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Abstract Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) pose a significant threat to human and animal health. However, the diversity and antibiotic resistance of animal ExPEC, and their connection to human infections, remain largely unexplored. The study performs large-scale genome sequencing and antibiotic resistance testing of 499 swine-derived ExPEC isolates from China. Results show swine ExPEC are phylogenetically diverse, with over 80% belonging to phylogroups B1 and A. Importantly, 15 swine ExPEC isolates exhibit genetic relatedness to human-origin E. coli strains. Additionally, 49 strains harbor toxins typical of enteric E. coli pathotypes, implying hybrid pathotypes. Notably, 97% of the total strains are multidrug resistant, including resistance to critical human drugs like third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins. Correspondingly, genomic analysis unveils prevalent antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), often associated with co-transfer mechanisms. Furthermore, analysis of 20 complete genomes illuminates the transmission pathways of ARGs within swine ExPEC and to human pathogens. For example, the transmission of plasmids co-harboring fosA3, bla CTX-M-14, and mcr-1 genes between swine ExPEC and human-origin Salmonella enterica is observed. These findings underscore the importance of monitoring and controlling ExPEC infections in animals, as they can serve as a reservoir of ARGs with the potential to affect human health or even be the origin of pathogens infecting humans.

Abstract Regulated cell death (RCD) plays a pivotal role in various biological processes, including development, tissue homeostasis, and immune response. However, a comprehensive assessment of RCD status and its associated features at the pan-cancer level remains unexplored. Furthermore, despite significant advancements in immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), only a fraction of cancer patients currently benefit from treatments. Given the emerging evidence linking RCD and ICI efficacy, we hypothesize that the RCD status could serve as a promising biomarker for predicting the ICI response and overall survival (OS) in patients with malignant tumors. We defined the RCD levels as the RCD score, allowing us to delineate the RCD landscape across 30 cancer types, 29 normal tissues in bulk, and 2,573,921 cells from 82 scRNA-Seq datasets. By leveraging large-scale datasets, we aimed to establish the positive association of RCD with immunity and identify the RCD signature. Utilizing 7 machine-learning algorithms and 18 ICI cohorts, we developed an RCD signature (RCD.Sig) for predicting ICI response. Additionally, we employed 101 combinations of 10 machine-learning algorithms to construct a novel RCD survival-related signature (RCD.Sur.Sig) for predicting OS. Furthermore, we obtained CRISPR data to identify potential therapeutic targets. Our study presents an integrative framework for assessing RCD status and reveals a strong connection between RCD status and ICI effectiveness. Moreover, we establish two clinically applicable signatures and identify promising potential therapeutic targets for patients with tumors.

Abstract Abnormal expression of Cylindromatosis (CYLD), a tumor suppressor molecule, plays an important role in tumor development and treatment. In this work, we found that CYLD binds to class I histone deacetylases (HDAC1 and HDAC2) through its N-terminal domain and inhibits HDAC1 activity. RNA sequencing showed that CYLD-HDAC axis regulates cellular antioxidant response via Nrf2 and its target genes. Then we revealed a mechanism that class I HDACs mediate redox abnormalities in CYLD low-expressing tumors. HDACs are central players in the DNA damage signaling. We further confirmed that CYLD regulates radiation-induced DNA damage and repair response through inhibiting class I HDACs. Furthermore, CYLD mediates nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell radiosensitivity through class I HDACs. Thus, we identified the function of the CYLD-HDAC axis in radiotherapy and blocking HDACs by Chidamide can increase the sensitivity of cancer cells and tumors to radiation therapy both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, ChIP and luciferase reporter assays revealed that CYLD could be transcriptionally regulated by zinc finger protein 202 (ZNF202). Our findings offer novel insight into the function of CYLD in tumor and uncover important roles for CYLD-HDAC axis in radiosensitivity, which provide new molecular target and therapeutic strategy for tumor radiotherapy.

In order to overcome the dilemma of insufficient effective sample number for subsurface microcrack depth in the lapping of brittle materials with fixed abrasives and achieve accurate prediction, a co-training SVR was used to construct the prediction model. The effects of different labeled training set partitioning methods on the mean square error of the test set were compared. Then the predictive performance of supervised learning PSO-SVR model was compared with that of the model. Finally, brittle materials such as microcrystalline glass and calcium fluoride, which were not included in the labeled training set, were taken as processing objects for lapping and angular polishing experiments to examine crack depth values. The examined subsurface microcrack depths of four groups were compared with the predicted values of the co-training SVR model. The results show that the co-training SVR model under the separate partitioning method has a smaller mean square error. Compared with the PSO-SVR model, the mean square error and the mean absolute percentage error of the co-training SVR model are reduced by 9% and 17%, respectively. The prediction error of the model for the four groups of verification experiments is between 1.2% and 13.8%. The above results show that the co-training SVR model can predict the subsurface microcrack depth accurately when lapping brittle materials with fixed abrasives.

Study region: The Laohahe basin, north of China Study focus: In a changing environment, some river’s hydrological regimes have significantly changed and may threatened river ecosystem. Therefore, it is urgent to improve our understanding for the driving mechanism of the evolution of the hydrological regimes. In this study, a comprehensive comparison was carried out to assess the application of the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model in river ecohydrological regimes alteration attribution. Firstly, the ecohydrological indicators changes were evaluated, including streamflow, ecosurplus, ecodeficit, and hydrological health. Then, the VIC and LSTM models were applied to quantify the climatic and anthropic effects on river ecohydrological indicators, respectively. Finally, the attribution results were compared. New hydrological insights: The research results revealed that (1) the streamflow decreased since 1980 and dramatically decreased after 2000. The ecohydrological indicators also changed significantly (α < 0.05). (2) The alterations were mainly driven by human activities, contributed to more than 80 %. (3) The LSTM and VIC showed little performance difference in quantitative attribution at the monthly and yearly scale, while the LSTM performed a little bad in streamflow simulation at the daily scale. The convenient feature and better simulation capabilities of LSTM provides a new choice for the attribution of ecohydrological regimes evolution, providing a better service in managing local water resources and safeguarding river ecosystems.

Abstract Background Streptococcus suis serotype 2 (S. suis 2) is an important zoonotic pathogen. Orphan response regulator CovR plays crucial regulative functions in the survivability and pathogenicity of S. suis 2. However, research on the CovR in S. suis 2 is limited. Results In this study, the regulative functions of CovR in the survivability and pathogenicity were investigated in S. suis 2 isolated from a diseased pig. The deletion of CovR significantly weakened the survivability and pathogenicity of S. suis 2. Compared with the wild-type strain, ΔcovR showed slower growth rates and thinner capsular polysaccharides. Moreover, ΔcovR showed reduced adhesion and invasion to Hep-2 cells as well as anti-phagocytosis and anti-killing ability to 3D4 cells and anti-serum killing ability. In addition, the deletion of CovR significantly reduced the colonisation ability of S. suis 2 in mice. The survival rate of mice infected with ΔcovR was increased by 16.7% compared with that of mice infected with S. suis 2. Further, the deletion of CovR led to dramatic changes in metabolism-related pathways in S. suis 2, five of those, including fructose and mannose metabolism, glycerolipid metabolism, ABC transporters, amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism and phosphotransferase system, were significantly down-regulated. Conclusions Based on the results, CovR plays positive regulative functions in the survivability and pathogenicity of S. suis 2 SC19 strain isolated from a pig.

High-volume fraction silicon carbide particle-reinforced aluminum (SiCp/Al) has a promising application for its high specific strength, wear resistance, and thermal conductivity. However, SiCp/Al components with a high-volume fraction are prone to poor surface quality and defects such as fractures, cracks, and micro-pits. It has been reported that ultrasonic-assisted grinding machining (UAG) helps to improve the quality of SiCp/Al machined surfaces. However, the differences between SiCp/Al with different volume fractions obtained by UAG machining are not clear. Therefore, a comparative study of surface roughness, morphology, and cutting force was carried out by UAG machining on SiCp/Al samples with volume fractions of 45% and 60%. Compared to the 45% volume fraction SiCp/Al, the 60% volume fraction SiCp/Al has a higher cutting force and roughness under the same machining parameters. In addition, experiments have shown that cutting forces and surface roughness can be reduced by increasing the tool speed or decreasing the feed rate. UAG machining with an ultrasonic amplitude within 4 μm can also reduce cutting forces and surface roughness. However, more than 6 μm ultrasonic amplitude may lead to an increase in roughness. This study contributes to reasonable parameter settings in ultrasonically-assisted grinding of SiCp/Al with different volume fractions.

The hardness of hard-brittle materials is high, which results in the low lapping efficiency of traditional silicon carbide magnetic abrasive and short abrasive life. In view of this situation, a magnetic abrasive with diamond particle as lapping grit was developed. Using high purity iron powder as iron-based phase and diamond particle as abrasive, diamond magnetic abrasives were prepared by resin bonding method. K9 glass was chosen as the part being machined. The service life and processing efficiency of magnetic lapping K9 glass were compared between with diamond magnetic abrasives and with silicon carbide magnetic abrasives. The lifespan of diamond magnetic abrasive is 60.00 min, and the number of work-piece which can be machined is 4.6 pieces in the service life. The average surface roughness of K9 glass reaches 0.036 μm. However, the service life of the silicon carbide magnetic abrasive particles is only 40 min, and the average surface roughness of the K9 glass workpiece can only be processed to 0.222 μm. Besides, the number of workpieces that can be processed during the service life is 3.6 pieces. Diamond magnetic abrasives can effectively improve the service life, the processing capacity of magnetic abrasives, and the processing efficiency of magnetic grinding.

Reasonable payments of Ecosystem Services (PES) standards are crucial to provide eco-environment management countermeasures. However, existing research on the unified coordination of future PES from the overall perspective is insufficient. This paper proposes a framework derived from the patch-generating land-use simulation (PLUS) model and the ecosystem services value (ESV) assessment method for allocation PES funds. The Yellow River Basin (YRB) was taken as a case study, which is a highly integrated and interconnected entity. The PLUS model was used to analyze various land-use situations from 2010 to 2020, and predict future land-use status under different development scenarios including natural development (ND), cropland conservation (CC) and ecological conservation (EC). The ESV approach was applied to calculate the ESV in nine provinces of the YRB, and propose optimized fund distribution schemes. The results showed that (1) The most significant land-use changes during 2010–2020 were impervious, forests, grasslands, and croplands, where the impervious increased by 22.47 % (4642 km2) and the forest increased by 9 % (7623 km2). (2) The total ESV in the YRB will be highest under EC scenario in 2030, at 729.16 billion CNY, and Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu and Shandong will have the highest ESV under EC scenario. (3) The funds will reach lowest under EC scenario, at 13.35 billion CNY, while reach highest under CC scenario, at 13.58 billion CNY. (4) In any scenario, Qinghai and Gansu province will get the highest PES funds among nine provinces, and financial investment in the Qinghai Province needs to be increased. Based on our results, it is recommended to foster the exploration of horizontal compensation between the downstream provinces of Henan and Shandong, and the upstream provinces of Qinghai, Sichuan, and Gansu, in order to enhance the protection of the eco-environment. The findings can provide scientific guidance for improvement of the PES funds allocation in the YRB, and methodological references for other river basins.

Magnetic grinding has the characteristics of conformal machining. However, when a small grinding head is used to magnetically grind a workpiece with a large twist, the difference in the gap between the grinding head at different positions of the workpiece poses a challenge to the magnetic grinding process. In order to improve the surface quality of magnetic grinding and further reduce the influence of the gap difference between the grinding head and the workpiece on the surface roughness, an elastic magnetic pole grinding head with polyurethane elastomer as the magnetic pole carrier was designed, and its magnetic field simulation analysis and verification were carried out. In the experiment, the self-made diamond magnetic abrasive was used to compare the grinding performance of the polyurethane elastic magnetic pole grinding head and the ordinary magnetic pole grinding head under different machining gaps. The influence of the process parameters such as spindle speed, feed rate and abrasive particle size on the surface roughness of the workpiece was studied experimentally. The experimental results show that under the same process parameters, the processing performance of the polyurethane elastic magnetic pole grinding head is better than that of the ordinary magnetic pole grinding head under different machining gaps. Using polyurethane elastic grinding head, when the spindle speed is 800 r/min, the machining gap is 2.0 mm, the feed speed is 5 mm/min, and the abrasive particle size is 62 to 90 μm, the magnetic grinding effect is the best. After 12 minutes of grinding, the surface roughness Ra of TC4 titanium alloy can be reduced from the initial 0.350 μm to 0.039 μm, and the surface roughness improvement rate reaches 89%. The results verify the effect of the elasticity and profiling characteristics of the polyurethane elastic layer on the quality of the machined surface.

Climate change and anthropogenic interventions have obviously altered the eco-hydrological regimes. A quantitative evaluation and attribution of the eco-hydrological alterations are urgently required. In this study, we evaluated the various attributions of eco-hydrological regimes in the Weihe River Basin (WRB). Firstly, the trends and change-point analysis of hydrological elements were examined, and the natural streamflow was reproduced based on the variable infiltration capacity model. Then, the most ecologically relevant hydrological indicators (ERHIs) were selected and combined with the eco-deficit and eco-surplus indicators to assess the degree of eco-hydrological regime alterations. Finally, the relative contributions to eco-hydrological alterations were quantified using the ‘simulated–observed comparison’ method. The results showed that (1) the streamflow of the WRB exhibited significant decreasing trends (p < 0.01), and a significant change point (p < 0.01) of the streamflow series was identified in 1990. (2) Seven representative indicators of hydrological alteration were selected as ERHIs. (3) During the human-induced period (1991–2017), human activities were the dominant factors in the eco-hydrological alterations as well as the variations of the ERHI indexes and the eco-deficit and eco-surplus metrics. Overall, the proposed framework may improve the understanding of the driving forces of eco-hydrological regime alterations under a changing environment. HIGHLIGHTS The principal component analysis was used to remove redundancy and correlation among the indicators of hydrological alterations and determine the ecologically relevant hydrological indicators.; A combination of ERHIs and eco-metrics to assess the eco-hydrological regime alterations at different time scales is used.; The effects of climate change and anthropogenic activities on the eco-hydrological regime alterations were quantitatively distinguished.;

Abstract Under the influence of climate alteration and human activities, the hydrological regime of rivers is changing dramatically, which has become a hot spot for water environment research. In this study, we quantitatively assessed the degree of hydrological variability of the Jialing River and the contribution of climate alteration and human activities to hydrological alterations using the ecohydrological indicator range of alteration (IHA-RVA) method and Budyko hypothesis formulations. The results showed that (1) The average annual runoff and the precipitation of Jialing River showed a decreasing trend, the potential evapotranspiration showed an increasing trend. (2) Compared with before the hydrological situation changed, the degree of alteration in the annual extreme streamflow is 31%, which is a low degree of alteration; the degree of alteration in monthly streamflow, annual extreme flow magnitude, extreme flow ephemeris, and streamflow alteration frequency are 51%, 43%, 54%, and 64% respectively, which are all moderate degrees of alteration; the overall hydrological alteration is 50%, which belongs to moderate alteration. (3) The contribution of precipitation, potential evapotranspiration, and human activities to the runoff alteration is 61%, − 16%, and 55%, respectively. This study provides corresponding references for ecological restoration and sustainable development of the Yangtze River Basin in China.

Abstract Casing parts are regarded as key components of aero-engines. Most casing parts are attached to convex structures of different shapes, whose heights range from hundreds of microns to tens of millimeters. Using profiling blocky electrodes for electrochemical machining (ECM) of casing parts is a commonly adopted method, especially when highly convex structures. However, with an increase in the convex structure height, the flow fields of the machining areas become more complex, and short circuits may occur at any time. In this study, a method to improve the flow field characteristics within a machining area by adjusting the backwater pressure is proposed and validated through simulation and experiment analyses. The simulation results demonstrated that the back-pressure method can significantly improve the uniformity of the flow field around the convex structure compared with the extraction and open outlet modes. Subsequently, the back-pressure value was optimized at 0.5 MPa according to the simulation results. The experimental results showed that using the optimized back-pressure parameters, the cathode feed-rate increased from 0.6 to 0.7 mm/min, and a 16.1 mm tall convex structure was successfully machined. This indicates that the back-pressure method is suitable and effective for electrochemical machining of highly convex structures with blocky electrodes. In this study, we propose a method to improve the electrochemical machining stability of a convex structure on a casing surface using backwater pressure, which has achieved remarkable results.

The Jingjang Three Outlets (JTO) play a major role in the water-sediment transport from the Yangtze River to Dongting Lake. The hydrological regimes at the JTO (Songzi, Taiping, and Ouchi) had been changed due to the Jingjiang Cutoffs (JC), the Gezhou Dam (GD), and the Three Gorges Dam (TGD). Based on hydrological data from 1955 to 2019, the variation trend in annual streamflow was detected using three techniques, and the hydrological alteration was assessed with the Range of Variability Approach. Conclusions are as follows: (1) the inflection points consistent with human activities and the time series were divided into periods of P1 (1955–1971), P2 (1972–1985), P3 (1986–2002), and P4 (2003–2019); (2) human activities made a greater contribution to streamflow change than climate change; (3) the hydrological alteration degree caused by the JC, GD, and TGD projects were 56%, 47%, and 52% at the Songzi outlet; 57%, 41%, and 57% at the Taiping outlet; and 57%, 41%, and 57% at the Ouchi outlet; and (4) the ability of division from the Yangtze River to Dongting Lake is weakening and the hydrological regimes at the JTO are deteriorating due to the JC, GD, and TGD, resulting in negative impacts on the biotic composition, structure, and function of riparian ecosystems. This study provides useful insight for ecosystem protection under hydrological alteration. HIGHLIGHTS Quantitative assessment of hydrological alteration over multiple periods.; Differentiated the influence of cutoffs projects and dam construction on hydrological alteration.; Discussed the negative impacts of hydrological alteration on ecosystems and the countermeasures for future.;

Background: ZBTB42 is a transcription factor that belongs to the ZBTB transcript factor family and plays an important role in skeletal muscle development. Dysregulation of ZBTB42 expression can lead to a variety of diseases. However, the function of ZBTB42 in glioma development has not been studied by now.Methods: We analyzed the expression of ZBTB42 in LGG and GBM via the The Cancer Genome Atlas CGA and Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas database. Gene Ontology, KEGG, and GSVA analyses were performed to illustrate ZBTB42-related pathways. ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT were applied to calculate the immune score and immune cell proportion in glioma. One-class logistic regression OCLR algorithm was used to study the stemness of glioma. Multivariate Cox analysis was employed to detect the prognostic value of five ZBTB42-related genes.Results: Our results show that ZBTB42 is highly expressed in glioma and may be a promising prognostic factor for Low Grade Glioma and GBM. In addition, ZBTB42 is related to immune cell infiltration and may play a role in the immune suppression microenvironment. What’s more, ZBTB42 is correlated with stem cell markers and positively associated with glioma stemness. Finally, a five genes nomogram based on ZBTB42 was constructed and has an effective prognosis prediction ability.Conclusion: We identify that ZBTB42 is a prognostic biomarker for Low Grade Glioma and GBM and its function is related to the suppressive tumor microenvironment and stemness of glioma.

The persistent incidence of high levels of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria seriously endangers global public health. In response to MDR-associated infections, new antibacterial drugs and strategies are particularly needed. Screening to evaluate a potential compound to reverse antibiotic resistance is a good strategy to alleviate this crisis. In this paper, using high-throughput screening methods, we identified that oxyclozanide potentiated tetracycline antibiotics act against MDR bacterial pathogens by promoting intracellular accumulation of tetracycline in resistant bacteria. Furthermore, mechanistic studies demonstrated that oxyclozanide could directly kill bacteria by disrupting bacterial membrane and inducing the overproduction of bacterial reactive oxygen species. Oxyclozanide effectively reduced the production of virulence proteins in S. aureus and neutralized the produced α-hemolysin, thereby effectively alleviating the inflammatory response caused by bacteria. Finally, oxyclozanide significantly reversed tetracycline resistance in animal infection assays. In summary, these results demonstrated the capacity of oxyclozanide as a novel antibiotic adjuvant, antibacterial and anti-virulence multifunctional compound to circumvent MDR bacteria and improve the therapeutic effect of persistent infections caused by MDR bacteria worldwide.

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae is the primary pathogen of swine enzootic pneumonia and causes great economic losses to the swine industry worldwide. In China, M. hyopneumoniae seriously hinders the healthy development of the native black pigs. To prevent and treat porcine respiratory disease caused by M. hyopneumoniae, the characteristics of M. hyopneumoniae strain ES-2 isolated from Chinese native black pig lungs with gross lesions at post-mortem were studied for the first time in this study. Strain ES-2 cell was round or oval cells and most sensitive to kanamycin. The diameters of most strain ES-2 cells ranged from 0.4 to 1.0 μm with maximum viability of 1010 CCU/ml. Experimental challenge of animals with strain ES-2 showed respiratory disease could be reproduced, with pneumonic lung lesions evident. Comparative genomics analysis identified that 2 genes are specific to pathogenic M. hyopneumoniae strains, which may be predicted to be a molecular marker. These findings suggest that the study on the characteristics of M. hyopneumoniae strain ES-2 will guide the rapid and accurate drug use in the clinic, and develop a theoretical foundation for accurately diagnosing and treating the infection caused by pathogenic M. hyopneumoniae.

Study region: The Dongting Lake (DTL) wetland, China. Study focus: At present, there are few studies on ecohydrological assessments based on the collaborative study of flow and water level. The focus of this study is to use ecologically meaningful indicators (Environmental Flow Components method and Range of Variability Approach method) to evaluate the dynamic process of flow and water level components, whose changes have a negative impact on the DTL wetland ecosystem. In addition, we quantitatively expressed the ecological response process of flow and water level under changing environments, and proposed to use the underlying surface parameters to further clarify the impact of human activities and climate change (evaporation and rainfall) on runoff in different time periods. New hydrological insights for the region: After the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, the components of environmental flow in DTL were reduced and the overall change of the flow and water level of the DTL was 37% and 36%, respectively, The results of the wetland ecological response coincided with the trend of habitat fragmentation and miniaturization of fish individuals in DTL. The underlying surface parameters show that the weight of the impact of climate change on runoff is increasing, and the contribution rate of driving forces (human activities, evaporation, and rainfall) to runoff are 49.32%, 20.88%, and 29.80% respectively, and to water levels are 60.00%, 21.3%, and 18.7%, respectively.

Water level is considered as the key factor affecting the structure and function of lake ecosystems. The Mann-Kendall technique and range of variability approach (RVA) were used to quantitatively evaluate the hydrologic alteration due to Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) in Dongting Lake. Results indicate the following. (1) The average annual water levels at Chenglingji station showed increasing trends (p < 0.05), while that at Nanzui station showed a decreasing trend (p < 0.05). The turning year occurred in 2003, which reflects the significant effects of the TGR on the water level regime. (2) The highly altered parameters were 1-, 3-, and 7-day minimum water levels both at Chenglingji and Yangliutan, and in October both at Nanzui and Yangliutan, with the degree of hydrologic alteration being larger than 80%. However, 1-, 3-, 7-, and 30-day maximum water levels at three stations had relatively small alteration, with the degree of hydrologic alteration being smaller than 41%. (3) The hydrologic alteration degrees at Chenglingji, Nanzui and Yangliutan station were all moderate, with changes of 50, 46 and 49%, respectively. (4) Water level regimes at Dongting Lake were mainly jointly affected by reservoir operation, land utilization change and river channelization. These changes in water level regimes have a negative impact on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. This study provides a scientific reference for the protection of lake ecosystems under hydrologic alteration. HIGHLIGHTS Statistically characterize the trend and variability of water level regimes in Dongting Lake from 1959 to 2016.; Quantitively evaluate the water level regime alterations caused by the TGR by comparing the pre- and post-reservoir periods with RVA.; Water level regimes at Dongting Lake were mainly jointly affected by reservoir operation, land utilization change and river channelization.;

In order to improve the surface forming quality and machining efficiency of composite materials and reduce tool wear, a two-dimensional rotary ultrasonic combined electro-machining (2DRUEM) technology with low electrical conductivity and low current density was proposed in this study. Additionally, a gap detection unit of the machining system was designed with the integration of grinding force and gap current, and the average errors and maximum errors of the model were 5.61% and 12.08%, respectively, which were better than single detection. Furthermore, the machining parameters were optimally selected via NSGA-II, and the maximum machining surface roughness error was 5.9%, the maximum material removal rate error was 5.5%, and the maximum edge accuracy error was 8.9%, as established through experiments.

This study proposes the mechanism of two-dimensional ultrasonic assisted grinding- electrolysis-discharge generating machining (2UG-E-DM). It analyzed the influence of vibration directions on grinding characteristics and surface morphology through the motion simulation of an abrasive. Comparative experiments with different vibration directions verified the effect of ultrasonic assistance on the weakening of the grinding force, the widening of the surface pits, and the leveling of the surface morphology of SiCp/Al composites. Simulation analysis of a single abrasive particle verified the test results. The results of machining tests at different amplitudes showed that as the workpiece and tool amplitude increased, the grinding force of the normal force decreased faster than that of the tangential force. The effect of surface electrolysis discharge machining was significant, and the number of exposed particles increased, but the residual height of the surface and the surface roughness were reduced by vibration grinding. When the two-dimensional amplitude was increased to 5 μm, the axial and tangential vibrations increased the grinding domain, and the dragging and rolling of the reinforced particles significantly reduced the surface roughness, which obtained good surface quality.

Despite a generally better prognosis than high-grade glioma (HGG), recurrence and malignant progression are the main causes for the poor prognosis and difficulties in the treatment of low-grade glioma (LGG). It is of great importance to learn about the risk factors and underlying mechanisms of LGG recurrence and progression. In this study, the transcriptome characteristics of four groups, namely, normal brain tissue and recurrent LGG (rLGG), normal brain tissue and secondary glioblastoma (sGBM), primary LGG (pLGG) and rLGG, and pLGG and sGBM, were compared using Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) and Genotype-Tissue Expression Project (GTEx) databases. In this study, 296 downregulated and 396 upregulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with high consensus were screened out. Univariate Cox regression analysis of data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) yielded 86 prognostically relevant DEGs; a prognostic prediction model based on five key genes (HOXA1, KIF18A, FAM133A, HGF, and MN1) was established using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression dimensionality reduction and multivariate Cox regression analysis. LGG was divided into high- and low-risk groups using this prediction model. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) revealed that signaling pathway differences in the high- and low-risk groups were mainly seen in tumor immune regulation and DNA damage-related cell cycle checkpoints. Furthermore, the infiltration of immune cells in the high- and low-risk groups was analyzed, which indicated a stronger infiltration of immune cells in the high-risk group than that in the low-risk group, suggesting that an immune microenvironment more conducive to tumor growth emerged due to the interaction between tumor and immune cells. The tumor mutational burden and tumor methylation burden in the high- and low-risk groups were also analyzed, which indicated higher gene mutation burden and lower DNA methylation level in the high-risk group, suggesting that with the accumulation of genomic mutations and epigenetic changes, tumor cells continued to evolve and led to the progression of LGG to HGG. Finally, the value of potential therapeutic targets for the five key genes was analyzed, and findings demonstrated that KIF18A was the gene most likely to be a potential therapeutic target. In conclusion, the prediction model based on these five key genes can better identify the high- and low-risk groups of LGG and lay a solid foundation for evaluating the risk of LGG recurrence and malignant progression.

Gut bacteria consists of 150 times more genes than humans that are vital for health. Several studies revealed that gut bacteria are associated with disease status and influence human behavior and mentality. Whether human brain injury alters the gut bacteria is yet unclear, we tested 20 fecal samples from patients with cerebral intraparenchymal hemorrhage and corresponding healthy controls through metagenomic shotgun sequencing. The composition of patients’ gut bacteria changed significantly at the phylum level; Verrucomicrobiota was the specific phylum colonized in the patients’ gut. The functional alteration was observed in the patients’ gut bacteria, including high metabolic activity for nutrients or neuroactive compounds, strong antibiotic resistance, and less virulence factor diversity. The changes in the transcription and metabolism of differential species were more evident than those of the non-differential species between groups, which is the primary factor contributing to the functional alteration of patients with cerebral intraparenchymal hemorrhage.

Understanding responses of habitat suitability of migratory birds to the water level is significant for providing countermeasures of wetland protection. East Dongting Lake serves critical wintering habitat for migratory birds along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. However, the response relationships between the water level and the weighted usable area (WUA) for migratory birds remain largely unknown. Therefore, we established a habitat suitability model of migratory birds based on the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and recognized the change of WUA by comparing the transition of land-cover of similar hydrologic years before and after the operation of Three Gorge Dam (TGD). The results demonstrated that (1) the ecological water level of migratory birds in East Dongting Lake is 20.47–21.55 m. (2) Compared with the pre-TGD period, the start date of the ecological water level advanced by 25 days, the duration of the ecological water level increased by 16 days, and the fluctuation range of water level was more concentrated near the ecological water level, indicating that the TGD provides benefits for the migratory birds. (3) The most prominent transition among changes of land-cover was that the Reed beach (RB) (155.07 km2) and Marsh land (ML) (150.66 km2) changed to Tender Marsh land (TML) during dry hydrologic years, and the RB (171.90 km2) and ML (174.30 km2) changed to TML during normal hydrologic years. The findings show that water level changes habitat suitability of migratory birds by changing vegetation distribution at different elevations.

Establishment of a watershed ecological compensation mechanism between multiple subjects is an effective means to realize the collaborative governance of water pollution and maintain the security of water ecology. This paper breaks through the conventional upstream and downstream perspectives of watershed ecological compensation design research and combines them with uncertainty factors. The watershed ecological compensation mechanism for the mainstream and branches was established based on the evolutionary game and the random process. Then, taking the midstream of the Yellow River as an example, some constraint conditions and influencing factors were explored. Results show that: (1) The branch government (i.e., the Shanxi provincial government) is the key to establishing an ecological compensation mechanism between the river mainstream and branches. (2) The proportion of pollution transferred by other branches, the initial probability and the random factors are the main factors affecting the decision-making of branch governments (Shanxi and Shaanxi provincial governments). (3) The compensation and reward of the mainstream government to the branch government and the compensation of the branch government to the mainstream government are the main factors affecting the decision-making of mainstream and branch governments (Shanxi–Henan provincial governments, Shaanxi–Henan provincial governments). The study may provide scientific guidance for the construction of a watershed ecological compensation mechanism between mainstream and multiple branches.

Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) technology is one of the key technologies to realize the global planarization of semiconductor wafer surfaces. With the increasing popularity and universality of its application, more and higher requirements are put forward for ultra-precision machining. As an important part of the CMP system, polishing pads occupy a dominant position. In this paper, a self-regressive fixed abrasive polishing pad (SR-FAPP) was prepared by photo-curing. The physical and mechanical properties of the SR-FAPP and the retreat threshold of the abrasive particles on the SR-FAPP were studied. After the CMP of the SiC wafer with a polyurethane polishing pad and the SR-FAPP, it was found that the material removal rate of the former was 75% higher than that of the latter, and the surface roughness of the latter was 75% higher than that of the former. In the micro-morphology, the scratches on the surface of the latter’s polished SiC wafer were obviously reduced, which effectively improved the unevenness of the scratches on the surface of the SiC wafer after polishing, thus providing a reference for the preparation and performance research of the polishing pad.

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae causes swine respiratory disease worldwide. Due to the difficulty of isolating and cultivating M. hyopneumoniae, very few attenuated strains have been successfully isolated, which hampers the development of attenuated vaccines. In order to produce an attenuated M. hyopneumoniae strain, we used the highly virulent M. hyopneumoniae strain ES-2, which was serially passaged in vitro 200 times to produce the attenuated strain ES-2L, and its virulence was evidenced to be low in an animal experiment. In order to elucidate the mechanisms underlying virulence attenuation, we performed whole-genome sequencing of both strains and conducted comparative genomic analyses of strain ES-2 and its attenuated form ES-2L. Strain ES-2L showed three large fragment deletion regions including a total of 18 deleted genes, compared with strain ES-2. Analysis of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and indels indicated that 22 dels were located in 19 predicted coding sequences. In addition to these indels, 348 single-nucleotide variations (SNVs) were identified between strains ES-2L and ES-2. These SNVs mapped to 99 genes where they appeared to induce amino acid substitutions and translation stops. The deleted genes and SNVs may be associated with decreased virulence of strain ES-2L. Our work provides a foundation for further examining virulence factors of M. hyopneumoniae and for the development of attenuated vaccines.

Porcine extra-intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) causes great economic losses to the pig industry and poses a serious threat to public health worldwide. Some secreted virulence factors have been reported to be involved in the pathogenicity of the infection caused by ExPEC. Type-VI secretion system (T6SS) is discovered in many Gram-negative bacteria and contributes to the virulence of pathogenic bacteria. Valine-glycine repeat protein G (VgrG) has been reported as an important component of the functional T6SS. In our previous studies, a functional T6SS was identified in porcine ExPEC strain PCN033. Further analysis of the PCN033 genome identified two putative vgrGs genes (vgrG1 and 0248) located inside T6SS cluster and another two (vgrG2 and 1588) outside it. This study determined the function of the four putative VgrG proteins by constructing a series of mutants and complemented strains. In vitro, the VgrG1 protein was observed to be involved in the antibacterial ability and the interactions with cells. The animal model experiment showed that the deletion of vgrG1 significantly led to the decrease in the multiplication capacity of PCN033. However, the deletion of 0248 and/or the deletion of vgrG2 and 1588 had no effect on the pathogenicity of PCN033. The study of four putative VgrGs in PCN033 indicated that only VgrG1 plays an important role in the interaction between PCN033 and other bacteria or host cells. This study can provide a novel perspective to the pathogenesis of PCN033 and lay the foundation for discovering potential T6SS effectors.

Ultrasonic vibration-composited electrolysis/electro-discharge machining technology (UE/DM) is effective for machining particulate-reinforced metal matrix composites (MMCs). However, the vibration of the tool or workpiece suitable for holes limits the application of UE/DM. To improve the generating machining efficiency and quality of flat and curved surfaces, in this study, we implemented two-dimensional ultrasonic vibration into UE/DM and constructed a novel method named two-dimensional ultrasonic vibration-composited electrolysis/electro-discharge machining (2UE/DM). The influence of vibration on the performance of 2UE/DM compared to other process technologies was studied, and an orthogonal experiment was designed to optimize the parameters. The results indicated that the materiel remove rate (MRR) mainly increased via voltage and tool vibration. The change current was responsible for the MRR in the process. Spindle speed and workpiece vibration were not dominant factors affecting the MRR; the spindle speed and tool and workpiece vibration, which reduced the height difference between a ridge and crater caused by abrasive grinding, were responsible for surface roughness (Ra) and form precision (δ). Additionally, the optimized parameters of 1000 rpm, 3 V, and 5 um were conducted on MMCs of 40 SiCp/Al and achieved the maximum MRR and minimum Ra and δ of 0.76 mm3/min, 3.35 um, and 5.84%, respectively. This study’s findings provide valuable process parameters for improving machining efficiency and quality for MMCs of 2UE/DM.

According to the machining characteristics of ceramic-particle-reinforced metal matrix composites, an experimental study on difficult-to-machine materials was carried out by two-dimensional (2D) rotatory ultrasonic combined electrolytic generating machining (RUCEGM), which organically combined an ultrasonic effect with a high-speed rotating tool electrode and electrolysis. After building the one-dimensional (1D) and 2D-RUCEGM systems, the factors influencing the combined machining process were analyzed and the experiments on RUCEGM were conducted to explore the feasibility and advantages of 2D-RUCEGM. The experimental results showed that, compared with 1D-RUCEGM, 2D-RUCEGM had higher accuracy, which increased about 21% and also reduced the machining time. Under certain conditions, the efficiency of 2D-RUCEGM was proportional to the voltage, and the machining efficiency could be enhanced by increasing the feed rate. The inter-electrode voltage detection module used in the experiment could improve the machining stability of the system.

Streptococcal toxic shock-like syndrome (STSLS) likely occurs when an individual is infected with the Streptococcus suis (S. suis) epidemic strain and is characterized by a cytokine storm, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and a high incidence of mortality despite adequate treatment. A number of antibiotics exhibit excellent bactericidal effects in vivo, such as fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides (gentamicin) and β-lactams (penicillin G, ceftiofur, or amoxicillin), but are less effective for treating STSLS. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify new compounds that can reduce the damage caused by STSLS. In the present study, we identified auranofin, an orally bioavailable FDA-approved anti-rheumatic drug as a candidate repurposed drug to treat severe S. suis infections. Our results showed that auranofin can bind to the functional domain of bacterial thioredoxin reductase, decreasing the reducing redox-responsive capacity of target bacteria and allowing for the killing of S. suis cells. We also observed that auranofin has antibacterial activity against other gram-positive bacteria, such as multidrug resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (MDRSP), Streptococcus agalactiae, and vancomycin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus. Additionally, auranofin is capable of eradicating intracellular S.suis present inside infected macrophage cells. Mouse model experimental results showed that auranofin could effectively reduce the mortality of mice infected with S. suis. Compared to the ampicillin treatment group, the survival rate of mice in the auranofin treatment group in severely infected model mice was significantly improved. These results suggest that auranofin has the potential for use as an effective antibiotic against S. suis.

The anisotropy of lithium niobate (LN) single crystals in mechanical properties affects its material removal uniformity during lapping. The nano-indentation hardness (HI) and elastic modulus(E) of Z-cut wafer and X-cut wafer were measured by a nano-indentation tester. The nano-scratching tests were adopted to evaluate its critical cutting depth (dc) of brittle ductile transition along crucial orientations of Z-cut and X-cut, respectively. A series of fixed-abrasive lapping tests were carried out to explore the effect of anisotropy on the lapping process. The results indicated that the HI of Z-cut was slightly higher than that of X-cut, while the E of Z-cut was about 1.1 times of the latter. The dc value of each orientation varies greatly. The lapping tests showed that the material removal rate (MRR) of Z-cut was lower than that of X-cut, for its high HI and E. Meanwhile, the surface quality of Z-cut was better than that of X-cut, for the larger dc of Z-cut. The research of mechanical properties of LN has guiding significance for its lapping process.

Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae is a common pathogen responsible for pig erysipelas. However, the molecular basis for the pathogenesis of E. rhusiopathiae remains to be elucidated. In this study, the complete genome sequence of the E. rhusiopathiae strain WH13013, a pathogenic isolate from a diseased pig, was generated using a combined strategy of PacBio RSII and Illumina sequencing technologies. The strategy finally generated a single circular chromosome of approximately 1.78 Mb in size for the complete genome of WH13013, with an average GC content of 36.49%. The genome of WH13013 encoded 1633 predicted proteins, 55 tRNAs, as well as 15 rRNAs. It contained four genomic islands and several resistance-associated genes were identified within these islands. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that WH13013 was close to many other sequenced E. rhusiopathiae virulent strains. The comprehensive comparative analysis of eight E. rhusiopathiae virulent strains, including WH13013, identified a total of 1184 core genes. A large proportion (approximately 75.31%) of these core genes participated in nutrition and energy uptake and metabolism as well as the other bioactivities that are necessary for bacterial survival and adaption. The core genes also contained those encoding proteins participating in the biosynthesis and/or the components of the proposed virulence factors of E. rhusiopathiae, including the capsule (cpsA, cpsB, cpsC), neuraminidase (nanH), hyaluronidase (hylA, hylB, hylC), and surface proteins (spaA, rspA, rspB). The obtaining of the complete genome sequence of this virulent strain, WH13013, and this comprehensive comparative genome analysis will help in further studies of the genetic basis of the pathogenesis of E. rhusiopathiae.

Streptococcus suis serotype 2 is a serious zoonotic pathogen and has attracted worldwide attention since the first human case was reported in Denmark in 1968. Some virulence factors have been reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of the infection caused by Streptococcus suis serotype 2, and then novel strategies to identify some anti-virulence compounds which can effectively inhibit the pathogenic bacterial infection have recently been reported. Suilysin is an essential virulence factor for Streptococcus suis serotype 2 since it creates pores in the target cells membranes, which aids bacterial colonization. The important role of suilysin in the virulence of Streptococcus suis serotype 2 renders it an ideal target for designing novel anti-virulence therapeutics. We find that fisetin, as a natural flavonoid, is a potent antagonist against suilysin-mediated hemolysis. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of fisetin on the hemolytic activity of suilysin from Streptococcus suis serotype 2. Fisetin is found to significantly inhibit the hemolytic activity of suilysin. Within the range of effective concentrations, fisetin does not influence the growth of Streptococcus suis serotype 2 and the expression of suilysin protein. In vitro, fisetin effectively inhibits the death of macrophages (J774A.1 and RAW264.7) infected with Streptococcus suis serotype 2 by weakening intracellular bacterial multiplication. Animal model experiment shows that fisetin effectively improves the survival rate of animals infected with Streptococcus suis serotype 2. Our findings suggest that fisetin could be used as an antitoxin against suilysin and be developed into a promising therapeutic candidate for treating Streptococcus suis serotype 2 infection.