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Compressed air energy storage in aquifers (CAESA) offers advantages of wide availability and low cost, but natural cracks in aquifers may initiate, propagate, and coalesce under mechanical fields, posing potential security risks for CAESA projects. Most previous research has predominantly addressed straight cracks, while folded cracks, which are commonly encountered in geological formations, remain insufficiently studied. This gap in understanding the mechanical behavior of brittle rocks with folded cracks under wetting conditions presents a critical challenge to ensuring the stability of CAESA operations. In this study, uniaxial compression tests were carried out on sandstone specimens with different crack inclination angles (β) and crack folded numbers (n) under wetting and drying conditions using the MTS 815 testing system combined with an acoustic emission system and digital image correlation system. The deformation behavior, peak strength, crack initiation, and coalescence modes under wetting conditions were comprehensively investigated and compared with those under drying conditions. It can be found that the peak strength increases with β (with the maximum peak strength at 1.59–3.44 times the minimum for the same n), while the effect of n is relatively minor (only 1.09–1.21 times variation); the peak strength under wetting conditions is consistently lower than that under drying conditions (all wet/dry strength ratios < 1). Six distinct crack initiation modes and two coalescence patterns were identified. These findings provide valuable insights into the failure mechanisms of brittle rocks containing folded cracks under varying moisture conditions, offering practical references for anti-cracking design and risk assessment of CAESA cavern structures.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) act through multiple mechanisms via their sequence features to fine-tune gene expression networks. Due to overlapping sequences with linear cognates, identifying internal sequences of circRNAs remains a challenge, which hinders a comprehensive understanding of circRNA functions and mechanisms. Here, based on rolling circular reverse transcription and nanopore sequencing, we developed circFL-seq, a full-length circRNA sequencing method, to profile circRNA at the isoform level. With a customized computational pipeline to directly identify full-length sequences from rolling circular reads, we reconstructed 77,606 high-quality circRNAs from seven human cell lines and two human tissues. circFL-seq benefits from rolling circles and long-read sequencing, and the results showed more than tenfold enrichment of circRNA reads and advantages for both detection and quantification at the isoform level compared to those for short-read RNA sequencing. The concordance of the RT-qPCR and circFL-seq results for the identification of differential alternative splicing suggested wide application prospects for functional studies of internal variants in circRNAs. Moreover, the detection of fusion circRNAs at the omics scale may further expand the application of circFL-seq. Taken together, the accurate identification and quantification of full-length circRNAs make circFL-seq a potential tool for large-scale screening of functional circRNAs.

Background Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are implicated in various biological processes. As a layer of the gene regulatory network, circRNA expression is also an intermediate phenotype bridging genetic variation and phenotypic changes. Thus, analyzing circRNA expression variation will shed light on molecular fundamentals of complex traits and diseases. Results We systematically characterize 10,559 high-quality circRNAs in 589 human dorsolateral prefrontal cortex samples. We identify biological and technical factors contributing to expression heterogeneity associated with the expression levels of many circRNAs, including the well-known circRNA CDR1as. Combining the expression levels of circRNAs with genetic cis -acting SNPs, we detect 196,255 circRNA quantitative trait loci (circQTLs). By characterizing circQTL SNPs, we find that partial circQTL SNPs might influence circRNA formation by altering the canonical splicing site or the reverse complementary sequence match. Additionally, we find that a subset of these circQTL SNPs is highly linked to genome-wide association study signals of complex diseases, especially schizophrenia, inflammatory bowel disease, and type II diabetes mellitus. Conclusions Our results reveal technical, biological, and genetic factors affecting circRNA expression variation among individuals, which lead to further understanding of circRNA regulation and thus of the genetic architecture of complex traits or diseases.

Heat shock protein family A (HSP70) member 5 (HSPA5) is aberrantly expressed in various tumors and closely associated with the progression and prognosis of cancer. Nevertheless, its role in bladder cancer (BCa) remains elusive. The results of our study demonstrated that HSPA5 was upregulated in BCa and correlated with patient prognosis. Cell lines with low expression level of HSPA5 were constructed to explore the role of this protein in BCa. HSPA5 knockdown promoted apoptosis and retarded the proliferation, migration and invasion of BCa cells by regulating the VEGFA/VEGFR2 signaling pathway. In addition, overexpression of VEGFA alleviated the negative effect of HSPA5 downregulation. Moreover, we found that HSPA5 could inhibit the process of ferroptosis through the P53/SLC7A11/GPX4 pathway. Hence, HSPA5 can facilitate the progression of BCa and may be used as a novel biomarker and latent therapeutic target in the clinic.

Multiple RNA processing events including transcription, mRNA splicing, and export are delicately coordinated by the TREX complex. As one of the essential subunits, DDX39B couples the splicing and export machineries by recruiting ALYREF onto mRNA. In this study, we further explore the functions of DDX39B in handling damaged DNA, and unexpectedly find that DDX39B facilitates DNA repair by homologous recombination through upregulating BRCA1. Specifically, DDX39B binds to and stabilizes BRCA1 mRNA. DDX39B ensures ssDNA formation and RAD51 accumulation at DSB sites by maintaining BRCA1 levels. Without DDX39B being present, ovarian cancer cells exhibit hypersensitivity to DNA-damaging chemotherapeutic agents like platinum or PARPi. Moreover, DDX39B-deficient mice show embryonic lethality or developmental retardation, highly reminiscent of those lacking BRCA1. High DDX39B expression is correlated with worse survival in ovarian cancer patients. Thus, DDX39B suppression represents a rational approach for enhancing the efficacy of chemotherapy in BRCA1-proficient ovarian cancers.

Viscoelastic materials are commonly used in civil engineering, biomedical sciences, and polymers, where understanding their creep and relaxation behaviors is essential for predicting long-term performance. This paper introduces an operator-based method for modeling viscoelastic materials, providing a unified framework to describe both creep and relaxation functions. The method utilizes stiffness and compliance operators, offering a systematic approach for analyzing viscoelastic problems. The operator-based method enhances the mathematical duality between the creep and relaxation functions, providing greater physical intuition and understanding of time-dependent material behavior. It directly reflects the intrinsic properties of materials, independent of input and output conditions. The method is extended to dynamic problems, with complex modulus and compliance derived through operator representations. The fractal tree model, with its constant loss factor across the frequency spectrum, demonstrates potential engineering applications. By incorporating a damage-based variable coefficient, the model now also accounts for the accelerated creep phase of rocks, capturing damage evolution under prolonged loading. While promising, the current method is limited to one-dimensional problems, and future research will aim to extend it to three-dimensional cases, integrate experimental validation, and explore broader applications.

In aerospace, flow control techniques have improved the separation flow characteristics around airfoils by various means. In this paper, the delayed detached eddy simulation (DDES) technique is used to simulate the detailed flow field around the NACA0021 airfoil with two different flow control methods (Gurney flaps and leading- and trailing-edge flaps) applied at an angle of attack of 20°. The aerodynamic characteristics around the airfoil under these two flow control methods are investigated, and the results show that both flow control methods lead to a significant increase in the pressure on the suction surface of the airfoil, which contributes to an increase in lift. The aeroacoustic characteristics of the original airfoil, the Gurney flapped airfoil and the airfoil with leading-edge and trailing-edge flaps are then analyzed using a combination of DDES and FW-H acoustic analog equations. The results show that the total sound pressure level of the Gurney flap airfoil and the leading-edge and trailing-edge flap airfoil are improved in most azimuthal angles of the acoustic pointing distribution, among which the degree of improvement of the leading-edge and trailing-edge flap airfoil is greater than that of the Gurney flap airfoil near the trailing edge, and the total sound pressure level of the band leading- and trailing-edge flap airfoil decreases in the azimuthal angles near the leading edge. Compared with the original airfoil, the noise value is thus reduced by up to 4.13 dB. The results of pressure pulsation cloud map, sound pressure level cloud map on the airfoil surface and vortex cloud map distribution show that the two flow controls increase the pressure pulsation near the trailing edge, the range and peak value of sound emission on the airfoil surface increase, and the trailing vortex becomes more finely grained, which leads to an increase in noise.

This study aims to identify the role and pathways through which social class plays a part in the impact of the social environment on residents’ health. Using data from the China General Social Survey 2021, we analyzed a sample of 2715 participants to assess the role and pathways of social class in the influence of the social environment on residents’ health. We employed the Ordinary Least Squares model to quantify the impact of the social environment on residents’ health and utilized the Karlson-Holm-Breen method along with the construction of product terms to estimate the mediating and moderating effects of social class. To address endogeneity, we conducted robustness tests using the instrumental variable method. Our findings indicate that in the process of the social environment’s impact on residents’ health, social class acts as a moderator, functioning with an approximate effect of 20%. In terms of the pathway of action, this moderating function is realized by exerting an influence on residents’ mental health. When analyzing the social determinants of health, it is necessary to consider the significant role played by social class and to pay more attention to the potential impact of the mental health of different social classes on their overall health.

Schizophrenia is a complex genetic disorder, the non-Mendelian features of which are likely complicated by epigenetic factors yet to be elucidated. Here, we performed RNA sequencing of peripheral blood RNA from monozygotic twins discordant for schizophrenia, and identified a schizophrenia-associated upregulated long noncoding RNA (lncRNA, AC006129.1) that participates in the inflammatory response by enhancing SOCS3 and CASP1 expression in schizophrenia patients and further validated this finding in AC006129.1-overexpressing mice showing schizophrenia-related abnormal behaviors. We find that AC006129.1 binds to the promoter region of the transcriptional repressor Capicua (CIC), facilitates the interactions of DNA methyltransferases with the CIC promoter, and promotes DNA methylation-mediated CIC downregulation, thereby ameliorating CIC-induced SOCS3 and CASP1 repression. Derepression of SOCS3 enhances the anti-inflammatory response by inhibiting JAK/STAT-signaling activation. Our findings reveal an epigenetic mechanism with etiological and therapeutic implications for schizophrenia.

Purpose Social adaptability is essential for healthy aging. This study examines how Contracted Family Doctor Services (CFDS) affect social adaptability in rural Chinese middle-aged and older adults, assessing the mediating role of regular health management (RHM). Methods and materials Using national cross-sectional data from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), we analyzed 13,895 community-dwelling adults. We employed generalized linear models (GLM), mediation analysis, and an instrumental variable-based control function approach (IV-CFA) to evaluate causality and control for confounding. Results Research demonstrated that CFDS participation was significantly associated with enhanced social adaptability ( β = 0.204, p < 0.01). RHM partially mediated this relationship, explaining 29.5% of the total effect. Heterogeneity analyses indicated significant associations between CFDS and social adaptability for adults aged 45-60 years ( β = 0.250, p < 0.01) and males ( β = 0.308, p < 0.01), whereas no significant effects were observed among adults ≥60 years or females. Conclusions CFDS significantly enhances social adaptability among rural middle-aged and older adults, broadening primary care's impact beyond biomedical domains. RHM mediates 29.5% of this effect. The benefits were particularly pronounced among younger individuals and male subgroups. To sustain CFDS effectiveness, China should maintain 1-3% annual coverage growth while implementing targeted measures: combating social isolation in older adults, screening for perimenopausal comorbidities among women, and strengthening intergenerational care support programs.