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•Aging caused structural change in asphalt rubber with deteriorated rubber swelling.•The micromechanical back-calculation correlated well with experimental results.•The degradation of ...natural rubber increased the stiffness of crumb rubber.•The swelling rubber yielded less mechanical contribution after aging.
Asphalt rubber (AR) is a sustainable paving material composed of bitumen and crumb rubber modifier (CRM) recycled from waste tires. The interaction between bitumen and CRM re-distributes the bitumen fractions and creates a multiphase internal structure of AR. Although the superior aging resistance of AR has been acknowledged, the aging mechanism of AR remains unclear due to the limited understanding on the behaviors of different phases of AR during aging. This study aims to investigate the structural and mechanical evolution of AR binder during aging through micromechanical back-calculation and experimental tests. A series of separation methods were used to disintegrate the multiphase system of AR at four aging conditions. The mechanical properties of different phases obtained from frequency sweep tests and their volumetric fractions were used as the input for the micromechanical back-calculation, which yielded accurate prediction for the complex modulus of swelling rubber but failed for that of undissolved rubber, so further chemical characterization was conducted to estimate its mechanical evolution. The results indicated that the aging of AR is a process in which internal multiphase structures changed simultaneously with mechanical properties. All subphases became stiffer but their influences on the overall mechanical property of AR variated after aging.
Single-phase inverters are widely employed in renewable energy applications. However, their inherent 2ω-ripple power can substantially affect system performance, leading to fluctuations in the ...maximum power points (MPP) of photovoltaic (PV) systems and shortening the lifespans of fuel cell (FC) systems. To alleviate input ripple, a three-leg quasi-Z-source inverter (QZSI) and its associated control strategy are proposed. The QZSI consists of a quasi-Z-source network, an H-Bridge inverter, and an active power filter (APF). The active filtering structure comprises filtering capacitors and the third bridge leg. The proposed control strategy consists of three loops: open-loop simple boost control, output voltage control, and 2ω-ripple suppression control. Open-loop simple boost control is utilized for shoot-through state modulation, output voltage control is applied to the two bridge-legs of the H-Bridge, and the additional third bridge-leg adopts a quasi-PR control (QPR) method that injects specific frequency harmonic voltage and suppresses newly generated low-frequency components of the input current. This method effectively avoids the drawbacks of utilizing passive filtering strategies, such as high-value impedance networks, low power density, and weak system stability. A simulation platform of 300W 144VDC/110VAC50Hz is constructed. The simulation results indicate that the addition of the third bridge leg under full load conditions reduces the input-side inductor current ripple ΔI from 1.89 A with passive filtering to 0.513 A, representing a reduction of 72.86%. The second harmonic ripple of the input current is reduced from 18.2% to 4.5%, and the fourth harmonic ripple is reduced from 16.5% to 2.1%. The DC bus voltage ripple ΔVsub.PN falls from 70.75 V to 6.54 V, representing a reduction of 90.76%. The Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) of the output voltage and current are both less than 1%. The simulation results validated the feasibility of the proposed approach.
AutoDock Vina is one of the most popular molecular docking tools. In the latest benchmark CASF-2016 for comparative assessment of scoring functions, AutoDock Vina won the best docking power among all ...the docking tools. Modern drug discovery is facing a common scenario of large virtual screening of drug hits from huge compound databases. Due to the seriality characteristic of the AutoDock Vina algorithm, there is no successful report on its parallel acceleration with GPUs. Current acceleration of AutoDock Vina typically relies on the stack of computing power as well as the allocation of resource and tasks, such as the VirtualFlow platform. The vast resource expenditure and the high access threshold of users will greatly limit the popularity of AutoDock Vina and the flexibility of its usage in modern drug discovery. In this work, we proposed a new method, Vina-GPU, for accelerating AutoDock Vina with GPUs, which is greatly needed for reducing the investment for large virtual screens and also for wider application in large-scale virtual screening on personal computers, station servers or cloud computing, etc. Our proposed method is based on a modified Monte Carlo using simulating annealing AI algorithm. It greatly raises the number of initial random conformations and reduces the search depth of each thread. Moreover, a classic optimizer named BFGS is adopted to optimize the ligand conformations during the docking progress, before a heterogeneous OpenCL implementation was developed to realize its parallel acceleration leveraging thousands of GPU cores. Large benchmark tests show that Vina-GPU reaches an average of 21-fold and a maximum of 50-fold docking acceleration against the original AutoDock Vina while ensuring their comparable docking accuracy, indicating its potential for pushing the popularization of AutoDock Vina in large virtual screens.
Individuals with osteoarthritis present with comorbidities, and the potential causal associations remain incompletely elucidated. The present study undertook a large-scale investigation about the ...causality between osteoarthritis and variable traits, using the summary-level data of genome-wide association studies (GWAS).
The present study included the summary-level GWS data of knee osteoarthritis, hip osteoarthritis, hip or knee osteoarthritis, hand osteoarthritis, and other 1355 traits. Genetic correlation analysis was conducted between osteoarthritis and other traits through cross-trait bivariate linkage disequilibrium score regression. Subsequently, latent causal variable analysis was performed to explore the causal association when there was a significant genetic correlation. Genetic correlation and latent causal variable analysis were conducted on the Complex Traits Genomics Virtual Lab platform ( https://vl.genoma.io/ ).
We found 133 unique phenotypes showing causal relationships with osteoarthritis. Our results confirmed several well-established risk factors of osteoarthritis, such as obesity, weight, BMI, and meniscus derangement. Additionally, our findings suggested putative causal links between osteoarthritis and multiple factors. Socioeconomic determinants such as occupational exposure to dust and diesel exhaust, extended work hours exceeding 40 per week, and unemployment status were implicated. Furthermore, our analysis revealed causal associations with cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, including heart failure, deep venous thrombosis, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and elevated cholesterol levels. Soft tissue and musculoskeletal disorders, such as hallux valgus, internal derangement of the knee, and spondylitis, were also identified to be causally related to osteoarthritis. The study also identified the putative causal associations of osteoarthritis with digestive and respiratory diseases, such as Barrett's esophagus, esophagitis, and asthma, as well as psychiatric conditions including panic attacks and manic or hyperactive episodes. Additionally, we observed osteoarthritis causally related to pharmacological treatments, such as the use of antihypertensive medications, anti-asthmatic drugs, and antidepressants.
Our study uncovered a wide range of traits causally associated with osteoarthritis. Further studies are needed to validate and illustrate the detailed mechanism of those causal associations.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract
The Yangtze River Basin in China was hit by an unprecedented extreme drought in 2022. Such a record-breaking event is jointly driven by a few outlier factors and shows abnormal phenomena. ...The exceptionality of this drought event cannot be fully described by any individual indicator. Therefore, we performed this comprehensive study to highlight the exceptionality of 2022 Yangtze River Basin drought. We evaluated three drought characteristics: onset period (the time interval of moisture condition from normal to extreme), intensity, and affected area and their compound features. Additionally, historical climatology (1950–2022) and four past severe events are used as references. Lastly, we investigated the driving mechanisms of this event from synoptic perspective. Our results indicate the 2022 drought ranked as the most severe event in history. The recurrence interval of the 2022 Yangtze River drought is estimated to be 120–400 years by considering individual and combined drought characteristics. Behind the scenes, the synoptic environment triggered the abnormally high temperatures and abrupt alteration of precipitation, which is the main driver of the event. The 2022 Yangtze River drought is an archetype of an event characterized by both rapid intensification over time and space, which is indicative for drought monitoring and early warning in a warming climate.
Abstract
Background
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common degenerative joint disease and causes chronic pain and disability to the elderly. Several risk factors are involved, such as aging, obesity, ...genetic susceptibility, and environmental factors. We conducted a transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) and chemical-related gene set enrichment analysis (CGSEA) to investigate the susceptibility genes and environmental factors.
Methods
TWAS analysis was conducted to identify the susceptibility genes by integrating the summary-level genome-wide association study data of knee OA (KOA) and hip OA (HOA) with the precomputed expression weights from the Genotype-Tissue Expression Project (Version 8). The FUSION software was used for both single-tissue and cross-tissue TWAS, which were combined using an aggregate Cauchy association test. The biological function and pathways of the TWAS genes were explored using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) databases, and the human cartilage mRNA expression profiles were utilized to validate the TWAS genes. CGSEA analysis was performed to scan the OA-associated chemicals by integrating the TWAS results with the chemical-related gene sets.
Results
There were 44 and 93 unique TWAS genes identified in 7 and 11 chromosomes for KOA and HOA, respectively, fourteen and four of which showed significantly differential expression in the mRNA profiles, such as CRHR1, LTBP1, WWP2, LMX1B, and PTHLH. OA-related pathways were found in the KEGG and GO analysis, such as TGF-beta signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, hyaluronan metabolic process, and chondrocyte differentiation. Forty-five OA-associated chemicals were identified, including quercetin, bisphenol A, and cadmium chloride.
Conclusions
Several candidate OA-associated genes and chemicals were identified through TWAS and CGSEA analysis, which expanded our understanding of the relationship between genes, chemicals, and their impact on OA.
The demand for carbon dioxide (CO2) emission mitigation has driven the scientific community to develop a viable strategy. Gas separation technology are considered as the most promising and effective ...carbon capture approach. The utility of mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) for selective gas separation has prompted a paradigm shift from conventional methods towards more efficient and sustainable processes. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), with high porosity, surface area, and structural tunability, are identified as suitable fillers in MMMs. Their application in carbon capture and gas separation processes could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while maintain cost-effectiveness. Herein, this review presents the latest scientific and technological advancements in several types of representative MOF fillers, including Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks (ZIFs), Materials of Institute Lavoisier (MILs), University of Oslo (UiO), and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST-1). It also highlights the current challenges associated with MOF fillers and outlines potential research opportunities for future improvements in the performance of MOF-based MMMs.
Over the past decades, circular RNAs (circRNAs) have emerged as a hot spot and sparked intensive interest. Initially considered as the transcriptional noises, further studies have indicated that ...circRNAs are crucial regulators in multiple cellular biological processes, and thus engage in the development and progression of many diseases including osteoarthritis (OA). OA is a prevalent disease that mainly affects those aging, obese and post-traumatic population, posing as a major source of socioeconomic burden. Recently, numerous circRNAs have been found aberrantly expressed in OA tissues compared with counterparts. More importantly, circRNAs have been demonstrated to interplay with components in OA microenvironments, such as chondrocytes, synoviocytes and macrophages, by regulation of their proliferation, apoptosis, autophagy, inflammation, or extracellular matrix reorganization. Herein, in this review, we extensively summarize the roles of circRNAs in OA microenvironment, progression, and putative treatment, as well as envision the future directions for circRNAs research in OA, with the aim to provide a novel insight into this field.
•Neurological impairment after elderly ICH could be attenuated by GDF11.•The mechanism for antioxidant effect of GDF11 in post-ICH is proposed.•The mechanism for mitochondrial protective effect of ...GDF11 after ICH is proposed.
The occurrence of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) costs long-standing neurologic deficits in ICH survivors, elderly ones in particular. Recent researches have proved rejuvenating effect of Growth Differentiation Factor 11 (GDF11) in improving multiple systemic diseases on old individuals. Thus, we designed this study to explore the neuroprotective effect and mechanisms of GDF11 in elderly ICH. 45 aged male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into sham + vehicle, ICH + vehicle and ICH + rGDF11 groups. ICH models were induced via injection of autologous whole blood into right basal ganglia of rats. ICH rats were given a daily injection of either recombinant (r) GDF11 at 0.1 mg/kg or vehicle for 28 days prior to operation and continued till the experiment completed. Neurological deficits, brain edema, cell apoptosis, microglial activation and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) positive cells were compared among each group. In addition, cytochrome c release, mitochondrial calcium buffering capacity and ATP level were monitored to explore the level of mitochondrial injury. Seen in the result, behavior disorders, severe perihematomal edema, inflammation, apoptosis, oxidative stress and mitochondria damage indicated a significant increase in ICH + vehicle group. While in ICH + rGDF11 group, administration of rGDF11 successfully reduced neurological deficits and alleviated ICH-induced edema, inflammation, apoptosis, oxidative stress, and mitochondria damage in perihematomal tissues. Collectively, our study showed that GDF11 ameliorated ICH-induced neurological deficits in elderly individuals via reducing perihematomal edema, apoptosis, inflammatory reaction, oxidative stress and improving mitochondrial dysfunction, indicating neuroprotective effect of GDF11 in elderly ICH.
To improve the antitumor effect of combined capecitabine (CAP) and osimertinib (OSI) therapy and quickly and efficiently reduce tumor volumes for preoperative chemotherapy, we designed a compound CAP ...colon-targeted microparticle (COPMP) prepared by coaxial electrospray. COPMP is a core–shell microparticle composed of a Eudragit S100 outer layer and a CAP/OSI-loaded PLGA core. In this study, we characterized its size distribution, drug loading (DL), encapsulation efficiency (EE), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), in vitro release, formula ratio, cellular growth inhibition, and in vivo antitumor efficacy. COPMP is of spherical appearance with a size of 1.87 ± 0.23 μm. The DLs of CAP and OSI are 4.93% and 4.95%, respectively. The DSC showed that the phase state of CAP and OSI changed after encapsulation. The FTIR results indicated good compatibility between the drug and excipients. The release curve showed that CAP and OSI were released in a certain ratio. They were barely released prior to 2 h (pH 1.0), less than 50% was released between 3 and 5 h (pH 6.8), and sustained release of up to 80% occurred between 6 and 48 h (pH 7.4). CAP and OSI demonstrated a synergistic effect on HCT-116 cells. In a colon tumor model, the tumor inhibition rate after oral administration of COPMP reached 94% within one week. All the data suggested that COPMP promotes the sustained release of CAP and OSI in the colon, which provides a preoperative chemotherapy scheme for the treatment of colon cancer.
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