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Francis turbines, essential for stability in diverse operating conditions and variable-speed scenarios, encounter efficiency-compromising vortex rope formations in the draft tube, leading to substantial pressure fluctuations. This research delves into the analysis of energy loss and pressure fluctuations associated with these vortex ropes. Employing the local entropy generation rate (LEGR) method and chaos theory, we scrutinize the behaviour of vortex ropes and their resultant pressure fluctuations. Notably, vortex ropes exhibit maximum LEGR near the runner cone, with secondary vortices escalating instability downstream. In the elbow section, the collision of vortex ropes with the outer elbow amplifies LEGR, primarily driven by fluctuating velocities (approximately 90%). Leveraging the GWO-VMD algorithm, non-stationary signals are decomposed, unveiling a significant 1.6 Hz vortex rope frequency under partial load (PL) conditions and isolating external noise frequencies, such as the prominent 300 Hz. Following decomposition, chaos theory tools, including phase space reconstruction and phase trajectory graphs, unveil the chaotic nature of PL conditions attributed to spiral vortex ropes, resulting in profound pressure fluctuations. This study enhances our understanding of such systems and provides methodologies for improved noise reduction and optimization of turbine performance.

Bioscaffolds with characteristics of the tumor microenvironment is an important substrate to support the formation of multicellular tumor spheroids (MCTS). Conventional biomaterials promote MCTS formation using tumor extracellular matrix (ECM) components and exogenous growth factors, but lack individualized tumor cell niche construction which may restricts cell biology and drug discovery research. Herein, an ECM mimicked fiber composite dual-network hydrogel (FCDNG) was constructed. The 3D nanofibrous framework was introduced into the hydrogel by a “dispersion-swelling” method and an alginate/platelet-rich plasma (PRP) dual-network hydrogel was constructed by a simple “one-step” activation process. The scaffold can well control the physicochemical conditions that mimic the ECM structure and biomimetic mechanical properties. The fibrin formed by PRP can promote tumor cell proliferation, angiogenesis and cancer stem cell enrichment. Meanwhile, FCDNG has suitable degradation properties to meet the matrix remodeling requirements during the formation of MCTS. Tumor cells cultured in FCDNG had enhanced tumor stemness, proliferation, and resistance to chemotherapeutic agents, and thus providing an effective strategy for clinical drug evaluation.

Currently, there is a scarcity of studies exploring the safe operating parameters for coal-fired power units at loads below 30%.To accurately understand the operating characteristics of coal-fired units under low load conditions, and to provide a design basis for flexibility modifications, a simulation model coupled with boiler and turbine was established, which includes the flue gas and air system, steam and water system, steam turbine, and steam extraction heat recovery system, and the iterative calculation strategy for low load conditions was proposed. The simulation calculation was performed on a 350 MW supercritical coal-fired unit, with the model results showing a high degree of alignment with the unit’s design and operational parameters. Under the condition of 269MW, the maximum calculation error between the model’s predicted exit flue gas temperature of the air preheater and the actual operational results was 8.84%. This discrepancy was due to a sudden increase in the operating flue gas temperature, which may be associated with a blockage in the air preheater. And the simulation results under low load conditions indicate that when the unit load is below 20%, the furnace total airflow is controlled to no less than 30% of the airflow at Maximum Continuous Rating (BMCR) and the minimum feedwater flow rate can be reduced to 20% of that in Turbine Heat Acceptance (THA) load, and the unit switches to wet state operation around 20% load. As the unit load decreases, the coal consumption rate for power generation and steam turbine heat consumption rate both increase significantly. The coal consumption rate for power generation at 30% load is increased by 13.3% compared to BMCR load, and it is increased by 32.5% at 15% load which is operated in wet state. Under low load conditions, the coal consumption rate of the unit can be reduced by decreasing the oxygen content in the flue gas, reducing the minimum feedwater flow rate, and implementing boiler water recirculation.

Given the intimate relationship between humans and dogs, the H3N2 canine influenza viruses (CIVs) pose a threat to public health. In our study, we isolated four H3N2 CIVs from 3,758 dog nasal swabs in China between 2018 and 2020, followed by genetic and biological analysis. Phylogenetic analysis revealed 15 genotypes among all available H3N2 CIVs, with genotype 15 prevailing among dogs since around 2017, indicating the establishment of a stable virus lineage in dogs. Molecular characterization identified many mammalian adaptive substitutions, including HA-G146S, HA-N188D, PB2-I292T, PB2-G590S, PB2-S714I, PB1-D154G, and NP-R293K, present across the four isolates. Notably, analysis of HA sequences uncovered a newly emerged adaptive mutation, HA-V223I, which is predominantly found in human and swine H3N2 viruses, suggesting its role in mammalian adaptation. Receptor-binding analysis revealed that the four H3N2 viruses bind both avian and human-type receptors. However, HA-V223I decreases the H3N2 virus’s affinity for human-type receptors but enhances its thermal stability. Furthermore, attachment analysis confirmed the H3N2 virus binding to human tracheal tissues, albeit with reduced affinity when the virus carries HA-V223I. Antigenic analysis indicated that the current human H3N2 vaccines do not confer protection against H3N2 CIVs. Collectively, these findings underscore that the potential threat posed by H3N2 CIVs to human health still exists, emphasizing the necessity of close surveillance and monitoring of H3N2 CIVs in dogs.

Abstract Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of helically chiral molecules has remained an outstanding challenge and witnessed fairly limited progress in the past decades. Current methods to construct such compounds almost entirely rely on catalytic enantiocontrolled fused-ring system extension. Herein, we report a direct terminal peri-functionalization strategy, which allows for efficient assembling of 1,12-disubstituted [4]carbohelicenes via an organocatalyzed enantioselective amination reaction of 2-hydroxybenzo[c]phenanthrene derivates with diazodicarboxamides. The key feature of this approach is that the stereochemical information of the catalyst could be transferred into not only the helix sense but also the remote C-N axial chirality of the products, thus enabling the synthesis of [4]- and [5]helicenes with both structural diversity and stereochemical complexity in good efficiency and excellent enantiocontrol. Besides, the large-scale preparations and representative transformations of the helical products further demonstrate the practicality of this protocol. Moreover, DFT calculations reveal that both the hydrogen bonds and the C-H---π interactions between the substrates and catalyst contribute to the ideal stereochemical control.

AimStudy results on blood glucose and the risk of delirium in patients receiving cardiac surgery are inconsistent, and there is also a gap in how to manage blood glucose after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). This study focused on patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) undergoing CABG and explored the associations of different blood glucose-related indexes and blood glucose change trajectory with postoperative delirium (POD), with the aim of providing some information for the management of blood glucose in this population.MethodsData of patients with DM undergoing CABG were extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC)-IV database in this retrospective cohort study. The blood glucose-related indexes included baseline blood glucose, mean blood glucose (MBG), mean absolute glucose (MAG), mean amplitude of glycemic excursions (MAGE), glycemic lability index (GLI), and largest amplitude of glycemic excursions (LAGE). The MBG trajectory was classified using the latent growth mixture modeling (LGMM) method. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were utilized to screen covariates and explore the associations of blood glucose-related indexes and MBG trajectory with POD. These relationships were also assessed in subgroups of age, gender, race, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), international normalized ratio (INR), sepsis, mechanical ventilation use, and vasopressor use. In addition, the potential interaction effect between blood glucose and hepatorenal function on POD was investigated. The evaluation indexes were odds ratios (ORs), relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI), attributable proportion of interaction (AP), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).ResultsAmong the eligible 1,951 patients, 180 had POD. After adjusting for covariates, higher levels of MBG (OR = 3.703, 95% CI: 1.743–7.870), MAG >0.77 mmol/L/h (OR = 1.754, 95% CI: 1.235–2.490), and GLI >2.6 (mmol/L)2/h/per se (OR = 1.458, 95% CI: 1.033–2.058) were associated with higher odds of POD. The positive associations of MBG, MAG, and GLI with POD were observed in patients aged

BackgroundThyroid immune-related adverse events (irAEs) associated with immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment appear to correlate with a better prognosis. We aimed to investigate clinical biomarkers associated with thyroid irAEs.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed data from 129 patients receiving programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitors for stage III and IV gastrointestinal tumors. Patients were divided into two groups: “thyroid irAEs” group and “no thyroid irAEs” group. We compared continuous variables using Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis tests and categorical variables using Pearson’s chi–square test. Survival curves were generated using the Kaplan–Meier method, and associations between clinical features and thyroid irAEs were assessed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. Associations for thyroid irAEs and outcomes [progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS)] of the patients were performed with a Cox proportional hazard model.ResultsA total of 129 patients, including 66 gastric cancer, 30 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and 33 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), were involved in this analysis with 47 cases of thyroid irAEs occurrence. The Cox proportional hazard model analysis confirmed the extended PFS [hazard rate (HR) = 0.447, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.215 to 0.931, p = 0.031] and OS (HR = 0.424, 95% CI: 0.201 to 0.893, p = 0.024) for thyroid irAEs group when compared with those of the no thyroid irAEs group. Association between thyroid irAEs and clinical characteristics at baseline was analyzed subsequently by univariate analysis. Higher body mass index (p = 0.005), increased eosinophil count (p = 0.014), increased lactate dehydrogenase (p = 0.008), higher baseline thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) (p = 0.001), HCC (p = 0.001) and increased adenosine deaminase (ADA) (p = 0.001) were linked with thyroid irAEs occurrence. The multivariable logistic regression model indicated that ADA [odds rate (OR) = 4.756, 95% CI: 1.147 to 19.729, p = 0.032] was independently associated with thyroid irAEs occurrence.ConclusionsIncreased baseline level of ADA was associated with thyroid irAEs occurrence in patients with advanced gastrointestinal tumors who received ICI treatment. In the case of abnormal ADA, attention should be paid to the risk of thyroid irAEs.

Surgical sutures are necessary for the rotator cuff (RC) repair to reconnect the torn and degenerating cuff tendon to its footprint. Early‐stage immunomodulation, angiogenesis, and the progressive mechanobiological response encourage complex healing processes involving micro‐nano dimensional reconstruction, including tendon‐bone interface integration and tendon remodeling. However, commercially available sutures with mismatched micrometer‐scale diameters resulted in mechanobiological and biological deficiencies, severely impeding RC regeneration. We developed a bionic functional surgical suture (SS) with helical and hierarchical micro‐nano structures using nano‐ and micro‐Poly (DL‐lactide‐co‐glycolide) (PLGA) yarns (ny), which was subsequently crosslinked in situ with a temporary chemotactic (TC) layer of physiological fibrin networks (TC‐nySS). The TC‐nySS has both mechanobiological and biological advantages: 1) biomimetic helical and hierarchical micro‐nano structures showed progressive degradation behavior, inducing the incremental mechanobiological response of the repaired tissues; 2) outer TC layer of biochemical modification by fibrin networks supplied dual‐functions of angiogenesis and immunomodulation at the early stage, subsequently resulting in timely vascularization and inflammatory regressions due to superior degradation behavior of the constructs. Consequently, TC‐nySS with structural and biochemical designs that elicit process‐matching mechanobiological and biological responses tailored to the RC regeneration successfully achieved the complex healing processes, including superior tendon‐bone interface integration and tendon remodelling.

Abstract Protein degradation techniques, such as proteolysis‐targeting chimeras (PROTACs) and lysosome‐targeting chimeras (LYTACs), have emerged as promising therapeutic strategies for the treatment of diseases. However, the efficacy of current protein degradation methods still needs to be improved to address the complex mechanisms underlying diseases. Herein, a LYTAC Plus hydrogel engineered is proposed by nucleic acid self‐assembly, which integrates a gene silencing motif into a LYTAC construct to enhance its therapeutic potential. As a proof‐of‐concept study, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR)‐binding peptides and mannose‐6 phosphate (M6P) moieties into a self‐assembled nucleic acid hydrogel are introduced, enabling its LYTAC capability. Small interference RNAs (siRNAs) is then employed that target the angiopoietin‐2 (ANG‐2) gene as cross‐linkers for hydrogel formation, giving the final LYTAC Plus hydrogel gene silencing ability. With dual functionalities, the LYTAC Plus hydrogel demonstrated effectiveness in simultaneously reducing the levels of VEGFR‐2 and ANG‐2 both in vitro and in vivo, as well as in improving therapeutic outcomes in treating neovascular age‐related macular degeneration in a mouse model. As a general material platform, the LYTAC Plus hydrogel may possess great potential for the treatment of various diseases and warrant further investigation.

Rice is one of the important cereal crops in the world, and its yield and quality have always been the focus of breeders, which are related to global food security and human health. Rice grain type, mainly includes grain length, grain width and grain thickness, is an important quantitative trait controlled by multiple genes, and it not only directly affects rice yield, but is also closely related to rice quality. A good understanding of the formation and regulation mechanism of grain type will help to further increase rice yield per plant and improve rice quality. The development of molecular biology and the study of genomics have brought new changes to the exploration of the internal regulation mechanism of rice. A large number of quantitative trait locus (QTL) of rice grain type have been successfully identified and analyzed, and the functions of genes related to them have been verified. So far, several pathways regulating grain type have been identified, such as ubiquitin-proteasome degradation pathway, G protein signaling pathway, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, transcription factor regulation pathway, plant hormone pathway and MiRNA-related pathways. However, the regulatory network of grain type is extremely complex, and the mechanisms of the upstream and downstream regulatory components of many genes are still unclear, and there are even some cross interactions among the pathways that affect grain type. This review discussed the research progress of genes related to different signaling pathways affecting rice grain type and the interaction between key grain type genes, summarized the application of grain type genes in breeding in recent years, and proposed to analyze the regulation mechanism of rice grain type with multi-omics, with an aim to better serve the molecular design and breeding and provide support for the development of new high-yield and high-quality rice breeding.

Abstract Background Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i) have become firmly established in treatment algorithms and national guidelines for improving glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).To report the findings from a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 clinical trial, which was designed to assess the efficacy and safety of a novel DPP-4 inhibitor fotagliptin in treatment-naive patients with T2DM. Methods Patients with T2DM were randomized to receive fotagliptin (n = 230), alogliptin (n = 113) or placebo (n = 115) at a 2:1:1 ratio for 24 weeks of double-blind treatment period, followed by an open-label treatment period, making up a total of 52 weeks. The primary efficacy endpoint was to determine the superiority of fotagliptin over placebo in the change of HbA1c from baseline to Week 24. All serious or significant adverse events were recorded. Results After 24 weeks, mean decreases in HbA1c from baseline were -0.70% for fotagliptin, -0.72% for alogliptin and -0.26% for placebo. Estimated mean treatment differences in HbA1c were -0.44% (95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.62% to -0.27%) for fotagliptin versus placebo, and -0.46% (95% CI: -0.67% to -0.26%) for alogliptin versus placebo, and 0.02% (95%CI: -0.16% to 0.19%; upper limit of 95%CI

The Beishan orogen, a significant component of the southern Altaids, presents an opportunity for investigating the intracontinental deformation and exhumation history of the Altaids during the Mesozoic era. Although previous studies indicated that the Beishan orogen has experienced multiple reactivation since the late Mesozoic, the precise extent of these events remains poorly constrained. Here, we provide a comprehensive synthesis of field observations and apatite fission track (AFT) thermochronological dating throughout the Beishan orogen. Detailed field observations confirmed four major E-W trending thrusts in our study area. Based on the youngest truncated strata associated with the thrusts and previous dating results from neighboring regions, we propose that these thrust sheets likely developed in the late Middle Jurassic. AFT dating results from seven pre-Mesozoic granitoid samples and associated with thermal history modeling demonstrate that the Beishan orogen experienced a rapid basement cooling during the mid-Cretaceous (~115–80 Ma). Moreover, a compilation of previously published and newly gained AFT data reveals a comparable mid-Cretaceous cooling event in other parts of Central Asia, such as Qilian Shan, Eastern Tianshan, and Altai-Sayan. This observation suggests that the mid-Cretaceous cooling event is more likely to be regional rather than localized. This mid-Cretaceous cooling pulse is interpreted as a tectonic exhumation controlled by boundary faults and related to the rotation of the Junggar and Tarim basins. These processes are linked to distant plate-margin events along the Eurasian continent.

In the Kuroshio Current (KC) source area, intraseasonal variation (ISV) plays a significant role in dynamic oceanic processes. This study used data collected from three moorings (122.7°E, 123°E, 123.3°E) along 18°N from January 2018 to May 2020 to investigate the ISVs of meridional velocities. Notably, our findings reveal that the ISV above 200 m has a period of approximately 56 days and its intensity exhibits a gradual increase toward the west. For the 500–800 m depth interval, the ISV period is 73 days at 122.7°E/18°N and 60 days at 123.3°E/18°N. This discrepancy indicates that the ISVs have different vertical structures and frequencies at 122.7°E and 123.3°E along 18°N. In particular, at 122.7°E/18°N, the distinctiveness of two different periods of ISVs in surface and subsurface layers was more pronounced in 2018 than in 2019. The analyses of eddy kinetic energy distribution and eddy tracking indicate a connection between ISV in stratification and locally generated mesoscale eddies in the KC source area. Specifically, the stronger eddy activity in 2018, in contrast with that in 2019, correlates with a more pronounced ISV. Energy analysis demonstrates a distinct positivity in the baroclinic conversion rate (BC) in the surface layer (upper 200 m) of the KC source region, surpassing the absolute value of the barotropic conversion rate (BT). This finding indicates a notable shift of energy from eddy available potential energy to eddy kinetic energy, strengthening the high-frequency ISV signals in this area. In the subsurface layer, a strong negative BT is observed west of 122.8°E, with its absolute value exceeding the BC. This finding indicates that the energy is converted from eddy kinetic energy into mean kinetic energy, resulting in the appearance of the Luzon Undercurrent (LUC) at mooring station 122.7°E/18°N, characterized by a low frequency of ISV. Contrastingly, a positive BT plays a dominant role at 123.3°E/18°N, leading to the disappearance of the LUC amid an apparent presence of high-frequency ISV.

Bioelectricity has been stated as a key factor in regulating cell activity and tissue function in electroactive tissues. Thus, various biomedical electronic constructs have been developed to interfere with cell behaviors to promote tissue regeneration, or to interface with cells or tissue/organ surfaces to acquire physiological status via electrical signals. Benefiting from the outstanding advantages of flexibility, structural diversity, customizable mechanical properties, and tunable distribution of conductive components, conductive fibers are able to avoid the damage-inducing mechanical mismatch between the construct and the biological environment, in return to ensure stable functioning of such constructs during physiological deformation. Herein, this review starts by presenting current fabrication technologies of conductive fibers including wet spinning, microfluidic spinning, electrospinning and 3D printing as well as surface modification on fibers and fiber assemblies. To provide an update on the biomedical applications of conductive fibers and fiber assemblies, we further elaborate conductive fibrous constructs utilized in tissue engineering and regeneration, implantable healthcare bioelectronics, and wearable healthcare bioelectronics. To conclude, current challenges and future perspectives of biomedical electronic constructs built by conductive fibers are discussed.

Biopolymer grafts often have limited biocompatibility, triggering excessive inflammatory responses similar to foreign bodies. Macrophage phenotype shifts are pivotal in the inflammatory response and graft success. The effects of the morphology and physical attributes of the material itself on macrophage polarization should be the focus. In this study, we prepared electrospun fibers with diverse diameters and formed a shish-kebab (SK) structure on the material surface by solution-induced crystallization, forming electrospun fiber scaffolds with diverse pore sizes and roughness. In vitro cell culture experiments demonstrated that SK structure fibers could regulate macrophage differentiation toward M2 phenotype, and the results of in vitro simulation of in vivo tissue reconstruction by the microenvironment demonstrated that the paracrine role of M2 phenotype macrophages could promote bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) to differentiate into osteoblasts. In rats implanted with a subcutaneous SK-structured fiber scaffold, the large-pore size and low-stiffness SK fiber scaffolds demonstrated superior immune performance, less macrophage aggregation, and easier differentiation to the anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype. Large pore sizes and low-stiffness SK fiber scaffolds guide the morphological design of biological scaffolds implanted in vivo, which is expected to be an effective strategy for reducing inflammation when applied to graft materials in clinical settings.

Large centrifugal pumps can generate electricity in reverse, reducing the power supply pressure of the power grid. However, S region may occurs during the operation and regulation of the pump as a steam turbine (PAT). The S region can cause unstable unit startup, not only causing hydraulic system oscillation, but also accompanied by strong vibration and noise. Understanding the characteristic curve of the S region is of great significance for improving unit stability and efficiency. Previously, the main research object in S area was small generator units. This article conducted unsteady numerical simulation and experimental research on a large centrifugal pump. Analysed the internal flow rate, blade load, entropy generation, and pressure pulsation under three special operating conditions: the optimal operating condition, runaway operating condition, and braking operating condition in the S region. In addition, a comparative analysis was conducted on three pairs of operating conditions: S region turbine mode and reverse pump mode, with opposite flow direction, similar flow rate, and the same speed. Research has found that in the S region of large centrifugal pumps, the flow chaos in the turbine mode mainly occurs in the impeller section, and the maximum pressure occurs in the stationary blade section. The flow chaos under reverse pump operation mainly occurs in the stationary blade section, and the maximum pressure occurs in the impeller section.

Abstract Background The vast majority of ovarian mucinous carcinomas are metastatic tumours derived from nonovarian primary cancers, typically gastrointestinal neoplasms. Therapy targeting claudin18.2 might be used in gastric, gastroesophageal junction and pancreatic cancers with high expression of claudin18.2. In this study, we aimed to profile the expression of claudin18.2 in primary ovarian mucinous carcinoma (POMC) and metastatic gastrointestinal mucinous carcinoma (MGMC). Methods Immunohistochemistry was used to detect claudin 18.2 expression in whole tissue sections of ovarian mucinous carcinomas, including 32 POMCs and 44 MGMCs, 23 of which were derived from upper gastrointestinal primary tumours and 21 of which were derived from lower gastrointestinal primary tumours. Immunohistochemical studies for claudin18.2, SATB2, PAX8, CK7 and CK20 were performed in all 76 cases. Results Among 76 primary and metastatic mucinous carcinomas, claudin18.2 was expressed in 56.6% (43/76) of cases. MGMCs from the upper gastrointestinal tract, including 22 derived from primary stomach tumours and one derived from a pancreas tumour, were positive for claudin 18.2 in 69.5% (16/23) of cases. MGMCs from the lower gastrointestinal tract, including 10 derived from primary appendiceal cancer and 11 derived from colorectal cancers, showed no claudin18.2 expression (0/21). The expression rate of claudin18.2 in primary ovarian mucinous neoplasms, including 22 primary ovarian mucinous carcinomas and 10 primary ovarian borderline mucinous tumours, was 84.4% (27/32). The common immunophenotypic characteristics of POMCs, upper gastrointestinal tract-derived MGMCs, and lower gastrointestinal tract-derived MGMCs were claudin18.2 + /PAX8 + /SATB2- (17/32), claudin18.2 + /PAX8-/SATB2- (16/23) and claudin18.2-/PAX8-/SATB2 + (19/21), respectively. Conclusion Claudin18.2 is highly expressed in POMCs and MGMCs derived from upper gastrointestinal tract primary tumours; therefore, claudin18.2-targeted therapy might serve as a potential therapeutic strategy for POMCs and MGMCs from the upper gastrointestinal tract.

During the postoperative management of urinary diseases, oral or intravenous administration of drugs and implanting ureteral stents are usually required, making localized drug delivery by ureteral stent a precise and effective medication strategy. In the traditional drug loading method, the drug was premixed in the implants in production lines and the versatility of drugs was restricted. However, the complex situation in the urinary system fails the possibility of finding a “one fits all” medication plan, and the intraoperative drug-loading of implants is highly desired to support customized therapy. Here, we designed an ultrathin (8 μm), elastic, and self-adhesive nanofiber bio-tape (NFBT) that can easily encapsulate drugs on the stent surface for controllable localized drug delivery. The NFBT exhibited high binding strength to a ureteral stent, a sustained release over 7 d in PBS for hydrophilic drug, and a zero-order release curve over 28 days for the hydrophobic drug nitrofurantoin (NFT). Further in vivo experiments using a porcine ureteral tract infection model demonstrated that NFBT loaded with NFT could significantly reduce the bacterial concentration in urine. The total amount of NFT delivered by the NFBT was about 2.68 wt% of the recommended dose for the systemic administration.

AbstractDicer is an RNaseIII in microRNA processing that modulates multiple biological processes including tumorigenesis. We have shown that Dicer could inhibit the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) previously [Zhang L, Wang C, Liu S, Zhao Y, et al. Oncol Lett 2016;11:3961-3966]. Here, we evaluated the relationships between Dicer and reactive oxygen species (ROS) as well as their modulation for HCC. We found Dicer expression was positively associated with ROS generation in HCC tissue at borderline statistical levels (p = .065); functional analysis showed Dicer could both induce the ROS generation (p

Guang 8A is a wild abortion Simiao type male sterile line of indica rice with high quality and high yield, which was developed by crossing the female parent Zengcheng Simiao-8 (a high-quality indica rice possessing relationship with Guangdong wild rice) with the maintainer line 1325B, and then backcrossing with 325A after test-crossing. It was selected by the Rice Research Institute of Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, with the characteristics of good quality, strong combining ability, disease resistance and excellent comprehensive agronomic characters. Since it passed the technical identification of Guangdong Province in 2010, 44 new rice varieties have been approved or authorized by the state and provincial governments in China, including Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Yunnan and Sichuan Province (Region). All of these varieties showed the characteristics of high quality, high and stable yield and strong adaptability, fully demonstrating the role of Guang 8A as the "Core Rice of Guangdong". In addition, it was selected as test material and widely applied in the basic theory researches of cultivation and physiology. Among them, Guang 8 you 165, Guang 8 you Jinzhan and Guang 8 you 2168 showed high coordination of abundance, resistance and quality in provincial regional tests and have been selected as the leading agricultural varieties in Guangdong Province for four consecutive years. From 2017 to date, the accumulative promotion area in Guangdong has reached more than 0.26 million hm2, which has extremely important production value in South China and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

Abstract The spatial distribution and temporal variability of the Kuroshio Current (KC) was investigated with three moorings deployed at 122.7° E, 123° E, and 123.3° E along 18° N from January 2018 to the spring of 2020. It is shown that the core of the KC is located to the west of 122.7° E along 18° N. With the increase in longitude, the KC extended its vertical scale and attenuated its intensity gradually. The satellite data indicated that the KC was strongest in winter and spring, while it was weakest in autumn along 18° N. However, the seasonal cycle of the KC from mooring observations was atypical compared with that from the satellite data. The seasonal variation of the KC was not obvious in 2018, and a summer peak of KC occurred in 2019. The atypical seasonal variability of the KC was attributed to the strong intraseasonal signals generated by eddy activity. Eddies propagated from east and were enhanced to the west of 140° E, leading to the westward intensified intraseasonal signals. In addition, the intraseasonal signals varied interannually, that is why the variation of the KC in 2018 was quite different with that in 2019.

Abstract The accurate prediction of flight delays is of great significance to airports, airlines and passengers. This paper presents a causal flight delay prediction model developed for a single airport. A long short‐term memory network of delay prediction with an attention mechanism (LSTM‐AM) is established to predict flight delays and analyse their primary causes. In this model, the direct and indirect factors related to delays are comprehensively considered. LSTM‐AM can focus on input data combined with the attention vector to capture the critical time points, which can make the prediction more accurate. The model's performance is verified by actual operational data of Beijing International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world. Experimental results show that LSTM‐AM has better prediction accuracy than baseline algorithms such as some machine learning methods and deep learning methods. The mean absolute error of LSTM‐AM is about 8.15 min on the test dataset. The study found that using the predicted results of this paper to release delayed information in advance can effectively alleviate the nervousness of passengers. The critical time point captured by LSTM‐AM combined with runway and apron flow control can reduce or eliminate delays of one flight.

Ligament regeneration is a complicated process that requires dynamic mechanical properties and allowable space to regulate collagen remodeling. Poor strength and limited space of currently available grafts hinder tissue regeneration, yielding a disappointing success rate in ligament reconstruction. Matching the scaffold retreat rate with the mechanical and spatial properties of the regeneration process remains challenging. Herein, a scaffold matching the regeneration process was designed via regulating the trajectories of fibers with different degradation rates to provide dynamic mechanical properties and spatial adaptability for collagen infiltration. This core-shell structured scaffold exhibited biomimetic fiber orientation, having tri-phasic mechanical behavior and excellent strength. Besides, by the sequential material degradation, the available space of the scaffold increased from day 6 and remained stable on day 24, consistent with the proliferation and deposition phase of the native ligament regeneration process. Furthermore, mature collagen infiltration and increased bone integration in vivo confirmed the promotion of tissue regeneration by the adaptive space, maintaining an excellent failure load of 67.65% of the native ligament at 16 weeks. This study proved the synergistic effects of dynamic strength and adaptive space. The scaffold matching the regeneration process is expected to open new approaches in ligament reconstruction.

To investigate the energy partitioning up to the fourth oscillation of a millimeter-scale spherical cavitation bubble induced by laser, we used nanosecond laser pulses to generate highly spherical cavitation bubbles and shadowgraphs to measure the radius-time curve. Using the extended Gilmore model and considering the continuous condensation of the vapor in the bubble, the time evolution of the bubble radius, bubble wall velocity, and pressure in the bubble is calculated till the 4th oscillation. Using Kirkwood-Bethe hypothesis, the evolution of velocity and pressure of shock wave at the optical breakdown, the first and second collapses are calculated. The shock wave energy at the breakdown and bubble collapse is directly calculated by numerical method. We found the simulated radius-time curve fits well with experimental data for the first four oscillations. The energy partition at the breakdown is the same as that in previous studies, the ratio of shock wave energy to bubble energy is about 2:1. In the first collapse and the second collapse, the ratio of shock wave energy to bubble energy is 14.54:1 and 2.81:1 respectively. In the third and fourth collapses, the ratio is less, namely than 1.5:1 and 0.42:1 respectively. The formation mechanism of the shock wave at the collapse is analyzed. The breakdown shock wave is mainly driven by the expansion of the supercritical liquid resulting from the thermalization of the energy of the free electrons in the plasma, and the collapse shock wave is mainly driven by the compressed liquid around the bubble.

Abstract Stretchable conductive fibers have attracted much attention due to their potential use in wearable electronics. However, the ultra-high strain insensitive conductivity is hindered by mechanical mismatch in Young’s modulus and failure of stretchable structures under large deformation. This challenge is addressed with a conductive and elastic multifilament made of the polyurethane monofilaments that are surface-coated with buckled polypyrrole (PPy) of which flexibility is improved by sodium sulfosalicylate. Such parallel conductive monofilaments with PPy buckling on surface reduce the influence of cracks in the conductive coating on the overall conductivity, displaying an ultra-high strain insensitive behavior (quality factor Q = 10.9). Remarkably, various complex forms of wearable electronic textiles made by this conductive multifilament maintain the strain-insensitive behavior of the original multifilament, even upon the large deformation of human joint. This multifilament with wrinkled PPy has attractive advantages in the application of super-stretched wearable electronic devices.

The management of the interface between the wound microenvironment and the skin substitute (SSS) is fundamental to wound repair and is an important factor in the regeneration of damaged tissue. Current biomaterials result in unideal repair effect of defective tissue due to limited management of early wound exudate and inability to respond positively to endogenous growth factors. Based on a refined electrospinning process, polycaprolactone fiber - alginate hydrogel interpenetrated network scaffold and subsequent multifunctional modifications serving as SSS was developed. The SSS exhibits excellent water absorption, water vapor permeability rate > 6000 g/m2/day and stretching properties. The amino-terminated hyperbranched polyamide enables the scaffold with both rapid antibacterial and reactive oxygen scavenging properties. Furthermore, fibroblast cells can be proliferated in the scaffold by 3D infiltration (>100 μm). Thus, the scaffolds are expected to be ideal candidates for the repair of different defective skin, especially those with excessive exudate.

Utilizing the direct mooring observation along 130°E (10.5°N, 13°N, 15.5°N, and 18°N), 18°N (122.7°E, 123°E, and 123.3°E), and 8°N (127°E) and satellite data, the seasonal variabilities of the North Equatorial Current (NEC), Kuroshio Current (KC), and Mindanao Current (MC) were investigated. The southern part of the NEC along 130°E, the KC along 18°N, and the MC along 8°N featured similar seasonal cycles: that is, the currents were strong in spring and weak in autumn, while the KC along 18°N featured another peak in winter. Moreover, the seasonal phase of the NEC along 130°E was latitude-dependent; it advanced slightly from 10°N to 14°N and delayed poleward. The seasonal variabilities of the three currents were mainly controlled by local winds and Rossby waves via a geostrophic relationship, as the mooring observation was consistent with satellite data. The calculation shows that the local wind was dominant in the above mentioned in-phase areas (i.e., the southern part of the NEC, KC, and MC), while Rossby waves played an important role in the northern part of the NEC. The results indicate that the NEC–KC–MC system had the same zonal dynamics but different meridional dynamics across seasons.

Flow and phase separation in gas–liquid multiphase pumps is easy to occur, which deteriorates their performance and mixed transportability. Many research achievements have been made in the experiment, CFD simulation and performance improvement of multiphase pumps. However, there are many challenges for the test technology, accurate numerical model development and gas–liquid flow control. This paper is mainly aimed at critically reviewing various technologies for experimental observation, flow calculation and analysis, and the optimization design of gas–liquid multiphase pumps. In this regard, the experimental results including the energy performance, flow pattern and bubble movement in the multiphase pump are presented in detail. Discussions on the turbulence model, multiphase flow model and bubble balance model are carried out for the flow prediction in such pumps. Various numerical results are presented, including energy performance, bubble distribution, vorticity, phase interaction and pressure fluctuation. Moreover, the flow control and optimization strategy are briefly introduced. Having carried out an extensive literature review of flow characteristics in multiphase pumps, the deficiencies of relevant fields and suggestions for future research direction are given.

Recent progress in bioresorbable stents (BRSs) has provided a promising alternative for treating coronary artery disease. However, there is still lack of BRSs with satisfied compression and degradation performance for pediatric patients with congenital heart disease, leading to suboptimal therapy effects. Here, we developed a mechanically self-reinforced composite bioresorbable stent (cBRS) for congenital heart disease application. The cBRS consisted of poly(p-dioxanone) monofilaments and polycaprolactone/poly(p-dioxanone) core-shell composite yarns. Interlacing points in cBRS structure were partially bonded, offering the cBRS with significantly higher compression force compared to typical braids and remained good compliance. The suitable degradation profile of the cBRS can possibly preserve vascular remodeling and healing process. In addition, the controllable structural organization provides a method to customize the performance of the cBRS by altering the proportion of different components in the braids. The in vivo results suggested the cBRS supported the vessel wall similar to that of metallic stent. In both abdominal aorta and iliac artery of porcine, cBRS was entirely endothelialized within 1 month and maintained target vessels with good patency in the 12-month follow-up. The in vivo degradation profile of the cBRS is consistent with static degradation results in vitro. It is also demonstrated that there is minimal impact of pulsatile pressure of blood flow and variation of radial force on the degradation rate of the cBRS. Moreover, the lumen of cBRS implanted vessels were enlarged after 6 months, and significantly larger than the vessels implanted with metallic stent in 12 months.

Interannual variability of the North Equatorial Current (NEC)/Undercurrent (NEUC) in the northwestern Pacific was investigated with the mooring array measurements at 130°E during 2014-2021, in combination with the satellite altimetry. Mooring observations indicate that the velocity of the NEC/NEUC in the upper 900 m exhibits significant variations on the interannual time scale. The westward-flowing NEC strengthens when the underlying eastward-flowing NEUC weakens, and the NEUC branch at 8.5°N is intensified during the mature phase of El Niño and reaches the maximum velocity during the decay phase of El Niño. The phase of the interannual variation of the currents delays with the increasing latitude, with the signal at 15°N lagging that at 8.5°N by about one year. Based on a 1.5 layer reduced gravity model, the interannual variation is suggested to be controlled mainly by the westward propagating baroclinic Rossby wave induced by the wind stress curl forcing in the central Pacific. Different propagating speed of the baroclinic Rossby wave at different latitudes explains the meridional phase lag of the interannual signal. Empirical Orthogonal Function and vertical mode decomposition analysis suggest that the interannual variation of the NEC/NEUC velocity in the northern part is dominated by surface-intensified signals with a vertical structure of the first baroclinic mode, while that in the southern part is dominated by subsurface-intensified signals which is associated with the combination of the first two baroclinic modes. The low-order mode baroclinic response of the ocean to the wind forcing accounts for the interannual fluctuation of the NEC/NEUC velocity observed by the mooring array.

The middle route project (MRP) of the South to North Water Diversion Project is a significant infrastructure and alleviating water scarcity in Northern China. MRP suffered from untraditional siltation problems. Obvious siltation occurred in the regulating reservoir at the end of the channel and some locations with weak hydrodynamic conditions in the channel when the mineral siltation concentration in the flow is very low. To study the characteristics of the siltation and the siltation time period, an IoT based automatic siltation monitoring system using cloud was installed at the outlet of the inverted siphon project on Xiao River. Three years of online monitoring data since 2018 and the siltation samples at five sites for particle size analysis were collected. The monitoring data shows that siltation mainly occurs during March to October, and almost no siltation occurs in winter. The maximum siltation speed can reach 390 mm per day. The particle size of the siltation gradually increases from upstream to downstream, which mainly occurs in the range above 100 m. The organic matter contained in the siltation shows a significant increase from 40.3 to 86.4% at upstream and downstream sampling position, respectively. Monitoring results shows the main body of the siltation in the MRP is not the traditional siltation but the remnants of the algae that proliferate in large numbers. During March to October, the temperature is suitable for the proliferation of algae which attaches to the sediment particles and gradually grows downstream with the flow.

Professionalism and popularity are two important external identity cues of the review party. Previous studies have mostly focused on the content of the reviewers' comments. However, few studies have explored the potential impact of the review party's cues on consumers' adoption willingness and consumption behavior. This study mainly examined the neural mechanisms of how the differences in the two identity cues of the review party affect consumers while adopting the comments. The current study employed an event-related potential (ERP) experiment, in which the participants were asked to make a personal choice quickly based on the review party's identity cues after seeing the target product. A 2-level professionalism (low vs. high) x 2-level popularity (low vs. high) experiment design was used to test the impact of the review party's professionalism and popularity on consumers' intentions to adopt the review. The behavioral data reveal that the two identity cues of the review party impact the adoption rate, and the review party's popularity has an impact on the reaction time. The ERP data indicate that the review party's popularity affects the perceived risk (the N2 component, which is a high-risk signal) and the two identity cues of the review party affect the evaluation and classification process [the later positive potential (LPP) component]. These results indicate that when the review party has a high degree of professionalism, its popularity has less influence on consumers' review adoption intention. On the contrary, when the level of professionalism is low, high popularity will promote consumers' review adoption intention. Compared to professionalism, popularity is a higher risk cue for consumers.

Vortex is the dominant flow structure in hydro-energy machinery, and its swirling features are mainly determined by the rigid rotation part of vorticity. In this study, the rigid vorticity transport equation is proposed based on the vorticity decomposition. The vortex spatial evolution is described by the stretching term RST, the dilatation term RDT, the Lamb term RCT and the viscous term RVT. The shape change of a vortex tube is mainly affected by RST and RDT, while vortex production and dissipation are mainly reflected by RCT and RVT. Compared with the traditional vorticity transport equation, this new theoretical tool can distinguish between rigid rotation and shearing motion of local fluids, and it can better reveal the intuitive evolution characteristics of vortical structures. Two cases with clear engineering demands are analysed by using the transport equation, and the results show that it can provide a practical method for the analysis and control of vortical flows in hydro-energy machinery.

The dominant vortex structure near the hub in rotor corner separation flow has an important influence on the internal flow of the axial flow rotating machinery. However, the current quantitative research on the key vortical characteristics of the dominant vortex structure in the corner separation flow is still insufficient. The analysis of the dominant vortex structure (horn-like vortex) in an axial flow pump was conducted and found that the average vortex intensity and turbulence eddy dissipation show a gradual weakening trend along the vortex core line from the corner region to the vortex tail under various working conditions. The evolution of the horn-like vortex in a life cycle includes five stages, inception-growth-development-attachment-decay in the typical working condition 0.62Q0. The statistical average frequency of the periodic evolution is about 2.76 times the shaft rotation frequency. The pressure fluctuation near the hub induced by the horn-like vortex increases rapidly and dominates in the flow channel. The average peak-peak value on the impeller outlet section close to the horn-like vortex is about 2.79 times that of the impeller inlet section and should be paid enough attention to.

The development of multiphase pumps is restricted because of low efficiency and poor mixing transportation capacity. In this study, a two-step multi-objective optimization design system for a multiphase pump is constructed using a three-dimensional (3D) design theory and multi-objective optimization techniques. The transportability improvement for the pump impeller is achieved by implementing the optimization variables of its geometry and blade loading and the optimization objectives containing the pump efficiency and gas uniformity. The optimal results of impeller geometry show that the blade wrap angle and control parameters of the hub have remarkable effects on the pump efficiency and gas uniformity. The optimal results of impeller blade loading show that the pump efficiency is improved if the impeller with large loading at the leading edge, large slope at the middle part, and large negative high-pressure edge angle. The gas uniformity is improved if the hub loading at the middle and trailing parts is larger than the shroud loading. Compared to the original test impeller, the pump efficiency with the impeller T-Opt1 and the gas uniformity at the impeller outlet are improved by 10.81% and 6.91%, respectively. The maximum fluctuation amplitudes in T-Opt1 and its corresponding guide vane are reduced by 0.61% and 67.76%, respectively.

Recent studies have shown that reprogramming of gene expression in a genome can induce the production of proteins enabling yield increase. The transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) from several species of bacterial Xanthomonas have been extensively studied, and a series of research tools, such as genome editing tool TALENs and gene expression activators, have been developed based on the specific protein–nucleic acid recognition and binding mechanisms of TALEs. In this proof-of-principle study, we designed and constructed a designer TALE (dTALE), designated as dTALE-NOG1, to specifically target the promoter of OsNOG1 gene in rice, and demonstrated that this dTALE can be used as a new type of plant growth regulator for better crop growth and harvest. In doing so, the dTALE-NOG1 was transferred into the non-pathogenic Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) strain PH to generate a genetically engineered bacteria (GEB) strain called PH-dtNOG1. Functional verification showed that dTALE-NOG1 could significantly induce the expression of OsNOG1. By spraying cell suspension of PH-dtNOG1 on the rice plants during the tillering stage, the transcription level of OsNOG1 was highly enhanced, the grain number of rice plants was increased by more than 11.40%, and the grain yield per plant increased by more than 11.08%, demonstrating that the dTALE-NOG1 was highly effective in enhancing rice yield. This work provided a new strategy for manipulating agronomical traits by reprogramming gene expression in a crop genome.

Spiritual intelligence as a new type of intelligence has been limitedly explored in education. As it connects one’s mental and spiritual life to his/her performance and functioning, it can play an especial role in students’ L2 education. However, few studies have empirically examined this construct in relation to student-related factors like academic engagement. Against this shortcoming, the present mini-review study presented both theoretical and empirical underpinnings of this line of research by defining the concepts, their components, and previous studies. Finally, the study enumerated the existing gaps and offered future directions and implications for the educational practitioners and researchers whose awareness of spiritual intelligence and its impact on L2 education and learner-psychology variables can improve.

Transmembrane kinases (TMKs) play important roles in plant growth and signaling cascades of phytohormones. However, its function in the regulation of early leaf senescence (ELS) of plants remains unknown. Here, we report the molecular cloning and functional characterization of the WATER-SOAKED SPOT1 gene which encodes a protein belongs to the TMK family and controls chloroplast development and leaf senescence in rice (Oryza sativa L.). The water-soaked spot1 (oswss1) mutant displays water-soaked spots which subsequently developed into necrotic symptoms at the tillering stage. Moreover, oswss1 exhibits slightly rolled leaves with irregular epidermal cells, decreased chlorophyll contents, and defective stomata and chloroplasts as compared with the wild type. Map-based cloning revealed that OsWSS1 encodes transmembrane kinase TMK1. Genetic complementary experiments verified that a Leu396Pro amino acid substitution, residing in the highly conserved region of leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domain, was responsible for the phenotypes of oswss1. OsWSS1 was constitutively expressed in all tissues and its encoded protein is localized to the plasma membrane. Mutation of OsWSS1 led to hyper-accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), more severe DNA fragmentation, and cell death than that of the wild-type control. In addition, we found that the expression of senescence-associated genes (SAGs) was significantly higher, while the expression of genes associated with chloroplast development and photosynthesis was significantly downregulated in oswss1 as compared with the wild type. Taken together, our results demonstrated that OsWSS1, a member of TMKs, plays a vital role in the regulation of ROS homeostasis, chloroplast development, and leaf senescence in rice.

Formal methods play an important role in testing and verifying software quality, especially in modern society with rapid technological updates. Learning-based techniques have been extensively applied to learn (a model or model-free) for formal verification and to learn system specifications, and resulted in numerous contributions. Due to the fact that adequate system models are often difficult to design manually and manual definition of specifications for such software systems gets infeasible, which motivate new research directions in learning models and/or specifications from observed system behaviors automatically. This paper mainly concentrates on learning-based techniques in formal methods area. An up-to-date overview of the current state-of-the-art in learning-based formal methods is provided in the paper. This paper is not a comprehensive survey of learning-based techniques in formal methods area, but rather as a survey of the taxonomy, applications and possible future directions in learning-based formal methods.

Due to the large amount of waste generated by urban construction, the transportation of construction waste has a significant impact on urban traffic. Understanding the transportation trajectory of garbage trucks can improve the management of transportation routes and reduce traffic accidents. This study analyzes electric waybill and state data of garbage trucks to identify hot nodes of construction waste transportation, where the volume of garbage trucks is relatively high. Management should strengthen the hot nodes to reduce traffic accidents. First, several machine learning methods are used to improve the prediction accuracy of electric waybill generation, where the garbage truck recorded on the electric waybill is regarded as a working truck. Second, the transportation trajectory of working trucks is extracted, and its spatiotemporal characteristics are further analyzed. Hot nodes are found based on density clustering. Finally, a case study is conducted based on the Shenzhen construction waste transportation system. The results show that the XGBoost model can improve the accuracy of the generation of waybill to 90.5% compared with the decision tree model, random forest, and GBDT. Moreover, the density clustering model can discover the hot nodes of construction waste transportation. Considering the minimum number of samples and the neighborhood radius, the clustering number is determined as 100. The ratio of noise points is determined as 0.79. The results can provide decision support for the management of electronic waybill and garbage truck transportation.

The main manifestations of type 2 diabetes mellitus are excessive drinking, polyphagia, polyuria and wasting or weight loss in a short period of time, but it is rare to have persistent fever of unknown origin as the main manifestation. This case report describes a 68-year-old male patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus presenting with unexplained fever with persistent exacerbation and a cystic lesion in the right costophrenic horn on abdominal computed tomography (CT). A cytoculture examination of the puncture fluid suggested that the infection was due to Salmonella Dublin. The patient was treated with drainage of the abscess in the right costophrenic angle area, which then healed successfully. These findings suggest that Salmonella Dublin infection should be considered when a patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus presents with an unexplained persistent fever. At the same time, CT-guided abscess puncture can be performed to improve the patient's symptoms, aid diagnosis and improve the quality of life.

The detailed study of the initial and collapse processes of the laser-induced cavitation requires nanosecond resolution (both nanoseconds exposure and nanoseconds interframe time) of the photography measurement system. The high-speed video cameras are difficult to achieve nanoseconds interval time. The framing and streak cameras are able to reach the nanosecond resolution, but their complex technology and expensive prices make them far from being commercially available. The present study builds a nanosecond resolution photography system based on PIV dual-head laser and conventional industrial camera. The exposure time of the photography system is controlled by the laser pulse width, which is 5 ns. The two heads of the PIV laser are operated independently thus the smallest time interval between two laser pulses can be set to less than 10 ns. A double-pulse per-exposure imaging technique is used to record the information from two laser pulses on single frame on a low-speed industrial camera. The nanosecond resolution photography system was applied to the laser-induced cavitation experiments to verify the reliability of the measurement results. The measurement of the shock wave velocity demonstrates the ability of the system to capture ultrafast phenomena, which reduces from 3611 m/s to approximately 1483 m/s within 400 ns. The experimental results also reveal the asymmetric evolution of laser-induced cavitation bubbles. The major axis of the ellipsoidal bubble has twice reversals along the laser propagation and perpendicular direction from the laser-induced breakdown to the first collapse.

Objective: To evaluate the features of testicular torsion presenting with acute abdominal pain and to raise awareness of testicular torsion with specific symptoms. Methods: From October 2005 to June 2016, nine patients with testicular torsion who presented with isolated acute abdominal pain rather than scrotal pain as their primary symptom were retrospectively reviewed. Data, including the age of patients, season at admission, initial medical history, external genital examination, emergency ultrasound findings, operative findings, duration of abdominal pain, complications, and follow-up results, were collected. Results: The average age of patients was 14 years (range 10–17 years). Seven patients whose genitals were not initially examined externally were misdiagnosed as having ordinary abdominal diseases. Surgical exploration revealed that all the involved testes necrotized, and orchidectomy was performed. In the other two patients, scrotal and testicular abnormalities were detected immediately on admission, and emergency surgical exploration determined that the involved testis remained vital, so orchiopexy was performed. The mean duration from symptom onset to diagnosis was 4 h (3–5 h) in the orchiopexy group and 37 h (18–72 h) in the orchidectomy group. Six patients were psychologically affected during postoperative follow-up. Neither recurrence of testicular torsion nor testicular atrophy was recorded. Conclusion: Acute abdominal pain can be the initial and sole symptom of testicular torsion in young males. Physicians should pay close attention to the specific clinical presentation of testicular torsion. Keywords: Acute abdominal pain, Testicular torsion, Young males, Initial symptom, Retrospective analysis

Space-time image velocimetry (STIV) is a promising technique for river surface flow field measurement with the development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). STIV can give the magnitude of the velocity along the search line set manually thus the application of the STIV needs to determine the flow direction in advance. However, it is impossible to judge the velocity direction at any points before measurement in most mountainous rivers due to their complex terrain. A two-dimensional STIV is proposed in this study to obtain the magnitude and direction of the velocity automatically. The direction of river flow is independently determined by rotating the search line to find the space-time image which has the most prominent oblique stripes. The performance of the two-dimensional STIV is examined in the simulated images and the field measurements including the Xiasi River measurements and the Kuye River measurements, which prove it is a reliable method for the surface flow field measurement of mountain rivers.

Superior long-term anchorage of the bridging stent-grafts from the fenestrated main body endograft could be achieved with the addition of a flared cuff, capable of preventing the previously observed fabric fraying around the fenestration as a result of the balloon angioplasty of the seal zone. This novel stent cuff design will also facilitate more complete biointegration of the devices, eliminate the hemodynamic variation as well as significantly reduce the possibility of a Type III endoleak. The feasibility of this concept is demonstrated by observations made from in-situ tests performed in a Beta endograft design. Flared cuffs made of poly(ε-caprolactone) supported with a weft-knitted polyester structure can be manufactured with various configurations to optimize the transition from the main body of the endograft, thus preventing the currently marketed designs’ hemodynamic perturbation while also promoting endograft biointegration. This concept represents an evolution in branch graft design, which may enhance the long-term durability of customized fenestrations and open new applications for in-vivo graft fenestration in the near future. Further ongoing investigation to optimize its structure, X-ray opacity, fixation to the flared stent, and material biocompatibility are still required to build upon this concept’s proof.

Lesion mimic mutants (LMMs) are ideal materials for studying programmed cell death and defense response in plants. Here we report investigations on two LMMs (msl-1 and msl-2) from the indica rice cultivar JG30 treated by ethyl methyl sulfone. Both of the mutants showed similar mosaic spot lesions at seedling stage, but they displayed different phenotypes along with development of the plants. At tillering stage, larger orange spots appeared on leaves of msl-2, while only small reddish-brown spots exhibit on leaves of msl-1. At heading stage, the msl-2 plants were completely dead, while the msl-1 plants were still alive even if showed apparent premature senility. For both the mutants, the mosaic spot lesion formation was induced by light; DAB and trypan blue staining showed a large amount of hydrogen peroxide accumulated at the lesion sites, accompanied by a large number of cell death. Consequently, reactive oxygen species were enriched in leaves of the mutants; SOD and CAT activities in the scavenging enzyme system were decreased compared with the wild type. In addition, degraded chloroplasts, decreased photosynthetic pigment content, down-regulated expression of genes associated with chloroplast synthesis/photosynthesis and up-regulated expression of genes related to senescence were detected in the mutants, but the abnormality of msl-2 was more serious than that of msl-1 in general. Genetic analysis and map-based cloning revealed that the lesion mimic and premature senescence traits of both the mutants were controlled by recessive mutated alleles of the SL (Sekiguchi lesion) gene, which encodes the CYP71P1 protein belonging to cytochrome P450 monooxygenase family. The difference of mutation sites and mutation types (SNP-caused single amino acid change and SNP-caused early termination of translation) led to the different phenotypes in severity between msl-1 and msl-2. Taken together, this work revealed that the CYP71P1 is involved in regulation of both premature senescence and cell death in rice, and its different mutation sites and mutation types could cause different phenotypes in terms of severity.

Feature selection is an important task in big data analysis and information retrieval processing. It reduces the number of features by removing noise, extraneous data. In this paper, one feature subset selection algorithm based on damping oscillation theory and support vector machine classifier is proposed. This algorithm is called the Maximum Kendall coefficient Maximum Euclidean Distance Improved Gray Wolf Optimization algorithm (MKMDIGWO). In MKMDIGWO, first, a filter model based on Kendall coefficient and Euclidean distance is proposed, which is used to measure the correlation and redundancy of the candidate feature subset. Second, the wrapper model is an improved grey wolf optimization algorithm, in which its position update formula has been improved in order to achieve optimal results. Third, the filter model and the wrapper model are dynamically adjusted by the damping oscillation theory to achieve the effect of finding an optimal feature subset. Therefore, MKMDIGWO achieves both the efficiency of the filter model and the high precision of the wrapper model. Experimental results on five UCI public data sets and two microarray data sets have demonstrated the higher classification accuracy of the MKMDIGWO algorithm than that of other four state-of-the-art algorithms. The maximum ACC value of the MKMDIGWO algorithm is at least 0.5% higher than other algorithms on 10 data sets.

Solid-structure tape sutures have been developed and used widely in tendon repair for their inhibitory action on the suture pull-out through the tendon. However, the massive body without a porous structure of the tape suture results in the inferior integration with the host tissue leading to poor recovery. Herein, inspired by the hollow structure of bamboo, we reported a simple strategy to fabricate the tape suture with hollow and porous structure via triaxial braiding combined with melting technology. The mass and cut-through tendon distance of the tape suture with unique structure decreased by 36% and 61%, respectively, compared to commercial USP No.2 PET suture for tendon repair clinically. The unique structural design also rendered the tape suture architectural stability, a large force of suture pull-out through tendon, good mechanical performance and handling property. Moreover, the cytocompatibility and hemocompatibility of the tape sutures were confirmed as well. A highly attractive combination of properties makes the hollow and porous tape sutures have huge potential for application in tendon repair. This study may also provide new insights into the design of hollow, porous, and lightweight tape suture with a controllable structure to obtain the improved therapeutic effect of tendon repair.

Measuring ocean physics and atmospheric conditions at the sea-surface has been taking place for decades in our world’s oceans. Enhancing R&D technologies developed in Federal and academic institutions and laboratories such as WHOI’s Vector Averaging Current Meter (VACM, 1970s) and NOAA – PMEL’s: Autonomous Temperature Line Acquisition System (ATLAS, 1980s) as example, in situ ocean measurements and real-time telemetry for data processing and dissemination from remote areas of oceans and seas are now common place. A transition of this “ocean monitoring” technology has occurred with additional support from individual and group innovative efforts in the field of ocean instrumentation. As a result, long-term monitoring of ocean processes and changes has become more accessible to the research community at large. Here; we discuss a “Hybrid” air-sea interaction deep-sea monitoring system that has been developed in the private sector to mirror ocean-climate community data streams and has been successfully deployed on three basin-scaled programs in the Indian Ocean (RAMA, First Institute of Oceanography, FIO, China), the Andaman Sea (MOMSEI, Monsoon Onset Monitoring, FIO) and the Pacific Ocean (China’s Institute of Oceanology, Academy of Sciences (IOCAS) research in the western tropical Pacific). This application is a base to build upon as new sensors are developed and increased sampling at higher resolutions is required. Surface vehicles measure the surface, with some profiling available. Water column density sampling is still a much-needed measurement within the Ocean Climate Monitoring community. The “Hybrid” is a multidisciplinary tool to integrate new biological and biogeochemical sensors for continued interaction studies of the physical processes of our oceans. This application can also be used at FLUX sites to enhance the Argo Program, telemetry applications and docking stations for autonomous vehicles such as sail-drones, gliders and wave riders for enhancement and contribution to the Global Tropical Moored Buoy Array (GTMBA), Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), and the Global Earth Observing System of Systems (GEOS).