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[Objective] Key construction technologies for large-diameter shield tunneling in sand and gravel strata are summarized and analyzed, including shield machine model selection, shield launching and receiving, and shield excavation posture control. Specific construction control parameters and measures are proposed to reduce cutterhead tool wear, decrease stratum losses, and minimize land subsidence and deformation. [Method] Considering the engineering structural characteristics, such as the loose structure, non-cemented or weakly cemented particles, large particle size, and strong permeability of sand and gravel strata, theoretical analysis and on-site monitoring methods are employed to deeply analyze the key construction technologies for large-diameter shield tunneling in sand and gravel strata, from aspects of shield machine model selection, shield originating and receiving, shield excavation posture control, as well as shield cutterhead tool detection-maintenance. [Result & Conclusion] The cutterhead opening rate, cutterhead tool models, and spoil improvement scheme of large-diameter shield should be specially designed according to the stratigraphical structure characteristics, facilitating efficient shield spoil discharge and advance cutting. Comprehensive reinforcement measures, such as stratum grouting consolidation, large pipe shed support, and construction dewatering, should be adopted at shield tunnel shaft end to ensure strata stability during large-diameter shield launching or receiving. In large-diameter shield tunneling, the control of parameters such as cutterhead rotational speed, spoil discharge rate, and spoil discharge temperature should be emphasized, along with appropriate increases in grouting volume to improve spoil modification effects and avoid excessive over-excavation, keeping stratum losses within a reasonable range. By implementing the aforementioned construction parameters and measures, the risk of shield excavation can be controlled, while significantly enhancing construction quality and efficiency, and substantially reducing construction costs.

Introduction: It may take decades to develop cardiovascular dysfunction following exposure to high doses of ionizing radiation from medical therapy or from nuclear accidents. Since astronauts may be exposed continually to a complex space radiation environment unlike that experienced on Earth, it is unresolved whether there is a risk to cardiovascular health during long-term space exploration missions. Previously, we have described that mice exposed to a single dose of simplified Galactic Cosmic Ray (GCR5-ion) develop cardiovascular dysfunction by 12 months post-radiation.Methods: To investigate the biological basis of this dysfunction, here we performed a quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics analysis of heart tissue (proteome and phosphoproteome) and plasma (proteome only) from these mice at 8 months post-radiation.Results: Differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) for irradiated versus sham irradiated samples (fold-change ≥1.2 and an adjusted p-value of ≤0.05) were identified for each proteomics data set. For the heart proteome, there were 87 significant DEPs (11 upregulated and 76 downregulated); for the heart phosphoproteome, there were 60 significant differentially phosphorylated peptides (17 upregulated and 43 downregulated); and for the plasma proteome, there was only one upregulated protein. A Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) technique that assesses canonical pathways from BIOCARTA, KEGG, PID, REACTOME, and WikiPathways revealed significant perturbation in pathways in each data set. For the heart proteome, 166 pathways were significantly altered (36 upregulated and 130 downregulated); for the plasma proteome, there were 73 pathways significantly altered (25 upregulated and 48 downregulated); and for the phosphoproteome, there were 223 pathways significantly affected at 0.1 adjusted p-value cutoff. Pathways related to inflammation were the most highly perturbed in the heart and plasma. In line with sustained inflammation, neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) were demonstrated to be increased in GCR5-ion irradiated hearts at 12-month post irradiation. NETs play a fundamental role in combating bacterial pathogens, modulating inflammatory responses, inflicting damage on healthy tissues, and escalating vascular thrombosis.Discussion: These findings suggest that a single exposure to GCR5-ion results in long-lasting changes in the proteome and that these proteomic changes can potentiate acute and chronic health issues for astronauts, such as what we have previously described with late cardiac dysfunction in these mice.

Increasing occurrences of Microcystis surface scum have been observed in the context of global climate change and the increase in anthropogenic pollution, causing deteriorating water quality in aquatic ecosystems. Previous studies on scum formation mainly focus on the buoyancy-driven floating process of larger Microcystis colonies, neglecting other potential mechanisms. To study the non-buoyancy-driven rapid flotation of Microcystis, we here investigate the floating processes of two strains of single-cell species (Microcystis aeruginosa and Microcystis wesenbergii), which are typically buoyant, under light conditions (150 μmol photons s−1 m−2). Our results showed that M. wesenbergii exhibited fast upward migration and formed surface scum within 4 hours, while M. aeruginosa did not form visible scum throughout the experiments. To further explore the underlying mechanism of these processes, we compared the dissolved oxygen (DO), extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) content, and colony size of Microcystis in different treatments. We found supersaturated DO and the formation of micro-bubbles (50–200 µm in diameter) in M. wesenbergii treatments. M. aeruginosa produces bubbles in small quantities and small sizes. Additionally, M. wesenbergii produced more EPS and tended to aggregate into larger colonies. M. wesenbergii had much more derived-soluble extracellular proteins and polysaccharides compared to M. aeruginosa. At the same time, M. wesenbergii contains abundant functional groups, which was beneficial to the formation of agglomerates. The surface scum observed in M. wesenbergii is likely due to micro-bubbles attaching to the surface of cell aggregates or becoming trapped within the colony. Our study reveals a species-specific mechanism for the rapid floatation of Microcystis, providing novel insights into surface scum formation as well as succession of cyanobacterial species.

Surface blooms of colony-forming Microcystis are increasingly occurring in aquatic ecosystems on a global scale. Recent studies have found that the Microcystis colonial morphology is a crucial factor in the occurrence, persistence, and dominance of Microcystis blooms, yet the mechanism driving its morphological dynamics has remained unknown. This study conducted a laboratory experiment to test the effect of extracellular polymeric substances on the morphological dynamics of Microcystis. Ultrasound was used to disaggregate colonies, isolating the cells and of the Microcystis suspension. The single cells were then re-cultured under three homologous EPS concentrations: group CK, group Low, and group High. The size, morphology, and EPS [including tightly bound EPS (TB-EPS), loosely bound EPS (LB-EPS), bound polysaccharides (B-polysaccharides), and bound proteins (B-proteins)] changes of colonies were closely monitored over a period of 2 months. It was observed that colonies were rapidly formed in group CK, with median colony size (D50) reaching 183 µm on day 12. The proportion of colonies with a size of 150–500 µm increased from 1% to more than 50%. Colony formation was also observed in both groups Low and High, but their D50 increased at a slower rate and remained around 130 µm after day 17. Colonies with a size of 50–150 µm account for more than 50%. Groups CK and Low successively recovered the initial Microcystis morphology, which is a ring structure formed of several small colonies with a D50 of 130 µm. During the recovery of the colony morphology, the EPS per cell increased and then decreased, with TB-EPS and B-polysaccharides constituting the primary components. The results suggest that colony formation transitioned from adhesion driven to being division driven over time. It is suggested that the homologous EPS released into the ambient environment due to the disaggregation of the colony is a chemical cue that can affect the formation of a colony. This plays an important but largely ignored role in the dynamics of Microcystis and surface blooms.

Aiming at the problems that the fly ash in coal-fired power plant flue gas can easily lead to the blockage of dust collectors and air preheaters, a 410 t/h coal-fired boiler in Shanxi was taken as the research object, and a coal-fired flue gas pollution control method based on high temperature dust removal technology was proposed. The material treatment route was used to study the influence of the SCR pre-high temperature filter on the pressure drop of the flue gas treatment system process, and to determine the optimal operating parameters of each equipment. The Aspen Plus simulation software was used to build relevant models through the combination of relevant modules to simulate the flue gas treatment processes such as high temperature dust collector, SCR, ozonation, ammonia desulfurization and so on, and the technical and economic analysis was carried out. At the same time, the engineering test data were used to verify the model. The influence of equipment operation parameters on pollutant emission characteristics was studied through its sensitivity analysis function. The results show that the use of high temperature dust collector in the system can effectively alleviate the blockage problem of SCR device, significantly reduce the flow pressure drop and reduce the power consumption of induced draft fan. The SCR denitrification unit has the best denitrification efficiency at 320−350 ℃ and the ammonia nitrogen ratio of 1.0−1.1. The O3/NO value should be controlled around 1.05 when using ozone pre-oxidation. The high temperature of flue gas entering the desulfurization tower is not conducive to the absorption of SO2 in the flue gas, which leads to the reduction of desulfurization efficiency. Exergy loss of high temperature ash separated by high temperature dust remover is the main cause of exergy loss in the system, so energy utilization rate can be improved through the efficient utilization of high temperature ash heat. In this study, the model simulation results are consistent with the actual operation results, and the relative error between the simulation results and the actual operation value is less than 7%, showing a high accuracy. It provides a certain theoretical support and operation guidance for the optimization of multi-pollutant cooperative control and energy efficiency evaluation based on the high-temperature dust removal technology.

A novel heterotrophic aerobic denitrifying Pseudomonas hunanensis strain DC-2 was screened from the sediments of Lake Dianchi and identified with high nitrification/denitrification ability. Within 30 h, the removal efficiency of ammonium-N and nitrate-N could reach 98.8% and 88.4%, respectively. The results of the single-factor experiments indicated that strain DC-2 exhibited excellent denitrification ability under the conditions of using sodium citrate as the nitrogen source, with an initial pH of 7, a C/N ratio of 10, and a temperature of 30 °C. Nitrogen balance experiments suggested that this strain removed N mainly via assimilation. Moreover, the N removal pathway was explored by genome and enzymatic assays, and a complex nitrogen metabolism pathway was established, including heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification (HN-AD), assimilatory reduction of nitrate (ANRA), and ammonia assimilation. Additionally, strain DC-2 was immobilized into particles for denitrification, demonstrating excellent efficacy in continuous total nitrogen removal (84.8% for TN). Hence, strain DC-2 demonstrated significant potential in treating real aquaculture wastewater.

Abstract An adaptive neural network dynamic surface control method for strict feedback non‐linear systems with model uncertainty is proposed in this paper. The uncertain parts are approached by RBF neural network; meanwhile, the virtual controller is designed to make system stable according to dynamic surface control. The method of Lyapunov is used to prove the stability and convergence of the system. The simulation results prove the feasibility of this controller and prove that the controller has an advantage to approach the uncertain non‐linear system and make system have well convergence and traceability.

The continuum manipulator improves the intraocular robot flexibility during retinal surgery. Herein, a micro‐3‐degree of freedom (DOF) force sensor with a length of only 3.8 mm that can adjust the puncture angle during retinal vein cannulation (RVC) is proposed. Taking advantage of 3D printing technology, the optical fiber and injection line are embedded in the nitinol tube with flexible hinges to achieve integration of the force sensing and injection functions. A new fiber Bragg grating (FBG) configuration method and linear decoupling algorithm are also proposed herein. Static calibration experiments demonstrate excellent resolution of the force sensor, of less than 0.072 mN for transverse force and 0.738 mN for the axial force in the range from −20 to 20 mN. The proposed sensor is installed on a newly developed actuator, and an ex vivo experiment is performed on pig cadaver eyes. The interaction forces at each stage of the RVC are recorded in detail for the first time, further confirming the feasibility and effectiveness of the developed sensor for monitoring the RVC interaction forces.

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to build nomograms for predicting the survival of individual advanced pleural mesothelioma (MPM) patients using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database.MethodsThe 1251 patients enrolled from the SEER database were randomized (in a 7:3 ratio) to a training cohort and an internal validation cohort. Eighty patients were enrolled from the Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital as the external validation cohort. Nomograms were constructed from variables screened by univariate or multivariate Cox regression analyses and evaluated by consistency indices (C-index), calibration plots, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Patients from the SEER database who received chemotherapy alone and chemoradiotherapy were statistically paired using propensity score matching of the two groups and performed subgroup analysis in the screened variables.ResultsThe nomograms are well-structured and well-validated prognostic maps constructed from four variables: gender, histology, AJCC stage, and treatment. All individuals were allocated into high-risk versus low-risk groups based on the median risk score of the training cohort, with the high-risk group having worse OS and CSS in all three cohorts (P

Dianchi Lake and Yilong Lake, two prominent plateau lakes in Yunnan Province, China, have suffered from Microcystis and Cylindrospermopsis blooms for decades. While cyanobacteria harvest boats utilizing cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) flocculation and screen filtration have been proven effective for harvesting Microcystis biomass in Dianchi Lake, they struggle against Cylindrospermopsis blooms in Yilong Lake. This study systematically compared the removal of Microcystis and Cylindrospermopsis blooms using flocculation–filtration treatment, aiming to identify key factors influencing flocculation and propose enhancements to improve treatment efficiency for Cylindrospermopsis blooms. The reduction of turbidity, OD680, biovolume and phytoplankton density all revealed significantly better treatment efficiency for Microcystis blooms compared to Cylindrospermopsis blooms. In Dianchi Lake, 1 mg/L CPAM achieved a 95% turbidity reduction, while in Yilong Lake, even with 4.0 mg/L CPAM, the removal efficiency remained below 90%. Post-treatment, Dianchi Lake’s water quality showed substantial improvements, including over 50% reductions in total nitrogen, total phosphorus, permanganate index, and chemical oxygen demand. Conversely, nutrient level reductions were limited in Yilong Lake’s treated water. The average molecular weight of dissolved organic matters (DOM) in Yilong Lake was notably smaller than in Dianchi Lake. The treatment selectively removed high molecular weight, microbial-sourced, and protein-like DOM components, leading to a decrease in average molecular weight and an increase in humification index (HIX) in both lakes. Excessive humic matters in the water of Yilong Lake was found to hamper algae flocculation significantly. Introducing additional acidic polysaccharides or oxidants emerged as potential strategies to enhance Yilong Lake’s treatment efficiency.

As an ecological subsystem, a small watershed is mainly located upstream from lakes, rivers, or other water bodies. The characteristics of non-point source (NPS) pollution in a small watershed are random and complex. Rainfall is the direct driving force of NPS pollution, and different land-use types are the main factors affecting NPS output in small watersheds. At present, the NPS pollution of small watersheds is serious, and the problem of eutrophication of watershed water is prominent. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are essential nutrients for aquatic organisms, but excessive amounts can lead to water pollution and ecological imbalances. The study of N and P loss in small watersheds can provide a decision-making basis for NPS pollution control in small watersheds. This paper introduces the research progress on small watersheds in detail, focusing on the main influencing factors of N and P output in small watersheds, including rainfall, different land-use types, N and P loss prevention, and control measures; it also provides a prospective view of the current problems, hoping to provide references for the study of NPS pollution in small watersheds.

Methane (CH4) is the second-largest greenhouse gas emitted by human activity and natural sources after carbon dioxide (CO2). Its relatively short lifetime in the atmosphere (about 12 years) means that we can mitigate the human impacts of climate change in a relatively short period of time by reducing CH4 emissions. The creation of CH4 emissions management policies can be based on the distribution maps of surface CH4 concentration that are in large-scale and at high-resolution. The estimate of CH4 emissions with broad coverage are provided by currently extensively used satellite data supplemented with data from model simulations. However, it is at low spatial resolution. In this paper, through the combination of atmospheric CH4 observations from the TROPOMI sensor and wind data from the ECMWF global reanalysis, a straightforward divergence method is proposed to estimate the surface CH4 emissions in China from March 2019 to September 2022 at a resolution of 7 km × 7 km. This method was compared with the average annual CH4 emissions of Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGARv7.0), and the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) is 2.53 kg/km2/h and within error envelop (EE) is 72.93%, which represents the proportion of reliable values under certain uncertain conditions. We estimated that the average annual CH4 emissions in China from 2019 to 2022 is 81 Tg, with the lowest emissions in 2021 (75 Tg) due to the impact of COVID-19. In 2021, the largest anthropogenic emissions in China are from agriculture, energy activities and livestock, accounting for 28% (20.8 Tg), 25% (18.9 Tg) and 19% (13.9 Tg) of total emissions, respectively, while wetlands, as the largest natural source, produce 14% (10.5 Tg) of CH4 emissions.

Background: Collagen peptides (CP) have been shown to protect against osteoporosis. Yet, its mechanism on anti-osteoporosis remains unclear. Method: Cell viability, levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced oxidative stress in Saos-2 cells pretreated with CP were examined. The effect and regulatory of CP on FBXW7-p100-NF-κB axis and the relationship between the molecules were explored by overexpressing FBXW7, silencing p100 or NF-κB in Saos-2 cells. Western blot and RT-PCR were performed to determine the expressions of FBXW7, p100 and NF-κB. Hematoxylin & Eosin (H&E) staining was performed to determine morphological indexes of bone tissues in ovariectomized-induced osteoporosis rats treated with CP. Result: CP increased cell viability, ALP and antioxidant activities in H2O2-induced oxidative stress in Saos-2 cells. Results on cell viability, ALP, antioxidant levels, protein and gene expression levels in FBXW7-overexpressed, p100-silenced and NF-κB-silenced Saos-2 cells indicate that FBXW7, p100 and NF-κB are the key regulators and CP treatment modulates FBXW7-p100-NF-κB axis in Saos-2 cells. In addition, pretreatment and treatment with CP in ovariectomized rats improved osteoporosis. Conclusion: CP could effectively prevent and alleviate osteoporosis. The protective effect of CP on osteoporosis was achieved in part by inhibiting oxidative damage of osteoblasts and promoting bone formation.

Aimed at the huge number of files in cloud storage and the low audit efficiency of single-node audit mode, this paper proposes a multi-agent-based cloud storage multi-copy data integrity check scheme. The scheme uses a bilinear mapping method to construct the key generation process and a multi-branch authentication tree to perform multi-copy data signature to implement multi-copy authentication, signature, and verification. It also uses a directed acyclic graph (DAG) to represent the task relationship in the workflow, task and resource allocation based on QoS demand preference settings to schedule multiple tasks. Experimental results show that the proposed scheme has obvious advantages over existing schemes in terms of communication, storage overhead, and audit efficiency, with an average audit efficiency improvement of 20%.

Abstract Background In recent years, targeted therapy has received widespread attention. Among these therapies, anti-angiogenic targeted drugs have become one of the hotspots of research. Apatinib is a novel oral small molecule anti-angiogenic agent that has been clinically tested in a variety of solid tumours. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of apatinib in patients with advanced malignant tumours and failure of standard therapy. Methods We collected 41 patients with advanced malignant tumours in our department; all tumours were pathologically confirmed as malignant. All patients received apatinib after failure of standard therapy: 500 mg/dose, one dose/d, orally 30 min after a meal, until progressive disease or intolerable adverse reactions occurred. When there was a second- or third-degree adverse reaction associated with apatinib during treatment, apatinib treatment could be suspended or reduced to 250 mg/dose. Clinical efficacy and progression-free survival were assessed according to RECIST1.1, and adverse reactions were observed. Results Efficacy assessment was available for 31 patients with a median progression-free survival time of 2.66 months; the objective response rate and disease control rates were 16.1 and 64.5%, respectively. The disease control rates of the patients with lower Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group scores (1–2 points) and with fewer metastatic sites (

Based on China’s “carbon neutrality” strategy, this study explores the relationship between land-use/cover change and temporal and spatial changes of ecosystem carbon storage in urban agglomerations. Using the Plus-InVEST model, the projected spatial patterns of land use in the Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration in 2030 under natural development and ecological protection scenarios were simulated and predicted, and the characteristics of carbon storage, together with its spatio-temporal dynamics, were evaluated under two scenarios. Results show that: (1) From 2000 to 2020, forests, water areas, construction areas, and unused land continued to increase, while the area of cropland and grassland decreased continuously. During the last 20 years, carbon storage in urban agglomeration showed an increasing trend, with an overall increase of 24.490 × 106 t. (2) Compared with the natural development scenario, forest land, grassland, and water area in 2030 under the ecological protection scenario exhibits a substantial change; the area of construction land is limited; and an ecological spatial effect is reflected. (3) Compared to 2020, carbon storage under natural development and ecological protection scenarios decreased by 50.001 × 106 t and 49.753 × 106 t in 2030, respectively. The stability of carbon storage under the ecological conservation scenario was significantly higher than that under the natural development scenario. Therefore, under the ecological protection scenario, as a result of the coordinated land use of Chengdu-Chongqing, the functions of various regions can be coordinated and carbon storage losses can be mitigated.

Abstract The responses of denitrifiers and denitrification ability to dissolved oxygen (DO) concent in different layers of surface lake sediments are still poorly understood. Here, the optimal denitrification condition was constructed based on response surface methodology (RSM) to analyze the denitrification characteristics of surface sediments. The aerobic zone (AEZ), hypoxic zone (HYZ), up-anoxic zone (ANZ-1) and sub-anoxic zone (ANZ-2) were partitioned based on the oxygen contents, and sediments were collected using a customized-designed sub-millimeter scale sampling device. Integrated real-time quantitative PCR, Illumina Miseq-based sequencing and denitrifying enzyme activities analysis revealed that denitrification characteristics varied among different DO layers. Among the four layers, the DNA abundance and RNA expression levels of norB, nirS and nosZ were the highest at the aerobic layer, hypoxic layer and up-axoic layer, respectively. The hypoxia and up-anaerobic layer were the active nitrogen removal layers, since these two layers displayed the highest DNA abundance, RNA expression level and enzyme activities of denitrification functional genes. The abundance of major denitrifying bacteria showed significant differences among layers, with Azoarcus, Pseudogulbenkiania and Rhizobium identified as the main nirS, nirK and nosZ-based denitrifiers. Pearson’s correlation revealed that the response of denitrifiers to environmental factors differed greatly among DO layers. Furthermore, napA showed higher DNA abundance and RNA expression level in the aerobic and hypoxic layers than anaerobic layers, indicating that aerobic denitrifiers might play important roles at these layers.

Abstract Background Palmitic acid (PA) is a common saturated fatty acid that induces apoptosis in various types of cells, including testicular Leydig cells. There is evidence suggesting that PA is increased in patients with obesity and that PA-induced cell apoptosis may play an important role in obesity-related male infertility. Curcumin, a natural polyphenol, has been reported to exert cytoprotective effects in various cell types. However, the cytoprotective effect of curcumin against PA-induced apoptosis in Leydig cells remains unknown. Therefore, the current study was performed to investigate the protective effects of curcumin in response to PA-induced toxicity and apoptosis in murine Leydig tumor cell line 1 (MLTC-1) cells and explore the mechanism underlying its anti-apoptotic action. Methods MLTC-1 cells were cultured in Roswell Park Institute-1640 medium and divided into five groups. First four groups were treated with 50–400 μM PA, 400 μM PA + 5–40 μM curcumin, 400 μM PA + 500 nM 4-phenylbutyric acid (4-PBA, an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress inhibitor), and 500 nM thapsigargin (TG, an ER stress inducer) + 20 μM curcumin, respectively, followed by incubation for 24 h. Effects of PA and/or curcumin on viability, apoptosis, and ER stress in MLTC-1 cells were then determined by cell proliferation assay, flow cytometry, and western blot analysis. The fifth group of MLTC-1 cells was exposed to 400 μM of PA and 5 IU/mL of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) for 24 h in the absence and presence of curcumin, followed by measurement of testosterone levels in cell-culture supernatants by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Rats fed a high-fat diet (HFD) were treated with or without curcumin for 4 weeks, and the testosterone levels were detected by ELISA. Results Exposure to 100–400 μM PA reduced cell viability, activated caspase 3, and enhanced the expression levels of the apoptosis-related protein BCL-2-associated X protein (BAX) and ER stress markers glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) in MLTC-1 cells. Treating cells with 500 nM 4-PBA significantly attenuated PA-induced cytotoxicity through inhibition of ER stress. Curcumin (20 μM) significantly suppressed PA- or TG-induced decrease in cell viability, caspase 3 activity, and the expression levels of BAX, CHOP, and GRP78. In addition, treating MLTC-1 cells with 20 μM curcumin effectively restored testosterone levels, which were reduced in response to PA exposure. Similarly, curcumin treatment ameliorated the HFD-induced decrease in serum testosterone level in vivo. Conclusions The present study suggests that PA induces apoptosis via ER stress and curcumin ameliorates PA-induced apoptosis by inhibiting ER stress in MLTC-1 cells. This study suggests the application of curcumin as a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of obesity-related male infertility.

Purpose: To determine the efficacy and safety of corticosteroid injection for trigger finger by performing a meta-analysis of all relevant studies. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing corticosteroid injection with other treatments for trigger finger. Pooled summary estimates for outcomes, including success rate, relapse rate, visual analogue score (VAS) and complications, were calculated as standardized mean difference (SMD) or relative risk (RR) either on a fixed- or random-effect model via Stata 12.0 software. Results: Ten literatures involving 806 patients (387 in corticosteroid injection group and 419 in control group) were included. Pooled analysis showed there were no differences in the success rate, VAS and complications between patients undergoing corticosteroid injection and others. However, the relapse rate was significantly higher in patients treated with corticosteroid injection than that of other treatments (RR = 19.53, 95% CI = 6.23–61.19). Subgroup analysis indicated the efficacy of corticosteroid injection was superior to other non-surgical treatments (success rate: RR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.01–2.35), but inferior to surgery (success rate: RR = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.48–0.63; relapse rate: RR = 21.15, 95% CI = 6.06–73.85; VAS: SMD = 3.49, 95% CI = 2.84–4.14). Conclusions: Corticosteroid injection may be an effective strategy for management of trigger finger, although surgery may be needed for some patients due to recurrence.

Lung cancer has higher morbidity and mortality than most cancers. It is common that there are some phenomenons of secondary drug resistance, radiotherapy resistance and poor prognosis during the treatment of small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Recent studies revealed that the single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with the curative effect among patients with the same pathological type and stage. Our study analyzed the start time of radiotherapy and the relationship between PTEN gene rs2299939 polymorphisms and survival time among 116 SCLC patients. The results showed that early radiotherapy significantly improved the time of survival in patients compared with late radiotherapy (P = 0.029). Simultaneously, the study found that patients with the rs2299939 AA genotype showed significant sensitivity to both early and late radiotherapy, but early radiotherapy is better. The median survival time of CC genotype patients was 12 months in the early radiotherapy group while it was 9 months in the late radiotherapy group, thus recommending early radiotherapy among these patients. In addition, it was found that rs2299939 could regulate the expression of related genes in peripheral blood and lung tissues by eQTL analysis. This study revealed that the early radiotherapy could prolong the PFS of SCLC and shall be performed in SCLC treatment.

Microcystis is one of the most common bloom-forming cyanobacteria in freshwater ecosystems throughout the world. However, the underlying life history mechanism and distinct temporal dynamics (inter- and intra-annual) of Microcystis populations in different geographical locations and lakes remain unclear but is critical information needed for the development of robust prediction, prevention, and management strategies. Perennial observations indicate that temperature may be the key factor driving differences in the overwintering strategy. This study quantitatively compared the overwintering abilities of Microcystis aeruginosa (Ma) in both the water column and sediments under a gradient of overwintering water temperatures (i.e., 4, 8, and 12 °C) using the death and proliferation rates of Ma. The results show that the dynamics of the Microcystis overwintering strategy were significantly affected by water temperatures. At 4 and 8 °C, Ma mainly overwintered in sediments and disappeared from the water column after exposure to low temperatures for a long duration, although some Microcystis cells can overwinter in the water column for short durations at low temperatures. At 12 °C, most Ma can overwinter in the water column. Rising temperatures promoted the proliferation of pelagic Ma but accelerated the death of benthic Ma. With warmer winter temperatures, pelagic Microcystis might become the primary inoculum sources in the spring. Our study highlights the overwintering strategy flexibility in explaining temporal dynamics differences of Microcystis among in geographical locations and should be considered in the context of global warming.

Non-small cell lung cancer is one of the most commom malignant tumor being harmful to people’s life and health. Most of the patients have developed to the last stage which not suitable for surgical indications, so radiation and chemotherapy is the main treatment strategy. In recent years, with the theory of anti-angiogenesis therapy for malignant tumors, apatinib as a promising novel medicine to treat malignant tumors, represents synergistic antitumor effects in combination with radiotherapy. The underlying mechanisms may include make blood vessel normalization, alleviating inner hypoxia, and angiogenic factors regulation. Apatinib in combination with radiotherapy may become a new and effective treatment strategy of non-small cell lung cancer.

A diamine monomer, 4,4’-bis(5-amino-2-pyridinoxy)benzophenone, was designed and synthesized, and used to react with commercially different kinds of aromatic dianhydrides to prepare a series of polyimides containing pyridine and ketone units via the classical two-step procedure. Glass transition temperatures (Tg) of the resultant polyimides PI-(1–5) derived from 4,4’-bis(5-amino-2-pyridinoxy) benzophenone with various dianhydrides ranged from 201 to 310 °C measured by differential scanning calorimetry. The temperatures for 5%wt loss of the resultant polyimides in nitrogen atmosphere obtained from the thermogravimetric analysis curves fell in the range of 472–501 °C. The temperatures for 10%wt loss of the resultant polyimides in nitrogen atmosphere fell in the range of 491–537 °C. Meanwhile, the char yields at 800 °C were in the range of 55.3–60.8%. Moreover, the moisture absorption of polyimide films was measured in the range of 0.37–2.09%. The thin films showed outstanding mechanical properties with tensile strengths of 103–145 MPa, an elongation at break of 12.9–15.2%, and a tensile modulus of 1.20–1.88 Gpa, respectively. The coefficients of thermal expansion of the resultant polyimides were obtained among 26–62 ppm °C−1. To sum up, this series of polyimides had a good combination of properties applied for high-performance materials and showed promising potential applications in the fields of optoelectronic devices.

In order to obtain highly optical transparency polyimides, two novel aromatic diamine monomers containing pyridine and kinky structures, 1,1-bis[4-(5-amino-2-pyridinoxy)phenyl]diphenylmethane (BAPDBP) and 1,1-bis[4-(5-amino-2-pyridinoxy)phenyl]-1-phenylethane (BAPDAP), were designed and synthesized. Polyimides based on BAPDBP, BAPDAP, 2,2-bis[4-(5-amino-2-pyridinoxy)phenyl]propane (BAPDP) with various commercial dianhydrides were prepared for comparison and structure-property relationships study. The structures of the polyimides were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer, wide-angle X-ray diffractograms (XRD) and elemental analysis. Film properties including solubility, optical transparency, water uptake, thermal and mechanical properties were also evaluated. The introduction of pyridine and kinky structure into the backbones that polyimides presented good optical properties with 91–97% transparent at 500 nm and a low cut-off wavelength at 353–398 nm. Moreover, phenyl pendant groups of the polyimides showed high glass transition temperatures (Tg) in the range of 257–281 °C. These results suggest that the incorporating pyridine, kinky and bulky substituents to polymer backbone can improve the optical transparency effectively without sacrificing the thermal properties.

This paper proposes a hexapod robot posture control method for rugged terrain to solve the problem of difficulty in realizing the posture control of a foot robot in rough terrain. The walking gait and original position of a six-legged robot is planned, and the Layer Identification of Tracking (LIT) strategy is developed to enable the robot to distinguish mild rugged terrain and severe rugged terrains automatically. The virtual suspension dynamic model is established. In mild rugged terrain, the posture maintenance strategy is adopted to keep the stability of the torso. In severe rugged terrain, the posture adjustment strategy is adopted to ensure the leg workspace and make it more widely adapt to the changing terrain, and a gravity center position adjustment method based on foot force distribution is designed to use foot force as feedback to control the position and attitude. The experiment of posture control in rough terrain and climbing experiment in the ladder terrain shows that the hexapod robot has good posture maintenance and posture adjustment effects when traversing complex terrain through the posture maintenance strategy and the posture adjustment strategy. Combined with the terrain identification method based on LIT, the hexapod robot can successfully climb the ladder terrain through the identification of the changing ladder terrain, and the movement of the posture adjustment process is stable.

Objective To identify potential genes that may be involved in lipid metabolism in rats after treatment with aqueous extract of Arctium lappa L (burdock). Methods Rats were randomly divided into six groups: (i) control (standard diet); (ii) model group (high-fat diet only); (iii) high-fat diet and low-dose aqueous burdock root extract (2 g/kg); (iv) high-fat diet and moderate-dose aqueous burdock root extract (4 g/kg); (v) high-fat diet and high-dose aqueous burdock root extract (8 g/kg); and (vi) a positive control group exposed to a high-fat diet and simvastatin (10 mg/kg). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis was performed to find the potential candidate genes involved in the modulation of blood lipids by treatment with aqueous burdock root extract. Results Burdock root extract reduced body weight and cholesterol levels in rats. KEGG analysis revealed 113 genes that were involved in metabolic pathways. Of these, 27 potential genes associated with blood lipid metabolism were identified. Conclusions Aqueous extract of burdock root reduced body weight and cholesterol in rats, possibly by modulating the differential expression of genes.

The transcription factor sex determining region (Y SRY)-box 2 (SOX2) is known to play a crucial role in the maintenance of self renewal or pluripotency of undifferentiated embryonic and neuronal stem cells. An elevated expression of SOX2 has been correlated with poor prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). We sought to investigate the mechanism(s) by which SOX2 modulates the ESCC metastasis. The SOX2 coding DNA sequence was inserted into pCMV vector and stably transfected in ESCC cells (Eca-109). The effect of SOX2 over expression was evaluated on cell migration, invasion and epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). We also measured the expression of Slug to explore if this transcription factor is involved in SOX2-mediated regulation of cell migration/invasion and EMT. In addition, we determined the role of STAT3/HIF-1α to further probe the mechanism of SOX2-mediated metastasis via Slug. Our results demonstrated that SOX2 over expressing Eca-109 cells showed an enhanced cell migration/invasion. Moreover, these cells exhibited the EMT characteristics, that is, a significantly suppressed expression of the epithelial cells marker with a concomitant enhancement of those of the mesenchymal markers. An increased expression of Slug in SOX2 over expressing cells suggested the involvement of this transcription factor in SOX2-regulated metastasis. Whereas the expressions of STAT3/HIF-1α were found to be up-regulated in SOX2 expressing cells, blockade of these transcription factors resulted in the inhibition of Slug expression at both protein and mRNA levels. Conclusion: These results suggest that SOX2 promoted the metastasis of ESCC, at least in part, by modulating Slug expression through the activation of STAT3/HIF-1α signaling.

With the sustained growth of economy and significant changes in social demographics, the issue of elderly-related diseases has increasingly drawn attention particularly. Alzheimer's disease (AD),as a representative disease of neurodegenerative diseases has become a major challenge, affecting the health and quality of life among the elderly population severely. In recent years, the incidence, prevalence, and mortality rate of AD increase in China, imposing substantial economic burdens on families, society, and the entire healthcare system. To proactively address this challenge and respond to the national 'Healthy China Action' initiative, leading experts from Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine,and Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Chronic Non-communicable Disease Control Center, Fudan University School of Public Health, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Ruijin Hospital,Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Fujian Medical University, and other authoritative institutions, have jointly authored the 'China Alzheimer Disease Report 2024'. Building upon previous editions of 2021, 2022, and 2023, this report updates epidemiological data on AD in China, thoroughly analyzes the latest economic burdens of the disease, and comprehensively evaluates the current status of AD diagnosis and treatment services, as well as the allocation of public health resources in our country. The release of the 'China Alzheimer Disease Report 2024' not only reflects China's progress and efforts in AD research and prevention, but also underscores the social heightened concern for elderly health issues. It aims to provide scientific and technical guidance and robust data support for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of AD, offering a professional basis for the government and relevant departments to formulate targeted health policies and intervention measures. Furthermore, it serves as a platform for promoting academic exchanges and cooperation in this field domestically and internationally. Through the dissemination and application of this report, we anticipate it will not only serve as a reference for professionals but also enhance public awareness of AD, promote active participation across various sectors of society, and jointly advance the development of elderly health care in China, empowering us towards achieving 'healthy aging'.

The angiosperm pollen tube delivers two sperm cells into the embryo sac through a unique growth strategy, named tip growth, to accomplish fertilization. A great deal of experiments have demonstrated that actin bundles play a pivotal role in pollen tube tip growth. There are two distinct actin bundle populations in pollen tubes: the long, rather thick actin bundles in the shank and the short, highly dynamic bundles near the apex. With the development of imaging techniques over the last decade, great breakthroughs have been made in understanding the function of actin bundles in pollen tubes, especially short subapical actin bundles. Here, we tried to draw an overall picture of the architecture, functions and underlying regulation mechanism of actin bundles in plant pollen tubes.

Two fundamental questions on how invasive species are able to rapidly colonize novel habitat have emerged. One asks whether a negative correlation exists between the genetic diversity of invasive populations and their geographic distance from the origin of introduction. The other is whether selection on the chloroplast genome is important driver of adaptation to novel soil environments. Here, we addressed these questions in a study of the noxious invasive weed, Mikania micrantha, which has rapidly expanded in to southern China after being introduced to Hong Kong in 1884. Seven cpSSRs were used to investigate population genetics in twenty-eight populations of M. micrantha, which produced thirty-nine loci. The soil compositions for these populations, including Mg abundance, were measured. The results showed that M. micrantha possessed relatively high cpSSR variation and differentiation among populations. Multiple diversity indices were quantified, and none was significantly correlated with distance from the origin of introduction. No evidence for isolation by distance, significant spatial structure, bottlenecks, nor linkage disequilibrium was detected. We also were unable to identify loci on the chloroplast genome that exhibited patterns of differentiation that would suggest adaptive evolution in response to soil attributes. Soil Mg has only a genome-wide effect instead of being a selective factor, which highlighted the association between Mg and the successful invasion. This study characterizes the role of the chloroplast genome of M. micrantha during its recent invasion of southern China.

Oxy-fuel combustion is one of the most promising methods for CO2 capture and storage (CCS) but the operating costs—mainly due to the need for oxygen production—usually lead to an obvious decrease in power generation efficiency. An “oxy-enrich combustion” process was proposed in this study to improve the efficiency of the oxy-fuel combustion process. The oxidizer for oxy-enrich combustion was composed of pure oxygen, air and recycled flue gas. Thus, the CO2 concentration in the flue gas decreased to 30–40%. The PSA (pressure swing adsorption), which has been widely used for CO2 removal from the shifting gases of ammonia synthesis in China, was applied to capture CO2 during oxy-enrich combustion. The technological economics of oxy-enrich combustion with PSA was calculated and compared to that of oxy-fuel combustion. The results indicated that, compared with oxy-fuel combustion: (1) the oxy-enrich combustion has fewer capital and operating costs for the ASU (air separation unit) and the recycle fan; (2) there were fewer changes in the components of the flue gas in a furnace for oxy-enrich combustion between dry and wet flue gas circulation; and (3) as the volume ratio of air and oxygen was 2 or 3, the economics of oxy-enrich combustion with PSA were more advantageous.

Background and objective Drugs which block tumor angiogenesis will be likely effective towards inhibiting tumor growth for angiogenesis being a prerequisite for tumor growth and metastasis. Therefore, antiangiogenesis has become a promising strategy for the treatment of cancer. Investigation on both antiangiogenic effect and mechanism(s) of oyster polypeptide (OPP) were performed via experiments of chicken embryos model in vivo and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro. Methods The methods employed in experiment were chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) angiogenesis in chicken embryos in vivo, MTT cell survival assay, flat plate scarification, transwell plates assay, matrigel-induced tube formation assay and transmission electron microscope et al. and the OPP’s effects on angiogenesis was observed. Results Study showed that treatment with OPP resulted in significant inhibition of chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) angiogenesis in chicken embryos. MTT cell survival assay showed that treatment with OPP resulted in strong inhibition of HUVECs growth, with an IC50 of 400 μg/mL. Flat plate scarification suggested that OPP (200 μg/mL, 400 μg/mL and 800 μg/mL) distinctly inhibited HUVECs’ migration (18.75%, 37.93%, 74.07% respectively, treatment for 12 h). Treatment with OPP of different concentrations (200 μg/mL, 400 μg/mL and 800 μg/mL) significantly reduced the density of the migration cells by 15.5%, 37.2% and 67.24% (P

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is an environmental contaminant that could induce developmental cardiotoxicity in a chicken embryo, which may be alleviated by l-carnitine. To explore the roles of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) in such changes and the potential effects of l-carnitine, fertile chicken eggs were exposed to PFOA via an air cell injection, with or without l-carnitine co-treatment. The ROS and NO levels in chicken embryo hearts were determined with electron spin resonance (ESR), and the protein levels of the nuclear factor κ-light chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) p65 and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in chicken embryo hearts were assessed with western blotting. The results of ESR indicated that PFOA exposure induced an elevation in the ROS levels in ED19 chicken embryo hearts and hatchling chicken hearts, while l-carnitine could alleviate such changes. Meanwhile, increased NO levels were observed in ED19 embryo hearts and hatchling hearts following PFOA exposure, while l-carnitine co-treatment exerted modulatory effects. Western blotting revealed that p65 translocation in ED19 embryo hearts and hatchling hearts was enhanced by PFOA, while l-carnitine co-treatment alleviated such changes. iNOS expression levels in ED19 embryo hearts followed the same pattern as NO levels, while a suppression of expression was observed in hatchling hearts exposed to PFOA. ROS/NF-κB p65 and iNOS/NO seem to be involved in the late stage (ED19 and post hatch) of PFOA-induced developmental cardiotoxicity in a chicken embryo. l-carnitine could exert anti-oxidant and NO modulatory effects in the developing chicken embryo hearts, which likely contribute to its cardioprotective effects.

Why some species become successful invaders is an important issue in invasive biology. However, limited genomic resources make it very difficult for identifying candidate genes involved in invasiveness. Mikania micrantha H.B.K. (Asteraceae), one of the world's most invasive weeds, has adapted rapidly in response to novel environments since its introduction to southern China. In its genome, we expect to find outlier loci under selection for local adaptation, critical to dissecting the molecular mechanisms of invasiveness. An explorative amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) genome scan was used to detect candidate loci under selection in 28 M. micrantha populations across its entire introduced range in southern China. We also estimated population genetic parameters, bottleneck signatures, and linkage disequilibrium. In binary characters, such as presence or absence of AFLP bands, if all four character combinations are present, it is referred to as a character incompatibility. Since character incompatibility is deemed to be rare in populations with extensive asexual reproduction, a character incompatibility analysis was also performed in order to infer the predominant mating system in the introduced M. micrantha populations. Out of 483 AFLP loci examined using stringent significance criteria, 14 highly credible outlier loci were identified by Dfdist and Bayescan. Moreover, remarkable genetic variation, multiple introductions, substantial bottlenecks and character compatibility were found to occur in M. micrantha. Thus local adaptation at the genome level indeed exists in M. micrantha, and may represent a major evolutionary mechanism of successful invasion. Interactions between genetic diversity, multiple introductions, and reproductive modes contribute to increase the capacity of adaptive evolution.

Myocardial differentiation is associated with the activation and expression of an array of cardiac specific genes. However, the transcriptional networks that control cardiac gene expression are not completely understood. Myocardin is a cardiac and smooth muscle-specific expressed transcriptional coactivator of Serum Response Factor (SRF) and is able to potently activate cardiac and smooth muscle gene expression during development. We hypothesize that myocardin discriminates between cardiac and smooth muscle specific genes by associating with distinct co-factors. Here, we show that myocardin directly interacts with Tbx5, a member of the T-box family of transcription factors involved in the Holt-Oram syndrome. Tbx5 synergizes with myocardin to activate expression of the cardiac specific genes atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) and alpha myosin heavy chain (α-MHC), but not that of smooth muscle specific genes SM22 or smooth muscle myosin heavy chain (SM-MHC). We found that this synergistic activation of shared target genes is dependent on the binding sites for Tbx5, T-box factor-Binding Elements (TBEs). Myocardin and Tbx5 physically interact and their interaction domains were mapped to the basic domain and the coil domain of myocardin and Tbx5, respectively. Our analysis demonstrates that the Tbx5G80R mutation, which leads to the Holt-Oram syndrome in humans, failed to synergize with myocardin to activate cardiac gene expression. These data uncover a key role for Tbx5 and myocardin in establishing the transcriptional foundation for cardiac gene activation and suggest that the interaction of myocardin and Tbx5 maybe involved in cardiac development and diseases.

Introduction: It may take decades to develop cardiovascular dysfunction following exposure to high doses of ionizing radiation from medical therapy or from nuclear accidents. Since astronauts may be exposed continually to a complex space radiation environment unlike that experienced on Earth, it is unresolved whether there is a risk to cardiovascular health during long-term space exploration missions. Previously, we have described that mice exposed to a single dose of simplified Galactic Cosmic Ray (GCR5-ion) develop cardiovascular dysfunction by 12 months post-radiation. Methods: To investigate the biological basis of this dysfunction, here we performed a quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics analysis of heart tissue (proteome and phosphoproteome) and plasma (proteome only) from these mice at 8 months post-radiation. Results: Differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) for irradiated versus sham irradiated samples (fold-change ≥1.2 and an adjusted p-value of ≤0.05) were identified for each proteomics data set. For the heart proteome, there were 87 significant DEPs (11 upregulated and 76 downregulated); for the heart phosphoproteome, there were 60 significant differentially phosphorylated peptides (17 upregulated and 43 downregulated); and for the plasma proteome, there was only one upregulated protein. A Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) technique that assesses canonical pathways from BIOCARTA, KEGG, PID, REACTOME, and WikiPathways revealed significant perturbation in pathways in each data set. For the heart proteome, 166 pathways were significantly altered (36 upregulated and 130 downregulated); for the plasma proteome, there were 73 pathways significantly altered (25 upregulated and 48 downregulated); and for the phosphoproteome, there were 223 pathways significantly affected at 0.1 adjusted p-value cutoff. Pathways related to inflammation were the most highly perturbed in the heart and plasma. In line with sustained inflammation, neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) were demonstrated to be increased in GCR5-ion irradiated hearts at 12-month post irradiation. NETs play a fundamental role in combating bacterial pathogens, modulating inflammatory responses, inflicting damage on healthy tissues, and escalating vascular thrombosis. Discussion: These findings suggest that a single exposure to GCR5-ion results in long-lasting changes in the proteome and that these proteomic changes can potentiate acute and chronic health issues for astronauts, such as what we have previously described with late cardiac dysfunction in these mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]