Superior Effect Research Articles

Interpenetrating Network Strategy for Highly Effective Toughening of Epoxy Resin Using Cellulose Microgels

AbstractEpoxy resin (EP) is widely used in coatings, adhesives, and molding materials. EP's high crosslinking density provides a strong modulus but also leads to reduced elongation at break and lower toughness. In this study, bacterial cellulose microgel (BC‐M) is employed to toughen EP through in situ polymerization, to form an interpenetrating network with EP. Bacterial cellulose nanofibers (BC‐CNF) and ethylated bacterial cellulose microgels (EM) are used as controls to highlight the advantages of the 3D network in enhancing polymer toughness. BC‐M demonstrates the most effective toughening performance for EP. At a filler content of 0.3 wt.%, BC‐M/EP nanocomposites exhibite significant improvements in mechanical properties, including a fracture strength of 107.8 MPa, strain of 3.53%, Young's modulus of 3.09 GPa, and toughness of 1.98 kJ m−3. Compared to EP, these values represent enhancements of 40%, 9.5%, 27.3%, and 58.4%, respectively. Comparisons with BC‐CNF/EP and EM/EP nanocomposites clearly demonstrate that BC‐M provided superior toughening effects. The exceptional toughening capability of BC‐M is attributed to its 3D network structure, which effectively dissipates applied energy, and its strong interfacial interaction with the epoxy matrix through covalent bonding.

Evaluation of Whitening Effects and Identification of Potentially Active Compounds Based on Untargeted Metabolomic Analysis in Different Chrysanthemum Cultivar Extracts

Chrysanthemum is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb. Chrysanthemum extracts are rich in bioactive compounds; however, there are few reports evaluating the whitening effects of organic chrysanthemum extracts. This study assessed the antioxidant and whitening effects of organic extracts from the petals of five chrysanthemum cultivars from Guangdong, China. Significant differences were observed among the five cultivars across various parameters, including IC50 values for tyrosinase inhibition activity, DPPH and ABTS values, UV absorption, and SPF values. Additionally, there were notable variations in total flavonoid, total phenolic, and chlorogenic acid contents. The BJ cultivar extract exhibited strong antioxidant capacity and superior whitening effects, containing the highest levels of total flavonoids, total phenolics, and chlorogenic acid. Correlation analysis indicated a significant relationship between total flavonoid content and IC50 of DPPH, and between chlorogenic acid and both IC50 of ABTS and SPF. Untargeted metabolomic analysis of three representative cultivars (BJ, WYHJ, and JSHJ) identified 22 compounds potentially related to antioxidant and whitening effects. Compounds significantly correlated with multiple antioxidant or whitening indicators (p < 0.05, r > 0.8) included tangeritin, hydroquinone, eupatilin, quercetin 3-(6″-malonyl-glucoside), biochanin A, and cyanidin 3-glucoside. These compounds may play crucial roles in the antioxidant and whitening effects of chrysanthemum extracts. The results highlight the promising antioxidant and whitening properties of chrysanthemum extracts, with certain genotypes, such as BJ, showing potential as superior raw material sources.

Does Generalization Occur Following Speech Therapy? A Study in Children With a Cleft Palate.

This study compared the occurrence of different types of generalization (within-class, across-class, and total generalization) following motor-phonetic speech therapy and linguistic-phonological speech therapy in children with a cleft palate ± cleft lip (CP ± L). Thirteen children with a CP ± L (Mage = 7.50 years) who previously participated in a block-randomized, sham-controlled design comparing motor-phonetic therapy (n = 7) and linguistic-phonological therapy (n = 6) participated in this study. Speech samples consisting of word imitation and sentence imitation were collected on different data points before and after therapy and perceptually assessed using the Dutch translation of the Cleft Audit Protocol for Speech-Augmented. The percentages within-class, across-class, and total generalization were calculated for the different target consonants. Generalization in the two groups was compared over time using linear mixed models (LMMs). LMM revealed significant Time × Group interactions for the percentage within-class generalization in sentence imitation and total generalization in sentence imitation tasks indicating that these percentages were significantly higher in the group of children who received linguistic-phonological intervention. No Time × Group interactions were found for the percentages across-class generalization. Generalization can occur following both motor-phonetic intervention as well as linguistic-phonological intervention. A linguistic-phonological approach, however, was observed to result in larger percentages of within-class and total generalization scores. As children with a CP ± L often receive yearlong intervention to eliminate cleft-related speech sound errors, these findings on the superior generalization effects of linguistic-phonological intervention are important to consider in clinical practice.

Protective effects of docosahexaenoic acid combined with bilberry extract on myopic Guinea pigs

This study aims to investigate the protective effects of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) combined with bilberry extract (BE) on myopic guinea pigs. In total, 105 healthy pigmented guinea pigs aged 2 weeks were selected and randomly divided into five groups. The normal control (NC) group received no treatment, while the experimental groups wore −6.0D lenses on the right eye to establish an animal model of lens-induced myopia (LIM). These groups were further divided based on different treatments: normal feeding, DHA treatment, BE treatment, and combined DHA + BE treatment. Refractive error and axial length for both eyes were measured before modeling, after 4 weeks of modeling, and after 8 weeks of treatment. Fundus examination was performed, and choroidal thickness, choroidal vascularity index (CVI), maximal mixed response in dark adaptation (Max-ERG), and cone cell response in light adaptation (Cone-ERG) were measured. After 8 weeks of treatment, we observed a significant reduction in refractive error and shortening of axial length, improvement in fundus condition, and increased choroidal thickness and CVI in the LIM + DHA + BE group. Electroretinogram (ERG) showed that the amplitudes of a-wave and b-wave were enhanced in both Max-ERG and Cone-ERG tests. The LIM + DHA + BE group exhibited superior effects compared to the LIM + DHA group and the LIM + BE group. The combination of DHA and BE delayed the progression of LIM in guinea pigs and was more effective than DHA or BE alone. The synergistic effect of DHA and BE offers a new approach to the prevention and treatment of myopia.

Medium chain triglycerides alleviate non-alcoholic fatty liver disease through bile acid-mediated FXR signaling pathway: A comparative study with common vegetable edible oils.

With the global epidemic trend of obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become a significant cause of chronic liver disease, seriously affecting human health. Medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) with a fatty acid chain length varying between 6 and 10 carbon atoms (most sources from coconut and palm kernel oils), which exhibited activities to improve lipid metabolism, prevent cardiovascular diseases, and enhance immunity. However, the efficacy differences and potential mechanisms between MCT and traditional long-chain vegetable oils (palm oil, PA; high oleic peanut oil, OA) in obesity-induced NAFLD were still unclear. The present study treated obesity-induced NAFLD mice with different dietary lipids for 16weeks. The results showed that MCT supplements significantly improved abnormal elevation of weight gain and blood lipids and reduced hepatic lipid accumulation to a greater extent than PA and OA. Furthermore, bile acid profiling results indicated that MCT significantly changed the composition of bile acids in the liver, reduced the concentrations of cholic acid (CA), deoxycholic acid (DCA), β-muricholic acid (β-MCA), and ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and increased the concentrations of chenodeoxycholic Acid (CDCA), taurochenodeoxycholic acid （TCDCA), hyodeoxycholic acid (HDCA), and taurohyodeoxycholic acid (THDCA). Mechanistically, MCT supplement upregulated FXR signal and inhibited the expression of key genes for triglyceride synthesis in the liver, thereby reducing hepatic lipid accumulation. In summary, MCT exerted a superior effect on PA and OA in improving obesity-induced NAFLD. These results provided new evidence for the application of MCT in treating NAFLD.

Structure-Induced Energetic Coordination Compounds as Additives for Laser Initiation Primary Explosives.

Laser ignition of primary explosives presents more reliable alternative to traditional electrical initiation methods. However, the commercial initiator lead azide (LA) requires a high-power density laser to detonate, with the minimum laser initiation energy (Emin) of 2402 mJ. Currently, the laser-ignitable metal complex-based igniters still suffer from weak detonation capabilities and high Emin values. Here, the approach is first proposed to design laser ignition primary explosives within the high energy azide and tetrazole-based energetic coordination compounds (ECCs), [Co(N3)(2-bmttz)(H2O)]2 1 and [Co(N3)(2-bmttz)(MeOH)]2 2 as additives to LA. Material 1e with 4wt.% of 1 in LA, exhibits ultra-low laser initiation threshold (Emin = 1.6 mJ) and ultrafast corresponding time (Tmin = 0.2ms). Specially, compared to LA, the threshold of 1e is as low as 1/1500 of that of LA. Moreover, 30mg 1e successfully detonates RDX with a laser energy of 1.6 mJ. Theoretical calculations and experiment results reveal that 1 exhibits the superior additive effect compared to 2, attributed to its more enhanced ability to generate free radicals and higher photothermal conversion efficiency under laser conditions. This work represents a paradigm shift, with the potential to develop a laser-driven micro-detonator combining powerful detonation capabilities with exceptionally low laser initiation energy.

Controlled Synthesis of the FeB Nanometallic Glasses with Stronger Electron Donating Capability to Activate Molecular Oxygen for the Enhanced Ferroptosis Therapy.

Considering the strong electron-donating ability and the superior biocompatibility, the integration of zero-valent iron nanostructure Fe0 (electron-reservoir) and zero-valent boron nanostructure B0 offers great promise for fabricating novel ferroptosis nanoagents. Nevertheless, the controlled and facile synthesis of alloyed Fe0 and B0 nanostructure-FeB nanometallic glasses (NMGs) has remained a long-standing challenge. Herein, a complexion-reduction strategy is proposed for the controlled synthesis of FeB NMGs with greater electron donating capacity to activate the molecular oxygen for improved ferroptosis therapy. In-depth mechanism reveales that the complexion-reduction strategy effectively prevent the long-range diffusion of Fe0, resulting in the amorphous alloyed Fe0 and B0 nanostructure-FeB nanoparticles (FeB NPs). The FeB NPs display stronger electron donating capability and electron transfer rate 9.4 times higher than that of the Fe0 NPs, which effectively activate the molecular oxygen to produce ∙O2 -, H2O2 and ∙OH. The in vitro cellular experiments confirm the FeB-ss-SiO₂ NPs (encapsulation with SiO2 outlayer containing -S-S- bonds) demonstrates the enhanced ferroptosis. The tumor-bearing mice models shows that FeB-ss-SiO₂ NPs exhibited superior biocompatibility and tumor inhibition effect (inhibition rate of 73%), which improve the overall survival rate for 30 days post-treatment. This study will provide an innovative way to design therapeutic nanoagents for cancer treatments.

Early Fault Diagnosis and Prediction of Marine Large-Capacity Batteries Based on Real Data

The inconsistency of battery voltages in all-electric ships is a significant issue for electric vehicle battery systems, leading to numerous safety concerns during vessel operation. Therefore, timely fault diagnosis and accurate fault prediction are crucial for the safe operation of ships. This study examines the fault alarm system of marine battery management systems in conjunction with the unique operating conditions of ships, focusing on the system’s latency. To facilitate prompt fault detection, a fault diagnosis method based on the Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN) algorithm is proposed, utilizing the voltage data of battery clusters. Results indicate that the DBSCAN clustering algorithm demonstrates superior effectiveness and accuracy in identifying irregular battery clusters. Furthermore, the fault prediction method based on the iTransformer model is introduced to forecast variations in battery cluster voltages. Experimental findings suggest that this model can effectively predict consistency faults and over-/under-voltage conditions based on battery cluster voltage values and corresponding fault thresholds.

Field Study on Washing of 4-Methoxy-2-Nitroaniline from Contaminated Site by Dye Intermediates

Dye intermediates are important industrial chemicals; there is a lack of systematic field experiments and relevant validation data regarding the remediation of groundwater contamination by dye intermediates. This study examines the eluting effects of alcohol eluting agents, non-ionic surfactants, and deionized water on 4-methoxy-2-nitroaniline (4M2N) in a contaminated aquifer medium from a historically polluted dye intermediate production site in northwest China. The findings indicate that alcohol eluting agents exhibit superior eluting effects compared to non-ionic surfactants. Under optimized conditions, including 60% n-propanol concentration, a liquid-to-solid ratio of 15:1, two eluting cycles, an elution pH of 3, and a 2 h eluting duration, the eluting concentration of 4-methoxy-2-nitroaniline reached 75.49 mg/kg, exceeding that of the composite eluting agent by two times more and deionized water by three times further. Analysis revealed that the liquid-to-solid ratio and number of eluting cycles are the primary factors influencing eluting efficiency. Field trials conducted using treated groundwater involved injecting 31,560 m3 of treated groundwater over 152 days, resulting in the extraction of 38,550 m3 and the removal of about 1887 kg of 4-methoxy-2-nitroaniline. The concentrations of contaminants in both pumping wells and monitoring wells exhibited a certain degree of increase at various times. Field applications of treated groundwater washing facilitated the release of 4-methoxy-2-nitroaniline from the aquifer medium, which significantly enhances remediation efficiency. This provides theoretical support for data analysis and the promotion of similar remediation efforts.

Comparison of the Effect of Delay Phenomenon and Quercetin Application on the Viability of Dorsal Skin Island Flaps in Rats: An Experimental Study.

Surgical delay is any surgical intervention performed 7-14 days before flap elevation, separating part of flap from its vascular bed and aiming to decrease flap necrosis. However, delay surgery needs to be planned and performed as a separate surgical operation. Quercetin is a flavonoid with anti-inflammatory, and vasodilator effects. This study compares the effects of quercetin and surgical delay on flap survival. The study included 32 male Wistar rats divided into four groups: control group (group 1), surgical delay group (group 2), quercetin group (group 3), and both surgical delay and quercetin group (group 4). All dorsal skin island flaps were elevated based on deep circumflex iliac artery and 7 days were selected as waiting period after flap elevation, 50 mg/kg (0.5 mL) intraperitoneal quercetin administration period, and surgical delay period. Macroscopically flap necrosis rates were calculated and histopathological examination was performed to evaluate number of vessels, vessel lumen diameters, inflammation, epidermal damage, and dermal fibrosis scores. All rats were euthanized. Flap necrosis rates, inflammation, epidermal damage, and dermal fibrosis scores of group 3 and 4 were found to be lower than group 1 and 2 (P < 0.05). Vascular lumen diameter of group 2, 3, and 4 were found to be higher than group 1 (P < 0.05) but no statistically significant difference was found for this parameter between group 2, 3, and 4 (P > 0.05). The number of vessels were found to be higher in group 2, group 3, and group 4 compared with group 1, but this difference was not to be found statistically significant (P = 0.534). This study shows that quercetin application is more effective in reducing flap necrosis rates and anti-inflammatory effect than surgical delay and also has superior effect in terms of vasodilation.

Proportional resonant controller design with anti-windup for a single-phase solar inverter

This paper introduces a novel control strategy for regulating the output voltage of a single-phase inverter equipped with an LC filter. The proposed method integrates a Proportional Resonant (PR) controller with an anti-windup compensator to address challenges in voltage regulation and system stability. Unlike conventional techniques, this control approach relies on a single measurement from an output voltage sensor, eliminating the need for complex frame transformations and significantly simplifying the control architecture. The innovative use of the PR controller ensures high performance by achieving zero steady-state error for sinusoidal references, making it particularly effective for applications requiring precision and reliability. The anti-windup compensator enhances system robustness by mitigating controller saturation and maintaining stability under varying load conditions. Extensive experimental tests were conducted to validate the proposed method, demonstrating its superior effectiveness and robustness compared to traditional control strategies. Results highlight its ability to achieve fast response times, minimal steady-state error, and consistent performance across a wide range of operating conditions. This control design offers a simplified yet efficient solution for inverter applications, paving the way for improved performance in renewable energy systems, power distribution networks, and industrial automation, where precise voltage regulation is critical.

A charge reversal nano-assembly prevents hepatic steatosis by resolving inflammation and improving lipid metabolism

Lipid metabolism imbalance combined with over-activated inflammation are two key factors for hepatic stestosis. However, on-demand anchoring inflammation and lipid metabolism disorder for hepatic stestosis treatment has yet to be realized. Here we propose a charge reversal fullerene based nano-assembly to migrate hepatic steatosis via inhibiting macrophage-mediated inflammation and normalizing hepatocellular lipid metabolism in obesity mice. Our nano-assembly (abbreviated as FPPD) is comprised of electropositive polyetherimide (PEI), charge-shielded dimethylmaleic anhydride (DMA), and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), which provides hydrophobic chains for self-assembly with anti-oxidative dicarboxy fullerene poly(ethylene glycol) molecule (FP). The obtained FPPD nano-assembly owns a charge reversal ability that switches to a positive charge in an acidic environment that targets the electronegative mitochondria both in pro-inflammatory macrophages and steatosis hepatocytes. We demonstrate that the anti-oxidative and mitochondria-targeting FPPD notably reduces inflammation in macrophages and lipid accumulation in hepatocytes by quenching excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) and improving mitochondrial function in vitro. Importantly, FPPD nano-assembly reveals a superior anti-hepatic steatosis effect via migrating inflammation and facilitating lipid transport in obesity mice. Overall, the charge reversal nano-assembly reduces over-activated inflammation and promotes lipid metabolism that provides an effectiveness of a multi-target strategy for hepatic steatosis treatment.

Efficacy and Safety of Sacubitril/Valsartan Versus Amlodipine in Japanese Patients With Essential Hypertension: A Randomized, Multicenter, Open-Label, Noninferiority Study (PARASOL Study).

Sacubitril/valsartan, an angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor, has demonstrated a superior blood pressure-lowering effect compared with renin-angiotensin system inhibitors in several clinical trials. However, there has been no available evidence on the comparison between sacubitril/valsartan and calcium channel blockers (CCBs), a well-established class of antihypertensive drugs. In this open-label, multicenter study, we aimed to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of sacubitril/valsartan versus amlodipine, one of the most widely used CCBs, after 8 weeks of treatment. A total of 359 Japanese patients with essential hypertension (office systolic blood pressure [SBP] ≥150 to <180mmHg), aged 18-79, were randomly assigned to receive either once-daily sacubitril/valsartan 200mg or once-daily amlodipine 5mg in a 1:1 allocation ratio. The primary endpoint was the noninferiority of sacubitril/valsartan compared with amlodipine in mean change in 24-h SBP from baseline to Week 8, followed by a significance test as a secondary endpoint analysis. The mean change in 24-h SBP in sacubitril/valsartan was noninferior to that in amlodipine (between-treatment difference -0.62mmHg [95% confidential interval: -3.23 to 1.98; p = 0.003 for noninferiority; independent t-test with noninferiority margin 3.0mmHg]), with no significant difference observed (p=0.637). There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse events (AEs). These results suggested that the blood pressure-lowering effect of sacubitril/valsartan is comparable to that of amlodipine, with no marked differences in tolerability between the two groups. Sacubitril/valsartan, a potent antihypertensive drug comparable to amlodipine, is expected to improve blood pressure control in clinical practice.

Combined transcriptome and metabolome analysis revealed the antimicrobial mechanism of Griseorhodin C against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

The global rise of multidrug-resistant pathogens, particularly Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), has become a critical public health concern, necessitating the urgent discovery of new antimicrobial agents. Griseorhodin C, a hydroxyquinone compound isolated from Streptomyces, has demonstrated significant inhibitory effects against MRSA. In this study, we employed a comprehensive approach combining transcriptome and metabolome analyses to investigate the underlying antimicrobial mechanism of Griseorhodin C. Our findings reveal that Griseorhodin C interferes with multiple bacterial metabolic pathways, including those essential for the biosynthesis and metabolism of amino acids, purine metabolism and energy metabolism, ultimately leading to bacterial growth inhibition and cell death. Notably, Griseorhodin C showed superior inhibitory effects compared to the clinical standard, vancomycin, both in vivo and vitro. These results highlight the potential of Griseorhodin C as a promising candidate for the development of new therapeutic strategies aimed at combating MRSA infections. The study underscores the importance of exploring natural products as sources of novel antibiotics in the ongoing fight against antimicrobial resistance.

A joint work package sizing and scheduling problem considering resource constraints with a look-ahead heterogeneous reinforcement learning method

Effective work package sizing and project scheduling are crucial for construction project management. However, existing studies often address them as separate optimisation problems, neglecting the interactive nature of these processes. In practical scenarios with limited resources, there is an increasing demand for integrating work package sizing and project scheduling to enhance project management efficiency. This research aims to bridge this gap by developing an integer non-linear programming model that incorporates work package sizing and project scheduling while considering their interaction within a resource-constrained environment. Moreover, we introduce a novel look-ahead heterogeneous reinforcement learning approach that dynamically adjusts work package sizes and project schedules based on observed information at each decision step. A look-ahead sequential decision mechanism is proposed to effectively address the interdependencies and constraints inherent in the joint model. We extend the heterogeneous agent mirror learning technique to our problem to improve sample efficiency and ensure progressive enhancement of the joint policy. To evaluate our approach's effectiveness, we conduct experiments using datasets of 15, 30, 60, 90, and 120 tasks from Rangen and PSPLIB and validate our method in a real-world modular integrated construction project. The experimental results reveal that a joint model integrating work package sizing and project scheduling offers a more comprehensive understanding of their interplay, leading to better resource utilisation and improved project schedules. A comparative analysis against existing state-of-the-art reinforcement learning and priority rule-based methods further substantiates the superior effectiveness of our proposed approach, yielding an approximate 5% reduction in total project cost.

Decoding covert visual attention to motion direction using graph theory features of EEG signals and quadratic discriminant analysis

Visual attention is a type of selective attention that plays an important role in prioritizing and processing the information received from the visual scenes around us. The brain is an intricate network composed of numerous regions, each with distinct functions. As different tasks are performed, brain regions regularly synchronize and correlate with each other through intricate networks of connections. The aim of this study is to decode two states of attention by examining the interactions and connections between different brain regions using graph theory. This is demonstrated by EEG recordings from 15 participants who performed visual attention task. Pearson's correlation coefficient and coherence have been used to measure the functional connections between brain regions. In fact, each of these two criteria is regarded as an individual feature, and we perform decoding using each criterion separately. With an optimal selection of 40 connectivity features, the QDA classifier attained accuracies of 79.83% and 83.28% using correlation and coherence features, respectively. The results of attention decoding using the coherence criterion are more promising, indicating the superior effectiveness of coherence-based methods. Therefore, this study employed graph theory to analyse a neural network derived from coherence measurements. The study focused on three graph-theoretical metrics: degree centrality, efficiency, and betweenness centrality. The QDA classifier, using an optimal set of 40 features that includes degree, betweenness, and channel efficiency, achieved an accuracy of 86.46%. In comparison, the QDA classifier with 40 features based solely on degree centrality reached an accuracy of 89.96%. Finally, the results of this research indicate that analysing brain connections and brain network graphs can effectively decode different covert visual attention states.

A re-optimized design of mesh-type transition zone for large-scale PEM fuel cells considering two-phase flow distribution

The flow distribution in the Flow Field Plate (FFP) has a significant impact on the performance and durability of large-scale Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells. Most of the existing studies focused only on gas-phase flow, while the actual cell operation is gas-liquid two-phase flow. In this study, numerical simulations of single- and two-phase flow distributions are performed for three-dimensional FFPs. The Coefficient of Variation (CV), defined as the ratio between the standard deviation and the mean of the velocities in channels, serves as the indicator of flow uniformity. Firstly, the differences between gas- and two-phase flow distribution characteristics of the FFP with the combined-mesh-type transition zone we previously constructed are elucidated. Secondly, a re-optimized layout with horizontal mesh apertures in the distribution zone and the addition of horizontal mesh in the collection zone is proposed. The design philosophy and methodology based on the coupled flow and resistance regulation mechanism are elucidated. The single- and two-phase CV values are further reduced by 41.25% and 6.05%, respectively. Thirdly the re-optimized structure is applied to different FFP geometries, including smaller development spaces and larger cell areas, where the superior effects on flow distribution are validated.

The Role of NAD+ in Myocardial Ischemia-induced Heart Failure in Sprague-dawley Rats and Beagles.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) participates in various processes that are dysregulated in cardiovascular diseases. Supplementation with NAD+ may be cardioprotective. However, whether the protective effect exerted by NAD+ in heart failure (HF) is more effective before acute myocardial infarction (MI) or after remains unclear. The left anterior descending arteries of male Sprague Dawley rats and beagles that developed HF following MI were ligated for 1 week, following which the animals were treated for 4 weeks with low, medium, and high doses of NAD+ and LCZ696. Cardiac function, hemodynamics, and biomarkers were evaluated during the treatment period. Heart weight, myocardial fibrosis, and MI rate were measured eventually. Compared with the HF groups, groups treated with LCZ696 and different doses of NAD+ showed increased ejection fractions, fractional shortening, cardiac output, and stroke volume and decreased end-systolic volume, end-systolic dimension, creatine kinase, and lactic dehydrogenase. LV blood pressure was lower in the HF group than in the control group, but this decrease was significantly greater in the medium and high NAD+ dose groups. The ratios of heart weight indexes, fibrotic areas, and MI rates in the CZ696 and medium and high NAD+ dose groups were lower than those in the HF group. Medium and highdose NAD+ showed superior positive effects on myocardial hypertrophy, cardiac function, and myocardial fibrosis and reduced the MI rate.

Surface roughness prediction based on fusion of dynamic-static data

The surface roughness in mechanical milling is a critical indicator of machining quality. Due to the variability in the geometric structure of the workpieces and the complexity of the milling mechanisms, traditional roughness prediction methods often fail to meet the requirements of actual machining scenarios. To enhance the accuracy of surface roughness prediction during the milling process and to ensure its applicability in real-world production, this paper introduces a novel model that integrates Multi-scale Convolutional Neural Network, Stacked Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory, and Self-Attention mechanisms (MC-SBiL-SA), which integrates dynamic current signals with static process data for roughness prediction. This model involves extracting features from dynamic signal data in various ways, then feeding these features into a BiLSTM network for training. To enable the model to learn more effective data features, an attention mechanism is introduced after the BiLSTM to assign different weights to the data features, thereby amplifying the impact of important features. Finally, the dynamic signal and static process data are combined in a shallow neural network for regression prediction. Comparative results with various baseline models demonstrate that the MC-SBiL-SA model, which fuses dynamic and static data, exhibits superior generalizability and effectiveness in predicting surface roughness.

Different polysaccharide-enhanced probiotic and polyphenol dual-functional factor co-encapsulated microcapsules demonstrate acute colitis alleviation efficacy and food fortification

Probiotics and polyphenols have multiple bioactivities, and developing co-encapsulated microcapsules (CM) is a novel strategy to enhance their nutritional diversity. However, the development of CMs is challenged by complicated processing, single types, and unclear in vivo effects and applications. In this study, the co-microencapsulations of polyphenol and probiotic were constructed using pectin, alginate (WGCA@LK), and Fu brick tea polysaccharides (WGCF@LK), respectively, with chitosan-whey isolate proteins by layer-by-layer coacervation reaction, and their protective effects, in vivo effectiveness, and application potential were evaluated. WGCA@LK improved the encapsulation rate of polyphenols (42.41 %), and remained high viability of probiotics after passing through gastric acidic environment (8.79 ± 0.04 log CFU/g) and storage for 4 weeks (4.59 ± 0.06 log CFU/g). WGCF@LK exhibited the highest total antioxidant activity (19.40 ± 0.25 μmol/mL) and its prebiotic activity removed the restriction on probiotic growth. WGCA@LK showed strong in vitro colonic adhesion, but WGCF@LK promoted in vivo retention of probiotics at 48 h. WGCF@LK showed excellent anti-inflammatory effects and alleviated symptoms of acute colitis in mice. These findings provide unique insights into the fortification of probiotic-polyphenol CMs by different polysaccharides and the development of novel health foods with rich functional hierarchies and superior therapeutic effects.