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In this study, the thermoset–thermoplastic structure was produced through a co-curing technique together with an injection overmolding technique. Continuous fiber reinforced thermoset composite (TSC) was selected as thermoset material, while polyamide 6 (PA 6) was chosen as thermoplastic material. The influence of injection temperature, preheating temperature and injection speed on the interfacial bonding strength of hybrid thermoset–thermoplastic composites was investigated. The results show that increasing injection temperature and preheating temperature have significant effects on the increase in bonding strength, while injection speed has little effect on it. In addition, the bonding strength of the co-cured interface is enhanced after the injection overmolding process, which is further studied through molecular dynamic (MD) simulation. The molecular dynamic simulation result shows that the high temperature and pressure during the injection process only have a weak effect on enhancing the bonding strength of the co-cured interface, while the chemical reaction at the co-cured interface is the main reason for the enhancement. Furthermore, the more chemical reactions occur at the interface, the stronger the interface will be.

Background Joint contracture causes a decrease in range of motion (ROM), which severely affects activities of daily living of patients. We have investigated the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation on joint contracture by rat model. Methods We used 60 Wistar rats in this study. The rats were divided into five groups as follows: group 1 was the normal control group; except the group 1, we created left hind limb knee joint contracture using Nagai method for other four groups. The joint contracture modeling group 2 was the model control group for monitoring the spontaneous recovery, and other three groups were given different rehabilitation treatments; for example, group 3 was treadmill running group; group 4 was medication group; group 5 was treadmill running plus medication group. The left hind limbs knee joint ROM and the femoral blood flow indicators (FBFI) including PS, ED, RI, and PI were measured right before and after the 4 weeks of rehabilitation. Result After 4 weeks of rehabilitation treatments, the measured values of ROM and FBFI are compared with the corresponding values of group 2. Firstly, we did not see clear difference in the values of ROM and FBFI for group 2 before and after 4 weeks spontaneous recovery. The improvement of left lower limb ROM for group 4 and group 5 as compared to the group 2 was statistically significant (p Conclusion Our results indicate that multidisciplinary rehabilitation treatments had a curative effect on both contracture of joints and the abnormal femoral circulations.

When exploiting Jurassic-era coal resources in Northwest China, there are risks of water inrush and sand burst disasters from coal seam roofs. To improve the safety of coal mining, it is imperative to accurately and objectively evaluate the water inrush risk of sandstone aquifers from coal seam roofs and to reasonably and effectively prevent and control water disasters. In this paper, the 221 mining area of the Shilawusu Coal Mine was considered. By combining the basic geological condition data, hydrogeological condition data, and drilling data in the area studied, four main control factors, including the equivalent thickness of sandstone, the lithology coefficient of sandstone, the interbedded coefficient of sand and mud, and the core recovery rate, were selected as evaluation indexes for predicting the water inrush risk from the coal seam roof. A hierarchical prediction and discrimination model of water inrush risk based on combination weighting-set pair analysis was established. The combination weighting method, which is based on the sum of squared deviations, was used to optimize the subjective and objective weight values obtained by the improved analytic hierarchy process and entropy weight methods. By applying set pair analysis theory, the comprehensive connection degree was determined using the set pair connection degree function that was constructed with 31 instances of drilling data in the study area. Then, the risk grade of each drilling data instance was evaluated by the confidence criterion of set pair analysis to calculate the water inrush risk evaluation index. Finally, the obtained index was combined with the borehole pumping test data and the discharging test data to partition the water inrush risk from the coal seam roof. The results indicated that most of the 221 mining area is safe, and the small transitional and dangerous areas are only in the central and northern regions. Based on the combination weighting-set pair analysis method, the water inrush risk from the coal seam roofs in the study area was accurately and objectively classified by a discrimination model.

As a precious soil resource, black soils in Northeast China are currently facing severe land degradation. Visible and near-infrared spectroscopy (vis-NIR, 350–2500 nm) and mid-infrared spectroscopy (MIR, 2500–25,000 nm) have shown great potential to predict soil properties. However, there is still limited research on using MIR in situ. The aim of this study was to explore the feasibility of in situ MIR for the prediction of soil total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) and to compare its performance with the use of laboratory MIR, as well as the use of in situ and laboratory vis-NIR. A total of 450 samples from 90 soil profiles, along with their in situ and laboratory spectra of MIR and vis-NIR, were collected in a field with ten different tillage and management practices in a typical black soil area of Northeast China. Partial least square regression (PLSR), random forest (RF) and multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) were used to generate the calibrations between the spectra and the two properties. The results showed that both MIR and vis-NIR were able to predict the TN whether in laboratory or in situ conditions, but neither of them could predict the TP quantitatively since there was no sensitive band on both spectra regarding the TP. The prediction accuracy of the TN with laboratory spectra was higher than that with in situ spectra, for both vis-NIR and MIR. The optimal prediction accuracy of the TN with laboratory MIR (RMSE = 0.11 g/kg, RPD = 3.12) was higher than that of laboratory vis-NIR (RMSE = 0.14 g/kg, RPD = 2.45). The optimal prediction accuracy of in situ MIR (RMSE = 0.20 g/kg, RPD = 1.80) was lower than that of in situ vis-NIR (RMSE = 0.16 g/kg, RPD = 2.14). The prediction performance of the spectra followed laboratory MIR > laboratory vis-NIR > in situ vis-NIR > in situ MIR. The performance of in situ MIR was relatively poor, mainly due to the fact that MIR was more influenced by soil moisture. This study verified the feasibility of in situ MIR for soil property prediction and provided an approach for obtaining rapid soil information and a reference for soil research and management in black soil areas.

Impairment of genome instability drives the development of cancer by disrupting anti-cancer barriers. Upon genotoxic insults, DNA damage responsive factors, notably ATM kinase, is crucial to protect genomic integrity while promoting cell death. Meanwhile, cytotoxic therapy-inducing DNA lesions is double-edged sword by causing cancer metastasis based on animal models and clinical observations. The underlying mechanisms for the procancer effect of cytotoxic therapies are poorly understood. Here, we report that cancer cells subjected to cytotoxic treatments elicit dramatic alteration of gene expression controlling the potential of epithelium-mesenchyme transition (EMT). Resultantly, EMT-dependent cell mobility is potently induced upon DNA damage. This stimulation of EMT is mainly Ataxia-Telangiectasia-mutated (ATM)-dependent, as the chemical inhibitor specifically inhibiting ATM kinase activity can suppress the EMT gene expression and thus cell mobility. At last, we show that cancer cells with ATM activation display increased metastatic potential in ovarian cancer tissues. Taken together, we reveal a novel role of ATM in promoting metastatic potential of cancer cells by favoring EMT gene expression.

Despite of great interests in aqueous asymmetric supercapacitors (ASC), their performance is often restricted by unsatisfactory specific capacitance of anode materials. Herein, accordion-like V

The rational design of composite electrodes that may take full advantage of pseudocapacitive metal oxides and graphene is still challenging. Herein, nickel cobaltate (NiCo

Based on the heterogeneous material model, an integrated analysis method was introduced to predict the service life of propeller. The morphology and distribution characteristic of non-continuous defects (porosity & inclusion) were calculated and mapped into the finite element model by 3D-mapping algorithm, and the fatigue life was predicted based on the heterogeneous material model. In this paper, the coupling analysis of casting process and fatigue prediction of marine propeller was done. The results show that porosity and mass inclusions in blade roots of propeller form serious heterogeneous characteristics in those parts, which increased the maximum stress of the propeller and decreased its theoretical fatigue life by 1/2, indicating that the effect of non-continuous defects on the service performance of casting is notable and cannot be ignored. Based on the integrated analysis method, the inference of the pouring temperature and gating system on the service life of propeller was studied further. The integrated analysis method brings the influence of the casting defects into structural analysis and fatigue analysis, which can improve the accuracy of the fatigue life prediction significantly.

Adaptive immunity and innate immunity have been implicated in the pathogenesis of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), and damage and remodelling in the tunica media are a focus of the aneurysm development. Thus, identification of key immune cells or molecules that might be targets for the treatment of AAA is critical. We characterized the innate immune cells in human AAA tissue specimens by flow cytometry and found that apart from other lymphocytes, many invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells marked as CD3 and Va24Ja18 had invaded the aortic tissues and were numerous, especially in the tunica media. These infiltrating iNKT cells have a high expression of CD69, indicating a highly active function. We were interested in whether iNKT cells could be the drivers of media damage in AAA. To answer this question, we used an AAA mouse model induced by angiotensin II (Ang II) infusion, which can reproduce the inflammatory response of AAA in mouse, which was confirmed by RNAseq. The results showed that the incidence of AAA was significantly higher after administration of α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer), a synthetic glycolipid that activates iNKT cells via CD1d, compared with the Ang II-induced AAA alone (61·54% vs 31·82%) in mice. Histopathological and immunofluorescent staining results showed significantly more severe inflammatory infiltration and pathological lesions in the Ang II+α-GalCer treatment group. These results are highly suggestive that activated iNKT cells greatly contribute to AAA development and that the control of the activation state in iNKT cells may represent an important therapeutic strategy for AAA.

Controlled-release urea (CRU) fertilizer application has been shown to improve crop yield and nitrogen (N) use efficiency. However, its effects when mixed with conventional urea fertilizer on soil aggregate stability, humic acid (HA) molecular composition and crop N uptake remain unclear. Soil and plant samples were collected from a long-term (2008-2019) experiment on field maize (Zea mays L., 'Zhengdan 958') which included two types of fertilizers [conventional urea fertilizer (CUF), blended CUF with CRU fertilizer (CRF)], four N application rates (0, 150, 300 and 450 kg ha-1), each in three replicates. The results showed that at 300 kg N ha-1, compared to CUF treatment, the CRF treatment significantly improved soil aggregate characteristics [aggregate content with particle size larger than 0.25 mm (R0.25) by 9.6%, mean weight diameter by 19.8%, and geometric mean diameter by 21.7%]. CRF treatment also increased HA content by 5.5%, fulvic acid (FA) by 5.5%, lignin-like molecules by 0.94 times, and protein-like molecules by 3.69 times. At grain-filling stage, CRF treatments significantly increased the sum of soil NH4+-N and NO3--N content by 23.3-24.5%, sap bleeding rate by 12.8-18.2% and N delivery rate through bleeding sap by 60.6-87.7% compared to CUF treatments at the same N application rate. At the same rate of N application, the CRF treatments significantly improved the average yield during three growing seasons by 9.4-14.0% in contrast with CUF treatments. The regression equations showed that the maximum yield was 8294 kg ha-1 for CUF at the application rate of 312 kg N ha-1 while it was 9890 kg ha-1 for CRF at the application rate of 286 kg N ha-1. We conclude that the long-term application of CRF changed the HA molecular structure, enhanced the water stable aggregates, improved crop N uptake, and increased economically viable maize yield.

The incidence of COVID-19 in children and teenagers is only about 2% in China. Children had mild symptoms and hardly infected other children or adults. It is worth considering that children are the most vulnerable to respiratory pathogens, but fatal SARS-like virus had not caused severe cases among them. According to the pathological studies of COVID-19 and SARS, a sharp decrease in T lymphocytes leads to the breakdown of the immune system. The cellular immune system of children differs from that of adults may be the keystone of atypical clinical manifestations or even covert infection. The frequent childhood vaccinations and repeated pathogens infections might be resulting in trained immunity of innate immune cells, immune fitness of adaptive immune cells or cross-protection of antibodies in the children. Therefore, due to lack of specific vaccine, some vaccines for tuberculosis, influenza and pneumonia may have certain application potential for the front-line health workers in the prevention and control of COVID-19. However, for high-risk susceptible populations, such as the elderly with basic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes, it is necessary to explore the acclimatization effect of the planned immune process on their immunity to achieve the trained immunity or immune fitness, so as to improve their own antiviral ability.

Combining with Pequet’s porosity model, this paper coupled vibration effect into the heat transfer models based on the turbulent heat transfer theory, on this basis porosity distribution of alloys under micro-amplitude vibration conditions can be analyzed. The simulated porosity results of ZL201 alloy show that appropriate vibration frequency (10Hz˜30Hz) promoted the mass feeding and capillary feeding by increasing the Dendrite Arm Spacing (SDAS) and heat transfer specific surface area of mass liquid channel, thus efficiently decreasing porosity distribution in casting. However, too high vibration intensity (40Hz˜50Hz) may deteriorate porosity distribution in casting due to insufficient feeding capacity. The vibration model provides a theoretical basis for the study on effect of mechanical vibration on casting, which is significant for the optimization of vibration parameters and porosity prevention in casting technology.

Combining with CAFE model, this paper introduced a modified heat transfer model which interfere the effect of mechanical vibration based on turbulent heat transfer theory, on this basis the grains morphology of alloys under micro-amplitude vibration can be analyzed. Based on this model, the results of ZL201 alloys showed that vibration can promote columnar-to-equiaxed transition (CET) and grain refinement, and improve homogeneity of grains distribution. The optimum vibration frequency in current study is 40Hz. The method used in this paper provides a reference for study on the theory of vibration casting and is beneficial for parameters optimization of mechanical vibration in foundry field.

Objective To determine whether T1 mapping could monitor the dynamic changes of injury in myocardial infarction (MI) and be histologically validated. Materials and Methods In 22 pigs, MI was induced by ligating the left anterior descending artery and they underwent serial cardiovascular magnetic resonance examinations with modified Look-Locker inversion T1 mapping and extracellular volume (ECV) computation in acute (within 24 hours, n = 22), subacute (7 days, n = 13), and chronic (3 months, n = 7) phases of MI. Masson's trichrome staining was performed for histological ECV calculation. Myocardial native T1 and ECV were obtained by region of interest measurement in infarcted, peri-infarct, and remote myocardium. Results Native T1 and ECV in peri-infarct myocardium differed from remote myocardium in acute (1181 ± 62 ms vs. 1113 ± 64 ms, p = 0.002; 24 ± 4% vs. 19 ± 4%, p = 0.031) and subacute phases (1264 ± 41 ms vs. 1171 ± 56 ms, p < 0.001; 27 ± 4% vs. 22 ± 2%, p = 0.009) but not in chronic phase (1157 ± 57 ms vs. 1120 ± 54 ms, p = 0.934; 23 ± 2% vs. 20 ± 1%, p = 0.109). From acute to chronic MI, infarcted native T1 peaked in subacute phase (1275 ± 63 ms vs. 1637 ± 123 ms vs. 1471 ± 98 ms, p < 0.001), while ECV progressively increased with time (35 ± 7% vs. 46 ± 6% vs. 52 ± 4%, p < 0.001). Native T1 correlated well with histological findings (R2 = 0.65 to 0.89, all p < 0.001) so did ECV (R2 = 0.73 to 0.94, all p < 0.001). Conclusion T1 mapping allows the quantitative assessment of injury in MI and the noninvasive monitoring of tissue injury evolution, which correlates well with histological findings.

With the increase in applications of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) in biomedicine, it is essential to investigate the bio‑security of these nanoparticles, especially with respect to the human immune system. In the present study, the biological effects of dextran‑coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (Dex‑SPIONs) on human primary monocyte cells were evaluated. The results of the present study demonstrated that Dex‑SPIONs can be identified in phagosomes or freed in the cytoplasm and did not affect cell viability or induce apoptosis. Notably, there were certain bulky vacuoles and a number of pseudopodia from the cell membrane, suggesting potential activation of human monocyte cells. In addition, the expression levels of pro‑inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)‑1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‑α were also increased following treatment with Dex‑SPIONs. Simultaneously, the phosphorylation levels of mitogen‑activated protein kinase (MAPK) p38, c‑Jun N‑terminal kinase 1 and extracellular signal regulated kinase were markedly enhanced following nanoparticle exposure and MAPK inhibitors could abate the production of IL‑1β and TNF‑α. The results of the present study demonstrated that Dex‑SPIONs could activate human monocyte cells and that activation of MAPK pathway may be involved in these effects.

Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) have been suggested as a candidate for various clinical applications, however, major limitations include the lack of organ-specific accumulation and low survival rates of transplanted cells. In the present study, it was hypothesized that the paracrine effects of UC‑MSCs may enhance stem cell-based tissue repair and regeneration by promoting the specific homing of stem/progenitor cells and the overall ability to drive them to the damaged area. UC-MSCs-derived conditioned medium (UC-CM) was analyzed using liquid chip and ELISA techniques. In vitro tube formation assays of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and UC-MSCs were then performed to assess the angiogenic properties of UC-CM. Subsequently, UC-MSCs, HUVECs and fibroblasts were labeled with PKH26 for an in vivo cell migration assay. The expression levels of C-X-C chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), C-C chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) and c-met were determined in the UC-MSCs, HUVECs and fibroblasts using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and flow cytometry. UC-CM was incubated with or without antibodies, and the contribution of stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1), monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) on the migration of cells was investigated in vitro. The results demonstrated that UC-MSCs secreted different cytokines and chemokines, including increased quantities of SDF-1, MCP-1 and HGF, in addition to the angiogenic factors, vascular cell adhesion protein-1, interleukin-8, insulin-like growth factor-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor. The total lengths of the tubes were significantly increased in the UC-MSCs and HUVECs incubated in UC-CM compared with those incubated in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium. In vivo cell migration assays demonstrated that UC-CM was a chemotactic stimulus for the UC-MSCs and HUVECs. In vitro Matrigel migration and scratch healing assays demonstrated that UC-CM increased the migration of CXCR4-positive or/and CCR2-positive cells in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, different molecules were screened under antibody-based blocking migration conditions. The data revealed that the SDF-1/CXCR4 and MCP-1/CCR2 axes were involved in the chemoattractive activity of UC-CM and suggested that the effective paracrine factor of UC-CM is a large complex rather than a single factor. The results of the present study supported the hypothesis that UC-MSCs release soluble factors, which may extend the therapeutic applicability of stem cells.

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of oral mucosa of unknown cause. Microbial infection and dysimmunity appear to play important roles in its pathogenesis. In this study, differences in genetic profiling of salivary microbial communities in two subtypes of OLP and healthy controls were evaluated by means of PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Additionally, ELISA was used to investigate the possible role of Th17 in lesion formation by detecting two related cytokines IL-17 and IL-23 in the saliva of OLP patients. When the DGGE profiles were analyzed, the bacterial populations were found to be significantly less rich in subjects with reticular and erosive OLP than in healthy controls. There was significantly less microbial diversity, as denoted by the Shannon index, in saliva samples from subjects with erosive OLP than in those from healthy controls. Cluster analysis and principal component analysis showed that the DGGE profiles formed distinctly group-specific clusters. Salivary concentrations of IL-17 in subjects with erosive OLP group were significantly higher than in those with reticular OLP and healthy controls. What's more, significantly positive correlations were observed between salivary IL-17 concentrations and disease clinical scores. Microbial richness and diversity was negatively correlated with salivary IL-17 concentrations. These results suggest there is significantly less salivary bacterial diversity and complexity in subjects with OLP han in healthy controls and that the shifted community composition is closely related to an immune cytokine, IL-17.

Context: Sepsis is now the leading cause of death in the noncardiovascular intensive care unit (ICU).Objective: To investigate whether polymorphisms in IL21 gene contribute to sepsis susceptibility.Materials and methods: Three single-nucleotide polymorphisms of IL21 (rs907715, rs2055979, rs12508721) were genotyped by TaqMan assay in patients with sepsis and control subjects.Results: Polymorphisms rs2055979 and rs12508721 in IL21 were more frequent in sepsis patients compared to general population. But allele frequency of rs907715 was not significantly different between sepsis patients and control subjects.Conclusion: Polymorphisms in IL21 may be associated with sepsis risk.

This study aims to investigate the regulative effects of microRNA-451a (miR-451a) on cell proliferation and sensitivity to tamoxifen in breast cancer cells. In cell culture experiments, the lentiviral vectors of pHBLV-miR-451a and pHBLV-miR-451a sponge were constructed and used to transfect MCF-7 and LCC2 cells. The transfection efficiency was tested by fluorescent observation, and cell lines with stable over- or downregulated expression of miR-451a were established. The expression of miR-451a and the target gene macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) were detected by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and/or western blot. Moreover, MTT assay, colony formation, and Transwell invasion assays were also performed. Data showed that the recombinant lentiviral vectors were constructed correctly, and the virus titer was 1 × 108 CFU/mL. The stable transfected cells were obtained. Overexpression of miR-451a downregulated MIF expression in mRNA and protein levels and inhibited cell proliferation, colony formation, and invasion of breast cancer cells. Downregulation of miR-451a upregulated MIF expression and increased breast cancer cell growth, invasion, and tamoxifen sensitivity. In summary, the miR-451a/MIF pathway may play important roles in the biological properties of breast cancer cells and may be a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer.

To compare the efficiency of pamidronate (PAM) and isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) to stimulate γδ T cell expansion from human peripheral blood and explore the optimized expansion conditions.Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated by Ficoll-Paque gradient centrifugation, and then cultured in RPMI1640 medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum, IPP (1.0, 5.0, 10.0, 15.0 μg/mL) or PAM (2.0, 5.0, 8.0, 12.0 μg/mL), and IL-2 (100.0, 200.0, 500.0 IU/mL). The cells were observed and collected. The number and proportion of CD3⁺TCRδ2⁺ γδ T cells stimulated by PAM or IPP in total lymphocytes were evaluated by flow cytometry and the expansion efficiency was calculated.After 14 days, the ratios of γδ T cells in total lymphocytes in IPP group and PAM group increased to 81.3% and 78.5%, respectively. This indicated that both IPP and PAM could effectively stimulate γδ T cell expansion and there was no significant difference in the efficiency of expansion between the two groups (P0.05).PAM has the similar ability with IPP to stimulate γδ T cell expansion in vitro. PAM could become more economical and practical choice for stimulating γδ T cell expansion.