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Bird wings are exquisite mechanisms integrated with multiple morphological deformation joints. The larger avian species are particularly adept at utilizing their wings' flapping, folding, and twisting motions to control the wing angle and area. These motions mainly involve different types of spanwise folding and chordwise twisting. It is wondered whether the agile maneuverability of birds is based on the complex coupling of these wing morphing changes. To investigate this issue, we designed a two-section wing structure ornithopter capable of simultaneously controlling both spanwise folding and chordwise twisting and applied it to research on heading control. The experimental data collected from outdoor flights describe the differing flight capabilities between the conventional and two-section active twist wing states, indicating that incorporating an active twist structure enhances the agility and maneuverability of this novel flapping aircraft. In the experiments on yaw control, we observed some peculiar phenomena: although the twisting motion of the active twist ornithopter wings resembles that of a fixed-wing aileron control, due to the intricate coupling of the wing flapping and folding, the ornithopter, under the control of active twist structures, exhibited a yaw direction opposite to the expected direction (directly applying the logic assumed by the fixed-wing aileron control). Addressing this specific phenomenon, we provide a plausible model explanation. In summary, our study with active twist mechanisms on ornithopters corroborates the positive impact of active deformation on their attitude agility, which is beneficial for the design of similar bio-inspired aircraft in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foam concrete is a typical cement-based porous material; its special microstructure endows it with excellent properties, such as light weight, energy efficiency, thermal insulation, and fire resistance. Therefore, it is widely used as a thermal insulation material for buildings. The heat transfer modes of foam concrete include conduction, convection, and radiation. However, previous studies considered conduction to be the dominant mode, often neglecting the effects of convection and radiation. In this study, a stochastic numerical model of the foam concrete microstructure is established based on the statistical parameters of the pore structure. With this model, the heat transfer mechanism of foam concrete is analyzed at the mesoscopic level, and the equivalent thermal conductivity is calculated. By comparing four different working conditions, the influence of conduction, convection, and radiation on the heat transfer of foam concrete is analyzed, and the specific contribution rates of conduction, convection, and radiation are calculated. The results show that the convection effect is weak due to the pore size being smaller than 1 mm ; so, the influence of convection can be neglected in the heat transfer analysis of foam concrete. The contribution of radiation increases with the decrease in foam concrete density and the increase in temperature difference. When the temperature difference is 40 °C and the density is 300 kg / m 3 , the contribution of radiation exceeds 20 %. Therefore, for low-density and high-temperature difference situations, the influence of radiation cannot be ignored. The heat transfer in foam concrete is mainly through conduction, but with the decrease in density and the increase in temperature difference, the contribution of conduction shows a downward trend. Nevertheless, the contribution of conduction is still much larger than that of radiation and convection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional printed concrete (3DPC) is an anisotropic heterogeneous material composed of a concrete matrix and the interfaces between layers and filaments that form during printing. The overall ion transport properties can be characterized by the equivalent diffusion coefficient. This paper first establishes a theoretical model to calculate the equivalent diffusion coefficient of 3DPC. Verification through numerical calculations shows that this theoretical model is highly precise. Based on this, the model was used to analyze the effects of dimensionless interface parameters on the equivalent diffusion coefficients in different directions of 3DPC. Finally, the dynamic ionic transport properties of 3DPC were investigated through finite element numerical simulation. The results of the dynamic study indicate that interfaces have a significant impact on the ion distribution and its evolution within 3DPC. The product of the interface diffusion coefficient and interface size can represent the ionic transport capacity of an interface. The stronger the ionic transport capacity of an interface, the higher the ion concentration at that interface. Due to the "drainage" effect of lateral interfaces, the ion concentration in the middle of 3DPC with a smaller equivalent diffusion coefficient is higher than that in 3DPC with a larger equivalent diffusion coefficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mesenchymal (MES) subtype of glioblastoma (GBM) stem cells (GSCs) represents a subpopulation of cancer cells that are notorious for their highly aggressive nature and resistance to conventional therapy. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A3 (ALDH1A3) has been recently suggested as a key determinant for the maintenance of MES features of GSCs. However, the mechanisms underpinning aberrant ALDH1A3 expression remain elusive. Here, we identified ubiquitin-specific protease 9X (USP9X) as a bona fide deubiquitinase of ALDH1A3 in MES GSCs. USP9X interacted with, depolyubiquitylated, and stabilized ALDH1A3. Moreover, we showed that FACS-sorted [USP9X.sup.hi] cells were enriched for MES GSCs with high ALDH1A3 activity and potent tumorigenic capacity. Depletion of USP9X markedly downregulated ALDH1A3, resulting in a loss of self-renewal and tumorigenic capacity of MES GSCs, which could be largely rescued by ectopic expression of ALDH1A3. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the USP9X inhibitor WP1130 induced ALDH1A3 degradation and showed marked therapeutic efficacy in MES GSC-derived orthotopic xenograft models. Additionally, USP9X strongly correlated with ALDH1A3 expression in primary human GBM samples and had a prognostic value for patients with the MES subgroup. Collectively, our findings unveil USP9X as a key deubiquitinase for ALDH1A3 protein stabilization and a potential target for GSC-directed therapy., Introduction Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and devastating human brain malignancy characterized by extensive intratumoral heterogeneity (1, 2). Despite recent advances in multimodal treatments, the outcomes for GBM patients [...]

Background: Brain MRI scanner variability can introduce bias in measurements. Harmonizing scanner variability is crucial. Purpose: To develop a harmonization method aimed at removing scanner variability, and to evaluate the consistency of results in multicenter studies. Study Type: Retrospective. Population: Multicenter data from 170 healthy participants (males/females = 98/72; age = 73.8 ± 7.3) and 170 Alzheimer's disease patients (males/females = 98/72; age = 76.2 ± 8.5) were compared with reference data from another 340 participants. Field Strength/Sequence: 3‐T, magnetization prepared rapid gradient echo and turbo field echo; 1.5‐T, inversion recovery prepared fast spoiled gradient echo T1‐weighted sequences. Assessment: Gray matter (GM) brain images, obtained through segmentation of T1‐weighted images, were utilized to evaluate the performance of the harmonization method using common orthogonal basis extraction (HCOBE) and four other methods (removal of artificial voxel effect by linear regression, RAVEL; Z_score; general linear model, GLM; ComBat). Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was used to access the effectiveness of different methods in reducing scanner variability. The performance of harmonization methods in preserving GM volumes heterogeneity was evaluated by the similarity of the relationship between GM proportion and age in the reference and multicenter data. Furthermore, the consistency of the harmonized multicenter data with the reference data were evaluated based on classification results (train/test = 7/3) and brain atrophy. Statistical Tests: Two‐sample t‐tests, area under the curve (AUC), and Dice coefficients were used to analyze the consistency of results from the reference and harmonized multicenter data. A P‐value <0.01 was considered statistically significant. Results: HCOBE reduced the scanner variability from 0.09 before harmonization to 0.003 (ideal: 0, RAVEL/Z_score/GLM/ComBat = 0.087/0.003/0.006/0.013). GM volumes showed no significant difference (P = 0.52) between the reference and HCOBE‐harmonized multicenter data. Consistency evaluation showed that AUC values of 0.95 for both reference and HCOBE‐harmonized multicenter data (RAVEL/Z_score/GLM/ComBat = 0.86/0.86/0.84/0.89), and the Dice coefficient increased from 0.73 before harmonization to 0.82 (ideal: 1, RAVEL/Z_score/GLM/ComBat = 0.39/0.64/0.59/0.74). Data Conclusion: HCOBE may help to remove scanner variability and could improve the consistency of results in multicenter studies. Level of Evidence: 2 Technical Efficacy Stage: 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate the influence of microbubble perfusion mode on catheter‐directed thrombolysis (CDT), we evaluated the effect of two different types of microbubble perfusion modes (continuous injection versus bolus injection) on the thrombolytic efficacy of CDT in vitro and further assessed the effect of continuous microbubble injection on CDT in vivo. Methods: In an in vitro experimental setup, 50 fresh bovine whole blood clots were randomized into five groups: ultrasound and continuous microbubble injection‐enhanced CDT (US + cMB + CDT), ultrasound and bolus microbubble injection‐enhanced CDT (US + bMB + CDT), US + CDT, US + cMB, and CDT. In a porcine femoral vein thrombosis model, 16 completely obstructive thrombi were randomly assigned to the CDT group and the US + cMB + CDT group, respectively. Thrombolysis rate, vascular recanalization rate, hematoxylin–eosin, and immunofluorescence staining were used to evaluate the thrombolytic effect in vitro and in vivo. Results: In vitro, US + cMB + CDT group resulted in a significantly higher thrombolysis rate compared with the other four groups (P <.05). Meanwhile, this group also demonstrated a looser clot structure and more disrupted fibrin structures. In vivo, US + cMB + CDT contributed to a significantly higher vascular recanalization rate compared with CDT (87.50% versus 25.00%, P <.05). Conclusions: US + cMB + CDT was more effective than US + bMB + CDT in thrombolysis, and ultrasound combined with continuous microbubble injection could enhance the thrombolytic efficacy of CDT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cubic boron nitride (cBN) single crystals present a higher expectation for deep ultraviolet (DUV) detectors. Simulations have been carried out using Synopsys TCAD to improve the performance of detectors. The light and dark current were observed by changing the parameters such as electrode spacing, doping concentration. The detector has the maximum response with the doping concentration of 1013 cm−3. The light-to-dark current is up to about 60 with an electrode width and spacing of 15 µm. The photocurrent was measured based on the prototype device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore the effect of the TSLP-DC-OX40L pathway in asthma pathogenesis and airway inflammation in mice. For this, 65 male BALF/c mice were distributed among the control, asthma, immunoglobulin G (IgG) + asthma (IgG, 500 [micro]g/500 [micro]L, intratracheal injection of 50 [micro]L each time), LY294002 (OX40L inhibitor) + asthma (intratracheal injection of 2 mg/kg LY294002), and anti-TSLP + asthma (intratracheal injection of 500 [micro]g/500 [micro]L TSLP antibody, 50 [micro]L each time) groups. ELISA was applied to measure the serum levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE), ovalbumin (OVA)-sIgE, interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-5, IL-13, and interferon-[gamma] (IFN-[gamma]); flow cytometry was employed to detect Treg cells and dendritic cell (DC) and lymphopoiesis. RT-qPCR and Western blot assays were used to measure the levels of TSLP, OX40L, T-bet, GATA-3, NF-[kappa]B, p38, and ERK. Treatment with LY294002 and anti-TSLP resulted in increases in the numbers of total cells, eosinophils, neutrophils, and lymphocytes in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid; total serum levels of IgE, OVA-sIgE, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13; levels of DC cells; lymphopoiesis; and levels of TSLP, OX40L, GATA-3, NF-[kappa]B, p38, and ERK, whereas there were decreases in the levels of IFN-[gamma] and CD[4.sup.+]CD[25.sup.+]Treg cells; CD[4.sup.+]Foxp[3.sup.+]Treg cells; and T-bet. The TSLP-DC-OX40L pathway may contribute to asthma pathogenesis and airway inflammation by modulating the levels of CD[4.sup.+]CD[25.sup.+]Treg cells and inflammatory cytokines. Key words: TSLP-DC-OX40L pathway, asthma, airway inflammation, pathogenesis, mouse model. Cette etude vise a explorer le role du sentier TSLP-CD-OX40L dans la pathogenese de l'asthme et l'inflammation des voies aeriennes chez la souris. Soixante cinq souris males BALB/c ont ete reparties en groupes controle, asthme, IgG + asthme (IgG, 500 [micro]g/500 [micro]L, injection intratracheale de 50 [micro]L a chaque fois), LY294002 (inhibiteur d'OX40L) + asthme (injection intratracheale de 2 mg/kg de LY294002) et anti-TSLP + asthme (injection intratracheale de 500 [micro]g/500 [micro]L d'anticorps anti-TSLP, 50 [micro]L a chaque fois). Un dosage par ELISA a ete realise pour mesurer les niveaux seriques d'IgE, d'ovalbumine (OVA)-sIgE, d'interleukine-4 (IL-4), d'IL-5, d'IL-13 et d'interferon-[gamma] (IFN-[gamma]). La cytometrie en flux a ete utilisee pour detecter les cellules Treg, les cellules dendritiques (CD) et la lymphopoiese. La qRT-PCR et le buvardage Western ont ete utilises pour detecter les niveaux de TSLP, d'OX40L, de T-bet, de GATA-3, de NF-[kappa]B, de p38 et de ERK. Le traitement au LY294002 et a l'anti-TSLP resultait en une augmentation du nombre de cellules totales, d'eosinophiles, de neutrophiles et de lymphocytes dans le liquide de LBA, des niveaux seriques d'IgE, d'OVA-sIgE, d'IL-4, d'IL-5 et d'IL-13, du nombre de CD, de la lymphopoiese, et des niveaux de TSLP, d'OX40L, de GATA-3, de NF-[kappa]B, de p38 et de ERK, et en une diminution des niveaux d'IFN-[gamma], du nombre de Treg CD[4.sup.+]CD[25.sup.+], de Treg CD[4.sup.+]Foxp[3.sup.+] et de T-bet. Le sentier TSLP-CD-OX40L peut contribuer a la pathogenese de l'asthme et a l'inflammation des voies aeriennes en modulant le nombre de cellules Treg CD[4.sup.+]CD[25.sup.+] et le contenu en cytokines pro-inflammatoires. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles : sentier TSLP-CD-OX40L, asthme, inflammation de voies aeriennes, pathogenese, modele de souris., Introduction Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases around the world (Huerta-Yepez et al. 2011); a disease with chronic inflammation of lower airways and characteristics of recurrent airway [...]