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According to the requirements for 450 nm blue light and 1060 nm fibre laser hybrid welding for Cu welding, we report on a novel design of hybrid laser welding device comprised of a blue diode laser and a fibre laser, including the laser isolation protection parts and the composite optical path parts. The laser isolation protection part, with the main component of birefringent crystals, is designed to prevent the laser device from being damaged. The composite optical path part includes a fibre laser mirror and a focusing lens mirror in the 1060 nm band, a diode laser focusing mirror and a dichroic lens in the 450 nm band. The results show that the hybrid laser welding device uses a dichroic mirror to achieve 97.2% transmission of 450 nm diode laser and 98.2% reflection of 1060 nm fibre laser. Moving the fibre laser mirror can realize the adjustable distance and position of the dual-beam spot, which is suitable for any welding direction. The energy loss is about 10%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many patients with chronic itch and atopic dermatitis (AD) or psoriasis do not receive/use available medical and psychosocial treatments properly due to system, provider and/or patient factors. Objective: An educational website (ITCH‐RELIEF) to improve itch‐related quality of life (QoL) for adults with AD or psoriasis and chronic itch was developed and assessed. ITCH RELIEF stands for Interactive Toolbox of Comprehensive Health Resources to Enhance Living with Itch – Educational Facilitation (for Adults). Methods: Single‐arm pre‐ and post‐test design with 1‐month follow‐up (N = 137 at baseline). Results: There was statistically and clinically significant improvement in the primary outcome of itch‐related QoL impairment as assessed by the ItchyQoL from baseline [M = 78.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 75.9, 81.9] to follow up (M = 75.4, CI = 72.4, 78.5), P = 0.007, as well as statistically significant improvement in several itch‐related secondary outcomes (all Ps < 0.05). Conclusions: This study demonstrated initial effectiveness of an online intervention to improve itch‐related QoL among individuals with AD or psoriasis and chronic itch. Future studies should address limitations by randomizing more heterogeneous participants, utilizing a longer follow‐up and assessing medication use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photoelectric dual-mode sensors, which respond to strain signal through photoelectric dual-signals, hold great promise as wearable sensors in human motion monitoring. In this work, a photoelectric dual-mode sensor based on photonic crystals hydrogel was developed for human joint motion detection. The optical signal of the sensor originated from the structural color of photonic crystals, which was achieved by tuning the polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) microspheres diameter. The reflective peak of the sensor, based on 250 nm PMMA PCs, shifted from 623 nm to 492 nm with 100% strain. Graphene was employed to enhance the electrical signal of the sensor, resulting in a conductivity increase from 9.33 × 10−4 S/m to 2 × 10−3 S/m with an increase in graphene from 0 to 8 mg·mL−1. Concurrently, the resistance of the hydrogel with 8 mg·mL−1 graphene increased from 160 kΩ to 485 kΩ with a gauge factor (GF) = 0.02 under 100% strain, while maintaining a good cyclic stability. The results of the sensing and monitoring of finger joint bending revealed a significant shift in the reflective peak of the photoelectric dual-mode sensor from 624 nm to 526 nm. Additionally, its resistance change rate was measured at 1.72 with a 90° bending angle. These findings suggest that the photoelectric dual-mode sensor had the capability to detect the strain signal with photoelectric dual-mode signals, and indicates its great potential for the sensing and monitoring of joint motion.

Although the greenhouse gas emissions caused by wastewater treatment are increasingly concerned, there is still a lack of research on the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, regional distribution, important influencing factors and carbon emission reduction of wastewater treatment in China in recent years. Based on the methods of Guidelines for the Preparation of Provincial Greenhouse Gas Inventories (for Trial Implementation) and IPCC 2006 Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories in 2006, the study estimates the greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater treatment in 31 provinces across the China from 2016 to 2020, the greenhouse gas emissions from different wastewater treatment processes, and the contribution of different greenhouse gas emissions. The reasons for the changes in annual emissions and the huge differences in different provinces are discussed in depth. The study showed that the total GHG emissions from wastewater treatment in China from 2016 to 2020 were 140, 137, 133, 137 and 143 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, respectively, exhibiting a downward trend and then increasing trend, which may be caused by the change of GHG emissions from industrial wastewater. The GHG emissions from wastewater treatment are uneven among different provinces in China, with the highest in Guangdong and the lowest in Xizang. Industrial wastewater treatment had the largest contribution to GHG emissions. Correlation and Contribution analysis showed that the production of processed paper, chemicals and non-staple food, which were prone to discharge large amounts of high-COD wastewater, might have an important impact on GHG emissions from wastewater treatment. Among all GHG emissions, CH_4 has the highest carbon emission (65.6%). Therefore, future efforts should focus on the abatement of CH_4 in industrial wastewater treatment processes and the development of CH_4 recycling technologies. In this paper, the GHG emissions from wastewater treatment process in our country are analyzed deeply, which provides new ideas for the wastewater treatment industry to achieve carbon emission reduction.

Water resources are basic natural and economic resources of strategic significance and are vital for the high-quality agricultural development and ecological protection of the Yellow River Basin. To implement the national strategy of ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin, it is significant to improve the use efficiency and allocation of water resources in the basin. This study focuses on the high-efficiency utilization and sustainable development of agricultural water resources, adopts the research methods of systematic hydrology, and adheres to an all-encompassing approach to food. Based on the theories and technologies for the optimal allocation of water resources in the process of high-quality agricultural development, it explores the mechanism for the hydrologic process of farmlands and investigates the challenges faced in terms of water use efficiency improvement, optimal allocation of agricultural and ecological water resources, collaborative optimization of water, food, and ecosystem, and construction of farmland information systems. Countermeasures are further proposed. This study reviews the agricultural water-saving and water resource allocation capabilities of the whole Yellow River Basin from a water cycle perspective and is expected to provide basic support for the optimal allocation of land and water resources, high-quality agricultural development, and ecological protection collaboration in the Yellow River Basin.

Abstract During legume-rhizobia symbiosis, differentiation of the symbiosome (engulfed intracellular rhizobia) is necessary for successful nitrogen fixation. To control symbiosome differentiation, host cell subcellular components, e.g., ER (endoplasmic reticulum), must adapt robustly to ensure large-scale host protein secretion to the new organelle. However, the key components controlling the adaption of ER in nodule cells remain elusive. We report that Medicago BID1, a nodule-specific signal peptide peptidase (SPP), is central to ER structural dynamics and host protein secretion. In bid1, symbiosome differentiation is blocked. BID1 localizes specifically to the ER membrane and expresses exclusively in nodule cells with symbiosomes. In the wild type ER forms proximal association structures with symbiosomes, but not in bid1. Consequently, in bid1 excessive ER stress responses are induced and ER-to-symbiosome protein secretion is impaired. In summary, a nodule-specific SPP is necessary for ER-symbiosome proximal association, host protein secretion, and symbiosome differentiation.

BackgroundGinseng Radix et Rhizoma (GS) is frequently used as an adjuvant therapy for patients with heart failure (HF). Metoprolol is widely used in patients with HF. However, there is no report on the combined effects of GS and metoprolol in patients with HF.ObjectiveThis study investigated the combined effects of GS and metoprolol in male C57BL/6J mice with HF and the underlying mechanisms.Materials and methodsWe utilized a mouse myocardial HF model to measure the serum levels of creatine kinase (CK) and creatine kinase-MB form (CK-MB) using an automated biochemical analyzer. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and cardiac troponin (cTnT) levels were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Autophagy of myocardial cells was evaluated using transmission electron microscopy, and changes in signal pathway proteins related to autophagy were analyzed by Western blotting.ResultsGS combined with metoprolol improved heart function, reduced heart damage, and decreased serum levels of CK, CK-MB, LDH, and cTnT. The combination of GS and metoprolol decreased autophagy in myocardial cells by reducing the levels of autophagy-related proteins (LC3, p62, Beclin1, and Atg5) and increasing the ratios of p-PI3K/PI3K, p-Akt/Akt, and p-mTOR/mTOR.ConclusionGS enhanced the anti-heart failure effect of metoprolol. Its mechanism of action might be related to the inhibition of autophagy mediated by the activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway.

With the rapid development of modern industry and science and technology, in recent years the fault diagnosis method based on image processing has become a research hotspot in the field of mechanical fault diagnosis. In this paper, image characteristics are extracted from multiple aspects such as image texture, color, shape, etc. A grayscale symbiotic matrix image feature extraction method is proposed. On this basis, the algorithm for extracting gray symbiotic matrix time-frequency image features is designed. At the same time, the algorithm and parameters of mechanical structure identification are optimized to identify and diagnose mechanical faults. The results show that the grayscale symbiotic matrix time-frequency image feature extraction algorithm is able to accurately diagnose the wear-type faults, overwork-type faults, and short-circuit-type fault behavior of the mechanical equipment. All of them are able to obtain more than 80% accuracy, and all of them are able to reach 99.99% accurate detection of mechanical faults, which proves the effectiveness of the method of this research.

Byline: Y. Wang, W. Ding, C. Chen, Z. Niu, M. Pan, H. Zhang Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the world, with more than 1 million [...]

We propose an approach to tune the emission of a single semiconductor quantum dot (QD) to couple with a planar cavity using hydrostatic pressure without inducing temperature variation during the process of measurement. Based on this approach, we studied the influence of cavity mode on the single-photon purity of an InAs/GaAs QD. Our measurement demonstrates that the single-photon purity degrades when the QD emission resonates with the cavity mode. This negative influence of the planar cavity is mainly caused by the cavity feeding effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was to analyze mid- to long-term outcomes of total hip arthroplasty (THA) following failed internal fixation of femoral neck fracture. Methods This study retrospectively analyzed 345 patients with femoral neck fracture who underwent THA after failure of internal fixation at our hospital between January, 2003 and December, 2019. Patients older than 55 years (n = 175) and patients no older than 55 years (n = 170) were compared in terms of complications and survival rates during follow-up, which lasted a mean of 6 years. Results The two age groups showed similarly low incidence of complications and similarly long periods of survival without revision surgery. Only three younger patients and two older patients underwent revision surgery during follow-up. The two groups showed similarly high survival rates at the end of follow-up (> 93%). Younger patients showed significantly bettter Harris hip score at last follow-up (90.2 vs. 88.1 points, p

ObjectiveTo compare the annual and age trends of the age-standard incidence rate （ASIR） and the age-standard mortality rate （ASMR） of lung cancer in countries with different human development index （HDI） from 1990 to 2019.MethodsThe data were collected from the global burden of disease study and GLOBOCAN 2020. The average annual percentage change （AAPC） and age trends of ASIR and ASMR in lung cancer were analyzed by the Joinpoint regression model， and the comparison between the four groups was analyzed by Kruskale-Wallis analysis.ResultsIn 2020， the incidence and mortality of lung cancer gradually increased with age and HDI grade. From 1990 to 2019， the global ASIR and ASMR of lung cancer decreased， and the ASIR of lung cancer among male decreased， while the ASIR of lung cancer among female increased. The results showed that ASIR of lung cancer in female residents in countries with very high HDI increased significantly from 1996 to 2011， resulting in an overall upward trend in female ASIR， while the other groups showed a downward trend. It was found that ASIR and ASMR of lung cancer in China and India were on the rise， while ASIR and ASMR of lung cancer in Russia and the United States were on the decline.ConclusionAlthough very high/high HDI countries face a higher burden of lung cancer occurrence and death， the accumulation of lung cancer burden is completed in the transitioning period. Therefore， lung cancer prevention measures in countries in transition are critical for global lung cancer control.

Objective To investigate the effect of the SMAC gene on paclitaxel sensitivity and cellular activity in lung adenocarcinoma cells based on the caspase-3/Bcl-2/Bax signaling pathway. Methods A paclitaxel-resistant cell line A549/Taxol was established for lung adenocarcinoma, and the cells were divided into four following groups: pcDNA-NC (transfected with pcDNA-NC blank vector), pcDNA-SMAC (transfected with pcDNA-SMAC vector), siRNA-NC (transfected with siRNA-NC empty virus vector), and siRNA-SMAC groups (transfected with siRNA-SMAC lentiviral vector). The SMAC mRNA expression in cells was detected by qRT-PCR; cell sensitivity was detected by MTT; cell proliferation ability was detected by cloning assay; cell invasion ability was detected by Transwell; apoptosis ability was detected by flow cytometry assay; and caspase-3, Bcl-2 and Bax protein expression in cells were detected by Western blot analysis. Results The SMAC mRNA expression was significantly lower in A549 cells compared with BEAS-2B cells (P < 0.05). The SMAC mRNA expression was significantly higher in the pcDNA-SMAC group than that in the pcDNA-NC group cells (P < 0.05). The SMAC mRNA expression was significantly lower in the cells of the siRNA-SMAC group (P < 0.05) than that in the siRNA-NC group. The SMAC mRNA expression was significantly lower in the cells of the siRNA-SMAC group (P < 0.05) than in the siRNA-NC group. Compared with the pcDNA-NC group, the cell IC50, cell clone number, cell invasion ability, and Bcl-2 protein and Bcl-2/Bax ratio were significantly lower in the pcDNA-SMAC group, the cell resistance index reversal was 2.51-fold, and the apoptosis ability and caspase-3, as well as Bax protein expression, were significantly higher (P < 0.05). Compared with the siRNA-NC group, cell IC50, cell clone number, cell invasion ability, and Bcl-2 protein and Bcl-2/Bax ratio were significantly higher in the siRNA-SMAC group, and apoptosis ability and caspase-3 and Bax protein expression were significantly lower (P < 0.05). Conclusion High expression of SMAC increases paclitaxel sensitivity, inhibits cell growth and invasion, promotes apoptosis in lung adenocarcinoma cells, and has a regulatory effect on the caspase-3/Bcl-2/Bax signaling pathway.

Abstract Wildlife is reservoir of emerging viruses. Here we identified 27 families of mammalian viruses from 1981 wild animals and 194 zoo animals collected from south China between 2015 and 2022, isolated and characterized the pathogenicity of eight viruses. Bats harbor high diversity of coronaviruses, picornaviruses and astroviruses, and a potentially novel genus of Bornaviridae. In addition to the reported SARSr-CoV-2 and HKU4-CoV-like viruses, picornavirus and respiroviruses also likely circulate between bats and pangolins. Pikas harbor a new clade of Embecovirus and a new genus of arenaviruses. Further, the potential cross-species transmission of RNA viruses (paramyxovirus and astrovirus) and DNA viruses (pseudorabies virus, porcine circovirus 2, porcine circovirus 3 and parvovirus) between wildlife and domestic animals was identified, complicating wildlife protection and the prevention and control of these diseases in domestic animals. This study provides a nuanced view of the frequency of host-jumping events, as well as assessments of zoonotic risk.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large class of organic compounds, in which all or part of the hydrogen atoms in the alkyl-chain are replaced by fluorine, and many PFAS are used globally in chemicals, leather textile, paper, packaging and other industrial and consumer goods production fields. Many studies have shown that PFAS possesses hepatic and metabolic toxicity, reproductive and developmental toxicity, immunotoxicity, and so on. Therefore, the use of PFAS in textiles has been restricted by lots of regulations or standards world widely, such as the International Ecological Textile Standard (STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®), the Restricted Substances List (RSL) of the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) and the REACH regulations of EU. However, there is still lack of simultaneous determination method for various volatile PFAS in relevant standards. In this study, a method of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed for the simultaneous determination of 12 volatile PFAS in infant and child textiles, including four fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs), three fluorotelomer acrylates (FTAs), three perfluorooctane sulfonamides (FOSAs) and two perfluorooctane sulfonamidoethanols (FOSEs). The redissolve solvent was optimized, and the extraction efficiencies for different extraction solvents, extraction volumes, extraction times, extraction temperature and time were compared. 20 mL Acetonitrile was selected as extraction solvent, and the sample was extracted twice by ultrasonic at 60 ℃ for 30 min each time, then the combined supernatants were concentrated by rotary evaporation. Finally, the targets were separated by DB-5MS column and detected at selected ion monitor (SIM) mode, and quantified by external standard method. The results showed that 4∶2 FTOH and the other 11 volatile PFAS had good linear relationship in the range of 20-5 000, 10-5 000 μg/L, respectively, and the correlation coefficients (R2) were not less than 0.998. The limits of quantification (LOQs) were 0.03-0.07 mg/kg. The recoveries of 12 PFAS were 71.9%-113.6% under the two spiked levels (levels at the LOQ and the limit content of relevant standards), and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were 1.2%-12.8% (n=6). The method has the advantages of simple pretreatment, accurate qualitative and quantitative determination, high sensitivity, and good repeatability. The actual samples were divided into two groups and determined by this method. One group included 53 pieces of textile fabrics with certain waterproofness that were tested daily in the laboratory. Some of these textile fabrics have cartoon patterns, which may be used for making children’s clothing. The other group included 26 pieces of infant and child clothes purchased from online stores. The results showed that the positive rate of volatile PFAS in textile fabrics was high. FTOHs and FTAs were detected, and their concentrations were in the range of 0.08-276.41 mg/kg. FOSAs were not detected in the samples. The textile fibers with PFAS detected were mainly polyester. Volatile PFAS were not detected in the randomly purchased infant and child cloth products, which might be mainly because they didn’t have waterproofs. The skin exposure model proposed by the European Chemical Agency was used to assess exposure risks. The mixed exposure of various PFAS in textiles was calculated by the relative potency factor (RPF), which was converted into the equivalent of PFOA, and compared with the safety threshold given by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the European Food Safety Agency. The results showed that the risk of direct health hazards to infants and children from the exposure of detected target substances was low. The method has reference value for the control of volatile PFAS risk substances in baby textiles.

The approach of optical positioning the single InAs quantum dots (QDs) was used for investigating QD photoluminescence (PL) enhancement based on plasmonic effect of nanometer-sized Au island films. It is found that the maximum increase of QD PL intensity is about thirty-eight fold after 5-nm thick Au island films are evaporated on the QD sample surface. The enhanced localized excitation field and increased QD radiative decay rate are responsible for this PL enhancement. This provides an alternative way of preparing bright single photon sources based on the plasmonic effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]