Search

As a gasotransmitter, carbon monoxide can induce tumor cell apoptosis by reversing the Warburg effect. Carbon monoxide-releasing molecules (CORMs) are a promising option for CO administration, but how to deliver the threshold concentration of CO into the tumor tissue remains a challenge. A series of novel targeted CORMs combining glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) derivative conjugates with a lipophilic mitochondriotropic triphenylphosphonium cation (TPP+) moiety were synthesized and evaluated for their antitumor activities. Among the complexes, complex 2 possessed excellent antitumor activities in HepG2 cells with IC50 values of 12.18 ± 4.66 μM compared with 5-FU. It caused the production of reactive oxygen species and reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential against HepG2 cells. Western blot analysis showed that complex 2 up-regulated the expression of the Bax protein and down-regulated the expression of Bcl-2, activated caspase-3, and HO-1. The docking study demonstrated that complex 2 can interact with the Bcl-2 protein through hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonds. The aforementioned results indicated that complex 2 triggered cell apoptosis through a mitochondrial pathway. These results suggest that the complexes may be promising anticancer agent candidates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite rapid development, the Chinese dairy industry still faces problems such as the lack of pricing power for dairy farmers, high fluctuations in raw milk and feed prices, imbalances between supply and demand, and low farming motivation. As an indicator with important geographical characteristics, the milk-feed price ratio (MF) is a critical reference indicator for setting raw milk prices and measuring farm profitability. The main aim of this study is to construct an appropriate milk-feed ratio model for China using statistical data for 2018-2020, which provides references for other developing countries. A vector error correction model was used to illustrate the long-term covariance between raw milk prices and feed prices in China and to analyze the feed structure of large-scale Chinese farms. The study found that the price weights of corn, soybean meal, corn silage, and alfalfa were 27%, 17%, 30%, and 26%, respectively, which are significantly different from those of developed countries, and the parameters of the model for the MF in different production areas in China also varied significantly. The milk-feed ratio in China has remained above 1.89 in the last three years. Seasonal variations in raw milk prices lead to a U-shaped trend in the MF. In recent years the MF in China has changed from a low level to a medium level, showing an upward trend, with large-scale farms at a profitable level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dispersive modal characteristics of propagating guided waves are useful for efficiently detecting defects in high-speed railway rails due to their advantages. This paper presents an effective method for directly analyzing the effect of defects in rails on the dispersive modal characteristics of propagating guided waves, which can be utilized for the defect detection in rails. By using the semianalytical finite element method and from the characteristic equations of the guided wave propagation in waveguides, a general perturbation method is developed to provide an exact relationship between the perturbations of structural stiffness caused by damage and the perturbations of dispersive modal characteristics of propagating guided waves. Thus, the phase velocity and group velocity for the damaged waveguide can be accurately predicted. From the obtained propagating guided wave modes, a mode selection index used for selecting effective guided waves for damage detection is introduced by evaluating the nodal displacements and energy concentrations on the rail surfaces. Finally, a numerical study for a high-speed rail is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method for rail defect detection and propagating mode selection. The results of the numerical study show that the dispersive modal properties of propagating modes are affected by the location and size of defects in the rail, and the proposed method can give useful information for effective detection of defects in rails. Defects often occur in rails, which can be detected by using guided waves. Guided waves have advantages of high detection efficiency, long propagation distance, and small attenuation along the propagation path, which is particularly useful for detecting rail defects in practices. In the defect detection process, the group velocity and phase velocity dispersion curves should be analyzed, and the effect of rail defects on these dispersion curves needs to be fully investigated for effective damage identification. Also, these results can be useful for selecting appropriate guided wave modes and effective measuring positions for detecting defects in rails by guided wave testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Gram-staining-positive, non-motile, aerobic, spherical actinobacterium, designated WL0053T, was isolated from the coastal sediment of Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, China. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain WL0053T exhibited the highest similarities to Nocardioides mesophilus MSL-22T (98.0%), N. massiliensis GD12T (97.8%), Marmoricola bigeumensis MSL-05T (97.6%), and N. jensenii DSM 20641T (97.3%). The polyphasic taxonomic approach was used for the identification of strain WL0053T. This strain formed white, round, and smooth colonies and grew in the presence of 0–18% (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 0–4.0%), at pH 6.0–9.0 (optimum, pH 7.0) and at 20–37 °C (optimum, 28 °C). The main cellular fatty acids comprised of C17:1ω8c, C18:1ω9c, and iso-C16:0. The genomic DNA G + C content was 71.9%. The predominant quinone was MK-8(H4), and the major polar lipid consisted of phosphatidylcholine, glycolipid, phosphatidylethanolamine, and two unidentified phospholipids. Phylogenetic trees of 16S rRNA gene and bac120 gene set indicted that strain WL0053T was closely related to the species N. iriomotensis and N. mesophilus, while these two species clustered in a separate clade together with M. caldifontis YIM 730233T in the bac120 tree. Combined with the analysis of average nucleotide identity (ANI), average amino acid identity (AAI), and digital DNA–DNA hybridization (dDDH), it can be considered that the strain WL0053T is a new member of the genus Nocardioides and is proposed to be named as Nocardioides jiangsuensis sp. nov.. The type strain is WL0053T (=MCCC 1K05897T=JCM 34671T=GDMCC 4.192T). Furthermore, based on the fact that the genera Nocardioides and Marmoricola both appeared polyphyletic with no significant difference on phenotypic and chemotaxonomic traits, we proposed to reclassify the genus Marmoricola as Nocardioides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Gram-stain-negative, non-motile and coccoid bacterial strain, designated XHP0099T, was isolated from the coastal water of the Yellow Sea, China. Growth occurred at 20–37 ℃ (optimum, 28 ℃), pH 5.0–9.0 (optimum, pH 7.0–8.0), and with 0–7.0% NaCl (optimum, 2.0–3.0%). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain XHP0099T was related to members of the genus Paracoccus and shared the highest sequence similarity with “P. siganidrum” M26 (98.2%), followed by P. alkanivorans 4-2 T (97.6%) and P. alkenifer DSM 11593 T (97.4%). The average nucleotide identity, amino acid identity, and digital DNA–DNA hybridization values of strain XHP0099T against related members in the genus Paracoccus were below the cut-off points proposed for the delineation of a novel species. The major cellular fatty acids (> 10%) were summed feature 8 (C18:1ω7c/C18:1ω6c), and C18:0. The major isoprenoid quinone was Q-10 and the polar lipids contained diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylcholine (PC), aminolipid (AL) and unidentified polar lipids (L). The G + C content of the genomic DNA of strain XHP0099T was 66.0%. Genomic analysis suggested that strain XHP0099T harbored gene clusters for formaldehyde and the XoxF-type methanol oxidation and type 1 Calvin cycle, which could confer the methylotrophy pathway. Based on the phenotypic, phylogenetic, biochemical and chemotaxonomic analysis, strain XHP0099T represents a novel species of the genus Paracoccus, for which the name Paracoccus marinaquae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is XHP0099T (= JCM 34661 T = GDMCC 1.2414 T = MCCC 1K05846T). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We characterize idempotent uninorms on a complete chain in terms of decreasing unary functions with a symmetry-related property. As a particular case, we retrieve and simplify a known characterization theorem for idempotent uninorms on the real unit interval. We also introduce the notion of left-continuity (resp. right-continuity) of an idempotent uninorm on a complete chain and characterize left-continuous (resp. right-continuous) idempotent uninorms in terms of decreasing unary functions with a second (resp. a third) symmetry-related property, unifying a characterization theorem for left-continuous (resp. right-continuous) idempotent uninorms on the real unit interval and a characterization theorem for idempotent uninorms on a finite chain known in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the information sharing within an organisation and its consequences on mutual fund performance. Using a sample from the US open-end mutual fund industry, information sharing inside an organisation is quantified via the dependence of individual funds from the fund family joint information set. The findings indicate a positive relationship between the degree of information sharing and the resulting fund performance. This remains robust across different performance evaluation metrics and various model specifications. Such superior performance can be attributed to the quality of information shared across affiliated fund members and timely information diffusion within the fund family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fatigue life of the cement asphalt (CA) mortar in the slab track of the China Railway Track System (CRTS) II is crucial to the smooth and safe operation of high-speed railways. To investigate the fatigue life of the CA mortar under the combined thermal action and vehicle loads, this paper develops a new coupled thermal-mechanical finite element (FE) model for the concrete slab track at the mesoscale. First, the meteorology and heat transfer principle are adopted to simulate the temperature distribution of the concrete slab track. The heterogeneous characteristics of the concrete of the precast slab are modelled by the three-phase composite material at the mesoscale using the new developed random aggregate algorithm. Then, the energy-based exponential cohesive zone model is adopted to simulate the interface between the CA mortar and the precast concrete slab. The proposed mesoscale numerical model can provide reliable predictions for the temperature distribution and the deformation of the precast concrete slab under thermal action, which are confirmed by the relevant field measurements. Finally, the fatigue life of the CA mortar is estimated by the nonlinear damage cumulative method associated with the stress time history under the combined thermal action and vehicle load. From the obtained results for the numerical example, the thermal action can decrease severely the fatigue life of the CA mortar, and the fatigue life varies significantly at different positions, with the most vulnerable zone located near but not directly below the rails. • Proposing the coupled thermal-mechanical FE numerical modelling for railway concrete slab tracks. • Developing new random aggregate algorithm for modelling heterogeneous concrete at the mesoscale. • Predicting reliably CA mortar fatigue life using nonlinear damage cumulative method under combined action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internal uninorms on a bounded lattice always output one of the two input values and are nothing else but idempotent uninorms when the lattice is a chain. In this paper, we study the existence and representation of internal uninorms with a given neutral element e on a bounded lattice. We obtain a necessary condition for the existence of such an internal uninorm. In the case that those elements that are incomparable with the neutral element (collected in the set I e) constitute a chain, we prove that this necessary condition also becomes a sufficient one and allows to represent any internal uninorm on a bounded lattice in terms of an internal uninorm on the bounded chain obtained by deleting I e from the lattice and an internal quasi-uninorm on I e connected via a family of lower sets and a family of upper sets indexed by I e. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a complete representation theorem for nullnorms on bounded lattices. Explicitly, any nullnorm on a bounded lattice can be represented in terms of two order-preserving maps, a triangular conorm, a triangular norm and a conditionally associative function. As a particular case, we retrieve the known representation of nullnorms only taking values that are comparable with the annihilator (in terms of two order-preserving maps, a triangular conorm and a triangular norm). As an illustration of the representation theorem, we generate construction methods for nullnorms, especially those taking at least one value that is incomparable with the annihilator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First, we present construction methods for interior operators on a meet semilattice. Second, under the assumption that the underlying meet semilattices constitute the range of an interior operator, we prove an ordinal sum theorem for countably many (finite or countably infinite) triangular norms on bounded meet semilattices, which unifies and generalizes two recent results: one by Dvořák and Holčapek and the other by some of the present authors. We also characterize triangular norms that are representable as the ordinal sum of countably many triangular norms on given bounded meet semilattices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel bacterium, designated strain XHP0097T, was isolated from the surface water of the Yellow Sea, China. The cells were Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped, yellow-colored, and non-motile on 2216E agar. Optimal growth of strain XHP0097T occurs at 28 °C and pH 7.0 with the presence of NaCl concentration 2% (w/v). According to the analysis of comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence, strain XHP0097T showed the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with Sphingopyxis panaciterrulae KCTC 22112T (98.2%). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences as well as on 120 ubiquitous single-copy protein-coding genes supported that strain XHP0097T formed a distinct phyletic lineage as a new species within the genus Sphingopyxis. Strain XHP0097T showed an average nucleotide identity value and a digital DNA–DNA hybridization (dDDH) of 79.1–81.7% and 21.9–24.4% to the members of the genus Sphingopyxis, respectively. According to genome sequence, the DNA G + C content of XHP0097T was 64.8%. The major fatty acids (>10%) were C16:0 (17.5%), summed feature 3 (C16:1ω7c and/or C16:1ω6c) (15.1%), and summed feature 8 (C18:1ω7c and/or C18:1ω6c) (19.2%). The major polar lipids of strain XHP0097T were phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG), and sphingoglycolipid (SGL). Q-10 was the predominant respiratory quinone. Characteristics of physiological and biochemical, phylogenetic, and chemotaxonomic analysis demonstrated the isolate XHP0097T represents a novel species of the genus Sphingopyxis, for which the name Sphingopyxis jiangsuensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is XHP0097T (=MCCC 1K05845T = GDMCC 1.2415T = JCM 34678T). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past five decades have seen significant progress in our understanding of human hematopoiesis. This has in part been due to the unprecedented development of advanced technologies, which have allowed the identification and characterization of rare subsets of human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells and their lineage trajectories from embryonic through to adult life. Additionally, surrogate in vitro and in vivo models, although not fully recapitulating human hematopoiesis, have spurred on these scientific advances. These approaches have heightened our knowledge of hematological disorders and diseases and have led to their improved diagnosis and therapies. Here, we review human hematopoiesis at each end of the age spectrum, during embryonic and fetal development and on aging, providing exemplars of recent progress in deciphering the increasingly complex cellular and molecular hematopoietic landscapes in health and disease. This review concludes by highlighting links between chronic inflammation and metabolic and epigenetic changes associated with aging and in the development of clonal hematopoiesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By analyzing the behaviour of uninorms on the boundary of the unit square, we present decomposition theorems for uninorms, showing that a conjunctive (resp. disjunctive) uninorm can be decomposed into a disjunctive (resp. conjunctive) uninorm on an upper set (resp. a lower set) and a triangular subnorm (resp. superconorm) on a lower set (resp. an upper set). As an application of the decomposition theorems, we propose several construction methods for uninorms that are not internal on the boundary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce three broad classes of nullnorms on a bounded lattice and lay bare the structure of their members. For that purpose, we introduce particular subsets of a bounded lattice, called upper (resp. lower) beams, and appropriate associative operations on them, called beam (resp. dual beam) operations, which conveniently generalize triangular norms (resp. triangular conorms). It is shown that nullnorms in the first (resp. second) class are characterized by a triangular conorm (resp. triangular norm) and a beam operation (resp. dual beam operation), while nullnorms in the third class are characterized by a triangular conorm and a triangular norm. We also discuss the relationships among these three classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angelica sinensis is a well-known traditional Chinese food and medicine that is often misused or intentionally substituted on the market. DNA samples from 6 A. sinensis cultivars and 23 related species were used to develop an efficient sequence-characterized amplified region (SCAR) marker. Eighteen inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) primer-amplified bands were highly polymorphic (83.0%). The ISSR primer UBC826 amplified a specific fragment of 899 bp (GenBank accession no. KP789480) only from A. sinensis. The fragment was eluted, purified, cloned, and sequenced. One set of SCAR primers (UBC826 L/UBC826R), developed from the sequence information of the fragment, was found to be specific to A. sinensis and produced an amplicon of 749 bp in size. Furthermore, a new method for DNA extraction of Chinese patent medicines was developed, and 5 Chinese patent medicines containing A. sinensis were used for efficient detection of the A. sinensis-specific marker. The ISSR-based SCAR marker was developed and easily tested by PCR amplification. This marker provides an effective and precise PCR-based diagnostic method and might be conducive to raw material production and quality control for A. sinensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As generalizations of the classes Umin and Umax of uninorms on the real unit interval, we introduce the classes Umin and Umax of uninorms on a bounded lattice and lay bare the structure of their members. It is shown that uninorms in Umin (resp. Umax) are characterized by a triangular conorm (resp. triangular norm) and a triangular subnorm (resp. triangular superconorm). The characterization theorems unify all the existing construction methods for these two classes of uninorms known in the literature. We also introduce four new related classes of uninorms on a bounded lattice and present dedicated construction methods using triangular subnorms and triangular superconorms. Finally, connections among the introduced classes of uninorms are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A taxonomic revision of Sageretia lucida, S. thea var. cordiformis and S. yunlongensis in China is presented. Sageretia lucida is revised in terms of morphological characters (habit, branchlet color, phyllotaxis and rachis length), distribution, habitat, and phenology; S. thea var. cordiformis is raised to S. cordiformis; and S. yunlongensis is excluded from the genus Sageretia and reduced to the synonym of Rhamnus nigricans. Furthermore, a new species, S. ellipsoidea, is erected based on the paratype collections of S. lucida. The new species morphologically differs from S. lucida in having reddish brown branchlets, opposite or subopposite phyllotaxis, shorter rachises, and flowering in spring or early summer. S. ellipsoidea is factually closest to S. hamosa as they share similar woody-vine habit and larger fruit size, and fruiting in winter, whereas the former can be easily recognized based on its smaller leaf blades, fewer lateral veins, shorter rachises, and ellipsoidal or elliptic-ovoid fruits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real-time identification and monitoring of the railway track dynamic parameters are necessary to ensure the safe operation of the railway transportation systems. Traditional global structural parameter identification methods have the problem of low efficiency in identifying structural parameters of railway track dynamic systems. To tackle the inefficiency problem, this paper proposes a new parameter identification method for railway track systems on the basis of the substructural identification algorithm. First, the railway track system is divided into several substructures depending on the vehicle loads. The parametric expression of the interface forces of the target substructure is constructed by the Chebyshev polynomials. Then, the sensitivity of the dynamic responses to the structural parameters and the interface force parameters can be obtained. The substructure parameters and the load parameters are identified simultaneously by the coupled iterative optimization algorithm based on the sensitivity analysis. The proposed substructural identification method greatly improves computational efficiency in the iterative process of parameter identification because the proposed method significantly reduces the number of parameters to be identified. Finally, a numerical example for a railway track dynamic system is employed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed substructural identification method. The results from the numerical study show that changes in the structural parameters of rail track systems can be accurately identified using the proposed substructural identification method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ordinal sum construction provides a very effective way to generate a new triangular norm on the real unit interval from existing ones. One of the most prominent theorems concerning the ordinal sum of triangular norms on the real unit interval states that a triangular norm is continuous if and only if it is uniquely representable as an ordinal sum of continuous Archimedean triangular norms. However, the ordinal sum of triangular norms on subintervals of a bounded lattice is not always a triangular norm (even if only one summand is involved), if one just extends the ordinal sum construction to a bounded lattice in a naïve way. In the present paper, appropriately dealing with those elements that are incomparable with the endpoints of the given subintervals, we propose an alternative definition of ordinal sum of countably many (finite or countably infinite) triangular norms on subintervals of a complete lattice, where the endpoints of the subintervals constitute a chain. The completeness requirement for the lattice is not needed when considering finitely many triangular norms. The newly proposed ordinal sum is shown to be always a triangular norm. Several illustrative examples are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dots (CDs)-based antibacterial biomaterials offer great potential in addressing the severe threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria to public health. Positively charged CDs usually adhere on bacterial membranes via electrostatic interactions, however, they may cause hemolysis and cytotoxicity, and dissatisfactory fluorescence emission restricts their applications in bioimaging. Herein, we developed a negatively charged tunable multicolor nitrogen and phosphorus co-doped CDs (N, P-CDs) from mango peel, a renewable food waste biomass. The N, P-CDs exhibit good biocompatibility and photostability, thus could be adopted to multicolor cell labeling in vitro. More importantly, the negatively charged N, P-CDs possess intrinsic antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus , and antimicrobial mechanisms were investigated by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). We found the different mechanisms of N, P-CDs against E. coli and S. aureus , the antibacterial mechanism of N, P-CDs against E. coli mainly involve inhibition of binary fission proliferation and transcription of genetic information, interference with carbon metabolism and sugar conversion, thus inducing growth arrest and cell death. For S. aureus , N, P-CDs could serve as quorum sensing (QS) inhibitor to disrupt QS system, inhibit biofilm formation, DNA replication, cell division, and signal transmission. Our study provides important insights into antibacterial mechanism of CDs at the molecular level, which may facilitate the further exploration and application of natural resources-based antibacterial biomaterials. [Display omitted] • A new tunable multicolor fluorescent N, P-CDs was prepared from biomass. • N, P-CDs can serve as potent fluorescent reagent for in vitro multicolor cell labeling. • Negatively charged N, P-CDs hold intrinsic antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus. • Antibacterial mechanisms were elaborated at the molecular level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• New method for determining waveguide axial stress using guided waves. • Analytical insight into how axial stress affects guided wave dispersion properties. • In-depth investigation on selecting optimum modes for guided wave testing. • Detailed parametric study for predicting longitudinal rail stress. The determination of the longitudinal stress in continuous welded rails is essential for the safe operation of high-speed railways. Guided wave inspections have many advantages, and can provide an effective tool for non-destructive measurements of the longitudinal stress in rails. This paper provides a new method for determining longitudinal rail stress using ultrasonic guided wave dispersion properties. First, the characteristic equations of guided waves propagating in a waveguide with existing longitudinal stress are constructed, generating the dispersion properties of the waveguide such as the wavenumber, phase velocity and group velocity. The sensitivity of the dispersion properties of propagative modes to the longitudinal rail stress is investigated, which is then used for selecting appropriate modes for guided wave inspections. On the basis of the perturbation method, the relationship between the change in longitudinal rail stress and the change in dispersion properties is developed, which can be used for determining the longitudinal rail stress from dispersion properties. Furthermore, a mode selection index considering both the stress sensitivity and mode shape characteristics is employed for selecting appropriate propagative modes for guide wave inspections. Finally, a numerical example for CHN60 rail is adopted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. From the results, the proposed method can accurately determine the longitudinal stress in the rail by using the dispersion properties available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, Wang et al. proposed the notion of a uni-nullnorm on a bounded lattice and provided two construction methods. In this paper, we point out that the first construction method is invalid since it does not always lead to a uni-nullnorm. Then we present a method to construct a uni-nullnorm on a bounded lattice via a disjunctive uninorm and a triangular norm. Making use of existing construction methods for uninorms on a bounded lattice, we derive several construction methods for uni-nullnorms, including the second construction method by Wang et al. Dually, we present a method to construct a null-uninorm on a bounded lattice via a conjunctive uninorm and a triangular conorm, as well as several derived construction methods for null-uninorms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, via closure (resp. interior) operators on a bounded lattice L , we propose a rather effective method to construct uninorms on L with a given triangular norm T (resp. triangular conorm S) on the subinterval 0 , e (resp. e , 1) of L. Our method encompasses as special cases the construction methods introduced by F. Karaçal and R. Mesiar (2015) [16] as well as by G.D. Çaylı et al. (2016) [5]. We also exploit a pair of novel closure and interior operators on complete lattices and utilize this pair of operators to construct uninorms. Several interesting examples are included to illustrate our method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a type of malignant liver tumor, has a grim prognosis. As a functional protein, synaptopodin-2 (SYNPO2) has been associated with malignancy; however, the expression profile and function of SYNPO2 in HCC remains unknown. Herein, we revealed that SYNPO2 was transcriptionally downregulated in HCC tissues from both The Cancer Genome Atlas cohort and our cohort, and was also decreased at the translational level as determined by western blotting and immunohistochemical staining. Furthermore, reduced SYNPO2 expression correlated significantly with short overall survival and recurrence free survival of HCC patients. Restoring SYNPO2 expression inhibited the proliferation and aggressiveness of hepatocarcinoma cells. Mechanistically, increasing the ratio of cytoplasmic SYNPO2 to nuclear SYNPO2 was positively associated with recurrence rate in HCC patients; calcineurin (CaN) activity positively correlated with cytoplasmic SYNPO2 levels in HCC tissues; and nuclear-cytoplasmic translocation of SYNPO2 was induced by CaN to facilitate metastasis of HCC through assembly of peripheral actin bundles. In short, our findings uncover a novel role of SYNPO2 in HCC metastasis via the CaN/SYNPO2/F-actin axis, and indicate that SYNPO2 may serve as a possible prognostic marker and novel therapeutic target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the problem of constructing a fuzzy betweenness relation from a metric. More precisely, given a continuous Archimedean triangular norm, we present two construction methods for a fuzzy betweenness relation from a metric by making use of the pseudo-inverse of either a continuous additive generator or a continuous multiplicative generator of the triangular norm. In case the metric is bounded and given a 1-Lipschitz continuous triangular norm, we present a third construction method for a fuzzy betweenness relation from a metric by making use of the residual implication of the triangular norm. Since the Łukasiewicz and product triangular norms are both continuous Archimedean and 1-Lipschitz continuous, all three construction methods may be used. Interestingly, the construction method based on the residual implication is proved to coincide with that based on a continuous additive generator for the Łukasiewicz triangular norm and with that based on a continuous multiplicative generator for the product triangular norm. We end by noting that all three construction methods result in a fuzzy prebetweenness relation when considering a pseudometric instead of a metric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information about the engineering bacterial outer membrane vesicles as transdermal nanoplatforms for photo-tumor necrosis factor related apoptosisinducing ligand (TRAIL)–programmed therapy against melanoma. It discusses the development of the outer membrane vesicles derived from transgenic Escherichia coli, modified with integrin peptide targeting ligand and indocyanine green to induce the transdermal photo-TRAIL-programmed treatment in skin melanoma.

Fuzzy relations and, in particular, fuzzy order relations, have been largely studied since Zadeh first introduced the concept back in 1971. Bearing in mind that betweenness relations and their relationship with order relations have historically attracted the attention of mathematicians, it is very surprising that the study of fuzzy betweenness relations has had a very limited scientific reach so far, and barely no attention has been given to their relationship with fuzzy order relations. In this manuscript, we study fuzzy betweenness relations in depth and discuss their connection with both schools of thought in the study of fuzzy order relations: the already mentioned one introduced by Zadeh and the one initiated by Höhle and Blanchard and popularized by Bodenhofer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cuboidal micropillars of nanocrystalline superelastic NiTi shape memory alloys with an average grain size of 65 nm were fabricated by focused ion beam and then subjected to cyclic compression. It is found that the micropillars have maintained superelasticity for over 106 full-transformation cycles under a maximum compressive stress of 1.2 GPa. Functional degradation of the micropillars mainly occurs in the first 104 cycles where hysteresis loop area and forward transformation stress rapidly decrease from initial 11 MPa (MJ/m3) and 586 MPa to 6 MPa and 271 MPa. In the 104 ~ 106 cycles, stress-strain responses of the micropillars show asymptotic stabilization. Residual strain is accumulated to 3.3% and multiple ~50 nm wide extrusions are found at the surface of the micropillars after 106 cycles. SEM and TEM studies indicate that cyclic phase transformation results in formation and glide of transformation-induced dislocations that create surface steps and the extrusions. The dislocations inhibit reverse transformation and result in residual martensite and residual stresses. The dislocations and the residual martensite lead to the functional degradation. The role of the residual martensite in the functional degradation is further verified by 21% recovery of the residual strain and an increase of 278 MPa in the forward transformation stress after heating up the cyclically deformed micropillars to 100 °C. The recorded over 106 phase transformation cycles under a maximum stress of 1.2 GPa of the NiTi shape memory alloys at microscale open up new avenues for applications of the material in microscale devices and engineering. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primers were designed according to the gene sequence of lipocalin protein family, and the gene sequence containing random mutation protein was obtained by overlapping extension of PCR. The random mutation lipocalin library was constructed using phagemid expression vector. Lipocalin library was screened by subtracted screening of NSF60 cells and affinity screening of mast cells, and the lipocalin secondary library binding to mast cells was obtained. Then the lipocalin secondary library was enriched and screened with FcεRI-α receptor protein as target molecule, and specific binding phages were eluted. After three rounds of screening, eight recombinant phage clones were randomly selected from elution clones of the third round. ELISA assay showed that three anticalin molecules could specifically bind to the FcεRI-α receptor of mast cells. These results may provide some candidate biological molecules for the development of blocking drugs of mast cell FcεRI-α receptor, and also lay the foundation for the development of biological small molecule drugs to treat IgE associated allergic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reinforced concrete (RC) columns with an annular cross-section are commonly utilized as supporting structural members in ocean engineering structures, and their structural performance deterioration is mainly caused by the corrosion of rebar in aggressive marine environment. This paper proposes an effective method to investigate the effects of rebar corrosion on the structural performance of the annular RC columns under various loading conditions. Firstly, the material degradation and residual structural strength models are proposed based on the analysis of the corrosion-induced deterioration of RC structures. Then, the general method for determining the load-bearing capacity is developed using the equivalent steel ring assumption. To improve computational efficiency and practical applicability, an effective method for assessing the residual load-bearing capacity is proposed by simplifying the calculations of rebar load-bearing capacity coefficients using the regression fitting approach. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed simplified method is demonstrated with the relevant experimental data available. The results show the capacity deterioration rate is strongly related to the corrosion level and loading condition with the most severe degradation typically at the corrosion level of 5–10%, and the smaller and larger eccentric columns drop the capacities by about 28% and 41% at 10% corrosion level, respectively. • Investigating behaviour of corroded RC columns with an annular cross-section. • Developing a novel effective method for predicting residual load-bearing capacity. • New insight into how rebar corrosion affects structural strength of annual RC columns. • In-depth study on residual strength of corroded columns under various loading conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dots (CDs) have emerged as potential biomaterials for bioimaging and antimicrobial applications. However, the lack of tunable long-wavelength emission performance and imprecise antibacterial mechanism limit their practical application. Thus, developing versatile CDs that combine outstanding optical performance and excellent antibacterial activity is of great practical significance. Herein, we prepared a novel nitrogen and fluorine co-doped CDs (N, F-CDs) from o -phenylenediamine and 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoroterephthalic acid, which exhibit high fluorescence quantum yield of 52.2%, large Stokes shift of 112 nm, as well tunable multicolor emission light from blue to red region. Thanks to the high biocompatibility and excellent photostability, the N, F-CDs were successfully implemented to multicolor biolabeling of mammalian cells, protozoan cells and plant cells. Moreover, the negatively charged N, F-CDs hold inherent efficient antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). By thoroughly studying the underlying antibacterial mechanisms at the molecular level through real-time quantitative PCR assay, we found the expression of related genes was notably down-regulated, further demonstrated that N, F-CDs against two bacterial strains had distinct target pathways. Our work provides a new reference for developing highly fluorescent multicolor CDs, and may facilitate the design and application of CDs-based nanomaterials in biological environment. [Display omitted] • A novel highly fluorescent N, F-CDs with tunable multicolor emission was prepared. • N, F-CDs can serve as potent fluorescent reagent for in vitro multicolor bio-labeling. • N, F-CDs possess effective antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus. • Molecular mechanisms of antibacterial effect were investigated by RT-qPCR assay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Betweenness relations are the mathematical formalization of the geometrical notion of an element being in between other two elements. In this paper, we exploit a well-known result representing a betweenness relation as a family of order relations and analyse the corresponding family of induced (Alexandrov) topologies. In particular, the intersection of this family of topologies is proved to be the anti-discrete topology and a necessary and sufficient condition for the supremum of this family of topologies to be the discrete topology is provided. Interestingly, this condition is proved to hold when dealing with a finite set. We end with a discussion on the relation between the topology induced by an order relation or a metric and the family of topologies induced by the betweenness relation induced by the same order relation or metric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Investigating future hydraulic conditions of coastal flood defences due to climate change; • Modelling asset deterioration from field inspection data using time-dependent state-based stochastic process; • Analysing time-dependent probability of failures related to wave overtopping and soil piping; • Optimising maintenance strategy by minimising both maintenance costs and failure risk. Abstract This paper presents a method for time-dependent reliability analysis, future performance predictions and optimum maintenance strategy of coastal flood defences such as earth sea dykes subjected to changing operation conditions. The reliability analysis takes into account both the changes of hydraulic variables such as water level and wave height due to climate change and the deterioration of structural capacities such as crest freeboard loss and soil seepage length degradation over time. A probabilistic time-dependent semi-Markov process is adopted for estimating the transition probabilities on the basis of available field data through routine inspections and expert judgements. Limit state equations are established for evaluating time-dependent probability of failures associated with wave overtopping through the flood defence crest and piping in the underlying water conductive soils. A multi-objective optimisation method is then employed to find optimum solution space for asset inspection and maintenance by minimising both costs for inspection and annual risk of structural failures. The results for a typical earth sea dyke at Thames Estuary show that the probability of failures associated with wave overtopping and soil piping will increase significantly over time, thus appropriate maintenance strategy is required to reduce the risk caused by changing operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Sea defences are at increasing risk of wave overtopping due to changing hydraulic conditions caused by climate change and deteriorating structural resistance. This paper presents a method for assessing wave overtopping risk of coastal flood defences subjected to changing operational conditions. The joint probability of hydraulic parameters such as sea water level and significant wave height is investigated using the extreme value analysis approaches taking into account rising sea level in the future. Meanwhile, structural resistance degradation such as the crest level settlement of earth sea dykes is considered in overtopping risk analysis by utilising a state-based stochastic deterioration model. Time-dependent probability of wave overtopping failure is estimated from the associated limit state equation, and the effect of hydraulic parameters and crest level settlement on the risk of overtopping failure is investigated. A risk cost optimised maintenance strategy is then determined by balancing the risk of overtopping failure and the costs for structural maintenances. The results for the numerical example of a typical earth sea dyke show that the probability of overtopping failure will increase significantly due to changing hydraulic parameters and losing crest level, thus appropriate maintenance will be needed to reduce the risk during the lifecycle. Highlights • Investigating joint probability of future hydraulic parameters for wave overtopping. • Translating field inspection data into state-based stochastic deterioration model. • Analysing time-dependent overtopping risk due to changing operating conditions. • Optimising repair plan to balance risk of structural failure and costs for maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Sewer interception systems have been built along rivers in rapidly urbanizing areas to collect unregulated sewage discharges due to misconnections between storm sewers and sanitary sewers. During storm events, combined sewage might overflow from these systems into rivers through orifices and deteriorate water quality in rivers. Interception system overflows (ISOs) from different orifices in a sewer interception system might interact with each other, therefore pollutants from ISOs show a spatial variation. This paper aims to understand the spatial variation of pollutants from ISOs for informed decision making. In this study, an urbanized catchment in China is chosen as the study area, and the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) is used to examine the spatial variation of pollutants from ISOs and to analyze the effect of sewer separation on ISOs. The results obtained from the case study indicate that: (1) Critical rainfall amounts which trigger overflows decrease downstream in an interception system while annual ISO volumes and pollutant loads from ISOs increase downstream; additionally, these variations are influenced by sizes and slopes of interceptors; (2) Runoff is the main source of COD from ISOs while sewage is the main source of NH 3 -N, and ratios of pollutants from sewage to ISOs increase downstream; (3) Sewer separation can significantly reduce pollutant loads from sewage to ISOs, but it cannot significantly reduce pollutant loads from runoff. In order to mitigate ISO pollution, it is suggested to increase conveyance capacities of interceptors in the downstream, separate sewage from runoff, and promote source control for urban runoff in highly urbanized areas. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Critical rainfall amounts triggering overflows decrease downstream. • ISOs and contributions of sewage to ISO pollutants increase downstream. • Spatial variations of ISOs are affected by interceptor sizes and slopes. • Runoff and sewage are dominant sources of COD loads and NH 3 -N loads, respectively. • Sewer separation cannot significantly reduce pollutant loads from runoff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A model is proposed to evaluate runoff and AET of green roofs with a storage layer. • Daily ET and event runoff of green roofs decrease as ADP increases. • A storage layer enlarges the ability of green roofs to increase AET and reduce runoff. • The effects are pronounced under high temperature and rainy weather. • The effects of an additional storage layer have seasonal and yearly variations. Abstract Reduction in runoff and increase in actual evapotranspiration (AET) are two well-known benefits of green roofs. However, few studies have been carried out to investigate how green roofs affect runoff and AET when there is interaction between them. Such interaction is most prominent when green roofs have an additional storage layer. In this study, a modified hydrological model for green roofs is proposed to explicitly describe water retention and release in different layers and during wet/dry periods, which can reflect the interaction between runoff and AET under alternating dry and wet conditions. After calibration and validation with experimental data, the model was used to evaluate the combined effects of runoff reduction and increase in AET for green roofs under moist sub-tropical weather condition (such as Shenzhen, China). The results indicate that the daily AET and event runoff of green roofs decrease with increasing antecedent dry period (ADP); an additional storage layer can increase the ability of green roofs in reducing runoff and increasing AET. Generally, the effect is more pronounce under weather conditions with higher temperature, more rainfall amount and longer ADP. Such results provide hydrologists and engineers with a new and effective tool to simulate and understand the performance of green roofs by considering water retention and release in the layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper presents a new numerical model designed to simulate energy mining in naturally fractured-faulted geothermal reservoirs. The model fully couples thermo-hydraulic (TH) processes with triple porosity-permeability properties in a unified geothermal reservoir simulation. This approach enables the investigation of multiphysical phenomena in fractured-faulted formations characterised by multiple pore media. Detailed investigations on the effects of these media on coupled transient fluid and heat flow capture basic features related to energy mining in deep geological formations. Case studies demonstrate that the model can provide a long-term assessment of deep geothermal reservoirs in naturally fractured and faulted porous media. The work provides fundamental insight into the heat transport and fluid flow through multiple pore media and the fracture-fault interface in deep geothermal reservoirs under various conditions and thus, provides a foundation for future research in the field of the enhanced energy recovery from geothermal reservoirs. Highlights • Novel numerical modelling of geothermal reservoirs with multiple pore media. • Modelling of heterogeneous geothermal reservoir with fractures and faults systems. • Investigation on the influence of multiple pore media on reservoir productivity. • In-depth understanding of deep heterogeneous geothermal reservoir during exploitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Modelling of turbine blades with new modified BEMT method for dynamic analysis. • Integrated approach with wind effect and stress cycle for assessing fatigue damage. • Investigation on the influence of correction factors on aerodynamic loads. • In-depth understanding of fatigue damage accumulation during operation. Abstract This paper presents a method for estimating the fatigue life of composite blades of horizontal axis wind turbines, and a real blade example of the NREL 5 MW reference wind turbine is employed to verify this proposed method. First, the distributions of aerodynamic loads are analysed by new corrected blade element momentum theory, and then the aerodynamic performance of the blade under various wind speeds is assessed. The time-history of the wind speed is generated by using the Weibull distribution based on the offshore wind parameters available. The maximum stress caused by the aerodynamic loads due to wind is then calculated through the finite element analyses. The fatigue cycle during the certain time period is estimated by fast Fourier transform for the load spectrum, which converts the time-stress spectrum to stress cycles. The fatigue damage and remaining service life of wind turbine composite blades are estimated by the Goodman diagram and S - N curve for stress cycles during the service time. Finally, the remaining service life is predicted by utilising the Miner's law for linear fatigue damage accumulation. The results of the real wind turbine composite blade show that the proposed approach can provide an effective tool for evaluating the fatigue damage and assessing the structural performance of the wind turbine composite blades during the service life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microscale plastic deformation mechanisms of nanocrystalline NiTi micropillars with an average grain size (GS) of 65 nm are investigated by uniaxial compression. Cuboidal NiTi micropillars with uniform cross-sectional area along the height are manufactured by focused ion beam. It is found that the plastic deformation of the micropillars under compression is realized by localized shear band formation with large strain bursts, leading to significant amorphization and GS reduction from 65 nm to as small as 11 nm in the shear band. The experiment indicates that microfabrication by severe plastic deformation could be a promising manufacturing technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new earth pressure sensor is constructed based on the inverted triangle and flat diaphragm slotted sensing structure, combined with Ultra Weak Fiber Bragg Grating sensing technology. The influence of earth pressure sensing element size, flat diaphragm thickness and slotted depth on the sensitivity and detection range of the sensor is studied in combination with ANSYS simulation theory, and the theoretical optimal preparation size of the earth pressure sensor is obtained. Based on the principle of flat diaphragm pressure sensing, the innovative pressure-strain sensitization theory of inverted triangular structure is proposed, which will substantially improve the sensitivity of the sensor. A small Ultra Weak Fiber Bragg Grating earth pressure sensor with a diameter of 40 mm and temperature compensation is designed, and the characteristics of the sensor are calibrated using a uniform mechanical loading method of gravity-sand layer-diaphragm. The results show that the sensitivity of the pressure sensor can reach 7.3 pm/KPa with a full scale range of 0.7 MPa, effectively eliminating the effect of temperature on the sensor, and can be connected in series with a distributed ultra-weak grating fiber optic cable to achieve point/distributed sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite advances in antihypertensive therapeutics, at least 15-20% of hypertensive patients have resistant hypertension through mechanisms that remain poorly understood. In this study, we provide a new mechanism for the regulation of blood pressure (BP) in the central nervous system (CNS) by the (pro)renin receptor (PRR), a recently identified component of the renin-angiotensin system that mediates ANG II formation in the CNS. Although PRR also mediates ANG II-independent signaling, the importance of these pathways in BP regulation is unknown. Here, we developed a unique transgenic mouse model overexpressing human PRR (hPRR) specifically in neurons (Syn-hPRR). Intracerebroventricular infusion of human prorenin caused increased BP in Syn-hPRR mice. This BP response was attenuated by a NADPH oxidase (NOX) inhibitor but not by antihypertensive agents that target the renin-angiotensin system. Using a brain-targeted genetic knockdown approach, we found that NOX4 was the key isoform responsible for the prorenin-induced elevation of BP in Syn-hPRR mice. Moreover, inhibition of ERK significantly attenuated the increase in NOX activity and BP induced by human prorenin. Collectively, our findings indicate that an ANG II-independent, PRR-mediated signaling pathway regulates BP in the CNS by a PRR-ERK-NOX4 mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bromodomains and extra-terminal (BET) proteins inhibitors are promising cancer therapeutic agents. However, tumor cells often develop resistance to BET inhibitors, greatly limiting their therapeutic potential. To study the mechanism underlying the resistance of BET inhibitors in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells, we herein investigated the impact of BET inhibitor JQ1 on the gene expression of Bcl-2 family members by RNA sequencing analysis, and found that acute treatment with JQ1 triggered upregulation of Mcl-1 in HCCLM3 and BEL7402 cell lines. This JQ1-triggered Mcl-1 upregulation was further confirmed by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blotting analysis, both at mRNA and protein levels. Inhibition of Mcl-1 by RNA interference dramatically enhanced JQ1-triggered caspase-3 activation, cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase and apoptotic cell death induction in multiple HCC cell lines. Moreover, JQ1 in combination with cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor flavopiridol at a subtoxic concentration that reduced expression of Mcl-1, triggered massive apoptotic cell death in HCCLM3 and BEL7402 cell lines. Together, these data suggest that Mcl-1 is a major contributor to BET inhibitor-resistance in HCC cells, and that combining drugs capable of down-regulating Mcl-1 may promote therapeutic potential in human HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated the protective effects and molecular mechanism of prostaglandin A1 (PGA1) and triptolide (TRI) on apoptosis of cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMVECs) in rats. CMVECs of rats were isolated and then cultured. MTT method was used to select and establish a cell hypoxia reoxygenation cell model. The cells were divided into four groups: Normoxia control group (C, normal oxygen), hypoxia reoxygenation group (H/R, hypoxia for 12 h/reoxygenation for 6 h), PGA1 group (H/R+PGA1) and TRI group (H/R+TRI). The growth of cells in each of the group was observed. B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) mRNA expression in CMVECs and expression of Bcl-2 mRNA after PGA1 and TRI treatment were determined by RT-PCR. Cell apoptosis was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) assay. Bcl-2 mRNA decreased significantly after hypoxia stimulation of CMVECs of rats. The expression of Bcl-2 mRNA was significantly higher in comparison to hypoxia stimulation group after treatment with PGA1 and TRI (P<0.01). The elevated effect of PGA1 on Bcl-2 mRNA was stronger than that of the TRI group (P<0.05). The number of CMVECs reduced significantly after hypoxia. By contrast, DNA fragmentation and the number of endothelial cell apoptosis were increased significantly. However, Bcl-2 mRNA expression decreased significantly, after PGA1 and TRI treatments. Furthermore, the number of apoptotic cells reduced and Bcl-2 mRNA expression increased (P<0.01). PGA1 and TRI significantly upregulated the expression of Bcl-2 mRNA, inhibited the activation of CMVECs and were able to achieve the protective effect on apoptosis of CMVECs in hypoxia.oxygenated rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowing the long-term performance of geothermal energy extraction is crucial to decision-makers and reservoir engineers for optimal management and sustainable utilisation. This article presents a three-dimensional, numerical model of coupled thermo-hydraulic processes, in a deep heterogeneous geothermal reservoir overlain and underlain by impermeable layers, with discrete fracture. The finite element method is employed in modelling the reservoir, after conducting a verification study to test the capability of the solver and the results obtained are in agreement with the existing models. The model is then used to investigate the responses of human control parameters (injection flow rate, fluid injection temperature, and lateral well spacing) on reservoir productivity, using different operation scenarios. The injection flow rate is found to be more efficient, concerning reservoir productivity, than the other two parameters. To this end, the study concludes that, by varying some parameters in the subsurface, reservoir productivity can be optimised efficiently. The numerical model developed provides in-depth insight to stakeholders and reservoir engineers concerning the essential parameters to control during exploration and exploitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

γ-In2Se3 is selected as a thermoelectric candidate because it has a unique crystal structure and thermal stability at relatively high temperatures. In this work, we have prepared lithiated γ-In2Se3 through chemical diffusion and investigated its band structures and thermoelectric performance. After lithiation of γ-In2Se3 in a lithium acetate (CH3COOLi) solution at 50 °C for 30 h, we have observed a high Hall carrier concentration (nH) of ≥1.71 × 1018 cm-3 at room temperature, which is ~4 orders of magnitude higher than that of pristine γ-In2Se3. The enhancement of nH is directly responsible for the remarkable improvement in electrical conductivity and can be elucidated as the Fermi level (Fr) unpinning and moving toward the conduction band through the dominant interstitial occupation of Li+ in the γ-In2Se3 lattice. Combined with the minimum lattice thermal conductivity (κL = 0.30-0.34 W K-1 m-1) at ~923 K, the highest ZT value of 0.62-0.67 is attained, which is approximately 9-10 times that of pristine γ-In2Se3, proving that the lithiation in γ-In2Se3 is an effective approach to the improvement in thermoelectric performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One sample per person (OSPP) face recognition is a challenging problem in face recognition community. Lack of samples is the main reason for the failure of most algorithms in OSPP. In this study, the authors propose a new algorithm to generalise intra-class variations of multi-sample subjects to single-sample subjects by deep autoencoder and reconstruct new samples. In the proposed algorithm, a generalised deep autoencoder is first trained with all images in the gallery, then a classspecific deep autoencoder (CDA) is fine-tuned for each single-sample subject with its single sample. Samples of the multisample subject, which is most like the single-sample subject, are input to the corresponding CDA to reconstruct new samples. For classification, minimum L2 distance, principle component analysis, sparse represented-based classifier and softmax regression are used. Experiments on the Extended Yale Face Database B, AR database and CMU PIE database are provided to show the validity of the proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our ability to navigate through the world depends on the function of the hippocampus. This old cortical structure plays a critical role in spatial navigation in mammals and in a variety of processes, including declarative and episodic memory and social behavior. Intense research has revealed much about hippocampal anatomy, physiology, and computation; yet, even intensely studied phenomena such as the shaping of place cell activity or the function of hippocampal firing patterns during sleep remain incompletely understood. Interestingly, while the hippocampus may be a 'higher order' area linked to a complex cortical hierarchy in mammals, it is an old cortical structure in evolutionary terms. The reptilian cortex, structurally much simpler than the mammalian cortex and hippocampus, therefore presents a good alternative model for exploring hippocampal function. Here, we trace common patterns in the evolution of the hippocampus of reptiles and mammals and ask which parts can be profitably compared to understand functional principles. In addition, we describe a selection of the highly diverse repertoire of reptilian behaviors to illustrate the value of a comparative approach towards understanding hippocampal function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We fabricate a nanocrystalline NiTi with an average grain size of 31 nm and high-density (4.7 × 1015 m−2) dislocations via cold rolling (38% thickness reduction) and annealing (310 ℃, 2 min) for elastocaloric cooling. It is found that the high-density-dislocation nanocrystalline NiTi shows a high yield strength of 2.09 GPa, a large and stable average temperature drop (ΔT) of 17.3 ℃ over 106 phase-transition cycles under the stress of 1.4 GPa at room temperature. The high cyclic stability originates from grain boundary and dislocation strengthening mechanisms, where the grain boundaries and the high-density dislocations suppress the nucleation of transformation-induced dislocations. The simple and effective processing route via cold rolling and low-temperature annealing is applicable to mass production of bulk nanostructured NiTi with stable elastocaloric cooling performances. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]