Search

Abstract One‐third of the food produced worldwide is wasted annually and never consumed, of which ≈ 40–50% are perishable vegetables and fruits (VFs). Although various methods are proposed to reduce this loss, high manufacturing costs and food safety concerns pose significant challenges for the preservation of VFs. Herein, a respiration‐triggered, self‐saving strategy for the preservation of perishable products based on a biomolecular Schiff base composite fabricated by imidization of chitosan and cinnamaldehyde (CS‐Cin) is reported. Ripening of VFs produces acid moisture and triggers a Schiff base reaction in CS‐Cin, permitting the release of volatile Cin into the storage space. This enables versatile preservation by placing CS‐Cin on the side without the need to touch the food, like the desiccant packet in a food packaging bag, while the rotting of VFs is retarded in a self‐saving manner. As a result, the lifetimes of broccoli and strawberries are extended from 2 to 8 days. Furthermore, CS‐Cin with restored preservative properties can be repeatedly recycled from used CS via imidization with Cin. Compared with conventional techniques, the preservatives are easy to use, versatile, and cost‐effective, and the respiration‐responsive release of Cin empowers a self‐saving approach toward the smart preservation of perishable food.

BackgroundThe cochineal cactus (Opuntia cochenillifera), notable for its substantial agricultural and industrial applications, predominantly undergoes clonal reproduction, which presents significant challenges in breeding and germplasm innovation. Recent developments in mitochondrial genome engineering offer promising avenues for introducing heritable mutations, potentially facilitating selective sexual reproduction through the creation of cytoplasmic male sterile genotypes. However, the lack of comprehensive mitochondrial genome information for Opuntia species hinders these efforts. Here, we intended to sequence and characterize its mitochondrial genome to maximize the potential of its genomes for evolutionary studies, molecular breeding, and molecular marker developments.ResultsWe sequenced the total DNA of the O. cochenillifera using DNBSEQ and Nanopore platforms. The mitochondrial genome was then assembled using a hybrid assembly strategy using Unicycler software. We found that the mitochondrial genome of O. cochenillifera has a length of 1,156,235 bp, a GC content of 43.06%, and contains 54 unique protein-coding genes and 346 simple repeats. Comparative genomic analysis revealed 48 homologous fragments shared between mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes, with a total length of 47,935 bp. Additionally, the comparison of mitochondrial genomes from four Cactaceae species highlighted their dynamic nature and frequent mitogenomic reorganizations.ConclusionOur study provides a new perspective on the evolution of the organelle genome and its potential application in genetic breeding. These findings offer valuable insights into the mitochondrial genetics of Cactaceae, potentially facilitating future research and breeding programs aimed at enhancing the genetic diversity and adaptability of O. cochenillifera by leveraging its unique mitochondrial genome characteristics.

Atherosclerosis is a complex vascular disorder characterized by the deposition of lipids, inflammatory cascades, and plaque formation in arterial walls. A thorough understanding of its causes and progression is necessary to develop effective diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Recent breakthroughs in metabolomics have provided valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms and genetic factors involved in atherosclerosis, leading to innovative approaches for preventing and treating the disease. In our study, we analyzed clinical serum samples from both atherosclerosis patients and animal models using laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry. By employing methods such as orthogonal partial least-squares discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA), heatmaps, and volcano plots, we can accurately classify atherosclerosis (AUC = 0.892) and identify key molecules associated with the disease. Specifically, we observed elevated levels of arachidonic acid and its metabolite, leukotriene B4, in atherosclerosis. By inhibiting arachidonic acid and monitoring its downstream metabolites, we discovered the crucial role of this metabolic pathway in regulating atherosclerosis. Metabolomic research provides detailed insights into the metabolic networks involved in atherosclerosis development and reveals the close connection between abnormal metabolism and the disease. These studies offer new possibilities for precise diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of disease progression, as well as evaluating the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions.

This study explores advanced models for second language instruction within the artificial intelligence landscape, spotlighting the integration of mixed quantile regression and Bayesian inference to refine teaching strategies and bolster learning achievements. By adopting mixed quantile regression, this research constructs a model that surpasses traditional assumptions of normality, enabling the handling of complex, multilevel heterogeneous data. Bayesian inference was applied for parameter estimation, enhancing the precision and reliability of our findings. An empirical investigation involving 658 students from College M revealed an average adaptability score in second language learning of 3.663, with all dimensions scoring above 3—learning attitude ranking highest at 3.956. Key factors influencing learning capacity, including motivation, intellectual literacy, self-efficacy, and the availability of resources, demonstrated a positive correlation. These findings suggest the potential of mixed quantile regression and Bayesian inference in assessing learning adaptability and determinants, offering a novel approach to AI-supported second language education.

Objective: To evaluate the applicability of artificial intelligence-assisted compressed sensing (ACS) to anal fistula magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: 51 patients were included in this study and underwent T2-weighted sequence of MRI examinations both with ACS and without ACS technology in a 3.0 T MR scanner. Subjective image quality scores, and objective image quality-related metrics including scanning time, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), were evaluated and statistically compared between the images collected with and without ACS. Results: No significant difference in the subjective image quality of lesion conspicuity was observed between the two groups. However, ACS MRI decreased the acquisition time with regard to control group (74.00 s vs. 156.00 s). Besides, SNR of perianal and muscle in the ACS group was significantly higher than that of the control group (164.07 ± 33.35 vs 130.81 ± 29.10, p

Primulina hedyotidea (Woon Young Chun) Yin Zheng Wang 2011 is an important medicinal plant that has a long history of medicinal use in China. In this experiment, the whole chloroplast genome of P. hedyotidea was determined by next-generation sequencing technology. The total base length of P. hedyotidea was 153,297 bp, the GC content was 37.62%, the inverted repeat (IR) region length was 25,494 bp, the large single copy (LSC) region was 84,158 bp and the small single copy (SSC) region was 18,151 bp. In addition, the genome consisted of 80 protein-coding genes, 4 rRNA genes, and 28 tRNA genes, for a total of 112 genes. A phylogenetic tree was constructed to explore the evolutionary relationship between P. hedyotidea and other species. The findings of phylogenetic tree analysis show that Primulina huaijiensis and P. hedyotidea have a close relationship, and this study can help with species identification and phylogenetic analysis within Primulina and Gesneriaceae species.

Abstract Head and neck squamous carcinoma (HNSCC) is the seventh most common cancer worldwide. Targeted therapeutic drugs for HNSCC are still being explored. Among them, (S)-10-hydroxycamptothecin (10-HCPT), a specific inhibitor of TOP1, functions by DNA double-strand breaks that can inhibit DNA replication and trigger apoptotic cell death subsequently. Previous studies have reported that MLN4924 exerts potent anti-tumor effects by inhibiting cullin–RING ligases and causing substrate accumulation in a variety of cancers. Here, we show that MLN4924 effectively causes dose-dependent accumulation of topoisomerase I (TOP1) and blocks TOP1 ubiquitination. Importantly, neddylation inhibition with MLN4924 acts synergistically with 10-HCPT to suppress cell growth, migration and apoptosis in HNSCC cells. Mechanistically, transcriptome sequencing shows that the cytotoxic effects of the combination of MLN4924 and 10-HCPT may involve activation of the NFKB1 pathway. Taken together, our results suggest that combined treatment with MLN4924 and 10-HCPT may be an effective strategy in HNSCC.

The loss of biodiversity not only means the loss of genes, species and ecosystems, but also threatens the human cultural diversity. Thangka is known as the ‘encyclopaedia’ of traditional Tibetan culture, covering social, historical, cultural, religious and medicinal aspects. Qinghai Regong Thangka is one of the most important sects of Thangka, and has vivid and delicate depiction of images, and the numerous depictions of natural landscapes. By combining the methods of literature analysis, work analysis and ethnobiological fieldwork, the biocultural aspects of Regong Thangka are studied in terms of the traditional knowledge related to biodiversity in the painting techniques of Regong Thangka and the analysis of the connotation of biological images. The study revealed the biological origins and production processes of the traditional painting tools and 12 natural plant-derived pigments for Regong Thangka; explored the origins and functions of the biological images often found in the Thangka works; explained the ecological concepts conveyed from Regong Thangka. In general, Regong Thangkas are not only resulted from nature, but also provide feedbacks to nature in their content. In the future, we should pay attention to the protection and inheritance of the traditional skills and biodiversity related traditional knowledge of Regong Thangka, and further explore its functions of traditional knowledge dissemination and nature education.

Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene/polyether (HT-PB/PE), serving as binders and fuel for rocket propellants, has been widely studied and applied. To meet the developing demand of industrialization, the modification of HT-PB/PE based on their structural and functional characteristics has become one of the hot topics. In this study, the modified HTPB and the modified HTPE were prepared by modification of end groups and main chains. After the preparation, the characteristic functional groups of the binders were characterized by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to determine the effective end-group modification. Nuclear magnetic resonance hydrogen spectroscopy (1H-NMR) was used to characterize the main chain on modified binders through the variation of chemical environment of hydrogen. The analysis of the pyrolysis properties of the modified binders was performed by thermo gravimetric analyzer (TGA). The results effectively reflected the initial and maximum decomposition temperatures, as well as the pyrolysis stage of the above binders. The above characterization results confirmed the effective synthesis of modified binders and their good thermal properties. However, the present reports lacked the studies on the pyrolysis mechanism of these modified binders. To further investigate the effect of end group and main chain modification on the pyrolysis properties of binders, the pyrolysis of modified binders was conducted in a U-shaped fixed-bed reactor, which was connected to photoionization mass spectrometry (SPI-MS). SPI-MS was used to monitor the dynamic evolution of the pyrolysis product as a function of temperature in real-time. The mechanism of the pyrolysis process of the modified binders was studied based on the above tests. The results showed that the end-groups and main-chain modified binders of HTPB exhibited different thermal stabilities. The influence of main chain modification on the pyrolysis behavior was greater than that of end group modification. The pyrolysis mechanism of modified binders followed random bond breaking of C—C and C—O bonds and the increasing varieties of products. The esters and acids were found in the pyrolysis products of the end-group modified binders. The epoxides and alcohols were found in the pyrolysis products of the main-chain modified binder, showing the more pathways during their pyrolysis process.

In this article, we consider the following Schrödinger-Poisson problem: −ε2Δu+V(y)u+Φ(y)u=∣u∣p−1u,y∈R3,−ΔΦ(y)=u2,y∈R3,\left\{\begin{array}{ll}-{\varepsilon }^{2}\Delta u+V(y)u+\Phi (y)u={| u| }^{p-1}u,& y\in {{\mathbb{R}}}^{3},\\ -\Delta \Phi (y)={u}^{2},& y\in {{\mathbb{R}}}^{3},\end{array}\right. where ε>0\varepsilon \gt 0 is a small parameter, 1

Perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) are attracting increasing attention owing to their impressive efficiencies and high luminance across the full visible light range. Further improvement of the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of planar PeLEDs is limited by the light out-coupling efficiency. Introducing perovskite emitters with directional emission in PeLEDs is an effective way to improve light extraction. Here, we report that it is possible to achieve directional emission in mixed-dimensional perovskites by controlling the orientation of the emissive center in the film. Multiple characterization methods suggest that our mixed-dimensional perovskite film shows highly orientated transition dipole moments (TDMs) with the horizontal ratio of over 88%, substantially higher than that of the isotropic emitters. The horizontally dominated TDMs lead to PeLEDs with exceptional high light out-coupling efficiency of over 32%, enabling a high EQE of 18.2%.

Abstract A mechanochemical model is proposed to investigate the non-uniform oxidation of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) that involves large inelastic deformation and nonlinear reaction kinetics. The large-deformation theory incorporates the higher-order term of geometric nonlinearity for a more precise description of the deformation and stress evolution in an oxide layer. The effect of stresses on the reaction kinetics is considered, which is expressed as the Eshelby stress tensor to account for the conformational volume change and deformation energy. A nonlinear reaction kinetics is adopted for a more accurate description of the nonequilibrium thermodynamic processes. The 2D simulations reveal a non-uniform oxide growth, three modes of oxide-metal interfacial morphology evolution, and tensile stress concentrations in the oxide scale. These simulation results agree with the experimental observations that cannot be described by the previous models. With the model, it is further demonstrated that a stable interfacial morphology and a significantly reduced tensile stress can be achieved by increasing the creep rate of the oxide and the flatness of the oxide-metal interface. This model thus provides an approach to extend the service time of TBCs.

Endodontic infections arise from the interactive activities of microbial communities colonizing in the intricate root canal system. The present study aims to update the latest knowledge of nanomaterials, their antimicrobial mechanisms, and their applications in endodontics. A detailed literature review of the current knowledge of nanomaterials used in endodontic applications was performed using the PubMed database. Antimicrobial nanomaterials with a small size, large specific surface area, and high chemical activity are introduced to act as irrigants, photosensitizer delivery systems, and medicaments, or to modify sealers. The application of nanomaterials in the endodontic field could enhance antimicrobial efficiency, increase dentin tubule penetration, and improve treatment outcomes. This study supports the potential of nanomaterials as a promising strategy in treating endodontic infections.

Objective To investigate the effects of niclosamide on S100A4 expression and pathological angiogenesis of hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) in rats. Methods Thirty male SD rats were randomly divided into control group (Sham group, n=6), common bile duct ligation (CBDL) group (n=18) and niclosamide treatment group (NIC group, n=6). The rats of the NIC group were gavaged with niclosamide suspension for 1 week since the first day of the third week after modelling, and the rats were dissected at the end of the fifth week to assess the pathological changes and disease progression of liver and lung tissues by HE and Masson staining. Immunofluorescence assay was used to detect the location and intensity of S100A4 and CD31 expression in the lung of rats. The expression of S100A4 at mRNA and protein levels was detected using qPCR and Western blotting. Pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVECs) were treated with small interfering RNA (siRNA) serum of HPS rats and nichosamide, respectively, and their effects on cell migration and tube-forming abilities were observed. Results Both mRNA and protein expression of S100A4 in lung tissue of the CBDL group rats were increased with disease progression, and the expression levels were higher than those in the Sham group (P < 0.000 1); The lung mRNA and protein levels of S100A4 were lower in the NIC group than the CBDL group at the 5th week, but still higher than those in the Sham group. After knockdown of S100A4 using siRNA in PMVECs, the migration and tube-forming abilities were reduced when compared with the NC group (P < 0.000 1). HE staining displayed that pulmonary pathological changes were milder in the NIC group than the CBDL group at the 5th week, while no such effect was found in the liver tissues. Masson staining showed that hepatic fibrosis was not obviously ameliorated in the NIC group. The migration and tube-forming abilities of the cells was significantly increased in the CBDL group after the 5 weeks of serum stimulation compared to the Sham rats, while niclosamide treatment reversed this phenomenon (P < 0.000 1). Conclusion S100A4 can accelerate the progression of HPS by promoting pulmonary micro-angiogenesis in HPS rats, and niclosamide inhibits the expression of S100A4 in the lung and thus delays the progression of HPS.

Streak Tube Imaging Lidar (STIL), with advantages of non-scanning working mode, small distortion, high image framing rate, high resolution in low contrast environment, compact structure, easy miniaturization and high reliability, has a wide range of applications in military, aerospace, space confrontation, attack and defense, and marine law enforcement. This article introduces the principle of single-slit and multi-slit streak tube imaging lidar. It also introduces a single-slit general streak camera that can be used for imaging lidar. In addition, a multi-slit miniaturized streak tube with a single-lens focusing system with a total length of about 200 mm has been designed. The results of the 3D electromagnetic simulation show that the effective photocathode area of this streak tube reaches 36 mm × 36 mm, the temporal resolution is better than 50 ps, the dynamic spatial resolution can reach 12 lp/mm, and the whole photocathode can accommodate at least 19 slits in the effective detection range. The streak tube has a meshless structure, which is highly reliable. The streak tube can be used to increase the field of view of the imaging lidar system, improve the reliability, and achieve system miniaturization.

Abstract Background There has been limited research on the prognosis differences in patients with gastric stromal tumor invasion of the plasma membrane surface. This study intended to investigate whether there is a difference in prognosis in patients with endogenous or exogenous 2–5 cm diameter GISTs. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathological and follow-up data of gastric stromal tumor patients, all of whom underwent surgical resection for primary GIST at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from December 2010 to February 2022. We classified patients based on tumor growth patterns and then investigated the association between tumor growth patterns and clinical outcomes. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated by the Kaplan‒Meier method. Results A total of 496 gastric stromal tumor patients were enrolled in this study, among which 276 patients had tumors of 2–5 cm in diameter. Of these 276 patients, 193 had exogenous tumors, and 83 had endogenous tumors. Tumor growth patterns were significantly related to age, rupture status, resection style, tumor site, tumor size, and intraoperative bleeding. According to Kaplan‒Meier curve analysis, the tumor growth pattern among patients with 2–5 cm diameter tumors was significantly correlated with worse progression-free survival (PFS). Ultimately, multivariate analyses identified the Ki-67 index (P = 0.008), surgical history (P = 0.031), and resection style (P = 0.045) as independent prognostic markers for PFS. Conclusions Although gastric stromal tumors with a diameter of 2–5 cm are classified as low risk, the prognosis is lower for exogenous tumors than for endogenous tumors, and exogenous gastric stromal tumors have a risk of recurrence. Consequently, clinicians should be vigilant regarding the prognosis of patients with this type of tumor.

Abstract Solution growth of single-crystal ferroelectric oxide films has long been pursued for the low-cost development of high-performance electronic and optoelectronic devices. However, the established principles of vapor-phase epitaxy cannot be directly applied to solution epitaxy, as the interactions between the substrates and the grown materials in solution are quite different. Here, we report the successful epitaxy of single-domain ferroelectric oxide films on Nb-doped SrTiO3 single-crystal substrates by solution reaction at a low temperature of ~200 oC. The epitaxy is mainly driven by an electronic polarization screening effect at the interface between the substrates and the as-grown ferroelectric oxide films, which is realized by the electrons from the doped substrates. Atomic-level characterization reveals a nontrivial polarization gradient throughout the films in a long range up to ~500 nm because of a possible structural transition from the monoclinic phase to the tetragonal phase. This polarization gradient generates an extremely high photovoltaic short-circuit current density of ~2.153 mA/cm2 and open-circuit voltage of ~1.15 V under 375 nm light illumination with power intensity of 500 mW/cm2, corresponding to the highest photoresponsivity of ~4.306×10−3 A/W among all known ferroelectrics. Our results establish a general low-temperature solution route to produce single-crystal gradient films of ferroelectric oxides and thus open the avenue for their broad applications in self-powered photo-detectors, photovoltaic and optoelectronic devices.

Objective To investigate the feasibility of epidural catheters in parotid gland duct anastomosis and the function of the affected side gland after parotid gland duct anastomosis. Methods Thirteen patients who were treated in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of Xuzhou Central Hospital using an epidural catheter as the scaffold for parotid gland catheter anastomosis were enrolled from Jan. 2019 to June 2021. The swelling, salivary fistula and catheter patency in the parotid gland area were evaluated two weeks after the operation. 99mTcO4- single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) was used for quantitative detection of salivary gland secretion function. Results Thirteen patients had no swelling or salivary fistula in the parotid gland area of the affected side two weeks after the operation, and the catheter secretion was unobstructed. There was no significant difference in the uptake rate between the parotid gland on the affected side and the parotid gland on the healthy side (t = -0.859, P = 0.399), and there was no significant difference in the excretion rate between the parotid gland on the affected side and the parotid gland on the healthy side (t = 0.693, P = 0.495). The parotid gland excretion function of the affected side was excellent three months after the operation. Conclusion Parotid duct anastomosis with an epidural catheter as the stent has good feasibility, and parotid gland secretion function recovers well after the operation, which is worthy of clinical application.

BackgroundThe sleep and circadian rhythm patterns associated with smartphone use, which are influenced by mental activities, might be closely linked to sleep quality and depressive symptoms, similar to the conventional actigraphy-based assessments of physical activity. ObjectiveThe primary objective of this study was to develop app-defined circadian rhythm and sleep indicators and compare them with actigraphy-derived measures. Additionally, we aimed to explore the clinical correlations of these indicators in individuals with insomnia and healthy controls. MethodsThe mobile app “Rhythm” was developed to record smartphone use time stamps and calculate circadian rhythms in 33 patients with insomnia and 33 age- and gender-matched healthy controls, totaling 2097 person-days. Simultaneously, we used standard actigraphy to quantify participants’ sleep-wake cycles. Sleep indicators included sleep onset, wake time (WT), wake after sleep onset (WASO), and the number of awakenings (NAWK). Circadian rhythm metrics quantified the relative amplitude, interdaily stability, and intradaily variability based on either smartphone use or physical activity data. ResultsComparisons between app-defined and actigraphy-defined sleep onsets, WTs, total sleep times, and NAWK did not reveal any significant differences (all P>.05). Both app-defined and actigraphy-defined sleep indicators successfully captured clinical features of insomnia, indicating prolonged WASO, increased NAWK, and delayed sleep onset and WT in patients with insomnia compared with healthy controls. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores were positively correlated with WASO and NAWK, regardless of whether they were measured by the app or actigraphy. Depressive symptom scores were positively correlated with app-defined intradaily variability (β=9.786, SD 3.756; P=.01) and negatively correlated with actigraphy-based relative amplitude (β=–21.693, SD 8.214; P=.01), indicating disrupted circadian rhythmicity in individuals with depression. However, depressive symptom scores were negatively correlated with actigraphy-based intradaily variability (β=–7.877, SD 3.110; P=.01) and not significantly correlated with app-defined relative amplitude (β=–3.859, SD 12.352; P=.76). ConclusionsThis study highlights the potential of smartphone-derived sleep and circadian rhythms as digital biomarkers, complementing standard actigraphy indicators. Although significant correlations with clinical manifestations of insomnia were observed, limitations in the evidence and the need for further research on predictive utility should be considered. Nonetheless, smartphone data hold promise for enhancing sleep monitoring and mental health assessments in digital health research.

Abstract A core‐shell‐structured Cu2O@Mn3Cu3O8 (CMCO) nanozyme is constructed to serve as a tumor microenvironment (TME)‐activated copper ionophore to achieve safe and efficient cuproptosis. The Mn3Cu3O8 shell not only prevents exposure of normal tissues to the Cu2O core to reduce systemic toxicity but also exhibits enhanced enzyme‐mimicking activity owing to the better band continuity near the Fermi surface. The glutathione oxidase (GSHOx)‐like activity of CMCO depletes glutathione (GSH), which diminishes the ability to chelate Cu ions, thereby exerting Cu toxicity and inducing cuproptosis in cancer cells. The catalase (CAT)‐like activity catalyzes the overexpressed H2O2 in the TME, thereby generating O2 in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle to enhance cuproptosis. More importantly, the Fenton‐like reaction based on the release of Mn ions and the inactivation of glutathione peroxidase 4 induced by the elimination of GSH results in ferroptosis, accompanied by the accumulation of lipid peroxidation and reactive oxygen species that can cleave stress‐induced heat shock proteins to compromise their protective capacity of cancer cells and further sensitize cuproptosis. CMCO nanozymes are partially sulfurized by hydrogen sulfide in the colorectal TME, exhibiting excellent photothermal properties and enzyme‐mimicking activity. The mild photothermal effect enhances the enzyme‐mimicking activity of the CMCO nanozymes, thus inducing high‐efficiency ferroptosis‐boosted‐cuproptosis.

China's markets gained 3.86% around December 4, 2012, when the Party announced anti-corruption reforms. State-owned enterprises (SOEs) with higher past entertainment and travel costs (ETC) gained more. NonSOEs gained in more liberalized provinces, especially those with high past ETC, productivity, growth opportunities, and external financing. NonSOEs lost in the least liberalized provinces, especially those with high past ETC. These findings support investors' expect reduced official corruption to create value overall, reduce SOE waste, lower bureaucratic barriers to efficient resource allocation where markets function, and impede business in unliberalized provinces, where “getting things done” still requires investment in greasing bureaucratic gears.

Objective To investigate the effect of inhibiting the expression of miRNA⁃193a⁃5p on neuronal damage and apoptosis in hippocampus of epileptic rats, and to explore its role in the pathogenesis of temporal lobe epilepsy. Methods Epileptic rat models were prepared with lithium chlorine⁃pilocarpine and randomly divided into model group, miRNA⁃193a⁃5p inhibitor group (miRNA⁃193a⁃5p antagomir group) and negative control group (antagomir⁃NC group). The frequency of abnormal brainwaves per unit time was recorded at first, 3th and 7th day after model preparation. On the 7th day, the expression of hippocampal inflammatory factors [interleukin⁃1β (IL⁃1β), interleukin⁃6 (IL⁃6), tumor necrosis factor⁃α (TNF⁃α)] were detected by enzyme⁃linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) were detected by chemical colorimetry, and the number of neuronal apoptosis was calculated by TUNEL staining. The relative expression of miRNA⁃193a⁃5p and G⁃protein coupled receptor 39 (GPR39), and expression of cleaved Caspase⁃3, Bax, Bcl⁃2, and GPR39 proteins were detected by fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western blotting, respectively. Double luciferase reporter assay confirmed the targeting relationship between miRNA⁃193a⁃5p and GPR39. Results 1) There were statistically significant differences in each index in different treatment groups and at each observation time point (P=0.000, for all). Compared with normal control group, the relative expression of miRNA⁃193a⁃5p in model group, antagomir⁃NC group and miRNA⁃193a⁃5p antagomir group (P=0.000, for all), the expression of inflammatory factors [IL⁃1β (P＜0.05, for all), IL⁃6 (P=0.000, for all) and TNF⁃α (P=0.000, for all)], the content of MDA (P＜0.01, for all), the number of apoptosis of neurons (P=0.000, for all), the relative expression of cleaved Caspase⁃3 (P=0.000) and Bax (P=0.000) increased. The relative expression of SOD activity (P＜0.01, for all), Bcl⁃2 relative expression (P=0.000, for all), GPR39 mRNA (P=0.000, for all) and GPR39 protein (P＜0.01, for all) were decreased. Compared with model group and antagomir⁃NC group, the relative expression of miRNA⁃193a⁃5p in antagomir group (P=0.000, for all), the expression of inflammatory cytokines [IL⁃1β (P=0.000, for all), IL⁃6 (P=0.000, for all) and TNF⁃α (P＜0.01, for all)], the content of MDA (P=0.000, for all), the number of neuronal apoptosis (P=0.000, for all), the relative expression of cleaved Caspase⁃3 (P=0.000，for all) and Bax (P=0.000, for all), as well as the number of abnormal brain waves at day 1, 3 and 7 (P＜0.05, for all) were decreased. The relative expression of SOD activity (P=0.000, for all), Bcl⁃2 (P=0.000, for all), GPR39 mRNA (P=0.000, for all) and GPR39 protein (P=0.000, for all) increased. 2) Double luciferase assay showed the luciferase activity of HEK293T cells transfected with miRNA⁃193a⁃5p mimic was decreased after transfection of GPR39⁃WT, and was lower than that of mimic⁃NC group (t=16.340, P=0.000). Conclusions Inhibiting the expression of miRNA⁃193a⁃5p can reduce the expression of oxidative stress and inflammation in the hippocampus of epileptic rats, and inhibit hippocampal neuron apoptosis. The mechanism may be related to the targeted up⁃regulation of GPR39 expression.

The rack and pinion of the three gorges ship lift is a low speed and heavy load open gear transmission with hard tooth surface. Once the lubrication is poor, it is easy to cause damage such as tooth surface scuffing, which will affect the operation safety and reliability of the ship lift. This study is based on the actual operation data of the three gorges ship lift, and the lubrication of racks and pinions under various typical service conditions is systematically analyzed using the oil film thickness criterion. The relationship between the false water depth and the film thickness ratio in the ship compartment is deduced and the film thickness ratio of the lubrication state of the most dangerous meshing point under typical false water depth is calculated when the ship compartment is under constant speed. The worst lubrication condition of the rack and pinion is determined when the ship compartment is ascending and descending with variable speeds, and the relationship between the water depth in the ship compartment and the lubrication condition under variable speed typical operating conditions is analyzed. The position where the scuffing damage is more likely to occur is further determined. The results show that, when the ship lift is running at a constant speed, the lubrication state of the rack and pinion is the best under the optimum water depth in the ship compartment, and the film thickness ratio of the deviation from the optimal water level decreases with the power function λ∝±Δh-0.13 of the false water depth. When the rack and pinion is at the most dangerous meshing point, the root of the pinion and the top of the rack are in contact, and the lubrication condition between tooth surfaces is worse under large false water depth. When the ship lift moves at variable speeds, the working condition with poor lubrication condition is the upward acceleration and downward deceleration when the water depth of the ship chamber is 3.6 m. Due to the high contact frequency of the upper tooth surface on the rack and poor lubrication state, the risk of scuffing damage is higher.

Objective To discuss the treatment of pneumoparotid and to provide a reference for clinical practice. Methods A case of refractory pneumoparotid was reported, and the diagnosis and treatment of parotid emphysema were reviewed and analyzed in combination with the literature. Results This child had parotid gland enlargement without any obvious cause for more than 1 month. Conservative treatment, such as anti-inflammatory agents, psychological interventions and physical compression were ineffective. The patient had a history of cerebral palsy with epilepsy and involuntary cheek bulging behavior. Therefore, we considered it a refractory case. It was cured after parotid duct ligation and partial parotidectomy of the superficial lobe. A literature review showed that a pneumoparotid is a rare parotid enlargement. Most of the clinical cases were considered to be caused by the return of air into the parotid gland through the parotid duct due to an increase in oral pressure. The diagnosis of pneumoparotid mainly depends on intermittent parotid gland swelling and other clinical manifestations and imaging examination methods, such as ultrasound, CT, MRI and angiography. Its treatment mainly includes conservative anti-inflammatory treatment, physical therapy and psychological intervention. Surgical treatment is indicated for refractory parotid emphysema. Conclusion Pneumoparotid cases may further develop into parotid inflammation, which is generally treated conservatively. For some severe, recurrent and poor compliance cases, surgical treatment is sometimes needed.

Time-domain randomization makes side channel attacks difficult to align side information by inserting random delays, redundant operations, and variable frequency clocks, thereby reducing the efficiency. Aiming at the problem of time-domain misalignment of energy traces caused by time-dimensional randomization technology, this paper proposes an anti-time-domain randomization method based on Trend Series Dynamic Matching (TSDM). This method analyzes the distribution of attack interest points, and describes the shape feature of the energy trace, compresses the dimension of the energy trace, preserves the sensitive information of energy attacks, suppresses the negative impact of noise, realizes the dynamic alignment of data, and improves the efficiency of side channel attacks. This paper, conducts method verification and performance analysis for three typical time randomization techniques. Compared with various classical alignment methods, this method has better data alignment effect in different noise environments, and the number of energy traces required for the success rate of energy attack to reach 100% respectively decreased by 23.8%, 24.2%, 11.3%.

With the rapid development of life science, laboratory animals play an important role in many fields, such as biomedicine. In recent years, the national reforms “to delegate power, streamline administration and optimize government services” continues deepen, the laboratory animals administrative departments have paid more attention to interim and post-event supervision, in which the safety management of laboratory animals is the key and challenging point in the supervision process. In this paper, the information regarding licenses for laboratory animals in Jiangsu, facility areas, animal production and usage, employees, and other information the past three years were introduced. Combined with legal administrative management in recent years, the potential safety risks in the production and use of laboratory animals were analyzed, such as risks in management systems, employees, facility operation, animal quality control, accidental injury and zoonosis, animal transportation, and waste disposal. Additionally, the current construction, daily management services, and the list of interim and post-event supervision of the laboratory animal safety management system were introduced. Based on this discussion, we proposed relevant safety management countermeasures and suggestions and provided support for further improvements to laboratory animal safety management.

MXene has a wide application prospect in energy storage, electromagnetic interference shielding, catalysis, medicine and other fields due to its unique layered structure, high electronic conductivity and rich surface chemical properties.Ti3C2Tx, as the earliest discovered MXene material, has the possibility to achieve both high energy density and power density in the field of sodium ion batteries because of its inherent metal conductive characteristics, wide layer spacing and abundant surface functional groups, which is attracted by many researchers. Based on this, the research progress of Ti3C2Tx based materials in sodium ion batteries in recent years was reviewed in this paper. Firstly, the structure and electrochemical properties of Ti3C2Tx materials with multi-layer and few-layer were summarized by introducing the preparation of Ti3C2Tx. Then, combined with the application trend of the study, the influences of layer spacing modification, doping modification and morphology regulation on the sodium storage behavior of the two kinds of Ti3C2Tx materials were summarized. The structural design ideas of the two kinds of Ti3C2Tx based composites applied to the anode of the sodium ion battery were also analyzed. It was pointed out that the reasonable structural design is vital to the battery performance. Finally, some suggestions for the problems and challenges faced by Ti3C2Tx based composites in the field of sodium ion batteries were given.

Controlling molecular motion is challenging. Here, the authors report the effect of counter cations on the rotational barriers of hydroquinone rings in a molecular rotor based on anionic pillar[5]arenes.

Staddle monorail use rigid catenary, which often produce strong rigid vibrations and violent fluctuations in contact forces affecting pantograph receiving quality and service life during operation. Therefore, a semi-active control method for staddle monorail′s pantograph with sliding mode variable structure is proposed. The pantograph model with two lumped masses and magneto rheological damping are selected as the research object and the operating mechanism respectively. Firstly, the coupling relationship of the staddle monorail′s pantograph-catenary system is studied and the dynamics equations are derived. Secondly, with the support of the above theory, the active control system for pantograph is built by Simulink simulation method combined with sliding mode variable structure control. Finally, the reverse model of magneto rheological damper is established to realize semi-active control for pantograph. When magneto rheological damper receives the control signal transmitted by the controller, it outputs the desired control force by adjusting the current and finally acts on the pantograph, effectively solving the problem of violent fluctuation of contact force. The experimental results show that the proposed method is more accurate to control the contact force of the pantograph-catenary system, significantly reduces the standard deviation of the contact force by more than 17.34%, and avoids the occurrence of the offline situation of the pantograph-catenary system. The stability and superiority of the proposed method in improving the current quality of the pantograph-catenary system and prolongating the service life of the pantograph are verified.

Aiming at the shortcomings of isotope radon detection method, which has large workload, long period, and is easily restricted by climate and environmental factors this paper proposes the use of radon generated during the process of migration to the surface to accurately reflects the solid-state length of the cumulative value of parent radon over a period of time. Long-lived radon daughter 210Po fire detection method based on radiochemical analysis method to measure 210Po activity concentration to detect hidden mine fire areas. In order to explore the effect and accuracy of the radon progeny 210Po fire detection method in on-site detection, this paper carried out on-site experimental research in Liuwan Coal Mine where the fire source location is known. The radon gas concentration at the measuring point and the activity concentration of its solid long-lived daughter 210Po are measured. By comparing the correlation between radon gas concentration and 210Po activity concentration detection results and its influencing factors, the technology of using radon daughter 210Po to detect the location of coal spontaneous combustion in goaf is demonstrated. The results show that the radon concentration in the near-surface soil layer in the fire area has a strong correlation with the 210Po activity concentration in the overall distribution, but the 210Po activity concentration is less disturbed by external factors, and its distribution can more accurately reflect the underground coal spontaneous combustion fire area. Compared with the isotope radon detection method, the radon progeny 210Po fire detection method has higher detection accuracy, wider application range and higher application value.

This paper proposes a feasible anti-disturbance constrained control algorithm for a class of typical permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) driven-based single-joint flexible manipulator systems with input saturation and angular velocity constraint. Firstly, by actuating with a surface-mounted PMSM, and setting the d-axis current as zero, the single-joint flexible manipulator is converted into a normal state space model. Secondly, compared with classical harmonic or linear disturbance, the exogenous disturbance model with configurable parameters and the associated disturbance observer (DO) are continuously introduced to dynamically estimate those unknown irregular disturbance. Moreover, by combining the convex hull representation of the saturating input with the suggested adaptive law, an efficient adaptive active anti-disturbance controller is designed to ensure the stability of closed-loop manipulator systems. By using convex optimization technique, not only the dynamic tracking for the rotation position but also the angular velocity constraint can be guaranteed simultaneously. Finally, simulation results for three different kinds of disturbances are showed to demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus behind the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, is a type of RNA virus that is nonsegmented. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) increase the mortality risk of patients. In this review article, we overview the existing evidence regarding the potential mechanisms of myocardial damage in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Having a comprehensive knowledge of the cardiovascular damage caused by SARS-CoV-2 and its underlying mechanisms is essential for providing prompt and efficient treatment, ultimately leading to a reduction in mortality rates. Severe COVID-19 causes acute respiratory distress syndrome and shock in patients. In addition, awareness regarding COVID-19 cardiovascular manifestations has increased, including the adverse impact on prognosis with cardiovascular involvement. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor may play a role in acute myocardial injury caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection. COVID-19 patients experiencing heart failure may have their condition exacerbated by various contributing factors and mechanisms. Increased oxygen demand, myocarditis, stress cardiomyopathy, elevated pulmonary pressures, and venous thrombosis are potential health issues. The combination of these factors may lead to COVID-19-related cardiogenic shock, resulting in acute systolic heart failure. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are treatment options when inotropic support fails for effective circulatory support. To ensure effective COVID-19-related cardiovascular disease (CVD) surveillance, it is crucial to closely monitor the future host adaptation, viral evolution, and transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2, given the virus's pandemic potential.

With the development of the times and the progress of science and technology, the financial market is constantly reformed and China’s financial industry is gradually modernized. However, China’s economy has been in the stage of rough growth for a long time, which has led to low efficiency in the allocation of financial resources and unreasonable use of funds, and this has seriously restricted the whole social production activities and the stability and sustainable and healthy development of the national economy, so the prevention and control of financial risks is particularly important.Therefore, how to identify and measure the risks in China’s financial industry and manage and invest them in a reasonable way is a very serious issue facing China’s financial institutions today. On the other hand, due to the continuous development and innovation of the financial market, China’s financial industry has been gradually reformed. However, due to the imperfection of China’s economic system and related laws and regulations, some non-performing assets and irregularities in the operation of domestic financial institutions have emerged, and instability in the financial market has also emerged. These phenomena make China’s financial industry face huge financial risks in the process of development.

Background/Aim. Prediabetes (PD) refers to the condition in which the blood sugar level is higher than normal but has not reached the diagnostic criteria for diabetes mellitus (DM) yet. Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) is a major prediabetic symptom since most patients with type 2 DM have progressed from the previous PD phase. The aim of the study was to observe the changes in serum metabolomics in patients with IGT treated with Hibiscus esculentus L. (H. esculentus) combined with the change of lifestyle. Methods. Sixty patients with IGT were divided into two groups. In one group, the subjects made a life-style change (LC group, simple diet control), and the other group of subjects made a lifestyle change combined with H. esculentus (LCH group) treatment with daily consumption of 20 g of dried H. esculentus fruit tea. The aim was to compare the blood glucose, homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index, and serum metabolomics after a 60-day clinical observation period. Results. There was no statistical significance in the glucose level between the two groups by the end of the observation period. The HOMA-IR index in the LCH group was lower than in the LC group (1.7 ± 1.1 vs. 2.4 ± 1.2, p = 0.030). Serum metabolomics revealed that the levels of d-galactose, d-glucose, turanose, and uric acid in the LCH group were significantly lower than those in the LC group (16.7 ± 3.9 mmol/L vs. 21.2 ±2.9 mmol/L, 101.5 ± 40.2 mmol/L vs. 132.9 ± 36.7 mmol/L, 1.8 ± 1.6 mmol/L vs. 3.76 ± 2.46 mmol/L, 44.56 ± 15.7 μmol/L vs. 67.8 ± 23.5 μmol /L, respectively). The levels of lactic acid and conjugated linoleic acid in the LCH group were significantly higher than those in the LC group (3.3 ± 0.5 mmol/L vs. 2.3 ± 0.8 mmol/L, 6.9 ± 6.1 mmol/L vs. 2.1 ± 1.2 mmol/L, respectively). Conclusion. H. esculentus, combined with a change of lifestyle, can reduce insulin resistance and the levels of multiple monosaccharides and blood uric acid in IGT patients. Regulation of the metabolism of lactic acid and conjugated linoleic acid may be the potential mechanism of how H. esculentus reduces insulin resistance.

This paper studies the problem of resolving data inconsistency from multiple sources in managing data related to power equipment for China’s state grid corporation. This paper proposes HENGE, a HEtetrogeneous Network GEneration model, to automatically align inconsistent devices from multiple sources, i.e., the same devices with multiple entries with different values in each source. HENGE builds multiple data sources into a heterogeneous graph, and captures complex physical and semantic relationships among devices. HENGE combines feature and relational information and improves alignment accuracy by feature-enhanced residual graph encoder and disentangled representation learning. HENGE can learn from a small amount of labeled data through a uniformity autoencoder trained on an unsupervised generation task. Experiments on two real-world datasets demonstrate the capability of HENGE in resolving inconsistent device entries in multiple sources.

Abstract Background N 6-Methyladenosine (m6A) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are both crucial regulators in human cancer growth and metastasis. However, their regulation on cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) is largely unclear. The present study aimed to explore the role of m6A-associated lncRNAs in CSCC. Methods We screened the expression of methylation modification-related enzymes in CECC samples from TCGA. The qRT-PCR was used to detect METTL3 and lncRNA METTL4-2 expression. The biological activities of METTL3 in CSCC cells were evaluated by CCK-8, colony formation, transwell, wound healing, and xenograft tumor assays, respectively. The SRAMP tool was used to screen m6A modification sites of METTL4-2. Finally, the quantitative analysis of m6A modification was carried out by MeRIP. Results METTL3 expression was upregulated in CSCC cells and tissues. Biological function and function loss analysis indicated that METTL3 promoted the migration and proliferation of CSCC cells. In addition, METTL3 promoted CSCC tumor growth in vivo. Mechanically, METTL3 installed the m6A modification and enhanced METTL4-2 transcript stability to increase its expression. Meanwhile, the m6A “reader” YTHDF1 recognized METTL4-2 installed by METTL3 and facilitated the translation of METTL4-2. Conclusions In conclusion, our study highlights the function and mechanism of METTL3-induced METTL4-2 in CSCC. These findings support that METTL3-stabilized METTL4-2 promoted CSCC progression via a m6A-dependent modality, which provides new insights into therapeutic strategies for CSCC.

In order to clarify the fatigue crack propagation behavior of pearlitic rail, the three-point bending fatigue crack propagation rate of U75V heavy rail steel in rolling state and heat treatment state was measured. The microstructure, lamella, fracture morphology and fatigue crack propagation trajectory of rail were observed by optical microscope, scanning electron microscope and EBSD. The results show that the average distance between fatigue striation of rolled and heat-treated rails is 252.5 nm and 215.4 nm, the fracture surface of rolled rail presents cleavage steps and river patterns, and the river patterns tend to merge.However, the fatigue fracture surface of the heat-treated rail presents a large number of cleavage steps, more microcracks and tear edges, and the river pattern is dominated by tributaries.The fatigue crack growth rate of heat-treated rail is much lower than that of rolled sample, and it is also slow to reach the stage of crack instability.The fatigue crack propagation mode of rolled and heat-treated rail is the mixed propagation mode of transgranular fracture and intergranular fracture dominated by transgranular fracture, the pearlite lamellae spacing of rolled and heat-treated rails is 272.2 nm and 148.4 nm respectively. The pearlite lamellae of heat-treated rails is fine and has various directions, while there are significant pearlite clusters in the heat-treated rail.There are many branch cracks and crack bridges in the crack growth path, which hinders the crack propagation in the heat-treated U75V heavy rail steel, which is an important reason why the fatigue crack propagation rate of the heat-treated rail is lower than that of the rolled rail.

Abstract Background Carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) is elevated as a tumor marker in many carcinomas, but its association with gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) has received less attention. This study intends to evaluate whether CA125 level can predict tumor progression and overall survival (OS) of GIST patients. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data and follow-up records of GIST patients who underwent surgical resection in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from August 2010 to December 2020. All patients were classified according to serum CA125 level. The relationship between CA125 and clinical outcomes was then examined. Results A total of 406 GIST patients were enrolled in this study, among which 46 patients had preoperative elevated serum CA125 level and 13 patients with high CA125 level both preoperative and postoperative were observed. Preoperative CA125 concentration was significantly related to rupture status, resection style, tumor site, tumor size, mitotic index, NIH risk grade and c-kit exons. According to Kaplan–Meier curve analysis, high expression of postoperative CA125 was significantly correlated with worse progression-free survival (PFS) and OS among patients with preoperative elevated CA125 level. Ultimately, Cox proportional regression model analysis revealed that increase of preoperative and concurrent postoperative CA125 concentration was an independent predictive factor for PFS. Conclusions The concurrent abnormality of serum CA125 before and after operation was an independent risk factor for GIST progression, suggesting its significance as a serum biomarker in the overall management of GIST patients.

In the clutter environment, the measurement of a set of multiple extended targets, with an unknown number of targets, poses challenges in partitioning, and the computational cost is high. In particular, the multiple extended target tracking method, based on distance partition, has obvious potential estimation errors when the extended targets intersect. This paper proposes a partition algorithm, based on spatio-temporal correlation, which considers the correlation between adjacent moments of the extended target and uses this prior information to divide the measurement set into a survival target measurement set and a born target measurement set for the first time. Then, the survival target measurement set is clustered by the K-means++ algorithm, and the extended target tracking is transformed into point target tracking. The born target measurement undergoes preprocessing by the DBSCAN clustering algorithm, and then uses the directed graph with shared nearest neighbors (SNN) dividing the measurement set. The method proposed in this paper significantly reduces the number of partitions and the computational time. The effectiveness of the algorithm is demonstrated through experimental simulations.

Lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology is critical to the advancement of mRNA vaccines. However, most studies focus on technical aspects and neglect the patent landscape. Moreover, there is a lack of differentiation of LNP technology differences among mRNA, mRNA vaccines, and COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, leading to confusing comparisons. This study fills this gap by analyzing LNP technology in academic journals and patents for mRNA, mRNA vaccines, and COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. The results show (1) academic impact on journal articles and patents, but no direct positive correlation; (2) the USA leads in academic research and patents, with China following closely; and (3) many cited articles have sponsors, indicating the importance of industry-university collaboration. This research aids strategic planning in government, academia, and industry, by providing trend analysis of LNP technology in journals and patents.

Finding disease-relevant tissues and cell types can facilitate the identification and investigation of functional genes and variants. In particular, cell type proportions can serve as potential disease predictive biomarkers. In this manuscript, we introduce a novel statistical framework, cell-type Wide Association Study (cWAS), that integrates genetic data with transcriptomics data to identify cell types whose genetically regulated proportions (GRPs) are disease/trait-associated. On simulated and real GWAS data, cWAS showed good statistical power with newly identified significant GRP associations in disease-associated tissues. More specifically, GRPs of endothelial and myofibroblasts in lung tissue were associated with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, respectively. For breast cancer, the GRP of blood CD8+ T cells was negatively associated with breast cancer (BC) risk as well as survival. Overall, cWAS is a powerful tool to reveal cell types associated with complex diseases mediated by GRPs.

The joint analysis of single-cell transcriptomics, proteomics, lipidomics, metabolomics and spatial metabolomics is continually transforming our understanding of the mechanisms of metabolic reprogramming in tumor cells. Since head and neck tumor is the sixth most common tumor in the world, the study of the metabolic mechanism of its occurrence, development and prognosis is still undeveloped. In the past decade, this field has witnessed tremendous technological revolutions and considerable development that enables major breakthroughs to be made in the study of human tumor metabolism. In this review, a comprehensive comparison of traditional metabolomics and spatial metabolomics has been concluded, and the recent progress and challenges of the application of spatial metabolomics combined multi-omics in the research of metabolic reprogramming in tumors are reviewed. Furthermore, we also highlight the advances of spatial metabolomics in the study of metabolic mechanisms of head and neck tumors, and provide an outlook of its application prospects.

Evaluation of tubal patency is one of the vital steps in the process of female infertility management. Hysterosalpingo-contrast Sonography (HyCoSy) has become the first-line recommendation for evaluating tubal patency. However, there remain some controversies and dilemmas relevant to the evaluation of tubal patency by HyCosy, with no effective solution has been proposed or no consensus has been reached. Herein, combined with previous research and clinical experience, we conclude and analyze these controversies and dilemmas, aiming at offering our perspective on the opportunities and challenges which are faced by HyCosy.

In recent years, Bisphenol S (BPS) has increasingly been used as an alternative to Bisphenol A (BPA) in food, paper, and personal care products. It is imperative to clarify the relationship between BPS and tumors in order to treat and prevent diseases. This study discovered a new method for predicting tumor correlations between BPS interactive genes. According to analyses conducted by Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, interactive genes were primarily found in gastric cancer. Based on gene-targeted prediction and molecular docking, BPS appears to exert potential gastric cancer-causing effects through estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1). In addition, gastric cancer patients' prognosis could be accurately predicted by a bisphenol-based prognostic prediction model. Subsequently, the proliferation and migration abilities of gastric cancer cells were further demonstrated to be significantly enhanced by BPS. Similarly, molecular docking analysis revealed that melatonin is also highly correlated with gastric cancer and BPS. In cell proliferation and migration assays, melatonin and BPS exposure inhibited the invasion abilities of gastric cancer cells compared to BPS-exposure. Our research provided a new direction for the exploration the correlation between cancer and environmental toxicity.

The concentration and molecular composition of soil organic matter (SOM) are important factors in mitigation against climate change as well as providing other ecosystem services. Our quantitative understanding of how land use influences SOM molecular composition and associated turnover dynamics is limited, which underscores the need for high-throughput analytical approaches and molecular marker signatures to clarify this etiology. Combining a high-throughput untargeted mass spectrometry screening and molecular markers, we show that forest, farmland and urban land uses result in distinct molecular signatures of SOM in the Lake Chaohu Basin. Molecular markers indicate that forest SOM has abundant carbon contents from vegetation and condensed organic carbon, leading to high soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration. Farmland SOM has moderate carbon contents from vegetation, and limited content of condensed organic carbon, with SOC significantly lower than that of forest soils. Urban SOM has high abundance of condensed organic carbon markers due to anthropogenic activities but relatively low in markers from vegetation. Consistently, urban soils have the highest black carbon/SOC ratio among these land uses. Overall, our results suggested that the molecular signature of SOM varies significantly with land use in the Lake Chaohu Basin, influencing carbon dynamics. Our strategy of molecular fingerprinting and marker discovery is expected to enlighten further research on SOM molecular signatures and cycling dynamics.

Aiming at the problem of brake squeal of automobile disc brake, a method based on weighted brake squeal tendency coefficient is proposed to evaluate the brake squeal performance. On the basis of establishing a complex mode finite element model of the disc brake, the validity of the model is verified by the noise bench test. By combining the central composite test design, Response Surface Method （RSM） surrogate model method and the Pointer optimization algorithm, and taking the minimum weighted brake squeal tendency coefficient as the optimization goal, the structural optimization design is carried out for the unilateral disc height, heat sink rib height, elastic modulus and disc cap height of the brake disc. The results show that the optimization design method proposed can significantly improve the efficiency of the optimization solution, effectively reduce the squeal tendency of the disc brake in the full frequency band, and suppress the generation of brake squeal noise.

This research is focused on decision-making problems with redundant and incomplete information under a fuzzy environment. Firstly, we present the definition of incomplete fuzzy soft sets and analyze their data structures. Based on that, binary relationships between each pair of objects and the “restricted/relaxed AND” operations in the incomplete fuzzy soft set are discussed. After that, the definition of incomplete fuzzy soft decision systems is proposed. To reduce the inconsistency caused by the redundant information in decision making, the significance of the attribute subset, the reduct attribute set, the optimal reduct attribute set and the core attribute in incomplete fuzzy soft decision systems is also discussed. These definitions can be applied in an incomplete fuzzy soft set directly, so there is no need to convert incomplete data into complete one in the process of reduction. Then a new decision-making algorithm based on the above definitions can be developed, which can deal with redundant information and incomplete information simultaneously, and is independent of some unreliable assumptions about the data generating mechanism to forecast the incomplete information. Lastly, the algorithm is applied in the problem of regional food safety evaluation in Chongqing, China, and the corresponding comparison analysis demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Objective To investigate the changes in myelin sheath of optic nerve in mice during the process of aging and explore the effect of clemastine, a pro-myelination drug, on visual function of aging mice. Methods The Cspg4-CreERt; mT/mG mice (4 and 13 months old) and wildtype C57/BL mice (4 and 13 months old) were employed in this study. The changes in number of oligodendrocytes (OLs) and newly-formed myelin were observed by immunofluorescence staining and quantitative immunoblotting. Their optical function was assessed with flash visual evoked potentials (fVEP). The reporter mice and wildtype mice at 13 months old were separately divided into control group and clemastine group. Immunostaining and fVEP test were used to observe the effects of clemastine on the newly-formed myelin and optical function. Results There was no significant difference in the density of NG2+ cells (oligodendrocyte precursor cells, OPCs) in the 13-month-old group in comparison with the 4-month-old group, but the count of CC1+ cells (mature OLs) was obviously decreased in the 13-month-old group (P < 0.01), and immunoblotting test also showed NG2+ protein level had no change between the groups. Immunofluorescence staining indicated that the area of mGFP+ NG2- (new myelin sheath) was declined greatly in the 13-month-old reporter mice (P < 0.05). fVEP test suggested that the latency of P2 wave was significantly prolonged in the 13-month-old group as compared with the 4-month-old group (P < 0.01). Clemastine treatment resulted in notably increased mGFP+ area (new myelin sheath) in the reporter mice (P < 0.05), and remarkably shorten the latency of P2 wave in 13-month-old mice (P < 0.01). Conclusion Inhibited myelinogenesis and decreased nerve conduction velocity in optic nerve are observed in aging mice. Clemastine treatment can greatly improve myelinogenesis and promote conduction velocity in optic nerve.