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Hearing loss is a prevalent condition with a significant impact on individuals' quality of life. However, comprehensive studies investigating the differential gene expression and regulatory mechanisms associated with hearing loss are lacking, particularly in the context of diverse patient samples. In this study, we integrated data from 10 patients across different regions, age groups, and genders, with their data retrieved from a public transcriptome database, to explore the molecular basis of hearing loss. These samples are mainly from fibroblasts and keratinocytes. Through differential gene expression analysis, we identified key genes, including ICAM1, SLC1A1, and CD24, which have already been shown to play important roles in neurogenic hearing loss. Furthermore, we predicted potential transcriptional regulatory factors that may modulate the expression of these genes. Enrichment analysis revealed biological processes and pathways associated with hearing loss, highlighting the involvement of circadian rhythm disruption and other neuro-related disorders. Although our study is limited by the sample size and the absence of larger-scale investigations, the identified genes and regulatory factors provide valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying hearing loss. Further molecular and cellular experiments are necessary to validate these findings and elucidate the precise regulatory mechanisms involved. In conclusion, our study contributes to the understanding of hearing loss pathogenesis and offers potential targets for molecular diagnostics and gene-based therapies. This provides a foundation for further research into personalized approaches to diagnosing and treating hearing loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MTS-810 material testing machine and acoustic emission signal analyzer were adopted to explore the mechanical behavior of concrete beams broken by the static load and the nonlinear cumulative damage law of concrete beams broken by fatigue bending from single-stage loading. Then, by introducing the Ramesh Talreja’s Damage Criterion, the damage rule of single-stage loading was extended to the damage accumulation rule under multi-stage loading, and the results were verified by the results of two-stage and three-stage fatigue loading tests. Two main conclusions are achieved: first, affected by four-point bending load, the fatigue life of the concrete specimen is in line with the law of the two-parameter Weibull distribution, namely the higher the stress level is, the shorter the fatigue life is. Second, an obvious nonlinear relationship was discovered in the damage of concrete. The model deduced in this paper and the Palmgren-Miner linear damage accumulation model were adopted to compare the test results of flexural fatigue under single, two and three stage loads. The calculation results of this model were more reliable.

In view of the deficiency of traditional starch sizing that needs high temperature modulation to be applied to denim yarn sizing and in order to improve the film-forming flexibility and mechanical properties, the raw starch was pretreated with acid hydrolysis to obtain hydrolyzed starch (HS), and hen HS was modified by etherification with N-2, 3-glycidyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (GTA). The change of starch groups before and after etherification was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H NMR). X-ray diffractometer (XRD) was used to detect the crystallinity of the sizing. The thermal stability of starch before and after modification was characterized by thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), and the surface morphology of denim yarn before and after sizing was observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) or polarizing microscope (PLM). The effects of different molar ratios of GTA to anhydroglucose unit (AGU) in starch on the degree of substitution, reaction efficiency, solubility and Zeta potential were investigated, as well as their effects on the application in sizing. The results show that the treatment of acid hydrolysis and etherification destroys the structure of starch, reduces the crystallinity by 44.37%. The etherification reaction between starch and GTA can improve the thermal stability of starch. When the reaction temperature is 55 °C, the reaction time is 1 h, and the molar ratio of GTA to AGU is 0.3, the degree of substitution of the prepared GTA starch (HS-g-GTA) can reach 0.111 with reaction efficiency of 55.70% and solubility of 93%. Compared with the original yarn, the denim yarn sized by HS-g-GTA showes an increase of 40.07% in breaking strength, 11.82% in elogation at break, 4 times in abrasion frequency, and a decrease of 90% in hairiness index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rape pollen allergy is a common allergic reaction disorder that affects the health and life of patients seriously. The research on ceRNA regulatory network in rape pollen allergy is poor.Methods: High throughput whole-transcriptome sequencing was conducted on rape pollen allergic samples and non-allergic samples. Differentially expressed microRNAs (DEmiRNAs), circRNAs (DEcircRNAs), long non-coding RNA (DElncRNAs), mRNA (DEmRNAs) were identified and a ceRNA regulatory network was constructed by Cytoscape. Functional enrichment analyses were performed on DEmRNAs in the ceRNA network. Then, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression model was used to identify characteristic genes for rape pollen allergy. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic ability of characteristic genes.Results: A total of 25 DEmiRNAs, 258 DEcircRNAs, 304 DElncRNAs, and 383 DEmRNAs in the allergic group compared with the non-allergic group were uncovered, respectively. A ceRNA network containing 21 miRNAs, 57 circRNAs, 28 lncRNAs, and 33 mRNAs was generated with 139 nodes and 160 edges. The signal transduction-related processes, immune-related processes, the ion, inorganic substance, and hormone regulation processes were associated with mRNAs in the ceRNA network. The results of pathway enrichment illustrated that mRNAs in the ceRNA were significantly linked to IL-17 signaling pathway, inflammatory mediator regulation of trp channels, GMP-PKG signaling pathway, signaling by GPCR, and GPCR downstream signaling pathway. Then, five characteristic genes (KCNQ3, CCR5, FOSB, CFAP43, and PRKG1) were defined by the LASSO algorithm. The AUC values of these genes indicated that these genes had a powerful discrimination ability in discriminating allergic samples from non-allergic samples.Conclusion: Taken together, we revealed the ceRNA regulatory network in rape pollen allergy and excavated five characteristic genes (KCNQ3, CCR5, FOSB, CFAP43, and PRKG1) with the diagnostic value that may be a potential target in diagnosis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the dyeing of nanofibers and their fabrics, the polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and polyacrylomtrile-polyethyleneimine (PAN-PEI) nanofiber/wool core-spun yarns were prepared using the electrospinning nanoyarn device, and they were weaved into woven samples as weft yarns. The structural properties of yarns and fabrics were characterized by means of scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), single yarn strength test, etc. In order to study the effect of different nanofibers/wool core-spun yarns on the dyeing properties of fabrics, the dyeing properties of the fabrics that dyed with the reactive dye Crozol were tested. The results show that, compared to PAN nanofiber/wool core-spun yarns, PAN-PEI nanofiber/wool core-spun yarns can be dyed by one bath dyeing, and the dyeing evenness is good. The color fastness to rubbing and washing of PAN-PEI /wool core-spun yarn dyed fabrics is above grade 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conical vascular tubes are of strong demand owing to their formed shape and excellent characters to mimic human blood vessels. In this study, the automatic shuttle loom and computer aided design (CAD) system were customized to prepare a conical vascular graft. Meanwhile, the weaving principle of a conical vascular graft was identified in terms of the lift-drop front rest, and the geometrical relations were established among the cloth fell, front rest and back rest. Also, the change of weft density from the lift-drop motion of the front rest was analyzed, and a strategy was established to compensate the offset of weft density by changing the taken-up length. Afterwards, the proposed weaving principles were demonstrated by weaving a conical vascular graft on the customized shuttle loom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cattail fiber assembly used as a sorbent for the sorption of engine and vegetable oils was investigated. The internal factors governing the oil sorption of cattail fibers were discussed. The analysis for the adsorption mechanism of cattail fiber assembly indicated that the tuft of cattail fibers has a down-like structure and, thus, its surface area and retaining space are large. The high surface waxiness and small surface free energy enabled the cattail fiber to have excellent oleophilic–hydrophobic property. The experimental results indicated that the oil-sorption rates of cattail fiber assemblies to engine oil and vegetable oil were 13.4 g/g and 14.6  g/g, respectively, and the oil retention capability to both engine oil and vegetable oil after 24 hours was over 95%. The cattail fibers have similar oil sorption capability with those of nonwoven wool materials, however, nature sorbents such as kapok fibers are superior to the cattail fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]