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Electric vehicles have been considered into effective solutions to address energy problems in urban traffic systems for their remarkable performance in energy costs and carbon emissions reduction. However, the energy-saving effect of electric vehicles in urban traffic systems is restricted due to the complexities arising from mixed traffic conditions. To improve energy efficiency, this paper proposes an eco-driving-based mixed vehicular platoon control model for successive signalized intersections with connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs), connected vehicles (CVs) and manned vehicles (MVs). Firstly, the dynamics model and spacing policy are analyzed, then the optimal platoon size and speed are calculated according to different traffic scenarios. Secondly, the mixed vehicular platoon control algorithm is established by considering traffic timing, energy consumption and string stability. Thirdly, an actual eco-driving-based platoon control system for tested electric vehicles is designed. The field test results demonstrate that all platoons can pass through intersections during green phase with minimum energy consumption, meanwhile the string stability can be guaranteed. It is noteworthy that the proposed model can greatly improve urban traffic capacity and energy efficiency. • A novel dynamical model of mixed vehicular platoon is explored by integrating different characteristics of CAV, CV, and MV. • An optimal speed algorithm of the leading vehicle to pass through successive signalized intersections is proposed according to signal timing, vehicular speed, and entry time. • The eco-driving-based mixed vehicular platoon control model is established, and the multi-objective function considering traffic environmental constraints are formulated to minimize the travel time and energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Epitope molecularly imprinted polymer was prepared by autoxidation of caffeic acid. • High adsorption capacity and selectivity toward ovalbumin were achieved. • The polymer was successfully applied to enrich ovalbumin in egg white samples. Food allergy can lead to severe allergic reactions that are potentially fatal for human, hence the detection of food allergens such as ovalbumin (OVA) is important. In this study, a poly(caffeic acid)-coated epitope molecularly imprinted polymer (EMIP) was prepared by chelation and autoxidation of caffeic acid with hexamethylenediamine. EMIP has not only imprinted cavities highly matched with OVA in size and spatial structure, but also externally abundant hydrophilic groups, resulting in few non-specific binding and good hydrophilicity. With high specificity, significant paramagnetism, and great reusability, EMIP can distinguish OVA from other proteins and selectively enrich OVA in egg white samples, which opens up a promising route to the determination of allergens in food products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Jet electrochemical (Jet-EC) milling, using a movable nozzle as the cathode, can fabricate complicated structures flexibly. With the dissolution restricted to a limited area by the electrolyte jet, high removal localization and good surface quality can be obtained. However, the edge of the machined groove is usually subject to stray corrosion because of the low current density in the edge area. In this paper, it is confirmed that the jet shape, which is determined by the working parameters, has a notable influence on the edge condition. Through experiments and analysis, the interrelation between the working parameters, jet shape and edge condition in Jet-EC groove milling is established. It is found that the stray corrosion on the edge can be reduced significantly by adjusting the jet shape, and the necessary conditions to completely eliminate the stray corrosion are established. Furthermore, based on the conclusions, a groove with both a sharp edge and a smooth surface is fabricated via a two-pass process. A deep groove (1.208 mm) with a sharp edge is produced via multiple-pass milling with downward cathode feeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical drilling (ECD) is a useful method to produce small holes with a large aspect ratio on hard-to-machine materials. Recently, instead of using an acid electrolyte, more and more research has focused on neutral salt electrolytes because they are less harmful to the environment. However, more problems have been caused to the removal of waste products, especially in deep-hole drilling. Traditionally, an electrolyte flow with constant pressure control is adopted in ECD, which might result in the poor removal of waste products at depth because of pressure loss. In this paper, an ECD method with a constant electrolyte flow has been proposed to obtain a consistent ability to remove insoluble waste products from machining gap. Experiments of ECD with both constant electrolyte pressure and constant flow are conducted on workpieces of Inconel 718. Machining currents and the profile of machined holes are compared between the two methods. The results show that when a constant electrolyte flow rate is applied, the machining currents are much smoother and the profile of machined holes is also uniform. In addition, the pressure variation in the constant flow method increases linearly with machining depth. ECD with a constant flow also has an increased feed rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A comparative study of prestressed continuous steel–concrete composite beams is carried out based on an experimental investigation. Four full-scale continuous composite beams were tested, among which two were two-span beams and two were three-span beams. One of the two-span beams was a conventional non-prestressed composite beam, and the other was a composite beam prestressed with external tendons in both the positive and negative moment regions. One of the three-span composite beams was non-prestressed, and the other was prestressed only in the negative moment regions with external high-strength tendons. The cracking behaviors, distortional lateral and local buckling as well as the load carrying capacity of the beams were investigated experimentally. Full plasticity was developed at the mid-span section of each beam; however, the maximum moments attained at the internal supports were governed by local buckling, which is related to the slenderness of the composite section. It is found that in hogging moment regions, the ultimate moment resistance of a composite beam prestressed with external tendons is governed by either distortional lateral buckling or local buckling, or an interactive mode composed of distortional lateral and local buckling. The results show that exerting prestressing on a continuous composite beam with external tendons increases the degree of the internal force and moment redistribution in the beam. A design proposal based on moment redistribution to evaluate the load carrying capacity of continuous composite beams with external tendons is proposed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Impacts of zinc sulphate and cupric chloride on characteristics and antioxidant capacities of glycated products (GPs) derived from casein hydrolysate (CH) and xylose were studied. The browning degree of xylose–CH GPs was the largest at zinc sulphate addition of 15 mg L−1, while its browning degree increased with cupric chloride extended from 0 to 15 mg L−1. Loss of free amino groups, fluorescence intensity and the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity of xylose–CH GPs increased with the increase of cupric chloride addition, but loss of amino groups, fluorescence intensity and DPPH radical scavenging capacity were largest at the zinc sulphate addition of 15 mg L−1. The addition of zinc sulphate and cupric chloride promoted production of higher and smaller molecular substances in xylose–CH GPs and CH. Therefore, zinc sulphate and cupric chloride promoted glycated reaction of xylose and CH and enhanced antioxidant activity of xylose–CH GPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combination therapy is being actively explored to improve the efficacy and safety of anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CART19) therapy, among which Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKIs) are highly expected. BTKIs may modulate T-cell function and remodel the tumor micro-environment (TME), but the exact mechanisms involved and the steps required to transform different BTKIs into clinical applications need further investigation. We examined the impacts of BTKIs on T-cell and CART19 phenotype and functionality in vitr o and further explored the mechanisms. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of CART19 concurrent with BTKIs in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, we investigated the effects of BTKIs on TME in a syngeneic lymphoma model. Here we identified that the three BTKIs, ibrutinib, zanubrutinib and orelabrutinib, attenuated CART19 exhaustion mediated by tonic signaling, T-cell receptor (TCR) activation and antigen stimulation. Mechanistically, BTKIs markedly suppressed CD3-ζ phosphorylation of both chimeric antigen receptor and TCR and downregulated the expression of genes associated with T-cell activation signaling pathways. Moreover, BTKIs decreased interleukin 6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha release in vitro and in vivo. In a syngeneic lymphoma model, BTKIs reprogrammed macrophages to the M1 subtype and polarized T helper (Th) cells toward the Th1 subtype. Our data revealed that BTKIs preserved T-cell and CART19 functionality under persistent antigen exposure and further demonstrated that BTKI administration was a potential strategy for mitigating cytokine release syndrome after CART19 treatment. Our study lays the experimental foundation for the rational application of BTKIs combined with CART19 in clinical practice. BTKIs attenuate T-cell and CART19 exhaustion mediated by sustained TCR stimulation and CAR tonic signaling and impede release of IL-6 and TNF-α by macrophages. In addition, BTKIs reprogram macrophages toward the M1 subtype and polarize Th cells to the Th1 subtype in the tumor micro-environment. Image was created with BioRender.com. BTKIs, Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors; CAR, chimeric antigen receptor; CART19, anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T-cell; IL-6, interleukin 6; TCR, T-cell receptor; Th, T helper; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor alpha. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The AGCU Expressmarker 20 + 20Y Kit is a newly devised short tandem repeat (STR) multiplex system that simultaneously analyses a set of 19 autosomal STR loci, 20 Y chromosomal STR loci and the amelogenin locus with six-dye fluorescent labelling. Here, the AGCU Expressmarker 20 + 20Y system was validated following the guidelines published by the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM), including PCR-condition, sensitivity, mixtures, species specificity, models of inhibition, precision, stutter percentage, concordance, population genetic studies, performance on three kinds of degraded DNA and a type of casework samples. The results indicated that the kit had high sensitivity when there was a small amount of DNA (0.0625 ng), more than one male (minor: major=1:19), or a mixture of males and females (male: female=1:32), models of inhibition (250 μM hematin, 1500 ng/μL humic acid and more than 100 ng/μL tannic acid) and degraded samples. The kit showed high precision level with standard deviation of allele size no more than 0.0930. Furthermore, this system was also tested in 444 random male samples of Chinese Han and Hui population, showing its high discrimination capability in Han and Hui population. Meanwhile, the system was applicable to the case of the AMELY abnormality. In short, the kit was verified and proved to be a robust, reliable and suitable tool for human identification and casework samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The droplet digital Polymerase Chain Reaction (ddPCR) has garnered recognition for its distinctive attribute of absolute quantification. And it has found practical utility in age prediction through DNA methylation profiles. However, a prevalent limitation in current ddPCR methodologies is the restricted capacity to detect only two targets concurrently in most instruments, leading to high costs, sample wastage, and labor-intensive procedures. To address the limitations, a novel high-throughput ddPCR system allowing for the simultaneous detection of eight targets was developed. Through the implementation of a new 8-plex ddPCR assay, coupled with comprehensive linear regression analyses involving primers and probes ratios, diverse inputs of single CpG sites with distinct primers and probes, and varying plex assay configurations, stable DNA methylation values for four CpGs and stable measurement precisions for distinct multiplex systems were consistently observed. These findings pave the way for advancing the field of chemistry science by enabling more efficient and cost-effective methods. Furthermore, the comparative validation of ddPCR and SNaPshot demonstrated a remarkable concordance in results, and the system also displayed well in the field of various aspects, including species specificity, DNA input, and aged samples. In this study, the recommended input of bisulfite-converted DNA was determined to be 10–50 ng due to the double-positive droplets. Notably, the Pearson correlation coefficient squared values of four CpGs were 0.4878 (ASPA), 0.4832 (IGSF1), 0.6881 (COL1A1), and 0.6475 (MEIS1-AS3). And the testing set exhibited a mean absolute error of 4.5923 years, indicating the robustness and accuracy of the age-predictive model. [Display omitted] • A high-throughput 8-plex ddPCR system was developed to detect DNA methylation. • The new ddPCR system exhibited superior efficiency and cost-effectiveness. • A comprehensive validation was conducted to illustrate key performance metrics. • The methylation values through the ddPCR system have a good correlation with age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerebellar ataxia (CA) related to anti-metabolic glutamate receptor 1 (mGluR1) is a rare autoimmune encephalitis, which is manifested as acute or subacute CA in most cases.To the best of our knowledge, only three cases of pediatric patients have been reported in the literature so far. This article reports the 4th case of mGluR1 related CA in a pediatric patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Microwave is best treatment on transglutaminase (TGase)-induced whey protein isolate. • Ultrasound-microwave promoted the reaction of whey protein isolate and TGase. • Ultrasound-microwave enhanced properties of TGase-induced whey protein isolate. In the present study, ultrasound (400 W, U), microwave heating (75 ℃ for 15 min, M) and ultrasound synergized with microwave heating (UM) pretreatments of whey protein isolate (WPI) were applied to investigate and compare their influence on structure, physicochemical and functional characteristic of transglutaminase (TGase)-induced WPI. From the results of size exclusion chromatography, it could be seen that all three physical pretreatments could promote the formation of polymers in TGase cross-linked WPI, whose polymer amounts were increased by the order of U, UM and M pretreatment. Among three physical methods, M pretreatment had the strongest effect on structure and functional characteristics of TGase-induced WPI. Furthermore, compared with TGase-induced WPI, α-helix and β-turn of M−treated TGase-induced WPI (M−WPI−TGase) were reduced by 7.86% and 2.93%, whereas its β-sheet and irregular curl were increased by 15.37% and 7.23%. Zeta potential, emulsion stability and foaming stability of M−WPI−TGase were increased by 7.8%, 59.27% and 28.95%, respectively. This experiment exhibited that M was a more effective pretreatment method than U, UM for WPI, which could promote its reaction with TGase and improve its functional properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]