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Near-infrared (NIR) phototheranostics (PTs) show higher tissue penetration depth, signal-to-noise ratio, and better biosafety than PTs in the ultraviolet and visible regions. However, their further advancement is severely hindered by poor performances and short-wavelength absorptions/emissions of PT agents. Among reported PT agents, conjugated small molecular nanoparticles (CSMNs) prepared from D-A-typed photoactive conjugated small molecules (CSMs) have greatly mediated this deadlock by their high photostability, distinct chemical structure, tunable absorption, intrinsic multifunctionality, and favorable biocompatibility, which endows CSMNs with more possibilities in biological applications. This review aims to introduce the recent progress of CSMNs for NIR imaging, therapy, and synergistic PTs with a comprehensive summary of their molecular structures, structure types, and optical properties. Moreover, the working principles of CSMNs are illustrated from photophysical and photochemical mechanisms and light–tissue interactions. In addition, molecular engineering and nanomodulation approaches of CSMs are discussed, with an emphasis on strategies for improving performances and extending absorption and emission wavelengths to the NIR range. Furthermore, the in vivo investigation of CSMNs is illustrated with solid examples from imaging in different scenarios, therapy in 2 modes, and synergistic PTs in combinational functionalities. This review concludes with a brief conclusion, current challenges, and future outlook of CSMNs.

Grassland net primary productivity (NPP) plays a crucial role in global terrestrial carbon cycle and carbon balance. However, the spatial pattern and influencing factors of NPP and its components, especially the belowground net primary productivity (BNPP) remain unclear. This study compiled a dataset of 4194 field site measurements of NPP, ANPP and BNPP from 1940 to 2019, as well as climate, soil, geographic, and vegetation index data, to quantify the global patterns and potential mechanisms of the NPP and its components. Machine learning methods were used to identify the determinants of grassland productivity variables and to estimate global productivity at a 0.05° resolution. The results indicated that NPP and ANPP increased significantly along the precipitation gradient under various temperature conditions, particularly between 0 °C and 10 °C. While the BNPP/ANPP showed an opposite trend, highlighting a shift in biomass allocation from belowground to aboveground along the climate gradient. The relationship between NPP and temperature exhibited varying trends under different precipitation conditions. In drier regions (MAP 500 mm), the positive effect was more pronounced. The interaction of climate, soil and vegetation indices had the most significant explanatory power for productivity. Among the nine machine learning methods compared, the random forest model provided the highest accuracy for productivity estimation (R2 = 0.63 ∼ 0.89). ANPP is higher than BNPP in tropical regions, while BNPP is higher in temperate and cold regions. Our findings underscore the spatial heterogeneity effect of temperature and precipitation in shaping global patterns of NPP. The high spatial resolution products of NPP and its components produced in our study may serve as valuable benchmarks for land models in simulating NPP and its allocation in response to climate change.

Indentation test is a powerful method of material characterization for measuring and extracting mechanical properties at small scales with a long history and wide range of applications. This paper provides a systematic overview of indentation test, involving fundamental principles, instrument developments, data extraction methods, numerical simulation techniques, wide applications in various fields, and challenges and future developments. Furthermore, this paper focuses on indentation size effects, summarizing the factors that may cause this effect and the theoretical models developed by previous researchers. Finally, this paper is summarized and prospected.

The addition of non-templated nucleotides at the 3’ terminus of RNA is a pervasive and evolutionarily conserved posttranscriptional modification in eukaryotes. Apart from canonical poly(A) polymerases (PAPs), which are responsible for catalyzing polyadenylation of messenger RNAs in the nucleus, a distinct group of non-canonical PAPs (ncPAPs), also known as nucleotidyl transferase proteins (NTPs), mediate the addition of uridine and adenosine or of more intricate combinations of nucleotides. Among these, HEN1 SUPPRESSOR 1 (HESO1) and UTP: RNA URIDYLYLTRANSFERASE (URT1) are the two most extensively studied NTPs responsible for the addition of uridine to the 3’ ends of RNAs (RNA uridylation). Recent discoveries have improved our understanding of the functions and mechanisms of uridylation mediated by HESO1 and URT1 in RNA metabolism. Furthermore, more NTPs have been identified to function in the 3’ tailing of RNA and not solely through uridylation. Accumulating evidence indicates that RNA tailing plays important roles in plant growth and development, stress responses, and disease resistance. In this review, we examined the latest developments in RNA tailing by NTPs, with a focus on RNA uridylation and metabolism in plants. We also discussed the essential aspects for future research in this field.

CoNiCrAlY alloys, commonly used as the bond coat of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs), are often exposed to high temperatures of about 1000 °C, the evolution of mechanical and thermal properties is critical to the reliability and durability of TBCs. In this paper, the hardness and thermal properties (weight change and heat flow) of CoNiCrAlY alloys at temperatures within 1000 °C were evaluated by indentation and TGA-DSC thermal analysis. It was found that hardness and thermal properties change gradually within 600 °C but change sharply above 600 °C, exhibiting an approximately synchronized evolution. An illustrative explanation was given for the correlation in terms of the Boltzmann energy distribution theory of microscopic particles. Based on these findings, an idea of inter-calibration between the two evolutions was proposed.

Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) play an important role in the thermal protection of alloy components in high temperature industries. Accurately characterizing and extracting mechanical properties of TBCs are crucial for structural design, performance optimization, failure prediction and lifespan assessment. Indentation test is an effective method for experimentally obtaining the mechanical properties and provides valuable insights into the elastic, plastic and fracture behaviors of TBCs at elevated temperatures. This paper aims to provide an overview of indentation mechanical evaluation of TBCs, including the mechanical properties at different temperatures, the mechanical property anisotropy, the microstructural and mechanical behavior under thermal exposure and/or thermal cycling, as well as the comparison of functional performance between conventional and nanostructured TBCs. Furthermore, this paper points out the main challenges and future directions from indentation investigations of TBCs. Finally, this paper is summarized and prospected.

Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) is an invasive fruit and vegetable pest, infesting citrus, mango, carambola, etc. We observed that the posterior thoracic scutella of some B. dorsalis adults are yellow, some light yellow, and some white in China. Compared with the B. dorsalis races with a yellow scutellum (YS) and white scutellum (WS), the race with a light-yellow scutellum (LYS) is dominant in citrus and carambola orchards. To reveal genetic correlates among the three races, the genomes of 22 samples (8 with YS, 7 with LYS, and 7 with WS) were sequenced by high-throughput sequencing technology. Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) annotation showed that there were 17,580 non-synonymous mutation sites located in the exonic region. Principal component analysis based on independent SNP data revealed that the SNPs with LYS were more similar to that with YS when compared with WS. Most genes associated with scutellum color variation were involved in three pathways: oxidative phosphorylation, porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism, and terpenoid backbone biosynthesis. By comparing the sequences among the three races, we screened out 276 differential genes (DGs) in YS vs. WS, 185 DGs in LYS vs. WS, and 104 DGs in YS vs. LYS. Most genes determining color variation in B. dorsalis scutella were located on chromosomes 2–5. Biochemical analysis showed that β-carotene content in YS and LYS was significantly higher than that in WS at any stage of adult days 1, 10, and 20. No significant differences were observed in cytochrome P450 or melanin content in YS, LYS, or WS. Our study provides results on aspects of scutellum color variation in B. dorsalis adults, providing molecular and physiological information for revealing the adaptation and evolution of the B. dorsalis population.

The disease prevention and control system is an important safeguard for protecting people’s health, ensuring public health security, and maintaining economic and social stability. In the process of the state’s proposal to construct high-level schools of public health, educational institutions at different levels are actively exploring ways to improve the quality of public health talent training. This article uses the collaborative and integrated development of the School of Public Health at Hainan Medical University and the Hainan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention as an example. It explores the issues faced in the “joint contribution and shared benefits” model and the solutions, and proposes the establishment of a shared public health practical skills training center as a starting point. This initiative aims to gradually deepen extensive teaching and scientific research cooperation, thereby realizing the co-construction and sharing concept between universities′ schools of public health and disease control centers.

Abstract Investigations into the aerodynamic properties of vertical sound barriers exposed to high-speed operations employ computational fluid dynamics. The primary focus of this research is to evaluate the influence of train speed and the distance (D) from the track centerline under various operating conditions. The findings elucidate a marked elevation in the aerodynamic effect amplitude on sound barriers as train speeds increase. In single-train passages, the aerodynamic effect amplitude manifests a direct relationship with the square of the train speed. When two trains pass each other, the aerodynamic amplitude intensifies due to an additional aerodynamic increment on the sound barrier. This increment exhibits an approximate quadratic correlation with the retrograde train speed. Notably, the impact of high-speed trains on sound barrier aerodynamics surpasses that of low-speed trains, and this discrepancy amplifies with larger speed differentials between trains. Moreover, the train-induced aerodynamic effect diminishes significantly with greater distance (D), with occurrences of pressure coefficient (C P) exceeding the standard thresholds during dual-train passages. This study culminates in the formulation of universal equations for quantifying the influence of train speed and distance (D) on sound barrier aerodynamic characteristics across various operational scenarios.

IntroductionGut dysbiosis may play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of cirrhosis and the severity of complications. Numerous studies have investigated the probiotics as treatments for cirrhosis. However, there is still a lack of definitive evidence confirming the beneficial effects of probiotics on cirrhosis.MethodsDatabases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched for randomized controlled trials that compared the effects of probiotic intervention and control treatments, including placebo, no treatment, and active control, on cirrhosis, published from inception to February 2024. Outcomes included hepatic encephalopathy (HE) reversal, safety and tolerability of probiotics, liver function, quality of life, and other cirrhotic-related outcomes. A meta-analysis was conducted to synthesize evidence.ResultsThirty studies were included. The quantitative synthesis results showed that compared with the control group, probiotics significantly reverse minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) (risk ratio [RR] 1.54, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03 to 2.32) and improve HE (RR 1.94, 95% CI 1.24 to 3.06). Additionally, probiotics demonstrated higher safety and tolerability by causing a lower incidence of serious adverse events (RR 0.71, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.87). Probiotics could potentially improve liver function by reducing the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores (standardized mean difference [SMD] -0.57, 95% CI -0.85 to −0.30), and displayed favorable changes in quality of life (SMD 0.51, 95% CI 0.27 to 0.75) and gut flora (SMD 1.67, 95% CI 1.28 to 2.06).ConclusionThis systematic review and meta-analysis offers compelling evidence that probiotics are beneficial for cirrhosis by demonstrating reversal of HE, potential for liver function improvements, enhancements in quality of life, and regulation of gut dysbiosis. Furthermore, the apparent safety profile suggests that probiotics are a promising intervention for treating cirrhosis.Clinical trial registration numberCRD42023478380.

Given the serious neurological complications and deaths associated with enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection, there is an urgent need to develop effective antivirals against this viral infection. In this study, we demonstrated that two Cathelicidin-derived peptides, LL-18 and FF-18 were more potent against EV71 infection than the parent peptide LL-37, which is the mature and processed form of Cathelicidin. These peptides could directly bind to the EV71 virus particles, but not to coxsackievirus, indicative of their high specificity. The binding of peptides with the virus surface occupied the viral canyon region in a way that could block virus-receptor interactions and inhibit viral uncoating. In addition, these peptide analogues could also relieve the deleterious effect of EV71 infection in vivo. Therefore, Cathelicidin-derived peptides might be excellent candidates for further development of antivirals to treat EV71 infection.

Indentation size effect (ISE), in general, is observed in shallow indentation tests, which is manifested as an increase (NISE) or decrease (RISE) in hardness with penetration depth decreases. The complicated origin of ISE is dependent on multiple factors, which can be divided into two types, both strain gradient and external factors. It's very difficult to judge which factor is the source for a certain ISE phenomenon. Further, studies on ISE phenomena under the joint of multiple factors are fewer. To date, the classical Nix-Gao model based on strain gradient has been widely recognized, but it's sometimes not suited for all ISE. And most current analytical models on ISE are not yet mature. Therefore, more mechanistic models on ISE are required, especially for RISE. Herein, we critically reviewed several mechanistic models on ISE, focusing on the exploration of RISE, and developed an analytical model incorporating external factors, i.e. surface undulation and indenter tip irregularity, to account for NISE and RISE. We examined the two external factors on the origin responsible for ISE in light of 3D numerical simulations and experimental observations, meanwhile, the combined effect of both factors on ISE was also considered. The effect of both external factors on ISE can be equivalent to a depth deviation δ. The corresponding hardness deviation caused by δ can be theoretically eliminated through correcting the depth deviation. More importantly, only after eliminating the effect of external factors on ISE, one can determine whether the ISE results from strain gradient plasticity. Finally, this paper was summarized and outlooked.

In this study, silver carp scale antifreeze peptides (ScAFPs) were prepared by enzymatic hydrolysis. Taking the freeze-thawing survival rate of Streptococcus thermophilus as the main index and the degree of hydrolysis as the auxiliary index, the optimal enzymolysis preparation process of ScAFPs was obtained through single factor and response surface optimization. At the same time, the basic properties of ScAFPs and their influence on the gel stability of surimi were studied. The results showed that the selected enzyme preparation was trypsin, substrate concentration of 5.0%, enzyme dosage of 3.8%, enzymolysis temperature of 37 ºC, enzymolysis time of 3.5 h. Under these conditions, the frozen survival rate of ScAFPs against Streptococcus thermophilus was 82.19%±1.03% and the degree of hydrolysis was 7.54%±0.43%. The relative molecular weight of ScAFPs was mainly in the range of 180~3000 Da, and its isoelectric point was around 4.2. Moreover, ScAFPs had strong hydrophilicity and good thermal stability, which could effectively reduce the ice crystal content in the system. The effect of ScAFPs on gel properties of freezing-thawing surimi showed that after five freezing-thawing cycles, the decrease of gel whiteness, hardness, chewiness and gel strength of surimi treated by ScAFPs was significantly (P

ABSTRACTBackground Acquired aplastic anemia (AA) is a life-threatening disease associated with an imbalance in Th17/Treg cells. Regulating this balance may be an effective treatment approach for AA. Rhodiola rosea has shown efficacy in AA treatment, but its mechanisms remain unclear.Purpose We investigated salidroside's effect (a component of Rhodiola rosea) on Th17/Treg balance in adult AA patients and a mouse model.Methods HIF-1α mRNA and protein levels were measured in AA patients' peripheral blood. Flow cytometry, qRT-PCR, and WB analyzed salidroside's impact on T cell differentiation, Th17 cells, Treg cells, STAT3, HIF-1α, and RORγt expression. ELISA measured hematopoietic growth factors in mouse serum.Results AA patients exhibited elevated HIF-1α levels. Salidroside improved hematopoietic function, increasing blood cell count and enhancing bone marrow. Salidroside induced SCF, TPO, and IL-3 expression while inhibiting IL-2 in mice. Salidroside reduced STAT3, HIF-1α, RORγt, and IL-17a, while increasing FoxP3 expression, correcting the Th17/Treg imbalance in vitro and in vivo.Conclusion Salidroside has potential as a novel AA treatment by correcting the Th17/Treg imbalance through the STAT3/HIF-1α/RORγt pathway.

Road traffic transportation has flourished in the process of urbanization due to its advantages, but concurrently it generates harmful environmental vibrations. This vibration issue becomes particularly crucial in production workshops housing precision instruments. However, limited research has been undertaken on this matter. This study aimed to investigate the influence of road traffic-induced vibration on micro-vibrations within a workshop housing precision instruments. A field test was conducted to assess the vibration levels originating from both machinery operation and vehicular traffic. The results indicated that ground-borne vibrations caused by road vehicles decrease with increasing propagation distance, peaking around 10 Hz. Machinery operation vibrations were primarily concentrated above 20 Hz, while vehicular traffic vibrations were more prominent below 20 Hz. Notably, the passage of heavy trucks significantly impacted both ground and workshop vibrations, with vertical vibrations being particularly significant. Within the workshop, the second floor experienced higher vibrations above 20 Hz due to the presence of installed instruments. Importantly, the micro-vibration levels on both floors exceeded the VC-C limit (12.5 µm/s), highlighting the need to account for road traffic and machinery vibrations in workshop design. These data can be utilized to validate numerical models for predicting road traffic-induced vibrations, aiding in vibration assessment during road planning and design.

Abstract Bridge construction is one of the cores of traffic infrastructure construction. To better develop relevant bridge science, this paper introduces the main research progress in China and abroad in 2021 from 12 aspects. The content consists of four parts in 12 aspects. The first part is about the bridge structure and analysis theories, including concrete bridge and high-performance materials, steel bridges, composite girders and cable-supported bridge analysis theories. The second part is about the bridge disaster prevention and mitigation, including bridge seismic resistance, vibration and noise reduction of rail transit bridges, monitoring and detection of steel bridge, hydrodynamics of coastal bridges, and durability of the concrete bridge under the complex environmental conditions. The last part is concerning the bridge emerging technologies, including bridge assessment and reinforcement, the technology in bridge structure test and intelligent construction and safe operation and maintenance of bridges.

Abstract Cryogenic machining is one of the most commonly used techniques for processing and preserving in food industry, and traditional antifreeze agents cannot regulate the mechanical stress damage caused by ice crystals formed during recrystallization or thawing. In this study, we successfully developed an express system of a novel recombinant snow flea antifreeze peptide (rsfAFP), which has significant ice recrystallization inhibition ability, thermal hysteresis activity and alters ice nucleation, thus regulating extracellular ice crystal morphology and recrystallization. We showed that rsfAFP improved the survival rate, acid-producing ability, freezing stability, and cellular metabolism activity of Streptococcus thermophilus. We further showed that rsfAFP interacts with the membrane and ice crystals to cover the outer layer of cells, forming a dense protective layer that maintains the physiological functions of S. thermophilus under freezing stress. These findings provide the scientific basis for using rsfAFP as an effective antifreeze agent for lactic acid bacteria cryopreservation or other frozen food.

Abstract Bridge construction is one of the cores of traffic infrastructure construction. To better develop relevant bridge science, this paper introduces the main research progress in China and abroad in 2020 from 16 aspects. The content consists of four major categories in 16 aspects. The first part is about the bridge structure, including concrete bridge and high-performance materials, steel bridges, composite girders. The second part is about the bridge disaster prevention and mitigation, including bridge seismic resistance, wind resistance of bridge, train-bridge coupling vibration research, bridge hydrodynamics, the durability of the concrete bridges, fatigue of steel bridge, temperature field and temperature effect of bridge; The third part is about the bridge analyses, including numerical simulation of bridge structure, box girder and cable-stayed bridge analysis theories. The last part is concerning the bridge emerging technologies, including bridge informatization and intelligent bridge, the technology in bridge structure test, bridge assessment and reinforcement, prefabricated concrete bridge structure.

IntroductionThe migrasome is a newly discovered organelle that resembles extracellular vesicles in structure. However, the function of the migrasome in tumors, particularly in relation to tumor immunity and tumor microenvironment, is unclear.MethodsGene expression data, copy number variation raw data, and methylation data of 33 cancer types were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) based on 114 case of colorectal cancer was used to validate the expression of the migrasome hub-gene. We analyzed the expression, prognosis, genetic variation, and drug sensitivity profiles of migrasome-related genes (MRGs) in pan-cancer datasets. A migrasome score was constructed based on gene set enrichment analysis, and the correlation of migrasomes with the tumor microenvironment was assessed. The CancerSEA was used to perform a single-cell level functional analysis of the migrasome. Additionally, we also analyzed the correlation between migrasomes and tumor mutational burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), and tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion scores. Single-cell transcriptome sequencing (scRNA-seq) data was used to assess the activation state of migrasomes in the tumor microenvironment.ResultsPIGK expression was significantly up-regulated in 22 of 33 tumors, and high expression of migrasome was estimated to have contributed to poor prognosis. Missense mutations are the most common type of mutation in MRGs. We identified piperlongumine as a potential drug targeting migrasomes. The migrasome score was significantly and positively correlated with the tumor immunity score and the stroma score. In most tumors, the abundance of macrophages in the tumor microenvironment was significantly and positively correlated with the migrasome score. Additionally, the migrasome scores were significantly correlated with the immune checkpoint genes in pan-cancer as well as immune checkpoint therapy-related markers including TMB and MSI. According to scRNA-seq analysis, migrasome differed significantly among cells of the tumor microenvironment. IHC confirmed low expression of ITGA5 and PIGK in colorectal cancer.DiscussionWe performed the first pan-cancer analysis of migrasomes and discovered that they play an important role in tumor development and immune escape. Our study provides new insights into the role of migrasomes in tumor prognosis and immunotherapy.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the microstructural changes of the vestibulocochlear nerve in patients with Ménière's disease.MethodsA total of 26 subjects, 13 patients with MD and 13 healthy controls, underwent diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) on a 3T scanner. The independent sample t-test was used to compare the differences in fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) between the two groups. A Pearson correlation was used between DTI and the dizziness handicap inventory (DHI) scores.ResultsThere was a significant decrease in FA and an increase in ADC of the vestibulocochlear nerve in MD patients compared with healthy controls (P = 0.04, P = 0.001). FA had negative correlations with the DHI score (r = −0.62, P = 0.02) and DHI-functional score (r = −0.64, P = 0.02).ConclusionThese results are the first evidence of possible changes in the microstructure of the vestibulocochlear nerves in patients with MD. DTI is a potential technique for evaluating the vestibulocochlear nerve in patients with MD.

The intensified competition for innovation among countries and the various risks that come with it have made innovation resilience a central concern of the international community in recent years. The concepts of resilience and innovation are inextricably intertwined; however, both theoretical discussions and case studies on innovation resilience are in the “embryonic” stage. This article attempts to integrate the system and nodes of network resilience, the potential and connectivity of city resilience, and the hierarchy and assortativity of urban network resilience to construct a theoretical analysis framework of intercity innovation network resilience and conduct a case study on the resilience of a patent cooperation network among 338 prefecture-level cities in China during 2017–2019. The results show that the systemic resilience of Chinese urban innovation networks exhibits relatively low hierarchical and yearly decreasing disassortative characteristics, and the node resilience shows a spatial pattern of being high in the southeast and low in the northwest, as well as higher innovation resilience in cities with higher administrative levels. The results provide insights into the overall systemic and internal structural characteristics of innovation resilience in Chinese urban networks and also expand the application of resilience concepts in the field of innovation research from the perspective of urban networks.

Objective The objective of this study was to determine the digestible energy (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME) of yellow dent corn sourced from different meteorological origins fed to growing pigs and develop equations to predict the DE and ME of yellow dent corn from southwestern China. Methods Sixty crossbred barrows were allotted to 20 treatments in a triplicate 20×2 incomplete Latin square design with 3 replicated pigs per dietary treatment during 2 consecutive periods. Each period lasted for 12 days, and total feces and urine during the last 5 days of each period were collected to calculate the energy contents. Results On dry matter (DM) basis, the DE and ME in 20 corn grain samples ranged from 15.38 to 16.78 MJ/kg and from 14.93 to 16.16 MJ/kg, respectively. Selected best-fit prediction equations for DE and ME (MJ/kg DM basis) for yellow dent corn (n = 16) sourced from southwestern China were as follows: DE = 28.58–(0.12×% hemicellulose)+(0.35×% ether extract)–(0.83×MJ/kg gross energy)+(0.20×% crude protein)+(0.49×% ash); ME = 30.42–(0.11×% hemicellulose)+(0.31×% ether extract)–(0.81×MJ/kg gross energy). Conclusion Our results indicated that the chemical compositions, but not the meteorological conditions or physical characteristics could explain the variation of energy contents in yellow dent corn sourced from southwestern China fed to growing pigs.

Diarrhea is considered to be associated with microbial dysbiosis caused by infection of pathogens but poorly understood. We herein characterized the colonic microbiota of diarrheal early-weaning piglets infected with porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) and Campylobacter. Campylobacter infection significantly decreased species richness and Shannon diversity index of colonic microbiota together with a significant increase in the proportion of Campylobacter and Enterobacteriaceae, whereas no significant difference on the above indexes was observed in piglets infected with PCV2 compared with healthy piglets. PCV2 and Campylobacter infection could disturb the homeostasis of colonic microbiota through deterioration of ecological network within microbial community, and specially Campylobacter performed as a module hub in ecological networks. The microbial dysbiosis caused metabolic dysfunction and led to a remarkable reduction in production of short chain fatty acids, following by a higher pH level in colon cavity. Campylobacter infection disturbed the function of colonic tract barrier observed in terms of significant lower relative expression of claudin-1, occluding, and zonula occludens protein-1 genes, and PCV2 infection induced intestinal inflammation together with a higher permeability of colon. Generally, these results suggested that PCV2 and Campylobacter infection could induce microbial dysbiosis and metabolic dysfunction, and cause intestinal disorder, all of which finally were associated to contribute to the diarrhea of early-weaning piglets.

The composition and characteristics of the passive film formed in the simulated carbonation solution with the concentration of 1.0% and 2.0% rust inhibitor were studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The formation mechanism of steel passive film under the action of rust inhibitor was expounded. The results showed that the anticorrosion performance was the best and stable passive film was formed on the steel surface when the content of rust inhibitor was 2.0%; under the action of rust inhibitor, the main compositions of passive film on the steel surface were Fe2O3 and FeOOH. Among anodic rust inhibitors, Na2MoO4 was more effective than Na2CrO4. Between cathodic rust inhibitors, the anticorrosion performance of benzotriazole (BTA) was better than N-N dimethyl ethanolamine (DMEA). Among the composite rust inhibitors, the corrosion resistance of Na2MoO4 + BTA group was superior, and the corrosion resistance of Na2MoO4 + DMEA group was the worst. The composite rust inhibitor was better than the single rust inhibitor, and the inhibition efficiency was the highest when Na2MoO4 and BTA were mixed together.

Enterovirus consists of a variety of viruses that could cause a wide range of illness in human. The pathogenesis of these viruses remains incompletely understood and no specific treatment is available. Better methods to study enterovirus infection in live cells will help us better understand the pathogenesis of these viruses and might contribute to antiviral development. Here in this study, we developed fluorescent cell-based reporter systems that allow sensitive distinction of individual cells infected with enterovirus 71 (EV71). More importantly, these systems could be easily used for live-cell imaging by monitoring viral-induced fluorescence translocation after EV71 infection. We further demonstrated that these reporter systems could be used to study other enterovirus-mediated MAVS cleavage and they are sensitive for antiviral activity testing. Therefore, integration of these reporters with modern image-based analysis has the potential to generate new insights into enterovirus infection and facilitate antiviral development.

Corrosion morphology is a key factor that influences the reliability and service life of a structure. As most structures service under stress corrosion, there is a great need to understand the effect of stress on the formation conditions of different morphologies. This paper introduces a numerical method to simulate the evolution of surface morphologies. The results indicate that a corroded surface will become rougher and sharper with an increase in stress, and as a consequence, the corrosion morphology will transfer from a flatter surface to a pit and then a crevice. The critical stress values for different morphologies (crevice, pit, and a flatter surface) were captured. Among the three morphologies, the flatter surface and pit maintain a fixed shape, also known as stable morphology. As stress exceeds a critical value, crevices are generated, and the morphology evolution becomes unstable. On the basis of the simulation results, the influence of morphology on the service life of the structure was evaluated. The corrosion velocity of a rough surface exceeds that of a flat surface, and this reduces the service life of the structure more significantly. With a rise in applied stress, the acceleration of corrosion presents a quadratically increasing relationship with applied stress.

The carcinogenicity of radon has been convincingly documented through epidemiological studies of underground miners. However, there is a lack of early warning indicators for radon radiation damage. In this study, mixed serum samples of 3 groups were collected from 27 underground uranium miners and seven aboveground miners according to the radiation exposure dose. The differentially expressed proteins in the serum were identified using the isobaric tags for the relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based method. Some differentially expressed proteins were validated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 84 underground and 32 aboveground miners. A total of 25 co-differentially expressed proteins in 2 underground miner groups were screened, of which 9 were downregulated and 13 were upregulated. Biological process analysis of these proteins using Metascape showed that 5 GO terms were enriched, such as negative regulation of very-low-density lipoprotein particle clearance, endocytosis, and regulated exocytosis. The results of the ELISA for the expression levels of GCN1, CIP2A, and IGHV1-24 in the serum of 116 miners’ serum showed that the levels of GCN1 and CIP2A were consistent with the iTRAQ results. In conclusion, APOC1, APOC2, APOC3, ORM1, ORM2, ANTXR1, GCN1, and CIP2A may be potential early markers of radon radiation damage.

Some aerodynamic results about the effect of moving train on the aerodynamics of train-bridge system in crosswinds are introduced using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. In the simulation, a new overset mesh approach is applied to present the motion of trains, and the results are compared with that of the scaled wind tunnel experiment to validate the accuracy of the mesh and algorithm. Besides, the aerodynamic characteristics associated with the train and bridge are discussed for a range of resultant yaw angles. It is found that the resultant yaw angle is significantly important for the aerodynamic performances of trains, and the aerodynamic interaction on the nose of head-car can affect the flow features around train-bridge system to produce larger aerodynamic loads on the head-car. Furthermore, a new fitting formula for some resultant yaw angles is proposed to predict the aerodynamic forces on trains. Finally, the time-varying forces on the bridge are presented and a sudden change of aerodynamic loads is also observed due to the effect of moving train. The variation magnitude of forces depends on the train speed, and the mean value of forces is only determined by the natural wind velocity.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of composited functional bioactive substances on the growth performance and immune function of growth retardation (GR) pigs. Twenty-four 42-day-old GR pigs were fed with basal diet containing 0 or 0.5% composited functional bioactive substances package (FP) for 21 days. The results showed that dietary supplementation with FP decreased feed:gain ratio, increased the relative and absolute weight of the liver (P

Abstract Background The two original plants of the oolong tea cultivar (‘Tieguanyin’) are “Wei shuo” ‘Tieguanyin’—TGY (Wei) and “Wang shuo” ‘Tieguanyin’—TGY (Wang). Another cultivar, ‘Benshan’ (BS), is similar to TGY in its aroma, taste, and genetic make-up, but it lacks the “Yin Rhyme” flavor. We aimed to identify differences in biochemical characteristics and gene expression among these tea plants. Results The results of spectrophotometric, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses revealed that TGY (Wei) and TGY (Wang) had deeper purple-colored leaves and higher contents of anthocyanin, catechins, caffeine, and limonene compared with BS. Analyses of transcriptome data revealed 12,420 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) among the cultivars. According to a Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis, the flavonoid, caffeine, and limonene metabolic pathways were highly enriched. The transcript levels of the genes involved in these three metabolic pathways were not significantly different between TGY (Wei) and TGY (Wang), except for two unigenes encoding IMPDH and SAMS, which are involved in caffeine metabolism. The comparison of TGY vs. BS revealed eight up-regulated genes (PAL, C4H, CHS, F3’H, F3H, DFR, ANS, and ANR) and two down-regulated genes (FLS and CCR) in flavonoid metabolism, four up-regulated genes (AMPD, IMPDH, SAMS, and 5′-Nase) and one down-regulated XDH gene in caffeine metabolism; and two down-regulated genes (ALDH and HIBADH) in limonene degradation. In addition, the expression levels of the transcription factor (TF) PAP1 were significantly higher in TGY than in BS. Therefore, high accumulation of flavonoids, caffeine, and limonene metabolites and the expression patterns of their related genes in TGY might be beneficial for the formation of the “Yin Rhyme” flavor. Conclusions Transcriptomic, HPLC, and GC-MS analyses of TGY (Wei), TGY (Wang), and BS indicated that the expression levels of genes related to secondary metabolism and high contents of catechins, anthocyanin, caffeine, and limonene may contribute to the formation of the “Yin Rhyme” flavor in TGY. These findings provide new insights into the relationship between the accumulation of secondary metabolites and sensory quality, and the molecular mechanisms underlying the formation of the unique flavor “Yin Rhyme” in TGY.

A porous nanotube network structure of carbon allotrope was designed, denoted as P4/mmm C96. Besides its structure similar to carbon nanotubes, the most interesting thing about P4/mmm C96 is that its band structure is metallic. The shear modulus G, Young’s modulus E, and bulk modulus B of P4/mmm C96 is 49.4 GPa, 128.6 GPa, and 107.8 GPa, respectively. Although the elastic modulus of P4/mmm C96 is low, it is still larger than other carbon allotropes, such as TY-II carbon, TY carbon, fcc-C10, Y carbon, Y-II carbon. The elastic anisotropy in shear modulus G, Poisson’s ratio v, and Young’s modulus E of P4/mmm C96 are larger than that of other C96 carbon allotropes, Finally, the elastic anisotropy of shear modulus of P4/mmm C96 in (100) plane is the greatest, the elastic anisotropy of E of P4/mmm C96 in (001) plane is the largest, while the elastic anisotropy in v in (001) plane is the greatest.

In this paper, a probabilistic model devoted to investigating the dynamic behaviors of train-bridge systems subjected to random track irregularities is presented, in which a train-ballasted track-bridge coupled model with nonlinear wheel-rail contacts is introduced, and then a new approach for simulating a random field of track irregularities is developed; moreover, the probability density evolution method is used to describe the probability transmission from excitation inputs to response outputs; finally, extended analysis from three aspects, that is, stochastic analysis, reliability analysis, and correlation analysis, are conducted on the evaluation and application of the proposed model. Besides, compared to the Monte Carlo method, the high efficiency and the accuracy of this proposed model are validated. Numerical studies show that the ergodic properties of track irregularities on spectra, amplitudes, wavelengths, and phases should be taken into account in stochastic analysis of train-bridge interactions. Since the main contributive factors concerning different dynamic indices are rather different, different failure modes possess no obvious or only weak correlations from the probabilistic perspective, and the first-order reliability theory is suitable in achieving the system reliability.

This paper presents an experimental investigation on the effect of the replacement of natural coarse aggregate (NCA) with either recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) or recycled clay brick aggregate (RBA) on the compressive strengths of the hardened concrete. Two grades (C25 and C50) of concrete were investigated, which were achieved by using different water-to-cement ratios. In each grade concrete five different replacement rates, 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% were considered. In order to improve the performance of the recycled aggregates in the concrete mixes, the RCA and RBA were carefully sieved by using the optimal degradation. In this way the largest reduction in the 28-day compressive strength was found to be only 7.2% and 9.6% for C25 and C50 recycled concrete when the NCA was replaced 100% by RCA, and 11% and 13% for C25 and C50 recycled concrete when the NCA was replaced 100% by RBA. In general, the concrete with RCA has better performance than the concrete with RBA. The comparison of the present experimental results with those reported in literature for hardened concrete with either RCA or RBA demonstrates the effectiveness in improving the compressive strength by using the optimal gradation of recycled aggregates. Keywords: Recycled aggregate concrete, Waste concrete aggregate, Clay brick aggregate, Mechanical properties, Experiments

Abstract A train–bridge coupling vibration model for low-speed maglev traffic was established to study the dynamic response of low-medium speed Maglev Train and simply supported beam interation system. In this model, the vehicle is assumed as a secondary suspension mass-spring-damper model with 12 degrees of freedom. The finite element model is supplied to simulate the bridge structure. The influence of the track irregularity is also taken into account. Then, the program for vertical coupling vibration simulation of low-speed maglev traffic is developed. Finally, a field test was carried out on a 25-m simply supported beam in a low-speed maglev test line. The results show that the fundamental frequency, the vibration mode, the mid-span dynamic deflection and the acceleration of the track beam measured values are slightly smaller than the simulation results. When the maglev train passes the simply supported beam, the measured acceleration values of the vehicle are slightly less than the simulation ones. These research results show that the vertical coupling vibration model of low-speed maglev train–track beam is reasonable and the simulation results are credible. With the increase of speed, the accelerations of the bridge and car body are increased in the overall trend. But, the acclerations of the bridge and the maglev car body are both small versus the speed, wich indicates that the dynamic performanceof the bridge and maglev train are good.

Abstract In order to study the vertical coupling vibration of low–medium-speed Maglev train and at-ground structure system, the vertical coupling vibration model of low–medium-speed Maglev train-bridge system is established firstly based on the co-simulation of SIMPACK and ANSYS. The method of co-simulation is verified through the test experiments on a 20-m simply supported beam dynamic load experiment test line. Later, the vertical coupling vibration dynamics simulation model of low–medium-speed Maglev train and at-ground structure system is built and the dynamic simulation analysis is performed. According to the analysis, the vibration frequency of the at-ground structure is relatively high and the first vertical vibration frequency is 32.9 Hz; the vertical displacement and acceleration of the frame’s center of the at-ground structure are bigger than the bottom’s center; the vibration of the frame is the high-frequency vibration (comparing with the bottom), and the acceleration of the frame’s center is obviously greater than the bottom’s between 50 and 100 Hz.

Chinese five-pattern and Eysenck’s personality traits are two types of personality theories based on different cultural backgrounds. The former is an indigenous theory, and the latter is a cross-cultural theory. In order to verify the relationship between two different personality traits from theory and neuropsychology, the current study recruited 170 healthy adults to calculate their five-Pattern Personality Inventory (FPPI) and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised (EPQ) scales and to scan their brains using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Then, we performed stepwise-regression analysis and mediation-effect analysis to explore the association between brain regional homogeneity (ReHo) and two types of personality traits. The results showed that the ReHo of the right superior temporal gyrus (STG) positively correlated with TaiYang traits for FPPI and that there was a significant linear relationship with extraversion and neuroticism for EPQ. Besides, the ReHo of the right medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) positively correlated with TaiYin for FPPI, and it also showed a significant linear relationship with neuroticism for EPQ. Furthermore, we found that extroversion and neuroticism partially mediated the relationship between five-pattern personality traits and the regional brain function, based on the mediation-effect analysis. Our findings suggest that Chinese five-pattern personality traits have a close relationship with Eysenck’s personality traits and that both may be engaged in similar neurobiological mechanisms in common brain regions to some extent. Hence, these findings first reveal a relationship between Chinese traditional personality traits and Western Eysenck’s personality traits in terms of both theoretical and neurobiological contexts.

DNA methylation is a highly conserved epigenetic modification involved in many biological processes, including growth and development, stress response, and secondary metabolism. In the plant kingdom, cytosine-5 DNA methyltransferase (C5-MTase) and DNA demethylase (dMTase) genes have been identified in some plant species. However, to the best of our knowledge, no investigator has focused on the identification and analysis of C5-MTase and dMTase genes in tea plants (Camellia sinensis) based on genome-wide levels. In this study, eight CsC5-MTases and four dMTases were identified in tea plants. These CsC5-MTase genes were divided into four subfamilies, including CsMET, CsCMT, CsDRM and CsDNMT2. The CsdMTase genes can be classified into CsROS, CsDME and CsDML. Based on conserved domain analysis of these genes, the gene loss and duplication events occurred during the evolution of CsC5-MTase and CsdMTase. Furthermore, multiple cis-acting elements were observed in the CsC5-MTase and CsdMTase, including light responsiveness, phytohormone responsiveness, stress responsiveness, and plant growth and development-related elements. Then, we investigated the transcript abundance of CsC5-MTase and CsdMTase under abiotic stress (cold and drought) and withering processing (white tea and oolong tea). Notably, most CsC5-MTases, except for CsCMT1 and CsCMT2, were significantly downregulated under abiotic stress, while the transcript abundance of all four CsdMTase genes was significantly induced. Similarly, the same transcript abundance of CsC5-MTase and CsdMTase was found during withering processing of white tea and oolong tea, respectively. In total, our findings will provide a basis for the roles of CsC5-MTase and CsdMTase in response to abiotic stress and the potential functions of these two gene families in affecting tea flavor during tea withering processing.

This paper reports on train-induced fluctuating pressure and consequent dynamic response of semienclosed sound barriers (SESBs), a novel type of sound barriers. A computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model and a finite element (FE) model were established. The in situ vibration measurement of the SESB was introduced for the first time. Pressure-induced vibrations were extracted from the measured results. The analyzing process of the pressure-induced vibration below 20 Hz is verified. Influencing factors of the pressure and vibrations, including train running on the near- or far-line and the length effect of total top plates, were finally discussed with the dimensionless method. Results show that the distribution of pressure is significantly different, but the vibration laws are similar whether the train is running on the near- or far-line. The longer is the total length of the top plates, the larger are the pressure and vibration on the inner surface.

Oolong tea is a popular and semi-fermented beverage. During the processing of tea leaves, withering is the first indispensable process for improving flavor. However, the roles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and the characteristic secondary metabolites during the withering of oolong tea leaves remain unknown. In this study, phytochemical analyses indicated that total polyphenols, flavonoids, catechins, epigallocatechin (EGC), catechin gallate (CG), gallocatechin gallate (GCG), epicatechin gallate (ECG), and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) were all less abundant in the solar-withered leaves (SW) than in the fresh leaves (FL) and indoor-withered leaves (IW). In contrast, terpenoid, jasmonic acid (JA), and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) contents were higher in the SW than in the FL and IW. By analyzing the transcriptome data, we detected 32,036 lncRNAs. On the basis of the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis, the flavonoid metabolic pathway, the terpenoid metabolic pathway, and the JA/MeJA biosynthesis and signal transduction pathway were enriched pathways. Additionally, 63 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DE-lncRNAs) and 23 target genes were identified related to the three pathways. A comparison of the expression profiles of the DE-lncRNAs and their target genes between the SW and IW revealed four up-regulated genes (FLS, CCR, CAD, and HCT), seven up-regulated lncRNAs, four down-regulated genes (4CL, CHI, F3H, and F3’H), and three down-regulated lncRNAs related to flavonoid metabolism; nine up-regulated genes (DXS, CMK, HDS, HDR, AACT, MVK, PMK, GGPPS, and TPS), three up-regulated lncRNAs, and six down-regulated lncRNAs related to terpenoid metabolism; as well as six up-regulated genes (LOX, AOS, AOC, OPR, ACX, and MFP2), four up-regulated lncRNAs, and three down-regulated lncRNAs related to JA/MeJA biosynthesis and signal transduction. These results suggested that the expression of DE-lncRNAs and their targets involved in the three pathways may be related to the low abundance of the total polyphenols, flavonoids, and catechins (EGC, CG, GCG, ECG, and EGCG) and the high abundance of terpenoids in the SW. Moreover, solar irradiation, high JA and MeJA contents, and the endogenous target mimic (eTM)-related regulatory mechanism in the SW were also crucial for increasing the terpenoid levels. These findings provide new insights into the greater contribution of solar-withering to the high-quality flavor of oolong tea compared with the effects of indoor-withering.

Superoxide dismutases (SODs), as a family of metalloenzymes related to the removal of reactive oxygen species (ROS), have not previously been investigated at genome-wide level in tea plant. In this study, 10 CsSOD genes were identified in tea plant genome, including 7 Cu/Zn-SODs (CSDs), 2 Fe-SODs (FSDs) and one Mn-SOD (MSD), and phylogenetically classified in three subgroups, respectively. Physico-chemical characteristic, conserved motifs and potential protein interaction analyses about CsSOD proteins were carried out. Exon-intron structures and codon usage bias about CsSOD genes were also examined. Exon-intron structures analysis revealed that different CsSOD genes contained various number of introns. On the basis of the prediction of regulatory miRNAs of CsSODs, a modification 5' RNA ligase-mediated (RLM)-RACE was performed and validated that csn-miR398a-3p-1 directly cleaves CsCSD4. By prediction of cis-acting elements, the expression patterns of 10 CsSOD genes and their regulatory miRNAs were detected under cold, drought, exogenous methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and gibberellin (GA3) treatments. The results showed that most of CsSODs except for CsFSD2 were induced under cold stress and CsCSDs may play primary roles under drought stress; exogenous GA3 and MeJA could also stimulated/inhibited distinct CsSODs at different stages. In addition, we found that csn-miR398a-3p-1 negatively regulated the expression of CsCSD4 may be a crucial regulatory mechanism under cold stress. This study provides a certain basis for the studies about stress resistance in tea plants, even provide insight into comprehending the classification, evolution, diverse functions and influencing factors of expression patterns for CsSOD genes.

The appropriate modeling of the soil-pile interaction (SPI) is critical to get the reasonable dynamic responses of bridge structure under impact loading. Of various SPI modeling approaches, utilizing p-y and t-z curves is a common method to represent the nonlinear lateral resistance and skin friction of pile-surrounding soil. This paper accomplished SPI modeling for the bridge pylon impact analysis with compression-only nonlinear springs and linear dashpots. The kinematic interaction and pile group effect were incorporated into the SPI. A variety of pylon impact analyses were conducted under energy-variation impact loads. The structure dynamic responses were compared and discussed considering the influences of pile group effect, soil damping, and axial t-z spring. An approximate approach was proposed to derive the linearized stiffness of soil for the purpose of engineering calculation. It was concluded from the extensive simulations that the impact load generated from higher initial energy induced more significant structural responses and larger soil inelastic deformation than smaller initial energy. The piles in the leading row possessed larger bending moments, whereas they exhibited smaller pile deformation than the responses of trailing row piles. Soil damping applied in SPI played positive roles on the reduction of structural responses. Replacing the t-z spring by fixing the degree-of-freedom (DOF) in the vertical direction was capable to yield satisfactory results of structural responses. The proposed linear soil stiffness was demonstrated to be applicable in the SPI modeling of structure impact analysis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a relatively common cause of inflammatory demyelinating lesions of the central nervous system. In an attempt to detect and characterize ongoing demyelination in MS patient brains, we used a novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique, involving the fitting of a three-component model to the T2* relaxation behavior at high-field (7 T). This model allowed estimation of the amount of myelin water (and thus indirectly myelin content), axonal water, and interstitial water. In this study, 25 relapsing–remitting MS patients underwent a 7 T MRI from which 12 gadolinium-enhancing lesions, 61 non-enhancing lesions, and their corresponding contralateral normal appearing white matter (NAWM) regions were analyzed. In both enhancing and non-enhancing lesions, the amplitude of myelin water was significantly decreased, and interstitial and axonal water were increased relative to the contralateral NAWM. Longer relaxation time T2* of interstitial and axonal water, and lower frequency shift of axonal water, were also observed in both enhancing and non-enhancing lesions when compared to the contralateral NAWM. No significant difference was found between enhancing lesions and non-enhancing lesions. These findings suggest that the fitting of a three-component model to the T2* decay curve in MS lesions may help to quantify myelin loss.

In this work, carbon of 2% and 4% by weight were added for the first time in a fly ash cement system to produce Activated carbon–fly ash composites in the form of pastes and mortars. Compressive strengths of the composites were then investigated. It was found that the use of Activated carbon resulted in higher strength of fly ash mortars. The highest strength obtained for 20% fly ash cement mortars was found at 4% Activated carbon where the compressive strength at 28 days was 22.39 MPa. This benefit can clearly be seen in fly ash cement with fly ash of 20% where the importance of the addition of Activated carbon means that the relative strength to that of cement became almost 100% at 28 days. In addition, scanning electron micrographs also showed that good interaction between Activated carbon and the fly ash cement matrix is seen with Activated carbon acting as a filler resulting in a denser microstructure and higher strength when compared to the reference fly ash mix without Activated carbon.

Early weaning stress impairs the development of gastrointestinal barrier function, causing immune system dysfunctions, reduction in feed intake, and growth retardation. Autophagy was hypothesized to be a key underlying cellular process in these dysfunctions. We conjectured that rapamycin (RAPA) and chloroquine (CQ), as two autophagy-modifying agents, regulate the autophagy process and may produce deleterious or beneficial effects on intestinal health and growth. To explore the effect of autophagy on early weaning stress in piglets, 18 early-weaned piglets were assigned to three treatments (each treatment of six piglets) and treated with an equal volume of RAPA, CQ, or saline. The degree of autophagy and serum concentrations of immunoglobulins and cytokines, as well as intestinal morphology and tight junction protein expression, were evaluated. Compared with the control treatment, RAPA-treated piglets exhibited activated autophagy and had decreased final body weight (BW) and average daily gain (ADG) (p < 0.05), impaired intestinal morphology and tight junction function, and higher inflammatory responses. The CQ-treated piglets showed higher final BW, ADG, jejuna and ileal villus height, and lower autophagy and inflammation, compared with control piglets (p < 0.05). Throughout the experiment, CQ treatment was beneficial to alleviate early weaning stress and intestinal and immune system dysfunction.

Based on water penetration in unsaturated concrete of underwater tunnel, a diffusion-advection theoretical model of chloride in undersea concrete tunnel was proposed. The basic parameters including porosity, saturated hydraulic conductivity, chloride diffusion coefficient, initial water saturation, and moisture retention function of concrete specimens with two water-binder ratios were determined through lab-scale experiments. The variation of chloride concentration with pressuring time, location, solution concentration, initial saturation, hydraulic pressure, and water-binder ratio was investigated through chloride transport tests under external water pressure. In addition, the change and distribution of chloride concentration of isothermal horizontal flow were numerically analyzed using TOUGH2 software. The results show that chloride transport in unsaturated concrete under external water pressure is a combined effect of diffusion and advection instead of diffusion. Chloride concentration increased with increasing solution concentration for diffusion and increased with an increase in water pressure and a decrease in initial saturation for advection. The dominant driving force converted with time and saturation. When predicting the service life of undersea concrete tunnel, it is suggested that advection is taken into consideration; otherwise the durability tends to be unsafe.

In order to study the random vibration performance of trains running on continuous beam bridge with vertical track irregularity, a time-domain framework of random analysis on train-bridge coupling system is established. The vertical rail irregularity is regarded as a random process. A multibody mass-spring-damper model is employed to represent a moving railway car and the bridge system is simulated by finite elements. By introducing the pseudo excitation algorithm into the train-bridge interaction dynamic system, expressions of the mean value, standard deviation, and power spectral density of the nonstationary random dynamic responses of bridge and vehicles are derived. Monte-Carlo simulations are implemented to validate the presented method. A comprehensive analysis of the train-bridge coupling system with vertical track irregularity is conducted focusing on the effect of the randomness of the vertical rail irregularity on the dynamic behavior of the running train and the three-span continuous concrete bridge. Moreover, stochastic characteristics of the indicator for assessing the safety and the riding quality of the railway cars running on continuous beam bridge are carried out, which may be a useful reference in the dynamic design of the bridge.

Aim. To detect the expression of dual oxidase (DUOX) 2 in Barrett esophagus, gastric cancer, and colorectal cancer (CRC). Materials and Methods. The endoscopic biopsies were collected from patients with Barrett esophagus, while the curative resection tissues were obtained from patients with gastric cancer, CRC, or hepatic carcinoma. The DUOX2 protein and mRNA levels were detected with immunohistochemistry (IHC) and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). The correlation of DUOX2 expression with clinicopathological parameters of tumors was identified. Results. Low levels of DUOX2 mRNA were detected in Barrett esophagus and the adjacent normal tissues, and there was no difference between these two groups. DUOX2 protein was found in Barrett esophagus and undetectable in the normal epithelium. The DUOX2 mRNA and protein levels in the gastric cancer and CRC were increased compared to the adjacent nonmalignant tissues. The elevated DUOX2 in the gastric cancer was significantly associated with smoking history. In CRC tissues, the DUOX2 protein expression level in stages II–IV was significantly higher than that in stage I. In both hepatic carcinoma and the adjacent nonmalignant tissue, the DUOX2 was virtually undetectable. Conclusion. DUOX2 in Barrett esophagus, gastric cancer, and CRC may be involved in the tumorigenesis of these tissues.

l-Tetrahydropalmatine (l-THP) is an active ingredients of Corydalis yanhusuo W.T. Wang, which protects against acute global cerebral ischaemia-reperfusion injury. In this study, we show that l-THP is cardioprotective in myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion injury and examined the mechanism. Rats were treated with l-THP (0, 10, 20, 40 mg/kg b.w.) for 20 min before occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery and subjected to myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion (30 min/6 h). Compared with vehicle-treated animals, the infarct area/risk area (IA/RA) of l-THP (20, 40 mg/kg b.w.) treated rats was reduced, whilst l-THP (10 mg/kg b.w.) had no significant effect. Cardiac function was improved in l-THP-treated rats whilst plasma creatine kinase activity declined. Following treatment with l-THP (20 mg/kg b.w.), subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase p85, serine(473) phosphorylation of Akt and serine(1177) phosphorylation of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) increased in myocardium, whilst expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) decreased. However, the expression of HIF-1α and VEGF were increased in I(30 min)R(6 h), but decreased to normal level in I(30 min)R(24 h), while treatment with l-THP (20 mg/kg b.w.) enhanced the levels of these two genes in I(30 min)R(24 h). Production of NO in myocardium and plasma, activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO) in plasma and the expression of tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in myocardium were decreased by l-THP. TUNEL assay revealed that l-THP (20 mg/kg b.w.) reduced apoptosis in myocardium. Thus, we show that l-THP activates the PI3K/Akt/eNOS/NO pathway and increases expression of HIF-1α and VEGF, whilst depressing iNOS-derived NO production in myocardium. This effect may decrease the accumulation of inflammatory factors, including TNF-α and MPO, and lessen the extent of apoptosis, therefore contributing to the cardioprotective effects of l-THP in myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion injury.

Previous studies indicated that estrogen could improve endothelial function. However, whether estrogen protects vascular complications of diabetes has yet to be clarified. The study was designed to investigate the action of 17ß-estradiol on vascular endothelium in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Ovariectomized female Sprague-Dawley rats were administered with streptozotocin to produce an ovariectomized-diabetic (OVS) model which manifested as dysfunction of aortic dilation and contraction ability. Meanwhile, OVS animals with 17ß-estradiol supplementation significantly improved aortic function. Accordingly, nitric oxide synthase-3 (NOS-3), Akt, PI3K and estrogen receptor α (ERα) protein expression in aorta declined in the OVS group. Such effects were partially restored by estrogen replacement. The presence of 17ß-estradiol similarly counteracted the reduction of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), the enhanced expression of inducible NOS (NOS-2) and NO metabolites (nitrite and nitrate), as well as the increase of matrix metalloproteinase-9/tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-9/TIMP-1), which is an index of arterial compliance. 17ß-estradiol could also decrease ROS production in vascular endothelium. In EA hy 926 cells we found that ER antagonist, wortmannin and Akt inhibitor could block improvement effects of 17ß-estradiol. These results strongly suggest that functional impairment of the ERα/NOS-3 signaling network in OVS animals was partially restored by 17ß-estradiol administration, which provides experimental support for estrogen recruitment to improve vascular outcomes in female diabetes after endogenous hormone depletion.