Search

In this paper, we present a study of vibration characteristics of the double-beam structures combined with the concept of the acoustic black hole (ABH), which is an effective technique for vibration and noise control. In the proposed double-beam structure, the ABH beam as the vibration damper is attached to the primary uniform beam by a range of translational and rotational springs. We formulate the closed-form spectral element matrix of the double-beam structure and calculate the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the system. The results demonstrate the ABH effect of increasing the modal damping ratios. We also study the power flow and mechanical intensity of the system to offer physical insight into the vibration suppression mechanism of the ABH. A detailed parametric analysis of both translational and rotational springs is carried out. The investigation contributes to the exact dynamic modelling and analysis of the double-beam system containing ABH elements. Furthermore, the proposed ABH double-beam structure shows great potential for vibration control and energy harvesting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primates rely on two eyes to perceive depth, while maintaining stable vision when either one eye or both eyes are open. Although psychophysical and modeling studies have investigated how monocular signals are combined to form binocular vision, the underlying neuronal mechanisms, particularly in V1 where most neurons exhibit binocularity with varying eye preferences, remain poorly understood. Here, we used two-photon calcium imaging to compare the monocular and binocular responses of thousands of simultaneously recorded V1 superficial-layer neurons in three awake macaques. During monocular stimulation, neurons preferring the stimulated eye exhibited significantly stronger responses compared to those preferring both eyes. However, during binocular stimulation, the responses of neurons preferring either eye were suppressed on the average, while those preferring both eyes were enhanced, resulting in similar neuronal responses irrespective of their eye preferences, and an overall response level similar to that with monocular viewing. A neuronally realistic model of binocular combination, which incorporates ocular dominance-dependent divisive interocular inhibition and binocular summation, is proposed to account for these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rectovaginal fistula (RVF) is an abnormal channel formed by epithelial tissue between the anterior wall of the rectum and the posterior wall of the vagina, which manifests as vaginal gassing and defecation. It is one of the common complications of female pelvic surgeries. With the increased number of proctectomies for rectal cancer, the number of postoperative rectovaginal fistulas also increases. Once RVF occurs, the failure rate is still high with various treatments available. RVF causes great suffering to women and is still a major problem in treatment. Therefore, it is significant for female rectal cancer patients to prevent RVF after rectal cancer surgery. In this study, we introduce a new method to prevent RVF during rectal cancer radical operation. Methods: In this randomized controlled trial (RCT), all operations are performed according to the principle of total mesorectal excision (TME) radical resection in rectal cancer surgery. All eligible participants will be divided into two groups: the experimental group and the control group. Experimental group: the anterior rectal wall of about 1 cm distal to the anastomosis was dislocated. Before the anastomosis of the rectal end, a fat flap (usually left side) containing the ovarian vascular pedicle was dislocated, measured by 10–15 cm in length and 2 cm in width. The fat flap containing the ovarian vascular pedicle was packed and fixed anterior to the anastomotic stoma with fibrin glue. Control group: surgery will be carried out in accordance with the TME principle. Participants will be compared on several variables, including the incidence of RVF after operation (primary outcomes), the occurrence time of postoperative RVF, the occurrence time of RVF after stoma closure, and other postoperative complications, such as anastomotic leakage, chylous leakage, and intestinal obstruction (secondary outcomes). The follow-up data collection will be conducted according to the follow-up time point, and the baseline data will also be collected for follow-up analysis. By comparing the incidence of rectovaginal leakage between the experimental group and the control group, we aim to explore the feasibility of this method for the prevention of postoperative RVF. Discussion: This RCT will explore the feasibility of packing with a laparoscopic dislocated fat flap containing an ovarian vascular pedicle anterior to the anastomotic stoma after rectal cancer surgery to prevent RVF. Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR) registration ChiCTR2000031449. Registered on June 26, 2019. All items of the WHO Trial registration data set can be found within the protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common cause of physical disability among older adults. While established risk factors for knee OA include age and increased body weight, few studies have examined psychosocial risk factors or progression of knee OA. Methods: The Promoting Independence in our Seniors with Arthritis study recruited participants aged 65 years and over from orthopedic outpatients and community engagement events. Participants were invited to annual visits during which knee OA symptoms were assessed with the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), social network using the 6-item Lubben Social Network Scale and anxiety and depression using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale. Knee OA worsening was defined by a 5% reduction in mean KOOS scores at the last visit compared to the first visit. Results: Data were available from 148 participants, mean age 66.2±6.5 years and 74.1% female, of whom 28 (18.9%) experienced OA worsening over a median follow-up period of 29 months. Univariate analyses revealed that age, sex, height, grip strength, and social network were associated with OA worsening. Social network remained statistically significantly associated with OA worsening after adjustment for age and sex difference (odds ratio=0.924; 95% confidence interval, 0.857-0.997). The relationship between social network and OA worsening were attenuated by both depression and handgrip strength at baseline. Conclusion: Psychological status and muscle strength may be modifiable risk factors for social network which may in turn prevent knee OA worsening and should be targeted in future intervention studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The technology of big data analysis and artificial intelligence deep learning has been actively cross-combined with various fields to increase the effect of its original low single field. Precision components commonly used in electronic products use changes in the conductivity of semiconductors to process information. This study aims to review key milestones and recent developments in the semiconductor industry using artificial intelligence methods. For this systematic review, we searched academic networks between 2015 and 2022, including Nature, Elsevier, Springer, Taylor & Francis Online, Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The literature reviewed is based on conference proceedings and journal articles, specifically covering the key achievements of the discussion paper, the key technologies used, experimental results, opportunities, and future research pathways. After searching on an academic website, we selected six major studies. In five of these studies, visual object detection, surface defect detection, machine production scheduling application, fault diagnosis and prediction, and monitoring of the manufacturing process were made using artificial neural networks, machine learning methods, and hybrid models. In addition, the studies covered independent, single methods or used more than two types of technologies for performance comparison. Finally, we reviewed the strengths and weaknesses of the literature. We also analysed various datasets, acquisition systems, and experimental scenarios. The review shows that as the number of studies conducted in manufacturing continues to increase, more research is needed to unearth key information that is often overlooked, all of which are challenges in refining science and overcoming real-world scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares the processing characteristics of advanced CMT (cold metal transfer) and conventional GMAW-S (gas metal arc welding with short-circuit metal transfer) processes for depositing Ni-WC MMC (nickel-based metal matrix composites reinforced with WC) overlays. In contrast to common expectations, advanced CMT technology with mechanically assisted droplet transfer could not demonstrate significant advantages over the GMAW-S process; on the contrary, CMT exhibits marginal disadvantages in terms of carbide transfer efficiency, volume fraction of retained WC, and deposition rate. Some carbides originally contained in the core of the feed wire are blown away and expelled out of the processing zone leading to physical losses of WC particles during the deposition processes, which is more significant for the CMT process owing to much higher waveform cycle frequency and cyclic feed wire retractions. CMT exhibits superior waveform stability, better control over penetration depth, marginally lower dilution level, and exceptional arc stability. The main parameters affecting carbide transfer efficiency and volume fraction of retained WC are wire feed speed and travel speed for both processes; increased wire feed speed and travel speed generally lead to decreased carbide transfer efficiency and reduced volume fraction of retained WC. Shielding gas may have different effects on the outcomes for the CMT and GMAW-S processes. CMT overlays show comparatively higher W and lower Fe concentration in the matrix, while GMAW-S overlays show a higher concentration of Fe in the matrix (due to elevated dilution level) with marginally higher matrix microhardness and more herringbone-like secondary carbide precipitates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gene expression in cells is determined by the epigenetic state of chromatin. Therefore, the study of epigenetic changes is very important to understand the regulatory mechanism of genes at the molecular, cellular, tissue and organ levels. DNA methylation is one of the most studied epigenetic modifications, which plays an important role in maintaining genome stability and ensuring normal growth and development. Studies have shown that methylation levels in bovine primordial germ cells, the rearrangement of methylation during embryonic development and abnormal methylation during placental development are all closely related to their reproductive processes. In addition, the application of bovine male sterility and assisted reproductive technology is also related to DNA methylation. This review introduces the principle, development of detection methods and application conditions of DNA methylation, with emphasis on the relationship between DNA methylation dynamics and bovine spermatogenesis, embryonic development, disease resistance and muscle and fat development, in order to provide theoretical basis for the application of DNA methylation in cattle breeding in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a solution method derived dual‐band photodetector (PD) based on silicon nanowires /PbS nanocrystalline film n–n heterojunction, which exhibits typical bias‐selectable spectral response in both near‐infrared (NIR) and short‐wave infrared (SWIR) bands, is presented. It is found that by adjusting the polarity of the bias voltage, the photoresponse of the device can be switched between three operation modes. The device exhibits high responsivities of 2100 mA W−1 at −0.15 V and 31 mA W−1 at 0 V, respectively, in the NIR region. Remarkably, the maximum responsivity and detectivity under 2000 nm illumination are determined as 290 mA W−1 and 2.4 × 1010 Jones, comparable to or even better than some PbS commercial PDs. The enhanced performance comes from the improved optical absorption and higher efficiency of charge separation and collection owing to the heterojunction geometry. It's also revealed that the bias‐controllable spectral response is attributed to the selectively transportation of photocarriers across the junction barrier. The study demonstrates the capability of detecting two distinct IR regions with the same pixel, which has great potential in future optoelectronic systems for IR imaging applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skeletal muscle satellite cells (MuSCs) can proliferate, differentiate, and self-renew, and can also participate in muscle formation and muscle injury repair. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) can play an important role with the RNA binding protein and microRNAs (miRNAs) to regulate the myogenesis of bovine MuSCs, however, its molecular mechanism is still being explored. In this study, differentially expressed 301 lncRNAs were identified during the myogenic differentiation of cells based on an in vitro model of induced differentiation of bovine MuSCs using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). Based on the ability of miR-206 to regulate myogenic cell differentiation, a new kind of lncRNA-lncA2B1 without protein-coding ability was found, which is expressed in the nucleus and cytoplasm. Subsequently, lncA2B1 inhibited cell proliferation by downregulating the expression of the proliferation marker Pax7 and promoted myogenic differentiation by upregulating the expression of the differentiation marker MyHC, whose regulatory function is closely related to miR-206. By RNA pulldown/LC-MS experiments, heterogeneous ribonucleoprotein A2/B1 (HNRNPA2B1), and DExH-Box Helicase 9 (DHX9) were identified as common binding proteins of lncA2B1 and miR-206. Overexpression of lncA2B1 and miR-206 significantly upregulated the expression level of HNRNPA2B1. Downregulation of HNRNPA2B1 expression significantly decreased the expression level of the differentiation marker MyHC, which indicates that miR-206 and lncA2B1 regulate myogenic differentiation of bovine MuSCs by acting on HNRNPA2B1. This study screened and identified a novel lncRNA-lncA2B1, which functions with miR-206 to regulate myogenesis via the common binding proteins HNRNPA2B1. The results of this study provide a new way to explore the molecular mechanisms by which lncRNAs and miRNAs regulate muscle growth and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family genes are a class of polypeptide factors with similar structures that play an important role in regulating cell proliferation and differentiation, nutritional metabolism, and neural activity. In previous studies, the FGF gene has been widely studied and analyzed in many species. However, the systematic study of the FGF gene in cattle has not been reported. In this study, 22 FGF genes distributed on 15 chromosomes were identified in the Bos taurus genome and clustered into seven subfamilies according to phylogenetic analysis and conservative domains. Collinear analysis showed that the bovine FGF gene family was homologous to Bos grunniens, Bos indicus, Hybrid-Bos taurus, Bubalus bubalis, and Hybrid-Bos indicus, and tandem replication and fragment replication were the key driving forces for the expansion of the gene family. Tissue expression profiling showed that bovine FGF genes were commonly expressed in different tissues, with FGF1, FGF5, FGF10, FGF12, FGF16, FGF17, and FGF20 being highly expressed in adipose tissue. In addition, real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) detection showed that some FGF genes were differentially expressed before and after adipocyte differentiation, indicating their diverse role in the formation of lipid droplets. This study made a comprehensive exploration of the bovine FGF family and laid a foundation for further study on the potential function in the regulation of bovine adipogenic differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myristic acid (MA) was used as the phase change material (PCM) and expanded graphite (EG) was used as the additive substrate. 21 kinds of EG/MA shaped composite PCM samples with different ratios were prepared by means of "melt blending-press forming" method with different molding pressure and pressing technology. The microstructure of the samples was characterized and analyzed, and then the samples were subjected to thermal property testing and thermal stability analysis to explore the relationship between the microstructure and thermal properties. Relevant experiments showed that EGII with high expansion degree not only improved the distribution uniformity of MA, but also significantly improved the liquid phase encapsulation during the phase transition. Better thermal stability was shown in the 50-cycle stability test. The melting point and enthalpy of the shaped composite PCM sample (24 wt% EGΙΙ/MA) were 53.98 ℃ and 199.1 J g−1, respectively. The addition of EG and the change of the pressing process can adjust the radial thermal conductivity and axial thermal conductivity of the samples. The radial thermal conductivity of the 16 wt% and 24 wt% EGII/MA samples consistently increased with increasing pressure in the molding pressure range of 10 MPa to 50 MPa, which is due to the larger pore volume of the more expansive EGII and the higher compressibility of the graphite flake layer in the composites. When the pressure was increased to 50 MPa, the radial thermal conductivity of 24 wt% EGII/MA slightly increased to 26.21 W m−1·K−1, which was about 140 times higher than the thermal conductivity value of 0.18 W m−1·K−1 for pure MA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We aimed to determine the association between percentage body fat and incident fractures, separately for men and women. • We included 14,129 participants from the EPIC-Norfolk Prospective Population Cohort Study. • In women, a lower percentage body fat was associated with a higher risk of any fracture and specifically of hip fracture. • In men, the risk of any fracture did not change with percentage body fat, while the risk of hospitalisation for a hip fracture increased with percentage body fat. • These findings add to the important evidence base regarding the risk of a serious and prevalent adverse outcome. This cohort study aimed to determine the association between body fat percentage (BF%), incident fractures and calcaneal broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA). Participants were drawn from the EPIC-Norfolk Prospective Population Cohort Study (median follow-up = 16.4 years). Cox models analysed the relationship between BF% and incident fractures (all and hip). Linear and restricted cubic spline (RCS) regressions modelled the relationship between BF% and BUA. 14,129 participants (56.2 % women) were included. There were 1283 and 537 incident all and hip fractures respectively. The participants had a mean (standard deviation) age of 61.5 (9.0) years for women and 62.9 (9.0) years for men. Amongst men, BF% was not associated with incident all fractures. While BF% < 23 % (median) was not associated with hip fractures, BF% > 23 % was associated with increased risk of hip fractures by up to 50 % (hazard ratio (95 % confidence interval) = 1.49 (1.06–2.12)). In women, BF% < 39 % (median) was associated with up to 32 % higher risk of all fractures (1.32 (1.13–1.44)), while BF% > 35 % was not associated with this outcome. Higher BF% was associated with lower risk of incident hip fractures in women. Higher BF% was associated with higher BUA amongst women. Higher BF% up to ~23 % was associated with higher BUA amongst men. Higher BF% is associated with lower risk of fractures in women. While there was no association between BF% and all fractures in men, increasing BF% >23 % was associated with higher risk of hip fractures in men. This appears to be independent of estimated bone mineral density. Fracture prevention efforts need to consider wider physical, clinical, and environmental factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with mitral valve prolapse (MVP) have been reported to have exercise intolerance. However, the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms and their physical fitness remain unclear. We aimed to determine the exercise capacity of patients with MVP through the cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET). We retrospectively collected the data of 45 patients with a diagnosis of MVP. Their CPET and echocardiogram results were compared with 76 healthy individuals as primary outcomes. No significant differences regarding the patient's baseline characteristics and echocardiographic data were found between the two groups, except for the lower body mass index (BMI) of the MVP group. Patients in the MVP group demonstrated a similar peak metabolic equivalent (MET), but a significantly lower peak rate pressure product (PRPP) (p = 0.048). Patients with MVP possessed similar exercise capacity to healthy individuals. The reduced PRPP may indicate compromised coronary perfusion and subtle left ventricular function impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time-series data is an appealing study topic in data mining and has a broad range of applications. Many approaches have been employed to handle time series classification (TSC) challenges with promising results, among which deep neural network methods have become mainstream. Echo State Networks (ESN) and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) are commonly utilized as deep neural network methods in TSC research. However, ESN and CNN can only extract local dependencies relations of time series, resulting in long-term temporal data dependence needing to be more challenging to capture. As a result, an encoder and decoder architecture named LA-ESN is proposed for TSC tasks. In LA-ESN, the encoder is composed of ESN, which is utilized to obtain the time series matrix representation. Meanwhile, the decoder consists of a one-dimensional CNN (1D CNN), a Long Short-Term Memory network (LSTM) and an Attention Mechanism (AM), which can extract local information and global dependencies from the representation. Finally, many comparative experimental studies were conducted on 128 univariate datasets from different domains, and three evaluation metrics including classification accuracy, mean error and mean rank were exploited to evaluate the performance. In comparison to other approaches, LA-ESN produced good results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate two advanced diffusion models, diffusion kurtosis imaging and the newly proposed mean apparent propagation factor-magnetic resonance imaging, in the grading of gliomas and the assessing of their proliferative activity. Methods: Fifty-nine patients with clinically diagnosed and pathologically proven gliomas were enrolled in this retrospective study. All patients underwent DKI and MAP-MRI scans. Manually outline the ROI of the tumour parenchyma. After delineation, the imaging parameters were extracted using only the data from within the ROI including mean diffusion kurtosis (MK), return-to-origin probability (RTOP), Q-space inverse variance (QIV) and non-Gaussian index (NG), and the differences in each parameter in the classification of glioma were compared. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of these parameters. Results: MK, NG, RTOP and QIV were significantly different amongst the different grades of glioma. MK, NG and RTOP had excellent diagnostic value in differentiating high-grade from low-grade glioma, with largest areas under the curve (AUCs; 0.929, 0.933 and 0.819, respectively; P < 0.01). MK and NG had the largest AUCs (0.912 and 0.904) when differentiating grade II tumours from III tumours (P < 0.01) and large AUCs (0.791 and 0.786) when differentiating grade III from grade IV tumours. Correlation analysis of tumour proliferation activity showed that MK, NG and QIV were strongly correlated with the Ki-67 LI (P < 0.001). Conclusion: MK, RTOP and NG can effectively represent the microstructure of these altered tumours. Multimodal diffusion-weighted imaging is valuable for the preoperative evaluation of glioma grade and tumour proliferative activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: SET Domain Containing Protein 8 (SET8), a member of the SET domain containing methyltransferase family involved in several biological processes and SET8 expression levels, reportedly affects the outcomes of patients with breast cancer, renal cancer, prostate carcinoma, and oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma. However, there have been no relevant studies on the biofunction and use of SET8 expression in the prediction of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) outcomes. Methods: In our study, SET8 expression levels were detected using immunohistochemical staining, western blotting, and quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) with semiquantitative analysis for laryngeal cancer outcomes. Additionally, we assessed the influence of SET8 on the behaviour of laryngeal cancer cells in vitro, using cell counting kit-8, clone formation, wound healing, and Transwell invasion assays. We subsequently performed qRT-PCR and western blotting for an in-depth study of SET8. Results: Our study showed marked upregulation of SET8 in tumour tissues and laryngeal cancer cell lines. High SET8 expression predicts poor prognosis in patients with LSCC, and its expression can be used as an independent predictor of LSCC outcome. Subsequent functional analyses indicated that SET8 knockdown exerted an inhibitory effect on proliferation, migration, and invasiveness in vitro. Conclusions: SET8 may be associated with epithelialmesenchymal transition. Our results demonstrate that higher SET8 expression is an unfavourable prognostic predictor and exerts tumour-promoting effects in LSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] The classical strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) plays a key role in improving thermal stability for supported Au catalysts. However, it always decreases the catalytic activity because of the encapsulation of Au species by support. Herein, we demonstrate that Al3+ is a functional additive which could effectively improve both catalytic activity and sintering resistant property for H 2 pretreated Al3+ doped CeO 2 supported Au (AuCeAl) catalyst at high temperature. The physical characterization and in-situ DRIFTS results provide insight that more oxygen vacancies generated by Al3+ doping could be as preferential adsorption sites for CO molecules when the encapsulation of Au species occurred, which is certificated by an accelerated formation of bicarbonate species. In the meantime, smaller Au nanoparticles with higher dispersion (2.8 nm, 85.63%) is achieved in AuCeAl catalysts, compared with that in CeO 2 supported Au (AuCe) catalysts (5.1 nm, 36.17%). Additionally, the as-prepared AuCeAl catalysts also have superior catalytic performance even after calcination at 800 °C in air. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Anti‐neurofascin 155 (NF155) antibody has been discovered in chronic demyelinating conditions. However, the positive rate and clinical description were insufficient in acute demyelinating conditions, such as Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS). This study aimed to explore the positive rate of anti‐NF155 antibody in GBS patients and determine whether there were unique clinical characteristics in these patients. Materials & Methods: Serum anti‐NF155 antibody was detected from 94 GBS patients and 50 sex‐ and age‐matched healthy controls using cell‐based assay and tissue‐based assay with immunostaining of mouse teased sciatic nerve fibers. Clinical characteristics, laboratory data, and electrophysiology examinations were retrospectively collected. Results: Seven of 94 (7.45%) GBS patients were positive for anti‐NF155 antibody, and the main IgG subclass was IgG1. Compared with anti‐NF155 antibody‐negative GBS patients, anti‐NF155 antibody‐positive GBS patients had a higher GBS disability score at nadirs (p =.010), higher modified Erasmus GBS outcome score (p =.022), higher rate of abnormal compound motor action potential (CMAP) amplitude (p =.002), higher frequency of prolonged F‐wave latency (p <.001), lower frequency of abnormal sensory conduction velocity (p <.001) and sensory nerve action potential amplitude (p <.001), more axonal type (p =.040), and poorer therapeutic effect (p =.017). Conclusions: Anti‐NF155 antibody exists in a small portion of GBS patients. Anti‐NF155 antibody‐positive GBS patients possibly have a more severe clinical course, less sensory nerves involved, higher proportion of axonal type, poorer therapeutic effect, and worse prognosis, but the pathogenicity of the anti‐NF155 antibody in GBS needs further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the search for versatile and effective weld cladding processes to deposit ultra-wear-resistant Ni-WC MMC (Ni-based tungsten carbide metal matrix composite) overlays for mining applications, there is an increasing interest in exploring advanced low-heat-input cold metal transfer (CMT) method. Depositions of single weld bead tracks of Ni-WC MMCs on steel plates were performed by employing the CMT process; Taguchi's design of experiments was used to plan the experimental investigation. All weld tracks exhibit continuous and uniform bead profile and sound metallurgical bonding to the substrate. Retained WCs are present in the overlay tracks relatively uniformly. The formation of primary WC and secondary carbides is observed depending on the level of dilution. In contrast to standard gas metal arc welding processes, the volume fraction of retained WC, which is negatively correlated with dilution level, is not directly interrelated with heat input for the CMT process and can reach a high level together with improved weld bead appearance at high deposition rate. Deposition rate has a positive correlation with average instantaneous power, which is, in turn, positively correlated with wire feed speed. The addition of oxygen into shielding gas mixtures promotes carbide transfer from cored feed wire to the weld track and increases the volume fraction of retained WC. Analysis of signal-to-noise ratios shows that it is difficult to find a single set of optimized processing parameters, and trade-offs are needed in engineering practice. The present investigation demonstrates that the Taguchi method is a powerful tool in process improvement for weld cladding of Ni-WC MMC overlays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study adopts a qualitative method in comparing EFL students' development of metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive strategy use in a university flipped classroom, as opposed to a regular classroom context. A total of 8 students (4 from each class) were each interviewed twice, once at the beginning and again at the end of the semester, in semi-structured interviews. Findings show that, in the context of a flipped classroom, learners' metacognitive knowledge had undergone qualitative changes over the course of a semester. Similarly, the flipped classroom design had led to a more active, deeper use of metacognitive strategies. Finally, implications for teaching and further research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Sudden onset of acute torticollis in children is rare and is usually diagnosed as atlantoaxial rotatory subluxation (AARS). The common treatment for acute AARS without neurological symptoms is halter traction in conjunction with muscle relaxant and sedative agents, followed by cervicothoracic orthotic immobilization. To the best of our knowledge, a case of acute AARS treatment with high-intensity laser therapy (HILT) has not yet been reported so far. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to report a case of acute AARS treatment with HILT successfully and to discuss about the clinical effect of HILT in AARS. METHODS: We reported a 9-year-old girl with acute onset of torticollis visiting the rehabilitation outpatient department. RESULS: The physical examination revealed a typical cock robin position without neurological symptoms. A series of evaluations, including open-mouth odontoid radiograph and soft tissue sonography, confirmed the diagnosis of acute AARS. The patient received HILT over the left suboccipital and upper back muscle groups, which started on the day of the first rehabilitation clinic visit, once a week, for four weeks. Torticollis and neck pain improved gradually with each session of HILT, and the symptoms resolved completely after the fourth session. Dynamic computed tomography (CT) of the cervical spine showed no evidence of obvious AARS after the treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The patient had no complaints after HILT in a case of acute AARS resulting from a mechanical factor. Due to its pain-relief and muscle-release characteristics, HILT indicates the probable benefit of relaxation of spastic muscles for patients with AARS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peri-implantitis is defined as a bacterial infection-induced inflammation and suppuration of soft and hard tissues surrounding a dental implant. If bacteria further invade the alveolar bone, they can easily cause bone loss and even lead to the early failure of a dental implant surgery. In the present study, an 80SiO2–15CaO–5P2O5 mesoporous bioactive glass film system containing 1, 5, and 10 mol% of silver was prepared on titanium implant discs (MBG–Ag–coated Ti) using sol-gel and spin coating methods. The wettability and adhesion strength of the films were evaluated using contact angle measurements and adhesion strength tests, respectively. The phase composition, chemical bonding, morphology, and oxidation states of the films were analyzed via X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In vitro bioactivity analysis of the films was performed by immersion in a simulated body fluid (SBF) for 24 h. Disk diffusion tests were performed on the early colonizing bacteria Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Streptococcus mutans to evaluate the antibacterial ability of the films. A silver-containing mesoporous bioactive glass film with excellent biocompatibility and antibacterial properties was successfully prepared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular networking strategy-based prioritization of the isolation of the rarely studied soft coral Sinularia tumulosa yielded 14 sesquiterpenes. These isolated constituents consisted of nine different types of carbon frameworks, namely asteriscane, humulane, capillosane, seco-asteriscane, guaiane, dumortane, cadinane, farnesane, and benzofarnesane. Among them, situmulosaols A–C (1 , 3 and 4) were previously undescribed ones, whose structures with absolute configurations were established by the combination of extensive spectral data analyses, quantum mechanical-nuclear magnetic resonance and time-dependent density functional theory electronic circular dichroism calculations, the Snatzke's method, and the modified Mosher's method. Notably, situmulosaol C (4) was the second member of capillosane-type sesquiterpenes. The plausible biogenetic relationships of these skeletally different sesquiterpenes were proposed. All sesquiterpenoids were evaluated for their antibacterial, cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory effects. The bioassay results showed compound 14 exhibited significant antibacterial activities against a variety of fish and human pathogenic bacteria with MIC 90 values ranging from 3.6 to 33.8 μg/mL. Moreover, moderate cytotoxic effects against HEL cells for components 13 and 14 and moderate inhibitory effect on lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory responses in RAW264.7 cells for substance 13 were also observed. [Display omitted] • 14 sesquiterpenes were isolated from Sinularia tumulosa applying molecular networking. • These isolates possessed nine different carbon frameworks. • Situmulosaol C (4) was the second member of capillosane-type sesquiterpenes. • Absolute configurations were assigned by QM-NMR, TDDFT ECD, ICD, and Mosher's method. • Compound 14 showed significant antibacterial and moderate cytotoxic activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metamaterials with the capability to control wave propagation in fluid or solid mediums have attracted plenty of fundamental scientific and engineering research in recent decades. This paper proposes a novel metamaterial, named Quasi-periodic sonic black hole (Q-SBH), to achieve both acoustic bandgap and elastic bandgap. The Q-SHB consists of two functional units: outer soft shells and inner stiff rings. The stiff rings with decaying inner radii are connected by soft shells, and the distances between rings take linear variation. The Q-SBH reserves the slow-sound effect of sonic black hole and the non-uniformly distributed rings serve as mistuning vibration absorbers. On the basis of these characteristics, broadband low-frequency acoustic and elastic bandgaps are generated simultaneously. We demonstrate the attenuation performance of the Q-SBH by theoretical, numerical and experimental methods. Parametric analysis and multi-objective optimization of the structure are carried out. The results demonstrate the great potential of the proposed Q-SBH in a broad range of physical fields requiring both air-borne noise reduction and structural vibration suppression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, deep learning approaches have shown remarkable advancements in Multivariate Time Series Classification (MTSC) tasks. However, the existing approaches primarily focus on capturing the long-term correlations of time series or identifying local key sequence fragments, inevitably neglecting the synergistic properties between global and local components. Additionally, most representation learning methods for MTSC rely on self-supervised learning, which limits their ability to fully exploit label information. Hence, this paper proposes a novel approach termed Dual-Stream Encoder and Dual-Level Contrastive Learning Network (DSDCLNet), which integrates a Dual-Stream Encoder (DSE) and Dual-level Contrastive Learning (DCL). First, to extract multiscale local-global features from multivariate time series data, we employ a DSE architecture comprising an Attention-Gated Recurrent Unit (AGRU) and a Dual-layer Multiscale Convolutional Neural Network (DMSCNN). Specifically, DMSCNN consists of a series of multi-scale convolutional layers and a max pooling layer. Second, to maximize the utilization of label information, a new loss function is designed, which combines classification loss, instance-level contrastive loss, and temporal-level contrastive loss. Finally, experiments are conducted on the UEA datasets and the results demonstrate that DSDCLNet achieves the highest average accuracy of 0.77, outperforming traditional approaches, deep learning approaches, and self-supervised approaches on 30, 23, and 27 datasets, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the sudden change of environment and limited studies on the effects of COVID-19 lockdown among university students, this study therefore aims to examine the effects of COVID-19 lockdown on physical activity level and mental health among university students in Malaysia. This is a cross-sectional study involving university students studying in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Demographics information, living status during COVID-19, physical activity level and mental health status were obtained through online questionnaire via Microsoft forms. Paired T-test was used to compare the effect of physical activity level and mental health status during COVID-19 lockdown. Data on falls was available for 383 participants with 254 (66.3 %) women and 129 (33.7%) men. Overall, the metabolic equivalent task (MET) of vigorous, moderate, mild, and total MET has decreased during COVID-19 lockdown as compared to before COVID-19 lockdown. Approximately an increment of 6% of participants reported having depression and anxiety during COVID-19 lockdown. In conclusion, significant impact on physical activity level and mental health was found in our study. Our study findings could therefore assist educational institutions and policymakers in forming strategies to improve student's overall health, yet further longitudinal studies should be performed to examine the long-term effects of COVID-19 lockdown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogels have emerged as promising materials for the construction of skin-like mechanical sensors. The common design of hydrogel-based artificial skin requires a dielectric sandwiched between two hydrogel layers for capacitive sensing. However, such a planar configuration limits the sensitivity, stretchability and self-healing properties. Here, we report the design of single-layer composite hydrogels with bulk capacitive junctions as mechanical sensors. We engineer dielectric peptide-coated graphene (PCG) to serve as homogenously dispersed electric double layers in hydrogels. Any mechanical motions that alter the microscopic distributions of PCG in the hydrogels can significantly change the overall capacitance. We use peptide self-assembly to render strong yet dynamic interfacial interactions between the hydrogel network and graphene. The resulting hydrogels can be stretched up to 77 times their original length and self-heal in a few minutes. The devices can effectively sense strain and pressure in both air and aqueous environments, providing tremendous opportunities for next-generation iontronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Estuarine geomorphic units exhibit varying response mechanisms to river floods. • The fine-grained sediment of tidal flat logarithmically correlated with peak flow. • Dams modified the quantitative relationship of sedimentary record to river floods. Interpretation of sedimentary records is a crucial method for studying paleo-floods. However, the response intensity of sedimentary records to floods may be altered by reservoir storage. Therefore, depicting flood intensity in sedimentary records and alterations in the response relationship is the primary challenge in paleo-flood reconstruction. This study used the Yalu River catchment–estuary–coast as the research area and quantitatively reconstructed the response relationship between sediment grain size composition and flood intensity. This was conducted through a combination of forward simulation of the HYDROTREND hydrological model and reconstruction of sedimentary records, as well as evaluating the impact of reservoir regulation on the quantitative relationship. The findings showed that the lower Yalu River channel and tidal flat were both efficient at preserving flood records. However, there were significant differences in the response of different geomorphic units to floods. The river channel showed a significant increase in the coarse-sensitive component, whereas the tidal flat exhibited a substantial increase in the fine-sensitive component. Further study showed that there was a significant logarithmic relationship between the content of the fine-sensitive fraction and flood intensity. The sensitivity of the fine-sensitive fraction towards small floods was much higher than that toward extreme floods. In addition, reservoir construction caused a significant shift in the relationship between flood intensity and flood-related sensitive sediment fractions. Consequently, the reconstructed flood intensities of the pre-dam construction showed diverse levels of magnification based on the quantitative relationship between the sedimentary record and flood intensity of the post-dam. Meanwhile, this shift led to an increase in flood intensity corresponding to the critical value of the flood record that could be detected: from floods with a return period exceeding two years before dam construction to floods with a return period exceeding five years after dam construction. This study has quantitatively reconstructed the relationship between sediment grain size fractions and flood intensity and assessed the impact of reservoir construction on the quantitative relationship. It has also provided new ideas for more accurate reconstruction of paleo-flood intensity changes in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The study is aimed at exploring the relationship of platelet-to-lymphocyte (PLR), all-cause, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients based on gender. Methods. A total of 1438 PD patients from January 1,2007 to December 31, 2014 in PD center at The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, were included. Patients were followed up until December 31, 2019. The endpoint was all-cause mortality and CVD mortality. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate the association of PLR with all-cause and CVD mortality to calculate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results. After a median of 48.9 (interquartile range [IQR]: 23.4-79.3) months of follow-up, 406 (28.2%) patients died based on all-cause death, among which 200 (49.3%) patients died from CVD. In the multivariate Cox regression model, we found that PLR was independently related to an increased risk of CVD mortality only in female PD patients, with HR of 1.003 (95% CI: 1.001-1.006). Interaction test showed that the correlation between PLR level for all-cause and CVD mortality varied with gender (p = 0.042 and p = 0.012 , respectively). Conclusion. Higher PLR was associated with a higher risk of CVD mortality in female PD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dysregulation of circular RNAs (circRNAs) plays an important role in the development of gastric cancer; thus, revealing the biological and molecular mechanisms of abnormally expressed circRNAs is critical for identifying novel therapeutic targets in gastric cancer. Methods: A circRNA microarray was performed to identify differentially expressed circRNAs between primary and distant metastatic tissues and between gastric cancer tissues sensitive or resistant to anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) therapy. The expression of circRNA discs large homolog 1 (DLG1) was determined in a larger cohort of primary and distant metastatic gastric cancer tissues. The role of circDLG1 in gastric cancer progression was evaluated both in vivo and in vitro, and the effect of circDLG1 on the antitumor activity of anti-PD-1 was evaluated in vivo. The interaction between circDLG1 and miR-141-3p was assessed by RNA immunoprecipitation and luciferase assays. Results: circDLG1 was significantly upregulated in distant metastatic lesions and gastric cancer tissues resistant to anti-PD-1 therapy and was associated with an aggressive tumor phenotype and adverse prognosis in gastric cancer patients treated with anti-PD-1 therapy. Ectopic circDLG1 expression promoted the proliferation, migration, invasion, and immune evasion of gastric cancer cells. Mechanistically, circDLG1 interacted with miR-141-3p and acted as a miRNA sponge to increase the expression of CXCL12, which promoted gastric cancer progression and resistance to anti-PD-1-based therapy. Conclusions: Overall, our findings demonstrate how circDLG1 promotes gastric cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion and immune evasion and provide a new perspective on the role of circRNAs during gastric cancer progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research provides a multi-criteria group decision support model for hotel selection according to traveller preference characteristics. Specifically, the study attempts to identify characteristic preferences among travellers through online reviews and then generate recommendation lists under these characteristics. Utilizing a sample of 48,756 online reviews on TripAdvisor.com, the research exploits natural language processing to acquire high-frequency feature words and employs these features to group online reviews for filtering unrelated ones. Subsequently, online reviews and fuzzy theory are combined to develop a decision support model, by utilising the information of user ratings and text comments. In addition, the related extension of the theoretic knowledge is presented. The findings demonstrate that, hotel quality varies under different characteristics and a comprehensive evaluation of hotels would encounter difficulty meeting travellers' demands, and the proposed model exhibits great performance in addressing this condition. The study can enable travellers to make a satisfactory hotel selection that matches their expectation to a high degree and also provides implications for hoteliers to understand tourist preferences and for tourism websites to optimize management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Anti‐neurofascin‐155 (NF155) antibodies have been observed in two cases with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD). This study investigated the prevalence of anti‐NF155 antibodies in patients with NMOSD and the clinical features of anti‐NF155 antibody‐positive patients. Sera from 129 patients with NMOSD were screened with anti‐NF155 antibodies by cell‐based assay (CBA) and re‐examined using immunostaining of teased mouse sciatic nerve fibres. Fifty‐six patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and 50 healthy controls (HC) were also enrolled for detecting anti‐NF155 antibodies. A total of 12.40% (16 of 129) of patients with NMOSD were positive for anti‐NF155 antibodies confirmed by both CBA and immunostaining. Immunoglobulin (Ig) G1 was the predominant subclass. However, none of 56 MS patients or 50 HC were positive for anti‐NF155 antibodies. Anti‐NF155 antibody‐positive NMOSD patients had a higher proportion of co‐existing with autoimmune diseases (p < 0.001) and higher positive rates of serum non‐organ‐specific autoantibodies, including anti‐SSA antibodies (p < 0.001), anti‐SSB antibodies (p = 0.008), anti‐Ro‐52 antibodies (p < 0.001) and rheumatoid factor (p < 0.001). Five anti‐NF155 antibody‐positive NMOSD patients who took part in the nerve conduction study showed mildly abnormal results. Differences in some nerve conduction study parameters were observed between anti‐NF155 antibody‐positive and negative patients. Anti‐NF155 antibodies occurred in a small proportion of NMOSD patients. Anti‐NF155 antibody‐positive NMOSD patients tended to co‐exist with autoimmune diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hospital environment has been implicated in the enrichment and exchange of pathogens and antibiotic resistance, but its potential in shaping the symbiotic microbial community of hospital staff is unclear. This study was designed to evaluate the alteration of the gut microbiome in medical workers compared to non-medical controls. A prospective cross-sectional cohort study was conducted in the intensive care unit (ICU) and other departments of a centre in north-eastern China. Faecal samples of 175 healthy medical workers—short-term (1–3 months) workers (n = 80) and long-term (>1 year) workers (n = 95)—and 80 healthy non-medical controls were analysed using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. The hospital environmental samples (n = 9) were also analysed. The gut microbiomes of medical workers exhibited marked deviations in diversity and alteration in microbial composition and function. Short-term workers showed significantly higher abundances of taxa such as Lactobacillus , Butyrivibrio , Clostridiaceae, Clostridium , Ruminococcus , Dialister , Bifidobacterium , Odoribacter , and Desulfovibrio and lower abundances of Bacteroides and Blautia than the controls. Long-term workers showed higher abundances of taxa such as Dialister , Veillonella , Clostridiaceae , Clostridium , Bilophila , Desulfovibrio , Pseudomonas , and Akkermansia and lower abundances of Bacteroides and Coprococcus than the controls. The medical workers' department (ICU versus non-ICU) and position (resident doctor versus nursing staff) also impacted their gut microbiome. Compared with the non-ICU workers, workers in the ICU showed a significant increase in the abundances of Dialister , Enterobacteriaceae, Phascolarctobacterium , Pseudomonas , Veillonella , and Streptococcus and a marked depletion of Faecalibacterium , Blautia , and Coprococcus. In contrast with the nursing staff, the resident doctors showed a significant increase in Erysipelotrichaceae and Clostridium and a decrease in Bacteroides , Blautia , and Ruminococcus in the gut microbiome. Moreover, we found that the microbiota of hospital environments potentially correlated with the workers' gut microbiota. Our findings demonstrated structural changes in the gut microbial community of medical workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine oil spills are among the most significant sources of marine pollution. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) has been used to improve oil spill observations because of its advantages in oil spill detection and identification. However, speckle noise, weak boundaries, and intensity inhomogeneity often exist in the oil spill regions of SAR imagery, which will seriously affect the accurate identification of oil spills. To enhance marine oil spill segmentation of SAR images, a fast, edge-preserving framework based on the distance-regularized level set evolution (DRLSE) model was proposed. Specifically, a bilateral filter penalty term is designed and incorporated into the DRLSE energy function (BF-DRLSE) to preserve the edges of oil spills, and an adaptive initial box boundary was selected for the DRLSE model to reduce the operation time complexity. Two sets of RadarSat-2 SAR data were used to test the proposed method. The experimental results indicate that the bilateral filtering scheme incorporated into the energy function during level set evolution improved the stability of level set evolution. Compared with other methods, the proposed improved BF-DRLSE algorithm displayed a higher overall segmentation accuracy (97.83%). In addition, using an appropriate initial box boundary for the DRLSE method accelerated the global search process, improved the accuracy of oil spill segmentation, and reduced computational time. Therefore, the results suggest that the proposed framework is effective and applicable for marine oil spill segmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tl-based superconducting devices have been drawn much attention for their high transition temperature (Tc), which allow the high temperature superconductors (HTS) devices to operate at temperature near 100 K. The realization of Tl-based devices will promote the research and application of HTS devices. In this work, we present transport properties of Tl2Ba2CaCu2O8 (Tl-2212) microbridges across a low-angle step on LaAlO3 (LAO) substrate. We experimentally demonstrate intrinsic Josephson effects (IJEs) in Tl-2212 films by tailoring the geometry, i.e., reducing the width of the microbridges. In the case of a 1 μm width microbridge, in addition to the observation of voltage branches and remarkable hysteresis on the current–voltage (I–V) characteristics, the temperature dependence of differential resistance shows a finite resistance above 60 K when the bias current is below the critical current. For comparison, the wider microbridges are also investigated, exhibiting a highly critical current but do not showing obvious IJEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiment was to study the effect of Astragalus on growth performance and muscle nutritional components of I. punctatus. A total of 600 I. punctatus with the body weight of (56.40 ± 1.60) g were randomly divided into four groups (G0, G1, G2 and G3 groups), with three replicates in each group and 50 fish in each replicate. The fish were fed with different proportions of Astragalus (0, 1%, 2% and .3%), respectively. The experiment lasted for 48 d. The results showed that WGR and SGR of I. punctatus in test groups were significantly higher than those in control group (P<0.05), the fatness of I. punctatus in group G2, group G3 were significantly higher than that in control group (P<0.05). The muscle crude protein content in muscle of test groups adding Astragalus was significantly higher than that of control group (P<0.05), the crude fat content in muscle of group G2, G3 were significantly higher than that in control group (P<0.05). The experiment indicates that Astragalus can effectively improve the growth performance and muscle quality of fish by adding basic feed of I. punctatus, which is recommended to add 2% of Astragalus to achieve better results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. A female prognostic advantage in younger individuals has been demonstrated in various cancers. Several large-scale analyses based on different racial backgrounds have reported inconsistent results in colorectal cancer. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prognostic value of sex and age in patients with colorectal cancer of different ethnic groups. Methods. We identified 71,812 eligible patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database. According to age at diagnosis, the patients were categorized into premenopausal age (≤45 yrs), menopausal age (46–54 yrs), and postmenopausal age (≥55 yrs) subgroups for further analysis. Results. Multivariate analysis identified the female survival advantage to be significant in the premenopausal age subgroup (P = 0.002 , HR (95% CI): 0.73 (0.60–0.89)), diminished in the menopausal age subgroup (P = 0.09), and absent in the postmenopausal age subgroup (P = 0.96). Furthermore, the female survival advantage at premenopausal age was significant only in white patients (P = 0.001 , HR (95% CI): 0.68 (0.54–0.87)) and not in either American Indian/Alaska Native or Asian or Pacific Islander patients. There was a trend of better survival of females in black patients (P = 0.07). Conclusions. Sex was a major prognostic factor in colorectal cancer patients, especially premenopausal women, and the difference was also associated with race. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines EFL students' metacognitive strategy use in a university flipped classroom and the underlying factors of metacognitive strategy use. The participants in our study were students enrolled in an elective English course at a university in Taiwan, where they had to watch online course videos outside of class and participate in activities that required knowledge application. Students' metacognitive strategy use and factors affecting their use were elicited through written accounts, class observations, and semi-structured interviews. Findings show that factors affecting their metacognitive strategy use include students' expected learning outcome and peer learning. Students' greater control over learning in a flipped classroom context further facilitates their metacognitive strategies. Finally, possible directions for metacognitive instruction are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Depression is the most disabling neuropsychiatric disorder, causing difficulties in daily life activities and social interactions. The exact mechanisms of depression remain largely unclear. However, some studies have shown that mitochondrial dysfunction would play a crucial role in the occurrence and development of depression. Aims: To summarize the known knowledge about the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in the pathogenesis of depression. Methods: We review the recent literature， including 105 articles, to summarize the mitochondrial energy metabolism and quality control systems in the occurrence and development of depression. Some antidepressants which may exert their effects by improving mitochondrial function are also discussed. Results: Impaired brain energy metabolism and (or) damaged mitochondrial quality control systems have been reported not only in depression patients but in animal models of depression. Although the classical antidepressants have not been specially designed to target mitochondria, the evidence suggests that many antidepressants may exert their effects by improving mitochondrial function. Conclusions: This brief review focuses on the findings that implicate mitochondrial dysfunction and the quality control systems as important etiological factors in the context of depressive disorders. It will help us to understand the various concepts of mitochondrial dysfunction in the pathogenesis of depression, and to explore novel and more targeted therapeutic approaches for depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing different model age determination methods of uranium sample could get more information on insight into source and suspected use in nuclear forensic investigation. A procedure for the determination of model age of uranium sample using 231Pa/235U radiochronometer was reported. The 233Pa spike used in the procedure of 231Pa–235U model age determination was separated from in-house 237Np stock solution by using two TRU resin columns and three silica gel columns and calibrated by CRM U100. Model ages of CRM U010 and IRMM-1000b were presented. The model age of IRMM-1000b using 231Pa/235U radiochronometer were older than the literature reported results by 230Th/234U radiochronometer by amounts exceeded the expanded uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although numerous studies have investigated the clinicopathologic and prognostic relevance of mucinous adenocarcinoma (MAC) and signet-ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) compared with classic adenocarcinoma (CA), little is known about the prognosis of adenocarcinoma with mixed subtypes (AM) and the differences among these four subtypes.Methods: The statistics of colorectal cancer registered in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database were retrieved and analyzed. We also compared the clinicopathologic and prognostic relevance between CA, SRCC, MAC, and AM.Results: The frequencies of these four subtypes were 69.9% (CA, n = 15,812), 25.1% (MAC, n = 5689), 3.6% (SRCC, n = 814) and 1.4% (AM, n = 321), respectively. All of MAC, SRCC, and AM were significantly related with aggressive features. Only SRCC and AM were identified as independent poor prognostic markers for overall survival by multivariate analysis. The aggressiveness of AM was between MAC and SRCC according to the clinicopathologic associations. The prognosis of AM was significantly worse than MAC but comparable with SRCC.Conclusions: We confirmed the clinicopathologic relevance with aggressive features of MAC and SRCC, as well as poor prognostic relevance of SRCC by analyzing a large study population data set. Furthermore, we identified AM as a rare but aggressive histologic subtype in colorectal cancer, to which particular attention should be given in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overweight and obesity in preschoolers might develop into childhood and even adulthood obesity. Overweight and obesity have been shown to be negatively related with cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in children and adults but few studies did among preschoolers. We aimed to evaluate whether excess body adipose is negatively associated with CRF in both the submaximal and maximal effort of preschool children in exercise testing and to examine if there is difference to achieve maximal effort during exercise testing between preschoolers with normal and excess body adipose. Data of 106 preschoolers aged 4–6 that received symptom-limited treadmill exercise testing was analyzed. Anthropometry was measured by vector bioelectrical impedance analysis. Excess body adipose was defined as (1) 'overweight' and 'obesity' by body mass index (BMI), (2) fat mass index (FMI) greater than the sex- and age-specific 75th percentile of whole subjects, and (3) fat-free mass index (FFMI) smaller than the sex- and age-specific 25th percentile. CRF was indicated by metabolic equivalent (MET) at anaerobic threshold (AT MET), peak MET, oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES) calculated by the 50% (OUES-50) and the entire (OUES-100) duration of the exercise testing. Preschoolers with excess body adipose by three different definitions (BMI, FMI, and FFMI) all had poorer ability to perform maximal effort (p = 0.004, 0.043, and 0.007, respectively). Preschoolers with excess body adipose by BMI and FFMI classifications had lower OUES-50 (p = 0.018, and 0.001, respectively), and lower OUES-100 (p = 0.004, and 0.001, respectively) than peers with normal body adipose during exercise testing while those with excess body adipose by FMI classification showed no significant differences from peers with normal body adipose in both OUES-50 and OUES-100. Preschoolers with excess body adipose had lower CRF significantly during treadmill exercise testing. Weight control and health promotion should start as early as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to serve a key role in a variety of cardiovascular diseases, including in cardiac fibrosis. The present study aimed to investigate the biological role and underlying mechanisms of the induction of cardiac fibroblasts by the lncRNA, RNA component of mitochondrial RNA processing endoribonuclease (RMRP). The results demonstrated that RMRP expression was upregulated in the presence of cardiac fibrosis in an abdominal aortic banding-treated rat model. Treatment with angiotensin II increased RMRP expression in cardiac fibroblasts, while the knockdown of RMRP by small-interfering RNA inhibited cardiac fibroblast proliferation, differentiation and collagen accumulation. To further investigate the underlying mechanisms of this interaction, microRNA (miR)-613 was predicted to be a target miR of RMRP and sequence alignment, luciferase activity and MS2 RNA immunoprecipitation were performed to detect the interaction between RMRP and miR-613. The results suggested that RMRP negatively regulated miR-613 in cardiac fibroblasts. Furthermore, miR-613 was indicated to mediate the promoting effect of RMRP on cardiac fibroblast activation. The current study suggested that RMRP promoted cardiac fibroblast activation by acting as a competing endogenous RNA for miR-613. Therefore, RMRP may be a novel target for the prevention or treatment of cardiac fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of dietary conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) supplementation on lipid metabolism in laying hens was investigated. A total of 360 eighteen-wk-old Hy-Line Brown layers were randomly divided into 4 groups that consisted of 6 replicates with 15 birds each. Birds were fed basal diets with 0, 1%, 2%, and 4% CLA addition. The experiment lasted for 56 D after a 7-D adaptation period. Results showed that dietary CLA addition linearly reduced (P < 0.05) abdominal fat percentage but linearly increased (P < 0.05) relative liver weight of layers on day 56. A linear reduction (P < 0.05) in serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level and a linear elevation (P < 0.05) in the ratio of serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level to LDL-C level of layers on both days 28 and 56 were observed with dietary CLA addition, which also linearly decreased (P < 0.05) cholesterol content in the liver of layers on day 56 as well as in eggs on both days 28 and 56. Besides, there were linear reductions (P < 0.05) in the gene expression and contents of hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGR) and cholesterol 7 alpha hydroxylase 1 (CYP7A1), along with a linear increase (P < 0.05) in the gene expression and content of hepatic low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) in layers responded to dietary CLA addition. In conclusion, dietary CLA supplementation decreased the accumulation of lipids including abdominal fat and cholesterol in the liver and egg of laying hens, probably by upregulating hepatic LDLR expression and downregulating hepatic HMGR and CYP7A1 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Low bone mineral density occurs more commonly in patients with haemophilia (PWH) than the general population. However, the risk of haemophilia‐related osteoporotic fractures has not been well established. We aim to explore the relationship between haemophilia and the development of osteoporotic fractures following haemophilia. Methods: This was a nationwide population‐based cohort study based on the data in the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (TNHIRD). Patients who were diagnosed with haemophilia were selected. A comparison cohort was formed of patients without haemophilia who were matched according to age and sex. The incidence rate and the hazard ratios (HRs) of new‐onset osteoporotic fractures were calculated for both cohorts. Results: The haemophilia cohort consisted of 75 patients, and the comparison cohort comprised 300 matched control patients without haemophilia. The risk of osteoporotic fractures was higher in the haemophilia cohort than in the comparison cohort (HR = 5.41, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.42‐12.1, P < 0.001). After adjustments for age, sex, comorbidities, urbanizations and socio‐economic status, PWH were 4.37 times more likely to develop osteoporotic fractures (95% CI = 1.88‐10.17, P = 0.001) as compared to matched cohort. In addition, the incidence of newly diagnosed osteoporotic fractures was significantly increased after 5‐year follow‐up durations. Conclusion: Though our study by TNHIRD presented methodologic flaws by its design nature, we observed that haemophilia may increase the risk of osteoporotic fractures and the cumulative incidence was significantly higher for PWH diagnosed more than 5 years. Clinicians should pay particular attention to osteoporotic fractures following haemophilia in PWH as they age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, Eu-doped La 3 Si 8 N 11 O 4 phosphors with different doping concentrations are fabricated by solid state reaction method. A broad and asymmetric emission band that covers the wavelength range of 425–550 nm is observed. X-ray diffraction Rietveld refinement and X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) analyses reveal the co-existence of both trivalent and divalent states of Eu. By coating the phosphor particles with an ultrathin carbon layer using CVD technique, followed by an annealing in N 2 at 1600 °C, the trivalent ions Eu3+ are reduced to Eu2+, resulting in a significant enhancement of quantum efficiency, both internal and external, and absorption efficiency. The application of the La 3 Si 8 N 11 O 4 :Eu in white light-emitting diodes is tested by coating the phosphor onto a near-UV LED chip in combination with the red-, green- and blue-emitting phosphors ([Ca, Sr]AlSiN 3 :Eu, ®-Sialon:Eu and BaMgAl 10 O 17 :Eu, respectively). It is demonstrated that the presence of the La 3 Si 8 N 11 O 4 :Eu phosphor significantly enhances the color rendering index of the device, showing its great potential for wLEDs applications. • The microstructure evolution of La 3 Si 8 N 11 O 4 : Eu phosphor was clarified in detail. • Both trivalent and divalent states of Eu exist in La 3 Si 8 N 11 O 4 : Eu. • Eu3+ was reduced to Eu2+ by carbon coating and annealing. • The highest quantum efficiency was achieved in the treated phosphors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zirconium Boride is widely used as thermal protection materials. However, the characteristics of poor oxidation resistance of ZrB 2 at high temperatures limits its applications. In order to improve the anti-oxidation performance of ZrB 2 , a novel method of doping LaF 3 is adopted in present study. In the synthesis process of ZrB 2 via carbothermal reduction method, LaF 3 was introduced to the initial materials. Motivated by the slightly higher formation temperature of ZrB 2 than the melting point of LaF 3 , a liquid glass phase composed of F and La was deposited on the surface of ZrB 2 , which naturally brought in oxygen starvation and contributed to improved oxidation resistance performance. The crystal lattice parameters and the anti-oxidation ability of ZrB 2 are closely dependent on the added LaF 3 content, which can ascribe to La3+/Zr2+ substitution and the amount of glass phase on the surface of ZrB 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel 3D lattice structure combining the load bearing capability and broadband vibration suppression. • The acoustic black hole functional unit to realize the omnidirectional vibration bandgap in the low frequency domain. • Experimental validation of high stiffness-density ratio and ultra-wide vibration attenuation band. • Multi-optimization for superior static and dynamic properties. Multifunctional 3D lattice structures with unconventional mechanical properties offer unique material properties and broad applications in complex engineering environments. This paper proposes a novel 3D lightweight lattice structure based on the acoustic black hole (ABH) to achieve high load-bearing capability and vibration suppression in the low-frequency domain. In the microunit of the lattice structure, three ABH struts arranged in the X, Y, and Z directions are connected by a center stud and then assembled into a simple cubic lattice (SC) by a body-centered cubic (BCC) support. The proposed SC-BCC-ABH lattice structure is analyzed through simulation and experiments to investigate its static stiffness and vibration bandgaps. The results show that the Gibson-Ashby coefficient of SC-BCC-ABH is higher than that of typical lattice structures, indicating that superior stiffness is achieved. For vibration suppression, the proposed lattice structure generates a wide pseudo bandgap with a relative bandwidth of 0.81, which can be further increased to 1.17 by optimizing the structural parameters. The formation mechanism of the board bandgap is closely related to the ABH effect and the coupled vibration between ABH and SC parts. Parametric analysis and optimization procedures are carried out to obtain better static and dynamic performance. The SC-BCC-ABH lattice structure shows great application potential in micro-vibration isolation and impact protection for high-precision devices. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of neoclassical toroidal viscosity (NTV) induced by resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) on tungsten has been studied in EAST. Modeling results from NTVTOK show that the NTV effect on low charge state tungsten ions is greater than that on high charge state tungsten ions, and the effective transport coefficient of W 20 + is only on the order of 10 − 4 – 10 − 3 m 2 / s , while the effective transport coefficient of W 1 + can reach 0.1–1 m 2 / s , which is close to the 2D neoclassical diffusion coefficient of W 1 + . The flux of W 1 + exhibits a clear phase dependence on the RMP spectrum, and the W 1 + flux obtained from NTVTOK is higher at low toroidal mode numbers compared to high toroidal mode numbers of RMPs, which is qualitatively consistent with EAST experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]