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The strip exit thickness is an important indicator for measuring the production quality of steel rolling products. Controlling its accuracy is crucial in producing high-quality rolling products in the steel industry. This study proposed an improved marine predators algorithm (IMPA) optimized bidirectional gated recurrent unit (BiGRU) for predicting the strip exit thickness. Firstly, an adaptive weight factor was introduced into the marine predators algorithm (MPA) to overcome the drawbacks of slow early convergence speed and limited search range of the algorithm, addressing the issue of local optimization. Secondly, an average fitness strategy was developed to enhance the quality of the algorithm population, improve optimization accuracy, and strengthen algorithm stability. In addition, IMPA was used to optimize parameters, reducing the impact of hyper-parameters such as the number of hidden layer neurons, learning rate, and batch size on the prediction accuracy of BiGRU, thereby establishing IMPA-BiGRU model. The experiments were conducted on an actual rolling process dataset. The experimental results showed that IMPA outperformed traditional MPA, particle swarm optimization (PSO), grey wolf optimization (GWO), whale optimization algorithm (WOA), and recent variants of MPA. The IMPA-BiGRU also demonstrated excellent prediction capabilities for strip exit thickness, meeting the practical production requirements for high-quality rolling products.

Herein, we fabricated a low-melting-point Zr-16Ti-6Cu-8Ni-6Co eutectic filler based on a Zr-Ti-Cu-Ni filler to achieve effective joining of a Ti6Al4V (TC4) titanium alloy. The temperature at which the brittle intermetallic compound (IMC) layer in the seam completely disappeared was reduced from 920 °C to 900 °C, which broadened the temperature range of the Zr-based filler, brazing the TC4 without a brittle IMC layer. The shear strength of the Zr-16Ti-6Cu-8Ni-6Co brazed joint increased by 113% more than that of the Zr-16Ti-9Cu-11Ni brazed joint at 900 °C. The proportion of β-Ti in the seam of the Zr-16Ti-6Cu-8Ni-6Co brazed joint increased by 21.31% compared with that of the Zr-16Ti-9Cu-11Ni brazed joint. The nano-indentation results show that the elastic modulus of the β-Ti (143 GPa) in the interface is lower than that of the α-Ti (169 GPa) and (Ti,Zr)2(Ni,Cu,Co) (203 GPa). As a result, the β-Ti is subjected to a greater strain under the same stress state compared with the α-Ti and (Ti,Zr)2(Ni,Cu,Co), and the Zr-16Ti-6Cu-8Ni-6Co brazed joint can maintain a higher strength than the Zr-16Ti-9Cu-11Ni brazed joint under a middle–low erosion area of the TC4 base metal. This provides valuable insights into the use of high-strength, fatigue-resistant TC4 brazed joints in engineering applications.

Structural dyeing has attracted much attention due to its advantages such as environmental friendliness, vivid color, and resistance to fading. Herein, we propose an alternative strategy for fabric coloring based on Cu2O microspheres. The strong Mie scattering effect of Cu2O microspheres enables the creation of vibrant structural colors on fabric surfaces. These colors are visually striking and can potentially be adjusted by tuning the diameter of the microspheres. Importantly, the Cu2O spheres were firmly bonded to the fabrics by using the industrial adhesive PDMS, and the Cu2O structural color fabrics exhibited excellent color fastness to washing, rubbing, and bending. Cu2O structural color fabrics also demonstrated excellent antimicrobial properties against bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). The bactericidal rates of Cu2O structural color textiles after washing for E. coli and S. aureus reached 92.40% and 94.53%, respectively. This innovative approach not only addresses environmental concerns associated with traditional dyeing processes but also enhances fabric properties by introducing vibrant structural colors and antimicrobial functionality.

ObjectivesThe most frequent cause of kidney damage in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is lupus nephritis (LN), which is also a significant risk factor for morbidity and mortality. Lactate metabolism and protein lactylation might be related to the development of LN. However, there is still a lack of relative research to prove the hypothesis. Hence, this study was conducted to screen the lactate-related biomarkers for LN and analyze the underlying mechanism.MethodsTo identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the training set (GSE32591, GSE127797), we conducted a differential expression analysis (LN samples versus normal samples). Then, module genes were mined using WGCNA concerning LN. The overlapping of DEGs, critical module genes, and lactate-related genes (LRGs) was used to create the lactate-related differentially expressed genes (LR-DEGs). By using a machine-learning algorithm, ROC, and expression levels, biomarkers were discovered. We also carried out an immune infiltration study based on biomarkers and GSEA.ResultsA sum of 1259 DEGs was obtained between LN and normal groups. Then, 3800 module genes in reference to LN were procured. 19 LR-DEGs were screened out by the intersection of DEGs, key module genes, and LRGs. Moreover, 8 pivotal genes were acquired via two machine-learning algorithms. Subsequently, 3 biomarkers related to lactate metabolism were obtained, including COQ2, COQ4, and NDUFV1. And these three biomarkers were enriched in pathways ‘antigen processing and presentation’ and ‘NOD-like receptor signaling pathway’. We found that Macrophages M0 and T cells regulatory (Tregs) were associated with these three biomarkers as well.ConclusionOverall, the results indicated that lactate-related biomarkers COQ2, COQ4, and NDUFV1 were associated with LN, which laid a theoretical foundation for the diagnosis and treatment of LN.

Abstract In this article, we study in detail the double-J/ψ yield through Z decay at the next-to-leading-order (NLO) QCD accuracy within the nonrelativistic QCD factorization. At the tree level, the pure QCD diagrams predict a branching ratio of B Z → J / ψ + J / ψ $$ {\mathcal{B}}_{Z\to J/\psi +J/\psi } $$ ~ 10 −12; however, the inclusion of the QED diagrams would augment this prediction by approximately 2–3 orders of magnitude. After incorporating the QCD corrections, the QCD results exhibit a considerable increase, whereas the QED results undergo a substantial reduction. Combining the QCD and QED contributions at NLO in α s , it is observed that the prediction of B Z → J / ψ + J / ψ $$ {\mathcal{B}}_{Z\to J/\psi +J/\psi } $$ = ( 1.110 − 0.241 − 0.001 + 0.334 + 0.054 $$ {1.110}_{-0.241-0.001}^{+0.334+0.054} $$ ) × 10 −10, which displays a fairly steady dependence on the renormalization scale, is significantly lower than the upper limits released by CMS.

In order to address the issues of excessive brittle intermetallic compounds (IMC) formation in the TC4 brazed joints, two types of novel Ti-Zr-Cu-Ni-Sn amorphous braze fillers were designed. The microstructure and shear strength of the TC4/Ti-Zr-Ni-Cu-Sn/TC4 brazed joints were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and electronic universal materials testing machine. The results show that the optimized Ti35Zr25Ni15Cu20Sn5 braze filler whose chemical composition is closer to the eutectic point possesses a lower melting point compared with the equiatomic Ti23.75Zr23.75Ni23.75Cu23.75Sn5. This was beneficial to the sufficient diffusion of Cu and Ni elements with the base metal during brazing and reduces the residual (Ti,Zr)2(Ni,Cu) content in the joint, which helps to improve the joint performance. The room-temperature and high-temperature shear strength of the TC4 brazed joints using the near eutectic component Ti35Zr25Ni15Cu20Sn5 filler reached a maximum of 472 MPa and 389 MPa at 970 °C/10 min, which was 66% and 48% higher than that of the TC4 joints brazed with the equiatomic Ti23.75Zr23.75Ni23.75Cu23.75Sn5 braze filler. Microstructural evolution and the corresponding mechanical response were in-depth discussed.

Abstract In this paper, we study the X(3860) production associated with $$J/\psi $$ J / ψ via $$e^{+}e^{-}$$ e + e - annihilation at the next-to-leading-order (NLO) accuracy in $$\alpha _s$$ α s , within the nonrelativistic QCD (NRQCD) framework. With the hypothesis of $$J^{PC}_{X(3860)}=0^{++}$$ J X ( 3860 ) PC = 0 + + , the predictions of $$\sigma _{e^{+}e^{-} \rightarrow J/\psi +X(3860)}$$ σ e + e - → J / ψ + X ( 3860 ) agree well with the Belle measurements, whereas the results following the $$2^{++}$$ 2 + + assignment significantly undershoot the data. This is consistent with the Belle’s conclusion that the $$0^{++}$$ 0 + + hypothesis is favored over the $$2^{++}$$ 2 + + hypothesis for X(3860). Despite fitting the data of the total cross section, the NRQCD predictions seem to be incompatible with the measured $$J/\psi $$ J / ψ angular distributions. We simultaneously calculate the cross section of $$e^{+}e^{-} \rightarrow J/\psi +X(3940)$$ e + e - → J / ψ + X ( 3940 ) under the assumption of $$J^{PC}_{X(3940)}=0^{-+}$$ J X ( 3940 ) PC = 0 - + , discovering the consistency of the NRQCD predictions with the light-cone results as well as the experiment.

PurposeThis study aimed to clarify the effect of early glucocorticoid (GC) application on achieving minimal manifestation (MM) status or better in the treatment of myasthenia gravis (MG) in the early clinical phase.MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed using data from 336 patients with MG who received GC therapy from January 2015 to September 2022 in the Zhengzhou University Henan Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Myasthenia Gravis Biobank (ZMB). Patients were divided into two groups: the early mono-GC group (treated with GC within 6 months of MG onset) and the delayed mono-GC group.ResultsKaplan–Meier analysis showed that the early mono-GC group achieved MM status earlier and more frequently than the delayed mono-GC group (log-rank test, p = 0.0082; hazard ratio [HR], 1.66; p = 0.011). The early mono-GC group had a lower maintenance oral GC dose than the delayed mono-GC group. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, early mono-GC (HR, 1.50; p = 0.043), early-onset MG (EOMG) (HR, 1.74; p = 0.034), and ocular MG (OMG) (HR, 1.90; p = 0.007) were associated with MM status or better. In conclusion, early mono-GC, EOMG, and OMG were positive predictors of treatment goals. In EOMG, OMG, and acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive MG (AChR-MG) subgroups, the maintenance oral GC doses in the early mono-GC group were significantly lower than the doses in the delayed mono-GC group (p < 0.05).ConclusionEarly intervention with GC led to better long-term outcomes and reduced the necessary maintenance dose of oral GC for patients with MG. EOMG and OMG were positive predictors of MM status or better with mono-GC.

Abstract Considering that the movement trajectory of roadheader cutting head directly affects the surface morphology characteristics of roadway forming, the creation mechanism of roadway contour obtained by cutting head cutting roadway is analyzed. The robot kinematics analysis method was used to determine the coordinates of the roadheader cutting head in the roadway space coordinate system, and the mathematical model of the cutting head cutting the roadway contour was constructed. Through numerical calculation, the differences of roadway morphology characteristics formed by three different types of cutting heads are analyzed. The orthogonal experiment was designed, and the regression equation under multiple factors was solved with the experimental results. The influence of cutting feed rate, cutting Angle, cutting head radius and cutting head cone Angle on the morphology characteristics of cutting surface was analyzed by regression calculation and theoretical calculation. The research results show that the roadway surface obtained by "spherical crown + cylinder" cutting head is the most uneven, and the roadway surface obtained by "spherical crown + cone + cylinder" cutting head is the most flat. With the decrease of cutting lifting Angle, cutting feed, cutting head cone Angle and the increase of cutting head crown radius, the smoothness of roadway obtained by cutting is higher.

Alopecia areata (AA) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease characterized by non-scarring hair loss on the scalp or any other part of the hair-bearing skin. While the collapse of the immune privilege is considered as one of the most accepted theories accounting for AA, the exact pathogenesis of this disease remains unclear by now. Other factors, such as genetic predisposition, allergies, microbiota, and psychological stress, also play an important role in the occurrence and development of AA. Oxidative stress (OS), an unbalance between the oxidation and antioxidant defense systems, is believed to be associated with AA and may trigger the collapse of hair follicle-immune privilege. In this review, we examine the evidence of oxidative stress in AA patients, as well as the relationship between the pathogenesis of AA and OS. In the future, antioxidants may play a new role as a supplementary therapy for AA.

Klotho (KL) is a renal protein with aging-suppression properties that mediates its regulatory effect during cardiac fibroblast aging. However, to determine whether KL can protect aged myocardial cells by attenuating ferroptosis, this study aimed to investigate the protective effect of KL on aged cells and to explore its potential mechanism. Cell injury of H9C2 cells was induced with D-galactose (D-gal) and treated with KL in vitro. This study demonstrated that D-gal induces aging in H9C2 cells. D-gal treatment increased β-GAL(β-galactosidase) activity, decreased cell viability, enhanced oxidative stress, reduced mitochondrial cristae, and decreased the expression of solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11), glutathione peroxidase-4 (GPx4), and P53, which are primary regulators of ferroptosis. The results showed that KL can eliminate D-gal-induced aging in H9C2 cells, likely due to its ability to increase the expression of the ferroptosis-associated proteins SLC7A11 and GPx4. Moreover, pifithrin-α, a P53-specific inhibitor, enhanced the expression of SLC7A11 and GPx4. These results suggest that KL may be involved in D-gal-induced H9C2 cellular aging during ferroptosis, mainly through the P53/SLC7A11/GPx4 signaling pathway.

In recent years, with the rapid advancement in various high-tech technologies, efficient heat dissipation has become a key issue restricting the further development of high-power-density electronic devices and components. Concurrently, the demand for thermal comfort has increased; making effective personal thermal management a current research hotspot. There is a growing demand for thermally conductive materials that are diversified and specific. Therefore, smart thermally conductive fiber materials characterized by their high thermal conductivity and smart response properties have gained increasing attention. This review provides a comprehensive overview of emerging materials and approaches in the development of smart thermally conductive fiber materials. It categorizes them into composite thermally conductive fibers filled with high thermal conductivity fillers, electrically heated thermally conductive fiber materials, thermally radiative thermally conductive fiber materials, and phase change thermally conductive fiber materials. Finally, the challenges and opportunities faced by smart thermally conductive fiber materials are discussed and prospects for their future development are presented.

Abstract Background Nerium indicum Mill. is an ornamental plant that is found in parks, riversides, lakesides, and scenic areas in China and other parts of the world. Our recent survey indicated the prevalence of witches’ broom disease (WBD) in Guangdong, China. To find out the possible defense strategies against WBD, we performed a MiSeq based ITS sequencing to identify the possible casual organism, then did a de novo transcriptome sequencing and metabolome profiling in the phloem and stem tip of N. indicum plants suffering from WBD compared to healthy ones. Results The survey showed that Wengyuen county and Zengcheng district had the highest disease incidence rates. The most prevalent microbial species in the diseased tissues was Cophinforma mamane. The transcriptome sequencing resulted in the identification of 191,224 unigenes of which 142,396 could be annotated. There were 19,031 and 13,284 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between diseased phloem (NOWP) and healthy phloem (NOHP), and diseased stem (NOWS) and healthy stem (NOHS), respectively. The DEGs were enriched in MAPK-signaling (plant), plant-pathogen interaction, plant-hormone signal transduction, phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis, linoleic acid and α-linoleic acid metabolism pathways. Particularly, we found that N. indicum plants activated the phytohormone signaling, MAPK-signaling cascade, defense related proteins, and the biosynthesis of phenylpropanoids and flavonoids as defense responses to the pathogenic infection. The metabolome profiling identified 586 metabolites of which 386 and 324 metabolites were differentially accumulated in NOHP vs NOWP and NOHS and NOWS, respectively. The differential accumulation of metabolites related to phytohormone signaling, linoleic acid metabolism, phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis, nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism, and citrate cycle was observed, indicating the role of these pathways in defense responses against the pathogenic infection. Conclusion Our results showed that Guangdong province has a high incidence of WBD in most of the surveyed areas. C. mamane is suspected to be the causing pathogen of WBD in N. indicum. N. indicum initiated the MAPK-signaling cascade and phytohormone signaling, leading to the activation of pathogen-associated molecular patterns and hypersensitive response. Furthermore, N. indicum accumulated high concentrations of phenolic acids, coumarins and lignans, and flavonoids under WBD. These results provide scientific tools for the formulation of control strategies of WBD in N. indicum.

The study aims to develop a decision pathway based on HEAR score and 0 h high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) to safely avoid a second troponin test for suspected non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) in emergency departments. A HEAR score consists of history, electrocardiogram, age, and risk factors. A HEAR pathway is established using a Bayesian approach based on a predefined safety threshold of NSTEMI prevalence in the rule-out group. In total, 7131 patients were retrospectively enrolled, 582 (8.2%) with index visit NSTEMI and 940 (13.2%) with 180-day major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). For patients with a low-risk HEAR score (0 to 2) and low 0 h hs-cTnT (

ObjectivesPrevious studies have reported that a few inflammatory cytokines have associations with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)—for example, IL-6, IL-17, and macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP). This Mendelian randomization was conducted to further assess the causal correlations between 41 inflammatory cytokines and SLE.MethodsThe two-sample Mendelian randomization utilized genetic variances of SLE from a large publicly available genome-wide association study (GWAS) (7,219 cases and 15,991 controls of European ancestry) and inflammatory cytokines from a GWAS summary containing 8,293 healthy participants. Causalities of exposures and outcomes were explored mainly using inverse variance weighted method. In addition, multiple sensitivity analyses including MR-Egger, weighted median, simple mode, weighted mode, and MR-PRESSO were simultaneously applied to strengthen the final results.ResultsThe results indicated that cutaneous T cell-attracting chemokine (CTACK) and IL-17 may be suggestively associated with the risk of SLE (odds ratio, OR: 1.21, 95%CI: 1.04–1.41, p = 0.015; OR: 1.37, 95%CI: 1.03–1.82, p = 0.029). In addition, cytokines including beta nerve growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor, IL-4, IL-6, interferon gamma-induced protein 10, monokine induced by interferon-gamma, MIP1b, stromal cell-derived factor-1 alpha, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha are suggested to be the consequences of SLE disease (Beta: 0.035, p = 0.014; Beta: 0.021, p = 0.032; Beta: 0.024, p = 0.013; Beta: 0.019, p = 0.042; Beta: 0.040, p = 0.005; Beta: 0.046, p = 0.001; Beta: 0.021, p = 0.029; Beta: 0.019, p = 0.045; Beta: 0.029, p = 0.048).ConclusionThis study suggested that CTACK and IL-17 are probably the factors correlated with SLE etiology, while a couple of inflammatory cytokines are more likely to be involved in SLE development downstream.

Abstract In this paper, we present a detailed next-to-leading-order (NLO) study of J/ψ angular distributions in e + e − → J/ψ + η c , χ cJ (J = 0, 1, 2) within the nonrelativistic QCD factorization (NRQCD). The numerical NLO expressions for total and differential cross sections, i.e., dσ d cos θ $$ \frac{d\sigma}{d\cos \theta } $$ = A + B cos2 θ, are both derived. With the inclusion of the newly-calculated QCD corrections to A and B, the α θ (= B/A) parameters in J/ψ + χ c0 and J/ψ + χ c1 are moderately enhanced, while the magnitude of α θJ/ψ+χc2 is significantly reduced; regarding the production of J/ψ + η c , the α θ value remains unchanged. By comparing with experiment, we find the predicted α θJ/ψ+ηc is in good agreement with the Belle measurement; however, α θJ/ψ+χc0 is still totally incompatible with the experimental result, and this discrepancy seems to hardly be cured by proper choices of the charm-quark mass, the renormalization scale, and the NRQCD matrix elements.

Herein, a novel concept was proposed to address the issue that continuous brittle phases degrade the mechanical properties of a brazed joint. In this concept, the continuous brittle phases could become dispersive by inserting a network-like structure to divide the brazing seam spatially. This concept was verified in a specific brazing system, where Ti3SiC2 ceramic and Ti2AlNb alloy were brazed by an AgCu interlayer. Ductile Cu foam with a network-like structure was used to disperse the continuous brittle TiCuSi intermetallic that should have in-situ formed in the Ti3SiC2/AgCu/Ti2AlNb brazed joint. Results show that the effect of Cu foam on dispersing the brittle TiCuSi intermetallic is pronounced. The effects of holding time and pore size on the dispersion effect of Cu foam were investigated. The joint fracture analysis and micro-mechanical properties of phases analysis reveal that the dispersive TiCuSi intermetallic is superior to the continuous one. The reason is that the microstructure of discrete TiCuSi intermetallic surrounded by ductile Ag-based and Cu-based solid solutions has a more robust capacity to accommodate microcracks. Thus the brazed joint is toughened and strengthened.

Abstract In this paper, we present a comprehensive study of ϒ inclusive production in Z boson decay, including the first complete next-to-leading-order calculations of the color-octet (CO) contributions. With the inclusion of the newly-calculated remarkable QCD corrections, the CO processes exhibit crucially phenomenological influence on the existing predictions built on the color-singlet mechanism. We also include the exhaustive evaluations of the feed-down contributions, which remained ignored in the literature, and find them to be considerable. Summing up all the contributions, the ℬ Z → ϒ(nS) + X still notably undershoot the data released by the L3 Collaboration.

Central Asia (including five countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan) is rich in oil reserves and has become one of the most important target regions for global oil investment. The construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt has prompted Central Asia to look outwards for more collaborations in the oil industry. China's need for oil investment in Central Asia has also increased significantly. This research established a comprehensive index system for assessing the risks of transnational oil investment in Central Asia. The system incorporated political, regulatory, economic, social, and infrastructural indices. Based on the Delphi method and fuzzy comprehension evaluation method, we qualitatively and quantitatively assessed and analyzed the risks of transnational oil investment in Central Asia. The results indicate that the risk score for regulatory risk was highest with the value of 6.1670, indicating a high risk level in transnational oil investment, followed by economic, social, political, and infrastructural risk indices. Of the 18 secondary risk indices calculated, there were seven indices with the probability of high risk occurrence exceeded 30.0% and the descending order was as follows: establishment of mining rights; host country intervention in operations; taxing system; stability of regulations; war and turmoil; labor capital; and ethnic, cultural, and religious differences. These seven critical risks should be watched closely and avoided during transnational oil investment in Central Asia. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the potential risks of investing oil in Central Asia. The findings demonstrate the causes of these risks and provide a scientific basis for reasonably avoiding oil investment risk and improving investment benefits for both host and investing countries.

Abstract In this paper, we carry out a detailed study on the production of the doubly charmed baryon in deeply inelastic ep scattering (DIS) for Q 2 ∈ [2, 100] GeV2, at the Large Hadron Electron Collider (LHeC) with E e = 60(140) GeV and E p = 7000 GeV. To exclude the contributions from the diffractive productions and the b hadron decays, we impose the kinematic cuts 0.3 < z < 0.9, and p t , baryon ⋆ 2 $$ {p}_{t,\mathrm{baryon}}^{\star 2} $$ > 1 GeV2 in the center-of-mass (CM) frame of γ ∗ p. Based on the designed LHeC luminosity, by detecting the decay channel Ξ cc + Ξ cc + + → Λ c + $$ {\Xi}_{cc}^{+}\left({\Xi}_{cc}^{++}\right)\to {\Lambda}_c^{+} $$ with the subsequent decay Λ c + → pK − π + $$ {\Lambda}_c^{+}\to {pK}^{-}{\pi}^{+} $$ , we predict that about 1880 (2700) Ξ cc + $$ {\Xi}_{cc}^{+} $$ events and 3750 (5400) Ξ cc + + $$ {\Xi}_{cc}^{++} $$ events can be accumulated per year, which signifies the prospect of observing them via the DIS at the forthcoming LHeC. In addition, we also predict the distributions of a rich variety of physical observables in the laboratory frame and the γ∗p CM frame, including Q2, p t 2 $$ {p}_t^2 $$ , Y (rapidity), p t ⋆ 2 , Y ⋆ $$ {p}_t^{\star 2},{Y}^{\star } $$ , W, and z distributions, respectively, which can provide helpful references for studying the doubly charmed baryon. In conclusion, we think that in addition to the LHC, the LHeC is also a helpful platform for studying the properties of the doubly charmed baryon.

Abstract In this paper, we carry out the next-to-leading-order (NLO) studies on $$Z \rightarrow \Upsilon (1S)+g+g$$ Z→Υ(1S)+g+g via the color-singlet (CS) $$b{\bar{b}}$$ bb¯ state. We find the newly calculated NLO QCD corrections to this process can significantly influence its leading-order (LO) results and greatly improve the dependence on the renormalization scale. By including the considerable feeddown contributions, the branching ratio $${\mathcal {B}}_{Z \rightarrow \Upsilon (1S)+g+g}$$ BZ→Υ(1S)+g+g is predicted to be (0.56–0.95) $$\times 10^{-6}$$ ×10-6 , which can reach up to 19–31$$\%$$ % of the LO predictions given by the CS dominant process $$Z \rightarrow \Upsilon (1S)+b+{\bar{b}}$$ Z→Υ(1S)+b+b¯ . Moreover, $$Z \rightarrow \Upsilon (1S)+g+g$$ Z→Υ(1S)+g+g also seriously affects the CS predictions on the $$\Upsilon (1S)$$ Υ(1S) energy distributions, especially when z is relatively small. In summary, for the inclusive $$\Upsilon (1S)$$ Υ(1S) productions in Z decay, besides $$Z \rightarrow \Upsilon (1S)+b+{\bar{b}}$$ Z→Υ(1S)+b+b¯ , the gluon radiation process $$Z \rightarrow \Upsilon (1S)+g+g$$ Z→Υ(1S)+g+g can provide indispensable contributions as well.

Background: Air pollution leads to many adverse diseases, especially respiratory diseases and cardiac symptoms. However, it has not been studied the association between air pollution and influenza cases in Jinan City, especially during the outbreak of COVID-19; Methods: The data were obtained from China’s Disease Information System, and influenza cases during 2020–2021 in Jinan City were collected from it. We used the generalized additive Poisson model to measure the association between air pollutants and the daily influenza cases after adjusting for possible influence variables; Results: There were 4767 influenza cases. PM2.5 and PM10 on lag 0, lag 3, and lag 4 were significantly associated with an increased risk of influenza; gaseous pollutants (NO2 and SO2) led to higher risk than particulate matter pollutants (PM2.5 and PM10). There were no significant differences for sex subgroup analyses. Except for O3, the incidence risk of males and females was highest on lag 3 and lag 4. For the study of different age groups, influenza cases aged over 59 years had a slightly larger relative risk when exposed to all air pollutants (except O3) than the younger group; Conclusions: The overall number of influenza cases decreased in 2020–2021. PM2.5, SO2, CO, and NO2 were significantly associated with the risk of influenza during 2020–2021. Countermeasures should be developed according to the characteristics of influenza risk to prevent and control it.

Abstract Background Cavity effusion is common in patients with infectious diseases. However, the incidence rate and characteristics of serous cavity effusions (SCE) in septic patients are not clear to date. The objective of this study was to investigate the incidence and characteristics of SCE in septic patients and to explore the correlations between the bloody effusions and the illness severity/prognosis in septic patients. Methods From January 2010 to January 2015, a total of 214 patients with severe sepsis and septic shock were enrolled in this retrospective observational study. Thoracentesis or abdominal paracentesis was performed in 45 septic patients because of massive pleural effusions or ascites. The serum concentrations of VEGF, VEGFR, Ang, sICAM-1, sVCAM-1, E-selectin, Serpine1 and VE-cadherin in 45 septic patients underwent paracentesis were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results Of the 214 septic patients, 155 (72.4%) had SCE according to imaging or ultrasound manifestations. 45 subjects with SCE underwent therapeutic thoracentesis or abdominal paracentesis. Effusion laboratory analysis showed that exudates were predominant when compared with transudates (95.6% vs. 4.4%), and 16 (35.6%) patients suffered bloody effusions. Compared with patients with non-bloody effusions, those with bloody effusions showed higher critical illness scores (13 vs. 17 for APACHE II; 7 vs. 9 for SOFA), and higher mortality (6.9% vs. 62.5%). Moreover, patients with bloody effusions had delayed TT and APTT, increased D-dimer concentration, and higher serum levels of CRP and PCT (P

Abstract By including the interference effect between the QCD and the QED diagrams, we carry out a complete analysis on the exclusive productions of $$e^+e^- \rightarrow J/\psi +\chi _{cJ}$$ e+e-→J/ψ+χcJ ($$J=0,1,2$$ J=0,1,2 ) at the B factories with $$\sqrt{s}=10.6$$ s=10.6 GeV at the next-to-leading-order (NLO) level in $$\alpha _s$$ αs , within the nonrelativistic QCD framework. It is found that the $${\mathcal {O}} (\alpha ^3\alpha _s)$$ O(α3αs) -order terms that represent the tree-level interference are comparable with the usual NLO QCD corrections, especially for the $$\chi _{c1}$$ χc1 and $$\chi _{c2}$$ χc2 cases. To explore the effect of the higher-order terms, namely $${\mathcal {O}} (\alpha ^3\alpha _s^2)$$ O(α3αs2) , we perform the QCD corrections to these $${\mathcal {O}} (\alpha ^3\alpha _s)$$ O(α3αs) -order terms for the first time, which are found to be able to significantly influence the $${\mathcal {O}} (\alpha ^3\alpha _s)$$ O(α3αs) -order results. In particular, in the case of $$\chi _{c1}$$ χc1 and $$\chi _{c2}$$ χc2 , the newly calculated $${\mathcal {O}} (\alpha ^3\alpha _s^2)$$ O(α3αs2) -order terms can to a large extent counteract the $${\mathcal {O}} (\alpha ^3\alpha _s)$$ O(α3αs) contributions, evidently indicating the indispensability of the corrections. In addition, we find that, as the collision energy rises, the percentage of the interference effect in the total cross section will increase rapidly, especially for the $$\chi _{c1}$$ χc1 case.

To address the brittle compounds formation issue in the brazed seam, an innovative 3-dimensional (3D) graphene sponge (GS) was selected to integrate with a single AgCuTi braze, forming a composite braze filler to achieve an AgCu eutectic dominated brazed seam with almost no brittle compounds. Interfacial microstructure of the C/C-C/C (C/C: carbon fiber reinforced carbon composites) joints brazed with and without the 3D GS reinforced braze filler were put into comparison. In particular, the braze filler/GS interface was in-depth discussed using a transmission electron microscope (TEM) combined with a high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Results show that a 53% increase in shear strength happened for the joints after using a 3D GS reinforced braze filler. The mechanical performance of the braze filler with and without the 3D GS reinforcement was characterized and discussed. Results show that the 3D GS reinforced braze filler is both mechanically stronger and more ductile compared with the original braze filler. Keywords: 3-Dimensional graphene sponge, Strength, Ductility, Interface, Brazing

Abstract As indicated in our previous paper (Zhang and Sun in Phys. Rev. D 96:034002, 2017), the existing literature studying the $$J/\psi $$ J / ψ production in deeply inelastic scattering (DIS) in collinear factorisation is on the basis of a formalism that will lead to wrong results when the ranges of the transverse momentum or the rapidity of the $$J/\psi $$ J / ψ in the laboratory frame do not cover all values possible for them. In this paper, we present the renewed results for the $$J/\psi $$ J / ψ production in DIS at HERA within the nonrelativistic QCD framework at QCD leading order (LO). Three different sets of the long-distance matrix elements are employed for comparison. The predictions via the colour-singlet (CS) model at QCD LO are generally below the experimental data especially in the regions where perturbation theory are expected to work well, while the colour-octet contributions are of the same order of magnitude as the CS ones, however, in general make the agreement between theory and experiment better.

Abstract Double $$J/\psi $$ J / ψ production in $$e^+e^-$$ e + e - collisions involving color-octet channels are evaluated up to order $$\alpha ^2\alpha _s^3$$ α 2 α s 3 . Having implemented the variation of the parameters ( $$m_c$$ m c , $$\mu _r$$ μ r and long-distance matrix elements), we found that the cross sections for producing double $$J/\psi $$ J / ψ at B-factories range from $$-0.016$$ - 0.016 to 0.245 fb, which are even much smaller than that via the color-singlet mechanism. Accordingly, this result is consistent with the measurement by the Belle and BABAR Collaborations.

Transient liquid phase (TLP) diffusion bonding of DZ40M cobalt-based superalloy was carried out using a self-made NiCrCoWB intermediate layer. The typical microstructure of the joint was investigated. The effect of holding time on the microstructural evolution and the tensile strength of the brazed joints was studied. The tensile strength of the joints TLP bonded at 1160 °C for 60 min reached the maximum value of 487 MPa, which was 88.6% of the base metal strength. The diffusion of boron and the evolution of the eutectic zone were numerically studied. The time needed for isothermal solidification completion was calculated and predicted, which was well in accordance with the experimental results.

Background: Fibroblast proliferation is a critical feature during heart failure development. Previous studies reported regulatory T-lymphocytes (Tregs)’ protective role against myocardial fibrosis. However, notably, Tregs also secrete fibrogenic cytokine TGF-β when activated. This study aimed to clarify the intriguing link between Tregs and fibrosis, the role of Tregs Kv1.3 potassium channel (regulating T-lymphocytes activation) in the fibrosis process, and how selective aldosterone receptor antagonist Eplerenone affects Tregs and fibrosis through its action on Kv1.3 channel.Methods and Results: After co-incubation with Tregs, cardiac fibroblast proliferation (CCK-8 assay) and levels of collagen I, III, and Matrix metalloproteinase2 (ELISA) significantly elevated. Cell viability assays, Kv1.3 channel mRNA (RT-qPCR), and protein expression (In-Cell Western Blotting) revealed Tregs were activated/proliferated when co-cultured with fibroblasts. Treg intracellular TGF-β level increased by 5.8-fold, far more than that of intracellular IL-10, extracellular TGF-β and IL-10 (ELISA). And 30 μM eplerenone suppressed Tregs proliferation by 82.77% and furthermore, suppressed intracellular TGF-β level to a significantly greater extent than that of intracellular IL-10, extracellular TGF-β and IL-10. Moreover, the Kv1.3 current (whole-cell patch clamp) of Tregs in congestive heart failure patients and rats (induced by coronary artery ligation and exhaustive exercise) elevated by >4-fold than that of healthy volunteers and control rats, whereas 30 μM eplerenone suppressed the current by >60% in control Tregs. In addition, docking calculations (AutoDock software 4.0 suite) showed eplerenone has higher H-bond energy with Kv1.3 channel than other selective blockers.Conclusion: Immuno-regulation in the late stage of CHF activates Tregs proliferation via the upregulation of Kv1.3 channels, which promotes cardiac fibrosis by primarily secreting TGF-β. Taken together, eplerenone’s high affinity to Kv1.3 channel enables it to antagonize the Kv1.3 channels directly to suppress Tregs proliferation, which in turn may play an immuno-regulatory role during CHF.

To satisfy the lightweight requirements of large pipe weapons, a novel electrohydraulic servo (EHS) system where the hydraulic cylinder possesses three cavities is developed and investigated in the present study. In the EHS system, the balancing cavity of the EHS is especially designed for active compensation for the unbalancing force of the system, whereas the two driving cavities are employed for positioning and disturbance rejection of the large pipe. Aiming at simultaneously balancing and positioning of the EHS system, a novel neural network based active disturbance rejection control (NNADRC) strategy is developed. In the NNADRC, the radial basis function (RBF) neural network is employed for online updating of parameters of the extended state observer (ESO). Thereby, the nonlinear behavior and external disturbance of the system can be accurately estimated and compensated in real time. The efficiency and superiority of the system are critically investigated by conducting numerical simulations, showing that much higher steady accuracy as well as system robustness is achieved when comparing with conventional ADRC control system. It indicates that the NNADRC is a very promising technique for achieving fast, stable, smooth, and accurate control of the novel EHS system.

BackgroundTumor necrosis factor (TNF) and TNF receptor superfamily (TNFR)-mediated immune response play an essential role in the pathogenesis of severe sepsis. Studies examining associations of TNF and lymphotoxin-α (LTA) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with severe sepsis have produced conflicting results. The objective of this study was to investigate whether genetic variation in TNF, LTA, TNFRSF1A and TNFRSF1B was associated with susceptibility to or death from severe sepsis in Chinese Han population.Methodology/principal findingsTen SNPs in TNF, LTA, TNFRSF1A and TNFRSF1B were genotyped in samples of patients with severe sepsis (n = 432), sepsis (n = 384) and healthy controls (n = 624). Our results showed that rs1800629, a SNP in the promoter region of TNF, was significantly associated with risk for severe sepsis. The minor allele frequency of rs1800629 was significantly higher in severe sepsis patients than that in both healthy controls (P(adj) = 0.00046, odds ratio (OR)(adj) = 1.92) and sepsis patients (P(adj) = 0.002, OR(adj) = 1.56). Further, we investigated the correlation between rs1800629 genotypes and TNF-α concentrations in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of healthy volunteers exposed to lipopolysaccharides (LPS) ex vivo, and the association between rs1800629 and TNF-α serum levels in severe sepsis patients. After exposure to LPS, the TNF-α concentration in culture supernatants of PBMCs was significantly higher in the subjects with AA+AG genotypes than that with GG genotype (P = 0.007). Moreover, in patients with severe sepsis, individuals with AA+AG genotypes had significantly higher TNF-α serum concentrations than those with GG genotype (P(adj) = 0.02). However, there were no significant associations between SNPs in the four candidate genes and 30 day mortality for patients with severe sepsis.Conclusions/significanceOur findings suggested that the functional TNF gene SNP rs1800629 was strongly associated with susceptibility to severe sepsis, but not with lethality in Chinese Han population.