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Objective To investigate the effects and possible mechanisms of intervening P2X7 receptors on ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced renal fibrosis. Methods Ten male wild-type C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to the sham operation group (WT-Sham) and the renal ischemia-reperfusion injury(IRI) group (WT-I/R). Ten P2X7 receptors gene knockout mice were also randomly assigned to the sham operation group (KO-Sham) or the renal IRI group (KO-I/R), with five mice in each group. The renal IRI model was established by unilateral nephrectomy and contralateral renal pedicle clamping. In the sham operation group, mice underwent renal pedicle localization without nephrectomy or clamping. Renal tissue specimens were collected after 42 days of reperfusion or sham operation. PAS staining was used to observe changes in renal tissue structure, Picrosirius Red staining was used to assess the degree of renal fibrosis, Western blot was performed to detect the expression of renal calcium-adhering protein E-cadherin and α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA）, and immunohistochemical staining was used to observe the infiltration of F4/80-positive macrophages in the kidneys. Results After 42 days of renal IRI, PAS staining showed tubular atrophy and significant infiltration of inflammatory cells in the interstitium, while Picrosirius Red staining indicated obvious renal fibrosis. Compared with wild-type mice, P2X7 receptors gene knockout mice showed reduced tubular atrophy, decreased infiltration of inflammatory cells, and improved renal fibrosis. Western blot results showed that compared to the sham operation group, WT-I/R mice had decreased expression of the tubular marker E-cadherin and increased expression of the fibrosis marker α-SMA (P＜0.05). Compared to WT-I/R mice, KO-I/R mice showed improvement in E-cadherin decrease and α-SMA increase (P＜0.05). Immunohistochemical results revealed increased infiltration of macrophages in the kidneys after 42 days of renal IRI, while P2X7 receptors gene knockout mice showed reduced macrophage infiltration. Conclusion Renal IRI can lead to macrophage infiltration and fibrosis in renal tissue. Intervention of P2X7 receptors can reduce macrophage infiltration caused by IRI, improve renal tissue fibrosis, and delay the progression of chronic kidney disease.

The article presents a novel control strategy for cable-driven aerial manipulators (UAMs) aimed at enhancing impedance control during contact operations in complex environments. A fractional-order nonsingular terminal sliding mode control (FONTSMC) integrated with a disturbance observer (DOB) is proposed to improve the robustness and precision of the UAM under lumped disturbances. This developed approach utilizes the flexibility of fractional calculus, the finite-time stability of nonsingular terminal sliding mode, and the real-time disturbance estimation capabilities of the DOB to ensure smooth and compliant contact interactions. The effectiveness of the proposed control strategy is validated through comprehensive simulation studies, which demonstrate significant improvements in control performance, stability, and disturbance rejection when compared to traditional methods. The results indicate that the FONTSMC-DOB framework is highly suitable for complex aerial manipulation tasks, offering both theoretical and practical insights into the design of advanced control systems for UAMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fungal diseases of plants are one of the key factors causing global crop losses. In this study, we isolated a Bacillus velezensis strain VC3, which was found to have a broad-spectrum inhibitory effect on a variety of phytopathogenic fungi through in vitro and in planta experiments, especially on Magnaporthe oryzae and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Further genomic and transcriptomic analyses revealed that the B. velezensis VC3 has multiple functional gene clusters encoding for the synthesis of a variety of antifungal secondary metabolites, including antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and lipopeptides (LPs). In addition, AMPs and LPs were isolated and purified from B. velezensis VC3 fermentation broth and their antifungal activities were verified in this study. AMPs and LPs significantly inhibited spore germination, appressorium formation, and disease development, and AMPs have a better potential for controlling M. oryzae and C. gloeosporioides than LPs. These findings open new avenues for utilizing B. velezensis VC3 as biocontrol agents, providing potential sustainable solutions for agricultural production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pumping test was carried out by arranging pumping holes in the ground of Huangyuchuan Mine to test the water inflow, permeability coefficient and influence radius of different hole positions, and to master the characteristics of water and permeability in the formation to avoid water inrush in underground coal mining. The results show that: Ordovician limestone strata develops water-conducting channels such as water-conducting fracture zone, fracture zone and collapse column; the influence of aquifer on 9# coal seam mining is more serious than other coal seams; after the pumping is completed, the aquifer water is replenished to the pumping hole，and the liquid level is restored to the depth of the water before pumping within 24 hours; the amount of water inflow from the ground drilling pump test is between 0.018 m3/h and 2.412 m3/h, and the average unit water inflow is 0.036 L/s·m, which is a weak aquifer; the permeability coefficient is 0.002 4 m/d, which is a weakly water-permeable aquifer.

About three quarters of flying insects on Earth use the asynchronous driving mechanism in muscles to power their flights. Herein, an asynchronous flight assembly via electrostatic actuation of flapping wings in analogy to the asynchronous mechanism in natural flying insects is demonstrated. The wing motions are driven by the self‐sustained oscillation of metal beams in a steady electric field and regulated by the input voltage between two stationary electrodes, whereas the discharging process occurs repetitively as the oscillating beams hit and exchange charges with the electrodes. Several advancements in the oscillation and flight demonstrations have been achieved: 1) self‐sustainable and asynchronous oscillations for biomimetic flapping‐wing motions with high efficiency, 2) the first takeoff of an asynchronous flight assembly along the fixed electrodes, and 3) the first self‐adaptive hovering assembly via the passive modulation of the flapping frequency and amplitude when a disturbance is introduced.