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Introduction and Objectives: In the modern context, where fertility is crucial for couples, male factors contribute 40–50% to subfertility. Testicular cancer survivors facing subfertility due to treatments like orchidectomy and chemotherapy can benefit from sperm banking. However, awareness is lacking, especially in culturally sensitive Asian populations where sex and fertility discussions are taboo. This study aims to assess attitudes and utilization of sperm banking, evaluate its impact on pregnancy outcomes, and identify implementation obstacles. Materials and Methods: A phone interview survey targeted testicular cancer patients treated at Hospital Sultanah Aminah Johor Bahru and Sarawak General Hospital in Malaysia (2019–2023). Of the 102 identified patients, 62 participated. Investigators, using contact details from medical records, conducted interviews with a blend of quantitative and qualitative inquiries. Bivariate analysis identified factors linked to the decision to pursue sperm banking. Results: Out of 62 participants, 58.1% were aware of sperm banking, yet 90.3% chose not to utilize it. Reasons for declining included physician non-offer (41.1%), cost concerns (21.4%), a desire for prompt treatment (16.1%), lack of interest (14.3%), and other factors (7.1%). Among six patients opting for sperm banking, 50% utilized banked sperm, resulting in successful progeny for two-thirds. Notably, one case led to multiple pregnancies. Ethnicity (p = 0.046) and religion (p = 0.026) significantly influenced decisions, with Muslim Malays being the least likely to utilize sperm banking. Conclusion: Sperm banking emerges as a cost-effective strategy for safeguarding fertility in testicular cancer patients. Healthcare providers should proactively offer this option before treatment, ensuring patients are well-informed and addressing concerns to foster informed decisions.

Abstract Objective In this study, we employed a bioinformatics approach to identify diagnostic biomarkers for tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) and investigate the infiltration of immune cells in TSCC, as well as the relationship between biomarkers and immune cells. Methods We obtained the TSCC expression dataset from a database and conducted differential gene expression analysis between TSCC and adjacent normal tissues using R software. Enrichment analysis of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was performed using the DAVID website. Protein interaction networks for the DEGs were constructed, and hub genes were identified using tools such as STRING and Cytoscape. Survival analysis was conducted to identify diagnostic biomarkers and the infiltration of immune cells in TSCC was analyzed using the inverse convolution algorithm with Cibersort software. Finally, the expression of the discovered molecules was verified through clinical pathological sections. Results We identified 24 DEGs in TSCC, primarily associated with signal transduction, substance metabolism, innate immune response, and other related signaling pathways. Among the 24 hub genes screened through the construction of a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network, seven (MMP13, POSTN, MMP9, MMP10, MMP3, SPP1, MMP1) exhibited prognostic value. Survival analysis indicated that SPP1 demonstrated diagnostic potential. The expression level of the SPP1 gene showed a correlation with TSCC as well as several immune cell types, including macrophage M0, M1, M2, CD8+ T cell, activated NK cell, and monocyte (p

Abstract Vibrio spp. are major pathogens responsible for mortality and disease in various marine aquaculture organisms. Effective disease control and genetic breeding strategies rely heavily on understanding host vibriosis resistance mechanisms. The Chinese tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis) is economically vital but suffers from substantial mortalities due to vibriosis. Through continuous selective breeding, we have successfully obtained vibriosis-resistant families of this species. In this study, we conducted RNA-seq analysis on three organs, including liver, spleen and intestine from selected resistant and susceptible tongue soles. Additionally, we integrated these data with our previously published RNA-seq datasets of skin and gill, enabling the construction of organ-specific transcriptional profiles and a comprehensive gene co-expression network elucidating the differences in vibriosis resistance. Furthermore, we identified 12 modules with organ-specific functional implications. Overall, our findings provide a valuable resource for investigating the molecular basis of vibriosis resistance in fish, offering insights into target genes and pathways essential for molecular selection and genetic manipulation to enhance vibriosis resistance in fish breeding programs.

Critical size bone defects represent a significant challenge worldwide, often leading to persistent pain and physical disability that profoundly impact patients’ quality of life and mental well-being. To address the intricate and complex repair processes involved in these defects, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing and revealed notable shifts in cellular populations within regenerative tissue. Specifically, we observed a decrease in progenitor lineage cells and endothelial cells, coupled with an increase in fibrotic lineage cells and pro-inflammatory cells within regenerative tissue. Furthermore, our analysis of differentially expressed genes and associated signaling pathway at the single-cell level highlighted impaired angiogenesis as a central pathway in critical size bone defects, notably influenced by reduction of Spp1 and Cxcl12 expression. This deficiency was particularly pronounced in progenitor lineage cells and myeloid lineage cells, underscoring its significance in the regeneration process. In response to these findings, we developed an innovative approach to enhance bone regeneration in critical size bone defects. Our fabrication process involves the integration of electrospun PCL fibers with electrosprayed PLGA microspheres carrying Spp1 and Cxcl12. This design allows for the gradual release of Spp1 and Cxcl12 in vitro and in vivo. To evaluate the efficacy of our approach, we locally applied PCL scaffolds loaded with Spp1 and Cxcl12 in a murine model of critical size bone defects. Our results demonstrated restored angiogenesis, accelerated bone regeneration, alleviated pain responses and improved mobility in treated mice.

Abstract Topological spin textures are characterized by magnetic topological charges, Q, which govern their electromagnetic properties. Recent studies have achieved skyrmion bundles with arbitrary integer values of Q, opening possibilities for exploring topological spintronics based on Q. However, the realization of stable skyrmion bundles in chiral magnets at room temperature and zero magnetic field — the prerequisite for realistic device applications — has remained elusive. Here, through the combination of pulsed currents and reversed magnetic fields, we experimentally achieve skyrmion bundles with different integer Q values — reaching a maximum of 24 at above room temperature and zero magnetic field — in the chiral magnet Co8Zn10Mn2. We demonstrate the field-driven annihilation of high-Q bundles and present a phase diagram as a function of temperature and field. Our experimental findings are consistently corroborated by micromagnetic simulations, which reveal the nature of the skyrmion bundle as that of skyrmion tubes encircled by a fractional Hopfion.

Abstract To overcome the problems of commercial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents (CAs) (i.e., small molecule Gd chelates), we have proposed a new concept of Gd macrochelates based on the coordination of Gd3+ and macromolecules, e.g., poly(acrylic acid) (PAA). To further decrease the r 2/r 1 ratio of the reported Gd macrochelates that is an important factor for T 1 imaging, in this study, a superior macromolecule hydrolyzed polymaleic anhydride (HPMA) was found to coordinate Gd3+. The synthesis conditions were optimized and the generated Gd-HPMA macrochelate was systematically characterized. The obtained Gd-HPMA29 synthesized in a 100 L of reactor has a r 1 value of 16.35 mM−1 s−1 and r 2/r 1 ratio of 2.05 at 7.0 T, a high Gd yield of 92.7% and a high product weight (1074 g), which demonstrates the feasibility of kilogram scale facile synthesis. After optimization of excipients and sterilization at a high temperature, the obtained Gd-HPMA30 formulation has a pH value of 7.97, osmolality of 691 mOsmol/kg water, density of 1.145 g/mL, and viscosity of 2.2 cP at 20 ℃ or 1.8 cP at 37 ℃, which meet all specifications and physicochemical criteria for clinical injections indicating the immense potential for clinical applications. Graphical Abstract

The evaluation of fruit quality greatly relies on the presence of soluble sugars. In this study, we investigated the dynamics of soluble sugars and basic fruit quality of 'Zaozhong 6' loquat after the application of methyl jasmonate (MeJA). As loquats approached full ripeness, the study unveiled a notable increase in their soluble sugar content, predominantly attributed to the rise in fructose levels. MeJA application accelerated sugar accumulation, suggesting its potential for expediting fruit maturation and enhancing sugar content. Importantly, MeJA-treated fully ripe loquats exhibited a significantly higher sugar-acid ratio. In addition to compositional analyses, the study delves into the molecular aspects of sugar metabolism. Despite the absence of detectable sucrose and glucose, the expressions of FK, HK, SPP, SPS, and SS genes were notably influenced, emphasizing the complex regulatory mechanisms governing sugar metabolism in loquat fruit. This research provides valuable insights into the temporal changes in sugar composition during loquat fruit development, underscores the role of MeJA in shaping these dynamics, and highlights the significance of the sugar-acid ratio in fruit quality determination.

Conventional strategies are not effective in addressing the complex protection challenges in medium-voltage DC distribution networks (MVDCDN). The main challenge in MVDCDN is the high-rising DC fault current, requiring a robust and fast protection strategy. This paper proposes the use of an Extended Kalman filter (EKF) to detect various types of DC faults using only the current signal in the MVDCDN. In the first stage, current signals from the positive and negative poles corresponding bus are obtained. The EKF is then applied to the measured DC-current signals to generate two fault detection indices. The first index is the cumulative residuals (CR), calculated using the EKF iterative differencing process with updated current estimated state and noisy measurement. The second index is the modified DC version of total harmonic distortion, known as DC distortion factor (DCDF). The fault classification/zone identification (FCZI) unit is activated if changes in CR and DCDF are detected within the observation window of the relay. In the second stage, the FCZI unit calculates the Extended Kalman filter-based predicted energy (EKFBPE) for the faulty DC line section at both ends. The polarity of EKFBPE is used for fault classification and localization decisions. The proposed protection strategy requires low-band wireless communication capability in the smart grid. Extensive simulations using MATLAB Ⓡ Simulink 2022b are conducted on a ±2.5 kV MVDCDN with three feeders, considering various fault scenarios. The results demonstrate that the proposed scheme achieves 99.9% accuracy, under radial, looped, and meshed topology and is highly resilient to different types of faults with time of operation 1 msec. The scalability of proposed method and its effectiveness in handling higher voltage levels and associated fault uncertainty will investigate in future research.

Self-constructed water-in-oil emulsions can be stabilized by a natural pentacyclic triterpenoid, betulin. A higher betulin concentration (3%) results in smaller emulsion droplet sizes. Microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy and rheology indicate that the stabilizing mechanism is attributed to betulin crystals on the emulsion interface and within the continuous phase, thereby enabling excellent freeze/thaw and thermal stability. The betulin Pickering emulsion (1%) significantly increased betulin bioaccessibility (22.4%) compared to betulin alone (0.2%) and betulin-oil physical mixture (7.9%). A higher level of betulin at 3% leads to smaller emulsion particle size, potentially resulting in a greater surface area. This, in return, promotes a higher release of free fatty acids (FFA), contributing to the release and solubilization of betulin from emulsions. Additionally, it leads to the formation of micelles, further increasing betulin bioaccessibility (29.3%). This study demonstrates Pickering emulsions solely stabilized by phytochemical betulin provides an innovative way to improve its bioaccessibility.

Abstract With the growing demand for thermal management of electronic devices, cooling of high-precision instruments, and biological cryopreservation, heat flux measurement of complex surfaces and at ultralow temperatures has become highly imperative. However, current heat flux sensors (HFSs) are commonly used in high-temperature scenarios and have problems when applied in low-temperature conditions, such as low sensitivity and embrittlement. In this study, we developed a flexible and highly sensitive HFS that can operate at ultralow to high temperatures, ranging from −196 °C to 273 °C. The sensitivities of HFSs with thicknesses of 0.2 mm and 0.3 mm, which are efficiently manufactured by the screen-printing method, reach 11.21 μV/(W/m2) and 13.43 μV/(W/m2), respectively. The experimental results show that there is a less than 3% resistance change from bending to stretching. Additionally, the HFS can measure heat flux in both exothermic and absorptive cases and can measure heat flux up to 25 kW/m2. Additionally, we demonstrate the application of the HFS to the measurement of minuscule heat flux, such as heat dissipation of human skin and cold water. This technology is expected to be used in heat flux measurements at ultralow temperatures or on complex surfaces, which has great importance in the superconductor and cryobiology field.

GNSS spoofing has become a significant security vulnerability threatening remote sensing systems. Hardware fingerprint-based GNSS receiver identification is one of the solutions to address this security issue. However, existing research has not provided a solution for distinguishing GNSS receivers of the same specification. This paper first theoretically proves that the CSACs (Chip-Scale Atomic Clocks) used in GNSS receivers have unique hardware noise and then proposes a fingerprinting scheme based on this hardware noise. Experiments based on the neural network method demonstrate that this fingerprint achieved an identification accuracy of 94.60% for commercial GNSS receivers of the same specification and performed excellently in anomaly detection, confirming the robustness of the fingerprinting method. This method shows a new real-time GNSS security monitoring method based on CSACs and can be easily used with any commercial GNSS receivers.

Single aluminide coating has shortcomings such as insufficient resistance to high-temperature oxidation and high-temperature thermal corrosion.The addition of modifying elements can change the structural composition of the aluminide coating.The addition of modifying elements affected the oxidation resistance and thermal corrosion resistance of the coating by affecting the transformation and detachment of the oxide film，as well as the diffusion of aluminum and oxygen elements，and changed the mechanical properties of the coating.In this paper，the studies on the effects of modifying elements on the microstructure，oxidation resistance，thermal corrosion resistance，and mechanical properties of aluminide coatings in recent years were summarized.And the development direction of modified aluminide coating on nickel-base alloy in the future was prospected.

Together with other polyphenols and flavonoids, anthocyanins have the capacity to serve as free radical scavengers against detrimental oxidants including reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. Moreover, the role of anthocyanin pigments as natural fruit colorings is quite common. In this study, the anthocyanin profile of purple and yellow passion fruit was determined at five developmental phases i.e., fruitlet, green, veraison, maturity, and ripening stage. Total flavonoids were abundantly found among other metabolites including anthocyanins and proanthocyanins. Purple passion fruits contained more than 2-times higher flavonoid content than yellow passion fruits at ripening stage. The findings showed that fruit maturation increased the amount of total flavonoids, anthocyanins, and procyanidins in the pulp of both varieties of passion fruit. Correlation analysis revealed that the passion fruit anthocyanin metabolism may be regulated by the enzymes C4H, 4CL, CHS, UFGT, and GST. The metabolism of anthocyanins in passion fruit may be significantly influenced by the genes PePAL4, PeCHS1, and PeGST7. New information from this work will help future research into the fundamental processes controlling the production of anthocyanins in passion fruit.

Background: Freehand transperineal prostate biopsy (TPPBx) using a coaxial needle technique offers an alternative to probe-mounted freehand or template-guided techniques in the diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa). It only requires the same equipment used for transrectal ultrasound-guided (TRUS) biopsy. Our study is the first in Malaysia to report this experience and its outcomes. We aim to determine PCa detection rate and pain tolerability of freehand TPPBx utilizing a coaxial needle under local anesthesia (LA). Methods: Institutional review board approval was obtained from National Medical Research Register (NMRR ID-21-02052-VIL). We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who underwent TPPBx between August 2020 and April 2022. Records were reviewed for patients’ characteristics, prostate volume, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) results, biopsy results and pain tolerability. Data was analyzed to determine PCa and clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa) detection rate. LA was achieved using perineal skin infiltration and a periprostatic nerve block. The commonly used standard side-firing transrectal ultrasound with its Prostate Biplane Transducer was used as an imaging guide. The principles of the Ginsburg protocol were followed. Pain tolerability was assessed using a visual analog scale. Results: A total of 55 patients with elevated PSA levels underwent freehand TPPBx under LA. The mean age was 67.3 years, the median PSA was 14.2 ng/mL, and the median PSA density (PSAD) was 0.33 ng/mL/cc. The optimal PSAD cutoff for predicting csPCa was 0.35 ng/mL/cc (area under the curve [AUC], 0.792; sensitivity, 87.5%; specificity, 69.2%). PCa was detected in 24 patients (43.6%), of whom 16 (29.1%) had csPCa. The median pain scores during LA infiltration and biopsy were four and two, respectively, which were significant different (P

High-temperature thin-film thermocouples (TFTCs) have attracted significant attention in the aerospace and steel metallurgy industry. However, previous studies on TFTCs have primarily focused on the two-dimensional planar-type, whose thermal sensitive area has to be perpendicular to the test environment, and therefore affects the thermal fluids pattern or loses accuracy. In order to address this problem, recent studies have developed three-dimensional probe-type TFTCs, which can be set parallel to the test environment. Nevertheless, the probe-type TFTCs are limited by their measurement threshold and poor stability at high temperatures. To address these issues, in this study, we propose a novel probe-type TFTC with a sandwich structure. The sensitive layer is compounded with indium oxide doped zinc oxide and fabricated using screen-printing technology. With the protection of sandwich structure on electrode film, the sensor demonstrates robust high-temperature stability, enabling continuous working at 1200 °C above 5 h with a low drift rate of 2.3 °C·h ^−1 . This sensor exhibits a high repeatability of 99.3% when measuring a wide range of temperatures, which is beyond the most existing probe-type TFTCs reported in the literature. With its excellent high-temperature performance, this temperature sensor holds immense potentials for enhancing equipment safety in the aerospace engineering and ensuring product quality in the steel metallurgy industry.

The addition of oat at varying percentages (26%, 32%, 38%, 44% and 50%) was used to evaluate the structural, microstructural, and physicochemical changes in instant-extruded rice (IER). A mixture of broken rice and oat flour was extruded in a twin-screw extruder. It was found that when adding 44% oats, the gelatinization degree of the mixed powder was the lowest (89.086 ± 1.966%). The dietary fiber content increased correspondingly with the increase in oat addition. Analyses of texture properties revealed that the hardness, adhesive, and resilience values increased and then decreased with oat addition. Compared with other common instant rice (IR), the advantages of IER were evaluated in terms of microstructure, digestive performance, and flavor. IER with 44% oat addition obtained in this study had higher hardness, adhesiveness, rehydration time, and sensory score, and the content of resistant starch (RS) reached 6.06%. The electronic nose and electronic tongue analyses could distinguish the flavor of different IR efficiently. This study showed the feasibility of preparing fiber-enriched IER. The results demonstrated the potential for the development and utilization of broken rice, providing a reference for the development of IER.

By introducing the definition of propensity categories of relations, the implicit information in the knowledge graph is mined and the MCBE (Maximum Clique Based Expansion) algorithm is used for data expansion. Experimental results show that with baseline models TransE, RotatE, HAKE and Complex on FB15K dataset, its MRR and Hits@1 metrics are improved by (7.9%, 9.6%), (4.2%, 3.3%), (2.7%, 4.8%) and (1.7%, 2.4%), respectively. Experiments are also conducted on the FB15K, YAGO3-10, NELL-995 and DBpedia50 datasets using the TransE model as a baseline, and its MRR and Hits@1 metrics are improved on the above datasets by (7.9%, 9.6%), (0.3%, 27.7%), (20.1%, 100%), (4%, 38.7%), respectively. Finally, the MCBE algorithm is applied to the self-constructed knowledge graph of “anti-drug law” and its MRR and Hits@1 metrics are improved by (10.6%, 12.3%). The experimental results show that MCBE algorithm improves the prediction accuracy of legal knowledge graph.

The mono-ubiquitination of the histone protein H2B (H2Bub1) is a highly conserved histone post-translational modification that plays critical roles in many fundamental processes. In yeast, this modification is catalyzed by the conserved Bre1–Rad6 complex. Bre1 contains a unique N-terminal Rad6-binding domain (RBD), how it interacts with Rad6 and contributes to the H2Bub1 catalysis is unclear. Here, we present crystal structure of the Bre1 RBD–Rad6 complex and structure-guided functional studies. Our structure provides a detailed picture of the interaction between the dimeric Bre1 RBD and a single Rad6 molecule. We further found that the interaction stimulates Rad6’s enzymatic activity by allosterically increasing its active site accessibility and likely contribute to the H2Bub1 catalysis through additional mechanisms. In line with these important functions, we found that the interaction is crucial for multiple H2Bub1-regulated processes. Our study provides molecular insights into the H2Bub1 catalysis.

Abstract Traditional humidity sensors for respiration monitoring applications have faced technical challenges, including low sensitivity, long recovery times, high parasitic capacitance and uncalibrated temperature drift. To overcome these problems, we present a triple-layer humidity sensor that comprises a nanoforest-based sensing capacitor, a thermistor, a microheater and a reference capacitor. When compared with traditional polyimide-based humidity sensors, this novel device has a sensitivity that is improved significantly by 8 times within a relative humidity range of 40–90%. Additionally, the integration of the microheater into the sensor can help to reduce its recovery time to 5 s. The use of the reference capacitor helps to eliminate parasitic capacitance, and the thermistor helps the sensor obtain a higher accuracy. These unique design aspects cause the sensor to have an excellent humidity sensing performance in respiration monitoring applications. Furthermore, through the adoption of machine learning algorithms, the sensor can distinguish different respiration states with an accuracy of 94%. Therefore, this humidity sensor design is expected to be used widely in both consumer electronics and intelligent medical instrument applications.

The comprehension of the fire evacuation process is crucial for developing effective evacuation management strategies to enhance pedestrian safety. In this study, we construct a classroom with internal obstacles forming intersecting pathways in Minecraft, and conduct a series of virtual evacuation experiments involving multiple pedestrians to investigate the pedestrian behaviors. Case studies in a single-exit classroom demonstrated that normal obstacles and fire in the main evacuation path prompt pedestrians to detour, and pedestrians exhibit fire-avoidance behavior in advance during fire emergency. In the two-exit classroom experiments, normal obstacles have a limited effect on the exit choices of pedestrians, as they primarily choose the nearest exit. Pedestrians positioned in the center of classroom are influenced by their initial orientations, and some pedestrians opt for exits in their initial facing directions. The presence of fire has a greater influence on pedestrians’ exit choices, with most opting for exits away from the fire. Furthermore, during fire emergencies, some pedestrians engage in risk-taking behavior by choosing higher-risk paths in pursuit of a faster evacuation. These adventurous pedestrians proactively plan routes that maximize their distance from the fire and exhibit orderly queuing behavior. These findings are helpful to reveal pedestrian behaviors during fire emergencies.

Ni90%Cr10% and Ni97%Si3% thin-film thermocouples (TFTCs) were fabricated on a silicon substrate using magnetron sputtering technology. Static calibration yielded a Seebeck coefficient of 23.00 μV/°C. During staged temperature elevation of the TFTCs while continuously monitoring their thermoelectric output, a rapid decline in thermoelectric potential was observed upon the hot junction reaching 600 °C; the device had failed. Through three cycles of repetitive static calibration tests ranging from room temperature to 500 °C, it was observed that the thermoelectric performance of the TFTCs deteriorated as the testing progressed. Utilizing the same methodology, Ni-Cr and Ni-Si thin films corresponding to the positive and negative electrodes of the TFTCs were prepared. Their resistivity after undergoing various temperature annealing treatments was measured. Additionally, their surfaces were characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). The causes behind the decline in thermoelectric performance at elevated temperatures were analyzed from both chemical composition and microstructural perspectives.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) can boost the pristine Raman signal significantly which could be exploited for producing innovative sensing devices with advanced properties. However, the inherent complexity of SERS systems restricts their further applications in rapid detection, especially in situ detection in narrow areas. Here, we construct an efficient and flexible SERS-based Lab-on-Fiber (LOF) sensor by integrating Ag/Au nanocap arrays obtained by Ag/Au coating polystyrene nanospheres on the optical fiber face. We obtain rich “hot spots” at the nanogaps between neighboring nanocaps, and further achieve SERS performance with the assistance of laser-induced thermophoresis on the metal film that can achieve efficiency aggregation of detected molecules. We achieve a high Raman enhancement with a low detection limitation of 10−7 mol/L for the most efficient samples based on the above sensor. This sensor also exhibits good repeatability and stability under multiple detections, revealing the potential application for in situ detection based on the reflexivity of the optical fiber.

Gastrectomy can improve the clinical survival rate of gastric cancer patients, while the metabolic disorders caused by gastrectomy, seriously affect the postoperative recovery. In this study, probiotics (including Bifidobacterium infantis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Enterococcus faecalis and Bacillus cereus) were used before gastrectomy to explore the effect of probiotics on gastrectomy patients. Our outcomes revealed probiotics could alleviate postoperative inflammation (Leukocyte; P

ObjectiveIn the treatment of cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR), spinal endoscopy has been developed vigorously in the past 30 years. However, its effectiveness and subsequent problem of cervical spine stability have always been the controversial hotspots. This study aims to conduct a retrospective study using posterior cervical full-endoscopic technique for the treatment of CSR with foraminal bony stenosis, and evaluate its clinical effect and application value.MethodsAll 22 patients treated for CSR with foraminal bony stenosis using posterior cervical full-endoscopic technique were analyzed since Dec 1, 2016, to Apr 30, 2020. The data collection included operation time, length of stay, wound healing, surgical complications, visual analog scale (VAS), Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores, intervertebral foramen diameter, intervertebral foramen area and cervical instability. The relevant indicators were observed on admission, at postoperative 1 week and 3 months, and at the last follow-up.ResultsThe operation time was 141.6 ± 13.7 min. The length of stay was 6.0 ± 2.5 days. VAS and JOA at different time points after operation were decreased compared with before operation (p 0.05). The height, anteroposterior diameter and area of intervertebral foramen after operation were significantly increased compared with before operation (p

Low frequency is a difficult problem in noise control. How to design new lightweight materials or structures to achieve low-frequency noise reduction is of utmost importance. This study presents a multi-parameter optimisation design procedure for a specific sound insulation frequency and bandwidth of a lightweight acoustic metamaterial. First, a sound insulation model of membrane-type acoustic metamaterials (MAMs) was established based on the finite element method, and the predicted results are validated with results from previous studies. Subsequently, the bandgap characteristics and generation mechanism of the sound insulation peak are analysed. Second, the influences of both material and structural parameters of the membrane and mass block, on the sound insulation characteristics of the MAMs are systematically investigated. They are discussed by first using a single variable control method and then considering the multi-parameter coupling effect. Finally, a Kriging surrogate model for sound insulation prediction of MAMs is established. Aiming at a specific sound insulation frequency and bandwidth, the multi-parameter optimisation design of the MAMs is performed. According to the results, during multi-parameter coupling, the influence law of a single variable on the sound insulation peak of MAMs is unchanged; however, the influence magnitude differs. The Kriging surrogate model can effectively design acoustic metamaterials with a specific sound insulation frequency and bandwidth.

Abuse of pharmaceutical drugs is a major public health and social problem worldwide. Mostly abused drugs mainly include opioids such as morphine, tramadol, methadone and fentanyl, sedative-hypnotics such as benzodiazepines and non-benzodiazepines, and central stimulants such as Ritalin （methylphenidate）, Adderall （amphetamine and dextroamphetamine） and modafinil. Abuse of pharmaceutical drugs not only causes direct damage to multiple systems of the body, but also significantly increases risks of mental and physical diseases, imposing a heavy burden on individuals, families and society. Therefore, the prevention and control of pharmaceutical drug abuse are of vital importance. The Chinese government has taken strict administration measures for pharmaceutical drugs with abuse risk. However, confronting endless new drugs and changing abuse trends, it is necessary to further strengthen management and prevention of pharmaceutical drugs, monitor the trend of abuse, establish rapid response mechanisms, popularize relevant knowledge, and develop specific therapeutic drugs and intervention means, in order to promote prevention and treatment of pharmaceutical drug abuse.

Infectious diseases are the leading cause of death in both adults and children, with respiratory infections being the leading cause of death. A growing body of evidence suggests that bacterially released extracellular membrane vesicles play an important role in bacterial pathogenicity by targeting and (de)regulating host cells through the delivery of nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates. Among the many factors contributing to bacterial pathogenicity are the outer membrane vesicles produced by the bacteria themselves. Bacterial membrane vesicles are being studied in more detail because of their potential role as deleterious mediators in bacterial infections. This review provides an overview of the most current information on the emerging role of bacterial membrane vesicles in the pathophysiology of pneumonia and its complications and their adoption as promising targets for future preventive and therapeutic approaches.

Based on the understanding of digital transformation, a scheme of digital transformation in the integrated grid management of telecom was put forward.By analyzing the overall business process of telecom, the digital transformation requirements of telecom core elements in integrated grid management were summarized, and the implementation scheme was explained in detail.Based on it, taking the specific business scenario as an example, the scheme was verified, and the practice of digital transformation was given, which provided a new idea for improving the core competitiveness of telecom in enterprise business activities.

In order to reveal the fracture development and damage evolution law of marble under the influence of temperature, the deformation and failure characteristics and acoustic emission activity of marble under the conditions of 30, 60, 90, 120 ℃ and 150 ℃ were studied by using triaxial servo testing machine and acoustic emission testing system. The results show that the triaxial compression failure of marble under high temperature goes through four stages: compaction and elastic deformation stage, plastic deformation stage, ductile failure stage and instability failure stage. The higher the test temperature is, the longer the compaction deformation stage and ductile failure stage are, and the rock gradually transforms from elastic brittle failure to elastic-plastic failure. The peak strength, elastic modulus and internal friction angle of marble decrease with the increase of temperature. The acoustic emission activity of rock and the correspondence between AE location and macroscopic crack decrease with the increase of test temperature. By analyzing the characteristics of acoustic emission signal amplitude, impact, ring down count, acoustic emission energy, peak frequency and b value in the damage evolution process of marble, it is found that the amplitude fluctuation of acoustic emission is small and the temperature sensitivity is poor, but the peak frequency and b value parameters can better characterize the crack development inside the rock. The peak frequency has the highest temperature sensitivity, which is favorable as the prediction index of rock failure and instability. In the process of triaxial compression failure, tension-shear composite cracks appear in marble, of which shear cracks are dominant. High temperature inhibits the initiation of internal cracks in rock mass. The higher the test temperature is, the weaker the tensile failure and the stronger the shear failure are. The test results shed light on the study of rock thermal damage mechanism and engineering thermal damage monitoring and prediction.

BackgroundGastrectomy is the most effective treatment to improve the clinical survival rate of patients with gastric cancer. However, the pathophysiological changes caused by gastrectomy have seriously affected the postoperative recovery.MethodsIn the present trial, Ataining (containing C. butyricum, CGMCC0313.1) was applied in patients after gastrectomy to investigate the effect of C. butyricum on the early postoperative recovery by monitoring the inflammatory immune response with blood indicators, detecting the gut microbiota with high-throughput sequencing, and analyzing the short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) with targeted metabolomics. This study is registered with the number ChiCTR2000040915.ResultsOur outcomes revealed that C. butyricum had significantly reduced the number of Leucocyte (P < 0.001), the percentage of Neutrophil (P < 0.001), the expression of IL-1β (P < 0.01), IL-6 (P < 0.05), and TNF-α (P < 0.01), while markedly enhanced the immunity indexes (immunoglobulin and lymphocyte) (P < 0.05) and nutrition indexes (albumin and total protein) (P < 0.05). In addition, the use of the C. butyricum greatly enriched the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria Bacteroides, Faecalibacterium and Gemmiger, while the abundance of pathogenic Streptococcus, Desulfovibrio and Actinomyces were markedly decreased at genus level. We also observed significant up-regulation of SCFAs, including acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid and isobutyric acid, after C. butyricum administration in patients receiving gastrectomy.ConclusionTherefore, evidence supported that oral administration of C. butyricum after gastrectomy can reduce early postoperative inflammation, enhance immune ability, restore intestinal microbiota eubiosis, increase intestinal SCFAs, reduce the occurrence of postoperative complications, and ultimately promote the early recovery of the patient.Clinical trial registrationhttp://www.chictr.org.cn/, identifier (ChiCTR2000040915).

Owing to its novel properties, such as high electrical conductivity and large specific surface area, graphene has been found as suitable support material for the electrocatalyst design. This work reports the preparation of platinum-nickel alloy nanoparticles (PtNi NPs) electrocatalyst by electrodeposition of PtNi NPs onto graphene support. The obtained PtNi/graphene electrocatalysts were characterized by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), energy-dispersive X-ray microscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) indicating the controllable morphological and compositional profiles of PtNi NPs on graphene. The electrocatalytic characteristics of PtNi/graphene toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) were systematically investigated showing comparable kinetic performance. Moreover, the graphene during electrodeposition process induces carbon vacancies and defects, increasing interaction between nanoparticles and graphene and enhancing electrocatalytic stability by limiting aggregation of the nanoparticles during accelerated stability test. This work opens a promising path for the preparation of graphene-supported alloy electrocatalyst.

Using student and teacher open-ended questionnaires, and interviews with teachers and school principals and administrators, this study examined the bilingual learning difficulties faced by the Tibetan minority students in Qinghai Province, China, the challenges in meeting their needs, and the suggestions for coping with these challenges. The participants included 200 Tibetan minority students, 20 classroom teachers, and 10 school principals and administrators randomly selected from eight secondary schools located in eight different counties, where there are the most Tibetan minority students in Qinghai Province. The results showed that they experienced considerable difficulties in both spoken and written Chinese, which had prevented them from understanding the lectures, answering questions, interacting with peers in the classroom, and communicating with friends and classmates outside of classroom. The challenges in meeting their bilingual learning needs include: (a) a language choice dilemma for parents, (b) insufficient training of bilingual education teachers, (c) lack of bilingual education resources; (d) short of qualified teachers; (e) lack of parent-school communication; and (f) insufficient training of principals and administrators. Suggestions for coping with these challenges and educational implications are discussed.

This pilot study was designed to identify the salivary microbial community and metabolic characteristics in patients with generalized periodontitis. A total of 36 saliva samples were collected from 13 patients with aggressive periodontitis (AgP), 13 patients with chronic periodontitis (ChP), and 10 subjects with periodontal health (PH). The microbiome was evaluated using 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing, and the metabolome was accessed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The correlation between microbiomes and metabolomics was analyzed by Spearman’s correlation method. Our results revealed that the salivary microbial community and metabolite composition differed significantly between patients with periodontitis and healthy controls. Striking differences were found in the composition of salivary metabolites between AgP and ChP. The genera Treponema, Peptococcus, Catonella, Desulfobulbus, Peptostreptococcaceae_[XI] ([G-2], [G-3] [G-4], [G-6], and [G-9]), Bacteroidetes_[G-5], TM7_[G-5], Dialister, Eikenella, Fretibacterium, and Filifactor were present in higher levels in patients with periodontitis than in the healthy participants. The biochemical pathways that were significantly different between ChP and AgP included pyrimidine metabolism; alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism; beta-alanine metabolism; citrate cycle; and arginine and proline metabolism. The differential metabolites between ChP and AgP groups, such as urea, beta-alanine, 3-aminoisobutyric acid, and thymine, showed the most significant correlations with the genera. These differential microorganisms and metabolites may be used as potential biomarkers to monitor the occurrence and development of periodontitis through the utilization of non-invasive and convenient saliva samples. This study reveals the integration of salivary microbial data and metabolomic data, which provides a foundation to further explore the potential mechanism of periodontitis.

Glycolipid metabolic disorder is a serious threat to human health. Dark tea is a kind of traditional Chinese tea, which may regulate the glycolipid metabolic disorders. Dark tea extract (DTE) is the water extraction obtained from dark tea. Compared with traditional dark tea, DTE has the benefits of convenient consumption and greater potential for promoting health. However, the regulation of DTE on glycolipid metabolism and its molecular mechanism is rarely investigated. In our study, DTE was used as raw material to study the effect and molecular mechanism of its intervention on the glycolipid metabolic in db/db diabetic mice by using multiomics analysis and modern biological techniques. (1) DTE could significantly reduce fasting glucose in diabetic db/db mice, and the higher dose group has a better effect. Histopathological examination showed that DTE slightly improve the number of islets and decrease the number of islet β cells in the pancreatic tissue in db/db mice. (2) RNA-Seq was used to analyze the gene expression in liver tissue. In terms of biological processes, DTE mainly affected the inflammation and fatty acid metabolism. In terms of cell components, the lipoprotein and respiratory chain are mainly affected. In the aspect of molecular function, DTE mainly affected the redox related enzyme activity, iron ion binding and glutathione transferase. Arachidonic acid metabolism pathway, glutathione metabolism and PPAR signaling pathway were enriched by DTE with the results of KEGG pathway enrichment. In addition, real-time PCR results confirmed that DTE could significantly activate key genes of PPAR signaling pathway like Fabp1, Cyp4a1, Ehhadh, Cyp4a32, Aqp7 and Me1. (3) 16s rDNA showed that DTE could significantly decrease the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes and the abundance of Proteobacteria, and increased the relative abundance of Verrucomicrobia at the phylum level. At the genus level, the relative abundance of Akkermansia, Prevotellaceae, Bacteroides and Alloprevotella was significantly increased after DTE treatment. This study provides multiomics molecular evidence for the intervention effect of DTE on abnormal glucose and lipid metabolism and the application of precise nutritional diet intervention of dark tea extract.

Timely detection and response to Intraoperative Hypotension (IOH) during surgery is crucial to avoid severe postoperative complications. Although several methods have been proposed to predict IOH using machine learning, their performance still has space for improvement. In this paper, we propose a ResNet-BiLSTM model based on multitask training and attention mechanism for IOH prediction. We trained and tested our proposed model using bio-signal waveforms obtained from patient monitoring of non-cardiac surgery. We selected three models (WaveNet, CNN, and TCN) that process time-series data for comparison. The experimental results demonstrate that our proposed model has optimal MSE (43.83) and accuracy (0.9224) compared to other models, including WaveNet (51.52, 0.9087), CNN (318.52, 0.5861), and TCN (62.31, 0.9045), which suggests that our proposed model has better regression and classification performance. We conducted ablation experiments on the multitask and attention mechanisms, and the experimental results demonstrated that the multitask and attention mechanisms improved MSE and accuracy. The results demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of our proposed model in predicting IOH.

This study developed an objective approach for determining fire source location based on an artificial neural network (ANN) model. The samples for the ANN model were obtained from computational fluid dynamics simulations. A data preprocessor was devised to transform numerical simulation results into a format that could be used by the ANN model prior to network training, and bootstrap aggregation was used to improve the model’s predictive performance, which was evaluated by the leave-one-out approach. The results show that the 95% left-tailed confidence limit was 0.7921 m for planar dimensions of 5 m × 5 m, which is sufficiently accurate for practical application. Additionally, comprehensive experiments were conducted in the confined space of a fire compartment that was geometrically similar to various fire source locations to explore soot patterns and verify the ANN model. The experimental results reveal that the differences between the locations determined in scaling experiments and the locations predicted by the ANN were invariably less than 1 m. In particular, the difference was only 0.17 m when the fire source was located in the centre of the fire compartment. These results demonstrate the feasibility of the devised ANN model for reconstructing fire source location in engineering applications.

We apply the Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) algorithm and the Time Convolutional Network (TCN) structure, predicated on Convolutional Neural Networks, to successfully enable feature extraction within high-precision optical time-frequency signals, and provide effective identification and alerts for abnormal link states. Experimental validation confirms that the proposed method not only delivers an efficacy on par with traditional manual techniques, but also excels in swiftly identifying anomalies that typically elude conventional approaches. This investigation furnishes novel theoretical backing and forecasting tools for high-precision optical transmission.

Abstract Background Extending service scope of primary care facilities (PCFs) has been widely concerned in China. However, no current data about association between service scope of PCFs with patient outcomes are available. This study aims to investigate association between service scope of PCFs and patient outcomes. Methods A multistage, stratified clustered sampling method was used to collect information about service scope of PCFs from rural Guizhou, China. Claim data of 299,633 inpatient cases covered by 64 PCFs were derived from local information system of New Rural Cooperation Medical Scheme. Service scope of PCFs was collected with self-administrated questionnaires. Primary outcomes were (1) level of inpatient institutions, (2) length of stay, (3) per capita total health cost, (4) per capita out-of-pocket cost, (5) reimbursement ratio, (6) 30-day readmission. A total of 64 PCFs were categorized into five groups per facility-level service scope scores. Generalized linear regression models, logistic regression model, and ordinal regression model were conducted to identify association between service scope of PCFs and patient outcomes. Results On average, the median service scope score of PCFs was 20, with wide variation across PCFs. After controlling for demographic and clinical characteristics, patients living in communities with PCFs of greatest service scope (Quintile V vs. I) tended to have smaller rates of admission by county-level hospitals (-6.2 % [-6.5 %, -5.9 %], city-level hospitals (-1.9 % [-2.0 %, -1.8 %]), and provincial hospitals (-2.1 % [-2.2 %, -2.0 %]), smaller rate of 30-day readmission (-0.5 % [-0.7 %, -0.2 %]), less total health cost (-201.8 [-257.9, -145.8]) and out-of-pocket cost (-210.2 [-237.2, -183.2]), and greater reimbursement ratio (2.3 % [1.9 %, 2.8 %]) than their counterparts from communities with PCFs of least service scope. Conclusions Service scope of PCFs varied a lot in rural Guizhou, China. Greater service scope was associated with a reduction in secondary and tertiary hospital admission, reduced total cost and out-of-pocket cost, and 30-day readmission and increased reimbursement ratio. These results raised concerns about access to care for patients discharged from hospitals, which suggests potential opportunities for cost savings and improvement of quality of care. However, further evidence is warranted to investigate whether extending service scope of PCFs is cost-effective and sustainable.

The NAC gene family is one of the largest plant transcription factors (TFs) families and plays important roles in plant growth, development, metabolism, and biotic and abiotic stresses. However, NAC gene family has not been reported in passion fruit (Passiflora edulis). In this study, a total of 105 NAC genes were identified in the passion fruit genome and were unevenly distributed across all nine-passion fruit chromomere, with a maximum of 48 PeNAC genes on chromosome one. The physicochemical features of all 105 PeNAC genes varied including 120 to 3,052 amino acids, 3 to 8 conserved motifs, and 1 to 3 introns. The PeNAC genes were named (PeNAC001–PeNAC105) according to their chromosomal locations and phylogenetically grouped into 15 clades (NAC-a to NAC-o). Most PeNAC proteins were predicted to be localized in the nucleus. The cis-element analysis indicated the possible roles of PeNAC genes in plant growth, development, light, hormones, and stress responsiveness. Moreover, the PeNAC gene duplications including tandem (11 gene pairs) and segmental (12 gene pairs) were identified and subjected to purifying selection. All PeNAC proteins exhibited similar 3D structures, and a protein–protein interaction network analysis with known Arabidopsis proteins was predicted. Furthermore, 17 putative ped-miRNAs were identified to target 25 PeNAC genes. Potential TFs including ERF, BBR-BPC, Dof, and bZIP were identified in promoter region of all 105 PeNAC genes and visualized in a TF regulatory network. GO and KEGG annotation analysis exposed that PeNAC genes were related to different biological, molecular, and cellular terms. The qRT-PCR expression analysis discovered that most of the PeNAC genes including PeNAC001, PeNAC003, PeNAC008, PeNAC028, PeNAC033, PeNAC058, PeNAC063, and PeNAC077 were significantly upregulated under Fusarium kyushuense and drought stress conditions compared to controls. In conclusion, these findings lay the foundation for further functional studies of PeNAC genes to facilitate the genetic improvement of plants to stress resistance.

The hallmark event of the canonical transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) family signaling is the assembly of the Smad-complex, consisting of the common Smad, Smad4, and phosphorylated receptor-regulated Smads. How the Smad-complex is assembled and regulated is still unclear. Here, we report that active Arl15, an Arf-like small G protein, specifically binds to the MH2 domain of Smad4 and colocalizes with Smad4 at the endolysosome. The binding relieves the autoinhibition of Smad4, which is imposed by the intramolecular interaction between its MH1 and MH2 domains. Activated Smad4 subsequently interacts with phosphorylated receptor-regulated Smads, forming the Smad-complex. Our observations suggest that Smad4 functions as an effector and a GTPase activating protein (GAP) of Arl15. Assembly of the Smad-complex enhances the GAP activity of Smad4 toward Arl15, therefore dissociating Arl15 before the nuclear translocation of the Smad-complex. Our data further demonstrate that Arl15 positively regulates the TGFβ family signaling.

ABSTRACT Depression is a recurrent, heterogeneous mood disorder occurring in more than 260 million people worldwide. Gut microbiome dysbiosis is associated with the development of depressive-like behaviors by modulating neuro-biochemical metabolism through the microbiome-gut-brain (MGB) axis. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been proposed as a potential therapeutic solution for depression, but the therapeutic efficiency and mechanism are unknown. Here, we performed an FMT from Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats (‘healthy’ controls) to Fawn-hooded (FH) rats (depression model). Pre-FMT, the FH rats exhibited significantly elevated depressive-like behaviors and distinct neurotransmitter and cytokine levels compared with SD rats. Post-FMT, FH recipients receiving FH fecal microbiota (FH-FH rats) showed aggravated depressive-like behaviors, while the ones receiving SD microbiota (FH-SD rats) had significantly alleviated depressive symptoms, a significant increase in hippocampal neurotransmitters, and a significant decrease of some hippocampal cytokines than FH-FH rats. SD-FMT resulted in the FH-SD rats’ gut microbiome resembling the SD donors, and a significant shift in the serum metabolome but not the hippocampal metabolome. Co-occurrence analysis suggests that SD-FMT prevented recipients’ depression development via the significant decrease of gut microbial species such as Dialister sp., which led to the recipients’ metabolic modulation in serum and hippocampus through the enteric nervous system, the intestinal barrier, and the blood-brain barrier. Our results provided new data pointing to multiple mechanisms of interaction for the impact of gut microbiome modulation on depression therapy. IMPORTANCE Depression is a chronic, recurrent mental disease, which could make the patients commit suicide in severe cases. Considering that gut microbiome dysbiosis could cause depressive symptoms in animals through the MGB axis, the modification of gut microbiota is expected to be a potential therapy for depression, but the daily administration of probiotics is invalid or transient. In this study, we demonstrated that the gut microbiome transferred from a healthy rat model to a depressive rat model could regulate the recipient’s neurobiology and behavior via the systematic alternation of the depressive gut microbiota followed by the serum and hippocampal metabolism. These results underline the significance of understanding the impact of gut microbiota on mental disorders and suggest that ‘healthy’ microbiota transplantation with the function to solve the host’s cerebral inflammation may serve as a novel therapeutic strategy for depression.

The electrolytic reduction of TiO2 in LiCl–Li2O (1 wt.%) at 650 °C was investigated under a series of cathodic reduction potentials and applied charges to provide a mechanistic understanding of the electrochemical characteristics of the system. The optimal cathodic reduction potential was determined as being −0.3 V vs. Li/Li+. Li2TiO3 and LiTiO2 were structurally identified as intermediate and partial reduction products of the TiO2 electrolytic reduction. The reduction of LiTiO2 was extremely slow and reversible due to its high stability and the detrimental effect of Li2O accumulation within the solid particles. The most reduced product obtained in this study was LiTiO2, which was achieved when using 150% of the theoretical charge under the optimal reduction potential. The highest reduction extent obtained in this study was 25%. Based on theoretical DFT modeling, a detailed multistep reduction mechanism and scheme were proposed for TiO2 electrolytic reduction in LiCl–Li2O (1 wt.%) at 650 °C.

Abstract The cross-regional coordinated dispatch of emergency supplies is a complex issue involving multiple topics, which covers multiple relationships and is affected by multiple variables. In the face of severe emergencies, relief supplies inside a specific area are far from meeting the explosive demand for emergency supplies. Besides, the supply of emergency materials and the disaster areas often have a spatial mismatch. Considering the attributes of externalities and public goods of emergency rescue, there are many obstacles for Local administration of emergency (LAE) and emergency logistics enterprises (ELE) spontaneously carrying out emergency supplies across regions. To solve this complexity problem, this research abstracts higher-level administration of emergency (HAE), LAE and ELE as the main stakeholders, with which a tripartite evolutionary game (ETG) model and a system dynamic (SD) model are constructed to analyze the dynamic mechanism of the complex system and to carry out the numerical simulation of the three-party game process. All the analyses and tests in this study have proved that the strong supervision of HAE has a decisive impact on the realization of cross-regional coordinated dispatch of emergency supplies, and the financial rewards and punishments imposed by HAE on other entities can accelerate or delay the achievement of the equilibrium strategy. However, when HAE chooses not to regulate, the cooperation willingness of LAE affects a lot that all the stakeholders will eventually reach equilibrium at (1,1,1) only if LAE chooses to actively carry out cross-regional coordinated dispatch of emergency supplies.

The electrodeposition of Al was investigated in an ionic liquid (IL), with 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrachloroaluminate ([EMIm]AlCl4) as the electrolyte with AlCl3 precursor. The [EMIm]AlCl4 electrolyte exhibited a wide and stable electrochemical window from 3.2 to 2.3 V on a glassy carbon electrode when temperature was increased from 30 °C to 110 °C. The addition of AlCl3 into [EMIm]AlCl4 generated significant well-developed nucleation growth loops, and new coupled reduction and oxidation peaks in cyclic voltammograms corresponding to the Al deposition and dissolution, respectively. A calculation model was proposed predicting compositions of anions in AlCl3/[EMIm]AlCl4 system, and [Al2Cl7]− was found to be the active species for Al deposition. In AlCl3/[EMIm]AlCl4 (1:5), the reduction rate constants were 1.18 × 10−5 cm s−1 and 3.37 × 10−4 cm s−1 at 30 °C and 110 °C, respectively. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscope (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) microscope results showed that the metallic Al film had been successfully deposited on glassy carbon electrodes through constant-potential cathodic reductions. The [EMIm]AlCl4 was a promising electrolyte directly used for Al deposition.

Abstract Ectoine and hydroxyectoine as typical representatives of compatible solutes are not only essential for extremophiles to survive in extreme environments, but also widely used in cosmetic and medical industries. Ectoine was traditionally produced by Halomonas elongata through a “bacterial milking” process, of which the marked feature is using a high-salt medium to stimulate ectoine biosynthesis and then excreting ectoine into a low-salt medium by osmotic shock. The optimal hydroxyectoine production was achieved by optimizing the fermentation process of Halomonas salina. However, high-salinity broth exacerbates the corrosion to fermenters, and more importantly, brings a big challenge to the subsequent wastewater treatment. Therefore, increasing attention has been paid to reducing the salinity of the fermentation broth but without a sacrifice of ectoine/hydroxyectoine production. With the fast development of functional genomics and synthetic biology, quite a lot of progress on the bioproduction of ectoine/hydroxyectoine has been achieved in recent years. The importation and expression of an ectoine producing pathway in a non-halophilic chassis has so far achieved the highest titer of ectoine (~ 65 g/L), while rational flux-tuning of halophilic chassis represents a promising strategy for the next-generation of ectoine industrial production. However, efficient conversion of ectoine to hydroxyectoine, which could benefit from a clearer understanding of the ectoine hydroxylase, is still a challenge to date.

In this paper, a surface acoustic wave (SAW) temperature sensor with a Pt/Ti/AlN/Mo/AlN/Si structure was prepared, and the high temperature characteristics of the sensors at 20–600 °C under different electrode metallization rates (ղ) were measured. It was found that frequent device mutation occurred in the first high-temperature test, and that the mutation point decreased with the increase in the electrode metallization rate (ղ). In the subsequent test, the data became stable, the sensor’s center frequency increased, the return loss (S11) decreased and the factor of merit (Q) increased. After annealing the same sensors at 600 °C for 30 min, they could achieve performance improvement in the first test, meaning that proper annealing can improve sensor performance. In addition, the annealed SAW sensor was tested in the temperature range of 20–1000 °C, which met the requirement of a temperature range of 20–900 °C, its f–T curve was linear, the factor of merit (Q) was 34.5 and the sensitivity was 46.6 KHz/K.

Cerebral small-vessel disease (CSVD) is the main cause of vascular cognitive impairment (VCI), and the accumulation of amyloid β-protein (Aβ) may be significantly involved in CSVD-induced VCI. The imbalance between Aβ production and clearance is believed to be an important pathological mechanism of Aβ deposition in Alzheimer disease. In this study, we aimed to disclose the roles of aquaporin 4 (AQP4) and neuroinflammation in CSVD, which were the key factors for Aβ clearance and production, respectively, and the effect of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on Aβ deposition and these two factors. The stroke-prone renovascular hypertensive (RHRSP) rats were grouped and received MSC and MSC + AS1517499 (an inhibitor of pSTAT6). The latter was used to explore the underlying mechanism. The cognitive function, white matter lesions, Aβ expression, expression, and polarity of AQP4, neuroinflammation and the STAT6 pathway were investigated. Compared with sham-operated rats, RHRSP rats showed spatial cognitive impairment, white matter lesions and Aβ deposition. Moreover, AQP4 polarity disorder and neuroinflammatory activation were found, which were linked to Aβ deposition. Treatment with MSCs markedly improved cognitive tasks and reduced Aβ deposition but failed to reduce white-matter lesions. Furthermore, MSCs not only promoted AQP4 polarity but also alleviated neuroinflammation probably through the STAT6 pathway. The present study demonstrated that Aβ deposition, AQP4 polarity disorder and neuroinflammation might be involved in CSVD and the regulatory effects of MSCs on them suggested potential therapeutic value for CSVD.