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Yue Chong,1 Can Wang,1 Haiying Min,1 Lei Zhang,1 Tingting Zhi,2 Xiaoning Wu,1 Yanbo Wang1 1Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Shanghai Pudong New Area Mental Health Center, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200124, People’s Republic of China; 2Shanghai Baoshan Mental Health Center, Shanghai, 201900, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yanbo Wang, Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Shanghai Pudong New Area Mental Health Center, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200124, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-21-65986226, Email wang_yb@tongji.edu.cnIntroduction: The use of physical restraint (PR) is considered a controversial practice and research in Western countries has demonstrated negative physical and psychological consequences for patients, as well as staff, family members/carers, organisations and society as a whole. However, there are few research reports on restraint experiences of patients with mental disorders in non-Western countries, especially in mainland China.Aim: This study aims to explore the subjective experiences and perceptions of patients with psychiatric disorders who have experienced PR in mainland China.Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 8 inpatients with mental disorders in convalescence at a specialized mental health hospital in Shanghai. Interviews were recorded on audiotape and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis.Results: Five themes emerged: “perception and understanding of PR”, “response to PR”, “negative physical and psychological experiences”, “unmet care needs during PR” and “changes after PR”, which together characterize patients’ perceptions, experiences, feelings, and needs in PR.Conclusion: The use of PR involves ethical issues and brings negative experiences to patients with mental disorders that cannot be ignored and should be used as a last resort. Different patients have different attitudes and reactions to PR. During PR, patients’ physical and psychological needs are not adequately met. Medical staff should give more attention to patients in PR, meet their physical and psychological needs, and actively seek PR alternatives and reduction options based on evidence-based resources on restraint reduction available in the West and the national context and culture of China.Keywords: physical restraint, psychiatric nursing, thematic analysis, qualitative research

Yahui Wang,1,2,* Chengfei Xu,3,* Peng Liu,2 Qiuli He,1 Shihua Zhang,1 Zhihao Liu,1 Chaobo Ni,1 Liping Chen,1 Tong Zhi,1 Longsheng Xu,1 Liang Cheng,3 Xuewu Lin,2 Ming Yao,1 Huadong Ni1,4 1Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Research Center, the Affiliated Hospital of Jiaxing University, Jiaxing, 314001, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pain Management, the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu City, 233000, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Anesthesiology, Bengbu Third People’s Hospital, Bengbu City, 233000, People’s Republic of China; 4Institute of Neuroscience, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Huadong Ni; Ming Yao, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Research center, the Affiliated Hospital of Jiaxing University, 1882 Zhonghuan South Road, Jiaxing, 314001, People’s Republic of China, Email huadongni@zjxu.edu.cn; jxyaoming@zjxu.edu.cnBackground: Bone cancer pain (BCP) represents one of the most challenging comorbidities associated with cancer metastasis. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have garnered attention as potential therapeutic agents in managing neuropathic pain. However, their role in the regulation of nociceptive information processing remains poorly understood. In this study, we observed a significant down-regulation of the spinal lncRNA ENSRNOG00000051325 (lncRNA51325) in a rat model of bone cancer pain. Our study sought to elucidate the potential involvement of lncRNA51325 in the development of BCP by modulating the expression of molecules associated with pain modulation.Methods: We established the BCP model by injecting Walker 256 cells into the tibial plateau of rats. We conducted tests on the pain behaviors and anxiety-like responses of rats through von-Frey test, Gait analysis, and Open Field Test. Spinal lumbar expansion was harvested for molecular biology experiments to explore the relationship between lncRNA51325 and Pumilio RNA binding family member 2 (Pum2).Results: Notably, the overexpression of lncRNA51325 effectively attenuated mechanical allodynia in rats afflicted with BCP, whereas the knockdown of lncRNA51325 induced pain behaviors and anxiety-like responses in naïve rats. Additionally, we observed a time-dependent increase in the expression of Pum2 in BCP-afflicted rats, and intrathecal injection of Pum2-siRNA alleviated hyperalgesia. Furthermore, our investigations revealed that lncRNA51325 exerts a negative modulatory effect on Pum2 expression. The overexpression of lncRNA51325 significantly suppressed Pum2 expression in BCP rats, while the knockdown of lncRNA51325 led to elevated Pum2 protein levels in the spinal cord of naïve rats. Subsequent treatment with Pum2-siRNA mitigated the downregulation of lncRNA51325-induced mechanical allodynia in naïve rats.Conclusion: Our findings indicate that lncRNA51325 plays a role in regulating bone cancer pain by inhibiting Pum2 expression, offering a promising avenue for novel treatments targeting nociceptive hypersensitivity induced by bone metastatic cancer.Keywords: long non-coding RNA, bone cancer pain, Pum2, spinal cord

Abstract To enhance the impact resistance of hydraulic columns, a theoretical analysis method was employed to develop a dynamic characteristic analysis model for conventional columns under impact loads. This model facilitated the derivation of key parameters such as equivalent stiffness, maximum retraction amount, and impact duration. A fluid-solid coupling model for the conventional column was constructed using finite element and coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian (CEL) methods. Subsequently, numerical simulation results were compared and analyzed against theoretical predictions. Based on this analysis, an energy-absorbing column was designed, and its fluid-solid coupling model was established to investigate its mechanical response under static and dynamic impact loads.The findings indicate that under a static load of 2000 kN, when superimposed with impact loads of 200 kJ, 400 kJ, and 800 kJ respectively, the peak impact forces on energy-absorbing columns are 89.20%, 91.72%, and 98.42% lower than those on normal columns. The yield displacements of energy-absorbing columns increase by 142.26%, 109.15%, and 108.41% compared to normal columns. Energy absorption in energy-absorbing columns is 152.11%, 171.80%, and 145.18% higher than in normal columns. Furthermore, initial velocities of energy-absorbing columns are consistently lower compared to normal columns. After reaching initial velocity, energy-absorbing columns exhibit reduced oscillations due to interactions between the energy absorber, column, and hydraulic fluid system under impact loads. Unlike normal columns, energy-absorbing columns mitigate stress concentration at the column head through interactions between the energy absorber, emulsion, and column. Additionally, the impact resistance time of energy-absorbing columns is 2.19, 1.64, and 1.85 times longer than that of normal columns.Energy-absorbing columns outperform conventional columns across six metrics: peak impact force, column yield displacement, energy absorption, column movement speed, stress distribution, and impact resistance time, demonstrating superior mechanical properties in impact resistance.

Abstract During coal mining operations, the coal will be deformed and damaged due to multiple mining disturbances (MMD), often resulting in disasters, like rock burst. To understand the evolution rules of coal deformation under MMD and its final fracture characteristics after impact dynamic load loading, reduce the adverse effects of mining disturbances, and improve disaster prevention and control capabilities, quasi-static uniaxial cyclic loading-unloading (L-U) and dynamic axial compression tests were conducted on large-sized coal-like samples. During the tests, three-dimensional (3D) laser scanning and acoustic emission (AE) monitoring technology were utilized to accurately capture the full-field deformation and AE response data, facilitating a systematic analysis of deformation and fracture characteristics. The results show that: (1) Under the cyclic L-U effect induced by MMD, each loading cycle causes compression deformation with partial recovery during unloading, presenting an overall “wavy” variation trend. (2) The maximum load is the most critical factor affecting the damaged coal deformation, with smaller load resulting in less overall sample deformation. (3) After the impact dynamic loading, the damaged samples suffered large-scale impact splitting failure, with the compressive-shear layer failure mainly occurred inside the holes. (4) Lower loading during cyclic L-U process correlate with reduced damage degree, and smaller debris particles with a higher fractal dimension when impact failure occurs, indicating a more severe impact failure. (5) With multiple cycles of L-U, the cracks inside the sample gradually extend and expand from around the hole to the outside. The greater the load and the number of cycles, the more serious the crack damage will be. (6) In the practical mining process, it is crucial to reinforce roadway interiors while minimizing low-loading cyclic disturbances induced by MMD. The study has obtained the deformation evolution rules and failure characteristics of coal under MMD, providing a theoretical basis for the prevention and control of corresponding engineering disasters.

Abstract Background This study was performed with attempt to explore the clinical value and risk factors of compression supporting screws for the treatment of femoral neck fractures. Methods This retrospective analysis enrolled 102 patients with femoral neck fractures who admitted to our hospital from June 2020 to June 2022. Based on different screws during the operation, the participants were allocated into hollow screw group (52 cases, conventional fixation of parallel partial-thread hollow screw) and compression screw group (50 cases, compression screw fixation). Result The incidence of complications (including internal fixation failure, nonunion, a vascular necrosis of the femoral head, shortening of the femoral neck by less than 10 mm, and lateral screw withdrawal, of the affected limb) in the compression screw group were significantly lower than those in the hollow screw group (P

Abstract Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) have the potential application in evaluating pathological structural change of the optic nerve. We aimed to evaluate the value of the OCT and OCTA parameters of the optic disk and macular in differentiating early chronic primary angle-closure glaucoma (CPACG) and early pituitary adenoma (PA) in case of mild visual field defects (the mean defect (MD) > 6 dB). The results showed that regarding OCTA parameters, CPACG patients had lower retinal blood flow density of most layers of the optic disk and macular than PA patients. Regarding OCT parameters, CPACG patients had thinner circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (CP-RNFL) in all quadrants and average CP-RNFL, ganglion cell layer (GCL) and macular ganglion cell complex (GCC) in each quadrant of macular inner and outer rings, and inner plexus layer (IPL) of macular inner ring, superior-outer ring and temporal-outer ring than PA patients. The Z test indicated that OCTA parameters and OCT parameters had similar value in the diagnosis of disease. In conclusion, in the case of similar visual field damage, early CPACG patients have smaller blood flow density and thinner optic disk and macular than early PA. OCTA has similar performance to OCT in diagnosing CPACG and PA.

Enhancing the piezoelectricity of CaBi4Ti4O15 (CBT) ceramics is crucial for improving their application potential in high-temperature piezoelectric devices. Here, we propose a strategy involving the introduction of larger Na/Bi ions at the A-site, effectively inhibiting the tilt of oxygen octahedra and flattening the potential energy profile. This flattening enhances the variation in polarization under external fields. Concurrently, substituting Nb/Mn at the B-site increases the deviation between positive and negative ionic centers, leading to stronger spontaneous polarization, while the induced defect dipoles restrict oxygen vacancy migration and increase the direct current resistivity (ρdc). The flattened potential energy profile and increased spontaneous polarization significantly enhance the overall performance of CBT ceramics, with the piezoelectric constant (d33) reaching 25 pC/N when the Curie temperature (TC) = 752 °C. Piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed submicron-long rectangular domains and nanoscale domains in the modified composition, indicating a high density of domain walls. This study presents an effective approach for enhancing the piezoelectric properties of bismuth layered-structured ferroelectrics (BLSFs), thereby improving the application potential of BLSFs at high temperatures.

Species identification of stony corals (Scleractinia), which are regulated under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, is critical for effective control of harvest quotas, enforcement of trade regulations and species conservation in general. DNA barcoding has the potential to enhance species identification success, depending on the specific taxon concerned and genetic markers used. For Acropora, DNA barcoding, based on the mitochondrial putative control region (mtCR) and the nuclear PaxC intron (PaxC), has been commonly used for species identification and delimitation, but the reliability and robustness of these loci remain contentious. Therefore, we sought to verify the applicability of this approach. In this study, we obtained 127 Acropora colonies from the aquarium trade to test the effectiveness of barcoding mtCR and PaxC for species identification. We were able to recover sequences for both loci in over half of the samples (n = 68), while gene amplification and sequencing of mtCR (n = 125) outperformed PaxC (n = 70). Amongst the 68 samples with both loci recovered, just a single sample could be unambiguously identified to species. Preliminary identities, based on only one gene, were assigned for 40 and 65 samples with mtCR and PaxC, respectively. Further analyses of 110 complete mitochondrial genomes obtained from GenBank showed that, despite the full length of the sequences, only eight species were delimited, of which only three species were correspondingly monophyletic. Therefore, we conclude that the commonly used DNA barcoding markers for Acropora are ineffective for accurate species assignments due to limited variability in both markers and even across the entire mitochondrial genome. Therefore, we propose that barcoding markers should generally not be the only means for identifying corals.

Abstract Photon management strategies are crucial to improve the efficiency of perovskite thin film (PTF) solar cell. In this work, a nano-cone (NC) based 2D photonic nanostructure is designed and simulated aiming at achieve superior light trapping performance by introducing strong light scattering and interferences within perovskite active layer. Compared to the planar PTF solar cell, the NC nanostructured device with 45 degrees half apex angle obtains highest short-circuit current density, which improved over 20% from 15.00 mA/cm2 to 18.09 mA/cm2. This work offers an alternative design towards effective light trapping performance using 2D photonic nanostructure for PTF solar cell and could potentially be adopted as the nano-structuring strategy for the future perovskite solar cell industry.

Abstract Ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) play an important role in various load-bearing applications. However, fabricating CMCs with both high toughness and stiffness, which are normally mutually exclusive properties, is challenging. Here, we develop an SiOC composite film reinforced with nanoscale tungsten-based particles with a structure and property gradient by integrating hybrid nanoparticle inkjet printing and selective laser sintering. Mechanical results of the resulting SiOC-WOx films exhibit a stiffness-toughness co-enhancement, including a 2-fold improvement in hardness and modulus, and a 3.8-fold better fracture toughness than the matrix material. Moreover, the films exhibit interfacial bonding strengths of up to 86.6 MPa and operate stably at 1050 °C. This performance is attributed to a gradient in the metal-to-ceramic composition and uniformly dispersed self-assembled nanoscale reinforcing particles. This nanoparticle laser sintering method could be used to prepare other materials with structure and property gradients.

Chinese baijiu as one of the famous distilled liquor in which fermented in open environments, with various microorganisms (i.e., bacteria, fungi, and yeast) involved in their brewing process, and created corresponding unique flavor. However, the sources of environmentally enriched microbial communities associated with liquor fermentation are still being characterized yet. Given the dependence of microbial growth and reproduction on environmental ecology, it is important to understand the correlation between baijiu fermentation microbial community and surrounding environmental ecology (i.e., temperature, humidity, wind, and precipitation). This study systematically overviewed the sources of microorganisms in the Jiang-flavor-Baijiu fermentation system. The results showed that microorganisms in baijiu brewing (i.e., mold, lactic acid bacteria, and yeast) mainly originated from surrounding environmental matrices, including the air (i.e., Yeast, Streptomyces and Bacillus), soil (i.e., Xanthomonas, Methanococcus and Comamonas) and water (i.e., Flavobacterium, Acinetobacter, and Pseudomonas) via atmospheric transport, raw material transfer and surface runoff. In addition, the unique baijiu fermentation microbial community diversity depends on local geology and meteorological conditions, highlighting that the structural stability and diversity of the microorganisms in the Baijiu brewing process dominated by local environmental ecology. We also explored the regional environmental conditions on the microbial community and found that the unique Jiang-flavor-Baijiu fermentation microbial community diversity depends on local geology and meteorological conditions. The Jiang-flavor-Baijiu workshop is located in the basin of the middle-and low latitude mountainous areas, with sufficient solar irradiation and rainfall, high air humidity, and low wind speed that favor the growth and propagation of Baijiu fermentation microorganisms. Therefore, the obtained conclusions provide new insights unraveling the key factor controlling the unique flavor of Chinese Baijiu, where protecting the ecology of baijiu brewing-regions is fundamental for maintaining the long-term quality of baijiu.

PurposeTo establish various radiomics models based on conventional CT scan images and enhanced CT images, explore their value in the classification of pheochromocytoma (PHEO) and lipid-poor adrenal adenoma (LPA) and screen the most parsimonious and efficient modelMethodsThe clinical and imaging data of 332 patients (352 lesions) with PHEO or LPA confirmed by surgical pathology in the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University were retrospectively analyzed. The region of interest (ROI) on conventional and enhanced CT images was delineated using ITK-SNAP software. Different radiomics signatures were constructed from the radiomics features extracted from conventional and enhanced CT images, and a radiomics score (Rad score) was calculated. A clinical model was established using demographic features and CT findings, while radiomics nomograms were established using multiple logistic regression analysis.The predictive efficiency of different models was evaluated using the area under curve (AUC) and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The Delong test was used to evaluate whether there were statistical differences in predictive efficiency between different models.ResultsThe radiomics signature based on conventional CT images showed AUCs of 0.97 (training cohort, 95% CI: 0.95∼1.00) and 0.97 (validation cohort, 95% CI: 0.92∼1.00). The AUCs of the nomogram model based on conventional scan CT images and enhanced CT images in the training cohort and the validation cohort were 0.97 (95% CI: 0.95∼1.00) and 0.97 (95% CI: 0.94~1.00) and 0.98 (95% CI: 0.97∼1.00) and 0.97 (95% CI: 0.94∼1.00), respectively. The prediction efficiency of models based on enhanced CT images was slightly higher than that of models based on conventional CT images, but these differences were statistically insignificant(P>0.05).ConclusionsCT-based radiomics signatures and radiomics nomograms can be used to predict and identify PHEO and LPA. The model established based on conventional CT images has great identification and prediction efficiency, and it can also enable patients to avoid harm from radiation and contrast agents caused by the need for further enhancement scanning in traditional image examinations.

Abstract Introduction This study investigates how surgery for pituitary adenoma (PA) affects the visual pathway, examining changes in the retina, blood vessel density, and nerve function. Since PAs often impair vision as a result of their location near visual structures, this research is key to understanding and improving vision recovery after surgery. Methods Our study is based on a retrospective analysis of the historical data of 28 patients diagnosed with pituitary adenomas. We conducted assessments by reviewing preoperative and postoperative imaging records. These included optical coherence tomography (OCT) for retinal structure analysis, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) for neural transmission evaluation, and optical coherence tomography angiography for assessing blood vessel density. These tools allowed for a detailed understanding of the structural and functional changes within the visual pathway following PA surgery. Results OCT findings show postoperative changes in the eye: thinning in average and nasal circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer, thickening in macular central 1 mm inner plexus layer, ganglion cell complex, and nasal retinal nerve fiber layer. DTI reveals increased fractional anisotropy (FA) in the left optic chiasm and posterior optic nerve, decreased mid-segment optic nerve FA, and increased apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in the right optic chiasm and nerve segments. Early postoperative reduction in radial peripapillary capillaries plexus density is noted. Preoperative ganglion cell layer (GCL) thickness correlates with postoperative visual radiation FA and ADC values, especially in the inferior quadrant. A negative correlation exists between preoperative GCL thickness and postoperative visual field mean defect values, particularly on the temporal side and superior inner ring. All changes are statistically significant (P

Abstract Micro RNAs (miRs) have been implicated in various tumorigenic processes. Osteosarcoma (OS) is a primary bone malignancy seen in adolescents. However, the mechanism of miRs in OS has not been fully demonstrated yet. Here, miR-134-5p was found to inhibit OS progression and was also expressed at significantly lower levels in OS tissues and cells relative to normal controls. miR-134-5p was found to reduce vasculogenic mimicry, proliferation, invasion, and migration of OS cells, with miR-134-5p knockdown having the opposite effects. Mechanistically, miR-134-5p inhibited expression of the ITGB1/MMP2/PI3K/Akt axis, thus reducing the malignant features of OS cells. In summary, miR-134-5p reduced OS tumorigenesis by modulation of the ITGB1/MMP2/PI3K/Akt axis, suggesting the potential for using miR-134-5p as a target for treating OS.

Abstract Monitoring and preventing coal-rock dynamic disasters are vital for safe mining. To investigate the time–frequency features of induced charge signals with coal damage and failure of roadways, the generation mechanism of free charge in loaded coal is analyzed and the induced charge monitoring test is conducted. According to the stress-induced charge-time curves, the time-domain features of charge signals at each loading stage are obtained. The wavelet threshold denoising approach and generalized Morse wavelet transform method are applied to denoise the raw signals and study the frequency-domain features. Further, the quantitative relationship between the de-noised induced charge signals and the degree of coal damage is established. The results show that the event number, amplitude and fluctuation degree of available induced charge signals are all at a low level in the compaction and elastic stages of the coal, which are mainly generated by the piezoelectric effect and predominantly represent discreteness. When entering the plastic and failure stages, the available signals are primarily produced by the crack propagation and triboelectric effects, with a significant increase in the event number, amplitude, and fluctuation degree. Then the induced charge signals gradually transit from discrete to continuous. Generally, the dominant frequency of the available induced charge signals during the coal damage process is concentrated at 0 ~ 11 Hz. The available induced charge is positively correlated with the degree of coal damage, which can perform the damage degree of coal mass, providing a new approach to evaluate the stability of roadway surrounding rocks.

Abstract Iron oxide nanomaterials play important roles in biogeochemical processes. This study investigates the effects of representative natural carbonaceous materials (humic acid [HA] and extracellular polymeric substances [EPS]) and cations on the heteroaggregation and sedimentation of engineered and natural iron oxide nanomaterials with montmorillonite and sulfate- and amine-modified polystyrene (PS) nanoparticles (NPs) (S- and N-PS NPs, respectively) in water, assessing their environmental behavior and differences in colloidal stability parameters. In addition, a novel extended Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek theory (XDLVO) was developed to describe the mechanism of colloidal behavior that concurrently considers gravitational and magnetic attraction forces. In CaCl2 solution and most natural water samples, negatively charged S-PS NPs promoted heteroaggregation with goethite and iron oxide (Fe3O4) NPs more than positively charged N-PS NPs with increased nanoplastic particle concentration. In seawater, the introduction of S- and N-PS NPs increased the maximum net energy (barrier) (ΦMAX) of heteroaggregation and sedimentation with goethite and Fe3O4 NPs, facilitating dispersal and suspension of the system. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and molecular dynamics simulation results suggested that Ca2+ forms bridging interactions between Fe3O4 and S-PS NPs to promote aggregation, while competitive adsorption occurs between the N atoms of N-PS NPs and Ca2+ on the surface of Fe3O4 NPs. The study findings will help to improve the understanding of interfacial processes affecting ions at nanomaterial/water interfaces and assessments of the geochemical behavior and ecological risks of nanoplastics.

Abstract Background The relationship between the biological pathways related to deep learning radiomics (DLR) and lymph node metastasis (LNM) of breast cancer is still poorly understood. This study explored the value of DLR based on dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) in LNM of invasive breast cancer. It also analyzed the biological significance of DLR phenotype based on genomics. Methods Two cohorts from the Cancer Imaging Archive project were used, one as the training cohort (TCGA-Breast, n = 88) and one as the validation cohort (Breast-MRI-NACT Pilot, n = 57). Radiomics and deep learning features were extracted from preoperative DCE-MRI. After dual selection by principal components analysis (PCA) and relief methods, radiomics and deep learning models for predicting LNM were constructed by the random forest (RF) method. A post-fusion strategy was used to construct the DLR nomograms (DLRNs) for predicting LNM. The performance of the models was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and Delong test. In the training cohort, transcriptome data were downloaded from the UCSC Xena online database, and biological pathways related to the DLR phenotypes were identified. Finally, hub genes were identified to obtain DLR gene expression (RadDeepGene) scores. Results DLRNs were based on area under curve (AUC) evaluation (training cohort, AUC = 0.98; validation cohort, AUC = 0.87), which were higher than single radiomics models or GoogLeNet models. The Delong test (radiomics model, P = 0.04; GoogLeNet model, P = 0.01) also validated the above results in the training cohorts, but they were not statistically significant in the validation cohort. The GoogLeNet phenotypes were related to multiple classical tumor signaling pathways, characterizing the biological significance of immune response, signal transduction, and cell death. In all, 20 genes related to GoogLeNet phenotypes were identified, and the RadDeepGene score represented a high risk of LNM (odd ratio = 164.00, P

Abstract Objective As an experimental biological science, physiology has been taught as an integral component of medical curricula for a long time in China. The teaching effectiveness of physiology courses will directly affect students' learning of other medical disciplines. The purpose of this study is to investigate the current situation and changes in physiology teaching over 30 years in Chinese medical schools. Methods National survey was conducted online on the platform SoJump via WeChat and the web. The head of the physiology department in medical school was asked to indicate the information of physiology education from three periods: 1991–2000, 2001–2010, and 2011–2020. The responses of 80 leaders of the Department of Physiology from mainland Chinese medical schools were included in the study for analysis. Results The survey showed that the class hours, both of theory and practice, had been decreased. During the past 20 years, the total number of physiology teachers, the number of physiology teachers who had been educated in medical schools, and the number of technicians had been reduced, whereas teachers with doctor’s degrees had been increased. In addition to traditional didactic teaching, new teaching approaches, including problem-based learning/case-based learning/team-based learning, integrated curriculum and formative evaluation systems, had been employed, mostly for more than 5 years, in some medical schools. Conclusion The present study has provided historical data regarding the current status of physiology education in China and that in the past thirty years by showing that physiology education in China has developed quickly,even it faces many challenges.

Calcium bismuth niobate (CBN) ceramic, as a core element of high-temperature piezoelectric sensors, has attracted widespread attention due to its high Curie temperature within the class of Aurivillius compounds. However, CBN usually faces two shortcomings: poor piezoelectric constant and low resistivity. In this work, CBN-based ceramics with donor–acceptor ions (W/Co) co-substituted at B-site were prepared by solid-state reaction method, and structure–property relationship of ceramics was studied in detail. Co-substitution of W/Co ions effectively improved the electrical property and hardness of CBN ceramics. CaBi2Nb[Formula: see text](W[Formula: see text]Co[Formula: see text]O9 exhibits enhanced electrical and mechanical properties including high resistivity of [Formula: see text]cm at 500°C, piezoelectric constant of [Formula: see text] pC/N and hardness value of [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]GPa. These values are two orders of magnitude, over two times, and 1.36 times higher than those of pure CBN ceramic, respectively. This work provides a reference for exploring other bismuth-layered structural ceramics.

Background: Alzheimer's disease is characterized by abnormal β-amyloid (Aβ) plaque accumulation, tau hyperphosphorylation, reactive oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and synaptic loss. Myricetin, a dietary flavonoid, has been shown to exert neuroprotective effects in vitro and in vivo. Here, we aimed to elucidate the mechanism and pathways involved in the protective effect of myricetin. Methods: The effect of myricetin was assessed on Aβ42 oligomer-treated neuronal SH-SY5Y cells and in 3×Tg mice. Behavioral tests were performed to assess the cognitive effects of myricetin (14 days, ip) in 3×Tg mice. The levels of beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP), synaptic and mitochondrial proteins, glycogen synthase kinase3β (GSK3β) and extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) 2 were assessed via Western blotting. Flow cytometry assays, immunofluorescence staining, and transmission electron microscopy were used to assess mitochondrial dysfunction and reactive oxidative stress. Results: We found that, compared with control treatment, myricetin treatment improved spatial cognition and learning and memory in 3×Tg mice. Myricetin ameliorated tau phosphorylation and the reduction in pre- and postsynaptic proteins in Aβ42 oligomer-treated neuronal SH-SY5Y cells and in 3×Tg mice. In addition, myricetin reduced reactive oxygen species generation, lipid peroxidation, and DNA oxidation, and rescued mitochondrial dysfunction via the associated GSK3β and ERK 2 signalling pathways. Conclusions: This study provides new insight into the neuroprotective mechanism of myricetin in vitro in cell culture and in vivo in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease.

Chinese Calligraphy is an ancient art form with practical benefits such as improving elders' cognition and helping diagnose Parkinson's disease. Learning Chinese calligraphy requires a lot of time and effort. This is due to the different styles and the vast number of Chinese characters used daily. Chinese character and style recognition are multi-class classification problems. In multi-class classification problems, the accuracy decreases as the number of classes increases. Previous research on Chinese calligraphy was limited to either style recognition or character recognition. More research that combines style and character recognition is needed. Furthermore, the models in previous research were limited to recognizing small sets of 300 characters. These small sets cover only 12% of the Chinese characters used daily. The small size is a severe limitation for creating applications for Chinese calligraphy learning. Thus, new research is needed on AI models that combine style and character recognition to recognize a much larger dataset, while maintaining reasonable accuracy rates. Besides, there are no applications that use such AI models to help learners of Chinese calligraphy compare their works with those created by skillful calligraphers. This research proposed enhancing Chinese calligraphy recognitions by combining the VGG (Visual Geometry Group)-net architecture, data augmentation techniques, and dropout in the ANN (artificial neural network) hidden layers. The research produced two AI models that can recognize 962 Chinese characters in five calligraphic styles. We proved that using dropout increased the accuracy convergence during training epochs. In the proposed models, style recognition achieved up to 88.3% accuracy, while character recognition achieved 95.6% accuracy. Finally, we built an online learning application by combining the proposed models with Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT). The application could compare the learner's work with skillful calligraphers' and provide a similarity score to help Chinese calligraphy learners track their progress. Five university students tested the application. They provided positive feedback and some suggestions for improvement.

This paper proposes a novel tensor decomposition method, cooperative parallel factor (Co-PARAFAC), that is devised to achieve higher accuracy with lower computational complexity and memory requirements than the conventional PARAFAC. The rationale relies on dividing a given tensor, even with a large size, into smaller disjoint sub-tensors, which are independently and parallelly decomposed using the conventional PARAFAC. The intermediate results are then properly merged to obtain the decomposition of the original tensor. As case study, we apply Co-PARAFAC to estimate the uplink channels of RIS-assisted wireless communications. Simulation results corroborate the efficiency of the Co-PARAFAC in achieving significantly lower computational complexity and higher channel estimation accuracy than the conventional PARAFAC. Broadly, the proposed algorithm is advantageous in various fields requiring efficient and high accurate tensor decomposition.

This paper introduces a new device concept and outlines the fabrication process of a bipolar junction transistor based on an IGZO/NiO/PbSe nanoband array heterostructure. We performed comprehensive electrical property testing and characterization analysis on the device to thoroughly assess the device's performance. The heterojunction structure efficiently amplifies the opto-electric responsivity and enhances the transmission efficiency of photogenerated carriers. Significantly, the phototransistor demonstrates a high photoresponsivity of 4000 A/W under an incident light power of 1 μW/cm2 and a wavelength of 850 nm. Hence, a solution detection system integrated with a bipolar phototransistor is designed. Through the analysis of the output signals, the system accurately determines the identity of the solute present in the solution.

Abstract Colorful circularly polarized luminescence materials are desired for 3D displays, information security and asymmetric synthesis, in which single-emitted materials are ideal owing to self-absorption avoidance, evenly entire-visible-spectrum-covered photon emission and facile device fabrication. However, restricted by the synthesis of chiral broad-luminescent emitters, the realization and application of high-performing single-emitted full-color circularly polarized luminescence is in its infancy. Here, we disclose a single-emitted full-color circularly polarized luminescence system (spiral full-color emission generator), composed of whole-vis-spectrum emissive quantum dots and chiral liquid crystals. The system achieves a maximum luminescence dissymmetry factor of 0.8 and remains an order of 10−1 in visible region by tuning its photonic bandgap. We then expand it to a series of desired customized-color circularly polarized luminescence, build chiral devices and further demonstrate the working scenario in the photoinduced enantioselective polymerization. This work contributes to the design and synthesis of efficient chiroptical materials, device fabrication and photoinduced asymmetric synthesis.

Abstract The colorimetric detection of glucose typically involves a peroxidase reaction producing a color, which is then recorded and analyzed. However, enzyme detection has difficulties with purification and storage. In addition, replacing enzyme detection with chemical methods involves time-consuming steps such as centrifugation and purification and the optical instruments used for colorimetric detection are often bulky and not portable. In this study, ammonium metavanadate and sulfuric acid were used to prepare the detection solution instead of peroxidase to produce color. We also analyzed the effect of different concentrations of detection solution on absorbance sensitivity. Finally, a flip chip blue Mini-LEDs miniaturized optical instrument (FC blue Mini-LEDs MOI) was designed for glucose detection using optics fiber, collimating lenses, a miniaturized spectrometer, and an FC Blue Mini-LEDs with a center wavelength of 459 nm. While detecting glucose solutions in the concentration range of 0.1–10 mM by the developed MOI, the regression equation of y = 0.0941x + 0.1341, R2 of 0.9744, the limit of detection was 2.15 mM, and the limit of quantification was 7.163 mM. Furthermore, the preparation of the detection solution only takes 10 min, and the absorbance sensitivity of the optimized detection solution could be increased by 2.3 times. The detection solution remained stable with only a 0.6% decrease in absorbance compared to the original after storing it in a refrigerated environment at 3 °C for 14 days. The method proposed in this study for detecting glucose using FC blue light Mini-LEDs MOI reduces the use of peroxidase. In addition, it has a wide detection range that includes blood as well as non-invasive saliva and tear fluids, providing patients with a miniaturized, highly sensitive, and quantifiable glucose detection system.

Glucose monitoring is critical for diabetes patients. However, invasive blood testing carries the risk of infection if wound care is not handled properly and non-invasive glucose testing devices are often bulky and not portable. Therefore, our study proposes the use of white light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs with different color temperatures as a light source. Additionally, ammonium metavanadate and sulfuric acid were used to prepare the detection solution instead of peroxidase to produce color, after which images were captured using a smartphone. The red, green, and blue (RGB) channels were then separated and converted into grayscale images. The average grayscale value changes in the images were analyzed to determine the linear relationship between glucose concentration and grayscale values, thus allowing for non-invasive quantitative glucose testing. When using a 3000K white LED bulb as the light source, the grayscale values of the RGB channels analyzed from the images exhibited a linear relationship with the glucose concentration at a 0.1–10 mM range. The regression equation for the red channel was y = −3.1184x+148.2, with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.9165, a limit of detection (LOD) of 2.27 mM, and a limit of quantification (LOQ) of 6.88 mM. The proposed method of using white LED bulbs as a detection light source combined with image analysis can be used to determine whether glucose concentrations in blood, saliva, or tears are higher than normal, providing the advantages of rapid, highly sensitive, and non-invasive testing.

Invasive blood testing is the most used method for testing bilirubin levels. However, invasive blood testing must be carried out by professionally trained medical staff to avoid the risk of infection. Apart from being present in blood, direct bilirubin is excreted in human urine. Therefore, this study proposed a non-invasive method, using high collimation ultraviolet-light-emitting diodes (HC UV-LEDs) as the light source to design a miniaturized optomechanical device (MOD) for direct bilirubin detection in urine. The designed MOD was used to analyze different concentrations of direct bilirubin using its absorbance spectrum to achieve a non-invasive detection method. The HC UV-LEDs MOD proposed in this study offers the benefits of being non-invasive and providing a quantitative analysis of direct bilirubin.

Abstract Because the human eye cannot visually detect the results of direct bilirubin test papers accurately and quantitatively, this study proposes four different highly collimated mini light-emitting diodes (HC mini-LEDs) as light sources for detection. First, different concentrations of bilirubin were oxidized to biliverdin by FeCl3 on the test paper, and pictures were obtained with a smartphone. Next, the red, green, and blue (RGB) channels of the pictures were separated to average grayscale values, and their linear relationship with the direct bilirubin concentration was analyzed to detect bilirubin on the test paper noninvasively and quantitatively. The experimental results showed that when green HC mini-LEDs were used as the light sources and image analysis was performed using the G channel, for a direct bilirubin concentration range of 0.1–2 mg/dL, the G channel determination coefficient (R2) reached 0.9523 and limit of detection was 0.459 mg/dL. The detection method proposed herein has advantages such as rapid analysis, noninvasive detection, and digitization according to RGB grayscale changes in the images of the detection test paper.

The increasing global nitrogen input poses a significant threat to aquatic environments, particularly in agricultural watersheds, where intensive human activities and insufficient water protection infrastructure exacerbate the risk of nitrogen pollution. Accurate identification of nitrogen pollution sources and the associated transformation processes is essential for protecting watershed ecosystems. In this study, a combination of hydrochemical analysis, correlation and principal component analysis, and stable nitrate isotopes (δ15N-NO3− and δ18O-NO3−) were employed to trace nitrogen transport pathways and source contributions in both surface water and groundwater within a typical agricultural watershed. The results revealed the presence of nitrogen pollution, including total nitrogen (TN), ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), and nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N), with significant spatial and seasonal variations in both surface water and groundwater. The spatiotemporal evolution of hydrochemical indicators and nitrate isotope compositions highlighted multiple potential sources of nitrogen, including soil input, agricultural input, and manure and sewage input. The results from stable isotope analysis in an R (SIAR) model indicated that ammonium fertilizers (7.1~78.4%) and manure and sewage (2.6~69.7%) were the primary sources of nitrates in surface water, while manure and sewage were the main sources in groundwater (67.9~73.7%). This research demonstrated that nitrification, seasonal variations, and human activities significantly impact nitrogen migration and transformation in agricultural watersheds. However, the issue of groundwater severely polluted by manure and sewage has received insufficient attention. To effectively control nitrogen pollution in agricultural watersheds, it is necessary to improve septic tanks and sewage networks, as well as implement scientific fertilization practices.

The imperative for energy conservation and environmental protection has led to the development of innovative aircraft designs. This study explored a novel thrust control configuration for blended-wing-body (BWB) aircraft with distributed electric boundary-layer ingestion (BLI) propulsors, addressing the issues of sagging and altitude loss during landing. The research focused on a small-scale BWB demonstrator equipped with six BLI fans, each with a 90 mm diameter. Various thrust control configurations were evaluated to achieve significant thrust reduction while maintaining lift, including dual-layer sleeve, separate flap-type, single-stage linkage flap-type, and dual-stage linkage flap-type configurations. The separate flap-type configuration was tested through ground experiments. Control experiments were conducted under three different experimental conditions as follows: deflection of the upper cascades only, deflection of the lower cascades only, and symmetrical deflection of both cascades. For each condition, the deflection angles tested were 0°, 10°, 20°, 30°, 40°, 50°, and 60°. The thrust reductions observed for these three conditions were 0%, 37.5%, and 27.5% of the maximum thrust, respectively, without additional changes in the pitch moment. A combined thrust adjustment method maintaining a zero pitch moment demonstrated a linear thrust reduction to 20% of its initial value. The experiment concluded that the novel thrust control configuration effectively adjusted thrust without altering the BLI fans’ rotation speed, solving the coupled lift–thrust problem and enhancing BWB landing stability.

Breast cancer is the most common cause of female morbidity and death worldwide. Compared with other cancers, early detection of breast cancer is more helpful to improve the prognosis of patients. In order to achieve early diagnosis and treatment, clinical treatment requires rapid and accurate diagnosis. Therefore, the development of an automatic detection system for breast cancer suitable for patient imaging is of great significance for assisting clinical treatment. Accurate classification of pathological images plays a key role in computer-aided medical diagnosis and prognosis. However, in the automatic recognition and classification methods of breast cancer pathological images, the scale information, the loss of image information caused by insufficient feature fusion, and the enormous structure of the model may lead to inaccurate or inefficient classification. To minimize the impact, we proposed a lightweight PCSAM-ResCBAM model based on two-stage convolutional neural network. The model included a Parallel Convolution Scale Attention Module network (PCSAM-Net) and a Residual Convolutional Block Attention Module network (ResCBAM-Net). The first-level convolutional network was built through a 4-layer PCSAM module to achieve prediction and classification of patches extracted from images. To optimize the network's ability to represent global features of images, we proposed a tiled feature fusion method to fuse patch features from the same image, and proposed a residual convolutional attention module. Based on the above, the second-level convolutional network was constructed to achieve predictive classification of images. We evaluated the performance of our proposed model on the ICIAR2018 dataset and the BreakHis dataset, respectively. Furthermore, through model ablation studies, we found that scale attention and dilated convolution play an important role in improving model performance. Our proposed model outperforms the existing state-of-the-art models on 200 × and 400 × magnification datasets with a maximum accuracy of 98.74 %.

Cardiovascular health is a hot topic around the world, and as the incidence of cardiovascular disease increases each year, people are increasingly focusing on the management of their heart health. Dietary and lifestyle changes as non-pharmacological treatments have been increasingly recognized as important in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and in reducing the risk of cardiovascular accidents. Awareness of different nutrients and their effects on cardiovascular health is important for establishing a good dietary pattern. This review summarizes the effects of the five major nutrients in the daily diet, namely carbohydrates, proteins, dietary fats, vitamins, and minerals, on cardiovascular health, and aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the effects of a healthy dietary pattern on cardiovascular health.

Background: The clinical significance of immune-related antigen CD58 in gliomas remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to examine the clinical importance and possible core related genes of CD58 in gliomas. Methods: Pan-cancer analysis was to observe the association between CD58 and different tumors, glioma RNA sequencing data and clinical sample analyses were used to observe the relationship between CD58 and glioma, shRNA interference models were to observe the impact of CD58 on glioma cell function, and four glioma datasets and two online analysis platforms were used to explore the core related genes affecting the correlation between CD58 and glioma. Results: High CD58 expression was associated with worse prognosis in various tumors and higher malignancy in glioma. Down regulation of CD58 expression was linked to decreased proliferation, increased apoptosis, and reduced metastasis in glioma cells. The pathways involved in CD58-related effects were enriched for immune cell adhesion and immune factor activation, and the core genes were CASP1, CCL2, IL18, MYD88, PTPRC, and TLR2. The signature of CD58 and its core-related genes showed superior predictive power for glioma prognosis. Conclusion: High CD58 expression is correlated with more malignant glioma types, and also an independent risk factor for mortality in glioma. CD58 and its core-related genes may serve as novel biomarkers for diagnosing and treating glioma.

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.

Synthetic surfactant products are continuously released into the aquatic environment in large quantities, posing a burden on ecosystems as a “pseudo–persistent” organic pollutant. Threshold derivation for protecting aquatic ecosystems is challenging due to the various homologous components of surfactants. In this study, five commercially available products were chosen as representative major types of surfactants. Corresponding quantitative structure–activity relationships (QSAR) were screened and subsequently combined with interspecific correlation estimation (ICE) to develop species sensitivity distributions (SSDs) for each component. Then, the 5th percentile hazard concentrations (HC5s) were calculated. The results indicated that the developed QSAR–ICE models demonstrated good toxicity prediction performance. The HC5 of each component showed a negatively correlation with alkyl chain length and a positive correlation with the amount of ethylene oxide. The HC5s of surfactants correlate with variations in their charged properties. Quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC) exhibited the lowest HC5s (8.5 ± 18.3 μg/L), followed by alcohol ethoxylates (AE), linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS), and alcohol ethoxylated sulfates (AES); and alkyl oxide (AO) exhibited the highest HC5s (15784.2 ± 21552.6 μg/L). For cationic surfactants, the HC5s in the invertebrates were significantly lower than those in the fish; conversely, for anionic surfactants, the opposite was true, indicating a difference in the toxic mechanisms of surfactants with different charged properties across species taxa. Additionally, among invertebrates, shellfish demonstrated heightened sensitivity to surfactants, owing to their high accumulation and low metabolism of pollutants. Salmoniformes were the most sensitive among all species, indicating the necessity of prioritizing these species for aquatic ecological conservation in surfactant-contaminated waters.

Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa subsp. pekinesis) is a vital leafy vegetable crop that thrives within the temperature range of 12 °C to 22 °C. However, high temperatures can adversely impact its growth, development, and yield. To address this issue, we investigated the potential of eugenol and clove essential oil in enhancing stress tolerance in Chinese cabbage. Transcriptome profiling of Chinese cabbage exposed to eugenol, clove essential oil, and heat stress revealed significantly differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Gene set enrichment analysis indicated that treatment with eugenol and clove essential oil significantly influenced defense responses, hormone signaling pathways, and leaf senescence. Additionally, WRKY, ERF, and NAC transcription factors were found to be enriched among the significant DEGs. Notably, eugenol and clove essential oil treatments, as well as exposure to heat stress, were associated with the regulation of leaf senescence. Furthermore, the application of eugenol and clove essential oil mitigated the heat-induced reductions in the contents of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll in Chinese cabbage. In summary, our findings suggest that eugenol and clove essential oil effectively enhance thermotolerance in Chinese cabbage by modulating leaf senescence and hormone responses.

Conventionally, the electromechanical system requires the installation of auxiliary displacement sensors and only the amount on the drive part and motion end, which increases volume, cost, and measurement error in the system. This paper presents an integrated measurement method with a sensing head, which takes the equal division characteristics of mechanical structures as part of the sensor, thus, the so-called self-sensing system. Moreover, the displacement is measured by counting the time pulses. The sensing head is integrated with the entire electromechanical system, including the driving, transmitting, and moving parts. Thus, the integration of the sensing part is greatly improved. Taking the rotary table as a special example, and the sensing head embedded into each part of the system, displacement information is obtained by the common processing system and fused by the adaptive weighted average method. The results of the experiment show that the fusion precision of each component is higher than only the motor position information as the feedback. The proposed method is a practical self-sensing technology with significant volume reduction and intelligent control benefits in the industry, especially suitable for extremely small and narrow spaces.

The placenta is a crucial determinant of fetal survival, growth, and development. Deficiency in placental development directly causes intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). IUGR can lead to fetal growth restriction and an increase in the mortality rate. The genetic mechanisms underlying IUGR development, however, remain unclear. In the present study, we integrated whole-genome DNA methylation and transcriptomic analyses to determine distinct gene expression patterns in various placental tissues to identify pivotal genes that are implicated with IUGR development. By performing RNA-sequencing analysis, 1487 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), with 737 upregulated and 750 downregulated genes, were identified in IUGR pigs (H_IUGR) compared with that in normal birth weight pigs (N_IUGR) (p < 0.05); furthermore, 77 miRNAs, 1331 lncRNAs, and 61 circRNAs were differentially expressed. The protein–protein interaction network analysis revealed that among these DEGs, the genes GNGT1, ANXA1, and CDC20 related to cellular developmental processes and blood vessel development were the key genes associated with the development of IUGR. A total of 495,870 differentially methylated regions were identified between the N_IUGR and H_IUGR groups, which included 25,053 differentially methylated genes (DMEs); moreover, the overall methylation level was higher in the H_IUGR group than in the N_IUGR group. Combined analysis showed an inverse correlation between methylation levels and gene expression. A total of 1375 genes involved in developmental processes, tissue development, and immune system regulation exhibited methylation differences in gene expression levels in the promoter regions and gene ontology regions. Five genes, namely, ANXA1, ADM, NRP2, SHH, and SMAD1, with high methylation levels were identified as potential contributors to IUGR development. These findings provide valuable insights that DNA methylation plays a crucial role in the epigenetic regulation of gene expression and mammalian development and that DNA-hypermethylated genes contribute to IUGR development in Rongchang pigs.

To address the conflict between pressure relief and support effectiveness caused by large-diameter boreholes in roadway surrounding rock, this paper proposes a method involving variable-diameter boreholes for pressure relief and energy dissipation. With a typical rock burst coal mine as the engineering context, the study establishes a mechanical model for variable-diameter boreholes through theoretical analysis to examine the elastic stress distribution around boreholes within the coal body. Physical similarity simulation tests are conducted to investigate the influence of conventional borehole and variable diameter borehole on the transmission pattern of dynamic load stress waves. Furthermore, numerical simulations are employed to explore the effects of reaming diameter, depth, and spacing on pressure relief, energy dissipation, and attenuation of dynamic stress wave transmission in roadway surrounding rock. The results demonstrate that stress within the coal surrounding the variable-diameter borehole correlates with the borehole radius, lateral pressure coefficient, and distance from the point to the borehole center, the extent of the plastic zone is influenced by borehole diameter, spacing, and depth. Increased diameter, reduced spacing, and greater depth of deep reaming holes exacerbate the transfer of stress concentration from the surrounding rock of the roadway to the deeper regions, facilitating the formation of stress double peak areas. Moreover, the variable diameter position should be within the original stress peak position of the surrounding rock in the roadway, with deep reaming passing through the stress concentration area for optimal results. This study offers guidance on the prevention and control technology for rock bursts in deep coal mining operations.

Background: The invasive brownrat (Rattus norvegicus) and the Oriental rats (Rattus tanezumi) are common commensal murid that are important hosts for rodent-borne diseases in southeast Asia. Understanding their population structure and genetic diversity is essential to uncover their invasion biology and distribution dynamics that are essential for controlling rodent-borne diseases.Methods: TA total of 103 R. norvegicus and 85 R. tanezumi were collected from 13 to 9 coastal areas of six provincial monitoring sentinel sites, respectivelyto assess patterns in their microsatellite loci and their mitochondrial coxl gene region.Results: Eleven sampled populations of R. norvegicus were divided into two major clusters by region. The observed heterozygosity values of all regional populations were smaller than expected genetic diversity heterozygosity values and deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium Nine sample populations of R. tanezumi were divided into three clusters; two that included sample from Hainan and Fujian provinces, and one that included samples from the other provinces and cities. The genetic diversity of R. tanezumi was highest in samples from Jiangsu and Guangdong provinces.Conclusion: The data in this paper confirm the two invasive rodent species from the southeastern coastal region of China may have relied on maritime transport to spread from the southern region of China to the Yangtze River basin. R. tanezumi may then hanve migrated unidirectionally, along the southeastern provinces of China towards the north, while R. norvegicus spread in a complex and multidirectional manner in Hainan, Fujian, Zhejiang and Jiangsu Provinces of the country.

Sensible thermal storage ceramics in the form of the fluid-bed show good competency on dealing with the intermittency of renewable energy and improving energy utilization efficiency by integration the functions of thermal absorption and storage. In-situ nano-sized β-Sialon whiskers reinforced Al2O3-based ceramic materials for fluid-bed thermal storage system were one-step synthesized by aluminothermic reduction method, using solid waste coal-series kaolin and Al powder as main raw materials and firing at 1500 °C in N2 atmosphere. The effects of Al content and firing temperature on phase evolution, microstructure and properties of fired samples were researched by XRD, SEM, TEM, etc. The results showed that nano-sized β-Sialon whiskers could be in-situ synthesized at 1300 °C, which effectively enhanced the bending strength of fired samples. The highest β-Sialon content and the optimal properties could be achieved at 1500 °C while coal-series kaolin and Al mass ratio was equal to 70∶30, which were listed as follows: 30.7 % β-Sialon content, 74.9 MPa high-temperature bending strength (at 1400 °C), 6.17 × 10-6·°C-1 thermal expansion coefficient (room temperature-1000 °C), 0.74 J·(g·K)-1 specific heat capacity (at room temperature), 873.90 kJ·kg-1 theoretical thermal storage density (ΔT=900 °C), which is suitable as the thermal storage material for the fluid-bed thermal storage system.

Rapid urbanization and mining activities are exacerbating sulfate (SO42-) pollution in surface water, and the information on its sources and transformations is crucial for understanding the sulphur cycle in mining areas. In this study, the SO42- in the surface water of Huaibei mining area were monitored and the main sources of pollution and biogeochemical processes were identified using stable isotopes (δD, δ18O-H2O, δ34S-SO42- and δ18O-SO42-) and water chemistry. The results demonstrated the SO42- content in the Huihe River and Linhuan subsidence water area (SWA) is higher than that in other rivers and SWAs, which exceeded the environmental quality standard of surface water. The SO42- content of different rivers and SWAs showed seasonal differences, and the dry season was higher than the wet season. In addition, the SO42- in Tuohe River and Suihe River is primarily caused by urban sewage and agriculture activities, while in Zhonghu and Shuoxihu SWA is mainly contributed by natural evaporate dissolution. Notably, the input of SO42- in the Huihe River and Linhuan SWA caused by mining activities cannot be disregarded. The aerobic environment and isotopic fractionation of surface water indicate that sulfide oxidation is not the major cause of SO42- formation. This work has revealed the multiple sources and transformation mechanisms of SO42-, and provided a reference for the development of comprehensive management and effective remediation strategies of SO42- contamination in surface water around mining areas.

In this study, we investigated the correlation between the composition and function of the gut microbiota and the semen quality of Rongchang boars. Significant differences in gut microbial composition between boars with high (group H) and low (group L) semen utilization rates were identified through 16S rRNA gene sequencing, with 18 differential microbes observed at the genus level. Boars with lower semen utilization rates exhibited a higher relative abundance of Treponema, suggesting its potential role in reducing semen quality. Conversely, boars with higher semen utilization rates showed increased relative abundances of Terrisporobacter, Turicibacter, Stenotrophomonas, Clostridium sensu stricto 3, and Bifidobacterium, with Stenotrophomonas and Clostridium sensu stricto 3 showing a significant positive correlation with semen utilization rates. The metabolomic analyses revealed higher levels of gluconolactone, D-ribose, and 4-pyridoxic acid in the H group, with 4 pyridoxic acid and D-ribose showing a significant positive correlation with Terrisporobacter and Clostridium sensu stricto 3, respectively. In contrast, the L group showed elevated levels of D-erythrose-4-phosphate, which correlated negatively with Bifidobacterium and Clostridium sensu stricto 3. These differential metabolites were enriched in the pentose phosphate pathway, vitamin B6 metabolism, and antifolate resistance, potentially influencing semen quality. These findings provide new insights into the complex interplay between the gut microbiota and boar reproductive health and may offer important information for the discovery of disease biomarkers and reproductive health management.

Medium-carbon, high-strength steels are widely used in the field of hydrogen energy because of their good mechanical properties, and they can be readily tailored by heat treatment processes such as the normalizing–tempering (N&T) and quenching–tempering (Q&T) methods. The hydrogen embrittlement (HE) susceptibility of a medium-carbon, high-strength steel was investigated utilizing microstructural characterization with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) technique, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A study was also conducted on the steel’s hydrogen transport behavior as affected by the N&T and Q&T treatments. The steel contained more hydrogen traps, such as dislocations, grain boundaries, lath boundaries, and carbide interfaces, after the Q&T process, which was associated with a lower HE sensitivity when comparing the two treatments. In comparison, the N&T process produced larger-size and lesser-density carbides distributed along the grain boundaries, and this resulted in a relatively higher HE susceptibility, as revealed by the slow-strain-rate tensile (SSRT) tests of the hydrogen-charged steels and by the fractographic study of the fracture surface.

Fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase (FAH) catalyzes the final step of the tyrosine degradation pathway. In this study, we isolated and characterized two homologous BnaFAH genes in Brassica napus L. variant Westar, and then used CRISPR/Cas9-mediated targeted mutagenesis to generate a series of transgene-free mutant lines either with single or double-null bnafah alleles. Among these mutant lines, the aacc (bnafah) double-null mutant line, rather than the aaCC (bnaa06fah) mutant line, exhibited programmed cell death (PCD) under short days (SD). Histochemical staining and content measurement confirmed that the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in bnafah was significantly higher than that in bnaa06fah. To further elucidate the mechanism of PCD, we performed transcriptomic analyses of bnaa06fah and bnafah at different SD stages. A heatmap cluster of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) revealed that PCD may be related to various redox regulatory genes involved in antioxidant activity, ROS-responsive regulation and calcium signaling. Combined with the results of previous studies, our work revealed that the expression levels of BnaC04CAT2, BnaA09/C09SAL1, BnaA08/C08ACO2, BnaA07/C06ERO1, BnaA08ACA1, BnaC04BIK1, BnaA09CRK36 and BnaA03CPK4 were significantly different and that these genes might be candidate hub genes for PCD. Together, our results underscore the ability of different PCD phenotypes to alter BnaFAH orthologs through gene editing and further elucidated the molecular mechanisms of oxidative stress-induced PCD in plants., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Bone cancer pain (BCP) affects ~70% of patients in advanced stages, primarily due to bone metastasis, presenting a substantial therapeutic challenge. Here, we profile orphan G protein-coupled receptors in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) following tumor infiltration, and observe a notable increase in GPR160 expression. Elevated Gpr160 mRNA and protein levels persist from postoperative day 6 for over 18 days in the affected DRG, predominantly in small-diameter C-fiber type neurons specific to the tibia. Targeted interventions, including DRG microinjection of siRNA or AAV delivery, mitigate mechanical allodynia, cold, and heat hyperalgesia induced by the tumor. Tumor infiltration increases DRG neuron excitability in wild-type mice, but not in Gpr160 gene knockout mice. Tumor infiltration results in reduced H3K27me3 and increased H3K27ac modifications, enhanced binding of the transcription activator Sp1 to the Gpr160 gene promoter region, and induction of GPR160 expression. Modulating histone-modifying enzymes effectively alleviated pain behavior. Our study delineates a novel mechanism wherein elevated Sp1 levels facilitate Gpr160 gene transcription in nociceptive DRG neurons during BCP in rodents., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Using a first-principles approach, this study delves into the effects of strain and electrostatic doping on the electronic and magnetic properties of the GaN/VTe 2 van der Waals (vdW) heterostructure. The results reveal that when the GaN/VTe 2 vdW heterostructure is doped with 0.1 h /0.2 h of electrostatic charge, its magnetization direction undergoes a remarkable reversal, shifting from out-of-plane orientation to in-plane direction. Therefore, we conduct a thorough investigation into the influence of electron orbitals on magnetic anisotropy energy. In addition, as the strain changes from -1% to 1%, the 100% spin polarization region of the GaN/VTe 2 vdW heterostructure becomes smaller. It is worth noting that at a doping concentration of 0.1 h , the GaN/VTe 2 vdW heterostructure has a Curie temperature of 30 K above room temperature. This comprehensive study provides valuable insights and provides a reference for analyzing the electronic and magnetic properties of low-dimensional systems., (© 2024 IOP Publishing Ltd. All rights, including for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies, are reserved.)

Brevibacillus laterosporus S62-9 has been shown to improve broiler growth performance and immunity. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of B. laterosporus S62-9 on the immunity and lipid metabolism of broilers by means of transcriptomic analysis. A total of 160 1-day-old broilers were randomly allocated to a S62-9 group, the diet of which was supplemented with 10 6 CFU/g B. laterosporus S62-9 daily, and a control group, which was not. After 42 d of feeding, the broilers in the S62-9 group had higher body mass (7.2%) and feed conversion ratio (5.19%) than the control group. Supplementation with B. laterosporus S62-9 resulted in lower serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol concentrations and higher high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol concentrations. An analysis of the fatty acid composition of the broiler's thigh muscles revealed that the proportions of the unsaturated fatty acids myristoleic acid (C14:1) and arachidonic acid (C20:1) were higher for birds in the S62-9 group. Transcriptomic analysis also showed an upregulation of immunity-related genes in the S62-9 group. Gene Ontology functional enrichment analysis showed that the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway was enriched in the liver, the defense response was enriched in the duodenum, and immunoglobulin-related entries were enriched in the jejunum of the S62-9 group. Furthermore, the expression of key genes involved in unsaturated fatty acid synthesis (SCD, encoding stearoyl-CoA desaturase) and fatty acid metabolism (HACD2, encoding 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydratase 2) was upregulated in the liver, and the expression of genes associated with fat biosynthesis and accumulation, such as PLIN1, encoding perilipin 1, and FABP4, encoding fatty acid binding protein 4, was upregulated in the ileum of the birds in the S62-9 group. In summary, supplementation with B. laterosporus S62-9 could improve immune defense and the fatty acid metabolism of broiler chickens, thereby enhancing their disease resistance and promoting growth and development., Competing Interests: DISCLOSURES The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)