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The benefit of regular exercise on the heart has been well documented but the role of RNA m6A modification in exercise-induced cardiac remodelling remains largely unknown. In this study, the authors report that METTL14 plays an important role in RNA m6A modification in exercise-induced physiological cardiac hypertrophy.

Abstract Background Woody plants provide the most abundant biomass resource that is convertible for biofuels. Since lignin is a crucial recalcitrant factor against lignocellulose hydrolysis, genetic engineering of lignin biosynthesis is considered as a promising solution. Many MYB transcription factors have been identified to involve in the regulation of cell wall formation or phenylpropanoid pathway. In a previous study, we identified that PtoMYB115 contributes to the regulation of proanthocyanidin pathway, however, little is known about its role in lignocellulose biosynthesis and biomass saccharification in poplar. Results Here, we detected the changes of cell wall features and examined biomass enzymatic saccharification for bioethanol production under various chemical pretreatments in PtoMYB115 transgenic plants. We reported that PtoMYB115 might specifically regulate lignin biosynthesis to affect xylem development. Overexpression of PtoMYB115 altered lignin biosynthetic gene expression, resulting in reduced lignin deposition, raised S/G and beta-O-4 linkage, resulting in a significant reduction in cellulase adsorption with lignin and an increment in cellulose accessibility. These alterations consequently improved lignocellulose recalcitrance for significantly enhanced biomass saccharification and bioethanol yield in the PtoMYB115-OE transgenic lines. In contrast, the knockout of PtoMYB115 by CRISPR/Cas9 showed reduced woody utilization under various chemical pretreatments. Conclusions This study shows that PtoMYB115 plays an important role in specifically regulating lignin biosynthesis and improving lignocellulose features. The enhanced biomass saccharification and bioethanol yield in the PtoMYB115-OE lines suggests that PtoMYB115 is a candidate gene for genetic modification to facilitate the utilization of biomass.

Under the dual pressure of energy conservation and environmental protection, the internal combustion engine industry is facing huge challenges, and it is imperative to find new clean energy. Hydrogen energy is expected to replace traditional fossil fuels as an excellent fuel for internal combustion engines because of its clean, continuous regeneration and good combustion performance. This review article focuses on the research and development of blended hydrogen-fuel internal combustion engines in China since the beginning of this century. The main achievements gained by Chinese researchers in performing research on the effects of the addition of hydrogen into engines, which predominantly include many types of hydrogen-blended engines such as gasoline, diesel, natural gas, and alcohol engines, rotary engines, are discussed and analyzed in these areas of the engine’s performance, and the combustion and emission characteristics, etc. The merits and demerits of blended hydrogen-fuel internal combustion engines could be concluded and summarized after discussion. Finally, the development trend and direction of exploration on hydrogen-fuel internal combustion engines could also be forecasted for relevant researchers.

High-resolution deep-learning-based remote-sensing imagery analysis has been widely used in land-use and crop-classification mapping. However, the influence of composite feature bands, including complex feature indices arising from different sensors on the backbone, patch size, and predictions in transferable deep models require further testing. The experiments were conducted in six sites in Henan province from 2019 to 2021. This study sought to enable the transfer of classification models across regions and years for Sentinel-2A (10-m resolution) and Gaofen PMS (2-m resolution) imagery. With feature selection and up-sampling of small samples, the performance of UNet++ architecture on five backbones and four patch sizes was examined. Joint loss, mean Intersection over Union (mIoU), and epoch time were analyzed, and the optimal backbone and patch size for both sensors were Timm-RegNetY-320 and 256 × 256, respectively. The overall accuracy and F1 scores of the Sentinel-2A predictions ranged from 96.86% to 97.72% and 71.29% to 80.75%, respectively, compared to 75.34%–97.72% and 54.89%–73.25% for the Gaofen predictions. The accuracies of each site indicated that patch size exerted a greater influence on model performance than the backbone. The feature-selection-based predictions with UNet++ architecture and up-sampling of minor classes demonstrated the capabilities of deep-learning generalization for classifying complex ground objects, offering improved performance compared to the UNet, Deeplab V3+, Random Forest, and Object-Oriented Classification models. In addition to the overall accuracy, confusion matrices, precision, recall, and F1 scores should be evaluated for minor land-cover types. This study contributes to large-scale, dynamic, and near-real-time land-use and crop mapping by integrating deep learning and multi-source remote-sensing imagery

The control of nanostructures is crucial for enhancing the thermoelectric properties of materials. In this work, the grain growth and phase transformation of different nano-sized titanium dioxide (TiO2) powders were investigated during heat treatment and spark plasma sintering. First, the thermal behaviors of TiO2 powders with different particle sizes during heat treatment, such as grain growth, phase transformation, and adsorption properties, were studied. The results showed that the phase transformation of 7 nm anatase TiO2 occurred more easily, and the rutile phase content increased with increasing heat treatment temperature. The grain growth of 7 nm anatase TiO2 occurred at low temperature (i.e., 873 K), even the grain size increased by 13-fold at 1123 K (i.e., the phase transformation temperature). Thermogravimetry results suggested that the 7 nm anatase TiO2 powder had a greater adsorption characteristic owing to its large specific surface area. Moreover, TiO2 compacts with and without graphite were fabricated using spark plasma sintering. The results indicated that a lower sintering temperature was beneficial for maintaining the nanostructure, whereas the addition of graphite powder promoted grain growth. Furthermore, the thermal conductivity was reduced owing to the nanostructure, and the phonon thermal conductivity accounted for a dominant proportion of the total thermal conductivity. Consequently, the lowest thermal conductivity was 1.1 Wm−1K−1 at 973 K for the nanostructured compact sintered at 1073 K, which is approximately 50% lower than that of the microstructured compact sintered at 1273 K.

Phycobiliprotein is a kind of natural pigment active protein, which exists widely in all kinds of seaweed. It is an important part of seaweed photosynthesis. Phycobiliproteins often exist on the thylakoid membrane in the form of phycobilisomes. Phycobiliproteins have specific light absorption peak and fluorescence emission peak. Phycobiliproteins have various biological activities such as anti-oxidation, anti-tumor, anti-radiation, and immune-enhancing. High purity phycobiliproteins have high economic values. In recent years, many new research progresses have been made in the extraction and purification process and application development. To provide with a systematic and detailed information about those features of phycobiliproteins, this article reviews a relatively comprehensive analysis on the extraction source, structural composition, extraction, purification process and the application of phycobiliprotein in the fields of food, cosmetics and medicine, which provides reference for the further development and utilization of phycobiliprotein.

Abstract GDP-mannose 3, 5-epimerase (GME, EC 5.1.3.18), a key enzyme in the ascorbic acid synthesis pathway, catalyzes the conversion of GDP-D-mannose to GDP-l-galactose in higher plants. Here, a homolog of GME was isolated from Chrysanthemum vestitum. The cDNA sequence of CvGME was 1131 bp and contained a complete open reading frame encoding a protein comprising 376 amino acids. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that CvGME was most highly expressed in the stems and roots. Phylogenetic analysis showed that CvGME was closely related to LsGME from Lactuca sativa. Subcellular localization studies revealed that CvGME was localized in the nucleus. Heterologous expression of CvGME in transgenic tobacco plants increased the ascorbic acid content in the leaves. In addition, overexpression of CvGME reduced the malondialdehyde content and increased superoxide dismutase and peroxidase activity in tobacco leaves compared to those in the wild-type plants under drought stress conditions, explaining the increased drought tolerance of transgenic tobacco lines. These results suggest that CvGME can effectively enhance the tolerance of plants to drought by increasing the ascorbic acid content, which may help improve the drought tolerance of chrysanthemums through molecular breeding.

Here the authors investigate the role of the TET family of DNA demethylases in mammalian skeletal development. They find that loss of TETs leads to hypermethylation that results in decreased chromatin accessibility of RUNX2 target genes, repressing osteoblast differentiation and leading to skeletal defects in mouse such as short limbs.

To clarify the quality characters, understand the genetic diversity and screen elite lines among different oilseed sunflowers, the contents of crude fat, oleic acid, linoleic acid, palmitic acid and stearic acid of 525 oil sunflowers (including 375 germplasm accessions and 150 inbred lines) were detected by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS); the genetic variation and correlation analysis of quality traits were also performed. The results showed that oleic acid and linoleic acid had rich diversities with large variation ranges for each material type. Similar to the relation between crude fat content and palmitic acid content, significantly negative relation with high estimated value existed between oleic acid and linoleic acid content, while stearic acid content positively associated with oleic acid and palmitic acid content. Principal component analysis indicated that 5 quality traits were integrated into 2 principal component factors (linoleic acid negative factor and palmitic acid factor) with the contribution rate of 88.191%, which could be used for evaluating sunflower quality. 525 oilseed sunflowers were clustered into 3 groups with obvious differences of quality characters, materials in Group I had high contents of oleic acid and low crude fat, but the opposite was found in Group III. 59 superior quality accessions were obtained using large-scale and rapid near-infrared spectroscopy, and these excellent materials were verified by the traditional national chemical standard method. This research provided materials and significant reference for sunflower genetic research and quality breeding.

Abstract Background Pneumoconiosis refers to a class of serious diseases threatening the health of workers exposed to coal or silicosis dust. However, the burden of pneumoconiosis is unavailable in China. Methods Incident cases, deaths, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from pneumoconiosis and its subtypes in China were estimated from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 using a Bayesian meta-regression method. The trend of the burden from pneumoconiosis was analyzed using percentage change and annualized rate of change (ARC) during the period 1990–2019. The relationship between subnational socio-demographic index (SDI) and the ARC of age-standardised death rate was measured using Spearman’s Rank-Order Correlation. Results In 2019, there were 136.8 (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 113.7–162.5) thousand new cases, 10.2 (8.1–13.6) thousand deaths, and 608.7 (473.6–779.4) thousand DALYs from pneumoconiosis in China. Of the global burdens from pneumoconiosis, more than 60% were in China. Both the total number of new cases and DALYs from pneumoconiosis was keeping increasing from 1990 to 2019. In contrast, the age-standardised incidence, death, and DALY rates from pneumoconiosis and its subtypes, except for the age-standardised incidence rate of silicosis, and age-standardised death rate of asbestosis, experienced a significant decline during the same period. The subnational age-standardised death rates were higher in western China than in eastern China. Meanwhile, the subnational ARC of age-standardised death rates due to pneumoconiosis and its subtypes were significantly negatively correlated with SDI in 2019. Conclusion China suffers the largest health loss from pneumoconiosis in the world. Reducing the burden of pneumoconiosis is still an urgent task in China.

When a low-voltage circuit breaker (LVCB) breaks a high current, the contact erosion caused by the arc greatly reduces the LVCB’s breaking performance and service lifetime. Therefore, this paper uses AgW alloy contacts as a research object, which are commonly used for breaking high currents, and establishes a contact erosion model for an LVCB with a breaking current of 14 kA. The model considers the energy balance of a contact surface and uses a solidification and melting model and a dynamic mesh model to deal with the phase transition problem of the contact material and introduces the arc movement into this model. Using this model, the contact melting and evaporation width, erosion depth, erosion rate, and erosion mass are calculated when Ag and AgW30 and AgW70 alloys are used as contact materials. The influence of W-content on the erosion characteristics of a contact is analyzed. The results show that, although the introduction of element W significantly reduces the erosion mass, it advances the time when the melting point and boiling point are reached. The position, width, and depth of the melting pool and melting layer thickness change with the movement of the arc. In the process of contact erosion considering the movement of the arc, the introduction of W element will increase the width of the molten pool and the solidification time of the molten material. Especially when the mass percentage of element W in the contact material reached 70%, the solidification time of the molten material greatly increased, which weakened the welding resistance of the contact.

IntroductionThe geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI), a nutritional screening tool specifically for the aging population, has been proven to be associated with worse outcomes in chronic kidney disease patients, especially in the hemodialysis population. However, the predictive validity of GNRI in critically ill elderly patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) is yet to be determined. This analysis sought to examine the prognostic effects of GNRI on elderly AKI patients in intensive care units (ICUs).MethodsWe collected elderly AKI patient-relevant data from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III database. AKI was diagnosed and staged according to the “Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes” criteria. In the study, 1-year mortality was considered the primary outcome, whereas in-hospital, ICU, 28-day and 90-day mortality, and prolonged length of stay in ICU and hospital were selected as the secondary outcomes.ResultsIn all, 3,501 elderly patients with AKI were selected for this study, with a 1-year mortality rate of 36.4%. We classified the study population into low (≤98) and high (>98) GNRI groups based on the best cutoff value. The incidence of endpoints was remarkably lower in patients with elevated GNRI (p < 0.001). When stratified by the AKI stage, patients with high GNRI at AKI stages 1, 2, and 3 had markedly lower 1-year mortality than those with low GNRI (all p < 0.05). The multivariable regression analysis identified the independent prognostic ability of GNRI on the research outcomes (all p < 0.05). Restricted cubic spline exhibited a linear correlation between GNRI and 1-year death (p for non-linearity = 0.434). The prognostic implication of GNRI on 1-year mortality was still significant in patients with the most subgroups.ConclusionIn critically ill elderly patients with AKI, elevated GNRI upon admission was strongly correlated with a lower risk of unfavorable outcomes.

BackgroundIntellectual disability, X-linked, syndromic, Christianson type (MRXSCH, OMIM: 300243)—known as Christianson syndrome (CS)—is characterized by microcephaly, epilepsy, ataxia, and absence of verbal language ability. CS is attributed to mutations in the solute carrier family 9 member A6 gene (SLC9A6).Materials and methodsThis study reports the case of a boy 1 year and 3 months of age who was diagnosed with CS in our department. Genetic etiology was determined by whole-exome sequencing, and a minigene splicing assay was used to verify whether the mutation affected splicing. A literature review of CS cases was conducted and the clinical and genetic features were summarized.ResultsThe main clinical manifestations of CS include seizures, developmental regression, and exceptional facial features. Whole-exome sequencing revealed a de novo splice variant in intron 11 (c.1366 + 1G > C) of SLC9A6. The mutation produced two abnormal mRNA products (verified by a minigene splicing assay), resulting in the formation of truncated protein. A total of 95 CS cases were identified in the literature, with various symptoms, such as delayed intellectual development (95/95, 100.00%), epilepsy (87/88, 98.86%), and absent verbal language (75/83, 90.36%). At least 50 pathogenic variants of SLC9A6 have been identified, with the highest frequency observed in exon 12.ConclusionOur patient is the first case with the c.1366 + 1G > C variant of SLC9A6 in CS. The summary of known cases can serve as a reference for analyzing the mutation spectrum and pathogenesis of CS.

The aim of the study was to analyze population-based prostate cancer (PCa) screening and the incidence of PCa among males ≥50 years of age residing in the Luqiao district of Taizhou, China. From October to December 2020, male residents ≥50 years of age were screened for serum total prostate-specific antigen (total-PSA). If t-PSA re-test levels persisted above 4 μg/L, subjects underwent further noninvasive examinations, including digital rectal examination or multiparameter magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) of the prostate. Subjects underwent prostate biopsy of pathological tissue based on t-PSA and mpMRI results. A total of 3524 (49.1%) residents participated in this PCa screening study. In total, 285 (8.1%) subjects exhibited t-PSA levels ≥4.0 μg/L and 112 (3.2%) underwent noninvasive examinations. Forty-two (1.2%) residents underwent prostate biopsy, of which 16 (0.45%) were diagnosed with PCa. Of those diagnosed with PCa, three (19%) had localized PCa (cT1-cT2N0M0), six (37%) had locally advanced PCa (cT3a- cT4N0-1M0), and seven (44%) had advanced metastatic PCa (M1). Unfortunately, 3477 (48.5%) residents did not participate in the study, mainly due to lack of awareness of PCa based on feedback from local health centers. Age and t-PSA were used as primary screening indicators and, when further combined with mpMRI and prostate biopsy, confirmed the diagnosis of PCa among participating residents. Although this was a relatively economical and convenient screening method, education and knowledge should be further enhanced to increase the participation rate in PCa screening programs.

Global climate change has increased the probability and intensity of extreme weather events. The adverse health effect of extreme temperature has gone through a temporal variation over years. Time-series data including city-level daily cardiovascular death records and meteorological data were collected from 136 Chinese cities during 2006 and 2019. A time-varying distributed lag model with interaction terms was applied to assess the temporal change of mortality risk and attributable mortality of heat wave and cold spell. The mortality effect of heat wave generally increased and that of cold spell decreased significantly in the total population during the study period. The heat wave effect increased especially among the female and people aged 65 to 74. As for the cold spell, the reduced susceptibility was detected both in the temperate and cold climatic zone. Our findings appeal for counterpart measures corresponding to sub-populations and regions responding to future extreme climate events from the public and individuals.

ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of compound mycotoxin detoxifier (CMD) on alleviating the toxic effect of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) for broiler growth performance. One-kilogram CMD consists of 667 g aflatoxin B1-degrading enzyme (ADE, 1,467 U/g), 200 g montmorillonite and 133 g compound probiotics (CP). The feeding experiment was divided into 2 stages (1–21 d and 22–42 d). In the early stage, a total of 300 one-day-old Ross broilers were randomly divided into 6 groups, 5 replications for each group, 10 broilers (half male and half female) in each replication. In the later feeding stage, about 240 twenty-two-day-old Ross broilers were randomly divided into 6 groups, 8 replications for each group, 5 broilers in each replication. Group A: basal diet; group B: basal diet with 40 μg/kg AFB1; group C: basal diet with 1 g/kg CMD; groups D, E, and F: basal diet with 40 μg/kg AFB1 plus 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 g/kg CMD, respectively. The results indicated that AFB1 significantly decreased average daily gain (ADG), protein metabolic rate, organ index of thymus, bursa of Fabricius (BF), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) and catalase activities in serum, and increased AFB1 residues in serum and liver (P < 0.05). Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE) staining analysis of jejunum, liver and kidney showed that AFB1 caused the main pathological changes with different degrees of inflammatory cell infiltration. However, CMD additions could alleviate the negative effects of AFB1 on the above parameters. The gut microbiota analysis indicated that AFB1 could significantly increase the abundances of Staphylococcus-xylosu, Esherichia-coli-g-Escherichia-Shigella, and decrease Lactobacillus-aviarius abundance (P < 0.05), but which were adjusted to almost the same levels as the control group by CMD addition. The correlative analysis showed that Lactobacillus-aviarius abundance was positively correlated with ADG, SOD and BF (P < 0.05), whereas Staphylococcus-xylosus abundance was positively correlated with AFB1 residues in serum and liver (P < 0.05). In conclusion, CMD could keep gut microbiota stable, alleviate histological lesions, increase growth performance, and reduce mycotoxin toxicity. The optimal CMD addition should be 1 g/kg in AFB1-contaminated broilers diet.

The effects of Y on the solidification process of 7Mo super austenitic stainless steel (7MoSASS) under low cooling rate conditions (10 °C/min) were investigated using high-temperature confocal laser scanning microscopy (HT-CLSM). The in situ observation results indicate that Y samples promote an increase in austenite nucleation density. After 10 s of nucleation, the nucleation density increased by 149.53/mm2 for the Y sample. Furthermore, variance analysis indicated that Y addition improved the uniformity of the 7MoSASS solidification microstructure under low cooling rate conditions. The Johnson–Mehl–Avrami–Kolmogorov (JMAK) theory results showed that when the solid phase ratio was 0.5, the nucleation mode of the Y sample transitioned from saturation site nucleation to saturation site nucleation + Avrami nucleation. YAlO3 has a low lattice disregistry value with austenite, making it a suitable heterogeneous nucleation core for promoting the early nucleation of austenite. During the late stages of solidification, Y accumulates in the residual liquid phase, providing a greater degree of compositional undercooling. SEM-EDS analysis showed that Y contributed to the refinement of the 7MoSASS solidification microstructure, with the proportion of precipitated phases decreasing by approximately 7.5%. Cr and Mo were the main elements exhibiting positive segregation in 7MoSASS, and the Cr segregation ratio increased in the Y sample, while the Mo segregation ratio decreased.

The Jizhong Depression is a typical Mesozoic and Cenozoic fault basin located in the northwestern part of the Bohai Bay Basin that has abundant hydrothermal and geothermal resources and enormous development potential. In this study, hydrochemical and isotopic analyses were conducted on water samples from the southern region of the Jizhong Depression. The formation and evolution processes of the deep geothermal water were analyzed, the circulation process of the deep geothermal water was determined, and the genetic mechanism of the geothermal systems was elucidated. The hydrochemical types of the geothermal fluids in the sandstone reservoirs in the research area are mainly Cl·HCO3−Na type, while the geothermal fluids in the carbonate reservoirs are mainly Cl-Na type and Cl·HCO3−Na type. The ion components in the geothermal water are mainly controlled by the dissolution of the carbonate rocks and the alternate adsorption of cations. The elevation of the geothermal water supply area is 763–1063 m, and the main source is precipitation from the mountainous areas in the western Taihang Mountains. The Na-K-Ca temperature scale and multi-mineral equilibrium method have relatively small errors and are suitable for the southern region of the Jizhong Depression, with average errors of 21.44 °C and 32.64 °C, respectively. The depth of the Jxw thermal storage cycle in the research area is 3033–5187 m, and the depth of the Ng thermal storage cycle is 1360–2862 m. The content of the main ions (Na+, K+, and Cl−) in the water samples of the study area is greater in the Jxw thermal storage than in the Ng thermal storage; the Jxw thermal storage water samples have lower γNa+/γCl− values than the Ng thermal storage; and the γSO42−/γCl− and γCl−/(γHCO3− + CO32−) values are greater than those of the Ng thermal storage, indicating that the Jxw thermal storage is located in a geological environment with better sealing, longer flow, slower water circulation, more complete leaching, and higher salinity than the Ng thermal storage. Part of the deep thermal storage is transmitted upwards through the rocks via thermal conduction, and part is transmitted upwards along fault channels via thermal convection, forming a convection–conduction-type geothermal system.

Dual-wavelength output devices have a wide range of applications in mid-infrared band difference frequency generation, anti-interference lidar, dual-wavelength holographic interferometry, and other applications. Vertical external cavity surface-emitting lasers (VECSELs) are a type of semiconductor laser that can achieve single-chip dual-wavelength output by designing the chip structure. In this paper, we present a single-chip VECSEL that can switch between dual-wavelength and single-wavelength output modes. The VECSEL can simultaneously emit coaxial laser beams at 967 nm and 1013 nm, with a wavelength spacing of about 45 nm. The degree of mismatch between the gain peaks of the two quantum wells in the gain chip and the corresponding cavity modes is different. By adjusting the pump power, the temperature of the active region can be changed, which alters the matching relationship between the gain peaks and the cavity modes and controls the output mode of the VECSEL. The dual-wavelength output mode maintains a stable wavelength spacing at different operating temperatures. The laser output mode can be switched between single-wavelength and dual-wavelength, and the beam divergence angle is less than 8°. The dual-wavelength output power can exceed 400 mW, and the long-wavelength output power can reach up to 700 mW.

In order to study the self-healing performance of macroscopic fractures of asphalt mixtures, semicircular bending (SCB) tests were used to test 90# base asphalt mixtures, SBS (Styrene–Butadiene–Styrene) modified asphalt mixtures, and SBS + CR (Chloroprene Rubber) composite modified asphalt mixtures. The F-H-F (the asphalt mixture specimen was fatigued for a certain number of times, then healed under certain conditions, and then fatigued until destroyed) test was carried out, and the fatigue life recovery rate of the fatigue test before and after healing was defined as the healing index (HI). The gray correlation analysis method was used to judge the influence degree of influencing factors on fatigue–healing according to the correlation index. The results show the type of asphalt has the most significant influence on the healing ability of the asphalt mixture. In the case of complete healing, the fatigue–healing performance of the SBS + CR composite modified asphalt mixture was the best, followed by the SBS-modified asphalt mixture, and 90# base asphalt. When the healing temperature is close to the softening point of asphalt, the healing performance of 90# base asphalt is better when the healing temperature is low. When the healing time is longer, the healing performance is better, and there is an optimal healing time. The healing index decreased with the increase in the degree of damage. When the degree of damage is too large, the asphalt mixture will be difficult to heal.

Iodine is a well-known oxidant that is widely used in organic syntheses. Thiol oxidation by stoichiometric iodine is one of the most commonly employed strategies for the synthesis of valuable disulfides. While recent advancements in catalytic aerobic oxidation conditions have eliminated the need for stoichiometric oxidants, concerns persist regarding the use of toxic or expensive catalysts. In this study, we discovered that iodine can be used as a cheap, low-toxicity catalyst in the aerobic oxidation of thiols. In the catalytic cycle, iodine can be regenerated via HI oxidation by O2 at 70 °C in EtOAc. This protocol harnesses sustainable oxygen as the terminal oxidant, enabling the conversion of primary and secondary thiols with remarkable efficiency. Notably, all 26 tested thiols, encompassing various sensitive functional groups, were successfully converted into their corresponding disulfides with yields ranging from >66% to 98% at a catalyst loading of 5 mol%.

Lonicerae japonicae flos and Lonicerae flos are increasingly widely used in food and traditional medicine products around the world. Due to their high demand and similar appearance, they are often used in a confused or adulterated way; therefore, a rapid and comprehensive analytical method is highly required. In this case, the comparative analysis of a total of 100 samples with different species, growth modes, and processing methods was carried out by nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy and chemical pattern recognition analysis. The obtained 1H-NMR spectrums were employed by principal component analysis (PCA), partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Specifically, after the dimensionality reduction of data, linear discriminant analysis (LDA) exhibited good classification abilities for the species, growth modes, and processing methods. It is worth noting that the sample prediction accuracy from the testing set and the cross-validation predictions of the LDA models were higher than 95.65% and 98.1%, respectively. In addition, the results showed that macranthoidin A, macranthoidin B, and dipsacoside B could be considered as the main differential components of Lonicerae japonicae flos and Lonicerae Flos, while secoxyloganin, secologanoside, and sweroside could be responsible for distinguishing cultivated and wild Lonicerae japonicae Flos. Accordingly, 1H-NMR spectroscopy combined with chemical pattern recognition gives a comprehensive overview and provides new insight into the quality control and evaluation of Lonicerae japonicae flos.

In this study, the complete mitogenome of Grapsus albolineatus (Lamarck, 1818) (Crustacea: Grapsoidea) was sequenced. The mitogenome of G. albolineatus was a circular molecule with 15,578 bp length. Its nucleotide composition was 26.81% A, 16.37% G, 34.51% T, and 22.31% C. It comprised 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA (tRNA), and two ribosomal RNA (rRNA). All PCGs were initiated by ATN codons, except for the atp8 and nad1 genes. Ten PCGs used a common stop codon of TAA or TAG, and the other three ended with a truncated stop codon (a single stop nucleotide T). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that G. albolineatus was closely related to species from the genera Pachygrapsus and Metopograpsus.

BackgroundDiabetes is a major threat to public health across the world. Studies have shown that exposure to p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE) is closely related to the occurrence of type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, the relevant molecular mechanism is not clear. ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of p,p'-DDE on H19 differentially methylated region (DMR) methylation and insulin secretion of rat insulinoma cells (INS-1 cells). MethodsINS-1 cells were cultured with different concentrations (0, 3.125, 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, and 75 µmol·L−1) of p,p'-DDE for 24 h, and the viability of INS-1 cells was detected by CCK-8 method. INS-1 cells were exposed to 0, 12.5, 25, and 50 µmol·L−1 p,p'-DDE for 24 h in subsequent experiments. The methylation levels of 24 CpG sites in H19 DMR were analyzed by bisulfite genomic sequencing. The expression levels of insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) mRNA were detected by real-time quantitative PCR. The expression levels of IGF2 and insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF1R) proteins were detected by Western blotting. The insulin secretion function of INS-1 cells was determined by glucose-stimulatedinsulin secretion test (5 and 25 mmol·L−1 glucose, respectively).ResultsCompared with the control group, the viability of INS-1 cells increased significantly after treatment with 12.5 µmol·L−1 p,p'-DDE; however, it was significantly inhibited after treatment with 50 or 75 µmol·L−1 p,p'-DDE (P

Aiming at the maintenance of dangerous parts of transmission tower，a new climbing robot is designed. According to the motion environment and clamping mode of the climbing robot，a composite structure combining magnetic adsorption and mechanical clamping is designed to ensure the reliability and accuracy of clamping. The clamping claw is driven by a motor and drives the screw elevator to move up and down through gear transmission，so as to realize the clamping of the claw to the angle steel. At the same time，the electromagnet adsorbs the angle steel to realize the double clamping of the angle steel，which effectively resists the danger of overturning and falling off of the climbing robot on the iron tower. The design process of electromagnetic adsorption clamping gripper is introduced，the three-dimensional model of gripper is established，the static analysis and simulation of gripper are carried out，and its rationality is verified by experiments.

Abstract Background Aortic aneurysm (AA) is a global public health concern. However, little is known about the disease burden of AA in China. Methods Following the general analytic strategy used in the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2019, we analyzed the mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) due to AA, stratified by sex, age, and province-level region in China from 1990 to 2019. The temporal trend of AA burden in China was analyzed and the main attributable risk factors for AA in China were also explored. Results In China, the total AA deaths were 17,038 (95% UI: 14,392-19,980) in 2019, an increase of 136.1% compared with that in 1990, with an age-standardized death rate (ASDR) of 0.93 (95% UI: 0.79-1.08) per 100,000 person-years in 2019, a decrease of 6.8%. Meanwhile AA caused 378,578 (95% UI: 315,980-450,479) YLLs in 2019, an increase of 102.6% compared with that in 1990, with a crude YLL rate of 26.6 (95% UI: 22.2-31.7) per 100,000 person-years, an increase of 68.6%. The AA mortality and YLLs were higher in males than in females. AA caused most YLLs in the 65- to 75-year-old age group. The AA mortality and YLLs varied significantly among provinces in China, and the change in ASDR showed a negative correlation with the sociodemographic index of different provinces, namely, more decline of ASDR in developed provinces. High systolic blood pressure was shown to be the most significant attributable risk factor for AA burden in both males and females, and smoking was another major attributable risk factor, especially in males. Conclusions The disease burden of AA increased significantly from 1990 to 2019 in China, with higher mortality and YLLs in males, senior populations, and among residents of most western provinces in China. High systolic blood pressure and smoking were two major attributable risk factors for AA mortality in China.

IntroductionPatients with intermediate or locally advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who are not eligible for radical treatment typically have a poor overall prognosis. Treatment strategies that can convert unresectable HCC into resectable HCC may improve patient survival. We conducted a single arm phase 2 trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Sintilimab plus Lenvatinib as conversion therapy for HCC.MethodsA single-arm, single-center study conducted in China (NCT04042805). Adults (≥18 years) with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) Stage B or C HCC ineligible for radical surgery with no distant/lymph node metastasis received Sintilimab 200 mg IV on day 1 of a 21-day cycle plus Lenvatinib 12 mg (body weight ≥60 kg) or 8 mg (body weight

ObjectiveAdenoid hypertrophy (AH) and otitis media with effusion (OME) are common pediatric otolaryngological diseases and often occur concurrently. The purpose of this study was to comprehensively analyze the factors that influence the occurrence of OME pediatric patients with AH.MethodsPatients younger than 12 years with AH, who were hospitalized for treatment at Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital in Beijing, China, between March 2018 and February 2022 were enrolled. The patients were divided into an AH group and an AH + OME group based on the presence of OME. The authors collected the following clinical data for univariable analysis: sex; age; body mass index (BMI); comorbid nasal congestion/rhinorrhea, recurrent tonsillitis, or allergic rhinitis (AR); adenoid and tonsil grade; tonsillar hypertrophy; food/drug allergy; history of adenoidectomy and congenital diseases; breastfeeding status; preterm birth; exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS); family history of adenotonsillectomy, otitis media, and AR; main data of polysomnography and oropharyngeal conditional pathogen culture data of some patients. Univariate analysis was performed as a basis for logistic regression analysis.ResultsA total of 511 children (329 boys and 182 girls) were included, their mean age was 5.37 ± 2.10 years. Of them, 407 (79.6%) were in the AH group and 104 (20.4%) in the AH + OME group. Univariate analysis revealed statistically significant differences in age, BMI, adenoid grade, AR, breastfeeding status, and ETS exposure between the two groups. Multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that age, adenoid grade, AR, breastfeeding status, and ETS influenced the occurrence of OME in pediatric patients with AH. The risk of OME decreased with increasing age. High adenoid grade, ETS exposure, and comorbid AR were risk factors for OME in pediatric patients with AH, but breastfeeding was a protective factor. The final analytical results of the oropharyngeal conditional pathogen culture data showed that Streptococcus pneumoniae positivity was associated with OME in AH.ConclusionThe pathogenesis of AH with OME is complex. Young age, high adenoid grade, ETS exposure, non-breastfed status, comorbid AR, and the presence of S. pneumoniae in the oropharynx are risk factors for OME in pediatric patients with AH.

A large subset of elders is classified as having sarcopenic obesity, a prevalence of obesity in combination with sarcopenia which places an aging population at the risk of adverse health consequences from both conditions. However, its complex etiology has restrained the development of effective therapeutic strategies. Recent progress has highlighted that the mode by which adipose tissue (AT) remodels is a determinant of metabolic health in the context of obesity. Healthy AT remodeling confers metabolic protection including insulin-sensitizing and anti-inflammatory effects to non-adipose tissues including skeletal muscle. Here, we employed a doxycycline-inducible adipocyte Hif1a knockout system to evaluate the muscle-protective effects associated with HIF1α inactivation-induced healthy AT remodeling in a model of sarcopenic obesity. We found that adipocyte HIF1α inactivation leads to improved AT metabolic health, reduced serum levels of lipids and pro-inflammatory cytokines, and increase of circulating adipokine (APN) in ovariectomized obese mice fed with obesogenic high-fat diet (HFD). Concomitantly, muscle inflammation is evidently lower in obese OVX mice when adipocyte HIF1α is inactivated. Furthermore, these protective effects against muscle inflammation can be mimicked by the administration of adiponectin receptor agonist AdipoRon. Collectively, our findings underscore the importance of AT metabolic health in the context of concurrent sarcopenia and obesity, and promotion of healthy AT remodeling may represent a new therapeutic strategy to improve muscle health in sarcopenic obesity.

Financial vulnerability is an important issue in livelihood resilience research domain. In the context of the Farmland Property Rights Reform in rural China and the promotion of farmland circulation, this study aims to explore whether and how household financial vulnerability is affected by farmland circulation and whether its impact shows heterogeneous characteristics depending on differences in farm household characteristics and regional characteristics. To answer these questions, a theoretical and empirical study was conducted based on the latest available Chinese household survey data (N = 9,822) from 2015 to 2019, using a chain mediating effects model and group regressions. The findings showed that farmland circulation could significantly reduce household financial vulnerability (Coef.=−0.167, p

The reach of online information transmission has expanded due to the rapid growth of social software and Internet technology, and the negative information generated during the COVID-19 outbreak can confuse the public. Therefore, a new challenge in the prevention and control of epidemics is how to supervise negative public perceptions. This study differentiates negative public opinion communication stages through practical cases and is based on the life cycle hypothesis. In order to examine the evolution and stability tactics of each game subject in each stage of the evolution of public opinion, a three-way evolution game model comprising social platform operators, official media, and opinion leaders is created on the basis of prospect theory. Finally, the advanced epidemic model is used to verify the important impact of cooperation between official media and opinion leaders on curbing the transmission of negative public opinion. It is found that the perceived value of game players on income and loss will significantly affect the trend of the tripartite game strategy, and the cooperative behavior of official media and opinion leaders can effectively promote the benign development of online public opinion.

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Recent studies have shown that circular RNAs (circRNAs) have emerged as important players in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. circRNAs are a class of endogenous noncoding RNAs that are generated by back-splicing and are involved in many pathophysiological processes. In this review, we outline the current research progress on the regulatory roles of circRNAs in cardiovascular diseases. Further, new technologies and methods available for identifying, validating, synthesizing, and analyzing circRNAs, as well as their applications in therapeutics, are highlighted here. Moreover, we summarize the increasing insights into the potential use of circRNAs as circulating diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Finally, we discuss the prospects and challenges of circRNA therapeutic applications for cardiovascular disease therapy, with a particular focus on developing circRNA synthesis and engineering delivery systems.

Aim. Pirfenidone (PFD), an antifibrotic drug, has various beneficial functions such as antioxidant, antifibrotic, and anti-inflammatory effects. This study aimed to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying how PFD modulates retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells involved in neovascularization and subretinal fibrosis. Methods. ARPE-19 cell lines were treated with transforming growth factor-beta 2 (TGF-β2) alone or in combination with PFD. RPE cell viability, as a consequence of PFD use, was determined by the CCK-8 assay. Cell migration was assessed by the wound closure assay and quantified by the Image J software. Protein expression of the following markers was measured by the western blot analysis: an epithelial cell marker and E-cadherin; mesenchymal cell markers, fibronectin, matrix metalloprotein-9 (MMP-9), and alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA); a fibrotic marker and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF); an angiogenesis marker and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF); NF-κB/Snail. The mRNA levels of fibronectin and α-SMA were determined by quantitative real-time PCR. VEGF was quantitatively measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results. The cell viability assay revealed that PFD had no significant cytotoxic effect on RPE cells at concentrations of less than 1 mg/mL. The cell scratch assay showed that TGF-β2 stimulation significantly improved the migration of RPE cells and that PFD attenuated this effect. PFD significantly inhibited the TGF-β2-induced protein expression of E-cadherin and increased the TGF-β2-induced protein expression of fibronectin, MMP-9, α-SMA, CTGF, and VEGF in ARPE-19 cells. The mRNA expression of fibronectin and α-SMA was inhibited by PFD in TGF-β2-inducedARPE-19 cells. Additionally, the increased intracellular and supernatant expression of VEGF protein was suppressed by PFD. Mechanistically, RPE cells treated with PFD + TGF-β2 exhibited a decrease in phosphorylation of the NF-κB P65 subunit and activation of Snail, compared with the RPE cells treated with TGF-β2 alone. Conclusion. PFD ameliorated TGF-β2-induced neovascularization and fibrosis by suppressing the NF-κB/Snail signaling pathway. Therefore, PFD may be a potential drug in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration.

PurposeTo explore the associations between anthropometric indicators and refraction in school-aged children in the post-COVID-19 era.MethodsData were collected from 25,644 children aged 7 to 12 years in 48 elementary schools in Tianjin. The comprehensive examination included height, weight, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), refraction, and calculation of BMI, with a follow-up visit after 6 months. Myopia was defined as spherical equivalent refraction (SER) ≤-0.50 diopter (D). Bivariate correlation coefficients and multiple linear regression models were used to explore the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between anthropometric indicators (height, weight, BMI, SBP, and DBP) and refraction.ResultsThe mean changes in height, weight, BMI, SBP, DBP, and SER of the participants were 4.03 ± 2.18 cm, 3.10 ± 2.39 kg, 0.45 ± 1.16 kg/m2, 2.26 ± 14.74 mmHg, 2.18 ± 11.79 mmHg and −0.17 ± 0.51 D, respectively. Overall, height, weight, BMI, SBP, and DBP were all correlated with SER (r = −0.324, r = −0.234, r = −0.121, r = −0.112, r = −0.066, both p < 0.001), and changes in height and weight were correlated with changes in SER (r = −0.034, −0.031, both p < 0.001). Furthermore, multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the association of BMI, SBP, and DBP with SER was significant in myopic children but not in non-myopic children. The association between changes in weight and changes in SER was only present in non-myopic children but not in myopic children.ConclusionHeight and weight were negatively correlated with SER in both cross-sectional analysis and longitudinal changes, indicating that children's height, weight and growth rate may be used as a reference indicator for myopia risk prediction and myopia progression monitoring.

There is a lack of research on the effects of acute exposure to ambient sulfur dioxide (SO2) on mortality caused by asthma, especially nationwide research in China. To explore the acute effect of exposure to ambient SO2 on asthma mortality using nationwide dataset in China from 2015 to 2020 and further evaluate the associations in subgroups with different geographical and demographic characteristics. We used data from China’s Disease Surveillance Points system with 29,553 asthma deaths in China during 2015–2020. The exposure variable was the daily mean concentrations of SO2 from the ChinaHighSO2 10 km × 10 km daily grid dataset. Bilinear interpolation was used to estimate each individual’s exposure to air pollutants and meteorological variables. We used a time-stratified case crossover design at the individual level to analyze the exposure response relationship between short-term exposure to SO2 and asthma mortality. Stratified analyses were carried out by sex, age group, marital status, warm season and cold season, urbanicity and region. Significant associations between short-term exposure to ambient SO2 and increased asthma mortality were found in this nationwide study. The excess risk (ER) for each 10 μg/m3 increase in SO2 concentrations at lag07 was 7.78 % (95 % CI, 4.16–11.52 %). Season appeared to significantly modify the association. The associations were stronger in cold season (ER 9.78 %, 95 % CI:5.82 −13.89 %). The association remained consistent using different lag periods, adjusting for other pollutants, and in the analysis during pre-Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) period. Our study indicates increased risk of asthma mortality with acute exposures to SO2 in Chinese population. The current study lends support for greater awareness of the harmful effect of SO2 in China and other countries with high SO2 pollution.

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effectiveness of compound feed additive (CFA) to replace antibiotics for broiler production. A total of 350 one-day-old Arbor Acres broilers were randomly divided into 7 groups, 5 replications in each group and 10 broilers in each replication. Group A was the control; group B was supplemented with 75 mg/kg chlortetracycline; groups C, D, and E were supplemented with 0.03, 0.06, and 0.09% CFA including glucose oxidase, curcumin, and Lactobacillus acidophilus; group F was supplemented with 0.03% CFA plus 0.50% glucose; group G was supplemented with 0.50% glucose. The feeding period was divided into the early (1–21 d) and later stages (22–42 d). The results showed that average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion rate (F/G) in group F in later stage were significantly better than those in the control and antibiotic groups; the diarrhea rates in the groups containing CFA in both stages was significantly lower than that in the control and antibiotic groups, indicating that CFA was better than antibiotics to improve growth and decrease diarrhea rate for broilers. Pathogenic E. coli challenge significantly increased diarrhea rates and decreased ADG for broilers; however, CFA addition could alleviate the above negative responses by increasing gut Lactobacillus abundance and decreasing Shigella abundance. It can be concluded that CFA can replace antibiotics to regulate intestinal microbiota, reduce diarrhea rate, and improve broiler growth.

Abstract Bone remodeling is a lifelong process that gives rise to a mature, dynamic bone structure via a balance between bone formation by osteoblasts and resorption by osteoclasts. These opposite processes allow the accommodation of bones to dynamic mechanical forces, altering bone mass in response to changing conditions. Mechanical forces are indispensable for bone homeostasis; skeletal formation, resorption, and adaptation are dependent on mechanical signals, and loss of mechanical stimulation can therefore significantly weaken the bone structure, causing disuse osteoporosis and increasing the risk of fracture. The exact mechanisms by which the body senses and transduces mechanical forces to regulate bone remodeling have long been an active area of study among researchers and clinicians. Such research will lead to a deeper understanding of bone disorders and identify new strategies for skeletal rejuvenation. Here, we will discuss the mechanical properties, mechanosensitive cell populations, and mechanotransducive signaling pathways of the skeletal system.

Abstract Background Premature ovarian failure (POF) is a serious problem for young women who receive chemotherapy, and its pathophysiological basis is the dysfunction of granulosa cells. According to previous reports, menstrual-derived stem cells (MenSCs) can restore ovarian function and folliculogenesis in mice with chemotherapy-induced POF. Fat mass- and obesity-associated (FTO) was reported to be associated with oocyte development and maturation. FTO was decreased in POF and may be a biomarker for the occurrence of POF. Knockdown of FTO in granulosa cells promoted cell apoptosis and inhibited proliferation. But the relationship between FTO and ovarian repair was still unclear. This study was aimed at investigating the FTO expression level and the role of FTO in the MenSCs recovering the function of injured granulosa cells. Method First, cisplatin was used to establish a granulosa cell injury model. Then, the MenSCs and injured granulosa cell coculture model and POF mouse model were established in this study to explore the role of FTO. Furthermore, gain- and loss-of-function studies, small interfering RNA transfection, and meclofenamic acid (MA), a highly selective inhibitor of FTO, studies were also conducted to clarify the regulatory mechanism of FTO in granulosa cells. Results MenSCs coculture could improve the function of injured granulosa cells by increasing the expression of FTO. MenSCs transplantation restored the expression of FTO in the ovaries of POF mice. Overexpression of FTO restored the injured cell proliferation and decreased apoptosis by regulating the expression of BNIP3. Down-regulation of FTO got the opposite results. Conclusions In the treatment of MenSCs, FTO has a protective effect, which could improve the viability of granulosa cells after cisplatin treatment by decreasing the expression of BNIP3. Meanwhile, FTO may provide new insight into therapeutic targets for the chemotherapy-induced POF.

In this study, nanosecond-pulse lasing was achieved using a vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser (VECSEL) with only a single gain chip. A simple linear-cavity setup was used for the VECSEL, and pulsed lasing with a pulse width of ∼9 ns and a repetition frequency of ∼54 MHz was achieved. Dual-wavelength lasing at 974 and 978 nm was observed. The average output power during pulsed operation exceeded 100 mW. As the pumping power was increased, the laser output power could be switched off. However, stable dual-wavelength emission was maintained. The maximum output power under dual-wavelength operation could reach 455 mW.

Abstract Background Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) has been reported to maintain adequate oxygenation among patients under 60% FiO2 one-lung ventilation (OLV). This research aimed to explore whether PGE1 is safe in pulmonary shunt and oxygenation under 40% FiO2 OLV and provide a reference concentration of PGE1. Methods Totally 90 esophageal cancer patients treated with thoracotomy were enrolled in this study, randomly divided into three groups (n = 30/group): Group A (60% FiO2 and 0.1 µg/kg PGE1), Group B (40% FiO2 and 0.1 µg/kg PGE1), and Group C (40% FiO2, 0.2 µg/kg PGE1). Primary outcomes were oxygenation and pulmonary shunt during OLV. Secondary outcomes included oxidative stress after OLV. Results During OLV, patients in Group C and B had lower levels of PaO2, SaO2, SpO2, MAP, and Qs/Qt than those in Group A (P

Abstract Skeletal development and homeostasis in mammals are modulated by finely coordinated processes of migration, proliferation, differentiation, and death of skeletogenic cells originating from the mesoderm and neural crest. Numerous molecular mechanisms are involved in these regulatory processes, one of which is protein posttranslational modifications, particularly protein tyrosine phosphorylation (PYP). PYP occurs mainly through the action of protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs), modifying protein enzymatic activity, changing its cellular localization, and aiding in the assembly or disassembly of protein signaling complexes. Under physiological conditions, PYP is balanced by the coordinated action of PTKs and protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs). Dysregulation of PYP can cause genetic, metabolic, developmental, and oncogenic skeletal diseases. Although PYP is a reversible biochemical process, in contrast to PTKs, little is known about how this equilibrium is modulated by PTPs in the skeletal system. Whole-genome sequencing has revealed a large and diverse superfamily of PTP genes (over 100 members) in humans, which can be further divided into cysteine (Cys)-, aspartic acid (Asp)-, and histidine (His)-based PTPs. Here, we review current knowledge about the functions and regulatory mechanisms of 28 PTPs involved in skeletal development and diseases; 27 of them belong to class I and II Cys-based PTPs, and the other is an Asp-based PTP. Recent progress in analyzing animal models that harbor various mutations in these PTPs and future research directions are also discussed. Our literature review indicates that PTPs are as crucial as PTKs in supporting skeletal development and homeostasis.

Recognition of safety helmets wearing by construction workers is a common target detection topic in applications of deep learning-based image processing. This paper provides a study of an enhanced YOLOv5-based method, in which the challenges caused by complicated construction environment backgrounds, dense targets, and the irregular shape of safety helmets are addressed. In a trunk network, feature extraction is more based on the target shape by using the Deformable Convolution Net instead of the conventional convolution; in the Neck, a Convolutional Block Attention Module is introduced to weaken feature extraction of complex backgrounds by giving weights to enhance the characterization ability of target features; and the original network’s Generalized Intersection over Union Loss is replaced by Distance Intersection over Union Loss to overcome the problem of erroneous location when the population is dense. The dataset for the training network is created by mixing open-source datasets with autonomous collecting to evaluate the effectiveness of the algorithm. We observed that the improved model has a detection accuracy of 91.6%, up 2.3% over the original network model, and a detection speed of 29 frames per second, which is compliant with most security cameras’ capture frame rate.

We report an in-well and barrier coupling pump scheme of semiconductor disk laser (SDL). An in-well-absorbed (940 nm) and a barrier-absorbed (808 nm) pump source were used to measure laser output characteristics. The output power of the coupling pump can be significantly improved compared to the in-well pump only scheme under similar thermal load conditions. The power scaling of the coupling pump SDL is caused by the interaction dynamics of the photoexcited carrier between quantum-well and barrier. The results are discussed with a rate equation model that considers the injected into the quantum-well carrier and the barrier carrier in the active region.

Abstract Background Diatoms are well known for high photosynthetic efficiency and rapid growth rate, which are not only important oceanic primary producer, but also ideal feedstock for microalgae industrialization. Their high success is mainly due to the rapid response of photosynthesis to inorganic carbon fluctuations. Thus, an in-depth understanding of the photosynthetic carbon fixation mechanism of diatoms will be of great help to microalgae-based applications. This work directed toward the analysis of whether C4 photosynthetic pathway functions in the model marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, which possesses biophysical CO2-concentrating mechanism (CCM) as well as metabolic enzymes potentially involved in C4 photosynthetic pathway. Results For P. tricornutum, differential proteome, enzyme activities and transcript abundance of carbon metabolism-related genes especially biophysical and biochemical CCM-related genes in response to different concentrations of CO2 were tracked in this study. The upregulated protein abundance of a carbonic anhydrases and a bicarbonate transporter suggested biophysical CCM activated under low CO2 (LC). The upregulation of a number of key C4-related enzymes in enzymatic activity, transcript and protein abundance under LC indicated the induction of a mitochondria-mediated CCM in P. tricornutum. Moreover, protein abundance of a number of glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, photorespiration and ornithine–urea cycle related proteins upregulated under LC, while numbers of proteins involved in the Calvin cycle and pentose phosphate pathway were downregulated. Under high CO2 (HC), protein abundance of most central carbon metabolism and photosynthesis-related proteins were upregulated. Conclusions The proteomic and biochemical responses to different concentrations of CO2 suggested multiple carbon metabolism strategies exist in P. tricornutum. Namely, LC might induce a mitochondrial-mediated C4-like CCM and the improvement of glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, photorespiration and ornithine–urea cycle activity contribute to the energy supply and carbon and nitrogen recapture in P. tricornutum to cope with the CO2 limitation, while P. tricornutum responds to the HC environment by improving photosynthesis and central carbon metabolism activity. These findings can not only provide evidences for revealing the global picture of biophysical and biochemical CCM in P. tricornutum, but also provide target genes for further microalgal strain modification to improve carbon fixation and biomass yield in algal-based industry.

Abstract Automated optical inspection of FAST is realized by exploiting advances in drone technology and deep-learning techniques. The AI-powered drone-based automated inspection is time-efficient and reliable, which guarantees the stable operation of FAST.

This study involves the fabrication and characterization of a multifunctional therapeutic nanocomposite system, as well as an assessment of its in vitro efficacy for breast cancer treatment. The nanocomposite system combines gold nanorods (GNRs) and gold nanoclusters (GNCs) to enable a combination of photothermal therapy and doxorubicin-based chemotherapy. GNRs of various sizes but exhibiting similar absorbance spectra were synthesized and screened for photothermal efficiency. GNRs exhibiting the highest photothermal efficiency were selected for further experiments. GNCs were synthesized in bovine serum albumin (BSA) and integrated into citrate-capped GNRs using layer-by-layer assembly. Glutaraldehyde crosslinking with the lysine residues in BSA was employed to immobilize the GNCs onto the GNRs, forming a stable “soft gel-like” structure. This structure provided binding sites for doxorubicin through electrostatic interactions and enhanced the overall structural stability of the nanocomposite. Additionally, the presence of GNCs allowed the nanocomposite system to emit robust fluorescence in the range of ~520 nm to 700 nm for self-detection. Hyaluronic acid was functionalized on the exterior surface of the nanocomposite as a targeting moiety for CD44 to improve the cellular internalization and specificity for breast cancer cells. The developed nanocomposite system demonstrated good stability in vitro and exhibited a pH- and near-infrared-responsive drug release behavior. In vitro studies showed the efficient internalization of the nanocomposite system and reduced cellular viability following NIR irradiation in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Together, these results highlight the potential of this nanocomposite system for targeted breast cancer therapy.

In this paper, we present a novel approach that subtly combines the transformer with grasping CNN to achieve more optimal grasps in complex real-life situations. The approach comprises two unique designs that effectively improve grasp precision in complex scenes. The first essential design uses self-attention mechanisms to capture contextual information from RGB images, boosting contrast between key object features and their surroundings. We precisely adjust internal parameters to balance accuracy and computing costs. The second crucial design involves building a feature fusion bridge that processes all one-dimensional sequence features at once to create an intuitive visual perception for the detection stage, ensuring a seamless combination of the transformer block and CNN. These designs eliminate noise features in complex backgrounds and emphasize graspable object features, providing valuable semantic data to the subsequent grasping CNN to achieve appropriate grasping. We evaluated the approach on the Cornell and VMRD datasets. According to the experimental results, our method achieves better performance than the original grasping CNN in single-object and multi-object scenarios, exhibiting 97.7% and 72.2% accuracy on the Cornell and VMRD grasp datasets using RGB, respectively.

The 1550 nm band semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) has great potential for applications such as optical communication. Its wide-gain bandwidth is helpful in expanding the bandwidth resources of optical communication, thereby increasing total capacity transmitted over the fiber. Its relatively low cost and ease of integration also make it a high-performance amplifier of choice for LiDAR applications. In recent years, with the rapid development of quantum-well (QW) material systems, SOAs have gradually overcome the shortcomings of polarization sensitivity and high noise. The research on quantum-dot (QD) materials has further improved the noise characteristics and transmission loss of SOAs. The design of special waveguide structures—such as plate-coupled optical waveguide amplifiers and tapered amplifiers—has also increased the saturation output power of SOAs. The maximum gain of the SOA has been reported to be more than 21 dB. The maximum saturation output power has been reported to be more than 34.7 dBm. The maximum 3 dB gain bandwidth has been reported to be more than 120 nm, the lowest noise figure has been reported to be less than 4 dB, and the lowest polarization-dependent gain has been reported to be 0.1 dB. This study focuses on the improvement and enhancement of the main performance parameters of high-power SOAs in the 1550 nm band and introduces the performance parameters, the research progress of high-power SOAs in the 1550 nm band, and the development and application status of SOAs. Finally, the development trends and prospects of high-power SOAs in the 1550 nm band are summarized.

An underwater crushing unit loaded on the underwater cleaning robot was intended to handle marine biofouling that adhered to the surface of the ship and the dam, and a prototype was initially built. A Computational Fluid Dynamics–Discrete Element Model (CFD-DEM) was created to boost the prototype’s crushing performance, and its rationale was validated by contrasting the simulation results with the results of experimental tests. Accordingly, the primary influences on crushing performance and the laws governing their influence were investigated. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method was then used to establish a prediction model for the comprehensive evaluation indicator of crushing performance. The AHP was used, in this case, because of its ability to generate the weight of indicators. The prediction model was a quadratic polynomial function with the rotational speed, the normal velocity component at the outlet of the propeller, the mass flow rate of the particles at the inlet of the unit, and the thickness of the bushing as independent variables. The prediction model fitting effect met the requirements after the test. The primary elements influencing the underwater crushing unit’s performance were optimized using the prediction model. The average accumulation speed of particles in the crushing unit was reduced by 59.05%, and the mass flow rate of particles at the outlet was reduced by 11.93%. The maximum wear height of the bushing was reduced by 33.36%. The specific power was up 20.88%, and the overall crushing performance was up 9.87% when compared to before optimization.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of exercise on depressive-like behavior induced by chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) in rats and to explore the role of the SIRT3/ROS/NLRP3 signaling pathway in this process. Methods: Twenty-nine male 8-week-old Sprague Dawley rats were divided into a control group (CON) (nine rats) and a model group (twenty rats). Thirteen chronic stress stimuli were randomly applied once or twice per day for 35 days to induce depression in the model group rats. After the model was established, the model group rats were randomly divided into the CUMS group (CUMS) and the aerobic exercise + CUMS group (EX + CUMS). The EX + CUMS group received 8 weeks of aerobic exercise intervention for 6 days per week. Behavioral assessments were performed using the sucrose preference test and forced swimming test. The expression of SIRT3, NLRP3, IL-1β, and IL-18 in the hippocampus was detected using RT-PCR. The ROS level in the hippocampus was detected using immunofluorescence. The protein levels of SIRT3 and NLRP3 in the hippocampus were detected using western blotting. The protein levels of IL-1β and IL-18 in the hippocampus were measured using ELISA. Results: After 5 weeks of chronic stress stimuli, the hippocampal function of rats in the CUMS model group was impaired, and their sucrose preference was reduced, while their forced swimming time was prolonged. The expression of SIRT3 decreased, ROS increased, and the expression of NLRP3 and the levels of IL-1β and IL-18 increased. Aerobic exercise increased the sucrose preference of rats, shortened their immobility time, increased the expression of SIRT3, and reduced the levels of ROS, NLRP3, IL-1β, and IL-18. Conclusion: Exercise can improve the depressive behavior of CUMS model rats, and its mechanism may be related to the upregulation of SIRT3 in the hippocampus, which plays an anti-inflammatory role.