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Abstract Exploring a non-destructive and rapid evaluation method for precious ancient ceramic relics is of significant importance. Currently, there are countless monochrome porcelain fragments awaiting measurement and categorization. Various instruments such as XRF, XRD, SEM, OM, and thermoluminescence dating have been extensively utilized by numerous researchers to study ancient ceramics. However, these techniques pose challenges in reliably identifying monochrome porcelain fragments from the same kiln with similar appearance, content, and microstructure due to their limitations. To address this issue, this study presents an acoustic measurement system that utilizes audible frequencies to non-destructively evaluate monochrome porcelain fragments. The proposed method enables the extraction of parameters related to time domain analysis (e.g., group delay), frequency domain analysis (e.g., resonance), and sound loss characteristics of these fragments. This non-destructive and efficient technology for detecting acoustic characteristics of monochrome porcelain fragments presented in this work clarifies the fundamental principles governing the interaction between sound waves and ancient ceramic fragments while providing a completely non-destructive and highly efficient method for classifying and restoring valuable solid cultural heritages like stone, jade, bronze etc. Moreover, this approach can also be applied for non-destructive testing of elastic modulus in advanced ceramic devices including detecting small cracks, deterioration effects due to aging as well as other defects.

Abstract Cultural heritage identity management is the most basic and important work in the process of cultural heritage protection. It is of great significance to provide a unique and identifiable digital identity for ancient ceramics. At present, the identification information of ancient ceramics is mainly composed of external visual characteristics, and there is no report on feature identification method that can reflect the properties of ancient ceramics. Audible sound signals not only have advantages in non-destructive testing, but also can be used as voiceprint information to identify, monitor and analyze ancient ceramics. In this paper, seven ancient ceramics and 12 similar modern ceramic cups are taken as research objects, and an acoustic identifier (AID) is constructed. We put forward a reliable acoustic identification method for ancient ceramics, and established a digital code of acoustic characteristics of ancient ceramics. The results show that audible sound waves can reflect the attribute information of ancient ceramics. Sufficient acoustic data combined with deep learning can not only accurately match the identity of ancient ceramics, but also detect the real-time identity information of ancient ceramics, and make a comparative analysis of its cracks and whether it has caused damage. This method can provide a variety of practical applications for audible signal feature recognition technology in the exhibition, protection, trading, recognition and safety management of ancient ceramics and other cultural relics.

Abstract In the field of cultural heritage protection, it is significant to establish a reliable ID (identifier) for valuable cultural and artistic items. At present, the identification of ancient cultural relics is mainly based on image information, such as pictures, 3D (three-dimensional) scanning, X-ray and CT (computed tomography) data. However, in many cases, it is impossible to identify whether slight damage, partial restorations, or ancient cultural relics have been replaced by fakes by using image information. In the era of digital duplication, more reliable identity information is urgently needed. The main technical challenge of an acoustic analysis system for ancient coins based on artificial intelligence technology is to find a non-destructive, fast and accurate identification method for ancient cultural relics. The recognition method includes two main modules: the artificial audio data sampling device and deep learning. In addition, this paper has completed the analysis of the vibration spectrum features of 19 ancient coins and realized the whole process of acoustic ID construction. The open-source platform Easy DL was used to analyze the multidimensional vibration spectrum curve feature extraction and identification. This method enables audio signal signature recognition technology to be applied in the display, preservation, transaction and safety management of ancient coins and other cultural relics.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are the most notable breakthrough in tumor treatment. ICIs has been widely used in tumor patients, but its wide range of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) should not be ignored. irAEs can be involved in any organ system, including immune-related cardiotoxicity. Although the cardiotoxicity induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors is rare, it is extremely lethal and has attracted increasing attention. PD-1 and PD-L1 are expressed in human cardiomyocytes, so the application of PD-1/PDL-1 inhibitors can cause many adverse reactions to the cardiovascular system. This review summarizes the latest epidemiological evidence on the cardiovascular toxicity of programmed cell death protein-1(PD-1)/programmed cell death ligand-1(PD-L1) inhibitors and the clinical manifestations, as well as the potential pathological mechanisms. These updates may provide a novel perspective for monitoring early toxicity and establishing appropriate treatment for patients with ICI-related cardiotoxicity.

Coronary artery calcification (CAC) increases the risk of acute coronary syndrome. This study examined the correlation between C1q/TNF-related protein 9 (CTRP9) and CAC and explored CTRP9 as a biomarker for prognosis. We divided 275 patients with coronary heart disease into four groups. In order to balance the baseline confounding factors, propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to match CAC patients with non-CAC patients in a 1:1 ratio. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) calcification scoring was performed in 126 patients with CAC. Moreover, 140 patients who underwent OCT were followed-up for 9 months for analysis of the correlation between CTRP9 levels and clinical prognosis. Based on OCT calcification scores, 126 patients with CAC were divided into the 0–2 and 3–4 groups. Plasma CTRP9 levels were significantly lower in the type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), CAC and CAC with T2DM groups than in the control group. CTRP9 played roles as a protective factor and potential predictor in CAC severity. The AUC of the OCT calcification score 3–4 group predicted by the plasma CTRP9 level was 0.766. During the follow-up period, the cumulative event-free survival rate was significantly lower in the low-level CTRP9 (L-CTRP9) group than in the high-level (H-CTRP9) group, and the incidence of major endpoint events was significantly higher in the L-CTRP9 group than in the H-CTRP9 group. CTRP9 can be a valuable biomarker for CAC occurrence and severity and can predict patients’ clinical prognosis.

Potential secondary influences on titanium distribution should be evaluated when using ash beds as volcanic source indicators and for correlation purposes. In this study, well-correlated altered ash beds in Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) successions of various facies in South China were investigated to better understand their use in source discrimination and stratigraphic correlation. The ash beds deposited in lacustrine and paludal facies contain significantly more Ti relative to deposits in marine facies. Neoformed anatase grains nanometres to micrometres in size are associated closely with clay minerals, whereas detrital anatase was observed in the remnants of altered ash beds of terrestrial facies. Extraction of the clay fraction of altered ash beds may exclude significantly detrital accessory minerals such as anatase and rutile added during sediment reworking, and the concentrations of immobile elements in the clay fraction may therefore be used to interpret more effectively their source igneous rocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nudel is a newly discovered factor related to cell migration. The tubular epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) includes four steps: the loss of the adhesive properties of epithelial cells, the acquisition of a mesenchymal cell phenotype, the destruction of the tubular basal membrane, and the migration into the renal interstitium. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of Nudel in the high-glucose-induced EMT of tubular epithelial cells. Human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (HKCs) were treated with Nudel shRNA to clarify the role and mechanism of Nudel in tubular EMT induced by high glucose. We found that Nudel was expressed at a high level in high-glucose-stimulated HKCs, and the expression of Nudel was associated with the activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3. After transfection with Nudel shRNA, we detected the expression levels of E-cadherin, -smooth muscle actin (-SMA), and the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome family of proteins (including WASP, N-WASP, WAVE1, WAVE2, and WAVE3) via assay. Cell migration was analyzed by the scratching method. The results showed that high glucose downregulated E-cadherin expression, upregulated -SMA expression, and promoted the migration of HKCs. The expression levels of N-WASP, WAVE1, and WAVE2 were also elevated in HKCs treated with high glucose. All changes induced by high glucose were ameliorated by Nudel depletion. We conclude that Nudel participates in the transition and the migration of tubular epithelial cells via the regulation of WASP family proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]