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Background: The pathogenesis of noncystic fibrosis bronchiectasis in adults is complex, and the relevant molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we constructed a panoramic map of bronchiectasis mRNA, explored the potential molecular mechanisms, and identified potential therapeutic targets, thus providing a new clinical perspective for the preventive management of bronchiectasis and its acute exacerbation. Methods: The mRNA profiles of peripheral blood and bronchiectasis tissues were obtained through transcriptome sequencing and public databases, and bioinformatics methods were used to screen for differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The DEGs were then subjected to biological function and pathway analyses. Some DEGs were validated using a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) in peripheral blood. Spearman's correlation analysis was used to analyse the correlation between DEGs and clinical indicators. Results: Based on transcriptome sequencing and public databases, the mRNA profile of bronchiectasis was determined. DEGs were obtained from the peripheral blood sequencing dataset (985 DEGs), tissue sequencing dataset (2919 DEGs), and GSE97258 dataset (1083 DEGs). Bioinformatics analysis showed that upregulated DEGs had enriched neutrophil-related pathways, and downregulated DEGs had enriched ribosome-related pathways. RT-qPCR testing confirmed the upregulated expression of VCAN, SESTD1, SLC12A1, CD177, IFI44L, SIGLEC1, and RSAD2 in bronchiectasis. These genes were related to many clinical parameters, such as neutrophils, C-reactive protein, and procalcitonin (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Transcriptomic methods were used to construct a panoramic map of bronchiectasis mRNA expression. The findings showed that neutrophil activation, chronic inflammation, immune regulation, impaired ribosomal function, oxidative phosphorylation, and energy metabolism disorders are important factors in the development of bronchiectasis. VCAN, SESTD1, SLC12A1, CD177, IFI44L, SIGLEC1, and RSAD2 may play important roles in the pathogenesis of bronchiectasis and are potential therapeutic targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Studies show there is a high acceptance of FinTech development in Malaysia. However, the perceived risk factors that hinder a user's intention to use FinTech remains vague. Research on perceived risk is limited, especially the use of FinTech in the context of Malaysia. Therefore, this study aims to narrow the gap in perceived risk factors of FinTech. Methodology: A total of 302 participants participated in the study. Collected data and hypotheses were tested using the method of structural equation modelling. Results: It is found that three of the four dimensions of financial risk, legal risk and operational risk have a significant negative impact on the intention to use FinTech. The findings found that security risks do not have a significant negative effect on the intention to use FinTech. This result is consistent with the finding that Malaysian consumers' perception of e-payment is not significantly related to perceived security. Implication: The results help practitioners better conceptualise and reduce risk barriers in preparing for the disruption of FinTech. Practitioners are also advised to pay attention to FinTech's operational skills and system functional performance in FinTech services.

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The clinical progression of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) remains pessimistic. The aim of the present study was to promote the understanding of the clinical significance and mechanism of O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) transferase (OGT) in SCLC. Wilcoxon tests, standardized mean difference (SMD), and Kruskal–Wallis tests were utilized to compare OGT level differences among the experimental and control groups. The univariate Cox regression analysis, Kaplan–Meier curves, and receiver operating characteristic curves were applied to determine OGT's clinical relevance in cancers. The Spearman correlation analysis and enrichment analysis were utilized to explore the underlying mechanisms of OGT in cancers. For the first time in the field, we provide an overview of OGT in 32 cancers using a large number of samples (n = 21,196), determining distinct OGT expression in 25 cancers and its prognosis effects in 12 cancers. Furthermore, using 950 samples from multiple sources, upregulated OGT was found in both mRNA and protein levels in SCLC (SMD = 0.93, 95% CI [0.24, 1.63]). Higher OGT levels represented a more unfavorable disease-free interval for SCLC patients (p < 0.001). The research also identified OGT expression as a potential marker for SCLC prediction (sensitivity = 0.79, specificity = 0.86, and AUC = 0.88). The high expression of OGT in SCLC may result from the positive regulation of two transcription factors—DEK and XRN2. We primarily investigated the underlying mechanisms of OGT in SCLC. Herein, based on the analyses from pan-cancer to SCLC, OGT demonstrated conspicuous clinical significance. OGT may be an underlying biomarker for the treatment and identification of some cancers, including SCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this letter, a transformed unsaturated inductance characteristic-based method is proposed for the rotor position of the switched reluctance machine. Due to the magnetic saturation effect, the phase inductance characteristics have a narrow linear region, which increases the difficulty of their analytical expression. To reduce the complexity of the analytical expression, the unsaturated inductance characteristic is transformed from the phase inductance characteristics. Then, a linear model is presented to explicitly describe the relationship between the rotor position and unsaturated phase inductance. Experimental verification is carried out to verify the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method. The proposed method can serve as a low-effort way to provide the accurate rotor position for the industry application at medium and high-speed ranges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioblastoma is one of the most frequent malignant tumors derived from the brain in adults with very poor prognosis. Ferroptosis is implicated in the initiation and progression of various tumors, including the glioblastoma. The present study aims to investigate the function of microRNA (miR)-670-3p in glioblastoma, and tries to demonstrate whether ferroptosis is involved in this process. Human glioblastoma cell lines, U87MG and A172, were transfected with the inhibitor, mimic and matched negative controls of miR-670-3p to manipulate intracellular miR-670-3p level. To validate the involvement of ferroptosis in miR-670-3p inhibitor-mediated tumor suppressive effects, ferrostain-1 and liproxstatin-1 were used to inhibit ferroptosis in the presence of miR-670-3p inhibitor. In addition, the small interfering RNA against acyl-CoA synthase long chain family member 4 (ACSL4) was used to knock down endogenous ACSL4 expression. To validate the combined effects between miR-670-3p inhibitor and temozolomide (TMZ), cells were pretreated with TMZ and then transfected with or without miR-670-3p inhibitor. miR-670-3p level was elevated in human glioblastoma, but decreased upon ferroptotic stimulation. miR-670-3p inhibitor suppressed, while miR-670-3p mimic promoted glioblastoma cell growth through modulating ferroptosis. Mechanistically, ACSL4 was required for the regulation on ferroptosis and growth of glioblastoma cells by miR-670-3p. Moreover, U87MG and A172 cells treated with miR-670-3p inhibitor showed an increased chemosensitivity to TMZ. We prove that miR-670-3p suppresses ferroptosis of human glioblastoma cells through targeting ACSL4, and that inhibiting miR-670-3p can be an alternative, at least adjuvant strategy to treat glioblastoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The organic-intercalated clay composites have aroused attractable interest due to their tremendous application in industry. As a new type of the layered-structure material, halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) were employed to explore the intercalation relationship between the interlayer property and intercalating agents, which were more significant for the potential application. For this purpose, this work systematically studied the intercalation behaviours of dimethyl sulphoxide, potassium acetate, N-methylformamide, methanol, and acrylamide in the layered-structure HNTs, respectively. The organics-intercalated HNT composites were determined by a series of characterisations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A digital image correlation (DIC) method was used to obtain the full-field strain and crack propagation path for a rock-like specimen with a single prefabricated crack under uniaxial compression. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to scan the fracture surface of the specimen after compression. The macro-mechanical response of the loading process was found to be in accordance with the micro-mechanism obtained by SEM, which demonstrates that the DIC system is accurate and that the full-field strain is accordant with crack propagation. Thereafter, a strain criterion was proposed and was applied to the extending discrete element method to simulate crack propagation. The strain criterion was found to be appropriate for simulating the crack initiation stress, peak strength and crack growth morphology of the specimen. Moreover, both the numerical simulation and experimental results show that the specimen failure process had four typical stages - initiation, unstable propagation, stable propagation and failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of large-scale CMOS-integrated circuit manufacturing technology, microprocessor chips are more vulnerable to soft errors and radiation interference, resulting in reduced reliability. Core reliability is an important element of the microprocessor's ability to resist soft errors. This paper proposes DuckCore, a fault-tolerant processor core architecture based on the free and open instruction set architecture (ISA) RISC-V. This architecture uses improved SECDED (single error correction, double error detection) code between pipelines, detects processor operating errors in real-time through the Supervision unit, and takes instruction rollbacks for different error types, which not only saves resources but also improves the reliability of the processor core. In the implementation process, all error injection tests are passed to verify the completeness of the function. In order to better verify the performance of the processor under different error intensity injections, the software is used to inject errors, the running program is run on the FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and the impact of the actual radiation environment on the architecture is evaluated through the results. The architecture is applied to three–five-stage open-source processor cores and the results show that this method consumes fewer resources and its discrete design makes it more portable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transparent alumina with high transmission has been first successfully prepared by rapid vacuum pressureless sintering processing at lower sintering temperature and reduced soaking time, compared with conventional pressureless sintering. The alumina sintered at 1670°C for 5 min has a residual porosity of 0.002% and a real in-line transmission of 64% for a wavelength of 1100 nm. We show that soaking time has an effect on the densification and transparency of alumina sintered at 1650°C. With increasing sintering temperature and soaking time, densification and grain growth occurred, and above 20 min, grain size increases slowly. The real in-line transmission of alumina increased with the densification and decreased with pore size growth. The light transmission and absorption were greatly affected by the grain size and pore defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Trying to find out the mechanism of microstructure influencing bacterial adhesion, we prepared different microstructures to compare the adsorptive behavior of graphite powder and adhesive behavior of oral microbe. Methods We used polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to copy 23 microstructures of hydroxyapatite (HA) chip, and cultured them with different sizes graphite powder and oral microbes respectively, to observe and compare their behavior on microstructures. Results The adsorption of 30-50 μm powder on different microstructures was insignificant, while 10-20 μm powder had maximum adsorption on 10 μm and 20 μm microstructures. Saccharomyces albicans was most likely to adhere to 5 μm microstructures which was equivalent to its own size. However, microstructures had little effect on adhesion of Streptococcus mutans which grew in a chain. Conclusion The size of microstructure was the most effective factor that affects the adsorption of non-living powder, and it also had the same effect on the microbial adhesion; but some special bacteria, such as Streptococcus mutans which grew in a chain, was not affected by the sizes or shapes of microstructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a rapid and convenient experimental method of absolutely calibrating the transmission of an x-ray flat-response filter. The calibration experiment is performed on a small laser-target facility, and a set of high resolution holographic flat-field grating spectrometers is used as a discrimination system of the laser-produced x-ray source. Given that the holographic flat-field grating has a relatively large width, the grating is divided into two regions for use in that direction, where one region has the filter added and the other region does not. The filter transmission is determined by dividing the x-ray signal counts detected when the filter is in the line of sight by those detected when the filter is out of the line of sight. We find that the calibration results of this experiment agree with the calibration results using a synchrotron radiation source, as well as simulation results. Our method is not only highly reliable but also rapid and convenient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modified biochars produced from different agricultural wastes were used as low-cost biosorbents to remove hydrophilic ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium chloride ([BMIM][Cl]). Herein, the biosorbents based on peanut shell, corn stalk and wheat straw (denoted as PB-K-N, CB-K-N and WB-K-N) all exhibited higher [BMIM][Cl] removal than many other carbonaceous adsorbents and the adsorption capacities were as the following: PB-K-N > CB-K-N > WB-K-N. The characterizations of biosorbents indicated that they had great deal of similarity in morphological, textural and surface chemical properties such as possessing simultaneously accessible microporous structure and abundant oxygen-containing functional groups. Additionally, adsorption of [BMIM][Cl] onto PB-K-N, CB-K-N and WB-K-N prepared from the modified process, which was better described by pseudo-second order kinetic and Freundlich isotherm models. Therefore, the viable approach could also be applied in other biomass materials treatment for the efficient removal of ILs from aqueous solutions, as well as recycling agricultural wastes to ease their disposal pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high temperature oxidation tests of Ni–Cr alloys which containing different alloying elements such as Mo, W, B, Cr and Ni were carried out through placing the specimen in a muffle for 100 h at 800 °C. In order to determine the effect of oxidation on the wear behavior of the alloys at elevated temperature, an interrupted oxidation-abrasion wear test was carried out on a high temperature three-body abrasive wear tester. Then the oxide and wear surfaces of the specimens were examined and the effect of the alloying elements on the oxidation and wear properties was discussed. Combining the obtained results, the following aspects are obtained. The high temperature oxidation stability of the carbide of the alloys can be improved by adding alloying elements Mo, W and B. And the sufficient amount of alloying elements Cr and Ni in the alloys can raise the chemical stability of the matrix effectively. The controlling factors affecting the wear behavior are the oxidation stability of carbide and the oxidation synergistic performance of carbide with matrix. The excellent wear resistant performance of the carbide phase in alloy can be obtained only when the matrix phase support it effectively. Accordingly, the alloy still can’t possess a good wear resistance when the oxidation synergistic performance of the carbide with matrix is poor, even the carbide oxidation stability is good. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Helicobacter pylori is a highly successful pathogen that poses a substantial threat to human health. However, the dynamic interaction between H. pylori and the human gastric epithelium has not been fully investigated. In this study, using dual RNA sequencing technology, we characterized a cytotoxin-associated gene A ( cagA )-modulated bacterial adaption strategy by enhancing the expression of ATP-binding cassette transporter-related genes, metQ and HP&#95;0888 , upon coculturing with human gastric epithelial cells. We observed a general repression of electron transport-associated genes by cagA , leading to the activation of oxidative phosphorylation. Temporal profiling of host mRNA signatures revealed the downregulation of multiple splicing regulators due to bacterial infection, resulting in aberrant pre-mRNA splicing of functional genes involved in the cell cycle process in response to H. pylori infection. Moreover, we demonstrated a protective effect of gastric H. pylori colonization against chronic dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. Mechanistically, we identified a cluster of propionic and butyric acid-producing bacteria, Muribaculaceae , selectively enriched in the colons of H. pylori -pre-colonized mice, which may contribute to the restoration of intestinal barrier function damaged by DSS treatment. Collectively, this study presents the first dual-transcriptome analysis of H. pylori during its dynamic interaction with gastric epithelial cells and provides new insights into strategies through which H. pylori promotes infection and pathogenesis in the human gastric epithelium., Importance: Simultaneous profiling of the dynamic interaction between Helicobacter pylori and the human gastric epithelium represents a novel strategy for identifying regulatory responses that drive pathogenesis. This study presents the first dual-transcriptome analysis of H. pylori when cocultured with gastric epithelial cells, revealing a bacterial adaptation strategy and a general repression of electron transportation-associated genes, both of which were modulated by cytotoxin-associated gene A ( cagA ). Temporal profiling of host mRNA signatures dissected the aberrant pre-mRNA splicing of functional genes involved in the cell cycle process in response to H. pylori infection. We demonstrated a protective effect of gastric H. pylori colonization against chronic DSS-induced colitis through both in vitro and in vivo experiments. These findings significantly enhance our understanding of how H. pylori promotes infection and pathogenesis in the human gastric epithelium and provide evidence to identify targets for antimicrobial therapies., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Lollingite (FeAs 2 ) is considered an arsenic-bearing mineral that is oxidized faster than arsenopyrite. The geometric configuration, chemical valence bond, and microscopic reaction of the oxidation on the surface of lollingite were systematically studied, which are of great significance for understanding the mechanism of oxidative dissolution. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements and density functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out to characterize the (101) surface oxidation process of lollingite under the O 2 /O 2 + H 2 O conditions. XPS results confirmed that the participation of water molecules can promote the formation of abundant OH structures on the surface of lollingite, while the relative concentration of O, As(III), and Fe(III) increased. Moreover, the DFT results demonstrated that the (101) As-terminal plane of FeAs 2 was the most stable surface with the lowest surface energy. H 2 O molecules were physically adsorbed onto the Fe atoms of the lollingite surface, while oxygen molecules can readily be adsorbed on the Fe-As 2 site by chemical adsorption processes. The oxidation process of the lollingite surface with water includes the following mechanisms: adsorption, dissociation, formation of the hydrogen bond, and desorption. The dissociation of the H 2 O molecule into OH and H led to the hydroxylation of both Fe and As atoms and the formation of hydrogen bonding. The participation of H 2 O molecules can also reduce the reaction energy barrier and accelerate the oxidation reaction of the lollingite surface, especially as far as the water dissociation and formation of hydrogen bonds are concerned. According to PDOS data, there is considerable hybridization between the d orbitals of bonded Fe atoms and the p orbitals of O atoms, as well as between the p orbitals of bonded As atoms and the p orbitals of O atoms. Due to a strong propensity for orbital hybridization and bonding between the s orbitals of the H atoms in H 2 O molecules and the p orbitals of the O atoms on the (101) surface, water molecules have the ability to speed up the oxidation on the surface.

Current biomechanical research of dental implants focuses on the mechanical damage and enhancement mechanism of the implant-abutment interface as well as how to obtain better mechanical strength and longer fatigue life of dental implants. The mechanical properties of implants can be comprehensively evaluated by strain gauge analysis, photo elastic stress analysis, digital image correlation, finite element analysis, implant bone bonding strength test, and measurement of mechanical properties. Finite element analysis is the most common method for evaluating stress distribution in dental implants, and static pressure and fatigue tests are commonly used in mechanical strength test. This article reviews biomechanical research methods and evaluation indices of dental implants. Results provide methodology guidelines in the field of biomechanics by introducing principles, ranges of application, advantages, and limitations, thereby benefitting researchers in selecting suitable methods. The influencing factors of the experimental results are presented and discussed to provide implant design ideas for researchers.

Titanium dental implants have wide clinical application due to their many advantages, including comfort, aesthetics, lack of damage to adjacent teeth, and significant clinical effects. However, the failure of osseointegration, bone resorption, and peri-implantitis limits their application. Physical-chemical and bioactive coatings on the surface of titanium implants could improve the successful rate of dental implants and meet the clinical application requirements. This paper reviews the characteristics of surface modification of titanium implants from the aspects of physics, chemistry, and biology. Results provide information for research and clinical application of dental implant materials.