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High-efficiency seawater electrolysis is impeded by the low activity and low durability of oxygen evolution catalysts due to the complex composition and competitive side reactions in seawater. Herein, a heterogeneous-structured catalyst is constructed by depositing NiFe-layered double hydroxides (NiFe-LDH) on the substrate of MXene (V2CTx) modified Ni foam (NF), and abbreviated as NiFe-LDH/V2CTx/NF. As demonstrated, owing to the intrinsic negative charge characteristic of V2CTx, chlorine ions are denied entry to the interface between NiFe-LDH and V2CTx/NF substrate, thus endowing NiFe-LDH/V2CTx/NF catalyst with high corrosion resistance and durable stability for 110 ​h at 500 ​mA ​cm−2. Meanwhile, the two-dimensional structure and high electrical conductivity of V2CTx can respectively enlarge the electrochemical active surface area and guarantee fast charge transfer, thereby synergistically promoting the catalytic performance of NiFe-LDH/V2CTx/NF in both deionized water electrolyte (261 ​mV at 100 ​mA ​cm−2) and simulated seawater electrolyte (241 ​mV at 100 ​mA ​cm−2). This work can guide the preparation of oxygen evolution catalysts and accelerate the industrialization of seawater electrolysis.

Introduction: Stroke is characterized by high incidence, recurrence rate, and mortality. Patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) who are ineligible for acute revascularization therapy require more effective medication treatments. A previous clinical study showed that Ruyi Zhenbao tablets and Baimai ointments might be effective against AIS; however, high-quality clinical evidence supporting their application in AIS is lacking. To explore the efficacy of the two classic Tibetan medicines in the treatment of AIS, a randomized clinical trial will be conducted in patients with AIS who are not eligible for thrombolytic treatment. Methods: A prospective, randomized, multiple-center, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, and parallel-group trial will be conducted. We shall randomize 480 eligible participants to either the intervention or the control group. The distribution ratio of each group will be 1:1:1:1, including 120 patients each in the dual-medication group, the Baimai ointment group, the Ruyi Zhenbao tablet group, and the placebo group. Participants will be treated with medication for 8 weeks, and they will receive three follow-up visits: at 4 weeks (D29), 8 weeks (D56), and 90 days (D90) after commencing treatment. The primary outcome will be D90 change in the simplified Fugl-Meyer score from baseline to posttreatment. The secondary outcomes are as follows: D29 change of simplified Fugl-Meyer score from baseline to posttreatment; proportion of participants whose D29 NIHSS scores decreased by four or more points from baseline D90 proportion of subjects with mRS score of 0–2 (inclusive); D90 proportion of subjects with Barthel index score ≥95; D90 incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Safety endpoint includes mortality within 90 days; proportion of subjects with adverse events/serious adverse events within 90 days. Conclusion: This research protocol lays a solid groundwork for its practical execution. This study is poised to serve as a reference for other Tibetan medicine researchers, contributing to the reduction of stroke-related expenditures globally and, in turn, benefiting a broader population of stroke patients.

Abstract Background LACS (long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase) genes are widespread in organisms and have multiple functions in plants, especially in lipid metabolism. However, the origin and evolutionary dynamics of the LACS gene family remain largely unknown. Results Here, we identified 1785 LACS genes in the genomes of 166 diverse plant species and identified the clades (I, II, III, IV, V, VI) of six clades for the LACS gene family of green plants through phylogenetic analysis. Based on the evolutionary history of plant lineages, we found differences in the origins of different clades, with Clade IV originating from chlorophytes and representing the origin of LACS genes in green plants. The structural characteristics of different clades indicate that clade IV is relatively independent, while the relationships between clades (I, II, III) and clades (V, VI) are closer. Dispersed duplication (DSD) and transposed duplication (TRD) are the main forces driving the evolution of plant LACS genes. Network clustering analysis further grouped all LACS genes into six main clusters, with genes within each cluster showing significant co-linearity. Ka/Ks results suggest that LACS family genes underwent purifying selection during evolution. We analyzed the phylogenetic relationships and characteristics of six clades of the LACS gene family to explain the origin, evolutionary history, and phylogenetic relationships of different clades and proposed a hypothetical evolutionary model for the LACS family of genes in plants. Conclusions Our research provides genome-wide insights into the evolutionary history of the LACS gene family in green plants. These insights lay an important foundation for comprehensive functional characterization in future research.

Abstract Background Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a severe and fatal disease. Although mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based therapy has shown remarkable efficacy in treating ARDS in animal experiments, clinical outcomes have been unsatisfactory, which may be attributed to the influence of the lung microenvironment during MSC administration. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from endothelial cells (EC-EVs) are important components of the lung microenvironment and play a crucial role in ARDS. However, the effect of EC-EVs on MSC therapy is still unclear. In this study, we established lipopolysaccharide (LPS) - induced acute lung injury model to evaluate the impact of EC-EVs on the reparative effects of bone marrow-derived MSC (BM-MSC) transplantation on lung injury and to unravel the underlying mechanisms. Methods EVs were isolated from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of mice with LPS - induced acute lung injury and patients with ARDS using ultracentrifugation. and the changes of EC-EVs were analysed using nanoflow cytometry analysis. In vitro assays were performed to establish the impact of EC-EVs on MSC functions, including cell viability and migration, while in vivo studies were performed to validate the therapeutic effect of EC-EVs on MSCs. RNA-Seq analysis, small interfering RNA (siRNA), and a recombinant lentivirus were used to investigate the underlying mechanisms. Results Compared with that in non-ARDS patients, the quantity of EC-EVs in the lung microenvironment was significantly greater in patients with ARDS. EVs derived from lipopolysaccharide-stimulated endothelial cells (LPS-EVs) significantly decreased the viability and migration of BM-MSCs. Furthermore, engrafting BM-MSCs pretreated with LPS-EVs promoted the release of inflammatory cytokines and increased pulmonary microvascular permeability, aggravating lung injury. Mechanistically, LPS-EVs reduced the expression level of isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 (IDH2), which catalyses the formation of α-ketoglutarate (α-KG), an intermediate product of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, in BM-MSCs. α-KG is a cofactor for ten-eleven translocation (TET) enzymes, which catalyse DNA hydroxymethylation in BM-MSCs. Conclusions This study revealed that EC-EVs in the lung microenvironment during ARDS can affect the therapeutic efficacy of BM-MSCs through the IDH2/TET pathway, providing potential strategies for improving the therapeutic efficacy of MSC-based therapy in the clinic.

Pain is a highly subjective and multidimensional experience, significantly influenced by various psychological factors. Placebo analgesia and nocebo hyperalgesia exemplify this influence, where inert treatments result in pain relief or exacerbation, respectively. While extensive research has elucidated the psychological and neural mechanisms behind these effects, most studies have focused on transient pain stimuli. To explore these mechanisms in the context of tonic pain, we conducted a study using a 15-minute tonic muscle pain induction procedure, where hypertonic saline was infused into the left masseter of healthy participants. We collected real-time Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data during the induction of placebo analgesia and nocebo hyperalgesia via conditioned learning. Our findings revealed that placebo analgesia was more pronounced and lasted longer than nocebo hyperalgesia. Real-time pain ratings correlated significantly with neural activity in several brain regions. Notably, the putamen was implicated in both effects, while the caudate and other regions were differentially involved in placebo and nocebo effects. These findings confirm that the tonic muscle pain paradigm can be used to investigate the mechanisms of placebo and nocebo effects and indicate that placebo analgesia and nocebo hyperalgesia may have more distinct than common neural bases.

Background: Association of asthma with the risk of cardiovascular disease has not been fully elucidated. So, this study tried to explore the genetic effect of asthma on five cardiovascular diseases and 90 peripheral cardiovascular proteins to answer the above topic. Methods: Instrumental variables predicting asthma was extracted from its genome-wide association study data. Two-sample and multivariate MR approaches were used to assess the genetic association of exposure factor (i.e., asthma) with outcome factors (i.e., hypertension, atrial fibrillation, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and 90 peripheral cardiovascular proteins). Results: First, asthma nominally increased the risk of hypertension and atrial fibrillation (OR = 1.009, 95%CI = 1.003–1.016, P = 0.004; OR = 1.074, 95%CI = 1.024–1.127, P = 0.003). Second, of the 90 cardiovascular proteins, asthma was associated with the increased levels of tumor necrosis factor ligand superfamily member 14 and CC motif chemokine 4 (β = 0.145, 95%CI = 0.077–0.212, P = 2.936e-05; β = 0.128, 95%CI = 0.063–0.193, P = 1.036e-04). Third, CC motif chemokine 4 increased the risk of hypertension (P = 0.043); and after adjusting for this protein, asthma still increased the risk of hypertension, but the strength of its P-value changed from 0.004 to 0.011. Conclusion: Asthma was a risk factor for hypertension and atrial fibrillation at the genetic level, and CC motif chemokine 4 might play a mediating role in the mechanism by which asthma promoted hypertension. Thus, effective control of asthma may help reduce the risk of some cardiovascular diseases in older adults.

BackgroundIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic progressive interstitial lung disease characterized by unexplained irreversible pulmonary fibrosis. Although the etiology of IPF is unclear, studies have shown that it is related to telomere length shortening. However, the prognostic value of telomere-related genes in IPF has not been investigated.MethodsWe utilized the GSE10667 and GSE110147 datasets as the training set, employing differential expression analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to screen for disease candidate genes. Then, we used consensus clustering analysis to identify different telomere patterns. Next, we used summary data-based mendelian randomization (SMR) analysis to screen core genes. We further evaluated the relationship between core genes and overall survival and lung function in IPF patients. Finally, we performed immune infiltration analysis to reveal the changes in the immune microenvironment of IPF.ResultsThrough differential expression analysis and WGCNA, we identified 35 significant telomere regulatory factors. Consensus clustering analysis revealed two distinct telomere patterns, consisting of cluster A (n = 26) and cluster B (n = 19). Immune infiltration analysis revealed that cluster B had a more active immune microenvironment, suggesting its potential association with IPF. Using GTEx eQTL data, our SMR analysis identified two genes with potential causal associations with IPF, including GPA33 (PSMR = 0.0013; PHEIDI = 0.0741) and MICA (PSMR = 0.0112; PHEIDI = 0.9712). We further revealed that the expression of core genes is associated with survival time and lung function in IPF patients. Finally, immune infiltration analysis revealed that NK cells were downregulated and plasma cells and memory B cells were upregulated in IPF. Further correlation analysis showed that GPA33 expression was positively correlated with NK cells and negatively correlated with plasma cells and memory B cells.ConclusionOur study provides a new perspective for the role of telomere dysfunction and immune infiltration in IPF and identifies potential therapeutic targets. Further research may reveal how core genes affect cell function and disease progression, providing new insights into the complex mechanisms of IPF.

In China, a novel pathogen within the genus Circovirus has been identified as a causative agent of the ‘novel acute hemorrhage syndrome’ (NAHS) in aquacultured populations of turbot (Scophthalmus maximus L.). Histopathological examination using light microscopy revealed extensive necrosis within the cardiac, splenic, and renal tissues of the afflicted fish. Utilizing transmission electron microscopy (TEM), we detected the presence of circovirus particles within the cytoplasm of these cells, with the virions consistently exhibiting a spherical morphology of 20–40 nm in diameter. TEM inspections confirmed the predominance of these virions in the heart, spleen, and kidney. Subsequent molecular characterization through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis corroborated the TEM findings, with positive signals in the aforementioned tissues, in stark contrast to the lack of detection in gill, fin, liver, and intestinal tissues. The TEM observations, supported by PCR electrophoresis data, strongly suggest that the spleen and kidney are the primary targets of the viral infection. Further characterization using biophysical, biochemical assays, and genomic sequencing confirmed the viral classification within the genus Circovirus, resulting in the nomenclature of turbot circovirus (TurCV). The current research endeavors to shed light on the pathogenesis of this pathogen, offering insights into the infection mechanisms of TurCV in this novel piscine host, thereby contributing to the broader understanding of its impact on turbot health and aquaculture.

Abstract Eye health has become a global health concern and attracted broad attention. Over the years, researchers have proposed many state‐of‐the‐art convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to assist ophthalmologists in diagnosing ocular diseases efficiently and precisely. However, most existing methods were dedicated to constructing sophisticated CNNs, inevitably ignoring the trade‐off between performance and model complexity. To alleviate this paradox, this paper proposes a lightweight yet efficient network architecture, mixed‐decomposed convolutional network (MDNet), to recognise ocular diseases. In MDNet, we introduce a novel mixed‐decomposed depthwise convolution method, which takes advantage of depthwise convolution and depthwise dilated convolution operations to capture low‐resolution and high‐resolution patterns by using fewer computations and fewer parameters. We conduct extensive experiments on the clinical anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS‐OCT), LAG, University of California San Diego, and CIFAR‐100 datasets. The results show our MDNet achieves a better trade‐off between the performance and model complexity than efficient CNNs including MobileNets and MixNets. Specifically, our MDNet outperforms MobileNets by 2.5% of accuracy by using 22% fewer parameters and 30% fewer computations on the AS‐OCT dataset.

To study the intelligent decision making methods under limited decision samples, aiming at the problems that operational decision-making experience is difficult to express and the training samples for intelligent decision learning are limited, based on the joint operational simulation and drill environment, a decision-making method based on generative adversarial imitation learning is proposed. This method integrates the operational decision-making experience representation and learning process. On the basis of high-level decision-making and low-level action, rule definitions are used to specify the logic of task execution, and generative adversarial imitation learning algorithms are utilized to improve the generalization ability of intelligent agents in scenarios. This method achieved expected results in the constructed typical adversarial scenarios. The algorithm training converged and the decisions output by the intelligent agent are reasonable. Preliminary experimental results indicate that generative adversarial imitation learning, as an intelligent operational decision-making method, has value for further research.

Abstract The development of high-performance lead-free K0.5Na0.5NbO3-based piezoceramics for replacing commercial lead-containing counterparts is crucial for achieving environmentally sustainable society. Although the proposed new phase boundaries (NPB) can effectively improve the piezoelectricity of KNN-based ceramics, the difficulty of achieving saturated poling and the underlying multiscale structures resolution of their complex microstructures are urgent issues. Here, we employ a medium entropy strategy to design NPB and utilize texture engineering to induce crystal orientation. The developed K0.5Na0.5NbO3-based ceramics enjoys both prominent piezoelectric performance and satisfactory Curie temperature, thus exhibiting an ultrahigh energy harvesting performance as well as excellent transducer performance, which is highly competitive in both lead-free and lead-based piezoceramics. Comprehensive structural analysis have ascertained that the field-induced efficient multiscale polarization configurations irreversible transitions greatly encourages high saturated poling. This study demonstrates a strategy for designing high-performance piezoceramics and establishes a close correlation between the piezoelectricty and the underlying multiscale structures.

Background: Rujin Jiedu decoction (RJJDD) is a classical prescription of Traditional Chinese Medicine that has long been applied to treat pneumonia caused by external infection, but whether and how it benefits influenza virus therapy remains largely unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of RJJDD on the mouse model of influenza and to explore its potential mechanism. Methods: The mice were mock-infected with PBS or infected with PR8 virus followed by treatment with RJJDD or antiviral oseltamivir. The weight loss and morbidity of mice were monitored daily. Network pharmacology is used to explore the potential pathways that RJJDD may modulate. qRT-PCR and ELISA were performed to assess the expression of inflammatory cytokines in the lung tissue and macrophages. The intestinal feces were collected for 16S rDNA sequencing to assess the changes in gut microbiota. Results: We demonstrate that RJJDD protects against IAV-induced pneumonia. Comprehensive network pharmacology analyses of the Mass Spec-identified components of RJJDD suggest that RJJDD may act through down-regulating key signaling pathways producing inflammatory cytokines, which was experimentally confirmed by cytokine expression analysis in IAV-infected mouse lung tissues and IAV single-strand RNA mimic R837-induced macrophages. Furthermore, gut microbiota analysis indicates that RJJDD prevented IAV-induced dysbiosis of host intestinal flora, thereby offering a mechanistic explanation for RJJDD's efficacy in influenza pneumonia. Conclusion: This study defines a previously uncharacterized role for RJJDD in protecting against influenza likely by maintaining homeostasis of gut microbiota, and provides a new therapeutic option for severe influenza.

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to classify distinct subgroups of adolescents based on the severity levels of their mobile phone addiction and to investigate how these groups differed in terms of their psychosocial characteristics. We surveyed a total of 2,230 adolescents using three different questionnaires to assess the severity of their mobile phone addiction, stress, anxiety, depression, psychological resilience, and personality. Latent class analysis was employed to identify the subgroups, and we utilized Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves and multinomial logistic regression for statistical analysis. All data analyses were conducted using SPSS 26.0 and Mplus 8.5.MethodsWe classified the subjects into subgroups based on their mobile phone addiction severity, and the results revealed a clear pattern with a three-class model based on the likelihood level of mobile phone addiction (p 14, which corresponded to the maximum Youden index (Youden index = 0.751).ResultsThe latent classification process in this research confirmed the existence of three distinct mobile phone user groups. We also examined the psychosocial characteristics that varied in relation to the severity levels of addiction.ConclusionThis study provides valuable insights into the categorization of adolescents based on the severity of mobile phone addiction and sheds light on the psychosocial characteristics associated with different addiction levels. These findings are expected to enhance our understanding of mobile phone addiction traits and stimulate further research in this area.

Abstract Compound plant extracts (CPE) are beneficial for aquatic animals on growth performance and antioxidant capacity. A 56‐day experiment was conducted to investigate its positive effect on rice field eel. The fish were fed a commercial diet and supplementing CPE (mainly containing eucommia polysaccharides, reducing sugar) at 0, 0.8, 1.6, 2.4, and 3.2 g/kg. Results showed that dietary CPE significantly increased weight gain and specific growth rate (p

University faculties are duty-bound to shoulder the functions of both teaching and doing scientific research, but they have been repeatedly criticized for emphasizing research over teaching. The current study analyzes the imbalance between teaching and scientific research in faculty evaluation system from three aspects through both quality study and quantity study: the evaluation subject, the weights difference in promotion, and the prediction of salary. Based on that, the influential effects of unbalanced evaluation system on long-term development of education has been explored. The current study also puts forward the moderating effect of the sense of belonging to colleges and universities. The result shows organizational belonging can significantly weaken the negative effects of the unbalanced evaluation system on education. Based on this, this paper makes further suggestions on the construction of university faculties’ evaluation system and the promotion of their sense of belonging.

Recent research has hypothesized that hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) may have emerged from abiotic geochemical processes during the Archean eon (4.0–2.5 Ga), stimulating the evolution of an enzymatic antioxidant system in early life. This eventually led to the evolution of cyanobacteria, and in turn, the accumulation of oxygen on Earth. In the latest issue of Redox Biology, Koppenol and Sies (vol. 29, no. 103012, 2024) argued against this hypothesis and suggested instead that early organisms would not have been exposed to H2O2 due to its short half-life in the ferruginous oceans of the Archean. We find these arguments to be factually incomplete because they do not consider that freshwater or some coastal marine environments during the Archean could indeed have led to H2O2 generation and accumulation. In these environments, abiotic oxidants could have interacted with early life, thus steering its evolutionary course.

Aiming to solve the problem of pavement crack detection in complex road environments, an improved algorithm based on YOLOv5s is proposed. First, the CBAM (Convolutional Block Attention Module) is introduced after the backbone network’s C3 modules to focus the complex scene’s practical information and enhance the model’s attention to the crack region. Second, the BiFPN (Bidirectional Feature Pyramid Network) is used in Neck to replace the bidirectional PANet (Path Aggregation Network) in YOLOv5s to improve the multiscale feature fusion, which reduces detection leakage due to illumination and scale factors. Thirdly, the P6 detection head for denser cracks is added to the Head, and the CA (Coordinate Attention) module is introduced to improve the crack detection capability at multiple scales. Finally, the algorithm is experimentally compared with SSD (Single Shot MultiBox Detector), Faster-RCNN (Faster-Region Convolutional Neural Network), and unimproved YOLOv5s on the constructed pavement crack image dataset. The results show that compared with other algorithms, when mAP@0.5 (mean Average Precision when IoU=0.5) values are improved by 10.6%, 9.2%, and 4.6%, respectively, and cracks are identified better than the other three models.

Background: Sepsis is a severe and life-threatening condition triggered by a dysregulated response to infection, leading to organ failure and, often, death. The syndrome is expensive to treat, with survivors frequently experiencing reduced quality of life and enduring various long-term disabilities. The increasing understanding of RNA, RNA biology, and therapeutic potential offers an unprecedented opportunity to develop innovative therapy. Objective: This study is a scoping review focusing on pre-clinical studies of microRNA (miRNA)-based therapies for sepsis. Methodology: A scoping review. The search strategy identified papers published in PubMed until 15 October 2023, using the keywords (microRNA) AND (sepsis) AND (animal model). Inclusion criteria included papers that used either gain- or loss-of-function approaches, excluding papers that did not focus on microRNAs as therapy targets, did not include animal models, did not show organ failure-specific assessments, and focused on microRNAs as biomarkers. The PRISMA-ScR guideline was used in this study. Results: A total of 199 articles were identified that featured the terms “microRNA/miRNA/miR”, “Sepsis”, and “animal model”. Of these, 51 articles (25.6%) employed miRNA-based therapeutic interventions in animal models of sepsis. Of these, 15 studies extended their inquiry to include or reference human clinical data. Key microRNAs of interest and their putative mechanisms of action in sepsis are highlighted. Conclusions: The body of work examined herein predominantly addresses various dimensions of sepsis-induced organ dysfunction, supporting the emerging role of miRNAs as potential therapeutic candidates. However, nearly 5% of papers on miR-based therapy have been retracted over the past 5 years, raising important concerns regarding the quality and complexity of the biology and models for assessing therapeutic potential.

Abstract Background RNA modifications have been proven to play fundamental roles in regulating cellular biology process. Recently, maladjusted N7-methylguanosine (m7G) modification and its modifiers METTL1/WDR4 have been confirmed an oncogene role in multiple cancers. However, the functions and molecular mechanisms of METTL1/WDR4 in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remain to be determined. Methods METTL1/WDR4 expression levels were quantified using qRT-PCR, western blot analysis on AML clinical samples, and bioinformatics analysis on publicly available AML datasets. CCK-8 assays and cell count assays were performed to determine cell proliferation. Flow cytometry assays were conducted to assess cell cycle and apoptosis rates. Multiple techniques were used for mechanism studies in vitro assays, such as northern blotting, liquid chromatography-coupled mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS), tRNA stability analysis, transcriptome sequencing, small non-coding RNA sequencing, quantitative proteomics, and protein synthesis measurements. Results METTL1/WDR4 are significantly elevated in AML patients and associated with poor prognosis. METTL1 knockdown resulted in reduced cell proliferation and increased apoptosis in AML cells. Mechanically, METTL1 knockdown leads to significant decrease of m7G modification abundance on tRNA, which further destabilizes tRNAs and facilitates the biogenesis of tsRNAs in AML cells. In addition, profiling of nascent proteins revealed that METTL1 knockdown and transfection of total tRNAs that were isolated from METTL1 knockdown AML cells decreased global translation efficiency in AML cells. Conclusions Taken together, our study demonstrates the important role of METTL1/WDR4 in AML leukaemogenesis, which provides a promising target candidate for AML therapy.

Abstract Vehicle speed, road roughness grade and sprung mass are the three main factors to influence suspension control and state estimation. Aiming at the problem that fixed state observer cannot guarantee the estimation accuracy of suspension with driving scenario changes, a suspension state observer based on interactive multiple model adaptive Kalman filter (IMMAKF) is established. Firstly, an adaptive control suspension is proposed based on LQR algorithm and multi-objective optimization algorithm, which can automatically adjust the controller parameters according to the vehicle speed, road roughness grade and sprung acceleration parameters, so as to keep the optimal control effect of the suspension. Secondly, the theoretical model of IMMAKF is derived, and two kinds of IMMAKF suspension state observers and controllers are established. Finally, a simulation condition with the vehicle speed, road roughness grade and sprung mass changing simultaneously is established. The simulation results shows that: compared with ordinary IMMKF, AKF and KF observers, the estimation accuracy of IMMAKF5 is improved. Except for state observation, IMMAKF can be used to identify the road roughness grade and estimate the suspension sprung mass.

Abstract Background Reducing current clinical symptoms and the risks of future exacerbations is the main goal of stable COPD management. Traditional Chinese medicine has unique advantages in chronic disease management. YuPingFeng (YPF), as a classical prescription, has been proven to reduce the risk of exacerbations, but there is a lack of high-quality evidence for the assessment of clinical symptoms and quality of life, particularly for the assessment of treatment response of microecology and immunity. Methods/design This is a prospective, multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. A total of 316 eligible subjects with moderate to severe COPD will be randomized 1:1 to receive YPF or placebo. Participants will receive either YPF or a placebo at 5 g three times daily for 52 weeks. The primary outcome will be the change in the COPD Assessment Test (CAT) score after 52 weeks of treatment. Secondary outcomes will include changes in the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) score and clinical symptom score, among others. Outcomes will be measured at each visit. The study will continue for 52 weeks and will include six visits to each subject (at day 0 and weeks 4,12,24,36 and 52). In the event of exacerbations, subjects will be required to go back to the hospital once on the first day of exacerbation or when their condition permits. Discussion This trial will provide research methods to evaluate the clinical efficacy, safety, and the possible mechanism of YPF in the treatment of stable moderate-to-severe COPD patients. In addition, we hope to provide more possibilities for TCM to participate in the management of stable COPD. Trial registration The trial was registered at the Chinese Clinical Trials Registry on 3 June 2022 (ChiCTR2200060476; date recorded: 3/6/2022, https://www.chictr.org.cn/ ).

In this study, we investigated the effects of major royal jelly proteins (MRJPs) on the estrogen, gut microbiota, and immunological responses in mice. Mice given 250 or 500 mg/kg, not 125 mg/kg of MRJPs, enhanced the proliferation of splenocytes in response to mitogens. The splenocytes and mesenteric lymphocytes activated by T-cell mitogens (ConA and anti-CD3/CD28 antibodies) released high levels of IL-2 but low levels of IFN-γ and IL-17A. The release of IL-4 was unaffected by MRJPs. Additionally, splenocytes and mesenteric lymphocytes activated by LPS were prevented by MRJPs at the same dose as that required for producing IL-1β and IL-6, two pro-inflammatory cytokines. The production of IL-1β, IL-6, and IFN-γ was negatively associated with estrogen levels, which were higher in the MRJP-treated animals than in the control group. Analysis of the gut microbiota revealed that feeding mice 250 mg/kg of MRJPs maintained the stability of the natural intestinal microflora of mice. Additionally, the LEfSe analysis identified biomarkers in the MRJP-treated mice, including Prevotella, Bacillales, Enterobacteriales, Gammaproteobacteria, Candidatus_Arthromitus, and Shigella. Our results showed that MRJPs are important components of royal jelly that modulate host immunity and hormone levels and help maintain gut microbiota stability.

Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) enables mobile robots to autonomously perform localization and mapping tasks in unknown environments. Despite significant progress achieved by visual SLAM systems in ideal conditions, relying solely on a single robot and point features for mapping in large-scale indoor environments with weak-texture structures can affect mapping efficiency and accuracy. Therefore, this paper proposes a multi-robot collaborative mapping method based on point-line fusion to address this issue. This method is designed for indoor environments with weak-texture structures for localization and mapping. The feature-extraction algorithm, which combines point and line features, supplements the existing environment point feature-extraction method by introducing a line feature-extraction step. This integration ensures the accuracy of visual odometry estimation in scenes with pronounced weak-texture structure features. For relatively large indoor scenes, a scene-recognition-based map-fusion method is proposed in this paper to enhance mapping efficiency. This method relies on visual bag of words to determine overlapping areas in the scene, while also proposing a keyframe-extraction method based on photogrammetry to improve the algorithm’s robustness. By combining the Perspective-3-Point (P3P) algorithm and Bundle Adjustment (BA) algorithm, the relative pose-transformation relationships of multi-robots in overlapping scenes are resolved, and map fusion is performed based on these relative pose relationships. We evaluated our algorithm on public datasets and a mobile robot platform. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm exhibits higher robustness and mapping accuracy. It shows significant effectiveness in handling mapping in scenarios with weak texture and structure, as well as in small-scale map fusion.

The extraction of total flavonoids from Hylotelephium spectabile (Boreau) H. Ohba (H. spectabile) leaves was studied through the use of a double enzyme-assisted ultrasonic method, and the extraction process was optimized using the Box–Behnken design. Eight different macroporous resins were screened for purification in single-factorial experiments, and the flavonoid compounds in the extract of H. spectabile leaves were identified using HPLC-MS. Through the evaluation of the total reducing capacity and capacity for reducing 1,1-diphenyl-2-trinitrophenylhydrazine (DPPH), hydroxyl radicals (·OH), and 2,2’-biazobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS), the in vitro antioxidant activities of the crude extracts of the total flavonoids and purified total flavonoids of H. spectabile leaves were investigated. The results showed that the most efficient conditions for flavonoid extraction were an ultrasonic extraction time of 60 min, an ethanol concentration of 35%, a liquid-to-material ratio of 20:1 mL/g, and an amount of enzyme (cellulose/pectinase = 1:1) of 1.5%, forming H. spectabile powder. Under these conditions, the total flavonoid extraction rate in the H. spectabile leaf extract was 4.22%. AB-8 resin showed superior performance in terms of purification, and the optimal adsorption and desorption times were 1.5 h and 3 h, respectively. The recommended parameters for purification included a liquid volume of 5.5 BV, a flow rate of 1.2 BV/min, a pH of 5, and a concentration of 0.8 mg/mL. The observed order for reducing capacity was ascorbic acid (VC) > rutin > purified total flavonoids > crude extract of total flavonoids. The purified total flavonoid extract from H. spectabile showed a good scavenging ability against DPPH, ·OH, and ABTS·+, suggesting strong antioxidant activity. Therefore, this study can serve as technical support and reference data for the further development and utilization of H. spectabile resources.

This study focused on developing an advanced bitterness sensor designed to minimize interference from common anions such as nitrate (NO3−) and iodide (I−) by incorporating partially dissociated amine compounds into the sensor membrane. The conventional bitter sensor (C00) uses fully dissociated quaternary ammonium salt tetradecyl ammonium bromide (TDAB), which typically exhibits high responses to these anions, leading to inaccurate bitterness assessments. To address this issue, we explored the use of three partially dissociated amines—oleylamine (OAm), dioctadecylamine (DODA), and tridodecylamine (TDA)—as lipids in the membrane components. We fabricated sensor membranes and tested their ion selectivity, interference resistance to anion, and sensitivity to iso-alpha acids (IAAs), representative bitter compounds in beer. The results showed that the membranes with partially dissociated amines significantly reduced anion interference. Notably, the sensitivity of the TDA membrane to IAAs was 80.4 mV/dec in concentration, exceeding the 68.5 mV/dec of the TDAB membrane. This enhanced sensitivity, coupled with reduced anion interference, reveals a novel property of partially dissociated lipids in taste sensors, distinguishing them from fully dissociated lipids. These findings pave the way for the development of sensors that can accurately assess a bitter taste and have potential applications in the food and beverage industry.

As the country that emits the most carbon in the world, China needs significant and urgent changes in carbon emission control in the transportation sector in order to achieve the goals of reaching peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. Therefore, the promotion of new energy vehicles has become the key factor to achieve these two objectives. For the reason that the comprehensive transportation cost directly affects the end customer’s choice of heavy truck models, this work compares the advantages, disadvantages, and economic feasibility of diesel, liquefied natural gas (LNG), electric, hydrogen, and methanol heavy trucks from a total life cycle cost and end-user perspective under various scenarios. The study results show that when the prices of diesel, LNG, electricity, and methanol fuels are at their highest, and the price of hydrogen is 35 CNY/kg, the total life cycle cost of the five types of heavy trucks from highest to lowest are hydrogen heavy trucks (HHT), methanol heavy trucks (MHT), diesel heavy trucks (DHT), electric heavy trucks (EHT), and LNG heavy trucks (LNGHT), ignoring the adverse effects of cold environments on car batteries. When the prices of diesel, LNG, electricity, and methanol fuels are at average or lowest levels, and the price of hydrogen is 30 CNY/kg or 25 CNY/kg, the life cycle cost of the five heavy trucks from highest to lowest are HHT, DHT, MHT, EHT, and LNGHT. When considering the impact of cold environments, even with lower electricity prices, EHT struggle to be economical when LNG prices are low. If the electricity price is above 1 CNY/kWh, regardless of the impact of cold environments, the economic viability of EHT is lower than that of HHT with a purchase cost of 500,000 CNY and a hydrogen price of 25 CNY/kg. Simultaneously, an exhaustive competitiveness analysis of heavy trucks powered by diverse energy sources highlights the specific categories of heavy trucks that ought to be prioritized for development during various periods and the challenges they confront. Finally, based on the analysis results and future development trends, the corresponding policy recommendations are proposed to facilitate high decarbonization in the transportation sector.

Paper relics, as carrieres of historical civilization’s records and inheritance, could be severely acidic and brittle over time. In this study, the multi-functional dispersion of nanometer magnesium oxide (MgO) carried by 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane-modified bacterial cellulose (KH550-BC) was applied in the impregnation process to repair aged paper, aiming at solving the key problems of anti-acid and strength recovery in the protection of ancient books. The KH550-BC/MgO treatment demonstrated enhanced functional efficacy in repairing aged paper, attributed to the homogeneous and stable distribution of MgO within the nanofibers of BC networks, with minimal impact on the paper’s wettability and color. Furthermore, the treatment facilitated the formation of adequate alkali reserves and hydrogen bonding, resulting in superior anti-aging properties in the treated paper during prolonged preservation. Even after 30 days of hygrothermal aging tests, the paper repaired by KH550-BC/MgO was still in a gently alkaline environment (pH was about 7.56), alongside a 32.18% elevation compared to the untreated paper regarding the tear index. The results of this work indicate that KH550-BC/MgO is an effective reinforcement material for improving the long-term restoration of ancient books.

In this work, the frequency dependence of ferroelectric and electrocaloric properties in barium titanate-based ceramics was studied based on Maxwell relations. It is found that the maximum and remnant polarization will decrease while the coercive field increases a lot with rising frequency from 0.1 to 10[Formula: see text]Hz, indicating that polarization rotation and domain switching become difficult at high frequencies. The electrocaloric properties show the different frequency dependence at different phase structures. Isothermal entropy change ([Formula: see text]) and adiabatic temperature change ([Formula: see text]) are similar around/above Curie temperature ([Formula: see text], showing tiny frequency dependence. However, [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] display the obvious frequency dependence below [Formula: see text], especially in the orthorhombic–tetragonal phase-transition region with a stable ferroelectric phase, and this frequency dependence becomes more obvious under a low-electric field. It is also found that increasing the frequency can weaken the electric field dependence of electrocaloric strength. This work gives a general profile of frequency dependence for electrocaloric properties in ferroelectric ceramics.

Introduction: Significant attention has been paid to myocardial damage mediated by the single-stranded RNA virus. Qingfei Paidu decoction (QFPDD) has been proved to protect the damage caused by the influenza virus A/PR/8/1934 (PR8), but its specific mechanism is unclear.Methods: Molecular biological methods, together with network pharmacology, were used to analyze the effects and underlying mechanism of QFPDD treatment on PR8-induced myocardial damage to obtain insights into the treatment of COVID-19-mediated myocardial damage.Results: Increased apoptosis and subcellular damage were observed in myocardial cells of mice infected by PR8. QFPDD treatment significantly inhibited the apoptosis and subcellular damage induced by the PR8 virus. The inflammatory factors IFN-β, TNF-α, and IL-18 were statistically increased in the myocardia of the mice infected by PR8, and the increase in inflammatory factors was prevented by QFPDD treatment. Furthermore, the expression levels or phosphorylation of necroptosis-related proteins RIPK1, RIPK3, and MLKL were abnormally elevated in the group of infected mice, while QFPDD restored the levels or phosphorylation of these proteins. Our study demonstrated that HIF-1α is a key target of QFPDD in the treatment of influenza virus-mediated injury. The HIF-α level was significantly increased by PR8 infection. Both the knockdown of HIF-1α and treatment of the myocardial cell with QFPDD significantly reversed the increased inflammatory factors during infection. Overexpression of HIF-1α reversed the inhibition effects of QFPDD on cytokine expression. Meanwhile, seven compounds from QFPDD may target HIF-1α.Conclusion: QFPDD can ameliorate influenza virus-mediated myocardial damage by reducing the degree of cell necroptosis and apoptosis, inhibiting inflammatory response and the expression of HIF-1α. Thus, our results provide new insights into the treatment of respiratory virus-mediated myocardial damage.

Abstract Plasma etching treatment is an effective strategy to improve the electrocatalytic activity, but the improvement mechanism is still unclear. In this work, a nitrogen‐doped carbon nanotube‐encased iron nanoparticles (Fe@NCNT) catalyst is synthesized as the model catalyst, followed by plasma etching treatment with different parameters. The electrocatalytic activity improvement mechanism of the plasma etching treatment is revealed by combining the physicochemical characterizations and electrochemical results. As a result, highly active metal–nitrogen species introduced by nitrogen plasma etching treatment are recognized as the main contribution to the improved electrocatalytic activity, and the defects induced by plasma etching treatment also contribute to the improvement of the electrocatalytic activity. In addition, the prepared catalyst also demonstrates superior ORR activity and stability than the commercial Pt/C catalyst.

BackgroundInflammatory cytokines have long been considered closely related to the development of oral lichen planus (OLP), and we further explored the causal relationship between the two by Mendelian randomization (MR) method.MethodsWe performed bidirectional MR analyses by large genome-wide association studies (GWAS). The data included a large-scale OLP dataset, as well as datasets of 41 inflammatory cytokines. All data were obtained from the University of Bristol database, which includes 41 inflammatory cytokines, and the GWAS Catalog database, which includes 91 inflammatory cytokines. OLP data were obtained from the Finngen database, which includes 6411 cases and 405770 healthy controls. We used the inverse variance weighted (IVW) method, MR-Egger method, weighted median method, simple mode method and weighted mode method to analyze the causal relationship between inflammatory cytokines and OLP, and we also combined with sensitivity analysis to further verify the robustness of the results. We performed a meta-analysis of positive or potentially positive results for the same genes to confirm the reliability of the final results.ResultsWe primarily used the IVW analysis method, corrected using the Benjamin Hochberg (BH) method. When p

Under the action of waves, a small unmanned surface vehicle (USV) will experience continuous oscillation, significantly impacting its photovoltaic power generation system. This paper proposes a USV photovoltaic power generation simulation model, and the efficiency of photovoltaic MPPT control under wave action is studied. A simulation model for solar irradiance on solar panels of USV under wave action is established based on CFD and solar irradiation models. The dynamic changes in irradiance of USV solar panels under typical wave conditions are analyzed. The MPPT efficiency of USV photovoltaic power generation devices under continuously changing irradiance conditions is studied on this basis. The simulation research results indicate that waves and solar altitude angles significantly impact the instantaneous irradiation energy of USV photovoltaic devices. However, the impact of waves on the average irradiance is relatively tiny. The sustained oscillation of irradiance poses certain requirements for the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) control frequency of USV photovoltaic systems; a disturbance control frequency of no less than 50 Hz is proposed.

The meat of local livestock breeds often has unique qualities and flavors. In this study, three Shanghai native pig breeds (MSZ, SWT, and SHB) exhibited better meat quality traits than globalized commercial pig breeds (DLY). Subsequently, metabolomic and lipidomic differences in the longissimus dorsi (L) and gluteus (T) muscles of the Shanghai native pig breeds and DLY pig breed were compared using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS). The results demonstrated that the metabolites mainly consisted of (28.16%) lipids and lipid-like molecules, and (25.87%) organic acids and their derivatives were the two most dominant groups. Hundreds of differential expression metabolites were identified in every compared group, respectively. One-way ANOVA was applied to test the significance between multiple groups. Among the 20 most abundant differential metabolites, L-carnitine was significantly different in the muscles of the four pig breeds (p-value = 7.322 × 10−11). It was significantly higher in the L and T muscles of the two indigenous black pig breeds (MSZ and SWT) than in the DLY pigs (p-value < 0.001). Similarly, lipidomic analysis revealed the PA (18:0/18:2) was significantly more abundant in the muscle of these two black breeds than that in the DLY breed (p-value < 0.001). These specific metabolites and lipids might influence the meat quality and taste properties and lead to customer preferences. Therefore, this study provided insights into the characterization of meat metabolites and lipids in Shanghai native pig breeds.

In this study, polysaccharides were extracted at a rate of 87.5% ± 1.5% from native dandelion roots, and the dandelion root polysaccharides (DRPs) were then chemically modified to obtain sulfated polysaccharides (SDRPs) with a degree of substitution of 1.49 ± 0.07. The effects of modification conditions, physicochemical characterizations, structural characteristics, antioxidant properties, hypoglycemic activity, and proliferative effects on probiotics of DRP derivatives were further investigated. Results showed that the optimum conditions for sulfation of DRPs included esterification reagents (concentrated sulfuric acid: n-butanol) ratio of 3:1, a reaction temperature of 0 °C, a reaction time of 1.5 h, and the involvement of 0.154 g of ammonium sulfate. The DRPs and SDRPs were composed of six monosaccharides, including mannose, glucosamine, rhamnose, glucose, galactose, and arabinose. Based on infrared spectra, the peaks of the characteristic absorption bands of S=O and C-O-S appeared at 1263 cm−1 and 836 cm−1. Compared with DRPs, SDRPs had a significantly lower relative molecular mass and a three-stranded helical structure. NMR analysis showed that sulfated modification mainly occurred on the hydroxyl group at C6. SDRPs underwent a chemical shift to higher field strength, with their characteristic signal peaking in the region of 1.00–1.62 ppm. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis indicated that the surface morphology of SDRPs was significantly changed. The structure of SDRPs was finer and more fragmented than DRPs. Compared with DRPs, SDRPs showed better free radical scavenging ability, higher Fe2+chelating ability, and stronger inhibition of α-glucosidase and α-amylase. In addition, SDRPs had an excellent promotional effect on the growth of Lactobacillus plantarum 10665 and Lactobacillus acidophilus. Therefore, this study could provide a theoretical basis for the development and utilization of DRPs.

Luchuan (LC) pigs are a Chinese breed renowned for their distinctive black and white coloring, superior meat quality and rapid reproduction, but their growth rate is slow. Over the course of approximately two decades of controlled breeding, the LC pigs maintained at the Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences (Shanghai, China) have diverged into two phenotypes: one characterized by obesity (FLC) and the other by leanness (LLC). Recent studies indicate a correlation between microorganisms and the differentiation of host phenotypes. In this study, we examined the fecal microbiota profiles and serum metabolites of FLC and LLC pigs. The body weight, chest circumference, and alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase enzyme activities were increased in the FLC pigs compared to the LLC pigs. Conversely, the levels of the Fusobacterium and Streptococcus genera were lower in the FLC pigs, while the number of Firmicutes, Lactobacillus, Phascolartobacterium, and Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group members were higher. A total of 52 metabolites were altered between the two groups, with many playing crucial roles in prolactin signaling, oocyte meiosis, and aldosterone-regulated sodium reabsorption pathways. The correlation analyses demonstrated a significant association between the modified microbiota and metabolites and the phenotypic variations observed in the LC pigs. Specifically, Jeotgalicoccus was positively correlated with the body weight and chest circumference, but was negatively correlated with metabolites such as 2-mercaptobenzothiazole and N1-pyrazin-2-yl-4-chlorobenzamide, which were positively associated with Bacteroides. These results provide compelling evidence for a novel relationship between the gut microbiome and metabolome in the phenotypic differentiation of LC pigs.

Deploying renewable generation to replace conventional fossil-fuel-based energy supplies provides an important pathway for the decarbonization of steelmaking plants. Meanwhile, it is also crucial to improve the flexibility of blast-furnace-gas-fired combined-cycle power plants (BFGCCs) to ease the accommodation of uncertain renewable generation. To this end, this paper proposes the deployment of a molten salt heat storage (MSHS) system in BFGCCs to store the heat of gas turbine flue gas so that the power–heat coupling of these BFGCCs can be unlocked to enhance the flexibility of the energy supply. A stochastic capacity optimization of an integrated BFGCC–MSHS–wind–solar (BMWS) energy system is presented to determine the optimal installed capacities of a BFG holder, MSHS, wind turbine, and PV panel, aiming to achieve an economic and safe energy supply for the entire system. Multiple scenarios considering uncertain fluctuations in load demands and renewable generation are generated with the Monte Carlo method based on a typical scenario. These scenarios are then reduced to representative scenarios using the synchronous substitution and reduction method for stochastic capacity optimization to enhance the reliability of the results. The case study results demonstrate that configuring MSHS reduces the total annualized cost of the BMWS system by 2.28%. Furthermore, considering the uncertainties of the power/heating load and wind/PV generation can reduce the expected annualized total cost of the BMWS system and the corresponding standard deviation by 5.66% and 81.45%, respectively. The BMWS system can achieve 730.68 tons of equivalent CO2 reduction in 24 h due to the successful utilization of renewable energy. This paper provides an effective approach for the decarbonization of energy generation systems in steelmaking plants.