Search

Purpose Vehicle lightweight design has positive implications for reducing energy consumption and abating greenhouse gas emissions. The traditional trailer axle design mainly focuses on the overall performance of the trailer axle. Only when the local performance does not meet the requirements will local performance optimization be done, such as local heat treatment to improve local strength. Such a design results in an uneven distribution of axle performance and excess performance in some local structures. The purpose of this study is to investigate the weight reduction on the premise of ensuring the structural dimensions of the outer surface of the axle remain unchanged and the reliability of the axle. Design/methodology/approach The axle is parameterized by computer aided design, and the optimized axle finite element model based on computer aided engineering is established and verified by taking the eight dimensions of the axle cavity structure which affect the performance as parameters. A genetic algorithm is used to optimize the axle cavity structure size and axle weight based on multiobjective optimization, and eight optimized size parameters of axle cavity structure are obtained. Findings The total weight of the optimized axle of TM1314 is reduced by 10.2 kg, and the weight reduction ratio reaches 10.7%. According to the optimized structural size of the axle, the specimen was trial-manufactured, and the bench tests of stiffness, strength and fatigue life were carried out according to the test requirements of the trailer axle standard (JT/T 475-2002). The test results show that the maximum deformation of the specimen is 2.46 mm, the strength safety factor of the specimen body and the steel plate spring seat are 6.71 and 6.86 and bear the alternating load more than 1.05 × 106 times, which meets the standard of the trailer axle and is better than the original design requirements of the trailer axle. Originality/value In this study, the multiobjective optimization model of the axle is established, the response surface is constructed by the Latin hypercube sampling design method and the optimal solution set is obtained by the multiobjective genetic algorithm. It has been verified by bench tests that it can achieve a weight reduction of 10.7% under the premise of the same structure and size of the outer surface of the axle. The lightweight method based on multiobjective optimization proposed in this paper can provide a reference for the lightweight design of other key vehicle components.

Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a major hypertensive disorder of pregnancy. Widespread differentially methylated cytosines (DMCs) with modest changes in methylation level are associated with PE, whereas their cause and biological significance remain unknown. We aimed to clarify DNA methylation patterns around DMCs in 103 placentas using MethylCap targeted bisulfite re-sequencing (MethylCap-seq) assays of 690 selected DMCs. We verified the MethylCap-seq method, then validated 677 (98.1%) of DMCs (vDMCs) in an independent cohort. The validated DMCs were strongly enriched in active placenta-specific enhancers and showed highly dynamic methylation levels. We found high epigenetic heterogeneity between vDMCs and adjacent CpG sites (r2 < 0.2) and a significant decrease in PE in the discovery and replication cohorts (P = 2.00 × 10−24 and 6.43 × 10−9, respectively). We replicated the methylation changes in a hypoxia/reoxygenation cell model. We constructed 112 methylation haplotype blocks and found that the frequencies of unmethylated haplotypes (UMHs) were dynamic with gestational age (GA) and were altered in maternal plasma of patients with PE. Our results uncovered additional DNA methylation features in PE placentas and suggested a model of skewed DNA methylation balance of enhancers in PE.

As the most commonly used additive manufacturing technology, fused deposition modeling (FDM) still faces some technical issues caused by temperature change-induced unsteady thermal stress and warpi...

No biomarkers have been identified for the prognosis of lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC). Risk models based on m6A-lncRNAs help to predict survival in some cancers. However, very few studies have reported m6A-lncRNA risk models in LUSC. We aimed to construct a prognostic model based on m6A-lncRNAs in LUSC.The clinical and RNA-sequencing information of 504 LUSC patients were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Prognostic m6A-lncRNAs were identified by a Pearson correlation analysis and univariate Cox regression analysis. The ConsensusClusterPlus algorithm was used to cluster the prognostic m6A-lncRNAs. The overall survival (OS) and clinicopathological characteristics of the 2 clusters were compared. A gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) analysis was performed to analyze the genes enriched in the 2 clusters. A least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression analysis was used to construct the risk-score model. Two hundred and forty eight patients were randomly chosen from TCGA-LUSC cohort for the training set. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to assess the predictive ability of the model. The clinical characteristics and OS in the high- and low-risk groups were compared. The independent prognostic value of the model was tested by Cox regression analyses.Thirteen m6A-lncRNAs were identified as prognostic lncRNAs and classified into cluster A and cluster B. The OS of patients in cluster A was better than that of patients in cluster B (P0.001). Patients in cluster B had higher expressions of immune checkpoints. Immune score, stromal score, and ESTIMATE score were higher in cluster B (P0.001). Seven of the 13 lncRNAs were used to construct the risk-score model. Patients in the high-risk group had a worse OS. ROC curves showed a under the curve (AUC) of 0.639 in the training set and 0.624 in the validation set. A high risk was associated with cluster B, a high immune score, and stage III-IV disease. Patients in the high-risk group had increased expressions of immune checkpoints. The Cox regression analyses showed that the risk-score model had independent prognostic value for OS. The risk-score model retained its prognostic value in different subgroups.The m6A-lncRNA risk-score model is an independent prognostic factor for OS in LUSC patients. However, the risk-score model need to be further tested clinically.

Background: Psychotic depression (PD) and schizophrenia (SCZ) are disorders with shared symptoms but unique causes, development, and treatments. Identifying them based on symptoms is difficult, requiring deeper comprehension of cognitive and neural mechanisms for accurate diagnosis and treatment. Aim: This study aims to compare cognitive impairments and brain functional activities in PD and SCZ, in order to identify unique features of each disorder. Methods: We studied 42 PD and 30 SCZ patients using RBANS and rs-fMRI. We computed ReHo values from the rs-fMRI data and compared RBANS scores between groups. We also investigated the correlation between cognition and brain function using Pearson analysis. Results: (1) SC group had lower RBANS scores than PD group in all test sections; (2) Left precuneus had significant ReHo difference between PD and SC groups, with SCZ group showing significantly increased ReHo (p < 0.05); (3) Negative correlation found between visuospatial construction score, delayed memory score and ReHo value of left precuneus by Pearson correlation analysis. conclusion: Cognitive impairment is more severe in SCZ than PD. Elevated left precuneus activity distinguishes PD from SCZ and relates to cognitive deficits in both, offering neuroimaging evidence for differential diagnosis and insight into cognitive impairment pathology.

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a common pregnancy-specific disease, characterized by increased bile acid levels and adverse fetal outcomes. We previously reported excessive bile acids led to dysfunction of placental trophoblasts in ICP. However, the detailed mechanism is still unclear. Autophagy is fundamental process for protecting cell survival against adverse conditions. Here, we evaluated the effect of increased concentration of bile acids on autophagy in trophoblasts in vitro and in vivo. First, we demonstrated that the autophagy substrate p62/sequestosome-1 was accumulated in placental tissues from patients with ICP and in human trophoblasts treated with hydrophobic bile acids, including chenodeoxycholic acid and deoxycholic acid. Furthermore, we found that treatment with hydrophobic bile acids impaired autophagic flux in both time- and concentration-dependent manners, by suppressing the AMP-activated protein kinase/unc-51-like kinase 1 autophagic signaling pathway. Notably, trophoblasts were prone to apoptotic cell death upon starvation along with bile-acids treatment in vitro or in an ICP mouse model in vivo. Additionally, we revealed mitochondrial dysfunction was the predominant biological process in excessive bile acids induced trophoblast impairment under starvation by proteomic assay. Collectively, our study proposed a complex interaction of excessive bile acids induced autophagic flux, mitochondrial dysfunction, and cellular apoptosis in placental trophoblasts may play a critical role in the pathogenesis of ICP.

Undernutrition is commonly encountered in ruminant production, especially during pregnancy and lactation in females. Undernutrition not only induces metabolic diseases and threatens pregnant mothers’ health, but also inhibits fetal growth and development, leading to weakness or even death of fetuses.

BackgroundGlioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most lethal brain cancer in adults, characterized by rapid growth, extensive invasiveness, and poor prognosis, and there is still a lack of effective treatments. Here, we aimed to explore the role of triptolide (TPL), purified from Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F, on glioblastoma cell growth, apoptosis, proliferation, migration and invasion, as well as potential underlying mechanisms.MethodsThe publicly available clinical data of Brain Lower Grade Glioma (LGG) from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) had been screened to observe PROX1 expression. The Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to analyze the relationship between PROX1 expression and GBM prognosis. CCK8, cell cycle, EDU, apoptosis, wound healing, and transwell assays were performed to detect the effects of TPL on glioblastoma U251 cell viability, cell cycle, proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion, respectively. Further, a soft agar colony assay was used to calculate the growth of glioblastoma cells. The qRT-PCR and western blot were conducted to quantify PROX1 mRNA and protein levels. The transcriptional regulation of TPL was detected by Dual luciferase reporter assay.ResultsWe found that TPL inhibited glioblastoma cell viability, proliferation, cell cycle, migration and invasion, but enhanced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. The expression of cell cycle inhibitor, P21, and pro-apoptosis factor, Bax was increased, while invasion-related factors MMP2 and MMP9 were silenced after TPL treatments. Mechanistically, TPL showed transcriptional inhibition of PROX1 appearance. Moreover, ectopic expression of PROX1 partially rescued the effects of TPL on glioblastoma cell viability, proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion, and on the expression of cell function-related genes.ConclusionThis study verified that TPL inhibited the progression of glioblastoma cells by transcriptionally depressing the expression of PROX1.

ObjectivePrior researches have identified distinct differences in neuroimaging characteristics between healthy controls (HCs) and patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the correlations between homotopic connectivity and clinical characteristics in patients with MDD have yet to be fully understood. The present study aimed to investigate common and unique patterns of homotopic connectivity and their relationships with clinical characteristics in patients with MDD.MethodsWe recruited 42 patients diagnosed with MDD and 42 HCs. We collected a range of clinical variables, as well as exploratory eye movement (EEM), event-related potentials (ERPs) and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data. The data were analyzed using correlation analysis, support vector machine (SVM), and voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC).ResultsCompared with HCs, patients with MDD showed decreased VMHC in the insula, and increased VMHC in the cerebellum 8/vermis 8/vermis 9 and superior/middle occipital gyrus. SVM analysis using VMHC values in the cerebellum 8/vermis 8/vermis 9 and insula, or VMHC values in the superior/middle occipital gyrus and insula as inputs can distinguish HCs and patients with MDD with high accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity.ConclusionThe study demonstrated that decreased VMHC in the insula and increased VMHC values in the sensory-motor networks may be a distinctive neurobiological feature for patients with MDD, which could potentially serve as imaging markers to discriminate HCs and patients with MDD.

Sarcopenia has become a leading cause of disability and mortality in the elderly. Decreased size and loss of the number of skeletal muscle cells are the histological manifestations of sarcopenia. Increasing evidence shows that programmed cell death (PCD) contributes to the loss of skeletal muscle fibers. TNF-α is also validated to play a prominent role in sarcopenia through its complex signaling pathways including cell death signaling. However, it is unclear whether TNF-α contributes to sarcopenia by mediating pyroptosis which is one type of PCD. Here, we first established naturally aged mice with sarcopenia model and confirmed an inflammatory state represented by TNF-α in aged mice. Evidence of GSDME-mediated pyroptosis and activation of apoptotic caspase-8/-3 were further found in skeletal muscle cells. We demonstrated that TNF-α triggered GSDME-mediated pyroptosis in myotubes through activating caspase-8 and caspase-3 by using caspase-8 and caspase-3 inhibitors. Comparing the activation of caspase-8 and GSDME expression between TNF Complex IIa and TNF Complex IIb, TNF-α was more inclined to assemble TNF Complex IIb in activating caspase-8 and triggering pyroptosis. Moreover, pyroptotic myotubes were validated to result in decreased expression of MHC1 and finally loss of myotubes by knockdown of GSDME. Our work unravels a novel mechanism that TNF-ɑ/caspase-8/caspase-3/GSDME signaling-mediated pyroptosis plays a pathogenic role in the development of sarcopenia. caspase-3/GSDME signaling-mediated pyroptosis can be a promising therapeutic target for sarcopenia.

BackgroundThis study aimed to investigate the relationships between regional neural activity and multiple related indicators in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).MethodsForty-two patients and 42 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. Pearson/Spearman correlation analyses were applied to examine the associations between abnormal regional homogeneity (ReHo) and different indicators in the patients.ResultsCompared with HCs, patients with MDD had increased ReHo in the left inferior temporal gyrus (ITG) and decreased ReHo values in the left putamen, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and precentral gyrus. The ReHo of the left putamen was positively correlated with the PR interval, Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status 4A, and Discriminant analysis (D), and negatively correlated with Ae (block) and Ae (total) in the patients. The ReHo value of the left ACC was positively correlated with the severity of depression, Stroop Color Word Test of C − 2B + 100 in reaction time, and negatively correlated with Ce (Missay) and Perseverative Responses in the patients. The ReHo of the left ITG was positively correlated with the Neuroticism scores and negatively correlated with the Lie scores in the patients.ConclusionThese results suggested that the decreased ReHo of the salience network might be the underpinning of cognitive impairments in patients with MDD.

Gearbox load spectrum is the data basis for gearbox fatigue life prediction and strength verification. As the amount of load spectrum data increases exponentially and the demand for sharing increases, it is necessary to introduce database technology to store and manage load spectrum data. In this paper, the collection and processing of load data and the compilation of load spectrum are introduced in turns firstly. Then it sums the development and research status of database technology and the technical route of combining load spectrum database up secondly. Moreover, the current status of load spectrum database and the design steps of load spectrum database are summarized. Finally, the development trend of load spectrum database research is generalized and the prospect is put forward.

In this work, a series of novel substituted polycyclic pyridone derivatives were designed and synthesized as potent anti-influenza agents. The cytopathic effect (CPE) assay and cytotoxicity assay indicated that all of the compounds possessed potent anti-influenza virus activity and relatively low cytotoxicity; some of them inhibited the replication of influenza A virus (IAV) at picomolar concentrations. Further studies revealed that, at a concentration of 3 nM, three compounds (10a, 10d, and 10g) could significantly reduce the M2 RNA amounts and M2 protein expression of IAV and inhibit the activity of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). Among them, (R)-12-(5H-dibenzo[a,d][7]annulen-5-yl)-7-hydroxy-3,4,12,12a-tetrahydro-1H-[1,4]oxazino[3,4-c]pyrido[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazine-6,8-dione (10a) was found to be a promising anti-influenza drug candidate with good human liver microsomal stability, as well as with better selectivity index and oral bioavailability than Baloxavir.

We tested the hypothesis of whether maternal residential proximity to municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) sites could significantly affect birth outcomes. This retrospective birth cohort study conducted at the International Peace Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai, China, included 59,606 mothers with singleton live births during 2014-2018. Multivariate generalized linear models were used to examine associations between residential proximity to MSWI sites and birth outcomes. Small for gestational age (SGA) was significantly more common among children with maternal residential proximity to MSWI sites (odds ratio [OR]=1.20, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07-1.34). Maternal prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) influenced this association. Infants of underweight mothers (prepregnancy BMI

Concurrent mutations of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha (PIK3CA) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are rare, and the presence of concurrent mutations may complicate treatment. Herein, we report a case of primary lung adenosquamous carcinoma with concurrent EGFR 21 (L858R) and PIK3CA (H1047R/E545K) mutations, and the results of a literature review to help management and treatment. A 49-year-old female was admitted our department for coughing and excessive sputum production for more than 1 month. Computed tomography (CT) of the chest identified a lesion, and a CT-guided needle biopsy was performed. Pathological examination and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining confirmed a diagnosis of primary lung adenosquamous carcinoma. Amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (ARMS-PCR) gene sequencing demonstrated mutations in both EGFR 21 (L858R) and PIK3CA (H1047R/E545K) mutations in adenocarcinoma (AC) component. She was treated with pemetrexed plus platinum-based chemotherapy and an EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). Disease progression occurred with gefitinib or osimertinib as maintenance therapy. A repeat CT-guided needle biopsy was performed, and generation sequencing (NGS) revealed EGFR 21 (L858R) and PIK3CA (H1047R/E545K) mutations. Anlotinib monotherapy was then administered as the third-line treatment, and there was a PR. The patient is currently still receiving treatment and follow-up. To our knowledge, there is little evidence that anlotinib is beneficial when there are concurrent EGFR and PIK3CA mutations. PIK3CA mutations are associated with poor therapeutic effects and short survival time. Concurrent EGFR and PIK3CA mutations do not respond to EGFR-TKI treatment. Chemotherapy should be given in combination with a TKI and can prolong the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of patients with lung cancer.

The Y-STR landscape of Coastal Southeastern Han (CSEH) living in Chinese southeast areas (including Guangdong, Fujian, and Zhejiang provinces) is still unclear. We investigated 62 Y-STR markers in a reasonably large number of 1021 unrelated males and 1027 DNA-confirmed father-son pairs to broaden the genetic backgrounds of CSEH. In total, 85 null alleles, 121 off-ladder alleles, and 95 copy number variants were observed, and 1012 distinct haplotypes were determined with the overall HD and DC values of 0.999974 and 0.9912. We observed 369 mutations in 76 099 meiotic transfers, and the average estimated Y-STR mutation rate was 4.85 × 10-3 (95% CI, 4.4 × 10-3 -5.4 × 10-3 ). The Spearman correlation analyses indicated that GD values (R2 = 0.6548) and average allele sizes (R2 = 0.5989) have positive correlations with Y-STR mutation rates. Our RM Y-STR set including 8 candidate RM Y-STRs, of which DYS534, DYS630, and DYS713 are new candidates in CSEH, distinguished 18.52% of father-son pairs. This study also clarified the population structures of CSEH which isolated in population-mixed South China relatively. The strategy, SM Y-STRs for familial searching and RM Y-STRs for individual identification regionally, could be applicable based on enough knowledge of the Y-STR mutability of different populations.

Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is a critical plant hormone that regulates cell division, development, and metabolism. IAA synthesis in plants and plant-associated microorganisms cannot fulfill the requirement for large-scale agricultural production. Here, two novel IAA biosynthesis pathways, tryptamine (TAM) and indole-3-acetamide (IAM), were developed for IAA production by whole-cell catalysis and de novo biosynthesis in an engineered Escherichia coli MG1655. When 10 g/L l-tryptophan was used as a substrate, an MIA-6 strain containing a heterologous IAM pathway had the highest IAA titer of 7.10 g/L (1.34 × 103 mg/g DCW), which was 98.4 times more than MTAI-5 containing the TAM pathway by whole-cell catalysis. De novo IAA biosynthesis was optimized by improving NAD(P)H availability, resulting in an increased IAA titer of 906 mg/L obtained by the MGΔadhE::icd strain, which is 29.7% higher than the control. These strategies exhibit the potential for IAA production in engineered E. coli and possible industrial applications.

— Pure electric vehicles are a research hotspot in today's new energy vehicle industry. Its core is the electromechanical coupled drive system (drive motor and gearbox), and its performance affects the overall performance of pure electric vehicles. The application of industrial software for electromagnetic design, electrothermal design, electromagnetic vibration and noise optimization of drive motors, heat transfer analysis, fatigue analysis, and noise optimization analysis of gearboxes has become important technologies for designing and manufacturing the core components of electromechanical coupling drive systems.This article analyzes the current status and existing problems of the development of simulation software for the core components (drive motor and gearbox) of the electromechanical coupling drive system of electric vehicles, and proposes solutions to key technical problems, and proposes the development direction of unified simulation of drive motor and gearbox on the electromechanical coupling platform

l-Tyrosine is a versatile compound used in the fine chemical, pharmaceutical, and functional food industries. Here, we report a bi-enzymatic cascade involving alanine racemase (ALR) and d-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) to produce pyruvate, as co-substrate for l-tyrosine production, from the cheap substrate l-alanine. The BpALR (ALR from Bacillus pseudofirmus) was used as a whole-cell biocatalyst, converting l-alanine to d, l-alanine. The FsDAAO (DAAO from Fusarium solani) was immobilized to oxidize the d-alanine generated in the first step to pyruvate. Both systems were combined as a continuous-flow reactor for maximized l-alanine-to-pyruvate conversion rates. The optimal parameters and appropriate conditions for FsDAAO immobilization were investigated. The pyruvate concentration of 86.6 g/L was achieved within 17 h. Subsequently, a whole-cell biocatalyst system for l-tyrosine production, catalyzed by the tyrosine phenol-lyase (TPL) from Erwinia herbicola (EhTPL), was developed, and a fed-batch approach was applied with phenol and the pyruvate produced with the ALR/DAAO system mentioned above. The concentration of phenol and pyruvate in the reactor should not exceed 7.5 g/L and 10 g/L, respectively. Significantly, the l-tyrosine concentration of 152.5 g/L was achieved within 10 h, demonstrating the great potential for high-efficiency production of l-tyrosine through the approach we established in this paper. Graphical abstract • A specific bioreactor system for pyruvate produced from l-alanine was developed • The appropriate condition for immobilization of FsDAAO was investigated • A fed-batch process was established to produce l-tyrosine with recombinant E. coli • The bi-enzymatic cascade was successfully used for l-tyrosine production at low cost

Latest advances have witnessed the laser induction process on polyimide (PI) films for the formation of porous graphene. Herein, a fully converted graphene film was prepared by Nd:YAG laser scribing a gelatin coated PI film. It was found that the gelatin played the role of “shield” well in absorbing intense laser impact and benefit for the surface morphology modulation. Laser treatment lower than a critical fluence point of ~4.00 J mm−2 contributed to a crater-like surface morphology due to the dispersed nature of Nd:YAG laser beam. By tuning laser fluence above the threshold, carbonized surface turned into continuous morphology. A fluid dynamics process accompanied by outgassing occurred during the carbonization, and the surface morphology gradually varied from stretched droplets to porous strips and finally to amorphous porous structures. The morphology evolution in combination with surface chemistry is responsible for the significant wettability transition from superhydrophobic to superhydrophilic, and a Janus superhydrophobic/superhydrophilic surface wettability was achieved under a laser fluence of ~8.00 J mm−2. Eventually, microsupercapacitors (MSCs) were fabricated to show the great potential of our prepared graphene in flexible electronics.

The recently emerging laser-induced graphene (LIG) technology, with one-step processing and designable features, has been widely used in the fabrication of wearable/portable electronics. Herein, by taking inspiration from kirigami, we designed a stretchable supercapacitor (SC) step by step through controlling laser induction and cutting process on the polyimide (PI) film, with the use of one single CO2 laser source. Firstly, the carbonized basic geometric units of lines were produced on PI films to investigate the processing-structure relationships. Then, the complex photothermal conversion and heat transfer progress involved in the carbonized process were simulated by a photothermal model. Both experimental and theoretical results suggested that the laser power, scan rate and focus condition have great influence on the size, shape and morphology of the carbonized lines. Finally, we optimized the parameters of laser induction and cutting process to fabricate the kirigami-inspired SCs with reliable electrochemical properties and editable mechanical flexibility, showing great potential in the field of flexible electronics.

In this paper, the fracture surfaces of a light-conversion film were observed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and then, the fluorescence spectra and mechanical properties of the film were tested. The SEM results show that the average diameter of the light conversion agent is 500 nm. The results of the mechanical properties tests show that the tensile strengths of light-conversion film increase from 9.86 to 12.16 MPa and that the strain at breakage increases from 2.37% to 2.75%. In addition, the application effects of the light-conversion film were studied. The results indicate that plant height, length of the maximum leaf, width of the maximum leaf and breadth of the plants increase by 24.43%, 15.30%, 15.60% and 19.07%, respectively. The quality of Chinese flowering cabbages treated with the light-conversion film is superior, including a 9.09% increase in the soluble protein content, a 21.27% increase in the polyphenol content, and a 19.15% increase in the soluble sugar content. Based on these results, light-conversion films can be applied in agricultural production.

Objective. To investigate the effect of logistic multivariate analysis on the survival rate of advanced malignant tumors and to evaluate the effect of erythrocyte storage injury on the survival rate of advanced malignant tumors and its clinical significance. Methods. A retrospective analysis was performed on 120 advanced cancer patients who received blood transfusion in Shaanxi Cancer Hospital from March 2018 to June 2019, and the risk factors for death were analyzed. A total of 72 advanced cancer patients admitted to hospital from March 2019 to June 2021 were included in the study. The patients with red blood cell transfusion storage time ≤ 14 d were the study group ( n = 36 ), and the patients with red blood cell transfusion storage time > 14 d were the control group ( n = 36 ). Compare the total efficiency of blood transfusion. The levels of Hb, erythrocyte count, hematocrit (HCT), blood oxygen saturation (SPO2), creatinine (Cr), erythrocyte deformability index, whole blood, erythrocyte, and hemoglobin before and after blood transfusion were compared, and the adverse reactions of blood transfusion were recorded. Results. Dyspnea and delirium were significantly associated with patient survival time ( P < 0.05 ). Red blood cell storage time ≤ 14 days, Lym % < 12 % , lactate dehydrogenase LDH > 500 U/L, and ALB < 30 g/L were significantly correlated with survival time. Karnofsky performance status KPS < 30 , delirium, LDH > 500 U/L, and albumin ALB < 30 g/L were independent influencing factors of survival ( P < 0.05 ). The overall effective rate of the research group was higher ( P < 0.05 ). The incidence of adverse reactions in the study group was lower ( P < 0.05 ). The levels of Hb, red blood cell count, and HCT in the study group were higher ( P < 0.05 ). Compared with the control group, the SPO2 level and the red blood cell deformability index were higher in the study group ( P < 0.05 ). After blood transfusion, the level of (diphosphoglycerate) DPG in the study group was higher than that in the control group ( P < 0.05 ). The length of hospital stay in the study group was significantly shortened ( P < 0.05 ). The nosocomial infection rate and case fatality rate in the study group were significantly reduced ( P < 0.05 ). Conclusion. Red blood cell storage time ≤ 14 d, LYM % < 12 % , LDH > 500 U/L, and ALB < 30 g/L are all significantly correlated with survival time. KPS < 30 , delirium, LDH > 500 U/L, and ALB < 30 g/L were independent factors for survival ( P < 0.05 ). Transfusion of red blood cells stored for ≤14 days in patients with advanced malignant tumors can significantly increase the effective infusion rate, improve anemia status, shorten hospital stay, and reduce mortality and risk of nosocomial infection and is worthy of clinical promotion.

The performance evaluation and optimization of an energy conversion system design of an energy intensive drying system applied the method of combining exergy and economy is a theme of global concern. In this study, a gas-type industrial drying system of black tea with a capacity of 100 kg/h is used to investigate the exergetic and economic performance through the exergy and exergoeconomic methodology. The result shows that the drying rate of tea varies from the maximum value of 3.48 gwater/gdry matter h to the minimum 0.18 gwater/gdry matter h. The highest exergy destruction rate is found for the drying chamber (74.92 kW), followed by the combustion chamber (20.42 kW) in the initial drying system, and 51.83 kW and 21.15 kW in the redrying system. Similarly, the highest cost of the exergy destruction rate is found for the drying chamber (18.497 USD/h), followed by the combustion chamber (5.041 USD/h) in the initial drying system, and 12.796 USD/h and 5.222 USD/h in the redrying system. Furthermore, we analyzed the unit exergy rate consumed and the unit exergy cost of water removal in different drying sections of the drying system, and determined the optimal ordering of each component. These results mentioned above indicate that, whether from an energy or economic perspective, the component improvements should prioritize the drying chamber. Accordingly, minimizing exergy destruction and the cost of the exergy destruction rate can be considered as a strategy for improving the performance of energy and economy. Overall, the main results provide a more intuitive judgment for system improvement and optimization, and the exergy and exergoeconomic methodology can be commended as a method for agricultural product industrial drying from the perspective of exergoeconomics.

Background: Bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia (SC) have many similarities in clinical manifestations. The acute phase of BD has psychotic symptoms, while SC also has emotional symptoms during the onset, which suggests that there is some uncertainty in distinguishing BD and SC through clinical symptoms. Aim: To explore the characteristics of brain functional activities and cognitive impairment between BD and SC. Methods: Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) test was performed on patients in drug-naïve BD and SC (50 subjects in each group), and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scanning was performed meanwhile. Rs-fMRI data were routinely preprocessed, and the value of the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) was calculated. Then each part of the scores of the RBANS and the characteristics of brain function activities were compared between the two groups. Finally used Pearson correlation to analyze the correlation between cognition and brain function. Results: (1) Compared with BD group, all parts of RBANS scores in SC group decreased; (2) The left inferior occipital gyrus (IOG, peak coordinates − 30, -87, -15; t = 4.78, voxel size = 31, Alphasim correction) and the right superior temporal gyrus (STG, peak coordinates 51, -12, 0; t = 5.08, voxel size = 17, AlphaSim correction) were the brain areas with significant difference in fALFF values between BD and SC. Compared with SC group, the fALFF values of the left IOG and the right STG in BD group were increased (p rleft IOG = 0.304, p = 0.003; rright STG = 0.340, p = 0.001); The delayed memory (figure recall) score was positively correlated with the fALFF value of the left IOG (rleft IOG = 0.207, p = 0.044). Discussion: The cognitive impairment of SC was more serious than BD. The abnormal activities of the left IOG and the right STG may be the core brain region to distinguish BD and SC, and are closely related to cognitive impairment, which provide neuroimaging basis for clinical differential diagnosis and explore the pathological mechanism of cognitive impairment.

ObjectivePreterm delivery (PTD) is the primary cause of mortality in infants. Mounting evidence indicates that thyroid dysfunction might be associated with an increased risk of PTD, but the dose-dependent association between the continuous spectrum maternal free thyroxine (FT4) and PTD is still not well-defined. This study aimed to further investigate this relationship using a machine learning-based model.MethodsA hospital-based cohort study was conducted from January 2014 to December 2018 in Shanghai, China. Pregnant women who delivered singleton live births and had first-trimester thyroid function data available were included. The generalized additive models with penalized cubic regression spline were applied to explore the non-linear association between maternal FT4 and risk of PTD and also subtypes of PTD. The time-to-event method and multivariable Cox proportional hazard model were further applied to analyze the association of abnormally high and low maternal FT4 concentrations with the timing of PTD.ResultsA total of 65,565 singleton pregnancies with completed medical records and no known thyroid disease before pregnancy were included for final analyses. There was a U-shaped dose-dependent relationship between maternal FT4 in the first trimester and PTD (p <0.001). Compared with the normal range of maternal FT4, increased risk of PTD was identified in both low maternal FT4 (19.7 pmol/L; HR 1.41, 95% CI [1.13–1.76]). The association between isolated hypothyroxinemia and PTD was mainly associated with spontaneous PTD (HR 1.33, 95% CI [1.11–1.59]) while overt hyperthyroidism may be attributable to iatrogenic PTD (HR 1.51, 95% CI [1.18–1.92]) when compared with euthyroid women. Additionally, mediation analysis identified that an estimated 11.80% of the association between overt hyperthyroidism and iatrogenic PTD risk was mediated via the occurrence of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (p <0.001).ConclusionsWe revealed a U-shaped association between maternal FT4 and PTD for the first time, exceeding the clinical definition of maternal thyroid function test abnormalities. Our findings provide insights towards the need to establish optimal range of maternal FT4 concentrations for preventing adverse outcomes in pregnancy.

Brake-by-wire (BBW) technology is crucial in driverless cars. The BBW technology, which has a faster reaction time and greater stability, can improve passenger safety in driverless cars. BBW technology refers to the removal of some complicated mechanical and hydraulic components from the traditional braking system in favor of using wires to transmit braking signals, which improves braking performance. Firstly, this paper summarized BBW’s development history as well as its structure, classification, and operating principles. Subsequently, various control strategies of the BBW system were analyzed, and the development trend and research status of the motor brake-control strategy and wheel-cylinder pressure-control strategy in the braking force-distribution strategy were analyzed respectively, and the brake fault-tolerance technology and regenerative-braking technology were also analyzed and summarized. Finally, this paper summarized the various technologies of BBW, taking the electromechanical brake (EMB) in the braking system as an example to discuss the current challenges and the way forward.

Vehicle mass is crucial to autonomous vehicles control. Affected by the nonlinearity of vehicle dynamics between vehicle states, it is still a tough issue to estimate vehicle mass precisely and stably. The transformer aided adaptive extended Kalman filter is proposed to further improve the accuracy and stability of estimation. Firstly, the transformer-based estimator is introduced to provide an accurate pre-estimation of vehicle mass, with the nonlinear dynamics among vehicle states being learned. Secondly, on the basis of comparing the real-time input and training data of neural network, the weight adjustment module is designed to present an adaptive law. Finally, the adaptive extended Kalman filter is proposed to meet the demand of accuracy and stability, where the pre-estimation of transformer-based estimator is integrated with the adaptive law. Dataset is collected by conducting heavy-duty vehicle simulation. The mean absolute percentage error, mean absolute error, root mean square error and convergence rate averaged over simulation tests are 0.90%, 256.47 kg, 357.01 kg and 184 steps, respectively. The results show the outperformance of the proposed method in terms of accuracy and stability.

In this work, a series of novel 1H-indole-2-carboxylic acid derivatives targeting 14-3-3η protein were designed and synthesized for treatment of liver cancer. After structural optimization for several rounds, C11 displayed a relatively better affinity with 14-3-3η, as well as the best inhibitory activities against several typical human liver cancer cell lines, including Bel-7402, SMMC-7721, SNU-387, Hep G2 and Hep 3B cells. Compound C11 also displayed best inhibitory activity against chemotherapy-resistant Bel-7402/5-Fu cells. Besides, C11 was rather safe against hERG and possessed moderate T

The application of agricultural robots can liberate labor. The improvement of robot sensing systems is the premise of making it work. At present, more research is being conducted on weeding and harvesting systems of field robot, but less research is being conducted on crop disease and insect pest perception, nutritional element diagnosis and precision fertilizer spraying systems. In this study, the effects of the nitrogen application rate on the absorption and accumulation of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in sweet maize were determined. Firstly, linear, parabolic, exponential and logarithmic diagnostic models of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium contents were constructed by spectral characteristic variables. Secondly, the partial least squares regression and neural network nonlinear diagnosis model of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium contents were constructed by the high-frequency wavelet sensitivity coefficient of binary wavelet decomposition. The results show that the neural network nonlinear diagnosis model of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content based on the high-frequency wavelet sensitivity coefficient of binary wavelet decomposition is better. The R2, MRE and NRMSE of nn of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were 0.974, 1.65% and 0.0198; 0.969, 9.02% and 0.1041; and 0.821, 2.16% and 0.0301, respectively. The model can provide growth monitoring for sweet corn and a perception model for the nutrient element perception system of an agricultural robot, while making preliminary preparations for the realization of intelligent and accurate field fertilization.

Information on the association between homocysteine (HCY) levels and carotid atherosclerosis (CAS) in hypertension (HTN) is limited. A cross-sectional study was performed to examine the relationship of plasma HCY concentration with CAS in 1700 hypertensives (61.62 ± 12.16 year). The prevalence of CAS and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) progressively increased across quartiles of HCY levels (P 0.001). Correlation analysis showed significantly positive correlation between HCY and CAS (r = 0.261, P 0.001). In a logistic regression, HCY independently predicted the presence of CAS (OR 1.284, 95% CI 1.163-1.418). Further investigation revealed that interaction effect of HCY was substantial for gender (P for interaction 0.023), age (P for interaction0.001) and smoking (P for interaction 0.025) on CAS. Thus, in hypertensives, those of male, aged ≥55 year and current smokers, in which HCY ≥ 13.49 μmol/L were more likely to suffer CAS, suggesting a role of HCY in the development and progression of CAS in these patients, and HCY determination should be recommended to better stratify the cardiovascular risk.

Background: Mondor's disease (MD) is a rare benign and self-limited entity characterized by superficial thrombophlebitis of a vein in special regions. It may be secondary to trauma, malignancy, surgery, excessive physical activity or hyperviscosity. Diagnosis of MD is often based on history and physical examination. Case presentation: Here we present a rare case of Mondor's disease of chest wall with a pain and subcutaneous cord-like induration of right lateral chest. Ultrasonography revealed a superficial venous thrombosis of right thoracoepigastric vein. After treatment of aspirin for 2 weeks, chest pain was obviously relieved, and the lesion completely resolved approximately 6 weeks after presentation. Conclusions: Mondor’s disease could spontaneously resolved after several weeks and excessive medical intervention should be avoided.

The accuracy of particle shape characterization is the key to the study of particle dynamics. This study proposes two modeling methods, super-ellipsoid approach (SE) and multi-sphere approach (MS), to describe the discrete element method (DEM) model of soybean seeds with the goal of improving the accuracy of the discrete element analysis model of soybean seeds. The accumulation process, flow behavior, and mixing characteristics of soybean seeds were studied through experiments and DEM simulation. Three comparative verification tests were carried out to compare the accuracy and potential similarity of the SE particle model and the MS particle model: (1) angle of repose experiment; (2) slope screening experiment; and (3) horizontal rotating cylinder experiment. The simulation and experimental results indicated that when compared with the MS particle model, the soybean seed model established using the super-ellipsoid approach can make the described particle shape more accurate, and also reproduce the accumulation process, flow behavior, and mixing characteristics of soybean seeds more accurately. For the multi-sphere approach, the calculation cost for approximating the DEM model of soybean seeds can be saved when the number of sub-spheres is less, but the accuracy of the particle model will be reduced at the same time. In this paper, the DEM model established using the super-ellipsoid approach can accurately simulate the real movement of soybean seeds. Therefore, the model can provide a new numerical calculation method for the simulation of the particle system in the structure of agricultural machinery.

We have synthesized a series of compounds based on a piperidyl benzimidazole carboxamide structure, and tested their PARP-1 inhibitory activity, as well as cellular inhibitory activity. Some of them show great potency as PARP-1 inhibitors and antitumor activity, which are valuable for further research. In addition, the predicted ADME properties and proposed binding mode with PARP-1 of the compounds were obtained via computational simulation.