Influence of welding quality on stability of SUS304 tube-compression by viscous pressure forming

One of the major problems affecting viscous pressure forming (VPF) is the stability of tubecompression, whereas the main defect influencing the stability of welded tube-compression is the quality of welded joints. This article utilizes the finite element method to analyze the influence of weld joint strength and width on stability of SUS304 tube-compression by VPF. Meanwhile, SUS304 welded tube-blanks with different weld joint strength and width are obtained by plasma welding, TIG-Tungsten Inert Gas welding, laser welding and high frequency welding and then the stability test by VPF is carried out. The results showed that the weld joint strength and width affect the stability of tube-compression. The system and process of controlling weld joint width can improve the stability of tube-blank preferably relative to weld joint strength

Solar Driven Gas Phase Advanced Oxidation Processes for Methane Removal – Challenges and Perspectives

Methane (CH(4)) is a potent greenhouse gas and the second highest contributor to global warming. CH(4) emissions are still growing at an alarmingly high pace. To limit global warming to 1.5 °C, one of the most effective strategies is to reduce rapidly the CH(4) emissions by developing large‐scale methane removal methods. The purpose of this perspective paper is threefold. (1) To highlight the technology gap dealing with low concentration CH(4) (at many emission sources and in the atmosphere). (2) To analyze the challenges and prospects of solar‐driven gas phase advanced oxidation processes for CH(4) removal. And (3) to propose some ideas, which may help to develop solar‐driven gas phase advanced oxidation processes and make them deployable at a climate significant scale

The novel prolyl hydroxylase-2 inhibitor caffeic acid upregulates hypoxia inducible factor and protects against hypoxia

Background & aims: Hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) is a hypoxia-associated transcription factor that has a protective role against hypoxia-induced damage. Prolyl hydroxylase-2 (PHD2) is a dioxygenase enzyme that specifically hydroxylates HIF targeting it for degradation, therefore, inhibition of the PHD2 enzyme activity acts to upregulate HIF function. This study was to identify novel PHD2 inhibitors. Methods: An established fluorescence-based PHD2 activity assay was used for inhibitors screening. Western blot and quantitative real-time PCR was used to detect the protein and mRNA levels respectively. Further animal experiment was carried out. Results: Caffeic acid was screened and identified as a novel PHD2 inhibitor. Caffeic acid treated PC12 and SH-SY5Y neuronal cell lines stabilized endogenous HIF-1α protein levels and consequently increased mRNA levels of its downstream regulated genes VEGF and EPO. Caffeic acid treatment reduced hypoxia-induced cell apoptosis and promoted HIF/BNIP3-mediated mitophagy. Moreover, animal studies indicated that caffeic acid increased the level of HIF-1α protein and mRNA levels of VEGF and EPO in the brain of mice exposed to hypoxia. Conventional brain injury markers including malondialdehyde, lactic acid and lactate dehydrogenase in the caffeic acid treated mice were shown to be reduced to the levels of the control group. Conclusions: This study suggests that caffeic acid inhibits PHD2 enzyme activity which then activates the hypoxia-associated transcription factor HIF leading to a neuroprotective effect against hypoxia

Abnormal Alterations of Regional Spontaneous Neuronal Activity in Inferior Frontal Orbital Gyrus and Corresponding Brain Circuit Alterations: A Resting-State fMRI Study in Somatic Depression

Background: Major depressive disorders often involve somatic symptoms and have been found to have fundamental differences from non-somatic depression (NSD). However, the neural basis of this type of somatic depression (SD) is unclear. The aim of this study is to use the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and functional connectivity (FC) analyses to examine the abnormal, regional, spontaneous, neuronal activity and the corresponding brain circuits in SD patients.Methods: 35 SD patients, 25 NSD patients, and 27 matched healthy controls were selected to complete this study. The ALFF and seed-based FC analyses were employed, and the Pearson correlation was determined to observe possible clinical relevance.Results: Compared with NSD, the SD group showed a significant ALFF increase in the right inferior temporal gyrus; a significant ALFF decrease in left hippocampus, right inferior frontal orbital gyrus and left thalamus; and a significant decrease in the FC value between the right inferior frontal orbital gyrus and the left inferior parietal cortex (p < 0.05, corrected). Within the SD group, the mean ALFF value of the right inferior frontal orbital gyrus was associated with the anxiety factor scores (r = –0.431, p = 0.010, corrected).Conclusions: Our findings suggest that abnormal differences in the regional spontaneous neuronal activity of the right inferior frontal orbital gyrus were associated with dysfunction patterns of the corresponding brain circuits during rest in SD patients, including the limbic-cortical systems and the default mode network. This may be an important aspect of the underlying mechanisms for pathogenesis of SD at the neural level

ZNF397 Deficiency Triggers TET2-Driven Lineage Plasticity and AR-Targeted Therapy Resistance in Prostate Cancer

Cancer cells exhibit phenotypical plasticity and epigenetic reprogramming that allows them to evade lineage-dependent targeted treatments by adopting lineage plasticity. The underlying mechanisms by which cancer cells exploit the epigenetic regulatory machinery to acquire lineage plasticity and therapy resistance remain poorly understood. We identified zinc finger protein 397 (ZNF397) as a bona fide coactivator of the androgen receptor (AR), essential for the transcriptional program governing AR-driven luminal lineage. ZNF397 deficiency facilitates the transition of cancer cell from an AR-driven luminal lineage to a ten-eleven translocation 2 (TET2)-driven lineage plastic state, ultimately promoting resistance to therapies inhibiting AR signaling. Intriguingly, our findings indicate that a TET2 inhibitor can eliminate the resistance to AR-targeted therapies in ZNF397-deficient tumors. These insights uncover a novel mechanism through which prostate cancer acquires lineage plasticity via epigenetic rewiring and offer promising implications for clinical interventions designed to overcome therapy resistance dictated by lineage plasticity. Significance: This study reveals a bifurcated role of ZNF397, and a TET2–driven epigenetic mechanism regulating tumor lineage plasticity and therapy response in prostate cancer, enhances the understanding of drug resistance, and unveils a new therapeutic strategy for overcoming androgen receptor-targeted therapy resistance

Information Investment and Sharing in a Two-Echelon Supply Chain under Government Subsidy and Consumer Preference for Energy-Saving Products

This study establishes a two-echelon supply chain with one manufacturer who invests in energy-saving products (ESPs) and one retailer who sells the products and may possess demand-forecast advantage. Considering government subsidy and consumer preference for ESPs and a random demand, we develop a four-stage Stackelberg game model to research the optimal strategies of the information investment and sharing of the retailer and the energy-saving R&D of the manufacturer. The results show the following: (1) When incurring a low information investment cost, the retailer is willing to invest in information acquisition techniques, while the retailer agreeing to share market information is related to the government subsidies and the probability of a high demand. The optimal strategy for the retailer is to share information when the probability of a high demand is less than 50% and the government subsidies for ESPs are high. Otherwise, the optimal strategy is not to share information. (2) The manufacturer not always expects the retailer to share information, which depends on the probability of a high demand and manufacturing cost. Especially, when the probability of a high demand is less than 50%, only a manufacturer incurring high cost will expect. (3) If the retailer refuses to share the information, the manufacturer can motivate the retailer to change his/her decision by sharing the information investment cost

Menstrual Symptoms: Insights from Mobile Menstrual Tracking Applications for English and Chinese Teenagers

Mobile software applications (apps) have transformed how individuals oversee and maintain their own health. One way that girls can monitor their menstrual cycles is through the increasingly widespread use of mobile menstrual tracking apps. This study aimed to examine menstrual symptom tracking for adolescents in English and Chinese apps, exploring menstrual literacy, cross-cultural differences, and framing, or presentation, of symptoms. The mixed-methods content analysis involved 15 popular free menstrual tracking apps in English (n = 8) and Chinese (n = 7), sampled from December 2022 to January 2023. A quantitative analysis of qualitative data was conducted through manual coding of content and automatically analyzing sentiment, or emotional tone, using a computational approach. We found that (1) menstrual literacy on symptom management or treatment was generally insufficient, (2) there were more available emotional than physical symptoms in English than Chinese apps, and (3) symptoms were framed more negatively than positively somewhat more in Chinese than English apps. Our findings emphasize the urgency to provide better evidence-informed communication about symptoms, either presented more positively or neutrally, in menstrual tracking apps for adolescent users. Since adolescence is a critical developmental stage that requires ample support, we recommend that digital menstrual trackers be crucially improved and future research should investigate how they can uniquely shape attitudes and experiences, and subsequent sexual and reproductive health empowerment and bodily autonomy

Menstrual Symptoms: Insights from Mobile Menstrual Tracking Applications for English and Chinese Teenagers

Peer reviewed: TrueMobile software applications (apps) have transformed how individuals oversee and maintain their own health. One way that girls can monitor their menstrual cycles is through the increasingly widespread use of mobile menstrual tracking apps. This study aimed to examine menstrual symptom tracking for adolescents in English and Chinese apps, exploring menstrual literacy, cross-cultural differences, and framing, or presentation, of symptoms. The mixed-methods content analysis involved 15 popular free menstrual tracking apps in English (n = 8) and Chinese (n = 7), sampled from December 2022 to January 2023. A quantitative analysis of qualitative data was conducted through manual coding of content and automatically analyzing sentiment, or emotional tone, using a computational approach. We found that (1) menstrual literacy on symptom management or treatment was generally insufficient, (2) there were more available emotional than physical symptoms in English than Chinese apps, and (3) symptoms were framed more negatively than positively somewhat more in Chinese than English apps. Our findings emphasize the urgency to provide better evidence-informed communication about symptoms, either presented more positively or neutrally, in menstrual tracking apps for adolescent users. Since adolescence is a critical developmental stage that requires ample support, we recommend that digital menstrual trackers be crucially improved and future research should investigate how they can uniquely shape attitudes and experiences, and subsequent sexual and reproductive health empowerment and bodily autonomy.</jats:p