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Benefitting from the breakthrough of wireless power transfer technology, the lifetime of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) can be significantly prolonged by scheduling a mobile charger (MC) to charge sensors. Compared with omnidirectional charging, the MC equipped with directional antenna can concentrate energy in the intended direction, making charging more efficient. However, all prior arts ignore the considerable energy leakage behind the directional antenna (i.e., back lobe), resulting in energy wasted in vain. To address this issue, we study a fundamental problem of how to utilize the neglected back lobe and schedule the directional MC efficiently. Towards this end, we first build and verify a directional charging model considering both main and back lobes. Then, we focus on jointly optimizing the number of dead sensors and energy usage effectiveness. We achieve these by introducing a scheduling scheme that utilizes both main and back lobes to charge multiple sensors simultaneously. Finally, extensive simulations and field experiments demonstrate that our scheme reduces the number of dead sensors by 49.5% and increases the energy usage effectiveness by 10.2% on average as compared with existing algorithms.

To satisfy the heterogeneous service requirements in future internet of things (IoT), this paper investigates the novel framework for intelligent reflecting surface (IRS)-aided wireless powered over-the-air computation (AirComp) and communication networks, where the IoT devices first harvest energy from the downlink signal sent by the base station, and then conduct the information transmissions and AirComp in the uplink. In particular, the IRS is used to improve the efficiency of wireless energy transfer, and alleviate the harmful interference between the communication and AirComp signals. To balance the performance of such an integrated system, we present two joint beamforming and reflection optimization problems via minimizing the computation distortion and maximizing the sum rate, respectively. To solve the non-convex problems, we develop the alternating optimization framework with proved convergence, in which the penalty function-based method and variable substitution technique are exploited to acquire the optimal solutions of beamformers and reflection parameters. Finally, simulation results show that the proposed method realizes significantly higher computation accuracy and communication rate, in comparison with several existing benchmark methods.

In this paper, we study the employment of a mobile charger to charge lifetime-critical sensors under the multi-node partial-charging model, in which the charger can simultaneously charge the sensors within its charging range and each sensor may be partially charged each time. We notice that existing studies only scheduled the charger to minimize the number of dead sensors, but did not consider the charging scheduling for the sensors that have already run out of their energy, and the dead sensors will be last charged by the mobile charger. Then, their dead durations may be very long. In this paper, we consider not only how to minimize the number of dead sensors but also reduce the dead durations of sensors. To this end, we first formulate a sensor lifetime maximization problem, which is to find a charging tour for a mobile charger to charge sensors, such that the sum of sensor lifetimes is maximized. We then propose a novel $\frac{1}{3}$13-approximation algorithm for the problem. We finally evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm through experiments. Experimental results show that both the average and maximum sensor dead durations by the proposed algorithm are up to 70% shorter than those by existing algorithms.

Bacterial pathogens and viruses are the leading causes of global waterborne diseases. Here, we discovered an interesting natural paradigm of water “self-purification” through virus–pathogen interactions over a 1432 km continuum along the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Canal (MR-SNWDC) in China, the largest water transfer project in the world. Due to the extremely low total phosphorus (TP) content (ND-0.02 mg/L) in the MR-SNWDC, the whole canal has experienced long-lasting phosphorus (P) limitation since its operation in 2015. Based on 4443 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) and 40,261 nonredundant viral operational taxonomic units (vOTUs) derived from our recent monitoring campaign, we found that residential viruses experiencing extreme P constraints had to adopt special adaptive strategies by harboring smaller genomes to minimize nucleotide replication, DNA repair, and posttranslational modification costs. With the decreasing P supply downstream, bacterial pathogens showed repressed environmental fitness and growth potential, and a weakened capacity to maintain P acquisition, membrane formation, and ribonucleotide biosynthesis. Consequently, the unique viral predation effects under P limitation, characterized by enhanced viral lytic infections and an increased abundance of ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) genes linked to viral nuclear DNA replication cycles, led to unexpectedly lower health risks from waterborne bacterial pathogens in the downstream water-receiving areas. These findings highlighted the great potential of water self-purification associated with virus–pathogen dynamics for water-quality improvement and sustainable water resource management.

Bacterial pathogens and viruses are the leading causes of global waterborne diseases. Here, we discovered an interesting natural paradigm of water “self-purification” through virus–pathogen interactions over a 1432?km continuum along the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Canal (MR-SNWDC) in China, the largest water transfer project in the world. Due to the extremely low total phosphorus (TP) content (ND-0.02?mg/L) in the MR-SNWDC, the whole canal has experienced long-lasting phosphorus (P) limitation since its operation in 2015. Based on 4443 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) and 40,261 nonredundant viral operational taxonomic units (vOTUs) derived from our recent monitoring campaign, we found that residential viruses experiencing extreme P constraints had to adopt special adaptive strategies by harboring smaller genomes to minimize nucleotide replication, DNA repair, and posttranslational modification costs. With the decreasing P supply downstream, bacterial pathogens showed repressed environmental fitness and growth potential, and a weakened capacity to maintain P acquisition, membrane formation, and ribonucleotide biosynthesis. Consequently, the unique viral predation effects under P limitation, characterized by enhanced viral lytic infections and an increased abundance of ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) genes linked to viral nuclear DNA replication cycles, led to unexpectedly lower health risks from waterborne bacterial pathogens in the downstream water-receiving areas. These findings highlighted the great potential of water self-purification associated with virus–pathogen dynamics for water-quality improvement and sustainable water resource management.

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), with superior mechanical and electrical conductivity, are one of the most promising two-dimensional materials for creating a generation of intelligent and flexible electronic devices. However, due to the high van der Waals and electrostatic attraction, TMD nanomaterials tend to aggregate in dispersants to achieve a stable state, thus severely limiting their further applications. Surface chemical modification is a common strategy for improving the dispersity of TMD nanomaterials; however, there are still constraints such as limited functionalization methods, low grafting rate, and difficult practice application. Thus, it is challenging to develop innovative surface modification systems. Herein, we covalently modify an olefin molecule on surface-inert MoS2, and the modified MoS2can be used as not only a catalyst for hydrogel polymerization, but also a cross-linker in the hydrogel network. Specifically, allyl is covalently grafted onto chemically exfoliated MoS2, and this modified MoS2can be uniformly dispersed in polar solvents (such as acetone, N,N-dimethylformamide, and ethanol), remaining stable for more than 2 weeks. The allyl-modified MoS2can catalyze the polymerization of polyacrylamide hydrogel and then integrate in the network, which increases the tensile strength of the composite hydrogel. The flexible sensor based on the composite hydrogel exhibits an ideal operating range of 600% and a quick response time of 150 ms. At the same time, the flexible device can also track the massive axial stretching movements of human joints, making it a reliable option for the next wave of wearable sensing technology.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.Objective: Recently, there has been a rise in children and adolescents developing low back pain and/or sciatica. Degenerative lumbar spine MRI phenotypes can occur in this population but reports have been sporadic and the true incidence of such spine changes remains debatable. As such, the study aimed to address the epidemiology of MRI phenotypes of the lumbar spine in this young population.Methods: 597 children and adolescents with lumbar MRIs were included in the study. T1- and T2-weighted lumbar images from L1/2 to L5/S1 were analyzed in axial and sagittal planes. Global phenotype assessment was performed of each level and based on established nomenclature protocols.Results: The cohort consisted of 57.3% (342) boys and 42.7% (255) girls, with a mean age of 10.75 ± 5.25 years (range: 0 to 18 years). The prevalence of imaging findings of lumbar disc degeneration (LDD) and lumbar disc herniation (LDH) were 2.2% (95% CI: 0.93–3.43) and 5.8% (95%CI: 2.58-8.99), respectively. There was significant difference between each disc segment from L1/2 to L5/S1 for both LDD and LDH. Schmorl’s nodes were noted in 16 cases (2.7%, youngest case as 15 years), with 11 boys (68.8%) and most frequent segment as L3/4. Modic changes and high-intensity zones were absent in this cohort.Conclusions: LDD can emerge as early as the first decade of life with Schmorl’s nodes, without additional specific phenotypes, including Modic changes and high-intensity zones. The study provides valuable information of a unique age group that is often under-represented but equally important as adults.

Triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) structures have been extensively promoted for mimicking the tissue scaffolds with interconnected pores and robust mechanical properties. To further optimize the mechanical performance, two kinds of TPMS structures including Schwarz P (P) and Gyroid (G) with uniform and different graded-thickness were designed and proposed in the current work. Biodegradable polymer composites based on poly (butyleneadipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) and poly (lactic acid) (PLA) were developed into fused filament fabrication (FFF) filaments. Results showed that PBAT/PLA filaments exhibited good flexibility, thermal and rheological properties and high printability. As for compressive properties, the load-bearing capacity and energy absorption (EA) of TPMS-G were superior to TPMS-P uniform structures. TPMS-G graded samples exhibited better EA capacity, whereas those of graded TPMS-P were inferior to uniform counterparts. The deformation behavior of the internal structure in graded TPMS-G and TPMS-P were examined by computed tomography (CT) scanning and reconstruction. Furthermore, tensile properties of graded and non-graded TPMS were also compared. Under tension load, results demonstrated that non-graded structure of TPMS were both stronger than the graded ones. The proposed biodegradable PBAT/PLA composite and structure design could be applied as biomedical soft scaffolds, wearable devices and resilient absorbing buffers.

ABSTRACTTo reduce the crosswind effect on high-speed trains, in this paper, by using the Improved Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation (IDDES) method and the SST turbulence model, a novel blowing measure is studied and compared by considering different positions of blowing slots on the train surface. The concerned blowing positions on the train surface include the top position (Top); windward side (WWS): the upper position (WU), middle position (WM), and lower position (WL); and leeward side (LWS): the upper position (LU), middle position (LM), and lower position (LL). The results show that in regard to the rolling moment coefficient around the leeward rail, CMxlee, the mitigation effect with LM for the head car is the largest, and the mitigation effect with WL for the middle car and tail car is superior to other cases. The corresponding drop percentages are 18.5%, 21.7%, and 30.8% for the head car, middle car, and tail car, respectively. The flow structures indicate that the blowing positions on the lower half of WWS and upper half of LWS would form a protective air gap to weaken the impact of coming flows and delay the vortex separation on LWS, and thus the train aerodynamic performance is improved.

A regio- and chemoselective sulfonylation of propargyl alcohols with sulfinamides in 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) was developed. It provided straightforward and mild access to multi-substituted allenyl sulfones by using sulfinamides as the sulfonyl sources. This transformation was promoted by HFIP and did not require any catalysts or oxidants, which allowed for the successful conversion of various tertiary and secondary propargyl alcohols into allenyl sulfones in high yields.

ABSTRACTOsteosarcoma (OS) is one of the most prevalent and highly aggressive bone malignancies. The treatment strategies of OS is under standard regimens, including surgical resection, chemotherapy, and other adjuvant therapy. However, the 5-year survival rate is still unsatisfactory. Previous studies have demonstrated that the expression of miR-34a decreases in osteosarcoma, which is involved in regulating numerous genes directly or indirectly at the post-transcriptional level and other pathways. Thus, miR-34a plays an important role in mediating OS cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, and apoptosis, and might be a pivotal biomarker for OS with diagnostic and therapeutic potentials. In this review, we aim to summarize the relationship between miR-34a and OS, with an emphasis on the specific mechanisms in OS development referring to miR-34a. Moreover, the potential role of miR-34a as a diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic candidate for OS would be presented in detail. However, the molecular mechanisms related to miR-34a and OS remain elusive, and more investigations are needed to reach a comprehensive understanding.

This study investigated the impact of different Polyamic Acid (PAA) solid content on Polyimide (PI) film precursors, adjusting the molecular chain density after dehydration and cyclization to improve the operating voltage and leakage current of resistive random access memory (RRAM). This work modulated 1.5%, 5%, and 15% PAA solutions to form PI film as a resistance switching layer. After modulating the molecular chain density in the PI film, the goal is to improve the device’s operating characteristics. According to the result, the PI film with a higher concentration can achieve a lower operating electric field and reduce the leakage current, improving operational stability and reliability.

The immunosuppressive effects of antibiotics and the potential associations with the intestinal microbiota of the host have been increasingly recognized in recent years. However, the detailed underlying mechanisms of immune interference of antibiotics in environmental organisms remain unclear, particularly at the early life stage of high sensitivity. To better understand the gut microbiome and immune function interactions, the vertebrate model, zebrafish, was treated with environmentally relevant concentrations of a frequently detected antibiotic, enrofloxacin (ENR), ranging from 0.01 to 100 μg/L. 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing indicated diminished diversity, richness, and evenness of intestinal flora following ENR treatment. Twenty-two taxa of gut bacteria including Rickettsiales, Pseudomonadales, and Flavobacterialeswere significantly correlated with immunosuppressive biomarkers, including a significant decrease in the abundance of macrophages and neutrophils. To validate the immunomodulatory effects due to altered intestinal microbial populations, zebrafish reared under sterile and non-sterile husbandry conditions were compared after ENR treatment. A significant inhibitory effect was induced by ENR treatment under non-sterile conditions, while the number of macrophages and neutrophils, as well as biomarkers of immunosuppressive effects, were significantly salved in zebrafish under sterile conditions, confirming for the first time that immunosuppression by ENR was closely mediated through alterations of the intestinal microbiome in fish.

The silver-catalyzed alkynyl borrowing amination of secondary propargyl alcohols via C(sp3)–C(sp) bond cleavage has been developed. This new strategy was based on the β-alkynyl elimination of propargyl alcohols and alkynyl as the borrowing subject. This alkynyl borrowing amination featured high atom economy, wide functional group tolerance, and high efficiency.

Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), which often occurs concurrently with degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS), is a common disease in the elderly population, affecting the quality of life of aged people significantly. Notwithstanding the frequently good effect of conservative therapy on LSS, a minority of the patients ultimately require surgery. Surgery for LSS aims to decompress the narrowed spinal canals with preservation of spinal stability. Traditional open surgery, either pure decompression or decompression with fusion, was considered effective for the treatment of LSS with or without DS. However, the long-term clinical outcomes of traditional open surgery are still unclear. Moreover, the disadvantages of conventional open surgery are extensive, examples including tissue injuries or secondary instability, with limited outcomes and significant reoperation rates. With the development and improvement of surgical tools, various minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) methods, including indirect decompression techniques of interspinous process devices (IPDs) and direct decompression techniques such as microscopic spine surgery or endoscopic spine surgery (ESS), have been updated with enhancement. IPDs, such as Superion devices, were reported to behave with comparable physical function, disability, and symptoms outcomes to laminectomy decompression. As an emerging technique of MISS, ESS has beneficial hallmarks including minimal tissue injuries, reduced complication rates, and shortened recovery periods, thus gaining popularity in recent years. ESS can be classified in terms of endoscopic hallmarks and approaches. Predictably, with the continuous development and gradual maturity, MISS is expected to replace traditional open surgery widely in the surgical treatment of LSS associated with DS in the future.

ABSTRACTStem cells are a class of undifferentiated cells with great self-renewal and differentiation capabilities that can differentiate into mature cells in specific tissue types. Stem cell differentiation plays critical roles in body homoeostasis, injury repair and tissue generation. The important functions of stem cell differentiation have resulted in numerous studies focusing on the complex molecular mechanisms and various signalling pathways controlling stem cell differentiation. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a novel class of noncoding RNAs with a covalently closed structure present in eukaryotes. Numerous studies have highlighted important biological functions of circRNAs, and they play multiple regulatory roles in various physiological and pathological processes. Importantly, multiple lines of evidence have shown the abnormal expression of numerous circRNAs during stem cell differentiation, and some play a role in regulating stem cell differentiation, highlighting the role of circRNAs as novel biomarkers of stem cell differentiation and novel targets for stem cell-based therapy. In this review, we systematically summarize and discuss recent advances in our understanding of the roles and underlying mechanisms of circRNAs in modulating stem cell differentiation, thus providing guidance for future studies to investigate stem cell differentiation and stem cell-based therapy.Abbreviations:CircRNAs: circular RNAs; ESCs: embryonic stem cells; ADSCs: adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells; ecircRNAs: exonic circRNAs; EIciRNAs: exon-intron circRNAs; eiRNAs: circular intronic RNAs; tricRNAs: tRNA intronic circRNAs; pol II: polymerase II; snRNP: small nuclear ribonucleoprotein; m6A: N6-methyladenosine; AGO2: Argonaute 2; RBPs: RNA-binding proteins; MBNL: muscleblind-like protein 1; MSCs: mesenchymal stem cells; hiPSCs: human induced pluripotent stem cells; hiPSC-CMs: hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes; hBMSCs: human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells; hADSCs: human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells; hDPSCs: human dental pulp stem cells; RNA-seq: high-throughput RNA sequencing; HSCs: haematopoietic stem cells; NSCs: neural stem cells; EpSCs: epidermal stem cells; hESCs: human embryonic stem cells; mESCs: murine embryonic stem cells; MNs: motor neurons; SSUP: small subunit processome; BMSCs: bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells; OGN: osteoglycin; GIOP: glucocorticoid‑induced osteoporosis; CDR1as: cerebellar degeneration-related protein 1 transcript; SONFH: steroid-induced osteogenesis of the femoral head; rBMSCs: rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells; QUE: quercetin; AcvR1b: activin A receptor type 1B; BSP: bone sialoprotein; mADSCs: mouse ADSCs; PTBP1: polypyrimidine tract-binding protein; ER: endoplasmic reticulum; hUCMSCs: MSCs derived from human umbilical cord; MSMSCs: maxillary sinus membrane stem cells; SCAPs: stem cells from the apical papilla; MyoD: myogenic differentiation protein 1; MSTN: myostatin; MEF2C: myocyte enhancer factor 2C; BCLAF1: BCL2-associated transcription factor 1; EpSCs: epidermal stem cells; ISCs: intestinal stem cells; NSCs: neural stem cells; Lgr5+ ISCs: crypt base columnar cells; ILCs: innate lymphoid cells.

Fixed-bed sorption technology is a promising option for separating CO2from flue gas, and potassium-based Al2O3(K2CO3/Al2O3) is a potential sorbent in the presence of H2O. This paper studies the stepwise reaction mechanism of CO2/H2O sorption on K2CO3/Al2O3, and the expressions of sorption equilibrium and kinetics are proposed and verified by experimental data. A comprehensive set of mathematical models of separation and recovery CO2from wet flue gas in a fixed bed of K2CO3/Al2O3is established. The CO2separation and recovery process from wet flue gas in the fixed bed are numerically studied. Detailed results of H2O/CO2sorption and desorption in the fixed bed during pressure–vacuum swing cycles are revealed, and the optimum operating parameters are suggested. Results show that carbon dioxide recovery can be further enhanced using a vacuum temperature swing adsorption (VTSA) process or by adding a pre-wetting step before sorption process.

Background: RING finger protein 43 (RNF43), an E3 ubiquitin ligase, is a homologous gene mutated in several cancers. However, the pan-cancer panoramic picture of RNF43 and its predictive value for tumor immune phenotypes and immunotherapeutic efficacy are still largely unclear. Our study aims to clarify the functions of RNF43 in predicting the prognosis, immune signature, and immunotherapeutic efficacy in pan-cancer. Methods: By using RNA-seq, mutation, and clinical data from the TCGA database, the expression levels and prognostic significance of RNF43 in pan-cancer were analyzed. The genetic alteration characteristics of RNF43 were displayed by the cBioPortal database. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was performed to investigate the potential biological functions and signaling pathways modulated by RNF43 in cancers. The relationship of RNF43 expression with immune cell infiltration, and immune modulators expression was interpreted by the ESTIMATE algorithm, CIBERSORT algorithm, and TISIDB database. The correlations between RNF43, microsatellite instability (MSI), and tumor mutation burden (TMB) were also investigated. Furthermore, the predictive value of RNF43 for immunotherapeutic efficacy and drug sensitivity was further illustrated. Besides, immunohistochemistry (IHC) was employed to validate the expression of the RNF43 in different cancer types by our clinical cohorts, including patients with lung cancer, sarcoma, breast cancer, and kidney renal clear cell carcinoma. Results: The results demonstrated that RNF43 was abnormally expressed in multiple cancers, and RNF43 is a critical prognosis-related factor in several cancers. RNF43 was frequently mutated in several cancers with a high frequency of 4%, and truncating mutation was the most frequent RNF43 mutation type. RNF43 expression was linked to the abundance of several immune cell types, including CD8+ T cells, B cells, and macrophages within the tumor immune microenvironment. Furthermore, RNF43 expression was significantly correlated with the efficacy of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 treatment, and it could predict the sensitivity of various anti-cancer drugs. Finally, IHC explored and validated the different expression levels of RNF43 in different cancers by our clinical samples. Conclusion: Our results first present the expression pattern and the mutation signature of RNF43, highlighting that RNF43 is an important prognostic biomarker in pan-cancer. Furthermore, RNF43 seems to be a critical modulator in the tumor immune microenvironment and can function as a promising biomarker for predicting the immunotherapeutic efficacy of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 treatment, and drug sensitivity in cancer treatment.

Background: The gene TIMELESS, which is involved in the circadian clock and the cell cycle, has recently been linked to various human cancers. Nevertheless, the association between TIMELESS expression and the prognosis of individuals afflicted with pan-cancer remains largely unknown. Objectives: The present study aims to exhaustively scrutinize the expression patterns, functional attributes, prognostic implications, and immunological contributions of TIMELESS across diverse types of human cancer. Methods: The expression of TIMELESS in normal and malignant tissues was examined, as well as their clinicopathologic and survival data. The characteristics of genetic alteration and molecular subtypes of cancers were also investigated. In addition, the relationship of TIMELESS with immune infiltration, tumor mutation burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), and drug sensitivity was illustrated. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to validate the expression of TIMELESS in clinical patients with several types of cancer. Results: In contrast to the matching normal controls, most tumor types were found to often overexpress TIMELESS. Abnormal expression of TIMELESS was significantly related to more advanced tumor stage and poorer prognosis of breast cancer, as well as infiltrating immune cells such as cancer-associated fibroblast infiltration in various tumors. Multiple cancer types exhibited abnormal expression of TIMELESS, which was also highly correlated with MSI and TMB. More crucially, TIMELESS showed promise in predicting the effectiveness of immunotherapy and medication sensitivity in cancer therapy. Moreover, cell cycle, DNA replication, circadian rhythm, and mismatch repair were involved in the functional mechanisms of TIMELESS on carcinogenesis. Furthermore, immunohistochemical results manifested that the TIMELESS expression was abnormal in some cancers. Conclusions: This study provides new insights into the link between the circadian gene TIMELESS and the development of various malignant tumors. The findings suggest that TIMELESS could be a prospective prognostic and immunological biomarker for pan-cancer.

A silver catalyzed pyridine‐directed acceptorless dehydrogenation of secondary benzyl alcohols was developed. This general procedure delivers ketones with high atom‐economy and hydrogen was the sole byproduct. This dehydrogenation reaction has a good functional group tolerance and high efficiency (up to 90% yield and 10,000/1 substrates‐to‐catalyst ratio). Dehydrogenation of alcohols with silver‐silver catalyzed pyridine‐directed acceptorless dehydrogenation of secondary benzyl alcohols was developed. Ketones were offered with high atom‐economy and hydrogen was the sole by‐product.

The development of artificial prosthetic lower limbs aims to improve patient’s mobility while avoiding secondary problems resulting from the use of the prostheses themselves. The residual limb is a pressure-sensitive area where skin injuries and pain are more likely to develop. Requirements for adequate prosthetic limbs have now become urgent to improve amputee’s quality of life. This study aims to understand how socket design parameters related to geometry can influence pressure distribution in the residual limb. A finite element model was developed to simulate the mechanical loading applied on the residual limb of a below-knee amputee while walking. A sensitivity analysis to socket initial geometry, scaling the socket downward in the horizontal plane, was performed. Recordings include stress levels on the skin and in the residual limb deep soft tissues. Peak stress was reduced by up to 51% with a limited reduction of the socket size. More important scale reduction of the residual limb would lead to possible negative effects, such as stress concentrations in sensitive areas. This result confirms the interest of the prosthetist to develop a well-fitting socket, possibly a little smaller than the residual limb itself, in order to avoid residual limb mobility in the socket that could cause friction and stress concentrations. Non-homogeneous geometrical reductions of the socket should be further investigated.

α-Aminonitrile was an important building block in natural products and key intermedia in organic chemistry. Herein, the direct amination of cyanohydrins with the partner of ammonia to synthesis N-unprotected α-aminonitriles is developed. The reaction proceeds via titanium-catalyzed cyano-borrowing reaction, which features high atom economy and simple operation. A broad range of ketone or aldehyde cyanohydrins was tolerated with ammonia, and the N-unprotected α-aminonitriles were synthesis with moderate to high yields under mild reaction conditions.

Objective This study was performed to document the clinical and radiographic results of consecutive patients with Crowe IV developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) treated by cementless total hip arthroplasty (THA) using an S-ROM femoral component with shortening derotational subtrochanteric osteotomy.Methods Twenty-three hips of 21 patients with Crowe IV DDH were treated by cementless THA combined with shortening derotational subtrochanteric osteotomy from January 2005 to January 2011. The mean preoperative modified Harris hip score (mHHS) and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) activity score were 40.7 and 4.2, respectively.Results The mean follow-up was 105 months. The mean mHHS and UCLA score improved to 87.0 and 9.1, respectively, at the latest follow-up. Nine of the 23 hips had a negative Trendelenburg sign. One of the 23 hips was outside the Lewinnek acetabular cup inclination safe range, and 3 of the 23 hips were outside the Lewinnek acetabular cup anteversion safe range. The probability of prosthesis survival was 100% at 5 years and 91.3% at 10 years.Conclusion Patients with Crowe IV DDH can be treated by cementless THA combined with shortening derotational subtrochanteric osteotomy. This method can greatly improve hip joint function and relieve pain without significant complications.

Amines affect particle formation, aerosol acidity, nitrogen cycle, and climate change. However, little is known about the temporal and spatial differences in the composition, source, and formation process of amines in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in different regions of China. Seven amines (amine salts) were investigated in PM2.5collected in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD, Shanghai and Nanjing), Pearl River Delta (PRD, Guangzhou), northern China (Xi'an and Haerbin), and background (Puding) areas in winter 2017–2018. Methylamine was the dominant amine species at the YRD, northern China, and background sites, while diethylamine dominated at the PRD site; moreover, the mass concentration and fraction of diethylamine were the lowest at the background site. These results could be attributed to changes in sources and atmospheric processes. Further, coal combustion and biomass burning were found to be important contributors of amines in northern cities in winter. The contribution of biomass and coal combustion to amines was weakened in other urban sites. In contrast, the amine abundance at the background site was largely controlled by biogenic sources. Acid‐base chemistry and displacement mechanism were tightly associated with the formation of amine salts at all sites. In particular, the atmospheric degradation of amines by hydroxyl radical (•OH) was significant at the Nanjing, Guangzhou, Xi'an, and Haerbin sites. The insignificant photochemical degradation of amines at the Shanghai and background sites can be explained by differentiated amine sources, meteorological conditions, and •OH levels. Overall, our findings deepen the understanding of the origins and atmospheric processes of amines. Concentrations, compositions, potential sources, and major atmospheric processes of amines in winter PM2.5in different regions of China were systematically investigated for the first time. The concentrations and compositions of amines in PM2.5showed significant spatial differences, with the dominance of diethylamine at the Guangzhou site and the dominance of methylamine at other sites (Nanjing, Shanghai, Xi'an, Haerbin, and background sites). The influence of coal combustion associated with heating and industry was a typical feature that distinguishes the difference of amine sources between the coastal and northern areas. Moreover, the overall amine abundance at the background site was largely controlled by biogenic sources. Acid‐base chemistry and displacement mechanism were tightly associated with the formation of amine salts in PM2.5at all sites. The atmospheric processes related to •OH exerted a significant impact on the removal of amines at the Nanjing, Guangzhou, Xi'an, and Haerbin sites. The insignificant photochemical degradation of amines in the Shanghai and background areas was associated with varied amine sources, meteorological conditions, and •OH levels. The overall results improve the current understanding on the temporal and spatial variations in the composition, source, and atmospheric process of amines in China. Changes in the source led to large differences in the concentration and composition of amines in winter PM2.5across regionsAcid‐base chemistry contributed significantly to the formation of amine salts in PM2.5at all study sitesThe atmospheric degradation of amines by •OH was significant only at the Nanjing, Guangzhou, Xi'an, and Haerbin sites Changes in the source led to large differences in the concentration and composition of amines in winter PM2.5across regions Acid‐base chemistry contributed significantly to the formation of amine salts in PM2.5at all study sites The atmospheric degradation of amines by •OH was significant only at the Nanjing, Guangzhou, Xi'an, and Haerbin sites

Tuina is a physical therapy for treatment and prevention of diseases. The predecessors had summed up the systematic tuina manipulations through experiences. In order to study the scientificity and usability of the technology, the researchers established a mathematical model of tuina manipulations, and used video technology to capture the trajectory of the manipulations. Using the mechanical sensor to sense the real manipulations, researchers developed a tuina manipulation instrument and obtained a lot of basic mechanics data about the manipulation technology. Through the summary of the research results of the predecessors, accurate, true and comprehensive mechanical parameters of technology of tuina manipulations were obtained to guide the research and development of instruments of tuina manipulations, and promote the development of the discipline of tuina science. 推拿是一种治疗和预防疾病的物理疗法。 前人在不断的生活积累中总结出了系统的推拿疗法。 为研究推拿的科学性和可用性, 研究人员建立了推拿手法的数学模型, 并利用视频技术捕捉手法轨迹, 利用力学传感器感触真实手法, 研发出了推拿手法检测仪器, 获得大量有关推拿手法的基础力学数据。 通过对前人的研究成果进行总结, 以获得精准、 真实、 全面的推拿手法力学参数, 用于指导推拿诊疗仪器的研发, 促进推拿学科的发展。

Whether soft sounds are effective in eliciting any reflexive body movements remains unknown. To detect the possible sound-induced changes of body movements in unconstrained rats, we had developed and tested a novel method of image analysis based on a modified optical flow algorithm. Data collection involved a digital camera that captured from above body images of an unrestrained rat, while a short-duration noise burst was presented unexpectedly at different intensities. Positive responses of acoustic perturbation of breathing were successfully detected over the chest or abdominal area in all 6 rats studied, and reported here for the first time. The reflex change was a relatively small sound-induced perturbation in the amplitude of breathing and/or in the inter-breath interval exceeding a statistical threshold of the pre-stimulus levels. Results showed that such acoustic perturbation of breathing could be elicited rather robustly (> 90%) even with very soft sounds (< 30 dB SPL, or Sound Pressure Level). We concluded that our method of image analysis was powerful enough to detect these subtle changes of breathing pattern in freely moving rats.

We present herein an unprecedented enantioselective isomerization of homoallylic and bishomoallylic secondary alcohols, catalyzed by a commercially available rhodium-complex and a base. This catalytic redox-neutral process provides an effective access to chiral ketones in high efficiency and enantioselectivity, without the use of any stoichiometric reagent or generation of any waste. For the reaction of homoallylic alcohols, this system achieved not only a stereoconvergent access to chiral ketones bearing a β-stereocenter (up to 95%, 86% ee) but also a concomitant oxidative kinetic resolution of the alcohol substrates (S > 20). In the case of bishomoallylic alcohols, an intriguing ligand-induced divergent reactivity was observed. A terminal-to-internal alkene isomerization promoted by Rh/L7followed by redox isomerization using Rh/BINAP system produced chiral ketones bearing a γ-stereocenter with high yield and enantioselectivity. Mechanistic studies provided strong support for the redox-isomerization pathway with chain walking of the key alkyl-Rh intermediate.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS)‐induced oxidative stress in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is generally believed to be an important prerequisite for immunogenic cell death (ICD) which can trigger antitumor immune responses for cancer immunotherapy. However, thus far, little is known between the oxidative stress in a certain organelle other than ER and ICD. Herein, polymers for preparing ROS‐responsive nanoparticles (NP‐I‐CA‐TPP) with mitochondrial targeting performance as ICD nanoinducers are designed. It is believed that NP‐I‐CA‐TPP can target mitochondria which are extremely important organelles intimately involved in cellular stress signaling to play an important role in the induction of ICD. NP‐I‐CA‐TPP can amplify cinnamaldehyde (CA)‐induced ROS damage by iodo–thiol click chemistry‐mediated glutathione depletion in cancer cells. Finally, NP‐I‐CA‐TPP is shown to disrupt mitochondrial redox homeostasis, amplify mitochondrial oxidative stress, promote cancer cell apoptosis via inducing ICD, and triggering the body's antitumor immune response for cancer immunotherapy. A cinnamaldehyde (CA)‐based immunogenic cell death (ICD) inducer (NP‐I‐CA‐TPP) featured with specific ability to strongly induce mitochondrial oxidative stress in cancer cells by amplifying CA‐induced reactive oxygen species damage in mitochondria through iodo–thiol click chemistry depletion of glutathione is designed. More importantly, this study demonstrates that NP‐I‐CA‐TPP targeting mitochondria can play an important role in inducing ICD for cancer immunotherapy.

Objective To compare objective measures of needle manipulation between students and teachers of acupuncture using motion video analysis technology, to help support instructional acupuncture education.Methods A total of 30 teachers and 60 students participated in this study. Acupuncture needles were inserted at LI11 and motion videos were recorded for three subtypes of ‘lifting-thrusting’ manipulation: (1) ‘mild reinforcing-attenuating’; (2) ‘reinforcing’; and (3) ‘attenuating’. The videos were analysed using Simi Motion 3D software to acquire the movement parameters of four trace marks: ‘thumb tip’; ‘forefinger tip’; ‘forefinger middle joint’; and ‘forefinger base joint’. Differences between the two groups were compared using t-tests, X2tests and/or rank-sum tests.Results Changes in the near-end interphalangeal joint were positively associated with a range of movement along the X axis. Motion parameters for the thumb tip, the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint of the forefinger and the X axis shaft swing near the end of the forefinger in the teacher group were higher than those in the student group. The teacher group featured smaller trough dispersion and smaller crest dispersion during ‘reinforcing’ and ‘attenuating’ manipulations, respectively.Conclusions The ‘lifting-thrusting’ manipulation could be simplified as a fixed-axis rotation using metacarpophalangeal joints in the thumb and forefinger as the shaft centre. Teachers opened at a larger angular variation for the PIP during the lifting and thrusting processes with better spatial control. Temporal control was similar between groups and therefore appears easier to grasp. Repetitive training might be helpful for improving athletic and spatial stability during needle manipulation.

ObjectiveTo compare objective measures of needle manipulation between students and teachers of acupuncture using motion video analysis technology, to help support instructional acupuncture education.MethodsA total of 30 teachers and 60 students participated in this study. Acupuncture needles were inserted at LI11 and motion videos were recorded for three subtypes of ‘lifting-thrusting’ manipulation: (1) ‘mild reinforcing-attenuating’; (2) ‘reinforcing’; and (3) ‘attenuating’. The videos were analysed using Simi Motion 3D software to acquire the movement parameters of four trace marks: ‘thumb tip’; ‘forefinger tip’; ‘forefinger middle joint’; and ‘forefinger base joint’. Differences between the two groups were compared using t-tests, X2tests and/or rank-sum tests.ResultsChanges in the near-end interphalangeal joint were positively associated with a range of movement along the X axis. Motion parameters for the thumb tip, the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint of the forefinger and the X axis shaft swing near the end of the forefinger in the teacher group were higher than those in the student group. The teacher group featured smaller trough dispersion and smaller crest dispersion during ‘reinforcing’ and ‘attenuating’ manipulations, respectively.ConclusionsThe ‘lifting-thrusting’ manipulation could be simplified as a fixed-axis rotation using metacarpophalangeal joints in the thumb and forefinger as the shaft centre. Teachers opened at a larger angular variation for the PIP during the lifting and thrusting processes with better spatial control. Temporal control was similar between groups and therefore appears easier to grasp. Repetitive training might be helpful for improving athletic and spatial stability during needle manipulation.

The aim of this study is to investigate the role of tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) in apoptosis and autophagy of mouse osteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells, as well as the crosstalk between autophagy and apoptosis. Mouse osteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured in vitro and treated with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), rapamycin, 3-methyl adenine (3-MA) and TNF-a either alone or in combination, respectively. MTT assays were used to monitor the cell viability upon different treatments. Annexin-V-FITC/propidium iodide (PI) staining was used to detect the apoptotic rate of osteoblasts. Autophagic structure and apoptotic bodies were visualized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Western blot analysis was performed to detect the autophagic marker LC3-II/I, p62 and apoptotic marker cleaved caspase-3. TNF-a inhibits MC3T3-E1 cell viability in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. Annexin-V-FITC/PI staining, coupled with TEM, showed that TNF-a induced cell apoptosis and autophagy in MC3T3-E1 cells. The autophagy inducer rapamycin ameliorated TNF-a-induced apoptosis. In contrast, 3-MA, which is an autophagy inhibitor, caused an exaggerated induction of TNF-a-induced apoptosis. TNF-a upregulated autophagy marker LC3-II/I, but downregulated p62 in osteoblasts. Combined treatment of rapamycin and TNF-a further exaggerated this effect, whereas co-treatment of 3-MA and TNF-a decreased LC3-II/I, but increased p62 compared with TNF-a alone. In addition, TNF-a caused an induction of apoptotic marker cleaved caspase-3. TNF-a-mediated induction of cleaved caspase-3 was downregulated by rapamycin, but upregulated by 3-MA, respectively. TNF-a induced both autophagy and apoptosis in osteoblasts, and upregulated autophagy protects the cell by reducing TNF-a-induced apoptosis.

A non-noble Cu-catalyzed transfer aza-benzyl Michael addition via the C–C bond cleavage of aza-benzyl alcohols has been disclosed. The unstrained C(sp3)–C(sp3) bond of an alcohol was selectively cleaved. This aza-benzyl transfer strategy provides a selective and environmentally benign approach for the C-alkylation of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds that employs readily available alcohols as carbon nucleophiles and is characterized by a wide range of substrates and good to excellent yields.

The aim of this study is to investigate the role of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in apoptosis and autophagy of mouse osteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells, as well as the crosstalk between autophagy and apoptosis. Mouse osteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured in vitro and treated with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), rapamycin, 3-methyl adenine (3-MA) and TNF-α either alone or in combination, respectively. MTT assays were used to monitor the cell viability upon different treatments. Annexin-V-FITC/propidium iodide (PI) staining was used to detect the apoptotic rate of osteoblasts. Autophagic structure and apoptotic bodies were visualized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Western blot analysis was performed to detect the autophagic marker LC3-II/I, p62 and apoptotic marker cleaved caspase-3. TNF-α inhibits MC3T3-E1 cell viability in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. Annexin-V-FITC/PI staining, coupled with TEM, showed that TNF-α induced cell apoptosis and autophagy in MC3T3-E1 cells. The autophagy inducer rapamycin ameliorated TNF-α-induced apoptosis. In contrast, 3-MA, which is an autophagy inhibitor, caused an exaggerated induction of TNF-α-induced apoptosis. TNF-α upregulated autophagy marker LC3-II/I, but downregulated p62 in osteoblasts. Combined treatment of rapamycin and TNF-α further exaggerated this effect, whereas co-treatment of 3-MA and TNF-α decreased LC3-II/I, but increased p62 compared with TNF-α alone. In addition, TNF-α caused an induction of apoptotic marker cleaved caspase-3. TNF-α-mediated induction of cleaved caspase-3 was downregulated by rapamycin, but upregulated by 3-MA, respectively. TNF-α induced both autophagy and apoptosis in osteoblasts, and upregulated autophagy protects the cell by reducing TNF-α-induced apoptosis.

•Scalable framework for geospatial assessment of rooftop PV technical potential.•Application of multi-source remote sensing data and deep learning in energy community.•Multi-scale segmentation model for high-resolution building footprint survey.•Annual power generation of rooftop PVs is estimated at 290.66 TWh in Jiangsu Province.

The rare microbial biosphere provides broad ecological services and resilience to various ecosystems. Nevertheless, the biogeographical patterns and assembly processes of rare bacterioplankton communities in large rivers remain uncertain. In this study, we investigated the biogeography and community assembly processes of abundant and rare bacterioplankton taxa in the Yangtze River (China) covering a distance of 4300 km. The results revealed similar spatiotemporal patterns of abundant taxa (AT) and rare taxa (RT) at both taxonomic and phylogenetic levels, and analysis of similarities revealed that RT was significantly influenced by season and landform than AT. Furthermore, RT correlated with more environmental factors than AT, whereas environmental and spatial factors explained a lower proportion of community shifts in RT than in AT. The steeper distance-decay slopes in AT indicated higher spatial turnover rates of abundant subcommunities than rare subcommunities. The null model revealed that both AT and RT were mainly governed by stochastic processes. However, dispersal limitation primarily governed the AT, whereas the undominated process accounted for a higher fraction of stochastic processes in RT. River flow and suspended solids mediated the balance between the stochastic and deterministic processes in RT. The spatiotemporal dynamics and assembly processes of total taxa were more similar as AT than RT. This study provides new insights into both significant spatiotemporal dynamics and inconsistent assembly processes of AT and RT in large rivers.