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Abstract Background Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) have been proven to have inherent chondrogenic differentiation potential, which appears to be used in cartilage regeneration. Increasing evidence suggests that irisin enhances osteoblast differentiation of MSCs, but little is known about its potential on chondrogenic differentiation. Methods In the study, we investigated the effects of irisin on chondrogenic differentiation of hMSCs using a high-density pellet culture system. The cartilage pellets were evaluated by morphology, and the metabolism of cartilage matrix was detected by qPCR, western blot and immunohistochemistry. Next, RNA-seq was performed to explore the underlying mechanism. Furthermore, using the transduction of plasmid, miRNAs mimics and inhibitor, the activation of Rap1/PI3K/AKT axis, the expression level of SIPA1L2, and the functional verification of miR-125b-5p were detected on day 7 of chondrogenic differentiation of hMSCs. Results Compared with the controls, we found that irisin treatment could significantly enhance the chondrogenic differentiation of hMSCs, enlarge the induced-cartilage tissue and up-regulate the expression levels of cartilage markers. RNA-seq indicated that irisin activated the Rap1 and PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, and the lower expression level of SIPA1L2 and the higher expression level of miR-125b-5p were found in irisin-treated group. Further, we found that irisin treatment could up-regulate the expression level of miR-125b-5p, targeting SIPA1L2 and consequently activating the Rap1/PI3K/AKT axis on the process of chondrogenic differentiation of hMSCs. Conclusions Collectively, our study reveals that irisin can enhance chondrogenic differentiation of hMSCs via the Rap1/PI3K/AKT pathway, suggesting that irisin possesses prospects in cartilage regeneration.

The grain filling of inferior spikelets is much less complete than that of superior spikelets in rice cultivars with large panicles and numerous spikelets and is promoted by moderate soil drying (MD) post-anthesis. A growing body of evidence has shown that microRNAs function in regulating grain development. However, little is known about the mechanism of microRNA control of grain filling of inferior spikelets in response to MD. In this study, grain filling of inferior spikelets was promoted by MD treatment in Nipponbare. Small-RNA profiling at the most active grain-filling stage was conducted in inferior spikelets under control (CK) and MD treatment. Of 521 known and 128 novel miRNAs, 38 known and 9 novel miRNAs were differentially expressed between the CK and MD treatments. Target genes of differentially expressed miRNAs were involved in multiple developmental and signaling pathways associated with catalytic activity, carbohydrate metabolism, and other functions. Both miR1861 and miR397 were upregulated by MD, leading to a decrease in OsSBDCP1 and OsLAC, two negative regulators of SSIIIa activity and BR signaling, respectively. In contrast, miR1432 abundance was reduced by MD, resulting in upregulation of OsACOT and thus an elevated content of both ABA and IAA. These results suggest that both starch synthesis and phytohormone biosynthesis are regulated by differentially expressed miRNAs in inferior spikelets in response to MD treatment. Our results suggest the molecular mechanisms by which miRNAs regulate grain filling in inferior spikelets of rice under moderate soil drying, providing potential application in agriculture to increase rice yields by genetic approaches.

Abstract Background Microbiome-targeted therapies (MTTs), including probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), have been proposed as a potential treatment for cirrhosis via modulation of gut microbiome, while the impact of gut microflora alteration on liver function in cirrhosis trajectory is unclear, and no related systematic review has been published. We aim to comprehensively assess the effects of MTTs in patients with liver cirrhosis. Methods We will search databases of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) with no time restriction. Only randomized controlled trials published in English will be included. Two independent reviewers will be responsible for study identification and selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment, with discrepancies resolved by consensus or referral to a third author. Heterogeneity of studies will be examined using Cochrane Q-test and I 2 statistics. The data will be pooled using either a fixed- or random-effects model based on I 2 statistics. The results will be presented as risk ratios (RR) or mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). We will perform subgroup analysis on the type of MTTs and assess the reporting biases. Sensitivity analysis will be conducted to test the stability of each outcome result. Discussion There is no current study about the role of MTTs in developing the liver function, and the therapeutic effects of MTTs are inconsistent. By investigating the liver-specific indicators when treating with multiple MTTs on course of cirrhosis, our findings will give more conclusive and stronger evidence about the efficacy of MTTs and provide new insight into the action mechanisms of these MTTs. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42021253198.

The torsional deformation with shear stress is crucial for improving mechanical performance of wrought Mg alloys. Consequently, the difference of mechanical behavior between fixed-end and free-end torsion was investigated. It is found that strain hardening behavior is affected by end constraint. The decreased hardening rate is exhibited which is dominated by prismatic slip during fixed-end torsion. For free-end loading, two stages of strain hardening are presented during torsion, i.e., constant hardening rate and slowly decreased hardening rate. The basal slip dominates the onset of plastic deformation. The prismatic slip becomes dominated mechanism at large shear strain. However, the axial effect is sensitive to forward and reversal torsion. The difference of axial stress between forward and reversal torsion under fixed-end is attributed to twin growth. The difference of axial strain is small during forward and reversal torsion under free-end, which is attributed to the activation of tensile twinning.

Ultrafast terahertz conductivity spectroscopy reveals the formation of large polarons in CH3NH3PbI3, which protects the charge carriers from scattering with polycrystalline grain boundaries or defects and explains the long lifetime.

Abstract The stable operation of strip rolling mill is the key factor to ensure the stability of product quality. The design capability of existing domestic imported and self-developed strip rolling mills cannot be fully developed, and the frequent occurrence of mill vibration and operation instability problems seriously restrict the equipment capacity and the production of high-end strip products. The vibration prediction analysis method for hot strip mill based on eXtreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) and Bayesian optimization (BO) is proposed. First, an XGBoost prediction model is developed based on a self-built data set to construct a complex functional relationship between process parameters and rolling mill vibration. Second, the important hyperparameters and parameters of XGBoost are optimized using Bayesian optimization algorithm to improve the prediction accuracy, computational efficiency, and stability of the model. Third, a comprehensive comparison is made between the prediction model in this paper and other well-known machine learning benchmark models. Finally, the prediction results of the model are interpreted using the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method. The proposed model outperforms existing models in terms of prediction accuracy, computational speed and stability. At the same time, the degree of influence of each feature on rolling mill vibration is also obtained.

Abstract Most of the smallest flying insects use bristled wings. It was observed that during the second half of their upstroke, the left and right wings become parallel and close to each other at the back, and move upward at zero angle of attack. In this period, the wings may produce drag (negative vertical force) and side forces which tend to push two wings apart. Here we study the aerodynamic forces and flows of two simplified bristled wings experiencing such a motion, compared with the case of membrane wings (flat-plate wings), to see if there is any advantage in using the bristled wings. The method of computational fluid dynamics is used in the study. The results are as follows. In the motion of two bristled wings, the drag acting on each wing is 40% smaller than the case of a single bristled wing conducting the same motion, and only a very small side force is produced. But in the case of the flat-plate wings, although there is similar drag reduction, the side force on each wing is larger than that of the bristled wing by an order of magnitude (the underlying physical reason is discussed in the paper). Thus, if the smallest insects use membrane wings, their flight muscles need to overcome large side forces in order to maintain the intended motion for less negative lift, whereas using bristled wings do not have this problem. Therefore, the adoption of bristled wings can be beneficial during upward movement of the wings near the end of the upstroke, which may be one reason why most of the smallest insects adopt them.

Abstract Recently Hod proved a no-go theorem that static scalar fields cannot form spherically symmetric boson stars in the asymptotically flat background. On the other side, scalar fields can be coupled to the gradient according to next-to-leading order Ginzburg–Landau models. In the present work, we extend Hod’s discussions by considering couplings between static scalar fields and the field gradient. For a non-negative coupling parameter, we show that there is no asymptotically flat spherically symmetric boson stars made of coupled static scalar fields.

BackgroundDementia is a growing public health concern worldwide. Community residents still have limited knowledge about dementia prevention, although many sources are accessible for individuals to acquire knowledge.MethodsA questionnaire-based survey was conducted in five communities in Chongqing, China, between March 2021 and February 2022. Participants were divided into three groups according to the dementia-related education they received: physician/nurse-led, mass media, and no relevant education. Covariance analysis was performed to determine the differences among the three groups in knowledge, motivation, and lifestyle, with the covariate of MoCA scores (education-adjusted).ResultsOf the 221 participants, 18 (8.1%) received physician/nurse-led education, 101 (45.7%) received only mass media education, and 102 (46.2%) did not receive any relevant education regarding dementia prevention. Participants who only received mass media education had a higher level of education (t = 5.567, p = 0.004) and cognitive function (t = 13.978, p

BackgroundThere are over 14 million migrant children in the compulsory education system in China and the number has been increasing rapidly. However, the quality of education in schools for migrant children is often poor. Meanwhile, numerous studies indicated the importance of reading skills developed by the end of third grade. Few studies, however, have investigated the early reading development of migrant children in migrant schools in China. In the current study, we examined, with a randomized control trial design, the effects of reading strategy instruction via teacher professional development for migrant children in migrant schools.MethodA total of 1,679 students from 47 third-grade classes in 13 migrant schools for migrant children in Beijing, China, participated in the study. The intervention was composed of teacher professional development on reading strategy. Students in both treatment and control conditions received books for independent reading.ResultsThe program resulted in a higher overall reading performance for students in the treatment classes than those in the control classes, with the difference larger in inferential comprehension and for students who did not live in Beijing before starting elementary school (which we speculate captures the degree of family mobility and the rural–urban gap in the access to educational resources).ConclusionThe results suggest that a reading strategy instruction via teacher professional development may promote the reading development of migrant children in migrant schools in China.

Medicines from natural products can not only treat neurodegenerative diseases but also improve the cognitive dysfunction caused by treatments with western medicines. This study reviews the literature related to the regulation of mitochondrial participation in cognitive function by natural products. In this study, we focused on English articles in PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, from 15 October 2017, to 15 October 2022. Fourteen studies that followed the inclusion criteria were integrated, analyzed, and summarized. Several studies have shown that natural products can improve or reduce cognitive dysfunction by ameliorating mitochondrial dysfunction. These results suggest that natural products may serve as new therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative diseases.

Orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) is among the most economically important perennial cool-season grasses, and is considered an excellent hay, pasture, and silage crop in temperate regions worldwide. Tillering is a vital feature that dominates orchardgrass regeneration and biomass yield. However, transcriptional dynamics underlying early-stage bud development in high- and low-tillering orchardgrass genotypes are unclear. Thus, this study assessed the photosynthetic parameters, the partially essential intermediate biomolecular substances, and the transcriptome to elaborate the early-stage profiles of tiller development. Photosynthetic efficiency and morphological development significantly differed between high- (AKZ-NRGR667) and low-tillering genotypes (D20170203) at the early stage after tiller formation. The 206.41 Gb of high-quality reads revealed stage-specific differentially expressed genes (DEGs), demonstrating that signal transduction and energy-related metabolism pathways, especially photosynthetic-related processes, influence tiller induction and development. Moreover, weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) and functional enrichment identified distinctively co-expressed gene clusters and four main regulatory pathways, including chlorophyll, lutein, nitrogen, and gibberellic acid (GA) metabolism pathways. Therefore, photosynthesis, carbohydrate synthesis, nitrogen efficient utilization, and phytohormone signaling pathways are closely and intrinsically linked at the transcriptional level. These findings enhance our understanding of tillering in orchardgrass and perennial grasses, providing a new breeding strategy for improving forage biomass yield.

In this study, the effect of finish rolling temperature on the critical crack tip opening displacement (CTOD) of typical 500 MPa grade weathering steel was elucidated. The microstructures were observed via optical microscope (OM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD). The cryogenic fracture toughness and microstructures of steels were analyzed at different finish rolling temperatures (780–840 °C). The results show that a mixed microstructure, i.e., granular bainitic ferrite (GBF), polygonal ferrite (PF), and martensite/austenite (M/A), constituent was formed in each sample. With the decrease of the finish rolling temperature, the GBF content decreased, PF content increased, and the high angle grain boundary (HAGB) number fraction of the matrix increased. Furthermore, the fraction of M/A constituents was increased with reduced average size. The value of CTOD increased significantly from 0.28 to 1.12 mm as the finish rolling temperature decreased from 840 to 780 °C. Both the decrease of M/A constituents and the increase of HAGB increased the cryogenic (−40 °C) fracture toughness of the typical 500 MPa grade weathering steel.

Abstract Background The cotton leafworm, Spodoptera littoralis, is a highly polyphagous pest of many cultivated plants and crops in Africa and Europe. The genome of this pest will help us to further understand the molecular mechanisms of polyphagy. Results Herein, the high-quality genome of S. littoralis was obtained by Pacific Bioscience (PacBio) sequencing. The assembled genome size of S. littoralis is 436.55 Mb with a scaffold N50 of 6.09 Mb, consisting of 17,207 annotated protein-coding genes. Phylogenetic analysis shows that S. littoralis and its sibling species S. litura diverged about 5.44 million years ago. Expanded gene families were mainly involved in metabolic detoxification and tolerance to toxic xenobiotics based on GO (Gene Ontology) and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) pathway analysis. Comparative genomics analysis showed that gene families involved in detoxification and chemosensation were significantly expanded in S. littoralis, representing genetic characteristics related to polyphagy and an extensive host range. Conclusions We assembled and annotated the reference genome of S. littoralis, and revealed that this pest has the genetic features of strong detoxification capacity, consistent with it being a significant risk to a wide range of host crops. These data resources will provide support for risk assessment and early warning monitoring of major polyphagous agricultural pests.

Abstract Background With the widespread use of the posterior surgery, more and more surgeons chose posterior surgery to treat thoracic and lumbar tuberculosis. But others still believed that the anterior surgery is more conducive to eradicating the lesions, and easier to place larger bone pieces for bone graft fusion. We compared the clinical and radiological outcomes of anterior and posterior surgical approaches and presented our views. Methods This study included 52 thoracic and lumbar tuberculosis patients at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital from January 2010 to June 2018. All cases underwent radical debridement, nerve decompression, intervertebral bone graft fusion and internal fixation. Cases were divided into anterior group (24 cases) and posterior group (28 cases). Statistical analysis was used to compare the clinical effectiveness, radiological outcomes, complications and other related information. Results Patients in the anterior group and the posterior group were followed up for an average of 27.4 and 22.3 months, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between groups in the preoperative, postoperative and last follow-up VAS score, ASIA grade and Cobb angle of local kyphosis. Moreover, there were no statistically significant differences in the improvement of neurological function, loss of kyphotic correction, total incidence of complications, operative time, intraoperative blood loss and hospital stay between the two groups (P > 0.05). But there was greater correction of kyphosis, earlier bone fusion, lower incidence of poor wound healing, less interference with the normal spine and less internal fixation consumables and medical cost in the anterior group (P

Abstract Background Diagnosis of rare diseases remains a challenge in China. We describe our experience with Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome (BHDS) encountered at a Rare Lung Disease Clinic recently established in China. Methods After the first patient with BHDS was recognized in 2017, a Rare Lung Disease Clinic with a multidisciplinary team of specialists was established. We retrospectively analyzed the data of consecutive patients with BHDS encountered from inception to December 2021. Results There were 1, 1, 15, 12 and 21 cases with BHDS diagnosed from year 2017 to 2021, respectively. All 50 patients (34 women) were of Han race with a mean age of 47.4 years. The common manifestations were pulmonary cysts (98%), pneumothorax (54%) and skin lesions (68%). Renal cancer was detected in two patients and renal angiomyolipoma in four other patients. The main presentations leading to diagnosis were pneumothorax (42%), family screening (36%), and lung cysts identified on radiologic imaging (20%). The average delay in diagnosis was 8.3 years, and 4.7 years in patients with only pulmonary cysts. The most frequent pathogenic variant was c.1285del/dup on exon 11 (23%) among 44 patients confirmed by genetic testing. Renal cancer has not been found on follow-up surveillance thus far. Conclusions Increasing number of patients with BHDS are being recognized in China, facilitated by establishment of a Rare Lung Disease Clinic. Pulmonary cysts and pneumothorax were commonly encountered features, but skin lesions appeared to be more prevalent in Chinese subjects than previously reported in other Asian countries.

Abstract Background To investigate the difference in the severity of illness, organ dysfunction, and prognosis of acute cholangitis due to different pathogenic bacterial infection types. Methods A retrospective observational study was performed. Patients who met the selection criteria according to blood culture and bile culture results of different pathogenic bacterial were divided into groups. The severity of illness, organ dysfunction, and prognosis of the groups were analyzed and compared comprehensively. Results A total of 424 patients were included, and no bacterial growth developed in 111 patients (26.2%). Among the 313 patients (73.8%) with bacterial growth, 155 patients had only Gram-negative bacteria cultured (49.5%), 48 patients had only Gram-positive bacteria cultured (15.3%), and 110 patients had both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria cultured (35.1%). The proportion of Grade III patients and the APACHE II and SOFA scores of the mixed Gram-negative and positive group were the highest (p 0.05). Conclusions In acute cholangitis, mixed infection with Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria was more severe and was associated with a higher risk of death. There were no apparent differences between Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial infections.

Objective(s): Cisplatin (CDDP) is a highly effective chemotherapeutic agent, but its clinical application has been limited by nephrotoxicity. Tanshinone Ⅰ (T-I), a phenanthrenequinone compound extracted from the Chinese herb Danshen, has been used to improve circulation and treat cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of T-I on CDDP-induced nephrotoxicity in mice.Materials and Methods: The BALB/c mouse models of nephrotoxicity were established by a single intraperitoneal injection of 20 mg/kg CDDP on the first day of the experiment. Three hours prior to CDDP administration, the mice were dosed with 10 mg/kg and 30 mg/kg T-I for 3 consecutive days intraperitoneally to explore nephroprotection of T-I.Results: Treatment with T-I significantly reduced blood urea nitrogen and creatinine levels in serum observed in CDDP-administered mice, especially at a dose of 30 mg/kg. T-I at 30 mg/kg significantly decreased malondialdehyde levels and increased glutathione levels and the enzymatic activity of catalase in kidney tissue compared to CDDP. Additionally, T-I (30 mg/kg) significantly reversed the CDDP-decreased expression level of superoxide dismutase 2 protein in renal tissue. Histopathological evaluation of the kidneys further confirmed the protective effect of T-I. Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate that T-I can protect against CDDP-induced nephrotoxicity through suppression of oxidative stress.

Aims: We present a 5-case series of low-grade oncocytic tumour of the kidney to further discuss their clinicopathological characteristics.Methods and results: Five patients were included in this study. There were three females and two males aged 45–66 years, with a median age of 65 years. Four tumours were located in the right kidney, and one was located in the left kidney. Most of the tumour sections were yellow-brown in colour. Tumour sizes ranged from 2.5 to 4.5 cm, with a median size of 3 cm. Microscopically, the tumours were well-circumscribed but lacked a fibrous capsule; the tumours consisted of monomorphous oncocytic cells arranged mainly in solid and nested architectural patterns. The tumour cells had uniformly round to oval nuclei and often had perinuclear halos but lacked significant irregularities. Immunohistochemically, the tumour cells showed a diffuse and strong positivity for CK7 and were negative for CD117. The tumour cells were also positive for GATA3, E-cadherin, Pax-8, Succinate dehydrogenase B (SDHB) and Fumarate hydratase (FH), and negative for vimentin, Carbonic anhydrase 9 (CA9), CD10, P504s, CK20, TFE3, TFEB, HMB45, ALK and Forkhead box protein I1 (FOXI1). Next-generation sequencing identified genetic variations in these tumours, including MTOR gene mutations (4/5) and PIK3CA gene mutation (1/5). All patients were alive without disease progression at a median follow-up of 32 months (range 10–57 months).Conclusion: LOT is an emerging renal entity of indolent behaviour that has morphologic overlap with some renal tumours with eosinophilic cytoplasm, primarily with oncocytoma and eosinophilic variant of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma. Familiarity with the distinctive morphological features, immunophenotype and molecular genetics of LOT helps avoid misdiagnosis.

Abstract Although the Co‐based Heusler compounds are predicted to be half‐metals, their sub‐picosecond demagnetization dynamics upon laser excitation show a transition‐metal‐like behavior. Any possible role of ultrafast nonlocal spin transport on the ultrafast demagnetization of half‐metallic Heusler compounds has only been inferred indirectly by time‐resolved magneto‐optical Kerr effect. Here, an ultrafast optically driven spin current traveling from Co2FeSi half metal into an adjacent Pt layer by using terahertz (THz) emission time‐domain spectroscopy (TDS) is demonstrated. By varying the magnetic field and excitation symmetry, the sizable THz generation from Co2FeSi/Pt stack arises from optically induced spin transport across the Co2FeSi/Pt interface in conjunction with spin‐to‐charge current conversion, via the inverse spin Hall effect (ISHE). The chemical ordering, interface roughness and magnetization of the samples become vital to engineer the THz emission properties. The amplitude of THz emission is comparable to that of CoFeB/Pt stack, thereby indicating Co2FeSi as an efficient ultrafast light‐driven spin current injector. Finally, by varying the pumping energy, the contributions are distinguished to the ultrafast spin current from thermalization and optical excitation of majority spins in Heusler alloy. This work illustrates THz emission TDS as a powerful tool to investigate the ultrafast spintronic properties of Heusler alloy/normal‐metal bilayers.

Recent academic attention on educational involution in China underpins the need for a valid and reliable instrument to precisely measure college students’ academic involution behaviors. Seeing the scarcity of a proper instrument, the current study attempted to analyze the item-level psychometric properties of the newly developed Academic Involution Scale for College Students (AISCS) in China by using a Rasch model. A total of 637 college students in a public university in northern China participated in the study. Data were examined with respect to unidimensionality, rating scale functioning, item fit statistics, item polarity, item- and person-level reliability and separation, item hierarchy and invariance across educational background with Winsteps. The results show that AISCS was a single unidimensional construct with good psychometric properties. Although two items demonstrated differential item functioning, it is plausible given the differences between assessment methods for undergraduates and postgraduates. Limitations and future research directions with regard to sample selection, inclusion of more validity evidence and adding prospective additional academic involution were discussed.

The influence of a mechanical structure’s volume increment on the volume power density (VPD) of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) is often neglected when considering surface charge density and surface power density. This paper aims to address this gap by introducing a standardized VPD metric for a more comprehensive evaluation of TENG performance. The study specifically focuses on 2 frequency-up mechanisms, namely, the integration of planetary gears (PG-TENG) and the implementation of a double-cantilever structure (DC-TENG), to investigate their impact on VPD. The study reveals that the PG-TENG achieves the highest volume average power density, measuring at 0.92 W/m3. This value surpasses the DC-TENG by 1.26 times and the counterpart TENG by a magnitude of 69.9 times. Additionally, the PG-TENG demonstrates superior average power output. These findings introduce a new approach for enhancing TENGs by incorporating frequency-up mechanisms, and highlight the importance of VPD as a key performance metric for evaluating TENGs.

BackgroundOur study aimed to construct and validate prognostic nomograms for predicting survival for patients with Nonfunctional Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (NF-pNET).MethodsThis retrospective study included 1824 patients diagnosed with NF-pNET in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database between 2004 and 2016. Randomization divided the patients into training (n = 1278) and validation (n = 546) cohorts. Prognostic factors were determined using Cox regression analyses, nomograms based on AJCC 7th and 8th staging system were constructed separately. The prediction models were validated using internal validation and external validation.ResultsAge, year of diagnosis, primary tumor site, grade, 7th or 8th TNM stage, surgery, tumor size were determined as prognostic indicator to construct two nomograms. Harrell's concordance index (C-index) of two nomograms exhibited a clinical predictive ability of 0.828 (95%CI, 0.808~0.849) vs 0.828 (95% CI, 0.808~0.849) in the internal verification. The c-index in the external validation was 0.812 (95%CI, 0.778~0.864) vs 0.814 (95% CI, 0.779~0.848). The predictive power of the two nomograms is comparable.ConclusionsOur nomogram may be a effective tool for predicting overall survival in patients with NF-pNET. The AJCC 8th-edition system provides discrimination similar to that of the 7th-edition system.

Introcution: Water-flooding is an effective way to develop the extra-low permeability oil reservoirs and the water-flooding induced fracture (WIF) can improve waterflooding efficiency. However, geomechanical properties of rocks may alter due to the water-rock interactions, which usually increases the heterogeneity of reservoir properties and affects the WIF propagation.Methods: In this study, a method to calculate the WIF propagation length was proposed and numerical models were established considering the effect of water-rock interactions on geomechanical properties. In addition, the numerical model of stress distribution of the WIF propagation was validated by theoretical solutions based on the fracture mechanics. Moreover, the WIF propagation mechanism and the effect of water-rock interactions on the WIF propagation was analyzed.Results: Results indicate that the numerical model is valid to calculate the stress distribution induced by the WIF with an error under 5%. In addition, the WIF propagation can be affected by several factors, including the injection pressure, the damage variable and the initial fracture length. Noteworthy, the injection pressure should be strictly controlled because the WIF propagation is highly sensitive to the injection pressure. An increase of 2 MPa in the injection pressure can result in 90 m WIF propagation length, accounting for 64% of initial fracture length in the case studied in this work.Discussion: Moreover, water-rock interactions aggravate the heterogeneity of the reservoir and promote the WIF propagation due to the alteration of the geomechanical properties such as Young’s modulus. Therefore, the WIF can propagate even if the injection pressure is less than the minimum horizontal stress. Furthermore, the stress intensity factor (KIA) and WIF propagation length increase with the initial fracture length, which may lead to sudden water flux and reduce the efficiency of waterflooding.

Irregular precipitation caused by climate changes has resulted in frequent events of soil drying-rewetting cycles (DWC), which can strongly affect soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling, including the fluxes of greenhouse gases (GHGs). The response of soil carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes to DWC events may differ among different ecosystem types and vary with experimental settings and soil properties, but these processes were not quantitatively assessed. Here, we evaluated the responses of soil GHG fluxes to DWC, compared with consistent moisture, as well as the associated driving factors with 424 paired observations collected from 47 publications of lab incubation experiments. Results showed that: (1) DWC significantly decreased soil CO2 emissions by an average of 9.7%, but did not affect the emissions and uptakes of soil CH4 and N2O; (2) DWC effects on soil GHG emissions varied significantly among different ecosystem types, with CO2 emissions significantly decreased by 6.8 and 16.3% in croplands and grasslands soils, respectively, and CH4 and N2O emissions significantly decreased and increased in wetlands and forests soils, respectively; (3) the effects of DWC on CO2 emissions were also positively regulated by organic C and N concentrations, pH, clay concentration, and soil depth, but negatively by C:N ratio and silt concentration, while DWC effects on N2O emissions were negatively controlled by C:N ratio, silt concentration, and soil depth. Overall, our results showed that CO2 emissions were significantly decreased by DWC, while the fluxes of CH4 and N2O were not affected, indicating an overall decrease of GHGs in response to DWC. Our results will be useful for a better understanding of global GHG emissions under future climate change scenario.

Adlay (Coix lacryma-jobi L.), a crop closed related to maize (Zea mays L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.), originated in tropical/subtropical regions of Asia and Africa; southwest China primary center of this plant’s origin, evolution and migration. Adlay is a traditional high-value minor crop used for both medicinal and dietary purposes. Adlay has anti-tumor, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, blood sugar-lowering, and blood lipid-lowering effects. To clarify the main bioactive components and phytochemical compounds and to fully explore their utility, this review summarizes the research done on the main functional ingredients of adlay, including amino acids and proteins, oils, vitamins and minerals, polysaccharides, and polyphenols. This study also highlighted the application of genome sequencing to tailor nutrient-rich adlay cultivars and nutraceutical product development. Additionally, the acquisition of high-density genomic data combined with next-generation phenotypic analysis will undoubtedly improve our understanding of the potential genetic regulation of adlay nutraceutical traits. This review provides new insights and ideas for the research of adlay in comparison and evolutionary genomics, and a useful reference for molecular breeding and genetic improvement of this important minor crop.

Antiresonance reflection (ARR) effectively turns tubular structures into functional devices ranging from waveguides to spectrometers and sensors, thus attracting a growing number of interests in recent years. Yet, ARRs are generally enabled inside the designed tube cladding with certain structural properties, which essentially acts as a quasi‐Fabry–Pérot (F–P) cavity. This limits the application of the ARR effect on popular tubular entities in non‐F–P cladding morphology, such as the chiral helical material or the self‐rolled‐up ultrathin/meshy membrane. Here, the scheme of core‐antiresonant reflection (core‐ARR or CARR) based on the leaky F–P effect is proposed, which validates ARRs inside the central core rather than the cladding of hollow tubes, hence expanding the optional scope of materials and constructions for tubular substances. Briefly, the CARR behavior is demonstrated in cylindrical, polyhedral, spiral, meshy, and notched hollow tubes with either transparent or opaque cladding materials. More importantly, tubular structures with CARR modes can be flexibly tuned in terms of the resonant frequency, which is used herein for sensitive detection of the environmental pressure, humidity, and thermal influence. As the CARR effect promotes interactions between light and various tubular structures, it holds promise for future opportunities in fields of physics, biophotonics, and material science.

Inspired by the crucial roles of (hetero)aryl rings in cholinesterase inhibitors and the pyrrole ring in new drug discovery, we synthesized 19 pyrrole derivatives and investigated their cholinesterase inhibitory activity. As a result, compounds 3o, 3p, and 3s with a 1,3-diaryl-pyrrole skeleton showed high selectivity toward BChE over AChE with a best IC50 value of 1.71 ± 0.087 µM, which were comparable to donepezil. The pharmaceutical potential of these structures was further predicted and compounds 3o and 3p were proved to meet well with the Lipinsky’s five rules. In combination of the inhibition kinetic studies with the results of molecular docking, we concluded that compound 3p inhibited BChE in a mixed competitive mode. This research has proved the potential of the 1,3-diaryl-pyrrole skeleton as a kind of selective BChE inhibitor.

BackgroundLifestyle factors may could help maintain cognitive function and reduce the risk of dementia. The application of the Health Belief Model (HBM) has been verified by incorporating lifestyle changes for dementia risk reduction; however, the influence of health beliefs on cognitive aging through lifestyle remains unknown. To facilitate research-based interventions to promote successful cognitive aging, we explored the relationship between health beliefs, lifestyle, and cognitive aging based on the HBM using path analysis.MethodsThis cross-sectional study recruited middle-aged and older community residents from a community health service center in Chongqing, China, through convenience sampling. Motivation to Change Lifestyle and Health Behaviors for Dementia Risk Reduction (MCLHB-DRR), Lifestyle for Dementia Risk Reduction (LDRR), and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) were employed to measure participants' beliefs, lifestyle, and cognitive function, respectively. The associations between the beliefs, lifestyle, and cognitive function were analyzed, and a structural equation model was constructed.ResultsA total of 202 participants completed the questionnaires, of whom only 17 (8.4%) were classified as having successful cognitive aging. The model demonstrated the data to have an acceptable fit and elucidated 39.3 and 18.2% of the variance in lifestyle and the grade of cognitive aging, respectively. Positive and negative beliefs had opposite effects on the grade of cognitive aging through lifestyle. Cues to action had opposite effects on the grades of cognitive aging through positive and negative beliefs; however, the total effects canceled each other out.ConclusionsPositive beliefs have a positive effect on lifestyle, thereby promoting successful cognitive aging, whereas negative beliefs have a negative effect on lifestyle, thereby hindering successful cognitive aging. Health education and media publicity, as specific aspects of cues to action, can have a meaningful impact on healthy behavior and successful cognitive aging by promoting positive beliefs and controlling negative beliefs. The model suggests the strengthening and weakening of the positive and negative beliefs, respectively, of middle-aged and older community residents in the formulation of relevant public health strategies in the future, thereby enabling them to adapt to a healthy lifestyle promoting successful cognitive aging.

Promoting refractory wound healing remains a challenging issue. Currently, dressings with intelligent infection management functions built on infection eradication and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging abilities are lacking. In this study, an approach based on Cu2+-imidazole coordination cross-linked histidine grafted chitosan (CS-His) and carbon quantum dots (CQDs) was developed to engineer superoxide dismutase (SOD) mimicking centers with photothermal anti-infection and intelligent anti-infection abilities, beyond typical ROS scavenging activity. The cross-linked coordination network was further promoted with tanshinol-encapsulated ZIF-8 frameworks (ZIF-8@Ts) to achieve intelligent infection management behaviors. These designs generate a refractory wound-healing hydrogel with integrated functions of photothermal anti-infection, SOD mimicking activity, and intelligent infection management. In response to infection exacerbation, the SOD mimicking centers and ZIF-8@Ts nanoparticles could release CQDs for anti-infection and Ts for antioxidation, respectively. In vitro results revealed photothermal anti-infection, ROS scavenging, and intelligent infection management capacities of the hydrogel. These abilities promoted the M2 transformation of macrophages and rescued the inhibitory effect of infection on fibroblast proliferation and migration. The hydrogel exhibited high regenerative efficacy in a rat model of chronically infected diabetic wounds. These results demonstrated the immense potential of the intelligent hydrogel integrated with multifunctions for refractory wound healing.

It is commonly acknowledged that the electrostatic discharge phenomenon induced by charge transfer is accompanied by a huge loss of energy. That is why the collection and utilization of electrostatic energy are expected to alleviate the problem of the global energy supply shortage to a great extent. However, the electrostatic pulse will release hundreds of millions of joules of energy in a short time, which makes the conversion of electrostatic energy a big challenge. This paper proposes an effective electrostatic conversion mechanism to provide a potential reference solution for such a problem. Based on the above-mentioned principles, a novel electrostatic conversion device (ECD) is realized through the 180 nm bipolar complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor double-diffused-metal-oxide-semiconductor (BCD) process. ECD can convert discrete electrostatic pulses into stable current output in a short time interval (20ns–100ns). The electrostatic voltage will also be clamped to a low level, effectively avoiding the risk of electrostatic breakdown. The experiment results show that the amplitude of the steady output electrostatic current increases with the increase in the electrostatic pulse voltage. ECD meets the application requirements of large-scale on-chip integration and can be used as a prototype device for energy collection generators to further promote the development of electrostatic energy collection technology.

Abstract Background The role of physical exercise in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been widely studied. Microglia play an important role in AD. Triggering receptor expressed in myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) is expressed on microglia and is known to mediate microglial metabolic activity and brain glucose metabolism. However, the relationship between brain glucose metabolism and microglial metabolic activity during running exercise in APP/PS1 mice remains unclear. Methods Ten-month-old male APP/PS1 mice and wild-type mice were randomly divided into sedentary groups or running groups (AD_Sed, WT_Sed, AD_Run and WT_Run, n = 20/group). Running mice had free access to a running wheel for 3 months. Behavioral tests, [18]F-FDG-PET and hippocampal RNA-Seq were performed. The expression levels of microglial glucose transporter (GLUT5), TREM2, soluble TREM2 (sTREM2), TYRO protein tyrosine kinase binding protein (TYROBP), secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1), and phosphorylated spleen tyrosine kinase (p-SYK) were estimated by western blot or ELISA. Immunohistochemistry, stereological methods and immunofluorescence were used to investigate the morphology, proliferation and activity of microglia. Results Long-term voluntary running significantly improved cognitive function in APP/PS1 mice. Although there were few differentially expressed genes (DEGs), gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) showed enriched glycometabolic pathways in APP/PS1 running mice. Running exercise increased FDG uptake in the hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice, as well as the protein expression of GLUT5, TREM2, SPP1 and p-SYK. The level of sTREM2 decreased in the plasma of APP/PS1 running mice. The number of microglia, the length and endpoints of microglial processes, and the ratio of GLUT5+/IBA1+ microglia were increased in the dentate gyrus (DG) of APP/PS1 running mice. Running exercise did not alter the number of 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU)+/IBA1+ microglia but reduced the immunoactivity of CD68 in the hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice. Conclusions Running exercise inhibited TREM2 shedding and maintained TREM2 protein levels, which were accompanied by the promotion of brain glucose metabolism, microglial glucose metabolism and morphological plasticity in the hippocampus of AD mice. Microglia might be a structural target responsible for the benefits of running exercise in AD. Promoting microglial glucose metabolism and morphological plasticity modulated by TREM2 might be a novel strategy for AD treatment.

The bandwidth and sensitivity of traditional terahertz detection devices are limited by material properties and working temperature. Here, we proposed a four-level Rydberg atom detection method, which can realize real-time detection for the absolute strength of the terahertz electric field under room temperature with the detection bandwidth of 0-5 THz. By theoretical analysis and formula derivation, the relation among the terahertz electric field strength, excitation energy level, coupling photoelectric field strength, gas cell temperature and electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) signal are studied in detailed. The NEP of this method is proven to be 10−17 W/Hz1/2 in the range of 0-1 THz, which is three orders of magnitude smaller than that of the traditional optimal thermal detection system. This research has important reference value for the later high-sensitivity detection and application development of terahertz waves

Upland cotton is an important allotetraploid crop that provides both natural fiber for the textile industry and edible vegetable oil for the food or feed industry. To better understand the genetic mechanism that regulates the biosynthesis of storage oil in cottonseed, we identified the genes harbored in the major quantitative trait loci/nucleotides (QTLs/QTNs) of kernel oil content (KOC) in cottonseed via both multiple linkage analyses and genome-wide association studies (GWAS). In ‘CCRI70′ RILs, six stable QTLs were simultaneously identified by linkage analysis of CHIP and SLAF-seq strategies. In ‘0-153′ RILs, eight stable QTLs were detected by consensus linkage analysis integrating multiple strategies. In the natural panel, thirteen and eight loci were associated across multiple environments with two algorithms of GWAS. Within the confidence interval of a major common QTL on chromosome 3, six genes were identified as participating in the interaction network highly correlated with cottonseed KOC. Further observations of gene differential expression showed that four of the genes, LtnD, PGK, LPLAT1, and PAH2, formed hub genes and two of them, FER and RAV1, formed the key genes in the interaction network. Sequence variations in the coding regions of LtnD, FER, PGK, LPLAT1, and PAH2 genes may support their regulatory effects on oil accumulation in mature cottonseed. Taken together, clustering of the hub genes in the lipid biosynthesis interaction network provides new insights to understanding the mechanism of fatty acid biosynthesis and TAG assembly and to further genetic improvement projects for the KOC in cottonseeds.

In order to study the synthesis and decomposition characteristics of natural gas hydrates, the exploitation performance of the reservoir, and the sand production and control during the mining process of natural gas hydrates, a set of multi-dimensional natural gas hydrate production simulation test system has been developed. The test system is mainly composed of gas injection system, constant pressure liquid supply system, steam or hot water injection system, 1D,2D&3D model, back pressure control system, outlet metering system, data acquisition and control processing system and corresponding auxiliary systems. The main innovations of the experimental system are as follows: 1) The one-dimensional reactor wall made of high-pressure glass and the high-definition camera are combined to achieve visualization for monitoring the synthesis and decomposition of hydrate and the sand migration in the production process under medium and low pressure. 2) The self-developed double-cylinder constant speed and pressure pump is used to control the back pressure valve, so that the pressure in the reactor can be uniformly reduced at a decrement of higher precision during the entire depressurizing production process. Consequently, the gas hydrate reformation is greatly reduced, and the gas production rate becomes more uniform. Using quartz sand of different particle sizes, deionized water and methane gas with a purity of 99.9% as raw materials，the one-dimensional phase equilibrium test and two-dimensional depressurizing production test are conducted. The reliability of the test system is verified based on the primary application results from these tests.

Single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) are widely used for weak light detection due to their high gain and high sensitivity. Unfortunately, SPAD devices have random telegraph signal (RTS) noise during the avalanche transition phase, which makes circuit design more difficult. Therefore, the modeling of RTS noise in SPAD devices is of great significance for the design of signal processing circuits. However, RTS noise is not included in the traditional equivalent circuit model. In response to the above problems, this paper implements an equivalent circuit model with RTS noise based on the Cadence. The model is built based on the basic components in the library, and it has strong application universality. The model is validated in a novel embedded photogate SPAD device (EP-SPAD). It accurately simulates the RTS noise and IV characteristics of the EP-SPAD device. In addition, the threshold voltage of EP-SPAD device operating in Geiger mode is precisely defined based on the characteristics of RTS noise. When the reverse bias voltage is increased from 0 V to 15 V, the IV characteristics of the model are consistent with the EP-SPAD device.

Abstract Background Recent studies have revealed that circular RNA participates in endometrial carcinoma (EC) progression. Here we investigated the role of circRNA zinc finger protein 124 (circZNF124) in EC genesis and underlying mechanism. Methods The expression levels of circZNF124, microRNA‐199b‐5p (miR‐199b‐5p) and solute carrier family 7 member 5 (SLC7A5) were detected by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction. The expression of SLC7A5 and other indicated marker proteins was determined by western blot analysis. For functional assay, cell proliferation, leucine uptake and metastasis were investigated by total cell number, cell counting kit‐8, cell colony formation, leucine uptake or transwell assay. The interaction between miR‐199b‐5p and circZNF124 or SLC7A5 was predicted by starbase online database, and identified by mechanism assays. The impact of circZNF124 absence on tumor growth in vivo was revealed by xenograft mouse model assay. Immunohistochemistry assay was implemented to detect the positive expression rate of nuclear proliferation marker (Ki67). Results CircZNF124 and SLC7A5 expression were significantly increased, while miR‐199b‐5p was decreased in EC tissues and cells compared with normal endometrial tissues or cells. CircZNF124 expression was closely associated with EC severity and lymph node metastasis. Additionally, circZNF124 depletion repressed cell proliferation, leucine uptake, migration and invasion in both HEC1A and Ishikawa cells. CircZNF124 regulated SLC7A5 expression by binding to miR‐199b‐5p. MiR‐199b‐5p inhibitors or SLC7A5 overexpression attenuated circZNF124 silencing‐mediated EC malignant progression. Furthermore, SLC7A5 absence inhibited tumor growth in vivo. Conclusion CircZNF124 depletion inhibited EC cell malignancy by miR‐199b‐5p/SLC7A5 pathway, which demonstrated that circZNF124 had the potential as a therapeutic target for EC.

Jumping is an important locomotion function to extend navigation range, overcome obstacles, and adapt to unstructured environments. Here, authors demonstrate legless soft robot capable of rapid, continuous, and steered jumping based on a soft electrohydrostatic bending actuator.

World-wide, rice (Oryza sativa L.) is an important food source, and its production is often adversely affected by salinity. Therefore, to ensure stable rice yields for global food security, it is necessary to understand the salt tolerance mechanism of rice. The present study focused on the expression pattern of the rice mismatch repair gene post-meiotic segregation 1 (OsPMS1), studied the physiological properties and performed transcriptome analysis of ospms1 mutant seedlings in response to salt stress. Under normal conditions, the wild-type and ospms1 mutant seedlings showed no significant differences in growth and physiological indexes. However, after exposure to salt stress, compared with wild-type seedlings, the ospms1 mutant seedlings exhibited increased relative water content, relative chlorophyll content, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, K+ and abscisic acid (ABA) content, and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) content, Na+ content, and Na+/K+ ratio, as well as decreased superoxide anion (O2−) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) accumulation. Gene ontology (GO) analysis of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of ospms1 mutant seedlings treated with 0 mM and 150 mM NaCl showed significant enrichment in biological and cytological processes, such as peroxidase activity and ribosomes. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) metabolic pathway analysis showed that the DEGs specifically enriched ascorbate and aldarate metabolism, flavone and flavonol biosynthesis, and glutathione metabolism pathways. Further quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis revealed significant changes in the transcription levels of genes related to abscisic acid signaling (OsbZIP23, OsSAPK6, OsNCED4, OsbZIP66), reactive oxygen scavenging (OsTZF1, OsDHAR1, SIT1), ion transport (OsHAK5), and osmoregulation (OsLEA3-2). Thus, the study’s findings suggest that the ospms1 mutant tolerates salt stress at the seedling stage by inhibiting the accumulation of reactive oxygen species, maintaining Na+ and K+ homeostasis, and promoting ABA biosynthesis.

Optical detection equipment (ODE) is subjected to vibrations that hamper the quality of imaging. In this paper, an active vibration isolation and compensation system (VICS) for the ODE is developed and systematically studied to improve the optical imaging quality. An active vibration isolator for cameras is designed, employing a dual-loop control strategy with position compensation and integral force feedback (IFF) control, and establishing the mapping relationship between vibration and image quality. A performance metric for evaluating images is also proposed. Finally, an experimental platform is constructed to verify its effectiveness. Based on the experimental results, it can be concluded that the proposed VICS effectively isolates vibrations, resulting in a reduction of 13.95 dB in the peak at the natural frequency and an 11.76 Hz widening of the isolation bandwidth compared with the system without it. At the same time, the experiments demonstrate that the image performance metric value increases by 46.03% near the natural frequency.

White clover is a widely grown temperate legume forage with high nutritional value. Research on the functional genomics of white clover requires a stable and efficient transformation system. In this study, we successfully induced calluses from the cotyledons and leaves of 10 different white clover varieties. The results showed that the callus formation rate in the cotyledons did not vary significantly among the varieties, but the highest callus formation rate was observed in ‘Koala’ leaves. Subsequently, different concentrations of antioxidants and hormones were tested on the browning rate and differentiation ability of the calluses, respectively. The results showed that the browning rate was the lowest on MS supplemented with 20 mg L−1 AgNO3 and 25 mg L−1 VC, respectively, and the differentiation rate was highest on MS supplemented with 1 mg L−1 6-BA, 1 mg L−1 KT and 0.5 mg L−1 NAA. In addition, the transformation system for Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation of 4-day-old leaves was optimized to some extent and obtained a positive callus rate of 8.9% using green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a marker gene. According to our data, by following this optimized protocol, the transformation efficiency could reach 2.38%. The results of this study will provide the foundation for regenerating multiple transgenic white clover from a single genetic background.

Coal is the most prevalent energy source in China and plays an important role in ensuring energy security. The continuous monitoring of coal mining activities is helpful to clarify the incremental space of coal production and establish a rational framework for future coal production capacity. In this study, a multi-source remote sensing approach utilizing SPOT 4, GF, and Landsat data is employed to monitor land cover and vegetation changes in the Juhugeng mining area of the Muli coalfield over a span of nearly 20 years. The analysis incorporates an object-oriented classification method and a vegetation parameter to derive insights. The findings reveal that the mining operations can be divided into two periods, since their initiation in 2003 until their cessation in 2021, with a dividing point around 2013/2014. The initial phase witnessed rapid and even accelerated expansion of the mine, while the subsequent phase was characterized by more stable development and the implementation of some restorative measures for the mine environment. Although the vegetation parameter, Fractional Vegetation Cover (FVC), indicates some reclamation efforts within the mining area, the extent of the reclaimed land remains limited. This study demonstrates the effective application of object-oriented classification in conjunction with the vegetation parameter FVC for monitoring coal mining areas.

Rolling is the main process in steel production. There are some problems in the rolling process, such as insufficient ability of abnormal detection and evaluation, low accuracy of process monitoring, and fault diagnosis. To improve the accuracy of quality-related fault diagnosis, this paper proposes a quality-related process monitoring and diagnosis method for hot-rolled strip based on weighted statistical feature KPLS. Firstly, the process-monitoring and diagnosis model of strip thickness and quality based on the KPLS method is introduced. Then, considering that the KPLS diagnosis method ignores the contribution of process variables to quality, it is easy to misjudge the root cause of quality in the diagnosis process. Based on the rolling mechanism model, the influence weight of strip thickness is constructed. By weighing the statistical data features, a quality diagnosis framework of series structure data fusion is constructed. Finally, the method is applied to the 1580 mm hot-rolling process for industrial verification. The verification results show that the proposed method has higher diagnostic accuracy than PLS, KPLS, and other methods. The results show that the diagnostic model based on weighted statistical feature KPLS has a diagnostic accuracy of more than 96% for strip thickness and quality-related faults.

Abstract The current research of the Q-P and Q-P-T process has been focused on controlling the heating temperature and holding time, or adding alloy elements into the steel to induce precipitation strengthening and improve the strength and plasticity of the steel. In this article, based on a quenching-partitioning-tempering (Q-P-T) process combined with a hot deformation technology, a deforming-quenching-partitioning-tempering (D-Q-P-T) process was applied to medium carbon steel. The effect of the heat treatment parameters on the microstructure and mechanical properties of experimental steel under deformation was studied. Through use of a scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and tensile tests, the optimal heat treatment conditions for realizing high strength and plasticity that meet the safety requirements were obtained. The mechanism for the D-Q-P-T process to improve the strength and plasticity of experimental steel was discussed. A multiphase composite structure of lath martensite and retained austenite was obtained. Compared with the Q-P-T process, use of the D-Q-P-T process can increase the strength of steel by 57.77 MPa and the elongation by 5%. This study proposes a method to improve the strength and plasticity of steel.

Abstract Background Integrins play a prominent role in osteogenic differentiation by transmitting both mechanical and chemical signals. Integrin expression is closely associated with tensile stress, which has a positive effect on osteogenic differentiation. We investigated the relationship between integrin αVβ3 and tensile stress. Methods Human fibroblasts were treated with c (RGDyk) and lentivirus transduction to inhibit function of integrin αVβ3. Y-15, cytochalasin D and verteporfin were used to inhibit phosphorylation of FAK, polymerization of microfilament and function of nuclear YAP, respectively. Fibroblasts were exposed to a cyclic tensile stress of 10% at 0.5 Hz, once a day for 2 h each application. Fibroblasts were harvested on day 4 and 7 post-treatment. The expression of ALP, RUNX2, integrin αVβ3, β-actin, talin-1, FAK, vinculin, and nuclear YAP was detected by Western blot or qRT-PCR. The expression and distribution of integrin αVβ3, vinculin, microfilament and nuclear YAP. Results Cyclic tensile stress was found to promote expression of ALP and RUNX2. Inhibition of integrin αVβ3 activation downregulated the rearrangement of microfilament and the expression of ALP, RUNX2 and nuclear YAP. When the polymerization of microfilament was inhibited the expression of ALP, RUNX2 and nuclear YAP were decreased. The phosphorylation of FAK induced by cyclic tensile stress reduced by the inhibition of integrin αVβ3. The expression of ALP and RUNX2 was decreased by inhibition of phosphorylation of FAK and inhibition of nuclear YAP. Conclusions Cyclic tensile stress promotes osteogenesis of human fibroblasts via integrin αVβ3-microfilament axis. Phosphorylation of FAK and nuclear YAP participates in this process.

Abstract The combination of biological neurology and memristive theory has greatly promoted the development of neuromorphic computing. To build a large-scale artificial intelligence alert system, the exploration of bionic synapses compatible with standard processes has become an urgent problem to be solved in the next step. In response to the above application requirements, this paper proposes a volatile avalanche diode threshold switching (VADTS) that is fully compatible with standard semiconductor technology to simulate the various functions of the synapse. Technology computer-aided design device-level simulation can verify the bionic principle of VADTS. The function of VADTS's bionic synapse was verified by the experimental test platform. The results show that under the action of the excitation signal (11.25 V), the device can continuously change from a high-resistance state to a low-resistance state. When the excitation signal is lower than the threshold, VADTS presents a “no adaptation” state of nerve synapses. When the excitation signal is higher than the threshold and changes continuously, the current changes along with the amplitude of the excitation signal, similar to the “sensitization” state of the nerve synapse.

Abstract Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by cartilage destruction, chronic inflammation, and local pain. Evidence showed that retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor-α (RORα) is crucial in cartilage development and OA pathogenesis. Here, we investigated the role and molecular mechanism of RORα, an important member of the nuclear receptor family, in regulating the development of OA pathologic features. Investigation into clinical cartilage specimens showed that RORα expression level is positively correlated with the severity of OA and cartilage damage. In an in vivo OA model induced by anterior crucial ligament transaction, intra-articular injection of si-Rora adenovirus reversed the cartilage damage. The expression of cartilage matrix components type II collagen and aggrecan were elevated upon RORα blockade. RNA-seq data suggested that the IL-6/STAT3 pathway is significantly downregulated, manifesting the reduced expression level of both IL-6 and phosphorylated STAT3. RORα exerted its effect on IL-6/STAT3 signaling in two different ways, including interaction with STAT3 and IL-6 promoter. Taken together, our findings indicated the pivotal role of the RORα/IL-6/STAT3 axis in OA progression and confirmed that RORα blockade improved the matrix catabolism in OA chondrocytes. These results may provide a potential treatment target in OA therapy.

Cadmium is one of the most common heavy metal contaminants found in agricultural fields. MutSα, MutSβ, and MutSγ are three different MutS-associated protein heterodimer complexes consisting of MSH2/MSH6, MSH2/MSH3, and MSH2/MSH7, respectively. These complexes have different mismatch recognition properties and abilities to support MMR. However, changes in mismatch repair genes (OsMSH2, OsMSH3, OsMSH6, and OsMSH7) of the MutS system in rice, one of the most important food crops, under cadmium stress and their association with E2Fs, the key transcription factors affecting cell cycles, are poorly evaluated. In this study, we systematically categorized six rice E2Fs and confirmed that OsMSHs were the downstream target genes of E2F using dual-luciferase reporter assays. In addition, we constructed four msh mutant rice varieties (msh2, msh3, msh6, and msh7) using the CRISPR-Cas9 technology, exposed these mutant rice seedlings to different concentrations of cadmium (0, 2, and 4 mg/L) and observed changes in their phenotype and transcriptomic profiles using RNA-Seq and qRT-PCR. We found that the difference in plant height before and after cadmium stress was more significant in mutant rice seedlings than in wild-type rice seedlings. Transcriptomic profiling and qRT-PCR quantification showed that cadmium stress specifically mobilized cell cycle-related genes ATR, CDKB2;1, MAD2, CycD5;2, CDKA;1, and OsRBR1. Furthermore, we expressed OsE2Fs in yeasts and found that heterologous E2F expression in yeast strains regulated cadmium tolerance by regulating MSHs expression. Further exploration of the underlying mechanisms revealed that cadmium stress may activate the CDKA/CYCD complex, which phosphorylates RBR proteins to release E2F, to regulate downstream MSHs expression and subsequent DNA damage repairment, thereby enhancing the response to cadmium stress.