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Abstract Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a wide-spread gastrointestinal cancer that is associated with augmented morbidity and mortality, and we do not yet have a deep understanding of its epidemiology and carcinogenicity. The transcriptome can reveal the complexity and heterogeneity of tumors and uncover new biomarkers or treatment options. In this study, we identified messenger RNAs (mRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), round RNAs (circRNAs), and microRNAs (miRNAs) using whole-transcriptome sequencing and generated competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) modulatory axes. We conducted whole transcriptome sequencing on 10 CRC and para-cancer (CRCP) samples and discovered 2465 differentially expressed (DE) mRNAs (DEmRNAs), 77 DE miRNAs (DEmiRNAs). 2852 DE lncRNAs (DElncRNAs) and 1477 DE circRNAs (DEcircRNAs). In addition, utilizing co-DE analysis, we generated the ceRNA axis. Subsequently, we employed the ceRNA axis to identify essential genes and corresponding associations with lncRNAs, circRNAs, and miRNAs in CRC. ceRNA regulatory network including mRNA-miRNA-lncRNA and mRNA-miRNA-circRNA. These modulatory axes potentially modulate the positive regulation of smooth muscle contraction, melanosome, plasma membrane, integral plasma membrane component and so on. Finally, the results of RNA sequencing (RNA-SEQ) were combined with the TCGA and GEO databases, and the DEGs strongly correlated with the TCGA-COAD overall survival (OS) as estimated by univariate cox and logarithmic rank analyses were cross-analyzed, and the co-upregulated DEGs were screened. Among the many DEs, KPNA2 was chosen for additional analysis. Using invitro experimentations, western blot, CCK8, EdU and other experiments were performed to verify the results. We found siRNA-based KPNA2 depletion reduces bladder cancer cells’ viability, migratory, and proliferative activities, which showed that the DEmRNA profiles were comparable to the sequencing information, confirming that the sequencing data were very reliable. These evidences highlight the ceRNA regulatory mechanisms in CRC and will aid future research into the molecular mechanisms behind colorectal cancer prevention and treatment.

Abstract To evaluate the efficacy of neuronavigation-assisted stereotactic drilling drainage compared with that of craniotomy in the treatment of massive intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) in elderly patients. This was a randomized, controlled, blind endpoint clinical study. Elderly patients with massive ICH treated at our neurosurgery department, without the formation of brain herniation preoperatively, all underwent neurosurgical intervention. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups: the minimally invasive surgery (MIS) group, which received neuronavigation-assisted stereotactic drilling drainage, and the craniotomy haematoma removal surgery (CHRS) group. Patient characteristics, surgical anaesthesia methods, surgery duration, intraoperative bleeding volume, duration of ICU stay duration of hospital stay, complications, and modified Rankin scale (mRS) scores at 90 days posttreatment were compared between the two groups. Statistical analysis was performed on the collected data. A total of 67 patients were randomly assigned, with 33 (49.25%) in the MIS group and 34 (50.75%) in the CHRS group. Compared with the CHRS group, the MIS group had advantages, including the use of local anaesthesia, shorter surgery duration, less intraoperative bleeding, shorter ICU stay, and fewer complications (P 0.05). For elderly patients with massive ICH without brain herniation, stereotactic drilling drainage is a simple surgical procedure that can be performed under local anaesthesia. Patients treated with this approach seem to have better outcomes than those treated with craniotomy. In clinical practice, neuronavigation-assisted stereotactic drilling drainage is recommended for surgical treatment in elderly patients with massive ICH without brain herniation. Clinical trial registration number: NCT04686877

Abstract Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) have become pivotal in achieving high-performance perovskite solar cells (PSCs) and organic solar cells (OSCs) by significantly minimizing interfacial energy losses. In this study, we propose a co-adsorb (CA) strategy employing a novel small molecule, 2-chloro-5-(trifluoromethyl)isonicotinic acid (PyCA-3F), introducing at the buried interface between 2PACz and the perovskite/organic layers. This approach effectively diminishes 2PACz’s aggregation, enhancing surface smoothness and increasing work function for the modified SAM layer, thereby providing a flattened buried interface with a favorable heterointerface for perovskite. The resultant improvements in crystallinity, minimized trap states, and augmented hole extraction and transfer capabilities have propelled power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) beyond 25% in PSCs with a p-i-n structure (certified at 24.68%). OSCs employing the CA strategy achieve remarkable PCEs of 19.51% based on PM1:PTQ10:m-BTP-PhC6 photoactive system. Notably, universal improvements have also been achieved for the other two popular OSC systems. After a 1000-hour maximal power point tracking, the encapsulated PSCs and OSCs retain approximately 90% and 80% of their initial PCEs, respectively. This work introduces a facile, rational, and effective method to enhance the performance of SAMs, realizing efficiency breakthroughs in both PSCs and OSCs with a favorable p-i-n device structure, along with improved operational stability.

Abstract Subway button detection is paramount for passenger safety, yet the occurrence of inadvertent touches poses operational threats. Camera-based detection is indispensable for identifying touch occurrences, ascertaining person identity, and implementing scientific measures. Existing methods suffer from inaccuracies due to the small size of buttons, complex environments, and challenges such as occlusion. We present YOLOv8-DETR-P2-DCNv2-Dynamic-NWD-DA, which enhances occlusion awareness, reduces redundant annotations, and improves contextual feature extraction. The model integrates the RTDETRDecoder, P2 small target detection layer, DCNv2-Dynamic algorithm, and the NWD loss function for multiscale feature extraction. Dataset augmentation and the GAN algorithm refine the model, aligning feature distributions and enhancing precision by 6.5%, 5%, and 5.8% in precision, recall, and mAP50, respectively. These advancements denote significant improvements in key performance indicators.

Abstract Among the many adverse geological disasters, the surge water disaster in karst areas causes the greatest loss to underground engineering construction, so it is necessary to carry out relevant research on the management of surge water disaster in karst pipelines. This study presents the creation of an oily epoxy resin magnetic convergence grouting material (OEMS) specifically developed to prevent water infiltration in pipelines. A self-designed visual karst pipeline grouting simulation system was used to conduct an experimental study on the diffusion and plugging behavior of magnetic slurry grouting. A model was constructed to simulate the migration of a magnetic slurry in water inrush circumstances. The model is based on the theory of slurry diffusion and the concept of magnetic adsorption. The results suggest that:(i) The best performance in grouting sealing is achieved when the ratio of new OEMS epoxy resin A liquid to B liquid is 2:1, and the blending ratio of flyash and Fe3O4 powder falls between 25 and 55%. (ii) The primary and secondary correlations among the parameters that affect the rate of change in flow rate, plugging pressure, and slurry retention rate are as follows: Hydrodynamic velocity has the greatest correlation, followed by plugging length, Fe3O4 power ratio, and flyash mixture ratio. (iii) The validity of the model is verified by comparing empirical observations with calculated theoretical values.

Abstract Purpose The objective of this study is to assess the carrier frequency and pathogenic variation of monogenetic diseases in a population of 114 subjects in Han Chinese from Hebei province who are undergoing assisted reproductive technology through the utilization of Expanded Carrier Screening (ECS). Methods The study utilized a panel consisting of 155 severe monogenic recessive genetic diseases for ECS. Next-generation sequencing technology was employed to identify specific variants associated with ECS in a cohort of 114 subjects from 97 couples, comprising 97 females and 17 male spouses. Results A total of 114 individuals received ECS. The carrier rate of pathogenic genes in the enrolled population was 44.74% (51/114). Among the 97 females, the carrier rate of pathogenic genes was higher in those without assisted reproduction indicators than in those with assisted reproduction indicators (59.09% vs. 41.33%). However, the carrier rate of pathogenic genes in males without assisted reproductive technology was slightly lower than that with assisted reproductive technology (40% vs. 41.67%). Among both female and male participants, the carrier rate of pathogenic genes between individuals without indicators of assisted reproduction and those with such indicators was 55.55% vs. 41.38%. In 51 carriers, 72.55% (37/51) carried one genetic variant, 25.49% (13/51) carried two genetic variants, and 1.96% (1/51) carried three genetic variants. A total of 38 pathogenic genes were detected in this study, and GJB2 and MMACHC were most common. The carrier rates of the two genes were both 5.26% (6/114). A total of 55 variations were detected, and c.235delC was most frequently found. The carrier rate was 3.51% (4/114). The incidence of couples carrying the same pathogenic genes was 1.03% (1/97). Conclusions The findings elucidate the carrier rate of pathogenic genes among 155 severe monogenic recessive genetic diseases and underscore the significance of ECS as a preventive measure against congenital anomalies. When both partners carry the same genetic mutation for a monogenic disease, preventive strategies can be taken in offspring through preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), prenatal genetic testing, or the utilization of donor gametes. ECS is instrumental in assessing reproductive risk, guiding fertility-related decisions, and reducing the prevalence of monogenic recessive genetic disorders in subsequent generations.

Abstract Objective The molecular era of glioma diagnosis and treatment has arrived, and a single rapid histopathology is no longer sufficient for surgery. This study sought to present an automatic integrated gene detection system (AIGS), which enables rapid intraoperative detection of IDH/TERTp mutations. Methods A total of 78 patients with gliomas were included in this study. IDH/TERTp mutations were detected intraoperatively using AIGS in 41 of these patients, and they were guided to surgical resection (AIGS detection group). The remaining 37 underwent histopathology‐guided conventional surgical resection (non‐AIGS detection group). The clinical utility of this technique was evaluated by comparing the accuracy of glioma subtype diagnosis before and after TERTp mutation results were obtained by pathologists and the extent of resection (EOR) and patient prognosis for molecular pathology‐guided glioma surgery. Results With NGS/Sanger sequencing and chromosome detection as the gold standard, the accuracy of AIGS results was 100%. And the timing was well matched to the intraoperative rapid pathology report. After obtaining the TERTp mutation detection results, the accuracy of the glioma subtype diagnosis made by the pathologists increased by 19.51%. Molecular pathology‐guided surgical resection of gliomas significantly increased EOR (99.06% vs. 93.73%, p

Abstract Purpose To confirm which method provides lower rate of recurrent instability and superior clinical outcomes. Method We searched PubMed, Embase and Web of Science for the trials involving one intervention or both for patellar instability: medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction (MPFLR) with and without tibial tubercle osteotomy (TTO). The postoperative Kujala score, Lysholm score, Tegner scores and the rate of recurrent instability (dislocation or subluxation) were analyzed as the primary clinical outcome parameters in a random or fixed effects meta-analysis. Results In total, 43 articles met inclusion criteria after full-text review. A total of 2046 patients were analyzed. The overall mean age was 20.3 years (range, 9.5–60.0 years), with a mean follow-up time of 3.2 years (range, 1–8 years). The mean Kujala scores in MPFLR and MPFLR + TTO were 89.04 and 84.44, respectively. There was significant difference in Kujala scores between MPFLR and MPFLR + TTO (MD = 4.60, 95%CI: 1.07–8.13; P = 0.01). The mean Lysholm scores in MPFLR and MPFLR + TTO were 90.59 and 88.14, respectively. There was no significant difference in Lysholm scores between MPFLR and MPFLR + TTO (MD = 2.45, 95%CI: -3.20-8.10; P = 0.40). The mean Tegner scores in MPFLR and MPFLR + TTO were 5.30 and 4.88, respectively. There was no significant difference in Tegner scores between MPFLR and MPFLR + TTO (MD = 0.42, 95%CI: -0.39-1.23; P = 0.31). At final follow-up, the rates of recurrent instability in MPFLR and MPFLR + TTO were 3% and 4%, respectively. There was no significant difference in the rates between MPFLR and MPFLR + TTO (OR = 0.99, 95%CI: 0.96–1.02; P = 0.4848). Conclusion MPFLR and MPFLR + TTO are effective and reliable treatments in the setting of patellofemoral instability. MPFLR seems to show a better performance in functional outcomes than MPFLR + TTO. Moreover, their rates of recurrent instability are very low, and no significant difference exists.

Abstract γ-polyglutamic acid (γ-PGA), as an environmentally sustainable material, is extensive applied in agriculture for enhancing water and fertilizer utilization efficiency, augmenting crop yield, and ameliorating soil conditions. However, the effect of γ-PGA in conjunction with sesame cake fertilizer on the soil environment remains uncertain.The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of γ-PGA on soil nutrients, water use efficiency (WUE) and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), and maize yield across various levels of sesame cake fertilizer. Additionally, the study seeks to identify the optimal ratio to establish a theoretical and practical foundation for sustainable agricultural development and the promotion of ecological agriculture. Through field experiments, nine treatments were established, comprising three levels of sesame cake fertilizer application rates (B1 = 900 kg/hm2 for low fertility, B2 = 1100 kg/hm2 for medium fertility, and B3 = 1300 kg/hm2 for high fertility) and three levels of γ-PGA application rates (R1 = 200 kg/hm2, R2 = 400 kg/hm2, and R3 = 600 kg/hm2). The results can be outlined as follows: (1) When γ-PGA application rate increased, total nitrogen (TN) exhibited a synergistic effect under B1 treatment, but an antagonistic effect under B2 and B3 treatments. At the 6-leaf stage (V6), 12-leaf stage (V12), and tasseling stage (VT), available phosphorus (AP) exhibited antagonistic effects. However, at the filling stage (R2) and maturity stage (R6), AP in B1 and B2 treatments at various depths underwent partial transformation into a synergistic effect. The levels of available potassium exhibited a notable antagonistic effect, leading to a decrease in harvest index (HI). B2 treatment demonstrated superior results compared to the B1 and B3 treatments, with the highest levels observed under B2R1 treatment; (2) TN content in the 0–40 cm soil layer increased during the filling period, and it was uniformly distributed in the 40–60 cm soil layer. When the soil AP was located in the 0–60 cm soil layer, there was an increase in AP content during the mature period. Following the tasseling period, different treatments exhibited varying patterns of increase in response to the presence of potassium within the 0–60 cm soil layer. Consequently, in cases where the sesame cake fertilizer content is low, the interaction between γ-PGA can compensate for the deficiency of fertilizer, thereby enhancing water and nitrogen utilization efficiency. The optimal fertilization strategy for enhancing soil nutrient distribution, WUE and NUE, and yield is proposed to be the application of 1100 kg/hm2 sesame cake fertilizer and 200 kg/hm2 γ-PGA.

Abstract Ageing as a natural irreversible process inherently results in the functional deterioration of numerous organ systems and tissues, including the skeletal and immune systems. Recent studies have elucidated the intricate bidirectional interactions between these two systems. In this review, we provide a comprehensive synthesis of molecular mechanisms of cell ageing. We further discuss how age-related skeletal changes influence the immune system and the consequent impact of immune system alterations on the skeletal system. Finally, we highlight the clinical implications of these findings and propose potential strategies to promote healthy ageing and reduce pathologic deterioration of both the skeletal and immune systems.

Abstract The skeleton has been suggested to function as an endocrine organ controlling whole organism energy balance, however the mediators of this effect and their molecular links remain unclear. Here, utilizing Schnurri-3−/− (Shn3 −/− ) mice with augmented osteoblast activity, we show Shn3 −/− mice display resistance against diet-induced obesity and enhanced white adipose tissue (WAT) browning. Conditional deletion of Shn3 in osteoblasts but not adipocytes recapitulates lean phenotype of Shn3 −/− mice, indicating this phenotype is driven by skeleton. We further demonstrate osteoblasts lacking Shn3 can secrete cytokines to promote WAT browning. Among them, we identify a C-terminal fragment of SLIT2 (SLIT2-C), primarily secreted by osteoblasts, as a Shn3-regulated osteokine that mediates WAT browning. Lastly, AAV-mediated Shn3 silencing phenocopies the lean phenotype and augmented glucose metabolism. Altogether, our findings establish a novel bone-fat signaling axis via SHN3 regulated SLIT2-C production in osteoblasts, offering a potential therapeutic target to address both osteoporosis and metabolic syndrome.

Abstract The multifaceted nature of sensor data has long been a hurdle for those seeking to harness its full potential in the field of 3D object detection. Although the utilisation of point clouds as input has yielded exceptional results, the challenge of effectively combining the complementary properties of multi‐sensor data looms large. This work presents a new approach to multi‐model 3D object detection, called adaptive voxel‐image feature fusion (AVIFF). Adaptive voxel‐image feature fusion is an end‐to‐end single‐shot framework that can dynamically and adaptively fuse point cloud and image features, resulting in a more comprehensive and integrated analysis of the camera sensor and the LiDar sensor data. With the aid of the adaptive feature fusion module, spatialised image features can be adroitly fused with voxel‐based point cloud features, while the Dense Fusion module ensures the preservation of the distinctive characteristics of 3D point cloud data through the use of a heterogeneous architecture. Notably, the authors’ framework features a novel generalised intersection over union loss function that enhances the perceptibility of object localsation and rotation in 3D space. Comprehensive experimentation has validated the efficacy of the authors’ proposed modules, firmly establishing AVIFF as a novel framework in the field of 3D object detection.

Background Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG)-resistant Kawasaki disease is associated with coronary artery lesion development. Purpose This study aimed to explore the factors associated with IVIG-resistance and construct and validate an interpretable machine learning (ML) prediction model in clinical practice. Methods Between December 2014 and November 2022, 602 patients were screened and risk factors for IVIG-resistance investigated. Five ML models are used to establish an optimal prediction model. The SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method was used to interpret the ML model. Results Na+, hemoglobin (Hb), C-reactive protein (CRP), and globulin were independent risk factors for IVIG-resistance. A nonlinear relationship was identified between globulin level and IVIG-resistance. The XGBoost model exhibited excellent performance, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.821, accuracy of 0.748, sensitivity of 0.889, and specificity of 0.683 in the testing set. The XGBoost model was interpreted globally and locally using the SHAP method. Conclusion Na+, Hb, CRP, and globulin levels were independently associated with IVIG-resistance. Our findings demonstrate that ML models can reliably predict IVIG-resistance. Moreover, use of the SHAP method to interpret the established XGBoost model's findings would provide evidence of IVIG-resistance and guide the individualized treatment of Kawasaki disease.

In ship detection through remote sensing images, optical images often provide rich details and texture information; however, the quality of such optical images can be affected by cloud and fog interferences. In contrast, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) provides all-weather and all-day imaging capabilities; however, SAR images are susceptible to interference from complex sea clutter. Cooperative ship detection combining the advantages of optical and SAR images can enhance the detection performance of ships. In this paper, by focusing on the slight shift of ships in a small neighborhood range in the prior and later temporal images, we propose a method for cooperative ship detection based on neighborhood saliency in multisource heterogeneous remote sensing images, including optical and SAR data. Initially, a sea-land segmentation algorithm of optical and SAR images is applied to reduce interference from land regions. Next, single-source ship detection from optical and SAR images is performed using the RetinaNet and YOLOv5s models, respectively. Then, we introduce a multisource cooperative ship target detection strategy based on the neighborhood window opening of single-source detection results in remote sensing images and secondary detection of neighborhood salient ships. This strategy further leverages the complementary advantages of both optical and SAR heterogeneous images, reducing the possibility of missing ship and false alarms to improve overall detection performance. The performance of the proposed method has been validated using optical and SAR remote sensing data measured from Yantai, China, in 2022. Compared with existing ship detection methods, our method improves detection accuracy AP50 by ≥1.9%, demonstrating its effectiveness and superiority.

Osteoporosis (OP) is a systemic metabolic bone disease that is characterized by decreased bone mineral density and microstructural damage to bone tissue. Recent studies have demonstrated significant advances in the research of programmed cell death (PCD) in OP. However, there is no bibliometric analysis in this research field. This study searched the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database for literature related to OP and PCD from 2000 to 2023. This study used VOSviewers 1.6.20, the “bibliometrix” R package, and CiteSpace (6.2.R3) for bibliometric and visualization analysis. A total of 2905 articles from 80 countries were included, with China and the United States leading the way. The number of publications related to PCD in OP is increasing year by year. The main research institutions are Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Chinese Medical University, Southern Medical University, Zhejiang University, and Soochow University. Bone is the most popular journal in the field of PCD in OP, and the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research is the most co‐cited journal. These publications come from 14,801 authors, with Liu Zong‐Ping, Yang Lei, Manolagas Stavros C, Zhang Wei, and Zhao Hong‐Yan having published the most papers. Ronald S. Weinstein was co‐cited most often. Oxidative stress and autophagy are the current research hot spots for PCD in OP. This bibliometric study provides the first comprehensive summary of trends and developments in PCD research in OP. This information identifies the most recent research frontiers and hot directions, which will provide a definitive reference for scholars studying PCD in OP.

A novel insertion device is introduced, designated as the Mango wiggler, designed for synchrotron radiation (SR) imaging that provides a large field of view. This innovative device is constructed from two orthogonal planar wigglers with a small difference in their period lengths, eliciting the phase difference of the magnetic fields to incrementally transitions from 0 to π/2. Such a configuration enlarges the vertical divergence of the light source, as with the horizontal divergence. The appellation `Mango wiggler' derives from the distinctive mango-shaped contour of its radiation field. A comprehensive suite of theoretical analyses and simulations has been executed to elucidate the radiation properties of the Mango wiggler, employing SPECTRA and Mathematica as calculation tools. In conjunction with the ongoing construction of the High Energy Photon Source in Beijing a practical Mango wiggler device has been fabricated for utilization in SR imaging applications. Theoretical analyses were applied to this particular Mango wiggler to yield several theoretical conclusions, and several simulations were performed according to the measured magnetic field results.

In order to efficiently utilize straw biomass resources, the mixed microbes were used to pretreat corn straw and anaerobic fermentation was carried out. The effects of the straw particle size, the solid-liquid ratio, and the initial pH value on both the pretreatment process and the anaerobic digestion were investigated. On the basis of single factor experiments, the pretreatment conditions were optimized using the response surface method. The pretreatment was conducted at a temperature of 30 °C for a duration of 15 days. The results indicated that the optimal parameters in pretreatment process were as follows: a straw particle size of 20 mesh, a solid-liquid ratio of 1:17, and an initial pH value of 6.5. The predicted cumulative methane production under these conditions was 3740 mL, while the experimental result obtained was (3805 ± 67) mL. With a relative deviation of 1.68% between the predicted and experimental values, the model optimized the pretreatment conditions and improved the prediction of cumulative methane production. The methane yield of corn straw achieved 243 mL/(g-VSadded).

Abstract To address the issue of roadway support failure in narrow coal pillars under dual-lane layout, this study takes the 4309 working face of Changping Coal Mine as the engineering background and employs theoretical calculations, numerical simulations, and on-site monitoring to investigate the instability mechanisms of narrow coal pillars under dual-lane conditions and to optimize technical solutions. The results indicate that the internal stress distribution within the coal pillar is influenced by the advanced support stress, and as the working face advances, the gradually increasing advanced support pressure causes the vertical stress peak within the coal pillar to shift away from the goaf area. Computational analysis reveals that the vertical stress in the top region of a 6 m narrow coal pillar is 38% higher than that in the bottom region, with an average stress of 16 MPa in the coal pillar. The asymmetric high-level stress concentration within the coal pillar significantly affects its stability. A UDEC (Universal Distinct Element Code) model was established to compare four simulation schemes with cut-off angles of 0°, 5°, 10°, and 15°. Based on the analysis of damage parameters and fracture distribution in the narrow coal pillar roadway, it was concluded that the stability is best when the cut-off angle is 10°. The dense drilling cut-off unloading technology was applied to the 4309 working face of the Changping Mine based on the aforementioned research. On-site monitoring results show that the relative deformation of the roof and bottom plates and the two sides of the test section were controlled within 267 mm and 198 mm, respectively, effectively resolving the deformation and instability issues of the narrow coal pillars.

Abstract Background The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index and its combination with obesity indicators can predict cardiovascular diseases (CVD). However, there is limited research on the relationship between changes in the triglyceride glucose-waist height ratio (TyG-WHtR) and CVD. Our study aims to investigate the relationship between the change in the TyG-WHtR and the risk of CVD. Methods Participants were from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). CVD was defined as self-reporting heart disease and stroke. Participants were divided into three groups based on changes in TyG-WHtR using K-means cluster analysis. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between different groups (based on the change of TyG-WHtR) and CVD. A restricted cubic spline (RCS) regression model was used to explore the potential nonlinear association of the cumulative TyG-WHtR and CVD events. Results During follow-up between 2015 and 2020, 623 (18.8%) of 3312 participants developed CVD. After adjusting for various potential confounders, compared to the participants with consistently low and stable TyG-WHtR, the risk of CVD was significantly higher in participants with moderate and increasing TyG-WHtR (OR 1.28, 95%CI 1.01–1.63) and participants with high TyG-WHtR with a slowly increasing trend (OR 1.58, 95%CI 1.16–2.15). Higher levels of cumulative TyG-WHtR were independently associated with a higher risk of CVD events (per SD, OR 1.27, 95%CI 1.12–1.43). Conclusions For middle-aged and older adults, changes in the TyG-WHtR are independently associated with the risk of CVD. Maintaining a favorable TyG index, effective weight management, and a reasonable waist circumference contribute to preventing CVD.

Abstract The incidence of lung cancer brain metastasis combined with hemorrhagic cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is very rare, and the understanding and treatment experience of this case is insufficient. We reported a case of lung cancer brain metastasis accompanied by venous sinus thrombosis, and describe the diagnosis and treatment plan for colleagues to learn from experience and lessons.

Highlights The flexible single-walled carbon nanotube/titanium carbide composite films exhibit excellent thermoelectric (TE), high-temperature stable and flame-retardant properties. The assembled TE device achieves an ultrafast fire warning response time of ~ 0.1 s with a threshold voltage of 1 mV. The fire warning device demonstrates exceptional repeatability and long-term stability. The designed intelligent system is promising for next-generation self-powered remote IoT fire warning applications.

Abstract With the gradual shift of coal mining to the western coal mining region of China, floor heave in weakly cemented mudstone roadways has become an issue affecting the safety and efficiency of coal mine production. Additionally, different mining rates can lead to fluctuating support stresses on the roof and floor of weakly cemented mudstone roadways. Therefore, obtaining a comprehensive understanding of the mechanical properties of weakly cemented mudstone at different loading rates is conducive to improving the issue of floor heave in such roadways and provides a theoretical basis for further study. In this context, a series of uniaxial mechanical tests with concurrent acoustic emission monitoring were conducted on specimens of weakly cemented mudstone under various loading rates (0.005, 0.01, 0.05, and 0.1 mm/s). The stress‒strain and acoustic emission response curves were obtained to effectively characterize the strength, deformation, damage, macroscale instability, and crack propagation characteristics of the mudstone under the influence of loading rate effects. The research results support the following findings: (1) With increasing loading rate, the peak strength and elastic modulus of weakly cemented mudstone significantly increase, while the peak axial strain and peak radial deformation significantly decrease. (2) With increasing loading rate, the stress required to trigger the expansion of weakly cemented mudstone gradually increases, and a significant power-law relationship arises between the strain of the mudstone at the start of expansion and the loading rate. (3) With increasing loading rate, the acoustic emission ringing count of weakly cemented mudstone increases: The failure of weakly cemented mudstone changes from small-range progressive failure to sudden failure, and the failure mode transitions from shear failure to tensile‒shear composite failure. (4) The studied mudstone damage variables increase with increasing loading rate, following an approximate exponential function. The conclusions obtained in this work can provide a theoretical basis for the evolution mechanism and control of floor heave in deep roadway mining.

Abstract Dielectric Elastomer Minimum Energy Structures (DEMES) have the ability of actively adjusting their shape to accommodate complex scenarios, understanding the actuation mechanism of DEMES is essential for their effective design and control, which has rendered them a focus of research in the field of soft robotics. The actuation ability of DEMES is usually influenced by external conditions, among which the electromechanical properties of DE materials are highly sensitive to temperature changes, and the pre-stretch ratio of DE materials has a significant impact on the dynamic performance of DEMES. Therefore, it is necessary to study the effects of temperature and pre-stretch ratio on the nonlinear dynamic behavior of DEMES. In this paper, in response to the lack of research on the influence of DE pre-stretch ratio on the actuation characteristics of DEMES, this paper proposes a systematic modeling and analysis framework that comprehensively considers pre-stretch factors, temperature factors, and viscoelastic factors, and establishes the motion control equation of DEMES affected by the coupling effect of DE pre-stretch ratio and temperature. The proposed analytical framework is used to analyze the evolution of the electromechanical response of DEMES under voltage excitation under the coupling of DE pre-stretch ratio and temperature. The results indicate that the bending angle, inelastic deformation, resonant frequency, and dynamic stability of DEMES can be jointly adjusted by the DE pre-stretch ratio and ambient temperature. A low pre-stretch ratio of DE can lead to dynamic instability of DEMES, while appropriate temperature conditions and higher pre-stretch ratios can significantly improve the actuation ability of DEMES. This can provide theoretical guidance for the design and deformation control of DEMES.

Abstract Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) resistance in Kawasaki disease (KD) was associated with coronary artery lesions. Neutrophil percentage-to-albumin ratio (NPAR) is an index of mortality in several inflammatory diseases. This study focused on the association of NPAR with IVIG- resistance in KD. Clinical and laboratory data of 438 children with KD before IVIG treatment were retrospectively analyzed. Notably, high NPAR was associated with older age, high WBC, NP, ALT, total bilirubin and CRP, as well as with high the incidence of IVIG-resistance, and with low hemoglobin (Hb), PLT, ALB and sodium levels. NPAR (OR: 2.366, 95% CI: 1.46–3.897, p = 0.001) and Hb (OR: 0.967, 95% CI: 0.944–0.989, p = 0.004) were independent risk factors for IVIG-resistance. NPAR showed linear relation with IVIG-resistance (p for nonlinear = 0.711) and the nonlinear correlation was found between IVIG-resistance and Hb (p for nonlinear = 0.002). The predictive performance of NPAR was superior to Beijing model (z = 2.193, p = 0.028), and not inferior to Chongqing model (z = 0.983, p = 0.326) and the combination of NPAR and Hb (z = 1.912, p = 0.056). These findings revealed that NPAR is a reliable predictor of IVIG-resistance.

Osteoporotic bone defects pose a significant challenge for bone regeneration as they exhibit impaired healing capacity and delayed healing period. To address this issue, this study introduces a hydrogel that creates a rejuvenating microenvironment, thereby facilitating efficient bone repair during the initial two weeks following bone defect surgery. The hydrogel, named GelHFS, was created through host-guest polymerization of gelatin and acrylated β-cyclodextrin. Incorporation of the human fetal mesenchymal stem cell secretome (HFS) formed GelHFS hydrogel aimed at mimicking a rejuvenated stem cell niche. Our results demonstrated that GelHFS hydrogel promotes cell stellate spreading and osteogenic differentiation via integrin β1-induced focal adhesion pathway. Implantation of GelHFS hydrogel in an osteoporotic bone defect rat model recruited endogenous integrin β1-expressing cells and enhanced new bone formation and bone strength. Our findings reveal that GelHFS hydrogel provides a rejuvenating niche for endogenous MSCs and enhances bone regeneration in osteoporotic bone defect. These findings highlight the potential of GelHFS hydrogel as an effective therapeutic strategy for addressing challenging bone healing such as osteoporotic bone regeneration.

In order to predict rib spalling depth in fully-mechanized mining faces, taking the coal wall as the research object, the coal wall is regarded as a tri-linear strain softening material. Then the direct roof and main roof are taken as macro roof, and the bearing mechanical model for the interaction between macro roof, coal seam, and support is established. Combined with the boundary conditions, the analytical solution of rib spalling depth in fully mechanized mining faces is derived in this paper. The analytical solution was used to investigate the situation of coal wall spalling in the 12401 working face of Shangwan Coal Mine, and the factors and laws influencing coal wall spalling were researched. The results show that: ① The analytical solution of rib spalling depth in the fully mechanized working face in this paper is reliable and reasonable, and can quantitatively investigate the effects of roof characteristics and support parameters. ② Increasing the initial support force can reduce rib spalling depth. Increasing the stiffness of the support can reduce rib spalling depth, however the effect is poor. The supporting strength of the support protective plate, and the rib spalling depth decreases approximately linearly. ③ With the thickness and tensile strength of the roof macroscopic increasing, the rib spalling depth increases. However its growth rate gradually slows down. The main reasons are that the periodic fracture length increases with increment of the thickness and tensile strength of the roof, which leads to increment of the angle of rotation and sinking towards the goaf. ④ The mining height has a significant effect on the rib spalling depth. The rib spalling depth linearly increases with the mining height. ⑤ With uniaxial compressive strength of coal increasing, the rib spalling depth decreases. With the interface friction coefficient between the roof and the coal increasing, the rib spalling depth decreases. ⑥ With the dynamic loading coefficient of the roof increasing, the rib spalling depth increases linearly.

Interfacial strength is a key factor affecting the mechanical properties of materials. This study aims to enhance the mechanical properties of energetic polymer bonded explosives (PBXs) by modifying 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trintrobenzene (TATB) crystals—a typical energetic material—using 2-ureido-41H-6-methyl-pyrimidinone (UPy) derivatives with strong hydrogen-bonding interactions. Specifically, strongly adhesive polydopamine (PDA) was employed to graft UPy-functionalized molecules with isocyanate groups (–NCO) and hydroxyl groups (–OH). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images indicate that TATB crystals became rougher after being coated with PDA, while the introduction of UPy did not affect the surface morphology. The presence of urethane bond peaks in the samples indicates that UPy-NCO was successfully grafted onto the PDA. UPy is essentially nonpolar and is prone to bind with binders, having the potential to improve the creep resistance of PBXs. Due to the strong interfacial enhancement by UPy and PDA, the tensile strength and compressive strength of the sample grafted with 1 wt% UPy significantly increased by 35.6 % and 26.5 %, respectively. Theoretical calculations indicate interfacial enhancement by UPy introduction, where the strong hydrogen bonding may produce a positive impact. The successful introduction of UPy modified the nature of TATB and improved its interfacial strength, finally enhancing the mechanical properties of the PBXs. The conditions for the grafting reaction in this study are mild and universal and thus can be applied to other compositions.

In order to evaluate miners’ emergency ability reasonably, the evaluation model of miners’ emergency ability maturity was established. Firstly, based on the information processing model of miners’ emergency ability, the information processing process and psychological mechanism of miners’ danger information perception, danger information processing, choice, judgment and decision, and operation response were analyzed, and then the evaluation index system of miners’ emergency ability was constructed. Secondly, the maturity level and basic characteristics of miners’ emergency ability evaluation are determined, and the membership function value of miners’ emergency ability maturity is represented by mutation series method. Finally, the model is applied to a coal mine in Shaanxi Province. The results show that the workers of the coal mining team are weak in the aspects of situational awareness, connection ability and decision-making ability, which should be further cultivated and improved. The evaluation result of this model can reflect the real level and weak link of miners’ emergency ability, and can provide management basis for improving miners’ emergency ability.

Abstract Objective To develop and validate a nomogram for predicting recurrence-free survival (RFS) for clinical T1/2 (cT1/2) clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) patients after nephrectomy. Methods Clinicopathological and survival data from 1289 cT1/2 ccRCC patients treated at the Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University between 2017 and 2020 were included. Cox regression analysis was used to identify independent risk factors in 902 and 387 ccRCC patients in the training and validation cohorts, respectively, and construct the nomogram. The performance of the nomogram was assessed through calibration plots, time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, C-index (concordance-index), and decision curve analysis (DCA). Kaplan-Meier curves were used to evaluate the probability of RFS in patients with different recurrence risks. Results Age, tumor size, surgical approach, Fuhrman grade, and pT3a upstage were identified as independent predictors of RFS. The area under the curve (AUC) for the 3-year and 5-year RFS ROC curves were 0.791 and 0.835 in the training cohort, and 0.860 and 0.880 in the validation cohort. The DCA and calibration plots demonstrated the optimal application and excellent accuracy of the nomogram for predicting 3-year and 5-year RFS. Kaplan-Meier curves revealed significant differences in RFS among the three risk groups in both the training and validation cohorts. Clinically, the developed nomogram provides a more precise tool for risk stratification, enabling tailored postoperative management and surveillance strategies, ultimately aiming to improve patient outcomes. Conclusions We developed a nomogram for predicting RFS in cT1/2 ccRCC patients after nephrectomy with high accuracy. The clinical implementation of this nomogram can significantly enhance clinical decision-making, leading to improved patient outcomes and optimized resource utilization in the management of ccRCC.

Abstract Lung cancer is the primary cause of cancer-related death worldwide, and its global incidence and mortality rates remain high. The differential expression of circular RNAs (circRNAs) can affect the development of cancer, but the mechanisms by which circRNAs regulate lung cancer progression remain unclear. In this study, we identified circSORBS1, a circRNA that has not been previously described in lung cancer and is significantly underexpressed in lung cancer tissues, blood and cell lines, and the low expression of circSORBS1 correlated with tumour grade and prognosis. In vitro and in vivo functional experiments revealed that circSORBS1 overexpression inhibited cell proliferation and migration while enhancing apoptosis. Mechanistically, circSORBS1 acts as a sponge for miR-6779-5p, indirectly inhibiting RUFY3 mRNA degradation. Simultaneously, it binds to RUFY3 mRNA to enhance its stability. This dual regulatory mechanism leads to an increase in RUFY3 protein levels, which ultimately activates the YWHAE/BAD/BCL2 apoptotic signalling pathway and suppresses lung cancer progression. Our findings not only increase the knowledge about the regulatory pattern of circRNA expression but also provide new insights into the mechanisms by which circRNAs regulate lung cancer development.

ABSTRACT Importance It remained unclear that the efficacy comparison between low‐dose immune tolerance induction (LD‐ITI) incorporating immunosuppressants (IS) when severe hemophilia A (SHA) patients had inhibitor‐titer ≥200 Bethesda Units (BU)/mL (LD‐ITI‐IS200 regimen) and LD‐ITI combining with IS when SHA patients had inhibitor‐titer ≥40 BU/mL (LD‐ITI‐IS40 regimen). Objective To compare the efficacy of the LD‐ITI‐IS200 regimen with that of the LD‐ITI‐IS40 regimen for SHA patients with high‐titer inhibitors. Methods A prospective cohort study on patients receiving LD‐ITI‐IS200 compared to those receiving LD‐ITI‐IS40 from January 2021 to December 2023. Both received LD‐ITI [FVIII 50 IU/kg every other day]. IS (rituximab + prednisone) was added when peak inhibitor tier ≥200 BU/mL in the LD‐ITI‐IS200 regimen and ≥40 BU/mL in the LD‐ITI‐IS40 regimen. Success is defined as a negative inhibitor plus FVIII recovery ≥66% of the expected. Results We enrolled 30 patients on LD‐ITI‐IS200 and 64 patients on LD‐ITI‐IS40, with similar baseline clinical characteristics. A lower IS‐use rate was discovered in the LD‐ITI‐IS200 regimen compared to the LD‐ITI‐IS40 regimen (30.0% vs. 62.5%). The two regimens (LD‐ITI‐IS200 vs. LD‐ITI‐IS40) had similar success rate (70.0% vs. 79.7%), median time to success (9.4 vs. 10.6 months), and annualized bleeding rate during ITI (3.7 vs. 2.8). The cost to success was lower for LD‐ITI‐IS200 than for LD‐ITI‐IS40 (2107 vs. 3256 US Dollar/kg). Among patients with peak inhibitor‐titer 40–199 BU/mL, 10 non‐IS‐using (on LD‐ITI‐IS200 regimen) and 28 IS‐using (on LD‐ITI‐IS40 regimen) had similar success rates (70.0% vs. 78.6%) and time to success (9.0 vs. 8.8 months). Interpretation In LD‐ITI, IS are not necessary for inhibitor titer

Abstract Background Salmonella, an important foodborne pathogen, was estimated to be responsible for 95.1 million cases and 50,771 deaths worldwide. Sixteen serovars were responsible for approximately 80% of Salmonella infections in humans in China, and infections caused by a few uncommon serovars have been reported in recent years, though not with S. Welikade. This study reports the first clinical case caused by S. Welikade in China and places Chinese S. Welikade isolates in the context of global isolates via genomic analysis. For comparison, S. Welikade isolates were also screened in the Chinese Local Surveillance System for Salmonella (CLSSS). The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 28 antimicrobial agents were determined using the broth microdilution method. The isolates were sequenced on an Illumina platform to identify antimicrobial resistance genes, virulence genes, and phylogenetic relationships. Results The S. Welikade isolate (Sal097) was isolated from a two-year-old boy with acute gastroenteritis in 2021. Along with the other two isolates found in CLSSS, the three Chinese isolates were susceptible to all the examined antimicrobial agents, and their sequence types (STs) were ST5123 (n = 2) and ST3774 (n = 1). Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based phylogenetic analysis revealed that global S. Welikade strains can be divided into four groups, and these three Chinese isolates were assigned to B (n = 2; Sal097 and XXB1016) and C (n = 1; XXB700). In Group B, the two Chinese ST5123 isolates were closely clustered with three UK ST5123 isolates. In Group C, the Chinese isolate was closely related to the other 12 ST3774 isolates. The number of virulence genes in the S. Welikade isolates ranged from 59 to 152. The galF gene was only present in Group A, the pipB2 gene was only absent from Group A, the avrA gene was only absent from Group B, and the allB, sseK1, sspH2, STM0287, and tlde1 were found only within Group C and D isolates. There were 15 loci unique to the Sal097 isolate. Conclusion This study is the first to characterize and investigate clinical S. Welikade isolates in China. Responsible for a pediatric case of gastroenteritis in 2021, the clinical isolate harbored no antimicrobial resistance and belonged to phylogenetic Group B of global S. Welikade genomes.

Abstract Malignant tumors have increasing morbidity and high mortality, and their occurrence and development is a complicate process. The development of sequencing technologies enabled us to gain a better understanding of the underlying genetic and molecular mechanisms in tumors. In recent years, the spatial transcriptomics sequencing technologies have been developed rapidly and allow the quantification and illustration of gene expression in the spatial context of tissues. Compared with the traditional transcriptomics technologies, spatial transcriptomics technologies not only detect gene expression levels in cells, but also inform the spatial location of genes within tissues, cell composition of biological tissues, and interaction between cells. Here we summarize the development of spatial transcriptomics technologies, spatial transcriptomics tools and its application in cancer research. We also discuss the limitations and challenges of current spatial transcriptomics approaches, as well as future development and prospects.

Abstract Myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack, is a serious condition caused by the abrupt stoppage of blood flow to a part of the heart, leading to tissue damage. A significant aspect of this condition is reperfusion injury, which occurs when blood flow is restored but exacerbates the damage. This review first addresses the role of the innate immune system, including neutrophils and macrophages, in the cascade of events leading to myocardial infarction and reperfusion injury. It then shifts focus to the critical involvement of CD4+ T helper cells in these processes. These cells, pivotal in regulating the immune response and tissue recovery, include various subpopulations such as Th1, Th2, Th9, Th17, and Th22, each playing a unique role in the pathophysiology of myocardial infarction and reperfusion injury. These subpopulations contribute to the injury process through diverse mechanisms, with cytokines such as IFN-γ and IL-4 influencing the balance between tissue repair and injury exacerbation. Understanding the interplay between the innate immune system and CD4+ T helper cells, along with their cytokines, is crucial for developing targeted therapies to mitigate myocardial infarction and reperfusion injury, ultimately improving outcomes for cardiac patients.

Abstract Generally, the recognition performance of lightweight models is often lower than that of large models. Knowledge distillation, by teaching a student model using a teacher model, can further enhance the recognition accuracy of lightweight models. In this paper, we approach knowledge distillation from the perspective of intermediate feature-level knowledge distillation. We combine a cross-stage feature fusion symmetric framework, an attention mechanism to enhance the fused features, and a contrastive loss function for teacher and student models at the same stage to comprehensively implement a multistage feature fusion knowledge distillation method. This approach addresses the problem of significant differences in the intermediate feature distributions between teacher and student models, making it difficult to effectively learn implicit knowledge and thus improving the recognition accuracy of the student model. Compared to existing knowledge distillation methods, our method performs at a superior level. On the CIFAR100 dataset, it boosts the recognition accuracy of ResNet20 from 69.06% to 71.34%, and on the TinyImagenet dataset, it increases the recognition accuracy of ResNet18 from 66.54% to 68.03%, demonstrating the effectiveness and generalizability of our approach. Furthermore, there is room for further optimization of the overall distillation structure and feature extraction methods in this approach, which requires further research and exploration.

Abstract Background Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a common disease in the urinary system, with a high incidence and poor prognosis in advanced stages. Although γ-interferon-inducible protein 16 (IFI16) has been reported to play a role in various tumors, its involvement in ccRCC remains poorly documented, and the molecular mechanisms are not yet clear. Methods We conducted bioinformatics analysis to study the expression of IFI16 in ccRCC using public databases. Additionally, we analyzed and validated clinical specimens that we collected. Subsequently, we explored the impact of IFI16 on ccRCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion through in vitro and in vivo experiments. Furthermore, we predicted downstream molecules and pathways using transcriptome analysis and confirmed them through follow-up experimental validation. Results IFI16 was significantly upregulated in ccRCC tissue and correlated with poor patient prognosis. In vitro, IFI16 promoted ccRCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, while in vivo, it facilitated subcutaneous tumor growth and the formation of lung metastatic foci. Knocking down IFI16 suppressed its oncogenic function. At the molecular level, IFI16 promoted the transcription and translation of IL6, subsequently activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Conclusion IFI16 induced EMT through the IL6/PI3K/AKT axis, promoting the progression of ccRCC.

Abstract Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the leading causes of heart failure with highly complicated pathogeneses. miR-654-3p has been recognized as a pivotal regulator of controlling cell survival. However, the function of miR-654-3p in cardiomyocytes and MI has yet to be reported. This study aimed to identify the role of miR-654-3p in the regulation of myocardial infarction. To understand the contribution of miR-654-3p on heart function, we generated cardiac-specific knockdown and overexpression mice using AAV9 technology in MI injury. Mechanically, we combined cellular and molecular techniques, pharmaceutical treatment, RNA sequencing, and functional testing to elucidate the potential pathological mechanisms. We identified that mice subjected to MI decreased the expression of miR-654-3p in the border and infarcted area. Mice lacking miR-654-3p in the heart showed some inflammation infiltration and myocardial fibrosis, resulting in a mild cardiac injury. Furthermore, we found a deficiency of miR-654-3p in cardiomyocytes resulted in pyroptotic cell death but not other programmed cell death. Intriguingly, miR-654-3p deficiency aggravated MI-induced cardiac dysfunction, accompanied by higher myocardial fibrosis and cardiac enzymes and augmented pyroptosis activation. Cardiac elevating miR-654-3p prevented myocardial fibrosis and inflammation infiltration and decreased pyroptosis profile, thereby attenuating MI-induced cardiac damage. Using RNA sequence and molecular biological approaches, we found overexpression of miR-654-3p in the heart promoted the metabolic ability of the cardiomyocytes by promoting mitochondrial metabolism and mitochondrial respiration function. Our finding identified the character of miR-654-3p in protecting against MI damage by mediating pyroptosis and mitochondrial metabolism. These findings provide a new mechanism for miR-654-3p involvement in the pathogenesis of MI and reveal novel therapeutic targets. miR-654-3p expression was decreased after MI. Mice lacking miR-654-3p in the heart showed some inflammation infiltration and myocardial fibrosis, resulting in a mild cardiac injury. The deficiency of miR-654-3p in cardiomyocytes resulted in pyroptotic cell death. miR-654-3p deficiency aggravated MI-induced cardiac dysfunction, accompanied by higher myocardial fibrosis and cardiac enzymes and augmented pyroptosis activation. Overexpression of miR-654-3p prevented myocardial fibrosis and inflammation infiltration and decreased pyroptosis profile, thereby attenuating MI-induced cardiac damage. Overexpression of miR-654-3p in the heart promoted the metabolic ability of the cardiomyocytes by promoting mitochondrial metabolism and mitochondrial respiration function.

Abstract This study was desinged to evaluate the efficacy and safety of activated allograft combined with the induced membrane technique for reconstruction of infected segment bone defects of lower limbs. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 19 patients from May 2015 to February 2017. After debridements, the bone defects were filled with antibiotic bone cement to form the induced membrane. Autologous mesenchymal stem cells were seeded onto allografts to construct activated allograft, which was implanted into the induced membrane after infection was controlled. The clinical efficacy and complications were observed. 19 patients with 20 infected segment bone defect were evaluated. The average deficit size was 11.08 (4–17) cm in length. After a mean follow-up of 71.84 (61–82) months, bone union was achieved in 16 patients (17 sites), resulting in a final union rate of 84.21% (16/19 patients). The average bone union time was 10.18 (5–28) months. There were 2 patients with recurrence of infection, 3 patients with graft absorption, and 1 patient with malunion due to implant breakage. There were no graft-related complications. This study provides clinical significance for the treatment of patients with insufficient autologous bone.

Abstract Background The detection of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has been rising due to the enhanced utilization of cross-sectional imaging and incidentally discovered lesions with adverse pathology demonstrate potential for metastasis. The purpose of our study was to determine the clinical and multiparametric dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CEMRI) associated independent predictors of adverse pathology for cT1/2 RCC and develop the predictive model. Methods We recruited 105 cT1/2 RCC patients between 2018 and 2022, all of whom underwent preoperative CEMRI and had complete clinicopathological data. Adverse pathology was defined as RCC patients with nuclear grade III-IV; pT3a upstage; type II papillary RCC, collecting duct or renal medullary carcinoma, unclassified RCC; sarcomatoid/rhabdoid features. The qualitative and quantitative CEMRI parameters were independently reviewed by two radiologists. Univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were utilized to determine the independent predictors of adverse pathology for cT1/2 RCC and construct the predictive model. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, confusion matrix, calibration plot, and decision curve analysis (DCA) were conducted to compare the diagnostic performance of different predictive models. The individual risk scores and linear predicted probabilities were calculated for risk stratification, and the Kaplan–Meier curve and log-rank tests were used for survival analysis. Results Overall, 45 patients were pathologically confirmed as RCC with adverse pathology. Clinical characteristics, including gender, and CEMRI parameters, including RENAL score, tumor margin irregularity, necrosis, and tumor apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value were identified as independent predictors of adverse pathology for cT1/2 RCC. The clinical-CEMRI predictive model yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of the ROC curve of 0.907, which outperformed the clinical model or CEMRI signature model alone. Good calibration, better clinical usefulness, excellent risk stratification ability of adverse pathology and prognosis were also achieved for the clinical-CEMRI predictive model. Conclusions The proposed clinical-CEMRI predictive model offers the potential for preoperative prediction of adverse pathology for cT1/2 RCC. With the ability to forecast adverse pathology, the predictive model could significantly benefit patients and clinicians alike by providing enhanced guidance for treatment planning and decision-making.

In this study, we explore the causes and performance outcomes of switching costs in the context of new product development (NPD) from both the supplier and customer perspectives, and discuss the role that switching costs play as moderators and mediators in the relationship between social capital and NPD performance. Based on data from 214 Chinese manufacturers, we employ the structural equation model to test our conceptual model and hypotheses. The results indicate that relationship quality and customer involvement positively and negatively affect switching costs, respectively, and that switching costs negatively affect NPD performance. Switching costs mediate and moderate the relationship between social capital and NPD performance. Furthermore, switching costs significantly and positively moderate the relationship between relationship quality and NPD performance. On the other hand, switching costs insignificantly and negatively moderate the relationship between customer involvement and NPD performance. The theoretical and managerial implications of the findings are discussed.

This paper proposes an efficient method for quantifying the stratigraphic uncertainties and modeling the geological formations based on boreholes. Two Markov chains are used to describe the soil transitions along different directions, and the transition probability matrices (TPMs) of the Markov chains are analytically expressed by copulas. This copula expression is efficient since it can represent a large TPM by a few unknown parameters. Due to the analytical expression of the TPMs, the likelihood function of the Markov chain model is given in an explicit form. The estimation of the TPMs is then re-casted as a multi-objective constrained optimization problem that aims to maximize the likelihoods of two independent Markov chains subject to a set of parameter constraints. Unlike the method which determines the TPMs by counting the number of transitions between soil types, the proposed method is more statistically sound. Moreover, a random path sampling method is presented to avoid the directional effect problem in simulations. The soil type at a location is inferred from its nearest known neighbors along the cardinal directions. A general form of the conditional probability, based on Pickard's theorem and Bayes rule, is presented for the soil type generation. The proposed stratigraphic characterization and simulation method is applied to real borehole data collected from a construction site in Wuhan, China. It is illustrated that the proposed method is accurate in prediction and does not show an inclination during simulation.

【Objective】The study was conducted to investigate the spatial distribution and content differences of asymbiotic nitrogen fixation (ANF) in different ecosystem components of Cunninghamia lanceolata, Eucalyptus, Pinus massoniana plantation forests in different growing seasons.【Method】By using ordinary kriging interpolation, analysis of variance and correlation analysis, we conducted a characterisation study of spatial variability and content differences in ANF of Cunninghamia lanceolata, Eucalyptus, Pinus massoniana plantation forests in Guangxi Gaofeng Forestry by determining the amount of ANF in soil, litter and canopy leaves in the growing season and non-growing season.【Result】In both growing and non-growing seasons, the trends of ANF in each component of plantation forests were different and significant, with strong spatial correlation and heterogeneity. In the growing season, the distribution of soil ANF was low in the northeast and high in the southwest, while the distributions of litter and canopy leaves were high in the northeast and low in the southwest; in the nongrowing season, the spatial distributions of soil and canopy leaves were generally similar to those in the growing season, and that of the litter showed the opposite result. Soil ANF was the highest in plantation forests, at 1.2834 and 0.5668 kg/hm2·y, and the lowest was in canopy leaves, at 0.0009 and 0.0028 kg/hm2·y. ANF in soil differed significantly from that in litter and canopy leaves. In the growing season, the amount of soil ANF was significantly negatively correlated with litter, and the correlation between the other components was not significant; in the non-growing season, the amount of ANF between the components did not have a significant correlation.【Conclusion】The spatial differentiation of ANF in various components of Cunninghamia lanceolata, Eucalyptus, Pinus massoniana plantation forests in different seasons was significant and strong, and ANF mainly existed in the soil fraction. Therefore, the application of a certain amount of nitrogen fertilizer to the soil during the planting of Cunninghamia lanceolata, Eucalyptus and Pinus massoniana can promote the growth of plantation forests.

Objective: Accurate infant brain parcellation is crucial for understanding early brain development; however, it is challenging due to the inherent low tissue contrast, high noise, and severe partial volume effects in infant magnetic resonance images (MRIs). The aim of this study was to develop an end-to-end pipeline that enabled accurate parcellation of infant brain MRIs. Methods: We proposed an end-to-end pipeline that employs a two-stage global-to-local approach for accurate parcellation of infant brain MRIs. Specifically, in the global regions of interest (ROIs) localization stage, a combination of transformer and convolution operations was employed to capture both global spatial features and fine texture features, enabling an approximate localization of the ROIs across the whole brain. In the local ROIs refinement stage, leveraging the position priors from the first stage along with the raw MRIs, the boundaries of the ROIs are refined for a more accurate parcellation. Results: We utilized the Dice ratio to evaluate the accuracy of parcellation results. Results on 263 subjects from National Database for Autism Research (NDAR), Baby Connectome Project (BCP) and Cross-site datasets demonstrated the better accuracy and robustness of our method than other competing methods. Conclusion: Our end-to-end pipeline may be capable of accurately parcellating 6-month-old infant brain MRIs.

The magnesium oxysulfate (MOS) cement has problems of short setting time, poor water resistance, and volume instability. This paper investigates the potential of steel slag (SS) to modify the properties and microstructure of the MOS cement prepared by magnesium desulfurization byproducts (MDBs). The results showed that SS delayed the setting time, restrained the volume shrinkage, and improved the water resistance of the MOS cement. The hydration products of the MOS cement were the fibrous 318 phase (3 Mg(OH)2•MgSO4•8H2O), lamellar Mg(OH)2, and MgCO3. The addition of SS increased the pH and decreased the overall hydration reaction rate and the amount of Mg(OH)2 in the MOS cement. SS reacted with Mg(OH)2 at the late stage to form an amorphous M–S–H gel, which increased the gel pore volume and the density of the cement. In conclusion, SS enhanced the application potential of MOS cement, through improving its macroscopic properties.

Abstract Featuring high caloric value, clean-burning, and renewability, hydrogen is a fuel believed to be able to change energy structure worldwide. Biohydrogen production technologies effectively utilize waste biomass resources and produce high-purity hydrogen. Improvements have been made in the biohydrogen production process in recent years. However, there is a lack of operational data and sustainability analysis from pilot plants to provide a reference for commercial operations. In this report, based on spectrum coupling, thermal effect, and multiphase flow properties of hydrogen production, continuous pilot-scale biohydrogen production systems (dark and photo-fermentation) are established as a research subject. Then, pilot-scale hydrogen production systems are assessed in terms of sustainability. The system being evaluated, consumes 171,530 MJ of energy and emits 9.37 t of CO2 eq when producing 1 t H2, and has a payback period of 6.86 years. Our analysis also suggests future pathways towards effective biohydrogen production technology development and real-world implementation.

Abstract To improve the wettability of surfactants on bituminous coal and to explore its wettability and wettability mechanism on bituminous coal, taking the Sandaogou bituminous coal as an example, a single factor experiment was carried out first. Through contact angle and surface tension experiments, three surfactants with good wettability were selected from among the nine surfactants and mixed in equal proportions two by two to determine the optimal compounding method and compounding concentration. The experimental results show that the compounding of nonionic and anionic, nonionic and zwitterionic, anionic and zwitterionic surfactants can have synergistic effects and significantly improve the wettability of bituminous coal. Among them, the 0.5 wt% SDS + 0.5 wt% CAB-50 (R2) compound surfactant had the best wettability on bituminous coal, and the contact angle and surface tension were only 15.24° and 23.62 mN/m, respectively. The surface electrostatic potential values of each material molecule were calculated by Materials Studio software based on the quantum chemistry method, and correlation analysis was carried out with wettability. The results show that the surface electrostatic potentials of CDEA, SDS and CAB-50 were greater than those of water and bituminous coal, and the region of maximum negative electrostatic potential corresponded to oxygen atoms, which are easier to adsorb on bituminous coal and water molecules. Then, through molecular dynamics simulation, the interaction energy and the distribution of contributions along the Z-axis of the water/compound surfactant/bituminous coal system at equilibrium were investigated, and finally, a spray dust reduction test was carried out in the Sandaogou Coal Mine. The results showed that the 0.5 wt% SDS + 0.5 wt% CAB-50 compound solution can be used as a water molecule adsorption carrier, prompting more water molecules to be embedded into coal molecules, increasing the relative concentration of water molecules on the surface of bituminous coal, restricting the diffusion of water molecules, and greatly improving the wettability. After the addition of 0.5 wt% SDS + 0.5 wt% CAB-50 as a spray agent, the concentration of total dust at the driver's position decreased from 65.14 to 9.11 mg/m3, the concentration of exhaled dust decreased from 30.07 to 3.35 mg/m3, and the efficiency of total and exhaled dust reduction compared with that of pure water was 86.01% and 89.35%, respectively.

Abstract Background Sleep disturbances are a common occurrence in patients with schizophrenia, yet the underlying pathogenesis remain poorly understood. Here, we performed a targeted metabolomics-based approach to explore the potential biological mechanisms contributing to sleep disturbances in schizophrenia. Methods Plasma samples from 59 drug-naïve patients with schizophrenia and 36 healthy controls were subjected to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) targeted metabolomics analysis, allowing for the quantification and profiling of 271 metabolites. Sleep quality and clinical symptoms were assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS), respectively. Partial correlation analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) model were used to identify metabolites specifically associated with sleep disturbances in drug-naïve schizophrenia. Results 16 characteristic metabolites were observed significantly associated with sleep disturbances in drug-naïve patients with schizophrenia. Furthermore, the glycerophospholipid metabolism (Impact: 0.138, p