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Clinical and radiographic characteristics of mucoid degeneration of the anterior cruciate ligament (MD-ACL) were poorly documented in previous literature. And the optimal management strategy for MD-ACL remains unclear. Here, we summarized the characteristics associated with MD-ACL, and evaluated the clinical outcome of conservative management to MD-ACL.A total of 18 knees in 18 patients diagnosed with MD-ACL were collected and reviewed retrospectively. Sixteen patients underwent conservative management and two patients underwent arthroscopic surgery. Baseline demographic, clinical data, and pathologic changes of knee in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were recorded. Clinical outcome was evaluated with Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Oxford Knee Score (OKS).The most common clinical characteristic in patients with MD-ACL was knee pain (18/18), and seconded by mobility limitation (38.9%, 7/18). All patients presented a typical celery stalk sign with increased signal and diffuse thickening volume in the ACL in MRI. Thirteen patients companied with meniscus tear (72.2%, 13/18), and nine complicated with cartilage injury (50.0%, 9/18). Sixteen patients who underwent conservative treatment were followed up for 21.8 months, and a positive clinical outcome was observed with VAS decreasing from 5.3 ± 2.3 to 1.5 ± 1.9 and OKS decreasing from 27.5 ± 12.7 to 17.9 ± 11.8 (p Knee pain and meniscus tear was the main characteristic of MD-ACL in clinical and radiographic exam. Conservative treatment could be an alternative management for treatment of MD-ACL with positive clinical outcome. Old age, long duration of disease and complications from meniscus tears were associated with inferior outcome of conservative treatment for MD-ACL. Level of evidence IV.

Major diseases, such as cancer and COVID-19, are frightening global health problems, and sustained action is necessary to develop vaccines. Here, for the first time, ethoxy acetalated dextran nanoparticles (Ace-Dex-NPs) are functionalized with 9-N-(4H-thieno[3,2-c]chromene-2-carbamoyl)-Siaα2-3Galβ1-4GlcNAc (

The future use of coal as a fuel for power generation in the US depends on the availability of financially viable technologies for capture and storage of CO2 emissions from power plants. Key second-generation candidates for CO2 capture include high temperature and pressurized oxy-firing of coal, which has the potential to increase efficiency, lower capital costs, avoid air ingress and reduce oxygen requirements. However, unquantified challenges, such as flame behavior, heat transfer, ash transformation, ash deposition and char oxidation, still exist for those technologies. This study specifically focuses on the formation of submicron particles and initial layer ash deposition during high temperature oxy-coal combustion. Previous work has shown that the initial layer deposits are mainly formed of submicron size ash aerosols transported by thermophoresis. Unfortunately, the importance of submicron particle deposition has not received much attention, probably due to the insignificant deposit mass and difficulty in prediction of the submicron particles formation. In this work, models including mineral matter vaporization model, scavenging model and deposition model are developed and applied into a three-dimensional CFD framework to predict the submicron particles formation and subsequent initial layer deposits formation. The model results are comparable to experimental data. The merits of this work are that it has led to the development of a novel approach to predict both submicron particle formation and initial layer ash deposition during oxy-coal combustion.

The membrane-proximal external region (MPER) of Lassa virus (LASV) glycoprotein complex (GPC) is critical in modulating its functionality. Till now, the high-resolution structure of the intact GPC, including MPER is not available. In this study, we used alanine substitution to scan all 16 residues located in LASV MPER. Western blotting and quantification fusion assay showed that the residues located at the C terminus of the HR2 (M414 and L415) and N terminus of the MPER (K417 and Y419) are critical for GPC-mediated membrane fusion function. Furthermore, cell surface biotinylation experiments revealed that M414A, K417A and Y419A expressed similar levels as WT, whereas L415A mutant led to a reduction of mature GPC on the cell surface. Moreover, substitution of these residues with the similar residue such as M414L, L415I, K417R and Y419F would partly compensate the loss of the fusion activity caused by the alanine mutant in these sites. Results from this study showed that several key residues in the MPER region are indispensable to promote the conformational changes that drive fusion events and shed light on the structure analysis of LASV GPC and anti-LASV therapeutics.

Large eddy simulation (LES) has become a promising tool for pulverized coal combustion with the development of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technologies in recent years. LES can better capture the unsteady features and turbulent structures of coal jet flame than Reynolds averaged Navier Stokes (RANS). The coal-fired power plants in China are now required to be operated in a wide load range and quickly respond to the electric grid. The boiler performance of variable loads should be evaluated in terms of flow, heat transfer, and combustion processes. In this paper, LES was applied to simulate a 660 MW ultra-supercritical boiler under BMCR (boiler maximum continue rate), 75%THA-100, and 50%THA-100 conditions. The predicted gas velocities agree well with the thermal calculation and the temperature error is less than 130 K. The simulation results show that the operation load has significant effects on the boiler performance. It is also proved that LES can provide guidance for the design and operation of advanced coal-fired boilers.

The core of any optical imaging system is a photodetector. Whether it is film or a semiconductor chip in a camera, or indeed the retina in an eye, conventional photodetectors are designed to absorb most of the incident light and record a projected two-dimensional (2D) distribution of light from a scene. The intensity distribution of light from 3D objects, however, can be described by a 4D light field, so optical imaging systems that can acquire higher dimensions of optical information are highly desirable1–3. Here, we report a proof-of-concept light field imaging scheme using transparent graphene photodetector stacks. On a transparent substrate we fabricate a photodetector using graphene as the light-sensing layer, the conducting channel layer, the gate layer and interconnects, enabling sensitive light detection and high transparency at the same time. This technology opens up the possibility of developing sensor arrays that can be stacked along the light path, enabling entirely new configurations of optical imaging devices. We experimentally demonstrate depth ranging using a double stack of transparent detectors and develop a method for computational reconstruction of a 4D light field from a single exposure that can be applied following the successful fabrication of dense 2D transparent sensor arrays. A highly transparent photodetector using graphene as the light-sensing layer, conducting channel layer, gate layer and interconnects enables new approaches for light field photodetection and imaging involving simultaneous detection across multiple focal planes.

Lu Yu,1 Haiyan Ji,2 Minmin Zhou,1 Yaxin Guo,2 Junfeng Liu,2 Daoyun Lei,3 Chao Han,1 Tieliang Ma1 1Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Yixing Hospital of Jiangsu University, Yixing, Jiangsu, 214200, People’s Republic of China; 2Medical College of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, 212013, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Anesthesiology, Zhongda Hospital Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210029, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Chao Han, Email staff940@yxph.comBackground: Several studies have shown that ATP-binding cassette transporter A7 (ABCA7) gene variation is associated with cognitive impairment. This study was aimed to investigate the relationship between ABCA7 rs3764650 polymorphism and perioperative neurocognitive disorder (pNCD).Methods: A total of 132 elderly patients aged 65 and over who underwent elective non-cardiac surgery were enrolled in the study, while 28 healthy volunteers matching age and sex were recruited as the control group. A battery of neuropsychological tests was conducted 1 day before, 7 days, and 3 months after surgeries. Delayed neurocognitive recovery (dNCR) and postoperative mild or major neurocognitive disorder (POCD) were determined using the Z value method. The venous blood sample of the surgical patients was taken before the operation. Genotyping of rs3764650 was performed using polymerase chain reaction amplification and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis.Results: The incidences of dNCR and POCD were 29.7% and 16.8% at 7 days and 3 months after surgery, respectively. The G allele frequency and GG frequency of dNCR patients were significantly higher than that of non-dNCR patients (43.3% vs 28.2%, P=0.035; 23.3% vs 4.2%, P=0.013, respectively) at 7 days following surgery. No significant differences in ABCA7 alleles between POCD and non-POCD patients were observed 3 months postoperatively.Conclusion: ABCA7 rs3764650 gene polymorphism is associated with dNCR and GG genotype might be a predisposing factor for postoperative cognitive impairment in Chinese Han elderly populations.Keywords: ATP-binding cassette transporter, rs3764650, polymorphism, postoperative neurocognitive disorders

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused an ongoing pandemic, coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), which has become a major global public health event. Antiviral compounds remain the predominant means of treating COVID-19. Here, we reported that bergamottin, a furanocoumarin originally found in bergamot, exhibited inhibitory activity against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo. Bergamottin interfered with multiple stages of virus life cycles, specifically blocking the SARS-CoV-2 spike-mediated membrane fusion and effectively reducing viral RNA synthesis. Oral delivery of bergamottin to golden Syrian hamsters at dosages of both 50 mg/kg and 75 mg/kg reduced the SARS-CoV-2 load in nasal turbinates and lung tissues. Pathological damage caused by viral infection was also ameliorated after bergamottin treatment. Overall, our study provides evidence of bergamottin as a promising natural compound, with broad-spectrum anti-coronavirus activity, that could be further developed in the fight against COVID-19 infection during the current pandemic.

The Lujo virus (LUJV) belongs to the Old World (OW) genus Mammarenavirus (family Arenaviridae); it is categorized as a biosafety level (BSL) 4 agent. Currently, there are no U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs or vaccines specifically for LUJV or other pathogenic OW mammarenaviruses. Here, a high-throughput screening of an FDA-approved drug library was conducted using pseudotype viruses bearing LUJV envelope glycoprotein (GPC) to identify inhibitors of LUJV entry. Three hit compounds, trametinib, manidipine, and lercanidipine, were identified as LUJV entry inhibitors in the micromolar range. Mechanistic studies revealed that trametinib inhibited LUJV GPC-mediated membrane fusion by targeting C410 (located in the transmembrane (TM) domain), while manidipine and lercanidipine inhibited LUJV entry by acting as calcium channel blockers. Meanwhile, all three hits extended their antiviral spectra to the entry of other pathogenic mammarenaviruses. Furthermore, all three could inhibit the authentic prototype mammarenavirus, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), and could prevent infection at the micromolar level. This study shows that trametinib, manidipine, and lercanidipine are candidates for LUJV therapy, and highlights the critical role of calcium in LUJV infection. The presented findings reinforce the notion that the key residue(s) located in the TM domain of GPC provide an entry-targeted platform for designing mammarenavirus inhibitors.IMPORTANCETo date, only one LUJV outbreak has been recorded; it occurred in 2008 and resulted in a fatality rate of 80% (4/5 cases). Pathogenesis studies and therapeutic strategies are therefore urgently needed. Repurposing approved drugs can accelerate the development of drug design and facilitate the understanding of infectious mechanisms. Here, three compounds, trametinib, manidipine, and lercanidipine, were identified as entry inhibitors against LUJV. Studying the underling mechanisms revealed that a key residue (C410) in LUJV GPC modulates its sensitivity/resistance to trametinib and demonstrated the critical role of calcium in LUJV infection.

Currently, there are no approved drugs for the treatment of flavivirus infection. Accordingly, we tested the inhibitory effects of the novel θ-defensin retrocyclin-101 (RC-101) against flavivirus infection and investigated the mechanism underlying the potential inhibitory effects. First, RC-101 robustly inhibited both Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) infections. RC-101 exerted inhibitory effects on the entry and replication stages. Results also indicated that the nonstructural protein NS2B-NS3 serine protease might serve as a potential viral target. Furthermore, RC-101 inhibited protease activity at the micromolar level. We also demonstrated that with respect to the glycoprotein E protein of flavivirus, the DE loop of domain III (DIII), which is the receptor-binding domain of the E protein, might serve as another viral target of RC-101. Moreover, a JEV DE mutant exhibited resistance to RC-101, which was associated with deceased binding affinity of RC-101 to DIII. These findings provide a basis for the development of RC-101 as a potential candidate for the treatment of flavivirus infection. IMPORTANCE Retrocyclin is an artificially humanized circular θ-defensin peptide, containing 18 residues, previously reported to possess broad antimicrobial activity. In this study, we found that retrocyclin-101 inhibited flavivirus (ZIKV and JEV) infections. Retrocyclin-101 inhibited NS2B-NS3 serine protease activity, suggesting that the catalytic triad of the protease is the target. Moreover, retrocyclin-101 bound to the DE loop of the E protein of flavivirus, which prevented its entry.

The subgrid-scale effects on particle motion were investigated in forced isotropic turbulence by DNS and prior-LES methods. In the DNS field, the importance of Kolmogorov scaling to preferential accumulation was validated by comparing the radial distribution functions under various particle Stokes numbers. The prior-LES fields were generated by filtering the DNS data. The subgrid-scale Stokes number (StSGS) is a useful tool for determining the effects of subgrid-scale eddies on particle motion. The subgrid-scale eddies tend to accumulate particles with StSGS 1 while has an adverse impact on the particles with StSGS

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE The study aims to explore the relationship between preoperative anxiety and chronic postoperative pain. METHODS A total of forty rats were divided into four groups, control, single-prolonged stress alone, Hysterectomy alone, and SPS+ Hysterectomy. The paw withdrawal mechanical thresholds (PWMT) were examined. qRT-PCR and western blotting assay were performed to detect the GFAP expression in astrocytes isolated from the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) region. In addition, the long-term potentiation (LTP) in ACC was examined. RESULTS Rats in the SPS group or the Hysterectomy alone group had no significant effect on chronic pain formation, but SPS can significantly induce chronic pain after surgery. Astrocytes were still active, and the LTP was significantly increased three days after modeling in the SPS+Hysterectomy group. CONCLUSIONS anxiety can induce chronic pain by activating astrocytes in the ACC region.

As a carbon sequestration material, biochar has attracted much attention due to its potential to enhance rice productivity and nitrogen retention in paddy fields. However, little information is available about the impacts of rice straw-derived biochar on coating materials of slow-release fertilizers especially with bentonite, starch, and humic acid. In this study, a biochar-based slow-release fertilizer was developed and evaluated at field scale. An orthogonal experimental design was applied to investigate the blending ratios of biochar, humic acid, and bentonite with three adhesives, and how these influenced N release. The optimum coating combination was 25% biochar, 4% bentonite, and 10% humic acid with modified cornstarch as the adhesive (herein referred to as CF10). The product not only decreased N leaching and runoff losses at the seeding and tillering stages but also supplied more nutrients to the rice at the heading and maturing stages. The SEM and FT-IR observations revealed that an effective dense layer was formed that slowed N release from the granule. Laboratory- and field-scale studies showed that biochar has played a crucial role in developing a slow-release coating for the compound fertilizer based on its structural properties, porosity, and chemical interaction with other coating ingredients. We conclude that biochar-based slow-release fertilizer is a promising alternative N fertilizer for rice production.

Numerical simulation of pulverized coal combustion with the large eddy simulation (LES) method can provides important instructions on the design optimization of boilers. Because of its huge computational cost, a simple but reliable NOx prediction model is required in LES. Through the air-staged combustion experiments of six kinds of coals which conducted in an electric heated down-fired furnace (DFF), the relationship between NOx reduction and CO + H2 generation in the fuel-rich zone was identified. Based on this observation, a semi-empirical modeling strategy was proposed: instead of CHi which is difficult to calculate, the concentration of CO + H2 is used to quantify NO homogeneous reduction. An integrated NOx prediction model was proposed and implemented into LES simulation. The results proved the new model can accurately predict different NOx evolution characteristics under various conditions. Furthermore, the comparison indicated the LES method performs better on NOx prediction than the RANS method, especially in the area where the turbulent fluctuation is relatively stronger.

With the rapid development of software technology, software vulnerability has become a major threat to computer security. The timely detection and repair of potential vulnerabilities in software, are of great significance in reducing system crashes and maintaining system security and integrity. This paper focuses on detecting three common types of vulnerabilities: Unused_ Variable, Use_of_Uninitialized_Variable, and Use_After_ Free. We propose a method for software vulnerability detection based on an improved control flow graph (ICFG) and several predicates of vulnerability properties for each type of vulnerability. We also define a set of grammar rules for analyzing and deriving the three mentioned types of vulnerabilities, and design three vulnerability detection algorithms to guide the process of vulnerability detection. In addition, we conduct cases studies of the three mentioned types of vulnerabilities with real vulnerability program segments from Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE). The results of the studies show that the proposed method can detect the vulnerability in the tested program segments. Finally, we conduct manual analysis and experiments on detecting the three types of vulnerability program segments (30 examples for each type) from CWE, to compare the vulnerability detection effectiveness of the proposed method with that of the existing detection tool CppCheck. The results show that the proposed method performs better. In summary, the method proposed in this paper has certain feasibility and effectiveness in detecting the three mentioned types of vulnerabilities, and it will also have guiding significance for the detection of other common vulnerabilities.

A novel insert-hollow cross disk (HCD) combined with twisted tape is embedded in a cracking coil to enhance the propane cracking process by positive constructing of synergetic flowing field. Quantitative analysis of appropriate insert arrangement has been conducted based on contrastive CFD simulation results in the bare and novel coil. The characteristic exchanging flow between the central zone and the near wall area induced by inserts in the novel coil can play an effective role in improving the radial synergy among heat, mass and velocity. This leads to an obvious yield increase of 0.50% and 10.23% of ethylene and propylene comparing with the bare coil. And the average tube skin temperature is declined by 28.45 k. Moreover, the Nu and Sh are increased by 10.96% and 2.98% respectively and the overall PEC factor has a rise of 8.00% in the novel coil. This confirms the effective strengthening effect by the novel coil. Furthermore, the field synergy theory is applied to evaluate the synergy improvement for the heat and mass transfer process. Comparing with the bare coil, the synergy angles for heat as well as mass transfer in the novel coil have a maximum decrease of 21.76% and 23.14% in the downstream of the twisted tape (z/L = 0.23) and HCD insert (z/L = 0.60), respectively. This could explain the enhanced heat and mass transfer as well as the product distribution due to the synergic flow field in the novel coil with the assemble inserts group.

The heat-transfer characteristics in the fireside of a pulverized-coal furnace are affected, among other factors, by the physical and chemical characteristics of the ash deposits. Indeed, the physical state of the ash deposits and their chemical composition determine the radiative and conductive properties of the furnace walls. Particularly, several complex mechanisms are involved in the radiative heat-transfer process at the walls that restricts the absorption of the incident radiation of the flame, particles, and hot gases. These mechanisms involve dependencies on the radiation spectrum due to the ash chemical composition and ash-sintering effects that enhance or hinder the overall heat transfer. In this paper, we discuss the complex mechanisms that describe the heat exchange in the presence of ash deposits and their impact on the prediction of the wall emissivity and ultimately the wall heat transfer in a real system.

A novel comprehensive vortex generator, hollow-cross disk (HCD) which comprises a special sinusoidal wave structure, has been proposed to modify the configuration for cracking coil. The effects of HCD on the turbulent flow patterns, heat transfer characteristics and micro-mixing efficiency of the flow are investigated by CFD modelling in the present work. The numerical results demonstrate that in the test range of flow rates, the vorticial flow induced by HCD couples with CVPs and hairpin-like vortex, efficiently enhancing the convective heat transfer locally and globally. In contrast, although the global swirling flow induced by a twisted-tape can enhance the turbulence intensity, larger pressure drop taking place in the coil leads to relatively poor comprehensive heat transfer performance and lower micro-mixing efficiency. Moreover, the mechanisms of heat transfer enhancement for the cases with inserts have been investigated by the synergy regulation and the synergy between the temperature gradient and velocity has been discussed. The results indicate that better synergy occurring in the vicinity of coil surface is a key factor to enhance heat transfer for the cracking process. The obtained results can be used as a guidance for the design and optimization of the inserts for the cracking process.

In this paper, we investigate the global stability of an SEIR (Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Remove) epidemic model with infectious force under intervention strategies. To address this issue, we prove that the basic reproduction number R0 plays an essential role in determining whether the disease extincts or persists. If , there is a unique disease-free equilibrium point of the model which is globally asymptotically stable and the disease dies out, and if , there exists a unique endemic equilibrium point which is globally asymptotically stable and the disease persists.

A computational fluid dynamics model is presented that allows for the investigation of the ash deposition and provides an economical approach for studying design changes in new boilers and retrofit options for existing units. This study proposes a detailed description of ash deposition integrating three separate particle-sticking criteria: melt fraction, viscosity, and energy conservation upon collision. Also, a detailed model for predicting the thermal properties of existing deposit layers (thermal conductivity and emissivity) is implemented into a one-dimensional wall heat-transfer model. The coupled ash-deposition and wall heat-transfer model is implemented into a large-eddy simulation (LES) framework to predict the heat-flux profile, deposition rates, slagging and fouling for industrial boilers. The results of this approach are validated with experimental data from the University of Utah’s 100 kW down-fired, oxy-fuel combustion (OFC) furnace. Two OFC cases with different geometries are studied for their coal combustion and dynamic ash-deposit growth in this large-scale laboratory furnace. Comparisons of the deposition rates and gas temperature agree within 4.82% and 17.58%, respectively, of the measured data.

An escalating pandemic caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is impacting global health. Specific treatment options for diseases caused by SARS-CoV-2 are largely lacking. Herein, we used a pseudotype virus (pv) bearing the SARS-CoV-2 S glycoprotein to screen a botanical drug library to identify an agent against SARS-CoV-2 entry. All the four hits, including angeloylgomisin O, schisandrin B, procyanidin, and oleanonic acid, were identified for effective inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 S pv entry in the micromolar range. A mechanistic study revealed that these four agents inhibit SARS-CoV-2 S pv entry by blocking S-mediated membrane fusion. Furthermore, angeloylgomisin O, schisandrin B, and oleanonic acid inhibited authentic SARS-CoV-2 with a high selective index (SI). We also showed that all the four hits could also inhibit the entry of pv of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and newly emerged SARS-CoV-2 variants (D614G, K417N/E484K/N501Y/D614G). In drug combination studies performed in cellular antiviral assays, angeloylgomisin O and schisandrin B displayed synergistic effects in combination with remdesivir. These results indicated that angeloylgomisin O, schisandrin B, procyanidin, and oleanonic acid can inhibit SARS-CoV-2 and that they are potential therapeutic agents for COVID-19.

Mosquito-borne Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) causes serious illness worldwide and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. To identify potential host therapeutic targets, a high-throughput receptor tyrosine kinase small interfering RNA library screening was performed with recombinant JEV particles. Platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFRβ) was identified as a hit after two rounds of screening. Knockdown of PDGFRβ blocked JEV infection, and trans-complementation of PDGFRβ could partly restore its infectivity. The PDGFRβ inhibitor imatinib, which has been approved for the treatment of malignant metastatic cancer, protected mice against JEV-induced lethality by decreasing the viral load in the brain, while abrogating the histopathological changes associated with JEV infection. These findings demonstrated that PDGFRβ is important in viral infection and provided evidence for the potential to develop imatinib as a therapeutic intervention against JEV infection.