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Background: New daily persistent headache (NDPH) is a rare primary headache with unclear pathogenesis. Neuroimaging studies of NDPH are limited, and controversy still exists. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is commonly used to study the white matter. However, lacking specificity, the potential pathological mechanisms of white matter microstructural changes remain poorly understood. In addition, the intricacy of gray matter structures impedes the application of the DTI model. Here, we applied an advanced diffusion model of neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) to study the white matter and cortical gray matter microstructure in patients with NDPH. Methods: This study assessed brain microstructure, including 27 patients with NDPH, and matched 28 healthy controls (HCs) by NODDI. The differences between the two groups were assessed by tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) and surface-based analysis (SBA), focusing on the NODDI metrics (neurite density index (NDI), orientation dispersion index (ODI), and isotropic volume fraction (ISOVF)). Furthermore, we performed Pearson's correlation analysis between the NODDI indicators and clinical characteristics. Results: Compared to HCs, patients with NDPH had a reduction of density and complexity in several fiber tracts. For robust results, the fiber tracts were defined as comprising more than 100 voxels, including bilateral inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), left superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) and inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), as well as right corticospinal tract (CST). Moreover, the reduction of neurite density was uncovered in the left superior and middle frontal cortex, left precentral cortex, and right lateral orbitofrontal cortex and insula. There was no correlation between the NODDI metrics of these brain regions and clinical variables or scales of relevance after the Bonferroni correction. Conclusions: Our research indicated that neurite loss was detected in both white matter and cortical gray matter of patients with NDPH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Anemia is relatively common in cancer patients, and is associated with poor survival in patients with various malignancies. However, how anemia would affect prognosis and response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in osteosarcoma (OS) is still without substantial evidence. Methods: We retrospectively analysed 242 patients with stage II OS around the knee joint in our institute. Changed hemoglobin (Hb) levels (before and after NAC) were recorded to assess the prognostic value in DFS (disease-free survival) and tumor response to NAC. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to identify prognostic factors related with outcome in OS patients. Results: The mean Hb level significantly decreased after NAC (134.5 ± 15.3 g/L vs. 117.4 ± 16.3 g/L). The percentage of mild (21%), moderate (4.2%) and severe (0%) anemia patients markedly increased after NAC: 41%, 24% and 4.1% respectively. There was higher percentage of ≥ 5% Hb decline in patients with tumor necrosis rate < 90% (141 out of 161), compared with those with tumor necrosis rate ≥ 90% (59 out of 81). Further univariate and survival analysis demonstrated that Hb decline had a significant role in prediction survival in OS patients. Patients with ≥ 5% Hb decline after NAC had an inferior DFS compared with those with < 5% Hb decline. Conclusion: In osteosarcoma, patients with greater Hb decrease during neoadjuvant treatment were shown to have worse DFS and a poorer response to NAC than those without. Attempts to correct anemia and their effects on outcomes for osteosarcoma patients should be explored in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, there is limited research focusing on the biosorption of Pb2+ through microbial process, particularly at the level of gene expression. To overcome this knowledge gap, we studied the adsorption capacity of Stenotrophomonas rhizophila JC1 to Pb2+, and investigated the physiological mechanism by means of SEM, EDS, FTIR, membrane permeability detection, and investigated the molecular mechanism through comparative transcriptomics. The results showed that after 16 h of cultivation, the biosorption capacity of JC1 for 100 mg/L of Pb2+ reached at 79.8%. The main mechanism of JC1 adsorb Pb2+ is via intracellular accumulation, accounting for more than 90% of the total adsorption. At the physiological level, Pb2+ can precipitate with anion functional groups (e.g., –OH, –NH) on the bacterial cell wall or undergo replacement reaction with cell component elements (e.g., Si, Ca) to adsorb Pb2+ outside of the cell wall, thus accomplishing extracellular adsorption of Pb2+ by strains. Furthermore, the cell membrane acts as a “switch” that inhibits the entry of metal ions into the cell from the plasma membrane. At the molecular level, the gene pbt specificity is responsible for the adsorption of Pb2+ by JC1. In addition, phosphate permease is a major member of the ABC transporter family involved in Pb2+, and czcA/cusA or Co2+/Mg2+ efflux protein plays an important role in the efflux of Pb2+ in JC1. Further, cellular macromolecule biosynthesis, inorganic cation transmembrane transport, citrate cycle (TCA) and carbon metabolism pathways all play crucial roles in the response of strain JC1 to Pb2+ stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uterine fluid (UF) extracellular vesicle (EV) miRNA may affect implantation and could be the potential biomarker of endometrial receptivity (ER). Ovarian stimulation (OS) could damage the ER but its mechanism is still unclear. Here, we evaluate the affections of OS on UF EV miRNA expression and implantation. Female rats were divided into three groups: natural cycle or injection with GnRH-a following HP-HMG or u-FSH. UF was collected on the 5th day of gestation. Affinity membrane columns were utilized to isolate EVs from UF, obtained during implantation flushing. The EV miRNAs were sequenced, and five of them were validated by qRT-PCR. HTR-8/Svneo cells were transfected with miR-223-3p mimic and inhibitor, followed by conducting colony formation, invasion, migration, and adhesion assays to assess the cellular functions. In OS groups, the implantation rate decreased (p < 0.05), and the pinopode was damaged in the OS groups. The EVs were isolated from UF, and the differential expression key miRNAs were involved in several regulation pathways, such as cancer, endocrine, and cell cycles, which were correlated with ER and implantation. Among the miRNAs, miR-223-5p greatly differed and was most consistent with the sequencing results, followed by miR-223-3p and miR-98-5P. miR-223-3p promoted HTR-8/SVneo cells grow and ability of invasion, migration, and adhesion. OS altered UF EVs miRNAs affecting implantation in rats, and miR-223-3p might be the key molecule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Petroleum hydrocarbons are a stubborn pollutant that is difficult to degrade globally, and plant-microbial degradation is the main way to solve this type of pollutant. In this study, the physiological and ecological responses of alfalfa to petroleum hydrocarbons in different concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soil with KB1 (Rhodococcus erythropolis) were analyzed and determined by laboratory potting techniques. The growth of alfalfa (CK) and alfalfa with KB1 (JZ) in different concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons contaminated soil was compared and analyzed. The results of the CK group showed that petroleum hydrocarbons could significantly affect the activity of alfalfa antioxidant enzyme system, inhibit the development of alfalfa roots and the normal growth of plants, especially in the high-concentration group. KB1 strain had the ability to produce IAA, form biofilm, fix nitrogen, produce betaine and ACC deaminase, and the addition of KB1 could improve the growth traits of alfalfa in the soil contaminated with different concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons, the content of soluble sugars in roots, and the stress resistance and antioxidant enzyme activities of alfalfa. In addition, the degradation kinetics of the strain showed that the degradation rate of petroleum could reach 75.2% after soaking with KB1. Furthermore, KB1 can efficiently degrade petroleum hydrocarbons in advance and significantly alleviate the damage of high concentration of petroleum hydrocarbons to plant roots. The results showed that KB1 strains and alfalfa plants could effectively enhance the degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons, which provided new ideas for improving bioremediation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic migraine (CM) is a debilitating neurofunctional disorder primarily affecting females, characterized by central sensitization. Central sensitization refers to the enhanced response to sensory stimulation, which involves changes in neuronal excitability, synaptic plasticity, and neurotransmitter release. Environmental enrichment (EE) can increase the movement, exploration, socialization and other behaviors of mice. EE has shown promising effects in various neurological disorders, but its impact on CM and the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine whether EE has the potential to serve as a cost-effective intervention strategy for CM. Methods: A mouse CM model was successfully established by repeated administration of nitroglycerin (NTG). We selected adult female mice around 8 weeks old, exposed them to EE for 2 months, and then induced the CM model. Nociceptive threshold tests were measured using Von Frey filaments and a hot plate. The expression of c-Fos, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and inflammatory response were measured using WB and immunofluorescence to evaluate central sensitization. RNA sequencing was used to find differentially expressed genes and signaling pathways. Finally, the expression of the target differential gene was investigated. Results: Repeated administration of NTG can induce hyperalgesia in female mice and increase the expression of c-Fos and CGRP in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis (TNC). Early exposure of mice to EE reduced NTG-induced hyperalgesia in CM mice. WB and immunofluorescence revealed that EE inhibited the overexpression of c-Fos and CGRP in the TNC of CM mice and alleviated the inflammatory response of microglia activation. RNA sequencing analysis identified that several central sensitization-related signaling pathways were altered by EE. VGluT1, a key gene involved in behavior, internal stimulus response, and ion channel activity, was found to be downregulated in mice exposed to EE. Conclusion: EE can significantly ameliorate hyperalgesia in the NTG-induced CM model. The mechanisms may be to modulate central sensitization by reducing the expression of CGRP, attenuating the inflammatory response, and downregulating the expression of VGluT1, etc., suggesting that EE can serve as an effective preventive strategy for CM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Replacement of liquid electrolytes with polymer gel electrolytes is recognized as a general and effective way of solving safety problems and achieving high flexibility in wearable batteries1–6. However, the poor interface between polymer gel electrolyte and electrode, caused by insufficient wetting, produces much poorer electrochemical properties, especially during the deformation of the battery7–9. Here we report a strategy for designing channel structures in electrodes to incorporate polymer gel electrolytes and to form intimate and stable interfaces for high-performance wearable batteries. As a demonstration, multiple electrode fibres were rotated together to form aligned channels, while the surface of each electrode fibre was designed with networked channels. The monomer solution was effectively infiltrated first along the aligned channels and then into the networked channels. The monomers were then polymerized to produce a gel electrolyte and form intimate and stable interfaces with the electrodes. The resulting fibre lithium-ion battery (FLB) showed high electrochemical performances (for example, an energy density of about 128 Wh kg−1). This strategy also enabled the production of FLBs with a high rate of 3,600 m h−1 per winding unit. The continuous FLBs were woven into a 50 cm × 30 cm textile to provide an output capacity of 2,975 mAh. The FLB textiles worked safely under extreme conditions, such as temperatures of −40 °C and 80 °C and a vacuum of −0.08 MPa. The FLBs show promise for applications in firefighting and space exploration.A fibre lithium-ion battery that can potentially be woven into textiles shows enhanced battery performance and safety compared with liquid electrolytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commonly-used ether and carbonate electrolytes show distinct advantages in active lithium-metal anode and high-voltage cathode, respectively. While these complementary characteristics hold promise for energy-dense lithium metal batteries, such synergy cannot be realized solely through physical blending. Herein, a linear functionalized solvent, bis(2-methoxyethyl) carbonate (BMC), is conceived by intramolecularly hybridizing ethers and carbonates. The integration of the electron-donating ether group with the electron-withdrawing carbonate group can rationalizes the charge distribution, imparting BMC with notable oxidative/reductive stability and relatively weak solvation ability. Furthermore, BMC also offers advantages including the ability to slightly dissolve LiNO3, excellent thermostability and nonflammability. Consequently, the optimized BMC-based electrolyte, even with typical concentrations in the single solvent, demonstrates high-voltage tolerance (4.4 V) and impressive Li plating/stripping Coulombic efficiency (99.4%). Moreover, it fulfills practical lithium metal batteries with satisfactory cycling performance and exceptional tolerance towards thermal/mechanical abuse, showcasing its suitability for safe high-energy lithium metal batteries. Here, authors report a linear functionalized solvent through molecular hybridization. Complementary ethers and carbonates are integrated into a single molecule, exhibiting properties suited for high-energy and high safety lithium metal batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic mechanical behavior of Al-Mg-Si alloy was investigated under different strain rates by mechanical property and microstructure characterization, constitutive behavior analysis and numerical simulation in the present study. As the strain rate increases, the yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and elongation increase first, then remain almost constant, and finally increase. The alloy always exhibits a typical ductile fracture mode, not depending on the strain rate. However, as the strain rate increases, the number of dimples gradually increases. Tensile deformation can refine grains, however, the grain structure is slightly affected by the strain rate. An optimized Johnson-Cook constitutive equation was used to describe the mechanical behavior and obtained by fitting the true stress-strain curves. The parameter C was described by a function related to the strain rate. The fitting true stress-strain curves by the JC model agree very well with the experimental true stress-strain curves. The true stress-strain curves calculated by the finite element numerical simulation agree well with the experimental true stress-strain curves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Preliminary evidence suggests that several headache disorders may be associated with glymphatic dysfunction. However, no studies have been conducted to examine the glymphatic activity in migraine chronification. Purposes: To investigate the glymphatic activity of migraine chronification in patients with episodic migraine (EM) and chronic migraine (CM) using the diffusion tensor image analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) method. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, patients with EM, CM, and healthy controls (HCs) were included. All participants underwent a standard brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination. Bilateral DTI-ALPS indexes were calculated for all participants and compared among EM, CM, and HC groups. Correlations between the DTI-ALPS index and clinical characteristics were analyzed. Results: A total of 32 patients with EM, 24 patients with CM, and 41 age- and sex-matched HCs were included in the analysis. Significant differences were found in the right DTI-ALPS index among the three groups (p = 0.011), with CM showing significantly higher values than EM (p = 0.033) and HCs (p = 0.015). The right DTI-ALPS index of CM group was significantly higher than the left DTI-ALPS index (p = 0.005). And the headache intensity was correlated to DTI-ALPS index both in the left hemisphere (r = 0.371, p = 0.011) and in the right hemisphere (r = 0.307, p = 0.038), but there were no correlations after Bonferroni correction. Conclusions: Glymphatic system activity is shown to be increased instead of impaired during migraine chronification. The mechanism behind this observation suggests that increased glymphatic activity is more likely to be a concomitant phenomenon of altered vascular reactivity associated with migraine pathophysiology rather than a risk factor of migraine chronification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid-state electrolytes with high ionic conductivities are crucial for the development of all-solid-state lithium batteries, and there is a strong correlation between the ionic conductivities and underlying lattice structures of solid-state electrolytes. Here, we report a lattice manipulation method of replacing [Li2OH]+ clusters with potassium ions in antiperovskite solid-state electrolyte (Li2OH)0.99K0.01Cl, which leads to a remarkable increase in ionic conductivity (4.5 × 10‒3 mS cm‒1, 25 °C). Mechanistic analysis indicates that the lattice manipulation method leads to the stabilization of the cubic phase and lattice contraction for the antiperovskite, and causes significant changes in Li-ion transport trajectories and migration barriers. Also, the Li||LiFePO4 all-solid-state battery (excess Li and loading of 1.78 mg cm‒2 for LiFePO4) employing (Li2OH)0.99K0.01Cl electrolyte delivers a specific capacity of 116.4 mAh g‒1 at the 150th cycle with a capacity retention of 96.1% at 80 mA g‒1 and 120 °C, which indicates potential application prospects of antiperovskite electrolyte in all-solid-state lithium batteries. All-solid-state electrolytes for lithium batteries generally suffer from low ionic conductivity. Here, authors manipulate the lattice of antiperovskite-type Li2OHCl by potassium ion substitution, which alters the lattice structure and improves the lithium ion transport properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased occurrence and severity of natural disasters, such as landslides, have impacted the stability of phyllite rock slopes in the complex geological regions of Western China. This situation presents significant challenges for infrastructure development in the area. This study investigates the upper span bridgehead slope of Guang-Gansu expressway K550 + 031 as a case study to analyze the sliding failure mechanism of thousand rock slopes in the seismic fault zone and the supporting structure failure through field investigation and exploration. The analysis shows that the slope's rock mass is extensively fractured, primarily influenced by the Qingchuan fault zone. This geological activity leads to slope instability, worsened by seasonal rainfall. The phyllite undergoes alternating dry and wet cycles, weakening its mechanical strength, forming cracks, and accelerating slope displacement, subsidence, and cracking. This results in front slope instability, followed by gradual backward and step-by-step traction sliding deformation on both sides. The geological structure and seasonal rainfall damage the original bolt-grid beam-supporting structure. To address this issue, an anti-slide pile combined with a grid beam treatment method is proposed, and its effectiveness is verified through deep displacement monitoring. This study emphasizes the significance of integrating geological structure and seasonal rainfall impacts into infrastructure design within complex geological areas, ensuring slope and supporting structure stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Amygdala, an essential element of the limbic system, has served as an important structure in pain modulation. There is still a lack of clarity about altered cerebral perfusion of amygdala in migraine. This study aimed to investigate the perfusion variances of bilateral amygdala in episodic migraine (EM) and chronic migraine (CM) using multi-delay pseudo-continuous arterial spin-labeled magnetic resonance imaging (pCASL-MRI). Methods: Twenty-six patients with EM, 55 patients with CM (33 CM with medication overuse headache (MOH)), and 26 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) were included. All participants underwent 3D multi-delay pCASL MR imaging to obtain cerebral perfusion data, including arrival-time-corrected cerebral blood flow (CBF) and arterial cerebral blood volume (aCBV). The CBF and aCBV values in the bilateral amygdala were compared among the three groups. Correlation analyses between cerebral perfusion parameters and clinical variables were performed. Results: Compared with HC participants, patients with CM were found to have increased CBF and aCBV values in the left amygdala, as well as increased CBF values in the right amygdala (all P < 0.05). There were no significant differences of CBF and aCBV values in the bilateral amygdala between the HC and EM groups, the EM and CM groups, as well as the CM without and with MOH groups (all P > 0.05). In patients with CM, the increased perfusion parameters of bilateral amygdala were positively correlated with MIDAS score after adjustments for age, sex, and body mass index (BMI). Conclusion: Hyperperfusion of bilateral amygdala might provide potential hemodynamics evidence in the neurolimbic pain network of CM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fatigue crack growth (FCG) tests under constant amplitude loading and fracture toughness tests of SA508-III steel were performed in this work. The effect of the R-ratio on the FCG behavior of SA508-III steel was investigated. The results indicated that the FCG rate was insensitive to R-ratio. This steel presented better resistance to FCG compared to the data in the ASME code. The better property was attributed to the residual compressive stresses and high-angle grain boundaries in this steel. Additionally, the results revealed that the fracture toughness gradually decreased with the increased initial crack length. While the initial crack length was the same, the fracture toughness of the specimens with high stress intensity factor (SIF) fatigue loading decreased by ~ 6.61%. This was due to the higher local fatigue damage produced at the crack tip when the crack was prefabricated at a high SIF. Electron back-scatter diffraction (EBSD) results confirmed that microcracks, micro-voids, and high geometrically necessary dislocations density were distributed near the crack tip when prefabricated cracks under a high SIF, which provided more crack nucleation sites for crack growth and resulted in a decrease in fracture toughness. Both scanning electron microscope and EBSD analyses of the fractography were performed to investigate the fracture modes of SA508-III at different stages of crack growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the second-order model, Fick's second law of diffusion, and the Peleg model were used to evaluate the extraction kinetic model of polysaccharide (CPP) from Codonopsis pilosula. The characteristic functional groups, surface structure, and physical and chemical properties of CPP were analyzed by multi-spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. The results showed that the extraction process agreed well with the second-order model, Fick's second diffusion law, and Peleg model. Rheological tests showed that CPP exhibited different viscosity changes under different conditions (Solution viscosity was inversely proportional to temperature, time, etc.; proportional to polysaccharide concentration, Na+ content, etc.). CPP was composed of molecular aggregates composed of small particles, with more pore structure and basically completely decomposed at 130 °C. The hypoglycemic study showed that CPP had a strong inhibitory effect on α-glycosidase than α-amylase. The morphology and subsequent structural features, anti-diabetic potential, and rheological properties of CPP were revealed to provide a theoretical basis for the development of pharmaceutical preparations or health food and functional food for the treatment of diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid industrial and societal developments have led to substantial increases in the use and exploitation of petroleum, and petroleum hydrocarbon pollution has become a serious threat to human health and the environment. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are primary components of petroleum hydrocarbons. In recent years, microbial remediation of PAHs pollution has been regarded as the most promising and cost-effective treatment measure because of its low cost, robust efficacy, and lack of secondary pollution. Rhodococcus bacteria are regarded as one of main microorganisms that can effectively degrade PAHs because of their wide distribution, broad degradation spectrum, and network-like evolution of degradation gene clusters. In this review, we focus on the biological characteristics of Rhodococcus; current trends in PAHs degradation based on knowledge maps; and the cellular structural, biochemical, and enzymatic basis of degradation mechanisms, along with whole genome and transcriptional regulation. These research advances provide clues for the prospects of Rhodococcus-based applications in environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controversies persist regarding the benefits of surgery in elderly patients with meningiomas. The objective of this study was to develop decision-making scale to clarify the necessity for surgical intervention and provide clinical consultation for this special population. This retrospective cohort study was conducted at a single center and included 478 elderly patients (≥ 65 years) who underwent meningioma resection. Follow-up was recorded to determine recurrence and mortality rates. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify significantly preoperative factors, and prognostic prediction models were developed with determined cutoff values for the prognostic index (PI). Model discrimination was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier curves based on the PI stratification, which categorized patients into low- and high-risk groups. A decision-making tree was then established based on the risk stratification from both models. Among all patients analyzed (n = 478), 62 (13.0%) experience recurrence and 47 (10.0%) died during the follow-up period. Significantly preoperative parameters from both models included advanced age, aCCI, recurrent tumor, motor cortex involvement, male sex, peritumoral edema, and tumor located in skull base (all P < 0.05). According to the classification of PI from the two models, the decision-making tree provided four recommendations that can be used for clinical consultation. Surgery is not recommended for patients assigned to the high-risk group in both models. Patients who meet the low-risk criteria in any model may undergo surgical intervention, but the final decision should depend on the surgeon's expertise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the detoxification effect of microbial exopolysaccharides (EPS) on the heavy metal cadmium (Cd2+), this study took an EPS-producing Serratia fonticola CPSE11 (NZ_CP050171.1) isolated from Codonopsis pilosula root as the research object. The whole genome and EPS synthesis gene clusters of this strain were predicted and analyzed, the adsorption kinetics of EPS on Cd2+ were studied by using pseudo-first-order and second-order kinetic equations, the isothermal adsorption curves were simulated and analyzed by using the Langmuir isothermal adsorption equation, and the effects of Cd2+ and EPS on the growth of C. pilosula were explored by seed germination experiment and hydroponic experiment. The analysis revealed that this strain contained three gene clusters related to EPS synthesis, and the metabolic pathway for EPS synthesis was obtained on the basis of the whole genome analysis and microbial physiological metabolism. The molecular weight and monosaccharide composition of EPS were determined by HPLC analysis, which showed that EPS consisted of mannose, glucosamine, rhamnose, galactosamine, glucose, and galactose with a molar ratio of 1:1.74:4.57:3.96:14.04:10.28, with the molecular weight of 366,316.09 kDa. The adsorption process of EPS on Cd2+ was in accordance with the second-order kinetic model, and the results of seed germination experiments showed that EPS could promote seed germination and improve seed activity. In the hydroponic experiment, high concentration of Cd2+ (15 mg/L) caused toxic symptoms in C. pilosula, while the addition of EPS reduced the toxic effect of Cd2+ on C. pilosula, and the plant growth was significantly improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: New daily persistent headache (NDPH) is a rare primary headache disorder characterized by daily and persistent sudden onset headaches. The pathogenesis of NDPH remains unclear, and there are few white matter imaging studies related to NDPH. The purpose of this study was to investigate the micro-structural abnormalities of white matter in NDPH and provided insights into the pathogenesis of this disease based on tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). Methods: Twenty-one patients with NDPH and 25 healthy controls (HCs) were included in this study. T1 structural and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were acquired from all participants. Differences in the fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD) between patients with NDPH and HCs were investigated using TBSS analysis. Results: Significantly decreased FA, increased MD and RD were found in patients with NDPH compared to HCs. White matter regions overlaid with decreased FA, increased MD and RD were found in 16 white matter tracts from the Johns Hopkins University ICBM-DTI-81 White-Matter Atlas and Johns Hopkins University White-Matter Tractography Atlas. Specifically, these white matter regions included the right anterior thalamic radiation (ATR), body of the corpus callosum (BCC), bilateral cingulum, left hippocampal cingulum (CGH), left corticospinal tract (CST), forceps major, fornix, left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), bilateral inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), left posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC), right retrolenticular part of the internal capsule (RPIC), splenium of the corpus callosum (SCC), right superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) and left uncinate fasciculus (UF). After Bonferroni correction, there were no correlations between the FA, MD, AD and RD values and the clinical characteristics of patients with NDPH (p > 0.05/96). Conclusion: The results of our research indicated that patients with NDPH might have widespread abnormalities in the white matter of the brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: New daily persistent headache (NDPH) is a rare but debilitating primary headache disorder that poses a significant burden on individuals and society. Despite its clinical importance, the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of NDPH remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the brain structural changes and neural activity patterns in patients with NDPH using multimodal brain imaging analysis of structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) combined with magnetoencephalography (MEG). Methods: Twenty-eight patients with NDPH and 37 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited for this study, and their structural and resting-state data were collected by 3.0 Tesla MRI and MEG. We analyzed the brain morphology using voxel-based morphometry and source-based morphometry. In each brain region, MEG sensor signals from 1 to 200 Hz were analyzed using an adapted version of Welch's method. MEG source localization was conducted using the dynamic statistical parametric mapping, and the difference of source distribution between patients with NDPH and HCs was examined. Results: Our results revealed significant differences in the regional grey matter volume, cortical thickness, and cortical surface area between the two groups. Specifically, compared with HCs, patients with NDPH showed a significant decrease in cortical thickness of the left rostral cortex in the middle frontal gyrus, decreased cortical surface area of the left fusiform gyrus, decreased grey matter volume of the left superior frontal gyrus and the left middle frontal gyrus, and increased grey matter volume of the left calcarine. Furthermore, the power of the whole brain, bilateral frontal lobes, and right temporal lobe in the NDPH group were higher than that in HCs in the ripple frequency band (80-200 Hz). Functional and structural analysis suggested that there were structural changes and abnormal high frequency cortical activity in both frontal and temporal lobes in patients with NDPH. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that patients with NDPH have abnormalities in brain morphology, such as cortical area, cortical thickness, and grey matter volume, accompanied by abnormal cortical neural activity. Brain structural changes in the frontotemporal cortex and abnormalities in cortical ripple activity may be involved in the pathogenesis of NDPH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: The pathogenesis of new daily persistent headache (NDPH) is not fully understood. We aim to map aberrant functional connectivity (FC) in patients with NDPH using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: Brain structural and functional MRI data were acquired from 29 patients with NDPH and 37 well-matched healthy controls (HCs) in this cross-sectional study. Region of interest (ROI) based analysis was used to compare FC between patients and HCs, with 116 brain regions in the automated anatomical labeling (AAL) atlas were defined as seeds. The correlations between aberrant FC and patients' clinical characteristics, and neuropsychological evaluation were also investigated. Results: Compared with HCs, patients with NDPH showed increased FC in the left inferior occipital gyrus, right thalamus and decreased FC in right lingual gyrus, left superior occipital gyrus, right middle occipital gyrus, left inferior occipital gyrus, right inferior occipital gyrus, right fusiform gyrus, left postcentral gyrus, right postcentral gyrus, right thalamus and right superior temporal gyrus. There were no correlation between FC of these brain regions and clinical characteristics, neuropsychological evaluation after Bonferroni correction (p > 0.05/266). Conclusions: Patients with NDPH showed aberrant FC in multiple brain regions involved in perception and regulation of emotion and pain. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05334927. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of the van der Waals gap in layered materials creates a wealth of intriguing phenomena different to their counterparts in conventional materials. For example, pressurization can generate a large anisotropic lattice shrinkage along the stacking orientation and/or a significant interlayer sliding, and many of the exotic pressure-dependent properties derive from these mechanisms. Here we report a giant piezoresistivity in pressurized β′-In2Se3. Upon compression, a six-orders-of-magnitude drop of electrical resistivity is obtained below 1.2 GPa in β′-In2Se3 flakes, yielding a giant piezoresistive gauge πp of −5.33 GPa−1. Simultaneously, the sample undergoes a semiconductor-to-semimetal transition without a structural phase transition. Surprisingly, linear dichroism study and theoretical first principles modelling show that these phenomena arise not due to shrinkage or sliding at the van der Waals gap, but rather are dominated by the layer-dependent atomic motions inside the quintuple layer, mainly from the shifting of middle Se atoms to their high-symmetric location. The atomic motions link to both the band structure modulation and the in-plane ferroelectric dipoles. Our work not only provides a prominent piezoresistive material but also points out the importance of intralayer atomic motions beyond van der Waals gap. Lattice shrinkage is a dominating factor for the strain-induced change of the electronic properties in vdW layered materials. Here, the authors discover a piezoresistivity in pressurized β′-In2Se3, which originates from the intralayer atomic motions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual reproduction plays an important role in population and community structure maintenance in scleractinian corals, particularly in growth and development after larvae settlement. Despite this, only a few studies have been conducted to monitor the post-settlement growth and development of scleractinian coral larvae. Our study aimed to inform this question by collecting adult Galaxea fascicularis colonies from Weizhou Island (21°00′–21°10′ N, 109°00′–109°15′ E) and recording their early life cycle, from fertilization to recruitment, for one year ex situ. The results demonstrated that G. fascicularis could reproduce sexually when reared in a pond for 2 y. The spawning occurred in April and May, in synchrony with wild corals. Larvae showed association with zooxanthellae 9 d after spawning (4 d after settlement) and completed metamorphosis after 1 month. The mean diameter of G. fascicularis recruits was 4.74 ± 1.12 mm in the first year, which was lower than that reported in the literature for other broadcast corals. The recruits' survival rate decreased continuously every month, with the most severe decline occurring in the second month, from 80.87% to 50.82%. By the end of the first year, the final survival rate was 5.46%, which may be attributed to their competition with algae. This study improved our understanding of the early life cycle of scleractinian corals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: New daily persistent headache (NPDH) is a rare primary headache that is highly disabling. The pathophysiology of NDPH is still unclear, and we aimed to reveal the underlying mechanism of NDPH through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) analysis. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, thirty patients with NDPH and 30 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. The blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) sequences of all participants were obtained using the GE 3.0 T system. We performed ReHo, ALFF (conventional band: 0.01–0.08 Hz, slow-5: 0.01–0.027 Hz, slow-4: 0.027–0.073 Hz) and seed-based to the whole brain functional connectivity (FC) analysis in the NDPH and HC groups. The sex difference analysis of ReHo, ALFF, and FC values was conducted in the NDPH group. We also conducted Pearson's correlation analysis between ReHo, ALFF, FC values and clinical characteristics (pain intensity, disease duration, HIT-6, GAD-7, PHQ-9, and PSQI scores). Results: Both increased ReHo (PFWE-corr = 0.012) and ALFF values (0.01–0.08 Hz, PFWE-corr = 0.009; 0.027–0.073 Hz, PFWE-corr =0.044) of the left middle occipital gyrus (MOG_L) were found in the NDPH group compared to the HC group. There was no significant difference in FC maps between the two groups. Compared to the HC group, no difference was found in ReHo (p = 0.284), ALFF (p = 0.246), and FC (p = 0.118) z scores of the MOG_L in the NDPH group. There was also no sex difference in ReHo (p = 0.288), ALFF (p = 0.859), or FC z score (p = 0.118) of the MOG_L in patients with NDPH. There was no correlation between ReHo, ALFF, FC z scores and clinical characteristics after Bonferroni correction (p < 0.05/18). Conclusions: Patients with NDPH may have abnormal activation of the visual system. Abnormal visual activation may occur mainly in higher frequency band of the classical band. No sex differences in brain activity were found in patients with NDPH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to establish a model for predicting the outcome of endovascular aneurysm repair for abdominal aortic aneurysms using deep learning algorithms. We performed a case series analysis of 493 patients with infra-renal abdominal aortic aneurysm who underwent elective endovascular aneurysm repair procedures between January 2016 and December 2019 in our single center. ITK-SNAP software was used to draw the abdominal aortic aneurysms region of interest. Images were preprocessed and deep learning model was built using MATrix LABoratory. Randomly divided, 80% of the patients were used as the training set, and 20% of the patients were enrolled in the test set. The area under the curve from receiver-operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the predictive effect of the model. To further understand the prediction process of the deep learning model, visualization techniques were used to analyze the features learned by the model and the response of the convolutional layer to the different outcomes of endovascular aneurysm repair. The mean follow-up was 32.0 months, including 156 patients (31.6%) experiencing endovascular aneurysm repair-related severe adverse events. Number of patients in the training set was 394 (of which 269 had no severe adverse events and 125 had severe adverse events) and the number of patients in test set was 99 (of which 68 had no severe adverse events and 31 had severe adverse events). By training on 92,012–93,925 computed tomography angiography images (n = 315) and validation on 22,269–24,182 computed tomography angiography images (n = 79), the deep learning model finally achieved encouraging predictive performance in the test set (n = 99) with an area under the curve of 0.81 SD0.01, accuracy 0.82 SD0.02, and F1 score 0.87 SD0.02. The visualization techniques improved the model interpretability. The deep learning model could be an efficient adjunctive tool to predict outcomes after endovascular aneurysm repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mainly driven by wind stress, the upper ocean dynamic processes in the North Pacific Ocean serve as important pathways for mass and energy exchanges of the global ocean and thus play an essential role in modulating the global climate. In this study, eight commonly used surface wind datasets are compared on mean state, seasonal and interannual time scales over the North Pacific Ocean. The dataset-derived wind stress, wind stress curl, and Sverdrup stream function and their effects on the current structure, which are illustrated by a set of 1.5-layer linear reduced gravity ocean model experiments, are thoroughly compared. The results show that for each time scale, the spreads among the tested products for the wind stress curl, Sverdrup stream function, thermocline displacement, and North Equatorial Current (NEC)/North Equatorial Countercurrent (NECC) transport are relatively large, caused by the small spread among the tested products for zonal/meridional wind stress occurring in the open ocean/nearshore water. MERRA2 and NCEP/DOE are the dominant contributors to the spread in the zonal and meridional wind stress and thus in the other variables, respectively, indicating that they could force a more fluctuating current field. On the interannual scale, the simulated latitudinal positions of the NEC/NECC are sensitive to the choice of wind forcing. NCEP/NCAR and ASCAT deviate most from the ensemble mean. Generally, ERA5 shows the most resemblance with the ensemble mean over the tested products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Good structural features with good conduction to transfer the electrical signal in the spinal cord are perilous in nerve soft tissue repairing materials preparation. In this research work, the electrically conductive hydrogel was prepared along with the optimal biocompatible nature of delicate nerve tissue. The Poly (sodium 4-styrene sulfonate) (PSS) cross-linked carbon nanotube (CNT) and sodium alginate (SA) were prepared with different ratios of SA polymer. The formation of the CNT-PSS-SA structure was characterized through Fourier Transform Infra-Red, and the interactions of the CNT with polymers were confirmed. Morphology of the hydrogel system was investigated through Transmission electron microscopy technique, and fiber-like gel morphology of the CNT and overcoated PSS, SA polymers were observed. The anti-inflammatory drug diacerein (DA) was loaded in CNT-PSS-SA-DA, and 87.0% of loading capacity was detected. The in vitro studies in human astrocyte cells (HACs) showed that CNT-PSS-SA-DA hydrogel is good cell viability. In parallel, treatment with CNT showed minimum cytotoxicity. The CNT-PSS-SA-DA treatment also effectively attenuated the proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and IL1β) induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (10 ng/mL). These findings imply that CNT-PSS-SA hydrogels may serve as a promising candidate for drug delivery for spinal cord regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: New daily persistent headache (NDPH) and chronic migraine (CM) are two different types of headaches that might involve vascular dysregulation. There is still a lack of clarity about altered brain perfusion in NDPH and CM. This study aimed to investigate the cerebral perfusion variances of NDPH and CM using multi-delay pseudo-continuous arterial spin-labeled magnetic resonance imaging (pCASL-MRI). Methods: Fifteen patients with NDPH, 18 patients with CM, and 15 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) were included. All participants underwent 3D multi-delay pCASL-MRI to obtain cerebral perfusion data, including arrival-time-corrected cerebral blood flow (CBF) and arterial cerebral blood volume (aCBV). The automated anatomical labeling atlas 3 (AAL3) was used to parcellate 170 brain regions. The CBF and aCBV values in each brain region were compared among the three groups. Correlation analyses between cerebral perfusion parameters and clinical variables were performed. Results: Compared with HC participants, patients with NDPH were found to have decreased CBF and aCBV values in multiple regions in the right hemisphere, including the right posterior orbital gyrus (OFCpost.R), right middle occipital gyrus (MOG.R), and ventral anterior nucleus of right thalamus (tVA.R), while patients with CM showed increased CBF and aCBV values presenting in the ventral lateral nucleus of left thalamus (tVL.L) and right thalamus (tVL.R) compared with HCs (all p < 0.05). In patients with NDPH, after age and sex adjustment, the increased aCBV values of IFGorb. R were positively correlated with GAD-7 scores; and the increased CBF and aCBV values of tVA.R were positively correlated with disease duration. Conclusion: The multi-delay pCASL technique can detect cerebral perfusion variation in patients with NDPH and CM. The cerebral perfusion changes may suggest different variations between NDPH and CM, which might provide hemodynamic evidence of these two types of primary headaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The definitive pathogenic mechanisms underlying chronic migraine (CM) remain unclear. Mounting evidence from functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies suggests that the caudate nucleus (CN) plays a role in the cognitive, sensory, and emotional integration of pain information in patients with migraine. However, evidence concerning the role played by CN in CM patients is limited. Here, we used the CN as the seed to explore patterns of functional connectivity (FC) among healthy controls (HCs), patients with episodic migraine (EM), and patients with CM. Methods: We included 25 HCs, 23 EM patients, and 46 CM patients in this study. All participants underwent resting-state functional MRI scans on a GE 3.0T MRI system. We performed seed-based FC analyses among the three groups using the bilateral CNs as seeds. We also compared the subgroups of CM (with and without medication overuse headache, males and females) and performed Pearson's correlation analyses between FC values and the clinical features of CM patients. Results: FC values between the right CN and five clusters (mainly involved in emotion, cognition, and sensory-related brain regions) were higher in CM patients than in HCs. Compared to EM patients, enhanced FC values between the bilateral precuneus, left anterior cingulate gyrus, right middle cingulate cortex, right lingual gyrus, and right CN were shown in the CM patients. There were no significant differences between CM patients with and without MOH, males and females. FC values between the bilateral calcarine cortex, lingual gyrus, and right CN were positively correlated with body mass index. Moreover, right CN-related FC values in the left calcarine cortex and right lingual gyrus were inversely correlated with visual analogue scale scores for headaches. Conclusion: Our results revealed abnormal right CN-based FC values in CM patients, suggesting dysfunction of brain networks associated with pain perception and multi-regulation (emotion, cognition, and sensory). Aberrant FC of the CN can provide potential neuroimaging markers for the diagnosis and treatment of CM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic migraine is a common and highly disabling disorder. Functional MRI has indicated that abnormal brain region activation is linked with chronic migraine. Drugs targeting the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) or its receptor have been reported to be efficient for treating chronic migraine. The CGRP signaling was also shared in two types of chronic migraine models (CMMs). However, it remains unclear whether the activation of specific brain regions could contribute to persistent behavioral sensitization, and CGRP receptor antagonists relieve migraine-like pain in CMMs by altering specific brain region activation. Therefore, it’s of great interest to investigate brain activation pattern and the effect of olcegepant (a CGRP receptor-specific antagonist) treatment on alleviating hyperalgesia by altering brain activation in two CMMs, and provide a reference for future research on neural circuits. Methods: Repeated administration of nitroglycerin (NTG) or levcromakalim (LEV) was conducted to stimulate human migraine-like pain and establish two types of CMMs in mice. Mechanical hypersensitivity was evaluated by using the von Frey filament test. Then, we evaluated the activation of different brain regions with c-Fos and NeuN staining. Olcegepant was administered to explore its effect on mechanical hyperalgesia and brain region activation. Results: In two CMMs, acute and basal mechanical hyperalgesia was observed, and olcegepant alleviated mechanical hyperalgesia. In the NTG-induced CMM, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and the caudal part of the spinal trigeminal nucleus (Sp5c) showed a significant increase of c-Fos expression in the NTG group (p < 0.05), while pre-treatment with olcegepant reduced c-Fos expression compared with NTG group (p < 0.05). No significant difference of c-Fos expression was found in the paraventricular thalamic nucleus (PVT) and ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) between the vehicle control and NTG group (p > 0.05). In the LEV-induced CMM, mPFC, PVT, and Sp5c showed a significant increase of c-Fos expression between vehicle control and LEV group, and olcegepant reduced c-Fos expression (p < 0.05). No significant difference in c-Fos expression was found in vlPAG and ACC (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Our study demonstrated the activation of mPFC and Sp5c in two CMMs. Olcegepant may alleviate hyperalgesia of the hind paw and periorbital area by attenuating brain activation in CMMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, single-crystal PbMoO4 nanorods and nanowires were synthesized via a simple sonochemical process without any templates or surfactants for the first time. The samples were analyzed by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and electron diffraction (ED). Experimental results indicated that the obtained PbMoO4 nanowires were single-crystal in structure and the aspect ratio was about 200. The pH value and precursor were found to be critical factors to the controlled preparation of PbMoO4 nanorods and nanowires. The possible mechanism for the synthesis of PbMoO4 nanorods and nanowires was also discussed and other one-dimensional nanomaterials can also be successfully prepared by the present method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cluster catalysts are rapidly growing into an important sub-field in heterogeneous catalysis, owing to their distinct geometric structure, neighboring metal sites, and unique electronic structure. Although the thermodynamics and kinetics of the formation of nanoparticles have been largely investigated, the precise synthesis of clusters in wet chemical methods still faces great challenges. In the study, a quenching strategy of asymmetric temperature in solution for the rapid generation of vacancy-defect rich clusters is reported. The quenching process can be used to synthesize multitudinous metal compound clusters, including metal oxides, fluorides, oxygen-sulfur compounds, and tungstate. For oxygen evolution reaction (OER), IrO2 clusters with abundant oxygen vacancies were obtained and uniformly dispersed in the solution. Compared to commercial IrO2, the prepared IrO2 cluster can be directly loaded on carbon paper and used as binder-free electrodes, which exhibit higher OER activity and long-term operational stability in alkaline electrolytes. The quenching strategy provides a simple and efficient method for the synthesis of clusters, which has tremendous potential for industrial-scale preparation and application, especially can be further applied to flow electrochemical generators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gradient nanostructured (GNS) metallic materials have the potential to solve the strength-ductility dilemma. In this work, we investigate the depth-dependent microstructures and mechanical properties of the fully austenitic GNS 310S stainless steel fabricated by an adaptive surface mechanical rolling treatment technique. It is of great significance to study the mechanism of gradient nanocrystallization (GNC) and strength-ductility synergy of fully austenitic GNS 310S under the condition that severe plastic deformation does not induce martensitic transformation. Microstructural observations showed that a fully austenitic GNS surface layer is formed at room temperature, with a grain size ranging from ~ 56 nm to tens of microns from surface to the core. The GNC of GNS 310S is dominated by dislocation activities, twins, and shear bands. GNS 310S exhibited excellent mechanical properties and achieved good strength-ductility synergy, which is attributed to a high gradient residual compressive stress and a thicker GNS surface layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical elements with complex profile have been used in many important fields. Their growing market demand has put forward higher requirements for the ultraprecision manufacturing of these optical elements. In this paper, a novel rotation-revolution ultraprecision conformal belt grinding was developed for optical elements based on a commercial robot. Firstly, the rotation-revolution belt grinding device was designed, and the rotation-revolution speed ratio of the grinding device was optimized. Secondly, the pressure model of the rotation-revolution contact area was established based on Hertz contact theory. The posture description and velocity model of the rotation-revolution belt grinding were established as well. And the material removal function of the rotation-revolution belt grinding in any posture was established according to the Preston equation. Thirdly, the effect of eccentricity error on material removal function was analyzed. The parameters of the established removal function were calibrated via the footprint grinding test. Finally, an aspheric optical surface with Sa 9 nm surface roughness and PV 2.7 μm form accuracy was obtained on ZnS material using the designed robot assisted rotation-revolution belt grinding technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although every glioma patient varies in tumor size, location, histological grade and molecular biomarkers, non-tumoral morphological abnormalities are commonly detected by a statistical comparison among patient groups, missing the information of individual morphological alterations. In this study, we introduced an individual-level structural abnormality detection method for glioma patients and proposed several abnormality indexes to depict individual atrophy patterns. Forty-five patients with a glioma in the frontal lobe and fifty-one age-matched healthy controls participated in the study. Individual structural abnormality maps (SAM) were generated using patients' preoperative T1 images, by calculating the degree of deviation of voxel volume in each patient with the normative model built from healthy controls. Based on SAM, a series of individual abnormality indexes were computed, and their relationship with glioma characteristics was explored. The results demonstrated that glioma patients showed unique non-tumoral atrophy patterns with overlapping atrophy regions mainly located at hippocampus, parahippocampus, amygdala, insula, middle temporal gyrus and inferior temporal gyrus, which are closely related to the human cognitive functions. The abnormality indexes were associated with several molecular biomarkers including isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutation, 1p/19q co-deletion and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter mutation. Our study provides an effective way to access the individual-level non-tumoral structural abnormalities in glioma patients, which has the potential to significantly improve individualized precision medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The pathogenesis of migraine chronification remains unclear. Functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging studies have shown impaired functional and structural alterations in the brains of patients with chronic migraine. The cerebellum and periaqueductal gray (PAG) play pivotal roles in the neural circuits of pain conduction and analgesia in migraine. However, few neurotransmitter metabolism studies of these migraine-associated regions have been performed. To explore the pathogenesis of migraine chronification, we measured gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate/glutamine (Glx) levels in the dentate nucleus (DN) and PAG of patients with episodic and chronic migraine and healthy subjects. Methods: Using the MEGA-PRESS sequence and a 3-Tesla magnetic resonance scanner (Signa Premier; GE Healthcare, Chicago, IL, USA), we obtained DN and PAG metabolite concentrations from patients with episodic migraine (n = 25), those with chronic migraine (n = 24), and age-matched and sex-matched healthy subjects (n = 16). Patients with chronic migraine were further divided into those with (n = 12) and without (n = 12) medication overuse headache. All scans were performed at the Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University. Results: We found that patients with chronic migraine had significantly lower levels of GABA/water (p = 0.011) and GABA/creatine (Cr) (p = 0.026) in the DN and higher levels of Glx/water (p = 0.049) in the PAG than healthy controls. In all patients with migraine, higher GABA levels in the PAG were significantly associated with poorer sleep quality (GABA/water: r = 0.515, p = 0.017, n = 21; GABA/Cr: r = 0.522, p = 0.015, n = 21). Additionally, a lower Glx/Cr ratio in the DN may be associated with more severe migraine disability (r = -0.425, p = 0.055, n = 20), and lower GABA/water (r = -0.424, p = 0.062, n = 20) and Glx/Water (r = -0.452, p = 0.045, n = 20) may be associated with poorer sleep quality. Conclusions: Neurochemical levels in the DN and PAG may provide evidence of the pathological mechanisms of migraine chronification. Correlations between migraine characteristics and neurochemical levels revealed the pathological mechanisms of the relevant characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a moored array optimization tool (MAOT) was developed and applied to the South China Sea (SCS) with a focus on three-dimensional temperature and salinity observations. Application of the MAOT involves two steps: (1) deriving a set of optimal arrays that are independent of each other for different variables at different depths based on an empirical orthogonal function method, and (2) consolidating these arrays using a K-center clustering algorithm. Compared with the assumed initial array consisting of 17 mooring sites located on a 3°×3° horizontal grid, the consolidated array improved the observing ability for three-dimensional temperature and salinity in the SCS with optimization efficiencies of 19.03% and 21.38%, respectively. Experiments with an increased number of moored sites showed that the most cost-effective option is a total of 20 moorings, improving the observing ability with optimization efficiencies up to 26.54% for temperature and 27.25% for salinity. The design of an objective array relies on the ocean phenomenon of interest and its spatial and temporal scales. In this study, we focus on basin-scale variations in temperature and salinity in the SCS, and thus our consolidated array may not well resolve mesoscale processes. The MAOT can be extended to include other variables and multi-scale variability and can be applied to other regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate variability of the deep South China Sea (SCS) circulation using the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) global reanalysis product. The results reveal that annual cycle is a dominant component in the deep SCS circulation. Meanwhile, the boundary circulation strength is the weakest in January and peaks between June and September. The eastern and southern boundary currents strengthen/weaken one to three months earlier than that in the western and northern boundaries. Vector Empirical Orthogonal Functions (VEOF) analysis results reveal that semiannual and intraseasonal fluctuations are significant components, of which the spatial patterns are mainly confined in the northern and western boundary areas as well as the southwestern sub-basin. Wavelet analysis results show the strength of significant fluctuation varies year to year. Trend analysis results indicate a decadal weakening in the deep SCS circulation. An anomalous anticyclonic circulation, 50–70 km apart from the slope break, tends to weaken the cyclonic boundary circulation in the western and northern boundaries as well as the southwestern sub-basin. This trend is similar to the observed decadal weakening in the North Atlantic deep circulation. Thus, the findings of this study reveal that the variation of the deep SCS circulation has a remarkable response to the climate change. The mechanisms responsible for the variation are worth pursuing if more observations are available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep water in the South China Sea is renewed by the cold and dense Luzon Strait overflow. However, from where and how the deep water upwells is poorly understood yet. Based on the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model reanalysis data, vertical velocity is derived to answer these questions. Domain-integrated vertical velocity is of two maxima, one in the shallow water and the other at depth, and separated by a layer of minimum at the bottom of the thermocline. Further analysis shows that this two-segmented vertical transport is attributed to the vertical compensation of subsurface water to the excessive outflow of shallow water and upward push of the dense Luzon Strait overflow, respectively. In the abyssal basin, the vertical transport increases upward from zero at the depth of 3 500–4 000 m and reaches a maximum of 1.5×106 m3/s at about 1 500 m. Deep water upwells mainly from the northeastern and southwestern ends of the abyssal basin and off the continental slopes. To explain the upward velocity arising from slope breaks, a possible mechanism is proposed that an onshore velocity component can be derived from the deep western boundary current above steep slopes under bottom friction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Symmetry breaking of metal cluster-based strongly correlated systems can give rise to collective phenomena. Here, the two-dimensional Nb3 cluster compound Nb3Cl8 is shown to suffer dramatic symmetry breaking and electron disproportionation under compression. A structural phase transition from trigonal P-3m1 to monoclinic C2/m is observed near 8 GPa with the three-fold symmetry breaking. Electron disproportionation occurs on Nb3 clusters from delocalized Nb8/3+Nb8/3+Nb8/3+ to localized Nb3+Nb3+Nb2+, which results in a subtle bandgap discontinuity, as evidenced by electrical transport and UV-Vis absorption measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To better understand the function of transporter in heavy metal detoxification of bacteria, the transporters associated with heavy metal detoxification in S. rhizophila JC1 were analyzed, among which four members were verified by RT-qPCR. In addition, the removal rates of four single metal ions (Cr6+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Pb2+) and polymetallic ions by strain JC1 were studied, respectively. We also researched the physiological response of strain JC1 to different metal stress via morphological observation, elemental composition, functional group and membrane permeability analysis. The results showed that in the single metal ion solution, removal capacities of Cu2+ (120 mg/L) and Cr6+ (80 mg/L) of S. rhizophila JC1 reached to 79.9% and 89.3%, respectively, while in polymetallic ions solution, the removal capacity of each metal ion all decreased, and in detail, the adsorption capacity was determined Cr6+>Cu2+>Zn2+>Pb2+ under the same condition. The physiological response analyses results showed that extracellular adsorption phenomena occurred, and the change of membrane permeability hindered the uptake of metal ions by bacteria. The analysis of transporters in strain JC1 genome illustrated that a total of 323 transporters were predicted. Among them, two, six and five proteins of the cation diffusion facilitator, resistance–nodulation–division efflux and P-type ATPase families were, respectively, predicted. The expression of corresponding genes showed that the synergistic action of correlative transporters played important roles in the process of adsorption. The comparative genomics analysis revealed that S. rhizophila JC1 has long-distance evolutionary relationships with other strains, but the efflux system of S. rhizophila JC1 contained the same types of metal transporters as other metal-resistant bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large coercive field (EC) and ultrahigh piezoelectricity are essential for ferroelectrics used in high-drive electromechanical applications. The discovery of relaxor-PbTiO3 crystals is a recent breakthrough; they currently afford the highest piezoelectricity, but usually with a low EC. Such performance deterioration occurs because high piezoelectricity is interlinked with an easy polarization rotation, subsequently favoring a dipole switch under small fields. Therefore, the search for ferroelectrics with both a large EC and ultrahigh piezoelectricity has become an imminent challenge. Herein, ternary Pb(Sc1/2Nb1/2)O3–Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbTiO3 crystals are reported, wherein the dispersed local heterogeneity comprises abundant tetragonal phases, affording a EC of 8.2 kV/cm (greater than that of Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–PbTiO3 by a factor of three) and ultrahigh piezoelectricity (d33 = 2630 pC/N; d15 = 490 pC/N). The observed EC enhancement is the largest reported for ultrahigh-piezoelectric materials, providing a simple, practical, and universal route for improving functionalities in ferroelectrics with an atomic-level understanding. High-drive electromechanical applications require ferroelectrics accounting for a large coercive field and high piezoelectricity simultaneously but it is still a challenge. Here, the authors demonstrate it in a relaxor-based ferroelectric crystal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mesopores Hβ-Tx (x = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) zeolites were synthesized in different crystallization time (48 h, 72 h, 120 h, 168 h, 240 h), and then the NiMoC/Hβ-Tx catalysts were synthesized by equal volume impregnation and programmed temperature carbonization. The effects of crystallization time on the catalytic activity were investigated by hydrogenation of naphthalene, quinoline and aromatics from low temperature coal tar in a fixed bed. The NiMoC/Hβ-T4 catalysts with β zeolite crystallization time of 168 h, exhibited the highest catalytic activity in hydrogenation of aromatics. It can be concluded that higher density of B acid sites of supports, and higher active metal dispersion will enhance the tolerance of catalysts to heteroatoms, while larger grain size of support is unfavorable to resist heteroatoms. Additionally, hydrogenation of aromatics can occur over the prepared NiMoC/Hβ catalysts under mild conditions (275 °C, 3 MPa). The NiMoC/Hβ-T4 catalysts is better than traditional catalysts including NiMoC/Al2O3, NiMoS/Al2O3 and NiMoS/Hβ catalysts in hydrogenation of aromatics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The clinicopathology of aneurysmal bone cysts (ABCs) secondary to osteosarcoma has not yet been reported. We conduct a retrospective review of ABCs secondary to osteosarcoma to characterize clinicopathology and influence on the survival of patients with Enneking stage IIB extremity osteosarcoma. Patients and Methods: A total of 300 patients with Enneking stage IIB extremity osteosarcoma were eligible for analysis. These cases were divided, according to the pathology of biopsy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), into ABCs group and no ABCs group. Patients (ABCs versus no ABCs) were compared using a 1:2 propensity score analysis to best match between groups. Clinicopathology and survival data were analyzed. Results: The total occurrence rate of secondary ABCs was 10.3%. A higher prevalence of pathological fractures was observed in the ABCs group (22.6%) compared with the no ABCs group (8.6%) (p = 0.032). Patients with ABCs were more likely to undergo amputation compared with patients without ABCs (p = 0.007). Those with secondary ABCs had poorer response to chemotherapy before and after propensity score matching (p = 0.006 and p = 0.048, respectively). Kaplan–Meier survival analysis showed that EFS and OS distributions were not significantly different between the two patient groups. ABCs were not significantly different in terms of EFS or OS in the multivariate analysis model (p > 0.05). Conclusions: The presence of secondary ABCs was associated with increased occurrence rate of pathological fracture and high percentage of amputation. Moreover, patients with secondary ABCs had poorer response to chemotherapy. However, the presence of secondary ABCs did not influence survival of patients with Enneking stage IIB extremity osteosarcoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Using genomic structural equation modelling, this research demonstrates an efficient way to identify genetically correlating traits and provides an effective proxy for multi-trait selection to consider the joint genetic architecture of multiple interacting traits in crop breeding. Breeding crop cultivars with optimal value across multiple traits has been a challenge, as traits may negatively correlate due to pleiotropy or genetic linkage. For example, grain yield and grain protein content correlate negatively with each other in cereal crops. Future crop breeding needs to be based on practical yet accurate evaluation and effective selection of beneficial trait to retain genes with the best agronomic score for multiple traits. Here, we test the framework of whole-system-based approach using structural equation modelling (SEM) to investigate how one trait affects others to guide the optimal selection of a combination of agronomically important traits. Using ten traits and genome-wide SNP profiles from a worldwide barley panel and SEM analysis, we revealed a network of interacting traits, in which tiller number contributes positively to both grain yield and protein content; we further identified common genetic factors affecting multiple traits in the network of interaction. Our method demonstrates an efficient way to identify genetically correlating traits and underlying pleiotropic genetic factors and provides an effective proxy for multi-trait selection within a whole-system framework that considers the joint genetic architecture of multiple interacting traits in crop breeding. Our findings suggest the promise of a whole-system approach to overcome challenges such as the negative correlation of grain yield and protein content to facilitating quantitative and objective breeding decisions in future crop breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fibre lithium-ion batteries are attractive as flexible power solutions because they can be woven into textiles, offering a convenient way to power future wearable electronics1–4. However, they are difficult to produce in lengths of more than a few centimetres, and longer fibres were thought to have higher internal resistances3,5 that compromised electrochemical performance6,7. Here we show that the internal resistance of such fibres has a hyperbolic cotangent function relationship with fibre length, where it first decreases before levelling off as length increases. Systematic studies confirm that this unexpected result is true for different fibre batteries. We are able to produce metres of high-performing fibre lithium-ion batteries through an optimized scalable industrial process. Our mass-produced fibre batteries have an energy density of 85.69 watt hour per kilogram (typical values8 are less than 1 watt hour per kilogram), based on the total weight of a lithium cobalt oxide/graphite full battery, including packaging. Its capacity retention reaches 90.5% after 500 charge–discharge cycles and 93% at 1C rate (compared with 0.1C rate capacity), which is comparable to commercial batteries such as pouch cells. Over 80 per cent capacity can be maintained after bending the fibre for 100,000 cycles. We show that fibre lithium-ion batteries woven into safe and washable textiles by industrial rapier loom can wirelessly charge a cell phone or power a health management jacket integrated with fibre sensors and a textile display.Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries produced in the form of metre-long fibres can be woven into sturdy, washable textiles on an industrial loom and used to power other fabric-based electronic components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent researches reported that several circular RNAs (circRNAs) were associated with the glioblastoma (GBM) progression, while the regulatory role of circPITX1 remains unknown in GBM. The real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to quantify circPITX1, miR-584-5p, and karyopherin b1 (KPNB1) expression in GBM tissues and cells. The proliferation capability of cells was analyzed by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony-forming assays. The matrigel angiogenesis assay was used to assess tube formation in GBM cells. Flow cytometry assays were conducted to evaluate the cell cycle distribution of GBM cells. The migration and invasion assays were assessed by transwell assay. The Western blot assay was employed to quantify the protein expression level in GBM tissues and cells. The targets of circPITX1 and miR-584-5p were confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down assays. A xenograft experiment in nude mice was used to assess the functional role of circPITX1 in vivo. CircPITX1 was obviously overexpressed in GBM tissues and cells when compared with negative groups. The functional experiment implied that knockdown of circPITX1 suppressed proliferation, angiogenesis, migration, invasion, and tumor growth in vivo along with induced cell cycle arrest of GBM cells. Furthermore, miR-584-5p was a target gene of circPITX1, and knockdown of miR-584-5p could abolish circPITX1 silencing-induced effects on GBM cells. KPNB1 was a target gene of miR-584-5p, and functional experiments revealed that overexpression of miR-584-5p repressed proliferation, angiogenesis, migration, invasion, and cell cycle process in GBM cells by targeting KPNB1. Mechanistically, circPITX1/miR-584-5p/KPNB1 axis regulated GBM process via mediating proliferation, angiogenesis, migration, invasion, and cell cycle process of GBM cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tensile mechanical behavior and spall response of a selective laser melted (SLM) 17-4 precipitation-hardening (PH) stainless steel were studied comprehensively through tensile test, plate impact experiment and microstructure characterization in the present study. The results reveal a steel with significant strain rate dependence on the tensile mechanical behavior and spall response. As the strain rate increases, the tensile yield stress increases, but there is no monotonic variation trend for the peak stress; grain structure remains unchanged first and then becomes fine; high-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs) increase; the martensite phase decreases at first and then increases. There is a close correlation among impact velocity, strain rate, peak stress, Hugoniot elastic limit (HEL) and spall strength. Strain rate, peak stress and HEL increase, while spall strength remains almost constant with the increase of impact velocity. As impact velocity increases, grain structure becomes fine, HAGBs increase and the martensite phase increases. The significant phase transformation is responsible for the tensile mechanical behavior and spall response, and the temperature rise was calculated to analyze its effect on phase transformation. Whether the preferred orientations are along the building direction or tensile direction is dependent on strain rate. Tensile and spallation specimens exhibit the ductile fracture mode and the damage originates from voids. It is interesting that the voids always tend to nucleate at melt pool boundaries. A spall damage evolution model is illustrated to describe the damage process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water-based lubricant is regarded as an important substitute for the oil-based lubricant when used in improving the tribological properties. Additives are urgent required in water-based lubricants as their disadvantages of poor lubricating properties. In the present work, a new additive containing S, P, Cl active element was synthesized, and the tribological properties were evaluated by using a four-ball tester. The impact of temperature on the tribological properties of water-soluble lubricant was also studied. The worn surfaces were analyzed by X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy. The results show that the synthesized additive exhibit better tribological properties than oleate solution at higher load. XANES spectroscopy indicates that the compositions of tribofilms changed with the temperature. The different composition of the tribofilm has a great influence on tribological behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]