Ultrasonic testing procedures are among the most extensively used techniques in non-destructive testing and non-destructive evaluation systems. Meanwhile, phased array inspection or phased-array ultrasonic testing techniques as a well-known type of ultrasonic testing in advanced non-destructive testing systems are utilized in numerous applications, including oil and gas, medical imaging applications, railway, automotive, marine, and aviation industries. Phased-array ultrasonic testing-based methods can also be used in a variety of weld inspections, bond testing, thickness profiling, flaw...

ObjectiveWe aimed to explore the mechanisms underlying paraquat (PQ)-induced damage using cell lines (NCTC1469, TC-1, TCMK-1) and bioinformatic analysis of the GSE153959 dataset. Assessment of changes in the expression of ferroptosis-related genes in cellular damage due to paraquat poisoning and the important value of these genes in the pathogenesis.MethodsData were retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to ferroptosis were identified by Venn plots and analyzed for enrichment. Proteins...

Optical spin–orbit coupling is an important phenomenon and have fruitful applications. Here, we investigate the spin-orbit total angular momentum entanglement in the optical parametric down-conversion process. Four pairs of entangled vector vortex modes are experimentally generated directly using a dispersion- and astigmatism-compensated single optical parametric oscillator, and for the first time, the spin-orbit quantum states are characterized on the quantum higher-order Poincaré sphere, and the relationship of spin-orbit total angular momentum Stokes entanglement is demonstrated....

While the ability to coordinate movements temporally with rhythmic auditory stimuli is universal, previous investigators showed that accurate rhythm reproduction depends on temporal complexity. To date, the effect of multiple pitches on the timing of rhythmic movements has been assumed. Exploring a possible sustained entrainment effect of auditory stimuli on sequential movement might further elucidate the role of temporal complexity and its interaction with multiple pitch engagement. Thus, we investigated the sustained effect of auditory...

Transport-of-intensity diffraction tomography (TIDT) is a recently developed label-free computational microscopy technique that retrieves high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) refractive index (RI) distribution of biological specimens from 3D intensity-only measurements. However, the non-interferometic synthetic aperture in TIDT is generally achieved sequentially through acquiring multiple through-focus intensity stacks captured at different illumination angles, resulting in a very cumbersome and redundant data acquisition process. To this end, we present a parallel implementation of synthetic aperture in transport-of-intensity diffraction tomography...

BackgroundAcanthopanacis Cortex (AC) is a valuable Chinese medicine, which exerts beneficial effects on anti-fatigue, anti-stress, and inflammatory modulation in the periphery. However, the central nervous system (CNS) function of AC has not been clearly illustrated. As communication between the peripheral immune system and the CNS converges, it promotes a heightened neuroinflammatory environment that contributes to depression. We investigated the effect of AC against depression through neuroinflammatory modulation.MethodsNetwork pharmacology was used to screen for target compounds...

BackgroundThis meta-analysis aimed to explore the impact of red blood cell (RBC) transfusion on mortality during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Previous studies investigated the prognostic impact of RBC transfusion during ECMO on the risk of mortality, but no meta-analysis has been published before.MethodsThe PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane library were systematically searched for papers published up to 13 December 2021, using the MeSH terms “ECMO”, “‘Erythrocytes”, and “Mortality” to identify meta-analyses. Total or daily RBC...

The compressor discharge pressure of a polyethylene plant in Yanshan Petrochemical Company exceeds 170 MPa, and the gas pulsation in some pipe sections is large, which leads to strong vibration of pipeline elements. The acoustic modeling and analysis of gas pulsation characteristics were carried out around the hyper compressor pipeline system of the polyethylene device. The non-invasive strain–pressure method was used to indirectly measure the pressure pulsation data in the high-pressure pipeline, and the test...

Infant neglect is a common type of child maltreatment. According to the Social Information Processing theory, maternal executive function (EF) and reflective function (RF) are assumed to be important contributing factors to infant neglect. However, empirical evidence about this assumption is sparse. This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 1010 eligible women participated. The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function—Adult Version, Parental Reflective Function Questionnaire, and Signs of Neglect in Infants Assessment Scale (SIGN)...

Bird observation mainly relies on field surveys, which are time-consuming and laborious. In this study, we explored using street-view images in the virtual survey of urban birds and nests. Using the coastal city of Qingdao as the study area, 47 201 seamless spherical photos at 2741 sites were collected using the Baidu street-view (BSV) map. Single-rater-all photo checks and seven-rater-metapopulation checks were used to find inter–rater repeatability, the best viewing layer for BSV collection, and...

The protein expression and function changes from the slow-delayed rectifying K+ current, IKs, are tightly associated with ventricular cardiac arrhythmias. Human leukocyte antigen F-associated transcript 10 (FAT10), a member of the ubiquitin-like-modifier family, exerts a protective effect against myocardial ischaemia. However, whether or how FAT10 influences the function of IKs remains unclear. Here, human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) and Fat10 knockout HEK293 (Fat10−/−) cells through CRISPR-Cas9 technology were used to evaluate the novel modulation...

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is frequently associated with β-adrenergic stimulation, especially in patients with structural heart diseases. The objective of this study was to determine the synergism of late sodium current (late INa) and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaMKII)-mediated arrhythmogenic activities in β-adrenergic overactivation-associated AF. Monophasic action potential (MAP), conduction properties, protein phosphorylation, ion currents and cellular trigger activities were measured from rabbit-isolated hearts, atrial tissue and atrial myocytes, respectively. Isoproterenol (ISO, 1–15 nM) increased atrial conduction...

ObjectiveNonsuicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) in China has increasingly interested clinicians, although few studies have investigated its risk and protective factors. This study examined the risk factors of NSSI among Chinese adolescents.MethodsThe researchers recruited adolescent participants with NSSI from a hospital outpatient clinic to form a case group and recruited adolescents without NSSI who provided informed consent from the school to form a control group. Participants completed a questionnaire, and data were analyzed using logistic regression.ResultsA total...

Light sheet microscopy combined with microchip is an emerging tool in biomedical research that notably improves efficiency. However, microchip-enhanced light-sheet microscopy is limited by noticeable aberrations induced by the complex refractive indices in the chip. Herein, we report a droplet microchip that is specifically engineered to be capable of large-scale culture of 3D spheroids (over 600 samples per chip) and has a polymer index matched to water (difference <1%). When combined with a lab-built open-top...

Objective:to examine the validity of a novel dyspnea scale, Edmonton Dyspnea Inventory in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Methods: Edmonton Dyspnea Inventory (EDI), is a clinical instrument to measure dyspnea severity with activities of daily living, exercise and rest using a numeric rating scale (0 -10). Consecutive IPF patients (2012-2018) with baseline MRC and EDI were included. To validate EDI, psychometric analysis was conducted. Correlations between EDI, MRC and lung function were examined. Group-based trajectory modeling...

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which accounts for 10%–20% of breast cancer cases, is characterized by a higher metastasis rate, higher recurrence risk, and worse prognosis. Traditional treatments such as chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy have limited therapeutic effects. Although immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy represented by anti-programmed death 1 (aPD-1) antibody has made further progress in treating TNBC, its therapeutic effect is still not optimistic. Ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) is a critical factor in the DNA...

In order to improve the application of stem cell therapy, it is important to monitor the proliferation and differentiation of transplanted stem cells in real time, high sensitivity and high precision. Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have been employed as bioimaging agents and delivery vehicles for gene therapeutics in several types of cells. Herein, we fabricated multiple functional upconversion nanoparticles (FUC-NPs) as exogenous contrast agents to investigate the effect of FUC-NPs size on the efficiency of tracking...

Glires (rodents, lagomorphs and their fossil kin) is the most speciose and arguably most diversified clade of living placentals. Different lineages within the Glires evolved basically opposite chewing movements: a mostly transversal power stroke in lagomorphs, and a mostly proal power stroke in rodents, but the ancestral condition for Glires is still unclear. To address this knowledge gap, we studied the mandibles of Chinese Paleocene Glires representing the duplicidentate (lagomorph-like; Mimotona) and simplicidentate (rodent-like; Eomylus...

BackgroundDysbiosis commonly occurs in pancreatic cancer, but its specific characteristics and interactions with pancreatic cancer remain obscure.Materials and methodsThe 16S rRNA sequencing method was used to analyze multisite (oral and gut) microbiota characteristics of pancreatic cancer, chronic pancreatitis, and healthy controls. Differential analysis was used to identify the pancreatic cancer-associated genera and pathways. A random forest algorithm was adopted to establish the diagnostic models for pancreatic cancer.ResultsThe chronic pancreatitis group exhibited the lowest microbial diversity,...

Computer-generated holography offers a promising route to three-dimensional (3D) video displays. To realize a realistic-looking 3D display, the critical challenge is to create a 3D hologram that enables high-density multi-plane projection with full depth control. However, two long-existing issues in current digital holographic techniques, low axial resolution and high inter-plane crosstalk, prevent fine depth control and therefore limit the ultimate quality. Here, we report three-dimensional scattering-assisted dynamic holography (3D-SDH) that further breaks the depth-control limit...

Computer-generated holography offers a promising route to three-dimensional (3D) video displays. To realize a realistic-looking 3D display, the critical challenge is to create a 3D hologram that enables high-density multi-plane projection with full depth control. However, two long-existing issues in current digital holographic techniques, low axial resolution and high inter-plane crosstalk, prevent fine depth control and therefore limit the ultimate quality. Here, we report three-dimensional scattering-assisted dynamic holography (3D-SDH) that further breaks the depth-control limit...

Traditional grating lenses can accumulate phase for adjusting wavefronts, and plasmonic resonances can be excited in metasurfaces with discrete structures for optical field modulation. Diffractive and plasma optics have been developing in parallel, with easy processing, small size, and dynamic control advantages. Due to theoretical hybridization, structural design can combine advantages and show great potential value. Changing such as the shape and size of the flat metasurface can easy produce light field reflections, but 3D...

Owing to the complicated environments, the service life of bag-filter or electrostatic-bag composite precipitators with polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) is greatly deviated from the ideal time. In this paper, the structural transformation of PPS-based bag filter materials collected from the coal-fired power plants with different loading units were investigated systematically. As the SO2 content increases, the surface evolution of PPS fibers from smoothness to crack occurs. An opposite trend is observed for melting point and cross...

Mn2+ doped lead-free double perovskites are emerging afterglow materials that can avoid the usage of rare earth ions. However, the long afterglow mechanism is still elusive, and regulation of the afterglow time is still a challenge. In this work, the Mn doped Cs2Na0.2Ag0.8InCl6 crystals with afterglow emission at about 600 nm are synthesized by a solvothermal method. Then, the Mn2+ doped double perovskite crystals are crushed into different sizes. As the size decreases from 1.7...

Background:Poor tendon-to-bone healing in chronic rotator cuff tears (RCTs) is related to unsatisfactory outcomes. Exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells reportedly enhance rotator cuff healing. However, the difficulty in producing exosomes with a stronger effect on enthesis regeneration must be resolved.Purpose:To study the effect of exosomes derived from kartogenin (KGN)-preconditioned human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (KGN-Exos) on tendon-to-bone healing in a rat model of chronic RCT.Study Design:Controlled laboratory study.Methods:Exosome-loaded sodium alginate hydrogel (SAH) was...