Contribution of mechanical forces to structural synaptic plasticity:insights from 3D cellular motility mechanisms

Cells,tissues,and organs are constantly subjected to the action of mechanical forces from the extracellular environment-and the nervous system is no exception.Cell-intrinsic properties such as membrane lipid composition,abundance of mechanosensors,and cytoskeletal dynamics make cells more or less likely to sense these forces.Intrinsic and extrinsic cues are integrated by cells and this combined information determines the rate and dynamics of membrane protrusion growth or retraction(Yamada and Sixt,2019).Cell protrusions are extensions of the plasma membrane that play crucial roles in diverse contexts such as cell migration and neuronal synapse formation.In the nervous system,neurons are highly dynamic cells that can change the size and number of their pre-and postsynaptic elements(called synaptic boutons and dendritic spines,respectively),in response to changes in the levels of synaptic activity through a process called plasticity.Synaptic plasticity is a hallmark of the nervous system and is present throughout our lives,being required for functions like memory formation or the learning of new motor skills(Minegishi et al.,2023;Pillai and Franze,2024).

Depression mechanism of sulfite ions on sphalerite and Pb^(2+)activated sphalerite in the flotation separation of galena from sphalerite

The depression mechanism of sulfite ions on sphalerite and Pb^(2+)activated sphalerite in the flotation separation of galena from sphalerite still lacked in-depth insight.Therefore,the depression mechanism of sulfite ions on sphalerite and Pb^(2+)activated sphalerite in the flotation separation of galena from sphalerite was further systematically investigated with experiments and density functional theory(DFT)calculations.The X-ray photoelectric spectroscopy(XPS)results,DFT calculation results,and frontier molecular orbital analysis indicated that sulfite ions were difficult to be adsorbed on sphalerite surface,suggesting that sulfite ions achieved depression effects on sphalerite through other non-adsorption mechanisms.First,the oxygen content in the surface of sphalerite treated with sulfite ions in creased,which enhanced the hydrophilicity of the sphalerite and further increased the difference in hydrophilicity between sphalerite and galena.Then,sulfite ions were chelated with lead ions to form PbSO_(3)in solution.The hydrophilic PbSO_(3)was more easily adsorbed on sphalerite than galena.The interaction between sulfite ions and lead ions could effectively inhibit the activation of sphalerite.In addition the UV spectrum showed that after adding sulfite ions,the peak of perxanthate in the sphalerite treated xanthate solution was significantly stronger than that in the galena with xanthate solution,indicating that xanthate interacted more readily with sulfite ions and oxygen mo lecules within the sphalerite system,leading to the formation of perxanthate.However,sulfite ions hardly depressed the flotation of ga lena and could promote the flotation of galena to some extent.This study deepened the understanding of the depression mechanism o sulfite ions on sphalerite and Pb^(2+)activated sphalerite.

Lightweight and polarized self-attention mechanism for abnormal morphology classification algorithm during traditional Chinese medicine inspection

Objective To propose a Light-Atten-Pose-based algorithm for classifying abnormal morphology in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)inspection to solve the problem of relying on manual labor or expensive equipment with personal subjectivity or high cost.Methods First,this paper establishes a dataset of abnormal morphology for Chinese medicine diagnosis,with images from public resources and labeled with category labels by several Chinese medicine experts,including three categories:normal,shoulder abnormality,and leg abnormality.Second,the key points of human body are extracted by Light-Atten-Pose algo-rithm.Light-Atten-Pose algorithm uses lightweight EfficientNet network and polarized self-attention(PSA)mechanism on the basis of AlphaPose,which reduces the computation amount by using EfficientNet network,and the data is finely processed by using PSA mecha-nism in spatial and channel dimensions.Finally,according to the theory of TCM inspection,the abnormal morphology standard based on the joint angle difference is defined,and the classification of abnormal morphology of Chinese medical diagnosis is realized by calculat-ing the angle between key points.Accuracy,frames per second(FPS),model size,parameter set(Params),and giga floating-point operations per second(GFLOPs)are chosen as the eval-uation indexes for lightweighting.Results Validation of the Light-Atten-Pose algorithm on the dataset showed a classification accuracy of 96.23%,which is close to the original AlphaPose model.However,the FPS of the improved model reaches 41.6 fps from 16.5 fps,the model size is reduced from 155.11 MB to 33.67 MB,the Params decreases from 40.5 M to 8.6 M,and the GFLOPs reduces from 11.93 to 2.10.Conclusion The Light-Atten-Pose algorithm achieves lightweight while maintaining high ro-bustness,resulting in lower complexity and resource consumption and higher classification accuracy,and the experiments prove that the Light-Atten-Pose algorithm has a better overall performance and has practical application in the pose estimation task.

Decoding molecular mechanisms:brain aging and Alzheimer's disease

The complex morphological,anatomical,physiological,and chemical mechanisms within the aging brain have been the hot topic of research for centuries.The aging process alters the brain structure that affects functions and cognitions,but the worsening of such processes contributes to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders,such as Alzheimer's disease.Beyond these observable,mild morphological shifts,significant functional modifications in neurotransmission and neuronal activity critically influence the aging brain.Understanding these changes is important for maintaining cognitive health,especially given the increasing prevalence of age-related conditions that affect cognition.This review aims to explore the age-induced changes in brain plasticity and molecular processes,differentiating normal aging from the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease,thereby providing insights into predicting the risk of dementia,particularly Alzheimer's disease.

Pyroptosis,ferroptosis,and autophagy in spinal cord injury:regulatory mechanisms and therapeutic targets

Regulated cell death is a form of cell death that is actively controlled by biomolecules.Several studies have shown that regulated cell death plays a key role after spinal cord injury.Pyroptosis and ferroptosis are newly discovered types of regulated cell deaths that have been shown to exacerbate inflammation and lead to cell death in damaged spinal cords.Autophagy,a complex form of cell death that is interconnected with various regulated cell death mechanisms,has garnered significant attention in the study of spinal cord injury.This injury triggers not only cell death but also cellular survival responses.Multiple signaling pathways play pivotal roles in influencing the processes of both deterioration and repair in spinal cord injury by regulating pyroptosis,ferroptosis,and autophagy.Therefore,this review aims to comprehensively examine the mechanisms underlying regulated cell deaths,the signaling pathways that modulate these mechanisms,and the potential therapeutic targets for spinal cord injury.Our analysis suggests that targeting the common regulatory signaling pathways of different regulated cell deaths could be a promising strategy to promote cell survival and enhance the repair of spinal cord injury.Moreover,a holistic approach that incorporates multiple regulated cell deaths and their regulatory pathways presents a promising multi-target therapeutic strategy for the management of spinal cord injury.

Concurrent occurrence of adenocarcinoma and urothelial carcinoma of the prostate:Coexistence mechanisms from multiple perspectives

This article discusses the coexistence of prostate adenocarcinoma and prostate urothelial carcinoma.Combining existing literature and research results,the potential mechanisms of the co-occurrence of these two cancers are explored,including the role of androgen receptor,gene mutations,and their complex interactions in cell signaling pathways,etc.Also,the hypothesis of prostate cancer transformation into urothelial carcinoma is explained from some perspectives,including tumor multipotent stem cell differentiation,epithelial-mesenchymal transition,mesenchymal-epithelial transition,and other mechanisms.Ultimately,the goal is to provide more accurate diagnoses and more personalized treatments in clinical practice,as well as to lay the foundation for improving patient prognoses in the future.

Two paths, one goal: mechanism of calcium homeostasis to balance plant growth and immunity

Calcium(Ca^(2+))is an essential nutrient and a cellular signal in plants.The level of free Ca^(2+)in the apoplast is~10,000-fold higher than that in the cytoplasm at the resting state.This large Ca^(2+)level gradient across the membrane between the interior and exterior can cause Ca^(2+)overload and toxicity.Plants have evolved mechanisms to export Ca^(2+)out of the cytoplasm or store it in intracellular organelles,such as endoplasmic reticulum(ER),mitochondria,and vacuole.Additionally,Ca^(2+)-binding proteins,including those containing the most common Ca^(2+)-binding EF-hand domains,maintain the cytosolic Ca^(2+)level by directly binding them,thus participating in Ca^(2+)homeostasis.Ca^(2+)/H+exchangers(CAXs,antiporter)and Ca^(2+)-ATPases(ACAs)are responsible for transferring Ca^(2+)from the cytosol to either the external space or intracellular stores(Bose et al.,2011).However,it is still unknown how these Ca^(2+)-scavenging transporters are activated when the cytosolic Ca^(2+)level is elevated to threshold levels.An“auto-regulatory”mechanism to scavenge excess cytosolic Ca^(2+),providing a guarding system to maintain cytosolic Ca^(2+)homeostasis in plants.

Prediction and scheduling of multi-energy microgrid based on BiGRU self-attention mechanism and LQPSO

To predict renewable energy sources such as solar power in microgrids more accurately,a hybrid power prediction method is presented in this paper.First,the self-attention mechanism is introduced based on a bidirectional gated recurrent neural network(BiGRU)to explore the time-series characteristics of solar power output and consider the influence of different time nodes on the prediction results.Subsequently,an improved quantum particle swarm optimization(QPSO)algorithm is proposed to optimize the hyperparameters of the combined prediction model.The final proposed LQPSO-BiGRU-self-attention hybrid model can predict solar power more effectively.In addition,considering the coordinated utilization of various energy sources such as electricity,hydrogen,and renewable energy,a multi-objective optimization model that considers both economic and environmental costs was constructed.A two-stage adaptive multi-objective quantum particle swarm optimization algorithm aided by a Lévy flight,named MO-LQPSO,was proposed for the comprehensive optimal scheduling of a multi-energy microgrid system.This algorithm effectively balances the global and local search capabilities and enhances the solution of complex nonlinear problems.The effectiveness and superiority of the proposed scheme are verified through comparative simulations.

Acupuncture for postoperative ileus:Advancement and underlying mechanisms

Postoperative ileus(POI)remains a prevalent and significant challenge following abdominal surgeries,precipitating patient distress,prolonged hospital stays,and escalated medical expenditures.Conventionally addressed via pharmacological interventions,POI is increasingly being explored through adjunctive therapeutic strategies,with acupuncture gaining recognition as a promising option.Acupuncture has demonstrated encouraging potential in promoting gastrointestinal motility in patients with POI.Moreover,recent research has shed light on the therapeutic mechanisms underlying its efficacy.This article aims to present a comprehensive overview of acupuncture as a treatment for POI,highlighting advancements in clinical research and recent elucidations of its mechanistic underpinnings.It aspires to contribute a pivotal reference point for scholars and enthusiasts keen on garnering a deeper understanding of acupuncture’s role in managing POI.

Aerial target threat assessment based on gated recurrent unit and self-attention mechanism

Aerial threat assessment is a crucial link in modern air combat, whose result counts a great deal for commanders to make decisions. With the consideration that the existing threat assessment methods have difficulties in dealing with high dimensional time series target data, a threat assessment method based on self-attention mechanism and gated recurrent unit(SAGRU) is proposed. Firstly, a threat feature system including air combat situations and capability features is established. Moreover, a data augmentation process based on fractional Fourier transform(FRFT) is applied to extract more valuable information from time series situation features. Furthermore, aiming to capture key characteristics of battlefield evolution, a bidirectional GRU and SA mechanisms are designed for enhanced features.Subsequently, after the concatenation of the processed air combat situation and capability features, the target threat level will be predicted by fully connected neural layers and the softmax classifier. Finally, in order to validate this model, an air combat dataset generated by a combat simulation system is introduced for model training and testing. The comparison experiments show the proposed model has structural rationality and can perform threat assessment faster and more accurately than the other existing models based on deep learning.

Research progress on the physiological,biochemical and molecular regulatory mechanisms of fruit tree responses to high-temperature stress

Fruit trees face various adverse environmental factors,such as extreme hydrothermal changes,soil salinization and low precipitation,leading to different types of stress.High temperature is one of the main factors affecting the growth of fruit trees,and an appropriate ambient temperature is a necessary condition for the normal growth and development of fruit trees.Since the 20th century,due to the intensification of the greenhouse effect and global warming,there has been a significant increase in the occurrence and duration of extreme hot weather in summer has been occurring frequently and for longer durations.Thus,the growth and production of fruit trees are affected by severe hightemperature stress.Therefore,this paper primarily summarized the impacts of high-temperature stress on fruit growth and development,flowering,fruiting,fruit setting and quality.It also discussed the physiological and biochemical responses of fruit trees to high-temperature stress,research progress on the molecular mechanisms and signal transduction pathways underlying fruit tree resistance to heat or high temperature,and research on the investigation of relevant metabolites of fruit trees under stress conditions.The future research directions were discussed,and prospects and potential difficulties were proposed to serve a reference for further investigation on the high-temperature tolerance of fruit trees.

Investigation of magnesium phosphate cement on river dredged sludge with varying humic acid content and solidification mechanism

This paper investigated the use of magnesium phosphate cement (MPC) for solidifying sludge with different humic acid (HA) content (ranging from 0 to 4.5%) and explored the solidification mechanism. Fluidity, setting time, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), the strength formation mechanism, and the spontaneous imbibition process of solidified sludge (SS) were studied. The results indicate that MPC can be used as a low-alkalinity curing agent. As the HA content increases, fluidity and setting time also increase, while hydration temperature and strength decrease. Additionally, the failure mode of SS transitions from brittleness to ductility. The strength of SS is composed of the cementation strength provided by MPC hydration products, matric suction, osmotic suction, and the structural strength of the sludge. MPC reduces the structural strength caused by the shrinkage of pure sludge under the action of matric suction, but the incorporation of MPC significantly improved the strength when the sludge is eroded by water. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) show that the sludge and MPC can form a dense solid body, forming various hydration products, and synergistically improve the mechanical properties of the sludge.

Using fracture mechanics method to analyze the failure mechanism and equilibrium equation of interfacial loess-mudstone landslides

Loess-mudstone landslides are common in the Loess Plateau.Investigations into the mechanical theory of loess-mudstone landslides have become a challenging undertaking due to the distinctive interfacial properties of loess-mudstone and the unique water sensitivity characteristics of mudstone.Hence,it is imperative to develop innovative mechanical models and mathematical equations specifically tailored to loess-mudstone landslides.In this study,we analyze the fracture mechanism of the loess-mudstone sliding zone using plastic fracture mechanics and develop a unique fracture yield model.To calculate the energy release rate during the expansion of the loess-mudstone interface tip region,the shear fracture energy G is applied,which reflects both the yield failure criterion and the fracture failure criterion.To better understand the instability mechanism of loess-mudstone landslides,equilibrium equations based on G are established for tractive,compressive,and tensile loess-mudstone landslides.Based on the equilibrium equation,the critical length Lc of the sliding zone can be used for the safety evaluation of loess-mudstone landslides.In this way,this study proposes a new method for determining the failure mechanism and equilibrium equation of loessmudstone landslides,which resolves their starting mechanism,mechanical equilibrium equations,and safety evaluation indicators,thus justifying the scientific significance and practical value of this research.

A Generative Adversarial Network with an Attention Spatiotemporal Mechanism for Tropical Cyclone Forecasts

Tropical cyclones(TCs)are complex and powerful weather systems,and accurately forecasting their path,structure,and intensity remains a critical focus and challenge in meteorological research.In this paper,we propose an Attention Spatio-Temporal predictive Generative Adversarial Network(AST-GAN)model for predicting the temporal and spatial distribution of TCs.The model forecasts the spatial distribution of TC wind speeds for the next 15 hours at 3-hour intervals,emphasizing the cyclone's center,high wind-speed areas,and its asymmetric structure.To effectively capture spatiotemporal feature transfer at different time steps,we employ a channel attention mechanism for feature selection,enhancing model performance and reducing parameter redundancy.We utilized High-Resolution Weather Research and Forecasting(HWRF)data to train our model,allowing it to assimilate a wide range of TC motion patterns.The model is versatile and can be applied to various complex scenarios,such as multiple TCs moving simultaneously or TCs approaching landfall.Our proposed model demonstrates superior forecasting performance,achieving a root-mean-square error(RMSE)of 0.71 m s^(-1)for overall wind speed and 2.74 m s^(-1)for maximum wind speed when benchmarked against ground truth data from HWRF.Furthermore,the model underwent optimization and independent testing using ERA5reanalysis data,showcasing its stability and scalability.After fine-tuning on the ERA5 dataset,the model achieved an RMSE of 1.33 m s^(-1)for wind speed and 1.75 m s^(-1)for maximum wind speed.The AST-GAN model outperforms other state-of-the-art models in RMSE on both the HWRF and ERA5 datasets,maintaining its superior performance and demonstrating its effectiveness for spatiotemporal prediction of TCs.

Plastic deformation mechanism of γ-phase U–Mo alloy studied by molecular dynamics simulations

Uranium–molybdenum(U–Mo) alloys are critical for nuclear power generation and propulsion because of their superior thermal conductivity, irradiation stability, and anti-swelling properties. This study explores the plastic deformation mechanisms of γ-phase U–Mo alloys using molecular dynamics(MD) simulations. In the slip model, the generalized stacking fault energy(GSFE) and the modified Peierls–Nabarro(P–N) model are used to determine the competitive relationships among different slip systems. In the twinning model, the generalized plane fault energy(GPFE) is assessed to evaluate the competition between slip and twinning. The findings reveal that among the three slip systems, the {110}<111>slip system is preferentially activated, while in the {112}<111> system, twinning is favored over slip, as confirmed by MD tensile simulations conducted in various directions. Additionally, the impact of Mo content on deformation behavior is emphasized. Insights are provided for optimizing process conditions to avoid γ → α′′ transitions, thereby maintaining a higher proportion of γ-phase U–Mo alloys for practical applications.

Functional metabolomics analysis of the protective mechanism of total flavonoids of Scutellaria baicalensis on acute myocardial ischemia rats

Background:The study aimed to investigate the protective effect and mechanism of total flavonoids of Scutellaria baicalensis(TFSB)on acute myocardial ischemia(AMI)rats by using functional metabonomics.Methods:Rats were divided into the Control,Model,AMI positive control(Propranolol hydrochloride,30 mg/kg),low dose TFSB(50 mg/kg),and high dose TFSB(100 mg/kg)groups.Rats received the corresponding treatment by intragastric administration once daily for 10 consecutive days.Electrocardiogram,myocardial enzyme,triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining,hematoxylin-eosin,and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were performed to evaluate the protective effect of TFSB on AMI rats.Then,the UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap MS method based on serum metabolomics was utilised to search for metabolic biomarkers and metabolic pathways.Subsequently,Western blot and RT-PCR techniques were employed to identify the respective genes and proteins.Results:Pharmacodynamics revealed that TFSB could ameliorate AMI in rats.The results of the metabolomics analysis indicated that the alterations in metabolic profile observed in rats with AMI were partially improved by treatment with TFSB.Moreover,the mRNA expression levels of 5-lipoxygenase(5-LOX)and 15-lipoxygenase(15-LOX)and the protein expression levels of 5-LOX,15-LOX,interleukin-1β(IL-1β),and NF-κB p65 were reduced following treatment with TFSB.Conclusion:The potential treatment of TFSB in AMI may be ascribed to its ability to regulate arachidonic acid metabolism.

Wnt/β-catenin signaling components and mechanisms in bone formation,homeostasis,and disease

Wnts are secreted,lipid-modified proteins that bind to different receptors on the cell surface to activate canonical or non-canonical Wnt signaling pathways,which control various biological processes throughout embryonic development and adult life.Aberrant Wnt signaling pathway underlies a wide range of human disease pathogeneses.

Microdynamic mechanical properties and fracture evolution mechanism of monzogabbro with a true triaxial multilevel disturbance method

The far-field microdynamic disturbance caused by the excavation of deep mineral resources and underground engineering can induce surrounding rock damage in high-stress conditions and even lead to disasters.However,the mechanical properties and damage/fracture evolution mechanisms of deep rock induced by microdynamic disturbance under three-dimensional stress states are unclear.Therefore,a true triaxial multilevel disturbance test method is proposed,which can completely simulate natural geostress,excavation stress redistribution(such as stress unloading,concentration and rotation),and subsequently the microdynamic disturbance triggering damaged rock failure.Based on a dynamic true triaxial test platform,true triaxial microdynamic disturbance tests under different frequency and amplitudes were carried out on monzogabbro.The results show that increasing amplitude or decreasing frequency diminishes the failure strength of monzogabbro.Deformation modulus gradually decreases during disturbance failure.As frequency and amplitude increase,the degradation rate of deformation modulus decreases slightly,disturbance dissipated energy increases significantly,and disturbance deformation anisotropy strengthens obviously.A damage model has been proposed to quantitatively characterize the disturbance-induced damage evolution at different frequency and amplitude under true triaxial stress.Before disturbance failure,the micro-tensile crack mechanism is dominant,and the micro-shear crack mechanism increases significantly at failure.With the increase of amplitude and frequency,the micro-shear crack mechanism increases.When approaching disturbance failure,the acoustic emission fractal dimension changes from a stable value to local large oscillation,and finally increases sharply to a high value at failure.Finally,the disturbance-induced failure mechanism of surrounding rock in deep engineering is clearly elucidated.

Failure mechanism and infrared radiation characteristic of hard siltstone induced by stratification effect

The deformation in sedimentary rock induced by train loads has potential threat to the safe operation of tunnels. This study investigated the influence of stratification structure on the infrared radiation and temporal damage mechanism of hard siltstone. The uniaxial compression tests, coupled with acoustic emission(AE) and infrared radiation temperature(IRT) were conducted on siltstones with different stratification effects. The results revealed that the stratigraphic structure significantly affects the stress-strain response and strength degradation characteristics. The mechanical parameters exhibit anisotropy characteristics, and the stratification effect exhibits a negative correlation with the cracking stress and peak stress. The failure modes caused by the stratification effect show remarkable anisotropic features, including splitting failure(Ⅰ: 0°-22.50°, Ⅱ: 90°), composite failure(45°), and shearing failure(67.50°). The AE temporal sequences demonstrate a stepwise response characteristic to the loading stress level. The AE intensity indicates that the stress sensitivity of shearing failure and composite failure is generally greater than that of splitting failure. The IRT field has spatiotemporal migration and progressive dissimilation with stress loading and its dissimilation degree increases under higher stress levels. The stronger the stratification effect, the greater the dissimilation degree of the IRT field. The abnormal characteristic points of average infrared radiation temperature(AIRT) variance at local stress drop and peak stress can be used as early and late precursors to identify fracture instability. Theoretical analysis shows that the competitive relationship between compaction strengthening and fracturing damage intensifies the dissimilation of the infrared thermal field for an increasing stress level. The present study provides a theoretical reference for disaster warnings in hard sedimentary rock mass.

Regeneration of the heart:f rom molecular mechanisms to clinical therapeutics

Heart injury such as myocardial infarction leads to cardiomyocyte loss,fibrotic tissue deposition,and scar formation.These changes reduce cardiac contractility,resulting in heart failure,which causes a huge public health burden.Military personnel,compared with civilians,is exposed to more stress,a risk factor for heart diseases,making cardiovascular health management and treatment innovation an important topic for military medicine.So far,medical intervention can slow down cardiovascular disease progression,but not yet induce heart regeneration.In the past decades,studies have focused on mechanisms underlying the regenerative capability of the heart and applicable approaches to reverse heart injury.Insights have emerged from studies in animal models and early clinical trials.Clinical interventions show the potential to reduce scar formation and enhance cardiomyocyte proliferation that counteracts the pathogenesis of heart disease.In this review,we discuss the signaling events controlling the regeneration of heart tissue and summarize current therapeutic approaches to promote heart regeneration after injury.