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Abstract Fullerene derivatives are extensively employed in inverted perovskite solar cells due to their excellent electron extraction capabilities. However, [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) agglomerates easily in solution and exhibits a relatively low ionization barrier, increasing charge recombination losses and charge accumulation in the interface. Here, tetramethylthiuram disulfide (TMDS) is introduced into the PCBM solution to induce the formation of reducing sulfur radicals through UV light irradiation, allowing for n doping of the PCBM material. The resulting modified PCBM layer exhibits enhanced conductivity and electron mobility, significantly suppressing charge recombination. As a result, the resulting devices incorporating TMDS achieve a champion efficiency of 26.10% (certified 25.39%) and 24.06% at a larger area (1.0 cm2) with negligible hysteresis. More importantly, the optimized devices retain 95% and 90% of their initial efficiency after 1090 h under damp heat testing (85 °C and 85% relative humidity) and after 1271 h under maximum power point-tracking conditions, respectively.

Abstract Diagnostic pathology, historically dependent on visual scrutiny by experts, is essential for disease detection. Advances in digital pathology and developments in computer vision technology have led to the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in this field. Despite these advancements, the variability in pathologists’ subjective interpretations of diagnostic criteria can lead to inconsistent outcomes. To meet the need for precision in cancer therapies, there is an increasing demand for accurate pathological diagnoses. Consequently, traditional diagnostic pathology is evolving towards “next-generation diagnostic pathology”, prioritizing on the development of a multi-dimensional, intelligent diagnostic approach. Using nonlinear optical effects arising from the interaction of light with biological tissues, multiphoton microscopy (MPM) enables high-resolution label-free imaging of multiple intrinsic components across various human pathological tissues. AI-empowered MPM further improves the accuracy and efficiency of diagnosis, holding promise for providing auxiliary pathology diagnostic methods based on multiphoton diagnostic criteria. In this review, we systematically outline the applications of MPM in pathological diagnosis across various human diseases, and summarize common multiphoton diagnostic features. Moreover, we examine the significant role of AI in enhancing multiphoton pathological diagnosis, including aspects such as image preprocessing, refined differential diagnosis, and the prognostication of outcomes. We also discuss the challenges and perspectives faced by the integration of MPM and AI, encompassing equipment, datasets, analytical models, and integration into the existing clinical pathways. Finally, the review explores the synergy between AI and label-free MPM to forge novel diagnostic frameworks, aiming to accelerate the adoption and implementation of intelligent multiphoton pathology systems in clinical settings.

Abstract Background Radiomics provided opportunities to quantify the tumor phenotype non-invasively. This study extracted contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) radiomic signatures and evaluated clinical features of bone metastasis in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). With the combination of the revealed radiomics and clinical features, the predictive modeling on bone metastasis in NSCLC was established. Methods A total of 318 patients with NSCLC at the Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital was enrolled between January 2009 and December 2019, which included a feature-learning cohort (n = 223) and a validation cohort (n = 95). We trained a radiomics model in 318 CECT images from feature-learning cohort to extract the radiomics features of bone metastasis in NSCLC. The Kruskal-Wallis and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression (LASSO) were used to select bone metastasis-related features and construct the CT radiomics score (Rad-score). Multivariate logistic regression was performed with the combination of the Rad-score and clinical data. A predictive nomogram was subsequently developed. Results Radiomics models using CECT scans were significant on bone metastasis prediction in NSCLC. Model performance was enhanced with each information into the model. The radiomics nomogram achieved an AUC of 0.745 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.68,0.80) on predicting bone metastasis in the training set and an AUC of 0.808(95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.71,0.88) in the validation set. Conclusion The revealed invisible image features were of significance on guiding bone metastasis prediction in NSCLC. Based on the combination of the image features and clinical characteristics, the predictive nomogram was established. Such nomogram can be used for the auxiliary screening of bone metastasis in NSCLC.

Abstract Catalyst systems populated by high-density single atoms are crucial for improving catalytic activity and selectivity, which can potentially maximize the industrial prospects of heterogeneous single-atom catalysts (SACs). However, achieving high-loading SACs with metal contents above 10 wt% remains challenging. Here we describe a general negative pressure annealing strategy to fabricate ultrahigh-loading SACs with metal contents up to 27.3–44.8 wt% for 13 different metals on a typical carbon nitride matrix. Furthermore, our approach enables the synthesis of high-entropy single-atom catalysts (HESACs) that exhibit the coexistence of multiple metal single atoms with high metal contents. In-situ aberration-corrected HAADF-STEM (AC-STEM) combined with ex-situ X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) demonstrate that the negative pressure annealing treatment accelerates the removal of anionic ligand in metal precursors and boosts the bonding of metal species with N defective sites, enabling the formation of dense N-coordinated metal sites. Increasing metal loading on a platinum (Pt) SAC to 41.8 wt% significantly enhances the activity of propane oxidation towards liquid products, including acetone, methanol, and acetic acid et al. This work presents a straightforward and universal approach for achieving many low-cost and high-density SACs for efficient catalytic transformations.

BackgroundAs targeted drug development in myasthenia gravis (MG) continues to advance, it is important to compare the efficacy of these drugs for better clinical decision-making. However, due to the varied regimens and dosages used in clinical trials for different drugs, a standardized comparison between them is necessary.MethodsThis study enrolled participants in phase II and III trials of innovative targeted drugs for MG. The primary outcome was the change in Quantitative Myasthenia Gravis score (MG-QMG) from baseline. The efficacy of all drugs at four time points was separately analyzed at four time points: initiation 1 week, initiation 4 weeks, maximized response, and post last dose 4 weeks. A network meta-analysis was conducted to compare the results of the different drugs.ResultsA total of 9 drugs, including Efgartigimod, Rozanolixizumab, Batoclimab, Eculizumab, Belimumab, Zilucoplan, Ravulizumab, Nipocalimab, Rituximab, derived from 12 studies were analyzed. At the initiation 1-week time point, three drugs exhibited significant improvement compared to the placebo effect: Efgartigimod, Zilucoplan, Rozanolixizumab. At the initiation 4-week time point, four drugs showed significant improvement compared to the placebo effect: Efgartigimod, Rozanolixizumab, Batoclimab, Zilucoplan. At the maximized response time point, six drugs achieved significant improvement compared to the placebo effect: Efgartigimod, Rozanolixizumab, Batoclimab, Eculizumab, Zilucoplan, Ravulizumab. At the post last dose 4-week point, all drugs statistically showed no significant difference from the placebo.ConclusionAlthough the MG subtypes were not consistent across trials, within the regimen design of each trial, neonatal Fc receptor inhibitors—represented by Efgartigimod, Rozanolixizumab, and Batoclimab—exhibited the most effective response rates when compared to complement and B-cell inhibitor drugs.

Abstract Introduction Ixekizumab, an interleukin 17A (IL-17A) inhibitor, has demonstrated rapid and sustained improvement in the signs and symptoms in patients with active radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (r-axSpA) in global and Chinese populations. We studied the effect of ixekizumab on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) (including patient global, spinal pain, stiffness, and fatigue) and overall health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of ixekizumab in the phase 3 study in China. Methods In this Chinese phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, patients with r-axSpA were randomized (1:1) to receive ixekizumab 80 mg every 4 weeks (IXEQ4W; starting dose 160 mg) or placebo for 16 weeks. At week 16, patients receiving placebo were switched to IXEQ4W, and those receiving IXEQ4W continued, until week 52. Data for patient global, spinal pain, spinal pain at night, stiffness, and fatigue were collected through week 52. Minimally clinical important differences (MCIDs) were determined for spinal pain and spinal pain at night. The subgroup analyses by baseline disease duration since diagnosis and baseline C-reactive protein (CRP) level were conducted post hoc. Results Compared with placebo, patients treated with IXEQ4W reported significantly greater improvement with a rapid onset in changes from baseline of PROs (patient global, spinal pain, spinal pain at night, stiffness, and fatigue) through week 16. Improvements were maintained through week 52. A similar trend of improvement was also observed in MCID response in spinal pain and spinal pain at night. The improvement in overall HRQoL was supported by EQ-5D-5L assessment. Subgroup analyses demonstrated that IXEQ4W provided significantly greater efficacy at week 16 compared with placebo, irrespective of baseline disease duration or baseline CRP level. Conclusion IXEQ4W provided rapid and sustained improvement in clinically relevant PROs and overall HRQoL through 1-year treatment in Chinese patients with r-axSpA. Regardless of the baseline disease duration or baseline CRP level, consistent efficacy was observed. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04285229.

Abstract Background Depression is a prevalent issue among older adults, affecting their quality of life and overall well-being. Exercise is an effective means of relieving depressive symptoms in older adults, but the optimal dose for different exercise types remains unclear. As such, the aim of this meta-analysis was to examine the dose–response relationship between overall and specific types of exercise with depression symptoms in older adults. Methods This systematic review and network meta-analysis included a search of PubMed, Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane library, and Web of Science for randomized controlled trials of exercise in older adults with depression symptoms from inception to 15 July 2023. Comprehensive data extraction covered dose, treatment regimen, demographics and study duration. Dosage metrics, encompassing METs-min/week, were scrutinized in correlation with the Minimal Clinically Importance Difference (MCID). Results A total of 47 studies involving 2895 participants and 7 kinds of exercise were included in the review. Without considering the dose, the results of our network meta-analysis indicated that Walking was the most effective in alleviating depression in older adults, in addition to Aerobic exercise (AE), Yoga, Qigong, Resistance training (RT), and Tai Chi (TC), which were equally effective. However, the results of the dose–response analysis found that Aerobic exercise was most effective at a dose of 1000 METs-min/week. It is noteworthy that Walking is significantly effective in alleviating depressive symptoms in older adults at very low doses. In terms of clinical benefits, we found that overall exercise doses in the range of 600 ~ 970 METs-min/week were clinically effective. Considering the specific types of exercise, Aerobic exercise, Resistance training, Walking, and Yoga were found to be effective at doses ranging from 820 ~ 1000 METs-min/week, 520 ~ 1000 METs-min/week, 650 ~ 1000 METs-min/week, 680 ~ 1000 METs-min/week, respectively. At the same time, we found that when the age exceeded 81 years, even when participating in exercise, it did not achieve the effect of alleviating depressive symptoms in older adults. Conclusions In conclusion, including Walking, AE, Yoga, Qigong, RT, and TC, effectively alleviate depressive symptoms in older adults. Furthermore, we established statistically and clinically significant threshold doses for various exercise types. Early initiation of exercise is beneficial, but its efficacy diminishes from the age of 80, and beyond 81, exercise no longer significantly alleviates depressive symptoms.

Coherent precipitation, a common strengthening approach, is typically subjected to spatial non-uniformity due to microscopic segregation, leading to multi-scale stress heterogeneity. Such heterogeneity remains poorly characterized because unavailable local strain-free lattice parameters invalidate traditional diffraction-based stress measurement techniques. To overcome these limitations, we demonstrate a submicron-resolved synchrotron X-ray diffraction method to map coherency stress distribution based on the γ/γ′ lattice misfits in Ni-based superalloys. Assisted by finite element analysis, sub-dendritic stresses are deduced from heterogeneous coherency stresses, confirmed by the diffraction experiments. The methodology offers a comprehensive framework to assess stress heterogeneity at multi-scales for all coherent precipitation strengthened alloys.Impact statementThis study marks the first successful quantification of stress heterogeneity at multi-scales in alloys strengthened by non-uniform coherent precipitation, even in absence of strain-free lattice constants.

Abstract Objective Clinically, it has been found that patients undergoing knee replacement have a high incidence of concomitant hallux valgus. In this study, we analyzed whether patients with osteoarthritis who underwent surgery and those patient who did not have surgery had an increased risk of hallux valgus by Mendelian randomization and performed reverse causal analysis. Design Genomewide association study (GWAS) data for osteoarthritis, categorized by knee arthritis with joint replacement, knee arthritis without joint replacement, hip arthritis with joint replacement, and hip arthritis without joint replacement.And acquired hallux valgus were downloaded for Mendelian randomized studies. MR analysis was performed using inverse variance-weighted (IVW), weighted median, and MR-Egger methods. MR-egger regression, MR pleiotropic residuals and outliers (MR-presso), and Cochran's Q statistical methods were used to evaluate heterogeneity and pleiotropy. Results The IVW results indicate that, compared to healthy individuals, patients who meet the criteria for knee osteoarthritis joint replacement surgery have a significantly higher risk of acquired hallux valgus. There were no significant causal relationships found for the remaining results. No significant heterogeneity or multiplicity was observed in all the Mr analyses. Conclusion Our study supports the increased risk of acquired hallux valgus in patients eligible for knee replacement. There is necessary for clinicians to be concerned about the hallux valgus status of patients undergoing knee arthroplasty.

Abstract The solvent-free selective hydrogenation of nitroaromatics to azoxy compounds is highly important, yet challenging. Herein, we report an efficient strategy to construct individually dispersed Co atoms decorated on niobium pentaoxide nanomeshes with unique geometric and electronic properties. The use of this supported Co single atom catalysts in the selective hydrogenation of nitrobenzene to azoxybenzene results in high catalytic activity and selectivity, with 99% selectivity and 99% conversion within 0.5 h. Remarkably, it delivers an exceptionally high turnover frequency of 40377 h–1, which is amongst similar state-of-the-art catalysts. In addition, it demonstrates remarkable recyclability, reaction scalability, and wide substrate scope. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the catalytic activity and selectivity are significantly promoted by the unique electronic properties and strong electronic metal-support interaction in Co1/Nb2O5. The absence of precious metals, toxic solvents, and reagents makes this catalyst more appealing for synthesizing azoxy compounds from nitroaromatics. Our findings suggest the great potential of this strategy to access single atom catalysts with boosted activity and selectivity, thus offering blueprints for the design of nanomaterials for organocatalysis.

Abstract Hybrid speciation plays an important role in species diversification. The establishment of reproductive isolation is crucial for hybrid speciation, and the identification of diverse types of hybrids, particularly homoploid hybrid species, contributes to a comprehensive understanding of this process. Reaumuria songarica is a constructive shrub widespread in arid Central Asia. Previous studies have inferred that the R. songarica populations in the Gurbantunggut Desert (GuD) originated from homoploid hybridizations between its eastern and western lineages and may have evolved into an incipient species. To further elucidate the genetic composition of different hybrid populations and to determine the species boundary of this hybrid lineage, we investigated the overall phylogeographic structure of R. songarica based on variation patterns of five cpDNA and one nrITS sequences across 32 populations. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that within the GuD lineage, the Wuerhe population evolved directly from ancestral lineages, whereas the others originated from hybridizations between the eastern and western lineages. PCoA and genetic barrier analysis supported the subdivision of the GuD lineage into the southern (GuD‐S) and northern (GuD‐N) groups. Populations in the GuD‐S group had a consistent genetic composition and the same ancestral female parent, indicating that they belonged to a homoploid hybrid lineage. However, the GuD‐N group experienced genetic admixture of the eastern and western lineages on nrITS and cpDNA, with some populations inferred to be allopolyploid based on ploidy data. Based on cpDNA haplotypes, BEAST analyses showed that the GuD‐S and GuD‐N groups originated after 0.5 Ma. Our results suggest that multiple expansions and contractions of GuD, driven by Quaternary climatic oscillations and the Kunlun‐Yellow River tectonic movement, are important causes of the complex origins of R. songarica populations in northern Xinjiang. This study highlights the complex origins of the Junggar Basin flora and the underappreciated role of hybridization in increasing its species diversity.

Dexterity micromanipulation is a significant topic in the field of robotics. Herein, a novel robotic rotating microjoint controlled by an exogenous magnetic field based on magnetic programmable soft materials, which brings more dexterity to the micromanipulation task is proposed. First, the magnetic soft material is synthesized and the microjoint is manufactured. The maximum rotation angle and response time are characterized. Then the force analysis of the microjoint in a uniform magnetic field is performed and the relationship between the deformation bending angle of a microjoint and the magnetic field magnitude is first proposed. A sliding mode controller based on the deformation mechanism of microjoints and radial basis function neural network (DMRSMC) is proposed to achieve robust deformation control of the microjoint. The experiment that depicts the microjoint is able to achieve a maximum rotation angle of 22.16° and a response time of 16 ms. The DMRSMC controller performs angle control with higher accuracy than conventional SMC and PID controllers. Finally, a dexterous suction mechanism is developed by combining the microjoint with a soft micropipette needle to achieve dexterous grasping of zebrafish embryos with a 97% success rate and an orientation adjustment error is 1.36°.

IntroductionNK cells are dysfunctional in myasthenia gravis (MG), but the mechanism is unclear. This study aims to measure associations and underlying mechanisms between the NK cells and the development of MG.MethodsTwenty healthy controls (HCs) and 53 MG patients who did not receive glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants were collected. According to the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) classification, MG patients were categorized into MGFA I group (n = 18) and MGFA II-IV group (n = 35). Flow cytometry, cell sorting, ELISA, mRNA-sequencing, RT-qPCR, western blot, and cell culture experiments were performed to evaluate the regulatory mechanism of exhausted NK cells.ResultsPeripheral NK cells in MGFA II-IV patients exhibit exhausted phenotypes than HCs, marked by the dramatic loss of total NK cells, CD56dimCD16− NK cells, elevated PD1 expression, reduced NKG2D expression, impaired cytotoxic activity (perforin, granzyme B, CD107a) and cytokine secretion (IFN-γ). Plasma IL-6 and IL-21 are elevated in MG patients and mainly derived from the aberrant expansion of monocytes and Tfh cells, respectively. IL-6/IL-21 cooperatively induced NK-cell exhausted signature via upregulating SOCS2 and inhibiting the phosphorylation of STAT5. SOCS2 siRNA and IL-2 supplement attenuated the IL-6/IL-21-mediated alteration of NK-cell phenotypes and function.DiscussionInhibition of IL-6/IL-21/SOCS2/STAT5 pathway and recovery of NK-cell ability to inhibit autoimmunity may be a new direction in the treatment of MG.

BackgroundAcute pancreatitis (AP) is an extraintestinal manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Numerous observational studies have reported an increased risk of AP in patients diagnosed with IBD. However, the causal association and directionality between IBD or its subtypes and the development of AP remains unclear due to the limitations of observational research. This study aims to explore the relationship between IBD or its subtypes and AP risk using Mendelian Randomization (MR) method.MethodsA two-sample bidirectional MR study was conducted, selecting genetic variants associated with IBD and AP as instrumental variables from the International Inflammatory Bowel Disease Genetics Consortium (IIBDGC) and FinnGen databases, respectively. The inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method used as the primary approach for causal inference. The Cochran Q test was employed for heterogeneity assessment. Sensitivity analyses were performed using the MR Egger intercept test, MR-Presso, and Leave-one-out method.ResultsThe results revealed that IBD (OR = 1.049, 95% CI = 1.010–1.090, p = 0.013) and ulcerative colitis (UC) (OR = 1.057, 95% CI = 1.013–1.102, p = 0.011) were significantly associated with an increased risk of AP. However, Crohn’s disease (CD) (OR = 1.023, 95% CI = 0.993-1.055, p = 0.134) did not show a causal association with the risk of AP. Interestingly, AP was suggestively associated with a decreased risk of CD (OR = 0.797, 95% CI = 0.637-0.997, p = 0.047). Furthermore, there was no causal association between AP and the risk of IBD (OR = 0.886, 95% CI = 0.753-1.042, p = 0.144) or UC (OR = 0.947, 95% CI = 0.773-1.159, p = 0.595).ConclusionIn conclusion, this study provides genetic evidence supporting the causal influence of IBD (specifically UC) on AP, while CD does not appear to have a causal impact on AP.

Abstract Background The growth-regulating factor-interacting factor (GIF) gene family plays a vital role in regulating plant growth and development, particularly in controlling leaf, seed, and root meristem homeostasis. However, the regulatory mechanism of heteromorphic leaves by GIF genes in Populus euphratica as an important adaptative trait of heteromorphic leaves in response to desert environment remains unknown. Results This study aimed to identify and characterize the GIF genes in P. euphratica and other five Salicaceae species to investigate their role in regulating heteromorphic leaf development. A total of 27 GIF genes were identified and characterized across six Salicaceae species (P. euphratica, Populus pruinose, Populus deltoides, Populus trichocarpa, Salix sinopurpurea, and Salix suchowensis) at the genome-wide level. Comparative genomic analysis among these species suggested that the expansion of GIFs may be derived from the specific Salicaceae whole-genome duplication event after their divergence from Arabidopsis thaliana. Furthermore, the expression data of PeGIFs in heteromorphic leaves, combined with functional information on GIF genes in Arabidopsis, indicated the role of PeGIFs in regulating the leaf development of P. euphratica, especially PeGIFs containing several cis-acting elements associated with plant growth and development. By heterologous expression of the PeGIF3 gene in wild-type plants (Col-0) and atgif1 mutant of A. thaliana, a significant difference in leaf expansion along the medial-lateral axis, and an increased number of leaf cells, were observed between the overexpressed plants and the wild type. Conclusion PeGIF3 enhances leaf cell proliferation, thereby resulting in the expansion of the central-lateral region of the leaf. The findings not only provide global insights into the evolutionary features of Salicaceae GIFs but also reveal the regulatory mechanism of PeGIF3 in heteromorphic leaves of P. euphratica.

Objective Glucocorticoid (GC) overuse is strongly associated with steroid‐induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (SINFH). However, the underlying mechanism of SINFH remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the effect of dexamethasone (Dex)‐induced oxidative stress on osteocyte apoptosis and the underlying mechanisms. Methods Ten patients with SINFH and 10 patients with developmental dysplasia of the hips (DDH) were enrolled in our study. Sixty rats were randomly assigned to the Control, Dex, Dex + N‐Acetyl‐L‐cysteine (NAC), Dex + Dibenziodolium chloride (DPI), NAC, and DPI groups. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to examine edema in the femoral head of rats. Histopathological staining was performed to assess osteonecrosis. Immunofluorescence staining with TUNEL and 8‐OHdG was conducted to evaluate osteocyte apoptosis and oxidative damage. Immunohistochemical staining was carried out to detect the expression of NOX1, NOX2, and NOX4. Viability and apoptosis of MLO‐Y4 cells were measured using the CCK‐8 assay and TUNEL staining. 8‐OHdG staining was conducted to detect oxidative stress. 2′,7′‐Dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH‐DA) staining was performed to measure reactive oxygen species (ROS). The expression of NOX1, NOX2, and NOX4 in MLO‐Y4 cells was analyzed by Western blotting. Multiple comparisons were performed using one‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results In patients and the rat model, hematoxylin–eosin (HE) staining revealed a significantly higher rate of empty lacunae in the SINFH group than in the DDH group. Immunofluorescence staining indicated a significant increase in TUNEL‐positive cells and 8‐OHdG‐positive cells in the SINFH group compared to the DDH group. Immunohistochemical staining demonstrated a significant increase in the expression of NOX1, NOX2, and NOX4 proteins in SINFH patients compared to DDH patients. Moreover, immunohistochemical staining showed a significant increase in the proportion of NOX2‐positive cells compared to the Control group in the femoral head of rats. In vitro, Dex significantly inhibited the viability of osteocyte cells and induced apoptosis. After Dex treatment, the intracellular ROS level increased. However, Dex treatment did not alter the expression of NOX proteins in vitro. Additionally, NAC and DPI inhibited the generation of intracellular ROS and partially alleviated osteocyte apoptosis in vivo and in vitro. Conclusion This study demonstrates that GC promotes apoptosis of osteocyte cells through ROS‐induced oxidative stress. Furthermore, we found that the increased expression of NOXs induced by GC serves as an important source of ROS generation.

Abstract Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) belongs to the genus Pestivirus within the family Flaviviridae. Mitophagy plays important roles in virus-host interactions. Here, we provide evidence that non-cytopathic (NCP) BVDV shifts the balance of mitochondrial dynamics toward fission and induces mitophagy to inhibit innate immune responses. Mechanistically, NCP BVDV triggers the translocation of dynamin-related protein (Drp1) to mitochondria and stimulates its phosphorylation at Ser616, leading to mitochondrial fission. In parallel, NCP BVDV-induced complete mitophagy via Parkin-dependent pathway contributes to eliminating damaged mitochondria to inhibit MAVS- and mtDNA-cGAS-mediated innate immunity responses, mtROS-mediated inflammatory responses and apoptosis initiation. Importantly, we demonstrate that the LIR motif of ERNS is essential for mitophagy induction. In conclusion, this study is the first to show that NCP BVDV-induced mitophagy plays a central role in promoting cell survival and inhibiting innate immune responses in vitro.

Abstract Background The labial salivary glands (LSGs) are important for the diagnosis, evaluation of therapeutic efficacy, and genetic analyses of primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS). In autoimmune diseases, the recognition of self nucleic acids and viral RNA and DNA through endogenous Toll-like receptor(TLR) triggers the production of type I IFN and pro-inflammatory cytokines, leading to the occurrence and progression of the disease. Here, we detected the expression of TLR7 in LSGs and analyse its correlation with clinical features and serum cytokines in pSS patients. Methods LSGs and serum samples were obtained from 56 pSS patients and 19 non-SS patients (non-pSS patients). The expression of TLR7 in the LSGs was evaluated with immunohistochemistry. The serum levels of interferon-α (IFN-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were quantified by ELISA. Laboratory parameters were measured by clinical standard laboratory techniques. Results TLR7-positive cells in pSS were localized in the ductal epithelial cells and lymphocytes of LSGs. The expression of TLR7 was upregulated in pSS patients compared with controls. Patients with anti-Ro52 antibody positivity showed higher TLR7 levels than those who were negative but not those with anti-Ro60 and anti-SSB. TLR7 levels were positively associated with the levels of IgG, IgA, ANA, IL-6, IFN-α and serum globulin but were not associated with IgM, C3, C4, or rheumatoid factor (RF) in serum. Conclusion TLR7 may be involved in the inflammatory response and the production of antibodies in pSS and plays an important role in local and systemic pSS manifestations. This research showed that TLR7 is involved in pSS pathogenesis.

Abstract Most wearable robots such as exoskeletons and prostheses can operate with dexterity, while wearers do not perceive them as part of their bodies. In this perspective, we contend that integrating environmental, physiological, and physical information through multi-modal fusion, incorporating human-in-the-loop control, utilizing neuromuscular interface, employing flexible electronics, and acquiring and processing human-robot information with biomechatronic chips, should all be leveraged towards building the next generation of wearable robots. These technologies could improve the embodiment of wearable robots. With optimizations in mechanical structure and clinical training, the next generation of wearable robots should better facilitate human motor and sensory reconstruction and enhancement.

In recent years, the steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEP) based brain control method has been employed to help people with disabilities because of its advantages of high information transmission rate and low training time. However, the existing SSVEP brain control methods cannot adapt to dynamic or unstructured environments. Moreover, the recognition accuracy from the conventional decoding algorithm still needs to improve. To address the above problems, this study proposed a steady-state hybrid visual evoked potentials (SSHVEP) paradigm using the grasping targets in their environment to improve the connection between the subjects’ and their dynamic environments. Moreover, a novel EEG decoding method, using the multivariate variational mode decomposition (MVMD) algorithm for adaptive sub-band division and convolutional neural network (CNN) for target recognition, was applied to improve the decoding accuracy of the SSHVEPs. 18 subjects participated in the offline and online experiments. The offline accuracy across 18 subjects by the 9-target SSHVEP paradigm was up to $95.41~\pm ~2.70$ %, which is a 5.80% improvement compared to the conventional algorithm. To further validate the performance of the proposed method, the brain-controlled grasping robot system using the SSHVEP paradigm was built. The average accuracy reached $93.21~\pm ~10.18$ % for the online experiment. All the experimental results demonstrated the effectiveness of the brain-computer interaction method based on the SSHVEP paradigm and the MVMD combined CNN algorithm studied in this paper.

The growth of root system directly affects the absorption and utilization of soil water and nitrogen, and understanding the responses of root characteristics to water and nitrogen regimes is thus crucial for optimizing water and nitrogen management. The root characteristics of each soil layer, i.e., root length, root surface area, and root volume, as well as fruit yield and water use efficiency of greenhouse tomato under drip fertigation in response to different irrigation levels and nitrogen rates were explored in northwest China. There were four irrigation levels, i.e., 50% ETC (W1), 75% ETC (W2), 100% ETC (W3), and 125% ETC (W4), where ETC is the crop evapotranspiration, and four nitrogen rates, i.e., 0 kg ha−1 (N1), 150 kg ha−1 (N2), 250 kg ha−1 (N3), and 350 kg ha−1 (N4). The results showed that reasonable irrigation and nitrogen regimes (W3N3) significantly increased fruit yield by 31.64% and root length, root surface area, and root volume by 45.03%, 61.24%, and 148.21% compare to W3N1, respectively. The promoting effect of increasing irrigation level on root characteristics increased with soil depth and had the greatest increases in root volume by 27.07%, 123.43%, and 211.47% for the 0–10, 10–20, and 20–30 cm soil layers, respectively. In addition, reducing irrigation level significantly increased the percentages of roots in the top soil by 29.71%, 26.77%, and 18.53% for root length, root surface area, and root volume, respectively. The reasonable nitrogen rate (N3) significantly increased fruit yield by 41.11%, water use efficiency by 34.42%, and root length, root surface area, and root volume by 40.42%, 41.44%, and 112.76%, respectively. The over-application of nitrogen (N4) reduced root characteristics of all soil layers, fruit yield, and water use efficiency. The promoting effect of increasing nitrogen rate on root length of each soil layer decreased with soil depth, by 71.01%, 48.96%, and 15.71% for 0–10, 10–20, and 20–30 cm soil layers, respectively. Irrigation level was the main factor dominating the root growth of each soil layer. The correlation analysis showed that fruit yield had significantly positive correlations with root characteristics in all soil layers, while water use efficiency had significantly positive correlations with the percentages of root length and root surface area in the 0–10 cm soil layer. In conclusion, rational water and nitrogen regimes achieved better fruit yield by promoting root growth of greenhouse tomato, and the water use efficiency of greenhouse tomato was improved by increasing the root percentage in the topsoil layer to alleviate the adverse effects under water stress conditions. This study reveals how irrigation volume and nitrogen application can enhance tomato yield and water use efficiency by regulating root characteristics and vertical root distribution, providing support for understanding the response of root systems to changes in soil water and nitrogen conditions.

In both arid and semi-arid regions, adopting field mulching can effectively optimize soil moisture distribution, enhance crop yields, and improve water productivity. While acknowledging its advantages, field mulching seems insufficient for maintaining high crop productivity due to the increasing frequency of extreme weather. Furthermore, drought often coincides with critical crop growth stages, necessitating the implementation of agricultural irrigation to ensure normal crop growth. Accordingly, we conducted a three-year field experiment from 2021 to 2023 including three typical field mulching methods (no mulching, NM; straw mulching, SM; plastic film mulching, FM) and three supplementary irrigation strategies (irrigated at the branching stage (V4), W1; irrigated at the pod-filling stage (R2), W2; irrigated at both the V4 and R2 stage, W3). Throughout the entire growth period, we monitored soil moisture conditions for each treatment, measured leaf physiological parameters at crucial growth stages, and assessed soybean yields and water productivity (WP). Our findings indicated that, relative to SM and NM, FM maintains optimal soil moisture balance, augments chlorophyll content, and enhances photosynthesis, resulting in an average yield increase of 17.0% and 38.3% over three growing seasons. Additionally, supplementary irrigation also significantly affects the growth and seed yield of soybean. FMW2 achieved the higher seed yield (4307.5 kg ha−1, 3-year averaged), had insignificant difference with the highest seed yield of 4568.6 kg ha−1, both significantly higher than other treatments. Similarly, the leaf area index, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate (Pn) and transpiration rate (Tr) also presented insignificant difference between FMW2 and FMW3, while WUEleaf (Pn/Tr) of FMW2 obviously higher than that of FMW3. As a result, FMW2 achieved the highest WP of 12.2 kg ha−1 mm−1 over the three growing seasons, compared to the three-year average of the other treatments, the increase ranges from 5.6% to 46.7%. In summary, the FMW2 treatment optimized water distribution to meet the water demands of soybeans during the reproductive growth stages, achieving a beneficial balance between soybean seed production and WP by regulating leaf functional parameters. Future research will explore more specific irrigation scheduling techniques (e.g., precision irrigation, deficit irrigation, and sensor-based irrigation management systems) while integrating innovative agricultural film materials (e.g., biodegradable films) to further enhance crop resilience and productivity under evolving climatic conditions.

Optimal irrigation-fertilization-aeration subsequently enhance greenhouse tomato yields and fruit quality. In addition, the optimization of these agricultural practices is essential to improve irrigation water productivity (WPI). In this context, the present study aims to assess the effects of combined irrigation, fertilization, and aeration treatments on the greenhouse tomato yield (Y), evapotranspiration (ET), WPI, and fruit quality. To achieve this objective, we applied two cumulative pan evaporation (Epan) -based irrigation (I1: 1.0 Epan; I2: 0.8 Epan), three nitrogen fertilization (F1: 120 kg/ha; F2: 180 kg/ha; F3: 240 kg/ha), and three venturi injector-based aeration rates (A1: single Venturi aeration; A2: double Venturi aeration; CK: unaerated) in triplicates. In total, 15 treatment scenarios were considered in this study, including a control group (CKI1). Each treatment was replicated three times. According to the obtained results, the harvesting time of the cultivated greenhouse tomato was strongly affected by the aeration levels due to the differences in the soil oxygen contents. The A2 treatment demonstrated a stronger promoting effect on early tomato ripening than those under the A1 and CK scenarios. Indeed, the first tomato harvest amount under the A2 treatment was higher than those obtained under the A1 and CK scenarios by 32.24% and 36.45% (P < 0.05), respectively. In addition, there were significant increases in the water productivity (WPC) and WPI values with decreasing irrigation rates. In contrast, the ET and Y substantially decreased. Specifically, the ET and Y values under the I1 treatment scenario were 11.38% and 8.65% higher than those observed under the I2 treatment scenario, respectively. On the other hand, the WPC and WPI values under the I1 treatment were 12.01% and 13.09% lower than those under the I2 treatment, respectively. The results showed also significant irrigation-aeration, irrigation-fertilization, and aeration-fertilization interaction effects on the ET, Y, WPC, and WPI values of the greenhouse tomato (P < 0.01). In addition, the irrigation, fertilization, and aeration treatments considerably influenced the sugar-acid ratio and the organic acid, soluble sugar, and lycopene contents in the tomatoes. In fact, lycopene was an important indicator of tomato quality, showing a significant positive correlation with the comprehensive quality scores. Based on the TOPSIS results, the combined I2-F2-A2 treatment is recommended to enhance the Y, ET, WPC, WPI, and fruit quality of the tomato crop.

Dipeptidyl peptidase-like protein 6 (DPPX) antibody encephalitis is a rare autoimmune encephalitis. Diagnosis and treatment of DPPX remain challenging, particularly in patients with refractory disease. Herein, we report the first case of anti-DPPX encephalitis treated with ofatumumab. The patient had a chronic insidious onset and predominantly presented with severe neuropsychiatric symptoms and the typical triad of symptoms (weight loss, central nervous system hyperexcitability, and cognitive dysfunction). Positive anti-DPPX antibodies in the serum (1:1,000) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) (1:100) were detected at the disease peak. The patient was unresponsive to four types of standard immunotherapies (intravenous globulin, plasma exchange, steroids, and tacrolimus), resulting in a treatment switch to ofatumumab. After five doses of injection and 12 months of follow-up, the patient improved well, with only a mild cognitive deficit.

Abstract Positive leaders branch less frequently than negative counterpart, and the physical processes and properties of positive leader branching remain a mystery. We investigated 10 m laboratory discharges under four positive voltages using a high‐speed video camera. Positive leaders differ from negative leaders by either directly splitting or connecting with floating bidirectional leaders to form branching, and the number of leader branches shows a positive correlation with the applied voltage, that is, the branched channels increased from 1 to 4 when the voltage increased by a factor of 1.5. Grounding points are positioned beneath the electrode and are more concentrated with lower voltage. During the stable progression of the leader, there is a slight increase in its development speed as the applied voltage rises. When the voltage is increased by 70%, the average breakdown time decreases by 40%. These characteristics provide insights into the branching mechanism of positive leaders.

Intercropping has great potential for alleviating arable land competition, improving land output and promoting sustainable agricultural development. However, the applicability of maize-soybean strip intercropping under drip fertigation in arid northwest China remains unclear, especially under various row configurations. A two-season (2022 and 2023) field experiment was performed in the Hexi Region of northwest China to investigate the responses of plant growth, yield performance, water-land productivity and economic profit of drip-fertigated maize-soybean strip intercropping systems to eight row configurations. The results showed that intercropping significantly reduced aboveground biomass accumulation of maize and soybean by 18.77% and 47.81% on average compared to monocropping, respectively. Intercropping significantly decreased the 100-grain weight, ear length and ear width of maize, and reduced the 100-grain weight and pod number of soybean, resulting in reduced grain yields of intercropped maize and soybean (by 13.08% and 48.73%, respectively), but two rows of maize alternating with four rows of soybean (M2S4), three rows of maize alternating with four rows of soybean (M3S4), four rows of maize in wide and narrow rows alternating with four rows of soybean (M4S4-MN), and four rows of maize in wide and narrow rows alternating with six rows of soybean (M4S6-MN) produced greater population grain yield compared to monocropping. Among all intercropping systems, the largest water-land productivity and economic profit occurred in M2S4 (1.61 in 2022 and 1.42 in 2023 for land equivalent ratio; 29.23 kg ha−1 mm−1 in 2022 and 28.22 kg ha−1 mm−1 in 2023 for water productivity; 23,965 CNY ha−1 in 2022 and 23,059 CNY ha−1 in 2023 for economic profit), followed by M4S4-MN (1.53 in 2022 and 1.36 in 2023 for land equivalent ratio; 27.11 kg ha−1 mm−1 in 2022 and 26.58 kg ha−1 mm−1 in 2023 for water productivity; 22,327 CNY ha−1 in 2022 and 22,224 CNY ha−1 in 2023 for economic profit). The M2S4 is thus the optimal row configuration for drip-fertigated maize-soybean strip intercropping systems in terms of grain yield, economic profit and land productivity, while the M4S4-MN is recommended by further considering the efficiency of mechanized sowing and harvesting.

Aim: To explore the abundance and diversity of the gut microbiota in patients with lung cancer accompanied by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (LC-COPD). Methods: The study cohort comprised 15 patients with LC-COPD, 49 patients with lung cancer, and 18 healthy control individuals. ELISA was used to detect inflammatory factors in venous blood. 16S rDNA sequencing was performed to determine the abundance and diversity of the gut microbiota. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry was used to determine the concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in feces samples. Results: The α-diversity index indicated that the richness and diversity of the gut microbiota were lower in patients with LC-COPD compared with patients with lung cancer and controls. Principal component analysis revealed significant differences among the three groups (P 0.05). Patients with lung cancer had the lowest serum concentration of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a. There were no intergroup differences in the concentrations of other inflammatory factors. Conclusions: The present study indicated that the abundance and structure of the gut microbiota is altered, and the concentrations of SCFAs may be decreased in patients with LC-COPD. In addition, patients with lung cancer had the lowest serum concentration of TNF-a.

Background: Refractory generalized myasthenia gravis (GMG) remains a substantial therapeutic challenge. Telitacicept, a recombinant human B-lymphocyte stimulator receptor-antibody fusion protein, holds promise for interrupting the immunopathology of this condition. Objectives: This study retrospectively assessed the effectiveness and safety of telitacicept in patients with refractory GMG. Design: A single-center retrospective study. Methods: Patients with refractory GMG receiving telitacicept (160 mg/week or biweekly) from January to September in 2023 were included. We assessed effectiveness using Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America post-intervention status (MGFA-PIS), myasthenia gravis treatment status and intensity (MGSTI), quantitative myasthenia gravis (QMG), and MG-activity of daily living (ADL) scores, alongside reductions in prednisone dosage at 3- and 6-month intervals. Safety profiles were also evaluated. Results: Sixteen patients with MGFA class II–V refractory GMG were included, with eight females and eight males. All patients were followed up for at least 3 months, and 11 patients reached 6 months follow-up. At the 3-month evaluation, 75% (12/16) demonstrated clinical improvement with MGFA-PIS. One patient achieved pharmacological remission, two attained minimal manifestation status, and nine showed functional improvement; three remained unchanged, and one deteriorated. By the 6-month visit, 90.1% (10/11) sustained significant symptomatic improvement. MGSTI scores and prednisone dosages significantly reduced at both follow-ups ( p

Abstract The physical mechanism of leader formation and development is not well understood. In this study, we present experimental and simulation results obtained with a 10 m long air gap discharge. A 10 m outdoor discharge experiment is carried out to obtain the current, voltage, and optical image during the leader discharge process. Four different impulse voltages were applied to the rod‐plane gap. The measured current is used as an input for a plasma model, then the temperature and electric field could be calculated. The simulation results show that the temperature of the streamer stem during the dark period may exceed 2000 K. In addition, the critical charge required for leader initiation can be as low as 0.27 μC for a 10 m air gap. The channel temperature is relatively stable in the process of leader development, which is maintained at about 4500 K. The electron density is about 0.5–3 × 1020 m−3, and the discharge channel conductivity fluctuates in the range of 1–10 S/m for the leader current between 1 and 2 A. A long dark period is tended to be associated with a higher injected charge by the first streamer. It is inferred that the voltage increments during the dark period play an important role in promoting streamer‐to‐leader transition, except for temperature and the injected charge.

Abstract To solve the problem of longitudinal cooperative formation driving control of multiple vehicles, a novel model‐free adaptive control algorithm with data compensation under constraint conditions (COM‐cMFAC) is proposed in this manuscript. In the COM‐cMFAC algorithm, the pseudo partial derivative (PPD), which is a time‐varying parameter, is used to linearize the nonlinear dynamics of the multivehicle cooperative system by using dynamic linearization technology. Then, a COM‐cMFAC controller is designed. For the case of data packet loss, the proposed controller uses a data compensation mechanism that estimates and compensates for the lost data through the data collected at the previous moment to perform packet loss control. Additionally, the controller considers the constrained input and output problems that will occur in the actual control process and imposes input and output constraints. The main advantage of the COM‐cMFAC algorithm is that the entire control process only needs the input and output data of the multivehicle cooperative system, and it also has a good control effect in the case of packet loss. The stability of the proposed method is verified through strict mathematical analysis, and its effectiveness is verified by semiphysical experiments based on a MATLAB/Simulink and Carsim platform connection environment.

Abstract Background The relationship between aging and osteoporosis is well established. However, the relationship between the body's physiological age, i.e. epigenetic age, and osteoporosis is not known. Our goal is to analyze the bidirectional causal relationship between epigenetic clocks and osteoporosis using a bidirectional Mendelian randomization study. Methods We used SNPs closely associated with GrimAge, Hannum, PhenoAge, and HorvathAge in epigenetic age and SNPs closely associated with femoral neck bone mineral density, lumbar spine bone mineral density, and forearm bone mineral density as instrumental variables, respectively, using the inverse variance weighting method and several other MR methods to assess the bidirectional causal relationship between epigenetic age and osteoporosis. Result There was no evidence of a clear causal relationship of epigenetic age (GrimAge, Hannum, PhenoAge, and HorvathAge) on femoral neck bone mineral density, lumbar spine bone mineral density, and forearm bone mineral density. In reverse Mendelian randomization analysis showed a significant causal effect of lumbar spine bone mineral density on GrimAge: odds ratio (OR) = 0.692, 95% confidence interval (CI) = (0.538–0.890), p = 0.004. The results suggest that a decrease in lumbar spine bone mineral density promotes an acceleration of GrimAge. Conclusion There was no significant bidirectional causal relationship between epigenetic age and osteoporosis A decrease in lumbar spine bone density may lead to an acceleration of the epigenetic clock "GrimAge". Our study provides partial evidence for a bidirectional causal effect between epigenetic age and Osteoporosis.

In response to the limitations of meteorological conditions in global rice growing areas and the high cost of annotating samples, this paper combines the Vertical-Vertical (VV) polarization and Vertical-Horizontal (VH) polarization backscatter features extracted from Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images and the NDVI, NDWI, and NDSI spectral index features extracted from Sentinel-2 multispectral images. By leveraging the advantages of an optimized Semi-Supervised Generative Adversarial Network (optimized SSGAN) in combining supervised learning and semi-supervised learning, rice extraction can be achieved with fewer annotated image samples. Within the optimized SSGAN framework, we introduce a focal-adversarial loss function to enhance the learning process for challenging samples; the generator module employs the Deeplabv3+ architecture, utilizing a Wide-ResNet network as its backbone while incorporating dropout layers and dilated convolutions to improve the receptive field and operational efficiency. Experimental results indicate that the optimized SSGAN, particularly when utilizing a 3/4 labeled sample ratio, significantly improves rice extraction accuracy, leading to a 5.39% increase in Mean Intersection over Union (MIoU) and a 2.05% increase in Overall Accuracy (OA) compared to the highest accuracy achieved before optimization. Moreover, the integration of SAR and multispectral data results in an OA of 93.29% and an MIoU of 82.10%, surpassing the performance of single-source data. These findings provide valuable insights for the extraction of rice information in global rice-growing regions.

By integrating the thermal characteristics from thermal-infrared remote sensing with the physiological and structural information of vegetation revealed by multispectral remote sensing, a more comprehensive assessment of the crop soil-moisture-status response can be achieved. In this study, multispectral and thermal-infrared remote-sensing data, along with soil-moisture-content (SMC) samples (0~20 cm, 20~40 cm, and 40~60 cm soil layers), were collected during the flowering stage of soybean. Data sources included vegetation indices, texture features, texture indices, and thermal-infrared vegetation indices. Spectral parameters with a significant correlation level (p < 0.01) were selected and input into the model as single- and fuse-input variables. Three machine learning methods, eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), Random Forest (RF), and Genetic Algorithm-optimized Backpropagation Neural Network (GA-BP), were utilized to construct prediction models for soybean SMC based on the fusion of UAV multispectral and thermal-infrared remote-sensing information. The results indicated that among the single-input variables, the vegetation indices (VIs) derived from multispectral sensors had the optimal accuracy for monitoring SMC in different soil layers under soybean cultivation. The prediction accuracy was the lowest when using single-texture information, while the combination of texture feature values into new texture indices significantly improved the performance of estimating SMC. The fusion of vegetation indices (VIs), texture indices (TIs), and thermal-infrared vegetation indices (TVIs) provided a better prediction of soybean SMC. The optimal prediction model for SMC in different soil layers under soybean cultivation was constructed based on the input combination of VIs + TIs + TVIs, and XGBoost was identified as the preferred method for soybean SMC monitoring and modeling, with its R2 = 0.780, RMSE = 0.437%, and MRE = 1.667% in predicting 0~20 cm SMC. In summary, the fusion of UAV multispectral and thermal-infrared remote-sensing information has good application value in predicting SMC in different soil layers under soybean cultivation. This study can provide technical support for precise management of soybean soil moisture status using the UAV platform.

As a special type of clay, expansive clay is widely distributed in China. Its characteristics of swelling and softening when meeting water and shrinking and cracking when losing water bring many hidden dangers to engineering construction. Expansive clay is known as “engineering cancer”, and in-depth research on the unloading mechanical response characteristics and the unloading constitutive relationships of expansive clay is a prerequisite for conducting geotechnical engineering design and safety analysis in expansive-soil areas. In order to obtain the unloading mechanical response characteristics and the expression of the unloading tangent modulus of expansive clay, typical expansive clay in the Hefei area was taken as the research object, and triaxial unloading stress path tests were conducted. The stress–strain properties, microstructures, macro failure modes, and strength indexes of the expansive clay were analyzed under unloading stress paths. Through an applicability analysis of several classical soil strength criteria, an unloading constitutive model and the unloading tangent modulus expression of the expansive clay were constructed based on the Mohr–Coulomb (hereinafter referred to as “M-C”) criterion, the Drucker–Prager (hereinafter referred to as “D-P”) criterion, and the extended Spatial Mobilized Plane (hereinafter referred to as “SMP”) criterion theoretical frameworks. The following research results were obtained: (1) The stress–strain curves of the three stress paths of the expansive clay were hyperbolic. The expansive clay showed typical strain-hardening characteristics and belonged to work-hardening soil. (2) Under the unloading stress paths, the soil particles were involved in the unloading process of stress release, and the failure samples showed obvious stretching, curling, and slipping phenomena in their soil sheet elements. (3) Under both unloading stress paths, the strength of the expansive clay was significantly weakened and reduced. Under the lateral unloading paths, the cohesive force (c) of the expansive clay was reduced by 32.7% and the internal friction angle (φ) was increased by 19% compared with those under conventional loading, while under the axial unloading path, c was reduced by 63.5% and φ was reduced by 28.7%. (4) For typical expansive clay in Hefei, the conventional triaxial compression (hereinafter referred to as “CTC”) test, the reduced triaxial compression (hereinafter referred to as “RTC”) test, and the reduced triaxial extension (hereinafter referred to as “RTE”) test stress paths were suitable for characterization and deformation prediction using the M-C strength criterion, D-P strength criterion, and extended SMP strength criterion, respectively. (5) The derived unloading constitutive model and the unified tangent modulus formula of the expansive clay could accurately predict the deformation characteristics of the unloading stress path of the expansive clay. These research results will provide an important reference for future engineering construction in expansive-clay areas.

Vibration control has emerged as a significant concern in civil engineering, aiming to minimize the displacement and stress exerted on structures during seismic events. The accelerated oscillator damper (AOD), which is a damping device that depends on acceleration, has been demonstrated to be highly effective. However, in the case of traditional bridges, it is difficult to accurately place the secondary mass, spring, and damping components at the piers. Additionally, it has been found that as a general single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) damping device, a significant limitation of the AOD system is its insufficient damping effect in the near-resonance region. This study presents a strengthened AOD with a liner spring (SAOD-LS), in which the secondary spring and damper are linked to the primary structure rather than being attached to the piers. This design not only provides enough space for the secondary system but also has a higher amplification factor of secondary spring and damping components compared with the original layout. In addition, we suggest a nonlinear spring device (NSD) that includes connecting rods and inclined linear springs arranged in a diamond configuration. This innovative design is intended to introduce nonlinear stiffness characteristics into the equivalent stiffness, thereby improving the device’s performance and providing effective anti-resonance features in the near-resonance region. We have confirmed the motion equations for the SAOD-LS and used finite element (FE) analysis to validate the formulation of the equivalent external force and deformation of the NSD. We have thoroughly investigated both the SAOD-LS and the strengthened AOD equipped with NSD as the secondary spring (SAOD-NSD) for their potential implementation in a bridge project. These damping systems demonstrate exceptional performance and robustness, making them highly suitable for enhancing structural resistance to seismic activity.

Drip fertigation (DF) is a widely used technology to increase grain yield with water and fertilizer conservation. However, the mechanism of high grain yield (GY) under DF is still unclear. Here, a four-year field experiment assessed the impacts of four treatments (i.e., conventional irrigation and nitrogen application, CK; drip irrigation with conventional nitrogen fertilization, DI; split-nitrogen fertigation with conventional irrigation, SF; and drip fertigation, DF) on maize phenology, leaf photosynthetic rates, grain filling processes, plant biomass, and GY. The results showed that DF significantly increased maize GY by affecting phenology, grain filling traits, aboveground biomass (BIO) accumulation, and translocation. Specifically, DF significantly increased leaf chlorophyll content, which enhanced leaf photosynthetic rates, and together with an increase of leaf area index, promoted BIO accumulation. As a result, the BIO at the silking stage of DF increased by 29.5%, transported biomass increased by 109.2% (1.2 t ha−1), and the accumulation of BIO after silking increased by 23.1% (1.7 t ha−1) compared with CK. Meanwhile, DF prolonged grain filling days, significantly increased the grain weight of 100 kernels, and promoted GY increase. Compared with CK, the four-year averaged GY and BIO increased by 34.3% and 26.8% under DF; a 29.7%, 46.1%, and 24.2% GY increase and a 30.7%, 39.5%, and 29.9% BIO increase were contributed by irrigation, nitrogen, and coupling effects of irrigation and nitrogen, respectively. These results reveal the high yield mechanism of drip-fertigated maize, and are of important significance for promoting the application of drip fertigation.

The leaf area index (LAI) is a crucial physiological indicator of crop growth. This paper introduces a new spectral index to overcome angle effects in estimating the LAI of crops. This study quantitatively analyzes the relationship between LAI and multi-angle hyperspectral reflectance from the canopy of winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) at various growth stages, nitrogen application levels and coverage methods. The angular stability of 16 traditional vegetation indices (VIs) for monitoring the LAI was tested under nine view zenith angles (VZAs). These multi-angle VIs were input into machine learning models including support vector machine (SVM), eXtreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), and Random Forest (RF) to determine the optimal monitoring strategy. The results indicated that the back-scattering direction outperformed the vertical and forward-scattering direction in terms of monitoring the LAI. In the solar principal plane (SPP), EVI-1 and REP showed angle stability and high accuracy in monitoring the LAI. Nevertheless, this relationship was influenced by experimental conditions and growth stages. Compared with traditional VIs, the observation perspective insensitivity vegetation index (OPIVI) had the highest correlation with the LAI (r = 0.77–0.85). The linear regression model based on single-angle OPIVI was most accurate at −15° (R2 = 0.71). The LAI monitoring achieved using a multi-angle OPIVI-RF model had the higher accuracy, with an R2 of 0.77 and with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.38 cm2·cm−2. This study provides valuable insights for selecting VIs that overcome the angle effect in future drone and satellite applications.

In this paper, based on high-resolution satellite images near an ice bridge in the Canadian Basin, we extracted floe size parameters and analyzed the temporal and spatial variations in the parameters through image processing techniques. The floe area shows a decreasing trend over time, while the perimeter and mean clamped diameter (MCD) exhibit no obvious pattern of change. In addition, the roundness of floes, reflected by shape parameters, generally decreases initially and then increases, and the average roundness of small floes is smaller than that of large floes. To correct the deviations from power law behaviour when assessing the floe size distribution (FSD) with the traditional power law function, the upper-truncated power law distribution function and the Weibull function are selected. The four parameters of the two functions are important parameters for describing the floe size distribution, and Lr and L0 are roughly equal to the maximum calliper diameter and the average calliper diameter of the floes in the region. D in the upper-truncated power law distribution function represents the fractal dimension of the floes, and r in the Weibull function represents the shape parameter of the floes, both of which increase and then decrease with time. In this paper, we investigate the response of the rate of change in the FSD parameter to the differences in the monthly average temperature and find that D, r and air temperature are positively correlated, which verifies the influence of air temperature on the floe size distribution.

Abstract We will use micro-computed tomography to scan 31 sets of the adult lower cervical vertebrae (155 vertebrae) to observe the morphological characteristics and direction of trabeculae in the lower cervical vertebrae by outlining and reconstructing the regions of interest and to calculate the variation laws of the microstructure in the regions of interest to reveal their structural characteristics and weak areas. As a result, the images showed that the trabeculae in the lower cervical pedicle near the medial and lateral cortices were relatively dense, and their bone plates were lamellar. There were cavities between the superior and inferior articular processes where the ossification centers had not been absorbed after ossified. The lamellar trabeculae in the vertebral plates near the cortical bones were only 1–2 layers, extended and transformed into rod-shaped trabeculae in a radial shape toward the medullary space. The lamellar trabeculae of the vertebral plate extend over the spinous process near the cortical bone. The statistical results of the trabeculae's morphological parameters showed significant differences in bone volume fraction values among the four parts (P

Abstract Objective Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) can be a life-threatening opportunistic infection. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) for PJP. Methods A comprehensive electronic literature search of Web of Knowledge, PubMed, Cochrane Library, CNKI and Wanfang data was performed. Bivariate analysis was conducted to calculate the pooled sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), the area under the summary receiver operator characteristic (SROC) curve and the Q-point value (Q*). Results The literature search resulted in 9 studies with a total of 1343 patients, including 418 cases diagnosed with PJP and 925 controls. The pooled sensitivity of mNGS for diagnosis of PJP was 0.974 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.953–0.987]. The pooled specificity was 0.943 (95% CI, 0.926–0.957), the DOR was 431.58 (95% CI, 186.77-997.27), the area under the SROC curve was 0.987, and the Q* was 0.951. The I 2 test indicated no heterogeneity between studies. The Deek funnel test suggested no potential publication bias. Subgroup analyses showed that the area under the SROC curve of mNGS for diagnosis of PJP in immunocompromised and non-HIV patients was 0.9852 and 0.979, respectively. Conclusions Current evidence indicates that mNGS exhibits excellent accuracy for the diagnosis of PJP. The mNGS is a promising tool for assessment of PJP in both immunocompromised and non-HIV patients.

In an experiment performed on the Shenguang-III prototype laser facility, collective Thomson scattering (TS) is used to study the spatial growth of stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in a gas-filled hohlraum by detecting the SBS-driven ion acoustic wave. High-quality time-resolved SBS and TS spectra are obtained simultaneously in the experiment, and these are analyzed by a steady-state code based on the ray-tracing model. The analysis indicates that ion–ion collisions may play an important role in suppressing SBS growth in the Au plasma; as a result, the SBS excited in the filled gas region is dominant. In the early phase of the laser pulse, SBS originates primarily from the high-density plasma at the edges of the interaction beam channel, which is piled up by the heating of the interaction beam. Throughout the duration of the laser pulse, the presence of the TS probe beam might mitigate SBS by perturbing the density distribution around the region overlapping with the interaction beam.

Abstract This study aimed to evaluate [18F]GSK1482160 Positron emission tomography imaging for targeting P2X7R, a biomarker for neuroinflammation. Studies of acute neuroinflammation in rodents and transgenic mice with Alzheimer's disease (AD), as well as wild‐type (WT) controls, were conducted via PET‐CT‐MRI scans after tail vein injection of [18F]GSK1482160. Imaging was quantified based on the time‐activity curve, the standardized uptake value ratio, and the binding kinetics distribution volume ratio (DVR) to assess the expression of P2X7R. Tissues were collected post‐PET for immunofluorescence staining. Correlation analysis was performed between DVR and Morris water maze test results. Finally, dynamic Positron Emission Tomography‐Magnetic Resonance Imaging (PET‐MRI) scans were performed in healthy non‐human primates (NHPs). Our study demonstrated that AD mice had a significantly higher DVR than WT mice in the hippocampus (0.92 ± 0.06 vs. 0.79 ± 0.02, p

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is known as the most common type of renal cancer. Recently, a series of advances have been made in targeted therapy for ccRCC. To combat this highly metastatic tumor, novel therapeutic targets still need to be developed. C-type lectins (CLECs) contain a characteristic C-type lectin-like domain and affect several physiological functions. The effects of C-type lectin 2D (CLEC2D) on cancer progression have been revealed in several types of cancers; however, its expression in ccRCC tissues, and the possible effects on the progression and metastasis of ccRCC, are still unclear. Herein, we found the high mRNA and protein levels of CLEC2D in ccRCC tissues. We further found that CLEC2D expression was correlated with the prognosis of ccRCC patients and correlated with the tumor size (p = 0.019*) of patients. In addition, CLEC2D affected tumor immune infiltration, confirmed by the further analysis. CLEC2D knockdown suppressed the proliferation of ccRCC cells in vitro and restrained ccRCC tumor growth and immune infiltration in mice. Therefore, we believe that CLEC2D has the potential to serve as a promising ccRCC therapeutic target.

Abstract The extracellular matrix (ECM) serves as signals that regulate specific cell states in tumor tissues. Increasing evidence suggests that extracellular biomechanical force signals are critical in tumor progression. In this study, we aimed to explore the influence of ECM-derived biomechanical force on breast cancer cell status. Experiments were conducted using 3D collagen, fibrinogen, and Matrigel matrices to investigate the role of mechanical force in tumor development. Integrin-cytoskeleton-AIRE and DDR-STAT signals were examined using RNA sequencing and western blotting. Data from 1358 patients and 86 clinical specimens were used for ECM signature-prognosis analysis. Our findings revealed that ECM-derived mechanical force regulated tumor stemness and cell quiescence in breast cancer cells. A mechanical force of ~45 Pa derived from the extracellular substrate activated integrin β1/3 receptors, stimulating stem cell signaling pathways through the cytoskeleton/AIRE axis and promoting tumorigenic potential and stem-like phenotypes. However, excessive mechanical force (450 Pa) could drive stem-like cancer cells into a quiescent state, with the removal of mechanical forces leading to vigorous proliferation in quiescent cancer stem cells. Mechanical force facilitated cell cycle arrest to induce quiescence, dependent on DDR2/STAT1/P27 signaling. Therefore, ECM-derived mechanical force governs breast cancer cell status and proliferative characteristics through stiffness alterations. We further established an ECM signature based on the fibrinogen/fibronectin/vitronectin/elastin axis, which efficiently predicts patient prognosis in breast cancer. Our findings highlight the vital role of ECM-derived mechanical force in governing breast cancer cell stemness/quiescence transition and suggest the novel use of ECM signature in predicting the clinical prognosis of breast cancer.

Abstract Background Tumor necrosis (TN) was associated with poor prognosis. However, the traditional classification of TN ignored spatial intratumor heterogeneity, which may be associated with important prognosis. The purpose of this study was to propose a new method to reveal the hidden prognostic value of spatial heterogeneity of TN in invasive breast cancer (IBC). Methods Multiphoton microscopy (MPM) was used to obtain multiphoton images from 471 patients. According to the relative spatial positions of TN, tumor cells, collagen fibers and myoepithelium, four spatial heterogeneities of TN (TN1-4) were defined. Based on the frequency of individual TN, TN-score was obtained to investigate the prognostic value of TN. Results Patients with high-risk TN had worse 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) than patients with no necrosis (32.5% vs. 64.7%; P

Abstract Background Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignant bone tumor. The current study was conducted to describe the general condition of patients with primary osteosarcoma in a single cancer center in Tianjin, China and to investigate the associated factors in osteosarcoma patients with lung metastasis. Methods From February 2009 to October 2020, patients from Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, China were retrospectively analyzed. The Kaplan–Meier method was used to evaluate the overall survival of osteosarcoma patients. The Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was performed to analyze the prognostic factors of all osteosarcoma patients and those patients with lung metastasis, respectively. Furthermore, risk factors for developing lung metastasis were identified in synchronous lung metastasis (SLM) and metachronous lung metastasis (MLM) patients. Results A total of 203 patients were involved and 150 patients were successfully followed up for survival status. The 5-year survival rate of osteosarcoma was 70.0% and the survival months for patients with SLM and MLM were 33.3 ± 12.6 and 45.8 ± 7.4 months, respectively. The presence of lung metastasis was one of the independent prognostic factors for prognosis of osteosarcoma. In patients with lung metastasis, twenty-one (10.3%) showed lung metastasis at the diagnosis of osteosarcoma and 67 (33%) were diagnosed with lung metastases during the later course. T3 stage (OR = 11.415, 95%CI 1.362–95.677, P = 0.025) and bone metastasis (OR = 6.437, 95%CI 1.69–24.51, P = 0.006) were risk factors of SLM occurrence. Bone metastasis (OR = 1.842, 95%CI 1.053–3.224, P = 0.032), good necrosis (≥ 90%, OR = 0.032, 95%CI 0.050–0.412, P