The Genetic Mechanism of Inertinite in the Middle Jurassic Inertinite-Rich Coal Seams of the Southern Ordos Basin

Inertinite is an important type of organic maceral in coal deposits, andalso an important geological information carrier of coal forming environments. In the southern section of the Ordos Basin, the No. 4 inertinite-richcoal seam of the Middle Jurassic Yan’an Formation in the Binchang Coalfield was selected as an example to study the genetic mechanism of theinertinite. In this study, the results obtained from experimental tests ofcoal rock, including principal and trace elements, stable carbon isotopes,scanning electron microscopy, inertinite reflectance, sporopollen andfree radical retorting methods, were analyzed. Then, the findings werecombined with the previous understanding of the oxygen content in theatmosphere and ground fire characteristics, in order to discuss the genesismechanism of inertinite in the No. 4 coal seam. The obtained researchresults were as follows: (1) During the coal forming period of the No. 4coal seam, the overall climate had been relatively dry. There were fourrelatively dry-wet climate cycles in the No.4 coal seam, which werecontrolled by the eccentricity astronomical period. The inertinite contentwere relatively high during the dry periods; (2) The temperature rangesuitable for microorganism activities during the oxidation processes wasbetween 0 and 80℃ . The simulation results of the free radical concentrations showed that the maximum temperature of fusain in the No. 4 coalseam during the process of coalification had not exceeded 300℃ , whichwas significantly higher than the temperature range of microorganismactivities. Therefore, these were not conducive to the activities of microorganism and formation of inertinite during the coal-forming period;(3) The genesis temperature of the inertinite in the No. 4 coal seam wascalculated according to the reflectance of the inertinite, which was lowerthan 400 ℃ . This result supported the cause of wildfire of the inertiniteand reflected that the type of wildfire was mainly ground fire, along withpartially surface fire. Moreover, the paleogeographic location, climaticconditions, atmospheric oxygen concentration, etc. of the study areashowed that the conditions for wildfire events were in fact available; (4)There were dense and scattered fusinite observed in the No. 4 coal seam,and the thickness of cell walls were found to differ. It was speculated thatthis was related to the type of wildfire, combustion temperatures, combustion timeframes, and different initial conditions of the burned objectsduring the coal forming periods

Study on elastic deformation calculation method of a composite-metal hybrid assembling stringed truss bridge

A composite-metal hybrid assembling stringed truss bridge which based on pre-tightened tooth connection can make full use of the strength of the FRP fiber in the direction of the fiber, and is of higher bearing capacity than the FRP truss bridges with traditional adhesive or bolt connection. However, whether the calculation method of FRP truss bridge with traditional bondingor bolt connection is suitable for this new type of bridge needs to be researched because of the difference on the structural form and connection mode. In order to obtain the suitable method of this kind of bridge, a new method for calculating live load deformation which consider the influence of end of the steel bar sleeve of rod stiffness was established in this paper; the deformation experiment of truss bridge was carried out. The experiment and calculation results show: compared with the calculation method of the live load deformation of the traditional FRP truss bridge, the calculation method of live load deformation considering the effect of the steel sleeve on the end of the rod is in good agreement with the live load deformation obtained by the experiment; the calculation method of inelastic deflection has also been verified by the experimental results

Trap-Assisted Charge Injection into Large Bandgap Polymer Semiconductors.

The trap-assisted charge injection in polyfluorene-poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) model systems with an Al or Al/LiF cathode is investigated. We find that inserting 1.3 nm LiF increases electron and hole injections simultaneously and the increase of holes is greater than electrons. The evolution of internal interfaces within polymer light-emitting diodes is observed by transmission electron microscopy, which reveals that the introduction of LiF improves the interface stability at both the cathode (cathode/polymer) and the anode (indium tin oxide (ITO)/PEDOT:PSS). Above-mentioned experimental results have been compared to the numerical simulations with a revised Davids model and potential physical mechanisms for the trap-assisted charge injection are discussed

Moment-based space-variant Shack-Hartmann wavefront reconstruction

Based on image moment theory, an approach for space-variant Shack-Hartmann wavefront reconstruction is presented in this article. The relation between the moment of a pair of subimages and the local transformation coefficients is derived. The square guide 'star' is used to obtain a special solution from this relation. The moment-based wavefront reconstruction has a reduced computational complexity compared to the iteration-based algorithm. Image restorations are executed by the tiling strategy with 5 $\times$ 5 PSFs as well as the conventional strategy with a global average PSF. Visual and quantitative evaluations support our approach.Comment: This paper has been accepted for publication in the journal Optics Communications on April 12th, 202

Clinical analysis of transurethral holmium laser enucleation in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia with prostatic inflammation: A prospective research study

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical efficacy of holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) with prostatic inflammation (PI).MethodsWe prospectively collected and followed up data on patients with BPH who underwent HoLEP at the Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University between July 2021 and July 2022. According to the postoperative pathological results, the patients were divided into two groups: BPH without PI group (BPH group) and BPH with PI group. Statistical analysis was performed on clinical data, including age and body mass index (BMI), prostate volume (PV), postoperative residual urine volume (PVR), preoperative serum total prostate-specific antigen (tPSA), serum-free prostate-specific antigen (fPSA), preoperative and postoperative maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax), International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) before and 3 months after surgery, quality of life index (QoL) before and 3 months after surgery, and postoperative complications.ResultsA total of 41 patients were included in this study, including 16 in the BPH group and 25 in the BPH with PI group. There were no significant differences in preoperative age, BMI, PV, PVR, tPSA, fPSA, and f/tPSA between the BPH and BPH with PI groups (P > 0.05). The preoperative mean Qmax of the BPH and BPH with PI groups were 9.44 ± 2.449 and 7.52 ± 2.946 [mean ± standard deviation (SD)] ml/s, mean IPSS were 17.75 ± 5.335 and 24.24 ± 5.861 (mean ± SD), and mean QoL were 4.13 ± 0.806 and 4.48 ± 0.8 (mean ± SD), respectively. The postoperative mean Qmax of the BPH and BPH with PI groups were 20.38 ± 4.787 and 14.32 ± 3.827 (mean ± SD) ml/s, mean IPSS were 2.69 ± 1.25 and 5.84 ± 3.579 (mean ± SD), and mean QoL were 0.13 ± 0.342 and 0.92 ± 0.759 (mean ± SD), respectively. In both groups, Qmax significantly increased (P < 0.05) and IPSS and QoL significantly decreased after HoLEP (P < 0.05). Before and after surgery, the Qmax in the BPH with PI group was lower than that in the BPH group, and the IPSS and QoL levels in the BPH with PI group were higher than those in the BPH group (P < 0.05). Compared with the BPH group, the increase in Qmax in the BPH with PI group was smaller and the decrease in IPSS was larger (P < 0.05), but the variation in QoL was not statistically significant (P > 0.05).ConclusionImprovements in Qmax, IPSS, and QoL in BPH patients with PI after HoLEP surgery were lower than those in BPH patients alone. PI may be a predictor of a worse response to surgical treatment. However, more multicenter randomized controlled trials with larger samples and long-term follow-up are needed to verify this

Kidney damage in COVID-19 patients with or without chronic kidney disease: Analysis of clinical characteristics and related risk factors

COVID-19 poses more risk to patients who already suffer from other diseases, particularly respiratory disorder. In this study, we analyzed the clinical characteristics and related risk factors during hospitalization of COVID-19 patients admitted with kidney damage. A total of 102 COVID-19 patients with kidney damage [irrespective of their chronic kidney disease (CKD) history] during hospitalization were included in this study. The patients were divided into a core group and a group who developed critical illness or death. Clinical data included age, gender, length of hospitalization, clinical manifestations, medical history, hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs -CRP), high serum creatinine, low cardiac troponin I (cTnI), and hemoglobin. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the risk factors of patients' outcome. Among the outcomes, 75 patients (73.53%) were cured, 27 (26.47%) developed to critical illness or death, 20 (19.61%) of them died. A total of 36 (4.26%) out of 845 COVID-19 patients, developed acute kidney injury (AKI). Decreased oxygen saturation, elevated hs-CRP, elevated serum creatinine, elevated cTnI, and anemia were related factors for COVID-19 patients who developed to critical illness or death (P <0.05). Decreased oxygen saturation, elevated hs-CRP and anemia were not independent factors, but elevated serum creatinine and elevated cTnI were independent factors for COVID-19 patients who developed to critical illness or death (P <0.05). Among COVID-19 patients with or without CKD but with kidney damage during hospitalization, patients with elevated serum creatinine and elevated TnI, more likely to developed critical illness or death

Kidney damage in COVID-19 patients with or without chronic kidney disease: Analysis of clinical characteristics and related risk factors

811-817COVID-19 poses more risk to patients who already suffer from other diseases, particularly respiratory disorder. In this study, we analyzed the clinical characteristics and related risk factors during hospitalization of COVID-19 patients admitted with kidney damage. A total of 102 COVID-19 patients with kidney damage [irrespective of their chronic kidney disease (CKD) history] during hospitalization were included in this study. The patients were divided into a core group and a group who developed critical illness or death. Clinical data included age, gender, length of hospitalization, clinical manifestations, medical history, hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs -CRP), high serum creatinine, low cardiac troponin I (cTnI), and hemoglobin. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the risk factors of patients' outcome. Among the outcomes, 75 patients (73.53%) were cured, 27 (26.47%) developed to critical illness or death, 20 (19.61%) of them died. A total of 36 (4.26%) out of 845 COVID-19 patients, developed acute kidney injury (AKI). Decreased oxygen saturation, elevated hs-CRP, elevated serum creatinine, elevated cTnI, and anemia were related factors for COVID-19 patients who developed to critical illness or death (P P <0.05). Among COVID-19 patients with or without CKD but with kidney damage during hospitalization, patients with elevated serum creatinine and elevated TnI, more likely to developed critical illness or death

Agrimol B inhibits colon carcinoma progression by blocking mitochondrial function through the PGC-1α/NRF1/TFAM signaling pathway

BackgroundThe activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) stimulates the transcription of the downstream target proteins, mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) and nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1), which induces mitochondrial biogenesis and promotes colorectal tumorigenesis. Agrimol B (Agr) is a constituent of Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb. that exerts anticancer effects. Herein, we aimed to investigate the antitumor activity of Agr and its mechanism of action.MethodsThe interaction between Agr and PGC-1α was predicted by molecular docking. After the treatment with different concentrations of Agr (0, 144, 288, and 576 nM), the cell viability, migration rate, proliferation rate, and apoptosis rate of human colon cancer HCT116 cells were determined. Mitochondrial activity, cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and mitochondrial membrane potential were assessed to measure the regulatory effect of Agr on mitochondrial function. Western blotting (WB) assay was used to examine the expression of PGC-1α, NRF1, and TFAM, as well as of the pro-apoptotic proteins, Bax and Caspase-3, and the antiapoptotic protein (Bcl-2). Finally, subcutaneous tumor xenograft model mice were used to evaluate the effect of Agr on colorectal cancer (CRC) in vivo.ResultsThe molecular docking results revealed a high likelihood of Agr interacting with PGC-1α. Agr inhibited the proliferation and migration of HCT116 cells, promoted ROS production and mitochondrial oxidative stress, inhibited mitochondrial activity, and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential. Agr induced cell apoptosis and, in combination with PGC-1α, impaired mitochondrial biogenesis and suppressed the expression of NRF1 and TFAM. Agr also suppressed the expression of Bcl-2 and Cleaved-Caspase-3 and increased the expression of Bax and Caspase-3. In addition, the in vivo antitumor effect and mechanism of Agr were confirmed by using a subcutaneous tumor xenograft mouse model.ConclusionsOur findings demonstrated that Agr regulates the expression of PGC-1α, thereby inducing mitochondrial dysfunction and promoting tumor cell apoptosis. This work highlights the potential of Agr as a promising therapeutic candidate in CRC