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Abstract Background Pulpotomy is a crucial method to preserve primary teeth until natural exfoliation. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical and radiographic outcomes of pulpotomy with iRoot BP Plus in primary molars and to explore the association between hemostasis time and these outcomes. Methods Primary molars that underwent iRoot BP Plus pulpotomy and were followed for at least 12 months were selected for this study. Clinical and radiographic data were collected, and the success rate was analyzed in relation to factors such as hemostasis time, tooth type, and arch type. The tests of significance used were the chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, or Kruskal-Wallis test. Statistical significance was set at P 0.05). Conclusions Pulpotomy using iRoot BP Plus in primary molars achieved favorable results. The hemostasis time may not significantly impact the outcomes of pulpotomy using iRoot BP Plus in primary molars.

Abstract Background Constipation is one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders afflicting the population, with recent observational studies implicating dysfunction of the gut microbiota in constipation. Despite observational studies indicating a relationship, a clear causality remains unclear. This study aims to use two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) to establish a clearer causal relationship between the two. Methods A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study was performed using the gut microbiota summary Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) statistics from MiBioGen consortium (n = 13,266) and constipation GWAS summary statistics from the IEU OpenGWAS database. The causality between gut microbiota and constipation is primarily analyzed using the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method and reinforced by an additional four methods, including MR-Egger, Weighted Median, Simple Mode, and Weighted Mode. Finally, funnel plot, heterogeneity test, horizontal pleiotropy test, and leave-one-out test were used to evaluate the reliability of MR results. Results IVW estimates suggested that the bacterial species Anaerotruncus, Butyricimonas, and Hungatella were causally associated with constipation. The odds ratio (OR) values of Anaerotruncus, Butyricimonas, and Hungatella were 1.08 (95% CI = 1.02–1.13; P = 0.007), 1.07 (95% CI = 1.01–1.13; P = 0.015), 1.03 (95% CI = 1.00-1.06; P = 0.037) respectively. Meanwhile, Ruminiclostridium 9 and Intestinibacter have been shown to be associated with a reduced risk of constipation. The OR of Ruminiclostridium 9 = 0.75(95% CI = 0.73–0.78, P

Introduction The study was designed to explore how cinobufagin (CB) regulates the development of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells through lipid rafts. Material and methods The effects of CB at gradient concentrations (0, 0.5, 1 and 2 µM) on NSCLC cell viability, apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, phosphorylation of Akt, and apoptosis- and lipid raft-related protein expression were assessed by MTT assay, flow cytometry and Western blot. Cholesterol and sphingomyelin were labeled with BODIPY to evaluate the effect of CB (2 µM) on them. Sucrose density gradient centrifugation was used to extract lipid rafts. The effect of CB on the expression and distribution of caveolin-1 was determined by immunofluorescence, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. After overexpression of caveolin-1, the above experiments were performed again to observe whether the regulatory effect of CB was reversed. Results CB inhibited NSCLC cell viability while promoting apoptosis and ROS level. CB redistributed the lipid content on the membrane surface and reduced the content of caveolin-1 in the cell membrane. In addition, CB repressed the activation of AKT. However, caveolin-1 overexpression reversed the effects of CB on apoptosis, AKT activation and lipid raft. Conclusions CB regulates the activity of Akt in lipid rafts by inhibiting caveolin-1 expression to promote NSCLC cell apoptosis.

Summary Background In an effort to identify factors associated with frailty transitions that trigger a significant difference in preventing and postponing the progression of frailty, questions regarding the role of cognitive leisure activities on various aspects of older adults’ health were raised. However, the relationship between cognitive leisure activities and frailty transitions has rarely been studied. Methods A total of 5367 older Chinese adults aged over 60 years from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) were selected as participants. The 2nd wave of the CHARLS in 2013 was selected as the baseline, and sociodemographic and health-related status baseline data were collected. The FRAIL Scale was used to measure frailty, while cognitive leisure activities were measured by the Cognitive Leisure Activity Index (CLAI) scores, which consisted of playing mahjong or cards, stock investment, and using the internet. After two years of follow-up, frailty transition from baseline was assessed at the 3rd wave of the CHARLS in 2015. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between cognitive leisure activities and frailty transitions. Results During the two-year follow-up of 5367 participants, the prevalence of frailty that improved, remained the same and worsened was 17.8% (957/5367), 57.5% (3084/5367) and 24.7% (1326/5367), respectively. Among all participants, 79.7% (4276/5367), 19.6% (1054/5367), and 0.7% (37/5367) had CLAI scores of 0, 1, and 2 to 3, respectively. In the univariate analysis, there was a statistically significant association between a score of 2 to 3 on the Cognitive Leisure Activity Index and frailty transitions (odds ratio [OR] = 1.93, 95% CI 0.03 to 1.29, p = .04), while all other covariates were not significantly different across the three groups. After adjusting for covariates, participants with more cognitive leisure activities had a higher risk of frailty improvement than those without cognitive leisure activities (odds ratio [OR] = 1.99, 95% CI 1.05 to 3.76, p = .04). Conclusions Cognitive leisure activities were positively associated with the risk of frailty improvement in older adults, mainly when participating in multiple such activities. Older adults may be encouraged to participate in a wide variety of cognitive leisure activities to promote healthy aging.

Abstract Gravimetry is a versatile metrological approach in geophysics to accurately map subterranean mass and density anomalies. There is a broad diversification regarding the working principle of gravimeters, wherein atomic gravimeters are one of the most technologically progressive class of gravimeters which can monitor gravity at an absolute scale with a high-repetition without exhibiting drift. Despite the apparent utility for geophysical surveys, atomic gravimeters are (currently) laboratory-bound devices due to the vexatious task of transportation. Here, we demonstrated the utility of an atomic gravimeter on-site during a gravity survey, where the issue of immobility was circumvented with a relative spring gravimeter. The atomic gravimeter served as a means to map the relative data from the spring gravimeter to an absolute measurement with an effective precision of 7.7 $${\upmu }$$ μ Gal. Absolute measurements provide a robust and feasible method to define and control gravity data taken at different sites, or a later date, which is critical to analyze underground geological units, in particular when it is combined with other geophysical approaches.

Abstract Background In the regenerative endodontic procedures, scaffolds could influence the prognosis of affected teeth. Currently, there is controversy regarding the postoperative evaluation of various scaffolds for pulp regeneration. The objective of this study was to access whether other scaffolds, used alone or in combination with blood clot (BC), are more effective than BC in regenerative endodontic procedures. Methods We systematically search the PubMed, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Embase, and Google Scholar databases. Randomized controlled trials examining the use of BC and other scaffold materials in the regenerative endodontic procedures were included. A random effects model was used for the meta-analysis. The GRADE method was used to determine the quality of the evidence. Results We screened 168 RCTs related to young permanent tooth pulp necrosis through electronic and manual retrieval. A total of 28 RCTs were related to regenerative endodontic procedures. Ultimately, 12 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the relevant meta-analysis. Only 2 studies were assessed to have a low risk of bias. High quality evidence indicated that there was no statistically significant difference in the success rate between the two groups (RR=0.99, 95% CI=0.96 to 1.03; 434 participants, 12 studies); low-quality evidence indicated that there was no statistically significant difference in the increase in root length or root canal wall thickness between the two groups. Medium quality evidence indicated that there was no statistically significant difference in pulp vitality testing between the two groups. Conclusions For clinical regenerative endodontic procedures, the most commonly used scaffolds include BC, PRP, and PRF. All the different scaffolds had fairly high clinical success rates, and the difference was not significant. For regenerative endodontic procedures involving young permanent teeth with pulp necrosis, clinical practitioners could choose a reasonable scaffold considering the conditions of the equipment and patients.

Purpose – The intelligent Central Traffic Control (CTC) system plays a vital role in establishing an intelligent high-speed railway (HSR) system. As the core of HSR transportation command, the intelligent CTC system is a new HSR dispatching command system that integrates the widely used CTC in China with the practical service requirements of intelligent dispatching. This paper aims to propose key technologies and applications for intelligent dispatching command in HSR in China. Design/methodology/approach – This paper first briefly introduces the functions and configuration of the intelligent CTC system. Some new servers, terminals and interfaces are introduced, which are plan adjustment server/terminal, interface for automatic train operation (ATO), interface for Dynamic Monitoring System of Train Control Equipment (DMS), interface for Power Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (PSCADA), interface for Disaster Monitoring, etc. Findings – The key technologies applied in the intelligent CTC system include automatic adjustment of train operation plans, safety control of train routes and commands, traffic information data platform, integrated simulation of traffic dispatching and ATO function. These technologies have been applied in the Beijing-Zhangjiakou HSR, which commenced operations at the end of 2019. Implementing these key intelligent functions has improved the train dispatching command capacity, ensured the safe operation of intelligent HSR, reduced the labor intensity of dispatching operators and enhanced the intelligence level of China's dispatching system. Originality/value – This paper provides further challenges and research directions for the intelligent dispatching command of HSR. To achieve the objectives, new measures need to be conducted, including the development of advanced technologies for intelligent dispatching command, coping with new requirements with the development of China's railway signaling system, the integration of traffic dispatching and train control and the application of AI and data-driven modeling and methods.

Abstract Assembly of ribosomes in bacteria is highly efficient, taking ~2-3 min, but this makes the abundance of assembly intermediates very low, which is a challenge for mechanistic understanding. Genetic perturbations of the assembly process create bottlenecks where intermediates accumulate, facilitating structural characterization. We use cryo-electron microscopy, with iterative subclassification to identify intermediates in the assembly of the 50S ribosomal subunit from E. coli. The analysis of the ensemble of intermediates that spans the entire biogenesis pathway for the 50 S subunit was facilitated by a dimensionality reduction and cluster picking approach using PCA-UMAP-HDBSCAN. The identity of the cooperative folding units in the RNA with associated proteins is revealed, and the hierarchy of these units reveals a complete assembly map for all RNA and protein components. The assembly generally proceeds co-transcriptionally, with some flexibility in the landscape to ensure efficiency for this central cellular process under a variety of growth conditions.

IntroductionStudies have shown that green spaces and water bodies can alleviate heat island effects. However, uncertainty remains regarding the characteristics and influence of Green Stormwater Infrastructures (GSIs) on the cooling effects under different weather conditions. To address this issue, a comparative study was conducted between the green spaces in a wetland park with GSIs and a general green space without GSIs. MethodsIn this study, atmospheric temperatures were collected from both green spaces using mobile measurements to compare the cold island effect. In addition, the precise characteristics of the surface temperatures of the underlying surfaces in the wetland park were explored using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). ResultsThe results revealed that green spaces with GSIs had a stronger cooling effect on the surrounding thermal environment than green spaces without GSIs, in most cases. The heat fluxes of different types of underlying surfaces in green spaces with different GSIs varied at different time periods. During the daytime, permeable pavement and some grasslands had a warming effect. The cooling effect of the other underlying surfaces was in the order of water bodies>arbors>shrubs>grasslands. At night, the changes in heat flux were lower, and only the arbors showed cooling due to evapotranspiration.DiscussionThese findings may provide innovative ideas and methods for planning GSIs to mitigate the urban heat island effects.

Background: Omicron had swept the mainland China between December 2022 and January 2023, while SARS-CoV-2 still continued to evolve. To fully prepare for the next wave, it’s urgent to evaluate the humoral immune response post BA.5/BF.7 breakthrough infection against predominant sub-lineages among existing vaccination strategies and the elders. Method: This study enrolled a longitudinal young-adult cohort from 2/3-dose vaccination to 1 month after breakthrough infection, and an elder cohort at 1 month after breakthrough infection. Seral samples were collected and tested for humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 subvariants including WT, BA.2, BA.5, BF.7, BQ.1.1, CH.1.1, XBB.1.5. Results: BA.5/BF.7 breakthrough infection induced higher neutralization activity than solely vaccination in all SARS-CoV-2 strains, while the latest Omicron subvariants, BQ.1.1, CH.1.1, XBB.1.5, exhibited the strongest neutralization evasion ability. There was a negative correlation between age and humoral immune response in WT, BA.5, BQ.1.1, and XBB.1.5. Compared to non-vaccination groups, breakthrough infection in two-dose vaccination groups had significantly higher neutralizing antibody against WT, BA.2, BA.5, BF.7 but not to BQ.1.1, CH.1.1, XBB.1.5 while booster dose against the prototype prior-breakthrough would not further significantly enhance individual’s humoral responses against the latest Omicron subvariants. Conclusions: Newer variants manifest increasing immune evasion from neutralization and repeated prototype-based booster vaccines may not further enhance neutralizing antibody against emerging new variants. Older adults have lower levels of neutralizing antibody. Future vaccination strategies should aim to enhance effective neutralization to contemporary variants.

Objective Evaluate the diagnostic performance of faecal immunochemical test (FIT), identify risk factors for FIT-interval colorectal cancers (FIT-IC) and describe long-term outcomes of participants with colorectal cancers (CRC) in the New Zealand Bowel Screening Pilot (BSP).Design From 2012 to 2017, the BSP offered eligible individuals, aged 50–74 years, biennial screening using a quantitative FIT with positivity threshold of 15 µg haemoglobin (Hb)/g faeces. Retrospective review of prospectively maintained data extracted from the BSP Register and New Zealand Cancer Registry identified any CRC reported in participants who returned a definitive FIT result. Further details were obtained from hospital records. FIT-ICs were primary CRC diagnosed within 24 months of a negative FIT. Factors associated with FIT-ICs were identified using logistic regression.Results Of 387 215 individuals invited, 57.4% participated with 6.1% returning positive FIT results. Final analysis included 520 CRC, of which 111 (21.3%) met FIT-IC definition. Overall FIT sensitivity for CRC was 78.7% (95% CI=74.9% to 82.1%), specificity was 94.1% (95% CI=94.0% to 94.2%). In 78 (70.3%) participants with FIT-IC, faecal Hb was reported as undetectable. There were no significant associations between FIT-IC and age, sex, ethnicity and deprivation. FIT-ICs were significantly associated with proximal tumour location, late stage at diagnosis, high-grade tumour differentiation and subsequent round screens. Median follow-up time was 74 (2–124) months. FIT-IC had significantly poorer overall survival.Conclusion FIT sensitivity in BSP compared favourably to published data. FIT-ICs were more likely to be proximal tumours with poor long-term outcomes. Further lowering of FIT threshold would have minimal impact on FIT-IC.

Polynuclear metal clusters, particularly those with aesthetically appealing structures, are of increasing interest. In this study, by employing C4 symmetrical macrocyclic silsesquioxane ligand, a novel tridecanuclear Gd(III) cluster (Gd13) with a {Gd13O8} core featuring unprecedent body-centered Archimedean cuboctahedron conformation is realized using an efficient solvothermal method instead of conventional Schlenk techniques. To the best of our knowledge, Gd13 cluster is thus far the highest nuclearity of lanthanide-silsesquioxane. Moreover, a magnetic study reveals a weak antiferromagnetic interaction between adjacent Gd ions in the cluster. In addition, Gd13 exhibits cryogenic magnetocaloric effects with a maximum −ΔSM value of 20 J kg−1 K−1 at 2 K and ΔH = 7.0 T.

RNA modifications represent a critical aspect of RNA biology that is not well suited to sequencing methods. Here, the authors provide a software tool for automated analysis of RNA tandem mass spectra with full support of modifications, isotope labelling, and control of false discovery rate.

Accumulating evidence suggests that circular RNAs (circRNAs) are implicated in diverse human diseases, including sepsis-engendered acute kidney injury (AKI). In this study, we investigated the functions of circRNA vacuolar ATPase assembly factor VMA21 (circVMA21) in septic AKI through establishing septic AKI in vitro model. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay was adopted to determine the levels of circVMA21, microRNA-7-5p (miR-7-5p) and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha (PPARA) mRNA. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and flow cytometry analysis were conducted to evaluate cell viability and apoptosis. Western blot assay was used for protein levels. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed for the secretion of inflammatory cytokines. The levels of oxidative stress markers were examined with specific commercial kits. Dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay were utilized the analyse the relationships among circVMA21, miR-7-5p and PPARA. CircVMA21 was reduced in sepsis patients’ serums and LPS-stimulated HK2 cells. CircVMA21 overexpression reversed the suppressive effect on cell viability and the promotional effects on cell apoptosis, inflammation and oxidative stress in HK2 cells mediated by LPS. CircVMA21 was identified as the sponge for miR-7-5p. MiR-7-5p overexpression abrogated the impacts of circVMA21 elevation on cell viability, apoptosis, inflammation and oxidative stress in LPS-stimulated HK2 cells. MiR-7-5p directly targeted PPARA, and miR-7-5p inhibition ameliorated LPS-induced HK2 cell damage by targeting PPARA. CircVMA21 overexpression alleviated LPS-stimulated HK2 cell damage through the regulation of miR-7-5p/PPARA.

Biological oxygen demand (BOD5) is an indicator used to monitor water quality. However, the standard process of measuring BOD5 is time consuming and could delay crucial mitigation works in the event of pollution. To solve this problem, this study employed multiple machine learning (ML) methods such as random forest (RF), support vector regression (SVR) and multilayer perceptron (MLP) to train a best model that can accurately predict the BOD5 values in water samples based on other physical and chemical properties of the water. The training parameters were optimized using genetic algorithm (GA) and feature selection was made using the sequential feature selection (SFS) method. The proposed machine learning framework was first tested on a public dataset (Waterbase). The MLP method produced the best model, with an R2 score of 0.7672791942775417, relative mean squared error (MSE) and relative mean absolute error (MAE) of approximately 15%. Feature importance calculations indicated that chemical oxygen demand (CODCr), ammonium and nitrate are features that highly correlate to BOD5. In the field study with a small private dataset consisting of water samples collected from two different lakes in Jiangsu Province of China, the trained model was found to have a similar range of prediction error (around 15%), a similar relative MAE (around 14%) and achieved about 6% better relative RMSE. Highlights Multiple machine learning (ML) methods used to train a best model to predict the BOD5 values in water samples.; Permutation feature importance (PFI) values calculated indicate that CODCr, ammonium and nitrate are features with the highest correlation with BOD5.; The best model trained using MLP yielded the best performance with an R2 score of 0.7672791942775417 together with relative RMSE and relative MAE of approximately 15%.;

Background: Low back pain is a global health problem directly related to intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration. Senolytic drugs (RG-7112 and o-Vanillin) target and remove senescent cells from IVDs in vitro, improving tissue homeostasis. One drawback of using a single senolytic agent is the failure to target multiple senescent antiapoptotic pathways. This study aimed to determine if combining the two senolytic drugs, o-Vanillin and RG-7112, could more efficiently remove senescent cells and reduce the release of inflammatory factors and pain mediators in cells from degenerating human IVDs than either drug alone. Methods: Preliminary data evaluating multiple concentrations of o-Vanillin and RG-7112 led to the selection of four treatment groups. Monolayer and pellet cultures of cells from painful degenerate IVDs were exposed to TLR-2/6 agonist. They were then treated with the senolytics o-Vanillin and RG7112 alone or combined. p16ink4a, Ki-67, caspase-3, inflammatory mediators, and neuronal sprouting were assessed. Results: Compared to the single treatments, the combination of o-Vanillin and RG-7112 significantly reduced the amount of senescent IVD cells, proinflammatory cytokines, and neurotrophic factors. Moreover, both single and combination treatments significantly reduced neuronal sprouting in rat adrenal pheochromocytoma (PC-12 cells). Conclusions: Combining o-Vanillin and RG-7112 greatly enhanced the effect of either senolytic alone. Together, these results support the potential of senolytics as a promising treatment for IVD-related low back pain.

Abstract Magnetic foreign body misingestion (MFBM) is now occurring more frequently. It may cause remarkable mortality and morbidity in children. A retrospective analysis of the clinical data of children admitted to Xiamen Children’s Hospital between March 2017 and July 2020 due to accidental MFBM. A total of 14 children who had MFBM were collected, the proportion between urban and rural areas was 8:6, and the ratio of male to female was 6:1. The age ranged from 1.2 to 8.9 years (median 4.6 years). The number of magnetic foreign bodies ingested by mistake is 1 to 17 (average 6.5). Magnetic foreign objects are divided into magnets (3 cases) + magnetic beads (11 cases). About 40% (5/14) of this patient series showed no available misingestion history. Management includes: 4 cases of open surgery (including 1 case of laparoscopic transfer to operation), 3 cases of laparoscopic surgery, 2 cases of gastroscopy, 5 cases of conservative treatment of foreign bodies discharged through the anus. Of the 7 surgical cases, 6 cases presented with intestinal obstruction and intestinal perforation (at least 1 intestinal perforation and at most 5). Abdominal sonography has limitations in the detection of magnetic foreign bodies in the digestive tract. The proportion of laparoscopic surgery in the 7 surgical cases is nearly half. All surgical cases recovered smoothly after treatment. Our experience shows that MFBM is a big issue for the small children! The early symptoms of MFBM are often atypical especially among young children and MFBM may lead to severe adverse events. We proposed a management strategy for MFBM in children. We advise pediatricians/emergency physicians, parents/children’s guardians and society should raise the collaborated alertness of MFBM. Global awareness of risk prevention of magnetic material accidental ingestion cannot be overemphasized.

Background Dental calcification information is relevant for clinical, archaeological, and forensic applications. However, dental maturity measurements in current cohorts of Chinese children are insufficient. Aim This study aimed to establish the mandibular dental maturity table and determine the accuracy of dental age estimation using the Demirjian method in a Chinese sample. Subjects and methods Permanent mandibular teeth, excluding the third molar, in 2091 panoramic radiographs of 1008 males and 1083 females aged 3–15 were graded, and dental age was estimated according to Demirjian’s criteria. Age-of-attainment was calculated with probit regression for each stage by sex, and sex differences were analysed using the Mann–Whitney U test. Dental age was compared with chronological age using paired t-tests. Results Although females showed earlier age-of-attainment than males, significant sex differences were only found in stages D-G (p

Abstract Many animals display sensitivity to external magnetic field, but it is only in the simplest organisms that the sensing mechanism is understood. Here we report on behavioural experiments where American cockroaches (Periplaneta americana) were subjected to periodically rotated external magnetic fields with a period of 10 min. The insects show increased activity when placed in a periodically rotated Earth-strength field, whereas this effect is diminished in a twelve times stronger periodically rotated field. We analyse established models of magnetoreception, the magnetite model and the radical pair model, in light of this adaptation result. A broad class of magnetite models, based on single-domain particles found in insects and assumption that better alignment of magnetic grains towards the external field yields better sensing and higher insect activity, is shown to be excluded by the measured data. The radical-pair model explains the data if we assume that contrast in the chemical yield on the order of one in a thousand is perceivable by the animal, and that there also exists a threshold value for detection, attained in an Earth-strength field but not in the stronger field.

Abstract Background There is an increased level of senescent cells and toll-like teceptor-1, -2, -4, and -6 (TLR) expression in degenerating intervertebral discs (IVDs) from back pain patients. However, it is currently not known if the increase in expression of TLRs is related to the senescent cells or if it is a more general increase on all cells. It is also not known if TLR activation in IVD cells will induce cell senescence. Methods Cells from non-degenerate human IVD were obtained from spine donors and cells from degenerate IVDs came from patients undergoing surgery for low back pain. Gene expression of TLR-1,2,4,6, senescence and senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) markers was evaluated by RT-qPCR in isolated cells. Matrix synthesis was verified with safranin-O staining and Dimethyl-Methylene Blue Assay (DMMB) confirmed proteoglycan content. Protein expression of p16 INK4a , SASP factors, and TLR-2 was evaluated by immunocytochemistry (ICC) and/or by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results An increase in senescent cells was found following 48-h induction with a TLR-2/6 agonist in cells from both non-degenerate and degenerating human IVDs. Higher levels of SASP factors, TLR-2 gene expression, and protein expression were found following 48-h induction with TLR-2/6 agonist. Treatment with o-vanillin reduced the number of senescent cells, and increased matrix synthesis in IVD cells from back pain patients. Treatment with o-vanillin after induction with TLR-2/6 agonist reduced gene and protein expression of SASP factors and TLR-2. Co-localized staining of p16 INK4a and TLR-2 demonstrated that senescent cells have a high TLR-2 expression. Conclusions Taken together our data demonstrate that activation of TLR-2/6 induce senescence and increase TLR-2 and SASP expression in cells from non-degenerate IVDs of organ donors without degeneration and back pain and in cells from degenerating human IVD of patients with disc degeneration and back pain. The senescent cells showed high TLR-2 expression suggesting a link between TLR activation and cell senescence in human IVD cells. The reduction in senescence, SASP, and TLR-2 expression suggest o-vanillin as a potential disease-modifying drug for patients with disc degeneration and back pain.

The application of deep learning in remote sensing image classification has been paid more and more attention by industry and academia. However, manually designed remote sensing image classification models based on convolutional neural networks usually require sophisticated expert knowledge. Moreover, it is notoriously difficult to design a model with both high classification accuracy and few parameters. Recently, neural architecture search (NAS) has emerged as an effective method that can greatly reduce the heavy burden of manually designing models. However, it remains a challenge to search for a classification model with high classification accuracy and few parameters in the huge search space. To tackle this challenge, we propose TPENAS, a two-phase evolutionary neural architecture search framework, which optimizes the model using computational intelligence techniques in two search phases. In the first search phase, TPENAS searches for the optimal depth of the model. In the second search phase, TPENAS searches for the structure of the model from the perspective of the whole model. Experiments on three open benchmark datasets demonstrate that our proposed TPENAS outperforms the state-of-the-art baselines in both classification accuracy and reducing parameters.

Several risk factors threaten the safety of urban gas pipeline. How to effectively identify various risk factors affecting urban gas pipeline and put forward scientific risk assessment method is the focus in the field of urban safety research. To explore the uncertain factors in the process of gas pipeline risk assessment, and propose a practical assessment method, a three-layer index system for the risk assessment of urban gas pipeline was established using unascertained measure theory, which included 5 first-class evaluation factors and 34 second-class evaluation indexes. Four unascertained measure models (linear, parabolic, exponential and sinusoidal) were constructed, and the unascertained measure values of each evaluation index under four unknown measure function models were calculated. The weight of evaluation factors was determined by Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), and the confidence criterion was used for discriminant evaluation. Results demonstrate that the risk assessment models constructed with different measurement functions can effectively reduce the uncertainty of urban gas pipeline risk assessment, but for the same object, the risk level of the linear measurement model in 4# pipeline is lower than other measurement functions, and the risk level of sinusoidal measurement model in 8# pipeline is higher than other measurement functions. Therefore, considering the evaluation results under different measure functions and focusing on monitoring objects with different results is necessary when using unascertained measure theory for risk assessment. The conclusions obtained from this study clarify the application conditions of unascertained measure theory in urban gas pipeline risk assessment, which helps to reduce the uncertainty in the assessment process and improve the accuracy of the assessment results.

In our previous work, a two-phase multiobjective sparse unmixing (Tp-MoSU) approach has been proposed, which settled the regularization parameter issues of the regularization unmixing methods. However, Tp-MoSU has limited performance in identifying the real end-members from the highly noisy data in the first phase and cannot effectively exploit the spatial-contextual information in the second phase because of the similarity measure it used. To settle these two problems, a composite spectral similarity measure is first constructed by fusing the spectral correlation angle and the Euclidean distance. It is used instead of the Frobenius norm to measure the unmixing residuals in the first phase because it considers both the shape and amplitude discrepancy between two spectra simultaneously. Then, the L2,∞ norm is used instead of the l2 norm to measure the unmixing residuals in the second phase, and the initialization, recombination, mutation, and local search strategies are also elaborately redesigned to help reduce this new objective, based on which the unmixing tasks of all pixels in a hyperspectral image can be completed at once. Therefore, this new measure facilitates the estimation of the abundances as a whole, and thus, the spatial-contextual information can be better exploited to improve the estimated abundances. Besides, the time efficiency for abundance estimation is also greatly improved. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method (termed as TpMoSU+) outperforms Tp-MoSU in both of the two phases under heavy noise and outperforms the tested regularization algorithms in estimating the abundances.

It is well known that the performance of head pose estimation is greatly affected by the bounding box margin of the face and its background. Traditionally, researchers will manually choose a suitable bounding box margin to strike a balance between ensuring sufficient information and minimising background noise. However, head pose estimation is still worse when the background is complex in reality or when the box margin changes slightly. To make estimation results more robust, the authors propose two methods to improve it: (i) a convolutional cropping module that can learn to crop the input image to an attentional area for head pose regression. (ii) Background augmentation that can make the network more robust to the background noise. Rather than using the face landmarking to calculate head pose angles, they use another convolutional neural network to regress the head pose angles, which is independent of the landmark detection results. They evaluate the method on BIWI and AFLW2000 dataset and experimental results show that their approach outperforms many other methods. Besides, they evaluate the method on Pointing′04 dataset using head pose accuracy. Furthermore, the approach is more robust and has a lower variance in realistic scenarios.

While the increased automation levels of production and operation equipment have led to the improved productivity of mining activity in open pit mines, the capacity of the mine transport system has become a bottleneck. The optimisation of the mine transport system is of great practical significance to reduce the production and operation cost and improve the production and organizational efficiency of mines. In this paper, we first formulate a multiobjective optimisation problem for mine railway scheduling by introducing a set of mathematical constraints. As the problem is NP-hard, we then devise a mixed integer programming-based solution to solve this problem and develop an online framework accordingly. We finally conduct test cases to evaluate the performance of the proposed solution. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed solution is efficient and able to generate a train schedule in a real-time manner.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19, up to now, infection cases have been continuously rising to over 200 million around the world. Male bias in morbidity and mortality has emerged in the COVID-19 pandemic. The infection of SARS-CoV-2 has been reported to cause the impairment of multiple organs that highly express the viral receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), including lung, kidney, and testis. Adverse effects on the male reproductive system, such as infertility and sexual dysfunction, have been associated with COVID-19. This causes a rising concern among couples intending to have a conception or who need assisted reproduction. To date, a body of studies explored the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on male reproduction from different aspects. This review aims to provide a panoramic view to understand the effect of the virus on male reproduction and a new perspective of further research for reproductive clinicians and scientists.

Human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) and extracellular vesicle (EV) therapy is a promising treatment for discogenic low back pain (LBP). Although promising, major obstacles remain to be overcome. Cellular senescence reduces self-renewal and multipotent potentials, and the senescence-associated secretory phenotype creates an inflammatory environment negatively affecting tissue homeostasis. Reducing senescence could therefore improve regenerative approaches. Ortho-Vanillin (o-Vanillin) has senolytic activity and anti-inflammatory properties and could be a valuable supplement to MSC and EV therapy. Here, we used direct co-culture experiments to evaluate proteoglycan synthesis, inflammatory mediators, and senescent cells in the presence or absence of o-Vanillin. EV release and transfer between hMSCs and intervertebral disc cells (DCs) was examined, and the effect on hMSC differentiation and DC phenotype was evaluated in the presence and absence of o-Vanillin. This study demonstrates that o-Vanillin affects cell communication, enhances hMSC differentiation and improves DC phenotype. Co-cultures of DCs and hMSCs resulted in increased proteoglycan synthesis, a decreased number of senescent cells and decreased release of the cytokines IL6 and 8. Effects that were further enhanced by o-Vanillin. o-Vanillin profoundly increased EV release and/or uptake by hMSCs and DCs. DC markers were significantly upregulated in both cell types in response to conditioned media of o-Vanillin treated donor cells. Collectively, this study demonstrates that o-Vanillin affects hMSC and DC crosstalk and suggests that combining hMSCs and senolytic compounds may improve the outcome of cell supplementation and EV therapy for LBP.

The “similarity” (gongtong 共通) and “dissimilarity” (chayi 差異) between the Buddhist precepts and Confucian rites in the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties reflected a “dialogue of civilizations” (wenming duihua 文明對話) at the levels of concept, system, and life. During these periods, the Chinese system of rites were compared and interpreted with the Buddhist monastic codes by Buddhist monks and Confucian scholars, so a history of the ideas interpretation process of “interpreting precepts with rites” (yi li shi jie 以禮釋戒) was achieved. The result of such a process was two-fold: from the perspective of lay Buddhist ethics, they were in common with each other; from the perspective of monastic precepts, they were irreconcilable contradictions. Thus, on the one hand, the eminent Chinese monks “were emulating the Confucian rites to justify Buddhist precepts” (ni li yi zheng jie 擬禮義證戒) to stress their commonalities. On the other hand, the differences between the precepts and rites continued to be discovered, and the Buddhist subjective consciousness (zhuti yishi 主體意識) of “the distinction between precepts and rites” (jie li you bie 戒禮有別) was gradually established.

Once Buddhism had become established in China, one of the central issues in the relations between the Saṃgha and the state was the ongoing controversy over requiring Buddhist monastics to pay homage to the emperor. When this controversy resurfaced at the end of the Sui dynasty and the beginning of the Tang dynasty, the participants in the debate frequently referred to the Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa to support their arguments. In this paper, I discuss these references to the Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa and how they were interpreted by various participants. I argue that the ideas of “the distinction between expedient means and monastic conventions” and “the distinction between individual realization and general ethics” prevalent in the Buddhist circles of the Sui and Tang dynasties are in line with the concepts of “veneration out of gratitude” and “signless veneration” used for interpreting the Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa, indicating that the Sui and Tang Buddhist communities had a common understanding on this issue. A more extreme position was that of Kuiji, who interprets the relevant passages in the Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa in terms of “forgetting decorum out of ignorance” in his arguments against the institutional feasibility of requiring monastics to pay homage to the emperor. The arguments put forth in this debate clearly reflect the interaction between Buddhism, absolute monarchy, and historical events in China, in a fusion of intellectual and social history.

Background: COVID-19 has stressed healthcare systems and workers worldwide. GPs, as first points of contact between suspected cases and the healthcare system, have assumed frontline roles in this crisis. While the prevalence of mental health problems and illnesses arising in healthcare workers (HCWs) from tertiary care settings during the COVID-19 pandemic is well-examined,1 the impact on GPs remains understudied. Aim: To describe the prevalence and predictors of anxiety, burnout, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among GPs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design & setting: Survey of GPs operating in Singapore primary care clinics. Method: GPs completed a survey that comprised of four validated psychometric instruments. Open-ended questions asked about responders’ challenges and their envisaged support. Data were analysed with multiple logistic regression with demographic data as covariates; concepts of grounded theory were used to analyse the qualitative responses. Results: A total of 257 GPs participated. Fifty-five (21.4%) met the scales’ criteria for anxiety, 211 (82.1%) for burnout, 68 (26.6%) for depression, and 23 (8.9%) for PTSD. Multivariate regression analysis showed working in a public primary care setting was associated with anxiety and depression. Qualitative analyses uncovered possible stressors: changes to clinical and operational practices; increased workloads; and financial difficulties. Conclusion: Mental health issues were found to be present in Singaporean GPs during the pandemic. Prevalence of anxiety, burnout, and depression were found to be higher than those reported pre-COVID-19. The findings also provide determinants of the issues that serve as possible foci for targeted interventions.

Building demand-side management is an effective solution for relieving the peak and imbalance problems of electrical grids. How to explore the energy flexibility of buildings and to coordinate a variety of buildings with different energy flexibilities for effective interactions with smart grids are a great challenge. This paper proposes a game theory–based hierarchical demand optimization method for energy flexible buildings for achieving better grid interactions. This method consists of two optimization strategies at the grid and building levels. At the grid level, a demand-price interaction model for buildings and the grid is established to identify the Nash equilibrium solutions based on game theory; these solutions are used to determine the optimized energy demand of buildings and the associated electricity prices by accommodating the interests of all participants involved. At the building level, three types of buildings with different energy flexibilities are investigated to analyze the influence of building management strategies on grid interactions. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified in a simulated case study. The results show that the optimization method can reduce building operational cost by 3–18%, reduce the fluctuation of the power grid by 30–50%, and ensure that the power grid increases income by 8–20%.

Multiple morphological abnormalities of the sperm flagella (MMAF) is a cause of male infertility. Here the authors identify homozygous nonsense mutations of the glutamine rich 2 (QRICH2) gene in two MMAF patients from 2 consanguineous families and show using QRICH2 knockout mice that the protein is required for sperm flagellar formation and motility.

The rate of venous thromboembolism in COVID-19 patients has been reported to be 30% (deep vein thrombosis 20% and pulmonary embolism 18%). This has been shown to be higher in COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU. Prophylactic anticoagulation may be sufficient at ward level, but not in intensive care. A retrospective chart review was undertaken in a large university hospital. The review included 276 patients from COVID-19 Wave 1, COVID-19 Wave 2, influenza, and community-acquired pneumonia groups. The timeframe included patients admitted between 23 February 2014 and 12 May 2021. Clinical characteristics, outcomes, blood results, rates of venous thromboembolism, and anticoagulation status were recorded. The incidence of venous thromboembolism in COVID-19 Wave 1, COVID-19 Wave 2, influenza, and community-acquired pneumonia was 10.91%, 13.69%, 13.33%, and 6.81%, respectively (p = 0.481). The incidence of pulmonary embolism was 7.27%, 10.95%, 3.33%, and 5.68%, respectively (p = 0.350). The incidence of deep vein thrombosis was 5.45%, 5.48%, 10.00%, and 1.14%, respectively (p = 0.117). Although most patients were prophylactically anticoagulated, venous thromboembolism still occurred. Venous thromboembolism remains an important differential to consider in critically ill COVID-19 patients. The current literature does not advise therapeutic anticoagulation for thromboprophylaxis in the ICU.

Due to multiple risk factors, the rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia in critically ill COVID-19 patients has been reported in a range of 7.6% to 86%. The rate of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in this cohort has been reported at 4% to 30%. We undertook a retrospective chart review of 276 patients who were admitted to intensive care in a large university hospital. The period studied included patients from 23 February 2014 to 12 May 2021. Four groups were collected: COVID-19 Wave 1, COVID-19 Wave 2, influenza, and community-acquired pneumonia. Clinical characteristics, outcomes, and microbiological cultures were recorded. The incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia in COVID-19 Wave 1, COVID-19 Wave 2, influenza, and community-acquired pneumonia was 5.45%, 27.40%, 16.67%, and 3.41%, respectively (p < 0.001). The rate of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis was 0%, 9.59%, 13.33%, and 6.82%, respectively (p < 0.001). A significantly elevated rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia and invasive pulmonary aspergillosis was noted in the second wave of COVID-19 when compared to the first. This was accompanied by an increase in the mortality rate. Increased steroid use was an independent risk factor for ventilator-associated pneumonia and invasive pulmonary aspergillosis across all four groups. Despite an increased understanding of this disease, no clinical trials have shown any promising therapeutic options at present.

Background: The terminal ileum and ileocaecal junction form a transition zone in a relatively inaccessible portion of the gastrointestinal tract. Little is known about the motility of this region with few detailed studies, indicating the need for a robust synthesis of current knowledge. This review aimed to evaluate the quantitative and qualitative data on the manometry findings of the terminal ileum and ileocaecal junction during the fasting and post-prandial periods in healthy individuals and patients with motility disorders or patients after bowel surgery.Methods: A systematic search of five databases (Medline, Pubmed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Library) was performed. Studies that presented manometry data from the human ileum or ileocaecal junction were included.Results: Forty-two studies met the inclusion criteria. The main motility patterns reported in the terminal ileum during fasting were the migrating motor complex, discrete clustered contractions, prolonged propagated contractions and phasic contractions. Post-prandial motility featured irregular, intense contractions. Some studies found a region of sustained increased pressure at the ileocaecal junction while others did not. Patients with motility disorders showed differences in manometry including retrograde propagation of phase III. Patients post-bowel surgery showed differences including higher incidence of phase III.Conclusion: Motility patterns of the terminal ileum differ between fasting and fed states. Large variability existed in manometry recordings of the terminal ileum. Technical challenges and lack of standardized definitions may reduce accuracy of manometry assessment. Further research is needed to understand how this key portion of the gut physiologically functions.

Biomedical electronic implants require a power source to operate. Miniaturised implants can preclude batteries and as implant dimensions reduce further, inductive power transfer no longer becomes the optimum strategy for wireless power delivery. Wide dipole antennas are proposed as an alternative power transmitter for long and thin implants. A miniaturised bioelectronic device measuring 1 mm by 1 mm by 20 mm was fabricated, wirelessly powered and used to stimulate retinal ganglion cells to provide biological validation of its functionality. Optimised wide dipole antennas operating in the GHz range for implant depths of 5 mm to 35 mm in 5 mm steps were simulated, fabricated and measured. Saline solution was used as a biological tissue phantom for power transfer efficiency measurements. The maximum safe deliverable power to the device was 1.7 mW in simulation and 1.3 mW in measurement at power transfer efficiencies of 15% and 11% respectively. The work herein confirms that wide dipole transmitting antennas are suitable for radiative near field power transfer to long and thin implants. This power transfer technique could be used for implants that are injectable, deliverable via catheter and minimally invasive, advancing the aim to create smaller more innovative electronic implantable devices. Keywords: Wireless power transfer, Bioelectronics, Antennas, Retinal ganglion cells, Injectable, Biological tissue, Finite element method

A new electrochromic device (ECD) was fabricated, consisting of poly(3,4-(2,2-dimethyl-propylenedioxy)thiophene) (PProDOT–Me2) and tungsten trioxide (WO3) films. The conventional cathodic EC material PProDOT–Me2 acts as an electrocatalytic counter electrode here, working with an electrolyte which contains the Br−/Br3− redox couple to accelerate the electrochromic process and lower the driving voltage of the ECD. The device can be fully colored at under −1.0 V and self-bleached at 0 V (in a short-circuited state) with high optical modulation of 72.4% at 680 nm. Compared with other self-bleaching devices, the response time of 5.6 s for coloring and 15.3 s for bleaching suggests an exceptional switching speed. Additionally, the coloration efficiency (CE) of the device reaches 88.9 cm2/C. When the long-term stability of the device was evaluated, no apparent deterioration was observed after 5000 cycles. Keywords: Electrocatalytic, PProDOT-Me2, Br−/Br3− redox couple, Electrochromic device

Abstract Background Scoliosis is a common deformity, and its severity is usually assessed by measuring the Cobb angle on the spinal X-ray film. The measurement of the Cobb angle is an important basis for selecting therapeutic methods and evaluating therapeutic effects. To measure and calculate the scoliosis Cobb angle by end vertebra tilt angle method (tilt angle method) and assess its accuracy and usability. Methods It is deduced that the Cobb angle is the sum of upper and lower end vertebra tilt angles through the law of plane geometry. The project included 32 patients with scoliosis who have received treatment in our hospital from June 2011 to July 2016, whose Cobb angles were measured at various segments (total 50). The measuring results of the tilt angle method and the classical method were compared, and the time spent for the measurement of the two groups was respectively recorded with an electronic stopwatch for comparison. The interference of line marking in imaging data pixel in the two groups was compared using Beyond Compare software. Results The measuring results through PACS (picture archiving and communication systems) were regarded as the reference standard. There was no statistical difference for measuring the Cobb angle between the PACS method, end vertebra tilt angle method, and classical method. The end vertebra tilt angle method takes less measuring time than the classical method. The measuring error between the classical method and the tilt angle method showed no statistical significance for the difference. Conclusion The scoliosis Cobb angle can be measured accurately and rapidly using the principle of the Cobb angle being equal to the sum of tilt angles of the upper and lower end vertebra, where in the film data of imaging will not be easily contaminated. Under special conditions, the average measuring error is ± 3°.

Abstract In this article, we consider the following boundary-value problem of nonlinear fractional differential equation with p-Laplacian operator: Dα(ϕp(Dαu(t)))=f(t,u(t)),t∈[0,1]T,u(0)=u(σ(1))=Dαu(0)=Dαu(σ(1))=0, $$\begin{aligned}& D^{\alpha }\bigl(\phi_{p}\bigl(D^{\alpha }u(t)\bigr)\bigr)= f \bigl(t, u(t)\bigr),\quad t\in [0,1]_{T}, \\& u(0)= u\bigl(\sigma (1)\bigr)= D^{\alpha }u(0)= D^{\alpha }u\bigl(\sigma (1)\bigr)=0, \end{aligned}$$ where 11 $p>1$, ϕp−1=ϕq $\phi_{p}^{-1}=\phi_{q}$, 1/p+1/q=1 $1/p+1/q=1$, and f:[0,σ(1)]×[0,+∞)→[0,+∞) $f:[0, \sigma (1)]\times [0,+ \infty )\to [0,+\infty )$ is continuous. By the use of the approach method and fixed-point theorems on cone, some existence and multiplicity results of positive solutions are acquired. Some examples are presented to illustrate the main results.

While U.K. authorities have attempted to tailor measures to boost sales of electric vehicles (EVs) and support citizens through different schemes, the size and geographic coverage of the existing charging network are insufficient, which undermines electromobility promotion. There are 15,853 public charging points installed in the U.K. as of 3 August 2021, and the demands for public EV charging are rising. For rural areas, there is little support from local authorities or private companies. To identify how a charging station can be installed and work, this study researches existing charging stations nationwide. Generally, most Public Charging Stations (PCS) in rural areas have unsatisfactory cost-effectiveness due to their long payback period. This paper presents how many rural PCS are able to afford the cost in the first eight years. Based on the ever-increasing demands of the market, EV producers are switching their business strategies. Meanwhile, the rural areas may become urban with the same definition. When it comes to the analysis of cost-effectiveness, it is possible for the PCS to bring more elements into the calculation. For Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) and Operation Expenditure (OPEX), the unnecessary cost leaves more profit space, like the possibility of unplanned maintenance costs.

This review described the current status of research into the regeneration potential of myocardial cells after myocardial injury, focussing on possible mechanisms of regeneration and the application of animal models to human biology, all with the aim of evaluating any novel approaches to the regeneration of human cardiomyocytes. A literature review was undertaken of the PubMed® and The Cochrane Library databases using the search terms ‘regeneration’, ‘heart regeneration’, ‘cardiac regeneration’, ‘proliferation’, ‘animal model’, ‘repair’ and ‘myocardial cell injury’ in English language publications only. The search covered publications between 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2017. The cardiac regeneration capability significantly differed among different species. In lower vertebrates, such as zebrafish, cardiomyocytes possess a sustained regeneration capacity under specific conditions. In mammalian animals, such as mice, the cardiomyocytes retain a regeneration capability under specific conditions, which gradually declines. Inflammation, non-coding RNA, gene regulatory elements, signal transduction and cell phenotype transformation play pivotal roles in cardiomyocyte regeneration. Myocardial regeneration appears to be a viable repair strategy for cardiomyocyte loss, which deserves further research in order to validate its clinical applicability in humans.

Absolute moment block truncated coding (AMBTC) is a lossy image compression technique aiming at low computational cost, and has been widely studied. Previous studies have investigated the performance improvement of AMBTC; however, they often over describe the details of image blocks during encoding, causing an increase in bitrate. In this paper, we propose an efficient method to improve the compression performance by classifying image blocks into flat, smooth, and complex blocks according to their complexity. Flat blocks are encoded by their block means, while smooth blocks are encoded by a pair of adjusted quantized values and an index pointing to one of the k representative bitmaps. Complex blocks are encoded by three quantized values and a ternary map obtained by a clustering algorithm. Ternary indicators are used to specify the encoding cases. In our method, the details of most blocks can be retained without significantly increasing the bitrate. Experimental results show that, compared with prior works, the proposed method achieves higher image quality at a better compression ratio for all of the test images.

The "three stages" division of coal spontaneous combustion is fuzzy and lacks adequate risk and warning levels corresponding to its divisions; additionally, the targeted prevention measures for each stage have not been described. To address the shortcomings of the "three stages" division, the "five stages" division was proposed to more clearly analyze the stage changes of the spontaneous combustion of coal. The "five stages" method divides the process of the spontaneous combustion of coal into five stages, including: the latent stage, heat accumulating stage, evaporation stage, active stage, and hypoxic stage. The critical point of each stage was determined using adiabatic oxidation experiments and programmed heat experiments. As the critical point of the latent stage, the temperature of zero activation energy is approximately 55-70°C. In the heat accumulating stage, the critical point is the temperature (approximately 90°C) where the external moisture of coal evaporates violently while the internal moisture of coal has not yet fully evaporated. During the evaporation stage, the temperature (approximately 105°C) where the internal moisture has evaporated completely represents the end of this stage and the start of the active stage (105-170°C). When the oxygen concentration drops to 5%, the spontaneous combustion of coal enters the hypoxic stage. Thus, an oxygen concentration of 5% represents the critical point of the start of the hypoxic stage (above 170°C). After the analysis of each stage, risk and warning levels were determined. Considering the major prevention measures of the spontaneous combustion of coal, a staged warning and disposal table was created.

In the original version of this Article, the Acknowledgements section omitted the National Key Research and Development Program of China (SQ2018YFC1003603).