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The neurovascular unit (NVU) is involved in the pathological changes in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The NVU is a structural and functional complex that maintains microenvironmental homeostasis and metabolic balance in the central nervous system. As one of the most important components of the NVU, microglia not only induce blood-brain barrier breakdown by promoting neuroinflammation, the infiltration of peripheral white blood cells and oxidative stress but also mediate neurovascular uncoupling by inducing mitochondrial dysfunction in neurons, abnormal contraction of cerebral vessels, and pericyte loss in AD. In addition, microglia-mediated dysfunction of cellular components in the NVU, such as astrocytes and pericytes, can destroy the integrity of the NVU and lead to NVU impairment. Therefore, we review the mechanisms of microglia-mediated NVU dysfunction in AD. Furthermore, existing therapeutic advancements aimed at restoring the function of microglia and the NVU in AD are discussed. Finally, we predict the role of pericytes in microglia-mediated NVU dysfunction in AD is the hotspot in the future.

Along with the global business layout and trying to spread Chinese culture, the wave of games going abroad has been rolling higher in recent years. This study is divided into three parts. Firstly, what is the definition of going to sea, the components of the industry chain going to sea, the history and process of Tencent’s development going to sea, and Tencent’s current development status. Secondly, the profitability of Tencent’s outbound business is also analyzed, as well as the classification and primary work of the manufacturers involved in the outbound process and their share. Finally, Tencent’s suggestions for going abroad, include accelerating product updates in mature markets, further developing emerging markets, developing distribution channels and platform cooperation, and helping games go abroad. Comprehensive local cultural integration.

To investigate the impact of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) on atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetes patients with normal bodyweight (OB[-]) in the Chinese population, and to further assess the sex-age differences between them.A total of 8,839 type 2 diabetes patients from two of the National Metabolic Management Centers in China were included in this study. Participants were classified into four groups by visceral fat area (VFA; cmThe VA(+)OB(-) prevalence was 3.7% among these participants. Patients with VA(+)OB(-) had the highest baPWV value (P 0.001) and the highest proportion of the tertile 3 of baPWV (P 0.001) among four groups, and were significantly associated with baPWV (standardized β = 0.026, P = 0.008). VFA was significantly related to tertile 2 to tertile 3 of baPWV in (OB[-]) type 2 diabetes patients, when compared with tertile 1 of baPWV, respectively. In sex-age stratified analysis, the association of VFA and the tertiles of baPWV showed sex differences. For the 55 years age stratification analysis, there was no age difference in the relationship between VFA and baPWV in (OB[-]) patients.Increased VAT was an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis in female type 2 diabetes patients with normal weight.

A thorough understanding of the cell behaviors of the human neural grafts is fundamental to exploit them to achieve cell therapy for recovering brain functions. Here by using immunohistological staining, we trace the cell fate of the intrastriatal human neural progenitor cell (NPC) grafts up to 9 months in adult rats, with multiple examining time points to provide a unified working time frame for future transplantation study. Lots of Nestin+/Sox2+ human cells continuously migrate along the white matter tracts into distal brain parenchyma even long time after transplantation, providing a potential for curing diffuse brain damage. Further analysis reveals a significant heterogeneity of the long-term sustained neural stem cells (NSC)/NPCs that progressing throughout different stages, mimicking the neural development of human forebrain. More importantly, the initial GFAP expression in human grafts marks the NSC progression instead of terminal astrocyte differentiation. The distally migrating human cells continuously show the capability to produce new neurons, albeit at a low efficiency in the intact brain. Further investigations in neural disease models are needed. Such study would benefit neural cell therapy with regarding to the optimization of the transplantation strategy and choosing of acting mode by neural grafts (e.g. via cell replacement orex vivogene therapy).

Chicken coccidiosis is an extremely common and lethally epidemic disease caused by Eimeria spp. The control measures of coccidiosis depend mainly on drugs. However, the ensuing drug resistance problem has brought considerable economic loss to the poultry industry. In our previous study, comparative transcriptome analyses of a drug-sensitive (DS) strain and two drug-resistant strains (diclazuril-resistant (DZR) and maduramicin-resistant (MRR) strains) of Eimeria tenella were carried out by transcriptome sequencing. The expression of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase of E. tenella (EtGAPDH) was upregulated in the two resistant strains. In this study, we cloned and characterized EtGAPDH. Indirect immunofluorescence localization was used to observe the distribution of EtGAPDH in E. tenella. The results showed that the protein was distributed mainly on the surface of sporozoites and merozoites, and in the cytoplasm of merozoites. qPCR was performed to detect the transcription level of EtGAPDH in the different developmental stages of the E. tenella DS strain. The transcription level of EtGAPDH was significantly higher in second-generation merozoites than in the other three stages. The transcription level of EtGAPDH in the different drug-resistant strains and DS strain of E. tenella was also analyzed by qPCR. The results showed that the transcription level was significantly higher in the two drug-resistant strains (MRR and DZR) than in the DS strain. As the concentration of diclazuril and maduramicin increased, the transcription levels also increased. Western blot results showed that EtGAPDH protein was upregulated in the DZR and MRR strains. Enzyme activity showed that the enzyme activity of EtGAPDH was higher in the two resistant strains than in the DS strain. These results showed that EtGAPDH possess several roles that separate and distinct from its glycolytic function and maybe involved in the development of E. tenella resistance to anticoccidial drugs.

Background Minimally invasive surgery through Laparoscopy had been the first treatment option for ventral hernias. Laparoscopic intraperitoneal on lay mesh (IPOM) plus approach for abdominal wall hernias is the classic procedure, while extended view totally extraperitoneal (e‑TEP) repair is a newer option. This study aimed to compare the preliminary effects of the two surgical procedures for abdominal wall hernias repair. Methods This is a retrospective and comparative single-center study done at The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University Hospital (Shenzhen People's Hospital), Shenzhen, China, from January 2022 to December 2022. The study included all patients who had undergone abdominal wall hernia operation with a 2 to 6-cm defect size. Patients' baseline characteristics, hernia features, operative time, blood loss, postoperative pain level, and total hospitalization expenses were conducted systematically. Results We evaluated 53 cases, 22 in the e-TEP group and 31 in IPOM plus group. The demographic characteristics had no significant difference between the two groups. The time of surgery in e-TEP was significantly longer than IPOM plus (98.5 ± 10.7min vs. 65.9 ± 7.3min, P vs. 6.7 ± 0.9, P vs. 72.6 ± 40.5mg, P vs. 2.2 ± 0.6days, P vs. 35286.2 ± 1196.6CNY, P

Aptamers, nucleic acid ligands against specific targets, have emerged as drug candidates, sensors, imaging tools, and nanotechnology building blocks. The most successful method for their development has been SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential Enrichment), an iterative procedure that is labor- and time-intensive and often enriches candidates for criteria other than those desired. Here we present UltraSelex, a non-iterative method that combines biochemical partitioning, high-throughput sequencing, and computational background minimization through statistical rank modeling. This approach avoids the common bias for abundant sequences and selects high-affinity ligands, even if they are extremely scarce. In six independent UltraSelex experiments (three towards each target), we discovered high-affinity aptamers for a fluorogenic silicon rhodamine dye, and a protein target, the SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. These aptamers enabled live-cell RNA imaging and efficient enzyme inhibition, respectively. The wet-lab partitioning part of UltraSelex can be completed in a few hours, and including sequencing and rank modeling via a public web server, the identification of lead candidates can be accomplished in about one day. UltraSelex provides a rapid route to novel drug candidates and diagnostic tools with greatly improved performance.

Examining iron (Fe) speciation in marine sediments is critical to understand Fe and carbon biogeochemical cycling in polar regions. In this study, we investigated the speciation of Fe in sediments from Prydz Bay and the adjacent Southern Ocean, and examined the factors controlling Fe speciation and its relationship with total organic carbon (TOC). Our results reveal that unreactive silicate Fe (FeU) is the dominant pool of total Fe (FeT), followed by poorly reactive sheet silicate Fe (FePRS), reducible crystalline Fe oxides (Feox2), easily reducible amorphous/poorly crystalline Fe oxides (Feox1), and magnetite (Femag), with carbonate-associated ferrous Fe (Fecarb) being the smallest pool. The highly reactive Fe (FeHR)/FeT ratios (0.13 ± 0.06) in our study area are among the lowest end-member globally, primarily due to weak bedrock weathering and slow glacier melting. The Feox1/FeT ratios are similar to those in continental shelf and marginal seas containing highly weathered materials, while the Feox2/FeT ratios are significantly lower. This result implicates that low temperature inhibits the aging of iceberg melting-sourced Feox1 potentially, and accordingly the regulation of weathering on the FeHR/FeT ratio is mainly reflected in Feox2/FeT ratio. There are no significant correlations between TOC and FeHR, Fecarb, Feox1 or Feox2 in the research region. Four distinct patterns of TOC/FeHR ratio can be discerned by summarizing the global data set: (a) high TOC/FeHR ratios (> 2.5) are likely the result of high marine primary productivity and low chemically weathered source materials; (b) low TOC/FeHR ratios (< 0.6) are caused by high rates of FeHR inputs and OC remineralization; (c) mid-range TOC/FeHR ratios (0.6 – 2.5) typical of most river particulates and marginal sea sediments indicate the same FeHR and OC sources and/or interactions between each other; (d) both low TOC and FeHR content is the result of low marine primary productivity and weak chemical weathering. Our findings provide new insights into the relationship between FeHR and TOC in polar sediments.

Background: Coronary computed tomography-derived fractional reserve fraction (CT-FFR) and intravascular ultrasound-derived fractional reserve fraction (IVUS-FFR) are methods of functional assessment based on coronary imaging; however, the calculation algorithms are substantially different between them. The aim of this study was to compare diagnostic performance between CT-FFR and IVUS-FFR using invasive fractional flow reserve (FFR) as the reference standard. Method: Our retrospective study enrolled 40 patients (41 lesions) with known or suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) between January 2020 and July 2021. Patients who completed coronary CT angiography (CCTA) within six months underwent intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and fractional flow reserve (FFR) evaluation. We used a novel CFD-based model (AccuFFRct, ArteryFlow Technology Co., Ltd., Hangzhou, China) to compute the CT-FFR values, and a novel software (AccuFFRivus, ArteryFlow Technology Co., Ltd., Hangzhou, China) to calculate the IVUS-FFR values coupled with angiography. The diagnostic performance of CT-FFR and IVUS-FFR was evaluated using invasive FFR≤0.8 as the reference standard. Result: AccuFFRivus demonstrated a strong correlation with invasive FFR (R=0.7913, PConclusions: IVUS-FFR may also become a new clinically meaningful functional evaluation method for diagnosing myocardial ischemia and may be as important as CT-FFR, Angio-FFR, OCT-FFR, and invasive FFR in the future as a method for evaluating coronary artery disease.

Exploring materials with multiple properties who can endow a simple device with integrated functionalities has attracted enormous attention in the microelectronic field. One reason is the imperious demand for processors with continuously higher performance and totally new architecture. Combining ferroelectric with semiconducting properties is a promising solution. Here, we show that logic, in-memory computing, and optoelectrical logic and non-volatile computing functionalities can be integrated into a single transistor with ferroelectric semiconducting α-In2Se3 as the channel. Two-input AND, OR, and non-volatile NOR and NAND logic operations with current on/off ratios reaching up to five orders, good endurance (1000 operation cycles), and fast operating speed (10 μs) are realized. In addition, optoelectrical OR logic and non-volatile implication (IMP) operations, as well as ternary-input optoelectrical logic and in-memory computing functions are achieved by introducing light as an additional input signal. Our work highlights the potential of integrating complex logic functions and new-type computing into a simple device based on emerging ferroelectric semiconductors.

BACKGROUND With the rising population age and the development of information technology in China, a growing number of older adults use social media as a means of social participation. The impact of posting on WeChat Moments on the mental health of older adults is worthy of attention. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to identify posting on WeChat Moments as an active social media use and analyze its impact on the mental health of older adults. METHODS Using the survey data from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, we defined posting on WeChat Moments as an active social media use and used propensity score matching to analyze the impact of such posting on the mental health of older adults. RESULTS The results of the study showed that posting significantly improved the depression, self-rated health, and health satisfaction of older adults, implying that older adults who used WeChat and posted on WeChat Moments benefited from the active social media use. Heterogeneity analysis showed that the female older-adult population and the younger older-adult population derived the most mental health benefit from posting on WeChat Moments. CONCLUSIONS The government should help older adults actively integrate into digital life at the policy level and guide them to use social media rationally and scientifically.

The rice-fish system (RFS), a traditional coculture farming model, was selected as a “globally important agricultural heritage system.” Host-associated microbiota play important roles in development, metabolism, physiology, and immune function. However, studies on the gut microbiota of aquatic animals in the RFS are scarce, especially the lack of baseline knowledge of the dynamics of gut microbial communities in rice fish during different developmental stages. In this study, we characterized the microbial composition, community structure, and functions of several sympatric aquatic animals (common carp (Cyprinus carpio), crucian carp (Carassius carassius), and black-spotted frogs (Pelophylax nigromaculatus)), and the environment (water) in the RFS using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Moreover, we investigated stage-specific signatures in the gut microbiota of common carp throughout the three developmental stages (juvenile, sub-adult, and adult). Our results indicated that the Fusobacteriota, Proteobacteria, and Firmicutes were dominant gut microbial phyla in rice fish. The differences in gut microbial compositions and community structure between the three aquatic species were observed. Although no significant differences in alpha diversity were observed across the three developmental stages, the microbial composition and community structure varied with development in common carp in the RFS, with an increase in the relative abundance of Firmicutes in sub-adults and a shift in the functional features of the community. This study sheds light on the gut microbiota of aquatic animals in the RFS. It deepens our understanding of the dynamics of gut microflora during common carp development, which may help improve aquaculture strategies in the RFS.

The fermentation broth of Salinivibrio proteolyticus strain YCSC6 shows potent anti-parasitic activity against Uronema marinum, with activity varying in each fermentation stage. To investigate the biosynthetic mechanism of anti-parasitic compounds in strain YCSC6, a comprehensive analysis of metabolomics and transcriptomics over four different time points (12, 24, 48, and 72 h) was performed. Metabolomics detected 17 943 metabolites with 1 129 known metabolites. A trend analysis of the known metabolites showed that 575 metabolites, including 69 polyketides, were continuously enhanced, being the potential source of anti-parasitic agents. In addition, 941 genes mapped to the same pathways of these metabolites, were screened through the association analysis of metabolites and genes. KEGG pathway enrichment of these genes showed 270 genes mapped to the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites and 192 genes mapped to the biosynthesis of antibiotics. This demonstrates the potent secondary metabolic capacity of strain YCSC6. Finally, a gene-metabolite correlation network was created based on the 575 continuously enhanced metabolites and 43 continuously up-regulated genes. This revealed 13 genes at the key position that mapped to a putative metabolic pathway associated with the biosynthesis of polyketides and caprylic acid, which contributes to the potent anti-parasitic activity of strain YCSC6. This comprehensive analysis of metabolomics and transcriptomics provides insights into the biosynthetic mechanisms of anti-parasitic compounds in strain YCSC6 and guides the exploitation of more anti-parasitic agents for aquaculture.

Research on the presence of an upward spillover effect of children’s education on parental health is rapidly developing. However, there are certain differences in the conclusions of relevant studies, and no consistent viewpoint has been reached. Using the exogenous differences in education generated by the expansion of higher education enrollment that China implemented as a reform in 1999, we analyze this issue by studying the effect of children’s higher education on their parents’ health. The instrumental variable (IV) estimation results show that children who received higher education have a significant and positive effect on the physical health of their parents. Compared with the ordinary least squares (OLS) estimation results, the coefficient of the effect of children receiving higher education is larger in the IV estimation. Children’s education can generate a significant active effect on parental health, affecting parental physical health via its effect on parental health cognition and health behaviors. Based on heterogeneity analyses, the effect of a son’s education on parental health is more significant than the effect of a daughter’s education, and among rural children, higher education has a more significant effect on parental health.

IntroductionAlthough robot-assisted task-oriented upper limb (UL) motor training had been shown to be effective for UL functional rehabilitation after stroke, it did not improve UL motor function more than conventional therapy. Due to the lack of evaluation of neurological indicators, it was difficult to confirm the robot treatment parameters and clinical efficacy in a timely manner. This study aimed to explore the changes in neuroplasticity induced by robot-assisted task-oriented UL motor training in different degrees of dysfunction patients and extract neurological evaluation indicators to provide the robot with additional parameter information.Materials and methodsA total of 33 adult patients with hemiplegic motor impairment after stroke were recruited as participants in this study, and a manual muscle test divided patients into muscle strength 0–1 level (severe group, n = 10), 2–3 level (moderate group, n = 14), and 4 or above level (mild group, n = 9). Tissue concentration of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin oscillations in the bilateral prefrontal cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), superior frontal cortex (SFC), premotor cortex, primary motor cortex (M1), primary somatosensory cortex (S1), and occipital cortex were measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in resting and motor training state. The phase information of a 0.01 −0.08 Hz signal was identified by the wavelet transform method. The wavelet amplitude, lateralization index, and wavelet phase coherence (WPCO) were calculated to describe the frequency-specific cortical changes.ResultsCompared with the resting state, significant increased cortical activation was observed in ipsilesional SFC in the mild group and bilateral SFC in the moderate group during UL motor training. Patients in the mild group demonstrated significantly decreased lateralization of activation in motor training than resting state. Moreover, the WPCO value of motor training between contralesional DLPFC and ipsilesional SFC, bilateral SFC, contralesional, S1, and ipsilesional M1 showed a significant decrease compared with the resting state in the mild group.ConclusionRobot-assisted task-oriented UL motor training could modify the neuroplasticity of SFC and contribute to control movements and continuous learning motor regularity for patients. fNIRS could provide a variety of real-time sensitive neural evaluation indicators for the robot, which was beneficial to formulating more reasonable and effective personalized prescriptions during motor training.

ObjectivesIn this study, the effect of WeChat use on the subjective health of older adults was examined.MethodsUsing 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) survey data, we attempted to rule out potential endogeneity bias by employing instrumental variable regression to estimate the effects of WeChat use on the health of older individuals. Mobile phone price was chosen as the instrumental variable, and the health of older adults was measured from two aspects: self-rated health and the Center for Epidemiological Studies of Depression Scale (CES-D10).ResultsWeChat use has a significant positive impact on the subjective health of older adults and can significantly improve their self-rated health and mental health status. WeChat use has significant positive effects on the subjective health of both older men and women, but relatively younger older adults obtain more health benefits from WeChat use.ConclusionThe virtual social participation prompted by WeChat use affects the health of older adults. This finding provides a reference for promoting the active integration of older adults into digital life.

One of the fundamental problems in direct manufacturing of flexible devices is the low-melting temperature of flexible substrate which hinders the development of flexible electronics. Here, we proposed an ECR sputtering system which can directly batch fabricate devices on flexible substrate under a low temperature, by virtue of the unique plasma generation mode of ECR and the polariton energy-transfer mode between the plasma and the substrate surface. The preparation temperature is accurately controlled within 100 ~ 400 ℃. The films have the good uniformity of distribution in a large size (17×17 mm2). The Ra roughness is 20 ~ 30 nm. Flexible graphene nanosheets embedded carbon (F-GNEC) films are directly manufactured on materials such as PI, PET, PDMS, etc. The batch manufacturing was obtained with a linewidth of 18 µm and the wafer size of 2 inch (8×8 sensors). We investigated the effects of three manufacturing parameters: substrate bias (electron energy), microwave power (plasma flux and energy), and magnetic field (electron flux) on the nanostructure of F-GNEC films. Finally, the tensile tensor and angle sensor for machine hand of F-GNEC film was studied and the theoretical mechanism of the polariton energy-transfer mode of the quantum manufacturing was discussed.

A new laser additive manufacturing approach is proposed in this paper by combining oscillating laser with double-wire additive manufacturing to improve additive efficiency and shape. The feasibility of the approach is experimentally verified, and the corresponding simulation model is proposed. The model considers the effects of surface tension, recoil pressure, gravity, and Marangoni force as well as continuous wire feeding. Simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental ones, which verifies the accuracy of the simulation model. The characteristics of temperature and flow fields and forming laws of different oscillating methods in the additive manufacturing process are compared and analyzed by simulation models. The study shows that the melt pool shape, temperature characteristics, and molding morphology of different oscillating methods considerably vary under the same process parameters. Among them, the circular oscillating peak temperature and maximum temperature gradient are low and the molding morphology is the best.

ObjectivesThis study evaluated the impact of the Urban and Rural Residents’ Basic Medical Insurance scheme on hospitalisation expenses of rural patients in eastern China, which unified separate healthcare systems for urban and rural residents.DesignMonthly hospitalisation data from municipal and county hospitals were collected from the local Medicare Fund Database, covering the period from January 2018 to December 2021. The unification of insurance between urban and rural patients was implemented at different times for county and municipal hospitals. An interrupted time series analysis was used to assess the immediate and gradual effects of the integrated policy on the total medical expenses, out-of-pocket (OOP) expenses and effective reimbursement rate (ERR) among rural patients.Setting and participantsThis study included 636 155 rural inpatients over 4 years in Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China.ResultsIn January 2020, the policy of urban and rural medical insurance was initially integrated in county hospitals, after which the ERR decreased at a monthly rate of 0.23% (p=0.002, 95% CI −0.37% to −0.09%) compared with the preintervention period. After the insurance systems were unified in municipal hospitals in January 2021, OOP expenses decreased by ¥63.54 (p=0.002, 95% CI −102.48 to −24.61) and the ERR increased at a monthly rate of 0.24% (p=0.029, 95% CI 0.03% to 0.045%).ConclusionsOur results suggest that the unification of urban and rural medical insurance systems was an effective intervention to reduce the financial burden of illness for rural inpatients, especially OOP expenses for hospitalisation in municipal hospitals.

BackgroundUpper limb impairments are one of the most common health problems of stroke, affecting both motor function and independence in daily life. It has been demonstrated that intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) increases brain excitability and improves upper limb function. Our study sought to determine the role of iTBS in stroke recovery.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of iTBS in individuals with upper limb impairments following stroke.MethodsThe databases used included Cumulative Index to PubMed, EMBASE, ESCBOhost, The Cochrane Library, Chinese Biomedical Database, Web of Science, China Biology Medicine (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Technology Periodical Database (VIP), and WanFang Database. Studies published before November 2021 were included. Each participant received an iTBS-based intervention aimed at improving activity levels or impairment, which was compared to usual care, a sham intervention, or another intervention. The primary outcome measure was a change in upper limb function assessment. Secondary outcomes included impairment, participation, and quality of life measures.ResultA total of 18 studies (n = 401 participants) that met the inclusion criteria were included in this study. There was a slight change in the upper limb function of the iTBS group compared with the control group, as measured by the Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) score (mean difference 2.70, 95% CI −0.02 to 5.42, p = 0.05). Significant improvement in resting motor threshold (RMT) and motor-evoked potential (MEP) was also observed in the meta-analysis of iTBS (MD 3.46, 95% CI 2.63 to 4.28, p < 0.00001); (MD 1.34, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.51, P < 0.00001). In addition, we got similar results when the studies were using the Modified Barthel Index (MBI) assessment (mean difference of 7.34, 95% CI 0.47 to 14.21, p = 0.04).ConclusionOur study established the efficacy of iTBS in improving motor cortical plasticity, motor function, and daily functioning in stroke patients. However, the review requires evidence from additional randomized controlled trials and high-quality research.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/

A laser beam joining an Al-on-steel overlap configuration of 5052 aluminum alloy and Q235 steel was conducted with Sn-30Zn filler wire. The influence of processing parameters on weld appearance was investigated. The microstructures and mechanical property of the joints were analyzed. The results show that Sn-Zn filler wire could well wet 5052 aluminum alloy and the steel under heating of defocusing laser. Good weld appearance was obtained by suitable processing parameters. The solid solution interface was formed at the aluminum alloy side and intermetallic compounds (IMCs) interface was formed at the steel side. With increasing laser power, intergranular penetration of the Al side aggravated, and the thickness of the IMCs layer at the steel side increased. It was found that all of the joints fractured in the seam according to the results of the tensile tests. The intergranular penetration and IMCs did not reduce the mechanical property of the joint. The maximum value of fracture load reached 312 N/mm. The fractured surface was characterized as a ductile fracture. The influence of processing parameters on the microstructures and mechanical property was discussed.

Green supply chain management (GSCM) is one of the key directions for the sustainable development of steel enterprises. However, due to the low energy efficiency and high emissions of steel enterpr...

Overcoming the sub-5 nm gate length limit and decreasing the power dissipation are two main objects in the electronics research field. Besides advanced engineering techniques, considering new material systems may be helpful. Here, we demonstrate two-dimensional (2D) subthermionic field-effect transistors (FETs) with sub-5 nm gate lengths based on ferroelectric (FE) van der Waals heterostructures (vdWHs). The FE vdWHs are composed of graphene, MoS2, and CuInP2S6 acting as 2D contacts, channels, and ferroelectric dielectric layers, respectively. We first show that the as-fabricated long-channel device exhibits nearly hysteresis-free subthermionic switching over three orders of magnitude of drain current at room temperature. Further, we fabricate short-channel subthermionic FETs using metallic carbon nanotubes as effective gate terminals. A typical device shows subthermionic switching over five-to-six orders of magnitude of drain current with a minimum subthreshold swing of 6.1 mV/dec at room temperature. Our results indicate that 2D materials system is promising for advanced highly-integrated energy-efficient electronic devices.

After 40 years of reform and opening up, China’s social and economic conditions have undergone tremendous changes. For individuals who have experienced this historical period, the socioeconomic transition has brought different effects on their health status. This research examines the issue and provides evidence that government policies need to be improved. This study adopted data from the 2015 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). We set the education level, occupation, and family income during old age as the socioeconomic status for the early, middle, and late stages of life. Based on specific criteria, we classified the population as disadvantaged and advantaged, considering eight changing trajectories of socioeconomic status. We used multiple regression analysis to examine how the eight trajectories affect individuals’ physical and mental health. After controlling for social demography and health behavior variables, we found that, compared with those in the advantaged group long term, people who were in the disadvantaged group suffered from a significantly negative impact of their socioeconomic status on physical and mental health. The health status of those who moved upward in socioeconomic status was substantially better than those who remained in the same status. This study confirms that early disadvantaged socioeconomic status has a long-term adverse effect on health. However, the negative impact can be mitigated by improving one’s occupation during middle age or family income during old age throughout China’s socioeconomic transitions. Therefore, increasing upward social mobility at any stage helps eliminate health inequalities.

Conventional pulsed laser-enhanced gas metal arc weld-ing (GMAW) employs a single fiber laser focused and aimed on the droplet neck position to produce a laser recoil force and thus ensure the droplet detachment despite the am-perage of the welding current. One drop per laser pulse metal transfer is obtained, and the droplet deflects away from the wire axis along the laser incident direction. This implies that the droplet trajectory may also be controlled if the direction of the laser recoil force can be adjusted. Such a controllability is expected to bring an entirely new capa-bility to the GMAW process: active control on the weld beam geometry. To this end, double-sided, laser-enhanced GMAW was proposed and experimentally verified in this pa-per. The two lasers were symmetrically positioned, and both aimed at the droplet neck. The laser pulse peak power, du-ration, and pulse phase of the two lasers can all be programmed to regulate the laser recoil forces. The metal transfer under twin laser irradiations (same laser pulses and phases) was first verified. Then the effectiveness on controlling the droplet trajectory of three proposed control strategies — peak power matching, peak width matching, and phase matching of the two lasers — were evaluated. The results showed laser peak power matching is optimal for obtaining desired droplet trajectory. Since the laser can be easily controlled in real time, the transfer frequency, droplet size, and trajectory can all be adjusted in real time, and the metal transfer evolves into programmable transfer.

In online complex systems such as transportation system, an important work is real-time traffic prediction. Due to the data shift, data model inconsistency, and sudden change of traffic patterns (like transportation accident), the prediction result derived from an offline-built model would be unreliable. Retraining the model is usually not time affordable for online prediction, especially when the prediction model is very complex and costs a lot of training time (for example, deep neural networks). A real-time prediction correction strategy would be of great value under this situation. Traditionally, the prediction correction usually relies on the prediction error in several previous time intervals. They assume that the error pattern is similar in the current time interval, so that it is time-delayed to some extent. In this article, we propose the prediction correction strategy using the reconstruction error in the deep neural network. The reconstruction error can reflect the model’s ability on feature representation and then determine the fitness of an input data to the model. We first build the relationship between reconstruction error and prediction error. From the perspective of the prediction interval, we demonstrate that the reconstruction error is in positive relation with the prediction interval. Thus the prediction result is more reliable when the reconstruction error is smaller. Then we propose two mechanisms of real-time prediction correction using the reconstruction error. The data driven prediction correction approach selects several training instances with similar reconstruction errors to the current instance and using their average prediction error in correcting the prediction result. The model-driven approach builds several component deep neural networks in training. The component training set for each network is selected according to the reconstruction error of training instances. For a predicting instance, it first computes the reconstruction error of the sample in each component network and then averages the results by the reconstruction error and prediction interval. The model-driven approach is actually a reconstruction error-based deep neural network ensemble approach. Finally, a series of experiments demonstrated that reconstruction error based prediction correction approaches are effective in several prediction problems in transportation including traffic flow prediction on road, traffic flow prediction in entrance and exit station and travel time prediction. Besides the high overall accuracy, our approach can also provide many observations of using the reconstruction error in transportation prediction.

BACKGROUND: The risk of post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) is difficult to predict preoperatively. Accurate preoperative assessment of residual liver volume is critical in PHLF. Three-dimensional (3D) imaging and intra-operative ultrasound (IOUS) offer significant advantages in calculating liver volume and have been widely used in hepatectomy risk assessment. Our research aimed to explore the accuracy of 3D imaging technique combining IOUS in predicting PHLF after hepatectomy. METHODS: We used a retrospective study design to analyze patients who underwent hepatectomy with 3D imaging combined with IOUS between 2017 and 2020. Utilizing 3D reconstruction, the patient’s residual liver volumes (PRLVs) and ratio of PRLV to standard liver volume (SLV) were calculated preoperatively. Hepatectomy were performed and actual hepatectomy volume (AHV) were measured. Consistency between preoperative planned hepatectomy volume (PPHV) and AHV was quantified postoperatively by Bland-Altman analysis. Multiple logistic regression and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were utilized to discuss the predictive value of PRLV/SLV in PHLF. RESULTS: Among the 214 included patients, 58 (27.1%) had PHLF. Patients with PHLF had significantly higher residual rates of ICG-R15 (%) (P=0.000) and a lower PRLV/SLV ratio (P=0.000). Bland-Altman analysis showed that PPHV was consistent with AHV (P=0.301). Multivariate analysis confirmed that PRLV/SLV ratio >60% (OR, 0.178; 95% CI: 0.084–0.378; P

Soil nutrient availability under saline-alkali stress limits plant primary productivity. P-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) improve inorganic P dissolution and promote plant growth. However, the application studies of saline-alkaline-tolerant PSB are still scarce. We isolated one PSB strain from bird droppings in saline-alkali regions and identified its growth characteristics and resistance to salt and alkali. A potting experiment with PSB addition was performed to analyze the effect of this strain on the germination and growth of Suaeda salsa. The PSB were identified as Exiguobacterium sp. DYS212 strain, and it utilized glucose, ammonium sulfate, and yeast extract powder well. The strain is halophilic, has the ability to dissolve inorganic P, and improved P-solubilization under 1–5.5% salinity (available P > 200 mg L−1), reached a maximum at 2.5% NaCl concentration yielding 410.73 mg L−1 of available P. The PSB promoted seed germination, especially under high alkaline stress, wherein the growth promoting rate increased to 5.26%. The PSB improved the growth of S. salsa, in terms of plant height, stem diameter, and biomass (up to 2.5 times), under saline and alkaline conditions. This study highlights the potential of Exiguobacterium sp. isolates as biofertilizers, and provides reference for environment sustainability of saline-alkali region.

In this paper, an improved SMO system is proposed to solve the problems of jitter and poor interference immunity of the conventional SMO system, the system is improved by replacing and adding three new simulation modules. Starting from the ideas of the “quasi-sliding module” and “boundary layer” of sliding mode control theory, by replacing the symbolic function in the conventional observer with an exponential segmentation function, which can effectively suppress the jitter phenomenon. And for different speed motor control application scenarios, a variable sliding mode gain coefficient that can be dynamically changed with the motor speed is used. For the system’s anti-jitter performance to be improved, a variable sliding mode gain coefficient that can be dynamically changed with the motor speed is introduced, which has stronger self-adaptability in different speed scenarios. An improved SMO system is formed by adding three new and improved modules, and this basis is tested experimentally on the MATLAB/Simulink simulation platform. The SMO with the addition of three new modules can be tested by simulation experiments to know that it has stronger anti-disturbance and self-adaptive capabilities under change scenarios such as sudden changes in load torque and sudden changes in speed.

Epidermal electronics offer an important platform for various on-skin applications including electrophysiological signals monitoring and human–machine interactions (HMI), due to their unique advantages of intrinsic softness and conformal interfaces with skin. The widely used nondegradable synthetic materials may produce massive electronic waste to the ecosystem and bring safety issues to human skin. However, biomaterials extracted from nature are promising to act as a substitute material for the construction of epidermal electronics, owing to their diverse characteristics of biocompatibility, biodegradability, sustainability, low cost and natural abundance. Therefore, the development of natural biomaterials holds great prospects for advancement of high-performance sustainable epidermal electronics. Here, we review the recent development on different types of biomaterials including proteins and polysaccharides for multifunctional epidermal electronics. Subsequently, the applications of biomaterials-based epidermal electronics in electrophysiological monitoring and HMI are discussed, respectively. Finally, the development situation and future prospects of biomaterials-based epidermal electronics are summarized. We expect that this review can provide some inspirations for the development of future, sustainable, biomaterials-based epidermal electronics.