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Gas prevention and control have always been the focus of coal mine safety. The pore structure characteristics and gas adsorption characteristics of coal seams are the key factors affecting gas adsorption and diffusion in coal seams. Lvjiatuo Mine has the characteristics of a high gas content when it enters deep mining. In order to clarify the influence of the pore-fracture structure characteristics of main coal seams in the research area on coal seam gas adsorption and diffusion, and to study the differences in gas adsorption and diffusion ability in different coal seams, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption (LT-N2GA), high-pressure mercury intrusion (MIP) and computerized tomography (μ-CT) were used as characterization methods, and methane isothermal adsorption experiments were carried out to systematically study the pore structure characteristics of five groups of coal samples, and the pore-fracture structure characteristics and gas adsorption characteristics of each main coal seam were obtained. The results show that: (1) in the LT-N2GA experiment, the adsorption–desorption curves of all coal samples are of type III, and mainly develop cone-shaped pores or wedge-shaped semi-closed pores, with an average pore size of 1.84~4.84 nm, a total pore volume of 0.0010~0.0023 mL/g, a total specific surface area of 0.16~0.24 m2/g, and a fractal dimension D1 of 1.39~1.87 and D2 of 2.44~2.60. The micropores of L12 are more developed, and the mesopores and macropores of L9 are more developed. (2) In the MIP experiment, the porosity of coal samples is 3.79~6.94%. The porosity of L9 is the highest, the macropore ratio is the highest, and the gas diffusion ability is also the strongest. (3) In the μ-CT experiment, the porosity of L8-2 and L12 is 12.12% and 10.41%, the connectivity is 51.22% and 61.59%, and the Df is 2.39 and 2.30, respectively. The fracture of L12 is more developed, the connectivity is better, and the heterogeneity of the pore of L8-2 is higher. (4) In the isothermal adsorption experiment of methane, the gas adsorption capacity basically increases with the increase in the buried depth of the coal seam, and the gas adsorption capacity of the No.12 coal seam is the highest. Based on the pore-fracture structure characteristics and gas adsorption characteristics of the main coal seams in the research area, the gas outburst risk of each coal seam is ranked as follows: No.12 coal seam > No.8 coal seam > No.7 coal seam > No.9 coal seam. The experimental results provide important help for researching the structural characteristics of coal seam pore fractures and preventing gas outbursts during deep coal seam mining.

With the increasing demand for gas, the problem of local anomalies in deep gas urgently needs to be addressed. This study takes the Lvjiatuo coal mine as the research area, analyzes the main influencing factors of coal seam gas accumulation law in the research area, and predicts the deep gas content in the research area based on a neural network model optimized by particle swarm optimization (PSO-BP). The research results indicate that the development of folds and fault structures only plays a certain degree of control over the accumulation and distribution of gas content in the coal seams of Lvjiatuo coal mine, and the burial depth of the coal seams is the dominant factor affecting the deep gas accumulation in the research area; The mud content of coal seam roof has a significant impact on gas accumulation, and under similar geological factors, the higher the mud content of coal seam roof, the more gas content there is; The PSO-BP neural network model based on the data of coal seam burial depth, structural complexity index, roof mud content, and coal seam thickness in the research area can accurately predict the deep gas content in the area, and the predicted values are accurately fitted with the measured values; The research results have important theoretical and practical significance for studying the law of deep gas accumulation and predicting deep gas content.

Adjusting the local coordination environment of lanthanide luminescent ions is a useful method to manipulate the relevant photoluminescence (PL) property. K3Lu(PO4)2 is a phase-change material, and according to the stable temperature range from low to high, the related polymorphs are phase I [P21/m, coordination number (CN) of Lu3+ = 7], phase II (P21/m, CN = 6), and phase III (P3, CN = 6), respectively. Based on the temperature-dependent PL analysis of K3Lu(PO4)2:Pr3+, we find that Pr3+ ions occupy the noninversion sites (Cs) in the two low-temperature phases but preferentially enter into the inversion ones (C3i) in phase III. Compared to Pr3+-doped phase I (78 K), Pr3+ ions in phase III (300 K) manifest a weaker fluorescence intensity (170-fold lower). To enhance the room-temperature PL property of K3Lu(PO4)2:Pr3+, a polymorphous adjustment strategy was proposed by the use of the ion-doping method. By introducing the Gd3+ ions into the lattice, Pr3+-doped phase I is successfully stabilized to room temperature, manifesting a 27-fold fluorescence increase in comparison to K3Lu(PO4)2:Pr3+ (0.1 at. %). The finding discussed in this study highlights the significance of site engineering for luminescent ions and also presents the application value of phase-change hosts in the development of high-performance luminescent materials.

CaSc2O4:Ce3+ is a well-known green emitting phosphor, but needs to match with suitable red emitting phosphors in practical white lighting. Herein, a site engineering strategy is proposed to modify the local coordination environment of Ce3+ by introducing Y3+ and Mg2+ ions into the CaSc2O4 crystal lattice. The obtained results indicate in the modified Ce3+-doped samples (CSO-YMg), Y3+ ions can occupy both Sc3+ and Ca2+ sites simultaneously, and the Y3+ ions tend to occupy Ca2+ sites in low-doped stage and enter into the Sc3+ sites in the high-doped stage. The introduction of Y3+ ions gives rise to the existence of MgO in as-prepared CSO-YMg samples, and it can be effectively washed through pickling. In the spectral aspect, with the increase of Y3+ and Mg2+ ions, the main emission peak is red-shifted from 512 nm to 530 nm upon excitation at 450 nm. However, the high-doped sample presents much stronger thermally induced fluorescence quenching than CaSc2O4:Ce3+. The lattice defects caused by doped ions (Y3+ and Mg2+) and the non-radiative energy transfer process between the Ca2+ (Ce3+) and Sc3+ (Ce3+ or Ce4+) sites should be responsible for such evident quenching phenomenon in CSO-YMg, which is obviously different from the emitting feature of CaSc2O4:Ce3+ (only at Ca2+ sites). Besides, utilizing the as-prepared CSO-5 phosphors and a blue LED (~450 nm), a WLED was successfully fabricated, yielding a comparable performance to those with commercial Y3Al5O12:Ce3+ phosphors. What discussed in this study would bring some inspirations in the exploration and understanding of Ce3+-based phosphors according to local structural modification.

With the development of light-field imaging technology, depth estimation using light-field cameras has become a hot topic in recent years. Even through many algorithms have achieved good performance for depth estimation using light-field cameras, removing the influence of occlusion, especially multi-occlusion, is still a challenging task. The photo-consistency assumption does not hold in the presence of occlusions, which makes most depth estimation of light-field imaging unreliable. In this article, a novel method to handle complex occlusion in depth estimation of light-field imaging is proposed. The method can effectively identify occluded pixels using a refocusing algorithm, accurately select unoccluded views using the adaptive unoccluded-view identification algorithm, and then improve the depth estimation by computing the cost volumes in the unoccluded views. Experimental results demonstrate the advantages of our proposed algorithm compared with conventional state-of-the art algorithms on both synthetic and real light-field data sets.

In this paper, a global connectivity control method for decentralized multi-robot systems is proposed. This method can achieve decentralized connectivity control of multi-robot network under disturbances, which has no effect on the objective flocking control. Based on the gradient between the connectivity and robot positions, the proposed connectivity control method can make each robot move along the desired gradient direction, so as to achieve the control of the global connectivity. Indeed, the flocking method based on the potential of attraction and repulsion can ensure that the distance between robots is stable within the desired range. Then the security of flocking and the stability of communication are guaranteed. It is proved in this paper that both connectivity and objective flocking control have no effect on the stability of each other, under the condition that both controllers are bounded. Therefore, the global connectivity and configuration of the system can achieve the desired states. In addition, a robust control method based on integral sliding mode is designed in this paper, which can counteract the external disturbance and ensure the ideal dynamics of multi-robot systems. Finally, several numerical simulations are given to validate the effectiveness of the proposed control methods.

Objectives: To observe and analyse the efficacy of retrograde sural neurofasciocutaneous flap repair combined with Jingulian capsules to treat foot and ankle soft tissue defects. Methods: One hundred and eighty patients with foot and ankle soft tissue defects were enrolled in the study from January 2016 to June 2019 in The Second Department of General Surgery, Baoding First Central Hospital. They were divided into a study group and a reference group with the same case number. The former group was provided combination treatment, i.e. retrograde sural neurofasciocutaneous flap repair combined with Jingulian capsules; the latter group was given vacuum sealing drainage. Then, the treatment outcomes of the two groups were compared. Results: The study group needed fewer dressing changes, less preoperative preparation time and antibiotic use than the reference group, p

Cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G) is a well-known natural anthocyanin with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, we explored the role and action mechanism of C3G in high glucose (HG)-induced damage of human nucleus pulposus cells (HNPCs). Cell viability was assessed by CCK-8 assay. TUNEL assay was performed for detecting apoptotic rate. Western blot was performed to determine the expression levels of cl-caspase-3, caspase-3, Bax, Bim, collagen II, aggrecan, MMP-3, MMP-13, and ADAMTS5. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was analyzed using DCFH-DA staining. The Nrf2 was knocked down or overexpressed in HNPCs through transfection with si-Nrf2 or pcDNA3.0-Nrf2. C3G treatment (12.5, 25, and 50 μM) improved cell viability of HNPCs under HG condition. HG-induced cell apoptosis of HNPCs was attenuated by C3G with decreased apoptotic rate and relative levels of cl-caspase-3/caspase-3, Bax, and Bim. C3G treatment caused significant increase in expression levels of collagen II and aggrecan and decrease in the relative levels of MMP-3, MMP-13, and ADAMTS5. After treatment with C3G, ROS generation in HNPCs was markedly reduced. Treatment with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) reversed HG-induced cell apoptosis and extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation. C3G treatment induced the expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 in HG-induced HNPCs. Moreover, knockdown of Nrf2 reversed the inhibitory effect of C3G on ROS production. Summarily, C3G exerted a protective effect on ROS-mediated cellular damage in HNPCs under HG condition, which was attributed to the induction of the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.

There has been little research on the metal isotopic composition of adakitic rock. The main objective of our investigation was to obtain more knowledge on the iron isotopic composition of adakitic rocks and provide new evidence for the genesis of Shangcheng pluton from an iron isotope perspective. The Dabie orogen is divided into eastern and western areas by the Shangcheng-Macheng fault, and the Shangcheng pluton is located in the western Dabie orogen area. The iron isotopic composition of these rocks ranges from 0.08‰ to 0.20‰ (2SD, n = 3). The δ56Fe values of two rocks from the SGD (Sigudun) unit are relatively low (0.11 ± 0.03‰ and 0.08 ± 0.04‰), while the δ56Fe values of the other samples are basically consistent (0.18–0.2‰). Evidence from elemental geochemical characteristics and petrogenesis defines the Shangcheng pluton as adakitic rocks. Our investigation on the elemental and isotopic compositions hints that the enrichment of heavy iron isotopes cannot be explained by weathering/alteration and fluid exsolution. Fractional crystallization of magnetite may account for the enrichment of light iron isotopes in two rocks from the SGD unit, while the fractional iron isotope trend in the other five samples can be explained by Δ56Fecrystal-melt = ~0.035‰. Two investigated rocks from SGD units may have been derived from the partial melting of amphibolite, while the other five samples may have been derived from the partial melting of eclogite containing 10–15% garnet.

Introduction Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a life-threatening disease without effective therapies. PAH is associated with a progressive increase in pulmonary vascular resistance and irreversible pulmonary vascular remodeling . SUMO1 (small ubiquitin-related modifier 1) can bind to target proteins and lead to protein SUMOylation , an important post-translational modification with a key role in many diseases. However, the contribution of SUMO1 to PAH remains to be fully characterized. Methods In this study, we explored the role of SUMO1 in the dedifferentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) involved in hypoxia-induced pulmonary vascular remodeling and PAH in vivo and in vitro. Results In a mouse model of hypoxic PAH, SUMO1 expression was significantly increased, which was associated with activation of autophagy (increased LC3b and decreased p62), dedifferentiation of pulmonary arterial VSMCs (reduced α-SMA, SM22 and SM-MHC), and pulmonary vascular remodeling. Similar results were obtained in a MCT-induced PAH model. Overexpression of SUMO1 significantly increased VSMCs proliferation, migration, hypoxia-induced VSMCs dedifferentiation, and autophagy, but these effects were abolished by inhibition of autophagy by 3-MA in aortic VSMCs. Furthermore, SUMO1 knockdown reversed hypoxia-induced proliferation and migration of PASMCs. Mechanistically, SUMO1 promotes Vps34 SUMOylation and the assembly of the Beclin-1-Vps34-Atg14 complex, thereby inducing autophagy, whereas Vps34 mutation K840R reduces Vps34 SUMOylation and inhibits VSMCs dedifferentiation. Discussion Our data uncovers an important role of SUMO1 in VSMCs proliferation, migration, autophagy, and phenotypic switching (dedifferentiation) involved in pulmonary vascular remodeling and PAH. Targeting of the SUMO1-Vps34-autophagy signaling axis may be exploited to develop therapeutic strategies to treat PAH.

Improving angiogenic capacity under hypoxic conditions is essential for improving the survival of skin grafts, as they often lack the necessary blood supply. The stable expression levels of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) in the nucleus directly affect the downstream vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling pathway and regulate angiogenesis in a hypoxic environment. Astragaloside IV (AS-IV), an active component isolated from Astragalus membranaceus, has multiple biological effects including antioxidant and anti-diabetic effects, and the ability to provide protection from cardiovascular damage. However, the mechanisms underlying these effects have not previously been elucidated. The present study investigated whether AS-IV promotes angiogenesis via affecting the balance between ubiquitination and small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) modification of HIF-1α. The results demonstrated that persistent hypoxia induces changes in expression levels of HIF-1α protein and significantly increases the proportion of dysplastic blood vessels. Further western blotting experiments showed that rapid attenuation and delayed compensation of SUMO1 activity is one of the reasons for the initial increase then decrease in HIF-1α levels. SUMO1 overexpression stabilized the presence of HIF-1α in the nucleus and decreased the extent of abnormal blood vessel morphology observed following hypoxia. AS-IV induces vascular endothelial cells to continuously produce SUMO1, stabilizes the HIF-1α/VEGF pathway and improves angiogenesis in hypoxic conditions. In summary, the present study confirmed that AS-IV stimulates vascular endothelial cells to continuously resupply SUMO1, stabilizes the presence of HIF-1α protein and improves angiogenesis in adverse hypoxic conditions, which may improve the success rate of flap graft surgery following trauma or burn.

Acoustic response from lithics knapped by humans has been demonstrated to facilitate effective detection of submerged Stone Age sites exposed on the seafloor or embedded within its sediments. This phenomenon has recently enabled the non-invasive detection of several hitherto unknown submerged Stone Age sites, as well as the registration of acoustic responses from already known localities. Investigation of the acoustic-response characteristics of knapped lithics, which appear not to be replicated in naturally cracked lithic pieces (geofacts), is presently on-going through laboratory experiments and finite element (FE) modelling of high-resolution 3D-scanned pieces. Experimental work is also being undertaken, employing chirp sub-bottom systems (reflection seismic) on known sites in marine areas and inland water bodies. Fieldwork has already yielded positive results in this initial stage of development of an optimised Human-Altered Lithic Detection (HALD) method for mapping submerged Stone Age sites. This paper reviews the maritime archaeological perspectives of this promising approach, which potentially facilitates new and improved practice, summarizes existing data, and reports on the present state of development. Its focus is not reflection seismics as such, but a useful resonance phenomenon induced by the use of high-resolution reflection seismic systems.

Aims Cardiac fibrosis is a major cause of heart failure (HF), and mediated by the differentiation of cardiac fibroblasts into myofibroblasts. However, limited tools are available to block cardiac fibrosis. ADAMTS16 is a member of the ADAMTS superfamily of extracellular protease enzymes involved in extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation and remodelling. In this study, we aimed to establish ADAMTS16 as a key regulator of cardiac fibrosis. Methods and results Western blot and qRT–PCR analyses demonstrated that ADAMTS16 was significantly up-regulated in mice with transverse aortic constriction (TAC) associated with left ventricular hypertrophy and HF, which was correlated with increased expression of Mmp2, Mmp9, Col1a1, and Col3a1. Overexpression of ADAMTS16 accelerated the AngII-induced activation of cardiac fibroblasts into myofibroblasts. Protein structural analysis and co-immunoprecipitation revealed that ADAMTS16 interacted with the latency-associated peptide (LAP)-transforming growth factor (TGF)-β via a RRFR motif. Overexpression of ADAMTS16 induced the activation of TGF-β in cardiac fibroblasts; however, the effects were blocked by a mutation of the RRFR motif to IIFI, knockdown of Adamts16 expression, or a TGF-β-neutralizing antibody (ΝAb). The RRFR tetrapeptide, but not control IIFI peptide, blocked the interaction between ADAMTS16 and LAP-TGF-β, and accelerated the activation of TGF-β in cardiac fibroblasts. In TAC mice, the RRFR tetrapeptide aggravated cardiac fibrosis and hypertrophy by up-regulation of ECM proteins, activation of TGF-β, and increased SMAD2/SMAD3 signalling, however, the effects were blocked by TGF-β-NAb. Conclusion ADAMTS16 promotes cardiac fibrosis, cardiac hypertrophy, and HF by facilitating cardiac fibroblasts activation via interacting with and activating LAP-TGF-β signalling. The RRFR motif of ADAMTS16 disrupts the interaction between ADAMTS16 and LAP-TGF-β, activates TGF-β, and aggravated cardiac fibrosis and hypertrophy. This study identifies a novel regulator of TGF-β signalling and cardiac fibrosis, and provides a new target for the development of therapeutic treatment of cardiac fibrosis and HF.

BackgroundLow-field magnetic stimulation (LFMS) has mood-elevating effect, and the increase of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is associated with antidepressant treatment. We evaluated the effects and association with BDNF of rhythmic LFMS in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD).MethodsA total of 22 MDD patients were randomized to rhythmic alpha stimulation (RAS) or rhythmic delta stimulation (RDS), with 5 sessions per week, lasting for 6 weeks. Outcomes assessments included the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD–17), the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA), and the Clinical Global Impressions–Severity scale (CGI–S) at baseline and at weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6. Serum BDNF level was measured at baseline and at weeks 2, 4, and 6.ResultsHAMD–17, HAMA, and CGI–S scores were significantly reduced with both RAS and RDS. RAS patients had numerically greater reductions in HAMD–17 scores than RDS patients (8.9 ± 7.4 vs. 6.2 ± 6.2, effect size [ES]=0.40), while RDS patients had greater improvement in HAMA scores (8.2 ± 8.0 vs. 5.3 ± 5.8, ES=0.42). RAS was associated with clinically relevant advantages in response (54.5% vs. 18.2%, number-needed-to-treat [NNT]=3) and remission (36.4% vs. 9.1%, NNT=4). BDNF increased significantly during the 6-week study period (pES=0.66—0.76) and statistical superiority at week 2 (p=0.034, ES=1.23). Baseline BDNF in the 8 responders (24.8±9.0 ng/ml) was lower than in the 14 nonresponders (31.1±7.3 ng/ml, p=0.083, ES=–0.79), and BDNF increased more in responders (8.9±7.8 ng/ml) than in nonresponders (1.8±3.5 ng/ml, p=0.044). The change in BDNF at week 2 was the most strongly predicted response (p=0.016).ConclusionsRhythmic LFMS was effective for MDD. BDNF may moderate/mediate the efficacy of LFMS.

Background LY03004, a novel investigational risperidone long-acting injection (LAI) microsphere formulation, can release risperidone more quickly after injection than Risperdal Consta®. This study aimed to investigate the effects of genetic polymorphisms on the pharmacokinetics of LY03004 compared with those on Risperdal Consta®. Methods A total of 100 Chinese patients with stable schizophrenia were randomly assigned to the LY03004 or Risperdal Consta® treatment group. Each patient received five biweekly intramuscular injections of 25 mg risperidone long-acting injection microspheres. A total of 34 blood samples before and after injections from Day 1 to Day 113 were collected from each patient, and polymorphic alleles of cytochrome P450 enzymes CYP2D6 (*4, *10, *14), CYP3A5 (*3), and ABCB1 (C1236 > T, G2677T/A, and C3435T) were analyzed using Sanger sequencing and polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Results The risperidone Cmax,ss, Cmin,ss, AUC0-tau,ss, and the ratio of risperidone to 9-hydroxyrisperidone (9-OH-R) in CYP2D6 intermediate metabolizers (IMs) were significantly different compared with those in normal metabolizers (NMs) in both the LY03004 and Risperdal Consta® groups (P 0.05). The AUC0-tau,ss of the active moiety (risperidone plus 9-OH-R) was 6.51 ± 3.34 in NMs and 7.00 ± 1.81 in IMs (P = 0.071) in the LY03004 group and 6.07 ± 2.31 and 7.95 ± 3.42 (P = 0.053) in NMs and IMs, respectively, in the Risperdal Consta® group. In the LY03004 group, the Cmax,ss of risperidone in carriers of the ABCB1-C3435T TT variant was significantly lower than that in CC and CT carriers (TT 7.76 ± 4.23 ng/mL, CT 11.6 ± 8.27 ng/mL, CC 14.3 ± 7.66 ng/ml; P = 0.045), but no significant differences were found in the active moiety. In the Risperdal Consta® group, C3435T TT carriers had significantly lower Cmin,ss of the active moiety (TT 5.09 ± 4.38 ng/mL, CT 11.4 ± 8.42 ng/mL, CC 14.3 ± 6.43 ng/mL; P = 0.007). Furthermore, Cmin,ss of the active moiety was significantly different among all ABCB1-G2677T/A genotypes (P Conclusion The pharmacokinetics of risperidone and the ratio of risperidone to 9-OH-R were highly dependent on CYP2D6 activity. However, there was no significant effect in 9-OH-R. A future study involving a larger sample is required to verify whether CYP2D6 IMs have lower risperidone active moiety clearance than CYP2D6 NMs for LAI formulations. In addition, the risperidone active moiety was eliminated faster in ABCB1-G2677T/A and C3435T TT carriers receiving Risperdal Consta®.

The design and development of phosphors have received widespread attention with the increasing demand for white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs). In this work, a series of Ce3+-doped gadolinium scandium aluminum garnet (GSAG) phosphors were successfully synthesized by the sol-gel method, and the relevant structural, optical, and lighting properties were investigated in detail. The optimal sintering process was optimized to 1873 K for 5 h under an Ar/H2 reduction atmosphere, and the structural analysis showed that the lattice parameters were gradually increased with an increase in Sc/Al substitution. The cationic substitution of GSAG adjusted the local coordination environments of Ce3+ ions effectively, and the increasing Sc3+-doped concentrations gave rise to a blue-shift of photoluminescence spectra and a decline of related fluorescence lifetimes. Furthermore, the doping concentration of Ce3+ ions was optimized and the concentration quenching mechanism was also clarified. Based on the temperature-dependent spectral survey, the thermally induced fluorescence quenching behavior of GSAG:Ce3+ (x = 1 at.%, y = 0.65) was measured, and the relevant activation energy was evaluated to 0.28 eV. Moreover, the effects of different Sc/Al substitution ratios on the thermal stability of GSAG:Ce3+ samples were also tested. Benefited from the tunable emission of GSAG:Ce3+ phosphors, the WLEDs device was fabricated by combining with a blue LED, yielding the Ra value of 82.1 and the CCT value of 3981 K. This study indicates the potential application of GSAG:Ce3+ phosphors in white lighting and also provides some guiding inspirations in the exploration of new garnet phosphors.

Graphene, as a new nanomaterial with excellent mechanical properties, has raised great interest among researchers. In this work, 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO), has been covalently grafted onto the surface of graphene through two different methods to get a new modified graphene (G-DOPO) which owns great mechanical property and flame retardancy. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed that DOPO covalently bonded to the surface of graphene. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to observe the microstructure of G-DOPO. The thermal stability of G-DOPO was evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The G-DOPO showed a higher thermal stability than graphite oxide (GO), and this material could be utilized as an excellent potential flame retardant.

Aims The aim of this study was to identify the molecular mechanism for hyperglycemia-induced metabolic memory in endothelial cells (ECs), and to show its critical importance to development of cardiovascular dysfunction in diabetes. Methods and results Hyperglycemia induces increased nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling, upregulation of miR-27a-3p, downregulation of nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 (NRF2) expression, increased transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling, downregulation of miR-29, and induction of endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT), all of which are memorized by ECs and not erased when switched to a low glucose condition, thereby causing perivascular fibrosis and cardiac dysfunction. Similar metabolic memory effects are found for production of nitric oxide (NO), generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the mitochondrial oxygen consumption rate in two different types of ECs. The observed metabolic memory effects in ECs are blocked by NRF2 activator tert-butylhydroquinone and a miR-27a-3p inhibitor. In vivo, the NRF2 activator and miR-27a-3p inhibitor block cardiac perivascular fibrosis and restore cardiovascular function by decreasing NF-κB signaling, downregulating miR-27a-3p, upregulating NRF2 expression, reducing TGF-β signaling, and inhibiting EndMT during insulin treatment of diabetes in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice, whereas insulin alone does not improve cardiac function. Conclusions Our data indicate that disruption of hyperglycemia-induced EC metabolic memory is required for restoring cardiac function during treatment of diabetes, and identify a novel molecular signaling pathway of NF-κB/miR-27a-3p/NRF2/ROS/TGF-β/EndMT involved in metabolic memory. Translational perspective Controversy exists on whether high blood glucose (hyperglycemia) induces metabolic memory that may cause long-lasting damaging cardiovascular complications in diabetic patients. Here, we demonstrate that hyperglycemia-induced metabolic memory in endothelial cells causes cardiac perivascular fibrosis and cardiac dysfunction in diabetes in mice, and identify NF-kB/miR-27a-3p/NRF2/ROS/TGF-β-EndMT as the signaling mechanism. We show that disruption of metabolic memory by a NRF2 activator or miR-27a-3p inhibitor is required to achieve therapeutic effect on cardiac dysfunction by insulin treatment of diabetes. Thus, inhibition of metabolic memory is a novel strategy to better prevent cardiovascular complications and improve the clinical outcome of diabetic patients.

Depression is a mental disorder characterized by emotional and cognitive dysfunction, which appears a state of low mood and aversion to activity. Depression can affect a person's thoughts, behavior, feelings, and sense of well-being. Depression is projected to be the second major life-threatening illness in 2020 by World Health Organization (WHO). Thus, it is urgent to detect and treat depression. Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals, which objectively reflect the working status of the human brain, are considered as promising physiological tools for depression detection. Negatively biased processing of affective stimuli in depression has been proven. In order to detect depression more effectively, we proposed an affective auditory stimuli induced depression detection method from EEG signals. In this method, we applied negative, positive and neutral affective auditory stimuli with several frequency selected from the International Affective Digitized Sounds (IADS-2) to induce negative affective bias in patients with depression. We synchronously collected EEG signals with three electrodes located on the prefrontal lobe (Fpl, Fpz, and Fp2), then extracted efficacious features by Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) based feature extraction method to detect depression effectively. The results of the proposed method showed that high-frequency affective auditory stimuli were more effective in depression detection and the frequency of affective auditory stimuli was a crucial property, which can influence the effectiveness of affective auditory stimuli in depression detection.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of surgical treatment of intra-articular calcaneal fractures by using the sinus tarsi approach combined with percutaneous medial reduction by leverage technique and percutaneous screw fixation. We assessed the outcomes of 29 patients treated using sinus tarsi approach with percutaneous screw fixation. All patients were evaluated both clinically and radiologically. The Böhler and Gissane angle were evaluated postoperatively using radiographs. During the median follow-up period of 27.0 ± 10.3 months, no cases with failure to reduce or displace hardware were detected. All cases achieved the restoration of a normal Böhler and Gissane angle. The median preoperative Böhler angle was 12.3° ± 2.5° while postoperatively it was 30.5° ± 5.7° (p.01). The median preoperative Gissane angle was 98.1° ± 7.5°, which was 125.9° ± 3.6° postoperatively (p.01). At the last follow-up, the median American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society hindfoot score was 87.7 ± 5.9, and the median Maryland foot score was 88.6 ± 5.9. Our technique for intra-articular calcaneal fractures can effectively correct calcaneal tuberosity outward displacement, medial wall overlapping, and the hindfoot varus deformity with less soft tissue damage. This technique is a good alternative for the treatment of calcaneal fractures, resulting in minimal soft tissue damage, few wound complications, and excellent radiological and clinical outcomes.

In this work, 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO) was covalently grafted onto the surface of graphene to get modified graphene (G-DOPO) firstly. The mechanical properties and flame retardancy of jute/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composite with G-DOPO were studied. According to Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), it was confirmed that DOPO was grafted on the surface of graphene successfully. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results demonstrated that the residue char of the composites increased with the addition of G-DOPO. The total heat release (THR) of the composite was significantly reduced and the limiting oxygen index (LOI) increased after adding G-DOPO into the composite. Moreover, the mechanical properties results showed that the comprehensive effects of G-DOPO on the interface enhancement and matrix toughness were found.