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A steel–concrete composite beam bridge fully exploits the mechanical advantages of the concrete structure and steel structure, and has the advantages of a fast construction speed and large stiffness. It is of certain research value to explore the application of this bridge type in the field of railway bridges. However, with the rapid development of domestic high-speed railway construction, the problem of vibration and noise radiation of high-speed railway bridges caused by train loads is becoming more and more serious. A steel–concrete composite beam bridge combines the tensile characteristics of steel and the compressive characteristics of concrete perfectly. At the same time, it also has the characteristics of a steel bridge and concrete bridge in terms of vibration and noise radiation. This feature makes the study of the vibration and noise of the bridge type more complicated. Therefore, in this paper, the characteristics of vibration and noise radiation of a high-speed railway steel–concrete composite box girder bridge are studied in detail from two aspects: the theoretical basis and a numerical simulation. The main results obtained are as follows: Relying on the idea of vehicle–rail–bridge coupling dynamics, a structural dynamics analysis model of a steel–concrete combined girder bridge for a high-speed railroad was established, and numerical program simulation of the vibration of the vehicle–rail–bridge coupling system was carried out based on the parametric design language of ANSYS 18.0 and the language of MATLAB R2021a, and the structural vibration results were analyzed in both the time domain and frequency domain. By using different time-step loading for the vehicle–rail–bridge coupling vibration analysis, the computational efficiency can be effectively improved under the condition of guaranteeing the accuracy of the result analysis within 100 Hz. Based on the power flow equilibrium equation, a statistical energy method of calculating the high-frequency noise radiation is theoretically derived. Based on the theoretical basis of the statistical energy method, the high-frequency noise in the structure is numerically simulated in the VAONE 2021 software, and the average contribution of the concrete roof plate to the three acoustic field points constructed in this paper is as high as 50%, which is of great significance in the study of noise reduction in steel–concrete composite girders.

Abstract Pupil dynamics has emerged as a critical non-invasive indicator of brain state changes. In particular, pupillary-light-responses (PLR) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients show potential as biomarkers for brain degeneration. To investigate AD-specific PLR and its underlying neuromodulatory sources, we combine high-resolution awake mouse fMRI with real-time pupillometry to map brain-wide event-related correlation patterns based on illumination-driven pupil constriction ( $${P}_{c}$$ P c ) and post-illumination pupil dilation recovery (amplitude, $${P}_{d}$$ P d , and time, T). The $${P}_{c}$$ P c -driven differential analysis reveals altered visual signal processing and reduced thalamocortical activation in AD mice in comparison with wild-type (WT) control mice. In contrast, the post-illumination pupil dilation recovery-based fMRI highlights multiple brain areas associated with AD brain degeneration, including the cingulate cortex, hippocampus, septal area of the basal forebrain, medial raphe nucleus, and pontine reticular nuclei (PRN). Additionally, the brain-wide functional connectivity analysis highlights the most significant changes in PRN of AD mice, which serves as the major subcortical relay nuclei underlying oculomotor function. This work integrates non-invasive pupil-fMRI measurements in preclinical models to identify pupillary biomarkers based on brain-wide functional changes, including neuromodulatory dysfunction coupled with AD brain degeneration.

A three-dimensional ordered macroporous cerium dioxide (3DOM CeO2) was synthesized using a template method combining the sol-gel method, and LaFeO3 was synthesized and immobilized on 3DOM CeO2 via the sol-gel method combining the impregnation method. The thermogravimetric (TG), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) were used to characterize the samples. The catalytic performance and reaction mechanism of the catalyst were studied with methylene blue (MB) as the model pollutant. The MB catalytic behavior showed that the addition of 3DOM CeO2 increased the specific surface area of the pristine perovskite. At the same time, there was a synergistic effect between ceria support and perovskite, which significantly improved the activity and stability of the pristine perovskite catalyst. LaFeO3/3DOM CeO2 had a wider pH range and higher H2O2 utilization rate than homogeneous Fenton catalyst. At the same time, in the test range, the leaching concentration of Fe in LaFeO3/3DOM CeO2 was less than 0.2 mg·L−1 , which is conducive to reducing the production of iron sludge and greatly controlling the secondary pollution. Furthermore, the LaFeO3/3DOM CeO2 catalyst also possessed superior stability of activity and structure in 10 cycles. The results of quenching tests and electron spin resonance (ESR) analyses showed that the catalytic degradation of MB was mainly completed under the action of high-activity •OH. The redox cycle between Ce4+ and Ce3+ is conducive to improving the efficiency of electron transfer, thereby increasing the production efficiency of •OH in the heterogeneous Fenton process. Catalytic degradation of MB approximately conformed to first-order kinetics. The aforementioned results indicate that the novel LaFeO3/3DOM CeO2 has great application potential in the field of heterogeneous Fenton treatment of organic pollutants. A novel ceria-perovskite composite LaFeO3/3DOM CeO2 was successfully prepared in this experiment, and the catalytic performance and reaction mechanism of the catalyst were studied with methylene blue (MB) as the model pollutant. The LaFeO3/3DOM CeO2 has higher catalytic activity and stability than LaFeO3 prepared by the sol-gel method, and it has higher pH adaptation range and hydrogen peroxide utilization than FeSO4·7H2O. At the same time, in the test range, the Fe leaching concentration in LaFeO3/3DOM CeO2 is lower than 0.2 mg·L−1 , which significantly reduces the generation of metal sludge and greatly controls the secondary pollution. Furthermore, the LaFeO3/3DOM CeO2 catalyst also possessed superior stability of activity and structure in 10 cycles. During the reaction, there were Fe3+⇋Fe2+ and Ce4+⇋Ce3+ cycles on the surface of LaFeO3/3DOM CeO2 during the reaction process. The two cyclic reactions synergistically initiated the efficient Fenton reaction, resulting in a large number of highly active •OH , thereby realizing the efficient degradation of MB. In summary, LaFeO3/3DOM CeO2 can be used as an excellent heterogeneous Fenton catalyst for the treatment of organic pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a surgical technique used in patients with chronic intractable pain, and its effectiveness and safety have been validated by multiple studies. However, to maintain an optimal and steady long-term effect is still challenging. Here, we report a new management paradigm integrating smartphone application and remote programming. Chronic pain patients with SCS implants can monitor their pain status on the phone and change stimulation parameters accordingly. The PreMaSy study is a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of this precise management system. Methods Patients with chronic intractable pain will be screened for eligibility, and 82 participants are anticipated to be enrolled in this trial. After the electrode implantation, the stimulation effectiveness will be tested. Participants with a reduction of more than 50% in the visual analog scale (VAS) will receive implantation of an implantable pulse generator and randomized (1:1) into the experimental group or control group. All participants will be asked to take online follow-ups and complete assessments using a smartphone application. Daily pain characteristic assessments and monthly quality of life questionnaires are integrated into the App, and participants will be required to complete these assessments. The daily VAS for pain intensity will be monitored and a threshold will be set based on baseline VAS score. The interventional appointment will be scheduled once the threshold is reached. The primary outcome is the health condition and quality of life assessed by the five-level EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L). Utility values of EQ-5D-5L will be assessed at baseline and 1, 3, and 6 months post-operative. Discussion The PreMaSy study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a novel App-based, patient-centered, self-assessment management system for chronic intractable pain. A randomized controlled trial is designed to test the non-inferiority of this precise management system compared to the monthly online follow-ups. It is also expected to yield valuable experiences regarding precision medicine. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05761392. Registered on March 07, 2023.

3D bioprinting holds great promise toward fabricating biomimetic living constructs in a bottom-up assembly manner. To date, various emergences of living constructs have been bioprinted for in vitro applications, while the conspicuous potential serving for in vivo implantable therapies in spinal cord injury (SCI) has been relatively overlooked. Herein, living nerve-like fibers are prepared via extrusion-based 3D bioprinting for SCI therapy. The living nerve-like fibers are comprised of neural stem cells (NSCs) embedded within a designed hydrogel that mimics the extracellular matrix (ECM), assembled into a highly spatial ordered architecture, similar to densely arranged bundles of the nerve fibers. The pro-neurogenesis ability of these living nerve-like fibers is tested in a 4 mm-long complete transected SCI rat model. Evidence shows that living nerve-like fibers refine the ecological niche of the defect site by immune modulation, angiogenesis, neurogenesis, neural relay formations, and neural circuit remodeling, leading to outstanding functional reconstruction, revealing an evolution process of this living construct after implantation. This effective strategy, based on biomimetic living constructs, opens a new perspective on SCI therapies.

Abstract Background Determining the grade and molecular marker status of intramedullary gliomas is important for assessing treatment outcomes and prognosis. Invasive biopsy for pathology usually carries a high risk of tissue damage, especially to the spinal cord, and there are currently no non-invasive strategies to identify the pathological type of intramedullary gliomas. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a non-invasive machine learning model to assist doctors in identifying the intramedullary glioma grade and mutation status of molecular markers. Methods A total of 461 patients from two institutions were included, and their sagittal (SAG) and transverse (TRA) T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans and clinical data were acquired preoperatively. We employed a transformer-based deep learning model to automatically segment lesions in the SAG and TRA phases and extract their radiomics features. Different feature representations were fed into the proposed neural networks and compared with those of other mainstream models. Results The dice similarity coefficients of the Swin transformer in the SAG and TRA phases were 0.8697 and 0.8738, respectively. The results demonstrated that the best performance was obtained in our proposed neural networks based on multimodal fusion (SAG-TRA-clinical) features. In the external validation cohort, the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve for graded (WHO I–II or WHO III–IV), alpha thalassemia/mental retardation syndrome X-linked (ATRX) status, and tumor protein p53 (P53) status prediction tasks were 0.8431, 0.7622, and 0.7954, respectively. Conclusions This study reports a novel machine learning strategy that, for the first time, is based on multimodal features to predict the ATRX and P53 mutation status and grades of intramedullary gliomas. The generalized application of these models could non-invasively provide more tumor-specific pathological information for determining the treatment and prognosis of intramedullary gliomas.

Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima Blume) is one of the earliest domesticated plants of high nutritional and ecological value, yet mechanisms of C. mollissima underlying its growth and development are poorly understood. Although individual chestnut species differ greatly, the molecular basis of the formation of their characteristic traits remains unknown. Though the draft genomes of chestnut have been previously released, the pan-genome of different variety needs to be studied. We report the genome sequence of three cultivated varieties of chestnut herein, namely Hei-Shan-Zhai-7 (H7, drought-resistant variety), Yan-Hong (YH, easy-pruning variety), and Yan-Shan-Zao-Sheng (ZS, early-maturing variety), to expedite convenience and efficiency in its genetics-based breeding. We obtained three chromosome-level chestnut genome assemblies through a combination of Oxford Nanopore technology, Illumina HiSeq X, and Hi-C mapping. The final genome assemblies are 671.99 Mb (YH), 790.99 Mb (ZS), and 678.90 Mb (H7), across 12 chromosomes, with scaffold N50 sizes of 50.50 Mb (YH), 65.05 Mb (ZS), and 52.16 Mb (H7). Through the identification of homologous genes and the cluster analysis of gene families, we found that H7, YH and ZS had 159, 131, and 91 unique gene families, respectively, and there were 13,248 single-copy direct homologous genes in the three chestnut varieties. For the convenience of research, the chestnut genome database1 was constructed. Based on the results of gene family identification, the presence/absence variations (PAVs) information of the three sample genes was calculated, and a total of 2,364, 2,232, and 1,475 unique genes were identified in H7, YH and ZS, respectively. Our results suggest that the GBSS II-b gene family underwent expansion in chestnut (relative to nearest source species). Overall, we developed high-quality and well-annotated genome sequences of three C. mollissima varieties, which will facilitate clarifying the molecular mechanisms underlying important traits, and shortening the breeding process.

Diospyros lotus L. (Date plum) is an important tree species that produces fruit with a high nutritional value. An accurate chromosomal assembly of a species facilitates research on chromosomal evolution and functional gene mapping. In this study, we assembled the first chromosome-level genomes of seeded and seedless D. lotus using Illumina short reads, PacBio long reads, and Hi-C technology. The assembled genomes comprising 15 chromosomes were 617.66 and 647.31 Mb in size, with a scaffold N50 of 40.72 and 42.67 Mb for the seedless and seeded D. lotus, respectively. A BUSCO analysis revealed that the seedless and seeded D. lotus genomes were 91.53% and 91.60% complete, respectively. Additionally, 20,689 (95.4%) and 22,844 (98.5%) protein-coding genes in the seedless and seeded D. lotus genomes were annotated, respectively. Comparisons of the chromosomes between genomes revealed inversions and translocations on chromosome 8 and inversions on chromosome 11. We identified 490 and 424 gene families that expanded in the seedless and seeded D. lotus, respectively. The enriched pathways among these gene families included the estrogen signaling pathway, the MAPK signaling pathway, and biosynthetic pathways for flavonoids, monoterpenoids, and glucosinolates. Moreover, we constructed the first Diospyros genome database (http://www.persimmongenome.cn). On the basis of our data, we developed the first high-quality annotated D. lotus reference genomes, which will be useful for genomic studies on persimmon and for clarifying the molecular mechanisms underlying important traits. Comparisons between the seeded and seedless D. lotus genomes may also elucidate the molecular basis of seedlessness.

Abstract Background Inflammation and apoptosis caused by intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) are two important factors that affect patient prognosis and survival. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) triggers activation of the inflammatory pathway, causing synthesis and release of inflammatory factors. The inflammatory environment also causes neuronal apoptosis. However, no studies have reported the role of TLR4 in inflammation and apoptosis. Methods We performed survival curve analysis and behavioral scores on TLR4 knockout mice and wild-type mice after inducing ICH. We used TLR4 knockout mice and wild-type mice to make ICH models with type VII collagenase and explored the link between TLR4 in inflammation and apoptosis. We used Western blot to detect the expression of apoptosis-related proteins, inflammatory factors, and their receptors at different time points after ICH induction. The effects of TLR4 on apoptosis were observed by TUNEL, Hoechst, and HE staining techniques. The association with TLR4 in inflammation and apoptosis was explored using IL-1β and TNF-α antagonists. Data conforming to a normal distribution are expressed as mean ± standard deviation. Grade and quantitative data were compared with rank sum test and t test between two groups. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results TLR4 knockout significantly increased the survival rate of ICH mice. The scores of TLR4 knockout mice were significantly lower than those of wild-type mice. We found that TLR4 knockout mice significantly inhibited apoptosis and the expression of inflammatory factors after the induction of ICH. The apoptosis of ICH-induced mice was significantly improved after injecting IL-1β and TNF-α antagonists. Moreover, the anti-apoptotic effect of the antagonist in wild-type mice is more pronounced. A single injection of the antagonist failed to improve apoptosis in TLR4 knockout mice. Conclusions We conclude that TLR4-induced inflammation after ICH promotes neuronal apoptosis. IL-1β and TNF-α antagonists attenuate this apoptotic effect. Therefore, targeting TLR4 in patients with clinical ICH may attenuate inflammatory response, thereby attenuating apoptosis and improving prognosis.

In this study, the complete chloroplast (cp) genome sequence of Ziziphus jujuba Mill. var. spinosa was mapped and determined based on Illumina sequencing data. The complete cp genome is 161,606 bp and contains a pair of inverted repeat regions of 26,479 bp each, a large single-copy region of 89,292 bp, and a small single-copy region of 19,356 bp. It harbors 112 unique genes, including 78 protein-coding genes, 4 ribosomal RNA genes, and 30 transfer RNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis based on cp genomes indicates that the cp genome of wild Z. jujuba Mill. var. spinosa is similar to that of cultivated Z. jujuba and closely related to that of Z. incurva of the family Rhamnaceae.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Pistacia vera was mapped and determined based on Illumina sequencing data. The complete chloroplast genome is 160,654 bp and contains a pair of inverted repeat regions of 26,596 bp each, a large single-copy region of 88,376 bp, and a small single-copy region of 19,086 bp. It harbors 113 genes, including 79 protein-coding genes,4 ribosomal RNA genes, and 30 transfer RNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis based on chloroplast genomes indicates that Pistacia vera is closely related to that of Pistacia weinmanniifolia.

A letter to the editor is presented discussing a study which compared the use of miniscalpel-needle with trigger-point injection for cervical myofascial pain syndrome.