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A substantial body of empirical research has focused on the interaction between creativity and mood, yet the results regarding the impact of anger on creative performance are notably varied. To clarify the overall relationship between the two, a three-level meta-analysis employing a random effects model was conducted. This analysis reviewed 115 effect sizes from 2,413 participants, revealing that anger is significantly positively correlated with creative performance (r = 0.184, 95% CI [0.111, 0.254]). The strength of this correlation was found to be moderated by the general and malevolent facets of creativity, as well as the procedures used for mood induction. Specifically, anger appears to enhance creative performance, particularly when it is elicited through imaginative processes and directed towards malevolent facet of creativity. However, the link between anger and creative performance was not influenced by the type of creative task used, the reported creative outcome, or the time limitation of the task. These findings contribute to refining the theoretical frameworks of mood and creativity and highlight the practical implications of utilising anger to moderate creative performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a global issue, water shortage has attracted much attention from the society. Artificial rain enhancement (ARE) is an effective way to exploit cloud water resources and solve water shortage, but the timing of operation is always a key problem that ARE is facing. The fluctuating properties of water vapor content (WVC) are intricately tied to the choice of operational timing, so accurately predicting the evolution of WVC holds paramount importance when determining the optimal operational timing. However, most of the proposed forecasting methods are limited to simple time series forecasting, and do not pay attention to the complex characteristics of the original data and the shortcomings of a single model prediction. Therefore, the prediction accuracy is difficult to meet the requirements of increasingly refined meteorological services. To tackle this challenge, a new hybrid prediction model, including data reconstruction strategy, benchmark model and improved multi-objective optimization algorithm, is proposed in our research by combining advanced theoretical research of artificial intelligence and data preprocessing ideas. The microwave radiometer WVC observation data at high altitude of Qilian Mountains in China is taken as a case study. By comparing 12 mainstream models, it can be concluded that: The model developed in this study achieves the highest prediction accuracy, and the mean MAPE of the three data sets at 2, 4, 6 and 8 prediction steps is 1.23%, 1.33%, 1.37% and 1.52%, respectively. This result verifies the superiority and practical value of the proposed model in predicting WVC under complex terrain conditions, and provides an excellent solution for accurate prediction of WVC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shear thickening fluid (STF), a type of non-Newtonian fluid, becomes more viscous as the strain rate rises. Due to their unique rheological properties, STFs have outstanding vibration-damping and energy-absorbing capabilities and have tremendous engineering applications. To obtain a comprehensive understanding of STFs, a review of aspects from the principle and composition, theoretical expression to application of STFs is presented on what are in this paper. In terms of principle of STFs, the thickening theory and thickening mechanism are explained firstly. The rheological characteristics and mechanical properties of STFs are reviewed. Subsequently, typical composition and preparation methods of STFs are enumerated. In terms of theoretical expression, theoretical modelling methods towards the viscosity of STFs are summarized. In terms of application, influencing factors on the thickening properties are examined. Furthermore, current engineering applications of STFs are presented. Finally, future perspectives on the research of STFs are put forward in the conclusion. The work of this article provides a systematic study and thorough knowledge of STFs, which is beneficial for numerous potential engineering applications of STFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of individually preferred colored glasses has gained popularity with the expectation that it may improve balance control and sports performance, however, the results of previous studies remain inconclusive. In the present pilot study, we aimed to determine the association between participants' subjective preference and standing balance performance when wearing five different colored glasses. Thirteen participants stood on one or two legs on a pair of synchronized force platforms for 30 seconds with 60 seconds rest between the five-five randomized stance trials, while wearing red, blue, yellow, green, or transparent colored glasses. In addition to 7 CoP-related variables, we analyzed five features of EMG data from three lower limb muscles on both legs. No significant effect of colored glasses was found. Some CoP (velocity: χ² (4, 13) = 10.086; p = 0.039; Kendall's W = 0.194, root mean square [RMS]: χ² (4, 13) = 12.278; p = 0.015; Kendall's W = 0.236) and EMG-related (RMS of biceps femoris: χ² (4, 13) = 13.006; p = 0.011; Kendall's W = 0.250) variables showed differences between the colored glass conditions during dominant-leg stance, however, participants failed to consecutively determine these differences in standing stability. Overall, our results may suggest that lens color preference, irrespective of the color itself, may influence dominant leg standing balance most probably due to psychological factors, however, only subjective determination have no potential to determine the color of the glasses that would support the individual's standing balance the most. • Different colored glasses do not affect bilateral stance strategy. • Participants' subjective preference was not in line with the CoP and EMG data. • Only subjective determination cannot determine the most supportive colored glass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bamboo cultivation, particularly Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis), holds significant economic importance in various regions worldwide. Bamboo shoot degradation (BSD) severely affects productivity and economic viability. However, despite its agricultural consequences, the molecular mechanisms underlying BSD remain unclear. Consequently, we explored the dynamic changes of BSD through anatomy, physiology and the transcriptome. Our findings reveal ruptured protoxylem cells, reduced cell wall thickness and the accumulation of sucrose and reactive oxygen species (ROS) during BSD. Transcriptomic analysis underscored the importance of genes related to plant hormone signal transduction, sugar metabolism and ROS homoeostasis in this process. Furthermore, BSD appears to be driven by the coexpression regulatory network of senescence‐associated gene transcription factors (SAG‐TFs), specifically PeSAG39, PeWRKY22 and PeWRKY75, primarily located in the protoxylem of vascular bundles. Yeast one‐hybrid and dual‐luciferase assays demonstrated that PeWRKY22 and PeWRKY75 activate PeSAG39 expression by binding to its promoter. This study advanced our understanding of the molecular regulatory mechanisms governing BSD, offering a valuable reference for enhancing Moso bamboo forest productivity. Summary statement: The bamboo shoot degradation occurs first in the protoxylem and impacts phytohormone signalling, starch and sucrose metabolism, as well as reactive oxygen species homoeostasis. PeWRKY22 and PeWRKY75 activate PeSAG39 by binding to its promoters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction industry has long been regarded as a relatively conservative and less innovative sector. Adjusting corporate governance structure is an effective method to promote innovation in the construction industry, as it can internally address the reluctance to innovate within companies. While it is widely known that the chief executive officer (CEO) plays a crucial role in firm innovation, few studies have explored the effects of CEO duality on innovation from a corporate governance aspect, which serves as a pressing need for construction industry. This study investigates the influence of CEO duality and its important moderating variable, CEO overconfidence, on corporate innovation based on a sample of stock-listed China construction companies and their patent data from 2009 to 2022. Quantile regression is applied to deeply investigate the variation in the impact of CEO duality throughout different conditional quantiles of the construction innovation performance distribution. The results demonstrate a favorable correlation between CEO duality and corporate innovation performance, and the promotion effect of CEO duality is more significant for firms with lower innovation performance. Additionally, CEO overconfidence negatively moderates the impact of CEO duality on corporate innovation. These findings indicate that CEO duality plays a noteworthy role in promoting corporate innovation within the construction industry and more effective corporate governance mechanism is needed to control CEO overconfidence, which promotes the negative impact of CEO duality. The research provides a research framework for exploring the dynamic impact of corporate governance structures on firm performance in the future. The results of this study are of significant importance for both the theoretical understanding and practical implementation of corporate governance mechanisms in the construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MXenes with excellent conductivity and abundant surface functional groups have displayed great advantages as platforms for sensing materials. NiO also has drawn much attention for gas detection due to its unique merits of excellent catalytic activity. Herein, NiO nanoparticles are incorporated with multilayer Ti3C2Tx-MXene to develop excellent triethylamine sensors. Due to the larger specific surface area and formed p–p heterojunctions, the response of the NiO/Ti3C2Tx gas sensor is endowed with a response value of 950% to 50 ppm triethylamine gas and is much higher than that of the pristine NiO sensor. Moreover, the NiO/Ti3C2Tx sensor displays a fast response time of 8 s (50 ppm triethylamine), excellent reproducibility, and reliable long-term stability. This study proves that NiO/Ti3C2Tx sensors have potential for the effective detection of triethylamine gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rosai-Dorfman Disease (RDD) is a rare self-limiting histiocytosis, more prevalent in children and young adults. It typically manifests as painless bilateral massive cervical lymphadenopathy but may also extend to extra-nodal sites, with intrathoracic RDD noted in 2% of cases. Distinguishing mediastinal RDD from thymoma on imaging poses challenges, underscoring the reliance on pathological features and immunohistochemical staining for diagnosis. Case presentation: Patient, male, 33 years old, underwent lung a CT revealing an enlarged round soft tissue shadow in the anterior superior mediastinum, compared to a year ago. Surgical resection removed the entire mass, thymus, and part of the pericardium, confirming RDD on pathology. Genetic testing using second-generation testing technology identified a KRAS gene point mutation. Conclusions: No established treatment protocol currently exists for this disease. However, as genetic mutation research progresses, a novel therapeutic avenue is emerging: targeted therapy integrated with surgical interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) method has gradually moved beyond the separation of spherical rigid particles and has been successfully applied to the field of biological cells, especially to the separation of disc-shaped flexible erythrocytes. Different shapes of micropillars in the DLD device significantly affect the sorting performance of erythrocytes. We investigated the effect of the flow field in the gap of micropillars of different shapes (circular, triangular, I-shaped) on the behavior of erythrocyte tumbling motion. The simulation results showed that in the I-shaped pillar DLD device, compared with the circular and triangular pillars, the erythrocytes exhibited a stable and continuous flipping motion during the movement along the array offset direction, which enabled the effective separation size to be maintained at a high level. In addition, the formula for calculating the critical diameter of the I-shaped pillar DLD array for separating erythrocytes was obtained by fitting, which provides strong support for a more efficient design of the I-shaped pillar DLD device dedicated to erythrocyte sorting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To overcome the difficulties of time-varying disturbance, model mismatch, and frequent operation in the rudder/fin joint control system, an interference model predictive control (I-MPC) rudder/fin joint control system with sliding mode observer is proposed. Considering that the model mismatch problem occurs when the ship is sailing, the model mismatch and external disturbance are regarded as the total disturbance. A discrete 3-degree-of-freedom ship disturbance mathematical model is established. The rudder angle and fin angle are selected as the system inputs, then a sliding mode observer is designed to observe the time-varying disturbance and system output in real time. Different from traditional MPC and feedforward compensation, I-MPC will predict the output based on the disturbance observation value, and the control law is solved under rudder/fin angle and angular velocity constraints. Simulation results show that the proposed method improves the tracking performance and anti-disturbance performance of the rudder/fin system. The observer has high observation accuracy for constant, sinusoidal, and time-varying disturbances. Mechanism wear and energy loss caused by frequent operation are avoided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, suicide (especially adolescents' suicide) has been an increasingly prominent social problem worldwide; suicide ideation, as an important predictor, has been the focus of relevant studies and practices. Against this background, the present study aimed to examine the association between perceived family financial stress and adolescents' suicidal ideation, as well as the potential roles of depression and parent-child attachment. A sample of 526 junior middle school students was recruited voluntarily to participate in this cross-sectional study, and the results indicated that the prevalence of suicidal ideation among junior high school students was 15.45%; perceived family financial stress was positively associated with suicidal ideation, and depression could significantly mediate this relation; parent–child attachment significantly moderated the mediating effect of depression (in particular, the relation between depression and suicidal ideation); specifically, this relation was stronger among adolescents with lower values of parent–child attachment. These findings could deepen our understanding of the influences of perceived family financial condition and the risky factors of adolescents' suicidal ideation, which could provide guidance for the prevention and intervention of adolescents' depression and suicidal ideation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addressing the complex issue of multi-attribute decision-making within a probabilistic dual hesitant fuzzy context, where attribute weights are unknown, a novel decision-making method based on cumulative prospect theory is proposed, named the probabilistic dual hesitant fuzzy multi-attribute decision-making method based on cumulative prospect theory. Firstly, a decision matrix is formulated, representing probabilistic dual hesitant fuzzy information. Secondly, according to the decision maker's authentic preference and non-membership information sensitivity, a comprehensive score function suitable for probabilistic dual hesitant fuzzy elements is proposed. The attribute weights are then determined using the entropy method. Next, the value function and decision weight function from the cumulative prospect theory are employed to compute the cumulative prospect value attributed to each available scheme. In addition, a cumulative prospect matrix is constructed, enabling the establishment of scheme rankings based on the comprehensive cumulative prospect value. Finally, the analysis of specific cases and a comparative assessment of methods pertaining to the selection of emergency response schemes collectively demonstrate the rationality and efficacy of the decision-making method presented in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The grain size and phase structure uniformity of europium barium copper oxide (EBCO) superconducting targets would affect the superconducting properties of sputtered film. A uniformly dispersed EBCO slurry was used to prepare high-density green EBCO compacts using slip casting. The effects of milling time and slurry pH on EBCO slurries were studied. Based on the shrinkage data of the EBCO superconducting targets, the densification process was estimated and the apparent activation energy was calculated. The effects of the sintering process on the microstructure and phase composition of EBCO superconducting targets were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). When the sintering temperature was 950–1050 °C, the EBCO superconducting target comprised EuBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 and CuO, where a new phase Eu 2 BaCuO 5 formed at a sintering temperature of 1100 °C. The Tc and ΔT of the EBCO superconducting target sintered at 950 °C for 30 h were 91.18 K and 2.35 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind power generation helps to save energy and reduce emissions. Accurate wind speed prediction can ensure the safe integration of wind power into the energy grid, but due to the intermittent and volatile nature of wind, it brings great difficulties to wind speed prediction. To solve this issue, this paper develops a hybrid forecasting model called WT-VMD-LSTM-TCN, where the wavelet transform (WT) is used to decompose the original wind speed into multiple detailed components and an approximate component, then the variational mode decomposition (VMD) is employed to further decompose the first detailed component, and several intrinsic mode functions and a residual term are obtained. Subsequently, the LSTM-TCN model is established on each component obtained by WT and VMD, where the component is first input into the long short-term memory (LSTM), and then the output sequence of LSTM is input into the temporal convolutional network (TCN) for processing. Ultimately, the predicted results of all components from WT-VMD are reconstructed to obtain the predicted value of wind speed. The performance of the model is verified by simulation experiments with three datasets. The experimental results show that: (a) The developed LSTM-TCN model integrates the feature extraction methods of LSTM and TCN, and the feature extraction ability is more comprehensive, which can improve the forecasting performance of a single model; (b) VMD is used to decompose the subsequence with the largest error, which reduces the difficulty of the prediction of this subsequence; (c) WT-VMD-LSTM-TCN is superior to other comparison models in three datasets, which verifies that the model has good applicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The demand for clean-label starch, perceived as environmentally friendly in terms of production and less hazardous to health, has driven the advancement of food physical processing technologies aimed at modifying starch. One of the key objectives of these modifications has been to reduce the glycaemic potency and increase resistant starch content of starch, as these properties have the potential to positively impact metabolic health. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent updates in typical physical processing techniques, including annealing, heat-moisture, microwave and ultrasonication, and a brief discussion of several promising recent-developed methods. The focus is on evaluating the molecular, supramolecular and microstructural changes resulting from these modifications and identifying targeted structures that can foster enzyme-digestion resistance in native starch and its forms relevant to food applications. After a comprehensive search and assessment, the current physical modifications have not consistently improved starch enzymatic resistance. The opportunities for enhancing the effectiveness of modifications lie in (1) identifying modification conditions that avoid the intensive disruption of the granular and supramolecular structure of starch and (2) exploring novel strategies that incorporate multi-type modifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a mesoscale Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model coupled with an AgI (silver iodide) cold cloud catalytic module were used to explore the potential impact of the catalytic position and rate in the catalytic module based on a ground rain enhancement operation in the Qilian Mountains, on 16 August 2020. Results show that the simulated precipitation, liquid water content (LWC), and water vapor content (PWV) are in good agreement with the observations, demonstrating that the WRF model using the coupled AgI cloud-seeding scheme is well-applicable to the precipitation simulation of the Qilian Mountains. It is also observed that there are some differences in the catalytic effect of catalysis at different cloud temperatures. The precipitation enhancement effect is the most favorable in the fifth layer of 15 km, followed by that in the fourth layer of 12 km and the sixth layer of 18 km. Considering the flight cost and catalytic efficiency, the fourth layer is highly recommended for seeding. Furthermore, the AgI seeding rate also plays a crucial impact on ground precipitation. In the case of a seeding rate of about 1.2 g·s−1, the precipitation enhancement effect tends to be stable, and the percentage of the precipitation increase reaches up to 10.4%. While in the case of a seeding rate of about 1.5 g·s−1, the percentage of ground precipitation increase is 10%, which is 0.4% lower than that of 1.2 g·s−1. In summary, the introduction of a AgI catalyst with a seeding rate of 1.2 g·s−1 can significantly increase the ground precipitation at a height of 12 km and a temperature of −3 °C in the Qilian Mountains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What Is Known and Objective. Pyrotinib maleate, also known as pyrotinib, is an irreversible dual receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor that primarily targets the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) enzyme mainly catalyzes pyrotinib, and its metabolism is influenced apparently by CYP3A4 strong inhibitor, but the effect of CYP3A4 moderate inhibitor is still unclear as a moderate inhibitor of CYP3A4 enzyme. This study evaluated the effect of fluconazole, a widespread antifungal medication, on the pharmacokinetics and safety tolerance of pyrotinib. Methods. This study was an open, single-dose, and self-controlled clinical trial. Eighteen healthy Chinese participants were enrolled in this study. All participants were administered fluconazole on days 6–18 and pyrotinib on days 1 and 9. The maximum plasma concentration (Cmax), time to Cmax (Tmax), area under the concentration–time curve from time 0 to the last measurable concentration (AUC0−t), area under the concentration–time curve from time 0 extrapolated to infinity (AUC0−∞), terminal elimination half-life (t1/2), apparent volume of distribution (Vz/F), and apparent clearance (CL/F) were calculated using WinNonlin software (version 8.1). Safety tolerance was assessed throughout the process. Results and Discussion. Compared with the single administration of pyrotinib, the exposure level was enhanced significantly after the coadministration of pyrotinib and fluconazole. The geometric mean ratios (pyrotinib + fluconazole/pyrotinib alone) of Cmax, AUC0−t, and AUC0−∞ were 2.16, 3.6, and 3.5, respectively. The parameter of t1/2 is 14.16 h and 24.03 h, and CL/F is 275.06 L/h and 78.42 L/h, for pyrotinib alone and with fluconazole. No serious adverse events were reported in this trial, and no participant withdrew from the trial because of adverse events. What Is New and Conclusion. The PK profile of pyrotinib, a CYP3A4 substrate, was significantly influenced by fluconazole, with increased exposure levels and prolonged t1/2. Dosage adjustment is suggested for the clinical application of pyrotinib when coadministered with fluconazole or other CYP3A4 inhibitors/inducers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of the cloud computing era, the decision-making environment and algorithm models have become increasingly complex, and traditional decision-making methods have been unable to meet the needs of large group decision-making (LGDM) problems. Firstly, in order to solve this problem, the concept of double hierarchy interval hesitant fuzzy language (DHIHFL) is proposed. Compared with the traditional double hierarchy hesitant fuzzy language (DHHFL), it contains all elements from the lower limit to the upper limit and more comprehensively characterizes the hesitation of language information. Secondly, for LGDM problems, a self-confident double hierarchy interval hesitant fuzzy language (SC-DHIHFL) is developed, and the integration of self-confident degree can better enrich the evaluation information and promote the achievement of group consensus. Thirdly, a new two-stage LGDM method is proposed. The first stage is clustering and grouping and reaching consensus within the group, and the second stage is the integration of LGDM information. The two-stage method contains novel methods such as expert clustering algorithm, subjective and objective comprehensive weight, consensus degree, and deviation weight considering minority opinions. Finally, the proposed LGDM consensus method is applied to a practical LGDM problem, and the effectiveness is verified by comparative analysis with existing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Site stacking of the prefabricated building components (PBC) should be planned in coordination with installation schedule and other dynamic constraints to improve the overall construction efficiency. This study explores the collaborative planning for stacking and installation of the PBCs (CPSIP) by avoiding collision of the tower cranes that are in the overlapping area and operated simultaneously with the objective of minimizing the prefabricated construction duration. The CPSIP problem, crane-collision cases, collision-avoiding strategy, and multiphase dynamic optimization strategy are analyzed. Then the optimization model for the CPSIP problem subject to the crane-collision avoiding and other dynamic constraints is proposed, and the binary particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is utilized to solve the optimization model for the CPSIP problem. A case study is presented to demonstrate and justify the developed method for obtaining the CPSIP. This study contributes to the knowledge and methodology for achieving the CPSIP by avoiding crane-collision, thus improving efficiency of the prefabricated construction while promoting safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) is widely used in new energy vehicles. At present, to make electric vehicles have a wider speed range, the motor can reach the rated speed above through the field-weakening control. However, when the traditional field-weakening control strategy is above the rated speed, the dynamic response ability of the vehicle declines. Problems such as torque oscillation and current jump occur. To solve these problems, based on a pigeon-inspired optimization (PIO) algorithm and optimized light gradient boosting machine (LightGBM), the dynamic response capability of the permanent magnet synchronous motor is improved. The robust adaptability of the control system to disturbances and parameter changes is also further improved. By collecting experimental data, the importance of relevant variables is analyzed, and the variable with the largest weight is selected as the input of the model. PIO is used to optimize LightGBM, and the loss function is optimized. Finally, the regression model is established. Simulation and experimental results show that the method is effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Angiogenesis is an important mechanism of recovery from ischemic stroke. Recent studies have found that there is a close relationship between the VEGF/Notch pathway and angiogenesis. It is unknown whether EA can exert a brain protection effect and promote angiogenesis by acting on the VEGF/Notch signaling pathway after focal cerebral ischemia‐reperfusion injury (CIRI). Methods: The Middle Cerebral Artery occlusion/Reperfusion (MCAo/R) model was established, in which rats were subjected to occlusion with ischemic intervention for 30 min, followed by reperfusion for 8 h, 1 day, 3 days, and 7 days. The first EA treatment was performed 90 min after the animal model was successfully established, and then EA treatments were performed once a day for 7 days. The 2,3,5‐triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining and neurological deficit examination were performed to assess the level of CIRI and neuroprotection by EA. Expression levels of VEGFA, Notch1, and Hes1 proteins were measured via western blotting, while the morphological changes of ECs and microvasculature in the cortex were determined using an ultrastructural observation method. Results: EA treatment of PC6, GV26, and SP6 can significantly improve the neurological function of MCAO/R rats, reduce the volume of cerebral infarction, and modulate the ultrastructure of ECs and microvessels in pathological states. Western blotting revealed that EA increased VEGFA protein expression at 8 h and 3 days after CIRI, as well as Notch1 protein expression at 1 and 7 days. Subsequently, EA activated the VEGF/Notch pathway, increasing the expression of the downstream target protein Hes1, reversing EC death, and promoting angiogenesis. Conclusion: Our findings showed that EA plays a role in promoting angiogenesis following focal CIRI, and we hypothesized that this was due to the regulation of ECs by the EA‐activated VEGF/Notch signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular crowding agents can significantly suppress water activity by affecting hydrogen bonds. Here, we performed molecular dynamics simulation to study the effect of temperature and concentration of sulfolane, a crowding agent, on aqueous electrolytes. The mean square displacement, diffusion coefficient, coordination number, number density distribution, and average number of intermolecular hydrogen bonds were calculated and discussed. Due to the molecular crowding, the effect of temperature and sulfolane concentration on the average number of hydrogen bonds between water molecules is very interesting. When the concentration of sulfolane is low, the average number of hydrogen bonds between water molecules decreases monotonically with increasing temperature. However, when the concentration of sulfolane reaches a certain value, the average number of hydrogen bonds between water molecules no longer monotonically decreases but first increases and then decreases. When the concentration of sulfolane continues to increase, the average number of hydrogen bonds between water molecules tended to an abnormal monotonic increase. This work provides a deep study of the molecular crowding at the molecular level under wide ranges of temperature and concentration for designing aqueous electrolytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogels are widely used in drug delivery systems and outperform traditional biomaterials. However, it is still a challenge to develop targeted antitumor function in hydrogels with good stability and strong mechanical properties for drug carriers. Herein, we constructed novel composite polysaccharide drug-loaded hydrogels (FA–ASA–FG/MTX) from fenugreek gum (FG) and sodium alginate conjugated with folate (FA–ASA). The interpenetrating entanglement between FG and sodium alginate could improve the mechanical properties of the composite hydrogels. Additionally, the introduction of folate endowed the hydrogels with tumor-targeting properties. The composite hydrogels were determined to have a porous structure, water absorption, good stability and a sustained release effect by the determination of load ratio, rheological characterization, swelling behavior and drug release rate. Notably, the inhibition rate of the composite hydrogels against tumors was evaluated on HepG2 cells in vitro, which confirmed the targeting function of FA–ASA–FG/MTX with dose- and time-dependent behavior. Our results indicated that the composite hydrogels were a promising targeted anti-tumor agent and represented potential advances in the field of tumor-targeted drug delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water shortage is a major problem facing the world. Artificial precipitation enhancement is an effective way to improve precipitation conversion rate, but the selection of artificial precipitation enhancement operation timing is the main difficulty, and the precipitable water vapor(PWV) is a major index. The variation of PWV is nonlinear and unstable due to complex factors, especially in the Qilian mountains in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, so it is difficult to predict it accurately. Therefore, based on the analysis of the observed data of microwave radiometer in Qilian Mountains, a new combined model is constructed which considers both data decomposition and prediction of several single models in this research. In the data preprocessing stage, the complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise (CEEMDAN) technique is used to decompose and de-noise the PWV sequence. In the prediction stage, four neural network with unique characteristics, back propagation neural network (BPNN), long short term memroy (LSTM), bidirectional gated recurrent unit (BiGRU) and temporal convolutional network (TCN), are selected to predict the decomposed data respectively. A variant of gray Wolf optimization algorithm (IGWO) is used to determine the optimal weight of the model, and finally the comprehensive predicted value is obtained by weighting calculation. Through the analysis of experimental results, in the longest 15-step prediction, compared with CEEMDAN-BP, CEEMDAN-LSTM, CEEMDAN-BiGRU, CEEMDAN-TCN, the prediction accuracy can be improved by 54.17%, 35.05%, 22.38%, 23.86%, respectively. Other step size prediction also achieves the highest prediction accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a safety control scheme for quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to counteract ground effect and blade damage. The impacts of ground effect and blade damage are quantitatively analyzed in the established model. The proposed safety control scheme consists of position and attitude loops. Specifically, a proportional and derivative controller is designed as a baseline control with acceleration feedforward in the position loop. A disturbance observer (DO) using the measured Euler angles is exploited to estimate the lumped disturbance forces. The developed DO can effectively mitigate the estimation deviation caused by the angle tracking error. Subsequently, differential flatness theory is used to obtain the Euler angle references and the derivatives. In the attitude loop, sliding mode control and fixed-time sliding mode observer (SMO) are integrated to deal with ground effect and blade damage promptly. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed safety control scheme, flight experiments are carried out, where the quadrotor UAV flies close to the rugged ground in the presence of blade damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the wide recognition of the potential commercial value of drone technology, the delivery method of trucks with drones has gradually been applied to the logistics field. This paper proposed a novel truck-drone collaborative service network for the special case of poor ground transportation. The proposed model uses the truck as an auxiliary tool at fixed non-customer locations to support drone deliveries, and develops the potential of drones to carry multiple commodities and undertake wide-range delivery missions in each flight. A modified variable neighborhood search algorithm with a new threedimensional coding scheme and five new neighborhood operators is presented to represent the routes of multiple drones in collaborative service networks and solve the proposed model. The experiment was conducted under three types of customer distribution scenarios and experimental results illustrate that the presented algorithm effectively solves the proposed model compared with other hybrid heuristic algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Corn stover pellets are of poor quality (regarding physical and mechanical properties), and wet soybean dregs are viscous, which may improve the pelleting process. Furthermore, the soybean dregs have high nutritional value, which may increase the quality of feed. The relaxed density, dimensional stability coefficient and hardness of feed pellets were measured and analyzed in this study to clarify the influence mechanism of wet-fermented soybean dregs on the pelleting of corn stover. The results showed that fermented soybean dregs had a significant effect on corn stover pelleting. The comprehensive analysis showed that the addition of 5–10% fermented soybean dregs to corn stover improved the relaxed density, dimensional stability coefficient, and hardness of feed pellets by 10.76–23.51%, 7.32–15.74%, and 33.39–454.47%, respectively. The results could provide guidance on the research and development of high-quality forming technology and instruments using the mixture of corn stover and fermented soybean dregs and offer a new route for the utilization of high-moisture materials. Pelleting experiments were carried out in this study to clarify the influence mechanism of wet-fermented soybean dregs on the forming of corn stover. The effects of addition of water or wet fermented soybean dregs on the forming quality of corn stover were comparatively studied under different corn stover particle sizes and compression displacement. The fermented soybean dregs significantly affected the relaxed density, dimensional stability coefficient, and hardness of feed pellets. The relaxed density, dimensional stability coefficient, and hardness of feed pellets increased first and then decreased with the increase of fermented soybean dregs. The forming quality of corn stover added with fermented soybean dregs was higher than that of corn stover added with the same amount of water. The mechanism allowed soybean dregs to strengthen the bonding between corn stover particles and thus improved the quality of feed pellets. A certain amount of water was favorable for corn stover pelleting, but excessive water may decrease the quality of pellets. The comprehensive analysis showed that the addition of 5–10% fermented soybean dregs to the corn stover improved the relaxed density, dimensional stability coefficient, and hardness of feed pellets by 10.76–23.51%, 7.32–15.74%, and 33.39–454.47%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • InCeZrO x /H-SAPO-34 can effectively catalyze CO 2 hydrogenation to light olefins. • The selectivity of C 2 =-C 4 = (CO free) reaches 93.6 % with CO selectivity of only 9.7 % • Doping In in CeZrO x promotes formation of formate and methoxy at low temperature. • Excessive In species cause some of them migrate onto SAPO-34 and poison acid sites. Indium-based oxide/zeolite bifunctional catalyst has been shown to be potential for conversion of CO 2 into C 2 =-C 4 =. However, this type of catalyst generates large amounts of CO with selectivity ≥ 55 %. Thus, a new type of InCeZrO x (n)/H-SAPO-34(x) composite is fabricated here for catalyzing CO 2 hydrogenation to light olefins, and its catalytic mechanism is investigated by combining in situ spectroscopy and isotope-labeled experiments. Upon optimization of In content incorporated in CeZrO x , the coupling manner of InCeZrO x with H-SAPO-34 and reaction conditions, this composite gives comparable C 2 =-C 4 = yield to previously reported catalysts but a much lower CO selectivity (9.7 %) as a result of C 2 =-C 4 = selectivity in hydrocarbons reaching 93.6 %, while those of CH 4 and C 2 0-C 4 0 as low as 1.9 % and 2.4 %, respectively. Various characterization and designed experiment results reveal that incorporation of appropriate amounts of In in CeZrO x generates more oxygen vacancies that promotes CO 2 activation to form formate and methoxy intermediates at low temperature and pressure, whereas addition of more In species causes some to migrate onto H-SAPO-34(x) and poison acid sites, which leads to quick deactivation of catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a low-cost, self-balancing crop spectral reflectance sensor (CSRS) was designed for real-time, nondestructive monitoring of the spectral reflectance and vegetation index of crops such as tomato and rapeseed. The sensor had a field of view of 30°, and a narrow-band filter was used for light splitting. The filter's full width at half-maximum was 10 nm, and the spectral bands were 710 nm and 870 nm. The sensor was powered by a battery and used WiFi for communication. Its software was based on the Contiki operating system. To make the sensor work in different light intensity conditions, the photoelectric conversion automatic gain circuit had a total of 255 combinations of amplification. The gimbal of the sensor was mainly composed of an inner ring and an outer ring. Under the gravity of the sensor, the central axis of the sensor remained vertical, such that the up-facing and down-facing photosensitive units stayed in the horizontal position. The mechanical components of the sensor were designed symmetrically to facilitate equal mass distribution and to meet the needs of automatic balancing. Based on the optical signal transmission process of the sensor and the dark-current characteristics of the photodetector, a calibration method was theoretically deduced, which improved the accuracy and stability of the sensor under different ambient light intensities. The calibration method is also applicable for the calibration of other crop growth information sensors. Next, the standard reflectance gray scale was taken as the measurement variable to test the accuracy of the sensor, and the results showed that the root mean square error of the reflectance measured by the sensor at 710 nm and 870 nm was 1.10% and 1.27%, respectively; the mean absolute error was 0.95% and 0.89%, respectively; the relative error was below 4% and 3%, respectively; and the coefficient of variation was between 1.0% and 2.5%. The reflectance data measured by the sensor under different ambient light intensities suggested that the absolute error of the sensor was within ±0.5%, and the coefficients of variation at the two spectral bands were 1.04% and 0.39%, respectively. With tomato and rapeseed as the monitoring targets, the proposed CSRS and a commercial spectroradiometer were used to measure at the same time. The results showed that the reflectance measured by the two devices was very close, and there was a linear relationship between the normalized difference vegetation index of the CSRS and that of the commercial spectroradiometer. The coefficient of determination (R2) for tomato and rapeseed were 0.9540 and 0.9110, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Source-free domain adaptation (SFDA) aims to adapt a source model trained on a fully-labeled source domain to a related but unlabeled target domain. While the source model is a key avenue for acquiring target pseudolabels, the generated pseudolabels may exhibit source bias. In the conventional SFDA pipeline, a large data (e.g. ImageNet) pre-trained feature extractor is used to initialize the source model at the start of source training, and subsequently discarded. Despite having diverse features important for generalization, the pre-trained feature extractor can overfit to the source data distribution during source training and forget relevant target domain knowledge. Rather than discarding this valuable knowledge, we introduce an integrated framework to incorporate pre-trained networks into the target adaptation process. The proposed framework is flexible and allows us to plug modern pre-trained networks into the adaptation process to leverage their stronger representation learning capabilities. For adaptation, we propose the Co-learn algorithm to improve target pseudolabel quality collaboratively through the source model and a pre-trained feature extractor. Building on the recent success of the vision-language model CLIP in zero-shot image recognition, we present an extension Co-learn++ to further incorporate CLIP’s zero-shot classification decisions. We evaluate on 4 benchmark datasets and include more challenging scenarios such as open-set, partial-set and open-partial SFDA. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed strategy improves adaptation performance and can be successfully integrated with existing SFDA methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An integrated framework for maintenance planning and scheduling was developed. • Accounts for system unit degradation and failure during scheduling. • Considers units' repairability by incorporating imperfect maintenance. • Analyzes maintenance groups using lifecycle partitioning method. • Validated integrated model using WFB multi-axis drilling machine. Preventive maintenance and task scheduling are both crucial activities in industrial practice. Although they are interdependent and mutually influential, most existing studies typically analyze them separately. In this paper, an integrated framework of preventive maintenance planning and task scheduling is explored. On one hand, while most scholars focus on the system as a whole in scheduling studies, we further take into account the degradation and maintenance of multiple units during the task scheduling process. On the other hand, instead of only using "direct replacement" as the main maintenance method, we further consider the repairability of the unit by incorporating imperfect maintenance effects into the maintenance modeling. Additionally, the lifecycle partitioning method is proposed to analyze the maintenance groups for multiple units at the completion of scheduling tasks and their corresponding probabilities. Based on this foundation, an integrated decision model is established with the preventive maintenance threshold and scheduling task sequence as decision variables to minimize the total weighted expected completion time. Finally, a novel genetic algorithm based on hybrid encoding is proposed, and the effectiveness of integrated decision-making was validated using a practical example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neural networks are capable of learning complex concepts and tasks, given abundant training data. In real-world applications where data collection can be difficult, integrating domain knowledge into the model can reduce the burden on data requirements and allow human experts greater control over model decisions. This paper focuses on incorporating conditional statements for tabular data as classification rules, which have a simple structure and are easy to construct. We introduce a general rule loss constraint to guide neural network training in a model agnostic manner, and propose confidence learning to automatically weigh the contribution of multiple candidate rules. Experimental evaluation with three real-world datasets shows that the rule loss can substantially increase model performance, particularly when training data is limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of communication technology and automation technology, sensors are becoming more and more intelligent. This study proposes an environmental accounting system model based on artificial intelligence blockchain and embedded sensors. A high-precision sensor system based on embedded technology is first built, which not only avoids the shortcomings of analog data transmission, but also has high performance and price advantages. At the same time, it can be easily combined into a simple sensor network, and array measurement can be realized through the development of blockchain technology. However, the current blockchain system has the disadvantage of storage limitation. The problem is particularly serious when a large amount of data needs to be stored in the blockchain, especially when the blockchain is combined with big data. As a comprehensive field of accounting, ecology, and environmental science, environmental accounting has made great contributions to sustainable development in the field of accounting. The theoretical research in the field of environmental accounting in China started late, and a unified environmental accounting system has not actually been established. Under the conditions of immature theoretical and policy basis, companies have almost no actual surveys on environmental accounting. The characteristics of blockchain technology, such as decentralization, transparency, and changes in information unavailability, can fully solve the problem that the current accounting information system cannot consolidate transaction information and the accounting process. The reliability assurance mechanism of the accounting information system based on blockchain technology can greatly ensure the reliability of the accounting information system, effectively suppress accounting fraud, and improve the transparency of information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the drying characteristics of soybean dregs and a nondestructive moisture content test method, in this study, soybean dregs were dried with hot air (80 °C), the moisture content was measured using the drying method, water status was analyzed using low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) and the moisture content prediction models were built and validated. The results revealed that the moisture contents of the soybean dregs were 0.57 and 0.01 g/g(w.b.), respectively, after drying for 5 and 7 h. The effective moisture diffusivity increased with the decrease in moisture content; it ranged from 5.27 × 10−9 to 6.96 × 10−8 m2·s−1. Soybean dregs contained bound water (T21), immobilized water (T22) and free water (T23 and T23'). With the proceeding of drying, all of the relaxation peaks shifted left until a new peak (T23') appeared; then, the structure of soybean dregs changed, and the relaxation peaks reformed, and the peak shifted left again. The peak area may predict the moisture content of soybean dregs, and the gray values of images predict the moisture contents mainly composed of free water or immobilized water. The results may provide a reference for drying of soybean dregs and a new moisture detection method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the problem of regional water system evaluation, this paper proposes a system efficiency evaluation method based on the game cross-efficiency model and conducts an empirical analysis. First, autopoiesis is introduced as the theoretical basis. The characteristics of the authigenic system are combined with a regional water system, and the connotation and characteristics of the regional water system are defined. Second, based on the competitive relationship between regional water systems, the existing game crossover efficiency model is improved. A crossover efficiency model of other games is proposed to evaluate the efficiency of regional water systems. Then, the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration is selected as the research object. The effects of four systematic evaluation methods based on the DEA method are compared horizontally to find the optimal system efficiency evaluation method. Finally, the characteristics of the regional water system in the Pearl River Delta are systematically analysed through the evaluation results, and the present situation of the regional water system is fully explained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the spatio-temporal variation characteristics of the daily maximum boundary layer height (BLH) and precipitation (Prec) from 1900 to 2010 are analysed by using ERA-20C reanalysis data with mathematical statistical methods. However, since time-scale variation of boundary layer processes is very short and precipitation is also a discontinuous variable, to further understand the influence of BLH on precipitation, appropriate individual cases need to be selected for more in-depth analysis. These three sub-regions are extreme arid (annual average Prec < 25mm), arid (25mm < annual average Prec <250mm), and semi-arid (250mm < annual average Prec < 500mm), as shown by the white contours in Figure 1. The white contours represent the average annual precipitation from 1900 to 2010, and the shaded colours represents the daily trend rates. gl 1 TableThe climate tendency rate and correlation coefficient (r) between the daily maximum boundary layer height and precipitation in the three sub-regions. [Extracted from the article]

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a perennial leguminous forage cultivated globally. Fusarium spp.-induced root rot is a chronic and devastating disease affecting alfalfa that occurs in most production fields. Studying the disease resistance regulatory network and investigating the key genes involved in plant–pathogen resistance can provide vital information for breeding alfalfa that are resistant to Fusarium spp. In this study, a resistant and susceptible clonal line of alfalfa was inoculated with Fusarium proliferatum L1 and sampled at 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, and 7 d post-inoculation for RNA-seq analysis. Among the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) detected between the two clonal lines at the four time points after inoculation, approximately 81.8% were detected at 24 h and 7 d after inoculation. Many DEGs in the two inoculated clonal lines participated in PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI) mechanisms. In addition, transcription factor families such as bHLH, SBP, AP2, WRKY, and MYB were detected in response to infection. These results are an important supplement to the few existing studies on the resistance regulatory network of alfalfa against Fusarium root rot and will help to understand the evolution of host–pathogen interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Credit scoring has become increasingly important for financial institutions. With the advancement of artificial intelligence, machine learning methods, especially ensemble learning methods, have become increasingly popular for credit scoring. However, the problems of imbalanced data distribution and underutilized feature information have not been well addressed sufficiently. To make the credit scoring model more adaptable to imbalanced datasets, the original model-based synthetic sampling method is extended herein to balance the datasets by generating appropriate minority samples to alleviate class overlap. To enable the credit scoring model to extract inherent correlations from features, a new bagging-based feature transformation method is proposed, which transforms features using a tree-based algorithm and selects features using the chi-square statistic. Furthermore, a two-layer ensemble method that combines the advantages of dynamic ensemble selection and stacking is proposed to improve the classification performance of the proposed multi-stage ensemble model. Finally, four standardized datasets are used to evaluate the performance of the proposed ensemble model using six evaluation metrics. The experimental results confirm that the proposed ensemble model is effective in improving classification performance and is superior to other benchmark models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radar has been shown potentially to be used for non‐contact sensing of biosignals in a more comfortable and easier way than wearable and contact devices. By detecting and extracting body motions linked to physiological activities, accurate estimation of the heart rate is possible. However, the detection and estimation of heartbeat signal in practical applications is disturbed seriously by noise and respiration harmonic signal. In this study, a multi‐level coarse‐to‐fine method is proposed for heartbeat rate (HR) estimation with a frequency‐modulated continuous‐wave radar operating at 60 GHz utilised to extract the heartbeat information of human body under low signal‐to‐noise ratio conditions. First, the frequencies, which are likely to be the HR, are extracted in the coarse estimation part. Then, evaluations about the extracted frequencies are conducted in the fine estimation part. Finally, the multiple signal classification algorithm is utilised to separate the HR frequency from the respiration harmonics, which solves the frequency resolution issue caused by the observation window size, and achieves high accuracy estimation of HR. The experiments on measured data demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Compared with the state of the art, the proposed method has superiority in terms of estimation accuracy of HR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The effective fracture toughness initially increases and then decreases with increasing dimensionless notch length. • The effect of notch length on fracture toughness becomes more pronounced under mode II loading conditions. • The discrepancy in fracture toughness values is attributed to the difference of FPZ size and T-stress within the ASCB specimen. The asymmetric semi-circular bending (ASCB) specimens have garnered attention from researchers due to their straightforward fabrication process and convenient experimental loading, and have been extensively employed for investigating the fracture behavior of building materials. The mixed mode I-II fracture mechanical behavior of sandstone under asymmetric loading was studied by using ASCB specimens. Meanwhile, the effects of dimensionless notch length α on fracture toughness, crack propagation path, and crack initiation angle were investigated. The differences between the theoretically predicted and experimental values of fracture toughness ratios, as well as the crack initiation angles, were also analyzed combined with several fracture criteria. The results indicate that the effective fracture toughness K eff first increase and then decrease with increasing dimensionless notch length. When mode II fracture toughness component is dominant, the effect of notch length on fracture toughness is more significant. Furthermore, the effective fracture toughness K eff has a maximum value when the dimensionless notch length is between 0.30 and 0.33. Moreover, the generalized maximum tangential strain (GMTSN) criterion provides better predictive results, especially under pure mode II loading when compared to the generalized maximum tangential stress (GMTS) criterion. This research results have valuable reference for the rational selection of ASCB specimens for fracture experiments and for obtaining reliable experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Niobium pentoxide (Nb 2 O 5) has garnered significant interest as a viable anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) owing to its ability to function at high rates with improved safety and large capacity. Its applications, however, are limited by its inherent poor electron conductivity. This study describes the effective fabrication of flower-shaped N-doped Nb 2 O 5 microspheres coated with N-doped carbon via a hydrothermal technique, followed by a carbonization procedure that utilizes polydopamine as a nitrogen and carbon source. When employed as the anode for LIBs, the N-Nb 2 O 5 @N-C demonstrated exceptional rate capability of 158 mAh g−1 at 20 C. It also demonstrated exceptional cycling stability by retaining 81% of its original capacity at 10 C after 2500 cycles. Additionally, the lithium-ion full battery using the N-Nb 2 O 5 @N-C anode exhibited also excellent electrochemical properties. The remarkable electrochemical performance of the N-Nb 2 O 5 @N-C composites can be attributed to the synergistic effect of the N-doped carbon coating, N doping, and a unique hierarchical structure. These factors collectively enhanced the electrochemical reaction kinetics of the N-Nb 2 O 5 @N-C composite. • Flower-like N-Nb 2 O 5 @N-C microspheres are prepared by two simple steps. • The N-Nb 2 O 5 @N-C composite exhibits outstanding rate and cyclic performances. • LiNi 0.5 Mn 0.3 Co 0.2 O 2 ||N-Nb 2 O 5 @N-C full cell displays superior electrochemical performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the research on interdisciplinarity (RID), measures for evaluating the interdisciplinarity of scientific entities (e.g., papers, authors, journals or research areas) have been proposed for a long time. The author interdisciplinarity is very different from the other types of interdisciplinarity because of the complex interpersonal relationships between the connected authors. However, previous work has failed to uncover the distinctiveness of author interdisciplinarity and has regarded it as equivalent to other types of interdisciplinarity. In this work, an extended Rao–Stirling diversity measure is proposed, which incorporates the co-author network and a network similarity measure to specifically evaluate the author interdisciplinarity. Moreover, betweenness centrality is used for improving network similarity measure, because of its intrinsic advantage of expressing how an entity loads on different factors in a network, which is highly in line with the characteristic of interdisciplinarity. An experiment on the papers about Public Administration in the Web of Science is conducted; based on the final results, a deeper investigation is performed into by typical authors. The work proposes a novel idea for measuring author interdisciplinarity, which can promote the study of interdisicplinarity measuring in RID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial insemination (AI) is a proven breeding technology which has been widely used in pig reproduction. Low temperature can cause very serious damage to pig sperm below 15 °C and the situation is even more serious at lower temperature. Besides, the preservation of pig sperm is mainly carried out at 17 °C because of its outstanding performance in pig reproduction. However, the accumulation of a large amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during the preservation process is the main reason for the deterioration of sperm quality. In our research, by adding different concentrations of hydroxytyrosol to the diluent during the storage of pig sperm at 17 °C, we compared them with the traditional diluent to study the sperm motility, the cumulative amount of ROS, the extent of sperm membrane damage, the sperm acrosome integrity, the sperm DNA damage and the activity of antioxidant enzymes (CAT, T-AOC, SOD, GSH-PX, MDA) to evaluate the effect of hydroxytyrosol on the sperm quality during storage. We used proteomics sequencing technology to monitor difference in sperm protein between the control samples and the addition of 120 μmol/L hydroxytyrosol samples (optimum concentration) after three days storage. Ultimately, we selected the control samples and the addition of 120 μmol/L hydroxytyrosol samples to test the effect of AI. The results of our research showed that during storage of pig sperm at 17 °C, the sperm quality and antioxidant capacity of the hydroxytyrosol-treated samples significantly improved (HT 120 μmol/L) (P < 0.05). Proteomics sequencing analysis proved that the addition of 120 μmol/L hydroxytyrosol treatment samples had potential value in improving sperm quality. The significant increase in sow pregnancy rate and piglet birth weight proved that hydroxytyrosol had important practical value in pig reproduction. Based on our results, we demonstrated that the addition of hydroxytyrosol to the diluent could improve the quality of pig sperm and the efficiency of AI. • Hydroxytyrosol 120 μmol/L group significantly improves the preservation quality of pig sperm at 17 °C (P < 0.05). • Antioxidant enzyme activity is improved during storage of pig sperm with hydroxytyrosol at 17 °C. • The AI results show the potential value of hydroxytyrosol in pig farm production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study aimed to assess the overall status of burnout in nurses in China on a national scale and investigate the demographic characteristics related to burnout and the relationships between demographics, job satisfaction and burnout. Methods: This was a national cross‐sectional study conducted by the Chinese Nursing Association between July 2016 and July 2017. Data were collected using a structured, self‐administered questionnaire. Results: A total of 51 406 registered nurses in 311 Chinese cities completed the questionnaire. Fifty per cent of the participants suffered burnout, and 33.8% of nurses had high scores on emotional exhaustion, 66.6% had high scores on depersonalization and 93.5% had low scores on personal accomplishment; 16.2% reported a high level of job satisfaction, only 0.4% was satisfied with their jobs and 70.7% intended to leave their jobs. Marital status, educational level, income and years of working experience affected job burnout. Nurses with a high level of burnout were more likely to have a high degree of job dissatisfaction and intend to leave their jobs. Conclusion: We found a high prevalence of burnout among nurses in China. Nursing managers need to pay more attention to job burnout and its influencing factors. Interventions to reduce nurse burnout should be implemented. SUMMARY STATEMENT: What is already known about this topic? Burnout is a prolonged response to chronic job‐related stress and it has a negative effect on job satisfaction and quality of nursing care. What this paper adds? The prevalence of burnout among nurses working in China is high.Marital status, educational level, income and years of working experience affect job burnout.Nurses with a high level of burnout have high job dissatisfaction and intend to leave. The implications of this paper: Nursing supervisors and managers need to be more aware of the high prevalence of job burnout among nurses in China.Interventions should be undertaken to prevent or reduce nurse burnout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. This meta-analysis evaluates the efficacy and safety regarding usage of butorphanol in patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). Methods. Several databases such as PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, CNKI, and VIP were explored with the help of computer search and manual retrieval. Randomized controlled trial (RCT) was selected, and the meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.1. The primary efficacy endpoint was the postoperative visual analog scale score, postoperative Ramsay sedation scale (RSS), and adverse events. Results. Nine RCTs met the inclusion criteria and were included in this meta-analysis. No significant differences were found between the butorphanol group and nonbutorphanol group at 12 h and 48 h. The postoperative RSS score at 12 h, 24 h, and 48 h was representative of the calming effect of butorphanol. No significant difference was found on the endpoint of the postoperative RSS score at 12 h, 48 h, and 24 h. The RSS score was lower in the butorphanol group in comparison to the nonbutorphanol group. The butorphanol group was also associated with lower rate of nausea, vomiting, itching, and dizziness compared to the nonbutorphanol group. Conclusion. Butorphanol may be used in PCA as a successful postoperative analgesia and is also associated with lower side effects. Further research is needed to verify the efficacy and safety of butorphanol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. This meta-analysis evaluates the efficacy and safety regarding usage of butorphanol in patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). Methods. Several databases such as PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, CNKI, and VIP were explored with the help of computer search and manual retrieval. Randomized controlled trial (RCT) was selected, and the meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.1. The primary efficacy endpoint was the postoperative visual analog scale score, postoperative Ramsay sedation scale (RSS), and adverse events. Results. Nine RCTs met the inclusion criteria and were included in this meta-analysis. No significant differences were found between the butorphanol group and nonbutorphanol group at 12 h and 48 h. The postoperative RSS score at 12 h, 24 h, and 48 h was representative of the calming effect of butorphanol. No significant difference was found on the endpoint of the postoperative RSS score at 12 h, 48 h, and 24 h. The RSS score was lower in the butorphanol group in comparison to the nonbutorphanol group. The butorphanol group was also associated with lower rate of nausea, vomiting, itching, and dizziness compared to the nonbutorphanol group. Conclusion. Butorphanol may be used in PCA as a successful postoperative analgesia and is also associated with lower side effects. Further research is needed to verify the efficacy and safety of butorphanol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phase‐field method was employed to simulate the effects of pores on grain growth in the indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) targets during conventional and two‐stage sintering (TSS). The findings indicated that the TSS method effectively suppressed the rapid growth of grains. With an increase in porosity and a more prominent pore size, the rate of grain growth accelerated, resulting in the formation of coarser grains. Subsequently, IGZO targets were fabricated using the molding‐cold isostatic pressing (CIP) and TSS methods. The densification activation energies of IGZO green compacts were calculated to be 510 and 370 kJ/mol for CIP at 180 and 250 MPa, respectively, utilizing the main sintering curve (MSC). Additionally, by optimizing the TSS process, a highly dense IGZO target with a relative density of 99.53%, a resistivity of 4.3 mΩ/cm, and an average grain size of 8.59 µm was successfully achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Vaginal childbirth is an established main aetiological factor in the pathogenesis of female pelvic floor dysfunction. However, pregnancy itself is also likely to have an effect. This study investigated the effect of pregnancy on pelvic floor functional anatomy.Study Design: This was a retrospective observational study involving vaginally nulliparous women who presented to a tertiary urogynaecology unit with symptoms and signs of pelvic floor dysfunction between 2006 and 2014. Nulliparous women were compared with those who delivered exclusively by Caesarean Section (CS). All had undergone a standardised clinical interview, ICS POP-Q assessment and 3D/4D translabial pelvic floor ultrasound. Main outcome measures included sonographically determined pelvic organ position and hiatal dimensions on Valsalva and pelvic floor muscle contraction (PFMC).Results: Of 2930 women seen during the study period, 242 had never given birth vaginally. One hundred and twenty-nine (53 %) were nulliparous, and 113 (47 %) were delivered by CS only. The CS group demonstrated significantly higher pelvic organ mobility in the anterior compartment (all P < 0.05) and a larger hiatal area on Valsalva (P = 0.004). All sonographic measures of pelvic floor muscle function demonstrated greater tissue displacement on PFMC in the CS group (all P < 0.05).Conclusions: Compared to nulliparas, women who delivered exclusively by CS showed increased pelvic organ descent on Valsalva and tissue displacement on PFMC, implying increased tissue elasticity/ compliance or reduced stiffness, consistent with a small permanent hormonal and/or mechanical effect of pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]