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Abstract Background With the demand for more effective and engaging teaching strategies in higher education, there is an imperative to blend traditional and innovative methods to optimize student learning outcomes. To address this educational need, this study sets out to design and evaluate a hybrid learning approach that integrates a flipped classroom based on working process systematization (termed “W + flipped classroom”) teaching design with blended online and offline methods based on the BOPPPS (bridge-in, objective/outcome, preassessment, participatory learning, post assessment, summary, termed “B + BOPPPS”) teaching model and explore its application effects in the field of biological separation engineering. Methods The undergraduate class of 2020 majoring in biomedical engineering from Huanghuai University was designated the control group (n = 74), while the undergraduate class of 2021 was chosen as the experimental group (n = 79). The control group received traditional teaching methods. The experimental group adopted the integrated “W + flipped classroom” and B + BOPPPS teaching models. After the conclusion of the teaching period, comparisons were made between the two groups in terms of course objective achievement, academic performance, and critical thinking skills. A survey was distributed to assess learning effectiveness. Semistructured interviews were conducted with teachers and students from the experimental group to evaluate teaching effectiveness. Results The integrated “W + flipped classroom” and B + BOPPPS teaching models significantly improved the academic performance and critical thinking skills of the experimental group. The teaching evaluation revealed high levels of acceptance among both teachers and students, along with improved satisfaction with the teaching methodology. Conclusion The integration of the “W + flipped classroom” teaching design with the “B + BOPPPS” teaching model provides a scientific foundation for future teaching reforms. This study serves as a valuable reference for implementing the OBE philosophy, enhancing learning outcomes, achieving engineering education accreditation, and cultivating high-quality applied talents in the field of bioengineering at applied universities.

Background The incidence of mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome (MCLS), also known as Kawasaki disease (KD), has been increasing year by year. Coronary artery lesions (CAL) induced by KD has become the main cause of acquired heart disease in children. Many clinical studies show that mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) is associated with CAL in KD, but the strength of association between them differs across original research on different individuals. Objective To systematically evaluate the correlation between MP infection and CAL in KD, providing evidence for early and timely delivery of effective clinical treatment to improve the quality of life and to prevent adverse outcomes in children with KD. Methods Observational studies on KD〔KD patients with MP infection (MP-IgM positive) (exposed group) compared with those with simple KD (control group), with CAL as the outcome measure〕 were retrieved from databases of CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science from inception to April 3, 2022. Two researchers independently performed literature screening and data exaction. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to evaluate the quality of included studies. Stata 15.0 and RevMan 5.4 were used for data analysis. Results A total of 31 studies involving 6 131 subjects were included. The average quality score of the studies rated using the NOS was 7, indicating a high overall quality. Meta-analysis showed that the risk of CAL in the exposed group was higher than that in the control group〔RR=1.65, 95%CI (1.40, 1.94), P1∶160, or by quantitative PCR, or undescribed method (P

Improving the power generation efficiency of coal-fired units is an effective measure to achieve energy conservation and carbon reduction. The engineering application of 700 ℃ ultra-supercritical coal-fired power generation is hindered by the high price of superalloy materials; therefore, it is necessary to explore new layouts and structures to shorten the high-temperature steam pipelines and reduce the engineering costs. By taking the phase III expansion project—the world’s first demonstration project of high-level layout—of the Jinjie coal-fired power plant as an example, this study introduces the engineering innovation practice of the high-level layout technology for an air-cooled ultra-supercritical steam-turbine generator unit. The results indicate that the reinforced concrete frame and shear wall structure can effectively lower the overall center of gravity and improve the seismic performance of the main power house,thereby ensuring the safety of the main power house structure, high-temperature steam pipelines, and steam turbine generator unit through technological breakthroughs. Compared with those of the conventional layout (its operating floor level being 12.6‒17 m), the main steam and reheat steam pipelines of the high-level layout (its operating floor level being 65 m) can save 34.2% and 20.9% of raw materials,respectively; and exhaust steam pipes of the air-cooled island can save 93% of raw materials. Furthermore, the power supply coal consumption can be reduced by 4.5‒5.1 g/(kW·h) compared with the design value, and the overall economical efficiency is significantly improved. The monitoring data after operation show that all parameters in the real-time on-line monitoring system of the main power house structure are within the safety threshold, and the plant structure and critical equipment are both in a safe state. Therefore, we propose to promote clean and efficient coal-fired power generation technologies and apply the high-level layout technology to the advanced air-cooled coal-fired power units in northeast, north, and northwest China as these regions are rich in coal but short of water. This can provide practical experience for the construction of economical high-temperature steam pipelines for 700 ℃ ultra-supercritical coal-fired power units.

Objective To investigate the influence and partial underlying mechanism of HOXB7 on the proliferation, migration and invasion abilities of hepatoma cells. Methods SMMC-7721 and HepG2 cell lines with high expression of HOXB7 mRNA were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. To assess the silence efficiency of shRNA, the expression of HOXB7 at mRNA and protein levels were detected by real-time PCR and Western blot in the hepatoma cells transfected with shRNA. The cell proliferation, invasion and migration abilities of hepatoma cells were measured by CCK8 assay, Transwell assay and cell scratch test. The expression of Smad3 and p-Smad3 in SMMC-7721 cells were measured by Western blot. Results The expression of HOXB7 at mRNA and protein levels were reduced significantly after shRNA transfection, and the proliferation, invasion and migration abilities of SMMC-7721 cells were reduced at the same time. And the expression of p-Smad3 protein in TGF-β pathway was decreased. Conclusion HOXB7 could enhance the proliferation, invasion and migration abilities of hepatoma cells, which may be related to promoting the phosphorylation of Smad3 in TGF-β pathway.

The fungus Irpex Lacteus is effective in decolourising methylene blue, a common dye in printing and dyeing wastewater, and it is of clear significance to investigate its optimal decolourisation process through liquid fermentation. The medium mixed with methylene blue dye was incubated with Irpex Lacteus in a constant temperature shaking flask liquid fermentation equipment, and single factors such as incubation time, temperature, shaking bed speed, dye concentration, pH, carbon and nitrogen sources were screened, and key factors were targeted orthogonal tests were carried out to optimise the best decolourisation process for Irpex Lacteus against methylene blue. The single-factor test revealed that carbon, nitrogen, pH and inoculum were the main factors influencing the decolourisation of methylene blue by Irpex Lacteus. The results of the orthogonal test showed that the decolourisation effect was best when the carbon source was sucrose, the nitrogen source was peptone, pH=3.5, the inoculum level was 7% and the incubation time was 10 days. Irpex Lacteus showed good decolourisation effect on methylene blue and the optimised process conditions provided a new direction for the treatment of printing and dyeing wastewater.

Over several months, representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science and National Institutes of Health (NIH) had a number of meetings that lead to the conclusion that innovations in the Nations health care could be realized by more directed interactions between NIH and DOE. It became clear that the expertise amassed and instrumentation advances developed at the DOE physical science laboratories to enable cutting-edge research in particle physics could also feed innovation in medical healthcare. To meet their scientific mission, the DOE laboratories created advances in such technologies as particle beam generation, radioisotope production, high-energy particle detection and imaging, superconducting particle accelerators, superconducting magnets, cryogenics, high-speed electronics, artificial intelligence, and big data. To move forward, NIH and DOE initiated the process of convening a joint workshop which occurred on July 12th and 13th, 2021. This Special Report presents a summary of the findings of the collaborative workshop and introduces the goals of the next one.

We report the identification of two single nucleotide polymorphisms in Cannabis saliva L. that are associated with female and male plant sex phenotypes and are located on the top arm of the X chromosome. High resolution melt analysis was used to develop and validate a novel, rapid method for sex identification in medical and (or) recreational cannabis as well as in hemp. This method can distinguish between dioecious male (XY) and dioecious female (XX) cannabis plants with 100% accuracy and can also be used to differentiate between male and female Humulus lupulus L. (hop) plants. Keywords: Cannabis sativa L., hemp, Humulus lupulus L., hops, sex identification, sex-specific SNPs, high resolution melt analysis Les auteurs rapportent l'identification de deux polymorphismes mononucléotidiques chez Cannabis saliva L. qui sont associés aux phénotypes sexuels des plantes femelles et mâles, et qui sont situés sur le bras supérieur du chromosome X. L'analyse par fusion à haute résolution a été utilisée pour développer et valider une nouvelle méthode rapide d'identification du sexe dans le cannabis médical et (ou) récréatif ainsi que dans le chanvre. Cette méthode permet de distinguer les plants de cannabis dioïques mâles (XY) et dioïques femelles (XX) avec une précision de 100%, et peut également être utilisée pour différencier les plants de Humulus lupulus L. (houblon) mâles et femelles. [Traduit par la Rédaction] Mots-clés : Cannabis saliva L., chanvre, Humulus lupulus L., houblon, identification du sexe, SNP spécifiques au sexe, analyse par fusion à haute résolution, Introduction The species Cannabis sativa L. includes both hemp and medicinal and (or) recreational cannabis plant cultivars. For the purposes of this study, we will use the term cannabis to [...]