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The development of thermal insulation protective coatings suitable for constructions and buildings offers a multifaceted approach: it substantially reduces indoor temperatures, enhances residential comfort, decreases air conditioning energy consumption, and conserves energy. Additionally, these coatings provide robust resistance against corrosive substances, thereby significantly prolonging the service life of concrete. In this work, the modification of vacuum ceramic microbeads (VCM) through the polymerization of catechol and hexamethylene diamine to form poly(catecholamine) (PCA) was investigated by FT-IR, XRD, and TEM analysis. Increased levels of incorporation of VCM@PCA further decreased thermal conductivity and increased surface hydrophobicity, while excessive incorporation detrimentally affected the coating's mechanical properties. PDMS/VCM@PCA coating demonstrated exceptional thermal insulation performance, reducing coating temperature by 15.9 °C under simulated sunlight exposure, and in outdoor experiments, the interior temperature of the simulated house with this coating was 4.2 °C lower than the external temperature, highlighting its potential for energy conservation, emission reduction, and building temperature regulation. Additionally, PDMS/VCM@PCA coating provided excellent protection for concrete structures, significantly enhancing abrasion resistance. It also improved the interfacial adhesion between the organic layer and concrete under dry, wet, and 10% NaCl immersion conditions. The addition of VCM@PCA further enhanced resistance to chloride ion penetration, effectively reducing chloride ingress. This thermal insulation protective coating presents a novel strategy for energy conservation, emission reduction, and sustainable development in the civil construction industry.

High-strength seismic-resistant rebar is essential in construction engineering, yet balancing its strength, plasticity, seismic resistance, and surface quality poses challenges. This research explores niobium-vanadium-nitrogen composite reinforced steel, examining how cooling bed temperature affects its microstructure, mechanical properties, and surface quality using advanced microscopy techniques. The research reveals that the steel's microstructure primarily consists of ferrite and pearlite. As cooling bed temperatures decrease, both the proportion and colony size of pearlite, along with ferrite size, show a declining trend. Specifically, reducing the cooling bed temperature from 1100 °C to 900 °C results in a decrease in yield strength, tensile strength, and tensile-to-yield strength ratio by 6 MPa, 27 MPa, and 0.03, respectively. Meanwhile, elongation after fracture, total elongation at maximum force, and strength-ductility balance improve by 3.8%, 1.5%, and 1.93%, respectively. At a cooling bed temperature of 1100 °C, significant blistering occurs on the steel surface. Significant blistering at 1100 °C vanishes at 1000 °C and 900 °C, with diminished silicon enrichment in the surface oxide scale. A cooling bed temperature of 1000 °C ± 20 °C is recommended for optimal performance. This study provides a temperature control strategy for the properties of high-strength seismic-resistant rebar rated at 650 MPa and above, contributing valuable insights to the field of advanced construction materials.

Concrete materials, as the main component of airport pavement, provide essential attributes such as strength and toughness required by airport pavement. With the rapid development of air transportation, the compression and cracking resistance performances required by airport pavement are dramatically boosted with the ever-growing weight and the frequency of aircraft. In recent years, high-performance concrete materials with excellent properties have shown great potential in improving durability and extending the service life of pavement. This review presents a-state-of-the-art assessment guided by the pavement performance requirement, material design mechanism, application cases and future application guidance of advanced cementing materials in airport pavement improvement. Firstly, the functions of each structural layer of airport pavement and their effects on the surface layer are summarized. Then, the design mechanism and application cases of advanced concrete materials were summarized with the future application guidance to be given. Finally, the application scenarios, testing mechanism and testing effect of nondestructive testing methods for airport pavement performance evaluation are summarized. This review provides a comprehensive assessment of the development and applications of advanced concrete materials for airport pavement, paving avenue to achieve high performance and long service life of airport pavement.

Ceramic coating is of significant importance for improving metallic materials in terms of mechanical properties or durability, which is commonly encountered in the field of machinery, civil engineering, and aerospace, etc. However, ceramic materials optimization is a great challenge due to the complex multi-scale design from atomic to macro level. This paper investigates the multiscale characteristics of multi-element composite ceramic coating, including electronic properties, 3D pore structure, and engineering performances and gives their bottom-up connections, via first-principles calculations and multiscale experiments. The doping of Ti, Zr, and Ce in the alumina-based ceramic crystal improves the overlap of electronic clouds between oxygen and metal atoms, which modifies the atomic charges and enhances the ionic bonding. In terms of microstructure, it reveals the mechanisms of phase transformation toughening effect of ZrO2 and the grain refinement and grain boundary purification effects of CeO2, which facilitates the amelioration of pore structure and macro mechanical properties. It provides multiscale information on the phase stability of multi-element alumina-based ceramics, shedding light on the fundamental atomic level mechanisms that play a crucial role in customizable functional designs.

In this paper, a new design method of E-plane waveguide bandpass filter (BPF) using high-order modes of spoof surface plasmon polaritons (SSPPs) is proposed. The high-order modes of the double-layer SSPP (DL-SSPP) unit cell can be effectively manipulated by adjusting the dimensions of grounded metallic patterns in SSPP array, which mainly determines the filtering characteristics of E-plane waveguide BPFs. For improving the out-of-band rejection, two extra transmission zeros (TZs) are designed at the upper and lower stopbands of E-plane waveguide BPF, and then the operating mechanism of TZs is clearly investigated. Moreover, the filtering characteristics of the E-plane waveguide BPF with different transition parts are discussed to demonstrate the generalization of proposed design method. To verify the design feasibility, two examples of E-plane waveguide BPF are fabricated and measured. Good agreement between measurements and simulations shows that the proposed design method possesses good potential for the applications of high-performance E-plane waveguide BPF design.

Dermatology, as a compulsory course for undergraduates in clinical medicine, is difficult for the beginner to master by traditional teaching mode due to the variety of diseases, pathogenesis and treatment methods. Starting from skin pathology and collaborating with the ″Learning Connect″ to carry out clinical medicine undergraduate teaching is a good reformed method of teaching for cultivating students' overall thinking. Typical pathological photos and descriptions of diseases are placed on "Learning Connect" platform prior to the class. Students can find the corresponding pathological descriptions of disease from the pathological photos during the preview, thereby predicting the nature, arrangement and distribution characteristics, pathogen, pathogenesis and treatment methods of the disease. Teachers and students interact in the classroom, using the dermatopathology as an introduction, integrating the pathogenesis, immunological mechanism, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations and treatment methods of the disease, comprehensively improving students′ understanding and memory of the disease. At the end of course, teachers summarize and provide standard answers for definition, pathogenesis and treatment of disease, cultivating students′ scientific logical thinking and independent knowledge acquisition ability. This article elaborates on the significance and the methods of combining skin pathology with the "Learning Connect" to carry out teaching of dermatology and sexually transmitted diseases, hopefully providing some reference for clinical educators.

BackgroundIntracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a severe stroke subtype with high morbidity, disability, and mortality rates. Currently, no biomarkers for ICH are available for use in clinical practice. We aimed to explore the roles of RNAs in ICH pathogenesis and identify potential diagnostic biomarkers.MethodsWe collected 233 individual blood samples from two independent cohorts, including 64 patients with ICH, 59 patients with ischemic stroke (IS), 60 patients with hypertension (HTN) and 50 healthy controls (CTRL) for RNA sequencing. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) analysis, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), and weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) were performed to identify ICH-specific modules. The immune cell composition was evaluated with ImmuneCellAI. Multiple machine learning algorithms to select potential biomarkers for ICH diagnosis, and further validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT−PCR). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and decision curve analysis (DCA) were performed to evaluate the diagnostic value of the signature for ICH. Finally, we generated M1 and M2 macrophages to investigate the expression of candidate genes.ResultsIn both cohorts, 519 mRNAs and 131 lncRNAs were consistently significantly differentially expressed between ICH patients and HTN controls. Gene function analysis suggested that immune system processes may be involved in ICH pathology. ImmuneCellAI analysis revealed that the abundances of 11 immune cell types were altered after ICH in both cohorts. WGCNA and GSEA identified 18 immune-related DEGs. Multiple algorithms identified an RNA panel (CKAP4, BCL6, TLR8) with high diagnostic value for discriminating ICH patients from HTN controls, CTRLs and IS patients (AUCs: 0.93, 0.95 and 0.82; sensitivities: 81.3%, 84.4% and 75%; specificities: 100%, 96% and 79.7%, respectively). Additionally, CKAP4 and TLR8 mRNA and protein levels decreased in RAW264.7 M1 macrophages and increased in RAW264.7 M2 macrophages, while BCL6 expression increased in M1 macrophages but not in M2 macrophages, which may provide potential therapeutic targets for ICH.ConclusionsThis study demonstrated that the expression levels of lncRNAs and mRNAs are associated with ICH, and an RNA panel (CKAP4, BCL6, TLR8) was developed as a potential diagnostic tool for distinguishing ICH from IS and controls, which could provide useful insight into ICH diagnosis and pathogenesis.

Calcined clay and limestone powder composites offer a viable solution for reducing carbon emissions in building materials by allowing significant cement replacement. However, there is a need for further investigation into their impact on durability, especially for low-grade clays. In this study, different ratios of metakaolin and quartz powder are utilized to simulate various grades of calcined clay, while limestone powder is incorporated as a partial cement substitute. Initially, the influence of metakaolin content on rapid chloride migration was analyzed. Subsequently, various analytical techniques such as free water content, Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP), X-ray diffraction (XRD)/Rietveld method, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) test were employed to investigate the effects of metakaolin contents on the pore structure, phase assemblage, and electrochemical parameters of the blended cementitious system. The relationship between chloride migration coefficient and free water content, critical pore size, and impedance parameters was established to determine the key indicators for chloride migration. The study revealed that systems with partial metakaolin content demonstrate improved chloride resistance in the blended system, which could be predicted using Rct1 from the EIS test. Furthermore, the inclusion of metakaolin and limestone powder facilitated the formation of Monocarboaluminate (Mc) and Hemicarboaluminate (Hc), leading to the refinement of the pore structure and inhibition of chloride transport within the blended material. This study indicates the potential of low-grade calcined clay to enhance the overall durability of the blended cementitious system while contributing to carbon emissions reduction.

Abstract Background Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a type of chronic interstitial pneumonia, often fatal, with elusive causes and a bleak prognosis. Its treatment options are limited and largely ineffective. Early detection and precise diagnosis are pivotal in managing the disease effectively and enhancing patient survival rates. Recently, the quest for trustworthy biomarkers for IPF has gained momentum. Notably, emerging studies indicate that circular RNAs (circRNAs) found in exosomes may hold significant potential as valuable diagnostic markers. Methods In this study, we initially explored the expression profile of circRNAs in exosomes sourced from the blood of IPF patients and healthy volunteers, employing a human circRNA microarray. We then utilized RT-qPCR to corroborate the dysregulated circRNAs identified by the microarray during the training phase. Next, the circRNAs that displayed a significant increase during the training phase were selected for further validation in a larger cohort encompassing 113 IPF patients and 76 healthy volunteers. Ultimately, the expression level and function of hsa_circ_0044226 were substantiated through a series of in vivo and in vitro experiments. Results Utilizing a human circRNA microarray, we identified 11 dysregulated circRNAs in the exosomes derived from the blood of IPF patients and control volunteers. Subsequent RT-qPCR analysis revealed significant increases in three circRNAs (hsa_circ_0044226, hsa_circ_0004099, hsa_circ_0008898) within the IPF patients. Notably, hsa_circ_0044226 was markedly elevated in patients experiencing acute exacerbation of IPF (AE-IPF) compared to those with stable IPF (S-IPF). Additionally, an upregulation of hsa_circ_0044226 was observed in the blood exosomes derived from a bleomycin-induced IPF mouse model. Conclusion The expression levels of hsa_circ_0044226, hsa_circ_0004099, and hsa_circ_0008898 in plasma exosomes introduce a new paradigm of biomarkers for the diagnosis and progression of IPF.

To explore the effects of altered amino acids (AAs) and the carnitine metabolism in non-pregnant women with infertility (NPWI), pregnant women without infertility (PWI) and infertility-treated pregnant women (ITPW) compared with non-pregnant women (NPW, control), and develop more efficient models for the diagnosis of infertility and pregnancy, 496 samples were evaluated for levels of 21 AAs and 55 carnitines using targeted high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). Three methods were used to screen the biomarkers for modeling, with eight algorithms used to build and validate the model. The ROC, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the infertility diagnosis training model were higher than 0.956, 82.89, 66.64, and 82.57%, respectively, whereas those of the validated model were higher than 0.896, 77.67, 69.72, and 83.38%, respectively. The ROC, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the pregnancy diagnosis training model were >0.994, 96.23, 97.79, and 97.69%, respectively, whereas those of the validated model were >0.572, 96.39, 93.03, and 94.71%, respectively. Our findings indicate that pregnancy may alter the AA and carnitine metabolism in women with infertility to match the internal environment of PWI. The developed model demonstrated good performance and high sensitivity for facilitating infertility and pregnancy diagnosis.

Abstract Peculiar hierarchical microstructures in creatures inspire modern material design with distinct functionalities. Creatures can effortlessly construct sophisticated yet long‐range ordered microstructure across bio‐membrane through ion secretion and precipitation. However, microstructure biomimicry in current technology generally requires elaborate, point‐by‐point fabrication. Herein, a spontaneous yet controllable strategy is developed to achieve surface microstructure engineering through a natural surface phenomenon similar to ion secretion‐precipitation, that is, coupled dissolution‐precipitation. A series of hierarchical microstructures on mineral surfaces in fluids with tunable morphology, orientation, dimension, and spatial distribution are achieved by simply controlling initial dissolution and fluid chemistry. In seawater, long‐range ordered film of vertically aligned brucite flakes forms through interfacial dissolution, nucleation, and confinement‐induced orientation of flakes with vertically grown {110} plane, on the edge of which, fusiform aragonite epitaxially precipitates. With negligible initial surface dissolution, prismatic aragonite epitaxially grows on a calcite polyhedron‐packed surface. By tuning fluid chemistry, closely packed calcite polyhedron and loosely packed calcite micro‐pillars are engineered through rapid and retarded precipitation, respectively. Surprisingly, the spontaneously grown microstructures resemble those deliberately created by human or found in nature, and tremendously modulate surface functionality. These findings open new possibilities for facile and customizable engineering of microstructural surfaces, hierarchical heterostructures, and biomimetic materials.

Hydrophobic interactions are widely applied in diverse fields, yet the effect of the degree of hydrophobicity on the interactions between hydrophobic surfaces is still unaddressed, limiting the development of functional hydrophobic surfaces. In this study, the interfacial interactions and configuration of hydrophobic chains on surfaces with ranging hydrophobicity are surveyed by surface forces apparatus. Our findings revealed that with partial hydrophobicity, a long-range electrical double-layer repulsive force pertains between surfaces, while between fully hydrophobized surfaces, only steric hindrance is observed, and the hydrophobic chains maintain configuration even after long time compression. Our findings provide useful implications for understanding hydrophobic interactions.

Studying the mechanism by which organic admixtures affect the hydration and dissolution of tricalcium silicate (C3S) reveals the effect of organic admixtures on ordinary Portland cement and enables target regulation of cement-based materials. In this study, the effects of citric-acid-modified chitosan (CAMC) on the hydration exotherm, hydration products, and microscopic morphology of C3S were investigated. The interface structures, ion adsorptions, and dissolution properties of CAMC and C3S were analyzed using a molecular dynamics simulation method. The results showed the presence of an attraction between the C3S surface and CAMC due to the existence of Op-Hw, Op-Cas, and Hp-Ow ion pairs. CAMC adsorbed most of the Ca ions released upon dissolution of C3S in the aqueous solution and the resulting pairs exhibited low solubilities. The Ca ions were located on the surfaces of C3S particles, preventing the dissolution of the particles and proving the interference effect of additives on the hydration of the cement silicate phase.

The temperature stress caused by the large temperature difference is the main factor causing harmful cracks in large-volume concrete. The introduction of admixtures is beneficial to reduce the temperature difference inside and outside the large-volume concrete. This study investigated the mechanism of how citric acid-modified chitosan (CAMC) affects the hydration heat release process and hydration products of composite cementitious materials. Through methods such as hydration heat, X-ray diffraction (XRD), mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), the mechanism of how CAMC controls the hydration heat release process and hydration products of composite cementitious materials was revealed. The results show that the addition of CAMC delayed the hydration process of cementitious materials without affecting the type of hydration products but affected the content of each phase of hydration products. As the hydration process proceeded, the total porosity of all samples decreased, the volume of large pores decreased, and the volume of small pores increased. As the content of CAMC increased, the pore diameter of the hardened paste gradually became smaller, the proportion of large pores decreased, and the later hydration microstructure became more dense. The increase in CAMC dosage resulted in a decrease in the peak intensity of Q2 in the paste, indicating that Al atoms in Q2 (1Al) existed in the form of Alcoordination, which proves that CAMC reduced its hydration degree and delayed cement hydration.

Void morphology effect on percolation and even physico-mechanical performance of foam concrete is of great interest in the evaluation of service-life of civil and hydraulic infrastructures. For experiments, it is a huge challenge to quantify the percolation threshold of voids affected by their morphologies, and the dependence of elastic modulus and conductivity of foam concrete on void configurations. In this work, we focus on the prolate spheroidal void morphologies with the aspect ratios of 2.5 and 2, following the microscopic measurements reported in the literature. A numerical framework is developed to capture the percolation threshold characterized by the critical porosity of voids with both morphological types. For the verification purpose, Measurement on the critical porosity of spherical voids using the present framework as a benchmark is compared against the percolation threshold of monodisperse overlapping spheres reported in literature. Furthermore, this work proposes a simple and powerful percolation-based micromechanical model for precisely predicting the effective elastic modulus and thermal conductivity of foam concrete. It can be convinced of a general micromechanical framework to elucidate the intrinsic relationship of void morphology and percolation to the physico-mechanical properties of concrete. The present framework is capable of tailoring physical and mechanical properties through void configuration and enable foam concrete design and multifunctional applications.

Given the complex composition of red chicory crude extract, the content of impurities, low utilization rate and other issues, the pigment of red chicory was purified by porous microsphere method. Based on the raw material of red chicory, the adsorption and desorption properties of 8 kinds of porous microspheres to the anthodcyamins were compared to determine the best process conditions for purifying the anthocyanins of red chicory and the composition of the anthocyanins was analyzed by HPLC. The results show that the AB-8 type is the best purified microsphere, reaching adsorption balance at 2.5 h. When the pH value of the sample liquid is 2.0, the mass concentration is 341.33 mg/L and the volume is 260 mL, which is the best purification process condition, the volume fraction of desorption ethanol is 60% and the desorption is 1.5 h, the color value of the purified anthocyanins of red chicory pigment increased from 5.3 to 49.1, which is 9.3 times higher than the unpurified. The composition analysis show that the red chicory contains six kinds of anthocyanins, of which the content of chrysanthemum-3-O-glucoside is the highest.

BackgroundAmino acid (AA) metabolism plays a crucial role in cancer. However, its role in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is still unavailable. We screened out AA metabolic genes, which related to prognosis, and analyzed their correlation with tumor immune microenvironment in AML.MethodsWe evaluated 472 amino acid metabolism-related genes in 132 AML patients. The predictive risk model was developed according to differentially expressed genes, univariate Cox and LASSO analyses. We validated the risk signature by survival analysis and independence tests. Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA), tumor immune microenvironment (TME), tumor mutation burden (TMB), functional enrichment, and the IC50 of drugs were assessed to explore the correlations among the risk model, immunity, and drug sensitivity of AML.ResultsSix amino acid metabolism-related genes were confirmed to develop the risk model, including TRH, HNMT, TFEB, SDSL, SLC43A2, and SFXN3. The high-risk subgroup had an immune “hot” phenotype and was related to a poor prognosis. The high-risk group was also associated with more activity of immune cells, such as Tregs, had higher expression of some immune checkpoints, including PD1 and CTLA4, and might be more susceptible to immunotherapy. Xenobiotic metabolism, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) pathway, fatty acid metabolism, JAK/STAT3, and the inflammatory response were active in the high-risk subgroup. Furthermore, the high-risk subgroup was sensitive to sorafenib, selumetinib, and entospletinib. ssGSEA discovered that the processes of glutamine, arginine, tryptophan, cysteine, histidine, L-serine, isoleucine, threonine, tyrosine, and L-phenylalanine metabolism were more active in the high-risk subgroup.ConclusionThis study revealed that AA metabolism-related genes were correlated with the immune microenvironment of AML patients and could predict the prognosis and immunotherapy response of AML patients.

BackgroundThe roles and potential diagnostic value of circRNAs in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) remain elusive.MethodsThis study aims to investigate the expression profiles of circRNAs by RNA sequencing and RT–PCR in a discovery cohort and an independent validation cohort. Bioinformatics analysis was performed to identify the potential functions of circRNA host genes. Machine learning classification models were used to assess circRNAs as potential biomarkers of ICH.ResultsA total of 125 and 284 differentially expressed circRNAs (fold change > 1.5 and FDR < 0.05) were found between ICH patients and healthy controls in the discovery and validation cohorts, respectively. Nine circRNAs were consistently altered in ICH patients compared to healthy controls. The combination of the novel circERBB2 and circCHST12 in ICH patients and healthy controls showed an area under the curve of 0.917 (95% CI: 0.869–0.965), with a sensitivity of 87.5% and a specificity of 82%. In combination with ICH risk factors, circRNAs improved the performance in discriminating ICH patients from healthy controls. Together with hsa_circ_0005505, two novel circRNAs for differentiating between patients with ICH and healthy controls showed an AUC of 0.946 (95% CI: 0.910–0.982), with a sensitivity of 89.1% and a specificity of 86%.ConclusionWe provided a transcriptome-wide overview of aberrantly expressed circRNAs in ICH patients and identified hsa_circ_0005505 and novel circERBB2 and circCHST12 as potential biomarkers for diagnosing ICH.

Math anxiety negatively relates to math performance. This negative relationship may be exacerbated in low-progress math learners. However, there are limited studies on math anxiety among low-progress learners in a paradoxically high-performing education system like Singapore. To fill this research gap, this research analyzed the anxiety profiles of 151 students who were in the math learning support intervention program administered by the Ministry of Education, Singapore (MOE). We examined the complex relationship centered in math anxiety with relevant variables such as demographic characteristics, working memory, and math performance. The results indicated that (1) math anxiety only vary significantly between children with very low Early Numeracy Indicator (ENI) and high ENI levels; (2) a negative relationship between math anxiety and math performance exists; (3) there was no significant interaction between math anxiety and working memory; (4) a further examination on moderating effect found that only children who have been identified as being at risk for developmental dyscalculia and those with average or high working memory performed poorer in math at higher levels of math anxiety. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Objective: To investigate the effect of sevoflurane on inflammation of microglia in hippocampus of neonatal rats, and to investigate whether the related mechanism is related to Wnt/β-Catenin/CaMKIV pathway. Methods: Neonatal rats were anesthetized with 2% or 3% sevoflurane for 4 h a day for 3 consecutive days. Water maze test was used to detect the effect of sevoflurane anesthesia on memory function of neonatal rats. H&E and Nissl staining were used to observe the pathological damage of hippocampal area of neonatal rats induced by sevoflurane anesthesia. The expression of microglial marker Iba-1 was detected by Immunofluorescence. Immunofluorescence and WB were used to detect the expression CD32b, CD86, TNF-α, IL-6, Wnt3a, β-Catenin and CaMKIV in hippocampus. To further explore the related mechanism, Wnt-3α inhibitor and activator was treated to study the effect of sevoflurane on microglial inflammation in hippocampus of neonatal rats. Results: Sevoflurane anesthesia significantly increased escape latency time, reduced platform crossing times, and damaged the learning and memory ability of neonatal rats. H&E and Nissl staining results showed that sevoflurane anesthesia caused obvious damage to the hippocampus of neonatal rats. Sevoflurane anesthesia promoted the expression of Iba-1 and activated microglia. Sevoflurane anesthesia not only significantly increased the positive expression of CD32b, CD86, TNF-α and IL-6, but also decreased the expression of Wnt3a, β-Catenin and CaMKIV. These results suggested that sevoflurane inhibited Wnt/β-Catenin/CaMKIV pathway. Conclusion: Sevoflurane induces inflammation of microglia in hippocampus of neonatal rats by inhibiting Wnt/β-Catenin/CaMKIV pathway.

A hairpin bandpass filter with compact feeder structure is proposed for terahertz (THz) applications by using the model of odd-even propagation mode. By employing the three-dimensional integrated through-silicon via (TSV) technology, the proposed filter exhibits an ultra-compact size of only $0.24\times0.028$ mm2 ( $1.38\times 0.16\,\,\lambda _{\mathrm {g}}^{2}$ ). The model of the proposed filter is established and optimized with the HFSS tool based on finite element method. The results of $S$ -parameters reveal that the proposed filter with center frequency at 0.5 THz, exhibits a bandwidth of 0.08 THz with insertion loss of 1.5 dB and reflection loss over 13.4 dB in the passband.

IntroductionDespite advances in the diagnosis and management, cryptococcal meningitis (CM) is still associated with high mortality due to insufficient knowledge about clinical characteristics and risk factors for poor outcomes. The aim of the present study is to provide additional evidence for regarding clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and factors associated with increased risk of mortality in CM patients.MethodsIn this cohort study, we included eligible patients consecutively admitted to West China Hospital between January 2009 and December 2018. The clinical characteristics and diagnosis method of cerebrospinal fluid culture and India ink stain were analyzed. Independent risk factors were identified by a multivariable logistic regression.ResultsA total of 186 CM patients were included in the analysis. After a 1-year follow-up, 63 patients had died. Headache is the most common presenting symptom (97.3%), followed by vomiting (72%), fever (71.5%), altered consciousness (45.7%), abnormal vision (32.8%), and seizure (15.1%). Older age, altered consciousness or seizures, lower white blood cell count or total protein in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and unidentified CSF cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) are all factors associated with increasing risk of death (P < 0.05). We also found a dose-dependent trend between the number of symptoms and risk of death (trend p < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression revealed that age (P = 0.004, OR = 1.042, 95% CI 1.013–1.071), seizure (P = 0.025, OR = 3.105, 95% CI 1.152–8.369), altered consciousness (P < 0.001, OR=6.858, 95% CI 3.063–15.38), and unidentified CSF CrAg are the independent prognostic factors. In addition, we observed that diagnosis of 28.5% and 22.5% CM could not be established by a single testing of CSF India ink stain or culture, respectively. Use of multiple testing methods or combination of the two assays increases the detection rate.ConclusionOur data show that older age, seizures, altered consciousness, and an inability to detect CSF CrAg are the independent risk factors of death within 1 year in CM patients. Moreover, we recommend use of multiple testing methods with CSF culture and India ink stain. Combined testing with both assays should be considered for initial CM diagnosis.

Abstract In hyperspectral transmission imaging (mainly refers to transmission breast imaging), the strong scattering characteristics of the tissue cause the blurred image and weak image signal, which hinders heterogeneity detection in tissue. In this paper, we designed the simulation experiment of collecting phantom images, and a joint preprocessing algorithm suitable for transmission tissue image is proposed and verified: the algorithm combining single channel frame accumulation and edge enhancement algorithm. The result shows that the PSNR of the phantom image is increased to 57.3 dB and the edge of phantom image processed by the joint preprocessing algorithm is preserved; the standard deviation is 19.8998 higher than original image, that is, the contrast is greatly improved. In our previous work, the detection accuracy of the image processed by this algorithm is higher than that without processed when the image detected in object detection algorithm based on deep learning; the mAP reaches 99.9%. Therefore, the preprocessing algorithm in this paper provides a highly compatible and easier preprocessing method for heterogeneity detection of multispectral tissue images, which improves the detection accuracy of heterogeneity to some extent. And it may be a new way to improve the quality of such multispectral and hyperspectral transmission tissue images.

Hyperspectral transmission imaging may provide a means for rapid screening of breast tumors, but tissue has a strong nature of scattering, thus causing a great difficulty in identifying heterogeneity. In this paper, a combination of frame accumulation and deep learning was proposed to detect heterogeneity, and we designed the simulation experiment of collecting phantom images. On the basis of frame accumulation preprocessing, the heterogeneous detection is performed on multispectral images by using faster regions with convolutional neural networks (R-CNN) features and a single shot multibox detector (SSD), two typical detection frameworks of deep learning. The results show that the mean average precision (mAP) of faster R-CNN and SSD reach 90.8% and 95.1%, respectively, when three classes (including background) are detected with the help of the dataset provided in this paper, and the mAP of two frameworks both reach 99.9% when two classes (including background) are detected. The detection efficiency of the SSD is higher than faster, SSD's detection speed can reach 50 fps, and the detection accuracy of the images after frame accumulation preprocessing is higher than that without frame accumulation processing. In summary, we validate the possibility of employing faster R-CNN and SSD to detect heterogeneity in multispectral images based on frame accumulation that improves image grayscale resolution, and it has a certain degree of reference significance for the application of deep learning in multispectral image detection.

While the single ant colony algorithm and the fish swarm algorithm have many advantages, they also have various shortcomings. After analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of the ant colony algorithm and the fish swarm algorithm, this paper uses the complementary principle of the two algorithms to effectively fuse the two population intelligent algorithms. The improved swarm intelligence algorithm is applied to the well-considered protein folding prediction problem, and the simplified protein structure Toy model is verified, and the ideal results are obtained. The improved algorithm enhances the search ability, and the computational efficiency is greatly improved, ensuring the accuracy of the operation.

Background. Bacterial vaginosis (BV), one of the most common vaginal ecosystem-related microbiologic syndromes, is the most common disorder in women of reproductive age. Gardnerella (G.) vaginalis is the predominant species causing this infection. Our aim was to compare the antimicrobial susceptibilities of metronidazole and clindamycin against G. vaginalis at planktonic and biofilm levels. Methods. From September 2019 to October 2019, we recruited a total of 10 patients with BV who underwent gynecological examinations at Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital. G. vaginalis isolates were obtained from the vagina and identified using their characteristic colony morphology. Sequence data of clinical G. vaginalis isolates were confirmed by comparing 16S rDNA sequences. Subsequently, clinical isolates were evaluated for antimicrobial susceptibilities in vitro to metronidazole and clindamycin at planktonic and biofilm levels. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for metronidazole and clindamycin was evaluated by antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC) was evaluated by the biofilm inhibition assay. Results. Planktonic clinical isolates showed a significantly higher susceptibility rate (76.67%) and lower resistance rate (23.33%) to clindamycin than to metronidazole (susceptibility rate: 38.24%; resistance rate: 58.82%; P128 μg/mL. Moreover, the MIC of clindamycin was higher too for biofilm-forming isolates (0.099 ± 0.041 μg/mL vs. 23.7 ± 9.49 μg/mL; P=0.034); the resistance rate was 27.3%, and the MBEC of clindamycin was 28.4 ± 6.50 μg/mL. Conclusion. Our results indicate that in comparison to metronidazole, clindamycin seems to be a better choice to tackle G. vaginalis as it exhibits a relatively higher susceptibility rate and lower resistance rate.

The phosphopeptide P140/Lupuzor, which improves the course of lupus disease in mice and patients, targets chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), a selective form of autophagy that is abnormally upregulated in lupus-prone MRL/lpr mice. Administered intravenously to diseased mice, P140 reduces the expression level of two major protein players of CMA, LAMP2A and HSPA8, and inhibits CMA in vitro in a cell line that stably expresses a CMA reporter. Here, we aimed to demonstrate that P140 also affects CMA in vivo and to unravel the precise cellular mechanism of how P140 interacts with the CMA process. MRL/lpr mice and CBA/J mice used as control received P140 or control peptides intravenously. Lysosome-enriched fractions of spleen or liver were prepared to examine lysosomal function. Highly purified lysosomes were further isolated and left to incubate with the CMA substrate to study at which cellular step P140 interacts with the CMA process. The data show that P140 effectively regulates CMA in vivo in MRL/lpr mice at the step of substrate lysosomal uptake and restores some alterations of defective lysosomes. For the first time, it is demonstrated that by occluding the intralysosome uptake of CMA substrates, a therapeutic molecule can attenuate excessive CMA activity in a pathological pro-inflammatory context and protect against hyperinflammation. This recovery effect of P140 on hyperactivated CMA is not only important for lupus therapy but potentially also for treating other (auto)inflammatory diseases, including neurologic and metabolic disorders, where CMA modulation would be highly beneficial.

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) has been used as an advanced construction material in civil engineering because of its excellent mechanical properties and durability. However, with the depletion of the raw material (river sand) used for preparing UHPC, it is imperative to find a replacement material. Recycled sand is an alternative raw material for preparing UHPC, but it degrades the performance. In this study, we investigated the use of graphene oxide (GO) as an additive for enhancing the properties of UHPC prepared from recycled sand. The primary objective was to investigate the effects of GO on the mechanical properties and durability of the UHPC at different concentrations. Additionally, the impact of the GO additive on the microstructure of the UHPC prepared from recycled sand was analysed at different mixing concentrations. The addition of GO resulted in the following: (1) The porosity of the UHPC prepared from recycled sand was reduced by 4.45–11.35%; (2) the compressive strength, flexural strength, splitting tensile strength, and elastic modulus of the UHPC prepared from recycled sand were enhanced by 8.24–16.83%, 11.26–26.62%, 15.63–29.54%, and 5.84–12.25%, respectively; (3) the resistance of the UHPC to penetration of chloride ions increased, and the freeze–thaw resistance improved; (4) the optimum mixing concentration of GO in the UHPC was determined to be 0.05 wt.%, according to a comprehensive analysis of its effects on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and durability of the UHPC. The findings of this study provide important guidance for the utilisation of recycled sand resources.

Mitochondria deserve special attention as sensors of cellular energy homeostasis and metabolic state. Moreover, mitochondria integrate intra- and extra-cellular signals to determine appropriate cellular responses that range from proliferation to cell death. In autoimmunity, as in other inflammatory chronic disorders, the metabolism of immune cells may be extensively remodeled, perturbing sensitive tolerogenic mechanisms. Here, we examine the distribution and effects of the therapeutic 21-mer peptide called P140, which shows remarkable efficacy in modulating immune responses in inflammatory settings. We measured P140 and control peptide effects on isolated mitochondria, the distribution of peptides in live cells, and their influence on the levels of key autophagy regulators. Our data indicate that while P140 targets macro- and chaperone-mediated autophagy processes, it has little effect, if any, on mitochondrial autophagy. Remarkably, however, it suppresses NET release from neutrophils exposed to immobilized NET-anti-DNA IgG complexes. Together, our results suggest that in the mitochondrion-lysosome axis, a likely driver of NETosis and inflammation, the P140 peptide does not operate by affecting mitochondria directly.

Nanoparticles (NPs) typically accumulate in lysosomes. However, their impact on lysosomal function, as well as autophagy, a lysosomal degradative pathway, is still not well known. We have previously reported in the 1321N1 cell line that amine-modified polystyrene (NH2-PS) NPs induce apoptosis through damage initiated in the lysosomes leading ultimately to release of lysosomal content in the cytosol, followed by apoptosis. Here, by using a combination of biochemical and cell biological approaches, we have characterized in a mouse embryonic fibroblast cell line that the lysosomal alterations induced by NH2-PS NPs is progressive, initiating from mild lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP), to expansion of lysosomal volume and intensive LMP before the summit of cell death. Though the cells initially seem to induce autophagy as a surviving mechanism, the damage of NH2-PS NPs to lysosomes probably results in lysosomal dysfunctions, leading to blockage of autophagic flux at the level of lysosomes and the eventual cell death.

Magnetic hyperthermia ablation has attracted wide attention in tumor therapy for its minimal invasion. Although the chemo-hyperthermal synergism has been proven to be effective in subcutaneously xenografted tumors of nude mice in our previous experiment, the occurrence of residual tumors due to incomplete ablation is more common in relatively larger and deeper-seated tumors in anti-tumor therapy. Thus, a larger tumor and larger animal model are needed for further study of the therapeutic efficacy. In this study, we tested the efficiency of this newly developed technique using a rabbit tumor model. Furthermore, we chose cisplatin (DDP), which has been confirmed with high efficiency in enhancing hyperthermia therapy as the chemotherapeutic drug for the synergistic magnetic hyperthermal ablation therapy of tumors. In vitro studies demonstrated that developed DDP-loaded magnetic implants (DDP/PLGA-Fe3O4) have great heating efficacy and the drug release can be significantly boosted by an external alternating magnetic field (AMF). In vivo studies showed that the phase-transitional DDP/PLGA-Fe3O4 materials that are ultrasound (US) and computerized tomography (CT) visible can be well confined in the tumor tissues after injection. When exposed to AMF, efficient hyperthermia was induced, which led to the cancer cells' coagulative necrosis and accelerating release of the drug to kill residual tumors. Furthermore, an activated anti-tumor immune system can promote apoptosis of tumor cells. In conclusion, the DDP/PLGA-Fe3O4 implants can be used efficiently for the combined chemotherapy and magnetic-hyperthermia ablation of rabbit tumors.

In this paper, a comprehensive passive torsion measurement is performed firstly in a 40-cm-long polarization maintaining fiber-based Sagnac interferometer (PMF-SI), and the non-linear torsion response is found and investigated. Then, a fiber laser torsion sensor (FLTS) with a dual-ring-cavity structure is proposed and experimentally demonstrated, in which the PMF-SI is utilized as the optical filter as well as the sensing unit. In particular, the highly sensitive linear range is adjusted through fine phase modulation, and owing to the flat-top feature of fringes, an ~83.6% sensitivity difference is effectively compressed by the generated lasing. The experimental results show that, without any pre-twisting, the ultra-wide linear response from −175 to 175 rad/m is gained, and the torsion sensitivities are 2.46 and 1.55 nm/rad with high linearity (>0.99) in the clockwise and anti-clockwise directions, respectively. Additionally, a high extinction ratio (>42 dB) and small line-width (~0.14 nm) are obtained in the proposed FLTS, and the corresponding detection limit reaches 0.015 rad/m.

We report a continuous-wave ultraviolet laser at 349 nm obtained by intracavity frequency doubling of a diode-pumped Pr3+-doped LiYF4 laser. Power scaling of lasers at 698-nm fundamental wavelength was realized using an InGaN laser diode with a maximum output power of 850 mW and a 5-mm-long 0.5 a.t. % laser crystal. The maximum output power at 698 nm was 215 mW. With beta barium borate crystal employed as the nonlinear medium, 33 mW of output power at 349 nm has been achieved.