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This study focuses on the interaction of the pseudoscalar meson octet and the baryon decuplet. In the continuum, it is observed that several J P = 3 2 - baryon resonances can be produced by the Weinberg-Tomozawa interaction in unitarized chiral perturbation theory, including the N(1875), Σ (1670) , Σ (1910) , Ξ (1820) and Ω (2012) . Among them, the Ξ (1820) and Σ (1670) may exhibit a potential two-pole structures. The unitarized chiral perturbation approach is then applied as the underlying theory to predict the energy levels of these systems in a finite volume. These energy levels are well described by the K-matrix parameterization constrained by flavor SU(3) symmetry. With the parameters from the best fits, the poles extracted from the K-matrix parameterization closely correspond to those derived from the underlying chiral effective field theory, as long as they are close to physical region and not significantly higher than the lowest relevant threshold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs play a crucial role in regulating the epithelial barrier and immune response, which are implicated in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC). This study aimed to investigate the role and molecular mechanism of miR-30c in the pathogenesis of UC using a dextran sulfate sodium salt (DSS)-induced colitis model, which is similar to ulcerative colitis. Wild-type (WT) and miR-30c knockout (KO) mice were assigned to either control or DSS-treated groups to evaluate the influence of aberrant miR-30c expression on UC pathogenesis. The disease activity index, inflammatory factors, and the extent of pathological and histological damage in colon tissues were analyzed. The effect of miR-30c on vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) gene expression was validated through luciferase reporter assay, qRT-PCR, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. The results showed that miR-30c KO mice with DSS-induced colitis model showed more severe phenotypes: significantly higher disease activity indices, significant body weight loss, reduced length of the colon of mice, increased number of aberrant crypt structures, reduced mucus secretion, and significant differences in inflammatory factors. These findings suggested that the absence of miR-30c might promote DSS-induced colitis, and the targe-regulatory effect of miR-30c on VIP might play an important role in the development of colitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we employed a two-step modification process to improve the properties of 2D bimetallic nanoplates M(OH)(OCH3) (M = Co, Ni), which were recently proven as a promising "nano-flame retardant". The nanoplates were in situ modified with metal-organic framework ZIF-67 first and then silanized with a coupling agent APTES. Epoxy resin (EP) nanocomposites were fabricated using the functionalized M(OH)(OCH3). We investigated the performance of the nanocomposites in flame retardance and thermal stability. The results showed that 3% of APTES@ZIF-67@M(OH)(OCH3) gave the EP nanocomposite the V-1 rating in UL-94 test and the highest limited oxygen index of 27.6%. Moreover, the pHRR value of EP/APTES@ZIF-67@M 3% was reduced by 20.0% and 9.6%, respectively, compared to neat EP and EP/ZIF-67@M 3%. Regarding the mechanical properties, the Tensile properties and energy storage modulus of EP nanocomposite were both improved with 3% of APTES@ZIF-67@M(OH)(OCH3). The GC-MS test results revealed that the functionalized M(OH)(OCH3) significantly increased the cross-linking propensity of the EP matrix upon combustion, leading to the formation of a dense char layer. This study demonstrates the great potential of M(OH)(OCH3) as a highly efficient "nano-flame retardant" with tunable functionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hierarchical zeolite (ZC) was synthesized by using electrospinning cellulose microfibers (ECM) with three-dimensional network structure as a hard template. The textual and structural properties of the prepared materials were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction patterns (XRD), nitrogen adsorption–desorption analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and TG-DSC. In terms of adsorption properties, the performance was examined by adsorption of methylene blue (MB) on the conventional zeolite (ZA) and ZC. The results showed that ECM templating could significantly increase the mesoporous area and volume of the traditional microporous zeolite, and thus improve the mass transfer performance and adsorption capacity. ZC exhibited much faster and higher MB removal performance than the traditional zeolite with adsorption rate constant and maximum adsorption capacity of ZC approximately 20 and 1.2 times greater than that of ZA. Besides, ZC exhibited better resistance to interfering ions than ZA. Moreover, ZC could be conveniently regenerated by washing with NaCl and the MB adsorption capacity was almost constant in five cycles of the regeneration. These features enable ZC to be an effective and promising adsorbent to remove MB from water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to quantitatively study the effect of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) on the risk of spinal injury under frontal impact. A head-neck finite element model incorporating active neck muscles and soft tissues was developed and validated. Based on the intact head-neck model, three ACDF models (single-level, two-level and three-level) were used to analyze the frontal impact responses of the head-neck. The results revealed that various surgical approaches led to distinct patterns of vertebral damage under frontal impact. For single-level and three-level ACDFs, vertebral destruction was mainly concentrated at the lower end of the fused segment, while the other vertebrae were not significantly damaged. For two-level ACDF, the lowest vertebra was the first to suffer destruction, followed by severe damage to both the upper and lower vertebrae, while the middle vertebra of the cervical spine exhibited only partial damage around the screws. Fusion surgery for cervical spine injuries predominantly influences the vertebral integrity of the directly fused segments when subjected to frontal impact, while exerting a comparatively lesser impact on the cross-sectional properties of adjacent, non-fused segments.Graphical abstract: The aim of this study was to quantitatively study the effect of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) on the risk of spinal injury under frontal impact. A head-neck finite element model incorporating active neck muscles and soft tissues was developed and validated. Based on the intact head-neck model, three ACDF models (single-level, two-level and three-level) were used to analyze the frontal impact responses of the head-neck. The results revealed that various surgical approaches led to distinct patterns of vertebral damage under frontal impact. For single-level and three-level ACDFs, vertebral destruction was mainly concentrated at the lower end of the fused segment, while the other vertebrae were not significantly damaged. For two-level ACDF, the lowest vertebra was the first to suffer destruction, followed by severe damage to both the upper and lower vertebrae, while the middle vertebra of the cervical spine exhibited only partial damage around the screws. Fusion surgery for cervical spine injuries predominantly influences the vertebral integrity of the directly fused segments when subjected to frontal impact, while exerting a comparatively lesser impact on the cross-sectional properties of adjacent, non-fused segments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The selection of input variables and their amount has been an important issue in big data load forecasting. Taking heating load forecasting as an example, this paper proposed a method for data filtering based on information entropy. First, the heating data from an air source heat pump system adopted by a rural residence in northern China were employed. Moreover, the training data were classified based on linear or nonlinear variations of outdoor temperature and its changing ranges, while the validation data included three different types of weather conditions, namely, cold, cool, and mild. Then, the information entropy under 2-h, 4-h, 6-h and 8-h training window was quantified to be 1.811, 1.839, 1.877 and 1.856, respectively. For the employed rural residence, an equivalent three-resistance and two-capacity model was established to validate the effectiveness of the training window. Using the derived optimal thermal resistance and capacity, the various selection of outdoor temperature variation trend and range were compared and optimized. Results showed that 6 h of training data had the maximum information entropy and the most abundant information, the minimum errors between actual and forecasting data were observed under 6 h of training data, linear change, and lower outdoor temperature. The mean absolute percentage errors for the load forecasting of three typical days were 5.63%, 8.46%, and 12.10%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]