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Abstract Background In the context of deeper integration of the internet and healthcare services, eHealth literacy levels have become an important predictor of public health outcomes and health-promoting behaviors. However, there is a lack of comprehensive understanding of eHealth literacy levels among older adults. Objective To systematically assess the level of eHealth literacy among older adults. Methods We conducted searches in MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI), Wanfang Database, Weipu Database (VIP), and Chinese Biomedical Database (Sinomed) to collect survey studies on the eHealth literacy levels of the older adults, with a search timeframe from the establishment of the database to May 2024. The quality of the included literature was assessed using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Additionally, subgroup analysis and meta-regression were conducted to detect sources of heterogeneity. Funnel plots and Egger’s test were used to assess publication bias. Results A total of 48 relevant studies were included, including 45 cross-sectional, 2 cohort studies and 1 longitudinal study, comprising 33,919 older adults. The quality of the studies was all above moderate, with 10 high-quality publications. Meta-integration results showed that the eHealth literacy score of older adults was 21.45 (95% CI:19.81–23.08). Subgroup analysis showed that among the elderly population, females had lower eHealth literacy at 19.13 (95% CI:15.83–22.42), those aged 80 years and older had lower eHealth literacy at 16.55 (95% CI:11.73–21.38), and elderly individuals without a spouse and living alone had even lower eHealth literacy at 18.88 (95% CI:15.71–22.04) and 16.03 (95% CI:16.51–21.79). Based on region, eHealth literacy was lower among older adults in developing countries at 20.71 (95% CI:18.95–22.48). Meta-regression results indicate that sample size and region can significantly impact heterogeneity. Conclusion Our results found that the average eHealth literacy score of the elderly was 21.45, which was much lower than the passing level (≥ 32), suggesting that more attention should be paid to the eHealth literacy aspect of the elderly. Meanwhile, due to the limitation of the literature sources, the global representativeness of the results of this study still needs to be supported by more research data from other countries.

Abstract In the article, a new type boost high‐voltage nanosecond pulse generator is proposed. The distributed inductance of the transmission line is utilised as the energy storage unit and cooperated with the variable impedance transmission line transformer to generate nanosecond pulses with extremely high‐voltage gain. What’s more, the isolation effect caused by the transmission line time delay is applied to achieve modular stacking. The demand for charging power supply can be greatly reduced, and few switches are used. Finally, the topological principle is verified by experiments, and a prototype of the five‐stage stacking prototype is built. With the charging voltage of 28 V, the generator can output pulse with a voltage amplitude of 10 kV and pulse width of 12 ns whose voltage gain is up to 357 times.

The advent of Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Service Function Chains (SFCs) unleashes the power of dynamic creation of network services using Virtual Network Functions (VNFs). This is of great interest to network operators since poor service quality and resource wastage can potentially hurt their revenue in the long term. However, the study shows with a set of test-bed experiments that packet loss at certain positions (i.e., different VNFs) in an SFC can cause various degrees of resource wastage and performance degradation because of repeated upstream processing and transmission of retransmitted packets.To overcome this challenge, this study focuses on resource scheduling and deployment of SFCs while considering packet loss positions. This study developed a novel SFC packet dropping cost model and formulated an SFC scheduling problem that aims to minimize overall packet dropping cost as a Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) and proved that it is NP-hard. In this study, Palos is proposed as an efficient scheme in exploiting the functional characteristics of VNFs and their positions in SFCs for scheduling resources and deployment to optimize packet dropping cost. Extensive experiment results show that Palos can achieve up to 42.73% improvement on packet dropping cost and up to 33.03% reduction on average SFC latency when compared with two other state-of-the-art schemes.

Rationale and objectives: To explore the feasibility and predictive utility for neurological outcomes of brain computed tomography perfusion (CTP) for surgically treated acute type A aortic dissection patients with severe common carotid artery stenosis. Materials and methods: Consecutive acute type A aortic dissection patients with severe common carotid artery stenosis undergoing preoperative brain computed tomography perfusion and surgery at our center were examined in retrospect. Brain perfusion was assessed using parameters including cerebral blood flow, cerebral blood volume, mean transmit time, time to maximum, penumbra volume and infarct core volume. Univariable and multivariable regression analyses were performed to identify clinical and imaging predictors associated with postoperative permanent stroke. Results: Out of 44 patients included, 19 patients (43.2 %) presented with postoperative permanent stroke. Univariable analysis revealed that internal carotid artery dissection, cerebral blood flow of the affected side, cerebral blood volume of the affected side, and penumbra volume were implicated in postoperative permanent stroke. Multivariable analysis further showed that cerebral blood flow of the affected side was an independent indicator of a permanent stroke following surgery (odds ratio: 0.820, 95 % confidence interval: 0.684–0.982; p = 0.012). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.867 (95 % confidence interval: 0.764–0.970), and the optimal cut-off value was 45.6mL/100 mL/min. Conclusion: Cerebral blood flow of the affected side was an independent indicator of permanent stroke following surgery in acute type A aortic dissection patients with severe common carotid artery stenosis. Brain CTP could be a helpful modality for quantitative evaluation of cerebral malperfusion and neurological prognostication.

In the dissimilar metal welding field, electromagnetic pulse welding (EMPW) is a kind of potential technology. To further reveal the bonding mechanism of EMPW, this work carried out a Cu–Al sheet EMPW experiment with a discharge voltage of 15 kV and a gap of 1.5 mm. It analyzed the microstructure and formation mechanism of the Cu–Al EMPW joint bonding interface transition layer in detail by SEM, EDS, TEM, and FIB. The transition layer was found at the vortex zone, and there was an isolated long strip Cu particle separated from the main body of the Cu sheet. The tested results showed that the transition layer contained Al-rich intermetallic compound (IMC) Al2Cu, and some bulk particles in the transition layer were Cu-rich IMCs Al4Cu9 and AlCu4. There were Cu-rich IMCs Al4Cu9, AlCu4, and AlCu between the long strip Cu particle and the IMC transition layer. In the violent impact process between the Cu sheet and Al sheet, the Cu rapidly diffused in the Al matrix to form the Al-rich IMC (Al2Cu) as the primary transition layer, and the interface was high temperature and high pressure, forming a plastic flow and vortexes swirling. Some Cu particles separated from the Cu sheet and became the vortex piece during the plastic flow process, and continued to interact with the Al2Cu primary transition layer to form the secondary transition layer. This work could provide a basis for revealing the structure composition and formation mechanism of the Cu–Al EMPW joint interface transition layer.

Synovial sarcoma is a rare and highly malignant soft tissue sarcoma. The inconspicuous and diversity of its early symptoms make it a highly misdiagnosed disease. The management of synovial sarcomas is challenging as they are rare and have a poor prognosis. Early and correct diagnosis and treatment are critical for clinical outcomes. Misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis can have devastating consequences for the patient. The detection of SS18 gene rearrangement is considered a powerful tool in establishing the diagnosis of synovial sarcomas. Biopsies and testing for gene rearrangements are recommended for all patients in whom SS cannot be excluded. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment for synovial sarcomas. Neoadjuvant/adjuvant radiotherapy is recommended for patients with big tumors (>5 cm) or positive resection margins, and neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy is recommended for patients with high-risk tumors or advanced diseases. This article reviews synovial sarcomas from the perspectives of clinical and radiological presentation, histological and cytogenetic analysis, differential diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.

The enrichment and migration patterns of different chemical elements record paleoclimatic information in loess formations. The chemical elemental measurements of 245 samples from the Shiyang profile in the Weinan Region were compared with the geochemical characteristics of typical wind-formed profiles, and the paleoclimatic evolution was discussed. The results showed the following: (1) the standardized curves of the cumulative concentrations of SiO2, Al2O3, and CaO along with the Upper Continental Crust (UCC) in the Shiyang profile exhibited significant similarities with typical wind-formed profiles. This strongly suggests that the Shiyang profile has a wind-formed origin. (2) The mean value of the chemical index of alteration (CIA) of the Shiyang profile is 62.06, indicating that the Shiyang profile has been in the stage of primary chemical weathering. (3) The ratios of K2O/Al2O3, TiO2/Al2O3, and Fe2O3/Al2O3 in the Shiyang profile are comparable to those found in typical wind-formed profiles, suggesting a common source area and supporting the premise that the Shiyang profile is of wind-induced origin.(4) The regional climate has undergone a series of transitions: from a dry and cool phase in the early Holocene to warm and humid yet unstable conditions in the middle Holocene, and returning to dry and cool during the late Holocene.

Aiming to provide a feasible crawling motion analysis method for clinical application, this study introduced electromyography (EMG)-based motion intention recognition technology into the pattern recognition of inter-limb coordination during human crawling for the first time. Eight inter-limb coordination modes (ILCMs) were defined. Ten adult participants were recruited, and each participant performed hands-knees crawling at low, medium, and fast speeds in self-selected ILCMs and the eight predefined ILCMs, respectively. EMG signals for pattern recognition were collected from 30 limbs and trunk muscles, and pressure signals for crawling cycle segmentation were collected from the left palm. The pattern recognition experiments were conducted in participant-specific, multi-participant, and participant-independent ways, respectively, adopting three different classifiers, including bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM) network, support vector machine (SVM), and k-nearest neighbor (KNN). The experimental results show that EMG-based pattern recognition schemes could classify the eight ILCMs with high recognition rates, thereby confirming the feasibility of providing an EMG-based crawling motion analysis method for clinical doctors. Furthermore, based on the classification results of self-selected ILCMs at different speeds and the statistical results of stance duration, swing duration, and the duty factors of stance phase, the possible reasons why humans chose various ILCMs at different crawling speeds were discussed. The research results have potential application value for evaluating crawling function, understanding abnormal crawling control mechanisms, and designing rehabilitation robots.

Abstract Yellow-seed trait is a desirable breeding characteristic of rapeseed (Brassica napus) that could greatly improve seed oil yield and quality. However, the underlying mechanisms controlling this phenotype in B. napus plants are difficult to discern because of their complexity. Here, we assemble high-quality genomes of yellow-seeded (GH06) and black-seeded (ZY821). Combining in-depth fine mapping of a quantitative trait locus (QTL) for seed color with other omics data reveal BnA09MYB47a, encoding an R2R3-MYB-type transcription factor, as the causal gene of a major QTL controlling the yellow-seed trait. Functional studies show that sequence variation of BnA09MYB47a underlies the functional divergence between the yellow- and black-seeded B. napus. The black-seed allele BnA09MYB47aZY821, but not the yellow-seed allele BnA09MYB47aGH06, promotes flavonoid biosynthesis by directly activating the expression of BnTT18. Our discovery suggests a possible approach to breeding B. napus for improved commercial value and facilitates flavonoid biosynthesis studies in Brassica crops.

Abstract. Background:. The HELIOS stent is a sirolimus-eluting stent with a biodegradable polymer and titanium oxide film as the tie-layer. The study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of HELIOS stent in a real-world setting. Methods:. The HELIOS registry is a prospective, multicenter, cohort study conducted at 38 centers across China between November 2018 and December 2019. A total of 3060 consecutive patients were enrolled after application of minimal inclusion and exclusion criteria. The primary endpoint was target lesion failure (TLF), defined as a composite of cardiac death, non-fatal target vessel myocardial infarction (MI), and clinically indicated target lesion revascularization (TLR) at 1-year follow-up. Kaplan–Meier methods were used to estimate the cumulative incidence of clinical events and construct survival curves. Results:. A total of 2998 (98.0%) patients completed the 1-year follow-up. The 1-year incidence of TLF was 3.10% (94/2998, 95% closed interval: 2.54–3.78%). The rates of cardiac death, non-fatal target vessel MI and clinically indicated TLR were 2.33% (70/2998), 0.20% (6/2998), and 0.70% (21/2998), respectively. The rate of stent thrombosis was 0.33% (10/2998). Age ≥60 years, diabetes mellitus, family history of coronary artery disease, acute myocardial infarction at admission, and device success were independent predictors of TLF at 1 year. Conclusion:. The 1-year incidence rates of TLF and stent thrombosis were 3.10% and 0.33%, respectively, in patients treated with HELIOS stents. Our results provide clinical evidence for interventional cardiologists and policymakers to evaluate HELIOS stent. Clinical trial registration:. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03916432

The necessity of the multi-layered aluminium (Al) tabs to copper (Cu) busbars for electric vehicle (EV) batteries is increasing. Electromagnetic pulse welding (EMPW) is applicable to the welding of conductive dissimilar/similar materials. In this work, three Al sheets and a single Cu sheet are joined by the EMPW technology. The layer-wise tensile lap shear properties of the multi-layered Al–Cu EMPW joint are evaluated. The layer-wise interfacial microstructures of the joint parallel to and perpendicular to the welding direction are studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The results showed that every layer achieved metallurgical bonding. The Al sheets were formed to be whole. There were three types of interfaces at the Al–Cu interface parallel to the welding direction: flat interface, wave interface, and irregular wave interface. The transition zone is found at the Al–Cu interface perpendicular to the welding direction. Due to the impact, the grains near the Al–Cu interface and Al–Al interface are both refined. Thus, the well-bonded multi-layered Al–Cu joint is successfully obtained via EMPW. The results can offer help in the manufacturing of EVs.

Yellow seed trait is a desirable characteristic with potential for increasing seed quality and commercial value in rapeseed, and anthocyanin and proanthocyanidins (PAs) are major seed-coat pigments. Few transcription factors involved in the regulation of anthocyanin and PAs biosynthesis have been characterized in rapeseed. In this study, we identified a transcription factor gene BnbHLH92a (BnaA06T0441000ZS) in rapeseed. Overexpressing BnbHLH92a both in Arabidopsis and in rapeseed reduced levels of anthocyanin and PAs. Correspondingly, the expression profiles of anthocyanin and PA biosynthesis genes (TT3, BAN, TT8, TT18, and TTG1) were shown by quantitative real-time PCR to be inhibited in BnbHLH92a-overexpressing Arabidopsis seeds, indicating that BnbHLH92a represses the anthocyanin and PA biosynthesis pathway in Arabidopsis. BnbHLH92a physically interacts with the BnTTG1 protein and represses the biosynthesis of anthocyanins and PAs in rapeseed. BnbHLH92a also binds directly to the BnTT18 promoter and represses its expression. These results suggest that BnbHLH92a is a novel upstream regulator of flavonoid biosynthesis in B. napus.

Abstract Background The purpose of this study is to verify the improvement of remote qigong intervention on the quality of life and physical fitness of breast cancer patients after surgery by means of a randomized controlled trial and to compare it with the conventional exercise combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training. Methods/design The research approach applied in this study is a randomized controlled trial. After completing the baseline questionnaire and physical fitness test, participants were randomly assigned to either the qigong group or the combined exercise rehabilitation group. Patients in the qigong group performed Qigong-Baduanjin twice a week for 30 min each time under remote guidance and practiced Baduanjin by themselves at other times. Patients in the combined exercise rehabilitation group were given resistance training twice a week for 30 min under remote guidance, and walking the rest of the time. At the end of the 12-week intervention, outcomes testing and data collection were carried out. The primary outcomes are quality of life, measured using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FATC-B). The secondary outcomes include cardiopulmonary endurance, upper limb strength, lower limb strength, and skinfold thickness. Discussion The importance of postoperative exercise rehabilitation for breast cancer has been gradually accepted by more and more doctors and patients, but further research and development of simple and practical means of exercise rehabilitation are necessary. Remote qigong intervention for breast cancer patients via the Internet will be a great alternative. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR1900027989. Registered on December 7, 2019.

Abstract Background Diabetes was commonly seen in chronic total occlusion (CTO) patients but data regarding the impact of successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on clinical outcome of CTO patients with diabetes was controversial. And importantly, no studies have compared quality of life (QOL) after CTO-PCI in patients with and without diabetes. Methods Consecutive patients undergoing elective CTO-PCI were prospectively enrolled from Apr. 2018 to May 2021. Patients were subdivided into 2 groups: Diabetes and No Diabetes. Detailed baseline characteristics, assessment of symptoms and QOL, angiographic and procedural details, in-hospital complications, and 1 month and 1 year follow-up data were collected. These data were analyzed accordingly for risk predictors of clinical outcome in patients who have diabetes and received successful CTO-PCI. Results A total of 1076 patients underwent CTO-PCI attempts. Diabetes was present in 374 (34.76%) patients, who had more hypertension, previous PCI and stroke. Regarding the coronary lesions, diabetic patients suffered more LCX lesion, multivessel disease, number of lesions per patient, blunt stump, calcification and higher J-CTO score (p 0.05). Number of lesions per patient was an independent risk factor of MACE and all-cause mortality (p 0.05). Conclusions Successful CTO-PCI could represent an effective strategy improving clinical outcome, symptoms and QOL in CTO patients with diabetes.

As a non-heat input solid-state joining technology, electromagnetic pulse welding (EMPW) has many advantages in the connection of dissimilar metals. Finite element (FE) methods are often used to design the EMPW equipment, explore the parameters and analyze the transient process. However, it is difficult to reflect the welding effect directly. This work proposed a welding effect evaluation model based on the welding window theory and the Vc-β trajectory curve obtained in the FE simulation. A FE model coupling the circuit-magnetic-structure field was established in COMSOL software to simulate the EMPW process of the Cu plate and Al plate. The Vc-β trajectory curve and welding traces were obtained according to the simulation results. An experimental platform WD-28 was used to carry out the welding experiments of Cu–Al plates at different discharging voltages. The welding traces were measured through SEM method and compared with the simulation results. According to the comparative result, the empirical constant of the calculation formula for the lower boundary of the welding window was adjusted into 1.6, so that the evaluation result was consistent with the experimental result. This work can provide a new method for evaluating directly the welding effect through the FE simulation results.

Abstract Background At present, there is a lack of direct evidence to confirm whether the recommendations of the World Health Organization can play a role in fitness and disease prevention in the Chinese population. Therefore, we aimed to analyse 7-year longitudinal survey data to explore whether the physical activity volume recommended by the World Health Organization can help Chinese middle-aged and elderly people reduce the risk of heart disease. Methods Data for the 8327 participants who were finally included in this study were derived from the 7-year data of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) from 2011 to 2018. The physical activity volume is expressed by the product of physical frequency and duration, and heart disease is screened according to self-reported diagnosis and related treatment. The relationship between different physical activity volume groups and the incidence rate of heart disease was determined by a multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model. Results After adjusting for all covariates, participants meeting the WHO’s recommendations had a 20% lower risk of heart disease than those who did not meet the WHO’s recommendations (HR = 0.80, 95% = 0.68–0.96). Subgroup analysis showed that among the participants meeting the WHO’s recommendations, men (HR = 0.71) had a lower risk of heart disease than women (HR = 0.74); in addition, the risk of heart disease was significantly reduced in participants who were middle-aged (26%), had a normal BMI range (49%), did not have hypertension (24%), did not have hyperlipidaemia (21%) and did not have lung disease (21%). It should be noted that the risk of heart disease was reduced by 72 and 67% in participants with untreated hyperlipidaemia and untreated lung disease, respectively. Conclusions This study revealed that meeting the WHO’s recommendations for physical activity volume can reduce the risk of heart disease in middle-aged and older people in China and can also effectively prevent heart disease for people with some common chronic diseases, such as hyperlipidaemia and lung disease. The results showed that physical activity for leisure and exercise had a lower preventive effect on heart disease than physical activity for a job, which may be related to the inappropriate leisure and exercise methods of the participants. Trial registration IRB00001052–11015.

In order to reveal in-depth the neuromuscular control mechanism of human crawling, this study carries out muscle synergy extraction and analysis on human hands-knees crawling under eight specific inter-limb coordination modes, which are defined according to the swing sequence of limbs and includes two-limb swing crawling modes and six single-limb swing crawling modes. Ten healthy adults participate in crawling data collection, and surface electromyography (sEMG) signals are recorded from 30 muscles of limbs and trunk. Non-negative matrix factorization (NNMF) algorithm is adopted for muscle synergy extraction, and a three-step muscle synergy analysis scheme is implemented by using the hierarchical clustering method. Based on results of muscle synergy extraction, 4 to 7 synergies are extracted from each participant in each inter-limb coordination mode, which supports the muscle synergy hypothesis to some extent, namely, central nervous system (CNS) controls the inter-limb coordination modes during crawling movement by recruiting a certain amount of muscle synergies, rather than a single muscle. In addition, when different participants crawl in the same inter-limb coordination mode, they share more temporal features in recruiting muscle synergies. Further, by extracting and analyzing intra-mode shared synergies among participants and inter-mode shared synergies among the eight inter-limb coordination modes, the CNS is found to realize single-limb swing crawling modes by recruiting the four inter-mode shared synergy structures related to the swing function of each limb in different orders, and realize the two-limb swing crawling modes by recruiting synchronously two intra-mode shared synergy structures. The research results of the muscle synergy analysis on the eight specific inter-limb coordination modes, on the one hand, provide a basis for muscle synergy hypothesis from the perspective of crawling motion, on the other hand, also provide a possible explanation for the choice of the inter-limb coordination mode in human crawling.

Background Data regarding the impact of successful chronic total occlusion treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (CTO‐PCI) on symptoms and quality of life (QOL) in elderly patients (≥75 years) are unknown. This prospective study aimed to assess whether successful CTO‐PCI could improve the symptoms and QOL in elderly patients (≥75 years). Methods and Results Consecutive patients who underwent elective CTO‐PCI were prospectively enrolled and subdivided into 3 groups based on age: age

Electromagnetic pulse crimping (EMPC) technology is expected to be applied to the connection of high-voltage (HV) wiring harnesses and terminals for electric vehicle (EV). As an important part of the EMPC system, the assembly of the field shaper and the coil can directly affect the effect of EMPC. An EMPC system was established in this work, including the control part, energy storage capacitor bank, discharge switch, coil, and field shaper. The relationship between structure parameters of the field shaper and the coil was analyzed through the EMPC experiment of Al tubes. The results showed that the relative position and height of field shaper and coil have no obvious effect on the deformation length of the Al tube. When the angle between the gap of the field shaper and the gap of the coil is 90°, the deformation of Al tube is the most uniform. When the total height of field shaper is slightly less than the welding coil, the crimping effect is the best. This work can help design the field shaper and the coil for EMPC.

Electromagnetic pulse spot welding technology (EPSW) has great application prospects in the field of electric vehicles due to the realization of spot welding without gasket. The EPSW of Cu/Al alloy in this article is carried out in two steps. The first step uses electromagnetic force to pre-process the aluminum plate to punch a hump through electromagnetic pulse forming (EMPF). The second step uses electromagnetic force to realize spot welding between the hump and the copper plate. This article studied effects of stamping and spot welding with discharge voltage between 10 kV and 15 kV and compared welding effects of spot welding with coils of different widths. The results show: electromagnetic pulse spot welding technology without gasket was realized; the higher the discharge voltage, the better the stamping effect and spot welding performance; the wide coil can achieve a flat welding interface while the narrow coil can achieve reliable connection at a lower discharge voltage.

BackgroundA low estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR eGFR ≥ 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 (n = 482), 60 > eGFR ≥ 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 (n = 161), and eGFR 0.05).ConclusionSuccessful PCI effectively improved symptoms and QOL of CTO patients with low eGFR.

BackgroundThe healing response of the Firehawk stent in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remains unclear.AimWe compared the vascular healing of a biodegradable polymer sirolimus-eluting stent (Firehawk) vs. a durable polymer everolimus-eluting stent (Xience) at 6 months after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with STEMI.MethodsIn this prospective, multicenter, randomized, non-inferiority study, patients within 12 h of STEMI onset were randomized in a ratio of 1:1 to receive Firehawk or Xience stents. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) follow-up was performed 6 months after the index procedure and assessed frame by frame. The primary endpoint was the neointimal thickness (NIT) at 6 months evaluated by OCT. The safety endpoint was target lesion failure (TLF) at 12 months.ResultsThe Firehawk stent was non-inferior to the Xience stent in terms of the neointimal thickness (73.03 ± 33.30 μm vs. 78.96 ± 33.29 μm; absolute difference: −5.94 [one-sided 95% lower confidence bound: −23.09]; Pnon−inferiority < 0.001). No significant difference was observed between the Firehawk and Xience groups regarding the percentage of uncovered struts (0.55 [0.08, 1.32]% vs. 0.40 [0.21, 1.19]%, P = 0.804), the percentage of malapposed struts (0.17 [0.00, 1.52]% vs. 0.17 [0.00, 0.69]%, P = 0.662), and the healing score (1.56 [0.23, 5.74] vs. 2.12 [0.91, 3.81], P = 0.647). At 12 months, one patient in the Firehawk group experienced a clinically indicated target lesion revascularization. No other TLF events occurred in both groups. Independent risk factors of the NIT included body mass index, hyperlipidemia, B2/C lesions, thrombus G3–G5, thrombus aspiration, and postdilation pressure.ConclusionIn patients with STEMI, Firehawk was non-inferior to Xience in vascular healing at 6 months. Both stents exhibited nearly complete strut coverage, moderate neointimal formation, and minimal strut malapposition.Clinical Trial NumberNCT04150016.

Feature extraction and fusion are two critical issues for the task of multisource classification. In this article, we propose an enhanced multisource fusion network (EMFNet) to address them in an end-to-end framework. Specifically, two convolutional neural networks are employed to extract features from two different sources. Each network is mainly comprised of three convolutional layers. For each convolutional layer, feature tuning modules are designed to enhance the extracted feature of one source by taking advantage of the other source. After getting the features of two sources, a weighted summation method is used to fuse them. Considering that fusion weights should vary for different inputs, a feature fusion module is designed to achieve this goal. In order to test the performance of our proposed EMFNet, we compare it with state-of-the-art fusion models, including the traditional models and the deep-learning-based models, on two real datasets. Experimental results show that the EMFNet can achieve competitive classification results in comparison with them.

Limited by the current capacity of the discharge switch, the amplitude of the circuit discharge pulse current of electromagnetic pulse welding (EMPW) system is at a relatively low level, which greatly limits the application range of the EMPW technology. In this paper, the trigger vacuum switch (TVS) was selected as the discharge switch, and the double-switch synchronous conduction scheme was proposed. Based on two 20 kV/28 kJ single-switch electromagnetic pulse generation modular, a 20 kV/56 kJ double-switch electromagnetic pulse system was designed, which could generate a pulse current with the amplitude peak value of 360 kA when the charging voltage was 16 kV. Finally, the effective welding of 1 mm Mg/Al alloy plates was realized.

Frequency response analysis (FRA) has been widely accepted as a diagnostic tool for power transformer winding deformation faults. Typically, both amplitude-frequency and phase-frequency signatures are obtained by an FRA analyzer. However, most existing FRA analyzers use only the information on amplitude-frequency signature, while phase-frequency information is neglected. It is also found that in some cases, the diagnostic results obtained by FRA amplitude-frequency signatures do not comply with some hard evidence. This paper introduces a winding deformation diagnostic method based on the analysis of binary images obtained from FRA signatures to improve FRA outcomes. The digital image processing technique is used to process the binary image and obtain a diagnostic indicator, to arrive at an outcome for interpreting winding faults with improved accuracy.

Electromagnetic forming (EMF) has been widely applied in industries. However, it's still hard to form thick or hard metal work pieces due to the limitation of its system power. Moreover, increasing the input voltage or capacitors may cause the problem of insulation, reduce the lifetime performance of devices, and lead to the cost increase and safety issue. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel technology named electromagnetic heating forming (EMHF), which combines EMF with electromagnetic induction heating (EIH) based on their similar working principles to make it easier to form the thick or hard metal work pieces. The EMHF can reduce the deformation resistance of work pieces by preheating treatment, and produce small discharge energy to deform work pieces. A 5kV/1.68kJ/135μ F EMHF system with a high-current pulse generator and a high-frequency heating source, which consists of an autonomous currentfed push-pull resonant inverter based on a zero voltage switching circuit and a resonant network, has been designed, built, and tested successfully. A finite element model coupling with the electromagnetic field, solid mechanics field, thermal field, and deformed geometry has also been built in COMSOL Multiphysics to analyze the EMHF process. Tube compression EMHF experiments of different input voltages, thicknesses, and temperatures have been carried out. The experimental and simulation results demonstrate that the EMHF can reduce the requirements of the deformation process by preheating treatment, which can't be done by EMF. Besides, the deformation can be controlled by the preheating temperature during the EMHF process. Therefore, the EMHF has great potential in industrial applications.

As an important part of power system, power transformer plays an irreplaceable role in the process of power transmission. Diagnosis of transformer's failure is of significance to maintain its safe and stable operation. Frequency response analysis (FRA) has been widely accepted as an effective tool for winding deformation fault diagnosis, which is one of the common failures for power transformers. However, there is no standard and reliable code for FRA interpretation as so far. In this paper, support vector machine (SVM) is combined with FRA to diagnose transformer faults. Furthermore, advanced optimization algorithms are also applied to improve the performance of models. A series of winding fault emulating experiments were carried out on an actual model transformer, the key features are extracted from measured FRA data, and the diagnostic model is trained and obtained, to arrive at an outcome for classifying the fault types and degrees of winding deformation faults with satisfactory accuracy. The diagnostic results indicate that this method has potential to be an intelligent, standardized, accurate and powerful tool.

Electrochemical energy storage devices (EESDs) have caused widespread concern, ascribed to the increasing depletion of traditional fossil energy and environmental pollution. In recent years, nickel cobalt bimetallic sulfides have been regarded as the most attractive electrode materials for super-performance EESDs due to their relatively low cost and multiple electrochemical reaction sites. In this work, NiCo-bimetallic sulfide NixCo3−xS4 particles were synthesized in a mixed solvent system with different proportion of Ni and Co salts added. In order to improve the electrochemical performance of optimized Ni2.5Co0.5S4 electrode, the Ni2.5Co0.5S4 particles were annealed at 350 °C for 60 min (denoted as Ni2.5Co0.5S4-350), and the capacity and rate performance of Ni2.5Co0.5S4-350 was greatly improved. An aqueous NiCo-Zn battery was assembled by utilizing Ni2.5Co0.5S4-350 pressed onto Ni form as cathode and commercial Zn sheet as anode. The NiCo-Zn battery based on Ni2.5Co0.5S4-350 cathode electrode delivers a high specific capacity of 232 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1 and satisfactory cycling performance (65% capacity retention after 1000 repeated cycles at 8 A g−1). The as-assembled NiCo-Zn battery deliver a high specific energy of 394.6 Wh kg−1 and long-term cycling ability. The results suggest that Ni2.5Co0.5S4-350 electrode has possible applications in the field of alkaline aqueous rechargeable electrochemical energy storage devices for supercapacitor and NiCo-Zn battery.

An increased vulnerability has been detected after ischemia/reperfusion injury in cardiomyocytes in diabetic patients. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) has been proven to have a notable cardioprotective effect in cardiomyocytes. However, in diabetic patients, the cardioprotective effects of GLP-1 are compromised, which is called GLP-1 resistance. β-arrestin is one of the two main downstream effectors of GLP-1 and β-arrestin signaling pathway exerts cardioprotective effects upon activation of GLP-1R. Our hypothesis is that the increased vulnerability of cardiomyocytes in diabetic patients is partly due to disruption of the β-arrestin signaling pathway. To test this, we analyzed cardiomyocyte viability and survival in high glucose and normal glucose condition after hypoxia/reoxygenation injury in vitro, additional GLP-1 was used to determine whether β-arrestin signaling pathway was involved. We also investigated the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in GLP-1 resistance. Our results showed that cardioprotective effects of GLP-1 were reduced in high glucose cultured H9C2 cells compared to normal glucose cultured H9C2, verifying the existence of GLP-1 resistance in high glucose cultured H9C2 cells. Further study suggested that β-arrestin plays a key role in GLP-1 resistance: β-arrestin expression is notably downregulated in high glucose condition and cardioprotective effects of GLP-1 can be diminished by downregulation of β-arrestin in normal glucose condition while upregulation of β-arrestin can restore cardioprotective effects of GLP-1 in high glucose condition. Then we explore how β-arrestin affects the cardioprotective effects of GLP-1 and found that β-arrestin exerts cardioprotective effects by improving mitochondria quality control via the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Thus, our study found out a new mechanism of GLP-1 resistance of cardiomyocytes in high glucose conditions that impaired β-arrestin expression, caused mitochondria dysfunction and eventually cell death. Our study provided a new perspective in treating myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury in diabetic patients.

Intestinal flora located within the intestinal tract comprises a large number of cells, which are referred to as the second gene pool of the human body and form a complex symbiotic relationship with the host. The knowledge of the complex interaction between the intestinal flora and various life activities of the host is a novel and rapidly expanding field. Recently, many studies are being conducted on the relationship between the intestinal flora and bone homeostasis and indicate that the intestinal flora can regulate bone homeostasis via the host immune, metabolic, and endocrine systems. What’s more, based on several clinical and preclinical pieces of evidence, changing the composition and function of the host intestinal flora through the application of probiotics, prebiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation is being considered to be a potential novel target for the regulation of bone homeostasis. Here, we searched relevant literature and reviewed the role of the intestinal flora in the regulation of bone homeostasis and its modulating interventions.

Background: The feasibility and long-term outcomes of the CrossBoss/Stingray for treating coronary chronic total occlusions (CTO) with distal diffuse disease landing zone remain unclear. Methods: Consecutive CTO patients with distal diffuse lesions that underwent percutaneous coronary intervention by the CrossBoss/Stingray system at Xijing Hospital from April 2016 to October 2020, were included. Patients were analyzed by two groups according to the extent of stenosis in the distal landing zone: 50%–70% stenosis (moderate stenosis group) and >70% stenosis (severe stenosis group). The primary efficacy outcome was technical success, defined as the frequency of true lumen guidewire placement distal to the CTO. The composite endpoint of all-cause death, any stroke, or any revascularization was also explored. Results: A total of 91 consecutive patients were included, with 32 patients in the moderate stenosis group and 59 patients in the severe stenosis group. The mean J-CTO score was 2.5 ± 1.1. The technical success rate was 79.1% (72/91) in the overall population and was similar between the 2 groups: 78.1% (25/32) and 79.7% (47/59) (p = 0.608). No coronary perforation occurred. With a median follow-up of 29 months (IQR: 53–92), the estimated rate of the composite endpoint of all-cause death, any stroke, or any revascularization was 50.4% (all-cause death: 16.6%, any stroke: 1.1%, any revascularization: 36.5%) in the overall population. No significant difference was observed in the rate of the composite endpoint between the moderate stenosis group and the severe stenosis group (45.1% vs. 54.3%, respectively, p = 0.797). Conclusions: In CTO lesions with distal diffuse disease landing zone, the technical success rates of CrossBoss/Stingray and the long-term clinical outcomes were not significantly different between the moderate stenosis group (50%–70%) and the severe stenosis group (>70%). However, the relatively high rate of long-term clinical outcomes, especially any revascularization, warrants further investigations on this indication in future studies.

Cues of maternal and paternal origins interact to control seed development, and the underlying molecular mechanisms are still far from clear. Here, we show that TOPOISOMERASE Iα (TOP1α), UP-FRAMESHIFT SUPPRESSOR 1 (UPF1), and TRANSPARENT TESTA GLABRA2 (TTG2) gametophytically, biparentally regulate seed size in Arabidopsis. TOP1α and UPF1 are mainly expressed in antipodal cells, and loss of their function leads to ectopic TTG2 expression in these female gametophytic cells. We further demonstrate that TOP1α and UPF1 directly repress TTG2 expression through affecting its chromatin status and determine its relative expression in antipodal cells versus sperm cells, which controls seed size in a dosage-dependent and parent-of-origin-dependent manner. The molecular interplay among these three genes explains their biparental gametophytic effect during diploidy and interploidy reciprocal crosses. Taken together, our findings reveal a molecular framework of parental interaction for seed size control.

Object: Primary osteoporosis (PO) is the most common bone disease, which is characterized by decreased bone mass, damage of bone tissue microstructure, increased bone fragility, and is prone to fracture. Gut microbiome may be involved in bone metabolism of PO through gut–brain axis regulation of immune system and endocrine system, however, the specific mechanism is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to characterize the gut microbiome of patients with PO and its possible role in the occurrence and development of the disease.Methods: Fecal samples were collected from 48 PO patients and 48 healthy controls (HC). The composition of gut microbiome community was analyzed by 16s rDNA amplification sequencing, and the difference of gut microbiome composition between PO patients and HC individuals was compared. PICRUSt was also used to predict the biological function of gut microbiome in patients with PO, and to explore its possible role in the occurrence and development of this disease. The classification model is constructed by random forest algorithm so as to screen the key biomarkers.Result: The diversity of gut microorganisms in PO patients was significantly higher than that in HC group (p < 0.05) and there was significant difference in microbial composition in PO group. The abundance of Dialister (0.036 vs. 0.004, p < 0.001) and Faecalibacterium (0.331 vs. 0.132, p < 0.001) were significantly enriched which were the key flora related to PO. Although no significant correlation between bone mineral density and the richness of microbial communities are found, PICRUST results show that there are a wide range of potential pathways between gut microbiome and PO patients, including genetic information processing, metabolism, environmental information processing, cellular processes, human diseases, and organic systems. Notably, the discriminant model based on dominant microflora can effectively distinguish PO from HC (AUC = 93.56).Conclusions: The findings show that PO is related to the change of gut microbiome, especially the enriched Dialister and Faecalibacterium genera, which give new clues to understand the disease and provide markers for the diagnosis and new strategies for intervention treatment of the disease.

Background Poor engraftment of intramyocardial stem cells limits their therapeutic efficiency against myocardial infarction (MI)‐induced cardiac injury. Transglutaminase cross‐linked Gelatin (Col‐Tgel) is a tailorable collagen‐based hydrogel that is becoming an excellent biomaterial scaffold for cellular delivery in vivo. Here, we tested the hypothesis that Col‐Tgel increases retention of intramyocardially‐injected stem cells, and thereby reduces post‐MI cardiac injury. Methods and Results Adipose‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) were co‐cultured with Col‐Tgel in a 3‐dimensional system in vitro, and Col‐Tgel encapsulated ADSCs were observed using scanning electron microscopy and confocal microscopy. Vitality, proliferation, and migration of co‐cultured ADSCs were evaluated. In addition, mice were subjected to MI and were intramyocardially injected with ADSCs, Col‐Tgel, or a combination thereof. ADSCs engraftment, survival, cardiac function, and fibrosis were assessed. In vitro MTT and Cell Counting Kit‐8 assays demonstrated that ADSCs survive and proliferate up to 4 weeks in the Col‐Tgel. In addition, MTT and transwell assays showed that ADSCs migrate outside the edge of the Col‐Tgel sphere. Furthermore, when compared with ADSCs alone, Col‐Tgel‐encapsulated ADSCs significantly enhanced the long‐term retention and cardioprotective effect of ADSCs against MI‐induced cardiac injury. Conclusions In the current study, we successfully established a 3‐dimensional co‐culture system using ADSCs and Col‐Tgel. The Col‐Tgel creates a suitable microenvironment for long‐term retention of ADSCs in an ischemic area, and thereby enhances their cardioprotective effects. Taken together, this study may provide an alternative biomaterial for stem cell‐based therapy to treat ischemic heart diseases.

Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) have the ability to migrate to injury sites and facilitate tissue repair by promoting angiogenesis. However, the therapeutic effect of ADSCs from patients with diabetes is impaired due to oxidative stress. Given that diabetes is a group of metabolic disorders and mitochondria are a major source of reactive oxygen species (ROS), it is possible that mitochondrial ROS plays an important role in the induction of diabetic ADSC (dADSC) dysfunction. ADSCs isolated from diabetic mice were treated with mitoTEMPO, a mitochondrial ROS scavenger, or TEMPO, a universal ROS scavenger, for three passages. The results showed that pretreatment with mitoTEMPO increased the proliferation, multidifferentiation potential, and the migration and proangiogenic capacities of dADSCs to levels similar to those of ADSCs from control mice, whereas pretreatment with TEMPO showed only minor effects. Mechanistically, mitoTEMPO pretreatment enhanced the mitochondrial antioxidant capacity of dADSCs, and knockdown of superoxide dismutase reduced the restored mitochondrial antioxidant capacity and attenuated the proangiogenic effects induced by mitoTEMPO pretreatment. In addition, mitoTEMPO pretreatment improved the survival of dADSCs in diabetic mice with critical limb ischemia, showing protective effects similar to those of control ADSCs. Pretreatment of dADSCs with mitoTEMPO decreased limb injury and improved angiogenesis in diabetic mice with critical limb ischemia. These findings suggested that short-term pretreatment of dADSCs with a mitochondrial ROS scavenger restored their normal functions, which may be an effective strategy for improving the therapeutic effects of ADSC-based therapies in patients with diabetes.

Abstract Background Steep pulse therapy can irreversible electrically brackdown of tumor membrance and cause cell death. In previous studies, we investigated the effect of steep pulsed electroporation on the killing of large cell lung cancer cell line L981- in vitro, and determined the best parameters for killing lung cancer cells by steep pulse technology. But the optimal parameters and the mechanisms of steep pulse irreversible electroporation technology on nude mouse tumor model are unclear. Methods Three settings of steep pulse therapy parameters were applied to the nude mouse model. An in vivo imaging system was employed to observe the effect of different parameters on the mouse model. The pathological changes of the tumor tissue and immunofluorescence data on Caspase-3 protein expression were recorded. Results Under the in vivo imaging system, the steep pulse had an obvious inhibitory effect on the transplanted tumor in the nude mouse model. Pathological tests showed that occurrence of necrosis and apoptosis and expression of Caspase-3 protein in the tumor tissue were increased compared to those in the normal tissue. Conclusions Steep pulse irreversible electroporation technology showed a promising antitumor effect in the nude mouse tumor model. With splint-type electrode, the best treatment parameters determined for the nude mouse tumor model were voltage amplitude 2000 V/cm, pulse width 100 μs, pulse frequency 1 Hz, pulse number 60, and repeat time 3. Moreover, steep pulse induced coagulative necrosis of tumor tissue by cell apoptosis.

Seed development relies upon carbon supplied by the parent plant. Here the authors propose that in Arabidopsis, phosphorylation of TTG1 by SHAGGY-like kinases 11/12 acts to regulate carbon flow between fatty acid synthesis in the embryo and mucilage and flavonoid production in the seed coat.

Traditionally, microsecond pulsed electric field was widely used in cell electrofusion technology. However, it was difficult to fuse the cells with different sizes. Because the effect of electroporation based on microsecond pulses was greatly influenced by cell sizes. It had been reported that the differences between cell sizes can be ignored when cells were exposed to nanosecond pulses. However, pores induced by those short nanosecond pulses tended to be very small (0.9 nm) and the pores were more easy to recover. In this work, a finite element method was used to simulate the distribution, radius and density of the pores. The innovative idea of "cell electrofusion based on nanosecond/microsecond pulses" was proposed in order to combine the advantages of nanosecond pulses and microsecond pulses. The model consisted of two contact cells with different sizes. Three kinds of pulsed electric fields were made up of two 100-ns, 10-kV/cm pulses; two 10-μs, 1-kV/cm pulses; and a sequence of a 100-ns, 10-kV/cm pulse, followed by a 10-μs, 1-kV/cm pulse. Some obvious advantageous can be found when nanosecond/microsecond pulses were considered. The pore radius was large enough (70nm) and density was high (5×1013m-2) in the cell junction area. Moreover, pores in the non-contact area of the cell membrane were small (1-10 nm) and sparse (109-1012m-2). Areas where the transmembrane voltage was higher than 1V were only concentrated in the cell junction. The transmembrane voltage of other areas were at most 0.6V when we tested the rest of the cell membrane. Cell fusion efficiency can be improved remarkably because electroporation was concentrated in the cell contact area.

Abstract Unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) needs locoregional ablation as a curative or downstage therapy. Microsecond Pulsed Electric Fields (μsPEFs) is an option. A xenograft tumor model was set up on 48 nude mice by injecting human hepatocellular carcinoma Hep3B cells subcutaneously. The tumor-bearing mice were randomly divided into 3 groups: μsPEFs treated, sham and control group. μsPEFs group was treated by μsPEFs twice in 5 days. Tumor volume, survival, pathology, mitochondria function and cytokines were followed up. μsPEFs was also conducted on 3 swine to determine impact on organ functions. The tumors treated by μsPEFs were completely eradicated while tumors in control and sham groups grew up to 2 cm3 in 3 weeks. The μsPEFs-treated group indicated mitochondrial damage and tumor necrosis as shown in JC-1 test, flow cytometry, H&E staining and TEM. μsPEFs activates CD56+ and CD68+ cells and inhibits tumor proliferating cell nuclear antigen. μsPEFs inhibits HCC growth in the nude mice by causing mitochondria damage, tumor necrosis and non-specific inflammation. μsPEFs treats porcine livers without damaging vital organs. μsPEFs is a feasible minimally invasive locoregional ablation option.

Joint control is the basis for welding robot to complete task space trajectory tracking, and the precision of joint control is directly related to the motion performance and precision of the robot. For the coherent and non- linear dynamic characteristics of welding robot, we use fuzzy logic to dynamically adjust the controller parameters, to improve the performance of trajectory tracking control. And then we set up the fuzzy rules to adjust the PID parameters according to the trajectory tracking error and the error change rate, and obtain the optimal initial PID parameters by optimal algorithm at the beginning of the trajectory tracking. In the trajectory tracking process, the PID parameter increment calculated by fuzzy controller is superimposed on the initial PID parameter, so that dynamically optimize joint controller parameters. The study shows that, application of dynamic fuzzy PID control can bring better single-joint step response performance and multi-joint linkage trajectory tracking performance than mere PID control.

Abscisic acid (ABA) plays an essential role in root hair elongation in plants, but the regulatory mechanism remains to be elucidated. In this study, we found that exogenous ABA can promote rice root hair elongation. Transgenic rice overexpressing SAPK10 (Stress/ABA-activated protein kinase 10) had longer root hairs; rice plants overexpressing OsABIL2 (OsABI-Like 2) had attenuated ABA signaling and shorter root hairs, suggesting that the effect of ABA on root hair elongation depends on the conserved PYR/PP2C/SnRK2 ABA signaling module. Treatment of the DR5-GUS and OsPIN-GUS lines with ABA and an auxin efflux inhibitor showed that ABA-induced root hair elongation depends on polar auxin transport. To examine the transcriptional response to ABA, we divided rice root tips into three regions: short root hair, long root hair and root tip zones; and conducted RNA-seq analysis with or without ABA treatment. Examination of genes involved in auxin transport, biosynthesis and metabolism indicated that ABA promotes auxin biosynthesis and polar auxin transport in the root tip, which may lead to auxin accumulation in the long root hair zone. Our findings shed light on how ABA regulates root hair elongation through crosstalk with auxin biosynthesis and transport to orchestrate plant development.

In crystallization, nanoparticle aggregation often leads to the formation of orderly structures, even single crystals. Why can nanoparticles form orderly structures and what is the mechanism dominating their orderly aggregation? These questions raise interesting research problems, but the occurrences that could answer them often fail to be directly observed, since the interaction among particles is invisible. Here, we report an attempt to discover the interaction and aggregation of building blocks through a computer simulation, focusing on the shape effect of building blocks on the aggregation. Four types of silver building blocks were selected, each consisting of (100) and (111) facets, but the ratio of these two facets was different. It was found that the area of facets played an important role in selecting the aggregation mode. The facets with a large area and high energy had a high possibility of aggregation. In addition, the effects of solvent viscosity and temperature were also investigated. High viscosity and low temperature enhanced the orderliness of aggregation. This paper reports a detailed view of the aggregation process of silver nanoparticles, which is expected to be helpful in understanding the structure evolution of materials in nonclassical crystallization.