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Abstract Background High-temperature environment can cause acute kidney injury affecting renal filtration function. To study the mechanism of renal injury caused by heat stress through activates TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway by disrupting the filtration barrier in broiler chickens. The temperature of broilers in the TN group was maintained at 23 ± 1 °C, and the HS group temperature was maintained at 35 ± 1℃ from the age of 21 days, and the high temperature was 10 h per day, and one broiler from each replicate group at the age of 35 and 42 days was selected for blood sampling, respectively. Results The ELISA results demonstrated that in comparison to the TN group, serum CORT content of broilers in the HS group was all remarkably elevated (P

Abstract Background Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a subtype of hemorrhagic stroke characterized by high mortality and low rates of full recovery. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiological characteristics of SAH between 1990 and 2021. Methods Data on SAH incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) from 1990 to 2021 were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2021. Estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs) were calculated to evaluate changes in the age-standardized rate (ASR) of incidence and mortality, as well as trends in SAH burden. The relationship between disease burden and sociodemographic index (SDI) was also analyzed. Results In 2021, the incidence of SAH was found to be 37.09% higher than that in 1990; however, the age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) showed a decreased [EAPC: -1.52; 95% uncertainty interval (UI) -1.66 to -1.37]. Furthermore, both the number and rates of deaths and DALYs decreased over time. It was observed that females had lower rates compared to males. Among all regions, the high-income Asia Pacific region exhibited the highest ASIR (14.09/100,000; 95% UI 12.30/100,000 − 16.39/100,000) in 2021, with an EPAC for ASIR

In physical spaces, pointing interactions cannot rely on cursors, rays, or virtual hands for feedback as in virtual environments; users must rely solely on their perception and experience to capture targets. Currently, research on modeling target distribution for pointing interactions in physical space is relatively sparse. Area division is typically simplistic, and theoretical models are lacking. To address this issue, we propose two models for target distribution in physical space-pointing interactions: the single-target pointing endpoint distribution model (ST-PEDM) and the multi-target pointing endpoint distribution model (MT-PEDM). Based on these models, we have developed a basic region partitioning algorithm (BRPA) and an enhanced region partitioning algorithm (ERPA). We conducted experiments with 15 participants (11 males, and four females) to validate the proposed distribution models and region partitioning algorithm. The results indicate that these target distribution models accurately describe the distribution areas of targets, and the region partitioning algorithm demonstrates high precision and efficiency in determining user intentions during pointing interactions. At target distances of 200 cm and 300 cm, the accuracy without any algorithm is 60.54% and 42.39%, respectively. Using the BRPA algorithm, the accuracy is 72.94% and 68.57%, while, with the ERPA algorithm, the accuracy reaches 84.11% and 82.74%, respectively. This technology can be utilized in interaction scenarios involving handheld pointing devices, such as handheld remote controls. Additionally, it can be applied to the rapid capture control and trajectory planning of drone swarms. Users can quickly and accurately capture and control target drones using pointing interaction technology, issue commands, and transmit data through smart glasses, thereby achieving effective drone control and trajectory planning.

ABSTRACT: As an important respiratory organ, the lung is susceptible to damage during heat stress due to the accelerated breathing frequency caused by an increase in environmental temperature. This can affect the growth performance of animals and endanger their health. This study aimed to explore the mechanism of lung tissue damage caused by heat stress. Broilers were randomly divided into a control group (Control) and a heat stress group (HS). The HS group was exposed to 35°C heat stress for 12 h per d from 21-days old, and samples were taken from selected broilers at 28, 35, and 42-days old. The results showed a significant increase in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in the serum and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in the lungs of broiler chickens across all 3 age groups after heat stress (P < 0.01), while the total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) was significantly enhanced at 35-days old (P < 0.01). Heat stress also led to significant increases in various proinflammatory factors in serum and expression levels of HSP60 and HSP70 in lung tissue. Histopathological results showed congestion and bleeding in lung blood vessels, shedding of pulmonary epithelial cells, and a large amount of inflammatory infiltration in the lungs after heat stress.The mRNA expression of TLRs/NF-κB-related genes showed an upward trend (P < 0.05) after heat stress, while the mRNA expression of MLCK, a gene related to pulmonary blood-air barrier, significantly increased after heat stress, and the expression levels of MLC, ZO-1, and occludin decreased in contrast. This change was also confirmed by Western blotting, indicating that the pulmonary blood-air barrier is damaged after heat stress.Heat stress can cause damage to the lung tissue of broiler chickens by disrupting the integrity of the blood-air barrier and increasing permeability. This effect is further augmented by the activation of TLRs/NF-κB signaling pathways leading to an intensified inflammatory response. As heat stress duration progresses, broiler chickens develop thermotolerance, which gradually mitigates the damaging effects induced by heat stress.

Objective: This study aimed to help with determination of optimal raw materials for squid surimi products. Methods: The differences in gel strength, water-holding capacity, cooking loss, rheological properties and chemical interaction force of surimi gels, obtained from three species of squid, were evaluated. Results: The gel strength and water-holding capacity of the three species of surimi gel were in descending order as follows: Illex argentinus>Dosidicus gigas>Ommastephes bartrami, while the cooking loss was the opposite. The dynamic rheological temperature scan showed that the energy storage modulus(G′) of the three kinds of surimi decreased with temperature to a minimum value of 45 ℃, then increased to a maximum value of 75 ℃ and decreased again. The G′ of Illex argentinus surimi was higher than the other two kinds of squids when the second stage heating at 90 ℃.The ionic bonding, hydrogen bonding, and hydrophobic interactions of Illex argentinus surimi gel were significantly stronger than the other two kinds of squids. Conclusion: Illex argentinus surimi is the best raw material for squid surimi products; and the production needs to use auxiliary means to improve the gel quality according to the different characteristics of the three kinds of squid surimi.

Aim: The aim was to investigate the causal relationship between puberty timing and plasma metabolites, accounting for birth weight, childhood and adulthood adiposity. Materials and Methods: The meta‐analysis of genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) for puberty timing was extracted from the ReproGen Consortium, involving 329 345 women of European ancestry. Summary data for 174 plasma metabolites were retrieved from a recently conducted cross‐platform GWAS that involved a meta‐analysis of three cohort studies (i.e. the Fenland, European Prospective Investigation into Cancer‐Norfolk and INTERVAL studies) and three publicly available studies and included up to 86 507 participants. We conducted a two‐sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to infer the causal relationship of puberty timing on 174 plasma metabolites, complemented by a two‐step and multivariable Mendelian randomization (MVMR) analysis to assess direct and indirect effects. Additionally, summary‐level data from the UK Biobank were used for our replication analysis. Results: The results of the two‐sample MR provide moderate evidence supporting a causal relationship between puberty timing and 23 of 174 plasma metabolites (i.e. 7 acylcarnitines, 8 amino acids, 2 biogenic amines and 6 lysophosphatidylcholines). Even after single‐nucleotide polymorphisms associated with birth weight and childhood adiposity were excluded, causal effects persisted for 16 metabolites (i.e. 8 acylcarnitines, 4 amino acids, 2 biogenic amines and 2 lysophosphatidylcholines). The two‐step MR analysis provided evidence that the relationship between puberty timing and plasma metabolites was mediated by adulthood adiposity. Additionally, moderate evidence emerged for an independent causal effect of puberty timing on 10 metabolites through an MVMR analysis (i.e. 5 acylcarnitines, 2 amino acids, 1 biogenic amine, 1 lysophosphatidylcholine and 1 phosphatidylcholine). Furthermore, the replication analysis suggested the robustness of our results. Conclusions: In summary, our study provides compelling evidence that puberty timing has a causal influence on certain plasma metabolites, although this influence is largely mediated by adulthood adiposity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiment aimed to establish the quality standard for the solid dispersions of Yuxingcao jielan solid dispersion. Tests were carried out to establish the thin-layer identification methods of ammonium gycyrrhizinate in Glycyrrhizae radix et rhizoma, bergenin in Ardisiae japonicae herba, stachydrine hydrochloride in Leonuri herba, thin-layer identification of Houttuyniae herba control herbs in Houttuyniae herba, and the determination of the content of (R,S)- Goitrin control in platan root by high performance liquid chromatography. The results showed that the thin-layer identification spots of Glycyrrhizae radix et rhizoma, Ardisiae japonicae herba, Leonuri herba and Houttuyniae herba showed clear coloration and good separation, and the linear relationship between the injection volume of (R, S) -Goitrin and the peak area was good within the range of 0.038 2~0.267 4 µg. The linear equation was y=213.25 x-0.099 6, R²=0.999 4. The study indicates that the established thin-layer identification method was stable and feasible, and could be used for the determination of the content of Yuxingcao jielan solid dispersion solid dispersions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the face stability of a shallow-buried shield tunnel excavation, this paper investigates the problem using an adaptive finite-element limit analysis combined with slip-line theory. First, a series of adaptive finite-element limit analyses are conducted to explore the passive failure mechanisms of the shallow-buried shield tunnel face. Based on the characteristics of the failure mechanisms, a funnel-shaped asymmetric boundary failure mechanism is proposed. Then, a mathematical computational model is established using the slip-line method, which considers the characteristics of the passive failure mechanisms and the stress state of the plastic region in the surrounding soil. The formula for calculating the limit support pressure for the passive failure of the shield tunnel face is derived using the finite-difference method, and the passive failure mechanisms of the face are analyzed. Finally, the calculated results of the model are compared with existing research results and the numerical results in this paper. The results show that the proposed computational model could accurately analyze the face stability of shallow-buried shield tunnels and might have wide applicability in the analysis of the limit support pressure and failure mechanisms of the face in shallow-buried tunnels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The appearance of new blood vessels in the neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), diabetic retinopathy (DR),and other ocular diseases is one of the important reasons for blindness. Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs are the current mainstream. However, some patients have poor efficacy and other adverse reactions. There is still a need to develop new drugs.

In order to lessen the effect of La-doped on the gas-sensing response of SnO2 powders, different La-doped SnO2 powders were prepared by sol-gel method, and the prepared SnO2 and La-doped SnO2 powders were characterized and analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), specific surface area and pore size tester (BET) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The gas-sensing response of the samples were tested. The results show that La doping reduces the grain size of SnO2. With the increase of La doping, the gas-sensing response of La-doped SnO2 powders to ethanol increases first and then decreases. When the molar ratio of La/Sn is 0.25, the gas-sensing response of La-doped SnO2 powder to ethanol is the highest, 43.5% higher than that of pure SnO2 to ethanol.

The effect of different annealing temperatures on the phase stability and mechanical properties of (FeNi)67Cr15Mn10Al5Ti3 high-entropy alloys (HEAs) was studied. The phase stability was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD). The mechanical properties of the alloy were characterized by hardness and tensile tests. Furthermore, the heat-resistant corrosion properties of the (FeNi)67Cr15Mn10Al5Ti3 alloy after annealing at 800 °C was tested under high-temperature steam. The results indicated that HEAs exposed to different annealing temperatures always exhibited the face-centered cubic (FCC) phase. With rising annealing temperature, the dendrite structure of the alloys in the as-cast condition gradually disappeared, with recrystallization and precipitation of larger grains. The tensile strength of the alloy first increased and then decreased with the rising annealing temperature, the hardness and yield strength of the alloy decreased slightly, and the tensile elongation varied greatly. These findings can be used as a basis for improving the phase stability and mechanical properties of a Cr-Fe-Ni-Mn-HEA system with unequal atomic ratios. The heat and corrosion resistance of the alloy at 360 °C and 400 °C was better than that of Zr-4 alloy.

FeCrMnNi high-entropy alloys prepared by vacuum induction melting were tested and characterized using an X-ray diffractometer, a scanning electron microscope, a micro hardness tester and a universal tensile tester to investigate the effects of the heat treatment temperature on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloys and the heat-resistant corrosion properties of FeCrMnNi alloy after annealing at 800 °C. It is a high-entropy alloy with a typical dendritic (DR) morphology. With the increase in the heat-treatment temperature, the amount of ultrafine precipitates with the BCC structure in the matrix increased; furthermore, the amount of ultrafine precipitates started to decrease at temperatures above 900 °C, and the DR structure gradually weakened. After heat treatment at temperatures above 800 °C, the alloy showed a tensile strength of 721.1 MPa and an elongation at break of 26.7%, which indicates improved strength of the alloy while maintaining good plasticity, mainly because a large amount of nanoscale particles precipitated between the DR structures and enabled fine grain strengthening. Therefore, an appropriate heat-treatment temperature helps to improve the overall mechanical properties of the high-entropy alloy.

Capsular type A and D strains of Pasteurella multocida are the main epidemic serogroups in pigs in China. In this study, we preliminarily evaluated the immune protective efficacy of the two traditional vaccines, an inactivated C44-1 aluminum-hydroxide-gel-adjuvanted (Alh–C44-1) vaccine and a live EO630 vaccine, against currently circulating strains of P. multocida in a mouse model. Mice immunized twice with conventional vaccines generated higher antibody titers, and significantly higher levels of IgG were observed in the mice inoculated with the inactivated Alh–C44-1 vaccine on day 35 (p < 0.05) than those with the live EO630 vaccine. The mice immune protection test showed that the vaccination groups had a 57% or 71% protection effect against the serogroup B strain, but had no protective effect against epidemic strains. In conclusion, our study found that the widely used traditional P. multocida vaccines in China provide good protection against homologous strains, but could not provide cross-protection against heterologous strains in a mouse model.

The aim of the experiment was to explore the mechanism of Qizhi oral liquid in enhancing the immune function of poultry. The active ingredients and their targets of Astragalus and Ganoderma lucidum in the compound were collected by the traditional Chinese medicine systematic pharmacology database and analysis platform (TCMSP), and the immune targets were collected by the OMIM, TTD and GeneCards databases. The potential target of Qizhi oral liquid for the poultry immunity was obtained. The Chinese medicine-component-target-pathway-disease network diagram and protein interaction (PPI) network were constructed by Cytoscape 3.9.1 software, and GO enrichment and KEGG pathway analysis were performed on the targets. The molecular docking of active ingredients and core targets was verified by molecular docking technology. The results showed that the .30 components of Qizhi oral liquid correspond to 66 targets, and .329 targets of poultry immunization, including 17 intersection targets. The core PPI targets included nuclear factor κB inhibitor α (NFKBIA), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interferon γ (IFNG). There were .38 results of GO functional enrichment, including .3.3 biological process items, four molecular function items and one cell component item. KEGG pathway analysis showed that the intersection genes were mainly concentrated in the C-type lectin receptor signaling pathway, the FoxO signaling pathway and the toll-like receptor signaling pathway. The results of molecular docking showed that the key components had good binding activity with the core protein target, which proved the reliability of the prediction results of network pharmacology. The study indicates that Qizhi oral liquid can enhance the immune function of poultry through a multi-component, multi-target and multi-pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experimental (simulated) transverse momentum spectra of negatively charged pions produced at midrapidity in central nucleus-nucleus collisions at the Heavy-Ion Synchrotron (SIS), Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider (RHIC), and Large Hadron Collider (LHC) energies obtained by different collaborations are selected by us to investigate, where a few simulated data are taken from the results of FOPI Collaboration which uses the IQMD transport code based on Quantum Molecular Dynamics. A two-component standard distribution and the Tsallis form of standard distribution are used to fit these data in the framework of a multisource thermal model. The excitation functions of main parameters in the two distributions are analyzed. In particular, the effective temperatures extracted from the two-component standard distribution and the Tsallis form of standard distribution are obtained, and the relation between the two types of effective temperatures is studied.

To further accurately analyze the mechanical response of buried pipelines and pavement structures subjected to ground subsidence, this study established a dual-beam model consisting of an upper Euler–Bernoulli beam and a lower Euler–Bernoulli beam to simulate pavement structures and pipelines. The embankment fill layer and foundation soil were idealized as in the Winkler foundation model, which was divided into three zones. Coupling differential equations for the behavior of this dual-beam–foundation system were established according to the force equilibrium among the pavement structure, buried pipeline, embankment fill, and foundation soil with voids. The stress distribution and deformation of buried pipelines and pavement structures were solved according to the boundary and geometric conditions. The proposed mechanical model was evaluated on test data and corresponding finite element codes, concretely verifying the model's effectiveness, and a parametric study was proposed to investigate the behavior of this system, such as the bending stiffness of pipelines, traffic load, the strength of fill layers, and foundation soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study focused on establishing the effects of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) on interleukin-18 (IL-18) expression patterns and pregnancy outcomes in pregnant rats. Pregnant rats at the post-implantation stage were randomized into control, low IFN-γ (L-IFN-γ) and high IFN-γ groups (H-IFN-γ) that received normal saline, 100 IU/g of IFN-γ and 500 IU/g of IFN-γ vaginal muscular injection, respectively. The effects of IFN-γ on IL-18 expression and pregnancy outcomes were assessed systematically using several methods, including immunohistochemistry streptavidin-perosidase (SP), image pattern analysis, enzyme-linked immune-sorbent assay (ELISA), whole blood count (WBC) count, microscopy and visual observation. IL-18 was detected in the uteri of all pregnant rats, and mainly distributed in the endometrium, decidual cells, vascular endothelium and myometrium. Immunohistochemistry and image pattern analyses revealed significantly lower IL-18 expression in the H-IFN-γ group compared to the L-IFN-γ and control groups (p

In this study, a new mechanical model is proposed to compute earth pressure above a pipeline considering pipe-soil interaction and three-dimensional soil arching effects of cohesive fills, based on the Terzaghi vertical sliding surface theory. In this model, the pipeline was mechanically separated into buried and suspended segments, whose stress distribution and deformation were solved according to the boundary conditions and geometric conditions. Comparisons to both the test data and corresponding finite element codes concretely verify the proposed mechanical model. Then a parametric investigation indicated that the mechanical behavior of the pipe is greatly affected by the size of a subsidence area and the flexural rigidity of the pipe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]