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C18H12N2O4, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 12.3075(7) Å, b = 6.5075(3) Å, c = 18.4929(9) Å, β = 92.883(4)°, V = 1,479.24(13) Å3, Z = 4, R gt(F) = 0.0394, wR ref(F 2) = 0.1047, T = 173 K.

C20H13ClN2O3, monoclinic, P21/n (no. 14), a = 6.2256(5) Å, b = 18.3976(15) Å, c = 14.5582(15) Å, β = 90.555(8)°, V = 1667.4(3) Å3, Z = 4, R gt(F) = 0.0443, wR ref(F 2) = 0.1003, T = 153(2) K.

Abstract This study aims to research on the mechanical and frost resistance properties of pressed concrete blocks mixed with the polymeric aluminum chloride (PAC) waste residue. Experimental studies on the activity index of volcanic ash, mechanical property, frost resistance and microstructure of pressed concrete blocks mixed with PAC waste residue were carried out. The results show that the activity index of volcanic ash of PAC waste residue reaches 74.96% at a particle size of 0.075 mm or less and a curing age of 28 days. Based on results of mechanical property tests, the optimum dosage of PAC waste residue is 15%, at which time the compressive and bending strength only decreases by 14.57% and 15.84%. Based on results of frost resistance tests, the optimum dosage of PAC waste residue for pressed concrete blocks is 10%. After 50 freeze–thaw cycles, when the dosage of PAC waste residue is 10%, the strength loss rate is only 3.04%. XRD and SEM tests show that PAC waste residue participates in chemical reactions. With a small amount of PAC waste residue, the structure of the specimen remains dense and therefore the strength decreases less.

Background/Aims: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are believed to drive tumor development and metastasis. Activin and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) are important cytokines with the ability to induce cancer stemness. However, the effect of activin and HGF combination treatment on CSCs is still unclear.Methods: In this study, we sequentially treated colorectal cancer cells with activin and HGF and examined CSC marker expression, self-renewal, tumorigenesis, and metastasis. The roles of forkhead box M1 (FOXM1) and sex-determining region Y-box 2 (SOX2), two stemness-related transcription factors, in activin/HGF-induced aggressive phenotype were explored.Results: Activin and HGF treatment increased the expression of CSC markers and enhanced sphere formation in colorectal cancer cells. The tumorigenic and metastatic capacities of colorectal cancer cells were enhanced upon activin and HGF treatment. Activin and HGF treatment preferentially promoted stemness and metastasis of CD133+ subpopulations sorted from colorectal cancer cells. FOXM1 was upregulated by activin and HGF treatment, and the knockdown of FOXM1 blocked activin/HGF-induced stemness, tumorigenesis, and metastasis of colorectal cancer cells. Similarly, SOX2 was silencing impaired sphere formation of activin/HGF-treated colorectal cancers. Overexpression of SOX2 rescued the stem cell-like phenotype in FOXM1-depleted colorectal cancer cells with activin and HGF treatment. Additionally, the inhibition of FOXM1 via thiostrepton suppressed activin/HGF-induced stemness, tumorigenesis and metastasis.Conclusions: Sequential treatment with activin and HGF promotes colorectal cancer stemness and metastasis through activation of the FOXM1/SOX2 signaling. FOXM1 could be a potential target for the treatment of colorectal cancer metastasis.

Background/Aims: Gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM), a common precancerous lesion of gastric cancer, can be caused by bile acid reflux. GATA binding protein 4 (GATA4) is an intestinal transcription factor involved in the progression of gastric cancer. However, the expression and regulation of GATA4 in GIM has not been clarified.Methods: The expression of GATA4 in bile acid-induced cell models and human specimens was examined. The transcriptional regulation of GATA4 was investigated by chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter gene analysis. An animal model of duodenogastric reflux was used to confirm the regulation of GATA4 and its target genes by bile acids.Results: GATA4 expression was elevated in bile acid-induced GIM and human specimens. GATA4 bound to the promoter of mucin 2 (MUC2) and stimulate its transcription. GATA4 and MUC2 expression was positively correlated in GIM tissues. Nuclear transcription factor-κB activation was required for the upregulation of GATA4 and MUC2 in bile acid-induced GIM cell models. GATA4 and caudal-related homeobox 2 (CDX2) reciprocally transactivated each other to drive the transcription of MUC2. In chenodeoxycholic acid-treated mice, MUC2, CDX2, GATA4, p50, and p65 expression levels were increased in the gastric mucosa.Conclusions: GATA4 is upregulated and can form a positive feedback loop with CDX2 to transactivate MUC2 in GIM. NF-κB signaling is involved in the upregulation of GATA4 by chenodeoxycholic acid.

BackgroundIncreasing evidence suggests a robust correlation between the gut microbiome and alopecia areata. In light of the extensive diversity of gut microbiota, this study aims to utilize state-of-the-art and comprehensive data to explore the causative association between gut microbiota and alopecia areata.ObjectiveWe conducted a Mendelian randomization (MR)-based two-sample study to elucidate the causal relationship between gut microbiota and alopecia areata.MethodSummary information on Ncase = 767 and Ncontrol = 394,105 cases of alopecia areata was obtained from the FinnGen study. A total of 473 gut microbial taxa were summarized from the genome-wide association study (GWAS) catalog. The study comprised a forward Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis with the gut microbiome as the exposure factor and alopecia areata as the outcome, as well as a reverse MR analysis with alopecia areata as the exposure factor and the gut microbiome as the outcome. Various analytical methods including inverse variance weighting (IVW), Weighted Median, MR-Egger, Weighted Mode, and Simple Mode were employed. Subsequently, sensitivity analysis was conducted to ensure the robustness of our research findings.ResultThis study has established a causal relationship between gut microbiota and alopecia areata. Forward causal analysis revealed causality relationships between 16 gut microbial taxa and alopecia areata, while reverse causal analysis found that there may be a causal relationship between alopecia areata and 16 gut microbial taxa (not statistically significant).ConclusionOur study findings suggest a causal relationship between gut microbiota and alopecia areata, providing potential guidance for future clinical trials.

C16H14N2O3, monoclinic, P21/n (no. 14), a = 4.9621(10) Å, b = 11.828(2) Å, c = 23.727(5) Å, β = 94.527(4)°, V = 1388.2(5) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0551, wRref(F2) = 0.1847, T = 296(2) K.

Abstract Background High-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) therapy is a leading treatment technique for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF), but its treatment failure rate remains high. The awake prone position (APP) has been proven to increase oxygenation and reduce the endotracheal intubation rate in patients with COVID-19-induced AHRF. However, the APP is poorly tolerated in patients, and its performance in improving prognoses is controversial. The lateral position has a similar mechanism and effect to the prone position, but it is more tolerable than the prone position. Therefore, it is worth exploring whether the lateral position is better for awake patients with AHRF. Methods This is a protocol for a three-arm parallel-group multicentre randomised controlled open-label exploratory trial. A total of 583 patients from two hospitals in Chongqing, China, will be randomised to take the semi-recumbent position, lateral position, or prone position at a ratio of 1:1:1. Patients are all diagnosed with AHRF secondary to non-COVID-19 pneumonia or lung infection and receiving HFNO therapy. The primary outcome is ventilator-free days in 28 days. The secondary outcomes are the 28-day intubation rate, 28-day all-cause mortality, total position change time, the incidence of adverse events, number of hours using HFNO therapy, length of hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) stay, and others. We will conduct subgroup analyses on the arterial partial pressure of oxygen to the fraction of inspiration oxygen (PaO2/FiO2) ratio (> 200 mmHg or ≤ 200 mmHg), time from admission to intervention implementation (

Abstract To enhance the friction performance of resin‐based friction materials, five types of specimens with different polymer ether ketone (PEEK) contents were fabricated and their physiomechanical behaviours were tested and, their tribological properties were investigated using a JF150F‐II constant‐speed tester. It was found that the addition of PEEK had a positive influence on the properties of the friction materials, and sample FM‐3 (the shorthand of ‘Friction Materials‐3’, containing 2 wt% PEEK) exhibited improved friction performance with a fade ratio and recovery ratio of 8.6% and 101.1% respectively. Among all samples, FM‐4 (the shorthand of ‘Friction Materials‐4’, containing 3 wt% PEEK) had the lowest specific wear rate with a value of 0.622 × 10−7 cm3 (N·m)−1 at 350°C. The PEEK can fill the microcracks in the composite at a high temperature and can also cover the hard abrasive particles to prevent them from directly damaging the composite. The findings from this study afford a foundation for studies to further improve the properties of resin‐based friction materials.

Conventional water and nitrogen (N) management practice in north China, comprising flood irrigation and N fertilizer broadcast (FB), limits sustainable wheat production. Drip fertigation (DF) has been widely adopted in wheat production in recent years and has effectively improved yields. However, the responses of the yield and quality to the N topdressing rate (NTR) under DF are still unclear. This study determined the responses of the wheat yield and quality to NTR under DF, as well as assessing whether DF could synergistically increase the yield and quality. A field experiment was conducted in north China for two seasons (2021–2023) using a split-plot design with three replicates. The main plot used the management practice (FB and DF) and the sub-plot had N treatment (no N applied, and NTRs of 0, 40, 80, 120, and 160 kg ha−1 with 150 kg N ha−1 as basal fertilizer, denoted as N0, T0, T40, T80, T120, and T160, respectively). Our results showed that high and saturated wheat yields (12.08 and 11.46 t ha−1) were obtained under DF at T80, and the highest yields were produced at T160 (11.71 and 11.30 t ha−1) under FB. Compared with FB, the greatest yield increase of 10.4–12.6% was achieved at T80 under DF. A higher spike number due to the increased effective stem percentage and a greater grain weight because of enhanced post-anthesis biomass production (BPpost) explained the improved yield under DF. The enhanced post-anthesis radiation use efficiency (RUE) led to the greater BPpost under DF. The enhanced specific leaf N, antioxidant capacity, and stomatal conductance under DF explained the higher light-saturated photosynthesis rate of flag leaves, which partly led to the increased post-anthesis RUE. NTR higher than 80 kg ha−1 did not enhance the yield, but it significantly improved the gliadin and glutelin contents, thereby leading to a higher total protein content, better gluten characteristics, and superior processing quality. Therefore, drip fertigation is a practical strategy for increasing both yield and quality with reduced water input and appropriate N input in irrigated winter wheat in north China. Applying 80 kg ha−1 of NTR under drip irrigation produces a high yield, but further gain in grain quality needs a higher NTR.

The optimized winter wheat sowing method comprising wide-belt sowing (WBS) can improve the ears number and biomass to increase the grain yield, compared with conventional narrow-drill sowing (NDS). The seed rate and the interaction between the sowing method and seed rate also affect yield formation. However, the effects of the sowing method and seed rate, as well as their interaction on biomass production, particularly the interception of solar radiation (ISR) and radiation use efficiency (RUE), are unclear. A field experiment was conducted for two seasons in southern Shanxi province, China, using a split-plot design with sowing method as the main plot (WBS and NDS) and seed rate as the sub-plot (100–700 m−2). Our results showed that while WBS had a significant and positive effect, increasing the yield by 4.7–15.4%, the mechanism differed between seed rates. Yield increase by WBS was mainly attributed to the increase in total biomass resulting from both the promoted pre- and post-anthesis biomass production, except that only the increase in post-anthesis biomass mattered at the lowest seed rate (100 m−2). The higher biomass was attributed to the increased ISR before anthesis. After anthesis, the increased ISR contributed mainly to the increased biomass at low seed rates (100 and 200 m−2). In contrast, the increased RUE, resulting from the enhanced radiation distribution within canopy and LAI, contributed to the higher post-anthesis biomass at medium and high seed rates (400 to 700 m−2). The greatest increases in total biomass, pre-anthesis ISR, and post-anthesis RUE by WBS were all achieved at 500 seed m−2, thereby obtaining the highest yield. In summary, WBS enhanced grain yield by increasing ISR before anthesis and improving RUE after anthesis, and adopting relatively higher seed rates (400–500 m−2) was necessary for maximizing the positive effect of WBS, and thus the higher wheat yield.

BackgroundThere are various cross-sectional studies that concluded that vitamin D is associated with blood pressure, but randomized controlled studies have not yielded consistent conclusions. Considering many limitations indeed, our study aimed to examine whether concentrations of 25(OH)D are inversely associated with blood pressure in people without a previous diagnosis of hypertension.MethodWe analyzed data from the 2005–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by applying multivariable logistic regression models. The dose–response relationship was assessed by means of restricted cubic spline regression, and stratification analyses were employed to test the consistency between the subgroups.ResultsOf 17,467 participants aged ≥ 20 years without a previous diagnosis of hypertension, 4,769 had higher blood pressure. Compared with individuals whose 25(OH)D levels were in the bottom quartile (

Using intelligent agriculture is an important way for the industry to achieve high-quality development. To improve the accuracy of the identification of crop diseases under conditions of limited computing resources, such as in mobile and edge computing, we propose an improved lightweight MobileNetV2 crop disease identification model. In this study, MobileNetV2 is used as the backbone network for the application of an improved Bottleneck structure. First, the number of operation channels is reduced using point-by-point convolution, the number of parameters of the model is reduced, and the re-parameterized multilayer perceptron (RepMLP) module is introduced; the latter can capture long-distance dependencies between features and obtain local a priori information to enhance the global perception of the model. Second, the efficient channel-attention mechanism is added to adjust the image-feature channel weights so as to improve the recognition accuracy of the model, and the Hardswish activation function is introduced instead of the ReLU6 activation function to further improve performance. The final experimental results show that the improved MobilNetV2 model achieves 99.53% accuracy in the PlantVillage crop disease dataset, which is 0.3% higher than the original model, and the number of covariates is only 0.9M, which is 59% less than the original model. Also, the inference speed is improved by 8.5% over the original model. The crop disease identification method proposed in this article provides a reference for deployment and application on edge and mobile devices.

Due to the increasing concern with the environmental safety and recyclability, natural fiber-reinforced composites have attracted more and more attention. In the present work, braking composite samples with and without wet granulation were fabricated and their physical, mechanical, and environmental properties were investigated systematically. The experimental results showed that the use of the wet granulation technology did not improve significantly the water absorption and impact strength properties of the braking composite samples but considerably improved their density and environmental performance in comparison to the braking composite sample without wet granulation, especially the environmental performance. Among the braking composite samples with wet granulation, with the decreasing of the resin contents, the density was decreased gradually, the water absorption was decreased and then increased, and the impact strength was increased. Samples FG-13 and FG-11 had a relatively low dust capacity, and sample FG-5 was the highest. The method of the braking composite preparation in the present work may serve as a useful guide to produce a strong low-resin environmental-friendly composite for automotive components.

Abstract Background Reactive oxygen species (ROS) often promote acute brain injury after stroke, but their roles in the recovery phase have not been well studied. We tested the hypothesis that ROS activity mediated by NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) contributes to acute brain injury but promotes functional recovery during the delayed phase, which is linked with neuroinflammation, autophagy, angiogenesis, and the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Methods We used the NOX2 inhibitor apocynin to study the role of NOX2 in brain injury and functional recovery in a middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) stroke mouse model. Infarct size, neurological deficits and behavior were evaluated on days 3, 7, 10 and 14 after reperfusion. In addition, dynamic NOX2-induced ROS levels were measured by dihydroethidium (DHE) staining. Autophagy, inflammasomes, and angiogenesis were measured by immunofluorescence staining and western blotting. RNA sequencing was performed, and bioinformatics technology was used to analyze differentially expressed genes (DEGs), as well as the enrichment of biological functions and signaling pathways in ischemia penumbra at 7 days after reperfusion. Then, Akt pathway-related proteins were further evaluated by western blotting. Results Our results showed that apocynin injection attenuated infarct size and mortality 3 days after stroke but promoted mortality and blocked functional recovery from 5 to 14 days after stroke. DHE staining showed that ROS levels were increased at 3 days after reperfusion and then gradually declined in WT mice, and these levels were significantly reduced by the NOX2 inhibitor apocynin. RNA-Seq analysis indicated that apocynin activated the immune response under hypoxic conditions. The immunofluorescence and western blot results demonstrated that apocynin inhibited the NLRP3 inflammasome and promoted angiogenesis at 3 days but promoted the NLRP3 inflammasome and inhibited angiogenesis at 7 and 14 days after stroke, which was mediated by regulating autophagy activation. Furthermore, RNA-Seq and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis indicated that apocynin injection resulted in PI3K–Akt signaling pathway enrichment after 7 days of MCAO. We then used an animal model to show that apocynin decreased the protein levels of phosphorylated PI3K and Akt and NF-κB p65, confirming that the PI3K–Akt–NF-κB pathway is involved in apocynin-mediated activation of inflammation and inhibition of angiogenesis. Conclusions NOX2-induced ROS production is a double-edged sword that exacerbates brain injury in the acute phase but promotes functional recovery. This effect appears to be achieved by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation and promoting angiogenesis via autophagy activation.

Artificial intelligence (AI), particularly deep learning (DL) algorithms, has demonstrated remarkable progress in image-recognition tasks, enabling the automatic quantitative assessment of complex medical images with increased accuracy and efficiency. AI is widely used and is becoming increasingly popular in the field of ultrasound. The rising incidence of thyroid cancer and the workload of physicians have driven the need to utilize AI to efficiently process thyroid ultrasound images. Therefore, leveraging AI in thyroid cancer ultrasound screening and diagnosis cannot only help radiologists achieve more accurate and efficient imaging diagnosis but also reduce their workload. In this paper, we aim to present a comprehensive overview of the technical knowledge of AI with a focus on traditional machine learning (ML) algorithms and DL algorithms. We will also discuss their clinical applications in the ultrasound imaging of thyroid diseases, particularly in differentiating between benign and malignant nodules and predicting cervical lymph node metastasis in thyroid cancer. Finally, we will conclude that AI technology holds great promise for improving the accuracy of thyroid disease ultrasound diagnosis and discuss the potential prospects of AI in this field.

Accurate product price forecasting is helpful for scientific decision-making and precise industrial planning. As a characteristic fruit that drives regional development, mango price prediction is of great significance to several economies. However, owing to the strong volatility of mango prices, forecasting is vulnerable to uncertainties and is very challenging. In this study, a deep-learning combination forecasting model based on a back-propagation (BP) long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network is proposed. Using daily mango price data from a large fruit wholesale trading center in China from January 2nd, 2014, to April 18th, 2022, mango price changes are learned and predicted to support the fruit industry. The results show that the root mean-square error, mean absolute percentage error, and the R2 determination coefficient of the BP-LSTM combination model are 0.0175, 0.14%, and 0.9998, respectively. The prediction results of the combined model are better than those of the separate BP and LSTM models. Furthermore, it best fits the actual price profile and has better generalizability.

C28H23N3O2, triclinic, P1‾ $P\overline{1}$ (no. 2), a = 7.6590(7) Å, b = 11.8598(12) Å, c = 12.4954(14) Å, α = 92.027(9)°, β = 99.837(9)°, γ = 93.597(8)°, V = 1114.9(2) Å3, Z = 2, R gt(F) = 0.0508, wR ref(F 2) = 0.1317, T = 293(2) K.

C21H16I N3O2, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 12.7439(9) Å, b = 11.8391(8) Å, c = 13.4459(7) Å, β = 99.803(5)°, V = 1999.0(2) Å3, Z = 4, R gt(F) = 0.0365, wR ref(F 2) = 0.0905, T = 293(2) K.

Abstract Anuran skin is a typical natural biomaterial with multifunctional features. A specific comparison of mechanical performance and morphology related to them was performed in the skin of Rana dybowskii and Bufo gargarizans using the tensile testing technique and morphological equipment. Rana dybowskii's skin has soft smooth surface covered by polygonal epidermal cells, while the Bufo gargarizans species has tough and uneven skin surface due to numerous verrucae structures. The collagen fibre bundles in lower dermis of Bufo gargarizans have wavelike organisation while the bundles of Rana dybowskii show a parallel arrangement. The mean elastic modulus of Rana dybowskii was nine times higher than that of Bufo gargarizans. This study clarified that the arrangement of collagen fibres play an important role in the strength and elasticity of skin material.

Low-carbon and environmentally friendly living boosted the market demand for new energy vehicles and promoted the development of the new energy vehicle industry. Accurate demand forecasting can provide an important decision-making basis for new energy vehicle enterprises, which is beneficial to the development of new energy vehicles. From the perspective of an intelligent supply chain, this study explored the demand forecasting of new energy vehicles, and proposed an innovative SARIMA-LSTM-BP combination model for prediction modeling. The data showed that the RMSE, MSE, and MAE values of the SARIMA-LSTM-BP combination model were 2.757, 7.603, and, 1.912, respectively, all of which are lower values than those of the single models. This study therefore, indicated that, compared with traditional econometric forecasting models and deep learning forecasting models, such as the random forest, support vector regression (SVR), long short-term memory (LSTM), and back propagation neural network (BP) models, the SARIMA-LSTM-BP combination model performed outstandingly with higher accuracy and better forecasting performance.

Abstract Frogs are characterized by their outstanding jumping ability, depending on the rapid extension of hindlimbs to propel their bodies into air. A typical jumping cycle could be broken into four phases: preparation, takeoff, flight, and landing. Considerable research has been performed to discuss the function of hindlimbs of frogs during takeoff phase, whereas the literature of limbs' motion in jumping between different species was limited. To profile the evolution of locomotion in anurans, it is necessary to investigate on the motion of fore‐ and hindlimbs of frogs within different taxa. In this work, we put forward a detailed description of jumping behavior of two frog species, Rana dybowskii and Xenopus laevis. High‐speed cameras were used to explore the movement of different joints in fore‐ and hindlimbs of these two animals, and kinematic analysis was operated to identify both homologous behaviors and significant differences between them. We found that the Rana dybowskii's fore‐ and hindlimbs had good cooperation during jumping, while the Xenopus laevis' uncooperative behavior in limbs may give a functional explanation for the deficiency in terrestrial jumping; besides, the R. dybowskii's landing followed the “hands‐belly‐feet slap” strategy, and Xenopus laevis had clumsy landing with “belly‐flops” sequence. The result gained here clarifies the cooperation behavior of anuran limbs and may supply a new insight into our understanding of the anuran's evolution.

Monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(d,l-lactic acid) (PEG-PLA) is a typical amphiphilic di-block copolymer widely used as a nanoparticle carrier (nanocarrier) in drug delivery. Understanding the in vivo fate of PEG-PLA is required to evaluate its overall safety and promote the development of PEG-PLA-based nanocarrier drug delivery systems. However, acquiring such understanding is limited by the lack of a suitable analytical method for the bioassay of PEG-PLA. In this study, the pharmacokinetics, biodistribution, metabolism and excretion of PEG-PLA were investigated in rat after intravenous administration. The results show that unchanged PEG-PLA is mainly distributed to spleen, liver, and kidney before being eliminated in urine over 48 h mainly (>80%) in the form of its PEG metabolite. Our study provides a clear and comprehensive picture of the in vivo fate of PEG-PLA which we anticipate will facilitate the scientific design and safety evaluation of PEG-PLA-based nanocarrier drug delivery systems and thereby enhance their clinical development.

Resin-based friction materials (RBFM) are widely used in the fields of automobiles, agriculture machinery and engineering machinery, and they are vital for safe and stable operation. In this paper, polymer ether ketone (PEEK) fibers were added to RBFM to enhance its tribological properties. Specimens were fabricated by wet granulation and hot-pressing. The relationship between intelligent reinforcement PEEK fibers and tribological behaviors was investigated by a JF150F-II constant-speed tester according to GB/T 5763-2008, and the worn surface morphology was observed using an EVO-18 scanning electron microscope. The results showed that PEEK fibers can efficiently enhance the tribological properties of RBFM. A specimen with 6 ωt% PEEK fibers obtained the optimal tribological performance, the fade ratio was −6.2%, which was much higher than that of the specimen without the addition of PEEK fibers, the recovery ratio was 108.59% and the wear rate was the lowest, which was 1.497 × 10−7 cm3/(Nm)−1. The reason for the enhancing tribological performance was that, on the one hand, PEEK fibers have a high strength and modulus which can enhance the specimens at lower temperatures; on the other hand, molten PEEK at high temperatures can also promote the formation of secondary plateaus, which are beneficial for friction. The results in this paper can lay a foundation for future studies on intelligent RBFM.

The black soil of Northeast China is sticky and agglomerates easily, which often adheres to the surface of a traditional furrow opener during the furrowing process. In this paper, biomimetic design principles in resistance-reducing, anti-adhesion and resistance-reducing mechanism of biomimetic disc furrow opener were studied. Nine kinds of singular convex hull, nine kinds of singular wedge and nine kinds of mixed convex hull and wedge structural biomimetic disc furrow opener were designed, and the furrowing process with the soil simulated by finite element method (FEM).Three types of biomimetic disc furrow opener with less resistance were manufactured by laser processing for comparative test in soil bin based on the simulation results. The test results showed that the resistance of the biomimetic disc furrow opener was less than that of the ordinary disc. The soil-disc stress, influence of biomimetic structures, moisture content and furrow speeds on resistance were discussed. The resistance-reducing rate of D-BC-3 reached the maximum value 15.36% at the furrow speed of 0.6 m/s and the soil moisture content of 20%. It is believed that the biomimetic design principles can provide the significant inspirations for the future design of disc furrow opener with drag reduction.

Perioperative services comprise a large portion of hospital budgets; the procurement and processing of surgical inventories can be an area for optimization in operational inefficiency. Surgical instrument trays can be customized as procedure-specific or standardized as trays that can be used in numerous procedure types. We conducted an interventional study to determine the cost savings from standardizing laparoscopic surgery instrument trays. A single-period inventory optimization model was used to determine the configuration of a standardized laparoscopic (SL) tray and its minimal stock quantity (MSQ). Utilization of instruments on the general surgery, gynecology, and gynecological oncology trays was recorded, and daily demand for trays (mean, SD) was assessed using daily operating room (OR) case lists. Pre- and post-intervention costs were evaluated by reviewing procurement data and quantifying medical device reprocessing (MDR) and OR processes. The SL tray was trialled in the OR to test clinical safety and user satisfaction. Prior to standardization, the customized trays had a total inventory size of 391 instruments (mean instruments per tray: 17, range: 12-22). Daily demand was an MSQ of 23 trays. This corresponded to a procurement cost of $322,160 and reprocessing cost of $41,725. The SL tray (mean instruments per tray: 15, mean trays/day: 9.2 ± 3.2) had an MSQ of 17 trays/day. The total inventory decreased to 255 instruments, corresponding to a procurement cost of $266,900 with savings of $55,260 and reprocessing cost of $41,562 with savings of $163/year. After 33 trial surgeries, user satisfaction improved from 50% to 97% (p < .05). Standardization to a single SL tray using the inventory optimization model led to increased efficiency, satisfaction, and significant savings through aggregating specific service demands. The inventory optimization model could provide custom solutions for various institutions with the potential for large-scale financial savings. Thus, future work using this model at different centres will be necessary to validate these results.

Because of the excellent thermal conduction, corrosion resistance, and tribological properties, copper-based friction materials (CBFMs) were widely used in airplanes, high-speed trains, and wind power generation. With operating speed continuously increasing, CBFMs are suffering more complicated and extreme working conditions, which would cause abnormal abrasion. This paper presents an experiment to investigate how the tribological behaviors of CBFMs are regulated by granulation technology. Samples were prepared by the method of granulation and cool-pressed sinter. The tribological properties of specimens with different granule sizes were studied. The results showed that granulation could improve the tribological properties of CBFMs. The friction coefficient (COF) increased first and then decreased with increasing granule size. Specimen fabricated with 5–8 mm granules obtained the lowest COF, which was reduced by 22.49% than that made of powders. Moreover, the wear rate decreased first and then increased as granule size increased. The wear rate of samples prepared by granules 3–5 mm was lower than that of all of the other samples. This is because the structured samples prepared by wet granulation can promote the formation of secondary plateaus, which are beneficial for enhancing tribological properties. This makes granulation a promising method for enhancing the tribological performances of CBFMs.

Breast cancer is a leading type of malignant tumor in women; however, the immunotherapy in breast cancer is still underappreciated. In this study, we demonstrated that tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2) is highly expressed in both breast tumor tissue and tumor-infiltrating immunosuppressive CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs). We found that TNFR2 antagonistic antibody reduced Foxp3 expression and the proliferation of Tregs and impaired the inhibitory effect of Tregs on CD4+CD25– effector T (Teff) cells in a dose-dependent manner. The treatment of anti-TNFR2 antibody not only inhibited the proliferation of breast tumor cells in vitro but also suppressed the tumorigenesis of murine mammary carcinoma 4T1 cells in vivo. Mice recovered from tumor growth also developed 4T1-specific immunity. Furthermore, we demonstrated that anti-TNFR2 antibody in combination with anti-PD-L1 exhibited augmented antitumor effects than monotherapy. Anti-TNFR2 treatment also tended to increase the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in tumor tissues. In conclusion, our study suggests that TNFR2 antagonist could potentially offer a clinical benefit as a single agent or in combination with immune checkpoint blockade treatment for breast cancer immunotherapy.

BackgroundErlotinib, a small-molecule epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor, demonstrated therapeutic efficacy against pancreatic cancer. However, acquired resistance to erlotinib in pancreatic cancer is widely observed, and the exact mechanisms have not been fully explored until now. We examined the role of circular RNA circ_0013587 in the acquired resistance to erlotinib in pancreatic cancer cells and explored the underlying mechanisms.MethodsWe selected erlotinib-resistant pancreatic cancer cells from the AsPC-1 cell line. The expression of circ_0013587 was examined by qRT-PCR assays. The effects of circ_0013587 on pancreatic cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and erlotinib resistance were assessed by cell functional assays. Bioinformatic analysis and dual-luciferase reporter assays identified circ_0013587 and E-cadherin as direct targets of miR-1227. Mouse xenograft models were employed to investigate the function of circ_0013587 in erlotinib resistance of tumors in vivo.ResultsCirc_0013587 expression was significantly reduced in erlotinib-resistant AsPC-1 cells. We found that increasing circ_0013587 levels in erlotinib-resistant AsPC-1 cells re-sensitized them, whereas reducing circ_0013587 levels in erlotinib-sensitive AsPC-1 cells made them resistant. Mechanically, circ_0013587 released E-cadherin from the suppression of miR-1227, leading to E-cadherin up-regulation. Rescue assays highlighted that circ_0013587 reversed erlotinib resistance in pancreatic cancer cells by increasing E-cadherin levels through reducing the expression of miR-1227. Furthermore, circ_0013587 overexpression sensitized erlotinib-resistant AsPC-1 cells to erlotinib in xenograft models.ConclusionsOur results demonstrated that down-regulation of circ_0013587 contributes to acquired resistance to erlotinib in pancreatic cancer cells through mediating the miR-1227/E-cadherin pathway and that circ_0013587 is a potential target molecular to overcome erlotinib resistance.

Traditional vehicle exhaust pollutant detection methods, such as bench test and remote sensing detection, have problems such as large volume, high cost, complex process, long waiting time, etc. In this paper, according to the main components of vehicle exhaust pollutants, an electronic nose with 12 gas sensors was designed independently for real-time and rapid detection of vehicle exhaust pollutants. In order to verify that the designed electronic nose based on machine learning classification method can accurately identify the exhaust pollutants from different engines or different concentration levels from the same engine. After feature extraction of the collected data, Random Forest (RF) was used as the classifier, and the average classification accuracy reached 99.92%. This result proved that the designed electronic nose combined with RF method can accurately and sensitively judge the concentration level of vehicle exhaust pollutants.. Then, in order to enable the electronic nose to be vehicle-mounted and to achieve real-time and rapid detection of vehicle exhaust pollutants. We used Recursive Feature Elimination with Cross Validation (RFECV), Random Forest Feature Selector (RFFS) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to optimize the sensor array. The results showed that these methods can effectively simplify the sensor array while ensuring the RF classifier’s classification recognition rate. After using RFECV and RFFS to optimize the sensor array, the RF classifier’s classification recognition rate of the optimized sensor arrays for vehicle exhaust pollutants reached 99.77% and 99.44%, respectively. The numbers of sensors in the optimized sensor arrays were six and eight respectively, which achieved the miniaturization and low-cost of the electronic nose. With the limitation of six sensors, RFECV is the best sensor array optimization method among the three methods.

Lactobacillus plantarum is a bacterial strain that is used as a probiotic with health-promoting effects. Our study investigated the hepatoprotective effect of Lactobacillus plantarum HFY09 (LP-HFY09) in mice with ethanol-induced liver injury. The protection afforded by LP-HFY09 was evaluated by observing the morphology of hepatic tissue and measuring liver lipid indexes and function indexes, levels of anti-oxidative enzymes, and anti-inebriation enzymes, as well as oxidative metabolism-related gene expression. Gavage administration of LP-HFY09 [1 × 109 CFU/kg body weight (bw)] limited the loss of bw, alcohol damage to the liver, and maintained the normal hepatic tissue morphology. Lactobacillus plantarum HFY09 intervention in ethanol-induced mice led to decreases in serum triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), aspartic transaminase, alanine transaminase, hyaluronidase (HAase), and precollagen III (PC III), and increases in liver alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). Lactobacillus plantarum HFY09 assisted with alleviating inflammation by elevating the level of interleukin 10 (IL-10) and decreasing the levels of pro-inflammatory factors [IL-6, IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF)-α]. Lactobacillus plantarum HFY09 significantly elevated hepatic levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH), and decreased liver malondialdehyde (MDA) from 3.45 to 1.64 nmol/mg protein. Lactobacillus plantarum HFY09 exhibited an overall strong regulatory effect on liver protection when compared to that of commercial Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus. The hepatoprotective effect of LP-HFY09 was reflected by the upregulated expression of peroxisome proliferator activated-receptors α, SOD1, SOD2, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), and catalase (CAT), and the downregulated expression of cyclooxygenase-1 (COX1), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK). Administration of LP-HFY09 at a concentration of 1.0 × 109 CFU/kg bw could be a potential intervention, for people who frequently consume alcohol.

Abstract Rationale Our pilot study suggested that noninvasive ventilation (NIV) reduced the need for intubation compared with conventional administration of oxygen on patients with “early” stage of mild acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS, PaO2/FIO2 between 200 and 300). Objectives To evaluate whether early NIV can reduce the need for invasive ventilation in patients with pneumonia-induced early mild ARDS. Methods Prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial (RCT) of NIV compared with conventional administration of oxygen through a Venturi mask. Primary outcome included the numbers of patients who met the intubation criteria. Results Two hundred subjects were randomized to NIV (n = 102) or control (n = 98) groups from 21 centers. Baseline characteristics were similar in the two groups. In the NIV group, PaO2/FIO2 became significantly higher than in the control group at 2 h after randomization and remained stable for the first 72 h. NIV did not decrease the proportion of patients requiring intubation than in the control group (11/102 vs. 9/98, 10.8% vs. 9.2%, p = 0.706). The ICU mortality was similar in the two groups (7/102 vs. 7/98, 4.9% vs. 3.1%, p = 0.721). Multivariate analysis showed minute ventilation greater than 11 L/min at 48 h was the independent risk factor for NIV failure (OR, 1.176 [95% CI, 1.005–1.379], p = 0.043). Conclusions Treatment with NIV did not reduce the need for intubation among patients with pneumonia-induced early mild ARDS, despite the improved PaO2/FIO2 observed with NIV compared with standard oxygen therapy. High minute ventilation may predict NIV failure. Trial registration NCT01581229. Registered 19 April 2012

Porous chitosan/saccharomycetes adsorption microspheres were successfully prepared by using silica gel as porogen. The morphology of porous chitosan/saccharomycetes microspheres was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, the interaction between molecules was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and the crystallization property of the microspheres was characterized by X-ray diffraction. The results showed that the adsorption sites of amino and hydroxyl groups had been provided by the porous chitosan/saccharomycetes microspheres for the removal of preservatives, pigments, and other additives in food. The surface roughness of microspheres could be improved by increasing the mass ratio of saccharomycetes. The increase in silica gels could make the microsphere structure more compact. The porous chitosan/saccharomycetes microspheres could be used as adsorbents to adsorb doxycycline in wastewater.

Ultrasonic treatment is an effective method for size refinement and dispersion of nanomaterials during their synthesis process. However, the quantitative relationship between ultrasonic conditions and particle size in the synthesis of metal nanoparticles has not been fully revealed. In this study, Cu nanoparticles were synthesized via the wet-chemical redox method under ultrasonic treatment, and statistical analysis on the evolution of particle size distribution was carried out. It was found that the particle size decreased exponentially with increasing ultrasonic power. A quantitative model was then proposed to describe the influence of ultrasonic power on the size distribution of metal nanoparticles from the perspective of the competition between the surface energy and the ultrasonic force. A relational expression of Rc∝γ47P-37 was revealed, and it was proved to fit well with the experimental results. Our study provides new experimental basis and theoretical method for understanding the mechanism of ultrasonic-induced size refinement of metal nanoparticles.

BackgroundCircular RNAs (circRNAs) is a novel class of non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression during cancer progression. Circ_0092314 is a newly discovered circRNA that was upregulated in pancreatic cancer (PAAD) tissues. However, the detailed functions and underlying mechanisms of circ_0092314 in PAAD cells remain unclear.MethodsWe first determined the expression of circ_0092314 in PAAD and normal tissues and further investigated the functional roles of circ_0092314 in regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of PAAD cells. We also assessed the regulatory action of circ_0092314 on the microRNA-671 (miR-671) and its target S100P.ResultsCirc_0092314 was markedly upregulated in PAAD tissues and cells, and its overexpression was closely correlated with worse prognosis of PAAD patients. Functionally, circ_0092314 promotes proliferation, invasion and EMT in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that circ_0092314 directly binds to miR-671 and relieve its suppression of the downstream target S100P, which induces EMT and activates the AKT signaling pathway. The tumor-promoting effects caused by overexpression of circ_0092314 could be revered by re-expression of miR-671 in PAAD cells.ConclusionsOverall, our study demonstrates that circ_0092314 exerts critical roles in promoting the EMT features of PAAD cells, and provides insight into how elevated expression of circ_0092314 might influence PAAD progression.

In this study, a bionic nonsmooth drag-reducing surface design method was proposed; a mathematical model was developed to obtain the relationship between the altitude of the nonsmooth drag-reducing surface bulges and the spacing of two bulges, as well as the speed of movement, based on which two subsoiler shovel tips were designed and verified on field experiments. The mechanism of nonsmooth surface drag reduction in soil was analyzed, inspired by the efficient digging patterns of antlions. The nonsmooth surface morphology of the antlion was acquired by scanning electron microscopy, and a movement model of the nonsmooth surface in soil was developed, deriving that the altitude of the nonsmooth drag-reducing surface bulge is proportional to the square of the distance between two bulges and inversely proportional to the square of the movement speed. A flat subsoiler shovel tip and a curved tip were designed by applying this model, and the smooth subsoiler shovel tips and the pangolin scale bionic tips were used as controls, respectively. The effect of the model-designed subsoilers on drag reduction was verified by subsoiling experiments in the field. The results showed that the resistance of the model-designed curved subsoiler was the lowest, the resistance of the pangolin scale bionic subsoiler was moderate, and the resistance of the smooth surface subsoiler was the highest; the resistance of the curved subsoiler was less than the flat subsoilers; the resistance reduction rate of the model-designed curved subsoiler was 24.6% to 33.7% at different depths. The nonsmooth drag reduction model established in this study can be applied not only to the design of subsoilers but also to the design of nonsmooth drag reduction surfaces of other soil contacting parts.

A rotary cultivator is a primary cultivating machine in many countries. However, it is always challenged by high operating torque and power requirement. To address this issue, biomimetic rotary tillage blades were designed in this study for reduced torque and energy requirement based on the geometric characteristics (GC) of five fore claws of mole rats, including the contour curves of the five claw tips (GC-1) and the structural characteristics of the multiclaw combination (GC-2). Herein, the optimal blade was selected by considering three factors: (1) the ratio (r) of claw width to lateral spacing, (2) the inclined angle (θ) of the multiclaw combination, and (3) the rotary speed (n) through the soil bin tests. The results showed that the order of influence of factors on torque was n, r, and θ; the optimal combination of factors with the minimal torque was r=1.25, θ=60°, and n=240 rpm. Furthermore, the torque of the optimal blade (BB-1) was studied by comparing with a conventional (CB) and a reported optimal biomimetic blade (BB-2) in the soil bin at the rotary speed from 160 to 320 rpm. Results showed that BB-1 and BB-2 averagely reduced the torque by 13.99% and 3.74% compared with CB, respectively. The field experiment results also showed the excellent soil-cutting performance of BB-1 whose average torques were largely reduced by 17.00%, 16.88%, and 21.80% compared with CB at different rotary speeds, forward velocities, and tillage depths, respectively. It was found that the geometric structure of the five claws of mole rats could not only enhance the penetrating and sliding cutting performance of the cutting edge of BB-1 but also diminish the soil failure wedge for minimizing soil shear resistance of BB-1. Therefore, the GC of five fore claws of mole rats could inspire the development of efficient tillage or digging tools for reducing soil resistance and energy consumption.

Here, we report a design strategy for constructing supramolecular organic frameworks by introducing 1H-pyrazole groups to aromatic cores as non-coplanar molecules to form diverse supramolecular assemblies through multiple 1H-pyrazole [N−H···N] hydrogen bonds as well as other weak interactions. The new supramolecular organic frameworks displayed interesting crystallization-induced emission (CIE) behavior.

Hierarchical self-assembly of novel supramolecular structures has obtained increasing attention. Herein we design and synthesize the palladium(II)-based molecular basket-like structures, as structural analog of metallacalix[3]arene [M3L3]3+ (M = (dmbpy)Pd, (phen)Pd; dmbpy = 4,4’-dimethyl-bipyridine; phen = 1,10-phenanthroline), by coordination-driven self-assembly from imidazolate-containing ligand [4,5-bis(2,5-dimethylthiophen-3-yl)-1H-imidazole (HL) with palladium(II) nitrate precursors (dmbpy)Pd(NO3)2 and (phen)Pd(NO3)2. The difference of the palladium(II) nitrate precursors with π-surface in complex produces variations of the two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) high-ordered supramolecular architectures, constructed by π···π packing and hydrogen bonding interactions, with metallacalixarenes as building blocks. These results provide perceptions of further exploring the hierarchical assembly of supramolecular structures based on π···π packing and multiple hydrogen bonding.

The phenomenon of soil adhesion occurs when soil-tillage implements interact with soil, which often increases the working resistance and energy consumption. It was found that the membranous leaf sheath of rhizoma imperatae can shuttle in soil, owing to not only its own growth force, but also the anti-adhesion function due to the hydrophobicity and special surface texture. In this article, the microstructure and surface wettability of membranous leaf sheath were studied to reveal its anti-adhesion property by testing. The anti-adhesion mechanism of the hydrophobic surface for the static and dynamic state was analyzed. The biomimetic specimens were designed and fabricated using 65Mn steel inspired by membrane leaf sheaths. The hydrophobic surface was obtained on 65Mn steel by the low free energy modification with myristic acid ethanol solution. For comparison, a 65Mn steel sample without modification was also prepared. A linear soil bin filled with clayey soil with the compaction and gravimetric moisture content of 24.5% dry base was constructed to test the soil anti-adhesion properties of biomimetic specimens. In fixed compacted soil with 24.5% moisture content, the weight of adhesive soil on the modified biomimetic surface measured 50% less than that of the control specimens flat plate surface with modification and NO. 10.

The hindwings of beetles are folded under the elytra when they are at rest but are extended during flight, which can provide bioinspiration for the design of deployable micro air vehicles (MAVs). Beetle hindwings must be able to be both securely locked under the elytra and freely extended for flight, depending on the required action. To investigate the locking mechanism, this study used environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) to examine the microstructures of the elytra, hindwings and abdomen of the Asian ladybeetle, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas, 1773). On the ventral side (VS) of the elytra, the microtrichia show a transitional structure from the lateral edge to the medial edge. On the hindwing surface, the folded regions were observed on both the dorsal side (DS) and the VS. On the abdomen, the microtrichia between the abdominal segments show a cyclical change from sparse to dense in each segment in the middle of the abdomen. Furthermore, the different directions of microtrichia that lead to self-locking friction on the surfaces of the hindwing, elytron and abdomen appear to facilitate interlocking. A model for the interlocking of the hindwings of the H. axyridis was established, and its underlying mechanism is discussed.

The rapid development of the Internet of Things (IoTs) with newly proposed wireless communication technology has compactly generated connections between humans and the physical world. Beginning with research on wireless sensor networks, environmental monitoring research has currently developed into wider applications aiming to detect the world with multitudinous IoT technologies. Recently, low power wide area technologies have provided such benefits as longer communication range, larger network capacity, and low unit-price, providing more choices for managers to set up more detailed monitoring. However, the operational lives of battery-powered end-devices still hinder long-term monitoring. In this paper, we propose a decentralized framework for energy-efficient environmental monitoring considering both the operation cost and current computational capabilities of the end-devices. The core function is a low-complexity scheduling approach that can balance the monitoring performance and energy consumption for different environmental states. Driven by the prediction accuracy of the surrogate model, monitoring nodes are selected. Meanwhile, the energy consumption of the other nodes is saved. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed monitoring system has high energy efficiency with acceptable performance. The battery life of the whole system can be prolonged by up to 136.22%.

Abstract Background Social prescribing is targeted at isolated and lonely patients. Practitioners and patients jointly develop bespoke well-being plans to promote social integration and or social reactivation. Our aim was to investigate: whether a social prescribing service could be implemented in a general practice (GP) setting and to evaluate its effect on well-being and primary care resource use. Methods We used a mixed method evaluation approach using patient surveys with matched control groups and a qualitative interview study. The study was conducted in a mixed socio-economic, multi-ethnic, inner city London borough with socially isolated patients who frequently visited their GP. The intervention was implemented by ‘social prescribing coordinators’. Outcomes of interest were psychological and social well-being and health care resource use. Results At 8 months follow-up there were no differences between patients referred to social prescribing and the controls for general health, depression, anxiety and ‘positive and active engagement in life’. Social prescribing patients had high GP consultation rates, which fell in the year following referral. The qualitative study indicated that most patients had a positive experience with social prescribing but the service was not utilised to its full extent. Conclusion Changes in general health and well-being following referral were very limited and comprehensive implementation was difficult to optimise. Although GP consultation rates fell, these may have reflected regression to the mean rather than changes related to the intervention. Whether social prescribing can contribute to the health of a nation for social and psychological wellbeing is still to be determined.

This study proposed a design method for forced-vibration subsoiling to reduce resistance and consumption. The vibration digging parameters of the Antlion larvae were obtained by high-speed camera, and a forced-vibration subsoiling shovel handle and six different shovel tips were designed by the non-smooth resistance-reducing surface design method. The resistance-reducing and consumption-reducing effects were verified in the field subsoiling experiment. The results showed that the resistance of subsoiling gradually decreased with the vibration frequency increasing. This vibration subsoiling method could not only reduce resistance but also reduce the total energy consumption, the resistance reduction rate reached 14.2–21.2%, and the total energy consumption was reduced by 11.2–16.5%. It could achieve the comprehensive subsoiling effect and create the soil conditions with the combination of loose and firmness. The non-smooth surface contributed to the reduction in resistance, and the forward speed had a more negligible effect on the resistance of subsoiling. The results had demonstrated that the combination of high-frequency vibration and non-smooth surfaces helped to reduce the cohesion of the soil, reduce the angle of internal friction in the soil, destroy the water film layer on the contact surface between the soil-touching components and the soil, change the soil flow state, and reduce the adhesion of the interface layer. The design method in this study could not only be applied to the design of vibration resistance reduction in the subsoiler but also had significance for the design of the other soil-contacting components.

Procambarus clarkii was found to have excellent anti-wear performance against abrasive materials. To improve the wear resistance performance of the soil-engaging component of agricultural machinery, in this study, the micro-thorn and convex hull coupled geometrical structured surfaces inspired from the cephalothorax exoskeleton of the Procambarus clarkii was selected as the bionic prototype. By adopting bionic engineering techniques, three types of novel geometrical structured surfaces were proposed, which were bionic single, double and triple micro-thorn coupled convex hull surfaces (Bionic Type 2, 3 and 4, respectively). The anti-abrasive wear properties of these proposed geometrical surfaces were compared with a conventional bionic convex hull structured surface (Bionic Type 1) and a surface without any structures (smooth). Abrasive wear tests were conducted by using a rotational abrasive wear testing system. The accumulative test time was 80 h and the total wear distance was 6.09 × 105 m. By adopting the EDEM software (discrete element modeling), the Archard Wear model was selected to simulate the wear behavior of five different surfaces. In addition, the wear mechanisms of different surfaces were investigated. The results showed that the smooth surface suffered the most severe abrasive were, the abrasion loss reached 194.1 mg. The anti-abrasive properties of bionic geometric structured non-smooth surfaces were greatly improved; the reduction in terms of abrasion losses ranged between 20.4% and 94.1%, as compared with the smooth surface. The wear resistance property of micro-thorn and convex hull coupled structured surfaces were greatly improved as compared with convex hull and smooth surface. Bionic Type 3 was found to have the best anti-abrasive wear property: the abrasion loss was 11.5 mg. The wear morphology was observed by a scanning electron microscope. Smooth surface was characterized with wide, large size of grinding debris, while the bionic non-smooth surface featured narrow and small size abrasive dust. The results obtained from EDEM simulation agreed well with those of the aforementioned real scenario tests. It was revealed that the wear areas of the micro-thorn and convex hull coupled structured surface were mainly concentrated on the edge of convex hull and micro-thorn that faced the coming direction of particle flow. The geometric structure of the convex hull had beneficial effects on changing the movement behavior of particles, which means the stream of particle flow could be altered from a sliding to rolling state. Consequently, the ploughing and cutting phenomena of particles that act on the surfaces were greatly mitigated. Moreover, after being coupled with micro-thorns, the anti-abrasive wear preparty of the bionic convex hull geometrical structured surface was further improved. The rebound angle of particle flow that contacted the bionic micro-thorn coupled convex hull structured surface was greater than that of the conventional convex hull surface. Therefore, the dispersion effect of particle flow was further enhanced, since the movement behavior of the subsequent impact particle flow was altered. As a result, the wear of the bionic non-smooth surface was further reduced. This biconically inspired novel micro-thorn and convex hull coupled structured surface could provide theatrical and technical references to enhance the wear resistance performance of the soil-engaging component of agricultural machinery and mitigate the problem of abrasive wear failure.

Bioaccumulation by growing cells is a potential technique for the removal of heavy metals from wastewater. Cobalt bioaccumulation by Rhodopseudomonas palustris via different metabolic pathways was investigated for various pH levels, temperatures, co-cations and initial Co2+ concentrations. The distribution of cobalt and its chemical nature in R. palustris were examined by cell compartmentalization and X-ray diffraction analysis. Our results indicated that biomass and bioaccumulation capacity were superior under aerobic conditions in the dark at pH 6.5 and 30 °C. Cobalt removal efficiency and bioaccumulation capacity were, respectively, 84.9% and 287.18 mg/g for cultures with an initial Co2+ concentration of 160 mg/L. A pseudo-second-order kinetic model fits the removal process well (R2 = 0.9508–0.9913). Co2+ removal efficiency was not significantly influenced by Cu2+, Zn2+, Cd2+, Mn2+ or Fe2+ but was influenced by Ni2+. Cobalt was distributed between the cell surface, periplasmic space, membrane and cytoplasm. The periplasmic space and membrane accounted for 57.37% and 27.95% of Co2+ uptake, respectively. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that cobalt ions were predominantly deposited in the cell as cobalt phosphate octahydrate. These results demonstrate that R. palustris could be used to remove cobalt from industrial wastewater; it would therefore be beneficial to further study the mechanism of cobalt bioaccumulation in this organism.

There is a rising public concern on accumulation of harmful pesticides in environment and crops. Epigenetic alteration caused by environmental contaminants is one of the key factors in the etiology of environmentally-associated diseases. Growing evidence shows that harmful pesticide atrazine (ATZ) has a profound effect on DNA methylation in human genome, however, little is known about the epigenetic mechanism underlying ATZ accumulation and degradation in plants, particularly in edible plants growing in the ATZ-contaminated areas. This study investigated the atrazine elimination that was mediated by DNA methylation and histone modification in the food crop rice. Studies with two mutant Osmet1-1/2 defective in the genomic CG DNA methylation show significantly lower accumulation of atrazine than its wild-types. Profiling methylome and transcriptome of ATZ-exposed Osmet1 and wild-type identified many differentially methylated loci (≥2 fold change, p

Asthma is characterized by airway inflammation and mucus hypersecretion. Curcumin possessed a potent anti-inflammatory property involved in the PPARγ-dependent NF-κB signaling pathway. Then, the aim of the current study was to explore the value of curcumin in asthmatic airway inflammation and mucus secretion and its underlying mechanism. In vivo, mice were sensitized and challenged by ovalbumin (OVA) to induce chronic asthma. Airway inflammation and mucus secretion were analyzed. In vitro, BEAS-2B cells were obtained. MCP-1, MUC5AC, and PPARγ expression and the phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 and NF-κB p65 DNA-binding activity were measured in both the lungs and BEAS-2B cells. shRNA-PPARγ was used to knock down PPARγ expression. We found that OVA-induced airway inflammation and mucus hypersecretion in mice, OVA and IL-4-induced upregulation of MCP-1 and MUC5AC, suppression of PPARγ, and activation and translocation of NF-κB p65 were notably improved by curcumin both in vivo and in vitro. Our data also showed that these effects of curcumin were significantly abrogated by shRNA-PPARγ. Taken together, our results indicate that curcumin attenuated OVA-induced airway inflammation and mucus hypersecretion in mice and suppressed OVA- and IL-4-induced upregulation of MCP-1 and MUC5AC both in vivo and in vitro, most likely through a PPARγ-dependent NF-κB signaling pathway.