Normalized Born Approximation-Based Two-Stage Reconstruction Algorithm for Quantitative Fluorescence Molecular Tomography

Fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT) is a promising technique for in vivo small animal imaging. In this paper, a two-stage reconstruction method based on normalized Born approximation is developed for FMT, which includes two steps for quantitative reconstruction. First, the localization of fluorescent fluorophore is determined by l1-norm regularization method. Then, in the location region of fluorophore, which is provided by the first stage, algebraic reconstruction technique (ART) is utilized for the fluorophore concentration reconstruction. The validity of the two-stage quantitative reconstruction algorithm is testified by simulation experiments on a 3D digital mouse atlas and physical experiments on a phantom. The results suggest that we are able to recover the fluorophore location and concentration

The Effect of CuO/CeO

In this paper, the porous CeO2 flowerlike spheres support and a series of CuO/CeO2 prepared by different methods were synthesized. The SEM, XRD, BET, H2-TPR and FT-IR characterization were conducted to probe the physicochemical properties of the samples. To evaluate the HCN catalytic removal efficiency over the prepared samples, the breakthrough time of HCN over different samples were investigated. The results implied the CuO/CeO2 prepared by precipitation method (donated as Ce-5) showed highest catalytic activity, the breakthrough time of which was more than 70 min at 30 °C. It was proved the dispersion of CuO phase on the support, the redox properties and the interaction between CuO and CeO2 support over CuO/CeO2 played an important role in the HCN catalytic removal process. FT-IR analysis demonstrated the CuCN was generated due to the chemisorption of CuO and HCN

Study on the Preventive Effect of Au/CeO₂ on Lithium-Ion Battery Thermal Runaway Caused by Overcharging

In this study, a flower-like Au/CeO2 supported catalyst composite anode was prepared to explore its impact on thermal runaway triggered by overcharging and flame. Through structural and performance characterization, it was found that the catalyst has a high specific surface area and good CO catalytic oxidation capability, with a CO removal rate higher than 99.97% at room temperature. Through electrical performance testing, it was discovered that, compared to batteries without the catalyst, batteries using the composite anode did not exhibit significant capacity degradation. In overcharge testing, the catalyst prolonged the voltage rise time and peak voltage occurrence time of the battery. In thermal runaway testing, the addition of the catalyst delayed the detection time of CO and significantly reduced the concentration of thermal runaway products, especially the peak concentration and integrated concentration of CO, demonstrating its effectiveness in reducing thermal runaway products. Therefore, this study provides a new approach for improving the safety of lithium-ion batteries. The catalyst exhibits good performance in reducing toxic gases generated after thermal runaway and delaying the occurrence of thermal runaway, providing strong support for the safe application of lithium-ion batteries

Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Genes Related to Pollen Abortion in a Cytoplasmic Male-Sterile Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.)

Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) lays a foundation for the utilization of heterosis in soybean. The soybean CMS line SXCMS5A is an excellent CMS line exhibiting 100% male sterility. Cytological analysis revealed that in SXCMS5A compared to its maintainer SXCMS5B, its tapetum was vacuolated and abnormally developed. To identify the genes and metabolic pathways involving in pollen abortion of SXCMS5A, a comparative transcriptome analysis was conducted between SXCMS5A and SXCMS5B using flower buds. A total of 372,973,796 high quality clean reads were obtained from 6 samples (3 replicates for each material), and 840 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, including 658 downregulated and 182 upregulated ones in SXCMS5A compared to SXCMS5B. Among them, 13 DEGs, i.e., 12 open reading frames (ORFs) and 1 COX2, were mitochondrial genome genes in which ORF178 and ORF103c were upregulated in CMS lines and had transmembrane domain(s), therefore, identified as CMS candidate mitochondrial genes of SXCMS5A. Furthermore, numerous DEGs were associated with pollen wall development, carbohydrate metabolism, sugar transport, reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism and transcription factor. Some of them were further confirmed by quantitative real time PCR analysis between CMS lines with the same cytoplasmic source as SXCMS5A and their respective maintainer lines. The amount of soluble sugar and adenosine triphosphate and the activity of catalase and ascorbic acid oxidase showed that energy supply and ROS scavenging decreased in SXCMS5A compared to SXCMS5B. These findings provide valuable information for further understanding the molecular mechanism regulating the pollen abortion of soybean CMS

Effect of ropivacaine, mepivacaine or the combination of ropivacaine and mepivacaine for epidural anaesthesia on the postoperative recovery in patients undergoing caesarean section: a randomized, prospective, double-blind study

Abstract Background Anaesthetic methods and drugs with rapid onset, rapid recovery and better postoperative analgesia are more suitable for rapid recovery in obstetric anaesthesia. We formulated the following hypothesis: a combination of mepivacaine and ropivacaine could provide a longer analgesic effect and have more advantages in terms of rapid-recovery indicators. Methods A total of 180 pregnant women scheduled to undergo elective caesarean sections were randomly assigned to three surgical groups, which received 2% mepivacaine (Group M), 2% mepivacaine + 0.75% ropivacaine (Group MR) (Volume 1:1) or 0.75% ropivacaine (Group R) through an epidural catheter. The situation of postoperative analgesia and other indicators of rapid recovery were recorded. Results One hundred and fifty patients were included in the final analysis. Their demographic data were similar. The visual analogue scale (VAS) scores of Group MR and Group R were lower than Group M at 1 and 2 h after surgery both at rest and with movement (P < 0.05), and the time to first ambulation in Group MR (17.38 ± 2.06 h) and Group M (17.20 ± 2.09 h) was shorter than that in Group R (22.18 ± 1.74 h) (P < 0.05). Conclusion Application of 2% mepivacaine combined with 0.75% ropivacaine for epidural anaesthesia can provide longer postoperative analgesia and earlier ambulation, these effect may be more suitable than that of 2% mepivacaine or 0.75% ropivacaine alone for caesarean section. Trial registration This study was registered at Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (Registration number: ChiCTR 2300078288; date of registration: 04/12/2023)

Experimental study on innovative geotechnical seismic isolation system

In order to promote the structural safety of buildings in rural areas during earthquakes, an innovative seismic isolation technique, namely 'geotechnical seismic isolation system' (abbreviated herein as GSI), is introduced based on the principles of soil-structure interaction (SSI) and nonlinear soil response phenomena. Rubber-soil mixture (RSM) is facilitated as the main source for the dissipation and absorption of instant earthquake wave energy. A series of prescribed shaking table experimental tests are then conducted to investigate the dynamic performance of the GSI system subject to acceleration time histories with different shaking intensities. Further, by varying the defining parameters of GSI, i.e., the contents of rubber, thickness of RSM layer, as well as the weight of the superstructure, a comprehensive parametric study is carried out. The experimental results demonstrate the remarkable performance of the GSI system for seismic hazard mitigation purposes. At last, several issues relevant to the potential problems and difficulties of the GSI system in engineering practice are discussed. This study strongly presents the advantages of the GSI system, such as cost-effective, environmentally friendly, robust and easy to constructional applications, which are in line with the national vision and commitment to developing 'two-oriented society' that will beneficially bring in significant social and economic impacts to our nation

Long Noncoding RNA Linc00152 Functions as a Tumor Propellant in Pan-Cancer

Background/Aims: The oncogenic role of linc00152 in pan-cancer is unclear. Methods: In this study, RNA-Seq of 33 breast specimens was performed, and the expression of linc00152 was validated by qPCR using 50 paired breast cancer tissues and adjacent normal tissues. This result combined with the expression of linc00152 in pan-cancer was revalidated by Gene Expression Omnibus and The Cancer Genome Atlas data. Next, the oncogenic roles of linc00152 in view of prognosis, chemoresistance, genomic and epigenetic regulation, including DNA methylation and histone modification, potential biological function enrichment, and basic molecular function in pan-cancer, were also evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Results: Linc00152 is upregulated in pan-cancer, especially in progressive cancer, and the high expression of linc00152 may lead to a worse prognosis and chemoresistance in pan-cancer patients. Amplification, DNA hypomethylation, promoter-like lncRNA characteristics and super-enhancer regulation are the drivers that lead to the upregulation of linc00152 in pan-cancer. Meanwhile, linc00152 was involved in cancer-related pathways, infection and immune response-associated pathways by enriched analysis using TCGA data. Finally, linc00152 was confirmed to promote the proliferation, migration and invasion in MDA-MB-231, SGC-7901 and 786-O. Moreover, RIP and RNA pull-down assays indicated that linc00152 can bind to EZH2 directly. Conclusion: All of the results indicated that linc00152 acted as an oncogenic propellant from various perspectives, and it may be an effective therapy target in pan-cancer