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In order to study the effect of water erosion on the adhesion characteristics of warm-mix crumb rubber-modified asphalt (WCR)-steel slag interface, hot-mix crumb rubber-modified asphalt (HCR) was used as the control group. The WCR-aggregate interface adhesion model was established based on the surface energy test. According to the surface energy theory, the adhesion work of WCR-aggregate can be used to calculate their contact angle. Then, the permeability work and spreading coefficient of asphalt-aggregate were obtained. Three processes of asphalt wetting aggregate (adhesion wetting, immersion wetting, and extended wetting) and the compatibility of asphalt-aggregate were analyzed. The interfacial pull-out test and freeze-thaw splitting test were also used to further analyze the adhesion characteristics and water stability of asphalt-aggregate under the action of hydrothermal coupling. Finally, the low-temperature beam bending test of warm/hot-mix crumb rubber-modified asphalt mixture was carried out to verify the experimental results of adhesion characteristics of the asphalt-aggregate interface. The results show that with the erosion of water, the adhesion and water stability of the WCR-steel slag interface and the low-temperature crack resistance of warm/hot-mix crumb rubber-modified asphalt mixture gradually weaken. At the same time, the higher the water bath temperature, the faster the asphalt film destruction, the positive effect of the warm agents on asphalt-aggregate adhesion was weakened, and the WCR-steel slag interface adhesion characteristics were better. The experimental results of low-temperature performance also verify the accuracy of the adhesion characteristics of the asphalt mixture. Finally, the correlation analysis revealed that there was a strong correlation between mechanical indexes (the pull-out strength P, the residual strength ratio, the pull-out strength loss rate η) and water stability index (the freeze-thaw splitting strength ratio). All of them could characterize the water stability of the asphalt-aggregate well. Furthermore, the correlation between η and TSR was the highest, so it is more reliable for evaluating the water stability and adhesion of asphalt and aggregate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind energy has become an essential part of the energy power source of current power systems since it is eco-friendly and sustainable. To optimize the operations of wind farms with the constraint of satisfying the power demand, it is critical to provide accurate predictions of wind power generated in the future. Although deep learning models have greatly improved prediction accuracy, the overfitting issue limits the application of deep learning models trained under one condition to another. A huge number of data are required to train a new deep learning model for another environment, which is sometimes not practical in some urgent situations with only very little training data on wind power. In this paper, we propose a novel learning method, named metareservoir computing (MRC), to address the above issue, combining reservoir computing and meta-learning. The reservoir computing method improves the computational efficiency of training a deep neural network for time series data. On the other hand, meta-learning is used to improve the initial point and other hyperparameters of reservoir computing. The proposed MRC method is validated using an experimental dataset of wind power compared with the traditional training method. The results show that the MRC method can obtain an accurate predictive model of wind power with only a few shots of data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive exploration is required to deploy mineralization as a tool to develop low-cost yet efficient sustained drug release systems. Unlike previous studies which directly incorporated drug components in mineralized products, we propose an emerging approach to synthesizing drug-loaded CaCO3 composites, relying on the synergistic occlusion of the molecular solutions comprising both the alginate hydrogel matrices and the associated drug (doxorubicin) in the course of mineralization. Independent tools including a scanning electron microscope and adsorption isotherm were employed to characterize the lyophilized composites, which led to the conclusion that the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) was uniformly dispersed in the hydrogel matrices as a molecular solution. The occlusion strategy led to CaCO3-based composites with high loads and sustained and pH-responsive release of DOX. Considering many drug molecules can form molecular solutions with polymeric components, we find that the synergistic occlusion can become a general approach to designing smart drug delivery systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many systematic reviews (SRs) have reported the efficacy of acupuncture in improving Parkinson's disease (PD), but the quality of evidence is unknown. Therefore, it is necessary to comprehensively summarize and objectively evaluate the evidence of acupuncture for PD., Methods: Seven databases were searched to retrieve SRs on the acupuncture for PD. Two reviewers independently completed literature retrieval, screening, and data extraction. The methodological quality, risk of bias (RoB), evidence quality of the included SRs were assessed by the Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR 2), the Risk of Bias in Systematic Reviews (ROBIS), the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) tool., Results: A total of 24 SRs were included. According to AMSTAR 2, 6 (25%) were rated as high quality, 6 (25%) were rated as moderate quality, and 12 (50%) were rated as very low quality. The application of the ROBIS tool showed that 12 (25%) SRs were at low risk of bias. The results of GRADE showed that 8 (7.62%) outcomes provided high quality evidence, 23 (21.9%) outcomes provided moderate quality evidence, 42 (40%) outcomes provided low quality evidence, and 32 (30.48%) outcomes provided very low quality evidence., Conclusion: The overview indicates that acupuncture shows promise as a treatment for PD, although the evidence is limited and inconclusive due to methodological flaws and the heterogeneity of existing studies. Future research should focus on fully reporting methodological details and following review guidelines to produce more reliable and consistent evidence on the effectiveness of acupuncture for PD., Systematic Review Registration: https://inplasy.com, identifier INPLASY202480049., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Xue, He, Wu, Fan and Li.)

Titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) photocatalytic technology has the advantages of high catalytic activity, high chemical stability, nontoxicity, and low cost. Therefore, it finds widespread applications in the degradation of organic pollutants in water, antibacterial, environmental purification, and other fields. In this study, we have obtained a photocatalyst by modifying nanoTiO 2 with the photosensitizer thioxanthone. The light-harvesting units of thioxanthone and nanoTiO 2 can work synergistically to capture light energy. As a heterogeneous photocatalytic material, it can efficiently degrade organic dyes such as Rhodamine B, methyl blue and methyl orange. Specifically, the degradation rate of 0.1 mmol/L Rhodamine B can reach 97% after 35 min of irradiation, and methyl blue and methyl orange can also reach 98 and 56%, respectively., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Background: Many systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analysis (MAs) have reported the efficacy of acupuncture treatment for primary trigeminal neuralgia (PTN), but the quality of evidence is unknown and therefore needs to be evaluated comprehensively., Methods: Eight electronic databases were searched from their inception until January 5, 2024. The methodological quality, reporting quality, and risk of bias of the included SRs were assessed by the assessment of multiple systematic reviews 2 (AMSTAR-2), the Risk of Bias in Systematic Reviews (ROBIS) tool, and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The quality of evidence for outcome measures was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE)., Results: We identified 13 SRs/MAs met inclusion criteria. According to the results of the AMSTAR-2, six were rated as critically low quality and seven as low quality. According to ROBIS assessment, 8 SRs/MAs were classified as low risk, and 5 SRs/MAs were found to be high risk. The PRISMA report still has some reporting deficiencies in aspects such as protocol and registration, search strategy, risk of bias, additional analyzes and funding. According to the GRADE system, no high-quality evidence was found, 1 was of moderate quality, 4 were of low quality, and 8 were of critical low quality., Conclusion: Based on the evidence collected, acupuncture shows promise as a treatment for PTN patients. However, it is important to note that the included SRs/MAs generally have low methodological quality and evidence quality. Therefore, caution must be exercised when interpreting this conclusion. To enhance future research in this area, it is recommended to adequately report methodological details and adhere to guidelines for conducting SRs/MAs. Systematic review registration : https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42024499280., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 He, Li, Xiao, Fan and Xue.)

Aim: To compare the anti-inflammatory effects of intense pulsed light (IPL) with tobramycin/dexamethasone plus warm compress through clinical signs and cytokines in tears., Methods: Eighty-two patients with dry eye disease (DED) associated meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) were divided into two groups. Group A was treated with IPL, and Group B was treated with tobramycin/dexamethasone plus warm compress. Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), tear film breakup time (TBUT), corneal fluorescein staining (CFS), meibomian gland expressibility (MGE), meibum quality, gland dropout and tear cytokine levels were evaluated before treatment, 1wk and 1mo after treatment., Results: TBUT in Group A was higher ( P =0.035), and MGE score was lower than Group B at 1mo ( P =0.001). The changes of interleukin (IL)-17A and IL-1β levels in tears were lower in Group A compared with that in Group B at 1wk after treatment ( P =0.05, P =0.005)., Conclusion: Treatment with IPL can improve TBUT and MGE and downregulate levels of IL-17A and IL-1β in tears of patients with DED associated MGD better than treatment with tobramycin/dexamethasone plus warm compress in one-month treatment period., (International Journal of Ophthalmology Press.)

The current study presents a case of a 23-year-old male with CD30 + nasal-type extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (NKTL), with unusual clinical features mimicking phlegmonous myositis. The patient initially presented with swelling and tenderness of the left lower limb, particularly around the left ankle. One month later, pharyngalgia and fever developed and the patient was treated with antibiotics for the phlegmonous inflammation, however, the symptoms were not relieved. A muscle biopsy was performed on the lesion and revealed diffuse infiltration of atypical lymphoid cells with irregular nuclei. Immunohistochemistry showed staining for CD3ɛ(-), CD20(-), CD45(+), CD30(+) and CD56(+) presented with positive staining for certain tumor cells, granzyme B(+), activin receptor-like kinase 1(-), Ki-67(+) and Epstein-Barr virus-encoded small RNA(+), which indicated nasal-type extranodal NKTL. The present case emphasized that extranodal NKTL may be a rare cause of phlegmonous inflammation and fever of undetermined origin.