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The strengthening effect of reinforced concrete (RC) members externally bonded (EB) with fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) laminates is significantly affected by interfacial debonding failure. To improve the connection between FRP sheets and concrete, a novel type of anchor device for FRP sheets called buckle was proposed in this study. This device can effectively lock the end of the sheet using a patented method of wrapping. In addition to conventional external bonding, bolts were installed on the buckles to form hybrid anchored (HA) FRP sheet. To verify the effectiveness of this new method, a precracked RC beam was prepared in comparison with two undamaged beams strengthened with EB or HA FRP sheets. As observed, end buckles can limit the development of cracks regardless of initial cracking. Despite the occurrence of intermediate debonding due to initial cracks, both the ultimate capacity and failure ductility were significantly improved. Owing to the end buckles, the debonding resistance was excellent, and the initial cracking of the beam hardly affected the strengthening effect. In addition, existing formulas were used to calculate the lower limit of the ultimate load of the specimen strengthened with HA FRP, which was still higher than that of the specimen strengthened by EB FRP. Therefore, the results confirmed that the debonding resistance was greatly enhanced due to the locking of the FRP sheet via end buckles, and the proposed method is useful to guarantee the strengthening effect.

Background: Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a risk factor for stroke, and patients with pre-existing diseases appear to be particularly susceptible. We conducted a case-crossover study to examine the association between short-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and hospital admission for stroke in individuals with atrial fibrillation (AF), hypertension, diabetes, or hyperlipidemia. Methods: Patients diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) were recruited from 2015 to 2017 in Chinese Stroke Center Alliances. We estimated daily PM2.5 average exposures with a spatial resolution of 0.1° using a data assimilation approach combining satellite measurements, air model simulations, and monitoring values. Conditional logistic regression was used to assess PM2.5-related stroke risk in patients with pre-existing medical co-morbidities. Results: A total of 155,616 patients diagnosed with AIS were admitted. Patients with a history of AF ( n = 15,430), hypertension ( n = 138,220), diabetes ( n = 43,737), or hyperlipidemia ( n = 16,855) were assessed separately. A 10 µg/m3 increase in daily PM2.5 was associated with a significant increase in AIS for individuals with AF at lag 4 (odds ratio (OR), 1.008; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.002–1.014), and with hypertension (OR, 1.008; 95% CI, 1.006–1.010), diabetes (OR, 1.006; 95% CI, 1.003–1.010), and hyperlipidemia (OR, 1.007; 95% CI, 1.001–1.012) at lags 0–7. Elderly (⩾ 65 years old) and female patients with AF had significantly higher associations at lag 5 (OR, 1.009; 95% CI, 1.002–1.015) and lag 5 (OR, 1.010; 95% CI, 1.002–1.018), respectively. Conclusion: Short-term exposure to PM2.5 is significantly associated with hospital admission for stroke in individuals with pre-existing medical histories, especially in older or female patients with AF. Preventive measures to reduce PM2.5 concentrations are particularly important in individuals with other medical co-morbidities.

Electromagnetic (EM) observations and gravitational wave (GW) measurements enable us to determine the mass and radius of neutron stars (NSs) and their tidal deformability, respectively. These parameters offer valuable insights into the properties of dense matter in NSs. In this study, the vector-interaction-enhanced bag model (vBag model) is employed to investigate strange and hybrid stars’ properties. The parameters of the vBag model are constrained using multi-messenger observations, revealing that strange stars are incompatible with current observations. In contrast, hybrid stars can exhibit a substantial mixed phase region and a thin hadronic shell. Furthermore, we present the frequencies and damping time of fundamental mode (f-mode) oscillations of hybrid stars and test their universal relations with compactness and tidal deformability. The findings indicate that the presence of mixed phase components leads to larger frequencies and shorter damping time of the f-mode oscillation of hybrid stars, and the softer equation of state (EoS) affects this behavior more significantly. The universal relations of hybrid stars in the vBag model can be described by fourth-order/seventh-order polynomials, which do not break the previous results.

Establishment of breast cancer cells derived from the long-term lung metastatic nodules in a xenograft mouse model (Figure S1). LC cells display strong lymph node-tropic metastasis and tumorigenicity in an orthotopic mouse model (Figure S2). Inhibition of CD24 impairs the ability of in vitro anchorage-independent growth and cell proliferation in CD24-expressing TNBC cell lines (Figure S3). Effect of inhibition of CD24 on luminal breast cancer cell line MCF-7 (Figure S4). CD24-depleted IV2 cells failed to colonize in the lung of SCID mice (Figure S5). CD24 depletion did not alter initial lung targeting of IV2 cells (Figure S6). Ectopic expression of CD24 in 231 cells promotes primary tumor growth and lymphangiogensis/angiogenesis (Figure S7). Depletion of CD24 impairs lymphangiogenesis and angiogenesis via downregulation of VEGF-C and -A (Figure S8). HGF- and EGF-induced VEGF-A and -C expression in TNBC cell lines (Figure S9). Treatment of CD24 mAb reduced lung colonization of MDA-MB-468 in a tail vein injection mouse model (Figure S10). Analysis of clinical correlation between CD24 and EGFR/Met protein expression in 133 TNBC specimens using IHC staining (Figure S11) Cox proportional regression analysis of the influence of CD24 level on 5-year survival of breast cancer patients with different subtypes (Table S1). Cox proportional regression analysis of the influence of CD24 level on recurrence of BC patients in Ma dataset (Table S2). All antibodies and reagents used in this study (Table S3). Primers, oligos and plasmids used in this study (Table S4).

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive breast cancer subtype, with unfavorable prognosis and 5-year survival. The purpose of this study was to investigate the underlying mechanisms involved in TNBC progression. We determined that CD24 expression was elevated in highly lung and lymph node metastatic TNBC cells. CD24 depletion inhibited primary tumor growth and lymph node and lung metastasis and reduced the number of blood and lymphatic vessels in the tumor microenvironment. CD24 knockdown impaired EGFR/Met-mediated signaling and reduced lymphangiogenesis- and angiogenesis-related molecules, including vascular endothelial growth factors A and C, by promoting EGFR and Met protein instability via the lysosomal degradation pathway. CD24 monoclonal antibody treatment reduced lung metastasis and prolonged the survival in a lung metastasis mouse model. Clinical analyses revealed that the CD24high/METhigh “double-positive” signature identified a subset of TNBC patients with worst outcomes. We conclude that CD24 could be a therapeutic target by itself and in combination with the Met expression could be a good prognostic biomarker for TNBC patients.

The comorbidity of autism spectrum disorder and anxiety is common, but the underlying circuitry is poorly understood. Here, Tmem74-/- mice showed autism- and anxiety-like behaviors along with increased excitability of pyramidal neurons (PNs) in the prelimbic cortex (PL), which were reversed by Tmem74 re-expression and chemogenetic inhibition in PNs of the PL. To determine the underlying circuitry, we performed conditional deletion of Tmem74 in the PNs of PL of mice, and we found that alterations in the PL projections to fast-spiking interneurons (FSIs) in the dorsal striatum (dSTR) (PLPNs–dSTRFSIs) mediated the hyperexcitability of FSIs and autism-like behaviors and that alterations in the PL projections to the PNs of the basolateral amygdaloid nucleus (BLA) (PLPNs–BLAPNs) mediated the hyperexcitability of PNs and anxiety-like behaviors. However, the two populations of PNs in the PL had different spatial locations, optogenetic manipulations revealed that alterations in the activity in the PL–dSTR or PL–BLA circuits led to autism- or anxiety-like behaviors, respectively. Collectively, these findings highlight that the hyperactivity of the two populations of PNs in the PL mediates autism and anxiety comorbidity through the PL–dSTR and PL–BLA circuits, which may lead to the development of new therapeutics for the autism and anxiety comorbidity.