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Abstract Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), a highly aggressive form of cancer, is known for its high mortality rate. A Disintegrin and Metalloprotease Domain-like Protein Decysin-1 (ADAMDEC1) can promote the development and metastasis in various tumors by degrading the extracellular matrix. However, its regulatory mechanism in CCA remains unclear. Public databases and clinical tissue samples were used to evaluate whether ADAMDEC1 expression was correlated with the prognosis of CCA. We investigated the expression of ADAMDEC1-related regulatory genes and proteins in CCA and assessed the biological behaviors of CCA cells in vitro through functional experiments. Meanwhile, the interacting proteins of ADAMDEC1 and its involvement in the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway were screened and verified through bioinformatics analysis. The tumorigenicity of CCA was also assessed in a xenograft nude mouse model. Our results showed that ADAMDEC1 was highly expressed in tumor tissues from CCA patients and was positively correlated with poor prognosis. Interference cell lines targeting ADAMDEC1 in CCA cells were successfully constructed. Knockdown of ADAMDEC1 or MMP12 both affected the biological behaviors of CCA cells, and ADAMDEC1 silencing inhibited tumorigenicity and tumor growth of CCA in vivo. Moreover, ADAMDEC1 interacted with MMP12, modulating its expression and promoting the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway. Our study uncovered the expression patterns and functional roles of ADAMDEC1 in CCA cells and tissues, highlighting its connection to the NF-κB pathway and MMP12 in the development of CCA. Therefore, ADAMDEC1 may serve as a potential therapeutic target for CCA.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal malignancies, with increasing morbidity and mortality. Only 20% of all cases are candidates for surgical resection. Most locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) is deemed to be an unresectable disease because of the invasion of major vessels. Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is now increasingly applicable to treat LAPC. For the establishment of precise eligibility and the standardization of the IRE technique, a guideline is expected, aiming to improve safety, lead to reproducible outcomes, and facilitate further research into IRE. This article aimed to provide a set of technical recommendations for the treatment of LAPC by open IRE.

Abstract The field of extracellular vesicle (EV) research has rapidly evolved, revealing their significant roles in various biological processes and clinical applications. Allergic diseases are prevalent immunological disorders characterized by exaggerated hypersensitivity reactions to allergens, leading to diverse clinical manifestations that can severely impact quality of life. Recently, studies have underscored the pivotal role of EVs in allergic conditions, including asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of recent advances in the separation and characterization of EVs, their roles in allergic diseases, and their diagnostic value as biomarkers. Additionally, we explore the therapeutic potential of EVs for the treatment and prevention of allergic conditions. Overall, the emerging insights into EVs present promising opportunities for enhancing the diagnosis, treatment, and management of allergic diseases.

Focusing on the nonlinear instability problem of the blended-wing-body aircraft, first, numerical bifurcation analysis is adopted to obtain catastrophe points and branches where the elevator is taken as a continuous parameter. Second, based on virtual flight tests and bifurcation theory, an experimental bifurcation analysis method is developed. Open-loop and closed-loop experiments are carried out, and the corresponding experimental bifurcation diagrams are obtained. The comparative analysis shows that the experimental bifurcation analysis enables the aircraft to make a response that is close to reality under the influence of nonlinear and unsteady aerodynamics and has a more intuitive embodiment of instability characteristics, providing an accurate prediction of departure. The open-loop experiment predicts a sudden longitudinal nose-up at an angle of attack of 7.4°. The closed-loop experiment can transform the open-loop unstable branch into a stable branch. However, roll instability still occurs at a critical angle of attack of 16.0°. These research results provide important dynamic information for the stable flight and the design of the controller.

To assess the efficacy of a nomogram model derived from extraprostatic extension (EPE) grade on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and clinical features in forecasting pathological EPE in prostate cancer. We conducted a retrospective analysis of the clinical data from 232 prostate cancer patients. Patients were categorized into EPE and non-EPE groups based on the presence of pathological EPE. Subsequently, they were randomly allocated into a training set (162 cases) and a validation set (70 cases) at a 7:3 ratio. We gathered clinical attributes and EPE grades for all patients. Three predictive models—clinic, magnetic resonance (MR) and clinic + MR—were developed within the training set. The clinic + MR model was visualized through a nomogram. The models’ performance was assessed using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Both univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses identified the biopsy International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) category and biopsy maximum unilateral positive percentage as independent risk factors for EPE within the training set. The EPE grade exhibited consistent inter-observer agreement, evidenced by weighted Kappa values of 0.72 and 0.71 in the training and validation sets, respectively. Compared to the clinic and MR models, the clinic + MR model was the most effective in predicting pathological EPE, boasting area under the curves (AUCs) of 0.85 and 0.82 in the training and validation sets, respectively. Calibration curves from both sets demonstrated that the clinic + MR model provided accurate predictions for pathological EPE. Within the DCA, the clinic + MR model surpassed the clinic and MR models in terms of clinical net benefit in both sets. The clinic + MR model excels in predicting the pathological EPE of prostate cancer. Its superiority over the clinic model underscores its clinical relevance and the potential for broader implementation.

Mechanical ventilation is the primary measure for cooling during construction of high geo-temperature tunnel. Based on heat transfer theory and characteristics of press-in ventilation, a comprehensive calculation model considering the influence of construction process is proposed, and the reliability of the model is verified by on-site test. The effects of duct leakage rate and thermal conductivity of different excavation length on temperature field distribution during construction ventilation were analyzed based on the prediction model. The following conclusions are drawn: As the excavation length increases, the duct outlet temperature first increases and then decreases. The duct outlet temperature is mainly affected by geo-temperature and boundary control temperature of working face, the air leakage rate and excavation length are not the main factors. The highest temperature in the duct is about 40 °C. The distance between the position of highest temperature and working face increases with the increase of excavation length and decreases with the increase of air leakage rate. With the increase of excavation length, the impact of thermal conductivity on outlet temperature of duct is first enhanced and then stabilized under the same excavation length. The heat-insulated duct can effectively reduce the outlet air temperature and prolong the service life of the duct, while minimizing the air leakage of the duct.

Background: and purpose Prostate cancer is an comparatively prevalent clinical malignant tumor in men, impacting the lives of millions of men globally. This study measured the expression of Karyopherin Subunit Beta 1 (KPNB1) in prostate cancer cells, and made an effort to investigate how astragaloside IV affects the biological behavior, tumor growth, and mechanism of action of prostate cancer through KPNB1. Methods: Human prostate cancer and normal cells were obtained and KPNB1 expression levels in the two cells were determined using qPCR and WB. Prostate cancer cells were grouped according to the addition of astragaloside IV, KPNB1 inhibitor (importazole) alone and in combination. KPNB1, NF-κB, and cycle-related proteins were detected to be expressed at different levels in each group's cells by WB. MTT to assess the viability of the cells. To identify the cell cycle, use flow cytometry, and sphere formation experiment to observe sphere formation ability. Nude mice were purchased and subcutaneously inoculated with prostate cancer cells to establish a prostate cancer model, and grouped by tail vein injection of astragaloside IV and importazole. Tumor size was measured. KPNB1 and NF-κB expression in tumor tissues were detected by WB. The expression of proteins relevant to the cycle is observed by immunohistochemical methods. TUNEL was used to detect apoptosis of tissue cells. Results: KPNB1 expression was upregulated in prostate cancer cells (P

Abstract Aims Atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) often co‐exist and are closely intertwined. The impact of AF on the outcome of patients with heart failure with mildly‐reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF) is not fully clear. This study aimed to investigate the impact of AF on the outcomes of hospitalized HFmrEF patients. Methods and results The study included 1691 consecutive patients with HFmrEF (mean 68.2 years, 64.8% male) including 296 AF patients. Patients completed 1 year and mean of 33 month clinical follow‐up after discharge by telephone interview, clinical visit, or community visit. The primary endpoint was cerebro‐cardiovascular events (CCE, composite of HF rehospitalization, stroke, or cardiovascular death). After propensity score matching, 296 patients were included into the AF group (mean 71.5 years) and 592 patients into the non‐AF group (mean 70.6 years). After propensity score matching, CCE at 1 year (59.1% vs. 48.5%, P = 0.003) and at a mean of 33 month (77.0% vs. 70.6%, P = 0.043). AF was independently associated with increased CCE within 1 year (HR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.61, P = 0.010) and at 33 months (HR = 1.20, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.43, P = 0.050) post‐discharge after adjusted for other clinical confounders including discharge heart rate, NT‐proBNP, haemoglobin, and uric acid. Conclusions AF is independently associated with an increased risk of CCE in HFmrEF patients within 1 year and at a mean of 33 months after discharge.

We present a qualitatively investigation on the influence of thermal fluctuation on flux motion and vortex dynamic of (Li0.8Fe0.2)OHFeSe single crystals. The importance of thermal fluctuations has been assessed through the Ginzburg number Gi. The resistivity in the mixed state for (Li0.8Fe0.2)OHFeSe exhibits a thermally activated behavior investigated by TAFF theory. The field-dependent activation energy follows the relation U0 (H) ∼ H-α. The appearance of crossover at 2 T is related to the different pinning mechanisms. Single-vortex pinning occurs in the low fields range at H

Abstract An increase in nitrogen (N) recovery efficiency, also denoted as N use efficiency (NUEr), is crucial to reconcile food production and environmental health. This study assessed the effects of nutrient, crop and soil management on NUEr accounting for its dependency on site conditions, including mean annual temperature and precipitation, soil organic carbon, clay and pH, by meta-regression models using 2436 pairs of observations from 407 primary studies. Nutrient management increased NUEr by 3.6-11%, crop management by 4.4–8%, while reduction in tillage had no significant impact. Site conditions strongly affected management induced changes in NUEr, highlighting their relevance for site-specific practices. Data driven models showed that the global mean NUEr can increase by 30%, from the current average of 48% to 78%, using optimal combinations of nutrient (27%), crop (6.6%) and soil (0.6%) management. This increase will in most cases allow to reconcile crop production with acceptable N losses to water. The predicted increase in NUEr was below average in most high-income regions but above average in middle-income regions.

Abstract Background Worsening of heart failure (HF) symptoms is the leading cause of medical contact and hospitalization of patients with mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF). The prognostic value of signs and symptoms for patients with HFmrEF is currently unclear. This study investigated the prognostic impact of signs and symptoms in HFmrEF patients. Methods A Cox proportional risk regression model analyzed the relationship between the number of signs/symptoms and outcomes in 1691 hospitalized HFmrEF patients. Ten significant signs and symptoms were included. Patients were divided into three groups (A: ≤2, B: 3–5, C: ≥6 signs/symptoms). Stratified analysis on male and female patients was performed. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality, and the secondary outcome was a composite of cardiovascular death and heart failure readmission (CV events) post-discharge. Results After a median follow-up of 33 months, all-cause mortality occurred in 457 patients and CV events occurred in 977 patients. Incidence of all-cause mortality was 20.7%, 32.3%* and 49.4%*† in group A, B and C of male patients, (*P

Abstract Background The molecular biological mechanisms underlying heart failure (HF) remain poorly understood. Therefore, it is imperative to use innovative approaches, such as high-throughput sequencing and artificial intelligence, to investigate the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and potential treatment of HF. Methods First, we initially screened Two data sets (GSE3586 and GSE5406) from the GEO database containing HF and control samples from the GEO database to establish the Train group, and selected another dataset (GSE57345) to construct the Test group for verification. Next, we identified the genes with significantly different expression levels in patients with or without HF and performed functional and pathway enrichment analyses. HF-specific genes were identified, and an artificial neural network was constructed by Random Forest. The ROC curve was used to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of the constructed model in the Train and Test groups. Finally, immune cell infiltration was analyzed to determine the role of the inflammatory response and the immunological microenvironment in the pathogenesis of HF. Results In the Train group, 153 significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with HF were found to be abnormal, including 81 down-regulated genes and 72 up-regulated genes. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses revealed that the down-regulated genes were primarily enriched in organic anion transport, neutrophil activation, and the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. The upregulated genes were mainly enriched in neutrophil activation and the calcium signaling. DEGs were identified using Random Forest, and finally, 16 HF-specific genes were obtained. In the ROC validation and evaluation, the area under the curve (AUC) of the Train and Test groups were 0.996 and 0.863, respectively. Conclusions Our research revealed the potential functions and pathways implicated in the progression of HF, and designed an RNA diagnostic model for HF tissues using machine learning and artificial neural networks. Sensitivity, specificity, and stability were confirmed by ROC curves in the two different cohorts.

Objectives Prognostic impact of lung ultrasound-derived B-lines (LUS-BL) in heart failure with mildly reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFmrEF) patients remains elusive. We evaluated the correlation between LUS-BL and prognosis in HFmrEF patients.Methods This is a subgroup analysis based on our previously published retrospective study with 1691 HFmrEF patients. This subgroup analysis involved 574 patients with LUS-BL results at admission. After discharge, patients underwent clinical follow-up for a minimum of 1 year through telephone, clinical visits or community visits. The primary endpoint was defined as cardiovascular (CV) event, including CV-related mortality or HF hospitalisation at 90 days and 1 year after discharge.Results CV event at 90 days was significantly increased with higher LUS-BL number (0, 1–2, 3–9 and ≥10: 20%, 14%, 18% and 33%, p=0.008), while CV event rate at 1 year was similar among groups (45% vs 45% vs 42% vs 50%, p=0.573). Older age, hypertension (HR=2.06, 95% CI 1.31 to 3.25), higher right ventricular diameter (>23 mm, HR=2.008, 95% CI 1.37 to 2.94), increased ratio of early transmitral flow velocity to early mitral annular velocity (>24, HR=1.79, 95% CI 1.11 to 2.26) and higher LUS-BL number (>11, HR=1.510, 95% CI 1.01 to 2.26) were identified as independent determinants associated with increased risk of CV event at 90 days after discharge. The Harrell’s C-Statistic analysis, based on the Cox regression models, demonstrated a significant improvement in the predictive ability of the model that incorporated both clinical and echocardiographic risk factors along with LUS-BL (areas under the curve (AUC)=0.72) compared with the model comprising only clinical risk factors and LUS-BL (AUC=0.69, p=0.036), or to the model with echocardiographic risk factors and LUS-BL (AUC=0.68, p=0.025).Conclusion In HFmrEF patients with ischaemic heart disease, admission LUS-BL>11 is independently associated with an increased risk of CV event at 90 days following discharge.

Abstract Aims Clinical data on the prognostic determinants over varying periods within the same cohort of heart failure with mid‐range or mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF) remain scarce. This study aimed to identify the short‐term, intermediate‐term, and long‐term risk factors of adverse cardiovascular (CV) outcomes in patients hospitalized for HFmrEF. Methods and results This retrospective study included 1691 consecutive HFmrEF patients admitted to our hospital between January 2015 and August 2020. Baseline data including clinical characteristics, laboratory and cardiac imaging examinations were obtained. Patients completed at least 1 year clinical follow‐up after discharge by telephone interview, clinical visit, or community visit. The primary endpoint was defined as a composite of CV death or rehospitalization for heart failure (CV events) at 3, 12, and 33 months after the diagnosis of HFmrEF. Mean age of the whole cohort was 69 (61–77) years and 64.8% were male. The median clinical follow‐up was 33 (20–50) months. CV events were 17.5%, 28.2%, and 57.8% at 3, 12, and 33 months after discharge, respectively. Independent risk factors for CV events were uric acid >382 μmol/L, creatinine >100 μmol/L, N‐terminal pro‐B type natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP) > 3368 pg/mL and haemoglobin 35 mmHg and the ratio of early transmitral flow velocity to early mitral annular velocity >18 served as independent risk factors for CV events at 12 months. At 33 months, uric acid > 382 μmol/L, NT‐proBNP >3368 pg/mL, and pulmonary artery systolic pressure >35 mmHg were the independent risk factors of CV events. Conclusions Higher uric acid, creatinine, NT‐proBNP, and lower haemoglobin levels at baseline are valuable serum biomarkers for risk stratification of short‐term and long‐term CV outcomes of HFmrEF patients. Future studies are needed to verify if intensive heart failure therapy for identified high‐risk HFmrEF patients based on these four serum biomarkers could improve their short‐term and long‐term CV outcomes or not.

Gold nanoparticle (AuNPs) influence the biomedical sciences owing to different potential characteristics and potential features. To date, the bioinspired fabrication of AuNPs is further recognized due to their safety and efficacy. In this study, we synthesized AuNPs using leaf extract of Citrus medica (C. medica) and well-characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV–visible analyses. Afterward the selective anticancer effects of biosynthesized AuNPs against HepG2 cells were evaluated by different techniques including MTT, oxidative markers, qPCR, and western blot assays.The results showed that the polyphenols of the C. medica leaf extract was responsible for the bioinspired reduction and stability of the AuNPs with a powder size in the range of 20–50 nm. Additionally, it was seen that biosynthesized AuNPs show selective inhibition on the proliferation of HepG2 (human liver cancer cell line) relative to THLE3 (normal adult liver epithelial cells) via generation of ROS and MDA, reduction of GSH level and SOD activity, and over expression of Bax/Bcl-2 and Caspase-3 mRNA. It was also shown that biosynthesized AuNPs regulate the Wnt signaling pathway through upregulation of phosphorylated GSK-3β known as the inactivated form of GSK-3β and downregulation of β-catenin and Cyclin-D1 at protein level. This study may hold great promise for development of NP-based anticancer agents, although it needs further investigations in vivo.

Soil bacteria are vital to the modulation of soil carbon and nutrient cycling. However, the response of key microbiota and the metabolic potential of soil bacteria to tolerate disturbance have yet to be fully investigated across land-use types, especially in alpine ecosystems. Here, the potential of soil bacteria to conduct change to affect biogeochemical processes was evaluated across 4 paired natural land-use types (i.e., forest converted to shrubland or grassland, shrubland to grassland, and grassland degradation) on the Tibetan Plateau. Based on the FAPROTAX database, we found 574, 106, and 22 bacterial genera that were possibly related to the carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur cycles, respectively. Among the core and/or key genera involved in carbon and/or nitrogen cycles, Bradyrhizobium and Solirubrobacter were common before and after disturbance, whereas Bryobacter, Mycobacterium, and Arthrobacter were sensitive to disturbance. Disturbance had diverse effects on soil bacterial percentages in specific metabolic pathways. In particular, soil bacteria may lead to the decreases in carbon and nitrogen fixation, nitrite oxidation, and sulfate reduction under grassland degradation. Annual precipitation and plant Shannon index were important factors driving bacterial functional groups. These findings shed light on the substantial impacts of disturbance on bacterial metabolism, and suggest that some important bacterial taxa must be taken into consideration in policymaking and management strategies for the enhancement and maintenance of ecosystem functions.

This paper proposes a soft switching mode for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) compound-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to achieve a smooth transition between modes. The proposed mode pre-compensates the lift loss with the rotary wing during the deceleration stage before UAV landing. The control law adopted in this paper consists of implicit nonlinear dynamic inversion (NDI) and incremental nonlinear dynamic inversion (INDI). The outer loop (attitude angle loop) control law is based on implicit NDI, while the inner loop (attitude angle rate loop) controller is based on INDI. An extended state observer (ESO) is employed to estimate the angular acceleration. This paper innovates by proposing a soft switching strategy that improves the robustness, safety, and smoothness of the transition for the compound-wing UAV, and applying advanced control law to mode transition design. For the future application of eVTOL aircraft in UAM scenarios, this paper evaluates the smoothness of transition and passenger comfort using normal overload as a physical quantity. The Monte Carlo (MC) simulation results demonstrate that the proposed mode can reduce the peak normal overload by about 89%.

At cryogenic temperatures, gases exhibit significant deviations from ideal behaviour, and the commonly employed gas model may inadequately represent the thermodynamic properties of cryogenic gases, subsequently impacting numerical simulations using various thermodynamic and transport models at cryogenic temperatures. The findings of this study reveal that the relative errors in aerodynamic characteristics obtained through different isentropic relations are noteworthy, with the maximum relative error in the drag coefficient reaching 16%. The impact of the equation of state, viscosity model, and thermal conductivity model is relatively minor, with relative errors in the pressure drag coefficient and viscous drag coefficient remaining well below 1%. Nevertheless, the relative error in the skin friction coefficient cannot be ignored due to transonic shock wave/boundary layer interactions. Consequently, when conducting numerical simulations of cryogenic flow, it is imperative to select appropriate gas models to attain precise results.

Edge detection is significant as the basis of high-level visual tasks. Most encoder-decoder edge detection methods used convolutional neural networks, such as VGG16 or Resnet, as the encoding network. Studies on designing decoding networks have achieved good results. Swin Transformer (Swin) has recently attracted much attention in various visual tasks as a possible alternative to convolutional neural networks. Physiological studies have shown that there are two visual pathways that converge in the visual cortex in the biological vision system, and that complex information transmission and communication is widespread. Inspired by the research on Swin and the biological vision pathway, we have designed a two-pathway encoding network. The first pathway network is the fine-tuned Swin; the second pathway network mainly comprises deep separable convolution. To simulate attention transmission and feature fusion between the first and second pathway networks, we have designed a second-pathway attention module and a pathways fusion module. Our proposed method outperforms the CNN-based SOTA method BDCN on BSDS500 datasets. Moreover, our proposed method and the Transformer-based SOTA method EDTER have their own performance advantages. In terms of FLOPs and FPS, our method has more benefits than EDTER.

Abstract Zinc 2-methylimidazolate (Zn(Me-Im)2, ZIF-8) was synthesized through solvothermal method, and the Mn@ZIF-8 was synthesized by loading the Mn species onto the prepared ZIF-8 through impregnation. The effect of the addition amount of Mn species on the activity in selective catalytic reduction of NOx with NH3 (NH3-SCR), the stability of catalysts at ideal temperatures and the resistance to H2O and SO2 were investigated. Moreover, the characterizations of the catalysts including XRD, SEM, EDS, XPS, BET, TGA and H2-TPR were carried out. The results indicated that SCR activity of the catalysts was related to the addition amount of Mn species, the Mn@ZIF-8(0.8) showed the best NO conversion of over 90% ranging from 225°C–400°C with good stability in a long-time test. Besides, the Mn@ZIF-8 showed a high resistance to SO2. The ZIF-8 has a great potential to be an excellent support, and Mn@ZIF-8 is promising catalyst in SCR reaction.

Chronic liver disease (CLD) patients have higher mortality and hospitalization rates after infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This study aimed to explore SARS-CoV-2 vaccine perceptions, side effects, factors associated with nonvaccination and attitudes toward fourth-dose vaccine among CLD patients. The differences between vaccinated and unvaccinated groups among 1491 CLD patients and the risk factors associated with nonvaccination status were analyzed. In total, 1239 CLD patients were immunized against SARS-CoV-2. CLD patients have a high level of trust in the government and clinicians and were likely to follow their recommendations for vaccination. Reasons reported for nonvaccination were mainly concerns about the vaccines affecting their ongoing treatments and the fear of adverse events. However, only 4.84% of patients reported mild side effects. Risk factors influencing nonvaccination included being older in age, having cirrhosis, receiving treatments, having no knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine considerations and not receiving doctors’ positive advice on vaccination. Furthermore, 20.6% of completely vaccinated participants refused the fourth dose because they were concerned about side effects and believed that the complete vaccine was sufficiently protective. Our study proved that SARS-CoV-2 vaccines were safe for CLD patients. Our findings suggest that governments and health workers should provide more SARS-CoV-2 vaccination information and customize strategies to improve vaccination coverage and enhance vaccine protection among the CLD population.

BackgroundHigh body mass index increases the risk of heart failure morbidity and mortality. It is unclear whether a high body mass index is associated with prognosis in patients with heart failure with mildly reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFmrEF). We retrospectively analyzed the effect of a high body mass index on the prognosis of patients with HFmrEF.MethodsWe investigated the association between body mass index and cardiovascular death (death from any cardiovascular mechanism) in 1,691 HFmrEF patients (mean age, 68 years; 35% female) in Xiangtan Central Hospital. Using Cox proportional hazards models, body mass index was assessed as a continuous and a categorical variable.ResultsCardiovascular death occurred in 133 patients (82 males and 51 females) after 1 year of follow-up. After adjustment for established risk factors, there was a 7.5% increase in the risk of cardiovascular death for females for each increment of 1 in BMI. In contrast, changes in male body mass index were not significantly associated with cardiovascular death (P = 0.097). Obese subjects had a 1.8-fold increased risk of cardiovascular death compared with subjects with a normal body mass index. The hazard ratio for females was 2.163 (95% confidence interval: 1.150–4.066). Obesity was not significantly associated with cardiovascular death in males (P = 0.085).ConclusionAn increased body mass index is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular death in patients with HFmrEF; however, this risk was mainly associated with female patients with HFmrEF and less with male patients with HFmrEF.

In view of the application limits of the modified eddy dissipation model (MEDM) in simulations of weakly turbulent flow, compressible flow, and internal flow, an improved eddy dissipation model (IEDM) is proposed. The IEDM model uses the dissociation reactions to obtain the correct combustion temperature instead of the specific heat compensation used in the MEDM model. This extends the application in compressible flow simulation. The simulation accuracy of the IEDM model for weakly turbulent flow is improved by using the accurate transport property and model. The maximum ε/k is limited to give a reasonable reaction rate near walls, and the expression for the model parameter A is also updated. Nine turbulent flames including seven jet flames and two opposed jet flames are simulated with the improved model. Compared with the experimental data of the jet flames, the peak temperature differences with the MEDM model and the IEDM model are 189 and 161 K, respectively, indicating the minor accuracy improvement of the IEDM model. Compared with the experimental data of the opposed flames, the peak temperature differences with the MEDM model and the IEDM model are 131 and 7 K, respectively, indicating the significant accuracy improvement of the IEDM model.

Large-slenderness-ratio (LSR) aircraft exhibit more severe lateral–directional coupling compared with other aircraft, which poses a significant challenge to their flight safety, especially during high-speed maneuvers. Reliable attitude decoupling control is, therefore, essential for LSR aircraft. In this study, a novel control framework that combines incremental nonlinear dynamic inversion (INDI) and extended state observer (ESO) is proposed for supersonic roll maneuver control of LSR aircraft. The ESO is used to estimate the angular acceleration on the basis of an onboard mathematical model. The acceleration estimator based on ESO achieves superior noise reduction compared with the complementary filter (CF) and reduces the onboard model requirement without significantly sacrificing estimation accuracy. Monte Carlo (MC) simulations and frequency–domain analysis demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed controller. The sensitivity of parameter uncertainties is also investigated, revealing that the natural frequency of the actuator is the most critical parameter affecting robustness. Finally, flight tests validate the effectiveness of the proposed control structure.

Conventional lower-limb rehabilitation robots are large, complicated to wear, and require moving the patient to a designated position. To solve these problems, a new single-legged lower-limb rehabilitation robot (S-LLRR) that is easy to move and suitable for different height carriers was proposed. The mechanical leg has a variable working space, and its rotating joints are designed with mechanical limiters. The series configuration of the S-LLRR was analyzed, and trajectory planning was performed based on continuous linear motion training. Meanwhile, an active training control method based on the sand model was proposed to enhance the motion sensation of patients, and an active participation degree evaluation model was designed based on human physiological information. The simulation and experimental results showed that S-LLRR had a large workspace and good motion accuracy, and the accuracy of the active participation degree evaluation model could reach more than 85%. This research could provide a theoretical basis for improving the standardization and compliance of lower-limb robot rehabilitation training.

Circulation control (CC) is used extensively to control the attitude of rudderless aircraft experiencing ground effect in take-off and landing phases. The investigation of ground effect on airfoil CC is necessary to improve flight performance and quality in proximity to the ground. The aerodynamics and flow field of a modified NACA0012 airfoil with CC in ground effect are investigated with numerical simulations. The compressible Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations with the shear-stress transport k−ω turbulence model equations are solved using the Finite Volume Method (FVM). Simulation results show that the ground effect changes the lift increment per unit jet momentum coefficient, and CC can reverse the polarity ground effect. The effective angle of attack αE and the downwash space downstream airfoil are altered by the ground effect resulting in variations of airfoil surface pressure and lift. Unlike the unbounded flow field, the jet attachment distance is not only determined by the jet momentum coefficient but it can change with the ride height, which is the distance from the ground to the center of the semicircular Coanda surface, for the same jet momentum coefficient.

Large-slenderness-ratio aircraft in which a large portion of the aircraft’s mass is concentrated along its centreline face the problem of severe lateral-directional coupling. Previous research has not fully considered the inertia product when conducting stability analyses of such aircraft. However, neglecting the inertia product may threaten the safety of the aircraft during high-speed flight. This paper investigates the effect of the inertia product on the lateral–directional stability. Two methods, one based on eigenstructure assignment (EA) and the other based on an extended state observer (ESO), are developed for the lateral–directional decoupling of a research large-slenderness-ratio aircraft. Simulation results show that both methods can realize decoupling control. The EA-based control achieves better decoupling performance, whereas the ESO-based control has an advantage in terms of disturbance rejection. Finally, the ESO-based attitude controller is validated through a high subsonic flight test. The decoupling and tracking performance of the attitude control demonstrate the effectiveness and practicality of the ESO-based controller.

The task of achieving a safe and short landing for a flying-wing unmanned aircraft with a three-bearing-swivel thrust vector is highly challenging. The process is further complicated due to the need to switch between multiple control modes, while also ensuring the protection of the flight boundaries from environmental disturbances and model uncertainties to ensure flight safety. To address this challenge, this paper proposes a short-landing strategy that employs mixed control using lift fans, thrust vectors, and aerodynamic control surfaces. The extended state observer (ESO) is integrated into the inner angular rate control and outer sink rate control to account for environmental disturbances and model uncertainties. To ensure flight safety, the attainable linear and angular acceleration is calculated through a trim analysis to determine the command value of velocity and angle of attack during a short landing. Additionally, a flight boundary protection method is employed which includes an additional command value of the angle of attack, resulting in a higher probability of a successful landing. This paper provides a detailed description of the short-landing strategy, including the control objectives for each phase. Finally, a Monte Carlo simulation is conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and robustness of the short-landing strategy, and the landing accuracy is assessed using the circular error probability metric.

Abstract Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) complicated with DCM is rare in our daily clinical practice. BMD serves an etiology for heart failure patients due to DCM. Multidisciplinary management is required in this case.

This work provides a feasible solution to the shipborne short landing problem for thrust-vectoring V/STOL vehicles. The short takeoff and shipborne rolling vertical landing strategy was designed in this work. First, the strategy design reference was established by flying performance and mission requirements, including the short takeoff and landing performance, deceleration performance, trajectory stability, velocity stability, and conversion corridor, using attainable equilibrium set methods based on the six dimensions of freedom model of the study object. Then, a piecewise short takeoff landing strategy was designed based on the references, together with a nonlinear dynamic inverse-based control designed frame for strategy execution. Finally, the hardware-in-loop Monte-Carlo simulation was implemented for the strategy feasibility verification. The proposed short takeoff and landing strategy satisfies the shipborne short takeoff and landing mission requirements. The short takeoff shortens the taxiing distance by 40% compared to a normal takeoff. With a 20% perturbance on all model parameters, the touchdown speed can be controlled to 14 ± 1 m/s, and the landing point position can be constrained inside a 5 m radius circle with almost zero lateral displacements.

Abstract Background Genetic alterations play a significant role in the progression of bladder cancer. Identifying novel biomarkers to personalize the therapeutic regimen and evaluate the prognosis of patients with bladder cancer is vital. Prolyl 3-hydroxylase family member 4 (P3H4) is significantly involved in several types of human cancer. However, the effect of P3H4 in bladder cancer remains unknown. Methods The mRNA expression of P3H4 was measured in 44 paired tumors and adjacent normal tissues by using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. RNA-Seq data of 389 patients with bladder cancer were downloaded to investigate the effect of P3H4 on bladder cancer from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project. Results P3H4 was overexpressed in bladder cancer compared with the adjacent normal tissue both in our tissue samples and TCGA samples. The mRNA expression of P3H4 was significantly related to several clinicopathological factors of bladder cancer, including age, race category, histologic grade, tumor histologic subtype, and AJCC stage. The high P3H4 expression group had a shorter overall survival (OS) than the low P3H4 expression group. Univariate Cox regression analysis showed that age, angiolymphatic invasion, lymph node metastasis, tumor histologic subtype, metastasis, AJCC stage, and P3H4 were significantly related to OS. Moreover, multivariate Cox analysis revealed that P3H4, as well as age and AJCC stage, was an independent predictor of poor OS. Conclusion Given its tumorigenic role, P3H4 may serve as a promising tumor-promoting gene in bladder cancer.

The relationship between anomalous pseudogap and superconducting states is a fascinating but controversial subject in high temperature superconductors. Here, we investigate the different quasiparticle dynamics with femtosecond transient optical spectroscopy in underdoped Bi _2 Sr _2 CaCu _2 O _8+ _δ at 3–250 K. Below T _c , these results reveal the coexistence of the anomalous pseudogap and superconducting states. On the basis of the Mattis–Bardeen formula for the Cooper-pairing superconducting gap and the Kabanov model for the pseudogap state, the measurements yield a temperature-dependent superconducting gaps and two temperature-independent pseudogaps below and above the superconducting transition T _c . Above the superconducting transition temperature, the pseudogap state can be explained as an incipient condensation of Cooper pairs with short coherence length. The quasiparticle dynamics in the superconducting and pseudogap states are correlated well with electron–phonon interaction characteristics.

Object detection has attracted increasing attention in the field of remote sensing image analysis. Complex backgrounds, vertical views, and variations in target kind and size in remote sensing images make object detection a challenging task. In this work, considering that the types of objects are often closely related to the scene in which they are located, we propose a convolutional neural network (CNN) by combining scene-contextual information for object detection. Specifically, we put forward the scene-contextual feature pyramid network (SCFPN), which aims to strengthen the relationship between the target and the scene and solve problems resulting from variations in target size. Additionally, to improve the capability of feature extraction, the network is constructed by repeating a building aggregated residual block. This block increases the receptive field, which can extract richer information for targets and achieve excellent performance with respect to small object detection. Moreover, to improve the proposed model performance, we use group normalization, which divides the channels into groups and computes the mean and variance for normalization within each group, to solve the limitation of the batch normalization. The proposed method is validated on a public and challenging dataset. The experimental results demonstrate that our proposed method outperforms other state-of-the-art object detection models.

The thermal decomposition of latex foam was investigated under nonisothermal conditions. Pieces of commercial mattress samples were subjected to thermogravimetric analysis (TG) over a heating range from 5°C min−1 to 20°C min−1. The morphology of the latex foam before and after combustion was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the primary chemical composition was investigated via infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The kinetic mechanism and relevant parameters were calculated. Results indicate that the decomposition of latex foam in the three major degradation phases is controlled by third-order reaction (F3) and by Zhuravlev’s diffusion equation (D5). The mean E values of each phase as calculated according to a single heating rate nonisothermal method are equal to 41.91 ± 0.06 kJ mol−1, 86.32 ± 1.04 kJ mol−1, and 19.53 ± 0.11 kJ mol−1, respectively. Correspondingly, the preexponential factors of each phase are equal to 300.39 s−1, 2355.65 s−1, and 27.90 s−1, respectively. The mean activation energy E and preexponential factor A of latex foam estimated according to multiple heating rates and a nonisothermal method are 92.82 kJ mol−1 and 1.12 × 10−3 s−1, respectively.

Purpose: To explore the contribution of paired-related homeobox 1-positive (Prrx1+) cells to the implant-induced osseointegration process in adult alveolar bone and the potential underlying mechanisms. Materials and Methods: Cre recombinase-induced lineage tracing and cell ablation were conducted in a murine dental implant model. Scratch and transwell assays were used to assess MC3T3-E1 cell migration after paired-related homeobox 1 overexpression. Single-cell RNA sequencing was applied to identify potential genes involved in Prrx1+ cell-driven osteogenesis. Results: Prrx1+ cells were observed to accumulate in the peri-implant area in a time-dependent manner; the number of these cells was found to reach its maximum on day 14. Osseointegration in mice was noticeably impaired after ablation of Prrx1+ cells. Further, it was discovered that Prrxl promotes MC3T3-E1 cell migration, a process which is indispensable for sound healing of peri-implant tissue. Finally, semaphorin 3C (Sema3C) was detected exclusively and abundantly expressed by Prrx1+ cells. Knockdown of Sema3C in Prrx1+ cells significantly weakened their osteogenic potential. Conclusions: Our data suggest that Prrx1+ cells contribute to the osseointegration process under stress stimulation and Sema3C may play a critical role in Prrx1+ cell-driven osteogenesis. Prrxl could significantly promote MC3T3-E1 cell migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnetic properties of SmCoAsO have been investigated. Our results differ from early observations. Complicated magnetism consists of antiferromagnetic, ferromagnetic, ferrimagnetic and paramagnetic, even diamagnetism at low field has been observed. A metamagnetic transition was observed, resulting from a canting of the spins. The interaction between two Co sublattices with canted-structure might take responsibility for the multiple magnetic transitions. Electrical resistivity data indicate that SmCoAsO is metallic conductor with room temperature resistivity of 0.51669 mΩ-cm. Negative magnetoresistance effect suggests a significant suppression of spin-flip scattering by the applied magnetic field. The magnetic phase diagram has been established.