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In this paper, the self-diffusion coefficients (SDC) of CH4/CO2/H2O in coal molecules under different ensemble conditions and the effects of temperature and pressure are calculated by grand canonical Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics (MD) methods. Results indicated that the self-diffusion coefficients of CH4 and CO2 gradually increase with the increasing temperature under the NPT ensemble. The SDC of H2O increases undulatory and it is higher than that of CH4 and CO2 at each temperature, where the diffusion activation energy followed the order of \begin{document}$E({{\mathrm{H}}_2{\mathrm{O}}})

Abundance sensitivity is an important technical index of magnetic mass spectrometer, which describes the extent to which the tailing of intense ion peaks at a mass number in its neighborhood affects the weak ion peaks during isotope ratio measurement. It is particularly important in the measurement of isotope ratios containing low abundance nuclides, such as 234U/238U, 236U/238U, and 230Th/232Th. However, the abundance sensitivity of magnetic mass spectrometer is only of the order of 10−6 without taking additional technical measures. To further improve the abundance sensitivity, the techniques of tandem mass spectrometer, such as magnetic-electric, magnetic-magnetic and magnetic-electric-quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer, and retarding filter can be adopted. In fact, while various tandem mass spectrometer techniques can effectively improve the abundance sensitivity of an instrument, they also significantly increase the size, complexity, and cost of instrument, and therefore are not widely used. In contrast, due to its simple structure, small size, and excellent performance, the retarding filter has become a key component for commercial magnetic mass spectrometers to improve abundance sensitivity. Based on the basic principles of ion optics, a retarding filter consisting of five electrodes with a compact structure of only (40×50×50) mm3 was developed by utilizing the ion optics simulation software SIMION8.1. In addition to the function of energy retarding, the retarding filter also has the function of direction retarding, which greatly enhances the filtering capability to scatter ions. To test the ion transmission efficiency and the abundance sensitivity under different voltages, the retarding filter was installed on a domestic double-focusing thermal ionization mass spectrometer (TIMS). The instrument mainly consists of a thermal ionization source, a double focusing mass analyzer consisting of an electrostatic analyzer and a magnetic mass analyzer, a zoom lens, and a multi-collector detector, which can be configured with up to 16 faraday cups, 4 electron multipliers, and 2 retarding filters. The results showed that the abundance sensitivity of the mass spectrometer is successfully improved from

The occurrence of geological hazards and the instability of geotechnical engineering structures are closely related to the time-dependent behavior of rock. However, the idealization boundary condition for constant stress in creep or constant strain in relaxation is not usually attained in natural geological systems. Therefore, generalized relaxation tests that explore the simultaneous changes of stress and strain with time under different stress levels with constant pore-water pressure are conducted in this study. The results show that in area I, area II, and area III, the stress and strain both change synchronously with time and show similar evolutionary laws as the strain-time curve for creep or the stress-time curve for relaxation. When the applied stress level surpasses the σci or σcd threshold, the variations in stress and strain and their respective rates of change exhibit a significant increase. The radial deformation and its rate of change exhibit greater sensitivity in response to stress levels. The apparent strain deforms homogeneously at the primary stage, and subsequently, gradually localizes due to the microcrack development at the secondary stage. Ultimately, interconnection of the microcracks causes the formation of a shear-localization zone at the tertiary stage. The strain-time responses inside and outside the localization zone are characterized by local strain accumulation and inelastic unloading during the secondary and tertiary stages, respectively. The width of the shear-localization zone is found to range from 4.43 mm to 7.08 mm and increased with a longer time-to-failure. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals a dominant coalescence of intergranular cracks on the fracture surface, and the degree of physiochemical deterioration caused by water-rock interaction is more severe under a longer lifetime. The brittle sandstone's time-dependent deformation is essentially controlled by microcrack development during generalized relaxation, and its expectancy-life is determined by its initial microstructural state and the rheological path.

Abstract To explore the static pressure dynamic disaster mechanism of coal-and-gas outburst (CGO) fluid, the self-developed multi-field coupling large-scale physical simulation test system of coal mine dynamic disaster was used to carry out gas outburst and CGO physical simulation tests in straight, L-shaped and T-shaped roadways. The influence of roadway shape on the evolution of static pressure was explored, and the role of pulverized coal in the process of static pressure dynamic disaster was clarified. The results indicated that the static pressure showed a fluctuating downward trend during the outburst process. When gas outburst, the middle and front parts of the roadway in the straight section roadway were the most serious areas of static pressure disasters in the three shapes of roadways. The duration and range of high static pressure disaster in L-shaped roadway were larger than those in T-shaped and straight roadways in turn. When CGO, the most serious area of static pressure disaster in L-shaped and T-shaped roadways moved backward to the middle of the straight section roadway, and there was a rebound phenomenon in the process of static pressure fluctuation decline, which showed the pulse characteristics of CGO. During the outburst, the static pressure dynamic disaster hazard of L-shaped roadway was higher than that of T-shaped roadway, and the static pressure at the bifurcation structure decayed faster than that at the turning structure, which indicated that T-shaped roadway was more conducive to the release of static pressure in roadway, thus reduced the risk of static pressure disaster. When gas outburst, the static pressure attenuation of the fluid in the roadway before and after the turning and bifurcation structure was greater than that of CGO. The peak static pressure and impulse of the fluid during gas outburst were 2 times and 4–5 times that of CGO respectively. The presence of pulverized coal reduced the attenuation of static pressure and the hazard of dynamic disaster, prolonged the release time of energy, and led to the change of the maximum static pressure disaster area.

Physical simulation test is an effective method of occurrence mechanism and prevention and control of coal mine gas disasters. At present, the mechanical strength and permeability of briquette materials used in coal mine gas disasters physical simulation test are very different from that of raw coal. How improve the compressive strength and permeability of the briquette coal（BC） is the key problem in the briquette forming process. Based on this, several secondary carbonized briquettes with different holding time were made by a hot pressing method in this paper, and SEM, NMR, XRD, FTIR, MTS-815 rock mechanics test system and gas-containing coal thermal-fluid-solid coupling triaxial servo seepage test device were used to test and analyze secondary carbonized briquettes with different holding times. The effects of different holding times on microcrystalline structural parameters, basic structural units of aromatic hydrocarbons, alkyl side chains and various functional groups, surface morphology, T2 spectral morphology, and porosity evolution were analyzed, the mechanical and seepage characteristics of secondary carbonized briquet under different holding times were clarified. and the optimal holding time was determined. The results show that the surface roughness and pore diameter of the secondary carbonized briquette gradually increase with the increases of holding time, and cracks appear on the surface of BC after increasing to 6.7 h. The longer holding time, the more obvious cracks are. BC cumulative porosity and mesoporous porosity increased gradually, while microporous porosity decreased gradually. The aromatic layer spacing (d002) decreased first and then increased, while the microcrystalline diameter (La) and microcrystalline height (Lc) increased first and then decreased. The length of fatty chain decreased, and the degree of condensation of aromatic ring (Aar/Aal) increased first and then decreased. The uniaxial compressive strength increases first and then decreases, and the permeability decreases first and then increases. When the holding time is 5.3 h, the optimal holding time is obtained. In this case, the uniaxial compressive strength and elastic modulus of hot pressing BC are the largest, Poisson's ratio and permeability are the smallest, and its mechanical strength, permeability and density are 9.85 MPa, 1.49 × 10−15 m2, and 1.127 g/cm3, respectively. This study has important practical guiding significance for improving the real reducibility of the occurrence mechanism and prevention and control basic test of coal mine gas disaster and effectively preventing and controlling coal mine gas disaster accidents.

This study prepared magnetron-sputtering deposition film on a large-scale curved workpiece with a favorable thickness uniformity using a rectangular target cathode. For a substrate rotation structure with eccentric rotation/revolution composite motion, the geometrical model of the thickness distribution of the coating film on a large substrate was established in combination with the principle of rectangular cathode magnetron sputtering. The integral formula of the film thickness was derived, and various film thickness distribution patterns under different parameters were simulated. According to the present research results, the film thickness distribution can be optimized by adjusting the revolution-to-rotation radius and eccentric ratios. At an eccentric distance of 400 mm and a radius ratio of 2.78, the most favorable uniformity degree of 0.87 was obtained, which was controlled by the motion path of the fixed point on the substrate. The proposed approach helps to obtain large-scale films with favorable uniformity on the substrate.

In response to the problems of low strength and high permeability of coal materials in the current physical simulation test of coal mine gas dynamics, a set of experimental research methods for optimizing the molding conditions of hot-pressed briquette. Firstly, a hot-pressed briquette test system was independently established and the advantages and future improvement directions of the test system were summarized. At the same time, based on the Horsfield dense stacking theory, the optimal preparation plan for coal briquette materials was formulated. Finally, a molding condition optimization method was developed that combines the Markov distance measurement method and the golden section method. To verify the effectiveness of the experimental method, the secondary carbonization experiments of briquette were conducted under different molding pressure conditions by controlling the molding temperature to 311.8 ℃, heating rate to 5 ℃/min, and holding time to 5.3 h. The response characteristics of the microstructure, physical and mechanical properties, and permeability characteristics of the hot-pressed briquette under different molding pressure conditions were studied. The results show that with the increase of molding pressure, the total porosity gradually decreases, and the uniaxial compressive strength shows a trend of first increasing and then decreasing. The main forms of failure are block spalling and longitudinal fracture. The initial permeability shows a trend of first decreasing and then increasing, while the minimum permeability shows a trend of first decreasing, then increasing and then decreasing. Using the specific values of each molding condition as the test points, and the key parameters of hot-pressed coal and raw coal as the evaluation parameters, a sample matrix was constructed to calculate the Mahalanobis distance between hot-pressed briquette and raw coal under each molding condition, and then optimize the experimental interval using the golden section method. The optimized final molding pressure is 80 MPa. Under these molding conditions, the density, uniaxial compressive strength, and initial permeability of the hot-pressed briquette produced are 1.137 g/cm3, 12.21 MPa, and 1.32 × 10−15 m2, respectively. They are highly similar to the 1.132 g/cm3, 12.83 MPa, and 1.08 × 10−15 m2 of the raw coal, achieving the goal of improving the strength of the briquette and reducing the permeability of the briquette.

Abstract To further investigate the weakening effect of pore water pressure on intact rock mechanics properties and characteristics of fracture surface after failure, direct shear tests of sandstone were conducted under different pore pressure. A 3D scanner was employed to digitize the morphology of the post-shear fracture surface. The variogram function was applied to quantify the anisotropic characteristics of post-shear fracture surface. The relationship between deformation during shear failure of intact rock and quantitative parameters of fracture surface after shear failure was initially established. It can be found that amplitudes of the sinusoidal surface determine the maximum value of variogram, and period affect lag distance that reach the maximum value of variogram. Test results revealed that the increase of pore pressure has obvious weakening effect on shear strength and deformation of rock. Moreover, the increase of pore pressure makes the shear fracture surface flatter. It can be obtained that both Sill max and Range max are positively related to shear strain, but negatively related to normal strain.

Blockchain technology is a key technology in the current information field and has been widely used in various industries. Blockchain technology faces significant challenges in privacy protection while ensuring data immutability and transparency, so it is crucial to implement private computing in blockchain. To target the privacy issues in blockchain, we design a secure multi-party computation (SMPC) protocol DHSMPC based on homomorphic encryption in this paper. On the one hand, homomorphic encryption technology can directly operate on ciphertext, solving the privacy problem in the blockchain. On the other hand, this paper designs the directed decryption function of DHSMPC to resist malicious opponents in the CRS model, so that authorized users who do not participate in the calculation can also access the decryption results of secure multi-party computation. Analytical and experimental results show that DHSMPC has smaller ciphertext size and stronger performance than existing SMPC protocols. The protocol makes it possible to implement complex calculations in multi-party scenarios and is proven to be resistant to various semi-malicious attacks, ensuring data security and privacy. Finally, this article combines the designed DHSMPC protocol with blockchain and cloud computing, showing how to use this solution to achieve trusted data management in specific scenarios.

Abstract Background The three-finger proteins are a collection of disulfide bond rich proteins of great biomedical interests. Scalable recombinant expression and purification of bioactive three-finger proteins is quite difficult. Results We introduce a working pipeline for expression, purification and validation of disulfide-bond rich three-finger proteins using E. coli as the expression host. With this pipeline, we have successfully obtained highly purified and bioactive recombinant α-Βungarotoxin, k-Bungarotoxin, Hannalgesin, Mambalgin-1, α-Cobratoxin, MTα, Slurp1, Pate B etc. Milligrams to hundreds of milligrams of recombinant three finger proteins were obtained within weeks in the lab. The recombinant proteins showed specificity in binding assay and six of them were crystallized and structurally validated using X-ray diffraction protein crystallography. Conclusions Our pipeline allows refolding and purifying recombinant three finger proteins under optimized conditions and can be scaled up for massive production of three finger proteins. As many three finger proteins have attractive therapeutic or research interests and due to the extremely high quality of the recombinant three finger proteins we obtained, our method provides a competitive alternative to either their native counterparts or chemically synthetic ones and should facilitate related research and applications.

Abstract Various post-stroke dysfunctions often result in poor long-term outcomes for stroke survivors, but the effect of conventional treatments is limited. In recent years, lots of studies have confirmed the effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in stroke rehabilitation. As a new pattern of rTMS, theta burst stimulation (TBS) was proved recently to yield more pronounced and long-lasting after-effects than the conventional pattern at a shorter stimulation duration. To explore the role of TBS in stroke rehabilitation, this review summarizes the existing evidence from all the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) so far on the efficacy of TBS applied to different post-stroke dysfunctions, including cognitive impairment, visuospatial neglect, aphasia, dysphagia, spasticity, and motor dysfunction. Overall, TBS promotes the progress of stroke rehabilitation and may serve as a preferable alternative to traditional rTMS. However, it’s hard to recommend a specific paradigm of TBS due to the limited number of current studies and their heterogeneity. Further high-quality clinical RCTs are needed to determine the optimal technical settings and intervention time in stroke survivors.

In the context of new power systems， the diverse distributed power sources and user-side behavior have introduced instability in bus loads， thus presenting a fresh challenge for short-term load forecasting. In response to this challenge， a noise reduction forecasting method for bus load based on sequence decomposition is proposed. The construction and decomposition rules of the variational mode decomposition （VMD） are applied to the sequence decomposition of bus load. The residual terms following the sequence decomposition are smoothed using locally weighted regression （LWR） to forecast the noise reduction of bus load. Based on the measured active power data of bus load in an area， a recurrent neural network （RNN） is constructed to forecast the bus load after noise reduction. The results indicate that this method effectively eliminates the noise of the bus load sequence， and the sequence tends to be smooth while retaining the characteristics of the original bus load sequence. Moreover， it yields excellent forecasting curves and accurate forecasting results.

Among numerous polluting compounds, the organic dyes and antibiotics are two servious factors causing water pollution. Hence, it is urgent to find a fast and safe way to degrade waste water in a sustainable approach. Here, ferroelectric heterostructure based on 2D Bi2MoO6 nanosheets and Bi2S3 nanorods has been prepared by a two-step solvothermal method for the reduction of organic dyes and antibiotics. Due to the energy band balance between Bi2S3 and Bi2MoO6, the formed type-II heterostructure can populate charge transfer at the junction and effectively inhibit electron-hole recombination. Under ultrasonic stimulation, catalytic active sites of a Bi2MoO6/Bi2S3 heterostructure for pollutant degradation can be generated through rapid charge transfer activation, thus enhancing the catalytic degradation effect of organic dyes and antibiotics. The Bi2MoO6/Bi2S3 heterostructure not only has good degradation effect, but also shows better stability. This work opens up new avenues for designing highly-efficient catalysts, which is of importance for wastewater degradation and energy-saving applications.

Despite the considerable efforts devoted to the toxicological assessment of nanoplastics, the effect of UV-irradiation induced aging, a realistic environmental process, on the toxicity of nanoplastics toward microalgae and its underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Herein, this study comparatively investigated the toxicities of polystyrene nanoplastics (nano-PS) and the UV-aged nano-PS on the eukaryotic alga Chlorella vulgaris, focusing on evaluating their inhibitory effects on carbon fixation. Exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations (0.1–10 mg/L) of nano-PS caused severe damage to chloroplast, inhibited the photosynthetic efficiency and electron transport, and suppressed the activities of carbon fixation related enzymes. Multi-omics results revealed that nano-PS interfered with energy supply by disrupting light reactions and TCA cycle and hindered the Calvin cycle, thereby inhibiting the photosynthetic carbon fixation of algae. The above alterations partially recovered after a recovery period. The aged nano-PS were less toxic than the pristine ones as evidenced by the mitigated inhibitory effect on algal growth and carbon fixation. The aging process introduced oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface of nano-PS, increased the hydrophilicity of nano-PS, limited their attachment on algal cells, and thus reduced the toxicity. The findings of this work highlight the potential threat of nanoplastics to the global carbon cycle.

To study the influence of asperity angle and normal stiffness on the shear mechanical properties of the structural plane, a direct shear test of the artificial structural plane with constant normal stiffness (CNS) was carried out using the self-developed coal rock shear seepage coupling test system. The results show that the shear stress presents a periodic oscillation attenuation trend when the asperity angles are 15° and 30°. At the end of shearing, the reduction in peak shear stress with the increase of normal stiffness is 1.78, 1.42, 1.36 and 1.27 MPa, respectively, which is gradually decreasing. While the asperity angle is 45°, the shear stress gradually tends to residual strength after reaching the peak shear stress, and there is a one-to-one correspondence between normal displacement evolution and shear stress. With the increase of the asperity angles, the shear stiffness increases gradually. With the increase of normal stiffness, the peak shear stress of structural planes with 15° and 45° asperity angles increases linearly, and when the asperity angle is 30°, it presents the characteristic of piecewise function, but the peak shear dilatancy angle gradually decreases. The failure mode of the structural plane is obtained by analyzing the mass loss before and after shearing, the proportion of debris particle size, and the evolution of three-dimensional morphology parameters. When the fluctuation angles are 15° and 45°, the failure modes are relatively single, namely wear failure and tooth cutting failure. When the fluctuation angle is 30°, the failure mode has a strong and complex dependence on the experimental conditions, mainly including tooth tip shear failure and full tooth cutting failure. By combining the three-dimensional spatial point cloud data of the structural plane with the normal displacement values at the corresponding shear displacement, a simulated cloud map of the structural plane gap width at a specific shear displacement is obtained, which analyzes the dynamic evolution process of the structural plane during the shear process and obtains its failure mechanism.

The gas reservoirs co-production in multi-pressure system is one of the important measures to improve the development efficiency of the superposed gas-bearing systems. However, the co-production effect is not ideal due to the special reservoir forming background. The mechanism of co-production and high-efficient development of the multi-pressure system has become an key scientific problem, which restricts the efficient exploration and development of superposed gas-bearing systems. This paper focuses on the gas reservoirs co-production in multi-pressure system, and divides the physical simulation types of co-production into two separate fields: coalbed methane and non coalbed methane. It clarifies the current research status of gas reservoirs co-production in multi-pressure system from the aspects of device functions and characteristics, understanding of co-production, and existing problems. Firstly, the large-scale physical simulation test device can effectively eliminate or weaken the problems of homogeneous single-type reservoir samples, single monitoring data means and single stress loading form caused by paralleling multiple core grippers to build the physical simulation model. The development direction of the physical simulation for co-production in multi-pressure system should be to achieve true three-dimensional heterogeneous complex in-situ stress state of large-scale heterogeneous multi-type reservoir samples. The characteristics of fluid pressure transmission between adjacent reservoirs, the inter-layer crossflow, the multi-phase natural gas symbiosis should be considered. On this basis, the sensitivity of co-production of multi-pressure system to reservoir physical properties was deeply summarized. The differences in inter-layer pressure difference, permeability, effective stress, water saturation and other factors may induce the fluid interference and reservoir gas production damage, and optimizing co-production style may be a way to reduce the fluid interference and reservoir gas production damage. In totally, the next research should focus on exploring the influence of the coupling effect of low porosity and low permeability, gas water two-phase flow, multiphase gas symbiosis and coexistence of multiple types of reservoirs on the dynamic evolution law of reservoir-wellbore flow field induced by co-production fluid interference, clarifying the reservoir damage and its mechanism of different phase fluid intrusions on the reservoir, and revealing the coupling flow characteristics of inter-layer crossflow and wellbore pipe flow considering the fluid interference effect.

In order to study the deformation localization failure characteristics of sandstone under the coupling action of seepage and stress, the triaxial compression tests of sandstone under different drainage conditions were carried out using the visualized triaxial servo control test system combined with three-dimensional digital image correlation (3D-DIC). The rock mechanics, seepage and deformation localization characteristics were analyzed, and the micro-morphology of fracture surface after sandstone failure was analyzed using electron microscope scanning. The results shown that the peak strength and elastic modulus of sandstone under drainage condition were higher than those under undrained condition, the peak strength, elastic modulus and Poisson’s ratio of sandstone increased with the increasing seepage water pressure, the time point of penetration crack and maximum permeability would be advanced. When the seepage water pressure was the same, the localized zone of deformation field cloud map of the sand surface was wider in the undrained condition than that in the drained condition, i.e., the macroscopic crack of rock was more obvious. Water flow under drained condition took away the mineral particles inside the rock and formed holes, the rupture surface of which was smoother than that under undrained condition, whereas flakes cuttings were obviously attached to the surface of the particles under undrained condition. The initiation point of radial deformation localization was consistently higher than that of axial deformation localization for all drainage conditions, with an average increase of 1.23%. The initiation stress levels of the radial and axial deformation localization increased with increasing seepage water pressure, i.e., the initiation time point was earlier. The radial and axial initiation stress level of sandstone under drainage condition were higher than those under undrained condition, with an average increase of 1.85% and 2.21% respectively. When the water pressure was the same, the initiation stress and stress level were more significantly affected by water pressure in the undrained condition than in the drained condition.

Abstract The recent outbreaks of mpox have raised concerns over the need for effective vaccines. However, the current approved vaccines have either been associated with safety concerns or are in limited supply. mRNA vaccines, which have shown high efficacy and safety against SARS-CoV-2 infection, are a promising alternative. In this study, three mRNA vaccines are developed that encode monkeypox virus (MPXV) proteins A35R and M1R, including A35R extracellular domain -M1R fusions (VGPox 1 and VGPox 2) and a mixture of encapsulated full-length mRNAs for A35R and M1R (VGPox 3). All three vaccines induce early anti-A35R antibodies in female Balb/c mice, but only VGPox 1 and 2 generate detectable levels of anti-M1R antibodies at day 7 after vaccination. However, all three mRNA vaccine groups completely protect mice from a lethal dose of vaccinia virus (VACV) challenge. A single dose of VGPox 1, 2, and 3 provide protection against the lethal viral challenge within 7 days post-vaccination. Long-term immunity and protection were also observed in all three candidates. Additionally, VGPox 2 provided better passive protection. These results suggest that the VGPox series vaccines enhance immunogenicity and can be a viable alternative to current whole-virus vaccines to defend against mpox.

Supercapacitors have long suffered from low energy density. Here, we present a high-energy, high-safety, and temperature-adaptable aqueous proton battery utilizing two-dimensional Ti3C2Tx MXenes as anode materials. Additionally, our work aims to provide further insights into the energy storage mechanism of Ti3C2Tx in acid electrolytes. Our findings reveal that the ion transport mechanism of Ti3C2Tx remains consistent in both H2SO4 and H3PO4 electrolytes. The mode of charge transfer depends on its terminal groups. Specifically, the hydrogen bonding network formed by water molecules adsorbed by hydroxyl functional groups under van der Waals forces enables charge transfer in the form of naked H+ through the Grotthuss mechanism. In contrast, the hydrophobic channel formed by oxygen and halogen terminal groups facilitates rapid charge transfers in the form of hydronium ion via the vehicle mechanism, owing to negligible interfacial effect. Herein, we propose an aqueous proton battery based on porous hydroxy-poor Ti3C2Tx MXene anode and pre-protonated CuII[FeIII(CN)6]2/3∙4H2O (H-TBA) cathode in a 9.5 M H3PO4 solution. This proton battery operates through hydrated H+/H+ transfer, leading to good electrochemical performance, as evidenced by 26 Wh kg−1 energy density and 162 kW kg−1 power density at room temperature and an energy density of 17 Wh kg−1 and a power density of 7.4 kW kg−1 even at −60 °C.

With the continuous increase of coal mining depth, the response of coal mechanics and the mechanism of gas migration have become extremely complicated. In order to explore the coal damage evolution and gas seepage mechanism under the integrated operation of first extraction and subsequent mining in engineering, the K2 coal seam briquette sample of Chongqing Songzao Coal Mine was used as the research object. Using the triaxial servo seepage device of thermal-fluid-solid coupling of gas-bearing coal, the reduced pore pressure seepage test and the triaxial compression-seepage test were successively carried out on the same specimen. According to the elasto-plasticity theory, a statistical damage constitutive model that characterized the whole stress-strain relationship of coal was derived, and the permeability model of coal under consideration of damage was further constructed. The results of the research shown that, in the reduced pore pressure seepage test, the permeability of coal under constant external stress shown a trend of first rising gently and then rising sharply with the decrease of pore pressure. In this process, the change of coal permeability was affected by the competition between effective stress and gas desorption. In the process of the triaxial compression-seepage test, the characteristics of coal deformation stages under different confining stresses were basically similar. As the confining stress increased, the coal mechanics properties were strengthened. The coal permeability curve changed as a negative exponential function with the increasing axial strain . The damage variable curves and plastic strain curves shown a trend of first rising slowly and then rising sharply with the increase of axial strain, the damage evolution process was corresponded to the whole stress-strain curve of each stage of coal deformation and failure. The rationality of the constructed damage constitutive model and permeability model were verified by comparison with test data, which shown that the model can more accurately reflect the characteristics of coal deformation stages and the law of gas seepage.

The study of the dynamic disaster mechanism of coal and gas outburst two-phase flow is crucial for improving disaster reduction and rescue ability of coal mine outburst accidents. An outburst test in a T-shaped roadway was conducted using a self-developed large-scale outburst dynamic disaster test system. We investigated the release characteristics of main energy sources in coal seam, and obtained the dynamic characteristics of outburst two-phase flow in a roadway. Additionally, we established a formation model for outburst impact flow and a model for its flow in a bifurcated structure. The results indicate that the outburst process exhibits pulse characteristics, and the rapid destruction process of coal seam and the blocking state of gas flow are the main causes of the pulse phenomenon. The outburst energy is released in stages, and the elastic potential energy is released in the vertical direction before the horizontal direction. In a straight roadway, the impact force oscillates along the roadway. With an increase in the solid–gas ratio, the two-phase flow impact force gradually increases, and the disaster range extends from the middle of the roadway to the coal seam. In the area near the coal seam, the disaster caused by the two-phase flow impact is characterized by intermittent recovery. In a bifurcated roadway, the effect of impact airflow on impact dynamic disaster is much higher than that of two-phase flow, and the impact force tends to weaken with increasing solid-gas ratio. The impact force is asymmetrically distributed; it is higher on the left of the bifurcated roadway. With an increase in the solid-gas ratio, the static pressure rapidly decreases, and the bifurcated structure accelerates the attenuation of static pressure. Moreover, secondary acceleration is observed when the shock wave moves along the T-shaped roadway, indicating that the bifurcated structure increases the shock wave velocity.

Abstract Standing posteroanterior radiographs have been the golden standard to quantify the severity of scoliosis deformity. However, it exposes ionizing radiation to scoliosis patients, and cannot be used for routine screening and monitoring. This study aimed to develop a protocol of measuring postural indexes by using the noninvasive and radiation-free two-dimensional (2D) photogrammetry method and identify its clinical value in scoliosis screening and monitoring. The five postural indexes were measured from the posterior view of 110 participants. One-way ANOVA with post hoc Tukey HSD/Games–Howell analysis was used to compare the differences between the participants in the scoliosis group and the non-scoliosis group. Pearson coefficients of correlation were analyzed to identify the relationships between Cobb angles and each of the five quantitative postural indexes. Based on 2D photogrammetry, the postural indexes of C7 deviation (p = 0.02), shoulder alignment (p

Abstract Understanding the genetic basis of rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) domestication is crucial for further improving natural rubber production to meet its increasing demand worldwide. Here we provide a high-quality H. brasiliensis genome assembly (1.58 Gb, contig N50 of 11.21 megabases), present a map of genome variations by resequencing 335 accessions and reveal domestication-related molecular signals and a major domestication trait, the higher number of laticifer rings. We further show that HbPSK5, encoding the small-peptide hormone phytosulfokine (PSK), is a key domestication gene and closely correlated with the major domestication trait. The transcriptional activation of HbPSK5 by myelocytomatosis (MYC) members links PSK signaling to jasmonates in regulating the laticifer differentiation in rubber tree. Heterologous overexpression of HbPSK5 in Russian dandelion (Taraxacum kok-saghyz) can increase rubber content by promoting laticifer formation. Our results provide an insight into target genes for improving rubber tree and accelerating the domestication of other rubber-producing plants.

Abstract Background Neurogenic bowel dysfunction (NBD) is a common problem among people with spinal injury; management of bowel dysfunction and related problems are considered significant factors in daily life after injury. But despite the critical relevance of bowel dysfunction in the daily life of SCI survivors, there have been few published studies on the management of NBD. So, this study aimed to describe the bowel programmers utilized by people with SCI in China and the impact of bowel dysfunction on the quality of life (QoL). Design A cross-sectional online survey. Setting Rehabilitation Medicine Department of Wuhan’s Tongji Hospital. Participants SCI patients who had been diagnosed with neurogenic bowel dysfunction and who were receiving regular medical monitoring at the rehabilitation medicine department were invited to participate in our study. Outcome measures A neurogenic bowel dysfunction (NBD) score is a questionnaire developed to evaluate the severity of neurogenic bowel dysfunction. A Short Form-12 (SF-12) was designed to measure the quality of life in people with SCI. Demographic and medical status information was extracted from their medical records. Results The two questionnaires were sent to 413 SCI patients. Two hundred ninety-four subjects (43.1 ± 14.5 years of age; men, 71.8%) responded. Most of the respondents performed their bowel movement daily 153 (52.0%), a defecation time was 31–60 min among 70 (23.8%) of them, 149 (50.7%) used medication (drops or liquid) to treat constipation, and 169 (57.5%) used digital stimulation more than once per week to boost the bowel evacuation. This study found a significant association between the QoL score and the time used for each defecation, autonomic dysreflexia (AD) symptoms, taking medication to treat fecal incontinence, using digital stimulation, having uncontrollable flatus and perianal skin problems. Conclusion Management of bowel dysfunction is complex and associated with QoL in people with SCI. Items of the NBD questionnaire that greatly deteriorated the QoL were time in one defecation > 60 min, symptoms of AD during or before defecation, taking medication (drops or liquid), and using digital stimulation. Dealing with those problems can improve the life quality of spinal cord injury survivors.

Abstract Background A large amount of evidence has shown the necessity of lowering blood pressure (BP) in patients with acute cerebral hemorrhage, but whether reducing BP contributes to lower short-term and long-term mortality in these patients remains uncertain. Aims We aimed to explore the association between BP, including systolic and diastolic BP, during intensive care unit (ICU) admission and 1-month and 1-year mortality after discharge of patients with cerebral hemorrhage. Methods A total of 1085 patients with cerebral hemorrhage were obtained from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III (MIMIC-III) database. Maximum and minimum values of systolic and diastolic BP in these patients during their ICU stay were recorded, and endpoint events were defined as the 1-month mortality and 1-year mortality after the first admission. Multivariable adjusted models were performed for the association of BP with the endpoint events. Results We observed that patients with hypertension were likely to be older, Asian or Black and had worse health insurance and higher systolic BP than those without hypertension. The logistic regression analysis showed inverse relationships between systolic BP-min (odds ratio (OR) = 0.986, 95% CI 0.983–0.989, P

At present, online teaching is becoming an increasingly popular teaching activity, and while it is gaining more and more popularity, its quality issues are becoming more and more prominent. This paper firstly analyzes the discrete regression model, and after comparing the logit model under random utility selection and its three derivative models, this paper selects the most widely used hybrid logit model to evaluate and analyze the online teaching platform of university public sports tennis with the MNL model of the maximum likelihood method for error analysis. Secondly, the overall architecture of the online teaching platform system is proposed, and the online teaching platform student satisfaction is studied and analyzed. Finally, based on the hybrid logit model, the AIC, BIC, and log-likelihood value indexes of the online teaching platform for college public education tennis are analyzed for the goodness of fit. The results of the study showed that students were more concerned about three aspects of the online teaching platform: operational difficulty, course comprehensiveness, and learning efficiency, which were 65%, 69%, and 74%, respectively. The AIC and BIC indicators of the hybrid logit model were 4753.656 and 4901.321, which were 192.142 and 117.848 lower than those of the conditional logit model, respectively, indicating that the model fits well and provides a better evaluation and analysis of the platform.

The many-banded krait, Bungarus multicinctus, has been recorded as the animal resource of JinQianBaiHuaShe in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Characterization of its venoms classified chief phyla of modern animal neurotoxins. However, the evolutionary origin and diversification of its neurotoxins as well as biosynthesis of its active compounds remain largely unknown due to the lack of its high-quality genome. Here, we present the 1.58 Gbp genome of B. multicinctus assembled into 18 chromosomes with contig/scaffold N50 of 7.53 Mbp/149.8 Mbp. Major bungarotoxin-coding genes were clustered within genome by family and found to be associated with ancient local duplications. The truncation of glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor in the 3′-terminal of a LY6E paralog released modern three-finger toxins (3FTxs) from membrane tethering before the Colubroidea divergence. Subsequent expansion and mutations diversified and recruited these 3FTxs. After the cobra/krait divergence, the modern unit-B of β-bungarotoxin emerged with an extra cysteine residue. A subsequent point substitution in unit-A enabled the β-bungarotoxin covalent linkage. The B. multicinctus gene expression, chromatin topological organization, and histone modification characteristics were featured by transcriptome, proteome, chromatin conformation capture sequencing, and ChIP-seq. The results highlighted that venom production was under a sophisticated regulation. Our findings provide new insights into snake neurotoxin research, meanwhile will facilitate antivenom development, toxin-driven drug discovery and the quality control of JinQianBaiHuaShe.

Abstract Due to the rise of 5G, IoT, AI, and high-performance computing applications, datacenter traffic has grown at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 30%. Furthermore, nearly three-fourths of the datacenter traffic resides within datacenters. The conventional pluggable optics increases at a much slower rate than that of datacenter traffic. The gap between application requirements and the capability of conventional pluggable optics keeps increasing, a trend that is unsustainable. Co-packaged optics (CPO) is a disruptive approach to increasing the interconnecting bandwidth density and energy efficiency by dramatically shortening the electrical link length through advanced packaging and co-optimization of electronics and photonics. CPO is widely regarded as a promising solution for future datacenter interconnections, and silicon platform is the most promising platform for large-scale integration. Leading international companies (e.g., Intel, Broadcom and IBM) have heavily investigated in CPO technology, an inter-disciplinary research field that involves photonic devices, integrated circuits design, packaging, photonic device modeling, electronic-photonic co-simulation, applications, and standardization. This review aims to provide the readers a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art progress of CPO in silicon platform, identify the key challenges, and point out the potential solutions, hoping to encourage collaboration between different research fields to accelerate the development of CPO technology. Graphical Abstract

Water resources are relatively scarce in Northwest China. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the hydrochemical characteristics and sources of different water bodies in the Northwest Coal–Electricity Agglomeration area, and the utilization of water resources in the region. Hydrochemical diagrams and correlation analysis were applied to data obtained through the collection of 40, 14, and 42 surface water, shallow groundwater, and deep groundwater samples, respectively. The Positive Definite Matrix Factor Decomposition (PMF) model was used to explore the origins of ions in different water bodies. The results show the following: (1) The rank of anions in surface water, shallow groundwater, and deep groundwater in water bodies of the Bulianta mining area during the wet period according to concentration was as follows: SO42− > Cl− > HCO3− > NO3−; that of cations was as follows: Na+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ > K+; (2) The chemical composition of surface water is mainly regulated by the dissolution of evaporites; that of shallow groundwater was regulated by silicates; that of deep groundwater was mainly regulated by the hydrolysis of silicates and the dissolution of evaporites; (3) Four main sources of ions in different water bodies were identified, namely agricultural activities, rock weathering, primary geology, and unknown sources. Two natural factors, namely rock weathering and primary geology, and human activities contributed to 35.2% and 38.8% of ions in shallow groundwater, respectively. Rock weathering and human activities contributed to 20.6% and 63.9% of ions of deeper groundwater, respectively. This study can provide a basis for the conservation and rational planning and utilization of water resources in the Northwest Coal–Electricity Agglomeration area.

Introduction Attention deficit is the most common cognitive impairment after stroke, which can significantly hinder the recovery of both other cognitive domains and motor functions. Increasing evidence suggests that the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is related to non-spatial attention functions, which indicates that it may be a promising target of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for treating poststroke non-spatial attention deficit. Theta burst stimulation (TBS) is a modified pattern of rTMS that delivers shorter stimulation times and exhibits superior therapeutic efficacy. This study aims to provide evidence regarding the efficacy of intermittent TBS (iTBS) over the left DLPFC to improve poststroke non-spatial attention deficits and elucidate the potential neurophysiological mechanisms.Methods and analysis In this single-centre, prospective, randomised, sham-controlled clinical trial, patients with non-spatial attention deficits (n=38) received 10 sessions of real iTBS (n=19) or sham iTBS (n=19) over the left DLPFC and a 30-min conventional attention training. Neuropsychological evaluations, electrophysiological examination and neuroimaging scan will be conducted at baseline, postintervention (second week) and 2-week follow-up (fourth week). The primary outcomes are the change in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores and the Digital Span Test scores from baseline to the end of the intervention (second week). The secondary outcomes comprise changes in magnetic resonance spectroscopy neuroimaging from baseline to the end of the intervention (second week) as well as attention test batteries (including tests of selective attention, sustained attention, divided attention and shifting attention) and ERP P300 from baseline to endpoint (fourth week).Ethics and dissemination This study has been approved by the Institutional Ethical Committee of Tongji Hospital (ID: TJ-IRB20230879). All participants will sign the informed consent. Findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and conference presentations.Trial registration number ChiCTR2300068669.

Introduction: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive disease. The commonly used drugs for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis can only delay the damage of lung function but cannot prolong the life of patients. Atractylodin (ATR), a kind of herbal medicine that has been proven to protect anti-inflammation and attenuate acute lung injury, was investigated to determine whether it could provide a new idea for the treatment of IPF by reducing the inflammatory reaction and collagen formation in the process of pulmonary fibrosis. Methods: In vivo experiments, mice were divided into 6 groups, normal group, model, drug group (10 mg/kg, 30 mg/kg, 90 mg/kg) and positive control group (pirfenidone). Mice were given BLM through trachea, and after 24 h, normal saline, different concentrations of atractylodin and pirfenidone were given respectively. On 7 days, 14 days and 21 days, the weight, lung function, alveolar lavage fluid and lung tissue were tested. In vitro experiments to investigate the effect of atractylodin on fibroses, NIH3T3 cells were induced by TGF-β1 to detect the formation of cellular collagen and the phosphorylation level of Smad2/3 at different time points after their fibrosis. Results: The results showed that atractylodin could alleviate the lung function damage (FVC, FEV100, Tidal volume, tissue elastance) caused by BLM, reduce the inflammatory factors (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α), neutrophils and macrophage infiltration in the alveolar lavage fluid, as well as the formation and deposition of collagen (fibronectin, α-SMA, ColA1). In vitro studies have demonstrated that atractylodin can alleviate TGF-β1-induced pulmonary fibrosis by inhibiting the TGF-β1/Smad2/3 pathway. Conclusion: Atractylodin can alleviate the lung function damage and attenuate pulmonary fibrosis induced by BLM through inhibiting the TGF-β1/Smad2/3 pathway. This may provide new ideas for the treatment of IPF.

Abnormal muscle synergies during sit-to-stand (STS) transitions have been observed post-stroke, which are associated with deteriorated lower-limb function and mobility. Although exoskeletons have been used in restoring lower-limb function, their effects on muscle synergies and lower-limb motor recovery remain unclear. Here, we characterized normal muscle synergy patterns during STS activity in ten healthy adults as a reference, comparing with pathological muscle synergy patterns in ten participants with subacute stroke. Moreover, we assessed the effects of a 3-week exoskeleton-assisted STS training intervention on muscle synergies and clinical scores in seven stroke survivors. We also investigated correlations between neuromuscular complexity of muscle synergies and clinical scores. Our results showed that the STS task involved three motor modules representing distinct biomechanical functions among healthy subjects. In contrast, stroke participants showed 3 abnormal modules for the paretic leg and 2 modules for the non-paretic leg. After the intervention, muscle synergies partially shifted towards the normal pattern observed in healthy subjects on the paretic side. On the non-paretic side, the synergy modules increased to three and neuromuscular coordination improved. Furthermore, the significant intervention-induced increases in Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Lower Extremity and Berg Balance Scale scores were associated with improved muscle synergies on the non-paretic side. These results indicate that the paretic side demonstrates abnormal changes in muscle synergies post-stroke, while the non-paretic side can synergistically adapt to post-stroke biomechanical deviations. Our data show that exoskeleton-based training improved lower-limb function post-stroke by inducing modifications in muscle synergies.

Abstract Background Amorpha-4,11-diene synthase (ADS) is a key enzyme in the artemisinin biosynthetic pathway. ADS promotes the first step of artemisinin synthesis by cyclizing faresyl pyrophosphate to synthesize the sesquiterpene product amorpha-4,11-diene. Thanks to the continuous improvement of genomic information, its evolutionary trace can be analyzed in a genome view. Methods Phylogenetic analysis was used to identify ADS-like genes in other Asteraceae. Gene structure and motif analysis was used to analyze the structural similarity of these identified genes. Heterologous expression and GC–MS analysis were performed to determine whether the functions of ADS and Cna4666 are consistent. Validation of ADS genes evolutionary trajectories was achieved by selective pressure and synteny analysis. Result In this study, we extracted 8 ADS genes from the Artemisia annua L. genome annotation and 121 ADS similar genes from the genomes of Artemisia annua L. and other plants in the Asteraceae, and further exploring their evolutionary relationship. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the genes most closely related to ADS genes were found in the genome of Chrysanthemum nankingense. Among them, the gene structure and motif composition of Cna4666 is very similar to ADS, we wondered whether it has the potential to synthesize amorpha-4,11-diene. Therefore, we extracted the products of recombinant p0_ADS.1 and Cna4666 proteins by HS-SPME combined with GC–MS analysis, the results indicate that Cna4666 is an α-bisabolol synthase, which cannot synthesize amorpha-4,11-diene. Through synteny analysis, we did not find collinear blocks of ADS genes in the Helianthus annuus and C. nankingense genomes. Furthermore, Ka/Ks ratios indicated that the evolution of ADS genes from their similar genes principally underwent purifying selection, and there was a strong positive selection between ADS genes. Conclusions This study proved that ADS is a multi-copy gene in Artemisia annua L., and they are not widely distributed in Asteraceae. The data will increase our understanding of the evolutionary selection pressure on ADS genes. The results suggest that ADS genes are subject to strong positive selection internally, and it is possible that they are a recently evolved gene in the Artemisia.

Abstract The injection of fluids into fault gouges in rock formations disturbs the in situ stress conditions, leading to fault slip and increasing the risk of inducing earthquakes. The weakening effect and the permeation of the injected fluid can be influenced significantly by the presence of fault gouges. To investigate this issue, the hydro-mechanical characteristics of fault gouges were evaluated using physical tests to study the combined effects of coupling injecting water and shear deformation. We propose a new experimental apparatus that allows us to measure the spatial distribution of the thickness of a gouge layer sample under combined conditions of shearing and water injection, using 3D scanning technology to evaluate the primary flow path. The test results showed that injecting water had a significant effect in reducing the maximum shear strength, but the degree to which the strength was affected varied with the gouge fill material. The effect of shear deformation is that it will increase the inhomogeneity of the thickness distribution and therefore the distribution of injected water along the fault is not uniformly radial. Additionally, the properties of gouge fill material have an important influence on flow characteristics during fault slipping.

The gut microbiota and their metabolites play a critical role in the maintenance of host immune homeostasis. The dysbiosis and gut microbiota-derived metabolites are closely associated with the initiation and development of multiple autoimmune diseases. Among the microbiota metabolites, short-chain fatty acids, tryptophan and its derivatives, and bile acids are the most widely studied. In this review, the metabolic pathway of the microbiota metabolites, their functions in the immune response and the current findings on their correlation with autoimmune diseases are summarized, with the hope of revealing the role of gut microbiota-derived metabolites on the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases.

Sulfur-driven autotrophic denitrification (SADN) has demonstrated efficacy in nitrate (NO3−) removal from the aquatic environment. However, the insolubility of elemental sulfur (S0) (maximum 5 μg/L at 25 °C) limited the NO3− removal rate. In this study, we investigated the performance of a laboratory-scale S0-packed bed reactor (S0-PBR) under various volumetric NO3− loading rates. By filling with smaller S0 particles (0.5–1 mm) and introducing chemical sulfide (30–50 mg S2−-S/L), a high NO3− removal rate (1.44 kg NO3−-N/(m3·d)) was achieved, which was substantially higher than previously reported values in SADN systems. The analysis of the average specific NO3− removal rates and the half-order kinetic constants jointly confirmed that the denitrification performance was significantly enhanced by decreasing the S0 particle sizes from 10–12 mm to 1–2 mm. The smaller S0 particles with a larger specific surface area improved the mass-transfer efficiency. Dosing chemical S2− (20 mg S2−-S/L) to trigger the abiotic polysulfuration process increased the specific NO3− removal rate from 0.366 to 0.557 g NO3−-N/g VSS/h and decreased the portion of removed NO3−-N in the form of nitrous oxide (N2O-N) from 1.6% to 0.7% compared to the S2−-free group.

The success of plant reproduction is highly dependent on effective seed dispersal. This study aimed to evaluate the potential seed dispersal effectiveness of cattle for Malus sieversii. The impact of cattle on the dispersal quantity and dispersal quality of M. sieversii seeds was explored based on camera trapping, GPS tracking, and germination trials. The results showed that, on average, cattle visited M. sieversii trees 477.33 times during a two-month observation period. Out of these visits, 315 were specifically for fruit removal. The fruit removal rate per cattle visit was as high as 96.67%. Additionally, cattle were able to disperse M. sieversii seeds up to a maximum distance of 533.67 m, with an average dispersal distance of 134.62 m. The average distance of cattle movement was recorded as 176.95 m/h, with peak activity observed during 11:00–13:00 and 19:00–21:00. The germination rate of M. sieversii seeds that passed through the digestive tract of cattle was significantly higher than that of control seeds. Finally, the emergence rate and survival rate of seeds dispersed by cattle to forest edges and gaps were significantly higher than those dispersed to understory. These findings suggest that cattle can serve as effective long-distance dispersers of M. sieversii seeds and may play a crucial role in the regeneration and expansion of M. sieversii populations in the Ili Botanical Garden.

Abstract Early neurological deterioration (END), observed in the acute phase of small subcortical infarct treated with intravenous thrombolysis (IVT), is not uncommon in these patients. However, in over half of the END cases, the exact cause is yet incompletely understood, which is so‐called unexplained END (unEND). Our aim was to investigate the association of early blood pressure (BP) changes with unEND in patients with small subcortical infarct in the perforator territory of middle cerebral artery treated with IVT. Consecutive patients with acute small subcortical infarct treated with IVT were enrolled in this study. unEND was defined as≧2‐point increase of NIHSS from baseline to 24 hours, without straightforward causes. BP excursions and BP variability were calculated and compared between patients with unNED and those without. A total of 168 patients with acute small subcortical infarct were included. Of them, there were 29 patients with unEND and 139 without END. During the first 24 hours following IVT, 66 (39.29%) patients had at least one BP excursion. Logistic regression analyses indicated that BP excursion presence (OR = 3.185, 95% CI: 1.238‐8.198), SBP excursion presence (OR = 3.535, 95% CI: 1.366‐9.143), and number of SBP excursion (OR = 1.466, 95% CI: 1.090‐1.973) were independently associated with unEND. Although SBPSD (P

ObjectiveThe mechanisms underpinning Moyamoya disease (MMD) remain unclear, and effective biomarkers remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to identify novel serum biomarkers of MMD.MethodsSerum samples were collected from 23 patients with MMD and 30 healthy controls (HCs). Serum proteins were identified using tandem tandem-mass-tag (TMT) labeling combined with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the serum samples were identified using the SwissProt database. The DEPs were assessed using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database, Gene Ontology (GO), and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks, and hub genes were identified and visualized using Cytoscape software. Microarray datasets GSE157628, GSE189993, and GSE100488 from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database were collected. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially expressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs) were identified, and miRNA targets of DEGs were predicted using the miRWalk3.0 database. Serum apolipoprotein E (APOE) levels were compared in 33 MMD patients and 28 Moyamoya syndrome (MMS) patients to investigate the potential of APOE to be as an MMD biomarker.ResultsWe identified 85 DEPs, of which 34 were up- and 51 down-regulated. Bioinformatics analysis showed that some DEPs were significantly enriched in cholesterol metabolism. A total of 1105 DEGs were identified in the GSE157628 dataset (842 up- and 263 down-regulated), whereas 1290 were identified in the GSE189993 dataset (200 up- and 1,090 down-regulated). The APOE only overlaps with the upregulated gene expression in Proteomic Profiling and in GEO databases. Functional enrichment analysis demonstrated that APOE was associated with cholesterol metabolism. Moreover, 149 miRNAs of APOE were predicted in the miRWalk3.0 database, and hsa-miR-718 was the only DE-miRNA overlap identified in MMD samples. Serum APOE levels were significantly higher in patients with MMD than in those without. The performance of APOE as an individual biomarker to diagnose MMD was remarkable.ConclusionsWe present the first description of the protein profile of patients with MMD. APOE was identified as a potential biomarker for MMD. Cholesterol metabolism was found to potentially be related to MMD, which may provide helpful diagnostic and therapeutic insights for MMD.

Introduction: Repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation (rPMS) can stimulate profound neuromuscular tissues painlessly to evoke action potentials in motor axons and induce muscle contraction for treating neurological conditions. It has been increasingly used in stroke rehabilitation as an easy-to-administer approach for therapeutic neuromodulation. Objective: We performed this meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to systematically evaluate the effects of rPMS for the upper limb in patients with stroke, including motor impairment, muscle spasticity, muscle strength, and activity limitation outcomes. Methods: The meta-analysis was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline. PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) were searched for articles published before June 2022. Forest plots were employed to estimate the pooled results of the included studies, and the I2 statistical analysis was used to identify the source of heterogeneity. Publication bias was examined by Egger’s regression tests or visual inspection of the funnel plots. Results: The database searches yielded 1052 potential eligible literature; of them, five randomized controlled trials met the eligible criteria, involving a total of 188 participants. Patients in the rPMS group showed better improvement in motor impairment as measured by the FM-UE (MD: 5.39 [95% CI, 4.26 to 6.52]; P

The evolution characteristics of coal seam strain and gas pressure in circular mining were explored by conducting physical simulation tests on the influence of cyclic stress on coal seam parameters under different initial gas pressures using a large true triaxial physical simulation test rig. The evolution characteristics of gas pressure and coal seam strain with the number of cycles and gas pressure were discussed. The test results showed that during cyclic loading and unloading, the coal seam is cracked under stress and new cracks are generated, and the new fractures cause the overall pressure of the coal seam methane to decrease by adsorbing more free gas. In the loading stage, the coal skeleton is squeezed by stress, which causes the space of coal seam pores and cracks to shrink, the free gas in the pores and fractures of the coal seam is extruded, and the strain and gas pressure of the coal seam increase with the increase of stress. In the unloading stage, the reduction of stress leads to the coal skeleton tending to return to its initial state, the free gas in the pores is transported and enriched into the fractures of the coal seam, and the strain and gas pressure of the coal seam are gradually reduced. With the increase of the number of cycles, the damage of the coal seam increases and deformation occurs, the increasing amplitude of gas pressure gradually increases during loading, and the decreasing amplitude of gas pressure gradually decreases when unloading, and the closer the distance from the pressurized boundary, the greater the amplitude change. Under different initial gas pressure conditions, the greater the initial gas pressure, the greater the increasing amplitude of gas pressure and the smaller the decreasing amplitude.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) hydrolyzes N-acetyl-seryl-aspartyl-lysyl-proline (Ac-SDKP) into inactive fragments through its N-terminal site (ACEN). We previously showed that Ac-SDKP mediates ACE inhibitors' cardiac effects. Whether increased bioavailability of endogenous Ac-SDKP caused by knocking out ACE-N also improves cardiac function in myocardial infarction (MI)-induced heart failure (HF) is unknown. Wild-type (WT) and ACE-N knockout (ACE-NKO) mice were subjected to MI by ligating the left anterior descending artery and treated with vehicle or Ac-SDKP (1.6 mg/kg/day, s.c.) for 5 weeks, after which echocardiography was performed and left ventricles (LV) were harvested for histology and molecular biology studies. ACE-NKO mice showed increased plasma Ac-SDKP concentrations in both sham and MI group compared to WT. Exogenous Ac-SDKP further increased its circulating concentrations in WT and ACE-NKO. Shortening (SF) and ejection (EF) fractions were significantly decreased in both WT and ACE-NKO mice post-MI, but ACE-NKO mice exhibited significantly lesser decrease. Exogenous Ac-SDKP ameliorated cardiac function post-MI only in WT but failed to show any additive improvement in ACE-NKO mice. Sarcoendoplasmic reticulum calcium transport ATPase (SERCA2), a marker of cardiac function and calcium homeostasis, was significantly decreased in WT post-MI but rescued with Ac-SDKP, whereas ACE-NKO mice displayed less loss of SERCA2 expression. Our study demonstrates that gene deletion of ACE-N resulted in improved LV cardiac function in mice post-MI, which is likely mediated by increased circulating Ac-SDKP and minimally reduced expression of SERCA2. Thus, future development of specific and selective inhibitors for ACE-N could represent a novel approach to increase endogenous Ac-SDKP toward protecting the heart from post-MI remodeling.

Civilian aircraft can experience noticeable vibrations in the cockpit and cabin due to mechanical faults during flight. To address this issue, a hybrid approach was utilized to investigate fluid-induced vibration load characteristics in the front landing gear compartment under different hatch opening angles. The results reveal that the root mean square (RMS) of cumulative pressure loads on both small and large hatches under different opening angles is largest at a 15°. For all the simulated cases (0°, 5°, 10°, 15°, 20°), the power spectral density (PSD) results of the chosen monitoring points on the inner wall of the large hatch exhibit broadband frequency characteristics, and the peak PSD values for the chosen monitoring points on the outer wall of the small hatch exhibit a significant concentration of energy at approximately 75 Hz. The peak PSD values for the selected monitoring points on the inner wall of the small hatch demonstrate a more uniform distribution of energy. Utilizing the iso-surface of Q-criterion, spatial streamlines, and streamlines at different cross-sections to analyze flow characteristics, the study investigates the fluctuating load mechanisms of the compartments. The results indicate that unsteady loads stem from the blunt edges of the hatches, which induce unsteady flow and spanwise flow. Geometric gaps between different locations cause flow separation, and the flows inside the compartment exhibit characteristics similar to those of a clean cavity. Furthermore, the mutual interference can be described using circulating flow and spanwise flow, resulting in flow unsteadiness. The flow separation zones enlarge and vortex intensity increases with the increase of the hatch opening angle from 0° to 15°; then, their values decrease as the hatch opening angle increases from 15° to 20°. These variations explain the maximum RMS of cumulative pressure loads at 15°.

In recent years, the utilization of deep learning for forest fire detection has yielded favorable outcomes. Nevertheless, the accurate segmentation of forest fires in foggy surroundings with limited visibility remains a formidable obstacle. To overcome this challenge, a collaborative defogging learning framework, known as Defog DeepLabV3+, predicated on an enhanced DeepLabV3+ model is presented. Improved learning and precise flame segmentation are accomplished by merging the defogging features produced by the defogging branch in the input image. Furthermore, dual fusion attention residual feature attention (DARA) is proposed to enhance the extraction of flame-related features. The FFLAD dataset was developed given the scarcity of specifically tailored datasets for flame recognition in foggy environments. The experimental findings attest to the efficacy of our model, with a Mean Precision Accuracy (mPA) of 94.26%, a mean recall (mRecall) of 94.04%, and a mean intersection over union (mIoU) of 89.51%. These results demonstrate improvements of 2.99%, 3.89%, and 5.22% respectively. The findings reveal that the suggested model exhibits exceptional accuracy in foggy conditions, surpassing other existing models across all evaluation metrics.

A quadratic extended-domain finely integrated operand scanning ( F p 2 -FIOS) modular multiplication algorithm for bilinear pairs was proposed to address the problem of low efficiency of bilinear pair operations.The algorithm effectively reduced the number of modular reductions in modular multiplication by optimizing the operation process of (AB+CD)mod P under the quadratic expansion domain.Two hardware architectures and their scheduling methods were designed to meet different application requirements.In order to improve the computational efficiency of the algorithm, the TSMC 55 nm process was used to realize the bilinear pairing operation unit.Compared with the existing literature, the designed architecture is superior to similar modular multiplication designs in performance indicators such as the first modular multiplication time, clock frequency and the area-time product, and also has certain advantages in the overall Optimal ate pair implementation.

Introduction: Epimedium L., the largest herbaceous genus of Berberidaceae, is one of the most taxonomically difficult representatives. The classification and phylogenetic relationships within Epimedium are controversial and unresolved. Objectives: For the first time, we systematically studied the phylogeny and evolution of Epimedium based on plastid genome (plastome) data for better understanding this enigmatic genus. Methods: We explored the molecular phylogeny, assessed the infrageneric classification, estimated the divergence times, and inferred the ancestral states for flower traits of Epimedium based on 45 plastomes from 32 species. Results: The Epimedium plastome length ranged from 156,635 bp to 159,956 bp. Four types of plastome organization with different inverted repeat boundary changes were identified. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a strong support for the sister relationship of sect. Macroceras and sect. Diphyllon but did not provide a distinct route for petal evolution in sect. Diphyllon. Disharmony between phylogenetic relationships and traditional classification of sect. Diphyllon was observed. Results from divergence time analysis showed that Epimedium diverged in the early Pleistocene (~2.11 Ma, 95% HPD = 1.88–2.35 Ma). Ancestral character state reconstructions indicated transitions from long spur (large-flowered group) to other petal types (small-flowered group) in Epimedium. Conclusion: These findings provide new insights into the relationships among Epimedium species and pave the way for better elucidation of the classification and evolution of this genus.

Glioma is the most common primary malignant tumor in the skull, and the current treatment remains a combination of surgery, radiotherapy (RT), and chemotherapy. Radiation therapy plays an important role in the treatment of glioma, and currently, surgical resection under molecular pathology guidance plus postoperative radiation therapy and chemotherapy is the standard treatment protocol for primary glioma, but its widespread use is limited by its radiotoxicity. Meanwhile, with the increasing development of new technologies in the medical field of tumor treatment electric fields, there has been some improvement in the treatment and prognosis of glioma. TTFields are a noninvasive anti-cancer modality consisting of low-intensity (1–3 V/cm), medium-frequency (100–300 kHz), alternating current electric fields delivered through an array of skin sensors to provide optimal coverage of the tumor site. TTFields target cancer cells through multiple mechanisms of action, including inhibition of proliferation, migration, and invasion, disruption of DNA repair and angiogenesis, antitumor effects, induction of apoptosis, and immunogenic cell death. TTFields alone have good efficacy against tumors, and with the gradual development of technologies such as immune and targeted therapies, TTFields are now more frequently studied in combination with chemotherapy, RT, immunotherapy, and immunotherapy. At present, the treatment methods of glioma include surgery, chemotherapy, RT, immunotherapy and targeted therapy. This article will summarize the research progress of TTFields combined with other therapies to provide a reference for the treatment of glioblastoma.

BackgroundBecause it is one of the important pathways for promoting motor recovery after cortical injury, the function of the reticulospinal tract (RST) has received increasing attention in recent years. However, the central regulatory mechanism of RST facilitation and reduction of apparent response time is not well understood.ObjectivesTo explore the potential role of RST facilitation in the acoustic startle priming (ASP) paradigm and observe the cortical changes induced by ASP reaching tasks.MethodsTwenty healthy participants were included in this study. The reaching tasks were performed with their left and right hands. Participants were instructed to get ready after the warning cue and complete the reach as soon as they heard the Go cue. Half of the testing trials were set as control trials with an 80-dB Go cue. The other half of the trials had the Go cue replaced with 114-dB white noise to evoke the StartleReact effect, inducing reticulospinal tract facilitation. The response of the bilateral sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) and the anterior deltoid was recorded via surface electromyography. Startle trials were labeled as exhibiting a positive or negative StartleReact effect, according to whether the SCM was activated early (30–130 ms after the Go cue) or late, respectively. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy was used to synchronously record the oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin fluctuations in bilateral motor-related cortical regions. The β values representing cortical responses were estimated via the statistical parametric mapping technique and included in the final analyses.ResultsSeparate analyses of data from movements of the left or right side revealed significant activation of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during RST facilitation. Moreover, left frontopolar cortex activation was greater in positive startle trials than in control or negative startle trials during left-side movements. Furthermore, decreased activity of the ipsilateral primary motor cortex in positive startle trials during ASP reaching tasks was observed.ConclusionThe right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the frontoparietal network to which it belongs may be the regulatory center for the StartleReact effect and RST facilitation. In addition, the ascending reticular activating system may be involved. The decreased activity of the ipsilateral primary motor cortex suggests enhanced inhibition of the non-moving side during the ASP reaching task. These findings provide further insight into the SE and into RST facilitation.

Huntingtin-associated protein 1 (HAP1), the first identified HTT-binding partner, is highly expressed in the central nervous system, and has been found to associated with neurological diseases. Mounting evidence suggests that HAP1 functions as a component of cargo-motor molecules to bind various proteins and participates in intracellular trafficking. It is known that the failure of intracellular transport is a key contributor to the progression of neurodegenerative disorders (NDs) including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Huntington’s disease (HD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) and spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA). The link between HAP1 and various NDs is supported by growing evidence. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the intracellular trafficking function of HAP1 and its involvement in NDs.