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Background and Purpose Experimental Approach Key Results Conclusions and Implications Renal interstitial fibrosis is a frequent pathological manifestation of lupus nephritis (LN). tRNA halves (tiRNAs) are acquired from tRNA‐derived small non‐coding RNAs (sncRNAs) and are associated with fibrosis. Our previous study indicated enhanced tiRNA‐Gly‐GCC‐002 (tiRNA002) levels in kidneys were positively related to LN‐related fibrosis. However, the precise molecular mechanism remains unclear.The mimic and agomiR of tiRNA002 were introduced into tubular epithelial cells (TECs) and MRL/lpr mice by transfection. The levels of gene and protein expressions were quantified using real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR), Western blot and immunofluorescence assays.In TECs treated with LN serum, as well as in the kidneys of MRL/lpr mice, high levels of tiRNA002 directly influenced the epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) and extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition. Furthermore, tiRNA002 overexpression promoted EMT in TECs and accelerated renal interstitial fibrosis in MRL/lpr mice via Smad signalling. The target gene of tiRNA002, FKBP prolyl isomerase 5 (FKBP5), improved Smad signalling by interacting with phosphorylated Smad2/3. Silencing FKBP5 alleviated LN serum‐ or tiRNA002‐mimic‐induced EMT in TECs. In addition, FKBP5 overexpression reversed the tiRNA002 knockdown‐mediated reduction of EMT and ECM accumulation.These findings indicated that tiRNA002 is markedly increased in LN, which facilitates renal fibrosis by promoting EMT via FKBP5‐mediated Smad signalling. Therefore, targeting tiRNA002 may be an innovative approach to treat renal interstitial fibrosis in LN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water scarcity and ecological degradation in arid zones present significant challenges to regional ecological health. Despite this, integrating the water supply–demand balance and water supply security (SEC) into ecological health assessments—particularly through composite indicators—remains underexplored in arid regions. In this study, we assessed the ecological health changes in Xinjiang by utilizing multivariate remote sensing data, focusing on the balance between water supply and demand, the degree of SEC, and ecosystem resilience (ER). Our results indicate that while water supply and demand remained relatively stable in northern Xinjiang between 2000 and 2020, the conflict between supply and demand intensified in the southern and eastern agricultural regions. SEC evaluations revealed that 73.3% of the region experienced varying degrees of decline over the 20-year period. Additionally, ER assessments showed that 7.12% of the region exhibited a significant decline, with 78.6% experiencing overall reductions in ecological health. The indicators' response to drought demonstrated that improvements in ecological health during wet conditions were less pronounced than declines during droughts. This study underscores the necessity of prioritizing areas with lower ecological health in future water allocation strategies to optimize water resource utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The lipid accumulation product (LAP) and the visceral adiposity index (VAI) are suggested as dependable measures for assessing visceral fat levels. Prediabetes is recognized as a condition that precedes the potential onset of diabetes. The objective of this research is to investigate how VAI and LAP are related to prediabetes among the adult population in the United States. Methods: Information from the 2007–2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) was scrutinized in a cross-sectional study. To evaluate the connection between VAI or LAP and the presence of prediabetes, both univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression were utilized. Threshold effect analysis and fitted smoothing curves were used to delve into the non-linear association between VAI or LAP and prediabetes. Additional analyses were performed on specific subgroups, along with tests to explore potential interactions. Results: In general, 12,564 American adults were included. After full adjustment, prediabetes with VAI (OR: 1.128, 95% CI: 1.073–1.185) or LAP (OR: 1.006, 95% CI: 1.004–1.008) showed a positive correlation. Individuals in the 4th VAI quartile group faced a significant 61.9% elevated risk for prediabetes (OR: 1.619, 95% CI: 1.354–1.937) when contrasted to those in the 1st VAI quartile. Participants in the 4th LAP quartile group had a significant 116.4% elevated risk for prediabetes (OR: 2.164, 95% CI: 1.747–2.681) when contrasted to individuals of the 1st LAP quartile. Smooth curve fitting analysis revealed a nonlinear correlation of VAI or LAP and prediabetes, and threshold effect analysis was used to determine an inflection point of 4.090 for VAI and 68.168 for LAP. Conclusions: The values of VAI and LAP are positively associated with the prevalence of prediabetes. The VAI and LAP indices may be used as predictors of prediabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transformer-based networks have revolutionized visual tasks with their continuous innovation, leading to significant progress. However, the widespread adoption of Vision Transformers (ViT) is limited due to their high computational and parameter requirements, making them less feasible for resource-constrained mobile and edge computing devices. Moreover, existing lightweight ViTs exhibit limitations in capturing different granular features, extracting local features efficiently, and incorporating the inductive bias inherent in convolutional neural networks. These limitations somewhat impact the overall performance. To address these limitations, we propose an efficient ViT called Dual-Granularity Former (DGFormer). DGFormer mitigates these limitations by introducing two innovative modules: Dual-Granularity Attention (DG Attention) and Efficient Feed-Forward Network (Efficient FFN). In our experiments, on the image recognition task of ImageNet, DGFormer surpasses lightweight models such as PVTv2-B0 and Swin Transformer by 2.3% in terms of Top1 accuracy. On the object detection task of COCO, under RetinaNet detection framework, DGFormer outperforms PVTv2-B0 and Swin Transformer with increase of 0.5% and 2.4% in average precision (AP), respectively. Similarly, under Mask R-CNN detection framework, DGFormer exhibits improvement of 0.4% and 1.8% in AP compared to PVTv2-B0 and Swin Transformer, respectively. On the semantic segmentation task on the ADE20K, DGFormer achieves a substantial improvement of 2.0% and 2.5% in mean Intersection over Union (mIoU) over PVTv2-B0 and Swin Transformer, respectively. The code is open-source and available at: https://github.com/ISCLab-Bistu/DGFormer.git. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dielectric capacitors, which can achieve tremendous power density and ultrafast charge/discharge speed, are crucial components for high power equipment. Yet, the synchronous achievement in high recoverable energy density (Wrec) and high efficiency (η) is a long‐term difficulty for dielectric ceramics. Herein, the (0.85 − x)NaNbO3–0.15BaTiO3–xBi(Mg1/3Ta2/3)O3 (NN–BT–xBMT) relaxor ferroelectric ceramics were proposed and studied. The doping of BMT was conducive to promoting the microstructure and bandgap and improving the dielectric relaxation properties of NN–BT ceramics. Finally, the sample of x = 0.10 presented a high Wrec of 5.9 J/cm3 and a high η of 90% simultaneously. In addition, the sample also exhibited superb charge/discharge performances with large power density (PD = 137 MW/cm3) and fast charge/discharge speed (t0.9 = 39 ns). The above results reveal that the NaNbO3‐based ceramics could serve as potential alternatives for advanced dielectric capacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Utilizing LNG by air separation, ORC, wastewater ice-making, and cold warehouse. • Two-stage freezing and pre-desalination system for desulfurization wastewater. • Optimization: exergy efficiency=70.34% output power=2.96*1011 kW LCOE=0.0623 $/kWh. • 4E analysis and improved energy efficiency=42.52% reduced CO 2 =1.234*1015kg. Against the backdrop of escalating resource depletion and the urgent quest for alternative sources, liquefied natural gas (LNG) is increasingly gaining prominence as a sustainable solution, particularly in refrigeration applications. However, its underutilization results in wasted resources. To efficiently harness the released cold energy from LNG gasification, this study proposes an integrated system comprising air separation, power generation, refrigeration, and ice thermal storage. The system undergoes optimization using the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) to determine the optimal operating parameters. The optimized system is comprehensively analyzed from energy, exergy, economic, and environmental perspectives. Results show that the system, with a 70t/h LNG capacity, achieves an energy efficiency of 42.52% and an exergy efficiency of 48.09%. Economically, the system incurs a cost of approximately 0.0711 $/kWh and can mitigate over 1.4504*107kg of CO 2 emissions. Compared to traditional LNG utilization systems, the integrated system demonstrates a 22.32% improvement in energy efficiency, a 7.69% enhancement in exergy efficiency, and a cost reduction of 0.0049 $/kWh. In summary, this technologically advanced and economically viable system offers a significant alternative to optimize LNG cold energy utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractObjectiveMethods and MeasuresResultsConclusionsAssessing the progression of COVID stress syndrome (CSS) and understanding how cognitive and emotional factors play a role in the dynamic system is critical for prevention and intervention during the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated the dynamic relationship between self-reported COVID stress syndrome, cognitive factors, and emotional factors through time-series network analysis.Participants were 188 university students involved in an experience sampling method study that lasted 14 days, three times a day, during the COVID-19 pandemic period following a shift in pandemic prevention and control policy.CSS symptoms are usually present simultaneously, and xenophobia is the most central node of the network. There is a complex mutual predictive relationship between CSS symptoms, in which traumatic stress symptoms are crucial in developing and maintaining the CSS symptom network. Negative affect was associated with CSS symptoms at the same time, and subjective health cognition was a significant predictor of CSS symptoms the next time.Traumatic stress symptoms are essential nodes in the CSS symptom network, and negative emotions and subjective health influence the occurrence and development of CSS symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) is considered as an important strategy for ammonia using green energy. Single atom catalysts (SACs) with a metal atom as active site have been shown its advantages to high ammonia yield and low energy consumption. In this work, we proposed a new concept of SACs with the capacity of d‐p orbital hybridization. These computationally designed SACs contained a metal and non‐metal pair anchored on g‐C3N4 slab. Among these SACs studied in the present work, RuB@g‐C3N4 catalyst performed the best activity for NRR with low onset potential of −0.33 V by a two‐step scanning computations using density functional theory (DFT). Moreover, suppressing effectively to the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) also make it more selective. It was further revealed that the hybridization of d‐p orbitals between metal and nonmetal could regulate the electronics of active sites and facilitate the adsorption and charge transfer of adsorbed N2 molecules resulting in enhanced catalytic performance. This work demonstrated an alternative way to further enhance the catalytic activity of SACs by introducing a non‐metal atom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite recent advancements in the catalytic generation of axial chirality, reports on non‐biaryl atropisomers remain limited because of the stringent steric requirements necessary to establish effective rotational brakes. Herein, we present a novel class of monoaryl atropisomers, indolyl ketosulfoxonium ylides, and describe an organocatalytic protocol for their synthesis. We discovered that a chiral phosphoric acid (CPA) serves as an effective catalyst for the highly enantioselective iodination of ortho‐aminophenylethynyl sulfoxonium ylides. Under the optimized reaction conditions, a strong preference for the intended iodination process over the competing protonation was observed. Subsequently, intramolecular amide cyclization enabled the formation of sterically congested indole fragments. Furthermore, the synthetic utility of the products was demonstrated by showcasing versatile transformations into other chiral scaffolds with complete retention of optical purity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine learning (ML) accurately predicts the shear bearing capacity of steel tube‐reinforced concrete (STRC) shear walls, aiding optimization design. However, creating a database for STRC shear walls experimentally is time‐consuming and costly. The aim of this study is to propose a method for high‐accuracy prediction of STRC shear wall shear bearing capacity using a small‐sample dataset. This study employs generative adversarial network (GAN) data augmentation techniques to address the issues of insufficient ML model training and low prediction accuracy in small‐sample databases. Based on the stacking framework, a fusion model (Stacking‐XRL) combining extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), random forest (RF), and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) is established to predict the shear bearing capacity of STRC shear walls. Results show that after augmenting the training set with GAN, the prediction performance of K‐nearest neighbors (KNN), backpropagation neural network (BPNN), RF, light gradient boosting machine (LightGBM), XGBoost, and stacking‐XRL models significantly improve, with average increases of 10% in R2 and average decreases of 30% and 25% in MAE and RMSE, respectively. The proposed stacking‐XRL fusion model outperforms tested models, existing formulas, and Abaqus numerical simulations for the shear bearing capacity of STRC shear walls. Model interpretation reveals that the shear span ratios as the most important factors in predicting shear bearing capacity, followed by axial force ratio and whole section configuration steel tubular index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The association of BCAAs (isoleucine, leucine, and valine) with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases has been widely recognized by researchers, but there is limited evidence to support the relationship between BCAAs and multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) in older adults. This study aimed to explore the correlation between BCAA levels in the diets of older adults and MCCs. Methods: Based on a health management cohort project in Nanshan District of Shenzhen, 4278 individuals over 65 years old were selected as participants via multi-stage stratified sampling from May 2018 to December 2019. Data were collected using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, as well as anthropometric and chronic disease reports. MCC was defined as the coexistence of two or more chronic diseases, namely, hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, CAD, stroke, CKD, and CLD. Multivariate unconditional logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between dietary BCAAs and MCCs in older adults, and then, gender stratification analysis was performed. A restricted cubic spline model (a fitted smooth curve) was used to determine the dose–response relationship of isoleucine with MCCs. Results: A total of 4278 older adults aged 65 and above were included in this study, with an average age of 72.73 ± 5.49 years. The cohort included 1861 males (43.50%). Regardless of whether confounding factors were corrected, isoleucine was a risk factor for MCCs (OR = 3.388, 95%CI:1.415,8.109). After gender stratification, the relationships between dietary isoleucine and MCCs (OR = 6.902, 95%CI:1.875,25.402) and between leucine (OR = 0.506,95%CI:0.309,0.830) and MCCs were significant in women, but not in men. No significant association between valine and MCCs was observed. In addition, isoleucine was a risk factor for MCCs when its intake was greater than 4.297 g/d. Conclusion: Isoleucine may play an important role in regulating age-related diseases. BCAAs such as isoleucine can be used as risk markers for MCCs in older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aging is associated with an increased risk of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI). With an increasing prevalence of cardiovascular diseases such as coronary arteriosclerosis in older people, there has been increasing interest in understanding the mechanisms of myocardial IRI to develop therapeutics that can attenuate its damaging effects. Previous studies identified that abnormal mitochondria, involved in cellar senescence and oxidative stress, are the master subcellular organelle that induces IRI. In addition, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is also associated with IRI. Cellular adaptation to ER stress is achieved by the activation of ER molecular chaperones and folding enzymes, which provide an important link between ER stress and oxidative stress gene programs. In this review, we outline how these ER stress-related molecules affect myocardial IRI via the crosstalk of ER stress and mitochondrial homeostasis and discuss how these may offer promising novel therapeutic targets and strategies against age-related cardiovascular diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ceramic capacitors are receiving increasing interest because of their applications in pulsed-power devices. The perovskite oxide Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 (BNT)-based ferroelectric ceramics are regarded as prospective lead-free candidate for dielectric capacitors because of the high polarization and outstanding relaxor behaviour. Herein, the relaxor ferroelectric (0.7−x)Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3–0.3SrTiO3–xCa0.7Sm0.2TiO3 ceramics synthesized through solid-state route and exhibited pseudocubic perovskite structure and strong relaxor behaviour. With increasing Ca0.7Sm0.2TiO3 content, the moderate permittivity and reduced grain size contributed to the monotonically increased electric breakdown strength. Among prepared samples, the x = 0.2 ceramic displayed slimmer polarization-electric field curves with a remarkable recoverable energy density (~6.8 J/cm3) and a satisfied efficiency (~82.2%) under external electric field of 450 kV/cm. Moreover, the x = 0.2 ceramic also exhibited a superb thermal reliability of energy storage properties (3.9–4.5 J/cm3 with variation of 13.3% in 25–160 °C) resulting from the diffuse phase transition. The above results make the x = 0.2 ceramics becoming promising candidates for pulsed-power devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A photoinduced three‐component reaction of thianthrenium salts, DABCO ⋅ (SO2)2, and benzyl ether substituted alkenes is developed, affording δ‐hydroxylsulfones with good functional group tolerance. This transformation proceeds through an anti‐Markovnikov hydrosulfonylation of alkenes under a mild reaction condition. Mechanism studies indicates that this reaction undergoes a radical pathway involving sulfur dioxide insertion and 1,5‐hydrogen transfer processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the important electronic components, the dielectric capacitors for energy storage applications have been extensively studied in recent years. Among various dielectric materials, the perovskite oxide Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3‐based ceramics have become promising candidates due to their high polarization, dielectric tunability, environment‐friendly composition, and so forth. Herein, the relaxor ferroelectric ceramics of Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3–SrTiO3–Bi(Mg0.5Zr0.5)O3 were prepared via solid‐state reaction method. The sample with optimal composition not only retains the high polarization by introducing Bi3+ ions, but also achieves the reduced remanent polarization by enhancing relaxor behavior and the promoted electric breakdown strength by the grain size refinement. Accordingly, a high recoverable energy density of 8.3 J/cm3 under 450 kV/cm and the superb charge/discharge properties (current density CD = 1200 A/cm2, power density PD = 150 MW/cm3, charge/discharge time t0.9 = 0.15 µs) are achieved, revealing great prospect in energy storage applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Achieving a pathologic complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) remains a challenge for most patients with rectal cancer. Exploring the potential of combining NCRT with immunotherapy or targeted therapy for those achieving a partial response (PR) offers a promising avenue to enhance treatment efficacy. This study investigated the impact of NCRT on the tumor microenvironment in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) patients who exhibited a PR. Methods: This was a retrospective, observational study. Five patients demonstrating a PR after neoadjuvant treatment for LARC were enrolled in the study. Biopsy samples before treatment and resected specimens after treatment were stained with a panel of 26 antibodies targeting various immune and tumor-related markers, each labeled with distinct metal tags. The labeled samples were then analyzed using the Hyperion imaging system. Results: Heterogeneity within the tumor microenvironment was observed both before and after NCRT. Notably, tumor-associated macrophages, CD4 + T cells, CD8 + T cells, CD56 + natural killer cells, tumor-associated neutrophils, cytokeratin, and E-cadherin exhibited slight increase in abundance within the tumor microenvironment following treatment (change ratios = 0.78, 0.2, 0.27, 0.32, 0.17, 0.46, 0.32, respectively). Conversely, the number of CD14 + monocytes, CD19 + B cells, CD45 + CD4 + T cells, collagen I, α-smooth muscle actin, vimentin, and β-catenin proteins displayed significant decreases post-treatment (change ratios = 1.73, 1.92, 1.52, 1.25, 1.52, 1.12, 2.66, respectively). Meanwhile, Foxp3 + regulatory cells demonstrated no significant change (change ratio = 0.001). Conclusions: NCRT has diverse effects on various components of the tumor microenvironment in LARC patients who achieve a PR after treatment. Leveraging combination therapies may optimize treatment outcomes in this patient population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bismuth sodium titanate (Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3)-based relaxor ferroelectric ceramics have received ever-increasing interest for their potential application in dielectric capacitors owing to their sterling energy storage capability. Herein, the perovskite end-member Ba(Fe0.5Nb0.5)O3 (BFN) was incorporated into 0.7Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-0.3SrTiO3 (0.7BNT-0.3ST) ceramics to improve the relaxor characteristics and refine the grain, leading to slim polarization–electric field (P–E) hysteresis loops and enhanced electric breakdown strength. Particularly, the 0.85(0.7BNT-0.3ST)-0.15BFN ceramics achieved a high recoverable energy density of 5.7 J/cm3 and a high energy storage efficiency of 86.4% under a moderate electric field of 390 kV/cm. Additionally, remarkable stability in frequency, cycling, and temperature and excellent charge/discharge behavior were achieved at the same time. The above findings reveal that BFN-modified BNT-ST ceramics display greatly improved comprehensive energy storage properties, making them promising candidates in the field of electrostatic energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To integrate radiomics and dosiomics features from multiple regions in the radiation pneumonia (RP grade ≥ 2) prediction for esophageal cancer (EC) patients underwent radiotherapy (RT). Methods: Total of 143 EC patients in the authors' hospital (training and internal validation: 70%:30%) and 32 EC patients from another hospital (external validation) underwent RT from 2015 to 2022 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. Patients were dichotomized as positive (RP+) or negative (RP-) according to CTCAE V5.0. Models with radiomics and dosiomics features extracted from single region of interest (ROI), multiple ROIs and combined models were constructed and evaluated. A nomogram integrating radiomics score (Rad_score), dosiomics score (Dos_score), clinical factors, dose-volume histogram (DVH) factors, and mean lung dose (MLD) was also constructed and validated. Results: Models with Rad_score_Lung&Overlap and Dos_score_Lung&Overlap achieved a better area under curve (AUC) of 0.818 and 0.844 in the external validation in comparison with radiomics and dosiomics models with features extracted from single ROI. Combining four radiomics and dosiomics models using support vector machine (SVM) improved the AUC to 0.854 in the external validation. Nomogram integrating Rad_score, and Dos_score with clinical factors, DVH factors, and MLD further improved the RP prediction AUC to 0.937 and 0.912 in the internal and external validation, respectively. Conclusion: CT-based RP prediction model integrating radiomics and dosiomics features from multiple ROIs outperformed those with features from a single ROI with increased reliability for EC patients who underwent RT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human activities and climate change have profound impacts on the ecological environment of oases in Xinjiang, and it is of great significance to explore the spatial and temporal evolution patterns of ecological environment quality in this region for the sustainable development of Xinjiang. The remote sensing ecological index (RSEI) was extracted from the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform from 2000 to 2020, and the coefficient of variation and Hurst index were used to reveal the spatial and temporal characteristics and stability of the ecological environment quality of the artificial oasis and natural oasis in Xinjiang. The key factors affecting the ecological environment quality are explored through correlation analysis and geoprobes. The results show that the distribution of the ecological environment in Xinjiang oases is high in the north and low in the south, and the overall quality shows a fluctuating downward trend from 0.210 to 0.189. Artificial oases have higher RSEI values, stability, and sustainability than natural oases. The RSEI in the study area was mainly influenced by humidity, followed by greenness and heat, and dryness had the least influence on the RSEI model. Based on the geodetector, the top three highest contributors were found to be precipitation (PRE) (0.83) > relative humidity (RHU) (0.82) > evapotranspiration (ET) (0.57). Climate is the main factor affecting the ecological quality of oases, and the RSEI can be improved by increasing the proportion of artificial oases. The study aims to provide a scientific basis for the sustainable development of oases in arid zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single atom catalysts (SACs) are considered as efficient catalysts for hydrogen‐based energy conversion and storage because of their excellent catalytic performance for oxygen evolution reactions (OER) and oxygen reduction reactions (ORR). In the present work, a new concept of SACs is proposed with the capacity to form d‐p orbital hybridization. These computationally designed SACs contain a metal and non‐metal pair embedded in the N‐doped graphene framework (MX@N6). Based on the overpotential evaluation by the first principle theory calculations, CoS@N6 containing Co and S atom pair possessed a low overpotential of 0.37 V/0.29 V when used as a bifunctional ORR/OER catalyst. These overpotentials are much lower than Co@N6 without S atom. The electronic structure analysis revealed that non‐metal atoms of the catalyst can regulate the electronic structure of active metal sites and facilitate the adsorption and charge transfer between intermediates and the catalyst resulting in enhanced catalytic performance. This work demonstrates an alternative way to further improve the catalytic activity of SACs by introducing a non‐metal atom that may shed light on the rational design of advanced SACs for ORR/OER with high efficiency and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulmonary fat embolism (PFE) as a cause of death often occurs in trauma cases such as fractures and soft tissue contusions. Traditional PFE diagnosis relies on subjective methods and special stains like oil red O. This study utilizes computational pathology, combining digital pathology and deep learning algorithms, to precisely quantify fat emboli in whole slide images using conventional hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining. The results demonstrate deep learning's ability to identify fat droplet morphology in lung microvessels, achieving an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of 0.98. The AI-quantified fat globules generally matched the Falzi scoring system with oil red O staining. The relative quantity of fat emboli against lung area was calculated by the algorithm, determining a diagnostic threshold of 8.275% for fatal PFE. A diagnostic strategy based on this threshold achieved a high AUC of 0.984, similar to manual identification with special stains but surpassing H&E staining. This demonstrates computational pathology's potential as an affordable, rapid, and precise method for fatal PFE diagnosis in forensic practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) have been found in great numbers, but the physical mechanism of these sources is still a mystery. The redshift evolutions of the FRB energy distribution function and the volumetric rate shed light on the origin of FRBs. However, such estimations rely on the dispersion measurement (DM)–redshift (z) relationship. A few FRBs that have been detected recently show large excess DMs beyond the expectation from the cosmological and Milky Way contributions, which indicates large spread of DMs from their host galaxies. In this work, we adopt two lognormal-distributed DM host models and estimate the energy function using the non-repeating FRBs selected from the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME)/FRB Catalog 1. By comparing the lognormal-distributed DM host models to a constant DM host model, the FRB energy function results are consistent within the measurement uncertainty. We also estimate the volumetric rate of the non-repeating FRBs in three different redshift bins. The volumetric rate shows that the trend is consistent with the stellar-mass density redshift evolution. Since the lognormal-distributed DM host model increases the measurement errors, the inference of FRBs tracking the stellar-mass density is nonetheless undermined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stored grain is a complex ecosystem in which intricate multi-field interactions exist among abiotic and biotic factors, as well as the surrounding environment. Clearly understanding these interactions is crucial for ensuring grain storage security. This study developed a graphical detection system based on low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) technology, which consists of an LF-NMR imaging analyzer, a small grain container, and dedicated software. This system can simultaneously detect the temperature, moisture, and humidity of a grain sample stored in the grain container and visually present the cloud maps of these fields through the dedicated software. To verify the system's performance, two laboratory storage experiments with paddy rice samples were conducted for 15 d. The results indicated that the measured cloud maps could accurately depict the variations in the temperature, moisture, and humidity fields within the stored paddy rice samples during the storage period. The areas with potential risks of fungal growth, grain sprouting, and moisture condensation due to the multi-field interactions could also be identified through the cloud maps, which demonstrated the credible performance of the system. This system could provide a new technical means to uncover the complex coupling relationships within grain storage ecosystems. • The first use of LF-NMR to investigate the multi-field interactions in stored grain. • A novel graphical detection system based on LF-NMR was developed. • The system was able to detect three key physical fields and generate cloud maps. • Two storage experiments were conducted to validate the system's performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the internet continues to evolve, technologies such as cloud computing and virtualization are widely deployed. Designing truthful auction mechanisms for cloud service providers to maximize social welfare through virtual resource allocation is one of the current research priorities in the field of cloud computing. Meanwhile, as server scales expand, many mainstream data center servers are transitioning to a Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA) architecture. Its primary feature is that each server can consist of multiple computing nodes, each node containing several processors and storage units, which can function as independent computing units or communicate with each other. However, current research primarily focuses on traditional Uniform Memory Access architectures and cannot adapt to the application scenarios of NUMA architectures. Therefore, a multi-resource truthful auction mechanism applicable to NUMA architectures is proposed, which allocates various resources in the form of virtual machines. Specifically, in resource allocation issues, a monotonic heuristic algorithm is proposed, considering deployment constraints and user request density advantages under this architecture, effectively enhancing social welfare. In terms of price payment issues, a binary method is used to design a price payment algorithm that conforms to the key price theory, thereby ensuring the mechanism's truthful features. Through experimental testing, the overall performance of this mechanism in social welfare, user payments, resource utilization, etc., achieves approximately 96% of the optimal solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to investigate secular trends in sleep and circadian problems in Hong Kong Chinese adolescents. This study analyzed cross-sectional data from two large-scale school-based sleep surveys conducted in 2011-2012 and 2017-2019. Sleep and circadian problems, including sleep-wake pattern, insomnia, chronotype, social jetlag, daytime sleepiness, and other sleep-related factors, were compared between two survey years. A total of 8082 adolescents (5639 students in 2011-2012 [Mean age: 14.4 years, 50.9% boys] and 2443 students in 2017-2019 [Mean age: 14.7 years, 54.0% boys]) were included in this 7-year study. The average time in bed of Hong Kong adolescents decreased from 8.38 hours to 8.08 hours from 2011-2012 to 2017-2019. There was a 0.28-hour delay in weekday bedtime, 0.54-hour advance in weekend wake-up time, and a 0.36-hour decline in average time in bed, resulting in increased trends of sleep loss (Time in bed <8h: OR = 2.06, 95%CI: 1.44–2.93, p < 0.01; Time in bed <7h: OR = 2.73, 95%CI: 1.92–3.89, p < 0.01), daytime sleepiness (OR = 1.70, 95%CI: 1.34–2.16, p < 0.01), and evening chronotype (OR = 1.26, 95%CI: 1.08–1.48, p < 0.01). The increased trend in insomnia disorder, however, was insignificant when covariates were adjusted. A secular trend of reduced time in bed, delay in weekday bedtime, advance in weekend wake-up time, increase in evening chronotype and daytime sleepiness from 2011-2012 to 2017-2019 were observed. There is a timely need for systematic intervention to promote sleep health in adolescents. • Sleep health was suggested to be worsening over time due to social modernization. • This study captures a 7-year secular trend of adolescents' sleep and circadian health. • Adolescents were having shorter time in bed, earlier wake-up time, later bedtime, more evening circadian preference and greater daytime sleepiness. • There is a timely need for preventions and interventions to promote healthy sleep in adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Synchronous adenomas of the major and minor duodenal papilla are seldom reported. The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of synchronous major and minor papilla adenomas and to evaluate the safety and efficacy of endoscopic papillectomy (EP) for the management of the disease. Methods: Consecutive patients who underwent endoscopy for synchronous major and minor papilla adenomas from January 1, 2013 to August 31, 2023 were analyzed retrospectively. Patients' characteristics, clinical manifestations, laboratory, imaging and endoscopic findings were collected. Results: The nine patients with synchronous major and minor papilla adenomas had an average age of 50.78 ± 10.70 years. The diameter of major and minor papilla adenomas was 12.11 ± 3.41 mm and 6.11 ± 1.05 mm, respectively. Most major papilla adenomas had R0 horizontal margins (n = 8), while R0 vertical margins were achieved in all patients. While minor papilla adenomas were resected with both R0 horizontal and vertical margins in all patients. Post‐EP bleeding was observed in one patient, which was classified as mild. Post‐EP hyperamylasemia and pancreatitis was observed in two and four patients, respectively; the latter consisted of three with mild pancreatitis and one with severe pancreatitis. No perforation was observed. The mean follow‐up duration was 9.22 ± 5.99 months. Histologically confirmed recurrence at the resection site was detected in one patient at 3 months after the procedure. Conclusions: Synchronous major and minor papilla adenomas may not be as rare as previously speculated. EP may be an effective and safe alternative modality for their management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Targeting amino acid metabolism in leukemia therapy presents both opportunities and challenges. While disrupting amino acid utilization can hinder cancer cell growth and enhance treatment efficacy, achieving selective targeting to minimize damage to healthy cells is crucial. This review explores novel strategies for amino acid depletion-based treatments in leukemia, highlighting the potential of combining these approaches with traditional chemotherapeutics and immunotherapies to overcome resistance and improve patient outcomes. Cancer cells demand amino acids beyond their usage as "building blocks" for protein synthesis. As a result, targeting amino acid acquisition and utilization has emerged as a pivotal strategy in cancer treatment. In the setting of leukemia therapy, compelling examples of targeting amino acid metabolism exist at both pre-clinical and clinical stages. This review focuses on summarizing novel insights into the metabolism of glutamine, asparagine, arginine, and tryptophan in leukemias, and providing a comprehensive discussion of perturbing their metabolism to improve the therapeutic outcomes. Certain amino acids, such as glutamine, play a vital role in the energy metabolism of cancer cells and the maintenance of redox balance, while others, such as arginine and tryptophan, contribute significantly to the immune microenvironment. Therefore, assessing the efficacy of targeting amino acid metabolism requires comprehensive strategies. Combining traditional chemotherapeutics with novel strategies to perturb amino acid metabolism is another way to improve the outcome in leukemia patients via overcoming chemo-resistance or promoting immunotherapy. In this review, we also discuss several ongoing or complete clinical trials, in which targeting amino acid metabolism is combined with other chemotherapeutics in treating leukemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new quinolizidine alkaloids (1 − 3), including one new naturally isoflavone and cytisine polymer (3), along with 6 known ones were isolated from the ethanol extract of Sophora tonkinensis Gagnep. Their structures were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic data analysis (IR, UV, HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR), combined with ECD calculations. The antifungal activity against Phytophythora capsica, Botrytis cinerea, Gibberella zeae, and Alternaria alternata of the compounds was evaluated in a mycelial inhibition assay. Biological tests indicated that compound 3 exhibited strong antifungal activity against P. capsica with EC50 values of 17.7 μg/ml. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to identify the key physical indicators that affect game performance of male team handball athletes in national team handball tournaments and explore them further in relation to playing positions. A total of 150 male handball athletes were tested before a national tournament, using squat, bench press, 30-m sprint, vertical jump, pull-ups and abdominal endurance testing. Correlation analysis was used to examine the potential relationship between fitness level and tournament ranking. The results revealed significant differences in fitness variables among different playing positions (p < 0.05), excepted abdominal endurance and vertical jump (p > 0.05). 1RM squad performance was associated with team rankings (r = 0.289, p < 0.05). For individual playing positions, bench press of backs correlate with rankings (r = 0.354, p < 0.05). For goalkeepers, ranking was significantly positively correlated with 30-m sprinting (r = 0.604, p < 0.05). No other correlations were found (p > 0.05). To conclude, fitness level is to some extent related to team ranking with higher ranked teams having better scores in some of the fitness tests for all playing positions. The key predictors of performance in sport vary from position to position and practitioners need to differentiate between them to organize strength and conditioning training more precisely. More specialized fitness tests are also needed to assess athletes' competition ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to explore the geographic differences in psychological symptoms, sleep quality, and quality of life (QoL) among adult patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Methods: A unified questionnaire was developed to collect data on psychological status and QoL of IBD patients from 42 hospitals across 22 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in China's mainland from September 2021 to May 2022. Results: A total of 2478 patients with IBD were surveyed. The proportions of patients with anxiety (28.5% vs 23.1%), depression (32.3% vs 27.8%), and poor QoL (44.8% vs 32.2%) were significantly higher in patients from the northern region compared to the southern region (all P < 0.05). In the western region, the proportions of patients with anxiety (31.9% vs 23.0%), depression (37.7% vs 26.7%), sleep disturbances (64.5% vs 58.5%), and poor QoL (44.9% vs 34.8%) were significantly higher than in the eastern and central regions (all P < 0.01). Patients from inland regions had significantly higher rates of anxiety (27.1% vs 23.3%), depression (32.5% vs 26.0%), sleep disturbance (62.0% vs 57.7%), and poor QoL (43.5% vs 29.9%) compared to those from coastal regions (all P < 0.05). In economically underdeveloped areas, the proportions of patients with depression (33.1% vs 28.5%) and poor QoL (52.0% vs 32.4%) were significantly higher than in economically (relatively) developed areas (both P < 0.05). Conclusion: There are significant geographic differences in psychological symptoms, sleep quality, and QoL among Chinese patients with IBD, which might provide valuable insights for global IBD research and clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of massive continuous irrigation (MCI) and endoscopic debridement for the treatment of refractory abscess–fistula complexes. Methods: This was a retrospective single‐center observational study involving 12 patients with refractory abscess–fistula complexes. All patients had experienced long‐term treatment failure or had failed multiple treatment modalities. We used over two catheters and inserted them via the gastrointestinal (GI) tract or percutaneously to form a circulation pathway to achieve MCI of normal saline, endoscopic debridement was then performed. The treatment success rate, irrigation volume and treatment duration, time to abscess–fistula complex closure, intra‐treatment complications, and recurrence rate were recorded. Results: The treatment success rates were 100%. The median time of previous treatment was 32 days (range 7–912 days). The mean time from the use of the novel treatment strategy to abscess–fistula complex healing was 18.8 ± 11.0 days. The mean volume of irrigation was 10 804 ± 1669 mL/24 h. The mean irrigation time was 16.5 ± 9.2 days, and a median of two irrigation tubes (range 2–5) were used. No complications occurred either during or after the procedure. During the follow‐up of 23.1 ± 18.1 months, no recurrence or adverse events were noted. Conclusions: MCI and endoscopic debridement may be a feasible, safe, and effective alternative treatment for refractory abscess–fistula complexes. Large prospective studies are needed to validate our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roots are fundamental for plants to adapt to variable environmental conditions. The development of a robust root system is orchestrated by numerous genetic determinants and, among them, the MADS‐box gene ANR1 has garnered substantial attention. Prior research has demonstrated that, in chrysanthemum, CmANR1 positively regulates root system development. Nevertheless, the upstream regulators involved in the CmANR1‐mediated regulation of root development remain unidentified. In this study, we successfully identified bric‐a‐brac, tramtrack and broad (BTB) and transcription adapter putative zinc finger (TAZ) domain protein CmBT1 as the interacting partner of CmANR1 through a yeast‐two‐hybrid (Y2H) screening library. Furthermore, we validated this physical interaction through bimolecular fluorescence complementation and pull‐down assays. Functional assays revealed that CmBT1 exerted a negative influence on root development in chrysanthemum. In both in vitro and in vivo assays, it was evident that CmBT1 mediated the ubiquitination of CmANR1 through the ubiquitin/26S proteasome pathway. This ubiquitination subsequently led to the degradation of the CmANR1 protein and a reduction in the transcription of CmANR1‐targeted gene CmPIN2, which was crucial for root development in chrysanthemum. Genetic analysis suggested that CmBT1 modulated root development, at least in part, by regulating the level of CmANR1 protein. Collectively, these findings shed new light on the regulatory role of CmBT1 in degrading CmANR1 through ubiquitination, thereby repressing the expression of its targeted gene and inhibiting root development in chrysanthemum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micromechanism of crystal growth has received considerable attention as a fundamental subject. However, in situ observation of the crystal growth process remains challenging. In this study, high-temperature Raman spectroscopy has been utilized to investigate the growth pattern of Bi2ZnOB2O6 crystals via in situ exploration of the starting solution structure near the crystal–solution interface. The experimental results show that the solution primarily consists of ZO4 and BO3 units corresponding to 370, 539, 664, and 1293 cm−1 vibration frequencies. These units connect with each other forming longer chains in the area close to the crystal, and they are related to the presence of low-wavenumber vibrations in the Raman spectrum. Furthermore, a loose embryonic structure of the Bi2ZnOB2O6 crystal is observed near the crystal–solution interface owing to the formation of Bi–O bonds. Therefore, this study successfully provides a clear understanding of the formation mechanism of Bi2ZnOB2O6 crystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the orthogonal time frequency space (OTFS) modulation, we generally multiplex symbols on a new type of carrier waveform in the delay-Doppler (DD) domain. These two parameters can be used to infer the range (R) and velocity (V) of the communication user and sensing target; thus, it is natural for the OTFS to be implemented in integrated sensing and communication (ISAC). A framework for ISAC based on OTFS modulation is proposed in this paper, in which the matched filter scheme with fractional parameter estimation is implemented for radar sensing. In addition, the hybrid message passing (MP) detection algorithm is developed for OTFS symbol demodulation. According to the simulation results, fractional DD shifts associated with multiple targets can be accurately obtained through the proposed framework. Meanwhile, the bit error rate under the proposed detector is less than 10 − 4 when the signal-to-noise ratio is high enough. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiment was to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the livers of broilers supplemented with selenium yeast, to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which selenium yeast affects the growth, development, and health of broilers. The study obtained gene expression profile data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and conducted bioinformatics mining. The results showed that 600 DEGs related to selenium yeast were identified. These DEGs were subjected to Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) annotation using DAVID software, leading to the significant enrichment of 18 biological processes and 12 KEGG pathways. A proteinprotein interaction network (PPI) was constructed using the STRING database, which included 546 nodes and 905 edges. Using Cytoscape software, six hub genes (FN1, PLCG1, MYO3 A, ITGA8, KDM6 A, and ATP2 B2) and four gene modules were identified. The study suggests that these six hub genes, along with the pathways related to the adrenergic signaling in the cardiomyocytes, calcium signaling, homologous recombination, focal adhesion, and eukaryotic ribosome biogenesis in myocardial cells, may be the key genes and key pathways through which selenium yeast influences the growth, development, and health of broilers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, cloud storage servers are controlled by a third-party administrator. This semi-trusted approach gives rise to security concerns. Therefore, in cloud computing, some protocols use a key manager to encrypt the user's private data before uploading the data to the cloud. However, the security concerns that arise from the use of a key manager are not yet solved. In this respect, in this paper, a provably secure user cloud data access control protocol (DAC) is proposed based on existing cloud storage. Empirical tests confirm that the proposed approach is highly secure against adaptive selective ciphertext attacks and has excellent resistance to message attacks. A comprehensive performance evaluation, including time measurements, is conducted and the protocol is compared to other protocols, revealing the efficient file upload and download processes of the proposed approach. The results demonstrate the protocol's strong security, practicality, and operational efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy-awareness in the industrial sectors has become a global consensus in recent decades. Green scheduling is acknowledged as an effective weapon to reduce energy consumption in the industrial sectors. Therefore, this paper is devoted to the green scheduling of flexible manufacturing cells (FMC) with auto-guided vehicle transportation, where conflict-free routing of the vehicles is considered. To deal with this problem, a bi-objective optimization model is proposed to achieve the minimization of the maximum completion time and the total energy consumption in an FMC. The studied problem is an extension of flexible job shop problem which is NP-hard. Thus, an improved bi-objective salp swarm algorithm based on decomposition (IMOSSA/D) is proposed and applied to the problem. The approach is based on the decomposition of the bi-objective problem. Salp swarm intelligence along with three stochastic-distribution-based operators are incorporated into the approach, to enhance and balance its exploring and exploiting ability. Computational experiments are performed to compare the proposed approach with two state-of-the-art algorithms. This study allows the decision makers to better trade-off between energy savings and production efficiency in flexible manufacturing cellular environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entity alignment plays an essential role in the integration of knowledge graphs (KGs) as it seeks to identify entities that refer to the same real-world objects across different KGs. Recent research has primarily centred on embedding-based approaches. Among these approaches, there is a growing interest in graph neural networks (GNNs) due to their ability to capture complex relationships and incorporate node attributes within KGs. Despite the presence of several surveys in this area, they often lack comprehensive investigations specifically targeting GNN-based approaches. Moreover, they tend to evaluate overall performance without analysing the impact of individual components and methods. To bridge these gaps, this paper presents a framework for GNN-based entity alignment that captures the key characteristics of these approaches. We conduct a fine-grained analysis of individual components and assess their influences on alignment results. Our findings highlight specific module options that significantly affect the alignment outcomes. By carefully selecting suitable methods for combination, even basic GNN networks can achieve competitive alignment results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of cerium on inclusions and solidification structure of a low‐nickel Si–Mn‐killed stainless steel is studied using laboratory experiments. When the cerium content in steel increased from 0 to 250 ppm, modification sequence of inclusions is Si–Mn(–Al)–O and MnS → Ce–Si–Mn–O–S → Ce(–Si)–O–S → CeS and CeC2. The number density and area fraction of inclusion first decrease with the increase in the cerium content and then increase due to the formation of CeC2 inclusions when the cerium content is bigger than 150 ppm, which is precipitated in solid steel during solidification. When the cerium content increases from 0 to 250 ppm, the fraction of equiaxed grain zones of steel ingot first increases and reaches a maximum value when the cerium content is 54 ppm; then the fraction of equiaxed grain zones decreases with the increase of the cerium content. 2D lattice misfit calculations are performed and it is found that there are no heterogeneous nucleation cores in the steel without cerium during solidification. For the steel with cerium, Ce4.67Si3O13, Ce2O2S, and CeS inclusions act as heterogeneous nucleation cores, increasing the fraction of the equiaxed grain zone. Bigger effective heterogeneous nucleation cores number density leads to a larger fraction of the equiaxed grain zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The localized corrosion induced by different kinds of inclusions in low‐nickel stainless steel is studied through immersion tests and first‐principles calculations. The galvanic corrosion between the steel matrix and different kinds of inclusions occurs in the corrosive environment due to the difference in the electron work function of the steel matrix and inclusions. The electron work function of MnS, CeS, and Ce‐O‐S is smaller than that of the steel matrix, thus, these inclusions first dissolve as the anode. However, the electron work function of cerium‐containing oxides is bigger than that of the steel matrix, and the steel matrix dissolves prior to cerium‐containing oxides. The order of the volume expansion rate of pits induced by inclusions is CeS > Si‐Mn(‐Al)‐O > MnS > Ce‐C‐O‐S > Ce‐Si‐Mn(‐Al)‐O > Ce‐O‐S. For cerium‐containing inclusions, the electron work function of inclusions increases with the increase of the O/Ce ratio and the S/Ce ratio of inclusions. The order of the electron work function of cerium‐containing inclusions is cerium oxides > cerium sulfides > cerium oxysulfide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widespread distribution of karst landforms has led to a shortage of water resources in Southwest China. Understanding the spatiotemporal variations in and driving factors of evapotranspiration (ET) in this area is crucial for understanding and predicting severe water resource shortage. This study conducted trend analysis using meteorological data from 2003 to 2020 as well as remote sensing products such as Penman–Monteith–Leuning equation version 2 (PML-V2) ET. The factors influencing the spatial distribution pattern of average ET were identified using a geographical detector. Partial correlation analysis was performed to characterize the relationships between ET and the factors governing its variations, determined using the random forest model. The results demonstrated the following: (1) The average ET decreased with increasing latitude and altitude, primarily affected by the landform type in terms of longitude and displaying "W"-shaped fluctuations. Overall, the annual ET exhibited a significant (p < 0.05) increasing trend, with 72.63% of its area under the increasing trend. (2) The results of the geographic detector indicated sunshine duration as the strongest explanatory factor of the spatial distribution of ET, followed by enhanced vegetation index (EVI), landform type, precipitation, elevation, slope, and aspect. Instead of an individual factor, the interplay between multiple factors more considerably influenced the spatial distribution pattern of ET. (3) The EVI exhibited an overall increasing trend, with a significant increase over 73.59% of the study area and a positive correlation with ET. Thus, the increase in EVI had the strongest impact on ET in the study area, which was further confirmed by the results of the random forest model for 42.92% of the study area. Thus, the present findings clarify the spatiotemporal variations in and driving factors of ET in Southwest China and can serve as a benchmark for policies aiming to develop and manage water resources in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let X and Y be two pointed metric spaces. In this article, we give a generalization of the Cheng–Dong–Zhang theorem for coarse Lipschitz embeddings as follows: If f:X → Y is a standard coarse Lipschitz embedding, then for each x* ∈ Lip0(X) there exist α, γ > 0 depending only on f and Qx* ∈ Lip0(Y) with ‖ Q x * ‖ L i p ≤ α ‖ x * ‖ L i p such that | Q x * f (x) − x * (x) | ≤ γ ‖ x * ‖ L i p , f o r a l l x ∈ X. Coarse stability for a pair of metric spaces is studied. This can be considered as a coarse version of Qian Problem. As an application, we give candidate negative answers to a 58-year old problem by Lindenstrauss asking whether every Banach space is a Lipschitz retract of its bidual. Indeed, we show that X is not a Lipschitz retract of its bidual if X is a universally left-coarsely stable space but not an absolute cardinality-Lipschitz retract. If there exists a universally right-coarsely stable Banach space with the RNP but not isomorphic to any Hilbert space, then the problem also has a negative answer for a separable space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Majority of carbon emissions originate from fossil energy consumption, thus necessitating calculation and monitoring of carbon emissions from energy consumption. In this study, we utilized energy consumption data from Sichuan Province and Chongqing Municipality for the years 2000 to 2019 to estimate their statistical carbon emissions. We then employed nighttime light data to downscale and infer the spatial distribution of carbon emissions at the county level within the Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration. Furthermore, we analyzed the spatial pattern of carbon emissions at the county level using the coefficient of variation and spatial autocorrelation, and we used the Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression (GTWR) model to analyze the influencing factors of carbon emissions at this scale. The results of this study are as follows: (1) from 2000 to 2019, the overall carbon emissions in the Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration showed an increasing trend followed by a decrease, with an average annual growth rate of 4.24%. However, in recent years, it has stabilized, and 2012 was the peak year for carbon emissions in the Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration; (2) carbon emissions exhibited significant spatial clustering, with high-high clustering observed in the core urban areas of Chengdu and Chongqing and low-low clustering in the southern counties of the Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration; (3) factors such as GDP, population (Pop), urbanization rate (Ur), and industrialization structure (Ic) all showed a significant influence on carbon emissions; (4) the spatial heterogeneity of each influencing factor was evident. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, unique properties and tremendous advantages for an omni-directional reflector (ODR) on an inclined sidewall for flip-chip AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (DUV LEDs) are systematically investigated via a three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain method. It is found that although the reflectivity of Ag is far lower than that of Al, the light extraction efficiency for the inclined sidewall DUV LED with the Ag-based ODR is not always lower than that with Al-based one within certain incident angles. The reason is that the total internal reflection (TIR) of the ODR on the inclined sidewall plays an important role in extracting light. We also find that the reflectivity for TIR can be strongly suppressed if surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) resonance absorption occurs. To avoid SPP resonance absorption, our studies in this work propose the design strategy for ODR on the inclined sidewall as follows: if the ODR structure of the DUV LED with an inclined sidewall adopts thin dielectric layers, the high-index material should be selected as the dielectric layer; if a thick dielectric layer is adopted for the ODR structure, the low-index material should be selected as the dielectric layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to deeply study the basic characteristics, diffusion laws, and flow laws of coal gangue and coal gangue slurry, the basic characteristic parameters of coal gangue and coal gangue slurry were obtained through particle size distribution test, electron microscope scanning test, X-ray diffraction test, X-ray fluorescence spectrum test, and angle of repose test. The conveying performance test of coal gangue slurry was carried out, and based on this, a simulation test of coal gangue slurry caving areas was designed. The diffusion and flow laws of coal gangue slurry under the same inclination angle were summarized, and the field test of fluidization filling in the caving areas was conducted. The results show that: (1) The water-to-gangue ratio was the main controlling factor for the conveying performance of coal gangue slurry. The extensibility, slump, and bleeding rate of the coal gangue slurry increased with the increase of the water-to-gangue ratio. (2) The diffusion profile of coal gangue slurry at different dip angles was arc-shaped, and the diffusion distance of slurry increased with the increase of infiltration time. However, there were differences in the sustained diffusion ability of different dip angles. (3) At the same time interval, the spatial accumulation patterns of scattered gangue in different regions will lead to differences in the diffusion speed of the slurry. (4) Both burying and hanging pipes in the falling area can safely and efficiently fill the gangue slurry. The diffusion distance of the caving areas in the test working face was basically consistent with the diffusion distance of the slurry in the simulation test of the coal gangue slurry caving areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Notopterygium incisum Ting ex H. T. Chang (N. incisum) is a precious Chinese traditional medicine distributed in high-altitude regions of southwest China. The aim of this study was to investigate the composition, antibacterial activity, and cytotoxicity of essential oil from aerial parts of N. incisum. N. incisum essential oil (NI-EO) was extracted by hydro-distillation, and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis showed that the major components of NI-EO were D-limonene (18.42%) and γ-terpinene (15.03%). The antibacterial activity and mechanism study showed that the diameters of inhibition zone (DIZs) of NI-EO against E. coli and S. aureus were 14.63 and 11.25 mm and the minimum inhibitory concentrations were 3.75 and 7.5 μL/mL, respectively. NI-EO not only caused intracellular biomacromolecule leakage and cell deformation by destroying bacterial cell wall integrity and cell membrane permeability, but also degraded the mature biofilm. The low toxicity of NI-EO was demonstrated in an assay on bovine mammary epithelial cells. These results implied that NI-EO was mainly composed of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes and had excellent antibacterial activity and showed low levels of cytotoxicity. It is expected to be applied as a natural antibacterial agent in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To compare the effectiveness and safety of transgastric and transrectal pure natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) for cholecystolithotomy. Methods: This was a single‐center retrospective comparative study of consecutive patients who underwent pure NOTES for either transrectal or transgastric gallbladder‐preserving cholecystolithotomy between September 2017 and April 2020. Patients with symptomatic cholelithiasis were assigned for transrectal or transgastric NOTES based on the patients' choice. Treatment success, postoperative pain, peritonitis, time to resume normal diet, and duration of hospitalization were compared. Results: The technical success rate was 100%. Forty‐eight patients underwent successful NOTES cholecystolithotomy via the transrectal (n = 26) or transgastric route (n = 22). One (3.8%) patient in the transrectal NOTES group experienced postoperative abdominal pain compared to 6 (27.3%) in the transgastric NOTES group (P = 0.04). Fever and bile peritonitis developed in one (3.8%) patient in the transrectal NOTES group versus 8 (36.4%) in the transgastric NOTES group (P = 0.005). A postoperative fluid diet was commenced at 6 h with the transrectal approach versus on day 3 for the transgastric NOTES group. The mean postoperative hospitalization for transrectal and transgastric NOTES groups was 4.5 days versus 7 days (P = 0.001). Three patients in the transgastric NOTES group developed postoperative gastric fistula. Conclusions: Transrectal NOTES has advantages over transgastric NOTES, including preserved spatial orientation, relatively easier removal of specimens, early food intake, shorter hospitalization, fewer postoperative complications and less pain. Multicenter clinical trials with long‐term follow‐up are needed to confirm the safety and efficacy of both approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ceramic-based capacitors have attracted great interest due to their large power density and ultrafast charge/discharge time, which are needful properties for pulsed-power devices. Antiferroelectric ceramics normally show ultrahigh energy density and relatively low efficiency, which is ascribed to the electric field-induced antiferroelectric–ferroelectric phase transition. This work reports that the perovskite end-member Bi(Fe1/3Zn1/3Ti1/3)O3 is added into NaNbO3 lead-free antiferroelectric ceramics. The lower tolerance factor of Bi(Fe1/3Zn1/3Ti1/3)O3 facilitates to achieve stable antiferroelectric phase in NaNbO3, and the introduction of various ions enhances the relaxor behavior. Consequently, the optimized 0.88NaNbO3 − 0.12Bi(Fe1/3Zn1/3Ti1/3)O3 ceramics exhibit a large recoverable energy density of 6.8 J/cm3 and a high efficiency of 82% under 49 kV/mm, as well as discharge energy density of 4 J/cm3 and charge/discharge time of 5 μs. This study suggests that the incorporation of relaxor properties into antiferroelectric ceramics is a beneficial route to boost the dielectric energy storage capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is to explore the clinical effect of transvaginal single-port laparoscopic appendectomy, a minimally invasive technique for acute appendicitis. The clinical data of 8 lady cases with acute simple appendicitis undergoing transvaginal single-port laparoscopic appendectomy from May 2019 to September 2020 were analyzed. The process of the procedure and details were recorded, and its safety and feasibility are retrospectively analyzed. The operation of all 8 cases was successfully completed, with no case required conversion to routine laparoscopic or open surgery. The average operation time was (50.27 SD8.66) min. The average intraoperative bleeding was (2.77 SD0.90) ml. The average intestinal function recovery time was (8.87 SD3.94) h. The average hospitalization time was (3.86 SD0.74) day. And the average hospitalization cost was (1.28 SD0.10) thousand yuan. Besides, 24-h postoperative pain score, CRP and IL-6 were (2.66 SD0.89) mg/l, (40.93 SD5.56) mg/l, and (68.66 SD15.19) pg/ml, respectively. No postoperative complications were observed during hospital stay, but two patients developed complications after discharge, including one abdominal infection and one poor healing of the wound. Patients' satisfaction with their incision accounted for 87.5% after 1-month follow-up. And none of the patients had discomforts after 6-month follow-up, especially for sexual life. At the same time, patients' self-confidence was improved greatly. Traditional single-port laparoscopic approach is a safe and feasible method for transvaginal appendectomy, which broadens the path of appendectomy and avoids the drawbacks of transabdominal surgery. Besides, it is more minimally invasive, without scars on the skin, and has accurate cosmetic effect. Therefore, it is considered to be a feasible approach for lady patients with appendicitis and higher cosmetic requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a road crack detection algorithm based on an improved SparseInst network, called the SparseInst-CDSM algorithm, aimed at solving the problems of low recognition accuracy and poor real-time detection of existing algorithms. The algorithm introduces the CBAM module, DCNv2 convolution, SPM strip pooling module, MPM mixed pooling module, etc., effectively improving the integrity and accuracy of crack recognition. At the same time, the central axis skeleton of the crack is extracted using the central axis method, and the length and maximum width of the crack are calculated. In the experimental comparison under the self-built crack dataset, SparseInst-CDSM has an accuracy of 93.66%, a precision of 67.35%, a recall of 66.72%, and an IoU of 84.74%, all higher than mainstream segmentation models such as Mask-RCNN and SOLO that were compared, reflecting the superiority of the algorithm proposed in this paper. The comparison results of actual measurements show that the algorithm error is within 10%, indicating that it has high effectiveness and practicality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]