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We examined new Allacta materials from Yunnan and Hainan Province, China, and discovered new species using both morphological and molecular species delimitation (ABGD) methods. Five new species are described: A. bifolium Li & Wang, sp. nov. , A. hemiptera Li & Wang, sp. nov. , A. lunulara Li & Wang, sp. nov. , A. redacta Li & Wang, sp. nov. , and A. unicaudata Li & Wang, sp. nov. All five species are placed under the hamifera species group. An updated key and checklist of Allacta species from China are provided.

The evolution of carbides in a Ni-Cr-Co-based powder metallurgy (PM) superalloy in the as-atomized, as-atomized + annealed, hot isostatic pressed (HIPed) and HIPed + annealed conditions were systematically analyzed to understand the formation of blocky metallic carbide (MC) along the previous particle boundary (PPB). The results show that the carbides both on the powder surfaces and in the bulk of the powder particles are mainly fan-shaped MC whose decomposition temperatures are in the range of 1473 K to 1493 K (1200 °C to 1220 °C). PPB carbides in the HIPed alloy are mainly block-shaped MC, and the fan-shaped MC densely distributed in the area that have not been consumed by the recrystallized grains. The formation mechanism of PPB carbides can be described as follows: When the powders are HIPed at 1453 K (1180 °C), the fan-shaped carbides are decomposed at the migrating boundaries of recrystallized grains, and the preferential precipitation of block-shaped MC at PPB is promoted by the carbide-forming elements released by the fan-shaped carbides. When the HIPed alloy is annealed at 1453 K (1180 °C), the area fraction of PPB carbides increases with an increase in annealing time but that of the fan-shaped carbides exhibits opposite behavior. This proves the above formation mechanism of PPB carbides.

Wenyonella philiplevinei is one of the important pathogens of duck coccidiasis. In the present study, a portion of the 18S rDNA was amplified from W. philiplevinei by Polymerase chain reaction, cloned and then sequenced. The sequences of 18S rDNA of all samples were 422 bp in size. A + T content of the 18S rDNA sequences was 58-59%. Sequence comparison revealed that the similarity in 18S rDNA sequences between Hunan isolates and W. philiplevinei available was more than 98%. Intra-specific sequence variations within each of the Hunan isolates were 0-1.7%. However, the inter-specific sequence differences between W. philiplevinei and coccidian available in GenBank were more than 7%. Phylogenetic analysis using neighbour joining, maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony methods indicated that the genus Wenyonella was more closely related to Eimeria + Cyclospora than to Isospora. These novel data provide useful genetic marker for the differentiation of W. philiplevinei or other closely related coccidians.

We carry out a detailed study of medium modifications on transverse momentum spectra and angular correlations between a large transverse momentum hadron and a Z / γ trigger in relativistic heavy-ion collisions within a perturbative QCD parton model improved by the Sudakov resummation technique. The total energy loss of a hard parton propagating inside the medium is employed to modify the fragmentation function, while the medium-induced transverse momentum broadening is included in the resummation approach, and both of them are related to the jet transport parameter and obtained by the higher-twist formalism. We obtain good agreements with the existing data on transverse momentum and azimuthal angular correlations for the Z / γ -hadron pairs in pp and AA collisions and predict the correlations for the γ -hadron in central PbPb collisions at 5.02 TeV. The numerical analyses for the Z / γ -hadron in central PbPb collisions show that the normalized angular distribution is decorrelated due to the medium-induced transverse momentum broadening; however, the angular correlation is enhanced due to the parton energy loss, namely anti-broadening. The observed modification of the angular correlation is a result of the competition between the broadening and the anti-broadening. This work provides a reliable theoretical tool for a comprehensive and precise study of jet quenching in relativistic heavy-ion collisions.

Wenchuan earthquake on 12 May 2008 triggered numerous landslides, which disturbed vast areas of vegetation in northwest Sichuan. However, based on our primary field investigation at Xiejiadian landslide in July 2009, we found an obvious increase of the number of plant species and then we made a hypothesis that, after earthquake, vegetation at this landslide might recover by itself. In this paper, we conduct a newly field investigation at Xiejiadian landslide during November 2014 to verify this hypothesis. We investigated plant species composition at total 56 sites （trees 4, shrubs 16 and herbs 36, respectively）, and calculated the Schluter＇s variance ratio, important values, x2 test, association coefficient, Ochiai index, Pearson＇s and Spearman＇s correlation coefficients, and Ecological species groups Species sharply increased to 84 species belonging to 66 genera and 54 families, forming a complete life form containing trees, shrubs, herbs, and ground layers while only herbs detected in 2009. Moreover, an overall positive and moderately related interspecies association was detected for most of species pairs. Of total 84 species, twenty five were identified as dominant species and could be divided into four positive ecological species groups. This study verified our proposed hypothesis of self-recovery of vegetation in landslide triggered by the earthquake, and found Alnus cremastogyne, Rhus chinensis, Litsea cubeba, Vitis piasezkii and Anemone vitifolia would play a constructive role during the continuing succession of vegetation at Xiejiadian landslide.

To improve the straight edge seam defect on hot-rolled steel plates, the deformation and temperature distribution of rectangular slabs and chamfered slabs during rolling in a pilot rolling experiment were analyzed in detail using the finite element method. The results showed that the crease formed on the lateral side near the edge of the plate as a result of uneven stress during broadside rolling. The creases rose to the surface with unrestricted spread and evolved into a straight edge seam during the subsequent straight rolling. To eliminate the straight edge seam defect, chamfered slabs were developed and investigated for rolling. The use of the chamfered slabs provided two advantages for rolling: the distribution of the temperature near the edge was ameliorated, and the deformation shape was improved by the chamfered shape. As a result, the risk of forming a straight edge seam defect was reduced by the use of a chamfered slab.

Yolk sac–derived microglia and peripheral monocyte–derived macrophages play a key role during Parkinson’s disease (PD) progression. However, the regulatory mechanism of microglia/macrophage activation and function in PD pathogenesis remains unclear. Recombination signal–binding protein Jκ (RBP-J)–mediated Notch signaling regulates macrophage development and activation. In this study, with an 1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) hydrochloride-induced acute murine PD model, we found that Notch signaling was activated in amoeboid microglia accompanied by a decrease in tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)–positive neurons. Furthermore, using myeloid-specific RBP-J knockout (RBP-J cKO ) mice combined with a PD model, our results showed that myeloid-specific disruption of RBP-J alleviated dopaminergic neurodegeneration and improved locomotor activity. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis showed that the number of infiltrated inflammatory macrophages and activated major histocompatibility complex (MHC) II + microglia decreased in RBP-J cKO mice compared with control mice. Moreover, to block monocyte recruitment by using chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 2 (CCR2) knockout mice, the effect of RBP-J deficiency on dopaminergic neurodegeneration was not affected, indicating that Notch signaling might regulate neuroinflammation independent of CCR2 + monocyte infiltration. Notably, when microglia were depleted with the PLX5622 formulated diet, we found that myeloid-specific RBP-J knockout resulted in more TH + neurons and fewer activated microglia. Ex vitro experiments demonstrated that RBP-J deficiency in microglia might reduce inflammatory factor secretion, TH + neuron apoptosis, and p65 nuclear translocation. Collectively, our study first revealed that RBP-J–mediated Notch signaling might participate in PD progression by mainly regulating microglia activation through nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a recurrent allergic skin disease caused by genetic and environmental factors. Patients with AD may experience immune imbalance, increased levels of mast cells, immunoglobulin (Ig) E and pro-inflammatory factors (Cyclooxygenase, COX-2 and inducible NO synthase, iNOS). While spilanthol (SP) has anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities, its effect on AD remains to be explored. To develop a new means of SP, inflammation-related symptoms of AD were alleviated, and 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) was used to induce AD-like skin lesions in BALB/c mice. Histopathological analysis was used to examine mast cells and eosinophils infiltration in AD-like skin lesions. The levels of IgE, IgG1 and IgG2a were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Western blot was used for analysis of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways and COX-2 and iNOS protein expression. Topical SP treatment reduced serum IgE and IgG2a levels and suppressed COX-2 and iNOS expression via blocked mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways in DNCB-induced AD-like lesions. Histopathological examination revealed that SP reduced epidermal thickness and collagen accumulation and inhibited mast cells and eosinophils infiltration into the AD-like lesions skin. These results indicate that SP may protect against AD skin lesions through inhibited MAPK signaling pathways and may diminish the infiltration of inflammatory cells to block allergic inflammation.

Purpose The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic delayed elective procedures such as total joint arthroplasty. As surgical volumes return to prepandemic levels, understanding the implications of COVID-19 becomes imperative. This study explored the effects of COVID-19 on the short-term outcomes of hip arthroplasty. Methods This multicenter, retrospective, case–control study included patients who had undergone hip arthroplasty between 2020 and 2022. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to compare demographic characteristics, primary outcomes, and secondary outcomes between patients with a history of COVID-19 (COVID-19 cohort) and those without it (control cohort). The primary outcomes were surgical site infection, periprosthetic joint infection (PJI), dislocation, prosthesis loosening, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism. The secondary outcomes were intraoperative blood loss, nerve injury, renal injury, urinary tract infection (UTI), pneumonia, and acute coronary syndrome. Results The COVID-19 and control cohorts comprised 153 and 4925 patients, respectively. After PSM, significant between-cohort differences were observed in the incidence of pneumonia ( p  < 0.001) and UTI ( p  = 0.0424). The odds ratio for PJI was 1.62, which is not significant ( p  = 0.3238) but the culture-negativity rate is higher in the COVID-19 cohort (25%). Conclusion Our findings suggest that COVID-19 only elevated risks of postoperative pneumonia and UTI after hip arthroplasty. This disease significantly increases the risk of postoperative pneumonia but not of 90-day mortality or any major perioperative complication. On the other hand, PJI still remains a concern because its treatment is challenging owing to its culture-negativity, often necessitating the Girdlestone procedure.

IntroductionPostoperative delirium (POD) is a frequent complication in elderly surgical patients, leading to increased morbidity and mortality. Previous studies have shown that noise isolation is associated with a reduced incidence of delirium in the intensive care unit (ICU). This trial aims to evaluate the impact of noise isolation using noise-cancelling headphones on the incidence of POD in elderly patients undergoing hip surgery.Methods and analysisIn this randomised controlled trial, a total of 320 elderly patients will be randomised to a noise isolation group or a control group, in a 1:1 ratio and stratified by age (65‒80 years or >80 years), type of surgery (fracture or non-fracture) and planned ICU admission (yes or no). For patients in the noise isolation group, noise-cancelling headphones will be used throughout anaesthesia and in the postoperative care unit or ICU. Patients in the control group will be routinely managed and exposed to the clinical environment. The primary outcome is the incidence of POD during 0‒7 days after surgery or before hospital discharge, assessed using the 3 min Confusion Assessment Method or the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit. The secondary outcomes include postoperative pain at 6, 24 and 48 hours after surgery; sleep quality on the first and second nights after surgery; incidence of nausea and vomiting within 48 hours postoperatively; and cognitive function and mortality at 30 days after surgery.Ethics and disseminationThe trial was approved by the Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University (Approval No. 2024–054). The results of this trial will be submitted for peer review and publication in a scientific journal.Trial registration numberChinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2400082211).