Cushioning mechanism of the metatarsals during landing for the skateboarding ollie maneuver.

Skateboarding is an Olympic event with frequent jumping and landing, where the cushioning effect by the foot structure (from the arch, metatarsals, etc.) and damping performance by sports equipment (shoes, insoles, etc.) can greatly affect an athlete's sports performance and lower the risk of limb injury. Skateboarding is characterized by the formation of a "man-shoe-skateboard system," which makes its foot cushioning mechanism different from those of other sports maneuvers, such as basketball vertical jump and gymnastics broad jump. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify the cushioning mechanism of the foot structure upon landing on a skateboard. To achieve this, a multibody finite element model of the right foot, shoe, and skateboard was created using Mimics, Geomagic, and ANSYS. Kinetic data from the ollie maneuver were used to determine the plantar pressure and Achilles tendon force at three characteristics (T1, T2, and T3). The stress and strain on the foot and metatarsals (MT1-5) were then simulated. The simulation results had an error of 6.98% compared to actual measurements. During landing, the force exerted on the internal soft tissues tends to increase. The stress and strain variations were highest on MT2, MT3, and MT4. Moreover, the torsion angle of MT1 was greater than those of the other metatarsals. Additionally, the displacements of MT2, MT3, and MT4 were higher than those of the other parts. This research shows that skateboarders need to absorb the ground reaction force through the movements of the MTs for ollie landing. The soft tissues, bones, and ligaments in the front foot may have high risks of injury. The developed model serves as a valuable tool for analyzing the foot mechanisms in skateboarding; furthermore, it is crucial to enhance cushioning for the front foot during the design of skateboard shoes to reduce potential injuries.

Par3L, a polarity protein, promotes M1 macrophage polarization and aggravates atherosclerosis in mice via p65 and ERK activation.

Proinflammatory M1 macrophages are critical for the progression of atherosclerosis. The Par3-like protein (Par3L) is a homolog of the Par3 family involved in cell polarity establishment. Par3L has been shown to maintain the stemness of mammary stem cells and promote the survival of colorectal cancer cells. In this study, we investigated the roles of the polar protein Par3L in M1 macrophage polarization and atherosclerosis. To induce atherosclerosis, Apoe-/- mice were fed with an atherosclerotic Western diet for 8 or 16 weeks. We showed that Par3L expression was significantly increased in human and mouse atherosclerotic plaques. In primary mouse macrophages, oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL, 50 µg/mL) time-dependently increased Par3L expression. In Apoe-/- mice, adenovirus-mediated Par3L overexpression aggravated atherosclerotic plaque formation accompanied by increased M1 macrophages in atherosclerotic plaques and bone marrow. In mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) or peritoneal macrophages (PMs), we revealed that Par3L overexpression promoted LPS and IFNγ-induced M1 macrophage polarization by activating p65 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) rather than p38 and JNK signaling. Our results uncover a previously unidentified role for the polarity protein Par3L in aggravating atherosclerosis and favoring M1 macrophage polarization, suggesting that Par3L may serve as a potential therapeutic target for atherosclerosis.

Investigation of the Mechanical Response of the Foot Structure Considering Push-Off Angles in Speed Skating.

The push-off angle is an important factor affecting speed-skating performance. However, quantitative evidence for the relationship between the push-off angle and foot injury is incomplete. This study aimed to establish a three-dimensional (3D) finite element model (FEM) and investigate the mechanical responses of foot structures to stress and strain to explore the relationship between injury and movement. A 3D FEM was reconstructed using CT and 3D scan data and validated by comparing the FEM-predicted and in vivo measurement data in the balanced standing state. A push-off angle obtained from a video of a champion was loaded into the FEM. The error rates of validation were less than 10%. With a decrease in the push-off angle, the stress on the metatarsal increased; the stress on the talus, ankle joint cartilage and plantar fascia decreased, as did the strain on the ankle joint cartilage and plantar fascia. The FEM was considered reasonable. Not all foot structures had an increased risk of injury with a decrease in the push-off angle from 70° to 42°. The FEM established in this study provides a possibility for further determining and quantifying the relationship between foot injury and skating technique.

Aroma profiling of Shine Muscat grape provides detailed insights into the regulatory effect of gibberellic acid and N-(2-chloro-4-pyridinyl)-N-phenylurea applications on aroma quality.

As plant growth regulators, gibberellic acid (GA3) and CPPU [forchlorfenuron, N-(2-chloro-4-pyridinyl)-N-phenylurea] are widely used in the production of table grapes. However, how these compounds regulate the aroma quality remains unclear. By measuring free and bound aroma compounds in Shine Muscat grapes from eight groups during whole growth period, GA3 and CPPU were both found to significantly promote the synthesis of acyclic monoterpenes and (E)-2-hexenal, and double applications were found to further increase the aroma compound contents. On the other hand, GA3 and CPPU obviously promoted the expansion of berries, and the effect of promoting the synthesis of aroma compounds was largely diminished. In conclusion, free compound concentrations in berry were almost unaffected by GA3 and CPPU. From the perspective of aroma compounds, a highly concerted interplay was observed for terpenes, and bound compounds exhibited higher correlations than those of free compounds. In addition, 17 compounds could be used as markers that indicated the developmental timing of berries.

Natural Language Processing for Breast Imaging: A Systematic Review.

Natural Language Processing (NLP) has gained prominence in diagnostic radiology, offering a promising tool for improving breast imaging triage, diagnosis, lesion characterization, and treatment management in breast cancer and other breast diseases. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in NLP for breast imaging, covering the main techniques and applications in this field. Specifically, we discuss various NLP methods used to extract relevant information from clinical notes, radiology reports, and pathology reports and their potential impact on the accuracy and efficiency of breast imaging. In addition, we reviewed the state-of-the-art in NLP-based decision support systems for breast imaging, highlighting the challenges and opportunities of NLP applications for breast imaging in the future. Overall, this review underscores the potential of NLP in enhancing breast imaging care and offers insights for clinicians and researchers interested in this exciting and rapidly evolving field.

Response to the Upcoming Emerging Waste: Necessity and Feasibility Analysis of Photovoltaic Waste Recovery in China.

With the widespread photovoltaic deployment to achieve the net-zero energy goal, the resulting photovoltaic waste draws attention. In China, considerable steps have not been taken for photovoltaic waste management. The lack of relevant scientific information on photovoltaic waste brings difficulties to the establishment of photovoltaic waste regulatory systems. In this study, the necessity and feasibility of photovoltaic waste recovery were investigated. In China, the photovoltaic waste stream was quantified as 48.67-60.78 million t in 2050. In photovoltaic waste, indium, selenium, cadmium, and gallium were in high risk, judging by the metal criticality analysis, which meant that their recovery was significant to alleviate the resource shortage. The full recovery method was proved to reduce the environmental burdens most. For cost and benefit analysis, the net present value/size was -1.02 $/kg according to the current industrial status. However, it can be profitable with the recovery of silver. This study provides scientific and comprehensive information for photovoltaic waste management in China and is expected to promote the sustainable development of photovoltaic industry.

MixNN: A Design for Protecting Deep Learning Models.

In this paper, we propose a novel design, called MixNN, for protecting deep learning model structure and parameters since the model consists of several layers and each layer contains its own structure and parameters. The layers in a deep learning model of MixNN are fully decentralized. It hides communication address, layer parameters and operations, and forward as well as backward message flows among non-adjacent layers using the ideas from mix networks. MixNN has the following advantages: (i) an adversary cannot fully control all layers of a model, including the structure and parameters; (ii) even some layers may collude but they cannot tamper with other honest layers; (iii) model privacy is preserved in the training phase. We provide detailed descriptions for deployment. In one classification experiment, we compared a neural network deployed in a virtual machine with the same one using the MixNN design on the AWS EC2. The result shows that our MixNN retains less than 0.001 difference in terms of classification accuracy, while the whole running time of MixNN is about 7.5 times slower than the one running on a single virtual machine.

Regulatory effect of root restriction on aroma quality of Red Alexandria grape.

To systematically study the impact of root restriction (RR) on the aroma quality of grape berry, in this study, free and bound compounds were investigated in 'Red Alexandria' grape skin and pulp produced with and without RR during development and ripening. Compared with the control, RR advanced the initiation of free-terpene synthesis and increased their concentrations at 14-18 weeks post-flowering (wpf) by promoting the conversion of bound terpenes to free terpenes. In addition, RR significantly regulated the aromatic series at 14-18 wpf and advanced the date of aroma maturation. Network analyses indicated that the correlations among bound compounds were more conserved than those among free compounds, and the skin network displayed tight coordination compared with the pulp network. Terpenes were highly intercorrelated and played a core role in these networks. Finally, 10 bound compounds in pulp were screened out as indicators of the developmental timing of grape.

Narrowly-Distributed Conjugated Polymers Synthesized through Suzuki Polymerization with Palladium(II) N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complex Confined in Dendritic Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles.

A catalytic heterogenous Suzuki polymerization method was developed by confining the Pd(II)-catalyzed cross coupling reactions to take place exclusively in the nanochannels of dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles. Conjugated polymers with various monomer combinations, including donor-acceptor structures, were obtained in high yields. The molecular weights of the obtained polymers were well controlled with narrow molecular weight distributions (PDI value down to 1.13). All the polymeric products were highly soluble in common organic solvents, granting them with high processability. All the features of this confined Suzuki polymerization method endow the conjugated polymers great potential in optoelectronic applications.

Controlled synthesis of conjugated polymers in dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles.

A controlled polymerization strategy is developed by confining the step-growth polycondensation to take place exclusively in the nanochannels of dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles. A variety of conjugated polymers with rich structural patterns were obtained in high yields. The molecular weights were precisely controlled with narrow molecular weight distributions. The obtained conjugated polymers were freely processed in solution and casted in film, showing bright fluorescence emission. All the features of this controlled polymerization method endow the conjugated polymers great potential for future applications.

Recurrent de novo WFS1 pathogenic variants in Chinese sporadic patients with nonsyndromic sensorineural hearing loss.

BACKGROUND: Hereditary hearing loss (HL) is heterogeneous in terms of their phenotypic features, modes of inheritance, and causative gene mutations. The contribution of genetic variants to sporadic HL remains largely expanding. Either recessive or de novo dominant variants could result in an apparently sporadic occurrence of HL. In an attempt to find such variants we recruited 128 Chinese patients with sporadic nonsyndromic sensorineural HL (NSHL) and performed targeted deafness multigene sequencing in these unrelated trios-families to elucidate the molecular basis. METHODS: We analyzed a total of 384 available members (probands and their two parents) from 128 unrelated Chinese families presenting with bilateral sensorineural HL, in which previous screening had found no mutations with the GJB2, SLC26A4, and MT-RNR1 genes. We used a targeted genomic enrichment platform to simultaneously capture exons, splicing sites, and immediate flanking intron sequences of 127 known deafness genes. Sanger sequencing was used to identify probands and their two parents segregating causative variants in the candidate gene. RESULTS: We observed that two heterozygous de novo WFS1 mutations in exon 8: c.2051C>T (p.A684V) and c.2590G>A (p.E864K) in five families. The two de novo WFS1 mutations were found in 3.9% (5/128) of sporadic HL patients. We found that four of the five patients had the same de novo p.A684V mutation, and their audiograms showed symmetrical bilateral and profound sensorineural hearing impairments at all frequencies, but only the proband with de novo p.E864K mutation demonstrated significantly bilateral moderate low-mid frequency sensorineural HL. Our data suggest that this WFS1 p.A684V is likely to be a de novo mutational hot spot. CONCLUSIONS: We found 3.9% (5/128) of sporadic NSHL is caused by de novo WFS1 mutations. Our data provide that the de novo p.E864K mutation is first identified and de novo p.A684V mutation is likely to be a mutational hot spot in WFS1. It is the first study to highlight that WFS1 gene with the two de novo mutations has been indicated to classify the distinct hearing impairment phenotypes. Furthermore, de novo p.A684V serves as a WFS1 mutational hot spot that was found in the Chinese population with sporadic childhood NSHL, and our study also provides pointers toward the necessity for sequencing of asymptomatic parents of a sporadic case with an apparent dominant pathogenic variant.

Evolution of volatile compounds during the development of Muscat grape 'Shine Muscat' (Vitis labrusca × V. vinifera).

This study investigated the evolution of both free and bound volatile compounds in 'Shine Muscat' grape from post-fruit set to post-maturity and limiting factors of the lipoxygenase (LOX) pathway. C6 compounds and terpenes were the main free and bound volatile compounds, respectively. At pre-softening, volatile compounds concentrations were mainly regulated by expansion dilution, and terpene concentrations decreased significantly, which resulted in the minimum terpene concentrations occurred at softening. The volatile compounds were mainly regulated by metabolic synthesis at post-softening, and the production of C6 compounds, terpenes and esters largely began at 10, 12 weeks post-flowering and maturity stages, respectively. In the LOX pathway, LOX, alcohol dehydrogenase and the substrate alcohols were the limiting factors. The aroma maturity stages occurred at 15.4 weeks post-flowering. Finally, the developmental patterns of the volatile compounds in grape were summarized considering previous results in neutral and non-Muscat aromatic varieties.

Comparative Metabolic Profiling of Grape Skin Tissue along Grapevine Berry Developmental Stages Reveals Systematic Influences of Root Restriction on Skin Metabolome.

This research aimed to comparatively evaluate the influences of root restriction (RR) cultivation and traditional cultivation (RC) on grape berry skin metabolomics using a non-targeted metabolomics method. Two-hundred-and-ninety-one metabolites were annotated and the kinetics analyses showed that berry skin metabolome is stage- and cultivation-dependent. Our results showed that RR influences significantly the metabolomes of berry skin tissues, particularly on secondary metabolism, and that this effect is more obvious at pre-veraison stage, which was evidenced by the early and fast metabolic shift from primary to secondary metabolism. Altogether, this study provided an insight into metabolic adaptation of berry skin to RR stress and expanded general understanding of berry development.

In-Depth Aroma and Sensory Profiling of Unfamiliar Table-Grape Cultivars.

We present an in-depth analysis of aroma profiles and sensory attributes, employing solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS) to identify the key compounds driving consumer preference in 19 unfamiliar cultivars. In combination with popular cultivars, we identified a total of 100 compounds in all table grapes, of which 26 key volatiles were correlated with consumer liking. Based on this relationship, five aroma combinations (AC) were formulated, wherein 33 compounds contributed to aroma intensity, and thus, were viewed as active volatiles. The fruity, floral, and sweet aromas were further divided into secondary aromatic series, of which the apple, citrus, orange, rose, geranium, violet, and honey aromas constituted the predominant series in unfamiliar cultivars. Xiangyue and Heikuixiang emerged as the preferred table grapes according to our analysis. By comparison, the popular cultivars showed relatively fewer volatiles, but their contents were much greater than the large number of volatiles identified in the unfamiliar cultivars.

Characterization of the ABA Receptor VlPYL1 That Regulates Anthocyanin Accumulation in Grape Berry Skin.

ABA plays a crucial role in controlling several ripening-associated processes in grape berries. The soluble proteins named as PYR (pyrabactin resistant)/PYL (PYR-like)/RCAR (regulatory component of ABA receptor) family have been characterized as ABA receptors. Here, the function of a grape PYL1 encoding gene involved in the response to ABA was verified through heterologous expression. The expression level of VlPYL1 was highest in grape leaf and fruit tissues of the cultivar Kyoho, and the expression of VlPYL1 was increased during fruit development and showed a reduction in ripe berries. Over-expression of VlPYL1 enhances ABA sensitivity in Arabidopsis. Using the transient overexpression technique, the VlPYL1 gene was over-expressed in grape berries. Up-regulation of the VlPYL1 gene not only promoted anthocyanin accumulation but also induced a set of ABA-responsive gene transcripts, including ABF2 and BG3. Although tobacco rattle virus (TRV)-induced gene silencing (VIGS) was not successfully applied in the "Kyoho" grape, the application of the transient overexpression technique in grape fruit could be used as a novel tool for studying grape fruit development.

Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles Based Fluorescent Electronic Nose for the Identification of Volatile Compounds.

A fluorescence sensing array (or fluorescent electronic nose) is designed on a disposable paper card using 36 sets of soluble conjugated polymeric nanoparticles (SCPNs) as sensors to easily identify wide ranges of volatile analytes, including explosives and toxic industrial chemicals (amines and pungent acids). A 108-dimensional vector obtained from the fluorescent color change in the sensing array is defined and directly treated as an index in a standard chemical library (30 kinds of volatile analytes and a control group). Hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) indicated the diversity in electronic structures; saturated vapor pressure and miscibility of analytes are keys in differentiating the analytes, with electron-rich arenes and alkylamines enhancing fluorescence and electron-deficient analytes attenuating fluorescence. A support vector machine (SVM) works well to predict an unknown sample, reaching 99.5% accuracy. The excellent fluorescence stability (no fluorescence quenching after being exposed in air for one month) and high sensitivity (emission color changes within minutes when exposed to analytes) suggest that the fluorescent polymer-based electronic nose will play an important role in field detection and identification of a wide spreading of hazardous substances.

Proteomic analysis of pear (Pyrus pyrifolia) ripening process provides new evidence for the sugar/acid metabolism difference between core and mesocarp.

Pears are one of the most popular nutrient-rich fruits in the world. The pear core and mesocarp have significantly different metabolism, although they display similar profiles. Most strikingly, the core is more acidic in taste. Our results showed that there is more titrated acid but lower total soluble solids in the core compared to the mesocarp, and the content of citric acid was more than 17-fold higher in the core compared to the mesocarp at the ripening stage. Proteomics was used to investigate the difference between core and mesocarp tissues during "Cuiguan" pear ripening. Fifty-four different protein expression patterns were identified in the core and mesocarp. In general, common variably expressed proteins between the core and mesocarp were associated with important physiological processes, such as glycolysis, pyruvate metabolic processes, and oxidative stress. Further, protein level associated qRT-PCR verification revealed a higher abundance of fructose-bisphosphate aldolase and NADP-dependent malic enzymes, which may play a role in the low acid content in the mesocarp, whereas a higher abundance of disulfide isomerase-like 2-2 and calcium-dependent lipid-binding in the core may explain why it is less prone to accumulate sugar. The different levels of a few typical ROS scavenger enzymes suggested that oxidative stress is higher in the core than in the mesocarp. This study provides the first characterization of the pear core proteome and a description of its variation compared to the mesocarp during ripening.

Aroma characterization based on aromatic series analysis in table grapes.

Aroma is an important part of quality in table grape, but the key aroma compounds and the aroma series of table grapes remains unknown. In this paper, we identified 67 aroma compounds in 20 table grape cultivars; 20 in pulp and 23 in skin were active compounds. C6 compounds were the basic background volatiles, but the aroma contents of pulp juice and skin depended mainly on the levels of esters and terpenes, respectively. Most obviously, 'Kyoho' grapevine series showed high contents of esters in pulp, while Muscat/floral cultivars showed abundant monoterpenes in skin. For the aroma series, table grapes were characterized mainly by herbaceous, floral, balsamic, sweet and fruity series. The simple and visualizable aroma profiles were established using aroma fingerprints based on the aromatic series. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the aroma profiles of pulp juice, skin and whole berries could be classified into 5, 3, and 5 groups, respectively. Combined with sensory evaluation, we could conclude that fatty and balsamic series were the preferred aromatic series, and the contents of their contributors (ß-ionone and octanal) may be useful as indicators for the improvement of breeding and cultivation measures for table grapes.

Tuning the Thickness of Ba-Containing "Functional" Layer toward High-Performance Ceria-Based Solid Oxide Fuel Cells.

Developing highly efficient ceria-based solid oxide fuel cells with high power density is still a big concern for commercial applications. In this work, a novel structured Ce0.8Sm0.2O2-δ (SDC)-based fuel cell with a bilayered anode consisting of Ni-SDC and Ni-BaZr0.1Ce0.7Y0.2O3-δ (Ni-BZCY) was designed. In addition to the catalysis function, the Ni-BZCY anode "functional" layer also provides Ba source for generating an electron-blocking layer in situ at the anode/electrolyte interface during sintering. The Ni-BZCY thickness significantly influences the quality of the electron-blocking layer and electrochemical performances of the cell. The cell with a 50 µm thick Ni-BZCY layer exhibits the best performance in terms of open circuit voltage (OCV) and peak power density (1068 mW cm(-2) at 650 °C). The results demonstrate that this cell with an optimal structure has a distinct advantage of delivering high power performance with a high efficiency at reduced temperatures.

[Research progress of cover crop in Chinese orchard].

Grass growing in orchard is implemented in most fruit cultivation advanced countries, but only China carries out grass weeding. To effectively resolve the puzzle on harmful or beneficial effect on fruit production imparted by grass growing, and promote grass growing management in orchard in China, more and more domestic research was reported in recent years. Combined the results of our research and domestic related research, we reviewed the latest research progress about the effect of growing grass on soil, microclimate, fruit tree diseases and insect pests, tree growth and fruit quali- ty, etc. in this paper. We pointed out that grass growing in orchard must consider the local conditions, economic efficiency, the critical period, and the supporting technique.