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The distributed hybrid flow shop scheduling problem (DHFSP), which integrates distributed manufacturing models with parallel machines, has gained significant attention. However, in actual scheduling, some adjacent machines do not have buffers between them, resulting in blocking. This paper focuses on addressing the DHFSP with blocking constraints (DBHFSP) based on the actual production conditions. To solve DBHFSP, we construct a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model for DBHFSP and validate its correctness using the Gurobi solver. Then, an advanced iterated greedy (AIG) algorithm is designed to minimize the makespan, in which we modify the Nawaz, Enscore, and Ham (NEH) heuristic to solve blocking constraints. To balance the global and local search capabilities of AIG, two effective inter-factory neighborhood search strategies and a swap-based local search strategy are designed. Additionally, each factory is mutually independent, and the movement within one factory does not affect the others. In view of this, we specifically designed a memory-based decoding method for insertion operations to reduce the computation time of the objective. Finally, two shaking strategies are incorporated into the algorithm to mitigate premature convergence. Five advanced algorithms are used to conduct comparative experiments with AIG on 80 test instances, and experimental results illustrate that the makespan and the relative percentage increase (RPI) obtained by AIG are 1.0% and 86.1%, respectively, better than the comparative algorithms.

Abstract Background Epigenetic modifications of RNA significantly contribute to the regulatory processes in tumors and have, thus, received considerable attention. The m6A modification, known as N6-methyladenosine, is the predominant epigenetic alteration found in both eukaryotic mRNAs and ncRNAs. Main body m6A methylation modifications are dynamically reversible and are catalyzed, removed, and recognized by the complex of m6A methyltransferase (MTases), m6A demethylase, and m6A methyl recognition proteins (MRPs). Published evidence suggests that dysregulated m6A modification results in abnormal biological behavior of mature mRNA, leading to a variety of abnormal physiological processes, with profound implications for tumor development in particular. Conclusion Abnormal RNA processing due to dysregulation of m6A modification plays an important role in tumor pathogenesis and potential mechanisms of action. In this review, we comprehensively explored the mechanisms by which m6A modification regulates mRNA and ncRNA processing, focusing on their roles in tumors, and aiming to understand the important regulatory function of m6A modification, a key RNA epigenetic modification, in tumor cells, with a view to providing theoretical support for tumor diagnosis and treatment. Video Abstract

Abstract Prostate cancer (PCa) is a significant health concern affecting men worldwide. Previous studies have shown that nimotuzumab, a drug targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), can effectively inhibit cancer progression. Here, we aimed to explore the role of miR‐199a/214 cluster in mediating the inhibitory effect of nimotuzumab on the development of PCa. In this study, we conducted an MTT assay to assess cell proliferation and utilized flow cytometry to evaluate cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of nimotuzumab on prostate cancer development, we focused on the miR‐199a‐5p and miR‐214‐3p miRNA clusters. The TargetScan Human database was used to predict the binding sites between miR‐199a‐5p or miR‐214‐3p and the 3'‐UTR of the transducin (β)‐like 1 X‐linked receptor 1 (TBL1XR1) mRNA. To confirm the direct interaction and binding between miR‐199a‐5p or miR‐214‐3p and the 3'‐UTR of TBL1XR1 mRNA, we performed luciferase reporter assays. Our findings demonstrated that nimotuzumab exerted a significant dosage‐dependent suppression of PCa cell proliferation and facilitated PCa cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Concurrently, nimotuzumab obviously impeded the activity of Wnt/β‐catenin and EGFR signaling pathways in PCa cells. We also observed downregulation of miR‐199a‐5p and miR‐214‐3p in PCa cells. Overexpression of miR‐199a/214 cluster inhibited PCa cell viability and enhanced cell apoptosis. Furthermore, we found that miR‐199a/214 cluster augmented the inhibitory effect of nimotuzumab on PCa cell proliferation and promoted its ability to induce apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. This effect was reversed upon TBL1XR1 overexpression, indicating that TBL1XR1 is involved in the regulatory pathway of miR‐199a/214 and nimotuzumab in PCa cells. We further revealed that TBL1XR1 was overexpressed in PCa and was identified as a downstream target of the miR‐199a/214 cluster. In nimotuzumab‐treated PCa cells, the overexpression of miR‐199a/214 markedly inhibited Wnt/β‐catenin and EGFR signaling, and this effect was also rescued by TBL1XR1 overexpression. In summary, our data indicated that miR‐199a/214 cluster play a crucial role in enhancing the inhibitory effect of nimotuzumab on PCa development by downregulating TBL1XR1 and modulating Wnt/β‐catenin and EGFR signaling pathways. These findings offer a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of prostate cancer.

Abstract The aim of the present study was to develop low‐cost techniques for culturing seahorses in extensive shrimp ponds to foster a legal and more sustainable production chain to meet market demand for traditional Chinese medicine. In the present article, the results of two‐year experiments of seahorse culture in cages and extensive shrimp ponds are reported. We found that juveniles of the lined seahorse survived in cages and ponds very well, and the juvenile survival generally was >70% during the experimental periods. The survival and growth of the juveniles were similar to or even better than that reported in indoor tank culture. Additionally, the lined seahorse survived well (>60%) at temperatures up to 34.6°C which is the highest recorded temperature for the species in the field. For large ponds of >5 ha, cage culture may be a better way. For small ponds of

Abstract Objective: To examine the associations of pregnant women’s dietary and sedentary behaviours with their children’s birth weight. Design: Secondary data analysis was conducted using data from a randomised controlled trial, Communicating Healthy Beginnings Advice by Telephone, conducted in Australia. Information on mothers’ socio-demographics, dietary and sedentary behaviours during pregnancy was collected by telephone survey at the third trimester. Birth weight data were extracted from the child’s health record book. Multinomial logistic regression models were built to examine the associations of pregnant women’s dietary and sedentary behaviours with children’s birth weight. Setting: Participating families. Participants: Pregnant women and their children. Results: A total of 1132 mother–child dyads were included in the analysis. The majority of infants (87 %, n 989) were of normal birth weight (2500 g to

Abstract Optoelectronic neural networks (ONN) are a promising avenue in AI computing due to their potential for parallelization, power efficiency, and speed. Diffractive neural networks, which process information by propagating encoded light through trained optical elements, have garnered interest. However, training large-scale diffractive networks faces challenges due to the computational and memory costs of optical diffraction modeling. Here, we present DANTE, a dual-neuron optical-artificial learning architecture. Optical neurons model the optical diffraction, while artificial neurons approximate the intensive optical-diffraction computations with lightweight functions. DANTE also improves convergence by employing iterative global artificial-learning steps and local optical-learning steps. In simulation experiments, DANTE successfully trains large-scale ONNs with 150 million neurons on ImageNet, previously unattainable, and accelerates training speeds significantly on the CIFAR-10 benchmark compared to single-neuron learning. In physical experiments, we develop a two-layer ONN system based on DANTE, which can effectively extract features to improve the classification of natural images.

Abstract Background Prior studies have suggested that the chronic inflammatory response has an important role in the pathophysiology of slow coronary flow phenomenon (SCFP). However, data are scarce regarding the role of plasma fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (PFAR) in patients having SCFP without obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). In this study, we investigated the relationship between PFAR and the presence of SCFP in patients without obstructive CAD. Methods From January 2021 to January 2023, we consecutively recruited 1085 patients without obstructive CAD according to the diagnostic and exclusion criteria. In total, SCFP was diagnosed in 70 patients. A 1:2 age-matched case–control study was then conducted using comparators without SCFP. Ultimately, this study enrolled 70 patients with angiographically normal coronary arteries and SCFP, along with 140 comparators with angiographically normal coronary arteries and normal coronary flow. Plasma fibrinogen and albumin levels were measured, and the PFAR was then calculated for each patient. Results PFARs were significantly greater in the SCFP group than in the comparators with normal coronary flow (82.8 ± 15.4 vs 73.1 ± 19.5, p 0.05). Conclusion PFAR is an independent predictor of SCFP in patients without obstructive CAD. PAFR could improve the predictive value of SFCP than albumin or fibrinogen alone, but not significantly.

Abstract Background This study aimed to create a nomogram for predicting the recurrence of small bowel obstruction (SBO) after gastrectomy in patients with gastric cancer (GC) in order to provide better guidance for its diagnosis and treatment. Methods A total of 173 patients undergone gastrectomy and developed SBO from January 2015 to October 2022 were admitted into this case–control study. The risk factors of postoperative recurrent SBO were analyzed by univariate and multivariate regression, and a nomogram for predicting the recurrent SBO after gastrectomy was developed using R Studio. Results Thirty-nine cases of postoperative recurrent SBO occurred among the 173 GC patients who underwent radical gastrectomy, and the percentage of recurrent SBO was 22.54% (39/173). Age [odds ratio (OR) = 0.938, p = 0.026], WBC count (OR = 1.547, p

Abstract Background Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a leading cause of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and resulted from a loss of the FMR1-encoded fragile X messenger ribonucleoprotein 1 (FMRP) protein due to large CGG repeat expansions in the promoter region of the FMR1 gene. The microtubule-associated protein Tau is a promising target for Tauopathic diseases and our preliminary study found that Tau protein levels were increased in the brain of Fmr1 knockout (KO) mice, a model of FXS. However, whether Tau reduction can prevent autism-like features in Fmr1 KO mice and become a novel strategy for FXS treatment remain unknown. Methods Tau was genetically reduced in Fmr1 KO mice through crossing Fmr1 ± female mice with Mapt ± male mice. The male offspring with different genotypes were subjected to various autism-related behavioral tests, RNA sequencing, and biochemical analysis. Fmr1 KO male mice were treated with Tau-targeting antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) and then subjected to behavioral tests and biochemical analysis. Results Tau expression was increased in the cortex of Fmr1 KO mice. Genetically reducing Tau prevented social defects, stereotyped and repetitive behavior, and spine abnormality in Fmr1 KO mice. Tau reduction also reversed increased periodic activity and partially rescued Per1 expression reduction in Fmr1 KO mice. Moreover, Tau reduction reversed compromised P38/MAPK signaling in Fmr1 KO mice. Finally, Tau-targeting ASO also effectively alleviated autism-like phenotypes and promoted P38/MAPK signaling in Fmr1 KO mice. Limitations Our study is limited to male mice, in agreement with the higher incidence of FXS in males than females. Whether Tau reduction also exerts protection in females deserves further scrutiny. Moreover, although Tau reduction rescues impaired P38/MAPK signaling in Fmr1 KO mice, whether this is the responsible molecular mechanism requires further determination. Conclusion Our data indicate that Tau reduction prevents autism-like phenotypes in Fmr1 KO mice. Tau may become a new target for FXS treatment.

Abstract Mitochondria have been identified to be involved in oxidative phosphorylation, lipid metabolism, cell death, and cell proliferation. Previous studies have demonstrated that mitoguardin (Miga), a mitochondrial protein that governs mitochondrial fusion, mitochondria-endoplasmic reticulum (ER) contacts, lipid formation, and autophagy, is crucial for ovarian endocrine and follicular development. Nevertheless, whether mammalian MIGA1 or MIGA2 (MIGA1,-2) regulates ovarian granulosa cell proliferation remains unclear. This study revealed that mammalian MIGA1,-2 promotes cell proliferation and regulates the phosphorylation and localization of Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) in ovarian granulosa cells. MIGA2 upregulation resulted in reduced YAP1 activity, while MIGA2 removal led to increased YAP1 activity. Further analysis indicated that MIGA1,-2 regulated YAP1 via the Hippo signaling pathway and regulated protein kinase B (AKT) activity in collaboration with YAP1. In addition, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) regulated MIGA2 expression and AKT activity by activating YAP1. Briefly, we demonstrated that the mitochondrial MIGA1 and MIGA2, especially MIGA2, promoted cellular proliferation by activating AKT and regulating the Hippo/YAP1 signaling pathway in ovarian granulosa cells, which may contribute to the molecular pathogenesis of reproductive endocrine diseases, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

In order to explore the influence of the seepage of the leftover water sump in the open pit on the mining stability of the mine roadway after the coal mine is converted from open pit mining to underground mining, taking Pingzhuang West Open pit Mine in Inner Mongolia as the research background, the two wing water silos and mine workings are modeled by using FLAC numerical simulation software. On this basis, the points for attention and improvement measures in the mining process of the two wing roadway are proposed. The numerical results show that the maximum plastic pressure of the roadway is concentrated at the bottom of the roadway under two working conditions; the displacement deformation plastic zone is not connected, and the tunnel has no overall plastic connection failure and water permeability failure under the influence of seepage; under the condition of extreme water level, the seepage flow at the bottom of both wings of the roadway increases obviously, but the maximum seepage flow meets the specification requirements; due to the time effect, the strength of the surrounding rock of the roadway decreases and long-term creep deformation will occur at the same time. Therefore, waterproof and drainage measures should be taken for the pit bottom and pool.

For the problem of stick-slip vibration caused by hard rock formation in the process of drill bit penetrating in coal mine, and the discrete element method (DEM) was employed to study the rock cutting performance and stick-slip vibration behavior of PDC bit drilling in five typical different hardness rock strata. The result shows that the stick-slip phenomenon of the bit is more obvious with the increasing of the formation hardness, and in the ultra-hard rock layer, it slips on the rock surface and cannot be effectively drilled. The approach of increasing the rotational speed of the bit can weaken the stick-slip behavior to an extent, but it has no obvious effect on improving the drilling efficiency. The drilling performance of the bit can be improved by increasing drilling pressure, but it will also lead to more serious stick-slip vibration. The torsional impact method can effectively weaken or even inhibit the stick-slip vibration of the bit and improve the drilling performance. However, excessive torsional impact force will lead to an increase in the impact load on the bit.

Abstract Background Continuous cropping can reduce soil quality and affect rhizosphere metabolism, ultimately reducing crop yield. Crop rotation can mitigate the damage caused by continuous cropping, but different crop rotation patterns respond differently to soil quality and rhizosphere metabolism. We investigated the effects of different cropping patterns on soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, microbial quantity, and rhizosphere metabolism of continuous potato cropping based on a long-term field study from 2018 to 2022. The experiment was set up with the following three treatments: potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)-potato-potato-potato-potato (CK), potato-potato-potato-pea (Pisum arvense L.)-potato (T1), and potato-potato-potato-faba bean (Vicia faba L.)-potato (T2). Results The results showed that pea-potato rotation (T1) and faba bean-potato rotation (T2) significantly improved soil physicochemical properties and microbial quantity, enhanced enzyme activity, and increased yield by 21.19% and 28.38%, respectively, compared with the continuous potato crop. Non-targeted metabolomics analysis showed that the differential metabolites of pea-potato and faba bean-potato rotation were mainly nucleotides, organic acids and derivatives, and flavonoids compared to continuous potato cropping. These differential metabolites are mainly enriched in the ABC transporter, purine metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism, and phenylalanine metabolism pathways. Combined analyses showed that legume-potato rotations improved soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, and microbial quantity of continuous potato cropping, ultimately increasing tuber yields. In addition, correlation analyses showed that differential metabolites significantly enriched in purine and phenylalanine metabolism (l-Tyrosine, Trans-Cinnamic acid, Guanine, and Adenine) were also strongly associated with these measurements. Conclusions Therefore, we conclude that legume-potato rotations modulate the abundance and function of rhizosphere metabolites and significantly alter the low molecular metabolite profile of the soil under continuous potato conditions. Some of these important metabolites may play a part in the cycling of nutrients in the soil, making its physicochemical properties and microbial quantity better, raising the activity of soil enzymes, and ultimately increasing the yield of potato tubers. The above results indicate that legume-potato rotation has a positive effect on continuous potato soils. It lays a solid foundation for revealing the complex molecular network and metabolic pathways of microbial communities in soil after legume crop rotation. Graphical Abstract

Abstract The direct oxidation of methane to methanol (MTM) remains a significant challenge in heterogeneous catalysis due to the high dissociation energy of the C-H bond in methane and the high desorption energy of methanol. In this work, we demonstrate a breakthrough in selective MTM by achieving a high methanol space-time yield of 2678 mmol molCu−1 h−1 with 93% selectivity in a continuous methane-steam reaction at 400 °C. The superior performance is attributed to the confinement effect of 6-membered ring (6MR) voids in SSZ-13 zeolite, which host isolated Cu-OH single sites. Our results provide a deeper understanding of the role of Cu-zeolites in continuous methane-steam to methanol conversion and pave the way for further improvement.

The presence of oxide-MnS complex inclusions is beneficial for the improvement of hydrogen resistance in pipeline steel. The effect of S and Mg contents on the generation mechanism of MnS, MgAl2O4, and MgO inclusions, and the heterogeneous nucleation principle of MnS on the surfaces of MgAl2O4 and MgO were revealed using laboratory experiments, thermodynamic calculations, and density functional theory (DFT) computations. The inclusion characteristics in steel were evaluated by using a Scanning Electron Microscope in combination with an Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (SEM + EDS). It has been found that as the Mg content increased, MgAl2O4 transformed into MgO, which can be well predicted by thermodynamic calculations. It was found that MnS exhibited the ability to nucleate heterogeneously on the surfaces of MgO and MgAl2O4 inclusions. Furthermore, proper S content (approximately 30 ppm) can facilitate the formation of oxide-MnS complex inclusions, excess S content was not desired. The smaller the oxide inclusion, the easier to form wrapped MnS on the oxides. The nucleation ability of MnS and MgAl2O4 was identified by DFT calculations and found that they followed the order of (111)MnS//(111)MgAl2O4>(100)MnS//(100)MgAl2O4>(110)MnS//(110)MgAl2O4. Furthermore, the heterogeneous nucleation ability of MnS and MgO followed in the order of (111)MnS//(111)MgO > (100)MnS//(111)MgO > (100)MnS//(100)MgO. This study provides theoretical evidence supporting the heterogeneous nucleation ability of MnS on the surfaces of MgO and MgAl2O4. Moreover, it helps bridge the disparity between the calculation of MnS and MgO nucleation using the two-dimensional mismatch degree and the experimental findings.

Molecular marker-assisted selection (MAS) can significantly accelerate and improve the efficiency of the breeding process in seedless grape cultivars. In this study, we developed the KASP_VviAGL11 and VviAGL11_410 markers based on a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) site (Chr18: 26889437 (A/C)) of the VviAGL11 gene, and compared them with previously reported SSR markers p3_VvAGL11 and 5U_VviAGL11 by testing 101 cultivars and 81 F1 hybrid progenies. The results showed that both of the proposed markers obtained 100% accuracy rates in detecting allele A, which was closely associated with the seedless trait in grapes, while p3_VvAGL11 and 5U_VviAGL11 had lower accuracy rates due to their tendency to produce false positives. After careful evaluation of the technical advantages and disadvantages associated with these markers, we concluded that KASP_VviAGL11 was superior in terms of simplicity, cost-effectiveness, efficiency, and accuracy. Thus, we optimized the process of molecular MAS for seedless grapes, focusing on the KASP_VviAGL11 marker as a central component, to provide key technical support for the development of new seedless grape cultivars.

Fe–Mn–xAl–C steel ingots have been fabricated by vacuum melting with Al compositions varied from x = 0 to 3 and 5 wt.%, respectively. After properly hot-forging and hot-rolling as well as solution heat treatments, impact toughness tests were carried out at 77 K using a standard full-size of Charpy impact V-notch configuration. It was found that the addition of Al element is more conducive to enhance the cryogenic toughness. The relationship between the cryogenic toughness and the Al composition has been revealed through detailed microstructural studies by electron back scatter diffraction and transmission-electron microscopy. The stack fault energy (SFE) increases with the increase of Al content at various temperature. The plastic deformation is dominated by deformation bands which are dominated by deformation twins (DTs) and ε-martensite at x = 0 and DTs at x = 3 and 5%, respectively. The DTs near fracture the notch-tip area increased in the order of the 0Al, 3Al, and 5Al steel. The DTs with high density, together with their contented dislocations, significantly contributed to the high cryogenic toughness of the studied high manganese steel with higher Al content. Banded ε-martensite will deterioration cryogenic toughness due to its large size compared to DTs at 0Al steel.

In predicting building energy (affected by seasons), there are issues like inefficient hyperparameter optimization and inaccurate predictions, it is unclear whether spatial and temporal attention improves performance. This study proposes a method based on Bayesian Optimization (BO), Spatial-Temporal Attention (STA), and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM). Seven improved LSTM models (BO-LSTM, SA-LSTM, TA-LSTM, STA-LSTM, BO-SA-LSTM, BO-TA-LSTM, and BO-STA-LSTM) are compared with LSTM and the impacts of seasonal variations on BO-STA-LSTM are analysed using different sample types and time domain analysis. To further demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method, comparisons with convolutional neural network (CNN) and temporal convolutional network (TCN) are performed, and followed by validation with new datasets. The findings indicate that adding STA and BO to LSTM enhances the average R2 of prediction performance by 0.0885. BO alone contributes 0.0717, while adding attention improves 0.0560. BO-STA-LSTM achieves higher prediction accuracy for similar test and training samples or a test sample size of 14,016, effectively capturing seasonal, trend, and peak energy patterns. Additionally, BO-STA-LSTM outperforms CNN and TCN, demonstrating superior prediction accuracy.

Abstract Indoor navigation networks serve as the foundation for indoor pedestrian navigation services. However, current graph‐based topological network models cannot easily represent complex indoor structures in a manner consistent with user behaviour and cognitive patterns, and thus cannot support fine‐grained indoor navigation analysis services. To enhance the rationality of the model, we considered the influences of morphological and functional characteristics of indoor spaces on pedestrian movement and proposed a method for classifying navigation spaces. This method, based on convex space segmentation, defines morphological and functional characteristic functions, classifying indoor navigation spaces as either corridors or open spaces, which suitable for representing as median axis models or visual graphs, respectively. These categories supported the creation of topological network models for route planning analysis. Indoor map experiments confirmed the effectiveness of our method in identifying various types of corridors and open spaces, that addressing the limitations of width‐based parameters, even in complex indoor settings.

Introduction:The diagnostic accuracy of traditional imaging examination in predicting ypT stage of rectal cancer after neoadjuvant therapy is significantly reduced, which would affect patients’ subsequent treatment choices. This study aimed to investigate the use of endorectal shear wave elastography (SWE) for diagnosing ypT0 stage of rectal cancer after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT).Methods:Sixty patients with rectal cancer were prospectively recruited in this study. Data on endorectal ultrasound (ERUS) and SWE parameters were collected before nCRT and 6–8 weeks after nCRT. Postoperative pathological results were the gold standard for evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of SWE and ERUS in predicting the ypT0 stage of rectal cancer after nCRT. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to determine the cut-off values of the SWE parameters that best corresponded to the ypT0 stage and analyze the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy.Results:The diagnostic accuracies of using ERUS to predict the ypT and ypT0 stages of rectal cancer after nCRT were 58.1% (18/31) and 64.3% (9/14), respectively. The ROC curve was constructed with the lesion’s Emean, Emean corrected (EC), Emean difference (ED), Emean corrected differencede (ECD), Emean descendding rate (EDR) and Emean corrected descendding rate (ECDR) values after nCRT, the cut-off values of diagnosing the ypT0 stage were 64.40 kPa, 55.45 kPa, 72.55 kPa, 73.75 kPa, 50.15%, and 55.93%, respectively; the area under the curve (AUC) for diagnosing the ypT0 stage was 0.924, 0.933, 0.748, 0.729, 0.857 and 0.861, respectively. The EC value showed the best diagnostic performance.Conclusion:SWE could improve the accuracy of conventional ERUS in diagnosing the ypT0 stage of rectal cancer after nCRT. It is expected to become a new method to help predict pathological complete responses in clinical practice and provide new evidence for the watch-and-wait approach.

To external validate the risk assessment model (RAM) of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in multicenter internal medicine inpatients. We prospectively collected 595 internal medical patients (310 with VTE patients, 285 non-VTE patients) were from Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, and the respiratory department of Beijing Tsinghua Changgeng Hospital from January 2022 to December 2022 for multicenter external validation. The prediction ability of Caprini RAM, Padua RAM, The International Medical Prevention Registry on Venous Thromboembolism (IMPROVE) RAM, and Shijitan (SJT) RAM were compared. This study included a total of 595 internal medicine inpatients, including 242 (40.67%) in the respiratory department, 17 (2.86%) in the respiratory intensive care unit, 49 (8.24%) in the neurology department, 34 (5.71%) in the intensive care unit, 26 (4.37%) in the geriatric department, 22 (3.70%) in the emergency department, 71 (11.93%) in the nephrology department, 63 (10.59%) in the cardiology department, 24 (4.03%) in the hematology department, 6 (1.01%) in the traditional Chinese medicine department, 9 (1.51%) cases in the rheumatology department, 7 (1.18%) in the endocrinology department, 14 (2.35%) in the oncology department, and 11 (1.85%) in the gastroenterology department. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that among internal medicine inpatients, age > 60 years old, heart failure, nephrotic syndrome, tumors, history of VTE, and elevated D-dimer were significantly correlated with the occurrence of VTE ( P .05). The SJT RAM derived from general hospitalized Chinese patients has effective and better predictive ability for internal medicine inpatients at risk of VTE.

Background and aimsCuproptosis has emerged as a significant contributor in the progression of various diseases. This study aimed to assess the potential impact of cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) on the development of hepatic ischemia and reperfusion injury (HIRI).MethodsThe datasets related to HIRI were sourced from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The comparative analysis of differential gene expression involving CRGs was performed between HIRI and normal liver samples. Correlation analysis, function enrichment analyses, and protein-protein interactions were employed to understand the interactions and roles of these genes. Machine learning techniques were used to identify hub genes. Additionally, differences in immune cell infiltration between HIRI patients and controls were analyzed. Quantitative real-time PCR and western blotting were used to verify the expression of the hub genes.ResultsSeventy-five HIRI and 80 control samples from three databases were included in the bioinformatics analysis. Three hub CRGs (NLRP3, ATP7B and NFE2L2) were identified using three machine learning models. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for the hub genes, which yielded an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.832. Remarkably, in the validation datasets GSE15480 and GSE228782, the three hub genes had AUC reached 0.904. Additional analyses, including nomograms, decision curves, and calibration curves, supported their predictive power for diagnosis. Enrichment analyses indicated the involvement of these genes in multiple pathways associated with HIRI progression. Comparative assessments using CIBERSORT and gene set enrichment analysis suggested elevated expression of these hub genes in activated dendritic cells, neutrophils, activated CD4 memory T cells, and activated mast cells in HIRI samples versus controls. A ceRNA network underscored a complex regulatory interplay among genes. The genes mRNA and protein levels were also verified in HIRI-affected mouse liver tissues.ConclusionOur findings have provided a comprehensive understanding of the association between cuproptosis and HIRI, establishing a promising diagnostic pattern and identifying latent therapeutic targets for HIRI treatment. Additionally, our study offers novel insights to delve deeper into the underlying mechanisms of HIRI.

Background Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), as the most abundant form of DNA variation in the human genome, contribute to age-related cataracts (ARC) development. Apoptosis of lens epithelial cells (LECs) is closely related to ARC formation. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) contributes to cell apoptosis regulation. Moreover, IGF1 was indicated to exhibit a close association with cataract formation. Afterward, an investigation was conducted to examine the correlation between polymorphisms in IGF1 and the susceptibility to ARC. Methods The present investigation was a case-control study. Venous blood draws were collected from the participants for DNA genotyping. Lens capsule samples were collected to detect mRNA and apoptosis. TaqMan RT-PCR was used to detect IGF1 polymorphism genotypes and qRT PCR was used to detect IGF1 mRNA levels in LECs. LEC apoptosis was evaluated through flow cytometry. The chi-square test was used to compare differences between ARCs and controls of each SNP. Results We found that the G allele frequency in the IGF1-rs6218 was higher in the ARCs than in the controls. Furthermore, it was observed that the rs6218 GG genotype exhibited a positive correlation to elevated levels of IGF1 mRNA in LECs. The IGF1 mRNA in the LECs and the apoptosis of LECs in nuclear type of ARCs (ARNC) was higher than the controls. Conclusion The susceptibility to ARC was related to IGF1-rs6218 polymorphism, and this polymorphism is associated with IGF1 expression at the mRNA level. Moreover, apoptosis in LECs of ARNCs was found to be increased.

When detecting tomato leaf diseases in natural environments, factors such as changes in lighting, occlusion, and the small size of leaf lesions pose challenges to detection accuracy. Therefore, this study proposes a tomato leaf disease detection method based on attention mechanisms and multi-scale feature fusion. Firstly, the Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM) is introduced into the backbone feature extraction network to enhance the ability to extract lesion features and suppress the effects of environmental interference. Secondly, shallow feature maps are introduced into the re-parameterized generalized feature pyramid network (RepGFPN), constructing a new multi-scale re-parameterized generalized feature fusion module (BiRepGFPN) to enhance feature fusion expression and improve the localization ability for small lesion features. Finally, the BiRepGFPN replaces the Path Aggregation Feature Pyramid Network (PAFPN) in the YOLOv6 model to achieve effective fusion of deep semantic and shallow spatial information. Experimental results indicate that, when evaluated on the publicly available PlantDoc dataset, the model’s mean average precision (mAP) showed improvements of 7.7%, 11.8%, 3.4%, 5.7%, 4.3%, and 2.6% compared to YOLOX, YOLOv5, YOLOv6, YOLOv6-s, YOLOv7, and YOLOv8, respectively. When evaluated on the tomato leaf disease dataset, the model demonstrated a precision of 92.9%, a recall rate of 95.2%, an F1 score of 94.0%, and a mean average precision (mAP) of 93.8%, showing improvements of 2.3%, 4.0%, 3.1%, and 2.7% respectively compared to the baseline model. These results indicate that the proposed detection method possesses significant detection performance and generalization capabilities.

Durability is a desired characteristic for all battery packs in Electric Vehicles. In this study, the service life of the EV battery pack under real-world operating conditions is projected using an Arrhenius mathematical simulation model. The model comprises a 39.2 kWh EV Lithium-Ion battery pack integrated with a three-phase inverter to convert the battery pack’s Direct Current output to Alternating Current. In addition, the Alternating Current output is coupled to a 100 kW permanent magnet synchronous motor, which is regarded as the load. A field-oriented controller provides pulse width-modulated output signals that are supplied back to the inverter to generate the correct driving current. Variable conditions of charge rate (C-rate: 1.25C − 4C), discharge rate (C-rate: 0.5C − 4C), temperature (25°C–60°C), and depth of discharge (30%–90%) are evaluated to determine the battery pack’s service life. Under a 4C charge rate/0.5C discharge rate and 50% depth of discharge, the modeling results indicate the battery pack has a service life of approximately 6,000 h at low temperatures (25°C) and roughly 3,000 h at high temperatures (60°C). The model has been validated by comparing the results with experimental data from the literature.

The thermal performance of a flat plate solar collector (FPSC) is a critical indicator that depends on the environment, operational parameters, and dimensions. This study examines the impact of size on thermal performance improvement mechanisms. Firstly, numerical simulation models are introduced as the foundation for optimization research. This involves analyzing the flow resistance of microchannels and defining their structural parameters. Furthermore, experimental tests were conducted on a stainless steel flat plate solar collector (S/S FPSC) with the best design parameters to validate the accuracy of the mathematical model during the design phase. The results indicate that increasing the width of the microchannel and the height of corrugations can effectively enhance the thermal performance of the S/S FPSC. The momentary efficiency is projected to reach a remarkable 86.10% under ideal circumstances. Additionally, a mathematical expression was proposed to establish the relationship between the surrounding conditions and the momentary efficiency of the S/S FPSC. Moreover, the microchannel comprises S/S material, maintaining a homogeneous temperature distribution to maximize heat absorption. The use of stainless steel also extends the lifespan of the FPSC.

Background: Vascular invasion (VI) indicates highly invasive tumor biological behavior and is a major determining factor of poor survival and high risk of metastasis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Epidemiological evidence of the association between pretherapeutic platelet count (PLT) and the risk of VI and extrahepatic metastasis in HCC remains controversial. Methods: A systematic retrieval was executed in databases of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science until Dec 2022. Effect size and 95% confidence interval (CI) were extracted or estimated to synthetically investigate the effects of pretherapeutic PLT on VI and extrahepatic metastasis. Meta-analyses were performed by using a random or a fixed effects model. Results: Finally, the current meta-analysis included 15 studies with a total of 12,378 HCC patients. It was shown that, patients with a higher pretherapeutic level of PLT had a significantly increased risk of VI (11 studies,8,759 patients; OR = 1.44, 95%CI: 1.02–2.02) and extrahepatic metastasis (6 studies,8, 951 patients; OR = 2.51, 95% CI: 2.19–2.88) in comparison with patients with a lower PLT. Funnel plots and Begg's tests indicated that there were no significant publication biases. Conclusion: This meta-analysis shows that pretherapeutic elevated PLT is associated with an increased risk of VI and extrahepatic metastasis in HCC.

BackgroundsThe value of circulating microRNA (miR)-155 for breast cancer (BC) diagnosis may differ in different studies. Therefore, we conducted this systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the potential application of circulating miR-155 in the diagnosis of BC.MethodsArticles published before December 2023 and in English were searched in these databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, EMBASE and Google Scholar. A summary of sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratios (PLR), negative likelihood ratios (NLR), and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were calculated from the true positive (TP), true negative (TN), false positive (FP) and false negative (FN) of each study. Additionally, the summary receive-operating characteristics (SROC) curve was constructed to summarize the TP and FP rates.ResultsThe pooled parameters calculated were as follows: sensitivity, 0.93 (95% CI: 0.83-0.97); specificity, 0.85 (95% CI: 0.74-0.92); PLR, 6.4 (95% CI: 3.4-11.9); NLR, 0.09 (95% CI: 0.04-0.20); and DOR, 74 (95% CI: 22-247). The analysis showed a significant heterogeneity (sensitivity, I2 = 95.19%, p < 0.001; specificity, I2 = 95.29%, p < 0.001; DOR, I2 = 92.9%, p < 0.001). The SROC curve was with an area under curve (AUC) of 0.95 (95% CI: 0.93-0.97).ConclusionCirculating miR-155 has a potential in the diagnosis of BC.

Background: This randomized and controlled prospective study tested the hypothesis that closed-loop Target-Controlled Infusion (TCI) of propofol would be associated with better system performance when compared with open-loop controlled delivery of propofol. Methods: Patients scheduled for elective breast surgery were randomly assigned to two groups: a closed-loop group, in which propofol infusion was performed by a closed-loop TCI system that used the Bispectral Index (BIS) as a feedback parameter to titrate the rate of propofol infusion, and an open-loop group, in which propofol infusion was performed manually and guided by the bispectral index. Results: A total of 156 patients were recruited for this study (closed-loop group n = 79; open-loop group n = 77). The Global Score (GS) of the closed-loop group was lower than that of the open-loop group (34.3 and 42.2) (p = 0.044). The proportions of time with a BIS value between 40 and 60 were almost identical in the closed-loop group and the open-loop group (68.7 ± 10.6% and 66.7 ± 13.3%) (p = 0.318). The individuals in the closed-loop group consumed more propofol compared with those in the open-loop group (7.20 ± 1.65 mg.kg−1.h−1 vs. 6.03 ± 1.31 mg.kg−1.h−1, p < 0.001). No intraoperative recall, somatic events or adverse events occurred. No significant difference in heart rate was observed between the two groups (p = 0.169). Conclusion: The closed-loop protocol was associated with lower BIS variability and lower out-of-range BIS values, at the cost of a greater consumption of propofol when compared to the open loop group. Register number: ChiCTR-INR-17010399.

ObjectiveAcute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a severe cardiovascular disease that threatens human life and health globally. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) governs the fate of RNAs via m6A regulators. Nevertheless, how m6A regulators affect AMI remains to be deciphered. To solve this issue, an integrative analysis of m6A regulators in AMI was conducted.MethodsWe acquired transcriptome profiles (GSE59867, GSE48060) of peripheral blood samples from AMI patients and healthy controls. Key m6A regulators were used for LASSO, and consensus clustering was conducted. Next, the m6A score was also computed. Immune cell infiltration, ferroptosis, and oxidative stress were evaluated. In-vitro and in-vivo experiments were conducted to verify the role of the m6A regulator ALKBH5 in AMI.ResultsMost m6A regulators presented notable expression alterations in circulating cells of AMI patients versus those of controls. Based on key m6A regulators, we established a gene signature and a nomogram for AMI diagnosis and risk prediction. AMI patients were classified into three m6A clusters or gene clusters, respectively, and each cluster possessed the unique properties of m6A modification, immune cell infiltration, ferroptosis, and oxidative stress. Finally, the m6A score was utilized to quantify m6A modification patterns. Therapeutic targeting of ALKBH5 greatly alleviated apoptosis and intracellular ROS in H/R-induced H9C2 cells and NRCMs.ConclusionAltogether, our findings highlight the clinical significance of m6A regulators in the diagnosis and risk prediction of AMI and indicate the critical roles of m6A modification in the regulation of immune cell infiltration, ferroptosis, and oxidative stress.

Both overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) are significant when determining a patient’s prognosis for breast cancer (BC). The effect of DSS-related microRNAs on BC susrvival, however, is not well understood. Here, we spotted differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) in the TCGA database of BC DSS, identified eight DSS-related miRNAs, and constructed a risk model. AUC values at 1, 3, and 5 years were 0.852, 0.861, and 0.868, respectively, indicating a risk model’s excellent prognostic prediction ability. Then, we validated miRNA roles in BC OS and finally defined miR-551b as an independently prognostic miRNA in BC. According to function analysis, miR-551b is strongly linked with the emergence and spread of cancer, including protein ubiquitination, intracellular protein transport, metabolic pathways, and cancer pathways. Moreover, we confirmed the low expression of miR-551b in BC tissue and cells. After miR-551b inhibition or overexpression, cell function was either dramatically increased or diminished, respectively, indicating that miR-551b could regulate BC proliferation, invasion, and migration. In conclusion, we thoroughly clarified BC-related miRNAs on DSS and OS and verified miR-551b as a crucial regulator in the development and prognosis of cancer. These results can offer fresh ideas for BC therapy.

BackgroundEnhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) has been widely used in adult surgery. However, few studies have reported the efficacy of ERAS in paediatric patients with Meckel's diverticulum (MD), the aim of the study was to prospectively evaluate the safety and efficacy of ERAS in treating MD.MethodsA prospective randomised controlled study of children with MD admitted to our hospital from Jan 1, 2021 to Dec 31, 2023 were conducted, we developed and implemented an ERAS program for this patients. All cases were strictly selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Among these patients, they were randomly assigned to the ERAS group or the traditional (TRAD) group with random number table row randomization. The main observational indicators were operation time, intraoperative hemorrhage, FLACC pain scale results on 2 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h after surgery, length of postoperative stay (LOPS), time to first defecation, time to first eating after surgery, time to discontinuation of intravenous infusion, total treatment cost, incidence of postoperative complications, 30-day readmission rate and parental satisfaction rate.ResultsA total of 50 patients underwent Meckel's diverticulectomy during this period, 7 patients were excluded, 23 patients were assigned to the ERAS group and 20 patients were assigned to the TRAD group. There were no significant differences in demographic data and operation time, intraoperative hemorrhage. The FLACC pain scale results on 2 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h after surgery were significantly lower in the ERAS group. The LOPS was 6.17 ± 0.89 days in the ERAS group and 8.30 ± 1.26 days in the TRAD group, resulting in a significantly shorter LOPS in ERAS group. ERAS could also reduce the first postoperative defecation time, the time to first eating after surgery and the time to discontinuation of intravenous infusion. The treatment cost was decreased in the ERAS group. The rate of complications and 30-day readmission were not significantly different between the two groups.ConclusionsIn this single-center study, the ERAS protocol for patients with MD requiring surgery was safe and effective.

Abstract The increasing needs for new types of computing lie in the requirements in harsh environments. In this study, the successful development of a non‐electrical neural network is presented that functions based on mechanical computing. By overcoming the challenges of low mechanical signal transmission efficiency and intricate layout design methodologies, a mechanical neural network based on bistable kirigami‐based mechanical metamaterials have designed. In preliminary tests, the system exhibits high reliability in recognizing handwritten digits and proves operable in low‐temperature environments. This work paves the way for a new, alternative computing system with broad applications in areas where electricity is not accessible. By integrating with the traditional electronic computers, the present system lays the foundation for a more diversified form of computing.

ObjectiveRecently, 10 plasmid-mediated mobile colistin resistance genes, mcr-1 to mcr-10, and their variants have been identified, posing a new threat to the treatment of clinical infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria. Our objective was to develop a rapid, sensitive, and accurate molecular assay for detecting mcr genes in clinical isolates.MethodsThe primers and corresponding TaqMan-MGB probes were designed based on the sequence characteristics of all reported MCR family genes, multiplex Taqman-MGB probe-based qPCR assays were developed and optimized, and the sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility of the method were evaluated. The assay contained 8 sets of primers and probes in 4 reaction tubes, each containing 2 sets of primers and probes.ResultsThe standard curves for both the single and multiplex systems showed good linearity (R2 > 0.99) between the starting template amount and the Ct value, with a lower limit of detection of 102 copies/μL. The specificity test showed positive amplification results only for strains containing the mcr genes, whereas the other strains were negative. The results of intra-and inter-group repeatability experiments demonstrated the stability and reliability of the newly developed method. It was used to detect mcr genes in 467 clinically-obtained Gram-negative isolates, which were multidrug-resistant. Twelve strains containing the mcr genes were detected (seven isolates carrying mcr-1, four isolates carrying mcr-10, and one isolate carrying mcr-9). The products amplified by the full-length PCR primer were identified by sequencing, and the results were consistent with those of the multiplex qPCR method.ConclusionThe assay developed in this study has the advantages of high specificity, sensitivity, and reproducibility. It can be used to specifically detect drug-resistant clinical isolates carrying the mcr genes (mcr-1 to mcr-10), thus providing a better basis for clinical drug treatment and drug resistance research.

Summary: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a serious psychiatric disease, but the neural mechanisms underlying its development are unclear. A subpopulation of amygdala neurons, marked by expression of protein kinase C-delta (PKC-δ), has previously been shown to regulate diverse anorexigenic signals. Here, we demonstrate that these neurons regulate development of activity-based anorexia (ABA), a common animal model for AN. PKC-δ neurons are located in two nuclei of the central extended amygdala (EAc): the central nucleus (CeA) and oval region of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (ovBNST). Simultaneous ablation of CeAPKC-δ and ovBNSTPKC-δ neurons prevents ABA, but ablating PKC-δ neurons in the CeA or ovBNST alone is not sufficient. Correspondingly, PKC-δ neurons in both nuclei show increased activity with ABA development. Our study shows how neurons in the amygdala regulate ABA by impacting both feeding and wheel activity behaviors and support a complex heterogeneous etiology of AN.

Various preclinical and a limited number of clinical studies of CAR-NK cells have shown promising results: efficient elimination of target cells without side effects similar to CAR-T therapy. However, the homing and infiltration abilities of CAR-NK cells are poor due to the inhibitory tumor microenvironment. From the perspective of clinical treatment strategies, combined with the biological and tumor microenvironment characteristics of NK cells, CAR-NK combination therapy strategies with anti-PD-1/PD-L1, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, kinase inhibitors, proteasome inhibitors, STING agonist, oncolytic virus, photothermal therapy, can greatly promote the proliferation, migration and cytotoxicity of the NK cells. In this review, we will summarize the targets selection, structure constructions and combinational therapies of CAR-NK cells for tumors to provide feasible combination strategies for overcoming the inhibitory tumor microenvironment and improving the efficacy of CAR-NK cells.

Objectives: Facial asymmetry is a common problem seen in orthodontic clinics that may affect patient esthetics. In some instances, severe asymmetry that affects patient esthetics may cause psychological issues. An objective method is therefore required to help orthodontists identify asymmetry issues. Materials and methods: We used three-dimensional (3D) facial images and landmark-based anthropometric analysis to construct a 3D facial mask to evaluate asymmetry. The landmark coordinates were transformed using a symmetric 3D face model to evaluate the efficacy of this method. Patients with facial asymmetry were recruited to conduct mirror and overlap analysis to form color maps, which were used to verify the utility of the novel soft tissue landmark-based method. Results: The preliminary results demonstrated that the asymmetry evaluation method had a similar response rate compared to diagnosis using mirror and overlap 3D images, and could therefore identify 3D asymmetry problems. Conclusions: By using 3D facial scans and 3D anthropometric analysis, we developed a preliminary evaluation method that provides objective parameters to clinically evaluate patient facial asymmetry and aid in the diagnosis of asymmetric areas. Clinical relevance: This study presents a novel facial asymmetry diagnostic method that has the potential to aid clinical decisions during problem identification, treatment planning, and efficacy evaluation.

Owing to rocky desertification, farmland abandonment in karst areas is different from that in normal landforms. Aiming at the phenomenon of large-scale farmland abandonment in the karst region of Southwest China, this study investigated the characteristics of farmland abandonment in different rocky desertification control areas of typical counties. We interpreted land use changes in the study area using high-resolution images (5 m) in 2010 and 2020 through human–computer interaction. After removing patches of converted farmland to forests, we extracted the spatial distribution of abandoned farmland. The study area was found to have a high abandonment rate (24.83 %), with dryland showing 2–3 times higher abandonment rate than paddy fields. The abandoned area in rocky desertification dryland accounts for 50.57 % (499.04 km2) of the abandoned area of karst dryland. It is worth noting that the abandonment rate of non-rocky desertification dryland in the karst dryland is the lowest (22.45 %), while the abandonment rate of dryland shows no significant difference among other rocky desertification grades, with an average of 28.00 %. In addition, with the change of rocky desertification level, the index of abandonment degree showed a trend of initial increase followed by a decrease. Slope, lithology and soil type have a joint effect on karst dryland abandonment. Slope is the core factor affecting karst dryland abandonment, and the interaction between slope and soil type is the dominant factor affecting its change. The results of this study show that farmland abandonment is serious in karst rocky desertification areas, primarily occurring in rocky desertification dryland. The government should take targeted management measures based on the current status of abandoned drylands at different levels of rocky desertification, especially in sloping farmland areas.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) is one of the leading pathogens responsible for hospital-acquired infections. With the increasing antibiotic resistance of PA, clinical treatment has become increasingly challenging. DNA vaccines represent a promising approach for combating PA infection. However, the immune response induced by a single antigen is limited, and combination vaccines hold greater therapeutic potential. The highly conserved OprF and PcrV genes are attractive candidate antigens for vaccine development, but the poor delivery of such vaccines has limited their clinical application. In this study, we constructed an OprF/PcrV bivalent DNA vaccine, and a polyaspartamide/polyethylene glycol di-aldehyde (PSIH/PEG DA) hydrogel was formulated to improve DNA delivery. The OprF/PcrV DNA vaccine formulated with the PSIH/PEG DA hydrogel was carefully characterized in vitro and in vivo and showed suitable compatibility. The PSIH/PEG DA hydrogel formulation induced a mixed Th1/Th2/Th17 immune response in mice, leading to a significant increase in antibody titers, lymphocyte proliferation rates, and cytokine levels compared to those in mice treated with single or combined vaccines. The PSIH/PEG DA hydrogel delivery system significantly enhanced the immune protection of the DNA vaccine in a murine pneumonia model, as revealed by the reduced bacterial burden and inflammation in the mouse lungs and increased survival rate. In conclusion, the PSIH/PEG DA hydrogel delivery system can further enhance the immune efficacy of the combination OprF/PcrV DNA vaccine. This research provides a novel optimized strategy for the prevention and treatment of PA infection using DNA vaccines.

We investigate the magnetic and electronic properties of Co films on Fe3O4(001) achieved through epitaxial growth using magnetron sputtering. X-ray magnetic circularly dichroism measurements characterize the atomic magnetism. Compared to Co films on the MgO substrate, Co on Fe3O4 exhibits a 96% enhancement in orbital magnetic moment (from 0.25 to 0.49 µB/atom) and an increase in spin magnetic moment (from 1.37 to 1.53 µB/atom), resulting in an increased mratio(ml/ms) from 0.18 to 0.32. This enhancement of the orbital moment emerges as a consequence of the interface interaction between Co and Fe3O4. Density functional theory calculations attribute this heightened orbital magnetic moment to the robust electronic exchange interactions. Our findings not only offer insights into the modulation of magnetic and electronic characteristics in Co-based magnetic heterostructures but also provide valuable implications for the potential application of magnetic oxide/ferromagnetic heterostructures in future spintronic devices.

In the context of developing a new era, the pharmaceutical supply chain market has gradually transformed from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market. The closer the consumers are, the greater the market pricing power, so the pharmaceutical market power of manufacturers and retailers has also changed. This study considers the effect of service on the pricing strategy of the pharmaceutical platform supply chain. The study aimed to coordinate optimization, and the coordination strategy of the pharmaceutical platform supply chain of complementary products is discussed mainly by researching the price and service factors. Various situations are studied by hypothesis and model solving. This study uses Stackelberg game decision-making. Manufacturers are at the forefront of platform supply chain decisions. The research found that the price was lower under centralized decision-making than under decentralized decision-making. Coordination between price and service levels needs attention in the pharmaceutical platform supply chain of complementary products, and the service level should be controlled within a certain range. Only by improving the service level can enterprises maximize profits, providing a theoretical basis for pharmaceutical supply chain pricing strategy research. Supply chain members must strive to improve service levels to improve medical supply consumers’ (patients) psychological satisfaction level. Service levels do not fully mitigate channel conflict. Therefore, pharmaceutical complements have become a way to alleviate the conflicts in the pharmaceutical platform supply chain.

The objective of this paper is to discuss the influence of geometric parameters on the performance of the rotational hydrodynamic cavitation reactor (RHCR) using numerical method. The novel RHCR is implemented by modifying a centrifugal impeller into a new one using the annular slit constriction (ASC) with circumferentially distributed blind holes. The cavitation intensity and cavitation generation rate are selected to evaluate the cavitation performance, the head is used to assess conveying performance, and the entropy generation theory is used to evaluate the energy loss in the impeller. The effect of the axial width, radial length and radial position of the ASC on the cavitating flow of the RHCR is investigated by CFD method. The results indicate that three patterns of cavitation are induced in the RHCR, including separation cavitation, vortex cavitation and shear cavitation. The axial width, radial length and radial position of the ASC are the important geometric parameter that affect the performance of the RHCR. A small width is superior to a large width in terms of cavitation performance, although the conveying performance suffers as a result. The energy loss in the impeller initially increases and then decreases as the width decreases. Both a reduction in radial length and radial position leads to higher cavitation and conveying capacity, accompanying slight increase in energy loss. Compared to the original model, the RHCR with an axial width of 3 mm, a radial length of 17 mm, and a radial position of 0.541 achieves the highest performance.

BackgroundIncreased arterial stiffness and low handgrip strength (HGS) are associated with poor health outcomes and are a severe health risk for older adults. However, there is limited evidence and mixed results on whether there is an association between them. Therefore, this study focused on the association between arterial stiffness and HGS in relatively healthy older adults in Beijing, China.MethodsIn 2016, 2,217 adult volunteers were recruited in Beijing. Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and the ankle-brachial index were measured using an automatic vascular profiling system. Carotid artery intima-media thickness and common carotid artery-internal diameter (CCAID) were evaluated using Doppler ultrasound, and HGS was measured with a dynamometer. Low HGS was determined using the Asian Sarcopenia Working Group 2019 criteria. Multivariate linear and logistic regressions evaluated the relationship between arterial stiffness and HGS.ResultsUltimately, 776 relatively healthy older adults (mean age 69.05 ± 6.46 years) were included. Based on the AWGS2019 criteria, 137 participants were defined as having low HGS. Compared to the normal HGS group, the low HGS group was older and had higher baPWV (p

Background Alveolar hypoxia is protective in the context of cardiovascular and ischemic heart disease; however, the underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. The present study sought to test the hypothesis that hypoxia is cardioprotective in left ventricular pressure overload (LVPO)–induced heart failure. We furthermore aimed to test that overlapping mechanisms promote cardiac recovery in heart failure patients following left ventricular assist device‐mediated mechanical unloading and circulatory support. Methods and Results We established a novel murine model of combined chronic alveolar hypoxia and LVPO following transverse aortic constriction (HxTAC). The HxTAC model is resistant to cardiac hypertrophy and the development of heart failure. The cardioprotective mechanisms identified in our HxTAC model include increased activation of HIF (hypoxia‐inducible factor)‐1α–mediated angiogenesis, attenuated induction of genes associated with pathological remodeling, and preserved metabolic gene expression as identified by RNA sequencing. Furthermore, LVPO decreased Tbx5 and increased Hsd11b1 mRNA expression under normoxic conditions, which was attenuated under hypoxic conditions and may induce additional hypoxia‐mediated cardioprotective effects. Analysis of samples from patients with advanced heart failure that demonstrated left ventricular assist device–mediated myocardial recovery revealed a similar expression pattern for TBX5 and HSD11B1 as observed in HxTAC hearts. Conclusions Hypoxia attenuates LVPO‐induced heart failure. Cardioprotective pathways identified in the HxTAC model might also contribute to cardiac recovery following left ventricular assist device support. These data highlight the potential of our novel HxTAC model to identify hypoxia‐mediated cardioprotective mechanisms and therapeutic targets that attenuate LVPO‐induced heart failure and mediate cardiac recovery following mechanical circulatory support.

As high-energy cathode materials, conversion-type metal fluorides provide a prospective pathway for developing next-generation lithium-ion batteries. However, they suffer from severe performance decay owing to continuous structural destruction and active material dissolution upon cycling, which worsen at elevated temperatures. Here, we design a novel FeF2 cathode with in situ polymerized solid-state electrolyte systems to enhance the cycling ability of metal fluorides at 60 ​°C. Novel FeF2 with a mesoporous structure (meso-FeF2) improves Li+ diffusion and relieves the volume change that typically occurs during the alternating conversion reactions. The structural stability of the meso-FeF2 cathode is strengthened by an in situ polymerized solid-state electrolyte, which prevents the pulverization and ion dissolution that are inevitable for conventional liquid electrolytes. Under the double action of this in situ polymerized solid-state electrolyte and the meso-FeF2's mesoporous structure, the active material maintains an intact SEI layer and part of the mesoporous structure after long charge–discharge cycling, showing excellent cycling stability at high temperatures.

IntroductionThere are no standardized assessment criteria for selecting nutritional risk screening tools or indicators to assess reduced muscle mass (RMM) in the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria. We aimed to compare the consistency of different GLIM criteria with Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) and protein-energy wasting (PEW).MethodsIn this study, nutritional risk screening 2002 first four questions (NRS-2002-4Q), Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS-2002), Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST), and Mini-Nutritional Assessment Short-Form (MNA-SF) tools were used as the first step of nutritional risk screening for the GLIM. The RMM is expressed using different metrics. The SGA and PEW were used to diagnose patients and classify them as malnourished and non-malnourished. Kappa (κ) tests were used to compare the concordance between the SGA, PEW, and GLIM of each combination of screening tools.ResultsA total of 157 patients were included. Patients with Chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 1–3 accounted for a large proportion (79.0%). The prevalence rates of malnutrition diagnosed using the SGA and PEW were 18.5% and 19.7%, respectively. The prevalence of GLIM-diagnosed malnutrition ranges from 5.1% to 37.6%, depending on the different screening methods for nutritional risk and the different indicators denoting RMM. The SGA was moderately consistent with the PEW (κ = 0.423, p

Summary: Magnesium (Mg)-based conduits have gained more attention in repairing peripheral nerve defects. However, they are limited due to poor corrosion resistance and rapid degradation rate. To tackle this issue, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF)- Gelatin methacryloyl (Gel)/hydroxylapatite (HA)-Mg nerve conduit was developed and implanted in sciatic nerve defect model in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. The sciatic functional index measurement showed that the GDNF-Gel/HA-Mg nerve conduit effectively promoted the recovery of sciatic nerve function. The pathological examination results showed that there were more regenerated nerve tissues in GDNF-Gel/HA-Mg group, with a higher number of regenerating axons, and the thickness of the myelin sheath was significantly larger than that of control group (NC group). Immunofluorescence results revealed that the GDNF-Gel/HA-Mg conduit significantly promoted the expression of genes associated with nerve repair. RNA-seq and molecular test results indicated that GDNF-Gel/HA-Mg might be involved in the repair of peripheral nerve defects by regulating PPAR-γ/RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway.Biological sciences; Neuroscience; Molecular neuroscience; Techniques in neuroscience

Study region: China Study focus: An effective evapotranspiration stress assessment system requires reliable estimates actual evapotranspiration (ETa), and potential evapotranspiration (ETp), and should consider multiple influencing indicators. This study explores the consistency of multiple evaporation reanalysis datasets across mainland China and fuses them with multi-model ensemble method. To address the uncertainty inherent in the traditional evapotranspiration stress index (ESI) that only considers the ETa and ETp relationship, we employ Pearson Correlation Analysis and a Random Forest-based Boruta Algorithm to propose new evapotranspiration stress proxies blending multiple remote sensing indicators, named as MESI-P and MESI-B, respectively. Then, we verified their performance in depicting vegetation production capacity based on Solar-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence (SIF) and Gross Primary Productivity (GPP). New hydrological insights for the region: The patterns of ETa from GLDAS, GLEAM, and Harvard Dataverse in China show consistent, but their threshold values differ. The synthesized ETa obtained after using a multi-model ensemble (MME) method is more adaptable in China, with a range of 0.45–1485.31 mm and an increase of 11.34 mm/10a. Following the same pattern as GLDAS and CRU, the synthetic ETp experiences an increasing trend (11.24 mm/10a) during 2000–2019. Compared with the traditional ESI, the MESI-P and MESI-B proposed in this study have superior signal convergence with ETa, SIF, and GPP due to the higher correlation coefficients (＞0.95) in China. Furthermore, during the calculation of MESI-B, soil moisture and solar radiation are identified as dominate factor in Northwest and Southern China respectively.

The stems and leaves (SCSL) are the main byproducts of the Schisandra chinensis cultivation process, and they are worthy of research and utilization from the perspective of medicine and economic benefits. Eighteen (1–18) undescribed highly oxygenated and rearranged schinortriterpenoids (SNTs) and six analogues (19–24), including 14(13 → 12):16(17 → 13)-diabeoschiartane (1–7), 18(13 → 14)-abeoschiartanes (8–12, 19), 18-norschiartane (13), schiartanes (14, 20), 16,17-secopreschisanartanes (15–17, 21–24), lancifoartane (18) skeletons, were isolated from the SCSL. Compounds 1–7 feature a rare 7/5/5-fused carbocyclic core. The structures were established by MS, NMR, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, ECD, and biogenetic considerations. In addition, neuroprotective assays were performed to gain a preliminary understanding of their biological activity. Compounds 2, 6, and 7 showed strong neurite outgrowth-promoting activity with 13.1 %, 12.0 %, and 12.2 % cell differentiation rate (positive group: 15.4 %), respectively. Compounds 1, 2, and 11 at a concentration of 25 μM also had neuroprotective effect on corticosterone (CORT)-induced PC12 cell injury, the cell viability was increased by 21.1 %, 19.5 %, and 24.4 % (positive group: 30.6 %), respectively. Molecular docking analysis and protein–protein interaction (PPI) network revealed that compounds 2, 6, and 7 can exert neuroprotective effects through the regulation of growth factor receptor-bound protein 2 (GRB2). The discovery was beneficial to the high-value utilization of SCSL and the development of natural neuroprotective drugs.