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Objectives Pulmonary lesion is frequently seen in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients primarily due to AAV lung involvement or infection, which are hard to differentiate due to their high similarity in clinical manifestations. We aimed to analyze the clinical features of pulmonary lesions consequent to AAV involvement or infection in AAV patients and further identify the markers for differential diagnosis. Methods 140 AAV patients who admitted to the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University from January 2016 to July 2021 were included in this study. According to the nature of lung conditions, these patients were divided into the non-pulmonary lesion group, the lung infection group and the non-pulmonary infection group, and their demographics, clinical symptoms, imaging features, as well as laboratory findings were compared. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn, and the diagnostic efficacy of single biomarker and composite biomarkers on pulmonary infection was then evaluated. Results The patients in the lung infection group were significantly older than those in the no lesion group (63.19 ± 14.55 vs 54.82 ± 15.08, p = 0.022). Patients in the lung infection group presented more frequent symptoms and more obvious pulmonary image findings. Compared with patients in the non-pulmonary infection group, patients in the lung infection group showed a higher symptom incidence of fever, chest tightness, cough and expectoration, and hemoptysis (52.94% vs 16.00%, 61.76% vs 40.00%, 72.06% vs 46.00%, 27.94% vs 8.00%, p p p Conclusions AAV patients with lung infection manifested more clinical symptoms and prominent lung image changes. The PCT and composite biomarker PCT-CRP-NLCR showed high diagnostic efficacy for a lung infection in AAV patients. Pulmonary lesion caused by either infection or AAV involvement is commonly seen and difficult to distinguish. We aim to identify the biomarkers that can be applied in the differentiation diagnosis of pulmonary lesions in AAV patients.

This paper proposes a robust finite-time control scheme for the high-precision tracking problem of (FJRs) with various types of unpredictable disturbances. Specifically, based on a flatness dynamic model, a finite-time disturbance observer (FTDO) with only link-side position measurements is firstly developed to estimate the lumped unknown time-varying disturbance and unmeasurable states. Then, through the information of the states and disturbances provided by the FTDO, a robust output feedback controller is constructed, which can accomplish the tasks of disturbance suppression and trajectory tracking in finite time. Moreover, a rigorous stability analysis of the closed-loop system based on a finite-time bounded (FTB) function is conducted. Finally, the simulation results validate the feasibility and superiority of the proposed control scheme against other existing control results.

Topology have prevailed in a variety of branches of physics. And topological defects in cosmology are speculated akin to dislocation or disclination in solids or liquid crystals. With the development of classical and quantum simulation, such speculative topological defects are well-emulated in a variety of condensed matter systems. Especially, the underlying theoretical foundations can be extensively applied to realize novel optical applications. Here, with the aid of transformation optics, we experimentally demonstrated bound vortex light on optical chips by simulating gauge fields of topological linear defects in cosmology through position-dependent coupling coefficients in a deformed photonic graphene. Furthermore, these types of photonic lattices inspired by topological linear defects can simultaneously generate and transport optical vortices, and even can control the orbital angular momentum of photons on integrated optical chips.

A robust disturbance rejection control scheme is addressed for the trajectory tracking problem of a flexible-joint robot (FJR). The system is always severely affected by various types of unknown disturbances including model errors, couplings, changing working environments as well as unmodeled dynamics. These disturbances on the link and actuator side will deteriorate the control performance of FJR. By considering all the disturbances as an unknown lumped time-varying disturbance, a flatness description of FJR is developed. Then, a new output feedback controller is constructed through the estimates of unmeasurable states and unknown lumped disturbance provided by a generalized proportional integral observer (GPIO). The stability of the closed-loop system with the driven of the proposed control scheme is guaranteed under some mild assumptions. Compared with the conventional linear active disturbance rejection control (LADRC) scheme, test results are presented to demonstrate the feasibility and efficacy of the proposed control approach.

The organized alignment of cells in various tissues plays a significant role in the maintenance of specific functions. To induce such an alignment, ideal scaffolds should simulate the characteristics and morphologies of natural tissues. Aligned structures that guide cell orientation are used to facilitate tissue regeneration and repair. We here review how various aligned structures are fabricated, including aligned electrospun nanofibers, aligned porous or channeled structures, micropatterns and combinations thereof, and their application in nerve, skeletal muscle, tendon, and tubular dentin regeneration. The future use of aligned structures in tissue engineering is also discussed.

Mandibular defects caused by injuries, tumors, and infections are common and can severely affect mandibular function and the patient’s appearance. However, mandible reconstruction with a mandibular bionic structure remains challenging. Inspired by the process of intramembranous ossification in mandibular development, a hierarchical vascularized engineered bone consisting of angiogenesis and osteogenesis modules has been produced. Moreover, the hierarchical vascular network and bone structure generated by these hierarchical vascularized engineered bone modules match the particular anatomical structure of the mandible. The ultra-tough polyion complex has been used as the basic scaffold for hierarchical vascularized engineered bone for ensuring better reconstruction of mandible function. According to the results of in vivo experiments, the bone regenerated using hierarchical vascularized engineered bone is similar to the natural mandibular bone in terms of morphology and genomics. The sonic hedgehog signaling pathway is specifically activated in hierarchical vascularized engineered bone, indicating that the new bone in hierarchical vascularized engineered bone underwent a process of intramembranous ossification identical to that of mandible development. Thus, hierarchical vascularized engineered bone has a high potential for clinical application in mandibular defect reconstruction. Moreover, the concept based on developmental processes and bionic structures provides an effective strategy for tissue regeneration.

This paper investigates the trajectory tracking problem of the quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) with consideration of both attitude and position dynamics. First of all, the trajectory tracking problem is divided into the commands tracking in position and attitude loops by introducing the virtual attitude angle commands. Secondly, the high-order sliding mode observers (HSMOs) are introduced to estimate the lumped disturbances in position loop and the derivatives of the attitude angle tracking errors, the lumped disturbances in the attitude loop. And then the composite nonlinear dynamical inversion controller in position loop and the composite nonsingular terminal sliding mode controller in attitude loop are constructed by introducing the estimation information of HSMOs into controller design process. Finally, the simulations based on the data of a practical UAV are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Background The association between low birth weight (LBW) and dental caries is currently unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of LBW with dental caries in permanent teeth in children of Ningbo city. Methods A total of 1975 children aged 11-to-13 years in Ningbo, China were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. LBW was defined as a birthweight Results Dental caries in permanent teeth was found in 610 children (30.9%), with a mean DMFS of 2.09 (SD = 1.2). The adjusted ORs for dental caries in permanent teeth was 1.46 (95% CI 1.00, 2.13) for LBW. Conclusions LBW was not associated with dental caries in permanent teeth in the study population.

Surface nanotopography and bioactive ions have been considered to play critical roles on the interactions of biomaterials with cells. In this study, a TiO2 nanorod film incorporated with Zn-containing bioactive glass (TiO2/Zn-BG) was prepared on tantalum substrate, trying to evaluate the synergistic effects of nanotopograpgy and bioactive ions to promote cellular osteogenic differentiation activity. The expression of osteogenic-related genes, ALP as well as the ECM mineralization on TiO2/Zn-BG film were significantly upregulated compared to that of the film without TiO2 nanorod nanostructure (Zn-BG) or without Zn (TiO2/BG). Moreover, a much low Zn2+ release level on TiO2/Zn-BG film was beneficial to promote the osteogenesis, which could be ascribed to that a semi-closed space established by TiO2 nanorods with adhered cells provided an appropriate micro-environment that facilitated Zn2+ adsorption.

Severe malocclusion can contribute to several serious dental and physical conditions, such as digestive difficulties, periodontal disease, and severe tooth decay. Orthodontic treatment is mainly used to treat malocclusion. Forces in orthodontic tooth results in bone resorption on the pressure side and bone deposition on the tension side. Osteoblasts have been considered as the key component in bone regeneration on the tension side. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we focus on how mechanical stretch regulates the osteogenesis during orthodontic treatment. Human jaw bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hJBMMSCs) were isolated from healthy adult donors and cultured in regular medium (control) or osteogenic medium (OS). Under OS culture, hJBMMSCs presented osteogenic differentiation potentials, as evidenced by increased mineralization, enhanced calcium deposition, and upregulated expression of osteogenesis markers (ALP, osterix, and Runx). What’s more, the OS-induced osteogenesis of hJBMMSCs is associated with the dephosphorylation of IKK, activation of IKBα, and phosphorylation/nucleic accumulation of P65, which all indicated the inhibition of NF-κB activity. Overexpressing P65 in hJBMMSCs, which could constantly activate NF-κB, prevented the osteogenic differentiation in the OS. After that, we applied the Flexcell tension system, which could cause mechanical stretch on cultured hJBMMSCs to mimic the tension forces during tooth movement. Mechanical stretch resulted in 3.5−fold increase of ALP activity and 2.4–fold increase of calcium deposition after 7 days and 21 days treatment, respectively. The expression levels of ALP, Run×2, and Osterix were also significantly upregulated. In the meantime, applying mechanical stretch on OS-cultured hJBMMSCs also dramatically promoted the OS-induced osteogenesis. Both OS and mechanical stretch downregulated NF-κB activity. By overexpressing P65 in hJBMMSCs, neither OS nor mechanical stretch could induce their osteogenesis. These results indicated that, like OS induction, mechanical stretch-facilitated osteogenesis of hJBMMSCs by inhibiting NF-κB in the noninflammatory environments.

Micro/nanostructured goethite (α-FeOOH) was synthesized by a low-temperature water bath method based on the reaction of urea and FeSO4•7H2O at 95 °C. It has been shown that the as-prepared α-FeOOH consists of nearly spherical particles with about 0.5–1 µm in diameter. The microsized α-FeOOH particles are urchin-like in morphology and composed of nanosized leaf-like objects, with about 150–200 nm in length and about 30–50 nm in width, in radial arrangement, showing high specific surface area (∼118 m2/g). The formation of such urchin-like α-FeOOH could be described by a two-step process, or formation of spherical particles, and ethylene glycol-adsorption induced preferential growth of nanoleaves on the preformed spherical particles. Importantly, such micro/nanostructured α-FeOOH has exhibited much higher photocatalytic activity to the organic pollutants, such as Rhodamine 6G, and better re-usable performances than the goethite nanorod powders, exhibiting the good application potential in the environmental treatment. This study could provide a useful material for environmental pollution treatment.

We present a theoretical analysis of a prototype model of two inflated dielectric elastomer (DE) balloons connected via a small channel. Such an interconnected balloon system can work as an actuator. The active balloon is subject to applied voltage and can produce deformation, while the passive balloon serves to supply gas or to sustain external pressure. We analyze the actuating of such DE device, with special emphasis on the effects of ambient pressure, initial inflation pressure, and volume ratio of the two balloons on the actuation and instability of the system.

Based on the sequence of an expressed sequence tag of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. cv. Zhongmu-1), a full-length sequence of 1,551 nucleotides was isolated using RACE-PCR techniques. This gene (MsRBP) was predicted to encode a protein of 409 amino acids, which contained three RNA recognition motifs comprising highly conserved RNA-binding domains at the N-terminus. Sequence analysis indicated that the C-terminus of MsRBP was rich in proline and glutamine residues. Subcellular location analysis suggested that MsRBP preferentially localized in the nucleus. Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR analysis showed that the transcript level of MsRBP was upregulated after treating with 20 % polyethylene glycol (PEG6000), 100 μM abscisic acid, or 300 mM NaCl. Compared with the wild-type plant, transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing MsRBP displayed retarded germination and root growth under salt stress. The results suggested that MsRBP may play a negative role in salt stress regulation of alfalfa.

A polyamidoamine dendrimer starch (PSt) was prepared with epichlorohydrin as cross-linking agent and characterized by FTIR and scanning electron microscopy. The adsorption behavior of PSt for Cu(II) ions was then studied. Effects of adsorption time, initial concentration of Cu(II) ions, and temperature on the adsorption of Cu(II) ions by PSt were researched, and the equilibrium, kinetics and thermodynamics of the adsorption process were further investigated. The results showed that PSt can effectively adsorb Cu(II) ions from the solution. The adsorption process can be well described by Langmuir isotherm and Freundlich isotherm, and the maximum adsorption capacities of G1PSt, G2PSt, and G4PSt were 3.0571, 3.4228, and 3.9527 mmol/g, respectively. The adsorption of Cu(II) ions on PSt was endothermic in nature. In addition, the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models were applied to test the experimental data. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model provided a better correlation of the experimental data in comparison with the pseudo-first-order model.

Ductile fracture using meshless Galerkin method is studied. We use well-known Gurson-Tvergaard-Needleman (GTN) in combination with visibility method. The GTN model is used in the bulk and when certain damage threshold is reached, discrete crack is introduced by taking advantage of the visibility method. The visibility criterion that modifies the particle connectivity based on evolving crack surface morphology is used. We demonstrate the applicability of meshless method to ductile fracture for several problems.

In the past years we carried out further stratigraphy division in field and it is found that rich stone artifacts can be found in fluvial-shallow lake-alluvial sediments on the terrace II of Biangou River, in Shuidonggou site, Ningxia and they are SDG1, 2 and 7. More luminescence and AMS 14C dating in laboratory show that Paleolithic culture develops during the Upper Paleolithic period with ages of 35–20 ka. The Paleolithic culture of SDG 1 is a little earlier than that of SDG 2 similar to SDG 7. The sandy sediments on terrace II of Biangou River deposits in the past 72–18 ka, corresponding to Last Glacial. SDG2 has a stable sedimentary environment, resulting in the continuous stratigraphy, thickest deposits and rich environment and culture information, which can be regarded as the important and classic paleoanthropological section of Late Pleistocene in this region.

Src-suppressed protein kinase C substrate (SSeCKS) plays an important role in the differentiation process. In regeneration of sciatic nerve injury, expression of SSeCKS decreases, mainly in Schwann cells. However, the function of SSeCKS in Schwann cells differentiation remains unclear. We observed that SSeCKS was decreased in differentiated Schwann cells. In long-term SSeCKS-reduced Schwann cells, cell morphology changed and myelin gene expression induced by cAMP was accelerated. Myelination was also enhanced in SSeCKS-suppressed Schwann cells co-culture with dorsal root ganglion (DRG). In addition, we found suppression of SSeCKS expression promoted Akt serine 473 phosphorylation in cAMP-treated Schwann cells. In summary, our data indicated that SSeCKS was a negative regulator of myelinating glia differentiation.

Sustained proteinuria is an independent risk factor leading to kidney fibrosis and end-stage renal failure. Over-reabsorption of filtered proteins, notably albumin, has been proved to trigger interstitial inflammation and fibrosis in proteinuric renal disease. Cubilin, an endocytic receptor expressed on the renal tubular brush border, is responsible for albumin reabsorption in physiologic condition. However, little is known about whether it is required for activation of tubular cells induced by albumin overload. In this work, we investigated the change of cubilin expression and its potential role in albumin-induced up-regulation of chemokines synthesis in vivo and in vitro. Twenty-six patients with nephrotic syndrome were enrolled in this study. Proximal tubule uptake of albumin, expression of apical membrane cubilin and infiltrating cells in kidney interstitium were determined by immunocytochemistry. In vitro, the transcription of cubilin in HK2 cells after exposure to albumin was analyzed by real-time PCR. Endocytosis of albumin in HK2 cells was examined by fluorescent microscope. The influence of inhibition of cubilin on albumin-induced expressions of monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) and regulated upon activation normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) was investigated by Western blot. The intensity of luminal cubilin and tubular accumulation of albumin were significantly increased in nephrotic kidneys. The expression of MCP-1 and RANTES was up-regulated, and there were spatial relationships in localization between these chemokines and cubilin as well as intracellular albumin in kidney tissues. Infiltration of CD-3 and ED-1-positive cells was predominant in tubulointerstitial areas displaying signs of increases of cubilin expression and albumin accumulation. In vitro, the transcription of cubilin mRNA in HK2 cells was enhanced after 24 h exposure to albumin in a dose-dependent manner. Inhibition of endocytosis of albumin by antisense cubilin nucleotide markedly reduced expression of MCP-1 and RANTES. Cubilin was required for handling a greater amount of protein in nephrotic status and albumin-induced production of MCP-1 and RANTES by renal tubular cells, which further initiated tubulointerstitial inflammation in proteinuric disease.

Tyrosinase-related protein-2 (TRP-2) is a non-mutated melanocyte differentiation antigen. The TRP-2-recognizing CD8(+) T cells can evoke immune responses to melanoma in both humans and mice. Developing epitopes with amino acid replacements in their sequences might improve the low immunogenicity against this 'self' tumor antigen. We designed altered peptide ligands (APLs) of TRP-2((180-188)) (SVYDFFVWL) with preferred primary and auxiliary HLA-A*0201 molecule anchor residue replacement. These APLs were screened for MHC-affinity by affinity prediction plots and molecular dynamics simulation, and analyzed in vitro for stability and binding-affinity to molecular HLA-A*0201. We also investigated the CTLs activities induced by TRP-2 wild-type epitope and the APLs both in vitro in human PBMCs and HLA-A2.1/K(b) transgenic mice. The results indicate that TRP-2 2M analog simultaneously had stronger binding-affinity and a lower dissociation rate to HLA-A*0201, than wild-type peptide. In addition, the analog 2M was superior to other APLs and wild-type epitope in terms of immunological efficacy ex vivo as measured by the ELISPOT assays of IFN-gamma and granzyme B. These results demonstrate that TRP-2 2M is an agonist epitope that can induce anti-tumor immunity superior to its wild-type epitope, and has potential application in peptide-mediated immunotherapy.

Identification of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes from additional tumor antigens is essential for the development of specific immunotherapy of malignant tumors. CML28, a recently discovered cancer-testis (CT) antigen from chronic myelogenous leukemia, is considered to be a promising target of tumor-specific immunotherapy. Because HLA-A*0201 is one of the most common histocompatibility molecule in Chinese, we aim at identifying CML28 peptides presented by HLA-A*0201. A panel of CML28-derived antigenic peptides was predicted using a computer-based program. Four peptides with highest predicted score were synthesized and tested for their binding affinities to HLA-A*0201 molecule. Then these peptides were assessed for their immunogenicity to elicit specific immune responses mediated by CTLs both in vitro, from PBMCs sourced from four healthy HLA-A*0201(+) donors, and in vivo, in HLA-A*0201 transgenic mice. One of the tested peptides, CML28((173-181)), induced peptide-specific CTLs in vitro as well as in vivo, which could specifically secrete IFN-gamma and lyse major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-matched tumor cell lines endogenously expressing CML28 antigen and CML28((173-181) )pulsed Jurkat-A2/Kb cells, respectively. These results demonstrate that CML28((173-181) )is a naturally processed and presented CTL epitope with HLA-A*0201 motif and has a promising immunogenicity both in vitro and in vivo. As CML28 is expressed in a large variety of histological tumors besides chronic myelogenous leukemia, we propose that the newly identified epitope, CML28((173-181)), would be of potential use in peptide-based, cancer-specific immunotherapy against a broad spectrum of tumors.