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Oxidative stress and inflammation are crucial factors contributing to the occurrence and development of vascular dementia (VD). In a previous study, we demonstrated that brozopine (BZP) is an anti-ischemic drug. In this study, a model of VD in rats with modified permanent bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (2-VO) was established in vivo, a model of cellular excitotoxicity/oxidative stress was established via L-glutamate-induced PC12 cell injury, a model of neuroinflammation was established in LPS-induced BV2 cells in vitro, and the ameliorative effect of BZP on cognitive impairment was assessed. BZP treatment improved memory deficit in VD rats through inhibiting Ca2+overload and the levels of oxidative stress, ferroptosis, and inflammatory markers (IL-1β, IL-6, and COX-2) in different brain regions. Additionally, we found that the levels of inflammatory markers in the plasma were also reduced in the VD rats. BZP was further found to have antioxidative stress, antiferroptosis (ferroptosis markers: GPX4, P53, and ACSL4), and antineuroinflammatory effects in PC12 and BV2 cells. Its mechanisms of action were found to be related to the activation of the Nrf2/TLR4/NF-κB pathway; the protective effect of BZP was partially inhibited after using Nrf2-specific inhibitors. Thus, BZP has therapeutic properties for the potential mitigation of cognitive impairment.

Abstract Background The impact of the coexistence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in patients with non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) on clinical profiles, myocardial fibrosis, and outcomes remain incompletely understood. Method A total of 1152 patients diagnosed with non-ischemic DCM were prospectively enrolled from June 2012 to October 2021 and categorized into T2DM and non-T2DM groups. Clinical characteristics, cardiac function, and myocardial fibrosis evaluated by CMR were compared between the two groups. The primary endpoint included both all-cause mortality and heart transplantation. Cause of mortality was classified into heart failure death, sudden cardiac death, and non-cardiac death. Cox regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier analysis were performed to identify the association between T2DM and clinical outcomes. Propensity score matching (PSM) cohort including 438 patients was analyzed to reduce the bias from confounding covariates. Results Among the 1152 included DCM patients, 155 (13%) patients had T2DM. Patients with T2DM were older (55 ± 12 vs. 47 ± 14 years, P

Abstract Current skeleton‐based action recognition methods usually assume the input skeleton is complete and noise‐free. However, it is inevitable that the captured skeletons are incomplete due to occlusions or noisy due to changes in the environment. When dealing with these data, even State Of The Art (SOTA) recognition backbones experience significant degradation in recognition accuracy. Though a few methods have been proposed to address this issue, they still lack flexibility, efficiency and interpretability. In this work, an overcomplete Graph Convolutional Denoising Autoencoder (GCDAE) is proposed which can act as a flexible preprocessing module for pretrained recognition backbones and improve their robustness. Taking advantages of the overcomplete and fully graph convolutional structure, GCDAE is able to rectify noisy joints while keeping information of unspoiled details efficiently. On two large scale skeleton datasets NTU RGB+D 60 and 120, the introducing of GCDAE brings significant robustness improvements to SOTA backbones towards different types of noises.

Polymorphisms of polypropylene random copolymers (PPR) are usually regulated by the amplified β-nucleating effect of isotactic polypropylene (iPP). Nevertheless, the synergetic effect of β-nucleating agents (β-NAs) and iPP on growth of β-PPR crystals are still unclear to explain the debated content of β crystals obtained in the literatures. In this work, the growth mechanisms of PPR on β-nucleated iPP and the benchmarks were systematically revealed and discussed. First, a crystalline order is found existed in the PPR/iPP/β-NA ternary composite system. Then, the step crystal growth of each component is confirmed by the stepwise isothermal crystallization via microscopes. The results show that β-PPR crystallizes on the front of pre-crystallized β-iPP and is terminated by the adjacent α-PPR crystals. The overgrowth and spatial contact restrictions lay down a nucleation-controlled procedure. The morphologies and polymorph compositions can be regulated on the relative sizes of core and shell crystals, which are then determined by the size of β-iPP pre-crystallites, β-NA concentrations and the final heating temperature (Tf). At last, a high Kβ up to 0.5 can be easily reproduced at a low filling concentration of 0.3% β-NAs based on the nucleation-controlled β-growth. The easy preparation strategy of β-PPR that allows diversified thermal processing of PPR/iPP/β-NA composites enriches the researches on structure–performance relationship via macromolecular engineering.

Abstract Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) still remains a life‐threatening disorder with poor prognosis. The right ventricle (RV) adapts to the increased afterload by a series of prognostically significant morphological and functional changes, the adaptive nature should also be understood in the context of ventricular interdependence. We hypothesized that left ventricle (LV) underfilling could serve as an important imaging marker for identifying maladaptive changes and predicting clinical outcomes in PAH patients. We prospectively enrolled patients with PAH who underwent both cardiac magnetic resonance and right heart catheterization between October 2013 and December 2020. Patients were categorized into four groups based on their LV and RV mass/volume ratio (M/V). LV M/V was stratified using the normal value (0.7 g/mL for males and 0.6 g/mL for females) to identify patients with LV underfilling (M/V ≥ normal value), while RV M/V was stratified based on the median value. The primary endpoint was all‐cause mortality, and the composite endpoints included all‐cause mortality and heart failure‐related readmissions. A total of 190 PAH patients (53 male, mean age 37 years) were included in this study. Patients with LV underfilling exhibited higher NT‐proBNP levels, increased RV mass, larger RV but smaller LV, lower right ventricular ejection fraction, and shorter 6‐min walking distance. Patients with LV underfilling had a 2.7‐fold higher risk of mortality than those without and LV M/V (hazard ratio [per 0.1 g/mL increase]: 1.271, 95% confidence interval: 1.082–1.494, p = 0.004) was also independent predictors of all‐cause mortality. Moreover, patients with low LV M/V had a better prognosis regardless of the level of RV M/V. Thus, LV underfilling is an independent predictor of adverse clinical outcomes in patients with PAH, and it could be an important imaging marker for identifying maladaptive changes in these patients.

Abstract Background Obesity is a widely recognized driving factor of Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), it remains unclear whether historical weight status was associated with the presence of NAFLD. The study aimed to explore the relationship between weight change across adulthood and the presence of NAFLD. Methods Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III included 6586 participants. Weight change was assessed according to body mass index (BMI) at baseline, at 25 years old, and 10 years before baseline. Obesity was defined as BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2. NAFLD was assessed by hepatic ultrasonography. Results The prevalence of NAFLD was highest among stable obese participants (48.1%), and the lowest among stable non-obese participants (18.9%). Among non-obese participants, those who get obese in early adulthood had a higher risk for the presence of NAFLD than those who were never obese (odds ratio [OR], 1.82; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.17–2.92). Among obese participants, those who become obese in middle-late adulthood had a lower risk of NAFLD (OR, 0.79; 95% CI 0.65–0.96) than those with stable obesity. A weight gain of more than 12 kg and 4 kg since early and middle-late adulthood respectively were associated with increased risks of NAFLD. Conclusion Among current nonobese individuals, those with a history of obesity in their early adulthood had a higher risk of NAFLD than those never obese. Among the currently obese population, those who became obese after mid-adulthood have a significantly lower risk of NAFLD compared with those who were stable obese.

Abstract Purpose Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is a mucosal infection of the female lower genital tract for which treatment using conventional antifungal drugs shows limited effectiveness. Herein, amphotericin B-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-polyethylene glycol (PLGA-PEG) nanoparticles (AmB-NPs) were fabricated and combined with low intensity ultrasound (US) to mediate AmB-NPs intravaginal drug delivery to achieve productive synergistic antifungal activity in a rabbit model of VVC. Methods Polymeric AmB-NPs were fabricated by a double emulsion method and the physical characteristics and biosafety of nanoparticles were analyzed. The distribution and tissue permeability of nanoparticles after intravaginal ultrasound irradiation (1.0 MHz, 1.0 W/cm2, 5 min, 50% duty ratio) were observed in the vagina. The synergistic therapeutic activity of US-mediated AmB-NPs treatment was evaluated using an experimental rabbit model of VVC. Vaginal C. albicans colony counts, the pathological structure of the vagina epithelium, and Th1/Th2/Th17-type cytokine and oxidative stress levels were analyzed to investigate the therapeutic effect in vivo. Results The prepared AmB-NPs showed an obvious shell and core structure with uniform size and good dispersion and displayed high biosafety and US-sensitive slow drug release. Ultrasound significantly enhanced nanoparticle transport through the mucus and promoted permeability in the vaginal tissue. US-mediated AmB-NPs treatment effectively increased drug sensitivity, even in the presence of the vaginal mucus barrier in vitro. On the seventh day after treatment in vivo, the combination treatment of AmB-NPs and US significantly reduced the fungal load in the vagina, achieving over 95% clearance rates, and also improved the pathological epithelium structural damage and glycogen secretion function. The expression of Th1 (IFN-γ, IL-2) and Th17 (IL-17) cytokines were significantly increased and Th2 (IL-6, IL-10) cytokines significantly decreased in the US + AmB-NP group. Furthermore, US-mediated AmB-NPs treatment effectively increased C. albicans intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and promoted vaginal oxidation and antioxidants to normal levels. Conclusion US-mediated drug-loaded nanoparticles with intravaginal drug delivery exhibited a productive synergistic antifungal effect, which may provide a new non-invasive, safe, and effective therapy for acute or recurrent fungal vaginitis. Graphical Abstract

China’s geothermal energy resources are mainly low and medium temperature, the process of ammonia solution generation and absorption is introduced to simplify the condensation heat transfer of Karina cycle, and the vertical tube falling film structure is adopted for the generator and absorber in the system, which makes the system more suitable for medium and low temperature geothermal resources. A 5 kW ammonia water power cycle power generation experimental platform based on vertical tube falling film was built. The experimental results show that under typical working conditions, the maximum heat transfer coefficient of generator and absorber can reach 1034 w/(m2 K) and 563 w/(m2 K), respectively, and the maximum output power of the system is 3 kW.

Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) uses low-temperature heat source to realize thermoelectric conversion, which is an important way to realize the effective recovery and utilization of waste heat. Based on the horizontal tube spray falling film evaporator, an orc power generation system with R245fa as the circulating working medium is built to study the influence of the change of cooling water flow on the heat transfer performance of the evaporator. The results show that under the condition of constant heat source temperature, the evaporation pressure and condensation pressure first decrease and then increase with the increase of cooling water flow, while the total heat transfer coefficient outside the evaporator tube first increases and then decreases. When the cooling water flow is greater than 3100 L/h, it has little effect on the heat exchange system of the evaporator, and it is more appropriate to keep the cooling water flow at about 3100 L/h. By studying the influence of cooling water flow on the heat transfer performance of evaporator, an important experimental basis is provided for the design and optimization of ORC cooling system.

In order to make full use of the medium and low temperature geothermal resources and industrial waste heat resources, a power cycle system using ammonia–water mixed solution as the working fluid is proposed. The system can use medium and low temperature geothermal resources with a temperature of 350–450 K, and the basic circulating working fluid is ammonia aqueous solutions. Simulation calculations show that the Carnot cycle efficiency of the circulation system is 14.01%, and the theoretical cycle thermal efficiency of the circulation system is 10.28%. The article further analyzes the influence of steam turbine outlet pressure and heat source temperature on the thermal efficiency of the circulation system. This research provides a reference for the effective utilization of medium and low temperature waste heat resources.

Geothermal energy has become one of the indispensable renewable energy in the energy development in the 21st century, and it is also one of the most realistic and competitive energy. The orc power generation test system with low temperature heat source (60 ∼ 90 °C) is designed, and the key component horizontal tube falling film evaporator is designed. The experimental results show that the heat transfer coefficient increases with the increase of evaporation temperature in the range of 40 ∼ 65 °C. The experimental results show that when the spray density is in the range of 0.010 ∼ 0.025 kg/m K, the heat transfer coefficient increases with the increase of spray density. The experimental results show that when the hot water mass flow rate is in the range of 0.06 ∼ 0.18 kg/s, the heat transfer coefficient increases with the increase of hot water mass flow rate.

Abstract Background Myocardial fibrosis is a common pathophysiological process involved in many cardiovascular diseases. However, limited prior studies suggested no association between focal myocardial fibrosis detected by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) and disease severity in Eisenmenger syndrome (ES). This study aimed to explore potential associations between myocardial fibrosis evaluated by the CMR LGE and T1 mapping and risk stratification profiles including exercise tolerance, serum biomarkers, hemodynamics, and right ventricular (RV) function in these patients. Methods Forty-five adults with ES and 30 healthy subjects were included. All subjects underwent a contrast-enhanced 3T CMR. Focal replacement fibrosis was visualized on LGE images. The locations of LGE were recorded. After excluding LGE in ventricular insertion point (VIP), ES patients were divided into myocardial LGE-positive (LGE+) and LGE-negative (LGE−) subgroups. Regions of interest in the septal myocardium were manually contoured in the T1 mapping images to determine the diffuse myocardial fibrosis. The relationships between myocardial fibrosis and 6-min walk test (6MWT), N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-pro BNP), hematocrit, mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP), pulmonary vascular resistance index (PVRI), RV/left ventricular end-systolic volume (RV/LV ESV), RV ejection fraction (RVEF), and risk stratification were analyzed. Results Myocardial LGE (excluding VIP) was common in ES (16/45, 35.6%), and often located in the septum (12/45, 26.7%). The clinical characteristics, hemodynamics, CMR morphology and function, and extracellular volume fraction (ECV) were similar in the LGE+ and LGE− groups (all P > 0.05). ECV was significantly higher in ES patients (28.6 ± 5.9% vs. 25.6 ± 2.2%, P

Abstract Background The value of right atrial (RA) function in cardiovascular diseases is currently limited. This study was to explore the prognostic value of RA strain derived from fast long axis method by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) in patients with non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Methods We prospectively enrolled patients with DCM who underwent CMR from June 2012 to March 2019 and 120 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. Fast long-axis strain method was performed to assess the RA phasic function including RA reservoir strain, conduit strain, and booster strain. The predefined primary endpoint was all-cause mortality. The composite heart failure (HF) endpoint included HF death, HF readmission, and heart transplantation. Cox regression analysis and Kaplan–Meier survival curve were performed to describe the association between RA strain and outcomes. Results A total of 624 patients (444 men, mean 48 years) were studied. After a median follow-up of 32.5 months, 116 patients (18.6%) experienced all-cause mortality and 205 patients (32.9%) reached composite HF endpoint. RA function was impaired in DCM patients compared with healthy subjects (all P

Species within the genus Equus are valued for their draft ability. Skeletal muscle forms the foundation of the draft ability of Equus species; however, skeletal muscle development-related conserved genes and their target miRNAs are rarely reported for Equus. In this study, a comparative genomics analysis was performed among five species (horse, donkey, zebra, cattle, and goat), and the results showed that a total of 15,262 (47.43%) genes formed the core gene set of the five species. Only nine chromosomes (Chr01, Chr02, Chr03, Chr06, Chr10, Chr18, Chr22, Chr27, Chr29, and Chr30) exhibited a good collinearity relationship among Equus species. The micro-synteny analysis results showed that TPM3 was evolutionarily conserved in chromosome 1 in Equus. Furthermore, donkeys were used as the model species for Equus to investigate the genetic role of TPM3 in muscle development. Interestingly, the results of comparative transcriptomics showed that the TPM3 gene was differentially expressed in donkey skeletal muscle S1 (2 months old) and S2 (24 months old), as verified via RT-PCR. Dual-luciferase test analysis showed that the TPM3 gene was targeted by differentially expressed miRNA (eca-miR-1). Furthermore, a total of 17 TPM3 gene family members were identified in the whole genome of donkey, and a heatmap analysis showed that EaTPM3-5 was a key member of the TPM3 gene family, which is involved in skeletal muscle development. In conclusion, the TPM3 gene was conserved in Equus, and EaTPM3-5 was targeted by eca-miR-1, which is involved in skeletal muscle development in donkeys.

The horizontal tube spray falling film evaporator is an efficient evaporation equipment, which has the advantages of good heat exchange effect, small equipment volume and low cost. In this paper, R245fa is used as the working fluid to build a heat transfer test platform for the horizontal pipe spray falling film evaporator of the Organic Rankine Cycle(ORC) power generation system. The effect of factors such as the spray density of the organic working fluid, the initial temperature of the geothermal water and the flow on the heat transfer coefficient outside the tube is studied. The experimental results show that with the increase of the spray density of the organic working fluid, the initial temperature of the geothermal water, and the flow of the geothermal water, the heat transfer coefficient first increases and then decreases.

In this paper, for the low-temperature geothermal organic Rankine (ORC) power generation system, the subcritical saturated vapor cycle is selected as the key research object, the mathematical and physical model of the thermal process of the ORC system is established, and five organic working fluids are selected. With the net power produced per unit mass of geothermal water(PPH) as the optimization target, the optimal parameters of the ORC system are determined. Based on the selection of the best organic working fluid, various parameters that affect the performance and economic performance of the ORC system are analyzed. After simulation calculation, the results show that: when the system takes PPH as the optimization target, the working fluid R245fa can be selected as the best applicable working fluid.

In this paper, a low-temperature geothermal organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) power generation system model is established. R245fa is used as the circulating working fluid. The calculation program is compiled using the engineering calculation software EES, and the thermodynamic parameters and thermodynamic properties of the main state points of the ORC are theoretically calculated. The effects of narrow point temperature difference, evaporation temperature, geothermal water temperature and condenser end temperature difference on system performance are analyzed. The results show that the narrow point temperature difference has a significant impact on the ORC performance. Considering system performance and economic cost comprehensively, the best narrow point temperature difference and the best condenser end temperature difference are both within the range of 5–7 K.

In order to effectively use the waste heat of ship flue gas and cooling water, in this paper, the organic Rankine-vapor compression refrigeration system is used for air conditioning for ships, and the thermodynamic model of the system is established. The system performance corresponding to the five commonly used working fluids R22, R141b, R236ea, R218 and R601 is analyzed and compared. The working fluid is optimized with the goal of the best system performance. Calculations proves that: regardless of the organic Rankine cycle and vapor compression refrigeration cycle, or for the entire system, R601 is the most suitable working fluid. The temperature of the heat source and the condensing temperature have an important effect on the performance of the system. The hot water temperature can be controlled and adjusted by changing the hot water flow rate, thereby optimizing system performance. At the same time, the determination of the condensing temperature should comprehensively consider the system performance, cooling water pump power, heat exchanger area and system investment to achieve the best overall system performance.

This paper takes solar-powered organic Rankine-vapor compression air conditioning as the research object, and uses thermodynamic simulation methods to study the type of working fluid, system design and influencing factors. The results show that the temperature and condensation temperature of the working fluid have an important effect on the performance of the system. The cooling power per unit area collector and the total efficiency of the system first increase and then decrease with the temperature of the working fluid, and decrease with the increase of the condensation temperature. Through performance comparison, it is found that R123 is a more suitable working fluid, the thermodynamic feasibility of a solar-powered organic Rankine-vapor compression air-conditioning system was demonstrated.

Background and Aims:. Phenotypic heterogeneity among patients with NAFLD is poorly understood. We aim to identify clinically important phenotypes within NAFLD patients and assess the long-term outcomes among different phenotypes. Methods:. We analyzed the clinical data of 2311 participants from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) and their linked mortality data through December 2019. NAFLD was diagnosed by ultrasonographic evidence of hepatic steatosis without other liver diseases and excess alcohol use. A 2-stage cluster analysis was applied to identify clinical phenotypes. We used Cox proportional hazard models to explore all-cause and cause-specific mortality between clusters. Results:. We identified 3 NAFLD phenotypes. Cluster 1 was characterized by young female patients with better metabolic profiles and lower prevalence of comorbidities; Cluster 2 by obese females with significant insulin resistance, diabetes, inflammation, and advanced fibrosis and Cluster 3 by male patients with hypertension, atherogenic dyslipidemia, and liver and kidney damage. In a median follow-up of 26 years, 989 (42.8%) all-cause mortality occurred. Cluster 1 patients presented the best prognosis, whereas Cluster 2 and 3 had higher risks of all-cause (Cluster 2—adjusted HR: 1.48, 95% CI: 1.16–1.90; Cluster 3—adjusted HR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.01–1.64) and cardiovascular (Cluster 2—adjusted HR: 2.01, 95% CI: 1.18–3.44; Cluster 3—adjusted HR: 1.75, 95% CI: 1.03–2.97) mortality. Conclusions:. Three phenotypically distinct and clinically meaningful NAFLD subgroups have been identified with different characteristics of metabolic profiles. This study reveals the substantial disease heterogeneity that exists among NAFLD patients and underscores the need for granular assessments to define phenotypes and improve clinical practice.

Background Right heart failure may lead to impaired liver perfusion and venous congestion, resulting in different extents of liver fibrosis. However, whether hepatic tissue deterioration determined by native T1 mapping and extracellular volume fraction using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging is associated with poor outcomes in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension remains unclear. Methods and Results A total of 131 participants with pulmonary arterial hypertension (mean age, 36±13 years) and 64 healthy controls (mean age, 44±18) between October 2013 and December 2019 were prospectively enrolled. Hepatic native T1 and extracellular volume fraction values were measured using modified Look–Locker inversion recovery T1 mapping sequences. The primary end point was all‐cause mortality; the secondary end point was all‐cause mortality and repeat hospitalization attributable to heart failure. Cox regression models and Kaplan–Meier survival analysis were used to identify the association between variables and clinical outcome. During a median follow‐up of 34.5 months (interquartile range: 25.3–50.8), hepatic native T1 (hazard ratio per 30‐ms increase, 1.22 [95% CI, 1.07–1.39]; P=0.003) and extracellular volume fraction (hazard ratio per 3% increase, 1.18 [95% CI, 1.04–1.34]; P=0.010) values were associated with a higher risk of death. In the multivariate Cox model, hepatic native T1 value (hazard ratio per 30‐ms increase, 1.15 [95% CI, 1.04–1.27]; P=0.009) remained as an independent prognostic factor for the secondary end point. Conclusions Hepatic T1 mapping values were predictors of adverse cardiovascular events in participants with pulmonary arterial hypertension and could be novel imaging biomarkers for poor prognosis recognition.

BackgroundGiven the rapid innovation of wearable technology, additional physical indicators can be detected, and blood pressure (BP) has become the focus of many emerging medical-device manufacturers. This study aimed to validate the accuracy of the newly developed HUAWEI WATCH in BP monitoring, according to the American National Standards Institute/Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation/International Organization for Standardization (ANSI/AAMI/ISO 81060-2:2018) guidelines.Materials and methodsThe same arm sequential BP measurement was applied. One validation included four reference BP measurements taken simultaneously by two independent observers using a mercury sphygmomanometer, alternating with three test-watch measurements. Each test-watch measurement was compared against the average of the previous and subsequent reference BP readings. Two criteria were required for validation: (1) a mean BP difference of 5 mm Hg or less, with a standard deviation (SD) of 8 mm Hg or less for systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in the 255 pairs of measurements, and (2) an SD for the of 85 averaged BP differences within the threshold defined by the mean test-reference BP difference listed in the ANSI/AAMI/ISO 81060-2:2018 guidelines.ResultsThe mean age of the 85 participants was 48 ± 18 years (range: 21–85), and 53 (62.4%) were male. The mean differences between the test and reference BPs were -0.25 ± 5.62 mm Hg and -1.33 ± 6.81 mm Hg for SBP and DBP, respectively (according to Criterion 1). The mean differences between the test BPs and reference BPs were -0.25 ± 5.00 mm Hg and -1.33 ± 6.31 mm Hg for SBP and DBP, respectively, according to Criterion 2.ConclusionBlood pressure measurement using the HUAWEI WATCH showed excellent consistency with reference BPs, and fulfilled both validation criteria of the guidelines, show its promise as a wearable device for BP self-monitoring.

BackgroundNighttime physical activity (PA) has significant effects on human health. Whether excessive nighttime PA is associated with adverse long-term prognosis remains unknown.MethodsThree thousand six hundred ninety adults from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2006 with accelerometer monitor recording PA data were included. Nighttime PA was quantified by the nighttime to all-day PA intensity ratio (NAPAIR). Participants with the NAPAIR above the population median (0.17) were defined as the nighttime active population (NAP), otherwise as the daytime active population. All-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality status was acquired from the US National Death Index from their interview and physical examination date through December 31, 2015.ResultsAmong 3690 adults (weighted mean age 48.1 years), 1781 (weighted proportion 48.8%) were females. One thousand eight hundred six (48.9%) were determined as the NAP. During the follow-up period of up to 13.1 years (median, 10.7 years), 639 deaths occurred (heart diseases, 114). Multivariable Cox proportional hazards model showed that the NAP was associated with higher risks of all-cause (hazard ratio [HR], 1.46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.22–1.75) and cardiovascular disease (HR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.03–2.41) mortality compared with the daytime active population, and each 0.1 increase in the NAPAIR was associated with 15% increased all-cause mortality risks.ConclusionIn this nationally representative prospective cohort study of a sample of United States adults, excessive nighttime PA was associated with a higher risk of death from all causes and cardiovascular disease.

Abstract Background Parameters of myocardial deformation may provide improved insights into right ventricular (RV) dysfunction. We quantified RV longitudinal myocardial function using a fast, semi-automated method and investigated its diagnostic and prognostic values in patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (rTOF) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), who respectively exemplify patients with RV volume and pressure overload conditions. Methods The study enrolled 150 patients (rTOF, n = 75; PAH, n = 75) and 75 healthy controls. RV parameters of interest were fast global longitudinal strain (GLS) and strain rates during systole (GLSRs), early diastole (GLSRe) and late diastole (GLSRa), obtained by tracking the distance from the medial and lateral tricuspid valve insertions to the RV epicardial apex on cine cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). Results The RV fast GLS exhibited good agreement with strain values obtained by conventional feature tracking approach (bias − 4.9%, error limits (± 2·standard deviation) ± 4.3%) with fast GLS achieving greater reproducibility and requiring reduced analysis time. Mean RV fast GLS was reduced in PAH and rTOF groups compared to healthy controls (PAH

Flexible piezoelectric devices for energy harvesting have long been attractive in the field of collecting distributed mechanical sources. However, the piezoelectric performance of the state-of-art piezoelectric devices were still limited by poor strain accumulation effect of traditional film or fiber based piezoelectric energy harvesters. Herein, flexible poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF)/barium titanate (BT) three-dimensional (3D) porous composite foam with perfected interface and controlled porosity was prepared via supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) foaming technology and surface modification. By manipulating foaming conditions, PVDF foams with uniform cellular structures were successfully obtained. The further introduction of surface coating of polydopamine (PDA) onto BT optimized distribution of BT and foaming behaviors of the composites, and thus by synergetic effect of BT and modulated 3D porous structure, the piezoelectric output was finally improved to ∼12.5 V and ∼150 nA with a peak output power density of ∼0.15 μW/cm2, which was ∼25 times of that of flat-film. Taking advantages of the comprehensive electromechanical performance, the integrated piezoelectric devices can be applied to collect micro sources from use of keyboard and power micro-electronics. Our work provides a simple microstructure design strategy for modulating the porosity to boost the piezoelectric output.

This study was conducted to determine the correlation among serum biochemical indices, slaughter traits, texture characteristics and water-holding capacity in Tan sheep. Eighty Tan sheep aged 4–6 months were selected. Blood samples were collected from live animals to analyse serum biochemical indices. The slaughter traits, texture characteristics and water-holding capacity of meat were assessed after slaughter. There were highly significant correlations (p

The concept of complementary resistive switching (CRS) has been proposed as a potential solution for mitigating the unwanted sneak path current intrinsic to large-scale crossbar memory arrays. In this study, CRS devices based on egg albumen are fabricated using non-inert Al layers as the top electrodes (TE). The Al/Albumen/indium tin oxide (ITO) single sandwich structure achieves stable and reproducible CRS behavior without requiring a forming process. The application of a compliance current leads to an evolution from CRS to bipolar resistive switching (BRS). Furthermore, the BRS analog switching feature enables the emulation of synaptic functions, like paired-pulse facilitation (PPF) and paired-pulse depression (PPD). Our systematic and in-depth analyses demonstrate that the CRS is due to the interfacial Schottky barriers originating from the Al electrode oxidation. Consequently, the resistance switching behavior in the albumen-based cells with inert Pt top electrodes can further validate this model. These findings provide significant insight into the role of non-inert electrodes and contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the CRS mechanism, which may facilitate the development of high-performance CRS biodevices.

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is the reference standard for non-invasive assessment of right-sided heart function. Recent advances in CMR post-processing facilitate quantification of tricuspid annular (TA) dynamics and longitudinal strains of the right ventricle (RV) and right atrium (RA). We aimed to determine age- and sex-specific changes in CMR-derived TA dynamics, and RV and RA functional parameters in healthy Asian adults. We studied 360 healthy subjects aged 21–79 years, with 30 men and 30 women in each of the six age groups. Functional parameters of RV and RA were measured on standard four-chamber cine CMR using fast feature tracking: (1) TA peak velocities (systolic velocity S′, early diastolic velocity E′, late diastolic velocity A′) and TA plane systolic excursion (TAPSE); (2) RV global longitudinal strain (GLS) and strain rates; and (3) RA phasic longitudinal strains and strain rates. S′ and TAPSE exhibited negative correlations with age. RV GLS was significantly higher in females than in males but not associated with age in both sexes. Females had similar E′, lower A′, and higher E′/A′ ratios compared to males. Positive associations of E′ and E′/A′, and negative association of A′ with age were observed in both sexes. Females had higher RA reservoir and conduit strains compared to males. There were significantly negative and positive associations between RA conduit and booster strains, respectively, with age. Age- and sex-specific reference ranges were established, and associations revealed, for fast CMR feature tracking parameters of right heart function in a large normal Asian population.

High sleep quality promotes efficient performance in the following day. Sleep quality is influenced by environmental factors, such as temperature, light, sound and smell. Here, we investigated whether differences in the interface pressure distribution on healthy individuals during sleep influenced sleep quality. We defined four types of pressure models by differences in the area distribution and the subjective feelings that occurred when participants slept on the mattresses. One type of model was showed "over-concentrated" distribution of pressure; one was displayed "over-evenly" distributed interface pressure while the other two models were displayed intermediate distribution of pressure. A polysomnography analysis demonstrated an increase in duration and proportion of non-rapid-eye-movement sleep stages 3 and 4, as well as decreased number of micro-arousals, in subjects sleeping on models with pressure intermediately distributed compared to models with over-concentrated or over-even distribution of pressure. Similarly, higher scores of self-reported sleep quality were obtained in subjects sleeping on the two models with intermediate pressure distribution. Thus, pressure distribution, at least to some degree, influences sleep quality and self-reported feelings of sleep-related events, though the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. The regulation of pressure models imposed by external sleep environment may be a new direction for improving sleep quality. Only an appropriate interface pressure distribution is beneficial for improving sleep quality, over-concentrated or -even distribution of pressure do not help for good sleep.

This study focuses on visual creativity and how it can be supported with computer technologies and thereby be used to support learning and instruction. However, studies related to computer-enabled visual creativity have not been frequently explored. As such, the current research proposes a model consisting of four major factors: (a) computer-aided visual art self-efficacy, (b) computer self-efficacy, (c) general creative self-efficacy, and (d) visual creativity. The aim is to explore the causal relationships among these factors so that they can then be used to support creativity, especially in the context of learning and instruction. To test the proposed model, this study firstly collected a total of 736 responses from an American public university to construct a scale using exploratory factor analyses and confirmatory factor analyses for three factors: (a) computer self-efficacy, (b) computer-aided visual art self-efficacy, and (c) general creative self-efficacy. Later, 164 responses were collected to analyze those hypothesized predictors of visual creativity and their relationships using structural equation modeling with M"plus." The results of the study indicate that computer self-efficacy was a significant predictor of computer-aided visual art self-efficacy, which in turn was a significant predictor of general creative self-efficacy. General creative self-efficacy, in turn, was a significant predictor of visual creativity. Finally, the study yielded a significant indirect effect of computer-aided visual art self-efficacy on visual creativity as mediated by general creative self-efficacy. Implications for learning and instruction are discussed as well as future studies to further research to develop relevant models of visual creativity in support of learning.

Food waste and byproducts (FWBP) are a global issue impacting economies, resources, and health. Recycling and utilizing thesewastes, due to processing and economic constraints, face various challenges. However, valuable components in food waste inspire efficient solutions like active intelligent packaging. Though research on this is booming, its material selectivity, effectiveness, and commercial viability require further analysis. This paper categorizes FWBP and explores their potential for producing packaging from both animal and plant perspectives. In addition, the preparation/fabrication methods of these films/coatings have also been summarized comprehensively, focusing on the advantages and disadvantages of these methods and their commercial adaptability. Finally, the functions of these films/coatings and their ultimate performance in protecting food (meat, dairy products, fruits, and vegetables) are also reviewed systematically. FWBP provide a variety of methods for the application of edible films, including being made into coatings, films, and fibers for food preservation, or extracting active substances directly or indirectly from them (in the form of encapsulation) and adding them to packaging to endow them with functions such as barrier, antibacterial, antioxidant, and pH response. In addition, the casting method is the most commonly used method for producing edible films, but more film production methods (extrusion, electrospinning, 3D printing) need to be tried to make up for the shortcomings of the current methods. Finally, researchers need to conduct more in-depth research on various active compounds from FWBP to achieve better application effects and commercial adaptability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]