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Abstract. Background:. The available evidence regarding the benefits of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on patients receiving dialysis with coronary artery disease (CAD) is limited and inconsistent. This study aimed to evaluate the association between PCI and clinical outcomes as compared with medical therapy alone in patients undergoing dialysis with CAD in China. Methods:. This multicenter, retrospective study was conducted in 30 tertiary medical centers across 12 provinces in China from January 2015 to June 2021 to include patients on dialysis with CAD. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as a composite of cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and non-fatal stroke. Secondary outcomes included all-cause death, the individual components of MACE, and Bleeding Academic Research Consortium criteria types 2, 3, or 5 bleeding. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the association between PCI and outcomes. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) and propensity score matching (PSM) were performed to account for potential between-group differences. Results:. Of the 1146 patients on dialysis with significant CAD, 821 (71.6%) underwent PCI. After a median follow-up of 23.0 months, PCI was associated with a 43.0% significantly lower risk for MACE (33.9% [n = 278] vs. 43.7% [n = 142]; adjusted hazards ratio 0.57, 95% confidence interval 0.45–0.71), along with a slightly increased risk for bleeding outcomes that did not reach statistical significance (11.1% vs. 8.3%; adjusted hazards ratio 1.31, 95% confidence interval, 0.82–2.11). Furthermore, PCI was associated with a significant reduction in all-cause and cardiovascular mortalities. Subgroup analysis did not modify the association of PCI with patient outcomes. These primary findings were consistent across IPTW, PSM, and competing risk analyses. Conclusion:. This study indicated that PCI in patients on dialysis with CAD was significantly associated with lower MACE and mortality when comparing with those with medical therapy alone, albeit with a slightly increased risk for bleeding events that did not reach statistical significance.

Abstract Flagella are essential for biofilm formation, adhesion, virulence, and motility. In this study, the deletion of argR resulted in defects in flagellar synthesis and reduced motility, nevertheless, the underlying mechanism by which ArgR regulated bacterial motility remained unclear. ChIP-Seq and RNA-Seq analysis revealed that ArgR regulated the expression of flagellar genes, concluding two-component system flrBC and multitudinous flagellar structure genes. Specifically, ArgR bound to the ARG box in the flrBC promoter, positively regulating flrBC expression, which in turn promoted flagellar synthesis and enhanced motility. Additionally, in the absence of arginine, ArgR inhibited the expression of diguanylate cyclase, leading to reduced c-di-GMP levels, thereby alleviating its inhibitory effect on motility. Thus, ArgR coordinated two distinct pathways to regulate flagellar assembly and motility, ultimately affecting adhesion, virulence, and biofilm formation. In summary, this study elucidates the molecular mechanism by which ArgR regulates motility, highlighting its crucial role in bacterial virulence and offering new insights for the prevention and control of pathogenic bacteria.

Here, an innovative approach to achieve near-infrared (NIR) long-lived circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) in amorphous organic polymer materials was achieved. By co-doping bi-naphthalene derivative R/S-BPN as energy donors with porphyrin derivative TPPOH as energy acceptor into PVA polymer matrix, the NIR long-lifetime fluorescence was successfully realized through the principles of triplet-to-singlet Förster resonance energy transfer (TS-FRET). Photophysical characterizations revealed distinct room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) emission peaks and phosphorescence lifetimes for different donor-acceptor ratios. The TS-FRET process facilitated extended lifetime and red-shifted emission of the acceptor TPPOH. Moreover, employing the chiral donor R/S-BPN as chiral seeds to establish chiral environments facilitated the achievement of near-infrared CPL. These findings offer a novel and practical strategy for achieving long-wavelength and long-lifetime CPL fluorescence without complex molecular engineering, presenting potential applications in various technological fields.

In order to address the issue of multi-information fusion, this paper proposed a method for bearing fault diagnosis based on multisource and multimodal information fusion. Existing bearing fault diagnosis methods mainly rely on single sensor information. Nevertheless, mechanical faults in bearings are intricate and subject to countless excitation disturbances, which poses a great challenge for accurate identification if only relying on feature extraction from single sensor input. In this paper, a multisource information fusion model based on auto-encoder was first established to achieve the fusion of multi-sensor signals. Based on the fused signals, multimodal feature extraction was realized by integrating image features and time-frequency statistical information. The one-dimensional vibration signals were converted into two-dimensional time-frequency images by continuous wavelet transform (CWT), and then they were fed into the Resnet network for fault diagnosis. At the same time, the time-frequency statistical features of the fused 1D signal were extracted from the integrated perspective of time and frequency domains and inputted into the improved 1D convolutional neural network model based on the residual block and attention mechanism (1DCNN-REA) model to realize fault diagnosis. Finally, the tree-structured parzen estimator (TPE) algorithm was utilized to realize the integration of two models in order to improve the diagnostic effect of a single model and obtain the final bearing fault diagnosis results. The proposed model was validated using real experimental data, and the results of the comparison and ablation experiments showed that compared with other models, the proposed model can precisely diagnosis the fault type with an accuracy rate of 98.93%.

Abstract Background Hyperuricemia (HUA) and gout have been demonstrated as independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The relationship between the recently updated Life’s Essentials 8 (LE8), which measures ideal cardiovascular health (CVH), and HUA and gout remains unclear. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between CVH and the prevalence of HUA and gout among a nationally representative sample of US adults. Methods This study utilized cross-sectional analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for the years 2007 to 2018. The CVH scores and their corresponding components were defined according to the guidelines established by the American Heart Association. The association between the LE8 score and both HUA and gout was assessed using weighted multivariable logistic and restricted cubic spline (RCS) models. Results Among the 21,155 participants aged 20 years and older, the prevalence of HUA was 17.20% (95% CI, 16.05–18.36%), and the prevalence of gout was 3.58% (95% CI, 3.13–4.02%). After adjusting for potential confounders, compared to participants exhibiting low CVH, the multivariable adjusted odds ratio (OR) for HUA was 0.65 (95% CI, 0.56–0.75) in those with moderate CVH, and 0.25 (95% CI, 0.20–0.31) in those with high CVH. Additionally, compared to participants with low CVH, the multivariable adjusted OR for gout was 0.66 (95% CI, 0.53–0.81) in those with moderate CVH and 0.32 (95% CI, 0.20–0.50) in those with high CVH. The LE8 score exhibited a significant nonlinear negative association with HUA and linear negative correlation with gout. In subgroup analyses focusing on HUA, significant interactions were observed between LE8 score and age, sex, and CKD (P for interaction

Abstract In this multicenter, non-inferiority, randomized trial, we randomly assigned 992 women undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) with a good prognosis (aged 20-40, ≥3 transferrable cleavage-stage embryos) to strategies of blastocyst-stage (n = 497) or cleavage-stage (n = 495) single embryo transfer. Primary outcome was cumulative live-birth rate after up to three transfers. Secondary outcomes were cumulative live-births after all embryo transfers within 1 year of randomization, pregnancy outcomes, obstetric-perinatal complications, and livebirths outcomes. Live-birth rates were 74.8% in blastocyst-stage group versus 66.3% in cleavage-stage group (relative risk 1.13, 95%CI:1.04-1.22; Pnon-inferiority 3 days. Among good prognosis women, a strategy of single blastocyst transfer increases cumulative live-birth rates over single cleavage-stage transfer. Blastocyst transfer resulted in higher preterm birth rates. This information should be used to counsel patients on their choice between cleavage-stage and blastocyst-stage transfer (NCT03152643, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03152643 ).

Abstract Subretinal fibrosis permanently impairs the vision of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Despite emerging evidence revealing the association between disturbed metabolism in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and subretinal fibrosis, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In the present study, single-cell RNA sequencing revealed, prior to subretinal fibrosis, genes in mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation are downregulated in the RPE lacking very low-density lipoprotein receptor (VLDLR), especially the rate-limiting enzyme carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A (CPT1A). We found that overexpression of CPT1A in the RPE of Vldlr −/− mice suppresses epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and fibrosis. Mechanistically, TGFβ2 induces fibrosis by activating a Warburg-like effect, i.e. increased glycolysis and decreased mitochondrial respiration through ERK-dependent CPT1A degradation. Moreover, VLDLR blocks the formation of the TGFβ receptor I/II complex by interacting with unglycosylated TGFβ receptor II. In conclusion, VLDLR suppresses fibrosis by attenuating TGFβ2-induced metabolic reprogramming, and CPT1A is a potential target for treating subretinal fibrosis.

Abstract Background Chondroitin polymerizing factor (CHPF) has been found to be involved in the development of numerous cancers and correlated with poor prognosis. However, its role in the tumorigenesis and development of colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unknown. Methods In our research, we explored CHPF expression and clinicopathological characteristics using The Cancer Genome Atlas Program (TCGA), UALCAN, GSE9348, TIMER2.0 and The Human Protein Atlas (HPA) database, in addition, we validated CHPF expression in CRC cell lines by Real-Time Quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot (WB). KM-Plotter, PrognoScan and TCGA were also utilized to verify its prognosis value in CRC. Small-interfer RNA (Si-RNA) was used to perform Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8), colony formation, 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EDU), transwell and wound healing assays to testify its function on the tumor progression. Based on TCGA database, we probed potential biological mechanism by which CHPF play its role via clusterProfiler package and GEPIA database and we validated their correlation by WB assay. Moreover, we explored its potential association with the tumor microenvironment (TME), immune infiltrated cells, immune checkpoints, tumor mutation burden (TMB) as well as microsatellite instability (MSI), and investigated immunotherapy sensitivity via Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) algorithm as well as potentially effective therapeutic drugs via pRRophetic algorithm. Results CHPF was identified upregulated in CRC tissues and cells, correlated with poor prognosis, and nodal metastasis status, stage and histological subtype. Down-regulation of CHPF inhibited CRC cell proliferation, migration and its expression correlated with wnt pathway key molecules. In addition, high expression of CHPF was positively correlated with TME scores, Regulatory T cells (Tregs) cell infiltration degree, Programmed death-1 (PD-1), MSI-high (MSI-H), and TIDE scores, however, not with TMB. Targeted drug analysis showed that patients with high CHPF expression were more sensitive to telatinib, recaparib, serdemetan, and trametinib. Conclusion CHPF could promote the proliferation and migration of CRC cells and lead to poor prognosis, possibly through wnt pathways as well as changes in TME. Patients with high expression of CHPF had poor efficacy in immunotherapy, which might be related to Tregs cell infiltration. Above all, it might offer more reliable guidance for future immunotherapy.

Objects: Our aim was to identify changes in the metabolome in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) as well as to construct a metabolic diagnostic model for DCM. Methods: We utilized non-targeted metabolomics with a cross-sectional cohort of age- and sex-matched DCM patients and controls. Metabolomics data were analyzed using orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) and pathway analysis. It was validated in combination with transcriptome sequencing data from public databases. Machine learning models were used for the diagnosis of DCM. Results: Using multiple analytical techniques, 130 metabolite alterations were identified in DCM compared to healthy controls. Perturbations in glycerophospholipid metabolism (GPL) were identified and validated as a characteristic metabolic pathway in DCM. Through the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), we identified the 7 most important GPL metabolites, including LysoPA (16:0/0:0), LysoPA (18:1(9Z)/0:0), PC (20:3(8Z,11Z,14Z)/20:1(11Z)), PC (20:0/14:0), LysoPC (16:0), PS(15:0/18:0), and PE(16:0/20:4 (5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z)). The machine learning models based on the seven metabolites all had good accuracy in distinguishing DCM [All area under the curve (AUC) > 0.900], and the artificial neural network (ANN) model performed the most consistently (AUC: 0.919 ± 0.075). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that GPL metabolism may play a contributing role in the pathophysiological mechanisms of DCM. The 7-GPL metabolite model may help for early diagnosis of DCM.

ABSTRACT Aeromonas veronii is a vital zoonotic pathogen known for its extensive drug resistance and ability to form biofilms, which contribute to its antibiotic resistance. In this study, the phage vB_C4, specifically targeting A. veronii, was isolated and subjected to bioinformatic analysis and bacteriostatic activity assays. The combination of phage vB_C4 with antibiotics such as cephalothin and cefoxitin, which target the bacterial cell wall, resulted in a significantly enhanced bacteriostatic effect compared to either the phage or antibiotics alone. Furthermore, the phage dosage was critical in optimizing the antimicrobial effect when used in conjunction with antibiotics. This combined treatment exhibited a more distinct effect in removing mature biofilms and inhibiting biofilm formation, leading to a considerable decrease in bacterial density within the biofilm. Overall, the synergistic use of phage and antibiotics offers a novel attitude for treating pathogenic bacteria and holds significant potential in preventing the emergence of drug-resistant strains.IMPORTANCEThe combined application of phages and antibiotics not only effectively inhibits the emergence of phage-resistant bacteria but also reduces the required effective concentration of antibiotics. Additionally, this combination therapy demonstrates significant therapeutic effects on clinical infections mediated by biofilms. Consequently, this study establishes a basis for evaluating the parameters essential for utilizing phage-antibiotic combination therapy in the treatment of biofilm-associated infections, thereby offering a novel selection for the clinical management of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections.

IntroductionResponse regulators from diverse two-component systems often function as diguanylate cyclases or phosphodiesterases, thereby enabling precise regulation of intracellular c-di-GMP levels to control bacterial virulence and motility. However, the regulatory mechanisms of c-di-GMP require further elucidation.MethodsThis study confirmed that ArrS and ArrR form a two-component system via structural analysis, two-hybrid, and phosphodiesterase activity detection. To evaluate the impact of ArrS/ArrR on intracellular c-di-GMP levels, biofilm detection, motility detection, fluorescence reporter plasmids, and LC-MS/MS analysis were employed. One-hybrid, EMSA, and RT-qPCR were used to demonstrate the function of ArgR on arrSR promoter. The roles of ArrS/ArrR in Aeromonas veronii were investigated using RT-qPCR, murine model, and proteomics.ResultsArrS and ArrR constituted a two-component system in Aeromonas veronii and were transcriptionally repressed by ArgR. ArrR exhibited phosphodiesterase activity, which is inhibited through phosphorylation mediated by ArrS. In Aeromonas veronii, ArrS/ArrR significantly altered the intracellular c-di-GMP levels. In a murine model, ΔarrS exhibited increased pathogenicity, leading to elevated TNF-α and IFN-γ levels in serum, and severer toxicity to spleen and kidney. These effects might be elucidated by the upregulated inflammation-associated proteins in ΔarrS. Moreover, the exonuclease RecB was also up-regulated in ΔarrS.DiscussionWe elucidated the regulatory mechanism of ArrS/ArrR on intracellular c-di-GMP levels and its impact on the virulence in Aeromonas veronii, and discussed the intricate relationship between c-di-GMP metabolism and arginine metabolism.

Nitrogen (N) plays a crucial role in forage yield. However, excessive application of N fertilizers in agricultural production not only increases the production cost but also leads to serious environmental problems. Therefore, mining low-N tolerant oat germplasm is important for the sustainable development of grass and pasture. Relevant physiological indices of five oat germplasm were measured and analyzed in the seedling leaves under low-nitrogen culture conditions, aiming to identify important physiological indices suitable for screening low-nitrogen-tolerant oat and to rank the low-nitrogen-tolerance ability of each oat variety. The results showed that the physiological indexes of oats under low-nitrogen conditions were significantly different from those under normal culture conditions, and the total root length, total nitrogen, photosynthesis index, and NR enzyme activity of leaves in the five oat germplasm showed a decreasing trend, while the proline, MDA, SOD, POD, and GS enzyme activities showed an increasing trend, but the magnitude of changes in the physiological indexes varied among different varieties. By analyzing the physiological indexes, the photosynthetic index and antioxidant enzyme activities were found to be important in assessing the ability of oats to tolerate low nitrogen and therefore can be used as important indexes for screening oats for low nitrogen tolerance. The results of the comprehensive analysis showed that the order of low-N tolerance of each variety was as follows: Qingyongjiu 035> Jiayan No.2> Qingyin No.2> ZNY255> ZNY256, and the results of the present study provide a reference for the further large-scale screening of low-N-tolerant oat resources and the selection of varieties.

Abstract To explore the optimization method of grid-connected voltage support technology in new energy stations, this study first analyzes and discusses this technology. Second, this study describes the deep learning model architecture and feature selection in detail and determines the framework used for the optimization model proposed here. Lastly, the development of optimization and control strategies is investigated, and the optimized model’s effectiveness is verified through experiments. The results reveal that the optimized model's accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score are higher than those of the comparison model in the performance comparison experiment, reaching the highest values of 0.890, 0.888, 0.878, and 0.883, respectively. This reflects that the optimized model shows high performance on small datasets, and its performance benefits become more pronounced as the data volume increases. This feature is particularly significant because, in practical applications, power systems often need to process large amounts of data to achieve efficient voltage support. In simulation experiments, the optimized model demonstrates excellent performance in terms of response time, stability, robustness, and energy consumption. Moreover, this model effectively addresses various data challenges and uncertainties encountered in grid-connected voltage support technology for power systems, thereby providing robust support for stable and efficient voltage regulation. In light of the findings, this study offers substantial insights for advancing research in the realms of power systems and new energy technologies. The exploration into the application of deep learning and intelligent control strategies within power systems reveals significant potential for transforming grid optimization practices. This study accentuates how data-driven methodologies can revolutionize energy management, paving the way for smarter and more efficient energy systems. By enhancing both the responsiveness and operational efficiency of power grids, the study contributes to the acceleration of digital transformation within the energy sector, fostering innovation and laying a robust foundation for future advancements in energy informatics.

Background and Objective: Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) is a marker of cardiovascular disease and is associated with increased mortality in middle-aged and older populations. However, its relationship with frailty remains unclear.Methods: Data were obtained from the 2013–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. AAC was quantified using the Kauppila scoring system based on dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Frailty was assessed using the frailty index. Multivariable logistic regression models examined the association between AAC and frailty.Results: A total of 2987 adults aged ≥40 years were included. Compared to individuals with an AAC-8 score of 0, low-risk (AAC-8 score = 1–2; OR: 1.24; 95 % CI, 1.00–1.53) and high-risk AAC (AAC-8 score ≥ 3; OR: 1.83; 95 % CI, 1.03–3.23) were associated with higher odds of frailty. Similarly, mild to moderate AAC (0 6; OR: 1.79; 95 % CI, 1.07–2.99) showed positive associations with frailty.Conclusions: Among middle-aged and older populations in the United States, there exists a positive correlation between AAC and frailty. Our findings suggest that the AAC score holds promise as a valuable tool for the early identification of frailty.

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) is the most widely utilized vector for gene therapy. Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), predominantly expressed in the liver, plays a crucial role in lipid regulation and atherosclerosis progression. Here, we developed a novel chimeric AAV8.P-PCSK9 short hairpin RNA (shRNA) vector that incorporates a cross-species specific shRNA targeting PCSK9 to assess its effects on lipid levels and atherosclerosis in mice. AAV8.P demonstrated superior transduction efficiency and safety, achieving about 90% liver transduction and maintaining transgene expression for up to a year. The AAV8.P-PCSK9 shRNA exhibited typical liver-tropism and effectively silenced hepatic PCSK9. Moreover, it significantly lowered serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels while increasing LDL-R level without causing hepatotoxicity in wild-type mice. Additionally, it decreased PCSK9 expression and elevated low-density lipoprotein receptor expression in Apolipoprotein E-deficient mice, leading to early changes in lipid profiles but lacking a sustained impact on circulating lipids. Importantly, silencing PCSK9 resulted in reduced plaque areas with enhanced stability, decreased inflammatory macrophage infiltration, and lower levels of vascular and systemic inflammatory markers. These findings indicate that targeted silencing of hepatic PCSK9 significantly reduces lipid levels and effectively mitigates atherosclerosis progression by inhibiting inflammatory responses via the AAV8.P-PCSK9 shRNA vector, thereby providing critical support for its clinical translation.

The double enveloping toroidal worm gear pair is a type of basic worm transmission with multi-tooth and double-line contacts. Tooth surfaces of the worm gear are hobbed by a toroidal worm gear hob which is produced based on the toroidal worm. The tooth surface of the hobbed worm gear is macroscopic non-smooth surface and have wave edges, and it is different with the theoretical worm gear tooth surface. In order to obtain the actual forming law of the hobbed worm gear tooth surface with wave edges, this article explores the hobbing principle based on hobbing processes. The actual hobbing mathematical model of the worm gear tooth surface are established, and the wave edges height is defined to evaluate the quality of the worm gear tooth surface. To preliminary obtain the characteristics of the hobbed worm gear tooth surface, the wave edges height distribution of left and right tooth surfaces are analyzed firstly. And then, the hob teeth of the hob are divided into different units to study the influence on the hobbed worm gear tooth surfaces, such as different spirals and different teeth. Further the influence of changing the total number of hob’s chip grooves on the forming characteristics of worm gear tooth surfaces is studied. The results show that the wave edges on the left and right tooth surfaces of the toroidal worm gear are symmetrically distributed. And only some hob teeth have an effect on the final shape of the hobbed worm gear tooth surface, so these cutting teeth are key hob teeth of the toroidal worm gear hob. The total number of hob’s grooves is mostly effect the wave height of the root circle position of the hobbed worm gear. The results provide important references for the design of a toroidal worm gear hob, which are helpful to obtain the high performance double enveloping toroidal worm gearing.

Abstract Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the predominant cause of liver pathology. Current evidence highlights plasma proteins as potential therapeutic targets. However, their mechanistic roles in NAFLD remain unclear. This study investigated the involvement of specific plasma proteins and intermediate risk factors in NAFLD progression. Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was conducted to examine the association between plasma proteins and NAFLD. Colocalization analysis determined the shared causal variants between the identified proteins and NAFLD. The MR analysis was applied separately to proteins, risk factors, and NAFLD. Mediator shares were computed by detecting the correlations among these elements. Phenome-wide association studies (phewas) were utilized to assess the safety implications of targeting these proteins. Among 1,834 cis-protein quantitative trait loci (cis-pQTLs), after-FDR correction revealed correlations between the plasma levels of four gene-predicted proteins (CSPG3, CILP2, Apo-E, and GCKR) and NAFLD. Colocalization analysis indicated shared causal variants for CSPG3 and GCKR in NAFLD (posterior probability > 0.8). Out of the 22 risk factors screened for MR analysis, only 8 showed associations with NAFLD (p ≤ 0.05), while 4 linked to CSPG3 and GCKR. The mediator shares for these associations were calculated separately. Additionally, reverse MR analysis was performed on the pQTLs, risk factors, and NAFLD, which exhibited a causal relationship with forward MR analysis. Finally, phewas summarized the potential side effects of associated-targeting proteins, including CSPG3 and GCKR. Our research emphasized the potential therapeutic targets for NAFLD and provided modifiable risk factors for preventing NAFLD.

In order to study the fracture position and engineering significance of the main roof plate structure under the condition of goaf on both sides (coal pillars), the double plasticized foundation boundary mechanical model of the main roof plate structure considering the elastic-plastic deformation of coal and the width and support capacity weakening of coal pillar on both sides is constructed. Based on the finite difference algorithm and the principal moment breaking criterion, the shape characteristics, location attributes and overall position characteristics of the main roof fault line above the asymmetric coal pillars area and the long side solid coal area are systematically calculated, and the new conclusions and important engineering significance of the new model are clarified by comparing with the traditional models from seven levels and four pairs of areas in transverse and longitudinal directions. The conclusions are as follows: ① The asymmetric coal pillars parameters on both sides have little influence on the main roof principal bending moment and fracture position above the long side solid coal area, but significantly affect the principal bending moment, position and fracture shape of the main roof above the coal pillar areas respectively. There are three types of evolution patterns of the main roof fracture line above the coal pillar areas on both sides (strong/wide coal pillar area + weak/narrow coal pillar area). With the increase of main roof thickness and elastic modulus, while coal pillars width, coal pillar bearing capacity and working face span decrease, its evolution law is as follows: asymmetric “continuous single arc + continuous single arc”→ “continuous single arc + open discontinuous double short arc”→ asymmetric “open discontinuous double short arc + open discontinuous double short arc”. ② The fracture line of the main roof above the long side solid coal area mainly has three types of location attributes. With the increase of main roof thickness and elastic modulus, while the plastic zone width and plasticization degree of solid coal and working face span decrease, its evolution law is as follows: the fracture line is above the plastic coal area (C-S type) → elastoplastic coal boundary area (C-TS type) → elastic coal area (C-T type). ③ With the increase of coal pillars width, coal pillar bearing capacity and working face span decrease, and considering the location attribute of the fracture line, the fracture mode and evolution law of the whole area of the main roof are as follows: the mode of C-S ()→the mode of C-TS ()→the mode of C-T ()→ mode of C-T ()→the mode of C-T (). Aiming at the three kinds of mechanical models for studying the fracture of the main roof plate structure with goaf (coal pillar) on both sides, the important differences of the three kinds of models are compared from seven levels, and its important engineering role is expounded from four transverse areas (front and rear of the mining area, coal pillar areas on both sides) and four longitudinal areas (asymmetric left coal pillar underlying and underlying mining space output/input coal pillar/body).

Abstract Background Studies have shown that chemotherapy and radiotherapy can cause premature ovarian failure and loss of fertility in female cancer patients. Ovarian cortex cryopreservation is a good choice to preserve female fertility before cancer treatment. Following the remission of the disease, the thawed ovarian tissue can be transplanted back and restore fertility of the patient. However, there is a risk to reintroduce cancer cells in the body and leads to the recurrence of cancer. Given the low success rate of current in vitro culture techniques for obtaining mature oocytes from primordial follicles, an artificial ovary with primordial follicles may be a good way to solve this problem. Methods In the study, we established an artificial ovary model based on the participation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to evaluate the effect of MSCs on follicular development and oocyte maturation. P2.5 mouse ovaries were digested into single cell suspensions and mixed with bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) at a 1:1 ratio. The reconstituted ovarian model was then generated by using phytohemagglutinin. The phenotype and mechanism studies were explored by follicle counting, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, in vitro maturation (IVM), in vitro fertilization (IVF), real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and Terminal-deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated nick end labeling(TUNEL) assay. Results Our study found that the addition of BM-MSCs to the reconstituted ovary can enhance the survival of oocytes and promote the growth and development of follicles. After transplanting the reconstituted ovaries under kidney capsules of the recipient mice, we observed normal folliculogenesis and oocyte maturation. Interestingly, we found that BM-MSCs did not contribute to the formation of follicles in ovarian aggregation, nor did they undergo proliferation during follicle growth. Instead, the cells were found to be located around growing follicles in the reconstituted ovary. When theca cells were labeled with CYP17a1, we found some overlapped staining with green fluorescent protein(GFP)-labeled BM-MSCs. The results suggest that BM-MSCs may participate in directing the differentiation of theca layer in the reconstituted ovary. Conclusions The presence of BM-MSCs in the artificial ovary was found to promote the survival of ovarian cells, as well as facilitate follicle formation and development. Since the cells didn’t proliferate in the reconstituted ovary, this discovery suggests a potential new and safe method for the application of MSCs in clinical fertility preservation by enhancing the success rate of cryo-thawed ovarian tissues after transplantation.

One of the most common cardiovascular diseases is coronary artery disease (CAD). Thus, it is crucial for early CAD diagnosis to control disease progression. Computer-aided CAD detection often converts heart sounds into graphics for analysis. However, this method relies heavily on the subjective experience of experts. Therefore, in this study, we proposed a method for CAD detection using raw heart sound signals by constructing a fusion framework with two CAD detection models: a multidomain feature model and a medical multidomain feature fusion model. We collected heart sound signal datasets from 400 participants, extracting 206 multidomain features and 126 medical multidomain features. The designed framework fused the same one-dimensional deep learning features with different multidomain features for CAD detection. The experimental results showed that the multidomain feature model and the medical multidomain feature fusion model achieved areas under the curve (AUC) of 94.7 % and 92.7 %, respectively, demonstrating the effectiveness of the fusion framework in integrating one-dimensional and cross-domain heart sound features through deep learning algorithms, providing an effective solution for noninvasive CAD detection.

Abstract Objective This retrospective longitudinal cohort study aimed to explore the best therapeutic regimen and treatment duration of cough variant asthma (CVA) in children. Methods A total of 314 children with CVA were divided into receive inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) combined with long‐acting beta2‐agonist (LABA) group, ICS combined with leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRA) group, ICS monotherapy group and LTRA monotherapy group. All clinical data were statistically analyzed. Logistic regression model was used to compare the advantages and disadvantages of different treatment schemes at each follow‐up time point and the best treatment scheme. The Cox proportional hazard regression model based on inverse probability weighting was used to compare the effects of different medication regimens on adverse outcomes with asthma recurrence or progression as the end point. Results (1) After comprehensive analysis, ICS + LABA group was the preferred control regimen for CVA within 8 weeks. After 8 weeks of diagnosis, the efficacy of ICS group or LTRA group was comparable to that of ICS + LABA group and ICS + LTRA group. (2) The ICS + LABA group showed a significant improvement in cough at an early stage, particularly at 4 weeks; the symptoms of ICS + LTRA and ICS groups were significantly improved at 36 weeks. The LTRA group alone showed significant improvement at 20 weeks. Conclusion ICS + LABA, ICS + LTRA, ICS alone and LTRA alone can effectively treat CVA. ICS + LABA could improve the symptoms most quickly within 8 weeks after CVA diagnosis, followed by ICS + LATR group. After 8 weeks, it can be reduced to ICS alone to control CVA for at least 36 weeks based on the remission of symptoms in children.

Asphalt, as a crucial material in road construction, is affected by external environmental factors, among which water and temperature are the primary causes of water damage to asphalt pavements. Different hydro-thermal environments can cause varying types of damage to asphalt or the asphalt-aggregate interface. To analyze the micro-performance changes of different types of asphalt under various hydro-thermal environments, this study conducts tests onPG64–22 matrix asphalt, PG76–22 SBS-modified asphalt and PG82–34 high viscosity asphalt under different hydro-thermal coupling and freeze-thaw cycle conditions using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The analysis is based on the obtained micro-morphology images and mechanical properties, exploring the impact mechanisms of different hydro-thermal environments on various asphalts. Results show that under different hydro-thermal conditions, the three asphalts exhibit different morphological changes: the asphalt surface's “bee-shaped structure” is gradually destroyed after hydro-thermal coupling, while a “disappearance-reappearance” phenomenon is observed under freeze-thaw cycles. Moreover, the roughness of the two modified asphalts shows a different trend from that of the matrix asphalt, indicating that the modifier alters the micro-structure of asphalt to some extent. Under hydro-thermal coupling, the adhesion force of the three asphalts decreases linearly, with matrix asphalt decreasing by 89.2% after 3 hours, SBS modified asphalt by 63.1%, and high-viscosity asphalt by 23.9%, showing that high-viscosity asphalt has better waterproof and heat-resistant performance. During freeze-thaw cycles, the adhesion force between the asphalt and the tip shows varying degrees of recovery. Additionally, there are differences in adhesion force across different areas of the asphalt surface, which tend to diminish with hydro-thermal coupling or freeze-thaw cycles. These results indicate that hydro-thermal coupling and freeze-thaw cycles have different mechanisms of damage to the internal structure of asphalt, providing important data for understanding the damage mechanisms in depth.

Objectives: Maintaining ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) is believed to have potential anti-aging benefits. The American Heart Association (AHA) recently updated the “Life's Essential 8 (LE8)” metrics to measure ideal CVH, but its connection with the anti-aging protein klotho is still unclear. We aimed to explore the relationship between ideal cardiovascular health and serum anti-aging protein klotho in a nationally representative US middle-aged and older population. Design: A cross-sectional study. Setting: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007−2016). Participants: A total of 9457 middle-aged and older participants. Measurements: Ideal CVH scores and their components were defined according to the guidelines set by the AHA. Serum klotho detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Weighted multivariable linear regression and restricted cubic spline were employed to examine the association between CVH score and klotho. Subgroup analyses were conducted, stratified by age (40−59 and 60−79), sex (Male and Female), race (Mexican American, non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Others) and chronic kidney disease (Yes and No) in fully adjusted models. Results: A total of 9457 middle-aged and older participants were included in this study, with a mean age of 55.27 ± 0.17 years. The mean serum klotho level in the population was 849.33 ± 5.39 pg/mL. After controlling for potential confounders, the LE8 score showed a positive correlation with serum klotho levels (β: 1.32; 95% CI 0.73, 1.91), and a non-linear dose-response relationship was observed. Furthermore, we also discovered a positive relationship between health behaviors score and health factors score and serum klotho levels (β: 0.48; 95% CI 0.07, 0.88 and β: 1.05; 95% CI 0.54, 1.56, respectively), particularly a stronger correlation between health factors and serum klotho. In the subgroup analysis, we observed a significant interaction between LE8 score and sex and race. (P for interaction

Abstract Background DNA N6-methyladenosine (6mA), as an important epigenetic modification, widely exists in bacterial genomes and participates in the regulation of toxicity, antibiotic resistance, and antioxidant. With the continuous development of sequencing technology, more 6mA sites have been identified in bacterial genomes, but few studies have focused on the distribution characteristics of 6mA at the whole-genome level and its association with gene expression and function. Results This study conducted an in-depth analysis of the 6mA in the genomes of two pathogenic bacteria, Aeromonas veronii and Helicobacter pylori. The results showed that the 6mA was widely distributed in both strains. In A. veronii, 6mA sites were enriched at 3’ end of protein-coding genes, exhibiting a certain inhibitory effect on gene expression. Genes with low 6mA density were associated with cell motility. While in H. pylori, 6mA sites were enriched at 5’ end of protein-coding genes, potentially enhancing gene expression. Genes with low 6mA density were closely related to defense mechanism. Conclusions This study elucidated the distribution characteristics of 6mA in A. veronii and H. pylori, highlighting the effects of 6mA on gene expression and function. These findings provide valuable insights into the epigenetic regulation and functional characteristics of A. veronii and H. pylori.

Abstract Objectives In this study, we describe the patterns of antibiotic prescription for neonates based on World Health Organization’s (WHO) Essential Medicines List Access, Watch, and Reserve (AWaRe), and the Management of Antibiotic Classification (MAC) Guidelines in China. Methods One-day point-prevalence surveys (PPS) on antimicrobial prescriptions were conducted on behalf of hospitalized neonates in China from September 1 and November 30, annually from 2017 to 2019. Results Data was collected for a total of 2674 neonatal patients from 15 hospitals in 9 provinces across China of which 1520 were newborns who received at least one antibiotic agent. A total of 1943 antibiotic prescriptions were included in the analysis. The most commonly prescribed antibiotic was meropenem (11.8%). The most common reason for prescribing antibiotic to neonates was pneumonia (44.2%). There were 419 (21.6%), 1343 (69.1%) and 6 (0.3%) antibiotic prescriptions in the Access, Watch and Reserve groups, respectively. According to MAC Guidelines in China, there were 1090 (56.1%) antibiotic agents in the Restricted and 414 (21.3%) in the Special group. Conclusion Broad-spectrum antibiotics included in the Watch and Special groups were likely to be overused in Chinese neonates.

Abstract A strategy is pioneered for achieving high-temperature phosphorescence using planar rigid molecules as guests and rigid polymers as host matrix. The planar rigid configuration can resist the thermal vibration of the guest at high temperatures, and the rigidity of the matrix further enhances the high-temperature resistance of the guest. The doped materials exhibit an afterglow of 40 s at 293 K, 20 s at 373 K, 6 s at 413 K, and a 1 s afterglow at 433 K. The experimental results indicate that as the rotational ability of the groups connected to the guests gradually increases, the high-temperature phosphorescence performance of the doped materials gradually decreases. In addition, utilizing the property of doped materials that can emit phosphorescence at high temperatures and in high smoke, the attempt is made to use organic phosphorescence materials to identify rescue workers and trapped personnel in fires.

Abstract Background Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) is one of the most common causes of community-acquired pneumonia in children. Most children have fever. In 2021, we found that the proportion of children without fever increased. The aim of this study is to summarize the differences in the clinical characteristics of children with MP pneumonia who are febrile or not, and to raise awareness of children who are not febrile. Method Demographic information of the children was collected on admission. Clinical manifestations during the course of the disease and the first laboratory, imaging, and pulmonary function tests before discharge were recorded and compared. Results From August to December, a total of 542 people were included in the study. We found that older children were more likely to have fever. Inflammatory indicators including procalcitonin (P = 0.030), C-reaction protein (P 0.05), especially the small airway function impairment, are no lower in afebrile children than in febrile children. Conclusion The fever rate is lower in younger children, but wheezing is more common. In afebrile children, the impairment of organ and lung function was no less than in febrile children. Therefore, attention should also be paid to children who are not febrile.

The mining and metal processing industries are undergoing a transformation through digitization, with sensors and data analysis playing a crucial role in modernization and increased efficiency. Vibration sensors are particularly important in monitoring production infrastructure in metal processing plants. This paper presents the installation of vibration sensors in an actual industrial environment and the results of spectral vibration data analysis. The study demonstrates that vibration sensors can be installed in challenging environments such as metal processing plants and that analyzing vibration patterns can provide valuable insights into predicting machine failures and different machine states. By utilizing dimensionality reduction and dominant frequency observation, we analyzed vibration data and identified patterns that are indicative of potential machine states and critical events that reduce production throughput. This information can be used to improve maintenance, minimize downtime, and ultimately enhance the production process’s overall efficiency. This study highlights the importance of digitization and data analysis in the mining and metal processing industries, particularly the capability not only to predict critical events before they impact production throughput and take action accordingly but also to identify machine states for legacy equipment and be part of retrofitting strategies.

Recently, organic room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials, especially those with reversible responses to external stimuli, have attracted extensive attention. A dynamic regulation strategy enables the materials to rapidly respond to external stimuli, gifting varied RTP performance and greater application potential in sensitive sensing, detection, and so on. For these reasons, this Review summarizes progress in the regulation of dynamic RTP in recent years. It focuses on physical regulatory factors including light, heat, and mechanical force as well as chemical regulatory factors including water, pH, and oxygen. It is expected to be beneficial for developing smart materials with dynamic RTP in the future.

Currently, some empirical formula methods, such as the Steinmetz equation, have been widely used in calculating high-frequency magnetic core loss. Although these methods may provide satisfactory accuracy under some certain conditions, they not only cannot present clear physical interpretation and fail to account for the origin and variation of losses, but also offer much lower accuracy for wide operation ranges. In this article, a new analytical model is proposed for the first time to predict core loss by the new vector magnetic circuit theory. In addition to reluctance, two new components, i.e., magductance and hysteretance are proposed in the vector magnetic circuit, which are used to describe the eddy-current loss and the hysteresis loss, respectively. Thus, the clear physical significance is available with the proposed loss model. Given the geometrical and physical parameters of cores, the loss can be predicted. Furthermore, the uneven distribution of magnetic flux inside the magnetic core is characterized by parallel vector magnetic circuits. By comparing with the available empirical formulas, it has been proven that the proposed analytical model not only offers clear physical concepts, but also has much higher accuracy.

Abstract Objective To investigate and evaluate the biomechanical behaviour of a novel bone cement screw in the minimally invasive treatment of Kummell's disease (KD) by finite element (FE) analysis. Methods A validated finite element model of healthy adult thoracolumbar vertebrae T12-L2 was given the osteoporotic material properties and the part of the middle bone tissue of the L1 vertebral body was removed to make it wedge-shaped. Based on these, FE model of KD was established. The FE model of KD was repaired and treated with three options: pure percutaneous vertebroplasty (Model A), novel unilateral cement screw placement (Model B), novel bilateral cement screw placement (Model C). Range of motion (ROM), maximum Von-Mises stress of T12 inferior endplate and bone cement, relative displacement of bone cement, and stress distribution of bone cement screws of three postoperative models and intact model in flexion and extension, as well as lateral bending and rotation were analyzed and compared. Results The relative displacements of bone cement of Model B and C were similar in all actions studied, and both were smaller than that of Model A. The minimum value of relative displacement of bone cement is 0.0733 mm in the right axial rotation of Model B. The maximum Von-Mises stress in T12 lower endplate and bone cement was in Model C. The maximum Von-Mises stress of bone cement screws in Model C was less than that in Model B, and it was the most substantial in right axial rotation, which is 34%. There was no substantial difference in ROM of the three models. Conclusion The novel bone cement screw can effectively reduce the relative displacement of bone cement by improving the stability of local cement. Among them, novel unilateral cement screw placement can obtain better fixation effect, and the impact on the biomechanical environment of vertebral body is less than that of novel bilateral cement screw placement, which provides a reference for minimally invasive treatment of KD in clinical practice.

Abstract Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a substantial public health safety concern drawing considerable attention in China and globally. The detection of HBV serological markers can enable the assessment of HBV infection and replication status in vivo and evaluate the body’s protection against HBV. Therefore, this study aims to identify the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of HBV infection in children to prevent and control HBV infection in Wuhan areas. Methods We conducted an extensive retrospective cohort analysis of 115,029 individuals aged 0–18 years who underwent HBV serological markers detection for HBV infection in hospital between 2018 and 2021 using Electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. We generated descriptive statistics and analysed HBV infection’s epidemiological and clinical characteristics between different sex and age groups. Results The overall positive detection rates of HBsAg, HBsAb, HBeAg, HBeAb, and HBcAb in all participants were 0.13%, 79.09%, 0.17%, 2.81%, and 5.82%, respectively. The positive rate of HBeAb and HBcAb in males was significantly lower than that in females (2.64% vs. 3.13%, 5.56% vs. 6.29%) (P

There are several key layers with large thickness above the 402 working face of wide coal pillar in Hongqinghe Coal Mine. The existence of key layers will significantly increase the peak value of abutment pressure and its influence range. Based on the microseismic distribution characteristics of 402 working face are analyzed based on microseismic monitoring data. It is found that the microseismic distribution of working face during mining is mainly affected by advanced abutment pressure, lateral abutment pressure of goaf, tectonic stress and stress concentration caused by mining technology factors. The influence range of lateral abutment pressure of working face is about 180 m, and the stability of roof structure in 120 m area of goaf is poor, which is easy to induce large energy mine earthquake. The influence range of the advance abutment pressure of the working face is about 240 m. The coal and rock masses in front of the working face are easier to reach the limit state under the superposition of the lateral abutment pressure and the advance abutment pressure of the goaf, and the fracture and instability of coal and rock masses are easy to induce a large number of microseismic events. The mining of wide coal pillar face in goaf is greatly affected by roof strata structure, and the overburden strata in goaf move and lose stability again after collaborative movement of overburden strata between working faces, which increases the failure height of overburden strata. In addition, the coal pillar has the tendency of compression deformation, and the whole coal pillar shows the characteristics of instability induced by failure.

Phytophthora-induced crop diseases, commonly known as “plant plagues”, pose a significant threat to global food security. In this study, strain ASG80 was isolated from sisal roots and demonstrated a broad-spectrum antagonistic activity against several Phytophthora species and fungal pathogens. Strain ASG80 was identified as Streptomyces luteireticuli via phylogenetic analysis, digital DNA–DNA hybridization (dDDH), and average nucleotide identity (ANI). Whole-genome sequencing identified 40 biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) related to secondary metabolite production, including antimicrobial compounds. Strain ASG80 extract exhibited broad-spectrum inhibitory activity against Phytophthora nicotianae, P. vignae, P. cinnamomi, and P. sojae. Pot experiments showed that strain ASG80 extract significantly reduced sisal zebra disease incidence, with an efficacy comparable to the fungicide metalaxyl. These findings suggest that strain ASG80 is a promising biocontrol agent with substantial potential for managing Phytophthora-related diseases in agriculture.

A d10-Cd cluster containing sandwich-type arsenotungstate [C3H12N2]6[Cd4Cl2(B-α-AsW9O34)2] was synthesized and its structure characterized through elemental analyses, X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), IR spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The X-ray analysis revealed that the molecular unit of the compound consists of a captivating tetra-Cd-substituted sandwich-type polyoxoanion, accompanied by six elegantly protonated 1,2-diaminopropane as counter ions. The further novelty of the tetranuclear cadmium cluster lies in its occupied chlorine atom sites. This makes it highly susceptible to coordinate reactions with nitrogen on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, thereby exhibiting different fluorescent signals that facilitate the identification and detection of these carcinogenic substances in methanol.

To enhance the performance of super-resolution models, neural networks frequently employ module stacking. However, this approach inevitably results in an excessive proliferation of parameter counts and information redundancy, ultimately constraining the deployment of these models on mobile devices. To surmount this limitation, this study introduces the application of Dual-path Large Kernel Learning (DLKL) to the task of image super-resolution. Within the DLKL framework, we harness a multiscale large kernel decomposition technique to efficiently establish long-range dependencies among pixels. This network not only maintains excellent performance but also significantly mitigates the parameter burden, achieving an optimal balance between network performance and efficiency. When compared with other prevalent algorithms, DLKL exhibits remarkable proficiency in generating images with sharper textures and structures that are more akin to natural ones. It is particularly noteworthy that on the challenging texture dataset Urban100, the network proposed in this study achieved a significant improvement in Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) for the ×4 upscaling task, with an increase of 0.32 dB and 0.19 dB compared with the state-of-the-art HAFRN and MICU networks, respectively. This remarkable result not only validates the effectiveness of the present model in complex image super-resolution tasks but also highlights its superior performance and unique advantages in the field.

Abstract Purpose To compare the clinical efficacy of oblique lateral interbody fusion (OLIF) combined with unilateral (UPSF) and bilateral pedicle screw internal fixation (BPSF) in patients with osteoporosis. Methods Clinical data of 57 patients who underwent single-segment OLIF surgery with a clear diagnosis of osteoporosis from December 2018 to May 2021 were retrospectively analyzed, of which 27 patients underwent OLIF + UPSF and 30 patients underwent OLIF + BPSF. Surgical technique-related indexes were recorded, including operative time, operative blood loss and postoperative hospital stay; clinical outcome-related indexes included postoperative complications, Visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry disability index (ODI) at preoperative, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and 12 months postoperative follow-up; and imaging outcome-related indexes included the measurement of preoperative and postoperative segmental lordosis (SL), and observation of the degree of cage subsidence and bone graft fusion. Results The surgery was successfully performed in 57 patients, and there was no statistical difference in operative blood loss and postoperative hospital stay between UPSF group and BPSF group (P > 0.05). In terms of operative time, there was a significant difference (UPSF group: 92.30 ± 11.03 min, BPSF group: 119.67 ± 16.41, P 0.05). At 1 year postoperatively, the rate and degree of cage subsidence was higher in the UPSF group than in the BPSF group (P

Abstract Background The association between sleep-related disorders and inflammation has been demonstrated in previous studies. The systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) is a novel inflammatory index based on leukocytes, but its relationship with sleep-related disorder is unclear. We aimed to investigate the relationship between sleep-related disorder and SII in a nationally representative nonhospitalized sample. Methods Data were obtained from the 2005–2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Exposure variables included self-reported sleep-related disorders, such as sleep duration, sleep problems, high risk of OSA, and daytime sleepiness. SII and other traditional markers of inflammation were considered as outcome variables, including platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR). Multiple linear regression models were employed to examine the correlation between sleep-related disorders and inflammatory markers. Subgroup interactions were analyzed using likelihood ratio tests, and nonlinear relationships were explored by fitting restricted cubic splines. Results A total of 8,505 participants were enrolled in this study. Overall, sleep-related disorders were found to have a stronger association with SII compared to the PLR and NLR. The results of multiple linear regression analysis revealed that participants who experienced sleep problems (β: 21.421; 95% CI 1.484, 41.358), had symptoms of OSA (β: 23.088; 95% CI 0.441, 45.735), and reported daytime sleepiness (β: 30.320; 95% CI 5.851, 54.789) exhibited a positive association with higher SII. For the analysis of other inflammatory markers, we only found that daytime sleepiness was associated with increased NLR levels (β: 0.081; 95% CI 0.002, 0.159). Conclusion Sleep problems, symptoms of OSA, and daytime sleepiness were found to have a positive association with the SII in US adults. However, further prospective studies are necessary to establish whether there is a causal relationship between these factors.

Confined array jet boiling can achieve high heat flux in a compact space and its flow resistance characteristics are critical to the design of cooling systems. The boiling images of distributed confined jet of HFE-7100 is recorded by a high-speed camera in this study. The effects of jet mass flux, jet height and surface structure of two-phase jet flow characteristics on micro-pin-finned surfaces are studied. A benefit from the distributed configuration of the jet array, in contrast to previous studies, is that the jet boiling pressure drop is independent of the heat flux, but only related to the jet mass flux. The effect of the surface structure on the pressure drop is negligible. Jet flow instability will be triggered by intermittently blockage of the jet inlet and outlet by large vapor masses in certain heated surfaces. Reducing the jet height can suppress two-phase flow instabilities while keeping the pressure drop almost constant and the CHF to slightly increase. The COP of distributed jet impingement boiling cooler proposed in this work can be up to 6 times higher than that of the conventional jet boiling cooler, and more than 2 times higher that of the microchannel heat sink.

The TCP gene family members play multiple functions in plant growth and development and were named after the first three family members found in this family, TB1 (TEOSINTE BRANCHED 1), CYCLOIDEA (CYC), and Proliferating Cell Factor 1/2 (PCF1/2). Nitrogen (N) is a crucial element for forage yield; however, over-application of N fertilizer can increase agricultural production costs and environmental stress. Therefore, the discovery of low N tolerance genes is essential for the genetic improvement of superior oat germplasm and ecological protection. Oat (Avena sativa L.), is one of the world’s staple grass forages, but no genome-wide analysis of TCP genes and their roles in low-nitrogen stress has been performed. This study identified the oat TCP gene family members using bioinformatics techniques. It analyzed their phylogeny, gene structure analysis, and expression patterns. The results showed that the AsTCP gene family includes 49 members, and most of the AsTCP-encoded proteins are neutral or acidic proteins; the phylogenetic tree classified the AsTCP gene family members into three subfamilies, and each subfamily has different conserved structural domains and functions. In addition, multiple cis-acting elements were detected in the promoter of the AsTCP genes, which were associated with abiotic stress, light response, and hormone response. The 49 AsTCP genes identified from oat were unevenly distributed on 18 oat chromosomes. The results of real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) showed that the AsTCP genes had different expression levels in various tissues under low nitrogen stress, which indicated that these genes (such as AsTCP01, AsTCP03, AsTCP22, and AsTCP38) played multiple roles in the growth and development of oat. In conclusion, this study analyzed the AsTCP gene family and their potential functions in low nitrogen stress at the genome-wide level, which lays a foundation for further analysis of the functions of AsTCP genes in oat and provides a theoretical basis for the exploration of excellent stress tolerance genes in oat. This study provides an essential basis for future in-depth studies of the TCP gene family in other oat genera and reveals new research ideas to improve gene utilization.

IntroductionModern agriculture emphasizes the design of cropping systems using ecological function and production services to achieve sustainability. The functional characteristics of plants (grasses vs. legumes) affect changes in soil microbial communities that drive agroecosystem services. Information on the relationship between legume-grass mixtures and soil microorganisms in different ecological zones guides decision-making toward eco-friendly and sustainable forage production. However, it is still poorly understood how cropping patterns affect soil microbial diversity in alpine grasslands and whether this effect varies with altitude.MethodsTo fill this gap in knowledge, we conducted a field study to investigate the effects of growing oats (Avena sativa L.), forage peas (Pisum sativum L.), common cornflower (Vicia sativa L.), and fava beans (Vicia faba L.) in monocultures and mixtures on the soil microbial communities in three ecological zones of the high alpine zone.ResultsWe found that the fungal and bacterial community structure differed among the cropping patterns, particularly the community structure of the legume mixed cropping pattern was very different from that of monocropped oats. In all ecological zones, mixed cropping significantly (p < 0.05) increased the α-diversity of the soil bacteria and fungi compared to oat monoculture. The α-diversity of the soil bacteria tended to increase with increasing elevation (MY [2,513 m] < HZ [2,661 m] < GN [3,203 m]), while the opposite was true for fungi (except for the Chao1 index in HZ, which was the lowest). Mixed cropping increased the abundance of soil fungi and bacteria across ecological zones, particularly the relative abundances of Nitrospira, Nitrososphaera, Phytophthora, and Acari. Factors affecting the bacterial community structure included the cropping pattern, the ecological zone, water content, nitrate-nitrogen, nitrate reductase, and soil capacity, whereas factors affecting fungal community structure included the cropping pattern, the ecological zone, water content, pH, microbial biomass nitrogen, and catalase.DiscussionOur study highlights the variation in soil microbial communities among different in alpine ecological regions and their resilience to cropping systems. Our results also underscore that mixed legume planting is a sustainable and effective forage management practice for the Tibetan Plateau.

Abstract Background Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a multi-factor complex trait and is heritable, especially in early-onset families. However, the genetic factors affecting the susceptibility of early-onset CAD are not fully characterized. Methods In the present study, we identified a rare nonsense variant in the CYP17A1 gene from a Chinese Han family with CAD. To validate the effect of this variation on atherosclerosis and early-onset coronary artery disease, we conducted studies on population, cells, and mice. Results The mutation precisely congregated with the clinical syndrome in all the affected family members and was absent in unaffected family members and unrelated controls. Similar to the human phenotype, the CYP17A1-deficient mice present the phenotype of metabolic syndrome with hypertension, increased serum glucose concentration, and presentation of central obesity and fatty liver. Furthermore, CYP17A1 knockout mice or CYP17A1 + ApoE double knockout mice developed more atherosclerotic lesions than wild type (WT) with high fat diary. In cell models, CYP17A1 was found to be involved in glucose metabolism by increasing glucose intake and utilization, through activating IGF1/mTOR/HIF1-α signaling way, which was consistent in CYP17A1 knockout mice with impaired glucose tolerance and insulin resistance. Conclusions Through our study of cells, mice and humans, we identified CYP17A1 as a key protein participating in the pathophysiology of the atherosclerotic process and the possible mechanism of CYP17A1 C987X mutation induced atherosclerosis and early-onset CAD involving glucose homeostasis regulation was revealed. Video Abstract

Multiple dynamic impact signals are widely used in a variety of engineering scenarios and are difficult to identify accurately and quickly due to the signal adhesion phenomenon caused by nonlinear interference. To address this problem, an intelligent algorithm combining wavelet transforms with lightweight neural networks is proposed. First, the features of multiple impact signals are analyzed by establishing a transfer model for multiple impacts in multibody dynamical systems, and interference is suppressed using wavelet transformation. Second, a lightweight neural network, i.e., fast-activated minimal gated unit (FMGU), is elaborated for multiple impact signals, which can reduce computational complexity and improve real-time performance. Third, the experimental results show that the proposed method maintains excellent feature recognition results compared to gate recurrent unit (GRU) and long short-term memory (LSTM) networks under all test datasets with varying impact speeds, while its metrics for computational complexity are 50% lower than those of the GRU and LSTM. Therefore, the proposed method is of great practical value for weak hardware application platforms that require the accurate identification of multiple dynamic impact signals in real time.

Bioactive glass nanoparticles (BGNs) are applied widely in tissue regeneration. Varied micro/nanostructures and components of BGNs have been designed for different applications. In the present study, nanorod-shaped mesoporous zinc-containing bioactive glass nanoparticles (ZnRBGNs) were designed and developed to form the bioactive content of composite materials for hard/soft tissue repair and regeneration. The nanostructure and components of the ZnRBGNs were characterized, as were their cytocompatibility and radical-scavenging activity in the presence/absence of cells and their ability to modulate macrophage polarization. The ZnRBGNs possessed a uniform rod shape (length ≈ 500 nm; width ≈ 150 nm) with a mesoporous structure (diameter ≈ 2.4 nm). The leaching liquid of the nanorods at a concentration below 0.5 mg/mL resulted in no cytotoxicity. More significant improvements in the antioxidant and M1-polarization-inhibiting effects and the promotion of M2 polarization were found when culturing the cells with the ZnRBGNs compared to when culturing them with the RBGNs. The doping of the Zn element in RBGNs may lead to improved antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, which may be beneficial in tissue regeneration/repair.

Feature extraction plays a pivotal role in the context of single image super-resolution. Nonetheless, relying on a single feature extraction method often undermines the full potential of feature representation, hampering the model’s overall performance. To tackle this issue, this study introduces the wide-activation feature distillation network (WFDN), which realizes single image super-resolution through dual-path learning. Initially, a dual-path parallel network structure is employed, utilizing a residual network as the backbone and incorporating global residual connections to enhance feature exploitation and expedite network convergence. Subsequently, a feature distillation block is adopted, characterized by fast training speed and a low parameter count. Simultaneously, a wide-activation mechanism is integrated to further enhance the representational capacity of high-frequency features. Lastly, a gated fusion mechanism is introduced to weight the fusion of feature information extracted from the dual branches. This mechanism enhances reconstruction performance while mitigating information redundancy. Extensive experiments demonstrate that the proposed algorithm achieves stable and superior results compared to the state-of-the-art methods, as evidenced by quantitative evaluation metrics tests conducted on four benchmark datasets. Furthermore, our WFDN excels in reconstructing images with richer detailed textures, more realistic lines, and clearer structures, affirming its exceptional superiority and robustness.

A photonic instantaneous microwave frequency measurement scheme based on frequency-to-time mapping and channelization is proposed. An unknown signal is divided into four channels and mixed with a broadband linear frequency-modulated signal. The frequency information is converted to the time domain, and the frequency measurement range has been expanded due to channelization. A simulation system has been constructed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. A proof-of-concept experimental result shows that the frequency measurement errors can be kept in 20 MHz with a 10 MHz resolution, and the frequency measurement range is 1 GHz to 39 GHz.

In the context of the increasingly serious issues of resource waste, soil degradation, and environmental pollution caused by excessive nitrogen fertilizer application worldwide, this study conducted a two-year field experiment in Qinghai Province to explore suitable nitrogen fertilizer management strategies for the region. Ten fertilization levels were set, incorporating varying ratios of conventional nitrogen fertilizer and organic fertilizer, as well as the proportion of base fertilizer and topdressing. The focus was on monitoring the forage yield, quality, and related physiological indicators of oats during the flowering and milk stages. The use of correlation analysis and the multi-criteria decision-making model TOPSIS was applied for comprehensive data evaluation to determine the optimal fertilization strategy. After systematic data collection and analysis, the results showed that when 75% conventional nitrogen fertilizer was combined with 4500 kg·hm−2 of organic fertilizer (F4), the oat yield during the milking stage reached its peak at 14,722.48 kg·hm−2. Additionally, the yield effect was optimal (13,677.34 kg·hm−2) when using 30% base fertilizer and 70% jointing fertilizer (D2). Regarding nutritional quality, the fertilization strategy combining 75% conventional nitrogen fertilizer with 4500 kg·hm−2 of organic fertilizer, along with 30% base fertilizer and 70% jointing fertilizer (F4D2), significantly reduced the content of acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and coarse fiber (CF) in oats, while increasing the content of EE (crude fat) and CP (crude protein). This significantly improved the nutritional value of oats. Correlation analysis further revealed the positive effect of fertilization amount and fertilization period on oat yield, as well as a negative correlation with fiber content. Finally, through comprehensive evaluation using the multi-criteria decision-making model TOPSIS, we verified the superiority of the fertilization strategy.

Background: Due to the limitations of current methods for detecting obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), many individuals are mistakenly or unnecessarily referred for coronary angiography (CAG). Objectives: Our goal is to create a comprehensive database of heart sounds in CAD and develop accurate deep learning algorithms to efficiently detect obstructive CAD based on heart sound signals. This will enable effective screening before undergoing CAG. Methods: We included 320 subjects suspected of CAD who underwent CAG. We employed advanced filtering techniques and state-of-the-art deep learning models (VGG-16, 1D CNN, and ResNet18) to analyze the heart sound signals and identify obstructive CAD (defined as at least one ≥50 % stenosis). To assess the performance of our models, we prospectively recruited an additional 80 subjects for testing. Results: In the test set, VGG-16 exhibited the highest performance with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.834 (95 % CI, 0.736–0.930), while ResNet-18 and CNN-7 achieved AUCs of only 0.755 (95 % CI, 0.614–0.819) and 0.652 (95 % CI, 0.554–0.770) respectively. VGG-16 demonstrated a sensitivity of 80.4 % and specificity of 86.2 % in the test set. The combined diagnostic model of VGG and DF scores achieved an AUC of 0.915 (95 % CI: 0.855–0.974), and the AUC for VGG combined with PTP scores was 0.908 (95 % CI: 0.845–0.971). The sensitivity and specificity of VGG-16 exceeded 0.85 in patients with coronary artery occlusion and those with 3 vascular lesions. Conclusions: Our deep learning model, based on heart sounds, offers a non-invasive and efficient screening method for obstructive CAD. It is expected to significantly reduce the number of unnecessary referrals for downstream screening.

We present the first polarimetric analysis of quasiperiodic oscillations (QPOs) in a black hole binary utilizing IXPE data. Our study focuses on Swift J1727.8–1613, which experienced a massive outburst that was observed by various telescopes across different wavelengths. The IXPE observation we studied was conducted during the hard-intermediate state. The polarization degree (PD) and polarization angle (PA) were measured at 4.28% ± 0.20% and 1.°9 ± 1.°4, respectively. Remarkably, significant QPO signals were detected during this observation, with a QPO frequency of approximately 1.34 Hz and a fractional rms amplitude of about 12.3%. Furthermore, we conducted a phase-resolved analysis of the QPO using the Hilbert–Huang transform technique. The photon index showed a strong modulation with respect to the QPO phase. In contrast, the PD and PA exhibit no modulations in relation to the QPO phase, which is inconsistent with the expectation of the Lense–Thirring precession of the inner flow. Further theoretical studies are needed to conform with the observational results.