Search

Abstract Currently, 280 million people worldwide experience depression, ranking it third in the global burden of disease. The incidence of depression has risen due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making it essential to examine evidence-based practices in reducing depressive symptoms during this unprecedented time. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to analyze randomized controlled trials during the COVID-19 pandemic that evaluated the effect of mindfulness meditation on depressive symptoms in individuals with depression. Four databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus) were searched in November 2023 using search terms including meditation, mindfulness, depression, and depressive symptoms. The meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5.4 software (Cochrane Collaboration). A random model and Standard Mean Difference analysis with 95% CIs were used for continuous variables. The systematic review included 26 RCT studies. The meta-analysis showed significant effects of mindfulness meditation interventions (SMD = − 1.14; 95% CI − 1.45 to − 0.83; P

The predicted Bridge Condition Index (BCI) is a guiding indicator for formulating preventive maintenance strategies for bridges and is hardly available even if using the most advanced neural network prediction model, owing to the few measured BCIs and neural network model defects. In this paper, an improved Back-Propagation Neural Network (BPNN) model named CPSO-BP-MC is proposed to predict BCI, which has a BPNN as its core, combined with the Coordinated Particle Swarm Optimization (CPSO) algorithm aims to faster convergence and avoid local optimal solution even with less training sample, and the Markov Chain (MC) algorithm aims to further revise the fluctuation of CPSO-BP prediction output due to maintenance and reinforcement. A case study is presented to demonstrate the efficiency of CPSO-BP-MC predicting BCI with fewer training samples. Comparing the predicted BCI of CPSO-BP-MC with the measured BCI and other models, the results show that CPSO-BP-MC converges faster than other models, and can predict the BCI more stably and accurately, and the error between prediction and measured BCI is less than 3 %.

Abstract Background Emerging evidence suggests that the gut microbiota is associated with various intracranial neoplastic diseases. It has been observed that alterations in the gut microbiota are present in gliomas, meningiomas, and pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (Pit-NETs). However, the correlation between gut microbiota and craniopharyngioma (CP), a rare embryonic malformation tumor in the sellar region, has not been previously mentioned. Consequently, this study aimed to investigate the gut microbiota composition and metabolic patterns in CP patients, with the goal of identifying potential therapeutic approaches. Methods We enrolled 15 medication-free and non-operated patients with CP and 15 healthy controls (HCs), conducting sequential metagenomic and metabolomic analyses on fecal samples to investigate changes in the gut microbiota of CP patients. Results The composition of gut microbiota in patients with CP compared to HCs show significant discrepancies at both the genus and species levels. The CP group exhibits greater species diversity. And the metabolic patterns between the two groups vary markedly. Conclusions The gut microbiota composition and metabolic patterns in patients with CP differ significantly from the healthy population, presenting potential new therapeutic opportunities.

Summary: The biological mechanisms underlying the development of myopia have not yet been completely elucidated. The retina is critical for visual signal processing, which primarily utilizes aerobic glycolysis to produce lactate as a metabolic end product. Lactate facilitates lysine lactylation (Kla), a posttranslational modification essential for transcriptional regulation. This study found increased glycolytic flux and lactate accumulation in the retinas of form-deprived myopic guinea pigs. Subsequently, a comprehensive analysis of Kla levels in retinal proteins revealed that Kla was upregulated at 124 sites in 92 proteins and downregulated at three sites in three proteins. Functional enrichment and protein interaction analyses showed significant enrichment in pathways related to energy metabolism, including glutathione metabolism, glycolysis, and the hypoxia-inducible factor-1 signaling pathway. Parallel-reaction monitoring confirmed data reliability. These findings suggest a connection between myopia and retinal energy metabolism imbalance, providing new insights into the pathogenesis of myopia.

The Spike of SARS-CoV-2 recognizes a transmembrane protease, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), on host cells to initiate infection. Soluble derivatives of ACE2, in which Spike affinity is enhanced and the protein is fused to Fc of an immunoglobulin, are potent decoy receptors that reduce disease in animal models of COVID-19. Mutations were introduced into an ACE2 decoy receptor, including adding custom N-glycosylation sites and a cavity-filling substitution together with Fc modifications, which increased the decoy’s catalytic activity and provided small to moderate enhancements of pharmacokinetics following intravenous and subcutaneous administration in humanized FcRn mice. Most prominently, sialylation of native glycans increases exposures by orders of magnitude, and the optimized decoy is therapeutically efficacious in a mouse COVID-19 model. Ultimately, an engineered and highly sialylated decoy receptor produced using methods suitable for manufacture of representative drug substance has high exposure with a 5- to 9-day half-life. Finally, peptide epitopes at mutated sites in the decoys generally have low binding to common HLA class II alleles and the predicted immunogenicity risk is low. Overall, glycosylation is a critical molecular attribute of ACE2 decoy receptors and modifications that combine tighter blocking of Spike with enhanced pharmacokinetics elevate this class of molecules as viable drug candidates.

Imaging is increasingly used to capture information on the marine environment thanks to the improvements in imaging equipment, devices for carrying cameras and data storage in recent years. In that context, biologists, geologists, computer specialists and end-users must gather to discuss the methods and procedures for optimising the quality and quantity of data collected from images. The 4th Marine Imaging Workshop was organised from 3-6 October 2022 in Brest (France) in a hybrid mode. More than a hundred participants were welcomed in person and about 80 people attended the online sessions. The workshop was organised in a single plenary session of presentations followed by discussion sessions. These were based on dynamic polls and open questions that allowed recording of the imaging community’s current and future ideas. In addition, a whole day was dedicated to practical sessions on image analysis, data standardisation and communication tools. The format of this edition allowed the participation of a wider community, including lower-income countries, early career scientists, all working on laboratory, benthic and pelagic imaging.This article summarises the topics addressed during the workshop, particularly the outcomes of the discussion sessions for future reference and to make the workshop results available to the open public.

Summary: The inheritance of recurrent patellar dislocation (RPD) is known, but the susceptible gene remains unidentified. Here, we performed the first whole exome sequencing (WES) cohort study to identify the susceptible genes. The results showed eight genes were associated with this disease. Notably, the carboxypeptidase D (CPD) gene showed the highest relevance based on its gene function and tissue expression. Single-cell sequencing results indicate that the CPD gene is involved in the pathophysiological process of RPD through granulocytes. Implicated pathways include nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and Wnt/β-catenin signaling, potentially influencing CPD’s role in RPD pathogenesis. This study identified the susceptible gene and investigates the potential pathogenesis of RPD, which provided a new prospect for the understanding of RPD. Besides, it would offer the theoretical basis for disease prevention and genetic counseling.

Abstract Background Metastasis is still a major cause of poor pathological outcome and prognosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients. NUAK1 has been reported highly expressed in many human cancers and is associated with the poor prognosis of cancer patients. However, the role of NUAK1 and its underlying signaling mechanism in ESCC metastasis remain unclear. Methods Expression of NUAK1 in ESCC was detected by real-time quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR), Western blotting and immunohistochemical staining. MTT, colony formation, wound-healing and transwell assays were used to determine the role NUAK1 in vitro. Metastasis was evaluated by use of an experimental pulmonary metastasis model in BALB/c-nu/nu mice. The mechanisms were assessed by using coimmunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence and dual-luciferase reporter gene experiments. Results NUAK1 was highly expressed in ESCC tissues compared with the adjacent normal esophageal epithelial tissues. Moreover, the elevated expression of NUAK1 positively correlated with tumor invasion depth, lymph node metastasis, pathological TNM stage, and poor survival in ESCC patients. Further experiments showed that NUAK1 overexpression did not change the cell viability and colony formation of ESCC cells, while remarkably promoted the migration and invasion in vitro and experimental pulmonary metastasis in vivo. Mechanistically, NUAK1 enhanced the transcription level of Slug, which enhanced the migratory and invasive capability of ESCC cells. Consistently, silencing Slug almost completely diminished the migration and invasion of NUAK1-overexpressing ESCC cells. Further studies demonstrated that NUAK1 upregulated the transcription activity of Slug through activating the JNK/c-Jun pathway. Conclusion These results demonstrated that NUAK1 promoted the metastasis of ESCC cells through activating JNK/c-Jun/Slug signaling, indicating NUAK1 is a promising therapeutic target for metastatic ESCC.

Under the action of cement hydration heat, the construction environment, thermal insulation measures, and pipe cooling systems, a mass concrete pile cap is subject to a complex internal temperature field, which makes it difficult to control its internal surface temperature difference (TISTD), the internal adiabatic temperature rise (TIATR), and the surface temperature (TST). In this study, a mass concrete pile cap of a very large bridge (the length, width, and height were 26.40 m, 20.90 m, and 5.00 m, respectively, and the central-pier pile cap was constructed with C40 concrete) was taken as the research object. The control factors affecting the temperature field of the pile cap were determined by comparing the field temperature measurements with the values calculated with finite element software simulation analysis. By using Midas Civil (2022 v1.2) and Midas FEA (NX 2022) finite element software, these factors (the concrete mold temperature, the concrete surface convection coefficient, the ambient temperature, the pipe cooling system parameters, etc.) were numerically analyzed, and their influence laws and degrees were determined.

The Tibetan Plateau is currently the widest and highest elevation orogenic plateau on Earth. It formed as a response to the Cenozoic and is still ongoing collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates. The Xigaze fore-arc basin distributed along the Indus–Yarlung suture zone in southern Tibet preserves important information related to the late Cenozoic tectonic and topographic evolution of the plateau. In this study, apatite fission track (AFT) thermochronology was carried out on twelve sandstone samples from the middle segment of the Xigaze basin and additionally on four sedimentary rocks from the neighboring Dazhuka (Kailas) and Liuqu Formations. Inverse thermal history modeling results reveal that the fore-arc basin rocks experienced episodic late Oligocene to Miocene enhanced cooling. Taking into account regional geological data, it is suggested that the late Oligocene-early Miocene (~27–18 Ma) cooling recognized in the northern part of the basin was promoted by fault activity along the Great Counter thrust, while mid-to-late Miocene-accelerated exhumation was facilitated by strong incision of the Yarlung and Buqu rivers, which probably resulted from enhanced East Asian summer monsoon precipitation. Sandstone and conglomerate samples from the Dazhuka and Liuqu Formations yielded comparable Miocene AFT apparent ages to those of the Xigaze basin sediments, indicative of (mid-to-late Miocene) exhumation soon after their early Miocene burial (> ~3–4 km). Additionally, our new and published low-temperature thermochronological data indicate that enhanced basement cooling during the Miocene prevailed in vast areas of central southern Tibet when regional exhumation was triggered by both tectonic and climatic contributing factors. This recent and widespread regional exhumation also led to the formation of the high-relief topography of the external drainage area in southern Tibet, including the Xigaze fore-arc basin.

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to comprehensively evaluate the short-term clinical efficacy and safety of unilateral biportal endoscopic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (UBE-TLIF) versus minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) for the treatment of lumbar degenerative diseases by meta-analysis. Methods A computer-based search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, and Chinese Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP) was conducted from the inception of the each database to April 2023. The searched literature was then screened according to strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. The critical data were extracted and analyzed using Review Manager software5.4.1. Pooled effects were calculated on the basis of data attributes by mean difference (MD) or odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale was used to assess the quality of the studies. Results A total of 13 studies and 949 patients met the inclusion criteria for this meta-analysis, 445 in the UBE-LIF group and 504 in the MIS-TLIF group. UBE-TLIF was superior to MIS-TLIF in terms of intraoperative blood flow, postoperative drainage flow, duration of hospital stay, VAS score for low back pain and ODI score, but the operative time was longer than MIS-TLIF group. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of total complication rate, modified Macnab grading criteria, fusion rate, VAS score of leg pain, lumbar lordosis, intervertebral disk height. Conclusion Both UBE-TLIF and MIS-TLIF are effective surgical modalities for the treatment of degenerative lumbar spine diseases. They have similar treatment outcomes, but UBE-TLIF has the advantages of less intraoperative blood loss, shorter postoperative hospital stay, and faster recovery. Trial registration: This study has been registered at INPLASY.COM (No. INPLASY202320087).

In the continuously evolving field of E-government, understanding the breadth and depth of academic research is crucial for advancing governmental digital transformation and policy development. This study employs visual bibliometric analysis, using the Web of Science database to map the evolution trajectory of E-government research from 2000 to 2023. By utilizing CiteSpace for a comprehensive examination of 4536 academic articles, this paper outlines the growth patterns and thematic evolution within the field. The development of the E-government field is delineated into four distinct phases: the budding period (2000–2003), the bottleneck period (2004–2014), the development period (2015–2018), and the growth period (2019–2023), which are each marked by unique thematic shifts and technological advancements. The research results reveal the transformation of research focus in different periods, from the initial focus on the technological means and the electronic transformation of government services, moving on to more complex issues such as E-government acceptance and government transparency and corruption, and ultimately to the current focus on innovation and smart cities. In addition, the paper also clarifies that the research boom that began in 2019 is driven by technological innovation opportunities, the improvement in infrastructure, and multidisciplinary research. By depicting these developmental stages and emerging trends, this study not only unveils past academic efforts but also forecasts future research directions, thereby providing valuable insights for researchers and policymakers aiming to understand and implement effective E-government strategies.

With global climate change, flooding events are becoming more frequent. However, the mechanism of how waterlogging stress affects crop roots needs to be studied in depth. Waterlogging stress can also lead to soil nitrogen and phosphorus loss, resulting in agricultural surface pollution. The aim of this study is to clarify the relationship between soil nitrogen and phosphorus distribution, root growth characteristics, and nitrogen and phosphorus loss in runoff water under waterlogging stress during the winter wheat seedling stage. In this paper, Zhengmai 136 was selected as the experimental material, and two water management methods (waterlogging treatment and non-waterlogging control treatment) were set up. Field experiments were conducted at the Wudaogou Hydrological Experimental Station in 2022 to assess the nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in runoff water under waterlogging stress. The study also aimed to analyze the nitrogen and phosphorus content and the root distribution characteristics in different soil layers under waterlogging stress. The results showed as the following: 1. Waterlogging stress increased the characteristic parameters of winter wheat roots in both horizontal and vertical directions. Compared with the control treatment, the root length increased by 1.2–29.9% in the waterlogging treatment, while the root surface area and volume increased by an average of 3.1% and 41.9%, respectively. 2. Nitrogen and phosphorus contents in waterlogged soils were enriched in the 0–20 cm soil layer, but both tended to decrease in the 20–60 cm soil layer. Additionally, there was an inverse relationship between the distribution of soil nutrients and the distribution of wheat roots. 3. During the seedling stage of winter wheat, nitrogen loss was the main factor in the runoff water. In addition, nitrate nitrogen concentration averaged 55.2% of the total nitrogen concentration, while soluble phosphorus concentration averaged 79.1% of the total phosphorus concentration. 4. The results of redundancy analysis demonstrated that available phosphorus in the soil was the key environmental factor affecting the water quality of runoff water. Total phosphorus and dissolved phosphorus in the water were identified as the dominant factors influencing root growth.

Artificial reefs are man-made structures submerged in the ocean, and the design of these structures plays a crucial role in determining their effectiveness. Precisely measuring the configuration of artificial reefs is vital for creating suitable habitats for marine organisms. This study presents a novel approach for automated detection of artificial reefs by recognizing their key features and key points. Two enhanced models, namely, YOLOv8n-PoseRFSA and YOLOv8n-PoseMSA, are introduced based on the YOLOv8n-Pose architecture. The YOLOv8n-PoseRFSA model exhibits a 2.3% increase in accuracy in pinpointing target key points compared to the baseline YOLOv8n-Pose model, showcasing notable enhancements in recall rate, mean average precision (mAP), and other evaluation metrics. In response to the demand for swift identification in mobile fishing scenarios, a YOLOv8n-PoseMSA model is proposed, leveraging MobileNetV3 to replace the backbone network structure. This model reduces the computational burden to 33% of the original model while preserving recognition accuracy and minimizing the accuracy drop. The methodology outlined in this research enables real-time monitoring of artificial reef deployments, allowing for the precise quantification of their structural characteristics, thereby significantly enhancing monitoring efficiency and convenience. By better assessing the layout of artificial reefs and their ecological impact, this approach offers valuable data support for the future planning and implementation of reef projects.

This paper presents an in-depth analysis of the oscillation phenomenon occurring in multi-chip parallel automotive-grade power modules under short-circuit conditions and investigates three suppression methods. We tested and analyzed two commercial automotive-grade power modules, one containing two chips and the other containing a single chip, and found that short-circuit gate oscillations were more likely to occur in multi-chip parallel packaged modules than in single-chip packaged modules. Through experimental and simulation analyses, we observed that gate oscillations were mainly caused by the interaction between internal parasitic parameters of the module and the external drive circuit, and we found that high drive resistance and low common emitter inductance between parallel chips could effectively suppress gate voltage oscillations. We also analyzed the two mainstream suppression schemes, increasing the drive gate resistance and placing the drive capacitors in parallel. Unfortunately, we found that these suppression schemes were not ideal solutions because both schemes changed the switching characteristics of the power module. As an alternative, we propose a simple and effective solution that involves adding parallel connections between the parallel chips. Simulation calculations showed that this optimized method reduced the emitter inductance between parallel chips in the upper bridge arm by about 30% and in the lower bridge arm by 35%. Through short-circuit experiments conducted at different DC bus voltages, it has been verified that the new optimized solution effectively resolves gate oscillation issues without affecting the switching characteristics of the power module.

23Na is a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-active isotope with a nuclear spin quantum number of 3/2. 23Na relaxation phenomenon is at the core of 23Na NMR measurement and analysis. Due to the dominance of quadrupolar interaction, the relaxation behavior of 23Na is physically and mathematically more complex than that of a typical spin-1/2 isotope. In this review, we overview the semi-classical Redfield theory for deriving the formulations of 23Na relaxation. We show that the relaxation behaviors of 23Na can be quantitatively described by constructing the spectral density functions based on the second-order perturbation theory. In addition, we summarize the applications of 23Na relaxometry in different research fields, including biomedicine, sodium ion batteries, and quantum information processing. Because sodium is an essential element in our body, food and industrial materials, the research on sodium by 23Na NMR emerges as important future directions. The theoretical and practical understandings on 23Na relaxation are the step stones for mastering advanced 23Na NMR techniques.

Meniscus is a wedge-shaped fibrocartilaginous tissue, playing important roles in maintaining joint stability and function. Meniscus injuries are difficult to heal and frequently progress into structural breakdown, which then leads to osteoarthritis. Regeneration of heterogeneous tissue engineering meniscus (TEM) continues to be a scientific and translational challenge. The morphology, tissue architecture, mechanical strength, and functional applications of the cultivated TEMs have not been able to meet clinical needs, which may due to the negligent attention on the importance of microenvironment in vitro and in vivo. Herein, we combined the 3D (three-dimensional)-printed gradient porous scaffolds, spatiotemporal partition release of growth factors, and anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant microenvironment regulation of Ac2-26 peptide to prepare a versatile meniscus composite scaffold with heterogeneous bionic structures, excellent biomechanical properties and anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects. By observing the results of cell activity and differentiation, and biomechanics under anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant microenvironments in vitro, we explored the effects of anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant microenvironments on construction of regional and functional heterogeneous TEM via the growth process regulation, with a view to cultivating a high-quality of TEM from bench to bedside.

With the rapid development of novel energy vehicles, power generation, photovoltaics, and other industries, power electronic devices have gained considerable attention. Insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) have been widely used in those fields. With the emergence of intelligent manufacturing concepts such as Germany’s “Industry 4.0” and China’s “Made in China 2025”, conventional manufacturing which needs to be upgraded with higher efficiency and yield is rapidly pivoting toward digitalization and intelligence. The digital twin methodology has been extensively used in various industries for constructing virtual models of physical entities, facilitating real-time data interconnection to reduce costs and improve efficiency. This study proposes a modular intelligent IGBT production line based on the digital twin. Real-time data are transmitted from a physical line to a digital line for storage and analysis. The digital line is visualized, and an intelligent management platform containing multiple functions is developed. Additionally, a process simulation database is established to obtain the optimal process parameters. Numerous quality issues that can arise during each process of IGBT packaging are addressed using a problem-solving approach based on the digital twin methodology. Consequently, this digital-twin-based IGBT intelligent production line effectively enhances yield rates and efficiency. IGBT modules with various packaging forms such as ACF, ACE, and ACD are manufactured.

Abstract Whereas the presence of flowers on ornamental flowering plants is essential for their identification via traditional methods, ornamental flowering plants cannot be reliably identified in non‐flowering stages likewise. Here, DBALM (DNA Barcodes–Leaf Morphology), a new approach that combines DNA barcoding data with micromorphological features of the leaf epidermis and that is not limited by the flowering stage, was used to identify 16 evergreen rhododendron cultivars. First, the sequences of DNA barcodes, ITS, matK, psbA‐trnH, and rbcL, were obtained from the DNA of leaves. Phylogenetic analysis was conducted to clarify the groupings among all the samples based on the four markers. Then, microscopic features of the leaf epidermis were used to further distinguish individuals from the same clade. DNA barcoding permitted the 16 cultivars to be divided into eight groups. The microscopic features of the leaf epidermis permitted cultivars within the same clade to be distinguished. The matK + psbA‐trnH combination was the most effective barcode combination in this study. In addition, the new primer matK‐Rh_R was designed, and it increased the amplification rate of evergreen rhododendron cultivars to 100%. In sum, DBALM was capable of accurately identifying the 16 evergreen rhododendron cultivars using data collected from a single leaf in the vegetative growth stage. This method can greatly facilitate the identification and breeding of ornamental flowering plants.

Laminated Rubber Bearing (LRB) plays a significant role in recent bridge-supporting systems and its characteristics are mainly contributed by their nonlinear properties. However, LRB performance deteriorates during aging. To better understand the aging phenomenon and its influence on mechanical properties, several circular LRBs of different sizes were introduced. Firstly, thermal aging tests were carried out, and then pseudo-static tests were carried out to study the influence of aging on modulus, friction coefficient, and frictional sliding. The results show that the compression modulus and shear modulus are nonlinear with the aging time. The shape factor also affects mechanical properties. When the shape factor is larger, the effect of aging degradation on mechanical properties is alleviated. The frictional coefficients at the surfaces of testing LRBs get increased with the thermal aging period, which gets stable after 10-year aging. The initial friction-sliding displacements are increasing with the increase of thermal aging period.

It is very significant to comprehensively understand the variation and distribution of the underground thermal environment, which will help to increase the building energy efficiency and improve the users’ thermal comfort. Because of these requirements, spatial interpolation technology provided by Surfer software is used to visualize the physical data of the spatial thermal environment and diagram the spatio-temporal thermal landscape model of underground space. According to the thermal landscape model, a new environmental control scheme is proposed. An​ underground shopping mall in Shanghai is taken as an example, in which 1512 data points were measured for interpolation. By comparison, it is found that the inverse distance to a power interpolation has the highest accuracy among the four commonly used interpolation methods, with an error of 0.57 °C. Therefore, the inverse distance to a power was used to build the spatio-temporal thermal landscape model of underground space based on measured data. This model can reduce the energy consumption of public space heating from 17885.75 kWh to 11536.18 kWh in December, saving 35.5% of energy consumption. In addition, the optimizing strategy was given from 3 aspects: seating arrangement, shading system and entrance design. The thermal landscape model provides practical solutions for research and design practice, which are recommended with direct implications on user comfort and energy consumption.

In recent years, with the development of pelagic fishing, the working environment and monitoring of crew (squid jigger) members have become increasingly important. However, traditional methods of pelagic human observers suffer from high costs, low coverage, poor timeliness, and susceptibility to subjective factors. In contrast, the Electronic Monitoring System (EMS) has advantages such as continuous operation under various weather conditions; more objective, transparent, and efficient data; and less interference with fishing operations. This paper shows how the 3DCNN model, LSTM+ResNet model, and TimeSformer model are applied to video-classification tasks, and for the first time, they are applied to an EMS. In addition, this paper tests and compares the application effects of the three models on video classification, and discusses the advantages and challenges of using them for video recognition. Through experiments, we obtained the accuracy and relevant indicators of video recognition using different models. The research results show that when NUM_FRAMES is set to 8, the LSTM+ResNet-50 model has the best performance, with an accuracy of 88.47%, an F1 score of 0.8881, and an map score of 0.8133. Analyzing the EMS for pelagic fishing can improve China’s performance level and management efficiency in pelagic fishing, and promote the development of the fishery knowledge service system and smart fishery engineering.

Climbing behavior is a superior motion skill that animals have evolved to obtain a more beneficial position in complex natural environments. Compared to animals, current bionic climbing robots are less agile, stable, and energy-efficient. Further, they locomote at a low speed and have poor adaptation to the substrate. One of the key elements that can improve their locomotion efficiency is the active and flexible feet or toes observed in climbing animals. Inspired by the active attachment–detachment behavior of geckos, a hybrid pneumatic–electric-driven climbing robot with active attachment–detachment bionic flexible feet (toes) was developed. Although the introduction of bionic flexible toes can effectively improve the robot’s adaptability to the environment, it also poses control challenges, specifically, the realization of attachment–detachment behavior by the mechanics of the feet, the realization of hybrid drive control with different response characteristics, and the interlimb collaboration and limb–foot coordination with a hysteresis effect. Through the analysis of geckos’ limbs and foot kinematic behavior during climbing, rhythmic attachment–detachment strategies and coordination behavior between toes and limbs at different inclines were identified. To enable the robot to achieve similar foot attachment–detachment behavior for climbing ability enhancement, we propose a modular neural control framework comprising a central pattern generator module, a post-processing central pattern generation module, a hysteresis delay line module, and an actuator signal conditioning module. Among them, the hysteresis adaptation module helps the bionic flexible toes to achieve variable phase relationships with the motorized joint, thus enabling proper limb-to-foot coordination and interlimb collaboration. The experiments demonstrated that the robot with neural control achieved proper coordination, resulting in a foot with a 285% larger adhesion area than that of a conventional algorithm. In addition, in the plane/arc climbing scenario, the robot with coordination behavior increased by as much as 150%, compared to the incoordinated one owing to its higher adhesion reliability.

Most field scientific observation and research stations are located at the end of power grids which are usually not extended to such areas. Consequently, the power supply of equipment in field observation stations cannot be guaranteed. Meanwhile, regions with poor ecosystem stability are relatively sensitive to environmental changes and thus prone to degradation and succession due to external interference. In this paper, the photovoltaic (PV) power generation system of a grassland ecohydrological field scientific observation and research station was taken as the research object. Two kinds of distributed PV power generation systems were simulated and analyzed by use of PVsyst software. The total power of laboratory equipment, PV power generation efficiency, and system cost of the field observation station were calculated and analyzed. The design scheme and scale of PV power generation systems suitable for field observation stations were determined. Finally, a PV power generation test system was set up, and PV power generation data were sorted out. The feasibility of the design scheme of PV power generation systems was verified by analyzing the relationship between the simulated and actual power generation of systems and that between the daily energy use proportions of field observation stations. Besides, the environmental benefits of PV systems were analyzed, and their amount of energy saving and emission reduction was calculated. This study can solve the issue of the low power supply guarantee rate of field observation stations, provide a design basis and beneficial reference for the construction of environment-friendly field laboratory stations, and realize green energy saving and the sustainable use of energy while protecting the ecosystem from being destroyed.

There is an increasing demand for the use of automotive sensors where complex working environments may easily lead to failure. Wire pull and shear test models based on finite-element analysis are established to evaluate their reliability by investigating the failure mode and mechanism of gold wire bonding. The effect of shear force position and pull force position on failure is also analyzed. The bonding failure was verified by experiments, which is consistent with the simulation result. The results show that: (1) The three-dimensional quantitative modeling reveals the process of bonding delamination and stress concentration. (2) The bonding–slip method (BSM) is adopted in the gold ball detaching process. The concept of three states, including deformation accumulation, cracking, and disengagement, was put forward to reveal the interface stress evolution trend according to the shear testing results. The results indicate that in the interface, the stress in the deformation accumulation state decreases from the tensile side (or compression side) to the center, and the stress in the cracking and disengagement states reduces gradually from the tensile side to the edge. When the interface is completely separated, the failed shear force concentrates on 42 g. The concept and theory proposed in this work can effectively reveal the failure mechanism of bonding interface and help to establish a new failure criterion.

With the increasing impact of climate change on ecosystems, it is crucial to analyze how changes in precipitation and temperature affect global ecosystems. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the spatiotemporal variation characteristics of the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) in the global forest, grassland, shrubland, and tundra (FGST) from 2000 to 2021. We utilized partial correlation analysis and grey relation analysis to assess the responses of different vegetation types to precipitation, temperature, and extreme water and heat indicators. The result shows that, despite a “warmer and drier” trend in FGST (excluding tundra), global climate change has not adversely affected the ongoing vegetation growth. It presents a favorable implication for global carbon dioxide assimilation. Different vegetation types displayed different sensitivities to changes in precipitation and temperature. Shrubland proved to be the most sensitive, followed by grassland, forest, and tundra. As the impacts of global climate change intensify, it becomes crucial to direct our attention toward dynamics of vegetation types demonstrating heightened sensitivity to fluctuations in precipitation and temperature. Our study indicates that, except for forests, extreme precipitation indicators have a stronger impact on EVI than extreme temperature indicators. Forests and tundra have demonstrated heightened susceptibility to the intensity of extreme climatic events, while grasslands and shrublands have been more sensitive to the duration of such events. Understanding these responses can offer valuable insights for developing targeted strategies for adaptation and preservation. Our study enhances comprehension of the feedback relationship between global climate change and vegetation, offering scientific evidence for global climate change evaluation.

To explore the temporal profile of retinal proteomes specific to primary and secondary retinal ganglion cell (RGC) loss. Unilateral partial optic nerve transection (pONT) was performed on the temporal side of the rat optic nerve. Temporal and nasal retinal samples were collected at 1, 4 and 8 weeks after pONT (n = 4 each) for non-biased profiling with a high-resolution hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry running on label-free SWATHTM acquisition (SCIEX). An information-dependent acquisition ion library was generated using ProteinPilot 5.0 and OneOmics cloud bioinformatics. Combined proteome analysis detected 2531 proteins with a false discovery rate of p < 0.05, FC ≥ 1.4 or ≤0.7). Eight proteins (ALDH1A1, TRY10, GFAP, HBB-B1, ALB, CDC42, SNCG, NEFL) were differentially expressed for at least two time points. The expressions of ALDH1A1 and SNCG at nerve fibers were decreased along with axonal loss. Increased ALDH1A1 localization in the inner nuclear layer suggested stress response. Increased GFAP expression demonstrated regional reactivity of astrocytes and Muller cells. Meta-analysis of gene ontology showed a pronounced difference in endopeptidase and peptidase inhibitor activity. Temporal proteomic profiling demonstrates established and novel protein targets associated with RGC damage.

Abstract Metastasis is one of most lethal causes that confer a poor prognosis of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), whereas there is no available target drug for metastatic ESCC currently. In this study, we aimed to determine whether the transcriptional inhibition by CDK7/9 inhibitor SNS-032 is activity against ESCC. MTT and soft agar assays were performed to examine the influence of SNS-032 on ESCC growth in vitro. Tumor xenograft in nude mice was used to assess the antitumor activity of SNS-032 in vivo. The roles of SNS-032 in ESCC metastasis were conducted by wound healing and transwell assays in vitro, and by a lung and a popliteal lymph node metastasis model in vivo. The results showed that CDK7 and CDK9 were highly expressed in ESCC cells; SNS-032 effectively inhibited cellular viability, abrogated anchorage-independent growth, and potentiated the sensitivity to cisplatin in ESCC cells in vitro and in vivo. In addition, SNS-032 induced a mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis of ESCC cells by reducing Mcl-1 transcription. SNS-032 also potently abrogated the abilities of ESCC cell migration and invasion through transcriptional downregulation of MMP-1. Importantly, SNS-032 remarkably inhibited the growth of ESCC xenograft, increased the overall survival, as well as diminished the lung and lymph node metastasis in nude mice. Taken together, our findings highlight that the CDK7/9 inhibitor SNS-032 is a promising therapeutic agent, and warrants a clinical trial for its efficacy in ESCC patients, even those with metastasis.

Due to the lockdown, more and more people are used to communicating with AI voice assistants during the post-COVID era. This study investigates the relationship between the perceived cuteness of AI voice assistants and the intention to purchase via a moderated serial-mediation model. We tested a PLS-SEM model with 284 survey data from an online experiment. The findings indicate that: (1) different cuteness appearances lead to different levels of perceived cuteness; (2) perceived cuteness positively affects intention to purchase; (3) the positive direct effect is serial mediated by social presence and user engagement; (4) the serial mediation effect is negatively moderated by perceived risk of service failure, which means the positive influence of perceived cuteness on intention to purchase is weakened at a high level of perceived risk. Our research has both theoretical and managerial contributions, which also reminds enterprises to grasp the cuteness degree of the product.

Optic neuritis (ON), characterized by inflammation of the optic nerve and apoptosis of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), is one of the leading causes of blindness in patients. Given that RGC, as an energy-intensive cell, is vulnerable to mitochondrial dysfunction, improving mitochondrial function and reducing oxidative stress could protect these cells. Matrine (MAT), an alkaloid derived from Sophoraflavescens, has been shown to regulate immunity and protect neurons in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis and ON. However, the protective mechanism of MAT on RGCs is largely unknown. In this study, we show that MAT treatment significantly reduced the degree of inflammatory infiltration and demyelination of the optic nerve and increased the survival rate of RGCs. The expression of Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), a member of an evolutionarily conserved gene family (sirtuins), was upregulated, as well as its downstream molecules Nrf2 and PGC-1α. The percentage of TOMM20-positive cells was also increased remarkably in RGCs after MAT treatment. Thus, our results indicate that MAT protects RGCs from apoptosis, at least in part, by activating SIRT1 to regulate PGC-1α and Nrf2, which, together, promote mitochondrial biosynthesis and reduce the oxidative stress of RGCs.

Ag paste has been recognized as a promising substitute for Sn/Pb solder in SiC or GaN power electronic devices, owing to its ability to withstand high temperatures and facilitate low-temperature packing. The reliability of these high-power circuits is greatly influenced by the mechanical properties of sintered Ag paste. However, there exist substantial voids inside the sintered silver layer after sintering, and the conventional macroscopic constitutive models have certain limitation to describe the shear stress–strain relationship of sintered silver materials. To analyze the void evolution and microstructure of sintered silver, Ag composite pastes composed of micron flake silver and nano-silver particles were prepared. The mechanical behaviors were studied at different temperatures (0–125 °C) and strain rates (1 × 10−4–1 × 10−2) for Ag composite pastes. The crystal plastic finite element method (CPFEM) was developed to describe the microstructure evolution and shear behaviors of sintered silver at varied strain rates and ambient temperatures. The model parameters were obtained by fitting experimental shear test data to a representative volume element (RVE) model built on representative volume elements, also known as Voronoi tessellations. The numerical predictions were compared with the experimental data, which showed that the introduced crystal plasticity constitutive model can describe the shear constitutive behavior of a sintered silver specimen with reasonable accuracy.

Abstract Inflammatory demyelination and axonal injury of the optic nerve are hallmarks of optic neuritis (ON), which often occurs in multiple sclerosis and is a major cause of visual disturbance in young adults. Although a high dose of corticosteroids can promote visual recovery, it cannot prevent permanent neuronal damage. Novel and effective therapies are thus required. Given the recently defined capacity of matrine (MAT), a quinolizidine alkaloid derived from the herb Radix Sophorae flavescens, in immunomodulation and neuroprotection, we tested in this study the effect of matrine on rats with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, an animal model of multiple sclerosis. MAT administration, started at disease onset, significantly suppressed optic nerve infiltration and demyelination, with reduced numbers of Iba1+ macrophages/microglia and CD4+ T cells, compared to those from vehicle-treated rats. Increased expression of neurofilaments, an axon marker, reduced numbers of apoptosis in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Moreover, MAT treatment promoted Akt phosphorylation and shifted the Bcl-2/Bax ratio back towards an antiapoptotic one, which could be a mechanism for its therapeutic effect in the ON model. Taken as a whole, our results demonstrate that MAT attenuated inflammation, demyelination and axonal loss in the optic nerve, and protected RGCs from inflammation-induced cell death. MAT may therefore have potential as a novel treatment for this disease that may result in blindness.

As a significant part of outdoor built-environment, public open spaces are closely associated with people's daily lives. Studies of outdoor behavior in these spaces can shed light on users' environmental perceptions and contribute to the promotion of physiological and psychological health. Many recent studies are case studies focused where observations, surveys and interviews have been conducted to understand the factors influencing people's behavior on one or few sites or city environments. There have been few reviews related to this topic, and none have been based on the systematic understanding of influencing factors. This paper presents a systematic review of interactions between behavior and the built environment in public open spaces, and highlights the impacts of diverse and objective influencing factors. Followed the rules of PRISMA method (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses), 109 papers published in 2000–2021 were selected and reviewed. The distribution of the studied interactions is analyzed, and the impacts of four distinct factors: personal background, location and context, environmental component, and climate stimuli, are extracted, categorized, and specified. Moreover, outdoor health benefits are discussed based on which, crucial factors that require emphasis after the outbreak of COVID-19 are identified. Throughout this paper, behavioral influencing processes, including objective influencing factors, subjective feedback, and the relationships involved, are considered to provide a comprehensive picture. With the robust classification of existing factors, architects, urban designers, policy makers and fellow researches could be easier to get a more comprehensive trend from the past. This paper also provides guidance for future research, especially given that COVID-19 has created huge changes to outdoor needs and customary behavior.Systematic Review Registration:http://www.prisma-statement.org/.

Technologies for discovering peptides as potential therapeutics have rapidly advanced in recent years with significant interest from both academic and pharmaceutical labs. These advancements in turn drive the need for new computational tools to design peptides for purposes of advancing lead molecules into the clinic. Here we report the development and application of a new automated tool, AutoRotLib, for parameterizing a diverse set of non-canonical amino acids (NCAAs), N-methyl, or peptoid residues for use with the computational design program Rosetta. In addition, we developed a protocol for designing thioether-cyclized macrocycles within Rosetta, due to their common application in mRNA display using the RaPID platform. To evaluate the utility of these new computational tools, we screened a library of canonical and NCAAs on both a linear peptide and a thioether macrocycle, allowing us to quickly identify mutations that affect peptide binding and subsequently measure our results against previously published data. We anticipate in silico screening of peptides against a diverse chemical space will be a fundamental component for peptide design and optimization, as more amino acids can be explored in a single in silico screen than an in vitro screen. As such, these tools will enable maturation of peptide affinity for protein targets of interest and optimization of peptide pharmacokinetics for therapeutic applications.

Phase 3 clinical trials and real-world effectiveness studies showed that China’s two main inactivated COVID-19 vaccines are very effective against serious illness. In November 2021, an outbreak occurred in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region that provided an opportunity to assess the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of these inactivated vaccines against COVID-19 caused by the delta variant. We evaluated VE with a retrospective cohort study of close contacts of infected individuals, using a generalized linear model with binomial distribution and log-link function to estimate risk ratios (RR) and VE. A total of 8842 close contacts were studied. Compared with no vaccination and adjusted for age, presence of comorbidity, and time since last vaccination, full vaccination reduced symptomatic infection by 62%, pneumonia by 64% and severe COVID-19 by 90%; reductions associated with homologous booster doses were 83% for symptomatic infection, 92% for pneumonia and 100% for severe COVID-19. There was no significant decline in two-dose VE for any outcome for up to 325 days following the last dose. There were no differences by vaccine brand. Inactivated vaccines were effective against delta-variant illness, and were highly effective against pneumonia and severe COVID-19; VE was increased by booster doses.

Approximately 40% of the overall energy consumption of society is consumed by buildings. Most building energy usage is due to poor envelope performance. In regions with cold winters, the corners of structures typically have the lowest interior surface temperature. In corners, condensation, frost, and mold are common. This has a substantial effect on building energy usage and residents’ comfort. In this study, the heat loss of corner envelopes is evaluated, and a suitable insulation construction of wall corners is constructed to increase the surface temperature of the envelope interior. Computational Fluid Dynamics simulation has been used to examine the heat transmission in a corner of an ultra-low energy building in this study. By comparing the indoor surface temperature to the soil temperature beneath the building, the insulation construction of wall corners has been tuned. The study results indicate that the planned insulation construction of wall corners can enhance the internal surface temperature in the corner and the soil temperature under the structure by approximately 8.5 °C, thereby decreasing the indoor–outdoor temperature differential and the heat transfer at ground level. In extremely cold places, the insulation horizontal extension belt installation can help prevent the earth beneath the building from freezing throughout the winter.

Design teams’ work is greatly influenced by green building rating systems (GBRSs). Early GBRSs that had an energy- or resource-based hierarchy and prioritized mechanical components and active technologies were unable to adequately support the architectural design (AD). Due to the recent rise in awareness of the importance of AD in the creation of GBs, many GBRSs may now improve requirements pertaining to AD. However, it has not been examined in earlier studies. As a result, this study uses a comparative approach, content analysis, and significance evaluation to examine the effectiveness of six GBRSs as applied to AD in terms of significance, inclusiveness, comprehensiveness, and certainty. Six GBRSs include Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Assessment Standard for Green Building (ASGB), Green Mark (GM), WELL Building Standard (WELL), Assessment Standard for Healthy Building (ASHB), and Living Building Challenge (LBC). A heuristic theoretical evaluation framework (TEF) is developed with the goal of providing guidelines and references for the improvement of GBRSs and the strategic idea of AD. There are four key findings. Firstly, LBC assigns the highest and certain weight to AD, followed by LEED and ASGB, then ASHB, and finally GM and WELL. Secondly, green and regeneration GBRSs emphasize resource, environment, and physiological health, while wellbeing GBRSs emphasize physiological and psychological health. Thirdly, GM, ASGB, WELL, and ASHB are the most inclusive and comprehensive in process, resource, and environment, physiological health, and sociological and psychological health, respectively. Fourthly, LBC performs best in setting mandatory requirements in included aspects.

COVID-19 greatly challenges the human health sector, and has resulted in a large amount of medical waste that poses various potential threats to the environment. In this study, we compiled relevant data released by official agencies and the media, and conducted data supplementation based on earlier studies to calculate the net value of medical waste produced in the Hubei Province due to COVID-19 with the help of a neural network model. Next, we reviewed the data related to the environmental impact of medical waste per unit and designed four scenarios to estimate the environmental impact of new medical waste generated during the pandemic. The results showed that a medical waste generation rate of 0.5 kg/bed/day due to COVID-19 resulted in a net increase of medical waste volume by about 3366.99 tons in the Hubei Province. In the four scenario assumptions, i.e., if the medical waste resulting from COVID-19 is completely incinerated, it will have a large impact on the air quality. If it is disposed by distillation sterilization, it will produce a large amount of wastewater and waste residue. Based on the results of the study, we propose three policy recommendations: strict control of medical wastewater discharge, reduction and transformation of the emitted acidic gases, and attention to the emission of metallic nickel in exhaust gas and chloride in soil. These policy recommendations provide a scientific basis for controlling medical waste pollution.

Rapid and sensitive nucleic acid detection of SARS-CoV-2 has contributed to the clinical diagnosis and control of COVID-19. Although detection of virus genomic RNA (gRNA) has been commonly used in clinical diagnosis, SARS-CoV-2 gRNA detection could not discriminate between active infectious virus with remnant viral RNA. In contrast to genomic RNA, subgenomic RNAs (sgRNAs) are only produced when the virus is actively replicating and transcription, detection of sgRNA could be an indication to evaluate infectivity. CRISPR/Cas-based nucleic acid detection methods have been considered potential diagnostic tools due to their intrinsic sensitivity, specificity and simplicity. In this study, to specifically detect active virus replication, we developed a CRISPR-based active SARS-CoV-2 (CRISPR-actCoV) detection strategy by detecting sgRNAs of SARS-CoV-2. CRISPR-actCoV with CRISPR Cas12a-assisted fluorescence reporter system enables detection of sgRNAs at 10 copies in 35 min with high specificity and can be read out with naked eyes. Further, we performed CRISPR-actCoV mediated sgRNA detection in 30 SARS-CoV-2 potentially infected clinical samples, and 21 samples were SARS-CoV-2 sgRNA positive. A quantitative RT-PCR assay was also performed to detect gRNA of SARS-CoV-2 in parallel. Among the 30 clinical samples, 27 samples were gRNA positive. Taken together, CRISPR-actCoV provides an alternative for rapid and accurate detection of active SARS-CoV-2 and has great significance in better response of coronavirus causing epidemic disease.

Lattices with engineered properties are significant for engineering applications in the energy, aerospace, optics and medical sectors. Current additive manufacturing (AM) combined with computer-aided design (CAD) methods are not flexible enough to create multi-substructure lattices with locally varying geometrical features and mechanical properties. For example, if the struts of one substructure correspond spatially to the void of another substructure in the hybrid region, the resulting structure is disconnected there. When the number of substructures is large, such a problem becomes inevitable and intractable. Here we propose a new AM & CAD method integrating all the processes of designing a complex lattice structure, such as subspace partitioning, substructure rotation, filling in each subspace and connection, and hybrid region stiffness tuning. This method provides a general framework for designing heterogeneous lattice structures with disorder, gradient and hybrid features. Additionally, we numerically and experimentally investigate the effectiveness of our hybrid region stiffness tuning method. Using this new method, the problem of low volume fraction or disconnection in the hybrid region in multi-substructure lattices is overcome, and the resulting structures can be generated for analysis or fabrication by any suitable AM technique.

Understanding the adaptative behaviors of dominant desert-steppe species under varying levels of grazing-related environmental degradation is an important step in elucidating the survival strategies and environmental response mechanisms of desert plants. In this study, the Xilamuren desert steppe in Northwest China was used as a case study location to systematically investigate the adaptative traits of three dominant plant species (Stipa breviflora, Cleistogenes squarrosa, and Convolvulus ammannii) from the perspectives of plant morphology, leaf structure, and photosynthesis. As degradation intensified, the adaptive changes in the three dominant plant species manifested in the following ways: 1) adjustment of substance allocation strategy, such that biomass was preferentially concentrated in the leaves and roots for photosynthesis and resource acquisition; 2) miniaturization, including reduced plant height, reduced leaf size, and leaf narrowing; 3) thickening of the leaves, epidermis, and cuticle to increase water storage and resist illumination and temperature elevation and thickening of the midrib veins to increase water and nutrient transportation; and 4) increased water-use efficiency in Stipa breviflora, which showed a stronger capacity to adjust to water stress than Cleistogenes squarrosa and Convolvulus ammannii. The results suggested that the morphological, structural, and functional adjustments of desert plants were related to the development of drought-resistance mechanisms through water-use strategies, including increased water absorption and water-use efficiency and decreased water consumption. These results enrich the existing knowledge of the environmental adaptation mechanisms of dominant plants in desert steppes, providing a scientific basis for the restoration of desert steppe ecologies and the formulation of suitable grazing policies.

Objective: The double-bundle (DB) techniques are considered to yield better stability of the knee compared with single-bundle (SB) for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. However, most studies followed up patients in short to middle-term within 5 years, and the longer-term efficacy of SB and DB ACL reconstruction is still beyond consensus. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to compare the longer-term efficacy between double-bundle (DB) and single-bundle (SB) techniques. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for relevant articles published up to November, 2017 with an English language restriction. The searches were limited to human subjects and randomized controlled trials (RCTs). In addition, the reference lists of identified articles were checked manually to avoid missing other potentially eligible studies. This process was performed iteratively until no additional articles could be included. The quality of the included studies was assessed using The Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tool. All statistical analyses were performed with Review Manager soft-ware. Results: A total of five RCTs involving 294 patients were included finally. No studies were excluded due to insufficient data or low quality. The pooled results showed no statistically significant difference between SB and double bundle DB reconstructions for Lysholm, IKDC, pivot shift, KT scores, and the development of osteoarthritis at a minimum of 5 years. No significant heterogeneity was found across all outcomes. Conclusion: The best available evidence demonstrated that SB and DB techniques could yield similar efficacy for ACL reconstruction. And no superiority was founded in DB ACL reconstruction with a minimal 5-year follow-up. Given that, the relatively simple and proven techniques of SB ACL reconstruction may be preferable for orthopedic surgeons.Level of evidence: Level I, Therapeutic Study. Keywords: Anterior cruciate ligament, Reconstruction, Single bundle, Double bundle

Considering the effect of the bridge deck’s bending stiffness and the indirect effect of adjacent cables (CEB), this paper aims to propose a refined model to reliably analyze the complex internal resonance mechanism of the tower–multicable–beam coupled system (MCS) under nonlinear geometric conditions. To accurately analyze the dynamic behavior, the shear difference effect is applied to simulate the continuous rigidity of the single beam. The dynamic equations of the whole resonance system are derived based on the D’Alembert Principle and the Finite Difference Method, the Galerkin Method and verified by the case study. The results of the numerical simulation based on the Fourth Runge–Kutta Method show that the dynamic parameter of each component is closely related to the coupled resonance of the system. The dynamic behavior under two conditions, tower–cable 1:1 resonance (TCR) or cable–beam 1:2 resonance (CBR), is deeply analyzed. Additionally, the excitation effect of the maximum amplitude by two excitation approaches, the initial displacement or initial velocity, both show a linear increase. The mutual transmission process of vibration excitation on the cable through the bridge beam or the tower as the medium is also further discussed.

LED lamps have gradually replaced other lighting sources and have become mainstream in the lighting industry. The research on interharmonic sensitivity affecting their lighting quality cannot be ignored. By deconstructing the lamp-eye-brain module in the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) flicker model, a luminous flux flicker model without the constraints of a specific light source was proposed. The test system and corresponding analysis method of the interharmonic-luminous flux transfer coefficient in the model were described in detail, and the accuracy of the test results of the system was verified via incandescent lamp heat balance model simulations. Based on the test results, the conversion method of the interharmonic ratio of LED lamps under the flicker limit based on the interharmonic-flicker limit curve of incandescent lamps was deduced. By testing and comparing the differences in interharmonic-flicker limit curves of different driving types of LED lamps, the experimental evaluation of their sensitivity was completed, and the reference for LED lamp selection, driver design, and compatibility standard formulation in different application scenarios was provided.

Curved twin I-girder composite bridge (TGCB) is becoming popular in Chinese highway bridge building. To study its ultimate bearing behavior, in this paper, one 1 : 5 scale intact model of a two-span curved continuous TGCB was tested to failure to evaluate its safety reserve and ductility. Afterwards, based on the experimental result, 3D FE models were developed and validated. At last, using the validated 3D FE models, the effect of construction scheme, radius of curvature, yield strength of steel, concrete compressive strength, crossbeams, and bottom lateral bracings on the ultimate bearing capacity were examined. The experimental results showed that the ultimate load (Pu) is approximate 13.6 times the service equivalent load. The cracking load and yielding load are approximately 0.12 and 0.47 Pu, respectively. The ductility coefficients are 4.06∼4.40. These above may indicate that the TGCB designed according to Chinese codes has good safety reserve and ductility. From parameter analysis results, it was concluded that the TGCB with full-support construction scheme has larger yield load and ultimate load compared with the one with erecting machine construction scheme. On the other hand, the ultimate bearing capacity reduces nonlinearly with the increase of curvature. Besides, the yield strength of steel, crossbeams, and bottom lateral bracings has a significant effect on the ultimate bearing capacity of curved TGCB. And the smaller the radius of curvature, the more obvious the effect of the latter two factors is. Unfortunately, it is unwise to continuous to improve the ultimate load by increasing the grade of steel for the TGCB when steel grade exceeds Q390. Moreover, in consideration of the big difference in bearing capacity between the inner girder and outer girder of the TGCB with small radius of curvature as well as the economy, it is suggested that the inner and outer steel girders of that TGCB should be designed differently.

The investigation aims to propose a refined model to analyze the parametric resonance under multicable systems such as cable-stayed bridges. Considering the interaction between the adjacent beam portions, the shear difference is applied to modify the vibration equations derived from the multi-degree-of-freedom stiffness method. Furthermore, the difference method is adopted to make the equations more accessible for numerical analysis. The comparison results indicate that the refined model exhibits the key character of parametric resonance and also further verified the simulation methods. The consequences show that the cable will resonate at the fundamental frequency under the support excitation. In particular, when resonance occurs, most of the energy in the subsystem is transferred to the cable, resulting in the resonance amplitude of the beam portion being weakened to some certain extent. Moreover, the global resonance will have a sufficient excitation on the local resonance only when the resonance condition is satisfied.

It is necessary to pay attention to the bonding strength of the interface between precast normal strength concrete (NSC) and cast-in-place epoxy resin concrete (EMR) when using EMR as a repair or filling material or an overlay in bridges’ rehabilitation. However, the performances of epoxy concrete are different due to differential mix ratios; thus, the bonding properties between various epoxy resin concrete and cement concrete are not completely the same. This article investigated the interfacial bond properties between NSC and ERC by direct tensile, push-out, and slant shear test with specimens of special size and structure and observed the interfacial bond strength and corresponding failure modes. The minimum bond strength under direct tension was 0.72 MPa, while the minimum bond strength was 1.71 MPa and 3.19 MPa for the push-out test and slant shear test, respectively. Results indicated that the slant shear test specimens with an inclination angle of 45° are not suitable for the slant shear test due to higher compressive stress. Furthermore, the cohesion and friction coefficient of interface bond strength were calculated inversely in accordance with the results obtained from the corresponding direct tensile and slant shear tests. The minimum cohesion value was 1.71 MPa, and the minimum friction coefficient value was 0.46.

Software to predict the change in protein stability upon point mutation is a valuable tool for a number of biotechnological and scientific problems. To facilitate the development of such software and provide easy access to the available experimental data, the ProTherm database was created. Biases in the methods and types of information collected has led to disparity in the types of mutations for which experimental data is available. For example, mutations to alanine are hugely overrepresented whereas those involving charged residues, especially from one charged residue to another, are underrepresented. ProTherm subsets created as benchmark sets that do not account for this often underrepresent tense certain mutational types. This issue introduces systematic biases into previously published protocols’ ability to accurately predict the change in folding energy on these classes of mutations. To resolve this issue, we have generated a new benchmark set with these problems corrected. We have then used the benchmark set to test a number of improvements to the point mutation energetics tools in the Rosetta software suite.

In the process of subtropical forest succession, it has long been recognized that population decline of Masson pines in coniferous-broadleaf mixed forest is caused by shading from broadleaf trees. However, little is known about the mechanism underlying the interaction between them. Here, we first chose two sets of Masson pine plots approximately aged 60 years in subtropical mountainous areas in eastern China (i.e., pure coniferous forest vs. coniferous-broadleaf mixed forest). Then, we measured and compared tree height, diameter at breast height, first branch height (FBH), live crown ratio (LCR) of Masson pines between the two sets of plots, and also determined the difference in growth performance of Masson pines relative to their neighboring broadleaf trees in the mixed forest stand. Compared with plots in pine forests, Masson pines in mixed plots had lower tree height and crown breadth, higher FBH, lower LCR, and leaf area. Furthermore, the difference of mean FBH between reference trees (Masson pines) and their neighboring trees (i.e., broadleaf trees) in mixed forest plots was greater than that in pine forest plots, and the ratio of LCR between Masson pines and their neighbors (0.46) in mixed forest was significantly smaller than in pine forest (1.05), indicating that those broadleaf trees around Masson pines probably affected their growth. The mean distance between Masson pines and neighboring trees (1.59 m) in mixed forest plots was significantly shorter than in pine forest plots (2.77 m) (p < 0.01), suggesting that strong competition may occur between reference trees and their neighbors. There was a significant difference in the ratio of crown volume between reference tree Masson pine and its neighboring trees in mixed forests (p < 0.01), indicating that the ratio of biomass synthesis to consumption of pines was much lower than their nearby broadleaf trees in mixed forest. Our results have demonstrated for the first time that Masson pines’ population decline is affected by shade-tolerant broadleaf late-successional species, which can be primarily attributed to the distinctive light transmittance of dominant species nearby (pure pine vs. mixed forest). This study provides a new perspective for future studies on the mechanism of forest succession.

BackgroundUnlike bone tissue, little progress has been made regarding cartilage regeneration, and many challenges remain. Furthermore, the key roles of cartilage lesion caused by traumas, focal lesion, or articular overstress remain unclear. Traumatic injuries to the meniscus as well as its degeneration are important risk factors for long-term joint dysfunction, degenerative joint lesions, and knee osteoarthritis (OA) a chronic joint disease characterized by degeneration of articular cartilage and hyperosteogeny. Nearly 50% of the individuals with meniscus injuries develop OA over time. Due to the limited inherent self-repair capacity of cartilage lesion, the Biomaterial drug-nanomedicine is considered to be a promising alternative. Therefore, it is important to elucidate the gene potential regeneration mechanisms and discover novel precise medication, which are identified through this study to investigate their function and role in pathogenesis.MethodsWe downloaded the mRNA microarray statistics GSE117999, involving paired cartilage lesion tissue samples from 12 OA patients and 12 patients from a control group. First, we analyzed these statistics to recognize the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). We then exposed the gene ontology (GO) annotation and the Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses for these DEGs. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were then constructed, from which we attained eight significant genes after a functional interaction analysis. Finally, we identified a potential nanomedicine attained from this assay set, using a wide range of inhibitor information archived in the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) database.ResultsSixty-six DEGs were identified with our standards for meaning (adjusted P-value < 0.01, |log2 - FC| ≥1.2). Furthermore, we identified eight hub genes and one potential nanomedicine - Selenocysteine based on these integrative data.ConclusionWe identified eight hub genes that could work as prospective biomarkers for the diagnostic and biomaterial drug treatment of cartilage lesion, involving the novel genes CAMP, DEFA3, TOLLIP, HLA-DQA2, SLC38A6, SLC3A1, FAM20A, and ANO8. Meanwhile, these genes were mainly associated with immune response, immune mediator induction, and cell chemotaxis. Significant support is provided for obtaining a series of novel gene targets, and we identify potential mechanisms for cartilage regeneration and final nanomedicine immunotherapy in regenerative medicine.