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Abstract Multivalent antigen display on nanoparticles can enhance the immunogenicity of nanovaccines targeting viral moieties, such as the receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2. However, particle morphology and size of current nanovaccines are significantly different from those of SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, surface antigen patterns are not controllable to enable the optimization of B cell activation. Herein, we employ an icosahedral DNA origami (ICO) as a display particle for RBD nanovaccines, achieving morphology and diameter like the virus (91 ± 11 nm). The surface addressability of DNA origami permits facile modification of the ICO surface with numerous RBD antigen clusters (ICO-RBD) to form various antigen patterns. Using an in vitro screening system, we demonstrate that the antigen spacing, antigen copies within clusters and cluster number parameters of the surface antigen pattern all impact the ability of the nanovaccines to activate B cells. Importantly, the optimized ICO-RBD nanovaccines evoke stronger and more enduring humoral and T cell immune responses in female mouse models compared to soluble RBD antigens, and the multivalent display broaden the protection range of B cell responses to more mutant strains. Our vaccines activate similar humoral immunity, observable stronger cellular immunity and more memory immune cells compared to trimeric mRNA vaccines.

Abstract Increasing chemical pollution is a threat to sustainable water resources worldwide. Plastics and harmful additives released from plastics add to this burden and might pose a risk to aquatic organisms, and human health. Phthalates, which are common plasticizers and endocrine-disrupting chemicals, are released from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) microplastics and are a cause of concern. Therefore, the leaching kinetics of additives, including the influence of environmental weathering, are key to assessing exposure concentrations but remain largely unknown. We show that photoaging strongly enhances the leaching rates of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) by a factor of 1.5, and newly-formed harmful transformation products, such as mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP), phthalic acid, and phthalic anhydride from PVC microplastics into the aquatic environment. Leaching half-lives of DEHP reduced from 449 years for pristine PVC to 121 years for photoaged PVC. Aqueous boundary layer diffusion (ABLD) is the limiting mass transfer process for the release of DEHP from pristine and photoaged PVC microplastics. The leaching of transformation products is limited by intraparticle diffusion (IPD). The calculated mass transfer rates can be used to predict exposure concentrations of harmful additives in the aquatic environment.

Bacteria, as the major component of the human microbiome, have been shown to play important physiological roles in human health and disease development. However, a growing body of research suggests that fungi, which make up less than 1% of the human microbiome, also have a significant impact on human health, particularly in early life. Fungal colonization is strongly associated with the onset of future childhood diseases such as infectious diseases, allergic diseases, and intestinal diseases. Factors influencing early life, such as mode of birth and use of antibiotics, may be involved in the development of related diseases by affecting fungal colonization, but more research is needed to summarize this. This article reviews the characteristics of the fungal composition in the first 1 000 days of life, the related factors influencing the colonization of the early life fungal community, and the association between fungal dysbiosis and childhood diseases, providing a reference for the prevention and control of related childhood diseases.

Ziziphus jujuba is a commonly used medicinal and edible plant in China. Ziziphus jujuba polysaccharide is one of the main active component of Ziziphus jujuba, and has been confirmed by pharmacological studies with a variety of biological activities. The research on the structure of Ziziphus jujuba polysaccharide is mostly focused on modification method, monosaccharide constitutes, molecular weight and glycosidic bond type. Extensive studies have shown that Ziziphus jujuba polysaccharide exert multiple biological activities, such as antioxidant, hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, lipid-lowering, bacterial abundance regulation, immune regulation, anti-cancer and anticoagulant. Ziziphus jujuba polysaccharide can be used in anti-oxidation film, anti-aging, hypoglycemic, sugar replacement, lipid-lowering products, bacteriostatic agent, immunomodulators, anti-cancer nutrition food and other products. Based on these findings, this article summarizes and prospects, in order to provide a theoretical basis for further explore the structure of Ziziphus jujuba polysaccharides, standardize the preparation and extraction process of Ziziphus jujuba polysaccharides, clarify the biological activity mechanism of Ziziphus jujuba polysaccharides, and increase the diversity of Ziziphus jujuba polysaccharide products.

The development of additive-subtractive hybrid manufacturing (ASHM) offers a near-perfect solution for the integrated preparation of complex structural components. In this study, we prepared additive manufacturing (AM), ASHM-fabricated Inconel 718 (IN718) superalloy based on laser-directed energy deposition (LDED), including two subtractive manufacturing (SM) situations, i.e. milling after cooling (room temperature SM) and immediately milling after AM (high-temperature SM). The evolution of microstructure, residual stress and milling forces for IN718 during a complete ASHM process (including AM and subsequent SM) were explored by experiments, finite element and molecular dynamics simulation. The SM process induces gradient plastic deformation on the sample surface, which led to the formation of nano-grains, low-angle grain boundaries and residual compressive stress. Owing to the higher internal temperatures present at SM, the thermal softening effect results in lower milling forces being subjected to high-temperature SM sample. Also, the dynamic recovery results in lesser nano-grains, low-angle grain boundaries and residual compressive stress in high-temperature SM sample. Thus, SM immediately after AM has a lower degree of plastic deformation on the sample surface compared to room temperature SM, and shows advantages in the preparation of difficult-to-machine materials.HighlightsInconel 718 (IN718) superalloy was prepared by LDED-based additive-subtractive hybrid manufacturing (ASHM).The evolution of microstructure, residual stress and nano-hardness for IN718 during ASHM were investigated.Subtractive manufacturing process of ASHM introduces nano-grains and residual compressive stress.Thermal softening effects and dynamic recovery affect the plastic deformation degree of ASHM-fabricated IN718.

High performance concrete (HPC) has the characteristics of high strength, high brittleness and low toughness, so it can not be widely used in engineering field. The rubber particles themselves have good elasticity and excellent wear resistance. To this end, rubber particles were used to prepare high performance rubber concrete (HPRC) instead of fine aggregate, and compressive strength and splitting tensile strength tests were carried out according to standard test methods. These data were evaluated, and it was found that adding different mesh number (10 mesh, 20 mesh, 30 mesh) and different content (10%, 20%, 30%) of rubber particles reduced the compressive and tensile properties of high-performance rubber concrete to different degrees. The rubber particles with l size of 30 mesh and content of 10% have the least influence on the mechanical properties of high-performance rubber concrete, and the compressive strength and tensile strength of HPC 28 days only decrease by 18.19% and 5.56%, respectively. From the damage form, the addition of rubber particles makes the high performance concrete change from brittle to ductile. The research shows that recycling rubber from waste tires into concrete manufacturing is an environmentally friendly and feasible waste management strategy. These results have the potential to replace concrete in construction and promote sustainable growth.

Lithium-rich layered oxides (LROs) are considered as promising cathodes in building next-generation lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) with superior charge-discharge capacity. Nevertheless, LROs are confronted with irreversible oxygen loss accompanied with surface-to-bulk degradation upon cycling. To inhibit the oxygen release and to increase the lifespan of LROs, we report on an innovative strategy to rapidly construct an ultrathin oxygen-deficient shell layer covering the surface of LROs’ particles via a sparking plasma sintering (SPS) technique. It is demonstrated that the inner structure of the LROs’ particles is maintained, whereas the surface of the particles forms a thin shell (∼5 nm) consisting of a considerable amount of oxygen vacancies. Benefitting from the existence of an oxygen-deficient shell, the cathode activation is facilitated and the oxygen loss is suppressed, leading to enhanced capacity and prominent cyclability under long cycling. The modified LRO exhibits outstanding electrochemical performance, delivering a maximum capacity of 187.67 mAh g−1 and a capacity retention of 95.71% after 200 cycles at 250 mA g−1. Our work evidences that SPS is a fast and effective approach to construct oxygen-deficient shell on LRO cathodes for high-performance LIBs.

IntroductionWater depth (WD) and snail abundance (SA) are two key factors affecting the growth of submersed aquatic plants in freshwater lake ecosystems. Changes in WD and SA drive changes in nutrients and other primary producers that may have direct or indirect effects on submersed plant growth, but which factor dominates the impact of both on aquatic plants has not been fully studied.MethodsTo investigate the dominant factors that influence aquatic plant growth in plateau lakes, a one-year field study was conducted to study the growth of three dominant submersed macrophyte (i.e., Vallisneria natans, Potamogeton maackianus, and Potamogeton lucens) in Erhai Lake.ResultsThe results show that, the biomass of the three dominant plants, P.maackianus, is the highest, followed by P.lucens, and V.natans is the lowest. Meanwhile, periphyton and snails attached to P.maackianus are also the highest. Furthermore, WD had a positive effect on the biomass of two submersed macrophyte species of canopy-type P.maackianus and P.lucens, while it had a negative effect on rosette-type V.natans. Snail directly inhibited periphyton attached on V.natans and thereby increasing the biomass of aquatic plants, but the effect of snails on the biomass of the other two aquatic plants is not through inhibition of periphyton attached to their plants.DiscussionThe dominant factors affecting the biomass of submersed macrophyte in Erhai Lake were determined, as well as the direct and indirect mechanisms of WD and snails on the biomass of dominant submersed macrophyte. Understanding the mechanisms that dominate aquatic plant change will have implications for lake management and restoration.

Siraitiae Fructus is one of the commonly used medicinal and edible herbs in China. Modern pharmacological studies have found that mogroside is one of the important active components of Siraitiae Fructus, there are a variety of biological activities in disease prevention, health care and treatment. It has been widely applicated in food additives, anti-aging, sports nutrition supplements, anti-inflammatory agents, sore throat products, intestinal flora regulators, new drug carriers, etc.. However, there are problems such as insufficient product development depth, low purity and in-depth exploration of pharmacological mechanisms. In this paper, the relevant literature in the past recent years is retrieved, and the biological activity of mogroside on blood sugar regulation, lipid lowering, anti-oxidative stress, anti-fatigue, liver protection, anti-hepatic fibrosis, anti-inflammatory, improving lung function, protecting nerves, anti-cancer and promoting reproduction development and other biological functions, as well as the development of new products for mogroside applications are reviewed, in order to provide a reference for further research on mogroside and the development of related products.

Runoff variation is of significant importance to the current and future water availability of a region, particularly in arid regions, and plays a crucial role in economic and social development. The Tarim River Basin, spanning an area of approximately 102 × 104 km2, is the largest inland river basin in China. Due to the basin’s extremely dry climate, water shortage is the most critical natural factor restricting socio-economic development in the region. This study focuses on analyzing the historical and future runoff changes of the four headstreams (the Kaidu, Aksu, Yarkand, and Hotan rivers) in the Tarim River Basin with historical observations and multiple-model projections. The results indicate that the runoff of the Tarim’s four headstreams showed an increasing trend during 1957–2022, with a remarkable increment of 40.70 × 108 m3, or 18% in percentage. Rising temperatures and precipitation are the main reasons for the runoff’s increase. Higher temperature accelerates the melting of glaciers, leading to enhanced recharge of meltwater, while more precipitation also boosts the increase in river runoff. Based on the modelling results from the extended SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool), the runoff in the Kaidu, Aksu, Yarkand, and Hotan rivers will remain at a high level in the near future (−2035), with an average increase of 3.2%–7.55%. In the mid 21st century (2036–2065), the runoff of the Yarkand and Hotan River originated from the Kunlun and Karakoram mountains is expected to continue increasing by around 6.25%–15.2%. Under SSP126, the tipping point of glacier melt runoff in the basin may happen by 2058, while under SSP370 and SSP585 scenarios, it may be around 2080. The timing of peak water aligns with projections in the mountainous Asia, but is later compared to the tropical Andes, Western Canada, and the Swiss Alps, whose peak water has already been reached. The results of this study can provide a scientific basis for the allocation and efficient utilization of water resources in the Tarim River Basin and offer valuable insights into the forthcoming runoff changes in mountainous regions.

Moringa oleifera Lam. leaf is not only a new food resource in China, but also a traditional medicinal plant. It is commonly used in the folk to alleviate constipation, but its laxative mechanism is not fully understood. Hence we investigated it in loperamide-induced functional constipation (FC) mice. The results showed that MOAE significantly regulated not only gastrointestinal hormones and neurotransmitters in serum but also important gastrointestinal motility factors in the enteric nervous system (ENS)-interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs)-smooth muscle cell (SMC) network. Meanwhile, MOAE attenuated intestinal inflammation, increased cecal short-chain fatty acid levels and colonic antimicrobial peptide expression, and improved the impaired intestinal barrier function in loperamide-induced FC mice. In addition, MOAE also increased fecal water content by inhibiting the mRNA expression of colonic aquaporins (Aqp3 and Aqp4) in FC mice. Interestingly and importantly, MOAE affected the intestinal microbiota by inhibiting some key “constipation-causing” microbiota, such as Bacteroidaceae, Clostridiaceae, Bacteroides, and Ruminococcus, and promoting the growth of other important “constipation-curing” microbiota, such as Butyricoccus, Tyzzerella, and Desulfovibrio. These important taxa are significantly associated with a variety of indicators of constipation. These findings suggest that MOAE can promote defecation through its rich chemical composition to modulate the ENS-ICCs-SMCs network and the gut microecosystem.

Objective: To analyze the risk factors associated with the development of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and enhance the understanding of its disease progression, providing a clinical basis for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of severe diseases. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 399 patients with COVID-19 was conducted at a designated hospital for COVID-19 treatment in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, focusing on the characteristics and risk factors associated with the development of COVID-19. Univariate and binary logistic regression analyses were used to explore the risk factors for novel coronavirus infection. Results: There were significant differences in age, underlying disease history, laboratory examination, and clinical symptoms between the two groups. Univariate analysis showed significant differences in age, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, albumin concentration, albumin/globulin ratio, and IL-6 and C-reactive protein levels between the two groups. Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that C-reactive protein level, endocrine disease history, and ORF1ab gene CT value may be risk factors for COVID-19, whereas albumin level may be a protective factor. Conclusion: Age, underlying disease history, and elevated C-reactive protein/IL-6 levels are contributing factors to the development of COVID-19. Further targeted preventive interventions should consider the risk factors of the disease.

Objective: To investigate the differences in clinical features of patients with novel coronavirus infection at different ages. Methods: A total of 382 patients with novel coronavirus, hospitalized in a designated hospital for treatment of novel coronavirus in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from October 1 to October 31, 2022 were included. The groups were as follows: children group 0~18 years old; youth group 19~44 years old; middle-aged group 45~59 years old; and elderly group ≥60 years old. The demographic and clinical characteristics of cases in different age groups were analyzed retrospectively. Results: Patients were stratified by 10 years of age, and conformed to a normal distribution. The age at onset was orimarily within the young people categrry, the severity of disease was mild in all age groups, and the risk of severe disease was higher in the elderly group (P

Abstract Increasing evidence is proving the biological significance of the phytoplasma-secreted proteins. However, besides a few Sec-dependent secretory proteins, no other phytoplasma-secreted proteins have been reported yet. Candidatus Phytoplasma ziziphi is a phytoplasma that causes witches’-broom, a devastating jujube disease prevalent in east Asia. In this study, using the SecretomeP server coupled with an Escherichia coli-based alkaline phosphatase assay, we identified 25 non-classically secreted proteins (ncSecPs) from Ca. P. ziziphi, a novel type of secreted protein associated with phytoplasmas. Among them, six were characterized as hypersensitive cell death response (HR) suppressors that significantly attenuated both Bax- and INF1-triggered HR and H2O2 accumulation in Nicotiana benthamiana, indicating a so-far unknown role of the phytoplasma-secreted proteins. Further, we demonstrated that despite the diverse subcellular localizations in the N. benthamiana cells, the six HR-suppressing ncSecPs enhanced the gene expression of several known cell death inhibitors, including pathogenesis-related proteins (NbPR-1, NbPR-2, and NbPR-5) and Bax inhibitor-1 (NbBI-1 and NbBI-2). Together, our data indicated that Ca. P. ziziphi has evolved an arsenal of ncSecPs that jointly circumvent HR by activating the plant cell death inhibitors, thus providing new insight into understanding the pathogenesis of phytoplasmas.

In this paper, solar irradiance, ambient wind speed and power load are emulated by regulating the electric heating power, the centrifugal fan speed and the load resistance to emulate the operation condition of the solar dish Stirling power generation (SDS) system. The couple effects on the generated power and thermoelectric efficiency of a free piston Stirling generator (FPSG) prototype are tested experimentally. The heat dissipation characteristics of the outer wall is analyzed. The results show that in certain start-up condition the generated power drops rapidly from 180.8 W to the lowest point of 77.1 W at 36 s, then rise gradually and stabilize at 12 min. The generated power is approximately positively linear with the heating power while the thermoelectric efficiency rises firstly followed by decline, with a peak of 20.3% at 5 kW. The wind speed reduces the generated power, thermoelectric efficiency and radiation loss, but increases the convection loss. The generated power and thermoelectric efficiency decrease with the load resistance, with the maximum values of 1364.6 W and 23.3% respectively.

Exploring metallic microfibers with an excellent combination of high strength and ductility is a challenge for structural applications under extreme conditions. In this work, a heterogeneous gradient structure was introduced into CoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) microfibers via thermomechanical processing. The annealed CoCrFeNi microfiber displays an ultrahigh yield strength of ∼ 1 GPa, an ultimate tensile strength of 1.45 GPa, and an outstanding uniform elongation of 75% at 150 K. These excellent properties originate from the ultrafine grains and heterogeneous gradient structure, as well as the activation of multiple deformation mechanisms including deformation twins, dense dislocations, stacking faults, Lomer-Cottrell locks, phase transformation and 9R phase. Our work not only suggests that HEA microfibers have great potential for structural applications in cryogenic environments, but also sheds light on the design of advanced multi-component metallic microfibers with superior mechanical properties.

District heating system (DHS) plays an important role in attaining sustainable energy systems, which can conveniently provide energy-efficient space heating. At present, it is common that heat source and stations are operated and regulated separately by different owners. Their own technicians adjust the operation parameters empirically with fine-tune according to users’ complaint. This kind of isolated and extensive regulation often results in imbalance of supply and demand featuring in large indoor temperature fluctuation and waste of energy. In order to tackle this problem, this paper proposes an integrated control strategy based on load forecasting and correction according to indoor temperature measurement. Firstly, regulation period and regulation time nodes of heat source and stations are determined. Then, water supply temperature of heat source and heat stations are predicted respectively. The predicted water supply temperature of heat stations is corrected by the measured average indoor temperature under their own heating zone, while the overall average is used to correct the predicted water supply temperature of the heat source. Field study in a realistic DHS project shows that the proposed method effectively improved the users’ thermal comfort reducing indoor temperature non-uniformity coefficient from 0.0310 to 0.0196. Hydraulic instability index reduced from 0.63 to 0.19 which means pipe network pressure fluctuation is mitigated. An energy saving rate about 6.75% was yield which is quite considerable.

Tumor vaccines, a type of personalized tumor immunotherapy, have developed rapidly in recent decades. These vaccines evoke tumor antigen-specific T cells to achieve immune recognition and killing of tumor cells. Because the immunogenicity of tumor antigens alone is insufficient, immune adjuvants and nanocarriers are often required to enhance anti-tumor immune responses. At present, vaccine carrier development often integrates nanocarriers and immune adjuvants. Among them, outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are receiving increasing attention as a delivery platform for tumor vaccines. OMVs are natural nanovesicles derived from Gram-negative bacteria, which have adjuvant function because they contain pathogen associated molecular patterns. Importantly, OMVs can be functionally modified by genetic engineering of bacteria, thus laying a foundation for applications as a delivery platform for tumor nanovaccines. This review summarizes 5 aspects of recent progress in, and future development of, OMV-based tumor nanovaccines: strain selection, heterogeneity, tumor antigen loading, immunogenicity and safety, and mass production of OMVs.

The rapid display and delivery method for customized tumor mRNA vaccines is limited. Herein, bacteria-derived outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are employed as an mRNA delivery platform by surface engineering of an RNA-binding protein, L7Ae. OMV-L7Ae can rapidly adsorb boxC/D sequence-labeled mRNA antigens through L7Ae-boxC/D binding and deliver them into HEK-293T and dendritic cells. This platform provides an mRNA delivery technology distinct from lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) for personalized mRNA tumor vaccination and with a Plug-and-Display strategy suitable for rapid preparation of the personalized mRNA tumor vaccine against varied tumor antigens.Key features• OMVs are employed as an mRNA delivery platform through L7Ae-boxC/D binding.Graphical overview

Abstract Background There have been a few studies regarding the pre-attack symptoms (PAS) and pre-episode symptoms (PES) of cluster headache (CH), but none have been conducted in the Chinese population. The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence and features of PAS and PES in Chinese patients, as well as to investigate their relationships with pertinent factors. Methods The study included patients who visited a tertiary headache center and nine other headache clinics between January 2019 and September 2021. A questionnaire was used to collect general data and information about PAS and PES. Results Among the 327 patients who met the CH criteria (International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition), 269 (82.3%) patients experienced at least one PAS. The most common PAS were head and facial discomfort (74.4%). Multivariable logistic regression analysis depicted that the number of triggers (OR = 1.798, p = 0.001), and smoking history (OR = 2.067, p = 0.026) were correlated with increased odds of PAS. In total, 68 (20.8%) patients had PES. The most common symptoms were head and facial discomfort (23, 33.8%). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the number of triggers were associated with increased odds of PES (OR = 1.372, p = 0.005). Conclusions PAS are quite common in CH patients, demonstrating that CH attacks are not comprised of a pain phase alone; investigations of PAS and PES could help researchers better understand the pathophysiology of CH.

ABSTRACT: Salmonella, as a common foodborne pathogen in dairy products, poses a great threat to human health. We studied a new detection method based on quantum dots (QD). A fluorescent biosensor with multiple fluorescent signal amplification based on a streptavidin (SA) biotin system and the polyamino linear polymer poly-l-lysine (PLL) were established to detect Salmonella in milk. First, Salmonella was captured on a black 96-well plate with paired Salmonella mAb to form a double-antibody sandwich. Second, SA was immobilized on biotin-modified mAb by SA-biotin specific bond. Then, the biotin-modified polylysine (BT-PLL) was bound on SA and specifically bonded again through the SA-biotin system. Finally, water-soluble CdSe/ZnS QD-labeled SA was added to a black 96-well plate for covalent coupling with BT-PLL. The fluorescent signal was amplified in a dendritic manner by the layer-by-layer overlap of SA and biotin and the covalent coupling of biotinylated PLL. Under optimal conditions, the detection limit was 4.9 × 103 cfu/mL in PBS. The detection limit was 10 times better than that of the conventional sandwich ELISA. In addition, the proposed biosensor was well specific and could be used for detecting Salmonella in milk samples.

Abstract The NF-κB pathway is an essential signalling cascade in the defence against viral infections, including African swine fever virus (ASFV) infection. ASFV encodes more than 151 proteins via its own transcription machinery and possesses a great capacity to evade or subvert antiviral innate immune responses. Although some of these viral proteins have been reported, many remain unknown. Here, we show that pD345L, an ASFV-encoded lambda-like exonuclease, acts as an inhibitor of cGAS/STING-mediated NF-κB signalling by blocking the IkappaB kinase (IKKα/β) activity. Specifically, we showed that overexpression of pD345L suppresses cGAS/STING-induced IFNβ and NF-κB activation, resulting in decreased transcription of IFNβ and several proinflammatory cytokines, including IL-1α, IL-6, IL-8, and TNFα. In addition, we showed that pD345L acts at or downstream of IKK and upstream of p65. Importantly, we found that pD345L associates with the KD and HLH domains of IKKα and the LZ domain of IKKβ and thus interrupts their kinase activity towards the downstream substrate IκBα. Finally, we showed that pD345L-mediated inhibition of NF-κB signalling was independent of its exonuclease activity. Considering these results collectively, we concluded that pD345L blocks IKKα/β kinase activity via protein–protein interactions and thus disrupts cGAS/STING-mediated NF-κB signalling.

ABSTRACT: Foods contaminated by foodborne pathogens have always been a great threat to human life. Herein, we constructed an electrochemical immunosensor for Salmonella detection by using a Fe3O4@graphene modified electrode. Because of the excellent electrical conductivity and mechanical stability of graphene and the large specific surface area of Fe3O4, the Fe3O4@graphene nanocomposite exhibits an excellent electrical signal, which greatly increased the sensitivity of the immunosensor. Gold nanoparticles were deposited on Fe3O4@graphene nanocomposite by electrochemical technology for the immobilization of the antibody. Cyclic voltammetry was selected to electrochemically characterize the construction process of immunosensors. The microstructure and morphology of related nanocomposites were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. Under optimized experimental conditions, a good linear relationship was achieved in the Salmonella concentration range of 2.4 × 102 to 2.4 × 107 cfu/mL, and the limit of detection of the immunosensor was 2.4 × 102 cfu/mL. Additionally, the constructed immunosensor exhibited acceptable selectivity, reproducibility, and stability and provides a new reference for detecting pathogenic bacteria in milk.

To improve energy utilization efficiency and extend the driving range of electric vehicles, this paper proposes a Dual-Motor Coupled Drive System (DMCDS) with a simple structure and establishes a dynamic mathematical model to analyze power flow characteristics under different driving modes. Considering the interdependence between the optimization of component sizes and system control in multi-motor drive systems, a two-layer hybrid optimization method is proposed to determine the optimal component sizes, balancing vehicle performance with minimal system energy losses. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed optimization design method, extensive simulation analysis was carried out in MATLAB. The results demonstrate that the optimization of motor sizes and gear ratios can enhance the energy efficiency of the drive system. In comparison with prototype scheme before optimization, the high-efficiency region utilization of motors EM_R and EM_S increased by 45% and 48%, respectively. Compared with the prototype and single-motor drive system, the average drive efficiency after optimization increased by 2.5% and 4.2%, respectively, and the energy consumption per 100 km decreased by 3.6% and 6.8%, respectively. These results confirm the efficacy of the proposed optimization design method in achieving an energy-saving effect.

Numerical forecast of sea fog is very challenging work because of its high sensitivity to model initial conditions. For better depicting the humidity structure of the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL), Wang et al. (2014) assimilated satellite-derived humidity from sea fog at its initial stage over the Yellow Sea (W14 method), using an extended three-dimensional variational data assimilation (3DVAR) with the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF). This article proposes a revised version of the W14 method. The major ingredient of the revision is the inclusion of a temperature constraint into the satellite-derived humidity, not only for the missed fog area that the W14 method primarily considers, but also for the false fog area that is not handled in the W14 method. The numerical experiment results of 10 sea fog cases over the Yellow Sea show that the revised method can effectively alleviate the wet bias occasionally occurring in the W14 method, resulting in an improvement by about 15% for an equitable threat score of the simulated fog area. In addition, a detailed case study is conducted to illustrate the working mechanism of the revised method, including sensitivity experiments focusing on the roles of two kinds of background error covariances (CV5 and CV6) in the assimilation by the WRF-3DVAR. The results suggest that CV6 with multivariate cross-correlation is probably more beneficial to the revised method’s performance.

The current study presents a novel method to prepare high-purity V2O5 from Na3VO4 solution. This process characterizes Na3VO4 calcification separation, Ca10V6O25 ammoniation and solubilization, NH4VO3 crystallization, and vanadium precipitation, which achieves elemental V migration from the Na3VO4–Ca10V6O25–NH4VO3–V2O5 phase, finally obtaining high-purity V2O5. The influencing factors of the preparation process were investigated, and the results showed that vanadium was released from Na3VO4 solution to synthesize Ca10V6O25 in the first stage under the most suitable conditions (Ca/V molar ratio of 1.8, and a concentration of NaOH less than 160 g/L). In the second stage, the leaching efficiency of vanadium reached 95% at optimal conditions (NH4+/V molar ratio was 1.2, reaction temperature and time were 90 °C and 30 min, respectively). In the third stage, NH4VO3 yield and crystal size reached maximum values under optimal conditions (feed rate, crystallization temperature, and the power factor of the circulating pump were 6 m3/h, 30 °C, and 80% respectively). Finally, high-purity V2O5 was prepared via a series of large particle NH4VO3 post-treatments. In addition, the ICP analysis confirmed that the purity of the generated V2O5 was more than 99.5%.

The improvement of soil water and nutrient availability through soil management practices are crucial in promoting crop growth and obtaining high water-fertilizer productivity under limited irrigation. In this study, a 2×4 fully randomized factorial design with two drip-irrigation regimes and four biochar rates was performed during maize crop growing seasons for a semiarid region of China in 2015 and 2016. Irrigation regimes was applied on the basis of the water lower limit of -15 kPa soil matric potential as W15 and -35 kPa as W35. Maize straw-derived biochar application rate of 0 (B0), 15 (B15), 30 (B30), and 45 (B45) t ha-1 was once applied to sandy loam soil in the first growing season. Our results showed that the W15 and W35 regimes generally increased soil nutrient availability and organic matter content under all biochar treatment rates for the entire growth period. In comparison, the B45-induced increase in available P and K was higher in the W15 regime than in the W35 regime during the second growing season. Furthermore, biochar treatment improved the comprehensive fertility index (CFI), leaf area index, and yield of maize. Within the same biochar treatment, the CFI value was higher in the W15 regime than in the W35 regime during the first growing season. However, the opposite was observed in the second growing season. The average irrigation water productivity (IWP) increased by 11.6%, 8.8%, and 7.8% in the W35 regime and by 15.2%, 12.9%, and 10.2% in the W15 regime for the B15, B30, and B45 treatments, respectively. Moreover, biochar treatment enhanced maize grain yield and partial fertilizer productivity (PFP) of synthetic N, P, and K fertilizers under both irrigation regimes. The highest PFP values were observed in the B15 treatment under W15. In general, a one-time application of biochar treatment at a rate of 15 t ha-1 in the first growing season is recommended in terms of increasing the availability of N, P, K, and organic matter in sandy loam and also improve water-fertilizer productivity under irrigation water lower limit of -15 kPa soil matric potential.

The drinking water quality index (DWQI) transforms multiple water quality parameters into a dimensionless number, thus, presenting comprehensive status of drinking water in an intuitive manner. However, there are very few studies summarize the current progress of DWQI. Thus, we systematically reviewed 514 articles to evaluated the methods used in each DWQI developmental step with the aim of helping environmental workers choose the most appropriate index-generation model for local application. We observed that existing studies usually select 10–15 (55.4% of the studies) physicochemical parameters (such as Cl, pH, SO4, Ca, Mg etc.) to develop a DWQI. The weights of selected parameters are most often assigned using the five-scale method (53.7%), but these values varied considerably among the different studies due to the lack of clear evaluation standards. Semiquantitative and quantitative methods have been applied to overcome the subjectivity involved in these steps, including the analytical hierarchy process, information entropy, and factor analysis etc. The measurement results are normalized using the permissible limit, and multiplied by the corresponding weight, then added up to get the final DWQI result. Specifically, two distinct approaches, fuzzy logic and WQI adopted by Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME-WQI) are discussed. Comparing with the more common approach based on classic set theory, fuzzy logic can better resolve the inherent uncertainty in the assessment of DWQI, whereas, the CCME-WQI is more appropriate for evaluating the spatiotemporal variations in DWQI over a given period. Some studies have assessed the robustness of the developed DWQI by conducting sensitivity analyses and its effectiveness was validated by comparisons with expert scores, existing WQIs or toxicological endpoints. Fifty-seven predefined classification schemes have been proposed to interpret DWQI value. As no one-size-fits-all approach exists for DWQI development, we recommended here to clarify the principles to be followed at each step, disclose the details of each method, and validate the developed index in future research. Meanwhile, additional efforts are required to develop new water quality monitoring methods and conduct DWQI studies on central water supply system.

Slow transit constipation (STC) is the most common type of functional constipation. Drugs with good effects and few side effects are urgently needed form the treatment of STC. Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf (CC) is an important medicinal and edible spice plant. The wide range of biological activities suggested that CC may have laxative effects, but thus far, it has not been reported. In this study, the loperamide-induced STC mouse model was used to evaluate the laxative effect of the aqueous extract of CC (CCAE), and the laxative mechanism was systematically explored from the perspectives of the enteric nervous system (ENS), neurotransmitter secretion, gastrointestinal motility factors, intestinal inflammation, gut barrier and gut microbiota. The results showed that CCAE not only decreased the serum vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), induced nitric oxide synthases (iNOS), and acetylcholinesterase (AchE) in STC mice but also increased the expression of gastrointestinal motility factors in colonic interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) and smooth muscle cells (SMCs), thereby significantly shortening the defecation time and improving the gastrointestinal transit rate. The significantly affected gastrointestinal motility factors included stem cell factor receptor (c-Kit), stem cell factor (SCF), anoctamin 1 (Ano1), ryanodine receptor 3 (RyR3), smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase (smMLCK) and Connexin 43 (Cx43). Meanwhile, CCAE could repair loperamide-induced intestinal inflammation and intestinal barrier damage by reducing the expression of the pro-inflammatory factor IL-1β and increasing the expression of the anti-inflammatory factor IL-10, chemical barrier (Muc-2) and mechanical barrier (Cldn4, Cldn12, Occludin, ZO-1, and ZO-2). Interestingly, CCAE could also partially restore loperamide-induced gut microbial dysbiosis in various aspects, such as microbial diversity, community structure and species composition. Importantly, we established a complex but clear network between gut microbiota and host parameters. Muribaculaceae, Lachnospiraceae and UCG-010 showed the most interesting associations with the laxative phenotypes; several other specific taxa showed significant associations with serum neurotransmitters, gastrointestinal motility factors, intestinal inflammation, and the gut barrier. These findings suggested that CCAE might promote intestinal motility by modulating the ENS-ICCs-SMCs network, intestinal inflammation, intestinal barrier and gut microbiota. CC may be an effective and safe therapeutic choice for STC.

Explosive cyclones (ECs) pose serious challenges for weather forecasting and significant threats to human life and property. In searching for the key points that make a cyclone go through explosive deepening off the East Asian coast, we present a comparative analysis of ECs and nonexplosive cyclones (or ordinary cyclones; OCs) using 10 years of ERA5 reanalysis data with high temporal and spatial resolutions. Their differences in synoptic backgrounds are shown, and mechanisms of the initial developments are compared quantitatively from the perspective of potential vorticity (PV). Among the identified 135 cyclones, 72 went through explosive growth and 37.5/36.1/20.8/5.6% of these ECs are ranked as weak/medium/strong/super ECs. ECs feature stronger low-level baroclinicity and higher PV than OCs. The decomposition of the local PV tendency shows the dominant role of the PV advection (with a correlation coefficient of 0.8). During the initial development, ECs have an average meridional temperature contrast 4 K larger than OCs within 20 latitudes at the low troposphere in the upstream, due to a stronger cold advection. The upstream colder air increases the horizontal temperature gradient and thus produces steeper isentropic surfaces inclining to the west. Since the PV intrusion is mainly along the isentropic surfaces, the increase in their slope significantly enhances the downward transport of PV from upper air. The importance of the horizontal gradient of potential temperature is further proved by numerical experiments with the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model on typical winter ECs. In sensitivity experiments, the low troposphere meridional temperature contrast decreasing by the average difference between ECs and OCs significantly decreases PV and stops the cyclones from explosive deepening. Despite the importance of diabatic processes in the deepening of mid-latitude cyclones emphasized by many studies, this study shows that the PV intrusion dominated by cold air mass is the key cause of winter explosive cyclogenesis in this region.

No membranous optical sensors have excellent development prospects in aerospace and other industrial fields due to their small size and anti-electromagnetic interference. Here, we proposed a novel Fabry–Pérot (FP) cavity acoustic sensor based on silicon optical waveguide Bragg gratings. The FP cavity consists of two Bragg gratings written on the silicon-based optical waveguide and a miniature air groove. When the sound signal acts on the miniature air groove, the sound pressure changes the density of air molecules near the waveguide grating’s evanescent field, causing variation in the air’s refractive index. This results in a shift in the reflection spectrum of the FP cavity to detect the sound signal. The effects of the grating period, grating pitch quantity, and groove depth of the FP cavity on acoustic sensing were studied. The modelling predicts that the sensing sensitivity could be 0.4 nm/Pa. Theoretically, the compact self-designed acoustic sensor can withstand temperatures above 800 °C. Therefore, it has significant potential applications in precision measurement in high-temperature and high-pressure environments.

Objective: The unicondylar knee arthroplasty (UKA) procedure is primarily indicated for osteoarthritis of the knee. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) defects have long been considered a contraindication to UKA. However, recent clinical studies have found that ACL defects do not affect postoperative outcomes in UKA. To elucidate whether ACL defects affect postoperative outcomes in UKA, we performed a systematic review and Meta-analysis of observational cohort studies comparing the effects of ACL defects and intactness on surgical outcomes in UKA.Methods: In this study, we used “Anterior Cruciate Ligament”, “Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries” and “Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee” as the subject terms according to PICOS principles. These subject terms and the corresponding free texts were used to conduct a systematic search in the three major databases PubMed, Embase and Cochrane on December 9, 2021. The main study variables included age, gender, region, definition of ACL defect and diagnosed diseases. The study used a random effect model to pool the effect of 95% CIs. To explore the sources of heterogeneity and to test the stability of the results, a sensitivity analysis was performed.Results: The systematic review found no significant differences in postoperative clinical outcomes in the elderly population when unicondylar replacement was performed in the setting of multiple factors such as injury, defects, longitudinal tear, and synovial bursa injury defined as ACL deficiency. The primary clinical outcomes included postoperative revision, Tegner activity score, and Oxford Knee Score (OKS). After statistical meta-analysis, postoperative outcomes such as postoperative revision (OR, 1.174; 95% CIs, 0.758–1.817) and Tegner activity score (OR, -0.084; 95% CIs, -0.320–0.151) were not statistically different.Conclusion: There was no difference in postoperative revision rates and functional outcomes such as Tegner activity score between the ACL-deficient group compared with the ACL-intact group. For the present results, it is not advisable to consider ACL deficiency as a contraindication of UKA.

In addition to its profound implications in the fight against cancer, pyroptosis have important role in the regulation of neuronal injury. Microglia are not only central members of the immune regulation of the central nervous system (CNS), but are also involved in the development and homeostatic maintenance of the nervous system. Under various pathological overstimulation, microglia pyroptosis contributes to the massive release of intracellular inflammatory mediators leading to neuroinflammation and ultimately to neuronal damages. In addition, microglia pyroptosis lead to further neurological damage by decreasing the ability to cleanse harmful substances. The pathogenic roles of microglia in a variety of CNS diseases such as neurodegenerative diseases, stroke, multiple sclerosis and depression, and many other neurological disorders have been gradually unveiled. In the context of different neurological disorders, inhibition of microglia pyroptosis by targeting NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing (NLRP) 3, caspase-1 and gasdermins (GSDMs) by various chemical agents as well as natural products significantly improve the symptoms or outcome in animal models. This study will provide new ideas for immunomodulatory treatment of CNS diseases.

Neurological disorders cause untold human disability and death each year. For most neurological disorders, the efficacy of their primary treatment strategies remains suboptimal. Microglia are associated with the development and progression of multiple neurological disorders. Targeting the regulation of microglia polarization has emerged as an important therapeutic strategy for neurological disorders. Their pro-inflammatory (M1)/anti-inflammatory (M2) phenotype microglia are closely associated with neuronal apoptosis, synaptic plasticity, blood-brain barrier integrity, resistance to iron death, and astrocyte regulation. LncRNA, a recently extensively studied non-coding transcript of over 200 nucleotides, has shown great value to intervene in microglia polarization. It can often participate in gene regulation of microglia by directly regulating transcription or sponging downstream miRNAs, for example. Through proper regulation, microglia can exert neuroprotective effects, reduce neurological damage and improve the prognosis of many neurological diseases. This paper reviews the progress of research linking lncRNAs to microglia polarization and neurological diseases.

Depression, a major public health problem, imposes a significant economic burden on society. Recent studies have gradually unveiled the important role of neuroinflammation in the pathogenesis of depression. Pyroptosis, a programmed cell death mediated by Gasdermins (GSDMs), is also considered to be an inflammatory cell death with links to inflammation. Pyroptosis has emerged as an important pathological mechanism in several neurological diseases and has been found to be involved in several neuroinflammatory-related diseases. A variety of chemical agents and natural products have been found to be capable of exerting therapeutic effects by modulating pyroptosis. Studies have shown that depression is closely associated with pyroptosis and the induced neuroinflammation of relevant brain regions, such as the hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex neurons, etc., in which the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 inflammasome plays a crucial role. This article provides a timely review of recent findings on the activation and regulation of pyroptosis in relation to depression.

BackgroundAs a metastasis cancer that happens up to 70% of the cancer patients, spinal metastasis is drawing attention for its significant impairment to health. There exist several predictive models designed to estimate mortality in spinal metastasis patients but they are reported with limited accuracy. In recent years, some retrospective cohort studies have been carried out to associate sarcopenia with mortality in spinal metastasis.IntroductionAs a risk factor leading to adverse events in many diseases, sarcopenia was considered to significantly impact on patients with spinal metastasis in mortality by some scientists. We aimed to look through the current evidence and use statistic measures to value the role of sarcopenia in spinal metastasis. In this study, we are going to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of available retrospective cohort studies where sarcopenia is assessed for outcomes in spinal metastasis patients.MethodsOn October 7, 2021, we performed a search in PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. We set no restrictions on language, date or areas. Results were expressed as hazard ratio (HR) or odds ratio (OR) with 95% CI by random effects model. Sensitivity analyses were performed to explore sources of heterogeneity and stability of results.ResultsOf the 4,196 papers screened, 10 retrospective cohort studies were included, with a total of 1,674 patients. Results showed that sarcopenia was associated with higher overall mortality (OR, 1.60; 95% CI 1.35–1.90) and lower overall survival (HR, 2.08; 95% CI 1.55–2.80). The sensitivity analysis proved the stability of results in terms of publication years, region, time of diagnosis, sample size, female rate, measurement and follow up period.ConclusionsSarcopenia is a robust indicator of mortality in spinal metastasis patients and it might be applied to decision-making tools to assess survival probability and adjust the extent of treatment, while a lack of higher level of evidence is existing.Systematic Review RegistrationPROSPERO CRD42021283348.

Based on the operational version of the China Meteorological Administration Typhoon Model (CMA-TYM, formerly known as GRAPES_TYM), a series of numerical tests are conducted by optimizing the boundary layer parameterization scheme, vertical resolution, and boundary conditions. Instead of the sea surface temperature (SST) from the Global Forecast System (GFS) model, more accurate daily SST data reflecting the daily SST variation are used as the boundary condition. The new SST dataset is capable of representing the key points in the area, including the low coastal SST related to upwelling, the intrusion of the Yellow Sea (YS) Warm Current, and the ocean front between the YS and the East China Sea. An analysis of the performances of two boundary layer parameterization schemes (the Yonsei University scheme and the Medium-Range Forecast scheme) in characterizing turbulent heat exchange reveals that the former can more accurately reflect offshore turbulence and forecast the fog area. By increasing the number of vertical layers of the model to 68 and reducing the height of the bottom layer to approximately 10 m, the model presents a better performance in simulating the rapid formation and dissipation of sea fog. With the above improvements, the equitable threat score (ETS) for the hindcasting of eleven sea fog cases in the spring of 2018 increases by 61%, mainly due to the increase in the correctly forecasted fog area.

The vast majority of cells in the human body are capable of secreting exosomes. Exosomes have become an important vehicle for signaling between cells. Exosomes secreted by different cells have some of the structural and functional properties of that cell and thus have different regulatory functions. A large number of recent experimental studies have shown that exosomes from different sources have different regulatory effects on stroke, and the mechanisms still need to be elucidated. Microglia are core members of central intrinsic immune regulatory cells, which play an important regulatory role in the pathogenesis and progression of stroke. M1 microglia cause neuroinflammation and induce neurotoxic effects, while M2 microglia inhibit neuroinflammation and promote neurogenesis, thus exerting a series of neuroprotective effects. It was found that there is a close link between exosomes and microglia polarization, and that exosome inclusions such as microRNAs play a regulatory role in the M1/M2 polarization of microglia. This research reviews the role of exosomes in the regulation of microglia polarization and reveals their potential value in stroke treatment.

The grading evaluation of metacarpophalangeal rheumatoid arthritis (RA) ultrasonic images is a diagnostic challenge that heavily relies on the expertise of trained sonographers. This study presents a grading method for detecting and estimating the geometric and texture features of synovium thickening and bone erosion. Unlike previous studies in this area, this work uses the metrics and texture features of region of interest (ROI). The highlighted feature of metacarpophalangeal bone and the dark feature of the synovial thickening are extracted simultaneously by the segmented method based on the Gaussian scale space. The segmented results are analyzed to extract three quantitative geometric parameters, which are combined with gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) statistic texture features to describe the ultrasonic image of metacarpophalangeal RA. To obtain the preferable ability of classification, we applied a support vector machine (SVM) and various feature descriptors, including GLCM, local binary patterns (LBP), and GLCM + LBP, to grade the ultrasonic image of metacarpophalangeal RA. Results show that the SVM, based on our feature descriptor, provides the highest accuracy of up to 92.50%, of the four descriptors. The SVM based on GLCM+LBP descriptor shows better accuracy (86.55%) than either SVM + LBP (85.43%) or SVM+GLCM (82.51%) for discriminating among four grade RA ultrasonic images. Overall, this methodology points to a significant grading of metacarpophalangeal RA ultrasound images without medical expert analysis or blood sample analysis, such as detecting C-reactive protein, measuring erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and testing rheumatoid factor.

Accurate prediction of the remaining useful life (RUL) of lithium-ion batteries can ensure the normal and effective operation of power systems using lithium-ion batteries. However, how to select battery prediction parameters through scientific methods and how to accurately predict battery RUL values under high and low temperature conditions are still a huge challenge. Thus according to the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) based on information entropy, improved particle swarm optimization (PSO) and moving average filter(MAF), a novel data-driven method for predict lithium-ion batteries' RUL is proposed. The TOPSIS method based on information entropy is proposed to select the best degradation parameters; a sliding average low-pass filter is used to solve the capacity regeneration and noise problem of the battery experimental data; the improved PSO algorithm is presented to predict the battery RUL accurately. Based on the batteries experimental data from NASA and University of Maryland, we have done many simulation experiments on parameters selection and RUL accuracy comparisons among several data-driven methods. The experimental results shows:(1) compared with the other prediction methods without degradation parameters selection, the proposed method with TOPSIS and MAF filtering is more accurate;(2) our proposed algorithm has higher prediction accuracy and use less training data than other data-driven algorithms;(3) this method has high prediction accuracy under both the high and low temperature conditions.

Based on high-resolution surface observation and reanalysis data, this paper analyzes the extreme heat events (EHEs) over two densely populated urban agglomerations in southeast China, namely the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) and the Pearl River Delta (PRD), including the spatial–temporal distribution of heatwaves and warm nights and the synoptic backgrounds for regional heatwaves. The results show that the occurrence frequency of EHEs is modulated significantly by local underlying features (i.e., land–sea contrast, terrain), and the strong nocturnal urban heat island effects make warm nights much more likely to occur in cities than rural areas during heatwaves. About 80% of the YRD regional heatwaves occur from 15 July to 15 August, while a lower fraction (53%) of the PRD heatwaves is found during this mid-summer period, which partially explains the warm-season average intensity of the former being 2–3 times the latter. A persistent, profound subtropical high is the dominant synoptic system responsible for the mid-summer YRD heatwaves, which forces significant descending motion leading to long-duration sunny weather. The mid-summer PRD heatwaves involve both high-pressure systems and tropical cyclones (TCs). A TC is present to the east of the PRD region on most (about 72%) PRD heatwave days. The organized northerly winds in the planetary boundary layer in the outer circulation of the TC transport the inland warm air, which is heated by the foehn effect at the lee side of the Nanling Mountains and possibly also the surface sensible heat flux, towards the PRD region, leading to the occurrence of the extremely high temperatures.

During fire evacuations, crawling is recommended to prevent harm from toxic smoke and to access more breathable air. Few studies have evaluated the physiological burden of crawling, especially for children. The method of using wearable sensors to collect data (e.g., electrodermal activity, EDA; skin temperature, SKT) was used to evaluate the effects of different locomotive postures on children’s velocity and physiological demands. Twenty-eight (28) children (13 boys and 15 girls), aged 4 to 6 years old, traveled up to 22.0 m in different postures: Upright walking (UW), stoop walking (SW), knee and hand crawling (KHC). The results showed that: (1) Gender and age had significant impacts on children’s velocity (p < 0.05): Boys were always faster than girls in any of the three postures and the older the child, the faster the velocity for KHC. (2) Physiological results demonstrated that KHC was more physically demanding than bipedal walking, represented by higher scores of the EDA and SKT indicators, similar to the findings of adults. (3) Gender and age had significant impacts on children’s physiological demands (p < 0.05). The physiological demands were greater for boys than girls. In addition, the higher the age, the less physiological demands he/she needs. Overall, the findings suggest that children are unnecessarily required to choose crawling precisely as adults as the best posture to respond to emergency scenarios. In a severe fire, stoop walking is suggested, as there is more respired air and children could move quickly and avoid overworking physiological burdens. The results of this study are expected to be considered in the evaluation of current evacuation recommendations and for the safety guide of preparedness to improve the effectiveness of risk reduction for children.

Estimation of ET0 in high-elevation (above sea level, ASL) areas of Tibet presents unique challenges: scarcity of monitoring stations, short-time coverage of meteorological data, low-oxygen and low-pressure environment, and strong solar radiation. In this study, altitude factors and modified temperature constants are utilized to improve the Hargreaves (HS) model based on 30-year daily meteorological data from 20 typical sites in Tibet. The improved model, Hargreaves-Elevation (HS-E) improved model, could provide better results at different time scales. Negative ET0 values were unavoidable in the HS model when applied to high-elevation areas. However, the HS-E model solved this problem and improved the accuracy of estimated ET0. In particular, the HS-E model performs better when the time scale becomes larger. Therefore, the HS-E model is highly recommended to estimate ET0 in high-elevation areas where the meteorological data are scarce, for example, in Tibet above 2,000 m.

Here, a single-track CoCrFeMnNi high entropy alloy（HEA） was prepared by laser melting deposition. The microstructural evolution of columnar to equiaxed transition was experimentally observed across the molten pool. The temperature gradient and solidification rate were theoretically calculated by a finite element model via numerical simulation. Combining experimental observations and numerical simulations, a solidification map was established to quantitatively reveal the underlying correlation between solidification parameters and microstructural morphology. A decrease in the ratio of gradient temperature to solidification rate corresponding to an increasing constitutional undercooling induced columnar to equation transition during the laser melting deposition process. It was expected that the fundamental understanding of microstructural prediction of single-track as-deposited HEA parts via the solidification map would have implications on the production of bulk components with the desired microstructure and high performance.

Background We compared HbA1c values obtained from capillary blood collection kits versus venous whole blood collections in study participants with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Methods A total of 122 subjects, 64 with type 2 diabetes participating in the Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness (GRADE) Study and 58 with type 1 diabetes from the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) Study, participated in the validation study. Capillary tubes were filled by fingerstick by the participants on the same day as the collection of venous whole blood samples in EDTA-containing test tubes and were mailed to the central laboratory. HbA1c in all samples was measured with the same high-performance liquid chromatography. GRADE participants also completed a questionnaire on the ease of performing capillary collections. Results Participants from 22 clinical centers (GRADE n = 5, EDIC n = 17) were between 35 and 86 years of age, with 52% male and diverse race/ethnicities. Venous HbA1c results ranged between 5.4–11.9% (35.5–106.6 mmol/mol) with corresponding capillary results ranging between 4.2–11.9% (22.4–106.6 mmol/mol). The venous and capillary results were highly correlated (R2 = 0.993) and 96.7% differed by ≤0.2% (2.2 mmol/mol). Of participants surveyed, 69% indicated that the instructions and collection were easy to follow and 97% felt the collection method would be easy to do at home. Conclusions The capillary blood HbA1c results compared well with the conventional venous whole blood results. The capillary kits can be employed in other studies to reduce interruption of critical data collection and potentially to augment clinical care when in-person visits are not possible.

ABSTRACT Previous studies have shown that α-linolenic acid (ALA) has a significant regulatory effect on related disorders induced by high-fat diets (HFDs), but little is known regarding the correlation between the gut microbiota and disease-related multitissue homeostasis. We systematically investigated the effects of ALA on the body composition, glucose homeostasis, hyperlipidemia, metabolic endotoxemia and systemic inflammation, white adipose tissue (WAT) homeostasis, liver homeostasis, intestinal homeostasis, and gut microbiota of mice fed an HFD (HFD mice). We found that ALA improved HFD-induced multitissue metabolic disorders and gut microbiota disorders to various degrees. Importantly, we established a complex but clear network between the gut microbiota and host parameters. Several specific differential bacteria were significantly associated with improved host parameters. Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group and Parasutterella were positively correlated with HFD-induced “harmful indicators” and negatively correlated with “beneficial indicators.” Intriguingly, Bilophila showed a strong negative correlation with HFD-induced multitissue metabolic disorders and a significant positive correlation with most beneficial indicators, which is different from its previous characterization as a “potentially harmful genus.” Turicibacter might be the key beneficial bacterium for ALA-improved metabolic endotoxemia, while Blautia might play an important role in ALA-improved gut barrier integrity and anti-inflammatory effects. The results suggested that the gut microbiota, especially some specific bacteria, played an important role in the process of ALA-improved multitissue homeostasis in HFD mice, and different bacteria might have different divisions of regulation. IMPORTANCE Insufficient intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids is an important issue in modern Western-style diets. A large amount of evidence now suggests that a balanced intestinal microecology is considered an important part of health. Our results show that α-linolenic acid administration significantly improved the host metabolic phenotype and gut microbiota of mice fed a high-fat diet, and there was a correlation between the improved gut microbiota and metabolic phenotype. Some specific bacteria may play a unique regulatory role. Here, we have established correlation networks between gut microbiota and multitissue homeostasis, which may provide a new basis for further elucidating the relationship between the gut microbiota and host metabolism.

The refined control of heating substations is of great significance for on-demand heating provision and for the efficient operation of district heating systems (DHSs). This paper proposes an integrated control strategy for substations based on the prediction of the water-supply temperature and indoor temperature. Firstly, online sequential extreme learning machine (OS-ELM) is used to predict the water-supply temperature. Then, a linear prediction model is established to predict the indoor temperature. Finally, the integrated regulation strategy is established with the goal of minimizing operational costs, aiming at ensuring heating quality and meeting the limits of the flow rate and of the supply- and return-water temperatures. The heat-saving rate, power-saving rate and indoor-temperature satisfactory rate are introduced to evaluate the regulation effect of the proposed method. The field study results show that the performance index of operation executed with the regulation strategy proposed in this paper is 9.31%, 16.33% and 20.87% higher than that without our energy-saving regulation strategy respectively. The fluctuations in the water-supply pressure and differential pressure of the secondary network are significantly reduced, and the energy-saving effect is obvious.

Hyperaccumulators are the preferred materials for phytoremediation. Sedum alfredii Hance is a cadmium (Cd) hyperaccumulator plant in China, although its detoxification mechanism remains unresolved. In our study, we cloned a gene belonging to the plant cadmium resistance (PCR) family, named SaPCR2, from the hyperaccumulating ecotype (HE) of S. alfredii. Sequence analysis indicated that SaPCR2 contained a cysteine-rich domain highly conserved in the PCR family and played an important role in Cd detoxification. Based on the relative quantitative results, SaPCR2 was highly expressed in the roots of HE S. alfredii, but not the shoots and Cd exposure did not significantly affect SaPCR2 expression. In contrast, the expression level of SaPCR2 was very low in plants of its non-hyperaccumulating ecotype (NHE). The subcellular localization of SaPCR2 in tobacco leaves and yeasts showed that SaPCR2 was localized on the plasma membrane and the expression of the SaPCR2 protein in a Zn/Cd-sensitive yeast Δzrc1 significantly increased its tolerance to Cd stress by decreasing the Cd content in cells. Heterologous expression of SaPCR2 in plants of both Arabidopsis thaliana and NHE S. alfredii significantly reduced the Cd levels in the roots, but not in the shoots. These results suggest that the overexpression of SaPCR2 in plants provides a route for Cd leak out of the root cells and protects the root cells against phytotoxicity of Cd stress. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of transporter-mediated root efflux of Cd in hyperaccumulator S. alfredii.

With the ulcerative colitis (UC) incidence increasing worldwide, it is of great importance to prevent and treat UC. However, efficient treatment options for UC are relatively limited. Due to the potentially serious adverse effects of existing drugs, there is an increasing demand for alternative candidate resources derived from natural and functional foods. Astragalin (AG) is a type of anti-inflammatory flavonoid, with Moringa oleifera and Cassia alata being its main sources. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic effects of AG on mice with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. Our results suggested that AG treatment reduced weight loss and the disease activity index (DAI), prevented colon shortening and alleviated colonic tissue damage. AG treatment reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and related mRNAs (such as TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β), inhibited colonic infiltration by macrophages and neutrophils, ameliorated metabolic endotoxemia, and improved intestinal mucosal barrier function (increased expression levels of mRNAs such as ZO-1, occludin, and Muc2). Western blot analysis revealed that AG downregulated the NF-κB signaling pathway. Moreover, AG treatment partially reversed the alterations in the gut microbiota in colitis mice, mainly by increasing the abundance of potentially beneficial bacteria (such as Ruminococcaceae) and decreasing the abundance of potentially harmful bacteria (such as Escherichia-Shigella). Ruminococcaceae and Enterobacteriaceae (Escherichia-Shigella) were thought to be the key groups affected by AG to improve UC. Therefore, AG might exert a good anti-UC effect through microbiota/LPS/TLR4/NF-kB-related pathways in mice. The results of this study reveal the anti-inflammatory effect and mechanism of AG and provide an important reference for studying the mechanisms of natural flavonoids involved in preventing inflammation-driven diseases.