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Polymerization shrinkage poses a significant challenge in dental resin composites. The objective of this study is to introduce spiroorthocarbonate monomer 3,9-dimethylene-1,3,5,7-tetraoxa-spiro[5,5]undecane (BMSOC) and epoxy resin monomer 3,4-epoxycyclohexylmethyl-3,4-epoxycyclohexane carboxylate (ECHM-ECHC) into bisphenol-S-bis(3-methacrylato-2-hydroxy propyl)ether (BisS-GMA) based resin composites to develop composites with reduced shrinkage properties. BMSOC and BisS-GMA were synthesized and thoroughly mixed with ECHM-ECHC, followed by inorganic fillers and photoinitiators. Based on the composition of the resin matrix, five groups of experimental composites were prepared, with traditional bisphenol A-dimethacrylate glycidyl ester (Bis-GMA)/triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) based composite serving as the control. The polymerization properties, including degree of conversion (DC) and polymerization shrinkage (PS), as well as marginal microleakage, wettability, flexural strength (FS), flexural modulus (FM), and biocompatibility were evaluated. The results demonstrated that compared with the control group, the PS of BisS-GMA based composites containing BMSOC and ECHM-ECHC were significantly reduced (P < 0.05), and the lowest PS (0.96 ± 0.08 %) was observed when the ratio of BisS-GMA: (Epoxy + BMSOC) was 4:6. Additionally, the experimental composites also exhibited improved DC, minimal microleakage, low hydrophilicity, enhanced mechanical properties, qualified in vivo biocompatibility, and slight/moderate in vitro biocompatibility. The resin composites incorporating multiple modified low-shrink monomers are promising for dental applications to prevent various clinical problems caused by PS and extend restoration longevity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal halide perovskites (MHPs) have attracted increasing attention in various optoelectronic devices due to their exceptional optical and electrical properties. The high precision patterning of MHPs is crucial adjective for device fabrication, while it is severely hindered by the active and sensitive chemistry of MHPs. In this work, high resolution and tunable nanostructuring of 2D MHP films are achieved by ultrafast laser direct writing (ULDW). The feature size of the created structure is down to 47 nm (λ/21), which is far beyond the diffraction limit of the optical system. The study proves the critical influence of the thermodynamic properties of materials on structure morphologies and establish a new mechanism of molten phase self‐evolution (MPSE) for the formation of super‐solution convex structures, which provides a new understanding for ultrafast laser‐matter interaction and high‐resolution patterning with ULDW. Different structure morphologies bring tunable optical properties. The applications are demonstrated in multimode information storage and encryption. The findings open new approaches to achieve hyperfine multi‐morphological structures on MHPs, which can boost many MHPs integration applications in nanophotonics, on‐chip electronics, and information encryption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] III-nitride materials are of great importance in the development of modern optoelectronics, but they have been limited over years by low light utilization rate and high dislocation densities in heteroepitaxial films grown on foreign substrate with limited refractive index contrast and large lattice mismatches. Here, we demonstrate a paradigm of high-throughput manufacturing bioinspired microstructures on warped substrates by flexible nanoimprint lithography for promoting the light extraction capability. We design a flexible nanoimprinting mold of copolymer and a two-step etching process that enable high-efficiency fabrication of nanoimprinted compound-eye-like Al 2 O 3 microstructure (NCAM) and nanoimprinted compound-eye-like SiO 2 microstructure (NCSM) template, achieving a 6.4-fold increase in throughput and 25% savings in economic costs over stepper projection lithography. Compared to NCAM template, we find that the NCSM template can not only improve the light extraction capability, but also modulate the morphology of AlN nucleation layer and reduce the formation of misoriented GaN grains on the inclined sidewall of microstructures, which suppresses the dislocations generated during coalescence, resulting in 40% reduction in dislocation density. This study provides a low-cost, high-quality, and high-throughput solution for manufacturing microstructures on warped surfaces of III-nitride optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore the prevalence of prenatal depression and to determine the dyadic relationship between perceived stress, marital satisfaction, and prenatal depression in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and their partners. GDM during pregnancy is a very stressful event for couples. However, previous studies have largely focused on pregnant women, with few including their partners. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Guangzhou, China, from 30 July to 2 December 2021. Three hundred fourteen couples with GDM completed the Perceived Stress Scale, Locke–Wallace Marital Adjustment Scale, and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Dyadic analysis was conducted using the actor–partner interdependence mediation model. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 13.4% in pregnant women with GDM and 8.3% in their partners. Regarding the actor effects, perceived stress was positively associated with prenatal depression in pregnant women with GDM and their partners, respectively, and marital satisfaction acted as a mediating role. Regarding the partner effects, paternal perceived stress was negatively associated with maternal marital satisfaction, and maternal marital satisfaction mediated the association between paternal perceived stress and maternal prenatal depression. Dyadic effects of perceived stress, marital satisfaction, and prenatal depression exist in couples with GDM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the relationship between the uncinate process (UP) and vertebral artery (VA) from a radiologic view and to confirm the surgical safety margin to minimize the risk of VA injury during anterior cervical approaches. We retrospectively reviewed computed tomography angiography of 205 patients by using a contrast-enhanced computed tomography angiography protocol of the VA. Four kinds of images were simultaneously reconstructed to measure all the parameters associated with VA and UP of cervical spine. The shortest distance from the UP's tip to the VA's medial border (P < 0.001) was at the C-6 level (2.9 ± 0.9 mm on the left and 3.2 ± 1.3 mm on the right), and the longest distance (P < 0.001) was at the C-3 level on both sides. The distance between UP's tip and the medial border of the ipsilateral VA was statistically significantly different at each cervical level, and the right distance was larger than the left (P < 0.05). We found the height of UP gradually increased from C-3 to C5-level and then decreased from C-5 to C-7 level for both sides. The mean distance between the medial borders of left UP and left VA was on average 7.5 ± 1.4 mm. The diameter of VA was on average 3.4 ± 0.6 mm on the left side and 3.2 ± 0.7 mm on the right. The diameter of the VA was statistically significantly different on both sides, and the left side was larger than the right (P < 0.05). Detailed radiologic anatomy of VA and UP was reviewed in this study. A deep understanding of the correlation between the UP and VA is essential to perform anterior cervical spine surgery safely and ensure adequate spinal canal decompression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The regulation of surface active sites and structures is a key factor affecting the performance of photocatalysts. In order to prepare monodisperse anatase TiO2 mesoporous microspheres with higher specific surface area, smaller pore size and particle size, a dual‐surfactant orientation assembly method was selected. Graphene (NG) was selected as a cocatalyst to compound with mesoporous TiO2 and nickel doping was performed on the cocatalyst to improve the photocatalytic hydrogen production activity of the semiconductor photocatalyst. Through proper regulation and rational design, the semiconductor photocatalyst with desired properties was prepared. SEM characterization of mesoporous titanium dioxide (TiO2/Ni‐NG) with graphene cocatalyst proved that TiO2 nanospheres have good monodispersion, and TiO2 nanospheres are well supported on graphene cocatalyst. The composite material belonged to mesoporous group with the pore size being mainly distributed between 10–20 nm. The loading of graphene and Ni‐NG cocatalyst increased the absorption band edge by 9 nm and 38 nm, respectively, and the band gap decreased by 0.07 eV and 0.16 eV, respectively. The selection of graphene as cocatalyst improved the hydrogen production activity of photocatalyst and nickel doping was very effective in the modification of graphene. For reaction time of 2.5 h, the H2 production of TiO2/Ni‐NG material reached 1.767 mmol/g which was 7.27 times that of TiO2/NG composite material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The one-loop contributions to the flavor-changing neutral current decays of the top quark into a light quark and a gauge boson or Higgs boson, namely, t → q V , q h , with q being u or c, and V being γ , g, or Z, are analyzed in this study within the framework of the minimal R-symmetric supersymmetric standard model. The charginos in this model have been separated into two sets, i.e. χ -chargino and ρ -chargino. The numerical results reveal that gluino or ρ -chargino predominantly dictate the predictions for BR (t → q V , q h), while the impact of neutralino or χ -chargino contributions is insignificant. By incorporating the constraints imposed by the squark mixing parameters from B ̄ → X s γ and B d , s 0 → μ + μ − , the theoretical predictions for BR(t → q g) can be significantly augmented to approximately (1 0 − 5 − 1 0 − 6). On the other hand, the values of BR(t → q γ , q Z , q h) are predicted to be at least four orders of magnitude below the current experimental limits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible regulation of bandgap of perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) is fundamentally critical for desirable optoelectronic functions and applications. Here, regulating chemical composition and emission wavelength of PNCs in glass by a simple heat‐treatment process are reported, which is established to rely on the thermal‐trigger phase separation and ion exchange. The first principle calculations are overall performed to reveal the mechanism of bandgap engineering and optimization of emission performance. The PNCs exhibit excellent stability against thermal, ultraviolet irradiation, and organic molecules. The bandgap of PNCs in the heat‐treated glass can also be re‐modulated by ultrafast laser irradiation. Ultrafast laser direct writing of multi‐color patterns and holographic dynamic displays are achieved, which hold great potential in the application of encryption‐decryption and emissive devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein this work, a novel donor‐π‐acceptor (D‐π‐A) pure‐blue hybrid local and charge‐transfer (HLCT) fluorescent material TDFBO and its functionalization as organic light emitting diode (OLED) emitter and photoinitiator (PI) in photopolymerization is reported. The weak‐hybridization property involved by the fluorene π‐bridge can simultaneously give satisfied photo‐luminescent quantum yield (PLQY) and make efficient “hot‐exciton” channel achievable. Moreover, the D‐π‐A structure can also promote an exceeding electron mobility as high as 3.57×10−4 cm2 V−1 s−1. Finally, it is noted that the TDFBO‐doped OLED can be regarded as the best one among the pure‐blue emissive OLEDs, which exhibits a high maximum external quantum efficiency of 11.1%, while the rolling‐off only stands on a low level, as 6% at 100 cd m−2. Additionally, a relatively high final conversion of C = C double bond in a representative acrylate monomer is also attained by photoinitiation of TDFBO under 405 nm LED, where the photopolymerization has been applied to 3D printing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, detection methods for rice microbial indicators are usually based on microbial culture or sensory detection methods, which are time‐consuming or require expertise and thus cannot meet the needs of on‐site rice testing when the rice is taken out of storage or traded. In order to develop a fast and non‐destructive method for detecting rice mildew, in this paper, micro‐computer vision technology is used to collect images of mildewed rice samples from 9 image locations. Then, a YOLO‐V5 convolutional neural network model is used to detect moldy areas of rice, and the mold coverage area is estimated. The relationship between the moldy areas and the total number of bacterial colonies in the image is obtained. The results show that the precision and the recall of the established YOLO‐v5 model in identifying the mildewed areas of rice in the validation set were 82.1% and 86.5%, respectively. Based on the mean mildewed area identified by the YOLO‐v5 model, the precision and recall for light mold detection were 100% and 95.3%, respectively. The proposed method based on micro‐computer vision and the YOLO convolutional neural network can be applied to the rapid detection of mildew in rice taken out of storage or traded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the worldwide pulsar timing array(PTA) collaborations, such as the Chinese Pulsar Timing Array (CPTA), the European PulsarTiming Array (EPTA), the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) and the Parkers Pulsar Timing Array (PPTA) published the analysis of PTA data, which is consistent with the Hellings–Downs curve, thus provides evidence for the existence of stochastic gravitational wave backgrounds (SGWB). In this paper, we will show that such SGWB signal observed by PTA can be explained by the gravitational waves (GWs) induced from double-inflection-point inflationary model in the framework of supergravity with a single chiral superfield. In this model, one of the inflection points leads to a large peak in the scalar power spectrum at small scales, and when this peak re-enters the horizon, it will induce GWs with the frequencies around nanohertz. In addition, we show that the high-density regions corresponding to the peak can collapse into planet-mass primordial black holes (PBHs), thus act as a component of dark matter (DM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • This paper mainly discusses the cells based on the inflammatory mechanism to discuss their functions after ICH. • Microglia can interact with a wide range of cells, which is important for both disease development and treatment. • We believe that exploring multi-mechanism and multi-cell regulated drugs may be the future development trend. The inflammatory mechanism of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) has been widely studied, and it is believed that the regulation of this mechanism is of great significance to the prognosis. In the early stage of the acute phase of ICH, the release of a large number of inflammatory factors around the hematoma can recruit more inflammatory cells to infiltrate the area, further release inflammatory factors, cause an inflammatory cascade reaction, aggravate the volume of cerebral hematoma and edema and further destroy the blood–brain barrier (BBB), according to this, the crosstalk between cells may be of great significance in secondary brain injury (SBI). Because most of the cells recruited are inflammatory immune cells, this paper mainly discusses the cells based on the inflammatory mechanism to discuss their functions after ICH, we found that among the main cells inherent in the brain, glial cells account for the majority, of which microglia are the most widely studied and it can interact with a variety of cells, which is reflected in the literature researches on its pathogenesis and treatment. We believe that exploring multi-mechanism and multi-cell regulated drugs may be the future development trend, and the existing research, the comparison and unification of modeling methods, and the observation of long-term efficacy may be the first problem that researchers need to solve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quasi-zero-stiffness (QZS) isolator has great application potential in the field of low-frequency vibration isolation due to its high-static and low-dynamic (HSLD) nonlinear stiffness characteristic, but it is precisely this characteristic that makes it very sensitive to load changes. Once the load changes, causing it to deviate from the equilibrium position, it no longer qualifies zero-stiffness characteristic, and the vibration isolation capacity will be significantly decrease. To make the QZS isolator possess variable load capacity and be more suitable for engineering practice, an active QZS vibration isolator based on electromagnetic actuator is designed in this paper, which eliminates the influence of load changes through the active force of the electromagnetic actuator. First, the dynamic equation of the isolator is established by Newton–Euler method, and the dynamic characteristic of the isolator under standard load and load variations are analyzed through improved incremental harmonic balance (IHB) method based on discrete Fourier transform (DFT). Next, the improved particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm are employed to optimize the Proportion Integration Differentiation (PID) controller parameters. Then, the vibration isolation performance of QZS isolator in controlled and uncontrolled and linear systems in the same control state are compared in frequency domain and time domain, respectively. Finally, the performance of active QZS isolator under load variation is discussed. The results indicate that the isolation performance of the QZS isolator under active control is significantly better than in uncontrolled conditions and the controlled linear system. When the load changes, real-time compensation through the actuator output control force can also enable the QZS isolator to achieve a better vibration isolation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The advantages of anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF) were well published, while research on postoperative results in different subtypes of cervical disk herniation (CDH) still remains blank. This study aimed to explore the surgical outcome between sequestration and other types in CDH. Methods: This retrospective cohort study enrolled 108 patients treated with ACDF in our hospital. The participants were divided into two groups according to the existence of a sequestered disk. The Visual analog scale score, the Japanese Orthopedics Association (JOA) score and the Neck disability index score were used to evaluate postoperative outcome. Results: Significant improvements were observed in both groups at every viewpoint (P < 0.001). The mean JOA was 15.04 ± 1.26 in the sequestered disk group and 14.45 ± 1.43 in the non-sequestered disk group two months after the operation (P = 0.026 < 0.05). The improvement in JOA at two months after ACDF showed a significant difference: 46.58% ± 39.17% in the sequestered disk group and 33.39% ± 28.82% in the non-sequestered disk group (P = 0.047 < 0.05). Thirty-two patients in the sequestered disk group (64%) and 19 patients in the non-sequestered disk group (32.76%) presented with high signal intensity of the spinal cord on preoperative cervical T2-weighted MRI (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Patients with sequestered cervical disks seemed to have a higher degree of symptom improvement two months after ACDF. CDH with a sequestered disk appears to be more likely to cause high signal intensity changes in the compressed cervical spine on T2-weighted MRI. We prefer early positive surgery in patients with sequestered cervical disks from the clinical point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: There are increasing case reports on de novo or relapsing IgA nephropathy (IgAN) following SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, although the follow-up information on renal outcomes in IgAN patients post-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is limited. In this study, we evaluated the renal outcomes of IgAN patients following inactivated vaccines. Methods: We investigated the change in eGFR, proteinuria and hematuria in 113 primary IgAN patients post-vaccination. Worsening proteinuria was defined as an increase in proteinuria by more than 0.5 times and proteinuria > 1 g/d. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis were used to evaluate possible predictors of worsening proteinuria. We then compared the renal outcomes of vaccinated patients after 6 months with 101 unvaccinated patients who were followed during the same period. Results: A 2.54% (0.64, 8.61) decrease in renal function was observed in post-vaccination patients. Subgroup analysis revealed a significant decrease in eGFR in patients with 30 ≤ eGFR < 60 (mL/min/1.73 m2) post second SARS-CoV-2 dose (n = 18, p = 0.01). In addition, 10 individuals displayed worsening proteinuria post-vaccination, with the proteinuria subsequently ameliorating significantly after 6-month. Multivariate analysis showed that higher eGFR levels was an independent protective factor for worsening proteinuria. The renal outcome tended towards a decrease in eGFR in vaccinated patients after 6 months follow-up, although the difference was not significant (p = 0.06). Conclusion: Kidney function in IgAN patients tended to worsen after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, particularly those with initial poor kidney function. This pattern of disease flare appears to be clinically mild, and further research is needed to determine whether the impact on kidney function is long-term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochar (BC) has garnered extensive attention as a carbon sequestration solution. This study comprehensively reviews of the effects of BC on the buildup, protection, stabilization, and mineralization of soil organic carbon (SOC). The input of BC-derived carbon alters soil carbon quality by changing SOC content and aromaticity. BC also affects processes controlling substrate accessibility, such as physical protection of SOC by soil aggregates and organo-mineral interaction. Changes in soil carbon quality and physicochemical properties further alter carbon source availability and microbial habitat, thereby affecting the microbial decomposition of SOC. Of particular importance is the soil aggregation process, which regulates the distribution and turnover of microbial necromass and SOC fraction in different aggregates. The "microbial carbon pump" concept framework highlights the pivotal role of microbial necromass in the formation of soil stable carbon pool. BC can affect the accumulation and decomposition of microbial necromass carbon in the bulk soil and different aggregates, thereby changing the soil carbon pool composition and stability. The newly proposed "mineral carbon pump" hypothesis further emphasizes the crucial role of organo-mineral interaction in stabilizing SOC. Further research is required to understand the role of viable microbial biomass and dead microbial necromass in SOC turnover, as well as the extent and mechanism of the interaction between BC and soil minerals. Long-term ecosystem effects of BC, as well as the resilience of BC-soil system to climate change, need to be clarified to determine the rationality of BC application in the context of global change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capturing global and subtle discriminative information using attention mechanisms is essential to address the challenge of inter-class high similarity for vehicle re-identification (Re-ID) task. Mixing self-information of nodes or modeling context based on pairwise dependencies between nodes are the core ideas of current advanced attention mechanisms. This paper aims to explore how to utilize both dependency context and self-context in an efficient way to facilitate attention to learn more effectively. We propose a heterogeneous context interaction (HCI) attention mechanism that infers the weights of nodes from the interactions of global dependency contexts and local self-contexts to enhance the effect of attention learning. To reduce computational complexity, global dependency contexts are modeled by aggregating number-compressed pairwise dependencies, and the interactions of heterogeneous contexts are restricted to a certain range. Based on this mechanism, we propose a heterogeneous context interaction network (HCI-Net), which uses channel heterogeneous context interaction module (CHCI) and spatial heterogeneous context interaction module (SHCI), and introduces a rigid partitioning strategy to extract important global and fine-grained features. In addition, we design a non-similarity constraint (NSC) that forces the HCI-Net to learn diverse subtle discriminative information. The experiment results on two large datasets, VeRi-776 and VehicleID, show that our proposed HCI-Net achieves the state-of-the-art performance. In particular, the mean average precision (mAP) reaches 83.8% on VeRi-776 dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, an adaptive fuzzy backstepping fault-tolerant control (FTC) issue is tackled for uncertain fractional-order (FO) nonlinear systems with sensor and actuator faults. A fuzzy logic system is exploited to manage unknown nonlinearity. In addition, a novel FO nonlinear filter-based dynamic surface control (DSC) method is constructed, effectively avoiding the inherent complexity explosion problem in the backstepping recursive process, and in the light of the construction of auxiliary functions, compensating the coupling term introduced by faults. On account of certain assumptions, the stability criterion of the FO Lyapunov function is applied to guarantee the stability of the closed-loop system. Finally, the simulation example verifies the validity of the presented control strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of the rapid development of intelligence and miniaturization in electronics, the growing demand for sustainable energy sources gives rise to a plethora of environmental/mechanical energy harvesters. However, the fluctuating nature of these generated energies frequently presents a challenge to their immediate usability. Although electrolytic capacitors can smooth fluctuating energy, lacking miniaturization and flexibility constrain their potential applications. Conversely, electrochemical capacitors (ECs), particularly fiber‐shaped electrochemical capacitors (FSECs), can offer superior flexibility. Nevertheless, the inherent trade‐off between ion transport and charge storage in fibrous electrodes poses a significant obstacle to their filtering capability. Here, a hierarchically 3D fibrous electrode that effectively balances ion transport and charge storage through its unhindered primary framework and intertwined secondary frameworks is presented. The resulting FSEC exhibits an exceptional specific areal capacitance of 1.37 mF cm−2 with a phase angle of −82° at 120 Hz, surpassing that of fiber‐shaped filter capacitors and most non‐fibrous filter ECs previously reported. Additionally, the FSEC displays excellent flexibility and high‐frequency response, rendering it well‐suited for filtering arbitrary ripple voltage and compatible with environmental/mechanical energy harvesters. These results demonstrate a promising approach for designing fibrous high‐frequency response electrodes and a foundation for portable environmental energy harvesting devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking the Madoi MS 7.4 earthquake of 21 May 2021 as an example, this paper proposes using time series prediction models to predict the outgoing long-wave radiation (OLR) anomalies and study short-term pre-earthquake signals. Five time series prediction models, including autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) and long short-term memory (LSTM), were trained with the OLR time series data of the aseismic moments in the 5° × 5° spatial range around the epicenter. The model with the highest prediction accuracy was selected to retrospectively predict the OLR values during the aseismic period and before the earthquake in the area. It was found, by comparing the predicted time series values with the actual time series value, that the similarity indexes of the two time series before the earthquake were lower than the index of the aseismic period, indicating that the predicted time series before the earthquake significantly differed from the actual time series. Meanwhile, the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of the anomalies in the 90 days before the earthquake were analyzed with a 95% confidence interval as the criterion of the anomalies, and the following was found: out of 25 grids, 18 grids showed anomalies—the anomalies of the different grids appeared on similar dates, and the anomalies of high values appeared centrally at the time of the earthquake, which supports the hypothesis that pre-earthquake signals may be associated with the earthquake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is devoted to a nonlinear filter-based adaptive fuzzy output-feedback control scheme for uncertain fractional-order (FO) nonlinear systems with unknown external disturbance. Fuzzy logic systems (FLSs) are applied to estimate unknown nonlinear dynamics, and a new FO fuzzy state observer based on a nonlinear disturbance observer is established for simultaneously estimating the unmeasurable states and mixed disturbance. Then, with the aid of auxiliary functions, a novel FO nonlinear filter is given to approximately replace the virtual control functions, together with the corresponding fractional derivative, which not only erases the inherent complexity explosion problem under the framework of backstepping, but also completely compensates for the effects of the boundary errors induced by the constructed filters compared to the previous FO linear filter method. Under certain assumptions, and in line with the FO stability criterion, the stability of the controlled system is ensured. An FO Chua–Hartley simulation study is presented to verify the validity of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pre-training emerges as a new learning paradigm in natural language processing and computer vision. It has also been introduced into sequential recommendation in several seminal studies for alleviating data sparsity issue. However, existing methods adopt the bidirectional transformer as the encoder which suffers from two drawbacks. One is insufficient intention modeling since the transformer architecture is suitable for extracting distributed consumption intention but cannot well catch users' concentrated and occasion consumption intentions. The other is information leakage caused by foreseeing the future item in advance during the bidirectional encoding process. To address these problems, we propose to construct more effective encoders in pre-training for sequential recommendation. Specifically, we first decouple the original bidirectional process in transformer structure into two unidirectional processes which can avoid the information leakage problem and capture the distributed consumption intention. We then employ the locality-aware convolutional neural networks (CNNs) with narrow receptive field for concentrated consumption modeling. We also introduce a random shuffle strategy to empower CNN with the ability of modeling the occasion consumption. Experiments on five datasets demonstrate that our method improves the performance of various types of downstream sequential recommendation models to a large extent, and it also generates the overall better performance than the state-of-the-art self-supervised pre-training methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is a highly heterogeneous disease, and although immunotherapy has recently increased patient survival in a number of solid and hematologic malignancies, most BC subtypes respond poorly to immune checkpoint blockade therapy (ICB). B cells, particularly those that congregate in tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), play a significant role in antitumour immunity. However, B‐cell heterogeneity at single‐cell resolution and its clinical significance with TLS in BC need to be explored further. Methods: Primary tumour lesions and surrounding normal tissues were taken from 14 BC patients, totaling 124,587 cells, for single‐cell transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. Results: Based on the usual markers, the single‐cell transcriptome profiles were classified into various clusters. A thorough single‐cell study was conducted with a focus on tumour‐infiltrating B cells (TIL‐B) and tumour‐associated neutrophils (TAN). TIL‐B was divided into five clusters, and unusual cell types, such as follicular B cells, which are strongly related to immunotherapy efficacy, were identified. In BC, TAN and TIL‐B infiltration are positively correlated, and at the same time, compared with TLS‐high, TAN and TIL‐B in TLS‐low group are significantly positively correlated. Conclusions: In conclusion, our study highlights the heterogeneity of B cells in BC, explains how B cells and TLS contribute significantly to antitumour immunity at both the single‐cell and clinical level, and offers a straightforward marker for TLS called CD23. These results will offer more pertinent information on the applicability and effectiveness of tumour immunotherapy for BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zero-Shot Learning (ZSL) has made significant progress driven by deep learning and is being promoted further with the advent of generative models. Despite the success of these methods, the type and number of unseen categories are nailed in the generative models, which makes it challenging to recognize unseen categories in an incremental manner, and the profits of some superior performance algorithms largely arise from their advanced capability of feature extraction, such as Transformers. This paper rigidly follows the assumptions introduced in conventional ZSL and proposes a visual feature filtering method based on a semantic mapping model, namely, filtering visual features through class-specific filters to effectively remove class-agnostic information. Extensive experiments are conducted on four benchmark datasets and have achieved very competitive performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of reflective p-type Ohmic contact is an effective way to solve current crowding and improve the optoelectronic performance of flip-chip light-emitting diodes (FCLEDs). Here, we investigate the effects of annealing temperature, annealing time, and N2 flow rate on the formation for Ag/p-GaN Ohmic contact and determine the optimal annealing process parameters. After inserting an indium-tin oxide layer between Ag and p-GaN, the specific contact resistance decreases from 6.66 × 10−3 to 1.86 × 10−3 Ω cm2. In addition, we discover the appearance of a "black line" around the edges of the chips after high-temperature annealing. Finite element analysis and experiments show that the "black line" is related to Ag agglomeration under high temperatures due to stress concentration at the edges of the chips. A strategy for manipulating the stress concentration by adjusting the thickness of the TiW diffusion barrier layer is proposed based on insight obtained by modeling the stress distribution at the edge of the chips. The electrical properties of the fabricated FCLEDs show that the proposed stress manipulation strategy solves the problem of "black line" effectively and maintains the performance of the chips well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical engineering in lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) has garnered significant attention for tailoring optoelectronic properties, such as bandgap, quantum yield (QY), and stability. Here, pure blue emissive PNCs in glass by using ultrafast laser are reported. The emission wavelength is tuned in the range from 461 to 520 nm by engineering the chemical composition in the B‐site Cd/Pb mix‐cation system. The photoluminescence (PL) QY of CsCdxPb1−xBr3 PNCs reaches 13.4% for the pure blue emission at 467 nm, which is twice that of CsPbBryCl3−y PNCs. The pure blue emissive PNCs exhibit remarkable stability when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, heat, and ethanol solvents. The ultrafast laser print patterns can be encrypted and decrypted for information, which shows great potential for crucial information security applications. These results imply that B‐site engineering for lead halide PNCs embedded in glass is effective to tailor the PL spectra and increase the PL QY. The pure blue emissive PNCs hold great potential in the applications of blue and full‐color emissive devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: Cu species with tunable loading supported on N-doped TiO2/C were successfully fabricated utilizing MOFs@CuPc precursors via the pre-anchor and post-pyrolysis strategy. Cu species with tunable loading supported on N-doped TiO2/C were successfully fabricated utilizing MOFs@CuPc precursors via the pre-anchor and post-pyrolysis strategy. Restructured CuN4&Cu4 performed the highest NH3 yield (88.2 mmol h−1 gcata−1) and FE (~94.3%) at − 0.75 V due to optimal adsorption of NO3− and rapid conversion of the key intermediates. Direct electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NITRR) is a promising strategy to alleviate the unbalanced nitrogen cycle while achieving the electrosynthesis of ammonia. However, the restructuration of the high-activity Cu-based electrocatalysts in the NITRR process has hindered the identification of dynamical active sites and in-depth investigation of the catalytic mechanism. Herein, Cu species (single-atom, clusters, and nanoparticles) with tunable loading supported on N-doped TiO2/C are successfully manufactured with MOFs@CuPc precursors via the pre-anchor and post-pyrolysis strategy. Restructuration behavior among Cu species is co-dependent on the Cu loading and reaction potential, as evidenced by the advanced operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and there exists an incompletely reversible transformation of the restructured structure to the initial state. Notably, restructured CuN4&Cu4 deliver the high NH3 yield of 88.2 mmol h−1 gcata−1 and FE (~ 94.3%) at − 0.75 V, resulting from the optimal adsorption of NO3− as well as the rapid conversion of *NH2OH to *NH2 intermediates originated from the modulation of charge distribution and d-band center for Cu site. This work not only uncovers CuN4&Cu4 have the promising NITRR but also identifies the dynamic Cu species active sites that play a critical role in the efficient electrocatalytic reduction in nitrate to ammonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gejiu ore district (~ 3.2 Mt Sn) is located in eastern Yunnan Province, southwest China, and is one of the largest Sn polymetallic ore districts in the world. Athough it has been widely studied, the petrogenesis of ore-related granites is still unclear. In this paper, we present petrological, geochemical, and geochronological data on the granites associated with the Kafang Cu–Sn deposit in the Gejiu ore district (65 Mt Cu ore at a grade of 1.2% and 32 Mt Sn ore at a grade of 0.6%). We use these data to constrain the source, evolution, oxygen fugacity, and tectonic setting of the granitic magmatism. Zircon U–Pb dating yielded an age of 82.8 ± 0.6 Ma for the Kafang granite. The high zircon δ18O values (7.45–9.74‰; mean = 8.80‰) and narrow range of εNd(t) values (–9.0 to –7.7) of the Kafang granite indicate a highly evolved S-type granite derived by partial melting of metamorphic basement rocks of the Jiangnan orogenic belt. Rayleigh fractional crystallization modeling, along with the increase in Hf and Sn contents and decrease in Eu/Eu* values of zircons, record extensive fractional crystallization, and Sn enrichment during magmatic evolution. The Kafang granite was relatively reduced, as evidenced by low zircon Ce/Ce* (10.0–366; mean = 171), (Ce/Nd)N (0.76–8.32; mean = 4.41), △FMQ (–2.5 to 1.2) values, and Fe3+-depleted biotite compositions (Fe3+/(Fe3+ + Fe2+) = 0–0.10), which were favorable for Sn mineralization but not for Cu mineralization. Copper in the Kafang deposit may not have been derived from the granite. Our results suggest that biotite and zircon geochemical compositions, particularly biotite Mg# and A/CNK values and zircon Hf contents, Eu anomalies, and Ce/Ce* and (Ce/Nd)N ratios, are robust tracers of different types of magmatic-hydrothermal ore deposits (i.e., Cu, Mo, W, and Sn). Late Cretaceous magmatism in the Gejiu region and other areas along the southern margin of South China formed an E–W-trending igneous belt that was likely related to northward subduction of the Neo-Tethyan plate rather than northwestward subduction of the Paleo-Pacific plate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy recovery from biowaste is of high significance for a sustainable society. Herein, hydrothermal treatment (HT) was applied to valorize pig manure digestate. The effects of hydrothermal operational parameters, including temperature (130-250 °C), residence time (15-90 min), and total solid (TS) concentration (10%-20%), on reducing sugar yield were investigated in this study. Among them, hydrothermal temperature was identified as the most important factor influencing reducing sugar yield, followed by the TS concentration and time. The optimal hydrothermal conditions for the pig manure digestate were 175.6 °C, 35.4 min and a TS concentration of 10% with a reduced sugar yield of 9.81 mg gTS−1. The addition of hydrolysate could enhance methane production by 21.6-50.4% from the anaerobic digestion of pig manure than that without the hydrolysate addition. After HT, the hygienic quality, including fecal coliform number and ascaris egg mortality, was improved in the residual digestate. Antibiotics such as sulfamonomethoxine, oxytetracycline, doxycycline and sulfaclodazine in the pig manure digestate were decomposed during HT and decreased environmental risk. These findings indicated that the hydrothermal process might be an effective technique to recover energy from the digestate of livestock and poultry manure and to improve the residual digestate for subsequent utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Assessing the prognosis preoperatively in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) remains a challenge for urologists. Gross hematuria (GH) and flank pain (FP) are the 2 most common and easily perceived symptoms of UTUC. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the prognostic values of GH and FP in patients with UTUC after undergoing radical nephroureterectomy (RNU). Methods: This article retrospectively analyzed 179 patients with UTUC who underwent RNU and examined the associations between the FP, GH, and long-term survival. After dividing patients into 4 subgroups (presenting as GH without FP, FP without GH, no FP and GH, FP with GH), we focused on the prognostic values of the 4 subgroups using univariate and multivariate analyses. We then proposed a risk stratification model for UTUC based on the independent prognostic factors for cancer-specific survival (CSS) with external validation (146 additional UTUC patients formed the validation cohort). Results: Patients with FP had worse oncological outcomes than those without FP (P <.05). After dividing the 179 patients into 4 subgroups, the "FP without GH" subgroup suffered the worst oncological outcomes (P <.001). The Cox multivariate regression analysis showed that "FP without GH" (P <.001), tumor multifocality (P =.005), and pathological stage (P =.004) were independent prognostic factors for CSS. Good performance of the risk stratification model was achieved in both the training and external validation cohorts. Conclusion: The presence of "flank pain without gross hematuria" was one of the independent risk factors of CSS and OS besides the pathological stage and tumor multifocality. To our knowledge, this is the first study that adding complaint to risk stratification model in UTUC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite exosome promise as endogenous drug delivery vehicles, the current understanding of exosome may be insufficient to develop their various applications. Here we synthesized five sialic acid analogues with different length N-acyl side chains and screened out the optimal metabolic precursor for exosome labeling via bio-orthogonal click chemistry. In proof-of-principle labeling experiments, exosomes derived from macrophages (RAW-Exo) strongly co-localized with central nervous system (CNS) microglia. Inspired by this discovery, we developed a resveratrol-loaded RAW-Exo formulation (RSV&Exo) for multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment. Intranasal administration of RSV&Exo significantly inhibited inflammatory responses in the CNS and peripheral system in a mouse model of MS and effectively improved the clinical evolution of MS in vivo. These findings suggested the feasibility and efficacy of engineered RSV&Exo administration for MS, providing a potential therapeutic strategy for CNS diseases. [Display omitted] • Synthesized and screened out the optimal metabolic precursor of sialic acid analogues for exosome labeling via bio-orthogonal click chemistry. • Macrophages-derived exosome can target central nervous system microglia. • Resveratrol-loaded macrophages-derived exosome significantly alleviate multiple sclerosis through targeting microglia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy dispatching and distribution ability is improved by optimizing the configuration of hybrid energy storage capacity of multi-energy system in low-carbon background, and an optimal configuration method of hybrid energy storage capacity of multi-energy system in low-carbon background based on equilibrium control and dynamic optimization algorithm is proposed. The data structure model of hybrid energy storage capacity distribution of multi-energy system is constructed. Under the condition that the energy storage optimal allocation model based on cost analysis meets the system performance index, the energy storage optimal allocation model is established with the objective function of minimizing the cost of configuring energy storage system, and with the objective of minimizing the fluctuation of active power of distributed power sources, such as wind and light. Taking the penalty cost of wind energy storage combined output power exceeding the fluctuation limit as the objective function, low-pass filtering method is adopted to stabilize the fluctuation of new energy power, and the optimal configuration capacity of energy storage system is determined according to the allowable frequency deviation and voltage stability of the system. Balanced control and dynamic optimization algorithm are adopted to realize the optimal configuration of hybrid energy storage capacity of multi-energy system under low-carbon background by combining different wind and solar energy combinations, different sampling intervals and different number of power stations. The simulation results show that the hybrid energy storage capacity allocation of multi-energy system has strong adaptability and high environmental adaptability, which effectively improves the transient stability of power grid system and further promotes the safe and stable operation of power grid system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Various therapeutic strategies are available for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC). But which approach is the most cost-effective remains uncertain. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of first-line strategies in aHCC patients from the perspective of Chinese and US payers. Design: A network meta-analysis (NMA) and cost-effectiveness study. Data sources and methods: A NMA was conducted to collect all first-line strategies with aHCC from 1 October 1 2018 until 1 January 2022. The relevant randomized controlled trial literature in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library for the last 3 years were searched. The abstracts of meetings of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, European Society of Medical Oncology, and American Association for Cancer Research were also reviewed. A Markov model that included three states was developed. One-way sensitivity and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were performed to investigate the uncertainty of the economic evaluation. Scenario analysis was conducted to explore the economic benefits of treatment strategies in low-income populations. Results: Base-case analysis in China included 1712 patients showed that atezolizumab combined with bevacizumab, sintilimab combined with bevacizumab, lenvatinib (LEVA), and sorafenib (SORA) added 0.46, 1.25, 0.77, and −1.08 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), respectively, compared with donafenib, resulting in an incremental cost-effective ratio of $85607.88, $12109.27, and $1651.47 per QALY at a willingness-to-pay (WTP) of $11101.70/QALY. In the United States, only the incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) of SORA was higher that were lower than the WTP threshold ($69375/QALY), and LEVA was the most cost-effective strategy with the ICERs were 25022.13/QALY. Conclusion: The NMA and cost-effectiveness analysis revealed that LEVA is the favorite choice in the first-line treatment of Chinese aHCC patients and US payers' perspective when the WTP was $11101.70/QALY in China and $69375.0/QALY in the United States. Registration: This study has been registered on the PROSPERO database with the registration number CRD42021286575. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spin-crossover (SCO) materials have been extensively investigated in the past few decades with promising applications in a wide range of fields including displays, sensors, and storage components. The introduction of secondary physical properties to SCO materials resulting in bifunctional materials is becoming a research hot spot. In particular, for the fluorescent SCO materials, fluorescence can serve as a sensitive probe that easily expresses the spin-state changes of SCO materials; therefore, fluorescent SCO bifunctional materials have promising applications in the fields of magneto-optical switching and information processing. In this perspective, we briefly review the main synthetic strategies and progresses in fluorescent SCO materials in the last twenty years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Central nervous system (CNS) diseases threaten the health of people all over the world. However, due to the structural and functional particularities of the brain and spinal cord, CNS-targeted drug development is rather challenging. Exosomes are small cellular vesicles with lipid bilayers that can be secreted by almost all cells and play important roles in intercellular communication. The advantages of low immunogenicity, the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, and the flexibility of drug encapsulation make them stand out among CNS drug delivery tools. Herein, we reviewed the research on exosomes in CNS drug delivery over the past decade and outlined the impact of the drug loading mode, administration route, and engineered modification on CNS targeting. Finally, we highlighted the problems and prospects of exosomes as CNS drug delivery tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though numerous organic dyes which are used as photoinitiators/photocatalysts during photopolymerization have been systematically investigated and collected in previous reviews, further designs of these chromophores and the developments in high-performance photoinitiating systems have emerged in recent years, which play the crucial role in 3D printing/Vat polymerization. Here, in this mini-review, various families of organic dyes that are used as newly synthesized photoinitiators/photocatalysts which were reported in literature during 2021–2022 are specified by their photoinitiation mechanisms, which dominate their performance during photopolymerization, especially in 3D printing. Markedly, visible light-induced polymerization could be employed in circumstances not only upon the irradiation of artificial light sources, e.g., in LEDs, but also in sunlight irradiation. Furthermore, a short overview of the achievements of newly developed mechanisms, e.g., RAFT, photoinitiator-RAFT, and aqueous RAFT using organic chromophores as light-harvesting compounds to induce photopolymerization upon visible light irradiation are also thoroughly discussed. Finally, the reports on the semiconducting nanomaterials that have been used as photoinitiators/photocatalysts during photopolymerization are also introduced as perspectives that are able to expand the scope of 3D printing and materials science due to their various advantages such as high extinction coefficients, broad absorption spectra, and having multiple molecular binding points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Obturator hernia is an infrequent pelvic hernia observed in elderly, emaciated and multiparous women. It often presents with nonspecific clinical symptoms, making it difficult to diagnose. Methods: We conducted a retrospective descriptive study on 11 patients admitted to our hospital for obturator hernia from 2009 to 2020. Results: All the patients were diagnosed with intestinal obstruction due to incarcerated obturator hernia preoperatively. Eight patients underwent laparotomy with low midline incision. Laparoscopic approach was tried on the other three patients with two patients converting to open surgery because of inadequate visualization, and only one patient received laparoscopic repair. Of the 10 patients receiving laparotomy, seven cases received obturator hernia repair with a match and three cases were subjected to bowel resection (two cases intestinal necrosis and one case intestinal perforation). Simple peritoneal closure was performed on the three contaminated cases. One patient died of septic shock and multiple organ failure. Conclusion: The emergent computed tomography allow for early and precise diagnosis of incarcerated obturator hernia. Laparotomy with low midline incision is commonly used to manage obturator hernia in an emergency, whereas laproscopic approach may only apply to some selected cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quasi-zero-stiffness (QZS) Gough-Stewart vibration isolation platform is designed for six degrees-of-freedom (DOFs) low-frequency vibration isolation. Lots of studies regarding the amplitude-frequency relationship of the platform are based on the assumption that interference with the platform in one direction only provokes a response in that direction. This assumption artificially decouples a six DOFs coupling model into six single DOF equations, ignoring the coupling relationship between each DOFs, making the analysis results inaccurate. Therefore, without simplifying the nonlinear terms and taking the coupling effect into consideration, the improved Incremental Harmonic Balance Method (IHBM) is employed to discuss the coupling relationship between different DOFs of the QZS Gough-Stewart vibration isolation platform. The results show that the platform has multiple equilibrium positions. When the platform is excited from different directions, it will vibrate at different equilibrium positions, and the closer these positions are to the zero-stiffness position, the more likely the system is to exhibit jump phenomenon and sudden increases in response. The platform exhibits a single-directional response only when excited from the z -direction. Through comparative study, it is found that the cubic configuration can weaken the coupling effect between each DOFs compared with the general configuration. • The improved method can analyze the coupled vibration characteristics of the vibration isolation platform. • In addition to the zero-stiffness position, the platform also has multiple equilibrium positions. • The platform will vibrate at different equilibrium positions under excitation in different directions. • The coupling between the degrees of freedom of the cubic configuration is relatively weak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underpinned by Positive Psychology, this study sought to unravel the relationships among teacher emotions (i.e., enjoyment, anxiety, and anger), teaching quality (i.e., cognitive activation, student support, and classroom management), and a novel concept − language teacher immunity − among 77 middle school teachers and their students (n = 1,861) in English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) contexts. Multilevel structural-equation modelling was implemented to account for the nested structure of the data and to examine the interplay of the target constructs. The results showed that EFL teacher immunity and teaching quality were significantly influenced by teacher emotions. Both constructs were positively related to teacher enjoyment and negatively to teacher anxiety and anger. Additionally, teacher immunity partially mediated the association between teacher emotions and teaching quality. These findings indicated that happy and robustly immunised EFL teachers are more liable to offer quality teaching and improve students' learning experiences, thus highlighting the necessity of boosting language teachers' positive emotional experiences and psychological well-being. Implications for EFL teacher education and future research were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ischemic stroke is one of the most serious global public health problems. However, the performance of current therapeutic regimens is limited due to their poor target specificity, narrow therapeutic time window, and compromised therapeutic effect. To overcome these barriers, we designed an ischemia-homing bioengineered nano-scavenger by camouflaging a catalase (CAT)-loaded self-assembled tannic acid (TA) nanoparticle with a M2-type microglia membrane (TPC@M2 NPs) for ischemic stroke treatment. Results: The TPC@M2 NPs can on-demand release TA molecules to chelate excessive Fe2+, while acid-responsively liberating CAT to synergistically scavenge multiple ROS (·OH, ·O2−, and H2O2). Besides, the M2 microglia membrane not only can be served as bioinspired therapeutic agents to repolarize M1 microglia into M2 phenotype but also endows the nano-scavenger with ischemia-homing and BBB-crossing capabilities. Conclusions: The nano-scavenger for specific clearance of multiple pathogenic elements to alleviate inflammation and protect neurons holds great promise for combating ischemic stroke and other inflammation-related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We previously reported that the Vibrio vulnificus hemolysin A (VvhA) protein elicited good immune protection and could effectively control V. vulnificus infection in mice. However, its molecular mechanism remains unknown. We hypothesized that hemolysin A induces an immunoprotective response via IL-21 regulation. To demonstrate this, IL-21 expression in mice was regulated by injecting either specific antibodies or rIL-21, and the immune response was evaluated by flow cytometry. Our results suggested that IL-21 enhances immune protection by inducing a T follicular helper cell and germinal center B cell response. We used RNA-seq to explore molecular mechanisms and identified 10 upregulated and 32 downregulated genes involved in IL-21-upregulated protection. Gene Ontology analysis and pathway analysis of the differentially expressed genes were also performed. Our findings indicate that IL-21 can enhance the immune protection effect of the VvhA protein and may serve as a novel strategy for enhancing the immune protection effect of protein vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: H. pylori (Hp) infection has been indicated in the pathogenesis of gastric diseases including gastric cancer (GC). This study aimed at exploring the relationships between Hp infection and gastric diseases including GC in a large dataset of routine patients undergoing gastroscopy. Methods: From November 2007 to December 2017, 70,534 first-time visiting patients aged 18–94 years with gastroscopic biopsies were histologically diagnosed and analyzed. Patients' data were entered twice in an Excel spreadsheet database and analyzed using the SPSS (version 22.0) software package and statistical significance was defined as P<0.05 for all analyses. Results: The first interesting observation was age-related twin-peak prevalence profiles (TPPs) for Hp infection, gastritis, and advanced diseases with different time spans (TS) between the first and second occurring peaks. Hp infection and gastritis had TPPs occurring at earlier ages than TPPs of gastric introepithelial neoplasia (GIN) and GC. More patients were clustered at the second occurring TPPs. The time spans (TS) from the first occurring peak of Hp infection to the first occurring peaks of other gastric diseases varied dramatically with 0–5 years for gastritis; 5–15 years for GINs, and 5–20 years for GC, respectively. The number of males with Hp infection and gastric diseases, excluding non-atrophic gastritis (NAG), was more than that of females (P<0.001). Conclusions: We have first observed age-related twin-peak prevalence profiles for Hp infection, gastritis, GIN, and GC, respectively, among a large population of patients undergoing gastroscopy. The second prevalence peak of GC is at ages of 70–74 years indicating that many GC patients would be missed during screening because the cut-off age for screening is 69 years old in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relations in knowledge graphs have rich relational structures and various binary relational patterns. Various relation modelling strategies are proposed for embedding knowledge graphs, but they fail to fully capture both features of relations, rich relational structures and various binary relational patterns. To address the problem of insufficient embedding due to the complexity of the relations, we propose a novel knowledge graph representation model in complex space, namely MARS, to exploit complex relations to embed knowledge graphs. MARS takes the mechanisms of complex numbers and message-passing and then embeds triplets into relation-specific complex hyperplanes. Thus, MARS can well preserve various relation patterns, as well as structural information in knowledge graphs. In addition, we find that the scores generated from the score function approximate a Gaussian distribution. The scores in the tail cannot effectively represent triplets. To address this particular issue and improve the precision of embeddings, we use the standard deviation to limit the dispersion of the score distribution, resulting in more accurate embeddings of triplets. Comprehensive experiments on multiple benchmarks demonstrate that our model significantly outperforms existing state-of-the-art models for link prediction and triple classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upper Carboniferous-Middle Permian platform margin reef-shoal reservoirs are one of the most important exploration targets for the northwestern margin of Tarim Basin. In order to obtain a clear understanding of the controlling factors for the platform margin reef-shoal development, field outcrops in the Wushi area, northwestern margin of Tarim Basin had been studied in this article by field measurements, thin section identification, carbon and oxygen isotope testing, and ancient provenance analysis. Studies have shown that the platform margin reefs in the Wushi area were dominated by algae reefs, and the platform margin shoals are dominated by bioclastic shoals and gravel shoals. The characteristics of algal bind inside grains were common. During the Zhaerjiake period, interbedded reefs and shoals were the main type, and platform marginal reefs were of the progressive type. During the Balediertage period, huge thick platform margin reefs were the main type, and the platform margin reefs were of accretion-weak progressive type. The development controlling factors of the platform margin reef-shoal are mainly relative sea-level change, palaeosource, and paleogeomorphy. Relative sea-level changes controlled the development characteristics and superposition mode of the platform margin reef-shoal; there were two sides of the influence of the palaeosource on the platform margin reef-shoal; the paleogeomorphology controlled the development position and spreading scale of platform margin reef-shoal. In the covering area, the platform margin reef-shoal reservoirs adjacent to the fault zone and with large sedimentary thickness might have a good prospect for hydrocarbon exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fractional-slot concentrated-windings (FSCWs) interior permanent magnet (IPM) synchronous machines (IPMSMs) provide several advantages compared with other types of electric machines and have promising applications in electric vehicles (EVs). Minimizing the cogging torque and torque ripple of this type of motors is essential for improving output torque and driving stability. This article proposes a method for optimizing the torque performance of IPMSM with single-layer FSCW. At first, the theoretical analysis of cogging torque and torque ripple is conducted as the research basis for the optimization. The key point of this method is to describe the structure of the rotor notch as determined by seven design parameters. Then, the response surface methodology (RSM) is adopted to analyze the relationships between torque performance and design parameters. For the multiobjective optimization process, the seagull optimization algorithm (SOA) is introduced to obtain the optimal solution. After the optimization, the torque ripple of the motor achieves a significant reduction and the output torque is also improved. The advantages and reliability are compared and analyzed. Finally, a prototype is manufactured to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simiao Yong'an decoction (SMYAD), a classic traditional Chinese medicine formula, has been used to treat atherosclerosis (AS) in clinical in China, but its therapeutic mechanism and pharmacodynamic material basis are not clear. In this study, the AS model was caused by a high-fat diet and perivascular carotid collar placement (PCCP), and SMYAD was orally administered to the model and normal mice. A rapid, sensitive, selective, and reliable method using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) system combined with a Q Exactive HF-X mass spectrometer (UHPLC-Q Exactive HF-X MS) was established and validated for the simultaneous determination of seven compounds, including harpagide, chlorogenic acid, swertiamarin, sweroside, angoroside C, liquiritin, and isoliquiritigenin in the plasma of normal and AS mice. The specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, recovery, and stability of the method were all within the acceptable criteria. The results showed that some pharmacokinetic behaviors of harpagide, chlorogenic acid, and isoliquiritigenin were significantly different among the two groups of mice. The specific parameter changes were harpagide (AUC0–t and AUC0–∞ were 11075.09 ± 2132.38 and 16221.95 ± 5622.42 ng·mL−1·h, respectively; CLz/F was 2.45 ± 0.87 L/h/mg), chlorogenic acid (t1/2 was 21.59 ± 9.16 h; AUC0–∞ was 2637.51 ± 322.54 ng·mL−1·h; CLz/F was 13.49 ± 1.81 L/h/mg) and isoliquiritigenin (AUC0–t and AUC0–∞ were 502.25 ± 165.65 and 653.68 ± 251.34 ng·mL−1·h, respectively; CLz/F was 62.16 ± 23.35 L/h/mg) were altered under the pathological status of AS. These differences might be partly ascribed to the changes in gastrointestinal microbiota, nonspecific drug transporters, and cytochrome P450 activity under the AS state, providing research ideas and experimental basis for pharmacological effects and pharmacodynamic material basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The frequency of genetic mutations is high in pure-solid stage I lung cancer. • Genetic mutations are related to adverse survival in radiological pure-solid tumors. • Lymph node invasion is a valuable factor related to prognosis. To investigate whether genetic status is associated with the prognosis of patients with clinical stage (c-stage) I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with radiological pure-solid manifestations. We included 340 patients with pure-solid c-stage I NSCLC and evaluated their clinicopathological and genetic information. Disease recurrence and death were also observed at the end of the 5-year follow-up period. A Cox proportional hazards model was performed to identify the effect of clinicopathological variables, including genetic status, on oncological outcomes. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated by Kaplan-Meier curves and were compared using log-rank tests. The gene-mutation rate of c-stage I NSCLC with a radiological pure-solid appearance was 55.9% (190/340), and the frequencies of EGFR, KRAS, ALK, ROS1 and fused genes were 69.5% (132/190), 16.8% (32/190), 8.9% (17/190), 1.6% (3/190) and 3.2% (6/190), respectively. The 5-year RFS and OS rates of eligible patients were 57.1% and 76.5%, respectively. A multivariable analysis revealed that genetic status was an independent significant prognostic factor associated with RFS (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.416, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.020–1.964, p = 0.038) but not with OS. RFS was lower in the genetic mutation group compared with the wild-type group (p = 0.027), with 5-year RFS rate (65.7 vs. 51.6%), but the difference in OS (mutated group vs. wild-type group: 78.0% vs. 75.3%) was not statistically significant (p = 0.602). Additionally, we found that pathological nodal involvement (HR = 2.455, 95% CI: 1.745–3.454, p < 0.001 for RFS; HR = 2.204, 95% CI: 1.409–3.447, p = 0.001 for OS) was also a valuable prognostic factor in patients with pure-solid c-stage I NSCLC. Our study provides a comprehensive description of the mutational landscape of c-stage I NSCLC, and indicates that genetic status has an impact on disease recurrence in patients with c-stage I NSCLC with pure-solid appearance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The localized method of fundamental solutions (LMFS) is a domain-type, meshless numerical method. Compared with numerical methods that have a high grid dependence, it does not require grid generation and numerical integration, so it can effectively improve computational efficiency and avoid complex integration processes. Moreover, it is formed using the traditional method of fundamental solutions (MFS) and the localization approach. Previous studies have shown that the MFS may produce a dense and ill-conditioned matrix. However, the proposed LMFS can yield a sparse system of linear algebraic equations, so it is more suitable and effective in solving complicated engineering problems. In this article, LMFS was used to solve eigenfrequency problems in electromagnetic waves, which were controlled using two-dimensional Helmholtz equations. Additionally, the resonant frequencies of the eigenproblem were determined by the response amplitudes. In order to determine the eigenfrequencies, LMFS was applied for solving a sequence of inhomogeneous problems by introducing an external source. Waveguides with different shapes were analyzed to prove the stability of the present LMFS in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents an experimental investigation into the dynamics of an integrated offshore wind-wave-aquaculture (WWA) system, addressing the limited experimental studies of coupling effect. The coupling dynamics of the hybrid system under combined wind loads, wave loads, power take-off (PTO) forces, and mooring tensions are thoroughly examined. Through a 1:40 Froude similarity scaled model, the experimental setup integrated a point-absorber array and an aquaculture cage with a floating semi-submersible wind turbine (WT), incorporating a hydraulic PTO system for wave energy conversion. A semi-taut mooring system was designed to ensure the station-keeping of the hybrid model under the tested environments of rated and extreme winds, as well as regular and irregular waves. Specifically, the findings reveal the significant impact of the quasi-resonant state of the point-absorber array on the systems motion responses. The motion amplitudes are amplified by integrating a point-absorber array, whereas the average pitch responses are suppressed when exposed to irregular waves. The nuanced influence of the aquaculture cage, which dampens the oscillation under irregular waves, is also uncovered. Additionally, the quasi-resonance of the point-absorber array leads to a substantial increase in the power output of the wind turbine. Moreover, the integration of wave energy converters contributes an average of 5.2 % to overall power generation, resulting in a 1.5 % reduction in the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE). This investigation reveals that, despite the reduction in cost resulting from the combination, careful consideration should be given to the quasi-resonance of wave energy converters in the hybrid system. This is in order to safeguard the system from being damaged by excessive movement. • A physically model is developed to investigate the coupling effects of a wind-wave-aquaculture hybrid system. • The experiment shows that the platform's motion amplitudes are amplified with absorbers in quasi-resonant state. • The aquaculture cage dampens the oscillation under irregular waves. • The hybrid system reduces LCOE by 1.5 % compared to isolated floating wind turbine. • The quasi-resonance in the hybrid system requires careful consideration to prevent damage from excessive movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cuprous oxide (Cu 2 O) is proven as an excellent anti-harmful microbial material. However, the liquid and vapor pha5se preparation methods reported so far hardly make pure Cu 2 O-containing composites and suffer environmental issues caused by chemical reducing agents with multiple processing steps. This work develops a facile one-pot solid-state sintering method to synthesize Cu 2 O/microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) composite via the thermal decomposition and oxidation-reduction reactions where copper formate was reduced by MCC. The Cu 2 O/MCC composite exhibits superior purity, dispersibility, stability, high yield, and high efficacy of antibacterial and antiviral properties, e.g., against E. coli , S. aureus, and Equine Arteritis Viral. This work utilizes elegantly the strong reducing capability of cellulose to develop an environmentally benign method to prepare high-purity Cu 2 O-polymer composites with low cytotoxicity and cost, which can be incorporated readily into other substrate materials to form various forms of anti-harmful microbial materials widely used in public health care products. In addition, the preparation of Cu 2 O-containing composites based on the reducing capability of cellulose is also expected to be applied to other cellulose-based materials for the loading of Cu 2 O particles. [Display omitted] • The first one-pot in-situ solid-state synthesis of Cu 2 O/microcrystalline cellulose composite in air atmosphere. • The Cu 2 O/microcrystalline cellulose composite contains high-purity, homogeneous dispersion, and high-loading of Cu 2 O. • The preparation utilizes the reducing capability of cellulose without adding other reducing agents. • The Cu 2 O/microcrystalline cellulose exhibited high-efficacy of antibacterial and antiviral properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]