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Wear failure of oil drill bits leads to cost increase, and how to improve the abrasion resistance of cemented carbide (WC–Co) drill bits is an urgent problem, and deep cryogenic treatment (DCT) is a feasible method. The effect of DCT time (i.e., 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, and 48 h) on the Vickers hardness, flexural strength, and wear rate of WC-Co with different Co contents (i.e., 5 wt%, 8 wt%, 10 wt%, and 12 wt%) was investigated. The results showed that the best DCT time for hardness, flexure strength, and abrasion resistance of WC-Co was 12 h. Compared with untreated (e.g., 0 h), the wear rates of WC-Co with different Co contents were reduced by 36%, 34%, 30%, and 19%, respectively at DCT-12. Compared with WC-12Co, the wear rate of WC-5Co with different DCT times was reduced by 75%, 77%, 78%, 78%, 80%, 79%, and 78%, respectively. The precipitation of η phase (Co6W6C), martensite phase transformation (α-Co to ε-Co), and the increase of residual compressive stress (RCS) of WC after DCT improved the hardness, flexural strength and reduced the wear rate of WC-Co. Based on the principle of frictional wear, a micro-cutting wear model considering Co content and DCT time is proposed, which can predict the evolution of the wear rate of WC-Co. The results of the study guide improving the wear resistance of drill materials.

Pulpitis, an inflammatory disease of dental pulp tissues, ultimately results in the loss of pulp defense properties. Existing clinical modalities cannot effectively promote inflamed pulp repair. Oxidative stress is a major obstacle inhibiting pulp repair. Due to their powerful antioxidative capacity, mesenchymal stem cell-derived small extracellular vesicles (MSC-sEVs) exhibit potential for treating oxidative stress-related disorders. However, whether MSC-sEVs shield dental pulp tissues from oxidative damage is largely unknown. Here, we showed that dental follicle stem cell-derived sEVs (DFSC-sEVs) have antioxidative and prohealing effects on a rat LPS-induced pulpitis model by enhancing the survival, proliferation and odontogenesis of H2O2-injured dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs). Additionally, DFSC-sEVs restored the oxidative/antioxidative balance in DPSC mitochondria and had comparable effects on ameliorating mitochondrial dysfunction with the mitochondrion-targeted antioxidant Mito-Tempo. To improve the efficacy of DFSC-sEVs, we fabricated an intelligent and injectable hydrogel to release DFSC-sEVs by combining sodium alginate (SA) and the ROS sensor RhB-AC. The newly formed SA-RhB hydrogel efficiently encapsulates DFSC-sEVs and exhibits controlled release of DFSC-sEVs in a HClO/ClO− concentration-dependent manner, providing a synergistic antioxidant effect with DFSC-sEVs. These results suggest that DFSC-sEVs-loaded SA-RhB is a promising minimally invasive treatment for pulpitis by enhancing tissue repair in the pulp wound microenvironment.

Abstract Background Traumatic fractures occur frequently worldwide. However, research remains limited on the association between short-term exposure to temperature and traumatic fractures. This study aims to explore the impact of apparent temperature (AT) on emergency visits (EVs) due to traumatic fractures. Methods Based on EVs data for traumatic fractures and the contemporary meteorological data, a generalized Poisson regression model along with a distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) were undertaken to determine the impact of AT on traumatic fracture EVs. Subgroup analysis by gender and age and sensitivity analysis were also performed. Results A total of 25,094 EVs for traumatic fractures were included in the study. We observed a wide “J”-shaped relationship between AT and risk of traumatic fractures, with AT above 9.5 °C positively associated with EVs due to traumatic fractures. The heat effects became significant at cumulative lag 0–11 days, and the relative risk (RR) for moderate heat (95th percentile, 35.7 °C) and extreme heat (99.5th percentile, 38.8 °C) effect was 1.311 (95% CI: 1.132–1.518) and 1.418 (95% CI: 1.191–1.688) at cumulative lag 0–14 days, respectively. The cold effects were consistently non-significant on single or cumulative lag days across 0–14 days. The heat effects were higher among male and those aged 18–65 years old. The sensitivity analysis results remained robust. Conclusion Higher AT is associated with cumulative and delayed higher traumatic fracture EVs. The male and those aged 18–65 years are more susceptible to higher AT.

Introduction: Although colon (COAD) and rectal adenocarcinoma (READ) combined to refer to colorectal cancer (CRC), substantial clinical evidence urged that CRC should be treated as two different cancers due to compared with READ, COAD showed higher morbidity and worse 5-year survival. Objectives: This study has tried to screen for the crucial gene that caused the worse prognosis and investigate its mechanism for mediating tumor growth and metastases in COAD. Meanwhile, the potential anti-COAD compound implicated in this mechanism was identified and testified from 1,855 food-borne chemical kits. This study aims to bring a new perspective to the development of new anti-COAD drugs and personalized medicine for patients with COAD. Methods and results: The survival-related hub genes in COAD and READ were screened out from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and the results showed that HIGD1A, lower expressed in COAD than in READ, was associated with poor prognosis in COAD patients, but not in READ. Over-expressed HIGD1A suppressed CRC cell proliferation, invasion, and migration in vitro and in vivo. Meanwhile, the different expressed microRNA profiles between COAD and READ showed that miR-501-3p was highly expressed in COAD and inhibited HIGD1A expression by targeting 3′UTR of HIGD1A. MiR-501-3p mimics promoted cell proliferation and metastasis in CRC cells. In addition, Procyanidin C1 (PCC1), a kind of natural polyphenol has been verified as a potential miR-501-3p inhibitor. In vitro and in vivo, PCC1 promoted HIGD1A expression by suppressing miR-501-3p and resulted in inhibited tumor growth and metastasis. Conclusion: The present study verified that miR-501-3p/HIGD1A axis mediated tumor growth and metastasis in COAD. PCC1, a flavonoid that riched in food exerts anti-COAD effects by inhibiting miR-501-3p and results in the latter losing the ability to suppress HIGD1A expression. Subsequently, unfettered HIGD1A inhibited tumor growth and metastasis in COAD.

Abstract Aflatoxin, mainly produced by Aspergillus flavus, is one of the most notorious mycotoxin for its toxicity and carcinogenicity. Despite extensive efforts, effective strategies to control A. flavus and AFB1 contamination remain elusive. Here, we investigate the potential of p‐anisaldehyde (AS), an aldehyde derived from plant essential oils, as a natural antifungal agent against A. flavus and its ability to modulate AFB1 biosynthesis. We found that AS exhibited broad‐spectrum antifungal activities against Aspergillus spp. and effectively inhibited A. flavus asexual development, AFB1 production, and pathogenicity. AS treatment disrupted the cell surface structure and membrane integrity, as observed by scanning electron microscopy and PI staining. RNA‐sequencing analysis revealed that AS significantly altered the expression of genes involved in redox homeostasis, plasma membrane function, and cell cycle progression. Further investigation demonstrated that AS induced a reduction in mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) and accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase. The AS‐induced ROS accumulation was found to be mitigated by the superoxide dismutase‐mediated antioxidant system, which is regulated by transcriptional factor Ap1. Notably, the Ap1‐regulatory ROS detoxification system was also found to be involved in A. flavus pathogenicity and AFB1 production. Overall, these findings provide valuable insights into the inhibitory mechanism of AS against A. flavus, paving the way for its potential application as a natural strategy to mitigate AFB1 contamination in both food and agriculture crops.

Abstract Transmembrane delivery of biologically active nucleic acids is an important process in cells and has inspired one to develop advanced drug delivery techniques. In this contribution, molecular‐level single‐stranded nucleic acid transmembrane carriers are reported based on 3.2 nm long Huc's foldamers (AOrnQ3Q3)8 and (mQ3Q2)8 with linearly and helically aligned positive charges, respectively. These two foldamers not only show very strong DNA affinity via electrostatic interactions but also discriminatively bind single‐stranded DNA (ss‐DNA) and double‐stranded DNA (ds‐DNA), corroborating the importance of precise charge arrangement in the electrostatic interactions. More importantly, these two foldamers are capable of efficiently transporting ss‐DNA across the lipid membranes, and the ss‐DNA transport activity of (AOrnQ3Q3)8 with linearly aligned charges is higher than that of (mQ3Q2)8 with helically aligned charges. Thus a type of novel single‐stranded nucleic acid transmembrane molecular carriers based on positively charged helical foldamers are introduced. Further, effective and enhanced expression in EGFP‐mRNA transfection experiments strongly demonstrates the potential of positively charged foldamers for RNA transmembrane transport and therapy.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have promising potential for bone tissue engineering in bone healing and regeneration. They are regarded as such due to their capacity for self-renewal, multiple differentiation, and their ability to modulate the immune response. However, changes in the molecular pathways and transcription factors of MSCs in osteogenesis can lead to bone defects and metabolic bone diseases. DNA methylation is an epigenetic process that plays an important role in the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs by regulating gene expression. An increasing number of studies have demonstrated the significance of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs), Ten-eleven translocation family proteins (TETs), and MSCs signaling pathways about osteogenic differentiation in MSCs. This review focuses on the progress of research in these areas.

Ultra-high steel fiber reinforced concrete (UHSFRC) has poor workability and a low cost-performance ratio, and the application of active admixtures can overcome these shortcomings of UHSFRC. This work investigated the feasibility of fly ash (FA) and silica fume (SF) to improve the performance of SFRC and evaluate the effects of FA and SF on the workability, mechanical properties, microstructure, and economic/environmental performance of UHSFRC. The results showed that FA and SF can increase the slump, compressive, and splitting tensile strength of UHSFRC. Compared with control tests, the slump, 28-d compressive, and 28-d splitting tensile strength increased by 43.25 %, 29.35 %, and 55.72 %, respectively. More importantly, microscopic analysis showed that FA and SF have balling, filling, and adsorption effects, and increase peak intensity of C-S-H gel and ettringite, promoting secondary hydration of cement. According to the experimental data and mechanistic analysis, an innovatively optimized ratio prediction model is adopted to establish the relationship between the slump, compressive, and splitting tensile strength of UHSFRC and the content of FA and SF, and the testing error was less than 5 %, indicating that the model is feasible. Moreover, the effect of FA and SF content on cost-performance ratio, carbon emission, and energy consumption of UHSFRC was predicted. The economic/environmental analysis showed the mixing of FA and SF can improve the cost-performance ratio of UHSFRC and reduce carbon emission and energy consumption. This study can provide theoretical guidance for the improvement of the workability and mechanical properties of UHSFRC, and have important research implications for the improvement of the life cycle assessment of UHSFRCs. The results of the study also have some limitations, and further validation is needed for normal steel fiber concrete (compressive strength of 30–60 MPa, with fibers with a length of 30–60 mm and diameter of approx. 1 mm).

This study aims to systematically investigate the deterioration of tensile properties, voltage variation, and voltage-strength theoretical model of CFRP/ conductive ECC composites under coupling effect of anode polarization, load and erosion environment. The effects of testing parameters including conductive ECC mixture type, electric current density, polarization time, tensile stress value, sulfate soak time, and sulfate attack-wet and dry cycle time were synthetically investigated. The experimental results indicated that the voltage increases approximately linearly with the increase of degradation time in the voltage-deterioration time curves. The stress-strain curve can be divided into three stages: the stress-strain linear increase stage, the strain hardening characteristic stage, and the decline stage during failure. The conductive ECC mixture type, polarization time, current density, tensile stress value, sulfate soak time, and sulfate attack-wet and dry cycle time all have significant effects the deterioration of tensile strength and the voltage change ratio of CFRP/ conductive ECC composite. More importantly, an innovative voltage-strength theoretical model was proposed, which can predict the relationship between voltage and material deterioration strength. The theoretical model is in good agreement not only with the experimental results of this study, but also with the results of other studies. The model proposed can be used to predict deterioration degree of materials in real time, which has very important guiding significance for impressed current cathodic protection-structural strengthening technology (ICCP-SS) technology. This study is expected to promote a more comprehensive understanding of the deterioration of mechanical properties and voltage-strength theoretical model of CFRP/conductive ECC composites for ICCP-SS technology.

Maxillofacial bone defects caused by congenital malformations, trauma, tumors, and inflammation can severely affect functions and aesthetics of maxillofacial region. Despite certain successful clinical applications of biomaterial scaffolds, ideal bone regeneration remains a challenge in maxillofacial region due to its irregular shape, complex structure, and unique biological functions. Scaffolds that address multiple needs of maxillofacial bone regeneration are under development to optimize bone regeneration capacity, costs, operational convenience. etc. In this review, we first highlight the special considerations of bone regeneration in maxillofacial region and provide an overview of the biomaterial scaffolds for maxillofacial bone regeneration under clinical examination and their efficacy, which provide basis and directions for future scaffold design. Latest advances of these scaffolds are then discussed, as well as future perspectives and challenges. Deepening our understanding of these scaffolds will help foster better innovations to improve the outcome of maxillofacial bone tissue engineering.

Abstract Brain structural changes in Parkinson’s disease (PD) are progressive throughout the disease course. Changes in surface morphology with disease progression remain unclear. This study aimed to assess the volumetric and shape changes of the subcortical nuclei during disease progression and explore their association with clinical symptoms. Thirty-four patients and 32 healthy controls were enrolled. The global volume and shape of the subcortical nuclei were compared between patients and controls at baseline. The volume and shape changes of the subcortical nuclei were also explored between baseline and 2 years of follow-up. Association analysis was performed between the volume of subcortical structures and clinical symptoms. In patients with PD, there were significantly atrophied areas in the left pallidum and left putamen, while in healthy controls, the right putamen was dilated compared to baseline. The local morphology of the left pallidum was correlated with Mini Mental State Examination scores. The left putamen shape variation was negatively correlated with changes in Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale PART III scores. Local morphological atrophy of the putamen and pallidum is an important pathophysiological change in the development of PD, and is associated with motor symptoms and cognitive status in patients with PD.

It is a challenge to obtain highly tunable multifunctional performances in one ferroelectric system by a simple approach to meet the miniaturization, integration, and functionalization requirements of advanced electronic components. Herein, rare earth erbium (Er) modulated 0.9K0.5Na0.5NbO3-0.1Sr(1-x)ErxTi(1-x/4)O3, (0.9KNN-0.1ST: xEr) transparent-photoluminescent-ferroelectric energy storage multifunctional ceramics are prepared to solve this problem. The effect of lattice distortion and oxygen vacancies by Er doping on the optical and electrical properties is systematically investigated. The Er3+ ions can introduce a large distortion of the NbO6 octahedron by replacing the A-site in KNN-based ceramics. Thanks to the higher c/a ratio and lower oxygen vacancy content are simultaneously obtained in 0.9KNN-0.1ST: 0.1Er ceramics. The effective energy storage density (Wrec) of 0.86 J/cm3, excellent near-infrared transmittance of 51.7% (1 100 nm) and strong green upconversion photoluminescence are achieved in this multifunctional ceramic. This study provides a solid basis for rare earth ions doped ferroelectric ceramics with tunable multifunctional properties and has significant potential for applications in optoelectronic devices.

To improve the prediction accuracy of chaotic time series and reconstruct a more reasonable phase space structure of the prediction network, we propose a convolutional neural network (CNN)-long short-term memory (LSTM) prediction model based on the incremental attention mechanism. Firstly, a traversal search is conducted through the traversal layer for finite parameters in the phase space. Then, an incremental attention layer is utilized for parameter judgment based on the dimension weight criteria (DWC). The phase space parameters that best meet DWC are selected and fed into the input layer. Finally, the constructed CNN-LSTM network extracts spatiotemporal features and provides the final prediction results. The model is verified using Logistic, Lorenz, and sunspot chaotic time series, and the performance is compared from the two dimensions of prediction accuracy and network phase space structure. Additionally, the CNN-LSTM network based on incremental attention is compared with LSTM, CNN, recurrent neural network (RNN), and support vector regression (SVR) for prediction accuracy. The experiment results indicate that the proposed composite network model possesses enhanced capability in extracting temporal features and achieves higher prediction accuracy. Also, the algorithm to estimate the phase space parameter is compared with the traditional CAO, false nearest neighbor, and C–C, three typical methods for determining the chaotic phase space parameters. The experiments reveal that the phase space parameter estimation algorithm based on the incremental attention mechanism is superior in prediction accuracy compared with the traditional phase space reconstruction method in five networks, including CNN-LSTM, LSTM, CNN, RNN, and SVR.

ObjectiveTo investigate the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of psoriasis patients toward the disease.MethodsA web-based cross-sectional study was conducted among psoriasis patients who were diagnosed at the outpatient of Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital in March 2023. A self-designed questionnaire was administered for data collection and KAP assessment.ResultsA total of 526 valid questionnaires were included, including 257 males (48.86%) psoriasis patients. Their mean KAP scores were 8.09 ± 3.60 (possible range: 0–12), 31.94 ± 4.61 (possible range: 10–50), and 51.92 ± 8.83 (possible range: 15–75), respectively. Pearson’s correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between knowledge and attitude (r = 0.186, p < 0.001), a positive correlation between knowledge and practice (r = 0.313, p < 0.001), and a negative correlation between attitude and practice (r = −0.181, p < 0.001). Moreover, structural equation model showed that medication (β = 2.74, 95% CI: 2.17, 3.32, p < 0.001) has significantly positive effect on knowledge. Education (β = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.31, 0.81, p < 0.001) and duration of psoriasis (β = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.54, 1.49, p < 0.001) have significantly positive effect on attitude. Knowledge (β = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.80, 1.26, p < 0.001) and medication (β = 4.59, 95% CI: 2.78, 6.40, p < 0.001) has significantly positive effect on practice, while attitude (β = −0.41, 95% CI: −0.57, −0.26, p < 0.001) and duration of psoriasis (β = −2.53, 95% CI: −3.49, −1.57, p < 0.001) exhibit significantly negative effect on practice.ConclusionPsoriasis patients have good knowledge, positive attitude, and proactive practice toward the disease. Education, medication, duration of psoriasis might have effect on their KAP.

This study aims to investigate shear performance and prediction model of CFRP-ECC-concrete composite interface suffered from anodic polarization and environmental degradation. The effect of ECC mixtures, cathodic current densities, polarization period, and the duration of sulfate soaking and sulfate attacking by wet and dry cycles on the interface of the composite were studied. The results showed that three failure modes of CFRP-ECC-concrete composite interface were found. Shear load-slip curves showed double broken lines characteristics, while voltage-deterioration time curves showed an approximate linear increase relationship between voltage and polarization time. The five parameters all had significant effects shear strength deterioration on the CFRP-ECC-concrete composite interface. Moreover, this study proposed an innovative prediction model to the interfacial shear strength by the measured voltage, which can provide an important basic theory for ICCP-SS technology. This work makes a contribution to the ICCP-SS technology on the shear performance and prediction model of composite interface.

Strength-ductility trade-off is a common issue in Mg alloys. This work proposed that a synergistic enhancement of strength and ductility could be achieved through tuning interlayer dwell time (IDT) in the wire and arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) process of Mg alloy. The thermal couples were used to monitor the thermal history during the WAAM process. Additionally, the effect of different IDTs on the microstructure characteristics and resultant mechanical properties of WAAM-processed Mg alloy thin-wall were investigated. The results showed that the stable temperature of the thin-wall component could reach 290 °C at IDT=0s, indicating that the thermal accumulation effect was remarkable. Consequently, unimodal coarse grains with an average size of 39.6 µm were generated, and the resultant room-temperature tensile property was poor. With the IDT extended to 60s, the thermal input and thermal dissipation reached a balance, and the stable temperature was only 170 °C, closing to the initial temperature of the substrate. A refined grain structure with bimodal size distribution was obtained. The remelting zone had fine grains with the size of 15.2 µm, while the arc zone owned coarse grains with the size of 24.5 µm. The alternatively distributed coarse and fine grains lead to the elimination of strength-ductility trade-off. The ultimate tensile strength and elongation of the samples at IDT=60s are increased by 20.6 and 75.0% of those samples at IDT=0s, respectively. The findings will facilitate the development of additive manufacturing processes for advanced Mg alloys.

Abstract Although a large number of evidence has identified that psoriasis is significantly correlated with type 2 diabetes (T2D), the common molecular mechanism of its occurrence remains unclear. Our study aims to further elucidate the mechanism of the occurrence of this complication. We obtained the gene expression data of psoriasis (GSE30999) and T2D (GSE28829) from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset. Then the common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of T2D and psoriasis were identified. After that, we performed three types of analyses about these DEGs, including functional enrichment analysis, protein–protein interaction (PPI) network and module manufacture, hub genes identification and co-expression analysis. 132 common DEGs (14 upregulated genes and 118 downregulated genes) were identified for subsequent a series of analyses. Function enrichment analysis demonstrated that Rap1 signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, and cGMP-PKG signaling pathway may play a significant role in pathogenesis of psoriasis and T2D. Finally, 3 important hub genes were selected by utilizing cytoHubba, including SNRPN, GNAS, IGF2. Our work reveals the potential common signaling pathways of psoriasis and T2D. These Hub genes and common signaling pathways provide insights for further investigation of molecular mechanism about psoriasis and T2D.

To investigate the refining phenomena of TiN inclusion and macro-/microstructure through heterogeneous nucleation of δ-Fe at TiN encapsulating oxide during solidification in ultrapure ferritic stainless steel, five samples were prepared, denoted as the initial, low-yttrium-treated, moderate-yttrium-treated, high-yttrium-treated, and magnesium-yttrium-treated samples. Based on the results of TiN inclusions, the minimum value of the average size (2.61 μm) and the maximum value of the number density (346.70 mm−2) were observed after magnesium-yttrium (Mg–Y) treatment. Combined with the mechanism analysis, these results reveal that the TiN can be refined because of the following three reasons: (ⅰ) the pure oxides, possessing low planar and/or linear disregistry with TiN; (ⅱ) the complex oxides, including the phase, which possesses extremely low disregistry with TiN; and/or (ⅲ) the increasing number of the oxides. By comparison, finer macrostructures were yielded with the addition of Y-/Mg–Y-based modifiers because of the decreasing nucleation barrier, and the finest macrostructure with equiaxed grain ratio of 100% and average grain size of 1.099 mm was observed in the Mg–Y-treated sample. Coupled with the results of TiN inclusions, therefore, the refining efficiency of macrostructure increases with the number of TiN. Referring to the results of differential scanning colorimetry, a general rule of solidification for metallic materials has been revealed. In addition, the in-situ nucleation-growth of δ-Fe was observed using high temperature laser confocal microscopy, and the microstructures were refined after Y/Mg–Y treatment. Eventually, the interfacial wetting-lattice mismatch heterogeneous nucleation model is successfully applied to evaluate the refining phenomenon of macro-/microstructures.

Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) of Mg-RE (rare-earth)-Zn alloys is important for meeting the requirements of lightweight large-scale components with high manufacturing flexibility. The Mg-8.1Gd-2.6Y-0.7Zn-0.5Zr (GWZ831K, wt.%) alloys were fabricated through the use of WAAM technology, and the microstructure evolution along the building direction and corresponding mechanical properties were then studied. The as-built sample in this paper was composed of finely equiaxed ɑ-Mg grains, eutectic (Mg, Zn)3(Gd, Y) phase, cubic phase, and γʹ precipitates. Furthermore, due to the in-suit heat treatments that were induced by the multiple thermal cycles, more γʹ precipitates were observed in the middle region. The microstructures at different heights were characterized by alternatively distributed fine equiaxed grains (melt pool boundaries, MPB) and coarse equiaxed grains (melt pools, MP). The mechanical properties of the as-built component were found to exhibit yield strength (YS), ultimate tensile strength (UTS), and elongation (EL) of 159 ± 1.0 MPa, 237 ± 4.0 MPa, and 6.7 ± 0.4 % in the building direction (BD) and 163 ± 5.1 MPa, 242 ± 8.7 MPa, and 7.0 ± 0.7 % in the traveling direction (TD). This demonstrates that the WAAM-processed GWZ831K alloy has good isotropy.

Livelihood strategies are an effective response to survival risks and stress shocks. Agricultural residents engaged in agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery, who are extremely dependent on natural resources, are vulnerable to various livelihood risks. Therefore, the livelihood strategies of agricultural residents are increasingly receiving attention from researchers around the world. However, research on the livelihood strategies of agricultural residents has not yet been systematically analyzed through bibliometrics. Our study was based on 1424 publications in the Web of Science Core Collection database (WoSCC) from 2014 to 2023 to analyze the development history, research hotspots, and trends in the field. Bibliometric analysis was conducted on publications, countries, institutions, authors, journals, and keywords, as well as cited journals and cited references using Excel and CiteSpace software. The number of publications has steadily increased and showed an upward trend. The United States and China were the countries with the most contributions, and Chinese institutions were more active. Cooperation between authors was relatively weak. Sustainability was one of the most productive and highly cited journals. The research hotspots mainly included the relationship between climate change and the livelihood strategies of agricultural residents, the relationship between the land and the livelihood strategies of agricultural residents, the sustainable development of livelihood strategies of agricultural residents, and the characteristics of livelihood strategies of agricultural residents. This is the first time that bibliometric and visual analyses have been conducted on the livelihood strategies of agricultural residents, which may further promote development of the field and lay a foundation for future research.

Several single-column pier girder bridges have been involved in overturning accidents, resulting in significant economic losses and casualties, thus necessitating a risk assessment of the overturning stability. To date, the effect of structural degradation due to concrete creep on the long-term stability of bridges has not been demonstrated. In this study, a full-scale nonlinear analysis of the lateral overturning process of a collapsed concrete box girder based on the explicit dynamic finite element method (EFEM) was conducted to verify the reliability of the numerical method. An EFEM model incorporating concrete creep was developed to demonstrate the effect of structural degradation on the long-term stability of bridges. The synthesis overturning axis method (SOAM) was proposed to evaluate the long-term overturning stability of concrete continuous bridges, aiming to address the deficiencies in existing methods, particularly for curved bridges, and was compared with conventional methods. The results show that the variations in bearing reaction forces between curved and straight bridges under creep and self-weight are minimal, staying within 2%. An increase in the creep terminal coefficient results in the opposite trend in the ultimate vehicle weight of curved bridges and straight bridges, but fluctuations remain within 2%, indicating that long-term creep has a limited effect on the overall overturning stability. A failure analysis of 20 single-column pier bridges reveals significant differences in the ultimate vehicle weight between the rigid overturning axis method (ROAM) and folded overturning axis method (FOAM), with error ranges of −14.2% to 567.4% and −99.1% to −32.1%, respectively. The SOAM results have the smallest error range compared to those of the EFEM, with an error range of −38.8% to 33.9%. Despite these errors, the SOAM demonstrates a significant improvement in characterizing the trend and assessment accuracy of the overall overturning stability of single-column pier bridges.

This paper uses the difference-in-differences model to research how the "piercing the corporate veil" system marked by the 2005 Company Law amendment affects the level of corporate creditor protection. The research results show that private enterprises and local state-owned enterprises are sensitive and significant to this legal amendment. In contrast, local state-owned enterprises are more sensitive and have a stronger motivation to protect the interests of creditors. The motivation of companies with weaker profitability for creditor protection lasts not only for the year of law revision but also extends to the year of implementation. With the law's implementation, the growth effect of creditor protection for local state-owned enterprises has become more significant. Further analysis shows that the main findings of this article are more significant in companies with larger debt scales, companies with a higher year-on-year growth rate of operating income, companies with controlling shareholders, and companies with higher stock market capitalization. From an empirical research view, this paper explains the economic effect and mechanism of the whole corporate personality under the complete system and adds economic evidence for how the law acts on the capital market.

The white-light continuum emissions in solar flares (i.e., white-light flares) are usually observed on the solar disk but, in a few cases, off the limb. Here we present on-disk as well as off-limb continuum emissions at 3600 Å (in the Balmer continuum) in an X2.1 flare (SOL2023-03-03T17:52) and an X1.5 flare (SOL2023-08-07T20:46), respectively, observed by the White-light Solar Telescope on the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory. These continuum emissions are seen at the ribbons for the X2.1 flare and on loops during the X1.5 event, in which the latter also appears in the decay phase. These emissions also show up in the pseudocontinuum images at Fe i λ 6173 from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on the Solar Dynamics Observatory. In addition, the ribbon sources in the X2.1 flare exhibit significant enhancements in the Fe i line at 6569.2 Å and the nearby continuum observed by the Chinese H α Solar Explorer. It is found that the on-disk continuum emissions in the X2.1 flare are related to a nonthermal electron-beam heating either directly or indirectly, while the off-limb emissions in the X1.5 flare are associated with thermal plasma cooling or due to Thomson scattering. These comprehensive continuum observations provide good constraints on flare energy deposition models, which helps us to better understand the physical mechanism of white-light flares.

Abstract Backgrounds The role of cytoreductive radical prostatectomy (cRP) for bone‐metastatic prostate cancer (bmPCa) remains controversial. We aimed to figure out whether cRP and lymph node dissection (LND) can benefit bmPCa. Methods 11,271 PCa patients with bone metastatic burden from 2010 to 2019 were identified using SEER‐Medicare. Overall survival (OS) and cancer‐specific survival (CSS) rates were visualized using Kaplan–Meier plots. Multivariable Cox regression analyses were constructed to examine the effects of cRP and LND on survival, after stratifying to age, prostate specific antigen (PSA), clinical stages, Gleason score, metastatic burden, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy status. Results 317 PCa patients underwent cRP and cRP was increasingly performed for bmPCa from 2010 (2.2%) to 2019 (3.0%) (p

Rural domestic sewage has the characteristics of large and scattered discharge, as well as complex components; thus, how to effectively and efficiently manage rural domestic sewage is a big challenge for policy makers. Current decentralized domestic sewage treatment facilities (DDSTF) involve different treatment processes and power drive modes; at the same time, the treatment effect is also affected by a variety of local factors. However, there is a lack of research to explore the implementation performance of the DDSTF from a comprehensive perspective. In this study, we took Nantong City, China, as a case study and conducted field investigations of 79 DDSTFs in seven counties from July 2021 to September 2022. We then made an in-depth analysis of the implementation performances of the DDSTF from an internal and external perspective. The results indicate that low temperature will reduce the DDSTF's treatment capacity, and the operation and maintenance mode affect the treatment effect of the facilities significantly. In addition, the non-standardized design for small-capacity facilities commonly results in lower compliance rates. Based on the results, we suggest that improving the quality of design and construction and adopting specialized operations are important ways to improve the treatment efficiency of rural DDSTF. HIGHLIGHTS This study carried out in-depth investigation and monitoring to evaluate the treatment effects of the facilities.; The results indicated that low-temperature weather reduced the processing efficiency of the facilities.; The operation and maintenance mode significantly affects the treatment effect of the facilities.; This study can provide advice for the selection and application of treatment facilities.;

Abstract Peripheral immune cells play a vital role in the development of Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, their cytokine and chemokine secretion functions remain unclear. Therefore, we aimed to explore the cytokine and chemokine secretion functions of specific immune cell subtypes in drug-naïve patients with PD at different ages of onset. We included 10 early-onset and 10 late-onset patients with PD and age-matched healthy controls (HCs). We used mass cytometry to select specific immune cell subsets and evaluate intracellular cytokine and chemokine expression. Statistical tests included t-tests, analysis of variance, bivariate correlation analysis, and linear regression analysis. Compared with HCs, patients with PD exhibited significantly decreased intracellular pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in selected clusters (e.g., tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)−8, IL-1β, and CC-chemokine ligand (CCL)17). Specific cytokines and cell clusters were associated with clinical symptoms. TNF-α played an important role in cognitive impairment. Intracellular TNF-α levels in the naïve CD8+ T-cell cluster C16 (CD57− naïve CD8+ T) and natural killer (NK) cell cluster C32 (CD57− CD28− NK) were negatively correlated with Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores. The C16 cluster affected cognitive function and motor symptoms. Increased TNF-α and decreased interferon-γ expression in C16 correlated with increased Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale III scores in patients with PD. In summary, we developed a more detailed cytokine and chemokine map of peripheral specific CD8+ T cell and NK cell subsets, which revealed disrupted secretory function in patients with PD and provided unique clues for further mechanistic exploration.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) influence T cells in health, disease and therapy through messengers of intercellular communication including extracellular vesicles (EVs). Apoptosis is a mode of cell death that tends to promote immune tolerance, and a large number of apoptotic vesicles (apoVs) are generated from MSCs during apoptosis. In an effort to characterize these apoVs and explore their immunomodulatory potential, here we show that after replenishing them systemically, the apoV deficiency in Fas mutant mice and pathological lymphoproliferation were rescued, leading to the amelioration of inflammation and lupus activity. ApoVs directly interacted with CD4+ T cells and inhibited CD25 expression and IL-2 production in a dose-dependent manner. A broad range of Th1/2/17 subsets and cytokines including IFNγ, IL17A and IL-10 were suppressed while Foxp3+ cells were maintained. Mechanistically, exposed phosphatidylserine (PtdSer/PS) on apoVs mediated the interaction with T cells to disrupt proximal T cell receptor signaling transduction. Remarkably, administration of apoVs prevented Th17 differentiation and memory formation, and ameliorated inflammation and joint erosion in murine arthritis. Collectively, our findings unveil a previously unrecognized crosstalk between MSC apoVs and CD4+ T cells and suggest a promising therapeutic use of apoVs for autoimmune diseases.

Autophagy, a conserved cellular recycling process, plays a crucial role in maintaining homeostasis under stress conditions. It also regulates the development and virulence of numerous filamentous fungi. In this study, we investigated the specific function of ATG8, a reliable autophagic marker, in the opportunistic pathogen Aspergillus flavus. To investigate the role of atg8 in A. flavus, the deletion and complemented mutants of atg8 were generated according to the homologous recombination principle. Deletion of atg8 showed a significant decrease in conidiation, spore germination, and sclerotia formation compared to the WT and atg8C strains. Additionally, aflatoxin production was found severely impaired in the ∆atg8 mutant. The stress assays demonstrated that ATG8 was important for A. flavus response to oxidative stress. The fluorescence microscopy showed increased levels of reactive oxygen species in the ∆atg8 mutant cells, and the transcriptional result also indicated that genes related to the antioxidant system were significantly reduced in the ∆atg8 mutant. We further found that ATG8 participated in regulating the pathogenicity of A. flavus on crop seeds. These results revealed the biological role of ATG8 in A. flavus, which might provide a potential target for the control of A. flavus and AFB1 biosynthesis.

Abstract Aim To understand Baduanjin rehabilitation therapy in mild COVID‐19 patients. Design A narrative review. Methods A literature search for COVID‐19 and Baduanjin treatments was conducted on Chinese and English electronic databases: China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, Embase, PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Ebscohost, SPORTDiscus and ProQuest. Results Twelve studies on the Baduanjin rehabilitation for COVID‐19 patients have been included. We acknowledged the considerable published research and current clinical practice using Baduanjin for COVID‐19 treatment in the following areas: anxiety, depression, insomnia, lung function rehabilitation, immunity and activity endurance. Conclusion The use of Baduanjin as adjuvant therapy for COVID‐19 patients' rehabilitation is still limited, therefore, more clinical studies are needed to confirm its efficacy.

Extensive macrophage inflammatory responses and osteoclast formation are predominant during inflammatory or infective osteolysis. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived small extracellular vesicles (MSC-sEV) have been shown to exert therapeutic effects on bone defects. However, cultured MSCs are typically exposed to normoxia (21% O2) in vitro, which differs largely from the oxygen concentration in vivo under hypoxic conditions. It is largely unknown whether sEV derived from dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) cultured under hypoxic conditions (Hypo-sEV) exert better therapeutic effects on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory osteolysis than those cultured under normoxic conditions (Nor-sEV) by simultaneously inhibiting the macrophage inflammatory response and osteoclastogenesis. In this study, we show that hypoxia significantly induces the release of sEV from DPSCs. Moreover, Hypo-sEV exhibit significantly improved efficacy in promoting M2 macrophage polarization and suppressing osteoclast formation to alleviate LPS-induced inflammatory calvarial bone loss compared with Nor-sEV. Mechanistically, hypoxia preconditioning markedly alters the miRNA profiles of DPSC-sEV. MiR-210-3p is enriched in Hypo-sEV, and can simultaneously induce M2 macrophage generation and inhibit osteoclastogenesis by targeting NF-κB1 p105, which attenuates osteolysis. Our study suggests a promising potential for hypoxia-induced DPSC-sEV to treat inflammatory or infective osteolysis and identifies a novel role of miR-210-3p in concurrently hindering osteoclastogenesis and macrophage inflammatory response by inhibiting NF-kB1 expression.

ObjectChronic pain and negative emotions are often linked, and both can impact the reward circuit. The use of electroacupuncture (EA) has been found to regulate and improve these conditions. This study explores the potential mechanism of chronic pain relief by adding acupoints with emotional regulation effect to the basis of routine EA analgesia, to optimize the acupoint compatibility scheme of EA in the treatment of analgesia.MethodFor this study, 42 male Wistar rats were used. Recombinant adeno-associated viruses were used to label and regulate the activity of dopamine (DA) neurons. The rat model was established by complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA). Lower limb electroacupuncture (LEA) was applied to the ST36 and BL60 acupoints. In addition, LEA + scalp EA (SEA) was given using the GV20 and GV24+ acupoints besides ST36 and BL60. To evaluate the pain threshold, we measured 50% paw withdrawal thresholds and thermal paw withdrawal latencies. Negative emotions were evaluated through the open field test, marble-burying test, sucrose preference test, and forced swimming test. Moreover, the conditional place preference test was conducted to measure the reward behavior in response to pain relief. Immunofluorescence staining, Western blotting, and qPCR were used to detect the activity of the VTADA-NAc reward circuit.ResultThe injection of CFA significantly lowered the pain threshold. As the pain persisted, the anxiety and depression-like behaviors escalated while the response to reward reduced. Meanwhile, the VTADA-NAc pathway was suppressed with pain chronification. However, activating DA neurons in VTA attenuated the effects induced by CFA. LEA could relieve chronic pain, negative emotions, and reward disorders, while also activating the VTADA-NAc pathway. In addition, LEA + SEA exhibited a more pronounced effect compared with LEA alone. Nevertheless, chemogenetic inhibition of DA neurons decreased the efficacy of LEA + SEA in the treatment of chronic pain and associated comorbidities.ConclusionAdding SEA to conventional LEA effectively alleviates negative emotions and chronic pain, potentially due to the activation of the VTADA-NAc reward neural circuit. Thus, LEA + SEA is a more effective treatment for hyperalgesia and associated negative emotions compared with LEA alone.

A detailed and systematic investigation on the effect post heat treatment has on the microstructure evolution and the resultant mechanical properties of the wire arc additive manufacturing processed Mg-5.9Gd-2.8Y-0.7Zr alloy is conducted in this work. The microstructure of the as-built sample is composed mainly of fine equiaxed α-Mg grain and Mg24(Gd, Y)5 phase. The solution heat treatment (400°C × 1 h) has relatively little effect on grain size, but it can effectively reduce the content of the Mg24(Gd, Y)5 phase, which leads to a significantly improved elongation with slightly decreased strength. Further ageing heat treatment at 200°C induces prismatic βʹ precipitates formation and does not influence other phases and grain size. The samples directly following the peak ageing heat treatment process demonstrate the best tensile properties with yield strength of 227 ± 9 MPa, ultimate tensile strength of 350 ± 4 MPa and elongation of 5.5 ± 0.6%.

AbstractBackground Laparoscopic technique is widely used in peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter placement. We developed a modified minimally invasive laparoscopic PD catheter (PDC) insertion with internal fixation and evaluated the early results by observing the intraoperative and postoperative conditions of the novel technique with those of conventional open surgery.Methods Retrospective research was performed on 59 patients who underwent PDC insertion from June 2019 to January 2022, including 23 patients who received open surgery and 36 patients who received modified minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery. Information such as preoperative conditions, operation time, incision length, incidence of intraoperative complications, time from operation to starting PD, time from operation to discharge, and incidence of catheter-related complications were collected and analyzed.Results The incision length, intraoperative blood loss, catheter migration rates and the total incidence of complications 6 months after operation in the laparoscopic group were lower than those in the conventional group. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in operation time, time from operation to starting PD, time from operation to discharge and the incidence of catheter blockage, leakage, exit-site infection, peritoneal dialysis associated peritonitis and hernia.Conclusions Modified minimally invasive laparoscopic PDC insertion and internal fixation method achieved direct vision and reliable fixation of the catheter, significantly reduced incision length and blood loss. The incidence of catheter migration was significantly lower than that of open surgery. Our primary findings reveal that modified minimally invasive laparoscopic PDC insertion with internal fixation is safe, effective and beneficial for PD patients.

Nanotechnology-enhanced photodynamic therapy (PDT) and immunotherapy are emerging as exciting cancer therapeutic methods with significant potential for improving patient outcomes. By combining these approaches, synergistic effects have been observed in preclinical studies, resulting in enhanced immune responses to cancer and the capacity to conquer the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Despite challenges such as addressing treatment limitations and developing personalized cancer treatment strategies, the integration of nanotechnology-enabled PDT and immunotherapy, along with advanced photosensitizers (PSs), represents an exciting new avenue in cancer treatment. Continued research, development, and collaboration among researchers, clinicians, and regulatory agencies are crucial for further advancements and the successful implementation of these promising therapies, ultimately benefiting cancer patients worldwide.

BackgroundPhotodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising treatment for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), we conducted this systematic review to comprehensively assess its efficacy and safety.MethodsA comprehensive literature research was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, and studies reporting the safety and efficacy of PDT in NMIBC were included. Complete response (CR) rates, recurrence-free survival (RFS) at different time points, and complication incidences were extracted and synthesized. Pooled results were presented as rates with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI).ResultsOverall, 28 single arm studies were included in the meta-analysis. For unresectable NMIBC, therapeutic PDT achieved CR in 68% (95% CI: 59%-77%) of patients. Among these CR cases, 71% (95% CI: 56%-85%) and 38% (95% CI: 12%-64%) have a RFS longer than 12 and 24 months, respectively. For Tis patients, the CR rate was 68% (95% CI: 56%-80%), and 84% (95% CI: 48%-100%) and 13% (95% CI: 1%-32%) have a RFS longer than 12 and 24 months. For patients with resectable tumors, post-resection adjuvant PDT could provide a 12 and 24 months RFS in 81% (95% CI:76%-87%) and 56% (95% CI:41%-71%) of them. Especially, for NMIBC patients who failed BCG therapy, adjuvant PDT could still achieve a 1-year and 2-year RFS in 68% (95% CI:51%-86%) and 56% (95% CI:32%-81%) patients. The complications were mostly mild and transient, including lower urinary tract symptoms and photosensitivity.ConclusionBoth therapeutic and adjuvant PDT present satisfying safety and efficacy for NMIBC, including these cases that are resistant to the standard of care. As a promising option for NMIBC, PDT deserves further exploration by future high-quality research.Systematic review registrationhttps://inplasy.com/inplasy-2022-11-0043/, INPLASY2022110043.

Abstract Objective Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to exert regulatory effects on biological processes. This study intended to assess the role of the lncRNA HOXA transcript at the distal tip (HOTTIP)/miR-30b-3p/phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1) axis in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods Levels of HOTTIP, miR-30b-3p and PGK1 in AS synovial tissues and cultured AS fibroblast-like synoviocytes (ASFLSs) were assessed. The ASFLSs were identified and, respectively, treated with altered expression of HOTTIP and miR-30b-3p, and then, the proliferation and differentiation of the ASFLSs were assessed. The AS mouse models were established by injection of proteoglycan and Freund’s complete adjuvant and then were treated with altered expression of HOTTIP and miR-30b-3p, and the pathological changes and apoptosis of synoviocytes in mice’ synovial tissues were measured. The relationship of HOTTIP, miR-30b-3p and PGK1 was verified. Results HOTTIP and PGK1 were elevated, while miR-30b-3p was reduced in AS synovial tissues and ASFLSs. Elevated miR-30b-3p or inhibited HOTTIP restrained proliferation and differentiation of ASFLSs and also improved the pathological changes and promoted apoptosis of synoviocytes in mice’s synovial tissues. PGK1 was a target of miR-30b-3p, and miR-30b-3p could directly bind to HOTTIP. Silencing miR-30b-3p or overexpressing PGK1 reversed the improvement of AS by knocking down HOTTIP or up-regulating miR-30b-3p. Conclusion Our study suggests that reduced HOTTIP ameliorates AS progression by suppressing the proliferation and differentiation of ASFLSs through the interaction of miR-30b-3p and PGK1.

In recent years, UAV industry is developing rapidly and vigorously. However, so far, there is no relevant research on the fatigue detection method for UAV remote pilot, which is the core technology to ensure the flight safety of UAV. Aiming at this problem, a fatigue detection method for UAV remote pilot is proposed in this paper. Specifically, we first build a UAV operator fatigue detection database (OFDD). By analyzing the fatigue features in the database, we find that multiple facial features are highly correlated to the fatigue state, especially the head posture, and the temporal information is essential for distinguish between yawn and speaking in the study of UAV remote pilot fatigue detection. Based on these findings, a fatigue detection method for UAV remote pilots was proposed by efficiently locating the related facial regions, a multiple features extraction module to extract the eye, mouth and head posture features, and an efficient temporal fatigue decision module based on SVM. The experimental results show that this method not only performs well on the traditional driver dataset, but also achieves an accuracy rate of 97.05%; and it achieves the highest detection accuracy rate of 97.32% on the UAV remote pilots fatigue detection dataset OFDD.

Abstract Background Recent evidence suggests that the box H/ACA small nucleolar RNA (snoRNA)-ended long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), SLERT, plays a critical role in gene regulation. However, its role in cancer remains undetermined. Herein, we explored its implication in human endometrial cancer (EC). Methods EC plasma and tissue samples were collected for the detection of SLERT expression using qRT-PCR method. The functional investigation was tested by CCK-8 and transwell assays. Luciferase reporter, RNA pull-down, and immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays were used to determine the regulatory network involved in SLERT. The in vivo effect of SLERT was tested by caudal vein lung metastasis model. Results Stable knockdown of SLERT significantly inhibited EC cell (KLE and AN3CA) migration and invasion, while it did not affect cell viability. SLERT induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) via elevating N-cadherin and Vimentin and downregulating E-cadherin. Further investigation showed that SLERT directly binds to METTL3, increasing the m6A levels of BDNF mRNA; then, the m6A sites were read by IGF2BP1, enhancing BDNF mRNA stability, followed by the activation of BDNF/TRKB signaling, an inducer of EMT. The animal model showed that overexpression of SLERT increased EC cell lung metastasis, and this effect was effectively blocked by BDNF silencing or treatment with TRKB inhibitor k252a. Clinically, EC patients have high levels of SLERT both in tissue or plasma, which might be used as a biomarker of diagnosis and prognosis. Conclusion Our findings, for the first time, uncover the metastasis-promoting effect of SLERT in EC via in vitro and in vivo evidence, providing a potential therapeutic target for metastatic EC treatment.

Abstract Introduction Current research on the posterior urethral valve (PUV) mainly focuses on the follow-up of bladder function after valve ablation. However, few studies exist on the changes in bladder function before and after valve ablation. Objectives To investigate the urodynamic changes before and after PUV ablation and determine the effect of operation on bladder function, in patients. Materials and methods The clinical records of 38 boys diagnosed with PUV and undergone urodynamic exams before and after valve ablation were retrospectively reviewed. In addition, differences in patients’ radiographic studies and urodynamic characteristics between pre- and post-operation were evaluated. Moreover, the urodynamic data was compared using the paired t-test and all the data was expressed as means ± SEM. Additionally, p values less than 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant. Results All the patients were diagnosed with PUV and the follow-up period after operation ranged between 9 and 114 months. The urodynamic exams were performed about 6 months after operation. The results revealed that bladder compliance improved from 8.49 ± 4.73 to 13.31 ± 6.78 ml/cmH2O while the maximum detrusor pressure decreased from 95.18 ± 37.59 to 50.71 ± 21.71 cmH2O, after valve ablation. Additionally, there were significant differences in the pre- and post-operation values of bladder compliance and maximum detrusor pressure (p 0.05). Conclusions The adequacy of the COPUM incision is necessary. But the study showed that endoscopic valve ablation couldn’t by itself completely improve the bladder function of patients diagnosed with PUV. However, it was able to improve bladder compliance and decrease maximum detrusor pressure to a certain extent. However, bladder compliance still couldn’t reach the normal level.

1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase (DXS) is a rate-limiting enzyme in terpene synthesis that can affect the accumulation of secondary metabolites in plants. In this study, three DXS gene family members were identified in the tomato genome-wide database. Using bioinformatics methods, we analyzed the gene structure, evolutionary affinities, and cis-acting elements of the SlDXS gene family members. Promoters of SlDXS genes contain plant hormone-responsive elements such as the CGTCA-motif, TGACG-motif, ABRE, TCA-element, TGA-element, ERE, CAT-box, and AACA-motif, which suggested that the SlDXS gene family may play an important role in hormone response. The RT-qPCR analysis showed that the tomato DXS2 gene was able to respond upon exposure to methyl jasmonate (MeJA). The construction of a virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) vector for the SlDXS gene showed that the SlDXS2 gene was also able to respond to MeJA in silenced plants, but the induction level was lower relative to that of wild-type plants. The SlDXS1 gene is associated with the synthesis of photosynthetic pigments. This study provides a reference for the further elucidation of the DXS gene’s biological function in the terpenoid synthesis pathway in tomatoes.

Cemented carbide used in the rotor of a mud pulser is subjected to the scouring action of solid particles and corrosive mud media for a long time, which causes abrasive wear and electrochemical corrosion. To improve the wear and corrosive resistance of cemented carbide, samples with different cobalt content (WC-5Co, WC-8Co, and WC-10Co) receive deep cryogenic treatment (DCT) at −196 °C for 2.5 h. An optical metalloscope (OM) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD) are used to observe the phase changes of cemented carbides, and the XRD is also used to observe the change in residual stress on the cemented carbide’s surface. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is used to characterize the wear and electrochemical corrosion surface microstructure of cemented carbides (untreated and DCT). The results show that the DCT promotes the precipitation of the η phase, and the diffraction peak of ε-Co tends to intensify. Compared with the untreated, the wear rates of WC-5Co, WC-8Co, and WC-10Co can be reduced by 14.71%, 37.25%, and 41.01% by DCT, respectively. The wear form of the cemented carbides is mainly the extrusion deformation of Co and WC shedding. The precipitation of the η phase and the increase in WC residual compressive stress by DCT are the main reasons for the improvement of wear resistance. The electrochemical corrosion characteristic is the dissolution of the Co phase. DCT causes the corrosion potential of cemented carbide to shift forward and the corrosion current density to decrease. The enhancement of the corrosion resistance of cemented carbide caused by DCT is due to the Co phase transition, η phase precipitation, and the increase in the compressive stress of cemented carbide.

Stainless steel (SS) exhibits excellent ductility; however, its low strength hinders its practical applications. To achieve good synergy between strength and ductility, a heterogeneous structure was introduced into a newly developed nitrogen-alloyed low-nickel austenitic steel, QN1803. The received QN1803 was cold-rolled and annealed at 993 K for different durations, and the microstructural evolution and tensile mechanical properties were investigated. The yield strength (1130 MPa) of the QN1803 annealed at a temperature of 993 K for 15 min was approximately three times higher than that of the as-received sample (314 MPa). The short annealing time of 15 min yielded a heterogeneous structure with grain size distributions ranging from nanoscale to micron-scale. The annealed QN1803 exhibited typical dislocation cells and dislocation walls caused by slipping after cold rolling. During annealing, a step-like lamellar structure is formed. The high yield strength was obtained from the large number of twins and hard ultrafine grains. The good ductility is due to the large number of dislocations generated in the soft grains and the GNDs around the heterogeneous interfaces. Additionally, the lamella structure of the material also contributes to improved ductility to a certain degree. The aim of this paper is to develop new materials with both high yield strength and excellent toughness based on more economical materials cost.

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) lateral branch elongation is influenced by a variety of environmental signals, including light [e.g., far-red (FR) light] and hormones. In this experiment, the effect of FR light on the lateral branch elongation of cucumber (‘Zhongnong No. 26’) seedlings was investigated. The results showed that FR light significantly inhibited the lateral branch elongation of cucumber seedlings. In addition, FR light significantly increased the auxin (indole-3-acetic acid, IAA) content, decreased the cytokinin (CTK; Zeatin) content, and suppressed the expression of most CTK synthetic-related genes, such as IPTs, in cucumber seedlings. The lateral branch elongation of cucumber seedlings was assessed in response to decapitation and exogenous 6-BA treatment to further investigate the relationship between IAA and CTK on the lateral branch elongation of cucumber seedlings under FR light. Both decapitation and exogenous 6-BA treatment eliminated the inhibitory effect of FR light on the lateral branch elongation of cucumber seedlings. In conclusion, these results indicated that IAA and CTK were involved in the regulatory effects of FR light on cucumber seedling lateral branch elongation.

Customized heat treatment is essential for enhancing the mechanical properties of additively manufactured metallic materials, especially for alloys with complex phase constituents and heterogenous microstructure. However, the interrelated evolutions of different microstructure features make it difficult to establish optimal heat treatment processes. Herein, we proposed a method for customized heat treatment process exploration and establishment to overcome this challenge for such kind of alloys, and a wire arc additively manufactured (WAAM) Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Zr alloy with layered heterostructure was used for feasibility verification. Through this method, the optimal microstructures (fine grain, controllable amount of long period stacking ordered (LPSO) structure and nano-scale β ′ precipitates) and the corresponding customized heat treatment processes (520 °C/30 min + 200 °C/48 h) were obtained to achieve a good combination of a high strength of 364 MPa and a considerable elongation of 6.2%, which surpassed those of other state-of-the-art WAAM-processed Mg alloys. Furthermore, we evidenced that the favorable effect of the undeformed LPSO structures on the mechanical properties was emphasized only when the nano-scale β ′ precipitates were present. It is believed that the findings promote the application of magnesium alloy workpieces and help to establish customized heat treatment processes for additively manufactured materials.

Mist spraying is an active cooling technology used to alleviate heat stress during hot summers. However, there is limited experimental research on the relationship between ambient thermal parameters and spray cooling efficiency, as well as the transient and short-term thermal perceptions of local residents. In this study, an intermittent mist spraying system was set up, and environmental measurements, coupled with questionnaire surveys, were conducted under typical high temperature and still air conditions. The aim was to investigate the relationship among environmental factors, spray cooling effects, and dynamic improvements in human thermal perception. The results showed that higher ambient temperatures resulted in a more significant cooling effect, with a maximum value of 5.68 °C. Upon entering the spraying area, people experienced a large perceptual change, with the mean thermal sensation and thermal comfort change covering 73% and 62% of the total change ranges, respectively. This study indicated that the mist spray system can be activated if the ambient temperature exceeds 32.5 °C, helping local residents maintain a physiological state close to slightly hot and neutral comfort. These findings suggest that mist spraying can be applied in environmental design as an outdoor cooling spot to mitigate urban overheating, providing valuable insights for the application of mist spray systems in actual outdoor settings in hot-humid areas.

As a by-product of pomegranate processing, the recycling and reuse of pomegranate pomaces (PPs) were crucial to environmentally sustainable development. Ultrasound-assisted aqueous two-phase extraction (UA-ATPE) was applied to extract the anthocyanins (ACNs) from PPs in this study, and the central composite design response surface methodology (CCD-RSM) and artificial neural network–genetic algorithm (ANN-GA) models were utilized to optimize the extraction parameters and achieve the best yield. The results indicated that the ANN-GA model built for the ACN yield had a greater degree of fit and accuracy than the RSM model. The ideal model process parameters were optimized to have a liquid–solid ratio of 49.0 mL/g, an ethanol concentration of 28 g/100 g, an ultrasonic time of 27 min, and an ultrasonic power of 330 W, with a maximum value of 86.98% for the anticipated ACN yield. The experimental maximum value was 87.82%, which was within the 95% confidence interval. A total of six ACNs from PPs were identified by utilizing UHPLC-ESI-HRMS/MS, with the maximum content of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside being 57.01 ± 1.36 mg/g DW. Therefore, this study has positive significance for exploring the potential value of more by-products and obtaining good ecological and economic benefits in the future.

Abstract Background Airway management of patients with direct airway trauma caused by penetrating neck injuries is always challenging. When a failed airway occurs and surgery access is difficult, it is crucial to find the optimal approach to save the life. We propose the concept “Cannot intubate, Cannot oxygenate, Difficult surgery access” to describe this emergency scenario. Case presentation We report a case of a 24-year-old woman who presented with partial tracheal rupture and pneumothorax caused by a knife stab injury to the neck. A "double setup" strategy, simultaneous preparation for orotracheal intubation and tracheotomy, was carried out before rapid sequence induction. A tracheotomy under local anesthesia or an awake intubation was not preferred in consideration that the patient had a high risk of being uncooperative owing to existing mental disease and potential smothering sensation during operation. During rapid sequence intubation, distal part of the tube penetrates the tear and creates a false lumen outside the trachea then a failed airway subsequently occurred. Rescue tracheotomy was successfully performed by an otolaryngology surgeon, with the help of limited ventilation using sequential bag–mask and laryngeal mask airway ventilation provided by an anesthesiologist, without severe sequelae. Conclusions The endotracheal tube have a risk of penetrating the tear outside the trachea in patient with partial tracheal rupture during orotracheal intubation, and once it occurs, proceeding directly to an emergency invasive airway access with optimizing oxygenation throughout procedure might increase the chance of success in rescuing the airway.

For the purpose of studying the influence of high frequency PWM harmonics on the losses of induction motor, this paper first introduces the latest international standard IEC/TS 60034-2-3 for the separation of the losses and the measurement of the efficiency of induction motor under PWM power supply. Then, considering that the skin effect of windings in induction motors under the condition of PWM power supply more apparent, this paper uses the stator AC resistance to replace the stator DC resistance in the IEC/TS 60034-2-3 standard to obtain more accurate separation results. On this basis, an improved method of loss separation for converter-fed induction motor is proposed by using the accurate time-step finite element method to calculate the rotor copper loss under no-load condition which cannot be considered in IEC/TS 60034-2-3 standard. Finally, this method is used to measure and separate the losses of a 5.5 kW converter-fed motor under different operating conditions. The results show that the loss of induction motor which is driven by PWM converter is obviously greater than that of sinusoidal drive, especially under light load or no load condition. The whole no-load losses of the motor driven by PWM converter increases by more than 20.0% compared with that of the sinusoidal driving condition.

Due to the advantages of Mg on inclusions and carbides in H13 steel, Mg wire was added into industrial ladle after VD process to replace traditional Ca treatment in this paper, which is of great significance for industrial production of H13 steel. This paper focuses on the effects of Mg treatment and traditional Ca treatment on the inclusions, carbides, microstructure and mechanical properties in H13 steel. The results show that feeding Mg wire during EAF→ LF→ VD → CC steelmaking process can ensure the submerged nozzle not being blocked under the condition of continuous casting 15 heats of steel ladle, which means feeding Ca wire can be replaced with Mg wire from the aspect of steelmaking production. The primary carbides in Mg treatment steel are mainly precipitated with MgO or MgAl2O4 as the cores and small in size, while the primary carbides in Ca treatment steel are almost large-size carbides without core. The samples taken from the intermediate ladle show that the primary carbide types are all V-rich, Mo-rich and V–Mo-rich composite, and the size of primary carbides in Mg treatment steel is much smaller than that in Ca treatment steel. Adding Mg is helpful to improve the equiaxed crystal rate of continuous casting ingot. The annealed hot rolling samples show that Mg treatment could interrupt the M23C6 (M = Cr, Fe) chain carbides distributed along the grain boundary. The impact test shows that the dimple fracture surface become small and deep after adding Mg, which improves impact toughness significantly.

Aim: To identify distinct disulfidptosis-molecular subtypes and develop a novel prognostic signature. Methods/materials: We integrated into this study multiple SKCM transcriptomic datasets from the Cancer Genome Atlas database and Gene Expression Omnibus dataset. The consensus clustering algorithm was applied to categorize SKCM patients into different DRG subtypes. Results: Three distinct DRG subtypes were identified, which were correlated to different clinical outcomes and signaling pathways. Then, a disulfidptosis-relaed signature and nomogram were constructed, which could accurately predict the individual OS of patients with SKCM. The high-risk group was less sensitive to immunotherapy than the low-risk group. Conclusion: The signature can assist healthcare professionals in making more accurate and individualized treatment choices for patients with SKCM.