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Reducing the weight of the negative current collector is an effective strategy for lightweighting vehicle batteries. Herein, thin copper foil with high tensile strength was prepared through electrodeposition in Br−-based aqueous solution. The synergistic effect of additive Br−, polyethylene glycol (PEG), Bis-(sodium sulfopropyl)-disulfide (SPS) on the microstructure and tensile strength of the copper foils have been systematically explored. It was found that the addition of Br− modifies the microstructure of copper via grain refinement, thereby enhancing the mechanical properties of copper foil. The obtained copper foil reaches an enhanced tensile strength of 469.8 N/mm2 and an elongation of 2.2%. The results of electrochemical measurements confirm that Br− enhances electrochemical polarization of PEG and attenuates the acceleration of SPS. The improved mechanical properties of copper foils are attributed to the closer proximity and stronger adsorption energy between Br− and Cu atoms, which results in a synergy of grain refinement and nanotwinned grains associated with increased dislocation density as well as dislocations entangled around nanotwin GBs.

Specific algal polysaccharides exhibit significant anti-allergic activity. B cell class switch recombination (CSR) is a crucial step in food allergies, however, the role of polysaccharides in regulating CSR remains unclear. To investigate the regulation of B cell CSR by algal polysaccharides, an in vitro IgE-type CSR cell model was used to screen for active algal polysaccharides, and four active polysaccharides were identified. In a food allergy mouse model, Undaria pinnatifida polysaccharides (UPP) and phosphoryl oligosaccharides (POS) suppressed allergic responses and reduced the proliferation of IgE+ B cells. Transcriptome sequencing of B cells identified LCN2 as a potential target of POS, and inhibition of LCN2 blocked the activity of POS on CSR. These findings demonstrated the efficacy of POS in regulating B cell CSR and alleviating allergic responses and revealed the underlying mechanisms. This work provided data and theoretical support for the development of polysaccharide-based functional foods for individuals with allergies.

The soil freezing-thawing characteristic curve (FTCC) can reflect the physical and mechanical properties of soil–water system during freezing-thawing (FT) process, which is of guiding significance to the study of soil moisture, heat and matter transport in cold regions. In this study, firstly, according to the evolution law of freezing-thawing hysteresis with freezing-thawing process, revealing the hysteresis mechanisms at different stages based on ice-water transformation theory. The freezing-thawing hysteresis can be divided into four stages as temperature decreasing. The hysteresis of the first three stages are due to nucleation and electrolyte effects, capillarity and pore clogging effects, structural damage effect, respectively; and the last stage is extremely weak and can be ignored. Secondly, evaluating freezing-thawing curves of soil–water system with three pore structures (cylindrical, spherical, and sphere-cylinder binary pore) based on the thermodynamic theory, quantitatively. The upper and lower boundaries of the freezing/thawing characteristic curve with natural pores are those with idealized cylindrical and spherical pores, respectively. Finally, the evaluation index (i.e., hysteresis degree) was introduced to quantitatively describe the variation of unfrozen water hysteresis degree with freezing-thawing process. The relationship between the unfrozen water hysteresis degree and temperature can be divided into four stages. The maximum hysteresis degree was found in the second stage, indicating that hysteresis was most significant in the second stage, followed by the first, third, and fourth stages. Our results provide theoretical support for studying hydrothermal characteristics and water, heat, and solute transport of geotechnical materials in seasonally frozen regions.

Protein demand from aquaculture exacerbates environmental pressures. Zig-zag eel (Mastacembelus armatus, MA) is a new aquaculture species in southern China and has great potential for future promotion. In this study, we used Spirulina platensis powder (SPP) to replace 0–20 % of fishmeal in the feed, respectively. A 10-week aquaculture experiment was conducted on 600 MAs with five groups of F0 (0 %), F1 (5 %), F2 (10 %), F3 (15 %), and F4 (20 %) set up with equal nitrogen (approximately 50.00 % crude protein) and equal fat (about 5.50 % crude fat) feeds. The experimental results showed that replacing fishmeal with different proportions of SPP significantly reduced FCR (p < 0.05), increased WGR and SGR (p < 0.05), and reduced the feeding cost, with the best performance in F2. Polynomial analysis combining WGR and SGR showed that the optimum percentage of substitution was 10.93 % and 11.09 % in MA diets, respectively. The addition of SPP significantly reduced the levels of EPA and DHA content (p < 0.05), significantly increased the proportion of C14:0, C16:1, C20:5n3, and C22:6n3 (p < 0.05), and a high proportion of SPP addition significantly decreased saturated fatty acid content (p < 0.05). The length of intestinal villi and the secretion levels of Chymotrypsin and Pepsin were significantly increased (p < 0.05), and the secretion level of Lipase was significantly decreased (p < 0.05) in the experimental group. A low percentage of SPP increased microbial diversity in MA’s gut. Functional pathways related to metabolic functions were the most obvious broad groups with the most significant changes in relative abundance in the experimental group, and Plesiomonas and Aeromonas may be the key microorganisms involved in regulating the digestion and metabolism of SPP in the gut of MA.

Concrete is a widely used material for buildings, and its production reached approximately 10 billion m3 in 2022. Half of concrete-related buildings suffer seasonal freeze-thaw action, which causes frequent engineering damage, short service life and enormous economic loss. To improve the freeze-thaw resistance and durability of concretes, we used expanded graphite (EGC14) to encapsulate n-tetradecane (C14) and thus prepared a composite phase change material (EGC14). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) tests indicate that the EGC14 is chemically stable and has excellent phase change capability. Then, five mass ratios of the EGC14 to concrete aggregates were designed to produce phase change concretes (PCCs), named as PCC-EGC14s (0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4%). The PCC-EGC14s′ freeze-thaw resistance performances were systematically tested at different freeze-thaw cycles (FTCs). The test data demonstrate that the EGC14 could effectively keep the transition and capillary pores in the PCC-EGC14s from expanding into easily FTC-damaged macropores. Moreover, the more EGC14 the PCC-EGC14s contain, the less mass loss, and the larger dynamic moduli of elasticity (MOEd) and compressive strengths the PCC-EGC14s have. According to the strength requirement of C20 concretes, the PCC-EGC14 (3%) has the optimal freeze-thaw durability. Therefore, it is suggested for actual engineering applications. Of course, the mix design principle and experimental data of the new PCC-EGC14s in this work are helpful to comprehend the freeze-thaw process and mechanism of concretes and could also provide a critical reference for practical production.

Summary: Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are ubiquitously distributed across various biospheres and play key roles in global sulfur and carbon cycles. However, few deep-sea SRB have been cultivated and studied in situ, limiting our understanding of the true metabolism of deep-sea SRB. Here, we firstly clarified the high abundance of SRB in deep-sea sediments and successfully isolated a sulfate-reducing bacterium (zrk46) from a cold seep sediment. Our genomic, physiological, and phylogenetic analyses indicate that strain zrk46 is a novel species, which we propose as Pseudodesulfovibrio serpens. We found that supplementation with sulfate, thiosulfate, or sulfite promoted strain zrk46 growth by facilitating energy production through the dissimilatory sulfate reduction, which was coupled to the oxidation of organic matter in both laboratory and deep-sea conditions. Moreover, in situ metatranscriptomic results confirmed that other deep-sea SRB also performed the dissimilatory sulfate reduction, strongly suggesting that SRB may play undocumented roles in deep-sea sulfur cycling.

Instruction: Plant polysaccharides are important components of Chinese herbal medicine. Many polysaccharides, such as Astragalus polysaccharide and Lycium barbarum polysaccharide, have important functions such as tumor growth inhibition, antioxidant, anti-aging and immune regulation. Methods: Literature searches were conducted on the following databases: Pubmed, ACS website, Elsevier, Google Scholar, Web of Science and CNKI database. Keywords such as “plant polysaccharides”, “apoptosis”, “miRNA”, “apoptosis pathway” and “regulation of apoptosis” were used to search relevant journals and contents, and some irrelevant contents were excluded. In this review, the effects of plant polysaccharides on cell apoptosis and how to regulate miRNA expression were reviewed, which provided the basis for further research on the mechanism of polysaccharide action. Results: Plant polysaccharides regulated apoptosis probably by regulating the expression of mirnas, and the expression of certain downstream signaling factors of miRNA were changed. Some of these factors could directly act on apoptosis-related signals, activate or inhibit signaling pathways, and thus regulate cell apoptosis. Discussion and conclusion: In this review, we discussed the regulatory effects of plant polysaccharides on apoptosis and their possible molecular mechanisms. However, most of the current studies lack clinical experimental data, so it is still necessary to further study the specific mechanism of plant polysaccharides affecting cell miRNA expression and apoptosis, so that plant polysaccharides can be more widely used in clinical and practical aspects.

A new filler metal was developed to join the new generation weathering steel Q690qNH. Microstructural evolutions and the associated mechanical behavior of weldments were comparatively studied in hot rolled and tempered thick Q690qNH plates with initial microstructure of lath bainite and granular bainite respectively. Phase transformations in the HAZ promote the work hardening capacity of the weld jointed tempered Q690qNH (Q690T) plate and enable the joints to exhibit a different mechanical response upon the tensile loading in comparison to the weld jointed hot rolled Q690qNH (Q690R) plate. Prior austenite reconstruction was carried out to understand the crack nucleation behavior in HAZ. The plastic incompatibility between martensitic-austenitic (M-A) and bainitic ferrite leads to the nucleation of plastic micro-voids from the prior austenite grain boundary or M-A boundary. The fracture of Q690R joint is caused by coalescing micro-voids in HAZ with a strength reduction of 10%–14% that caused by the welding process. The continuous yielding behavior regarding the retained austinite in HAZ results in a competition of the plastic deformation in each subzone of the Q690T joint, of which the catastrophic fracture is dominated by the initial microstructure comprising the ferrite and the granular bainite.

In this work, the hybrid micron B4C particles (m-B4Cp) and nano SiC particles (n-SiCp) reinforced 6061Al matrix composites were prepared by powder metallurgy. The synergistic effects of hybrid m-B4Cp and n-SiCp were investigated. The results showed that m-B4Cp were well dispersed in the matrix, while n-SiCp were uniformly distributed inside the grains as well as at the grain boundaries. The coupled addition of n-SiCp and m-B4Cp significantly refined the grain size of matrix from 3.60 μm to 0.91 μm. The synchrotron X-ray computed tomography (SR-CT) revealed that the volume of pores increased with increase of particle content. Compared with the composites reinforced with only one type of particle, the 6061Al composites reinforced with micro and nano dual-size particles possessed higher tensile strength, while maintaining reasonable plasticity. The strengthening contributions to the yield strength improvement of 6010Al matrix composites reinforced with micro and nano dual-size particles are resulted from thermal expansion mismatch strengthening, fine grain strengthening and Orowan strengthening caused by n-SiCp.

Electron beam welding (EBW) is suitable for joining titanium alloys. However, the utilization of EBW leads to an uneven microstructure within the weldment due to the rapid solidification and non-uniform temperature gradients, which results in the formation of coarse columnar β grains, ghost α phases, and metastable martensite α/α′ phases, decreasing the mechanical properties. Post-welded heat treatment (PWHT) is a practical method of enhancing mechanical properties by changing the phase composition and grain size. PWHT can promote decomposition and recrystallization of the metastable martensite α/α′ phase in the fusion zone (FZ) and heat-affected zone (HAZ), creating dense nanoscale acicular α phases to build α+β colonies. As the holding time and temperature increase, the thickness and spacing of the acicular α phases increase. The increase in acicular α phases thickness and spacing has a more significant impact on the nanohardness but a lesser effect on the microhardness. Optimal PWHT is 630 °C for 2 h, followed by air cooling, which promotes the precipitation of dense nanoscale acicular α phases in the columnar β grains and ghost α phases, resulting in fine-grain strengthening effect, thereby greatly enhancing the mechanical properties of the welded joint with a tensile strength of 1053.8 MPa, an elongation of 14.33%, and a fracture at the base metal (BM). Moreover, due to the formation of dense nanoscale acicular α phases, more grain boundaries are generated, which hinder the dislocation movement, so that the localized strain in the FZ and HAZ is much lower than that in the BM.

NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) has been suggested as an environmentally friendly solid-state refrigerant that is expected to replace the traditional vapor compression technology. However, its various refrigeration indicators still need to be further explored and enhanced. Nanocrystalline NiTi SMA has significant advantages in terms of elastocaloric effect (eCE) and cyclic stability compared with traditional coarse-grained NiTi SMA. In this work, the influence of aspect ratio (L/W, where L and W are the gauge length and width of the samples, respectively) on the eCE and its cyclic stability of nanocrystalline NiTi SMA was investigated experimentally. The in-situ cyclic tensile tests were performed to observe the axial strain field and temperature field on the surface of the specimens with different aspect ratios. Some microscopic observations were also carried out to clarify the internal mechanism. The experimental results show that as the aspect ratio decreases, the adiabatic temperature change ΔTad (elasocaloric cooling capacity) of the nanocrystalline NiTi SMA gradually decreases, while the coefficient of the performance of material (COPmat) increases, and the cyclic stability of eCE was enhanced. However, the dependence of eCE and its cyclic stability on the aspect ratio is gradually weakened when L/W > 4. The eCE and its cyclic stability of nanocrystalline NiTi SMA are not related to the dislocation slipping but rather attributed to the cyclically accumulated residual martensite. This work can provide valuable reference for designing efficient and reliable nanocrystalline NiTi SMA based solid-state refrigeration devices.

Summary: Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignant head and neck cancer with a high incidence in Southern China and Southeast Asia. Patients with remote metastasis and recurrent NPC have poor prognosis. Thus, a better understanding of NPC pathogenesis may identify novel therapies to address the unmet clinical needs. Methods: H3K27ac ChIP-seq and HiChIP was applied to understand the enhancer landscapes and the chromosome interactions. Whole genome sequencing was conducted to analyze the relationship between genomic variations and epigenetic dysregulation. CRISPRi and JQ1 treatment were used to evaluate the transcriptional regulation of SOX2 SEs. Colony formation assay, survival analysis and in vivo subcutaneous patient-derived xenograft assays were applied to explore the function and clinical relevance of SOX2 in NPC. Findings: We globally mapped the enhancer landscapes and generated NPC enhancer connectomes, linking NPC specific enhancers and SEs. We found five overlapped genes, including SOX2, among super-enhancer regulated genes, survival related genes and NPC essential genes. The mRNA expression of SOX2 was repressed when applying CRISPRi targeting different SOX2 SEs or JQ1 treatment. Next, we identified a genetic variation (Chr3:181422197, G > A) in SOX2 SE which is correlated with higher expression of SOX2 and poor survival. In addition, SOX2 was highly expressed in NPC and is correlated with short survival in patients with NPC. Knock-down of SOX2 suppressed tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. Interpretation: Our study demonstrated the super-enhancer landscape with chromosome interactions and identified super-enhancer driven SOX2 promotes tumorigenesis, suggesting that SOX2 is a potential therapeutic target for patients with NPC. Funding: A full list of funding bodies that contributed to this study can be found in the Acknowledgements section.

Zirconia has been extensively used in aerospace, military, biomedical and industrial fields due to its unusual combination of high mechanical, electrical and thermal properties. However, the fundamental and critical phase transition process of zirconia has not been well studied because of its difficult first-order phase transition with formidable energy barrier. Here, we generated a machine learning interatomic potential with ab initio accuracy to discover the mechanism behind all kinds of phase transition of zirconia at ambient pressure. The machine learning potential precisely characterized atomic interactions among all zirconia allotropes and liquid zirconia in a wide temperature range. We realized the challenging reversible first-order monoclinic-tetragonal and cubic-liquid phase transition processes with enhanced sampling techniques. From the thermodynamic information, we gave a better understanding of the thermal hysteresis phenomenon in martensitic monoclinic-tetragonal transition. The phase diagram of zirconia from our machine learning potential based molecular dynamics simulations corresponded well with experimental results.

Objective: To analyze the changing trend of the global burden of thyroid cancer (TC) and its associated risk factors using data from the Global Burden of Disease study 2019 (GBD 2019). Methods: This study utilized the GBD 2019 database to analyze the burden trend of TC in various regions and countries from 1990 to 2019, while also examining the age-period-cohort (APC) effect. Additionally, the study used Bayesian age-period-cohort (BAPC) and predictive models to forecast TC incidence up until 2030. Results: According to data from 2019, there were 233,846.64 (95 % UI 211,636.89–252,806.55) cases of TC worldwide. The burden of TC varies among regions and countries, with higher incidence rates observed in moderate and above SDI regions. Age and gender also play a role, with incidence rates peaking in the >95 age group for men and the 70–74 age group for women. Additionally, women have a higher incidence than men. The APC model revealed that the impact of age was most significant among individuals aged 95 years and older, while it was lowest among those aged 0–14 years. Additionally, the period effect showed a relatively low risk of morbidity with a Period RR 0 during 2005–2019. Furthermore, the cohort effect demonstrated that the relative risk of developing the disease was lower before 1950 and higher after 1950. Predicted values show an increasing trend in thyroid incidence over the next 30 years. Conclusions: The findings of this study highlight the continued significance of thyroid cancer as a global public health issue. It is crucial to develop targeted interventions that address the specific risk factors associated with thyroid cancer. Furthermore, health policies should be customized and adapted to the unique needs of different regions and populations.

Objective: To investigate the clinical value of laparoscopic cytoreductive surgery (CRS) in treating of appendiceal pseudomyxoma peritonei with limited disease and low tumor burden. Methods: The clinical data of patients with appendiceal pseudomyxoma peritonei treated by surgery with CRS at the Aerospace Center Hospital from January 2018 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into laparoscopic or open CRS groups according to the operation method. A propensity score-matched (PSM) analysis (1:1) was performed, the related clinical variables were compared between the two groups, and the effect on progression-free survival (PFS) was also analyzed. Results: One hundred and eight patients were included in this study. After PSM, 33 patients were selected from each group and the age and peritoneal cancer index were matched between the two groups. There were significant differences in operation time (P

Starting from the theoretical mechanism of the impact of financial agglomeration on regional green innovation efficiency, and using panel data from 30 provinces in China from 2009 to 2017, this study calculates a financial agglomeration index and green innovation efficiency applying principal component analysis and the slacks-based measure (SBM) of super-efficiency. The study then constructs static and dynamic spatial Durbin models using two different spatial weight matrices to empirically test the spatial spillover effect of financial agglomeration on regional green innovation efficiency. The results reveal a significant positive spatial correlation between China's inter-provincial green innovation efficiency and financial agglomeration. Both static and dynamic models demonstrate that financial agglomeration has a significant spatial spillover effect on the green innovation efficiency of adjacent provinces, but the static model overestimates the impact of spatial spillover. In addition, human capital level, technology market activity, and environmental regulation all have significant positive impacts on the green innovation efficiency of provinces and adjacent provinces.

Swine nursery mortality is one of the most important key performance indicators (KPIs) for commercial swine production systems and, for the purpose of this study, refers to the number of pigs that died during the first 60 days during the post-weaning phase (approximately 170-day period). Likewise, nursery mortality accounts for almost 50% of the mortality that occurs throughout the post-weaning phase. Despite being a metric concerning the post-weaning phase of production, previous studies have demonstrated that nursery mortality is highly correlated with the previous performance of the piglets in the pre-weaning phase and to stocking conditions at placement in nursery sites. However, there is no evidence of that predictive models are currently routinely utilized in the swine industry to predict the nursery performance of individual groups of pigs based on their previous performance in the pre-weaning phase. One obstacle to building such predictive models is that health and management data as well as production data for the pre and post-weaning phases are collected with separate record-keeping programs and stored in unconnected databases.Thus, the objective of this study was to measure and compare the performance of 5 forecasting models for predicting nursery mortality using a master table containing data collected from a single swine production system for 1,831 groups of pigs. An automated model was built to integrate information for 48 variables included in the master table that was previously disconnected within the production system. After the model and parameter tuning process, the model with the best overall prediction performance was the Support Vector Machine (SVM) in terms of Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE=0.3929), Mean Absolute Error (MAE=0.2956), and coefficient of determination (R2=0.7761). This study demonstrated the ability to use an integrated master table containing whole-herd information until the placement event of nursery groups to predict their downstream nursery mortality through the initial 60 days of the post-weaning phase.

Cardiac-resident macrophages (CRMs) play important roles in homeostasis, cardiac function, and remodeling. Although CRMs play critical roles in cardiac regeneration of neonatal mice, their roles are yet to be fully elucidated. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the dynamic changes of CRMs during cardiac ontogeny and analyze the phenotypic and functional properties of CRMs in the promotion of cardiac regeneration. During mouse cardiac ontogeny, four CRM subsets exist successively: CX3CR1+CCR2–Ly6C–MHCII– (MP1), CX3CR1lowCCR2lowLy6C–MHCII– (MP2), CX3CR1–CCR2+Ly6C+MHCII– (MP3), and CX3CR1+CCR2–Ly6C–MHCII+ (MP4). MP1 cluster has different derivations (yolk sac, fetal liver, and bone marrow) and multiple functions population. Embryonic and neonatal-derived-MP1 directly promoted cardiomyocyte proliferation through Jagged-1–Notch1 axis and significantly ameliorated cardiac injury following myocardial infarction. MP2/3 subsets could survive throughout adulthood. MP4, the main population in adult mouse hearts, contributed to inflammation. During ontogeny, MP1 can convert into MP4 triggered by changes in the cellular redox state. These findings delineate the evolutionary dynamics of CRMs under physiological conditions and found direct evidence that embryonic and neonatal-derived CRMs regulate cardiomyocyte proliferation. Our findings also shed light on cardiac repair following injury.

ABSTRACT: Amino acids are primarily absorbed in the ruminant small intestine, and the small intestine is a target organ prone to oxidative stress, causing intestinal disfunction. Previous study suggested that l-Trp could benefit intestinal function and production performance. This study aimed to explore the effects of l-Trp on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced oxidative injury in bovine intestinal epithelial cells (BIEC) and the potential mechanism. The effects of l-Trp on cell apoptosis, antioxidative capacity, AA transporters, and the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway were evaluated in BIEC treated with 0.8 mM l-Trp for 2 hours combined with or without H2O2 induction. In addition, to explore whether the effects of 0.8 mM l-Trp on oxidative stress were related to mTOR, an mTOR-specific inhibitor was used. The percentage of apoptosis was measured using flow cytometry. The relative gene abundance and protein expression in BIEC were determined using real-time PCR and Western blot assay, respectively. Results showed l-Trp at 0.4 and 0.8 mM enhanced the cell viability, and it was inhibited by l-Trp at 6.4 mM. l-Tryptophan at 0.4, 0.8, and 1.6 mM remarkably decreased the percentage of apoptosis and enhanced antioxidative capacity in H2O2-mediated BIEC. Moreover, l-Trp at 0.8 mM increased the relative gene abundance and protein expression of antioxidative enzymes and AA transporters, and the mTOR signaling pathway. The mTOR inhibitor lowered the protein expression of large neutral amino acid transporter 1, but the inhibition of mTOR did not alter the activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase or protein expression of alanine-serine-cysteine transporter 2 with or without H2O2 induction. l-Tryptophan increased catalase and superoxide dismutase activities in H2O2-mediated BIEC, although not with a present mTOR inhibitor. l-Tryptophan increased the protein expression of large neutral amino acid transporter 1 and alanine-serine-cysteine transporter 2 in H2O2-mediated BIEC with or without the presence of an mTOR inhibitor. The present work suggested that l-Trp supplementation could alleviate oxidative injury in BIEC by promoting antioxidative capacity and inhibiting apoptosis, and the mTOR signal played vital roles in the alleviation.

In order to effectively quantify the uncertainty of PV power and improve the forecasting accuracy, a day-ahead interval forecasting method of PV power based on multi-correlation parameter scenarios generation is proposed. The historical PV power data is divided into a limited set of scenarios representing different output and fluctuation characteristics through the K-means clustering algorithm; Combined with the strong correlation feature parameters determined by the correlation coefficient, the characteristic curves of PV power and multi-correlation parameter in different scenarios are generated through the deep convolutional generative adversarial networks (DCGAN) model; The average value of each characteristic curve and other explanatory variables are input together into a quantile regression long short-term memory (QRLSTM) model to achieve day-ahead PV power forecasting, and obtain the forecasting interval under different confidence levels. The results of the experiment of a PV power station in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, China show that the forecasting performance of the proposed method under different evaluation indicators is 17.9755% and 18.1571% higher than that of the Gaussian process regression (GPR) model and the single QRLSTM model, respectively, which has obvious advantages.

Sodium ion hybrid capacitors (SIHCs) are regarded as advanced power supply systems. Nevertheless, the kinetics imbalance of cathode and anode suppresses the further performance improvement of SIHCs. The carbonaceous anode materials are promising and many strategies have been utilized to increase the capacity of sloping region or accelerate the reaction rate of plateau region. However, it is still challenging to simultaneously realize high mesopore/micropore volume ratio, large interlayer distance (>0.37 nm), and abundant and favorable heteroatoms-doping by a simple method. Herein, we report N, P, O ternary-doped mesoporous carbon (PNPOC-T, T = 700, 800 or 900) with large interlayer distance (∼0.4 nm) as anode materials. The PNPOC-T were prepared by a simple in-situ polymerization of aniline and phytic acid on the exfoliated graphitic nitrogen carbide (g-C3N4) and subsequent carbonization. The obtained PNPOC-800 exhibits an excellent rate performance (101.5 mA·h ·g−1 at 20 A·g−1), which can be attributed to the high surface-controlled capacitive behavior ratio and rapid ion diffusion. The optimum SIHCs display a high energy density of 105.48 W·h·kg−1 and a high power density of 13.59 kW·kg−1. Furthermore, the capacitance retention rate of SIHCs can reach 87.43% after 9 000 cycles at 1 A·g−1.

The interior defect-induced crack initiation mechanism and early growth behavior of Ti6Al4V alloy fabricated by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) has been investigated in very high cycle fatigue (VHCF) regime. P–S–N curves under 10% and 90% failure probabilities are obtained in VHCF regime. The cracks inside the early stages of fine granular area (FGA) formation are driven by the maximum shear stress and propagate as Mode II + III mixed cracks. It can be found that the FGA region is composed of many discontinuous nanograins for Ti6Al4V alloys manufactured by LPBF, which are responsible for grain refinement. Grain refinement is associated with dislocation movement within the martensite laths. Dislocation pileup and rearrangement in martensitic laths form dislocation cells, which further develop into nanograins and low angle boundaries. Besides, both the fatigue loading process and the LPBF process form their respective microvoids, which merge and aggregate with each other, thus accelerating the microcrack extension.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been blamed as the main culprit of tumor initiation, progression, metastasis, chemoresistance, and recurrence. However, few anti-CSCs agents have achieved clinical success so far. Here we report a novel derivative of lonidamine (LND), namely HYL001, which selectively and potently inhibits CSCs by targeting mitochondria, with 380-fold and 340-fold lower IC50 values against breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) and hepatocellular carcinoma stem cells (HCSCs), respectively, compared to LND. Mechanistically, we reveal that HYL001 downregulates glutaminase (GLS) expression to block glutamine metabolism, blunt tricarboxylic acid cycle, and amplify mitochondrial oxidative stress, leading to apoptotic cell death. Therefore, HYL001 displays significant antitumor activity in vivo, both as a single agent and combined with paclitaxel. Furthermore, HYL001 represses CSCs of fresh tumor tissues derived from liver cancer patients. This study provides critical implications for CSCs biology and development of potent anti-CSCs drugs.

The efficiency of photovoltaic(PV) panels decreases as their temperature increases, so effective cooling of them is necessary. The cooling of PV panels based on phase change materials(PCMs) is an emerging cooling method that has recently received the attention of scholars around the world. Herein, the cooling characteristics of PCM on PV panels are experimentally investigated to study the cooling effect of PCM on solar PV panel cooling technology (PV-PCM) and explore the effect of inverse process of PCM from molten to solidified state on the temperature of solar PV panels after cooling. The results reveal that the PCM can effectively reduce the temperature of solar PV panels under the condition of no wind, irradiance of 1000 W/m2 and ambient temperature of 7.3 °C. The PCM can reduce the average temperature of the upper and back surfaces of solar PV panels by 33.94 °C and 36.51 °C within 300 min, respectively. Moreover, the PCM increased the average maximum power generation efficiency of solar PV panels by 1.63% and the average maximum output power by 1.35 W. The solar PV panels cooled without PCM took only 60 min to cool from the maximum temperature to room temperature, whereas the solar PV panels in PV-PCM system took 480 min to cool down to room temperature.

The energy storage process becomes very important due to the imbalances in energy supply and demand. Therefore some factors need to be considered to increase the efficiency of the energy storage system, such as cost–benefit analysis and technological improvements. This study aims to examine the inventive problem-solving capacities for renewable energy storage investments. A new model is suggested for this objective by considering fuzzy decision-making methodology. It is concluded that prior action and dynamicity are the most essential capacities of renewable energy storage investments. Additionally, dynamicity plays the most critical role when all factors are considered in renewable energy investment projects in a collaborative manner. Hence, it is recommended that the companies should mainly consider the initial developments of the storage facilities. Moreover, location selection for effective energy storage should also be considered to increase the performance of these investments.

Considering the impact of the restriction of the weight of the responsibility of consumption on the promotion of local renewable energy consumption and the cross-provincial transaction of renewable energy, this study examines the multi market clearing decision-making problem. Additionally, it proposes and constructs the intraprovincial and interprovincial bi-level market clearing decision-making model. The objective function of the upper model is to minimize the operation cost of the power market at the intraprovincial level considering the weight constraint of consumption responsibility, and the objective function of the lower model is to minimize the renewable energy purchase cost at the interprovincial level. In the two-level model, the two levels are coupled with each other, and the Karush–Kuhn–Tucker (KKT) condition of the lower level model is used to transform the two-level model into a single-level nonlinear model. The strong duality theory and Big M method are used to transform the nonlinear model into a linear model, and the Gurobi solver is used to solve the problem. The results show that the optimal interprovincial renewable energy purchasing power is achieved at the minimum market operational cost in the province. In addition, the effectiveness and rationality of the model are verified by the example analysis.

Preventing implant-related bone infection during treating mandibular bone defect is still challenging as intractable bacterial infection in the irregular defects often leads to surgical failure and other fatal complications. Herein, we fabricate a multifunctional scaffold with controlled dual-stage drug release to achieve antibacterial and osteogenic therapy during infected bone reconstruction. Water-in-oil (w/o) β-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) nanoparticle/ poly(Lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)/dichloromethane composite emulsion inks containing the antibacterial chlorhexidine (CHX) loaded graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets and osteogenic peptide (p24) was produced through cryo-3D printing. A biphasic drug release profile is achieved via a rapid CHX release from CHX@GO on scaffold surface to kill the bacteria, and a sustained release of CHX and p24 from the scaffold matrix to prevent the recurrence of infection and induce bone regeneration. Interestingly, the GO nanosheet increased the antibacterial sensitivity through its direct physical contact which destroyed the bacteria membrane. Furthermore, the p24 and phosphate ions derived from dissociated TCP nanoparticles could induce the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow derived stem cells. Eventually, the designed scaffolds effectively eliminated the bacteria, alleviated the accompanying inflammation, and improved bone regeneration in a rat model. The present study provides a facile strategy to treat bone defects with infection.

Water pollution is an increasingly serious problem. Here, Cu and Zn ions were used as stress factors, and G. affinis served as a test organism. Fluorescence quantitative PCR was used to detect changes in the expression of antioxidant genes (SOD, GST, CAT), heat stress genes (Hsp70, Hsp90, Hspd1, Hsc70), and immune system-related genes (IL-1β, IL-8) in G. affinis exposed to Cu and Zn ions over time. To explore the toxic effects of Cu and Zn on G. affinis. The results showed that the 48 h LC50 concentrations of the heavy metals Cu and Zn to G. affinis were 0.17 mg/L and 44.67 mg/L, respectively. Within 48 h, with prolonged Cu exposure, the relative expression levels of the Hsp70, Hsp90, Hspd1, Hsc70, SOD, GST, and CAT genes in the gill tissue first showed a significant increase and then gradually decreased. Gene expression peaked between 9 and 36 h. The relative expression levels of SOD and GST genes in liver tissue showed a gradual decline. Within 48 h, with prolonged Zn exposure, the expression levels of SOD, CAT, and GST genes in G. affinis first increased and then fell before finally rising. The expression levels of IL-1β and IL-8 mRNA showed varying degrees of upward trends, and the expression of IL-8 was the highest for all gill tissue. To sum up, Cu and Zn have strong toxic effects on G. affinis, which makes it possible to use G. affinis as indicator organisms for aquatic environmental pollution.

Biohybrid materials are proceeded by integrating living cells and non-living materials to endow materials with biomimetic properties and functionalities by supporting cell proliferation and even enhancing cell functions. Due to the outstanding biocompatibility and programmability, biohybrid materials provide some promising strategies to overcome current problems in the biomedical field. Here, we review the concept and unique features of biohybrid materials by comparing them with conventional materials. We emphasize the structure design of biohybrid materials and discuss the structure-function relationships. We also enumerate the application aspects of biohybrid materials in biomedical frontiers. We believe this review will bring various opportunities to promote the communication between cell biology, material sciences, and medical engineering.

It remains challenging to manage critical-sized bone defects owing to insufficient vascularization. Tissue engineering scaffolds with favorable mechanical strength and excellent bone regenerative ability/angiogenic properties are recognized as promising platforms for bone defects. Various osteoinductive/angiogenic growth factors have been incorporated into scaffolds to enhance bone formation with the required vascularization. However, the instability and ease of inactivation of growth factors under certain physiological conditions limits their effectiveness. In the present study, a bifunctional laponite (LAP) with potent ability to induce both osteogenesis and angiogenesis was incorporated into poly(lactide-coglycolide)/β-tricalcium phosphate (PLGA/β-TCP) composite to form a porous scaffold through micro extrusion-based cryogenic three-dimensional printing. The hierarchically porous PLGA/β-TCP/LAP composite scaffold exhibited favorable initial mechanical strength and displayed a promoted effect towards cell adhesion of rat bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells and endothelial progenitor cells. Enhanced in vitro angiogenesis and osteogenesis were simultaneously achieved due to the proangiogenic and osteoinductive ions released from LAP. Furthermore, the PLGA/β-TCP/LAP scaffold promoted the generation of type H vessel and bony regeneration in vivo. Overall, the impartment of inorganic LAP into 3D printed PLGA/β-TCP scaffold provides a simple and efficient way to realize the treatment of critical-sized bone defects via improved angiogenesis and osteogenesis.

Absract: Carbon nanomaterials are very versatile, but the tunable preparation of their morphology and emission colors is still very challenging. Herein, we present a simple self-assembly method for the preparation of tunable carbon nano (Tween-80@NaCl), where the key tunable parameter is the concentration. More specifically, the structural and optical properties of carbon nanomaterials can be controlled by modulating the concentration of surfactants. It is worth mentioning that salt plays an important role in separating the micelle structure and protecting the micelle morphology. The samples were characterized by Raman spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction to determine the microcrystalline structure and crystal size. The evolution of the micellar structure was established by transmission electron microscopy analysis of the transformation of the Tween-80@NaCl structure. The continuous adjustment of surfactant concentration leads to a change in micelle morphology, like from large-sized blocks to small-sized rods. In addition, carbon nanoparticles with typical fluorescence properties can be obtained by simply changing the surfactant concentration and can easily change from purple fluorescence to dark blue. Notably, this simple strategy of separating first and then carbonizing provides inspiration for future structural design of carbon nanomaterials.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of sprouted oats substitutions on the in vitro digestibility of starch in the wheat bread. The physical and nutritional quality of wheat bread enriched with 20 % sprouted oat flour was compared. The polyphenols and γ-aminobutyric acid increased, while the content of starch and β-glucan in the mixed bread was gradually decreased. The specific volume of mixed bread reached the maximum with a 19.79 % reduction of area fraction and a 31.36 % increase cell density when sprouting for 72 h. Two digestible starch fractions with different digestion rates were observed from the LOS-CPS fitted starch digestograms. The microstructure revealed that large type A wheat starch was gelatinized after baking, whereas small type B wheat starch and oat starch were wrapped in protein-β-glucan complexes. This study suggests that properly sprouting has the potential to obtain nutritional bread with low starch digestibility.

In late 2020, unusual patterns of shrimp mortality were reported in semi-intensive shrimp culture systems in Dongying city and Weifang city, China. In order to elucidate the cause of continual death that occurred in local shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) farms. Samples of shrimp and their frozen bait were collected and analyzed from 4 diseased farms in Dec 2020. Diseased shrimp showed abnormal behavior and symptoms including gathering at the pond bottom, whitish muscle, hepatopancreatic atrophy with color fading, etc. The molecular detecting results showed that 100 % of P. vannamei samples were tested to be positive of covert mortality nodavirus (CMNV). The histopathological lesion of tissues taken from moribund shrimp was similar to typical histopathology features of CMNV-infection. In situ hybridization (ISH) results indicated that massive CMNV-positive hybridization signal was observed in diseased shrimp tissues. Meanwhile, all of samples of frozen bait (i.e., Artemia sp. and Acetes sp.) were determined to be CMNV positive with much high viral load. The healthy shrimp individuals could be infected by the purified CMNV from Artemia sp.in the artificial challenged test. This study demonstrated that the frozen bait Artemia infected with CMNV was confirmed to be the pathogen carrier in the CMNV infection case, and represented a new potential pathogenic introduction threat to indoor shrimp farming. It was highly recommended to avoid using pathogen status unknown frozen bait in the shrimp aquaculture.

Introduction: To evaluate the performance of Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Xpert-Ultra) in testing pleural tissue and fluid collected by medical thoracoscopy among patients with unexplained exudative pleural effusion. Methods: Patients with an undiagnosed exudative pleural effusion were prospectively and consecutively recruited. Pleural tissue and fluid were collected by medical thoracoscopy and subjected to culture, Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert) and Xpert-Ultra assays. Histopathological examination was also performed with the tissue and used as the major reference. Results: Sixty-one patients were enrolled, including: 27 tuberculosis (TB) pleurisy, 15 malignancy and 19 other chronic infection cases. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of Xpert-Ultra for TB diagnosis were 85.19% (23/27), 97.06% (33/34), 95.83% (23/24), and 89.19% (33/37), respectively. Xpert-Ultra testing with the biopsy tissue alone had an equivalent diagnostic capacity to that of pathological examination for the diagnosis of confirmed TB cases. By combining the pathological examination with Xpert-Ultra for biopsy, the percentage of confirmed TB cases greatly increased (i.e. 92.59% (25/27)). The “trace” positive outcome of Xpert-Ultra was highly supportive of TB diagnosis for both biopsy tissue and pleural fluid examinations. Conclusion: With the specimens collected by medical thoracoscopy, the Xpert-Ultra assay presented high value in identifying TB among pleurisy patients who had difficulties in etiological diagnosis.

Steel fibres (SFs) easily cluster at high dosages during mixing, which directly limits the performance of concrete. Recently, vibrational mixing has provided a novel perspective to overcome the defects of ordinary mixing. However, the influence of vibration effects on steel fibre reinforced lightweight aggregate concrete (SFRLAC) has not been investigated. In this paper, SFRLAC was prepared based on ordinary mixing and vibrational mixing, respectively. Different volume dosages of SFs (0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5% and 2.0%) were selected as variables. The flowability test, the dry density test and the mechanical properties test were used to characterise the macroscopic performance of the concrete. After the macroscopic test of SFRLAC, the distribution and orientation of SFs were quantified by integrated digital image processing (DIP) technology. The interfaces of the SFs and the cement matrix were characterised by environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). The obtained results revealed that vibrational mixing could improve flowability. Meanwhile, it can increase the compressive strength and flexural toughness of SFRLAC continuously after SFs volume exceeds 1.0%. Moreover, the technology was conducive to dispersing SFs at high dosages and made the orientation more consistent than the ordinary mixing. Notably, a dense paste film appeared on the fibre surface, suggesting a significant improvement in the load capacity. Thus, vibrational mixing can be used to prepare the reinforced concrete with high SFs contents.

Selenium (Se) has been recognized as an essential dietary nutrient for decades, and organic Se sources rather than inorganic ones are increasingly advocated as Se supplements. Earthworms have been studied as a feed additive and animal protein source for many yr. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Se-enriched earthworm powder (SEP) on the antioxidative ability and immunity of laying hens. A total of 120 27-wk-old laying hens were randomly divided into 4 groups (30 hens per group). Laying hens were fed diets supplemented with SEP having 0, 0.5, or 1 mg/kg of Se or with earthworm powder alone. After 5 wk of supplementation, serum from the hens was tested for nutritional components (protein, globulin, albumin, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and glucose), antioxidative properties (glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and nitric oxide), and immune responses (lysozymes, immunoglobulin G, IL-2, and interferon gamma). We found that SEP with 1.0 mg/kg of Se upregulated the hens' total protein, albumin, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, IgG, and IL-2 and downregulated triglycerides, total cholesterol, glucose, and nitric oxide. These results indicate that SEP improves antioxidative levels and immune function of laying hens, indicating potential benefit from use of SEP as a feed additive in the poultry industry.

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of different feeding frequencies on the growth, feed utilization, body composition, and immune and stress responses of Schizothorax wangchiachii to determine the optimal feeding frequency and provide a scientific basis for S. wangchiachii feeding management. Therefore, four feeding frequencies (one, two, three and four times daily) were evaluated in triplicate tanks for eight weeks. The S. wangchiachii fed twice daily had higher final body weights (FBW) and specific growth rate (SGR) values than the fish fed one, three and four meals daily. The feeding rate (FR) increased significantly as the feeding frequency increased; nevertheless, the feed conversion efficiency (FCE) and protein retention efficiency (PRE) values of the fish fed twice daily were higher than those of the fish fed at other frequencies. The fish fed once daily showed higher moisture and lower crude lipid contents than the fish fed at other frequencies. The ash contents decreased significantly as the feeding frequency increased, whereas the crude protein content exhibited the opposite trend. The feeding frequency did not affect the contents of total amino acids, essential amino acids (EAAs) or nonessential amino acids (NEAAs) in the fish body. The expression levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) in the liver and spleen were not significantly affected by the different feeding frequencies; however, their expression levels in the gills and kidneys first increased and then decreased, with the highest values being observed in the fish fed twice daily. The expression levels of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in the gill and kidney were not affected by the feeding frequency, but HSP70 expression was significantly downregulated in the liver and spleen as the feeding frequency increased from one to four times daily. Thus, the optimal feeding frequency for S. wangchiachii is twice daily.

Background: Many of plant-derived compounds inhibiting nerve conduction enhance glutamatergic spontaneous excitatory transmission by activating transient receptor potential (TRP) channels in spinal substantia gelatinosa (SG) neurons that play a crucial role in regulating nociceptive transmission. Although (±)-linalool and its isomer geraniol having antinociceptive effects inhibit nerve conduction, it has not been examined yet how they affect excitatory transmission in SG neurons. We examined the effects of the compounds on action potential-independent spontaneous excitatory transmission with a focus on an involvement of TRP channels. Methods: The whole-cell patch-clamp technique was applied to SG neurons in adult rat spinal cord slices. Results: (±)-Linalool increased the frequency of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic current (sEPSC) with a small increase in its amplitude. The (±)-linalool activity was sensitive to TRP vanilloid-1 (TRPV1) antagonist capsazepine and TRP ankyrin-1 (TRPA1) antagonist HC-030,031 while resistant to BCTC that is antagonist for cloned TRPV1 and TRP melastatin-8 (TRPM8) channels and for TRPM8 channels in the SG, indicating TRPV1 and TRPA1 activation. In 73% of the neurons tested, (±)-linalool produced an outward current at -70 mV. In SG neurons sensitive to (±)-linalool, geraniol produced a quantitatively similar effect to (±)-linalool. Geraniol-induced sEPSC frequency increase was sensitive to BCTC but resistant to capsazepine and HC-030,031, indicating TRPM8 activation. Outward currents produced by (±)-linalool and geraniol were unaffected by all of the TRP antagonists. Conclusion: In SG neurons, (±)-linalool and geraniol presynaptically enhanced spontaneous excitatory transmission by activating different types of TRP channel while hyperpolarizing membranes in a manner independent of TRP channels. Such a TRP channel modulation and hyperpolarization could contribute to the antinociceptive effects of (±)-linalool and geraniol.

Summary: As a key species in understanding the hydrogen-bonding network transitions between liquid water and ice, the neutral water heptamer is a challenging experimental target, owing to the richness of low-lying isomers. Here, we report the size-specific infrared spectra of confinement-free, neutral water heptamer (H2O)7 based on threshold photoionization using a tunable vacuum ultraviolet free electron laser. The complexity of the observed spectra indicates that many nearly isoenergetic isomers are present at finite temperatures. Two classes of prism- and cage-like structures are identified in a high-pressure pulsed supersonic expansion of water heptamer, in which the former is favored energetically at low temperatures and serves as a major contributor to the experimental spectrum. These findings provide key information for filling the gap between well-studied water hexamer and octamer.

Objective: To characterize the evolutionary pathways of tigecycline (TGC) resistance and alterations in the biological characteristics of hospital-derived Staphylococcus aureus isolates under selective pressure. Methods: Three clinical S. aureus strains and one standard S. aureus strain, ATCC 29213, were used for the in vitro selection of TGC-resistant S. aureus variants with gradient concentrations of TGC. Changes in drug resistance and genetic alterations in resistance-related genes (operon mepRAB and rpsJ) in mutant strains were determined. The efflux inhibitor assay for MepA and the fitness cost, determined by comparing the growth and virulence of parental and mutant strains, were also investigated. Results: Mutants induced in vitro showed a 64- to 128-fold increase in the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of TGC. Substitution mutations were detected in the transcriptional repressor mepR and the efflux pump gene mepA. A K57M amino acid substitution occurred in the ribosomal S10 protein-encoding gene rpsJ. The MICs of TGC in the final mutants were significantly decreased in the presence of efflux pump inhibitors. It was worth noting that growth was unaffected by TGC resistance selection in vitro, with the exception of one strain, and the MICs of other antibiotics and virulence were also unaffected. Conclusions: The evolution of TGC resistance in S. aureus in vitro is associated with a loss-of-function mutation in the efflux pump transcriptional repressor mepR and a missense mutation in the efflux pump-encoding gene mepA. Our work further validated the resistance mechanisms of S. aureus to TGC and reported previously undiscovered mutations.

Objective: To investigate the anti-angiogenic effect of tea polyphenols (TPS) on breast cancer and normal tissues in a mouse model. Methods: Breast cancer was successfully implanted into 48 BALB/c mice, which were then randomly divided into a TP oral gavage group, a TP local injection group, a ginsenoside Rg3 group, and a model control group according to a random number table. The tumor inhibitory rates of each group were calculated, while microvessel density (MVD) and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP-2) were detected by immunohistochemistry. Results: TPs could inhibit the growth of breast cancer xenografts in the mouse model. The tumor inhibition rates of the TP oral gavage and TP local injection groups were 37.43% and 40.94%, respectively. Compared with the model control group, MVD and VEGF and bFGF expression was downregulated (all P

Pig is an important economic animal in China. Improving meat quality and meat productivity is a long time issue in animal genetic breeding. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs that participate in various biological processes, such as muscle development and embryogenesis. miR-22 differentially expresses in embryonic and adult skeletal muscle. However, the underlying mechanism is unclear. In this study, we investigated miR-22 function in proliferation and differentiation of porcine satellite cells (PSCs) in skeletal muscle. Our data show that miR-22 expressed in both proliferation and differentiated PSCs and is significantly upregulated (P

ABSTRACT: Apperantly healthy laying hens at the end of production (60 to 91 wk) were investigated for the occurrence of pathology and bacterial infections. In total, 7,477 hens from 15 flocks representing the following production systems: Enriched cages, barn housed layers, and organic/free range layers were necropsied. Indications of bacterial infection were investigated by bacteriological cultivation. The overall prevalence of lesions was 16.60%, including lesions of both infectious and non-infectious origin. The most prevalent lesions were bursitis presternalis (6.65%), reproductive tract lesions (e.g., salpingitis and/or peritonitis and/or oophoritis) (3.50%), serosal scarification (e.g., fibrotic adhesive peritonitis) 1.55%, and neoplasm 1.73%. Significant differences were observed between different production systems and/or flocks in the prevalence of reproductive tract lesions, bursitis presternalis, serosal scarification, skin infections, juvenile hens, and traumas/fractures. No significant difference was observed between different production systems in the prevalence of neoplasia, infection of septicemic etiology, and pododermatitis. In total, 3.4% of the hens were out of lay, with significantly higher rate in organic flocks. Infections of the reproductive tract were the most prevalent lesions with bacterial etiology in all productions systems. In total, 40% of the hens with lesions associated to the oviduct were out of lay and significant difference between production systems were observed. Escherichia coli was the most commonly isolated bacteria and in 90% of the cases they were isolated from the reproductive tract lesions. The second most prevalent bacteria was Gallibacteruim anatis. Significant difference in the prevalence of E. coli positive hens was observed between production systems (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the prevalence of reproductive tract lesions in apparently healthy end-of-lay laying was higher than indicated in previous reports. These findings support the previous suggestions that E. coli and G. anatis are the major pathogens causing reproductive tract lesions.

Objective: Spinal hydatid disease is rare and remains a serious health problem associated with high rates of recurrence. We report our experience in treating patients with thoracic spinal hydatidosis through a single-center case-series study. Methods: Sixteen patients with thoracic spinal hydatidosis were treated in our center between 1995 and 2017. A total en bloc spondylectomy (TES) was performed in three patients. Five patients were treated with posterior decompression and stabilization after removing the involved elements. The remaining patients underwent curettage and resection of the infected bone. The therapy was completed with medical treatment or radiotherapy. Results: Of the 16 patients, seven were men and nine were women; their mean age was 38.5 years (range 28–60 years). The infected area was the upper thoracic level in one patient, mid thoracic level in eight patients, and lower thoracic level in seven patients. Four patients had paraplegia and seven had paraparesis before surgery. At the last follow-up, five patients had successfully recovered from the neurological damage. During a mean follow-up of 4.75 years (range 2–12 years), eight patients had local recurrence; however, no patient who underwent TES had recurrence. Conclusions: An individualized surgical strategy should be decided carefully for each patient in the first intervention. In the early stages of the disease, TES should be considered as a treatment for suitable cases of primary thoracic spinal hydatidosis. Keywords: Thoracic spinal hydatidosis, Surgical treatment, Total en bloc spondylectomy

Gradient optical films have potential applications in instrumentation, display technology, avionics and other fields, it is usually plated on the instrument lens to transmit or reflect the corresponding waveband. In order to improve the transmittance and avoid the disadvantages of uniform films, in order to change the traditional film layer arrangement, this paper proposes a graded refractive index film and a graded thickness film. Through Matlab and TFCalc software simulation, the results show that the final reflectivity curves not only have good rectangularity, but also are closer to the ideal reflectivity of 100% at the central wavelength. Among them, the reflectivity of the high-reflective film in a specific range can reach 99.4%, the reflectivity of the minus filter at 532 nm is 99.6%, in the ranges of 385 nm–490 nm and 570 nm–780 nm on both sides, the reflectivity is greater than 91,5%. This result shows that the actual application effect of the thin film designed with a gradual structure is better.

Aiming at the traditional cascade structure, this paper studies the dielectric film filter with potential application prospect on the basis of Fabry-Perot structure, and designs a new type of multichannel wavelength division multiplexer, which avoids the disadvantage that a single filter can only pass through a specific single wavelength. In this paper, an optical filter based on thin film interference is designed for a multi-channel optical communication system with Nb2O5 and SiO2 materials for 1550 nm operation. Based on the optical film theory of the Fabry-Perot structure, the evaluation function can be minimized by changing the thickness of the film structure and the spacer layer, using the TFCalc film design software for calculation and analysis, and using the optimization design command to make the program change the film thickness or other parameters, thereby designing a multi-channel filter film. The results show that the filter film with 200 peak channels is realized in the ultra-wide band of 1460–1620 nm, and the transmittance at the most concave part of the peak ripple reaches 92%. It can be found that this design has a larger number of peak channels and a smaller insertion loss, which can achieve multi-channel signal multiplexing more effectively.

4D printing of swellable/shrinkable hydrogels has been viewed as an appealing approach for fabricating dynamic structures for various biomedical applications. However, 4D printing of precise hydrogel structures is still highly challenging due to the relatively poor printability of hydrogels and high surface roughness of printed patterns, when micro extrusion-based 3D printers are used. In this study, a highly printable and shape morphing hydrogel was investigated for 4D printing by blending alginate (Alg) and methylcellulose (MC). The optimized Alg/MC hydrogel exhibited excellent rheological properties, extrudability and shape fidelity of printed structures. The printable Alg/MC hydrogel was 4D printed into a series of patterned 2D architectures which were encoded with anisotropic stiffness and swelling behaviors by strategically controlling the network density gradients vertical to the orientation of the patterned strips. By controlling the strip interspacing and angle, these 2D architectures could transform into various prescribed simple 3D morphologies (e.g., tube-curling and helix) and complex 3D morphologies (e.g., double helix and flowers) after immersion in a calcium chloride solution. This shape morphing Alg/MC hydrogel with excellent printability has high potential for 4D printing of delicate hydrogel patterns, which are increasingly needed in the tissue engineering, biomedical device and soft robotics fields.

Backgrounds: As one of the most important cereals, wheat (Triticum aestivum) can cause severe allergic reactions, such as baker's asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis. A growing number of people are developing allergies to Chinese wheat; however, only a few wheat cultivars have been screened on allergenicity in China. Objective: The aim of the present study was to assess the allergenicity of different Chinese wheat cultivars and characterize wheat allergen profiles of patients with allergic rhinitis. Methods: We determined protein (soluble protein, gliadin, and glutenin) composition in Chinese wheat by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and the immunoglobulin E (IgE) binding capacity by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot using 10 positive sera from wheat allergy patients. We identified 5 gel bands with significant IgE binding capacity using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Results: Soluble protein, albumin, and globulin, showed the highest allergenicity, followed by gliadin, while glutenin only had slight allergenicity. In soluble protein, 5 protein bands with molecular weights of 27, 28, 53, 58, and 62 kDa showed very significant allergenicity. Meanwhile, the relative abundances of 28 kDa-protein and 58 kDa-protein were significantly positively correlated with the IgE-binding capacity of Chinese wheat cultivars, which were identified as rRNA N-glycosidase and β-amylase, respectively, among other proteins in those highly complex gel bands. Conclusion and clinical relevance: 28 kDa-protein (rRNA N-glycosidase) and 58 kDa-protein (β-amylase) were speculated to be the main allergens of Chinese wheat causing baker's asthma and allergic rhinitis. These results provide new insights into the prevention and treatment of wheat allergy and the development of hypoallergenic wheat products, whose clinical significance is worth further evaluation.

The mechanism of rabies virus (RABV) infection still needs to be further characterized. RABV particle with self-fluorescent is a powerful viral model to visualize the viral infection process in cells. Herein, based on a reverse genetic system of the Evelyn-Rokitnicki-Abelseth (rERA) strain, we generated a recombinant RABV rERA-N/mCherry strain that stably expresses an additional ERA nucleoprotein that fuses with the red fluorescent protein mCherry (N/mCherry). The rERA-N/mCherry strain retained growth property similar to the parent strain rERA in vitro. The N/mCherry expression showed genetic stability during passage into mouse neuroblastoma (NA) cells and did not change the virulence of the vector. The rERA-N/mCherry strain was then utilized as a visual viral model to study the RABV-cell binding and internalization. We directly observed the red self-fluorescence of rERA-N/mCherry particles binding to the cell surface, and further co-localizing with clathrin in the early stage of infection in NA cells by fluorescence microscopy. Our results showed that the rERA-N/mCherry strain uses clathrin-dependent endocytosis to enter cells, which is consistent with the well-known mechanism of RABV invasion. The recombinant RABV rERA-N/mCherry thus appears to have the potential to be an effective viral model to further explore the fundamental molecular mechanism of rabies neuropathogenesis.