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Abstract Pullorum disease and fowl typhoid are caused by the Salmonella serovars Gallinarum biovars Pullorum and Gallinarum, respectively. The prevalence of these diseases varies across regions and is affected by different risk factors that remain insufficiently documented. To fill this knowledge gap, we have compiled a global dataset for its prevalence, drawing upon a collection of literature from the last seven decades obtained from bilingual databases. However, a more interactive and dynamic platform is still needed for both academics and policymakers to improve biosecurity measures, limit disease transmission, and prevent future outbreaks at the global and local levels. Here, we developed an advanced visualization platform to depict the prevalence of Salmonella Pullorum and Gallinarum, especially in China, which is categorized by geographical region and temporal span. The platform offers a user-friendly, efficient, and visually engaging tool to explore the prevalence of pullorum disease and fowl typhoid between 1945 and 2021 in different regions. Additionally, this platform allows users to understand the influence of various factors, such as breed, farm mode, economic usage and even the sex of the primary host, chickens, on the prevalence of this disease. We further provided a detailed overview of individual province within China. In particular, by selecting two different provinces on the interface, users can quickly visualize and grasp the disparities in disease prevalence between the chosen regions. This interactive toolkit enables a dynamic exploration of the patterns and factors contributing to the prevalence of Salmonella Pullorum and Gallinarum. This interactive platform is freely available open source at http://139.9.85.208/ .

Abstract Salmonella enterica serovar Gallinarum (S. Gallinarum) is an avian-specific pathogen responsible for fowl typhoid, a severe systemic disease with high mortality in chickens. This disease poses a substantial burden to the poultry industry, particularly in developing countries like China. However, comprehensive genome datasets on S. Gallinarum are lacking. Here, we present the most extensive S. Gallinarum genome dataset, comprising 574 well-collated samples. This dataset consists of 366 genomes sequenced in our laboratory and 208 publicly available genomes, collected from various continents over the past century. Using in silico prediction, we categorized S. Gallinarum into three distinct biovars. Regarding antimicrobial resistance, 238 strains (41.5%) carried antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) with a total of 635 records, while 232 strains (40.4%) exhibited multi-drug resistance. Mobile genomic elements (MGEs) serve as critical drivers for ARGs. Our dataset includes 5,636 MGEs records, with most MGEs belonging to prophages and plasmids. This dataset expands our understanding of the genomic characteristics of S. Gallinarum, providing valuable resources for future genomic studies to improve disease management.

Salmonellosis is one of the most common causes of diarrhea, affecting 1/10 of the global population. Salmonellosis outbreaks (SO) pose a severe threat to the healthcare systems of developing regions. To elucidate the patterns of SO in China, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis encompassing 1,134 reports across 74 years, involving 89,050 patients and 270 deaths. A rising trend of SO reports has been observed since the 1970s, with most outbreaks occurring east of the Hu line, especially in coastal and populated regions. It is estimated to have an overall attack rate of 36.66% (95% CI, 33.88-39.45%), and antimicrobial resistance towards quinolone (49.51%) and beta-lactam (73.76%) remains high. Furthermore, we developed an online website, the Chinese Salmonellosis Outbreak Database (CSOD), for visual presentation and data-sharing purposes. This study indicated that healthcare-associated SO required further attention, and our study served as a foundational step in pursuing outbreak intervention and prediction.

This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of large language model (LLM) in answering pathology questions based on pathology reports (PRs) of colorectal cancer (CRC). Four common questions (CQs) and corresponding answers about pathology were retrieved from public webpages. These questions were input as prompts for Chat Generative Pretrained Transformer (ChatGPT) (gpt-3.5-turbo). The quality indicators (understanding, scientificity, satisfaction) of all answers were evaluated by gastroenterologists. Standard PRs from 5 CRC patients who received radical surgeries in Shanghai Changzheng Hospital were selected. Six report questions (RQs) and corresponding answers were generated by a gastroenterologist and a pathologist. We developed an interactive PRs interpretation system which allows users to upload standard PRs as JPG images. Then the ChatGPT's responses to the RQs were generated. The quality indicators of all answers were evaluated by gastroenterologists and out-patients. As for CQs, gastroenterologists rated AI answers similarly to non-AI answers in understanding, scientificity, and satisfaction. As for RQ1-3, gastroenterologists and patients rated the AI mean scores higher than non-AI scores among the quality indicators. However, as for RQ4-6, gastroenterologists rated the AI mean scores lower than non-AI scores in understanding and satisfaction. In RQ4, gastroenterologists rated the AI scores lower than non-AI scores in scientificity (P = 0.011); patients rated the AI scores lower than non-AI scores in understanding (P = 0.004) and satisfaction (P = 0.011). In conclusion, LLM could generate credible answers to common pathology questions and conceptual questions on the PRs. It holds great potential in improving doctor-patient communication.

Abstract Infectious disease outbreaks transcend the medical and public health realms, triggering widespread panic and impeding socio-economic development. Considering that self-limiting diarrhoea of sporadic cases is usually underreported, the Salmonella outbreak (SO) study offers a unique opportunity for source tracing, spatiotemporal correlation, and outbreak prediction. To summarize the pattern of SO and estimate observational epidemiological indicators, 1,134 qualitative reports screened from 1949 to 2023 were included in the systematic review dataset, which contained a 506-study meta-analysis dataset. In addition to the dataset comprising over 50 columns with a total of 46,494 entries eligible for inclusion in systematic reviews or input into prediction models, we also provide initial literature collection datasets and datasets containing socio-economic and climate information for relevant regions. This study has a broad impact on advancing knowledge regarding epidemic trends and prevention priorities in diverse salmonellosis outbreaks and guiding rational policy-making or predictive modeling to mitigate the infringement upon the right to life imposed by significant epidemics.

Abstract STAM Binding Protein Like 1 (STAMBPL1), functions as a deubiquitinase (DUB) and plays a significant role in various types of cancers. However, its effect as a DUB participating in the HCC tumorigenesis and progression still unknown. In the study, the upregulation and strong prognosis value of STAMBPL1 were identified in HCC patients. Functionally, STAMBPL1 significantly promoted HCC cells proliferation and metastasis, and it interacts with TRAF2 and stabilize it via the deubiquitination at the K63 residue. The TRAF2 upregulation stabilized by STAMBPL1 overexpression transfers of P65 protein into the nucleus and activates the WNT/PI3K/ NF-kb signaling pathway. The 251–436 sites of STAMBPL1 particularly interact with the 294–496 sites of TRAF2, thereby exerting the function of DUB and removing the ubiquitin molecules attached to TRAF2. Our research unveiled a new function of STAMBPL1 in mediating TRAF2 deubiquitination and stabilization, thereby activating the WNT/PI3K/NF-kb signaling pathway, suggesting its potential as a novel biomarker and therapeutic target for HCC.

Background: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and traditional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are the methods of choice in clinical practice to identify the mismatch repair (MMR) and microsatellite instability (MSI) status in colorectal cancer (CRC). In some previous researches, the concordance rate between two methods was different and discordance existed in about 1 %–9.7 %. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 406 patients received surgical CRC resections and tests of both MMR IHC and MSI PCR from January 2019 to April 2022 in Shanghai Changzheng Hospital. The incidence of deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) or microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) CRCs, the concordance rate between two methods, and the reasons for discordant results were evaluated with clinicopathological data, immunochemical staining, whole-exome sequencing, and MLH1 methylation analysis. Results: Among 406 patients, the incidence of MSI-H CRCs was 7.88 %. Nearly a quarter of the cases under reexamination of IHC was initial misinterpreted. Besides, the concordance rate between MMR IHC and MSI PCR was 99.26 % (401 of 404) and the Kappa value was 0.945 (p

Abstract Background Mucinous colorectal adenocarcinoma (MCA) is a distinct subtype of colorectal cancer (CRC) with the most aggressive pattern, but effective treatment of MCA remains a challenge due to its vague pathological characteristics. An in‐depth understanding of transcriptional dynamics at the cellular level is critical for developing specialised MCA treatment strategies. Methods We integrated single‐cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics data to systematically profile the MCA tumor microenvironment (TME), particularly the interactome of stromal and immune cells. In addition, a three‐dimensional bioprinting technique, canonical ex vivo co‐culture system, and immunofluorescence staining were further applied to validate the cellular communication networks within the TME. Results This study identified the crucial intercellular interactions that engaged in MCA pathogenesis. We found the increased infiltration of FGF7+/THBS1+ myofibroblasts in MCA tissues with decreased expression of genes associated with leukocyte‐mediated immunity and T cell activation, suggesting a crucial role of these cells in regulating the immunosuppressive TME. In addition, MS4A4A+ macrophages that exhibit M2‐phenotype were enriched in the tumoral niche and high expression of MS4A4A+ was associated with poor prognosis in the cohort data. The ligand‐receptor‐based intercellular communication analysis revealed the tight interaction of MUC1+ malignant cells and ZEB1+ endothelial cells, providing mechanistic information for MCA angiogenesis and molecular targets for subsequent translational applications. Conclusions Our study provides novel insights into communications among tumour cells with stromal and immune cells that are significantly enriched in the TME during MCA progression, presenting potential prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic strategies for MCA. Key points Tumour microenvironment profiling of MCA is developed. MUC1+ tumour cells interplay with FGF7+/THBS1+ myofibroblasts to promote MCA development. MS4A4A+ macrophages exhibit M2 phenotype in MCA. ZEB1+ endotheliocytes engage in EndMT process in MCA.

Salmonella is a significant zoonotic foodborne pathogen, and the global spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains poses substantial challenges, necessitating alternatives to antibiotics. Among these alternatives, vaccines protect the community against infectious diseases effectively. This review aims to summarize the efficacy of developed Salmonella vaccines evaluated in various animal hosts and highlight key transitions for future vaccine studies. A total of 3221 studies retrieved from Web of Science, Google Scholar, and PubMed/Medline databases between 1970 and 2023 were evaluated. One hundred twenty-seven qualified studies discussed the vaccine efficacy against typhoidal and nontyphoidal serovars, including live-attenuated vaccines, killed inactivated vaccines, outer membrane vesicles, outer membrane complexes, conjugate vaccines, subunit vaccines, and the reverse vaccinology approach in different animal hosts. The most efficacious vaccine antigen candidate found was recombinant heat shock protein (rHsp60) with an incomplete Freund’s adjuvant evaluated in a murine model. Overall, bacterial ghost vaccine candidates demonstrated the highest efficacy at 91.25% (95% CI = 83.69–96.67), followed by the reverse vaccinology approach at 83.46% (95% CI = 68.21–94.1) across animal hosts. More than 70% of vaccine studies showed significant production of immune responses, including humoral and cellular, against Salmonella infection. Collectively, the use of innovative methods rather than traditional approaches for the development of new effective vaccines is crucial and warrants in-depth studies.

Background: For locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC), accurate response evaluation is necessary to select complete responders after neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) for a watch-and-wait (W&W) strategy. Algorithms based on deep learning have shown great value in medical image analyses. Here we used deep learning algorithms of endoscopic images for the assessment of NAT response in LARC. Method: 214 LARC patients were retrospectively included in the study. After NAT, these patients underwent total mesorectal excision (TME) surgery. Among them, 51 (23.8%) of the patients achieved a pathological complete response (pCR). 160 patients from Shanghai Changzheng Hospital were regarded as primary dataset, and the other 54 patients from Zhejiang Cancer Hospital were regarded as validation dataset. ResNet-18 and DenseNet-121 were applied to train the models based on endoscopic images after NAT. Deep learning models were valid in the validation dataset and compared to manual method. Results: The performances were comparable in AUC between deep learning models and manual method. For mean metrics, sensitivity (0.750 vs. 0.417) and AUC (0.716 vs. 0.601) in ResNet-18 deep learning model were higher than those in the manual method. The deep learning models were able to identify the endoscopic features associated with NAT response by the heatmaps. A diagnostic flow diagram which integrated the deep learning model to assist the clinicians in making decisions for W&W strategy was constructed. Conclusions: We created deep learning models using endoscopic features for assessment of NAT in LARC. The deep learning models achieved modest accuracies and performed comparably to manual method.

Objective: Observing the effects of polysaccharide from red kidney beans (PRK) combined with exercise (E) to improve the diet induced obese mice metabolic disorders, and analyzing its mechanism. Methods: C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 5 groups: Control group (normal diet), model group (high fat diet), PRK group (400 mg/kg PRK), E group (exercise), PRK+E group (400 mg/kg PRK+exercise). After continuous intervention for 12 weeks, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed, and blood glucose, insulin, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL) were measured by biochemical analyzer. TC, TG, superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were analyzed in liver. The contents of insulin, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-1β were determined by enzyme-linked immunoassay kit. The levels of PPARα, FASN, Nrf2, NQO1 and HO-1 were detected by western blot. Results: Compared with the control group, the body weight and liver weight of model group were significantly increased (P

Plasma protein binding of therapeutic bioactive materials, especially anticancer compounds can play an important role in their pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Human α-1 acid glycoprotein (AGP) has shown potential binding affinities to different endogenous and exogenous ligands due to its unique binding site composed of eight anti-parallel β-sheets. Therefore, in this study, the interaction of nordentatin, a member of coumarins with a chemical formula of C19H20O4 with AGP, was measured by multi-spectroscopic and theoretical approaches. Afterward, the anticancer potency of nordentatin against human colorectal cancer HCT-116 cells was assessed. The fluorescence quenching of AGP was observed upon binding of nordentatin through a static quenching mechanism. The spontaneous hydrophobic interaction of nordentatin with AGP had a binding constant value (Kb) of 104 M−1 with a marginal change in the secondary structure of AGP. Cellular assays demonstrated that nordentatin exhibited promising inhibitory effects on the cellular growth of HCT-116 cells through increasing the levels of intracellular ROS and [Ca2+], while it remarkably triggered the MMP reduction. Also, RT-qPCR analysis disclosed that nordentatin stimulated apoptosis by overexpression of P53, Bax/Bcl-2, cytochrome c, caspase-9, and caspase-3 mRNA. Overall, these findings suggested that nordentatin, in addition to potential binding to plasma protein, could be used as an effective preventive or curative plant-based therapy for colorectal cancer.

ABSTRACT Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) or mobilomes promote the mobilization and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), serving as critical drivers for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) accumulation, interaction, and persistence. However, systematic and quantitative evaluations of the role of mobilome in spreading resistome in a bacterial pathogen remain unaddressed, partially due to the lack of closed genomes. Here, we examined MGEs across 1,817 Salmonella isolates with complete genomic sequences from 58 countries between 1911 and 2022. We found the plasmid harboring 69.8% ARGs to be the largest ARG reservoir, correlated with serovar-based evolution in most Salmonella lineages. Prophages, specifically RCS47 and SJ46, play a crucial role in the plasmids’ plasticity and the acquisition of ARGs. Furthermore, distinct ARG accumulation, including resistance toward last-resort antibiotics, exhibited an MGE-favored manner. Certain socioeconomic and ecological factors, as additional layers of mediators, are associated with the preferential distribution of MGE-mediated ARGs in Salmonella. Collectively, this study demonstrated an uncharted knowledge of the segmentation of Salmonella resistome driven by mobilome, elucidating dynamic drivers and distinct mediators for resistome development that are of immediate relevance for targeted interventions.IMPORTANCEAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a significant global challenge, with an estimated 10 million deaths annually by 2050. The emergence of AMR is mainly attributed to mobile genetic elements (MGEs or mobilomes), which accelerate wide dissemination among pathogens. The interaction between mobilomes and AMR genes (or resistomes) in Salmonella, a primary cause of diarrheal diseases that results in over 90 million cases annually, remains poorly understood. The available fragmented or incomplete genomes remain a significant limitation in investigating the relationship between AMR and MGEs. Here, we collected the most extensive closed Salmonella genomes (n = 1,817) from various sources across 58 countries. Notably, our results demonstrate that resistome transmission between Salmonella lineages follows a specific pattern of MGEs and is influenced by external drivers, including certain socioeconomic factors. Therefore, targeted interventions are urgently needed to mitigate the catastrophic consequences of Salmonella AMR.

Abstract Background Chemotherapy resistance is an important bottleneck affecting the efficacy of chemotherapy in colon cancer. Therefore, improving the chemotherapy sensitivity of colorectal cancer cells is of great significance for improving the prognosis of patients with colon cancer. Methods CCK-8 assay was employed to examine the cell viability of colorectal cancer cell lines. Realtime-PCR and western blot were used to explore toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) expression in colorectal cancer cell lines. The functions of TLR4 in the stemness of the colorectal cancer cell lines were analyzed by infecting cells with lentivirus containing TLR4 siRNA. Results We found that aspirin could effectively enhance the chemosensitivity of CT26 and HCT116 colorectal cancer cell lines. Aspirin can also inhibit the stemness of colorectal cancer cell including inhibiting the number of clone formation and reducing the volume and number of cell spheres and inducing the down-regulation of stemness-related genes. Besides that, aspirin also lead to down-regulation of TLR4 expression in colorectal cancer cells. The TLR4 positive colorectal cancer cells demonstrated a higher chemotherapy resistance potential than TLR4 negative colorectal cancer cells. In addition, the stemness of TLR4 positive colorectal cancer cells is stronger than TLR4 negative colorectal cancer cells. Conclusion The results of our study indicate that aspirin increases chemosensitivity of colorectal cancer cells and inhibits the expression of toll-like receptor 4.

Abstract Background Liver cancer is a severe public health problem worldwide, and it creates a relatively higher disease burden in China than in the Western world. Despite achieving notable progress in China, potential differences in some aspects of medical services for liver cancer may persist across different regions and hospitals. This warrants serious consideration of the actual status of and barriers to liver cancer treatment. We intended to explore the present status of and obstacles in liver cancer treatment especially for advanced-stage liver cancer. Methods In February 2021, a national multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted among 1500 doctors from 31 provinces of mainland China using a self-administered online questionnaire. Participants completed the questionnaire about their general information, perspectives on the current status of liver cancer treatment, and expectations for future treatment. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were performed to explore the differences associated with the regions, doctors’ professional ranks, and hospital levels. Results Treatment conditions, medications, and treatment strategies were inconsistent across different economic regions and hospital of different levels. With respect to obstacles in treatment, 76.6% of the doctors were unsatisfied with the current treatment for liver cancer. Important factors that influenced their satisfaction with the treatment for liver cancer included early diagnosis and the disclosure of true conditions to patients. Conclusions There persists differences in the treatment of liver cancer in China, besides barriers to treatment. More attention should be paid to the detection and treatment of liver cancer and the propagation of novel progress among doctors in underdeveloped areas.

As “green” composites, recycling end-of-life wood-plastic composites (WPCs) is crucial for sustainable and efficient resource utilization and carbon neutrality. In this study, waste WPC windows with 47.6 wt.% wood fiber (WF) were recycled as the polymer matrix and then reprocessed with waste WFs by extrusion into ultra-high-filled WF/polyethylene composites (UH-WPCs) using MAPE as a compatibilizer. The tensile and flexural moduli of all UH-WPCs with/without MAPE were higher than those of the waste WPCs. The MAPE-compatibilized UH-WPCs demonstrated improved water resistance, creep resistance, and dimensional stability. The tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength, and flexural modulus of the UH-WPCs with 80 wt.% WF and 4 wt.% MAPE were 26.6%, 50.0%, 26.4%, and 87.9% higher than those of the waste WPCs, respectively. The presence of MAPE could improve the WF-matrix interfacial interaction and protect the WF from damage during reprocessing owing to the improved wettability and plasticization on WF. It is anticipated that the proposed strategy will provide a facile method to recycle end-of-life WPC products into high-performance composites at a low cost.

Background The conventional laparoscopic colorectal surgery requires four or more ports to accomplish the laparoscopic dissection, and a mini-laparotomy to remove the specimen, which is a main cause of postoperative pain and incision complications, and compromise the cosmetic results. Reduced port surgery and natural orifice specimen extraction (NOSE) surgery hold the promise to overcome these drawbacks. This study planned to compare peri-operative outcomes of patients with rectal-sigmoid cancer undergoing three-port laparoscopic anterior resection with NOSE (three-port NOSE LAR) to those of patients receiving conventional LAR. Methods Twenty-five patients with rectal-sigmoid cancer underwent three-port NOSE LAR between December 2018 and October 2020. For comparison, 50 patients with rectal-sigmoid cancer underwent conventional LAR in the same period were matched. The peri-operative outcomes were compared. Results Operating time of three-port NOSE group was slightly longer than that of conventional group (135 min vs. 121 min, p = .147). The incision length of three-port NOSE group was shorter than that of conventional group (2.9 cm vs. 7.4 cm, p = .000). Complication rates in three-port NOSE group and conventional group were similar (12.0% vs. 20.0%, p = .524). The tumor size was smaller in three-port NOSE group than the conventional group (2.1 cm vs. 3.5 cm, p = .000). Pain score was lower in three-port NOSE group than the conventional group at postoperative day 1 (1.6 vs. 3.0, p = 0.045) and day 2 (0.2 vs. 2.1, p = .003). The BIQ score was significantly higher in the three-port NOSE group compared to the conventional group (42.9 ± 3.5 vs. 38.2 ± 2.5, p = .002). Conclusions Three-port NOSE LAR for rectal-sigmoid cancer is feasible and provides similar peri-operative outcomes compared to conventional LAR. It reduces postoperative pain and produces better cosmesis.

The application of energy storage technology can solve the problems of randomness and volatility in the development and use of renewable energy, such as wind and solar energy, and effectively improve energy utilization. Rock heat storage is one of the primary forms of sensible heat storage. The heat storage efficiency and heat storage capacity of rock packed bed are important indicators to measure the energy storage effect of a rock energy storage system. This paper takes CO2 as the heat-carrying medium and broken granite grains as the packed bed matrix of the energy storage system. It establishes a porous medium thermal-hydraulic-mechanical coupling model of the broken rock bed. The heat injection and production process of the large-sized rock bed heat storage system is simulated using the COMSOL finite element software, and the heat storage efficiency and heat storage capacity of the broken rock bed is analyzed under different fluid injection pressures and injection temperatures. The results show that: 1) With the increase of CO2 injection pressure, the heat storage and heat production speed of the heat storage system will increase, and the heat storage rate changes from two stages of “low rise - slow decline” to four stages of “rapid increase—stability—rapid decrease—stability”; 2) With the increase of CO2 injection temperature, the maximum heat storage capacity of the rock bed heat storage system will increase. Due to the increase in the temperature gradient between CO2 and the rock bed, the heat storage and the heat production time of the heat storage system will increase, and its speed will decrease.

With globalization and digitalization, participating in Global Value Chain (GVC) and developing digital economy have had a profound impact, which transforms China’s economy into a green and innovative one. This paper studies the intrinsic influential mechanism of GVC embeddedness and digital economy on green innovation and proposes some research hypotheses. Based on panel data of 30 Chinese provinces from 2002 to 2016, we constructed some core indicators such as GVC embeddedness, digital economy and green innovation. The ordinary panel model and spatial panel model are used to empirically test the impact of GVC embeddedness and digital economy on China’s green innovation at the provincial level. The research findings are: First, GVC embeddedness and digital economy have significant promotion effects on green innovation. Second, the development of digital economy will not only directly promote green innovation, but also indirectly promote green innovation by effectively promoting the integration of provincial economy into GVC. The results of mediating effect test show that GVC embeddedness has a partial mediating effect in the influential mechanism of digital economy to promote green innovation. Third, GVC embeddedness and green innovation have significant spatial spillover effects. It indicates that Chinese provinces (cities1) have significantly promoted green innovation in neighboring provinces through many possible channels and mechanisms in the process of participating in GVC, and the robustness test shows the stability of the spatial spillover mechanism. The findings provide useful policy implications for China’s deeply participating in GVC, vigorously developing digital economy and promoting green innovation.

We theoretically investigate tunable optical absorption properties of photonic crystals containing lossy materials as defects. It is found that a lossy defect can induce one or multiple perfect absorption peaks in the bandgap of photonic crystals and the number of the peaks mainly depends on the thickness of the defect layer. On the one hand, multiple complete absorption peaks can also emerge in the photonic bandgap when multiple lossy defects are inserted within the photonic crystals, and the resonant wavelengths of absorption peaks can be modulated by changing the distances among the defects. On the other hand, the optical absorption away from resonant wavelengths is nearly zero in the whole visible range. Such nanostructures can be used to engineer novel optical devices such as tunable single-channel and multi-channel perfect optical absorbers.

Human non-typhoidal salmonellosis is among the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, resulting in huge economic losses and threatening the public health systems. To date, epidemiological characteristics of non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) implicated in human salmonellosis in China are still obscure. Herein, we investigate the antimicrobial resistance and genomic features of NTS isolated from outpatients in Shaoxing city in 2020. Eighty-seven Salmonella isolates were recovered and tested against 28 different antimicrobial agents, representing 12 categories. The results showed high resistance to cefazolin (86.21%), streptomycin (81.61%), ampicillin (77.01%), ampicillin-sulbactam (74.71%), doxycycline (72.41%), tetracycline (71.26%), and levofloxacin (70.11%). Moreover, 83.91% of isolates were resistant to ≥3 categories, which were considered multi-drug resistant (MDR). Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) combined with bioinformatic analysis was used to predict serovars, MLST types, plasmid replicons, antimicrobial resistance genes, and virulence genes, in addition to the construction of phylogenomic to determine the epidemiological relatedness between isolates. Fifteen serovars and 16 STs were identified, with the dominance of S. I 4, [5], 12:i:– ST34 (25.29%), S. Enteritidis ST11 (22.99%), and S. Typhimurium ST19. Additionally, 50 resistance genes representing ten categories were detected with a high prevalence of aac(6')-Iaa (100%), blaTEM−1B (65.52%), and tet(A) (52.87%), encoding resistance to aminoglycosides, β-lactams, and tetracyclines, respectively; in addition to chromosomic mutations affecting gyrA gene. Moreover, we showed the detection of 18 different plasmids with the dominance of IncFIB(S) and IncFII(S) (39.08%). Interestingly, all isolates harbor the typical virulence genes implicated in the virulence mechanisms of Salmonella, while one isolate of S. Jangwani contains the cdtB gene encoding typhoid toxin production. Furthermore, the phylogenomic analysis showed that all isolates of the same serovar are very close to each other and clustered together in the same clade. Together, we showed a high incidence of MDR among the studied isolates which is alarming for public health services and is a major threat to the currently available treatments to deal with human salmonellosis; hence, efforts should be gathered to further introduce WGS in routinely monitoring of AMR Salmonella in the medical field in order to enhance the effectiveness of surveillance systems and to limit the spread of MDR clones.

COVID-19 has affected China's financial markets; accordingly, we investigate the effect of COVID-19 on the risk spillover between fintech and traditional financial industries. Using data from April 25, 2012 to April 22, 2022, which we divide into two parts (before and during the COVID-19 periods), we model the dynamic risk spillover relationship following the DCC-GARCH-BEKK and MMV-MFDFA methods. The results show that: (1) The dynamic relationship between fintech and traditional finance is almost positive most of the time, and the dynamic correlations between fintech and realty (real estate development and operation) are the largest. The dynamic linkage between fintech and traditional finance declines after the COVID-19 outbreak. (2) There exists a risk spillover from fintech to every type of bank before and during the COVID-19 periods. Notably, the risk spillover effect of fintech to large state-owned banks and city commercial banks is the largest separately before and during the COVID-19 periods. Meanwhile, there exist a two-way risk spillover between fintech and almost all other traditional financial industries before and during the COVID-19 periods. (3) Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the risk spillover relationship, which is in pairs and in the system become more complex. (4) Regarding the whole system, the correlation in the system is anti-persistent most of the time. Moreover, there are large fluctuations and more complex characteristics during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the whole system was smooth most of the time before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In recent years, digital computing in memory (CIM) has been an efficient and high-performance solution in artificial intelligence (AI) edge inference. Nevertheless, digital CIM based on non-volatile memory (NVM) is less discussed for the sophisticated intrinsic physical and electrical behavior of non-volatile devices. In this paper, we propose a fully digital non-volatile CIM (DNV-CIM) macro with compressed coding look-up table (LUT) multiplier (CCLUTM) using the 40 nm technology, which is highly compatible with the standard commodity NOR Flash memory. We also provide a continuous accumulation scheme for machine learning applications. When applied to a modified ResNet18 network trained under the CIFAR-10 dataset, the simulations indicate that the proposed CCLUTM-based DNV-CIM can achieve a peak energy efficiency of 75.18 TOPS/W with 4-bit multiplication and accumulation (MAC) operations.

Human activity recognition (HAR) is becoming increasingly important, especially with the growing number of elderly people living at home. However, most sensors, such as cameras, do not perform well in low-light environments. To address this issue, we designed a HAR system that combines a camera and a millimeter wave radar, taking advantage of each sensor and a fusion algorithm to distinguish between confusing human activities and to improve accuracy in low-light settings. To extract the spatial and temporal features contained in the multisensor fusion data, we designed an improved CNN-LSTM model. In addition, three data fusion algorithms were studied and investigated. Compared to camera data in low-light environments, the fusion data significantly improved the HAR accuracy by at least 26.68%, 19.87%, and 21.92% under the data level fusion algorithm, feature level fusion algorithm, and decision level fusion algorithm, respectively. Moreover, the data level fusion algorithm also resulted in a reduction of the best misclassification rate to 2%~6%. These findings suggest that the proposed system has the potential to enhance the accuracy of HAR in low-light environments and to decrease human activity misclassification rates.

PurposeTo report the technology and preliminary result of gutter-free design stent-grafted in in situ fenestration thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR).DescriptionThe gutter-free stent-graft has a nickel-titanium self-expanding skeleton, double polytetrafluoroethylene coating, and an outer-skirt fabric structure (named C-skirt endograft). The outer skirt fabric prevents endoleak from the gutter around the stent graft fenestration. Further, the skirt structure right under the fenestration in the aortic stent graft can function as a fixation of the side-branch artery endograft. These designs have the following advantages, such as: 1) prevention of endoleak; and 2) fixation tightly between the branch and aorta endograft pieces.EvaluationA patient who was diagnosed with an aortic arch aneurysm, combined with localized dissection, has successfully implanted the aortic stent graft and C-skirt endograft for the left subclavian artery. The 6-month follow-up result of the C-skirt in situ fenestration TEVAR is satisfactory without obvious endoleak.ConclusionsThe new gutter-free C-skirt stent graft is being safely and effectively used for aortic arch TEVAR. Long-term evaluation of safety, effectivity, and durability needs to be proven by future multi-center studies.

The gut microbiota plays an important role in a variety of cardiovascular diseases. The probiotics screened based on microbiota can effectively improve metabolism and immune function of the body, which is of great value in the field of cardiovascular disease treatment. Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) refer to the lesion or injury of the abdominal aortic wall resulting in a localized bulge, which is one of the cardiovascular diseases with pulsing mass as the main clinical symptom. Previous studies have confirmed that A. muciniphila was depleted in the guts of AAA patients or mice. A. muciniphila is a potential probiotic for the treatment of intestinal microbiome-related diseases. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effects of A. muciniphila on gut microbiota and disease-related biomarkers in AAA mice. C57BL/6J mice were used to construct the AAA model and treated with A. muciniphila. Aortic aneurysm formation in the AAA group is associated with the increased diameter of the abdominal aorta and inflammatory infiltration. A. muciniphila inhibited the formation of AAA and repaired tissue damage. The number of gut microbiota and α diversity index were decreased in the model group. A. muciniphila increased the number of gut microbiota and α diversity in AAA mice. The abundance of uncultured bacterium and Lactobacillus were increased, while the abundance of the Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 group was reduced in the AAA group. Compared with the control group, the levels of MMP-1, MMP-9, IL-33, CTSB, and CTSL in tissue and the levels of IL-6, IFN-γ, and CRP in blood were significantly increased, and the levels of IL-4, IL-10, and IL-17A in blood were significantly decreased in the AAA group. The intervention of A. muciniphila reversed these changes. The gut microbiota function prediction showed changes in E. coli, Clostridium, and Lactobacillus metabolism-related functional pathways. Akkermansia was negatively correlated with Helicobacter and Lactobacillus and positively correlated with Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1 and Escherichia shigella at the genus level. In conclusion, A. muciniphila inhibited the formation of AAA by restoring gut microbiota diversity, altering the expression of peripheral immune factors, and the functions of E. coli, Clostridium, and Lactobacillus, which may provide a new theoretical basis for the application of probiotics in cardiovascular diseases.

To investigate whether the esterification reaction was the dominant factor that improved the interface compatibility of wood-plastic composites and accordingly their performances, ultra-highly filled wood fiber (WF)/polyethylene composites (UH-WPCs) was fabricated using maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene (MAPE) as compatibilizer or matrix with WF content of 60–85 wt%. The FTIR and TGA results confirm the absolute content of MAPE grafted on WF was 4.5% and 0.9% for the UH-WPCs with 80 wt% WF using MAPE as matrix and compatibilizer, respectively. The UH-WPCs using MAPE as matrix or compatibilizer exhibited considerable higher mechanical properties, better creep resistance, and lower water absorption compared to the uncompatibilized ones. Compared with the uncompatibilized composites with 80 wt% WF, the tensile and flexural strengths were increased by 187% and 186% for using MAPE as matrix, and 224% and 189% for using MAPE as compatibilizer, respectively. These results reveal that the mechanical properties of the UH-WPCs with MAPE were not positively correlated with the absolute content of MAPE grafted on WF. The above findings confirmed that the esterification was not the key determinant for interfacial adhesion mechanisms using MAPE as compatibilizer in UH-WPCs, and some other more important factors may exist.

In this study, a two-step method was used to realize the liquefaction of waste sawdust under atmospheric pressure, and to achieve a high liquefaction rate. Specifically, waste sawdust was pretreated with NaOH, followed by liquefaction using phenol. The relative optimum condition for alkali–heat pretreatment was a 1:1 mass ratio of NaOH to sawdust at 140 °C. The reaction parameters including the mass ratio of phenol to pretreated sawdust, liquefaction temperature, and liquefaction time were optimized by response surface methodology. The optimal conditions for phenol liquefaction of pretreated sawdust were a 4.21 mass ratio of phenol to sawdust, a liquefaction temperature of 173.58 °C, and a liquefaction time of 2.24 h, resulting in corresponding liquefied residues of 6.35%. The liquefaction rate reached 93.65%. Finally, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to analyze untreated waste sawdust, pretreated sawdust, liquefied residues, and liquefied liquid. SEM results showed that the alkali–heat pretreatment and liquefaction reactions destroyed the intact, dense, and homogeneous sample structures. FT-IR results showed that liquefied residues contain aromatic compounds with different substituents, including mainly lignin and its derivatives, while the liquefied liquid contains a large number of aromatic phenolic compounds. XRD showed that alkali–heat pretreatment and phenol liquefaction destroyed most of the crystalline regions, greatly reduced the crystallinity and changed the crystal type of cellulose in the sawdust.

Abstract By studying the effects of geometric precision on kinematic accuracy, an error mapping model has been established, based on the hypothesis that a motion pair and its installation surface are rigid. However, when using this assumption, there is a significant error induced in high-precision computer numerical control (CNC) machine tools as compared with reality. One of the most important reasons for this error is failing to consider the error averaging effect of motion pair elements. Therefore, this work examines a high-precision horizontal machining center as its research object, and analyzes the error averaging mechanism of a rolling guide pair under a deformation of the rolling elements. The carriage bearing forces caused by guideway straightness errors are obtained by constructing a geometric error model of a single carriage. The relationship between guideway straightness errors and carriage bearing forces is described by a transfer function in the spatial frequency domain, and its characteristics are analyzed. It quantifies the so-called error averaging effect of the rolling guide system and, on this basis, a static model for four carriages is established to reflect the error averaging effect of the rolling guide pair on the position and orientation errors of the motion pair. In addition, it is found that the wavelengths and phase differences of guideway errors affect this error averaging mechanism, but the amplitude and preload have little influence thereon. The experiment result shows that the kinematic straightness errors in the x- and y-directions were approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of the guideway straightness errors in the corresponding directions. The results can be used to guide the precision design and assembly of machine tools.

Effect of solutes, crystal orientation, sample’s size, and dislocation density on the nano/microscale deformation of solute-strengthening Al alloys has been investigated via pillar compression tests. The Mg-solute-strengthening pillar with dislocation density of 1012 m−2 shows size- and orientation-dependent strength, while the strength of Si-Mg-solute-strengthening pillar with dislocation density of 1013 m−2 is size- and orientation- independent. With increasing the dislocation density, the strength of pillars increased and become size-independent.

Fiber optic oxygen sensors based on fluorescence quenching play an important role in oxygen sensors. They have several advantages over other methods of oxygen sensing—they do not consume oxygen, have a short response time and are of high sensitivity. They are often used in special environments, such as hazardous environments and in vivo. In this paper, a new fiber optic oxygen sensor is introduced, which uses the all-phase fast Fourier transform (apFFT) algorithm, instead of the previous lock-in amplifier, for the phase detection of excitation light and fluorescence. The excitation and fluorescence frequency was 4 KHz, which was conducted between the oxygen-sensitive membrane and the photoelectric conversion module by the optical fiber and specially-designed optical path. The phase difference of the corresponding oxygen concentration was obtained by processing the corresponding electric signals of the excitation light and the fluorescence. At 0%, 5%, 15%, 21% and 50% oxygen concentrations, the experimental results showed that the apFFT had good linearity, precision and resolution—0.999°, 0.05° and 0.0001°, respectively—and the fiber optic oxygen sensor with apFFT had high stability. When the oxygen concentrations were 0%, 5%, 15%, 21% and 50%, the detection errors of the fiber optic oxygen sensor were 0.0447%, 0.1271%, 0.3801%, 1.3426% and 12.6316%, respectively. Therefore, the sensor that we designed has greater accuracy when measuring low oxygen concentrations, compared with high oxygen concentrations.

Human activity recognition (HAR) can effectively improve the safety of the elderly at home. However, non-contact millimeter-wave radar data on the activities of the elderly is often challenging to collect, making it difficult to effectively improve the accuracy of neural networks for HAR. We addressed this problem by proposing a method that combines the improved principal component analysis (PCA) and the improved VGG16 model (a pre-trained 16-layer neural network model) to enhance the accuracy of HAR under small-scale datasets. This method used the improved PCA to enhance features of the extracted components and reduce the dimensionality of the data. The VGG16 model was improved by deleting the complex Fully-Connected layers and adding a Dropout layer between them to prevent the loss of useful information. The experimental results show that the accuracy of our proposed method on HAR is 96.34%, which is 4.27% higher after improvement, and the training time of each round is 10.88 s, which is 12.8% shorter than before.

In this paper, we propose a novel approach to predict the plasticity of hybrid laser welded Al alloys joints based on the microplasticity obtained from the micropillar compression test. The micropillar test was performed on the single-crystal pillar with three orientations and various diameters (400 nm to 6.8 μm). It was found that independent of orientation, the yield strength of the pillar increased with the decrease of diameter below a critical length (3.3 μm). A numerical model was successfully built and used to explain the size effect on the pillar's strength. Crystalline orientation did affect the yield strength, the orientation having higher Schmid's factor showing lower yield strength, but the effect was reduced with the enlarged diameter. The macroscale yield strength achieved from crystal plasticity finite element simulation showed was found to have a good agreement with that from the experiment. The results here shed new insights both on the application of the micropillar study of alloys, and on prediction of strength in welded Al alloys joint. Keywords: Size effect, Nano/micropillar compression, Crystal plasticity, Multiscale study, Hybrid laser welding

Abstract Background Gitelman syndrome (GS) is an inherited autosomal recessive renal tubular disorder characterized by low levels of potassium and magnesium in the blood, decreased excretion of calcium in the urine, and elevated blood pH. GS is caused by an inactivating mutation in the SLC12A3 gene, which is located on the long arm of chromosome 16 (16q13) and encodes a thiazide-sensitive sodium chloride cotransporter (NCCT). Case presentation A 45-year-old man with Graves’ disease complicated by paroxysmal limb paralysis had a diagnosis of thyrotoxic periodic paralysis for 12 years. However, his serum potassium level remained low despite sufficiently large doses of potassium supplementation. Finally, gene analysis revealed a homozygous mutation in the SLC12A3 gene. After his thyroid function gradually returned to normal, his serum potassium level remained low, but his paroxysmal limb paralysis resolved. Conclusions GS combined with hyperthyroidism can manifest as frequent episodes of periodic paralysis; to date, this comorbidity has been reported only in eastern Asian populations. This case prompted us to more seriously consider the possibility of GS associated with thyroid dysfunction.

In this study, we theoretically and experimentally investigated the perfect optical absorptance of a photonic heterostructure composed of a truncated all-dielectric photonic crystal (PC) and a thick metal film in the visible regions. The three simulated structures could achieve narrow-band perfect optical absorption at wavelengths of 500 nm, 600 nm, and 700 nm, respectively. Based on the measured experimental results, the three experimental structures achieved over 90% absorption at wavelengths of 489 nm, 604 nm, and 675 nm, respectively. The experimental results agreed well with the theoretical values. According to electromagnetic field intensity distributions at the absorption wavelengths, the physical mechanism of perfect absorption was derived from the optical Tamm state (OTS). The structure was simple, and the absorption characteristics were not significantly affected by the thickness of the thick metal layer, which creates convenience in the preparation of the structure. In general, the proposed perfect absorbers have exciting prospects in solar energy, optical sensor technology, and other related fields.

There is a need for humanised grafts to treat patients with intestinal failure. Here, the authors generate intestinal grafts by recellularizing native intestinal matrix with human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived epithelium and human endothelium, and show nutrient absorption after transplantation in rats.

Anal cancer is biological similar to cervical cancer, and is preceded by anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN). Screening for AIN and treatments to reduce the risk of anal cancer are not established as guidelines of care for HIV-infected patients. It is mainly because screening and treating of AIN is not yet proven to reduce the incidence of anal cancer. The present study preliminarily demonstrated that a successful screening program in preventing squamous cell anal cancer in HIV positive patients. The authors achieved their purpose of controlling the evolution of all abnormalities identified during the anal cancer screening, preventing AIN to progress towards anal cancer, and reversing any form of AIN by surgery, ablation or medical therapy. Randomized controlled multi-center trials with a large sample size should be carried out to validate the study results. It is wise for the physicians to actively screen and treat AIN in HIV-infected patients whenever possible unless the results of randomized controlled study demonstrate that doing so is inappropriate.

For silage production, high bulk density (BD) is critical to minimize aerobic deterioration facilitated by oxygen intrusion. To precisely assess packing quality for bunker silos, there is a desire to visualize the BD distribution within the silage. In this study, a penetrometer-based mapping system was developed. The data processing included filtering of the penetration friction component (PFC) out of the penetration resistance (PR), transfer of the corrected penetration resistance (PRc) to BD, incorporation of Kriged interpolation for data expansion and map generation. The experiment was conducted in a maize bunker silo (width: 8 m, middle height: 3 m). The BD distributions near the bunker silo face were represented using two map groups, one related to horizontal- and the other to vertical-density distribution patterns. We also presented a comparison between the map-based BD results and core sampling data. Agreement between the two measurement approaches (RMSE = 19.175 kg·m−3) demonstrates that the developed penetrometer mapping system may be beneficial for rapid assessment of aerobic deterioration potential in bunker silos.

Oxygen (O2) concentration inside the substrate is an important measurement for silage-research and-practical management. In the laboratory gas chromatography is commonly employed for O2 measurement. Among sensor-based techniques, accurate and reliable in situ measurement is rare because of high levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) generated by the introduction of O2 in the silage. The presented study focused on assessing three types of commercial O2 sensors, including Clark oxygen electrodes (COE), galvanic oxygen cell (GOC) sensors and the Dräger chip measurement system (DCMS). Laboratory cross calibration of O2 versus CO2 (each 0–15 vol.%) was made for the COE and the GOC sensors. All calibration results verified that O2 measurements for both sensors were insensitive to CO2. For the O2 in situ measurement in silage, all O2 sensors were first tested in two sealed barrels (diameter 35.7 cm; height: 60 cm) to monitor the O2 depletion with respect to the ensiling process (Test-A). The second test (Test-B) simulated the silage unloading process by recording the O2 penetration dynamics in three additional barrels, two covered by dry ice (0.6 kg or 1.2 kg of each) on the top surface and one without. Based on a general comparison of the experimental data, we conclude that each of these in situ sensor monitoring techniques for O2 concentration in silage exhibit individual advantages and limitations.