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Regenerative braking technology is essential for reducing energy consumption in electric vehicles (EVs). This study introduces a method for optimizing the distribution of deceleration forces in front-wheel-drive electric vehicles that complies with the distribution range outlined by ECE-R13 braking regulations and aligns with an ideal braking distribution curve. In addition, using a fuzzy control strategy to manage the complex variables of the regenerative braking process, a robust and adaptable system is developed on the Simulink platform. Tested across various driving cycles are NEDC (New European Driving Cycle), WLTC (World Light Duty Vehicle Test Cycle), FTP-72 (Federal Test Procedure 72), and FTP-75 (Federal Test Procedure 75). The method significantly improves energy efficiency: 13% for WLTC, 16% for NEDC, and 30% for both FTP-72 and FTP-75. The simulation results were compared to regenerative braking control techniques A and B, showing that the proposed control method achieves a higher brake energy recovery rate. This leads to a considerable improvement in the vehicle’s energy recovery efficiency. These findings confirm the efficacy of the proposed regenerative brake control system, highlighting its potential to significantly enhance the energy efficiency of electric vehicles.

Mechanical stimuli, such as stretch, shear stress, or compression, activate a range of biomolecular responses through cellular mechanotransduction. In the nervous system, studies on mechanical stress have highlighted key pathophysiological mechanisms underlying traumatic injury and neurodegenerative diseases. However, the biomolecular pathways triggered by mechanical stimuli in the nervous system has not been fully explored, especially compared to other body systems. This gap in knowledge may be due to the wide variety of methods and definitions used in research. Additionally, as mechanical stimulation techniques such as ultrasound and electromagnetic stimulation are increasingly utilized in psychological and neurorehabilitation treatments, it is vital to understand the underlying biological mechanisms in order to develop accurate pathophysiological models and enhance therapeutic interventions. This review aims to summarize the cellular signaling pathways activated by various mechanical and electromagnetic stimuli with a particular focus on the mammalian nervous system. Furthermore, we briefly discuss potential cellular mechanosensors involved in these processes.

BackgroundThe brain and kidneys share similar low-resistance microvascular structures, receiving blood at consistently high flow rates and thus, are vulnerable to blood pressure fluctuations. This study investigates the causative factors of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs), aiming to quantify the contribution of each risk factor by constructing a multivariate model via stepwise regression.MethodsA total of 164 hospitalized patients were enrolled from January 2022 to March 2023 in this study, employing magnetic susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) to assess the presence of CMBs. The presence of CMBs in patients was determined by SWI, and history, renal function related to CMBs were analyzed.ResultsOut of 164 participants in the safety analysis, 36 (21.96%) exhibited CMBs and 128 (78.04%) did not exhibit CMBs, and the median age of the patients was 66 years (range: 49–86 years). Multivariate logistic regression identified hypertension (OR = 13.95%, 95% CI: 4.52, 50.07%), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) (OR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.06–2.40), cystatin C (CyC) (OR = 4.90, 95% CI: 1.20–22.16), and urinary β-2 microglobulin, (OR = 2.11, 95% CI: 1.45–3.49) as significant risk factors for CMBs. The marginal R-square (RM2) was 0.25. Among all determinants, hypertension (47.81%) had the highest weight, followed by UN (11.42%). Quasi-curves plotted using the bootstrap method (999 times) showed good agreement between the predictive model and actual observations.ConclusionHypertension, BUN, urinary β-2 microglobulin, CyC were risk factors for CMBs morbidity, and controlling the above indicators within a reasonable range will help to reduce the incidence of CMBs.

ABSTRACT Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is a prevalent global intracranial infection and the most lethal and disabling form of tuberculosis. TBM with mixed intracranial infections is clinically rare but has a higher mortality rate. To investigate the clinical characteristics of TBM with mixed intracranial infections, demographic and clinical data of TBM and pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients admitted to Shenzhen Third People’s Hospital between January 2015 and October 2022 were collected anonymously. A total of 207 cases of TBM were diagnosed, of which 16 cases (7.73%) were TBM with mixed intracranial infections. The overall mortality rate of TBM cases was 16.4%, while the mortality rate of TBM cases with mixed intracranial infections was as high as 35.7%. Compared to simple TBM cases, TBM cases with mixed intracranial infections had severer clinical symptoms. The percentage of human immune deficiency virus (HIV)-positive TBM cases with mixed intracranial infections reached up to 68.8%. HIV co-infection, CD4+/CD8+ T-cell counts less than 1, cranial nerve impairment, paralysis, cerebral infarction, PRO less than 450 mg/L, WBC less than 10 × 106 /L, and CL more than 120 mmol/L were risk factors for TBM cases with mixed intracranial infections. Compared to PTB, HIV co-infection, CD4+ T cell less than 550 /uL, and age less than 45 years were risk factors for TBM, and TBM was associated with higher mortality rates. Our study provides additional data to better understand single TBM and TBM with mixed intracranial infections. More than two-thirds of TBM cases with mixed intracranial infections were HIV-positive. Clinicians should consider the possibility of multiple infections in people with TBM/HIV co-infection.IMPORTANCETBM can cause severe neurological damage and death, and TBM with mixed intracranial infections can exacerbate the damage and poor prognosis of the disease. TBM with mixed intracranial infections is a rare disease, which has led to an incomplete understanding of its clinical features. This study investigated the clinical features of TBM and its associated factors by comparing the characteristics of TBM with mixed intracranial infections, single TBM and pulmonary tuberculosis. This information will help to improve the understanding of TBM, diagnostic accuracy and treatment outcomes.

Abstract The Xpert MTB/RIF test (Xpert) can help in the accurate screening of tuberculosis, however, its widespread use is limited by its high cost and lack of accessibility. Pooling of sputum samples for testing is a strategy to cut expenses and enhance population coverage but may result in a decrease in detection sensitivity due to the dilution of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) by sample mixing. We investigated how the mixing ratio affected the detection performance of Xpert. We used frozen sputum samples that had been kept after individual Xpert assays of the sputa from Mtb-confirmed TB patients and non-TB patients. Our results showed that the overall sensitivity of the Xpert pooling assay remained higher than 80% when the mixing ratio was between 1/2 and 1/8. When the mixing ratio was raised to 1/16, the positive detection rate fell to 69.0%. For patients with either a high sputum Mtb smear score ≥ 2+, a time-to-positive culture ≤ 10 days, or an Xpert test indicating a high or medium abundance of bacteria, the pooling assay positivity rates were 93.3%, 96.8%, and 100% respectively, even at a 1/16 mixing ratio. For participants with cavities and cough, the pooling assay positivity rates were 86.2% and 90.0% at a 1/8 ratio, higher than for those without these signs. Our results show that the Xpert pooled assay has a high overall sensitivity, especially for highly infectious patients. This pooling strategy with lower reagent and labor costs could support TB screening in communities with limited resources, thereby facilitating reductions in the community transmission and incidence of TB worldwide.

Malignant glioma (MG) is the most common type of primary malignant brain tumors. Surgical resection of MG remains the cornerstone of therapy and the extent of resection correlates with patient survival. A limiting factor for resection, however, is the difficulty in differentiating the tumor from normal tissue during surgery. Fluorescence imaging is an emerging technique for real-time intraoperative visualization of MGs and their boundaries. However, most clinical grade neurosurgical operative microscopes with fluorescence imaging ability are hampered by low adoption rates due to high cost, limited portability, limited operation flexibility, and lack of skilled professionals with technical knowledge. To overcome the limitations, we innovatively integrated miniaturized light sources, flippable filters, and a recording camera to the surgical eye loupes to generate a wearable fluorescence eye loupe (FLoupe) device for intraoperative imaging of fluorescent MGs. Two FLoupe prototypes were constructed for imaging of Fluorescein and 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA), respectively. The wearable FLoupe devices were tested on tumor-simulating phantoms and patients with MGs. Comparable results were observed against the standard neurosurgical operative microscope (PENTERO® 900) with fluorescence kits. The affordable and wearable FLoupe devices enable visualization of both color and fluorescence images with the same quality as the large and expensive stationary operative microscopes. The wearable FLoupe device allows for a greater range of movement, less obstruction, and faster/easier operation. Thus, it reduces surgery time and is more easily adapted to the surgical environment than unwieldy neurosurgical operative microscopes. Clinical and Translational Impact Statement—The affordable and wearable fluorescence imaging device developed in this study enables neurosurgeons to observe brain tumors with the same clarity and greater flexibility compared to bulky and costly operative microscopes.

Abstract Background Macrophage polarization has been observed in the process of muscle injuries including rotator cuff (RC) muscle atrophy and fatty infiltration after large tendon tears. In our previous study, we showed that fibrogenesis and white adipogenesis of muscle residential fibro/adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) cause fibrosis and fatty infiltration and that brown/beige adipogenesis of FAPs promotes rotator cuff muscle regeneration. However, how polarized macrophages and their exosomes regulate FAP differentiation remains unknown. Methods We cultured FAPs with M0, M1, and M2 macrophages or 2 × 109 exosomes derived from M0, M1 and M2 with and without GW4869, an exosome inhibitor. In vivo, M0, M1, and M2 macrophages were transplanted or purified macrophage exosomes (M0, M1, M2) were injected into supraspinatus muscle (SS) after massive tendon tears in mice (n = 6). SS were harvested at six weeks after surgery to evaluate the level of muscle atrophy and fatty infiltration. Results Our results showed that M2 rather than M0 or M1 macrophages stimulates brown/beige fat differentiation of FAPs. However, the effect of GW4869, the exosome inhibitor, diminished this effect. M2 exosomes also promoted FAP Beige differentiation in vitro. The transplantation of M2 macrophages reduced supraspinatus muscle atrophy and fatty infiltration. In vivo injections of M2 exosomes significantly reduced muscle atrophy and fatty infiltration in supraspinatus muscle. Conclusion Results from our study demonstrated that polarized macrophages directly regulated FAP differentiation through their exosomes and M2 macrophage-derived exosomes may serve as a novel treatment option for RC muscle atrophy and fatty infiltration.

Abstract Tears within the stabilizing muscles of the shoulder, known as the rotator cuff (RC), are the most common cause of shoulder pain—often presenting in older patients and requiring expensive advanced imaging for diagnosis. Despite the high prevalence of RC tears within the elderly population, there is no previously published work examining shoulder kinematics using markerless motion capture in the context of shoulder injury. Here we show that a simple string pulling behavior task, where subjects pull a string using hand-over-hand motions, provides a reliable readout of shoulder mobility across animals and humans. We find that both mice and humans with RC tears exhibit decreased movement amplitude, prolonged movement time, and quantitative changes in waveform shape during string pulling task performance. In rodents, we further note the degradation of low dimensional, temporally coordinated movements after injury. Furthermore, a logistic regression model built on our biomarker ensemble succeeds in classifying human patients as having a RC tear with > 90% accuracy. Our results demonstrate how a combined framework bridging animal models, motion capture, convolutional neural networks, and algorithmic assessment of movement quality enables future research into the development of smartphone-based, at-home diagnostic tests for shoulder injury.

Calcium-phosphate (CaP) coatings have been widely used in the field of biodegradable magnesium alloys. This paper provides a novel pretreatment method before depositing CaP coatings on the surface of WE43 biomedical magnesium alloys. The surface morphology, phase composition, corrosion resistance and in vitro biological properties of coated samples were investigated. The results showed that a uniform and dense CaP coating formed on the surface of WE43 magnesium alloy pretreated by FCVA (Filtered Cathode Vacuum Arc Technology) possessed better corrosion resistance. Compared with WE43 substrate, Icorr of FCVA/CaP sample decreased by 85.56%. The ALP activity, OD value of COL secretion and mineralization of FCVA/CaP sample reached nearly 2 times higher than that of bare WE43.

Objective We identified predictive factors and developed a novel machine learning (ML) model for predicting mortality risk in patients with sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE). Methods In this retrospective cohort study, data from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) and eICU Collaborative Research Database were used for model development and external validation. The primary outcome was the in-hospital mortality rate among patients with SAE; the observed in-hospital mortality rate was 14.74% (MIMIC IV: 1112, eICU: 594). Using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), we built nine ML models and a stacking ensemble model and determined the optimal model based on the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). We used the Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) algorithm to determine the optimal model. Results The study included 9943 patients. LASSO identified 15 variables. The stacking ensemble model achieved the highest AUC on the test set (0.807) and 0.671 on external validation. SHAP analysis highlighted Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and age as key variables. The model ( https://sic1.shinyapps.io/SSAAEE/ ) can predict in-hospital mortality risk for patients with SAE. Conclusions We developed a stacked ensemble model with enhanced generalization capabilities using novel data to predict mortality risk in patients with SAE.

Haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare disorder. This study sheds light on a rare and intriguing case of HLH as the initial symptom in a child with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ph+ALL). This case report, accompanied by a comprehensive literature review, highlights the diagnostic challenges and treatment complexities encountered in the management of such rare manifestations. Moreover, the identification of a novel mutation in the LYST gene adds a unique genetic perspective to the understanding of HLH pathogenesis, potentially opening avenues for further research in this area.

ABSTRACTObjective: Post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy) can reduce the incidence of graft versus host disease (GVHD) and this intervention is often applied on adults with hematologic malignancy. However, the high relapse rate hinders the development of the intervention and data of PTCy used on children with hematologic malignancy remains limited. In order to overcome issue of high relapse rate in PTCy treatment, we used fludarabine (Flu), enhanced dose of cytarabine (Ara-C, 9 g/m2), busulfan (Bu), Cy, anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) combined with PTCy for an intensified conditioning regimen.Methods: A total of 22 children with acute leukemia received intensified PTCy conditioning regimen (PTCy intensified group). We matched with 18 children who received modified Bu-Cy and ATG conditioning regimen in the same period (ATG group).Results: The two-year cumulative incidences of grade II–IV acute GVHD was significantly lower in PTCy intensified group (13.6 ± 7.7% vs 38.9 ± 11.5%, P = 0.048). Two-year GVHD-free relapse free survival (GRFS) in PTCy seems to be better among the increment group despite not being significant (63.3 ± 10.3% vs 35.4 ± 11.9%, P = 0.092). The positive rate of minimal residual disease after transplantation was significantly lower than that before transplantation (20.0% vs 2.5%, P = 0.029).Conclusion: In conclusion, ATG and PTCy combined with Flu-based increased intensity conditioning regimen is effective for acute leukemia in children. It could reduce GVHD rate significantly and potentially improve GRFS.

Magnesium and its alloy have good mechanical properties and biodegradability, and have become the hotspot of the next-generation biodegradable vascular stent materials. However, their rapid degradation in vivo and poor biocompatibility are still the bottlenecks of clinical applications for the cardiovascular stents. In particular, how to induce the repair and regeneration of the vascular endothelial with normal physiological functions on the surface of the magnesium alloy stent materials represents the key to its clinical application in the field of cardiovascular stents. It has been believed that it is an ideal way to completely solve the postoperative complications through constructing the multifunctional anti-corrosive bioactive coating on the magnesium alloy surface to induce the formation of vascular endothelium with normal physiological functions. However, how to construct a corrosion-resistant multifunctional bioactive coating with the good endothelial regeneration abilities on the magnesium alloy surface still faces a great challenge. This paper mainly focused on highlighting and summarizing the recent advances in the surface endothelialization of the magnesium alloy materials for the vascular stent, including the bio-inert coating, in-situ immobilization of bioactive molecules on the surface, polymer coating loaded with bioactive factors, novel multifunctional polymer coating, bioactive micropatterns, bioactive layer with glycocalyx-like structure, NO-releasing coating and bioactive sol-gel coating. The advantages and disadvantages of these strategies were discussed and analyzed. Finally, in the senses of future development and clinical application, this paper analyzed and summarized the development direction and prospect of surface endothelialization of the magnesium alloy vascular stents. It is anticipated that this review can give the new cues to the surface endothelialization of the cardiovascular magnesium alloy stents and promote future advancements in this field.

Objectives: To verify the diagnostic utility of recombinant fusion protein ESAT6-CPF10 (EC), a novel skin test reagent to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Methods: A multi-centered, double-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted from December 17, 2015, to March 2, 2018. Participants involved in this study included those with active tuberculosis (TB), suspected pulmonary TB, or non-TB pulmonary disease. Each participant received three tests simultaneously, TB-specific enzyme-linked immunospot assay (T-SPOT.TB), tuberculin skin test (TST), and EC skin test (ECST), and adverse events were reported. Results: Diagnostic accuracy was analyzed using data from 1085 protocol-compliant participants. The sensitivities of the ECST, TST, and T-SPOT.TB were 91.2% (95% CI, 89.0-93.2%), 91.4% (95% CI, 89.1-93.3%), and 92.1% (95% CI, 89.9-93.9%), respectively. The specificities of the ECST (69.7%, 95% CI, 64.5-74.5%) and T-SPOT.TB (76.1%, 95% CI, 71.2-80.5%) were significantly higher than the TST (54.4%, 95% CI, 48.9-59.7%). The agreements between ECST and TST (kappa = 0.632) and between ECST and T-SPOT.TB (kappa = 0.780) were substantial. No severe adverse event was reported. Conclusion: The diagnostic performance of the ECST was close to the T-SPOT.TB assay in the detection of TB infection and indicated good potential for clinical application in common scenarios.

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes in fundus vascular density and micromorphological structure of all vascular plexuses during the different stages of diabetic retinopathy (DR), and the correlation between fundus blood flow and the DR severity.MethodsThis observational cross-sectional study was conducted of 50 eyes with different stages of DR, 25 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients without clinical signs of DR and 41 healthy eyes. The foveal avascular zone (FAZ), vessel density of superficial capillary plexus (SCP), and deep retinal capillary plexus (DCP) were acquired by RTVue XR Avanti OCTA device. The perfusion density (PD), skeleton vessel density (SVD) was manually calculated using ImageJ. The area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the diagnostic value of OCTA parameters in distinguishing DR and healthy eyes.ResultsThe choroidal VD were significantly higher in the healthy group than in the DM without DR, NPDR, and PDR groups (p

BackgroundThe recombinant mycobacterium tuberculosis fusion protein ESAT6-CFP10 skin test (ECST) is a novel test for tuberculosis (TB) infection; however, its accuracy in active tuberculosis (ATB) remains uncertain. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of ECST in the differential diagnosis of ATB for an early real-world assessment.MethodsThis prospective cohort study recruited patients suspected of ATB in Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center from January 2021 to November 2021. The diagnostic accuracy of the ECST was evaluated under the gold standard and composite clinical reference standard (CCRS) separately. The sensitivity, specificity, and corresponding confidence interval of ECST results were calculated, and subgroup analyses were conducted.ResultsDiagnostic accuracy was analyzed using data from 357 patients. Based on the gold standard, the sensitivity and specificity of the ECST for patients were 72.69% (95%CI 66.8%-78.5%) and 46.15% (95%CI 37.5%-54.8%), respectively. Based on the CCRS, the sensitivity and specificity of the ECST for patients were 71.52% (95%CI 66.4%-76.6%) and 65.45% (95%CI 52.5%-78.4%), respectively. The consistency between the ECST and the interferon-γ release (IGRA) test is moderate (Kappa = 0.47).ConclusionThe ECST is a suboptimum tool for the differential diagnosis of active tuberculosis. Its performance is similar to IGRA, an adjunctive diagnostic test for diagnosing active tuberculosis.Clinical trial registrationhttp://www.chictr.org.cn, identifier ChiCTR2000036369.

BackgroundLoss to follow-up (LTFU) is a significant barrier to the completion of anti-tuberculosis (TB) treatment and a major predictor of TB-associated deaths. Currently, research on LTFU-related factors in China is both scarce and inconsistent.MethodsWe collected information from the TB observation database of the National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases. The data of all patients who were documented as LTFU were assessed retrospectively and compared with those of patients who were not LTFU. Descriptive epidemiology and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify the factors associated with LTFU.ResultsA total of 24,265 TB patients were included in the analysis. Of them, 3,046 were categorized as LTFU, including 678 who were lost before treatment initiation and 2,368 who were lost afterwards. The previous history of TB was independently associated with LTFU before treatment initiation. Having medical insurance, chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis, and providing an alternative contact were independent predictive factors for LTFU after treatment initiation.ConclusionLoss to follow-up is frequent in the management of patients with TB and can be predicted using patients’ treatment history, clinical characteristics, and socioeconomic factors. Our research illustrates the importance of early assessment and intervention after diagnosis. Targeted measures can improve patient engagement and ultimately treatment adherence, leading to better health outcomes and disease control.

Abstract Improving zinc metal (Zn0) reversibility and minimizing the N/P ratio are critical to boosting the energy density of Zn0 batteries. However, in reality, an excess Zn source is usually adopted to offset the irreversible zinc loss and guarantee sufficient zinc cycling, which sacrifices the energy density and leads to poor practicability of Zn0 batteries. To address the above conundrum, here, we report a lean‐Zn and hierarchical anode based on metal–organic framework (MOF)‐derived carbon, where trace Zn0 is pre‐reserved within the anode structure to make up for any irreversible zinc source loss. This allows us to construct low N/P ratio Zn0 full cells when coupling the lean‐Zn anode with Zn‐containing cathodes. Impressively, high Zn0 reversibility (average Coulombic efficiency of 99.4% for 3000 cycles) and long full‐cell lifetime (92% capacity retention after 900 cycles) were realized even under the harsh lean‐Zn condition (N/P ratio: 1.34). The excellent Zn reversibility is attributed to the hierarchy structure that homogenizes zinc ion flux and electric field distribution, as confirmed by theoretical simulations, which therefore stabilizes Zn0 evolution. The lean‐Zn anode design strategy will provide new insights into construction of high‐energy Zn0 batteries for practical applications.

Bimetallic sulfides offer high theoretical specific capacitance and good stability as electrode materials due to their diverse redox reactions, larger specific surface areas, and better conductivity. The morphology of the electrode material is an important influencing factor for the electrochemical properties. Herein, a series of ZnCoS electrode materials with different morphologies were prepared by varying the solvent in the solvothermal reaction, and the effects of different microstructures on the electrochemical properties of ZnCoS were investigated. The ratio of water and ethanol in the solvent was controlled to modulate the microstructure of the as-prepared ZnCoS materials. XRD and XPS revealed the physical and chemical structure of the ZnCoS materials. SEM and TEM observations showed that the microstructure of ZnCoS transformed from one-dimensional wires to two-dimensional sheets with increasing amounts of ethanol. The maximum specific capacitance of the as-prepared ZnCoS materials is 6.22 F cm−2 at a current density of 5 mA cm−2, which is superior to that of most previously reported bimetallic sulfides. The enhanced electrochemical performance could be ascribed to its sheet-assembled spherical structure, which not only shortens the path of ion diffusion but also increases the contact between surface active sites and the electrolyte. Moreover, the spherical structure provides numerous void spaces for buffering the volume expansion and penetration of the electrolyte, which would be favorable for electrochemical reactions. Furthermore, the ZnCoS electrodes were coupled with activated carbon (AC) electrodes to build asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs). The ASC device exhibits a maximum energy density of 0.124 mWh cm−2 under a power density of 2.1 mW cm−2. Moreover, even under a high-power density of 21 mW cm−2, the energy density can still reach 0.055 mWh cm−2.

The needle valve, serving as the flow control unit of the thruster system, is a crucial component of the entire thruster. Its performance directly impacts the flow state of the rarefied gas in the micro-nozzle structure of the cold gas micro-thruster, thereby exerting a significant influence on the high precision and stability of the propulsion system as a whole. This study examines the impact of different needle valve structures on the flow and thrust in micro-nozzles using the DSMC method. The analysis includes discussions on the spatial distribution, Kn distribution, slip velocity distribution, and pressure distribution of the micro-nozzle’s flow mechanism. Notably, increased curvature of the needle valve enhances the flow velocity in the throat and expansion section. The magnitude of the curvature directly affects the flow velocity, with larger curvatures resulting in higher velocities. Comparing different spool shapes, the conical spool shape minimizes the velocity gradient in the high-speed region at the junction between the spool area and the outlet pipe, particularly with a wide opening. Increasing the curvature of the spool leads to a higher velocity in the expansion section. Consequently, an arc-shaped spool valve maximizes the nitrogen flow at the nozzle during wide openings, thereby enhancing thrust. These research findings serve as a valuable reference for the structural design of the needle valve in the micro-nozzle of the cold gas micro-thruster.

Deep learning evolves into a new form of machine learning technology that is classified under artificial intelligence (AI), which has substantial potential for large-scale healthcare screening and may allow the determination of the most appropriate specific treatment for individual patients. Recent developments in diagnostic technologies facilitated studies on retinal conditions and ocular disease in metabolism and endocrinology. Globally, diabetic retinopathy (DR) is regarded as a major cause of vision loss. Deep learning systems are effective and accurate in the detection of DR from digital fundus photographs or optical coherence tomography. Thus, using AI techniques, systems with high accuracy and efficiency can be developed for diagnosing and screening DR at an early stage and without the resources that are only accessible in special clinics. Deep learning enables early diagnosis with high specificity and sensitivity, which makes decisions based on minimally handcrafted features paving the way for personalized DR progression real-time monitoring and in-time ophthalmic or endocrine therapies. This review will discuss cutting-edge AI algorithms, the automated detecting systems of DR stage grading and feature segmentation, the prediction of DR outcomes and therapeutics, and the ophthalmic indications of other systemic diseases revealed by AI.

Objectives: In this study, we aimed to verify whether Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) can protect first-year college students against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection by the recombinant fusion protein ESAT6-CFP10 skin test (ECST) or the tuberculin skin test (TST). Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess risk factors for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Vaccine effectiveness of BCG against LTBI, measured by ECST and TST separately, was assessed using multivariable logistic regression. Results: A total of 7351 college freshmen accepted ECST, whereas 7228 accepted TST. A total of 263 (3.58%) tested positive with ECST and 581 (8.04%) tested positive with TST. BCG was significantly associated with LTBI (ECST: adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.26; 95% CI 0.09 to 0.73; TST: aOR = 0.25; 95% CI 0.13 to 0.49). The BCG protective effect on freshmen living in rural areas (ECST: aOR = 0.16; 95% CI 0.04 to 0.55; TST: aOR = 0.12; 95% CI 0.04 to 0.33) is better than that of freshmen living in cities (ECST: aOR = 0.53; 95% CI 0.07 to 4.03; TST: aOR = 0.44; 95% CI 0.17 to 1.16). Conclusions: Protection against LTBI was strongly associated with BCG vaccination. A novel skin test (ECST) may underestimate the protective effects of BCG in college freshmen. BCG has better protection in areas with a slightly higher incidence of LTBI.

Dual-ion batteries (DIBs) are a new kind of energy storage device that store energy involving the intercalation of both anions and cations on the cathode and anode simultaneously. They feature high output voltage, low cost, and good safety. Graphite was usually used as the cathode electrode because it could accommodate the intercalation of anions (i.e., PF6−, BF4−, ClO4−) at high cut-off voltages (up to 5.2 V vs. Li+/Li). The alloying-type anode of Si can react with cations and boost an extreme theoretic storage capacity of 4200 mAh g−1. Therefore, it is an efficient method to improve the energy density of DIBs by combining graphite cathodes with high-capacity silicon anodes. However, the huge volume expansion and poor electrical conductivity of Si hinders its practical application. Up to now, there have been only a few reports about exploring Si as an anode in DIBs. Herein, we prepared a strongly coupled silicon and graphene composite (Si@G) anode through in-situ electrostatic self-assembly and a post-annealing reduction process and investigated it as an anode in full DIBs together with home-made expanded graphite (EG) as a fast kinetic cathode. Half-cell tests showed that the as-prepared Si@G anode could retain a maximum specific capacity of 1182.4 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles, whereas the bare Si anode only maintained 435.8 mAh g−1. Moreover, the full Si@G//EG DIBs achieved a high energy density of 367.84 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 855.43 W kg−1. The impressed electrochemical performances could be ascribed to the controlled volume expansion and improved conductivity as well as matched kinetics between the anode and cathode. Thus, this work offers a promising exploration for high energy DIBs.

Knee joint is an important part of normal movements of human body. In order to meet the needs of lower limb amputees to restore normal motor function， a prosthetic knee joint with double rocker mechanism is designed. Firstly， a simplified model of the lower prosthesis is established， and the relevant parameters such as joint angle， angular velocity and angular acceleration are obtained through kinematic analysis of the model. The equilibrium equations between output damping force and driving torque were obtained through the dynamic static analysis method. The highly similar tracks and ankle motion knee instantaneous center curve contrast figure were obtained through Adams simulation analysis. The results indicate that this design of double rocker prosthetic knee joint has favorable stability and bionic performance， and can meet the demand of the movement of the amputee. It provides theoretical basis for the design， processing and real-time control of the whole structure of the double rocker prosthetic knee joint.

Background: Rapid and accurate notification of childhood pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is a worldwide challenge. Although the Xpert MTB/RIF assay (Xpert) has been endorsed as the initial test for suspected PTB in many countries, limited studies have reported the performance of Xpert in childhood PTB. The aim of this study is to evaluate the real-world performance of Xpert for the detection of childhood PTB among HIV negative children in China. Methods: We consecutively extracted the data of all patients ≤14 years with pulmonary disease through the electronic medical record (EMR) systems of Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center from January 2014 to December 2017. The clinical profile, the decision-making tests including AFB smear, solid/liquid culture, pathological examination and Xpert result were matched and assessed. The real diagnostic accuracy and the all-factors case notification rate for childhood PTB with the implementation of Xpert were evaluated. Results: 519 HIV negative cases ≤14 years with pulmonary disease were extracted from the data base. Of these, 145 had matched results, there were 374 non-matched cases including 346 with incomplete or unavailable data and 28 with NTM, BCG or an unidentified strain. For matched data, the overall sensitivity and specificity of the Xpert assay were 66.7% (32/48, 95%CI 0.52–0.80) and 87.6% (85/97, 95%CI 0.87–0.98) respectively against the gold standard; 34.6% (44/127, 95%CI 26.6–43.7) and 100% against the composite clinical reference standard (CCRS). The all-factors case notification rate by Xpert was 29%. Conclusion: Xpert/MTB RIF assay has acceptable sensitivity and excellent specificity for rapid diagnosis of children with pulmonary TB as well as for the detection of RIF resistance in China. However, implementation of Xpert for the initial diagnosis of childhood PTB is inadequate to meet the urgent requirement for rapid and accurate detection of childhood PTB.

Abstract Exploitation of heterosis between indica and japonica has important significance in scientific research and agriculture application. However, the molecular mechanism of grain shape heterosis in indica–japonica hybrid remains unknown in rice (Oryza sativa L.). To reveal the genetic mechanism of grain shape in indica‐‐japonica hybrid, we constructed a high‐generation recombinant inbred line (RIL) population and two testcross hybrid populations derived from the cross of RILs and two cytoplasmic male sterile material (YTA and Z7A) and then performed a bin mapping‐based quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping of multiple grain shape traits, such as grain length (GL), grain width (GW), and grain length‐to‐width ratio (GLWR). A total of sixteen QTLs and 30 heterosis‐related QTLs of grain shape traits were detected. We found that GS3, GS5, and OsPPKL2 were also correlated with grain shape both in RILs and two testcross hybrid populations. Homologous gene analysis emphasized two candidate grain shape‐associated genes (LOC_Os06g14260 and LOC_Os04g51950). Our findings uncover multiple grain shape heterosis‐related loci and provides a new insight into heterosis mechanism of grain shape in rice.

Abstract The spin polarization of carbon nanomaterials is crucial to design spintronic devices. In this paper, the first‐principles is used to study the electronic properties of two defect asymmetric structures, Cap‐(9, 0)‐Def [6, 6] and Cap‐(9, 0)‐Def [5, 6]. We found that the ground state of Cap‐(9, 0)‐Def [6, 6] is sextet and the ground state of Cap‐(9, 0)‐Def [5, 6] is quartet, and the former has a lower energy. In addition, compared with Cap‐(9, 0) CNTs, the C adatom on C30 causes spin polarization phenomenon and Cap‐(9, 0)‐Def [6, 6] has more spin electrons than Cap‐(9, 0)‐Def [5, 6] structure. Moreover, different adsorb defects reveal different electron accumulation. This finding shows that spin polarization of the asymmetric structure can be adjusted by introducing adatom defects.

In this paper, micropropulsion systems are analyzed in conjunction with the various mission requirements of China’s deep space exploration. As a great challenge facing the world, deep space exploration can be enabled only in a few countries with a success rate of around 50%. With the advancement of spacecraft and scientific instruments, it is now feasible to build small and low-cost spacecraft for a variety of deep space missions. As spacecraft become smaller, there is a need for proper micropropulsion systems. Examples of propulsion system selections for deep space exploration are discussed with a focus on products developed by Beijing Institute of Control Engineering (BICE). The requirements for propulsion systems are different in lunar/interplanetary exploration and gravitational wave detection. Chemical propulsion is selected for fast orbit transfer and electric propulsion for increasing scientific payloads. Cold gas propulsion and microelectric propulsion are good choices for space-based gravitational wave detection due to the capability of variable thrust output at the micro-Newton level. The paper also introduces the sub-1-U micropropulsion modules developed by BICE with satisfactory performance in flight tests, which are promising propulsion systems for small deep space platforms. A small probe with an electric sail propulsion system has been proposed for the future solar system boundary exploration of China. The electric sail serves as not only a propellant-free thruster but also a detector probing the properties of the space medium.

In this study, we first considered the influence of micro-nozzle wall roughness structure on molecular collision and reflection behavior and established a modified CLL model. The DSMC method was used to simulate and analyze the flow of the micro-nozzle in the cold gas micro-propulsion system, and the deviation of simulation results before and after the improvement of CLL model were compared. Then, the rarefied flow characteristics under a small needle valve opening (less than 1%) were focused on the research, and the particle position, molecular number density, and spatial distribution of internal energy in the micro-nozzle were calculated. The spatial distributions of the flow mechanism in the micro-nozzle under different needle valve openings were compared and analyzed. It was found that when the needle valve opening is lower than 1%, the slip flow and transition flow regions move significantly upstream of the nozzle, the free molecular flow distribution region expands significantly, and the relationship between thrust force and needle valve opening is obviously different from that of medium and large needle valve openings. The effect of nitrogen temperature on the rarefied flow and thrust force is also discussed in this research. The numerical results showed that as gas temperature increases, the molecular internal energy, momentum, and molecular number density near the nozzle exit are enhanced. The thrust at small needle valve openings was significantly affected by the temperature of the working mass. The results of this study will provide key data for the design and development of cold gas micro-thrusters.

Due to their good biodegradability and biocompatibility, magnesium alloys are widely favored as the potential candidate for the biodegradable cardiovascular stent. However, the rapid degradation and the limited biocompatibility in vivo remain the main bottlenecks that inhibit their clinical applications. The construction of the chemical conversion coating on the magnesium alloy surface represents one of the effective strategies to control the degradation rate and enhance the biocompatibility. In the present study, the different chemical conversion layers were prepared on the magnesium alloy surface by chemical conversion treatment, including sodium hydroxide (NaOH), hydrofluoric acid (HF), phosphoric acid (H3PO4) and phytic acid (C6H18O24P6) treatment, and the corrosion behaviors and biocompatibility of the chemical conversion layers were comparatively investigated in detail. The results showed that the different chemical treatments can produce the different conversion layers on the magnesium alloy surfaces with a variety of physicochemical characteristics, corrosion resistance and biocompatibility, and all treatments can enhance the corrosion resistance to varying degrees. The hydrophilicity and corrosion resistance of the sodium hydroxide-treated magnesium alloy were the best among all the materials. Although the hydrofluoric acid-treated magnesium alloy had produced a hydrophobic coating, the corrosion resistance still needed to be improved. Magnesium alloys treated by sodium hydroxide showed a selective promotion of albumin adsorption, while the other samples simultaneously promoted albumin and fibrinogen adsorption. For the blood compatibility, the hemolysis rates of all of the treated materials were reduced to below 5%. The samples treated by phytic acid had the smallest hemolysis rate, and the NaOH-treated magnesium alloy had the least amount of platelet adhesion and activation. An appropriate microenvironment for cell growth could be achieved by the chemical conversion treatment, according to the results of the endothelial cell adhesion and proliferation, and the NaOH-treated surface showed the best endothelial cell growth behaviors among all of the samples. In summary, the corrosion resistance and biocompatibility of the magnesium alloy were significantly improved by the sodium hydroxide treatment, and thus this treatment can be used as a pretreatment for the surface modification of the magnesium alloy in order to further enhance the biocompatibility when used as the cardiovascular implants.

Effective panicle numbers (PNs) and Tiller numbers (TNs) are important traits affecting rice (Oryza sativa L.) architecture and grain yield. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying PN and TN heterosis remain unknown in rice. In addition, new PN- or TN-related genes need to be detected and discovered. In this study, in order to detect rice quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and the heterosis-related loci of PN or TN in rice, we developed a high generation recombinant inbred line (RIL) population from a cross of two elite cultivars, Luohui9 (Xian/Indica) and RPY geng (Geng/Japonica), and two testcross hybrid populations derived from the crosses of RILs and two cytoplasmic male sterile lines, YTA (Xian/Indica) and Z7A (Geng/Japonica). Finally, nine QTLs of PN across four seasons were identified, and two QTLs of TN in 191HB were mapped. Besides this, six heterosis-related QTLs of PN and five heterosis-related QTLs of TN were located. We found that heterosis-related QTLs of PN or TN covered multiple known genes, such as MOC1, TAC1 and OsETR2. Furthermore, homologous gene analysis identified one candidate gene of PN (LOC_10g25720). Together, these findings uncover multiple heterosis-related loci, and provide a new insight into the heterosis mechanism of PN and TN in rice.

Flavonoids as a class of important secondary metabolites are widely present in land plants, and chalcone isomerase (CHI) is the key rate-limiting enzyme that participates in catalyzing the stereospecific isomerization of chalcones to yield their corresponding flavanones. However, the phylogenetic dynamics and functional divergence of CHI family genes during the evolutionary path of green plants remains poorly understood. Here, a total of 122 CHI genes were identified by performing a genome-wide survey of 15 representative green plants from the most ancestral basal plant chlorophyte algae to higher angiosperm plants. Phylogenetic, orthologous groups (OG) classification, and genome structure analysis showed that the CHI family genes have evolved into four distinct types (types I–IV) containing eight OGs after gene duplication, and further studies indicated type III CHIs consist of three subfamilies (FAP1, FAP2, and FAP3). The phylogeny showed FAP3 CHIs as an ancestral out-group positioned on the outer layers of the main branch, followed by type IV CHIs, which are placed in an evolutionary intermediate between FAP3 CHIs and bona fide CHIs (including type I and type II). The results imply a potential intrinsic evolutionary connection between CHIs existing in the green plants. The amino acid substitutions occurring in several residues have potentially affected the functional divergence between CHI proteins. This is supported by the analysis of transcriptional divergence and cis-acting element analysis. Evolutionary dynamics analyses revealed that the differences in the total number of CHI family genes in each plant are primarily attributed to the lineage-specific expansion by natural selective forces. The current studies provide a deeper understanding of the phylogenetic relationships and functional diversification of CHI family genes in green plants, which will guide further investigation on molecular characteristics and biological functions of CHIs.

Background Context: The association between low back pain and lumbar disc degeneration is not fully characterized. One potentially overlooked factor of this process is the lumbar multifidus, which plays a role in segmental stabilization and locomotion. Previous reports have shown multifidus degeneration to be associated with disc degeneration. The goal of this study was to develop a mouse model of advanced lumbar disc degeneration to recapitulate the pathology of the human multifidus in patients with lumbar disc degeneration and low back pain. Methods: C57BL/6 mice underwent a left anterolateral approach to the lumbar spine and disc puncture with a micro scalpel at L5/6 and L6/S1. Mice underwent behavioral analysis and functional gait testing. A subset of mice underwent 14T T2-weighted MRI to assess disc degeneration and paraspinal muscle quality. At 6 and 15 weeks, mice were sacrificed, and the multifidus muscles were harvested and divided into proximal and distal segments relative to disc injury. Histological analysis was performed to assess muscle degeneration, fiber type, and macrophage density. Fibroadipogenic progenitors (FAPs) were isolated for gene expression analysis with qPCR. Results: MRI demonstrated decreased intervertebral disc signal and paraspinal muscle atrophy at 6 weeks, with progressive degeneration and atrophy at 15 weeks. Disc injury resulted in delayed functional recovery and impaired gait. Histology demonstrated progressive multifidus fibrofatty degeneration between 6 and 15 weeks. CD68+ macrophage density was increased at 6 weeks but not 15 weeks. FAPs exhibited increased fibrotic and adipogenic gene expression at 6 weeks compared to sham with less of a difference in gene expression by 15 weeks. Conclusions: We have developed a mouse model of disc injury-mediated paraspinal muscle degeneration that recapitulates features of degenerative muscle pathology observed in patients with lumbar disc degeneration, and highlights the role of FAPs in mediating fibrofatty muscle degeneration after disc injury.

During the working process of the ADN-based thruster, continuously, heat generated by the chemical reaction in the combustion chamber will transfer along the upstream capillary, the propellant in the capillary continuously absorbs heat under the effect of heat transfer from the wall and undergoes a phase change when the saturation temperature is reached. In this study, effects of the downstream heating temperature (623 K to 923 K) on mass flow rate and pressure change in the capillary were investigated based on the established test platform. Simultaneously, the VOF (volume of fraction) model, and the Lee phase transition model coupled with the Navier–Stokes method was utilized to simulate the spatial distribution of the gas-liquid propellant in the capillary. The results show that the ADN-based propellant firstly formed bubbles on the inner wall surface near the exit of the capillary, and these vapor bubbles moved and grew upstream along the capillary. Due to the cooling effect of the ADN-based propellant inflow, the temperature distribution of the front chamber and capillary gradually reached equilibrium. Bubbles were constantly generated in the capillary, and as the heat reflux intensified, the total volume of bubbles in the capillary continued increasing. Single-phase flow, annular flow, wave flow, and segment plug flow appeared sequentially along the axial direction of the capillary, and the proportion of gas phase volume fraction at the capillary outlet section gradually increased.

In this paper, numerical simulations were used to study the decomposition and combustion processes inside the 0.2 N-class ADN-based thruster, and the effects of two geometrical parameters (length and diameter) of the combustion chamber on the combustion performance were evaluated. The decomposition and combustion processes of the thruster were simulated using a reduced chemical reaction mechanism with 22 components and 20 reactions steps. According to the distribution of the basic physical fields, the variation patterns of the pressure field, velocity field, temperature field, and key component parameters caused by different combustion chamber geometrical parameters were observed and analyzed. The results show that the specific impulse and thrust of the thruster increased and then decreased with the increase of the combustion chamber diameter. When the combustion chamber diameter is 7.9 mm, the specific impulse reaches the maximum value of 206.6 s. Additionally, the specific impulse increased from 186 s to 206 s when the combustion chamber length was changed from 7 mm to 11 mm; the specific impulse increased gradually but not significantly, and the growth trend started to flatten out. The results from the paper can serve as a reference for the design and vacuum testing of an ADN-based thruster.

The aim was to enhance production of functional hydrolysate from wheat bran (WB). WB was hydrolyzed with 3000 U/mL ɑ-amylase and 1200 U/mL alkaline protease to prepare WB insoluble dietary fibre (WBIDF). Functional hydrolysate production from the extract containing crude xylan of WBIDF by xylanase was optimized by Taguchi method. The optimal condition for xylan degradation and functional substances production was 78.50 U/mL xylanase, pH 10.0, 50 °C, and reaction time 6 h. The maximum yield of reducing sugars was 614.0 μg/mL, xylobiose increased from 12.9 μg/mL to 213.3 μg/mL, xylotriose increased from 34.9 μg/mL to 174.0 μg/mL, ferulic acid 13.1 μg/mL made up 57.5 % of the total identifiable phenolic pool in the hydrolysate. The total antioxidant activity of hydrolysate was 141.8 mg ascorbic acid equivalents g−1 crude xylan, and the highest 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity reached 92.7 %. The hydrolysate exhibited great potential in agricultural and food industry application.

Background: In December of 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) was reported in Wuhan, China, and has now rapidly swept around the world. Much research has been carried out since the outbreak, but few studies have focused on the dysfunction of the adaptive immunity. Methods: In this retrospective and multi-center study, 373 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 from Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center and Affiliated Hospital of Putian University were recruited. Demographic, clinical, radiological features, and laboratory data were recorded and analyzed at admission and at discharge. Results of immunological tests were followed up until the patients were discharged. Results: Of the 373 patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, 322 were in the non-severe group and 51 were in the severe group. Number of T cells, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and total lymphocytes declined remarkably upon admission and elevated when the patients were discharged. At admission, counts of total lymphocytes, T cells, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and levels of C3 and C4 in the severe group were lower than those in the non-severe group, whereas the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was higher in the severe group. Counts of T cells, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and total lymphocytes were negatively correlated with lactate dehydrogenase and C-reactive protein. Conclusion: COVID-19 might target adaptive immunity and cause a decrease in lymphocytes, especially T cells and subsets. Physicians should pay close attention to the adaptive immunity of patients upon admission. Monitoring NLR, T lymphocytes, and subsets would help physicians with the proper diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. The reviews of this paper are available via the supplemental material section.

Absract Background Paraspinal muscles are crucial for vertebral stabilization and movement. These muscles are prone to develop fatty infiltration (FI), fibrosis, and atrophy in many spine conditions. Fibro‐adipogenic progenitors (FAPs), a resident muscle stem cell population, are the main contributors of muscle fibrosis and FI. FAPs are involved in a complex interplay with satellite cells (SCs), the primary myogenic progenitor cells within muscle. Little is known about the stem cell composition of the multifidus. The aim of this study is to examine FAPs and SCs in the multifidus in disc herniation patients. Multifidus muscle samples were collected from 10 patients undergoing decompressive spine surgery for lumbar disc herniation. Hamstring muscle was collected from four patients undergoing hamstring autograft ACL reconstruction as an appendicular control. Multifidus tissue was analyzed for FI and fibrosis using Oil‐Red‐O and Masson's trichrome staining. FAPs and SCs were visualized using immunostaining and quantified with fluorescence‐activated cell sorting (FACS) sorting. Gene expression of these cells from the multifidus were analyzed with reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction and compared to those from hamstring muscle. FI and fibrosis accounted for 14.2%± 7.4% and 14.8%±4.2% of multifidus muscle, respectively. The multifidus contained more FAPs (11.7%±1.9% vs 1.4%±0.2%; P

Microwave ignition has attracted much attention due to its advantages of reliable ignition, large ignition area and cold-start capability. In this paper, the experimental method is used to explore the ignition ability of the microwave device to ADN-based liquid propellant. Additionally, we discuss the influence of the inlet power and rate of propellant injected into the ignition system on the height of the combustion jet and the combustion temperature. In the experiment, a microwave-assisted ignition system was established based on a special microwave resonant cavity. The liquid propellant and working gas were sprayed into the resonator cavity through the hollow straight tube beneath the resonant cavity. The test results show that the device can ignite the propellant under the condition of 800 W input power, which proves the feasibility of the microwave ignition device for ADN-based liquid propellant. Microwave power has some influence on the flame spray height at the initial stage of combustion. The spray height at 2000 W is increased by 55.7% in comparison to 1000 W. In the stable combustion stage, the input power has a very significant increase in the average temperature of the flame, which is increased by 25%. The combustion is relatively better when the propellant flow rate is 30 mL/min, and the height of the flame spray increases by 25.2%. The increase in throughput did not have a significant impact on the flame temperature.

The Concrete Damaged Plasticity (CDP) constitutive is introduced to study the dynamic failure mechanism and the law of damage development to the aqueduct structure during the seismic duration using a large-scale aqueduct structure from the South-to-North Water Division Project (SNWDP) as a research object. Incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) and multiple stripe analysis (MSA) seismic fragility methods are introduced. The spectral acceleration is used as the scale of ground motion record intensity measure (IM), and the aqueduct pier top offset ratio quantifies the limit of structural damage measure (DM). The aqueduct structure’s seismic fragility evaluation curves are constructed with indicators of different seismic intensity measures to depict the damage characteristics of aqueduct structures under different seismic intensities through probability. The results show that penetrating damage is most likely to occur on both sides of the pier cap and around the pier shaft in the event of a rare earthquake, followed by the top of the aqueduct body, which requires the greatest care during an earthquake. The results of two fragility analysis methodologies reveal that the fragility curves are very similar. The aqueduct structure’s first limit state level (LS1) is quite steep and near the vertical line, indicating that maintaining the excellent condition without damage in the seismic analysis will be challenging. Except for individual results, the overall fragility results are in good agreement, and the curve change rule is the same. The exceedance probability in the case of any ground motion record IM may be estimated using only two factors when using the MSA approach, and the computation efficiency is higher. The study of seismic fragility analysis methods in this paper can provide a reference for the seismic safety evaluation of aqueducts and similar structures.

Terahertz functional devices are essential to the advanced applications of terahertz radiation in biology and medicine, nanomaterials, and wireless communications. Due to the small size and high plasma frequency of microplasma, the interaction between terahertz radiation and microplasma provides opportunities for developing functional terahertz devices based on microplasma. This paper reviews the applications of microplasma in terahertz sources, terahertz amplifiers, terahertz filters, and terahertz detectors. The prospects and challenges of the interdisciplinary research between microplasma and terahertz technology are discussed.

Abstract Background Xylanase degrades xylan into monomers of various sizes by catalyzing the endohydrolysis of the 1,4-β-D-xylosidic linkage randomly, possessing potential in wide industrial applications. Most of xylanases are susceptible to be inactive when suffering high temperature and high alkaline process. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a high amount of effective thermoalkaliphilic xylanases. This study aims to enhance thermoalkaliphilic xylanase production in Pichia pastoris through fermentation parameters optimization and novel efficient fed-batch strategy in high cell-density fermentation. Results Recombinant xylanase activity increased 12.2%, 7.4%, 12.0% and 9.9% by supplementing the Pichia pastoris culture with 20 g/L wheat bran, 5 mg/L L-histidine, 10 mg/L L-tryptophan and 10 mg/L L-methionine in shake flasks, respectively. Investigation of nutritional fermentation parameters, non-nutritional fermentation parameters and feeding strategies in 1 L bioreactor and 1 L shake flask revealed that glycerol and methanol feeding strategies were the critical factors for high cell density and xylanase activity. In 50 L bioreactor, a novel glycerol feeding strategy and a four-stage methanol feeding strategy with a stepwise increase in feeding rate were developed to enhance recombinant xylanase production. In the initial 72 h of methanol induction, the linear dependence of xylanase activity on methanol intake was observed (R2 = 0.9726). The maximum xylanase activity was predicted to be 591.2 U/mL, while the actual maximum xylanase activity was 560.7 U/mL, which was 7.05 times of that in shake flask. Recombinant xylanase retained 82.5% of its initial activity after pre-incubation at 80 °C for 50 min (pH 8.0), and it exhibited excellent stability in the broad temperature (60–80 °C) and pH (pH 8.0–11.0) ranges. Conclusions Efficient glycerol and methanol fed-batch strategies resulting in desired cell density and xylanase activity should be applied in other P. pastoris fermentation for other recombinant proteins production. Recombinant xylanases with high pH- and thermal-stability showed potential in various industrial applications.

Background: Disseminated Bacillus Calmette-Guérin disease (D-BCG) in children with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) can be fatal, while its clinical characteristics remain unclear because both diseases are extremely rare. The patients with CGD receive BCG vaccination, because BCG vaccination is usually performed within 24 h after delivery in China.Methods: We prospectively followed-up Chinese patients with CGD who developed D-BCG to characterize their clinical and genetic characteristics. The diagnoses were based on the patients' clinical, genetic, and microbiological characteristics.Results: Between September 2009 and September 2016, we identified 23 patients with CGD who developed D-BCG. Their overall 10-year survival rate was 34%. We created a simple dissemination score to evaluate the number of infected organ systems and the survival probabilities after 8 years were 62 and 17% among patients with simple dissemination scores of ≤3 and >3, respectively (p = 0.0424). Survival was not significantly associated with the CGD stimulation index or interferon-γ treatment. Eight patients underwent umbilical cord blood transplantation and 5 of them were successfully treated. The genetic analyses found mutations in CYBB (19 patients), CYBA (1 patient), NCF1 (1 patient), and NCF2 (1 patient). We identified 6 novel highly likely pathogenic mutations, including 4 mutations in CYBB and 2 mutations in NCF1.Conclusions: D-BCG is a deadly complication of CGD. The extent of BCG spreading is strongly associated with clinical outcomes, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation may be a therapeutic option for this condition.

The high-precision control of picosatellites and nanosatellites has always plagued the astronautics field. Aiming to change the status quo of the actuators not being able to meet the high-precision attitude control of picosatellites and nanosatellites, this article formulates a control allocation strategy for picosatellites and nanosatellites using the solid propellant microthruster array (SPMA). To solve the problem of the diversity and complexity of ignition combinations brought about by the high integration of the SPMA, the energy consumption factor of the optimal allocation is established, and the relationships of the array’s energy consumption factor, the control accuracy, the number, and the ignition combinations of the thruster array are deduced. The optimization objective is introduced by Sherman-Morrison formula and singular value decomposition. Thus, the energy consumption problem is transformed into an integer programming problem, acquiring the control allocation strategy and the optimal thruster energy. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can effectively reduce the thrust energy consumption and improve the precision control, demonstrating the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed algorithm for picosatellites and nanosatellites.

The Plain Forestation Project is an important measure designed to alleviate air pollution in Beijing, the capital of China. Ten commonly cultivated forest types of the Plain Forestation Project were studied at three growth stages of leaves. The particulate matter (PM)2.5 concentrations and forest structures were surveyed to analyze the PM2.5 concentration differences between different forest types, and establish a linear relationship between forest structures and PM2.5 concentration differences. The results suggested that forest ecosystems can block and capture PM2.5 from the air. Forests with luxuriant foliage are most effective in removing PM2.5 from the air. The average PM2.5 mass concentration in the Leaf-on Period (LOP) was the lowest when compared with other periods. The PM2.5 concentrations in the forest usually were higher than the control. Correspondingly, PM2.5 concentration indexes were negative values during daytime, but this results were reversed at night. Forests can reduce the diffusion rate of PM2.5 leading to PM2.5 were detained in the forest during daytime, and play an important role in the adsorption or deposition of particulate matter at night. Forest structure was primary reason of the PM2.5 concentration difference between different forests. The PM2.5 concentration index was positively correlated to canopy density, leaf area index (LAI), and mean diameter at breast height (DBH), and negatively correlated to the average tree height (height), forestland area, grass coverage and height.

Particulate matter is a serious source of air pollution in urban areas, where it exerts adverse effects on human health. This article focuses on the study of subduction of shelterbelts for atmospheric particulates. The results suggest that (1) the PM mass concentration is higher in the morning or both morning and noon inside the shelterbelts and lower mass concentrations at other times; (2) the particle mass concentration inside shelterbelt is higher than outside; (3) the particle interception efficiency of the two forest belts over the three months in descending order was PM10 > PM1 > PM2.5; and (4) the two shelterbelts captured air pollutants at rates of 1496.285 and 909.075 kg/month and the major atmospheric pollutant in Beijing city is PM10. Future research directions are to study PM mass concentration variation of shelterbelt with different tree species and different configuration.