Explore the vast range of titles available.

To augment the capabilities of the J-TEXT tokamak, efforts were undertaken in 2017 to commence the construction of an electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) system. A significant milestone was achieved in 2019 when the successful operation took place using this 105 GHz ECRH system. The system consists of components including the gyrotron from GYCOM, a transmission line spanning approximately 30 meters, and a quasi-optical launcher equipped with an elliptical mirror and movable flat mirror. Another identical system was deployed in 2023 for experimental purposes. Notably, modifications were made to the launcher to support the injection of two beams. Various experiments have been conducted utilizing this system including assisted plasma start-up, control methods for tearing mode, and observations involving toroidal injection of electron cyclotron wave (ECW), etc.

Coinfection caused by various genotypes of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is a new disease situation. We previously reported the coexistence of PEDV strains containing different ORF3 genotypes in China. In this study, the PEDV strains 17GXCZ-1ORF3d and 17GXCZ-1ORF3c were isolated and plaque-purified from the same piglet, which had a natural large deletion at the 172–554 bp position of the ORF3 gene or possessed a complete ORF3 gene, respectively. Meanwhile, 17GXCZ-1ORF3d had >99% nt identity with 17GXCZ-1ORF3c in the 5′UTR, ORF1a/1b, S, E, M, N and 3′UTR regions but only demonstrated low nucleotide identities (80.5%) in the ORF3 gene. To elucidate the pathogenicity, 7-day-old piglets were infected. Piglets infected with these two PEDV strains exhibited severe clinical signs and shed the virus at the highest level within 96 hpi. Compared with the piglets inoculated with the 17GXCZ-1ORF3c strain, the piglets inoculated with the 17GXCZ-1ORF3d strain had higher mortality rates (75% vs. 50%), an earlier onset of clinical signs with a significantly higher diarrhea score, lower VH:CD ratios and a higher percentage of PEDV-positive enterocytes. This study is the first to report PEDV coinfections with different ORF3 genotypes, and a PEDV strain with a large deletion in the ORF3 gene might have the advantage of a potential genetic marker, which would be useful during vaccine development.

Since 2010, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) has swept across China and spread throughout the country, causing huge economic losses. In this study, 673 diarrhea samples from 143 pig farms in Guangxi during 2017–2022 were collected and detected for PEDV. Ninety-eight strains were selected for S1 gene analyses and these strains were classified into four subgroups (G1b, G2a, G2b and G2c), accounting for 1.02 (1/98), 75.51 (74/98), 16.33 (16/98) and 7.14% (7/98) of the total, respectively. Importantly, an increased number of strains in the G2c subgroup was found from 2019 onwards. Bayesian analysis revealed that Guigang may have been the epicenter of PEDVs in Guangxi. In addition, Guigang was identified as the primary hub from which PEDVs spread via two routes, namely Guigang–Wuzhou and Guigang–Laibin. Moreover, several coinfections of novel PEDV variants bearing large deletions in the partial S1 protein and PEDVs possessing an intact partial S1 protein were found in pigs. Further recombination analyses indicated that two of the strains, 18-GXNN-6 and 19-GXBH-2, originated from intra-genogroup recombination. Together, our data revealed a new profile of PEDV in Guangxi, China, which enhances our understanding of the distribution, genetic characteristics and evolutionary profile of the circulating PEDV strains in China.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is one of the major enteric pathogens, causing severe enteric disease, resulting in enormous economic losses. The ORF3 gene encodes an accessory protein which is related to the infectivity and virulence of PEDV. In this study, 33 PEDV positive field samples were collected from Guangxi, from 2017 to 2019, and the genetic diversity of ORF3 was investigated. Thirty-eight strains of ORF3 were obtained, and these were composed of five strains of ORF3 named Guangxi naturally truncated strains that were 293 bp in length, with continuous deletions from 172 to 554 bp. The Guangxi naturally truncated strains encoded a truncated protein of 89 amino acids, which had clustered into a new group referred to as Group 3, and these might be involved in the variations of virulence. Three genotypes (G1-1 subgroup, G1-3 subgroup, and Group 3) existed simultaneously in Guangxi based on the genetic and evolutionary analysis of the ORF3 gene. The sequence information in the current study will hopefully facilitate the establishment of a diagnostic method that can differentiate the PEDV field stains. Continued surveillance will be useful for monitoring PEDV transmission. Differentiation of the ORF3 genes in PEDV field strains can help us to choose an appropriate PEDV vaccine candidate in the future and prevent outbreaks of PED more effectively.

With the development of Web2.0 and mobile Internet, urban residents, a new type of “sensor”, provide us with massive amounts of volunteered geographic information (VGI). Quantifying the spatial patterns of VGI plays an increasingly important role in the understanding and development of urban spatial functions. Using VGI and social media activity data, this article developed a method to automatically extract and identify urban spatial patterns and functional zones. The method is put forward based on the case of Beijing, China, and includes the following three steps: (1) Obtain multi-source urban spatial data, such as Weibo data (equivalent to Twitter in Chinese), OpenStreetMap, population data, etc.; (2) Use the hierarchical clustering algorithm, term frequency-inverse document frequency (TF-IDF) method, and improved k-means clustering algorithms to identify functional zones; (3) Compare the identified results with the actual urban land uses and verify its accuracy. The experiment results proved that our method can effectively identify urban functional zones, and the results provide new ideas for the study of urban spatial patterns and have great significance in optimizing urban spatial planning.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Flos lonicerae and Baikal skullcap extracts (PE) on laying performance, antioxidant capacity, immune function, follicular development, estrogen secretion, ovarian metabolomics, and cecal microbiota in aged laying hens. The total number of 70-week-old XinYang Black-Feathered laying hens was 240. These hens were randomly divided into two groups, with each group consisting of six replicates of 20 birds. Control (CON) group was fed a basal diet, whereas the PE group received the same basal diet supplemented with 500 mg/kg of PE. The duration of the experiment was 10 weeks. The findings indicated that the supplementation of PE improved laying performance, antioxidant capacity, and immune function. This was reflected by significant increases (p < 0.05) in laying rate, feed conversion ratio, antioxidant indicators (such as glutathione peroxidase, total antioxidant capacity, and catalase), and immunoglobulin levels. Additionally, there were notable decreases (p < 0.05) in the malondialdehyde levels and pro-inflammatory markers. Moreover, the PE group exhibited a greater number of large yellow and white follicles, as well as higher serum estrogen levels, compared to the CON group (p < 0.05). 16S rRNA sequencing revealed that PE supplementation altered the composition of the cecal microbiota by increasing Ruminococcus_torques_group, Butyricoccus and Christensenellaceae_R-7_group abundances and decreasing Bacteroides, Prevotellaceae_UCG-001 and Megamonas abundances (at genus level), which are primarily associated with short-chain fatty acid production. Ovarian metabolomic analysis showed that the major metabolites altered by PE supplementation were mainly involved in follicular development, estrogen biosynthesis, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Moreover, changes in both the cecal microbiota (at genus level) and ovarian metabolites were strongly correlated with laying performance, antioxidant status, and immune function. In conclusion, PE supplementation improved laying performance in aged hens by enhancing antioxidant, immune, and ovarian functions, promoting follicular development and estrogen secretion, and modulating the gut microbiota and ovarian metabolites. These findings will offer novel insights into the mechanisms that underlie egg production in the ovaries of aged poultry.

Background The 3D-printed artificial vertebral body (AVB) was designed with theoretically better biomechanical properties than traditional implants to decrease the incidence of implant subsidence. However, implant subsidence still occurs, with the potential risk factors for AVB subsidence remaining unknown. This study aimed to identify the risk factors for early subsidence of AVB after single-level anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion (ACCF). Methods Consecutive patients who underwent single-level ACCF using 3D-printed AVB for cervical spondylotic myelopathy between 2018 and 2022 were included. Preoperative, immediate postoperative, and 3-month postoperative X-ray scans were evaluated. Radiological assessment included segmental height (SH), intraoperative retraction height, cervical alignment parameters, bone quality and implant sagittal size ratio. Early subsidence was defined as an SH loss ≥ 2 mm based on 3-month radiographs. Results Of the included 98 patients (52 males, 46 females, average age: 51.8 ± 10.1), 35(35.7%) experienced early subsidence. The subsidence group exhibited significantly higher age, segmental sagittal vertical axis, cervical lordosis, C7 slope, and segmental slope, alongside lower implant sagittal size ratio. Correlation analysis revealed that SH loss is significantly positively correlated with intraoperative retraction height, segmental SVA, C7 slope, segmental slope, and negatively with the ratio of implant sagittal diameter compared to vertebra. Forward multivariable logistic regression indicated that greater age ( p  = 0.029), intraoperative retraction height ( p  < 0.001), and segmental slope ( p  = 0.006) were significant risk factors, while a higher implant sagittal size ratio ( p  = 0.004) was a protective factor against AVB subsidence. Conclusions Increased age, segmental slope, intraoperative retraction height, and a lower implant sagittal size ratio are significant risk factors for AVB subsidence. Surgeons should consider these factors in surgery planning and avoid excessive intraoperative retraction.

Core decompression (CD) with the elimination of osteonecrotic bone is the most common strategy for treating early-stage nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). Adjuvant treatments are widely used in combination with CD as suitable methods of therapy. Existing augmentations have to be fabricated in advance. Here, we report a novel injectable glycerin-modified polycaprolactone (GPCL) that can adapt to the shape of the CD cavity. GPCL shows great flowability at 52.6 °C. After solidification, its compressive modulus was 120 kPa at body temperature (37 °C). This excellent characteristic enables the polymer to provide mechanical support in vivo. In addition, GPCL acts as a carrier of the therapeutic agent zoledronic acid (ZA), demonstrating sustained release into the CD region. ZA-loaded GPCL was injected into ONFH lesions to treat early-stage nontraumatic cases. Compared to that in the CD group, CD+ZA-loaded GPCL injection preserved bone density and increased the collagen level in the femoral head. At the interface between the GPCL and CD tunnel wall, osteogenesis was significantly promoted. In addition, morphological evaluations revealed that the femoral heads in the CD+ZA-GPCL group exhibited improved pressure resistance. These results suggest a strategy effective to preserve the bone density of the femoral head, thus decreasing the possibility of femoral head collapse. This novel injectable polymer has, therefore, considerable potential in clinical applications.

Background Osteoporosis is a disease threatening the health of millions of individuals. Melatonin is found to be a potential anti-osteoporosis drug. However, whether melatonin plays a role against osteoporosis at different stages of the menopause and the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Methods Ovariectomy was utilized as a model of perimenopausal and postmenopausal osteoporosis. A total of 100 mg/kg melatonin, or solvent alone, was added to the drinking water of the rats over 8 weeks. Perimenopausal rats immediately received intervention following ovariectomy while postmenopausal rats received intervention 8 weeks after ovariectomy. All rats underwent overdose anesthesia following intervention after which blood samples and femurs were collected for further analysis. Rat femurs were scanned using micro-CT and examined histologically. The serum levels of melatonin and osteogenic biochemical markers were measured and the expression of osteogenesis-associated genes ( Runx2 , Sp7 ) were quantified by real-time quantitative PCR. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and the gene expression ( Col1a1 , Runx2 , Alpl , and Bglap ) were measured after bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were osteogenically induced, both with and without melatonin in vitro. ALP staining and Alizarin Red S staining were used to identify osteogenesis. Results Analysis by micro-CT and histological staining demonstrated that bone mass decreased and bone microarchitecture deteriorated over time after ovariectomy. Intervention with melatonin increased bone mass in normal, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal osteoporotic rats. Serum levels of ALP continuously increased after ovariectomy while osteocalcin levels initially rose, then decreased. Melatonin increased the serum levels of ALP and osteocalcin and mRNA expression levels of Runx2 and Sp7 in normal and postmenopausal rats, the opposite of the markers in perimenopausal rats. In vitro study demonstrated that 100 μmol/L melatonin increased the mRNA expression of Col1a1 , Runx2 , and Alpl three and/or seven days after intervention, and Alpl and Bglap 14 d after intervention. Melatonin increased ALP activity and the extent of ALP and matrix mineralization in the late stage of osteogenesis. Conclusions Bone mass continuously decreased after ovariectomy, while melatonin increased bone mass and ameliorated bone metabolism in normal, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal osteoporotic rats due to the induction of osteogenic differentiation in BMSCs.

Backgrounds Several modified muscle-sparing laminoplasty (LP) techniques have been developed to prevent axial symptoms in the treatment of multilevel degenerative cervical myelopathy (MDCM). However, the postoperative changes in posterior muscle volume (PMV) and cervical alignment following these procedures remain controversial. This study aimed to compare the short-term postoperative changes in PMV and cervical alignment between conventional LP and three types of muscle-sparing LPs: unilateral muscle-preservation laminoplasty (UL), double-door laminoplasty (DL), and intermuscular “raising roof” laminoplasty (RL). Methods Consecutive MDCM patients who underwent LP, DL, UL, or RL between February 2022 and May 2022 at a same ward were enrolled. Baseline data and surgical characteristics were collected. Preoperative and postoperative PMV were semiautomatically segmented and evaluated, and cervical alignment was measured. The PMV loss ratio was calculated as the change in PMV divided by the preoperative PMV. Results A total of 79 MDCM patients were included in this study (LP: 20, DL: 20, UL:23, RL:16). No significant differences were observed in the preoperative demographic data, surgical characteristics and radiological variables. The preoperative C2-7 cobb angles of four groups were 11.59 ± 8.80, 9.54 ± 11.18, 11.08 ± 11.32 and 10.75 ± 10.90, respectively( p  = 0.962). The preoperative PMV were 2.726 ± 0.79, 2.607 ± 0.752, 2.808 ± 0.724, 2.686 ± 0.674*10 5 mm 3 , respectively( p  = 0.802). At 1-year follow-up, all four groups showed favorable and comparable JOARR( p  = 0.443). The postoperative PMV of four groups were 2.430 ± 0.68, 2.355 ± 0.621, 2.416 ± 0.667, and 2.602 ± 0.666 *10 5 mm 3 ( p  = 0.606), and the PMV loss ratio were 10.0%±12.9%, 8.7%±9.6%, 13.6%±10.4%, and 2.8%±11.0%, respectively ( p  = 0.033). The modified LP groups did not present significant difference in PMV loss or cervical alignment parameters compared with LP. After adjustment, the RL group presented significant lower PMV loss ratio ( p  = 0.035) compared with LP. Multivariate regression revealed that the loss in cervical alignment was correlated to the PMV loss ratio. Conclusions The DL group has significant lower postoperative CL-E loss than LP. After adjustment, the RL procedure demonstrated better efficacy in PMV preservation compared to conventional LP. The loss of cervical lordosis at neutral and extension positions was associated with the PMV loss ratio.