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The dynamic visual acuity test (DVAT) is a functional evaluation tool for the impairment and compensation of the vestibular system, which could reflect the Vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) function. We present an overview of DVAT research, displaying recent advances in test methods, application, and influencing factors; and discussing the clinical value of DVAT to provide a reference for clinical application. There are two primary types of DVAT: dynamic-object DVAT and static-object DVAT. For the latter, in addition to the traditional bedside DVAT, there are numerous other approaches, including Computerized DVAT (cDVAT), DVAT on a treadmill, DVAT on a rotary, head thrust DVA (htDVA) and functional head impulse testing (fHIT), gaze shift dynamic visual acuity with walking (gsDVA), translational dynamic visual acuity test (tDVAT), pediatric DVAT. The results of DAVT are affected by subject [occupation, static visual acuity (SVA), age, eyeglass lenses], testing methods, caffeine, and alcohol. DVAT has numerous clinical applications, such as screening for vestibular impairment, assessing vestibular rehabilitation, predicting fall risk, and evaluating ophthalmology-related disorders, vestibular disorders, and central system disorders.

Abstract Background Progressive neuronal death is the key pathological feature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the neuronal death in AD patients have not been fully elucidated. Necroptosis reportedly activates and induces neuronal death in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD); however, the main mediators and mechanisms underlying necroptosis induction in AD remain elusive. Methods The function of hyperphosphorylated tau (pTau) in inducing necroptosis in neuronal cell was examined using Western blotting, RT-PCR and flow cytometry. Tau-induced inflammation was identified via RNA sequencing and transwell assay. Pharmacological methods and CRISPR–Cas9 technology were used to verify the role of necrosome proteins in pTau-stimulated neuronal death and inflammation. TauP301S model mice were treated with Nec-1 s to evaluate the role of necroptosis in tau pathology. Results Hyperphosphorylated tau could induce necroptosis in neuronal cells by promoting the formation of the RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL necrosome. In addition, pTau significantly stimulated cell-autonomous overexpression of cytokines and chemokines via the intracellular nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway. Importantly, the RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL axis was essential for the pTau-mediated NF-κB activation and cytokine storm. Furthermore, necroptosis stimulation, NF-κB activation, and cytokine induction have been detected in TauP301S mice and blocking necroptosis markedly ameliorated behavioral defects and excessive neuroinflammation in AD mice. Conclusions Our study, for the first time, revealed that pTau contributes to neuronal death by inducing necroptosis and inflammation, mediated by activating the RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL and NF-κB pathways, thereby delineating the hierarchical molecular network of neuronal necroptosis induction in AD.

Abstract Rotary voice coil actuator (RVCA) is mainly used for reciprocating drive of small inertia loads in a limited range of angle, which is widely used in aerospace and other fields. Thermal resistance is one of the most important parameters of RVCAs, which is directly related to the steady‐state temperature rising and operation reliability. Because the thermal resistance cannot be measured directly, the analytical method is usually used to calculate the thermal resistance of the RVCA. However, due to the particularity of the thermal circuit calculation, the calculation is complicated and the result is not accurate. It is not conducive for engineering applications of this kind of actuator. In this paper, a series of rotary voice coil motor is selected as the research object. Through analytical calculation and thermal simulation, a more accurate thermal resistance calculation correction model and thermal resistance value of RVCAs are obtained, and the accuracy of the estimation results is verified by experiments. On this basis, the effective volume of the coil frame of the RVCA is selected as the variable, and the concise variation law of the series thermal resistance data is obtained. This paper provides a fast and accurate estimation method for the thermal resistance of RVCA, which has an important reference value for expanding the engineering applications of RVCAs.

Muscle contraction increases the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which has been acknowledged as key signaling entities in muscle remodeling and to underlie the healthy adaptation of skeletal muscle. ROS inevitably endows damage to various cellular molecules including DNA. DNA damage ought to be repaired to ensure genome integrity; yet, how DNA repair byproducts affect muscle adaptation remains elusive. Here, we showed that exercise elicited the generation of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8-oxoG), that was primarily found in mitochondrial genome of myofibers. Upon exercise, TA muscle's 8-oxoG excision capacity markedly enhanced, and in the interstitial fluid of TA muscle from the post-exercise mice, the level of free 8-oxoG base was significantly increased. Addition of 8-oxoG to myoblasts triggered myogenic differentiation via activating Ras-MEK-MyoD signal axis. 8-Oxoguanine DNA glycosylase1 (OGG1) silencing from cells or Ogg1 KO from mice decreased Ras activation, ERK phosphorylation, MyoD transcriptional activation, myogenic regulatory factors gene (MRFs) expression. In reconstruction experiments, exogenously added 8-oxoG base enhanced the expression of MRFs and accelerated the recovery of the injured skeletal muscle. Collectively, these data not only suggest that DNA repair metabolite 8-oxoG function as a signal entity for muscle remodeling and contribute to exercise-induced adaptation of skeletal muscle, but also raised the potential for utilizing 8-oxoG in clinical treatment to skeletal muscle damage-related disorders.

Abstract Background The deep sea harbors the majority of the microbial biomass in the ocean and is a key site for organic matter (OM) remineralization and storage in the biosphere. Microbial metabolism in the deep ocean is greatly controlled by the generally depleted but periodically fluctuating supply of OM. Currently, little is known about metabolic potentials of dominant deep-sea microbes to cope with the variable OM inputs, especially for those living in the hadal trenches—the deepest part of the ocean. Results In this study, we report the first extensive examination of the metabolic potentials of hadal sediment Chloroflexi, a dominant phylum in hadal trenches and the global deep ocean. In total, 62 metagenome-assembled-genomes (MAGs) were reconstructed from nine metagenomic datasets derived from sediments of the Mariana Trench. These MAGs represent six novel species, four novel genera, one novel family, and one novel order within the classes Anaerolineae and Dehalococcoidia. Fragment recruitment showed that these MAGs are globally distributed in deep-sea waters and surface sediments, and transcriptomic analysis indicated their in situ activities. Metabolic reconstruction showed that hadal Chloroflexi mainly had a heterotrophic lifestyle, with the potential to degrade a wide range of organic carbon, sulfur, and halogenated compounds. Our results revealed for the first time that hadal Chloroflexi harbor pathways for the complete hydrolytic or oxidative degradation of various recalcitrant OM, including aromatic compounds (e.g., benzoate), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (e.g., fluorene), polychlorobiphenyl (e.g., 4-chlorobiphenyl), and organochlorine compounds (e.g., chloroalkanes, chlorocyclohexane). Moreover, these organisms showed the potential to synthesize energy storage compounds (e.g., trehalose) and had regulatory modules to respond to changes in nutrient conditions. These metabolic traits suggest that Chloroflexi may follow a “feast-or-famine” metabolic strategy, i.e., preferentially consume labile OM and store the energy intracellularly under OM-rich conditions, and utilize the stored energy or degrade recalcitrant OM for survival under OM-limited condition. Conclusion This study expands the current knowledge on metabolic strategies in deep-ocean Chlorolfexi and highlights their significance in deep-sea carbon, sulfur, and halogen cycles. The metabolic plasticity likely provides Chloroflexi with advantages for survival under variable and heterogenic OM inputs in the deep ocean. Video Abstract

To evaluate the residual strength of the ship after explosion, the Explosion Smith Method (ESM) is proposed. The innovation of the ESM lies in two aspects: firstly, based on the Baker shock wave and quasi-static pressure model, Jones critical velocity model, propose a method for assessing the range of explosion damage of cabin and validated through referenced experiments. Secondly, proposes the strain-stress relationship of the deformation element. To verify the feasibility of the ESM and study the influence of TNT location and mass, 16 simulations and EMS calculations were conducted. The results showed that the residual strength is most impacted when the TNT in top deck. For side cabin, the explosion products discharged and impact reduced. The trend of the ESM and simulation were consistent, but the result of ESM was more severe. The reason that strain-stress relationship of the deformation element more stringent, resulting in the ESM smaller than the simulation. However, as the TNT increases the error decreases. In the future, more research can be conducted on the deformed structures to enhance the accuracy of the ESM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the fire Smith method, which integrates the plate model and the Smith method, to analyze the impact of fire temperature and extent on the buckling strength of frigates. This investigation focused on the frigate’s buckling strength and how it is affected by a fire, achieved by modifying both deck temperature and area. Leveraging the principle of oxygen consumption, a coefficient “D” was introduced to account for fire temperature and region variations. This enabled the characterization of buckling strength under varying temperature and regional conditions through 64 simulations conducted on a frigate model. The outcomes revealed that the disparity between simulation results and the fire Smith method remained below 10%, establishing a solid basis for engineering assessment. As the high-temperature area decreased and necessitated less oxygen, the ultimate strength initiated a decline. However, upon reaching a certain threshold temperature, the ultimate strength stabilized. Conversely, expansive high-temperature zones caused a decline in ultimate strength, coupled with an increased oxygen requirement. Under consistent oxygen consumption conditions, the rate of ultimate strength reduction intensified. Consequently, these divergent characteristics of ultimate strength in various high-temperature areas underscored that minimizing the expansive fire high-temperature zones can significantly enhance the ship’s fire resistance, safeguarding its structural integrity.

Mobile robots are widely used in medicine, agriculture, home furnishing, and industry. Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) is the working basis of mobile robots, so it is extremely necessary and meaningful for making researches on SLAM technology. SLAM technology involves robot mechanism kinematics, logic, mathematics, perceptual detection, and other fields. However, it faces the problem of classifying the technical content, which leads to diverse technical frameworks of SLAM. Among all sorts of SLAM, visual SLAM (V-SLAM) has become the key academic research due to its advantages of low price, easy installation, and simple algorithm model. Firstly, we illustrate the superiority of V-SLAM by comparing it with other localization techniques. Secondly, we sort out some open-source V-SLAM algorithms and compare their real-time performance, robustness, and innovation. Then, we analyze the frameworks, mathematical models, and related basic theoretical knowledge of V-SLAM. Meanwhile, we review the related works from four aspects: visual odometry, back-end optimization, loop closure detection, and mapping. Finally, we prospect the future development trend and make a foundation for researchers to expand works in the future. All in all, this paper classifies each module of V-SLAM in detail and provides better readability to readers. This is undoubtedly the most comprehensive review of V-SLAM recently.

Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is the major cause of severe hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD). Compared to other HFMD pathogens, like coxsackievirus A16 (CVA16), EV71 can invade the central nervous system and cause permanent damage. At present, there are no available antivirals against EV71 for clinical treatment. Herein, multiple Chinese botanical drugs were collected, and 47 types of botanical extracts were extracted using aqueous solutions and organic solvents. Based on the cytopathic effect inhibition assay, petroleum ether extract of Tournefortia sibirica L. (PE-TS) demonstrated 97.25% and 94.75% inhibition rates for EV71 infection (at 250 μg/ml) and CVA16 infection (at 125 μg/ml), respectively, with low cytotoxicity. Preliminary mechanistic studies showed that PE-TS inhibits replication of EV71 genomic RNA and synthesis of the EV71 protein. The released extracellular EV71 progeny virus titer decreased by 3.75 lg under PE-TS treatment. Furthermore, using a newborn mouse model, PE-TS treatment protected 70% and 66.7% of mice from lethal dose EV71 intracranial challenge via administration of intraperitoneal injection at 0.4 mg/g and direct lavage at 0.8 mg/g, respectively. The chemical constituents of the PE-TS were analyzed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS), and a total of 60 compounds were identified. Compound-target network analysis and molecular docking implied potential bioactive compounds and their protein targets against EV71 associated pathology. The present study identified antiviral effects of PE-TS against EV71/CVA16 infection in vitro and EV71 infection in vivo, providing a potential antiviral botanical drug extract candidate for HFMD drug development.

Introduction The prevalence of diminished ovarian reserve (DOR), a common gynaecological disorder, is approximately 10% across the world. Failure in early diagnosis and treatment may result in continuous decreases in ovarian function and the resultant loss in an opportunity of pregnancy, which greatly affects the happiness of the women’s family and women’s physical and mental health. Nevertheless, there has been no effective treatment for such a disorder until now. Folic acid, a member of the vitamin B family, is involved in one-carbon cycle and methylation regulation. It has been found that folic acid affects the whole period of pregnancy, and folic acid supplementation has shown effective to remarkably reduce the incidence of fetal neural tube defects and decrease plasma homocysteic acid levels, thereby resulting in a decline in the incidence of abortion. In addition, folic acid is reported to mediate ovarian functions. It is therefore hypothesised that folic acid may improve DOR.Methods and analysis A single-centre, open-label, randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial is designed. We plan to recruit 140 women with DOR at ages of 30–35 years. All participants will be randomised into the folic acid group and placebo group, and each subject will be given a tablet with the same appearance daily for 6 months. The primary outcome is antral follicle count, and the secondary outcomes are ovarian reserve markers, ovarian low-dose stimulation responses and safety.Ethics and dissemination This study was approved by the Ethics Review Committee of Nanping First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University on 10 February 2021 (approval number: NPSY202002042). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to randomisation, following a detailed description of the purpose of the study. The results of this clinical trial will be presented at scientific conferences and submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.Trial registration number Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2100047410.

Abstract Background To investigate a 3-stage screening procedure and explore the clinical features of subjects at Clinical High Risk (CHR) for psychosis in a representative sample of Chinese college students. Methods An epidemiological survey of the prevalence of the CHR syndrome in Chinese college students that was selected by stratified random sampling from Shanghai, Nanjing and Nanchang cities was done following a 3-stage procedure. Participants were initially screened with the Prodromal Questionnaire-brief version (PQ-B), and whose distress score of PQ-B exceeded 24 would be invited to a telephone assessment using the subscale for positive symptoms of the Scale of Prodromal Symptoms (SOPS)/Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndromes (SIPS). Lastly, participants who scored 3 or higher in any item of the subscale would be administered with the SIPS interview conducted by trained researchers to confirm the diagnosis of CHR syndrome. Results Twenty-three thousand sixty-three college students completed the survey during September 2017 to October 2018. Seventy-two students were diagnosed as CHR subjects, and the detection rate in the total sample was 0.3%. The peak age range for the first diagnosis of CHR was 17 to 20 years. Thirteen and forty-six were set as the cutoff points of PQ-B total score and distress score to balance the greatest sensitivity and specificity. Binary logistic regression revealed that 8 items in PQ-B showed significant distinction for detecting CHR subjects. Conclusions The 3-stage screening method can be utilized in the detection of CHR subjects for psychosis in the general population, during which delusional ideas, perceptual abnormalities and suspiciousness deserve great attention.

As an essential regional planning policy, poverty alleviation relocation has a significant impact on the regional economy, environment, and social well-being and is critical for sustainable development. Based on the development of minority areas in Yunnan, this study improves the traditional sustainable livelihood analysis framework and constructed a livelihood capital evaluation system including natural, physical, financial, social, human, and cultural capital. Furthermore, the measurement standard of sustainable livelihoods is proposed, which requires not only the enhancement of livelihood capital but also the coupling and coordinated development of all capital components. Based on the data of Menglai township from 2015 to 2021, this study estimates that farmers’ livelihood capital has increased after relocation, and the level of coupling and coordination has improved. Still, it has yet to reach extreme coordination. Hereafter, the theoretical framework of internal and external factors affecting livelihood capital is constructed, and the influencing factors of livelihood capital are obtained through regression analysis. This study provides a new tool for evaluating livelihood capital in minority areas, obtains new findings on the sustainable development of farmers’ livelihood capital after poverty alleviation relocation, and expands a new perspective for studying the influencing factors of livelihood capital.

This study investigated the effects of plyometric training on lower‐limb muscle strength and knee biomechanical characteristics during the landing phase. Twenty‐four male subjects were recruited for this study with a randomised controlled design. They were randomly divided into a plyometric training group and a traditional training group and underwent training for 16 weeks. Each subject was evaluated every 8 weeks for knee and hip isokinetic muscle strength as well as knee kinematics and kinetics during landing. The results indicated significant group and time interaction effects for knee extension strength (F = 74.942 and p = 0.001), hip extension strength (F = 99.763 and p = 0.000) and hip flexion strength (F = 182.922 and p = 0.000). For landing kinematics, there were significant group main effects for knee flexion angle range (F = 4.429 and p = 0.047), significant time main effects for valgus angle (F = 6.502 and p = 0.011) and significant group and time interaction effects for internal rotation angle range (F = 5.475 and p = 0.008). The group main effect for maximum knee flexion angle was significant (F = 7.534 and p = 0.012), and the group and time interaction effect for maximum internal rotation angle was significant (F = 15.737 and p = 0.001). For landing kinetics, the group main effect of the loading rate was significant (F = 4.576 and p = 0.044). Significant group and time interaction effects were observed for knee extension moment at the moment of maximum vertical ground reaction force (F = 5.095 and p = 0.010) and for abduction moment (F = 8.250 and p = 0.001). These findings suggest that plyometric training leads to greater improvements in hip and knee muscle strength and beneficial changes in knee biomechanics during landing compared to traditional training. Highlights: Plyometric training changes landing biomechanics.Changes help to reduce the risk of ACL injury.Changes from long‐term training are more noticeable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tilmicosin is widely used to treat respiratory infections in animals and has been reported to induce cardiac damage and even sudden death. However, its exact mechanisms, especially in chickens, remain unclear. This study confirmed the dose-dependent damaging effect of tilmicosin on primary chicken myocardial cells. Primary chicken myocardial cells treated with tilmicosin (0.5 μg/mL) for 0 h, 12 h, and 48 h were subjected to RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that cytokine-cytokine receptor interactions, calcium signaling pathway, peroxisomes, phagosomes, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, and oxidative phosphorylation were significantly and differentially affected after 12 h or 48 h of tilmicosin treatment. Further evidence demonstrated consistently increased proinflammatory factors, peroxidation, and ferroptosis, and intracellular ion imbalance was caused by tilmicosin for 12 h, but this imbalance had recovered at 48 h. Meanwhile, intracellular resistance to tilmicosin-induced toxicity involved the active regulation of cyclooxygenase-1 and ATPase H+/K+–transporting beta subunit at 48 h, sustained activation of MAPK12, and downregulation of dual specificity phosphatase 10 at 12 h. In summary, this study suggests that tilmicosin exerts its cardiotoxicity in primary chicken myocardial cells through multiple mechanisms and finds several intracellular molecular targets to resist the toxicity.

Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is an antibacterial agent that can be isolated from Eucommia ulmoides Oliver, a Chinese medicinal and edible plant food. The inhibitory effect of CGA on bacterial growth and stiffness of the outer membrane (OM) had been reported, while more evidence were required to elucidate its impairment of cell wall. In this study, the morphological and physiochemical changes of Salmonella cells under CGA treatment were investigated. Firstly, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of CGA against Salmonella was assayed. Later, the permeability of OM and activity of the proteins released were measured and observed to reveal the alteration of OM characteristic and cellular morphology. Finally, reactive oxygen species and cell membrane fluidity were analyzed, respectively, to elucidate how CGA damaged cell surface. The results showed that MIC of CGA against Salmonella was 6.25 mg/L. Under sub-lethal doses of CGA, the OM permeability and the release of soluble proteins were enhanced evidently, and Salmonella cells showed more deformed and shrunken, confirming the impairment of cellular integrity under CGA. Finally, the possible cause of cell surface damage was investigated. the fluidity of the membrane was increased upon CGA treatment, which may the possible cause of OM by CGA.

Abstract Background Tau hyper-phosphorylation has been considered a major contributor to neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related tauopathies, and has gained prominence in therapeutic development for AD. To elucidate the pathogenic mechanisms underlying AD and evaluate therapeutic approaches targeting tau, numerous transgenic mouse models that recapitulate critical AD-like pathology have been developed. Tau P301S transgenic mice is one of the most widely used mouse models in AD research. Extensive studies have demonstrated that sex significantly influences AD pathology, behavioral status, and therapeutic outcomes, suggesting that studies using mouse models of AD must consider sex- and age-related differences in neuropathology, behavior, and plasma content. Method We systematically investigated differences in tau P301S transgenic mice (PS19 line) and wildtype littermates of different sex behavioral performance, tau neuropathology, and biomarkers in plasma and brain. Results Male P301S transgenic mice exhibited significant changes in weight loss, survival rate, clasping, kyphosis, composite phenotype assessment, nest building performance, tau phosphorylation at Ser202/Thr205, and astrocyte activation compared to that of wild-type littermates. In contrast, female P301S transgenic mice were only sensitive in the Morris water maze and open field test. In addition, we characterized the absence of macrophage-inflammatory protein (MIP-3α) and the upregulation of interferon (IFN)-γ, interleukin (IL)-5, and IL-6 in the plasma of P301S transgenic mice, which can be served as potential plasma biomarkers in P301S Tg mice. Male P301S transgenic mice expressed more monokine induced by IFN-γ (MIG), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), IL-10, and IL-13 than those of female P301S mice. Conclusion Our findings highlight sexual dimorphism in the behavior, neuropathology, and plasma proteins in tau P301S transgenic AD mice, indicating that the use of male P301S transgenic mice may be more suitable for assessing anti-phosphorylated tau therapeutic strategies for AD and related tauopathies, and the MIP-3α may be a new potential plasma biomarker.

Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) as one of the main bioactive constituents of the fruit of Lycium barbarum L. (LBL.) has many pharmacological activities, but its antihyperglycemic activity is not fully understood yet. This study investigated the hypoglycemic and renal protective effects of LBP on high-fat diet/streptozotocin- (HFD/STZ-) induced diabetic nephropathy (DN) in mice. Blood glucose was assessed before and after 8-week administration of LBP, and the homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index was calculated for evaluating the antidiabetic effect of LBP. Additionally, serum creatinine (sCr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and urine microalbumin were tested to evaluate the renal function. HE and PAS stainings were performed to evaluate the morphology and injury of the kidney. The results showed that LBP significantly reduces the glucose level and ameliorates the insulin resistance of diabetic mice. Importantly, LBP improves renal function by lowering the levels of sCr, BUN, and microalbumin in diabetic mice and relieves the injury in the renal glomeruli and tubules of the DN mice. Furthermore, LBP attenuates renal inflammation as evidenced by downregulating the mRNA levels of TNFα, IL1 β, IL6, and SAA3 in the renal cortex, as well as reducing the elevated circulating level and protein depositions of SAA3 in the kidney. In addition, our western blot results showed that NF-κB p65 nuclear translocation and the degradation of inhibitory κB-α (IκBα) occurred during the progress of inflammation, and such activated signaling was restrained by LBP. In conclusion, our findings suggest that LBP is a potential antidiabetic agent, which ameliorates the inflammation in DN through inhibiting NF-κB activation.

A parameter-selection method is proposed to improve the accuracy of the truncated singular value decomposition (TSVD) method, which is based on the Wilson-θ method and the principle of minimum response error, for dynamic load identification. First, using the Green kernel-function matrix, the dynamic load-identification model of the multi-degree-of-freedom system is established. Second, the response corresponding to the dynamic load is identified using the Wilson-θ method, and the minimum error between the response and the input response is obtained. Then, the best regularization parameters are obtained, and the dynamic load is identified using the TSVD regularization method. Finally, the SIMPACK dynamic model of a rail vehicle is established. Taking the German high-interference spectrum as the input, the axle-box displacement and the vertical wheel-rail force of each wheelset at speeds of 100, 160, and 200 km/h are simulated. Taking the simulated axle-box displacement response with 0%, 5%, and 10% noise as the input, the proposed load-identification model and regularization-parameter selection method are used to identify the vertical wheel-rail force of a rail vehicle. The effects of different track spectra on the identification results are considered. The results indicate that this method has a high identification accuracy for the wheel-rail vertical dynamic load. With an increase in the vehicle speed, the correlation coefficient for identifying the dynamic load decreases, but the correlation remains strong. At the speed of 200 km/h, when the input response noise level is 0%, the dynamic load identification correlation coefficient is 0.9556, which corresponds to extremely strong correlation. When the input response contains 5% noise, this method has stronger robustness than L-curve method, and the dynamic load identification correlation coefficient is 0.6354, which corresponds to strong correlation. The proposed load-identification model and regularization-parameter selection method have important theoretical and engineering application value for wheel-rail force monitoring and safety assessment of running trains.

The photo-induced superconducting phase transition is widely used in probing the physical properties of correlated electronic systems and to realize broadband photodetection with extremely high responsivity. However, such photoresponse is usually insensitive to electrostatic doping due to the high carrier density of the superconductor, restricting its applications in tunable optoelectronic devices. In this work, we demonstrate the gate voltage modulation to the photoresponsivity in a two-dimensional NbSe2-graphene heterojunction. The superconducting critical current of the NbSe2 relies on the gate-dependent hot carrier generation in graphene via the Joule heating effect, leading to the observed shift of both the magnitude and peak position of the photoresponsivity spectra as the gate voltage changes. This heating effect is further confirmed by the temperature and laser-power-dependent characterization of the photoresponse. In addition, we investigate the spatially-resolved photocurrent, finding that the superconductivity is inhomogeneous across the junction area. Our results provide a new platform for designing tunable superconducting photodetector and indicate that the photoresponse could be a powerful tool in studying the local electronic properties and phase transitions in low-dimensional superconducting systems.

Abstract Background Chymase is the major angiotensin II (Ang II)-forming enzyme in cardiovascular tissue, with an important role in atrial remodeling. This study aimed to examine the association between chymase 1 gene (CMA1) polymorphisms and atrial fibrillation (AF) in a Chinese Han population. Methods This case-control study enrolled 126 patients with lone AF and 120 age- and sex-matched healthy controls, all from a Chinese Han population. Five CMA1 polymorphisms were genotyped. Results The CMA1 polymorphism rs1800875 (G-1903A) was associated with AF. The frequency of the GG genotype was significantly higher in AF patients compared with controls (p = 0.009). Haplotype analysis further demonstrated an increased risk of AF associated with the rs1800875-G haplotype (Hap8 TGTTG, odds ratio (OR) = 1.668, 95% CI 1.132–2.458, p = 0.009), and a decreased risk for the rs1800875-A haplotype (Hap5 TATTG, OR = 0.178, 95% CI 0.042–0.749, p = 0.008). Conclusions CMA1 polymorphisms may be associated with AF, and the rs1800875 GG genotype might be a susceptibility factor for AF in the Chinese Han population.

The eating safety and high quality of fruits and vegetables have always been concerned by consumers, so require a safe, non-toxic, environment-friendly technology for their preservation. The application of ultrasound is a potential technology in the preservation of fruits and vegetables. This paper describes the ultrasound mechanism for inactivating microorganisms, with the cavitation phenomena of ultrasound being considered as a main effect. Effect of ultrasound on microorganisms of fruits and vegetables was discussed. Ultrasound alone and its combined treatments can be an effective method to inactivate the spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms on the surface of fruit and vegetables. Effect of ultrasound on physicochemical quality of fruits and vegetables was reviewed. Ultrasound and its combined treatments reduced mass loss, decreased color change, maintained firmness, enhanced and inhibited enzyme activity as well as preserving nutritional components such as total phenolic, total flavonoids, anthocyanin, and ascorbic acid.

Conventional DNA vaccine strategies usually employ a regimen of immunizations at 2-week or longer intervals to induce effective memory cell-dependent immune responses. Clinical cancer treatment requires a faster immunization strategy to contend with tumor progression. In this study, a novel fast immunization strategy was established, wherein a DNA vaccine was intramuscularly administered on days 0, 2, and 5 in a murine lung cancer model. Effector cells peaked 7 to 10 days after the last vaccination. Compared with traditional 2-week-interval immunization strategies, antigen-specific cytolysis and INF-γ secretion were significantly enhanced under the fast vaccination approach. As a result, the rapidly administered DNA vaccine elicited stronger and more prompt antitumor effects. The probable underlying mechanism of fast immunization was the accumulation of CD8+CD11c+ antigen-presenting cells at the injection site, which enhanced subsequent antigen presentation. In conclusion, the fast DNA vaccination strategy shortened vaccination time to 5 days and elicited a stronger antitumor immune response.

The concentration of ice nucleating particles (INPs) in the cloud layer affects cloud processes more importantly than at the ground level. To make up for deficiencies in the observation of the vertical distribution of INPs over different background regions of China, airborne sampling of INPs was carried out at the altitudes of 2000–5500 m over Turpan, Xinjiang, northwest China on 29 December 2019, and the samples were analyzed in a static vacuum water vapor diffusion chamber. The sources and relationships of the INPs with meteorological conditions and the variation of the concentrations of aerosol particles of different sizes were explored. The results indicate that the concentration of INPs varies from 0.25 to 15.7 L−1 when the nucleation temperature changes from −17 to −26 °C and the relative humidity with respect to water (RHw) varies from 95 to 105%. The existence of an inversion layer near the planetary boundary layer (PBL) inhibits the vertical transport of aerosols, thus affecting the vertical distribution of INP concentration. INPs in the free atmosphere mainly originate from fine-mode aerosol particles transported from long distances by westerly winds and do not change significantly with height. The air mass in the PBL is short-range transported, and the INP concentration reaches 15.7 L−1 at T =−26 °C and RHw = 105%, which is obviously higher than that above the PBL. The analyses provide evidence that the meteorological conditions played an important part in regulating the vertical distribution of INPs.

Harvested fruits and vegetables are prone to decay and quality deterioration during storage. Although traditional packaging and chemical treatments are effective, they are harmful to the environment and human health. Hence, higher requirements for food preservation technology are increasingly proposed. Nontoxic, renewable, degradable, and edible packaging for fruits and vegetables has become a research hotspot in recent years. Chitosan, alginate, cellulose, pectin, starch, and other polysaccharides as coating materials have been widely used. Compared with traditional plastic packaging and chemical treatment, these coatings exhibited a better preservation effect and higher safety. In this paper, the preservation mechanism of fruits and vegetables by edible coatings treatment was described, and the research on edible coatings used in fruits and vegetables was summarized. The effects polysaccharide-based edible coatings on physicochemical quality and antimicrobial effect of fruits and vegetables were reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anisotropic 2D layered materials with distinctive anisotropic electronic band structures and optical response are promising for practical applications in polarization imaging and sensors. Nonetheless, many of the currently reported polarized photodetectors based on anisotropic 2D materials are constrained by the low polarization responsivity and low linear dichroism ratio. Here a high-performance polarization-sensitive photodetector based on the novel in-plane anisotropy 2D violet phosphorus (VP) crystal is reported. The angle-resolved polarized Raman spectroscopy (ARPRS) study and the anisotropic electrical transport measurements revealed the highly in-plane anisotropy phonon vibration and electrical properties of VP crystal. The anisotropic ratio of electron mobility is calculated to be 2.7 at room temperature. Moreover, a polarization-sensitive photodetector based on the VP nanosheet shows high photoresponsivity of up to 341 A W-1 and a linearly dichroic ratio of up to 3.9, which is much larger than most other anisotropic 2D materials. These results indicate that the anisotropic VP crystal would be suitable for polarization-sensitive photodetectors, which leads to a promising perspective for future novel electronic and optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Abstract Background Active immunotherapy targeting amyloid-β (Aβ) is a promising treatment for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Numerous preclinical studies and clinical trials demonstrated that a safe and effective AD vaccine should induce high titers of anti-Aβ antibodies while avoiding the activation of T cells specific to Aβ. Results An untagged Aβ1–6 chimeric protein vaccine against AD based on norovirus (NoV) P particle was expressed in Escherichia coli and obtained by sequential chromatography. Analysis of protein characteristics showed that the untagged Aβ1–6 chimeric protein expressed in soluble form exhibited the highest particle homogeneity, with highest purity and minimal host cell protein (HCP) and residual DNA content. Importantly, the untagged Aβ1–6 chimeric soluble protein could induce the strongest Aβ-specific humoral immune responses without activation of harmful Aβ-specific T cells in mice. Conclusions The untagged Aβ1–6 chimeric protein vaccine is safe and highly immunogenic. Further research will determine the efficacy in cognitive improvement and disease progression delay.

Snail2 is a repressor of E-cadherin during carcinogenesis; however, the specific mechanisms involved in this process remain largely unknown. Here, we determined that Snail2 was highly increased during TGF-β-induced EMT process in lung cells. H3K9 methylation was up-regulated and H3K4/H3K56 acetylation were down-regulated at the E-cadherin promoter. Snail2 interacted with G9a and HDACs to exert suppression of E-cadherin transcription. Overexpression of Snail2 enhanced the migration and invasion ability, whereas G9a and HDACs inhibition significantly reversed this effect. Our study demonstrated the importance of G9a- and HDACs-mediated regulation during Snail2-induced E-cadherin repression and metastasis during LC progression.

Abstract Background The transcription factor Snail2 is a repressor of E-cadherin expression during carcinogenesis; however, the specific mechanisms involved in this process in human colorectal cancer (CRC) remain largely unknown. Method We checked the expression of Snail2 in several clinical CRC specimens. Then, we established Snail2-overexpressing and knockdown cell lines to determine the function of Snail2 during EMT and metastasis processes in CRC. In addition, we used luciferase reporter assay to explore how Snail2 inhibits the expression of E-cadherin and induces EMT. Results We found that the expression of Snail2 was higher in clinical specimens of colorectal cancer (CRC) compared to non-cancerous tissues. Overexpression of Snail2 induced migration and metastatic properties in CRC cells in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, overexpression of Snail2 promoted the occurrence of the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), downregulating the expression of E-cadherin and upregulating that of vimentin. Specifically, Snail2 could interact with HDAC6 and then recruited HDAC6 and PRC2 to the promoter of E-cadherin and thus inhibited the expression of E-cadherin, promoting EMT and inducing invasion and metastasis of CRC. Conclusion Our study reveals that Snail2 might epigenetically suppress the expression of E-cadherin during CRC metastasis.