Sustainability assessment of small hydropower from an ESG perspective: A case study of the Qin-Ba Mountains, China.

Small hydropower (SHP) has made significant contributions to economic and social development in rural and remote mountainous regions. However, the adverse ecological-environmental impacts resulting from the SHP sector and challenges in hydropower management have become major areas of concern. From an Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) perspective and using three SHP stations (GXD, WZL, and SJB) in the Qin-Ba Mountains as case studies, we constructed a sustainability assessment system comprising 18 indicators across three dimensions. The hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets (HFLTSs) and cloud models were employed to determine the sustainability level of SHP by characterizing the hesitancy of the evaluator and the uncertainty of the evaluated data. (1) The ecological-environmental protection (E) dimension was assigned the greatest weight, followed by the dimensions of social responsibility contribution (S) and corporate governance management (G). The weights of certain indicators, including the water qualification rate, river morphology maintenance, guaranteed rate of instream flow, comprehensive utilization, and production safety standardization grade were relatively high, conforming to the current context of green development prioritization in which ecological-environmental protection is of the utmost importance. (2) The overall sustainability levels of all three SHP stations were "good", with the E-dimension contributing the most and the G-dimension contributing the least to the sustainability goal. (3) The GXD, WZL, and SJB stations were ranked first, second, and third, respectively, in terms of their sustainability scores. This study provides an innovative perspective for the sustainability assessment of SHP. The evaluation method can be generalized to encompass multi-attribute decision-making problems. The findings of this study can aid in addressing the shortcomings associated with SHP development and promote sustainability within the SHP industry.

Marine Structural Health Monitoring with Optical Fiber Sensors: A Review.

Real-time monitoring of large marine structures' health, including drilling platforms, submarine pipelines, dams, and ship hulls, is greatly needed. Among the various kinds of monitoring methods, optical fiber sensors (OFS) have gained a lot of concerns and showed several distinct advantages, such as small size, high flexibility and durability, anti-electromagnetic interference, and high transmission rate. In this paper, three types of OFS used for marine structural health monitoring (SHM), including point sensing, quasi-distributed sensing, and distributed sensing, are reviewed. Emphases are given to the applicability of each type of the sensors by analyzing the operating principles and characteristics of the OFSs. The merits and demerits of different sensing schemes are discussed, as well as the challenges and future developments in OFSs for the marine SHM field.

Study of preserving the PTCD tube after laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Severe jaundice patients undergoing laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD) tend to choose percutaneous transhepatic cholangial drainage (PTCD) for preoperative biliary drainage. However, there are few studies on whether to preserve PTCD drainage tubes after surgery. This study tentatively discusses that jaundice patients preserving the PTCD tube have similar postoperative recovery to that in ordinary patients undergoing LPD. We retrospectively reviewed 46 patients who underwent LPD between June 2019 and April 2022 at our department. They were divided into a drainage group with 16 patients and a normal group with 30 patients according to whether PTCD was performed. Patient demographics, perioperative data, and postoperative outcomes were observed and counted. The preoperative total bilirubin in the drainage group was significantly higher than that in the normal group. There was no significant difference in age, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists grade, hemoglobin, albumin, operation time, postoperative hospital stay, or total complication rate between the 2 groups. The PTCD tube was preserved in all 16 patients after the operation, and only 1 patient (6.3%) developed PTCD-related postoperative complications, which were dislocations. It is safe and effective to choose PTCD to reduce jaundice before surgery and preserve PTCD tubes after surgery for moderate and severe jaundice patients who plan to undergo standardized and streamlined LPD. These patients achieve similar postoperative recovery of LPD as no-drainage patients.

A Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor Based on Cladding Mode Resonance for Label-Free Biosensing.

A fiber-optic biosensing platform based on ultra-narrowband cladding mode resonances was developed on a high-reflectivity fiber Bragg grating (FBG) for targeting biomolecular detection. The multiple cladding modes with a high sensitivity to the refractive index (RI) were excited in the FBG by coupling between the forward-propagating guided core mode of the multimode fiber and the backward-propagating guided cladding mode of the FBG without any damage to the fiber structure or any change to the standard FBG manufacturing process. The full width at half maximum and the Q-factor of the typical cladding mode resonance operation of the proposed sensor are 80 pm and 19,270, respectively, which are better than those of most fiber-optic biosensors reported to date. In addition, the FBG sensor demonstrated a high sensitivity in protein detection and a high selectivity in serum sample assays. The sensitivity of this sensor was further increased simply by coating it with graphene oxide (GO) sheets on the sensing surface without using a signal amplification strategy. Furthermore, an ultra-low limit of detection (LOD) of 32 pM was obtained by the GO-coated FBG sensor for IgG detection. The proposed FBG sensor provides a competitive fiber-optic platform for biomolecular detection. It has a great potential for applications in label-free biosensing.

AO distractor and manual traction reduction techniques repair in distal tibial fractures: a comparative study.

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis (MIPO) via percutaneous plate placement on the distal medial tibia can be performed with minimizes soft tissue injury and produces good clinical results. However, the difficulty with MIPO lies in how to achieve satisfactory fracture reduction and maintain that reduction via indirect reduction techniques to facilitate internal fixation. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of AO distractor and manual traction reduction techniques combined with MIPO in the treatment of distal tibia fractures. METHODS: Between January 2013 and December 2019, 58 patients with a distal tibia fracture were treated using MIPO. Patients were divided into two groups according to the indirect reduction method that was used: 26 patients were reduced with manual traction(group M), and 32 were reduced with an AO distractor (group A).Time until union and clinical outcomes including AOFAS ankle-rating score and ankle range of ankle motion at final follow-up were compared. Mean operative time, incision length, blood loss and postoperative complications were recorded via chart review. Radiographic results at final follow-up were assessed for tibial angulation and shortening by a blinded reader. RESULTS: Mean operative time, incision length, and blood loss in group A were significantly lower than in group M(p = 0.019, 0.018 and 0.016, respectively).Radiographic evidence of bony union was seen in all cases, and mean time until union was equivalent between the two groups (p = 0.384).Skin irritation was noted in one case(3.1%) in group A and three cases(11.5%)in group M, but the symptoms were not severe and the plate was removed after bony union. There was no statistically significant difference in postoperative complications between the two groups(p = 0.461). Mean AOFAS score and range of ankle motion were equivalent between the two groups, as were varus deformity, valgus deformity, anterior angulation and posterior angulation. No patients had gross angular deformity. Mean tibial shortening was not significantly different between the two groups, and no patients had tibial shortening > 10 mm. CONCLUSION: Both an AO distractor and manual traction reduction techniques prior to MIPO in the treatment of distal tibial fractures permit a high fracture healing rate and satisfying functional outcomes with few wound healing complications. An AO distractor is an excellent indirect reduction method that may improve operative efficiency and reduce the risk of soft tissue injury.

Near-infrared surface plasmon resonance sensor with a graphene-gold surface architecture for ultra-sensitive biodetection.

Binding behaviors of proteins are important for applications in the field of biochemistry. Though a standard assay has a favorable limit of detection (LOD), it is mainly limited to indirect observation via fluorescence labeling. We reported and demonstrated a novel label-free sensing approach based on a near-infrared (NIR) surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing chip modified with a graphene-gold surface architecture in this paper. The NIR excitation wavelength can greatly improve the sensitivity of SPR sensing derived from the wavelength modulation-based methodology. Moreover, benefiting from the excellent electro-optical properties of graphene in NIR range, the graphene-gold surface architecture was built to further improve the sensing sensitivity. Experimental results proved the superiority over most of those reported previously in terms of ultra-sensitivity (39,160 nm/RIU) and resolution (5.107 × 10-7 RIU). We detected human immunoglobulin G (IgG) to confirm the ability to enhanced-sensitive detection with a graphene overlayer. This sensor provides surface-specific detection schemes with a large linear dynamic range of ng/ml (pM) to fg/ml (aM) and a LOD of 7.2 fg/ml (48 aM) using gold nanoparticles (GNPs) as amplification labels. The proposed method provides a simple and effective strategy to improve sensitivity and LOD for biochemical detection in a rapid, ultrasensitive, and nondestructive manner.

A Fiber-Optic Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensor for Bio-Detection in Visible to Near-Infrared Images.

In this paper, we demonstrate a fiber-optic surface plasmon resonance (FO-SPR) biosensor based on image processing and back propagation (BP) neural network. The transmitted light of the FO-SPR sensor was captured by using visible (VIS) and near-infrared (NIR) CMOS sensors. The optical information related to the SPR effect was extracted from images based on grayscale conversion and an edge detection algorithm. To achieve accurate monitoring of refractive index (RI) changes, the grayscale means of the VIS and NIR images and the RGB summation of the edge-detected images were used as training and test inputs for the BP neural network. We verified the effectiveness and superiority of this sensing system by experiments on sodium chloride solution identification and protein binding detection. This work is promising for practical applications in standardized biochemical sensing.

Bone-Targeting Liposome-Encapsulated Salvianic Acid A Improves Nonunion Healing Through the Regulation of HDAC3-Mediated Endochondral Ossification.

AIM: Nonunion is a major complication in fracture repair and remains a challenge in orthopaedics and trauma surgery. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment of nonunion with a large radial defect using a bone-targeting liposome-encapsulated salvianic acid A (SAA-BTL)-incorporated collagen sponge and further elucidate whether the effects were closely related to histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC 3)-mediated endochondral ossification in nonunion healing process. METHODS: Fifteen New Zealand female rabbits were randomly divided into three groups. Segmental radius critical size defects (15 mm) were created via surgery on both the forelimbs of the rabbits. The SAA-BTL/SAA/saline-incorporated collagen sponges were implanted into the defects in the three groups, respectively, for four weeks of treatment. X-ray imaging, micro-computed tomography (CT) analysis, histology, and immunofluorescence analysis (HDAC3, collagen II, VEGFA, and osteocalcin) were performed to determine the effects of the treatments. In addition, a short interfering RNA was applied to induce HDAC3 knockdown in the chondrogenic cell line ATDC5 to investigate the roles of HDAC3 and SAA intervention in endochondral ossification in nonunion healing. RESULTS: X-ray imaging and micro-CT results revealed that SAA-BTL-incorporated collagen sponges significantly stimulated bone formation in the nonunion defect rabbit model. Furthermore, immunofluorescence double staining and histology analysis confirmed that SAA-BTL significantly increased the expression of P-HDAC3, collagen II, RUNX2, VEGFA, and osteocalcin in vivo; accelerated endochondral ossification turnover from cartilage to bone; and promoted long bone healing of nonunion defects. ATDC5 cells knocked down for HDAC3 showed significantly decreased expression of HDAC3, which resulted in reduced expression of chondrogenesis, osteogenesis, and angiogenesis biomarker genes (Sox9, Col10a1, VEGFA, RUNX2, and Col1a1), and increased expression of extracellular matrix degradation marker (MMP13). SAA treatment reversed these effects in the HDAC3 knockdown cell model. CONCLUSION: SAA-BTL can improve nonunion healing through the regulation of HDAC3-mediated endochondral ossification.

miR-22 represses osteoblast viability with ESR1 presenting a direct target and indirectly inactivating p38 MAPK/JNK signaling.

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRs) hold critical implications in the modulation of osteogenesis. This work was designed to unravel the underlying regulatory mechanism of miR-22 during osteoblast differentiation. METHODS: Synthetic miR-22 mimics or inhibitors were transfected into preosteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells to regulate miR-22 expression. MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] and flow cytometry analyses were employed to assess cell proliferation and apoptosis. A quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot assays were applied to measure mRNA and protein expression. Alkaline phosphatase activity and alizarin red staining were tested to further analyze cell differentiation. In silico analysis and luciferase reporter assays were utilized to identify the direct binding between miR-22 and its potential target. RESULTS: MTT and flow cytometry analyses showed that miR-22 repressed MC3T3-E1 cell viability and promoted cell apoptosis. By detecting osteogenic-specific molecule expression, alkaline phosphatase activity and alizarin red staining, miR-22 was observed to suppress osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells. In silico analysis and luciferase reporter assays confirmed that ESR1 is a direct target gene of miR-22. In addition, miR-22 expression affected the phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and Jun N-terminal kinase expression in MC3T3-E1 cells. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the present study highlight the functional significance of miR-22 in osteoblast differentiation and suggest its role as a possible therapeutic target in metabolic bone disorders.

LncRNA THOR increases osteosarcoma cell stemness and migration by enhancing SOX9 mRNA stability.

Although the long non-coding RNA THOR has been reported to promote cancer stem cell expansion in liver cancer and gastric cancer, its effects on osteosarcoma (OS) cells remain unclear. Here, we investigated the roles of THOR in the stemness and migration of OS cells. We report that the level of THOR is remarkably upregulated in OS cell spheroids compared to that in OS adherent cells. THOR overexpression increased spheroid formation ability and aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) activity in OS adherent cells, and the opposite effect was observed in spheroids with THOR knockdown. Additionally, the spheroids formed by OS adherent cells exhibited a stronger migration ability, which was attenuated by THOR knockdown, and THOR overexpression increased OS cell migration. Mechanistically, mRNA stability, luciferase reporter, and RNA-RNA in vitro interaction assays indicated that THOR can directly bind to the middle region of the SOX9 3'-untranslated region (UTR), and enhances its mRNA stability, thereby increasing its expression. Notably, SOX9 knockdown reduced the ability of THOR overexpression to promote the stemness of OS cells. These findings indicate that the lncRNA THOR can promote the stemness and migration of OS cells by directly binding to the middle region of SOX9 3'UTR, thereby enhancing SOX9 mRNA stability and increasing its expression; thus, we provide information that may be of use in identifying potential targets for OS treatment.

Glucocorticoid-induced delayed fracture healing and impaired bone biomechanical properties in mice.

BACKGROUND: The objective of the study was to investigate the effects of glucocorticoid (GC) on the fracture healing process in a closed femur fracture mice model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty 12-week-old female CD-1 mice were randomly allocated into four groups: healthy control and mice with prednisone exposure (oral gavage), 6 mg/kg/day (GC-L), 9 mg/kg/day (GC-M) and 12 mg/kg/day (GC-H). Three weeks after the initiation of prednisone dosing, closed femur fractures were created on prednisone-exposed mice and the healthy control. Prednisone administration was continued for 9 weeks post-fracture, and X-ray imaging was performed weekly to monitor the fracture healing process until the mice were euthanized. Necropsy was performed after 9 weeks and the fractured femurs were isolated and processed at necropsy for micro-CT and biomechanical property analysis. Another 20 mice (control and GC-H, 10 mice/group) were used for histology and micro-CT analysis at early time point (2-week post fracture) with continued prednisone exposure. RESULTS: The results showed that oral administration of prednisone for 3 months in this strain of mice could inhibit endochondral ossification and delay the healing process, especially hard callus formation (woven bone) and bone remodeling during healing. It also could significantly decrease bone biomechanical properties. CONCLUSION: Long-term GC administration leads to significantly delayed fracture healing and impaired bone biomechanical properties. This mouse model may be used to systematically study the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying fracture healing with GC treatment background and may also be used to study the influence of different therapeutic interventions for bone fracture healing.