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During the past few years, metasurface polarization optics has experienced remarkable advances, resulting in revolutionary applications in imaging, sensing, computing, etc. The realization of complex optical operations requires the consideration of both the individual meta‐atoms as well as their intricate couplings. However, conventional design methods face challenges as design degrees of freedom and functionality complexity. Additionally, previous studies are restricted to the local design of single meta‐atoms based on explicit mapping relationships while ignoring interactions, resulting in an inability to meet the on‐demand requirements of complex light‐field operations. Here, a global design strategy based on field‐driven polygon evolution to achieve the inverse design of large‐scale coupled meta‐atoms is proposed. Through two global simulations, it can effectively reshape any given target optical field into an optimal structural distribution of devices without knowing mapping relationship. Near‐perfect spin‐decoupled beam‐splitting and high‐performance focusing, as well as the generation of arbitrary vector optical fields on the Poincaré sphere with a maximal diffraction efficiency closely approaching 100%, are experimentally demonstrated. This strategy opens up a new avenue for a rapid inverse design of large‐scale, high‐performance multifunctional meta‐devices, which can hold significant implications for both classical and quantum information processing domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractBackgroundMethodsResultsConclusionsThe purpose of this study is to determine the variations in the prevalence of self-reported asthma among the adult population in the United States of America (USA), analyzing demographic characteristics, physical indicators, living habits, and sarcopenia.10,566 participants from the 2009 to 2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) of the USA who were 20 years of age or older and not pregnant were included in the study.The prevalence of patients with asthma varies by age, gender, and race. The weighted prevalence is 15.5%, estimated to represent 19.36 million people in the USA (95% CI, 14.5% to 16.6%). The prevalence of self-reported asthma decreases with age, with the highest prevalence among young adults aged 20–25 for both males and females. Females were also more susceptible to asthma compared to males. The increase in asthma prevalence attributed to smoking was most pronounced among African American and Caucasian participants (p < 0.05), while its effect on Mexican American and Asian participants was relatively minor. Notably, the prevalence of asthma was significantly higher in African American and Caucasian participants with sarcopenia compared to those without sarcopenia.The prevalence of asthma is associated to varying degrees with factors such as age, gender, smoking, and the presence of sarcopenia. The elevated prevalence of asthma among young people and females warrants attention. Intensifying efforts toward smoking cessation and the scientific management of sarcopenia could be instrumental in reducing the incidence of asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The safety of the high-speed train traveling through the stationary thunderstorm downburst wind was studied. First, a thunderstorm wind test device was used to simulate the stationary thunderstorm downburst wind. Based on the rigid model pressure measurement tests, the aerodynamic forces of the train traveling along different paths through the stationary thunderstorm downburst wind were measured. The influence of the radial distance of the crossing path on the aerodynamic force coefficients of the train was investigated. On this basis, an unsteady aerodynamic model of the high-speed train crossing through the stationary thunderstorm downburst wind was established, and dynamic response analysis was carried out using the SIMPACK multibody dynamics simulation software to explore further the safety of the high-speed train crossing through the stationary thunderstorm downburst wind. The research showed that the stationary thunderstorm downburst wind field has significant spatial variation characteristics compared with the atmospheric boundary layer wind field. When the train passes through the thunderstorm downburst wind, the radial wind speed and wind yaw angle experienced by the train constantly change, and the change curve shows a symmetrical distribution. The aerodynamic force of the train will undergo sudden loading and unloading processes, and the lateral force coefficient of the train on different paths shows a “pulse-type” variation. Moreover, the lateral force coefficient increases with the increase of wind yaw angle. Under the influence of the thunderstorm downburst wind, the variation trend of the aerodynamic force coefficients of the train is consistent with that under crosswind. However, there are significant differences in the numerical values. Therefore, it is impossible to simply use the formula for calculating the aerodynamic force coefficients of the train under crosswinds to predict the aerodynamic force coefficients of the train under the thunderstorm downburst wind. While passing through the thunderstorm downburst wind, the overturning coefficient index plays a decisive role in the safety of train operations. Train rollover is the main form of train safety accidents, while derailment accidents are not easy. The numerical results obtained in this study are significant for evaluating the operational safety while moving trains traversing the stationary thunderstorm downburst wind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ulnar impingement syndrome is a prevalent source of ulnar carpal pain; however, there is ongoing debate regarding the specific location of shortening, the method of osteotomy, the extent of shortening, and the resulting biomechanical alterations. Method: To investigate the biomechanical changes in the distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) resulting from different osteotomy methods, a cadaveric specimen was dissected, and the presence of a stable DRUJ structure was confirmed. Subsequently, three-dimensional data of the specimen were obtained using a CT scan, and finite element analysis was conducted after additional processing. Results: The DRUJ stress did not change significantly at the metaphyseal osteotomy of 2–3 mm but increased significantly when the osteotomy length reached 5 mm. When the osteotomy was performed at the diaphysis, the DRUJ stress increased with the osteotomy length, and the increase was greater than that of metaphyseal osteotomy. Stress on the DRUJ significantly increases when the position is changed to pronation dorsi-extension. Similarly, the increase in stress in diaphyseal osteotomy was greater than that in metaphyseal osteotomy. When the model was subjected to a longitudinal load of 100 N, neither osteotomy showed a significant change in DRUJ stress at the neutral position. However, the 100 N load significantly increased stress on the DRUJ when the position was changed to pronation dorsi-extension, and the diaphyseal osteotomy significantly increased stress on the DRUJ. Conclusions: For patients with distal oblique bundle, metaphyseal osteotomy result in a lower increase in intra-articular pressure in the DRUJ compared to diaphyseal osteotomy. However, it is crucial to note that regardless of the specific type of osteotomy employed, it is advisable to avoid a shortening length exceeding 5 mm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanical behaviour and failure characteristics of weakly filled granite are important factors affecting the safety and stability of rock masses. This paper presents an experimental study on uniaxial compression of granite containing both planar and circular weak filling of different diameters with the aid of three-dimensional digital image correlation (3D DIC) and acoustic emission (AE) monitoring system. The test results show the following: (1) The contact area between the planar weak filling and the bedrock is in a state of severe local deformation. The annular area of the circular weak filling in contact with the bedrock is in a severe deformation area, with detachment from the bedrock and spalling behaviour occurring. The failure modes of the specimens were summarised, and the spatial morphology of the main fracture surface was quantitatively analysed. (2) The presence of planar and circular weak filling leads to increased AE volatility. The AE hit signal is dominated by the shear signal, but the presence of circular weak filling increases the splitting signal component. (3) In the presence of circular weak filling, the energy interval of the most dominant signal is reduced, and the duration is shortened. The differences in the correlation of AE parameters are concentrated in the low-amplitude signal region. (4) Weakly filled areas will first become areas of spatiotemporal accumulation of microfracture events and will gradually spread. The accumulation and distribution characteristics of microfracture events can be used as indicators to evaluate the propensity, severity and timing of the destabilisation of rock masses containing weak filling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) walls in tiered configurations is increasing gaining attention, with numerical methods being predominantly used in the past. In recent years, there has been a growing trend in conducting shaking table tests to further explore this area. However, traditional limit equilibrium (LE) methods are more preferred for design purposes. This study utilized a modified top-down approach, which is based on LE and pseudo-static methods to investigate the horizontal seismic force on the distribution of required tension along each reinforcement layer. The approach is initially extended from static analysis to seismic analysis for multitiered GRS walls. Parametric analyses are conducted to study the impacts that horizontal seismic coefficient, reinforcement length and spacing, internal friction angle of soil, height ratio of upper/lower tier, offset distance have on the internal stability of two-tiered GRS walls. Meanwhile, influences of wall batter and number of tiers on the critical offset distance for different seismic coefficients are assessed. Results indicate that the internal stability differs between the upper and lower tiers under seismic conditions, particularly with higher seismic forces, where the lower tier requires greater reinforcement tension to enhance its stability. Additionally, the critical offset distance grows with the increase in seismic coefficient, and it is sensitive to the internal friction angle of soil and the height ratio. • An approach based on the top-down method which is modified to calculate the distribution of required reinforcement tension of multitiered GRS walls under seismic conditions is proposed. • An in-depth seismic analysis of the internal stability of GRS walls in tiered configurations is first conducted. • Impacts of horizontal seismic coefficient, reinforcement length and spacing, internal friction angle of soil, offset distance, and height ratio of upper and lower tiers are investigated. • The variation of critical offset distance under various seismic coefficients and wall parameters is revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal is a prominent energy resource in China. Therefore, it is crucial to accurately extract the coal-covered areas. Taking Xinjiang's Zhundong mining region as the study area, Landsat 8 OLI data were employed to assess the spectral curves of four typical ground objects, including vegetation, bare land, water body and bare coal. The Normalized Difference Bare Coal Index (NDBCI) and the Normalized Difference Coal Index (NDCI) were developed to extract coal-covered area. Higher-resolution Sentinel-2B data for the same period were used for verification, with extraction accuracy evaluated by five metrics including Kappa coefficient, Overall accuracy, Checking accuracy, Checking completeness and F1-score. The results of extracting coal-covered areas showed that (1) the NDBCI showed 'internal fragmentation' and the NDCI demonstrated 'pixel overflow' during the extraction process. Therefore, we determined the optimal thresholds −0.03 for NDBCI and 0.04 for NDCI. (2) NDBCI distinguished pixels with lower grey-scale values, such as water body, road and gangue. However, some dump zones and shed patches were misclassified. (3) NDCI generated clear boundaries and more complete interiors, and the dump zone and shed could be distinguished. However, some water body parts were misclassified as coal-covered areas. (4) Combined application of NDBCI and NDCI generated a 'complementary' effect better than both individual modes. Kappa coefficient, Overall accuracy and F1-score reached 0.95, 98.76% and 0.75, respectively. This study successfully extracted coal-covered areas by developing a remote sensing index based on spectral traits and a priori knowledge of the study area. The proposed combined extraction mode achieved high accuracy for rapid and reliable identification of coal-covered areas. Highlights: Two new remote sensing indexes for coal-covered area extraction were proposed in this paper. Complementary advantages were found between NDBCI and NDCI in the extraction. Accuracy assessment was performed based on manually deciphered high-precision raster data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The study aims to analyze the epidemiology of preservation fluid (PF) contamination and investigate the impact of PF contamination and possible donor-derived infections(p-DDI) on early postoperative prognosis in kidney transplant (KT) recipients. Methods: A total of 256 PF samples were collected for microbiological evaluation from all KT recipients who received deceased donor donations in our hospital from June 2018 to August 2022. Data on the baseline and clinical characteristics of these PF corresponding to recipients and donors were extracted from the electronic medical record. It mainly included the early postoperative complications and prognosis of KT recipients. Results: From June 2018 to August 2022, 597 kidney transplants were performed in our center, with 260 recipients receiving kidney transplantation from donation after citizens' death. A total of 256 samples of PF were collected, of which 64.5% (165/256) were culture positive, and 24.6% (63/165) of the culture-positive PF were polymicrobial contamination. A total of 238 strains were isolated, of which coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) had the highest proportion of 34.0% (81/238), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae with 20.6% (49/238) and Escherichia coli with 8.8% (21/238). Recipients with culture-positive PF had a significantly higher incidence of postoperative infection (55.8% vs. 20.9%, P < 0.001) and DGF (38.2% vs. 24.2%, P = 0.023). In addition, the incidence of p-DDI was 12.9% (33/256). CRKP was the most common pathogen causing p-DDI. The recipients who developed p-DDI had a higher rate of graft loss (9.1% vs. 0.4%, P < 0.001), mortality (12.1% vs. 3.1%, P = 0.018), and longer postoperative hospital stay (30 days (19.5–73.5) vs. (22 days (18–32), P < 0.05) compared with recipients who did not develop p-DDI. Conclusions: Culture-positive PF is potentially significant for KT recipients, and p-DDI may increase the risk of poor prognosis for recipients. Prophylactic anti-infective treatment should be actively performed for highly virulent or multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens (especially Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, CRKP) in PF to avoid the occurrence of p-DDI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The health and size of the testes are crucial for boar fertility. Testicular development is tightly regulated by epigenetics. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is a prevalent internal modification on mRNA and plays an important role in development. The mRNA m6A methylation in boar testicular development still needs to be investigated. Results: Using the MeRIP-seq technique, we identify and profile m6A modification in boar testes between piglets and adults. The results showed 7783 distinct m6A peaks in piglets and 6590 distinct m6A peaks in adults, with 2,471 peaks shared between the two groups. Enrichment of GO and KEGG analysis reveal dynamic m6A methylation in various biological processes and signalling pathways. Meanwhile, we conjointly analyzed differentially methylated and expressed genes in boar testes before and after sexual maturity, and reproductive related genes (TLE4, TSSK3, TSSK6, C11ORF94, PATZ1, PHLPP1 and PAQR7) were identified. Functional enrichment analysis showed that differential genes are associated with important biological functions, including regulation of growth and development, regulation of metabolic processes and protein catabolic processes. Conclusion: The results demonstrate that m6A methylation, differential expression and the related signalling pathways are crucial for boar testicular development. These results suggest a role for m6A modification in boar testicular development and provided a resource for future studies on m6A function in boar testicular development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Hip fracture and falls are significant health concerns. Handgrip strength (HGS) is closely associated with overall muscle strength and physical health. However, the longitudinal relationship between HGS and the risk of hip fractures and falls remains unclear, particularly regarding gender differences. This longitudinal study aimed to investigate the association between HGS and the risk of hip fracture and falls in individuals aged 45 years and above, considering gender‐specific differences over a 4‐year period. Methods: This study included 10,092 participants (4471 men and 5621 women) aged 45 years and above from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Incidents of hip fractures and falls were recorded during a 4‐year follow‐up, along with various demographic and clinical factors. Participants were categorized into five groups based on their HGS quintiles. Logistic regression models were employed to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to assess the relationship between HGS and hip fracture/fall risk. Results: During the 4‐year follow‐up period, 223 cases of hip fracture (2.2%) and 1831 cases of falls (18.1%) were documented. Notably, higher HGS demonstrated a strong inverse association with the risk of hip fracture in both males and females (p < 0.05). In comparison to the lowest HGS quintile, the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for hip fracture were 0.46 (0.27–0.78) for the total population, 0.4 (0.19–0.81) for males and 0.48 (0.23–0.98) for females in the highest HGS quintile. Furthermore, a profound and statistically significant negative correlation between HGS and falls was detected (p < 0.05). The adjusted ORs for falls in the highest HGS quintile, compared to the lowest quintile, were 0.62 (0.51–0.76) in the overall population, 0.59 (0.44–0.78) in males, and 0.78 (0.62–0.99) in females. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the significant inverse association between HGS and the risk of hip fracture and falls in both males and females aged 45 years and above. Assessing handgrip strength may serve as a valuable tool for predicting fracture and fall risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seismic amplification effects are a common occurrence in V-shaped valleys. A method is presented for incorporating the amplification effects in the stability assessment of V-shaped fill slopes based on the limit equilibrium (LE) method coupled with the pseudo-static approach. The proposed LE method uses a variationally derived three-dimensional (3D) rotational failure mechanism to produce stability charts for slopes. A series of parameter analyses are conducted to investigate the influences of seismic load and the geometric parameters on the 3D stability and the most critical slip surface for V-shaped fill slopes. The findings indicate that the reduction in the slope stability triggered by the seismic amplification effects is notable. The boundary effects are positively correlated with the inclination of the valley side slope and negatively correlated with the width of the valley bottom. The face failure mode is dominated in the cases where the boundary effects are significant. Furthermore, an explicit expression equation of the safety factor, the stability equation, is obtained by regression analysis. This stability equation has excellent accuracy and can be used in practical engineering to provide a convenient assessment for V-shaped fill slopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Over the years, reducing friction and wear-induced deformation, damage and/or removal of material at various contact interfaces has always aroused significant interests due to the substantial benefits for impaired machinery components, as well as the efficiencies in energy and economy. Among numerous advanced nanomaterials, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been recognized as solid lubricants, or additives in the liquid/solid material systems (coatings, composites and lubricants) to effectively reduce friction and wear. This is well-motivated by CNTs' hollow tubular nanostructure and outstanding physicochemical properties which can potentially support them with many favorable frictional mechanisms, such as filling/mending effect, sliding/rolling effect, and tribofilm-forming effect. Despite the enormous efforts pertaining to CNTs for tribological optimizations, discussing them across the nano-scale to macro-scale for the understanding of critical interactions between the CNTs and contact objects remains rarely explored. In this review, the state-of-the-art advances in computational tribology research of the CNTs and their significant nano/macro-tribology mechanisms in related systems are methodically provided, beginning with a brief overview of CNTs on their manufacturing, structural properties, and functionalization. Additionally, we present a condensed summary of the encouraging findings, accompanied by some valuable recommendations for the sustaining prosperity of CNTs in tribology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Drought is one of the major and growing threats to agriculture productivity and food security. Metabolites are involved in the regulation of plant responses to various environmental stresses, including drought stress. The complex drought tolerance can be ascribed to several simple metabolic traits. These traits could then be used for detecting the genetic architecture of drought tolerance. Plant metabolomes show dynamic differences when drought occurs during different developmental stages or upon different levels of drought stress. Here, we reviewed the major and most recent findings regarding the metabolite‐mediated plant drought response. Recent progress in the development of drought‐tolerant agents is also discussed. We provide an updated schematic overview of metabolome‐driven solutions for increasing crop drought tolerance and thereby addressing an impending agricultural challenge. Significance Statement: Metabolites bridge the gene product and the ultimate phenotypes. We summarized the recent advances in metabolite‐mediated plant drought reponse, which will be beneficial for basic and application research of plant drought tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractIn this paper, a nonclassical shell model is utilized to investigate the dynamic stability of functionally graded piezoelectric (FGP) nanoshells considering the thermo-electro-mechanical coupling effects. Also, the FGP nanoshells on elastic foundations are subjected to periodic axial loading. The theoretical formulations are derived by implementing the first-order shear deformation (FSD) shell theory into the nonlocal strain gradient theory (NSGT). Hamilton’s principle is utilized to obtain the equations of motion and related boundary conditions of the present nanoshell model. Moreover, the Mathieu-Hill equations determining the instability regions are presented and analyzed based on Bolotin’s method. Results demonstrate that the external electric voltage, the elastic foundations, the temperature rise, the static load factor, the power-law index and the small-scale parameters have significant influences on the dynamic stability responses of FGP nanoshells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Swarming and pairing behaviors are significant to population dispersal of termites. Tandem running is a key process in pairing behavior of dealates to find a mate. Succinylation can lead to significant changes in protein structure and function, which is widely involved in metabolism and behavior regulation in many organisms. However, whether succinylation modification regulates termites’ tandem running is currently unknown. In this research, we performed quantitative modified proteomics of the subterranean termite Reticulitermes chinensis Snyder before and after alate swarming. The succinylation levels of accessory gland protein (ACP) were significantly altered after alate swarming. We found that ACP is enriched in male accessory gland and female oocytes of termites. The acetylation and succinylation sites of ACP affected tandem running of dealates. The transcriptome and metabolome analyses of alates injected with ACP and its mutant proteins showed that β‐alanine metabolism pathway was the major downstream pathway of ACP. Silencing the significantly differentially expressed genes in the β‐alanine metabolic pathway (acyl‐CoA dehydrogenase, enoyl‐CoA hydratase, 3‐hydroxyisobutyrate dehydrogenase, methylmalonate‐semialdehyde dehydrogenase) suppressed tandem running and altered oviposition of paired dealates. These findings demonstrate that protein translation modification is an important regulator of tandem running behavior of termites, which implies that the succinylation and acetylation modification sites of ACP could be potential targets for insecticide action. Our research offers a potential approach for developing novel dispersal inhibitors against social insect pests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoporosis is a chronic skeletal disease and the major source of risk for fractures in aged people. It is urgent to investigate the mechanism regulating osteoporosis for developing potential treatment and prevention strategies. Osteogenic differentiation of preosteoblast enhances bone formation, which might be a promising strategy for treatment and prevention of osteoporosis. Protein disulfide isomerase family A, member 3 (PDIA3) could induce bone formation, yet the role of PDIA3 in osteogenic differentiation of preosteoblast remains unknown. In this study, m6A RNA methylation was detected by methylated RNA immunoprecipitation (MeRIP), while mRNA stability was identified by RNA decay assay. Besides, protein−protein interaction and protein phosphorylation were determined using co‐immunoprecipitation (Co‐IP). Herein, results revealed that PDIA3 promoted osteogenic differentiation of preosteoblast MC3T3‐E1. Besides, PDIA3 mRNA methylation was suppressed by FTO alpha‐ketoglutarate dependent dioxygenase (FTO) as RNA methylation reduced PDIA3 mRNA stability during osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3‐E1 cells. Moreover, ubiquitin specific peptidase 20 (USP20) improved FTO level through inhibiting FTO degradation while PDIA3 increased FTO level by enhancing USP20 phosphorylation during osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3‐E1 cells, suggesting a positive feedback regulatory loop between PDIA3 and FTO. In summary, these findings indicated the mechanism of PDIA3 regulating osteogenic differentiation of preosteoblast and provided potential therapeutic targets for osteoporosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computer vision technology is being applied at an unprecedented speed in various fields such as 3D scene reconstruction, object detection and recognition, video content tracking, pose estimation, and motion estimation. To address the issues of low accuracy and high time complexity in traditional image feature point matching, a fast image-matching algorithm based on nonlinear filtering is proposed. By applying nonlinear diffusion filtering to scene images, details and edge information can be effectively extracted. The feature descriptors of the feature points are transformed into binary form, occupying less storage space and thus reducing matching time. The adaptive RANSAC algorithm is utilized to eliminate mismatched feature points, thereby improving matching accuracy. Our experimental results on the Mikolajcyzk image dataset comparing the SIFT algorithm with SURF-, BRISK-, and ORB-improved algorithms based on the SIFT algorithm conclude that the fast image-matching algorithm based on nonlinear filtering reduces matching time by three-quarters, with an overall average accuracy of over 7% higher than other algorithms. These experiments demonstrate that the fast image-matching algorithm based on nonlinear filtering has better robustness and real-time performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many highway slopes are often convex, with a turning arc, especially in mountainous areas. Due to the geometric effects, three-dimensional (3D) stability analyses are necessary and meaningful for convex slopes. This study aims to investigate the influences of geometric parameters on the 3D stability and most critical slip surface for convex slopes with a turning arc. A 3D limit equilibrium method is proposed using a variationally derived 3D rotational failure mechanism. As the turning angle increases or the radius of curvature reduces, the stability of convex slopes increases due to the significant 3D effects. The 3D solutions gradually degenerate to the 2D solutions once the turning angle approaches 0 or the radius of curvature tends to be infinite. Although the 3D effects make convex slopes more stable, the obtained 3D slip surface is deeper than the 2D surface. The calculated results are given in the dimensionless form of stability charts over a wide range of parameters. These charts are allowable for a quick assessment for 3D convex slopes with a turning arc in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many highway slopes are often convex, with a turning arc, especially in mountainous areas. Due to the geometric effects, three-dimensional (3D) stability analyses are necessary and meaningful for convex slopes. This study aims to investigate the influences of geometric parameters on the 3D stability and most critical slip surface for convex slopes with a turning arc. A 3D limit equilibrium method is proposed using a variationally derived 3D rotational failure mechanism. As the turning angle increases or the radius of curvature reduces, the stability of convex slopes increases due to the significant 3D effects. The 3D solutions gradually degenerate to the 2D solutions once the turning angle approaches 0 or the radius of curvature tends to be infinite. Although the 3D effects make convex slopes more stable, the obtained 3D slip surface is deeper than the 2D surface. The calculated results are given in the dimensionless form of stability charts over a wide range of parameters. These charts are allowable for a quick assessment for 3D convex slopes with a turning arc in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• ALWC contributed 66.68% to PM 2.5 , with higher mass – based growth factor appearing when RH > 85%. • NO 3 – tended to form under higher ALWC conditions (RH > 80%), while SOC was favorable under lower ALWC levels. • ALWC was more sensitive to NO 3 – (R = 0.94) than SO 4 2– (R = 0.90) under heavy pollution. • SOC had a good correlation with ALWC (daytime: R = 0.84; nighttime: R = 0.54) with high atmospheric oxidation capacity (daytime: O X = 130 – 140 µg/m3; nighttime: O X = 100 – 140 µg/m3) in winter. Aerosol liquid water content (ALWC) plays an important role in secondary aerosol formation. In this study, a whole year field campaign was conducted at Shanxi in north Zhejiang Province during 2021. ALWC estimated by ISORROPIA-II was then investigated to explore its characteristics and relationship with secondary aerosols. ALWC exhibited a highest value in spring (66.38 µg/m3), followed by winter (45.08 µg/m3), summer (41.64 µg/m3), and autumn (35.01 µg/m3), respectively. It was supposed that the secondary inorganic aerosols (SIA) were facilitated under higher ALWC conditions (RH > 80%), while the secondary organic species tended to form under lower ALWC levels. Higher RH (> 80%) promoted the NO 3 – formation via gas-particle partitioning, while SO 4 2– was generated at a relative lower RH (> 50%). The ALWC was more sensitive to NO 3 – (R = 0.94) than SO 4 2– (R = 0.90). Thus, the self-amplifying processes between the ALWC and SIA enhanced the particle mass growth. The sensitivity of ALWC and O X (NO 2 + O 3) to secondary organic carbon (SOC) varied in different seasons at Shanxi, more sensitive to aqueous-phase reactions (daytime R = 0.84; nighttime R = 0.54) than photochemical oxidation (daytime R = 0.23; nighttime R = 0.41) in wintertime with a high level of O X (daytime: 130–140 µg/m3; nighttime: 100–140 µg/m3). The self-amplifying process of ALWC and SIA and the aqueous-phase formation of SOC will enhance aerosol formation, contributing to air pollution and reduction of visibility. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel approach for optimizing wind farm control through the utilization of a combined model predictive control method. In contrast to conventional methods of controlling active and reactive power in wind farms, the suggested approach integrates a wind power prediction model driven by a neural network and a state-space model for wind turbines. This combination facilitates a more precise forecast of active power, thereby enabling the dynamic prediction of the range of reactive power output from the wind turbines. When combined with the equation of state in wind farm space, it is possible to accurately optimize the reactive power of a wind farm. Furthermore, the impact of active power on voltage fluctuations in the wind farm collector system was examined. The utilization of model predictive control enhances voltage regulation, optimizes system redundancy, and increases the reactive capacity. Sensitivity coefficients were calculated using analytical methods to enhance computational efficiency and to resolve issues related to convergence. In order to validate the proposed methodology and control scheme, a wind farm simulation model comprising 20 turbines was developed to assess the feasibility of the scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced polymer nanocomposites with high thermal conductivity show a promising prospect in thermal management of next‐generation electronic devices due to their excellent mechanical adaptability, outstanding processability, and superior flexibility. However, interfacial thermal resistance between individual CNT significantly hinders the further improvement in thermal conductivity of CNT‐reinforced nanocomposites. Herein, an interfacial welding strategy is reported to construct graphitic structure welded CNT (GS‐w‐CNT) networks. Notably, the obtained GS‐w‐CNT/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) nanocomposite with a GS loading of 4.75 wt% preserves a high thermal conductivity of 5.58 W m−1 K−1 with a 410% enhancement as compared to a pure CNT/PDMS nanocomposite. Molecular dynamics simulations are utilized to elucidate the effect of interfacial welding on the heat transfer behavior, revealing that the GS welding degree plays an important role in reducing both phonon scattering in the GS‐w‐CNT structure and interfacial thermal resistance at the interfaces between CNT. The unique welding strategy provides a new route to optimize the thermal transport performance in filler reinforced polymer nanocomposites, promoting their applications in next‐generation microelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With a large proportion of wind farms connected to the power grid, it brings more pressure on the stable operation of power systems in shorter time scales. Efficient and accurate scheduling, operation control and decision making require high time resolution power forecasting algorithms with higher accuracy and real-time performance. In this paper, we innovatively propose a high temporal resolution wind power forecasting method based on a light convolutional architecture—DC_LCNN. The method starts from the source data and novelly designs the dual-channel data input mode to provide different combinations of feature data for the model, thus improving the upper limit of the learning ability of the whole model. The dual-channel convolutional neural network (CNN) structure extracts different spatial and temporal constraints of the input features. The light global maximum pooling method replaces the flat operation combined with the fully connected (FC) forecasting method in the traditional CNN, extracts the most significant features of the global method, and directly performs data downscaling at the same time, which significantly improves the forecasting accuracy and efficiency of the model. In this paper, the experiments are carried out on the 1 s resolution data of the actual wind field, and the single-step forecasting task with 1 s ahead of time and the multi-step forecasting task with 1~10 s ahead of time are executed, respectively. Comparing the experimental results with the classical deep learning models in the current field, the proposed model shows absolute accuracy advantages on both forecasting tasks. This also shows that the light architecture design based on simple deep learning models is also a good solution in performing high time resolution wind power forecasting tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hill-Sachs lesion (HSL) remplissage with Bankart repair (RMBR) provides a minimally invasive solution for treating HSLs and glenoid bone defects of <25%. The infraspinatus tendon is inserted into the HSL during the remplissage process, causing the infraspinatus to shift medially, leading to an unknown effect on glenohumeral alignment during the resting abduction–external rotation (ABER) and muscle-active states. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the possible check-rein effect and muscle-active control in stabilizing the glenohumeral joint after RMBR in vivo. We hypothesized that the check-rein effect and active control would stabilize the glenohumeral joint in the ABER position in patients after RMBR. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: We included 42 participants—22 patients in group A who met the inclusion criteria after RMBR and 20 healthy participants in group B without shoulder laxity. Three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging was performed to analyze the alignment relationship of the glenohumeral joint with and without muscular activity. Ultrasonic shear wave elastography was used to evaluate the elastic properties of the anterior capsule covered with the anterior bands of the inferior glenohumeral ligament. Results: Patients who underwent RMBR demonstrated more posterior (–1.81 ± 1.19 mm vs –0.76 ± 1.25 mm; P =.008) and inferior (–1.05 ± 0.62 mm vs –0.45 ± 0.48 mm; P =.001) shifts of the humeral head rotation center and less anterior capsular elasticity (70.07 ± 22.60 kPa vs 84.01 ± 14.08 kPa; P =.023) than healthy participants in the resting ABER state. More posterior (–3.17 ± 0.84 mm vs –1.81 ± 1.19 mm; P <.001) and less-inferior (–0.34 ± 0.56 mm vs –1.05 ± 0.62 mm; P <.001) shifts of the humeral head rotation center and less anterior capsular elasticity (36.57 ± 13.89 kPa vs 70.07 ± 22.60 kPa; P <.001) were observed in the operative shoulder during muscle-active ABER than in resting ABER states. Conclusion: The check-rein effect and muscle-active control act as stabilizing mechanisms in RMBR during the ABER position. Clinical Relevance: Stabilizing mechanisms in RMBR during the ABER position include the check-rein effect and muscle-active control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document provides a summary of the development and application of a palladium-loading ceramic catalytic membrane reactor for the Mizoroki-Heck reaction, a carbon-carbon bond formation strategy in organic synthesis. The researchers successfully demonstrated the use of a palladium-loaded ceramic membrane in the reaction, achieving high yields of desired products. The reactor showed good stability and recyclability, making it a promising approach for efficient and environmentally friendly drug synthesis. The document also includes information on the synthesis of specific compounds and their corresponding spectral data, as well as GCMS analysis of a compound with the molecular formula C14H12O2. [Extracted from the article]

A large proportion of photovoltaic (PV) power generation is connected to the power grid, and its volatility and stochasticity have significant impacts on the power system. Accurate PV power forecasting is of great significance in optimizing the safe operation of the power grid and power market transactions. In this paper, a novel dual-channel PV power forecasting method based on a temporal convolutional network (TCN) is proposed. The method deeply integrates the PV station feature data with the model computing mechanism through the dual-channel model architecture; utilizes the combination of multihead attention (MHA) and TCN to extract the multidimensional spatio-temporal features between other meteorological variables and the PV power; and utilizes a single TCN to fully extract the temporal constraints of the power sequence elements. The weighted fusion of the dual-channel feature data ultimately yields the ideal forecasting results. The experimental data in this study are from a 26.52 kW PV power plant in central Australia. The experiments were carried out over seven different input window widths, and the two models that currently show superior performance within the field of PV power forecasting: the convolutional neural network (CNN), and the convolutional neural network combined with a long and short-term memory network (CNN_LSTM), are used as the baseline models. The experimental results show that the proposed model and the baseline models both obtained the best forecasting performance over a 1-day input window width, while the proposed model exhibited superior forecasting performance compared to the baseline model. It also shows that designing model architectures that deeply integrate the data input method with the model mechanism has research potential in the field of PV power forecasting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that sub-linear expectation space is a general extension of classical linear expectation space. In this paper, we are devoted to investigate the complete moment convergence and L q convergence for maximal partial sums of asymptotically almost negatively associated random variables under sub-linear expectations with some general conditions, which are easy to be satisfied. The results obtained in the paper generalize some corresponding ones for dependent random variables in classical linear expectation space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The present study was conducted with an attempt to explore the overall efficacy of large-channel spinal endoscopy technology in elderly patients with segmental lumbar spinal stenosis. Methods: We included a total of 68 elderly patients with segmental lumbar spinal stenosis in our hospital from February 2021 to March 2023. The participants were randomly and equally distributed into the study group and the control group using a random number table method. The control group received the open lumbar decompression surgery, and the study group received the lumbar decompression under large-channel spinal endoscopy technology. We compared the surgical conditions of the two groups, including pain level, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score, and Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score before surgery, 1 week after surgery, 3 months after surgery, and 1 year after surgery. In addition, we compared the efficacy and adverse reactions 1 year after surgery between the two groups. Results: Our findings revealed that the operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage volume, and hospital stay in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the degree of pain between the two groups before surgery (p > 0.05), and the pain intensity of the study group was significantly lower than that of the control group at 1 week, 3 months, and 1 year after surgery (p < 0.05). Similarly, preoperative ODI and JOA scores were not significantly different between the two groups (p > 0.05), while they were significantly lower in the study group than those in the control group at 1 week, 3 months, and 1 year after surgery (p < 0.05). Before surgery, no significant difference was seen in therapeutic efficacy between the two groups (p > 0.05), whereas the efficacy was remarkably improved in the study group comparing to the control group at 1 week, 3 months, and 1 year after surgery (p < 0.05). All patients in this study were followed up for 10 to 16 months, with an average of 13.29 ± 1.28 months. The incidence of adverse reactions in the study group was significantly lower than that in the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Large-channel spinal endoscopy technology exerted promising results in elderly patients with segmental lumbar spinal stenosis, in terms of reducing the surgical time, intraoperative bleeding, postoperative drainage volume, and hospital stay. The approach also alleviated pain, reduced ODI and JOA scores, and restored lumbar function, with decreased incidence of adverse reactions, thereby promoting patient recovery. It is considered valid for wide clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the complete f-moment convergence for weighted sums of sequences of extended negatively dependent random variables is investigated. As a result, we not only extend and generalize some results on complete convergence obtained by Wu and Zhai (Journal of Mathematical Inequalities, 13(1): 251-260, 2019), but also get some results on the complete consistency for the estimator of nonparametric regression models and provide some simulations to assess the validity of our theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerosol optical depth (AOD) is an important physical variable used to characterize atmospheric turbidity for the management and control of air pollution. This study aims to analyze the factors influencing the spatial and temporal variability in AOD across the arid region of Northwest China (ARNC) using MODIS Aqua C006 aerosol product data from 2008 to 2017. In terms of natural and socioeconomic factors, the correlation coefficient (R) was used to identify the most influential factor in the AOD changes. The results show that AOD values in spring and summer were much higher than those in autumn and winter, especially in spring. In general, AOD had an insignificant decreasing trend, with a small overall changing range. Spatial analysis revealed a significantly decreasing trend, mostly across the Gobi Desert area, which is located in the western region of the ARNC. From the perspective of natural factors, AOD was positively correlated with air temperature (AT), wind speed (WP), land surface temperature (LST), and the digital elevation model (DEM) and negatively correlated with precipitation, relative humidity (RH), and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). The greatest positive correlation, with a maximum R value of 0.8, was found between AOD and wind speed. By contrast, AOD and relative humidity had the strongest negative correlation, with R values of −0.77. In terms of anthropogenic factors, gross domestic product (GDP), secondary industry, and population density were the three major anthropogenic factors that influenced the changes in AOD changes in this region. In general, the effects of anthropogenic factors on AOD are more significant in areas with high urban population densities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractIn this paper, we investigate some convergence properties, such as complete convergence, complete moment convergence, complete f-moment convergence and strong law of large numbers, for partial sums of randomly weighted sums of ρ-mixing sequences by using the moment inequality, which extend and improve the corresponding ones in the literature. As applications, we obtain the complete consistency for the randomly weighted estimator in a nonparametric regression models and the estimators for the unknown parameters in the simple linear errors-in-variables regression models based on ρ-mixing errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pear black spot disease, caused by Alternaria alternata, is a devastating disease in pears and leads to enormous economic losses worldwide. In this investigation, we isolated a Streptomyces odonnellii SZF-179 from the rhizosphere soil of pear plants in China. Indoor confrontation experiments results showed that both SZF-179 and its aseptic filtrate had excellent inhibitory effects against A. alternata. Afterwards, the main antifungal compound of SZF-179 was identified as polyene, with thermal and pH stability in the environment. A microscopic examination of A. alternata mycelium showed severe morphological abnormalities caused by SZF-179. Protective studies showed that SZF-179 fermentation broth could significantly reduce the diameter of the necrotic lesions on pear leaves by 42.25%. Furthermore, the potential of fermentation broth as a foliar treatment to control black leaf spot was also evaluated. Disease indexes of 'Hosui' and 'Wonwhang' pear plants treated with SZF-179 fermentation broth were lower than that of control plants. Overall, SZF-179 is expected to be developed into a safe and broad-spectrum biocontrol agent. No studies to date have evaluated the utility of S. odonnellii for the control of pear black spot disease; our study fills this research gap. Collectively, our findings provide new insights that will aid the control of pear black spot disease, as well as future studies of S. odonnellii strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design guidelines for geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) walls in a tiered configuration are often limited to two tiers with zero batter. To facilitate rational expansion of current design, this paper extends the current top-down procedure, based on limit equilibrium analysis, from single GRS walls to multitiered walls. For a given factor of safety, the required reinforcement tension distribution and connection load are determined for each reinforcement layer. The approach considers the impact of potential compound failures. Parametric studies are conducted to investigate the influences of backfill soil, wall geometry (i.e., wall batter, number of tiers, and offset distance), and reinforcement layout. The results demonstrate quantitively that increasing the internal friction angle of backfill soil, wall batter, number of tiers, and offset distance reduce the required maximum tension. The tiered configuration in GRS walls leads to localized increase in connection load at the toe elevation of each tier. Using close reinforcement spacing could significantly reduce the connection load. The critical offset distance is realized when the reinforcement in each tier acts internally independent of others. Its value decreases with increasing the internal friction angle of backfill soil, wall batter, and number of tiers. The observations in this study are significant in the context of optimal design of multitiered GRS walls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-risk neuroblastoma (HR-NB) has a significantly lower survival rate compared to low- and intermediate-risk NB (LIR-NB) due to the lack of risk classification diagnostic models and effective therapeutic targets. The present study aims to characterize the differences between neuroblastomas with different risks through transcriptomic and metabolomic, and establish an early diagnostic model for risk classification of neuroblastoma.Plasma samples from 58 HR-NB and 38 LIR-NB patients were used for metabolomics analysis. Meanwhile, NB tissue samples from 32 HR-NB and 23 LIR-NB patients were used for transcriptomics analysis. In particular, integrative metabolomics and transcriptomic analysis was performed between HR-NB and LIR-NB. A total of 44 metabolites (P < 0.05 and fold change > 1.5) were altered, including 12 that increased and 32 that decreased in HR-NB. A total of 1,408 mRNAs (P < 0.05 and |log2(fold change)|> 1) showed significantly altered in HR-NB, of which 1,116 were upregulated and 292 were downregulated. Joint analysis of both omic data identified 4 aberrant pathways (P < 0.05 and impact ≥ 0.5) consisting of glycerolipid metabolism, retinol metabolism, arginine biosynthesis and linoleic acid metabolism. Importantly, a HR-NB risk classification diagnostic model was developed using plasma circulating-free S100A9, CDK2, and UNC5D, with an area under receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.837 where the sensitivity and specificity in the validation set were both 80.0%. This study presents a novel pioneering study demonstrating the metabolomics and transcriptomics profiles of HR-NB. The glycerolipid metabolism, retinol metabolism, arginine biosynthesis and linoleic acid metabolism were altered in HR-NB. The risk classification diagnostic model based on S100A9, CDK2, and UNC5D can be clinically used for HR-NB risk classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-risk neuroblastoma (HR-NB) has a significantly lower survival rate compared to low- and intermediate-risk NB (LIR-NB) due to the lack of risk classification diagnostic models and effective therapeutic targets. The present study aims to characterize the differences between neuroblastomas with different risks through transcriptomic and metabolomic, and establish an early diagnostic model for risk classification of neuroblastoma.Plasma samples from 58 HR-NB and 38 LIR-NB patients were used for metabolomics analysis. Meanwhile, NB tissue samples from 32 HR-NB and 23 LIR-NB patients were used for transcriptomics analysis. In particular, integrative metabolomics and transcriptomic analysis was performed between HR-NB and LIR-NB. A total of 44 metabolites (P < 0.05 and fold change > 1.5) were altered, including 12 that increased and 32 that decreased in HR-NB. A total of 1,408 mRNAs (P < 0.05 and |log2(fold change)|> 1) showed significantly altered in HR-NB, of which 1,116 were upregulated and 292 were downregulated. Joint analysis of both omic data identified 4 aberrant pathways (P < 0.05 and impact ≥ 0.5) consisting of glycerolipid metabolism, retinol metabolism, arginine biosynthesis and linoleic acid metabolism. Importantly, a HR-NB risk classification diagnostic model was developed using plasma circulating-free S100A9, CDK2, and UNC5D, with an area under receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.837 where the sensitivity and specificity in the validation set were both 80.0%. This study presents a novel pioneering study demonstrating the metabolomics and transcriptomics profiles of HR-NB. The glycerolipid metabolism, retinol metabolism, arginine biosynthesis and linoleic acid metabolism were altered in HR-NB. The risk classification diagnostic model based on S100A9, CDK2, and UNC5D can be clinically used for HR-NB risk classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The correlation between pre-operative serum pre-albumin and surgical site infection (SSI) has been the focus of many studies. However, existing literature presents conflicting evidence on this association. Therefore, this meta-analysis was conducted to determine the significance of low serum pre-albumin as a prognostic factor SSI, and to assess the potential utility of pre-albumin in predicting SSI. Methods: A comprehensive literature search and analysis was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane of Library, Scopus, Embase, and Google Scholar databases through August 2022 to identify studies reporting low pre-operative serum pre-albumin levels in patients undergoing surgery and their association with SSIs. The pooled risk estimates were shown in odds ratio with 95% confidence interval. The random effect model was used according to the test of heterogeneity among studies. Subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses were performed to identify the possible sources of heterogeneity. This meta-analysis was prospectively registered in the PROSPERO database (number: CRD42022376167). Results: Nine studies involving 5,306 patients were eligible. The results demonstrated an association between low pre-operative serum pre-albumin levels and a higher probability of developing SSI (odds ratio [OR], 2.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.28–3.26). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that low serum pre-albumin level may serve as an independent and valuable predictor of SSI. These results provide important insights for clinicians in identifying high-risk patients and implementing preventive measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrodeoxygenation of lignin-derived phenolic compounds to produce alkanes is a promising method used for mitigating fossil energy consumption, but they often require high temperature and high pressure, resulting in their poor catalytic stability and durability. In this study, we encapsulated ∼3.9 nm active metal Rh nanoparticles (NPs) into ∼40 nm hollow mesoporous aluminosilicate nanospheres (HMANs) to synthesize M@Alx–mSiO2 nanoreactors with adjustable Al contents for guaiacol hydrodeoxygenation. The optimized Rh@Al2.0–mSiO2 catalyst displayed significantly enhanced guaiacol activity and cyclohexane selectivity relative to the Rh@mSiO2 catalyst under mild reaction conditions. According to the characterization results, the high hydrodeoxygenation activity of Rh@Al2.0–mSiO2 could be attributable to the synergistic effect between the metallic Rh and Lewis and Brønsted acid sites, and the introduction of Al species greatly facilitated the adsorption of 2-methylcyclohexanol, thereby enhancing cyclohexane selectivity. The confinement effect of Rh NPs inside the hollow cavities effectively prevents the leaching and aggregation of Rh NPs, thereby improving their catalytic durability and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrathin metalenses are a revolutionary technology that have emerged in recent years, offering the potential for high‐resolution, wide‐angle imaging in a compact form factor. However, to eliminate imaging aberrations, multilayered structures are often required, which makes the thickness of these devices comparable to the focal length, negating their ultrathin advantage. Here, a novel methodology using a rear‐position wavevector filter is proposed as a solution to this problem, allowing for the necessary thickness to be achieved in subwavelength scale and independent of metalens parameters. Compared with the previous wide‐angle metalens with the minimum ratio of thickness to focal length, this approach has been shown to compress the ratio of thickness to focal length by 55 times compared to traditional metalenses and has been experimentally demonstrated in both the visible and near‐infrared with a maximum diffraction‐limited field of view of over 120°. In addition, this approach can also compress the system length by 50% and increase imaging resolution by more than 3 times. This methodology can be scaled to all spectral bands and has the potential to revolutionize the design paradigm of imaging systems for industrial and research applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pressure effect on structures and properties of a Fe78Si9B13 metallic glass was investigated by in situ high-pressure synchrotron Fe Kβ x-ray emission spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction, and electrical resistivity measurements up to ∼51 GPa. The study reveals a reversible and continuous pressure-induced high- to low-spin crossover of Fe atoms in an amorphous structure. The changes of the local spin moment can be scaled to match its average atomic distance shrinkage very well during compression. The crossover of electronic spin states in the Fe78Si9B13 metallic glass resembles that of typical crystalline Fe-bearing materials but without a sharp atomic volume collapse and an abrupt electrical resistivity jump. These findings could help guide applications of Fe-based metallic glasses as a soft ferromagnetic material at extreme conditions and also improve our understanding of magnetism and coupling of its changes with disordered atomic structures and other properties in metallic glasses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the weak convergence and convergence rate in the weak law of large numbers for weighted sums of a class of random variables satisfying the Rosenthal type inequality. The necessary and sufficient conditions for the convergence rates in the weak law of large numbers under some mild conditions are provided. Moreover, the main results that we established are applied to simple linear errors-in-variables regression models and nonparametric regression models based on a class of random errors. Finally, we present some numerical simulations to assess the finite sample performance of the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the dynamic crack propagation behaviour in the fracture zone and the damage characteristics of the rock mass around the blasthole during eccentric uncoupled blasting of a deep-level rock mass, theoretical analysis, model experiments and numerical simulation studies have been described in this paper. Firstly, the stress state of the crack and the stress distribution state and failure mechanism of the rock mass around the blasthole under the influence of the in-situ stress, and the pressure distribution of blast shock wave on the blasthole were analysed. Secondly, with the help of a new digital laser caustics experimental system, the eccentric uncoupled blasting model experiment under the action of the in-situ stress was carried out. The fractal damage theory is used to quantitatively evaluate the damage degree of the rock mass in different areas around the blasthole, and the blast-induced crack propagation mechanical behaviour characteristics in the fracture zone are analyzed from the perspective of dynamics. Then, based on the LS-DYNA software, a numerical simulation study was conducted on the eccentric blasting of deep rock mass. Finally, some discussions and suggestions are provided for the analysis of blasting mechanisms in a deep-level rock mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addressing the challenges of low detection precision and excessive parameter volume presented by the high resolution, significant scale variations, and complex backgrounds in UAV aerial imagery, this paper introduces MFP-YOLO, a lightweight detection algorithm based on YOLOv5s. Initially, a multipath inverse residual module is designed, and an attention mechanism is incorporated to manage the issues associated with significant scale variations and abundant interference from complex backgrounds. Then, parallel deconvolutional spatial pyramid pooling is employed to extract scale-specific information, enhancing multi-scale target detection. Furthermore, the Focal-EIoU loss function is utilized to augment the model's focus on high-quality samples, consequently improving training stability and detection accuracy. Finally, a lightweight decoupled head replaces the original model's detection head, accelerating network convergence speed and enhancing detection precision. Experimental results demonstrate that MFP-YOLO improved the mAP50 on the VisDrone 2019 validation and test sets by 12.9% and 8.0%, respectively, compared to the original YOLOv5s. At the same time, the model's parameter volume and weight size were reduced by 79.2% and 73.7%, respectively, indicating that MFP-YOLO outperforms other mainstream algorithms in UAV aerial imagery detection tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indirect bridge modal parameter identification using vehicle responses has been widely studied for two-dimensional bridge model, while rare work is devoted to the indirect identification of bridge spatial mode shape (BSMS). This paper proposes an effective procedure for BSMS identification of the widely used T-girder bridges, in which the closed-form solution is derived based on the vehicle contact-point response. The BSMS is identified using the bridge related components extracted from contact-point responses of a vehicle running at different transverse positions on the bridge. The detailed procedure for the identification of BSMS is introduced, and the feasibility of the method is analyzed numerically. To verify its applicability, the influences of some key factors in the vehicle–bridge system, such as the vehicle speed, the driving position, and the road surface roughness, on the identification results are analyzed. The effect of the bridge damage conditions on the BSMS identification is also investigated. The results show that the spatial mode shapes of T-girder bridges can be identified using the proposed method with high accuracy and efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapidly increasing solar conversion efficiency (PCE) of hybrid organic–inorganic perovskite (HOIP) thin‐film semiconductors has triggered interest in their use for direct solar‐driven water splitting to produce hydrogen. However, application of these low‐cost, electronic‐structure‐tunable HOIP tandem photoabsorbers has been hindered by the instability of the photovoltaic‐catalyst‐electrolyte (PV+E) interfaces. Here, photolytic water splitting is demonstrated using an integrated configuration consisting of an HOIP/n+silicon single junction photoabsorber and a platinum (Pt) thin film catalyst. An extended electrochemical (EC) lifetime in alkaline media is achieved using titanium nitride on both sides of the Si support to eliminate formation of insulating silicon oxide, and as an effective diffusion barrier to allow high‐temperature annealing of the catalyst/TiO2‐protected‐n+silicon interface necessary to retard electrolytic corrosion. Halide composition is examined in the (FA1‐xCsx)PbI3 system with a bandgap suitable for tandem operation. A fill factor of 72.5% is achieved using a Spiro‐OMeTAD‐hole‐transport‐layer (HTL)‐based HOIP/n+Si solar cell, and a high photocurrent density of −15.9 mA cm−2 (at 0 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode) is attained for the HOIP/n+Si/Pt photocathode in 1 m NaOH under simulated 1‐sun illumination. While this thin‐film design creates stable interfaces, the intrinsic photo‐ and electro‐degradation of the HOIP photoabsorber remains the main obstacle for future HOIP/Si tandem PEC devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the spatiotemporal characteristics of photosynthetic vegetation (PV) and non-photosynthetic vegetation (NPV) is critical for the study of vegetation in arid and semiarid regions. However, the evaluation of the fractional cover of PV (fPV) and NPV (fNPV) in Xinjiang has received very little attention. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the spatiotemporal variation characteristics of PV and NPV and their responses to precipitation and temperature in Xinjiang from 2001 to 2020. The results showed that the overall stability of fPV and fNPV were of the low fluctuation and high fluctuation types, respectively. A significant increase trend of fPV was found in most regions (P < 0.01), while fNPV showed an insignificant increase trend in general, except for eastern Xinjiang (P > 0.05). The comparison of fPV and fNPV shows that the vegetation of Xinjiang has improved over time, except for the Yili region, showing the need to strengthen the environmental protection of this region. Through the spatial analysis, some agricultural oasis areas experienced an expansion in the distribution of vegetation, while some sparse vegetation distribution area has not improved. From the climate perspective, the response degree of fPV and fNPV with precipitation is higher than that of temperature. The responses of fPV and fNPV to precipitation are greater in the summer and spring phases, respectively. Whereas, the responses of both fPV and fNPV to temperature are greater in the autumn phase. In the time phase, precipitation mainly promotes the distribution of PV and NPV, while temperature mainly inhibits their distribution. This study provides a theoretical basis for ecological restoration and conservation in Xinjiang and other arid and semiarid regions worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xinjiang is an important arid region in the northwest of China and plays an important role in the field of ecological security protection in China. Because of its aridity, the identification of critical areas for ecological protection and the optimization of ecological space structure in Xinjiang are of great significance for promoting the harmonious development of the oasis economy, enhancing the ecological environment, and improving human well-being. This study applied an ecological security evaluation from the three dimensions of habitat quality, ecosystem service value, and soil-water conservation to identify the basic situation of the ecological security pattern. The core "source" area of ecological protection was extracted using the morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) method, while the ecological corridor and important ecological nodes were identified using the minimum cumulative resistance model (MCR). The "point-line-plane" three-dimensional ecological network structure was then constructed, providing a case for the development of the ecological security and construction in the oasis. The results showed that in the arid regions of Xinjiang, the ecological land is extremely fragmented and is mainly distributed in the mountains and waters distant from human activities. Overall, there is a substantial geographical disparity with a low level of ecological security, particularly in the ecological marginal areas. The ecological network framework of Xinjiang is characterized by an uneven distribution of "sources", broken corridor structure, and a low degree of networking. Therefore, this study proposed an ecological space layout system consisting of "7 ecological subsystems, 51 source areas, 87 ecological corridors, and 33 ecological nodes" by combining the regional physical and geographical characteristics with the overall development plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass-fired organic Rankine cycle (ORC) systems for combined heat and power (CHP) generation are a feasible technology to provide carbon-neutral power production. In this study, the parametric analysis and multi-objective optimization of a biomass-fired ORC-CHP system under three operation strategies are conducted. The thermodynamic, exergoeconomic, environmental and sustainability models are established, while the effects of seven operation parameters on exergy efficiency (η ex), unit cost of exergy (UCE), equivalent carbon emission (ECE) and ecological life cycle cost (ELCC) are examined. A further four-objective optimization problem is addressed using NSGA-II and the Pareto-optimal solutions for the three operation strategies are derived and compared. The results indicate that evaporation temperature, condensation temperature and heat source inlet temperature present positive effects on η ex and UCE , whereas opposite effects are imposed by degree of superheat and pinch point temperature difference. System B yields a 0.21% higher η ex and a 0.41 tons higher CO 2,eq than system C. The Pareto-optimal solutions of η ex , UCE , ECE and ELCC for system A using TOPSIS decision-making are 12.380%, 0.183 $/kWh, 10.250 tons CO 2,eq , and 13.677 × 10−3 $/kWh, respectively. System A may be regarded as the preferred operation strategy for biomass-fired ORC-CHP systems due to its moderate performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photonic spin‐orbit interactions describe the interactions between spin angular momentum and orbital angular momentum of photons, which play essential roles in subwavelength optics. However, the influence of frequency dispersion on photonic angular‐momentum coupling is rarely studied. Here, by elaborately designing the contribution of the geometric phase and waveguide propagation phase, the dispersion‐enabled symmetry switching of photonic angular‐momentum coupling is experimentally demonstrated. This notion may induce many exotic phenomena and be found in enormous applications, such as the spin‐Hall effect, optical calculation, and wavelength division multiplexing systems. As a proof‐of‐concept demonstration, two metadevices, a multi‐channel vectorial vortex beam generator and a phase‐only hologram, are applied to experimentally display optical double convolution, which may offer additional degrees of freedom to accelerate computing and a miniaturization configuration for optical convolution without collimation operation. These results may provide a new opportunity for complex vector optical field manipulation and calculation, optical information coding, light‐matter interaction manipulation, and optical communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]