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Abstract Probiotic functional products have drawn wide attention because of their increasing popularity. However, few studies have analyzed probiotic-specific metabolism in the fermentation process. This study applied UPLC-QE-MS-based metabolomics to track changes in the milk metabolomes in the course of fermentation by two probiotic strains, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei PC-01 and Bifidobacterium adolescentis B8589. We observed substantial changes in the probiotic fermented milk metabolome between 0 and 36 h of fermentation, and the differences between the milk metabolomes at the interim period (36 h and 60 h) and the ripening stage (60 h and 72 h) were less obvious. A number of time point-specific differential metabolites were identified, mainly belonging to organic acids, amino acids, and fatty acids. Nine of the identified differential metabolites are linked to the tricarboxylic acid cycle, glutamate metabolism, and fatty acid metabolism. The contents of pyruvic acid, γ-aminobutyric acid, and capric acid increased at the end of fermentation, which can contribute to the nutritional quality and functional properties of the probiotic fermented milk. This time-course metabolomics study analyzed probiotic-specific fermentative changes in milk, providing detailed information of probiotic metabolism in a milk matrix and the potential beneficial mechanism of probiotic fermented milk.

The many-banded krait, Bungarus multicinctus, has been recorded as the animal resource of JinQianBaiHuaShe in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Characterization of its venoms classified chief phyla of modern animal neurotoxins. However, the evolutionary origin and diversification of its neurotoxins as well as biosynthesis of its active compounds remain largely unknown due to the lack of its high-quality genome. Here, we present the 1.58 Gbp genome of B. multicinctus assembled into 18 chromosomes with contig/scaffold N50 of 7.53 Mbp/149.8 Mbp. Major bungarotoxin-coding genes were clustered within genome by family and found to be associated with ancient local duplications. The truncation of glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor in the 3′-terminal of a LY6E paralog released modern three-finger toxins (3FTxs) from membrane tethering before the Colubroidea divergence. Subsequent expansion and mutations diversified and recruited these 3FTxs. After the cobra/krait divergence, the modern unit-B of β-bungarotoxin emerged with an extra cysteine residue. A subsequent point substitution in unit-A enabled the β-bungarotoxin covalent linkage. The B. multicinctus gene expression, chromatin topological organization, and histone modification characteristics were featured by transcriptome, proteome, chromatin conformation capture sequencing, and ChIP-seq. The results highlighted that venom production was under a sophisticated regulation. Our findings provide new insights into snake neurotoxin research, meanwhile will facilitate antivenom development, toxin-driven drug discovery and the quality control of JinQianBaiHuaShe.

The (NdLaCeY)-Fe-B magnets with 45–50 wt% high-abundance rare earth substitution were systematically investigated by co-mixing high boron content matrix phase and Pr–Fe alloy powders (0, 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 wt%) during the preparation process. The coercivity of magnets increased successively with the addition of Pr70Fe30 (wt.%) and reached 9.32 kOe at the addition amount of 9 wt% from the initial 7.33 kOe without addition, while the remanence had a very small decrease of only 0.13 kGs. The analyses showed that the B-rich phase in the high-boron powders reacted with Pr70Fe30 to form the main phase shell, forming a core-shell structure with a Pr-rich shell and a Y-rich core. Meanwhile, the grain boundary was significantly widened with the introduction of Pr70Fe30. Then, just the improved anisotropy of the main phase grain surface, accompanied with the enhanced magnetic de-coupling effect between the main phase grains, resulted in a great coercivity increment. Notably, on the remanence, the beneficial effect of increased main-phase proportion by regenerated grain shell had a competitive relationship with the deteriorating effect of the magnetic dilution by the non-magnetic material introduction, thus under the combined effects, the remanence firstly increased and then decreased with the addition of Pr–Fe.

Single image raindrop removal aims at recovering high-resolution images from degraded ones. However, existing methods primarily employ pixel-level supervision between image pairs to learn spatial features, thus ignoring the more discriminative frequency information. This drawback results in the loss of high-frequency structures and the generation of diverse artifacts in the restored image. To ameliorate this deficiency, we propose a novel frequency-oriented Hierarchical Fusion Network (HFNet) for raindrop image restoration. Specifically, to compensate for spatial representation deficiencies, we design a dynamic adaptive frequency loss (DAFL), which allows the model to adaptively handle the high-frequency components that are difficult to recover. To handle spatially diverse raindrops, we propose a hierarchical fusion network to efficiently learn both contextual information and spatial features. Meanwhile, a calibrated attention mechanism is proposed to facilitate the transfer of valuable information. Comparative experiments with existing methods indicate the advantages of the proposed algorithm.

Abstract An operation site safety detection method based on point cloud data and improved YOLO algorithm under the power Internet of Things architecture is proposed to address the complex environment of power construction sites and the poor effectiveness of most existing object detection methods. Firstly, an operation site safety supervision system was designed based on the power Internet of Things architecture, and efficient image processing was achieved through cloud edge collaboration. Then, point cloud data and on‐site monitoring information are used on the edge side to extract the accessible area, ensuring that the target is located in a safe area. Finally, the YOLO algorithm is improved in the cloud by using clustering algorithms, network structure optimization, and other methods, and used to detect targets and determine whether their behaviour meets the safety requirements of the operation site. Based on the PyTorch deep learning framework, the proposed method was experimentally demonstrated, and the results showed that its average detection accuracy and time were 94.53% and 68 ms, respectively, providing technical support for achieving remote monitoring of power operation sites.

Introduction: The Panyu low uplift is located in the middle of the Central Uplift Belt of the Pearl River Mouth Basin, which has experienced multiple episodes of tectonic movements since the Cenozoic, and the faults are extensively developed there. The fault activities had a significant influence on the migration and accumulation of oil and gas, as well as the sedimentation.Methods: In order to recognize the effect of the faults on the tectono-straigraphy evolution in the Panyu low uplift, based on the high-resolution seismic and latest drilling well data, the study has comprehensively analyzed the geometry and kinematics of these faults, as well as the sedimentary filling evolution of the residual depressions.Results: The results show that two major fault systems has developed in the Panyu low uplift: the deep and shallow fault systems. The former was dominated by a series of NEE and NW-trending high-angle listric/plane faults, along with several low-angle detachment normal faults, which were under the joint control of the NW-SE and NS-trending extensional stress during the Eocene. The latter was dominated by NW-NWW trending strike-slip normal faults with tension-shear properties under the NEE trending dextral strike-slip stress field in the late Miocene. The uplift had undergone five tectonic evolution stages: the initial rifting stage (Tg-T83), the intensive rifting stage (T83-T80), the rifting and depression transitional stage (T80-T70), the thermal subsidence depression stage (T70-T35), and the tectonic reactivation stage (T35-T10).Discussion: Based on the 3D seismic phase interpretation and drilling sample analyses, the study also indicates that during the initial rifting stage, the Panyu low uplift manifested as multistage depositional center. The sedimentary strata were distributed in the downthrown wall of the depression-controlling faults, exhibiting multiple subsidence and sedimentary centers, and the depressions was supplied by multi-provenance systems. During the intense rifting period, the depression widened, the lacustrine basins were connected with each other, and the sedimentary center migrated. During the rifting and depression transitional stage, the faults controlling on deposition weakened. The thick Enping formation from the northwest provenance direction is unconformably overlaid on the Panyu low uplift. Meanwhile, the depressions was characterized by the sedimentary deposits of lacustrine basin. Various types of sedimentary facies were developed, including the delta, semi-deep lacustrine, shallow lacustrine, and shore-shallow lacustrine deposits, and the mudstone of the semi-deep lacustrine facies could serve as a high-quality source rock for the hydrocarbon production.

ObjectiveTo investigate the prevalence of cataract-induced visual disability and its association with individual-level socioeconomic status (SES) among older adults in China.MethodsUsing the data of 354,743 older adults (60 years and older) from the Second China National Sample Survey on Disability in 2006. Cross-sectional study design was applied. The differences in visual disability prevalence of cataracts among sociodemographic subgroups were analyzed by the chi-square test, and the association between individual-level SES and cataract-induced visual disability was investigated by the multivariate logistic regression model.ResultsThe weighted visual disability prevalence of cataracts was 4.84% in 2006. Older people with a higher household income per capita (OR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.81–0.85), higher education level (primary school vs. illiteracy: OR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.76–0.83; ≥undergraduate college vs. illiteracy: OR = 0.31, 95% CI: 0.25–0.39), and occupation (OR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.50–0.56) were less likely to suffer from cataract-induced visual disability. Household income per capita and education level increase played a greater role in decreasing the risk of visual disability caused by cataracts in urban areas, while having occupation contributed more to reducing the risk of disability in rural areas.ConclusionThe gap in individual-level SES is closely related to the visual health inequities among older Chinese people and there are two distinct mechanisms in rural and urban areas. Strategies to promote collaborative healthcare development regionally, strengthen safeguards for disadvantaged groups, and increase public awareness of visual disability prevention are warranted.

AbstractMessenger RNA (mRNA) has become one of the most potential drugs in recent years. However, efficient and safe delivery of fragile and easily degradable mRNA is a major challenge. Appropriate delivery system (DS) determines the final effect of mRNA. Cationic lipids play a crucial and decisive role in the entire DS, but also cause huge biosafety problems due to the high toxicity. In this study, a new DS for mRNA delivery that combines negatively charged phospholipids was developed in order to neutralize the positive charge and thus increase the safety. Further, the factors affecting mRNA transfection from cell to animal were investigated. The mRNA DS with optimum condition of lipid composition, proportions, structure, and transfection time was synthesized. Adding an appropriate amount of the anionic lipid to liposomes could increase the safety while maintaining the original transfection efficiency. For transporting mRNA in vivo, requirements regarding the mRNA encapsulation and releasing rate should be further considered to optimize DS design and preparation.

Background: DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) is a novel instigator for mitochondrial dysfunction, and plays an important role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. However, the role and mechanism of DNA-PKcs in angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced vascular remodeling remains obscure. Methods: Rat aortic smooth muscle cells (SMC) and VSMC-specific DNA-PKcs knockout (DNA-PKcsΔVSMC) mice were employed to examine the role of DNA-PKcs in vascular remodeling and the underlying mechanisms. Blood pressure of mice was monitored using the tail-cuff and telemetry methods. The role of DNA-PKcs in vascular function was evaluated using vascular relaxation assessment. Results: In the tunica media of remodeled mouse thoracic aortas, and renal arteries from hypertensive patients, elevated DNA-PKcs expression was observed along with its cytoplasmic translocation from nucleus, suggesting a role for DNA-PKcs in vascular remodeling. We then infused wild-type (DNA-PKcsfl/fl) and DNA-PKcsΔVSMC mice with Ang II for 14 days to establish vascular remodeling, and demonstrated that DNA-PKcsΔVSMC mice displayed attenuated vascular remodeling through inhibition of dedifferentiation of VSMCs. Moreover, deletion of DNA-PKcs in VSMCs alleviated Ang II-induced vasodilation dysfunction and hypertension. Mechanistic investigations denoted that Ang II-evoked rises in cytoplasmic DNA-PKcs interacted with dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) at its TQ motif to phosphorylate Drp1S616, subsequently promoting mitochondrial fragmentation and dysfunction, as well as reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Treatment of irbesartan, an Ang II type 1 receptor (AT1R) blocker, downregulated DNA-PKcs expression in VSMCs and aortic tissues following Ang II administration. Conclusion: Our data revealed that cytoplasmic DNA-PKcs in VSMCs accelerated Ang II-induced vascular remodeling by interacting with Drp1 at its TQ motif and phosphorylating Drp1S616 to provoke mitochondrial fragmentation. Maneuvers targeting DNA-PKcs might be a valuable therapeutic option for the treatment of vascular remodeling and hypertension.

Abstract The influence of sociocultural attitudes toward the body on young people’s physical activity has received increasing attention. However, there is a lack of cross-cultural research in this area. The main aim of this research was to identify the similarities and differences in the sociocultural attitudes toward the body of Polish and Chinese young people who grew up in European and Asian cultures and to analyze their effect on the motivation for physical activity. A cross-sectional research study was conducted among 18- to 30-year-old Polish (n = 259) and Chinese (n = 208) young people. The variables were measured using the Sociocultural Attitudes towards Appearance Questionnaire 3 (SATAQ 3) and the Inventory of Physical Activity Objectives (IPAO). Descriptive and comparative statistics, Spearman’s rho, and the stepwise multiple regression analysis were used. The main analysis showed There are both similarities and significant differences in the performance of young Polish and Chinese men and women on the variables studied; Internalization-Athlete, Pressures, and Internalization-General are universal sociocultural predictors of motivation for physical activity among young people in Poland and China; Information is a specific sociocultural predictor of motivation for physical activity in Polish young people. The cultural nuances need to be considered in understanding young people’s Motivation for undertaking physical activity.

ABSTRACT: Streptococcus thermophilus has been extensively applied in fermented milk. This study used gas chromatography-ion mobility spectroscopy to determine and evaluate the volatile metabolites in raw milk, milk fermented at 37°C, and milk fermented at 42°C. Ten discriminatory volatile metabolites were identified at different incubation temperatures: acetone, 2-heptanone, 2-pentanone, 2-hexanone, butanal, hexanal, ethyl acetate, 3-methylbutanal, 3-methylbutanoic acid, and 2-methylpropanoic acid, indicating that fermentation temperature affected the spectrum of volatiles in milk fermented by different strains of S. thermophilus. Specifically, fermentation at 37°C led to accumulation of short-chain fatty acids, whereas fermentation at 42°C enriched ketones and other flavor substances in the fermented milk, enhancing the flavor of the product. This work examined the differences between the volatile metabolites produced by different S. thermophilus strains fermented at different temperatures to evaluate the effect of temperature on the metabolic pathways.

The lower limits of petrophysical properties for an effective reservoir are among the key parameters for assessing hydrocarbon reserves and are therefore directly related to hydrocarbon exploration and development strategies. However, the lower limits for marine sandstone gas reservoirs are still not clear and the impact factors also remain to be discussed. This study analysed the lower petrophysical property limits of an effective sandstone reservoir in the Qiongdongnan Basin using porosity, permeability and gas testing. The results showed that the lower porosity and permeability limits of effective reservoirs developed in the deltas are 8.9% and 1.2 × 10−3 μm2, respectively, and 11.3% and 4.0 × 10−3 μm2 in the submarine canyons and fans, respectively. Sedimentary facies, sediment transport distance, grain size and burial depth of sandstone significantly influence the lower physical property limits. The lower porosity and permeability limits increase with the increase in sediment transport distance as well as the decrease in sandstone grain size and burial depth. Sediment sources and sedimentary facies determine whether sandstone can become an effective reservoir in the Qiongdongnan Basin. Specifically, the sediment source dramatically influences the petrophysical properties of sandstone. The sandstone sourced from the Red River has higher porosity and permeability, followed by the sandstone sourced from the Hainan Uplift, and the sandstone sourced from the palaeo-uplift within the basin has the lowest porosity and permeability. The feldspar dissolution by CO2 and organic acid is the primary formation mechanism of the effective reservoir in the Lingshui Formation, whereas the dissolution of glauconite is more common in the sandstone reservoirs of the Sanya and Meishan formations.

The mechanism of ammonia formation during the pyrolysis of proteins in biomass is currently unclear. To further investigate this issue, this study employed the AMS 2023.104 software to select proteins (actual proteins) as the model compounds and the amino acids contained within them (assembled amino acids) as the comparative models. ReaxFF molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to explore the nitrogen transformation and NH3 generation mechanisms in three-phase products (char, tar, and gas) during protein pyrolysis. The research results revealed several key findings. Regardless of whether the model compounds are actual proteins or assembled amino acids, NH3 is the primary nitrogen-containing product during pyrolysis. However, as the temperature rises to higher levels, such as 2000 K and 2500 K, the amount of NH3 decreases significantly in the later stages of pyrolysis, indicating that it is being converted into other nitrogen-bearing species, such as HCN and N2. Simultaneously, we also observed significant differences between the pyrolysis processes of actual proteins and assembled amino acids. Notably, at 2000 K, the amount of NH3 generated from the pyrolysis of assembled amino acids was twice that of actual proteins. This discrepancy mainly stems from the inherent structural differences between proteins and amino acids. In proteins, nitrogen is predominantly present in a network-like structure (NH-N), which shields it from direct external exposure, thus requiring more energy for nitrogen to participate in pyrolysis reactions, making it more difficult for NH3 to form. Conversely, assembled amino acids can release NH3 through a simpler deamination process, leading to a significant increase in NH3 production during their pyrolysis.

Semi-open and chaotic environments of building sites are considered primary challenges for the localization of mobile construction robots. To mitigate environmental limitations, an improved trilateral localization technique based on artificial landmarks fusing the extended Kalman filters (EKFs) is proposed in this paper. The reflective intensity of the onboard laser is employed to identify artificial landmarks arranged in the ongoing construction environment. A trilateral positioning algorithm is then adopted and evaluated based on artificial landmarks. Multi-sensor fusion, combined with the EKF, is included to improve the positioning accuracy and reliability of the robot in complex conditions. We constructed validation scenarios in the Gazebo simulation environment to verify the required localization functionality. Concurrently, we established simulated testing environments in real-world settings, where the practicality of the proposed technique was validated through the fitting of ideal and actual localization trajectories. The effectiveness of the proposed technique was corroborated through comparative experimental results.

Hydrothermal geothermal energy, as a widely distributed, large reserve and easily exploitable renewable source, can be used for both power generation and building heating. In this study, a numerical simulation of heat extraction performance is conducted based on monitoring well temperature data in a geothermal field in Xiong’an New Area. The effects of the reinjection temperature, injection flow rate, and reinjection rate on the outlet temperature and the reservoir temperature during a long-term operation are analyzed. The results indicate that the lower reinjection temperature can generate a critical disturbance scope for the thermal reservoir during the exploitation process. The impact scope on the thermal reservoir can reach 210.3 m at a reinjection temperature of 25 °C, which is not conducive to maintaining the outlet temperature of production wells in the long-term. The reinjection rate significantly affects both the horizontal and vertical temperature fields of the thermal reservoir. Under reinjection conditions of 30 °C and 40 kg/s, the horizontal and vertical impact scope of the thermal reservoir are 262.3 and 588.5 m, respectively. The reinjection rate is inversely related to the outlet temperature. A decrease from 100% to 70% in the reinjection rate can increase the outlet temperature by 4.21%. However, a decrease in the reinjection rate will lead to a decline in the groundwater level. Therefore, balancing the variation in outlet temperature and groundwater level is crucial in practical engineering.

The pretreatment for torrefaction impacts the performance of biomass fuels and operational costs. Given their diversity, it is crucial to determine the optimal torrefaction conditions for different types of biomass. In this study, three typical solid biofuels, corn stover (CS), agaric fungus bran (AFB), and spent coffee grounds (SCGs), were prepared using fluidized bed torrefaction. The thermal stability of different fuels was extensively discussed and a novel comprehensive fuel index, “displacement level”, was analyzed. The functional groups, pore structures, and microstructural differences between the three raw materials and the optimally torrefied biochar were thoroughly characterized. Finally, the biomass fuel consumption for household heating and water supply was calculated. The results showed that the optimal torrefaction temperatures for CS, AFB, and SCGs were 240, 280, and 280 °C, respectively, with comprehensive quality rankings of the optimal torrefied biochar of AFB (260) > SCG (252) > CS (248). Additionally, the economic costs of the optimally torrefied biochar were reduced by 7.03–19.32%. The results indicated that the displacement level is an index universally applicable to the preparation of solid fuels through biomass torrefaction. AFB is the most suitable solid fuel to be upgraded through torrefaction and has the potential to replace coal.

The hydrogenation of carbon dioxide (CO2) to produce light olefins is one of the most promising ways to utilize CO2 in power plant flue gas. However, the low concentration of CO2 (~10%) and the existence of water steam in the flue gas pose great challenges for the catalyst design. To address these problems, we introduced a Mg promoter and hydrophobic component into the Fe-based catalyst to improve the CO2 adsorption capacity and weaken the negative effects of water. The yield of light olefins on an optimized multifunctional Fe-based catalyst increased by 37% in low-concentration CO2 hydrogenation with water steam. A variety of characterizations proved that the Mg promoter played critical roles in regulating the adsorption capacity of CO2, increasing the surface electron density of Fe species, and promoting the formation of iron carbide active sites. The hydrophobic component mainly contributed to constraining the oxidation of iron carbides via water steam. It benefited from the rational design of the catalyst, showing how our multifunctional Fe-based catalyst has great potential for practical application in CO2 utilization.

In this study, a new structure is proposed based on the body-centered cubic (BCC) lattice structure by adding a cubic truss in the center of the BCC structure and denoting it TLC (truss–lattice–cube). The different dimensions of the central cube can notably affect the mechanical properties of the lattice structure. With a fixed length (15 mm) of a unit cell, the optimal size for the central cube is determined to be 5 mm. Quasi-static compressive tests are performed on specimens made of polylactic acid (PLA) using additive manufacturing technology. The deformation characteristics of the new structure are analyzed in detail by experiments and numerical simulations. Compared to the BCC structure, the mechanical properties of the TLC structure were significantly improved. The initial flow stress of the TLC increased by 122% at a strain of 0.1; the specific strength enhanced by 293% at a strain of 0.5; and the specific energy absorption improved by 312% at a strain of 0.6. Printing defects in the lattice structure may remarkably damage its mechanical properties. In this work, incorporation of microcracks into the finite element model allows the simulation to capture the influence of printing defects and significantly improve the predictive accuracy of the simulation.

Multi-objective reservoir operation of reservoir flood control involves numerous factors and complex model solving, and exploring effective methods for solving the operation models has always been a hot topic in reservoir optimization operation research. The Multi-Objective Ant Lion Algorithm (MOALO) is an emerging heuristic intelligent optimization algorithm, but it has not yet been applied in reservoir optimization operation. Testing the effectiveness of this method on multi-objective reservoir scheduling and further improving the optimization performance of this method is of great significance for enhancing the overall benefits of reservoir operation. In this study, MOALO is applied to the optimal scheduling of reservoir flood control. To increase the search efficiency of MOLAO, the advanced MOALO method (AMOLAO) is proposed by reconstructing the search distribution in MOALO using a power function. Taking the Songshu Reservoir and Dongfeng Reservoir in the Fuzhou River Basin in Dalian City as an example, MOALO, AMOLAO, and other two traditional methods are applied for solving the multi-objective reservoir operation problem. Results show that the AMOALO method has high search efficiency, strong optimization ability, and good stability. AMOALO performs better than MOALO and the two traditional methods. The study provides an efficient method for solving the problems in multi-objective reservoir operation.

Accurate prediction of ship trajectories is crucial to guarantee the safety of maritime navigation. In this paper, a matrix neural network-based online ship track cleaning and prediction algorithm called M-STCP is suggested to forecast ship tracks. Firstly, the GPS-provided historical ship trajectory data is cleaned, and the data cleaning process is finished using the anomaly point algorithm. Secondly, the trajectory is input into the matrix neural network for training and prediction, and the algorithm is improved by using Kalman filtering, which reduces the influence of noise on the prediction results and improves the prediction accuracy. In the end, the effectiveness of the method is verified using real GPS trajectory data, and compared with the GRU model and long-short-term memory networks. The M-STCP method can improve the prediction accuracy of ship trajectory to 89.44%, which is 5.17% higher than LSTM and 1.82% higher than GRU, effectively improving the prediction accuracy and time efficiency.

Titanium alloys are some of the most important orthopedic implant materials currently available. However, their lack of bioactivity and osteoinductivity limits their osseointegration properties, resulting in suboptimal osseointegration between titanium alloy materials and bone interfaces. In this study, we used a novel sandblasting surface modification process to manufacture titanium alloy materials with bioactive sandblasted surfaces and systematically characterized their surface morphology and physicochemical properties. We also analyzed and evaluated the osseointegration between titanium alloy materials with bioactive sandblasted surfaces and bone interfaces by in vitro experiments with co-culture of osteoblasts and in vivo experiments with a rabbit model. In our in vitro experiments, the proliferation, differentiation, and mineralization of the osteoblasts on the surfaces of the materials with bioactive sandblasted surfaces were better than those in the control group. In addition, our in vivo experiments showed that the titanium alloy materials with bioactive sandblasted surfaces were able to promote the growth of trabecular bone on their surfaces compared to controls. These results indicate that the novel titanium alloy material with bioactive sandblasted surface has satisfactory bioactivity and osteoinductivity and exhibit good osseointegration properties, resulting in improved osseointegration between the material and bone interface. This work lays a foundation for subsequent clinical application research into titanium alloy materials with bioactive sandblasted surfaces.

Summary: Microglia shift toward an inflammatory phenotype during aging that is thought to exacerbate age-related neurodegeneration. The molecular and cellular signals that resolve neuroinflammation post-injury are largely undefined. Here, we exploit systems genetics methods based on the extended BXD murine reference family and identify IGFBPL1 as an upstream cis-regulator of microglia-specific genes to switch off inflammation. IGFBPL1 is expressed by mouse and human microglia, and higher levels of its expression resolve lipopolysaccharide-induced neuroinflammation by resetting the transcriptome signature back to a homeostatic state via IGF1R signaling. Conversely, IGFBPL1 deficiency or selective deletion of IGF1R in microglia shifts these cells to an inflammatory landscape and induces early manifestation of brain tauopathy and retinal neurodegeneration. Therapeutic administration of IGFBPL1 drives pro-homeostatic microglia and prevents glaucomatous neurodegeneration and vision loss in mice. These results identify IGFBPL1 as a master driver of the counter-inflammatory microglial modulator that presents an endogenous resolution of neuroinflammation to prevent neurodegeneration in eye and brain.

ABSTRACTUrban drainage pipe network is the backbone of urban drainage, flood control and water pollution prevention, and is also an essential symbol to measure the level of urban modernization. A large number of underground drainage pipe networks in aged urban areas have been laid for a long time and have reached or practically reached the service age. The repair of drainage pipe networks has attracted extensive attention from all walks of life. Since the Ministry of ecological environment and the national development and Reform Commission jointly issued the action plan for the Yangtze River Protection and restoration in 2019, various provinces in the Yangtze River Basin, such as Anhui, Jiangxi and Hunan, have extensively carried out PPP projects for urban pipeline restoration, in order to improve the quality and efficiency of sewage treatment. Based on the management practice of urban pipe network restoration project in Wuhu City, Anhui Province, this paper analyzes the problems of lengthy construction period and repeated operation caused by the mismatch between the design schedule of the restoration scheme and the construction schedule of the pipe network restoration in the existing project management mode, and proposes a model of urban drainage pipe network restoration scheme selection based on the improved support vector machine. The validity and feasibility of the model are analyzed and verified by collecting the data in the project practice. The research results show that the model has a favorable effect on the selection of urban drainage pipeline restoration schemes, and its accuracy can reach 90%. The research results can provide method guidance and technical support for the rapid decision-making of urban drainage pipeline restoration projects.

As an essential means to eliminate redundant data, data deduplication technology significantly affects today’s era of massive data growth. In recent years, due to the rapid development of a series of related industries, such as marine monitoring, the marine monitoring data has exploded, leading to higher storage costs for marine observation stations. In the face of the surge in data size, we first think of using data deduplication technology to reduce the stored data to save storage costs. However, we have many choices for data deduplication technology. Because-block level data deduplication technology can better complete the task, and the core technology of block-level data deduplication technology is how to cut data blocks, this paper proposes a dual sliding window-based segmentation technology. The structure of double sliding windows makes the divided data block size more average to reduce the consumption of the fingerprint table in memory. At the same time, we add a prediction algorithm to the data deduplication system to predict the cutting point of the data block to improve the cutting efficiency. In addition, we propose a more accurate calculation method of the deduplication ratio, which can more accurately compare the algorithm’s performance and obtain the final experimental results of this paper by using this calculation method. Moreover, we propose a model based on Markov prediction to store massive ocean data, which can save more resources. At the end of the article, we compared the commonly used segmentation algorithms through careful experiments. Finally, we obtained and will use the public dataset experiment to compare the same checking rate at the end of this article.

Abstract The integrity of the structure and function of the endometrium is essential for the maintenance of fertility. However, the repair mechanisms of uterine injury remain largely unknown. Here, we showed that the disturbance of mechanical cue homeostasis occurs after uterine injury. Applying a multimodal approach, we identified YAP as a sensor of biophysical forces that drives endometrial regeneration. Through protein activation level analysis of the combinatorial space of mechanical force strength and of the presence of particular kinase inhibitors and gene silencing reagents, we demonstrated that mechanical cues related to extracellular matrix rigidity can turn off the Rap1a switch, leading to the inactivation of ARHGAP35and then induced activation of RhoA, which in turn depends on the polymerization of the agonist protein F-actin to activate YAP. Further study confirmed that mechanotransduction significantly accelerates remodeling of the uterus by promoting the proliferation of endometrial stromal cells in vitro and in vivo. These studies provide new insights into the dynamic regulatory mechanisms behind uterine remodeling and the function of mechanotransduction. Video Abstract

Abstract Background Amorpha-4,11-diene synthase (ADS) is a key enzyme in the artemisinin biosynthetic pathway. ADS promotes the first step of artemisinin synthesis by cyclizing faresyl pyrophosphate to synthesize the sesquiterpene product amorpha-4,11-diene. Thanks to the continuous improvement of genomic information, its evolutionary trace can be analyzed in a genome view. Methods Phylogenetic analysis was used to identify ADS-like genes in other Asteraceae. Gene structure and motif analysis was used to analyze the structural similarity of these identified genes. Heterologous expression and GC–MS analysis were performed to determine whether the functions of ADS and Cna4666 are consistent. Validation of ADS genes evolutionary trajectories was achieved by selective pressure and synteny analysis. Result In this study, we extracted 8 ADS genes from the Artemisia annua L. genome annotation and 121 ADS similar genes from the genomes of Artemisia annua L. and other plants in the Asteraceae, and further exploring their evolutionary relationship. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the genes most closely related to ADS genes were found in the genome of Chrysanthemum nankingense. Among them, the gene structure and motif composition of Cna4666 is very similar to ADS, we wondered whether it has the potential to synthesize amorpha-4,11-diene. Therefore, we extracted the products of recombinant p0_ADS.1 and Cna4666 proteins by HS-SPME combined with GC–MS analysis, the results indicate that Cna4666 is an α-bisabolol synthase, which cannot synthesize amorpha-4,11-diene. Through synteny analysis, we did not find collinear blocks of ADS genes in the Helianthus annuus and C. nankingense genomes. Furthermore, Ka/Ks ratios indicated that the evolution of ADS genes from their similar genes principally underwent purifying selection, and there was a strong positive selection between ADS genes. Conclusions This study proved that ADS is a multi-copy gene in Artemisia annua L., and they are not widely distributed in Asteraceae. The data will increase our understanding of the evolutionary selection pressure on ADS genes. The results suggest that ADS genes are subject to strong positive selection internally, and it is possible that they are a recently evolved gene in the Artemisia.

ABSTRACT: The addition of Bifidobacterium to goat milk has dual effects on health, for which various inherent nutrients of goat milk are retained and live probiotics are provided. We explored the effect of Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis Probio-M8 (Probio-M8) on fermentation characteristics, formation of organic acid, sensory properties, and storage characteristics of fermented goat milk (with added 4.0% sucrose). Addition of Probio-M8 decreased the fermentation time and significantly increased the content of functional organic acids, such as acetic acid, and functional long-chain unsaturated fatty acids, including linoleic acid, α-linolenic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid. Furthermore, the contents of medium-chain and short-chain fatty acids, which are related to “goaty” flavor, were significantly lower in the Probio-M8 treatment compared with the control. The number of living Probio-M8 decreased from 8.27 log cfu/mL (1.80 × 108 cfu/mL) to 7.94 log cfu/mL (0.79 × 108 cfu/mL) after 28 d of storage. Titratable acidity and pH value did not differ between the control group and experimental group (containing Probio-M8). Sensory evaluation indicated a lower goaty flavor and odor in the Probio-M8 fermented milk. Our results suggest that the addition of the probiotic Probio-M8 could improve the sensory, physicochemical, and functional properties of fermented goat milk.

Abstract Protein–protein binding enables orderly biological self‐organization and is therefore considered a miracle of nature. Protein‒protein binding is driven by electrostatic forces, hydrogen bonding, van der Waals force, and hydrophobic interactions. Among these physical forces, only hydrophobic interactions can be considered long‐range intermolecular attractions between proteins due to the electrostatic shielding of surrounding water molecules. Low‐entropy hydration shells around proteins drive hydrophobic attraction among them that essentially coordinate protein‒protein binding. Here, an innovative method is developed for identifying low‐entropy regions of hydration shells of proteins by screening off pseudohydrophilic groups on protein surfaces and revealing that large low‐entropy regions of the hydration shells typically cover the binding sites of individual proteins. According to an analysis of determined protein complex structures, shape matching between a large low‐entropy hydration shell region of a protein and that of its partner at the binding sites is revealed as a universal law. Protein‒protein binding is thus found to be mainly guided by hydrophobic collapse between the shape‐matched low‐entropy hydration shells that is verified by bioinformatics analyses of hundreds of structures of protein complexes, which cover four test systems. A simple algorithm is proposed to accurately predict protein binding sites.

Background Prostate cancer (PCa) is among the most prevalent cancers in males with high biochemical recurrence risk. LINC00106 contributes to the carcinogenesis of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, it is unclear how it affects PCa advancement. Here, we studied LINC00106’s effects on PCa cells’ ability to proliferate, invade, and metastasize. Methods The data of LINC00106 from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) in human PCa tissues were analyzed using TANRIC and survival analysis. In order to determine the expression levels of genes and proteins, we also performed reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blot analysis. The migration, invasion, colony formation, and proliferation (CCK-8) of PCa cells with LINC00106 knockdown were investigated. The impact of LINC00106 on cell proliferation and invasion was also analyzed in mice. LncRNA prediction software catRAPID omics v2.1 (catRAPID omics v2.0 (tartaglialab.com)) was used to predict proteins that might interact with LINC00106. The interactions were verified via RNA immunoprecipitation and RNA pull-down assays and finally, the interaction between LINC00106 and its target protein and the p53 signaling pathway was studied using a dual-luciferase reporter assay. Results In PCa, LINC00106 was over-expressed in comparison to normal tissues, and it was linked to an unfavorableprognosis. In vitro and in vivo analyses showed that downregulating LINC00106 decreased PCa cells’ability to proliferate and migrate. A common regulatory axis generated by LINC00106 and RPS19BP1 prevents p53 activity. Conclusion Our experimental data indicate that LINC00106 functions as an oncogene in the onset of PCa, and the LINC00106/RPS19BP1/P53 axis canserve as a novel therapeutic target for PCa treatment.

The magnetically hardened shells constructed by the spontaneous core–shell structure due to the enrichment of Y in the core region of (Y/RE)-Fe-B facilitate the enhancement of coercivity. In this work, we systematically compared the metallurgical behaviors of Y in R2Fe14B (RE = Nd, Tb) to investigate the modulation effect of Y on the distribution of REs in the matrix phase. During the strip casting, Y was depleted in the RE-rich phase in Y1/3Nd2/3-Fe-B while enriched in Y1/3Tb2/3-Fe-B. Under the sintering and annealing, Y was simultaneously enriched in the core of matrix phase grain, resulting in the spontaneously formation of Y-rich core and Nd-rich shell structure as well as the Y-rich core and Tb-rich shell structure. Further statistics on the concentration distribution of Y in the matrix phase indicated that the degree of aggregation for Y in Y1/3Nd2/3-Fe-B is higher than that of Y1/3Tb2/3-Fe-B, due to the different formation energy of Re2Fe14B phases. Notably, the spontaneous Y-rich core and Tb-rich shell structure demonstrates the modulation effect of Y on the distribution of Tb, inspiring an innovative scheme for construction of magnetically hardened shells.

Vessel segmentation in optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is crucial for the detection and diagnosis of various eye diseases. However, it is hard to distinguish intricate vessel morphology and quantify the density of blood vessels due to the large variety of vessel sizes, significant background noise, and small datasets. To this end, a retinal angiography multi-scale segmentation network, integrated with the inception and squeeze-and-excitation modules, is proposed to address the above challenges under the one-shot learning paradigm. Specifically, the inception module extends the receptive field and extracts multi-scale features effectively to handle diverse vessel sizes. Meanwhile, the squeeze-and-excitation module modifies channel weights adaptively to improve the vessel feature extraction ability in complex noise backgrounds. Furthermore, the one-shot learning paradigm is adapted to alleviate the problem of the limited number of images in existing retinal OCTA vascular datasets. Compared with the classic U2-Net, the proposed model gains improvements in the Dice coefficient, accuracy, precision, recall, and intersection over union by 3.74%, 4.72%, 8.62%, 4.87%, and 4.32% respectively. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed one-shot learning method is an effective solution for retinal angiography image segmentation.

The infectivity of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is primarily determined by the binding affinity between the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein and the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. Here, through screening off pseudo hydrophilic groups on protein surfaces, the distribution of low-entropy regions on hydration shells of the ACE2 receptor and the RBDs of multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants was demonstrated. Shape matching between the low-entropy hydration shells of multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants and the ACE2 receptor has been identified as a mechanism that drives hydrophobic attraction between the RBDs and the ACE2 receptor, which estimates the binding affinity. Low-entropy regions of the hydration shells, which play important roles in determining the binding of other viruses and their receptors, are demonstrated. The RBD–ACE2 binding is thus found to be guided by hydrophobic collapse between the shape-matched low-entropy regions of the hydration shells of the proteins. A measure of the low-entropy status of the hydration shells can be estimated by calculating genuine hydrophilic groups within the binding sites. An important indicator of the contagiousness of SARS-CoV-2 variants is the low-entropy level of its hydration shells at the spike protein binding site.

Quantifying the genetic diversity present in plant populations is crucial for the success of selection of elite plants and breeding programs. The population structure and partition of genetic variance within and between plant populations allows inferences about the distribution and extent of variation available in plant breeding populations. The Chinese pine (Pinus tabuliformis Carriere) is a native species that is ecologically and economically important to Northern China. Studying the genetic variation and partition of P. tabuliformis will be invaluable for its efficient utilization. In this study, we selected 21 pairs of SSR primers to estimate the genetic diversity of 35 clones from four populations and 216 progenies from 22 full-sib families of P. tabuliformis. Our results showed that P. tabuliformis was a typical outcrossing plant (FIS = −0.053/−0.165) containing moderately high genetic diversity (He = 0.542/0.605) both for the clone populations and the progenies produced by the clone crosses via controlled pollination. The genetic differentiation between the clones (FST = 0.076) was lower than that between the full-sib progenies (FST = 0.155). Such diverse FST may be promoted by different gene flows (Nm = 3.881/1.546) due to distinct pollination patterns. The clustering methods showed a lack of significant division of the clone populations, with a similar genetic admixture found for each of the clones. However, two groups were found between the full-sib families with genetic admixture between them. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that the most plentiful genetic variability exists between the cloned individuals (98%) as well as within the full-sib progenies (89%). Such distribution of genetic variation suggests rich internal variance and thus it is feasible to select the elite plants within each population or family. These results provide genetic materials and theoretical guidance for the selection and breeding of the Chinese pine.

ABSTRACT: Lacticaseibacillus paracasei PC-01 is a probiotic candidate isolated from naturally fermented yak milk in Lhasa, Tibet, and it has been shown to possess excellent milk fermentation properties. This study used Lacticaseibacillus paracasei PC-01 as a co-fermentation strain to investigate the effect of inoculum size with a commercial starter in milk fermentation on the product flavor and profile of volatile metabolites over 28 d of cold storage. Lacticaseibacillus paracasei PC-01 was allowed to ferment in pasteurized milk with or without the commercial starter (YF-L904) at 42°C until the pH decreased to 4.5. The finished fermented milks were stored at 10°C for 28 d. Milk samples were taken at hour 0 (before fermentation) and then at d 1, 14, and 28 of cold storage. Different inoculum sizes of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei PC-01 had no significant effect on pH or titratable acidity during storage of fermented milk. Viable counts of strain PC-01 continued to increase during cold storage of the fermented milk. Generally, as storage of fermented milk proceeded, the overall sensory quality score decreased in all groups. However, the overall sensory scores of PC-01-M were generally higher than those of other groups, suggesting that a medium dose of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei PC-01 had the most obvious effect of slowing the decline in sensory quality of fermented milk during storage. Changes in sensory scores and consumer preferences were accompanied by increases in both the quantity and variety of key volatile metabolites in fermented milk during fermentation, post-ripening (d 1), and storage. Major differentially abundant metabolites, including acetaldehyde, methyl ketones, medium-chain and short-chain fatty acids, 2,3-butanedione, and acetoin, were enriched in fermented milks rated highly in the sensory evaluation. Our data confirmed that the inoculum size of co-fermentative culture affected the sensory quality and volatile metabolome of fermented milk over storage, and an optimal range of co-fermentative culture was titrated in this work.

ABSTRACT: Probiotic fermented milk is more and more popular due to their positive health associated properties. However, fermentation temperature and other process conditions may affect the growth and metabolism of probiotic strains, thereby affecting quality of the final products. In this study, the growth behaviors and metabolomic profiles of yogurts induced by Lactobacillus casei Zhang at fermentation termination (FT) and d 10 of storage (S10d) under different fermentation temperatures at 37°C (low) and 42°C (high) were analyzed and compared using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (MS)- and gas chromatography-MS-based metabolomics approaches. At 37°C, the growth of L. casei Zhang at FT and S10d was significantly increased, and the potential relationship between riboflavin, starch, and sucrose metabolism and growth of L. casei Zhang may be mutually promoting. Fermentation temperature (37°C and 42°C) affected volatile and nonvolatile metabolomic profiles and pathways. The levels of acetaldehyde, 2,3-butanedione, acetoin, butyric acid, decanoic acid, hexanoic acid, and octanoic acid were significantly higher at 37°C than at 42°C at FT and S10d. This indicates that the low temperature (37°C) most likely contributes more to the formation of important flavor compounds during the fermentation process and production of short-chain fatty acids during storage.

Osteoclast over-activation leads to bone loss and chloride homeostasis is important for osteoclast function. Here, the authors show that Anoctamin 1 controls bone resorption by coupling Cl− channel activation with RANKL-RANK signaling transduction.

Based on the generalized Hellinger-Reissner (H-R) mixed variational principle, the incompatible generalized partial mixed finite element method (IGPMFEM) is proposed in this paper for the thermomechanical stress analysis of laminated composites and sandwich plates. This method inherits the advantages of the generalized mixed element method, allowing for the simultaneous introduction of displacement and stress boundary conditions, and satisfies the discontinuity of the in-plane stresses at the material interface. Introduction of incompatible displacement mode adds higher-order terms in the polynomial expansion of the exact displacements, effectively improving the bending performance and the element accuracy. Although adding stress components would normally increase the computational effort, we address this issue by the elimination method, considering only the out-of-plane stress variables to reduce the matrix dimensions. The accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed method are evaluated by comparing the numerical results of this method with existing elasticity solutions, while the effect of stress boundary conditions is also investigated.

BackgroundObligatory exercise has been shown to have negative physical and mental effects on exercisers and is more prevalent among young people. However, there is limited research on obligatory exercise among young men. Social comparison theory offers a novel perspective to explore the relationship between sociocultural factors and obligatory exercise among young men, which offers an opportunity to understand potential factors contributing to obligatory exercise among young men across different cultures.MethodWe recruited a purposive sample of young people aged 18-30 from Poland (n=79) and China (n=194). Participants completed self-report measures including the Sociocultural Attitudes Toward Appearance Questionnaire3, Inventory of Physical Activity Objectives, and Obligatory Exercise Questionnaire. In the data analysis stage, we examined the strength of the relationships between the independent variables and the dependent variable through multiple regression analysis, and tested the role of the mediating variables.ResultsThe main analyses revealed that Internalization-Athlete was a common direct predictor of obligatory exercise for both Polish and Chinese young men; that there were direct sociocultural predictors of obligatory exercise that were only used in relation to Polish or Chinese young men; and that social adaptation goals for motivation for physical activity mediated the development of obligatory exercise for Polish and Chinese young men, and that there were cross-cultural differences.ConclusionAttention should be paid to their attitudes towards the idea of a muscular and athletic body and socially adapted physical activity motivations when understanding young men’s obligatory exercise, while also considering cross-cultural differences.

Abstract Reticulon 3 (RTN3), an endoplasmic reticulum protein, is crucial in neurodegenerative and kidney diseases. However, the role of RTN3 in liver tissues has not been described. Here, we employed public datasets, patients, and several animal models to explore the role of RTN3 in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The underlying mechanisms were studied in primary hepatocytes and L02 cells in vitro. We found an increased expression of RTN3 in NAFLD patients, high‐fat diet mice, and oxidized low‐density lipoprotein‐treated L02 cells. The RTN3 transgenic mice exhibited the phenotypes of fatty liver and lipid accumulation. Single‐cell RNA sequencing analysis indicated that increased RTN3 might induce mitochondrial dysfunction. We further showed this in primary hepatocytes, the L02 cell line, and the Caenorhabditis elegans strain. Mechanistically, RTN3 regulated these events through its interactions with glucose‐regulated protein 78 (GRP78), which further inhibited the adenosine 5 monophosphate‐activated protein kinase (AMPK)–isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 (IDH2) pathway. In the end, knockout of RTN3 relieved fatty liver and mitochondrial dysfunction. Our study indicated that RTN3 was important in NAFLD and lipid catabolism and that an increase in RTN3 in the liver might be a risk factor for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and NAFLD.

Summary: Background: Some observational studies found that dyslipidaemia is a risk factor for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and lipid-lowering drugs may lower NAFLD risk. However, it remains unclear whether dyslipidaemia is causative for NAFLD. This Mendelian randomisation (MR) study aimed to explore the causal role of lipid traits in NAFLD and evaluate the potential effect of lipid-lowering drug targets on NAFLD. Methods: Genetic variants associated with lipid traits and variants of genes encoding lipid-lowering drug targets were extracted from the Global Lipids Genetics Consortium genome-wide association study (GWAS). Summary statistics for NAFLD were obtained from two independent GWAS datasets. Lipid-lowering drug targets that reached significance were further tested using expression quantitative trait loci data in relevant tissues. Colocalisation and mediation analyses were performed to validate the robustness of the results and explore potential mediators. Findings: No significant effect of lipid traits and eight lipid-lowering drug targets on NAFLD risk was found. Genetic mimicry of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) enhancement was associated with lower NAFLD risks in two independent datasets (OR1 = 0.60 [95% CI 0.50–0.72], p1 = 2.07 × 10−8; OR2 = 0.57 [95% CI 0.39–0.82], p2 = 3.00 × 10−3). A significant MR association (OR = 0.71 [95% CI, 0.58–0.87], p = 1.20 × 10−3) and strong colocalisation association (PP.H4 = 0.85) with NAFLD were observed for LPL expression in subcutaneous adipose tissue. Fasting insulin and type 2 diabetes mediated 7.40% and 9.15%, respectively, of the total effect of LPL on NAFLD risk. Interpretation: Our findings do not support dyslipidaemia as a causal factor for NAFLD. Among nine lipid-lowering drug targets, LPL is a promising candidate drug target in NAFLD. The mechanism of action of LPL in NAFLD may be independent of its lipid-lowering effects. Funding: Capital’s Funds for Health Improvement and Research (2022-4-4037). CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (CIFMS, grant number: 2021-I2M-C&T-A-010).

Vaginitis is the most common disease in gynecology. Vaginal dysbiosis is a main reason of bacteria vaginitis (BV), as the disrupted microecological environment facilitates the growth of various vaginal pathogens. The most dominant bacteria in the vaginal microbiota are lactic acid bacteria, which are important for maintaining vaginal health. At present, antibiotics and other drugs are often used in clinical treatment, but there are many adverse reactions and easy to relapse, and the intervention of probiotics can help restore vaginal microbiota and alleviate BV. This study is a human clinical trial of 50 patients with bacterial vaginitis (BV). The alleviation effect of applying a postbiotic gel for one week in BV was evaluated. Changes in patients’ clinical indicators of BV (properties of vaginal secretion) and the vaginal microbiota after using the postbiotic gel were monitored. Our results showed that apply the postbiotic gel improved the symptoms of BV, indicated by improvement in the abnormalities of patients’ vaginal secretions. After applying the gel, the relative abundance of vaginal lactobacilli increased compared to baseline. Significant negative correlations were found between lactobacilli and potential vaginal pathogens (including Gardnerella, Prevotella, and Atopobium), as well as the abnormalities of the vaginal secretion. Overall, our results showed that applying the postbiotic gel ameliorated BV, and the symptom improvement was accompanied by significant changes in the bacterial vaginal microbiota. Our study provides valuable clinical data in managing BV.

Accurate localization of central nervous system (CNS) drug distribution in the brain is quite challenging to matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry imaging (MSI), owing to the ionization competition/suppression of highly abundant endogenous biomolecules and MALDI matrix. Herein, we developed a highly efficient sample preparation technique, laser-assisted chemical transfer (LACT), to enhance the detection sensitivity of CNS drugs in brain tissues. A focused diode laser source transilluminated the tissue slide coated with α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid, an optimal matrix to highly absorb the laser radiation at 405 nm, and a very thin-layer chemical film mainly containing drug molecule was transferred to the acceptor glass slide. Subsequently, MALDI MSI was performed on the chemical film without additional sample treatment. One major advantage of LACT is to minimize ionization competition/suppression from the tissue itself by removing abundant endogenous lipid and protein components. The superior performance of LACT led to the successful visualization of regional distribution patterns of 16 CNS drugs in the mouse brain. Furthermore, the dynamic spatial changes of risperidone and its metabolite were visualized over a 24-h period. Also, the brain-to-plasma (B/P) ratio could be obtained according to MALDI MSI results, providing an alternative means to assess brain penetration in drug discovery.

China is on the stage of rapid population aging while still in the process of health transition, with the morbidity and mortality spectrum harboring great and complex population health and safety risks; the situation poses a huge challenge for public health. This study proposed to establish a health reporting system adapted to national context and needs in the perspective of system optimization. Population economics-based cost-benefit analyses were conducted to evaluate the benefits of this new system. The results indicate that health reporting system is a further development of health surveillance system; current development of public health system and service system is in the turn of “system balance” to “system imbalance” and an important manifestation of institutional innovations and optimization. The direct benefits of the health reporting system include economic cost savings and data and information resources generated by population coverage; the indirect benefits of the system contain health gains contributed to the utilization of the health reporting system.

CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing has emerged as a powerful biotechnological tool, that relies on Cas9 protein and single guided RNA (sgRNA) to edit target DNA. However, the lack of safe and efficient delivery carrier is one of the crucial factors restricting its clinical transformation. Here, we report an ionizable lipid nanoparticle (iLP181, pKa = 6.43) based on iLY1809 lipid enabling robust gene editing in vitro and in vivo. The iLP181 effectively encapsulate psgPLK1, the best-performing plasmid expressing for both Cas9 protein and sgRNA targeting Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1). The iLP181/psgPLK1 nanoformulation showed uniformity in size, regular nanostructure and nearly neutral zeta potential at pH 7.4. The nanoformulation effectively triggered editing of PLK1 gene with more than 30% efficiency in HepG2-Luc cells. iLP181/psgPLK1 significantly accumulated in the tumor for more than 5 days after a single intravenous injection. In addition, it also achieved excellent tumor growth suppression compared to other nucleic acid modalities such as siRNA, without inducing adverse effects to the main organs including the liver and kidneys. This study not only provides a clinically-applicable lipid nanocarrier for delivering CRISPR/Cas system (even other bioactive molecules), but also constitutes a potential cancer treatment regimen base on DNA editing of oncogenes.

In order to better plan new or update sewer pipe condition assessment protocols, this paper presents systematic comparisons of four of the most widely used sewer condition assessment protocols, including the fourth edition of the Sewer Rehabilitation Manual (SRM-4) in the UK, the Pipeline Assessment and Certification Program (PACP) in America, the Sewer Physical Condition Grading Protocols (SPCCM) in Canada, and the Technical Specification for Inspection and Evaluation of Urban Sewer (TSIEUR) in China. In the qualitative comparison, the defects categories, deduct values, and assessment methods of the four protocols are analyzed. A new concept of defect weight is firstly introduced to make comparisons between protocols applicable and easy; in the quantitative comparison, the protocols are used to evaluate the same 182 sewer pipe segments based on field data and the assessment results are compared. It is found that the main reasons for the different evaluation results are due to the different defect weights and evaluation methods used. Finally, PACP shows obvious advantages and is recommended for asset managers when making new or updating protocols in the future.

Chinese pine (Pinus tabuliformis) is a conifer species endemic to the temperate, warm temperate, and semi-arid regions of China. It has important ecological and economic values, but lacks suitable molecular markers for genetic studies. In this study, we collected open-pollinated progeny seeds from four provenances: Ningcheng (Nc), Qinyuan (Qy), Weichang (Wc), and Pingquan (Pq). We sequenced the transcriptomes of open-pollinated progeny seedlings from four provenances and annotated 18,244 unigenes. We analyzed the expression of genes involved in the auxin indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), cytokinin (CTK), and gibberellin (GA) signaling pathways among the provenances. Additionally, we detected 2811 expressed sequence tag simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) loci in 2360 unigenes, with a frequency of 14.83% and an average of one locus per 14,556 base pairs (bp). We developed 10 polymorphic primers from 67 pairs and tested them on 56 samples from the four provenances. These primers exhibited moderate to high polymorphism and distinguished all samples clearly. Our study reveals variation in growth and development among open-pollinated progeny seedlings from different provenances of Chinese pine and provides novel markers for its genetic diversity study and marker-assisted breeding.

Surface electromyography (sEMG) is a promising technology that can capture muscle activation signals to control robots through novel human–machine interfaces (HMIs). This technology has already been applied in scenarios such as prosthetic design, assisted robot control, and rehabilitation training. This article provides an overview of sEMG-based robot control, covering two important aspects: (1) sEMG signal processing and classification methods and (2) robot control strategies and methods based on sEMG. First, the article outlines the general steps in sEMG signal processing and summarizes the commonly used methods for data acquisition, pre-processing, and feature extraction. In addition, machine-learning-based pattern recognition methods have been introduced for sEMG signal classification. Subsequently, user intent-based robot control strategies are classified into three categories: full-human continuous control, semi-autonomous continuous control, and discrete control, and their control methods and applicable scenarios are compared. Finally, this article discusses the advantages, disadvantages, and future development prospects of sEMG-based robot control. This review provides a comprehensive overview of sEMG-based robot control, from signal processing and classification methods to robot control strategies and methods, aiming to guide future research on selecting filters, feature sets, and pattern recognition methods and to assist in establishing sEMG-driven robot control frameworks.

To investigate the adaptation mechanism of Anoplophora glabripennis to traditional resistant Fraxinus, we used metabolomics, enzyme activity detection, and 16SrRNA sequencing technology to analyze the correlation among plants, insects, and symbiotic microorganisms. The results show that a total of 19 classes and 108 different resistant metabolites were screened from xylem of Fraxinus pennsylvanica and Fraxinus chinensis. Except iridoids, lignin, alkaloids, and derivatives; amines, cinnamic acids, and derivatives; and amino acids and derivatives, the rest of them were abundant in F. chinensis. The activity of digestive enzymes and detoxifying enzymes in the intestinal of F. pennsylvanica feeder was significantly higher than that of F. chinensis feeder. After feeding on two hosts, there were significant differences in the intestinal bacterial community of A. glabripennis. At the phylum level, the dominant phyla of intestinal bacteria after feeding on F. pennsylvanica and F. chinensis were Proteobacteria and Firmicutes, respectively. At the genus level, Raoultella (55.79%) and Lactococcus (57.52%) were the most dominant bacteria, respectively. The correlation analysis shows that β-glucosidase, exo-β-1,4-glucanase, lipase, carboxylesterase, and cytochrome P450 had a significant negative correlation with sesquiterpenoids, amino acids, and derivatives, and a significant positive correlation with lignin and amines. Raoultella, unclassified Enterobactriaceae, and Enterobacter in the gut community were negatively correlated with sesquiterpenes and amino acid derivatives and significantly positively correlated with lignin and amines. The correlations with defensive substances for Lactococcus, Enterococcus, and Gibbsiella were the exact opposite of those for these gut communities. This can provide a new idea for the prevention and control of A. glabripennis by studying the interaction among plants, insects and intestinal symbiotic microorganisms.

In the laser sintering (LS) printing process, a printed part is formed by sintering layer-by-layer on the powder bed. Thus, it is necessary to consider the dimensional accuracy of the laser-sintered powder bed as an important evaluation index. In this paper, a generalized powder bed–size accuracy compensation model is proposed for non-crystalline thermoplastic polymer materials. Taking polyethersulfone (PES) material as an example, the main factors influencing powder bed dimensional accuracy during LS printing are modeled and analyzed experimentally in this study, including four important factors: laser reference deviation, temperature deviation, density deviation, and secondary sintering deviation. In this study, CX_A200 LS equipment is used for prototyping and verification, a 3D scanning method is used to measure the printed parts, and the measurement results are digitally compared and analyzed. On this basis, the relationship of each influencing factor in the proposed compensation model is determined experimentally, and the experimental results demonstrate that the proposed compensation model is approximately 95% effective in terms of correcting the deviation of powder bed dimensional accuracy.

In recent years, three simple tracers (conductivity, turbidity and temperature) have shown their advantages to many other tracers for tracing and assessment of extraneous water (or inflow and infiltration, I/I) into sewer systems due to low detection cost and high monitoring frequency. A better understanding of the error and uncertainty of the three simple tracers on the quantification of I/I will help to improve the reliability and reduce the cost of actual projects. A large-scale experimental model simulating a 36 m long sewer was constructed for conducting extraneous water flow tests including groundwater infiltration, wastewater inflow and hot water inflow under different I/I flow rates and concentrations. The accuracy and uncertainty of the three tracers were estimated, and their correlation with tracer concentration difference before and after extraneous inflow was also analyzed. Experimental results provide guidance for the practical applicability of the three tracers under different I/I conditions. HIGHLIGHTS Large-scale experimental tests were conducted to evaluate three simple tracers for I/I assessment.; The accuracy and uncertainty of three simple tracers were evaluated.; The suitable conditions for each of the three tracers were illustrated.;