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The dynamic characteristics of the filler are intricately linked to the stability of the subgrade. In this investigation, relying on Haoji (Haolebaoji-Ji’an, China) heavy-haul railway engineering, cyclic triaxial tests were executed to scrutinize the dynamic attributes exhibited by the 3%–5% cement-stabilized expansive soil (CSES) across a series of diverse cyclic stress, confining pressures, and frequencies. Concurrently, in situ vibration trials were undertaken to dissect the dynamic characteristics inherent to the CSES subgrade. The outcomes of cyclic triaxial tests indicate that the augmentation in both the dynamic shear strength and modulus of CSES by a factor of 2–3, coupled with an escalation of the critical dynamic stress threshold by five tosix times, is attributed to the heightened internal structural density within the CSES compared to virgin expansive soil. In identical settings, it is noteworthy that the mean critical dynamic stress threshold observed for CSES surpasses that of Group A filling by a factor of 1.5–1.7. Furthermore, the maximum critical dynamic stress exhibited by CSES achieves a 1.2-fold superiority over its lime-stabilized expansive soil (LSES). The outcomes gleaned from the in situ vibration tests elucidate that, when subjected to the passage of a high-velocity train traveling at 120 km/hr, bearing the load of 25–30 tons per axle, the subgrade surface exhibits dynamic stress ranging from 98.57 to 116.07 kPa. Meanwhile, the dynamic stress undergoes a notable escalation due to rainfall infiltration, intensifying by a factor of 1.02–1.28 times its original magnitude. The influence depth of dynamic stress extends 1.4–1.6 times beyond the designed subgrade bed thickness of 2.5 m. Notably, the critical dynamic stress of the filler surpasses the dynamic stress at the same position, underscoreing the capacity of 3%–5% CSES filling for heavy-haul railways to ensure long-term dynamic stability.

This study aimed to elucidate the differences in vulval squamous cell carcinomas (VSCC) based on the HPV infection status. The sequencing data GSE183454 which contains 23 VSCC samples based on its HPV infection status was obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. We comprehensively dissected the differences of genomic and tumour microenvironment (TME) immune cell infiltration landscapes between HPV + and HPV- VSCC. The potential molecular mechanisms of prognostic genes were explored by functional enrichment analysis. Five novel key molecules (SYCP2, SMC1B, RNF212, MAJIN and C14orf39) with significantly up-regulated expression in HPV + VSCC were identified while protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were created upon Cytoscape software. Additionally, VSCC with up-regulated expression of these key molecules exhibited a significantly decreased TME immune cell infiltration. SYCP2 is overexpressed in HPV + VSCC and could be a candidate therapy target for further research.IMPACT STATEMENT What is already known on this subject? VSCC are characterised by two aetiological pathways. The former occurs in the background of lichen sclerosus, while the latter is related to HPV infection. VSCC most commonly arises from the non-HPV related pathway portends worse prognosis than VSCC derived from HPV infection. What do the results of this study add? Five key molecules are identified and significantly up-regulated in HPV + VSCC. In which, SYCP2 is overexpressed in HPV + VSCC and exhibited a significantly decreased TME immune cell infiltration. SYCP2 constant expression could be a potential biomarker of neoplasms associated with HPV and could be a candidate therapy target in VSCC especially HPV + VSCC for further research. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? SYCP2 could be a candidate therapy target in VSCC especially with HPV + for further research.

Objective: To determine the fermentation technology of dietary fiber enzyme, and to explore its function of nourishing intestine and defecating. Methods: By adjusting the fermentation time, fermentation temperature, the amount of isomaltose and oat bran, the sensory score of integrated fruit and vegetable enzyme was optimized, the characteristic components of the enzyme products were determined. To establish a constipation model in mice, and to explore the effects of different doses of Integrated fruit and vegetable enzymes (low dose 5 mL/kg, medium dose 10 mL/kg, high dose 15 mL/kg) on small intestinal ink propulsion rate and defecation in mice. Results: The formula of integrated fruit and vegetable enzyme was optimized by response surface method. The fermentation time was 72 h, the fermentation temperature was 37 ℃, the amount of isomaltose added was 3%, and the amount of oat bran added was 3%. In the mouse experiment, the ink advance rate of high-dose integrated fruit and vegetable enzyme was as high as 66.7%, compared with the control group, it was significantly improved (P

Angaracris rhodopa (Fischer et Walheim), Calliptamus abbreviatus (Ikonnikov), Myrmeleotettix palpalis (Zubowsky), and Oedaleus decorus asiaticus (Bey-Bienko) are the main grasshoppers that harm the natural grassland in the Hexi Corridor in Gansu, northwest China. In this study, the MaxEnt model was employed to identify the key environmental factors affecting the distribution of the four grasshoppers’ habitats and to assess their distribution under current and future climate conditions. The aim was to provide a basis for grasshopper monitoring, prediction, and precise control. In this study, distribution of suitable habitats for A. rhodopa, C. abbreviates, M. palpalis, O. decorus asiaticus were predicted under current and future climatic scenarios using the Maxent model. The average AUC (area under the ROC curve) and TSS (true skill statistic) values of the four grasshoppers were greater than 0.9, and the simulation results were excellent and highly reliable. The mean annual precipitation was the main factor limiting the current range of suitable areas for these four species. Under the current climate, A. rhodopa, C. abbreviatus, and O. decorus asiaticus were mainly distributed in the central and eastern parts of the Hexi Corridor, and M. palpalis was distributed throughout the Hexi Corridor, with a suitable area of 1.29 × 104, 1.43 × 104, 1.44 × 104, and 2.12 × 104 km2, accounting for 13.7%, 15.2%, 15.3%, and 22.5% of the total area of the grasslands in the Hexi Corridor, respectively. The highly suitable areas of A. rhodopa, C. abbreviatus, and O. decorus asiaticus were mainly distributed in the eastern-central part of Zhangye City, the western part of Wuwei City, and the western and southern parts of Jinchang City, with areas of 0.20 × 104, 0.29 × 104, and 0.35 × 104 km2, accounting for 2.2%, 3%, and 3.7% of the grassland area, respectively. The high habitat of M. palpalis was mainly distributed in the southeast of Jiuquan City, the west, middle, and east of Zhangye City, the west of Wuwei City, and the west and south of Jinchang City, with an area of 0.32 × 104 km2, accounting for 3.4% of the grassland area. In the 2030s, the range of A. rhodopa, C. abbreviatus, and O. decorus asiaticus was predicted to increase; the range of M. palpalis will decrease. The results of this study could provide a theoretical basis for the precise monitoring and control of key areas of grasshoppers in the Hexi Corridor.

Abstract Background Patients with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis who also present with status epilepticus (SE) often have a poor prognosis. The aim of this study is to explore simple and effective predictors for anti-NMDAR encephalitis accompanied with SE. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 65 anti-NMDAR encephalitis patients from January 2015 to December 2018 who admitted to the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. Patients were divided into SE group and non-SE groups. Their pre-treatment data and 3-month follow-up data were retrospectively analyzed. Results The results showed that compared with the non-SE group, the levels of serum uric acid (UA) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in anti-NMDAR encephalitis patients with SE decreased significantly before treatment. Additionally, the levels of serum UA and HDL-C increased while the level of C-reactive protein (CRP) decreased 3 months after treatment in the SE group. Compared with the non-SE group, the SE patients had higher modified Rankin scale (mRS) scores before (mRS1) and after treatment (mRS2). Serum UA concentrations before treatment showed significantly negative correlations with mRS1 (r = − 0.407, p

ObjectiveAltered expression patterns of Na+-K+-2Cl– (NKCC1) and K+-Cl– (KCC2) co-transporters have been implicated in the pathogenesis of epilepsy. Here, we assessed the effects of imbalanced NKCC1 and KCC2 on γ-aminobutyric acidergic (GABAergic) neurotransmission in certain brain regions involved in human focal cortical dysplasia (FCD).Materials and methodsWe sought to map a micro-macro neuronal network to better understand the epileptogenesis mechanism. In patients with FCD, we resected cortical tissue from the seizure the onset zone (SOZ) and the non-seizure onset zone (non-SOZ) inside the epileptogenic zone (EZ). Additionally, we resected non-epileptic neocortical tissue from the patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) as control. All of tissues were analyzed using perforated patch recordings. NKCC1 and KCC2 co-transporters expression and distribution were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and western blotting.ResultsResults revealed that depolarized GABAergic signals were observed in pyramidal neurons in the SOZ and non-SOZ groups compared with the control group. The total number of pyramidal neurons showing GABAergic spontaneous postsynaptic currents was 11/14, 7/17, and 0/12 in the SOZ, non-SOZ, and control groups, respectively. The depolarizing GABAergic response was significantly dampened by the specific NKCC1 inhibitor bumetanide (BUM). Patients with FCD exhibited higher expression and internalized distribution of KCC2, particularly in the SOZ group.ConclusionOur results provide evidence of a potential neurocircuit underpinning SOZ epileptogenesis and non-SOZ seizure susceptibility. Imbalanced function of NKCC1 and KCC2 may affect chloride ion homeostasis in neurons and alter GABAergic inhibitory action, thereby contributing to epileptogenesis in FCDs. Maintaining chloride ion homeostasis in the neurons may represent a new avenue for the development of novel anti-seizure medications (ASMs).

ObjectiveThe purpose of the present study is to clarify the relationship between the apolipoprotein B100/apolipoprotein A-I (ApoB/ApoA-I) ratio and anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis.MethodsA total of 71 patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis were included in this study, and their ApoB/ApoA-I ratios in baseline and follow-up were retrospectively analyzed.ResultsThe ApoB/ApoA-I ratio was closely correlated with the baseline-modified Rankin scale (mRS) score of >3 in patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis. A subgroup analysis showed obvious differences between the high and low ApoB/ApoA-I ratio groups. The ApoB/ApoA-I ratio was positively correlated with intensive care unit (ICU) treatment, length of hospital stay, baseline mRS score, C-reactive protein (CRP), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). The ratios of the high and low ApoB/ApoA-I groups both improved in the follow-up.ConclusionThe increased ApoB/ApoA-I ratio is associated with acute anti-NMDAR encephalitis, but not disease outcomes. Serum ApoB/ApoA-I ratio was related to inflammation and immunity in peripheral blood. The findings might provide a new idea for further exploration of the pathogenesis and treatment of anti-NMDAR encephalitis.

Abstract Background Constipation is a common gastrointestinal dysfunction which has a potential impact on people's immune state and their quality of life. Here we investigated the effects of constipation on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods Constipation was induced by loperamide in female C57BL/6 mice. The alternations of gut microbiota, permeability of intestinal barrier and blood–brain barrier, and histopathology of colon were assessed after constipation induction. EAE was induced in the constipation mice. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) was performed from constipation mice into microbiota-depleted mice. Clinical scores, histopathology of inflammation and demyelination, Treg/Th17 and Treg17/Teff17 imbalance both in the peripheral lymphatic organs and central nervous system, cytokines include TGF-β, GM-CSF, IL-10, IL-17A, IL-17F, IL-21, IL-22, and IL-23 in serum were assessed in different groups. Results Compared with the vehicle group, the constipation mice showed gut microbiota dysbiosis, colon inflammation and injury, and increased permeability of intestinal barrier and blood–brain barrier. We found that the clinical and pathological scores of the constipation EAE mice were severer than that of the EAE mice. Compared with the EAE mice, the constipation EAE mice showed reduced percentage of Treg and Treg17 cells, increased percentage of Th17 and Teff17 cells, and decreased ratio of Treg/Th17 and Treg17/Teff17 in the spleen, inguinal lymph nodes, brain, and spinal cord. Moreover, the serum levels of TGF-β, IL-10, and IL-21 were decreased while the GM-CSF, IL-17A, IL-17F, IL-22, and IL-23 were increased in the constipation EAE mice. In addition, these pathological processes could be transferred via their gut microbiota. Conclusions Our results verified that constipation induced gut microbiota dysbiosis exacerbated EAE via aggravating Treg/Th17 and Treg17/Teff17 imbalance and cytokines disturbance in C57BL/6 mice.

Digital media art differs from other forms of existence in the intersection of digital technology and art, and this new form of existence contains its unique value. Digital media art education crosses the disciplines of art, computer science, and technology and builds a new perspective that can encompass the academic discourse of literature and science, transcending the opposition between scientific and humanistic cultures and creating a broader knowledge structure and a new view of values and resources. In this paper, we use image quality evaluation based on local Gaussian weighted fusion and image collocation for restoration of precious cultural relics and images to realize their cultural values, in view of the current problems such as damage caused by a large number of precious paintings due to improper preservation and other problems.

Accurate epileptogenic zone (EZ) or seizure onset zone (SOZ) localization is crucial for epilepsy surgery optimization. Previous animal and human studies on epilepsy have reported that changes in blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals induced by epileptic events could be used as diagnostic markers for EZ or SOZ localization. Simultaneous electroencephalography and functional magnetic resonance imaging (EEG-fMRI) recording is gaining interest as a non-invasive tool for preoperative epilepsy evaluation. However, EEG-fMRI studies have reported inconsistent and ambiguous findings. Therefore, it remains unclear whether BOLD responses can be used for accurate EZ or SOZ localization. In this study, we used simultaneous EEG-fMRI recording in a rat model of 4-aminopyridine-induced acute focal seizures to assess the spatial concordance between individual BOLD responses and the SOZ. This was to determine the optimal use of simultaneous EEG-fMRI recording in the SOZ localization. We observed a high spatial consistency between BOLD responses and the SOZ. Further, dynamic BOLD responses were consistent with the regions where the seizures were propagated. These results suggested that simultaneous EEG-fMRI recording could be used as a noninvasive clinical diagnostic technique for localizing the EZ or SOZ and could be an effective tool for mapping epileptic networks.

Traditional approaches to evaluating and predicting safety issues in traffic systems are via crash records. However, considering the characteristics of scarcity, inconsistency, inaccuracy, and incompleteness of crash records, conclusions and recommendations drawn purely based on crashes have limitations. Tire skid marks are considered an indication of some safety hazards, and it could have good potential to be used as surrogates for crashes. By collecting and analyzing the data based on selected arterial and freeway segments in the Reno-Sparks area in northern Nevada, a methodology was developed to categorize different tire skid marks. Sliding window and linear regression techniques were applied to determine any correlation between tire skid marks and crashes. The analyses indicated that there was a relatively strong linear correlation between skid marks and crashes on freeway segments.

Abstract In this paper, we propose a novel method named transfer deep convolutional activation-based features (TDCAF) for domain adaptation in sensor networks. Specifically, we first train a siamese network with weight sharing to map the images from different domains into the same feature space, which can learn domain-invariant information. Since various feature maps in one convolutional layer of the siamese network contain different kinds of information, we propose a novel vertical pooling strategy to aggregate them into one convolutional activation summing map (CASM) which contains the completed information and preserves the spatial information. We stretch the CASM into one feature vector to obtain the TDCAF. Finally, we feed the proposed TDCAF into a Support Vector Machine (SVM) for classification. The proposed TDCAF is validated on three generalized image databases and three cloud databases, and the classification results outperform the other state-of-the-art methods.

Since appearances of clouds are always changeable, ground-based cloud classification is still in urgent need of development in weather station networks. Many existing methods resort to convolutional neural networks to improve the classification accuracy. However, these methods just carry out the feature extraction from one convolutional layer, hence making it difficult to obtain complete information of ground-based cloud images. To address this limitation, in this paper, we propose a novel method named salient dual activations aggregation (SDA2) to extract ground-based cloud features from different convolutional layers, which could learn the structural, textural, and high-level semantic information for ground-based cloud representation, simultaneously. Specifically, the salient patch selection strategy is first applied to select salient vectors from one shallow convolutional layer. Then, corresponding weights are learned from one deep convolutional layer. After obtaining a set of salient vectors with various weights, this paper is further designed to aggregate them into a representative vector for each ground-based cloud image by explicitly modeling the relationship among salient vectors. The proposed SDA2 is validated on three ground-based cloud databases, and the experimental results prove its effectiveness. Especially, we obtain the promising classification results of 91.24% on the MOC_e database, 91.15% on the IAP_e database, and 88.73% on the CAMS_e database.

Objective: We proposed an improved automated high frequency oscillations (HFOs) detector that could not only be applied to various intracranial electrodes, but also automatically remove false HFOs caused by high-pass filtering. We proposed a continuous resection ratio of high order HFO channels and compared this ratio with each patient's post-surgical outcome, to determine the quantitative threshold of HFO distribution to delineate the epileptogenic zone (EZ).Methods: We enrolled a total of 43 patients diagnosed with refractory epilepsy. The patients were used to optimize the parameters for SEEG electrodes, to test the algorithm for identifying false HFOs, and to calculate the continuous resection ratio of high order HFO channels. The ratio can be used to determine a quantitative threshold to locate the epileptogenic zone.Results: Following optimization, the sensitivity, and specificity of our detector were 66.84 and 73.20% (ripples) and 69.76 and 66.13% (fast ripples, FRs), respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of our algorithm for removing false HFOs were 76.82 and 94.54% (ripples) and 72.55 and 94.87% (FRs), respectively. The median of the continuous resection ratio of high order HFO channels in patients with good surgical outcomes, was significantly higher than in patients with poor outcome, for both ripples and FRs (P < 0.05 ripples and P < 0.001 FRs).Conclusions: Our automated detector has the advantage of not only applying to various intracranial electrodes but also removing false HFOs. Based on the continuous resection ratio of high order HFO channels, we can set the quantitative threshold for locating epileptogenic zones.

Since cloud images captured from different views possess extreme variations, multi-view ground-based cloud recognition is a very challenging task. In this paper, a study of view shift is presented in this field. We focus both on designing proper feature representation and learning distance metrics from sample pairs. Correspondingly, we propose transfer deep local binary patterns (TDLBP) and weighted metric learning (WML). On one hand, to deal with view shift, like variations of illuminations, locations, resolutions and occlusions, we first utilize cloud images to train a convolutional neural network (CNN), and then extract local features from the part summing maps (PSMs) based on feature maps. Finally, we maximize the occurrences of regions for the final feature representation. On the other hand, the number of cloud images in each category varies greatly, leading to the unbalanced similar pairs. Hence, we propose a weighted strategy for metric learning. We validate the proposed method on three cloud datasets (the MOC_e, IAP_e, and CAMS_e) that are collected by different meteorological organizations in China, and the experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Cross-domain ground-based cloud classification is a challenging issue as the appearance of cloud images from different cloud databases possesses extreme variations. Two fundamental problems which are essential for cross-domain ground-based cloud classification are feature representation and similarity measurement. In this paper, we propose an effective feature representation called transfer of local features (TLF), and measurement method called discriminative metric learning (DML). The TLF is a generalized representation framework that can integrate various kinds of local features, e.g., local binary patterns (LBP), local ternary patterns (LTP) and completed LBP (CLBP). In order to handle domain shift, such as variations of illumination, image resolution, capturing location, occlusion and so on, the TLF mines the maximum response in regions to make a stable representation for domain variations. We also propose to learn a discriminant metric, simultaneously. We make use of sample pairs and the relationship among cloud classes to learn the distance metric. Furthermore, in order to improve the practicability of the proposed method, we replace the original cloud images with the convolutional activation maps which are then applied to TLF and DML. The proposed method has been validated on three cloud databases which are collected in China alone, provided by Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences (CAMS), Meteorological Observation Centre (MOC), and Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP). The classification accuracies outperform the state-of-the-art methods.

We aim to clarify the mechanisms of acupuncture in treating mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer disease (AD) by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Thirty-six right-handed subjects (8 MCI patients, 14 AD patients, and 14 healthy elders) participated in this study. Clinical and neuropsychological examinations were performed on all the subjects. MRI data acquisition was performed on a SIEMENS verio 3-Tesla scanner. The fMRI study used a single block experimental design. We first acquired the baseline resting state data in the initial 3 minutes; we then acquired the fMRI data during the procession of acupuncture stimulation on the acupoints of Tai chong and Hegu for the following 3 minutes. Last, we acquired fMRI data for another 10 minutes after the needle was withdrawn. The preprocessing and data analysis were performed using the statistical parametric mapping (SPM8) software. Then the two-sample t-tests were performed between each two groups of different states. We found that during the resting state, brain activities in AD and MCI patients were different from those of control subjects. During the acupuncture and the second resting state after acupuncture, when comparing to resting state, there are several regions showing increased or decreased activities in MCI, AD subjects compared to normal subjects. Most of the regions were involved in the temporal lobe and the frontal lobe, which were closely related to the memory and cognition. In conclusion, we investigated the effect of acupuncture in AD and MCI patients by combing fMRI and traditional acupuncture. Our fMRI study confirmed that acupuncture at Tai chong (Liv3) and He gu (LI4) can activate certain cognitive-related regions in AD and MCI patients.

ObjectiveTo compare the association of the incidence and mortality of leukemia and the human development index (HDI) in different countries or regions in 2022, and the trend of leukemia incidence and mortality with age in countries with different HDI levels. MethodsGLOBOCAN 2022 data related to leukemia incidence and mortality in different countries or regions worldwide and HDI were evaluated by Pearson correlation analysis and Kruskal–Wallis test. The incidence and mortality rates of each age and the age change trend were analyzed using the Joinpoint Regression model. ResultsAge-standardized incidence rate (ASIR), age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR), and mortality to incidence ratio (M/I) were statistically significantly different among the four groups of HDI countries (P

The interaction between sodium caseinate and (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and the antioxidant activity of their complexes as influenced by ultrasound pretreatment were studied by a fluorescence spectrophotometer and an ultraviolet spectrophotometer, and its mechanism was also investigated base on the changes in protein structure. The results showed that the quenching of the endogenous fluorescence of sodium casein induced by EGCG was a static nature. With ultrasound pretreatment, the apparent binding constant between sodium caseinate and EGCG increased from 9.51×103 L·(mol/L)−1 to 7.48×104 L·(mol/L)−1 and the number of binding sites between sodium caseinate and EGCG increased from 0.871 to 1.067, indicating an increase of 7.87 times and 22.50%, respectively. The results revealed that ultrasound pretreatment could enhance the binding capacity of sodium caseinate for EGCG. Compared with sodium caseinate, ultrasound pretreated sodium caseinate showed higher random coil content, fluorescence intensity and surface hydrophobicity. These ultrasound-induced conformational changes promoted the binding between sodium casein and EGCG. Complexing with sodium caseinate could inhibit the degradation of EGCG and improve its antioxidant stability, and better protection was obtained by complexing EGCG with ultrasound pretreated sodium caseinate.

Abstract Toulmin model has been widely applied to composition-rhetoric and several modified models have been advanced. However, those modified versions diverge widely from Toulmin model. To Keep loyalty to Toulmin’s argumentation and infuse van Eemeren et al.’s pragma-dialectic view, we propose a new modified model as an analytical framework for argumentative essays, with the assumption that a writer is in fact arguing with a potential reader who holds a different view. The proposed framework was applied to explore the Chinese writers’ argumentative essays with content analysis employed. Altogether 60 essays were selected, coded, and analyzed. The results show that the Chinese writers preferred parallel arguments (i.e., several arguments supporting the same claim with the same ground-warrant structure) to hierarchical ones, justification to opposition, and descriptive warrant to the other types. Moreover, the adult expert writers wrote more warrants and qualifiers than the novice writers. The results reveal Chinese rhetoric and writing conventions, and prove the effectiveness of our proposed analytical framework.

Abstract Shape-memory materials hold great potential to impart medical devices with functionalities useful during implantation, locomotion, drug delivery, and removal. However, their clinical translation is limited by a lack of non-invasive and precise methods to trigger and control the shape recovery, especially for devices implanted in deep tissues. In this study, the application of image-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) heating is tested. Magnetic resonance-guided HIFU triggered shape-recovery of a device made of polyurethane urea while monitoring its temperature by magnetic resonance thermometry. Deformation of the polyurethane urea in a live canine bladder (5 cm deep) is achieved with 8 seconds of ultrasound-guided HIFU with millimeter resolution energy focus. Tissue sections show no hyperthermic tissue injury. A conceptual application in ureteral stent shape-recovery reduces removal resistance. In conclusion, image-guided HIFU demonstrates deep energy penetration, safety and speed.

The individual and combined effects of electron beam (EB) irradiation and thermal treatments were investigated on Chinese braised beef samples inoculated with Bacillus cereus spores. Log reductions of 1.19, 2.10, and 3.62 log CFU/g were recorded for B. cereus spores after 6, 9, and 12 kGy lone EB doses, respectively. An 85°C thermal treatment at 20 min (H) reduced the spores population by 1.03 log CFU/g. The combination of the thermal and EB irradiation treatments (HEB) of HEB-6 and HEB-9 achieved 1.69 and 2.89 log CFU/g reductions, respectively. The B. cereus spores population was depleted to below the detection limit following HEB-12 treatment. No significant pH change was observed in the treatments except for HEB-12. The hurdle treatment of HEB-12 caused marked changes in color, aroma, and overall acceptability. Although HEB irradiation improved microbial safety, careful selection of approved EB doses can effectively enhance food safety and maintain reasonable quality standards.

Objective: Altered expression patterns of NaC-KC-2Cl􀀀 (NKCC1) and KC- Cl􀀀 (KCC2) co-transporters have been implicated in the pathogenesis of epilepsy. Here, we assessed the effects of imbalanced NKCC1 and KCC2 on g- aminobutyric acidergic (GABAergic) neurotransmission in certain brain regions involved in human focal cortical dysplasia (FCD). Materials and methods: We sought to map a micro-macro neuronal network to better understand the epileptogenesis mechanism. In patients with FCD, we resected cortical tissue from the seizure the onset zone (SOZ) and the nonseizure onset zone (non-SOZ) inside the epileptogenic zone (EZ). Additionally, we resected non-epileptic neocortical tissue from the patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) as control. All of tissues were analyzed using perforated patch recordings. NKCC1 and KCC2 co-transporters expression and distribution were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and western blotting. Results: Results revealed that depolarized GABAergic signals were observed in pyramidal neurons in the SOZ and non-SOZ groups compared with the control group. The total number of pyramidal neurons showing GABAergic spontaneous postsynaptic currents was 11/14, 7/17, and 0/12 in the SOZ, non- SOZ, and control groups, respectively. The depolarizing GABAergic response was significantly dampened by the specific NKCC1 inhibitor bumetanide (BUM). Patients with FCD exhibited higher expression and internalized distribution of KCC2, particularly in the SOZ group. Conclusion: Our results provide evidence of a potential neurocircuit underpinning SOZ epileptogenesis and non-SOZ seizure susceptibility. Imbalanced function of NKCC1 and KCC2 may affect chloride ion homeostasis in neurons and alter GABAergic inhibitory action, thereby contributing to epileptogenesis in FCDs. Maintaining chloride ion homeostasis in the neurons may represent a new avenue for the development of novel anti-seizure medications (ASMs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]