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As a high-tech strategic emerging comprehensive industry, the nuclear industry is committed to the research, production, and processing of nuclear fuel, as well as the development and utilization of nuclear energy. Nowadays, the nuclear industry has made remarkable progress in the application fields of nuclear weapons, nuclear power, nuclear medical treatment, radiation processing, and so on. With the development of artificial intelligence and the proposal of "Industry 4.0", more and more artificial intelligence technologies are introduced into the nuclear industry chain to improve production efficiency, reduce operation cost, improve operation safety, and realize risk avoidance. Meanwhile, deep learning, as an important technology of artificial intelligence, has made amazing progress in theoretical and applied research in the nuclear industry, which vigorously promotes the development of informatization, digitization, and intelligence of the nuclear industry. In this paper, we first simply comb and analyze the intelligent demand scenarios in the whole industrial chain of the nuclear industry. Then, we discuss the data types involved in the nuclear industry chain. After that, we investigate the research status of deep learning in the application fields corresponding to different data types in the nuclear industry. Finally, we discuss the limitation and unique challenges of deep learning in the nuclear industry and the future direction of the intelligent nuclear industry.

The technique bottleneck of repairing large bone defects with tissue engineered bone is the vascularization of tissue engineered grafts. Although some studies have shown that extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) promote bone healing and repair by accelerating angiogenesis, the effector molecules and the mechanism remain unclear, which fail to provide ideas for the future research and development of cell-free interventions. Here, we found that Nidogen1-enriched EV (EV-NID1) derived from BMSCs interferes with the formation and assembly of focal adhesions (FAs) by targeting myosin-10, thereby reducing the adhesion strength of rat arterial endothelial cells (RAECs) to the extracellular matrix (ECM), and enhancing the migration and angiogenesis potential of RAECs. Moreover, by delivery with composite hydrogel, EV-NID1 is demonstrated to promote angiogenesis and bone regeneration in rat femoral defects. This study identifies the intracellular binding target of EV-NID1 and further elucidates a novel approach and mechanism, thereby providing a cell-free construction strategy with precise targets for the development of vascularized tissue engineering products.

Abstract Background Various methods have been developed to generate hepatic cells from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) that rely on the combined use of multiple expensive growth factors, limiting industrial-scale production and widespread applications. Small molecules offer an attractive alternative to growth factors for producing hepatic cells since they are more economical and relatively stable. Methods We dissect small-molecule combinations and identify the ideal cocktails to achieve an optimally efficient and cost-effective strategy for hepatic cells differentiation, expansion, and maturation. Results We demonstrated that small-molecule cocktail CIP (including CHIR99021, IDE1, and PD0332991) efficiently induced definitive endoderm (DE) formation via increased endogenous TGF-β/Nodal signaling. Furthermore, we identified that combining Vitamin C, Dihexa, and Forskolin (VDF) could substitute growth factors to induce hepatic specification. The obtained hepatoblasts (HBs) could subsequently expand and mature into functional hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) by the established chemical formulas. Thus, we established a stepwise strategy with complete small molecules for efficiently producing scalable HBs and functionally matured HLCs. The small-molecule-derived HLCs displayed typical functional characteristics as mature hepatocytes in vitro and repopulating injured liver in vivo. Conclusion Our current small-molecule-based hepatic generation protocol presents an efficient and cost-effective platform for the large-scale production of functional human hepatic cells for cell-based therapy and drug discovery using.

Abstract Background Spirometry quality assurance is a challenging task across levels of healthcare tiers, especially in primary care. Deep learning may serve as a support tool for enhancing spirometry quality. We aimed to develop a high accuracy and sensitive deep learning-based model aiming at assisting high-quality spirometry assurance. Methods Spirometry PDF files retrieved from one hospital between October 2017 and October 2020 were labeled according to ATS/ERS 2019 criteria and divided into training and internal test sets. Additional files from three hospitals were used for external testing. A deep learning-based model was constructed and assessed to determine acceptability, usability, and quality rating for FEV1 and FVC. System warning messages and patient instructions were also generated for general practitioners (GPs). Results A total of 16,502 files were labeled. Of these, 4592 curves were assigned to the internal test set, the remaining constituted the training set. In the internal test set, the model generated 95.1%, 92.4%, and 94.3% accuracy for FEV1 acceptability, usability, and rating. The accuracy for FVC acceptability, usability, and rating were 93.6%, 94.3%, and 92.2%. With the assistance of the model, the performance of GPs in terms of monthly percentages of good quality (A, B, or C grades) tests for FEV1 and FVC was higher by ~ 21% and ~ 36%, respectively. Conclusion The proposed model assisted GPs in spirometry quality assurance, resulting in enhancing the performance of GPs in quality control of spirometry.

ObjectiveThe incidence of intraoperative hypothermia remains high in pediatric patients during anesthesia and surgery even though core body temperature monitoring and warming systems have been greatly improved in recent years. We analyzed the risk factors and outcomes of intraoperative hypothermia in neonates and infants undergoing general anesthesia and surgery.MethodsThe data on the incidence of intraoperative hypothermia, other clinical characteristics, and outcomes from electronic records of 1,091 patients (501 neonates and 590 infants between 28 days and 1 year old), who received general anesthesia and surgery, were harvested and analyzed. Intraoperative hypothermia was defined as a core temperature below 36°C during surgery.ResultsThe incidence of intraoperative hypothermia in neonates was 82.83%, which was extremely higher than in infants (38.31%, p 20 mL/kg fluid (OR = 2.938, p = 0.004), and emergency surgery (OR = 2.142, p = 0.019) were associated with hypothermia in neonates. Similar to neonates, age (OR = 0.991, p 60 min (OR = 2.140, p = 0.017), pre-warming (OR = 0.017, p 20 mL/kg fluid (OR = 3.074, p = 0.001) were relevant factors to intraoperative hypothermia in infants along with the ASA grade (OR = 4.135, p

BackgroundOutcomes of patients with t(8;21)(q22;q22) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) remain heterogeneous.MethodsTo identify the risk factors for relapse and survival after allo-HSCT in t(8;21) AML patients, we retrospectively evaluated the clinical and prognostic information of 142 patients with t(8;21) AML undergoing allo-HSCT between January 2002 and September 2018 at 15 hematology research centers in China.ResultsTwenty-nine patients (20%) relapsed after undergoing allo-HSCT. A > 1-log reduction in RUNX1/RUNX1T1-based minimal residual disease (MRD) directly before allo-HSCT and a > 3-log reduction within the first 3 months after allo-HSCT were associated with a significantly lower post-transplant 3-year cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR, 9% vs. 62% and 10% vs. 47%,all P < 0.001), whereas transplantation during the second complete remission (CR2, 39% vs. 17% during CR1, P = 0.022), during relapse (62% vs. 17% during CR1, P < 0.001) and KIT D816 mutations at diagnosis (49% vs. 18%, P = 0.039) were related to a significantly higher 3-year CIR. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that a > 1-log reduction in MRD directly before transplantation (CIR: hazard ratio(HR), 0.21 [0.03–0.71], P = 0.029; overall survival (OS): HR = 0.27 [0.08–0.93], P = 0.038) and a > 3-log reduction in post-transplant MRD within the first 3 months (CIR: HR = 0.25 [0.07–0.89], P = 0.019; OS: HR = 0.38 [0.15–0.96], P = 0.040) were independent favorable prognostic factors, and transplantation during relapse (CIR: HR = 5.55 [1.23–11.56], P = 0.041; OS: HR = 4.07 [1.82–20.12], P = 0.045) were independent adverse prognostic factors for post-transplant relapse and survival in patients with t(8;21) AML.ConclusionOur study suggests that for patients with t(8;21) AML undergoing allo-HSCT, it would be better to receive transplantation during CR1 with a MRD directly before transplantation achieving at least 1-log reduction. MRD monitoring in the first 3 months after allo-HSCT might be robust in predicting relapse and adverse survival after allo-HSCT.

Electrical load forecasting plays a vital role in the operation of power system. In this paper, a novel adaptive short-term load forecasting method for the aggregated load is built. The proposed method consists of two stages: load forecast model preparation stage and adaptive load forecast model selection stage. In the first stage, based on historical load data of all consumers, the typical monthly load patterns are firstly identified in an optimal fashion with the aid of the cosine similarity. Then, for each identified monthly load pattern, a stacking ensemble learning method is proposed to train the load forecasting model. In the second stage, according to the similarity between individual load data of the latest month and the identified monthly load pattern, all the consumers are firstly classified into different groups where each group corresponds to a particular load pattern. Then, for each group, the corresponding trained load forecasting model is employed for short-term load forecast and the final forecast of the aggregated load is calculated as a simple aggregation of the produced load forecast for each group of consumers. Case studies conducted on open dataset show that, compared with the single forecasting model, the proposed adaptive load forecasting method can effectively improve the load forecasting accuracy.

BackgroundLong non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), as key regulators, are closely associated with the development of a variety of disease. However, the mechanisms by which lncRNAs regulate Clostridium perfringens type C induced piglet diarrhea are unclear.MethodsIn the present study, we explored the expression and characterization of lncRNAs in a C. perfringens beta2 (CPB2) toxin-treated intestinal porcine epithelial cell line-J2 (IPEC-J2) using RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq).ResultsA total of 6,558 lncRNAs were identified, of which 49 lncRNAs were significantly differentially expressed between the control and CPB2 groups. Functional enrichment analysis showed that the target genes of differentially expressed lncRNA EN-90756 were mainly associated with defense response to virus, and negative regulation of apoptotic process. LncRNA EN-90756 was significantly up-regulated in IPEC-J2 cells at different time points after CPB2 treatment. Functionally, knockdown of lncRNA EN-90756 might regulate the proliferation and apoptosis of IPEC-J2 cells by affecting the Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling pathway. LncRNA EN-90756 may be involved in CPB2 toxin-induced piglet diarrhea by regulating the expression of its target gene MX1 (encoding MX dynamin like GTPase 1).ConclusionLong non-coding RNA EN-90756 affected the antiviral ability of IPEC-J2 cells by regulating the expression of MX1. Meanwhile, lncRNA EN-90756 might regulate cell proliferation and apoptosis by affecting JAK-STAT signaling pathway activation. These findings provide novel perspectives and directions for further exploration of the regulatory mechanisms of lncRNAs on CPB2 toxin-induced diarrhea in piglets.

During drilling, a rotary steerable system (RSS) is affected by vibration, rotation, and other random noises. This paper presents a random weighting adaptive estimation of model errors on attitude measurement for RSS drilling tools. The algorithm is used to estimate the covariance matrix of the dynamic model errors and the state prediction vectors for RSS drilling tools, to reduce the effect of abnormal noises of the dynamic model on the estimation of state parameters. The random weighting estimation of observation’s systematic error and covariance matrices of observation error vectors to control the effect of observation model noises anomaly on state parameter estimation, enhance the use efficiency of the latest observation information, indirectly weaken the impact of model error on state parameter vector, and improve the accuracy of attitude calculation of RSS drilling tools. Experimental results and comparison analysis demonstrate that the proposed algorithm achieves better outcomes than the Kalman filtering and Extended Kalman filtering. The maximum solution error is controlled at 0.15°, and the tool face angle error is less than 3°. It cannot only control the covariance matrix of the observation error vector and predicted residual vector, but it can also effectively resist the disturbances of kinematic model error. It also can improve the dynamic measurement accuracy of attitude parameters, and solve the problem of uncertainty in dynamic attitude measurement of RSS drilling tools.

Abstract Background The spirometer is an important element in lung function examinations, and its accuracy is directly related to the accuracy of the results of these examinations and to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Our aim was to conduct a performance analysis of the detection techniques of differential pressure and ultrasonic portable spirometers commonly used in China. Methods A standard flow/volume simulator was used to analyze the performance (accuracy, repeatability, linearity, impedance, and so on) of portable spirometers, 4 imported and 6 domestic, based on 13 curves generated by different air sources in the ISO 26782:2009 standard. A Bland–Altman diagram was used to evaluate the consistency between the values measured by the spirometers and the simulator. Results The pass rates for accuracy, repeatability, linearity, and impedance for the 10 different portable spirometers were 50%, 100%, 70%, and 70%, respectively. Only 30% (3/10) of the spirometers—2 domestic and 1 imported—met all standards of quality and performance evaluation, while the rest were partially up to standard. In the consistency evaluation, only 3 spirometers were within both the consistency standard range and the acceptability range. Conclusion The quality and performance of different types of portable spirometers commonly used in the clinic differ. The use of a standard flow/volume simulator is helpful for the standard evaluation of the technical performance of spirometers.

To analyze the performance of the Prostate Health Index (phi) and its derivatives for predicting Gleason score (GS) upgrading between prostate biopsy and radical prostatectomy (RP) in the Chinese population, an observational, prospective RP cohort consisting of 351 patients from two medical centers was established from January 2017 to September 2020. Pathological reclassification was determined by the Gleason Grade Group (GG). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and logistic regression (LR) models were used to evaluate the predictive performance of predictors. In clinically low-risk patients with biopsy GG ≤2, phi (odds ratio [OR] = 1.80, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.14–2.82, P = 0.01) and its derivative phi density (PHID; OR = 2.34, 95% CI: 1.30–4.20, P = 0.005) were significantly associated with upgrading to GG ≥3 after RP, and the results were confirmed by multivariable analysis. Similar results were observed in patients with biopsy GG of 1 for the prediction of upgrading to RP GG ≥2. Compared to the base model (AUC = 0.59), addition of the phi or PHID could provide additional predictive value for GS upgrading in low-risk patients (AUC = 0.69 and 0.71, respectively, both P < 0.05). In conclusion, phi and PHID could predict GS upgrading after RP in clinically low-risk patients.

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of gynecologic cancer-related death, and PARP inhibitors (PARPis) are becoming a promising treatment option, as demonstrated by recent clinical trials. After PARPi exposure, somatic reversion mutations in the homologous recombination genes may be a mechanism of PARPi resistance in ovarian carcinoma. We present an ovarian cancer case of a 61-year-old woman, who underwent routine tumor reduction surgery followed by platinum and PARPis. She demonstrated a good response to PARPis for 15 months before recurrence and secondary tumor reduction surgery. However, post-surgery platinum and PARPi treatment only kept the disease stable for 5 months. A potential molecular mechanism for PARPi resistance was investigated using next-generation sequencing, immunohistochemical (IHC) staining, and other functional assays. A germline RAD51D loss-of-function mutation was found in the reported case (LRG_516t1:c.270_271dup p1:p.(Lys91fs*13)). Subsequently, a secondary mutation (LRG_516t1:c.271_282 del) was identified in the same locus of the germline duplication in the post-progression biopsies and ctDNA. The IHC staining supported low expression of RAD51D in the initial tumor tissue, but the expression was restored after the correction of the open reading frame by the secondary mutation. The in vitro results supported that the loss-of-function mutation of RAD51D was the basis for the initial response to the platinum and PARPi therapy, while the newly acquired reversion mutation could be attributed to the observed PARPi resistance. An acquired mutation can reverse a loss-of-function change in RAD51D and can result in PARPi resistance in a hereditary ovarian cancer patient. Liquid biopsy could be considered for longitudinal monitoring in ovarian patients under PARPi-based therapy, which can identify acquired resistant mutations earlier and facilitate precision management.

In the process of dynamic Measurement While Drilling (MWD), the strong vibration and rapid rotation of the Bottom Hole Assembly (BHA) lead to multi-frequency and high-amplitude noise interference in the attitude measurement signal. The weak original signal and extremely low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) are always the technical difficulties of dynamic MWD. To solve this problem, this paper uses the chaotic effect of the Duffing system, which takes the expression (−x3 + x5) as a nonlinear restoring force to detect the weak characteristic signal of downhole dynamic MWD. First of all, in order to meet the limit condition of the chaotic phase transition of the system output, the frequency value of the characteristic signal is reconstructed and transformed based on the variable scale theory. Then, in order to solve the influence of the initial phase of the characteristic signal on the detection accuracy, a detection model based on the array Duffing system is presented, and a frequency-detection scheme with all-phase coverage is given. Finally, another array Duffing system is designed for the parameter estimation of the characteristic signal. The critical value of chaotic phase transition is determined by adjusting the amplitude of the driving signal of the array Duffing system, and then the amplitude and phase parameters of the characteristic signal are synchronously estimated. The experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively extract the weak characteristic signal within the strong noise, and the SNR of the characteristic signal can be as low as −21 dB. Through the attitude calculation for the extracted characteristic signal, it can be seen that the proposed method can improve the accuracy of the inclination of the drilling tool significantly, which proves the feasibility and effectiveness of the method proposed in this paper.

In this study, we developed a data-driven frequency domain analysis method for rotor systems using the NARX (Nonlinear Auto-Regressive with eXternal input) model established by system vibration signals. We propose a model-based index of fault features calculated in a multi-frequency range to facilitate condition monitoring of rotor systems. Four steps are included in the proposed method. Firstly, displacement vibration signals are collected at multiple monitored rotating speeds. Secondly, the collected signals are processed as output data and the corresponding input data is generated. Then, NARX models are developed with input and output data to characterize the rotor system. Finally, the NRSF (Nonlinear Response Spectrum Function)-based nonlinear fault index is calculated and compared to the healthy condition. An experimental application to the misaligned rotor system is also demonstrated to verify its effectiveness. Our results indicate that the value of the index directly reflects the severity of the misaligned fault.

Plant height, petiole length, and the angle of the leaf petiole and branch angles are crucial traits determining plant architecture and yield in soybean (Glycine max L.). Here, we characterized a soybean mutant with super-short petioles (SSP) and enlarged petiole angles (named Gmssp) through phenotypic observation, anatomical structure analysis, and bulk sequencing analysis. To identify the gene responsible for the Gmssp mutant phenotype, we established a pipeline involving bulk sequencing, variant calling, functional annotation by SnpEFF (v4.0e) software, and Integrative Genomics Viewer analysis, and we initially identified Glyma.11G026400, encoding a homolog of Anaphase-promoting complex subunit 8 (APC8). Another mutant, t7, with a large deletion of many genes including Glyma.11G026400, has super-short petioles and an enlarged petiole angle, similar to the Gmssp phenotype. Characterization of the t7 mutant together with quantitative trait locus mapping and allelic variation analysis confirmed Glyma.11G026400 as the gene involved in the Gmssp phenotype. In Gmssp, a 4 bp deletion in Glyma.11G026400 leads to a 380 aa truncated protein due to a premature stop codon. The dysfunction or absence of Glyma.11G026400 caused severe defects in morphology, anatomical structure, and physiological traits. Transcriptome analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis revealed multiple pathways likely involved in these phenotypes, including ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis and gibberellin-mediated pathways. Our results demonstrate that dysfunction of Glyma.11G026400 leads to diverse functional consequences in different tissues, indicating that this APC8 homolog plays key roles in cell differentiation and elongation in a tissue-specific manner. Deciphering the molecular control of petiole length and angle enriches our knowledge of the molecular network regulating plant architecture in soybean and should facilitate the breeding of high-yielding soybean cultivars with compact plant architecture.

In order to improve the hydraulic performance of multistage centrifugal pumps through the utilization of auxiliary blades, this paper presents an optimization of these blades using orthogonal experiments and grey relational analysis. The optimization scheme for auxiliary blade structure resulted as follows: Z = 2, R = 46.9 mm, and W = 2.5. In the vicinity of the optimal operating point, the optimized scheme showed a 6% increase in head compared to the original scheme. The increase in head was not significant at low flow rates, but at high flow rates, the optimized scheme exhibited a substantial increase in head, approximately 23% higher than the original scheme. Using the L9(34) orthogonal array, the quantity (Z), inner diameter (R), and width (W) of the auxiliary blades were selected as factors, each with three levels, to design nine different impeller structures. An entire flow field numerical simulation of a five-stage centrifugal pump was conducted for the nine designs, obtaining the pump head under rated working conditions. Based on the range analysis method of orthogonal experiment, the optimal design scheme for pump head performance was derived, and the primary and secondary factors affecting the pump head were found to be the inner diameter (R), width (W), and quantity (Z) of the auxiliary blades. The accuracy of the orthogonal experimental results may have been influenced by the different factor level dimensions, and a grey relational analysis was conducted to verify the accuracy of the results, on top of the range analysis of the orthogonal experiment. A prototype was created according to the optimal solution, which under optimal conditions presented a total pump efficiency of 32.6% and a pump head of 41.39 m, significantly higher than the original design without auxiliary blades. This combination of numerical simulation with orthogonal experiments and grey relational analysis is suitable for the optimization design of auxiliary blades in multistage centrifugal pumps. This approach can accurately infer the effect of the primary and secondary factors of the geometric parameters of auxiliary blades on pump performance and their corresponding optimal solutions.

Abstract Background Small plateau (SP) on the flow-volume curve was found in parts of patients with suspected asthma or upper airway abnormalities, but it lacks clear scientific proof. Therefore, we aimed to characterize its clinical features. Methods We involved patients by reviewing the bronchoprovocation test (BPT) and bronchodilator test (BDT) completed between October 2017 and October 2020 to assess the characteristics of the sign. Patients who underwent laryngoscopy were assigned to perform spirometry to analyze the relationship of the sign and upper airway abnormalities. SP-Network was developed to recognition of the sign using flow-volume curves. Results Of 13,661 BPTs and 8,168 BDTs completed, we labeled 2,123 (15.5%) and 219 (2.7%) patients with the sign, respectively. Among them, there were 1,782 (83.9%) with the negative-BPT and 194 (88.6%) with the negative-BDT. Patients with SP sign had higher median FVC and FEV1% predicted (both P

As power supply company carries out work to optimize the business environment, much problems such as asymmetric information about electricity consumption of electricity users, poor professional interaction channels and low work efficiency have emerged while the level of power supply services has been improved. Relying on the Internet of Things (IoT) platform of power supply company, open graphic library (OpenGL) technology, Activiti engine and Java programming technology and other mature technologies, a set of graphical workflow configuration platform has been built to support the customization of the electricity users. The platform graphically implements the construction of power business workflow, using drag-and-drop components and model-driven logic to create front-end web and mobile applications. The workflow platform conducts compliance audit during workflow configuration, keeps business information strictly outside the negative list, and each work is automatically initiated, executed and associated to abstract behaviours with high application rate and comprehensiveness based on rich and diverse work scenarios to meet the needs of Beibei power supply company. After the workflow configuration platform was applied, the business management and execution efficiency of the power supply company was improved by more than 30%.

Homeobox D3 (HOXD3), a member of the homeobox family, was described to regulate tumorigenesis, invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis in various tumor types. However, the molecular mechanisms regulating HOXD3 during hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) migration, invasion, and angiogenesis remain elusive. In this study, we demonstrated that HOXD3 expression is enhanced by the binding of methyl‐CpG‐binding protein 2 (MeCP2), a methyl‐CpG binding protein, together with CREB1to the hypermethylated promoter of HOXD3. Inhibition of HOXD3 eliminated the tumorigenic effects of MeCP2 on HCC cells. Furthermore, HOXD3 directly targeted the promoter region of heparin‐binding epidermal growth factor (HB‐EGF) via the EGFR‐ERK1/2 cell signaling pathway and promoted invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis of HCC in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, elevated expression of MeCP2, CREB1, and HB‐EGF in HCC correlated with a poor survival rate. Our findings reveal the function of the MeCP2/HOXD3/HB‐EGF regulatory axis in HCC, rendering it an attractive candidate for the development of targeted therapeutics and as a potential biomarker in patients with HCC.

The emergence and spread of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) is a serious medical problem worldwide. Acquired OXA-48-like carbapenemases encoded by plasmids are important causes of carbapenem resistance in K. pneumoniae. To explore the links between plasmids and blaOXA-48-like genes in K. pneumoniae, we systematically analyzed the variants of blaOXA-48-like plasmid replicon types, phylogenetic patterns, geographic distribution, conjugative transfer regions, and the genetic environments surrounding blaOXA-48-like of 191 blaOXA-48-like-harboring plasmids, which were identified from 4451 plasmids of K. pneumoniae downloaded from GenBank. Our results showed that seven different variants of blaOXA-48-like genes were identified from the 191 blaOXA-48-like-harboring plasmids in K. pneumoniae, with blaOXA-48, blaOXA-232, and blaOXA-181 being highly prevalent. In K. pneumoniae, blaOXA-48 was mainly carried by the composite transposon Tn1999.2 located on IncL/M-type conjugative plasmids, which were mainly geographically distributed in Switzerland, Germany, and China. In K. pneumoniae, the blaOXA-232 gene was mainly carried by 6.1-kb ColKP3-type mobilizable plasmids, which were mainly isolated in India. In K. pneumoniae, blaOXA-181 was mainly carried by a group of 50-kb ColKP3-IncX3 hybrid conjugative plasmids and a group of small ColKP3-type mobilizable plasmids with lengths of 5.9–9.3 kb, the former was sporadically discovered in China, South Korea, India, and Czech Republic, while the latter was almost all isolated in India. In addition, five blaOXA-245-harboring 65.9-kb IncL plasmids of K. pneumoniae isolated in Spain were found to have the genetic context of blaOXA-245 more complicated than that of blaOXA-48-harboring IncL/M-type plasmids, with two copies of IS1R inserted both upstream and downstream of blaOXA-245-lysR. These findings enhance our understanding of the genetic diversity of blaOXA-48-like-harboring plasmids in K. pneumoniae.

Large bone defects remain an unsolved clinical challenge because of the lack of effective vascularization in newly formed bone tissue. 3D bioprinting is a fabrication technology with the potential to create vascularized bone grafts with biological activity for repairing bone defects. In this study, vascular endothelial cells laden with thermosensitive bio-ink were bioprinted in situ on the inner surfaces of interconnected tubular channels of bone mesenchymal stem cell-laden 3D-bioprinted scaffolds. Endothelial cells exhibited a more uniform distribution and greater seeding efficiency throughout the channels. In vitro, the in situ bioprinted endothelial cells can form a vascular network through proliferation and migration. The in situ vascularized tissue-engineered bone also resulted in a coupling effect between angiogenesis and osteogenesis. Moreover, RNA sequencing analysis revealed that the expression of genes related to osteogenesis and angiogenesis is upregulated in biological processes. The in vivo 3D-bioprinted in situ vascularized scaffolds exhibited excellent performance in promoting new bone formation in rat calvarial critical-sized defect models. Consequently, in situ vascularized tissue-engineered bones constructed using 3D bioprinting technology have a potential of being used as bone grafts for repairing large bone defects, with a possible clinical application in the future.

PurposeSpectacle lenses with arrays of lenslets have gained popularity in myopia control due to their high efficacy, low impact on visual performance, and non-invasiveness. One of the questions regarding their impact on visual performance that still remain is that: do the lenslets impact visual field sensitivity? The current study aims to investigate the impact of wearing spectacle lenses with highly aspherical lenslets (HAL) on the visual field sensitivity.MethodsAn automated static perimetry test (Goldman perimeter target III) was employed to measure the detection sensitivity in the visual field. Targets were white light dots of various luminance levels and size 0.43°, randomly appearing at 76 locations within 30° eccentricity. Twenty-one adult subjects (age 23–61, spherical equivalent refractive error (SER) −8.75 D to +0.88 D) participated in the study. Sensitivities through two lenses, HAL and a single vision lens (SVL) as the control condition, were measured in random order.ResultsThe mean sensitivity differences between HAL and SVL across the 76 tested locations ranged between −1.14 decibels (dB) and 1.28 dB. Only one location at 30° in the temporal visual field reached statistical significance (p < 0.00065) whereby the sensitivity increased by 1.1 dB with HAL. No significant correlation was found between the difference in sensitivity and age or SER. Such a difference is unlikely to be clinically relevant.ConclusionCompared to the SVL, the HAL did not change detection sensitivity to static targets in the whole visual field within 30° eccentricity.

PurposeFinding a better treatment position (prone or supine) for whole-breast irradiation for Chinese female patients diagnosed with breast cancer by identify the associations between predictive somatotype parameters and dosimetric gains.Materials and methodsTwo volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans were deployed for whole-breast irradiation in supine and prone position with a total dose of 50 Gy in 25 fractions. Dose-volume parameters were compared and analysed both in the target volume and organs at risk, and equivalent uniform dose-based figure-of-merit (fEUD) models were further used to quantitatively evaluate the overall merits of the two plans. Body shape parameters, including body mass index (BMI), body surface area (BSA), breast shape, cup size, bust size and chest size, were collected. Anatomic features such as the central heart distance (CHD) were measured on supine CT. Spearman’s correlation analysis, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, and the linear regression models were conducted.ResultsDoses to the heart and left anterior descending coronary artery (LADCA) are greater in left-sided breast cancer (BC) patients in the prone position than in the supine position, and the opposite was true for right-sided BC patients (p

As a smart material, Shape Memory Polymer (SMP) can perceive changes in the external environment in which it is located, and make corresponding instantaneous active responses to the changes. In this study, polyurethane polymer was synthesized with polycaprolactone (PCL) as the soft segment, 2,2-dihydroxymethyl propionic acid (DMPA) and diisocyanate as the hard segment. DMA is used to evaluate the shape memory performance of the polymer, and results indicate that the synthesized polymer has a wide transition temperature and exhibits excellent thermally induced double and triple shape memory. The polymer with a 1:1 M ratio of PCL and DMPA has a shape fixation rate of 80% and a recovery rate of 99%. After 3 cycles, the film can still quickly return to its original shape. The findings of the study show that the composite material has great application potential under high and low temperature environments drives.

Background Respiratory oscillometry is a promising complement to the traditional pulmonary function tests for its simplicity. The usefulness of oscillometry in adult clinical practice has not been clarified. This study aimed to analyse the characteristics and diagnostic performance of oscillometry in respiratory diseases, and explore the cut-offs of oscillometric parameters for severity grading. Methods In this multicentre registry of impulse oscillometry (IOS), IOS and spirometric data of healthy individuals and patients with respiratory diseases were collected and analysed. Linear mixed model analysis was performed to explore the effects of disease and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) on oscillometric parameters. Results The study included 567 healthy subjects, 781 asthmatic patients, 688 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), 109 patients with bronchiectasis, 40 patients with upper airway obstruction (UAO) and 274 patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) in the analysis. Compared at the same FEV1 level, asthma, COPD, bronchiectasis, UAO and ILD displayed different oscillometric characteristics. The z-score of resistance at 5 Hz (R5) was the best variable to identify respiratory diseases with a sensitivity of 62.4–66.7% and a specificity of 81.5–90.3%. With reference to the severity grading cut-offs of FEV1, R5 z-scores of 2.5 and 4 were defined as the cut-off values of moderately and severely increased R5. Conclusion Respiratory oscillometry is more appropriate to be a tool of evaluating, rather than of diagnosing, respiratory diseases. A severity grading system of oscillometric parameters was developed to help the interpretation of oscillometry in clinical practice.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have potential role in organ regeneration therapy. Previous work indicating that MSCs confer protection against liver disease. Here, we aimed to determine the potential application in liver regeneration of human placenta-derived MSCs extracellular vesicles (hPMSCs-EVs) via experimental hepatectomy. hPMSCs-EVs were administered intravenously 24 h before 70% partial hepatectomy, the specific composition of hPMSCs-EVs was identified by sequencing and validated by the quantitative polymerase chain reaction, including circ-RBM23. The role of circ-RBM23 in L02 cell was evaluated and it was found that circ-RBM23 knockdown inhibited L02 cell proliferation both in vitro and in vivo. The competing endogenous RNA function of circ-RBM23 was evaluated by the RNA immunoprecipitation assay and found that circ-RBM23 shares miRNA response elements with RRM2. Overexpressed circ-RBM23 bound competitively to miR-139-5p, preventing the miRNA-mediated degradation of RRM2, activating the expression of eIF4G and AKT/mTOR, and facilitating liver regeneration. These results indicate that hPMSCs-EVs prevent hepatic dysfunction and improve liver regeneration in vivo and hepatocytes proliferation in vitro, potentially via circ-RBM23 delivery.

ObjectiveCoal mining activities have continuously introduced heavy metals into the soil–crop system, causing increasing damage to crops. This study integrated the analysis of the heavy metal contamination status and human health risk in soil and maize near coal mines to help formulate control strategies for soil quality, maize production, and safe consumption.MethodThis study was carried out on maize agricultural land near a coal mining plant. Heavy metal contamination was assessed by the geo-accumulation index (Igeo), enrichment factor (EF), and bioaccumulation factor (BCF). The Monte Carlo simulation was used to estimate the probabilistic health risk of heavy metals exposure in soil and maize. The relationship between the concentration of heavy metal in the soil and that in maize was further visualized by correlation analysis and random forest analysis.ResultsThe results revealed that the mean concentrations of soil Ni, Cu, As, Cd, Sn, Zn, Pb, and Hg were all above the local background level. Ni was the most severely polluted heavy metal in maize and had a concentration higher than the risk control standard for corn in China (NY 861-2004). The Igeo values of all heavy metals were low, and EF values showed enrichment in V, Cr, Ti, Ni, and As. The assessment of probabilistic health risk exposed by heavy metals in soil and maize indicated that 1.16 and 1.46% of residents exceeded the carcinogenic risk level due to heavy metal exposure from soil and maize, respectively. Children were the most sensitive to maize and soil heavy metal exposure in the contaminated area. Ingestion of heavy metals was associated with the highest health risk to residents, followed by dermal contact and inhalation. As and Cr in soil and Cr and Ni in maize had the greatest impact on human health risk. Furthermore, maize heavy metals were affected the most by soil Cr, Cd, and V.ConclusionThese results may provide useful information for human carcinogenic risk associated with soil and maize heavy metal exposure due to coal mining activities.

Food availability represents a major worldwide concern due to climate change and population growth. Low-temperature stress (LTS) severely restricts the growth of tomato seedlings. Exogenous 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) can alleviate the harm of abiotic stress including LTS; however, data on its protective mechanism on tomato seedling roots, the effects of organelle structure, and the regulation of metabolic pathways under LTS are lacking. In this study, we hope to fill the above gaps by exploring the effects of exogenous ALA on morphology, mitochondrial ultrastructure, reactive oxygen species (ROS) enrichment, physiological indicators, related gene expression, and metabolic pathway in tomato seedlings root under LTS. Results showed that ALA pretreatment could increase the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the content of antioxidant substances in tomato seedlings roots under LTS to scavenge the massively accumulated ROS, thereby protecting the mitochondrial structure of roots and promoting root development under LTS. Combined transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis showed that exogenous ALA pretreatment activated the glutathione metabolism and β-alanine metabolism of tomato seedling roots under LTS, further enhanced the scavenging ability of tomato seedling roots to ROS, and improved the low-temperature tolerance of tomato seedlings. The findings provide a new insight into the regulation of the low-temperature tolerance of tomato by exogenous ALA.

Invalid points, such as shadow and background, in the captured fringe patterns of fringe projection profilometry (FPP) are often inevitable due to the limited field of view measurements of three-dimensional (3D) imaging equipment. To ensure the quality of 3D reconstruction data, these invalid points must be identified and removed. FPP captures co-frequency-based fringe pattern sequences and approximately distributes this data along an ideal cosine curve. We propose an invalid points removal method based on an error energy function. By analyzing the relationship between the pixel values of a series of captured co-frequency patterns and an ideal cosine curve, we quantize the error energy by using a Gaussian weighted Euclidean distance. An improved Gaussian filtering method based on modulation intensity is used to significantly increase the error energy difference between the valid points of the target and the invalid points of the shadow/background area. Finally, the points whose error energy is greater than a certain error threshold are removed as invalid points. Experimental results indicate that this method can efficiently remove invalid points in fringe patterns and performs better than existing traditional methods.

Precocious puberty is closely related to testicular development and spermatogenesis, and there is increasing evidence that miRNAs are involved in regulation of testicular development and spermatogenesis. However, little is known about the regulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) during precocious maturation in Hezuo (HZ) boars. In this study, serum Testosterone (T), Estradiol (E2), Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing hormone (LH) levels were detected in HZ and Landrace (LC) boars in the postnatal period at 30, 90, 120, 180, and 240 days, and the testes of HZ and LC boars at 30 and 120 days were used for histological observation. In addition, we performed small RNA-Seq to identify miRNA at sexual immaturity (30-days-old) and maturity (120-days-old) of HZ boar testis (using LC boar as control) to reveal the key miRNA in regulation of precocious puberty. Hormone assay results showed that high levels of T, E2, FSH, and LH may be related to precocious sexual maturity of HZ boars, and that FSH may play an important function before sexual maturity. Histological observation showed that HZ boars developed earlier than LC boars and had reached sexual maturity at 120 days. Small RNA-Seq yielded a total of 359 exist miRNAs, 767 known miRNAs and 322 novel miRNAs in 12 samples; 549, 468, 133, and 247 differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs were identified between Ha vs. Hb, La vs. Lb, Ha vs. La, and Hb vs. Lb (log2 fold change >1 and p < 0.05). Enrichment analysis showed that target genes of these DE miRNAs were enriched in many gene ontology (GO) terms and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) signaling pathways (such as PI3K-Akt, Hippo and Rap1 signaling pathways) were related to testicular development and spermatogenesis. Further screening, some miRNAs (such as ssc-miR-29b, ssc-miR-199b, ssc-miR-383, ssc-miR-149, ssc-miR-615, and ssc-miR-370) were possibly associated with precocious puberty. These results provide new light on miRNA regulatory mechanisms involved in precocious puberty.

Insulin-like peptides (ILPs) play key roles in animal growth, metabolism and reproduction in vertebrates. In crustaceans, one type of ILPs, insulin-like androgenic gland hormone (IAG) had been reported to be related to the sex differentiations. However, the function of other types of ILPs is rarely reported. Here, we identified another type of ILPs in the ridgetail white prawn Exopalaemon carinicauda (EcILP), which is an ortholog of Drosophila melanogaster ILP7. Sequence characterization and expression analyses showed that EcILP is similar to vertebrate insulin/IGFs and insect ILPs in its heterodimeric structure and expression profile. Using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology, we generated EcILP knockout (KO) prawns. EcILP-KO individuals have a significant higher growth-inhibitory trait and mortality than those in the normal group. In addition, knockdown of EcILP by RNA interference (RNAi) resulted in slower growth rate and higher mortality. These results indicated that EcILP was an important growth regulator in E. carinicauda.

Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) is widely used in cruciferous vegetables hybrid breeding. The C5-type CMS cabbage line exhibits stable male sterility and offers great value for cabbage breeding. However, the underlying CMS mechanism remains unclear. Here, the complete mitochondrial genome was sequenced and assembled for this line. The genome size was 221,862 bp. Mitochondrial genome comparison showed that the mitochondrial genome was likely generated by recombination with a nap-type CMS B. napus strain. Sixty-seven unknown-function open reading frames (ORFs) were identified. Seven orfs, orf114a, orf123a, orf188a, orf222a, orf261a, orf286a, and orf322a, were specifically identified in this genome. The presence of these candidate CMS genes decreased ATPase activity and ATP content by affecting the transcript levels of energy metabolism-related genes and F1F0-ATP synthase assembly. Among them, orf188a, orf222a, orf261a, orf286a, and orf322a possessed a transmembrane structure, and orf188a was cotranscribed with rps7 and trnfM. orf222a was partially homologous to atp8 and coexpressed with nad5. orf261a and orf322a were cotranscribed with cox1 and atp9, respectively. Additionally, orf114a was cotranscribed with atp8. Yeast two-hybrid assays showed that the ORF222a protein interacts with a B. oleracea ATP17 homolog (Bo7g114140) during F0-type ATP synthase assembly, reducing the quantity and activity of assembled F1F0-ATP synthase. Cytological sections showed that premature separation of the tapetum from the connective tissue and delayed tapetal programmed cell death (PCD) might be the immediate causes of CMS in C5-type CMS cabbage lines. Our results may help uncover the molecular mechanism of C5-type CMS in B. oleracea from the perspectives of the whole mitochondrial genome and cytology of anther development.

Background and AimsAlthough insufficient radiofrequency ablation (RFA) promotes the recurrence and metastasis of liver cancer, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of HIF-2α in hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HCCs) after Insufficient RFA.MethodsWe established a model of insufficient RFA in MHCC97H hepatoma cells and screened for stable sublines. We inhibited HIF-2α expression in the Insufficient RFA group using PT2385 and assessed the resulting changes in proliferation and biological function of HCCs. Cell viability and proliferation were detected by the MTT method, and scratch and Transwell chamber invasion tests detected migration and invasion abilities of HCCs. The mRNA and protein expression levels of VEGF, HIF-2α, and Notch1 were detected using qPCR, immunofluorescence, and western blotting.ResultsCompared with normal HCCs without RFA treatment, insufficient RFA enhanced the proliferation and invasion abilities of hepatocellular carcinoma subline MHCC97H (P < 0.001), as well as their migration ability (P = 0.046). The HIF-2α-specific inhibitor PT2385 downregulated the migration (P = 0.009) and invasion (P < 0.001) of MHCC97H cells but did not affect cell proliferation (P > 0.05). Insufficient ablation increased the mRNA and protein expression of VEGF, HIF-2α, and Notch1 in HCCs, whereas inhibition of HIF-2α reversed these changes.ConclusionsInsufficient RFA increases the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCCs via the HIF-2α/VEGF/Notch1 signaling axis; HIF-2α is a potential target for novel treatments of HCC after insufficient RFA.

Despite promising breakthroughs in diagnosing and treating acute coronary syndromes, cardiovascular disease’s high global mortality rate remains indisputable. Nearly half of these patients died of ischemic heart disease. Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass grafting can rapidly restore interrupted blood flow and become the most effective method for salvaging viable myocardium. However, restoring blood flow could increase the risk of other complications and myocardial cell death attributed to myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). How to reduce the damage of blood reperfusion to ischemic myocardium has become an urgent problem to be solved. In preclinical experiments, many treatments have substantial cardioprotective effects against myocardial IRI. However, the transition from these cardioprotective therapies to clinically beneficial therapies for patients with acute myocardial infarction remains elusive. The reasons for the failure of the clinical translation may be multi-faceted, and three points are summarized here: (1) Our understanding of the complex pathophysiological mechanisms of myocardial IRI is far from enough, and the classification of specific therapeutic targets is not rigorous, and not clear enough; (2) Most of the clinical patients have comorbidities, and single cardioprotective strategies including ischemia regulation strategies cannot exert their due cardioprotective effects under conditions of hyperglycemia, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and aging; (3) Most preclinical experimental results are based on adult, healthy animal models. However, most clinical patients had comorbidities and received multiple drug treatments before reperfusion therapy. In 2019, COST Action proposed a multi-target drug combination initiative for prospective myocardial IRI; the optimal cardioprotective strategy may be a combination of additive or synergistic multi-target therapy, which we support. By establishing more reasonable preclinical models, screening multi-target drug combinations more in line with clinical practice will benefit the translation of clinical treatment strategies.

Central control of the bladder is a complex process. With the development of functional imaging technology and analysis methods, research on brain-bladder control has become more in-depth. Here, we review previous functional imaging studies and combine our latest findings to discuss brain regions related to bladder control, interactions between these regions, and brain networks, as well as changes in brain function in diseases such as urgency urinary incontinence, idiopathic overactive bladder, interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome, urologic chronic pain syndrome, neurogenic overactive bladder, and nocturnal enuresis. Implicated brain regions include the pons, periaqueductal grey, thalamus, insula, prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex, supplementary motor area, cerebellum, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, amygdala, and hippocampus. Because the brain is a complex information transmission and processing system, these regions do not work in isolation but through functional connections to form a number of subnetworks to achieve bladder control. In summarizing previous studies, we found changes in the brain functional connectivity networks related to bladder control in healthy subjects and patients involving the attentional network, central executive network or frontoparietal network, salience network, interoceptive network, default mode network, sensorimotor network, visual network, basal ganglia network, subcortical network, cerebella, and brainstem. We extend the working model proposed by Griffiths et al. from the brain network level, providing insights for current and future bladder-control research.

Regarding the composting of rural waste, numerous studies either addressed the composting of a single waste component or were conducted at a laboratory/pilot scale. However, far less is known about the mixed composting effect of multi-component rural waste on a large scale. Here, we examined nutrient transformation, maturity degree of decomposition, and succession of microbial communities in large-scale (1,000 kg mixed waste) compost of multi-component wastes previously optimized by response models. The results showed that multi-component compost can achieve the requirement of maturity and exhibit a higher nutritional value in actual compost. It is worth noting that the mixed compost effectively removed pathogenic fungi, in which almost no pathogenic fungi were detected, and only two pathogenic bacteria regrown in the cooling and maturation stages. Structural equation models revealed that the maturity (germination index and the ratio of ammonium to nitrate) of the product was directly influenced by compost properties (electrical conductivity, pH, total organic carbon, moisture, temperature, and total nitrogen) compared with enzymes (cellulase, urease, and polyphenol oxidase) and microbial communities. Moreover, higher contents of total phosphorus, nitrate-nitrogen, and total potassium were conducive to improving compost maturity, whereas relatively lower values of moisture and pH were more advantageous. In addition, compost properties manifested a remarkable indirect effect on maturity by affecting the fungal community (Penicillium and Mycothermus). Collectively, this evidence implies that mixed compost of multi-component rural waste is feasible, and its efficacy can be applied in practical applications. This study provides a solution for the comprehensive treatment and utilization of rural waste.

Summary: Background: The long-term prognosis of COVID-19 survivors remains poorly understood. It is evidenced that the lung is the main damaged organ in COVID-19 survivors, most notably in impairment of pulmonary diffusion function. Hence, we conducted a meta-analysis of the potential risk factors for impaired diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) in convalescent COVID-19 patients. Methods: We performed a systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Ovid databases for relevant studies from inception until January 7, 2022, limited to papers involving human subjects. Studies were reviewed for methodological quality. Fix-effects and random-effects models were used to pool results. Heterogeneity was assessed using I2. The publication bias was assessed using the Egger's test. PROSPERO registration: CRD42021265377. Findings: A total of eighteen qualified articles were identified and included in the systematic review, and twelve studies were included in the meta-analysis. Our results showed that female (OR: 4.011; 95% CI: 2.928–5.495), altered chest computerized tomography (CT) (OR: 3.002; 95% CI: 1.319–6.835), age (OR: 1.018; 95% CI: 1.007–1.030), higher D-dimer levels (OR: 1.012; 95% CI: 1.001–1.023) and urea nitrogen (OR: 1.004;95% CI: 1.002–1.007) were identified as risk factors for impaired DLCO. Interpretation: Pulmonary diffusion capacity was the most common impaired lung function in recovered patients with COVID-19. Several risk factors, such as female, altered chest CT, older age, higher D-dimer levels and urea nitrogen are associated with impairment of DLCO. Raising awareness and implementing interventions for possible modifiable risk factors may be valuable for pulmonary rehabilitation. Funding: This work was financially supported by Emergency Key Program of Guangzhou Laboratory (EKPG21-29, EKPG21-31), Incubation Program of National Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars by Guangzhou Medical University (GMU2020-207).

In the era of big data, medical data sharing has become an inevitable requirement to improve the quality and efficiency of medical services. To advance the progress of medical data sharing and expedite the circulation of data value, it becomes crucial to examine the decision-making behavior of stakeholders involved in the medical-data-sharing process. To this end, we construct a three-way evolutionary game model applicable to the medical sharing scenario, analyzing the evolutionary trends in the selection strategies of data providers, the medical-data-sharing platform and data demanders. Furthermore, through theoretical analysis and simulation experiments, we explore the game equilibrium point of the system and analyze key factors that affect stakeholder strategy selection. The results of the experiment show that, in addition to data security, platforms and regulators should pay attention to the regulation and governance of the quality of data flows, which involves reasonable incentives–feedback–rewards and penalties. By strengthening the security technology and data governance system construction of sharing platforms, as well as promoting regulatory authorities to implement reward and punishment measures, etc., a stable state can be achieved in such systems. In addition, this article also proposes relevant management suggestions for medical data sharing in order to provide useful references for scientific decision making by stakeholders.

Throat ring leakage is a major factor deteriorating the performance of multistage centrifugal pumps. This paper focuses on the optimization of multistage centrifugal pumps by incorporating the principle of the Tesla valve and adding an auxiliary set of blades to the impeller body. By changing the direction and magnitude of the leaking fluid’s flow, the leakage volume of the impeller throat ring is reduced. The study results demonstrate that the experimental error in head calculation with numerical simulation at the optimal working condition was 0.65%, verifying the accuracy of the numerical simulation method. The leakage volume of the throat ring decreased by up to approximately 28.99% compared to the original structure, which significantly increased the pump’s head and overall efficiency. Near the optimal operating point, the pump’s head and overall efficiency increased by approximately 8.1% and 8.7%, respectively. The larger the flow rate, the greater the improvement in the pump’s head and total efficiency. Near high-flow operating conditions, the pump’s head and overall efficiency increased by approximately 116.45% and 110.84%, respectively. The auxiliary blade structure introduces a non-contact seal which, compared to traditional seal structures, improves seal life and reduces seal costs. Additionally, the auxiliary blades can shift the optimal operating point of the multistage centrifugal pump towards a higher flow rate, improving the pump’s delivery capability.

Polylactide (PLA) has become a popular alternative for petroleum-based plastics to reduce environmental pollution. The broader application of PLA is hampered by its brittle nature and incompatibility with the reinforcement phase. The aim of our work was to improve the ductility and compatibility of PLA composite film and investigate the mechanism by which nanocellulose enhances PLA polymer. Here, we present a robust PLA/nanocellulose hybrid film. Two different allomorphic cellulose nanocrystals (CNC-I and CNC-III) and their acetylated products (ACNC-I and ACNC-III) were used to realize better compatibility and mechanical performance in a hydrophobic PLA matrix. The tensile stress of the composite films with 3% ACNC-I and ACNC-III increased by 41.55% and 27.22% compared to pure PLA film, respectively. Compared to the CNC-I or CNC-III enhanced PLA composite films, the tensile stress of the films increased by 45.05% with 1% ACNC-I and 56.15% with 1% ACNC-III. In addition, PLA composite films with ACNCs showed better ductility and compatibility because the composite fracture gradually transitioned to a ductile fracture during the stretching process. As a result, ACNC-I and ACNC-III were found to be excellent reinforcing agents for the enhancement of the properties of polylactide composite film, and the replacement some petrochemical plastics with PLA composites would be very promising in actual life.

For successful colonization, fungal pathogens have evolved specialized infection structures to overcome the barriers present in host plants. The morphology of infection structures and pathogenic mechanisms are diverse according to host specificity. Verticillium dahliae, a soil-borne phytopathogenic fungus, generates hyphopodium with a penetration peg on cotton roots while developing appressoria, that are typically associated with leaf infection on lettuce and fiber flax roots. In this study, we isolated the pathogenic fungus, V. dahliae (VdaSm), from Verticillium wilt eggplants and generated a GFP-labeled isolate to explore the colonization process of VdaSm on eggplants. We found that the formation of hyphopodium with penetration peg is crucial for the initial colonization of VdaSm on eggplant roots, indicating that the colonization processes on eggplant and cotton share a similar feature. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the VdNoxB/VdPls1-dependent Ca2+ elevation activating VdCrz1 signaling is a common genetic pathway to regulate infection-related development in V. dahliae. Our results indicated that VdNoxB/VdPls1-dependent pathway may be a desirable target to develop effective fungicides, to protect crops from V. dahliae infection by interrupting the formation of specialized infection structures.

Estimating crop yield in large areas is essential for ensuring food security and sustainable development. Accounting for variations in the temporal cumulative growth of crops across regions (i.e., spatial heterogeneity of crop growth) can improve the accuracy of yield estimation in large areas. However, current spatial heterogeneity learning methods have limitations such as cutting off inherent correlations among regions, difficulty obtaining accurate prior knowledge, and high subjectivity. Therefore, this study proposed a novel deep learning adaptive crop model (DACM) to accomplish adaptive high-precision yield estimation in large areas, which emphasizes adaptive learning of the spatial heterogeneity of crop growth based on fully extracting crop growth information. Results showed that the DACM achieved an average root mean squared error (RMSE) of 4.406 bushels·acre−1 (296.304 kg ha−1), with an average coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.805. Compared with other state-of-the-art machine learning and deep learning methods, DACM improves the large-area yield estimation accuracy and performs more robustly in space. The analyses on attention values and estimation stability demonstrate that DACM can learn the spatial heterogeneity of crop growth and adopt adaptive strategies to optimize yield estimation. Considering both performance stability and interpretability, DACM provides a practical approach for estimating large-area crop yields by adaptively learning the spatial heterogeneity patterns of crop growth.

Obtaining field sea ice data is crucial for the validation and improvement of satellite data and numerical models. During the 36th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition, seven field observations covering the whole area were conducted in Nella Fjord, and large amounts of in situ sea ice and snow thickness data were acquired. Then, the influences of snow cover, topography, and air temperature on the sea ice growth rate were examined. Based on the relationship between the sea ice growth rate and air temperature, an empirical model of sea ice thickness was developed. The results show that sea ice started to freeze in early March, and the peak growth rate was reached in mid-June, with a mean growth rate of 0.62 cm/d. Between mid-June and mid-October, the mean growth rate was 0.36–0.4 cm/d; between mid-October and mid-November, the mean growth rate decreased to 0.15 cm/d. After mid-November, ice growth stopped, and the ice thickness decreased. The growth rate and thickness of sea ice near the shore were generally greater than those closer to the center of the fjord, with differences of 0.25 cm/d in mean growth rate and 7.16 cm in mean thickness. Because of the large exchanges of heat between the atmosphere and the ocean, the sea ice thickness increased rapidly during the early stage of freeze-up. When the air temperature was between -12 and −15°C, the ice growth rate was between 0.36 and 0.4 cm/d. However, when the ice thickness reached 0.5 m, the sea ice growth rate became less sensitive to air temperature. In addition, we found that the proposed model has high simulation accuracy for the growth rate of sea ice. Based on the model, we estimated that the growth rates become zero at an air temperature of approximately −4°C. Our study highlights the inverse relationship between the sea ice growth rate and the snow thickness and the fact that the sea ice thickness is mainly affected by air temperature.

Pleurotus citrinopileatus, a golden oyster mushroom, is popular in Asia and has pharmacological functions. However, the effects of polysaccharide-peptides extracted from Pleurotus citrinopileatus and underlying mechanism on digestive systme have not yet been clarified. Here, we determined the composition of two polysaccharide-peptides (PSI and PSII) from P. citrinopileatus and investigated the protective effects of on hepatoprotective and gut microbiota. The results showed that PSI and PSII were made up of similar monosaccharide moieties, except for the varying ratios. Furthermore, PSI and PSII showed that they have the hepatoprotective effects and significantly increased the viabilities and cellular total superoxide dismutase activities increased significantly in HepG2 cells. Intracellular triglyceride content and extracellular alanine aminotransferase and aspartate transaminase contents markedly decreased following treatment with 40 and 50 μg/mL PSI and PSII, respectively. Moreover, PSI and PSII activated the adiponectin pathway and reduced lipid accumulation in liver cells. PSI and PSII elevated short-chain fatty acid concentrations, especially butyric and acetic acids. 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis showed that PSI promoted the relative abundances of Bifidobacteria, Lactobacillus, Faecalibacterium, as well as Prevotella generas in the gut. PSII markedly suppressed the relative abundances of Escherichia-Shigella and Bacteroides generas. We speculate that the PSI and PSII play a role through liver-gut axis system. Polysaccharide-peptides metabolize by gut microbiota to produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and in turn influence liver functions.

The heat storage property of building envelopes is usually modeled into virtual energy storage (VES) and regarded as a flexibility resource to support the energy scheduling of building energy systems (BESs). However, the adjustable potential of VES is uncertain, incurred by several ambient random variables with/without specific probability distributions, posing challenges in determining the operational planning schemes of the BES. This article is intended to study a day-ahead optimal scheduling method for a PV-integrated BES (known as PV-BES) with the consideration of VES using interval optimization methods. First, an interval number is used to characterize the uncertainties of outdoor temperature, light irradiance, and the occupant’s behavior reflected by the uncontrollable household load. Second, an interval VES model is developed by modeling VES’s virtual charge–discharge power (VCDP) with an interval number. Finally, a day-ahead optimal interval scheduling model for the PV-BES considering VES is formulated, aiming to minimize the electricity energy purchase cost of the PV-BES from the external grid. Numerical simulation is conduced, and the results validated the effectiveness of the proposed method.

This study explores the relationships among leisure involvement, business or commercial friendship, satisfaction, and willingness to repurchase in customers' use of customized fitness services. This study randomly sampled and analyzed the customers of fitness clubs (N = 234) in China. The results showed that leisure involvement had a positive impact on repurchase intention and satisfaction. Moreover, the mediating effect of commercial friendship was found in the relationship between leisure involvement, repurchase intention, and satisfaction. Overall, the study contributes to the literature by exploring the interaction effects of different types of consumer leisure involvement and commercial friendships in customized fitness services models on satisfaction and repurchase intentions'.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of transversus abdominis plane block (TAPB) in patients after laparoscopic radical cervical cancer surgery.MethodsA total of 120 patients with cervical cancer who underwent laparoscopic radical resection in the hospital from January 2019 to January 2020 were selected and concurrently assigned to either patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) (Control group) or PCIA plus TAPB (Observation group) according to different methods. The visual analogscale (VAS), Bruggemann comfort scale (BCS), immune function indicators, hemodynamics, analgesia indicators, and postoperative recovery time were recorded and compared.ResultsThe Observation group had a lower VAS score and a higher BCS postoperatively compared with the Control group, and the difference was statistically significant. After the operation, immune function indexes of patients in the two groups were declined, and the difference was statistically significant. At 76 h after operation, the immune function indexes of the Control group were lower than the Observation group, and the difference was statistically significant. After the operation, the Control group obtained a higher mean arterial pressure (MAP) at extubation, and the difference was statistically significant. The Observation group outperformed the Control group in terms of analgesia indicators and postoperative recovery time, and the difference was statistically significant.ConclusionTAPB can enhance the analgesic effect of patients after laparoscopic radical resection of cervical cancer, stabilize their physical signs, has little effect on the patient's immune function, with a high safety profile.