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This paper explores the influence of polypropylene fiber on the mechanical properties of recycled concrete and the bonding performance between recycled concrete and steel bars. The results indicate that the compressive strength and splitting tensile strength of concrete decrease with the increase in the replacement rate of recycled aggregate. When the replacement rate of recycled aggregate was 100 %, the compressive strength of concrete decreased by 25.0%, while the splitting tensile strength of concrete decreased by 21.7 %. The compressive strength and splitting tensile strength of recycled aggregate concrete show a trend of first increasing and then decreasing with increasing fiber content. When the fiber content is 0.09 %, the compressive strength and tensile strength of recycled aggregate concrete are optimal. The bond strength of recycled concrete pullout specimens with fiber is higher than that of recycled concrete pullout specimens without fiber, while the slip of recycled concrete pullout specimens with fiber is lower than that of recycled concrete pullout specimens without fiber. The maximum improvement in bonding performance between recycled concrete and rebars with a 50 % recycled aggregate replacement rate is 13.7 %, and the maximum improvement in bonding performance between recycled concrete and rebars with a 100 % recycled aggregate replacement rate is 11.8 %. The bond strength shows a trend of first increasing and then decreasing with increasing fiber content, but the degree of decrease was not significant, while the slip shows a trend of first decreasing and then increasing with increasing fiber content. Compared to the compressive strength of concrete, the splitting tensile strength can better reflect the bond strength between concrete and rebar. The nonlinear relationship between the bond strength, compressive strength, and splitting tensile strength of recycled concrete is established. This study can effectively improve the mechanical properties of recycled concrete, expand the application scope of recycled concrete technology, and promote the sustainable development of the construction industry.

Abstract Due to their inherent lattice mismatch characteristics, 2D heterostructure interfaces are considered ideal for achieving stable and sustained ultralow friction (superlubricity). Despite extensive research, the current understanding of how interface adhesion affects interlayer friction remains limited. This study focused on graphene/MoS2 and graphene/PdSe2 heterostructure interfaces, where extremely low friction coefficients of ≈10−3 are observed. In contrast, the MoS2/PdSe2 heterostructure interfaces exhibit higher friction coefficients, ≈0.02, primarily due to significant interfacial interactions driven by interlayer charge transfer, which is closely related to the ionic nature of 2D material crystals. These findings indicate that the greater the difference in ionicity between the two 2D materials comprising the sliding interfaces is, the lower the interlayer friction, providing key criteria for designing ultralow friction pairs. Moreover, the experimental results demonstrate that interlayer friction in heterostructure systems is closely associated with the material thickness and interface adhesion strength. These experimental findings are supported by molecular dynamics simulations, further validating the observed friction behavior. By integrating experimental observations with simulation analyses, this study reveals the pivotal role of interface adhesion in regulating interlayer friction and offers new insights into understanding and optimizing the frictional performance of layered solid lubricants.

Abstract In online public opinion events, key figures are crucial to the formation and diffusion of public opinion, to the evolution and dissemination of topics, and to the guidance and transformation of the direction of public opinion. Based on the four-dimensional public opinion communication supernetwork (social-psychology-opinion-convergent), this study proposes a classification and recognition algorithm of key figures in online public opinion that integrates multidimensional similarity and K-shell to identify the key figures with differentiation in online public opinion events. The research finds that the evolutionary process of public opinion events is the joint action of key figures with different roles. The opinion leader is the key figure in the global communication of public opinion. The focus figure is the core figure that promotes the dissemination of public opinion on local subnetworks. The communication figure is the “bridge” node in the cross-regional communication of public opinion. Through the algorithm verification of the case “China Eastern Airlines Passenger Plane Crash Event”, we find that the algorithm proposed in this paper has advantages in feasibility, sensitivity, and effectiveness, compared with traditional algorithms such as CI, forwarding volume, degree centrality, K-shell, and multidimensional similarity. The classification and recognition algorithm proposed in this study can not only identify multirole key figures simultaneously but also improve the recognition granularity and eliminate the interference of core-like nodes.

Abstract Background Patients with epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) are usually diagnosed at an advanced stage with tumour cell invasion. However, identifying the underlying molecular mechanisms and biomarkers of EOC proliferation and invasion remains challenging. Results Herein, we explored the relationship between tumour microenvironment (TME) reprogramming and tissue invasion based on single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets. Interestingly, hypoxia, oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and glycolysis, which have biologically active trajectories during epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT), were positively correlated. Moreover, energy metabolism and anti-apoptotic activity were found to be critical contributors to intratumor heterogeneity. In addition, HMGA1, EGR1 and RUNX1 were found to be critical drivers of the EMT process in EOC. Experimental validation revealed that suppressing EGR1 expression inhibited tumour cell invasion, significantly upregulated the expression of E-cadherin and decreased the expression of N-cadherin. In cell components analysis, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) were found to significantly contribute to immune infiltration and tumour invasion, and the accumulation of CAFs was associated with poorer patient survival. Conclusion We revealed the molecular mechanism and biomarkers of tumour invasion and TME reprogramming in EOC, which provides effective targets for the suppression of tumour invasion.

Background: There are limited population studies on the neurodevelopmental effects of bisphenol F (BPF), a substitute for bisphenol A. Furthermore, the role of placental estradiol as a potential mediator linking these two factors remains unclear. Objective: To examine the association between maternal prenatal BPF exposure and infant neurodevelopment in a prospective cohort study and to explore the mediating effects of placental estradiol between BPF exposure and neurodevelopment in a nested case-control study. Methods: The prospective cohort study included 1077 mother-neonate pairs from the Wuhu city cohort study in China. Maternal BPF was determined using the liquid/liquid extraction and Ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method. Children's neurodevelopment was assessed at ages 3, 6, and 12 months using Ages and Stages Questionnaires. The nested case-control study included 150 neurodevelopmental delay cases and 150 healthy controls. Placental estradiol levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Generalized estimating equation models and robust Poisson regression models were used to examine the associations between BPF exposure and children's neurodevelopment. In the nested case-control study, causal mediation analysis was conducted to assess the role of placental estradiol as a mediator in multivariate models. Results: In the prospective cohort study, the pregnancy-average BPF concentration was positively associated with developmental delays in gross-motor, fine-motor, and problem-solving ( ORtotal ASQ: 1.14(1.05, 1.25), ORgross-motor: 1.22(1.10, 1.36), ORfine-motor: 1.19(1.07, 1.31), ORproblem-solving: 1.11(1.01, 1.23)). After sex-stratified analyses, pregnancy-average BPF concentration was associated with an increased risk of neurodevelopmental delays in the gross-motor (ORgross-motor:1.30(1.12, 1.51)) and fine-motor (ORfine-motor: 1.22(1.06, 1.40)) domains in boys. In the nested case-control study, placental estradiol mediated 16.6% (95%CI: 4.4%, 35.0%) of the effects of prenatal BPF exposure on developmental delay. Conclusions: Our study supports an inverse relationship between prenatal BPF exposure and child neurodevelopment in infancy, particularly in boys. Decreased placental estradiol may be an underlying biological pathway linking prenatal BPF exposure to neurodevelopmental delay in offspring.

Along with Indonesia's economy and population growth, the community's need for building construction and infrastructure will also increase. Project implementation is undoubtedly expected to meet the predetermined quality, time, and cost targets, so a good project management system is needed. However, there is often a mismatch between planning time and realization due to obstacles during project performance, causing delays and over-budget on the project completion. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the cost and time carried out in an integrated manner to estimate the total cost and time needed until the project is completed. This monitoring is used to avoid delays and cost overruns, which can be done using the Earned Value Analysis Method. This research is expected to monitor and control the time and cost required to implement the MRT-Hub Building Construction Project of Dukuh Atas Intersection to avoid losses or delays when the project is completed. The results of the analysis, based on the Earned Value Analysis Method at week 57th after the addendum, the result of the Schedule Variance (SV) is negative. In contrast, the Cost Variance (CV) is positive (+). The result of the Schedule Performance Index (SPI) is smaller than 1, while the Cost Performance Index (CPI) is greater than 1 ( 1). Thus, it is known that the project performance is running slower than the planned schedule, and the actual cost is smaller than the budget performed. Based on these results, the estimated temporary schedule (ETS) at week 57th is 188.3538 days with a remaining cost (ETC) of IDR 97,526,302,702.70. Meanwhile, the estimated project completion time (EAS) is 584.3538 days with an estimated all-cost (EAC) of IDR 171,868,372,084.14. Thus, it can be concluded that the project is expected to be -0.0606% later than the addendum schedule, with an estimated project profit of 10.0123% of the addendum budget.

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) accounts for only 5 % of all stroke cases, but carries a heavy burden of morbidity and mortality. Activity regulated cytoskeleton associated protein (Arc) is an immediate early gene (IEG)-coded postsynaptic protein that is involved in synaptic plasticity. Increasing evidence and our previous studies have shown that Arc might be involved in the pathological mechanism of various neurological diseases, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI). In this study, we investigated the level of Arc in cerebrospinal fluids (CSF) of aSAH patients and its potential role in brain damage following experimental SAH model. We found that the levels of Arc in aSAH patients’ CSF positively correlated with Hunt-Hess (H&H) grades. Knockdown of endogenous Arc expression by small interfere RNA (siRNA) significantly increased brain edema and oxidative stress following SAH. The results of immunostaining in brain sections showed that knockdown of Arc enhanced activation of microglia and astrocytes. In congruent, generation of inflammatory cytokines following SAH was increased by Si-Arc transfection. The results of western blot analysis showed that knockdown of Arc inhibited the expression of Sirt1 and Nrf2, which was accompanied by decreased enzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px). In addition, activation of sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) via agonist SRT2104 markedly decreased the brain damage and neuroinflammation induced by Arc knockdown. In conclusion, knockdown of endogenous Arc could aggravate brain damage and neuroinflammation following experimental SAH, and Arc levels in aSAH patients’ CSF might be a potential indicator of brain damage and prognosis.

Cooking oil fume-derived PM2.5 (COF-PM2.5) is a major source of indoor air contamination in China, which has been demonstrated to be a hazard factor of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. This study aimed to investigate the role of ROS-mediated PERK/ATF4 signaling activation in COF-PM2.5-inhibited extracorporeal tube formation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). HUVECs were treated with 100 μg/mL COF-PM2.5 at different times, with or without 100 nM PERK activity inhibitor GSK2606414 (GSK) or 200 μM antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) pretreatment. Our results showed that COF-PM2.5 exposure can inhibit extracorporeal tube formation and down-regulate VEGFR2 expression in HUVECs. Furthermore, our data indicated that COF-PM2.5 exposure can activate the PERK/ATF4 signaling in HUVECs. Mechanistically, pretreatment with GSK interdicted PERK/ATF4 signaling, thereby reversing COF-PM2.5-downregulated VEGFR2 protein expression in HUVECs. Furthermore, NAC reversed VEGFR2 expression downregulated induced by COF-PM2.5 by inhibiting the upregulation of intracellular ROS levels and PERK/ATF4 signaling in HUVECs. As above, COF-PM2.5 exposure could induce ROS release from HUVECs, which in turn activate the endoplasmic reticulum PERK/ATF4 signaling and inhibit tube formation of HUVECs.

Abstract Background/purpose In axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) inflammation of the sacroiliac joints and spine is associated with local extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling of affected tissues. We aimed to investigate the association of ECM metabolites with treatment response in axSpA patients treated with TNF-α inhibitory therapy for 46 weeks. Methods In a prospective clinical study of axSpA patients (n=55) initiating a TNF inhibitor (infliximab, etanercept, or adalimumab), serum concentrations of formation of type I (PRO-C1), type III (PRO-C3), and type VI (PRO-C6) collagen; turnover of type IV collagen (PRO-C4), and matrix-metalloproteinase (MMP)-degraded type III (C3M) collagen, MMP-degraded type IV (C4M), type VI (C6M), and type VII (C7M) collagen, and cathepsin-degraded type X collagen (C10C), MMP-mediated metabolite of C-reactive protein (CRPM), citrullinated vimentin (VICM), and neutrophil elastase-degraded elastin (EL-NE) were measured at baseline, week 2, week 22, and week 46. Results Patients were mostly males (82%), HLA-B27 positive (84%), with a median age of 40 years (IQR: 32–48), disease duration of 5.5 years (IQR: 2–10), and a baseline Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS) of 3.9 (IQR: 3.0–4.5). Compared to baseline, PRO-C1 levels were significantly increased after two weeks of treatment, C6M levels were significantly decreased after two and 22 weeks (repeated measures ANOVA, p=0.0014 and p=0.0015, respectively), EL-NE levels were significantly decreased after 2 weeks (p=0.0008), VICM levels were significantly decreased after two and 22 weeks (p=0.0163 and p=0.0374, respectively), and CRP were significantly decreased after two and 22 weeks (both p=0.0001). Baseline levels of PRO-C1, PRO-C3, C6M, VICM, and CRP were all associated with ASDAS clinically important and major improvement after 22 weeks (ΔASDAS ≥1.1) (Mann–Whitney test, p=0.006, p=0.008, p

During the operation of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) at automated terminals, the occurrence of conflicts and deadlocks will undoubtedly increase the ineffective waiting time of AGVs, so there is an urgent need for path planning and tracking control schemes for autonomous obstacle avoidance in AGVs. An innovative AGV autonomous obstacle avoidance path planning and trajectory tracking control scheme is proposed, effectively considering static and dynamic obstacles. This involves establishing three potential fields that reflect the influences of obstacles, lane lines, and velocities. These potential fields are incorporated into an optimized model predictive control (MPC) cost function, leveraging artificial potential fields to ensure effective obstacle avoidance. To enhance this system’s capability, a fuzzy logic system is designed to dynamically adjust the weight coefficients of the hybrid artificial potential field model predictive controller, strengthening the autonomous obstacle avoidance capabilities of the AGVs. The tracking control scheme includes a fuzzy linear quadratic regulator based on a fuzzy logic system, a dynamics model as a lateral controller, and a PI controller as a longitudinal tracker to track the pre-set trajectory and speed autonomously. Multi-scenario simulation tests demonstrate the effectiveness and rationality of our autonomous obstacle-avoidance control scheme.

A sea-rail automated container terminal (SRACT) plays a crucial role in the global logistics network, combining the benefits of sea and railway transportation. However, addressing the challenges of multi-equipment cooperative scheduling in terminal and railway operation areas is essential to ensure efficient container transportation. For the first time, this study addresses the cooperative scheduling challenges among railway gantry cranes, yard cranes, and automated guided vehicles (AGVs) under the loading and unloading mode in SRACTs, ensuring efficient container transportation. This requires the development of a practical scheduling model and algorithm. In this study, a mixed integer programming model was established for the first time to study the multi-equipment cooperative scheduling problem of a SRACT under the loading and unloading mode. A self-adaptive chaotic genetic algorithm was designed to solve the model, and the practicability and effectiveness of the model and algorithm were verified by simulation experiments. Furthermore, this study also proposes an AGV number adjustment strategy to accommodate changes in vessel arrival delays and train container types. Simulation experiments demonstrated that this strategy significantly reduces loading and unloading time, decreases equipment energy consumption, and improves the utilization rate of AGVs. This research provides valuable guidance for ongoing SRACT projects and advances and methodological approaches in multi-equipment co-operative scheduling for such terminals.

In this paper, a two-stage equalization topology based on Zero-Voltage Switching Quasi-Resonant Converter (ZVS QRC) is proposed to solve the problems of long equalization time and low energy utilization of series lithium-ion battery packs. The equalization topology is divided into two forms: intra-group and inter-group, ZVS QRCs are adopted in both intra-group and inter-group, which can equalize any single cell within a group, and the equalization circuit within each pack can equalize simultaneously, which greatly reduces the equalization time, and reduces the switching loss during the equalization process by introducing quasi-resonant circuit to improve the energy utilization. Taking the State of Charge (SOC) as the equalization target, a group equalization strategy based on the Credibility Factor (C-F) inference model is proposed. The strategy defines the SOC unbalance degree of a single battery, gets the group unbalance degree according to the C-F inference model, and gets the group equalization state from the unbalance degree, to control the group for equalization. Matlab/Simulink software is used to build the model and simulate it. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed topology saves approximately 25% of the equalization time compared to the traditional Buck-Boost group equalization topology. Under the same static and charge/discharge conditions, the equalization time is reduced by about 21% and the energy utilization is improved by about 6% after using the C-F inference model for equalization compared to the fixed-threshold method.

Abstract Osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are serious and painful diseases. Protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2) is involved in the pathology of both OA and RA including roles in synovial hyperplasia, cartilage destruction, osteophyogenesis and pain. PAR2 is activated via cleavage of its N-terminus by serine proteases. In this study a competitive ELISA assay was developed targeting the 36-amino acid peptide that is cleaved and released after PAR2 activation (PRO-PAR2). Technical assay parameters including antibody specificity, intra- and inter-assay variation (CV%), linearity, accuracy, analyte stability and interference were evaluated. PRO-PAR2 release was confirmed after in vitro cleavage of PAR2 recombinant protein and treatment of human synovial explants with matriptase. Serum levels of 22 healthy individuals, 23 OA patients and 15 RA patients as well as a subset of RA patients treated with tocilizumab were evaluated. The PRO-PAR2 antibody was specific for the neo-epitope and intra-inter assay CV% were 6.4% and 5.8% respectively. In vitro cleavage and matriptase treated explants showed increased PRO-PAR2 levels compared to controls. In serum, PRO-PAR2 levels were increased in RA patients and decreased in RA patients treated with tocilizumab. In conclusion, PRO-PAR2 may be a potential biomarker for monitoring RA disease and pharmacodynamics of treatment.

The accumulation of discarded mollusk shells has occupied a large land area and caused severe environmental pollution problems. Discarded mollusk shells are mainly composed of calcium carbonate and therefore can be used for the removal of heavy metals from the contaminated aquatic environment. Theoretically, shells with a smaller powder size have a higher adsorption capacity for heavy metal ions. However, the agglomeration and the outflow of small particles limit the applications of mollusk shells in water treatment practices. To overcome the shortcomings of mollusk shells in heavy metals adsorptions, a polymer composite material comprising poly (vinyl alcohol)/oyster shell powder (PVA-OSP) was prepared with the solution casting method for the adsorption of heavy metal ions from wastewater. The structures and the heavy metal adsorption properties of the oyster shell powder (OSP) and the composite PVA-OSP were studied and compared. Analysis results of XRD and FT-IR showed a successful combination of OSP and PVA by a chemical cross-linking modified with sodium silicate. The composite PVA-OSP has good thermal stability for common adsorption processes. The adsorption results showed that the adsorption capacity of the PVA-OSP composite for both Cu2+ and Cd2+ was much higher than that of the OSP. The adsorptions of Cu2+ and Cd2+ on the OSP followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model as well as the Temkin and Freundlich isotherm model. Comparatively, the adsorptions of heavy metal cations on the PVA-OSP followed the pseudo-first-order kinetic model as well as the Temkin and Langmuir isotherm model. In conclusion, this study showed that the PVA-OSP composite materials may be useful in the treatment of wastewater polluted by heavy metals.

1-nitropyrene (1-NP) is representative nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pollutant widely present in exhaust particles of internal combustion engine, which is known for its carcinogenicity and mutagenicity. Previous studies have demonstrated that 1-NP has reproductive toxicity, but the specific mechanism is unknown. In this study, Human decidual stromal cells (HDSCs) were treated by 1-NP, exosomes were extracted from the conditioned medium of HDSCs, which were then used to treat human chorionic trophoblast cells (HTR8/SVneo) for 24 h. The findings showed that human decidual stromal cell-derived exosomes (HDSC-EXOs) can promote the proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT; Vimentin and N-cadherin) of HTR8/SVneo by about 64%, 17%, 23%, 81% and 13%. The process of regulating the biological behaviors of embryonic trophoblast cells by maternal decidual stromal cells during pregnancy was simulated. Further investigations showed that HDSC-EXOs treatment activated the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in HTR8/SVneo. Co-treatment by dickkopf-1 (DKK-1) significantly suppressed the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in HTR8/SVneo, and inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT (N-cadherin and E-cadherin) of HTR8/SVneo by about 60%, 22%, 42%, 25%, 55% and 21%. These findings indicated that 1-NP exposure could induce the secretion of HDSC-EXOs from HDSCs, which in turn activate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and enhance the proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT of HTR8/SVneo.

Immunoassays, which have gained popularity in clinical practice and modern biomedical research, play an increasingly important role in quantifying various analytes in biological samples. Despite their high sensitivity and specificity, as well as their ability to analyze multiple samples in a single run, immunoassays are plagued by the problem of lot-to-lot variance (LTLV). LTLV negatively affects assay accuracy, precision, and specificity, leading to considerable uncertainty in reported results. Therefore, maintaining consistency in technical performance over time presents a challenge in reproducing immunoassays. In this article, we share our two-decade-long experience and delve into the reasons for and locations of LTLV, as well as explore methods to mitigate its effects. Our investigation identifies potential contributing factors, including quality fluctuation in critical raw materials and deviations in manufacturing processes. These findings offer valuable insights to developers and researchers working with immunoassays, emphasizing the importance of considering lot-to-lot variance in assay development and application.

Reasonable scheduling of a train’s loading and unloading equipment can reduce the energy consumption of production operations; this has great value for the green development of terminals. The collaborative scheduling model of the Automated Rail Mounted Gantry (ARMG) and Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) is used to minimize the energy consumption of equipment in a scenario of a vertical railway entering a port and a shared storage yard existing between the port and railway under the mixed operation mode of “train–ship” and “train–yard–ship”. According to the characteristics of the model, the two-layer scheduling rule and the self-adaptive chaos genetic algorithm (SCGA) were proposed to solve the problem of placing the ARMG and the AGV on the same schedule. Simulation experiments verified the effectiveness of the model and algorithm. The effects of the delayed arrival of vessels, the proportion of “transshipment” containers, and the number of automated ARMGs and AGVs on total energy consumption were analyzed. The results showed that when all containers are “train–ship” containers, the number of ARMG and AGV at 1:4 will minimize the total operational energy consumption. Furthermore, as ships take longer to arrive, reducing the number of AGVs can cut energy use by 15% for the same number of ARMG.

A U-shaped automated container terminal (ACT) has been proposed for the first time globally and has been adopted to construct the Beibu Gulf Port ACT. In this ACT layout, the double cantilevered rail crane (DCRC) simultaneously provides loading and unloading services for the external container trucks (ECTs) and the automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) entering the yard. The DCRC has a complex scheduling coupling relationship with the AGV and the ECT, and its mathematical model is extremely complex. There is an urgent need to study a practical collaborative scheduling optimization model and algorithm for the DCRC, the AGV, and the ECT. In this paper, we optimize the process flow of DCRCs to study the refined collaborative scheduling model of DCRCs, AGVs and ECTs in U-shaped ACTs. Firstly, we analyze the operation process of the DCRC and divide the 16 loading and unloading conditions of the DCRC into four operation modes for process optimization. Secondly, different variables and parameters are set for the DCRC’s four operating modes, and a refined collaborative dispatching model for the DCRCs with AGVs and ECTs is proposed. Finally, a practical adaptive co-evolutionary genetic algorithm solves the model. Meanwhile, arithmetic examples verify the correctness and practicality of the model and algorithm. The experimental results show that the total running time of the DCRCs is the shortest in the U-shaped ACT when the number of quay cranes (QC) to DCRC and AGV ratios are 1:2 and 1:10, respectively. At the same time, the number of QCs and DCRCs has a more significant impact on the efficiency of the ACT than that of AGVs, and priority should be given to the allocation of QCs and DCRCs. The research results have essential guidance value for U-shaped ACTs under construction and enrich the theory and method of collaborative scheduling of U-shaped ACT equipment.

Abstract Background Injury is one of the major public health problems and causes more than 5 million deaths in the world annually. Cases of specific types of injury are life-threatening and heavily-burdened to individuals and society. This study was aimed to assess the financial burden of injury on patients. Methods A total of 565 medical institutions were selected with multistage stratified cluster random sampling, containing 152,553 valid samples. Subsequently, the distribution of injury current curative expenditure (CCE) in different dimensions (including age and site of injury) was analyzed under the framework of System of Health Accounts 2011 (SHA 2011) using the established database. Results In China, both urban and rural injury mortality rates showed an upward trend of more than 5 percentage points from 2006 to 2016. In Dalian, the CCE of injury reached 1572.73 million RMB, accounting for 7.45% of the total CCE. Those aged 15–24 reported larger proportion of CCE than the other age groups. As for the injuries in body parts, injuries occurred to the spine, lower limb, head and foreign body cost most. Conclusions Dalian has a relatively serious burden of injury costs. The essential and primary goal is to reduce the cost. Young people should pay attention to protect their head and limbs from injury, and related government sectors should implement preventive and educative measures.

This article carries out laboratory tests, driving tests, and discrete element method simulations to study the mechanical properties of ballasted tracks including asphalt graded gravel and the influence of factors such as the thickness of asphalt graded gravel layer and train speed on the dynamic characteristics of the closed structure of asphalt graded gravel. It was discovered that the asphalt graded gravel can improve the bearing capacity of the ballasted track subgrade structure and improve the stability of the ballast bed. Comparative analysis shows that as the depth of the ballast bed increases, the amplitude and frequency of the velocity fitting function of each layer gradually decrease. Appropriately increasing the depth is beneficial to the stability of the ballast bed; the vertical dynamic deformation and dynamic stress decrease with the increase of the thickness of asphalt graded gravel layer; with the increase of train speed, the peak frequency of the corresponding spectrum of asphalt graded gravel layer acceleration increases. There are currently few research studies on the asphalt graded crushed stone structure laid in the ballast bed, especially the mechanical properties of the asphalt graded crushed stone structure laid by the discrete element simulation are still blank. The acceleration of the asphalt graded gravel layer increases corresponding to the peak frequency of the spectrum. The peak frequency of the acceleration response of the asphalt graded gravel layer increases. The research rules can provide a reference for the research and development of shock absorption equipment. The research results of this article can provide technical support for the application of asphalt graded gravel in railway engineering.

Background: Cooking oil fume (COF) is an important source of indoor air pollution which severely affects human health, and sufficient vitamin D3 (VitD3) is necessary for maternal and child health. However, the effects of cooking oil fume-derived PM2.5 (COF-PM2.5) on birth outcomes and whether VitD3 could protect from adverse effects caused by COFs-PM2.5 are still unclear. Methods: Twenty-four pregnant rats were divided into 4 groups and treated with various treatments: normal feeding, COFs-PM2.5 intratracheal instillation, VitD3 intragastric administration, and COFs-PM2.5 and VitD3 co-treatment, respectively. The fetal rats were obtained in pregnant 21 days and the development of them was recorded. Morphological changes in umbilical cord were measured with HE staining, and the oxidative stress and inflammatory levels were also investigated. Western blotting and RT-PCR was used to detect the expression of angiogenesis related factors. Results: We successfully established an intrauterine growth restriction model in rats induced by COFs-PM2.5 where fetus weight significantly decreased after COFs-PM2.5 exposure. As for the umbilical cord vasculature, the wall thickened and the lumen narrowed down, and the contractility of the umbilical cord vasculature enhanced after COFs-PM2.5 exposure. COFs-PM2.5 exposure also increased the oxidative stress and inflammation level and activated the HIF-1α/eNOS/NO and VEGF/VEGFR2/eNOS signaling pathway. Interestingly, VitD3 intervention significantly increased the fetus weight and attenuated the injury of umbilical cord vascular, and partly or completely reversed the changes in the ROS/eNOS/ET-1 axis caused by COF-PM2.5. Conclusions: The findings of this study suggested that COF-PM2.5 exposure could contribute to intrauterine growth restriction through disturbing the ROS/eNOS/ET-1 axis, while VitD3 supplementation could be an effective prophylactic measurement.

Gust is a common atmospheric turbulence phenomenon encountered by aircraft and is one major cause of several undesired instability problems. Although the response of aircraft to the incoming gust has been widely investigated within the subject of external-flow aerodynamics in the past decades, little attention is paid to its effects on the internal flow within aircraft engines. In this paper, a newly implemented Field Velocity Method (FVM) in OpenFOAM is used to simulate the flow field and aerodynamic responses of a serpentine inlet exposed to non-stationary horizontal sinusoidal gusts. Validations are performed on the results obtained based on the baseline Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solver and the gust modeling method. Finally, the flow field and aerodynamic characteristics of the serpentine inlet under horizontal sinusoidal gust conditions are comprehensively investigated. It is found that the gusts not only significantly change the flow structure but also play an unfavorable role in the total pressure distortion of the serpentine inlet. This finding shows the necessity to consider gust effects when designing and evaluating the performance of aircraft engines.

Abstract Background In China, although the ALV eradication program and the MD vaccination strategy greatly reduce the disease burdens caused by the infection of ALV and MDV, the frequent emergence of novel ALV-K or vvMDV in the vaccinated chicken flock challenges the current control strategies for both diseases. Results In Guangdong Province, an indigenous chicken flock was infected with neoplastic disease. Hematoxylin–eosin staining of the tissues showed the typical characteristics of MDV and classical ALV infection. The PCR and sequencing data demonstrated that the identified MDV was clustered into a very virulent MDV strain endemic in domestic chickens in China. Moreover, subgroups ALV-A and ALV-K were efficiently recovered from two samples. The full genome sequence revealed that the ALV-K isolate was phylogenetically close to the ALV TW3593 isolate from Taiwan Province. Conclusions A co-infection of vvMDV with multiple ALV subgroups emerged in a chicken flock with neoplastic disease in Guangdong Province. The co-infection with different subgroups of ALV with vvMDV in one chicken flock poses the risk for the emergence of novel ALVs and heavily burdens the control strategy for MDV.

As a prospective key technology for the next-generation wireless communications, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) have gained tremendous research interest in both the academia and industry in recent years. Only limited knowledge, however, has been obtained about the channel eigenvalue characteristics and spatial degrees of freedom (DoF) of systems containing RISs, especially when mutual coupling (MC) is present between the array elements. In this paper, we focus on the small-scale spatial correlation and eigenvalue properties excluding and including MC effects, for RISs with a quasi-continuous aperture (i.e., holographic RISs). Specifically, asymptotic behaviors of far-field and near-field eigenvalues of the spatial correlation matrix of holographic RISs without MC are first investigated, where the counter-intuitive observation of a lower DoF with more elements is explained by leveraging the power spectrum of the spatial correlation function. Second, a novel metric is proposed to quantify the inter-element correlation or coupling strength in RISs and ordinary antenna arrays. Furthermore, in-depth analysis is performed regarding the MC effects on array gain, effective spatial correlation, and eigenvalue architectures for a variety of element intervals when a holographic RIS works in the radiation and reception mode, respectively. The analysis and numerical results demonstrate that a considerable amount of the eigenvalues of the spatial correlation matrix correspond to evanescent waves that are promising for near-field communication and sensing. More importantly, holographic RISs can potentially reach an array gain conspicuously larger than conventional arrays by exploiting MC, and MC has discrepant impacts on the effective spatial correlation and eigenvalue structures at the transmitter and receiver.

Liver cirrhosis with splenomegaly and portal hypertension has been described in the medical literature as increasing the risk of splenic rupture. We report a case of atraumatic splenic rupture in a male with liver cirrhosis associated with splenomegaly, which was further complicated by hypersplenism and intra-cystic haemorrhage in the spleen. The 56-year-old man was hospitalized because of sudden onset of intermittent pain in the left quadrant abdomen with no history of trauma. Upon admission, the patient presented no fever, palpable abdominal tenderness, splenomegaly, and hypersplenism. Enhanced computed tomography revealed a splenic subcapsular haematoma connected to a cystic mass located at the splenic hilum and free fluid in the abdomen, which is indicative of splenic rupture. The patient underwent immediate laparotomy and splenectomy followed by proper management. Post-surgery diagnostic microscopy indicated liver steatosis, perivenular fibrosis, and regenerative nodules, which are suggestive of cirrhosis. The patient was discharged from the hospital with an uneventful recovery.

Abstract In this study, we identified a chicken liver cell line (LMH) which could strongly support the replication of ALV-J (Subgroup J of avian leukosis virus) with high viral titer. Notably, ALV-J was efficiently detected by ELISA in LMH cells 1 day before DF1 cells. In comparison with DF1 cells, LMH cells not only expressed higher levels of ALV-J receptor chNHE-1, but also possessed a more efficient protein expression system for foreign genes. Thus, LMH cells could be a novel tool to shorten the ALV-J eradication approach and accelerate studies on the pathogenesis and oncogenesis of ALV-J.

OBJECTIVES: Fibrosis and cancer are characterized by extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling. The basement membrane is mainly composed by collagen type IV and laminin. Tumstatin is a matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) generated matrikine of collagen type IV α3 chain. We evaluated the potential of tumstatin as a diagnostic biomarker of lung disorders. METHODS: A monoclonal antibody was raised against the neo-epitope tumstatin. A novel competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of tumstatin (TUM), was developed and technically characterized. Levels of TUM were measured in serum of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) belonging to two cohorts. RESULTS: The developed TUM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was technically robust. In cohort 1, levels of TUM were significantly higher in NSCLC compared to healthy controls, IPF, and COPD (P = 0.007, P = 0.03 and P = 0.001, respectively). The area under the receiver operating characteristics (AUROC) for separation of patients with NSCLC from healthy controls was 0.97, for separation of NSCLC and IPF patients was 0.98, and for separation of NSCLC and COPD patients was 1.0. In cohort 2, levels of TUM were also significantly higher in patients with NSCLC compared to healthy controls (P = 0.002), and the AUROC for separation of NSCLC and healthy controls was 0.73. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a technically robust competitive ELISA targeting the fragment tumstatin. The level of TUM in circulation was significantly higher in patients with NSCLC compared to patients with IPF, COPD and healthy controls. The assay provided high diagnostic accuracy in separating NSCLC patients from other lung disorders and from healthy controls.

Biofouling is inevitable in wastewater reclamation when using membrane technology. In particular, the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) from biofilm is a major contributor to biofouling. Coagulation is critical in the process of reusing wastewater before membrane treatment, and residual coagulants (e.g., Al salts) are able to alter the characteristics of the biofilm EPS. However, the distribution of residual Al across varying biofilm EPS fractions and its effect on the membrane fouling potential resulting from biofilm EPS remains unclear. We found that 34% of the residual Al was present in the soluble EPS (S-EPS), 26% in the loosely bound EPS (LB-EPS) and 40% in the tightly bound EPS (TB-EPS). Moreover, compared with the control groups, the residual Al in biofilm induced more biofilm formation and more EPS formation. Al reduced the zeta potential and increased the hydrophobicity of the EPS. These changes induced a significant rise in the membrane fouling potential of S-EPS and LB-EPS. This work provides coagulation support for wastewater reclamation using membrane technology.

The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway shows frequent aberrant alterations and pathological activation in breast cancer cells. While PI3K inhibitors have not achieved expectant therapeutic efficacy in clinical trials, and several studies provide promising combination strategies to substantially maximize therapeutic outcomes. Besides its direct impact on regulating cancer cells survival, PI3K inhibitors are also demonstrated to have an immunomodulatory impact based on the tumor microenvironment. Inhibition of the leukocyte-enriched PI3K isoforms may break immune tolerance and restore cytotoxic T cell activity by reprogramming the tumor microenvironment. In addition, PI3K inhibitors have pleiotropic effects on tumor angiogenesis and even induce tumor vascular normalization. In this review, we discuss the mechanism of PI3K inhibitor suppression of breast cancer cells and modulation of the tumor microenvironment in order to provide further thoughts for breast cancer treatment.

The medical need in the haemophilic (HF) field to reduce bleeding incidents requires measurement of the annual bleeding rate (ABR) in haemophiliacs. Vascular rupture is associated with damage to the vascular endothelium causing exposure of the basement membrane. Endothelial cells and matrix impairment may be associated with joint bleeds and later development of HF arthropathy. Imbalanced extracellular matrix turnover is a central pathological feature in many diseases consequent to epithelial or endothelial cell damage. Type XVIII collagen is an essential basement membrane component, with an endothelial specific isoform.To quantify the basement membrane specifically for the endothelial cells, as that may have particular relevance to endothelial cell stability and rupture in haemophiliacs. A newly developed ELISA assay detecting endothelial type XVIII collagen (COL-18N) was used to assess the clinical relevance of endothelial basement membrane turnover in patients diagnosed with HF arthropathy and correlation to ABR.We developed an ELISA assay for quantification of COL-18N. Serum from 35 male HF patients was investigated using the COL-18N ELISA.COL-18N correlated to the ABR of haemophiliacs, r = 0.45, P

This paper provides 28- and 73-GHz urban omnidirectional propagation large-scale path loss data measured in downtown New York City during the summers of 2012 and 2013, and 38 GHz data measured in downtown Austin in the summer of 2011. The data provided herein may be used by antenna, propagation, and communications researchers for emerging mobile and/or backhaul millimeter-wave (mmWave) system analyses. This paper also presents measurement layout maps with transmitter and receiver locations and GPS coordinates, so that anyone may create similar or new measurements and models, or may perform further processing, such as with ray-tracers and modeling tools, in addition to studying mmWave system performance. Using the data provided herein, large-scale path loss models using a standard close-in 1 meter free-space reference distance are provided for each of the three frequency bands.

Ultra-wideband millimeter-wave (mmWave) propagation measurements were conducted in the 28- and 73-GHz frequency bands in a typical indoor office environment in downtown Brooklyn, New York, on the campus of New York University. The measurements provide large-scale path loss and temporal statistics that will be useful for ultra-dense indoor wireless networks for future mmWave bands. This paper presents the details of measurements that employed a 400 Megachips-per-second broadband sliding correlator channel sounder, using rotatable highly directional horn antennas for both co-polarized and cross-polarized antenna configurations. The measurement environment was a closed-plan in-building scenario that included a line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight corridor, a hallway, a cubicle farm, and adjacent-room communication links. Well-known and new single-frequency and multi-frequency directional and omnidirectional large-scale path loss models are presented and evaluated based on more than 14 000 directional power delay profiles acquired from unique transmitter and receiver antenna pointing angle combinations. Omnidirectional path loss models, synthesized from the directional measurements, are provided for the case of arbitrary polarization coupling, as well as for the specific cases of co-polarized and cross-polarized antenna orientations. The results show that novel large-scale path loss models provided here are simpler and more physically based compared to previous 3GPP and ITU indoor propagation models that require more model parameters and offer very little additional accuracy and lack a physical basis. Multipath time dispersion statistics for mmWave systems using directional antennas are presented for co-polarization, crosspolarization, and combined-polarization scenarios, and show that the multipath root mean square delay spread can be reduced when using transmitter and receiver antenna pointing angles that result in the strongest received power. Raw omnidirectional path loss data and closed-form optimization formulas for all path loss models are given in the Appendices.

The global bandwidth shortage facing wireless carriers has motivated the exploration of the underutilized millimeter wave (mm-wave) frequency spectrum for future broadband cellular communication networks. There is, however, little knowledge about cellular mm-wave propagation in densely populated indoor and outdoor environments. Obtaining this information is vital for the design and operation of future fifth generation cellular networks that use the mm-wave spectrum. In this paper, we present the motivation for new mm-wave cellular systems, methodology, and hardware for measurements and offer a variety of measurement results that show 28 and 38 GHz frequencies can be used when employing steerable directional antennas at base stations and mobile devices.

Muscle mass and function are perturbed by immobilization and remobilization. When muscle mass changes, the quality and quantity of the extracellular matrix protein, particularly the collagens, change with it. In this study, we investigated the temporal profile of three peptide biomarkers derived from turnover of collagen type III and type VI in a long-term immobilization and remobilization study. We also compared individual biomarker levels with Lean body Mass (LBM) and changes therein, hypothesizing that these biomarkers would be biomarkers of the remodeling processes associated with immobilization and/or remobilization.In the Berlin bed rest study, 20 young men were recruited and randomly assigned to 8-week's strict bed rest with or without resistive vibration exercise countermeasure. We measured three neo-epitope ELISA kits in the serum samples of this study: Pro-C3, measured the synthesis of collagen type III; Pro-C6, measured the synthesis of collagen type VI; and C6M measured the degradation of collagen type VI induced by MMP-2 and MMP-9 cleavage.Pro-C3 and Pro-C6 biomarkers are up-regulated with both immobilization and remobilization, whereas C6M is hardly affected at all. We found that Pro-C3 and C6M levels are related to LBM at baseline and that high levels of Pro-C6 are associated with smaller changes in muscle mass during both immobilization and remobilization.The Pro-C3 and-C6 biomarkers change likely reflect remodeling changes in response to unloading or reloading, whereas C6M does not appear to respond to unloading. Pro-C3 and C6M levels correlate with LBM at baseline, while Pro-C6 is related to the anabolic and catabolic responses to unloading and reloading.

The specific degradation of type II collagen and aggrecan by matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, -13 and ADAMTS-4 and -5 (aggrecanase-1 and -2) in the cartilage matrix is a critical step in pathology of osteoarthritis (OA). The aims of this study were: i) To investigate the relative contribution of ADAMTS-4 and ADAMTS-5 to cartilage degradation upon catabolic stimulation; ii) To investigate the effect of regulating the activities of key enzymes by mean of broad-spectrum inhibitors.Bovine full-depth cartilage explants stimulated with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and Oncostatin M (OSM) were cultured for 21 days with or without a number of inhibitors targeting different types of proteases. Monoclonal antibodies were raised against the active sites of ADAMTS-4, -5, MMP-9 and -13, and 4 ELISAs were developed and technically validated. In addition, the established AGNxI (ADAMTS-degraded aggrecan), AGNxII (MMP-degraded aggrecan), and CTX-II (MMP-derived type II collagen) were quantified in the explants-conditioned media.We found that: i) Active ADAMTS-4, MMP-9, -13 were released in the late stage of TNF-α/ OSM stimulation, whereas no significant active ADAMTS-5 was detected in either extracts or supernatants; ii) Active ADAMTS-4 was primarily responsible for E373-374A bond cleavage in aggrecan in this setting; and iii) The compensatory mechanism could be triggered following the blockage of the enzyme caused by inhibitors.ADAMTS-4 appeared to be the major protease for the generation of 374ARGS aggrecan fragment in the TNF-α/OSM stimulated bovine cartilage explants. This study addresses the need to determine the roles of ADAMTS-4 and ADAMTS-5 in human articular degradation in OA and hence identify the attractive target for slowing down human cartilage breakdown.