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The development of dual linkage covalent organic frameworks (DL-COFs) is fundamentally important for creating diversified structures and functions. Herein, imine–hydrazone DL-COFs were synthesized for the first time. Three novel imine–hydrazone DL-COFs have been constructed with bifunctional molecule 4-amino-2-methoxybenzohydrazide as the key building block via imine and hydrazone condensations simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Clinical Message: This article reports a case of mediastinal lymph node tuberculosis with no obvious symptoms and a concealed focus. This patient, a 33‐year‐old male, suffered from pain behind the sternum after eating. He underwent three gastroscopic examinations and two fine needle punctures guided by ultrasound gastroscopy but was not diagnosed. Chest‐enhanced CT revealed a mediastinal mass compressing the adjacent esophagus, suggesting the possibility of enlarged lymph nodes. Furthermore, T cells from patients infected with tuberculosis tested positive. Ultrasound bronchoscopy revealed enlarged lymph nodes in area 7, and then EBUS‐TBNA was performed in that region. Only a few scattered lymphocytes and necrotic tissue were found under the biopsy microscope. The EBUS‐TBNA biopsy Xpert MTB/RIF showed low positive results, and the EBUS‐TBNA puncture fluid Xpert MTB/RIF was positive. Therefore, he was diagnosed with mediastinal lymph node tuberculosis. After antituberculosis treatment with the 2HREZ/10HRE regimen, the patient's pain behind the sternum gradually alleviated, and the enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes gradually narrowed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial enzymes with high stability, adjustable catalytic activity, controllable preparation, and good reproducibility have been widely studied. Noble metal nanozymes, particularly gold nanoparticles (Au NPs), exhibit good catalytic activity, but their stability is poor. In this study, zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) was used as a carrier for Au NPs, thus improving the utilization efficiency and conservation stability of the nanozymes. A ZIF-8/Au nanocomposite with peroxidase activity and a raspberry-shaped structure was synthesized. In the assay, ZIF-8/Au catalyzed the oxidation of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to a blue product oxidized TMB (oxTMB). Glutathione (GSH) selectively inhibited this reaction, with a detection limit of 0.28 µM and linear range of 0.5–60 µM. Using the photo and chromaticity analysis functions, we developed a portable analysis method using a smartphone equipped with a camera module as a detection terminal for a wide range of rapid screening techniques for GSH. Preparation of raspberry-shaped ZIF-8/Au improved the catalytic activity of Au NPs and good results were demonstrated in serum, which suggests their promising application under physiological conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes are involved in the metabolism of approximately 75% of marketed drugs. Inhibition of the major drug‐metabolizing P450s could alter drug metabolism and lead to undesirable drug–drug interactions. Therefore, it is of great significance to explore the inhibition of P450s in drug discovery. Currently, machine learning including deep learning algorithms has been widely used for constructing in silico models for the prediction of P450 inhibition. These models exhibited varying predictive performance depending on the use of machine learning algorithms and molecular representations. This leads to the difficulty in the selection of appropriate models for practical use. In this study, we systematically evaluated the conventional machine learning and deep learning models for three major P450 enzymes, CYP3A4, CYP2D6, and CYP2C9 from several perspectives, such as algorithms, molecular representation, and data partitioning strategies. Our results showed that the XGBoost and CatBoost algorithms coupled with the combined fingerprint/physicochemical descriptor features exhibited the best performance with Area Under Curve (AUC) of 0.92, while the deep learning models were generally inferior to the conventional machine learning models (average AUC reached 0.89) on the same test sets. We also found that data volume and sampling strategy had a minor effect on model performance. We anticipate that these results are helpful for the selection of molecular representations and machine learning/deep learning algorithms in the P450 model construction and the future model development of P450 inhibition. Inhibition of the major drug‐metabolizing cytochrome P450 enzymes could lead to serious adverse reactions. Currently, a variety of machine learning models have been developed for the prediction of P450 inhibitors, but a detailed comparison is lacking. Different algorithms and representations were used to build the predictive models, and their performance was compared here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vibration parameters during drilling play a critical role in enhancing drilling speed and ensuring safety. However, traditional downhole vibration sensors face limitations in their power supply methods, hindering widespread adoption. To address this challenge, our research introduces a novel solution: a hybrid downhole vibration sensor (HDV-TENG) utilizing triboelectric nanogenerators. This sensor not only enables the measurement of low- to medium–high-frequency vibrations using self-power but also serves to energize other downhole devices. We utilized a self-constructed vibration simulator to replicate downhole drilling tool vibrations and conducted a comprehensive series of sensor tests. The test results indicate that the frequency measurement bandwidth of the HDV-TENG spans from 0 to 200 kHz. Especially, the measurement errors for vibrations within the low-frequency range of 0 to 10 Hz and the high-frequency range of 10 to 200 k Hz are less than 5% and 8%, respectively. Additionally, the experimental findings regarding load matching demonstrate that the HDV-TENG achieves an output power level in the milliwatt range, representing a significant improvement over the output power of traditional triboelectric nanogenerators. Unlike traditional downhole vibration measurement sensors, HDV-TENG operates without requiring any external power supply, thereby conserving downhole space and significantly enhancing drilling efficiency. Furthermore, HDV-TENG not only offers a broad measurement range but also amplifies output power through the synergy of a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), piezoelectric nanogenerator (PENG), and electromagnetic power generator (EMG). This capability enables its utilization as an emergency power source for other micropower equipment downhole. The introduction of HDV-TENG also holds considerable implications for the development of self-powered underground sensors with high-frequency measurement capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Downhole drilling tool vibration measurement is crucial for drilling exploration safety, so real-time monitoring of vibration data is required. In this research, a honeycomb triboelectric nanogenerator (H-TENG) capable of adapting to various downhole environments is proposed. It can measure the frequency of downhole drilling equipment's vibrations and transfer mechanical energy to electrical energy for use in powering other low power downhole meters. In order to preliminarily verify the possibility of sensors used for vibration measurement of downhole drilling tools, we built a simulated vibration platform to test the sensing performance and vibration energy collection performance of H-TENG. According to the testing results, the measurement range of vibration frequency and amplitude are 0 to 11 Hz and 5 to 25 mm, respectively, and the corresponding measurement errors are less than 5% and 6%, respectively. For vibrational energy harvesting, when four sensors are wired in series with a 107 resistance, the maximum power is approximately 1.57 μW. Compared to typical methods for measuring downhole vibration, the honeycomb triboelectric nanogenerator does not need an external power source, it has greater reliability and output power, and it can vary its shape to adapt to the complicated downhole environment. In addition, the H-TENG can be combined freely according to the diameter of the drill string, and even if one sensor unit is damaged, the other units can still be used normally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The precisely modulated synthesis of programmable light‐emitting materials remains a challenge. To address this challenge, we construct four tetraphenylethylene‐based supramolecular architectures (SA, SB, SC, and SD), revealing that they exhibit higher electrochemiluminescence (ECL) intensities and efficiencies than the tetraphenylethylene monomer and can be classified as highly efficient and precisely modulated intramolecular aggregation–induced electrochemiluminescence (PI‐AIECL) systems. The best‐performing system (SD) shows a high ECL cathodic efficiency exceeding that of the benchmark tris(2,2′‐bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) chloride in aqueous solution by nearly six‐fold. The electrochemical characterization of these architectures in an organic solvent provides deeper mechanistic insights, revealing that SD features the lowest electrochemical band gap. Density functional theory calculations indicate that the band gap of the guest ligand in the SD structure is the smallest and most closely matched to that of the host scaffold. Finally, the SD system is used to realize ECL‐based cysteine detection (detection limit=14.4 nM) in real samples. Thus, this study not only provides a precisely modulated supramolecular strategy allowing chromophores to be controllably regulated on a molecular scale, but also inspires the programmable synthesis of high‐performance aggregation‐induced electrochemiluminescence emitters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The precisely modulated synthesis of programmable light‐emitting materials remains a challenge. To address this challenge, we construct four tetraphenylethylene‐based supramolecular architectures (SA, SB, SC, and SD), revealing that they exhibit higher electrochemiluminescence (ECL) intensities and efficiencies than the tetraphenylethylene monomer and can be classified as highly efficient and precisely modulated intramolecular aggregation–induced electrochemiluminescence (PI‐AIECL) systems. The best‐performing system (SD) shows a high ECL cathodic efficiency exceeding that of the benchmark tris(2,2′‐bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) chloride in aqueous solution by nearly six‐fold. The electrochemical characterization of these architectures in an organic solvent provides deeper mechanistic insights, revealing that SD features the lowest electrochemical band gap. Density functional theory calculations indicate that the band gap of the guest ligand in the SD structure is the smallest and most closely matched to that of the host scaffold. Finally, the SD system is used to realize ECL‐based cysteine detection (detection limit=14.4 nM) in real samples. Thus, this study not only provides a precisely modulated supramolecular strategy allowing chromophores to be controllably regulated on a molecular scale, but also inspires the programmable synthesis of high‐performance aggregation‐induced electrochemiluminescence emitters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) has been considered a promising photoactive material in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting systems. However, the performance of BiVO4-based photoanodes is currently unsatisfactory, indicating the need for new architectural designs to improve their efficiency. In this paper, a porphyrin-phosphazene polymer (THPP-HCCP) was synthesized with a sizeable conjugated structure, and Ag particles were deposited on its surface as an organic–inorganic composite interface improvement layer. The deposition of the composite polymer film on BiVO4 resulted in a significant increase in photocurrent density, reaching up to 2.2 mA cm−2 (1.23 V vs. RHE), almost three times higher than pristine BiVO4, which benefits from the synergistic effect of Ag nanoparticles and porphyrin-phosphazene. Furthermore, photophysical and intensity-modulated photocurrent analysis demonstrated that the Ag–THPP-HCCP heterostructures could broaden the light-absorbing range and facilitate hole transfer to the semiconductor surface, resulting in an improved water oxidation process. The dynamic charge transport behavior of Ag–THPP-HCCP/BiVO4 was investigated using scanning photoelectrochemical microscopy, which showed that the rate constant (Keff) exhibits an almost 4-fold increase compared to pristine BiVO4, indicating a significant improvement in the transport of photogenerated holes. This experiment presents a novel strategy for designing high-efficiency polymer-based photoanodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the factors influencing the volume of the olfactory bulb (OB) in patients with post-viral olfactory dysfunction (PVOD). Methods: We collected 92 olfactory bulb volumes from patients with PVOD who underwent a sinus computed tomographic and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the head and collected clinical information including gender, age, disease course, minimal cross-sectional area, nasal airway resistance, and olfactory function. OB volume was measured in MRI and the scans were evaluated according to the Lund-Mackay (LM) scoring system. Results: Male patients with PVOD had a larger OB volume (β = 0.284, P < 0.05). OB volume was smaller in patients with a longer course of olfactory dysfunction (β = − 0.254, P < 0.05). According to the LM scoring system, patients with a higher anterior ethmoidal sinus score had smaller OB volume (β = − 0.476, P < 0.05). Conclusions: The study revealed that gender, disease course, and the score of anterior ethmoidal sinusitis can affect the OB volume in patients with PVOD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An arc fault is the leading cause of electrical fire. Aiming at the problems of difficulty in manually extracting features, poor generalization ability of models and low prediction accuracy in traditional arc fault detection algorithms, this paper proposes a fault arc detection method based on the fusion of channel attention mechanism and residual network model. This method is based on the channel attention mechanism to perform global average pooling of information from each channel of the feature map assigned by the residual block while ignoring the local spatial data to enhance the detection and recognition rate of the fault arc. This paper introduces a one-dimensional depth separable convolution (1D-DS) module to reduce the network model parameters and shorten the time of single prediction samples. The experimental results show that the F1 score of the network model for arc fault detection under mixed load conditions is 98.07%, and the parameter amount is reduced by 46.06%. The method proposed in this paper dramatically reduces the parameter quantity, floating-point number and time complexity of the network structure while ensuring a high recognition rate, which improves the real-time response ability to detect arc fault. It has a guiding significance for applying arc fault on the edge side. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bladder cancer is the second most prevalent urological malignancy. It's a big contributor to cancer-related deaths throughout the globe. Researchers discovered that the hedgehog signaling (HhS) pathway contributed to the onset and spread of many different kinds of cancer. Nevertheless, the present understanding of the function of HhS in the bladder cancer molecular landscape is incomplete. Raw data were gotten from the IMvigor210, the Gene Expression Omnibus, and The Cancer Genome Atlas databases. Bioinformatics was used to examine the HhS score of each sample, and the enrichment of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), differentiation characteristics, immunological infiltration, and metabolic activity. The HhS prognostic signature was developed with significant assistance from the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression and Cox regression. An HhS-related nomogram was developed to assist in the prediction of patients' survival probability. We found that HhS was linked to poor prognosis in bladder cancer, and its activation was linked to the Basal subtype of bladder cancer. Bladder cancer with high HhS activity has higher glycolysis, nucleotide metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and other cancer-promoting metabolic activities. Furthermore, HhS mediates an immunosuppressive microenvironment in bladder cancer on the basis that HhS negatively correlates with the CD8 + T cells and correlates positively with immune checkpoints and T cell exhaustion scores. Finally, an HhS-related signature was developed for predicting the prognosis of patients with bladder cancer. Targeting HhS may be a potential therapy choice for bladder cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roof strata control is crucial to production safety in underground coal mines. In this study, a field trial was carried out involving large-scale hydraulic fracturing (LHF) to weaken strong, hard-to-cave rock strata above a longwall panel in an underground coal mine. Comprehensive monitoring was performed to monitor the generated hydraulic fractures, mining-induced pressure, periodic roof weighting, and microseismic events. The results suggest that LHF greatly promotes the caving of strong, hard-to-cave roofs behind the longwall face, which results in many favorable outcomes including a significant reduction of the periodic roof weighting (PRW) interval and likelihood of a long PRW duration. The PRW intensity is also dramatically mitigated on the longwall face, and the strong dynamic load pressures resulting from the massive roof rupture are largely eliminated. More importantly, LHF can significantly release mining-induced stress and alleviate microseismic events resulting from the fracturing of thick, strong rock strata above the gob area of a longwall panel. This approach shows promise as an efficient measure for the ground control of longwall entries and prevention of coal bursts. Highlights: A field trial was carried out using large-scale hydraulic fracturing to weaken strong overlying rock strata in an underground coal mine. Large-scale hydraulic fracturing in long directional drilling boreholes can generate highly expanded hydraulic fractures. Large-scale hydraulic fracturing promotes the caving of strong, hard-to-cave roofs. Large-scale hydraulic fracturing can release mining-induced stress and alleviate microseismic events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supercritical CO2 can reduce formation fracture pressure, form more complex fractures in the near-well zone, and replace methane to complete carbon sequestration, which is an important direction for the efficient development of deep shale gas with carbon sequestration. In this paper, based on the scCO2 fracturing field test parameters and the characteristics of common shale calcite filled natural fractures, we simulated the porosity change in shale with three kinds of fractures (no fracture, named NF; axial natural fracture, named AF; and transversal natural fracture, named TF) under scCO2 seepage, and carried out the experimental verification of shale under supercritical CO2 seepage. It was found that: (1) At the same pressure, when the temperature is greater than the critical temperature, the shale porosity of three kinds of fractures gradually increases with the injection of CO2, and the higher the temperature, the more obvious the increase in porosity. (2) At the same temperature and different pressures, the effect of pressure change on the porosity of shale specimens was more obvious than that of temperature. (3) Multi-field coupling experiments of shale under supercritical CO2 seepage revealed that the porosity of all three shale specimens at the same temperature and pressure increased after CO2 injection, and the relative increase in shale porosity measured experimentally was basically consistent with the numerical simulation results. This paper reveals the mechanism of the effect of different temperatures and pressures of scCO2 and different natural fractures on the change in shale porosity, which can be used to optimize the CO2 injection in supercritical CO2 fracturing and carbon sequestration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aims to explore the effects of laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD) and proton pump inhibitor (PPI) treatment on Eustachian tube function in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Methods: The Eustachian tube score-7 (ETS-7) was observed before and after PPI treatment in the control group, OSA only group, and OSA + LPRD group. Results: Age, sex, smoking history, and drinking history showed no differences among 3 groups (P >.05). The body mass index (BMI) in the control group was lower than that in other groups (P <.017). Before PPI treatment, the abnormality rate of ETS-7 in the OSA + LPRD group statistically differed from that in the control group and the OSA only group (P <.017). After PPI treatment, the abnormality rate of ETS-7 in the OSA + LPRD group exhibited no significant differences compared with that in the control group and the OSA only group (P >.017), and it declined remarkably compared with that before PPI treatment (75% vs 35%, χ2 = 13.334, P =.001). Moreover, the multivariate analysis revealed that only LPRD had an independent correlation with the abnormality of ETS-7 (OR = 1.245, 95% CI: 1.759–6.861, P =.000). Conclusion: In view of its high incidence in OSA patients, LPRD may be a considerable factor for the high incidence of abnormality rate of ETS-7 in OSA patients, and PPI therapy is of significant value in improving Eustachian tube function in OSA patients with LPRD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) causes persistent infection and challenges tuberculosis control worldwide. T cell-mediated immunity plays a critical role in controlling Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection, and therefore, enhancing Mtb-specific T cell immune responses represents a promising therapeutic strategy against TB. Cytokine-induced killer (CIK) immunotherapy is based on autologous infusion of in vitro expanded bulk T cells, which include both pathogen-specific and nonspecific T cells from patient peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) into TB patients. Preclinical mouse studies have shown that the adoptive T cell therapy inhibited Mtb infection. However, the efficacy of CIK immunotherapy in the treatment of MDR-TB infection has not been evaluated in clinical trials.Methods: We performed a retrospective study of MDR-TB patients who received CIK immunotherapy in combination with anti-TB chemotherapy and those who had standard chemotherapy.Results: Our results showed that CIK immunotherapy in combination with anti-TB chemotherapy treatment increased the conversion rate of sputum smear and Mtb culture, alleviated symptoms, improved lesion absorption, and increased recovery. The kinetics of serology and immunology index monitoring data showed good safety profiles for the CIK treatment.Conclusion: Our study has provided strong evidence that CIK immunotherapy in combination with anti-TB chemotherapy is beneficial for MDR-TB patients. A multicenter clinical trial is warranted to evaluate CIK as a new immune therapy for MDR-TB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing of transmission density and short-circuit current level, interruption capacity scanning has become an important approach for the online assessment of the circuit breaker. The short-circuit calculation scale and the expected failures significantly increase under the demand of unified analysis of the whole grid, which cause the considerable challenges for online assessment. In this study, we propose a GPU-accelerated short-circuit interruption capacity scanning algorithm for two different unified models, that is, GPU-based 2D and 3D expansion models. For both models, the redundant configuration of the fault network matrices is designed to reduce the cost of GPU computation process. Then, the batch node voltage analysis and the batch branch current calculation are derived using the considered model. In addition, the differences between two models are discussed in detail. Simulations show that the proposed algorithm with GPU-based 3D-expand model has a 3.45× speedup compared with the traditional algorithm on a 9241-bus system with 8-core CPU. Therefore, the proposed algorithms have the potential to handle the full short-circuit current scan under the unified analysis scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Subclinical tuberculosis (TB) represents a substantial proportion of individuals with TB disease, although limited evidence is available to understand the epidemiological characteristics of these cases. We aimed to explore the prevalence of subclinical patients with TB and identify the underlying association between the subclinical TB cases in the study setting and the Beijing genotype. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted among patients with incident TB at the Fifth People's Hospital of Suzhou between January and December 2018. A total of 380 patients with TB were included in our analysis. Results: Of the 380 patients, 81.8% were active TB cases, whereas the other 18.2% were subclinical TB cases. Compared with patients aged 65 years and older, the risk of having subclinical TB is higher among younger patients. The use of smear, culture, and Xpert identified 3, 16, and 13 subclinical TB cases, respectively. When using a combination of positive culture and Xpert results, the sensitivity improved to 33.3%. In addition, the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was significantly elevated in the active TB group compared with that in the subclinical TB group. We also observed that the proportion of the Beijing genotype in the subclinical TB group was significantly lower than that in the active TB group. Conclusion: To conclude, our data demonstrate that approximately one-fifth of patients with TB were subclinical in Suzhou. Mycobacterium tuberculosis could be detected by the existing microbiologic diagnostics in one-third of patients with subclinical TB. The patients with subclinical TB are more prone to having low neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio values than those with active TB. Additionally, non-Beijing genotype strains are associated with subclinical TB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ordos Basin, a large lacustrine basin in the Triassic, possesses amounts of conventional and unconventional petroleum. In the basin, the Chang 7 shales have been studied extensively. Recent studies suggested that the crude oils accumulated in the Triassic Chang 9–8 should be mainly sourced by the Chang 9 shales [including the delta plain shale (DPS), delta front shale (DFS), and deep lake shale (DLS)]. The source rock (SR) potential, hydrocarbon generation (HG), and hydrocarbon expulsion (HE) characters of the Chang 9 shales should be analysed to make a comprehensive source rock evaluation. The shales are evaluated as excellent source rock potential, and the DLS is evaluated as the best potential. The HG–HE of the shales are analysed by utilizing two (closed and open systems) pyrolysis experiments. The DLS activation energy (Ea) shows the narrowest distribution and has the lowest average value of 219.00 kJ/mol. The HG onsets and total amounts of the DFS, DPS, and DLS have been determined (165 Ma and 200 × 103 t/km2, 157 Ma and 305 × 103 t/km2, 154 Ma and 430 × 103 t/km2), and the peak generation of the shales happened at 125–117 Ma, 127–100 Ma, and 125–100 Ma, respectively. The Chang 9 DFS, DPS, and DLS have reached the HE threshold at depths of 2,250, 2,500, and 2050 m, respectively, indicating large amounts of hydrocarbons have been expelled into the Lower Yanchang Formation (LYF). The tight sandstone oil reservoirs (TSORs) are mainly located in the areas where the organic‐rich shales are developed, especially in the northeastern study area. The areas between high‐value zones of source rock properties (e.g., thickness, Ro, total organic carbon, HG–HE intensity) are the sweet spots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we introduce the Intever public database for arcing event detection (IAED) along with novel feature extraction methods and an end-to-end deep neural network. First, we describe the details of arc simulation process and database specifications. Second, we handcraft a set of 29 efficient arcing features, including novel nonlinear dynamic features extracted from reconstructed phase space. Third, we propose a customized multiscale convolutional neural network (Multi-Scale CNN) model. Finally, we present the benchmark testing results on six IAED cohorts and 25 load settings and analyze the time complexity of each algorithm. Experimental results show that the highest $F1$ scores on high-resolution cohort and low-resolution cohort are achieved by Multi-Scale CNN at 94.16% and 87.59%, respectively. Also, Multi-Scale CNN gives superior results on various challenging load settings, such as induction cooker connected with air purifier in high resolution and microwave connected with refrigerator in low resolution, and is proved run faster than traditional arcing detection methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydraulic fracturing has been extensively employed for permeability enhancement in low-permeability reservoirs. The geometry of the hydraulic fracture network (HFN) may have implications for the optimization of hydraulic fracturing operations. Various parameters, including the in situ stress, treatment parameters (injection rate and fluid viscosity), and orientation of natural fractures (NFs), can significantly affect the interactions between hydraulic fracture (HF) and NFs and the final HFN. In this study, a lattice-spring code was employed to determine the impact of various parameters on the geometry of the HFN. The modelling results indicated that with a large stress difference, the global orientation of the fracture propagation was restricted to the direction of maximum principal stress, and the number of fracture branches was reduced. The geometry of the HFN changed from circular to elliptical. In contrast, with an increase in the fluid viscosity/injection rate, the evolution of the geometry of the HFN exhibited the opposite trend. The global orientation of HF propagation tended to remain parallel to the direction of maximum principal stress, regardless of the branching and tortuosity of the fracture. The variations in the ratio of tensile fracture (HF) to shear fracture (shear slip on NF) can be significant, depending on the stress state, treatment parameters, and preexisting NF network, which determine the dominant stimulation mechanism. This study provides insight into the HF propagation in naturally fractured reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Z‐nucleic acid binding protein (ZBP)1 (also known as DAI and DLM1) is a pathogen sensor activated by double‐strand character RNA to recruit receptor‐interacting protein (RIP) kinase via a RIP homotypic interaction motif. The activation of receptor‐interacting protein kinase (RIPK)3 and initiation of virus‐induced necroptosis were initially reported in a landmark publication Upton et al. (Cell Host Microbe11: 290, 2012) employing the DNA virus murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV). M45‐encoded viral inhibitor of RIP activation prevents virus‐induced necroptosis. Additional virus‐encoded suppressors of necroptosis were then identified, including herpes simplex virus ICP6 and vaccinia virus E3L. Caspase‐8 suppressors encoded by these DNA viruses block apoptosis, unleashing necroptosis mediated through Z‐nucleic acid binding protein 1 (ZBP1) recruitment of RIPK3. These studies all utilized ZBP1‐deficient mice generated by the Akira Lab (Zbp1−/− AK) to bring the significance of virus‐induced necroptosis to light. C57BL/6 mice were chosen as controls based on the assumption that mutant mice were congenic; however, these mice were recently found to display an unexpected innate immune deficit, lacking C57BL/6‐specific NK1.1 and Ly49H natural killer cell subpopulations important in the early control of MCMV infection. Short nucleotide polymorphism analysis of Zbp1−/− AK breeders revealed a mixed genetic background (~ 71% C57BL/6 DNA and ~ 29% 129). Even though this level of 129 strain background does not alter ZBP1 cell‐autonomous function as a sensor and mediator of necroptosis, it confounds innate immune response characteristics. In the future, genetic background must be carefully controlled before implicating ZBP1 function in response characteristics that shape immunity, inflammation, metabolism, and pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ordos Basin, a large mainly non‐marine basin, is an important petroliferous basin in northern China. The Triassic Chang 9 shales, including the delta plain shale (DPS), delta front shale (DFS), and deep lake shale (DLS), are proven to be the main source rocks in the lower Yanchang Formation (LYF). This study investigates the source rock potential, palaeoenvironment, and organic matter (OM) source. According to the OM thermal maturity, abundance, and type, the shales have excellent source rock potential. The DLS has the highest quality with average TOC of 7.08%, S1 + S2 of 14.41 mg HC/g rock, and Type II1–II2. According to correlations of Rb/Sr versus Sr/Cu, the shales were mainly deposited in arid conditions. Based on the major element (S), trace elements (V, Ni, Co, Cr, U, and Th), rare earth element (Ce) concentrations, and biomarkers (Pr, Ph, dibenzofuran, fluorene, and dibenzothiophene), redox conditions for the DPS, DFS, and DLS were oxidizing, sub‐oxidizing to sub‐reducing, and reducing, respectively. The palaeosalinity was fresh‐ to brackish‐water, ascertained by the trace elements (Sr and Ba) and biomarkers (gammacerane). The water stratification was controlled by the temperature changes and the palaeosalinity differences, and the maximum water depth was ~100 m during the Chang 9 deposition. Aquatic microorganisms (e.g., algae, bacteria, and phytoplankton) were the main organic matter sources for the shales, mixed together with terrigenous plants in DPS and DFS. The DLS has the most aquatic microorganisms and has the least higher plant fragments, supported by the higher TOC (up to 14%), lowest vitrinite contents (Avg. = 14.1%), and highest liptinite contents (Avg. = 59.5%). Laterally, the DPS, DFS, and DLS were distributed successively from the lake margin to the depocentre. Vertically, the DLS, DFS, and DPS were developed successively from the bottom lake to the upper lake. The DLS was mainly formed in an environment of high‐level sapropelinite and favourable preservation conditions, and the DPS was mainly formed in an environment of high‐level terrigenous inputs and poor preservation conditions, while the DFS was mainly formed in an environment of medium‐level of sapropelinite productivity and terrigenous inputs and fair preservation conditions. The DPS and DFS were formed during both the early stage (shallow lake) and the late stage (deep lake) of the Chang 9 deposition, while the DLS was only developed in the deep lake during the late Chang 9 deposition. The high‐level sapropelinite production and favourable preservation controlled the formation of the organic‐rich shales, especially for the organic‐rich DLS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caspase-8 (CASP8) impacts antiviral immunity in expected as well as unexpected ways. Mice with combined deficiency in CASP8 and RIPK3 cannot support extrinsic apoptosis or RIPK3-dependent programmed necrosis, enabling studies of CASP8 function without complications of unleashed necroptosis. These extrinsic cell death pathways are naturally targeted by murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV)-encoded cell death suppressors, showing they are key to cell-autonomous host defense. Remarkably, Casp8–/–Ripk3–/–, Ripk1–/–Casp8–/–Ripk3–/– and Casp8–/–Ripk3K51A/K51A mice mount robust antiviral T cell responses to control MCMV infection. Studies in Casp8–/–Ripk3–/– mice show that CASP8 restrains expansion of MCMV-specific natural killer (NK) and CD8 T cells without compromising contraction or immune memory. Infected Casp8–/–Ripk3–/– or Casp8–/–Ripk3K51A/K51A mice have higher levels of virus-specific NK cells and CD8 T cells compared to matched RIPK3-deficient littermates or WT mice. CASP8, likely acting downstream of Fas death receptor, dampens proliferation of CD8 T cells during expansion. Importantly, contraction proceeds unimpaired in the absence of extrinsic death pathways owing to intact Bim-dependent (intrinsic) apoptosis. CD8 T cell memory develops in Casp8–/–Ripk3–/– mice, but memory inflation characteristic of MCMV infection is not sustained in the absence of CASP8 function. Despite this, Casp8–/–Ripk3–/– mice are immune to secondary challenge. Interferon (IFN)γ is recognized as a key cytokine for adaptive immune control of MCMV. Ifngr–/–Casp8–/–Ripk3–/– mice exhibit increased lifelong persistence in salivary glands as well as lungs compared to Ifngr–/– and Casp8–/–Ripk3–/– mice. Thus, mice deficient in CASP8 and RIPK3 are more dependent on IFNγ mechanisms for sustained T cell immune control of MCMV. Overall, appropriate NK- and T cell immunity to MCMV is dependent on host CASP8 function independent of RIPK3-regulated pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural killer (NK) cells provide important host defense against herpesvirus infections and influence subsequent T cell control of replication and maintenance of latency. NK cells exhibit phases of expansion, contraction and memory formation in response to the natural mouse pathogen murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV). Innate and adaptive immune responses are tightly regulated in mammals to avoid excess tissue damage while preventing acute and chronic viral disease and assuring resistance to reinfection. Caspase (CASP)8 is an autoactivating aspartate-specific cysteine protease that initiates extrinsic apoptosis and prevents receptor interacting protein (RIP) kinase (RIPK)1–RIPK3-driven necroptosis. CASP8 also promotes death-independent signal transduction. All of these activities make contributions to inflammation. Here, we demonstrate that CASP8 restricts NK cell expansion during MCMV infection but does not influence NK memory. Casp8−/−Ripk3−/− mice mount higher NK response levels than Casp8+/−Ripk3−/− littermate controls or WT C57BL/6 J mice, indicating that RIPK3 deficiency alone does not contribute to NK response patterns. MCMV m157-responsive Ly49H+ NK cells support increased expansion of both Ly49H− NK cells and CD8 T cells in Casp8−/−Ripk3−/− mice. Surprisingly, hyperaccumulation of NK cells depends on the pronecrotic kinase RIPK1. Ripk1−/−Casp8−/−Ripk3−/− mice fail to show the enhanced expansion of lymphocytes observed in Casp8−/−Ripk3−/− mice even though development and homeostasis are preserved in uninfected Ripk1−/−Casp8−/−Ripk3−/− mice. Thus, CASP8 naturally regulates the magnitude of NK cell responses in response to infection where strong activation signals depend on another key regulator of death signaling, RIPK1. In addition, the strong NK cell response promotes survival of effector CD8 T cells during their expansion. Thus, hyperaccumulation of NK cells and crosstalk with T cells becomes amplified in the absence of extrinsic cell death machinery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fermented plant extract (FPE) is a kind of plant functional food fermented by various microorganisms to make a beverage or other physical forms. To provide technical support for the industrial production of fermented plant extract powder, the quality characteristics of fermented plant extract powder prepared by hot air-drying, spray drying, vacuum microwave drying, and freeze-drying are compared for an FPE product. The effects of maltodextrin, soluble starch, and β-cyclodextrin as a drying agent on drying effect were studied. Results show that spray-dried FPE powder has the highest bulk density, the smallest average particle size, while the FPE powder produced by freeze-drying has the best color and flavor, the highest content of key components including total sugar, soluble protein, vitamin C, total polyphenol content, and highest antioxidant capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphics processing unit (GPU) has been applied successfully in many scientific computing realms due to its superior performances on float-pointing calculation and memory bandwidth, and has great potential in power system applications. The N-1 static security analysis (SSA) appears to be a candidate application in which massive alternating current power flow (ACPF) problems need to be solved. However, when applying existing GPU-accelerated algorithms to solve N-1 SSA problem, the degree of parallelism is limited because existing researches have been devoted to accelerating the solution of a single ACPF. This paper therefore proposes a GPU-accelerated solution that creates an additional layer of parallelism among batch ACPFs and consequently achieves a much higher level of overall parallelism. First, this paper establishes two basic principles for determining well-designed GPU algorithms, through which the limitation of GPU-accelerated sequential-ACPF solution is demonstrated. Next, being the first of its kind, this paper proposes a novel GPU-accelerated batch-QR solver, which packages massive number of QR tasks to formulate a new larger-scale problem and then achieves higher level of parallelism and better coalesced memory accesses. To further improve the efficiency of solving SSA, a GPU-accelerated batch-Jacobian-Matrix generating and contingency screening is developed and carefully optimized. Lastly, the complete process of the proposed GPU-accelerated batch-ACPF solution for SSA is presented. Case studies on an 8503-bus system show dramatic computation time reduction is achieved compared with all reported existing GPU-accelerated methods. In comparison to UMFPACK-library-based single-CPU counterpart using Intel Xeon E5-2620, the proposed GPU-accelerated SSA framework using NVIDIA K20C achieves up to 57.6 times speedup. It can even achieve four times speedup when compared to one of the fastest multi-core CPU parallel computing solution using KLU library. The proposed batch-solving method is practically very promising and lays a critical foundation for many other power system applications that need to deal with massive subtasks, such as Monte-Carlo simulation and probabilistic power flow. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is believed to be the result of an exaggerated reaction to fungi in the nasal mucosa, and topical amphotericin B (AMB) is a commonly used treatment. The purpose of this study was to perform a meta-analysis of high-quality comparative studies to examine the efficacy of topical AMB for the treatment of CRS. A search was conducted of Medline, Cochrane, EMBASE, and ISI Web of Knowledge until December 31, 2013 using combinations of the search terms chronic rhinosinusitis, human, treatment, antibiotics, nasal irrigation, nebulized, nasal lavage, sinonasal rinses, and antimicrobials. Inclusion criteria were (1) comparative studies, (2) a diagnosis of CRS or chronic sinusitis, and (3) the intervention was a topical antifungal. The primary outcome measure was quality of life (QOL), and the secondary was nasal endoscopy score. Of 235 article initially identified, five randomized controlled trials were included in the meta-analysis. Analysis of four studies with complete QOL data found no difference between treatment and placebo groups [standard difference in means 0.78, 95 % confidence interval (CI) −0.25 to 1.81, P = 0.138]. Analysis of four studies with complete nasal endoscopy score data found no difference between the treatment and placebo groups (standard difference in means 0.34, 95 % CI −0.08 to 0.76, P = 0.117). AMB is not more effective than placebo in improving QOL or nasal endoscopy scores in patients with CRS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many power system applications, such as N–x static security analysis and Monte-Carlo-simulation-based probabilistic power flow (PF) analysis, it is a very time-consuming task to analyze massive number of PFs on identical or similar network topology. This letter presents a novel GPU-accelerated batch LU-factorization solver that achieves higher level of parallelism and better memory-access efficiency through packaging massive number of LU-factorization tasks to formulate a new larger-scale problem. The proposed solver can achieve up to 76 times speedup when compared to KLU library and lays a critical foundation for massive-PFs-solving applications. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A sensitive and selective imprinted electrochemical sensor for the determination of aflatoxin B (AFB) was constructed on a glassy carbon electrode by stepwise modification of functional multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MCNTs), Au/Pt bimetallic nanoparticles (Au/PtNPs), and a thin imprinted film. The fabrication of a homogeneous porous poly o-phenylenediamine (POPD)-grafted Au/Pt bimetallic multiwalled carbon nanotubes nanocomposite film was conducted by controllable electrodepositing technology. The sensitivity of the sensor was improved greatly because of the nanocomposite functional layer; the proposed sensor exhibited excellent selectivity toward AFB owing to the porous molecular imprinted polymer (MIP) film. The surface morphologies of the modified electrodes were characterized using a scanning electron microscope. The performance of the imprinted sensor was investigated by cyclic voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in detail. A linear relationship between the sensor response signal and the logarithm of AFB concentrations ranging from 1 × 10 to 1 × 10 mol L was obtained with a detection limit of 0.03 nmol L. It was applied to detect AFB in hogwash oil successfully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Songliao Basin is the most productive petroliferous lacustrine basin in NE China, and numerous large gas fields with large proven reserves occur in its deep formations. However, considerable challenges remain: (1) the origins and genetic types of the natural gases are controversial; (2) the gas-source correlations are poorly studied; and (3) the migration distance is vague. In this study, these problems are addressed by the study of the gas compositions, light hydrocarbons, and stable hydrogen and carbon isotopes. The gases are predominantly of organic and thermogenic origins. The Huoshiling (J3h) and Shahezi (K1sh) gases are mainly mixtures of coal-derived and oil-associated gases and the mixed-sources of primary kerogen degradation and secondary oil cracking, while the Yingcheng (K1yc) gases are mainly coal-derived gases and predominantly derived from primary kerogen degradation. The gases in different sags are derived from the source rocks developed in the same sags where the gases accumulated, characterized by the proximal-source accumulation. Vertically, the gases in the J3h and K1sh are predominantly sourced by the proximal J3h and K1sh mudstones, while the gases in the K1yc are mainly derived from either the J3h or the K1sh source rocks, suggesting the gas migration with short distances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a highly aggressive tumor of the bile duct, and a significant public health problem in East Asia, where it is associated with infection by the parasite Opisthorchis viverrini. ICC is often detected at an advanced stage and with a poor prognosis, making a biomarker for early detection a priority.Methods: We have comprehensively profiled miRNA expression levels in ICC tumor tissue using small RNA-Seq and validated these profiles using quantitative PCR on matched plasma samples.Results: Distinct miRNA profiles were associated with increasing histological differentiation of ICC tumor tissue. We also observed that histologically normal tissue adjacent to ICC tumor displayed miRNA expression profiles more similar to tumor than liver tissue from healthy donors. In plasma samples, an eight-miRNA signature associated with ICC, regardless of the degree of histological differentiation of its matched tissue, forming the basis of a circulating miRNA-based biomarker for ICC.Conclusions: The association of unique miRNA profiles with different ICC subtypes suggests the involvement of specific miRNAs during ICC tumor progression. In plasma, an eight-miRNA signature associated with ICC could form the foundation of an accessible (plasma-based) miRNA-based biomarker for the early detection of ICC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]