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Enhancing the livelihood resilience of livestock farmers in the old revolutionary base areas helps them to cope with the increasingly complex external risk shocks of recent years and promotes the sustainable development of regional agriculture. This study is based on survey data from 1047 livestock farmers in the Ningxia and Gansu provinces of the northwest old revolutionary base area. It incorporates the characteristics of livestock farmers and the elements of psychological capital into the sustainable livelihood analysis framework to construct a livelihood resilience index system. After measuring livelihood resilience, this paper uses a general linear regression model and a probit model to explore the impact and mechanism of digital literacy on the livelihood resilience of livestock farmers. The results show the following: (1) digital literacy has a significant positive effect on the livelihood resilience of livestock farmers, and the impact of different dimensions of digital literacy on different dimensions of livelihood resilience also varies. Additionally, this effect also shows the heterogeneity in different village clustering forms and different income groups. In areas inhabited by ethnic minorities and among moderate-income groups, the role of digital literacy on the livelihood resilience of livestock farmers is more significant. (2) The improvement of digital literacy has a significant positive impact on livelihood resilience through three different pathways: the “differential mode of association”, learning channels, and types of income. (3) Digital literacy has led to the psychological aspects of rural hollowing-out problems among livestock farmers, which is particularly evident in families with only one type of caregiving burden (either only left-behind elderly people or only left-behind children). This problem is more evident. Therefore, this paper poses that the advancement of agricultural and rural economic development in China should not only focus on the cultivation of farmers’ digital literacy but also accelerate the construction of digital infrastructure to ensure the long-term effective mechanism of improving digital literacy. At the same time, in the process of promoting digital rural areas, attention should be paid to the psychological isolation issues that the network era brings to farmers.

Abstract Background Nucleoside analogues are currently applied as a first-line treatment for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. However, the long-term effects of this type of treatment on kidney and bone tissue need to be further investigated. Methods We conducted a search of entecavir (ETV), tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), and tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (TAF) for treatment of CHB patients through October 29, 2023. Side effects of the three drugs were compared. Standardized mean difference (SMD), 95% confidence interval (95%CI), and surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) were reported for each outcome. Further subgroup analysis was conducted according to duration of administration. Results ETV and TAF exhibited less effect on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) than TDF (SMD = -3.60 (95%CI: -1.94 ~ -5.26) and SMD = -4.27 (95%CI: -2.62 ~ -5.93)). ETV also exhibited less effect on creatinine rise than TAF and TDF (SMD = -0.55 (95%CI: -0.09 ~ -1.01) and SMD = -0.61 (95%CI: -0.15 ~ -1.06)). Moreover, the effect of TAF on bone mineral density (BMD) was less than that of TDF (SMD = -0.02 (95%CI: -0.01 ~ -0.02)). The probabilities of the three drugs changing relevant indicators exhibited similar patterns: eGFR (TDF (100.0%) > ETV (41.2%) > TAF (8.8%)), creatinine (TDF (94.7%) > TAF (54.7%) > ETV (0.6%)), BMD (TDF (79.7%) > ETV (50.6%) > TAF (19.6%)), and blood phosphorus (TDF (90.6%) > TAF (49.8%) > ETV (9.7%)). After 6 and 24 months of treatment, no statistically significant difference in renal function or bone tissue was observed between ETV and TDF. However, greater adverse effects on renal function were observed for TDF than ETV at 60 months compared to 12 months. TDF also exhibited greater adverse effects on bone tissue than ETV at 36 months than at 12 months. Conclusions Long-term administration of TDF has resulted in stronger adverse effects than TAF and ETV in regard to both renal function and bone tissue in CHB patients. The effect of TAF on creatinine increase was greater than ETV. The difference in side effects between ETV and TDF was independent of treatment duration.

Traditional robotic hands are facing several issues due to limitations in structures, principles and transmissions. Here, the authors develop a rigid robotic hand with 4 piezo fingers and 12 DOFs to implement high adaptability multi-DOF motion manipulation from micro to macro, as well as micro grasping operation.

Vaccines are one of the most effective means of preventing influenza A, typically containing the hemagglutinin (HA) of the influenza A virus. However, antigenic drift and shift of the influenza A virus can lead to instability in vaccine efficacy. Compared to HA, the antigenic variation rate of neuraminidase (NA) is slower. In traditional inactivated influenza vaccines, although they contain a certain amount of NA, there are significant differences between different batches, which cannot consistently induce NA-based immune responses. Therefore, NA is often overlooked in vaccine development. In this study, we report an mRNA vaccine encoding the NA of two strains of influenza A virus. The experimental results demonstrated that when matched with the viral strain, this mRNA vaccine induced high levels of neutralizing antibodies, providing a protective effect to mice in viral challenge experiments, and this immune response was shown to be biased towards the Th1 type. In summary, this study demonstrates that NA is a promising potential antigen, providing new insights for the development of influenza A virus vaccines.

Abstract Background The T-loop has been used clinically to close gap between teeth. And it is a typical orthodontic archwire bending method. However, the design of the T-loop parameters for different patients is based on the clinical experience of the dentists. The variation in dentists' clinical experience is the main reason for inadequate orthodontic treatment, even high incidence of postoperative complications. Methods Firstly, the tooth movement prediction model is established based on the analysis of the T-loop structure and the waxy model dynamic resistance. As well as the reverse reconstruction of the complete maxillary 3D model based on the patient CBCT images, the oral biomechanical FEM analysis is completed. A maxillary waxy dental model is manufactured to realize the water-bath measurement experiment in vitro mimicking the oral bio-environment. Thus, the calculated, simulation and experimental data are obtained, as well as obtaining a cloud of total deformation from the simulation analysis. Results The growth trend of the 11 sets of simulation data is the same as that of the experimental data. And all of them show that the tooth displacement is positively correlated with the cross-sectional size of the archwire, and the clearance distance. As well as the higher Young's modulus of the archwire material, the greater the tooth displacement. And the effect of archwire parameters on tooth displacement derived from simulation and experimental data is consistent with the prediction model. The experimental and calculated data are also compared and analyzed, and the two kinds of data are basically consistent in terms of growth trends and fluctuations, with deviation rates ranging from 2.17 to 10.00%. Conclusions This study shows that the accuracy and reliability of the tooth movement prediction model can be verified through the comparative analysis and deviation calculation of the obtained calculated, simulation and experimental data, which can assist dentists to safely and efficiently perform orthodontic treatment on patients. And the FEM analysis can achieve predictability of orthodontic treatment results.

DNA damage-regulated autophagy modulator 1 (DRAM1) could play important roles in inflammation and hepatic apoptosis, while its roles in alcohol-related liver disease (ALD), which is characterized by hepatic inflammation and apoptosis, are still unclear. In this study, we explored the expression, role, and mechanism of DRAM1 in ALD. Firstly, our results showed that DRAM1 was significantly increased in liver tissues of mice at the early stage of alcohol treatment. In addition, DRAM1 knockout reduced, and liver-specific overexpression of DRAM1 aggravated, alcohol-induced hepatic steatosis, injury, and expressions of M1 macrophage markers in mice. Furthermore, ethanol-induced DRAM1 of hepatic cells increased pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2)-enriched extracellular vesicles (EVs), and ectosomes derived from hepatic cells with DRAM1 overexpression promoted macrophage activation. Mechanistic investigations showed that DRAM1 interacted with PKM2 and increased the PKM2 level in plasma membrane. At last, DRAM1 was significantly increased in liver tissues of ALD patients, and it was positively correlated with M1 macrophage markers. Taken together, this study revealed that ethanol-induced DRAM1 of hepatic cells could increase the PKM2-enriched EVs, promote macrophage activation, and aggravate the disease progression of ALD. These findings suggested that DRAM1 might be a potentially promising target for the therapy of ALD.

Considering the urgent need for disposal of red mud and the comprehensive treatment of coal mined-out areas, this paper presented red mud-based cementitious paste filling material (RMFM) to achieve the purpose of green filling treatment. However, the solidification performance of alkaline RMFM for contaminants can be affected when in contact with acid goaf water in practice, which may in turn cause secondary pollution to the surroundings. The leaching tests of RMFM under different pH and redox potential (Eh) conditions were designed to investigate the effects of environmental elements on the solidification performance of RMFM, and primarily investigated the treatment effectiveness of RMFM on goaf water. The test results manifest that the acidic and oxidizing environments could damage the hydration products generated by alkali and sulfate activation, thus affecting the solidification performance, while the alkaline and reducing environments could effectively prevent the release of the contaminants by enhancing the degree of alkali activation and inhibiting oxidation acid forming process. In the possible exposure environment, RMFM could effectively stabilize its own pollutants without secondary pollution. In addition, the powder RMFM samples had significant removal effects on heavy metals, the values of Cu, Pb, and As removal efficiency all reached more than 96.15%. HIGHLIGHTS RMFM can be used to achieve the purpose of green goaf filling treatment.; RMFM could effectively stabilize/solidify heavy metals through alkali and sulfate activation.; RMFM could release more contaminants in the acidic and oxidizing environment.; The alkaline and reducing environments could effectively prevent the release of the contaminants.; The powder RMFM samples had significant removal effects on heavy metals.;

Abstract Background This study aimed to investigate the correlation of circulating total bilirubin (TB) and UGT1A1 with NAFLD in Chinese Han population. Methods 172 adults were enrolled from the Qingdao Municipal Hospital from May 2019 to October 2020. All individuals were examined with MRI-PDFF and divided into no steatosis, mild steatosis, moderate steatosis, and severe steatosis groups according to the MRI-PDFF values. The biochemical indexes and UGT1A1 were measured. Results There was no significant difference of circulating TB and UGT1A1 levels between NAFLD group and controls. In the moderate steatosis and severe steatosis groups, the circulating TB levels were higher than that in control group (all P

Sintering of supported transition metal catalysts is problematic for high-temperature catalysis. Here the authors report entropy-driven, self-regeneration of high entropy oxide nanoparticles, promoting better stability and in situ reversible exsolution-dissolution process in multi-redox cycles.

A viable pathway towards achieving shared prosperity is made possible by the growth of tourism, which encourages the movement of urban and rural elements. This harmonious alignment of tourism development and urban–rural integration also helps to narrow the gap between urban and rural areas. This study uses a set of panel regression models to investigate whether tourism growth promotes urban–rural integration within 41 cities in the Yangtze River Delta Region of China from 2010 to 2020. The findings show that the effect of tourism development on urban–rural integration is significantly positive, displaying significant heterogeneity across various times and city sizes. Furthermore, tourism development exhibits a threshold effect and city-type heterogeneity concerning urban–rural integration. The effect demonstrates significant continuous growth along with the expansion of economic growth. However, the impact of tourism development on urban–rural integration demonstrates a distinct promotional threshold effect, and its positive effect appears to be weakened.

The Es4 source rock is the primary source of hydrocarbon in deep reservoirs in the Baxian Sag, Jizhong Depression of Bohai Bay Basin, China, and its quantitative description is useful for understanding hydrocarbon generation and accumulation in the deep basin. The Es4 source rock contains organofacies C, D/E and F, with organofacies C having a thin thickness of less than 40 m and organofacies D/E having a thickness of 50 m and 250 m. The drilled Es4 source rock has a maximum RO of 1.27%, indicating that it is in the late oil window. The kinetic parameters for three organofacies source rock have been obtained from the simulation of gold tube pyrolysis. The result showed that organofacies C, D/E and F source rock entered into the mature level in sequence, but that at 150 °C, the organofacies C will be transformed to around 90% of their original state. For organofacies D/E and F, the hydrocarbon generation potential is still high, with condensate and wet gas dominating.

Abstract Background ALT value is often used to reflect the hepatic inflammation and injury in NAFLD patients, but many studies proved that ALT values were normal in many NAFLD patients. The aim of this study was to identify the summarized proportion of NAFLD patients with normal ALT value in the overall NAFLD patients. Methods Electronic databases PubMed, EMBASE, Ovid, and the Cochrane Library were searched for potential studies published from January 1, 2000 to September 30, 2019. Studies that have reported the number of NAFLD or NASH patients with normal and abnormal ALT value were included and analyzed. Abstracts, reviews, case reports, and letters were excluded. Results A total of 11 studies with 4084 patients were included for assessing the summarized proportion of NAFLD patients with normal ALT in overall NAFLD patients. As the results shown, the summarized proportion of NAFLD patients with normal ALT value in overall NAFLD patients was 25% (95%CI: 20–31%) which was calculated by the random-effects model. The summarized proportion of NASH patients with normal ALT value in overall NASH patients was 19% (95%CI: 13–27%). Subgroup analysis includes region, study type, diagnostic method, and group size were conducted to investigate the resource of heterogeneity in the summarized proportion of NAFLD and NASH patients with normal ALT value. Conclusions 25% NAFLD patients and 19% NASH patients possess the normal ALT value in the clinical manifestation. The value of ALT in the clinical diagnosis of NAFLD and NASH remains need be further testified.

Background/Aims: The role of two polymorphisms rs1800591 and rs3816873 of the microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTTP) gene in the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains controversial. A meta-analysis was conducted to determine the correlation between these MTTP polymorphisms and NAFLD. Materials and Methods: A systematic search was carried out using PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library to retrieve English studies that reported the relationship between MTTP polymorphisms (rs1800591 and rs3816873) and NAFLD published before February 18, 2020. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to appraise the risk of MTTP polymorphism in NAFLD. Results: A total of 10 case-control studies, including 1388 cases and 1690 healthy subjects, were included. No significant correlation between the rs1800591 (G vs. T: OR = 1.08, 95% CI = 0.68–1.70, P = 0.76) and rs3816873 (CT + CC vs. TT: OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 0.76–2.01, P = 0.398) polymorphisms of MTTP and NAFLD was found in any of the models. However, when NASH patients confirmed by liver biopsy were extracted alone for rs1800591 polymorphism analysis, it was found that the G allele significantly increased the risk of NASH under the heterozygote model (GT vs. TT: OR = 3.16, 95% CI = 1.13–8.83, P = 0.028) and dominant model (GT + GG vs. TT: OR = 3.03, 95% CI = 1.13–8.09, P = 0.027). Conclusion: The present meta-analysis revealed that the rs1800591 and rs3816873 polymorphisms of the MTTP gene are uncommon in NAFLD. However, the G allele of rs1800591 was more likely to be correlated to NASH susceptibility.

This paper introduced the working principle of multi-user electric energy meters and analyzed the mechanism of the error in the electric energy measurement introduced by interaction among users in the meter. The key technology of the multi-user electric energy meter verification was defined and the detection method was studied. A detector for the verification of multi-user electric energy meters was invented which could give large current output to applied to each user simultaneously. The detector provided a reliable detection scheme and a technical guarantee for the development of multi-user electric energy meter technology.

The Baxian area in the Jizhong Depression, west of the Bohai Bay Basin, is rich in geothermal resources, where Xiong County was built as the first smokeless city in China and the Xiong-county Model has become the geothermal resources demonstration model in China. In this study, the present-day geothermal gradient and the horizontal distribution characteristics of the temperature and pressure at different depths in the Baxian area were studied based on massive measured temperature and pressure data of the boreholes, and then the relationship was also discussed between the temperature–pressure field and the geothermal resources. The following findings were obtained. (1) The present-day geothermal gradient of the Baxian area is within the range of 21.8–73.5 °C/km, averaging 33.5 °C/km. (2) Its strata temperature increases as the depth increases. The horizontal variations of the geothermal gradient and strata temperature correspond to the basement relief very well. As the abnormally high temperature areas, the northern Niutuozhen Uplift, the Central Baxian Depression and the central East Langgu Depression possess huge geothermal resources and will be the most favorable exploration targets. (3) The formation pressure of the Baxian area is characterized by normal pressure and weak overpressure, and its horizontal distribution varies at different depths. The middle–strong overpressure generally developed at the depth of 4000 m in the southern Langgu Depression and southern Baxian Depression. This study is of important guiding significance for the exploration and development of geothermal resources in the Baxian area. Keywords: Bohai Bay Basin, Jizhong Depression, Baxian area, Geothermal resources, Temperature, Pressure, Geothermal gradient, Abnormally high temperature area, Overpressure

Malocclusion is currently the third largest oral disease for harming people's health. Fixed appliance technology is the most common and effective malocclusion orthodontic treatment method. And the elastic deformation of the second sequential loop generates orthodontic moment to treat the buccal-lingual tooth deformity. The shape of the second sequential loop can greatly affect the orthodontic moment. However, the design of the archwire depends entirely on the experience of the orthodontic doctors. This treatment is ineffective and may easily hurt patients. To solve these problems, the deflection equation of the second sequential loop around the buccal-lingual direction was obtained, the second sequential loop orthodontic moment prediction model was established to find the relation between the shape of the orthodontic archwire and the orthodontic moment to assist doctors design the proper orthodontic archwire. The orthodontic moment measuring device of the second sequential loop with a six-axis force/torque sensor was designed according to the characteristics of orthodontic moment transmission. The orthodontic moment measuring experiments were conducted with second sequential loops of different parameters. Finally, the effective orthodontic-moment prediction model of the second sequential loop was established by developing the correction factors in order to eliminate the errors. The relative errors between the prediction model and the experiment results ranged between 3.54%-8.72%. The orthodontic moment generating process is simulated through ANSYS. The relative errors between the prediction model and the simulation results ranged between 1.57%-7.08%. The experimental and simulation results verify the validity of the orthodontic moment prediction model of the second sequential loop.

The robotic archwire bending technology has been used clinically to free orthodontic doctors from the heavy labor because of the improvement of the digital medical technology, and the digital expression of orthodontic archwire is necessary to realize the robotic archwire bending. Because of the differences between the human tooth arrangement and the difficulty of archwire shape design, it is difficult to realize the digital expression of orthodontic archwire. A method for the digital expression and interactive adjustment of personalized orthodontic archwire is presented in this paper. The straight section and the transitional section of the brackets are defined according to the reference points of the brackets. The transitional sections of the brackets are built by the mathematical model of Cubic Bezier curve. The process of handmade archwire bending, the method of discretization and combination are considered in the establishment of the mathematical model and model library about special function arch curve. The ways of the adjustment of the straight sections, the deformation of the transitional section shape, the selections of the position and type of special function arch curve are used in the study of the method for the digital expression and interactive adjustment of personalized orthodontic archwire. The interactive adjustment software is designed by the LABVIEW software. The archwire bending experiment is carried out, the error rate of the bent archwire ranged between 1.1% and 6.7% which proves the digital expression and interactive adjustment method of personalized orthodontic archwire for robotic bending is feasible and effective.

Malocclusion is the third largest oral disease in the world. At present, the most effective treatment method for malocclusion is the fixed orthodontic technique based on orthodontic archwires. Robotic archwire bending can overcome the shortcomings of manual bending such as low efficiency and low precision. The three-dimensional digital expression and robot bending method of orthodontic archwire are studied to realize the orthodontic archwire bending using a robot. Tooth is identified by the doctors’ common method. The shape, position, and constraint relationship of orthodontic archwire in three-dimensional space are expressed by the Bessel curve. The bending of the archwire curve is realized by transmitting the archwire curve into the alternative lines. The planning method of forming points and the spatial angle planning method are proposed. The archwire bending experiment is carried out with the maxillary information of a patient. The error rate of the experimental and ideal values is between 2.94% and 6.74%. It can meet the physician’s basic requirements after simple modification. Therefore, it can be considered that the method of using discrete Bessel curve to carry out the control point planning and angle planning is suitable for the orthodontic archwire-bending robot system, which has certain feasibility and practicability in clinical treatment.

The quantitative grain fluorescence and quantitative grain fluorescence on extract have become effective approaches in the analysis of hydrocarbon evolution in clastic reservoirs recently. The cutoff threshold for differentiating current/paleo-oil and water zones is crucial to reconstruct accurately hydrocarbon accumulation history. However, the absence of theoretical study on the cutoff threshold in the carbonate reservoir has precluded their application and development. In this paper, we attempted to investigate the cutoff threshold by analyzing the quantitative grain fluorescence and quantitative grain fluorescence on extract parameters and spectra of the cores and natural carbonate outcrop samples in known current/paleo-oil and water zones revealed by the frequency of oil inclusions, formation test, logging analysis, etc. Based on this, the hydrocarbon charging history of the Suqiao Buried-hill Zone, Bohai Bay Basin, eastern China was reconstructed using the gotten threshold. Results show that the carbonate minerals fluorescing will lead to a higher cutoff threshold of quantitative grain fluorescence index value in the carbonate reservoir, while the threshold of quantitative grain fluorescence on extract intensity value is coincident with the corresponding value in the clastic reservoir. The quantitative grain fluorescence and quantitative grain fluorescence on extract data have unraveled a complicated hydrocarbon accumulation history in Suqiao Buried-hill Zone including oil charging before gas and paleo-oil loss due to the tectonism. The ascertained cutoff threshold in this study is of great significance for reconstructing accurately and effectively the complicated hydrocarbon charging history in the carbonate reservoir, which provides significant models for future petroleum exploration.

Verticillium wilt, caused by the Verticillium dahliae phytopathogen, is a devastating disease affecting many economically important crops. A receptor-like protein (RLP) gene, Ve1, has been reported to confer resistance to V. dahliae in tomato plants, but few genes have been found to be involved in cotton Verticillium wilt resistance. Here, we cloned two RLP gene homologs, Gossypium barbadense resistance gene to Verticillium dahliae 1 (GbaVd1) and GbaVd2, from the Verticillium wilt-resistant cultivar G. barbadense cv. Hai7124. GbaVd1 and GbaVd2 display sequence divergence, but both encode typical RLPs. Virus-induced gene silencing of GbaVd1 or GbaVd2 compromised the resistance of cotton to V. dahliae, and both genes conferred Verticillium wilt resistance after interfamily transfer into Arabidopsis. Microarray analysis revealed that GbaVd1 and GbaVd2 participate in Verticillium wilt resistance in Arabidopsis through activation of defense responses, including the endocytosis process, signaling factors, transcription factors and reinforcement of the cell wall, as demonstrated by lignification in Arabidopsis transgenic plants. In addition, microarray analysis showed that GbaVd1 and GbaVd2 differentially mediate resistance signaling and activation of defense responses after overexpression in Arabidopsis. Thus, GbaVd1 and GbaVd2 encode RLPs and act as disease resistance genes that mediate the defense response against V. dahliae in cotton.

BACKGROUND: Uricase has proven therapeutic value in treating hyperuricemia but sufficient reduction of its immunogenicity may be the largest obstacle to its chronic use. In this study, canine uricase was modified with 5 kDa mPEG-SPA and the impact of large aggregated uricases and cross-linked conjugates induced by difunctional PEG diol on immunogenicity was investigated. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Recombinant canine uricase was first expressed and purified to homogeneity. Source 15Q anion-exchange chromatography was used to separate tetrameric and aggregated uricase prior to pegylation, while DEAE anion-exchange chromatography was used to remove Di-acid PEG (precursor of PEG diol) from unfractionated 5 kDa mPEG-propionic acid. Tetrameric and aggregated uricases were separately modified with the purified mPEG-SPA. In addition, tetrameric uricases was modified with unfractionated mPEG-SPA, resulting in three types of 5 kDa mPEG-SPA modified uricase. The conjugate size was evaluated by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscope. The influence of differently PEGylated uricases on pharmacokinetics and immunogenicity were evaluated in vivo. The accelerated blood clearance (ABC) phenomenon previously identified for PEGylated liposomes occurred in rats injected with PEGylated uricase aggregates. Anti-PEG IgM antibodies, rather than neutralizing antibodies, were found to mediate the ABC. CONCLUSIONS: The size of conjugates is important for triggering such phenomena and we speculate that 40-60 nm is the lower size limit that can trigger ABC. Removal of the uricase aggregates and the PEG diol contaminant and modifying with small PEG reagents enabled ABC to be successfully avoided and sufficient reduction in the immunogenicity of 5 kDa mPEG-modified tetrameric canine uricase.