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Abstract Long-term streamflow observations contain essential information for understanding hydrological changes and managing water resources. A continental-scale dataset or analysis of temporal streamflow change is still lacking across hydrologic gauges in the Conterminous United States (CONUS). Here, we compiled 70 years of streamflow records from 1951 to 2021 at ~ 8000 hydrologic stations across the CONUS and characterized temporal trends, regime shifts, and extreme events using a Bayesian time series analysis algorithm. We found that the occurrences of sudden streamflow changes (e.g., regime shifts and extreme events) have been increasing with time across the CONUS. In addition, we derived 181 streamflow indicators that are valuable for hydrological and biological applications, such as the duration and frequency of high or low streamflow events. The Mississippi River Basin, especially the middle and lower parts, was a hot spot of high-frequency high-flow events. Overall, we anticipate the dataset generated here offers valuable information for understanding and quantifying changes in water resources across the CONUS.

Abstract Riverine nitrogen is a pivotal determinant influencing water quality in inland and coastal waters. Despite the recognized utility, no spatially-explicit data on riverine nitrogen yield is available for large parts of the world, thus hindering our ability to identify the contributors to riverine nitrogen and understand aquatic nitrogen cycling. To fill the data gap for the United States, here we (1) compiled 294,996 total nitrogen (TN), 225,827 nitrate (NO3 −), 204,015 ammonium (NH4 +), and 158,837 total organic nitrogen (TON) concentrations, with concurrent streamflow data, across the Conterminous United States (CONUS), (2) estimated riverine nitrogen loads for over 1,800 hydrological stations, (3) derived the spatial distribution of annual riverine nitrogen yield by leveraging river and catchment connectivity information contained in the National Hydrography Dataset plus (NHDPlus), and (4) characterized nonpoint-source TN loads by excluding point-source loads. This new spatial dataset quantifies spatial sources of nitrogen yield from point and non-point sources (e.g., up to 36% from point sources across the U.S.) and serves as ground-truthing to validate water quality models.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most prevalent hematological malignancy. Current MM treatment strategies are hampered by systemic toxicity and suboptimal therapeutic efficacy. This study addressed these limitations through the development of a potent MM-targeting chemotherapy strategy, which capitalized on the high binding affinity of alendronate for hydroxyapatite in the bone matrix and the homologous targeting of myeloma cell membranes, termed T-PB@M. The results from our investigations highlight the considerable bone affinity of T-PB@M, both in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, this material demonstrated a capability for drug release triggered by low pH conditions. Moreover, T-PB@M induced the generation of reactive oxygen species and triggered cell apoptosis through the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1)–Caspase-3–B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) pathway in MM cells. Notably, T-PB@M preferentially targeted bone-involved sites, thereby circumventing systemic toxic side effects and leading to prolonged survival of MM orthotopic mice. Therefore, this designed target-MM nanocarrier presents a promising and potentially effective platform for the precise treatment of MM.

Abstract Spinal cord injury (SCI) remains a formidable challenge, lacking effective treatments. Following SCI, neural stem cells (NSCs) migrate to SCI sites, offering a potential avenue for nerve regeneration, but the effectiveness of this intrinsic repair mechanism remains suboptimal. Salidroside has demonstrated pro-repair attributes in various pathological conditions, including arthritis and cerebral ischemia, and the ability to curtail early-stage inflammation following SCI. However, the specific role of salidroside in the late-stage repair processes of SCI remains less defined. In this investigation, we observed that continuous salidroside treatment in SCI mice improved motor function recovery. Immunofluorescence-staining corroborated salidroside’s capacity to stimulate nerve regeneration and remyelination, suppress glial scar hyperplasia, reduce the activation of neurotoxic A1 astrocytes, and facilitate NSCs migration towards the injured region. Mechanistically, in vitro experiments elucidated salidroside’s significant role in restraining astrocyte proliferation and A1 polarization. It was further established that A1 astrocytes hinder NSCs proliferation while inducing their differentiation into astrocytes. Salidroside effectively ameliorated this inhibition of NSCs proliferation through diminishing c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway phosphorylation and restored their differentiation into neurons by suppressing the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) pathway. In summary, our findings suggest that salidroside holds promise as a therapeutic agent for traumatic SCI treatment.

To develop a new type of food packaging film and improve the level of resource utilization of enoki mushroom, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was used as the film-forming substrate, and the composite film of PVA-enoki mushroom aqueous extract was prepared by blending with enoki mushroom aqueous extract. The physical properties of the composite film, such as tensile strength, elongation at break, water resistance, thickness, opacity and water vapor transmission rate were taken as parameters to study the effects of PVA addition, 2-acetyltriethyl citrate (ATEC) addition, enoki mushroom aqueous extract addition, drying time and drying temperature on the physical properties of the composite film. Principal component analysis was used to comprehensive evaluation of composite film performance. The multiple regression equation model was established for the preparation of PVA-enoki mushroom aqueous extract composite film by response surface analysis, and the conditions for the preparation of the composite film were optimized. The effects of composite film on freshness indexes such as browning degree, weight loss, vitamin C and malondialdehyde of strawberries during storage (6 d) at 20 ℃ were also investigated. The results showed that 4.0 g of PVA, 4.0 g of ATEC, 3.9 g of aqueous extract of enoki mushroom, 62 ℃ drying temperature and 3.5 h drying time were the optimal conditions for composite film preparation. The tensile strength of the composite film was 31.76±0.50 N/cm2, elongation at break was 97.99%±0.25%, water vapor transmission rate was 1.44×10−9±1.53×10−11 g·mm/m2·h·kPa, water resistance was 549.14±0.94 s/mm, film thickness was 0.062±0.002 mm, opacity was 20.97±0.39, and a combined physical property score of 102.25±0.16, with a relative error of 0.57% from the model prediction. Infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses showed that the composite film was structurally intact, and the aqueous extract of enoki mushroom was compatible with the matrix and bound by hydrogen bonding. According to the indicators including the browning degree, weight loss, vitamin C, and malondialdehyde, the prepared composite film showed a better preservation effect during strawberry storage.

Abstract The Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis) is currently an endangered species due to a combination of factors, including climate change, anthropogenic activities, and habitat fragmentation. Captivity plays a crucial role in mitigating the decline of the Chinese alligator population. Currently, there is a lack of clarity regarding the influence of host development and captive conditions on the gut microbiota of Chinese alligators. The aim of the study was to investigate the gut bacterial communities of Chinese alligators and their surrounding environmental bacterial communities using 16S rRNA sequencing. The primary gut flora of Chinese alligators consists of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes. Proteobacteria is the most abundant and efficient settler in the gut, water, and sediment. PCoA and Adonis test revealed significant differences in bacterial communities across these habitats. Venn analysis revealed overlap in OTUs among the gut, water, and sediment, varying with growth stage and density stress. Different growth stages of Chinese alligator guts harbor distinct pathogenic bacteria, requiring attention. Density stress leads to an increase in pathogenic bacteria, a decrease in gut absorption efficiency. PICRUst2 predicts more abundant metabolic pathways related to gut function during high‐density stress, possibly linked to Roseburia. SourceTracker Analysis indicated that water bacteria have a greater impact on Chinese alligator gut bacteria than sediment, and density stress significantly affects the contribution of environmental microorganisms to the gut microbes of Chinese alligator. BugBase analysis identified water body microbes as the main source of “potentially pathogenic” phenotypes in the gut microbiota. RDA analysis found dissolved oxygen (DO) in water to be the most significant factor influencing water microorganisms, positively correlated with certain pathogenic strains. These findings enhance our understanding of the significance of microbial communities in the gut and surrounding aquatic environment of the Chinese alligator. Furthermore, they provide theoretical support for environmental regulation, disease control, and healthy breeding.

BackgroundPrevious studies have indicated a strong link between blood metabolites and hypertension, however the causality of metabolites and hypertension is unknown.MethodsTwo-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was performed to assess the causal relationship between 486 blood metabolites and essential hypertension (EHT). Blood metabolite GWAS data was utilized as the exposure, with EHT GWAS data as the outcome. To further verify the results, another different source of EHT GWAS data was repeatedly analyzed. The major MR analytic approach used to determine causality was inverse variance weighted (IVW), with MR-Egger, Weighted Median, and MR-PRESSO models serving as supplements. We used the Cochran Q test to examine heterogeneity. Horizontal pleiotropy was examined using MR-Egger intercept and MR-PRESSO global test. The MR Steiger test confirmed the causal relationship between blood metabolites and EHT.ResultsIn this study, nine blood metabolites associated with EHT were preliminarily identified by MR analysis, including four known metabolites (N-acetylornithine, X-12510–2-aminooctanoic acid, creatine, hexadecanedioate) and five unknown metabolites. Then another source of EHT GWAS data was repeatedly analyzed for further verification, and two overlapped metabolites (N-acetylornithine, X-12510-2-aminooctanoic acid) were found. There was a negative correlation between N-acetylornithine and EHT (OR = 0.987, 95% CI = 0.980–0.993, P = 1.01 × 10−4), Cochran's Q test suggested there was no heterogeneity (Q = 31.7586, P = 0.1331), MR-Egger intercept and MR-PRESSO global test suggested there was no horizontal pleiotropy (P > 0.05), Leave-one-out analysis indicated that no single single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) had a significant effect on the results, and MR Steiger test confirmed that the direction of causality was correct (P

Osteoarthritis (OA) has emerged as a significant health concern among the elderly population, with increasing attention paid to ferroptosis-induced OA in recent years. However, the prolonged use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids can lead to a series of side effects and limited therapeutic efficacy. This study aimed to employ the Mannich condensation reaction between epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and selenomethionine (SeMet) to efficiently synthesize polyphenol-based nanodrugs in aqueous media for treating OA. Molecular biology experiments demonstrated that EGCG-based nanodrugs (ES NDs) could effectively reduce glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) inactivation, abnormal Fe2+ accumulation, and lipid peroxidation induced by oxidative stress, which ameliorated the metabolic disorder of chondrocytes and other multiple pathological processes triggered by ferroptosis. Moreover, imaging and histopathological analysis of the destabilization of the medial meniscus model in mice confirmed that ES NDs exhibiting significant therapeutic effects in relieving OA. The intra-articular delivery of ES NDs represents a promising approach for treating OA and other joint inflammatory diseases.

Emergency response after earthquakes, especially rapid access to building damage information, is of great significance to ensure timely rescue and reduce casualties. However, manual field surveys of building damages are inefficient and dangerous, and optical satellite data are more susceptible to cloud interference after earthquakes. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is now widely used in disaster response efforts due to its full-time and all-weather capability. According to the change in coherence between SAR images before and after earthquakes, it is possible to identify damaged buildings that cause coherence loss. However, the accuracy of traditional coherence-based damage detection methods is relatively low due to biases in coherence estimation and inconsistency in spatio-temporal baselines. In this study, we propose a new method to produce a postearthquake building damage proxy map (BDPM) based on multitemporal Sentinel-1 coherence, which incorporates homogeneous SAR pixel coherence estimation and histogram matching techniques. The former is used to reduce estimation biases and the latter to reduce the effect of baseline inconsistencies in adjacent coherence maps. We successfully applied this method to the 2022 Mw 6.2 Afghanistan earthquake, the 2023 strong earthquake sequence in Turkey, and the 2023 Ms 6.2 Jishishan, China earthquake. We also verified its accuracy (over 80%) by comparing the BDPM with results from the United Nations Institute for Training and Research and analyzed various factors affecting the distribution of damaged buildings. These analyses confirm the effectiveness of our method for generating BDPM using free medium-resolution Sentinel-1 data, which will greatly assist in earthquake emergency response.

Abstract The future state of drought in China under climate change remains uncertain. This study investigates drought events, focusing on the region of China, using simulations from five global climate models (GCMs) under three Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP1-2.6, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5) participating in the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISIMIP3b). The daily Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) is employed to analyze drought severity, duration, and frequency over three future periods. Evaluation of the GCMs’ simulations against observational data indicates their effectiveness in capturing historical climatic change across China. The rapid increase in CO2 concentration under high-emission scenarios in the mid- and late-future century (2040–2070 and 2071–2100) substantially influences vegetation behavior via regulation on leaf stomata and canopy structure. This regulation decelerates the increase in potential evapotranspiration, thereby mitigating the sharp rise in future drought occurrences in China. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders to develop strategies and measures for mitigating and adapting to future drought conditions in China.

Abstract Severe tissue injuries pose a significant risk to human health. Conventional wound dressings fall short in achieving effective tissue regeneration, resulting in suboptimal postoperative healing outcomes. In this study, an asymmetric adhesive wound dressing (marked as SIS/PAA/LAP) was developed, originating from acrylate acid (AA) solution with laponite (LAP) nanoparticles polymerization and photo-crosslinked on the decellularized extracellular matrix small intestinal submucosa (SIS) patch. Extensive studies demonstrated that the SIS/PAA/LAP exhibited higher tissue adhesion strength (~ 33 kPa) and burst strength (~ 22 kPa) compared to conventional wound dressings like Tegaderm and tissue adhesive products. Importantly, it maintained favorable cell viability and demonstrated robust angiogenic capacity. In animal models of full-thickness skin injuries in rats and skin injuries in Bama miniature pigs, the SIS/PAA/LAP could be precisely applied to wound sites. By accelerating the formation of tissue vascularization, it displayed superior tissue repair outcomes. This asymmetrically adhesive SIS-based patch would hold promising applications in the field of wound dressings.

Remotely sensed products are often used in watershed modeling as additional constraints to improve model predictions and reduce model uncertainty. Remotely sensed products also enabled the spatial evaluation of model simulations due to their spatial and temporal coverage. However, their usability is not extensively explored in various regions. This study evaluates the effectiveness of incorporating remotely sensed evapotranspiration (RS-ET) and leaf area index (RS-LAI) products to enhance watershed modeling predictions. The objectives include reducing parameter uncertainty at the watershed scale and refining the model's capability to predict the spatial distribution of ET and LAI at sub-watershed scale. Using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model, a systematic calibration procedure was applied. Initially, solely streamflow data was employed as a constraint, gradually incorporating RS-ET and RS-LAI thereafter. The results showed that while 14 parameter sets exhibit satisfactory performance for streamflow and RS-ET, this number diminishes to six with the inclusion of RS-LAI as an additional constraint. Furthermore, among these six sets, only three effectively captured the spatial patterns of ET and LAI at the sub-watershed level. Our findings showed that leveraging multiple remotely sensed products has the potential to diminish parameter uncertainty and increase the credibility of intra-watershed process simulations. These results contributed to broadening the applicability of remotely sensed products in watershed modeling, enhancing their usefulness in this field.

Optimizing agricultural carbon compensation zoning is crucial for establishing robust mechanisms in agricultural carbon compensation management, with significant implications for achieving national “dual carbon” strategic objectives. This study employs K-means and the three-dimensional magic cube approach to construct a novel evaluation index system for comprehensive carbon compensation zoning. By combining spatial land-use zoning, we delineate carbon compensation zones in Guangshui City, Hubei Province, and analyze the spatiotemporal variations of agricultural carbon balance, proposing optimization strategies. The results show that (1) from 2000 to 2021, agricultural carbon emissions and absorption exhibit a trend of increasing followed by decreasing, with spatial patterns of “higher in the northwest, lower in the southeast” and “higher in the southwest, lower in the northeast”; (2) the Gini coefficient of agricultural carbon emissions averages at 0.24, with economic contribution coefficients and ecological carrying coefficients ranging from 0.04–16.1 and 0.39–1.99, respectively, from 2000 to 2021; and (3) in 2021, Guangshui City comprises seven payment zones, four balance zones, and six compensation zones, ultimately forming eight optimized agricultural carbon compensation zones in alignment with regional agricultural carbon balance objectives. This study provides theoretical references for enhancing county-level agricultural carbon comprehensive compensation management mechanisms.

Disco Interacting Protein 2 Homolog A (DIP2A) is expressed throughout the body and abundantly expressed in the brain tissue. It is activated by Follistatin-like 1 (FSTL1). Activated DIP2A interacts with several pathways, such as AMPK/mTOR and AKT pathways, to contribute to many biological processes, such as oxidative stress, transcriptional regulation, and apoptosis. Dysregulated DIP2A activation has been implicated in numerous processes in the brain. If the upstream pathways of DIP2A remain globally unexplored, many proteins, including cortactin, AMPK, and AKT, have been identified as its downstream targets in the literature. Recent studies have linked DIP2A to a variety of mechanisms in many types of brain disorders, suggesting that regulation of DIP2A could provide novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for brain disorders. In this review, we comprehensively summarized and discussed the current research on DIP2A in various brain disorders, such as stroke, autism spectrum disorders (ASD), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), dyslexia, and glioma.

Abstract Background Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) originates in high altitude areas, such as the Andes, and has some inherent characteristics of cold, drought, and salinity tolerance, but is sensitive to high temperature. Results To gain insight into the response mechanism of quinoa to high temperature stress, we conducted an extensive targeted metabolomic study of two cultivars, Dianli-3101 and Dianli-3051, along with a combined transcriptome analysis. A total of 794 metabolites and 54,200 genes were detected, in which the genes related to photosynthesis were found down-regulated at high temperatures, and two metabolites, lipids and flavonoids, showed the largest changes in differential accumulation. Further analysis of the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway and transcription factors revealed that quinoa inhibits photosynthesis at high temperatures, and the possible strategies being used for high temperature stress management are regulation of heat stress transcription factors (HSFs) to obtain heat tolerance, and regulation of purine metabolism to enhance stress signals for rapid response to high temperature stress. The tolerant genotype could have an enhanced response through lower purine levels. The induction of the stress response could be mediated by HSF transcription factors. The results of this study may provide theoretical references for understanding the response mechanism of quinoa to high temperature stress, and for screening potential high temperature tolerant target genes and high temperature tolerant strains. Conclusions These findings reveal the regulation of the transcription factor family HSF and the purinergic pathway in response to high temperature stress to improve quinoa varieties with high temperature tolerance.

Planar light concentrators are potential applications for solar thermal conversion, in which the intensity of the electric field will exhibit strongly non-uniform characteristics. However, previous research has long ignored the solar absorption performance of plasmonic nanoparticles in the focused electric field. In this work, we use the finite element method (FEM) to study the optical behaviors of a single nanoparticle and multiple nanoparticles in the focused electric field formed by vertically and inwardly imposing the initial incident light on a quarter cylindrical surface. The results show that the focused electric field can significantly improve the solar absorption abilities compared with the parallel one for all the nanoparticles due to the local near-electric field enhancement caused by the aggregation of the free electrons on the smaller zone. Further studies on the focused electric field reveal that the plasmon heating behavior of Au spheres presents a rising trend with the decrease in inter-particle spacing, as the gap is less than the radius of Au spheres. As the number of nanoparticles increases along the focal line, the absorption power of the center nanoparticles gradually tends to be stable, and it is much lower than that of a single nanoparticle. As the nanoparticles are arranged along the y and z directions, the heterogeneity of the electric field makes the optical properties uneven. Notably, the strongest electric field appears slightly close to the incident surface rather than on the focal line.

Abstract Background Remimazolam tosilate (RT) is a novel short-acting GABA (A) receptor agonist that has a rapid recovery from procedural sedation and can be fully reversed by flumazenil. To date, there have been relatively few articles comparing RT and propofol for general anesthesia. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of RT with or without flumazenil compared with propofol in general anesthesia for day surgery. Methods 115 patients scheduled for day surgery were randomized into three groups: RT (n = 39), RT + flumazenil (n = 38) and propofol (n = 38). The primary endpoints were anesthesia induction time and time until fully alert. Anesthesia success rate, bispectral index (BIS) values, injection pain, opioid and vasopressor dosages, postoperative recovery profiles and perioperative inflammatory and cognitive changes were assessed. Any adverse events were recorded. Results Induction times were similar among the three groups (P = 0.437), but the median time until fully alert in patients treated with RT was longer than that of the propofol or RT + flumazenil groups (17.6 min vs. 12.3 min vs. 12.3 min, P 0.05). Smaller percentages of patients who received RT (26.3%) and RT + flumazenil (31.6%) developed hypotension during anesthesia maintenance compared with propofol (68.4%), and consequently less ephedrine (P

Abstract River networks play a critical role in the global carbon cycle. Although global/continental scale riverine carbon cycle studies demonstrate the significance of rivers and streams for linking land and coastal regions, the lack of spatially distributed riverine carbon load data represents a gap for quantifying riverine carbon net gain or net loss in different regions, understanding mechanisms and factors that influence the riverine carbon cycle, and testing simulations of aquatic carbon cycle models at fine scales. Here, we (1) derive the riverine load of particulate organic carbon (POC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) for over 1,000 hydrologic stations across the Conterminous United States (CONUS) and (2) use the river network connectivity information for over 80,000 catchment units within the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) to estimate riverine POC and DOC net gain or net loss for watersheds controlled between upstream-downstream hydrologic stations. The new riverine carbon load and watershed net gain/loss represent a unique contribution to support future studies for better understanding and quantification of riverine carbon cycles.

Abstract Vascular endothelial is considered to be a key factor in the pathogenesis of erectile dysfunction (ED). The purpose is to reveal the research trend of the field of ED and vascular endothelium. In addition, the goal is to discover the role and mechanism of vascular endothelium in ED. Bibliometrics and visualization methods based on CiteSpace were selected. We conducted the co-authorship analysis of countries, institutions and authors, co-occurrence analysis of keywords, and co-citation analysis of literature and authors through CiteSpace 6.1.R3. 1431 articles from Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) were included in the analysis from 1991 to 2022. We found some influential and cutting-edge nodes in each map, including countries, institutions, authors, articles, etc. Stem cell, therapy, oxidative stress, cavernous nerve injury, radical prostatectomy, fibrosis, erectile function, mesenchymal stem cell, and apoptosis may be hot keywords. In conclusion, the efficacy and mechanisms of stem cells and their derivatives in the treatment of diabetes (DM) ED and cavernous nerve injury (CNI) ED are the future research trends. Stem cells therapy for ED is a hot spot in this field, which side notes that stem cells may work mainly through improving endothelial function. Vascular endothelial cells and VEGF may repair nerve and cavernous smooth muscle directly or indirectly, and finally polish up erectile function.

Stem cell transplantation has been proved a promising therapeutic instrument in intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD). However, the elevation of oxidative stress in the degenerated region impairs the efficiency of mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) transplantation treatment via exaggeration of mitochondrial ROS and promotion of BMSCs apoptosis. Herein, we applied an emulsion-confined assembly method to encapsulate Coenzyme Q10 (Co-Q10), a promising hydrophobic antioxidant which targets mitochondria ROS, into the lecithin micelles, which renders the insoluble Co-Q10 dispersible in water as stable colloids. These micelles are injectable, which displayed efficient ability to facilitate Co-Q10 to get into BMSCs in vitro, and exhibited prolonged release of Co-Q10 in intervertebral disc tissue of animal models. Compared to mere use of Co-Q10, the Co-Q10 loaded micelle possessed better bioactivities, which elevated the viability, restored mitochondrial structure as well as function, and enhanced production of ECM components in rat BMSCs. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the injection of this micelle with BMSCs retained disc height and alleviated IVDD in a rat needle puncture model. Therefore, these Co-Q10 loaded micelles play a protective role in cell survival and differentiation through antagonizing mitochondrial ROS, and might be a potential therapeutic agent for IVDD.

Exploring the spatial patterns and driving factors of cropland ecosystem services and the production-living-ecology are essential to implementing spatial zoning management and optimization, especially in major grain-producing regions. In this study, we first developed an evaluation system for evaluating the production-living-ecology of cropland ecosystem services in the Jianghan Plain (JHP). We then revealed the spatial patterns of various cropland ecosystem services and integrated production-living-ecology index based on multi-source data. Additionally, we employed the regionalization with dynamically constrained agglomerative clustering and partitioning algorithm (REDCAP) to delineate agricultural function zones. Finally, we used redundancy analysis to reveal the driving factors of each functional zone. Results indicated that (1) high habitat quality, soil retention, and carbon storage services exhibited spatial similarity in 2020, with the spatial pattern of high in the west and low in the east, water conservation services showed an opposite distribution pattern, while culture and recreation services of high value were concentrated in the northern part, and high grain production was observed in the southern region. Overall, the production-living-ecology index displayed a north–south spatial distribution, with higher values in the north and lower values in the south. (2) based on the spatial zoning results of the production-living-ecology index, the six functional zones were identified, including zones of the production cropland, ecology cropland, ecology and living cropland, production and ecology cropland, production and living cropland and production-living-ecology cropland. (3) the production-living-ecology index and various ecosystem services were mainly influenced by population density, night light and evaporation in the JHP, and trade-offs were observed between the production function, and other functions as well as the production-living-ecology index in each functional zone of cropland ecosystems. The findings hold significant implications for the sustainable development of major grain-producing regions.

Objective Previous studies on osteoporotic vertebral fractures are usually based on the neutral posture of spine; however, the fractures are usually associated with the flexion posture of spine. Therefore, we aimed to ascertain the relationship between vertebral compression fractures and thoracolumbar hyperflexion Cobb angles (TLHCobb) and determine the clinical cut‐off of the TLHCobb angle. Methods In this retrospective case–control study, TLHCobbs were collected from 154 postmenopausal women (67.45 ± 6.68 years) with vertebral compression fractures (study group) and 310 postmenopausal women (66.57 ± 8.22 years) without vertebral compression fractures (control group) from June 2017 to July 2019. Demographic data, clinical data, and quantitative computed tomography (QCT) findings were compared between the groups. Chi‐squared tests, unpaired t‐tests, and Mann Whitney U were used to assess the group characteristics and proportions. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between vertebral compression fractures and TLHCobb. The cut‐off of the TLHCobb was determined by ROC curve and Youden's index. Results Fracture prevalence was higher in the higher TLHCobb study group than that in the control group [OR = 2.81 (2.15–3.67)] after adjusting for age, BMI, and QCT findings. TLHCobbs at and >20.05° were associated with an increased fracture prevalence and ORs of 2.79 (1.82–4.27) and 4.83 (3.24–7.20), respectively. TLHCobb, disk height (semiquantitative grading score) and QCT values differed between the study and control groups (p 20.05° can be an indicator of vertebral fracture.

Abstract Background Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a herb within the Quinoa subfamily of Amaranthaceae, with remarkable environmental adaptability. Its edible young leaves and grains are rich in protein, amino acids, microorganisms, and minerals. Although assessing the effects of fertilization on quinoa yield and quality has become an intensive area of research focus, the associated underlying mechanisms remain unclear. As one of the three macro nutrients in plants, potassium has an important impact on plant growth and development. In this study, extensive metabolome and transcriptome analyses were conducted in quinoa seedlings 30 days after fertilizer application to characterize the growth response mechanism to potassium. Results The differential metabolites and genes present in the seedlings of white and red quinoa cultivars were significantly enriched in the photosynthetic pathway. Moreover, the PsbQ enzyme on photosystem II and delta enzyme on ATP synthase were significantly down regulated in quinoa seedlings under potassium deficiency. Additionally, the differential metabolites and genes of red quinoa seedlings were significantly enriched in the arginine biosynthetic pathway. Conclusions These findings provide a more thorough understanding of the molecular changes in quinoa seedlings that occur under deficient, relative to normal, potassium levels. Furthermore, this study provides a theoretical basis regarding the importance of potassium fertilizers, as well as their efficient utilization by growing quinoa seedlings.

Abstract The surface flashover is affected by many factors, such as surface roughness, nanofillers and chemical functional groups. In this research study, polyamide mesh was utilised as a scaffold to systematically study the synergistic effect of micro structure/nanofiller/superhydrophobicity on the surface flashover. Based on the dissolution and resolidification method, nanofillers were partially embedded into the mesh fabrics. Here, Al2O3 nanoparticles were used as a typical non‐conductive nanofiller, and carbon nanotubes were used as a typical conductive nanofiller. Moreover, the micro structure was determined by altering the mesh size, and chemical fluorination was utilised to change the surface chemical group. It was found that the polyamide mesh with 300# demonstrated best anti‐flashover properties. Chemical fluorination could effectively improve the flashover voltage. By further adjusting the ratio of Al2O3 to carbon nanotubes, the flashover voltage can be increased by up to 30%.

The integration of green design into building construction is a necessary process in today’s world to address environmental issues and achieve sustainable development. However, when evaluating green building design schemes, various factors are intertwined with a high degree of complexity and uncertainty. To realise rational decision-making about green building design schemes, this paper first adopts the mixed techniques of triangular fuzzy numbers, quality function deployment, and Best–Worst Method. It aims to analyse the complex factor relationship between customer needs and green building design technical features and to solve the optimal green building design index weight allocation. Next, a hybrid fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method integrating triangular fuzzy numbers, the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method, and Grey Correlation (GC) are proposed to evaluate green building design scheme performance. Finally, an example of a green design project for a hotel building is selected for application validation and analysis in comparison with the existing Complex Proportional Assessment, VlseKriterijuska Optimizacija I Komoromisno Resenje, and DEMATEL-ANP methods. These analyses demonstrate the stability and validity of the results, as well as the rationality and practicability of the proposed triangular fuzzy QFD–MCDM method. This research is a guide to the problem of evaluating green building design schemes.

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) influence total and peak electricity demand, but few studies account for climate when studying these effects. This study quantifies BEV charging demand in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area using a detailed trip level approach, accounting for the effect of present and future temperatures on BEV energy consumption. The impact of temperature on charging demand was largest in winter. In 2019, charging demand increases by 52% on an average January day, and up to 82% on extreme days (relative to mild weather conditions). At 30% penetration, BEVs increase peak demand on January’s coldest day by 600–3600 MW (3%–5%), of which 300–700 MW is driven by temperature, depending on the charging scenario. Climate change introduces small changes, increasing summer and decreasing winter charging demand. These results highlight the importance of adjusting for regional climate variation and temperature extremes when analyzing the impact of BEVs on the grid.

Disturbance from human activities has intensified the evolution of ecosystem structure in the Jianghan Plain of China, leading to intensified conflicts between ecosystem services. It is essential to clarify the trade-off synergies between ecosystem services in the Jianghan Plain of China to better coordinate the economic and social development and ecological protection of the region. Based on historical data and scenario predictions using the GeoSOS-FLUS model, the InVEST model was applied to five key ecosystem services: Carbon storage, crop production, habitat quality, soil conservation and water yield from 2000 to 2020. Spearman correlation analysis was used to explore the trade-off synergies between different ecosystem services in space and time. The results showed that arable land and water land areas are the most important land types in the Jianghan Plain of China. From 2000 to 2020, the increase in build-up land and water land areas was accompanied by a decrease in arable land, forest land and unused land, and an increase in forest land. The natural development scenario in 2035 continues this trend except forest land reduction, while the ecological protection scenario reverses this trend. From 2000 to 2020, crop production, water yield, and soil conservation increased in the Jianghan Plain of China, while carbon storage and habitat quality declined significantly, showing a spatial distribution pattern of higher in the northwest and lower in the southeast. The comprehensive ecosystem services simulated in 2035 showed a downward trend compared with 2020, and the ecological protection scenario has the smallest decrease. There is an overall synergistic relationship between the five ecosystem services in the Jianghan Plain of China, and the strongest synergistic relationship is between soil conservation and water yield. The spatiotemporal relationship between the ecosystems in the Jianghan Plain of China is dynamic and requires sustainable management. Thus, it is necessary to rationally utilize land resources and enhance the ecological functions of the area to minimize trade-offs based on scientific land and spatial planning to maximize synergy.

As flexible resources, cascaded hydropower stations can regulate the fluctuations caused by wind and photovoltaic power. Constructing pumped-storage units between two upstream and downstream reservoirs is an effective method to further expand the capacity of flexible resources. This method transforms cascaded hydropower stations into a cascaded pumped-hydro-energy storage system. In this paper, a flexibility reformation planning model of cascaded hydropower stations retrofitted with pumped-storage units under a hybrid system composed of thermal, wind, and photovoltaic power is established with the aim of investigating the optimal capacity of pumped-storage units. First, a generative adversarial network and a density peak clustering algorithm are utilized to generate typical scenarios to deal with the seasonal fluctuation of renewable energy generation, natural water inflow, and loads. Then, a full-scenario optimization method is proposed to optimize the operation costs of multiple scenarios considering the variable-speed operation characteristics of pumped storage and to obtain a scheme with better comprehensive economy. Meanwhile, the proposed model is retransformed into a mixed-integer linear programming problem to simplify the solution. Case studies in Sichuan province are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model.

More and more clinical evidence shows that occupational medicamentose-like dermatitis due to trichloroethylene (OMDT) patients often present immune kidney damage. However, the exact mechanisms of cell-to-cell transmission in TCE-induced immune kidney damage remain poorly understood. The present study aimed to explore the role of high mobility group box-1 (HMGB 1) in glomerular endothelial cell-podocyte transmission. 17 OMDT patients and 34 controls were enrolled in this study. We observed that OMDT patients had renal function injury, endothelial cell activation and podocyte injury, and these indicators were associated with serum HMGB 1. To gain mechanistic insight, a TCE-sensitized BALB/c mouse model was established under the interventions of sirtuin 1 (SIRT 1) activator SRT 1720 (0.1 ml, 5 mg/kg) and receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) inhibitor FPS-ZM 1 (0.1 ml, 1.5 mg/kg). We identified HMGB 1 acetylation and its endothelial cytoplasmic translocation following TCE sensitization, but SRT 1720 abolished the process. RAGE was located on podocytes and co-precipitated with extracellular acetylated HMGB 1, promoting podocyte injury, while SRT 1720 and FPS-ZM 1 both alleviated podocyte injury. The results demonstrate that interventions to upstream and downstream pathways of HMGB 1 may weaken glomerular endothelial cell-podocyte transmission, thereby alleviating TCE-induced immune renal injury.

Patients with occupational medicamentose-like dermatitis due to trichloroethylene often suffer from immune kidney injury. Our previous study reveals that C5b-9-dependent cytosolic Ca2+ overload-induced ferroptosis is involved in trichloroethylene sensitized kidney injury. However, how C5b-9 causes cytosolic Ca2+ rise and the specific mechanism whereby overloaded Ca2+ induces ferroptosis remain unknown. The purpose of our study was to explore the role of IP3R-dependent mitochondrial dysfunction in C5b-9 mediated ferroptosis in trichloroethylene sensitized kidney. Our results showed that IP3R was activated, and mitochondrial membrane potential was decreased in the renal epithelial cells of trichloroethylene-sensitized mice, and these changes were antagonized by CD59, a C5b-9 inhibitory protein. Moreover, this phenomenon was reproduced in a C5b-9-attacked HK-2 cell model. Further investigation showed that RNA interference with IP3R not only alleviated C5b-9-induced cytosolic Ca2+ overload and mitochondrial membrane potential loss but also attenuated C5b-9-induced ferroptosis in HK-2 cells. Mechanistically, IP3R-dependent cytosolic Ca2+ overload activated the mitochondrial permeability transition pore, resulting in the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and ferroptosis of HK-2 cells. Finally, cyclosporin A, a mitochondrial permeability transition pore inhibitor, not only ameliorated IP3R-dependent mitochondrial dysfunction but also blocked C5b-9-induced ferroptosis. Taken together, these results suggest that IP3R-dependent mitochondrial dysfunction plays an important role in trichloroethylene sensitized renal tubular ferroptosis.

Objective This study is aimed to investigate whether both pre‐operative full‐spine 3Dimensional computed tomography scan (3D CT) and X‐ray film were necessary for patients with severe ankylosing spondylitis (AS) kyphosis deformity. Methods The research objects were selected from the inpatients with AS in our hospital from 2017 to 2019. A total of 42 patients were included in the study. On both the synthesized 2Dimensional (2D) lateral radiograph and X‐ray film, the globe kyphosis (GK), the lumber lordosis (LL), the thoracolumbar kyphosis (TLK) and the thoracic kyphosis (TK) were measured. And the angle seventh thoracic vertebra (T7), the angle twelfth thoracic vertebra (T12) and the angle third lumber vertebra (L3) were also measured. Two researchers with professional medical education were randomly selected to perform the measurement method and record the measurement data. Two researchers independently completed, recorded, and evaluated the accuracy and consistency of the measurement data. This study used intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) to analyze the synthesized 2D lateral radiograph and general X‐ray film of 42 subjects by two researchers, in order to evaluate the consistency of data measurement results between the examiners. Through the comparison of the above parameters that the GK, LL, TLK, TK, angle T7, angle T12 and angle L3, the evaluation was made both pre‐operative full‐spine 3D CT and X‐ray film were necessary for patients with severe AS kyphosis deformity. Results There was no significant difference between the GK, LL, TLK, TK, angle T7, angle T12, angle L3 on the synthesized 2D lateral radiograph and that on X‐ray film (P = 0.240, 0.324, 0.199, 0.095, 0.421, 0.087, 0.478). Agreement two researchers was excellent with ICC of the GK, LL, TLK, TK, angle T7, angle T12, angle L3 (0.977, 0.969, 0.986, 0.945, 0.947, 0.915, 0.857) on the synthesized 2D lateral radiograph. The Bland–Altman plot results that the measurement results of examiners are reliable and stable. Conclusion By estimating the degree of spinal sagittal imbalance and measuring the Cobb angle, we can see that full‐length spine radiographs of the patients are unnecessary for patients with severe AS kyphosis deformity who will or have undergone preoperative spine 3D CT.

Objective According to the literature, there are no clinical reports documenting the use of the satellite rod technique in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis kyphosis. The purpose of this retrospective study was to compare the clinical outcome of patients with ankylosing spondylitis kyphosis who adopted satellite rods versus those who did not. Methods Patients with ankylosing spondylitis kyphosis who underwent one or two‐level pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO) were reviewed, and total of 119 patients (112 males and seven females, average age 39.89 ± 6.61 years) were eligible and included in this present study. Anterior–posterior and lateral full‐length spine X‐ray films were performed preoperatively and at the two‐year follow‐up visit. Global kyphosis (GK), lumbar lordosis (LL), thoracolumbar kyphosis (TLK), thoracic kyphosis (TK), and osteotomy angle (OA) were measured. The complications of every group of patients were collected. Pre‐ and postoperative health‐related quality of life instruments, including the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (Basfi) and Scoliosis Research Society outcomes instrument‐22 (SRS‐22), were recorded. The patients were divided into three groups based on features of their osteotomy including PSO levels and whether the satellite rod technique was applied. Patients who underwent one‐level PSO without the satellite rod technique were categorized in the one‐level group. Patients who underwent one‐level PSO with the satellite rod technique were classified in the satellite rod group. Patients who underwent two‐level PSO without the satellite rod technique were included in the two‐level group. The paired sample t test was used to compare pre‐ and postoperative parameters. One‐way ANOVA was performed for multiple group comparisons. Results The average follow‐up time is 29.31 ± 3.66 months. The patients' GK were significantly improved from 46.84 ± 20.37 degree to 3.31 ± 15.09 degree. OS achieved through each osteotomy segment of one‐level group (39.78 ± 12.29 degree) and satellite rods group (42.23 ± 9.82 degree), was larger than that of two‐level group (34.73 ± 7.54 and 28.85 ± 7.26 degree). There was no significant difference between the one‐level group and the satellite rod group in achieving the OS. Thirteen patients experienced different complications (10.92%). Three patients experienced rod fracture in the one‐level group. There was no rod fracture or screw failure in the satellite rod group or the two‐level group. Conclusion The satellite rod technique is also recommended for patients who undergo PSO osteotomy to correct ankylosing spondylitis kyphosis deformities.

Accurately estimating the state of health (SOH) of lithium-ion batteries is necessary to ensure the battery system’s safe, stable, and efficient operation. It can be directly predicted by capacity, but the latter is difficult to measure online. Therefore, this paper first extracts new indirect health indicators from the voltage and current curves during charging and optimizes them using the Kalman filter. The Pearson correlation analysis method shows that the extracted HIs have a good correlation with the capacity. On this basis, Gaussian process regression (GPR) is modified into multi-kernel Gaussian process regression (MKGPR) by using the squared exponential covariance function and the periodic covariance function to refine the accurateness of SOH estimation. The hyper-parameters of the MKGPR model are solved employing particle swarm optimization (PSO) to reduce the errors caused by the artificial adjustment. Finally, the lithium-ion battery data set provided by NASA is used to evaluate the given method, and the experimental findings reveal that the proposed approach has high accuracy and stability.

Abstract To observe the changes and recovery of T2 values of menisci in amateur marathon participants at different times, and to examine the effect of marathon exercise on meniscal microstructure. Twelve healthy marathon volunteers were recruited continuously, including 5 males and 7 females, with mean (± SD) age of 27.5 ± 5.2 years. The body mass indices (BMIs) ranged from 17.6 to 27.2 kg/m2, with a mean of 21.9 ± 2.5 kg/m2. The 24 knee joints were scanned using a 3 T MR scanner at 1 week before the event, and at 12 h and 2 months after the event. T2 values of the anterior horn of the medial meniscus (MMAH), posterior horn of the medial meniscus (MMPH), anterior horn of the lateral meniscus (LMAH), and posterior horn of the lateral meniscus (LMPH) were measured by drawing the regions of interest (ROIs) on the T2 map images. Wilcoxon sign rank test was used to compare the T2 values between 1 week before and 12 h after the event, and between 1 week before and 2 months after the event in each anatomical region, respectively. The T2 values of the menisci at 12 h after the event were significantly higher (P 0.05). The T2 values of MMAH, MMPH, LMAH, and LMPH showed a trend of "increasing first and then decreasing" over time, suggesting that the T2 values may reflect meniscal microstructure in amateur marathon runner.

This study compared the efficacy of Motor Imagery brain-computer interface (MI-BCI) combined with physiotherapy and physiotherapy alone in ischemic stroke before and after rehabilitation training. We wanted to explore whether the rehabilitation effect of MI-BCI is affected by the severity of the patient’s condition and whether MI-BCI was effective for all patients. Forty hospitalized patients with ischemic stroke with motor deficits participated in this study. The patients were divided into MI and control groups. Functional assessments were performed before and after rehabilitation training. The Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) was used as the primary outcome measure, and its shoulder and elbow scores and wrist scores served as secondary outcome measures. The motor assessment scale (MAS) was used to assess motor function recovery. We used non-contrast CT (NCCT) to investigate the influence of different types of middle cerebral artery high-density signs on the prognosis of ischemic stroke. Brain topographic maps can directly reflect the neural activity of the brain, so we used them to detect changes in brain function and brain topological power response after stroke. Compared the MI group and control group after rehabilitation training, better functional outcome was observed after MI-BCI rehabilitation, including a significantly higher probability of achieving a relevant increase in the Total FMA scores (MI = 16.70 ± 12.79, control = 5.34 ± 10.48), FMA shoulder and elbow scores (MI = 12.56 ± 6.37, control = 2.45 ± 7.91), FMA wrist scores (MI = 11.01 ± 3.48, control = 3.36 ± 5.79), the MAS scores (MI = 3.62 ± 2.48, control = 1.85 ± 2.89), the NCCT (MI = 21.94 ± 2.37, control = 17.86 ± 3.55). The findings demonstrate that MI-BCI rehabilitation training could more effectively improve motor function after upper limb motor dysfunction after stroke compared with routine rehabilitation training, which verifies the feasibility of active induction of neural rehabilitation. The severity of the patient’s condition may affect the rehabilitation effect of the MI-BCI system.

Nanofluid-enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technology is an innovative approach to enhancing oil production in oilfields. It entails the dispersion of nanoparticles within a fluid, strategically utilizing the distinctive properties of these nanoparticles (NPs) to engage with reservoir rocks or crude oil, resulting in a significant enhancement of the oil recovery rate. Despite the notable advantages of nanofluid EOR technology over conventional oil recovery methods such as binary and ternary flooding, practical implementations continue to grapple with a range of pressing challenges. These challenges encompass concerns regarding the economic viability, stability, and adaptability of nanomaterials, which pose significant barriers to the widespread adoption of nanofluid EOR technology in the oil field. To tackle these challenges, addressing the current issues may involve selecting simpler and more readily available materials coupled with straightforward material modification techniques. This approach aims to more effectively meet the requirements of large-scale on-site applications. Within this framework, this review systematically explores commonly employed nanofluids in recent years, including inorganic nanofluids, organic nanofluids, and composite nanofluids. It categorizes the research advancements in optimizing modification techniques and provides a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms that underpin nanofluid EOR technology and its practical applications in oilfields. This comprehensive review aims to offer valuable references and serve as a solid foundation for subsequent research endeavors.

Objective To compare the efficacy and safety of retaining the posterior longitudinal ligament (PLL) with resecting the PLL in inside‐out percutaneous endoscopic transforaminal discectomy (PETD) surgery for lumbar disc herniation (LDH). Method A total of 135 patients with symptomatic LDH who were treated by inside‐out PETD surgery from January 2015 to January 2017were included in this retrospective analysis. There were 38 males and 30 females in the PLL resection group (mean age = 52.40 ± 8.73 years) and 35 males and 32 females in the PLL retention group (mean age = 53.50 ± 9.24 years). The visual analogue scale (VAS) score, Oswestry disability index (ODI), and modified MacNab criteria were used to evaluate clinical outcomes. Operation time, blood loss, recurrence of LDH, and complications were recorded. Three months after surgery, magnetic resonance imaging was performed to confirm that nerve root compression was relieved. Results The VAS and ODI scores improved significantly immediately after surgery, at 1 month after surgery, at 3 months after surgery, and at last follow‐up compared with those before surgery (P

Colored wheat has been recognized broadly for its nutritional value because of its natural content of the colorant anthocyanin. To investigate the reasons for the formation of the wheat grain color at maturity, metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses were performed on three different grain colors of wheat. Through metabolome analysis, 628 metabolites were identified. Of the 102 flavonoids, there are 9 kinds of anthocyanins related to color formation, mainly cyanidin and peonidin, and their metabolite content was the lowest in white-grain wheat. Among the genes associated with color formation, the structural gene TraesCS2D02G392900 in F3H with the bHLH transcription factor could elucidate the origin of wheat coloration. Multi-omics analysis showed that color formation is mainly influenced by the regulation of genes affecting anthocyanin and related synthesis. The results of this study may provide a theoretical basis for grain color formation at maturity and the nutritional and product development potential of colored wheat lines.

To build a clean, secure, and efficient energy system, the hydrogen energy is an important developing trend for the energy revolution, and electro-hydrogen coupling system is expected to play an important role in the future. To obtain the optimal economic scheduling of the electro-hydrogen integrated energy system (E-H IES), this paper firstly establishes a refined model of the electrolyzer and hydrogen fuel cell and then proposes an optimal scheduling model based on day-ahead long-time-scale optimization and intra-day model predictive control (MPC) hierarchical rolling optimization. In the day-ahead stage, a long-time-scale optimization considering the impact of multi-day forecast information is proposed when performing the day-ahead optimization to achieve the effect of inter-day energy transfer of hydrogen energy and improve the overall economic efficiency. In addition, during the intra-day stage, the MPC is adopted to implement hierarchical rolling optimization to track and correct the day-ahead schedule and achieve coordinated operation between multi-energy systems while taking into account the different energy transfer characteristics. Finally, the simulation results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed optimal scheduling model and the effectiveness of the proposed multi-time scale economic scheduling method.

Abstract The Mw 6.3 Yutian earthquake, occurred in northwestern Tibet on 25 June 2020, is one of the major events sequentially occurring in the region following the 2008 Mw 7.2, 2012 Mw 6.2, and 2014 Mw 6.9 earthquakes, and is of great significance for studying the tectonic activity and assessing future seismic hazards in the region. In this study, we used Sentinel‐1 Synthetic Aperture Radar images to retrieve co‐ and post‐seismic deformation and to investigate the coseismic rupture behavior of the fault and the mechanisms of postseismic deformation. Based on the slip models of recent four nearby major earthquakes, we explored the local stress evolution, triggering mechanism of the 2020 event and future regional seismic hazards. Postseismic modeling reveals that afterslip on fault patches surrounding the ruptured co‐seismic patches is the main mechanism responsible for the near‐field deformation, with the poroelastic rebound relaxation only accounts for maximumly 25% of the ground displacement and limited impact on the overall deformation pattern. The Coulomb failure stress changes (ΔCFS) suggest that the 2020 Yutian earthquake was inhibited by the 2008 Mw 7.2 earthquake but facilitated by the 2012 Mw 6.2 and 2014 Mw 6.9 earthquakes, resulting in an overall ΔCFS with a large lateral gradient on the 2020 fault. Stress concentrations on nearby major faults indicate increasing chances of seismic hazards in the eastern section of the Altyn Tagh fault at 82.8°E, the western section of the Guozha Co fault at 81.5°E and the entire section of the Ashikule fault.

Introduction: The trans-intervertebral approach for degenerative disc disease is widely used but rarely described for deformity correction. Resarch Question: The objective of this study is to propose a trans-intervertebral osteotomy (TIO) classification for posterior spinal osteotomy procedures via the intervertebral space. Material and Methods: TIO classification divides posterior spinal corrective osteotomy procedures via the intervertebral space into 3 main types and 2 plus subtypes according to the resected portion. Reliability and validity were evaluated by a measurement of 40 consecutive patients from January 2014 to December 2019 with CT scans and other data, which were classified according to the proposed classification twice by 5 different spine surgeons. The intraclass correlation coefficient and kappa correlation coefficients were calculated. Results: For TIO classification, the test showed an overall intraclass correlation coefficient value for interobserver reliability of 0.915 (95% CI 0.859-0.971) in the first test and of 0.943 (95% CI 0.887-0.999) in the second test. The intraclass correlation coefficient for intraobserver reliability was 0.927 to 0.964. The validity of the classification results was almost perfect, with kappa correlation coefficients of 0.893 to 0.964. Discussion and Conclusion: Based on both pre- and postoperative CT scans, TIO classification has excellent reliability and validity and is a reliable tool to help manage rigid malalignment and spinal deformities of various etiologies.

BackgroundThe global community has been affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which emerged in December 2019. Since then, many studies have been conducted on cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and COVID-19. The aim of this study was to perform a bibliometric and visual analysis of the published relationship between CVDs and COVID-19.Methods1,890 publications were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database on January 5, 2022. Microsoft Office Excel and CiteSpace were then used to carry out scientometric analysis on the relevant literature according to seven aspects: document type, countries/regions, institutions, authors, journals, references, and keywords.ResultsThe research on CVDs and COVID-19 is currently in a period of rapid development, with China, USA, England, and Italy leading the field. There is active cooperation between most countries and institutions. Harvard Medical School stands out among the many institutions not only for the largest number of publications, but also for their high quality. Banerjee A, Solomon SD and Narula J are three representative authors in this field. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine was the journal with the highest number of published studies, and The Lancet was the most cited journal. Two documents with a high degree of significance in this field were identified. Popular research topics in this field are specific diseases, such as acute coronary syndrome and heart failure; pathogenesis related to ACE2, insulin resistance and pericyte; the specific therapeutic drug chloroquine; and clinical characteristics, physical activity, and mental health. ACE2 and NF-κB will be the focus of future research.ConclusionsThis study provides useful information for the research of CVDs and COVID-19, including potential collaborators, popular research topics, and a reference for more extensive and in-depth research in the future.

Abstract Stem cell-derived exosomes have recently been regarded as potential drugs for treating spinal cord injury (SCI) by reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and suppressing M1 macrophage polarization. However, the roles of ROS and exosomes in the process of M1 macrophage polarization are not known. Herein, we demonstrated that ROS can induce M1 macrophage polarization and have a concentration-dependent effect. ROS can induce M1 macrophage polarization through the MAPK-NFκB P65 signaling pathway. Dental pulp stem cell (DPSC)-derived exosomes can reduce macrophage M1 polarization through the ROS-MAPK-NFκB P65 signaling pathway in treating SCI. This study suggested that DPSC-derived exosomes might be a potential drug for treating SCI. Disruption of the cycle between ROS and M1 macrophage polarization might also be a potential effective treatment by reducing secondary damage. Graphical Abstract

Battery energy storage systems (BESSs) have been widely used in power grids to improve their flexibility and reliability. However, the inevitable battery life degradation is the main cost in BESS operations. Thus, an accurate estimation of battery aging cost is strongly needed to cover the actual cost of BESSs. The existing models of battery life degradation either are not fully accurate to estimate the actual cost or are not solved easily because of their computation nonlinearity. In this paper, a piece-wise linear battery aging cost model with an accurate estimate of battery life degradation for BESSs is proposed to extend battery life and improve battery profits. In our method, the widely-used Arrhenius law is modified to quantify the battery life degradation affected by the depth of cycle. Further, a nonlinear battery cycle aging cost model is developed by finding the derivative of battery life degradation with respect to discharging power, which indicates the battery life degradation rate due to depth of cycle. To reduce the complexity of computation, a piece-wise linearization method is proposed to simplify the battery cycle aging cost model. Finally, the cycle aging cost model with an accurate estimation of battery life degradation is applied to the optimization dispatch in the day-ahead energy and auxiliary service market. The results show that the error of estimating the battery cycle aging cost of BESSs is less than 5% under proper piece-wise segment numbers. The profits are increased by 27% and the battery life is extended by 11% than the fixed cost method.

Antenna-in-Package has been widely applied for millimeter-wave systems that integrate the MMIC chip and antenna into one package. For organic substrate Antenna-in-Package solutions, probe feeding and aperture-coupled feeding patches are generally used as radiation units. In this work, a patch antenna is proposed using coupled resonation; a wideband, high-gain and compact 3-D antenna package integration is realized. Equivalent circuit model is analysed for the coupled structure. $\boldsymbol {\lambda }\mathrm {/\mathbf {4}}$ coupled line is adopted for impedance matching, the whole antenna is designed on the same thick radiation patch substrate, with less organic substrate lamination layers. For millimeter-wave Antenna-in-Package structures, vias are generally used for vertical interconnections, which function well in the lower millimeter-wave frequency range. For operation frequency higher than 100 GHz, design difficulties may be encountered for via interconnection, with performance degeneration on impedance matching and transmission loss. In our work a H-shaped slot is integrated instead of vias on an organic substrate, realizing a high frequency and wideband mm-wave transition. An interconnection structure is also adopted to convert a microstrip line to differential microstrip line in the feeding network. Antenna prototype with $2\times 4$ radiation array is designed for verification purpose at 20 GHz frequency range with simulated bandwidth of 23%. The prototype is fabricated with separate PCB boards assembled with screws; measured antenna gain is 12.7 dBi - 13.5 dBi. The proposed structure provides a wideband and low-loss solution for potential higher frequency mm-wave Antenna-in-Package applications.

Abstract Objective To investigate whether thoracolumbar flexion dysfunctions increase the risk of thoracolumbar compression fractures in postmenopausal women. Methods The records of postmenopausal women with thoracolumbar vertebral compression fractures and without vertebral compression fractures were surveyed. Demographic data, clinical data, and quantitative computed tomography (QCT) findings were compared between the groups. Chi-squared tests, unpaired t-tests, Spearman, and Mann–Whitney U were used to assess the group characteristics and proportions. The relationship between the risk of fracture and the difference of Cobb’s angle of thoracolumbar segment (DCTL) was evaluated by logistic regression. DCTL was calculated by subtracting thoracolumbar Cobb’s angles (TLCobb’s) from thoracolumbar hyperflexion Cobb’s angles (TLHCobb’s). Quantitative computed tomography (QCT) values and spinal osteoarthritis (OA) of postmenopausal women in the two groups were compared. Results 102 of 312 were enrolled to the study group of postmenopausal women with the fracture, and 210 of 312 were enrolled to the control group of postmenopausal women without the fracture. There were significant differences in QCT values and spinal OA including disc narrowing (DSN) and osteophytes (OPH) between the two groups (p 8.7° after adjusting for age, BMI, and QCT values. Conclusion Low DCTL may be a risk factor of thoracolumbar compression fractures in postmenopausal women, and a DCTL ≤ 8.7° can be a threshold value of thoracolumbar compression fractures.