLR has advantage in the investment, but owns risk of instable process for a long-term run. In our study, among the three heating supply scenarios, biogas boiler was the best option for the designed biogas plant with the given breeding scale under moderate OLR. Combined heat and power (CHP) has potential advantage for the biogas plant under high OLR.

To analyse the impact of dezocine-remifentanil intravenous anaesthesia on perioperative signs, serum tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in liver cancer patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation (RFA).An experimental study.Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China, from January 2017 to February 2018.Eighty patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma (SHCC) were selected as the research object. They were divided into Group A and Group B with the random number table method, with 40 cases in each group. Group A were given dezocine-remifentanil intravenous anaesthesia and Group B were given midazolam-remifentanil intravenous anaesthesia. Patients' situations in the surgery were compared between the two groups. Changes in heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and blood oxygen saturation (SpOsub2/sub) were recorded before the surgery (Tsub0/sub), at 5 minutes after the RFA (Tsub1/sub) and at the end of the RFA (Tsub2/sub). Levels of tumour necrosis factor-alpha; (TNF-alpha;) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) on the 1sup2/supday after the RFA were compared between the two groups.The wake-up time in Group A was shorter than Group B (p0.001), and the VAS pain score in Group A was lower than Group B (p0.001). At Tsub1/sub, the MAP in Group A was higher than Group B (p0.001). There was no significant difference in MAP between the two groups at Tsub0/suband Tsub2/sub(p=0.881, 0.696, respectively). At Tsub1/suband Tsub2/sub, the HR in Group A was lower than Group B (all p0.001). There was no significant difference in HR between the two groups at Tsub0/sub(p=0.684). There was no significant difference in SpOsub2/subbetween the two groups at Tsub0/sub, Tsub1/suband Tsub2/sub(p=0.654, 0.884 and 0.798, respectively). On the 1st day after the RFA, the level of TNF-alpha;, IL-6 in Group A were lower than those of Group B (all p0.001). There was no significant difference in the incidence of intraoperative complications between the two groups (p=0.644).Compared with midazolam-remifentanil intravenous anaesthesia, the dezocine-remifentanil method has a better analgesic effect, shorter wake-up time, and can effectively regulate the expression of inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha; and IL-6. However, the effect of remifentanil on the respiratory function is dose-dependent. Therefore, respiratory cycle monitoring and management should be strengthened during the surgery.

This paper investigates adaptive attitude control for quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with dead zone and external disturbance. A attitude controller is designed based on backstepping, and adaptive law is designed to compensate the influence of input dead zone and external disturbance. The designed controller guarantees that attitude angle of quadrotor UAV can trace the desired attitude angle. Finally, simulation results have demonstrated the effectiveness of the designed scheme.

Lung squamous carcinoma (LUSC) is the second most frequent subtype of non-small cell lung cancer. Rarely gene alterations are identified in LUSC. Therefore, identifying LUSC-related genes to explain the relevant molecular mechanism is urgently needed. A potential biomarker, calcium-activated nucleotidase 1 (CANT1), was elevated in tissues of LUSC patients relative to normal cases based on the TCGA and/or GTEx database. CCK-8 and transwell tests were then implemented to measure the proliferative, invasive and migratory capacities, and showed that knockdown of CANT1 blocked LUSC cells proliferation. miR-607, predicted as an upstream factor for CANT1, was declined in LUSC using TargetScan analysis and luciferase activity test. Low miR-607 expression was related with unfavorable outcomes of LUSC patients. Moreover, miR-607 downregulation elevated cell viability, invasion and migration in LUSC cells, which was antagonized by si-CANT1. GEPIA website was accessed to estimate the relevance between CANT1 and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related positive factors. The protein levels of Fibronectin, Vimentin, Snail and β-catenin were altered due to the abnormal CANT1 and miR-607 expression. Together, these data unveiled that miR-607/CANT1 pair may exert a vital role in the progression of LUSC through mediating EMT process, which would furnish an available therapeutic therapy for LUSC.

Drought resistance in plants is controlled by multiple genes. To identify the genes that mediate drought stress responses and to assess the associated metabolic pathways in the desert shrub Nitraria tangutorum, we conducted a transcriptome analysis of plants under control (maximum field capacity) and drought (20% of the maximum field capacity) conditions. We analyzed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of N. tangutorum and their enrichment in the KEGG metabolic pathways database, and explored the molecular biological mechanisms underlying the answer to its drought tolerance. Between the control and drought groups, 119 classified metabolic pathways annotated 3047 DEGs in the KEGG database. For drought tolerance, nitrate reductase (NR) gene expression was downregulated, indicating that NR activity was decreased to improve drought tolerance. In ammonium assimilation, drought stress inhibited glutamine formation. Protochlorophyllide reductase (1.3.1.33) expression was upregulated to promote chlorophyll a synthesis, whereas divinyl reductase (1.3.1.75) expression was downregulated to inhibit chlorophyll-ester a synthesis. The expression of the chlorophyll synthase (2.5.1.62) gene was downregulated, which affected the synthesis of chlorophyll a and b. Overall, drought stress appeared to improve the ability to convert chlorophyll b into chlorophyll a. Our data serve as a theoretical foundation for further elucidating the growth regulatory mechanism of desert xerophytes, thereby facilitating the development and cultivation of new, drought-resistant genotypes for the purpose of improving desert ecosystems.

Electroacupuncture (EA) pretreatment induces cerebral ischemic tolerance; however, the mechanism remains poorly understood. This study aimed to determine the participation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α (

This paper aims to solve the position control problem for quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). In order to be closer to the real UAV system, we consider the UAV with input delay. A barrier Lyapunov function is introduced to ensure that the tracking error is limited within a predetermined range. Pade approximation and an intermediate variable are applied to compensate the effect of the input delay. By using the designed control method, the UAV can track the desired trajectory. Finally, the simulation example is given to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Cell delivery therapy is a talented and hopeful strategic approach to repair the damaged cardiac tissues after myocardial infarction. The biocompatible injectable hydrogel with bioactive nanomaterials with effective self-healing capability has been highly required for the cell delivery and regeneration therapy. In the present study, we have developed the biopolymeric and biocompatible self-healing silk protein hydrogel matrix with graphene oxide nanoformulations as cell delivery vehicles for the treatment of myocardial infarction regeneration. The materials combinations, structural interactions, thermal stability and morphology of the designed hydrogel were investigated and elaborated. To improve therapeutic potential of the hydrogel matrix, growth factor was loaded and investigated its biological activity such as cell survival and cell proliferations properties by using endothelial progenitor cells. Collected, these developed materials are excellent vesicle for cell therapy in myocardial infarction.

Ecological stoichiometry provides a new method for understanding the characteristics, driving forces and mechanisms of C, N and P coupled cycles. However, there are few reports on the variation in ecological stoichiometry of plants during their growth. In this study, we fitted the total elemental mass of different module based on the size of Nitraria tangutorum, and derived the ecological stoichiometry models of different module and whole ramet by measuring the biomass and nutrient concentrations of the current-year stems in 2017, 2-year-old stems, more than 2-year-old stems, leaves, roots and layerings of N. tangutorum ramet. Our results showed that the derivation model could well reflect the changes in ecological stoichiometry during plant growth. The old stems and the layering had higher N:P and C:P, while leaves,current-year stems, and roots had lower N:P and C:P. The whole plant nutrient elements cumulative rate was P:N:C during the growth process. These results were consistent with the growth rate hypothesis and allometric theory, and provide evidence for nutrient reabsorption. This model could be used as an effective way to analyze the dynamic characteristics of elements in plant growth.生态化学计量的提出为认识C、N、P耦合循环特征、驱动力及机制等提供了新方法,但植物在生长过程中的生态化学计量变化尚缺乏相关报道。本研究以唐古特白刺为对象,通过对白刺分株2017年当年生枝、2年生枝、大于2年生枝、叶、根和压条生物量及营养元素的测定,拟合了基于构件大小的元素总量,并推导了白刺各构件及整株依赖于个体大小的生态化学计量模型。结果表明: 推导模型能够反映植物在生长过程中的生态化学计量动态,老枝和压条均具有较高的N∶P与C∶P,叶、当年生枝和根均具有较低的N∶P与C∶P,白刺整株3种元素含量在生长过程中的累积速率为P:N:C。本研究结果符合现有的生长速率假说和异速生长理论,同时也可从侧面印证养分重吸收现象,该方法可作为分析植物生长过程中元素计量动态特征的一种有效途径。.

Pain relief is a major concern for patients who have undergone surgery, and it is an eternal pursuit for anesthesiologists. However, postoperative pain management is far from satisfactory, though the past decades have witnessed great progress in the development of novel analgesics and analgesic techniques. A Cochrane systematic review showed that patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) achieved better pain relief and greater patient satisfaction than traditional “on-demand” parenteral analgesia, suggesting that it might be the manner of analgesia implementation that matters for effective postoperative pain management. A wireless intelligent PCA (Wi-PCA) system that incorporated remote monitoring, an intelligent alarm, intelligent analysis and assessment of the PCA equipment, as well as automatically recording and reserving key information functions under a wireless environment was introduced in our department in 2018. The practice showed that the Wi-PCA system significantly reduced the incidence of moderate to severe postoperative pain and relevant adverse effects, shortened hospital stays, and improved patient satisfaction with postoperative pain relief. Nevertheless, for both traditional and Wi-PCA, analgesics are only administered when pain occurs, leaving behind a realm of possibilities for better postoperative pain management. With the rapid development of machinery and deep learning algorithms, artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the mode of clinical decision making. Integrating the big data collected by state-of-the-art monitoring sensors, the Internet of Things and AI algorithms, an AI-assisted PCA (Ai-PCA) may be a promising future direction for postoperative pain management.

• Standards for perioperative supply and equipment precaution for COVID-19 have not been detailed. • Systematically introduces sufficiently preoperative and postoperative equipment precaution • The sterilization of disassembled anesthesia machine according to high-temperature resistance • The disinfection of the breathing systems of nondetachable anesthesia machines • The decontamination of video laryngoscopes, fiberoptic bronchoscopes, and lighted stylets

Artemisinin is an endoperoxide sesquiterpene lactone from Artemisia annua L with multiple beneficial effects, including anti-inflammation, antioxidant, and vascular protection. Recent studies have found that inflammation along with autophagy deficiency in macrophages is the possible reason for foam cell accumulation in the intima, which leads to atherosclerotic plaque formation. The primary aims of this study were to explore the inhibiting effect of artemisinin on atherosclerosis in high-fat diet-fed ApoE mice and investigate the probable mechanism. Artemisinin (50 and 100 mg/kg, intragastric administration) treatment effectively inhibited foamy macrophage transformation and decreased atherosclerotic plaque formation in atherosclerotic mice. Moreover, artemisinin promoted AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation, inhibited mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and uncoordinated-51-like kinase 1 (ULK1) phosphorylation, and increased LC-3II accumulation and P62 degradation, thereby enhancing macrophage autophagy. Besides, the inhibiting effect of artemisinin on mTOR and ULK1 phosphorylation could be abrogated by AMPK knockdown, suggesting AMPK was the essential target of artemisinin on promoting macrophage autophagy. Our study indicated that artemisinin alleviated atherosclerotic lesions by accelerating macrophage autophagy through the AMPK/mTOR/ULK1 pathway.

Background. Kudiezi injection is a traditional Chinese medicine for acute cerebral infarction, but the exact mechanisms are poorly understood. Objective. To investigate the mechanisms of Kudiezi injection on the inflammatory response in the treatment of acute cerebral infarction. Methods. This was a prospective study of patients with acute cerebral infarction within 48 h of onset and treated between July 2012 and July 2016 at three hospitals in China. The patients were randomized to routine treatments (control group) versus routine treatments and Kudiezi injection (Kudiezi group). The National Institutes of Health Stroke Score was assessed on days 1, 3, 5, 7, and 14. The patients were tested for serum levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines (S100 calcium-binding protein B, neuron-specific enolase, interleukin-6, interleukin-10, interleukin-18, and matrix metaloproteinase-9; by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) immediately after admission and on days 3, 5, and 14. Results. Stroke scores were improved in both groups from days 1 to 14. On days 5 and 7, stroke scores in the Kudiezi group were lower than in the control group (P<0.05). Compared with controls, the Kudiezi group had lower serum S100 calcium-binding protein B on day 14; higher interleukin-6 and interleukin-10 on day 3; lower interleukin-6 and interleukin-18 on day 5; and lower interleukin-18 and matrix metaloproteinase-9 on day 14. Conclusion. Kudiezi injection could lead to early reduction of interleukin-6, interleukin-18, matrix metaloproteinase-9, neuron-specific enolase, and S100 calcium-binding protein B levels and increases of interleukin-10 levels in patients with acute ischemic stroke. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01636154.

There are varieties of murine models of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with different pathophysiologic characteristics. For preclinical assessment, a standardized model would allow comparisons of various pharmacotherapeutic candidates in efficacy, pharmacokinetics, pharmaco-metabolism, and adverse effects under a same system. The present study aims to characterize murine NASH models by comparing end-points of major abnormalities. NASH was induced by feeding high fructose/glucose in drinking water (HF/G), high-fat/calorie diet (HFCD), and in combination (HFCD-HF/G) in mice for 8 or 16 weeks. HF/G feeding caused a minimal fat accumulation and increase in free fatty acids (FFA). In contrast, HFCD-HF/G feeding resulted in a remarkable increase in body weight, subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue, macrosteatosis with a nearly seven-fold increase in triglyceride and FFA content, accompanied with marked hepatocellular injury, inflammatory responses, fibrosis, and insulin resistance, and represented as typical NASH in histopathology, metabolic, and adipokine profiles in a progressive manner. Meanwhile, mice fed HFCD displayed significant steatosis, necroptosis, fibrosis, insulin resistance, metabolic, and adipokine profiles, and the extent is less than those fed HFCD-HF/G. Significant MCP-1, CCR-2, and NLRP-1/3 activation were found in mice fed HFCD and HFCD-HF/G for 16 weeks, whereas gene expression of CPT-1 and ACOX-1 was down-regulated in these two groups in comparison to the controls. Nuclear receptors, such as SREBP-1c, FXR, LXR-α, PPAR-α, and PPAR-γ, were strikingly elevated in the HFCD-HF/G group. In conclusion, feeding HFCD-HF/G resulted in a reliable NASH model in mice with remarkable necroptosis, steatosis, fibrosis, and insulin resistance as well as a disordered profile of lipid metabolism and adipokine, and HFCD caused significant NASH features in histopathology and metabolic profiles only at a late stage. Whereas HF/G feeding barely led to minimal fat accumulation, some changes at molecular levels and metabolic disturbance in mice.