Search

Abstract The physical characteristics of electromagnetic waves are combined with digital information in coding metasurfaces. Coding metasurfaces enable precise control of beams by flexibly designing coding sequences. However, achieving continuous multivariate modulation of electromagnetic waves on passive flexible coded metasurfaces remains a challenge. Previous passive coding metasurfaces have a fixed phase difference between adjacent coding units throughout the operating frequency band, and when the coding pattern is defined, the coded metasurface can only achieve a single electromagnetic function. Our proposed frequency coding metasurface units vary linearly in phase difference over the operating frequency band with different phase sensitivities. Frequency coding metarsurfaces enable a wide range of tunable and versatile electromagnetic energy radiation, without introducing any active devices and changing the coding pattern. As a demonstration of the concept, we have shown theoretically and numerically that frequency coding metasurface can achieve successive transformations of electromagnetic functions, including multi-beam generation, anomalous deflection and diffuse scattering. In addition, beam sweeping function is achieved by means of spatially non-periodically distributed frequency coding metasurface. When the frequency of the incident wave is changed, the deflection angle of the beam is also changed. In addition to the tunability of properties, research on coding metasurfaces has tended to be limited to rigid materials. Flexible coding metasurfaces have potential applications in microwave antennas, radar and aircraft. The passive flexible frequency coding metasurfaces provide a novel approach to manipulating electromagnetic waves with increased design flexibility. This promises applications in microwave antennas, radar, aircraft, and satellite communications.

Abstract Hyperuricemia is associated with an increased risk of gout, hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Most mammals maintain normal serum uric acid (SUA) via urate oxidase (Uox), an enzyme that metabolizes poorly-soluble UA to highly-soluble allantoin. In contrast, Uox became a pseudogene in humans and apes over the long course of evolution. Here we demonstrate an atavistic strategy for treating hyperuricemia based on endogenous expression of Uox in hepatocytes mediated by mRNA (mUox) loaded with an ionizable lipid nanoparticle termed iLAND. mUox@iLAND allows effective transfection and protein expression in vitro. A single dose of mUox@iLAND lowers SUA levels for several weeks in two female murine models, including a novel long-lasting model, which is also confirmed by metabolomics analysis. Together with the excellent safety profiles observed in vivo, the proposed mRNA agent demonstrates substantial potential for hyperuricemia therapy and the prevention of associated conditions.

BackgroundThe tip-apex distance is a key factor in predicting implant cut-out after intramedullary fixation for intertrochanteric fractures. This study aimed to evaluate the factors associated with an increased tip-apex distance when treating intertrochanteric fractures using an InterTAN nail.Methods and MaterialWe retrospectively analyzed patients with intertrochanteric fractures who underwent InterTAN nail insertion between January 2017 and March 2022 at our hospital. Medical and radiological data were collected. Measurements of preoperative factors and postoperative factors were performed accordingly. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the statistically significant variables of the tip-apex distance.ResultsThis study included 102 patients with intertrochanteric fractures. The average tip-apex distance measured 22.4 ± 7.1 mm, ranging from 9.3 to 48.0 mm. The length of the femoral neck on the non-fractured side, lag screw placement in the sagittal plane (center-inferior, superior) and coronal plane (posterior), and the angle between the line of the proximal nail axis and the femoral long axis were identified to be statistically significant factors for the tip-apex distance.ConclusionTo obtain a shorter tip-apex distance, we recommend a medial trochanteric entry point to minimize the angle between the line of the proximal nail axis and the femoral long axis. Additionally, sufficiently deep central insertion of the lag screw was advised in both the sagittal and coronal planes.

BackgroundDysbiosis of gut microbiota (GM) is intricately linked with cognitive impairment and the incidence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in both animal models and human subjects. However, there is limited understanding of the impact and mechanisms of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) on brain and gut barrier function in the treatment of TBI induced by gas explosion (GE).MethodsWe have employed FMT technology to establish models of gut microbiota dysbiosis in male rats, and subsequently conducted non-targeted metabolomics and microbiota diversity analysis to explore the bacteria with potential functional roles.ResultsHematoxylin–eosin and transmission electron microscopy revealed that GE induced significant pathological damage and inflammation responses, as well as varying degrees of mitochondrial impairment in neuronal cells in the brains of rats, which was associated with cognitive decline. Furthermore, GE markedly elevated the levels of regulatory T cell (Tregs)-related factors interleukin-10, programmed death 1, and fork head box protein P3 in the brains of rats. Similar changes in these indicators were also observed in the colon; however, these alterations were reversed upon transfer of normal flora into the GE-exposed rats. Combined microbiome and metabolome analysis indicated up-regulation of Clostridium_T and Allobaculum, along with activation of fatty acid biosynthesis after FMT. Correlation network analysis indirectly suggested a causal relationship between FMT and alleviation of GE-induced TBI. FMT improved intestinal structure and up-regulated expression of tight junction proteins Claudin-1, Occludin, and ZO-1, potentially contributing to its protective effects on both brain and gut.ConclusionTransplantation of gut microbiota from healthy rats significantly enhanced cognitive function in male rats with traumatic brain injury caused by a gas explosion, through the modulation of gut microbiome composition and the improvement of both gut and brain barrier integrity via the gut-brain axis. These findings may offer a scientific foundation for potential clinical interventions targeting gas explosion-induced TBI using FMT.

Pervasive environmental pollutants, specifically particulate matter (PM2.5), possess the potential to disrupt homeostasis of female thyroid hormone (TH). However, the precise mechanism underlying this effect remains unclear. In this study, we established a model of PM2.5-induced thyroid damage in female rats through intratracheal instillation and employed histopathological and molecular biological methods to observe the toxic effects of PM2.5 on the thyroid gland. Transcriptome gene analysis and 16S rRNA sequencing were utilized to investigate the impact of PM2.5 exposure on the female rat thyroid gland. Furthermore, based on the PM2.5-induced toxic model in female rats, we evaluated its effects on intestinal microbiota, TH levels, and indicators of thyroid function. The findings revealed that PM2.5 exposure induced histopathological damage to thyroid tissue by disrupting thyroid hormone levels (total T3 [TT3], (P < 0.05); total T4 [TT4], (P < 0.05); and thyrotropin hormone [TSH], (P < 0.05)) and functional indices (urine iodine [UI], P > 0.05), thus further inducing histopathological injuries. Transcriptome analysis identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs), primarily concentrated in interleukin 17 (IL-17), forkhead box O (FOXO), and other signaling pathways. Furthermore, exposure to PM2.5 altered the composition and abundance of intestinal microbes. Transcriptome and microbiome analyses demonstrated a correlation between the DEGs within these pathways and the flora present in the intestines. Moreover, 16 S rRNA gene sequencing analysis or DEGs combined with thyroid function analysis revealed that exposure to PM2.5 significantly induced thyroid hormone imbalance. We further identified key DEGs involved in thyroid function-relevant pathways, which were validated using molecular biology methods for clinical applications. In conclusion, the homeostasis of the ''gut-thyroid'' axis may serve as the underlying mechanism for PM2.5-induced thyrotoxicity in female rats.

Analysis of the human gait represents a fundamental area of investigation within the broader domains of biomechanics, clinical research, and numerous other interdisciplinary fields. The progression of visual sensor technology and machine learning algorithms has enabled substantial developments in the creation of human gait analysis systems. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the advancements and recent findings in the field of vision-based human gait analysis systems over the past five years, with a special emphasis on the role of vision sensors, machine learning algorithms, and technological innovations. The relevant papers were subjected to analysis using the PRISMA method, and 72 articles that met the criteria for this research project were identified. A detailing of the most commonly used visual sensor systems, machine learning algorithms, human gait analysis parameters, optimal camera placement, and gait parameter extraction methods is presented in the analysis. The findings of this research indicate that non-invasive depth cameras are gaining increasing popularity within this field. Furthermore, depth learning algorithms, such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and long short-term memory (LSTM) networks, are being employed with increasing frequency. This review seeks to establish the foundations for future innovations that will facilitate the development of more effective, versatile, and user-friendly gait analysis tools, with the potential to significantly enhance human mobility, health, and overall quality of life. This work was supported by [GOBIERNO DE ESPANA/PID2023-150967OB-I00].

Abstract Hemiacetal compounds are valuable building blocks in synthetic chemistry, but their enzymatic synthesis is limited and often hindered by the instability of hemiacetals in aqueous environments. Here, we show that this challenge can be addressed through reaction engineering by using immobilized peroxygenase from Agrocybe aegerita (AaeUPO) under neat reaction conditions, which allows for the selective C-H bond oxyfunctionalization of environmentally significant cyclic ethers to cyclic hemiacetals. A wide range of chiral cyclic hemiacetal products are prepared in >99% enantiomeric excess and 95170 turnover numbers of AaeUPO. Furthermore, by changing the reaction medium from pure organic solvent to alkaline aqueous conditions, cyclic hemiacetals are in situ transformed into lactones. Lactams are obtained under the applied conditions, albeit with low enzyme activity. These findings showcase the synthetic potential of AaeUPO and offer a practical enzymatic approach to produce chiral cyclic hemiacetals through C-H oxyfunctionalization under mild conditions.

The sensory quality of food is the most important factor that affect consumers' willingness to purchase food. With the development of technology and economy, the methods and techniques of evaluating sensory quality are constantly updated and and improved. The main methods include artificial sensory evaluation based on personnel tasting, electronic bionic sensory evaluation technology based on instrument analysis and facial expression analysis technology based on human factors engineering, all of them have been well applied in the field of food sensory evaluation. In this paper, the existing literature is systematically sorted out, and the application status of artificial sensory evaluation technology, electronic tongue technology and facial expression analysis technology in the field of food science is elaborated in detail. It is concluded that although the electronic tongue and facial expression technology can make up for the shortcomings of artificial sensory evaluation, the two technologies also have some shortcomings. In the future, the research trend of food sensory evaluation will not be limited to relying on a single technology, but will integrate the application of multiple technical means and the formation of test data model, realizing the rapid, intelligent and accurate systematic evaluation of food sensory quality and flavor attribute.

Objectives: This study investigated the efficacy of wheat peptide supplementation compared to regular proteins in elite cross-country skiers, providing insights into the metabolic and performance effects of these supplements in order to guide athletes in selecting optimal energy sources for training and competition. Methods: Nineteen healthy male cross-country skiers were enrolled and assigned to either the peptide group (PEP, n = 9) or the protein group (PRO, n = 10). A four-week intervention study involving supplementation with wheat peptides/regular proteins was conducted, and pre- and post-intervention assessments were performed to evaluate exercise capacity and metabolic profiles. Results: The study found that the PEP group and the PRO group showed distinct within-group effects on exercise performance. The PEP group demonstrated improved aerobic capacity, including better performance in 10 km roller skating, an increased lactate threshold, and reduced resting blood lactate levels. The PRO group enhanced anaerobic capacity, such as improved sprint time, hexagon test performance, and lactate clearance. Metabolomic analysis revealed specific metabolic pathways affected in each group, with the PEP group showing impacts on the α-linolenic acid pathway and the PRO group on ketone body synthesis and degradation as well as vitamin B6 metabolism. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that wheat oligopeptides and regular proteins have comparable effects on exercise performance. However, the wheat peptides may offer greater advantages in enhancing aerobic capacity. No significant variations were observed in blood metabolite profiles between the two groups, but distinct metabolic pathways exhibited different responses.

Due to the limited bioavailability of inorganic trace minerals, their utilization in poultry production has led to problems such as environmental contamination and inefficient resource utilization. It was investigated whether replacing inorganic trace minerals (ITM) with a blend of organic small peptide-chelated trace minerals (MIX) would improve production performance, selected biochemical parameters, antioxidant capacity, mineral deposition in liver, heart, and tibia, as well as mineral content in feces of broilers. A total of 432 healthy 21-day-old 817 broilers were randomly divided into 4 groups with 6 replicates per group and 18 chickens per replicate. The control group received a basal diet supplemented with 1,000 mg/kg of inorganic trace minerals as sulfate. The experimental groups received basal diets supplemented with 200, 400, and 600 mg/kg of mixed trace mineral elements (50% sulfate +50% small peptide-chelate) for a trial period of 30 days, divided into two stages: 21–35 days and 36–50 days. The results indicate that on the 50th day, compared with the 1,000 mg/kg ITM group, the levels of serum cholesterol, urea nitrogen, and malondialdehyde in the 200, 400, and 600 mg/kg MIX groups decreased (p 0.05). This study shows that replacing inorganic minerals with low-dose MIX (200, 400, and 600 mg/kg) can reduce the levels of zinc and manganese in feces, with no negative impact on growth and slaughter performance.

Profiling gene expression while preserving cell locations aids in the comprehensive understanding of cell fates in multicellular organisms. However, simple and flexible isolation of microregions of interest (mROIs) for spatial transcriptomics is still challenging. We present a laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT)-based method combined with a full-length mRNA-sequencing protocol (LIFT-seq) for profiling region-specific tissues. LIFT-seq demonstrated that mROIs from two adjacent sections could reliably and sensitively detect and display gene expression. In addition, LIFT-seq can identify region-specific mROIs in the mouse cortex and hippocampus. Finally, LIFT-seq identified marker genes in different layers of the cortex with very similar expression patterns. These genes were then validated using in situ hybridization (ISH) results. Therefore, LIFT-seq will be a valuable and efficient technique for profiling the spatial transcriptome in various tissues.

Abstract Performing divergent C─H bond functionalization on molecules with multiple reaction sites is a significant challenge in organic chemistry. Biocatalytic oxyfunctionalization reactions of these compounds to the corresponding ketones/aldehydes are typically hindered by selectivity issues. To address these challenges, the catalytic performance of oxidoreductases is explored. The results show that combining the peroxygenase‐catalyzed propargylic C─H bond oxidation with the Old Yellow Enzyme‐catalyzed reduction of conjugated C─C triple bonds in one‐pot enables the regio‐ and chemoselective oxyfunctionalization of sp3 C─H bonds that are distant from benzylic sites. This enzymatic approach yielded a variety of γ‐keto arenes with diverse structural and electronic properties in yields of up to 99% and regioselectivity of 100%, which are difficult to achieve using other chemocatalysis and enzymes. By adjusting the C─C triple bond, the carbonyl group's position can be further tuned to yield ε‐keto arenes. This enzymatic approach can be combined with other biocatalysts to establish new synthetic pathways for accessing various challenging divergent C─H bond functionalization reactions.

As an enteric virus, chicken astrovirus has been related to various kinds of diseases in chickens, including white chick syndrome, runting-stunting syndrome, severe kidney disease, urate deposits and visceral gout, generating economic losses in the poultry industry globally. The complete ORF2 gene of 31 CAstV isolates in six provinces of China during 2020–2022 was characterized and analyzed with the purpose of better understanding the molecular epidemiology and genetic diversity of CAstV field isolates. Phylogenetic analysis which was based on the complete ORF2 (capsid) amino acid sequence of 31 CAstV isolates and 57 reference strains indicated that 2 isolates belonged to subgroup Ai, 10 isolates belonged to subgroup Bi, 3 isolates belonged to subgroup Bii, 5 isolates belonged to subgroup Biii, 7 isolates belonged to subgroup Biv, 3 isolates belonged to subgroup Bv, and one isolate (JS202103) belonged to a new B subgroup. In addition, the novel CAstV strain JS202103 was successfully isolated in vitro, and its whole genome shared 76.9–94.3% identity with the 29 CAstV reference strains. JS202103 caused hatchability reduction, dead embryos, kidney disease and visceral gout in chicken embryos. Moreover, this is the also the initial study focusing on diverse CAstV strains including subgroups Biii, Biv, and Bv circulate in China. The current work contributes to improving our understanding of CAstV isolates in China, and it will also provide references for developing efficient measures to control this virus.

Abstract Intermittent fasting (IF) is a promising paradigm for weight loss which has been shown to modulate the gut microbiota based on 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Here, 72 Chinese volunteers with a wide range of body mass index (BMI) participated in a three-week IF program during which an average loss of 3.67 kg body weight accompanied with improved clinical parameters was observed irrespective of initial anthropometric and gut microbiota status. Fecal samples were collected before and after the intervention and subjected to shotgun metagenomic sequencing. De novo assembly yielded 2934 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs). Profiling revealed significant enrichment of Parabacteroides distasonis and Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron after the intervention, with inverse correlations between their relative abundances and parameters related to obesity and atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD). MAGs enriched after the intervention showed high richness and diversity of carbohydrate-active enzymes, with an increased relative abundances of genes related to succinate production and glutamate fermentation.

Hepatic lipid and fatty acid (FA) metabolism are critical for regulating energetic homeostasis during embryogenesis. At present, it remains unclear how an exogenous FA intervention affects embryonic development in an avian embryo model. In Exp. 1, 30 fertilized eggs were sampled on embryonic days (E) 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31 and the day of hatch (DOH) to determine the critical period of lipid metabolism. In Exp. 2, a total of 120 fertilized eggs were divided into two groups (60 eggs/group) for in ovo feeding (IOF) procedures on E25. Eggs were injected into the yolk sac with PBS as the control group and with oleic acid (OA) as the IOF-OA treatment group. Samples were collected on E28 and E31. In Exp. 1, hepatic triacylglycerol (TG) and cholesterol (CHO) contents increased while serum TG content decreased from E16 to DOH (P 0.05). Maximal metabolic changes in lipid and FA metabolism occurred on E22-E28 in Muscovy duck embryogenesis, along with the altered target gene and protein expression related to lipogenesis and lipolysis. IOF-OA intervention on E25 could inhibit the target gene expression related to FA uptake, synthesis, and oxidation, which may influence the normal FA metabolism on E28 during embryogenesis.

Abstract Background Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy characterized by clonal proliferation of malignant plasma cells. Despite extensive research, molecular mechanisms in MM that drive drug sensitivity and clinic outcome remain elusive. Results Single-cell RNA sequencing was applied to study tumor heterogeneity and molecular dynamics in 10 MM individuals before and after 2 cycles of bortezomib–cyclophosphamide–dexamethasone (VCD) treatment, with 3 healthy volunteers as controls. We identified that unfolded protein response and metabolic-related program were decreased, whereas stress-associated and immune reactive programs were increased after 2 cycles of VCD treatment. Interestingly, low expression of the immune reactive program by tumor cells was associated with unfavorable drug response and poor survival in MM, which probably due to downregulation of MHC class I mediated antigen presentation and immune surveillance, and upregulation of markers related to immune escape. Furthermore, combined with immune cells profiling, we uncovered a link between tumor intrinsic immune reactive program and immunosuppressive phenotype in microenvironment, evidenced by exhausted states and expression of checkpoint molecules and suppressive genes in T cells, NK cells and monocytes. Notably, expression of YBX1 was associated with downregulation of immune activation signaling in myeloma and reduced immune cells infiltration, thereby contributed to poor prognosis. Conclusions We dissected the tumor and immune reprogramming in MM during targeted therapy at the single-cell resolution, and identified a tumor program that integrated tumoral signaling and changes in immune microenvironment, which provided insights into understanding drug sensitivity in MM.

Most waste sludge belongs to long sludge-retention-time (SRT) sludge in China, but its outlet is becoming a severe environmental problem nowadays. In this study, the characteristics of mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion of long SRT sludge was investigated under different total solid content (TSC) of 4%, 6%, and 8% in batch reactors. The results showed that the methane production potential (Po) and methane production rate (Rmax) of thermophilic anaerobic digestion (TAD) were increased by about 60% and 200% compared with that of the mesophilic anaerobic digestion (MAD) at 4% TSC. In TAD groups, the Po of 240.95 LCH4 kgVS-1added and Rmax of 22.17 LCH4 kgVS-1added day-1 were achieved in the reactor of 4% TSC while the inhibition concentration of propionate and free ammonia reached 1022 mg L-1 and 603 mg L-1 in the reactor of 8% TSC. Although the diversity of microbial communities were poor in TAD, Coprothermobacter was enriched in TAD, which could degrade protein efficiently. In addition, the dewaterability of digested sludge in TAD was poorer than that in MAD, and both got worse with the increased TSC. Therefore, it is appropriate for the long SRT sludge to anaerobic digestion under thermophilic condition and lower TSC. So, thermophilic anaerobic digestion with lower TSC might be an alternative approach for the treatment and resource utilization of long SRT sludge.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that usually causes chronic infections and even death in patients. The treatment of P. aeruginosa infection has become more challenging due to the prevalence of antibiotic resistance and the slow pace of new antibiotic development. Therefore, it is essential to explore non-antibiotic methods. A new strategy involves screening for drugs that target the quorum-sensing (QS) system. The QS system regulates the infection and drug resistance in P. aeruginosa. In this study, veratryl alcohol (VA) was found as an effective QS inhibitor (QSI). It effectively suppressed the expression of QS-related genes and the subsequent production of virulence factors under the control of QS including elastase, protease, pyocyanin and rhamnolipid at sub-inhibitory concentrations. In addition, motility activity and biofilm formation, which were correlated with the infection of P. aeruginosa, were also suppressed by VA. In vivo experiments demonstrated that VA could weaken the pathogenicity of P. aeruginosa in Chinese cabbage, Drosophila melanogaster, and Caenorhabditis elegans infection models. Molecular docking, combined with QS quintuple mutant infection analysis, identified that the mechanism of VA could target the LasR protein of the las system mainly. Moreover, VA increased the susceptibility of P. aeruginosa to conventional antibiotics of tobramycin, kanamycin and gentamicin. The results firstly demonstrate that VA is a promising QSI to treat infections caused by P. aeruginosa.

Since the last IAEA-FEC in 2021, significant progress on the development of long pulse steady state scenario and its related key physics and technologies have been achieved, including the reproducible 403 s long-pulse steady-state H-mode plasma with pure radio frequency (RF) power heating. A thousand-second time scale (∼1056 s) fully non-inductive plasma with high injected energy up to 1.73 GJ has also been achieved. The EAST operational regime of high β _P has been significantly extended ( H _98y2 > 1.3, β _P ∼ 4.0, β _N ∼ 2.4 and n _e / n _GW ∼ 1.0) using RF and neutral beam injection (NBI). The full edge localized mode suppression using the n = 4 resonant magnetic perturbations has been achieved in ITER-like standard type-I ELMy H-mode plasmas with q _95 ≈ 3.1 on EAST, extrapolating favorably to the ITER baseline scenario. The sustained large ELM control and stable partial detachment have been achieved with Ne seeding. The underlying physics of plasma-beta effect for error field penetration, where toroidal effect dominates, is disclosed by comparing the results in cylindrical theory and MARS-Q simulation in EAST. Breakdown and plasma initiation at low toroidal electric fields (

Abstract Background Arsenic trioxide (ATO) is highly effective in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) patients, but it fails to show satisfactory efficacy in other acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients with non-APL subtypes. Different from the APL cells, most non-APL AML cells express low levels of the ATO transporter Aquaporin-9 (AQP9) protein, making them less sensitive to ATO treatment. Recently, we found that granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) can upregulate the expression of AQP9. We hypothesized that the pretreatment with G-CSF may enhance the antitumor effect of ATO in non-APL AML cells. In addition, we aimed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms by which G-CSF upregulates the expression of AQP9. Methods Non-APL AML cell lines including THP-1 and HL-60 were pretreated with or without G-CSF (100 ng/ml) for 24 h, followed by the treatment with ATO (2 μM) for 48 h. Cell morphology was observed under the microscope after Wright-Giemsa staining. Flow cytometry was performed to evaluate the cell apoptosis levels. The intracellular concentrations of ATO were determined by atomic fluorescence spectrometry. The mRNA and protein expression were respectively measured by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) and western blotting. Target genes were knocked down by transfection with small interfering RNA (siRNA), or overexpressed by transfection with overexpression plasmids. The cell line derived xenograft mouse model was established to confirm the results of the in vitro experiments. Results Compared with using ATO alone, the combination of G-CSF with ATO induced the cell apoptosis more dramatically. G-CSF upregulated the expression of AQP9 and enhanced the intracellular concentrations of ATO in AML cells. When AQP9 was overexpressed, it markedly enhanced the cytotoxic activity of ATO. On the other hand, when AQP9 was knocked down, it profoundly attenuated the combinational effect. Moreover, we found that the upregulation of AQP9 by G-CSF depends on the transcription factor CCAAT enhancer binding protein beta (CEBPB). We also demonstrated that the combination of G-CSF and ATO significantly inhibited tumor growth in the xenograft mouse model. Conclusions The combination of G-CSF and ATO may be a potential therapeutic strategy for AML patients.

Abstract A deep understanding of the neuronal connectivity and networks with detailed cell typing across brain regions is necessary to unravel the mechanisms behind the emotional and memorial functions as well as to find the treatment of brain impairment. Brain-wide imaging with single-cell resolution provides unique advantages to access morphological features of a neuron and to investigate the connectivity of neuron networks, which has led to exciting discoveries over the past years based on animal models, such as rodents. Nonetheless, high-throughput systems are in urgent demand to support studies of neural morphologies at larger scale and more detailed level, as well as to enable research on non-human primates (NHP) and human brains. The advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and computational resources bring great opportunity to ‘smart’ imaging systems, i.e., to automate, speed up, optimize and upgrade the imaging systems with AI and computational strategies. In this light, we review the important computational techniques that can support smart systems in brain-wide imaging at single-cell resolution.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness, feasibility, and security of the Perclose ProGlide device that was used to remove the femoral venous cannulas for the transcatheter closure of atrial septal defect (ASD). METHODS: A total of 145 cases were analyzed retrospectively, who performed transcatheter closure of ASD in our center from March 2019 to March 2021. Based on whether the Perclose ProGlide device was placed or not in the femoral vein, 48 patients were assigned to the Perclose group and 97 ones to the non-Perclose group. The data of general characteristics, femoral venous cannulas, and related puncture complications were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The data of general characteristics or femoral venous cannulas were not significantly different between the two groups, but the procedure duration of removing venous cannulas was shorter in the Perclose group (0.5 min [0.35, 0.70] vs. 5 min [3.6, 7.4], P < 0.001). The puncture procedure-related blood lose was not significantly different between the two groups (Hemoglobin reduction value: 0.10 [−0.47, 0.30] g/dL vs. 0.10 [−0.50, 0.30] g/dL, P = 0.905). In addition, other complications caused by the removal of venous cannulas, length of stay in the ward, puncture infection, reintervention, and so on were not significantly different between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: The Perclose ProGlide device could simplify the removal of femoral venous cannulas for ASD transcatheter closure by decreasing procedure duration and time in bed. The efficiency, feasibility, and safety of Perclose ProGlide devices, which were used to remove venous cannulas, are good enough for their clinical application.

An 81-year-old male presented to our emergency department for abdominal pain and distension. The patient had previously undergone endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) procedure 9 years ago for infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm with regular follow-up in postoperative. Three years ago, computed tomography angiography (CT) revealed Type Ib endoleak with right common iliac artery expansion and Type II endoleak from inferior mesenteric artery (IMA). Then, the patient was successfully treated by relining the iliac stent-graft to cover the common iliac expansion and coil embolism to occlude IMA through the Riolan's arch using endovascular technique. Recently, the following up CTA displayed a new Type IIIa endoleak, which the left iliac limb was disconnected with the main body graft. The patient was ultimately successful to treat by implanting stent-grafts using endovascular therapy. This case emphasizes the necessity of follow-up examination for lifelong stent-grafts surveillance. We debated the current late-related complication of EVAR and stent-graft migration treatment choices.

The nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation is an ideal model for describing optical soliton transmission. This paper first introduces an integer-order generalized coupled NLS equation describing optical solitons in birefringence fibers. Secondly, the semi-inverse and fractional variational method is used to extend the integer‐order model to the space–time fractional order. Moreover, various nonlinear forms of fractional NLS equations are discussed, including the Kerr, power, parabolic, dual-power, and log law. The exact soliton solutions, such as bright, dark, and singular solitons, are given. Finally, the behavior of the solution is shown by three-dimensional figures with different fractional orders, which reveals the propagation characteristics of optical solitons in birefringence fibers described by the generalized coupled space–time fractional NLS equation.

Rapid development of medical imaging, such as cellular tracking, has increased the demand for “live” contrast agents. This study provides the first experimental evidence demonstrating that transfection of the clMagR/clCry4 gene can impart magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T2-contrast properties to living prokaryotic Escherichia coli (E. coli) in the presence of Fe3+ through the endogenous formation of iron oxide nanoparticles. The transfected clMagR/clCry4 gene markedly promoted uptake of exogenous iron by E. coli, achieving an intracellular co-precipitation condition and formation of iron oxide nanoparticles. This study will stimulate further exploration of the biological applications of clMagR/clCry4 in imaging studies.

A large number of coal bearing strata are developed in Beishan Basin Group of Ganmeng area.However, due to the complexity of tectonic evolution, lack of seismic, drilling and related paleontological data, the age of coal bearing strata has been controversial, and the potential of resources is not clear.On the basis of summarizing the previous research results, taking paleontology chronology as the starting point, combining the characteristics of rock assemblage, coal industrial characteristics, seismic data, outcrop data and other evidence, the age attribution of coal bearing strata in Beishan Basin Group is studied.According to the analysis of sporopollen paleontology, coal petrology industrial characteristics and stratigraphic contact relationship, it is considered that each basin of Beishan Basin Group has developed a set of coal bearing series, but the age of this coal bearing system is not the same.Some are Jurassic and some are Cretaceous, but the possibility of Triassic or Permian is ruled out.Only the coal bearing strata in the southern part of Zhongkouzi Basin in the southernmost part of Beishan Basin Group and the eastern part of Heiyingshan Basin in the northernmost part of the basins group are Jurassic, and the coal bearing rock series of other sub basins belong to Cretaceous.The coal bearing strata in Zhongkouzi Basin in the southern part of the basins group show a "North-South difference" consistent with the structure features.The age of the exposed coal bearing strata in the south is Middle Jurassic, and that in the north is Cretaceous.The classification of the coal bearing series provides a basis for further determining the resource potential of Beishan Basin Group, and provides a reference for the study of the prototype basin restoration and tectonic evolution of the coal bearing series in the Beishan Basin Group.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important opportunistic pathogen, and the emergence of drug resistance greatly increased the difficulty of treating its infection. Cell density-dependent quorum sensing (QS) system not only regulates the virulence but also associates with the drug resistance of P. aeruginosa. Screening for agents targeting QS to inhibit bacterial virulence and pathogenicity is considered a promising strategy to combat P. aeruginosa infection. In the present study, sennoside A was found to be able to inhibit the QS expression of P. aeruginosa at subinhibitory concentrations. The QS-regulated virulence factors, including protease, elastase, rhamnolipid, and pyocyanin, were also inhibited by sennoside A at both transcriptional and translational levels. Moreover, sennoside A could suppress the motility of twitching, swimming, and swarming as well as the biofilm formation, which is associated with the acute and chronic infections of P. aeruginosa in a dose-dependent manner. The attenuated pathogenicity of P. aeruginosa by sennoside A was further verified by Chinese cabbage, Drosophila melanogaster, and Caenorhabditis elegans infection analysis. Further study found that sennoside A might target the las system, mainly LasR, to interfere with QS. All the results indicate that sennoside A could inhibit the QS system to attenuate its regulated virulence and pathogenicity via mainly targeting LasR in P. aeruginosa and further research to identify its anti-QS activity for other Gram-negative bacteria is warranted.

Abstract Backgrounds Decreased cytotoxicity of natural killer (NK) cells has been shown in multiple myeloma (MM). However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Here, by using single‐cell RNA sequencing analysis and in vitro experiments, we aim to uncover and validate molecularly distinctive insights into identifying regulators for NK cell exhaustion and provide potential targets for novel immune therapies in MM. Methods Single‐cell RNA sequencing was conducted in the bone marrow and peripheral blood samples from 10 newly diagnosed MM patients and three healthy volunteers. Based on the cluster‐defining differentially expressed genes, we named and estimated functional states of each cluster via bioinformatics analyses. Functional significance of key findings obtained from sequencing analysis was examined in a series of in vitro experiments, including luciferase reporter assay, lentiviral expression vector construction, NK cell transfection, RT‐qPCR, flow cytometry, and cytotoxicity assay. Results We classified NK cells into seven distinct clusters and confirmed that a subset of ZNF683+ NK cells were enriched in MM patients with ‘exhausted’ transcriptomic profile, featuring as decreased expression of activating receptors and cytolytic molecules, as well as increased expression of inhibitory receptors. Next, we found a significant downregulation of SH2D1B gene that encodes EAT‐2, an adaptor protein of activating receptor SLAMF7, in ZNF683+ NK cells from MM patients versus healthy volunteers. We further proved that ZNF683 transfection in NK cells significantly downregulated SH2D1B expression via directly binding to the promoter of SH2D1B, leading to NK cell cytotoxic activity impairment and exhausted phenotypes acquisition. In contrast, ZNF683 knockout in NK cells from MM patients increased cytotoxic activity and reversed NK cell exhaustion. Conclusions In summary, our findings uncover an important mechanism of ZNF683+ NK cell exhaustion and suggest that transcriptional suppressor ZNF683 as a potential useful therapeutic target in immunotherapy of MM.

Introduction: Distal tears are an important issue after thoracic endovascular aortic repair as they directly affect thrombosis in the false lumen. However, it is difficult to treat distal tears in clinical practice due to the potential complications that may occur.Case report: We report the case of a 58-year-old male patient who received a GORE C-TAG stent placement by means of a “triple periscope technique” (a stent graph was placed in the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and the bilateral renal artery). Post-CTA imaging three months later indicated that the distal dissecting aortic aneurysm was successfully isolated, and the three abdominal branches were well-perfused, interestingly the celiac branch with well–perfusion via collateral circulation pathway between the celiac trunk and the superior mesenteric artery.Conclusions: The periscope technique used in this report for reconstructing the branch vessel involved in the dissecting aneurysm was easy to learn and operate. Combined with another skill that initial deployment in the distal segment of stent-graft, distal entry tear of aortic dissecting aneurysm could be ensured with accurate coverage, as well as well-perfusion in the abdominal branches.

Background Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the most common and serious complications in patients with type B aortic dissection (TBAD). This study aimed at investigating the incidence and risk factors of in-hospital AKI in TBAD patients involving the renal artery who underwent thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) only. Methods A total of 256 patients who were diagnosed as TBAD combined with renal artery involvement were included in this retrospective study. All patients were divided into the AKI group and the non-AKI group according to the KDIGO criteria. The risk factors for AKI were identified using a multivariate logistic regression model. Results A total of 256 patients were included in this study, and the incidence of AKI was 18% (46/256). Patients in the AKI group were more likely to have a higher proportion of the youth, a higher level of body mass index, and a shorter time from onset to admission. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the youth (age ≤40 years) (OR: 2.853, 95%CI: 1.061–7.668, p = .038) were prone to AKI, and lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (OR: 1.526, per 15-ml/min/1.73 m2 decrease, 95%CI: 1.114–2.092; p = .009), higher diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (OR: 1.418, per 10-mmHg increase; 95%CI: 1.070–1.879; p = .015), and fasting blood glucose (FBG) ≥7 mmol/L on admission (OR: 2.592; 95%CI: 1.299–5.174; p = .007) were independent risk factors for AKI. Conclusions Higher incidence of AKI had been perceived in this study, most of them were young and middle-aged patients. Renopreventive measures should be considered in those high-risk patients with younger age, lower eGFR, higher DBP, and higher FBG on admission.

In drug development research, the specific affinity of drug delivery systems for particular pathological sites, cells, and even subcellular structures can largely reduce the side effects, systemic toxicity, and minimally required drug dose. Since endoplasmic reticulum (ER) plays an essential role in many important cellular activities and functions, including the synthesis and intracellular transport of secretory and membrane-associated proteins, the synthesis and transport of steroids and lipids, Ca2+ signaling, and stress response, the ER dysfunction is associated with many diseases. Developing delivery systems that can effectively enter the cell and target ER is highly important for achieving satisfactory therapeutic performance in certain diseases, such as cancer. This review summarizes the currently available ER-targeting nanoparticle systems for cancer therapy. We first discuss the background knowledge involved in the ER-targeted nanotherapies for cancer. Then, we describe the examples about ER-targetable nanoparticles from several aspects, such as the components, the construction, and the therapeutic effect and mechanisms of these nanoparticles. Finally, we summarize the ER-targeted nanotherapeutic strategies for cancer and point out the current challenges and future research directions in this field. We hope that this review will promote the further development of ER-targeting nanotheranostics and inspire future research on ER-targeted cancer treatments.

ObjectiveTo compare the clinical efficacy and safety of two different doses of propranolol in the treatment of cutaneous kaposiform hemangioendothelioma (KHE).MethodsThe cohort of this prospective case–control study comprised 11 children with KHE treated from October 2015 to August 2018 in our institution. All participants were clinically and pathologically diagnosed as having cutaneous KHE. The children were allocated to two groups: six children in Group A (low-dose group) received oral propranolol 1.5 mg/kg/d, whereas five in Group B (high-dose group) received oral propranolol 2 mg/kg/d. The children were checked and photographed before and after treatment. Changes in the tumors were tracked by clinical and ultrasound examination. Follow-up visits to monitor for adverse reactions occurred regularly.ResultsGrade I, Grade II, and Grade IV improvements in tumors were each noted in one child in Group A (three improved in total) and Grade III in two and Grade IV in another two children in Group B (four improved in total). Oral propranolol was effective in 50 and 80% of children in Groups A and B, respectively; this difference is statistically significant (P < 0.01). Minor adverse reactions occurred in eight of the 11 children.ConclusionsPropranolol treatment is effective against cutaneous KHE. There were no serious adverse reactions, and the treatment was safe in the long term. A dose of 2 mg/kg/d was more effective than 1.5 mg/kg/d in the treatment of KHE and did not increase the rate of adverse reactions. Children with KHE should be treated with propranolol 2 mg/kg/d orally.

In the present study, developmental changes of gluconeogenesis and glycolysis in an avian model were measured, and then the intervention effects of in ovo feeding (IOF) linoleic acid (LA) on hepatic glucose metabolism were evaluated. In Experiment 1, thirty fertilized eggs were sampled on embryonic days (E) of 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, and thirty newly-hatched ducklings at hatch (E34 and E35). In Experiment 2, a total of 120 fertilized eggs (60 eggs for each group) were injected into the yolk sac with PBS as the control group and LA as the IOF LA group on E25. Twelve eggs were selected for sample collection on E28 and E31. Serum contents of glucose, pyruvate, and lactate increased ( p < 0.05) linearly or quadratically from E16 to hatch, as well as hepatic glycogen and pyruvate contents. Hepatic mRNA expression related to energy homeostasis, gluconeogenesis, and glycolysis increased ( p

Abstract In this paper, a delayed virus model with two different transmission methods and treatments is investigated. This model is a time-delayed version of the model in (Zhang et al. in Comput. Math. Methods Med. 2015:758362, 2015). We show that the virus-free equilibrium is locally asymptotically stable if the basic reproduction number is smaller than one, and by regarding the time delay as a bifurcation parameter, the existence of local Hopf bifurcation is investigated. The results show that time delay can change the stability of the endemic equilibrium. Finally, we give some numerical simulations to illustrate the theoretical findings.

With the advent of the era of big data in the world and the commercial value of face recognition technology, the prospects for face recognition technology are very bright and have great market demand. This article aims to design a face recognition attendance system based on real-time video processing. This article mainly sets four directions to consider the problems: the accuracy rate of the face recognition system in the actual check-in, the stability of the face recognition attendance system with real-time video processing, the truancy rate of the face recognition attendance system with real-time video processing and the interface settings of the face recognition attendance system using real-time video processing. By analyzing the situation of these problems, the concept of attendance system based on face recognition technology is proposed, and the research on face recognition attendance system based on real-time video processing is carried out. Experimental data shows that the accuracy rate of the video face recognition system is up to 82%. Compared with the traditional check-in method, the face recognition attendance system can be reduced by about 60%. The rate of skipping classes has greatly reduced the phenomenon of students leaving early and skipping classes. The face recognition time and attendance system with real-time video processing through the above experimental certification can quickly complete the tasks of students in the time and attendance check-in system, get rid of the complex naming phenomenon, greatly improve the efficiency of class, and play an important role in guiding the development of the time and attendance system.

Abstract Cancer immunotherapies that engage immune cells to fight against tumors are proving to be powerful weapons in combating cancer and are becoming increasingly utilized in the clinics. However, for the majority of patients with solid tumors, little or no progress has been seen, presumably due to lack of adequate approaches that can reprogram the local immunosuppressive tumor milieu and thus reinvigorate antitumor immunity. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), which abundantly infiltrate most solid tumors, could contribute to tumor progression by stimulating proliferation, angiogenesis, metastasis, and by providing a barrier against antitumor immunity. Initial TAMs-targeting strategies have shown efficacy across therapeutic modalities and tumor types in both preclinical and clinical studies. TAMs-targeted therapeutic approaches can be roughly divided into those that deplete TAMs and those that modulate TAMs activities. We here reviewed the mechanisms by which macrophages become immunosuppressive and compromise antitumor immunity. TAMs-focused therapeutic strategies are also summarized.

Abstract Maca (Lepidium meyenii Walp.), originated in the high Andes of Peru, is rich in nutrients and phytochemicals. As a new resource food in China, Maca suffers marketing disorders due to the limitation of basic research. Due to the close relationship of Maca quality and origin of place, it’s of scientific, economic and social importance to set up a rapid, reliable and efficient method to identify Maca origin. In the present study, 303 Maca samples were collected from 101 villages of the main producing area in China. Using electronic nose and BP neutral network algorithm, a Maca odor database was set up to trace the origin. GC-MS was then employed to analyze the characteristic components qualitatively and semi-quantitatively. As a result, very significant differences (p

In this paper, within the scope of the local fractional derivative theory, bidirectional propagation system local fractional equations are researched. Compared with the unidirectional propagation of nonlinear waves in a pipeline, the bidirectional propagation system equations studied in this paper can better describe the propagation of nonlinear waves in a channel. This study is groundbreaking and offers more possibilities for the bidirectional propagation of nonlinear waves in the simulation pipeline. The exact traveling wave solutions of the non-differentiable type defined on the Cantor sets are obtained. The characteristics of the particular solutions of a fixed fractal dimension are discussed. It is proven that the local fractional nonlinear bidirectional wave equations can describe the interaction of fractal waves. It is also shown that the study of traveling wave solutions of nonlinear local fractional equations has important significance in mathematical physics.

BackgroundIt has been reported that dyslipidemia is related to coronavirus-related diseases. Critical patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who suffered from multiple organ dysfunctions were treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) in Wuhan, China. Whether the lipids profile was associated with the prognosis of COVID-19 in critical patients remained unclear.MethodsA retrospective study was performed in critical patients (N=48) with coronavirus disease 2019 in Leishenshan hospital between February and April 2020 in Wuhan. The parameters including lipid profiles, liver function, and renal function were collected on admission day, 2-3days after the admission, and the day before the achievement of clinical outcome.ResultsAlbumin value and creatine kinase (ck) value were statistically decreased at 2-3 days after admission compared with those on admission day (P

We created a two-dimensional, mathematical fluid model of a plasma in a spherical direct-current (DC) glow-discharge chamber based on the finite-element method (FEM) using the commercial FEM solver COMSOL Multiphysics. The model is based on the Boltzmann transport equation, and we solved it to simulate the transient physical characteristics of an Ar/H2 glow-discharge plasma, including the distributions of electron density, electrical potential, electron temperature, and other physical characteristics in the reaction chamber. We simulated a 5%H2/95%Ar DC glow discharge at 500 V and 2 Torr, and the results show that the electron density is distributed between the anode and the cathode, with a maximum electron density of 2.76 × 1015 m−3 and a maximum electron temperature of 5.37 eV. We also studied the effects of the discharge voltage and pressure on the electron density. The mathematical model simulates well the variation of the electron density in the chamber, and it shows that the electron density increases with increasing pressure or driving voltage.

The transcriptome of pulmonary hypertension (PH) is complex and highly genetically heterogeneous, with noncoding RNA transcripts playing crucial roles. The majority of RNAs in the noncoding transcriptome are long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) with less circular RNAs (circRNAs), which are two characteristics gaining increasing attention in the forefront of RNA research field. These noncoding transcripts (especially lncRNAs and circRNAs) exert important regulatory functions in PH and emerge as potential disease biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Recent technological advancements have established great momentum for discovery and functional characterization of ncRNAs, which include broad transcriptome sequencing such as bulk RNA-sequence, single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, and RNA-protein/RNA interactions. In this review, we summarize the current research on the classification, biogenesis, and the biological functions and molecular mechanisms of these noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) involved in the pulmonary vascular remodeling in PH. Furthermore, we highlight the utility and challenges of using these ncRNAs as biomarkers and therapeutics in PH.

Objective This study was performed to assess the clinical value of measuring the intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) concentration 1 day after total thyroidectomy to estimate the occurrence of permanent hypoparathyroidism (pHPP). Methods Data of 546 patients who underwent total thyroidectomy from February 2008 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Calcium and iPTH concentrations were collected preoperatively and at 1 day and 6 months postoperatively. Logistic regression was used to analyze the correlation between clinical indexes and postoperative pHPP. Results Of the 546 patients, 22 (4.03%) developed pHPP. Multivariate analysis showed that the iPTH and serum calcium concentrations measured 1 day after surgery were independent predictors of the risk of pHPP. An iPTH concentration of 5.51 pg/mL measured 1 day postoperatively was used as the cut-off value, and the area under the curve was 0.956. The risk of pHPP was identified with a sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 85.1%, positive predictive value of 22%, and negative predictive value of 100%. Conclusions The iPTH concentration measured 1 day after total thyroidectomy is closely related to the occurrence of pHPP postoperatively and is an independent predictive risk factor. The postoperative iPTH concentration can be helpful in identifying patients at risk for developing pHPP.

The selection of variational mode decomposition (VMD) parameters usually adopts the empirical method, trial-and-error method, or single-objective optimization method. The above-mentioned method cannot achieve the global optimal effect. Therefore, a multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) algorithm is proposed to optimize the parameters of VMD, and it is applied to the composite fault diagnosis of the gearbox. The specific steps are: first, symbol dynamic entropy (SDE) can effectively remove background noise, and use state mode probability and state transition to preserve fault information. Power spectral entropy (PSE) reflects the complexity of signal frequency composition. Therefore, the SDE and PSE are selected as fitness functions and then the Pareto frontier optimal solution set is obtained by the MOPSO algorithm. Finally, the optimal combination of VMD parameters (k, a) is obtained by normalization. The improved VMD is used to analyze the simulation signal and gearbox fault signal. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by comparing with the ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD).

Minimum entropy deconvolution (MED) is widely used in the gearbox fault diagnosis because it can enhance the energy of the impact signal. However, it is sensitive to single abnormal impulsive oscillation. This is because it takes kurtosis as the objective function and solves the optimal filter by iteration. In addition, the filter length is not adaptive and needs to be determined artificially. This paper proposes a maximum kurtosis spectral entropy deconvolution (MKSED) method and applies it to bearing fault diagnosis. Considering that the kurtosis spectral entropy has the advantage of highlighting the continuous impact oscillation, the kurtosis spectral entropy is chosen as the objective function of deconvolution. At the same time, kurtosis spectral entropy is also used as the fitness function of improved local particle swarm optimization algorithm (LPSO), and the filter length is optimized by LPSO, which makes that MKSED adaptively determines the length of the filter while solving the deconvolution, so that it can accurately extract the continuous pulse signal. The results of the simulation signal analysis show that the proposed MKSED method is superior to MED, and the proposed method is applied to bearing fault diagnosis, which verifies its ability to extract continuous impact.

In the era of big data, data-driven methods mainly based on deep learning have been widely used in the field of intelligent fault diagnosis. Traditional neural networks tend to be more subjective when classifying fault time-frequency graphs, such as pooling layer, and ignore the location relationship of features. The newly proposed neural network named capsules network takes into account the size and location of the image. Inspired by this, capsules network combined with the Xception module (XCN) is applied in intelligent fault diagnosis, so as to improve the classification accuracy of intelligent fault diagnosis. Firstly, the fault time-frequency graphs are obtained by wavelet time-frequency analysis. Then the time-frequency graphs data which are adjusted the pixel size are input into XCN for training. In order to accelerate the learning rate, the parameters which have bigger change are punished by cost function in the process of training. After the operation of dynamic routing, the length of the capsule is used to classify the types of faults and get the classification of loss. Then the longest capsule is used to reconstruct fault time-frequency graphs which are used to measure the reconstruction of loss. In order to determine the convergence condition, the three losses are combined through the weight coefficient. Finally, the proposed model and the traditional methods are, respectively, trained and tested under laboratory conditions and actual wind turbine gearbox conditions to verify the classification ability and reliable ability.

In this article, we propose a road detection method based on the fusion of Lidar and image data under the framework of conditional random field. Firstly, Lidar point clouds are projected into the monocular images by cross calibration to get the sparse height images, and then we get high-resolution height images via a joint bilateral filter. Then, for all the training image pixels which have corresponding Lidar points, we extract their features from color image and Lidar point clouds, respectively, and use these features together with the location features to train an Adaboost classifier. After that, all the testing pixels are classified into road or non-road under a conditional random field framework. In this conditional random field framework, we use the scores computed from the Adaboost classifier as the unary potential and take the height value of each pixel and its color information into consideration together for the pairwise potential. Finally, experimental tests have been carried out on the KITTI Road data set, and the results show that our method performs well on this data set.

In recent years, a new method of fault diagnosis, named variational mode decomposition (VMD), has been widely used in industrial production, but the decomposition accuracy of VMD is determined by two parameters, which are respectively the decomposition layer number k and the penalty factor α, if the parameters are not properly selected, there will be over-decomposition or under-decomposition. In order to find an approach to determine the parameters adaptively, a method to optimize VMD by using the immune fruit fly optimization algorithm (IFOA) is proposed in this paper. In this method, permutation entropy is used as the fitness function, firstly, the immune fruit fly optimization algorithm is used to search the combined parameters of k and α in VMD, searching for the best combination parameters of k and α by iteration, and then uses the combined parameters to perform VMD, finally, the center frequency is determined through frequency spectrum analysis. The method mentioned is applied to the fault extraction of a simulated signal and a measured signal of a wind turbine gearbox, and the fault frequency is successfully extracted. Using ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) and singular spectrum decomposition (SSD) to compare with the proposed method, which validated feasibility of the proposed method.

Our objective was to investigate the potential roles of CCN1 in the inflammation and macrophage infiltration of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The regulation of hepatic CCN1 expression was investigated in vitro with murine primary hepatocytes treated with free fatty acids or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and in vivo with high-fat (HF) diet-fed mice or ob/ob mice. CCN1 protein and a liver-specific CCN1 expression plasmid were administered to mice fed a normal diet (ND) or HF diet. Myeloid-derived macrophages and RAW264.7 cells were also treated with CCN1 in vitro to determine the chemotactic effects of CCN1 on macrophages. LPS treatment significantly increased hepatic CCN1 expression in HF diet-fed mice and ob/ob mice. LPS and FFAs induced CCN1 expression in primary murine hepatocytes in vitro through the TLR4/MyD88/AP-1 pathway. CCN1 protein and overexpression of CCN1 in the liver induced more severe hepatic inflammation and macrophage infiltrates in HF mice than in ND mice. CCN1 recruited macrophages through activation of the Mek/Erk signaling pathway in myeloid-derived macrophages and RAW264.7 cells in vitro. Endotoxin and FFA-induced CCN1 expression in hepatocytes is involved in the hepatic proinflammatory response and macrophage infiltration in murine NAFLD.