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After exposure to cold stress, animals enhance the production of beige adipocytes and expedite thermogenesis, leading to improved metabolic health. Although brown adipose tissue in rodents is primarily induced by β3-adrenergic receptor (ADRB3) stimulation, the activation of major β-adrenergic receptors (ADRBs) in pigs has been a topic of debate. To address this, we developed overexpression vectors for ADRB1, ADRB2, and ADRB3 and silenced the expression of these receptors to observe their effects on the adipogenic differentiation stages of porcine preadipocytes. Our investigation revealed that cold stress triggers the transformation of subcutaneous white adipose tissue to beige adipose tissue in pigs by modulating adrenergic receptor levels. Meanwhile, we found that ADRB3 promotes the transformation of white adipocytes into beige adipocytes. Notably, ADRB3 enhances the expression of beige adipose tissue marker genes, consequently influencing cellular respiration and metabolism by regulating lipolysis and mitochondrial expression. Therefore, ADRB3 may serve as a pivotal gene in animal husbandry and contribute to the improvement of cold intolerance in piglets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PVC plastic products are common combustible substances seen in fires, but their thermal degradation behavior under different oxygen concentrations has not been adequately studied. The thermal degradation behavior of PVC materials in atmospheres with different oxygen concentrations was analyzed via thermogravimetric–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TG-FTIR). The TG results show that the thermal degradation process of PVC under a non-oxygenated atmosphere occurred in two stages, and the activation energies of the two stages were 130–175 KJ mol−1 and 230–320 KJ mol−1, respectively; under the oxygenated atmosphere, the thermal degradation process occurred in three stages. The activation energies of the three stages were 130–175 KJ mol−1, 145–510 KJ mol−1 and 75–190 KJ mol−1, respectively. And the reaction mechanism of the second stage of thermal degradation was changed from D-ZLT3 to En by the higher oxygen concentration. Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to analyze the pyrolysis process of PVC in the non-oxygenated atmosphere, and the eight major components were as follows, in descending order according to amount released: C-H stretching > HCl > C-Cl stretching > H2O > CO2 > C-H bending > C-H aliphatic bending > CH2. For the reaction of PVC at an oxygen concentration of 7%, the nine major components, in descending order according to amount released, were as follows: CO2 > HCl > H2O > CO > C-H stretching > C-Cl stretching > C-H aliphatic bending > C-H bending > CH2. For PVC reactions at oxygen concentrations of 14% and 21%, the five major components, in descending order according to amount released, were CO2 > HCl > CO > C-Cl stretching > H2O. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanical properties of laser powder bed fused (LPBFed) Invar 36 alloy have been limited by the presence of manufacturing defects. It is imperative to investigate the influence of these defects on the mechanical behavior of LPBFed Invar 36 alloy. In this study, in-situ X-ray computed tomography (XCT) tests were conducted on LPBFed Invar 36 alloy fabricated at different scanning speeds to examine the relationship between manufacturing defects and mechanical behavior. For LPBFed Invar 36 alloy fabricated at a scanning speed of 400 mm/s, the manufacturing defects were randomly distributed and tended to be elliptical in shape. Plastic deformation behavior was observed, and failure initiated from defects inside the material resulting in ductile failure. Conversely, for LPBFed Invar 36 alloy fabricated at a scanning speed of 1000 mm/s, numerous lamellar defects were observed mainly located between deposition layers, and their quantity was significantly increased. Little plastic deformation behavior was observed, and failure initiated from defects on the shallow surface of the material resulting in brittle failure. The differences in manufacturing defects and mechanical behavior are attributed to changes in input energy during the laser powder bed fusion process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslide identification in alpine and canyon areas is difficult due to the terrain limitations. The main objective of this research was to explore the method of combining small baseline subset interferometric synthetic aperture radar (SBAS-InSAR), multi-temporal optical images and field surveys to identify potential landslides in the human-modified alpine and canyon area of the Niulan River in southwestern China based on terrain visibility analysis. The visibility of the terrain is analyzed using the different incident and heading angles of the Sentinel satellite's ascending and descending orbits. Based on the SAR image data of Sentinel-1A satellites from 2016 to 2019, the SBAS-InSAR method was used to identify landslides, and then multi-temporal optical images were used to facilitate landslide identification. Field surveys were carried out to verify the identification accuracy. A total of 28 landslides were identified, including 13 indicated by SBAS-InSAR, 8 by optical imaging and 7 by field investigation. Many landslides were induced by the impoundment and fluctuation of reservoir water. The comparison and verification of typical landslide monitoring data and reservoir water fluctuations revealed that a sudden drop of reservoir water had a great influence on landslide stability. These research results can facilitate a comprehensive understanding of landslide distribution in the reservoir area and guide the follow-up landslide risk management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Breast cancer is a disease that begins in the cells of the breast. Although it is most common in women, it can also occur in men, though this is rare. Early detection and treatment are crucial to improving outcomes and survival rates. Risk factors include age, family history, certain gene mutations, prior history of breast cancer, exposure to estrogen, and lifestyle habits like alcohol consumption and inactivity. Symptoms include changes in the skin on the breast, such as dimpling, lumps or thickening, changes in size or shape, and discharge from the nipple. Diagnosis is often made through a clinical breast exam, mammogram, biopsy, and possibly additional imaging tests. Treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and targeted therapy. The choice of treatment method depends on the stage and characteristics of cancer. Breast cancer is considered the solid tumor most sensitive to chemotherapy. However, it can become resistant to various chemotherapeutic drugs, including doxorubicin, which triggers cell death by intercalation between DNA bases, free radical formation, and topoisomerase II inhibition. When drug resistance develops, several miRNAs are dysregulated, suggesting that miRNAs may play a significant role in resistance formation. In the current study, we investigated how doxorubicin sensitivity of breast cancer cells is affected by miR-153-3p and its target gene. The MTT method was used to determine the chemo-sensitizing effect of miR-153-3p on doxorubicin in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines. Results of Western blot and dual luciferase confirmed that miR-153-3p targets KIF20A and decreases its expression. Transwell and flow cytometry experiments showed that miR-153-3p and doxorubicin together had higher effects on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, as well as increasing apoptosis and arresting cells in the G1 phase. Proteins related to apoptosis and the cell cycle exhibited the same tendency. Intracellular vesicle formation was inhibited and RAB26 was also downregulated by treatment with miR-153-3p alone or in combination with doxorubicin. Doxorubicin's ability to suppress tumors may be enhanced by miR-153-3p, according to in vivo studies. According to our findings, miR-153-3p has a direct effect on KIF20A and may regulate the formation of intracellular vesicles, which in turn makes breast cancer cells more susceptible to doxorubicin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Thrombocytopenia has long been considered an important complication of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which severely limits the effectiveness of cancer treatment and the overall survival of patients. However, clinical treatment options are extremely limited so far. Ruxolitinib is a potential candidate. Methods: The impact of ruxolitinib on the differentiation and maturation of K562 and Meg-01 cells megakaryocytes (MKs) was examined by flow cytometry, Giemsa and Phalloidin staining. A mouse model of radiation-injured thrombocytopenia (RIT) was employed to evaluate the action of ruxolitinib on thrombocytopoiesis. Network pharmacology, molecular docking, drug affinity responsive target stability assay (DARTS), RNA sequencing, protein blotting and immunofluorescence analysis were applied to explore the targets and mechanisms of action of ruxolitinib. Results: Ruxolitinib can stimulate MK differentiation and maturation in a dose-dependent manner and accelerates recovery of MKs and thrombocytopoiesis in RIT mice. Biological targeting analysis showed that ruxolitinib binds directly to Toll Like Receptor 2 (TLR2) to activate Rac1/cdc42/JNK, and this action was shown to be blocked by C29, a specific inhibitor of TLR2. Conclusions: Ruxolitinib was first identified to facilitate MK differentiation and thrombocytopoiesis, which may alleviate RIT. The potential mechanism of ruxolitinib was to promote MK differentiation via activating the Rac1/cdc42/JNK pathway through binding to TLR2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigated the influence of surface internal energy instability caused by the gravitational tilt angle on solutocapillary convection. The results showed that the spatio-temporal evolution of solutocapillary convection in a non-axisymmetric liquid bridge was divided into three stages under different gravitational tilt angles, "the initiating stage near the upper corner", "development to the intermediate height", and "shrinking toward the bottom corner". The non-equilibrium of the left or right interface curvature caused by internal energy instability promotes the distortion of the cell flow structure. The concentration gradient on the far-earth side increases first, due to the gravitational tilt angle. With the increasing gravitational tilt angle, the lateral extension of the cell flow is inhibited. The transverse/longitudinal velocity components are suppressed; however, the velocity gradient near the boundary is increased, and the uniformity of the velocity distribution in the center of the liquid bridge is improved. The axial component of the Bond number decreases in a small range (Bo′ = 1→0.98) with the internal energy instability, however, which has a significant effect on surface flow. Therefore, in the initiation and development stages of solutocapillary convection, the decay rate of the Marangoni number respectively decreases and increases with the increasing Bond number. The axial component of the Bond number decreases in a small range with the internal energy instability, which has a significant effect on the solute Marangoni number (Mac). In the initiation stage of solutocapillary convection, the decay rate of the Mac decreases with the increasing Bond number. Its change law is the opposite in the development stage of solutocapillary convection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Robotic systems have emerged in dental implant surgery due to their accuracy. Autonomous robotic surgery may offer unprecedented advantages over conventional alternatives. This clinical protocol was used to show the feasibility of autonomous robotic surgery for immediately loaded implant-supported full-arch prostheses in the maxilla. This case report demonstrated the surgical protocol and outcomes in detail, highlighting the pros and cons of the autonomous robotic system. Within the limitations of this study, autonomous robotic surgery could be a feasible alternative to computer-assisted guided implant surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pineapple residue and banana pseudo-stem are waste from agricultural production in tropical zones, and the characteristics of their pyrolysis should be explored for high-value utilization. Kinetics, thermodynamics, reaction mechanism and valorization of bio-char during pyrolysis of these feedstock were conducted in this study. In biomass mainly decomposed at 150–500 °C, there was a significant mass loss peak for banana pseudo-stem at 650 °C. The activation energy range of pineapple residue and banana pseudo-stem, based on a multi-heating rate method, was 159–335 and 169–364 kJ/mol, respectively. Based on the Gaussian multi-peak fitting method, derivative thermogravimetric curves of pineapple residue and banana pseudo-stem were deconvoluted with three or four fitting peaks, based on the key components in biomass. Interaction between intermediates during pyrolysis increased the complexity of kinetic data. The main carbon number of organic volatiles during pyrolysis was C4 and C5 for pineapple residue, and C2 and C3 for banana pseudo-stem. The high content of cellulose and hemicellulose in biomass improved the yield of volatiles. Porous carbon sourced from pineapple residue and banana pseudo-stems had specific capacitance of 375 F/g and 297 F/g at a current density of 0.5 A/g, respectively. This suggested pineapple residue and banana pseudo-stem as a potential feedstock for electrochemical materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune response in plants is tightly regulated by the coordination of the cell surface and intracellular receptors. In animals, the membrane attack complex/perforin-like (MACPF) protein superfamily creates oligomeric pore structures on the cell surface during pathogen infection. However, the function and molecular mechanism of MACPF proteins in plant pathogen responses remain largely unclear. In this study, we identified an Arabidopsis MACP2 and investigated the responsiveness of this protein during both bacterial and fungal pathogens. We suggest that MACP2 induces programmed cell death, bacterial pathogen resistance, and necrotrophic fungal pathogen sensitivity by activating the biosynthesis of tryptophan-derived indole glucosinolates and the salicylic acid signaling pathway dependent on the activity of enhanced disease susceptibility 1 (EDS1). Moreover, the response of MACP2 mRNA isoforms upon pathogen attack is differentially regulated by a posttranscriptional mechanism: alternative splicing. In comparison to previously reported MACPFs in Arabidopsis, MACP2 shares a redundant but nonoverlapping role in plant immunity. Thus, our findings provide novel insights and genetic tools for the MACPF family in maintaining SA accumulation in response to pathogens in Arabidopsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluoride is widely distributed, and excessive intake will lead to dental fluorosis. In this study, six offspring rats administrated 100 mg/L sodium fluoride were defined as the dental fluorosis group, and eight offspring rats who received pure water were defined as the control group. Differentially expressed proteins and metabolites extracted from peripheral blood were identified using the liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and gas chromatography mass spectrometry, with the judgment criteria of fold change >1.2 or <0.83 and p < 0.05. A coexpression enrichment analysis using OmicsBean was conducted on the identified proteins and metabolites, and a false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.05 was considered significant. Human Protein Atlas was used to determine the subcellular distribution of hub proteins. The Gene Cards was used to verify results. A total of 123 up-regulated and 46 down-regulated proteins, and 12 up-regulated and 2 down-regulated metabolites were identified. The significant coexpression pathways were the HIF-1 (FDR = 1.86 × 10−3) and glycolysis/gluconeogenesis (FDR = 1.14 × 10−10). The results of validation analysis showed the proteins related to fluorine were mainly enriched in the cytoplasm and extrinsic component of the cytoplasmic side of the plasma membrane. The HIF-1 pathway (FDR = 1.01 × 10−7) was also identified. Therefore, the HIF-1 and glycolysis/gluconeogenesis pathways were significantly correlated with dental fluorosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The landslide hazard assessment plays a crucial role in landslide risk mitigation and land use planning. The result of landslide hazard assessment corrected by surface deformation, obtained through time-series InSAR, has usually proven to have good application capabilities. However, the issue lies in the uncertainty of InSAR results, where some deformations cannot be calculated, and some are not true deformations. This uncertainty of InSAR results will lead to errors in landslide hazard assessment. Here, we attempt to evaluate landslide hazards by considering combined rainfall and surface deformation. The main objective of this research was to mitigate the impact of bias and explore the accurate landslide hazard assessment method. A total of 201 landslides and 11 geo-environment factors were utilized for landslide susceptibility assessment by support vector machine (SVM) model in Wanzhou District, Three Gorges Reservoir Area (TGRA). The preliminary hazard is obtained by analyzing the statistical data of landslides and rainfall. Based on the SAR image data of Sentinel-1A satellites from September 2019 to October 2021, the SBAS-InSAR method was used to analyze surface deformation. The correlation between surface deformation and rainfall was analyzed, and the deformation factor variables were applied to landslide hazard assessment. The research results demonstrate that the error caused by the uncertainty of InSAR results can be effectively avoided by analyzing the relationship between rainfall and surface deformation. Our results can effectively adjust and correct the hazard results and eliminate the errors in the general hazard assessment. Our proposed method can be used to assess the landslide hazard in more detail and provide a reference for fine risk management and control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacillus cereus is a food-borne pathogen that can produce cereulide in the growth period, which causes food poisoning symptoms. Due to its resistance to heat, extreme pH, and proteolytic enzymes, cereulide poses a serious threat to food safety. Temperature, pH, and aw can influence cereulide production, but there is still a lack of research with multi-environmental impacts. In this study, the effects of temperature (15~45 °C), pH (5~8), and aw (0.945~0.996) on the emetic reference strain B. cereus F4810/72 growth, cereulide production, relevant ces genes (cesA, cesB, cesP), and transcription regulators genes (codY and abrB) expression at transcription level were studied. B. cereus survived for 4~53 h or grew to 6.85~8.15 log10 CFU/mL in environmental combinations. Cereulide accumulation was higher in mid-temperature, acidic, or high aw environments. Increased temperature resulted in a lower cereulide concentration at pH 8 or aw of 0.970. The lowest cereulide concentration was found at pH 6.5 with an increased aw from 0.970 to 0.996. Water activity had a strong effect on transcriptional regulator genes as well as the cesB gene, and temperature was the main effect factor of cesP gene expression. Moreover, environmental factors also impact cereulide synthesis at transcriptional levels thereby altering the cereulide concentrations. The interaction of environmental factors may result in the survival of B. cereus without growth for a period. Gene expression is affected by environmental factors, and temperature and pH may be the main factors influencing the correlation between B. cereus growth and cereulide formation. This study contributed to an initial understanding of the intrinsic link between the impact of environmental factors and cereulide formation and provided valuable information for clarifying the mechanism of cereulide synthesis in combined environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnesium hydride (MgH2) exhibits great potential for hydrogen and lithium storage. In this work, MgH2-based composites with expanded graphite (EG) and TiO2 were prepared by a plasma-assisted milling process to improve the electrochemical performance of MgH2. The resulting MgH2-TiO2-EG composites showed a remarkable increase in the initial discharge capacity and cycling capacity compared with a pure MgH2 electrode and MgH2-EG composite electrodes with different preparation processes. A stable discharge capacity of 305.5 mAh.g-1 could be achieved after 100 cycles for the 20 h-milled MgH2-TiO2-EG-20 h composite electrode and the reversibility of the conversion reaction of MgH2 could be greatly enhanced. This improvement in cyclic performance is attributed mainly to the composite microstructure by the specific plasma-assisted milling process, and the additives TiO2 and graphite that could effectively ease the volume change during the de-/lithiation process as well as inhibit the particle agglomeration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the laser deposition of single crystal and directionally-solidified superalloys, it is desired to form laser deposits with high volume fractions of columnar grains by suppressing the columnar-to-equiaxed transition efficiently. In this paper, the influence of beam profile (circular and square shapes) and cooling conditions (natural cooling and forced cooling) on the geometric morphology and microstructure of deposits were experimentally studied in the laser deposition of a directionally-solidified superalloy, IC10, and the mechanisms of influence were revealed through a numerical simulation of the thermal processes during laser deposition. The results show that wider and thinner deposits were obtained with the square laser beam than those with the circular laser beam, regardless of whether natural or forced cooling conditions was used. The heights and contact angles of deposits were notably increased due to the reduced substrate temperatures by the application of forced cooling for both laser beam profiles. Under natural cooling conditions, columnar grains formed epitaxially at both the center and the edges of the deposits with the square laser beam, but only at the center of the deposits with the circular laser beam; under forced cooling conditions, columnar grains formed at both the center and the edges of deposits regardless of the laser beam profile. The high ratios of thermal gradient and solidification velocity in the height direction of the deposits were favorable to forming deposits with higher volume fractions of columnar grains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The precise characterization of a tight glutenite reservoir's microscopic pore structure is essential for its efficient development. However, it is difficult to accurately evaluate using a single method, and its microscopic heterogeneity is not fully understood. In this study, a combination of X-ray diffraction, casting thin section observations, scanning electron microscopy, high-pressure mercury injection, constant-speed mercury injection, X-ray computed tomography, and the advanced mathematical algorithms in the AVIZO 8.0 visualization software was used to construct the three-dimensional digital core of a glutenite reservoir at the study site, and the parameters of the pore network model were extracted. The overall microscopic pore structure characteristics were quantitatively investigated from multiple scales. Based on this, the mineral quantitative evaluation system (QEMSCAN) examined the microscopic heterogeneity of the glutenite reservoir and its impact on seepage. The results show that the glutenite reservoir in the study block can be classified into three categories based on lithology and capillary pressure curve characteristics. The type I reservoir samples have large and wide pore throats, low threshold pressure, and high reservoir quality; type II reservoir samples are characterized by medium-sized pore throat, medium threshold pressure, and moderate reservoir quality; and the small and narrow pore throat, high threshold pressure, and poor reservoir quality are characteristics of type III reservoir samples. The various pore throat types and mineral distributions are due to the differences in dissolution, compaction, and cementation. The continuous sheet pores have good connectivity, which is related to the interconnection of primary intergranular pores and strip fractures, while the connectivity of isolated pores is significantly poor, which is related to the development of intragranular dissolved pores and intercrystalline pores. This suggests the deterioration of physical properties and pore throat connectivity, reduced average pore radius, and decreased pore sorting as decreasing permeability. The tight glutenite pores range in size from 5 nm to 80 μm and primarily feature Gaussian and bimodal distribution patterns, and submicron–micron pores contribute more to seepage. The effective pores were found to be attributed to the slowing effect of abnormally high pressure on the vertical stress, and the protective effect was positively correlated with the high-pressure strength. Notably, there is strong microscopic heterogeneity in the distribution of the reservoir matrix minerals and the pore throat size. As a result, the injected fluid easily flows along the preferential seepage channel with pore development and connectivity. This study provides new insights into the exploration and development of similar tight reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of the instability of the interface morphology due to mechanical disturbances and acceleration changes (or gravity flutter) on Marangoni convective stability has been confirmed via space experiments. However, compared with the research on Marangoni convection with an axisymmetric liquid bridge, research on the transition and interface flow behavior of Marangoni convection with a non-axisymmetric liquid bridge is not sufficiently deep. Based on the thermal-buoyant capillary convection (TBCC) experiment of the conventional liquid bridge, in this study, the influence of the interfacial energy instability triggered by the gravitational tilt angle (GTA) on the spatiotemporal evolution of the flow pattern and velocity distribution of the thermal-buoyant capillary convection is examined by applying the GTA to form the non-axisymmetric liquid bridge model. The results show that the non-equilibrium change in the interface curvature due to GTA leads to a non-axisymmetric liquid bridge morphology. With increasing GTA, the cell-flow morphology during the development process is restricted, transverse/longitudinal velocity component is suppressed, and velocity peak value position gradually approaches the interface. In the oscillating TBCC stage, the deviation of cell flow vortex cores from the intermediate height intensifies with the increasing GTA, resulting in the expansion of the alternating flow zone in the center. Furthermore, the longitudinal velocity component distribution is transformed into the "two peaks and one valley" morphology ("M"-type) from the original multi-peak morphology. The interfacial energy instability due to the GTA can increase the critical temperature difference of the oscillating TBCC, maintain its stability, and delay the onset of the oscillating flow. Simultaneously, the oscillation frequency of the oscillating TBCC is reduced and the development of the oscillating TBCC is suppressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Platelets are the second most abundant blood component after red blood cells and can participate in a variety of physiological and pathological functions. Beyond its traditional role in hemostasis and thrombosis, it also plays an indispensable role in inflammatory diseases. However, thrombocytopenia is a common hematologic problem in the clinic, and it presents a proportional relationship with the fatality of many diseases. Therefore, the prevention and treatment of thrombocytopenia is of great importance. The expression of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) is one of the most relevant characteristics of thrombopoiesis and the platelet inflammatory function. We know that the TLR family is found on the surface or inside almost all cells, where they perform many immune functions. Of those, TLR2 and TLR4 are the main stress-inducing members and play an integral role in inflammatory diseases and platelet production and function. Therefore, the aim of this review is to present and discuss the relationship between platelets, inflammation and the TLR family and extend recent research on the influence of the TLR2 and TLR4 pathways and the regulation of platelet production and function. Reviewing the interaction between TLRs and platelets in inflammation may be a research direction or program for the treatment of thrombocytopenia-related and inflammatory-related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a novel piezoelectric energy harvester (PEH) based on the array composite spherical particle chain was constructed and explored in detail through simulation and experimental verification. The power test of the PEH based on array composite particle chains in the self-powered system was realized. Firstly, the model of PEH based on the composite spherical particle chain was constructed to theoretically realize the collection, transformation, and storage of impact energy, and the advantages of a composite particle chain in the field of piezoelectric energy harvesting were verified. Secondly, an experimental system was established to test the performance of the PEH, including the stability of the system under a continuous impact load, the power adjustment under different resistances, and the influence of the number of particle chains on the energy harvesting efficiency. Finally, a self-powered supply system was established with the PEH composed of three composite particle chains to realize the power supply of the microelectronic components. This paper presents a method of collecting impact energy based on particle chain structure, and lays an experimental foundation for the application of a composite particle chain in the field of piezoelectric energy harvesting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Applications of silica aerogel are limited due to its brittleness and low strength. As a result, it is essential to strengthen and toughen it. Organic nanofibers are one of the preferred reinforcement materials. In this work, we designed and fabricated flexible and compressible nanostructure-assembled aramid nanofiber/silica composites aerogel (ANF/SiO2 aerogel) to improve the mechanical strength and flexibility of silica aerogel without compromising thermal insulation properties. The aramid nanofiber/silica composite aerogels were prepared by immersing the aramid nanofiber wet gel into the silica sol for a certain period of time followed by freeze drying without solvent replacement. The surface modifier 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) was used as a coupling agent to form chemical linkage between the ANF fiber and silica gel. It was observed that APTES can effectively drive the silica sol to infuse into ANF hydrogel, promoting the assembly of silica gel onto the fiber surface and a uniform distribution in the network of ANF. The compressive resilience, thermal stability, and thermal insulation properties of the composite aerogels were evaluated by inducing the silica aerogel into the ANF network to form a protective layer on the fiber and change the pore structure in the ANF network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a method for designing a 77 GHz series-fed patch array antenna. Based on the traditional genetic algorithm, the study explores different array topologies consisting of the same microstrip patches to optimize the design. The main optimization goal is to reduce the maximum sidelobe level (SLL). A 77 GHz series-fed patch array antenna for automotive radar was simulated, fabricated, and measured by employing this method. The antenna length was limited to no longer than 3 cm, and the array only had a single compact series with the radiation patch about 1.54 mm wide. In the genetic algorithm used for optimization, the maximum sidelobe level was set equal to or less than −14 dB. The measurement results show that the gain of the proposed antenna was about 15.6 dBi, E-plane half-power beamwidth was about ±3.8°, maximum sidelobe level was about −14.8 dB, and H-plane half-power beamwidth was about ±30° at 77 GHz. The electromagnetic simulation and the measurement results show that the 77 GHz antenna designed with the proposed method has a better sidelobe suppression by over 4 dB than the traditional one of the same length in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we report the fabrication of glass-clad BaO-TiO2-SiO2 (BTS) glass–ceramic fibers by powder-in-tube reactive molten-core drawing and successive isothermal heat treatment. Upon drawing, the inserted raw powder materials in the fused silica tubing melt and react with the fused silica tubing (housing tubing) via dissolution and diffusion interactions. During the drawing process, the fused silica tubing not only serves as a reactive crucible, but also as a fiber cladding layer. The formation of the BTS glass–ceramic structure in the core was verified by micro-Raman spectroscopy after the successive isothermal heat treatment. Second-harmonic generation and blue-white photoluminescence were observed in the fiber using 1064 nm and 266 nm picosecond laser irradiation, respectively. Therefore, the BTS glass–ceramic fiber is a promising candidate for all fiber based second-order nonlinear and photoluminescence applications. Moreover, the powder-in-tube reactive molten core method offers a more efficient and intrinsic contamination-free approach to fabricate glass–ceramic fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the impact of pulsed electric fields (PEFs) combined with three-phase partitioning (TPP) extraction methods on the physicochemical properties, functional properties, and structural characterization of the soluble dietary fiber (SDF) derived from peanut shells (PS). The findings of this study indicated that the application of a PEF-TPP treatment leads to a notable improvement in both the extraction yield and purity of SDF. Consequently, the PEF-TPP treatment resulted in the formation of more intricate and permeable structures, a decrease in molecular weight, and an increase in thermal stability compared to SDFs without TPP treatment. An analysis revealed that the PEF-TPP method resulted in an increase in the levels of arabinose and galacturonic acid, leading to enhanced antioxidant capacities. Specifically, the IC50 values were lower in SDFs which underwent PEF-TPP (4.42 for DPPH and 5.07 mg/mL for ABTS) compared to those precipitated with 40% alcohol (5.54 mg/mL for DPPH, 5.56 mg/mL for ABTS) and PEF75 (6.60 mg/mL for DPPH, 7.61 mg/mL for ABTS), respectively. Notably, the SDFs which underwent PEF-TPP demonstrated the highest water- and oil-holding capacity, swelling capacity, emulsifying activity, emulsion stability, glucose adsorption, pancreatic lipase inhibition, cholesterol adsorption, nitric ion adsorption capacity, and the least gelation concentration. Based on the synthesis scores obtained through PCA (0.536 > −0.030 > −0.33), which indicated that SDFs which underwent PEF-TPP exhibited the highest level of quality, the findings indicate that PEF-TPP exhibits potential and promise as a method for preparing SDFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to construct a refined microscopic transport model that elucidates the transport mechanisms of gas flow within micro-nano pores and fractures. The collective impact of various microscopic transport mechanisms was explained through the apparent permeability model, specifically related to gases such as methane and carbon dioxide, within the shale matrix. The apparent permeability models, taking into account microscopic transport mechanisms such as slippage flow, Knudsen diffusion, transition flow, and surface diffusion, were established individually. Subsequently, the influencing factors on apparent permeability were analyzed. The results demonstrate that the apparent permeability of the shale reservoir matrix is significantly influenced by pore pressure, temperature, pore size, and total organic carbon (TOC). As pressure decreases, the apparent permeability of Knudsen diffusion and surface diffusion increases, while the apparent permeability of slippage flow decreases. In addition, the apparent permeability of the reservoir matrix initially decreases and then increases. With increasing temperature, the apparent permeability of slippage flow, Knudsen diffusion, and surface diffusion all increase, as does the apparent permeability of the reservoir matrix. As pore size increases, the apparent permeability of surface diffusion and Knudsen diffusion decreases, while the apparent permeability of slippage flow and the reservoir matrix increases. Furthermore, an increase in TOC leads to no change in the apparent permeability of slippage flow and Knudsen diffusion, but an increase in the apparent permeability of surface diffusion and the reservoir matrix. The model presented in this paper enhances the multi-scale characterization of gas microflow mechanisms in shale and establishes the macroscopic application of these micro-mechanisms. Moreover, this study provides a theoretical foundation for the implementation of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) in shale gas production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Readily available temperature sensing in boilers is necessary to improve efficiencies, minimize downtime, and reduce toxic emissions for a power plant. The current techniques are typically deployed as a single-point measurement and are primarily used for detection and prevention of catastrophic events due to the harsh environment. In this work, a multi-point temperature sensor based on wavelength-multiplexed sapphire fiber Bragg gratings (SFBGs) were fabricated via the point-by-point method with a femtosecond laser. The sensor was packaged and calibrated in the lab, including thermally equilibrating at 1200 °C, followed by a 110-h, 1000 °C stability test. After laboratory testing, the sensor system was deployed in both a commercial coal-fired and a gas-fired boiler for 42 days and 48 days, respectively. The performance of the sensor was consistent during the entire test duration, over the course of which it measured temperatures up to 950 °C (with some excursions over 1000 °C), showing the survivability of the sensor in a field environment. The sensor has a demonstrated measurement range from room temperature to 1200 °C, but the maximum temperature limit is expected to be up to 1900 °C, based on previous work with other sapphire based temperature sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (LNMO) spinel has been extensively investigated as one of the most promising high-voltage cathode candidates for lithium-ion batteries. The electrochemical performance of LNMO, especially its rate performance, seems to be governed by its crystallographic structure, which is strongly influenced by the preparation methods. Conventionally, LNMO materials are prepared via solid-state reactions, which typically lead to microscaled particles with only limited control over the particle size and morphology. In this work, we prepared Ni-doped LiMn2O4 (LMO) spinel via the polyol method. The cycling stability and rate capability of the synthesized material are found to be comparable to the ones reported in literature. Furthermore, its electronic charge transport properties were investigated by local electrical transport measurements on individual particles by means of a nanorobotics setup in a scanning electron microscope, as well as by performing DFT calculations. We found that the scarcity of Mn3+ in the LNMO leads to a significant decrease in electronic conductivity as compared to undoped LMO, which had no obvious effect on the rate capability of the two materials. Our results suggest that the rate capability of LNMO and LMO materials is not limited by the electronic conductivity of the fully lithiated materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem: Does the presence of hydrothorax suggest that severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is associated with more severe conditions and worse pregnancy outcomes? Method of study: The clinical data for 868 hospital patients with severe OHSS following IVF-ET at Peking University Third Hospital between 1 January 2016 and 21 July 2021 were retrospectively analysed. The patients were divided into two groups, the ascites alone group (n = 417) and the ascites combined with hydrothorax group (n = 451), to investigate the clinical features and pregnancy outcomes of patients with severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) combined with hydrothorax plus ascites. Results: The clinical data for 868 hospital patients with severe OHSS following IVF-ET were included. A total of 51.96% of patients with severe OHSS had hydrothorax plus ascites, mainly bilateral and moderate hydrothorax. Most cases with hydrothorax could be monitored and observed, and only 2.66% of the cases required thoracentesis and pleural drainage. Clinically, the time to visit due to worsening symptoms was longer; the hospital stay was shorter; and the OHSS-related laboratory tests, such as white blood cells (WBC), haematocrit (HCT), and ovarian diameter, were less severe in the ascites combined with hydrothorax group than in the ascites alone group. For live-birth outcomes of IVF-ET, the presence and the volume of hydrothorax were not independent risk factors, while the late onset of OHSS (odds ratio [OR]: 0.857 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.795, 0.925) and a history of foetal reduction (OR: 13.796 95% CI: 1.808, 105.288) were independent protective factors for live birth. Conclusions: Patients with severe OHSS combined with hydrothorax plus ascites have less severe clinical manifestations and laboratory tests than those with ascites alone. The presence and the volume of hydrothorax are unrelated to live-birth outcomes following in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In vitro maturation (IVM) is indicated in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) who have a very good ovarian response during in vitro fertilization (IVF) and are therefore at high risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). According to the latest practice committee document, IVM could be a major advance in assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures (reduced cost and simplified treatment); nevertheless, retrospective studies of IVM versus IVF still demonstrate lower chances of a live birth with IVM. Could IVM prove to be an optimal first-line treatment approach? And limited information is available concerning the success of the subsequent IVF cycle after the failure of an IVM cycle. Does IVM treatment adversely affect the subsequent IVF cycle, and is this worth considering before performing the IVF cycle for women with PCOS? Methods: This prospective nested case–control study at the Peking University Reproductive Medicine center in China was performed between March 2018 and September 2020. Women aged 20–38 years with PCOS and infertility and who were scheduled for their first IVF attempt were eligible. A total of 351 women were randomly allocated to receive one cycle of unstimulated natural IVM (n = 175) or one cycle of standard IVF with a flexible GnRH antagonist protocol followed by hCG as an ovulation trigger (n = 176). This study involved 234 women (58 women with no blastocysts in the first IVM cycle and 158 women who underwent the first IVF cycle). Cumulative live birth rate at 12 months after oocyte retrieval and OHSS of a standard controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) IVF cycle were compared between 58 women in an IVF cycle following a failed IVM cycle and 158 women who underwent the first IVF cycle. Results: No significant differences were found in the cumulative live birth rate (CLBR), ongoing pregnancy rate, or clinical pregnancy rate at 12 months after oocyte retrieval between the two groups (56.9% vs. 58.9%, p = 0.795; 58.6% vs. 60.8%, p = 0.776; and 84.5% vs. 76.0%, p = 0.178). The incidence of moderate-to-severe OHSS was not significantly different between the groups (6.9% vs. 5.7%, p = 0.742). Additionally, there were no significant differences in the total gonadotropin dose, stimulation duration, number of retrieved oocytes, number of retrieved mature oocytes, or fertilization rates. Conclusions: Even if the first IVM attempt failed in subfertile women with PCOS, comparable cumulative live birth rates were observed in the subsequent IVF cycle. IVM treatment does not adversely affect the subsequent IVF cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, which are compounded by drug resistance. By manipulating the coagulation system, S. aureus gains a significant advantage over host defense mechanisms, with hypercoagulation induced by S. aureus potentially aggravating infectious diseases. Recently, we and other researchers identified that a higher level of LL-37, one endogenous antimicrobial peptide with a significant killing effect on S. aureus infection, resulted in thrombosis formation through the induction of platelet activation and potentiation of the coagulation factor enzymatic activity. In the current study, we identified a novel antimicrobial peptide (RK22) from the salivary gland transcriptome of Hirudinaria manillensis (H. manillensis) through bioinformatic analysis, and then synthesized it, which exhibited good antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, including a clinically resistant strain with a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 6.25 μg/mL. The RK22 peptide rapidly killed S. aureus by inhibiting biofilm formation and promoting biofilm eradication, with good plasma stability, negligible cytotoxicity, minimal hemolytic activity, and no significant promotion of the coagulation system. Notably, administration of RK22 significantly inhibited S. aureus infection and the clinically resistant strain in vivo. Thus, these findings highlight the potential of RK22 as an ideal treatment candidate against S. aureus infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When Poecilobdella manillensis attacks its prey, the prey bleeds profusely but feels little pain. We and other research teams have identified several anticoagulant molecules in the saliva of P. manillensis, but the substance that produces the paralyzing effect in P. manillensis is not known. In this study, we successfully isolated, purified, and identified a serine protease inhibitor containing an antistasin-like domain from the salivary secretions of P. manillensis. This peptide (named poeciguamerin) significantly inhibited elastase activity and slightly inhibited FXIIa and kallikrein activity, but had no effect on FXa, trypsin, or thrombin activity. Furthermore, poeciguamerin exhibited analgesic activity in the foot-licking and tail-withdrawal mouse models and anticoagulant activity in the FeCl3-induced carotid artery thrombosis mouse model. In this study, poeciguamerin was found to be a promising elastase inhibitor with potent analgesic and antithrombotic activity for the inhibition of pain and thrombosis after surgery or in inflammatory conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stubble after cotton harvesting was used as the detection object to achieve the visual navigation operation for residual film recovery after autumn. An improved (You Only Look Once v3) YOLOv3-based target detection algorithm was proposed to detect cotton stubble. First, field images of residual film recycling were collected. Considering the inconsistency between stubble size and shape, a segmented labeling data set of stubble is proposed. Secondly, the Darknet-53 backbone of the original YOLOv3 network is improved to accommodate tiny targets. Next, the prediction anchor box of the improved detection backbone is clustered using K-means++, and the size of the prediction anchor box suitable for improved YOLOv3 is determined. Finally, for the false detection points after detection, a mean value denoising method is used to remove the false detection points. Feature points are extracted from the denoised stubble, and the candidate points are fitted by the least square method to obtain the navigation line. The optimal model with a mean average precision (mAP) of 0.925 is selected for testing at the test stage. The test results show that the algorithm in this article can detect the stubble of residual film recovery images at different locations, different time periods, and different camera depression angles without misdetection. The detection speed of a single image is 98.6 ms. Based on an improvement over YOLOv3, the improved model has a significantly higher detection rate in different scenarios than YOLOv3. This can provide practical technical support for the visual navigation of residual film recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RecA family recombinases are the core enzymes in the process of homologous recombination, and their normal operation ensures the stability of the genome and the healthy development of organisms. The UvsX protein from bacteriophage T4 is a member of the RecA family recombinases and plays a central role in T4 phage DNA repair and replication, which provides an important model for the biochemistry and genetics of DNA metabolism. UvsX shares a high degree of structural similarity and function with RecA, which is the most deeply studied member of the RecA family. However, the detailed molecular mechanism of UvsX has not been resolved. In this study, a comprehensive all-atom molecular dynamics simulation of the UvsX protein dimer complex was carried out in order to investigate the conformational and binding properties of UvsX in combination with ATP and DNA, and the simulation of RecA was synchronized with the property comparison learning for UvsX. This study confirmed the highly conserved molecular structure characteristics and catalytic centers of RecA and UvsX, and also discovered differences in regional conformation, volatility and the ability to bind DNA between the two proteins at different temperatures, which would be helpful for the subsequent understanding and application of related recombinases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: With the change in meat sheep breeding from traditional farming to large-scale, intensified modern breeding practices, the environmental air quality in sheep barns has gradually started to receive more attention. CO2 concentration is an important environmental indicator in the ambient air of sheep sheds; when excess CO2 accumulates, it can lead to chronic hypoxia, lethargy, loss of appetite, weakness, and stress in sheep, which seriously endangers their healthy growth. Therefore, an accurate understanding of the trend of CO2 concentration changes in sheep housing and the precise regulation of their breeding environment are essential to ensure the welfare of sheep. Inspired by developments in deep learning technology in recent years, we propose a method to predict CO2 mass concentration in sheep barns based on the RF-PSO-LSTM model. The experimental results show that our proposed model has a root mean square error (RMSE) of 75.422 μg·m−3, a mean absolute error (MAE) of 51.839 μg·m−3, and a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.992. The data predicted by the model are similar to the real data of a sheep barn; in fact, the prediction is better. Our proposed method can provide a reference for the prediction and regulation of ambient air quality in meat sheep barns. In large-scale meat sheep farming, high CO2 concentrations in sheep sheds can lead to stress and harm the healthy growth of meat sheep, so a timely and accurate understanding of the trend of CO2 concentration and early regulation are essential to ensure the environmental safety of sheep sheds and the welfare of meat sheep. In order to accurately understand and regulate CO2 concentrations in sheep barns, we propose a prediction method based on the RF-PSO-LSTM model. The approach we propose has four main parts. First, to address the problems of data packet loss, distortion, singular values, and differences in the magnitude of the ambient air quality data collected from sheep sheds, we performed data preprocessing using mean smoothing, linear interpolation, and data normalization. Second, to address the problems of many types of ambient air quality parameters in sheep barns and possible redundancy or overlapping information, we used a random forests algorithm (RF) to screen and rank the features affecting CO2 mass concentration and selected the top four features (light intensity, air relative humidity, air temperature, and PM2.5 mass concentration) as the input of the model to eliminate redundant information among the variables. Then, to address the problem of manually debugging the hyperparameters of the long short-term memory model (LSTM), which is time consuming and labor intensive, as well as potentially subjective, we used a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to obtain the optimal combination of parameters, avoiding the disadvantages of selecting hyperparameters based on subjective experience. Finally, we trained the LSTM model using the optimized parameters obtained by the PSO algorithm to obtain the proposed model in this paper. The experimental results show that our proposed model has a root mean square error (RMSE) of 75.422 μg·m−3, a mean absolute error (MAE) of 51.839 μg·m−3, and a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.992. The model prediction curve is close to the real curve and has a good prediction effect, which can be useful for the accurate prediction and regulation of CO2 concentration in sheep barns in large-scale meat sheep farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: According to the latest practice committee document, in vitro maturation (IVM) is a simple and safe procedure, especially in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Does switching from in vitro fertilization (IVF) to IVM (IVF/M) help as a rescue infertility treatment for PCOS patients with an unexpected poor ovarian response (UPOR) tendency? Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 531 women with PCOS who had undergone 588 natural IVM cycles or had switched to IVF/M cycles from 2008 to 2017. Natural IVM was performed in 377 cycles, and switching IVF/M was performed in 211 cycles. The primary outcome measure was the cumulative live birth rates (cLBRs), and the secondary outcomes included laboratory and clinical outcomes, maternal safety, and obstetric and perinatal complications. Results: No significant difference was found in the cLBRs between the natural IVM and switching IVF/M groups (23.6% vs. 17.4%, p = 0.05). Meanwhile, the natural IVM group had a higher cumulative clinical pregnancy rate (36.0% vs. 26.0%, p = 0.01), and a decrease in the number of oocytes was obtained in the switching IVF/M group (13.5 vs. 12.0, p < 0.01). The number of good quality embryos in the natural IVM group was 2.2 ± 2.5, and 2.1 ± 2.3 (p = 0.64) in the switching IVF/M group. No statistically significant differences were observed in the number of 2 pronuclear (2PN) and available embryos. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) did not occur in the switching IVF/M and natural IVM groups, indicating a highly favorable outcome. Conclusion: In PCOS infertile women with UPOR, timely switching IVF/M is a viable option that markedly reduces the canceled cycle, results in reasonable oocyte retrieval, and leads to live births. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The timely and accurate detection of ewe estrus behavior in precision animal husbandry is an important research topic. The timely detection of estrus ewes in mutton sheep breeding can not only protect the welfare of ewes themselves, but also improve the interests of breeding enterprises. With the continuous increase in the scale of mutton sheep breeding and the gradual intensification of breeding methods, the traditional manual detection methods require high labor intensity, and the contact sensor detection methods will cause stress reaction problems in ewes. In recent years, the rapid development of deep learning technology has brought on new possibilities. We propose a method for the recognition ewe estrus based on a multi-target detection layer neural network. The results show that the method can meet the requirements of timely and accurate detection of ewe estrus behavior in large-scale mutton sheep breeding. There are some problems with estrus detection in ewes in large-scale meat sheep farming: mainly, the manual detection method is labor-intensive and the contact sensor detection method causes stress reactions in ewes. To solve the abovementioned problems, we proposed a multi-objective detection layer neural network-based method for ewe estrus crawling behavior recognition. The approach we proposed has four main parts. Firstly, to address the problem of mismatch between our constructed ewe estrus dataset and the YOLO v3 anchor box size, we propose to obtain a new anchor box size by clustering the ewe estrus dataset using the K-means++ algorithm. Secondly, to address the problem of low model recognition precision caused by small imaging of distant ewes in the dataset, we added a 104 × 104 target detection layer, making the total target detection layer reach four layers, strengthening the model's ability to learn shallow information and improving the model's ability to detect small targets. Then, we added residual units to the residual structure of the model, so that the deep feature information of the model is not easily lost and further fused with the shallow feature information to speed up the training of the model. Finally, we maintain the aspect ratio of the images in the data-loading module of the model to reduce the distortion of the image information and increase the precision of the model. The experimental results show that our proposed model has 98.56% recognition precision, while recall was 98.04%, F1 value was 98%, mAP was 99.78%, FPS was 41 f/s, and model size was 276 M, which can meet the accurate and real-time recognition of ewe estrus behavior in large-scale meat sheep farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microwave irradiation is a new means of non-toxic, residue-free, and green soil disinfection that prevents and controls soil diseases, insects, and weeds and helps to improve crop quality and yield. Soil microorganisms, as an important part of the ecosystem, are closely related to crop growth and health. To investigate the changes of soil physicochemical properties and microbial communities during microwave soil disinfection for different time periods, phaeozems from northeastern China were selected for microwave treatment at 3, 6, 9, and 12 min, and their physicochemical properties were measured after 30 days of incubation. The test soils (0–20 cm) after 30 days of incubation were used, and high-throughput sequencing was performed to detect changes in their soil microbial structure under different microwave time treatments. Microwave treatment had significant effects on soil pH, nitrate (NO3--N), ammonium (NH4+-N), and available phosphorus (AP) content. As shown by the Shannon, Chao, and Ace indices, microwave treatment at 3 min had the lowest effect on bacterial diversity compared to the control treatment (CK). Shannon index decreased by 9.92%, 24.56%, 34.37%, and 38.43% after 3, 6, 9, and 12 min microwave treatments, respectively; Chao index decreased by 7.69%, 18.13%, 32.21%, and 57.91%, respectively; Ace index decreased by 6.40%, 6.98%, 20.89%, and 52.07%, respectively. The relative abundance of beneficial soil microorganisms Micromonospora, Fictibacillus, Paenibacillus, and Bacillus (Firmicutes) increased significantly compared to CK. The results indicated that although the microwave treatment altered the soil microbial community, beneficial soil microorganisms showed faster recovery. In addition, pH, soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen ratio (C/N), soil-available phosphorus (AP), and NO3--N were important factors affecting bacterial community diversity and composition following microwave treatment, and bacterial community composition was driven by soil chemical properties such as soil pH, SOC, C/N, and NO3--N. Microwave treatments at different time periods affected soil microbial community structure to different degrees, and soil bacteria of copiotrophic taxa (e.g., Firmicutes) were relatively higher than the control. Overall, microwave treatment from 3–6 min may be more suitable for soil disinfection. The study of the effect of microwave on soil physicochemical properties and bacterial microbial community not only provides some scientific reference for the rational application of microwave soil disinfection, but also has positive significance for soil-borne disease control and crop quality improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of high expression of FBLN5 on the prognosis of gastric cancer (GC) patients. FBLN5, as a member of the fibrin family, regulates important biological processes related to cancer occurrence and development and has been proven to play an important role in a variety of cancers. However, the roles of FBLN5 in GC have not been studied to date. Therefore, we preliminarily explored the influence of FBLN5 on the progression of GC by combining biological information analysis technology and basic experiments and confirmed that FBLN5 has good application value in evaluating the prognosis of GC patients, thereby providing a reference for later in-depth study of FBLN5. Abnormal FBLN5 expression levels are related to various cancer types. This study is the first to explore its clinical and biological significances in gastric cancer (GC). We used The Cancer Genome Atlas-GC (TCGA-GC) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases to identify the differential expression of FBLN5, and its association with clinical pathological characteristics was analyzed. A Kaplan–Meier plotter was used to calculate the impact of FBLN5 on GC patient prognosis, and the biological functions of FBLN5 were analyzed. In addition, we constructed a GC tissue microarray, and performed an immunohistochemical staining of FBLN5 to verify our findings. Western blotting was conducted simultaneously to confirm that FBLN5 was overexpressed in GC. We found that the high level of FBLN5 mRNA in GC was associated with a poor prognosis. High FBLN5 expression levels were significantly correlated with INFc and N3 lymph node metastasis. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that FBLN5 expression levels and lymph node metastasis rate were independent risk factors related to GC patient prognosis, which can be combined to construct a nomogram to serve patients. Therefore, we believe that FBLN5 is significantly related to the poor prognosis of GC patients. FBLN5 is a valuable prognostic indicator to evaluate the prognosis of GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a complex immune-mediated inflammatory disease. In recent years, the incidence of UC has increased rapidly, however, its exact etiology and mechanism are still unclear. Based on the definite anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities of Sanguisorba officinalis L., we studied its monomer, methyl gallate (MG). In this study, we employed flow cytometry and detected nitric oxide production, finding MG regulated macrophage polarization and inhibited the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in vitro. MG also exhibited anti-inflammatory activity accompanying with ameliorating body weight loss, improving colon length and histological damage in dextran sulfate sodium-induced UC mice. Meanwhile, transcription sequencing and 16S rRNA sequencing analyzed the key signaling pathways and changes in the gut microbiota of MG for UC treatment, proving that MG could alleviate inflammation by regulating the TLR4/NF-κB pathway in vivo and in vitro. Additionally, MG altered the diversity and composition of the gut microbiota and changed the abundance of metabolic products. In conclusion, our results are the first to demonstrate that MG has obvious therapeutic effects against acute UC, which is related to macrophage polarization, improved intestinal flora dysbiosis and inhibition of TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway, and MG may be a promising therapeutic agent for UC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To observe the therapeutic effect of low-temperature plasma ablation in treating patients with recurrent corneal erosions (RCEs). Materials and Methods: From 2020 to 2022, 35 participants with unilateral RCEs voluntarily enrolled. Here, 35 eyes of 35 patients were treated with low-temperature plasma ablation (coblation). All surgeries were performed by the same doctor (X.H.). The coblation went back and forth over the entire erosion area around five times for about five minutes. After the operation, patients were scheduled for follow-up visits at the outpatient clinic after 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months, and at the end of the trial. During every visit, each patient underwent an evaluation of their ocular symptoms utilizing the following: pain score, intraocular pressure, slit lamp biomicroscopic examination, dry eye analysis, corneal topography, and corneal in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM). Results: The mean follow-up time was 12.4 ± 6.1 months, ranging from 6 to 29 months. Of the 35 patients who had low-temperature plasma ablation, 32 eyes (91.43%) were completely symptom-free and three (8.57%) eyes had repeated episodes of recurrent corneal erosions after the surgery, at 3, 10, and 12 months, respectively. The typical RCE morphologic abnormalities observed in IVCM included the deformation and relaxation of the corneal epithelium, disorganized stromal fibers, reduced nerve fiber density, and disordered organization. After low-temperature plasma ablation, the loose cysts disappeared, and the epithelium became solid and tight. There was no obvious difference in the intraocular pressure (p = 0.090) or corneal astigmatism (p = 0.175) before and after treatment. The mean pain score decreased significantly, with a preoperative score of 7.7 ± 2.4 and postoperative score of 1.1 ± 1.8 (p < 0.001). The mean corneal thickness decreased from 562.6 ± 42.2 mm to 549.6 ± 26.9 mm (p = 0.031). The mean non-invasive keratograph tear meniscus height (NIKTMH) decreased from 0.210 ± 0.054 mm to 0.208 ± 0.045 mm (p = 0.001), and the mean TBUT decreased from 6.191 ± 2.811 s to 5.815 ± 2.802 s (p < 0.001), which manifested as a slight worsening of dry eyes. In one case, the patient's corneal astigmatism became more severe, which may be related to the high instantaneous energy when the operation did not flush in a timely manner, and it was recovered after 6 months. Conclusions: Low-temperature plasma ablation is an effective and safe procedure to treat patients with recurrent corneal erosions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High cut-slopes are widespread in engineering constructions and often converted into landslides. Some extreme circumstances facilitate the landslide process, such as the weak bedding plane, rainfall, and faults. Therefore, this paper intends to offer insights into the influence of the weak bedding plane, extreme rainfall as well as faults on the landslide process of the high cut-slope. In this paper, the Anling landslide in Anhui Province, China, is selected as an example. Geological surveys, displacement monitoring, data analysis, as well as numerical simulation are carried out. The entire excavation construction and landslide deformation process are simulated to reveal the formation mechanism of the landslide using the finite difference code, FLAC3D. The effects of the fault on the landslide and the effectiveness of adjusting protection measures by adding piles are investigated on the basis of the finite difference analysis. According to monitoring data and numerical simulation, the weak bedding plane and extreme rainfall are considered the main factors leading to the Anling landslide. Field investigation and numerical experiments indicate that the fault shall facilitate and accelerate the landslide process. The construction of piles in a suitable position for the landslide is a reasonable and economical measure to stabilize the landslide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A third-order aberration theory has been developed for the Offner imaging spectrometer comprising an extended source; two concave mirrors; a convex diffraction grating; and an image plane. Analytic formulas of the spot diagram are derived for tracing rays through the system based on Fermat's principle. The proposed theory can be used to discuss in detail individual aberrations of the system such as coma, spherical aberration and astigmatism, and distortion together with the focal conditions. It has been critically evaluated as well in a comparison with exact ray tracing constructed using the commercial software ZEMAX. In regard to the analytic formulas, the results show a high degree of practicality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equipped with staggered gap p-n heterojunctions, a new paradigm of photocatalysts based on hierarchically structured nano-match-shaped heterojunctions (NMSHs) Cu2S quantum dots (QDs)@ZnO nanoneedles (NNs) are successfully developed via engineering the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR). Under UV and visible light illumination, the photocatalytic characteristics of Cu2S@ZnO heterojunctions with different loading amounts of Cu2S QDs are evaluated by the corresponding photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) aqueous solution. The results elaborate that the optimized samples (S3 serial specimens with six cycles of SILAR reaction) by means of tailored the band diagram exhibit appreciable improvement of photocatalytic activities among all synthesized samples, attributing to the sensitization of a proper amount of Cu2S QDs. Such developed architecture not only could form p–n junctions with ZnO nanoneedles to facilitate the separation of photo-generated carries but also interact with the surface defects of ZnO NNs to reduce the electron and hole recombination probability. Moreover, the existence of Cu2S QDs could also extend the light absorption to improve the utilization rate of sunlight. Importantly, under UV light S3 samples demonstrate the remarkably enhanced RhB degradation efficiency, which is clearly testified upon the charge transfer mechanism discussions and evaluations in the present work. Further supplementary investigations illustrate that the developed nanoscale Cu2S@ZnO heterostructures also possess an excellent photo-stability during our extensive recycling photocatalytic experiments, promising for a wide range of highly efficient and sustainably recyclable photocatalysts applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phages, the parasites of bacteria, are considered as a new kind of antimicrobial agent due to their ability to lyse pathogenic bacteria. Due to the increase of available phage isolates, the newly isolated phage showed increasing genomic similarities with previously isolated phages. In this study, the novel phage vB_BthS_BMBphi, infecting the Bacillus thuringiensis strain BMB171, is isolated and characterized together with its endolysin. This phage is the first tadpole-like phage infecting the Bacillus strains. Genomic analysis shows that the phage genome is dissimilar to all those of previously characterized phages, only exhibiting low similarities with partial regions of the B. thuringiensis prophages. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the phage was distant from the other Bacillus phages in terms of evolution. The novel genome sequence, the distant evolutionary relationship, and the special virion morphology together suggest that the phage vB_BthS_BMBphi could be classified as a new phage lineage. The genome of the phage is found to contain a restriction modification system, which might endow the phage with immunity to the restriction modification system of the host bacterium. The function of the endolysin PlyBMB encoded by the phage vB_BthS_BMBphi was analyzed, and the endolysin could lyse all the tested Bacillus cereus group strains, suggesting that the endolysin might be used in controlling pathogenic B. cereus group strains. The findings of this study enrich the understanding of phage diversity and provide a resource for controlling the B. cereus group pathogenic bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the efficacy of intense pulsed light (IPL) combined with deproteinized calf blood extract (DCBE) eye drops for dry eye disease (DED) patients with nociceptive ocular pain. Methods: In this prospective, one-center, interventional study, 23 subjects with DED and ocular pain were treated with a combination of IPL and DCBE eye drops for four sessions at a four-week interval. Subjective and objective assessments on nociceptive pain and dry eye were examined and analyzed. Results: The visual analog scale (VAS), ocular surface disease index, ocular pain assessment survey (OPAS), patient health questionnaire-9 items, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD-7), Athens insomnia scale, corneal fluorescein staining score, meibomian gland secretion quality, and expressibility scores were significantly reduced after the treatment. Tear break-up time and Schirmer I test increased significantly. The brand density of corneal nerves and neuropeptide substance P also significantly increased. OPAS, GAD-7, meibomian gland secretion quality, and expressibility scores were essential factors affecting the VAS changes. Conclusions: IPL combined with DCBE drop therapy was effective for DED patients with ocular pain. With such treatment, both DED symptoms and the sensation of ocular pain may be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser-tracking measurement systems (laser tracker) have been playing a critical role in large-scale 3D high-precision coordinate measurement. However, the existing visual guidance of laser trackers is still limited by the disadvantages of operator-dependence, small-angle view field, time-consuming laser-guided process. This paper presents an automatic guidance method for laser trackers based on the rotary-laser scanning angle measurement technology. In this method, a special target consisting of six photoelectric receivers and a retroreflector is integrated into the rotary-laser scanning transmitter' coordinate systems. Real-time constraints calculated by the proposed method would provide the coordinates of the target in a laser tracker coordinates system for guidance. Finally, the experimental results verified the automatic re-establish of sightline can be realized in horizontal 360° angle field within tens of arc-seconds, and this method is robust against the fast movement of the target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel Mn–Ce–Ti–O composite aerogels with large mesopore size were prepared via a one-pot sol–gel method by using propylene oxide as a network gel inducer and ethyl acetoacetate as a complexing agent. The effect of calcination temperature (400, 500, 600, and 700 °C) on the NH3–selective catalytic reduction (SCR) performance of the obtained Mn–Ce–Ti–O composite aerogels was investigated. The results show that the Mn–Ce–Ti–O catalyst calcined at 600 °C exhibits the highest NH3–SCR activity and lowest apparent activation energy due to its most abundant Lewis acid sites and best reducibility. The NO conversion of the MCTO-600 catalyst maintains 100% at 200 °C in the presence of 100 ppm SO2, showing the superior resistance to SO2 poisoning as compared with the MnOx–CeO2–TiO2 catalysts reported the literature. This should be mainly attributed to its large mesopore sizes with an average pore size of 32 nm and abundant Lewis acid sites. The former fact facilitates the decomposition of NH4HSO4, and the latter fact reduces vapor pressure of NH3. The NH3–SCR process on the MCTO-600 catalyst follows both the Eley–Rideal (E–R) mechanism and the Langmuir–Hinshelwood (L–H) mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Au@Cu2O core-shell nanocomposites (NCs) were synthesized by reducing copper nitrate on Au colloids with hydrazine. The thickness of the Cu2O shells could be varied by adjusting the molar ratios of Au: Cu. The results showed that the thickness of Cu2O shells played a crucial role in the catalytic activity of Au@Cu2O NCs under dark condition. The Au@Cu2O-Ag ternary NCs were further prepared by a simple galvanic replacement reaction method. Moreover, the surface features were revealed by TEM, XRD, XPS, and UV–Vis techniques. Compared with Au@Cu2O NCs, the ternary Au@Cu2O-Ag NCs had an excellent catalytic performance. The degradation of methyl orange (MO) catalyzed by Au@Cu2O-Ag NCs was achieved within 4 min. The mechanism study proved that the synergistic effects of Au@Cu2O-Ag NCs and sodium borohydride facilitated the degradation of MO. Hence, the designed Au@Cu2O-Ag NCs with high catalytic efficiency and good stability are expected to be the ideal environmental nanocatalysts for the degradation of dye pollutants in wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coevolution between phage and host bacterium is an important force that drives the evolution of the microbial community, yet the coevolution mechanisms have still not been well analyzed. Here, by analyzing the interaction between a Bacillus phage vB_BthS_BMBphi and its host bacterium, the coevolution mechanisms of the first-generation phage-resistant bacterial mutants and regained-infectivity phage mutants were studied. The phage-resistant bacterial mutants showed several conserved mutations as a potential reason for acquiring phage resistance, including the mutation in flagellum synthesis protein FlhA and cell wall polysaccharide synthesis protein DltC. All the phage-resistant bacterial mutants showed a deleted first transmembrane domain of the flagellum synthesis protein FlhA. Meanwhile, the regain-infectivity phage mutants all contained mutations in three baseplate-associated phage tail proteins by one nucleotide, respectively. A polymorphism analysis of the three mutant nucleotides in the wild-type phage revealed that the mutations existed before the interaction of the phage and the bacterium, while the wild-type phage could not infect the phage-resistant bacterial mutants, which might be because the synchronized mutations of the three nucleotides were essential for regaining infectivity. This study for the first time revealed that the synergism mutation of three phage baseplate-associated proteins were essential for the phages' regained infectivity. Although the phage mutants regained infectivity, their storage stability was decreased and the infectivity against the phage-resistant bacterial mutants was reduced, suggesting the phage realized the continuation of the species by way of "dying to survive". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]