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Abstract The accurate monitoring of vital physiological parameters, exemplified by heart rate, respiratory rate, and intracranial pressure (ICP), is of paramount importance, particularly for managing severe cranial injuries. Despite the rapid development of implantable ICP sensing systems over the past decades, they still suffer from, for example, wire connection, low sensitivity, poor resolution, and the inability to monitor multiple variables simultaneously. Here, we propose an ultrasensitive multimodal biotelemetric system that amalgamates an iontronic pressure transducer with exceptional point (EP) operation for the monitoring of ICP signals. The proposed system can exhibit extraordinary performance regarding the detection of minuscule ICP fluctuation, demonstrated by the sensitivity of 115.95 kHz/mmHg and the sensing resolution down to 0.003 mmHg. Our system excels not only in the accurate quantification of ICP levels but also in distinguishing respiration and cardiac activities from ICP signals, thereby achieving the multimodal monitoring of ICP, respiratory, and heart rates within a single system. Our work may provide a pragmatic avenue for the real-time wireless monitoring of ICP and thus hold great potential to be extended to the monitoring of other vital physiological indicators.

ABSTRACT: Traditional fermented milks are produced through an inoculation process that involves the deliberate introduction of microorganisms that have been adapted and perpetuated across successive generations. However, the changes in the microbiota of traditional fermented milk during long-term inoculation fermentation in a laboratory environment remain unclear. In this study, we collected 5 samples of traditional fermented milk samples from 5 different counties in Tibet (3 kurut products) and Xinjiang (2 tarag products) of China, which served as starter cultures for a 9-mo continuous inoculation fermentation experiment. We analyzed the inter- and intrapopulation variations in the microbial communities of the collected samples, representing their macrodiversity and microdiversity, using shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Across all samples, we obtained a total of 186 high-quality metagenomic-assembled genomes, including 7 genera and 13 species with a relative abundance of more than 1%. The majority of these genomes were annotated as Lactobacillus helveticus (60.46%), Enterococcus durans (9.52%), and Limosilactobacillus fermentum (6.23%). We observed significant differences in species composition and abundance among the 5 initial inoculants. During the long-term inoculation fermentation, we found an overall increasing trend in species diversity, composition, and abundances of carbohydrate metabolism module-encoding genes in the fermented milk bacterial metagenome, while the fermented milk virome exhibited a relatively narrow range of variation. Lactobacillus helveticus, a dominant species in traditional fermented milk, displayed high stability during the long-term inoculation fermentation. Our study provides valuable insights for the industrial production of traditional fermented milk.

In areas with large temperature differences, the uneven distribution of temperatures in the CRTS III ballastless track slab due to daytime sunlight can cause warpage deformation, leading to periodic rail irregularities that increase the wheel-rail impact of high-speed vehicles and accelerate track structure damage. Therefore, it is necessary to study the dynamic contact relationship between the composite slab and the base plate during vehicle running. The results of the study show that: 1) Under the influence of temperature gradients, the composite slab tends to deform elliptically. With a positive temperature gradient, the middle part of the track slab bulges upward, causing the slab to be supported by its four corners. Conversely, with a negative temperature gradient, the four corners of the track slab bulge upward, resulting in the slab being supported by its center. 2) Temperature gradients can lead to separation between the composite slab and the base plate, reducing the contact area between layers. During vehicle running, the contact area between layers gradually increases, but the separation cannot be completely closed. 3) The temperature gradient significantly affects the vertical displacement of the track. The vertical displacement in the middle of the slab increases with a positive temperature gradient. In contrast, the vertical displacement at the ends of the slab increases with a negative temperature gradient. 4) The stress of self-compacting concrete at the side position significantly increases under a positive temperature gradient, with the vertical stress increasing by 2.7 times when the temperature gradient increases from 0 to 90 ℃·m−1.

The complex interactions were performed among non-pharmaceutical interventions, vaccinations, and hosts for all epidemics in mainland China during the spread of COVID-19. Specially, the small-scale epidemic in the city described by SVEIR model was less found in the current studies. The SVEIR model with control was established to analyze the dynamical and epidemiological features of two epidemics in Jinzhou City led by Omicron variants before and after Twenty Measures. In this study, the total population (N) of Jinzhou City was divided into five compartments: the susceptible (S), the vaccinated (V), the exposed (E), the infected (I), and the recovered (R). By surveillance data and the SVEIR model, three methods (maximum likelihood method, exponential growth rate method, next generation matrix method) were governed to estimate basic reproduction number, and the results showed that an increasing tendency of basic reproduction number from Omicron BA.5.2 to Omicron BA.2.12.1. Meanwhile, the effective reproduction number for two epidemics were investigated by surveillance data, and the results showed that Jinzhou wave 1 reached the peak on November 1 and was controlled 7 days later, and that Jinzhou wave 2 reached the peak on November 28 and was controlled 5 days later. Moreover, the impacts of non-pharmaceutical interventions (awareness delay, peak delay, control intensity) were discussed extensively, the variations of infection scales for Omicron variant and EG.5 variant were also discussed. Furthermore, the investigations on peaks and infection scales for two epidemics in dynamic zero-COVID policy were operated by the SVEIR model with control. The investigations on public medical requirements of Jinzhou City and Liaoning Province were analyzed by using SVEIR model without control, which provided a possible perspective on variant evolution in the future.

Abstract Postpancreatectomy hemorrhage (PPH) is an important risk factor for postoperative complications after laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD). Recent studies have reported that the use of ligamentum teres hepatis (LTH) in LPD may reduce the risk of PPH. Therefore, this study aims to investigate whether wrapping the hepatic hilar artery with the LTH can reduce PPH after LPD. We reviewed the data of 131 patients who underwent LPD in our team from April 2018 to December 2023. The patients were divided into Groups A (60 patients) and B (71 patients) according to whether the hepatic portal artery was wrapped or not. The perioperative data of the two groups were compared to evaluate the effect of LTH wrapping the hepatic hilar artery on LPD. The platelet count of Group A was (225.25 ± 87.61) × 10^9/L, and that of Group B was (289.38 ± 127.35) × 10^9/L, with a statistically significant difference (p

Abstract This study explores migrasomes' role in neuroblastoma, a common malignant tumor in children, and their potential impact on tumor formation. We analyzed neuroblastoma RNA-seq datasets from public databases, including GSE62564, GSE181559, target, and fwr144. Through data normalization and unsupervised classification using migrasome-specific molecular markers, Differentially Expressed Genes were identified, followed by functional enrichment analysis. Our novel migrasome-associated machine learning model, MigScore, was developed using ten algorithms and 101 combinations, validated on two single-cell datasets. This enabled immune infiltration assessment and drug compatibility prediction, highlighting the utility of MS275, a histone deacetylase inhibitor. Results showed a significant inverse relationship between MigScore and favorable clinical outcomes, elucidating the link between migrasome pathways and tumor immunogenicity. These findings suggest that migrasomes are crucial in neuroblastoma prognosis, leading to the possibility of personalized treatment strategies and improved outcomes.

In order to analyze the influence of the national coordination system under surplus and deficiency adjustment on regional differences of basic pension income and expenditure, based on the actuarial forecast of basic pension income and expenditure from 2021 to 2050, the Theil index and spatial econometrics methods were used to measure the spatial-temporal differences. The result shows that the surplus and deficiency adjustment system can alleviate the short-term pressure on the income and expenditure of the basic pension and delay the deficit time, but it can't change the trend of long-term fund gap and regional gap; The surplus and deficiency adjustment system can reduce the regional differences of basic pension income and expenditure, but in the long run, the adjustment force is getting smaller and smaller, and the basic pension income and expenditure still has obvious spatial heterogeneity; The income and expenditure of basic pension were spatially dependent, and the regions with high income and expenditure ratio and low income and expenditure ratio showed concentrated distribution characteristics. In the future, it is necessary to timely enrich the overall adjustment fund, ensure the long-term supply of the overall adjustment fund, formulate differentiated support policies, and optimize economic spatial layout, in order to delay the deficit time and reduce regional disparities.

A new test to detect the change-point in the quasi-autocorrelation coefficient (QAC) structure of a simple linear model with heavy-tailed series was developed. It is more general than previous approaches to the change-point problem in that it allows for the process with innovations in the domain of the attraction of a stable law with index $ \kappa\; (0 < \kappa < 2) $. Since the existing methods for QAC change detection are not satisfactory, we converted QAC change to mean change through the moving window method, which greatly improved the efficiency. Thus, the aim of this paper was to construct a ratio-typed test based on M-estimation for the testing of mean change. Under regular conditions, the asymptotic distribution under the no change null hypothesis was functional of a Wiener process, not that of a Lévy stable process. The divergent rate under the alternative hypothesis was also given. The simulation results demonstrate that the performances of our proposed tests were outstanding. Finally, the theoretical results were applied to an analysis of daily USD/CNY exchange rates with respect to QAC change.

Abstract LHPP has been shown to be a new tumor suppressor, and has a tendency to be under-expressed in a variety of cancers. Oncolytic virotheray is a promising therapeutics for lung cancer in recent decade years. Here we successfully constructed a new recombinant oncolytic adenovirus GD55-LHPP and investigated the effect of GD55-LHPP on the growth of lung cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that LHPP had lower expression in either lung cancer cells or clinical lung cancer tissues compared with normal cells or tissues, and GD55-LHPP effectively mediated LHPP expression in lung cancer cells. GD55-LHPP could effectively inhibit the proliferation of lung cancer cell lines and rarely affected normal cell growth. Mechanically, the oncolytic adenovirus GD55-LHPP was able to induce stronger apoptosis of lung cancer cells compared with GD55 through the activation of caspase signal pathway. Notably, GD55-LHPP also activated autophagy-related signal pathway. Further, GD55-LHPP efficiently inhibited tumor growth in lung cancer xenograft in mice and prolonged animal survival rate compared with the control GD55 or PBS. In conclusion, the novel construct GD55-LHPP provides a valuable strategy for lung cancer-targeted therapy and develop the role of tumor suppress gene LHPP in lung cancer gene therapy.

Abstract The purpose of this study is to evaluate loose suture-related inflammation and activation of conjunctiva-associated lymphoid tissue (CALT) in patients after keratoplasty. The patients who were treated with keratoplasty at the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University between 2015 and 2022 were recruited into the study. We evaluated the time and location of loose suture development in patients after keratoplasty. In addition, in vivo confocal microscopy was used to evaluate the activation of CALT and the accumulation of inflammatory cells around loose sutures. Meso Scale Discovery assay detection kits were used to evaluate the inflammatory cytokines in the tears of patients before and after the loose suture was removed. In this study, we collected the information from 212 cases (212 eyes) who had PK (126 eyes) and DALK-treated (86 eyes) for corneal transplantation, including 124 males and 88 females, aged 14–84 years old. The average age was 50.65 ± 16.81 years old. Corneal sutures were more prone to loose at 3 months and 6 months after keratoplasty, and the frequent sites were at 5 and 6 o’clock. An increased number of inflammatory cells could be observed around the loose sutures than normal sutures (P

Abstract The DC photocurrent can detect the topology and geometry of quantum materials without inversion symmetry. Herein, we propose that the DC shot noise (DSN), as the fluctuation of photocurrent operator, can also be a diagnostic of quantum materials. Particularly, we develop the quantum theory for DSNs in gapped systems and identify the shift and injection DSNs by dividing the second-order photocurrent operator into off-diagonal and diagonal contributions, respectively. Remarkably, we find that the DSNs can not be forbidden by inversion symmetry, while the constraint from time-reversal symmetry depends on the polarization of light. Furthermore, we show that the DSNs also encode the geometrical information of Bloch electrons, such as the Berry curvature and the quantum metric. Finally, guided by symmetry, we apply our theory to evaluate the DSNs in monolayer GeS and bilayer MoS2 with and without inversion symmetry and find that the DSNs can be larger in centrosymmetric phase.

BackgroundThe infant gut microbiome’s establishment is pivotal for health and immune development. Understanding it unveils insights into growth, development, and maternal microbial interactions. Research often emphasizes gut bacteria, neglecting the phageome.MethodsTo investigate the influence of geographic or maternal factors (mode of delivery, mode of breastfeeding, gestational diabetes mellitus) on the gut microbiota and phages of newborns, we collected fecal samples from 34 pairs of mothers and their infants within 24 hours of delivery from three regions (9 pairs from Enshi, 7 pairs from Hohhot, and 18 pairs from Hulunbuir) using sterile containers. Gut microbiota analysis by Shotgun sequencing was subsequently performed.ResultsOur results showed that geographic location affects maternal gut microbiology (P < 0.05), while the effect on infant gut microbiology was not significant (P = 0.184). Among the maternal factors, mode of delivery had a significant (P < 0.05) effect on the newborn. Specific bacteria (e.g., Bacteroides, Escherichia spp., Phocaeicola vulgatus, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus hominis, Veillonella spp.), predicted active metabolites, and bacteriophage vOTUs varied with delivery mode. Phocaeicola vulgatus significantly correlated with some metabolites and bacteriophages in the early infant gut (P < 0.05). In the GD group, a strong negative correlation of phage diversity between mother and infants was observed (R = -0.58, P=0.04).ConclusionIn conclusion, neonatal early gut microbiome (including bacteria and bacteriophages) colonization is profoundly affected by the mode of delivery, and maternal gestational diabetes mellitus. The key bacteria may interact with bacteriophages to influence the levels of specific metabolites. Our study provides new evidence for the study of the infant microbiome, fills a gap in the analysis of the infant gut microbiota regarding the virome, and emphasizes the importance of maternal health for the infant initial gut virome.

Abstract Background RNA pseudouridylation is a critical post‐transcriptional modification that influences gene expression and impacts various biological functions. Despite its significance, the role of mRNA pseudouridylation in cancer remains poorly understood. This study investigates the impact of pseudouridine synthase 7 (PUS7)‐mediated pseudouridylation of Alpha‐ketoglutarate‐dependent Dioxygenase alkB Homolog 3 (ALKBH3) mRNA in gastric cancer. Methods Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting were used to assess PUS7 protein levels in human gastric cancer tissues. The relationship between PUS7 and gastric cancer progression was examined using 3D colony formation assays and subcutaneous xenograft models. Real‐time quantitative PCR (RT‐qPCR), Western blotting, and polysome profiling assays were conducted to investigate how PUS7 regulates ALKBH3. A locus‐specific pseudouridine (Ψ) detection assay was used to identify Ψ sites on ALKBH3 mRNA. Results Our findings indicate a significant reduction of PUS7 in gastric cancer tissues compared to adjacent non‐tumour tissues. Functional analyses reveal that PUS7 inhibits gastric cancer cell proliferation and tumour growth via its catalytic activity. Additionally, PUS7 enhances the translation efficiency of ALKBH3 mRNA by modifying the U696 site with pseudouridine, thereby attenuating tumour growth. Importantly, ALKBH3 functions as a tumour suppressor in gastric cancer, with its expression closely correlated with PUS7 levels in tumour tissues. Conclusions PUS7‐dependent pseudouridylation of ALKBH3 mRNA enhances its translation, thereby suppressing gastric cancer progression. These findings highlight the potential significance of mRNA pseudouridylation in cancer biology and suggest a therapeutic target for gastric cancer. Highlights PUS7 enhances the translation efficiency of ALKBH3 through its pseudouridylation activity on ALKBH3 mRNA, thereby inhibiting gastric tumourigenesis. The expression levels of PUS7 and ALKBH3 are significantly correlated in gastric tumours, which may be potential prognostic predictors and therapeutic targets for patients with gastric cancer.

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and its copolymers present extensive application prospects, especially in the field of wearable electronics. However, utilizing nanofillers for enhanced β‐phase and piezoelectric properties faces challenges like noncontinuous interfaces, poor compatibility between nanofillers and PVDF matrix, and the requirement of high‐voltage polarization, hindering extensive domain alignment on a large scale. Herein, a method is proposed to synthesize high‐performance PVDF composites by introducing hydroxylated barium titanate (H@BTO) nanoparticles and a directional freeze‐drying method to enhance β‐phase content and piezoelectric properties without polarization. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal robust binding interactions between Ba and F atoms along with OH surface terminations on H@BTO, facilitating hydrogen bonding within the PVDF matrix, resulting in dipole alignment and increased spontaneous polarization. The composite film achieves an 86.69% β phase content and a piezoelectric coefficient of ≈14.49 pm V−1 without electric polarization. The freeze‐drying PVDF‐H@BTO composite film paired with a PA6 membrane is used to fabricate triboelectric nanogenerator, demonstrating a current density of ≈107.5 mA m−2 and an output voltage of ≈832 V. Results demonstrate that the utilization of strong binding interactions between various atoms, the hydroxyl anchoring effect, and directional freeze‐drying method as a strategy holds promising prospects for synthesizing high‐performance piezoelectric composites.

Summary: Patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) frequently experience resistance to chemotherapy, leading to recurrence. The approach of optimizing anti-tumoral immunological effect is promising in overcoming such resistance, given the heterogeneity and lack of biomarkers in TNBC. In this study, we focused on YTHDF2, an N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA-reader protein, in macrophages, one of the most abundant intra-tumoral immune cells. Using single-cell sequencing and ex vivo experiments, we discovered that YTHDF2 significantly promotes pro-tumoral phenotype polarization of macrophages and is closely associated with down-regulated antigen-presentation signaling to other immune cells in TNBC. The in vitro deprivation of YTHDF2 favors anti-tumoral effect. Expressions of multiple transcription factors, especially SPI1, were consistently observed in YTHDF2-high macrophages, providing potential therapeutic targets for new strategies. In conclusion, YTHDF2 in macrophages appears to promote pro-tumoral effects while suppressing immune activity, indicating the treatment targeting YTHDF2 or its transcription factors could be a promising strategy for chemoresistant TNBC.

In practical application scenarios, the phenomena of nonlinearity and missing data are commonly present in networked multi-sensor systems. Therefore, this paper investigates distributed filtering problems for networked stochastic nonlinear systems with fading measurements and random packet dropouts. Considering the statistical characteristics of sensors’ fading measurements and random losses in transmitting state estimates of their neighbor nodes, a novel distributed Kalman filter (DKF) with multiple filter gains is proposed for each sensor, where multiple filter gains include one Kalman filter gain for measurements of sensor itself and different consensus filter gains for state estimates of its different neighbor nodes. Two compensation mechanisms are used for random packet losses among sensor nodes. Based on an inequality scaling method, an upper bound of the filtering error covariance matrix (UBFECM) dependent on a set of positive scalar parameters is derived, which can avoid calculating the cross-covariance matrices among sensor nodes and the state second moment matrix. Furthermore, multiple filter gains and scalar parameters are optimized by minimizing locally an UBFECM and using nonlinear optimization methods. The exponential boundedness in mean square of filtering error of DKF is proved, and the performance of DKF is also compared with local filter. Simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of the presented DKF algorithm.

In this study, we successfully isolated Bacillus strains with high protease activity from deep-sea mineral water in Korea and used them to obtain functional peptide fractions from chia seeds. The obtained Bacillus strains showed a high similarity of 99% with B. altitude with a long rod type (named B. altitudinis 5-DSW) and high protease activity at 40 °C, and 70% of the activity remained even at 70 °C. The defatted chia seed protein (15–50 kDa) was treated with crude protease from B. altitudinis 5-DSW and digested into small peptides below 20 kDa. The obtained chia seed peptides showed 3 times and 1.5 times higher antioxidant activity in DPPH and ABT radical scavenging assays, respectively. Moreover, chia seed peptides showed enhanced AChE inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 14.48 ± 0.88 μg/mL and BChE inhibition activity with an IC50 value of 10.90 ± 0.80 μg/mL. Our results indicate that the newly isolated B. altitudinis 5-DSW and chia seed protein hydrolysates have potential applications in biotechnology and functional food development, enhancing the nutritional quality and value-added utilization of chia byproducts.

Passive wireless surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors are very useful for on-site monitoring of the working status of machines in complex environments, such as high-temperature rotating objects. For rotating parts, it is difficult to realize real-time and continuous monitoring because of the unstable sensing signal caused by the continuous change of the relative position of the rotating part to the sensor and shielding of the signal. In our SAW sensing system, we propose a loop antenna integrated with the rotating part to obtain a stable sensing signal owing to its omnidirectional radiation pattern. Methodologies for determining the antenna dimension, system operating frequency, and procedures for designing a SAW sensor tag are discussed in this paper. By fully utilizing the influence of metal rotor on antenna performance, the antenna needs no impedance matching elements while it provides sufficient gain, which equips the antenna with nearly zero temperature drift at a wide temperature-sensing range. Experimental verification results show that this sensing system can greatly improve the stability of the sensing signal significantly and can achieve a temperature sensing accuracy of ~1 °C at different rotational speeds, demonstrated by the feasibility of the loop antenna for monitoring the working status of rotating metal parts.

The initial gap (IG) is frequently occurring in the process of resistance spot welding (RSW) for automotive body-in-white structures. It is an inevitable challenge that the RSW with IG can negatively impact the welding quality, subsequently reducing the structural integrity and safety of the vehicle. This research aims to study the influence of the IG on RSW mechanical behaviors based on the refined finite element model (FEM) of RSW with different IGs under tensile shear load. The influence of six types of IGs on the peak load and fracture modes of RSW of plates with similar thicknesses of 1.0 mm and 1.5 mm is investigated through FEM and experiments. To quantify the influence of the IG on the RSW’s deformational behavior, a prediction model is introduced to predict the peak load of RSW with different IGs. The prediction model is locally optimized through the Limited memory Broyden Fletcher Goldfarb Shanno (L-BFGS-B) optimization algorithm. Based on the prediction model, the relationship among the peak load values of the tensile shear specimens, the IG, and the mechanical behavior of the RSW is revealed. The results show that the IG has an obvious influence on the peak load values of RSW under tensile shear load, and the fracture modes are both the pull-out fracture (PF) mode. The peak load values of the RSW’s tensile shear specimens are decreased with the increment in the IG. Finally, the prediction model can accurately predict the peak load for various IGs, with errors of no more than 3%.

Rationale & Objective: Long pentraxin-3 (PTX-3) serves as a biomarker for prognosticating adverse clinical outcomes in individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The objective of the current meta-analysis was to evaluate the prognostic efficacy of PTX-3 in patients with CKD. In addition, we compared the prognostic effectiveness of PTX-3 and the short pentraxin C-reactive protein (CRP) in the identical cohort of patients with CKD. Study Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Setting & Participants: Patients with CKD treated with or without dialysis. Selection Criteria for Studies: A cohort study with a minimum 1-year follow-up. Data Extraction: Risk measurements, adjusted hazard risk with 95% CI, and modified variables. Analytical Approach: To aggregate the adjusted effect estimates, a fixed-effects or random-effects model was employed. Results: Nine studies covering 1,825 patients with CKD were selected in the present review. Six of the 9 studies exclusively included patients receiving hemodialysis. The collected findings indicated that patients with CKD in the highest tertile of PTX-3 demonstrated significantly higher risks of all-cause mortality (HR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.44-2.56), cardiovascular death (HR, 1.98; 95% CI, 1.28-3.05), infectious death (HR, 5.26; 95% CI, 1.60-17.31), and fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events (HR, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.35-2.42), as compared with those in the lowest tertile. These significant associations with risk were also observed when effect estimates were presented as per unit change in the PTX-3. Moreover, when comparing the prognostic value of PTX-3 and CRP in the same individuals (5 studies covering 904 patients), PTX-3 proved to be a satisfactory predictor of adverse events in these patients, whereas CRP failed to exhibit such predictive capability, regardless of the type of effect estimate used. Limitations: A relatively small sample size and some heterogeneity. Conclusions: Pentraxin 3 is associated with adverse events in individuals with CKD and may be a more reliable predictor of adverse clinical events than CRP in this population. Plain-Language Summary: Systemic inflammatory markers are useful in predicting the prognosis of patients with CKD. Pentraxin-3 (PTX-3) is an emerging biomarker of inflammation compared with other members of the pentraxin family, such as C-reactive protein (CRP). This meta-analysis evaluated the prognostic value of PTX-3 in predicting adverse outcomes in patients with CKD. Also, we compared the prognostic values between PTX-3 and CRP in the subset of studies with data on CRP. We found that patients with CKD with higher circulating PTX-3 levels had a significantly heightened risk of adverse outcomes compared with those with lower PTX-3 levels. By contrast, CRP did not appear to be a good predictor of adverse events. Pentraxin-3 might be a more reliable prognostic marker than CRP in patients with CKD.

Respiratory tract infections constitute a significant global public health concern, accounting for around 20 % of child fatalities worldwide. Modulating the gut microbiota have the potential to serve as a promising strategy for both the prevention and treatment of respiratory infections. According to our prior research, the consumption of Bifidobacterium lactis Probio-M8 can notably enhance symptoms associated with respiratory tract infections in infants and young children. The current study is a follow-up work aimed at exploring the functional role of the gut microbes in the observed beneficial effects. We analyzed the fecal metagenomes of patients in both the probiotic group (n = 50) and the placebo group (n = 49). The results showed that Probio-M8 intervention may regulate the host inflammatory response by regulating the balance of intestinal microorganisms, bioactive metabolites and related pathways. Provides new insights into the study of probiotics in alleviating diseases related to the gut-lung axis.

Abstract An array of surface drifters deployed ahead of Hurricane Michael measured the surface temperature, pressure, directional wind and wave spectra, and surface currents one day before it made landfall as a Category 5 Hurricane. The drifters, 25–50 km apart, spanned two counter‐rotating ocean eddies as Hurricane Michael rapidly intensified. The drifters measured the shift of wave energy between frequency bands in each quadrant of the storm, the response of upper ocean currents, and the resulting cold wake following Michael's passage. Wave energy was greatest in the front quadrants and rapidly decreased in the left‐rear quadrant, where wind and wave energy were misaligned, and components of the wave field were aligned with currents. Hurricane Michael's wave field agreed with previous studies of nondirectional wave spectra across multiple tropical cyclones but had some unique characteristics. The analysis demonstrates how co‐located surface wind and wave observations can complement existing airborne and satellite observations.

BackgroundCoronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, has emerged as a infectious disease, coexisting with widespread seasonal and sporadic influenza epidemics globally. Individuals living with HIV, characterized by compromised immune systems, face an elevated risk of severe outcomes and increased mortality when affected by COVID-19. Despite this connection, the molecular intricacies linking COVID-19, influenza, and HIV remain unclear. Our research endeavors to elucidate the shared pathways and molecular markers in individuals with HIV concurrently infected with COVID-19 and influenza. Furthermore, we aim to identify potential medications that may prove beneficial in managing these three interconnected illnesses.MethodsSequencing data for COVID-19 (GSE157103), influenza (GSE185576), and HIV (GSE195434) were retrieved from the GEO database. Commonly expressed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified across the three datasets, followed by immune infiltration analysis and diagnostic ROC analysis on the DEGs. Functional enrichment analysis was performed using GO/KEGG and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). Hub genes were screened through a Protein-Protein Interaction networks (PPIs) analysis among DEGs. Analysis of miRNAs, transcription factors, drug chemicals, diseases, and RNA-binding proteins was conducted based on the identified hub genes. Finally, quantitative PCR (qPCR) expression verification was undertaken for selected hub genes.ResultsThe analysis of the three datasets revealed a total of 22 shared DEGs, with the majority exhibiting an area under the curve value exceeding 0.7. Functional enrichment analysis with GO/KEGG and GSEA primarily highlighted signaling pathways associated with ribosomes and tumors. The ten identified hub genes included IFI44L, IFI44, RSAD2, ISG15, IFIT3, OAS1, EIF2AK2, IFI27, OASL, and EPSTI1. Additionally, five crucial miRNAs (hsa-miR-8060, hsa-miR-6890-5p, hsa-miR-5003-3p, hsa-miR-6893-3p, and hsa-miR-6069), five essential transcription factors (CREB1, CEBPB, EGR1, EP300, and IRF1), and the top ten significant drug chemicals (estradiol, progesterone, tretinoin, calcitriol, fluorouracil, methotrexate, lipopolysaccharide, valproic acid, silicon dioxide, cyclosporine) were identified.ConclusionThis research provides valuable insights into shared molecular targets, signaling pathways, drug chemicals, and potential biomarkers for individuals facing the complex intersection of COVID-19, influenza, and HIV. These findings hold promise for enhancing the precision of diagnosis and treatment for individuals with HIV co-infected with COVID-19 and influenza.

Background: Vascular invasion (VI) indicates highly invasive tumor biological behavior and is a major determining factor of poor survival and high risk of metastasis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Epidemiological evidence of the association between pretherapeutic platelet count (PLT) and the risk of VI and extrahepatic metastasis in HCC remains controversial. Methods: A systematic retrieval was executed in databases of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science until Dec 2022. Effect size and 95% confidence interval (CI) were extracted or estimated to synthetically investigate the effects of pretherapeutic PLT on VI and extrahepatic metastasis. Meta-analyses were performed by using a random or a fixed effects model. Results: Finally, the current meta-analysis included 15 studies with a total of 12,378 HCC patients. It was shown that, patients with a higher pretherapeutic level of PLT had a significantly increased risk of VI (11 studies,8,759 patients; OR = 1.44, 95%CI: 1.02–2.02) and extrahepatic metastasis (6 studies,8, 951 patients; OR = 2.51, 95% CI: 2.19–2.88) in comparison with patients with a lower PLT. Funnel plots and Begg's tests indicated that there were no significant publication biases. Conclusion: This meta-analysis shows that pretherapeutic elevated PLT is associated with an increased risk of VI and extrahepatic metastasis in HCC.

As of May 2024, the main strains of COVID-19 caused hundreds of millions of infection cases and millions of deaths worldwide. In this study, we consider the COVID-19 epidemics with the main strains in the Chinese mainland. We study complex interactions among hosts, non-pharmaceutical interventions, and vaccinations for the main strains by a differential equation model called SVEIR. The disease transmission model incorporates two strains and protection awareness of the susceptible population. Results of this study show that the protection awareness plays a crucial role against infection of the population, and that the vaccines are effective against the circulation of the earlier strains, but ineffective for emerging strains. By using the next generation matrix method, the basic reproduction number of the SVEIR model is firstly obtained. Our analysis by Hurwitz criterion and LaSalle's invariance principle shows that the disease free-equilibrium point is locally and globally asymptotically stable when the threshold value is below one. The existences of endemic equilibrium points are also established, and the global asymptotic stabilities are analyzed using the Lyapunov function method. Further, the SVEIR model is confirmed to satisfy the principle of competitive exclusion, of which the strain with the larger value of the basic reproduction number is dominant. Numerically, the surveillance data with the Omicron strain and the XBB strain are split by the cubic spline interpolation method. The fitting curves against the surveillance data are plotted using the least-squares method from MATLAB. The results indicate that the XBB strain dominates in this study. Moreover, a global sensitivity analysis of the key parameters is performed by using of PRCC. The numerical simulations imply that combination control strategy positively impacts on the infection scale than what separate control strategy does, and that the earlier time producing protection awareness for the public creates less infection scale, further that the increment of protection awareness also reduces the infection scale. Therefore, the policymakers of the local government are suggested to concern the changes of protection awareness of the public.

Abstract Constipation and systemic inflammation are common in late pregnant and lactating sows, which cause health problems like uteritis, mastitis, dystocia, or even stillbirth, further influencing piglets’ survival and growth. Probiotic supplementation can improve such issues, but the beneficial mechanism of relieving constipation and enhancing gut motility remains underexplored. This study aimed to investigate the effects and mechanism of probiotic supplementation in drinking water to late pregnant sows on constipation, inflammation, and piglets’ growth performance. Seventy-four sows were randomly allocated to probiotic (n = 36) and control (n = 38) groups. Probiotic treatment significantly relieved sow constipation, enhanced serum IL-4 and IL-10 levels while reducing serum IL-1β, IL-12p40, and TNF-α levels, and increased piglet daily gain and weaning weight. Furthermore, probiotic administration reshaped the sow gut bacteriome and phageome structure/diversity, accompanied by increases in some potentially beneficial bacteria. At 113 days of gestation, the probiotic group was enriched in several gut microbial bioactive metabolites, multiple carbohydrate-active enzymes that degrade pectin and starch, fecal butyrate and acetate, and some serum metabolites involved in vitamin and amino acid metabolism. Our integrated correlation network analysis revealed that the alleviation of constipation and inflammation was associated with changes in the sow gut bacteriome, phageome, bioactive metabolic potential, and metabolism.

Background: CD39 is an inhibitory checkpoint exerting rate-limiting effects on the ATP-adenosine pathway. It can be targeted to block adenosine-mediated immunosuppression.Objective: To analyze the relationship between the CD39 expression and clinicopathological characteristics including FIGO stage, lymph node and distant metastasis, and to further explore its potential role in cervical cancer.Methods: Peripheral blood was collected from 59 healthy people and 43 patients with cervical cancer. The percentage and absolute counts of CD3-positive, CD4-positive and CD8-positive T lymphocytes, CD4/CD8 ratio and the percentage of the CD39+ T cells in T lymphocytes were assessed by flow cytometry, and their correlations with clinical parameters were analyzed.Results: Absolute numbers of CD8+ T lymphocytes, CD4/CD8 ratios, and the percentage of the CD39+ T cells were linked with FIGO stage, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis. The total numbers of CD8+ T lymphocytes were significantly higher in the peripheral blood of patients with cervical cancer in the early and middle stages than in the advanced stage. In addition, patients with early and middle-stage cervical cancer had considerably lower percentage of CD4+ CD39 + and CD8 + CD39 + T lymphocytes than those with advanced cervical cancer.Conclusion: These results suggest that the absolute counts of CD8+ T lymphocytes may be associated with the patient’s prognosis and that the CD39 molecule, expressed on the surface of CD8+ T cells, is also related to FIGO stage, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis. CD39 expression on CD8-positive T cells exhibits a negative correlation with the number of CD8-positive T lymphocytes.

Abstract Background The concentration of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)/ luteinizing hormone (LH) after triggering is generally accepted as a predictor of the normal ovarian response to the trigger, but few studies have explored the distribution model of concentration and its impact on oocyte yield. Genetic variations in LHCGR, known as a receptor for hCG and LH, also play a role in oocyte maturation and retrieval. The objective of the study was to investigate the impact of concentrations of hCG/LH after triggering on oocyte yield and its association with genetic variants of LHCGR. Methods A retrospective cohort study including 372 antagonist IVF cycles, in which 205 received the recombinant hCG trigger and 167 received the gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a) trigger, was conducted. The post-trigger concentrations of hCG/LH and the LHCGR N312S (rs2293275) genotype were evaluated in patients to analyse the impact of these factors on oocyte yield. Results The oocyte retrieval rate (ORR) increased significantly among the low-, medium- and high-hCG-concentration groups (0.91 ± 0.25, 0.99 ± 0.23 and 1.08 ± 0.19, P

Synchronous monitoring electroencephalogram (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) have received significant attention in brain science research for their provision of more information on neuro-loop interactions. There is a need for an integrated hybrid EEG-fNIRS patch to synchronously monitor surface EEG and deep brain fNIRS signals. Here, we developed a hybrid EEG-fNIRS patch capable of acquiring high-quality, co-located EEG and fNIRS signals. This patch is wearable and provides easy cognition and emotion detection, while reducing the spatial interference and signal crosstalk by integration, which leads to high spatial–temporal correspondence and signal quality. The modular design of the EEG-fNIRS acquisition unit and optimized mechanical design enables the patch to obtain EEG and fNIRS signals at the same location and eliminates spatial interference. The EEG pre-amplifier on the electrode side effectively improves the acquisition of weak EEG signals and significantly reduces input noise to 0.9 μVrms, amplitude distortion to less than 2%, and frequency distortion to less than 1%. Detrending, motion correction algorithms, and band-pass filtering were used to remove physiological noise, baseline drift, and motion artifacts from the fNIRS signal. A high fNIRS source switching frequency configuration above 100 Hz improves crosstalk suppression between fNIRS and EEG signals. The Stroop task was carried out to verify its performance; the patch can acquire event-related potentials and hemodynamic information associated with cognition in the prefrontal area.

High-temperature wireless sensing is crucial for monitoring combustion chambers and turbine stators in aeroengines, where surface temperatures can reach up to 1200 °C. Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) temperature sensors are an excellent choice for these measurements. However, at extreme temperatures, they face issues such as agglomeration and recrystallization of electrodes, leading to loss of conductivity and reduced quality factor, hindering effective wireless signal transmission. This study develops an LGS SAW sensor with a Pt-10%Rh/Zr/Pt-10%Rh/Zr/Pt-10%Rh/Zr multilayer composite electrode structure to address these challenges. We demonstrate that the sensor can achieve wireless temperature measurements from room temperature to 1200 °C with an accuracy of 1.59%. The composite electrodes excite a quasi-shear wave on the LGS substrate, maintaining a Q-factor of 3526 at room temperature, providing an initial assurance for the strength of the wireless interrogation echo signal. The sensor operates stably for 2.18 h at 1200 °C before adhesion loss between the composite electrode and the substrate causes a sudden increase in resonant frequency. This study highlights the durability of the proposed electrode materials and structure at extreme temperatures and suggests future research to improve adhesion and extend the sensor’s lifespan, thereby enhancing the reliability and effectiveness of high-temperature wireless sensing in aerospace applications.

Tea saponins have high surface-active and biological activities and are widely used in chemicals, food, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides. Tea saponins are usually extracted using ethanol or water, but both methods have their disadvantages, including a negative impact on the environment, high energy consumption, and low purity. In this study, we explored an effective process for extracting tea saponins from tea meal using deep eutectic solvents combined with ultrasonic extraction and enzymatic techniques. The experimental results showed that a high extraction efficiency of 20.93 ± 0.48% could be achieved in 20 min using an ultrasonic power of 40% and a binary DES consisting of betaine and ethylene glycol (with a molar ratio of 1:3) at a material–liquid ratio of 1:35 and that the purity of the tea saponins after purification by a large-pore adsorption resin reached 95.94%, which was higher than that of commercially available standard tea saponin samples. In addition, the extracted tea saponins were evaluated for their antioxidant and bacteriostatic activities using chemical and biological methods; the results showed that the tea saponins extracted using these methods possessed antioxidant properties and displayed significant antibacterial activity. Therefore, the present study developed a method for using deep eutectic solvents as an environmentally friendly technological solution for obtaining high-purity tea saponins from tea meal oil. This is expected to replace the current organic solvent and water extraction process and has great potential for industrial development and a number of possible applications.

Introduction The function of cytotoxic cells may be impacted by CD39 expression on CD8-positive T lymphocytes, leading to an imbalance in tumor immunity. Material and methods We analyzed the correlation between the expression of CD39 on CD8-positive T lymphocytes and clinical information in 203 patients with lung adenocarcinoma. Results The expression of CD39 on CD8-positive T lymphocytes was related to T stage, lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis. Furthermore, the CD39 expression reduced the secretion of antitumor cytokines, promoted PD-1 expression and decreased CD28 expression on CD8-positive T lymphocytes. Conclusions This research demonstrated the potential value of CD39 on CD8-positive T lymphocytes as a negative regulator in cancer immunotherapy.

Abstract Background The number of oocytes retrieved does not always coincide with the number of follicles aspirated in in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) treatment. Patients with high expectation of retrieval sometimes obtain few oocytes, which may be induced by improper operation or therapeutic factors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the distribution data of oocyte retrieval rate (ORR) and to explore the risk factors for low ORR in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) undergoing IVF/ICSI. Methods A total of 2478 patients with PCOS undergoing IVF/ICSI were involved in this retrospective case-control study from March 2016 to October 2021. The oocyte retrieval rate was calculated as the ratio of the number of obtained oocytes to the number of follicles (≥ 12 mm) on the trigger day. Patients were divided into a low ORR and a normal ORR group with the boundary of one standard deviation from the mean value of ORR. The patient characteristics, treatment protocols, serum hormone levels, and embryonic and pregnancy outcomes were analyzed. Results The ORR exhibited a non-normal distribution, with a median of 0.818. The incidence of complete empty follicle syndrome was 0.12% (3/2478). The proportion of patients in the low ORR group who received the progestin-primed protocol was significantly higher than that in the normal ORR group (30.30% vs. 17.69%). A logistic regression analysis showed that the serum estradiol level/follicle (≥ 12 mm) ratio (OR: 0.600 (0.545–0.661)) and progesterone level (OR: 0.783 (0.720–0.853)) on the trigger day were significant factors in the development of a low ORR, with optimal cutoff values of 172.85 pg/ml and 0.83 ng/ml, respectively, as determined by receiver operating curve. Fewer high-quality embryos (2 vs. 5) and more cycles with no available embryos (5.42% vs. 0.43%) were found in the low ORR group. Conclusions For patients with PCOS, low estradiol levels/follicles (≥ 12 mm) and progesterone levels on the trigger day and the use of the progestin-primed protocol could be risk factors for low ORR, which leads to a limited number of embryos and more cycle cancellations.

Abstract Background MicroRNAs (miRNAs) of plasma-derived small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) have been proven to be associated with metastasis in several types of cancer. This study aimed to detect miRNAs of plasma-derived sEVs as potential biomarkers for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods We assessed the miRNA profiles of plasma-derived sEVs from healthy individuals as the control group (CT group), NSCLC patients without distant organ metastasis as the NM-NSCLC group and patients with distant organ metastasis as the M-NSCLC group. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was performed on samples, and differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) of the three groups were screened. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and ClueGO were used to predict potential pathways of DEMs. MiRNA enrichment analysis and annotation tool (miEAA) was used to understand changes in the tumour microenvironment in NSCLC. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT‒PCR) analysis was used to validate target miRNAs. Result NGS was performed on 38 samples of miRNAs of plasma-derived sEVs, and DEMs were screened out between the above three groups. Regarding the distribution of DEMs in the NM-NSCLC and M-NSCLC groups, KEGG pathway analysis showed enrichment in focal adhesion and gap junctions and ClueGO in the Rap1 and Hippo signaling pathways; miEAA found that fibroblasts were over-represented. From our screening, miRNA-200c-3p and miRNA-4429 were found to be predictive DEMs among the CT, NM-NSCLC and M-NSCLC groups, and qRT‒PCR was applied to verify the results. Finally, it was revealed that expression levels of miR-200c-3p and miR-4429 were significantly upregulated in M-NSCLC patients. Conclusion This study identified miRNA-200c-3p and miRNA-4429 as potential biomarkers for NSCLC metastasis.

Abstract Miniaturized gas pumps based on electromagnetic effect have been intensively studied and widely applied in industries. However, the electromagnetic effect-based gas pumps normally have large sizes, high levels of noises and high power consumption, thus they are not suitable for wearable/portable applications. Herein, we propose a high-flowrate and high-pressure load valveless piezoelectric micropump with dimensions of 16 mm*16 mm*5 mm. The working frequency, vibration mode and displacement of the piezoelectric actuator, the velocity of gas flow, and the volume flowrate of the micropump are analyzed using the finite element analysis method. The maximum vibration amplitude of the piezoelectric actuator reaches ~29.4 μm. The output gas flowrate of the pump is approximately 135 mL/min, and the maximum output pressure exceeds 40 kPa. Then, a prototype of the piezoelectric micropump is fabricated. Results show that performance of the micropump is highly consistent with the numerical analysis with a high flowrate and pressure load, demonstrated its great potential for wearable/portable applications, especially for blood pressure monitoring.

Introduction: Viruses in the human gut have been linked to health and disease. Deciphering the gut virome is dependent on metagenomic sequencing of the virus-like particles (VLPs) purified from the fecal specimens. A major limitation of conventional viral metagenomic sequencing is the low recoverability of viral genomes from the metagenomic dataset. Objectives: To develop an optimal method for viral amplification and metagenomic sequencing for maximizing the recovery of viral genomes. Methods: We performed parallel virus enrichment and DNA extraction to generate ∼ 30 viral DNA samples from each of 5 fresh fecal specimens and conducted the experiments including 1) optimizing the cycle number for high-fidelity enzyme-based PCR amplification, 2) evaluating the reproducibility of the optimally whole viral metagenomic experimental process, 3) evaluating the reliability of multiple displacement amplification (MDA), 4) testing the capability of long-read sequencing for improving viral metagenomic assembly, and 5) comparing the differences between viral metagenomic and bulk metagenomic approaches. Results: Our results revealed that the optimal cycle number for PCR amplification is 15. We verified the reliability of MDA and the effectiveness of long-read sequencing. Based on our optimized results, we generated 151 high-quality viruses using the dataset combined from short-read and long-read sequencing. Genomic analysis of these viruses found that most (60.3%) of them were previously unknown and showed a remarkable diversity of viral functions, especially the existence of 206 viral auxiliary metabolic genes. Finally, we uncovered significant differences in the efficiency and coverage of viral identification between viral metagenomic and bulk metagenomic approaches. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates the potential of optimized experiment and sequencing strategies in uncovering viral genomes from fecal specimens, which will facilitate future research about the genome-level characterization of complex viral communities.

The rapid development of science and technology, as well as the trend toward intelligence, has resulted in a surge in the demand for excellent energy storage devices for smart devices. At present, the most widely used lithium ion batteries have limited further development because of their high cost and various disadvantages of electrolytes (flammable and toxic). In spite of the low costs and safety of aqueous zinc-ion batteries, the high radius of the zinc ions and strong electrostatic interactions make cathode materials without excellent performance difficult to find. Various oxidation states, structural diversity, excellent multiplicity performance and high capacity have attracted researchers to vanadium-based oxides in recent years. However, vanadium-based oxides have disadvantages such as poor structural stability and low electrical conductivity, so this paper summarizes the progress of research on vanadium oxide cathode materials such as V2O5, VO2, V2O3, etc., and provides an outlook on future development directions.

Backgrounds The available literature on the correlation between serum amyloid A (SAA) and prognosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) are limited, and the findings from existing studies are inconclusive. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the available evidence regarding the link between SAA and risks of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in CKD patients. Additionally, we aimed to investigate the potential dose-response relationships, provided that adequate data is accessible.Methods Pubmed and Embase were searched for related literature (last update: 12 July 2023). The pooled effect estimates were calculated using random- or fixed-effects models depending on heterogeneity among studies.Results This meta-analysis incorporated 8 studies encompassing 2331 CKD patients. The findings revealed an 85% increase in all-cause mortality risk [hazard risk (HR) 1.85, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.29–2.65] and a 39% increase in cardiovascular mortality risk (HR 1.07, 95% CI 1.07–1.80) when comparing the highest tertile of baseline SAA levels to the lowest tertile. Furthermore, a positive linear relationship between SAA and all-cause mortality risk was observed (Pnon-linearity = 0.959), with a 17.7% increase in risk for each 10 mg/L SAA increase (HR 1.177, 95% CI 1.055–1.313). Similarly, a linear relationship between SAA and cardiovascular mortality risk was identified (Pnon-linearity = 0.477) with a 19.3% increase in risk for each 10 mg/L SAA increase (HR 1.193, 95% CI 1.025–1.388).Conclusions This meta-analysis provided evidence that SAA levels are positively and linearly associated with risks of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among CKD patients.

Under the coupling effect of environment and stray current, concrete railway sleepers will have rust and cracks. The dynamic load of trains exacerbates the crack propagation in the sleepers, thereby reducing their service life. To address this problem, this paper employed the Mesoscale Concrete Model with Real Aggregate Geometry to construct a three-dimensional micro-model of the concrete sleeper, examined the distribution of corrosion current density within the sleepers under various corrosion durations, and investigated the effect of rust accumulation on the steel surface on the sleeper cracking. Moreover, the damage evolution of corroded sleepers under train load was studied. The research results revealed that: (1) The corrosion current density increased rapidly in the early stage of corrosion. After 30 years of corrosion, 10 % of the steel reinforcement protective layer cracked, while after 50 years of corrosion, the cracked area reached 40 %. (2) The maximum thickness of rust accumulation in the middle of the sleeper rebar was 0.4 mm after 30 years of corrosion, and 0.6 mm after 50 years of corrosion. (3) Under the train load, the maximum instantaneous damage increase of the sleepers was 0.314 %, and the maximum damage increase within the 30-year corroded sleepers was 0.05 %.

Continuous monitoring of vital signs based on advanced sensing technologies has attracted extensive attention due to the ravages of COVID-19. A maintenance-free and low-cost passive wireless sensing system based on surface acoustic wave (SAW) device can be used to continuously monitor temperature. However, the current SAW-based passive sensing system is mostly designed at a low frequency around 433 MHz, which leads to the relatively large size of SAW devices and antenna, hindering their application in wearable devices. In this paper, SAW devices with a resonant frequency distributed in the 870 MHz to 960 MHz range are rationally designed and fabricated. Based on the finite-element method (FEM) and coupling-of-modes (COM) model, the device parameters, including interdigital transducer (IDT) pairs, aperture size, and reflector pairs, are systematically optimized, and the theoretical and experimental results show high consistency. Finally, SAW temperature sensors with a quality factor greater than 2200 are obtained for real-time temperature monitoring ranging from 20 to 50 °C. Benefitting from the higher operating frequency, the size of the sensing system can be reduced for human body temperature monitoring, showing its potential to be used as a wearable monitoring device in the future.

Poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluorethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) has promising potential applications in radio-frequency filters due to their excellent piezoelectric properties, flexibility, and stability. In this paper, a flexible film bulk acoustic wave filter is investigated based on P(VDF-TrFE) as piezoelectric film. A new method based on three-step annealing is developed to efficiently remove the porosity inside the P(VDF-TrFE) films so as to improve its properties. The obtained film achieved high β-phase content beyond 80% and a high piezoelectric coefficient of 27.75 pm/V. Based on the low porosity β-phase films, a flexible wide-band RF filter is designed, which consists of a bulk acoustic wave resonator and lumped inductor-capacitor elements as a hybrid configuration. The resonator sets the filter’s center frequency, while the lumped LC-based matching network extends the bandwidth and enhances out-of-band rejection. The testing results of the proposed wide-band filter show its good performance, with 12.5% fractional bandwidth and an insertion loss of 3.1 dB. To verify the possibility of folding and stacking the flexible bulk acoustic wave devices for high-density multi-filter integration in MIMO communication, bending tests of the filter are also conducted with the bending strain range up to 5500 με. The testing results show no noticeable performance degradation after four bending cycles. This work demonstrates the potential of β-phase P(VDF-TrFE) bulk acoustic wave filters to expand the scope of future flexible radio-frequency filter applications.

This paper investigates the properties of the change in persistence detection for observations with infinite variance. The innovations are assumed to be in the domain of attraction of a stable law with index κ∈(0,2]. We provide a new test statistic and show that its asymptotic distribution under the null hypothesis of non-stationary I(1) series is a functional of a stable process. When the change point in persistence is not known, the consistency is always given under the alternative, either from stationary I(0) to non-stationary I(1) or vice versa. The proposed tests can be used to identify the direction of change and do not over-reject against constant I(0) series, even in relatively small samples. Furthermore, we also consider the change point estimator which is consistent and the asymptotic behavior of the test statistic in the case of near-integrated time series. A block bootstrap method is suggested to determine critical values because the null asymptotic distribution contains the unknown tail index, which results in critical values depending on it. The simulation study demonstrates that the block bootstrap-based test is robust against change in persistence for heavy-tailed series with infinite variance. Finally, we apply our methods to the two series of the US inflation rate and USD/CNY exchange rate, and find significant evidence for persistence changes, respectively, from I(0) to I(1) and from I(1) to I(0).

Atherosclerotic disease is a substantial global burden, and existing treatments, such as statins, are recommended to lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and inhibit the progression of atherosclerosis. However, side effects, including gastrointestinal unease, potential harm to the liver, and discomfort in the muscles, might be observed. In this study, we propose a novel method using periodic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (PMS) to create heparin-modified PMS (PMS-HP) with excellent biocompatibility, enabling selective removal of LDL-C from the blood. In vitro, through the introduction of PMS-HP into the plasma of mice, we observed that, compared to PMS alone, PMS-HP could selectively adsorb LDL-C while avoiding interference with valuable components such as plasma proteins and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Notably, further investigations revealed that the adsorption of LDL-C by PMS-HP could be well-fitted to quasi-first-order (R2 = 0.993) and quasi-second-order adsorption models (R2 = 0.998). Likewise, in vivo, intravenous injection of PMS-HP enabled targeted LDL-C adsorption (6.5 ± 0.73 vs. 8.6 ± 0.76 mM, p < 0.001) without affecting other plasma constituents, contributing to reducing intravascular plaque formation (3.66% ± 1.06% vs. 1.87% ± 0.79%, p < 0.05) on the aortic wall and inhibiting vascular remodeling (27.2% ± 6.55% vs. 38.3% ± 1.99%, p < 0.05). Compared to existing lipid adsorption techniques, PMS-HP exhibited superior biocompatibility and recyclability, rendering it valuable for both in vivo and in vitro applications.

Background: To develop and validate a nomogram prediction model for assessing the risk of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) within one year of discharge. Methods: We enrolled 828 patients with NVAF and HFpEF from May 2017 to March 2022 in Zhongda Hospital as the training cohort, and 564 patients with NVAF and HFpEF in Taizhou People’s Hospital between August 2018 and March 2022 as the validation cohort. A total of 35 clinical features, including baseline characteristics, past medical records, and detection index, were used to create a prediction model for MACCE risk. The optimized model was verified in the validation cohort. Calibration plots, the Hosmer-Lemeshow test, and decision curve analyses (DCA) were utilized to assess the accuracy and clinical efficacy of the nomogram. Results: MACCE occurred in 23.1% of all patients within one year of discharge. The nomogram identified several independent risk factors for MACCE, including atrial fibrillation duration ≥6 years, poor medication compliance, serum creatinine level, hyperthyroidism, serum N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide level, and circumferential end-diastolic stress. The DCA demonstrated the excellent efficacy of the prediction model for the MACCE end-point, with a wide range of high-risk threshold probabilities in both cohorts. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test confirmed that momogram predictions fit for both the training (p = 0.573) and validation (p = 0.628) cohorts. Conclusions: This nomogram prediction model may offer a quantitative tool for estimating the risk of MACCE in patients with NVAF and HFpEF within one year of discharge.

In this study, Teng et al. identify a population of glutamatergic neurons in the ventrolateral medulla that control Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) sleep in mice. They uncover an excitatory brainstem-hypothalamic circuit that controls wake-sleep transitions.

Improving silage production by adding exogenous microorganisms not only maximizes nutrient preservation, but also extends product shelf life. Herein, changes in the quality and quantity of Lactobacillus plantarum PS-8 (PS-8) -inoculated alfalfa (Medicago sativa) during silage fermentation were monitored at d 0, 7, 14, and 28 (inoculum dose of PS-8 was 1 × 105 colony forming units [cfu]/g fresh weight; 50 kg per bag; 10 bags for each time point) by reconstructing metagenomic-assembled genomes (MAG) and Growth Rate InDex (GRiD). Our results showed that the exogenous starter bacterium, PS-8 inoculation, became the most dominating strain by d 7, and possibly played a highly active role throughout the fermentation process. The pH value of the silage decreased greatly, accompanied by the growth of acid-producing microorganisms namely PS-8, which inhibited the growth of harmful microorganisms like molds (4.18 vs. 1.42 log cfu/g) and coliforms (4.95 vs. 0.66 log most probable number [MPN]/g). The content of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) decreased significantly (41.6% vs. 37.6%; dry matter basis). In addition, the abundance and diversity of genes coding microbial carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) increased significantly and desirably throughout the fermentation, particularly the genes responsible for degrading starch, arabino-xylan, and cellulose. Overall, our results showed that PS-8 was replicating rapidly and consistently during early- and mid-fermentation phases, promoting the growth of beneficial lactic acid bacteria and inhibiting undesirable microbes, ultimately improving the quality of silage.

Chronic constipation (CC) is a common gastrointestinal condition associated with intestinal inflammation, and the condition considerably impairs patients’ quality of life. We conducted a large-scale 42-day randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to investigate the effect of probiotics in alleviating CC. 163 patients diagnosed with CC (following Rome IV criteria) were randomly divided into probiotic (n = 78; received Lactiplantibacillus plantarum P9 [P9]; 1 ×1011 CFU/day) and placebo (n = 85; received placebo material) groups. Ingesting P9 significantly improved the weekly mean frequency of complete spontaneous bowel movements (CSBMs) and spontaneous bowel movements (SBMs), while significantly reducing the level of worries and concerns (WO; P

Abstract Parkinson’s disease (PD) is mainly managed by pharmacological therapy (e.g., Benserazide and dopamine agonists). However, prolonged use of these drugs would gradually diminish their dopaminergic effect. Gut dysbiosis was observed in some patients with PD, suggesting close association between the gut microbiome and PD. Probiotics modulate the host’s gut microbiota beneficially. A 3-month randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted to investigate the beneficial effect of probiotic co-administration in patients with PD. Eighty-two PD patients were recruited and randomly divided into probiotic [n = 48; Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis Probio-M8 (Probio-M8), Benserazide, dopamine agonists] and placebo (n = 34; placebo, Benserazide, dopamine agonists) groups. Finally, 45 and 29 patients from Probio-M8 and placebo groups provided complete fecal and serum samples for further omics analysis, respectively. The results showed that Probio-M8 co-administration conferred added benefits by improving sleep quality, alleviating anxiety, and gastrointestinal symptoms. Metagenomic analysis showed that, after the intervention, there were significantly more species-level genome bins (SGBs) of Bifidobacterium animalis, Ruminococcaceae, and Lachnospira, while less Lactobacillus fermentum and Klebsiella oxytoca in Probio-M8 group (P