Search

ABSTRACT Background The optimal exercise regimen for alleviating sarcopenia remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of high‐intensity interval training (HIIT) over moderate‐intensity continuous training (MICT) in ameliorating sarcopenia. Methods We conducted a randomized crossover trial to evaluate plasma proteomic reactions to acute HIIT (four 4‐min high‐intensity intervals at 70% maximal capacity alternating with 4 min at 30%) versus MICT (constant 50% maximal capacity) in inactive adults. We explored the relationship between a HIIT‐specific protein relative to MICT, identified via comparative proteomic analysis, eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1 epsilon 1 (EEF1E1) and sarcopenia in a paired case–control study of elderly individuals (aged over 65). Young (3 months old) and aged (20 months old) mice were randomized to sedentary, HIIT and MICT groups (five sessions/week for 4 weeks; n = 8 for each group). Measurements included skeletal muscle index, hand grip strength, expression of atrophic markers Atrogin1 and MuRF1 and differentiation markers MyoD, myogenin and MyHC‐II via western blotting. We examined the impact of EEF1E1 siRNA and recombinant protein on D‐galactose‐induced myoblast senescence, measuring senescence‐associated β‐galactosidase and markers like p21 and p53. Results The crossover trial, including 10 sedentary adults (32 years old, IQR 31–32) demonstrated significant alterations in the abundance of 21 plasma proteins after HIIT compared with MICT. In the paired case–control study of 84 older adults (84 years old, IQR 69–81; 52% female), EEF1E1 was significantly increased in those with sarcopenia compared to those without (14.68 [95%CI, 2.02–27.34] pg/mL, p = 0.03) and was associated with skeletal muscle index (R2 = 0.51, p

Extracellular microRNA (miRNA) expression data generated by different laboratories exhibit heterogeneity, which poses challenges for biologists without bioinformatics expertise. To address this, we introduce ExomiRHub (http://www.biomedical-web.com/exomirhub/), a user-friendly database designed for biologists. This database incorporates 191 human extracellular miRNA expression datasets associated with 112 disease phenotypes, 62 treatments, and 24 genotypes, encompassing 29,198 and 23 sample types. ExomiRHub also integrates 16,012 miRNA transcriptomes of 156 cancer subtypes from The Cancer Genome Atlas. All the data in ExomiRHub were further standardized and curated with annotations. The platform offers 25 analytical functions, including differential expression, co-expression, Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis (WGCNA), feature selection, and functional enrichment, enabling users to select samples, define groups, and customize parameters for analyses. Moreover, ExomiRHub provides a web service that allows biologists to analyze their uploaded miRNA expression data. Four additional tools were developed to evaluate the functions and targets of miRNAs and miRNA variations. Through ExomiRHub, we identified extracellular miRNA biomarkers associated with angiogenesis for monitoring glioma progression, demonstrating its potential to significantly accelerate the discovery of extracellular miRNA biomarkers.

Abstract Exotic quantum phases, arising from a complex interplay of charge, spin, lattice and orbital degrees of freedom, are of immense interest to a wide research community. A well-known example of such an entangled behavior is the Jahn-Teller effect, where the lifting of orbital degeneracy proceeds through lattice distortions. Here we demonstrate that a highly-symmetrical 5d1 double perovskite Ba2MgReO6, comprising a 3D array of isolated ReO6 octahedra, represents a rare example of a dynamic Jahn-Teller system in the strong spin-orbit coupling regime. Thermodynamic and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering experiments, supported by quantum chemistry calculations, undoubtedly show that the Jahn-Teller instability leads to a ground-state doublet, resolving a long-standing puzzle in this family of compounds. The dynamic state of ReO6 octahedra persists down to the lowest temperatures, where a multipolar order sets in, allowing for investigations of the interplay between a dynamic JT effect and strongly correlated electron behavior.

Abstract Honeycomb and kagome lattices can host propagating excitations with non-trivial topology as defined by their evolution along closed paths in momentum space. Excitations on such lattices can also be momentum-independent, and the associated flat bands are of interest due to strong interactions between heavy quasiparticles. Here, we report the discovery — using circularly polarized X-rays for the unambiguous isolation of magnetic signals — of a nearly flat spin-wave band and large (compared to elemental iron) orbital moment in the metallic ferromagnet Fe3Sn2 with compact AB-stacked kagome bilayers. As a function of out-of-plane momentum, the nearly flat optical mode and the global rotation symmetry-restoring acoustic mode are out of phase, consistent with a bilayer exchange coupling that is larger than the already large in-plane couplings. The defining units of this topological metal are therefore triangular lattices of octahedral iron clusters rather than weakly coupled kagome planes. The spin waves are strongly damped when compared to elemental iron, opening the topic of topological boson–fermion interactions for deeper exploration within this material platform.

Submerged artificial sandbars (SABs) are increasingly favored as an efficient method for beach nourishment, helping to mitigate beach erosion and maintain the sediment transport budget, thus promoting ecological stability. A comprehensive understanding of the morphodynamical evolution of the submerged artificial sandbar-beach profile is essential. This study employs a scaled-down moving-bed flume test to examine the dynamic geomorphological evolution of the submerged artificial sandbar-beach system under regular wave conditions. Twenty experiments, each with different wave heights and periods representative of the Zhejiang coast, were conducted. The study investigated the profile evolution and wave parameters of the submerged artificial sandbar-beach model. The results reveal low wave reflection in front of the sandbar, indicating that under the tested wave conditions, the sandbar primarily serves as a sediment source rather than effectively reflecting wave energy. In all scenarios, the top of the sandbar migrates shoreward, and the sandbar’s contour shape becomes asymmetric. For smaller wave periods, localized erosion occurs in the troughs, while larger periods result in complete siltation. Continuous sediment transport into the trough characterizes the beach face, with sediment movement controlled by wave height and period. A linear or nonlinear relationship between sandbar erosion depth, beach slope, and wave parameters (height, period) is established, providing an empirical model for SAB-beach profiles. These findings enhance the understanding of SAB-beach systems and offer valuable insights for coastal protection and disaster prevention in engineering applications.

In this study, headspace solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) and gas chromatography-olfactory (GC-O) were applied to identify and analyze the volatile aroma compounds of the ethanol extract of figs. Its key characteristic flavor compounds were analyzed by odor activity (OAV) and aroma recombination and omission tests. The results showed that a total of 40 volatile aroma components were identified, of which 18 compounds, such as isobutyrate, γ-butyl lactone, aromatic camphor, nonaldehyde, vanillin and furfural, were important aroma components in the fig extract (OAV > 1). The aroma recombination experiments showed that the sensory properties of the recombined samples, which had typical aroma characteristics such as fruity, sweet, baked and burnt sweet with slight sour, ointment-like and milky, were similar to those of the fig extract. Furthermore, the aroma omission experiments identified gamma-hexanoate, ethyl palmitate, phenmethanol, aromatic camphor, vanillin, benzaldehyde, 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3 (2H)-furan, 5-hydroxymyfuran, and methyl cyclopentanolone as key characteristic flavor compounds of the fig extract. The findings of this study provide a theoretical basis for the development and quality control of fig characteristic flavorings.

China ranks first in apple production worldwide, making the assessment of apple quality a critical factor in agriculture. Sucrose concentration (SC) is a key factor influencing the flavor and ripeness of apples, serving as an important quality indicator. Nondestructive SC detection has significant practical value. Currently, SC is mainly measured using handheld refractometers, hydrometers, electronic tongues, and saccharimeter analyses, which are not only time-consuming and labor-intensive but also destructive to the sample. Therefore, a rapid nondestructive method is essential. The fluorescence hyperspectral imaging system (FHIS) is a tool for nondestructive detection. Upon excitation by the fluorescent light source, apples displayed distinct fluorescence characteristics within the 440–530 nm and 680–780 nm wavelength ranges, enabling the FHIS to detect SC. This study used FHIS combined with machine learning (ML) to predict SC at the apple’s equatorial position. Primary features were extracted using variable importance projection (VIP), the successive projection algorithm (SPA), and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost). Secondary feature extraction was also conducted. Models like gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT), random forest (RF), and LightGBM were used to predict SC. VN-SPA + VIP-LightGBM achieved the highest accuracy, with Rp2, RMSEp, and RPD reaching 0.9074, 0.4656, and 3.2877, respectively. These results underscore the efficacy of FHIS in predicting apple SC, highlighting its potential for application in nondestructive quality assessment within the agricultural sector.

Swarm intelligence optimization algorithms have garnered considerable attention for solving real-world optimization problems owing to their ability to emulate collective behaviors such as the movement, interaction, and evolution observed in biological swarms. In this paper, we propose a novel bionic swarm intelligence optimization method called the sheep flock migrate optimization (SFMO) algorithm, which is inspired by the intermittent collective motion behavior exhibited by sheep. The SFMO algorithm comprises grazing operator, collective motion operator, and compensation strategy. The grazing operator is formulated based on mathematical models that capture the local foraging behavior of sheep within a confined range. This operator is inspired by the “two-phase motion of sheep”, as well as the widely recognized “green wave chasing” mechanism observed in herbivores. The grazing operator, which is responsible for the local search functionality, enhances the algorithm’s exploitation capability, thereby enhancing its ability to effectively exploit the search space. The collective motion operator builds upon the “two-phase motion mechanism” and incorporates the “leader–follower” mechanism observed during the movement of a sheep flock. By simulating the overall migration behavior of a sheep flock, this operator assumes the role of global search and aims to enhance the algorithm’s exploration ability. The compensation strategy temporarily expands the search range by leveraging the social learning mechanism observed in flock behavior, thereby improving the algorithm’s ability to escape from local optima. Distinguished from the existing swarm intelligence-based optimization methods, the SFMO algorithm alternately executes the grazing operator and collective motion operator, mirroring the intermittent collective motion mechanism exhibited by flocks. The compensation mechanism is adaptively triggered when the algorithm is likely to converge to a local optimal solution, ensuring a balance between the exploration and exploitation capabilities. SFMO introduces a novel and efficient optimizer in the field of population intelligence optimization by mitigating the probability of falling into local optima through extensive stochastic search-guided population migration and an expanded search mechanism during migration stagnation. The convergence proof and complexity analysis results of the SFMO algorithm provide theoretical support for its feasibility and effectiveness. To further validate the proposed method, we conduct numerical simulations using CEC-2017 benchmark functions and compare SFMO with representative optimization algorithms, namely, pigeon-inspired optimization (PIO), particle swarm optimization (PSO), and gray wolf optimizer (GWO), under equivalent conditions. The simulation results demonstrate that SFMO effectively solves function optimization problems and offers considerable advantages, particularly in the context of multimodal function optimization. Among the four algorithms, SFMO demonstrates superior search efficiency, stability, and accuracy. Moreover, it exhibits remarkable advantages in addressing high-dimensional optimization problems, showcasing the highest level of robustness compared with the other algorithms.

Addressing the current lining cracking problem in coastal tunnels, this paper independently introduces a novel type of repair material for tunnel lining cracks—the composite repair material consisting of waterborne epoxy resin and ultrafine cement (referred to as EC composite repair material). Through indoor testing, we have analyzed the change rule of the mass change rate, compressive strength, flexural strength, and chloride ion concentration of the repair material samples in erosive environments, with the dosage of each component in the EC composite repair material being varied. We have also investigated the working performance, mechanical properties, and microstructure of the repair material. The results of this study show that when the proportion of each component of ultrafine cement, waterborne epoxy resin, waterborne epoxy curing agent, waterborne polyurethane, defoamer, and water is 100:50:50:2.5:0.5:30, the performance of the EC composite repair material in a chloride ion-rich environment is optimal in all aspects. When the mixing ratio of each component of the EC composite repair material is as stated above, the repair material exhibits the best performance in a chloride ion erosion environment. With this ratio of components in the EC composite repair material, the fluidity, setting time, compressive strength, flexural strength, and bond strength of the repair material in a chloride ion erosion environment can meet the requirements of relevant specifications, and it is highly effective in repairing tunnel lining cracks. The polymeric film formed by the reaction between the waterborne epoxy resin emulsion and the curing agent fills the pores between the hydration products, resulting in a densely packed internal structure of EC composite repair material with enhanced erosion resistance, making it very suitable for repairing cracks in tunnel linings in erosive environments.

Abstract The success of deep learning in the field of state‐of‐health (SOH) estimation relies on a large amount of battery data and the fact that all data possess the same probability distribution. While in real situations, a model based on one working condition data set may not be valid for another working condition data set due to distribution differences. Therefore, this article proposes a transfer learning method using soft‐dynamic time warping (soft‐DTW) as the statistical feature in the feature transfer method, called soft‐DTW domain adaptation network (SDDAN). By combining the prediction error with the time‐series gap in the model training process, the feature transformation can make the obtained prediction results more similar to the source domain results, which can help us to obtain better prediction results in the target domain. Experimental results show that SDDAN can effectively predict the SOH of Li‐ion batteries and significantly improve the performance of feature learning and knowledge transfer.

Abstract The strength of evidence regarding long-term changes to fitness resulting from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdowns is deficient. This two-site retrospective study aimed to investigate the long-term changes in physical fitness among young adults a year after the onset of the pandemic using a robust historical control. University freshmen who underwent physical fitness tests in 2019 and completed a follow-up in 2020 (study group) were included. The primary focus was to compare the current cohort with a historical control group who completed the same tests a year prior (2018). A total of 5376 individuals were recruited, of which 2239 were in the study group. Compared with the control, the study group exhibited a decrease in anaerobic fitness, with an overall difference of −0.84 (95% confidence interval [CI], [−1.33 to −0.36]); declines in aerobic fitness, with a difference of −2.25 [−3.92 to −0.57] for males and −4.28 [−4.97 to −3.59] for females; a reduced explosive fitness (−2.68 [−3.24 to −2.12]); and a decreased upper-body strength in females (−1.52 [−2.16 to −0.87]). The fitness of young adults has been considerably compromised by COVID-19 lockdowns, highlighting the importance of promoting physical activity to prevent long-term health implications.

Abstract Studying multi-particle elementary excitations has provided unique access to understand collective many-body phenomena in correlated electronic materials, paving the way towards constructing microscopic models. In this work, we perform O K-edge resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) on the quasi-one-dimensional cuprate $${{{{{{\rm{Sr}}}}}}}_{14}{{{{{{\rm{Cu}}}}}}}_{24}{{{{{{\rm{O}}}}}}}_{41}$$ Sr 14 Cu 24 O 41 with weakly-doped spin ladders. The RIXS signal is dominated by a dispersing sharp mode ~ 270 meV on top of a damped incoherent component ~ 400-500 meV. Comparing with model calculations using the perturbative continuous unitary transformations method, the two components resemble the spin-conserving ΔS = 0 two-triplon bound state and continuum excitations in the spin ladders. Such multi-spin response with long-lived ΔS = 0 excitons is central to several exotic magnetic properties featuring Majorana fermions, yet remains unexplored given the generally weak cross-section with other experimental techniques. By investigating a simple spin-ladder model system, our study provides valuable insight into low-dimensional quantum magnetism.

Color blindness is a retinal disease that mainly manifests as a color vision disorder, characterized by achromatopsia, red-green color blindness, and blue-yellow color blindness. With the development of technology and progress in theory, extensive research has been conducted on the genetic basis of color blindness, and various approaches have been explored for its treatment. This article aims to provide a comprehensive review of recent advances in understanding the pathological mechanism, clinical symptoms, and treatment options for color blindness. Additionally, we discuss the various treatment approaches that have been developed to address color blindness, including gene therapy, pharmacological interventions, and visual aids. Furthermore, we highlight the promising results from clinical trials of these treatments, as well as the ongoing challenges that must be addressed to achieve effective and long-lasting therapeutic outcomes. Overall, this review provides valuable insights into the current state of research on color blindness, with the intention of informing further investigation and development of effective treatments for this disease.

Paper-based devices have attracted extensive attention due to the growing demand for disposable flexible electronics. Herein, we integrate semiconducting devices on cellulose paper substrate through a simple abrasion technique that yields high-performance photodetectors. A solvent-free WS2 film deposited on paper favors an effective electron-hole separation and hampers recombination. The as-prepared paper-based WS2 photodetectors exhibit a sensitive photoresponse over a wide spectral range spanning from ultraviolet (365 nm) to near-infrared (940 nm). Their responsivity value reaches up to ~270 mA W−1 at 35 V under a power density of 35 mW cm−2. A high performance photodetector was achieved by controlling the environmental exposure as the ambient oxygen molecules were found to decrease the photoresponse and stability of the WS2 photodetector. Furthermore, we have built a spectrometer using such a paper-based WS2 device as the photodetecting component to illustrate its potential application. The present work could promote the development of cost-effective disposable photodetection devices.

Abstract The nature of the spin excitations in superconducting cuprates is a key question toward a unified understanding of the cuprate physics from long-range antiferromagnetism to superconductivity. The intense spin excitations up to the over-doped regime revealed by resonant inelastic X-ray scattering bring new insights as well as questions like how to understand their persistence or their relation to the collective excitations in ordered magnets (magnons). Here, we study the evolution of the spin excitations upon hole-doping the superconducting cuprate Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ by disentangling the spin from the charge excitations in the experimental cross section. We compare our experimental results against density matrix renormalization group calculations for a t-J-like model on a square lattice. Our results unambiguously confirm the persistence of the spin excitations, which are closely connected to the persistence of short-range magnetic correlations up to high doping. This suggests that the spin excitations in hole-doped cuprates are related to magnons—albeit short-ranged.

Nanoparticles (NPs) can be extremely effective in the early diagnosis and treatment of cancer due to their properties. The nanotechnology industry is developing rapidly. The number of multifunctional NPs has increased in the market and hundreds of NPs are in various stages of preclinical and clinical development. Thus, the mechanism underlying the effects of NPs on biological systems has received much attention. After NPs enter the body, they interact with plasma proteins, tumour cell receptors, and small biological molecules. This interaction is closely related to the size, shape, chemical composition and surface modification properties of NPs. In this review, the effects of the size, shape, chemical composition and surface modification of NPs on the biological effects of NPs were summarised, including the mechanism through which NPs enter cells, the resulting oxidative stress response, and the interaction with proteins. This review of the biological effects of NPs can not only provide theoretical support for the preparation of safer and more efficient NPs but also lay the foundation for their clinical application.

Abstract Taking into account that the real quantum materials are engineered generically at a finite chemical potential, we investigate the Einstein ring structure for the lensed response of the complex scalar field as a probe wave on the charged AdS black hole in the context of AdS/CFT. On the one hand, we find that the resulting Einstein ring radius has no variation with the chemical potential, which is similar to the behavior for the weakly interacting quantum system. On the other hand, not only can such a ring exist well within the screen, but also the temperature dependence of its radius exhibits a distinct feature in the sense that it displays an appreciable increase at low temperatures while the ring keeps unchanged right at the edge of the screen for the weakly interacting system. Note that such a Einstein ring emerges in the large frequencies and can be well captured by the photon sphere away from the black hole horizon in the geometric optics approximation, thus such a distinct feature may be regarded as a universal behavior associated with the high energy modes of the strongly coupled system which has a gravity dual.

Abstract The superconducting critical temperature T c of intercalated iron-selenide superconductor (Li,Fe)OHFeSe (FeSe11111) can be increased to 42 from 8 K of bulk FeSe. It shows remarkably similar electronic properties as the high-T c monolayer FeSe and provides a bulk counterpart to investigate the origin of enhanced superconductivity. Unraveling the nature of excitations is crucial for understanding the pairing mechanism in high-T c iron selenides. Here we use resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) to investigate the excitations in FeSe11111. Our high-quality data exhibit several Raman-like excitations, which are dispersionless and isotropic in momentum transfer in both superconducting 28 K and 42 K samples. Using atomic multiplet calculations, we assign the low-energy ~0.3 and 0.7 eV Raman peaks as local e g − e g and e g − t 2g orbital excitations. The intensity of these two features decreases with increasing temperature, suggesting a dominating contribution of the orbital fluctuations. Our results highlight the importance of the orbital degree of freedom for high-T c iron selenides.

Abstract A fluorine‐free and multifunctional superhydrophobic coating (r‐MSC) was prepared by the one‐step spraying method. The coating had superhydrophobic and low‐adhesion properties with the water contact angle of 161.5° ± 1° and the sliding angle of 3.2° ± 0.5°. It could be prepared by spraying while maintaining superhydrophobic surface characteristics on any substrates. The coating owed outstanding mechanical durability and chemical stability. Moreover, the coating also possessed the ability of self‐cleaning, anti‐fouling, anti‐icing, and flame retardant ability. Importantly, the presence of multifunctional coating endowed the substrate with both water‐resistant and fireproof properties. Besides, it also showed excellent oil‐water separation ability, which presented the oil‐water separation efficiency of over 90% for different types of oils after 10 separation cycles. Furthermore, the coating could improve corrosion inhibition performance and the corrosion current density was reduced by two orders of magnitude from the polarization curve. The r‐MSC had the advantages of simple preparation, fluorine‐free, environmentally friendly and appropriate for large‐area fabrication, which could be applied to various fields.

In oil–air lubrication systems, large numbers of air microbubbles are often included in the oil phase. However, the principles of microbubble formation in oil–air annular flow and their influencing factors remain uncertain, and previous conclusions regarding the effects of microbubbles on the viscosity properties of the lubricant oil are inconsistent. Thus, there is an urgent need for experimental verification. In this paper, a transient force balance model is established and used to ascertain the formation of air microbubbles in oil (AB-oil) for an oil–air annular flow. The stability of these microbubbles is analyzed using the Rayleigh–Plesset equation. Theoretical analysis shows that the microbubble radius is the key factor affecting the force balance and stability of microbubbles in oil. Experiments are conducted based on this theoretical analysis, and the void fraction of AB-oil is determined through image analysis to verify the principles and influencing factors of AB-oil formation in oil–air lubrication systems. The viscosity properties of AB-oil are then tested using a rheometer. The experimental results indicate that the formation of AB-oil is affected by oil viscosity, pipe range, oil feeding rate, and air pressure. AB-oil exhibit different viscosity properties at different shear rates and void fractions. Finally, the relationship between the void fraction and viscosity at different shear rates is determined from the experimental data. The outcomes of this research provide insights into the characteristics of oil–air lubrication systems for high-speed machine tool spindles.

User data usually exists in the organization or own local equipment in the form of data island. It is difficult to collect these data to train better machine learning models because of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other laws. The emergence of federated learning enables users to jointly train machine learning models without exposing the original data. Due to the fast training speed and high accuracy of random forest, it has been applied to federated learning among several data institutions. However, for human activity recognition task scenarios, the unified model cannot provide users with personalized services. In this paper, we propose a privacy-protected federated personalized random forest framework, which considers to solve the personalized application of federated random forest in the activity recognition task. According to the characteristics of the activity recognition data, the locality sensitive hashing is used to calculate the similarity of users. Users only train with similar users instead of all users and the model is incrementally selected using the characteristics of ensemble learning, so as to train the model in a personalized way. At the same time, user privacy is protected through differential privacy during the training stage. We conduct experiments on commonly used human activity recognition datasets to analyze the effectiveness of our model.

Accurate measurements of the oxygen concentration in liquid lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) alloys are essential for ensuring optimum cooling conditions in heavy liquid metal coolant fast reactors. However, while unavoidable variations in the Bi contents of these alloys can affect the accuracy of these measurements, this issue has not yet been rigorously evaluated. The present work addresses this issue by evaluating variations in oxygen concentration measurements obtained experimentally for oxygen-saturated liquid LBE alloys with different Bi contents at different temperatures using a solid electrolyte oxygen sensor. Theoretical relationships are established between sensor voltage, oxygen concentration, temperature, and Bi content under the applied experimental conditions, and excellent agreement is obtained between the experimental and theoretical results. The theoretical relationships establish that the voltage decreases by about 1 mV for every 1 wt% increase in Bi content at a temperature of 400 °C. At a fixed voltage, with the increase of T, the influence of the Bi content on the CO calculation results gradually increased. Finally, the impact of varying Bi contents on the accuracy of oxygen concentration measurements is evaluated under practical reactor operation conditions, and higher requirements for the control of dissolved oxygen in LBE-cooled fast reactors are proposed.

To elucidate the hardness evolution behaviors for 38MnB5Nb ultra-high-strength hot stamping steel, a series of tempering processes with varying tempering temperatures and times were carried out with a dilatometer. Meanwhile, the hardness of each sample was measured after dilatometer experiments. The results indicated that the tempering process parameters (including the tempering temperature and time) play an important role in the hardness of the studied steel. The hardness of 38MnB5Nb ultra-high-strength hot stamping steel at the quenched state is about 580 Hv, while it is 240 Hv for the quasi-annealed state. As the tempering time extends, the hardness is decreased sharply at the initial stage; then, the hardness is decreased in a quasi-linear trend with a slight slope; finally, the hardness almost keeps a constant value, which depends on the tempering temperature. In addition, the tempering process has a big effect on the mechanical properties of 38MnB5Nb ultra-high-strength hot stamping steel by increasing the product of the strength and elongation by about 40%.

Abstract Obesity induces skeletal muscle dysfunction. The pathogenesis of which appears to substantially involve mitochondrial dysfunction, arising from impaired quality control. Exercise is a major therapeutic strategy against muscle dysfunction. Trimetazidine, a partial inhibitor of lipid oxidation, has been proposed as a metabolic modulator for several cardiovascular pathologies. However, the effects of Trimetazidine on regulating skeletal muscle function are largely unknown. Our present study used cell culture and obese mice models to test a novel hypothesis that Trimetazidine could improve muscle atrophy with similar results to exercise. In C2C12 cells, high palmitic acid-induced atrophy and mitochondrial dysfunction, which could be reversed by the treatment of Trimetazidine. In our animal models, with high-fat diet-induced obesity associated with skeletal muscle atrophy, Trimetazidine prevented muscle dysfunction, corrected metabolic abnormalities, and improved mitochondrial quality control and mitochondrial functions similarly to exercise. Thus, our study suggests that Trimetazidine successfully mimics exercise to enhance mitochondrial quality control leading to improved high-fat diet-induced muscle dysfunction.

Advanced active safety systems play a crucial role in ensuring the safe driving of vehicles in critical conditions such as an obstacle avoidance manoeuvre. However, conventional techniques relying mainly on braking interventions may not result in the desired vehicle response in such situations. Over-actuation through the control of individual motion actuators could potentially improve the safety performance of vehicles. This study evaluates various configurations of motion actuators for path following and yaw stability control of vehicles in critical driving scenarios. The configurations include active front steering (S), active front steering + torque vectoring (ST), active front steering + active camber (SC) and active front steering + torque vectoring + active camber (STC). The evaluation is achieved based on a nonlinear model predictive control formulation, which considers yaw stability and the physical limits of motion actuators. This problem formulation uses a double-track vehicle model, combined with the Dugoff tyre model and its variant with the camber effect, to model the vehicle dynamics. The actuator configurations are evaluated regarding the passing velocity, tracking accuracy, safety distance and robustness to reference trajectory variation. The results indicate that the integrated control of STC performs the best among all the four configurations while S performs the worst. Furthermore, SC is generally superior to ST.

Abstract The interplay of nearly degenerate orders in quantum materials can lead to a myriad of emergent phases. A prominent case is that of the high-T c cuprates for which the relationship between superconductivity and a short-ranged, incommensurate charge density wave in the CuO2 planes involving the $$d_{x^2 - y^2}$$ d x 2 − y 2 orbitals (Cu-CDW) is a subject of great current interest. Strong modifications of the strength and coherence of this Cu-CDW have been achieved by applying large magnetic fields, uniaxial pressure, or via the interfacial coupling in cuprate/manganite multilayers. However, such modifications do not alter the dominant orbital character. Here we investigate cuprate/manganite multilayers with resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) and show that a new kind of Cu-based density wave order can be induced that has not been previously observed in the cuprates. This order has an unusually small in-plane wave vector in the range of Q ||

IntroductionOur previous studies showed that Xiangya Hospital Circuit Training (X-CircuiT) effectively improved physical fitness and reversed pre-frailty in community-dwelling older adults. This study aimed to explore the generalizability and applicability of X-CircuiT in different aged populations in the context of exercise intensity and energy expenditure.MethodsWe prospectively recruited 72 community-dwelling sedentary adults, twelve adults divided into 6 age groups ranging from 20 to 80 years old and separated by decades. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing was performed to determine peak heart rate (HRpeak). An individual HR-oxygen consumption regression equation was fit for each participant, and then a session of remote heart rate monitored X-CircuiT was performed. Exercise intensity (%HRpeak) and energy expenditure of X-CircuiT among the six age groups were assessed. Further sub-analysis was conducted by dividing the participants by peak metabolic equivalent (MET) values,

The main driven force of the electronic nematic phase in iron-based superconductors is still under debate. Here, we report a comprehensive study on the nematic fluctuations in a non-superconducting iron pnictide system BaFe1.9−xNi0.1CrxAs2 by electronic transport, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), and inelastic neutron scattering (INS) measurements. Previous neutron diffraction and transport measurements suggested that the collinear antiferromagnetism persists to x = 0.8, with similar Néel temperature TN and structural transition temperature Ts around 32 K, but the charge carriers change from electron type to hole type around x = 0.5. In this study, we have found that the in-plane resistivity anisotropy also highly depends on the Cr dopings and the type of charge carriers. While ARPES measurements suggest possibly weak orbital anisotropy onset near Ts for both x = 0.05 and x = 0.5 compounds, INS experiments reveal clearly different onset temperatures of low-energy spin excitation anisotropy, which is likely related to the energy scale of spin nematicity. These results suggest that the interplay between the local spins on Fe atoms and the itinerant electrons on Fermi surfaces is crucial to the nematic fluctuations of iron pnictides, where the orbital degree of freedom may behave differently from the spin degree of freedom, and the transport properties are intimately related to the spin dynamics.

Abstract Regulation of the apoptotic pathway plays a critical role in inducing tumor cell death and circumventing drug resistance. Survivin protein is the strongest inhibitor of apoptosis found so far. It is highly expressed in several cancers and is a promising target for cancer therapy. However, clinical applications are limited by incomplete inhibition of survivin expression. Here, we present a novel strategy that extended the release of YM155 (an effective survivin inhibitor that works by inhibiting the activity of survivin promoter) and TATm‐survivin (T34A) (TmSm) protein (survivin protein mutant with penetrating peptide, a potential anticancer protein therapeutic) via tumor matrix microenvironment‐mediated ferritin heavy chain nanocages (FTH1 NCs), enabling significant inhibition of survivin activity at both transcript and protein levels. FTS (FTH1‐matrix metalloproteinase‐2‐TmSm)/YM155 NC synthesis was easily scaled up, and these NCs could sequentially release TmSm protein through matrix metalloproteinase‐2 and promote YM155 to enter the nucleus via transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) binding, which increased the cytotoxicity and apoptosis of Capan‐2 and A549 cells compared to that with individual drugs. Moreover, FTS/YM155 NCs enhanced drug accumulation at tumor sites and had a higher tumor inhibition rate (88.86%) than the compounds alone in A549 tumor‐bearing mice. In addition, FTS/YM155 NCs exerted significant survivin downregulation (4.43‐fold) and caspase‐3 upregulation (4.31‐fold) and showed better therapeutic outcomes without inducing organ injury, which highlights their promising future clinical application in precision therapy. This tumor microenvironment‐responsive platform could be harnessed to develop an effective therapy via multilevel inhibition of cancer targets.

Background & Aims: Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a liver-enriched xenobiotic receptor that plays important role in detoxification response in liver. This study aimed to investigate how AhR signaling may impact the pathogenesis of alcohol-related liver disease (ALD). Methods: Chronic alcohol feeding animal studies were conducted with mouse models of hepatocyte-specific AhR knockout (AhRΔhep) and NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1 (NQO1) overexpression, and dietary supplementation of the AhR ligand indole-3-carbinol. Cell studies were conducted to define the causal role of AhR and NQO1 in regulation of redox balance and apoptosis. Results: Chronic alcohol consumption induced AhR activation and nuclear enrichment of NQO1 in hepatocytes of both alcoholic hepatitis patients and ALD mice. AhR deficiency exacerbated alcohol-induced liver injury, along with reduction of NQO1. Consistently, in vitro studies demonstrated that NQO1 expression was dependent on AhR. However, alcohol-induced NQO1 nuclear translocation was triggered by decreased cellular oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)-to-NADH ratio, rather than by AhR activation. Furthermore, both in vitro and in vivo overexpression NQO1 prevented alcohol-induced hepatic NAD+ depletion, thereby enhancing activities of NAD+-dependent enzymes and reversing alcohol-induced liver injury. In addition, therapeutic targeting of AhR in the liver with dietary indole-3-carbinol supplementation efficiently reversed alcoholic liver injury by AhR-NQO1 signaling activation. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that AhR activation is a protective response to counteract alcohol-induced hepatic NAD+ depletion through induction of NQO1, and targeting the hepatic AhR-NQO1 pathway may serve as a novel therapeutic approach for ALD.

The increase in the insecticide resistance of pests, such as Mythimna separata, Aphis craccivora Koch, and Tetranychus cinnabarinus, necessitates the development of new heterocyclic compounds with high insecticidal activity. A series of novel 2-phenylpyridine derivatives containing N-phenylbenzamide moieties were designed and synthesised with Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling, nucleophilic substitution, and amidation reactions. The reaction conditions in each step are mild, and the product is easy to separate (yield is about 85%). The structures of the compounds were characterised using 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy and HRMS. Moreover, the insecticidal activity of the compounds was analysed using the leaf dipping method. The compounds 5a, 5d, 5g, 5h, and 5k at 500 mg/L exhibited 100% inhibition against Mythimna separata. Therefore, the 2-phenylpyridine moieties have the potential to lead to the discovery of novel and effective insecticides.

Quantitative analysis and regulating gene expression in cancer cells is an innovative method to study key genes in tumors, which conduces to analyze the biological function of the specific gene. In this study, we found the expression levels of Survivin protein (BIRC5) and P-glycoprotein (MDR1) in MCF-7/doxorubicin (DOX) cells (drug-resistant cells) were significantly higher than MCF-7 cells (wild-type cells). In order to explore the specific functions of BIRC5 gene in multi-drug resistance (MDR), a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knocking-in tetracycline (Tet)-off regulatory system cell line was established, which enabled us to regulate the expression levels of Survivin quantitatively (clone 8 named MCF-7/Survivin was selected for further studies). Subsequently, the determination results of doxycycline-induced DOX efflux in MCF-7/Survivin cells implied that Survivin expression level was opposite to DOX accumulation in the cells. For example, when Survivin expression was down-regulated, DOX accumulation inside the MCF-7/Survivin cells was up-regulated, inducing strong apoptosis of cells (reversal index 118.07) by weakening the release of intracellular drug from MCF-7/Survivin cells. Also, down-regulation of Survivin resulted in reduced phosphorylation of PI3K, Akt, and mTOR in MCF-7/Survivin cells and significantly decreased P-gp expression. Previous studies had shown that PI3K/Akt/mTOR could regulate P-gp expression. Therefore, we speculated that Survivin might affect the expression of P-gp through PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. In summary, this quantitative method is not only valuable for studying the gene itself, but also can better analyze the biological phenomena related to it.

Irregular structure welds are used in numerous military industries. This paper is interested in how to utilize phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT) to identify and locate irregular structure weld defects. In this paper, CIVA simulation results were compared with inspection results of known defects and were found to be in very good agreement. This shows the feasibility of CIVA simulations. The coupling, among process parameters, affects the amplitude drop value from the peak to the trough of defects signal response, which represents the lateral resolution of internal weld defects and affect the imaging quality directly. Thus, the proper setting of detection parameters is critical to improve the testing efficiency and the imaging quality. This paper uses the response surface methodology (RSM) to design the test and conduct a factorial test to analyze the effect of each parameter. Modelling of the parameters and the response is conducted through center composite design (CCD) to analyze the coupling among multiple parameters and the reliability of the model. In the process of PAUT, the response surface plot, contour plot and the initial design domain of process parameters were combined for weld defects to determine the optimal parameters rapidly and correctly. Besides, CIVA simulation could further verify optimized detection parameters and position in industry site. Finally, irregular structure weld defects were identified accurately with PAUT imaging.

ABSTRACT Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulating in the human central nervous system has long been considered aseptic in healthy individuals, because normally, the blood-brain barrier can protect against microbial invasions. However, this dogma has been called into question by several reports that microbes were identified in human brains, raising the question of whether there is a microbial community in the CSF of healthy individuals without neurological diseases. Here, we collected CSF samples and other samples, including one-to-one matched oral and skin swab samples (positive controls), from 23 pregnant women aged between 23 and 40 years. Normal saline samples (negative controls), sterile swabs, and extraction buffer samples (contamination controls) were also collected. Twelve of the CSF specimens were also used to evaluate the physiological activities of detected microbes. Metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequencing was performed in these 116 specimens. A total of 620 nonredundant microbes were detected, which were dominated by bacteria (74.6%) and viruses (24.2%), while in CSF samples, metagenomic sequencing found only 26 nonredundant microbes, including one eukaryote, four bacteria, and 21 viruses (mostly bacteriophages). The beta diversity of microbes compared between CSF metagenomic samples and other types of samples (except negative controls) was significantly different from that of the CSF self-comparison. In addition, there was no active or viable microbe in the matched metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequencing of CSF specimens after subtracting those also found in normal saline, DNA extraction buffer, and skin swab specimens. In conclusion, our results showed no strong evidence of a colonized microbial community present in the CSF of healthy individuals. IMPORTANCE The microbiome is prevalent throughout human bodies, with profound health implications. However, it remains unclear whether it is present and active in human CSF, which has been long considered aseptic due to the blood-brain barrier. Here, we applied unbiased metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequencing to detect the presence of a microbiome in CSF collected from 23 pregnant women with matched controls. Analysis of 116 specimens found no strong evidence to support the presence of a colonized microbiome in CSF. Our findings will strengthen our understanding of the internal environment of the CSF in healthy people, which has strong implications for human health, especially for neurological infections and disorders, and will help further disease diagnostics, prevention, and therapeutics in clinical settings.

To elucidate the phase transformation behaviors for 38MnB5Nb ultra high-strength steel, the continuous cooling transformation (CCT) and time-temperature-transformation (TTT) curves were determined by the thermal expansion method with different cooling rates and isothermal temperatures after complete austenization. To be more accurate, the microstructure was observed and the hardness was tested. The results showed that the starting and ending transformation temperatures of austenite during heating are 748 °C and 805 °C, respectively. Bainite’s start temperature is between 540 °C and 550 °C, while martensite’s start temperature is about 310 °C. The critical cooling transformation rate is between 10 °C/s and 15 °C/s. The results showed that the microstructures are severely related to the cooling rate during the continuous cooling process and are related to isothermal temperatures during the isothermal process. The relationship between hardness and the microstructure was investigated and hardness is severely related to the microstructure. Based on the results of CCT curves compared with the conventional 22MnB5 hot stamping steel, the studied 38MnB5Nb steel is more beneficial for selective cooling processes.

To discover novel herbicidal compounds with favorable activity, a range of phenylpyridine-moiety-containing α-trifluorothioanisole derivatives were designed, synthesized, and identified via NMR and HRMS. Preliminary screening of greenhouse-based herbicidal activity revealed that compound 5a exhibited >85% inhibitory activity against broadleaf weeds Amaranthus retroflexus, Abutilon theophrasti, and Eclipta prostrate at 37.5 g a.i./hm2, which was slightly superior to that of fomesafen. The current study suggests that compound 5a could be further optimized as an herbicide candidate to control various broadleaf weeds.

This paper presents a numerical investigation on the improvement mechanism of dynamic compaction (DC) in saturated soil of a weak layer with high levels of groundwater, using an improved fluid–solid coupling method with a Drucker–Prager–Cap soil model. The numerical model is verified by comparing with published test data at first, which show that the dual-phase coupling method can approximately reflect the development law of excess pore water pressure and the improvement effect of layered saturated soil foundation under DC. Then, based on the numerical model, the influences of the thickness and depth of the weak layer as well as tamping energy on the development and dissipation of excess pore water pressure, effective stress, and the relative degree of reinforcement during DC were investigated. The results showed that the embedment depth and thickness of the weak interlayer may greatly affect the effective reinforcement depth of DC. Meanwhile, the tamping energy and the groundwater table also play a great role in the improvement of the layered saturated soil under DC. The groundwater table should be lowered by dewatering or adding a drainage layer to achieve a better compaction effect during DC.

To discover new compounds with favorable herbicidal activity, a range of phenylpyridine moiety-containing pyrazole derivatives were designed, synthesized, and identified via NMR and HRMS. Their herbicidal activities against six species of weeds were evaluated in a greenhouse via both pre- and post-emergence treatments at 150 g a.i./hm2. The bioassay revealed that a few compounds exhibited moderate herbicidal activities against Digitaria sanguinalis, Abutilon theophrasti, and Setaria viridis in post-emergence treatment. For instance, compounds 6a and 6c demonstrated 50% inhibition activity against Setaria viridis, which was slightly superior to pyroxasulfone. Thus, compounds 6a and 6c may serve as the new possible leading compounds for the discovery of post-emergence herbicides.