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Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a highly disabling disorder for which few effective treatments are available. Grape seed proanthocyanidins (GSPs) are polyphenolic compounds with various biological activities. In our preliminary experiment, GSP promoted functional recovery in rats with SCI, but the mechanism remains unclear. Therefore, we explored the protective effects of GSP on SCI and its possible underlying mechanisms. We found that GSP promoted locomotor recovery, reduced neuronal apoptosis, increased neuronal preservation, and regulated microglial polarisation in vivo. We also performed in vitro studies to verify the effects of GSP on neuronal protection and microglial polarisation and their potential mechanisms. We found that GSP regulated microglial polarisation and inhibited apoptosis in PC12 cells induced by M1-BV2 cells through the Toll-like receptor 4- (TLR4-) mediated nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/serine threonine kinase (PI3K/AKT) signaling pathways. This suggests that GSP regulates microglial polarisation and prevents neuronal apoptosis, possibly by the TLR4-mediated NF-κB and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways.

In this study, an application (app) called ezTranslate was developed to aid English as foreign language (EFL) learning by assigning lessons that adapt to students' interests, in order to motivate them to engage concurrently in physical activity in a real context. ezTranslate was developed by combining state-of-the-art technologies--automatic speech recognition and a cloud translation service, which permit effortless language translation. ezTranslate also offers user-oriented, self-speaking practice opportunities via its speech shadowing function. This app is designed (1) as an effective support tool for EFL speaking in authentic contexts and (2) to engage students in exercise as they walk in their environment. Results suggest that using ezTranslate in familiar situations significantly promotes student cooperation, as evidenced by their increased listening and speaking. Furthermore, there were significant differences in English speaking performance and homework aptitude in participants when using ezTranslate with or without authentic contexts. Indeed, this study's findings emphasize the importance of authentic support for EFL speaking; namely, students' interests. The familiarity and fascination of students with real contexts can motivate them to communicate in English better and more frequently. As for the effect of exercise on EFL learning, statistical analysis revealed that the more steps students take, the more they practice speaking English. These results are very promising. Creating an interactive medium in which students not only acquire knowledge but also move their bodies promotes brain and body activity vital to their overall health. In the near future, we plan to extend activity design, executing authentic drama-play to sustain effective, healthy EFL learning.

The development of density functional approximations stands at a crossroads: while machine-learned functionals show potential to surpass their human-designed counterparts, their extrapolation to unseen chemistry lags behind. Here we assess how well the recent Deep Mind 21 (DM21) machine-learned functional [Science, 2021, 374, 1385–1389], trained on main-group chemistry, extrapolates to transition metal chemistry (TMC). We show that DM21 demonstrates comparable or occasionally superior accuracy to B3LYP for TMC, but consistently struggles with achieving self-consistent field convergence for TMC molecules. We also compare main-group and TMC machine-learning DM21 features to shed light on DM21's challenges in TMC. We finally propose strategies to overcome limitations in the extrapolative capabilities of machine-learned functionals in TMC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficient removal of 2-Methylisoborneol (2-MIB), a typical odour component, in water treatment plants (WTPs), poses a great challenge to conventional water treatment technology due to its chemical stability. In this study, the combination of ultraviolet light-emitting diode (UV-LED) and chlorine (UV-LED/chlorine) was exploited for 2-MIB removal, and the role of ultraviolet (UV) wavelength was investigated systematically. The results showed that UV or chlorination alone did not degrade 2-MIB effectively, and the UV/chlorine process could degrade 2-MIB efficiently, following the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The 275 nm UV exhibited higher 2-MIB degradation efficiency in this UV-LED/chlorine system than 254 nm UV, 265 nm UV and 285 nm UV due to the highest mole adsorption coefficient and quantum yield of chlorine in 275 nm UV. ·OH and ·Cl produced in the 275 nm UV/chlorine system played major roles in 2-MIB degradation. HCO3− and Natural organic matter (NOM), prevalent in water, consumed ·OH and ·Cl, thus inhibiting the 2-MIB degradation by UV-LED/chlorine. In addition, NOM and 2-MIB could form a photonic competition effect. The degradation of 2-MIB by UV-LED/chlorine was done mainly through dehydration and demethylation, and odorous intermediates, such as camphor, were produced. 2-MIB was degraded through the α bond fracture and six-membered ring opening to form saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbons and aldehydes. Four DBPs, chloroform (CF), trichloroacetaldehyde (TCE), trichloroacetone (TCP) and dichloroacetone (DCP), were mainly generated, and CF was the most significant by-product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the vehicle–bridge interaction (VBI) of highway bridges under seismic excitation, a vehicle–bridge couple analysis method based on Ansys is proposed. The 1/2 vehicle model and space beam element model were established to analyze the VBI response of Lanzhou Xiaoshagou bridge. The self-excited excitation of the system is represented by road surface irregularity randomness, while the external excitation is represented by an earthquake. The impact of seismic types, seismic direction, seismic intensity, vehicle speed, and road surface irregularity on the bridge vibration under the vehicle–bridge coupling during an earthquake is thoroughly analyzed. The results reveal that the type of earthquake significantly influences the dynamic response of the bridge, showing a minimum difference of 31.4%. The intensity of the earthquake is positively correlated with the dynamic response of the bridge. Longitudinal and vertical earthquakes have a more noticeable effect on the bridge's vertical vibration compared to lateral earthquakes. The ratio of the bridge response under vertical or longitudinal seismic excitation to the response of lateral earthquakes ranges from 1.50 to 26.61. Vehicle speed, road irregularity grade, and randomness have a negligible impact on the dynamic response of vehicle–bridge interaction under an earthquake, accounting for less than 3%. These findings indicate that the analysis of earthquake-bridge vibration can simplify the VBI analysis for continuous rigid frame composite box girder bridges with corrugated steel webs under seismic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]