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The traditional on-board charging system can only realize the one-way transmission of electric energy from the grid to the power battery. To address this issue, this paper proposes a bidirectional on-board charging system based on a three-phase wye-wye connected CLLLC resonant converter. It adopts a two-stage structure, the front-stage is a bidirectional totem pole converter and the rear-stage is a three-phase wye-wye connected CLLLC resonant converter. Based on the grid characteristics, the working principle of the front-stage converter is analyzed, the equivalent circuit model of the rear-stage converter is derived using fundamental wave analysis, and the voltage gain, impedance characteristics and zero voltage turn-on conditions are analyzed. The parameters of input inductor, DC bus capacitance and resonant network are calculated according to the design specifications of the bidirectional on-board charging system. The control strategy of bidirectional vehicle charging system is studied. The input current and input voltage are kept in the same phase by establishing the small signal circuit model of the front-stage bidirectional totem pole converter. The rear-stage three-phase wye-wye connected CLLLC resonant converter adopts pulse frequency modulation to realize constant voltage and constant current output of the charging system. Simulation software was used to simulate the bidirectional on-board charging system, and a 3.3 kW prototype was trial-produced according to the main circuit parameters. Simulation and experimental results verify the correctness of the design of the bidirectional on-board charging system.

Convergence of mcr and carbapenemase genes has been sporadically detected in Enterobacter cloacae complex (ECC) with an upward trend. However, the state of the epidemic and underlying mechanism of such convergence has been poorly understood. In this study, the co-occurrence of MCR and carbapenemases was systematically analyzed in 230 clinical ECC isolates collected between 2000 and 2018 together with a global dataset consisting of 3,559 ECC genomes compiled from GenBank. We identified 48 mcr-9/mcr-10-positive isolates (MCR-ECC) (20.9%) in our collection, and a comparable ratio of MCR-ECC (720/3559, 20.2%) was detected in the global dataset. A high prevalence of carbapenemase-producing MCR-ECC (MCR-CREC) was further identified in the MCR-ECC of both datasets (16/48, 33.3%; 388/720, 53.9%), demonstrating a frequent convergence of mcr-9/10 and carbapenemase genes in ECC worldwide. An epidemic IncHI2/2A plasmid with a highly conserved backbone was identified and largely contributed to the dissemination of mcr-9 in ECC worldwide. A highly conserved IncX3-type NDM-1-carrying plasmid and IncN-type IMP-4-carrying plasmid were additionally detected in MCR-CREC isolated in China. Our surveillance data showed that MCR-CREC emerged (in 2013) much later than MCR-ECC (in 2000), indicating that MCR-CREC could be derived from MCR-ECC by additional captures of carbapenemase-encoding plasmids. Tests of plasmid stability and incompatibility showed that the mcr-9/mcr-10-encoding plasmids with the NDM-1-encoding plasmids stably remained in ECC but incompatible in Escherichia coli, suggesting that the convergence was host-dependent. The findings extend our concern on the convergence of resistance to the last resort antibiotics and highlight the necessity of continued surveillance in the future.

Context Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease. Senkyunolide A (SenA) is an important phthalide from Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort (Umbelliferae) with anti-spasmodic and neuroprotective effects.Objective We explored the effect of SenA on IL-1β-stimulated chondrocytes and OA miceMaterials and methods Chondrocytes were stimulated by IL-1β (10 ng/mL) to establish an OA model in vitro. Cells were treated with SenA (20, 40, 80 and 160 μg/mL) for 48 h. The in vivo OA model was established by cutting off the medial meniscus tibial ligament (MMTL) at right knee incision of male C57BL/6 mice. One week after surgery, mice were injected with SenA (intraperitoneally one week) and divided into four groups (n = 6 per group): Sham, OA, OA + SenA 20 mg/kg and OA + SenA 40 mg/kg. The OA progression was examined by haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining.Results SenA treatment increased cell viability (33%), proliferation (71%), inhibited apoptosis (21%), decreased levels of catabolic marker proteins (MMP13, 23%; ADAMTS4, 31%; ADAMTS5, 19%), increased levels of anabolic marker proteins (IGF-1, 57%; aggrecan, 75%; Col2a1, 48%), reduced levels of inflammation cytokines (TNF-α, 31%; IL-6, 19%; IL-18, 20%) and decreased levels of NLRP3 (21%), ASC (20%) and caspase-1 (29%) of chondrocytes. However, NLRP3 agonist nigericin increased levels of MMP13 (55%), ADAMTS4 (70%), ADAMTS5 (53%), decreased levels of IGF-1 (36%), aggrecan (26%), Col2a1 (25%), inhibited proliferation (61%) and promoted apoptosis (76%).Discussion and conclusions SenA alleviates OA progression by inhibiting NLRP3 signalling pathways. These findings provide an experimental basis for the clinical application of drugs in the treatment of OA.

Abstract Background We compared the intraoperative and postoperative outcomes of robotic-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (RALPN) via transabdominal or retroperitoneal approaches in patients with stage T1b renal cell carcinoma. Methods The medical records for 92 patients who underwent RALPN were retrospectively collected and data on their baseline demographics, duration of operation, duration of renal artery clamping, intraoperative blood loss, recovery time of intestinal functions, surgical margin positive rate, as well as postoperative complications were analyzed. Results Of the 92 enrolled patients, 43 and 49 patients were subjected to RALPN via the transabdominal and retroperitoneal approaches, respectively. All patients successfully completed the operation. Baseline characteristics for the transabdominal and retroperitoneal groups were comparable. Differences in operative time, renal artery clamping time, intraoperative blood loss, positive rate of surgical margin, and incidences of postoperative complications between the two approaches were insignificant. The recovery time of intestinal function after operation was significantly shorter in patients subjected to the retroperitoneal approach, relative to those subjected to transabdominal approach (p

Reliable seismic phase identification is often challenging especially in the circumstances of low-magnitude events or poor signal-to-noise ratio. With improved seismometers and better global coverage, a sharp increase in the volume of recorded seismic data has been achieved. This makes handling seismic data rather daunting by using traditional approaches and therefore fuels the need for more robust and reliable methods. In this study, we develop 1D deep Residual Neural Network (ResNet), for tackling the problem of seismic signal detection and phase identification. This method is trained and tested on the dataset recorded by the Southern California Seismic Network. Results demonstrate that the proposed method can achieve robust performance for the detection of seismic signals and the identification of seismic phases. Compared to previously proposed deep learning methods, the introduced framework achieves around 4% improvement in earthquake detection and a slightly better performance in seismic phase identification on the dataset recorded by Southern California Earthquake Data Center. The model generalizability is also tested further on the STanford EArthquake Dataset. In addition, the experimental result on the same subset of the STanford EArthquake Dataset, when masked by different noise levels, demonstrates the model’s robustness in identifying the seismic phases of small magnitude.

BackgroundPrevious observational studies have reported inconsistent findings regarding the incidence of cancer in patients with schizophrenia compared to the general population. The causal relationship between schizophrenia and cancer remains unclear and requires further investigation.ObjectiveTo investigate the causal relationship between schizophrenia and cancer.MethodsIn this study, a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was conducted using publicly available genome-wide association studies to determine the causal relationship. The effect estimates were calculated using the random-effects inverse-variance-weighted method.ResultsWe determined a causal relationship between genetic predisposition to schizophrenia and cancer, with schizophrenia increasing lung cancer (odds ratio (OR) = 1.0007; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.0001-1.0013; p = 0.0192), thyroid cancer (OR = 1.5482; CI, 1.1112-2.1569; p =0.0098),colorectal cancer (OR = 1.0009; CI, 1.0001-1.0018; p = 0.0344), ovarian cancer (OR = 1.0770; CI, 1.0352-1.1203; p = 0.0002), breast cancer (OR = 1.0011; CI, 1.0001- 1.0022; p =0.0352) and reduced the risk of malignant neoplasm of the stomach (OR = 0.8502; CI, 0.7230-0.9998; p = 0.0496).ConclusionsThis study conducted a two-sample MR analysis and discovered a positive causal relationship between schizophrenia and breast, ovarian, thyroid, lung, and colorectal cancers. On the other hand, an inverse causal relationship was found between schizophrenia and malignant neoplasm of the stomach.

The wind turbine power curve model is critical to a wind turbine’s power prediction and performance analysis. However, abnormal data in the training set decrease the prediction accuracy of trained models. This paper proposes a sample average approach-based method to construct an interval model of a wind turbine, which increases robustness against abnormal data and further improves the model accuracy. We compare our proposed methods with the traditional neural network-based and Bayesian neural network-based models in experimental data-based validations. Our model shows better performance in both accuracy and computational time.

Microplastics are ubiquitous in soil ecosystems, and they have attracted widespread attention owing to their accumulation, migration and diffusion in soil environments and their negative effects on the environment and human health. However, previous studies on microplastics have predominantly concentrated on aquatic environments, and their presence in soil ecosystems has seldom been studied systematically. This review presents a systematic analysis of the current research on soil microplastics based on the available literature from 2016 to 2023 using CiteSpace. The most influential journals, authors and countries in this field were identified. Keyword co-occurrence analysis was performed to determine research hotspots, and cluster analysis was employed to provide an accurate summary of this field. Furthermore, burst detection was used to explore research fronts. This review reveals the increasing depth and diversity of research on soil microplastics and discusses potential research fronts for future studies in this field.

Wildfires are a major source of perturbations to the Earth’s system and have important implications for understanding long-term interactions between the global environment, climate, and organisms. In this study, current evidence for global warming, wildfires, and floral changes across the Permian-Triassic (P-T) and Triassic-Jurassic (T-J) transitions were reviewed, and their relationships were discussed. Available evidence suggests that global plant community turnover and the decline in plant diversity across the P-T and T-J boundaries were primarily driven by widespread wildfires. The Siberian Large Igneous Province and Central Atlantic Magmatic Province released large amounts of isotopically light CO2 into the atmospheric system, contributing to global warming and increased lightning activity. This ultimately led to an increase in the frequency and destructiveness of wildfires, which have significantly contributed to the deterioration of terrestrial ecosystems, the turnover of plant communities, and the decline in plant diversity. Furthermore, frequent wildfires also constitute an important link between land and ocean/lake crises. Large amounts of organic matter particles and nutrients from the weathering of bedrock after wildfires are transported to marine/lake systems through runoff, contributing to the eutrophication of surface water and the disappearance of aerobic organisms, as well as hindering the recovery of aquatic ecosystems. These wildfire feedback mechanisms provide an important reference point for environmental and climatic changes in the context of current global warming. Therefore, the interplay between global warming, wildfires, and biological changes and their feedback mechanisms needs to be fully considered when assessing current and future risks to the Earth’s surface systems.

Microtia is a congenital deformity of the ear with an incidence of about 0.8–4.2 per 10,000 births. Total auricular reconstruction is the preferred treatment of microtia at present, and one of the core technologies is the preparation of cartilage scaffolds. Autologous costal cartilage is recognized as the best material source for constructing scaffold platforms. However, costal cartilage harvest can lead to donor-site injuries such as pneumothorax, postoperative pain, chest wall scar and deformity. Therefore, with the need of alternative to autologous cartilage, in vitro and in vivo studies of biomaterial scaffolds and cartilage tissue engineering have gradually become novel research hot points in auricular reconstruction research. Tissue-engineered cartilage possesses obvious advantages including non-rejection, minimally invasive or non-invasive, the potential of large-scale production to ensure sufficient donors and controllable morphology. Exploration and advancements of tissue-engineered cartilaginous framework are also emerging in aspects including three-dimensional biomaterial scaffolds, acquisition of seed cells and chondrocytes, 3D printing techniques, inducing factors for chondrogenesis and so on, which has greatly promoted the research process of biomaterial substitute. This review discussed the development, current application and research progress of cartilage tissue engineering in auricular reconstruction, particularly the usage and creation of biomaterial scaffolds. The development and selection of various types of seed cells and inducing factors to stimulate chondrogenic differentiation in auricular cartilage were also highlighted. There are still confronted challenges before the clinical application becomes widely available for patients, and its long-term effect remains to be evaluated. We hope to provide guidance for future research directions of biomaterials as an alternative to autologous cartilage in ear reconstruction, and finally benefit the transformation and clinical application of cartilage tissue engineering and biomaterials in microtia treatment.

In order to evaluate the risk of transmission line tripping due to wildfires, it is necessary to predict the breakdown voltage of the insulation gap under the flame. Firstly, this paper studies the breakdown prediction of rod–plane gaps under the full-flame bridging of wooden cribs; it then obtains the breakdown voltage and the leakage current values of full-flame bridging considering different sizes of wooden cribs and different gap distances. Then, a multi-physical field simulation is carried out to obtain the flame gap characteristic parameters, such as spatial temperature. The feature quantity is normalized and reduced in dimension, and a prediction model for gap breakdown voltage under flame conditions based on a support vector machine (SVM) is established. Finally, the DC withstand voltage values and corresponding characteristic quantities under different flame gap conditions are used as sample sets to test the prediction model. The results show that the prediction error for small gap breakdown voltage is less than 2.6%. The samples were tested under different flame intensities for training and prediction, and the error was less than 3.3%. The small gap data for 30~60 cm is used to predict the breakdown voltage of the long gap for 100~140 cm, and the error is less than 3.2%. Compared with the fitting correction formula method proposed in existing research, the error is reduced by 11.5% and 4.4%, respectively, which verifies the effectiveness of the SVM prediction model.

In urban areas where populations commonly reside, particle mass concentrations in street canyons can pose significant risks to human health. This study aimed to investigate the diffusion mechanism of particle mass concentrations in urban street canyons by developing and applying a prediction model based on the mathematical modeling of physical processes. The prediction model considered factors such as the influence of traffic wind, natural wind, traffic flow, and other relevant variables influencing particle mass concentrations in street canyons. Field measurements were conducted in Dalian, China, to verify the feasibility of the model. Particle mass concentrations, traffic flow, temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed were measured on Shichang Street (a two-lane one-way road), Tangshan Street (a four-lane two-way road), and Shengli Road (a six-lane two-way road). The results indicated that the majority of traffic peaks occurred around 19:00 on all road types. The PM1.0 mass concentration was well diluted on the four-lane two-way road, with the least dilution observed on the two-lane one-way road. A strong correlation between the particle mass concentrations and traffic flow was discovered. Furthermore, a prediction model was established, accurately predicting the particle mass concentrations when the prediction step was from 5 to 15 s. The coefficient of determination (R2) between the predicted and measured values on the two-lane one-way road, four-lane two-way road, and six-lane two-way road was 0.9319, 0.6582, and 0.9238, respectively. Additionally, the prediction model allowed for a detailed analysis of traffic flow limitations, corresponding to the recommended World Health Organization (WHO) PM2.5 values. Overall, the findings of this study offer valuable insights for forecasting particle exposure levels in street canyons.

Abstract Background The cerebellum is involved in hyperactivity, fear, and anxiety disorders that could be induced by whole-brain irradiation (WBI). However, whether cerebellar irradiation alone (CIA) could induce these disorders is unknown. We investigated the effect of CIA in an animal model. Methods Eleven-day-old rat pups underwent a single 3-Gy dose of either WBI (n = 28) or CIA (n = 20), while 34 rat pups were sham-irradiated (controls). Cell death was evaluated in the subgranular zone of the hippocampus by counting pyknotic cells after haematoxylin/eosin staining at 6 h after irradiation for 10, 8, and 9 pups, respectively. Behavioural changes were evaluated via open-field test at 6 weeks for 18, 12, and 25 pups, respectively. Unpaired two-tailed t-test and one-way and two-way repeated ANOVA were used. Results Massive cell death in cerebellar external granular layer was detected at 6 h after CIA (1,419 ± 211 mm, mean ± S.E.M. versus controls (68 ± 12 mm) (p < 0.001)), while no significant difference between CIA (1,419 ± 211 mm) versus WBI (1,433 ± 107 mm) (p = 0.955) was found. At open-field behavioural test, running distance, activity, wall distance, middle zone visit times, and duration were higher for WBI versus controls (p < 0.010), but no difference between CIA and controls was found (p > 0.05). Conclusions Although the cerebellum is involved in hyperactivity, fear, and anxiety disorders, CIA did not induce these disorders, indicating that WBI-induced cerebellar injury does not directly cause these behavioural abnormalities after WBI. Thus, targeting the cerebellum alone may not be enough to rescue or reduce these behavioural abnormalities after WBI.

Abstract Background Abductor mechanism deficiency is a clear indication for using constrained acetabular liners (CALs), and large acetabular bone defects are considered a relative contraindication to CALs. We report the results of using CALs in special cases in which abductor or greater trochanter deficiency was accompanied by large acetabular bone defects at second-stage re-implantation for chronic infected total hip arthroplasty (THA). Methods Between January 2010 and January 2018, 19 patients who used CALs at second-stage re-implantation and had abductor or greater trochanter deficiency and large acetabular bone defects were included in this study. We followed up with the clinical and radiological results of these patients. Complications and infection-related information were also recorded. Results Eight patients, 4 patients, and 7 patients had Paprosky type IIB, type IIC, and type IIIA acetabular bone defects at second-stage re-implantation, respectively. The indication for using CALs was abductor deficiency in 14 patients and greater trochanter deficiency in the other 5 patients. The mean follow-up was 74.4 months (range 50–96). The mean Harris Hip Score (HHS) was 76.3 points (range 62–86) at the last follow-up. Three patients presented acetabular radiolucent lines with no progress: zone 3, zone 3 and zone 2 and 3, respectively. One patient suffered transient sciatic nerve palsy. There was no dislocation, failure of the CALs, reoperation, or recurrence of infection. Conclusion Our results suggested that for screened patients, CALs are a viable option in second-stage re-implantation for chronic infected THA with abductor or greater trochanter deficiency and large bone defects.

Adhesion forces due to active pili govern the formation of biofilms by a wide range of bacteria. Using simulations, this work shows how such active adhesions determine the morphology of bacterial collectives, their non-equilibrium fluctuations, and the spreading dynamics in different geometries.

Abstract In this paper, we investigate the Hajek–Renyi-type inequalities for ( α , β ) $(\alpha ,\beta )$ -mixing sequences. As an important application of the results, we further study the CUSUM-type estimator of mean change-point models for ( α , β ) $(\alpha , \beta )$ -mixing sequences. We establish the convergence rate of weak consistency for the CUSUM estimator. Moreover, we also present some simulation studies and a real data example to support the theoretical results.

Abstract The ground wire is significantly interfered by the current above 1 μA in the industrial field during the traditional polarisation and depolarisation current (PDC) measurement. This paper explains a method to test PDC from high‐voltage wire using a principle of equipotential picoammeter, which is completely isolated from the ground wire and connected in series with the high voltage wire. In this method, a device is designed with a multi‐range automatic switching function. The device can automatically switch the test range current from 1 pA to 10 mA with a resolution of 1 pA. To demonstrate the device and effectiveness of this new method, the traditional and the proposed new device are used to test the PDC of cable samples in the laboratory as well as in an industrial environment. It is worth noting that there is almost no interference on the Earth wire in the laboratory environment but massive interference in the industrial environment using a traditional method of PDC measurement from ground or Earth wire. The new method of high‐voltage testing can efficiently eliminate the interference and accurately measure PDC in a strong industrial interference environment. Furthermore, the wiring of this new method and device is relatively simple, which is convenient for industrial applications.

Understanding and mastering the structural characteristics and spatial layout of marine industry, and reasonably guiding the upgrading and spatial layout optimization of marine industry, has great practical significance for Shenzhen in the construction of Global Marine Center City. This paper analyzed the characteristics of marine industry in Shenzhen from 2015 to 2020 by using the methods of centralization index and information entropy, and studied the spatial distribution characteristics of marine GDP and main marine industries in various districts of Shenzhen by using Lorentz curve and nuclear density estimation. The results showed that the marine industry in Shenzhen had a high degree of agglomeration, which was highly concentrated in traditional industries such as marine tourism, marine transportation, marine oil and gas industry, and emerging industries such as marine engineering equipment manufacturing, marine drugs and biological products, marine electronic information and so on. The regional distribution of marine industries was concentrated, and the spatial distribution of main marine industries showed obvious agglomeration. The marine related enterprises were concentrated along the main traffic roads, and their distribution density showed an obvious decreasing trend from coastal to inland. The added value of marine industry in Shenzhen was mainly concentrated in Nanshan, Futian, Bao′an and Luohu, accounting for more than 80% of the city.

This study was designed to investigate the biological functions of LINC00482 in prostate cancer (PCa) with bone metastasis. TCGA dataset of PCa was applied for LINC00482 expression analysis and real time PCR was used to verify the expression level of LINC00482 in PCa tissues as well as PCa bone metastatic tissues. To detect the biological functions of LINC00482 in vitro, various assays were used including CCK-8, EdU, colony formation and transwell assays. The biological functions of LINC00482 were also identified in vivo by inoculating PCa cells into the left cardiac ventricle of mice, followed by evaluating the osteolytic lesions and osteolytic score. In addition, Starbase and Lncbase databases were applied for predicting the potential target miRNA of LINC00482, while TargetScan and Starbase databases were used for predicting the potential target of miRNA. The luciferase reporter assay was utilized to determine the interactions among these molecules and western blotting was employed to verified the targeted proteins. Results showed that high expression level of LINC00482 was observed in bone metastatic PCa tissues and associated with PCa progression. Silencing of LINC00482 inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion in PCa. Furthermore, LINC00482 was proved to act as a competing endogenous RNA by sponging miR-2467-3p to activate Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, which may be a promising therapeutic target for PCa with bone metastasis.

Background: The treatment of microtia or acquired ear deformities by surgery is a significant challenge for plastic and ENT surgeons; one of the most difficult points is constructing the scaffold for auricular reconstruction. As a type of cell with multiple differentiation potentials, stem cells play an essential role in the construction of cartilage scaffolds, and therefore have received widespread attention in ear reconstructive research.Methods: A literature search was conducted for peer-reviewed articles between 2005 and 2023 with the following keywords: stem cells; auricular cartilage; ear cartilage; conchal cartilage; auricular reconstruction, regeneration, and reparation of chondrocytes; tissue engineering in the following databases: PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane, and Ovid.Results: Thirty-three research articles were finally selected and their main characteristics were summarized. Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs), bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs), perichondrial stem/progenitor cells (PPCs), and cartilage stem/progenitor cells (CSPCs) were mainly used in chondrocyte regeneration. Injecting the stem cells into the cartilage niche directly, co-culturing the stem cells with the auricular cartilage cells, and inducing the cells in the chondrogenic medium in vitro were the main methods that have been demonstrated in the studies. The chondrogenic ability of these cells was observed in vitro, and they also maintained good elasticity and morphology after implantation in vivo for a period of time.Conclusion: ADSC, BMMSC, PPC, and CSPC were the main stem cells that have been researched in craniofacial cartilage reconstruction, the regenerative cartilage performed highly similar to normal cartilage, and the test of AGA and type II collagen content also proved the cartilage property of the neo-cartilage. However, stem cell reconstruction of the auricle is still in the initial stage of animal experiments, transplantation with such scaffolds in large animals is still lacking, and there is still a long way to go.

In this paper, an improved SEIR model of fractional order is investigated to describe the behavior of malware propagation in the wireless sensor network. Firstly, the malware propagation model of fractional order is established based on the classical SEIR epidemic theory, the basic reproductive number is obtained by the next-generation method and the stability condition of the model is also analyzed. Then, the inverse approach for the uncertainty propagation based on the discrete element method and least square algorithm is presented to determine the unknown parameters of the propagation process. Finally, the optimal control strategy is also discussed based on the adaptive model. Simulation results show the proposed model works better than the propagation model of integer order. The error of proposed model is smaller than integer order models.

Government green investment (GGI) is one of the effective tools for reducing carbon emissions (CEs). This is of great significance for the realization of “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality.” This study innovatively considers the multidimensional CE reduction (CER) process indexes to explore the impact mechanism of GGI on China’s CER process. At the same time, CER is particularly critical in resource-dependent regions. This study incorporates this perspective to explore the CER effect of GGI in these regions. This paper developed a multidimensional evaluation system for China’s CER process, using panel data of 269 prefecture-level cities from 2008 to 2019 to explore the impact of GGI on China’s CER process. The results indicated that 1) GGI promotes CER in China as a whole and effectively inhibits CEs, per capita CEs, and CE intensity; 2) GGI promotes CER to some extent by enhancing the energy efficiency and total factor productivity; 3) it plays a larger role in CER in regions with a high energy endowment; and 4) the impact of GGI on CER is heterogeneous in geographical regions, city sizes, and economic development levels. This study makes policy recommendations for reducing CEs, including intensifying GGI and playing its investment-pulling role, thereby increasing the investment related to improving energy efficiency and total factor productivity and promoting government intervention in areas with high energy endowments.

In recent years, graphene and its derivatives have gained wide attention in the biomedical field due to their good physicochemical properties, biocompatibility, and bioactivity. Its good antibacterial, osteoinductive and drug-carrying properties make it a promising application in the field of orthopedic biomaterials. This paper introduces the research progress of graphene and its derivatives in bone tissue engineering and cartilage tissue engineering and presents an outlook on the future development of graphene-based materials in orthopedics.

Abstract Silicone grease (SG) is used for lubrication during cable accessory installation and can penetrate into the silicone rubber (SiR), leading to properties deterioration of the SiR. In this study, the effects of SG on the breakdown characteristics of the cross‐linked polyethylene (XLPE)–SiR interface are investigated. First, the variation of the XLPE–SiR interface breakdown voltage with SG coating time is experimentally explored. The interface breakdown voltage significantly increases after SG is applied, remains stable for coating times of up to approximately 144 h and then rapidly decreases; the minimum interface breakdown voltage is lower than that without the SG coating. Next, the effects of SG on the chemical composition and surface topography of the SiR are examined by infrared spectroscopy and optical profilometry, respectively. The SG penetration does not change the functional groups of the SiR but significantly increases its surface roughness. Finally, the interface electric‐field distribution after coating with SG is analysed by finite‐element simulation, revealing that the residual SG at the interface distorts the interface electric field after a long coating time. The increase in the SiR surface roughness caused by SG diffusion and the interface electric‐field distortion caused by the residual SG together lead to the decrease of the interface breakdown voltage.

Breast cancer has become the most commonly diagnosed cancer type in the world. A combination of chemotherapy and photothermal therapy (PTT) has emerged as a promising strategy for breast cancer therapy. However, the intricacy of precise delivery and the ability to initiate drug release in specific tumor sites remains a challenging puzzle. Therefore, to ensure that the therapeutic agents are synchronously delivered to the tumor site for their synergistic effect, a multifunctional nanoparticle system (PCRHNs) is developed, which is grafted onto the prussian blue nanoparticles (PB NPs) by reduction-responsive camptothecin (CPT) prodrug copolymer, and then modified with tumor-targeting peptide cyclo(Asp-d-Phe-Lys-Arg-Gly) (cRGD) and hyaluronic acid (HA). PCRHNs exhibited nano-sized structure with good monodispersity, high load efficiency of CPT, triggered CPT release in response to reduction environment, and excellent photothermal conversion under laser irradiation. Furthermore, PCRHNs can act as a photoacoustic imaging contrast agent-guided PTT. In vivo studies indicate that PCRHNs exhibited excellent biocompatibility, prolonged blood circulation, enhanced tumor accumulation, allow tumor-specific chemo-photothermal therapy to achieve synergistic antitumor effects with reduced systemic toxicity. Moreover, hyperthermia-induced upregulation of heat shock protein 70 in the tumor cells could be inhibited by CPT. Collectively, PCRHNs may be a promising therapeutic way for breast cancer therapy.

The antimicrobial peptide human defensin-5 (HD-5) is found to upregulate Vibrio cholera virulence genes in a manner dependent on the two-component system, CarSR, providing insights into how the cholera pathogen responds to intestinal HD-5.

Abstract The morphology of a material is considered one of the primary aspects affecting its photocatalytic performance. Various methods have been developed to tailor the morphology of photocatalytic materials for photocatalytic water splitting. Bi2S3 is an excellent photoabsorption material with relatively narrow band gaps. Herein, Bi2S3 samples with different morphologies are successfully prepared via a simple one-step hydrothermal method and employed effectively as visible light-driven photocatalysts for hydrogen production. Electron microscopy technologies were used to characterize the morphology and microstructure of the Bi2S3 samples, which exhibit three kinds of morphologies, namely nanotubes, nanoflowers and nanorods. As a result, the Bi2S3 nanotubes have the largest BET specific surface area and lowest PL intensity, and these characteristics lead to having the best hydrogen production rate. Moreover, the catalysis mechanism is simply explained by studying the relationship between the morphology and microstructure of a material and its photocatalytic performance.

The timely detection of faults that occur in industrial machines and components can avoid possible catastrophic machine failure, prevent large financial losses, and ensure the safety of machine operators. A solution to tackle the fault detection problem is to start with modeling the condition monitoring signals and then examine any deviation of real-time monitored data from the baseline model. The newly developed deep long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network has a high nonlinear flexibility and can simultaneously store long- and short-term memories. Thus, deep LSTM is a good option for representing underlying data-generating processes. This paper presents a deep-LSTM-based fault detection method. A goodness-of-fit criterion is innovatively used to quantify the deviation between the baseline model and the newly monitored vibrations as opposed to the mean squared value of the LSTM residual used in many reported works. A railway suspension fault detection case is studied. Benchmark studies have shown that the deep-LSTM-based fault detection method performs better than the vanilla-LSTM-based and linear-autoregression-model-based methods. Using the goodness-of-fit criterion, railway suspension faults can be better detected than when using the mean squared value of the LSTM residual.

Titanium alloy components often experience damage from impact loads during usage, which makes improving the mechanical properties of TC4 titanium alloys crucial. This paper investigates the influence of laser scanning irradiation on the tensile properties of thin titanium alloy sheets. Results indicate that the tensile strength of thin titanium alloy sheets exhibits a trend of initial increase followed by a decrease. Different levels of enhancement are observed in the elongation at break of a cross-section. Optimal improvement in the elongation at break is achieved when the laser fluence is around 8 J/cm2, while the maximum increase in tensile strength occurs at approximately 10 J/cm2. Using femtosecond laser surface irradiation, this study compares the maximum enhancement in the tensile strength of titanium alloy base materials, which is approximately 8.54%, and the maximum increase in elongation at break, which reaches 25.61%. In addition, the results verify that cracks in tensile fractures of TC4 start from the middle, while laser-induced fracture cracks occur from both ends.

Abstract Most agronomic traits of rice (Oryza sativa), such as grain length, are complex traits controlled by multiple genes. Chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs) are ideal materials for dissecting these complex traits. We developed the novel rice CSSL ‘Z414’, which has short, wide grains, from progeny of the recipient parent ‘Xihui 18’ (an indica restorer line) and the donor parent ‘Huhan 3’ (a japonica cultivar). Z414 contains four substitution segments with an average length of 3.04 Mb. Z414 displays seven traits that significantly differ from those of Xihui 18, including differences in grain length, width, and weight; degree of chalkiness; and brown rice rate. We identified seven quantitative trait loci (QTL) that are responsible for these differences in an F2 population from a cross between Xihui 18 and Z414. Among these, six QTL (qPL3, qGW5, qGL11, qRLW5, qRLW11, and qGWT5) were detected in newly developed single-segment substitution lines (SSSLs) S1–S6. In addition, four QTL (qGL3, qGL5, qCD3, and qCD5) were detected in S1 and S5. Analysis of these SSSLs attributed the short, wide grain trait of Z414 to qGL11, qGL3, qGL5, and qGW5. Substitution mapping delimited qGL11 within an 810-kb interval on chromosome 11. Sequencing, real time quantitative PCR, and cell morphology analysis revealed that qGL11 might be a novel QTL encoding the cyclin CycT1;3. Finally, pyramiding qGL3 (a = 0.43) and qGL11 (a = − 0.37) led to shorter grains in the dual-segment substitution line D2 and revealed that qGL11 is epistatic to qGL3. In addition, S1 and D2 exhibited different grain sizes and less chalkiness than Z414. In conclusion, the short grain phenotype of the CSSL Z414 is controlled by qGL11, qGL3, and qGL5. qGL11 might be a novel QTL encoding CycT1;3, whose specific role in regulating grain length was previously unknown, and qGL11 is epistatic to qGL3. S1 and D2 could potentially be used in hybrid rice breeding.

Abstract The urgent need for power transmission is the reason for leading research on the safer operation of high‐voltage cables. These high‐voltage cables are emerging as an efficient technology for underground power transmission. However, the electrochemical corrosion of aluminium (Al) metal sheaths in these cables is a common and challenging degradation process. Herein, the corrosion mechanisms and electrochemical analysis are investigated by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and laboratory‐designed electrochemical characterisation techniques. In the corrosion experiments, the authors evaluated the corrosion rate by measuring the release rate of hydrogen gas and explored the different roles of sodium polyacrylate (NaPA) during the corrosion process. It is found that the complexation reactions between NaPA and Al inhibited corrosion while increased the resistance of the buffer layer. The proposed mechanisms of corrosion in this study can improve the lifespan and sustainability of high‐voltage power transmission.

Carbapenem resistance presents a major challenge for the global public health network, as clinical infections caused by carbapenem-resistant organisms (CRO) are frequently associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Ceftazidime–avibactam (CAZ–AVI) is a novel cephalosporin/β-lactamase inhibitor combination offering an important advance in the treatment of CRO infections. CAZ–AVI has been reported to inhibit the activities of Ambler classes A, C, and some class D enzymes. However, bacterial resistance has been emerging shortly after the introduction of this combination in clinical use, with an increasing trend. Understanding these resistance mechanisms is crucial for guiding the development of novel treatments and aiding in the prediction of underlying resistance mechanisms. This review aims to systematically summarize the epidemiology of CAZ–AVI-resistant strains and recently identified resistance mechanisms of CAZ–AVI, with a focus on the production of β-lactamase variants, the hyperexpression of β-lactamases, reduced permeability, and overexpressed efflux pumps. The various mechanisms of CAZ–AVI resistance that have emerged within a short timescale emphasize the need to optimize the use of current agents, as well as the necessity for the surveillance of CAZ–AVI-resistant pathogens.

Abstract This paper considers the problem of long‐term target tracking in complex scenes when tracking failures are unavoidable due to illumination change, target deformation, scale change, motion blur, and other factors. More specifically, a target tracking algorithm, called re‐detection multi‐feature fusion, is proposed based on the fusion of scale‐adaptive kernel correlation filtering and re‐detection. The target tracking algorithm trains three kernel correlation filters based on the histogram of oriented gradients, colour name, and local binary pattern features and then obtains the fusion weight of response graphs corresponding to different features based on average peak correlation energy criterion and uses weighted average to complete the position estimation of the tracked target. In order to deal with the problem that the target is occluded and disappears in the tracking process, a random fern classifier is trained to perform re‐detection when the target is occluded. After comparing the OTB‐50 target tracking dataset, the experimental results show that the proposed tracker can track the target well in the occlusion attribute video sequence in the OTB‐100 test dataset and has a certain improvement in tracking accuracy and success rate compared with the traditional correlation filter tracker.

To explore malware propagation mechanisms in networks and to develop optimal strategies for controlling the spread of malware, we propose a susceptible-unexposed-infected-isolation-removed epidemic model. First, we establish a non-linear dynamic equation of malware propagation. Then, the basic reproductive number is derived by using the next-generation method. Finally, we carry out numerical simulations to observe the malware spreading in WSNs to verify the obtained theoretical results. Furthermore, we investigate the communication range of the nodes to make the results more complete. The optimal range of the nodes is designed to control malware propagation.

The Late Triassic Carnian Pluvial Episode (CPE; ca. 234–232 Ma) was characterized by dramatic global temperature and humidity increases, which in many terrestrial settings was accompanied by changes from arid to humid vegetation types. This study reviews current evidence of terrestrial floral composition and distribution during the CPE and analyzes spatial and temporal variation with relation to potential environmental driving mechanisms. Available evidence suggests the CPE was a globally significant event that triggered significant increases in the abundance of ferns and hygrophytes in terrestrial floras and freshwater algae in fluvial and lacustrine settings. These changes ended a long interval of relatively arid terrestrial climatic conditions since the Early Triassic and are linked temporally with eruptions of the oceanic plateau Wrangellia Large Igneous Province (LIP). The massive release of greenhouse gasses including isotopically light CO2 during 3–4 distinct pulses of Wrangellia volcanism appears to have been the main driver of CPE climate change. Each pulse enhanced global atmospheric circulation and the hydrological cycle and resulted in changes from arid to humid conditions that affected floral abundance and composition. Higher terrestrial primary productivity in humid phases facilitated increased burial of terrestrial organic carbon and led to the recommencement of peat accumulation, ending the coal gap that had persisted since the Earliest Triassic times. Enhanced movement of carbon from the atmosphere through the biosphere into the geosphere may have counteracted the warming effects of Wrangellia volcanic greenhouse gas emissions and ultimately led to the return of a steady climate state that terminated the warm and humid conditions of the CPE.

During coal mining, the deformation and failure of a weakly cemented soft rock roadway roof could cause difficulties for roadway support. In this paper, a combination of on-site measurement and theoretical analysis is used to solve this issue. Firstly this paper investigates the in situ deformation and failure behaviors of a soft rock roadway in a mine in Western China. Then, the failure mechanism and corresponding support principles are discussed and given. Third, various support schemes (bolt and cable reinforcement optimization, grouting, and single prop + top beam combined reinforcement) are proposed and tested. Results show the support capacity can meet the requirements after optimizing the bolt and cable reinforcement support. Due to the development of roof cracks and low grouting pressure, the grouting slurry did not completely fill the roof cracks, resulting in a poor roof control effect. The passive support of a “single prop + top beam” can effectively control the roof subsidence and achieve good application results.

The efficiency of train transportation in the port environment directly restricts the production efficiency of the entire port. In order to coordinate the productivity of the entire port and further improve the loading and unloading efficiency of the train automation system, this paper proposes a material segmentation and data statistics algorithm for the problem of material identification in the train compartment. The terrestrial laser scanning system was established under the experimental scenario of CHN ENERGY Tianjin Port. By fusing the laser point cloud data, and then performing pre-processing operations such as box filtering, down-sampling, and radius filtering, the pre-processed point cloud data is projected onto a two-dimensional plane as a two-dimensional image, and the canny operator is used to extract the contour of the carriage on the image. Further fitting to the plane of the point cloud of the carriage wall, and the point cloud of materials in the carriage is segmented. Through the method of slicing the compartment, completing the statistical analysis of the data in the compartment from the whole to the part. The database fields of the main carriage types are established to realize the information interaction between the database and the recognition algorithm. The final experimental results show that the error rate of the carriage length recognition is 5.89%, and the width error rate is 7.25%, which verifies that the algorithm has good recognition accuracy which fully meets engineering needs.

Abstract Background To investigate the efficacy and safety of whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) combined with epidermal growth factor receptor‐tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR‐TKI) versus WBRT only in the treatment of brain metastasis in non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients by pooling open published data. Methods Prospective clinical studies relevant to WBRT+EGFR‐TKI versus WBRT only in the treatment of NSCLC brain metastasis were electronically searched in the Pubmed, EMbase, Cochrane, Wangfang, CNKI and Google scholar databases. The treatment response, 1‐year survival and treatment‐associated toxicity were pooled and expressed by odds ratio (OR) under a fixed or random effect model. The publication bias was evaluated by Begg's funnel plot and Egger's line regression test. Results Eighteen prospective clinical studies were included in the study. The combined results indicated that the objective response rate (ORR) in the WBRT+TKI group was superior to WBRT only with a statistical difference (OR = 2.67, 95% CI: 2.10–3.38, p 0.05), diarrhea (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 0.83–2.07, p > 0.05), fatigue (OR = 1.40, 95% CI: 0.70–2.81, p > 0.05) and myelosuppression (OR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.56–1.32, p > 0.05) were not statistically different between the two groups. Conclusions Based on the current publications, WBRT+EGFR‐TKI can improve the treatment response and 1‐year survival rate but not increase the toxicity except for rash compared to WBRT alone in the treatment of brain metastasis in NSCLC patients.

Abstract Background Fluorescent reporter labeling and promoter-driven Cre-recombinant technologies have facilitated cellular investigations of physiological and pathological processes, including the widespread use of the Cx3cr1 CreER-Eyfp/wt mouse strain for studies of microglia. Methods Immunohistochemistry, Flow Cytometry, RNA sequencing and whole-genome sequencing were used to identify the subpopulation of microglia in Cx3cr1 CreER-Eyfp/wt mouse brains. Genetically mediated microglia depletion using Cx3cr1 CreER-Eyfp/wt Rosa26 DTA/wt mice and CSF1 receptor inhibitor PLX3397 were used to deplete microglia. Primary microglia proliferation and migration assay were used for in vitro studies. Results We unexpectedly identified a subpopulation of microglia devoid of genetic modification, exhibiting higher Cx3cr1 and CX3CR1 expression than Cx3cr1 CreER-Eyfp/wt Cre + Eyfp + microglia in Cx3cr1 CreER-Eyfp/wt mouse brains, thus termed Cx3cr1 high Cre − Eyfp − microglia. This subpopulation constituted less than 1% of all microglia under homeostatic conditions, but after Cre-driven DTA-mediated microglial depletion, Cx3cr1 high Cre − Eyfp − microglia escaped depletion and proliferated extensively, eventually occupying one-third of the total microglial pool. We further demonstrated that the Cx3cr1 high Cre − Eyfp − microglia had lost their genetic heterozygosity and become homozygous for wild-type Cx3cr1. Therefore, Cx3cr1 high Cre − Eyfp − microglia are Cx3cr1 wt/wt Cre − Eyfp −. Finally, we demonstrated that CX3CL1–CX3CR1 signaling regulates microglial repopulation both in vivo and in vitro. Conclusions Our results raise a cautionary note regarding the use of Cx3cr1 CreER-Eyfp/wt mouse strains, particularly when interpreting the results of fate mapping, and microglial depletion and repopulation studies.

Abstract Naked carp (Gymnocypris przewalskii), endemic to the saline-alkaline Lake Qinghai, have the capacity to tolerate combinations of high salinity and alkalinity, but migrate to spawn in freshwater rivers each year. In this study, we measured the drinking rate over a 24 h period for naked carp exposed to saline-alkaline lake waters with salinities of 15 (L15) and 17 (L17). We also assessed the daily feed intakes of naked carp exposed to L15 and fresh water (FW). Additionally, we studied the daily expression of acid–base regulation and osmoregulation related genes and proteins in the intestine of naked carp exposed to saline-alkaline lake waters. Our results revealed that the drinking rate at night was significantly higher than in daytime when exposed to either L15 or L17, while feed intakes in daytime were significantly higher than at night. The relative expression of Na+/K+-ATPase α (NKA-α), solute carrier family members 26A6 (SLC26A6) and 4A4 (SLC4A4) in the intestine of naked carp exposed to L17 at night was higher than in daytime. Specifically, NKA-α mRNA expression at 4:00 was 7.22-fold and 5.63-fold higher than that at 10:00 and 16:00, respectively, and the expression at 22:00 was 11.29-fold and 8.80-fold higher than that at 10:00 and 16:00, respectively. Similarly, SLC26A6 mRNA expression was greatest at 22:00, exceeding that observed at 4:00, 10:00 and 16:00 by 3.59, 4.44 and 11.14-fold, respectively. Finally, the expression of NKA-α and SLC26A6 protein at the single cell level was also higher at night than during the day, which was 1.65-fold and 1.37-fold higher at 22:00 respectively compared to 16:00. Overall, the present findings revealed that naked carp drinks at night and feeds during the day, demonstrating that intestinal ion regulation exhibits a daily rhythm when exposed to high saline and alkaline lake water.

Motor driving technology and battery charging technology are the two core technologies of electric vehicles (EVs). They have a profound impact on the performance and mileage of EVs. Based on the topology of a traditional EV motor controller, this study employs the time-sharing multiplexing insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) power module form to expand the functions of the motor controller. This paper proposes an integrated driving–charging controller structure that enables the controller to realize the motor driving and on-board charging simultaneously. A decoupling analysis was performed at the topology level, mathematical models of two bidirectional converters in the integrated topology were established, and a reasonable control strategy for the double-closed-loop control system was designed. The simulation system was built in Simulink, and the simulation results verified the effectiveness of the system topology and control strategy. We made an integrated controller experimental platform based on TMS320F28335. A resistive load simulated the power battery to verify the charging mode, and a 5 kW permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) was used to verify the driving mode. The experimental results demonstrated the driving–charging integrated controller’s feasibility for electric vehicles.

β-Ga2O3 Schottky barrier diodes with field plate (FP-SBDs) are fabricated and their SPICEcompatible model are constructed for double-pulse test circuit and DC-DC boost converter simulations. The reverse recovery time ( $t_{{\mathrm {rr}}}$ ) of the β-Ga2O3 SBD is 8.8 ns and its reverse recovery charge ( $Q_{{\mathrm {rr}}}$ ) is 8.33 nC when switching from a forward current of 1 A to a reverse bias voltage of 100 V with a di/dt of 400 A/μs, which is analogous with the prediction of our model. Device with the radius of 500 μm was fabricated, a current of 2 A can be obtained at the forward voltage of 2 V, meanwhile, the breakdown voltage is 467 V. The Ga2O3-based converter module after device packaging with TO-220 reveals a comparative efficiency to that of the SiC-based converter under multiple conditions, and reached up to 95.62% at the input voltage of 200 V. The decent performance of Ga2O3 FP-SBD and its DC-DC converter indicates great potential in power application.

Through the relative motion of ladar and object, inverse synthetic aperture ladar can form the virtual synthetic aperture and improve the imaging resolution. On the basis of coherent array detectors with the laser local oscillator, the problem of laser synthetic aperture coherent imaging for micro-rotating objects is studied. Firstly, structure and parameters of the telescope system based on the diffractive optical system are introduced. Then, the signal model of the imaging method is built, the imaging method is proposed, and influence of noise is analyzed. Afterwards, the signal model of the vibrating object is established and the vibration phase compensation method is proposed. The imaging method proposed forms a virtual aperture through micro-rotation of the object, and realizes high-resolution imaging in the pitch direction and azimuth direction. Without transmitting or processing broadband signals, the imaging system is easy to realize in engineering, and simulation results verify the effectiveness of the imaging method. Meanwhile, Fourier ptychography in the far-field condition is analyzed, and characteristics of the two methods are compared. It is concluded that the imaging method proposed belongs to the concept of traditional matched filter coherent imaging while far-field Fourier ptychography is classified into the category of super-resolution imaging.

In order to explore the characteristics of marine-continental transitional shale reservoir under overburden conditions, studies of organic geochemistry, mineral composition, parameters of pore structure and physical properties of shale in well Y4 of the Upper Permian Longtan Formation in the Puguang exploration area of northeastern Sichuan Basin were carried out. The shale of the Longtan Formation is characterized by high abundance of organic matter (ranging from 3.77% to 10.72%), humic and sapropelic organic matter (kerogen type of Ⅱ2 to Ⅲ) and post stage of maturation (%Ro values ranging from 3.82% to 3.97%). The average pore volume, specific surface area and porosity of shale are 0.047 mL/g, 31.8 m2/g and 6.64%, respectively. Reservoir space is mainly composed of organic pores, interlayer pores of clay minerals, dissolution pores of brittle minerals and micro fractures. The main pore structure is parallel plate-shaped pores and open tubular pores at both ends. The porosity of shale is positively correlated with the contents of TOC, pyrite and quartz in deep-water lagoon environment, which indicated that the original mineral composition and structure were controlled by anoxic reduction and stable water environment. Meanwhile, the effective complexation of rigid mineral particles with organic matter and clay minerals provided necessary conditions for the preservation of organic pores. Reservoir network is consisted of flat organic macropores affected by flattening transformation, densely-developed organic pores, intergranular pores and fractures of brittle minerals, and finally formed ultra-deep shale reservoir deposited in deep-water lagoon microfacies.

Abstract. Acinetobacter baumannii is a frequent cause of nosocomial infections. Here we report an intermittent outbreak caused by the emerging carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAB) clone ST457 and assess the effectiveness of patient screening for outbreak control. CRAB isolates were collected from 74 patients admitted to the respiratory intensive care unit of a tertiary hospital between May 2018 and March 2019. Fourteen CRAB isolates were assigned to ST457, and 13 belonged to an outbreak clone, as determined by phylogenomic analysis. Strict patient screening was started at the respiratory intensive care unit on May 2019, through which a ST457-positive patient transferred from the intensive care unit was detected. No positive patients were detected within 3 months onwards. The results of this study highlight the importance of rigorous infection prevention and control measures, combined with patient screening, in controlling the CRAB outbreak.

ObjectivesThis study aimed to examine the real prevalence of late presentation of HIV infection and to identify factors associated with late HIV presentation among patients with newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS in Suzhou, China.MethodsPatients with newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS who registered in national AIDS surveillance system from 2017 to 2020 were included in this study. Late presentation (LP) of HIV infection was defined as HIV diagnosis with a CD4 count < 350 cells/μL or an AIDS-defining event. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with LP.ResultsA total of 2,300 patients were enrolled. 1,325 were classified as late presenters, showing a high percentage of 57.6% (95% CI: 54.5–60.7%) and a rise (P = 0.004) over the four-year period. Patients with newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS who were older than 24 years of age (aOR = 1.549, P = 0.001 for 25-39 years; aOR = 2.389, P < 0.001 for 40 years and older), were Suzhou registered residents (aOR = 1.259, P = 0.026), and were from inpatient and outpatient (aOR = 1.935, P < 0.001) were more likely to be late presentation.ConclusionsThis study showed a high percentage and a rise of late presentation of HIV infection among patients with newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS in Suzhou, China, which is a challenge for future prevention and control of AIDS. Targeted measures should be urgently implemented to reduce late HIV diagnosis.

Refractory skin defects such as pressure ulcers, diabetic ulcers, and vascular ulcers represent a challenge for clinicians and researchers in many aspects. The treatment strategies for wound healing have high cost and limited efficacy. To ease the financial and psychological burden on patients, a more effective therapeutic approach is needed to address the chronic wound. MSC-derived exosomes (MSC-exosomes), the main bioactive extracellular vesicles of the paracrine effect of MSCs, have been proposed as a new potential cell-free approach for wound healing and skin regeneration. The benefits of MSC-exosomes include their ability to promote angiogenesis and cell proliferation, increase collagen production, regulate inflammation, and finally improve tissue regenerative capacity. However, poor targeting and easy removability of MSC-exosomes from the wound are major obstacles to their use in clinical therapy. Thus, the concept of bioengineering technology has been introduced to modify exosomes, enabling higher concentrations and construction of particles of greater stability with specific therapeutic capability. The use of biomaterials to load MSC-exosomes may be a promising strategy to concentrate dose, create the desired therapeutic efficacy, and maintain a sustained release effect. The beneficial role of MSC-exosomes in wound healing is been widely accepted; however, the potential of bioengineering-modified MSC-exosomes remains unclear. In this review, we attempt to summarize the therapeutic applications of modified MSC-exosomes in wound healing and skin regeneration. The challenges and prospects of bioengineered MSC-exosomes are also discussed.

Background: Postoperative urinary retention (POUR) is a common and disruptive complication following total joint arthroplasty (TJA). The aim of this study is to investigate whether doxazosin can decrease the incidence of POUR and promote recovery under the setting of modern enhanced recovery after TJA.Methods: In this randomized placebo-controlled trial, patients over 35 years of age undergoing primary unilateral TJA were recruited. Patients received doxazosin (4 mg once) or placebo 2 h before surgery. The primary outcome of interest was the development of POUR, which was diagnosed when patients with a urine volume over 400 ml or overflow incontinence. Postoperative recovery was assessed in terms of hospital length of stay after surgery, daily ambulation distance, visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score and opioid consumption.Results: A total of 170 male patients were equally randomized into Doxazosin group (mean age 54.2 ± 13.7 years, range 36–88 years) and Placebo group (mean age 54.6 ± 13.9 years, range 38–81 years). The POUR rate was significant lower in Doxazosin group (17.6%) than in Placebo group (36.5%) (p = .006). The mean LOS in the Doxazosin group was 3.1 ± 1.1 days compared to 3.6 ± 1.7 days in the Placebo group (p = .030). Doxazosin group had a longer daily mobilization distance than Placebo group on postoperative day 1 (26.8 ± 11.1 vs. 22.8 ± 9.7; p = .015). Postoperative pain assessed by VAS score and opioid usage was comparable between two groups.Conclusion: Our results support the routine use of prophylactic doxazosin in male patients to decrease POUR rate and promote postoperative recovery under the setting of modern enhanced recovery after TJA.

ObjectiveIn 2022, a new coronavirus variant (Omicron) infection epidemic broke out in Shanghai, China. However, it is unclear whether the duration of this omicron variant is different from that of the prototype strain.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed 157 cases of Omicron variant infection in Taizhou Public Health Center from March 29, 2022, to April 18, 2022, and observed the dynamics of nucleic acid Ct values during the admission and discharge of patients. Clinical and laboratory indicators of these patients were also obtained.ResultsCompared to the prototype strain, the Omicron variant showed a broad population susceptibility in infected individuals (regardless of age and presence of underlying disease) and had slight damage to the immune system and renal function; the viral loads peaked was 2-3 days from disease onset; the median duration of omicron variant was 15-18 days; the nucleic acid Ct value of nasopharyngeal swabs of infected patients is lower than that of throat swabs, and the Ct value of oropharyngeal swabs is unstable during the recovery period.ConclusionTherefore, we found that the time to peak viral load of this Omicron variant was 2-3 days after the onset of the disease, and the duration was 15-18 days; symptomatic patients had higher viral load and longer hospitalization time. This finding will provide a basis for understanding omicron variants and formulating the national prevention and control strategy.