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The flipped classroom has been achieving a great success in teaching innovation. This study, aiming to determine the effectiveness of the flipped model in business English writing course, combined the quantitative with the qualitative research methods. Participants were randomly selected from undergraduate students majoring in business English. The research instruments in this study included a satisfaction scale, a Business English Writing Test, and a semi-structured interview. The research procedure was made up of a pretest-treatment-posttest design. Both hypotheses were accepted and it was concluded that (1) the flipped business English writing classroom brought about better academic achievements than the traditional one, and (2) the flipped business English writing classroom was more satisfactory than the traditional one. Future studies could pivot on different courses and expand the research scopes to examine the effectiveness of the flipped classroom.

Thermal oxidation, which serves as a low-cost, effective and relatively simple/facile method, was used to modify a micro-structured titanium surface in ambient atmosphere at 450 °C for different time periods to improve in vitro and in vivo bioactivity. The surface morphology, crystallinity of the surface layers, chemical composition and chemical states were evaluated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Cell behaviours including cell adhesion, attachment, proliferation and osteogenic differentiation were observed in vitro study. The ability of the titanium surface to promote osseointegration was evaluated in an in vivo animal model. Surface thermal oxidation on titanium implants maintained the microstructure and, thus, both slightly changed the nanoscale structure of titanium and enhanced the crystallinity of the titanium surface layer. Cells cultured on the three oxidized titanium surfaces grew well and exhibited better osteogenic activity than did the control samples. The in vivo bone-implant contact also showed enhanced osseointegration after several hours of oxidization. This heat-treated titanium enhanced the osteogenic differentiation activity of rBMMSCs and improved osseointegration in vivo , suggesting that surface thermal oxidation could potentially be used in clinical applications to improve bone-implant integration.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia, frequently associated with inflammation and atrial remodeling. S100A8/A9, a calcium-binding protein complex enriched in myeloid cells, has been implicated in cardiovascular inflammation, yet its role in AF remains unexplored. This study aims to investigate the mechanistic contribution of myeloid-derived S100A8/A9 to AF pathogenesis and assess its therapeutic potential through targeted genetic deletion. Transcriptomic and single-cell RNA sequencing data from AF patients were analyzed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and immune cell signatures. S100A8/A9 emerged as top hub genes. Monocyte/macrophage-specific S100A9 conditional knockout (CKO) mice were subjected to Ach-CaCl -induced AF, with assessments of electrophysiology, fibrosis, inflammation, and TLR4/NF-κB signaling. The functional role of this pathway was further tested using the NF-κB activator HY-18739. S100A8/A9 expression was significantly elevated in atrial tissues and myeloid cell clusters of AF patients. S100A9 CKO mice exhibited reduced AF inducibility and duration, accompanied by attenuation of atrial fibrosis, inflammatory cytokine production, and monocyte infiltration. Mechanistically, S100A9 deletion suppressed activation of the TLR4/IRAK1/TRAF6/NF-κB pathway. These effects were reversed by pharmacologic NF-κB reactivation with HY-18739, confirming the centrality of this pathway. Myeloid-derived S100A8/A9 amplifies AF by promoting monocyte recruitment and inflammation via the TLR4/NF-κB axis. Targeting this pathway may offer a promising therapeutic strategy for AF prevention and treatment.

Autophagosome formation, a crucial step in macroautophagy (autophagy), requires the covalent conjugation of LC3 proteins to the amino headgroup of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) lipids. Atg3, an E2-like enzyme, catalyzes the transfer of LC3 from LC3-Atg3 to PEs in targeted membranes. Here we show that the catalytically important C-terminal regions of human Atg3 (hAtg3) are conformationally dynamic and directly interact with the membrane, in collaboration with its N-terminal membrane curvature-sensitive helix. The functional relevance of these interactions was confirmed by in vitro conjugation and in vivo cellular assays. Therefore, highly curved phagophoric rims not only serve as a geometric cue for hAtg3 recruitment, but also their interaction with hAtg3 promotes LC3-PE conjugation by targeting its catalytic center to the membrane surface and bringing substrates into proximity. Our studies advance the notion that autophagosome biogenesis is directly guided by the spatial interactions of Atg3 with highly curved phagophoric rims. Here, Ye et al use high-resolution NMR in conjunction with in vitro and in vivo assays to show the catalytically important C-terminal regions of human Atg3 are conformationally dynamic and directly interact with the membrane, in collaboration with its N-terminal membrane curvature-sensitive helix.

Introduction: The nanostractural modification of the oral implant surface can effectively mimic the morphology of natural bone tissue, allowing osteoblasts to achieve both proliferation and differentiation capabilities at the bone interface of the dental implant. To improve the osteoinductive activity on the surface of titanium implants for rapid osseointegration, we prepared a novel composite coating (MAO-PDA-NC) by micro-arc oxidation technique and immersion method and evaluated the proliferation, adhesion, and osteogenic differentiation of osteoblasts on this coating. Methods: The coatings were prepared by micro-arc oxidation (MAO) technique and immersion method, and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) for different coatings; the loading of PDA was examined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR); the ion release capacity of the coatings was determined by inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry (ICP-OES); the interfacial bonding of the coatings was examined using nanoscratch experiment strength. The cytotoxicity of the coating was examined by live/dead staining kit; cell proliferation viability was examined by CCK8 kit; adhesion and osteogenic effect of the coating were examined by immunofluorescence staining and RT-PCR; osteogenic differentiation was examined by alkaline phosphatase staining. Results: The surface morphology of titanium implants was modified by micro-arc oxidation technology, and a new MAO-PDA-NC composite coating was successfully prepared. The results showed that the MAO-PDA-NC coating not only optimized the physical and chemical properties of the titanium implant surface but also significantly stimulated the biological properties of osteoblast adhesion, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation on the coating surface. Conclusion: These results show that MAO-PDA-NC composite coating can significantly improve the surface properties of titanium implants and achieve a stable bond between implant and bone tissue, thus accelerating early osseointegration. Keywords: proliferation, differentiation, micro-arc oxidation, osseointegration

The mainstream compartmental models require stochastic parameterization to estimate the transmission parameters between compartments, whose calculation depend upon detailed statistics on epidemiological characteristics, which are expensive, economically and resource-wise, to collect. In addition, infectious diseases spread in three dimensions: temporal, spatial, and mobile, i.e., they affect a population through not only the time progression of infection, but also the geographic distribution and physical mobility of the population. However, the parameterization process for the mainstream compartmental models does not effectively capture the spatial and mobile dimensions. As an alternative, deep learning techniques are utilized in estimating these stochastic parameters with greatly reduced dependency on data particularity and with a built-in temporal–spatial–mobile process that models the geographic distribution and physical mobility of the population. In particular, we apply DNN (Deep Neural Network) and LSTM (Long-Short Term Memory) techniques to estimate the transmission parameters in a customized compartmental model, then feed the estimated transmission parameters to the compartmental model to predict the development of the Omicron epidemic in China over the 28 days for the period between 4 June and 1 July 2022. The average levels of predication accuracy of the model are 98% and 92% for the number of infections and deaths, respectively. We establish that deep learning techniques provide an alternative to the prevalent compartmental modes and demonstrate the efficacy and potential of applying deep learning methodologies in predicting the dynamics of infectious diseases.

The Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect has been extensively studied as a global issue. The urbanization process has been proved to be the main reason for this phenomenon. Over the past 20 years, the built-up area of Zhengzhou city has grown five times larger, and the UHI effect has become increasingly pressing for the city’s inhabitants. Therefore, mitigating the UHI effect is an important research focus of the expanding capital city of the Henan province. In this study, the Landsat 8 image of July 2019 was selected from Landsat collection to obtain Land Surface Temperature (LST) by using Radiative Transfer Equation (RTE) method, and present land cover information by using spectral indices. Additionally, high-resolution Google Earth images were used to select 123 parks, grouped in five categories, to explore the impact factors on park cooling effect. Park Cooling Intensity (PCI) has been chosen as an indicator of the park cooling effect which will quantify its relation to park patch metrics. The results show that: (1) Among the five studied park types, the theme park category has the largest cooling effect while the linear park category has the lowest cooling effect; (2) The mean park LST and PCI of the samples are positively correlated with the Fractional Vegetation Cover (FVC) and with Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), but these are negatively correlated with the Normalized Difference Impervious Surface Index (NDISI). We can suppose that the increase of vegetation cover rate within water areas as well as the decrease of impervious surface in landscape planning and design will make future parks colder. (3) There is a correlation between the PCI and the park characteristics. The UHI effect could be mitigated by increasing of park size and reducing park fractal dimension (Frac_Dim) and perimeter-area ratio (Patario). (4) The PCI is influenced by the park itself and its surrounding area. These results will provide an important reference for future urban planning and urban park design to mitigate the urban heat island effect.

Digital technology has already permeated the production and operations of organizations, with many incorporating it into employee performance evaluations. However, there remains a research gap in identifying effective approaches to achieving digital performance. Furthermore, while scholars have often mentioned the differences in employee attitudes, and employee dynamic capability (EDC) in the dynamic digital market, empirical evidence supporting this notion is scarce. This paper investigates the influence of high-involvement human resource management practices (HI-HRMPs) on employee digital performance (EDP) within Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), focusing on specific cultural regions in China. Using purposive sampling, four representative regions (Guangzhou, Shanghai, Guizhou, and Anhui) were selected for Survey. Structural equation modeling (AMOS) was employed to examine the relationships between HI-HRMPs as the independent variable and employee competitive attitudes, employee competitive behaviors, and employee dynamic capabilities as mediating variables, with a focus on their impact on employee digital performance. Contrary to direct effects, the study reveals that HI-HRMPs do not directly influence employee digital performance. Instead, employee competitive attitudes and behaviors, along with their dynamic capabilities, emerge as significant mediating variables in this relationship. Specifically, employee competitive attitudes and behaviors, as well as employee dynamic capabilities, play crucial roles in mediating the relationship between HI-HRMPs and employee digital performance. Furthermore, the findings indicate that employee dynamic capabilities exhibit greater influence on employee digital performance compared to employee competitive attitudes and behaviors, particularly in the context of a rapidly evolving digital marketplace. These results underscore the importance of fostering employee dynamic capabilities within SMEs to enhance digital performance in the ever-changing business landscape.

Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a common pediatric cancer. The heterogeneous characterization of B cells in ALL progression poses new challenges to researchers. We used single-cell sequencing to explore the critical role of B cells in regulating the ALL immune microenvironment. We collected the single cell (sc) RNA-seq data of ALL and health sample from the gene expression omnibus (GEO) database, the \"Seurat\" and \"harmony\" R package was used for quality control and scRNA-seq analysis, in which the CellMarker2.0 database was used for cell type annotation. Subsequently, the FindAllMarkers function was used to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) among various cell types and the DAVID database was applied for the biological process of DEGs. Then, the \"inferCNV\" package was used for copy number variation, regulons and cell communication were performed by SCENIC tool and CellChat package. The role of the target gene in regulating ALL progression was assessed using RT-qPCR, Transwell and scratch healing assays. We identified nine mainly cell clusters after scRNA-seq analysis, in which the B cells had higher infiltration proportion in the ALL samples and were sub-clustered into five cell sub-groups. The B cells 1 is closely associated with cell proliferation and stemness (TNFAIP3 and KDM5B), and the significant CNV of amplification occurred on chr6 and chr21 that supported stemness of B cells1. RXRB is a key transcription factor mediated the proliferation of B cells 1, which in turn suppressed hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) proliferation and promoted cytotoxic NK/T cells activation through diverse cell communication ways. One of the key regulators of B cells is MYC, which promotes the migration and invasive ability of cell line leukemia cell lines. This study reveals the stemness characteristics of B cells and their critical role in ALL progression, a finding that provides new potential directions for the development of targeted therapies against ALL.

The regeneration of bone defects in diabetic patients still faces challenges, as the intrinsic healing process is impaired by hyperglycemia. Inspired by the discovery that the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is in a state of excessive stress and dysfunction under hyperglycemia, leading to osteogenic disorder, a novel engineered exosome is proposed to modulate ER homeostasis for restoring the function of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The results indicate that the constructed engineered exosomes efficiently regulate ER homeostasis and dramatically facilitate the function of MSCs in the hyperglycemic niche. Additionally, the underlying therapeutic mechanism of exosomes is elucidated. The results reveal that exosomes can directly provide recipient cells with SHP2 for the activation of mitophagy and elimination of mtROS, which is the immediate cause of ER dysfunction. To maximize the therapeutic effect of engineered exosomes, a high‐performance hydrogel with self‐healing, bioadhesive, and exosome‐conjugating properties is applied to encapsulate the engineered exosomes for in vivo application. In vivo, evaluation in diabetic bone defect repair models demonstrates that the engineered exosomes delivering hydrogel system intensively enhance osteogenesis. These findings provide crucial insight into the design and biological mechanism of ER homeostasis‐based tissue‐engineering strategies for diabetic bone regeneration. Inspired by the discovery that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) dysfunction leads to osteogenic disorder under hyperglycemia, a novel treatment system comprising engineered exosomes and high‐performance hydrogel is utilized to accelerate diabetic bone regeneration. This system integrates with host bone tissues, exhibits excellent self‐healing properties, and provides sustained release of Sep@Exo to support ER homeostasis. This study provides an innovative strategy for diabetic bone defect repair.