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Extracts from cherry blossom plants have been reported to have various biological effects on human cells. Although scholars have conducted in-depth research on the product development and functional component analysis of cherry blossoms (CB), there are few studies on its anti-aging effects, especially on the brain. In our study, using d -galactose (D-gal) induced aging mice as an animal model, we found that cherry blossom extract (CBE) treatment reshaped the perturbations of the gut microbiota caused by aging, including up-regulation of Akkermansia abundance and down-regulation of Clostridiales abundance. Furthermore, CBE restored histopathological changes and modulated hippocampal metabolites in aging mice. Mechanistically, CBE activates glial cells, including astroglia and microglia, down-regulates the expression level of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) in the brain, and then improves the aging condition of the brain. These alterations help to stimulate 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) expression and neuroinflammation, thereby alleviating aging-induced damage to brain neurons and deposition of harmful factors. Therefore, we speculate that CBE may have a good anti-aging effect in vivo by regulating intestinal microbiota and glial cells. • CBE reshaped the perturbations of the gut microbiota caused by aging. • CBE restored histopathological changes and modulated hippocampal metabolites. • CBE exerted anti-aging effect by regulating gut microbiota and glial cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the oxidation behavior of carbon/carbon composites, we developed a multilayer coating system by pack cementation and sol–gel slurry method. The coating consists of a BN–SiC inner dual-layer and a Si 3 N 4 –ZrO 2 –SiO 2 outer barrier layer. The coating can effectively protect the C/C composites from oxidizing below 1500 °C. Thermogravimetric analysis shows that the weight loss of the composites is less than 2.40 wt.% after oxidizing at 1400 °C for 220 h. The whole temperature range oxidation resistance can be attributed to the multilayer protection design. The BN–SiC inner dual-layer can cure the cracks by producing borosilicate glass, and the Si 3 N 4 –ZrO 2 –SiO 2 outer barrier layer can prevent the formation of cracks and seal the bubbles. The oxidation kinetics of the coated carbon/carbon composites shows that the Arrhenius curve consists of four parts, corresponding to four different oxidation processes and mechanisms in different temperature regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of interleukins in sarcopenia development has been acknowledged, yet the specifics of their involvement remain to be fully understood. This study aimed to explore alterations in interleukin levels among sarcopenia patients. Searches were conducted in Embase, Medline, and the Cochrane Library for literature published up to May 2023. Eligible observational studies with a diagnosis of sarcopenia were included. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale was utilized for quality assessment. For data synthesis, a random-effects model was used, and the Mantel–Haenszel method was used for pooled estimates. Of the 7685 articles screened, 37 met the inclusion criteria. Statistically significant differences in the levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-10 were detected in sarcopenia patients. Specifically, IL-1β (95 % CI: 0.33 [0.12, 0.54], P < 0.05), IL-6 (95 % CI: 0.91 [0.59, 1.24], P < 0.05), and IL-10 (95 % CI: 0.11 [0.07,0.15], P < 0.05) were detected. However, no significant associations were found between serum IL-4 (95 % CI: 0.36 [−0.18, 0.42], P = 0.44), IL-8 (95 % CI: −1.05 [−3.06, 0.95], P = 0.3), IL-12 (95 % CI: −3.92 [−8.32,0.48], P = 0.08) or IL-17 (95 % CI: 0.22 [−2.43, 2.88], P = 0.87) and sarcopenia. Subgroup analysis showed no significant difference in IL-6 (95 % CI: −0.03 [−0.72, 0.66], P = 0.93) and IL-10 (95 % CI: 0.1 [−0.44, 0.64], P = 0.72) among patients with European standard sarcopenia. Inflammation plays a role in sarcopenia, and the serum levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10 are associated with sarcopenia. Further research is needed to clarify these associations. Clinical Trials Registration Number: CRD42024506656. • Sarcopenia is commonly observed among the elderly population. • Inflammatory response plays a role in sarcopenia onset. • Serum levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10 are associated with sarcopenia development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fundamental challenge of data analytics scheduling is the heterogeneity of both data analytics jobs and resources. Although many scheduling solutions have been developed to improve the efficiency of data analytics frameworks (e.g. , Spark), they either (1) focus on the scheduling of a single type of resource, without considering the coordination between different resources; or (2) schedule multiple resources by factoring in limited information about analytics jobs without considering the heterogeneity of resources. This paper presents Stargazer, a novel, efficient system that tackles diversity data analytics jobs on heterogeneous cluster by inferring the completion times of their decomposed tasks. Specifically, Stargazer adopts a deep learning model, which takes into considerations multiple key factors of diversity data analytics jobs and heterogeneous resources, to accurately infer the completion time of different tasks. A prototype of Stargazer is fully implemented in the Spark framework. Extensive experiments show that Stargazer can reduce the average job completion time by 21% and improve average performance by 20%, while incurring little overhead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The characteristics of tunneling parameters for large-section EPB box jacking were investigated. • A refined finite difference model was developed for evaluating tunnel face stability. • The transfer mechanism of conditioned soil was assessed. The mechanical response of conditioned soil in an earth chamber is crucial for maintaining the face stability of earth pressure balance (EPB) box jacking. This study presents the project of a shallowly buried large-section box jacking crossing the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal in Suzhou, China. The characteristics of tunneling parameters, such as the earth chamber pressure p e , total jacking force P f and frictional force F fric , were revealed by field measurements. A refined three-dimensional finite difference model was developed using the fluid–solid coupling analysis mode to evaluate the tunnel face stability, in which the geometric configurations of box jacking machine and the contact interfaces between different components were considered explicitly. In addition, the differences between driving and stoppage of box jacking machine were also considered. Upon the successful calibration of the numerical model, the transfer mechanism and the face support efficacy of conditioned soil are evaluated. In the end, a parametric study was conducted to discuss the influences of conditioned soil permeability, shear strength and thickness. The results indicate that the permeability of conditioned soil has no significant influence on its mechanical response, and a larger shear strength can obviously enhance the stress level at the lower part of the earth chamber. In addition, a larger thickness of conditioned soil can reduce its transfer coefficient and the fluctuation of earth chamber pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Early prediction and identification of the onset of acute heart failure (AHF) in high-risk patients are of great significance for preemptive treatment and a better prognosis. We sought to find a scoring system to predict the onset of AHF in patients in the acute heart failure unit (AHFU). Methods Data for 433 patients at of AHF in the AHFU were analyzed. We recorded sex, age, history of coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes, and primary percutaneous coronary intervention. We also reviewed temperature, pulse, SpO2, respiratory rate, urine volume, and emotional state every hour before the onset of AHF. All admission and follow-up data were retrieved from hospital charts. Factors were analyzed using a binary logistic regression model to create the SUPER (SpO2, urine volume, pulse, emotional state, and respiratory rate) scoring model. We divided the scoring system into four levels: low-, intermediate-, high-, and extremely high-risk. Patients fitting the four risk levels were followed up for 6 to 24 months. Results SpO2, hourly urine volume, pulse, emotional state and respiratory rates were associated with an independent increased risk for the onset of AHF. The SUPER score for the patients in the AHFU predicted the onset of AHF 3.90 ± 1.94 h (1 -17 h) earlier. The areas under the ROC curve for the SUPER score and the modified early warning score were 0.811 and 0.662 (p < 0.05), indicating that the SUPER score provided a better warning of the AHF. A low-, intermediate-, high-, and very high-risk SUPER predicted the likelihood of AHF at 17.3%, 61.3%, 84.4%, and 94.0%, respectively. The differences in mortality rates between the four levels were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusions In patients at high risk of AHF, the SUPER scoring system could predict the onset of AHF 2 to 6 h earlier. Preemptive treatment according to the SUPER score may prevent or delay AHF occurrence to improve quality of life and reduce mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aerodynamic characteristic of prismatic cylinders is numerically investigated by using finite element method with Spalart–Allmaras turbulence model. The developed model is verified against the available experimental and numerical results for turbulent flow past a square cylinder. The flow behaviors for prismatic cylinders with different section-shapes are compared in terms of instantaneous and time-averaged streamlines. The trends of aerodynamic quantities, including drag and lift forces and Strouhal number with the change of the section-shape are in reasonable agreement with the existing experimental results. The results show that the fluctuating pressure is more sensitive to the change of the afterbody shape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A carbon fiber reinforced adhesive was developed for bonding carbon/carbon composites. The Weibull distribution method was used to analyze the bonding strength data, and the results showed that when the volume fraction of carbon fiber was 6vol.%, the Weibull modulus was 42.9393 and the bonding strength of the adhesive was 11.3763MPa. A model was proposed to explain the reinforcement of carbon fiber, and it was found that the strength of adhesive was a cubic function of the volume fraction of carbon fiber, and the function model was consistent with the Weibull data. We investigated that the carbon fiber could bridge adhesive matrix as a bridging effect for releasing the residual stress and inhibiting the extension of micro-crack. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Large-size carbon/carbon composites (Φ 450× Φ 230×15mm3) have been produced by chemical vapor infiltration with kerosene as precursor. The microstructure of pyrocarbon was examined by polarized light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The infiltration kinetics was analyzed to investigate the infiltration rate limitation by parameters such as temperature. The results show that rough laminar carbon constitutes the majority of the matrix at a medium temperature (about 1100°C), while smooth laminar and isotropic structures occur at temperatures lower than 1000°C and higher than about 1200°C, respectively. The apparent activation energy of kerosene decomposition in the temperature range 900–1200°C is about 125.6kJ/mol. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A short carbon fiber reinforced adhesive for bonding carbon/carbon composites was developed. We found that when the thickness of the bonding layer was 80μm, the concentration of short carbon fiber was 0.2wt.%, and the heat-treatment temperature was 1000°C, the adhesive could operate below 1700°C and endure 20 times of thermal shock circles at 1500°C. Finite element and micrograph analysis indicated that the bonding strength was larger than the interlaminar shear strength of carbon/carbon substrate, so that the fracture did not occur in the bonding layer but the carbon/carbon substrate. Weibull distribution analysis results showed that the Weibull modulus was 21.56 and the bonding strength was 11.43MPa. We investigated that short carbon fiber could advance the tensile strength and thermal shock resistance of the adhesive, release residual stress and inhibit extension of micro-crack in the bonding layer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A gradient self-healing coating consisting of three layers, SiC–B4C/SiC/SiO2, was examined as a multilayer protection for carbon/carbon composites. The inner layer was made of B4C and β-SiC, the middle layer was a SiC based layer, and the outer layer was SiO2 as an airproof layer. Both inner and middle layers were produced to be diphase structure by a pack cementation technique, and the outer airproof layer was prepared by hydrolyzing tetraethylorthosilicate. SEM and EDS investigations showed that the coating had a compositional gradient between B4C and SiC. The coating showed great self-healing properties from 500°C to 1500°C. The weight loss rate of the coated composites was less than 1.3% after 50h at 1500°C, and coating represented excellent thermal shock resistance at 1500°C. The oxidation kinetics of coated carbon/carbon composites showed that the Arrhenius curve consisted of three parts with two broken points at about 700°C and 1100°C, and the three parts corresponded to three different self-healing mechanisms in different temperature regions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]