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Fibrosis resulting from pathological repair secondary to recurrent or persistent tissue damage often leads to organ failure and mortality. Biliary fibrosis is a crucial but easily neglected pathological feature in hepatobiliary disorders, which may promote the development and progression of benign and malignant biliary diseases through pathological healing mechanisms secondary to biliary tract injuries. Elucidating the etiology and pathogenesis of biliary fibrosis is beneficial to the prevention and treatment of biliary diseases. In this review, we emphasized the importance of biliary fibrosis in cholangiopathies and summarized the clinical manifestations, epidemiology, and aberrant cellular composition involving the biliary ductules, cholangiocytes, immune system, fibroblasts, and the microbiome. We also focused on pivotal signaling pathways and offered insights into ongoing clinical trials and proposing a strategic approach for managing biliary fibrosis-related cholangiopathies. This review will offer a comprehensive perspective on biliary fibrosis and provide an important reference for future mechanism research and innovative therapy to prevent or reverse fibrosis.

Under geological conditions, the initial generation of oil and gas in source rocks reaches saturation before being expelled and migrating, with the adsorption of hydrocarbons by kerogen being a key factor influencing oil saturation. The hydrocarbons produced by pyrolysis interact with kerogen macromolecules. Understanding the solvency and adsorption capacities of solid kerogen organic matter for liquid hydrocarbons can clarify the selective retention of hydrocarbons by source rocks and their characteristics in hydrocarbon generation and expulsion. Aromatic hydrocarbons are crucial components of petroleum hydrocarbons. Based on a three-dimensional model of kerogen, this study employed Autodock software to perform semi-flexible docking calculations between different types of aromatic hydrocarbon molecules (including benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and their derivatives) and kerogen molecules of varying maturities. The Gibbs free energy required for their binding was calculated to study the characte-risticsof the interaction between aromatic hydrocarbons and kerogen. This study investigated the mechanism of kerogen adsorption of aromatic hydrocarbons at the molecular level, revealing the nature of solid and liquid organic matter interactions. When binding with kerogen of the same maturity, the larger the molecular weight of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, the greater the number of methyl groups in the compound, and the higher the degree of molecular condensation, the lower the Gibbs free energy required for binding with kerogen molecules. The interaction between aromatic hydrocarbons and kerogen molecules was influenced by three factors: the molecular mass of the aromatic hydrocarbons, the degree of molecular condensation, and the number of methyl groups in the system. After reaching the peak of hydrocarbon generation, kerogen with higher content of aromatic carbon methyl groups showed a stronger adsorption capacity for aromatic hydrocarbons. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their derivatives with larger molecular mass and higher degrees of condensation demonstrated stronger binding abilities with kerogen. Conversely, smaller aromatic molecules with conventional connectivity exhibited weaker retention capacities in kerogen, making them more prone to hydrocarbon expulsion, migration, and accumulation into reservoirs.

AIM: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of small-diameter acellular porcine corneal stroma (SAPS) for the treatment of peripheral corneal ulceration (PCU). METHODS: This retrospective clinical study included 18 patients (18 eyes) with PCU between April 2018 and December 2020. All patients had PCU and underwent lamellar keratoplasty with SAPS. Observation indicators included preoperative and postoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and transparency of SAPS. The infection control rate in the surgical eye-lesion area was also calculated. RESULTS: Eighteen patients underwent lamellar keratoplasty with SAPS to treat PCU. None of the patients experienced rejection after 6mo (18/18) and 12mo (16/16) of follow-up. The BCVA (0.47±0.30) at the 6mo follow-up after operation was significantly improved compared with the baseline (0.99±0.80), and the difference was statistically significant (Z=-3.415, P

BackgroundRegulating the immune system is a crucial measure of gut microbiota (GM) that influences the development of diseases. The causal role of GM on Henoch-Schönlein Purpura (HSP) and whether it can be mediated by immune cells is still unknown.MethodsWe performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization study using an inverse variance weighted (IVW) method to examine the causal role of GM on HSP and the mediation effect of immune cells between the association of GM and HSP.ResultsWe demonstrated the causal relationships between 14 axas and 6 pathways with HSP. Additionally, we identified 9 immune cell characteristics associated with HSP. Importantly, through mediation MR analysis, we identified several immune cell characteristics that mediate the impact of GM on HSP. For instance, Genus_Blautia affects HSP via Monocyte (HLA DR on CD14+ CD16- monocyte) and Monocyte (HLA DR on monocyte). The proportion of mediation effects further elucidated the complex dynamics between GM exposure, immune markers, and their combined impact on HSP.ConclusionThe study suggested a causal relationship between GM and HSP, which may be mediated by immune cells.

Abstract Background Endophytes are reported to play a role in resistance against plant pathogens. Understanding the metabolite-mediated endophytic microbiota composition in plants provides insights to improve plant stress resistance. In this study, via metabolome and microbiome analyses, we aimed to elucidate the resistance mechanism of sugarcane cultivars with high resistance to sugarcane pokkah boeng disease (PBD). The endophytic microbial composition and metabolites in the stems of various sugarcane cultivars with high resistance (HR) or high susceptibility (HS) to PBD were analyzed. Results The results revealed that the endophytic fungi with biocontrol effects such as Shinella, Dechloromonas, and Microbacter were significantly enriched, and the abundance of pathogenic fungi such as Fusarium, Ramichloridium, Scleroramularia, Phaeosphaeriopsis, Sarocladium, Zygophiala, Gibberella, Pseudocercospora, Cyphellophora, Monocillium, Apiotrichum, Microsphaeropsis, and Scleroramularia significantly reduced in the stems of HR cultivars. Additionally, six metabolites [citric acid, isocitrate, malic acid, PC(16:0/0:0), phosphocholine, and lysoPC(16:0)] were significantly related to the endophytes in the stems of HR cultivars. Conclusions These results suggested that more abundance of antagonistic microbes and highly active metabolic functions of endophytes in the HR cultivars were the important mechanisms underlying their higher resistance to PBD. Graphical abstract

Affected by the weakening of the low-pressure system caused by the northward movement of the typhoon "Doksuri", Hebei encountered an unprecedented severe torrential rain event (hereinafter referred to as "23.7" severe torrential rain) from 29 July to 2 August 2023, in which the accumulated rainfall in 52 hours is up to 1 003.4 mm at Liangjiazhuang station in Xingtai of southern Hebei. Using routine upper-air and surface weather observations, regional automatic weather station data, radar mosaic of reflectivity factor, ERA5 reanalysis data, and other relevant data, we conducted the analysis on the precipitation evolution characteristics, circulation patterns, environmental conditions, and mesoscale features of the "23.7" severe torrential rain. The results indicate that the "23.7" severe torrential rain is characterized by long duration, large accumulated rainfall and wide coverage. After landing and moving northward, Typhoon "Doksuri" is blocked by the high pressure barrier in northern North China at 500 hPa and stagnates. Total content of water vapor over most areas of Hebei reached more than twice the climate average state. All the factors, that low lifting condensation level, low free convection height, moderate convective instability energy, as well as the lasting convergence uplift provided by the stability and stagnation of inverted trough at 850 hPa, are the causes of maintaining precipitation echo for a long time in central Hebei and in the foothills of Taihang Mountains in southwestern Hebei. The southeasterly boundary layer jet moves northwards along with the typhoon inverted trough, and the jet core is located in central Hebei, with the wind speed exceeding 22 m·s-1 and terrain plays a significant role in the rainfall event. During the influence of boundary layer jet on southwestern Hebei, multiple convective cells with echo intensity of 30~40 dBz and centroid height lower than 6 km successively pass over the Liangjiazhuang station, causing a total of 24 hours of short-term severe rainfall at the station. After the boundary layer jet moving northwards, the rainfall overlapping, caused by the continued long-term maintenance of stratocumulus mixed cloud precipitation echo in the foothills of Taihang Mountains due to the interaction of easterly wind of about 8 m·s-1 and terrain, is the main reason of the 52-hour accumulated rainfall exceeding 1 000 mm at the Liangjiazhuang station.

Background: Exposure to fine or respirable particulate matter has been linked to an elevated risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). However, the association between exposure to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 1 μm (PM1) and GDM has not been explored. Methods: We conducted a cohort study involving 60,173 pregnant women from nine hospitals in Beijing, China, from February 2015 to April 2021. Daily concentrations of PM1 and ozone were obtained from a validated spatiotemporal artificial intelligence model. We used a modified Poisson regression combined with distributed lag models to estimate the association between weekly-specific PM1 exposure and the risk of GDM after adjusting for individual-level covariates. Results: Among the 51,299 pregnant women included in the final analysis, 4008 were diagnosed with GDM. Maternal exposure to PM1 during preconception and gestational periods was generally associated with an increased risk of GDM. The most pronounced associations were identified during the 12th week before pregnancy, the 5th-8th weeks of the first trimester, and the 23rd-24th weeks of the second trimester. Each 10 μg/m3 increase in PM1 was associated with a relative risk of GDM of 1.65 (95 % CI: 1.59, 1.72) during the preconception period, 1.67 (95 % CI: 1.61, 1.73) in the first trimester, 1.52 (95 % CI: 1.47, 1.58) in the second trimester, and 2.54 (95 % CI: 2.45, 2.63) when considering the first and second trimester combined. Conclusions: Exposure to PM1 before and during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of GDM, particularly during the 12 weeks before pregnancy and gestational weeks 5–8 and 23–24.

Abstract Plasmonic metal nanostructures can simultaneously scatter and absorb light, with resonance wavelength and strength depending on their morphology and composition. This work demonstrates that unique dichroic effects and high‐contrast colour‐switching can be achieved by leveraging the resonant scattering and absorption of light by plasmonic nanostructures and the specular reflection of the resulting transmitted light. Using core/shell nanostructures comprising a metal core and a dielectric shell, we show that their spray coating on reflective substrates produces dichroic films that can display colour switching at different viewing angles. The high‐contrast colour switching, high flexibility in designing multicolour patterns, and convenience for large‐scale production promise their wide range of applications, including anticounterfeiting, mechanochromic sensing, colour display, and printing.

The growing emphasis on environmental protection in petroleum exploitation results in a high demand for ultra-lightweight (ULW) proppants. This work involves fabricating ULW proppant utilizing suspension polymerization, in which alkyl chain decorated natural clay diatomite (Dia) is incorporated into poly(methyl methacrylate-co-styrene) (poly(MMA-co-St)). The obtained poly(MMA-co-St)/Dia composite beads exhibit a low apparent density ranging from 1.025 to 1.213 g cm−3, and show an impressively low crushing rate of 0.99 % under 52 MPa. The rigid and thermally stable Dia crosslinks with poly(MMA-co-St) matrix, which increases the network density and restricts the movement of the molecular chain, thereby enhancing both the mechanical and thermal stability of poly(MMA-co-St)/Dia. Additionally, these composite beads display minimal acid solubility and low turbidity. The exceptional mechanical and thermal stability (attributed to the reinforcement effect and thermal barrier effect of inorganic Dia, as well as the synergistic effect of the copolymerization of MMA and styrene), along with the low acid solubility and turbidity, enabling the poly(MMA-co-St)/Dia composite to replace traditional proppants and be applied in hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas exploitation.

The release rate and time are very important for the drug carriers, silica aerogel filled hydroxypropyl cellulose/chitosan (SA/HPC/CS) composites were fabricated for the release of 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu), and the release rate and time were regulated with the content of SA, pH value and external coating material. Firstly, the 5-Fu loaded SA/HPC/CS composites and Eudragit L100 coated composites were prepared with cross-linking followed by freeze-drying, and characterized by SEM, FTIR, XRD, DSC, and TG. Then, the effect of SA content on the encapsulation efficiency of SA/HPC/CS@5-Fu was investigated, and 5-Fu release behavior under different pH values from these aerogel composites was evaluated with four kinetic models. In addition, to further solve the abrupt effect of the obtained composites, Eudragit L100 coated SA/HPC/CS@5-Fu was fabricated, the sustained release behavior revealed that the coating technique can effectively improve the release behavior and extend release time.

Abstract Due to the excellent characteristics of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), it has become an important technical means for land and sea target detection applications worldwide. However, the SAR image imaging process is often accompanied by speckle noise, which affects the accuracy of target detection. For this problem, this paper proposes an SAR image reconstruction model based on image denoising and feature extraction. Given a noisy SAR image, at each pixel of the image, the value of the singularity index of a metric defined by the signal gradient norm density is calculated. Then through a hierarchical decomposition of these singular indices, a set of pixels containing the most informative feature set of the image is extracted, and a denoised image is reconstructed using the extracted features. In comparison to traditional filtering and denoising techniques such as non‐local filtering, this algorithm achieves remarkable local filtering and denoising effects while preserving the image's texture information. The denoising performance of the proposed method is evaluated through a series of quantitative indicators and visual comparisons. The results demonstrate that this method effectively reduces background clutter, resulting in a higher contrast between the target and the background.

Deposition of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in soils due to different types of mining activities has been an increasingly important concern worldwide. Quantitative differences of soil PTEs contamination and related health risk among typical mines remain unclear. Herein, data from 110 coal mines and 168 metal mines across China were analyzed based on 265 published literatures to evaluate pollution characteristics, spatial distribution, and probabilistic health risks of soil PTEs. The results showed that PTE levels in soil from both mine types significantly exceeded background values. The geoaccumulation index (Igeo) revealed metal-mine soil pollution levels exceeded those of coal mines, with average Igeo values for Cd, Hg, As, Pb, Cu, and Zn being 3.02–15.60 times higher. Spearman correlation and redundancy analysis identified natural and anthropogenic factors affecting soil PTE contamination in both mine types. Mining activities posed a significant carcinogenic risk, with metal-mine soils showing a total carcinogenic risk an order of magnitude higher than in coal-mine soils. This study provides policymakers a quantitative foundation for developing differentiated strategies for sustainable remediation and risk-based management of PTEs in typical mining soils.

In 2004, it was the first time that Wollensak and Spoerl had applied physical and chemical cross-linking methods to scleral tissue. They found that the biomechanical strength of cross-linked sclera, induced by riboflavin/ultraviolet A, glyceraldehyde and glutaraldehyde, could be improved and proposed that scleral collagen cross-linking is expected to be a new method for the treatment of pathologic myopia. In recent years, a series of explorations have been made on the effectiveness and adverse reactions of physical and chemical cross-linking in the prevention and treatment of pathologic myopia, including the establishment of various animal models and different myopia modeling methods, the improvement of cross-linking methods, the amelioration of the measurement of biomechanical strength of scleral tissue and the attention of biological parameters such as the thickness of retinal nerve fiber layer and the amplitude of electroretinogram in vivo. Genipin-crosslinking of the scleral collagen combined with posterior scleral contraction/reinforcement has been applied to clinical research. This review summarizes physical cross-linking and the genipin-crosslinking of scleral collagen to explore the effectiveness and safety of the methods in the prevention and treatment of the pathologic myopia.

Forest can provide multiple benefits, such as supplying a variety of ecosystem services. However, the planet is currently at risk of deforestation as a result of increased urbanization and growing food demand. Countries around the world have introduced a wide range of policies to mitigate this issue. In China, the Linyi City government has launched the cross-county forest credit market transactions (CFCMT) policy, which showcased significant innovations in compliance credits and transaction entities to enhance motivation for afforestation. This study creates a no-policy counterfactual scenario to analyze the woodland growth and ecosystem service trade-offs between 2013 and 2021. The results demonstrate that the woodland grew faster after this policy, with a growth rate 1.78 times higher than that from 2013 to 2017. The areas of woodland growth with the policy are mainly located on the edges of cropland and woodland. The increased woodland primarily originates from cropland conversion, and compared to the no-policy scenario, these growing woodlands have gentler slopes and lower altitudes. After the policy’s enforcement, there were more increases in carbon storage, soil retention, and habitat quality. And ecosystem services showed a more optimizing trend in the direction of synergy at grid and town scales. We also find that larger spatial scales exhibit synergies and less accurately represent trade-off/synergistic change trends. The ecosystem services bundle consisting of carbon stocks, soil conservation and habitat quality showed a significant increase. This study reveals woodland growth and trade-offs among ecosystem services after the implementation of CFCMT policy, offering valuable insights for future afforestation policy optimization and promotion.

Wastewater containing heavy metal ions discharged from industries has caused serious pollution to water. As for how to use renewable resources as the substrate, green preparation of adsorbents through eco-friendly processes and effective disposal of metal ions has become urgent. In this work, the low-cost, environmentally-friendly and easily modified natural renewable biomass ramie was used as the substrate, and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) containing epoxy functional group was grafted onto ramie via electron beam irradiation (grafting rate up to 332.3 %). A ramie-poly-GMA-IDA (RGD) adsorbent was prepared by ring-opening reaction and grafted with iminodiacetic acid (IDA). The adsorption process was affected by pH, the RGD could effectively uptake Pb2+ when the pH = 5.0, and the adsorption equilibrium can be quickly reached within 50 min. Moreover, RGD possessed excellent uptake properties, and the Pb2+ adsorption capacity maximized to 225.71 mg/g. The adsorption procedure obeys a pseudo-2nd-order kinetic and Langmuir equation. The possible mechanisms for Pb2+ adsorption are complexation, electrostatic interaction and ion exchange. This study presents that IDA-functionalized ramie can be used as an efficient biomass-based adsorbent for Pb2+ uptake. Thus, a green, closed-loop utilization of agricultural and forestry wastes is achieved, which helps reduce heavy metal ion pollution and resource consumption and protect the environment.

Background. Ovarian cancer (OV) is characteristic of high incidence rate and fatality rate in the malignant tumors of female reproductive system. Researches on pathogenesis and therapeutic targets for OV need to be continued. This study mainly analyzed the immune-related pathogenesis and discovered the key immunotherapy targets for OV. Methods. WGCNA was used for excavating hub gene modules and hub genes related to the immunity of OV. Enrichment analysis was aimed to analyze the related pathways of hub gene modules. Biological experiments were used for exploring the effect of hub genes on SKOV3 cells. Results. We identified two hub gene modules related to the immunoscore of OV and found that these genes in the modules were related to the extracellular matrix and viral infections. At the same time, we also discovered six hub genes related to the immunity of OV. Among them, KIF26B and CREB3L1 can affect the proliferation, migration, and invasion of SKOV3 cells by the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Conclusions. The local infection or inflammation of ovarian may affect the immunity of OV. KIF26B and CREB3L1 are expected to be potential targets for the immunotherapy of OV.

Abstract Root metabolites and soil microbial community structure in the rhizosphere play critical roles in crop growth. Here, we assessed the efficiency of conventional and tissue culture propagation methods in modulating the soil health and microbiota in the rhizosphere of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) plants. The seeding canes were obtained using newly planted and two‐year ratooned canes propagated by conventional (CSN and CSR) or tissue culture (TCN and TCR) methods. Changes in soil fertility, root metabolites and soil microbial community structure in the rhizosphere of sugarcane plants obtained using these canes were assessed. The activities of soil β‐glucosidase and aminopeptidase, soil microbial biomass nitrogen, and abundances of soil beneficial microbes, both at phyla and genera levels, were significantly higher in the rhizosphere of sugarcane plants in TCN and TCR treatments than those in that of plants in CSN and CSR treatments. Furthermore, flavonoid and flavonol biosynthesis and alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism were significantly upregulated in the roots of TCR and TCN plants compared with those in the roots of CSN and CSR plants. These results suggest that the tissue culture propagation method is a sustainable method for sugarcane cultivation to improve soil fertility and health in sugarcane rhizosphere.

Abstract Modular multi‐level converters (MMCs) are a mainstay in many HVDC transmission projects worldwide. Half‐bridge MMC (HB‐MMC) is mostly used in the current project. The large capacitor of sub modules (SMs) is often required in MMC to ensure the low voltage ripple. Here, the three‐stage switching MMC (TSS‐MMC) topology is proposed, which can greatly reduce the capacitor voltage ripple of SMs by dynamically adjusting the position of inductance on the upper and down bridge arms. The principle of reducing capacitor voltage ripple based on equal capacitance theory is introduced. The selection of the inductance value of each part in TSS‐MMC is introduced. The start‐up process strategy, capacitor voltage ripple reduction strategy in steady‐state operation, and DC fault ride‐through strategy of TSS‐MMC are proposed. The effectiveness and engineering practicability of the proposed TSS‐MMC is verified by transient simulation program built on PSCAD/EMTDC. The simulation results show that compared with MMC with circulating current suppressing controller (CCSC), it can effectively reduce the capacitor voltage ripple by over 50%. Furthermore, the total used inductance of TSS‐MMC can also be reduced. A comprehensive assessment of TSS‐MMC is also carried out.

A novel Si-bearing austenitic stainless steel was designed as the cladding material for lead-cooled fast reactors with an operating temperature range of 450 °C–550 °C, and the effects of Si (1.0 wt% - 2.0 wt%) on the creep life and fractured microstructure of material were studied at 550 °C and 650 °C. Results show that the addition of Si increased the stress rupture life of steel at 550 °C whereas brought in an opposite effect at 650 °C, which was closely related to the precipitation behavior of σ phase at these two temperatures during creep. At 550 °C the precipitation of σ phase was quite slow, but it was substantially accelerated at 650 °C. Since the experimental materials used in this work were in a cold worked state, so deformation twins existed and they were discovered to be able to promote the nucleation and growth of σ phase on the grain boundaries. With the increase of Si content at 550 °C, σ phase became larger in quantity and denser in distribution on the grain boundary, which improved the anti-cracking ability of grain boundary and enhanced the creep life of material. However, at 650 °C, σ particles apparently coarsened and congregated on the grain boundary under thermal activation, leading to an evident drop in the stress rupture property of steel.

There is an urgent need for clean recycling strategies to address the increase in food waste (FW) and the harvesting of microalgae (MA). In this study, biogas production potential and operational stability were evaluated by testing combinations of FW and MA mixed at five different ratios. Co-digestion of FW and MA improved substrate biodegradability, achieving a decomposition rate of 0.45/d (FW/MA = 1:1), which is 1.25 to 1.55 times higher than that of MA or FW alone. Co-digestion of FW and MA resulted in a synergistic effect, improving biogas yield by 2.04–26.86%. Four mathematical models were applied to estimate biological degradation and biogas production kinetics, and the Cone model performed better than the other models in terms of reliability and accuracy. The abundance of Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Synergistetes peaked at FW/MA = 1:1. At the same ratio, the genera Methanospirillum, Methanocorpusculum, and Methanomethylovorans were also found to have increased in abundance. The optimal ratio was found to be 1:1 for co-digestion of FW and MA, which is a feasible approach for simultaneous bioenergy production and biomass waste co-disposal.

Abstract Background Endometriosis (EMs), the ectopic planting of functional endometrium outside of the uterus, is a leading cause of infertility and pelvic pain. As a fundamental mRNA modification, N6-methyladenosine (m6A) participates in various pathological processes. However, the role of m6A RNA modification in endometriosis remains unclear. The present study explores METTL3-mediated m6A modification and the mechanisms involved in endometriosis. Methods The dominant m6A regulators in EMs were analysed using RT‒PCR. Candidate targets and possible mechanisms of METTL3 were assessed by m6A-mRNA epitranscriptomic microarray and RNA sequencing. A primary ESCs model was employed to verify the effect of METTL3 on m6A modification of SIRT1 mRNA, and the mechanism was elucidated by RT‒PCR, Western blotting, MeRIP, and RIP assays. CCK-8 viability assays, Transwell invasion assays, EdU proliferation assays, wound healing migration assays, and senescence-associated β-galactosidase staining were performed to illuminate the potential biological mechanism of METTL3 and SIRT1 in ESCs in vitro. An in vivo PgrCre/ + METTL3 −/− female homozygous mouse model and a nude mouse xenograft model were employed to further investigate the physiologic consequences of METTL3-mediated m6A alteration on EMs. Results Our data show that decreased METTL3 expression significantly downregulates m6A RNA methylation levels in ESCs. Silencing m6A modifications mediated by METTL3 accelerates ESCs viability, proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. The m6A reader protein YTHDF2 binds to m6A modifications to induce the degradation of SIRT1 mRNA. SIRT1/FOXO3a signalling pathway activation is subsequently inhibited, promoting the cellular senescence of ESCs and inhibiting the ectopic implantation of ESCs in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that METTL3-mediated m6A methylation epigenetically regulates the ectopic implantation of ESCs, resulting in the progression of endometriosis. Our study establishes METTL3-YTHDF2-SIRT1/FOXO3a as a critical axis and potential mechanism in endometriosis.

Abstract Dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) is primarily expressed by differentiated odontoblasts (dentin-forming cells), and transiently expressed by presecretory ameloblasts (enamel-forming cells). Disease-causing DSPP mutations predominantly fall into two categories: 5’ mutations affecting targeting and trafficking, and 3’ − 1 frameshift mutations converting the repetitive, hydrophilic, acidic C-terminal domain into a hydrophobic one. We characterized the dental phenotypes and investigated the pathological mechanisms of Dspp P19L and Dspp −1fs mice that replicate the two categories of human DSPP mutations. In Dspp P19L mice, dentin is less mineralized but contains dentinal tubules. Enamel mineral density is reduced. Intracellular accumulation and ER retention of DSPP is observed in odontoblasts and ameloblasts. In Dspp −1fs mice, a thin layer of reparative dentin lacking dentinal tubules is deposited. Odontoblasts show severe pathosis, including intracellular accumulation and ER retention of DSPP, strong ubiquitin and autophagy activity, ER-phagy, and sporadic apoptosis. Ultrastructurally, odontoblasts show extensive autophagic vacuoles, some of which contain fragmented ER. Enamel formation is comparable to wild type. These findings distinguish molecular mechanisms underlying the dental phenotypes of Dspp P19L and Dspp −1fs mice and support the recently revised Shields classification of dentinogenesis imperfecta caused by DSPP mutations in humans. The Dspp −1fs mice may be valuable for the study of autophagy and ER-phagy.

The formation of technical standards is a complex process that involves the integration of various technical resources and organizational resources. It is influenced by multiple factors. This paper focuses on four independent variables, namely market size, economic environment, infrastructure construction, and government support, which are regarded as different dimensions of the socio-technical landscape. Additionally, R&D investment is introduced as a mediator variable to construct a model that examines the role of the socio-technical landscape in the formation of technical standards. Empirical tests are conducted using relevant data from the 4G technology in China’s mobile communication industry. The study reveals that there is a positive causal relationship between market size, economic environment, infrastructure development, government support, and technology standards. Furthermore, it finds that R&D investment plays a significant mediating role between the economic environment and technology standards, infrastructure development and technology standards, and government support and technology standards. These findings provide valuable insights for enterprises and governments in promoting the formation of technical standards.

The heart requires high levels of mitochondria to sustain function, and mitochondrial stressors can be transmitted to the nucleus and reprogram metabolism. Here, the authors show that a mitochondrial ribosomal protein is important for heart development in mice by increasing nuclear Klf15 expression.

The proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) has opened up new avenues for the modeling of power electronics with ultra-fast transient responses, such as wide-bandgap (WBG) devices. This article highlights the significance of ultra-fast transient device-level hardware emulation for the DC railway microgrid (DRM) in real-time. To this end, the proposed approach partitions the DRM power system by transmission line method (TLM) and employs gated recurrent unit (GRU) and electromagnetic transient (EMT) modeling techniques for system-level subsystems. Meanwhile, for WBG devices, gallium nitride (GaN) high electron mobility transistors (HEMT) and silicon carbide (SiC) insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBT) are modeled using a novel physical feature neuron network (PFNN), which offers high flexibility with a variable time-step (as low as 1 ns), thereby improving the accuracy, efficiency and accelerating the emulation on the field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The effectiveness of the proposed approach is confirmed by comparing the emulation results with offline simulation results obtained from PSCAD/EMTDC for system-level and SaberRD for device-level transients. The proposed PFNN approach provides strong versatility, ultra-fast transient emulation capability, and significantly improved accuracy, which bodes well for the future of power electronics device-level emulation.

ObjectiveTo investigate the quality of disinfection in the SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid sampling sites in Shanghai.MethodsSwab samples of medical staff’ hands and environments of different SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid sampling sites were collected from July to September 2022， with the total number of bacterial colonies cultured and counted.ResultsA total of 728 swab samples were collected from 69 sampling sites. The median total number of bacterial colonies on hand surface， object surface and air samples were 0 CFU·cm-2， 0 CFU·cm-2， and 1 CFU·（petri dish∙5 min）-1， respectively， and P95 was 13 CFU·cm-2， 5.3 CFU·cm-2， and 17.8 CFU·（culture vessel∙5 min）-1， respectively. According to the GB 15982‒2012 Hygienic Standard for Disinfection in Hospitals class Ⅳ environment， 680 samples met the standard （93.4%）. Furthermore， 96.9%， 92.0%， and 92.2% of the samples in the sampling sites of tertiary/secondary hospitals， community health centers， and community convenience sampling sites met the standard， respectively. Quality of disinfection did not differ significantly across these sampling sites.ConclusionThe quality of disinfection in the SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid sampling sites in Shanghai is generally good. Additionally， hand hygiene of medical staff and disinfection on object surface in some sampling sites need to be strengthened.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the risk factors affecting the positive detection of Acinetobacter baumannii on the hands in medical staff of hospitals in Shanghai， and provide epidemiological evidence for the prevention and control of nosocomial infections.MethodsThe hands of doctors， nurses and care workers in key departments were sampled every quarter from 2018 to 2020 according to GB 15982‒2012 "Hospital Disinfection and Hygiene Standards". Separation and identification of A. baumannii were followed with sampling shortly. Information about the working years of sampling subjects， the hand sanitizers of which sampling subjects had used and the ingredients and actual using time of the hand sanitizers was collected while sampling. Finally， 709 samples were selected for this research after excluding the unqualified samples.ResultsThe positive detection of the hand samples was 7.05%. The logistic regression model suggested that the department， the time of using hand sanitizer， the hospital grade and occupational category were determinants of A. baumannii positive detection on hands in medical staff. The risk of A. baumannii positive detection in internal medicine department was 2.846 （95%CI：1.402‒5.776） times higher than that in intensive care unit while it was 3.357 （95%CI：1.349‒8.353） times higher in surgery department than that in intensive care unit. Regarding the use of hand sanitizer， the risk of A. baumannii positive detection was 3.076 （95%CI：1.534‒6.168） times higher in the staff used the hand sanitizer over 14 days than in the medical staff used the sanitizer within 14 days. The risk of A. baumannii positive detection in medical worker in secondary hospitals was 2.235（95%CI：1.088‒4.588）times than in tertiary hospitals. The risk of A. baumannii positive detection of care workers was 3.634 （95%CI：1.764‒7.484） times higher than nurses.ConclusionThe positive detection of hand samples was 7.05%. Department， the time of using hand sanitizer， the hospital grade and occupational category were determinants of A. baumannii positive detection on hands in medical staff. It was necessary to improve hand hygiene for medical staff， especially for care worker. Cleaning and disinfection need to be strengthened in internal department and surgery department.

Purpose: Oncology studies employing digital dissection methodologies have provided some insight on the biological features of tumor microenvironment of Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), but molecular diagnostics rarely have therapeutic impact. We aimed to identify a novel prognostic biomarker to investigate immune characteristics of TNBC using transcriptomic features.Patients and Methods: We extracted whole transcriptome from breast cancer tissue of 30 TNBC patients and then used bioinformatics approaches to characterize the different immune cell contents in tumor tissue and para-cancerous tissue. We extract 2 indicators to describe the major differences in immune infiltration in the microenvironment between tumor tissue and para-cancerous tissue. We then combined the 2 indicators that represent the levels of increased and decreased infiltration in each sample to obtain the Immune Infiltration Score (IIS). Then we compared the tumor-infiltrating immune cell contents and immune infiltrating status in TNBC samples with CIBERSORT and ESTIMATE score to validate the IIS. Finally, 132 TNBC patients from the Cancer Genome Atlas program (TCGA) dataset was used to validate the predictive power of IIS.Results: 4 types of upregulated and 4 types of downregulated immune cells were identified in the tumor tissue samples of the TNBC patients. Then we developed a novel biomarker, IIS. Results showed that IIS score can clearly separate cancer and para-cancerous tissue. Using the same cutoff value of 0 in the TNBC-TCGA cohort, we show that those patients with a higher IIS had significantly higher PD-L1 expression and shorter progression-free survival time than those with a lower IIS value, indicating IIS score can be generalized to other TNBC datasets.Conclusion: we explored the immune infiltration landscape in 30 TNBC patients and provided IIS as a novel and reliable biomarker to evaluate the progression-free survival and prognosis of the TNBC patients.

Abstract The nonlinear Hall effect (NLHE) reflects Berry-curvature-related properties in non-centrosymmetric but time-reversal-symmetric materials. So far, the NLHE of the investigated systems remains a tiny effect due to the lack of Weyl point as magnetic monopoles in 2D systems or to the high carrier concentration in 3D systems. Here, we report large NLHE due to gigantic Berry curvature dipole density as generated by tilted Weyl cones near the Fermi level in a model ferroelectric Weyl semimetal In-doped Pb1−x Sn x Te. By systematically lowering the carrier concentration down to ~1016 cm−3, the Berry curvature dipole density reaches values around 10−21 m3, 102–107 times higher than the previously reported ones. Furthermore, NLHE exhibits a power law of carrier concentration and follows the k −2 relation of the Berry curvature expression derived from the monopole. The present study establishes giant NLHE in a ferroelectric Weyl semimetal, promising for future applications such as current rectification.

Abstract Human ACP4 (OMIM*606362) encodes a transmembrane protein that belongs to histidine acid phosphatase (ACP) family. Recessive mutations in ACP4 cause non-syndromic hypoplastic amelogenesis imperfecta (AI1J, OMIM#617297). While ACP activity has long been detected in developing teeth, its functions during tooth development and the pathogenesis of ACP4-associated AI remain largely unknown. Here, we characterized 2 AI1J families and identified a novel ACP4 disease-causing mutation: c.774_775del, p.Gly260Aspfs*29. To investigate the role of ACP4 during amelogenesis, we generated and characterized Acp4 R110C mice that carry the p.(Arg110Cys) loss-of-function mutation. Mouse Acp4 expression was the strongest at secretory stage ameloblasts, and the protein localized primarily at Tomes’ processes. While Acp4 heterozygous (Acp4 +/R110C) mice showed no phenotypes, incisors and molars of homozygous (Acp4 R110C/R110C) mice exhibited a thin layer of aplastic enamel with numerous ectopic mineralized nodules. Acp4 R110C/R110C ameloblasts appeared normal initially but underwent pathology at mid-way of secretory stage. Ultrastructurally, sporadic enamel ribbons grew on mineralized dentin but failed to elongate, and aberrant needle-like crystals formed instead. Globs of organic matrix accumulated by the distal membranes of defective Tomes’ processes. These results demonstrated a critical role for ACP4 in appositional growth of dental enamel probably by processing and regulating enamel matrix proteins around mineralization front apparatus.

Abstract This paper presents a micromachined electrochemical angular accelerometer with highly integrated sensitive microelectrodes. Theoretical analyses and numerical simulations were conducted to model the angular accelerometer with key geometrical parameters (e.g., electrode spacing, via spacing and via size) optimized. Highly integrated sensitive microelectrodes were manufactured based on microfabrication and assembled to form MEMS-based electrochemical angular accelerometers. Device characterization was conducted, locating a sensitivity of 80 V/(rad/s2), a bandwidth of 0.01–18 Hz and a noise level of 3.98 × 10−8 (rad/s2)/√Hz. In comparison to a previously reported electrochemical angular microaccelerometer, a significant improvement in sensitivity (80 V/(rad/s2) vs. 10 V/(rad/s2)) was achieved due to the new structure of sensitive microelectrodes. These results indicated the potential of the developed MEMS-based electrochemical angular accelerometer in seismology, including natural disaster monitoring and resource exploration.

Abstract Background Endometriosis is one of the most common gynecological diseases, and seriously reduces the quality of life of patients. However, the pathogenesis of this disease is unclear. Therefore, more studies are needed to elucidate its pathogenesis. Our previous publication found that the Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) signaling pathway was activated in endometriosis. This study tested whether SHH signaling in endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) was critical for the pathogenesis of endometriosis. Methods To examine the effect of inhibiting the SHH signaling pathway on endometriosis, we first isolated ESCs from eutopic endometrial tissues of patients with or without endometriosis and identified the extracted cells by morphological observation and immunofluorescence. Then, we treated ESCs with the GLI inhibitor GANT61 and used CCK-8, wound healing and invasion assays to detect cell activities, such as proliferation, invasion and metastasis. Furthermore, we detected the expression of key proteins and proliferation markers of the SHH signaling pathway in the lesions of nude mice using immunochemistry. Results We demonstrated that higher concentrations of GANT61 decreased the proliferation rate and migration distance of ESCs. We observed that GANT61 inhibited the invasion of ESCs. In addition, blockage of the SHH signaling pathway significantly reduced cell proliferation in vitro. Conclusions Our study suggested that inhibition of the SHH pathway is involved in cell proliferation and invasive growth in the pathogenesis of endometriosis.

Abstract A new electrochemical angular microaccelerometer with integrated sensitive electrodes perpendicular to flow channels was developed in this paper. Based on a liquid inertial mass, an incoming angular acceleration was translated into varied concentrations of reactive ions around sensitive microelectrodes, generating a detection current. Key structural parameters of the sensitive microelectrodes were designed and compared based on theoretical analysis and numerical simulations. An angular microaccelerometer incorporating sensitive microelectrodes was then fabricated, assembled and characterized, producing a sensitivity of 338 V/(rad/s2), a −3 dB bandwidth of 0.01–10 Hz and a noise level of 4.67 × 10−8 (rad/s2)/Hz1/2 @ 1 Hz. These performances were better than their commercial counterparts based on traditional electrodes and previously reported microaccelerometers based on microsensitive electrodes in parallel with flow channels, which can be applied to measure rotational accelerations in earthquakes and buildings.

Opinion leaders play a critical role in maintaining the functioning of online communities. This study aims to detect opinion leaders in online learning communities by evaluating the influence of users within the community. We use Baidu Post Bar’s Python learning community as an example and employ the catastrophe progression method to statically evaluate the influence of users in three dimensions: user creativity, user posting quality, and user online interaction. Based on this, we introduce the dual-incentive control line to dynamically evaluate users' influence from 2016 to 2020 regarding speed change characteristics, thus scientifically detecting opinion leaders in online learning communities. Compared to the static evaluation method, the results show that our proposed dynamic evaluation method can more effectively reveal the dynamic development trend of users' influence, thus accurately detecting opinion leaders. Moreover, this “invisible” development trend is fully reflected in the setting of the dual-incentive control line.

The seasonal prediction of sea-ice concentration (SIC), especially sudden loss events, is always challenging. Weddell Sea SIC experienced two unprecedented decline events, falling from 2.21% in the austral winter of 2015 to 0.02% in the austral summer of 2016 and then falling to −2.32% in the austral spring of 2017. This study proposes several statistical prediction models for Weddell Sea SIC and performs them for a period that includes the sudden decline events. We identified six potential oceanic and atmospheric factors at different leading times that relate to the variability of the Weddell Sea SIC, including the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), Niño12 sea surface temperature (SST), Southeastern Indian Ocean (SEIO) SST, Antarctic sea level pressure (SLP), and Weddell Sea surface air temperature (SAT). Multiple linear regression models were employed to establish equations to simulate the variation of Weddell Sea SIC under three groups of climate factors for 1979–2012. These models could effectively reproduce the low-frequency variation of SIC in the Weddell Sea during the simulation period and the high-frequency values through two kinds of error-correction methods developed in this study. After applying these error correction methods, the correlation coefficients (absolute errors) of these models were enhanced (decreased) during the simulation period. In the prediction period of 2013–2018, the corrected models generally predicted well the sudden losses of Weddell Sea SIC. The possible primary factors influencing these sudden losses were the PDO, Niño12 SST, Southern Annular Mode (SAM), and SAT during 2015–2016 and the AMO, PDO, Niño12 SST, SAM, and SAT during 2016–2017.

AIM:A total of 1 084 preschool children in 4 kindergartens in Xining City were surveyed on their visual acuity and refraction status to find out abnormal vision and refraction beyond the normal range. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey study. The overall sampling method was used on October 2019, a total of 1 084 preschool children aged 3-6 years were selected from a kindergarten in the east, west, south and north of Xining City. The children were checked for uncorrected distance vision and refractive status was checked by using a refractive screener.RESULTS: The detection rate of abnormal vision in preschool children in Xining City was 12.21%, and the detection rate of abnormal vision increased with the increasing age(χ2lineartrend=94.40, P0.05).CONCLUSION: The abnormal visual acuity of preschool children in Xining City gradually increases with the increasing age; The refractive state is dominated by astigmatism, among which the proportion of mixed astigmatism and pure myopia astigmatism is the highest, followed by pure hyperopic astigmatism and compound hyperopic astigmatism; With the increase of age, the diopter of compound hyperopic astigmatism gradually decreases, which is in line with the law of children's eye refractive development.

Power converter design evaluation by means of real-time simulation techniques is prevalent, although it is mostly restricted to simple power semiconductor switch models that exclude device-level physical details. In this work, the nonlinear high-order electrothermal model of the IGBT is developed and then deployed onto the heterogeneous digital hardware for real-time implementation. As the complexity of the NBM of the IGBT poses a significant computational burden on real-time hardware emulation, ML methodology is utilized so that the trained model can reproduce the characteristics of its original counterpart as much as possible and then it is implemented on the ACAP, which composes of the PS, PL, and AIE. The vector multiplication feature of the AIE caters to mathematical operations of the ML-based model particularly well and consequently enables it to be executed in real-time with remarkable speedup over the original model with which matrix inversion is otherwise mandatory. Finally, the validation for real-time device-level results and system-level results of a multiconverter system is provided by SaberRD and MATLAB/Simulink.

Due to excellent anti-pollution performance, composite insulators have been widely used in transmission lines. However, composite insulators present various failures after long-term outdoor operation under environmental, mechanical, and electrical stress. This paper aims to investigate the mechanical deterioration of silicone rubber exposed to electrical stress in an acidic corrosive environment. This study examines the mechanical properties before and after experiments and uses physicochemical properties to analyze aging causes and mechanisms. The results are as follows: a) Subjected to electrical stress in acid mist, alumina tri-hydrate (ATH) decomposition and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) pyrolysis occur on the silicone rubber, and oxidative crosslinking reactions take place. The contents of highly oxidized silicon and oxygen increase, and carbon content decreases. The surface discharge aggravates the above progress. b) The electric field has no obvious effect on the penetration of nitric acid into silicone rubber. The surface discharge becomes intense with the increased energized voltage, resulting in decreased hydrophobicity and degraded surface properties. c) Mechanical properties of silicone rubber exposed to acid conditions continuously degrade. Physical crosslinking of the silicone rubber increases along with corrosion time and nitric acid concentration, increasing hardness, decreasing tensile strength, and elongation at break. This paper investigates the relationship between mechanical and physicochemical properties, and the results can provide references for studying the failure mechanism of silicone rubber in an acid corrosion environment.

Abstract The electromagnetic transient (EMT) simulation of multi‐terminal DC (MTDC) grids requires a detailed device‐level modular multilevel converter (MMC) model, which can have thousands of state variables and complex internal structures. The fast device‐level insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) transient requires a very small time‐step, making the computational overhead prohibitive. Based on the analysis of the parallel‐in‐time (PiT) implementation of detailed modelled MMCs, this paper proposes a task‐based hybrid PiT algorithm to achieve high parallel efficiency and speed‐up of MMC with device‐level modelling. Moreover, a transmission line model(TLM)‐based parallel‐in‐time‐and‐space (PiT+PiS) method is proposed to connect PiT grids to conventional or other PiT grids and exploit the maximum parallelism. Simulation results show greater than 30× speed‐up and 60% parallel efficiency on a 48 cores computer for the hybrid PiT method in a 201‐level three‐phase MMC test case, and 20× speed‐up in the transient simulation of CIGRÉ B4 DC grid test system for the PiT+PiS method.

Abstract To select an eco-friendly nitrogen (N) application level for sugarcane production, soil fertility and soil bacterial diversity under different nitrogen application levels were analyzed. Four levels of urea applications were high Nitrogen (H, 964 kg ha−1), medium Nitrogen (M, 482 kg ha−1), low Nitrogen (L, 96 kg ha−1) and no Nitrogen (CK, 0 kg ha−1) treatments, respectively. The results showed that the soil microbial biomass carbon and phosphorus were altered significantly by CK and L treatments. Moreover, the indexes of soil bacterial richness and diversity in the sugarcane field could be significantly improved by L. At the genus level, SC-I-84, Mycobacterium, Micropepsaceae, Saccharimonadales, Subgroup_2 and Acetobacteraceae were the unique dominant bacteria in the soil with the H treatment. JG30-KF-CM45 and Jatrophihabitans were the unique dominant genera in the M treatment. Subgroup_6, HSB_OF53-F07, Streptomyces, 67–14, SBR1031 and KD4-96 were the unique dominant genera in the L treatment. In contrast, FCPS473, Actinospica, 1921–2, Sinomonas, and Ktedonobacteraceae were the unique dominant genera in the CK treatment. The findings suggest that soil fertility all could be changed by different N application levels, but the most increasing integral effect only could be found in L. Moreover, even though soil bacterial richness could be significantly promoted by the M and H treatments, but soil bacterial diversity could not be significantly improved. On the contrary, soil bacterial diversity and richness all could be improved by L treatment. In addition, higher abundance of unique soil dominant bacteria could be only found in L treatment which compared to the CK, M and H treatments. These findings suggest that the rate of 96 kg ha−1 N application is ecofriendly for sugarcane production in Guangxi.

Abstract Non-syndromic inherited defects of tooth dentin are caused by two classes of dominant negative/gain-of-function mutations in dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP): 5′ mutations affecting an N-terminal targeting sequence and 3′ mutations that shift translation into the − 1 reading frame. DSPP defects cause an overlapping spectrum of phenotypes classified as dentin dysplasia type II and dentinogenesis imperfecta types II and III. Using CRISPR/Cas9, we generated a Dspp −1fs mouse model by introducing a FLAG-tag followed by a single nucleotide deletion that translated 493 extraneous amino acids before termination. Developing incisors and/or molars from this mouse and a Dspp P19L mouse were characterized by morphological assessment, bSEM, nanohardness testing, histological analysis, in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. Dspp P19L dentin contained dentinal tubules but grew slowly and was softer and less mineralized than the wild-type. Dspp P19L incisor enamel was softer than normal, while molar enamel showed reduced rod/interrod definition. Dspp −1fs dentin formation was analogous to reparative dentin: it lacked dentinal tubules, contained cellular debris, and was significantly softer and thinner than Dspp +/+ and Dspp P19L dentin. The Dspp −1fs incisor enamel appeared normal and was comparable to the wild-type in hardness. We conclude that 5′ and 3′ Dspp mutations cause dental malformations through different pathological mechanisms and can be regarded as distinct disorders.

As a regional development strategy based on the world’s third largest river basin unit, the Yangtze river economic belt strategy plays a vital role in building ecological civilization with the core concept of “ecological priority and green development”. To study the impact of the Yangtze River Economic Belt strategy on the construction of ecological civilization in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. This paper uses the entropy power method to measure the level of ecological civilization construction in 37 prefecture-level cities in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. It examines the impact of the Yangtze River Economic Belt Strategy on the construction of ecological civilization in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River based on the DID method. The study results show that 1) the level of ecological civilization construction in the Yangtze River’s upper reaches has continuously improved from 2003 to 2020. 2) The implementation of the Yangtze River Economic Belt Strategy has a significant positive impact on the construction of ecological civilization in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. 3) The Yangtze River Economic Belt Strategy can promote the construction of ecological civilization in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River by improving the level of science and technology innovation. 4) The implementation of the Yangtze River Economic Belt Strategy does not significantly impact the level of ecological civilization construction in the regions participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, so it is necessary to pay attention to the synergy between different policies. This study will help to raise the awareness of developing countries on economic development and ecological protection in the river basin, and provide a reference for policymakers.

Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) is a well-known food and medicinal plant. Lotus seedpod (Receptaculum Nelumbinis) is the by-products during lotus products processing, which is considered as waste. Numerous studies have been conducted on its phytochemicals, biological activity and industrial application. However, the information on lotus seedpod is scattered and has been rarely summarized. In this review, summaries on preparation and identification of phytochemicals, the biological activities of extracts and phytochemicals, and applications of raw material, extracts and phytochemicals for lotus seedpod were made. Meanwhile, the future study trend was proposed. Recent evidence indicated that lotus seedpods extracts, obtained by non-organic and organic solvents, possessed several activities, which were influenced by extraction solvents and methods. Lotus seedpods were rich in phytochemicals categorized as different chemical groups, such as proanthocyanidins, oligomeric procyanidins, flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, etc. These phytochemicals exhibited various bioactivities, including ameliorating cognitive impairment, antioxidation, antibacterial, anti-glycative, neuroprotection, anti-tyrosinase and other activities. Raw material, extracts and phytochemicals of lotus seedpods could be utilized as sources for biochar and biomass material, in food industry and as dye. This review gives well-understanding on lotus seedpod, and provides theoretical basis for its future research and application.

In recent years, varying degrees of surface pulverization had been found on composite insulators running for years in severe outdoor environment such as dry, high altitude, salt fog and intensive ultraviolet radiation. Research on the basic characteristics of powdered substance is essential to maintain a high reliability of the power grid. In this study, the characteristics of the powdered layer of the composite insulator sheds aged for more than 10 years under three different environmental stresses are analyzed. The results show that powdered substance of each composite insulator sample contains two parts: the organic silicon which is oxidative degradation product of the original material polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and the partially dehydrated and deteriorated flame retardant filler aluminum hydroxide (ATH). However, the thickness of the powdered layer, the particle size distribution of the powdered substance and the composition ratio between the two components are different. The average particle size of powdered substance is between 2–7 μm. The content of Al element is 31.8–34.5%, the content of Si element is 12.7–17.5%, and the mass fraction ratio of two types of powdered substance is about 1/2–1/3. The essence of pulverization is finally concluded that the composite insulator is severely oxidized and degraded under the effect of various aging factors. The organic component silicone rubber is decomposed to fragments, and the bonding between inorganic flame retardant filler and polymer become weak. They will be detached from the main body skeleton and lost partly, then build up at the surface, forming powdered layer.

Abstract Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. Cardiomyocytes are capable of coordinated contractions, which are mainly responsible for pumping blood. When cardiac stress occurs, cardiomyocytes undergo transition from physiological homeostasis to hypertrophic growth, proliferation, or apoptosis. During these processes, many cellular factors and signaling pathways participate. PTEN is a ubiquitous dual-specificity phosphatase and functions by dephosphorylating target proteins or lipids, such as PIP3, a second messenger in the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Downregulation of PTEN expression or inhibiting its biologic activity improves heart function, promotes cardiomyocytes proliferation, reduces cardiac fibrosis as well as dilation, and inhibits apoptosis following ischemic stress such as myocardial infarction. Inactivation of PTEN exhibits a potentially beneficial therapeutic effects against cardiac diseases. In this review, we summarize various strategies for PTEN inactivation and highlight the roles of PTEN-less in regulating cardiomyocytes during cardiac development and stress responses.

With the prevalence of the Internet and new media channels, consumer reviews have become one of the main determinants of Consumers’ purchasing decisions. This paper uses the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) model to identify the key factors that are of major concern to consumers, including design factors, laptop setup factors, logistics factors, after-sales factors, and user experience factors. And, we classify these factors into product quality factors and supporting service factors for new products. We then explore the relationship between online reviews and purchase decisions under these different factors, and also further explore the impact of interactions between online review metrics on purchase decisions. Our findings suggest that the impact of online reviews on consumer purchase decisions also varies considerably across different consumer focus factors. In addition, we find that the impact of the interaction between online review features is complex. In particular, consumers do not follow the positive guidance and make purchase decisions as we would expect when confronted with a large number of positive emotional polarity online reviews. Meanwhile, the interaction between negative emotional polarity and variance of online reviews had no significant effect on consumer purchase decisions. The variance of online reviews has a limited role in reducing consumer risk perceptions triggered by negative emotional polarity. Our study provides new evidence for the study of the impact of online reviews through text mining.

Introduction and Objectives: It is well known that the quality of life (QoL) of patients with chronic hepatitis C (HCV) is lower than that of the general population and that therapy with direct-acting antivirals (DAA) for HCV is safe and effective. However, data on the QoL of patients are scanty. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of DAA drugs on patients’ QoL. Methods: The literature included in this meta-analysis was due in March 2021. The random effect model of heterogeneous data and the fixed effect model of homogeneous data were used to analyze the data. QoL had to be evaluated using the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire with at least one measure at baseline (T0) and one measure at 12 weeks (T12) or 24 weeks (T24) after the end of therapy. The meta-analysis included eight studies, which involved 1,619 patients. Results: At T12, the meta-analysis showed all items of the SF-36 questionnaire improved from the pretreatment to post-treatment period and reached statistical significance (p