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The 360 degree feedback evaluation method is a multidimensional, comprehensive assessment method. Evaluators may hesitate among multiple evaluation values and be simultaneously constrained by the biases and cognitive errors of the evaluators, evaluation results are prone to unfairness and conflicts. To overcome these issues, this paper proposes a consensus-based 360 degree feedback evaluation method with linguistic distribution assessments. Firstly, evaluators provide evaluation information in the form of linguistic distribution. Secondly, utilizing an enhanced ordered weighted averaging (OWA) operator, the model aggregates multi-source evaluation information to handle biased evaluation information effectively. Subsequently, a consensus-reaching process is established to coordinate conflicting viewpoints among the evaluators, and a feedback adjustment mechanism is designed to guide evaluators in refining their evaluation information, facilitating the attainment of a unanimous evaluation outcome. Finally, the improved 360 degree feedback evaluation method was applied to the performance evaluation of the project leaders in company J, thereby validating the effectiveness and rationality of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase separation, also known as biomolecule condensate, participates in physiological processes such as transcriptional regulation, signal transduction, gene expression, and DNA damage repair by creating a membrane-free compartment. Phase separation is primarily caused by the interaction of multivalent non-covalent bonds between proteins and/or nucleic acids. The strength of molecular multivalent interaction can be modified by component concentration, the potential of hydrogen, posttranslational modification, and other factors. Notably, phase separation occurs frequently in the cytoplasm of mitochondria, the nucleus, and synapses. Phase separation in vivo is dynamic or stable in the normal physiological state, while abnormal phase separation will lead to the formation of biomolecule condensates, speeding up the disease progression. To provide candidate suggestions for the clinical treatment of nervous system diseases, this review, based on existing studies, carefully and systematically represents the physiological roles of phase separation in the central nervous system and its pathological mechanism in neurodegenerative diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is still an urgent need to develop hydrogels with intelligent antibacterial ability to achieve on-demand treatment of infected wounds and accelerate wound healing by improving the regeneration microenvironment. We proposed a strategy of hydrogel wound dressing with bacteria-responsive self-activating antibacterial property and multiple nanozyme activities to remodel the regeneration microenvironment in order to significantly promote infected wound healing. Specifically, pH-responsive H2O2 self-supplying composite nanozyme (MSCO) and pH/enzyme-sensitive bacteria-responsive triblock micelles encapsulated with lactate oxidase (PPEL) were prepared and encapsulated in hydrogels composed of L-arginine-modified chitosan (CA) and phenylboronic acid-modified oxidized dextran (ODP) to form a cascade bacteria-responsive self-activating antibacterial composite hydrogel platform. The hydrogels respond to multifactorial changes of the bacterial metabolic microenvironment to achieve on-demand antibacterial and biofilm eradication through transformation of bacterial metabolites, and chemodynamic therapy enhanced by nanozyme activity in conjunction with self-driven nitric oxide (NO) release. The composite hydrogel showed 'self-diagnostic' treatment for changes in the wound microenvironment. Through self-activating antibacterial therapy in the infection stage to self-adaptive oxidative stress relief and angiogenesis in the post-infection stage, it promotes wound closure, accelerates wound collagen deposition and angiogenesis, and completely improves the microenvironment of infected wound regeneration, which provides a new method for the design of intelligent wound dressings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most important long-lived greenhouse gas and can be retrieved using solar absorption spectra recorded by a ground-based Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR). In this study, we investigate the CO2 retrieval strategy using the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change–Infrared Working Group (NDACC–IRWG) type spectra between August 2018 and April 2022 (~4 years) at Xianghe, China, aiming to find the optimal observed spectra, retrieval window, and spectroscopy. Two spectral regions, near 2600 and 4800 cm−1, are analyzed. The differences in column-averaged dry-air mole fraction of CO2 (XCO2) derived from spectroscopies (ATM18, ATM20, HITRAN2016, and HITRAN2020) can be up to 1.65 ± 0.95 ppm and 7.96 ± 2.02 ppm for NDACC-type 2600 cm−1 and 4800 cm−1 retrievals, respectively, which is mainly due to the CO2 differences in air-broadened Lorentzian HWHM coefficient (γair) and line intensity (S). HITRAN2020 provides the best fitting, and the retrieved CO2 columns and profiles from both 2600 and 4800 cm−1 are compared to the co-located Total Column Carbon Observing Network (TCCON) measurements and the greenhouse gas reanalysis dataset from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS). The amplitude of XCO2 seasonal variation derived from the NDACC-type (4800 cm−1) is closer to the TCCON measurements than that from the NDACC-type (2600 cm−1). Moreover, the NDACC-type (2600 cm−1) retrievals are strongly affected by the a priori profile. For tropospheric XCO2, the correlation coefficient between NDACC-type (4800 cm−1) and CAMS model is 0.73, which is higher than that between NDACC-type (2600 cm−1) and CAMS model (R = 0.56). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gait recognition of exoskeletons includes motion recognition and gait phase recognition under various road conditions. The recognition of gait phase is a prerequisite for predicting exoskeleton assistance time. The estimation of real-time assistance time is crucial for the safety and accurate control of lower-limb exoskeletons. To solve the problem of predicting exoskeleton assistance time, this paper proposes a gait recognition model based on inertial measurement units that combines the real-time motion state recognition of support vector machines and phase recognition of long short-term memory networks. A recognition validation experiment was conducted on 30 subjects to determine the reliability of the gait recognition model. The results showed that the accuracy of motion state and gait phase were 99.98% and 98.26%, respectively. Based on the proposed SVM-LSTM gait model, exoskeleton assistance time was predicted. A test was conducted on 10 subjects, and the results showed that using assistive therapy based on exercise status and gait stage can significantly improve gait movement and reduce metabolic costs by an average of more than 10%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Low-quality sleep and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can result in series of chronic diseases. Healthy diet has been considered as an effective and simple strategy to optimize sleep quality. However, current evidence on the correlation of dietary composite antioxidant intake with sleep health remained obscure. Aim of the study: To determine the relationship of composite dietary antioxidant index (CDAI) and sleep health. Methods: Cross-sectional analyses were based on National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005–2008. Dietary consumption was assessed by trained staff using 24-h diet recall method and CDAI was calculated based on previous validated approach that included six antioxidants. Sleep-related outcomes were self-reported by a set of questionnaires and classified into OSA, day sleepiness, and insufficient sleep. Weighted logistic regression was conducted to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Restricted cubic spline (RCS) regressions were also used to evaluate the dose-response of CDAI and three sleep-related outcomes. Results: A total of 7274 subjects included (mean age: 46.97 years) were enrolled in our study, including 3658 were females (52.54%) and 3616 were males (47.46%). Of them, 70.6%, 29.51%, and 35.57% of the subjects reported that they had OSA, day sleepiness and insufficient sleep, respectively. Logistic regression showed the highest quartile of CDAI was inversely associated with the risk of OSA (OR: 0.69, 95%CI: 0.49–0.97), day sleepiness (OR: 0.64, 95%CI: 0.44–0.94) and insufficient sleep (OR: 0.68, 95%CI: 0.50–0.92) compared with the lowest quartile. RCS showed linear relationship of CDAI and insufficient sleep but non-linear relationship of CDAI with OSA and day sleepiness. Conclusions: Our results show that CDAI was non-linearly associated with lower risk of OSA and day sleepiness whereas a linear inverse association between CDAI and insufficient sleep was observed. These findings implicate that combined intake of antioxidants could be a promising and effective approach to optimize sleep quality for public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have systematically studied the crystal structure, cryogenic magnetic properties and MCE in RE 2 MgTiO 6 (RE = Tb, Dy, Ho and Er) DP oxides. The four RE 2 MgTiO 6 samples are all found to crystallize in a monoclinic DP structure (P 2 1 /n space group). The Néel temperature (T N) are found to be 4.7, 4.5, 3.1 and 2.1 K for RE 2 MgTiO 6 (RE = Tb, Dy, Ho and Er) DP oxides, respectively. Moreover, the maximum magnetic entropy change (-Δ S M max) together with relative cooling power (RCP) near T N under a magnetic field change (ΔH) of 0–7 T are evaluted to be 16.85, 360.59 for Tb 2 MgTiO 6 , 17.72, 381.05 for Dy 2 MgTiO 6 , 15.92, 398.14 for Ho 2 MgTiO 6 and 22.95 J/kg K, 459.09 J/kg for Er 2 MgTiO 6 , respectively. The excellent cryogenic MCE suggest that RE 2 MgTiO 6 (RE = Tb, Dy, Ho and Er) DP oxides can be used as a promising candidate material for cryogenic magnetic refrigeration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune checkpoint blockades have been prized in circumventing and ablating the impediments posed by immunosuppressive receptors, reaching an exciting juncture to be an innovator in anticancer therapy beyond traditional therapeutics. Thus far, approved immune checkpoint blockades have principally targeted PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4 with exciting success in a plethora of tumors and yet are still trapped in dilemmas of limited response rates and adverse effects. Hence, unveiling new immunotherapeutic targets has aroused immense scientific interest in the hope of expanding the clinical application of immune checkpoint blockades to scale new heights. Human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G), a non-classical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecule, is enriched on various malignant cells and is involved in the hindrance of immune effector cells and the facilitation of immunosuppressive cells. HLA-G stands out as a crucial next-generation immune checkpoint showing great promise for the benefit of cancer patients. Here, we provide an overview of the current understanding of the expression pattern and immunological functions of HLA-G, as well as its interaction with well-characterized immune checkpoints. Since HLA-G can be shed from the cell surface or released by various cells as free soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G) or as part of extracellular vesicles (EVs), namely HLA-G-bearing EVs (HLA-GEV), we discuss the potential of sHLA-G and HLA-GEV as predictive biomarkers. This review also addresses the advancement of HLA-G-based therapies in preclinical and clinical settings, with a focus on their clinical application in cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mammals have potent innate immune systems that work together to fight against a variety of distinct viruses. In addition to interferon (IFN) response, which has been intensively studied, antiviral RNA interference (RNAi) is gradually being studied. However, previous studies indicated low Dicer activity on double‐stranded RNA (dsRNA) substrates in vitro and that IFN response masks or inhibits antiviral RNAi in mammals. Therefore, whether or not the RNAi is functional for antiviral response in mammalian somatic cells is still an ongoing area of research. In this review, we will present the current advances in antiviral RNAi in mammals and focus on three fundamental questions critical to the intense debate about whether RNAi can function as an innate antiviral immunity in mammals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the global resource shortage has become a serious issue. Recycling end-of-life (EOL) products is conducive to resource reuse and circular economy and can mitigate the resource shortage issue. The disassembly of EOL products is the first step for resource reuse. Disassembly activities need tools, and tool deterioration occurs inevitably during the disassembly process. This work studies the influence of tool deterioration on disassembly efficiency. A disassembly line balancing model with the goal of maximizing disassembly profits is established, in which tool selection and assignment is a critical part. A modified discrete migratory bird optimizer is proposed to solve optimization problems. The well-known IBM CPLEX optimizer is used to verify the correctness of the model. Six real-world products are used for disassembly experiments. The popular fruit fly optimization algorithm, whale optimization algorithm and salp swarm algorithm are used for search performance comparison. The results show that the discrete migratory bird optimizer outperforms all three other algorithms in all disassembly instances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relative content of chlorophyll, assessed through the soil and plant analyzer development (SPAD), serves as a reliable indicator reflecting crop photosynthesis and the nutritional status during crop growth and development. In this study, we employed machine learning methods utilizing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) multi-spectrum remote sensing to predict the SPAD value of litchi fruit. Input features consisted of various vegetation indices and texture features during distinct growth periods, and to streamline the feature set, the full subset regression algorithm was applied for dimensionality reduction. Our findings revealed the superiority of stacking models over individual models. During the litchi fruit development period, the stacking model, incorporating vegetation indices and texture features, demonstrated a validation set coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.94, a root mean square error (RMSE) of 2.4, and a relative percent deviation (RPD) of 3.0. Similarly, in the combined litchi growing period and autumn shoot period, the optimal model for estimating litchi SPAD was the stacking model based on vegetation indices and texture features, yielding a validation set R2, RMSE, and RPD of 0.84, 3.9, and 1.9, respectively. This study furnishes data support for the precise estimation of litchi SPAD across different periods through varied combinations of independent variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semiflexible pavement (SFP) is attracting increasing interest due to its exceptional load-carrying capacity. However, there is limited understanding of its cracking performance and mechanisms. This study investigated the suitability of the emerging cracking resistance parameters, the flexible index (FI) and cracking resistance index (CRI), derived from the semicircular bending (SCB) test, in elucidating the mid-temperature resistance of SFP mixtures against cracking. The influence of styrene-butadiene-styrene-modified asphalts and styrene-acrylic emulsion/styrene-butadiene rubber-modified cement mortars on the anticrack property of SFP mixtures was also determined. Results indicated a high correlation (R2=0.95) between the FI and CRI of various SFP mixtures, with CRI exhibiting more promise than FI in assessing the fracture resistance of SFP mixtures due to its higher discrimination potential and lower variability. Enhancing the bending strength of cement mortar or increasing the CRI/Nf value of asphalt binder were identified as effective means to improve the anticracking ability of SFP. Therefore, improving the binder toughness of both cement mortar and asphalt is essential for enhancing the performance of SFP against cracking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is one of the most common chronic complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and it is particularly important to identify a high-quality method for evaluating disease progression. Urinary exosomes contain microRNA that might promise early diagnostic and monitoring markers of DKD. The present study aimed to identify novel exosome-related markers associated with inflammation and fibrosis to assess the progression of DKD. Exosomes were extracted from the urine of 83 participants to determine the expression levels of miRNA-615-3p and miRNA-3147 in 20 healthy people, 21 patients with T2DM and 42 patients with DKD, as determined by RT-qPCR. The circulating expression level of TGF-β1 was detected by ELISA. Serum Cystatin C was measured by a latex-enhanced immunoturbidimetric method. The correlation analyses were performed for all clinical and laboratory parameters. The expression level of urinary exosomal miRNA-615-3p in DKD patients was significantly higher than that in the control group and the T2DM group by RT-qPCR. The expression of miRNA-3147 showed an upward trend in the three groups of subjects, but it was not statistically significant. The urinary exosomal miRNA-615-3p was positively correlated with serum Cystatin C, plasma TGF-β1, creatinine, BUN, PCR and 24-h urine protein, and negatively correlated with eGFR and albumin. The diagnostic efficacy of urinary exosomal miRNA-615-3p combined with the ACR was higher than that of ACR alone. Urinary exosomal miRNA-615-3p may be used as a novel biomarker for evaluating the progression of DKD, and may be involved in the process of inflammation and fibrosis in DKD. The combined diagnosis of urinary exosomal miRNA-615-3p and ACR may be used as more stable and sensitive diagnostic criteria for DKD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underactive bladder (UAB) is a prevalent but under-researched lower urinary tract symptom that typically occurs alongside detrusor underactivity (DU). Unlike UAB, DU is a urodynamic diagnosis which the International Continence Society (ICS) defines as "a contraction of reduced strength and/or duration, resulting in prolonged bladder emptying and/or a failure to achieve complete bladder emptying within a normal time span". Despite the widespread prevalence of UAB/DU, there are significant gaps in our understanding of its pathophysiological mechanisms, diagnosis, and treatment compared with overactive bladder (OAB) and detrusor overactivity (DO). These gaps are such that clinicians regard UAB/DU as an incurable condition. In recent years, the understanding of UAB has increased. The definition of UAB has been clarified, and the diagnostic criteria for DU have been considered more comprehensively. Meanwhile, a number of non-invasive diagnostic methods have also been reported. Clinical trials involving novel drugs, electrical stimulation, and stem cell therapy have shown promising results. Therefore, this review summarizes recent reports on UAB and DU and highlights the latest advances in their diagnosis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Network-on-chip (NoC) exists with the advantages of high communication efficiency, scalability and reliability. In recent years, NoC-based deep neural network (DNN) accelerators have been proposed. Although existing NoC research solutions can solve the problem of the existence of one-to-one traffic in the network and transmit unicast traffic efficiently. However, due to the traffic characteristics of neural networks, there exists a large amount of one-to-many traffic, and if unicast is used to transmit multicast traffic, it may rapidly exhaust the network bandwidth and greatly degrade the performance of the platform. To solve the problem of a large amount of one-to-many multicast traffic existing in the network, we propose a path-based multicast mechanism that greatly exploits the traffic characteristics of neural networks and has excellent scalability. Also a router architecture that can efficiently replicate multicast packets and provide single-cycle per-hop transmission for multicast packets was designed. Detailed simulation results indicate that our proposed scheme can effectively reduce the classification delay, the average packet delay and the number of packets transmitted by the network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pathogenesis of detrusor underactivity (DU) is unclear, and the available therapeutic effects are unsatisfactory. We propose to find key molecules and pathways related to DU based on transcriptome sequencing. A rat model of bilateral pelvic nerve injury (BPNI) was established. Bladder tissues from the sham-operated group, 3 and 28 days after BPNI mapping, were taken for urodynamics, histopathology, and RNA-seq. An enrichment analysis of the screened differential expression genes was performed. Three days after BPNI, the results showed urodynamic features of overflow incontinence, while there was a recovery at 28 days after the operation. Masson staining revealed collagen deposition accompanied by progressive thickening of the smooth muscle layer as DU progressed. RNA-seq results suggested that a total of 1808 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) differed among the groups. RNA-seq and subsequent analysis confirmed that the cell cycle and immune response were significantly activated 3 days after BPNI, while extracellular matrix remodeling occurred 28 days after BPNI. Partial DEGs and pathways were verified by qRT-PCR. Validation of key proteins involved in cell cycle, inflammation, and fibrosis was performed by immunohistochemical staining and western blot, respectively. These molecular expression patterns at different time points after BPNI injury provide valuable insights into the search for therapeutic targets for DU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preparing composites from gricultural waste with biodegradable polymers is one of the strategies used to ensure the long-term sustainability of such materials. However, due to the differences in their chemical properties, biomass fillers often exhibit poor interfacial adhesion with polymer matrices. Inspired by mussel foot silk, this work focused on the surface modification of coffee grounds (CGs) using a combination of tannic acid (TA) and alkali treatment. CGs were used as a biomass filler to prepare polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT)/CG composites. The modification of CGs was demonstrated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), the water contact angle, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effect of CGs on the rheological, tensile, and thermal properties of the PBAT/CG composites was investigated. The results showed that the addition of CGs increased the complex viscosity, and the surface modification enhanced the matrix–filler adhesion. Compared with unmodified CG composites, the tensile strength and the elongation at break of the composite with TA-modified alkali-treated CGs increased by 47.0% and 53.6%, respectively. Although the addition of CGs slightly decreased the thermal stability of PBAT composites, this did not affect the melting processing of PBAT, which often occurs under 200 °C. This approach could provide a novel method for effectively using biomass waste, such as coffee grounds, as fillers for the preparation of polymer composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to enhance the performance of the epoxy resin-prepared materials, straw fiber was used as the reinforcing base in this study. The principle of this study is to use the cellulose component exposed after the defibrillation of straw fiber can be further combined with the epoxy group. Firstly, the degree of defibrillation of straw fiber under three different pretreatment methods of acid, alkali and moist heat treatment was explored, and a control test was conducted with untreated straw fiber, which showed that the defibrillation of the straw fiber after alkali treatment was better than the other two methods. Secondly, to prove the comprehensive effect of the pretreatment method and straw fiber filling amount on the composite material performance, this paper carried out a tensile, bending, density and water absorption test. The results showed that when the straw fiber filling was 15%, the best performance of the composites was achieved by the alkali treatment, with tensile strength and tensile modulus reaching 1.89 KN and 3.92 MPa, bending strength and bending modulus reaching 2.00 KN and 81.65 MPa, average water absorption reaching 2.77%, and density reaching 0.957 g/cm3. Finally, the results were verified using Image J software was used for verification. After comparison, the material meets the basic requirements of high-density fiberboard material and provides a reference for preparing straw epoxy resin composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advent of nanotechnology, DNA molecules have been transformed from solely genetic information carriers to multifunctional materials, showing a tremendous potential for drug delivery and disease diagnosis. In drug delivery systems, DNA is used as a building material to construct drug carriers through a variety of DNA self-assembly methods, which can integrate multiple functions to complete in vivo and in situ tasks. In this study, ladder-shaped drug carriers are developed for drug delivery on the basis of a DNA nanoladder. We first demonstrate the overall structure of the nanoladder, in which a nick is added into each rung of the nanoladder to endow the nanoladder with the ability to incorporate a drug loading site. The structure is designed to counteract the decrement of stability caused by the nick and investigated in different conditions to gain insight into the properties of the nicked DNA nanoladders. As a proof of concept, we fix the biotin in every other nick as a loading site and assemble the protein (streptavidin) on the loading site to demonstrate the feasibility of the drug-carrying function. The protein can be fixed stably and can be extended to different biological and chemical drugs by altering the drug loading site. We believe this design approach will be a novel addition to the toolbox of DNA nanotechnology, and it will be useful for versatile applications such as in bioimaging, biosensing, and targeted therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the energy crisis intensifies, the global demand for natural gas is growing rapidly. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) technology is among the delivery solutions with flexible and reliable application prospects and is already a significant field of research in energy utilization. The performance of natural gas liquefaction process has a major influence on the production capacity, energy consumption, economics, and safety of the entire supply chain. Many scholars have conducted numerous studies on various LNG processes and designed many classical processes. This paper summarizes and discusses current research status and development level in the design and optimization of natural gas liquefaction processes in recent years, mainly focusing on cascade liquefaction process, expansion liquefaction process, and mixed refrigerant liquefaction process. The advantages and disadvantages of various liquefaction processes are compared and analyzed in terms of liquefaction capacity, energy consumption, economy, safety, and adaptability. In addition, the rapid development of pressurized liquefaction technology in recent years and its application outlooks are also introduced in detail. Finally, the present situation and industrial demand of LNG process are analyzed, and reasonable suggestions and future research prospects are put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The stepwise discriminant analysis and the jackknife method optimize Bayes discriminant analysis. • The influence of different sample covariance matrices and different prior probabilities on the OBDA model is considered. • The feasibility of the OBDA model is verified by the comparison model, previous studies, and weight calculation. The damage caused to nearby structures by blast-induced ground vibrations (BIGV) in open-pit mines is essentially dynamic. Predicting this damage can be used to set the allowable range for BIGV. To improve the accuracy of the predictions of structural damage due to BIGV in open-pit mines, an optimized Bayes discriminant analysis (OBDA) model is proposed. In this paper, a stepwise discriminant analysis (SDA) was used to screen the variables, and the Bayes discriminant analysis was optimized with the jackknife method. The influence of different sample covariance matrices and prior probabilities on the OBDA model was considered based on good engineering practice. Moreover, nine comparative models were established for a comparative analysis. The OBDA model is discussed in depth. The rationality of the degree of damage of a structure was demonstrated statistically. The coefficient of variation method and improved CRITIC method were used to calculate the weights of the primary variables. The rationality of SDA was verified. The hypothesis that the covariance matrices were not equal was verified statistically, and the influence of the significance level on the SDA was also discussed. The OBDA model was applied to evaluate the damage to structures caused by BIGV in Tonglushan open-pit mine. The results show that: (1) The model has an excellent discriminatory effect, and its correct-judgment rate was 89.167%. (2) The OBDA model has better prediction performance compared with nine comparative models and with the previously used random forest and gradient-boosted machine models. The OBDA model may be a new option for predicting the damage caused to structures by BIGV in open-pit mining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The internal flow of hydrodynamic retarder is a three-dimensional, complex, viscous, and unstable gas–liquid two-phase flow. The importance of numerical simulation of a hydrodynamic retarder has been paid attention to, but the research on the two-phase flow pattern of the retarder is rarely. Flow pattern diagnosis plays an important role in the study of two-phase flow because the premise of establishing the mathematical model of the two-phase flow is to accurately determine the flow structure of the flow system. Based on the numerical simulation and experimental research, this study found the corresponding relationship between the two-phase flow distribution inside the hydrodynamic retarder and the filling rate (expressed as "q"). The result shows that, when q = 0.1–0.2, the liquid in the working chamber is less. Under the action of centrifugal force, the liquid mainly gets distributed in the outer ring of the circulating circle, forming a laminar flow. When q = 0.3–0.4, the flow pattern of the gas–liquid two-phase flow changes from the laminar flow to slug flow. When q = 0.5–0.9, with a further increase in the filling ratio, the flow becomes a dispersed bubble flow. This paper provides an effective method for the analysis and identification of the two-phase flow pattern of a hydrodynamic retarder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human posture estimation plays a significant role in the growth of intelligent nursing robot, a field that demands high accuracy and respect for privacy. Nevertheless, traditional approaches to enhancing data-driven studies in this domain often face challenges, primarily due to privacy concerns in sensitive healthcare environments. Federated Learning rises as the solution to the problem, as it not only improves the model learning ability but also protects the data privacy. In this paper, we proposed a Federated Learning Human Posture Recognition (FL-HPR) framework according to image and point cloud fusion. FL-HPR significantly enhances the information flow in the global model while ensuring the data privacy in local models, the benefits highlight the framework's potential in sensitive applications. Furthermore, the key innovation of FL-HPR is the optimization of the local dynamic graph edge convolution network of robot, which improves the recognition accuracy of individual body limb and enhance overall robustness. Experiments on Non-IID datasets illustrate that the presented FL-HPR remarkably outperforms non-federated learning methods, suggesting its potential to improve the accuracy of human joint estimation. The breakthrough indicates that the proposed FL-HPR can be integrated into the intelligent nursing robot in practical applications. For further explorations, the open-source code and videos are available at https://github.com/Hebut-LEVO/FL-HPR. • Proposing a multi-sensor fusion framework for nursing robots to recognize human body poses. • Introducing federated learning to posture recognition validates FL-HPR's Non-IID feasibility. • Adopting non-enveloping point cloud data, a model segments human body limbs in nursing scenarios. • Proposed method estimates human joints in border regions of adjacent body segments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the duals of generalized bent functions $f: V_{n}\rightarrow \mathbb {Z}_{p^{k}}$ , where $V_{n}$ is an $n$ -dimensional vector space over $\mathbb {F}_{p}$ and $p$ is an odd prime, $k$ is a positive integer. It is known that weakly regular generalized bent functions always appear in pairs since the dual of a weakly regular generalized bent function is also a weakly regular generalized bent function. The duals of non-weakly regular generalized bent functions can be generalized bent or not generalized bent. By generalizing the construction of Çeşmelioğlu et al., 2016, we provide an explicit construction of generalized bent functions whose duals can be generalized bent or not generalized bent. We show that the well-known direct sum construction and the generalized indirect sum construction given in Wang and Fu, 2021. can provide secondary constructions of generalized bent functions whose duals can be generalized bent or not generalized bent. By using the knowledge on ideal decomposition in cyclotomic fields, we prove that $f^{**}(x)=f(-x)$ if $f$ is a generalized bent function and its dual $f^{*}$ is also a generalized bent function. For any non-weakly regular generalized bent function $f$ which satisfies that $f(x)=f(-x)$ and its dual $f^{*}$ is generalized bent, we give a property and as a consequence, we prove that there is no self-dual generalized bent function $f: V_{n}\rightarrow \mathbb {Z}_{p^{k}}$ if $p\equiv 3 ~(mod ~4)$ and $n$ is odd. When $p \equiv 1 ~(mod ~4)$ or $p\equiv 3 ~(mod ~4)$ and $n$ is even, we give a secondary construction of self-dual generalized bent functions. In the end, by the decomposition of generalized bent functions, we characterize the relations between the generalized bentness of the dual of a generalized bent function $f$ and the bentness of the duals of bent functions associated with the generalized bent function $f$ , as well as the relations of self-duality between a generalized bent function $f$ and bent functions associated with the generalized bent function $f$. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spotted detached eclipsing binaries (DEBs) offer insights into starspots on binaries. In this work, we study three spotted DEBs, KIC 8097825, KIC 6859813 and KIC 5527172, which have been observed using Kepler photometry and Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fibre Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) spectroscopy. The physical parameters of binaries are determined by binary modelling. The size, lifetime and single/-double-dip ratio (SDR) of starspots are derived by starspot analysis. KIC 8097825 has large starspots. KIC 6859813 has a spot rotation period shorter than its orbital period but the system should be synchronized by inference from time-scale estimation. The difference may be the result of the surface differential rotation. KIC 5527172 has a long spot lifetime and an M-dwarf component with an inflation radius. The primaries of these binaries and the secondary of KIC 8097825 have spots. Adding spotted DEBs from the literature, we compare the starspots on binaries with those on the single stars. The spot sizes of starspots on 65 per cent of binaries are smaller than the median of those on single stars. The lifetimes of starspots on binaries are consistent with those on single stars when the rotation periods are larger than 3 d. SDRs for half of the binaries are consistent with those of single-star systems, while the other half are smaller. The relative lifetime positively correlates with the rms and SDR but negatively correlates with the rotation period. These relations are similar to those of spots on single-star systems. Binaries with luminosity ratios close to the unit tend to have more double dips. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aggregate depth residual network (ResNeXt) can not only improve the accuracy without increasing the parameter complexity, but also reduce the number of super parameters. It is one of the popular convolutional neural network models for image recognition. Maize diseases have a great impact on maize yield, quality and farmers' income. Rapid and effective identification of the severity of maize diseases plays an important role in accurate control and accurate drug use. The general ResNeXt model has large spots in extracting image features, but the spots of corn diseases are small and the extracted features are not obvious, which affects the recognition accuracy. Therefore, an improved ResNeXt model is proposed to recognize the occurrence degree of corn diseases. First, the original data of maize disease degree are classified according to national standards. Second, the original data are extended through data enhancement. Third, the original ResNeXt101 model is improved. The first layer convolution kernel is changed to three 3 * 3 convolution kernels, and the cardinality is adjusted to 64. Finally, the improved model is verified. The recognition accuracy of corn disease degree is 89.667%, which is 0.98% higher than the original model. Through testing on 276 actually collected corn disease images, the recognition accuracy is 90.22%. Therefore, this method is feasible for the diagnosis of corn disease degree and can provide an important basis for accurate prevention and control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the realm of smart manufacturing, the urgent necessity of surmounting the technical hurdles associated with developing data-driven fault monitoring and intelligent diagnostic technologies for high-end equipment is imminent. In practical engineering applications, the challenging operating conditions and unfavorable environments for data collection often lead to the acquisition of health data that is not only constrained in terms of sample size but also exhibits imbalances and heterogeneity, collectively referred to as Small-Sample, Imbalanced, and Mixed-Class Scenarios. This poses a considerable challenge to the interpretability modeling of faults in high-end equipment, as identified by the scientific community. Prior investigations have highlighted the distinct benefits of resampling techniques in addressing the complexities of imbalanced fault modeling. Nevertheless, the suboptimal performance of current techniques remains a concern, primarily due to ambiguous representations of sample feature heterogeneity and the lack of sophisticated sampling balance strategies. For instance, the absence of tailored strategies and concomitant optimization approaches specifically designed for each heterogeneous feature remains a notable gap. In this study, we undertake a comprehensive analysis of the heterogeneity mechanisms inherent in fault feature data, with a particular emphasis on components like turbine rotor faults. Building upon these insights, we introduce a fault diagnosis framework utilizing the novel oversampling technique based-MWMOTE (IMWMOTE), to address these challenges effectively. This comprehensive framework not only ensures interpretability in classification but also seamlessly integrates an optimization mechanism. Notably, the efficacy and innovation of our proposed approach have been thoroughly verified through an extensive evaluation involving 20 fault diagnosis instances across three distinct categories: turbine rotor, bearings, and gears. The experimental outcomes clearly illustrate that IMWMOTE exhibits remarkable advantages in tackling the intricate challenges associated with imbalanced fault modeling, particularly when dealing with small sample heterogeneity. Given its demonstrated proficiency, the proposed approach holds significant potential in guiding interpretable fault modeling efforts in related domains, thus contributing to the advancement of fault diagnosis techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, oxygen vacancies were introduced into the hematite (α-Fe 2 O 3) photoanode via a simple and rapid butane flame annealing method. The presence of oxygen vacancies were demonstrated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The photocurrent density of optimum α-Fe 2 O 3 electrodes was 0.67 mA cm-2 at 1.23 V RHE , about 2.7 times higher than that of N 2 annealed electrode. Our study showed that butane flame annealing process can introduce oxygen vacancies defects in Fe 2 O 3 electrodes, which would improve carrier transfer efficiency, increase electron density, enhance water oxidation activity, and narrow the light optical bandgap. The use of butane flame annealing is a simple and effective strategy to enhance the PEC performance of hematite thin films. • Fe 2 O 3 photoanodes with oxygen vacancies were successfully synthesized through butane flame annealing. • Oxygen vacancies can improve charge transfer efficiency and increase the utilization rate of photogenerated holes at the interface. • The method of annealing with butane flame is simple and time-saving. • The FA-Fe 2 O 3 electrode achievs a light current density of 0.67 mA cm-2 at 1.23 V RHE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses the low water productivity (WP) of traditional flood irrigation (FI) and the mismatch between the wet zone of surface drip irrigation (SDI) and the root activity layer of fragrant pear. A fixed field experiment was conducted in Xinjiang, northwest China in 2021 − 2023. The experiment was designed as a two-factor, completely randomized trial with three lateral depths of Subsurface drip irrigation (SSDI) gradients set at 20 cm (D1), 30 cm (D2) and 40 cm (D3) and three irrigation gradients: W1 (3750 m³ ha−1); W2 (5250 m³ ha−1); and W3 (6750 m³ ha−1), using SDI (6750 m³ ha−1) and FI (9750 m³ ha−1) as the controls. The effects of these factors on soil moisture, crop water consumption (ETc), fruit quality, yield, WP and net profit were analyzed. The results revealed that the average soil moisture content increased with the lateral depth and irrigation amount. Principal component analysis determined D2W3 to be the treatments with the best overall quality in 2021–2023. On average, compared with SDI and FI, SSDI increased yield by 13.14% and 17.03%, and WP by 44.65% and 137.23%, respectively. A comprehensive Moisture-Yield-Quality-Efficiency evaluation model was established using the Projection Pursuit Classification model based on the Real Coded Accelerating Genetic Algorithm (RAGA-PPC). The comprehensive evaluation was optimized at the lateral depth of 30 cm and an irrigation amount of 6750 m³ ha−1. This study is a crucial reference for further research on perennial fruit trees to improve fruit quality and WP. [Display omitted] • A lateral depth of 30 cm can enhance the quality of fragrant pear. • Subsurface drip irrigation (SSDI) increases yield by 13.14% to 47.03% and Water Productivity (WP) by 44.65% to 137.23%. • A comprehensive Moisture-Yield-Quality-Efficiency evaluation model is established using RAGA-PPC. • Considering ETc, quality, yield, WP, and net profit, SSDI with a lateral depth of 30 cm and an irrigation amount of 6750 m³ ha−1 is the optimal mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high-voltage cross-regional power injections threaten the power systems under high renewable penetrations. The system operators should keep the frequency nadirs within restrictions after possible large disturbances to guarantee frequency stability. However, the heterogeneous characteristics, including the network topology, differences in disturbance locations, regulation units, and operating modes, make the nodal frequency response behaviors different after large disturbances. Therefore, the center of inertia frequency is unsuitable for evaluating the frequency stability of the entire power system. At the same time, the primary regulations from energy storage with proper droop settings are expected to solve the power grid's frequency stability problems. This paper focuses on the droop coefficient placements for grid-side energy storage, considering nodal frequency constraints. We use data-driven methods, i.e., alternative support vector machine trees (ASVMTREE), to extract the rules of different droop placement strategies' influences on nodal frequency stability. Then, We optimize the droop coefficient of grid-side energy storage for typical operating modes. Finally, we verify the method on modified IEEE 39 and 118-bus test systems to show its effectiveness. • Build and make simulations on a frequency response model considering units' and nodal frequencies. • Make samplings and extract accurate rules for nodal frequency nadir constraints considering energy storage's primary regulations. • Provide reliable droop coefficient placement solutions through rule embedding and optimizations. • Verify the method on modified IEEE 39 and 118-bus test systems to show its effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the influence of perforations on the buckling instability and load-bearing capacity of advanced high-strength steel channel section (C-section) columns. Experimental tests were first conducted on 19 column specimens made of complex phrase steel HC700CP980 under axial compression, followed by finite element (FE) analysis. Two section types, the flat web C-section and the web-stiffened C-section, were considered, with perforations categorised as web-only or both web and flanges. Material tests and initial imperfection measurements were conducted and reported. Using test results, finite element models were established and parameter analysis was carried out. Analysis of test results and finite element data revealed that perforations had a noticeable impact on the buckling deformation of flat web C-sections but had a minor effect on load-bearing capacity. In contrast, web-stiffened C-sections exhibited intensified deformation post-perforation, significantly reducing their axial stiffness and load-bearing capacity. The Direct Strength Method (DSM) was assessed based on combined test and FE data. It revealed that the DSM resulted in a high level of inaccuracy and scatter in the load-bearing capacity predictions of high-strength steel C-sections after perforation. To address this, a modified method incorporating a perforation strength reduction factor was proposed, offering straightforward and intuitive calculations with improved design accuracy and consistency. • Tests and numerical analysis conducted on advanced high-strength steel channel section columns with perforations. • Influence of perforations on the buckling instability of columns examined. • Applicability of the Direct Strength Method (DSM) assessed. • Modified DSM with a perforation strength reduction factor proposed for improved design accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motion phase plays an important role in the spatial–temporal parameters of human motion analysis. Multi-sensor fusion technology based on inertial sensors frees the monitoring of the human body phase from space constraints and improves the flexibility of the system. However, human phase segmentation methods usually rely on the determination of the positioning of the sensor and the number of sensors, it is difficult to artificially select the number and position of the sensors, especially when human motion phases are diverse. This paper proposes a selection framework for the sensor combination feature subset for motion phase segmentation, which combines feature selection algorithms with the subsequent classifiers, and determine the optimum combination of the sensor and the feature subset according to the performance of the trained model. Through the constraint and the sensor combination feature subset (SCFS), the filter method can select any number of sensors and control the size of the feature subset; the embedded method can select any number of sensors, but the size of the feature subset is determined by the classifier model. Experimental results show that the proposed framework can effectively select a specified number of sensors without human intervention, and the number of sensors has an impact on the recognition rate of the classifier within 1.5%. In addition, the filter method has good adaptability to a variety of classifiers, and the classifier prediction time can be controlled by setting the subset size of the feature; the embedded method can achieve a better phase segmentation effect than the filter method. For the application of motion phase segmentation, the proposed framework can reliably and quickly identify redundant sensors that provide effective support for reducing the complexity of the wearable sensor system and improving user comfort. • A universal framework for sensor combination feature subset (SCFS) selection is proposed. • In SCFS selection framework, the number of sensors can be reduced by using the feature selection method. • Sensor selection and feature selection are carried out at the same time without too much human intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the authors combine the acoustic emission (AE) technique with the Brazilian splitting test and the angled die shear test to monitor the development of cracks in red sandstone specimens under compression–tension and compression–shear conditions to identify the mechanism of propagation of tensile and shear failures during the process of damage to rock. We use this to propose a method to analyze the comprehensive index of fracture-induced AEs of red sandstone based on information entropy. A comprehensive index to characterize the tensile and shear failures of rock was obtained by quantifying the entropy weights of the characteristic parameters of AE and their laws of evolution were analyzed. Areas for the classification of different cracking mechanisms of rock were established based on the Box–Cox transform, and the fractal features of crack development under compression–tension and compression–shear conditions were analyzed by using the Grassberger and Procaccia (G–P) algorithm. The results showed differences in the entropy of the characteristic parameters of red sandstone in cases of tensile and shear damage, with the rise time and energy recording the maximum entropies, respectively, and the amplitude yielding the minimum entropy. The comprehensive evaluation indices for tensile failure ξ t and shear failure ξ τ confirmed the existence of at least two mechanisms of deformation-induced damage—tensile fracture and shear slip—in the process of damage to the rock. The curve of evolution of the fractal dimensions D t and D τ of compression–tension and compression–shear, respectively, followed the law of continuously decreasing dimensions, and their turning points reflected the change in crack development in the rock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Zn2+-loaded cryogel shows improved mechanical properties and angiogenic capacity. • The rGO-based cryogel has good photothermal properties and conductivity. • The cryogel has a dual hemostatic pathway for non-compressible hemorrhage. • The GVG-Zn cryogel shows effective repair for infected wounds. The entire process of wound healing, involving hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling, relies on various cell types and variables interaction in a very complicated temporal and spatial sequence, and this complex process faces serious challenges. Thus, it is necessary to develop wound dressings that can adapt to the different stages of the healing process. In this study, methacrylic anhydride-modified gelatin (GM), β-cyclodextrin modified reduced graphene oxide (rGO-CD), 1-vinylimidazole (VI), and zin ion (Zn2+) were combined to prepare GVG-Zn cryogels through radical polymerization, host–guest interaction, and ionic coordination. The cryogels exhibited enhanced mechanical strength, fatigue resistance, inter-connected porous structure, rapid expansion property, conductivity, biocompatibility, and photothermal antibacterial properties (above 99 % killing ratios of both E. coli and MRSA after NIR light irradiation 3 min). Furthermore, the cryogels showed excellent hemostasis in the non-compressible mouse liver hemorrhage model, compared with gauze and gelatin sponges. When the cryogel groups treated MRSA-infected full-thickness skin defected wounds, it showed less inflammatory infiltration, more collagen deposition, and induced angiogenesis, compared with the commercial dressings (Tegaderm™ film and Cosmopor®). The results indicated that GVG-Zn cryogels have good potential in non-compressible hemorrhage and wound healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Trimetallic spinel CuMnCoO 4 was applied in solvent-free nitration of toluene to dinitrotoluene without sulfuric acid. • The 2,4-DNT selectivity of the spinel-catalyzed-toluene-nitration-system was 1.6 times higher than that of the system without spinel. • Kinetic studies revealed the rate-determining step. • The reaction mechanism based on the synergetic impact of the oxygen vacancy-lattice pair on enhancing the activity of toluene and nitrating was illustrated. The development of the direct nitration for toluene toward dinitrotoluene (DNT) under solvent-free and without sulfuric acid conditions over a heterogeneous catalyst is critical challenging undertakings for developing the green and efficient synthesis of DNT. Herein, trimetallic spinel CuMnCoO 4 was prepared and investigated its catalytic performance for solvent-free toluene nitration with nitric acid as nitration agent in the absence of sulfuric acid. The selectivity of 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT) of the spinel-catalyzed-toluene-nitration-system was 1.6 times higher than that of the system without spinel. Kinetic studies revealed that the reaction step of MNT to DNT is the rate-limiting step and moderately increasing the nitric acid/toluene ratio and reaction temperature could enhance the toluene dinitration process. Characterization measurements showed that trimetallic spinel CuMnCoO 4 led to an appropriate vacancy-lattice oxygen pair. The reaction mechanism to elucidate the synergetic effect of vacancy-lattice oxygen pair on promoting the activity of toluene and nitrating agent was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the homogeneous low-resolution spectra data observed by Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) and the Gaia Data Release 2 (Gaia DR2) photometric data, we chose 12 open clusters (OCs) to study their fundamental parameters and binary fractions (BFs). For each OC, more than 20 cluster members were observed by LAMOST, and some of them were observed multiple times. We used these data to derive precise metallicities of OCs. Combining the metallicities and the Gaia DR2 photometric data, we used the isochrone fitting method to obtain fundamental parameters of these OCs. By fixing metallicity during the fitting, we avoided the effect of degeneracy between the metallicity and reddening. Based on the fundamental parameters, we utilized the synthetic color–magnitude diagram (CMD) method to derive the BFs of main-sequence (MS) stars, the mass functions (MFs) with correction of binaries, and the companion mass ratio distributions. The BFs of observed MS stars in OCs in this paper vary from 29% to 55%. Extrapolating the synthetic CMD to the hydrogen-burning limit, the BFs vary from 13% to 47%. Combining MFs published by previous literature with our results, we found that MFs with correction of binaries were steeper than those without correction by Δα = 0.6 ± 0.16 in the mass range of m ∈ [1M⊙, 2.67M⊙]. We found that the companion mass ratio distribution in OCs of our sample was flat. We also found a significant positive correlation between the BF and density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, by using Picard–Fuchs equations and Chebyshev criterion, we study the bifurcation of limit cycles for degenerate quadratic Hamilton systems with polycycles S (2) or S (3) under the perturbations of piecewise smooth polynomials with degree n. Roughly speaking, for n ∈ ℕ , a polycycle S (n) is cyclically ordered collection of n saddles together with orbits connecting them in specified order. The discontinuity is on the line y = 0. If the first order Melnikov function is not equal to zero identically, it is proved that the upper bounds of the number of limit cycles bifurcating from each of the period annuli with the boundary S (2) and S (3) are respectively 2 5 n + 1 4 9 and 2 5 n + 1 1 5 (taking into account the multiplicity). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wearable motion capture technique is widely used in kinematic analysis, which contributes to understanding motion patterns and provides quantitative data on human postures. Swimming stroke phase plays an important role in spatial–temporal swimming parameters. As a sporting pattern that involves all limbs, the swimming phase is more complicated than gait phase and makes the swimming phase segmentation a new issue of pattern recognition. This article focuses on the swimming phase segmentation as pattern classification. By analyzing the human posture data given by motion capture system, swimming phase could be described qualitatively and used to obtain posture features. The swimming phase of the four competitive swimming styles is studied in this article and classified accurately. In the tenfold cross-validation, the mean values of accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity could reach 98.22%, 95.65%, and 98.67%, respectively, under the 2.5-ms timing tolerance. In terms of leave-one-subject-out cross-validation, performance metrics perform best under a relatively small timing tolerance. The results of the experiment show that the study could well-address the issue of swimming phase segmentation and provide spatial–temporal parameters for further swimming motion analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: It has been reported that circulating levels of IgG antibodies against p16, CD25 and FOXP3 proteins were significantly changed in patients with lung cancer, breast cancer and esophageal cancer. However, different peptide fragments appear to trigger different immune responses. This work aimed to analyze the alteration of plasma IgG for p16-derived peptide antigen called p16a, CD25-derived peptide antigen called CD25a and a FOXP3-derived antigen in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Patients and methods: An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed in-house to detect plasma IgG to p16a, CD25a and FOXP3 in 119 patients with HCC and 132 control subjects. Results:  Circulating levels of IgG antibodies for all three peptide antigens were significantly higher in HCC patients than control subjects (P<0.001 for all 3 assays); male patients mainly contributed to increase (P<0.01 for all 3 assays). Further  analysis showed that plasma antip16a, anti-CD25a and anti-FOXP3 IgG levels were increased mainly in patients with intermediate and late-stage HCC (P<0.01 for both assays). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that with a specificity  of >95%, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.62 with 11.4% sensitivity for anti-p16a assay, 0.68 with 14.3% sensitivity for anti-CD25a IgG assay and 0.64 with 10.1% sensitivity for anti-FOXP3 assay. Of the three groups of HCC patients, group 3 (BCLC stage C+D) showed the best sensitivity for the detection of plasma anti-p16a and anti-FOXP3 IgG levels with an AUC of 0.66 and 0.65. Conclusion: Circulating IgG antibody to p16a, CD25a and FOXP3 proteins may be a useful biomarker for assessment of HCC prognosis of this malignancy, especially in male patients with HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium silicate (Li 4 SiO 4) has good stability, high theoretical carbon dioxide (CO 2) adsorption capacity, and low regeneration temperature. It has great potential in the field of CO 2 adsorption. However, it is difficult to achieve the theoretical value in practical applications and a narrow temperature window for adsorption. Therefore, further research in this area is urgently needed. In this study, experimental and simulation methods were used to investigate the effects of single doping and co-doping with K, Na, Be, Ca, and Al metals on the adsorption performance and adsorption temperature window of Li 4 SiO 4. Single doping with K, Na, or Al makes CO 2 easier to be adsorbed on the Li 4 SiO 4 (010) surface by increasing the charge transfer from the Li 4 SiO 4 surface to CO 2. Co-doping with K and Al increases the adsorption energy of CO 2 on the Li 4 SiO 4 (010) surface, enhances hybrid peaks, and broadens the temperature range for CO 2 adsorption on the Li 4 SiO 4 surface. It exhibits stable cyclic adsorption performance under low CO 2 (15% CO 2 , N 2 balance) concentration, and more electron transfer facilitates the formation of carbonate species on the Li 4 SiO 4 (010) surface at lower temperatures, thereby improving its CO 2 adsorption performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the quest for unparalleled reliability and robustness within control systems, significant attention has been directed toward mitigating actuator faults in diverse applications, from space vehicles to sophisticated industrial systems. Despite these advances, the prevalent assumption of homogeneous actuator faults remains a stark simplification, failing to encapsulate the stochastic and unpredictable nature of real-world operational environments. The problem of finite-time fault-tolerant control for nonlinear flexible spacecraft systems with actuator faults is addressed in this paper, utilizing the T-S fuzzy framework. In a departure from conventional approaches, actuator failures are modeled as random signals following a nonhomogeneous Markov process, thus comprehensively addressing the issue of timeliness, which has previously been overlooked in the literature. To effectively manage the intricacies introduced by these factors, the nonhomogeneous Markov process is represented as a polytope set. The proposed solution involves the development of a nonhomogeneous matrix transformation, accompanied by the introduction of adaptable parameters. This innovative controller design methodology yields a stability criterion that ensures H ∞ performance in a mean-square sense. To empirically substantiate the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed approaches, a numerical example featuring a nonlinear spacecraft system is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Condensation and flow characteristics of wet hydrogen within vortex tube are numerically investigated. • Nucleation and droplet growth processes of water vapour are described. • Effects of the inlet pressure, cold mass fraction and molar fraction of water vapour are investigated. • Operation paraments are optimized by evaluating dehumidification performance and energy consumption. This paper aims at exploring the feasibility of removing water vapour from wet hydrogen by vortex tube. For this purpose, a numerical model is developed for wet hydrogen condensing flow by adding two transport equations. Three different operating parameters, cold mass fraction, inlet pressure and molar fraction of water vapour, are discussed in terms of the impact on the flow and condensation process. The results show that the increase of the inlet pressure and the cold mass fraction can provide a favourable condensation environment for water vapour, which resulting in the increase of the number of droplets and mass fraction of the liquid. Condensation process is aggravated with high molar fraction of water vapour at inlet, although there is no significant change in pressure and temperature fields. Furthermore, a comprehensive study is performed by analysing the dehumidification performance and entropy generation. The maximum value of dehumidification performance up to 83.12% while cold mass fraction is 0.8218 and inlet pressure is 5 bar, which shows a good feasibility for wet hydrogen dehumidification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Landfill treatment of municipal solid waste treatment produces a large amount of leachate, which has been an important hotspot of ARGs. This study aimed to investigate the ARGs removal potential, kinetics and mechanism from leachate in aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Simulated landfill reactors showed the efficacy in reducing ARGs, and the removal efficiencies depended on ARGs types and aerobic/anaerobic conditions. The ARGs tet Q and bla CTX-M were more likely to attenuate with the log-removal efficiencies of 1.50–3 order of magnitude. The ARGs removal kinetic was well fitted by modified Collins-Selleck model, and aerobic condition showed better removal capacities and kinetics than anaerobic condition. Among the ARGs with great removal performance, sul 2, aad A1and bla CTX-M were eliminated from leachate and refuse simultaneously, but tet M, erm B, and mef A were removed from leachate but enriched in refuse. Aerobic/anaerobic states might drive the bacterial community shift of leachate and refuse, and topology property comparison of co-occurrence networks suggested that refuse had a closer non-random host relationship between ARGs and microbial taxa than leachate. Further module analyses revealed that ARGs removal efficiencies depended on the taxonomy of host bacteria in leachate, while the refuse taxa-ARGs correlation determined ARGs removal patterns. By selecting distinct bacteria cluster in different conditions, aerobic treatment benefited ARGs reduction in leachate and refuse, while anaerobic treatment enhanced the enrichment of ARGs in refuse. These findings can potentially foster the understanding of ARGs removal mechanism in biological treatment processes. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Landfill reactors showed great efficacy in reducing various ARGs in leachate. • Aerobic condition showed better removal efficiency and kinetics. • More genera were closely correlated with ARGs occurrence in refuse than leachate. • Bacterial cluster modules in leachate determined ARGs removal efficiencies. • Bacterial cluster modules in refuse determined ARGs removal patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrocatalytic NO-to-NH 3 conversion (NORR) provides an appealing route for both sustainable NH 3 production and harmful NO abatement. Herein, we combine the strategies of atomic doping and vacancy engineering to design atomically Fe-doped and S-vacancy-rich MoS 2 (Fe 1 /MoS 2−x) as a highly efficient NORR catalyst, showing the maximum NH 3 -Faradaic efficiency of 82.5% and NH 3 yield of 288.2 μmol h−1 cm−2 at − 0.6 V vs. RHE. Theoretical calculations unveil that Fe-Mo dual sites created on Fe 1 /MoS 2−x can cooperatively activate NO and dissociate the N O bond, boost the protonation energetics and simultaneously suppress the competing hydrogen evolution, resulting in the significantly expedited NORR activity and selectivity. [Display omitted] • We develop atomically Fe-doped and S-vacancy-rich MoS 2 (Fe 1 /MoS 2−x) catalyst for NO electroreduction to NH 3 (NORR). • Fe 1 /MoS 2−x exhibits a high NH 3 yield of 288.2 μmol h−1 cm−2 with an NH 3 -Faradaic efficiency of 82.5% at − 0.6 V vs. RHE. • Theoretical analyses reveal that Fe-Mo dual sites synergistically promote the protonation energetics and impede the HER. • This work highlights the combined atomic doping/vacancy engineering strategy to develop high-performance NORR catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gait models are important for the design and control of lower limb exoskeletons. The inverted pendulum model has advantages in simplicity and computational efficiency, but it also has the limitations of oversimplification and lack of realism. This paper proposes a two-degrees-of-freedom (DOF) inverted pendulum walking model by considering the knee joints for describing the characteristics of human gait. A new parameter, roll factor, is defined to express foot function in the model, and the relationships between the roll factor and gait parameters are investigated. Experiments were conducted to verify the model by testing seven healthy adults at different walking speeds. The results demonstrate that the roll factor has a strong relationship with other gait kinematics parameters, so it can be used as a simple parameter for expressing gait kinematics. In addition, the roll factor can be used to identify walking styles with high accuracy, including small broken step walking at 99.57%, inefficient walking at 98.14%, and normal walking at 99.43%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: In this paper, first-principle calculations reveal that the shear strength of the graphene-cementitious interface (G/C-S–H) (12 MPa) is lower than that of the epoxy, hydroxyl and carboxyl graphene-cementitious interfaces (G-O/C-S–H, G-OH/C-S–H and G-COOH/C-S–H) (21 MPa, 29 MPa and 14 MPa). This indicates that the introduction of functional groups helps to improve the mechanical properties of the graphene-cementitious contact interface. Electrical analysis of the interface reveals that functional groups adsorbed on graphene change the electron distribution on the graphene surface. The formation of a contact interface between graphene and cementitious not only promotes the interaction between the two, but also serves as a bridge connecting the graphene and the cementitious, exacerbating the charge transfer between the two and promoting the generation of solid chemical bonds. Method: All calculations were performed by the CASTEP module in Materials Studio software, using the GGA-PBE functional for structural optimization. The convergence criteria for the geometry optimization are set to a self-consistent field iteration convergence criterion of 2.0 × 10−6 eV and a structural optimization convergence criterion of 0.02 eV/Å. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver fibrosis refers to a complex inflammatory response caused by multiple factors, which is a known cause of liver cirrhosis and even liver cancer. As a valuable medicine food homology herb, saffron has been widely used in the world. Saffron is commonly used in liver-related diseases and has rich therapeutic and health benefits. The therapeutic effect is satisfactory, but its mechanism is still unclear. In order to clarify these problems, we planned to determine the pharmacological effects and mechanisms of saffron extract in preventing and treating liver fibrosis through network pharmacology analysis combined with in vivo validation experiments. Through UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS analysis, a total of fifty-six nutrients and active ingredients were identified, and nine of them were screened to predict their therapeutic targets for liver fibrosis. Then, network pharmacology analysis was applied to identify 321 targets for saffron extract to alleviate liver fibrosis. Functional and pathway enrichment analysis showed that the putative targets of saffron for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis are mainly involved in the calcium signaling pathway, the HIF-1 signaling pathway, endocrine resistance, the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, lipid and atherosclerosis, and the cAMP signaling pathway. Based on the CCl4-induced liver fibrosis mice model, we experimentally confirmed that saffron extract can alleviate the severity and pathological changes during the progression of liver fibrosis. RT-PCR and Western blotting analysis confirmed that saffron treatment can prevent the CCl4-induced upregulation of HIF-1α, VEGFA, AKT, and PI3K, suggesting that saffron may regulate AKT/HIF-1α/VEGF and alleviate liver fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bonding property plays a crucial role in the durability of the asphalt mixture. Warm-mix asphalt (WMA) commonly is used for energy-efficient pavements. The addition of warm-mix additives makes the behavior of the bonding property more complex, especially its atomic-level mechanism. To better clarify the multiscale behavior of WMA bonding property, three typical WMA binders, namely Sasobit-modified asphalt binder, Evotherm-modified asphalt binder, and waste cooking oil (WCO)-modified asphalt binder were selected. The binder bond strength (BBS) test was carried out to evaluate the bonding fracture type and bonding strength. Based on molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, cohesion and adhesion work, radial distribution function (RDF), mean square displacement (MSD), and molecule polarity were calculated to reveal the mechanism. The tensile strength ratio (TSR) of corresponding mixtures was calculated to perform mixture-level characterization. Strong correlations (R -squared >0.9) were found between BBS testing results and interaction work derived from the MD simulation (for both cohesion and adhesion behavior). In addition, the fracture type in the BBS testing can be predicted accurately by the MD simulation. BBS tests found higher cohesion strength and lower adhesion strength with the addition of Sasobit, whereas adding Evotherm and WCO resulted in lower cohesion strength and higher adhesion. The change in cohesion is explained by RDF calculations. Sasobit wax encourages the stacking of asphaltene molecules, whereas Evotherm and WCO aid in its dispersion. MD simulation also confirmed that molecule polarity plays an important role in the adhesion work (R -squared >0.9). Polar functional groups in Evotherm and WCO facilitate better asphalt–mineral adhesion. Nonpolar Sasobit weakens asphalt–mineral adhesion. MSD calculation indicated that diffusion behavior is governed by the combination of molecular mass and adhesion behavior. Molecules with larger molecular mass and stronger adhesion exhibit slower diffusion. Mixture-level evaluation (tensile strength ratio) correlated well with adhesion work (R -squared = 0.822) but poorly with cohesion work (R -squared = 0.667), indicating that adhesion is more important than cohesion in water-damage resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollution caused by copper is one of the key factors of environment contamination. As one of the heavy metals, copper is hard to decompose in nature; the biological enrichment of which may lead to severe damage to health. Cu2+ detection, thus, possesses a bright application prospect both in environment protection and in human health. In this paper, a dual-functional fluorescence-magnetic composite nanoplatform has been designed to sensitively detect, meanwhile, capture, and remove Cu2+ in the solution of water and ethanol (1 : 1, v/v). The core-shell structure nanoparticle synthesized by using Fe3O4 as core and SiO2 as shell is covalently bonded with rhodamine derivatives on the silica layer to construct the nanoplatform. The emission is increased upon the addition of Cu2+, showing fluorescence turn on effect for the detection, and the limit of detection is as low as 1.68 nM. Meanwhile, Cu2+ ions are captured by the coordination with rhodamine derivatives and can be removed with the help of magnetic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]