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Abstract Background The impairment of endothelial function represents a key pathophysiological mechanism in the development of sepsis. This research aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), an endothelial biomarker, in predicting mortality in sepsis patients. Methods Chinese and English studies were systematically retrieved in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, WanFang, CNKI, CQVIP, and CBM databases up to July 16, 2023. We conducted a study selection established upon predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria and used the Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS) to assess its quality. We extracted available data from the included studies for data analysis. Results The final inclusion comprised 33 studies with 4703 participants. According to the NOS, one study was of medium quality, while the rest were of high quality. In comparison to survivors, the levels of Ang-2 in non-survivors were markedly elevated [standardized mean difference (SMD) = 1.08, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.68–1.49, P

In this study, the thermal deformation behavior of Cu–Ti–Zr(-Mg) alloys were investigated by Gleeble-1500D. The two alloys were deformed at 700–900 °C with 0.003–10 s−1 strain rate. The intrinsic equations of the two alloys were constructed and calculated thermal activation energies, which indicates that it is improved from 325.67 kJ/mol to 344.03 kJ/mol after Mg addition. The result showed that the hot working area of Cu–Ti–Zr alloy is greatly extended after Mg addition, and rheological instability area is reduced. The morphology of the alloys was observed to analyze thermal behavior. It revealed that Mg elements inhibited the occurrence of dynamic recrystallization and shifted the texture types in the alloys by characterization of EBSD. TEM results showed that the phases during hot deformation in Cu–Ti–Zr–Mg are Cu4Ti and Cu10Zr7, which are in a semi-coherent relationship with the Cu matrix.

High-performance proton exchange membranes are of great importance for fuel cells. Here, we have synthesized polycarboxylate plasticizer modified MIL-101-Cr-NH2 (PCP-MCN), a kind of hybrid metal−organic framework, which exhibits a superior proton conductivity. PCP-MCN nanoparticles are used as additives to fabricate PCP-MCN/Nafion composite membranes. Microstructures and characteristics of PCP-MCN and these membranes have been extensively investigated. Significant enhancement in proton conduction for PCP-MCN around 55 °C is interestingly found due to the thermal motion of the PCP molecular chains. Robust mechanical properties and higher thermal decomposition temperature of the composite membranes are directly ascribed to strong intermolecular interactions between PCP-MCN and Nafion side chains, i.e., the formation of substantial acid–base pairs (-SO3−···+H–NH-), which further improves compatibility between additive and Nafion matrix. At the same humidity and temperature condition, the water uptake of composite membranes significantly increases due to the incorporation of porous additives with abundant functional groups and thus less crystallinity degree in comparison to pristine Nafion. Proton conductivity (σ) over wide ranges of humidities (30 − 100% RH at 25 °C) and temperatures (30 − 98 °C at 100% RH) for prepared membranes is measured. The σ in PCP-MCN/Nafion composite membranes is remarkably enhanced, i.e. 0.245 S/cm for PCP-MCN-3wt.%/Nafion is twice that of Nafion membrane at 98 °C and 100% RH, because of the establishment of well-interconnected proton transport ionic water channels and perhaps faster protonation–deprotonation processes. The composite membranes possess weak humidity-dependence of proton transport and higher water uptake due to excellent water retention ability of PCP-MCN. In particular, when 3 wt.% PCP-MCN was added to Nafion, the power density of a single-cell fabricated with this composite membrane reaches impressively 0.480, 1.098 W/cm2 under 40% RH, 100% RH at 60 °C, respectively, guaranteeing it to be a promising proton exchange membrane.

An important element of urban landscapes is various plants, and contact with urban landscapes can promote children’s positive mood and mental health. However, few studies focus on Asian school-aged children’s mood for different urban landscapes and the factors shaping them. This study attempted to understand the variables, including plant color, familiarity, and viewing distances (setting 0 m and 2 m), using 150 landscape scenes (68 flowering plants, 50 exotic plants, and 32 foliage plants), on the effects of the landscape preferences and mood states of 119 school-aged children (55 boys and 64 girls). Then, using partial least squares path modelling analysis to display the gender difference in children’s color perception, landscape preferences, and mood states. The results show that: (1) Plant color richness, familiarity, and the proportion of non-green parts of scenes positively affected children’s mood states. (2) Flowering plants are more likely to produce positive moods than those of exotic plants and foliage plants. (3) Plant color richness and familiarity significantly and positively correlated with children’s mood states and landscape preferences. (4) Notably, gender differences exist in children’s landscape preferences and mood states. This study underscores the importance of plant color collocation in child-friendly landscapes and considers the gender differences in urban landscape policy decisions. Besides, adding flowering plants and native plants in urban landscapes may potentially enhance children’s mood state and urban green space utilization rate.

Abstract Background Human Papillomavirus (HPV) DNA screening was a crucial element in the fight against cervical cancer and had been adopted in many countries, including China. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 disrupted this program significantly. Methods The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence and distribution of HPV genotypes among the population undergoing cervical cancer screening during the pandemic period. From January 2017 to December 2022, Peking Union Medical College Hospital gathered 45,496 cervical swabs from individuals undergoing cervical cancer screening. These samples were analyzed to detect fifteen high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) DNA types and a combination of two low-risk HPV (LR-HPV) types. Results The study revealed an overall infection rate of 11.24% (5,114/45,496), with 11.06% (5,032/45,496) of individuals infected with HR-HPV. The number of HPV screening patients and the infection rates of HPV, HR-HPV, LR-HPV, multiple genotype HPV (M-HPV), and single genotype HPV (S-HPV) during the pandemic were lower than those observed before the pandemic. Moreover, the age group with the highest percentage of infected individuals was under 45–49 years, with HPV52, HPV58, HPV16, and HPV51 being the most prevalent genotypes. Notably, HPV66 emerged as the fifth most commonly detected genotype during the pandemic. Additionally, among the eleven age groups examined, women under 25 exhibited the highest detection rate, with HPV52 and HPV16 infection rates exceeding those observed in the pre-pandemic period. Conclusions The findings of this study offer significant insights for shaping HPV prevention strategies and enhancing cervical cancer screening initiatives in China following the epidemic.

Abstract During the wound healing process, the activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is considered crucial for the migration and proliferation of epithelial cells, as well as for establishing the inflammatory environment. However, an excessive STAT3 activation aggravates scar formation. Here we show that 450 nm blue light and 630 nm red light can differentially regulate the phosphorylation of STAT3 (p-STAT3) and its downstream cytokines in keratinocytes. Further mechanistic studies reveal that red light promotes wound healing by activating the PI3 kinase p110 beta (PI3Kβ)/STAT3 signaling axis, while blue light inhibits p-STAT3 at the wound site by modulating cytochrome c-P450 (CYT-P450) activity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. In a mouse scar model, skin wound healing can be significantly accelerated with red light followed by blue light to reduce scar formation. In summary, our study presents a potential strategy for regulating epithelial cell p-STAT3 through visible light to address skin scarring issues and elucidates the underlying mechanisms.

Abstract Cartilage damage caused by injuries or degenerative diseases remains a major challenge in the field of regenerative medicine. In this study, we developed a composite hydrogel system for the delivery of melatonin and menstrual blood stem cells (MenSCs) to treat a rat model of cartilage defect. The composite delivery system was produced by incorporation of melatonin into the gelatin fibers and dispersing these fibers into calcium alginate hydrogels. Various characterization methods including cell viability assay, microstructure studies, degradation rate measurement, drug release, anti-inflammatory assay, and radical scavenging assay were used to characterize the hydrogel system. MenSCs were encapsulated within the nanocomposite hydrogel and implanted into a rat model of full-thickness cartilage defect. A 1.3 mm diameter drilled in the femoral trochlea and used for the in vivo study. Results showed that the healing potential of nanocomposite hydrogels containing melatonin and MenSCs was significantly higher than polymer-only hydrogels. Our study introduces a novel composite hydrogel system, combining melatonin and MenSCs, demonstrating enhanced cartilage repair efficacy, offering a promising avenue for regenerative medicine. Graphical Abstract

Abstract The stability of arc bubble is a crucial indicator of underwater wet welding process. However, limited research exists on detecting arc bubble edges in such environments, and traditional algorithms often produce blurry and discontinuous results. To address these challenges, we propose a novel arc bubble edge detection method based on deep transfer learning for processing underwater wet welding images. The proposed method integrates two training stages: pre-training and fine-tuning. In the pre-training stage, a large source domain dataset is used to train VGG16 as a feature extractor. In the fine-tuning stage, we introduce the Attention-Scale-Semantics (ASS) model, which consists of a Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM), a Scale Fusion Module (SCM) and a Semantic Fusion Module (SEM). The ASS model is further trained on a small target domain dataset specific to underwater wet welding to fine-tune the model parameters. The CBAM can adaptively weight the feature maps, focusing on more crucial features to better capture edge information. The SCM training method maximizes feature utilization and simplifies training by combining multi-scale features. Additionally, the skip structure of SEM effectively mitigates semantic loss in the high-level network, enhancing the accuracy of edge detection. On the BSDS500 dataset and a self-constructed underwater wet welding dataset, the ASS model was evaluated against conventional edge detection models—Richer Convolutional Features (RCF), Fully Convolutional Network (FCN), and UNet—as well as state-of-the-art models LDC and TEED. In terms of Mean Absolute Error (MAE), accuracy, and other evaluation metrics, the ASS model consistently outperforms these models, demonstrating edge detection capabilities that are both effective and stable in detecting arc bubble edges in underwater wet welding images.

With the gradual increase in the number of closed coal mines in China, the deterioration and pollution of water quality in closed coal mines are becoming increasingly prominent. Accurately understanding the evolution laws and mechanisms of water quality in closed coal mines is a major scientific challenge for the sustainable and green development of closed coal mines, as well as an important prerequisite for effective prevention and control of groundwater pollution and rational development and utilization of water resources. Based on the review of the development history of closed coal mines, this paper first elaborated on the distribution of closed coal mines in China. Then, a review was conducted on the water quality characteristics, water quality evolution laws, and the multiple field effects of water quality evolution of closed mine water in China. Finally, the key issues and application directions in the research of closed mine water quality in China were prospected. The research results indicate that: ① as of the end of 2023, the number of closed coal mines in China has increased to 130 00, mainly distributed in the areas such as Shanxi, Henan, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, and northern Anhui. ② The pH, mineralization degree, sulfate, fluoride, and iron manganese heavy metal content of some closed mine water in China exceed the Class III water standard. Among them, the acidic mine water (pH < 6.5) is mainly distributed in Yungui, Luxi, Shanxi and other regions; the high mineralization mine water (TDS > 1 000 mg/L) is mainly distributed in Luxi, Shanxi, Henan, Huaihe, Inner Mongolia, Ningdong, Xinjiang and other regions; the sulfate mine water (sulfate concentration > 250 mg/L) is mainly distributed in Yungui, Luxi, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningdong, Shendong, Xinjiang Hami and other regions; the fluoride mine water (F content > 1.0 mg/L) is mainly distributed in the Huaihe River, Shanxi, Shendong and other regions; and the iron and manganese heavy metal mine water (Fe content > 0.3 mg/L, Mn content > 0.1 mg/L) is mainly distributed in Yungui, Luxi, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia and other regions. ③ Before the mine is completely submerged, there is a clear stratification phenomenon in the water quality of the mine water in space, namely the high-quality water layer in the shallow part, the transitional water layer in the middle part, and the low-quality water layer in the deep part, which is mainly related to the factors such as the spatial distribution of mining, geothermal gradient, and salinity. ④ After the closure of the coal mines, the evolution process of mine water quality can be roughly divided into three stages. The first stage is that the concentration of typical pollutants (sulfate and iron ions) in the closed mine water rapidly increases and reaches its peak, the second stage is that the concentration of pollutants rapidly decreases, and the third stage is that the closed mine water quality is the same as the background value of groundwater quality in adjacent aquifers and remains relatively stable. ⑤ The research progress on the chemical field, hydrodynamic field, microbial field, and temperature field of closed mine water in China is systematically summarized, and it is pointed out that the research on the coupling mechanism of multiphase (water-rock-gas generation) and multi-field (hydrochemical field-hydrodynamic field-microbial field-temperature field) in closed mine water is still insufficient. ⑥ It is pointed out that the research on the water quality evolution of closed mine water in China still faces some key scientific issues such as unclear water quality evolution laws and mechanisms.

This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy of sorafenib plus transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in treating hepato-cellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT). Twelve randomized controlled trials published until 28th Sep 2022 were finally included. Of the total 1746 patients, of whom 458 received sorafenib and TACE treatment (Group S+TACE), and 1288 only underwent TACE (Group TACE), were enrolled. Outcomes including time to progression (TTP), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), overall survival (OS), survival rate (SR), and adverse reactions, were extracted. The OS (HR: 0.596, 95 %CI: 0.507–0.685, p < 0.001; I2 = 0.0 %) and TTP (HR: 0.379, 95 %CI: 0.205–0.553, p < 0.001; I2 = 4.5 %) in the S+TACE group were longer than those in the TACE group. The ORR (RR: 2.101, 95 %CI: 1.555–2.839, p < 0.001; I2 = 0.0 %), DCR (RR: 1.547, 95 %CI: 1.126–2.126, p = 0.007; I2 = 79.6 %) and SR (RR: 1.416, 95 %CI: 1.183-1.694, p < 0.001; I2 = 83.8 %) in the S+TACE group were higher than those in the TACE group. Compared with the TCAE group, the higher odds of HFSR, oral ulcer, and diarrhea among patients with HCC complicated by PVTT were discovered in the S+TACE group. The marginal significance was found in ascites and gastrointestinal bleeding between the two groups. Sorafenib plus TACE has good efficacy and mild adverse reactions, which may be worthy of clinical promotion.

Aluminum alloys have been widely used in engineering due to their high strength and low density. However, their poor corrosion and wear resistance have largely limited their application in marine equipment. This study successfully improved the corrosion and wear resistance of a typical 7075 Al alloy by depositing a high-performance TC4 titanium alloy coating using in-house annular laser cladding equipment. Microstructural investigations revealed that the defect-free TC4 coating is metallurgically bonded to the 7075 Al alloy substrate along with excellent bond strength. Electrochemical test results showed that compared to the hot-forged 7075 Al alloy and hot-forged double-phase TC4 bulk alloy, the TC4 coating exhibits superior corrosion resistance due to its net-basket α-single-phase microstructure. Further, wear testing results showed that the coefficient of friction and wear volume of the TC4 coating are far lower than that of 7075 Al alloy. The enhanced wear resistance is closely related to the high hardness of the TC4 coating and its excellent fatigue-wear resistance. Therefore, this work can serve as a reference to improve Aluminum alloys' corrosion and wear resistance by depositing Titanium alloy coatings using the annular laser cladding process, which shall widen the potential applications of Aluminum alloys in marine equipment.

Cholangiocarcinoma is one of the most lethal human cancers, and chemotherapy failure is a major cause of recurrence and poor prognosis. We previously demonstrated that miR-200 family members are downregulated in clinical samples of cholangiocarcinoma and inhibit cholangiocarcinoma tumorigenesis and metastasis. However, the role of differentially expressed miR-200b-3p in 5-fluorouracil chemosensitivity remains unclear. Here, we examined how miR-200b-3p modulates 5-fluorouracil chemosensitivity in cholangiocarcinoma. We observed that miR-200b-3p was associated with 5-fluorouracil sensitivity in cholangiocarcinoma and increased 5-fluorouracil-induced mitochondrial apoptosis in cholangiocarcinoma cells. Mechanistically, miR-200b-3p suppressed autophagy in cholangiocarcinoma cells to mediate 5-fluorouracil sensitivity. Further, we identified KLF4 as an essential target of miR-200b-3p in cholangiocarcinoma. Notably, the miR-200b-3p/KLF4/autophagy pathway augmented the chemosensitivity of cholangiocarcinoma cells to 5-fluorouracil. Our findings underscore the key role of miR-200b-3p in chemosensitivity to 5-fluorouracil and highlight the miR-200b-3p/KLF4/autophagy axis as a potential therapeutic target for cholangiocarcinoma.

ObjectiveTo explore the application value of the patient version of general practitioner assessment of cognition (P-GPCOG) for screening elderly with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in community.MethodsA total of 905 elderly were recruited from West China Tianfu Hospital, Sichuan University and Chongzhou Second Hospital from April 2022 to November 2023, including 627 cases in normal cognitive function group (NC group) and 278 cases in MCI group. The cognitive function of the subjects was evaluated by P-GPCOG, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and the 8-item ascertain dementia (AD8). The independence of daily living ability was evaluated by the Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale (IADLs). The Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15) was used to assess the depressive symptoms of the subjects. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn, and the area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were calculated to evaluate the application value of GPCOG screening.ResultsCompared with the NC group, the MoCA and Lawton-IADL scores were significantly lower in the MCI group (PP=0.022). The AD8 and GDS-15 scores were significantly higher (PZ=15.001, PPCI (0.773, 0.836), P

Aiming at the characteristics of multi-service concurrency and multi-modal message data mixing faced in the robot cloud-edge-end collaboration scenarios, a multi-message dynamic scheduling method oriented to time-sensitive attributes was proposed based on the analysis of the message distribution mechanism in the robot operating system 2 (ROS2). Firstly, scheduling parameters, including message priority and transmission times, were defined based on multi-topic concurrency and real-time network state in ROS2, enabling real-time queue state characterization. Then, a hybrid time/priority scheduling model was designed with specific switching rules and boundary conditions. Finally, the dynamic scheduling method, considering time sensitivity, was integrated into ROS2's data distribution service layer. Simulation experiments and practical applications verify that the proposed method can improve the efficiency of concurrent transmission of multiple message streams in ROS2, and at the same time guarantee the real-time reliable transmission of high-priority message data with time-sensitive attributes.

Abstract Implicit poisoning in federated learning is a significant threat, with malicious nodes subtly altering gradient parameters each round, making detection difficult. This study investigates this problem, revealing that temporal analysis alone struggles to identify such covert attacks, which can bypass online methods like cosine similarity and clustering. Common detection methods rely on offline analysis, resulting in delayed responses. However, recalculating gradient updates reveals distinct characteristics of malicious clients. Based on this finding, we designed a privacy-preserving detection algorithm using trajectory anomaly detection. Singular values of matrices are used as features, and an improved Isolation Forest algorithm processes these to detect malicious behavior. Experiments on MNIST, FashionMNIST, and CIFAR-10 datasets show our method achieves 94.3% detection accuracy and a false positive rate below 1.2%, indicating its high accuracy and effectiveness in detecting implicit model poisoning attacks.

Abstract Background Calcium silicate-based bioceramics have been applied in endodontics as advantageous materials for years, many chemical components and new synthesizing methods were used to improve the base formulation of the materials for positively affecting the sealers properties. Recently, a novel biomaterial formulation, grounded in strontium silicate, has been introduced to the market, offering potential advancements in the field. Objective To comparatively analyze the cytotoxicity and cell migration effects of a novel strontium silicate-based bioceramic material (CRoot SP) and those of calcium silicate-based (iRoot SP) and epoxide amine resin (AH Plus) sealers on stem cells derived from rat apical papilla(rSCAPs). Methods rSCAPs were isolated and characterized in vitro and subsequently cultured in the presence of various concentrations of CRoot SP, iRoot SP and AH Plus extracts. Cytotoxicity was assessed by CCK-8 assay, and cell-migration capacity was assessed by using wound healing assays . Results No significant differences in cell viability were observed in the 0.02 mg/mL and 0.2 mg/mL sealer groups. The cell viability of CRoot SP was consistently greater than that of iRoot SP at concentrations of 5 mg/mL and 10 mg/mL across all time points. Maximum cytotoxic effect was noted on day 5 with 10 mg/mL AH Plus.The scratch was partly healed by cell migration in all groups at 24 h, and the 0.02 mg/mL, and 0.2 mg/mL CRoot SP exerted beneficial effects on rSCAPs migration. Conclusions CRoot SP exhibited less cytotoxic than the iRoot SP and AH Plus extracts after setting. A lower concentration of CRoot SP thus promotes the cell migration capacity of rSCAPs, and it may achieve better tissue repair during root canal treatment.

Abstract Red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, is the most cultured freshwater crayfish species. It attracts significant research attention due to its considerable economic importance. However, the limited availability of genome information has impeded further genetic studies and breeding programs. By utilizing Illumina, PacBio, and Hi-C sequencing technologies, we present a more comprehensive and continuous chromosome-level assembly for P. clarkii than the published one. The final genome size is 4.03 Gb, consisting of 2,358 scaffolds with a N50 of 42.87 Mb. Notably, 3.68 Gb, corresponding to 91.42% of the genome, was anchored to 94 chromosomes. The assembly comprises 70.64% repetitive sequences, including 5.21% tandem repeats and 65.40% transposable elements. Additionally, a total of 4,456 non-coding RNAs and 28,852 protein-coding genes were predicted in the P. clarkii genome, with 96.26% of the genes were annotated. This high-quality genome assembly not only represents a significant improvement for the genome of P. clarkii and provides insights into the unique genome evolution, but also offers valuable information for developing freshwater aquaculture and accelerating genetic breeding.

The soil freezing characteristic curve (SFCC) plays a fundamental role in comprehending thermo-hydraulic behavior and numerical simulation of frozen soil. This study proposes a dynamic model to uniformly express SFCCs amidst varying total water contents throughout the freezing-thawing process. Firstly, a general model is proposed, wherein the unfrozen water content at arbitrary temperature is determined as the lesser of the current total water content and the reference value derived from saturated SFCC. The dynamic performance of this model is verified through test data. Subsequently, in accordance with electric double layer (EDL) theory, the theoretical residual and minimum temperatures in SFCC are calculated to be −14.5 °C to −20 °C for clay particles and −260 °C, respectively. To ensure that the SFCC curve ends at minimum temperature, a correction function is introduced into the general model. Furthermore, a simplified dynamic model is proposed and investigated, necessitating only three parameters inherited from the general model. Additionally, both general and simplified models are evaluated based on a test database and proven to fit the test data exactly across the entire temperature range. Typical recommended parameter values for various types of soils are summarized. Overall, this study provides not only a theoretical basis for most empirical equations but also proposes a new and more general equation to describe the SFCC.

This study was aimed at broadening the application range of chitosan hydrogels and constructing an edible anthocyanins (ACNs) delivery system. The acid resistant carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) gel microspheres (ACNs/CMCS-SA) loaded with ACNs were prepared by inversion-phase emulsion method. During the process, corn oil was used as continuous phase and salicylaldehyde (SA) was used as crosslinking agent. The structure and morphology of ACNs/CMCS-SA were characterized. And the stability, swelling ability and sustained release properties were studied. The results showed that ACNs/CMCS-SA had a micron particle size with smooth and round surface. The gel microspheres showed good acid resistance and pH responsiveness during swelling and sustained release experiments. The sustained release behavior of ACNs conformed to Weibull model. In pH7 and pH9 media, the release process of ACNs was controlled by a combination mechanism of diffusion and skeleton dissolution. In pH3 and 5 media, it was controlled by a combination of Fick diffusion and Case Ⅱ transport (order 0 grade-swelling dependent release). The preparation method of ACNs/CMCS-SA was simple and green, and the sample exhibited good gastric acid protection and intestinal release performance for ACNs. Therefore, this study lays a theoretical and experimental foundation for the development of environmentally friendly drug encapsulation materials and the application of ACNs.

Camber in hot-rolled plates significantly impacts product quality and rolling process stability, making accurate camber prediction crucial. However, it is challenging to measure asymmetric factors impacting camber in real production, hindering the ability of current models to predict and analyze the overall camber of rolled plates. This study proposes a method that combines asymmetric fluctuations of measurable variables with deep learning to predict camber. We developed a data analysis platform for plate processing and constructed a camber dataset using machine vision technology. During the modeling phase, a hot-rolled plate camber prediction model, BiLSTM-AM-Seq2Seq, was proposed, integrating a bidirectional long short-term memory network, an attention mechanism, and a sequence-to-sequence model. Additionally, an improved scheduled sampling method was also introduced to steer model training. Model performance was evaluated with real-world production data, demonstrating superior accuracy and stability. Specifically, the model achieved a mean absolute error of 12.29 mm and a root mean square error of 17.32 mm. Consequently, this model meets the demands of practical production and addresses the need for overall camber prediction of hot rolled plates.

Abstract In the field of autonomous mobile robots, sampling-based motion planning methods have demonstrated their efficiency in complex environments. Although the Rapidly-exploring Random Tree (RRT) algorithm and its variants have achieved significant success in known static environment, it is still challenging in achieving optimal motion planning in unknown dynamic environments. To address this issue, this paper proposes a novel motion planning algorithm Bi-HS-RRT $$^\text {X}$$ X , which facilitates asymptotically optimal real-time planning in continuously changing unknown environments. The algorithm swiftly determines an initial feasible path by employing the bidirectional search. When dynamic obstacles render the planned path infeasible, the bidirectional search is reactivated promptly to reconstruct the search tree in a local area, thereby significantly reducing the search planning time. Additionally, this paper adopts a hybrid heuristic sampling strategy to optimize the planned path quality and search efficiency. The convergence of the proposed algorithm is accelerated by merging local biased sampling with nominal path and global heuristic sampling in hyper-ellipsoid region. To verify the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed algorithm in unknown dynamic environments, numerous comparative experiments with existing algorithms were conducted. The experimental results indicate that the proposed planning algorithm has significant advantages in planned path length and planning time.

Objective: To explore the potential of minor beans as ingredients for starch gel foods. Methods: The basic compositions were analyzed, as well as the hydration, pasting, and gel properties of five kinds of minor bean flours, including mung beans, peas, white kidney beans, red beans, and chickpeas. Results: The water absorption index （WAI） of Mung bean powder at 90 ℃ and the water solubility index （WSI） at 40 ℃, the water absorption was better. In gelatinization results, mung bean powder had the highest recovery value, and showed good gelatinability. The results showed that the hardness and chewability of mung bean gel were significantly higher than those of other mixed bean powder, and the gel had certain elasticity and strong chewability. Mung bean gel has no bubbles, uniform surface, good smoothness and longest stretching distance. Conclusion: Mung beans may be the most suitable raw material among the five kinds of minor beans as gel-based food ingredients.

Abstract The effective identification of fruit tree leaf disease is of great practical significance to reduce pesticide spraying, improve fruit yield and realize ecological agriculture. Computer vision technology can be effectively identifying and prevent plant diseases and insect pests. However, the lack of consideration of disease diversity and accuracy of existing detection models hinders their application and development in the field of plant pest detection. This paper proposes an efficient detection model of apple leaf disease spot through the improvement of the traditional Yolov5 detection network called A-Net. In order to significantly increase the A-Net's detection speed and accuracy, the A-Net model applies the loss function Wise-IoU, which includes the attention mechanism and the dynamic focusing mechanism, to the Yolov5 network model. The RepVGG module is then used to replace the original model's convolution module. The experimental results show that the improved model effectively suppresses the growth of some error weights. Compared with several object detection models, the improved A-Net model has a Mean Average Precision across IoU threshold 0.5 and an accuracy of 92.7%, which fully proves that the improved A-Net model has more advantages in detecting apple leaf diseases.

Abstract Using renewable electricity to convert CO2 into CO offers a sustainable route to produce a versatile intermediate to synthesize various chemicals and fuels. For economic CO2-to-CO conversion at scale, however, there exists a trade-off between selectivity and activity, necessitating the delicate design of efficient catalysts to hit the sweet spot. We demonstrate here that copper co-alloyed with isolated antimony and palladium atoms can efficiently activate and convert CO2 molecules into CO. This trimetallic single-atom alloy catalyst (Cu92Sb5Pd3) achieves an outstanding CO selectivity of 100% (±1.5%) at −402 mA cm−2 and a high activity up to −1 A cm−2 in a neutral electrolyte, surpassing numerous state-of-the-art noble metal catalysts. Moreover, it exhibits long-term stability over 528 h at −100 mA cm−2 with an FECO above 95%. Operando spectroscopy and theoretical simulation provide explicit evidence for the charge redistribution between Sb/Pd additions and Cu base, demonstrating that Sb and Pd single atoms synergistically shift the electronic structure of Cu for CO production and suppress hydrogen evolution. Additionally, the collaborative interactions enhance the overall stability of the catalyst. These results showcase that Sb/Pd-doped Cu can steadily carry out efficient CO2 electrolysis under mild conditions, challenging the monopoly of noble metals in large-scale CO2-to-CO conversion.

Abstract Background Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is the most devastating complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) and plays a major role in disability and death in DM patients. NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase subunit B5 (NDUFB5) plays an important role in maintaining mitochondrial respiration, but whether it is involved in regulating the progression of advanced glycation end products (AGEs)-mediated DFU is still unclear. Methods Firstly, the role of AGEs on cell viability, migration, and mitochondrial respiration in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was explored in vitro. Next, NDUFB5 expression was detected in human samples and AGEs-treated HUVECs, and NDUFB5’s effect on AGEs-induced HUVECs injury and skin wound in diabetic mice was further clarified. In addition, the role of m6A modification mediated by methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) in regulating NDUFB5 expression and AGEs-induced HUVECs injury was investigated. Results NDUFB5 promoted cell viability, migration, and mitochondrial respiration in AGEs-treated HUVECs, whereas mitochondrial fusion promoter M1 facilitated cell viability, migration, and mitochondrial oxiadative respiration in NDUFB5 knockdown HUVECs. Meanwhile, NDUFB5 promotes skin wound healing in diabetic mice. Besides, METTL3-mediated m6A modification and insulin like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 2 (IGF2BP2) enhanced NDUFB5 expression in HUVECs. Furthermore, METTL3 promoted cell viability, migration, and mitochondrial respiration in AGEs-treated HUVECs by increasing NDUFB5. Conclusion METTL3-mediated NDUFB5 m6A modification inhibits AGEs-induced cell injury in HUVECs. METTL3 and NDUFB5 might serve as potential targets for DFU therapy in the future.

Abstract MRI offers new opportunities for detailed visualization of the different layers of the esophageal wall, as well as early detection and accurate characterization of esophageal lesions. Staging of esophageal tumors including extramural extent of disease, and status of the adjacent organ can also be performed by MRI with higher accuracy compared to other imaging modalities including CT and esophageal endoscopy. Although MDCT appears to be the primary imaging modality that is indicated for preoperative staging of esophageal cancer to assess tumor resectability, MDCT is considered less accurate in T staging. This review aims to update radiologists about emerging imaging techniques and the imaging features of various esophageal masses, emphasizing the imaging features that differentiate between esophageal masses, demonstrating the critical role of MRI in esophageal masses. Critical relevance statement MRI features may help differentiate mucosal high-grade neoplasia from early invasive squamous cell cancer of the esophagus, also esophageal GISTs from leiomyomas, and esophageal malignant melanoma has typical MR features. Key Points MRI can accurately visualize different layers of the esophagus potentially has a role in T staging. MR may accurately delineate esophageal fistulae, especially small mediastinal fistulae. MRI features of various esophageal masses are helpful in the differentiation. Graphical Abstract

Objective To evaluate the application of Traditional Chinese Medicine nursing on functional rehabilitation and postoperative complications in patients undergoing percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic technique for lumbar disc herniation (LDH). Methods Totally 84 LDH patients undergoing percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic surgery were randomly divided into the control group and observation group, with 42 cases in each group. All patients received routing nursing measures during operation period, and those in the observation group were given Traditional Chinese Medicine nursing techniques for postoperative functional recovery. The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Visual Anlogue Scale (VAS) and Japanese Orthopaedic Association scores (JOA) were used to evaluate the postoperative function recovery. The rehabilitation efficacy and incidence of postoperative complications such as disc space infection, deep venous thrombosis of lower extremity and urinary tract infection were compared between two groups. Results The ODI and VAS scores in the observation group were lower than those in the control group(P＜0. 05), and JOA score in the observation group was higher than those in the control group(P＜0. 05). The total effective rate was 95. 24(40/42) in the observation group, which was higher than 78. 57%(33/42) in the control group(P＜0. 05)。The incidence of postoperative complication in the observation group was lower than that in the control group, with a significant difference(P

The maturity of 5G technology has enabled crowd-sensing services to collect multimedia data over wireless network, so it has promoted the applications of crowd-sensing services in different fields, but also brings more privacy security challenges, the most commom which is privacy leakage. As a privacy protection technology combining data integrity check and identity anonymity, ring signature is widely used in the field of privacy protection. However, introducing signature technology leads to additional signature verification overhead. In the scenario of crowd-sensing, the existing signature schemes have low efficiency in multi-signature verification. Therefore, it is necessary to design an efficient multi-signature verification scheme while ensuring security. In this paper, a batch-verifiable signature scheme is proposed based on the crowd-sensing background, which supports the sensing platform to verify the uploaded multiple signature data efficiently, so as to overcoming the defects of the traditional signature scheme in multi-signature verification. In our proposal, a method for linking homologous data was presented, which was valuable for incentive mechanism and data analysis. Simulation results showed that the proposed scheme has good performance in terms of security and efficiency in crowd-sensing applications with a large number of users and data.

Abstract The tunable properties of halide perovskite/two dimensional (2D) semiconductor mixed-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures offer high flexibility for innovating optoelectronic and photonic devices. However, the general and robust growth of high-quality monocrystalline halide perovskite/2D semiconductor heterostructures with attractive optical properties has remained challenging. Here, we demonstrate a universal van der Waals heteroepitaxy strategy to synthesize a library of facet-specific single-crystalline halide perovskite/2D semiconductor (multi)heterostructures. The obtained heterostructures can be broadly tailored by selecting the coupling layer of interest, and can include perovskites varying from all-inorganic to organic-inorganic hybrid counterparts, individual transition metal dichalcogenides or 2D heterojunctions. The CsPbI2Br/WSe2 heterostructures demonstrate ultrahigh optical gain coefficient, reduced gain threshold and prolonged gain lifetime, which are attributed to the reduced energetic disorder. Accordingly, the self-organized halide perovskite/2D semiconductor heterostructure lasers show highly reproducible single-mode lasing with largely reduced lasing threshold and improved stability. Our findings provide a high-quality and versatile material platform for probing unique optoelectronic and photonic physics and developing further electrically driven on-chip lasers, nanophotonic devices and electronic-photonic integrated systems.

Abstract Patients who suffer from sepsis typically experience acute lung injury (ALI). Extracellular vesicles (EVs) contain miRNAs, which are potentially involved in ALI. However, strategies to screen more effective EV-miRNAs as therapeutic targets are yet to be elucidated. In this study, functional EV-miRNAs were identified based on multiomics analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing of targeted organs and serum EV (sEV) miRNA profiles in patients with sepsis. The proportions of neutrophils and macrophages were increased significantly in the lungs of mice receiving sEVs from patients with sepsis compared with healthy controls. Macrophages released more EVs than neutrophils. MiR-125a-5p delivery by sEVs to lung macrophages inhibited Tnfaip3, while miR-221-3p delivery to lung neutrophils inhibited Fos. Macrophage membrane nanoparticles (MM NPs) loaded with an miR-125a-5p inhibitor or miR-221-3p mimic attenuated the response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI. Transcriptome profiling revealed that EVs derived from LPS-stimulated bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) induced oxidative stress in neutrophils. Blocking toll-like receptor, CXCR2, or TNFα signaling in neutrophils attenuated the oxidative stress induced by LPS-stimulated BMDM-EVs. This study presents a novel method to screen functional EV-miRNAs and highlights the pivotal role of macrophage-derived EVs in ALI. MM NPs, as delivery systems of key sEV-miRNA mimics or inhibitors, alleviated cellular responses observed in sepsis-induced ALI. This strategy can be used to reduce septic organ damage, particularly lung damage, by targeting EVs.

Abstract Chinese rose (Rosa chinensis) is an important ornamental plant, with economic, cultural, and symbolic significance. During the application of outdoor greening, adverse environments such as high temperature and drought are often encountered, which affect its application scope and ornamental quality. The starch phosphorylase (Pho) gene family participate in the synthesis and decomposition of starch, not only related to plant energy metabolism, but also plays an important role in plant stress resistance. The role of Pho in combating salinity and high temperature stress in R. chinensis remains unknown. In this work, 4 Phos from R. chinensis were detected with Pfam number of Pho (PF00343.23) and predicted by homolog-based prediction (HBP). The Phos are characterized by sequence lengths of 821 to 997 bp, and the proteins are predicted to subcellularly located in the plastid and cytoplasm. The regulatory regions of the Phos contain abundant stress and phytohormone-responsive cis-acting elements. Based on transcriptome analysis, the Phos were found to respond to abiotic stress factors such as drought, salinity, high temperature, and plant phytohormone of jasmonic acid and salicylic acid. The response of Phos to abiotic stress factors such as salinity and high temperature was confirmed by qRT-PCR analysis. To evaluate the genetic characteristics of Phos, a total of 69 Phos from 17 species were analyzed and then classified into 3 groups in phylogenetic tree. The collinearity analysis of Phos in R. chinensis and other species was conducted for the first time. This work provides a view of evolution for the Pho gene family and indicates that Phos play an important role in abiotic stress response of R. chinensis.

Abstract Background Aortic dissection (AD) is a macrovascular disease which is pathologically characterized by aortic media degeneration.This experiment aims to explore how iron deficiency (ID) affects the function of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) and participates in the occurrence and development of AD by regulating gene expression. Methods The relationship between iron and AD was proved by Western-blot (WB) and immunostaining experiments in human and animals. Transcriptomic sequencing explored the transcription factors that were altered downstream. WB, flow cytometry and immunofluorescence were used to demonstrate whether ID affected HIF1 expression through oxygen transport. HIF1 signaling pathway and phenotypic transformation indexes were detected in cell experiments. The use of the specific HIF1 inhibitor PX478 further demonstrated that ID worked by regulating HIF1. Results The survival period of ID mice was significantly shortened and the pathological staining results were the worst. Transcriptomic sequencing indicated that HIF1 was closely related to ID and the experimental results indicated that ID might regulate HIF1 expression by affecting oxygen balance. HIF1 activation regulates the phenotypic transformation of VSMC and participates in the occurrence and development of AD in vivo and in vitro.PX478, the inhibition of HIF1, can improve ID-induced AD exacerbation.

Abstract Background Fear overgeneralization constitutes a susceptibility factor contributing to the development and maintenance of anxiety spectrum disorders. Extant research has demonstrated that exposure to positive and supportive social relationships attenuates fear acquisition and promotes the extinction of conditioned fear responses. However, the literature lacks investigation into the effect of secure attachment priming on inhibiting the generalization of conditioned fear. Methods In this study, college students were recruited via online platforms to voluntarily engage in the experimental procedures, resulting in 57 subjects whose data were deemed suitable for analysis. The experimental protocol consisted of four consecutive phases: pre-acquisition, acquisition, priming, and generalization. The priming phase consisted of two experimental conditions: secure attachment priming (experimental group) and positive emotion priming (control group). This study adopted the perceptual discrimination fear conditioning paradigm, employing subjective expectancy of shock ratings and skin conductance responses as primary assessment indices. Individual difference variables were measured using corresponding psychological measurement scales. Results In terms of generalization degree, a notable divergence surfaced in the skin conductance responses across various generalization materials between the secure attachment priming group and the control group. Similarly, during generalization extinction, a significant disparity emerged in the skin conductance responses across different generalization phases between the secure attachment priming group and the control group. In addition, individual differences analyses revealed that the inhibitory effect of secure attachment priming on fear generalization was not affected by intolerance of uncertainty and attachment orientations. Conversely, slope analyses confirmed that as intolerance of uncertainty increased, the inhibitory effect of positive emotion priming on fear generalization was attenuated. Conclusion The findings suggest that activating participants' representations of secure attachment via imagination effectively attenuates the generalization of perceptual fear at the physiological level. The inhibitory effect of secure attachment priming appears to be distinct from positive emotional modulation and remains unaffected by individual trait attachment styles. These results offer novel insights and avenues for the prevention and clinical intervention of anxiety spectrum disorders.

Abstract Rock abrasivity is one of the main factors affecting the wear of rock-cutting tools, which is usually quantified by the CERCHAR Abrasivity Index (CAI). Researchers and engineers study tool wear and predict tool life based on the CAI of rocks. However, there is still a lack of a dataset on rock properties, especially the abrasivity of various rocks. This paper reports the abrasive dataset of 10 kinds of rocks, including sedimentary rocks, metamorphic rocks, and igneous rocks, with the aid of the CERCHAR Abrasivity Test and digital measurement techniques. The dataset comprises rock abrasivity data, point cloud data for visualization, scratch photos, CERCHAR Abrasivity Test force data, and mechanical properties (uniaxial compressive strength) of rock samples. This dataset facilitates future research on rock abrasivity and rock-cutting tool wear.

Abstract Diarrhea and constipation are common health concerns in children. Numerous studies have identified strong association between gut microbiota and digestive-related diseases. But little is known about the gut microbiota that simultaneously affects both diarrhea and constipation or their potential regulatory mechanisms. Stool samples from 618 children (66 diarrhea, 138 constipation, 414 healthy controls) aged 0–3 years were collected to investigate gut microbiota changes using 16S rRNA sequencing. Compared with healthy, children with diarrhea exhibited a significant decrease in microbial diversity, while those with constipation showed a marked increase (p

Abstract KNOXs, a type of homeobox genes that encode atypical homeobox proteins, play an essential role in the regulation of growth and development, hormonal response, and abiotic stress in plants. However, the KNOX gene family has not been explored in sweet potato. In this study, through sequence alignment, genomic structure analysis, and phylogenetic characterization, 17, 12 and 11 KNOXs in sweet potato (I. batatas, 2n = 6x = 90) and its two diploid relatives I. trifida (2n = 2x = 30) and I. triloba (2n = 2x = 30) were identified. The protein physicochemical properties, chromosome localization, phylogenetic relationships, gene structure, protein interaction network, cis-elements of promoters, tissue-specific expression and expression patterns under hormone treatment and abiotic stresses of these 40 KNOX genes were systematically studied. IbKNOX4, -5, and − 6 were highly expressed in the leaves of the high-yield varieties Longshu9 and Xushu18. IbKNOX3 and IbKNOX8 in Class I were upregulated in initial storage roots compared to fibrous roots. IbKNOXs in Class M were specifically expressed in the stem tip and hardly expressed in other tissues. Moreover, IbKNOX2 and − 6, and their homologous genes were induced by PEG/mannitol and NaCl treatments. The results showed that KNOXs were involved in regulating growth and development, hormone crosstalk and abiotic stress responses between sweet potato and its two diploid relatives. This study provides a comparison of these KNOX genes in sweet potato and its two diploid relatives and a theoretical basis for functional studies.

Abstract Staphylococcal Enterotoxin C2 (SEC2), a classical superantigen, is an antitumor immunotherapy agent. However, the injectable formulation of SEC2 limits its clinical application. Here, it is reported that oral administration of SEC2 activates the intestinal immune system and benefits intestinal health in a mouse model. These results indicate that intact SEC2 is detected in the stomach, intestine, and serum after oral administration. Continuous oral administration of SEC2 activates immune cells in gut‐associated lymphoid tissues, promoting extensive differentiation and proliferation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and CD19+ B cells, leading to increased production of cytokines and secretory immunoglobulin A. SEC2 also enhances intestinal barrier function, as demonstrated by an increased villus length/crypt depth ratio and elevated expression of mucins and tight junction proteins. Additionally, SEC2 indirectly influenced gut microbiota, reinforcing potential probiotics and short‐chain fatty acid synthesis. Enhanced differentiation of T and B cells in the spleen, coupled with elevated serum interleukin‐2 levels, suggests systemic immune enhancement following oral administration of SEC2. These findings provide a scientific basis for the development of SEC2 as an oral immunostimulant for immune enhancement and anti‐tumor immunotherapy.

PurposeThis meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the comparative diagnostic accuracy of [18F]FDG PET/CT versus [18F]FDG PET/MRI in identifying lymph node metastases in individuals with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.MethodsA comprehensive search was executed across PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science through September 2023 to identify studies evaluating the diagnostic precision of [18F]FDG PET/CT and [18F]FDG PET/MRI in detecting lymph node metastasis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Sensitivity and specificity were assessed through the DerSimonian-Laird method, incorporating the Freeman-Tukey transformation.ResultsThe meta-analysis encompassed nine articles, involving a total of 916 patients. The overall sensitivity and specificity of [18F]FDG PET were 0.95 (95%CI: 0.88–1.00) and 0.95 (95%CI: 0.84–1.00). The overall sensitivity of [18F]FDG PET/CT was 0.94 (95%CI, 0.85–0.99), whereas [18F]FDG PET/MRI achieved a sensitivity of 1.00 (95%CI, 0.94–1.00). The findings reveal that [18F]FDG PET/CT demonstrates comparable sensitivity to [18F]FDG PET/MRI (p = 0.20). The overall specificity of [18F]FDG PET/CT was 0.94 (95%CI, 0.82–1.00), whereas [18F]FDG PET/MRI exhibited a specificity of 0.98 (95%CI, 0.93–1.00). Additionally, the results suggest that [18F]FDG PET/CT offers similar specificity to [18F]FDG PET/MRI (p = 0.11).Conclusion[18F]FDG PET demonstrates high sensitivity and specificity in identifying lymph node metastasis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Furthermore, [18F]FDG PET/CT exhibits comparable sensitivity and specificity to [18F]FDG PET/MRI.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=496006, PROSPERO (CRD42024496006).

Heavy metal(loid)s (HMs) contamination in farmland soils, an environmental issue of global concern, has undergone extensive research across local and regional scales in the Yellow River Basin (YRB), China, but comprehensive studies at the basin scale remain scarce. This study, utilizing published data from 2000 to 2023, analyzed the concentrations, distribution patterns, potential sources, probabilistic ecological risks, and source-specific health risks of eight HMs (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in farmland soils across the YRB. Results indicated that while most agricultural soils are safe, 21.7% of samples for Cd, 5.6% for As, and 1.2% for Zn exceed China’s risk screening levels for agricultural soil pollution, with Hg and Cd showing the highest pollution levels. Ecological risks were generally high, with Cd and Hg identified as primary risk factors. Correlation analysis and the positive matrix factorization model identified four potential origins, contributing in descending order: traffic-industrial atmospheric deposition (37.0%), mixed agricultural-natural sources (26.7%), industrial-natural sources (14.6%), and mixed agricultural-industrial sources (14.6%). The probabilistic health risk assessment identified negligible noncarcinogenic threats to the population; however, carcinogenic hazards were concerning, particularly due to industrial activities and As. Children are more vulnerable to hazards than adults. These findings enhance our insight into soil HM pollution risks in the YRB and offer a scientific foundation for targeted pollution management and control strategies at the basin scale.

Organ-specific aging is increasingly recognized for its research significance, with liver aging demonstrating particular relevance due to its central role in metabolism. We have pioneered the discovery that the expression of ESRRG in the liver positively correlates with age and have established its association with clinical characteristics, including hepatic edema. Our findings link liver aging to a shift in oxidative stress states, where ESRRG, a crucial nuclear receptor responsive to oxidative stress, may be modulated by various small molecules. Through virtual screening of a natural medicinal molecule database followed by further validation, we confirmed that the natural compound Tanshinone IIA mitigates oxidative stress-induced damage in the liver via the ESRRG/Cyp2e1 pathway, thus decelerating liver aging. Importantly, our study also explores the dynamic impact of Tanshinone IIA on ESRRG conformation, providing a profound understanding of its molecular interactions with ESRRG and laying a foundation for the rational design of small molecules based on natural compounds.

Plaque rupture with consequent thrombosis is the leading cause of acute cardiovascular events, during which macrophage death is a hallmark. Ferroptosis is a pivotal intermediate link between early and advanced atherosclerosis. Existing evidence indicates the involvement of macrophage ferroptosis in plaque vulnerability; however, the exact mechanism remains elusive. The aim of this study was to explore key ferroptosis-related genes (FRGs) involved in plaque progression and the underlying molecular mechanisms involved. The expression landscape of FRGs was obtained from atherosclerosis-related GEO datasets. Molecular mechanism studies of ferroptosis were performed using bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) and macrophage-derived foam cells (MDFCs). Bioinformatics analysis and immunohistochemistry revealed that macrophage haem oxygenase-1 (HMOX1) is the key FRG involved in plaque destabilization. Hypoxic conditions induced a significant increase in Hmox1 expression in MDFCs but not in macrophages. In addition, the beneficial or deleterious effects of Hmox1 were dependent on the degree of Hmox1 induction. Hmox1 overexpression drove inflammatory responses and ferroptotic oxidative stress in MDFCs and aggravated the plaque burden in atherosclerotic model mice. Further mechanistic investigations demonstrated that hypoxia-mediated degradation of egl-9 family hypoxia-inducible factor 3 (Egln3) stabilized Hif1a, which subsequently promoted Hmox1 transcription. Our findings suggest that high Hmox1 expression under hypoxia is deleterious to MDFC viability and plaque stability, providing a reference for the management of acute cardiovascular events.

BackgroundThe association between Estradiol (E2) levels and abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) in postmenopausal women remains unclear.Methods614 postmenopausal women from the 2013-2014 NHANES survey cycle were included in this study. The study population was divided into 3 groups according to E2 tertiles: Tertile1 (2.12-3.57pg/mL), Tertile2 (3.60-7.04pg/mL), and Tertile3 (7.06-38.4pg/mL). Estrogen concentration data were natural logarithmically transformed. A Kauppila score > 5 was regarded as prominent arterial calcification and was used to define (EAAC). Logistic regression models were used to assess the association between E2 levels and EAAC prevalence. Subgroup analyses were performed to test whether the association between E2 levels and EAAC prevalence was consistent in different groups. Sensitivity analyses tested the stability of the model in women older than 45 years.ResultsEAAC prevalence was significantly higher in Tertile1 (16.6%) than in Tertile2 (9.8%) and Tertile3 (8.3%). On a continuous scale, the adjusted model showed a 58% [OR (95%CI), 1.58 (1.02, 2.54)] increase in the risk of EAAC prevalence for per unit decrease in ln(E2). On a categorical scale, the adjusted model showed that Tertile1 and Tertile2 were 2.55 [OR (95%CI), 2.55 (1.10, 5.92)] and 1.31[OR (95%CI), 1.31(1.03, 2.57)] times higher risk of suffering from EAAC than Tertile3, respectively.ConclusionThis study found that a higher prevalence of AAC in postmenopausal women is closely associated with lower serum E2 levels. Our research further underscores the importance of E2 in maintaining cardiovascular health in postmenopausal women and suggests that monitoring E2 levels may aid in the early prevention and management of AAC and related cardiovascular diseases.

Amubarvimab-romlusevimab is a commonly recommended antiviral treatment in China for adult patients with mild or moderate SARS-CoV-2 infections, especially for patients with a high risk factor for progression to severe COVID-19. However, its exact efficacy in patients with severe Covid-19 is not yet known.This is a single-center retrospective cohort study, in which we collected the general data, laboratory tests, radiological characteristics, viral conversion status, and prognosis of the disease from patients with COVID-19 hospitalized, from December 2022 to March 2023 in the Department of Critical Care Medicine. The amubarvimab-romlusevimab therapy can reduce the 28-day mortality (29.79 % vs 51.35 %, p = 0.02), and ICU mortality (29.79 % vs 55.41 %, p = 0.006) of severe COVID-19.A 1:1 PSM (Propensity Score Matching) was performed to reduce bias, in order to ensure the two groups were balanced and comparable. In the matched population (n = 47), there were no statistically significant differences between the mAbs (monoclonal antibody)group and the Non-antiviral group in 28-day, and thromboembolic events in COVID-19 patients. The 40-day survival analysis shows that mAbs therapy can improve patient prognosis (HR = 0.45, 95%CI = 0.26–0.76, p = 0.008). However, no significant intergroup difference in the 40-day cumulative viral conversion rate. In a univariate Cox regression analysis, The Amubarvimab - romlusevimab therapy(HR:0.464; CI:[0.252–0.853]; p:0.013) is a protective factor and CRP, PCT, PLT, Lactate, PT, PT-INR, and pt% level at admission were risk factors for clinical prognosis. After including the above covariates, Multifactorial COX regression shows that the Amubarvimab - romlusevimab therapy(HR:0.392; CI:[0.211–0.729]; p:0.003), CRP, Lactate and PT-INR at admission are independent factors for mortality of severe COVID-19. Based on the current data, we conclude that amubarvimab-romlusevimab therapy is beneficial for patients with severe COVID-19.

Introduction Overactive bladder (OAB) affects approximately 500 million people worldwide, with a higher prevalence in women than in men, significantly impacting the quality of life of female patients. Treatment options for OAB are currently limited. Previous research has proposed that electroacupuncture could be a viable treatment for OAB in women, but there is a lack of high-quality clinical evidence. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of electroacupuncture as a safe and efficient non-pharmacological treatment for female OAB by comparing it with solifenacin succinate.Methods and analysis This study is a multicentre, single-blind, double-dummy randomised controlled non-inferiority clinical trial involving 204 eligible female participants with OAB. Participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the electroacupuncture group (receiving electroacupuncture and placebo) or the solifenacin succinate group (receiving sham electroacupuncture and solifenacin succinate). Each participant will undergo 12 sessions of electroacupuncture (or sham electroacupuncture) treatment and solifenacin succinate (or placebo) treatment over a 4-week period. The primary outcome measure will be the percentage change in the number of micturition episodes every 24 hours at week 4 compared with baseline. Secondary outcomes will include a percentage reduction in the number of micturition episodes every 24 hours at 2th, 8th and 16th weeks of the trial, Overactive Bladder Symptom Score, number of urinary incontinence and urgency episodes every 24 hours based on a 3-day voiding diary, OAB Questionnaire, Generalised Anxiety Disorder Scale-7, King’s Health Questionnaire and Participant Self-evaluation of Therapeutic Effects. Adverse events will be monitored throughout the study. Efficacy analyses will be conducted on both the intention-to-treat population and the per-protocol set population.Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval has been obtained from the Medical Ethics Committee of Longhua Hospital Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (approval number: 2022LCSY097). Each participant will sign a written informed consent before randomisation. The results of this study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.Trial registration number NCT05798403.

This study aims to address the challenges of apple recognition in complex environments by proposing a solution based on the FC-DETR model. Apple cultivation is an important part of agriculture in Xinjiang, but the increasing shortage of labor has driven the demand for automated harvesting technologies. Therefore, research and development of apple recognition technology in complex environments have become crucial. While CNN architecture models can accurately identify apples in conventional settings, their inherent receptive field limitations prevent them from fully capturing global features in noisy and complex environments, making it difficult to achieve the accuracy and robustness required for practical applications. To solve this problem, this study proposes a real-time object detection model, FC-DETR. This model incorporates the innovative FEMA-BasicBlock residual module, the CAFM cross-scale adaptive feature fusion module, and the novel Inner-WIoU loss function, thereby enhancing feature processing, multi-scale feature selection and integration, and detection accuracy. Experimental results show that the FC-DETR model achieves an apple recognition accuracy of 87 % and a recall rate of 82 % in complex backgrounds while maintaining a lightweight design. This study not only makes significant advances in automated apple harvesting technology but also contributes to improving the efficiency and sustainability of the apple industry in Xinjiang and globally.

Accurate prediction of thermal conductivity (λ) in frozen soils is essential for understanding their thermal behavior and improving thermal response analyses. Currently, there are numerous models for calculating λ, but unified laboratory data to compare and evaluate these models are lacking. This study focuses on evaluating the performance of 17 models for applied to frozen soils using a unified laboratorial dataset. The heat-pulse-probe (HPP) method was employed to measure the thermal conductivity of silty clay, sand, and sand loam. Nuclear magnetic resonance experiments were conducted to measure the unfrozen water content (θw) and ice content(θi). This provides unified laboratorial dataset of λ-θi-θw. The predictive performance of 17 models demonstrated that the model of Zhang et al. (2018), Sass et al. (1971) and Tian et al. (2016) are the three optimal models: 1). The model of Zhang et al. (2018) is the provided the best predictive performance, with mean absolute error (MAE) values of 0.17 Wm-1K-1, 0.07 Wm-1K-1, and 0.06 Wm-1K-1 for silty clay, sand and sand loam, respectively. This model is advantageous due to its simplicity and the absence of undetermined parameters. 2). The model of Sass et al. (1971) is suitable for soils with low sensitivity to frozen volume deformation, such as sand and sand loam, achieving an MAE of 0.06 Wm-1K-1. 3). The model of Tian et al. (2016) exhibited strong performance for silty clay with an MAE of 0.11 Wm-1K-1, contingent on the precise determination of soil-specific parameters. This study provides a unified laboratory data for the establishment of thermal conductivity models. The evaluation of existing models can serve as a reference for future related research.

Objective To investigate the value of plasma heat shock protein 90α(Hsp90α) in the prognostic assessment of elderly patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization(TACE). Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 110 elderly patients diagnosed with primary HCC who underwent TACE in the Interventional Department of the High-tech Zone of Jilin Cancer Hospital from February 2020 to February 2022.The expression of Hsp90α in preoperative plasma was detected using ELISA,with a cut-off value of 60 ng/mL.Patients were divided into the high Hsp90α expression group(55 cases) and the low Hsp90α expression group(37 cases).Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw survival curves,and the Log-rank test was used to compare the differences in survival curves.Multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to analyze the relationship between plasma Hsp90α expression and the prognosis of elderly patients with primary HCC treated with TACE. Results The cumulative survival rates of two-year overall survival and progression-free survival in the high Hsp90α expression group were lower than those in the low Hsp90α expression group(P

In this study, Al2O3–Cu/35Mo composites were prepared by rapid hot-press sintering-internal oxidation method, and the materials were modified by adding trace amounts of graphene oxide (GO). The results show that the relative densities of the composites are above 99%, the γ-Al2O3 generated by internal oxidation is diffusely distributed on the copper matrix. The incorporation of GO produced a small number of hard MoC particles at the interface, which facilitated the interfacial bonding of the composites. In the 30 V DC, 10–30 A electrical contact test, the anode mass of the composites increases, while the cathode mass decreases. And GO reduces the total mass loss of the electric contact by 63.6%, 38.9%, 51.3% and 20.9%, respectively. A comparison of the electrical contact properties of the two materials showed that the addition of GO dispersed the concentrated erosion of the arc. At 10 A and 30 A, the arc energy is reduced by 75.5% and 12.5%, respectively. With the gradual increase in electric current, GO makes the Al2O3–Cu/35Mo composites more stable during the electric contact process, improves the anti-welding ability of the contact and reduces contact resistance.

Objective In response to stability alarm faults occurring in CR200J EMU trailer and control cars in certain sections, it is necessary to analyze the factors affecting the dynamics performance to analyze the causes and address the issues. Method Tracked measurements are conducted on the wheel wear status of a set of CR200J EMU trailer and control cars. The actual rail profiles along the operating routes of vehicles are measured to identify the development patterns of wheel wear. Through SIMPACK software simulation, and combined with real wheel-rail matching conditions, the impact of wheel wear on vehicle dynamics performance is analyzed. Result & Conclusion The wheel wear of CR200J EMU trailer and control cars mainly concentrates at the rolling circle. As wheel wear increases, changes occur in the wheel-rail contact relationship, leading to a linear increase in wheel equivalent conicity, and noticeable changes in lateral stability indicators of the vehicles. Some sections of the measured track profiles exhibit abrupt changes, causing lateral harmonic motion in the bogies. Finally, based on the patterns and characteristics of wheel wear, improvement suggestions are proposed.