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The small-signal stability of high voltage direct current (HVDC)-connected wind farms (WFs) is a challenging issue in modern power systems. The relative stability, i.e., the stability margin, of such a typical multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system is quite difficult to be quantified. This paper evaluates the relative stability of HVDC-connected WFs using a new stability index based on the ν-gap metric. We first develop a MIMO model represented by a transfer function matrix of the HVDC-connected WFs. Then, a new stability index, i.e., the robust stability margin, based on the ν-gap metric is proposed to quantify the relative stability of such a MIMO system. Finally, we propose a method to compute the stable region of control parameters based on the corresponding stability criterion of ν-gap metric. Case studies are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Gastric cancer is highly prevalent among digestive tract tumors. Due to the intricate nature of the gastric cancer immune microenvironment, there is currently no effective treatment available for advanced gastric cancer. However, there is promising potential for immunotherapy targeting the prostaglandin E2 receptor subtype 4 (EP4) in gastric cancer. In our previous study, we identified a novel small molecule EP4 receptor antagonist called YY001. Treatment with YY001 alone demonstrated a significant reduction in gastric cancer growth and inhibited tumor metastasis to the lungs in a mouse model. Furthermore, administration of YY001 stimulated a robust immune response within the tumor microenvironment, characterized by increased infiltration of antigen-presenting cells, T cells, and M1 macrophages. Additionally, our research revealed that YY001 exhibited remarkable synergistic effects when combined with the PD-1 antibody and the clinically targeted drug apatinib, rather than fluorouracil. These findings suggest that YY001 holds great promise as a potential therapeutic strategy for gastric cancer, whether used as a standalone treatment or in combination with other drugs.

Abstract Background Ulcerative colitisis (UC) classified as a form of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) characterized by chronic, nonspecific, and recurrent symptoms with a poor prognosis. Common clinical manifestations of UC include diarrhea, fecal bleeding, and abdominal pain. Even though anti-inflammatory drugs can help alleviate symptoms of IBD, their long-term use is limited due to potential side effects. Therefore, alternative approaches for the treatment and prevention of inflammation in UC are crucial. Methods This study investigated the synergistic mechanism of Lactobacillus plantarum SC-5 (SC-5) and tyrosol (TY) combination (TS) in murine colitis, specifically exploring their regulatory activity on the dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced inflammatory pathways (NF-κB and MAPK) and key molecular targets (tight junction protein). The effectiveness of 1 week of treatment with SC-5, TY, or TS was evaluated in a DSS-induced colitis mice model by assessing colitis morbidity and colonic mucosal injury (n = 9). To validate these findings, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) was performed by inoculating DSS-treated mice with the microbiota of TS-administered mice (n = 9). Results The results demonstrated that all three treatments effectively reduced colitis morbidity and protected against DSS-induced UC. The combination treatment, TS, exhibited inhibitory effects on the DSS-induced activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and negatively regulated NF-κB. Furthermore, TS maintained the integrity of the tight junction (TJ) structure by regulating the expression of zona-occludin-1 (ZO-1), Occludin, and Claudin-3 (p

As a common foodborne pathogen, infection with L. monocytogenes poses a significant threat to human life and health. The objective of this study was to employ comparative genomics to unveil the biodiversity and evolutionary characteristics of L. monocytogenes strains from different regions, screening for potential target genes and mining novel target genes, thus providing significant reference value for the specific molecular detection and therapeutic targets of L. monocytogenes strains. Pan-genomic analysis revealed that L. monocytogenes from different regions have open genomes, providing a solid genetic basis for adaptation to different environments. These strains contain numerous virulence genes that contribute to their high pathogenicity. They also exhibit relatively high resistance to phosphonic acid, glycopeptide, lincosamide, and peptide antibiotics. The results of mobile genetic elements indicate that, despite being located in different geographical locations, there is a certain degree of similarity in bacterial genome evolution and adaptation to specific environmental pressures. The potential target genes identified through pan-genomics are primarily associated with the fundamental life activities and infection invasion of L. monocytogenes, including known targets such as inlB, which can be utilized for molecular detection and therapeutic purposes. After screening a large number of potential target genes, we further screened them using hub gene selection methods to mining novel target genes. The present study employed eight different hub gene screening methods, ultimately identifying ten highly connected hub genes (bglF_1, davD, menE_1, tilS, dapX, iolC, gshAB, cysG, trpA, and hisC), which play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of L. monocytogenes. The results of pan-genomic analysis showed that L. monocytogenes from different regions exhibit high similarity in bacterial genome evolution. The PCR results demonstrated the excellent specificity of the bglF_1 and davD genes for L. monocytogenes. Therefore, the bglF_1 and davD genes hold promise as specific molecular detection and therapeutic targets for L. monocytogenes strains from different regions.

BackgroundClinical notes contain contextualized information beyond structured data related to patients’ past and current health status. ObjectiveThis study aimed to design a multimodal deep learning approach to improve the evaluation precision of hospital outcomes for heart failure (HF) using admission clinical notes and easily collected tabular data. MethodsData for the development and validation of the multimodal model were retrospectively derived from 3 open-access US databases, including the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III v1.4 (MIMIC-III) and MIMIC-IV v1.0, collected from a teaching hospital from 2001 to 2019, and the eICU Collaborative Research Database v1.2, collected from 208 hospitals from 2014 to 2015. The study cohorts consisted of all patients with critical HF. The clinical notes, including chief complaint, history of present illness, physical examination, medical history, and admission medication, as well as clinical variables recorded in electronic health records, were analyzed. We developed a deep learning mortality prediction model for in-hospital patients, which underwent complete internal, prospective, and external evaluation. The Integrated Gradients and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) methods were used to analyze the importance of risk factors. ResultsThe study included 9989 (16.4%) patients in the development set, 2497 (14.1%) patients in the internal validation set, 1896 (18.3%) in the prospective validation set, and 7432 (15%) patients in the external validation set. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the models was 0.838 (95% CI 0.827-0.851), 0.849 (95% CI 0.841-0.856), and 0.767 (95% CI 0.762-0.772), for the internal, prospective, and external validation sets, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the multimodal model outperformed that of the unimodal models in all test sets, and tabular data contributed to higher discrimination. The medical history and physical examination were more useful than other factors in early assessments. ConclusionsThe multimodal deep learning model for combining admission notes and clinical tabular data showed promising efficacy as a potentially novel method in evaluating the risk of mortality in patients with HF, providing more accurate and timely decision support.

Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a high incidence and mortality rate despite various treatment options, including 125I seed implantation. However, recurrence and radiation resistance remain challenging issues. Hsa_circ_0007895 (circEYA3)—derived from exons 2–6 of EYA3–facilitates the proliferation and progression of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. However, the role of circEYA3 in HCC 125I radiation resistance remains unclear. Thus, we aimed to investigate the functions and underlying molecular mechanisms of circEYA3 in HCC under 125I and X-ray irradiation conditions. Methods CircEYA3 was identified by RNA-seq in patients with HCC before and after 125I seed implantation treatment, followed by fluorescence in situ hybridization and RNase R assays. The radiosensitivity of HCC cell lines irradiated with 125I seeds or external irradiation were evaluated using the Cell Counting Kit 8, flow cytometry, γH2A.X immunofluorescence and comet assays. RNA pull-down and RNA immunoprecipitation assays were performed to explore the interactions between circEYA3 and IGF2BP2. DTX3L mRNA was identified by RNA-seq in PLC/PRF/5 cells with overexpressed circEYA3. The corresponding in vitro results were verified using a mouse xenograft model. Results CircEYA3 decreased the radiosensitivity of HCC cells both in vitro and in vivo. Notably, using a circRNA pulldown assay and RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation, we identified IGF2BP2 as a novel and robust interacting protein of circEYA3. Mechanistically, circEYA3 binds to IGF2BP2 and enhances its ability to stabilize DTX3L mRNA, thereby specifically alleviating radiation-induced DNA damage in HCC cells. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that circEYA3 increases the radioresistance of HCC to 125I seeds and external irradiation via the IGF2BP2/DTX3L axis. Thus, circEYA3 might be a predictive indicator and intervention option for 125I brachytherapy or external radiotherapy in HCC.

Abstract Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents the most challenging subtype of breast cancer. Studies have implicated an upregulation of lipid synthesis pathways in the initiation and progression of TNBC. Targeting lipid synthesis pathways may be a promising therapeutic strategy for TNBC. Our previous study developed a therapeutic protein PAK with passive targeting and inhibiting tumor proliferation. In this study, we further substantiate the efficacy of PAK in TNBC. Transcriptome sequencing analysis revealed PAK-mediated downregulation of genes involved in fatty acid synthesis, including key genes like SREBP-1, FASN, and SCD1. RNA immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated a significant binding affinity of PAK to SREBP-1 mRNA, facilitating its degradation process. Both in vitro and in vivo models, PAK hampered TNBC progression by downregulating lipid synthesis pathways. In conclusion, this study emphasizes that PAK inhibits the progression of TNBC by binding to and degrading SREBP-1 mRNA, revealing a new strategy for regulating lipid synthesis in the intervention of TNBC and its therapeutic significance.

Abstract The global incidence of dengue fever has gradually increased in recent years, posing a serious threat to human health. In the absence of specific anti-dengue drugs, understanding the interaction of Dengue virus (DENV) with the host is essential for the development of effective therapeutic measures. Autophagy is often activated during DENV infection to promote viral replication, but the mechanism of how DENV's own proteins induce autophagy has not been clarified. In this study, we first preliminarily identified DENV-2 NS1 as the most likely viral protein for DENV-2-induced autophagy with the help of molecular docking techniques. Further experimental results confirmed that DENV-2 NS1 regulates DENV-2 infection of HUVEC-induced autophagy through the AMPK/ERK/mTOR signaling pathway. Mechanistically, DENV-2 NS1 mainly interacted with AMPK by means of its Wing structural domain, and NS1 bound to all three structural domains on the AMPKα subunit. Finally, the experimental results showed that DENV-2 NS1 promoted the interaction between LKB1 and AMPKα1 and thus activated AMPK by both increasing the expression of LKB1 and binding LKB1. In conclusion, the results of this study revealed that DENV-2 NS1 protein served as a platform for the interaction between AMPK and LKB1 after DENV-2 infection with HUVEC, and pulled AMPK and LKB1 together to form a complex. LKB1 to form a complex, promoting LKB1 action on the kinase structural domain of AMPKα1, which in turn promotes phosphorylation of the Thr172 site on the AMPK kinase structural domain and activates AMPK, thereby positively regulating the AMPK/ERK/mTOR signaling pathway and inducing autophagy. The present discovery improves our understanding of DENV-2-induced host autophagy and contributes to the development of anti-dengue drugs.

AIM: To investigate the incidence of dry eye disease (DED) and relevant risk factors among patients infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant. METHODS: This cross-sectional, observational analysis included 993 patients with corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treated at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) Fangcang Shelter Hospital, from April 10 to May 26, 2022. Totally 944 uninfected control participants were recruited. All participants completed ocular surface disease index (OSDI) questionnaires, and DED symptoms were determined using OSDI scores. The demographic characteristics, length of hospital stay and in nasopharyngeal swabs were performed using questionnaires. SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection was confirmed by nucleic acid-based detection in nasopharyngeal swabs using a 2019-nCoV nucleic acid detection kit. The risk factors for DED symptoms among patients with COVID-19 and control participants were determined by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Patients with COVID-19 showed a higher incidence of DED than controls (64.9% vs 55.1%, P

With the large-scale growth and grid connection of intermittent renewable energy such as wind and solar, the problem of increasing renewable energy curtailment rate and system backup flexibility has become increasingly prominent. In order to solve the problem of high proportion of renewable energy scientific consumption and flexible and stable operation of energy system. We propose a flexible and economical dispatch method based on data-driven multi-regional power system. For the problem of economic dispatch of multi-area power system, a mathematical calculation model is established to satisfy the constraints of unit output, system power balance, unit ramp rate, and valve point effect, and to consider the requirement of minimizing the cost of multi-area power load comprehensively. Based on data-driven, this paper adopts an improved fruit fly optimization algorithm to quickly find the global optimal solution. The calculations are performed by IEEE6 simulation test system, and the results verify the feasibility of the proposed algorithm. The improved fruit fly optimization algorithm is compared and analyzed with other algorithms considering the quality of the obtained solutions. The results show the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed algorithm in solving multi-area economic dispatching problems in real power systems.

Malignant tumors are major causes of morbidity and mortality in China. Despite advances in surgical, radiological, chemotherapeutic, molecular targeting, and immunotherapeutic treatments, patients with malignant tumors still have poor prognoses. Low-dose-rate brachytherapy, specifically 125I seed implantation, is beneficial because of its high local delivery dose and minimal damage to surrounding tissues. Consequently, it has gained increasing acceptance as a treatment modality for various malignant tumors. In this study, we explored the fundamental principles, clinical applications, and new technologies associated with 125I radioactive seed implantation.

The thermally induced cyclic loading on integral bridge abutments causes soil deformation and lateral stress ratcheting behind the abutment wall due to the expansion and contraction of the bridge deck. The forward and backward movements of the abutment in response to the expansion/contraction of the bridge deck lead to the formation of settlement trough and surface heaving, frequently creating a bump at the bridge approach and increasing the lateral earth pressure behind the abutment. Measures to reduce the bump at the bridge approach, including several treatment methods, such as compaction of selected backfill materials, grout injection, installation of approach slab, and using a layer of compressible inclusion material behind the abutment were proposed. However, these guidelines still lack sufficient design details and there are limited experimental findings to validate design assumptions. In this paper, the use of engineered compressible materials to alleviate the lateral earth pressure ratcheting and settlement at the bridge approach is investigated. The comparative study is presented for the soil-inclusion, material-structure and soil-structure interactions for an integral bridge under three different backfill conditions, i.e. (a) sand, (b) sand and EPS geofoam, and (c) sand and Infinergy®. The study was conducted in a special large-scale test chamber with a semi-scale abutment to gain better insights into the soil-structure interaction (SSI). The kinematics and rearrangement of the soil during the cyclic loading have been investigated to identify the mitigating effects of compressible inclusions. The comparative study indicates that both compressible inclusions perform comparatively well, however, Infinergy® is a better alternative than the medium-density EPS geofoam, as it works more effectively to reduce the backfill settlement and heaving as well as soil ratcheting effects under cyclic translational movement.

Abstract Background This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of the initial screening characteristics of women with anovulatory polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) who did or did not respond to 2.5 mg letrozole (LET). Methods The clinical and laboratory characteristics of women with PCOS who underwent LET treatment were evaluated. Women with PCOS were stratified according to their responses to LET (2.5 mg). The potential predictors of their responses to LET were estimated using logistic regression analysis. Results Our retrospective study included 214 eligible patients with a response to 2.5 mg LET (n = 131) or no response to 2.5 mg LET (n = 83). PCOS patients who responded to 2.5 mg LET showed better outcomes than those who did not (2.5 mg LET) for pregnancy rate, live birth rate, pregnancy rate per patient, and live birth rate per patient. Logistic regression analyses showed that late menarche (odds ratio [OR], 1.79 [95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.22–2.64], P = 0.003), and increased anti-müllerian hormone (AMH) (OR, 1.12 [95% CI, 1.02–1.23], P = 0.02), baseline luteinizing hormone (LH)/ follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) (OR, 3.73 [95% CI, 2.12–6.64], P

Abstract Background To assess the correlation between clinical and biochemical hyperandrogenism parameters in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) according to age. Methods This prospective study included 256 PCOS patients diagnosed according to the Rotterdam criteria in a university-based hospital. Androgen levels were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Hirsutism, acne, and alopecia were assessed using the modified Ferriman-Gallwey (mF-G) score, Comprehensive Acne Severity Scale (CASS), and the Ludwig scale, respectively. The correlation between biochemical and clinical hyperandrogenism parameters was assessed in younger and older women with PCOS. Results The 256 PCOS patients were classified by age into two groups: age 18–29 years (n = 151) and age 30–40 years (n = 84). In women with PCOS, mF-G was significantly positively correlated with the free androgen index (FAI), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and DHEA sulfate (DHEA-S). CASS had a significant positive correlation with DHEA. mF-G was positively correlated with FAI in those aged 18–29 years, but the correlations were not significant in those aged 30–40 years. The positive correlation between specific body regions of clinical hyperandrogenism, especially mF-G of chin, lower abdomen, and thighs, and testosterone, as well as with FAI, was highest in those aged 18–29 years. In those aged 30–40 years clinical hyperandrogenism was mainly affected by DHEA, DHEA-S, and dihydrotestosterone. Conclusion The correlation between biochemical and clinical hyperandrogenism parameters varied with age in our East Asian population. Clinical hyperandrogenism was positively correlated with FAI in younger women with PCOS. The correlation between biochemical and clinical hyperandrogenism was not significant in older women with PCOS.

Rapidly and accurately extracting built-up areas is an essential prerequisite of urbanization research. There have been many studies on the extraction of built-up areas using remote sensing technologies. So far, few studies have been conducted to evaluate the applicability of the deep learning method to extract built-up areas under the condition that only nighttime light (NTL) data are used. This study proposed a deep learning method to extract the built-up areas using NTL data, and applied the method to analyze the spatial and temporal changes of the built-up areas in Chinese two urban agglomerations from 2000 to 2020. The results show that the U-Net deep learning method can be used to extract built-up areas efficiently under the condition that only NTL data are used. The proposed method was able to improve the accuracy of built-up area extraction significantly compared to the existing method. For the extraction of built-up areas in large regions with long time series, the proposed method can facilitate the work and improve the processing efficiency. The gravity centre of the built-up areas in the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration migrated south-eastward, and the gravity centre of the built-up areas in the Shandong Peninsula Urban Agglomeration migrated south-westward, with these gravity centres gradually approaching the geometric centres of the corresponding urban agglomerations. The built-up areas in the Central Plains and Shandong Peninsula Urban Agglomerations grew rapidly, increasing by 4.14 times and 3.73 times from 2000 to 2020, respectively. The built-up areas in the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration expanded faster, while the urban development degree of the Shandong Peninsula Urban Agglomeration was higher. The urban distributions and development modes of these two urban agglomerations were quite different. The Central Plains Urban Agglomeration tended to further agglomerate, while the Shandong Peninsula Urban Agglomeration tended to disperse.

The phenomenon of fluid structure interaction exists widely in nuclear facilities, and it is of great significance to the safety of nuclear facilities. Xi’an Pulsed Reactor (XAPR) is a pool research reactor with good inherent safety. It has been operating safely since the loading criticality. However, researches on fluid structure interaction have not yet been carried out on Xi’an Pulsed Reactor which was built in the 1990s because of the limitation by the technical conditions and safety evaluation range at that time. In order to fill the technical blank mentioned above, the fluid structure interaction between fuel elements and the coolant in Xi’an Pulsed Reactor core is simulated by finite element method for the first time. In this method, the interaction between solid component deformation and flow field is considered alternatively, and some results are obtained. The maximum value of the deformation of fuel elements cladding tube do not exceed 0.1 mm, and the equivalent von-Mises stress is about 4.4683 × 107 Pa under given conditions, which is less than the tensile strength and yield strength of the material. The results show that the fluid structure interaction effect between fuel elements and the coolant in Xi’an Pulsed Reactor core is very weak under the given seismic conditions, and thus will not affect the safety of the reactor core and can be ignored.

Summary: Background: Comorbidity, frailty, and decreased cognitive function lead to a higher risk of death in elderly patients (more than 65 years of age) during acute medical events. Early and accurate illness severity assessment can support appropriate decision making for clinicians caring for these patients. We aimed to develop ELDER-ICU, a machine learning model to assess the illness severity of older adults admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with cohort-specific calibration and evaluation for potential model bias. Methods: In this retrospective, international multicentre study, the ELDER-ICU model was developed using data from 14 US hospitals, and validated in 171 hospitals from the USA and Netherlands. Data were extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care database, electronic ICU Collaborative Research Database, and Amsterdam University Medical Centers Database. We used six categories of data as predictors, including demographics and comorbidities, physical frailty, laboratory tests, vital signs, treatments, and urine output. Patient data from the first day of ICU stay were used to predict in-hospital mortality. We used the eXtreme Gradient Boosting algorithm (XGBoost) to develop models and the SHapley Additive exPlanations method to explain model prediction. The trained model was calibrated before internal, external, and temporal validation. The final XGBoost model was compared against three other machine learning algorithms and five clinical scores. We performed subgroup analysis based on age, sex, and race. We assessed the discrimination and calibration of models using the area under receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) and standardised mortality ratio (SMR) with 95% CIs. Findings: Using the development dataset (n=50 366) and predictive model building process, the XGBoost algorithm performed the best in all types of validations compared with other machine learning algorithms and clinical scores (internal validation with 5037 patients from 14 US hospitals, AUROC=0·866 [95% CI 0·851–0·880]; external validation in the US population with 20 541 patients from 169 hospitals, AUROC=0·838 [0·829–0·847]; external validation in European population with 2411 patients from one hospital, AUROC=0·833 [0·812–0·853]; temporal validation with 4311 patients from one hospital, AUROC=0·884 [0·869–0·897]). In the external validation set (US population), the median AUROCs of bias evaluations covering eight subgroups were above 0·81, and the overall SMR was 0·99 (0·96–1·03). The top ten risk predictors were the minimum Glasgow Coma Scale score, total urine output, average respiratory rate, mechanical ventilation use, best state of activity, Charlson Comorbidity Index score, geriatric nutritional risk index, code status, age, and maximum blood urea nitrogen. A simplified model containing only the top 20 features (ELDER-ICU-20) had similar predictive performance to the full model. Interpretation: The ELDER-ICU model reliably predicts the risk of in-hospital mortality using routinely collected clinical features. The predictions could inform clinicians about patients who are at elevated risk of deterioration. Prospective validation of this model in clinical practice and a process for continuous performance monitoring and model recalibration are needed. Funding: National Institutes of Health, National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Special Health Science Program, Health Science and Technology Plan of Zhejiang Province, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Drug Clinical Evaluate Research of Chinese Pharmaceutical Association, and National Key R&D Program of China.

Abstract Coagulation/flocculation is one of the most widely used and cost-effective pretreatment methods for improving the dewaterability of sludge. In this study, a cationic modified starch-based flocculant (St-CTA) in conjunction with a popular clay, attapulgite (ATP), was used for the conditioning of waste-activated sludge. The dewatering properties, including the filter cake moisture content, filtration specific resistance, capillary suction time, filtration rate and compressibility coefficient, were measured and compared by varying the doses of St-CTA and ATP. By combination of the apparent dewatering performance and the changes in the contents and distributions of the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) fractions and components, sludge flocs, and microstructures of sludge cakes, the dewatering mechanisms were discussed in detail. St-CTA in conjunction with ATP can exhibit an enhanced dewaterability of sludge and the water content in final sludge cake can be stably reduced below 80% owing to the synergistic effects of St-CTA and ATP. In addition to the efficient charge neutralization of St-CTA, ATP not only acts as a skeleton builder in the sludge dewatering process which makes the sludge flocs more compact and improves the filterability and permeability, but also tightly interacts with the proteins in EPS of the sludge which reduces the protein content and further enhances the dewatering effect. This study provides an economical, green, and effective way to further improve the dewaterability of sludge.

N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc), a sialic acid predominantly found in the non-neurohumoral fluids of hind-mouthed animals, is incapable of synthesizing Neu5Gc due to a deletion in the CMAH exon of the gene encoding human CMP-Neu5Gc hydroxylase. But consumption of animal-derived foods that contain Neu5Gc, such as red meat, can instigate an immune response in humans, as Neu5Gc is recognized as a foreign substance by the human immune system. This recognition leads to the production of anti-Neu5Gc antibodies, subsequently resulting in chronic inflammation. When Neu5Gc is consumed excessively or frequently, it may contribute to the development of heart disease and cancer. This makes Neu5Gc, an endogenous pathogenic factor derived from red meat, a new hot topic in red meat safety research. In this study, aptamers obtained by the magnetic bead SELEX technique were subjected to homology and secondary structure prediction analysis as well as affinity determination. The result indicated that the aptamer 2B.N2A9 exhibited a robust binding affinity, with an affinity constant (Ka) of 1.87 × 108 L/mol. This aptamer demonstrated optimal binding specificity within a pH range of 5.4 to 7.4. Molecular docking analysis further revealed that aptamer 2B.N2A9 formed stable binding interactions with the target Neu5Gc at specific sites, namely G-14, C-15, G-13, G-58, G-60, and C-59. An Enzyme-Linked Oligonucleotide Sorbent Assay (ELOSA) methodology was established to detect the endogenous pathogenic factor Neu5Gc present in red meat. This method demonstrated a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.71 ng/mL, along with an average recovery rate of 92.23%. The aptamer obtained in this study exhibited favorable binding properties to Neu5Gc. The assay was relatively convenient and demonstrated good sensitivity. Further investigation into the distribution of Neu5Gc in various red meats is of public health significance and scientific potential. A practical detection method should be provided to guide red meat diets and ensure the nutrition and safety of meat products.

The meat derived from mammals such as cows, sheep, and pigs is commonly referred to as red meat. Recent studies have shown that consuming red meat can activate the immune system, produce antibodies, and subsequently develop into tumors and cancer. This is due to the presence of a potential carcinogenic compound in red meat called N-ethanol neuraminic acid (Neu5Gc). Neu5Gc is a common sialic monosaccharide in mammals, synthesized from N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) in the body and typically present in most mammals. However, due to the lack of the CMAH gene encoding the cytidine 5′-monophosphate Neu5Ac hydroxylase, humans are unable to synthesize Neu5Gc. Compared to primates such as mice or chimpanzees, the specific loss of Neu5Gc expression in humans is attributed to fixed genome mutations in CMAH. Although Neu5Gc cannot be produced, it can be introduced from specific dietary sources such as red meat and milk, so it is necessary to use mice or chimpanzees that knock out the CMAH gene instead of humans as experimental models. Further research has shown that early pregnancy factor (EPF) has the ability to regulate CD4+T cell-dependent immune responses. In this study, we established a simulated human animal model using C57/BL6 mice with CMAH gene knockout and analyzed the inhibitory effect of EPF on red meat Neu5Gc-induced CMAH−/− C57/BL6 mouse antibody production and chronic inflammation development. The results showed that the intervention of EPF reduced slow weight gain and shortened colon length in mice. In addition, EPF treatment significantly reduced the levels of anti Neu5Gc antibodies in the body, as well as the inflammatory factors IL-6 and IL-1β, TNF-α and the activity of MPO. In addition, it also alleviated damage to liver and intestinal tissues and reduced the content of CD4 cells and the expression of B cell activation molecules CD80 and CD86 in mice. In summary, EPF effectively inhibited Neu5Gc-induced antibody production, reduced inflammation levels in mice, and alleviated Neu5Gc-induced inflammation. This will provide a new re-search concept and potential approach for developing immunosuppressants to address safety issues related to long-term consumption of red meat.

The carbonated reactive magnesia (CRM) method is superior in energy conservation, carbon capture, and rapid solidification in soil improvement. It has been revealed that CRM method could cause apparent volumetric expansion during carbonation, which may cause apparent compaction impact on the surrounding soils when used for soft foundation improvement. However, this expansion hasn’t been discussed systematically. In this study, the evolutions of expansion stress (σEx) and volumetric expansion (ΔV) during carbonation process were successfully monitored. Two factors, including reactive MgO content (Cm) and net confining pressure (Pnc), were investigated. The internal relations between σEx, ΔV, and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) together with the influences of Cm and Pnc on them were discussed. Besides, the intrinsic mechanisms were discussed based on density variations, pore structures, and microstructures. According to the findings, σEx and ΔV invariably exhibited a three-stage behavior consisting of stability-rapid increase-stability. By increasing Cm or Pnc, the σEx, UCS, and density were all significantly increased, while the volume increment was obviously reduced. For the completely confined specimen, the σEx and UCS were found to approach 3 MPa and 9 MPa, respectively. The increase in Cm promoted the crystallization of hydrated magnesium carbonates (HMCs), leading to lower porosity in solidified soils. Increasing Pnc also improved the crystallization of HMCs and modified pore structures, causing further increases in σEx and UCS.

Abstract Background Dengue virus type 2 (DENV-2) was used to infect primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to examine autophagy induced by activation of the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway following tripartite motif-containing 22 (TRIM22)-mediated DENV-2 infection to further reveal the underlying pathogenic mechanism of DENV-2 infection. Methods Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to screen putative interference targets of TRIM22 and determine the knockdown efficiency. The effect of TRIM22 knockdown on HUVEC proliferation was determined using the CCK8 assay. Following TRIM22 knockdown, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to determine the ultrastructure of HUVEC autophagosomes and expression of HUVEC autophagy and AMPK pathway-related genes were measured by qRT-PCR. Moreover, HUVEC autophagy and AMPK pathway-related protein expression levels were determined by western blot analysis. Cell cycle and apoptosis were assessed by flow cytometry (FCM) and the autophagosome structure of the HUVECs was observed by TEM. Results Western blot results indicated that TRIM22 protein expression levels increased significantly 36 h after DENV-2 infection, which was consistent with the proteomics prediction. The CCK8 assay revealed that HUVEC proliferation was reduced following TRIM22 knockdown (P

To accelerate the achievement of China’s carbon neutrality goal and to study the factors affecting the geologic CO2 storage in the Ordos Basin, China’s National Key R&D Programs propose to select the Chang 6 oil reservoir of the Yanchang Formation in the Ordos Basin as the target reservoir to conduct the geologic carbon capture and storage (CCS) of 100000 t per year. By applying the basic theories of disciplines such as seepage mechanics, multiphase fluid mechanics, and computational fluid mechanics and quantifying the amounts of CO2 captured in gas and dissolved forms, this study investigated the effects of seven factors that influence the CO2 storage capacity of reservoirs, namely reservoir porosity, horizontal permeability, temperature, formation stress, the ratio of vertical to horizontal permeability, capillary pressure, and residual gas saturation. The results show that the sensitivity of the factors affecting the gas capture capacity of CO2 decreases in the order of formation stress, temperature, residual gas saturation, horizontal permeability, and porosity. Meanwhile, the sensitivity of the factors affecting the dissolution capture capacity of CO2 decreases in the order of formation stress, residual gas saturation, temperature, horizontal permeability, and porosity. The sensitivity of the influencing factors can serve as the basis for carrying out a reasonable assessment of sites for future CO2 storage areas and for optimizing the design of existing CO2 storage areas. The sensitivity analysis of the influencing factors will provide basic data and technical support for implementing geologic CO2 storage and will assist in improving geologic CO2 storage technologies to achieve China’s carbon neutralization goal.©2022 China Geology Editorial Office.

Abstract Severe harmonics propagation in power systems may result in increased power losses and equipment damages. In this paper, an elliptic formula is derived to analyse the harmonic spatial distribution not only at the substations but also along the power lines or cables and to give a system‐wide overview of harmonic levels. It is observed that harmonic distortion along power lines can be higher than that at the busbars and the maximum amplitude of harmonic voltage and current denoted as weak positions along power lines depends on the steady‐state harmonic angle difference of voltage and current at busbars, the length of power lines, and the harmonic order. All cases are modelled in detail by analytical geometry and analysed in MATLAB. In this regard, a method to identify the weak positions in terms of maximum harmonic levels in a power system is presented, and its corresponding harmonic orders are determined. The accuracy of the model is tested using time‐domain simulations in PSCAD/EMTDC.

The rapid spread and dominance of the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 lineages have posed severe health challenges worldwide. While extensive research on the role of the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) in promoting viral infectivity and vaccine sensitivity has been well documented, the functional significance of the 681PRRAR/SV687 polybasic motif of the viral spike is less clear. In this work, we monitored the infectivity levels and neutralization potential of the wild-type human coronavirus 2019 (hCoV-19), Delta, and Omicron SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses against sera samples drawn four months post administration of a third dose of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine. Our findings show that in comparison to hCoV-19 and Delta SARS-CoV-2, Omicron lineages BA.1 and BA.2 exhibit enhanced infectivity and a sharp decline in their sensitivity to vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies. Interestingly, P681 mutations within the viral spike do not play a role in the neutralization potential or infectivity of SARS Cov-2 pseudoviruses carrying mutations in this position. The P681 residue however, dictates the ability of the spike protein to promote fusion and syncytia formation between infected cells. While spike from hCoV-19 (P681) and Omicron (H681) promote only modest cell fusion and formation of syncytia between cells that express the spike-protein, Delta spike (R681) displays enhanced fusogenic activity and promotes syncytia formation. Additional analysis shows that a single P681R mutation within the hCoV-19 spike, or H681R within the Omicron spike, restores fusion potential to similar levels observed for the Delta R681 spike. Conversely, R681P point mutation within the spike of Delta pseudovirus abolishes efficient fusion and syncytia formation. Our investigation also demonstrates that spike proteins from hCoV-19 and Delta SARS-CoV-2 are efficiently incorporated into viral particles relative to the spike of Omicron lineages. We conclude that the third dose of the Pfizer-BNT162b2 provides appreciable protection against the newly emerged Omicron sub-lineages. However, the neutralization sensitivity of these new variants is diminished relative to that of the hCoV-19 or Delta SARS-CoV-2. We further show that the P681 residue within spike dictates cell fusion and syncytia formation with no effects on the infectivity of the specific viral variant and on its sensitivity to vaccine-mediated neutralization.

With the high proportion of renewable energy through high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission into the grid and the application of high proportion of power electronic equipment, in the modern power system, the traditional electromagnetic conversion equipment represented by synchronous generators is gradually replaced by power electronic equipment, which in a high level has been affecting the dynamic behavior of the power system. In recent years, the wide-band oscillation problem of unknown mechanism continues to appear in power systems, which poses a major threat to the security, stability, and operation of power systems. Therefore, based on the typical oscillation event, this paper constructs a typical small-signal model of the new power system which is composed of synchronous generator, HVDC transmission equipment, and renewable energy generation equipment. The model is suitable for the analysis of wide-band oscillation problem of the new power system with renewable energy as the main body. The comparison of time-domain response with the detailed time-domain model shows that the proposed small-signal model can well reflect the dynamic behavior of the detailed time-domain model. Based on the model, the influence of access distance, access proportion, and operation and control modes of renewable energy integrated through LCC-HVDC on the wide-band oscillation characteristics of the system is analyzed, and the correctness of the analysis is verified by the detailed time-domain model.

In this paper, the inverse cumulative grey time power model with a Caputo fractional derivative is established, and the solution to the whitening equation is given by the Laplace transform. To improve the prediction accuracy of the model, the linear-tangent-function transformation is used to improve the smoothness of the data sequence, and a grey time power model is obtained, which has higher accuracy than the sinusoidal-function transformation, negative-exponential-function transformation and logarithmic-function transformation. The form and application range of the model are generalized.

ObjectiveTrauma is China's fifth leading cause of death and ranked first among youths. Trauma databases have been well-established in many countries to announce the current state of trauma rescue, treatment and care. Nevertheless, China hasn't yet established a comparable database. This paper included two national-level databases in China to describe the current situation of trauma treatment and the epidemiological characteristics of trauma incidence, which sought to provide data support for decision-making, resource allocation, trauma prevention, trauma management, and other aspects.MethodsThis study used the diagnosis and treatment data from the Hospital Quality Monitoring System (HQMS) and the China Trauma Rescue and Treatment Association (CTRTA) in 2019. A descriptive analysis was conducted to explore the demographic characteristics, trauma causes, injury degrees of trauma patients, disease burden and mortality rates in the abstracted hospitalized cases.ResultsA total of 4,532,029 trauma patients were included, of which 4,436,653 were from HQMS and 95,376 from CTRTA respectively. The age group with the highest proportion is 50-54 years old (493,320 [11.12%] in HQMS and 12,025 [12.61%] in CTRTA). Fall was the most frequent cause of trauma hospitalization, accounting for 40.51% of all cases, followed by traffic injuries, accounting for 25.22%. However, for trauma patients aged between 20 and 24 years old, the most common cause of injury was traffic accidents (28.20%). Hospital expenses for trauma patients in 2019 exceeded 100.30 billion yuan, which increases significantly with age, and fall costs the most. The mortality rate of trauma inpatients was 0.77%, which gradually increased with age after 30-year-old, and was the highest in the age group above 85 (1.86%).ConclusionThis paper summarizes the demographic characteristics, trauma causes distribution, disease burden, mortality rate, and other relative data of inpatients in 2019, which can now be used as an up-to-date clinical evidence base for national healthcare prevention and management in China.

Ovarian cancer (OC) is the seventh most prevalent type of cancer in women and the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in women worldwide. Because of the high rates of relapse, there is an immediate and pressing need for the discovery of innovative sensitive biomarkers for OC patients. Using TCGA and GSE26712 datasets, we were able to identify 17 survival-related DEGs in OC that had differential expression. CLDN4 was the gene that caught our attention the most out of the 17 important genes since its expression was much higher in OC samples than in nontumor samples. The findings of the ROC assays then confirmed the diagnostic utility of the test in screening OC specimens to differentiate them from nontumor specimens. Patients with high CLDN4 expression predicted a shorter overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) than those with low CLDN4 expression, according to clinical research. Patients with low CLDN4 expression predicted longer OS and DSS. Analysis using both univariate and multivariate techniques revealed that CLDN4 expression was an independent factor associated with a poor prognosis for OS and DSS. Based on multivariate analysis, the C-indexes and calibration plots of the nomogram suggested an effective predictive performance for OC patients. After that, we investigated whether or not there was a link between the infiltration of immune cells and the expression of the CLDN4 gene. We found that the expression of CLDN4 was positively associated with Th17 cells, NK CD56bright cells, while negatively associated with Th2 cells, pDC, and T helper cells. In the end, we carried out RT-PCR on our cohort and confirmed that the level of CLDN4 expression was noticeably elevated in OC specimens in comparison to nontumor tissues. The diagnostic usefulness of CLDN4 expression for OC was also validated by the findings of ROC tests. Thus, our findings revealed that CLDN4 may serve as a predictive biomarker in OC to assess both the clinical outcome of OC patients and the level of immune infiltration.

Abstract China's Loess Plateau (LOP) contains around 22% of all the world's apple trees, mainly on smallholdings run by farmers. However, business‐as‐usual (BAU) intensification has reduced the ecological resilience of orchards. Agroforestry is considered to be an important method of realizing sustainable intensification of agroecosystems. However, the design of practical agroforestry systems in drylands remains poorly researched. We hypothesized that crop density is a key factor in designing dryland apple tree‐based agroforestry systems. We carried out an experiment in apple orchards in the semiarid LOP, where the bioenergy crop canola (Brassica napus L.) was intercropped at low, medium, and high densities with row spacings of 25, 50, and 100 cm, respectively, to study its effects on water, carbon, and production. We found that intercropping of canola at different densities clearly decreased soil water content (SWC) in the top 60 cm soil layer at all sampling locations, reduced midday leaf water potential (Ψm) and leaf water content (LWC), and caused apple trees to produce more fine roots at greater depths. However, intercropping did not affect SWC in soil layers below 60 cm. The SWC profiles, Ψm and LWC, progressively recovered over the mulching period. Introduction of canola also significantly (p

In this study, an indirect competitive ELISA (ic-ELISA) was developed for the detection of zearalenone in corn flour. The optimal working concentration of antigen and monoclonal antibody was determined by chessboard method. Antigen 37 ℃ coated for 1 h, unsealed and enzyme catalyzed substrate action time of 15 min were determined the optimal conditions. The results showed that the detection range (IC20~IC80) was 11~292 pg/mL, and the minimum detection limit (IC10) was 6 pg/mL. The recoveries of the zearalenone from corn flour were 81.29%~105.80%. There was no cross reaction with ochratoxin A, aflatoxin B1, deoxynivalenol, fumonisin B1, T-2 toxin. The ic-ELISA could be used for detection of zearalenon in corn flour.

High-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology based on Line Commutated Converter (LCC) is widely used in modern power systems due to its numerous benefits. However, as a typical power electronic device, LCC-HVDC has caused significant changes in the dynamic behavior of modern power systems due to largely replaced conventional power supplies in power systems. The interactions among sending-terminal and receiving-terminal system become stronger and have caused some stability issues, but the mechanism behind this has yet to be fully revealed. In order to analyze the interactions among sending-terminal and receiving-terminal system of LCC-HVDC, a small-signal model of modular HSS modeling is proposed based on Harmonic State Space (HSS) theory. Comparison of time-domain response with detailed switching model shows that the proposed can well reflect the dynamic behavior of the detailed switching model. Based on the model, the influence of controller’s parameters on system stability is analyzed, as well as the dynamic interactions of LCC-HVDC among sending-terminal and receiving-terminal system are investigated. Analytical results demonstrate that there exists interactions among sending-terminal and receiving-terminal system which have an influence on the stability of the system.

The demand for decarbonization calls for building up a nearly 100% renewable electricity resulting in Grid-forming (GFM) capability requirements. The foregoing paradigm shifts from synchronous AC systems to converter-based systems that need to remain stable and self-synchronous while providing GFM services. However, as this article’s analysis in the introduction, achieving such goals inevitably necessitates the implementation of a PLL controller and energy storage in a wind turbine, whereas it is not suitable to operate in a weak energy system. To tackle this issue, a novel grid-forming method is proposed. The suggested idea calls for creating a DC voltage controller in a grid-side converter that mimics inertia response and applying a Rotor kinetic energy storage (RKES) controller in a Generator-side converter. Moreover, a coordinated controller of RKES controllers and conventional low voltage ride-through (LVRT) is proposed to gain increases in dynamic performance and maintain grid-forming capabilities in the transient process. Extensive modeling, experimental results based on a semi-physical platform, and an actual wind farm demonstration project are provided to validate the proposed controls. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the presented method when applied to the future 100% renewable electricity.

Employing deep learning models to design high-performance metasurfaces has garnered significant attention due to its potential benefits in terms of accuracy and efficiency. A deep learning-based metasurface design framework typically comprises a forward prediction path for predicting optical responses and a backward retrieval path for generating geometrical configurations. In the forward design path, a specific geometrical configuration corresponds to a unique optical response. However, in the inverse design path, a single performance metric can correspond to multiple potential designs. This one-to-many mapping poses a significant challenge for deep learning models and can potentially impede their performance. Although representing the inverse path as a probabilistic distribution is a widely adopted method for tackling this problem, accurately capturing the posterior distribution to encompass all potential solutions remains an ongoing challenge. Furthermore, in most pioneering works, the forward and backward paths are captured using separate models. However, the knowledge acquired from the forward path does not contribute to the training of the backward model. This separation of models adds complexity to the system and can hinder the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the design framework. Here, we utilized an invertible neural network (INN) to simultaneously model both the forward and inverse process. Unlike other frameworks, INN focuses on the forward process and implicitly captures a probabilistic model for the inverse process. Given a specific optical response, the INN enables the recovery of the complete posterior over the parameter space. This capability allows for the generation of novel designs that are not present in the training data. Through the integration of the INN with the angular spectrum method, we have developed an efficient and automated end-to-end metasurface design and evaluation framework. This novel approach eliminates the need for human intervention and significantly speeds up the design process. Utilizing this advanced framework, we have effectively designed high-efficiency metalenses and dual-polarization metasurface holograms. This approach extends beyond dielectric metasurface design, serving as a general method for modeling optical inverse design problems in diverse optical fields.

Melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) is thought to be a marker of poor prognosis and a potential target for the treatment of melanoma. Studies have found that MC1R promotes several tumor behaviors, including cell proliferation and differentiation, pigment formation, and genome damage repair. Some single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of MC1R are involved in the occurrence and development of melanoma. A few studies have reported a relationship between MC1R and colorectal cancer (CRC). In this research, our objective was to examine MC1R expression and MC1R SNPs and investigate their correlation with the clinicopathological features of human CRC tissues. We evaluated MC1R mRNA expression by performing bioinformatic analyses on human CRC expression datasets. We used Western blotting and RT-qPCR to compare MC1R expression in CRC tissues with that in normal tissues, and MC1R SNPs in CRC tissues were detected by PCR-direct sequencing (DS). The expression of MC1R was significantly decreased in CRC tissues compared with normal tissue, and its expression was negatively associated with P53 expression, MLH1 expression, and PMS2 expression, and high MC1R expression was significantly associated with microsatellite instability (MSI). MC1R SNPs were also associated with the clinicopathological characteristics of CRC; for example, the rs2228479 locus genotype was correlated with Ki67 status, and the rs885479 locus genotype was correlated with age and T stage. In conclusion, MC1R plays a crucial role in the progression of CRC and may be a marker of poor prognosis in CRC.

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to analyze the quantitative association between advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and adjusted FRAX by rheumatoid arthritis (FRAX-RA) in postmenopausal type 2 diabetic (T2D) patients. The optimal cutoff value of AGEs was also explored, which was aimed at demonstrating the potential value of AGEs on evaluating osteoporotic fracture risk in postmenopausal T2D patients.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study including 366 postmenopausal participants (180 T2D patients [DM group] and 186 non-T2D individuals [NDM group]). All the subjects in each group were divided into three subgroups according to BMD. Physical examination, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and serum indicators (including serum AGEs, glycemic parameters, bone turnover markers and inflammation factors) were examined. The relationship between FRAX-RA, serum laboratory variables, and AGEs were explored. The optimal cutoff value of AGEs to predict the risk of osteoporotic fracture was also investigated.ResultsAdjusting the FRAX values with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) of T2D patients reached a significantly increased MOF-RA and an increasing trend of HF-RA. AGEs level was higher in the DM group compared to the NDMs, and was positively correlated with MOF-RA (r=0.682, P

Objective To using finite element analysis to investigate the effects of the traditional titanium alloy Gamma nail and a biodegradable magnesium alloy bionic Gamma nail for treating intertrochanteric fractures. Methods Computed tomography images of an adult male volunteer of appropriate age and in good physical condition were used to establish a three‐dimensional model of the proximal femur. Then, a model of a type 31A1 intertrochanteric fracture of the proximal femur was established, and the traditional titanium alloy Gamma nails and biodegradable magnesium alloy bionic Gamma nails were used for fixation, respectively. The von Mises stress, the maximum principal stress, and the minimum principal stress were calculated to evaluate the effect of bone ingrowth on stress distribution of the proximal femur after fixation. Results In the intact model, the maximum stress was 5.8 MPa, the minimum stress was −11.7 MPa, and the von Mises stress was 11.4 MPa. The maximum principal stress distribution of the cancellous bone in the intact model appears in a position consistent with the growth direction of the principal and secondary tensile zones. After traditional Gamma nail healing, the maximum stress was 32 MPa, the minimum stress was −23.5 MPa, and the von Mises stress was 31.3 MPa. The stress concentration was quite obvious compared with the intact model. It was assumed that the nail would biodegrade completely within 12 months postoperatively. The maximum stress was 18.7 MPa, the minimum stress was −12.6 MPa, and the von Mises stress was 14.0 MPa. For the minimum principal stress, the region of minimum stress value less than −10 MPa was significantly improved compared with the traditional titanium alloy Gamma nail models. Meanwhile, the stress distribution of the bionic Gamma nail model in the proximal femur was closer to that of the intact bone, which significantly reduced the stress concentration of the implant. Conclusion The biodegradable magnesium alloy bionic Gamma nail implant can improve the stress distribution of fractured bone close to that of intact bone while reducing the risk of postoperative complications associated with traditional internal fixation techniques, and it has promising clinical value in the future.

Sub-wavelength strongly confined electromagnetic field induced by surface plasmon resonance offers a promising method to enhance the light-matter interactions, which has wide applications in the fields of enhanced spectroscopy, photovoltaic conversion, and photocatalysis. For periodic metal nanostructures, the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) can couple with the long-range diffractive interaction, causing a narrow linewidth. Here, we report a new family of plasmonic nanostructure fabricated through nanoimprint lithograph, which enables completely uniform, reproducible, and low-cost Au nanofinger multimer arrays with high aspect ratio at the manufacturing scale. Through adjusting the lattice spacing and the angle of incident light, the different collective coupling strengths between the diffraction modes and the LSPR of trimer or pentamer Au nanofingers arrays are observed experimentally by angle-resolved reflection spectroscopy. According to the numerical simulation based on the finite element method, the dynamic evolution of collective coupled modes is demonstrated. The typical surface charge distribution and electric field distribution of the coupled dipole resonance show a significant electromagnetic field enhancement. By adjusting the height of nanofingers, lattice spacing and gap size of adjacent nanofingers, the feasibility of the coupled modes is further investigated. This work provides an excellent candidate for the localization of light as chip-scale plasmonic devices.

This study explores the relationship between capability reconfiguration and firm innovation performance by analyzing a sample of 375 manufacturing firms in China. The results suggest that the relationship between capability reconfiguration and innovation performance is affected by both the catch-up stage and the mode of capability reconfiguration (evolution or substitution). The catch-up stage of enterprises significantly impacts the moderating effects of innovation magnitude on the relationship between capability substitution and firm innovation performance, however, it has no obvious effects on the moderation of innovation magnitude on the relationship between capability evolution and innovation performance. This study contributes to the theory of dynamic capability and catch-up by revealing how innovation magnitude affects capability reconfiguration and subsequent innovation performance in different catch-up stages. The implication of this study is to remind managers to take full account of the innovation magnitude and catch-up stage in their decision-making.

Ionizing radiation (IR) is an important treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) that mainly kills tumor cells by producing large amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Intracellular ROS levels affect the sensitivity of tumor cells to IR. Recently, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) have been found to affect the intracellular levels of ROS. Therefore, we performed a health informatics assessment of ACE in the TCGA database. We explored the effect of ACE in NPC cells. We found that either knockdown of ACE or inhibition of ACE by enalaprilat could decrease ROS levels in NPC cells. Furthermore, knockdown of ACE or inhibition of ACE by enalaprilat could reduce IR-induced ROS levels. ACE knockdown or inhibition reduced IR-induced DNA damage and apoptosis. ACE overexpression increased the level of ROS in NPC cells and further increased sensitivity to IR. These findings indicate that ACE influences the effect of IR by regulating the level of ROS in NPC cells.

The carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR) is a promising method to both reduce greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations and provide an alternative to fossil fuel by converting water and CO2 into high-energy-density chemicals. Nevertheless, the CO2RR suffers from high chemical reaction barriers and low selectivity. Here we demonstrate that 4 nm gap plasmonic nano-finger arrays provide a reliable and repeatable plasmon-resonant photocatalyst for multiple-electrons reactions: the CO2RR to generate higher-order hydrocarbons. Electromagnetics simulation shows that hot spots with 10,000 light intensity enhancement can be achieved using nano-gap fingers under a resonant wavelength of 638 nm. From cryogenic 1H-NMR spectra, formic acid and acetic acid productions are observed with a nano-fingers array sample. After 1 h laser irradiation, we only observe the generation of formic acid in the liquid solution. While increasing the laser irradiation period, we observe both formic and acetic acid in the liquid solution. We also observe that laser irradiation at different wavelengths significantly affected the generation of formic acid and acetic acid. The ratio, 2.29, of the product concentration generated at the resonant wavelength 638 nm and the non-resonant wavelength 405 nm is close to the ratio, 4.93, of the generated hot electrons inside the TiO2 layer at different wavelengths from the electromagnetics simulation. This shows that product generation is related to the strength of localized electric fields.

Since concrete is cheaper and more resistant to corrosion than steel, the wide-shallow concrete bucket foundation is being used extensively in ocean engineering. By adding the inner bucket and cruciform skirts, both the bearing capacity and rigidity of the wide-shallow concrete bucket foundation increase significantly. When compared to the hollow steel bucket foundation, the inclusion of thicker skirts, as well as the addition of inner bucket and cruciform skirts, would cause changes to the soil flow mechanism, resulting in soil heave within each compartment and changes in soil strength evolution and penetration resistance during installation in clay. In order to study the influence of the addition of the inner bucket and cruciform skirts on the soil heaving inside each compartment, soil softening and penetration resistance, three-dimensional large deformation finite element (LDFE) models for the bucket foundation with and without inner bucket, and cruciform skirts considering soil remolding were established using the Coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian (CEL) approach. It was found that the inner bucket significantly changes the soil flow and softening of the soil during penetration of the bucket foundation. According to the theoretical analysis and numerical results, the diameter of the optimal inner bucket is equal to 5/8 of the outer diameter. The adhesion coefficient observed in this study falls within the range of 0.5 to 0.8, which is higher than the theoretical value of 0.25 that assumes the soil is fully remolded. The reason for this discrepancy is that the soil is only partially remolded during the actual installation of the bucket foundation. The neglect of the softening of the soil or considering the soil as completely softened will result in significant variation in the predicted penetration resistance; hence, partial softening of the soil should be taken into account.

Abstract Two series of binary graft cationic starch-based flocculants (CS-DMCs and CS-DMLs) with different hydrophilicity and charge density (CD) were prepared by graft copolymerization of acrylamide with 2-(Methacryloyloxy)-N,N,N-trimethylethanaminium chloride and methacrylic acid 2-(benzyldimethylaminio) ethyl chloride, respectively, on the starch (St) backbone. The sludge dewatering performance of CS-DMCs and CS-DMLs were evaluated and compared based on the changes in filter cake moisture content (FCMC), specific resistance of filtration (SRF), fractions and components of extracellular polymeric substances, and various physiochemical characteristics of sludge flocs and cakes. Increase in CD of the St-based flocculants caused improved sludge dewaterability. Under the similar CD, CS-DML with relatively high hydrophobicity exhibited lower FCMC and SRF, larger and denser sludge flocs, and better permeability of sludge cakes than CS-DMCs due to the synergistic effects of charge neutralization, bridging flocculation and hydrophobic association. Furthermore, a second-order polynomial model on the basis of phenomenological theory was successfully applied to quantitatively evaluate the influences of the two important structural factors of these St-based flocculants, i.e., hydrophobicity and CD, on the sludge dewaterability. The structure–activity relationship of the St-based flocculants in sludge dewatering was obtained according to the theoretic simulation. The dewatering mechanisms was discussed in depth on the basis of the experimental and simulated results; besides, the FCMC and optimal dose can be predicted by the established structure–activity relationship. This current work offered a novel and valuable way to exploit and design of low-cost and high-performance graft natural polymeric flocculants applied in efficient conditioning of sludge.

PurposeElderly patients with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) have a higher mortality during hospitalization in the intensive care unit (ICU). Elderly patients often suffer from malnutrition. On the basis of the MIMIC-III database, this study analyzed the effect of the baseline nutritional status on the death of elderly patients with MODS during hospitalization.Materials and MethodsElderly patients with MODS were screened out from MIMIC-III 1.4 database. The geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) was calculated and used to group patients into: normal nutrition (GNRI > 98) and malnutrition (GNRI ≤ 98) groups. The malnutrition group was divided into mild (92–98), moderate (82–91), and severe (≤81) groups. The differences in the baseline data and the incidence of adverse events between groups were compared. The GAM model was used to determine whether a curve relationship was present between the hospital death of elderly patients with MODS and GNRI and analyze the threshold saturation effect. The multivariate logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) of in-hospital deaths in different GNRI groups. The interaction test was performed to find subgroups with differences.ResultsA total of 2456 elderly patients with MODS were enrolled. A total of 1,273 (51.8%) and 1183 (48.2%) patients were in the normal nutrition and malnutrition groups, respectively. The mortality rate of patients in the normal nutrition group during hospitalization was lower than that in the malnutrition group (206/1273 vs. 292/1183, X2 = 27.410, P < 0.001; OR = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.48–0.72). The GAM model fitting analysis showed a threshold saturation effect at GNRI = 92. Adjusted OR values with GNRI ≥ 92 began to change to 1, and GNRI and death had no association. At GNRI < 92, high GNRI related to low risk of death. Subgroup analysis of patients with GNRI < 92 showed that the risk of death in elderly male patients was lower than that of female patients.ConclusionGNRI is related to the severity of illness in elderly patients with MODS. At GNRI < 92, moderate to severe malnutrition increases the risk of death in elderly patients with MODS during hospitalization.

Central nervous system (CNS) disorders, such as ischemic stroke, neurodegenerative diseases, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, and corresponding neuropathological changes, often lead to death or long-term disability. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is a class of non-coding RNA with a transcription length over 200 nt and transcriptional regulation. lncRNA is extensively involved in physiological and pathological processes through epigenetic, transcription, and post-transcriptional regulation. Further, dysregulated lncRNA is closely related to the occurrence and development of human diseases, including CNS disorders. HOX Transcript antisense RNA (HOTAIR) is the first discovered lncRNA with trans-transcriptional regulation. Recent studies have shown that HOTAIR may participate in the regulation of the occurrence and development of CNS disorders. In addition, HOTAIR has the potential to become a new biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis assessment of CNS disorders and even provide a new therapeutic target for CNS disorders. Here, we reviewed the research results of HOTAIR in CNS disorders to provide new insights into the pathogenesis, diagnostic value, and therapeutic target potential of HOTAIR in human CNS disorders.

The demand for decarbonization calls for nearly 100% renewable electricity rising as the dominant power resource. The foregoing paradigm shifts require proactive voltage and frequency controllers for the converter-based renewable energy. This article proposed a novel grid-forming technique for voltage-source controlled photovoltaic (PV) operating in 100% renewable power systems. The proposed idea was to design a DC voltage collapse-prevention controller in conjunction with a simplified frequency and inertia controller, thereby smart capturing and releasing PV energy to achieve improvements in dynamic performance and efficiency. By setting the two-phase operation scheme, the model initiatively considers the conflict between frequency regulation and maximum power point tracking (MPPT) curve control. The preferred controls are validated using extensive simulation and experimental findings based on a semi-physical platform and a practical photovoltaic demonstration project. The proposed controller outperforms the standard PV current controller over a much larger range of weak grid situations, according to the experimental and engineering operational data. Results demonstrated the effectiveness of the presented method in applying to the future 100% renewable power system.

During the black start, backup ac power sources such as diesel generators can offer line-side voltage reference for wind turbine and keep line-side converter of wind turbine work properly so that the dc-link capacitor voltage within converter can be established without overcharge. This study proposes a black start control strategy and line-side voltage establishment method for PMSG-based wind turbines with no ac power source. Unlike the traditional control strategy of full power grid-connected converters, the dc-link voltage within back-to-back full power converters of wind turbines can be controlled by generator-side converters, and the line-side voltage can be established by line-side converters with the help of fixed loads. The mechanical power can be balanced by pitch angle control, and the power unbalance between mechanical power and electrical power will be reflected in the rotor speed of PMSG. By this method, a single wind turbine can establish the line-side voltage with no extra backup ac power source, offering voltage reference for the other wind turbines during the black start of a wind power plant.

Accurate spatio-temporal quantifying of ecosystem services (ESs) supply and social demand and their coordination dynamics, and determining which factors affect such coordination and the spatial distribution patterns of these effects, is essential to guide targeted ecosystem management decisions. Unfortunately, quantitative data demonstrating the explicit spatial relationships between the biophysical supply and social demand for ESs, as well as identifying the spatial non-stationary response of such relationships to influencing factors, is currently inadequate. To this end, this study employed China’s Loess Plateau (LP) as an example to quantify ES supply and social demand in 2000 and 2015, during which the society and ecology in this region have undergone tremendous changes. Then, the coupling coordination degree model was used to explore the coordination relationships between ES supply and social demand. Also, we analyzed the spatial correlations between such coordination relationships and various natural factors, policy factors and socio-economic factors, using geographically weighted regression. The results showed that ES supply and social demand had great spatio-temporal variations, and both the ES supply and social demand increased from 2000 to 2015. Although the incoordination between ES supply and social demand was great, such incoordination did improve from 2000 to 2015 with positive transitions from the lower coordination grades to the higher coordination grades. The occurrence of coordination between ES supply and social demand was highly correlated with vegetation cover driven by the “Grain for Green” Program, followed by slope (a natural factor) and socio-economic factors. This study helps deepen our understanding of the incoordination between the ES supply and social demand of the LP and the spatially explicit drivers of such incoordination, and could support auxiliary decision-making for regional ecosystem management.

In a high-power microwave device, the intense electron beam causes a high-heat-flux on the collector’s inner surface which results in an instant temperature increase which eventually causes the output power to drop. The vapor chamber is one of the passive cooling devices effective for high-heat-flux heat dissipation. To study the heat dissipation capacity and the surface temperature control effect of the vapor chamber, a numerical heat transfer model of the vapor chamber is proposed based on the effective thermal conductivity method. The accuracy of the steady-state heat transfer analysis and the applicability of the transient simulation are verified by comparing with experimental data, and the heat transfer are calculated under the condition of periodic pulsed heat sources. Lastly, the transient performance of a vapor chamber relative to a copper heat spreader of the same external dimensions is investigated as a function of the wick effective thermal conductivity, pulsed heat flux, and pulse duration. The transient behavior of the vapor chambers are examined to find a performance threshold to determine if the performance is superior to that of a copper heat spreader. The present work provides a basis to understand the advantages and limitations of metal heat spreader in pulse mode operation of vapor chamber and plays a vital role in the design of improving transient performance.

Abstract Background Soil salinization is a major threat to wheat production. It is essential to understand the genetic basis of salt tolerance for breeding and selecting new salt-tolerant cultivars that have the potential to increase wheat yield. Result In this study, a panel of 191 wheat accessions was subjected to genome wide association study (GWAS) to identify SNP markers linked with adult-stage characters. The population was genotyped by Wheat660K SNP array and eight phenotype traits were investigated under low and high salinity environments for three consecutive years. A total of 389 SNPs representing 11 QTLs were significantly associated with plant height, spike number, spike length, grain number, thousand kernels weight, yield and biological mass under different salt treatments, with the phenotypic explanation rate (R 2) ranging from 9.14 to 50.45%. Of these, repetitive and pleiotropic loci on chromosomes 4A, 5A, 5B and 7A were significantly linked to yield and yield related traits such as thousand kernels weight, spike number, spike length, grain number and so on under low salinity conditions. Spike length-related loci were mainly located on chromosomes 1B, 3B, 5B and 7A under different salt treatments. Two loci on chromosome 4D and 5A were related with plant height in low and high salinity environment, respectively. Three salt-tolerant related loci were confirmed to be important in two bi-parental populations. Distribution of favorable haplotypes indicated that superior haplotypes of pleiotropic loci on group-5 chromosomes were strongly selected and had potential for increasing wheat salt tolerance. A total of 14 KASP markers were developed for nine loci associating with yield and related traits to improve the selection efficiency of wheat salt-tolerance breeding. Conclusion Utilizing a Wheat660K SNPs chip, QTLs for yield and its related traits were detected under salt treatment in a natural wheat population. Important salt-tolerant related loci were validated in RIL and DH populations. This study provided reliable molecular markers that could be crucial for marker-assisted selection in wheat salt tolerance breeding programs.