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Background: Development of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) is a multi-staged complex process that conserved between zebrafish and mammals. Understanding the mechanism underlying HSPC development is a holy grail of hematopoietic biology, which is helpful for HSPC clinical application. Chromatin conformation plays important roles in transcriptional regulation and cell fate decision; however, its dynamic and role in HSPC development is poorly investigated. Methods: We performed chromatin structure and multi-omics dissection across different stages of HSPC developmental trajectory in zebrafish for the first time, including Hi-C, RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, H3K4me3 and H3K27ac ChIP-seq. Results: The chromatin organization of zebrafish HSPC resemble mammalian cells with similar hierarchical structure. We revealed the multi-scale reorganization of chromatin structure and its influence on transcriptional regulation and transition of cell fate during HSPC development. Nascent HSPC is featured by loose conformation with obscure structure at all layers. Notably, PU.1 was identified as a potential factor mediating formation of promoter-involved loops and regulating gene expression of HSPC. Conclusions: Our results provided a global view of chromatin structure dynamics associated with development of zebrafish HSPC and discovered key transcription factors involved in HSPC chromatin interactions, which will provide new insights into the epigenetic regulatory mechanisms underlying vertebrate HSPC fate decision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydraulic asphalt concrete is known for its excellent seepage control performance and strong deformation resistance. This engineering material has widespread applications in the seepage control structures of hydraulic buildings. Recent projects have investigated the use of acidic aggregates to improve economic efficiency. However, they have also highlighted the weaker adhesion between acidic aggregates and asphalt, which necessitates stringent construction process control. This study investigates the impact of resting conditions on the tensile properties of acidic aggregate hydraulic asphalt concrete. The results of the tensile testing indicate that the storage time significantly affects the performance of asphalt concrete. The tensile strength of the specimens without anti-stripping agents decreased from 1.711 MPa to 0.914 MPa after resting periods of 0, 10, 20, and 30 days. The specimens treated with anti-stripping agents also showed a decrease in tensile strength over time, similar to the trend observed in the previous specimens. Digital specimen simulations indicated a decrease in cohesion between the asphalt and the aggregate from 5.375 MPa to 2.664 MPa after 30 days, representing a reduction of 50.44%. To counteract the effect of the storage time on the bonding between acidic aggregates and asphalt, this study recommends reducing the grading index and maximum size of aggregates, decreasing the coarse aggregate content, and selecting smooth aggregate shapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traffic load is one of the important external loads of bridges and simulating the site-specific traffic load is important for bridge condition assessment. This study proposes a new microscopic model to simulate the stochastic traffic load of any time period at bridge site based on weigh in motion (WIM) data. A model for simulating the microscopic interaction between vehicles was first proposed, by which free driving, car following and sudden braking can be reasonably simulated. Axle-weight information from the WIM data was embedded into the model to precisely simulate the vehicle load. A new vehicle sequence generation method based on WIM data was then proposed to generate the site-specific vehicle sequence of any time period with consideration of non-stationarity. Finally, a framework for simulating the site-specific stochastic traffic load is established. The proposed framework is validated through application based on realistic WIM data in traffic-flow simulation and load effect quantification. Comparisons of simulation results with the existing methods were also conducted to show the reasonability and novelty. The results indicate that the proposed framework can produce reasonable site-specific stochastic traffic load over any time period based on WIM data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the quick growth of portable/wearable devices and electronics, the development of high efficiency flexible electromagnetic interference shielding films is a hot research topic. This work discusses the latest advances in flexible carbon‐based electromagnetic interference shielding films, such as constructing desirable structures, combining with magnetic constituents, and filling with polymer matrices. The new construction strategies, preparation methods, performances, and associated mechanisms are summarized. Moreover, the synergism, multifunctionality, and potential application of outstanding carbon‐based electromagnetic interference shielding films including graphene‐based, CNT‐based, and carbon fiber‐based films are analyzed in detail. Additionally, some significant issues and prospective views on carbon‐based composites as flexible electromagnetic interference shielding films are also presented. Highlights: The latest progress of flexible carbon‐based EMI shielding filmsConstructing desirable structure, synergizing with others, designing CPCsThe relationship between preparation, structure, property, and mechanismsThe synergism, multifunctionality, application of EMI shielding filmsKey challenges and future perspectives of carbon‐based EMI shielding films [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the paper 'Composition operators on weighted Bergman spaces of Dirichlet series. J Math Anal Appl. 2015;426:340–363', Bailleul completely characterized the boundedness of composition operators on weighted Bergman spaces of Dirichlet series for the case of symbols with $ c_0\ge 1 $ c 0 ≥ 1. But the sufficient conditions for the other case $ c_0=0 $ c 0 = 0 were unsolved. In this paper, we follow this line and study the boundedness of composition operators on weighted Bergman spaces of Dirichlet series for the case $ c_0=0 $ c 0 = 0. Moreover, we also obtain the compact characterizations of composition operators with $ c_0\geq 1 $ c 0 ≥ 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

FeNbO4 sonocatalysts were successfully synthesized by a simple hydrothermal route at pH values of 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, XPS, TEM, SEM, N2 adsorption and DRS to analyse the effect of pH parameters on the physicochemical properties of the materials during hydrothermal synthesis. The sonocatalytic activity of FeNbO4 microspheres was evaluated by using acid orange 7 (AO7) as the simulated contaminant. The experimental results showed that the best sonocatalytic degradation ratio (97.45%) of organic dyes could be obtained under the conditions of an initial AO7 concentration of 10 mg L−1, an ultrasonic power of 200 W, a catalyst dosage of 1.0 g L−1, and a pH of 3. Moreover, the sonocatalysts demonstrated consistent durability and stability across multiple test cycles. After active species capture experiments and calculation of the energy band, a possible mechanism was proposed based on the special Fenton-like mechanism and the dissociation of H2O2. This research shows that FeNbO4 microspheres can be used as sonocatalysts for the purification of organic wastewater, which has a promising application prospect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed the regional climate variations in heavy rainfall across South China by using the IMERG precipitation data during 2001--2020. The research focused on the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of heavy rainfall and the diurnal variations of extreme heavy rainfall before, during, and after the onset of the South China Sea summer monsoon. The results showed that: (1) The rainfall center in South China was influenced by diverse weather systems at different times of the year. The ratios of rainfall during the two rainy seasons to the annual precipitation were inversely distributed, and the proportion of heavy rainfall along the coast of Guangdong and Guangxi was significantly higher than those of other regions. Heavy rainfall contributed the most to the overall precipitation in the rainfall center of South China. (2) The coastal areas of Guangdong experienced two peaks of heavy rainfall in June and August, while Hainan Island observed a single peak in October. Other regions of Guangdong and Guangxi exhibited a single peak in June, which was closely related to the onset of the South China Sea summer monsoon. During the onset of the summer monsoon, the strong summer monsoon intensified the heavy rainfall in Zone I (Beibu Gulf), Zone II (area near Yangjiang), and Zone III (Pearl River Delta) along the coastal land areas of Guangdong and Guangxi. In the second rainy season, the summer monsoon continued to contribute to increased heavy rainfall across the entire coastal area and Hainan Island. In early June, Zone III and Zone IV (Shanwei and its eastern region) experienced a high frequency of heavy rainfall, primarily due to warm-sector heavy rainfall induced by the southwest summer monsoon. (3) Hainan Island exhibited the highest occurrence of extreme heavy rainfall in South China, predominantly in the afternoon. Guangdong followed with a lower occurrence, while Guangxi experienced the lowest occurrence. The diurnal variation of extreme heavy rainfall was most pronounced in the morning along the coastal area of Guangdong and Guangxi, especially from early morning to forenoon (5--11 am), which corresponded to the peak period in Zone II and Zone III. Inland areas of Guangdong only exhibited a peak period in the evening during the onset of summer monsoon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying, tracking and warning of the vortexed induced vibration (VIV) are essential for long-span suspension bridges because VIV might cause the driving safety problem. This study proposes an automatic method to identify and track the start and evolution of the VIV. Two feature indices, i.e. the energy concentration coefficient (ECC) and similarity ratio of amplitude (SRA), are utilised to form a feature index vector to identify and track the VIV. The Hilbert transform is utilised to process the vibration signal, based on which the SRA can be extracted. The k-means clustering method is introduced to automatically identify and track the VIV through automatically separating the feature index vectors into several clusters, and multi-level warming is established based on the acceleration root mean square (ARMS) value. The proposed method is validated using the in-field monitoring data of a suspension bridge suffering the VIV. The results indicate that the proposed automatic method can successfully distinguish the VIV from ambient vibration and can identify the forming of the VIV and track the evolution without any manual intervention, even for the VIV with low vibration amplitude. The multi-level warning can also be achieved based on the ARMS value when the VIV is identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility and safety of the single-incision laparoscopic percutaneous extraperitoneal surgery for the treatment of incarcerated indirect inguinal hernia in children. Methods: Seventy-five patients who presented with incarcerated indirect inguinal hernia and underwent laparoscopic surgery from January 2019 to January 2022 in Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine were retrospectively analyzed. The data were collected including the clinical information of the patients, perioperative details, and postoperative outcomes. Results: The median age of these patients was 21 months with a median weight of 9 kg. Among these 75 patients, the herniated contents of 73 patients were pushed back successfully with external manual pressure under the monitoring of laparoscope, then we did the hernia sac high ligation by using fascial closure device. After successful reduction, three cases developed incarcerated intestine necrosis, we enlarged the umbilical incision, dragged out the necrotic intestine, and did parallel resection and anastomosis. Only in two patients, it was difficult to push back the herniated organ; therefore, these patients were converted to traditional open surgery. The average length of postoperative hospital stay for the patients who didn't get incarcerated organ necrosis was 2 days. All patients recovered very well; there was no recurrence of the hernia and any other postoperative complications. Conclusions: Single-incision percutaneous extraperitoneal laparoscopic surgery for the treatment of incarcerated indirect inguinal hernia in children appears to be safe and feasible. Our experience shows that it is recommended to perform laparoscopic surgery for incarcerated indirect inguinal hernia in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient visible-light-induced iron-catalyzed reduction of nitroarenes to anilines by using N-ethylmorpholine (NEM) as a reductant under mild conditions has been developed. The reaction proceeds with photosensitizer-free conditions and features good to excellent yields and broad functional group tolerance. Preliminary mechanistic investigations showed that this reaction was conducted via ligand-to-metal (NEM to Fe3+) charge transfer and nitro triplet biradical-induced hydrogen atom transfer processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phellodendron chinense is an extraordinary medicinal plant, and its stem bark is a famous traditional Chinese medicine in China, containing a number of phytochemicals with biological and pharmacological functions. Studies have shown that the medicinal ingredients in P. chinense from various regions are different, as soil types might be important factors affecting the growth and quality of P. chinense. In this study, the effects of acidic purple soil, alkaline purple soil, yellow soil and red soil on the growth, nutrient element accumulation and partitioning in P. chinense seedlings were studied. Our results showed that the biomass of leaves and stems in acidic purple soil was significantly higher than in other soils, and the root biomass was significantly lower than that in yellow soil. C, N, P and Ca contents cultured in acidic purple soil were the highest compared to other soils, and K and Mg content were the highest in yellow soil and red soil, respectively. The distribution of carbon between different organs can reflect environmental stress. N has become a limiting factor for the growth and development of P. chinense seedlings. C:N and C:P ratios in the leaves were significantly lower than those in the stem and roots. Among four soil types, the highest N:P ratio was 1.65 in P. chinense seedlings. These results suggest that four soil types may significantly affect the accumulation and distribution of biomass and nutrient elements in P. chinense seedlings. The characteristic patterns in different organs have different responses. Acidic purple soil is more suitable for the growth of P. chinense. These findings will help to understand the distribution characteristics and requirements of nutrient elements in P. chinense seedlings, and further provide a theoretical basis and reference for site selection and cultivation strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is a dynamic post-transcriptional RNA modification. Recently, its role in viruses has led to the study of viral epitranscriptomics. m6A has been observed in viral genomes and alters the transcriptomes of both the host cell and virus during infection. The effects of m6A modifications on host plant mRNA can either increase the likelihood of viral infection or enhance the resistance of the host to the virus. However, to date, the regulatory mechanisms of m6A in viral infection and host immune responses have not been fully elucidated. With the development of sequencing-based biotechnologies, the study of m6A in plant viruses has received increasing attention. In this mini review, we summarize the positive and negative consequences of m6A modification in different RNA viral infections. Given its increasingly important roles in multiple viruses, m6A represents a new potential target for antiviral defense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Doxorubicin (DOX)‐induced cardiotoxicity limits its broad use as a chemotherapy agent. The development of effective and non‐invasive strategies to prevent DOX‐associated adverse cardiac events is urgently needed. We aimed to examine whether and how low‐intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) plays a protective role in DOX‐induced cardiotoxicity. Male C57BL/6J mice were used to establish models of both acute and chronic DOX‐induced cardiomyopathy. Non‐invasive LIPUS therapy was conducted for four consecutive days after DOX administration. Cardiac contractile function was evaluated by echocardiography. Myocardial apoptosis, oxidative stress, and fibrosis were analyzed using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) staining, dihydroethidium (DHE) staining, and picrosirius red staining assays. RNA‐seq analysis was performed to unbiasedly explore the possible downstream regulatory mechanisms. Neutrophil recruitment and infiltration in the heart were analyzed by flow cytometry. The S100a8/a9 inhibitor ABR‐238901 was utilized to identify the effect of S100a8/a9 signaling. We found that LIPUS therapy elicited a great benefit on DOX‐induced heart contractile dysfunction in both acute and chronic DOX models. Chronic DOX administration increased serum creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase levels, as well as myocardial apoptosis, all of which were significantly mitigated by LIPUS. In addition, LIPUS treatment prevented chronic DOX‐induced cardiac oxidative stress and fibrosis. RNA‐seq analysis revealed that LIPUS treatment partially reversed alterations of gene expression induced by DOX. Gene ontology (GO) analysis of the downregulated genes between DOX‐LIPUS and DOX‐Sham groups indicated that inhibition of neutrophil chemotaxis might be involved in the protective effects of LIPUS therapy. Flow cytometry analysis illustrated the inhibitory effects of LIPUS on DOX‐induced neutrophil recruitment and infiltration in the heart. Moreover, S100 calcium binding protein A8/A9 (S100a8/a9) was identified as a potential key target of LIPUS therapy. S100a8/a9 inhibition by ABR‐238901 showed a similar heart protective effect against DOX‐induced cardiomyopathy to LIPUS treatment. LIPUS therapy prevents DOX‐induced cardiotoxicity through inhibition of S100a8/a9‐mediated neutrophil recruitment to the heart, suggesting its potential application in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy with DOX. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical exercise decreases cardiovascular risk and can alter the lipid profile in postmenopausal women. Although it is believed that resistance training can potentially decrease serum lipid levels in postmenopausal females, the evidence remains inconclusive. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was to clarify the impact of resistance training on the lipid profile in postmenopausal women. Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed/Medline and Embase were searched. RCTs that evaluated the effect of resistance training on total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglyceride (TG) levels were included in this review. Effect size was estimated using the random effects model. Subgroup analyses based on age, duration of intervention, pre-enrolment serum lipid levels and body mass index were performed. Data pooled from 19 RCTs revealed that resistance training can reduce TC [weighted mean difference (WMD) −11.47 mg/dl; p = 0.002], LDL-C (WMD −8.48 mg/dl; p = 0.01) and TG (WMD −6.61 mg/dl; p = 0.043) levels. TC levels decreased particularly in subjects aged < 60 years (WMD −10.77 mg/dl; p = 0.003), in RCTs lasting < 16 weeks (WMD −15.70 mg/dl; p = 0.048), and in subjects with hypercholesterolaemia (WMD −12.36 mg/dl; p = 0.001) or obesity (WMD −19.35 mg/dl; p = 0.006) before RCT enrolment. There was a significant decrease in LDL-C (WMD −14.38 mg/dl; p = 0.002) levels in patients with LDL-C ≥ 130 mg/dl before trial enrolment. Resistance training reduced HDL-C (WMD −2.97 mg/dl; p = 0.01) levels particularly in subjects with obesity. TG (WMD −10.71 mg/dl; p = 0.01) levels decreased particularly when the intervention lasted < 16 weeks. Resistance training can decrease TC, LDL-C and TG levels in postmenopausal females. The impact of resistance training on HDL-C levels was small, and was only observed in individuals with obesity. The effect of resistance training on the lipid profile was more notable in short-term interventions and in postmenopausal women with dyslipidaemia or obesity before trial enrolment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nonuniform emissivity of material surface will adversely affect the detection results of the thermal imaging technology. Aiming at the influence of uneven emissivity on the dynamic detection mode of eddy current thermography, a suppression method based on edge detection is proposed in this paper. Since the traditional threshold selection methods are not ideal, a local adaptive threshold selection (LATS) method is applied in this study. This method can automatically obtain the optimal threshold for edge detection to suppress the influence of uneven emissivity. Roberts, Sobel, Prewitt, and Canny operators are tested by using LATS. The results show that Roberts, Sobel, and Prewitt operators can achieve the suppression effect, but the effect of Sobel and Prewitt are similar and better than Roberts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing long-term tumor survival rates is crucial for evaluating the effectiveness of tumor treatment and burden. However, timely assessment of long-term survival in patients with pancreatic cancer is lagging in China. In this study, we applied period analysis to estimate the long-term survival of pancreatic cancer patients using data from four population-based cancer registries in Taizhou city, eastern China. A total of 1121 patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer between 2004 and 2018 were included. We assessed the 5-year relative survival (RS) using period analysis and further stratified by sex, age at diagnosis, and region. The 5-year RS during 2014–2018 overall reached 18.9% (14.7% for men and 23.3% for women, respectively). A decrease of the 5-year RS from 30.3% to 11.2% was observed in four diagnostic age gradients (< 55, 55–64, 65–74, and > 74 years age groups). The 5-year RS was higher in urban (24.2%) than in rural (17.4%) areas. Moreover, the 5-year RS of pancreatic cancer patients showed an overall increasing trend for the three periods (2004–2008, 2009–2013, and 2014–2018). Our study, using period analysis for the first time in China, provides the latest estimates of the survival of patients with pancreatic cancer, which provides essential evidence for the prevention and intervention of pancreatic cancer. The results also indicate the importance of further applications of the period analysis for more up-to-date and accurate survival estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To determine the ideal entry point and direction of retrograde intramedullary nailing of the tibia. Methods: The imaging data of patients with distal tibial fractures from June 2020 to December 2021 in our hospital were collected, and computer-aided design was performed. The relevant data were imported into the software for processing, so as to obtain a distal tibial fracture model and simulate the retrograde intramedullary nail placement in the tibia. The entry points and angles at which the intramedullary nail could be inserted successfully and the fracture could be maintained in good alignment were overlapped and counted to obtain the safe entry range and angle. The center of this safe range is the ideal entry point for retrograde intramedullary nailing of the tibia, and the mean value of the angle is the ideal direction of entry. Results: The ideal entry point of the retrograde intramedullary nailing was located at the midpoint of the medial malleolus in the C-arm fluoroscopic anteroposterior (AP) and lateral view. The ideal nail entry direction was located at the anatomic axis of the medial malleolus in the AP position and at the anatomic axis of the distal tibial metaphysis in the lateral position. Conclusion: The ideal point and direction of nail insertion for retrograde tibial intramedullary nailing is a "double midpoint, double axis" approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Targeted delivery of antitumor drugs is particularly important in tumour treatment. Tumour-targeted peptide is a very effective drug carrier for tumour therapy. Here, we screened and characterised a highly efficient targeted peptide named IHP5, which was derived from insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs). IHP5 exhibited preferential binding to the tested tumour cell lines. The delivery efficiency of IHP5 was higher in various tested tumour cells than in normal cells, especially in the human cervical cancer cell line HeLa, which was 11.7-fold higher than in normal human embryonic kidney cells HEK293. Moreover, the penetration efficiency of IHP5 was 13 times higher than that of the classical cell penetrating peptide TAT in HeLa cells. Detail analysis revealed that IHP5 endocytosis was possibly correlated with acetylated heparan sulphate proteoglycans including phosphatidylinositol proteoglycan 3 (GPC3), phosphatidylinositol proteoglycan 5 (GPC5) and syndecan 2 (SDC2). Subsequently, the introduction of IHP5 enhanced the inhibitory effect of trichosanthin (TCS) on tumour cells, resulting in at least 19-fold increase in tumour cells without enhanced cytotoxicity in normal cells HEK293. These results suggested that IHP5, as a novel tumour cell-targeting penetrating peptide with the ability to target tumour cells, has great potential in drug delivery applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between serum creatinine and type 2 diabetes is limited. We aimed to investigate the association of baseline serum creatinine and new-onset type 2 diabetes in Chinese population. This retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from the health screening program in China. The population were divided into four groups based on serum creatinine levels, and the outcome of interest was the occurrence of a diabetic event. Cox proportional risk model was used to assess the independent effect of baseline serum creatinine level on future diabetes risk. Sensitivity and subgroup analysis were used to verify the reliability of the results. After an average follow-up of 3.12 years, among 201,298 individuals aged ≥ 20 years, 3389 patients developed diabetes. Compared with participants in quartile 2–4 (> 51.6umol/L for female, > 71.8umol/L for male,), a significantly higher risk of new-onset Type 2 Diabetes (OR, 1.15; 95%CI: 1.07–1.23) was found in those in quartile 1 (< 51.6umol/L for female, < 71.8umol/L for male). Moreover, Similar results were found in various subgroups stratified by age, BMI, TG, TC, FPG and family history group. Low serum creatinine is independently associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes in Chinese adults. It was also stable in various subgroups stratified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the difficulty in localization and poor signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the angled shear vertical wave (SV wave) electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) in cracks detection of high-temperature carbon steel forgings, a finite element (FE) model of the angled SV wave EMAT detection process was established, and the influence of specimen temperature on the EMAT excitation, propagation, and reception processes was analyzed. A high-temperature resistant angled SV wave EMAT was designed to detect carbon steel from 20 °C to 500 °C, and the influence law of the angled SV wave at different temperatures was analyzed. Then a circuit-field coupled FE model of angled SV wave EMAT in the carbon steel detection process based on the Barker code pulse compression technique was established, and the effects of the Barker code element length, impedance matching method, and matching component parameters on the pulse compression effect were analyzed. In addition, the noise suppression effect and the SNR of the crack-reflected wave in the tone-burst excitation method and the Barker code pulse compression technique were compared. The results show that the amplitude of the block-corner reflected wave decreases from 556 mV to 195 mV, and the SNR decreases from 34.9 dB to 23.5 dB when the specimen temperature increases from 20 °C to 500 °C. When the temperature is 500 °C, the SNR of the crack-reflected wave obtained by the Barker code pulse compression technique can be improved by 9.2 dB compared to the tone-burst excitation method with 16 synchronous averages. The study can provide technical and theoretical guidance for online crack detection for high-temperature carbon steel forgings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the problem of low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and poor spatial resolution of cracks detection of the angled SV wave electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT), pulse compression technique (PCT) and line-focusing technique are introduced into the angled SV wave EMAT. A finite element (FE) model of the line-focusing (LF) EMAT detection process based on the Barker code excitation was established, and the effects of the design parameters of magnet and meander-line coil (MLC) on the main lobe amplitude and width of the defect echo after pulse compression were analysed. The optimal combination of LF-EMAT design parameters and excitation parameters was obtained, and it was compared with the traditional angled SV wave EMAT and the tone-burst excitation method by experimental measurements. The results shows that compared with angled SV wave EMAT with tone-burst excitation, LF-EMAT can improve the SNR by 14.9 dB with no synchronous average and be processed by PCT. The SNR from LF-EMAT with PCT is10 dB at 1.5 mm lift-off, while the SNR of the angled SV wave EMAT with tone-burst excitation is less than 0 dB at 1 mm lift-off. When the Barker code PCT is applied to the LF-EMAT detection, we can achieve the purpose of increasing EMAT lift-off and reducing the synchronous averages to meet the demand of online, rapid, and high-temperature detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients bearing liver metastasis of pancreatic adeno carcinoma (PDAC) suffer from poor prognosis due to its short duration and high mortality. Complex tumor microenvironment (TME) exists in liver metastatic niches, and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) have play vital roles in metastasis generation and outgrowth. We have discovered that M2 type TAM-derived SEMA5A could bind to its tumor cell-expressed receptor PLXNB3 to promote tumor cell proliferation and outgrowth. We utilized liver metastasis samples of PDAC patients, intrasplenic injection mouse models, and KrasG12D/Trp53R172H/Pdx1-Cre (KPC) mouse models for in vivo study. In mechanism investigation, we have discovered that SEMA5A-PLXNB3 axis could achieve tumor cell proliferation and survival via enhancing aerobic glycolysis termed as the Warburg effects. Targeting this axis may be a potential therapeutic approach for PDAC patients with unresectable liver metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate the generation of mixed-type skyrmions (all are about 200 nm) that are primarily Bloch-type, hybrid-type, and a negligible amount of Néel-type in symmetric Pt/Co(1.55)/Pt multilayers at room temperature. The magnetic field dependence of skyrmion evolution is reversible. Brillouin light-scattering is used to quantitatively quantify the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction constant D in order to comprehend the mechanism. Interestingly, the D value is high enough to generate skyrmions in a symmetric sandwich structure. Micromagnetic simulations show that Néel-type skyrmions transform into Bloch-type skyrmions as the D value decreases. The interface-induced non-uniform D may be the cause to generate mixed-type skyrmions. This work broadens the flexibility to generate skyrmions by engineering skyrmion-based devices with nominally symmetric multilayers without the requirement of very large DMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We experimentally demonstrate the generation of skyrmions (166 ± 42 nm) by controlling and modulating the skyrmion stability parameter κ through changing the Co layer thickness in the multilayer with repetitions of the symmetric Pt/Co/Pt trilayer. The magnetic field dependence of skyrmion evolution is reversible. Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction constant D is quantitatively measured by Brillouin spectroscopy to understand the mechanism. Surprisingly, the D value is high enough to generate skyrmions in a symmetric sandwich structure although the value is smaller than that in an antisymmetric Pt/Co/Ta trilayer. The decreased D value with the increase in the Co layer thickness indicates that the Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction is still contributed from the interfaces. This work broadens the flexibility to generate skyrmions by engineering skyrmion-based devices with nominally symmetric multilayer without the requirement of very large DMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New Findings: What is the central question of this study?What is the role of pinin (PNN) in the malignant phenotype of colon adenocarcinoma cells and the underlying mechanism?What is the main finding and its importance?PNN mRNA can be stabilized and upregulated by methyltransferase like 3 (METTL3), which promotes glycolysis in colon adenocarcinoma and augments cell proliferation, migration and invasiveness. METTL3 and PNN might serve as potential targets for the treatment of colon adenocarcinoma. Colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) is a fatal malignancy with high morbidity and mortality rates globally. Pinin (PNN), a desmosome associated protein, has been revealed as a tumour driver in several malignancies. This study aims to probe the expression and role of PNN in COAD and the underlying mechanism. PNN was expressed at high levels in clinically collected COAD tumours and was linked to poor prognosis of patients. Downregulation of PNN reduced glucose uptake, lactate production and ATP levels in COAD cells and suppressed cell proliferation, migration and invasiveness. Methyltransferase like 3 (METTL3) was positively associated with PNN levels in COAD tumour tissues. RNA immunoprecipitation and N6‐methyladenosine (m6A) quantification assays indicated that METTL3 enhanced PNN mRNA stability and expression in COAD through m6A modification with the involvement of the m6A 'reader' protein YT521‐B homology domain family member 1. Downregulation of METTL3 reduced COAD cell glycolysis and proliferation in vitro and suppressed growth and metastasis of xenograft tumours in vivo, but further overexpression of PNN restored malignant behaviours of COAD cells and tumour growth. In summary, this study demonstrates that METTL3 promotes PNN mRNA stability and expression in COAD through m6A modification, which augments glycolysis and proliferation of COAD cells and leads to the resultant tumour progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some measurements including tensile test, cyclic immersion corrosion, metallographic microscopy, SEM and XRD were used to clarify the influence of Cu, P addition and cooling conditions on strength and corrosion resistance to explore low-cost, corrosion resistant and high-strength steel bars of Cu–P series. The addition of copper and phosphorus can effectively eliminate sulfide precipitation at grain boundaries and transform the sulfides inclusion in tensile fracture to oxides with higher strength, which is good for the strength of steel bars. Meanwhile, the rust layer of Cu–P series steel bar has better compactness and chemical stability, which favors to delay corrosion rate. Increasing the cooling rate refines the grain size and improves the microstructure, both of which are conducive to enhance the strength of steel bars. Therefore, low-cost Cu–P series HRB500aE steel bar can be developed by controlling composition and cooling rate. Compared with 20MnSi steel bar, Cu–P series steel bar reduces Mn content and avoids the addition of precious alloy elements such as Ni and Cr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermoplastic polyurethane was an important polymer and widely used in many fields. However, poor fire performance significantly inhibits its further application. In this study, the flammability, thermal and mechanical properties of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)/DOPO derivative (DiDOPO)/sepiolite composites, fabricated by a melt blending process, were examined based on the sepiolite content. TPUSEP3 has achieved UL-94 V0 classes and LOI 34.4%. Micro-scale combustion calorimeter shows that TPU/DiDOPO/sepiolite composites possess an excellent fire performance. Flexural strength of TPUSEP3 has enhanced to 48.3 MPa which indicated the rigidity of composites has significantly improved. In addition, the scanning electronic microscopy images of the external surface of the carbon layer of composites show a very compact structure. Sepiolite and DiDOPO change the decomposition process of composites lead to the decrease of Ea values of TPU/DiDOPO/sepiolite composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Generation and degradation mechanism of pigments in Leucosceptrum canum. • Phenol metabolism and amino acid degradation were discovered together. • Leucosceptrum canum nectar is a rare dark brown alkaline nectar. • Identification of pigments in nectar by combining LC-MS and chemical synthesis. • Amino acid quinone conjugates and Leucosceptrum canum honey are non-toxic. Leucosceptrum canum nectar (LCN) emerges as a novel food resource, distinguished by its unique dark brown hue. This study delves into the composition and toxicity assessment of novel pigments within LCN. Through liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and chemical synthesis, seventeen 2,5-di-(N-(-)-prolyl)- para -benzoquinone (DPBQ) analogs in LCN were identified. These compounds are synthesized in LCN via the Michael addition reaction, utilizing p -benzoquinone (BQ), derived from phenol metabolism, and amino acids as substrates in an alkaline environment (pH = 8.47 ± 0.06) facilitated by dissolved ammonia and the presence of alkaloids. Analytical techniques, including principal component analysis (PCA), orthogonal partial least squares discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA), and volcano plot analysis, were employed to investigate DPBQ analog degradation within the nectar and honey's unique environments. Toxicity assays revealed that DPBQ analogs exhibited no toxicity, displaying a significant difference in toxicity compared to the precursor compound BQ at concentrations exceeding 25 μM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Rhodamine 110 loaded in microporous filter membrane was studied for the first time. • Coating of MIPs on membrane improved the selectivity of fluorescent sensor. • The constructed sensor retained the characteristic fluorescence of rhodamine 110. • The fluorescence quenching brought out by CA was speculated as inner filter effect. • The convenient sensor achieved sensitive and selective detection of CA in herbal tea. In this paper, a rhodamine 110 (R110) loaded and molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) coated microporous membrane-based fluorescent sensor has been constructed. The morphology, structure and performance of the sensor during the preparation process are characterized by SEM, FT-IR, UV–vis, fluorescene, BET and HPLC. The sensor retains the characteristic fluorescence emission peaks of R110, and the fluorescence changes to different concentrations of caffeic acid (CA) in the range of 0.01–200 µmol/L can obtain a good linear correlation with the detection limit of 3.3 nmol/L (3σ). The sensor possesses the advantages of easy preparation, simple operation, high stability, good sensitivity and selectivity, and strong anti-interference ability in the detecting of CA in herbal tea, exhibiting excellent potential application value in CA detection in different foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphoric acid-activated geopolymer (PAG) is an environmentally friendly cementing material with broad application prospects in many fields. Currently, phosphoric acid-activated metakaolin geopolymer (PAMG) is the focus of extensive research. Most studies mainly focus on the effects of metakaolin (MK) activity, phosphoric acid (PA) concentration, mix proportion, and curing system on the compressive strength of PAMG. However, the investigation of additives is extremely limited. In this study, the effects of magnesia and borax on the mechanical properties and microstructure of PAMG were investigated. The compressive strength of PAMG reached 84.31 MPa, indicating a 57.71% increase when the magnesia content was 6%. This increase was attributed to the ability of magnesia to improve the polymerization reaction and gel formation. Furthermore, the addition of 1% borax led to a compressive strength of 87.92 MPa, representing a 64.46% improvement. The presence of borax facilitated gel formation and enhanced the gel structure through the B O bond. • The compressive strength of phosphoric acid-activated metakaolin geopolymer (PAMG) was improved. • A new method involving the addition of additives enhanced the compressive strength of PAMG. • Magnesia could enhance the compressive strength of PAMG by promoting the formation of the gel phase. • Borax could enhance the compressive strength of PAMG through B O bonds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The membrane Electrode Assemblies (MEAs) electrolyzers are the most attractive systems for the electrolytic conversion of CO 2 into commodity chemicals and fuels at commercially relevant current densities. Suppressing the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is vital to the highly efficient electrochemical CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR). However, little attention has been paid to the HER. Herein, polybenzimidazole (PBI) Janus membranes with significant hydrophobic/hydrophilic asymmetric surface wettability were constructed for regulating the HER in CO 2 RR. The HER was modulated by adjusting the microstructure and surface hydrophobicity of the membrane as well as the CO 2 feeding method. The p-PBI-HCF MEA showed a significant suppression of HER and a 6-fold improvement in CO selectivity over p-PBI MEA. The p-PBI-HCF exhibited superior CO 2 RR performance in MEA compared to commercial membranes (FAA-3-50 and Nafion115). At 2.0–3.0 V, the CO Faraday efficiency (FE CO) of the p-PBI-HCF MEA electrolyzer remained above 92%. The optimal energy efficiency range was between 2.0 and 2.4 V when the FE CO was close to 100%. The p-PBI-HCF provided 92% FE CO and a current density of 225 mA cm−2 at 3 V. This work provides guidelines for the development of viable PBI membranes and MEAs for CO 2 RR. [Display omitted] • HER was regulated by microstructure and surface hydrophobicity as well as by the humidified or dry state of CO 2. • HER was significantly suppressed and the CO selectivity was improved by 6 times after the regulatory measures were applied. • Controlling the local microenvironment at the cathode is vital to avoid high HER. • The FE CO approached 100% at 2.0–2.4 V while demonstrating the best efficiency range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-assembled aggregates of 7,10-dibromo-2,3-dicyanopyrazinophenanthrene which act as a new organophotocatalyst in combination with Ni catalyst for the Caryl –Oacyl cross-coupling reactions of carboxylic acids with aryl halides are described. This visible-light-induced Caryl –Oacyl bond-formation reaction proceeds smoothly to afford aryl esters with satisfactory to excellent yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lianhua Qingwen Capsules (LHQW) is a traditional Chinese medicine prescription commonly used to treat viral influenza in China. There has been sufficient evidence that LHQW could effectively treat COVID-19. Nevertheless, the potential anti-(mutant) SARS-CoV-2 and anti-inflammation compounds in LHQW are still vague. Methods: The compounds of LHQW and targets were collected from TCMSP, TCMID, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry of CAS database, and relevant literature. Autodock Vina was used to carry out molecular docking. The pkCSM platform to predict the relevant parameters of compound absorption in vivo. The protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by the STRING database. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis was carried out by Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID). The anti-(mutant) SARS-CoV-2 and anti-inflammation networks were constructed on the Cytoscape platform. Results: 280 compounds, 16 targets related to SARS-CoV-2, and 54 targets related to cytokine storm were obtained by screening. The key pathways Toll-like receptor signaling, NOD-like receptor signal pathway, and Jak-STAT signaling pathway, and the core targets IL6 were obtained by PPI network and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. The network analysis predicted and discussed the 16 main anti-SARS-CoV-2 active compounds and 12 main anti-inflammation active compounds. Ochnaflavone and Hypericin are potential anti-mutant virus compounds in LHQW. Conclusions: In summary, this study explored the potential anti-(mutant) SARS-CoV-2 and anti-inflammation compounds of LHQW against COVID-19, which can provide new ideas and valuable references for discovering active compounds in the treatment of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The endophytic fungus Diaporthe sp. is known to contain many secondary metabolites, but fatty acid derivatives have rarely been found. In this study, four new fatty acid derivatives (1–4), together with four known compounds (5–8), were isolated from Diaporthe sp., which was obtained from the stem of Ligularia fischeri. The absolute configurations of the new compounds 1–4 were deduced based on spectroscopic technique and J-based coupling constant analysis. Moreover, compound 1 exhibited cytotoxic activities against HCT-8 and MCF-7 cancer cells, and compounds 3 and 4 showed modest selectivity for HCT-8 cells by MTT assay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fates of nanomaterials (NMs) in vivo are greatly dependent on their interactions with human serum proteins. However, the interfacial molecular details of NMs-serum proteins are still difficult to be probed. Herein, the molecular interaction details of human serum albumin (HSA) with Au and SiO2 nanoparticles have been systematically interrogated and compared by using lysine reactivity profiling mass spectrometry (LRP-MS). We demonstrated the biocompatibility of Au is better than SiO2 nanoparticles and the NMs surface charge state played a more important role than particle size in the combination of NMs-HSA at least in the range of 15–40 nm. Our results will contribute to the fundamental mechanism understanding of NMs-serum protein interactions as well as the NMs rational design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simulating the stochastic traffic load has been an important issue for bridge condition evaluation. This paper proposes an improved cellular automaton for stochastic traffic load simulation with consideration of axle load and microscopic interaction. The cells, neighbors, transition rules and boundary conditions in the improved model are all redefined. The cell length can be manually defined with any value. The vehicle load can be precisely simulated using axle load if the cell length is set small or using concentrated load when a large cell length is defined. Acceleration based transition rules are proposed, and different acceleration for each vehicle can be computed to more reasonably simulate the microscopic behavior. The feasibility of the proposed model is validated through comparisons on traffic flow simulation and load effect quantification with in-field weigh in motion data and other models. The results indicate that the proposed model improves the existing models both in vehicle load simulation and traffic flow simulation and can be used for stochastic traffic load simulation for bridges with any length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of human communication, language learning and communication play a fundamental, leading, broad, and long-lasting role. It serves as a link and a bridge between countries and peoples, allowing for greater understanding and camaraderie. The significance of Chinese in international commercial and cultural exchanges has been more obvious in the current era, as China's comprehensive strength continues to improve. Its cultural value and practical value have been continuously improved, the international community has an increasing demand for learning Chinese, and the cause of international Chinese language education has developed rapidly. China must strengthen the international dissemination of Chinese, so that the world can better understand and accept China, so that China can better integrate into the world. In this context, how to evaluate and stratify the quality of Chinese international education has become an important research topic. Relying on the hot deep learning technology in recent years, this work designs a neural network for evaluating the quality of international Chinese education. The content of this work is as follows: aiming at the serious defect of the current mainstream feature classification network that only uses the top-level features extracted by a single convolution layer to classify, which leads to the loss of classification accuracy. A multiscale feature pyramid fusion network is built in this paper, starting with the working mechanism of a convolutional neural network. It is capable of fully extracting and combining the representations of the network's shallow and deep outputs, based on first- and second-order characteristics of global and local discriminative region information. Second, the network structure has the bottleneck layer module and the batch normalization layer module, both of which are made up of varying numbers of 1 × 1 convolution kernels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP) is the coenzyme of more than 140 enzymes and is widely used in various fields. In this study, to enhance the production of PLP in Escherichia coli BL21, the recombinant strain E. coli BL21/pETDuet-1-pdxj-zwf-dxs was constructed. The concentration of PLP in this strain was 82.69 mg/L, which was increased by 1.38-fold as compared to that in E. coli BL21. Glucose, yeast extract, and pH had an obvious impact on the concentration of PLP, and their optimal levels were 34.89 g/L, 31.17 g/L, and 10.07, respectively. The concentration of PLP under the optimal condition reached 2.23 g/L. The time-course analysis showed that the highest concentration of PLP was 2.32 g/L in recombinant strain after the induction for 12 h by 0.1 mM IPTG in a 1 L shake flask, which was increased by 38.76-fold as compared to that in E. coli BL21. This study provides a good basis for the efficient production of PLP in E. coli BL21. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Submarine canyons, prominent features on continental margins, hold significant scientific and engineering implications. Despite extensive research on various types of submarine canyons, current understanding of those canyons developed on the upper continental slope, recognized as the most common type globally, remains limited. The Shenhu Canyons on the upper continental slope of the northern South China Sea, comprising over 19 subparallel features persistently developed from the Late Miocene to Quaternary, offer an excellent opportunity for in‐depth study. Previous assumptions suggested a unidirectional eastward migration of these canyons parallel to the host margin, primarily based on observations from two‐dimensional transverse seismic profiles. However, this study's analysis using three‐dimensional seismic data mapping reveals that not all canyons have migrated eastward; 28% display an opposite or a zigzag patterned migration, challenging previous assumptions. The eastward migration of the Shenhu Canyons on the eastern slope of the palaeo‐Pearl River shelf‐edge delta can be linked to the south‐east–southward progradation of the host margin and the palaeo‐shelf‐edge delta. However, the overall eastward migration pattern is complicated by submarine landslides and turbidity current processes. Landslides can influence the direction and magnitude of canyon migration through four mechanisms: turbidity current diversion; retrogressive development of canyon‐wall landslides; retrogressive landslides on surrounding open slopes; and emplacement of landslides in canyon thalwegs. These mechanisms may result in widening, bifurcation, confluence or obstruction of canyons, contributing to canyon migration. Erosion by turbidity currents can trigger canyon‐wall failures, which in turn promote the lateral migration of the canyons. If overspilled turbidity currents lead to the growth of levées in the lower reaches, canyon confinement increases, suppressing lateral migration. The inherited high‐gradient Palaeogene syn‐rift tectonic slope, combined with the depositional delta‐front slope of the palaeo‐shelf‐edge delta, creates favourable conditions for the initiation and persistent development of the straight Shenhu Canyons. This comprehensive analysis provides valuable insights into the complex dynamics and factors influencing the migration of upper continental slope submarine canyons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tolerance threshold of commute time (TTCT) reflects the longest commute time that commuters can tolerate from home to the workplace. When the commute time exceeds the TTCT, the commuting utility significantly reduces, which has a nonlinear influence on commuting mode choice. To reveal the nonlinear relationship between the commuting utility and commute time, the TTCT is introduced to constrained multinomial logit (CMNL) model based on the semicompensatory decision-making mechanism. In addition, an empirical study is carried out on 405 commuters in Kunming, China. The results show that the CMNL model has a higher fitting accuracy than the MNL model, which indicates that the TTCT is a significant explanatory variable for the commuting mode choice. Moreover, the commuting utility does not decrease linearly with the commute time. An appropriate commute time range (about 5–25 min) could bring positive commute utility to the commuters, but the commute utility is negatively impacted when the commute time is larger than the TTCT. Therefore, it is necessary importing the TTCT in the utility function to improve the predictive power of the commuting mode choice model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gallbladder cancer is associated with late diagnosis and poor prognosis. Current study aims to develop a prognostic nomogram for predicting survival of gallbladder cancer patients after surgery.Methods: Two large cohorts were included in this analysis. One consisted of 1753 gallbladder cancer patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, and the other consisted of 239 patients from Shanghai Renji hospital. Significant prognostic factors were identified and integrated to develop the nomogram. Then the model was subjected to bootstrap internal validation and external validation.Results: Univariate and multivariate analysis indicated that age, tumor histology, T-stage, N-stage and M-stage were significant prognostic factors, which were all included to build the nomogram. The model showed good discrimination, with a concordance index (C-index) of 0.724 (95% CI, 0.708-0.740), and good calibration. Application of the nomogram in the validation cohort still presented good discrimination (C-index, 0.715 [95% CI 0.672-0.758]) and good calibration. In the primary cohort, the C-index of the nomogram was 0.724, which was significantly higher than the Nevin staging system (C-index = 0.671; P < 0.001) and the 8th TNM staging system (C-index = 0.682; P < 0.001). In the validation cohort, the C-index of the nomogram was 0.715, which was also higher than the Nevin staging system (C-index = 0.692; P < 0.05) and the 8th TNM staging system (C-index = 0.688; P = 0.06).Conclusions: The proposed nomogram resulted in more-accurate prognostic prediction for patients with gallbladder cancer after surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a brain illness that affects learning and memory capacities over time. In recent investigations, acupuncture has been shown to be an effective alternative treatment for AD. We investigated the effect of acupuncture on learning and memory abilities using a water maze in APP/PS1 transgenic mice. The amounts of Aβ and tau protein in mice's hippocampal tissue were determined using Western blot. The levels of IL-1β, IL-10, LPS and TNF-α in mice's serum were measured using ELISA. The variations of gut microbiota in mice's feces were determined using the 16SrDNA technique, and the metabolites were examined using a untargeted metabolomics methodology. The results showed that acupuncture treatment improved mice's learning and memory abilities substantially. Acupuncture therapy regulated the Aβ and tau protein concentration as well as the levels of IL-10 and LPS. Acupuncture treatment influenced the mouse microbiota and metabolites and had been linked to six biochemical pathways. This study adds to our understanding of the effect of acupuncture on AD and opens the door to further research into the alterations of intestinal bacteria in the presence of AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CoCrFeNiMn high-entropy alloy (HEA) has great potential for industrial application due to its excellent mechanical properties and remarkable fracture toughness. In this study, CoCrFeNiMn HEA coatings (HEACs) were deposited on 316L stainless steel by detonation spraying technique, and annealed at two different temperatures. Phase structures, microhardness, and wear resistance of the as-sprayed and annealed HEACs were systematically investigated. It was found that both as-sprayed and annealed coatings were in a face-centered cubic solid solution structure, and contained a small amount of oxides, which would be easy to precipitate at the high annealing temperature. The microhardness of as-sprayed HEACs showed a high average value of ~520 HV, which increased to ~551 HV after annealing at 600 °C. And it decreased significantly to ~307 HV at annealing temperature of 900 °C as a result of grain growth. The wear tests demonstrated that the HEACs annealed at 900 °C had excellent wear resistance, while the as-sprayed HEACs had a high volumetric wear rate as compared with the annealed ones, which is ascribed to the improvement of cohesive strength of the splats by annealing: a strong metallurgical bonding between the splats was formed, and the splats of the annealed coatings were more difficult to peel off. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic joint disease featured by articular cartilage degeneration and damage. Accumulating evidence have demonstrated the pivotal regulatory roles of circular RNAs in OA pathology. However, the role of circ_0043947 in OA progression and its associated mechanism remain largely unknown. Methods: The expression of RNA and protein was determined by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot assay. Cell viability was assessed by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Cell proliferation was analyzed by 5-Ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay and flow cytometry. Cell apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was conducted to analyze the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation assay were performed to confirm the target interaction between microRNA-671-5p (miR-671-5p) and circ_0043947 or reticulon 3 (RTN3). Results: Interleukin 1β (IL-1β) stimulation up-regulated the expression of circ_0043947 in chondrocytes. IL-1β treatment restrained the viability and proliferation and induced the apoptosis, extracellular matrix degradation and inflammatory response of chondrocytes partly by up-regulating circ_0043947. Circ_0043947 interacted with miR-671-5p, and miR-671-5p silencing largely reversed circ_0043947 knockdown-mediated protective effects in IL-1β-induced chondrocytes. miR-671-5p interacted with the 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR) of RTN3. miR-671-5p overexpression attenuated IL-1β-induced injury in chondrocytes, and these protective effects were largely overturned by the overexpression of RTN3. Circ_0043947 acted as a molecular sponge for miR-671-5p to up-regulate RTN3 level in chondrocytes. Conclusion: Circ_0043947 silencing alleviated IL-1β-induced injury in chondrocytes by targeting miR-671-5p/RTN3 axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, by implanting the rigid body rule (RBR)-based strategy for static nonlinear problems into the implicit direct integration procedure, an efficient and robustness nonlinear dynamic analysis method for the response of framed structures with large deflections and rotations is proposed. The implicit integration method proposed by Newmark is improved by inserting an intermediate time into the time step and by adding the 3-point backward difference in the second substep so as to preserve the momentum conservation and to maintain the stability of the direct integration method. To solve the equivalent incremental equations of motion, the RBR is built in to deal with the rigid rotations and the resulting additional nodal forces of element. During the increment-iterative procedure, the use of RBR-qualified geometric stiffness in the predictor reduces the numbers of iterations, while the elastic stiffness alone in the corrector to update the element nodal forces makes the computation efficiency and convergence with no virtual forces caused by the ill geometric stiffness. The proposed algorithm is advanced in the applications of several framed structures with highly nonlinear behavior in the dynamic response by its simplicity, efficient and robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The visible‐light‐induced oxidative homo‐ and cross‐coupling of phenols by di‐t‐butyl peroxide (DTBP) are described. These reactions occur with metal‐free process and feature high chemo‐ and regioselectivity under mild reaction conditions. DTBP is an inexpensive, benign, stable at room temperature, and commercially available oxidizer. It can be irradiated by blue LEDs to generate tert‐butoxyl radical (tBuO⋅), which induces the oxidative homo‐coupling of phenols and the cross‐coupling of phenols with naphthols, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Targeted therapy using anti-TNF (tumor necrosis factor) is the first option for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Anti-TNF therapy, however, does not lead to meaningful clinical improvement in many RA patients. To predict which patients will not benefit from anti-TNF therapy, clinical tests should be performed prior to treatment beginning.Objective: Although various efforts have been made to identify biomarkers and pathways that may be helpful to predict the response to anti-TNF treatment, gaps remain in clinical use due to the low predictive power of the selected biomarkers.Methods: In this paper, we used a network-based computational method to identify the select the predictive biomarkers to guide the treatment of RA patients.Results: We select 69 genes from peripheral blood expression data from 46 subjects using a sparse network-based method. The result shows that the selected 69 genes might influence biological processes and molecular functions related to the treatment.Conclusions: Our approach advances the predictive power of anti-TNF therapy response and provides new genetic markers and pathways that may influence the treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]