High salt diet inhibits the expression of Bmal1 and promotes atrial fibrosis and vulnerability to atrial fibrillation in Dahl salt sensitive rats.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is a risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF), and brain and muscle arnt-like protein 1 (Bmal1) regulate circadian blood pressure and is implicated in several fibrotic disorders. Our hypothesis that Bmal1 inhibits atrial fibrosis and susceptibility to AF in salt-sensitive hypertension (SSHT) and our study provide a new target for the pathogenesis of AF induced by hypertension. METHODS: The study involved 7-week-old male Dahl salt-sensitive that were fed either a high-salt diet (8% NaCl; DSH group) or a normal diet (0.3% NaCl; DSN group). An experimental model was used to measure systolic blood pressure (SBP), left atrial ejection fraction (LAEF), left atrial end-volume index (LAEVI), left atrial index (LAFI), AF inducibility, AF duration, and atrial fibrosis pathological examination and the expression of Baml1 and fibrosis-related proteins (TNF-α and α-SMA) in left atrial tissue. RESULTS: DSH increased TNF-α and α-SMA expression in atrial tissue, level of SBP and LAESVI, atrial fibrosis, AF induction rate and AF duration, and decreased Bmal1 expression in atrial tissue, circadian rhythm of hypertension and level of LAEF and LAFI. Our results also showed that the degree of atrial fibrosis was negatively correlated with Bmal1 expression, but positively correlated with the expression of TNF-α and α-SMA. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that a high-salt diet leads to circadian changes in hypertension due to reduction Bmal1 expression, which plays a crucial role in atrial fibrosis and increased susceptibility to AF in SSHT rats.

High-Entropy Oxide of (BiZrMoWCeLa)O2 as a Novel Catalyst for Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries.

In this study, new fluorite high-entropy oxide (HEO), (BiZrMoWCeLa)O2, nanoparticles were produced using a surfactant-assisted hydrothermal technique followed by calcination and were used as novel catalytic materials for vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs). The HEO calcined at 750 °C (HEO-750) demonstrates superior electrocatalytic activity toward V3+/V2+ and VO2+/VO2+ redox couples compared to those of cells assembled with other samples. The charge-discharge tests further confirm that VRFBs using the HEO-750 catalyst demonstrate excellent Coulombic efficiency, voltage efficiency, and energy efficiency of 97.22, 87.47, and 85.04% at a current density of 80 mA cm-2 and 98.10, 74.76, and 73.34% at a higher current density of 160 mA cm-2, respectively. Moreover, with 500 charge-discharge cycles, there is no discernible degradation. These results are attributed to the calcination heat treatment, which induces the formation of a new single-phase fluorite structure, which facilitates the redox reactions of the vanadium redox couples. Furthermore, a high surface area, wettability, and plenty of oxygen vacancies can give more surface electroactive sites, improving the electrochemical performance, the charge transfer of the redox processes, and the stability of the VRFBs' electrode. This is the first report on the development of fluorite structure HEO nanoparticles in VRFBs, and it opens the door to further research into other HEOs.

Surface Electroactive Sites of Tungstated Zirconia Catalysts for Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries.

Surface electroactive sites for tungstate zirconia (WZ) were created by utilizing tungstate-immobilized UiO-66 as precursors via a double-solvent impregnation method under a mild calcination temperature. The WZ-22-650 catalyst, containing a moderate W content (22%), demonstrated a high density of surface electroactive sites. Proper heat treatment facilitated the binding of oligomeric tungsten clusters to stabilized tetragonal ZrO2, resulting in improved catalytic performance toward the VO2+/VO2+ redox couples compared to other tested samples. The substantial surface area, mesoporous structure, and establishment of new W-O-Zr bonds affirm the firm anchoring of WOx to ZrO2. This robust attachment enhances surface electroactive sites, elevating the electrochemical performance of vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs). Charge-discharge tests further demonstrate that the superior voltage efficiency (VE) and energy efficiency (EE) for VRFBs using the WZ-22-650 catalyst are 87.76 and 83.94% at 80 mA cm-2, which are 13.42% VE and 10.88% EE better than heat-treated graphite felt, respectively. Even at a higher current density of 160 mA cm-2, VRFBs utilizing the WZ-22-650 catalyst maintained considerable efficiency, recording VE and EE values of 76.76 and 74.86%, respectively. This facile synthesis method resulted in WZ catalysts displaying superior catalytic activity and excellent cyclability, offering a promising avenue for the development of metal-oxide-based catalysts.

Combined exposure to multiple air pollutants and incident ischemic heart disease in individuals with and without type 2 diabetes: A cohort study from the UK Biobank.

BACKGROUND: Air pollution and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are both associated with an increased risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD). Little is known about the combined effects of multiple air pollutants on IHD risk, especially among individuals with T2D. We sought to assess the association of combined exposure to multiple air pollutants with incident IHD and examine the modification effect of T2D. METHODS: This study included 388780 individuals (20036 individuals with T2D) free of cardiovascular disease and cancer from the UK Biobank. The combined exposure to multiple air pollutants, including particulate matter (PM) with diameters ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5), PM with diameters between 2.5 and 10 µm (PMcoarse), PM with diameters ≤ 10 µm (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and nitrogen dioxides (NOx), was assessed by creating a weighted air pollution score (APS), with a higher APS representing a higher level of air pollution exposure. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) for incident IHD were assessed by multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazard models. RESULTS: During a median of 12.9 years of follow-up, 27333 incident IHD cases were observed. Compared with the lowest tertile of the APS, the multivariable-adjusted HR (95 % CI) of IHD risk for the highest tertile was 1.13 (1.03-1.23) among individuals with T2D, while the HR was 1.06 (1.03-1.10) among individuals without T2D. Additionally, the associations between APS and IHD incidence showed a linear relationship among individuals with T2D (nonlinearity: P = 0.37), whereas a non-linear relationship was observed among individuals without T2D (nonlinearity: P = 0.02). For the joint analysis, individuals in the highest tertile of APS and with T2D had a 54 % higher risk of IHD compared to individuals in the lowest tertile of APS and without T2D, with a significant additive interaction (Pinteraction < 0.01). The proportion of relative excess risk was 17 % due to the interaction in categorical analyses. CONCLUSIONS: The combined exposure to multiple air pollutants has been associated with an elevated risk of incident IHD, and the association is more pronounced among individuals with T2D.

Fe3O4-PVDF Composite Network for Dendrite-Free Lithium Metal Batteries.

Dendrite growth has been the main trouble preventing the practical application of Li metal anodes. Herein, we present how an Fe3O4-PVDF composite network prepared by using electrospinning has been designed to protect lithium metal anodes effectively. In the symmetrical cells test, the cell with the Fe3O4-PVDF composite network maintains good cycle performance after 600 h (500 cycles) at a current density of 1 mA cm-2 and a plating/stripping capacity of 1 mAh cm-2. The bulky Li dendrite is suppressed and a uniform Li deposition remains after long cycling. The characteristics of this engineered separator are further demonstrated in Li-S full cells with a good cycle performance (capacity of 419 mAh g-1 after 300 cycles at 0.5 C). This work provides a new idea for the protection of lithium metal anodes.

A polarization image enhancement method for glioma.

Polarization imaging technique (PIT) based on a backward scattering 3 × 3 Mueller matrix polarization imaging experimental setup is able to study the optical information and microstructure of glioma and non-glioblastoma tissues from clinical treatment. However, the image contrast of Mueller Matrix Elements (MME) is far from sufficient to provide supplemental information in the clinic, especially in off-diagonal MME. The aim of this work is to propose an innovative method to improve the contrast and quality of PIT images of glioma and non-glioma tissues. The work first confirms the robustness of the method by evaluating the enhanced images and assessment coefficients on ex vivo unstained glioma and non-glioma sample bulks, then the optimal enhancement results are tested and presented based on the multi-sample tests. This PIT image enhancement method can greatly improve the contrast and detailed texture information of MMEs images, which can provide more useful clinical information, and further be used to identify glioma and residues in the intraoperative environment with PIT.

An Anti-Noise Fast Circle Detection Method Using Five-Quadrant Segmentation.

Extracting circle information from images has always been a basic problem in computer vision. Common circle detection algorithms have some defects, such as poor noise resistance and slow computation speed. In this paper, we propose an anti-noise fast circle detection algorithm. In order to improve the anti-noise of the algorithm, we first perform curve thinning and connection on the image after edge extraction, then suppress noise interference by the irregularity of noise edges and extract circular arcs by directional filtering. In order to reduce the invalid fitting and speed up the running speed, we propose a circle fitting algorithm with five quadrants, and improve the efficiency of the algorithm by the idea of "divide and conquer". We compare the algorithm with RCD, CACD, WANG and AS on two open datasets. The results show that we have the best performance under noise while keeping the speed of the algorithm.

Copper Activation Enabling Reversible Aqueous Cu-ZnS Battery Chemistry.

The aqueous metal-sulfide batteries (AMSBs) have attracted research interest due to their high capacity, environmentally friendly qualities, and the accessibility of raw materials. However, the design strategies for metal-sulfide cathode have rarely been reported. Here, the copper-activated sphalerite in which Zn2+ is substituted by Cu2+ through ion exchange has been introduced for the first time as cathode for aqueous Cu/ZnS batteries. After sphalerite transformed to CuS, a two-step conversion of CuS→Cu7 S4 →Cu2 S storage mechanism has been proposed. At 0.7 A g-1 current density, the capacity can reach 532.4 mAh g-1 after 100 cycles. When cycled once at a current density of 35 mA g-1 , the initial reversible capacity can reach 461 mAh g-1 under 1 A g-1 . Furthermore, the assembled Zn//ZnS hybrid ion cell delivers an energy of up to 460 Wh kg-1 , which is better than for many AMSBs.

An Improved Grey Wolf Optimizer and Its Application in Robot Path Planning.

This paper discusses a hybrid grey wolf optimizer utilizing a clone selection algorithm (pGWO-CSA) to overcome the disadvantages of a standard grey wolf optimizer (GWO), such as slow convergence speed, low accuracy in the single-peak function, and easily falling into local optimum in the multi-peak function and complex problems. The modifications of the proposed pGWO-CSA could be classified into the following three aspects. Firstly, a nonlinear function is used instead of a linear function for adjusting the iterative attenuation of the convergence factor to balance exploitation and exploration automatically. Then, an optimal α wolf is designed which will not be affected by the wolves ß and δ with poor fitness in the position updating strategy; the second-best ß wolf is designed, which will be affected by the low fitness value of the δ wolf. Finally, the cloning and super-mutation of the clonal selection algorithm (CSA) are introduced into GWO to enhance the ability to jump out of the local optimum. In the experimental part, 15 benchmark functions are selected to perform the function optimization tasks to reveal the performance of pGWO-CSA further. Due to the statistical analysis of the obtained experimental data, the pGWO-CSA is superior to these classical swarm intelligence algorithms, GWO, and related variants. Furthermore, in order to verify the applicability of the algorithm, it was applied to the robot path-planning problem and obtained excellent results.

Spatial transcriptomics reveals niche-specific enrichment and vulnerabilities of radial glial stem-like cells in malignant gliomas.

Diffuse midline glioma-H3K27M mutant (DMG) and glioblastoma (GBM) are the most lethal brain tumors that primarily occur in pediatric and adult patients, respectively. Both tumors exhibit significant heterogeneity, shaped by distinct genetic/epigenetic drivers, transcriptional programs including RNA splicing, and microenvironmental cues in glioma niches. However, the spatial organization of cellular states and niche-specific regulatory programs remain to be investigated. Here, we perform a spatial profiling of DMG and GBM combining short- and long-read spatial transcriptomics, and single-cell transcriptomic datasets. We identify clinically relevant transcriptional programs, RNA isoform diversity, and multi-cellular ecosystems across different glioma niches. We find that while the tumor core enriches for oligodendrocyte precursor-like cells, radial glial stem-like (RG-like) cells are enriched in the neuron-rich invasive niche in both DMG and GBM. Further, we identify niche-specific regulatory programs for RG-like cells, and functionally confirm that FAM20C mediates invasive growth of RG-like cells in a neuron-rich microenvironment in a human neural stem cell derived orthotopic DMG model. Together, our results provide a blueprint for understanding the spatial architecture and niche-specific vulnerabilities of DMG and GBM.

Misfit-Strain Phase Diagram, Electromechanical and Electrocaloric Responses in Epitaxial PIN-PMN-PT Thin Films.

xPb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3-(1-x-y)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-yPbTiO3 (PIN-PMN-PT) bulks possess excellent electromechanical coupling and dielectric properties, but the corresponding epitaxial PIN-PMN-PT thin films have not yet been explored. This paper adopts a nonlinear thermodynamics analysis to investigate the influences of misfit strains on the phase structures, electromechanical properties, and electrocaloric responses in epitaxial PIN-PMN-PT thin films. The misfit strain-temperature phase diagram was constructed. The results reveal that the PIN-PMN-PT thin films may exist in tetragonal c-, orthorhombic aa-, monoclinic M-, and paraelectric PE phases. It is also found that the c-M and aa-PE phase boundaries exhibit a superior dielectric constant ε11 which reached 1.979 × 106 with um = -0.494%, as well as the c-M phase boundary showing a large piezoelectric response d15 which reached 1.64 × 105 pm/V. In comparison, the c-PE and M-aa phase boundaries exhibit a superior dielectric constant ε33 over 1 × 105 around um = 0.316% and the piezoelectric response d33 reached 7235 pm/V. The large electrocaloric responses appear near the paraelectric- ferroelectric phase boundary. These insights offer a guidance for experiments in epitaxial PIN-PMN-PT thin films.

A Fast Circle Detection Algorithm Based on Information Compression.

Circle detection is a fundamental problem in computer vision. However, conventional circle detection algorithms are usually time-consuming and sensitive to noise. In order to solve these shortcomings, we propose a fast circle detection algorithm based on information compression. First, we introduce the idea of information compression, which compresses the circular information on the image into a small number of points while removing some of the noise through sharpness estimation and orientation filtering. Then, the circle parameters stored in the information point are obtained by the average sampling algorithm with a time complexity of O(1) to obtain candidate circles. Finally, we set different constraints on the complete circle and the defective circle according to the sampling results and find the true circle from the candidate circles. The experimental results on the three datasets show that our method can compress the circular information in the image into 1% of the information points, and compared to RHT, RCD, Jiang, Wang and CACD, Precision, Recall, Time and F-measure are greatly improved.

Electrocaloric Effect in Different Oriented BaZr0.15Ti0.85O3 Single Crystals.

The electrocaloric effect of ferroelectrics is promising for new solid-state refrigeration. However, the current research on the electrocaloric effect of bulk ferroelectrics mainly focuses on (001) orientation. Thus, we studied the electrocaloric effect of BaZr0.15Ti0.85O3 single crystals with different orientations through the nonlinear thermodynamic approach and entropy analysis. The results show that the dipolar entropy of (111)-oriented BaZr0.15Ti0.85O3 single crystals exhibits a greater change after applying an external electric field, compared with (001)- and (110)-orientations, and the (001)-oriented electrocaloric responses are consistent with experimental observations. The (111)-oriented BaZr0.15Ti0.85O3 single crystals have a more significant electrocaloric response, resulting in a broader work temperature range with a large electrocaloric effect. These insights offer an alternative way to enhance the electrocaloric response of ferroelectric single crystals.

Direct Writing on Paper Substrate to Prepare Silver Electrode Structures for Flexible Sensors.

With the rapid development of the electronics industry, electronic products based on silicon and glass substrates electronic products will gradually be unable to meet the rising demand. Flexibility, environmental protection, and low costs are important for the development of electronic products. In this study, an efficient and low-cost method for preparing silver electrode structures by direct writing on paper has been demonstrated. Based on this method, a flexible paper-based sensor was prepared. The liquid printing ink used mainly comprises a precursor liquid without pre-prepared nanomaterials. The precursor liquid is transparent with good fluidity. Simple direct writing technology was used to write on the paper substrate using the precursor ink. When the direct-writing paper substrate was subsequently heated, silver nanostructures precipitated from the precursor liquid ink onto the paper substrate. The effect of different temperatures on the formation of the silver nanostructures and the influence of different direct writing processes on the structures were studied. Finally, a paper-based flexible sensor was prepared for finger-bending signal detection. The method is simple to operate and low in cost and can be used for the preparation of environment-friendly paper-based devices.

Adaptive harmony search algorithm utilizing differential evolution and opposition-based learning.

An adaptive harmony search algorithm utilizing differential evolution and opposition-based learning (AHS-DE-OBL) is proposed to overcome the drawbacks of the harmony search (HS) algorithm, such as its low fine-tuning ability, slow convergence speed, and easily falling into a local optimum. In AHS-DE-OBL, three main innovative strategies are adopted. First, inspired by the differential evolution algorithm, the differential harmonies in the population are used to randomly perturb individuals to improve the fine-tuning ability. Then, the search domain is adaptively adjusted to accelerate the algorithm convergence. Finally, an opposition-based learning strategy is introduced to prevent the algorithm from falling into a local optimum. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has a better global search ability and faster convergence speed than other selected improved harmony search algorithms and selected metaheuristic approaches.

Oblique lateral interbody fusion combined percutaneous pedicle screw fixation in the surgical treatment of single-segment lumbar tuberculosis: A single-center retrospective comparative study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of oblique lateral interbody fusion combined posterior percutaneous pedicle screw fixation in the treatment of single segment lumbar tuberculosis. METHODS: Patients who underwent surgical treatment for single segment lumbar tuberculosis from 2015 to 2018 in our department were retrospectively included in this study. The included patients were divided into two groups, namely oblique lateral interbody fusion combined percutaneous pedicle screw fixation (OLIF) group and traditional posterior transforaminal or transpedicular approach debridement and pedicle screws fixation (PTA) group, according to the surgical methods. Outcomes including operative time, operative blood loss, hospital stay, visual analogue scale (VAS) score, Oswestry disability index (ODI), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C reactive protein (CRP), Cobb angle correction and loss, bone fusion time, ASIA grade and complications were all recorded and compared. RESULTS: A total of 60 patients were included in this study, involving 23 patients in the OLIF group and 37 patients in the PTA group. The OLIF group had less operative time, blood loss and shorter hospital stay compared with the PTA group (P < 0.05). Both the two groups achieved significant improvements in ESR, CRP and ASIA grade at the last follow-up (P < 0.05), but no significant differences were found between them (P>0.05). There were no significant differences in Cobb angle correction and loss between the two groups (P > 0.05), but the bone graft fusion time of the OLIF group was significantly shorter than the PTA group (P < 0.05). The two groups achieved similar improvement in VAS score and ODI at 12 months postoperative and the last follow-up, however, OLIF group had a lower VAS score and ODI at 1 month, 3 months and 6 months postoperative (P < 0.05). No significant difference was found in complications between the two groups (P > 0.05) and all patients were cured after active treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Both OLIF and PTA can achieve satisfactory clinical efficacy in the surgical treatment of single segment lumbar TB, but OLIF has the advantages of less surgical trauma, faster postoperative recovery and shorter bone fusion time.

Anterior oblique retroperitoneal approach vs posterior transpedicular approach for the treatment of one- or two-level lumbar vertebral osteomyelitis: a retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcomes of debridement fusion surgery between two surgical approaches for one- or two-level lumbar vertebral osteomyelitis (LVO): oblique retroperitoneal approach (ORA) and posterior transpedicular approach (PTA). METHODS: We performed a retrospective study for adult patients with one- or two-level lumbar vertebral pyogenic spondylitis. The primary clinical outcomes included the following: surgery-related information (intra-operative blood loss, operation time, and hospital length of stay), infection control (primary failure and recurrence), and bony fusion. The secondary objective was to determine the differences between groups in mean reduction of pain characters and physical functioning. RESULTS: The data of 80 patients were collected retrospectively. The duration of follow-up was 27.8 ± 4.7 months (range, 24-42). Intra-operative blood loss, operation time, and hospital length of stay in ORA debridement were significantly lower. Primary failure (2.3% vs 2.7%) was similar between the groups, but recurrence (13.9% vs 5.4%) had difference. Bony fusion (94.6.3% vs 86.1.%) in ORA debridement was higher than those in PTA debridement at the final follow-up. Fusion occurred at six to 14 months (mean 9.8 months). Patients in ORA group had better results in functional and pain scores in the first three months, with similar results at the final follow-up. CONCLUSION: In summary, ORA debridement provides a quicker recovery compared with PTA debridement for one- or two-level LVO. As for the infection control and fusion rate, both debridement approaches had similar results.

Comparison of three different bone graft methods for single segment lumbar tuberculosis: A retrospective single-center cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy of one stage posterior debridement with iliac bone graft, titanium mesh bone graft or granular bone graft in the surgical treatment of single segment lumbar tuberculosis. METHODS: Ninety-eight patients who underwent one stage posterior debridement, bone graft and internal fixation for single segment lumbar tuberculosis from 2015 to 2018 were involved in this study, involving 32 case in iliac bone graft group, 32 case in titanium mesh bone graft group and 34 cases in granular bone graft group. The primary outcomes involved operative time, operative blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, visual analogue scale (VAS) score, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C reactive protein (CRP), ASIA grade and postoperative complications. The secondary outcomes were Cobb angle correction and loss, and bone graft fusion time. All the outcomes were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: Compared with iliac bone graft and titanium mesh bone graft group, granular bone graft had shorter operative time (P = 0.003), less operative blood loss (P = 0.010) and shorter bone graft fusion time (P < 0.001). With the follow-up of 14-36 months, the VAS score, ESR, CRP and neurological function in the three groups were all significantly improved (P < 0.05). The bone graft fusion time of the granular bone graft group was significantly shorter than iliac bone graft group and titanium mesh bone graft (P < 0.05), but no significant differences were found in the correction and loss of Cobb angle, and the incidence of complications among the three groups (n.s.). CONCLUSION: Granular bone graft has less surgical trauma and shorter bone graft fusion time compared with iliac bone graft and titanium mesh bone graft in the surgical treatment of single segment lumbar tuberculosis. The three methods may achieve comparable clinical efficacy in alleviating symptoms, correcting kyphosis and improving neurological function for appropriate cases.

Application of polyetheretherketone cages through minimally invasive oblique retroperitoneal approach for the treatment of lumbar polymicrobial spondylodiscitis: A STROBE-compliant retrospective study with 7 cases.

Despite the plethora of evidence in support of the use of structural osseous autograft in lumbar spondylodiscitis, attention has recently been turned to the addition of synthetic materials such as polyetheretherketone (PEEK) to restore anterior vertebral column support.From January 2015 to April 2017, 7 patients with lumbar polymicrobial spondylodiscitis were surgically treated with a minimally invasive oblique retroperitoneal approach to the infected focus. The patients underwent a standard lateral minimally invasive oblique retroperitoneal approach using direct lateral interbody fusion system. The PEEK cages were loaded with autologous bone graft. All the patients underwent posterior fixation with percutaneous pedicle screw instrumentation. Lumbar function was measured using Oswestry Disability Index, and pain was measured with visual analog scale. Fusion and subsidence were also recorded.The study included 5 female and 2 male patients. The median age was 58.9 years. The duration of follow-up was 31.8 ±â€Š6.1 months (range: 24-47). All patients recovered from the infection without relapse within 24-month follow-up. Visual analog scale significantly declined from 7.57 ±â€Š0.53 before surgery to 1.57 ±â€Š0.53 at 12-month follow-up. Mean Oswestry Disability Index decreased from 72.14 ±â€Š6.82 before surgery to 22.28 ±â€Š2.13 after surgery. All patients had solid fusion at 2-year follow-up. Fusion occurred at 6 to 15 months (mean 9.8 months).The specific use of PEEK cages in lumbar polymicrobial spondylodiscitis suggests reliable outcome in terms of clinical and imaging outcomes in our limited cases.