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Abstract Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is the primary cause of neck and back pain. Obesity has been established as a significant risk factor for IDD. The objective of this study was to explore the molecular mechanisms affecting obesity and IDD by identifying the overlapping crosstalk genes associated with both conditions. The identification of specific diagnostic biomarkers for obesity and IDD would have crucial clinical implications. We obtained gene expression profiles of GSE70362 and GSE152991 from the Gene Expression Omnibus, followed by their analysis using two machine learning algorithms, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and support vector machine-recursive feature elimination, which enabled the identification of C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 16 (CXCL16) as a shared diagnostic biomarker for obesity and IDD. Additionally, gene set variant analysis was used to explore the potential mechanism of CXCL16 in these diseases, and CXCL16 was found to affect IDD through its effect on fatty acid metabolism. Furthermore, correlation analysis between CXCL16 and immune cells demonstrated that CXCL16 negatively regulated T helper 17 cells to promote IDD. Finally, independent external datasets (GSE124272 and GSE59034) were used to verify the diagnostic efficacy of CXCL16. In conclusion, a common diagnostic biomarker for obesity and IDD, CXCL16, was identified using a machine learning algorithm. This study provides a new perspective for exploring the possible mechanisms by which obesity impacts the development of IDD.

The solid-fermented process conditions of producing feruloylated oligosaccharides (FOs) from corn bran were optimized in this study. The fungus Neurospora sitophila (generally recognised as safe, GRAS) was used as fermenting species, and FOs content was considered as the indicator, the single-factor and response surface experiments were performed to optimize the culture medium and culture conditions, including inoculation amount, fermentation time, fermentation temperature, and added amount of water. An FOs yield of 1.52 μmol/g was achieved under the following conditions: 5 g of corn bran and 2% of corn bran weight (w/w) of soybean meal in a 250 mL conical flask, an inoculation size of 1.17×105 spores/flask, a fermentation time of 75 h, a fermentation temperature of 28 ℃, and added water mount of 15.2 mL. The observed yield value was close to the theoretical value predicted by the model (1.56 μmol/g), and increased by 60.83% compared with that of the pre-optimized process. Therefore, the FOs content of the product significantly increased by the optimization of the fermentation process, which offered a novel thought for enhancing the added value and expanding the routes for preparing maize bran-derived FOs.

Against the background of the prevailing green development paradigm, numerous coal mines have embraced the adoption of gob-side entry retaining mining technology. The most commonly employed form of gob-side entry retaining involves building an artificial wall along the edge of the goaf behind the working face to maintain the roadway. The pivotal challenge in gob-side entry retaining lies in the roadside support. Currently, commonplace concrete serves as the predominant material for the roadside filling body. Nevertheless, traditional concrete exhibits drawbacks, including inadequate tensile strength and poor toughness, leading to wall cracks or even collapses in the retaining wall. Steel fiber, a frequently employed reinforcement and toughening agent in concrete, has found widespread application in the construction sector and other fields. However, its use as a roadside filling material in underground coal mines remains infrequent. Therefore, in this paper, the flow and mechanical properties of steel fiber concrete were tested and analyzed, and field industrial tests were conducted. Results of indoor experiments show that steel fibers reduce the slump of concrete. The addition of steel fibers shifted the pore compacting stage, linear elasticity stage, and destabilization stage forward and improved the post-peak bearing capacity. The addition of steel fibers makes the concrete compressive and tensile strength show a “first increase and then decrease” trend; both peaked at 1.5%, and the increase in tensile strength is more pronounced. Steel fibers enhance the strength of compressive strength of concrete at an early age, weaker at a late age, and tensile strength inversely. The addition of steel fiber can change the concrete matrix from tensile damage to shear damage, and the toughness index shows the trend of “first increase and then decrease”, and reaches the peak value when the dosage is 1.5%. Industrial test results show that steel fiber concrete as a roadside filling body can reduce the surrounding rock surface displacement and bolt (cable) force.

Rapid advances in wearable sensing technology have demonstrated unprecedented opportunities for artificial intelligence. In comparison with the traditional hand‐held electrolarynx, a wearable and intelligent artificial throat with sound‐sensing ability is a more comfortable and versatile method to assist disabled people with communication. Herein, a piezoresistive sensor with a novel configuration is demonstrated, which consists of polystyrene (PS) spheres as microstructures sandwiched between silver nanowires and reduced graphene oxide layers. In fact, changes in the device's conducting patterns are obtained by spay‐coating the various weight ratios and sizes of the PS microspheres, which is a fast and convenient way to establish microstructures for improving sensitivity. The wearable artificial throat device also exhibits high sensitivity, fast response time, and ultralow intensity level detection. Moreover, the device's excellent mechanical–electrical performance allows it to detect subtle throat vibrations that can be converted into controllable sounds. In this case, an intelligent artificial throat is achieved by combining a deep learning algorithm with a highly flexible piezoresistive sensor to successfully recognize five different words (help, sick, patient, doctor, and COVID) with an accuracy exceeding 96%. Herein, new opportunities in voice control as well as other human‐machine interface applications are opened.

BackgroundTraumatic lumbosacral spondyloptosis is a very rare spinal disease caused by high-energy trauma. We report a case of traumatic lumbosacral spondyloptosis with locked L5 inferior articular process.Case presentationA 33-year-old man presented with multisite pain for 6 h following waist trauma and was admitted to the hospital. He suffered multiple injuries from severe impact on the waist after driving an out of control forklift truck. Preoperative imaging examinations revealed that the patient was diagnosed with traumatic lumbosacral spondyloptosis and the L5 inferior articular process was locked into the anterior margin of the S1 vertebra. A posterior instrumentation, decompression of the cauda equina, and interbody fusion procedure was performed. The patient received hyperbaric oxygen and rehabilitation treatment 10 days after the surgery. At the 6-month postoperative follow-up, the muscle strength of the lower limbs was improved, the patient had no numbness of both lower limbs, and the urinary retention symptom was significantly improved. The American Spinal Injury Association grade improved from grade C preoperatively to grade D postoperatively. As far as we know, there have been no relevant reports on traumatic lumbosacral spondyloptosis with locked L5 inferior articular process yet.ConclusionWe believe that the hyperflexion and shear forces were the potential causes of this injury. In addition, the preoperative imaging examinations should be evaluated carefully. If the inferior articular process of L5 were locked, we suggest removing the bilateral inferior articular processes first and then perform reduction.

Flexible sensors for hand gesture recognition and human–machine interface (HMI) applications have witnessed tremendous advancements during the last decades. Current state‐of‐the‐art sensors placed on fingers or embedded into gloves are incapable of fully capturing all hand gestures and are often uncomfortable for the wearer. Herein, a flake‐sphere hybrid structure of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) doped with polystyrene (PS) spheres is fabricated to construct the highly sensitive, fast response, and flexible piezoresistive sensor array, which is ultralight in the weight of only 2.8 g and possesses the remarkable curved‐surface conformability. The flexible wrist‐worn device with a five‐sensing array is used to measure pressure distribution around the wrist for accurate and comfortable hand gesture recognition. The intelligent wristband is able to classify 12 hand gestures with 96.33% accuracy for five participants using a machine learning algorithm. To showcase our wristband, a real‐time system is developed to control a robotic hand via the classification results, which further demonstrates the potential of this work for HMI applications.

The goal of this work is to extend prior work on cardiac MR Fingerprinting (cMRF) using rosette k-space trajectories to enable simultaneous T1, T2, and proton density fat fraction (PDFF) mapping in the heart. A rosette trajectory designed for water-fat separation at 1.5T was used in a 2D ECG-triggered 15-heartbeat cMRF sequence. Water and fat specific T1 and T2 maps were generated from the cMRF data. A PDFF map was also retrieved using Hierarchical IDEAL by segmenting the rosette cMRF data into multiple echoes. The accuracy of rosette cMRF in T1, T2, and PDFF quantification was validated in the ISMRM/NIST phantom and an in-house built fat fraction phantom, respectively. The proposed method was also applied for myocardial tissue mapping of healthy subjects and cardiac patients at 1.5T. T1, T2, and PDFF values measured using rosette cMRF in the ISMRM/NIST phantom and the fat fraction phantom agreed well with the reference values. In 16 healthy subjects, rosette cMRF yielded T1 values which were 80~90 ms higher than spiral cMRF and MOLLI. T2 values obtained using rosette cMRF were ~3 ms higher than spiral cMRF and ~5 ms lower than conventional T2-prep bSSFP method. Rosette cMRF was also able to detect abnormal T1 and T2 values in cardiomyopathy patients and may provide more accurate maps due to effective fat suppression. In conclusion, this study shows that rosette cMRF has the potential for efficient cardiac tissue characterization through simultaneous quantification of myocardial T1, T2, and PDFF.

The use of a lightweight corundum–spinel refractory in working lining could reduce the thermal conductivity of industrial furnaces. In this study, bubble alumina was introduced to realize a lightweight Al2O3-MgAl2O4 refractory assisted by the reactive sintering of Al2O3 and MgO. The effects of alumina bubble content and sintering temperature on the phase compositions, microstructure and properties of the lightweight refractory were investigated. The results indicated that the overall performance of the lightweight Al2O3-MgAl2O4 refractory was mainly dominated by the content of alumina bubbles. The bulk density, compressive strength and thermal conductivity all decreased when the alumina bubble content increased from 10 to 30 wt%. Meanwhile, the sintering temperature also significantly affected the properties of the obtained refractory. It is worth noting that specimens fired at 1650 °C achieved a high refractoriness under load (RUL) of more than 1700 °C when alumina bubble content was less than 30 wt%, which was comparable to that of the dense Al2O3-MgAl2O4 refractory. The thermal conductivity of the obtained samples was remarkably decreased to no more than 2.13 W/(m·K). In order to overcome the trade-off between the light weight of the refractory and overall performance, it is feasible to adjust the content of alumina bubbles and raise the sintering temperature appropriately.

Abstract Wearable devices can be used for monitoring vital physical and physiological signs remotely, as well as for interacting with computers. Widespread adoption of wearables is somewhat hindered by the duration time they can be used without re‐recharging. To ensure uninterrupted operation, these devices need a constant and battery‐less energy supply. Scavenging energy from the wearable's surroundings is, therefore, an essential step towards achieving genuinely autonomous and self‐powered devices. While energy harvesting technologies may not completely eliminate the battery storage unit, they can ensure a maximum duration of use. Piezoelectric energy harvesting is a promising and efficient technique to generate electricity for powering wearable devices in response to body movements. Consequently, we systematically survey the range of technologies used for scavenging energy from the human body, with a particular focus on the upper‐limb area. According to our review and in comparison to other upper limb locations, highest power densities can be achieved from piezoelectric transducers located on the wrist. For short and fast battery charging needs, we therefore review the range of materials, architectures and devices used to scavenge energy from these upper‐limb areas. We provide comparisons as well as recommendations and possible future directions for harvesting energy using this promising technique.

Abstract Aim Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) patients commonly experience dyspnea for which an immediate cause may not be always apparent. In this prospective cohort study of HIV patients with exercise limitation, we use cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) coupled with exercise cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) to elucidate etiologies of dyspnea. Methods and results Thirty-four HIV patients on antiretroviral therapy with dyspnea and exercise limitation (49.7 years, 65% male, mean absolute CD4 count 700) underwent comprehensive evaluation with combined rest and maximal exercise treadmill CMR and CPET. The overall mean oxygen consumption (VO2) peak was reduced at 23.2 ± 6.9 ml/kg/min with 20 patients (58.8% of overall cohort) achieving a respiratory exchange ratio > 1. The ventilatory efficiency (VE)/VCO2 slope was elevated at 36 ± 7.92, while ventilatory reserve (VE: maximal voluntary ventilation (MVV)) was within normal limits. The mean absolute right ventricular (RV) and left ventricular (LV) contractile reserves were preserved at 9.0% ± 11.2 and 9.4% ± 9.4, respectively. The average resting and post-exercise mean average pulmonary artery velocities were 12.2 ± 3.9 cm/s and 18.9 ± 8.3 respectively, which suggested lack of exercise induced pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH). LV but not RV delayed enhancement were identified in five patients. Correlation analysis found no relationship between peak VO2 measures of contractile RV or LV reserve, but LV and RV stroke volume correlated with PET CO2 (p = 0.02, p = 0.03). Conclusion Well treated patients with HIV appear to have conserved RV and LV function, contractile reserve and no evidence of exercise induced PAH. However, we found evidence of impaired ventilation suggesting a non-cardiopulmonary etiology for dyspnea.

Constructing a three-dimensional (3D) multifunctional hosting architecture and subsequent thermal infusion of molten Li to produce advanced Li composite is an effective strategy for stable Li metal anode. However, the pure liquid Li is difficult to spread across the surface of various substrates due to its large surface tension and poor wettability, hindering the production and application of Li composite anode. Herein, heteroatomic Ca is doped into molten Li to generate Li-Ca alloy, which greatly regulates the surface tension of the molten alloy and improves the wettability against carbon cloth (CC). Moreover, a secondary network composed of CaLi2 intermetallic compound with interconnected ant-nest-like lithiophilic channels is in situ formed and across the primary scaffold of CC matrix by infiltrating molten Li-Ca alloy into CC and then cooling treatment (LCAC), which has a larger and lithiophilic surface to enable uniform Li deposition into interior space of the hybrid scaffold without Li dendrites. Therefore, LCAC exhibits a long-term lifespan for 1100 h under a current density of 5 mA cm-2 with fixed areal capacity of 5 mAh cm-2. Remarkably, full cells paired with practical-level LiFePO4 cathode of 2.45 mAh cm-2 deliver superior performance.

Lithium metal is a promising anode material for high energy density batteries, which is restricted from practical application by the issues including lithium dendrite, parasitic reaction and volumetric change. Herein, a strategy combing bulk and surface modification is proposed to address these problems. The bulk modification is to use Ni foam as three dimensional (3D) scaffold for direct infusion of molten Li resulting in the formation of Li-Ni composite anode, which reduces actual current density by increasing specific surface area and alleviates volumetric change in the process of Li stripping/plating. And the surface modification is to coat with ZnF2 film via sputtering, which is acted as artificial protective layer for controlling interfacial side reaction. The symmetric cell consisting of ZnF2 coated Li-Ni composite electrodes exhibits low overpotential (about 45 mV) and stable cycling over 900 h at 1 mA cm−2. Furthermore, the cell with LiCoO2 cathode delivers 110 mAh g−1 at 1 C rate after 500 cycles. Keywords: Lithium metal anode, Composite lithium, Nickel foam, Lithium dendrite, Surface modification, Lithium battery

In this paper, we present an asymmetric rectangular ring resonator based on graphene nanoribbon. The finite-difference time-domain method for three-dimensional model is used to investigate the multiple Fano resonances which can be observed in the transmission spectrum. We also study the influence of graphene structure parameters and chemical potential on Fano resonance. Furthermore, we explore the application of this structure in refractive index sensing. The sensitivity to background refractive index can reach 16494 nm/RIU. This high sensitivity makes the structure a promising biosensor.

Radio telescopes are important for the development of society. With the advent of China’s Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST), adjusting the reflector panel to improve the reception ability is becoming an urgent problem. In this paper, an active control model of the reflector panel is established that considers the minimum sum of the radial offset of the actuator and the non-smoothness of the working paraboloid. Using the idea of discretization, the adjusted position of the main cable nodes, the ideal parabolic equation, and the expansion of each actuator are obtained by inputting the elevation and azimuth angle of the incident electromagnetic wave. To find the ideal parabola, a univariate optimization model is established, and the Fibonacci method is used to search for the optimal solution h=−0.33018 (offset in the direction away from the sphere’s center) and the focal diameter ratio f=0.4671 of the parabolic vertex. The ideal two-dimensional parabolic equation is then determined as x2−555.25z−166757.2=0, and the ideal three-dimensional paraboloid equation is determined to be z=(x2+y2)/555.25−300.33018. Moreover, the amount of the nodes and triangular reflection panels are calculated, which were determined to be 706 and 1325, respectively. The ratio reception of the working paraboloid and the datum sphere are 9.434% and 1.3898%, respectively. The latter is calculated through a ray tracing simulation using the optical system modeling software LightTools.

Though lithium (Li) metal is an ideal anode material for next-generation rechargeable batteries, its application has been seriously limited by security and cyclability issues as the result of uncontrollable Li dendrite growth. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a method to suppress Li dendrite growth using melamine-derived 3D porous carbon foam decorated with graphite intercalation compounds of Li (GICs-Li) as a Li host. GICs-Li, with excellent lithiophilicity, ensures uniform Li deposition, while the 3D porous carbon foam, with ultrahigh porosity and enlarged surface area, provides pathway for Li+ transport, accommodates Li deposition as well as reduces practical current density. Thus, dendrite-free morphology of composite Li anode is realized without additional heterogeneous lithiophilic particles. In symmetric cell configuration, the composite Li anode performs stably for 500 cycles at 10 mAcm−2. In full cell configuration with Li4Ti5O12 (LTO), it exhibits a large capacity retention rate (~91%) after 700 cycles at 1.0C. Keywords: Partly lithiated graphitic carbon foam, Lithium metal anode, 3D porous current collector, Lithium dendrite, Graphite intercalation compounds of Li

Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) plays an important role in regulating water exchange across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and brain-cerebrospinal fluid interface. Studies on AQP-4 knockout mice (AQP4-KO) have reported considerable protection from brain edema induced by acute water intoxication and ischemic stroke, identifying AQP4 as a potential target for therapeutic interventions. However, the long-term effects of chronic AQP4 suppression are yet to be elucidated. In the current study, we evaluated the physiological and structural changes in adult AQP4-KO mice using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and immunohistochemical analysis. Water exchange across BBB was assessed by tracking an intravenous bolus injection of oxygen-17 (17O) water (H217O) using 17O-MRI. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) was quantified using arterial spin-labeling (ASL) MRI. Capillary density was determined by immunohistochemical staining for glucose transporter-1 (GLUT1). Compared to wildtype control mice, AQP4-KO mice showed a significant reduction in peak and steady-state H217O uptake despite unaltered CBF. Interestingly, a 22% increase in cortical capillary density was observed in AQP4-KO mice. These results suggest that increased cerebral vascularization may be an adaptive response to chronic reduction in water exchange across BBB in AQP4-KO mice.

The preparations of crystal titanium dioxide (TiO2) are often time-consuming multistep processes involving high temperature. Rapid and efficient methods to obtain TiO2 with anatase or rutile phase are desirable. In this paper, we describe an ultrafast single-step method to obtain urchin-like rutile TiO2 particles via microwave irradiation. In the procedure, TiCl4 aqueous solution was used as a reactant and toluene was used as a solvent. It takes only a few minutes without any further heat treatment. The samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The effect of temperature, irradiation time and the ratio of precursor to solvent on the morphology and crystal structure were studied. The results show urchin-like rutile TiO2 with high stability is formed after only 5 min microwave irradiation at 135 °C.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac magnetic resonance fingerprinting (cMRF) enables simultaneous mapping of myocardial T1 and T2 with very short acquisition times. Breathing maneuvers have been utilized as a vasoactive stress test to dynamically characterize myocardial tissue in vivo. We tested the feasibility of sequential, rapid cMRF acquisitions during breathing maneuvers to quantify myocardial T1 and T2 changes. METHODS: We measured T1 and T2 values using conventional T1 and T2-mapping techniques (modified look locker inversion [MOLLI] and T2-prepared balanced-steady state free precession), and a 15 heartbeat (15-hb) and rapid 5-hb cMRF sequence in a phantom and in 9 healthy volunteers. The cMRF5-hb sequence was also used to dynamically assess T1 and T2 changes over the course of a vasoactive combined breathing maneuver. RESULTS: In healthy volunteers, the mean myocardial T1 of the different mapping methodologies were: MOLLI 1,224 ± 81 ms, cMRF15-hb 1,359 ± 97 ms, and cMRF5-hb 1,357 ± 76 ms. The mean myocardial T2 measured with the conventional mapping technique was 41.7 ± 6.7 ms, while for cMRF15-hb 29.6 ± 5.8 ms and cMRF5-hb 30.5 ± 5.8 ms. T2 was reduced with vasoconstriction (post-hyperventilation compared to a baseline resting state) (30.15 ± 1.53 ms vs. 27.99 ± 2.07 ms, p = 0.02), while T1 did not change with hyperventilation. During the vasodilatory breath-hold, no significant change of myocardial T1 and T2 was observed. CONCLUSIONS: cMRF5-hb enables simultaneous mapping of myocardial T1 and T2, and may be used to track dynamic changes of myocardial T1 and T2 during vasoactive combined breathing maneuvers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]