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Abstract The pursuit of pharmacological interventions in aging aims focuses on maximizing safety and efficacy, prompting an exploration of natural products endowed with inherent medicinal properties. Subsequently, this work establishes a unique library of plant extracts sourced from Yunnan Province, China. Screening of this herbal library herein revealed that Salsola collina (JM10001) notably enhances both lifespan and healthspan in C. elegans. Further analysis via network pharmacology indicates that the p53 signaling pathway plays a crucial role in mediating the anti‐aging effects of JM10001. Additionally, this work identifies that a composition, designated as JM10101 and comprising three chemical constituents of JM10001, preserves the original lifespan‐extending activity in C. elegans. Both JM10001 and JM10101 mitigate aging symptoms in senescence‐accelerated mice treated with doxorubicin and in naturally aged mice. Notably, JM10101 exhibits a more sophisticated senomorphlytic role encompassing both senomorphic and senolytic functions than JM10001 in the modulation of senescent cells, offering a promising strategy for the discovery of combination drugs in the rational development of anti‐aging therapies.

Acute aortic dissection is one of the most life-threatening cardiovascular diseases, with a high mortality rate. Its prevalence ranges from 0.2% to 0.8% in humans, resulting in a significant number of deaths due to being missed in manual examinations. More importantly, the aortic diameter—a critical indicator for surgical selection—significantly influences the outcomes of surgeries post-diagnosis. Therefore, it is an urgent yet challenging mission to develop an automatic aortic dissection diagnostic system that can recognize and classify the aortic dissection type and measure the aortic diameter. This paper offers a dual-functional deep learning system called aortic dissections diagnosis-aiding system (DDAsys) that enables both accurate classification of aortic dissection and precise diameter measurement of the aorta. To this end, we created a dataset containing 61 190 computed tomography angiography (CTA) images from 279 patients from the Division of Cardiovascular Surgery at Tongji Hospital, Wuhan, China. The dataset provides a slice-level summary of difficult-to-identify features, which helps to improve the accuracy of both recognition and classification. Our system achieves a recognition F1 score of 0.984, an average classification F1 score of 0.935, and the respective measurement precisions for ascending and descending aortic diameters are 0.994 mm and 0.767 mm root mean square error (RMSE). The high consistency (88.6%) between the recommended surgical treatments and the actual corresponding surgeries verifies the capability of our system to aid clinicians in developing a more prompt, precise, and consistent treatment strategy.

Dolomite formation is a crucial aspect of natural gas reservoirs in the marine strata of the Sichuan Basin, particularly in the exploration of deep carbonate reserved oil and gas resources. Understanding the genetic mechanism of dolomite is essential for predicting the distribution of favorable dolomite reservoirs in deep formations. Taking the third member of the Maokou Formation in the southeastern Sichuan Basin as an example, present work systematically investigates the genetic mechanism of dolomite by analyzing geochemical characteristics such as carbon and oxygen isotopes, strontium isotopes and rare earth elements. The analysis is based on data from outcrops, core samples and thin sections. The results reveal that the dolomites of the third member of the Maokou Formation in the southeastern Sichuan Basin can be categorized into laminated fine-crystalline dolomite, laminated fine to medium-crystalline dolomite, and saddle dolomite cement. Among these, the laminated fine to medium-crystalline dolomite is the most common type. The δ18O values of this dolomite type (-7.04‰ to -6.08‰) appeared unaffected by hydrothermal fluids, and are similar to those of mud-crystal limestone. Additionally, the 87Sr/86Sr ratio (0.707 550 to 0.707 740) locate within the range of contemporaneous seawater, indicating a diagenesis process of quasi-syngenetic to burial-induced restricted marine water infiltration dolomitization. The δ18O values of hydrothermally influenced dolomite range from -7.33‰ to -7.11‰, showing slightly negative compared to those of mud-crystal limestone. These dolomites also showed relatively higher 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.707 950 to 0.708 171) than those of contemporaneous seawater. The laminated fine-crystalline dolomite, which was not affected by hydrothermal fluids, shares a common genetic mechanism with the previously mentioned laminated fine to medium-crystalline dolomite. Saddle dolomite cement found in caves and fractures is either directly precipitated or recrystallized from hydrothermal fluids. This type of dolomite is characterized by higher 87Sr/86Sr ratios (with a mean value of 0.707 970), significantly negative δ18O values (with a mean value of -7.32‰), and positive Eu anomalies. A gradient change from laminated fine-crystalline dolomite to laminated fine to medium-crystalline dolomite and finally to saddle dolomite cement is observed, controlled by a transition from marine water to hydrothermal fluids. The dolomite in the study area is proposed to be the product of multi-stage fluid-induced diagenesis.

Abstract Objective Tumors are highly heterogeneous, and within their parenchyma, a small population of tumor-stem cells possessing differentiation potential, high oncogenicity, and self-renewal capabilities exists. These cells are pivotal in mediating tumor development, chemotherapy resistance, and recurrence. Ovarian cancer shares characteristics with tumor stem cells, making it imperative to investigate molecular markers associated with these cells. Methods Stem cell-related genes were collected, and molecular subtypes were established based on gene expression profiles from The Cancer Genome Atlas using the R package tool “ConsensusClusterPlus.” Multi-gene prognostic markers were identified using LASSO regression analysis. Gene set enrichment analysis was employed to gain insights into the potential molecular mechanisms of these identified markers. The robustness of these prognostic markers was analyzed across different cohorts, and their clinical independence was determined through multivariate Cox analysis. A nomogram was constructed to assess the model’s clinical applicability. Immunohistochemistry was performed to validate the expression of hub genes. Results Utilizing 49 tumor stem cell-related genes associated with prognosis, 362 ovarian cancer samples were divided into two distinct clusters, revealing significant prognostic disparities. A seven-gene signature (GALP, CACNA1C, COL16A1, PENK, C4BPA, PSMA2, and CXCL9), identified through LASSO regression, exhibited stability and robustness across various platforms. Multivariate Cox regression analysis confirmed the signature’s independence in predicting survival in patients with ovarian cancer. Furthermore, a nomogram combining the gene signature demonstrated strong predictive abilities. Immunohistochemistry results indicated significantly elevated GALP, CACNA1C, COL16A1, PENK, C4BPA, PSMA2, and CXCL9 expression in cancer tissues. Conclusion The seven-gene signature holds promise as a valuable tool for decision-making and prognosis prediction in patients with ovarian cancer.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor in adults with dismal prognosis. Vascular abnormality is a hallmark of GBM, and aggravates diseases progression by increasing hypoxia, inducing life-threaten edema and hindering drug delivery. Nonetheless, the intricate mechanism underlying vascular abnormality remains inadequately understood. Here, we revealed a key role of SOX4 on vascular abnormality in GBM. SOX4 expression was increased in endothelial cells (ECs) from human brain tumors compared with ECs from paired normal brain tissue. Knockdown of SOX4 in mouse brain ECs restrained cell migration and proliferation. Furthermore, in vitro suppression of SOX4 in brain ECs and in vivo conditional knockout of SOX4 in tumor ECs led to the downregulation of genes linked with vascular abnormality. Notably, specific depletion of SOX4 in ECs enhanced drug delivery and sensitive tumor to chemotherapeutic drugs in GBM. Taken together, these results demonstrated that SOX4 is a novel regulator for tumor angiogenesis and vascular abnormality in GBM. Our findings identify SOX4 as a potential vascular therapeutic target to improve drug delivery for GBM treatment.

The world’s first 1.3 GHz cryomodule containing eight 9-cell superconducting radio-frequency (rf) cavities treated by medium-temperature furnace baking (mid-T bake) was developed at the Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The 9-cell cavities in the cryomodule achieved an unprecedented high average intrinsic quality factor (Q_{0}) of 3.8×10^{10} at 16 MV/m and 3.6×10^{10} at 21 MV/m in the horizontal test. The cryomodule can operate stably up to a total continuous wave rf voltage greater than 193 MV, with an average cavity usable accelerating gradient of more than 23 MV/m. The results significantly exceed the specifications of Circular Electron Positron Collider and Dalian advanced light source and the other high repetition rate free electron laser facilities [Linac Coherent Light Source II (LCLS-II), LCLS-II-high energy, Shanghai High Repetition Rate X-ray FEL and Extreme Light Facility, Shenzhen Superconducting Soft X-Ray Free Electron Laser, etc.]. There is evidence that the mid-T bake cavity may not require fast cooldown or long processing time in the cryomodule. This paper reviews the cryomodule performance and discusses some important issues in cryomodule assembly and testing.

Background: Artesunate (ART) has the potential to modulate the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and Notch1/Hes1 signaling pathways, which play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. This study aims to explore whether ART participates in the progression of osteoporosis by regulating these signaling pathways. Methods: In the in vitro experiments, we treated bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) with different concentrations of ART (0, 3, 6, 12 µM) and evaluated osteogenic differentiation using alkaline phosphatase staining (ALP) and alizarin red S staining (ARS) staining. The expression levels of osteocalcin (OCN), RUNT-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), osteoprotegerin (OPG), and receptor activator of the nuclear factor kappa ligand (RANKL) were detected by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). The effects of ART on NF-κB p65 and Notch1 protein expression were analyzed by Western blot (WB) and immunofluorescence (IF). In the in vivo experiments, a postmenopausal osteoporosis rat model was established via ovariectomy. Bone tissue pathological injury was evaluated using hematoxylin eosin (HE) staining. Serum ALP levels were measured using a kit, bone density was determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and serum levels of bone gla protein (BGP), OPG, RANKL, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and IL-1β were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Additionally, the expression of NF-κB p65 and Notch1 in tissues was assessed by immunohistochemistry. Results: In vitro experiments revealed that compared to the control group, ART dose-dependently promoted BMSCs proliferation and enhanced their osteogenic differentiation capability. The expression of OCN, RUNX2, and OPG significantly increased in the ART-treated group, while RANKL expression decreased significantly (p < 0.05). ART significantly inhibited the expression of NF-κB p65 and Notch1/Hes1 signaling pathway proteins (p < 0.05). Compared to ART treatment alone, combined treatment with ART and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) or valproic acid (VPA) resulted in increased expression of NF-κB p65 and Notch1 proteins and decreased osteogenic differentiation capability (p < 0.05). In vivo experiments showed that in rats treated with ART, bone damage was significantly reduced, bone density and mineral content were restored considerably, and the expression of inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β) decreased significantly (p < 0.05). Additionally, ART treatment significantly reduced the expression of NF-κB p65 and Notch1 proteins, increased OPG expression, and decreased BGP and RANKL levels (p < 0.05). Conclusion: In summary, ART facilitates the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs by inhibiting the NF-κB and Notch1/Hes1 signaling pathways, thereby exerting significant protective effects against osteoporosis.

With the growth of urban carbon emissions, found that the current urban carbon emission reduction potential assessment and calculation in carbon emissions data source, research index selection and cost are some problems, to promote the realization of low carbon emission reduction target, it is necessary to use space and space and geographical weighted regression model to obtain the spatial and temporal distribution of urban carbon reduction. This article combined geographic information system (GIS) technology to construct a spatial database. Based on the geographic weighted regression (GWR) model, a time dimension was introduced to construct a spatiotemporal GWR model, which was used to obtain the spatiotemporal distribution information of urban CEs and draw a spatial distribution (SD) map of urban CE reduction potential (RP). This article also conducted experimental tests on the carbon reduction potential (CRP) of Chinese cities by combining different carbon reduction (CR) measures. This paper uses three CR methods to test P of these cities respectively measure A adjust industrial structure, measure B to promote low carbon technology innovation and measure C is to optimize the urban space structure, the experimental results show that the average carbon emission intensity of measure A cities is 0.72 tons / yuan, 0.02 tons / 0,0.04 tons / yuan less than measures B and C; the average CE efficiency of measures A cities is 0.85,0.02 and 0.05 compared with measures B and C respectively. From the above data, adjusting the industrial structure can effectively improve the CE efficiency of various cities, reduce the CE, reduce the CE intensity, and promote the realization of CE reduction in cities.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the clinical efficacy of closed manipulation combined with splinting in the treatment of displaced distal radial and ulnar fractures in children.MethodsA total of 82 children with displaced fractures of the distal radial and ulnar segment who met the inclusion criteria and were treated as outpatients or inpatients in the orthopedic department of Guangzhou Orthopedic Hospital, from January 2016 to June 2022 were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group: 41 children in the observation group were treated with closed manipulation combined with splint fixation; 41 children in the control group were fixed with incisional repositioning elastic nails combined with internal plates. The Anderson efficacy grading, visual analog scale (VAS) score, fracture healing time, treatment cost, hospital days, and complications were observed and compared between the two groups.ResultThe efficacy was evaluated according to the Anderson forearm fracture efficacy evaluation criteria, and the results of statistical analysis showed no statistically significant differences between the two groups (P > 0.05). At 3 and 7 weeks after treatment, the VAS scores of children in both groups decreased (P 0.05). The length of hospital stay, treatment cost, and complication ratio were significantly lower in the observation group than in the control group (P

Although the etoposide and carboplatin (EP) combination strategy has been the first-line chemotherapy, patients with extensive-stage disease small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) still have poor survival outcomes. Our retrospective analysis revealed that 46 patients with SCLC only achieved medium overall survival (OS) of 11.6 months after treated by EP. Recently, it was demonstrated that combination therapy of PD1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint blocker and EP could significantly improve the OS of SCLC patients. However, the serious treatment-related toxicity leaded to a high rate of treatment-discontinuation or even death. In the present study, we have developed a novel TPP1-conjugated nanocomplex, abbreviated as TPP1NP-EP, which was co-loaded with carboplatin (CBP) and etoposide (VP16). The TPP1 was a PD-L1 targeting peptide and conjugated on the surface of nanocomplex by a matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-2/9)-cleavable peptide linker sequence PLGLAG. For dual-loading of CBP and VP16, the CBP was chemically conjugated with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)–poly(caprolactone) (PCL) by pH-sensitive hydrazone bond and the VP16 was physically encapsulated by emulsion-solvent evaporation method. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated an excellent anti-tumor effect of TPP1NP-EP on SCLC and improved safety. In conclusion, the present study has provided a promising strategy for treatment of malignant SCLC.

Precise control of the manipulating force within an appropriate range is crucial to prevent potential damage to the operating object. However, achieving accurate force control through force feedback is challenging in micro-scale applications. This study presents the design of a quasi-zero stiffness-compliant constant-force microgripper with adjustable force output. The parameters of the constant-force mechanism are designed using a model-based optimization method. By utilizing this mechanism, a compliant microgripper capable of providing adjustable constant-force output is developed to overcome the limitation of traditional grippers that offer only a single constant force. Finite element analysis is performed to simulate the behavior and verify the stability of the constant-force output. Furthermore, an experimental platform is constructed to validate the mechanical properties of the developed microgripper. The experimental results demonstrate that the automatically optimized structural parameters enable the microgripper to achieve the desired constant-force value of 2 N with an adjustable range of 0.15 N. These findings provide a further basis for the application and promotion of compliant constant-force structures.

The deterioration in lake water environments, especially increasing lake eutrophication, is prevalent all over the world, which has seriously affected the balance and stability of the internal ecosystem of lakes. In this study, modern water and sediment samples were collected from three subtropical freshwater lakes with significant differences in nutrient levels to analyze the concentration of the zooplankton Cladocera Bosminidae and its relationship with lakes’ ecological changes. The results show that the deterioration in lake water environments caused by increasing eutrophication limits the survival of most zooplankton. However, the Bosminidae shows a positive adaptability to eutrophication and high sensitivity to the changes in the lake environment. In addition, the lake eutrophication process caused by the intensification of human activities enhances the survival advantage of Bosminidae with more food sources, which is more conducive to its rapid reproduction.

Aging is a time-dependent decline in physiological function that affects most organisms and is the major risk factor for many non-communicable diseases. The early diagnosis of aging is critical for the treatment of aging and aging-related diseases. In recent years, extensive efforts have attempted to accurately diagnose aging. To date, multiple types of fluorescent probes for various age-related biomarkers have been developed, with the aims of achieving rapid, precise diagnosis of the aging process and evaluating the efficacy of anti-aging drugs. This review summarizes recent research progress in small-molecule fluorescence-based probes for aging diagnosis, and further discusses the challenges and opportunities in this field.

Polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) images are classified mainly according to the backscattering information of ground objects. For regions with complex backscattering information, misclassification is easy to occur, which leads to challenges in improving the classification accuracy of the PolSAR image. Given this situation, this paper combines the Deep Learning Model and traditional classifiers to classify PolSAR image. First, the Convolution Neural Network (CNN) was used to classify the PolSAR image and according to the category prediction probability of pixels, the key pixels easily misclassified are located. Then, the adaptive boosting (AdaBoost) algorithm combined the three shallow classifiers (the Support Vector Machine (SVM), the Wishart and the Decision Tree classifier) into strong classifiers to reclassify the key pixels. Finally, the labels of key pixels and other pixels are output as the final classification result. Experiments on two PolSAR images show that the proposed method can improve classification performance and obtain better classification results.

Calcite cement is a common diagenetic mineral in carbonate rocks and plays an important role on rock quality as hydrocarbon reservoirs. Traditionally, oxygen isotopic compositions (δ18O) of the diagenetic calcites tend to decrease with increasing depths due to temperature-dependent isotope fractionation. In this study, the stable isotope compositions of the calcite cements in the Changxing and Feixianguan formations from the Puguang, Yuanba, Jiannan and Fuling carbonate fields in the Sichuan Basin were analyzed. The results show that some calcite cements have δ18O values similar to those of their host carbonates, despite the fact that these calcites formed at elevated temperatures (>∼100°C). Based on petrographic and geochemical analyses, the 18O-enriched calcites commonly occur with solid bitumens and have lower δ13C values compared with host rocks, suggesting thermochemical sulfate reduction (TSR) provided organic carbon for these calcite precipitation. During TSR, thermal oxidation of hydrocarbons generated the light carbon, and simultaneously the reduced sulfate ions provided the oxygen. Comparison of our study with the TSR calcites worldwide, a model for oxygen isotope behavior during TSR was established. Oxygen isotope compositions of TSR-related calcites are a function of isotope compositions and amounts of the initial anhydrite and pore waters. TSR shows two opposing effects on the δ18O values of calcites, depending on the δ18O ratios of the initial anhydrite. The reduction of anhydrite with relatively low δ18O values causes the calcite δ18O lower than theoretical values of calcites directly precipitated from pore waters. The heavy δ18O ratios of calcites formed during TSR are not only attributed to the 18O-enriched pore water resulting from extensive water-rock interaction, but also probably due to the involvement of anhydrite with high δ18O values.

Exploration of natural gases in the Middle Permian Qixia Formation has achieved a breakthrough in the central and western Sichuan Basin since 2010. This study discusses the quality of dolomite reservoirs and source rocks, trap types and hydrocarbon charging history and proposes that good accumulation conditions are the basis for the large-scale enrichment of natural gas in the Qixia Formation. The high-quality reservoirs in the Qixia Formation are dolomites that primarily occur along platform margins and in the inner-platform shoals surrounding the Caledonian palaeo-uplifts. The Qixia gases originated mainly from the Cambrian and Permian mudstone source rocks. The overlaying Permian source rocks and the underlying Cambrian source rocks are both widely distributed and could provide sufficient gases for dolomite reservoirs. Additionally, the structural or structural-lithologic traps formed by an overlap of the Qixia dolomites and structurally high are favourable for oil and gas accumulation. The Qixia Formation had experienced four episodes of oil and gas charging from the middle-late Triassic to the Early Cretaceous, and traps located in structural-high zones are most favourable for hydrocarbon accumulation. Thus, the Qixia Formation has excellent accumulation conditions for the formation of large-scale gas fields. The concealed structural belts in the footwall of fault No. 1, the Longmenshan–Daxingchang structural belts and the periphery Gaomo–Shehong palaeo-uplift are the key zones for large-scale gas exploration in the Qixia Formation. The Qixia Formation is an important strategic replacement field for natural gas exploration in the Sichuan Basin following the Ediacaran Dengying Formation and the Cambrian Longwangmiao Formation.

The typical characters of the electronic structure of magnetic kagome materials remain elusive. Here, the authors observe a Dirac cone, a flat band and a saddle point near the Fermi energy in ferromagnetic kagome material YMn6Sn6.

In this study, the feasibility indicators of the injection of coke breeze for blast furnaces (BFs) were tested. Experiments were conducted on the combustion behavior of coke breeze at different particle sizes, and the effects of ratio of coke breeze in pulverized coal on the combustion performance of blends were studied. On the basis of the above experiments, industrial tests involving injecting coke breeze after milling were carried out in 3# BF of Shougang Jingtang. The results show that most of the coke breeze particle sizes were distributed above 1 mm. The grindability and combustion performance are poor, so the material needs to be ground before mixing with pulverized coal. The best combustibility can be obtained by using a particle size of less than 8.74 μm of coke breeze in the injection. With the increase in the coke breeze ratio, the combustion performance of blended coal worsened; the negative effects of coke breeze can be improved by increasing the proportion of bituminous coal. According to the results of industrial tests, 8% coke breeze in blends had no negative effect on the smelting state, and the output of the BF increased slightly. Industrial tests proved that coke breeze can partly replace anthracite for BF injecting, which reduced the cost of hot metal while realizing the high value-added resource utilization of coke breeze.

Laminated shales are widely developed in the Dongying Sag and have attracted much attention as an oil reservoir. Macroscopically, these shales generally have multi-scale cyclicity, which is closely related to the development of laminae. Therefore, analyzing the origin of their cyclicity is helpful to understanding the formation mechanism of laminated shales and the vertical heterogeneity of shale reservoirs, which are of great significance for continental shale oil exploration and development. In this study, a gamma ray (GR) logging series, high-resolution elemental geochemical data, high-resolution core scanning photos and grayscale data, and mineralogical data were used to characterize the cyclicity of shale at different scales, and their relationship with different astronomical cycles was discussed. The results show that the Es3L and Es4U shale in the Dongying Sag has cyclicity from the meter-scale to the ten-meter scale and then to the hundred-meter scale, which is mainly manifested by periodic changes in organic matter abundance, mineral composition, element abundance, and grayscale. These cycles of different scales coincide with different astronomical periods. Specifically, the hundred-meter scale cyclicity is mainly controlled by the very long orbital period; the ten-meter scale cyclicity is mainly related to the eccentricity cycle; while the precession period is the main driver of the meter-scale cyclicity. Finally, we propose a simplified model for illustrating the formation of rhythmic organic-rich shale. This study is helpful to understanding the origin of continental organic-rich shale and predicting shale reservoir properties.

Iron-pnictide superconductors share similar topological band structure with iron-chalcogenide superconductors, but no Majorana modes have been observed in the former. Here, the authors observe both the superconducting Dirac surface states and Majorana zero modes inside its vortex cores in CaKFe4As4.

The understanding of kagome bands, which are characterized by Dirac-like bands capped by a flat band, remains largely elusive. Here, Liu et al. report the observation of a flat band and Dirac bands as ideal features of kagome bands in CoSn, revealing orbital-selective character.

Aim. We purposed to evaluate the KCTD10 effects of angiogenesis in diabetic retinopathy (DR). Methods. We induced a DR cell model using high glucose (HG) treatment of HRECs and ARPE-19 cells. A DR rat was established by injecting streptozotocin. Small interference RNA targeted KCTD10 (si-KCTD10) was used to mediate KCTD10 inhibition in cell and animal models. The roles of KCTD10 on cell viability, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and related proteins (VEGF and HIF-1α) were observed by RT-qPCR, Western blot, CCK-8 assay, TUNEL staining, tube formation assay, ELISA, and immunohistochemistry assay. Results. KCTD10 expression was upregulated in DR cells and retinal tissue of DR rats. Treatment of the cells with si-KCTD10 increased cell viability and decreased apoptosis and angiogenesis in DR cells. Inhibition of KCTD10 could reduce the expression of VEGF and HIF-1α in DR cells. Furthermore, KCTD10 inhibition reduced VEGF levels in the retinal tissue of DR rats. Conclusion. This work showed that inhibition of KCTD10 relieved angiogenesis in DR.

This paper presents an automatic optimization method for compliant constant force mechanisms, which eliminates the need for time-consuming parameter tuning and complex model design in the conventional design process. The proposed optimization framework is based on the finite-element analysis (FEA) and multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) methods and is designed in two steps: First, the preliminary mechanism design is carried out to roughly encompass the specified constant force objective; then, the preliminary model is optimized by applying a MOGA based on FEA results. The optimized model can achieve the desired performance automatically while achieving a larger constant force stroke, which is verified by performing FEA simulations and experimental studies. The experimental results demonstrate that the designed CFMs increase the constant force stroke by 16.3% while achieving the specified design accuracy compared to the preliminary prototype.

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) technology was used to carbonize and improve biomass raw material to obtain hydrochar. The effects of HTC temperature and holding time on the yield, composition, structure, combustion behavior, and safety of hydrochar were studied systematically. In addition, the results show that with the increase in HTC temperature and the prolongation of holding time, the yield of hydrochar gradually reduces, the fixed carbon content of hydrochar increases, the volatile content decreases, and a large number of ash and alkali metals enter the liquid phase and are removed. Further, the analysis of the combustion properties and the structure of hydrochar can be observed in that, as the HTC process promotes the occurrence of polymerization reactions, the specific surface area gradually reduces, the degree of carbon ordering increases, and the combustion curve moves toward the high-temperature zone and gradually approaches bituminous coal. Since biomass hydrochar has the characteristic of being carbon neutral, blast furnace injection hydrochar can reduce CO2 emissions, and every 1 kg/tHM of biomass hydrochar can reduce CO2 emissions by 1.95 kg/tHM.

Abstract In order to expand the range of bituminous coal injected into blast furnace, the ash melting behavior and regulation mechanism of bituminous with high calcium and low ash fusion temperature (AFT) were investigated by coal blending. And the mineral transformation behavior in the blended ashes was investigated by X‐ray powder diffractometry with normalized reference intensity ratio software and FactSage software. The experimental results manifest that the softening temperature (ST) of coal D is 8°C lower than that of the hot blast temperature. By adequately mixing coal B and coal D, it is easy to meet the requirements of pulverized coal injection. And coal D has become a standard bituminous for blast furnace injection. However, the high content of CaO in the coal S ash makes the AFT much lower than the hot blast temperature, which leads to the reluctance of the steel industry to inject coal S. With the increase of coal B mass ratio, the content of high‐melting eutectic matters (3Al2O3·2SiO2 and tridymite) increases at high temperature, while the content of low‐melting anorthite, andradite, gehlenite, and grossularite decreases, which leads to the increase of AFTs. The variation in the liquid phase under certain conditions reflects the change in AFT. In summary, by blending with coal B, the ST of blended coals S/B is higher than the hot blast temperature (1250°C), so that coal S can be applied to blast furnace injection. And the injection ratio of coal S in blended coals can reach about 50%.

Groundwater is a critical resource in remote and isolated islands where rainfall hardly provides a continuous and even water supply. In this paper, in a very rare and uncommonly found artificial aquifer on Miyako Island, far away from the main continent of Japan, with limited experimental results of evaluations of crop water requirement, MODIS ET together with crop ETc estimated from Kc coefficient from the nearest island were compared to determine the reliability of the MODIS ET and FAO-56-based ETc value. The testified Kc approach for sugarcane ET was used to assess the risk of irrigation water shortages using historical metrological data and to predict the future risk of irrigation agriculture under different scenarios of GCM models. It was shown that FAO-56-based ETc and MOD16A2 were both applicable for crop evapotranspiration on the island. Then, the response of groundwater storage to gross irrigation water requirement was analyzed to clarify the effect of irrigation on groundwater storage and the risk of groundwater depletion under current and future climatic conditions. Results showed that the construction of the dam efficiently secured the irrigation of sugarcane. Using historical climatic data (1951–2021), the influence of estimated irrigation water requirements on groundwater showed that in 296 out of 852 months, irrigation was heavily required. Over a 71 year period, there was absolutely no water for irrigation four times, or nearly once every 18 years. Under the future projected climate from four bias-corrected GCM models with two emission scenarios (2022–2100), the risk of groundwater depletion both in terms of frequency and duration will increase. Therefore, there is a need for either improvement of irrigation water management or additional construction of artificial aquifers on the island. The study proved the value of ET derived from remote sensing in areas lacking the support of experimental results. The methodology developed in the study can be potentially used to evaluate long-term irrigation demand and groundwater management over dry periods for engineering design or dam construction globally.

Cis-alkenes are ubiquitous in biological molecules, which makes it greatly significant to develop efficient methods toward construction of cis-olefins. Herein, we reported a facile semi-hydrogenation of alkynes to cis-alkenes in an efficient way with cuprous bromide/tributylphosphine as the catalyst and bis(pinacolato)diboron/methanol as the hydrogen donor. The method features convenient and facile reaction conditions, wide substrate scope, high yields, and high stereoselectivity.

Baiyangdian lake, the largest fresh lake on the Haihe Basin in North China, has attracted wide attention on account of the distinguished ecological water bodies in Xiong’an New Area. Although remarkable achievements have been made in pollution control in Baiyangdian lake, the problem facing the overall water environment remains serious. The complex pollutant sources, drastic pollutant flux changes, and the unclear impact of the role of pollutants pose great challenges to the water quality, water environment management, and long-term restoration of the ecological environment. Here, the potential pollution sources, their contribution ratio, and the influence of the pollution load of different sources on the water quality in the priority source areas of Baiyangdian lake are discussed in detail based on collected and existing monitoring data. It is proven that the primary pollution sources of for nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic pollutants are from agricultural and rural non-point source pollution; the load contribution rates exceed 50%, of which the contribution rate to the total phosphorus load reaches 73.37%. The total load contribution of runoff to the three pollutants was small, although the contribution of soil erosion to total nitrogen was 22.95%. The contribution of point source pollution to COD was high, with a rate of 22.33%. In order to ensure the environmental quality of Baiyangdian lake, it is obligatory to strengthen the control of agricultural and rural pollution discharge and to standardize the pollution discharge of livestock and poultry breeding. This study provides a helpful support for protecting the water ecology of the national Xiong’an New Area.

In this paper, the combustion behavior of low rank coal and its product after hydrothermal carbonization with paper sludge hydrochar were studied. The Raman technique was used to compare the structural differences between raw coal and the product. Thermogravimetric analysis was employed to conduct experiments of single sample and their mixtures with different proportions at a heating rate of 20 °C/min, the activation energy of chemical reactions was calculated. The results showed that upgraded product had higher carbon ordering degree than raw coal and the ignition temperature and burnout temperature of the product were advanced. Compared with raw coal, the combustion characteristic parameters C and S of the product were higher, indicating that its combustibility was better. As for the mixture, when the paper sludge hydrochar ratio was not more than 10%, the mixed fuel combustion curve was still similar to coal curve. After the paper sludge hydrochar ratio exceeded 10%, the activation energy of the mixed combustion reaction of paper sludge hydrochar and upgraded coal was lower than that of raw coal and paper sludge hydrochar. These results indicated that the mixture of upgraded coal and paper sludge hydrochar as mixed fuel was a better option.

Objective: Metabolic reprogramming is an important biomarker of cancer. Metabolic adaptation driven by oncogenes allows tumor cells to survive and grow in a complex tumor microenvironment. The heterogeneity of tumor metabolism is related to survival time, somatic cell-driven gene mutations, and tumor subtypes. Using the heterogeneity of different metabolic pathways for the classification of gynecological pan-cancer is of great significance for clinical decision-making and prognosis prediction.Methods: RNA sequencing data for patients with ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancer were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Genes related to glycolysis and cholesterol were extracted and clustered coherently by using ConsensusClusterPlus. The mutations and copy number variations in different subtypes were compared, and the immune scores of the samples were evaluated. The limma R package was used to identify differentially expressed genes between subtypes, and the WebGestaltR package (V0.4.2) was used to conduct Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway and Gene Ontology functional enrichment analyses. A risk score model was constructed based on multivariate Cox analysis. Prognostic classification efficiency was analyzed by using timeROC, and internal and external cohorts were used to verify the robustness of the model.Results: Based on the expression of 11 glycolysis-related genes and seven cholesterol-related genes, 1,204 samples were divided into four metabolic subtypes (quiescent, glycolysis, cholesterol, and mixed). Immune infiltration scores showed significant differences among the four subtypes. Survival analysis showed that the prognosis of the cholesterol subtype was better than that of the quiescent subtype. A nine-gene signature was constructed based on differentially expressed genes between the cholesterol and quiescent subtypes, and it was validated by using an independent cohort of the International Cancer Genome Consortium. Compared with existing models, our nine-gene signature had good prediction performance.Conclusion: The metabolic classification of gynecological pan-cancer based on metabolic reprogramming may provide an important basis for clinicians to choose treatment options, predict treatment resistance, and predict patients' clinical outcomes.

With increasing life expectations, more and more patients suffer from fractures either induced by intensive sports or other bone-related diseases. The balance between osteoblast-mediated bone formation and osteoclast-mediated bone resorption is the basis for maintaining bone health. Osterix (Osx) has long been known to be an essential transcription factor for the osteoblast differentiation and bone mineralization. Emerging evidence suggests that Osx not only plays an important role in intramembranous bone formation, but also affects endochondral ossification by participating in the terminal cartilage differentiation. Given its essentiality in skeletal development and bone formation, Osx has become a new research hotspot in recent years. In this review, we focus on the progress of Osx’s function and its regulation in osteoblast differentiation and bone mass. And the potential role of Osx in developing new therapeutic strategies for osteolytic diseases was discussed.

Dolomite plays an important role in carbonate reservoirs. The topography in the study area creates conditions for reflux dolomitization. The northeastward paleogeomorphy during the deposition of the Yingshan Formation was favorable for reflux dolomitization. Furthermore, the petrological and geochemical evidence indicated that the formation of finely crystalline dolomites was penecontemporaneous to sedimentation. The content of powder crystal dolomites increases from grainstone, to packstone, to mudstone. Previous studies only analyzed the origin of dolomites based on traditional geological methods, but did not analyze the spatial influence of reflux dolomitization on the reservoir quality. In this study, the reflux dolomitization of platform carbonate sediments was evaluated using three-dimensional reactive transport models. The sensitivity of dolomitization to a range of intrinsic and extrinsic controls was also explored. The reflux dolomitization involves replacement dolomitization and over-dolomitization. The porosity change is the result of the abundance change of dolomite and anhydrite. The fluid flow pattern in the model is related to the injection rate and geothermal gradient. According to the spatial and temporal change of mineral, ionic concentration, and physical property, the reflux dolomitization could be divided into five stages. From the sensitivity analysis, high permeability promotes dolomitization only in the initial stage, while low permeability and high porosity means stronger dolomitization. Besides, the injection rate, reactive surface area (RSA), geothermal gradient, and brine salinity are all proportional to the dolomitization. Differently from porosity change, the permeability change is concentrated in the upper part of the numerical model. The location of “sweet spot” varies with the locations of change centers of porosity and permeability. In the stage-1 and 4 of dolomitzation, it overlaps with porosity and permeability growth centers. While in the stage-2, 3 and 5, it lies between the porosity and permeability growth/reduction centers.

This paper presents a novel third-order super-twisting-like integral sliding mode controller (3-ISMC) for trajectory tracking of nanopositioning applications. Different from traditional sliding mode control methods presenting with chattering problems, the proposed approach provides continuous control inputs, which brings much convenience for practical applications. Moreover, the fixed-time convergence of the proposed 3-ISMC is guaranteed independently of initial conditions. The estimation of the fixed convergence time and stability are derived based on the Lyapunov method. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed controller exhibits chattering free and quick transient response performance for a piezoelectric nanopositioning system under model uncertainties and external disturbances.

Abstract Background Circular RNAs (circRNAs) with miRNA response elements (MREs) could function as competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) in regulating gene expression, thus playing vital roles in pathogenesis and progression of many diseases. However, the function of circRNAs in endometriosis remains unknown. This study was carried to profile the expression patterns of circRNAs in ovarian endometriosis. Methods High throughput RNA‐Seq was performed in six paired ectopic and eutopic endometrium tissues (ecEM vs. euEM), followed by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR) in 30 paired samples. Through bioinformatics prediction, we constructed a circRNA‐miRNA ‐mRNA network and elucidated circRNAs functions by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses. Results A total of 146 upregulated and 148 downregulated circRNAs were identified, binding with 2,495 MREs. The qRT‐PCR validation results of four upregulated circRNAs matched the RNA‐Seq data. The ceRNA network included 48 miRNAs and 296 mRNAs. Functional analysis revealed several important pathways such as MAPK signaling pathway, and PI3K‐AKT signaling pathway, which might be associated with the pathogenesis and development of endometriosis. Conclusion Our data suggested that circRNAs are differentially expressed in endometriosis, which might be candidate factors for pathogenesis of this disease and be considered as promising therapeutic targets in the future.

Advantages of wind-solar complementary power generation system to utilize solar and wind energy in the aspect of resource and technical economy have been reviewed tersely. Convenience of entering and exiting generating equipment and load from DC as well as AC bus are interpreted briefly. The factors that affect the electrical power output of the system were analyzed and studied. Based on the law of energy conservation, the energetic matching algorithm was proposed which forms the foundation of optimal configuration of system. Finally, the intelligent control and on-line monitoring of wind-solar complementary power generation system were discussed.

The thermal characteristics of Paulownia sawdust (PS), bamboo sawdust (BS), rice lemma (RL), and corncob (CC) in an oxidizing atmosphere were investigated using thermogravimetric analysis. The results indicated that the reaction of biomass oxidative decomposition took place in two main phases: devolatilization and char oxidation. Among various types of biomass, BS was found to possess the highest oxidative decomposition reactivity followed by PS, CC, and RL. Additionally, an increase in heating rate led to a significant improvement of the reactivity. The kinetic modeling of the oxidation reaction with the direct fitting method using the DRPM model showed a satisfied match with the experimental data, and the activation energy of biomass during the devolatilization process was higher than that of the char oxidation process. The activation energy of devolatilization was in the range of 80.7 to 133.8 kJ/mol, while that value of char oxidation fluctuated between 41.7 and 67.5 kJ/mol. In addition, with an increase in the heating rate, a marked compensation effect between the activation energy and pre-exponential factors was observed.

An important factor restricting the development of fiber loop ring-down spectroscopy (FLRDS) is that real-time continuous monitoring of the inherent system loss is inconvenient and time-consuming. However, the inherent system loss will vary across environments. To ensure measurement accuracy, real-time monitoring is essential. This paper proposes a method for real-time monitoring of the inherent system loss to improve the accuracy of FLRDS-based gas sensors. A precise dual-wavelength tuning of the laser diode can be achieved by changing the injection current, in which the emission wavelength outside the absorption region can be used to acquire the inherent system loss value fast and conveniently. The advantage of this method has been verified by testing the acetylene concentration of a calibration gas with 1% acetylene. The average measurement error can be decreased from 1.393% to 0.037% through detection and correction the inherent system loss.

Isothermal and non-isothermal gasification kinetics of coal char were investigated by using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) in CO2 atmosphere, and the experimental data were interpreted with the aids of random pore model (RPM), unreacted shrinking core model (URCM) and volume model (VM). With the increase of heating rate, gasification curve moves into high temperature zone and peak rate of gasification increases; with the increase of gasification temperature, gasification rate increases and the total time of gasification is shortened. The increase of both heating rate and gasification temperature could improve gasification process of coal char. Kinetics analysis indicates that experimental data agree better with the RPM than with the other two models. The apparent activation energy of non-isothermal and isothermal gasification of coal char using RPM is 193.9 kJ/mol and 212.6 kJ/mol respectively, which are in accordance with reported data. Gasification process of coal char under different heating rates and different temperatures are predicted by the RPM derived in this study, and it is found that the RPM predicts the reaction process satisfactorily. Keywords: Coal char, Gasification, Thermogravimetric analysis, Kinetics model

Firing-through paste used for rear-side metallization of p-type monocrystalline silicon passivated emitter and rear contact (PERC) solar cells was developed. The rear-side passivation Al2O3 layer and the SiNx layer can be effectively etched by the firing-through paste. Ohmic contact with a contact resistivity between 1 to 10 mΩ·cm2 was successfully fabricated. Aggressive reactive firing-through paste would introduce non-uniform etching and high-density recombination centers at the Si/paste interface. Good balance between low resistive contact formation and relatively high open-circuit voltage can be achieved by adjusting glass frit and metal powder content in the paste. Patterned dot back contacts formed by firing-through paste can further decrease recombination density at the Si/paste interface. A P-type solar cell with an area of 7.8 × 7.8 cm2 with a Voc of 653.4 mV and an efficiency of 19.61% was fabricated.

In this report, we present a new method for visual detection of Pb2+. Gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) were synthesized in one step at room temperature, using gallic acid (GA) as reducer and stabilizer. Pb2+ is added during the gold nanoparticle formation. Analysis of Pb2+ is conducted by a dual strategy, namely, colorimetry and spectrometry. During Au-NPs synthesis, addition of Pb2+ would lead to formation of Pb-GA complex, which can induce the aggregation of newly-formed small unstable gold nanoclusters. Consequently, colorimetric detection of trace Pb2+ can be realized. As the Pb2+ concentration increases, the color turns from red-wine to purple, and finally blue. This method offers a sensitive linear correlation between the shift of the absorption band (Δλ) and logarithm of Pb2+ concentration ranging from 5.0 × 10−8 to 1.0 × 10−6 M with a linear fit coefficient of 0.998, and a high selectivity for Pb2+ detection with a low detection limit down to 2.5 × 10−8 M.

This paper presents the design and testing of a novel flexure-based compliant compound constant-force mechanism (CCFM). One uniqueness of the proposed mechanism lies in that it achieves both constant-force input and constant-force output, which is enabled by integrating two types of sub-mechanisms termed active and passive constant-force structures, respectively. Unlike conventional structures, the active constant-force structure allows the reduction on input force requirement and thus the enlargement of motion stroke provided that the maximum stress of the material is within allowable value. While the passive one offers a safe environmental interaction during the contact process. Analytical model of the proposed CCFM is derived which is verified by simulation study with finite element analysis (FEA). A prototype mechanism is fabricated by a 3D printer to demonstrate the performance of the proposed CCFM design. Experimental results reveal the effectiveness of the reported CCFM.

Thermogravimetric analysis of recycling dust (RD) from the melter gasifier of COREX, coke1 (C-1), coke2 (C-2) and coal char (CC) under 70% oxygen atmosphere was carried out using thermal balance. The chemical composition and physical structure of the samples were investigated. The characteristic temperatures and comprehensive combustion characteristic indexes were calculated and kinetic parameters during the combustion process were calculated as well using a distributed activation energy model (DAEM). The results show that the carbon in the recycling dust originates from unconsumed CC and coke fines, and the average stacking height of carbon in RD is larger than that of C-1, C-2 and CC. The conversion curves of RD are different from those of C-1, C-2 and CC, and there are two peaks in the RD conversion rate curves. The combustion profiles of RD moves to a higher temperature zone with increasing heating rates. The average activation energies of their combustion process for RD, C-1, C-2 and CC range from 191.84 kJ/mol to 128.31 kJ/mol. The activation energy for recycling dust increases as the fractional conversion increases, but the value for C-1, C-2 and CC decreases with increasing conversion, indicating different combustion mechanisms.

Weak voltage signals cannot be reliably measured using currently available logging tools when these tools are subject to high-temperature (up to 200 °C) environments for prolonged periods. In this paper, we present a digital lock-in amplifier (DLIA) capable of operating at temperatures of up to 200 °C. The DLIA contains a low-noise instrument amplifier and signal acquisition and the corresponding signal processing electronics. The high-temperature stability of the DLIA is achieved by designing system-in-package (SiP) and multi-chip module (MCM) components with low thermal resistances. An effective look-up-table (LUT) method was developed for the lock-in amplifier algorithm, to decrease the complexity of the calculations and generate less heat than the traditional way. The performance of the design was tested by determining the linearity, gain, Q value, and frequency characteristic of the DLIA between 25 and 200 °C. The maximal nonlinear error in the linearity of the DLIA working at 200 °C was about 1.736% when the equivalent input was a sine wave signal with an amplitude of between 94.8 and 1896.0 nV and a frequency of 800 kHz. The tests showed that the DLIA proposed could work effectively in high-temperature environments up to 200 °C.

A harsh environment-oriented distributed multipoint fiber optic gas sensor system realized by automatic gain control (AGC) technology is proposed. To improve the photoelectric signal reliability, the electronic variable gain can be modified in real time by an AGC closed-loop feedback structure to compensate for optical transmission loss which is caused by the fiber bend loss or other reasons. The deviation of the system based on AGC structure is below 4.02% when photoelectric signal decays due to fiber bending loss for bending radius of 5 mm, which is 20 times lower than the ordinary differential system. In addition, the AGC circuit with the same electric parameters can keep the baseline intensity of signals in different channels of the distributed multipoint sensor system at the same level. This avoids repetitive calibrations and streamlines the installation process.