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Abstract Hypertrophic scars arise from aberrant wound healing and can lead to functional and aesthetic impairments. One of the common interventions for treating hypertrophic scars is fractional carbon dioxide (CO2) laser, which employs narrow laser beams to stimulate dermal collagen deposition. Recent studies and reports have suggested that combining laser therapy with other interventions such as botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) and topical growth factors may enhance treatment outcomes. Here, we examine the efficacy and safety of a sequential combination of BTX-A, fractional CO2 laser, and topical growth factors, referred to as combined therapy, for treating hypertrophic scars compared with only using fractional CO2 laser and topical growth factors, referred to as monotherapy. Our retrospective study includes 128 patients with hypertrophic scars (56 underwent monotherapy and 72 underwent combined therapy), which were followed-up for up to 15 months after the initiation of treatment to collect demographic and clinical data. Our analysis showed that the combined therapy significantly outperformed monotherapy in improving Vancouver scar scale scores (P

The drop tower is an important experimental facility to provide a microgravity environment on the ground. The National Precise Gravity Measurement Facility has built a vacuum drop tower at Wuhan in China. The vacuum drop tower has a falling-height of 20 m, a free falling-time of 2.0 s, and a pressure of ∼6.15 Pa after 1 h pumping. The microgravity level of the vacuum drop tower is analyzed in this paper. The error sources include the aerodynamic drag, the difference of gas pressure around the gaps, the misalignment, the rotation, the magnetic field, etc. The evaluated microgravity level of the vacuum drop tower is better than (4.80 ± 3.31) × 10−7g, which is mainly limited by the aerodynamic drag and the rotation of the capsule. In addition, the microgravity level is measured to be better than 3.22 × 10−5g by using the quartz-flexure accelerometer. The vacuum drop tower provides a ground-based public service platform with a microgravity environment on the order of magnitude of 10−7g for further experiments.

Abstract Dysregulation of IL-17A is closely associated with airway inflammation and remodeling in severe asthma. However, the molecular mechanisms by which IL-17A is regulated remain unclear. Here we identify epithelial sirtuin 6 (SIRT6) as an epigenetic regulator that governs IL-17A pathogenicity in severe asthma. Mice with airway epithelial cell-specific deletion of Sirt6 are protected against allergen-induced airway inflammation and remodeling via inhibiting IL-17A-mediated inflammatory chemokines and mesenchymal reprogramming. Mechanistically, SIRT6 directly interacts with RORγt and mediates RORγt deacetylation at lysine 192 via its PPXY motifs. SIRT6 promotes RORγt recruitment to the IL-17A gene promoter and enhances its transcription. In severe asthma patients, high expression of SIRT6 positively correlates with airway remodeling and disease severity. SIRT6 inhibitor (OSS_128167) treatment significantly attenuates airway inflammation and remodeling in mice. Collectively, these results uncover a function for SIRT6 in regulating IL-17A pathogenicity in severe asthma, implicating SIRT6 as a potential therapeutic target for severe asthma.

Abstract Background Uveal melanoma (UM) is adults’ most common primary intraocular malignant tumor, prone to metastasis and high mortality. Eyeball enucleation commonly used in the clinic will lead to permanent blindness and mental disorders. Thus, new methods are urgently needed to diagnose and treat UM early to preserve patients’ vision. Methods and results Herein, multifunctional nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by loading chlorin e6 (Ce6) in poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) NPs and wrapping FeIII-tannic acid (FeIII-TA) on the outside (FeIII-TA/PLGA/Ce6, designated as FTCPNPs). Then, the synergistic photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) antitumor effects of FTCPNPs excited by near-infrared (NIR) laser were evaluated. Moreover, we verified the mechanism of synergistic PTT/PDT leading to mitochondrial dysfunction and inducing tumor cell apoptosis. Additionally, FTCPNPs can be used as excellent magnetic resonance (MR)/photoacoustic (PA) imaging contrast agents, enabling imaging-guided cancer treatment. Finally, The NPs have good biological safety. Conclusion This noninvasive NIR light-triggered cooperative phototherapy can easily penetrate eye tissue and overcome the disadvantage of limited penetration of phototherapy. Therefore, cooperative phototherapy is expected to be used in fundus tumors. This treatment model is applied to UM for the first time, providing a promising strategy and new idea for integrating the diagnosis and treatment of UM.

This study comparatively investigated the performance of mortar prepared using excavated soil recycled fine aggregate (ESRFA), which mainly included fine aggregate obtained by sediment separation equipment and sieving. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to analyse the size and shape of ESRFA particles. The particle size distribution of ESRFA was uneven and its sphericality was lower than that of river sand. Two series of rendering mortar mixes were prepared using identical water/cement and aggregate/cement ratios of 0.55 and 3, respectively, using river sand as fine aggregate. ESRFA was used to replace 30%, 50%, 70%, and 100% of the river sand in each mixture. The experimental results showed that the flowability of the mortar prepared with ESRFA was lower than that of the aggregate-based mortar, but the porosity, water absorption, and mechanical properties (compressive strength, flexural strength, and drying shrinkage) increased and then decreased upon increasing the ESRFA content. In conclusion, ESRFA shows potential as a partial replacement for river sand in mortar, particularly at lower substitution rates. Further research is needed to optimize the processing and application of ESRFA in concrete to enhance its performance and sustainability.

Measurement(s) temperature • wind speed • solar zeinth angle • dew point • irradiance • voltage • current Technology Type(s) weather station • power grid model-based simulation Factor Type(s) load power • renewable generation power • disturbance location, type, and duration

To comprehensively evaluate the camouflage effect of a camouflaged vehicle in a complex background based on the detection and identification processes of the time-limited search model, the visual saliency degree and feature similarity degree were used to represent the camouflage effect, and a camouflage effect evaluation method was proposed. For the visual saliency degree algorithm, in which the concepts of local saliency degree and target saliency degree were introduced, the visual saliency features of the camouflaged vehicle and background image were manually extracted, multiscale saliency matrices were constructed, and the comprehensive saliency function was used to calculate the visual saliency degree. Based on the bag of visual words model, the feature similarity degree algorithm extracted the local features from public images of the camouflaged vehicles, clustered these features to form a visual word bag, and calculated the feature similarity degree by comparing the local features of the camouflaged vehicle with the visual word bag. Through experimental verification and analysis of the results, the method considering complex landform background characteristics, battlefield target reconnaissance processes, and different camouflage statuses of the vehicle could objectively obtain the camouflage effect value of vehicles, quantitatively determine the advantageous application environment of different camouflaged states, and provide data support for camouflaged state design and concealed area selection.

Abstract Background We have reported that heparin-binding epidermal growth factor (HB-EGF) is increased in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and associated with collagen deposition, but the mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study, we aimed to investigated the inflammatory cytokines secreted by bronchial epithelial cells following exposure to HB-EGF that promoted proliferation and migration of human lung fibroblast. Methods HB-EGF–induced inflammatory cytokines were assayed in two airway epithelial cells (primary human bronchial epithelial cells [HBECs] and BEAS-2B cells). Moreover, the culture supernatants derived from HB-EGF-treated HBECs and BEAS-2B cells were added to human primary lung fibroblasts. The effect of culture supernatants on proliferation and migration of fibroblasts was assessed. Results IL-8 expression was significantly increased in bronchial epithelial cells treated with HB-EGF, which was at least partially dependent on NF-kB pathways activation. HB-EGF–induced IL-8 was found to further promote lung fibroblasts proliferation and migration, and the effects were attenuated after neutralizing IL-8. Conclusions These findings suggest that HB-EGF may be involved in the pathology of airway fibrosis by induction of IL-8 from airway epithelium, subsequently causing lung fibroblasts proliferation and migration. Thus, inhibition of HBEGF and/or IL-8 production could prevent the development of airway fibrosis by modulating fibroblast activation.

Damage is the main form of conflict, and the characterization of damage information is an important component of conflict evaluation. In the existing research, damage mainly refers to the damage effect of a damage load on the target structure. However, in the actual conflict environment, damage is a complex process that includes the entire process from the initial introduction of the damage load to the target function. Therefore, in this paper, the transfer logic of the damage process is analyzed, and the damage process is sequentially divided into being discovered, being attacked, being hit, and being destroyed in succession. Specifically, first considering the multiple types of each process, the transmission of damage is likened to the flow of damage, a network model to characterize damage information based on heterogeneous network meta-path and network flow theory (HF-MCDI) is established. Then, the characteristics of damage information are analyzed based on the capacity of the damage network, the correlation of the damage path, and the importance of the damage node. In addition, HF-MCDI can not only represent the complete damage information and the transmission characteristics of the damage load but also the structural characteristics of the target. Finally, the feasibility and effectiveness of the established HF-MCDI method are fully demonstrated by the example analysis of the launch platform.

Abstract Grainyhead-like 1 (GRHL1) is a transcription factor involved in embryonic development. However, little is known about the biological functions of GRHL1 in cancer. In this study, we found that GRHL1 was upregulated in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and correlated with poor survival of patients. GRHL1 overexpression promoted the proliferation of NSCLC cells and knocking down GRHL1 inhibited the proliferation. RNA sequencing showed that a series of cell cycle-related genes were altered when knocking down GRHL1. We further demonstrated that GRHL1 could regulate the expression of cell cycle-related genes by binding to the promoter regions and increasing the transcription of the target genes. Besides, we also found that EGF stimulation could activate GRHL1 and promoted its nuclear translocation. We identified the key phosphorylation site at Ser76 on GRHL1 that is regulated by the EGFR-ERK axis. Taken together, these findings elucidate a new function of GRHL1 on regulating the cell cycle progression and point out the potential role of GRHL1 as a drug target in NSCLC.

The dynamic performance of the DC bus significantly influences the impedance characteristics of MMC and the system stability in a high-voltage direct current system. However, most of the existing MMC-HVDC system stability research simplifies the DC side as an ideal voltage source and ignores the impacts of voltage feedforward control, which affects the accuracy and practicability of stability analysis. In this paper, a sequence impedance model considering both DC voltage control and voltage feedforward control is developed, and the necessity of considering DC control and voltage feedforward control for MMC-HVDC stability analysis is illustrated. Then, the impact of control parameters on MMC-HVDC impedance is discussed, and the boundary conditions of control parameters are also derived. Finally, a method of control parameters design and impedance optimization for MMC-HVDC based on the stability boundary is proposed. Compared to the traditional optimization method, the system stability is further improved by the impedance optimization method proposed this paper.

Abstract Anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) performance have significantly improved in the last decade (>1 W cm−2), and is now comparable with that of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). At high current densities, issues in the catalyst layer (CL, composed of catalyst and ionomer), like oxygen transfer, water balance, and microstructural evolution, play important roles in the performance. In addition, CLs for AEMFCs have different requirements than for PEMFCs, such as chemical/physical stability, reaction mechanism, and mass transfer, because of different conductive media and pH environment. The anion exchange ionomer (AEI), which is the soluble or dispersed analogue of the anion exchange membrane (AEM), is required for hydroxide transport in the CL and is normally handled separately with the electrocatalyst during the electrode fabrication process. The importance of the AEI–catalyst interface in maximizing the utilization of electrocatalyst and fuel/oxygen transfer process must be carefully investigated. This review briefly covers new concepts in the complex AEMFC catalyst layer, before a detailed discussion on advances in CLs based on the design of AEIs and electrocatalysts. The importance of the structure–function relationship is highlighted with the aim of directing the further development of CLs for high‐performance AEMFC.

In a recently published report, a polarization-insensitive and thin stereometamaterial (PITS) is proposed by Li et al. (2015) and they indicated that it can realize a broadband absorption by the orthogonal double-split-ring structure for the oblique incidence. However, the high cross-polarization reflection component is ignored by the original authors for the proposed PITS. When the incident angle is 45° for TE-polarization, it is found that there are only a few absorption peaks occurred at 6.79 GHz, 11.79 GHz, 12.54 GHz and 14.53 GHz with the corresponding absorptions of 36.08%, 56.24%, 58.70% and 60.54%, respectively. For TM-polarization, there are only three absorption peaks at 6.81 GHz, 11.83 GHz, 13.28 GHz with the corresponding absorptions are 67.85%, 52.16% and 62.14%. Obviously, the designed absorber reported by Li et al. cannot qualify the mission of absorbing electromagnetic wave. Keywords: Metamaterial, Polarization conversion, Absorber

With the growth of economic and social demand for electricity, the power system has gradually evolved into a complex network containing a high proportion of renewable generators and large-scale electrical devices [...]

This paper presents a non-intrusive solenoid valve fault diagnosis method, which adopts the eigenvalue extraction scheme and combines the time-frequency analysis and time-domain analysis of the current signal through the solenoid valve fault pattern recognition method. Specifically, the research group selected the solenoid valve driving end current value and its second-order change rate curve as the characteristic curve, and then it extracted the time-domain parameters and the corresponding frequency band energy of the second-order change rate as the characteristic value. Then, the research group conducted time-frequency analysis on the basis of the current signal, created a multi-feature fusion feature vector and then input it into a multi-class support vector machine (SVM) for solenoid valve fault diagnosis. To evaluate the method, the research group developed a working solenoid valve model that integrated a magnetic circuit, circuit and spool motion, and the research group examined four typical solenoid valve states (normal, spring broken, spool stuck and spool slightly stuck), for which the research group collected the current signals during solenoid valve energization and closing. The trials involved analyzing the current characteristics of the drive end, both in simulation and experimental setups, and the research group demonstrated that the proposed drive end current detection diagnosis method can improve the accuracy of recognition by 15.22% compared with traditional neural network recognition methods. The SVM strategy exploiting a multi-feature fusion strategy can improve recognition accuracy by 8.7% and verification accuracy by 42.11% compared with SVM on the basis of the energy feature values.

In this article, a tunable linear-to-circular polarization converter (LTCPC) in terahertz (THz) regime using the graphene transmissive metasurface is proposed, which is composed of two resonant layers containing the metal and graphene resonators separated by a dielectric spacer. The linearly-polarized wave with normal incidence can be transformed to the circularly-polarized wave. The operating band can be dynamically regulated in THz band by electrically controlling the Fermi energy (Ef) of the graphene sheets rather than reforming the structures. The optimized result of axial ratio (AR) band which is less than 3 dB is located at 2.64-3.29 THz (the relative bandwidth is 21.92%) in the case of Ef = 0.1 eV. The physical characteristics of graphene are explored and the relevant operational results of the presented LTCPC are elucidated in this article. Compared with the conventional LTCPC, our design provides a more effective implementation method for wide applications, and it offers a further step in graphene controllable devices.

The increasing excavated soil from construction projects has become a big problem in the sustainable development of megacities worldwide. Even though excavated soil management concerns are receiving increased attention, low rates of excavated soil recycling remain a barrier to the continuous improvement of the construction industry. Nowadays, Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology has gained popularity for construction and demolition (C&D) waste management purposes. However, few studies and cases of recycling excavated soil using BIM technology have been found. This paper gives a BIM-GIS-IoT-based excavated soil recycling system to effectively integrate BIM and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies into a geographic information system (GIS) to achieve scientific and reasonable recycling for excavated soil. The system mentioned above could collaboratively manage information from the government, developers, construction enterprises, transportation companies, and recycling facilities to meet the requirement for the specific communication, analysis, decision-making, and recycling plan preparation of the excavation project. In addition, it provides a systematic method and applies relevant information technology required to recycle the excavated soil effectively in the excavation project. The system is intended to provide a fundamental digital construction model for excavated soil recycling, regardless of whether it is invoked by the existing application software or a program tailored to the demands of a specific organization or stakeholders. It makes excellent use of the rich information stored in digital information models, may create a mapping to the input data required by the application, or automatically convert the basic model to facilitate the specific analysis. This system can not only serve as an excavation project simulation tool before construction, but also serve as a tool to recycle the excavated soil and cost evaluation. The developed model is applied via case studies within an excavation project. Different plans are described and compared in detail in several aspects of the schedule, revenue, and contract, finding that actual benefits will differ depending on the project’s limiting conditions. The result indicates ample opportunity for the advantages of the BIM-GIS-IoT-based excavated soil recycling system in the excavation project.

Background: Transplant arteriosclerosis (TA) remains the major cause of chronic graft failure in solid organ transplantation. The phenotypic modulation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is a key event for the initiation and progression of neointimal formation and TA. This study aims to explore the role and underlying mechanism of phosphoinositide 3-kinases γ (PI3Kγ) in VSMC phenotypic modulation and TA. Methods: The rat model of aortic transplantation was established to detect PI3Kγ expression and its role in neointimal formation and vascular remodeling in vivo. PI3Kγ shRNA transfection was employed to knockdown PI3Kγ gene. Aortic VSMCs was cultured and treated with TNF-α to explore the role and molecular mechanism of PI3Kγ in VSMC phenotypic modulation. Findings: Activated PI3Kγ/p-Akt signaling was observed in aortic allografts and in TNF-α-treated VSMCs. Lentivirus-mediated shRNA transfection effectively inhibited PI3Kγ expression in medial VSMCs while restoring the expression of VSMC contractile genes, associated with impaired neointimal formation in aortic allografts. In cultured VSMCs, PI3Kγ blockade with pharmacological inhibitor or genetic knockdown markedly abrogated TNF-α-induced downregulation of VSMC contractile genes and increase in cellular proliferation and migration. Moreover, SOX9 located in nucleus competitively inhibited the interaction of Myocardin and SRF, while PI3Kγ inhibition robustly reduced SOX9 expression and its nuclear translocation and repaired the Myocardin/SRF association. Interpretation: These results suggest that PI3Kγ plays a critical role in VSMC phenotypic modulation via a SOX9-dependent mechanism. Therefore, PI3Kγ in VSMCs may represent a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of TA. Fund: National Natural Science Foundation of China. Keywords: PI3Kγ, Vascular smooth muscle cells, Transplant arteriosclerosis, SOX9, Phenotypic modulation

Abstract Background Thoracic aortic dissection (TAD) is one of the most severe aortic diseases. The study aimed to explore the potential role of heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) in the pathogenesis of TAD using an in vitro model of oxidative stress in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Methods HSP27 was analyzed in aortic surgical specimens from 12 patients with TAD and 8 healthy controls. A lentiviral vector was used to overexpress HSP27 in rat aortic VSMCs. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were measured under oxidative stress induced by H2O2. Results HSP27 expression was significantly higher in aortic tissue from patients with TAD and VSMCs in the aortic media were the main cell type producing HSP27. Elevated oxidative stress was also detected in the TAD samples. Overexpression of HSP27 significantly attenuated H2O2-induced inhibition of cell proliferation. Furthermore, HSP27 was found to decrease H2O2-induced cell apoptosis and oxidative stress. Conclusions These results suggest that HSP27 expression promotes VSMC viability, suppresses cell apoptosis, and confers protection against oxidative stress in TAD.

Knowing the factors affecting students' learning achievement in digital learning is a crucial educational issue nowadays. However, recent research has paid less attention to how an individual's internal factors (prior knowledge) influence their learning achievement through cognitive engagement, and previous studies generally employed students' self-reported data, which are subjective. This study investigated the relationships between students' prior knowledge, cognitive engagement, and learning achievement in digital game-based learning by using eye-tracking technology to analyze their visual behaviors. A total of 55 university students volunteered to use the game to learn about programming, during which their visual behaviors were recorded by an eye tracker to investigate their cognitive engagement and visual transition patterns. Their prior knowledge of programming was assessed one week before the game started, while their learning achievement was tested immediately after the game ended. The results of the study showed that: (1) Students' prior knowledge had a moderately positive predictive effect on their learning achievement; (2) Students' learning concentration played a mediating role in the predictive effect of prior knowledge on learning achievement; (3) Students' cognitive strategies moderated the predictive effect of prior knowledge on learning achievement; and (4) Groups of students with different prior knowledge and cognitive engagement adopted significantly different modes of visual transformation in the game. These findings further revealed the complex relationship between learners' prior knowledge, cognitive engagement and learning achievement in the game environments, which would be a good reference for understanding individual differences in the game environment and for designing game-based adaptive learning systems.