Search

Background: Modeling causality through graphs, referred to as causal graph learning, offers an appropriate description of the dynamics of causality. The majority of current machine learning models in clinical decision support systems only predict associations between variables, whereas causal graph learning models causality dynamics through graphs. However, building personalized causal graphs for each individual is challenging due to the limited amount of data available for each patient. Method: In this study, we present a new algorithmic framework using meta-learning for learning personalized causal graphs in biomedicine. Our framework extracts common patterns from multiple patient graphs and applies this information to develop individualized graphs. In multi-task causal graph learning, the proposed optimized initial guess of shared commonality enables the rapid adoption of knowledge to new tasks for efficient causal graph learning. Results: Experiments on one real-world biomedical causal graph learning benchmark data and four synthetic benchmarks show that our algorithm outperformed the baseline methods. Our algorithm can better understand the underlying patterns in the data, leading to more accurate predictions of the causal graph. Specifically, we reduce the structural hamming distance by 50-75%, indicating an improvement in graph prediction accuracy. Additionally, the false discovery rate is decreased by 20-30%, demonstrating that our algorithm made fewer incorrect predictions compared to the baseline algorithms. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate the effectiveness of meta-learning in personalized causal graph learning and cause inference modeling for biomedicine. In addition, the proposed algorithm can also be generalized to transnational research areas where integrated analysis is necessary for various distributions of datasets, including different clinical institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of fear of progression on illness perception and social alienation among maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. Background: MHD is frequently accompanied by increased pain and complications such as itchy skin, chronic fatigue, and muscle spasms. Cardiovascular disease rates are also elevated among MHD patients, which can heighten their anxiety regarding prognosis and treatment discomfort. This chronic fear may severely impact social functioning, leading patients to withdraw from interpersonal interactions and experience heightened helplessness and loneliness. Further investigation is necessary to understand the factors behind the high level of social alienation in MHD patients and their underlying mechanisms. Design: A cross-sectional study guided by the STROBE. Methods: A convenience sample of 230 MHD patients were enrolled from January to May 2023. Data including demographic and clinical characteristics, illness perception, fear of progression, and social alienation were collected. Descriptive analysis and Pearson correlations were conducted using IBM SPSS version 25.0. The mediating effect was analyzed using Model 4 of the PROCESS macro for SPSS, with the Bootstrap method employed to assess its significance. Results: The score of social alienation in MHD patients was high, with illness perception and fear of progression both significantly correlated with social alienation. In the mediating effects model, illness perception can predict social alienation in MHD patients, and fear of progression use plays a part in mediating the process by which illness perception affects social alienation. The Kappa Squared (κ2) value of 21.9%, suggests a medium effect size. Conclusions: Illness perception directly predicts social alienation in MHD patients and exerts an indirect effect through the mediating role of fear of progression. Suggests that healthcare professionals should concentrate on MHD patients with high negative illness perceptions to alleviate their fear of progression, thereby decreasing the level of social alienation and enhancing their integration into society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Point cloud completion aims to estimate the whole shapes of objects from their partial scans, and one of the main obstacles that prevents current methods from being applied in real-world scenarios is the variety of structural losses in real-scanned objects, which can hardly be fully included and reflected by the training samples. In this paper, we introduce Patch Sequence Autoregression Network (PSA-Net), a learning-based method that can be trained without the partial point clouds in dataset and is inherently adaptable to input scans with different levels of shape incompleteness: It makes restoring the unseen parts of objects be equivalent to predicting the missing tokens in local patch embedding sequences, and such prediction can start from any initial states. Specifically, we first introduce a Sequential Patch AutoEncoder that reconstructs complete point clouds from quantized patch feature sequences. Second, we establish a Mixed Patch Autoregression pipeline that can flexibly infer the whole sequence from any number of known tokens at any positions. Third, we propose a Voting-Based Mapping module that makes input points softly vote for their possible related tokens in sequences based on their local areas, which transforms partial point clouds to masked sequences in test. Quantitative and qualitative evaluations on two synthetic and four real-world datasets illustrate the competitive performances of our network when comparing with existing approaches. [Display omitted] • A Sequential Patch AutoEncoder for shape generation from quantized feature sequence. • A Mixed Patch Autoregression pipeline for token prediction from any initial states. • A Voting-based Mapping module for transformation from partial shapes to sequences. • Competitive performances on two synthetic and four real-world datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Spinal cord ischemia‒reperfusion injury (SCIRI) can lead to paraplegia, which leads to permanent motor function loss. It is a disastrous complication of surgery and causes tremendous socioeconomic burden. However, effective treatments for SCIRI are still lacking. PANoptosis consists of three kinds of programmed cell death, pyroptosis, apoptosis, and necroptosis, and may contribute to ischemia‒reperfusion-induced neuron death. Previous studies have demonstrated that hydrogen sulfide (H2S) exerts a neuroprotective effect in many neurodegenerative diseases. However, whether H2S is anti-PANoptosis and neuroprotective in the progression of acute SCIRI remains unclear. Thus, in this study we aimed to explore the role of H2S in SCIRI and its underlying mechanisms. Methods: Measurements of lower limb function, neuronal activity, microglia/macrophage function histopathological examinations, and biochemical levels were performed to examine the efficacy of H2S and to further demonstrate the mechanism and treatment of SCIRI. Results: The results showed that GYY4137 (a slow-releasing H2S donor) treatment attenuated the loss of Nissl bodies after SCIRI and improved the BBB score. Additionally, the number of TUNEL-positive and cleaved caspase-3-positive cells was decreased, and the upregulation of expression of cleaved caspase-8, cleaved caspase-3, Bax, and Bad and downregulation of Bcl-2 expression were reversed after GYY4137 administration. Meanwhile, both the expression and activation of p-MLKL, p-RIP1, and p-RIP3, along with the number of PI-positive and RIP3-positive neurons, were decreased in GYY4137-treated rats. Furthermore, GYY4137 administration reduced the expression of NLRP3, cleaved caspase-1 and cleaved GSDMD, decreased the colocalization NeuN/NLRP3 and Iba1/interleukin-1β-expressing cells, and inhibited proinflammatory factors and microglia/macrophage polarization. Conclusions: H2S ameliorated spinal cord neuron loss, prevented motor dysfunction after SCIRI, and exerted a neuroprotective effect via the inhibition of PANoptosis and overactivated microglia-mediated neuroinflammation in SCIRI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a non‐specific chronic inflammatory disease of the intestine. In addition to genetic susceptibility, environmental factors and dysregulated host immunity, the gut microbiota is implicated in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC), the two primary types of IBD. The P2X4 receptor has been demonstrated to have a crucial role in preventing infection, inflammation, and organ damage. However, it remains unclear whether the P2X4 receptor affects IBD and the underlying mechanisms. Methods: Colitis was induced in mice administrated with dextran sodium sulphate (DSS). 16S rDNA sequencing was used to analyze the gut microbiota in knockout and wild‐type mice. Clinical and histopathological parameters were monitored throughout the disease progression. Results: Gene Expression Omnibus analysis showed the downregulation of P2RX4 (P2rx4) expression in colonic tissues from patients or mice with IBD. However, its expression at the protein levels was upregulated on day 4 or 6 and then downregulated on day 7 in C57BL/6 mice treated with DSS. Gene ablation of P2rx4 aggravated DSS‐induced colitis accompanying gut microbiota dysbiosis in mice. Moreover, P2X4 receptor‐positive modulator ivermectin alleviated colitis and corrected dysregulated microbiota in wild‐type C57BL/6 mice. Further antibiotic‐treated gut microbiota depletion, cohousing experiment, and fecal microbiota transplantation proved that gut microbiota dysbiosis was associated with the aggravation of colitis in the mouse model initiated by P2rx4. Conclusions: Our findings elaborate on an unrevealed etiopathophysiological mechanism by which microbiota dysbiosis induced by the P2X4 receptor influences the development of colitis, indicating that the P2X4 receptor represents a promising target for treating patients with CD and UC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current studies have shown that perception of subject's own name (SON) involves multiple multimodal brain regions, while activities in unimodal sensory regions (i.e., primary auditory cortex) and their interaction with multimodal regions during the self‐processing remain unclear. To answer this, we combined multivariate pattern analysis and dynamic causal modelling analysis to explore the regional activation pattern and inter‐region effective connection during the perception of SON. We found that SON and other names could be decoded from the activation pattern in the primary auditory cortex. In addition, we found an excitatory effect of SON on connections from the anterior insula/inferior frontal gyrus to the primary auditory cortex, and to the temporoparietal junction. Our findings extended the current knowledge of self‐processing by showing that primary auditory cortex could discriminate SON from other names. Furthermore, our findings highlighted the importance of influence of the insula on the primary auditory cortex during self‐processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing detection methods face a huge challenge in identifying insulators with minor defects when targeting transmission line images with complex backgrounds. To ensure the safe operation of transmission lines, an improved YOLOv7 model is proposed to improve detection results. Firstly, the target boxes of the insulator dataset are clustered based on K-means++ to generate more suitable anchor boxes for detecting insulator-defect targets. Secondly, the Coordinate Attention (CoordAtt) module and HorBlock module are added to the network. Then, in the channel and spatial domains, the network can enhance the effective features of the feature-extraction process and weaken the ineffective features. Finally, the SCYLLA-IoU (SIoU) and focal loss functions are used to accelerate the convergence of the model and solve the imbalance of positive and negative samples. Furthermore, to optimize the overall performance of the model, the method of non-maximum suppression (NMS) is improved to reduce accidental deletion and false detection of defect targets. The experimental results show that the mean average precision of our model is 93.8%, higher than the Faster R-CNN model, the YOLOv7 model, and YOLOv5s model by 7.6%, 3.7%, and 4%, respectively. The proposed YOLOv7 model can effectively realize the accurate detection of small objects in complex backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a common malignant bone tumor in adolescents, osteosarcoma (OS) possesses a very poor prognosis and lacks effective treatments. In this study, we developed a multifunctional nanotherapeutic agent (WSe 2 /AIPH/GOx) that can combine photothermal therapy (PTT) /thermodynamic therapy (TDT) /starvation therapy (ST) against OS. The prepared WSe 2 /AIPH/GOx exhibited a high photothermal conversion efficiency of 37.3% under 808 nm near-infrared laser irradiation, which could effectively eliminate tumor cells. In addition, the local high temperature caused by photothermal heat induces the rapid release and decomposition of AIPH, generating oxygen-independent alkyl radicals that promote tumor cell death in the hypoxic microenvironment. More importantly, the introduction of GOx depletes glucose to starve tumor cells on the one hand, and on the other hand can indirectly increase the thermal sensitivity of cells. In vivo experiments have demonstrated that WSe 2 /AIPH/GOx can effectively inhibit tumor growth in mice due to the combined effects of multiple therapies. Overall, this work provides an effective strategy for potential osteosarcoma treatment based on combination therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A deep learning framework for identifying minimally conscious state (MCS) and cognitive motor dissociation (CMD) patients from rs-fMRIs. • Free of feature engineering. • Achieving better performance than counterparts. • Providing neuroimaging biomarkers indicative of consciousness for clinical reference. Diagnosis of disorders of consciousness (DOC) remains a formidable challenge. Deep learning methods have been widely applied in general neurological and psychiatry disorders, while limited in DOC domain. Considering the successful use of resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) for evaluating patients with DOC, this study seeks to explore the conjunction of deep learning techniques and rs-fMRI in precisely detecting awareness in DOC. We initiated our research with a benchmark dataset comprising 140 participants, including 76 unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS), 25 minimally conscious state (MCS), and 39 Controls, from three independent sites. We developed a cascade 3D EfficientNet-B3-based deep learning framework tailored for discriminating MCS from UWS patients, referred to as "DeepDOC", and compared its performance against five state-of-the-art machine learning models. We also included an independent dataset consists of 11 DOC patients to test whether our model could identify patients with cognitive motor dissociation (CMD), in which DOC patients were behaviorally diagnosed unconscious but could be detected conscious by brain computer interface (BCI) method. Our results demonstrate that DeepDOC outperforms the five machine learning models, achieving an area under curve (AUC) value of 0.927 and accuracy of 0.861 for distinguishing MCS from UWS patients. More importantly, DeepDOC excels in CMD identification, achieving an AUC of 1 and accuracy of 0.909. Using gradient-weighted class activation mapping algorithm, we found that the posterior cortex, encompassing the visual cortex, posterior middle temporal gyrus, posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus, and cerebellum, as making a more substantial contribution to classification compared to other brain regions. This research offers a convenient and accurate method for detecting covert awareness in patients with MCS and CMD using rs-fMRI data. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emerging digital economy has facilitated the digital transformation of the logistics industry toward a standard and collaborative state. The logistics infrastructure has accordingly attracted much attention as the basis for supporting digital economy implementation. Moreover, the initiatives of regional collaborative development, such as in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) of China, have accelerated the integration of logistics infrastructure and operation-level collaboration. Fortunately, the Cyber-Physical Internet (CPI) has created new opportunities for promoting infrastructure integration through the cyber, physical and internet dimensions. However, regional infrastructure integration in the GBA faces various challenges associated with CPI network operations. Thus, a bottom-up approach is proposed to facilitate logistics infrastructure integration in the CPI environment based on the conceptual fusion of computer networks. Considering the fundamental difference in network fusion and operation mechanisms between CPI and computer networks, a CPI-LI2 (logistics infrastructure integration) framework is designed as an integrated solution. Finally, a simulation study is conducted using real-life medical logistics data from the GBA to verify the effectiveness of the CPI-LI2 framework. Experiments show that the framework is well adapted to large-scale logistics networks with dynamically changing links. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combination of photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) has attracted attention due to its enhanced tumor therapy effect. This study proposes a novel nanoenzyme-based theranostic nanoplatform, IrO2@MSN@PDA-BSA(Ce6), for the combined PTT and PDT of tumors. IrO2 was prepared by a simple hydrolysis method and coated with a thin layer of mesoporous silica (MSN) to facilitate the physical adsorption of Chlorin e6 (Ce6). The PDA coating and IrO2 NPs of the nanoplatform demonstrated an improved photothermal conversion efficiency of 29.8% under NIR irradiation. Further, the Ce6 loading imparts materials with the ability to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) under 660 nm NIR laser irradiation. It was also proved that the IrO2 NPs could catalyze the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in the tumor microenvironment (TME) to generate endogenous oxygen (O2), thereby enhancing the efficiency of PDT. The in vitro and in vivo experiments indicated that the nanocomposite was highly biocompatible and could produce a satisfactory tumor therapeutic effect. Thus, the findings of the present study demonstrate the viability of using theranostic nanoenzymes for translational medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the hypoxia status of the tumor, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) production during photodynamic therapy (PDT) of the tumor is less efficient. Herein, a facile method which involves the synthesis of Mg–Mn–Al layered double hydroxides (LDH) clay with MoS2 doping in the surface and anionic layer space of LDH was presented, to integrate the photo-thermal effect of MoS2 and imaging and catalytic functions of Mg–Mn–Al LDH. The designed LDH-MoS2 (LMM) clay composite was further surface-coated with bovine serum albumin (BSA) to maintain the colloidal stability of LMM in physiological environment. A photosensitizer, chlorin e6 (Ce6), was absorbed at the surface and anionic layer space of LMM@BSA. In the LMM formulation, the magnetic resonance imaging of Mg–Mn–Al LDH was enhanced thanks to the reduced and acid microenvironment of the tumor. Notably, the ROS production and PDT efficiency of Ce6 were significantly improved, because LMM@BSA could catalyze the decomposing of the overexpressed H2O2 in tumors to produce oxygen. The biocompatible LMM@BSA that played the synergism with tumor microenvironment is a promising candidate for the effective treatment of cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High recurrence rates after surgery and unacceptable side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy are challenges in the treatment of osteosarcoma (OS). Therefore, the development of nanoplatforms with combined tumor inhibition efficiency and fewer side effects is a promising strategy for the treatment of OS. In this paper, a biocompatible therapeutic nanoplatform (Fe-Zr@PDA@GOx) was constructed with a simple and efficient strategy for the treatment of OS. First, as an excellent Fenton reaction reagent, iron ions in the nanoplatform can generate highly toxic hydroxyl radicals (•OH) with hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) in the tumor microenvironment and induce tumor cell death. Then, the modification of polydopamine endows the nanoplatform with photothermal responsiveness, with a photothermal conversion efficiency of 28.0%. Importantly, the conversed heat by polydopamine both promotes the release of glucose oxidase (GOx) and increases the rate of the Fenton reaction. Furthermore, GOx-mediated starvation treatment (SDT) can also provide suitable reaction conditions and sufficient H 2 O 2 to realize the amplification of chemodynamic therapy (CDT). Finally, the doping of Zr ions can interact with Fe to form dual active centers in the Fenton reaction and further accelerate the generation of •OH. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments reveal the synergistic photothermal/CDT/SDT anti-tumor effect. Therefore, this work provides an effective strategy for the treatment of OS. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We investigated the resting-state temporal stability in disorders of consciousness. • Whole-brain and regional temporal stability was impaired in disorders of consciousness. • A classification model was built that correctly identify cognitive motor dissociation. • Multiple independent datasets were included for validating the classification model. Using task-dependent neuroimaging techniques, recent studies discovered a fraction of patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) who had no command-following behaviors but showed a clear sign of awareness as healthy controls, which was defined as cognitive motor dissociation (CMD). However, existing task-dependent approaches might fail when CMD patients have cognitive function (e.g., attention, memory) impairments, in which patients with covert awareness cannot perform a specific task accurately and are thus wrongly considered unconscious, which leads to false-negative findings. Recent studies have suggested that sustaining a stable functional organization over time, i.e., high temporal stability, is crucial for supporting consciousness. Thus, temporal stability could be a powerful tool to detect the patient's cognitive functions (e.g., consciousness), while its alteration in the DOC and its capacity for identifying CMD were unclear. The resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) study included 119 participants from three independent research sites. A sliding-window approach was used to investigate global and regional temporal stability, which measured how stable the brain's functional architecture was across time. The temporal stability was compared in the first dataset (36/16 DOC/controls), and then a Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier was built to discriminate DOC from controls. Furthermore, the generalizability of the SVM classifier was tested in the second independent dataset (35/21 DOC/controls). Finally, the SVM classifier was applied to the third independent dataset, where patients underwent rs-fMRI and brain-computer interface assessment (4/7 CMD/potential non-CMD), to test its performance in identifying CMD. Our results showed that global and regional temporal stability was impaired in DOC patients, especially in regions of the cingulo-opercular task control network, default-mode network, fronto-parietal task control network, and salience network. Using temporal stability as the feature, the SVM model not only showed good performance in the first dataset (accuracy = 90%), but also good generalizability in the second dataset (accuracy = 84%). Most importantly, the SVM model generalized well in identifying CMD in the third dataset (accuracy = 91%). Our preliminary findings suggested that temporal stability could be a potential tool to assist in diagnosing CMD. Furthermore, the temporal stability investigated in this study also contributed to a deeper understanding of the neural mechanism of consciousness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remanufacturing is widely considered a solution to environmental pollution and resource shortage but its progression is influenced by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), remanufacturers, consumers and public policy makers. This research studies the optimal price and production quantity of new and remanufactured products with a two-stage model under both scenarios under which the remanufacturing is conducted by the OEM or by the third-party remanufacturer (TPR). A non-cooperative game model is used at the second stage when the TPR conducts remanufacturing. The models consider both the impact of the product life cycle through the market growth factor at the second stage and the influence of consumers’ perceived value of new and remanufactured products, which depends on the identity of the remanufacturer. Both theoretical and numerical analyses show that both the life cycle phase and consumers’ perception have an impact on the OEM’s decision whether to allow the TPR in the remanufacturing business. The results also reveal that the market may not be efficient for maximizing the environmental sustainability and societal equity. Governments may need to interfere with the market in order to promote the TPR manufacturing, especially when the product is at the mature or declining phases of its life cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of the automotive industry, the application of sensors is of great importance in maintaining the reliability of electric vehicles and ensuring the safe operation of electric vehicles. Faced with the increasing data of thermal management system condition monitoring, sensor detection is widely used in the monitoring of electric vehicle thermal management system. In recent years, a large number of related studies and contributions to the literature have been published. Although a number of reviews have summarized this, these reviews lack an overview of the issues and methods raised in these studies. This paper reviews recent sensor applications for electric vehicle thermal management systems. Currently, battery internal sensors, battery external sensors and related multi-sensor fusion, traditional motor sensors, positionless motor sensors, and component-level sensors of air conditioning systems are the main application sensors in the field of thermal management systems. This article introduces the basic principles of each type of sensor, reviews the relevant applications of various thermal management modules, and summarizes the usage characteristics of each type of sensor. The main problems faced by the existing research on the application of thermal management system-based sensors, such as the detection accuracy of traditional sensors and the detection stability of advanced sensors, are summarized, and the solutions proposed by the existing research are also summarized. Finally, some future research directions, trends, and hotspots are outlined. It is hoped that this review can help readers to understand the problems and existing solutions for thermal-management-system-based sensor applications, and to conduct related research more effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel carbon fiber/MXene coalition (CF-Ar-MXene) is synthesized via a bidirectional aryl diazonium chemistry method using p-phenylenediamine as a chemical bridge, which effectively combines the two materials with different dimensions and makes full use of the advantages of both. CF-Ar-MXene coalition materials achieve high surface roughness and rich oxygen-containing active groups due to the presence of MXene on the surface of CF, which leads to the favorable interfacial interaction and compatibility between CF-Ar-MXene and epoxy resin (EP) matrix. As expected, after the incorporation of CF-Ar-MXene coalition into EP matrix, the flame retardancy and mechanical properties of EP composites are significantly improved. For example, with the addition of 3 wt% CF-Ar-MXene coalition, the peak heat release rate (PHRR), total heat release (THR) and total smoke production (TSP) of EP composites decrease by 42.6%, 48.2% and 32.1%, respectively. Meanwhile, the TG-IR results indicate that the amount of combustible volatile products and toxic gases also significantly decrease. Notably, with 2 wt% loading of CF-Ar-MXene coalition in EP composites, the tensile strength and elongation at break increase by 49.9% and 40.5%, respectively. Therefore, the efficient cooperation between CF and MXene in CF-Ar-MXene coalition and excellent interface compatibility with EP matrix are the main reasons for the excellent flame retardancy and mechanical properties of EP/CF-Ar-MXene composites. [Display omitted] • CF-Ar-MXene coalitions were prepared by a bidirectional aryl diazonium chemistry method for the first time. • The method used in this experiment is efficient and eco-friendly compared with the traditional modification method for CF. • CF-Ar-MXene coalitions achieved high filler efficiency in reducing the fire hazards and smoke production of EP. • Mechanical properties of EP/CF-Ar-MXene composites were efficiency enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate how the diversity of consumers’ perceived value in different remanufacturing modes affects remanufacturing decision-making. We establish a two-stage optimal decision-making model of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) remanufacturing and a noncooperative game model of third party remanufacturer (TPR) remanufacturing and then analyze the optimal decisions of OEM and TPR. Comparing the effects of consumers’ perceived value on remanufacturing decision-making in different modes, we find that when OEM remanufactures products, consumers’ perceived value has a negative effect on new products’ price and quantity and has a positive effect on remanufactured products’ quantity and when TPR remanufactures products, consumers’ perceived value has a positive effect on new products price and quantity and has a negative effect on remanufactured products’ quantity. Compared with OEM remanufacturing, TPR remanufacturing can raise the profits of OEM and whole closed-loop supply chain, but it will lower the quantity of remanufacturing products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Al11Cr4 was prepared by diffusion of electrodeposited Al/Cr composite film. [•] The compositional range of Al11Cr4 was from Al75.0Cr25.0 to Al76.0Cr24.0. [•] The decomposition temperature of Al11Cr4 was 829°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal runaway (TR) has become a critical issue for lithium-ion battery-based electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage stations. Accurate thermal-electric estimation is significant for the safety of lithium-ion batteries (LIB). To predict the highly correlated behavior of temperature and voltage variation characteristics during the TR process, a thermal-electric coupled TR model within the full range of State of Charge (SOC) is constructed in this study. The electric quantity normalized concentration c eq is defined and used to construct the corresponding numerical relationship between temperature and voltage in the model. This model can effectively fit the battery TR temperature and voltage variation behavior under both adiabatic TR test and oven test results. Furthermore, the model-based analysis proves that the temperature and voltage changes during the TR can be mutually obtained through the stable numerical coupling relationship. Besides, the relationship between SOC and the concentration field is established. Moreover, the feasibility of using the normalized concentration to couple the voltage and temperature signal is verified. This study provides perspectives for the coupling relationships of TR characteristic signals and multi-signal coupled modeling of lithium-ion battery TR. ● A thermal-electric coupled model is proposed for the full range of SOC. ● The maximum error of voltage estimation model is less than 0.05 V. ● This study guides the multi-signal coupled thermal runaway state estimation. ● The proposed methodology can be utilized for thermal runaway propagation modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small, non-coding RNA molecules, play an important role in the posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression, thereby influencing important cellular functions. In adipocytes, miRNAs show import regulatory features and are described to influence differentiation as well as metabolic, endocrine, and inflammatory functions. We previously identified miR-27a being upregulated under inflammatory conditions in human adipocytes and aimed to elucidate its function in adipocyte biology. Both strands of miR-27a, miR-27a-3p and -5p, were downregulated during the adipogenic differentiation of Simpson–Golabi–Behmel syndrome (SGBS) cells, human multipotent adipose-derived stem cells (hMADS), and human primary adipose-derived stromal cells (hASCs). Using miRNA-mimic transfection, we observed that miR-27a-3p is a crucial regulator of adipogenesis, while miR-27a-5p did not alter the differentiation capacity in SGBS cells. In silico screening predicted lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ (PPARγ) as potential targets of miR-27a-3p. The downregulation of both genes was verified in vitro, and the interaction of miR-27-3p with target sites in the 3′ UTRs of both genes was confirmed via a miRNA-reporter-gene assay. Here, the knockdown of LPL did not interfere with adipogenic differentiation, while PPARγ knockdown decreased adipogenesis significantly, suggesting that miR-27-3p exerts its inhibitory effect on adipogenesis by repressing PPARγ. Taken together, we identified and validated a crucial role for miR-27a-3p in human adipogenesis played by targeting the essential adipogenic transcription factor PPARγ. Though we confirmed LPL as an additional target of miR-27a-3p, it does not appear to be involved in regulating human adipogenesis. Thereby, our findings call the conclusions drawn from previous studies, which identified LPL as a crucial regulator for murine and human adipogenesis, into question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malignant tumor has always been a complex disease that endangers human health. Traditional treatment methods include surgical resection, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. However, solid tumors are prone to recur. Herein, we developed a hydrogel-based drug-carrying system to prevent postoperative tumor recurrence. Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose was modified with dopamine via the N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) and 1-ethyl-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbanyl diimide (EDC)-mediated coupling chemistry. The CMC-DA-MnO2/MnO (CDM) hydrogel was prepared by oxidative cross-linking, using KMnO4 as the oxidizing agent. In the hydrogel, the KMnO4 can not only be used as an oxidant to trigger the polymerization and gelation of CMC-DA but also transformed into MnO2 and MnO to afford the T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The fluorescent dye IR808 as a photosensitizer was introduced into the hydrogel system by simply soaking the CDM hydrogel in the IR808 solution. Under the 808 nm laser irradiation, IR808 and PDA endowed the hydrogel with tumor photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) capacities, respectively. With the proven hemo- and cyto-compatibilities, the CDM hydrogel was successfully used for the PDT and PTT prevention of postoperative tumor recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resting state networks comprise several brain regions that exhibit complex patterns of interaction. Switching from eyes closed (EC) to eyes open (EO) during the resting state modifies these patterns of connectivity, but precisely how these change remains unclear. Here we use functional magnetic resonance imaging to scan healthy participants in two resting conditions (viz., EC and EO). Seven resting state networks were chosen for this study: salience network (SN), default mode network (DMN), central executive network (CEN), dorsal attention network (DAN), visual network (VN), motor network (MN) and auditory network (AN). We performed functional connectivity (FC) analysis for each network, comparing the FC maps for both EC and EO. Our results show increased connectivity between most networks during EC relative to EO, thereby suggesting enhanced integration during EC and greater modularity or specialization during EO. Among these networks, SN is distinctive: during the transition from EO to EC it evinces increased connectivity with DMN and decreased connectivity with VN. This change might imply that SN functions in a manner analogous to a circuit switch, modulating resting state relations with DMN and VN, when transitioning between EO and EC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Polycrystalline yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia nanoparticles having a grain size around 50-80nm were fabricated in aqueous poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) solution by mechanical attrition in a planetary mill, with the PVA used as a capping agent. The surface-modified nanoparticles displayed a significant near-band-edge photoluminescence with emission band centered at 428nm due to the good surface passivation of the nanoparticles by the PVA molecules. An enhancement of the blue emission was observed when the nanoparticles were embedded in solid PVA matrix. Elevating the temperature of the zirconia nanoparticle solution from 337.5 to 357.5K lead to temperature quenching of the luminescence due to the decrease of emissive centers caused by desorption of PVA from the nanoparticle surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the corrosion behavior of Ni-Cr binary alloys, including Ni-10Cr, Ni-15Cr, Ni-20Cr, Ni-25Cr, and Ni-30Cr, in a NaCl-KCl-MgCl2 molten salt mixture through gravimetric analysis. Corrosion tests were conducted at 700 °C, with the maximum immersion time reaching up to 100 h. The corrosion rate was determined by measuring the mass loss of the specimens at various time intervals. Verifying corrosion rates by combining mass loss results with the determination of element dissolution in molten salts using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Detailed examinations of the corrosion products and morphology were conducted using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Micro-area elemental analysis on the corroded surfaces was performed using an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), and the elemental distribution across the corrosion cross-sections was mapped. The results indicate that alloys with lower Cr content exhibit superior corrosion resistance in the NaCl-KCl-MgCl2 molten salt under an argon atmosphere compared to those with higher Cr content; no corrosion products were retained on the surfaces of the lower Cr alloys (Ni-10Cr, Ni-15Cr). For the higher Cr alloys (Ni-20Cr, Ni-25Cr, Ni-30Cr), after 20 h of corrosion, a protective layer was observed in certain areas. The formation of a stable Cr2O3 layer in the initial stages of corrosion for high-Cr content alloys, which reacts with MgO in the molten salt to form a stable MgCr2O4 spinel structure, provides additional protection for the alloys. However, over time, even under argon protection, the MgCr2O4 protective layer gradually degrades due to chloride ion infiltration and chemical reactions at high temperatures. Further analysis revealed that chloride ions play a pivotal role in the corrosion process, not only facilitating the destruction of the Cr2O3 layer on the alloy surfaces but also possibly accelerating the corrosion of the metallic matrix through electrochemical reactions. In conclusion, the corrosion behavior of Ni-Cr alloys in the NaCl-KCl-MgCl2 molten salt environment is influenced by a combination of factors, including Cr content, chloride ion activity, and the formation and degradation of protective layers. This study not only provides new insights into the corrosion resistance of Ni-Cr alloys in high-temperature molten salt environments but also offers significant theoretical support for the design and optimization of corrosion-resistant alloy materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a novel fabrication method was used to synthesize phenolic resin/phosphate hybrid coatings using aluminum dihydrogen phosphate (Al(H2PO4)3, hereafter denoted as Al), SC101 silica sol (Si) as the primary film-forming agent, and phenolic resin (PF) as the organic matrix. This approach culminated in the formation of Al+Si+PF organo–inorganic hybrid coatings. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results confirmed the successful integration of hybrid structures within these coatings. The crystalline structure of the coatings post-cured at various temperatures was elucidated using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Additionally, the surface and cross-sectional morphologies were meticulously analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), offering insights into the microstructural properties of the coatings. The coatings' porosities under diverse thermal and temporal regimes were quantitatively evaluated using advanced image processing techniques, revealing a significant reduction in porosity to a minimum of 5.88% following a thermal oxidation process at 600 °C for 10 h. The antioxidant efficacy of the phosphate coatings was rigorously assessed through cyclic oxidation tests, which revealed their outstanding performance. Specifically, at 300 °C across 300 h of cyclic oxidation, the weight losses recorded for phosphate varnish and the phenolic resin-infused phosphate coatings were 0.15 mg·cm−2 and 0.09 mg·cm−2, respectively. Furthermore, at 600 °C and over an identical period, the weight reduction was noted as 0.21 mg·cm−2 for phosphate varnish and 0.085 mg·cm−2 for the hybrid coatings, thereby substantiating the superior antioxidation capabilities of the phenolic resin hybrid coatings in comparison to the pure phosphate varnish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Bi3+ induces the gelatinization of ALG and reacts with Na 2 S. • The Bi 2 S 3 NPs enable the CT imaging and the enhancement of tumor RT. • The sensitized RT enhances the hypoxia of TME and activates TPZ. • The Bi 2 S 3 NPs generate the hyperthermia to eradicate the cancer cells. Radiotherapy (RT) is becoming a pervasive therapeutic pattern in clinical cancer therapy. However, the hypoxic microenvironment of tumors has a strong resistance to radiotherapy and could lead to a potential recurrence and metastasis after the treatment. Therefore, the use of synergistic strategies for improving and supplementing the RT efficiency is important. Herein, a novel Bi 2 S 3 /alginate (ALG) hydrogel containing tirapazamine (TPZ) was designed for the effective suppression of tumor recurrence, by introducing Bi3+ into the ALG, Na 2 S and TPZ solution. In this formulation, Bi3+ was used to crosslink with the ALG to form the hydrogel and react with S2− to simultaneously form Bi 2 S 3 nanoparticles in the hydrogel matrix. The resulting Bi 2 S 3 nanoparticles not only exhibit the superb radiosensitization effect to boost the effective eradication of tumors during RT but also manifest an excellent photothermal transforming performance for tumor hyperthermia and computed tomography (CT) imaging capacity for tumor monitoring. Furthermore, the RT caused hypoxia could activate the reductive prodrug TPZ and enhance its therapeutic efficiency. The reported hydrogel system provides an efficient and safe therapeutic strategy for current local tumor therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-performance polymer fibers have broad applications in composites due to high strength and excellent toughness. However, the enhancement in tensile strength often results in a decrease in elongation at break, and simultaneous increase of strength and toughness is still challenging for aramid fiber. Herein, an effective method based on relaxation time theory is proposed to simultaneously enhance the tensile strength and elongation at break for heterocyclic aramid fiber. Ultra-high molecular weight heterocyclic aramid (HMPBIA) was added in the heterocyclic aramid (PBIA) spinning dope to prepare fibers. The structure evolution of fiber is studied in detail combining with experiment and simulation. Results of Molecular Dynamics simulations prove that HMPBIA acts as a role of mainstay by maintaining straight chain conformation in highly oriented fibers. This unique mainstay-body structure weaken slippage between molecular chains when the fiber is subject to tension. Further characterizations by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) confirm the formation of mainstay-body structure in the fiber, which improves tensile strength and elongation at break by 17.7% and 16.7%, respectively. Image 1 • HMPBIA is added into the spinning solution, and it doesn't lead to too high viscosity while ensuring compatibility. • The orientation evolution of fibers was studied from the point of relaxation time of macromolecular chains. • HMPBIA plays a role like a mainstay in PBIA fiber, which helps to increase the average length of fibrils. • Enhanced tensile strength and elongation at break of PBIA fiber are simultaneously realized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Packs with high self-discharge accelerate the capacity decline and even cause the safe issues. It is important to keep the self-discharge rate at a uniform and small level for all the cells in a pack. The traditional clustering methods are either costly or time-consuming. In this paper, a novel classification method is invented to realize the fast estimation of the relative self-discharge rate. Firstly, the balancing technology for large-scale cells is proposed to ensure the voltage equalization. Small batches of equalized cells are then clamped in detection circuits to realize the external mapping of the internal current originated from the self-discharge. The relative self-discharge rates of the cells are estimated by the equivalent parallel circuit model with self-discharge. The results show that the method can detect the cell with a relative self-discharge rate of 3%/month for three cells at a time within 1 h. To further classify the cells according to the relative self-discharge rate, microammeters are connected in each branch of the detection circuits. The results show that the method can identify the relative self-discharge rate in less than 2 h, and the errors can be kept within 0.1%/month. • A fast and economic relative self-discharge rate detection method is proposed. • The relative self-discharge rate is estimated by monitoring branch currents. • The method can estimate relative self-discharge rate and realize classification. • The method is verified by experiment and simulation with good accuracy. • The method is fast within 2 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, a series of social problems caused by cardiovascular diseases are becoming increasingly serious. Accurate and efficient classification of arrhythmias according to an electrocardiogram is of positive significance for improving the health status of people all over the world. In this paper, a new neural network structure based on the most common 12-lead electrocardiograms was proposed to realize the classification of nine arrhythmias, which consists of Inception and GRU (Gated Recurrent Units) primarily. Moreover, a new attention mechanism is added to the model, which makes sense for data symmetry. The average F1 score obtained from three different test sets was over 0.886 and the highest was 0.919. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity obtained from the PhysioNet public database were 0.928, 0.901, and 0.984, respectively. As a whole, this deep neural network performed well in the multi-label classification of 12-lead ECG signals and showed better stability than other methods in the case of more test samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermosensitive and tumor microenvironment activated nanotheranostic can be used as a promising nanoplatform for highly efficient chemodynamic/photothermal therapy of colorectal tumor. [Display omitted] This research proposes the one-pot preparation of polydopamine (PDA) decorated mesoporous silica nanoparticle (PMSN) for the thermal and tumor micro-environment (TME) responsive colorectal tumor therapy. The pores of PMSN were used for the Fe3+ loading. Lauric acid (LA), a phase-change ligand, was selected as a "doorkeeper" to coat the surface of Fe3+-loaded PMSN and prevent the undesired leakage of Fe3+. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) was selected as a stabilizer to endow the PMSN-Fe-LA-BSA nanopartilces (PMFLB) with colloidal stability. Under the near infrared laser, the light-sensitive PDA produced significant heat to kill the colorectal cancer cells via hyperthermia. Moreover, the heat induced the phase-change of LA and triggered the release of Fe3+, which further reacted with the endogenous H 2 S in the colorectal TME. After that, the Fe3+ was transformed into Fe2+, which triggered the Fenton reaction with the H 2 O 2 in the TME and effectively generated hydroxyl radical (·OH). Finally, the Fe2+ was transformed into Fe3+, which repeatedly reacted with the H 2 S and produced more ·OH to enhance the chemodynamic therapy of colorectal tumor. Such a thermosensitive PMFLB which operates in synergy with the colorectal TME opens an alternative avenue for the rational design of multifunctional nano-therapeutic agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A parametrical study of purge flow film cooling was experimentally conducted. • Influence of purge slot width, position, and injection angle and injection rate was documented. • Detailed flow structures were visualized to support experimental observations. • A new correlation was specifically developed for purge flow film cooling over turbine endwalls. The design of an efficient cavity slot between assembled components, where purge air is injected, is especially crucial to the durability and efficiency of an aero-engine, since the purge air is relevant to sealing and film cooling of the hot component. In this paper, film cooling for purge flow injected from slots upstream the endwall of a turbine vane is systematically investigated in a linear cascade using Pressure-Sensitive Paint (PSP). The influence of the slot width (0.020−0.044 times vane axial chord length), position (0.11−0.24 times vane axial chord length in front of turbine passage inlets), and inclination angle (20−45°) is examined for coolant injection ratios of 0.3−2.0 %, with an attempt to develop a new correlation specifically for purge flow film cooling over a turbine endwall, since existing correlations in literature only work for slot injection on flat plates. The experimental tests are undertaken in extensive ranges of the slot geometry and the injection rate that are typically seen in a modern engine. For better understanding the impacts of the affecting parameters, five-hole probe and thermocouple measurements and numerical simulations were carried out as well to visualize the coolant-with-mainstream mixing flows. The measured local film coverage, pitchwise- and area-averaged cooling effectiveness are presented and discussed, in combination with the probe-detected and numerically-modeled flow structures to elaborate the experimental observations. The current results sufficiently reveal the changing tendency of purge flow film cooling caused by the variations of the slot geometry. Additionally, the newly-developed correlation is well validated using own experimental data and datasets in literature, proving the capability of the correlation to predict film cooling for purge flow injected from slots with such geometrical parameter ranges. The correlation can be a helpful tool to support the selection of an efficient slot in its preliminary design stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Curcubita ficifolia Bouché (Cucurbitaceae) has high value as a food crop and medicinal plant, and also has horticultural value as rootstock for other melon species. China is home to many different cultivars, but the genetic diversity of these resources and the evolutionary relationships among them, as well as the differences between C. ficifolia and other Cucurbita species, remain unclear. Results: We investigated the chloroplast (cp) genomes of 160 C. ficifolia individuals from 31 populations in Yunnan, a major C. ficifolia production area in China. We found that the cp genome of C. ficifolia is ~151 kb and contains 128 genes, of which 86 are protein coding genes, 34 encode tRNA, and eight encode rRNAs. We also identified 64 SSRs, mainly AT repeats. The cp genome was found to contain a total of 204 SNP and 57 indels, and a total of 21 haplotypes were found in the 160 study individuals. The reverse repeat (IR) region of C. ficifolia contained a few differences compared with this region in the six other Cucurbita species. Sequence difference analysis demonstrated that most of the variable regions were concentrated in the single copy (SC) region. Moreover, the sequences of the coding regions were found to be more similar among species than those of the non-coding regions. The phylogenies reconstructed from the cp genomes of 61 representative species of Cucurbitaceae reflected the currently accepted classification, in which C. ficifolia is sister to the other Cucurbita species, however, different interspecific relationships were found between Cucurbita species. Conclusions: These results will be valuable in the classification of C. ficifolia genetic resources and will contribute to our understanding of evolutionary relationships within the genus Cucurbita. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inadvertent intraoperative hypothermia is frequent during open surgeries; however, few studies on hypothermia during laparoscopic abdominal surgery have been reported. We aimed to investigate the incidence and risk factors for hypothermia in patients undergoing laparoscopic abdominal surgery. Methods: This single-center prospective cohort observational study involved patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery between October 2018 and June 2019. Data on core body temperature and potential variables were collected. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the risk factors associated with hypothermia. A Cox regression analysis was used to verify the sensitivity of the results. Results: In total, 690 patients were included in the analysis, of whom 200 (29.0%, 95% CI: 26%−32%) had a core temperature < 36°C. The core temperature decreased over time, and the incident hypothermia increased gradually. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, age (OR = 1.017, 95% CI: 1.000–1.034, P = 0.050), BMI (OR = 0.938, 95% CI: 0.880–1.000; P = 0.049), baseline body temperature (OR = 0.025, 95% CI: 0.010–0.060; P < 0.001), volume of irrigation fluids (OR = 1.001, 95% CI: 1.000–1.001, P = 0.001), volume of urine (OR = 1.001, 95% CI: 1.000–1.003, P = 0.070), and duration of surgery (OR = 1.010, 95% CI: 1.006–1.015, P < 0.001) were significantly associated with hypothermia. In the Cox analysis, variables in the final model were age, BMI, baseline body temperature, volume of irrigation fluids, blood loss, and duration of surgery. Conclusions: Inadvertent intraoperative hypothermia is evident in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgeries. Age, BMI, baseline body temperature, volume of irrigation fluids, and duration of surgery are significantly associated with intraoperative hypothermia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Erythromycin A (Er-A) produced by the actinomycete Saccharopolyspora erythraea is an important antibiotic extensively used in human medicine. Dissecting of transcriptional regulators and their target genes associated with erythromycin biosynthesis is crucial to obtain erythromycin overproducer strains through engineering of relevant regulatory elements in S. erythraea. Results: Here, we identified a TetR family transcriptional regulator (TFR), SACE_5754, negatively controlling erythromycin production. SACE_5754 indirectly repressed the transcription of ery cluster and cannot regulate itself and its adjacent gene SACE_5753. RNA-seq coupled with EMSAs and qRT-PCR was performed to identify the targets of SACE_5754, and confirmed that transcription of SACE_0388 (encoding a pyruvate, water diknase), SACE_3599 (encoding an antibiotic resistance macrolide glycosyltransferase) and SACE_6149 (encoding a FAD-binding monooxygenase) were directly repressed by SACE_5754. A consensus palindromic sequence TYMAGG-n2/n4/n11-KKTKRA (Y: C/T, M: A/C, K: T/G, R: A/G) was proved to be essential for SACE_5754 binding using DNase I footprinting and EMSAs. During the three target genes of SACE_5754, SACE_0388 and SACE_6149 exhibited the positive effect on erythromycin production. Overexpression of either SACE_0388 or SACE_6149 in ∆SACE_5754 further increased the Er-A production. By engineering the industrial strain S. erythraea WB with deletion of SACE_5754 combined with overexpression of either SACE_0388 or SACE_6149, Er-A production in WB∆SACE_5754/pIB139–0388 and WB∆SACE_5754/pIB139–6149 was successively increased by 42 and 30% compared to WB. Co-overexpression of SACE_0388 and SACE_6149 in WB∆SACE_5754 resulted in enhanced Er-A production by 64% relative to WB. In a 5-L fermenter, WB∆SACE_5754/pIB139–0388-6149 produced 4998 mg/L Er-A, a 48% increase over WB. Conclusion: We have identified a TFR, SACE_5754, as a negative regulator of erythromycin biosynthesis, and engineering of SACE_5754 and its target genes, SACE_0388 and SACE_6149, resulted in enhanced erythromycin production in both wild-type and industrial S. erythraea strains. The strategy demonstrated here may be valuable to facilitate the manipulation of transcriptional regulators and their targets for production improvement of antibiotics in industrial actinomycetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aflatoxins are liver carcinogens and are common contaminants in unpackaged peanut (UPP) oil. However, the health risks associated with consuming aflatoxins in UPP oil remain unclear. In this study, aflatoxin contamination in 143 UPP oil samples from Guangdong Province were assessed via liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS). We also recruited 168 human subjects, who consumed this oil, to measure their liver functions and lipid metabolism status. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) was detected in 79.72% of the UPP oil samples, with levels ranging from 0.02 to 174.13 μg/kg. The average daily human intake of AFB1 from UPP oil was 3.14 ng/kg·bw/day; therefore, the incidence of liver cancer, caused by intake of 1 ng/kg·bw/day AFB1, was estimated to be 5.32 cases out of every 100,000 persons per year. Meanwhile, Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and AFB1 exposure exerted a synergistic effect to cause liver dysfunction. In addition, the triglycerides (TG) abnormal rate was statistically significant when using AFB1 to estimate daily intake (EDI) quartile spacing grouping (p = 0.011). In conclusion, high aflatoxin exposure may exacerbate the harmful effects of HBV infection on liver function. Contamination of UPP oil with aflatoxins in Guangdong urgently requires more attention, and public health management of the consumer population is urgently required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) regulate many physiological processes, including autophagy. However, the direct roles of the various PRMTs during autophagosome formation remain unclear. Here, we characterised the function of MoHMT1 in the rice blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae.Knockout of MoHMT1 results in inhibited growth and a decreased ability to cause disease lesions on rice seedlings. MoHMT1 catalyses the di‐methylation of arginine 247, 251, 261 and 271 residues of MoSNP1, a U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) component, likely in a manner dependent on direct interaction. RNA‐seq analysis revealed that alternative splicing of pre‐mRNAs of 558 genes, including the autophagy‐related (ATG) gene MoATG4, was altered in MoHMT1 deletion mutants, compared with wild‐type strains under normal growth conditions.During light exposure or nitrogen starvation, MoHMT1 localises to autophagosomes and MoHMT1 mutants display defects in autophagy induction. Under nitrogen starvation, six additional MoATG genes were identified with retained introns in their mRNA transcripts, corresponding with a significant reduction in transcripts of intron‐spliced isoforms in the MoHMT1 mutant strain.Our study shows that arginine methylation plays an essential role in accurate pre‐mRNA splicing necessary for a range of developmental processes, including autophagosome formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hot tearing is the most common and serious casting defect that restricts the light weight and integration of magnesium alloy components. In the present study, trace Ca (0–1.0 wt.%) was added to improve the resistance of AZ91 alloy to hot tearing. The hot tearing susceptivity (HTS) of alloys was experimentally measured by a constraint rod casting method. The results indicate that the HTS presents a ν-shaped tendency with the increase in Ca content, and reaches its minimum value in AZ91–0.1Ca alloy. Ca is well dissolved into α-Mg matrix and Mg17Al12 phase at an addition not exceeding 0.1 wt.%. The solid-solution behavior of Ca increases eutectic content and its corresponding liquid film thickness, improves the strength of dendrites at high temperature, and thereby promotes the hot tearing resistance of the alloy. Al2Ca phases appear and aggregate at dendrite boundaries with further increases in Ca above 0.1 wt.%. The coarsened Al2Ca phase hinders the feeding channel and causes stress concentration during the solidification shrinkage, thereby deteriorating the hot tearing resistance of the alloy. These findings were further verified by fracture morphology observations and microscopic strain analysis near the fracture surface based on kernel average misorientation (KAM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe bone trauma can lead to poor or delayed bone healing and nonunion. Bone regeneration is based on the interaction between osteogenesis and angiogenesis. Angiogenesis serves a unique role in the repair and remodeling of bone defects. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, also known as CC motif ligand 2 (CCL2), is a member of the CC motif chemokine family and was the first human chemokine to be revealed to be an effective chemokine of monocytes. However, its underlying mechanism in angiogenesis of bone defect repair remains to be elucidated. Therefore, the present study investigated the detailed mechanism by which CCL2 promoted angiogenesis in bone defects based on cell and animal model experiments. In the present study, CCL2 promoted proliferation, migration and tube formation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in a concentration-dependent manner. Western blot analysis revealed that treatment of HUVECs with CCL2 upregulated the protein expression levels of rho-associated coiled-coil-containing protein kinase (Rock)1, Rock2, N-cadherin, c-Myc and VEGFR2. Furthermore, CCL2 promoted the expression of MAPK/ERK1/2/MMP9, PI3K/AKT and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway-related proteins, which also demonstrated that CCL2 promoted these functions in HUVECs. Immunohistochemical staining of Sprague Dawley rat femurs following bone defects revealed that VEGF expression was positive in the newly formed bone area in each group, while the expression area of VEGF in the CCL2 addition group was markedly increased. Therefore, CCL2 is a potential therapeutic approach for bone defect repair and reconstruction through the mechanism of angiogenesis-osteogenesis coupling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effects of antidepressants on large‐scale brain networks and the neural basis of individual differences in response were explored. A total of 41 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 42 matched healthy controls (HCs) were scanned by resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging separately at baseline and after a 12‐week follow‐up. The patients with MDD received escitalopram for 12 weeks. After treatment, patients were classified into those with MDD in remission [MDDr, endpoint 17‐item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) total score ≤7] and those in nonremission (MDDnr). The human Brainnetome Atlas was used to define large‐scale networks and compute within‐ and between‐network resting‐state functional connectivity (rsFC). Results showed the decreased subcortical network (SCN)–ventral attention network (VAN) connectivity at baseline increased in patients with MDD after 12‐week treatment, and it was comparable with that of HCs. This change was only observed in patients with MDDr. However, the decreased within‐network rsFC in SCN and default mode network (DMN) persisted in all patients with MDD, including those with MDDr and MDDnr, after treatment. The strength of SCN–VAN connectivity at baseline was significantly negatively correlated with the reduction rate of HAMD score in all patients with MDD. Thus, SCN–VAN connectivity may be an antidepressant target associated with depressive state changes and a predictor of treatment response to serotonin reuptake inhibitors. The within‐network rsFC in SCN and DMN may reflect a trait‐like abnormality in MDD. These findings provide further insights into the mechanism of antidepressants and their individual differences in response. The trial name is "Appropriate technology study of MDD diagnosis and treatment based on objective indicators and measurement" (URL: http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=21377; registration number: ChiCTR‐OOC‐17012566). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, core-shell structured FeSiBCCr@SiO2&ZrO2 amorphous magnetic powder cores (AMPCs) were successfully prepared by the sol-gel method using tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and zirconium oxychloride hydrate (ZrOCl2·8H2O) as raw materials. The growth mechanism and potential chemical reactions of the SiO2&ZrO2 mixed insulation layer were analyzed by XRD, XPS and SEM‒EDS. In addition, the effect of the insulation layer content on the soft magnetic properties of FeSiBCCr@SiO2&ZrO2 AMPCs was systematically investigated. The SiO2&ZrO2 insulation layer can significantly increase the resistivity, effectively improve the DC bias performance and reduce the core loss of AMPCs. S2* (1.2 mL TEOS and 1.4 g ZrOCl2·8H2O) had a minimum core loss of 2290 mW/cm3 at high frequency (50 mT, 1 MHz). It had a high effective permeability of 48.2 and a superior direct current (DC) bias performance of 77.9% at 8 kA/m. This study provides a valid method to practically produce SMPCs with high resistivity, low core loss at high frequency and excellent DC bias performance through a novel insulation coating process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of biochar as a soil amendment has substantial potential to enhance soil quality and carbon sequestration. However, the responses to the addition of biochar based on soil microbial residues are not well understood, particularly at the aggregate level. Herein, a two-year field experiment investigated the characteristics of distribution of microbial residues in calcareous fluvo-aquic soil aggregates (SA) in Henan Province, China. Four treatments were established as follows: no fertilizer (CK), chemical fertilizer (NPK), biochar (BC), and biochar combined with chemical fertilizer (NPK + BC). The results showed that the effects of particle size substantially impacted the microbial residues with 2–0.25 mm SA having the largest contents of amino sugars and microbial residual carbon (MRC), followed by >2 mm SA. Compared with the CK, the NPK treatment markedly enhanced the levels of glucosamine (GluN), galactosamine (GalN), muramic acid (MurA), total amino sugar (TAS), and MRC in the 2–0.25 mm SA by 26.69%, 24.0%, 23.62%, 25.11%, and 24.82%, respectively. The NPK + BC treatment significantly increased the contents of GluN, GalN, TAS, and MRC in the bulk soil and 0.25–0.053 mm SA compared with the NPK treatment. Bacterial biomass and the activity of N-acetyl-glucosaminidase in the bulk soil and SA markedly and positively affected the content of carbon in the amino sugars and microbial residues. Overall, the 2–0.25 mm SA were microenvironments with the largest accumulation of soil microbial residues, and the combined application of NPK + BC was more effective at increasing the accumulation of microbial residues in the SA, which provides an ideal fertilization strategy to improve the soil microenvironment and enhance soil quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ivermectin has been proposed as a potential anti-inflammatory drug in addition to its antiparasitic activity. Here we investigated the potential role of ivermectin in the pathogenesis of acute lung injury (ALI) using the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- or bleomycin (BLM)-induced mice models. Male C57BL/6 mice were given ivermectin orally every day for the remainder of the experiment at doses of 1 or 2 mg/kg after 24 h of LPS or BLM treatment. Ivermectin reversed severe lung injury caused by LPS or BLM challenge, including mortality, changes in diffuse ground-glass and consolidation shadows on lung CT imaging, lung histopathological scores, lung wet/dry ratio, and protein content in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Furthermore, ivermectin also reduced total lung BALF inflammatory cells, infiltrating neutrophils, myeloperoxidase activity, and plasma TNF-α and IL-6 levels in mice treated with LPS or BLM. Finally, the mechanism study showed that LPS or BLM administration increased JNK, Erk1/2, and p38 MAPK phosphorylation while decreasing IκBα expression, an inhibitor of NF-κB. However, ivermectin increased IκBα expression but blocked elevated phosphorylated JNK and p38 MAPK, not Erk1/2, in both ALI mice. These findings suggested that ivermectin may alleviate ALI caused by LPS or BLM in mice, partly via lowering the inflammatory response, which is mediated at least by the inhibition of MAPK and NF-κB signaling. Collectively, ivermectin might be used to treat acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome. [Display omitted] • Ivermectin attenuates the acute lung injury induced by LPS and bleomycin in mice. • Ivermectin decreases the lung infiltrated neutrophils and the MPO activity in acute lung injury mice. • Ivermectin inhibits JNK and p38MAPK and NF-κB signal pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Liuwei Dihuang Pill (LP) was verified to alleviate postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) development. Nevertheless, the major constituent of LP and the related network pharmacology study remain unexplored. Methods: Protein–protein interaction was established to identify the downstream target of LP in PMOP, and the related signaling pathway was investigated by bioinformatics analysis. MC3T3-E1 cells were added to ferric ammonium citrate (FAC) to mimic osteoporosis in vitro. The osteoblasts were identified by Alizarin red staining. Western blot was applied to evaluate protein levels. In addition, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) assay was applied to assess cell viability, and cell apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry. Results: Quercetin was the major constituent of LP. In addition, quercetin significantly reversed FAC-induced inhibition of osteogenic differentiation in MC3T3-E1 cells. In addition, quercetin notably abolished the FAC-induced upregulation of Bax, Caspase-3, FOS, JUN, TGFB1 and PPARD. In contrast, Bcl-2, p-mTOR/mTOR, p-AKT/AKT and p-PI3K/PI3K levels in MC3T3-E1 cells were reduced by FAC, which was restored by quercetin. Meanwhile, FAC notably inhibited the viability of MC3T3-E1 cells via inducing apoptosis, but this impact was abolished by quercetin. Furthermore, quercetin could reverse pcDNA3.1-FOS-mediated growth of FAC-treated osteoblasts by mediating PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling. Conclusion: Quercetin alleviated the progression of PMOP via activation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling. Hence, this study would shed novel insights into discovering new methods against PMOP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Efficient synthesis of MoSe 2 @PVP NSs via a simple one-pot synthesis. • MoSe 2 @PVP NSs have high physiological stability, biosafety and metabolizability. • MoSe 2 @PVP NSs can mimic the antioxidant properties of CAT, SOD, POD, and GPx. • MoSe 2 @PVP NSs eliminate many ROS and RNS and demonstrate a thermal durability. • MoSe 2 @PVP NSs exhibite high anti-inflammatory efficacy in the AP mouse model. Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a disease with high mortality which could cause an inflammatory responses such as edema and necrosis of the pancreatic tissue. Studies have proved that the excessive produced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) play an important role in the pathogenesis of AP. Although progresses have been made for ROS and RNS elimination using artificial enzymes, biocompatible nanomaterials with advanced multi-enzymatic activities have been rarely studied. In this study, we constructed a simple and efficient method to fabricate a two-dimensional (2D) MoSe 2 @PVP nanosheets (NSs) as an artificial enzyme to treat oxidative stress-related diseases. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments proved that MoSe 2 @PVP NSs have good biocompatibility. Interestingly, the MoSe 2 @PVP NSs simultaneously showed the thermal durable peroxidase, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase mimicking capacities, which endowed the material with good ROS and RNS scavenging abilities. The MoSe 2 @PVP NSs were engaged in treating the AP in an animal model, which led to a significant down-regulation of serum levels of amylase, IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α. Further H&E staining of pancreatic tissue validated the AP therapeutic effect of MoSe 2 @PVP NSs. We hope that our research will facilitate the development of multifunctional artificial enzymes for the treating of oxidative stress-related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Efficient synthesis of MoSe 2 @PVP NSs via a simple one-pot synthesis. • MoSe 2 @PVP NSs have high physiological stability, biosafety and metabolizability. • MoSe 2 @PVP NSs can mimic the antioxidant properties of CAT, SOD, POD, and GPx. • MoSe 2 @PVP NSs eliminate many ROS and RNS and demonstrate a thermal durability. • MoSe 2 @PVP NSs exhibite high anti-inflammatory efficacy in the AP mouse model. Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a disease with high mortality which could cause an inflammatory responses such as edema and necrosis of the pancreatic tissue. Studies have proved that the excessive produced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) play an important role in the pathogenesis of AP. Although progresses have been made for ROS and RNS elimination using artificial enzymes, biocompatible nanomaterials with advanced multi-enzymatic activities have been rarely studied. In this study, we constructed a simple and efficient method to fabricate a two-dimensional (2D) MoSe 2 @PVP nanosheets (NSs) as an artificial enzyme to treat oxidative stress-related diseases. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments proved that MoSe 2 @PVP NSs have good biocompatibility. Interestingly, the MoSe 2 @PVP NSs simultaneously showed the thermal durable peroxidase, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase mimicking capacities, which endowed the material with good ROS and RNS scavenging abilities. The MoSe 2 @PVP NSs were engaged in treating the AP in an animal model, which led to a significant down-regulation of serum levels of amylase, IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α. Further H&E staining of pancreatic tissue validated the AP therapeutic effect of MoSe 2 @PVP NSs. We hope that our research will facilitate the development of multifunctional artificial enzymes for the treating of oxidative stress-related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the electromagnetic properties of FeSiCr soft magnetic powder cores (SMPCs) were optimized by providing a novel insulation process. Magnesium acetate tetrahydrate and oxalic acid dihydrate were used as raw materials for the sol-gel method. The powder was then heat-treated at 700 °C so that it was evenly coated by an insulating layer. Thermogravimetric analysis-differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy were used to demonstrate that the layer heat-treated at 700 °C was the ideal MgO layer and was uniformly coated on the surface of the FeSiCr powder. Additionally, the potential reactions and growth mechanism of the MgO layer were analyzed. The effects of the magnesium acetate tetrahydrate content on the soft magnetic properties of the FeSiCr@MgO SMPCs were investigated. The optimal soft magnetic performance (P cv = 248.48 mW/cm3, measured at 2500 kHz and 10 mT) was achieved at a magnesium acetate tetrahydrate content of 0.50 wt%, yielding a direct current-bias performance of up to 92.3% at 100 Oe. In addition, the FeSiCr@MgO SMPCs effectively improved the heat dissipation performance, which is necessary to avoid high-temperature damage, thereby enhancing their applicability in high-frequency and high-current environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is effective for patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), 40% of OCD patients show a poor response to CBT. This study aimed to identify the cortical structural factors that predict CBT outcomes in OCD patients. A total of 56 patients with OCD received baseline structural MRI (sMRI) scanning and 14 individual CBT sessions. The linear support vector regression (SVR) models were used to identify the predictive performance of sMRI indices, including gray matter volume, cortical thickness, sulcal depth, and gyrification value. The patients' OC symptoms decreased significantly after CBT intervention (p < 0.001). We found the model with the comprehensive variables exhibited better performance than the models with single structural indices (MAE = 0.14, MSE = 0.03, R2 = 0.36), showing a significant correlation between the true value and the predicted value (r = 0.63, p < 0.001). The results indicated that a model integrating four cortical structural features can accurately predict the effectiveness of CBT for OCD. Future models incorporating other brain indicators, including brain functional indicators, EEG indicators, neurotransmitters, etc., which might be more accurate for predicting the effectiveness of CBT for OCD, are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An automatic blade detection process, FPFH-NvA, is proposed to detect scratch and deformation. • Sliding sampling window is used to reduce computation burden in each detection process. • A filtering algorithm extracting features of blade surface is introduced to reduce false detections. • Numerical case on real detective blades and its effect analysis are carried out. Blade defects such as scratch and deformation always cause performance degradation or even failure of gas turbine, and furtherly threat energy safety. Therefore, defect detection of individual blades is important in gas turbine maintenance. Currently, defect detection is mostly manually implemented, so it is necessary to design an automatic method to reduce labor costs. However, most available detection methods require CAD models or prior shapes of blades, which might not always be acquirable for gas turbine users. Besides, those methods are not suitable for practical use because of their high demands for detection equipment. In this paper, a simple but efficient 3D vision-based defect detection process using point clouds is proposed to detect scratches and deformation accurately. First, sliding sampling window is used to reduce the computation burden in each detection process. Second, a pipeline of detection algorithms based on underline surface analysis is proposed to extract local geometry features and predict potential defects. Last, a filtering algorithm is introduced to reduce false detections. The whole process is carried on with real defective blades, and its effects are both intuitively and quantitatively evaluated. The results show that a multi-step detection process based on FPFH is able to detect both scratch and deformation accurately, which will be suitable for practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exogenous antioxidant materials mimicking endogenous antioxidant systems are commonly used for the treatment of oxidative stress-induced injuries. Thus, artificial enzymes have emerged as promising candidates for balancing and treating the dysregulation of redox homeostasis in vivo. Herein, a one-pot hydrothermal strategy for the facile preparation of MoSe2-polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) nanoparticles (NPs) is reported. The synthesized NPs were biodegradable due to their exposure to oxygen and exhibited high stability. Moreover, they effectively mimicked various naturally occurring enzymes (including catalase, superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and glutathione peroxidase) and scavenged free radicals, such as 3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid, ·OH, ·O2−, and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical. Further apoptosis detection studies revealed that MoSe2-PVP NPs significantly increased the cell survival probability in H2O2 in a concentration-dependent manner. The cytoprotective effect of MoSe2-PVP NPs was explored for an animal model of acute pancreatitis, which confirmed its remarkable therapeutic efficacy. Owing to the biodegradable and biocompatible nature of MoSe2-PVP NPs, the findings of this work can stimulate the development of other artificial nanoenzymes for antioxidant therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]