Explore the vast range of titles available.

Objective To explore the effects of acupuncture combined with Brunnstrom staging on upper-limb motor function, cerebral arterial blood flow velocity, and brain function remodeling after stroke. Methods A total of 77 patients after stroke were selected between January 2017 and December 2019 to perform a prospective study. All cases were divided into an observation group and a control group by the random number table method. Both groups were treated with conventional symptomatic treatment for stroke and functional exercise according to the Brunnstrom staging. The observation group was treated with additional acupuncture treatment based on the Brunnstrom staging therapy. The therapeutic efficacy was evaluated after six-week treatment. The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) symptom scores of dizziness, headache, limb numbness, and language disorders before and after the treatment in the two groups were compared. According to the Fugl-Meyer motor function assessment (FMA), the upper-limb motor function before and after the treatment was compared. And the average systolic blood flow velocity of the anterior cerebral artery (ACA), middle cerebral artery (MCA), and posterior cerebral artery (PCA) in the two groups before and after the treatment were compared. According to the modified Edinburgh-Scandinavia stroke scale (MESSS), the nerve function before and after the treatment was compared. Results The total effective rate of the observation group was 94.9%, significantly higher than 79.0% of the control group ( P <0.05). After the treatment, the TCM symptom scores of dizziness, headache, limb numbness, and language disorders in both groups decreased, and the scores in the observation group were all significantly lower than those in the control group ( P <0.05). The FMA score of upper limbs in both groups increased, and the score in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group ( P <0.05). The average systolic blood flow velocities of the ACA, MCA and PCA in both groups increased, and were significantly higher in the observation group than in the control group ( P <0.05). The MESSS score in both groups decreased, and the score in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group ( P <0.05). Conclusion Acupuncture combined with Brunnstrom staging is effective for patients after stroke. It can effectively improve the upper-limb motor function and cerebral artery blood flow velocity, promote brain function remodeling, and restore nerve function.

Herbicides are widely used to control weeds in agriculture filed, however, the excessive use of the conventional formulation causes harmful side effects on the environment. To relieve this problem, natural polymer nanoparticles as herbicide carrier were rapidly developed and applied in recent years. In the present study, chitosan/tripolyphosphate (CS/TPP) nanoparticles were synthesized as nanocarrier to load herbicide 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetate sodium salt (MCPA-Na). The encapsulation efficiency (EE) of 51.32% was obtained through measuring indirectly by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The free and MCPA-Na-loaded CS/TPP nanoparticles were characterized by using dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The encapsulation of MCPA-Na in CS/TPP nanoparticles resulted in the change of MCPA-Na release profile in different pH media and displayed effective sustained-release under neutral condition. The evaluation of herbicidal activity against Bidens pilosa L. showed that the efficacy enhancement of MCPA-Na was realized after encapsulation in CS/TPP nanoparticles. The proposed herbicide nanoformulation presented a good potential as a sustainable alternative for weed control in agriculture.

In order to address the shortcomings of the traditional bidirectional RRT* algorithm, such as its high degree of randomness, low search efficiency, and the many inflection points in the planned path, we institute improvements in the following directions. Firstly, to address the problem of the high degree of randomness in the process of random tree expansion, the expansion direction of the random tree growing at the starting point is constrained by the improved artificial potential field method; thus, the random tree grows towards the target point. Secondly, the random tree sampling point grown at the target point is biased to the random number sampling point grown at the starting point. Finally, the path planned by the improved bidirectional RRT* algorithm is optimized by extracting key points. Simulation experiments show that compared with the traditional A*, the traditional RRT, and the traditional bidirectional RRT*, the improved bidirectional RRT* algorithm has a shorter path length, higher path-planning efficiency, and fewer inflection points. The optimized path is segmented using the dynamic window method according to the key points. The path planned by the fusion algorithm in a complex environment is smoother and allows for excellent avoidance of temporary obstacles.

The adhesion of water droplets to leaves is important in controlling rainfall interception, and affects a variety of hydrological processes. Leaf water drop adhesion (hereinafter, adhesion) depends not only on droplet formulation and parameters but also on the physical (leaf roughness) and physico-chemical (surface free energy, its components, and work-of-adhesion) properties of the leaf surface. We selected 60 plant species from Shaanxi Province, NW China, as experimental materials with the goal of gaining insight into leaf physical and physico-chemical properties in relation to the adhesion of water droplets on leaves. Adhesion covered a wide range of area, from 4.09 to 88.87 g/m(2) on adaxial surfaces and 0.72 to 93.35 g/m(2) on abaxial surfaces. Distinct patterns of adhesion were observed among species, between adaxial and abaxial surfaces, and between leaves with wax films and wax crystals. Adhesion decreased as leaf roughness increased (r =  -0.615, p = 0.000), but there were some outliers, such as Salix psammophila and Populus simonii with low roughness and low adhesion, and the abaxial surface of Hyoscyamus pusillus and the adaxial surface of Vitex negundo with high roughness and high adhesion. Meanwhile, adhesion was positively correlated with surface free energy (r = 0.535, p = 0.000), its dispersive component (r = 0.526, p = 0.000), and work of adhesion for water (r = 0.698, p = 0.000). However, a significant power correlation was observed between adhesion and the polar component of surface free energy (p = 0.000). These results indicated that leaf roughness, surface free energy, its components, and work-of-adhesion for water played important roles in hydrological characteristics, especially work-of-adhesion for water.

Argonaute (Ago) proteins are ubiquitous across all kingdoms of life. Eukaryotic Agos (eAgos) use small RNAs to recognize transcripts for RNA silencing in eukaryotes. In contrast, the functions of prokaryotic counterparts (pAgo) are less well known. Recently, short pAgos in conjunction with the associated TIR or Sir2 (SPARTA or SPARSA) were found to serve as antiviral systems to combat phage infections. Herein, we present the cryo-EM structures of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD + )-bound SPARSA with and without nucleic acids at resolutions of 3.1 Å and 3.6 Å, respectively. Our results reveal that the APAZ (Analogue of PAZ) domain and the short pAgo form a featured architecture similar to the long pAgo to accommodate nucleic acids. We further identified the key residues for NAD + binding and elucidated the structural basis for guide RNA and target DNA recognition. Using structural comparisons, molecular dynamics simulations, and biochemical experiments, we proposed a putative mechanism for NAD + hydrolysis in which an H186 loop mediates nucleophilic attack by catalytic water molecules. Overall, our study provides mechanistic insight into the antiphage role of the SPARSA system. Short prokaryotic Argonaute and Sir2 proteins function as an antivirus system. Here the authors describe structures of SPARSA (a heterodimer of Sir2-APAZ and prokaryotic Argonaute) with and without template DNA and guide RNA, providing structural basis of its assembly and activation by the recognition of the invading virus.

The Traditional Chinese Medicine Varietal Protection System (TCMVPS) was introduced in 1993 as a regulatory mechanism intended to safeguard key formulations, ensure product quality, and provide incentives for industrial development. After more than three decades of implementation, the system has played a role in stabilizing the market and preserving certain classic varieties. At the same time, its effectiveness and long-term relevance have become a matter of debate. This study reviews the legislative framework, implementation history, and current practice of the TCMVPS. It draws on policy documents, regulatory guidelines, and existing scholarship to examine how the system interacts with related regimes such as patents and drug registration. A comparative perspective is also adopted to highlight distinctive features and limitations. This study provides the comprehensive empirical and policy analysis of the TCMVPS's evolution and reform prospects, contributing to the broader debate on sui generis protection of traditional medical knowledge. The analysis shows that the system has contributed to protecting well-known TCM products and provided a degree of market exclusivity for approved varieties. However, several weaknesses have emerged: the narrow scope of protection, the ambiguous relationship with intellectual property law, the quasi-mandatory nature of applications under market pressure, and the reduced incentive for continuous innovation during the protection period. These challenges have limited the system's capacity to balance protection with innovation and competition. The TCMVPS illustrates the opportunities and pitfalls of designing sui generis mechanisms for traditional medicine protection. Its future relevance depends on substantive reform, including clearer alignment with intellectual property and drug regulatory frameworks, expansion of eligible categories, and the incorporation of mechanisms that encourage continuous clinical and technological improvement. Beyond China, the experience of the TCMVPS provides valuable lessons for other jurisdictions seeking to reconcile traditional knowledge preservation with modern regulatory and innovation systems.

This paper investigated the spatial and temporal variations in the amounts of PM accumulated on leaves of Ligustrum lucidum, a common evergreen tree species in North China. The effects of rainfall and wind on the amounts of PM deposited on foliage were also determined. The amounts of PM (g·m−2) retained by leaves of L. lucidum differed significantly among the sites (from 0.96 to 5.56) and over time (from 2.51 to 4.48). The largest amounts of PM on foliage of L. lucidum were observed on plants growing at the most polluted site. During the year, the highest and lowest accumulation of PM occurred in November and August, respectively. A considerable proportion of the accumulated PM on leaves was removed by rainfall events (28–48% of PM) and strong winds (27–36% of PM), and more precipitation or higher maximum wind speed could remove more PM from leaves. Rainfall removed mainly large and coarse particles, while fine particles adhered more strongly to the foliage. These results suggested that the effects of local weather conditions (e.g., rainfall, strong wind), different seasons, and pollution levels should be considered in evaluating total PM accumulation on leaves.

Lemierre’s syndrome, also known as postopharyngeal septicaemia or necrobacillosis, is a rare, fatal opportunistic infection, often caused by Fusobacterium necrophorum invading the throat. Bacterial culture is a conventional method to establish a diagnosis, but is time-consuming and insensitive in some cases. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS), as an emerging technique, has become an important supplementary detection method for infectious diseases. It greatly favors the rapid, precise diagnosis and treatment of Lemierre’s syndrome through accurately obtaining etiological information. We reported a case of Lemierre’s syndrome that was rapidly and accurately diagnosed by mNGS.

Many studies on cascading failures adopt the degree or the betweenness of a node to define its load. From a novel perspective, we propose an approach to obtain initial loads considering the harmonic closeness and the impact of neighboring nodes. Based on simulation results for different adjustable parameter θ , local parameter δ and proportion of attacked nodes f , it is found that in scale-free networks (SF networks), small-world networks (SW networks) and Erdos-Renyi networks (ER networks), there exists a negative correlation between optimal θ and δ . By the removal of the low load node, cascading failures are more likely to occur in some cases. In addition, we find a valuable result that our method yields better performance compared with other methods in SF networks with an arbitrary f , SW and ER networks with large f . Moreover, the method concerning the harmonic closeness makes these three model networks more robust for different average degrees. Finally, we perform the simulations on twenty real networks, whose results verify that our method is also effective to distribute the initial load in different real networks.

A diuron-degrading endophyte DP8-1 was isolated from sugarcane root grown in diuron-treated soil in the present study. The endophyte was identified as Neurospora intermedia based on the morphological characteristics and sequence analysis. The fermentation parameters including temperature, pH, inoculation size, carbon source, and initial diuron concentration were also investigated for the optimization of degradation efficiency. The results indicated that strain DP8-1 was capable of degrading up to 99% diuron within 3 days under the optimal degrading condition. The study of degradation spectrum indicated that strain DP8-1 could also degrade and utilize fenuron, monuron, metobromuron, isoproturon, chlorbromuron, linuron, and chlortoluron as substrate for strain growth. On basis of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis for the products of the degradation of diuron, strain DP8-1 metabolized diuron to produce N-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-urea and N-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-N-methylurea through sequential N-dealkylations. In a soil bioaugmentation experiment, the inoculation of strain DP8-1 into diuron-treated soil effectively enhanced the disappearance rate of diuron.