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Zinc-ion hybrid supercapacitors (ZHSCs) have been widely considered as promising candidates for flexible electrochemical energy storage devices. The key challenge is to develop hydrogel electrolytes with high hydrophilicity, anti-freezing, bending resistance, and stable interface with electrodes. This study reported a hydrogel electrolyte system that can meet the above functions, in which the zincophilic and negatively charged SO3−, migratable Na+, abundant hydrophilic functional groups, gum xanthan, and porous architecture could effectively promote the electrochemical performance of ZHSCs. ZHSCs with such hydrogel electrolytes not only exhibited good low-temperature performance but also showed excellent bending resistance ability. A high specific capacitance could be kept after a long air-working lifespan over 10,000 cycles under a wide operation voltage of 1.85 V at −10 °C. Furthermore, flexible ZHSCs could maintain the capacitance retention of 93.18% even after continuous 500 bends at an angle of 180°. The designed hydrogel electrolytes could be also used for other electrochemical energy storage devices with anti-freezing and bending resistance by changing electrolyte salt.

Abstract Background Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent type of arthritis and the main reason for progressive disability in middle-aged and older people. Studies of candidate genes may provide a novel insight and treatment strategy for knee osteoarthritis (KOA). The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between KOA susceptibility and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the ADAMTS-5 gene. Materials and methods The case group included 188 patients from Luoyang Orthopedic Hospital with clinically and radiographically diagnosed primary KOA, and the control group included 100 age-matched individuals without KOA. Fifteen ADAMTS-5 SNPs were assayed using MALDI-TOF MS. Allelic and haplotypic frequencies were compared between the groups. The relationship between genotype distribution and risk of KOA was analyzed by multivariate logistic regression. Results The frequency of A allele in rs2249350 site in the KOA group was significantly lower (odds ratio [OR]: 0.761; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 0.612–0.947; P = 0.016), while that of C allele was higher than that in the control group (OR: 1.176; 95% CI: 1.025–1.351; P = 0.016). AA genotype and gene model, especially recessive gene model at rs2249350 locus, negatively correlated with KOA risk after adjustment for sex, body mass index, age, and occupation (AA vs. CC: OR: 0.288; 95% CI: 0.124–0.669; P = 0.004; AA vs. CA + CC: OR: 0.348; 95% CI: 0.162–0.749; P = 0.007). Meanwhile, one protective haplotype, GA (rs229054, rs2249350) (OR: 0.763; 95% CI: 0.614–0.949; P = 0.017), and one high-risk haplotype, GC (rs229054, rs2249350) (OR: 1.259; 95% CI: 1.032–1.537; P = 0.019), were found in this study. Conclusion Despite a limited sample size, our study suggests that the rs2249350 polymorphism in the ADAMTS-5 gene is one of the genetic factors influencing the risk of KOA. The A allele and AA genotype of rs2249350 may protect from KOA, whereas C allele and CC genotype increase the risk of KOA. In addition, the GA haplotype (rs229054, rs2249350) might be associated with a decreased risk of KOA, whereas the GC haplotype (rs229054, rs2249350) may be a risk factor for KOA. Additional larger-sized studies in more ethnically diverse populations are needed to confirm these findings.

Abstract Inherited non-hemolytic anemia is a group of rare bone marrow disorders characterized by erythroid defects. Although concerted efforts have been made to explore the underlying pathogenetic mechanisms of these diseases, the understanding of the causative mutations are still incomplete. Here we identify in a diseased pedigree that a gain-of-function mutation in toll-like receptor 8 (TLR8) is implicated in inherited non-hemolytic anemia. TLR8 is expressed in erythroid lineage and erythropoiesis is impaired by TLR8 activation whereas enhanced by TLR8 inhibition from erythroid progenitor stage. Mechanistically, TLR8 activation blocks annexin A2 (ANXA2)-mediated plasma membrane localization of STAT5 and disrupts EPO signaling in HuDEP2 cells. TLR8 inhibition improves erythropoiesis in RPS19 +/− HuDEP2 cells and CD34+ cells from healthy donors and inherited non-hemolytic anemic patients. Collectively, we identify a gene implicated in inherited anemia and a previously undescribed role for TLR8 in erythropoiesis, which could potentially be explored for therapeutic benefit in inherited anemia.

Summary: Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are key players in type 2 immunity, but whether they can be directly activated by microbial ligands remain uncertain. In this study, we observed a positive correlation between blood endotoxin (LPS) levels and circulating ILC2s in allergic patients. In vitro, LPS robustly induced ILC2 proliferation and production of type 2 effector cytokines. RNA-seq revealed a type 2 immune-responsive profile in LPS-stimulated ILC2s. Notably, ILC2s lost their LPS-mediated growth and activation capacity when treated with TLR4 receptor antagonists and inhibitors of the NF-κB and JAK pathways, though this effect was not observed with IL-33 receptor blocking antibodies. Genetically, ILC2s from TLR4 knockout (KO) mice, but not from ST2 KO mice, were unresponsive to LPS. Collectively, these findings suggest a direct, non-canonical activation mechanism of ILC2s via the LPS-TLR4-NF-κB/JAK signaling axis.

Abstract Background Although extensive research has established associations between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and environmental pollutants, the connection between furan and COPD remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the association between furan and COPD while investigating potential mechanisms. Methods The study involved 7,482 adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013–2018. Exposure to furan was assessed using blood furan levels. Participants were categorized into five groups based on quartiles of log10-transformed blood furan levels. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline regression models were used to assess the association between furan exposure and COPD risk. Mediating analysis was performed to assess the contribution of inflammation to the effects of furan exposure on COPD prevalence. Cox regression was used to assess the association between furan exposure and the prognosis of COPD. Results Participants with COPD exhibited higher blood furan levels compared to those without COPD (P

Abstract Conventional androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) targets the androgen receptor (AR) inhibiting prostate cancer (PCa) progression; however, it can eventually lead to recurrence as castration‐resistant PCa (CRPC), which has high mortality rates and lacks effective treatment modalities. The study confirms the presence of high glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) expression, a key regulator of ferroptosis (i.e., iron‐dependent program cell death) in CRPC cells. Therefore, inducing ferroptosis in CRPC cells might be an effective therapeutic modality for CRPC. However, nonspecific uptake of ferroptosis inducers can result in undesirable cytotoxicity in major organs. Thus, to precisely induce ferroptosis in CRPC cells, a genetic engineering strategy is proposed to embed a prostate‐specific membrane antigen (PSMA)‐targeting antibody fragment (gy1) in the macrophage membrane, which is then coated onto mesoporous polydopamine (MPDA) nanoparticles to produce a biomimetic nanoplatform. The results indicate that the membrane‐coated nanoparticles (MNPs) exhibit high specificity and affinity toward CRPC cells. On further encapsulation with the ferroptosis inducers RSL3 and iron ions, MPDA/Fe/RSL3@M‐gy1 demonstrates superior synergistic effects in highly targeted ferroptosis therapy eliciting significant therapeutic efficacy against CRPC tumor growth and bone metastasis without increased cytotoxicity. In conclusion, a new therapeutic strategy is reported for the PSMA‐specific, CRPC‐targeting platform for ferroptosis induction with increased efficacy and safety.

Since lithium sulfur (Li-S) energy storage devices are anticipated to power portable gadgets and electric vehicles owing to their high energy density (2600 Wh·kg–1); nevertheless, their usefulness is constrained by sluggish sulfur reaction kinetics and soluble lithium polysulfide (LPS) shuttling effects. High electrically conductive bifunctional electrocatalysts are urgently needed for Li-S batteries, and high-entropy oxide (HEO) is one of the most promising electrocatalysts. In this work, we synthesize titanium-containing high entropy oxide (Ti-HEO) (TiFeNiCoMg)O with enhanced electrical conductivity through calcining metal-organic frameworks (MOF) templates at modest temperatures. The resulting single-phase Ti-HEO with high conductivity could facilitate chemical immobilization and rapid bidirectional conversion of LPS. As a result, the Ti-HEO/S/KB cathode (with 70 wt.% of sulfur) achieves an initial discharge capacity as high as ~1375 mAh·g–1 at 0.1 C, and a low-capacity fade rate of 0.056% per cycle over 1000 cycles at 0.5 C. With increased sulfur loading (~5.0 mg·cm–2), the typical Li-S cell delivered a high initial discharge capacity of ~607 mAh·g–1 at 0.2 C and showcased good cycling stability. This work provides better insight into the synthesis of catalytic Ti-containing HEOs with enhanced electrical conductivity, which are effective in simultaneously enhancing the LPS-conversion kinetics and reducing the LPS shuttling effect.

Abstract Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is characterized by high heterogeneity and recurrence rates, posing significant challenges for stratification and treatment. Basement membrane-related genes (BMGs) play a crucial role in tumor initiation and progression. Clinical and transcriptomic data of ccRCC patients were extracted from TCGA and GEO databases. We employed univariate regression and LASSO-Cox stepwise regression analysis to construct a BMscore model based on BMGs expression level. A nomogram combining clinical features and BMscore was constructed to predict individual survival probabilities. Further enrichment analysis and immune-related analysis were conducted to explore the enriched pathways and immune features associated with BMGs. High-risk individuals predicted by BMscore exhibited poorer overall survival, which was consistent with the validation dataset. BMscore was identified as an independent risk factor for ccRCC. Functional analysis revealed that BMGs were related to cell–matrix and tumor-associated signaling pathways. Immune profiling suggests that BMGs play a key role in immune interactions and the tumor microenvironment. BMGs serve as a novel prognostic predictor for ccRCC and play a role in the immune microenvironment and treatment response. Targeting the BM may represent an alternative therapeutic approach for ccRCC.

This study investigates the optimization of taxi-pooling operations using the M/M/1/m queuing model, aiming to enhance efficiency and revenue for taxi service platforms. Traditional taxi operations face challenges during peak periods, including inefficiency and increased operational costs. Taxi-pooling, by accommodating multiple passengers with similar travel demands, offers a solution that reduces travel costs, operational expenses, and urban congestion. The study develops an optimization model to balance operational costs and passenger waiting times, identifying the utilization rate of taxis as a critical factor in platform revenue. By modeling the taxi-pooling service as a queuing system, we derive mathematical expressions for passenger waiting times and platform revenue under varying conditions. Our findings highlight the importance of optimal vehicle investment strategies and pricing decisions to maximize revenue. The study provides theoretical support for improving taxi-pooling platforms’ efficiency and competitiveness, contributing to better urban transportation solutions.

Currently, measurement of long and thin objects is done by the contact method. However, some problems such as long measurement time including fixing the gauge and the object to be measured and the effects of buckling and other problems caused by contact loading. Therefore, there is a need for length measurement of long and slender objects in a short time with high accuracy. In this study, we deem that the non-contact spatial frequency filtering method, which has been studied and developed in our laboratory, can satisfy the requirements given in this study. This method adopts the optical configuration of the traditional projection optical system, but removes the transmitted ray and only allows the high-order diffracted rays generated by the edge of the object to be measured to enter the camera under the condition of parallel ray irradiation. At this time, the diffracted ray generated by the edge of the object to be measured will appear as a bright-dark-bright line segment on the camera. And the position with the lowest brightness value in the dark part will be the specific position of the edge of the object to be measured that is illuminated by parallel light. The standard deviation of the results in 30 repeated placement experiments was around 1 micrometer.

BackgroundSarcoidosis has been considered to be associated with many autoimmune diseases (ADs), but the cause-and-effect relationship between these two diseases has not been fully explored. Therefore, the objective of this study is to explore the possible genetic association between sarcoidosis and ADs.MethodsWe conducted a bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) study using genetic variants associated with ADs and sarcoidosis (4,041 cases and 371,255 controls) from the FinnGen study. The ADs dataset comprised 96,150 cases and 281,127 controls, encompassing 44 distinct types of autoimmune-related diseases. Subsequently, we identified seven diseases within the ADs dataset with a case size exceeding 3,500 and performed subgroup analyses on these specific diseases.ResultsThe MR evidence supported the causal association of genetic predictors of ADs with an increased risk of sarcoidosis (OR = 1.79, 95% CI = 1.59 to 2.02, P IVW-FE = 1.01 × 10-21), and no reverse causation (OR = 1.05, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.12, PIVW-MRE = 9.88 × 10-2). Furthermore, subgroup analyses indicated that genetic predictors of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), celiac disease, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) were causally linked to an elevated risk of sarcoidosis (All P < 6.25 × 10-3). Conversely, genetic predictors of sarcoidosis showed causal associations with a higher risk of type 1 diabetes mellitus (P < 6.25 × 10-3).ConclusionThe present study established a positive causal relationship between genetic predictors of ADs (e.g. T1DM, celiac disease, and IBD) and the risk of sarcoidosis, with no evidence of reverse causation.

Summary: As the only cell type responsible for oxygen delivery, erythrocytes play a crucial role in supplying oxygen to hypoxic tissues, ensuring their normal functions. Hypoxia commonly occurs under physiological or pathological conditions, and understanding how erythrocytes adapt to hypoxia is fundamental for exploring the mechanisms of hypoxic diseases. Additionally, investigating acute and chronic mountain sickness caused by plateaus, which are naturally hypoxic environments, will aid in the study of hypoxic diseases. In recent years, increasingly developed proteomics and metabolomics technologies have become powerful tools for studying mature enucleated erythrocytes, which has significantly contributed to clarifying how hypoxia affects erythrocytes. The aim of this article is to summarize the composition of the cytoskeleton and cytoplasmic proteins of hypoxia-altered erythrocytes and explore the impact of hypoxia on their essential functions. Furthermore, we discuss the role of microRNAs in the adaptation of erythrocytes to hypoxia, providing new perspectives on hypoxia-related diseases.

Abstract Background Clustering is helpful in identifying subtypes in complex fibrosing interstitial lung disease (F-ILD) and associating them with prognosis at an early stage of the disease to improve treatment management. We aimed to identify associations between clinical characteristics and outcomes in patients with F-ILD. Methods Retrospectively, 575 out of 926 patients with F-ILD were eligible for analysis. Four clusters were identified based on baseline data using cluster analysis. The clinical characteristics and outcomes were compared among the groups. Results Cluster 1 was characterized by a high prevalence of comorbidities and hypoxemia at rest, with the worst lung function at baseline; Cluster 2 by young female patients with less or no smoking history; Cluster 3 by male patients with highest smoking history, the most noticeable signs of velcro crackles and clubbing of fingers, and the severe lung involvement on chest image; Cluster 4 by male patients with a high percentage of occupational or environmental exposure. Clusters 1 (median overall survival [OS] = 7.0 years) and 3 (OS = 5.9 years) had shorter OS than Clusters 2 (OS = not reached, Cluster 1: p

With the increasing incidence of bone defects in clinical practice, the demand for bone grafts or substitutes has become more urgent. Polydopamine (PDA)-coated bone tissue engineering materials offer a promising alternative in such cases. PDA coating is characterized by a solid coating formed by polymerization of dopamine under alkaline and oxygen-containing conditions, which can provide implants good hydrophilicity through the active functional groups contained in the structure. More importantly, the strong adhesion of the coating can provide an anchor between bone implant materials and drugs to achieve functional modification of the implant surface to enhance bone regeneration. In this review, the different effects of dopamine derivatives and their polymerization in current research were summarized. The mechanisms underlying the effects of PDA in promoting bone regeneration have also discussed in detail, providing a theoretical basis for the clinical application of PDA. Finally, a series of PDA-coated materials for the promotion of bone repair have been summarized and discussed. This review provides cutting-edge design ideas for PDA-based biomaterials and highlights promising treatment strategies for bone defects.

The treatment of bone defects is a difficult problem in orthopedics. The excessive destruction of local bone tissue at defect sites destroys blood supply and renders bone regeneration insufficient, which further leads to delayed union or even nonunion. To solve this problem, in this study, we incorporated icariin into alginate/mineralized collagen (AMC) hydrogel and then placed the drug-loaded hydrogel into the pores of a 3D-printed porous titanium alloy (AMCI/PTi) scaffold to prepare a bioactive scaffold with the dual functions of promoting angiogenesis and bone regeneration. The experimental results showed that the ACMI/PTi scaffold had suitable mechanical properties, sustained drug release function, and excellent biocompatibility. The released icariin and mineralized collagen (MC) synergistically promoted angiogenesis and osteogenic differentiation in vitro. After implantation into a rabbit radius defect, the composite scaffold showed a satisfactory effect in promoting bone repair. Therefore, this composite dual-functional scaffold could meet the requirements of bone defect treatment and provide a promising strategy for the repair of large segmental bone defects in clinic.

Objectives The routine teaching mode of diabetes mellitus (DM) is divided into various sub-majors of medical laboratory, which is not conducive to clinical laboratory physicians quickly mastering relevant knowledge. A novel DM laboratory testing pathway is established to improve teaching efficiency and enhance the effects of talent cultivation in laboratory medicine. Methods The guidelines and expert consensuses of DM were gathered from professional websites and databases. The clinical laboratory diagnostic pathway was formulated, and the questionnaire and mutual evaluation were used to evaluate the teaching effectiveness of 8-year undergraduate students enrolled in 2018 and enrolled in 2019, respectively. Results Clinical laboratory physicians developed and approved the DM clinical laboratory diagnostic pathway, which included the entire process of DM diagnosis and differential diagnosis, drug selection, treatment impact monitoring, prognosis evaluation, etc. The results of the questionnaires showed that, in comparison to the teaching mode used with the students enrolled in 2018 and enrolled in 2019, the percentages of more improvement and significant improvement were significantly increased ( P

The carrier-envelope phase (CEP) φ0 is one of the key parameters in the generation of isolated attosecond pulses. In particular, “cosine” pulses (φ0 = 0) are best suited for generation of single attosecond pulses in atomic media. Such “cosine” pulses have the peak of the most intense cycle aligned with the peak of the pulse envelope, and therefore have the highest contrast between the peak intensity and the neighboring cycles. In this paper, the dynamics of single attosecond pulse generation from a relativistically oscillating plasma mirror is investigated. We use an elementary analytical model as well as particle-in-cell simulations to study few-cycle attosecond pulses. We find that the phase of the field driving the surface oscillations depends on the plasma density and preplasma scale length. This leads us to a counterintuitive conclusion: for the case of normal incidence and a sharp plasma–vacuum boundary, the CEP required for the generation of a single attosecond pulse phase is closer to φ0 = π/2 (a “sine” pulse), with the exact value depending on the plasma parameters.

We propose a novel approach for generating a high-density, spatially periodic narrow electron beam comb (EBC) from a plasma grating induced by the interference of two intense laser pulses in subcritical-density plasma. We employ particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations to investigate the effects of cross-propagating laser pulses with specific angles overlapping in a subcritical plasma. This overlap results in the formation of a transverse standing wave, leading to a spatially periodic high-density modulation known as a plasma grating. The electron density peak within the grating can reach several times the background plasma density. The charge imbalance between electrons and ions in the electron density peaks causes mutual repulsion among the electrons, resulting in Coulomb expansion and acceleration of the electrons. As a result, some electrons expand into vacuum, forming a periodic narrow EBC with an individual beam width in the nanoscale range. To further explore the formation of the nanoscale EBC, we conduct additional PIC simulations to study the dependence on various laser parameters. Overall, our proposed method offers a promising and controlled approach to generate tunable narrow EBCs with high density.

Vertebral compression fractures are becoming increasingly common with aging of the population; minimally invasive materials play an essential role in treating these fractures. However, the unacceptable processing-performance relationships of materials and their poor osteoinductive performance have limited their clinical application. In this review, we describe the advances in materials used for minimally invasive treatment of vertebral compression fractures and enumerate the types of bone cement commonly used in current practice. We also discuss the limitations of the materials themselves, and summarize the approaches for improving the characteristics of bone cement. Finally, we review the types and clinical efficacy of new vertebral implants. This review may provide valuable insights into newer strategies and methods for future research; it may also improve understanding on the application of minimally invasive materials for the treatment of vertebral compression fractures.

Furfural is an important platform chemical for the synthesis of next-generation bio-fuels. Here the authors report a novel heterogeneous catalyst, Pd-PdO/ZnSO4, for the mass production of furfural from catalytic flash pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomasses.

BackgroundAsbestos exposure is closely related to the occurrence and development of various malignancies. This prospective cohort study aimed to evaluate the incidence rate and potential risk factors in a cohort of asbestosis patients in China.MethodsThe incidence of malignancies was determined in patients who had been exposed to chrysotile asbestos and diagnosed with asbestosis sequentially at Beijing Chaoyang Hospital from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2019. Cox regression analyses were used to analyze the correlations between clinical variables and asbestosis combined with malignancies.ResultsA total of 618 patients with asbestosis were identified, of whom 544 were eligible for analysis. Among them, 89 (16.36%) were diagnosed with various malignancies. The standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of patients with asbestosis combined with malignancies were 16.61, 175, 5.23, and 8.77 for lung cancer, mesothelioma, breast cancer, and endometrial carcinoma, respectively. The risks of all malignancies and lung cancer increased with initial exposure before 17 years old, longer asbestos exposure, and smoking.ConclusionsThe SIRs of patients with asbestosis-related malignancies were significantly increased in lung cancer, mesothelioma, breast cancer, and endometrial carcinoma in a hospital-based Chinese cohort. Smoking and the duration of asbestos exposure increased the risk of lung cancer.

Abstract Social learning is a learning process in which new behaviors can be acquired by observing and imitating others. It is the key to cultural evolution because individuals can exchange profitable information culturally within the group. Recent studies have over-focused on social learning strategies but paid rare attention to the learning tasks. In particular, in these studies, individuals rely on perfect imitation, directly copying the solutions of others, to improve their performance. However, imperfect imitation, a prevalent form of social learning in cultural evolution, has received little discussion. In this paper, the effects of three task features (task types, task complexity, and task granularity) on group performance are simulated with an agent-based model and quantified with decision trees. In the proposed model, individuals in a network learn from others via imperfect imitation, which means individuals make a trade-off between their solutions and socially acquired solutions. Here, status quo bias is introduced to represent the degree to which individuals adhere to their solutions. Results show that the performance of a group is not affected by task complexity in hard-to-easy tasks but declines with the task complexity rising in easy-to-hard tasks. Besides, groups usually perform better in fine-grained tasks than in coarse-grained ones. The main reason is that in coarse-grained tasks, conservative individuals encounter learning bottlenecks that prevent them from exploring superior solutions further. Interestingly, increasing task granularity can mitigate this disadvantage for conservative individuals. Most strikingly, the importance scores given by decision trees suggest that tasks play a decisive role in social learning. These findings provide new insights into social learning and have broad implications for cultural evolution.

Objective To describe the prevalence, clinical features and potential risk factors of pneumoconiosis in combination with connective tissue disease (CTD) or positive autoantibodies.Design Cross-sectional study.Setting A retrospective study of adults recruited in China between December 2016 and November 2021.Participants A total of 931 patients with pneumoconiosis at Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital were enrolled in this study; of these, 580 patients were included in the final analysis.Main outcome measures Pneumoconiosis combined with CTD or positive autoantibodies was a major adverse outcome.Results In total, 13.8% (80/580) of the patients had combined pneumoconiosis with CTD, among whom the prevalence of CTD was 18.3% (46/251) in asbestosis and 11.4% (34/298) in silicosis/coal mine workers’ pneumoconiosis. In comparison to the general Chinese adult population, the relative risk of various CTD in pneumoconiosis, including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, primary Sjögren’s syndrome, idiopathic inflammatory myopathy and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies-associated vasculitis, were 11.85, 12.12, 127.40, 4.23, 9.94 and 644.66, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that female sex (OR 2.55, 95% CI 1.56 to 4.17) and a later stage of pneumoconiosis (OR 2.04, 95% CI 1.24 to 3.34) were the independent risk factors for CTD in patients with pneumoconiosis (all p

Barrier-free metal-semiconductor interfaces are crucial to improve the performance of 2D electronic devices. Here, the authors report a strategy to induce local bonding distortion in 2D transition metal dichalcogenides via soft oxygen plasma treatments, leading to reduced contact resistance and improved transport properties.

The development of e-commerce and the green economy has prompted suppliers of green products to introduce internet channels by which products are directly sold to consumers. However, the emergence of “price wars” and “free riding” between the two channels after the introduction of online channels may affect the stability of the green supply chain. This paper uses optimization theory to investigate the impact of service spillover effects and different channel structures on the optimal decision of supply chain members in a Stackelberg game. By comparing the equilibrium outcomes of the single-channel and dual-channel supply chain in a setting with and without retail services, we observe that the supplier prefers to encroach on the market when services that retail locations provide largely spillover to and benefit the direct sales channel. Contrary to popular belief, a higher degree of service spillovers is beneficial for the retailer to achieve more returns under the dual-channel structure, whereas supplier encroachment will lead to a decline in the service level if the spillover degree is relatively low. In addition, the emission reduction level of products under supplier encroachment is always higher than that employed in the single-channel structure if consumers have both low-carbon preference and a high degree of service sensitivity. Finally, we expand our discussion by introducing the carbon cap-and-trade (CCT) mechanism to compare the conditions for achieving Pareto improvement under supplier encroachment. These results can provide helpful insights for decision-makers in supply chain management to implement effective channel selection and achieve sustainable development.

Background/Objective: Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration (IVDD) that greatly affected by regional biomechanical environment is a major cause of low back pain. Injectable hydrogels have been commonly studied for treatment of IVDD due to their capability of mimicking extracellular matrix structure to support cellular behavior and clinical prospects in minimally invasive treatment. However, most hydrogels suffer from complicated chemistry, potential uncertainty and toxicity from in-situ gelation, and mismatch with IVD mechanical environment that limit their therapeutic effects or clinical translation in IVDD or intervertebral disc defect repair. For IVD lesion repair, the study aims to develop a novel hydrogel with shear-thinning enabled injectability, high bio-safety, and mechanical properties adaptable to the IVD environment, using a simple chemistry and method. And therapeutic efficacy of the novel hydrogel in the treatment of IVDD or intervertebral disc defect will be revealed. Methods: A glycerol cross-linked PVA gel (GPG) was synthesized based on multiple H-bonds formation between glycerol molecules and PVA chains. The rheological and mechanical properties were tested. The swelling ratio was measured. The micro-architecture was observed through scanning and transmission electron microscopes. Nucleus pulposus (NP) cells were cultured in GPG-coated plates or silicone chambers treated under hydrostatic or dynamic loading in vitro, and examined for proliferation, vitality, apoptosis, expression of catabolic and anabolic markers. GPG was injected in needle puncture (IDD) or NP discectomy (NPD) models in vivo, and examined through magnetic resonance imaging, micro-computed tomography scanning and histological staining. Results: GPG had a highly porous structure consisting of interconnected pores. Meanwhile, the GPG had NP-like viscoelastic property, and was able to withstand the cyclic deformation while exhibiting a prominent energy-dissipating capability. In vitro cell tests demonstrated that, the hydrogel significantly down-regulated the expression of catabolic markers, maintained the level of anabolic markers, preserved cell proliferation and vitality, reduced apoptotic rate of NP cells under pathologically hydrostatic and dynamic loading environments compared to cells cultured on untreated plate or silicone chamber. In vivo animal studies revealed that injection of GPG efficiently maintained NP structural integrity, IVD height and relative water content in IDD models, and stimulated the fibrous repair in NPD models. Conclusion: This study showed that GPG, with high injectability, NP-like viscoelastic characteristics, good energy-dissipating properties and swelling capacities, preserved NP cells vitality against pathological loading, and had therapeutic effects on IVD repair in IDD and NPD models. The translational potential of this article: Effective clinical strategy for treatment of intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is still lacking. This study demonstrates that injection of a hydrogel with nucleus pulposus-matched viscoelastic property could remarkably prevent the IVDD progress. Prepared with simple chemistry and procedure, the cell/drug-free GPG with high bio-safety and shear-thinning enabled injectability bears great translational potential for the clinical treatment of IVDD via a minimally invasive approach.

Bus rapid transit (BRT) as a valid means of public transportation for overpopulated country of China is an especial mode of travel to relieve traffic congestion. Despite utilizing exclusive bus line, BRT constantly experiences delay at intersections when encountering a red signal. Transit signal priority (TSP) considered as a promising control strategy to improve the operation efficiency of BRT has been widely used at isolated intersections or arterials to reduce travel delay. However, as a transport with schedule, the unexpected arrival time of transit vehicle at stop lines of consecutive intersections inevitably affects the operation reliability of the BRT system. To solve the problem, this study develops an optimization model of conditional TSP for bus rapid transit with the objective of improving the on-time performance of the BRT system while mitigating adverse impacts on private vehicles. A stop-to-stop segment is established with both road sections and intersections for the consideration of the transit operation reliability. The constraints on the degree of saturation and queue overflow were considered for mitigating adverse impacts of TSP. A mixed-integer non-linear programming procedure is adopted to formulate the optimization model. The mathematical model is linearized and solved by the branch-and-bound method. Extensive numerical analyses are conducted, and the proposed conditional TSP strategy is compared with unconditional TSP and no-TSP control to evaluate its performance under various traffic and signal conditions. A case study of a BRT line in Shanghai, China, was selected to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed model. For the tested scenarios, the transit on-time performance was improved by 21%, with an incurred cost of 3.4% increase in the delay of private vehicles. This indicates that the proposed model performs well in maintaining the reliability of the transit system with the least impact on general traffic.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials offer novel platforms to meet the increasing demands of next-generation miniaturized electronics. Among them, the recently emerged 2D Bi2O2Se with unique non-van der Waals interlayer interaction, high mobility, sizeable bandgap, and capability to fabricate homologous heterojunction, is of particular interest. In this Review, we introduce recent progress in preparation, transfer, mechanical and electrical properties, and electronic applications of 2D Bi2O2Se. First, we summarize methodologies to synthesize and massively produce 2D Bi2O2Se, as well as recent advances in transferring them from growth substrate to arbitrary substrates. Then, we review current understandings on the intrinsic mechanical properties of Bi2O2Se at 2D thickness limit, and its in-plane and out-of-plane electrical properties. Electronic devices including field-effect transistors, memristors, and sensors based on 2D Bi2O2Se for neuromorphic computing, memory, logic, and integrated circuits are discussed. Finally, challenges and prospects for the development of 2D Bi2O2Se are proposed.

Drug delivery systems composed of osteogenic substances and biological materials are of great significance in enhancing bone regeneration, and appropriate biological carriers are the cornerstone for their construction. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is favored in bone tissue engineering due to its good biocompatibility and hydrophilicity. When combined with other substances, the physicochemical properties of PEG-based hydrogels fully meet the requirements of drug delivery carriers. Therefore, this paper reviews the application of PEG-based hydrogels in the treatment of bone defects. The advantages and disadvantages of PEG as a carrier are analyzed, and various modification methods of PEG hydrogels are summarized. On this basis, the application of PEG-based hydrogel drug delivery systems in promoting bone regeneration in recent years is summarized. Finally, the shortcomings and future developments of PEG-based hydrogel drug delivery systems are discussed. This review provides a theoretical basis and fabrication strategy for the application of PEG-based composite drug delivery systems in local bone defects.

Skatole is a typical malodor compound in animal wastes. Several skatole-degrading bacterial strains have been obtained, whereas the molecular response of strains to skatole stress has not been well elucidated. Herein, the skatole degradation by a Gram-positive strain Rhodococcus aetherivorans DMU1 was investigated. Strain DMU1 showed high efficiency in skatole degradation under the conditions of 25–40 °C and pH 7.0–10.0. It could utilize various aromatics, including cresols, phenol, and methylindoles, as the sole carbon source for growth, implying its potential in the bioremediation application of animal wastes. Transcriptomic sequencing revealed that 328 genes were up-regulated and 640 genes were down-regulated in strain DMU1 when grown in the skatole-containing medium. Skatole increased the gene expression levels of antioxidant defense systems and heat shock proteins. The expression of ribosome-related genes was significantly inhibited which implied the growth inhibition of skatole. A rich set of oxidoreductases were changed, and a novel gene cluster containing the flavoprotein monooxygenase and ring-hydroxylating oxygenase genes was highly up-regulated, which was probably involved in skatole upstream degradation. The upregulation pattern of this gene cluster was further verified by qRT-PCR assay. Furthermore, skatole should be mainly degraded via the catechol ortho-cleavage pathway with cat25170 as the functional gene. The gene cat25170 was cloned and expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3). Pure enzyme assays showed that Cat25170 could catalyze catechol with Km 9.96 μmol/L and kcat 12.36 s−1.

Tourism is an important economic and social activity with distinct characteristics of human-land interaction, which creates increasingly pronounced ecological and environmental challenges. The changes in four ecosystem services, including water yield (WY), carbon storage (CS), soil retention (SR) and habitat quality (HQ) in the coastal and noncoastal zones of Sanya were analysed, and the influencing factors were discussed. We found that from 2000 to 2018, the built-up land area of the coastal zone of Sanya quadrupled; CS, SR and HQ of the coastal zone were lower than those of the non-coastal zone with a clear downwards trend; and WY was higher than that of the noncoastal zone, indicating that the development of coastal tourism in Sanya damaged the surrounding ecological environment. The decline in ecosystem services in Sanya from 2010 to 2018 was smaller than that from 2000 to 2010, indicating that Sanya's ecological and environmental protection measures have been effective in recent years. The ecosystem services of Sanya were mainly affected by the natural environment, such as precipitation(P), and fractional vegetation coverage (FVC), but the impact of tourism factors, such as total tourism attraction (TA) and accommodation capacity (AC) also gradually became significant. Based on these findings, we propose to adhere to the sustainable development of coastal ecotourism, implement dynamic planning and dynamic monitoring, and strengthen the protection of coastal and its buffer zone. This study is of great significance to the scientific decision-making and comprehensive regulation of tourism-oriented cities and towns to improve ecosystem services.

Metallic materials have long been used in a wide range of industrial applications due to their outstanding physical and mechanical properties as well as high process latitudes. Mechanical machining is one of the important steps in manufacturing of metallic components because it directly influences the surface quality of the final products. To date, extensive studies have been conducted on the investigation of factors affecting the machinability of metallic materials, such as cutting parameters, cooling conditions and material micro/nanostructures. Contributory factors of cutting parameters and cooling conditions have been extensively reviewed in previous studies, but there is still a lack of a fundamental review to clearly understand the effects of material micro/nanostructures on the machining. Therefore, this review highlights the influences of different micro/nanostructures on the machinability and discusses the materials deformation mechanism in machining of metallic materials. The micro/nanostructures mainly include crystalline anisotropies of single crystals, grain sizes of polycrystals, phase compositions of single/multiphase materials, layer-by-layer structures of additive manufactured materials, amorphous structures of bulk metal glasses, micro reinforcements of metal matrix composites, and porosities of porous metal foams. Besides, the challenges and opportunities faced in machining of metallic materials are discussed from the perspective of micro/nanostructures.

This article proposes an improved wavelet threshold denoising for laser self-mixing interference signals. The improved wavelet threshold function exhibits smoothness and continuity near the threshold. By replacing hard or soft wavelet threshold with the improved wavelet threshold, it can eliminate the generation of fake self-mixing interference peaks due to local oscillation induced by hard wavelet threshold, as well as the loss of self-mixing interference peaks due to over-smoothness induced by the soft wavelet threshold. Compared with hard and soft wavelet threshold denoising, theoretical simulations and experimental results demonstrate that the displacement of vibrations are well reconstructed based on the improved wavelet threshold denoising.

The large incidence of bone defects in clinical practice increases not only the demand for advanced bone transplantation techniques but also the development of bone substitute materials. A variety of emerging bone tissue engineering materials with osteogenic induction ability are promising strategies for the design of bone substitutes. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs that regulate intracellular protein expression by targeting the non-coding region of mRNA3′-UTR to play an important role in osteogenic differentiation. Several miRNA preparations have been used to promote the osteogenic differentiation of stem cells. Therefore, multiple functional bone tissue engineering materials using miRNA as an osteogenic factor have been developed and confirmed to have critical efficacy in promoting bone repair. In this review, osteogenic intracellular signaling pathways mediated by miRNAs are introduced in detail to provide a clear understanding for future clinical treatment. We summarized the biomaterials loaded with exogenous cells engineered by miRNAs and biomaterials directly carrying miRNAs acting on endogenous stem cells and discussed their advantages and disadvantages, providing a feasible method for promoting bone regeneration. Finally, we summarized the current research deficiencies and future research directions of the miRNA-functionalized scaffold. This review provides a summary of a variety of advanced miRNA delivery system design strategies that enhance bone regeneration.

Background: Limited data are available regarding the entire spectrum of interstitial lung disease with a progressive fibrosing feature. We investigated the prevalence and prognostic predictive characteristics in patients with PF-ILD.Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients with fibrosing ILD who were investigated between 1 January 2015 and 30 April 2021. We recorded clinical features and outcomes to identify the possible risk factors for fibrosing progression as well as mortality.Results: Of the 579 patients with fibrosing ILD, 227 (39.21%) met the criteria for progression. Clubbing of fingers [odds ratio (OR) 1.52, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03 to 2.24, p = 0.035] and a high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT)-documented usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP)-like fibrotic pattern (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.33 to 2.86, p = 0.001) were risk factors for fibrosis progression. The mortality was worse in patients with PF with hypoxemia [hazard ratio (HR) 2.08, 95% CI 1.31 to 3.32, p = 0.002], in those with baseline diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) % predicted

As green solvents, ionic liquids (ILs) are quite suitable for the absorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene and its homologues. However, solvent selection is the key to the VOC absorption process. In the present study, a rapid solvent screening tool, Conductor-like Screening Model for Real Solvents (COSMO-RS), was used to predict the solubility of toluene in 816 ILs. The effects of four structure characters, namely, the type and alkyl chain length of the cations and anions on the solubility of toluene were discussed. The following conclusions were drawn from the results: (1) ILs with pyrrolidinium-based cations showed better solubility than pyridinium- and imidazolium-based ones. (2) The solubility of toluene in PF6-based ILs increased with the increasing alkyl chain length, while its solubility in Ac-based ILs exhibited the opposite trend. (3) Toluene showed greater solubility in Cl-based ILs than those based on other anions. (4) The solubility of toluene increased with the anion alkyl chain length. Ac-based ILs were chosen as the most promising potential solvents, and further studied to determine the relationship between various interaction energy parameters and toluene solubility. The results showed that the misfit energy played a dominant role during the absorption process. Furthermore, several ILs were selected for experimental verification of the predicted solubility behavior using liquid and gaseous toluene. The results demonstrated that COSMO-RS could be used to semi-quantitatively and qualitatively predict the solubility of toluene, and this model had promising prospects in screening ILs for VOCs absorption. In summary, this study provided a fundamental basis and practical data for the control and treatment of VOCs.

This article described the implementation of rotational Bloch boundary conditions in photonic devices using the finite element method (FEM). For the electromagnetic analysis of periodic structures, FEM and Bloch boundary conditions are now widely used. The vast majority of recent research, however, focused on applying Bloch boundary conditions to periodic optical systems with translational symmetry. Our research focused on a flexible numerical method that may be applied to the mode analysis of any photonic device with discrete rotational symmetry. By including the Bloch rotational boundary conditions into FEM, we were able to limit the computational domain to the original one periodic unit, thus enhancing computational speed and decreasing memory consumption. When combined with the finite-element method, rotational Bloch boundary conditions will give a potent tool for the mode analysis of photonic devices with complicated structures and rotational symmetry. In the meantime, the degenerated modes we calculated were consistent with group theory. Overall, this study expands the numerical tools of studying rotational photonic devices, and has useful applications in the study and design of optical fibers, sensors, and other photonic devices.

The biology major has developed rapidly in recent years. Biology is a science that penetrates every aspect of human life and is one of the core majors in most agricultural colleges and universities. However, many teachers lack practical experience in the subject. To overcome this problem, in recent years, we have been trying to introduce new reforms into our teaching. This article provides some insight into the way that biology majors have been reformed, which will help educators in agricultural colleges and universities. At present, teachers implement the “Industrial Innovation and Entrepreneurship Talent Cultivation” (IIETC) model, but it is not clear whether this helps biology majors to master the course and improve their practical skills. In this study, the IIETC model is outlined, and the academic achievement and satisfaction of students taught under the IIETC model are assessed. A T-test is used to examine potential differences between IIETC and traditional teaching models. In-depth interviews and questionnaires were given to two groups of students who followed different teaching models as part of an exploratory study. The aim was to explore how effective IIETC is at helping biology majors master the course and improve students’ wellbeing. Our results show that compared with traditional teaching methods, the IIETC model has a significant positive impact on the academic performance and happiness of biology students. Students trained under the IIETC model were more active and scored more highly in their final exams. They were more likely to feel that they had achieved success and happiness through the course (P = 0.03). The outcomes of this research reveal a novel teaching reform that improved students’ enthusiasm for innovation and entrepreneurship during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The effects are very encouraging and deserve further exploration and expansion in future work.

The thermal safety of building façade energy conservation materials is commonly affected by the wind in the surrounding environment. In addition, multiple fire sources might be formed because of the secondary ignition of the primary fire source. In this study, the competing effect of dual flame sources and the lateral wind speed (Uw=0m/s,0.5m/s,1.0m/s,1.5m/s,2.0m/s) on the typical characteristic parameters (flame morphology, mass loss rate, and heat transfer) of horizontal flame spread behavior of thermal insulation board flexible polyurethane was investigated through laboratory-scale experiments. The results showed that these parameters did not increase or decrease monotonously with the lateral wind speed. The original vertical flame front was stretched and tilted by the effect of lateral wind speed, which increased the area and thermal feedback of the preheating zone on the windward side. On the one hand, the lateral wind promoted the peak flame temperature and shortened the time to the peak temperature. On the other hand, the wind speed promoted the average flame spread velocity on the windward side and decreased the average flame spread velocity on the leeward side. The flame was blown out when the wind reached a critical speed. This could be well-explained with the mechanism of heat transfer and turbulent flow. This work can provide a reference for the fire rescue and building fire protection regulations.

Abstract Background Hypoxia causes injury and yield loss. Soil aeration has been reported to accelerate the growth of plants and increase crop yield. The aim of this study was to examine growth response of greenhouse-produced muskmelon to 3 levels of sub-surface drip irrigation (I), 3 different installation depths of drip laterals in the soil (D), and 4 levels of supplemental soil aeration frequency (A). A fractional factorial experiment was designed to examine these treatment effects on marketable fresh fruit yield, leaf area index during 3 growth stages, and dry matter partitioning at harvest. In addition, we studied the response of fruit yield and dry matter of tomato to 2 levels of burial depths of subsurface tubing in combination with 3 frequency levels of soil aeration. Results Results showed that soil aeration can positively influence the yield, leaf area index, dry matter and irrigation use efficiency of the muskmelon (p

Tetradium ruticarpum (TR) is widely used in Asia to treat gastrointestinal disorders and pain. Stir-frying with licorice aqueous extract is a traditional processing procedure of TR formed in a long-term practice and performed before clinical application, and believed to reduce TR’s toxicity. However, its toxicity and possible toxicity attenuation approach are yet to be well investigated. Subacute toxicity and metabolomics studies were conducted to help understand the toxicity of TR. The subacute toxicity assessment indicated that 3 fold of the recommended therapeutic dose of TR did not show obvious subacute toxicity in rats. Although an extremely high dose (i.e., 60 fold of the recommended dose) may cause toxicity in rats, it reversed to normal after 2 weeks of recovery. Hepatocellular injury was the major toxic phenotype of TR-induced liver damage, indicating as aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and liver index increasing, with histopathologic findings as local hepatocyte necrosis, focal inflammatory cell infiltration, slightly bile duct hyperplasia, and partial hepatocyte vacuolation. Moreover, we evaluated the impact of processing in toxicity. TR processed with licorice could effectively reduce drug-induced toxicity, which is a valuable step in TR pretreatment before clinical application. Metabolomics profiling revealed that primary bile acid biosynthesis, steroid biosynthesis, and arachidonic acid metabolism were mainly involved in profiling the toxicity metabolic regulatory network. The processing procedure could back-regulate these three pathways, and may be in an Aryl hydrocarbon Receptor (AhR) dependent manner to alleviate the metabolic perturbations induced by TR. 7α-hydroxycholesterol, calcitriol, and taurocholic acid were screened and validated as the toxicity biomarkers of TR for potential clinical translation. Overall, the extensive subacute toxicity evaluation and metabolomic analysis would not only expand knowledge of the toxicity mechanisms of TR, but also provide scientific insight of traditional processing theory, and support clinical rational use of TR.

Background. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been a global threat that pushes healthcare to its limits. Hypertension is one of the most common risk factors for cardiovascular complications in COVID-19 and is strongly associated with disease severity and mortality. To date, clinical mechanisms by which hypertension leads to increased risk in COVID-19 are still unclear. Furthermore, additional factors might increase these risks, such as the consideration of age and sex, which are of interest when in search of personalized treatments for hypertensive COVID-19 patients. Methods. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 543 COVID-19 patients in seven provinces of China to examine the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in this population and to determine risk factors of hypertensive COVID-19 patients. We also used univariable and multivariable logistic regression methods to explore the risk factors associated with hypertensive COVID-19 patients in different age and sex subgroups. Results. Among the enrolled COVID-19 patients, the median age was 47 years (interquartile range (IQR) 34.0–57.0), and 99 patients (18.23%) were over 60 years old. With regard to comorbidities, 91 patients (16.75%) were diagnosed with hypertension, followed by diabetes, coronary disease, and cerebrovascular disease. Of the hypertensive COVID-19 patients, 51 (56.04%) were male. Multivariable analysis showed that old age, comorbid diabetes or coronary heart disease on admission, increased D-dimer, increased glucose, and decreased lymphocyte count were independent risk factors associated with hypertensive COVID-19 patients. Elevated total bilirubin (odds ratio [OR]: 1.014, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.23–1.05; p=0.043) and triglycerides (OR: 1.173, 95% CI: 0.049–1.617; p=0.007) were found to be associated with elderly hypertensive COVID-19 patients. In addition, we found that decreased lymphocytes, basophil, high-density lipoprotein, and increased fibrinogen and creatinine were related to a higher risk of disease severity in male patients. The most common abnormal clinical findings pertaining to female hypertensive COVID-19 patients were hemoglobin, total bile acid, total protein, and low-density lipoprotein. Conclusions. Factors associated with increased risk of hypertensive COVID-19 patients were identified. Results to the different age and sex subgroups in our study will allow for better possible personalized care and also provide new insights into specific risk stratification, disease management, and treatment strategies for COVID-19 patients with hypertension in the future.

While usually argued to be improving firm performance, the effect of top management team (TMT) functional diversity on firm performance is mixed. Bridging the TMT diversity, team adaptation, and threat-rigidity literature, we present a contingency model in which the relationships between intrapersonal functional diversity (at both CEO and TMT levels) and adaptive firm performance depend on the CEO–TMT power gap and severity of threat. To test our hypotheses, 270 firms, which have been severely affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic, were selected from China's A-share listed companies. Multiple regression analyses have shown that a moderation of CEO intrapersonal functional diversity's effect on adaptive firm performance by the CEO–TMT power gap is moderated by the severity of threat. However, no significant main or interaction effect of TMT intrapersonal functional diversity was found. The findings of this study have implications for the recovery or improvement of firm performance in threat situations.

Seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) is the most energy-efficient process for desalination to produce drinking water from seawater. However, its sustainability is still challenged by membrane fouling. Appropriate feed water quality is one of the crucial prerequisites for SWRO operation. In the current study, a ceramic adsorption filter (CAF), which was predominantly coated with an aluminum-based adsorbent (i.e., Alumina, Al2O3), was employed to enhance the pretreatment performance of SWRO. The fouling performance of SWRO pre-treated with a CAF was evaluated by feeding with real ultrafiltration (UF)-filtrated seawater collected from a seawater desalination R&D facility in Singapore. The flux decline profile showed that the presence of CAF after UF could mitigate around 10–30% of SWRO fouling. Based on the autopsy of the fouled SWRO membranes, it was observed that SWRO with CAF pre-treatment and daily regeneration could alleviate around 77.5% of Ca-induced inorganic fouling as well as 76% of lower biofouling. The present work highlights the potential of applying adsorption technology to enhance pre-treatment performance to extend the lifespan of SWRO membranes. Coupling the adsorbents on a ceramic filter should be a useful way to ease their implementation, i.e., inline adsorption and re-generation.

Background: Hemophilia A (HA) is an X-linked recessive blood coagulation disorder caused by a variety of abnormalities in F8 gene, resulting in the absence of impaired molecule production of factor VIII (FVIII) in the plasma. The genetic testing of the F8 gene encoding FVIII is used for confirmation of HA diagnosis, which significantly reduced serious complications of this disease and, ultimately, increased life expectancy. Methods: Sanger sequencing was performed in F8 gene exons of the suspected patients with blood coagulation-related indicators. Results: A novel F8 indel variant c.6343delC, p.Leu2115SerfsTer28 in exon 22 of the F8 gene was identified in the suspected families. The infant with this novel variant appeared the symptom of minor bleeding and oral cavity bleeding, and decreased activity of FVIII, which is consistent with that of F8 deleterious variants. The 3’D protein structural analysis of the novel variant shows a change in FVIII protein stability, which may be responsible for the pathogenesis of HA. Conclusions: A novel deleterious variant was identified in our case, which expands the F8 variants spectrum. Our result is helpful for HA diagnosis and benefits carrier detection and prenatal diagnosis. Our study also reveals that mutation screening of the F8 gene should be necessary for HA suspected patients.

Toothbrushing epilepsy is a rare form of reflex epilepsy (RE) with sporadic incidence. To characterize the genetic profile of reflex epilepsy patients with tooth brushing-induced seizures in a Chinese family. Solo clinical whole-exome sequencing (WES) of the proband, a 37-year-old Chinese man, was performed to characterize the genetic etiology of toothbrushing epilepsy. Mutations in the maternal X-linked synapsin 1 (SYN1) identified in the proband and his family members were confirmed by Sanger sequencing. The pathogenicity of these mutations was determined using in silico analysis. The proband had four episodes of toothbrushing-induced seizures. The semiology included nausea, twitching of the right side of the mouth and face, followed by a generalized tonic-clonic seizure (GTCS). The proband's elder maternal uncle had three toothbrushing-induced epileptic seizures at the age of 26. The proband's younger maternal uncle had no history of epileptic seizures but had a learning disability and aggressive tendencies. We identified a deleterious nonsense mutation, c.1807C>T (p.Q603Ter), in exon 12 of the SYN1 gene (NM_006950), which can result in a truncated SYN1 phosphoprotein with altered flexibility and hydropathicity. This novel mutation has not been reported in the 1000G, EVS, ExAC, gnomAD, or HGMD databases. We identified a novel X-linked SYN1 exon 12 mutant gene in a Chinese family with toothbrushing epilepsy. Our findings provide novel insights into the mechanism of this complex form of reflex epilepsy that could potentially be applied in disease diagnosis.

Abstract Background Salt stress is one of the environmental factors that greatly limits crop production worldwide because high salt concentrations in the soil affect morphological responses and physiological and metabolic processes, including root morphology and photosynthetic characteristics. Soil aeration has been reported to accelerate the growth of plants and increase crop yield. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of 3 NaCl salinity levels (28, 74 and 120 mM) and 3 aeration volume levels (2.3, 4.6 and 7.0 L/pot) versus non-aeration and salinity treatments on the root morphology, photosynthetic characteristics and chlorophyll content of potted tomato plants. Results The results showed that both aeration volume and salinity level affected the root parameters, photosynthetic characteristics and chlorophyll content of potted tomato plants. The total length, surface area and volume of roots increased with the increase in aeration volume under each NaCl stress level. The effect was more marked in the fine roots (especially in ≤1 mm diameter roots). Under each NaCl stress level, the photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll content of tomato significantly increased in response to the aeration treatments. The net photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll a and t content increased by 39.6, 26.9, and 17.9%, respectively, at 7.0 L/pot aeration volume compared with no aeration in the 28 mM NaCl treatment. We also found that aeration could reduce the death rate of potted tomato plants under high salinity stress conditions (120 mM NaCl). Conclusions The results suggest that the negative effect of NaCl stress can be offset by soil aeration. Soil aeration can promote root growth and increase the photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll content, thus promoting plant growth and reducing the plant death rate under NaCl stress conditions.

Blockchain is experiencing rapid development and has the full potential of revolutionizing the IoT platform in the industrial field. In this paper, a light-weighted Blockchain-based platform for IIoT is presented to address security, trust, and island connection problem in the process of IIoT ecosystem construction. BPIIoT is comprised of the on-chain network and the off-chain network. All transactions are processed in the on-chain network such as including digital signature based on access control and programmable permission. The off-chain network deals with the storage, complex data processing, and other problems that blockchain cannot solve. The smart contract is utilized as the service contract of consumers and manufacture resources, providing on-demand manufacturing service. Two smart application cases, manufacturing equipment data sharing and maintenance service sharing from smart manufacturing, are implemented to explain the smart contract for equipment maintenance service and status data sharing service throughout maintenance, repair, and operation service network by the BPIIoT.