GPS-SUMO 2.0: an updated online service for the prediction of SUMOylation sites and SUMO-interacting motifs

Small ubiquitin-like modifiers (SUMOs) are tiny but important protein regulators involved in orchestrating a broad spectrum of biological processes, either by covalently modifying protein substrates or by noncovalently interacting with other proteins. Here, we report an updated server, GPS-SUMO 2.0, for the prediction of SUMOylation sites and SUMO-interacting motifs (SIMs). For predictor training, we adopted three machine learning algorithms, penalized logistic regression (PLR), a deep neural network (DNN), and a transformer, and used 52 404 nonredundant SUMOylation sites in 8262 proteins and 163 SIMs in 102 proteins. To further increase the accuracy of predicting SUMOylation sites, a pretraining model was first constructed using 145 545 protein lysine modification sites, followed by transfer learning to fine-tune the model. GPS-SUMO 2.0 exhibited greater accuracy in predicting SUMOylation sites than did other existing tools. For users, one or multiple protein sequences or identifiers can be input, and the prediction results are shown in a tabular list. In addition to the basic statistics, we integrated knowledge from 35 public resources to annotate SUMOylation sites or SIMs. The GPS-SUMO 2.0 server is freely available at https://sumo.biocuckoo.cn/. We believe that GPS-SUMO 2.0 can serve as a useful tool for further analysis of SUMOylation and SUMO interactions.

Optically Tunable Electrical Oscillations in Oxide-Based Memristors for Neuromorphic Computing

The application of hardware-based neural networks can be enhanced by integrating sensory neurons and synapses that enable direct input from external stimuli. This work reports direct optical control of an oscillatory neuron based on volatile threshold switching in V3O5. The devices exhibit electroforming-free operation with switching parameters that can be tuned by optical illumination. Using temperature-dependent electrical measurements, conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM), in situ thermal imaging, and lumped element modelling, it is shown that the changes in switching parameters, including threshold and hold voltages, arise from overall conductivity increase of the oxide film due to the contribution of both photoconductive and bolometric characteristics of V3O5, which eventually affects the oscillation dynamics. Furthermore, V3O5 is identified as a new bolometric material with a temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) as high as -4.6% K-1 at 423 K. The utility of these devices is illustrated by demonstrating in-sensor reservoir computing with reduced computational effort and an optical encoding layer for spiking neural network (SNN), respectively, using a simulated array of devices.

Comparing the osteogenesis outcomes of different lumbar interbody fusions (A/O/X/T/PLIF) by evaluating their mechano-driven fusion processes

BACKGROUND

In lumbar interbody fusion (LIF), achieving proper fusion status requires osteogenesis to occur in the disc space. Current LIF techniques, including anterior, oblique, lateral, transforaminal, and posterior LIF (A/O/X/T/PLIF), may result in varying osteogenesis outcomes due to differences in biomechanical characteristics.

METHODS

A mechano-regulation algorithm was developed to predict the fusion processes of A/O/X/T/PLIF based on finite element modeling and iterative evaluations of the mechanobiological activities of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and their differentiated cells (osteoblasts, chondrocytes, and fibroblasts). Fusion occurred in the grafting region, and each differentiated cell type generated the corresponding tissue proportional to its concentration. The corresponding osteogenesis volume was calculated by multiplying the osteoblast concentration by the grafting volume.

RESULTS

TLIF and ALIF achieved markedly greater osteogenesis volumes than did PLIF and O/XLIF (5.46, 5.12, 4.26, and 3.15 cm3, respectively). Grafting volume and cage size were the main factors influencing the osteogenesis outcome in patients treated with LIF. A large grafting volume allowed more osteoblasts (bone tissues) to be accommodated in the disc space. A small cage size reduced the cage/endplate ratio and therefore decreased the stiffness of the LIF. This led to a larger osteogenesis region to promote osteoblastic differentiation of MSCs and osteoblast proliferation (bone regeneration), which subsequently increased the bone fraction in the grafting space.

CONCLUSION

TLIF and ALIF produced more favorable biomechanical environments for osteogenesis than did PLIF and O/XLIF. A small cage and a large grafting volume improve osteogenesis by facilitating osteogenesis-related cell activities driven by mechanical forces.

Bulk Schottky Junctions-Based Flexible Triboelectric Nanogenerators to Power Backscatter Communications in Green 6G Networks

This work introduces a novel method to construct Schottky junctions to boost the output performance of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). Perovskite barium zirconium titanate (BZT) core/metal silver shell nanoparticles are synthesized to be embedded into electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-HFP) nanofibers before they are used as tribo-negative layers. The output power of TENGs with composite fiber mat exhibited >600% increase compared to that with neat polymer fiber mat. The best TENG achieved 1339 V in open-circuit voltage, 40 µA in short-circuit current and 47.9 W m-2 in power density. The Schottky junctions increased charge carrier density in tribo-layers, ensuring a high charge transfer rate while keeping the content of conductive fillers low, thus avoiding charge loss and improving performance. These TENGs are utilized to power radio frequency identification (RFID) tags for backscatter communication (BackCom) systems, enabling ultra-massive connectivity in the 6G wireless networks and reducing information communications technology systems' carbon footprint. Specifically, TENGs are used to provide an additional energy source to the passive tags. Results show that TENGs can boost power for BackCom and increase the communication range by 386%. This timely contribution offers a novel route for sustainable 6G applications by exploiting the expanded communication range of BackCom tags.

Polarization Alignment in Polycrystalline BiFeO3 Photoelectrodes for Tunable Band Bending

Polarization in a semiconductor can modulate the band bending via the depolarization electric field (EdP), subsequently tuning the charge separation and transfer (CST) process in photoelectrodes. However, the random orientation of dipole moments in many polycrystalline semiconductor photoelectrodes leads to negligible polarization effect. How to effectively align the dipole moments in polycrystalline photoelectrodes into the same direction to maximize the polarization is still to be developed. Herein, we report that the dipole moments in a ferroelectric BiFeO3 photoelectrode can be controlled under external poling, resulting in a tunable CST efficiency. A negative bias of -40 voltage (V) poling to the photoelectrode leads to an over 110% increase of the CST efficiency, while poling at +40 V, the CST efficiency is reduced to only 41% of the original value. Furthermore, a nearly linear relationship between the external poling voltage and surface potential is discovered. The findings here provide an effective method in tuning the band bending and charge transfer of the emerging ferroelectricity driven solar energy conversion.

Hyperon Polarization along the Beam Direction Relative to the Second and Third Harmonic Event Planes in Isobar Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV

The polarization of Λ and Λ[over ¯] hyperons along the beam direction has been measured relative to the second and third harmonic event planes in isobar Ru+Ru and Zr+Zr collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV. This is the first experimental evidence of the hyperon polarization by the triangular flow originating from the initial density fluctuations. The amplitudes of the sine modulation for the second and third harmonic results are comparable in magnitude, increase from central to peripheral collisions, and show a mild p_{T} dependence. The azimuthal angle dependence of the polarization follows the vorticity pattern expected due to elliptic and triangular anisotropic flow, and qualitatively disagrees with most hydrodynamic model calculations based on thermal vorticity and shear induced contributions. The model results based on one of existing implementations of the shear contribution lead to a correct azimuthal angle dependence, but predict centrality and p_{T} dependence that still disagree with experimental measurements. Thus, our results provide stringent constraints on the thermal vorticity and shear-induced contributions to hyperon polarization. Comparison to previous measurements at RHIC and the LHC for the second-order harmonic results shows little dependence on the collision system size and collision energy.

Refining the TNM M1 Subcategory for De Novo Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

To refine oligometastatic disease (OMD) and construct M1 categories for de novo metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (dmNPC) MATERIALS/METHODS: We included 504 patients who received chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy between 2010-2019 from two centers (training and validation cohort). Multivariable analyses were used to evaluate the prognostic value of OMD and metastatic organs, which were then used to construct M1 categories RESULTS: The median follow-up for the training and validation cohorts were 46 and 57 months, respectively. OMD (≤ 2 metastatic organs and ≤ 5 metastatic lesions) had the highest C-index compared to the other models in both cohorts. Multivariable analyses, in which both OMD and liver metastases did not coexist, revealed that OMD (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.110 and 1.598) and liver metastases (HR = 1.572 and 1.452) were prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) in both cohorts. Based on OMD and liver metastases, patients with dmNPC were divided into M1a (OMD without liver metastases) and M1b (OMD with liver metastases or polymetastatic disease). The 3-year OS of the M1a patients was better than that of the M1b patients in both cohorts (both p < 0.001). In the anti-PD1 mAb and chemotherapy cohorts, patients with M1ahad a significantly better median progression-free survival than those with M1b (p < 0.001) CONCLUSION: OMD with ≤ 2 metastatic organs and ≤ 5 metastatic lesions is an appropriate definition for dmNPC. M1 subcategories constructed based on OMD and liver metastases improved prognostic evaluation for patients with dmNPC who received chemotherapy or antiPD1 mAb treatment.

"Fill the World with Love": Songs with Prosocial Lyrics Enhance Online Charitable Donations among Chinese Adults

Research has shown that songs with prosocial lyrics can enhance individual prosociality. Building on the general learning model (GLM), this study demonstrated, through real-world charitable organizations, how songs with prosocial lyrics influence helping behavior that uses time as a currency. In Study 1, participants were randomly assigned to conditions of prosocial songs, prosocial lyrics, or neutral songs, and they were instructed to complete an online charity task. The results indicated that compared to the neutral songs, participants listening to prosocial songs and lyrics spent more time donating rice to the United Nations World Food Programme. This effect was replicated in Study 2, employing different media exposure from Study 1 (i.e., listening to background music). Furthermore, investigations into the underlying mechanisms revealed that this effect was mediated by interpersonal empathy. In summary, current findings suggest that songs with prosocial lyrics increase interpersonal empathy, subsequently influencing people's online charitable donation behaviors in daily life.

The effect of brief digital mindfulness-based interventions on increasing online charitable behavior in Chinese adolescents

Digital mindfulness-based interventions (d-MBIs) have garnered significant research interest in recent years due to their psychological benefits. However, little is known about their impact on prosocial behaviors. This study investigates how d-MBIs impact prosocial behaviors where time spent is money, with Chinese adolescents as the subjects, through an online charity task (www.freerice.com). 119 students from a high school in China, who were inexperienced with mindfulness meditation, participated in this randomized controlled trial. The d-MBI group (N = 39) received online MBI guidance, while the face-to-face mindfulness-based intervention (f-MBI, N = 43) group underwent mindfulness intervention under personal tutors. The active control group (N = 37) completed a crossword task. Data analysis first involved repeated measures variance analysis, including pre-and post-intervention assessments. Subsequently, a two-way variance analysis was performed, with gender (female and male) and group (d-MBI, f-MBI, active control) as independent variables and the number of grains as dependent variables for the three groups of participants. Results showed that d-MBIs effectively improved empathy and compassion in Chinese adolescents, leading to increased rice donations to the United Nations World Food Program. These results underscore the positive effect of d-MBIs on prosociality and suggest their applicability in beneficial real-world situations involving prosocial behaviors, extending beyond previous research primarily conducted in artificial and hypothetical scenarios.

Time Matters: Time Perspectives Predict Intertemporal Prosocial Preferences

The study utilizes the Chinese version of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI-C) and a novelty intertemporal prosocial discounting paradigm to explore the preferences of individuals with the Present Impulsive Time Perspective (PITP) and the Future Time Perspective (FTP) in intertemporal prosocial choices, and uncovers the cognitive mechanisms underpinning intertemporal altruism from the personality traits. The findings revealed: (1) The donation behaviors of both groups decreased as time delay rose, aligning with the hyperbolic model. (2) PITP individuals had significantly higher discount rates than those with FTP, and the scores of FTP individuals on the "Future" dimension of the ZTPI-C were positively correlated with the amount of money they were willing to forgo. These results suggest that time perspective, as a stable personality trait, can predict individuals' intertemporal prosocial preferences. Our research enriches the theory of intertemporal choices and extends the Perceived-time-based model (PTBM) to the domain of intertemporal social preferences.

Biomechanical properties of different anterior and posterior techniques for atlantoaxial fixation: a finite element analysis

BACKGROUND

Many techniques for atlantoaxial fixation have been developed. However, the biomechanical differences among various atlantoaxial fixation methods remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the biomechanical influence of anterior and posterior atlantoaxial fixation techniques on fixed and nonfixed segments.

METHODS

An occiput-C7 cervical finite element model was used to construct 6 surgical models including a Harms plate, a transoral atlantoaxial reduction plate (TARP), an anterior transarticular screw (ATS), a Magerl screw, a posterior screw-plate, and a screw-rod system. Range of motion (ROM), facet joint force (FJF), disc stress, screw stress, and bone-screw interface stress were calculated.

RESULTS

The C1/2 ROMs were relatively small in the ATS and Magerl screw models under all loading directions except for extension (0.1°-1.0°). The posterior screw-plate system and screw-rod system generated greater stresses on the screws (77.6-1018.1 MPa) and bone-screw interfaces (58.3-499.0 MPa). The Harms plate and TARP models had relatively small ROMs (3.2°-17.6°), disc stress (1.3-7.6 MPa), and FJF (3.3-106.8 N) at the nonfixed segments. Changes in disc stress and FJF of the cervical segments were not consistent with changes in ROM.

CONCLUSIONS

ATS and Magerl screws may provide good atlantoaxial stability. The posterior screw-rod system and screw-plate system may have higher risks of screw loosening and breakage. The Harms plate and TARP model may more effectively relieve nonfixed segment degeneration than other techniques. The C0/1 or C2/3 segment may not be more susceptible to degeneration than other nonfixed segments after C1/2 fixation.

IrOx·nH2O with lattice water-assisted oxygen exchange for high-performance proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers

The trade-off between activity and stability of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE) is challenging. Crystalline IrO₂ displays good stability but exhibits poor activity; amorphous IrO_x exhibits outstanding activity while sacrificing stability. Here, we combine the advantages of these two materials via a lattice water-incorporated iridium oxide (IrO_x·nH₂O) that has short-range ordered structure of hollandite-like framework. We confirm that IrO_x·nH₂O exhibits boosted activity and ultrahigh stability of >5700 hours (~8 months) with a record-high stability number of 1.9 × 10⁷ n_oxygen n_Ir^-1. We evidence that lattice water is active oxygen species in sustainable and rapid oxygen exchange. The lattice water-assisted modified OER mechanism contributes to improved activity and concurrent stability with no apparent structural degradation, which is different to the conventional adsorbate evolution mechanism and lattice oxygen mechanism. We demonstrate that a high-performance PEMWE with IrO_x·nH₂O as anode electrocatalyst delivers a cell voltage of 1.77 V at 1 A cm^-2 for 600 hours (60°C).

Measurements of the Elliptic and Triangular Azimuthal Anisotropies in Central ^{3}He+Au, d+Au and p+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV

The elliptic (v_{2}) and triangular (v_{3}) azimuthal anisotropy coefficients in central ^{3}He+Au, d+Au, and p+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV are measured as a function of transverse momentum (p_{T}) at midrapidity (|η|<0.9), via the azimuthal angular correlation between two particles both at |η|<0.9. While the v_{2}(p_{T}) values depend on the colliding systems, the v_{3}(p_{T}) values are system independent within the uncertainties, suggesting an influence on eccentricity from subnucleonic fluctuations in these small-sized systems. These results also provide stringent constraints for the hydrodynamic modeling of these systems.

Robust Thermal Neutron Detection by LiInP2 Se6 Bulk Single Crystals

Direct neutron detection based on semiconductor crystals holds promise to transform current neutron detector technologies and further boosts their widespread applications. It is, however, long impeded by the dearth of suitable materials in the form of sizeable bulk crystals. Here, high-quality centimeter-sized LiInP₂ Se₆ single crystals are developed using the Bridgman method and their structure and property characteristics are systematically investigated. The prototype detectors fabricated from the crystals demonstrate an energy resolution of 53.7% in response to α-particles generated from an ²⁴¹ Am source and robust, well-defined response spectra to thermal neutrons that exhibit no polarization or degradation effects under prolonged neutron/γ-ray irradiation. The primary mechanisms of Se-vacancy and In_Li antisite defects in the carrier trapping process are also identified. Such insights are critical for further enhancing the energy resolution of LiInP₂ Se₆ bulk crystals toward the intrinsic level (≈8.6% as indicated by the chemical vapor transport-grown thin crystals). These results pave the way for practically adopting LiInP₂ Se₆ single crystals in new-generation solid-state neutron detectors.

A swelling-based biphasic analysis on the quasi-static biomechanical behaviors of healthy and degenerative intervertebral discs

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

The degeneration of intervertebral discs is significantly dependent of the changes in tissue composition ratio and tissue structure. Up to the present, the effects of degeneration on the quasi-static biomechanical responses of discs have not been well understood. The goal of this study is to quantitatively analyze the quasi-static responses of healthy and degenerative discs.

METHODS

Four biphasic swelling-based finite element models are developed and quantitatively validated. Four quasi-static test protocols, including the free-swelling, slow-ramp, creep and stress-relaxation, are implemented. The double Voigt and double Maxwell models are further used to extract the immediate (or residual), short-term and long-term responses of these tests.

RESULTS

Simulation results show that both the swelling-induced pressure in the nucleus pulposus and the initial modulus decrease with degeneration. In the free-swelling test of discs possessing healthy cartilage endplates, simulation results show that over 80% of the total strain is contributed by the short-term response. The long-term response is dominant for discs with degenerated permeability in cartilage endplates. For the creep test, over 50% of the deformation is contributed by the long-term response. In the stress-relaxation test, the long-term stress contribution occupies approximately 31% of total response and is independent of degeneration. Both the residual and short-term responses vary monotonically with degeneration. In addition, both the glycosaminoglycan content and permeability affect the engineering equilibrium time constants of the rheologic models, in which the determining factor is the permeability.

CONCLUSIONS

The content of glycosaminoglycan in intervertebral soft tissues and the permeability of cartilage endplates are two critical factors that affect the fluid-dependent viscoelastic responses of intervertebral discs. The component proportions of the fluid-dependent viscoelastic responses depend also strongly on test protocols. In the slow-ramp test, the glycosaminoglycan content is responsible for the changes of the initial modulus. Since existing computational models simulate disc degenerations only by altering disc height, boundary conditions and material stiffness, the current work highlights the significance of biochemical composition and cartilage endplates permeability in the biomechanical behaviors of degenerated discs.

Two anthracene-based zirconium metal-organic frameworks with fcu and hcp topologies as versatile fluorescent sensors for detection of inorganic ions and nitroaromatics

Two anthracene-based zirconium metal-organic frameworks (UiO-68-AN-fcu and UiO-68-AN-hcp) with blue emission were synthesized by the solvothermal reaction of ZrCl₄ with anthracene-based ligand 4,4'-(9,10-anthracenediyl)dibenzoic acid. The two MOFs inherited the luminescence properties of anthracene-based ligand and exhibited different topologies due to the change of connection mode of Zr-O clusters. The two stable anthracene-based zirconium MOFs served as luminescent sensors for selectively detecting 2-nitrophenol, Fe³⁺ and Cr₂O₇^2-. UiO-68-AN-hcp with flower morphology exhibited stronger quenching effect for 2-nitrophenol, Fe³⁺ and Cr₂O₇^2- by comparing to UiO-68-AN-fcu. Adsorption tests, fluorescence lifetime and spectroscopy studies demonstrated that the fluorescence responses of MOFs for analytes can be primarily attributed to the dynamic quenching mechanism involving energy and electron transfer. These results revealed that the combination of luminescent anthracene-based ligand and Zr-O clusters is a feasible strategy to construst MOFs-based fluorescent sensors.

Observation of Directed Flow of Hypernuclei _{Λ}^{3}H and _{Λ}^{4}H in sqrt[s_{NN}]=3 GeV Au+Au Collisions at RHIC

We report here the first observation of directed flow (v_{1}) of the hypernuclei _{Λ}^{3}H and _{Λ}^{4}H in mid-central Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=3  GeV at RHIC. These data are taken as part of the beam energy scan program carried out by the STAR experiment. From 165×10^{6} events in 5%-40% centrality, about 8400 _{Λ}^{3}H and 5200 _{Λ}^{4}H candidates are reconstructed through two- and three-body decay channels. We observe that these hypernuclei exhibit significant directed flow. Comparing to that of light nuclei, it is found that the midrapidity v_{1} slopes of _{Λ}^{3}H and _{Λ}^{4}H follow baryon number scaling, implying that the coalescence is the dominant mechanism for these hypernuclei production in the 3 GeV Au+Au collisions.

Machine Learning-Enabled Superior Energy Storage in Ferroelectric Films with a Slush-Like Polar State

Heterogeneities in structure and polarization have been employed to enhance the energy storage properties of ferroelectric films. The presence of nonpolar phases, however, weakens the net polarization. Here, we achieve a slush-like polar state with fine domains of different ferroelectric polar phases by narrowing the large combinatorial space of likely candidates using machine learning methods. The formation of the slush-like polar state at the nanoscale in cation-doped BaTiO₃ films is simulated by phase field simulation and confirmed by aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy. The large polarization and the delayed polarization saturation lead to greatly enhanced energy density of 80 J/cm³ and transfer efficiency of 85% over a wide temperature range. Such a data-driven design recipe for a slush-like polar state is generally applicable to quickly optimize functionalities of ferroelectric materials.

Beam Energy Dependence of Triton Production and Yield Ratio (N_{t}×N_{p}/N_{d}^{2}) in Au+Au Collisions at RHIC

We report the triton (t) production in midrapidity (|y|<0.5) Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=7.7-200  GeV measured by the STAR experiment from the first phase of the beam energy scan at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The nuclear compound yield ratio (N_{t}×N_{p}/N_{d}^{2}), which is predicted to be sensitive to the fluctuation of local neutron density, is observed to decrease monotonically with increasing charged-particle multiplicity (dN_{ch}/dη) and follows a scaling behavior. The dN_{ch}/dη dependence of the yield ratio is compared to calculations from coalescence and thermal models. Enhancements in the yield ratios relative to the coalescence baseline are observed in the 0%-10% most central collisions at 19.6 and 27 GeV, with a significance of 2.3σ and 3.4σ, respectively, giving a combined significance of 4.1σ. The enhancements are not observed in peripheral collisions or model calculations without critical fluctuation, and decreases with a smaller p_{T} acceptance. The physics implications of these results on the QCD phase structure and the production mechanism of light nuclei in heavy-ion collisions are discussed.

Machine-learning assisted scheduling optimization and its application in quantum chemical calculations

Easy and effective usage of computational resources is crucial for scientific calculations, both from the perspectives of timeliness and economic efficiency. This work proposes a bi-level optimization framework to optimize the computational sequences. Machine-learning (ML) assisted static load-balancing, and different dynamic load-balancing algorithms can be integrated. Consequently, the computational and scheduling engine of the ParaEngine is developed to invoke optimized quantum chemical (QC) calculations. Illustrated benchmark calculations include high-throughput drug suit, solvent model, P38 protein, and SARS-CoV-2 systems. The results show that the usage rate of given computational resources for high throughput and large-scale fragmentation QC calculations can primarily profit, and faster accomplishing computational tasks can be expected when employing high-performance computing (HPC) clusters.

Measurement of Sequential ϒ Suppression in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV with the STAR Experiment

We report on measurements of sequential ϒ suppression in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV with the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) through both the dielectron and dimuon decay channels. In the 0%-60% centrality class, the nuclear modification factors (R_{AA}), which quantify the level of yield suppression in heavy-ion collisions compared to p+p collisions, for ϒ(1S) and ϒ(2S) are 0.40±0.03(stat)±0.03(sys)±0.09(norm) and 0.26±0.08(stat)±0.02(sys)±0.06(norm), respectively, while the upper limit of the ϒ(3S) R_{AA} is 0.17 at a 95% confidence level. This provides experimental evidence that the ϒ(3S) is significantly more suppressed than the ϒ(1S) at RHIC. The level of suppression for ϒ(1S) is comparable to that observed at the much higher collision energy at the Large Hadron Collider. These results point to the creation of a medium at RHIC whose temperature is sufficiently high to strongly suppress excited ϒ states.

Roles of irregularity of pore morphology in osteogenesis of Voronoi scaffolds: From the perspectives of MSC adhesion and mechano-regulated osteoblast differentiation

Bone scaffolds designed based on the Voronoi-tessellation algorithm have been increasingly studied owing to their structural similarity with natural cancellous bone. The irregularity of pore morphology (IPM) influences the osteogenesis efficiency of Voronoi scaffolds since it may alter the static and hydromechanical microenvironments for the initial adhesion and mechano-regulated osteoblast differentiation (MrOD) of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In this work, animal experiments were conducted to explore the relationship between IPM and osteogenesis efficiency in Voronoi scaffolds. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis based on discrete phase models was performed to predict the efficiency of MSC adhesion in different IPMs. Another combined finite element and CFD analysis based on the mechano-regulation algorithm was performed to predict the influence of IPM on the MrOD of the adhesive MSCs. The results showed that the osteogenesis efficiency of the Voronoi scaffolds increased as the IPM rose from low to moderate and then dropped as the IPM further rose. Same trends were also found in the MSC adhesion and MrOD, which caused by the changes of strain tensors on the strut surface and the tortuosity and fluid velocity of the fluid pathway. Moderate IPM induced the highest osteogenesis efficiency owing to its highest efficiencies of MSC adhesion and MrOD. This work identified the optimal IPM for the osteogenesis of Voronoi scaffolds and clarified its biomechanical mechanisms from the adhesion and mechano-regulated differentiation of MSCs, which is of great importance for guiding Voronoi scaffold design when it is used for bone defect repair.

Beam Energy Dependence of Fifth- and Sixth-Order Net-Proton Number Fluctuations in Au+Au Collisions at RHIC

We report the beam energy and collision centrality dependence of fifth and sixth order cumulants (C_{5}, C_{6}) and factorial cumulants (κ_{5}, κ_{6}) of net-proton and proton number distributions, from center-of-mass energy (sqrt[s_{NN}]) 3 GeV to 200 GeV Au+Au collisions at RHIC. Cumulant ratios of net-proton (taken as proxy for net-baryon) distributions generally follow the hierarchy expected from QCD thermodynamics, except for the case of collisions at 3 GeV. The measured values of C_{6}/C_{2} for 0%-40% centrality collisions show progressively negative trend with decreasing energy, while it is positive for the lowest energy studied. These observed negative signs are consistent with QCD calculations (for baryon chemical potential, μ_{B}≤110  MeV) which contains the crossover transition range. In addition, for energies above 7.7 GeV, the measured proton κ_{n}, within uncertainties, does not support the two-component (Poisson+binomial) shape of proton number distributions that would be expected from a first-order phase transition. Taken in combination, the hyperorder proton number fluctuations suggest that the structure of QCD matter at high baryon density, μ_{B}∼750  MeV at sqrt[s_{NN}]=3  GeV is starkly different from those at vanishing μ_{B}∼24  MeV at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV and higher collision energies.

Physical Origin of Negative Differential Resistance in V3 O5 and Its Application as a Solid-State Oscillator

Oxides that exhibit an insulator-metal transition can be used to fabricate energy-efficient relaxation oscillators for use in hardware-based neural networks but there are very few oxides with transition temperatures above room temperature. Here the structural, electrical, and thermal properties of V₃ O₅ thin films and their application as the functional oxide in metal/oxide/metal relaxation oscillators are reported. The V₃ O₅ devices show electroforming-free volatile threshold switching and negative differential resistance (NDR) with stable (<3% variation) cycle-to-cycle operation. The physical mechanisms underpinning these characteristics are investigated using a combination of electrical measurements, in situ thermal imaging, and device modeling. This shows that conduction is confined to a narrow filamentary path due to self-confinement of the current distribution and that the NDR response is initiated at temperatures well below the insulator-metal transition temperature where it is dominated by the temperature-dependent conductivity of the insulating phase. Finally, the dynamics of individual and coupled V₃ O₅ -based relaxation oscillators is reported, showing that capacitively coupled devices exhibit rich non-linear dynamics, including frequency and phase synchronization. These results establish V₃ O₅ as a new functional material for volatile threshold switching and advance the development of robust solid-state neurons for neuromorphic computing.

Analysis of surgical strategies and efficacy in the treatment of Os odontoideum with atlantoaxial dislocation

BACKGROUND

There are many classification systems for atlantoaxial dislocation (AAD). Among these systems, the definitions of irreducible AAD remain vague, and its treatments are not unified.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the surgical strategies and efficacy for the treatment of os odontoideum (OO) with AAD.

METHODS

The clinical data of 56 OO patients with AAD who underwent surgery from January 2017 to June 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. AAD was classified into four types, Type I and type II were treated with posterior fixation and fusion. Type III received posterior fixation and fusion after irreducible dislocations were converted to reducible dislocations by translateral mass release or transoral release. Type IV required transoral release for conversion into reducible dislocations before posterior fixation and fusion. The operation time, blood loss, and complications were recorded. The preoperative and postoperative neurological function changes were assessed using the Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score. Postoperative fusion status was assessed by X-ray.

RESULTS

There were 40 cases of type I-II, 14 cases of type III, and two cases of type IV AAD. The operation times of single posterior fixation and fusion, combined translateral mass release and combined transoral release were 130.52 ± 37.12 min, 151.11 ± 16.91 min and 188.57 ± 44.13 min, the blood loss were 162.63 ± 58.27 mL, 235.56 ± 59.94 mL, 414.29 ± 33.91 mL, respectively. One patient with type III died, one with type III underwent revision surgery due to infection, and three patients with type I had further neurological deterioration after operation. fifty-five patients were followed up for 12-24 months. The follow-up results showed that enough decompression was achieved and that fixation and fusion were effective. The JOA score increased from 9.58 ± 1.84 points preoperative to 13.09 ± 2.68 points at 3 months after operation, 14.07 ± 2.83 points at 6 months and 14.25 ± 2.34 at 12 months after operation, all significant differences compared with preoperative results (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

OO patients with irreducible AAD can be treated by translateral mass release or transoral release combined with posterior fixation and fusion, while some of those with bony fusion can be treated by transoral release combined with posterior fixation and fusion.

Dietary advanced glycation end-products (dAGEs) intake and its relation to sarcopenia and frailty - The Rotterdam Study

Studies on mice have shown a relationship between dietary intake of advanced glycation end-products (dAGEs) and deterioration of musculoskeletal health, but human studies are absent. We investigated the relationship between dietary intake of carboxymethyllysine (dCML) - an AGE prototype - and risk of sarcopenia at baseline and after 5 years of follow-up and a single evaluation of physical frailty in participants from the population-based Rotterdam Study. Appendicular lean mass (ALM) was obtained using insight dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and hand grip strength (HGS) using a hydraulic hand dynamometer. Subjects with both low ALM and weak HGS were classified as having sarcopenia. Frailty (yes/no) was defined by presence of ≥3 and pre-frailty by presence of 1 or 2 components namely, exhaustion, weakness, slowness, weight loss or low physical activity. dCML was calculated using a food frequency questionnaire and dAGE databases. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the odds of physical frailty and prevalent sarcopenia at baseline and follow-up and incident sarcopenia. 2782 participants with an age 66.4 ± 9.9 years and dCML intake 3.3 ± 1.3 mg/day, had data on sarcopenia at both time points. Of whom 84 had sarcopenia at baseline and 73 developed sarcopenia at follow-up. We observed an association of one SD increase in dCML intake with prevalent sarcopenia at baseline [odds ratio, OR = 1.27 (1.01-1.59)] and no association of dCML with incident sarcopenia at 5-year follow-up [OR = 1.12 (0.86-1.44)]. For frailty we analyzed 3577 participants, of whom 1972 were pre-frail and 158 were frail. We observed no association of dCML with either pre-frailty [OR = 0.99 (0.91-1.07)] or frailty [OR = 1.01 (0.83-1.22)] when non-frail subjects were used as reference. Our results show an association of dAGEs with sarcopenia cross-sectionally but not longitudinally where inconclusive findings are observed possibly due to a very low incidence of sarcopenia. There was no association with frailty cross-sectionally.

Remote telemedicine strategy based on multi-risks intervention by intelligent wearable health devices in elderly comorbidities patients with coronary heart disease

Background

Telemedicine based on wearable intelligent health devices becomes increasingly promissing for the elderly due to the accelerated aging population. Especially during COVID-19 pandemic, more elderly coronary heart disease patients with chronic comorbidities are in less secondary prevention management at home.

Objective

To explore the prevention effect on main cardiovascular risk factors and repeated hospitalization in elderly comorbidities patients by telemedicine intervention based on multi-parameter wearable monitoring devices.

Methods

Total of 337 patients with comorbidities of coronary heart disease, hypertension and diabetes, with age more than 65 years old were recruited in the study from October 2019 to January 2021. They were randomly divided into control group and telemedcine intervention group. The latter used remote multi-parameter wearable devices to measure blood pressure, glycemic and electrocardiograph at home every day. A real-time monitoring platform would alarm any abnormal data to the doctors. Both doctors and patients can read the measurement results on a real-time mobile phone APP and interact with each other remotely twice a week routinely. A medical team remotely indicated the medications, while offering guidance on lifestyle. In contrast, the control group adopted traditional outpatient medical strategy to manage diseases.

Results

A total of 306 patients were enrolled in the follow-up experiment finally: 153 in the intervention group and 153 in the control group. Patient characteristics at baseline were balanced between two groups. After 12 months, compared with the control group, the intervention group saw the following metrics significantly reduced: systolic blood pressure (SBP) (131.66±9.43 vs 137.20±12.02 mmHg, P=0.000), total cholesterol (TC) (3.65±0.79 vs 4.08±0.82 mmol/L, P=0.001), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (2.06±0.53 vs 2.38±0.61 mmol/L, P=0.002), and fasting blood glucose (FBG) (6.26±0.75 vs 6.81±0.97 mmol/L, P=0.000), while the following metrics went up significantly: blood pressure control rate (77.3% vs 59.1%, P=0.039), blood lipid control rate(39.4% vs 21.2%, P=0.037), glycemic control rate (71.2% vs 51.5%, P=0.031), and medication adherence score (7.10±0.77 vs 6.80±0.73, P=0.020). Linear regression model analysis indicates that when interaction frequency ≥1.53, 2.47 and 1.15 times/week, the SBP, LDL-C and FBG levels would be controlled, respectively. Cox survival analysis finds that the hospitalization rate of intervention group is significantly lower than that of the control group (24.18% vs 35.29%, P=0.031).

Conclusion

The telemedicine interactive intervention based on multi-parameter wearable devices provides effectively improvement of cardiovascular risk controlling, medication adherence, while reducing the hospitalization rate of patients. A frequency of doctor-patient interactions more than 2 times/week is beneficial for disease management the elderly at home.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Foundation. Main funding source(s): Key scientific research project of Health Commission

Spinal dural arteriovenous fistula: A rare but treatable disease that should not be missed by orthopedic surgeons

Objective

Spinal dural arteriovenous fistula (SDAVF) is a rare disease that is often misdiagnosed by orthopedic surgeons. We analyzed the reasons for the misdiagnosis and proposed countermeasures.

Methods

Twenty-two SDAVF patients who were initially treated in orthopedics were included. The patients were divided into a correct diagnosis group (A) and a misdiagnosis group (B). The clinical data and prognosis were evaluated.

Results

There were 10 patients in group A and 12 patients in group B. The clinical manifestations included limb numbness, weakness, and bladder and bowel dysfunction. Among these patients without spinal degenerative diseases which had typical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features in Group A were more than Group B (P < 0.05). More patients had spinal degenerative diseases in group B. In group A, seven patients were primarily diagnosed with a SDAVF after multidisciplinary teamwork (MDT). In group B, five patients were misdiagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis, four with lumbar disc herniation, two with thoracic spinal stenosis, and one with cervical spinal stenosis and lumbar spinal stenosis and underwent cervical spinal canal and lumbar spinal canal decompression. The length of time for confirming the diagnosis was 7 months longer in group B than in group A. All patients underwent microsurgery treatment. The average follow-up duration was 11 months. The modified Aminoff-Logue Disability Scale scores showed a statistically significant difference in improvement between the two groups (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

when patients with dysuria especially, have intermittent spinal nerve dysfunction, the possibility of SDAVF should be considered. Awareness of the specific clinical and spinal cord edema and flow voids on MRI of a SDAVF needs to be promoted for orthopedic surgeons. Timely MDT is an important measure for reducing misdiagnosis, and steroids or inappropriate surgery should be avoided until a SDAVF is completely excluded.

Effects of Surface Tethering on the Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Frustrated Protein Folding

The interaction between the protein and surface plays an important role in biology and biotechnology. To understand how surface tethering influences the folding behavior of frustrated proteins, in this work, we systematically study the thermodynamics and folding kinetics of the bacterial immunity protein Im7 and Fyn SH3 domain tethered to a surface using Langevin dynamics simulations. Upon surface tethering, the stabilization often results from the entropic effect, whereas the destabilization is usually caused by either an energetic or entropic effect. For the Fyn SH3 domain with a two-state folding manner, the influence of nonnative interactions on thermodynamic stability is not significant, while nonnative interactions can weaken the effect of surface tethering on the change in the folding rate. By contrast, for the frustrated protein Im7, depending on where the protein is tethered, the surface tethering can promote or suppress misfolding by modulating specific nonnative contacts, thereby altering the folding rate and folding mechanism. Because surface tethering can change the intrachain diffusivity of unfolding, the kinetic stability cannot be well captured by the thermodynamic stability at some tether points. This study should be helpful in general to understand how surface tethering affects the folding energy landscape of frustrated proteins.

[Status of HVPG clinical application in China in 2021]

Objective: The investigation and research on the application status of Hepatic Venous Pressure Gradient (HVPG) is very important to understand the real situation and future development of this technology in China. Methods: This study comprehensively investigated the basic situation of HVPG technology in China, including hospital distribution, hospital level, annual number of cases, catheters used, average cost, indications and existing problems. Results: According to the survey, there were 70 hospitals in China carrying out HVPG technology in 2021, distributed in 28 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central Government). A total of 4 398 cases of HVPG were performed in all the surveyed hospitals in 2021, of which 2 291 cases (52.1%) were tested by HVPG alone. The average cost of HVPG detection was (5 617.2±2 079.4) yuan. 96.3% of the teams completed HVPG detection with balloon method, and most of the teams used thrombectomy balloon catheter (80.3%). Conclusion: Through this investigation, the status of domestic clinical application of HVPG has been clarified, and it has been confirmed that many domestic medical institutions have mastered this technology, but it still needs to continue to promote and popularize HVPG technology in the future.

MicroRNA-4463 facilitates the development of colon cancer by suppression of the expression of PPP1R12B

PURPOSE

In the present work, we investigated the expression pattern of miR-4463 in the non-metastasis and metastasis colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and its regulation axis.

METHODS

RT-qPCR assay was performed to assess miR-4463 expression in the serum and tissues of patients with non-metastasis and metastasis, and in the CRC cell lines. MTT assay, colony formation assay, transwell assay, and flow cytometry assay were used to examine the role of miR-4463 in CRC cell viability, proliferation, and migration. Bioinformatic analysis was used to identify the potential target gene of miR-4463, and the targeting relationship between miR-4463 and PPP1R12B was verified in vitro using dual luciferase assay. Western blotting assay was used to determine the protein level of the target gene PPP1R12B in CRC cells under the transfections of miR-4463 mimic, inhibitor and vectors overexpressing PPP1R12B.

RESULTS

miR-4463 was markedly increased in the non-metastasis CRC tissues, and increased even higher in the metastasis CRC tissues, while miR-4463 expression had no significant difference in serum from non-metastasis and metastasis CRC samples. Besides, miR-4463 was upregulated in CRC cell lines. Functionally, miR-4463 promoted CRC cell proliferation, migration, and inhibiting cell apoptosis. Further analysis revealed that the miR-4463/PPP1R12B axis was responsible for the role of this miRNA.

CONCLUSION

We reported the roles of miR-4463 in CRC proliferation and migration, supporting that miR-4463 could be a potential predictive diagnostic marker for colon cancer.

Molecular phylogeny reveals the past transoceanic voyages of drywood termites (Isoptera, Kalotermitidae)

Termites are major decomposers in terrestrial ecosystems and the second most diverse lineage of social insects. The Kalotermitidae form the second-largest termite family and are distributed across tropical and subtropical ecosystems, where they typically live in small colonies confined to single wood items inhabited by individuals with no foraging abilities. How the Kalotermitidae have acquired their global distribution patterns remains unresolved. Similarly, it is unclear whether foraging is ancestral to Kalotermitidae or was secondarily acquired in a few species. These questions can be addressed in a phylogenetic framework. We inferred time-calibrated phylogenetic trees of Kalotermitidae using mitochondrial genomes of ∼120 species, about 27% of kalotermitid diversity, including representatives of 21 of the 23 kalotermitid genera. Our mitochondrial genome phylogenetic trees were corroborated by phylogenies inferred from nuclear ultraconserved elements derived from a subset of 28 species. We found that extant kalotermitids shared a common ancestor 84 Ma (75–93 Ma 95% highest posterior density), indicating that a few disjunctions among early-diverging kalotermitid lineages may predate Gondwana breakup. However, most of the ∼40 disjunctions among biogeographic realms were dated at <50 Ma, indicating that transoceanic dispersals, and more recently human-mediated dispersals, have been the major drivers of the global distribution of Kalotermitidae. Our phylogeny also revealed that the capacity to forage is often found in early-diverging kalotermitid lineages, implying the ancestors of Kalotermitidae were able to forage among multiple wood pieces. Our phylogenetic estimates provide a platform for critical taxonomic revision and future comparative analyses of Kalotermitidae.

Regret Now, Compensate It Later: The Benefits of Experienced Regret on Future Altruism

This article explores how experienced regret and relief evoked in a risky gambling task influence subsequent intertemporal pro-social behavior. We apply a dictator game experiment with delayed rewards to investigate the effect on donating behavior by simultaneously the time delay when the recipient accepts the donation and the emotions experienced by the participant. We examine this effect using a choice titration procedure. The results reveal that independent of the prior experienced emotions, participants’ donations decrease as the time delay rises; the hyperbolic model provides a better explanation of this finding. Significantly, experienced regret impacts the shape of the social discount function with delayed rewards, which is reflected in notably different discount rates. Participants who experienced regret exhibit a lower discount rate than those in the relief condition. Note that this distinct type of generosity differs significantly at the 14-day delay but not at the shortest and longest. It follows that regret can promote future altruism and intertemporal pro-social behavior, depending on the delay.

A finite element study on the effects of follower load on the continuous biomechanical responses of subaxial cervical spine

In spine biomechanics, follower loads are used to mimic the in vivo muscle forces acting on a human spine. However, the effects of the follower load on the continuous biomechanical responses of the subaxial cervical spines (C2-T1) have not been systematically clarified. This study aims at investigating the follower load effects on the continuous biomechanical responses of C2-T1. A nonlinear finite element model is reconstructed and validated for C2-T1. Six levels follower loads are considered along the follower load path that is optimized through a novel range of motion-based method. A moment up to 2 Nm is subsequently superimposed to produce motions in three anatomical planes. The continuous biomechanical responses, including the range of motion, facet joint force, intradiscal pressure and flexibility are evaluated for each motion segment. In the sagittal plane, the change of the overall range of motion arising from the follower loads is less than 6%. In the other two anatomical planes, both the magnitude and shape of the rotation-moment curves change with follower loads. At the neutral position, over 50% decrease in flexibility occurs as the follower load increases from zero to 250 N. In all three anatomical planes, over 50% and 30% decreases in flexibility occur in the first 0.5 Nm for small (≤100 N) and large (≥150 N) follower loads, respectively. Moreover, follower loads tend to increase both the facet joint forces and the intradiscal pressures. The shape of the intradiscal pressure-moment curves changes from nonlinear to roughly linear with increased follower load, especially in the coronal and transverse planes. The results obtained in this work provide a comprehensive understanding on the effects of follower load on the continuous biomechanical responses of the C2-T1.

Probing the Gluonic Structure of the Deuteron with J/ψ Photoproduction in d+Au Ultraperipheral Collisions

Understanding gluon density distributions and how they are modified in nuclei are among the most important goals in nuclear physics. In recent years, diffractive vector meson production measured in ultraperipheral collisions (UPCs) at heavy-ion colliders has provided a new tool for probing the gluon density. In this Letter, we report the first measurement of J/ψ photoproduction off the deuteron in UPCs at the center-of-mass energy sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV in d+Au collisions. The differential cross section as a function of momentum transfer -t is measured. In addition, data with a neutron tagged in the deuteron-going zero-degree calorimeter is investigated for the first time, which is found to be consistent with the expectation of incoherent diffractive scattering at low momentum transfer. Theoretical predictions based on the color glass condensate saturation model and the leading twist approximation nuclear shadowing model are compared with the data quantitatively. A better agreement with the saturation model has been observed. With the current measurement, the results are found to be directly sensitive to the gluon density distribution of the deuteron and the deuteron breakup process, which provides insights into the nuclear gluonic structure.

Cervical non-fusion using biomimetic artificial disc and vertebra complex: technical innovation and biomechanics analysis

Background

Changes in spinal mobility after vertebral fusion are important factors contributing to adjacent vertebral disease (ASD). As an implant for spinal non-fusion, the motion-preserving prosthesis is an effective method to reduce the incidence of ASD, but its deficiencies hamper the application in clinical. This study designs a novel motion-preserving artificial cervical disc and vertebra complex with an anti-dislocation mechanism (MACDVC-AM) and verifies its effect on the cervical spine.

Methods

The MACDVC-AM was designed on the data of healthy volunteers. The finite element intact model, fusion model, and MACDVC-AM model were constructed, and the range of motion (ROM) and stress of adjacent discs were compared. The biomechanical tests were performed on fifteen cervical specimens, and the stability index ROM (SI-ROM) were calculated.

Results

Compared with the intervertebral ROMs of the intact model, the MACDVC-AM model reduced by 28–70% in adjacent segments and increased by 26–54% in operated segments, but the fusion model showed the opposite result. In contrast to the fusion model, the MACDVC-AM model diminished the stress of adjacent intervertebral discs. In biomechanical tests, the MACDVC-AM group showed no significant difference with the ROMs of the intact group (p > 0.05). The SI-ROM of the MACDVC-AM group is negative but close to zero and showed no significant difference with the intact group (p > 0.05).

Conclusions

The MACDVC-AM was successfully designed. The results indicate that the MACDVC-AM can provide physiological mobility and stability, reduce adjacent intervertebral compensatory motion, and alleviate the stress change of adjacent discs, which contributes to protect adjacent discs and reduce the occurrence of ASD.

Relationship between the elastic modulus of the cage material and the biomechanical properties of transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion: A logarithmic regression analysis based on parametric finite element simulations

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Conventional method for evaluating the biomechanical effects of a specific elastic modulus of cage (cage-E) on spinal fusions requires establishing a "one-on-one" biomechanical model, which seems laborious and inefficient when dealing with the emergence of numerous cage materials with various cage-Es. We aim to offer a much convenient method to instantly predicting the biomechanical effects of any targeted cage-E on transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) by using a parametric finite element (FE) analysis to determining the regression relationship between cage-E and biomechanical properties of TLIF.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A L4/5 FE TLIF construct was modeled. Cage-E was linearly increased from 0.1 GPa (cancellous bone) to 110 GPa (titanium alloy). The function equations for assessing the influence of cage-E on the biomechanical indexes of TLIF were established using a logarithmic regression analysis.

EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

As cage-E increased from 0.1 GPa to 110 GPa, all the biomechanical indexes initially increased or decayed rapidly, and then slowed over time. Logarithmic regression models and functional equations were successfully established between cage-E and these indexes (P<0.0001). Their determination coefficients ranged from 0.72 to 0.99. The range of motions decreased from 0.37-1.10° to 0.20-1.07°. The mean stresses of the central and peripheral grafts reduced from 0.10-0.41 and 0.25-0.42 MPa to 0.03-0.04 and 0.19-0.27 MPa, respectively. In addition, the maximum stresses of the screw-bone interface and posterior instrumentation reduced from 11.76-25.04 and 8.91-84.68 MPa to 9.71-18.92 and 6.99-70.59 MPa, respectively. Finally, the maximum stresses of the cage and endplate increased from 0.28-1.35 MPa and 3.90-8.63 MPa to 14.86-36.16 MPa and 11.01-36.55 MPa, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The decrease of cage-E reduces the risks of cage subsidence, cage breakage, and pseudarthrosis, while increasing the risk of instrumentation failure. The logarithmic regression models optimally demonstrate the relationship between cage-E and biomechanical properties of TLIF. The functional equations based on these models can be adopted to predict the biomechanical effects of any targeted cage-Es on TLIF, which effectively simplifies the procedures for the biomechanical assessments of cage materials.

Visible-light-driven sonophotocatalysis for enhanced Cr(VI) reduction based on mixed-linker zirconium-porphyrin MOFs

In this study, we synthesized and characterized two mixed-linker zirconium-porphyrin metal-organic frameworks, PCN-134 and PCN-138 which constructed from tetratopic light harvesting TCPP ligand and tritopic BTB/TBTB ligand (TCPP = trakis(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin),...

Curvature-Mediated Pair Interactions of Soft Nanoparticles Adhered to a Cell Membrane

The curvature-mediated interactions by cell membranes are crucial in many biological processes. We systematically studied the curvature-mediated wrapping of soft nanoparticles (NPs) by a tensionless membrane and the underlying pair interactions between NPs in determining it. We found that there are three types of wrapping pathways, namely, independence, cooperation, and tubulation. The particle size, adhesion strength, and softness are found to be strongly related with the wrapping mechanism. Reducing the adhesion strength transforms the wrapping pathway from cooperation to independence, while enhancing the NP softness requires a stronger adhesion to achieve the cooperative wrapping. This transformation of the wrapping pathway is controlled by the curvature-mediated interactions between NPs. For either soft or rigid NPs, the pair interactions are repulsive at short-ranged distances between NPs, while at long-ranged distances, a larger adhesion between NPs and a membrane is needed to generate attraction between NPs. Moreover, an enhancement of NP softness weakens the repulsion between NPs. These distinct behaviors of soft NPs are ascribed to the gentler deformation of the membrane at the face-to-face region between NPs due to the flattening and spreading of soft NPs along the membrane, requiring a reduced energy cost for soft NPs to approach each other. Our results provide a mechanistic understanding in detail about the membrane-mediated interactions between NPs and their interactions with cell membranes, which is helpful to understand the curvature-mediated assemblies of adhesive proteins or NPs on membranes, and offer novel possibilities for designing an effective NP-based vehicle for controlled drug delivery.

Lithium promotes recovery after spinal cord injury

Lithium is associated with oxidative stress and apoptosis, but the mechanism by which lithium protects against spinal cord injury remains poorly understood. In this study, we found that intraperitoneal administration of lithium chloride (LiCl) in a rat model of spinal cord injury alleviated pathological spinal cord injury and inhibited expression of tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin-6, and interleukin 1 β. Lithium inhibited pyroptosis and reduced inflammation by inhibiting Caspase-1 expression, reducing the oxidative stress response, and inhibiting activation of the Nod-like receptor protein 3 inflammasome. We also investigated the neuroprotective effects of lithium intervention on oxygen/glucose-deprived PC12 cells. We found that lithium reduced inflammation, oxidative damage, apoptosis, and necrosis and up-regulated nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 in PC12 cells. All-trans retinoic acid, an Nrf2 inhibitor, reversed the effects of lithium. These results suggest that lithium exerts anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-pyroptotic effects through the Nrf2/heme oxygenase-1 pathway to promote recovery after spinal cord injury. This study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Xi’an Jiaotong University (approval No. 2018-2053) on October 23, 2018.

The stress deformation response influenced by the chain rigidity for mesostructures in diblock copolymers

A self-consistent field theory formalism based on the wormlike chain model is developed to investigate the stress-strain relation for mesostructures in diblock copolymers under the influence of chain rigidity, involving the adjustable simulation cell in the non-orthogonal coordinates by means of optimization of free energy. We elucidate the effect of the chain persistency broadly spanning from the Gaussian chain to the rigid rodlike chain on the elastic response of mesophases that deviate from the initial equilibrium structures. We analytically and numerically demonstrate that our current approach in the long chain limit recovers to the Gaussian-chain-based theory. Being ascribed to the distinct conformational behaviors for flexible chains and rigid rodlike chains, the tensile and compressive stresses applied to lamellae exhibit asymmetric deformation behaviors and the shear stress applied to the initial equilibrium hexagonal cylinders results in noticeable deviations in the shape and spatial arrangement of cylindroids for various chain rigidity values. For the zero stress, in addition, our approach can be straightforwardly utilized to explore the optimal size and shape of the simulation cell in order to achieve a stress free configuration of systems.