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This study aimed to reveal the diversity and variation in panicle traits of the Chinese prickly ash and clarify their influence on the its systematic classification to provide a theoretical basis and technical support for the efficient utilization of Chinese prickly ash germplasm resources and breeding. Sixteen panicle traits were identified from 35 Chinese prickly ash germplasm resources from 2021 to 2022. The diversity of these panicle traits and their role in the plant’s systematic classification were studied using variance, correlation, cluster, and principal component analyses. Cluster analysis showed that the 35 Chinese prickly ash germplasm resources could be divided into two groups with Euclidean distances of 25. Further analysis showed that yield traits such as panicle length, panicle width, primary branching, grain number per panicle, and grain weight per panicle were significantly positively correlated with grain chlorophyll content, while grain anthocyanin content was negatively correlated with both panicle (panicle length, panicle width, panicle length to width ratio, primary branching, grain number per panicle, and grain weight per panicle) and grain characteristics (single grain weight, thousand-grain weight, grain length, grain width and fruit shape index). In conclusion, Chinese prickly ash germplasms have diverse panicle traits. Z. armatum has dark green grains, long and wide panicles, a long conical shape, many primary branches, high grain weight, and high grain number per panicle. In contrast, Z. bungeanum has bright red seeds, a panicle width larger than its length, short and conical panicles, a small number of primary branches, and low grain weight per panicle and number of grains per panicle. Overall, Z. armatum had a significant yield advantage over Z. bungeanum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rotator cuff tears are a common shoulder injury that significantly impacts patients' daily lives and work abilities. Although surgical treatment methods for rotator cuff tears have been continuously improved with advances in medical technology, postoperative rehabilitation remains challenging. Therefore, finding effective rehabilitation treatments is crucial for improving patient prognosis and enhancing quality of life. This study will aim to systematically evaluate the impact of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) on postoperative rehabilitation of rotator cuff tears, comprehensively assessing the efficacy and safety of LIPUS in postoperative recovery. Methods: This protocol will search multiple databases including PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Scopus, and Web of Science to identify randomized controlled trials related to LIPUS for postoperative rehabilitation of rotator cuff tears. The search will encompass literature published from the inception of the databases up to April 2024. Methodological quality assessment and data extraction will be conducted using the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions and PRISMA guidelines. Meta-analysis will be performed on appropriate studies using either random-effects or fixed-effects models, and subgroup analyses will be conducted to explore potential heterogeneity. Studies meeting the inclusion criteria will be included in the analysis. All analyses will be performed using Stata version 16.0. Results: The incidence of rotator cuff tear rates will be assessed by imaging techniques such as MRI or ultrasound. Pain intensity will be scored using standardized pain assessment scales, such as the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Improved range of motion (ROM) in shoulder flexion, abduction, and rotation. Functional outcomes will be evaluated using effective measures such as Constant-Murley scores (CMS) and shoulder joint scores by American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES). Adverse events associated with LIPUS therapy, including skin irritation, increased pain, or any other complications. Subgroup analysis will also be carried out if possible. Discussion and conclusion: Following the meta-analysis, we will assess the overall effect of LIPUS on postoperative rehabilitation of rotator cuff tears, and further explore its impact on aspects such as pain relief, functional improvement, and postoperative complications. It is anticipated that this study will provide comprehensive evidence regarding the role of LIPUS in postoperative rehabilitation of rotator cuff tears, guiding clinical practice and future research. The resultant manuscript will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Protocol registration number: CRD42024530798. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlling the growth of bacterial biofilms in a specific pattern greatly enhances the study of cell‐to‐cell interactions and paves the way for expanding their biological applications. However, the development of simple, cost‐effective, and highly resolved biopatterning approaches remains a persistent challenge. Herein, a pioneering photodynamic biopatterning technique for the creation of living bacterial biofilms with customized geometries at high resolutions is presented. First of all, an outstanding aggregation‐induced emission photosensitizer is synthesized to enable efficient photodynamic bacterial killing at a low concentration. By combining with custom‐designed photomasks featuring both opaque and transparent patterns, the viability of photosensitizer‐coated bacteria is successfully manipulated by controlling the degree of light transmittance. This process leads to the formation of living bacterial biofilms with specific patterns replicated from the photomask. Such an innovative strategy can be employed to generate living bacterial biofilms composed of either mono‐ or multispecies, with a spatial resolution of approximately 24 µm. Furthermore, its potential applications in information storage/encryption and antibiotic screening are explored. This study provides an alternative way to understand and investigate the intricate interactions among bacteria within 3D biofilms, holding great promise in the controlled fabrication of dynamic biological systems for advanced applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The emergence of plasmid-mediated mobile colistin resistance (mcr) gene poses a great challenge to the clinical application of polymyxins. To date, mcr-1 to mcr-10 have been found in animals, humans, and the environment. Among them, mcr-8 was first identified in Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) of swine origin, and then mcr-8.1 to mcr-8.5 were successively identified. Notably, K. pneumoniae is the major host of the mcr-8 gene in both animals and humans. This study aims to explore the characteristics of K. pneumoniae strains carrying the mcr-8 gene and tmexCD1-toprJ1 gene cluster and investigate the correlation between these two antibiotic resistance genes. Methods: The isolates from the poultry farms and the surrounding villages were identified by mass spectrometer, and the strains positive for mcr-1 to mcr-10 were screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The size of the plasmid and the antimicrobial resistance genes carried were confirmed by S1-nuclease pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (S1-PFGE) and Southern hybridization, and the transferability of the plasmid was verified by conjugation experiments. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) and whole genome sequencing (WGS) were used to characterize the strains. Results: Two K. pneumoniae isolates (KP26 and KP29) displaying polymyxin resistance were identified as mcr-8 gene carriers. Besides that, tigecycline-resistant gene cluster tmexCD1-toprJ1 was also found on the other plasmid which conferred strain resistance to tigecycline. Through epidemiological analysis, we found that the mcr-8 gene has dispersed globally, circulating in the human, animals, and the environment. Furthermore, our analysis suggests that the coexistence of mcr-8 and tmexCD1-toprJ1 on a single plasmid might evolved through plasmid recombination. Conclusions: Although the mcr-8 and tmexCD1-toprJ1 gene clusters in the two strains of K. pneumoniae in this study were on two different plasmids, they still pose a potential threat to public health, requiring close monitoring and further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a hierarchical, dark matter-dominated Universe, stellar mass functions (SMFs), galaxy merger rates, star formation histories (SFHs), satellite abundances, and intracluster light (ICL), should all be intimately connected observables. However, the systematics affecting observations still prevent universal and uniform measurements of, for example, the SMF and the SFHs, inevitably preventing theoretical models to compare with multiple data sets robustly and simultaneously. We here present our holistic semi-empirical model decode (Discrete statistical sEmi-empiriCal mODEl) that converts via abundance matching dark matter merger trees into galaxy assembly histories, using different SMFs in input and predicting all other observables in output in a fully data-driven and self-consistent fashion with minimal assumptions. We find that: (1) weakly evolving or nearly constant SMFs below the knee (⁠|$M_\star \lesssim 10^{11} \, \mathrm{M}_\odot$|⁠) are the best suited to generate SFHs aligned with those inferred from MaNGA, SDSS, GAMA, and, more recently, JWST; (2) the evolution of satellites after infall only affects the satellite abundances and SFHs of massive central galaxies but not their merger histories; (3) the resulting SFR– |$M_\star$| relation is lower in normalization by a factor of |$\sim 2$| with respect to observations, with a flattening at high masses more pronounced in the presence of mergers; (4) the latest data on ICL can be reproduced if mass-loss from mergers is included in the models. Our findings are pivotal in acting as pathfinder to test the self-consistency of the high-quality data from, e.g. JWST and Euclid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental effects are believed to play an important yet poorly understood role in triggering accretion events onto the supermassive black holes (SMBHs) of galaxies (active galactic nuclei; AGNs). Massive clusters, which represent the densest structures in the Universe, provide an excellent laboratory to isolate environmental effects and study their impact on black hole growth. In this work, we critically review observational evidence for the preferential activation of SMBHs in the outskirts of galaxy clusters. We develop a semi-empirical model under the assumption that the incidence of AGN in galaxies is independent of environment. We demonstrate that the model is broadly consistent with recent observations on the AGN halo occupation at z = 0.2, although it may overpredict satellite AGN in massive haloes at that low redshift. We then use this model to interpret the projected radial distribution of X-ray sources around high redshift (z ≈ 1) massive (⁠|$\gt 5 \times 10^{14} \, M_\odot$|⁠) clusters, which show excess counts outside their virial radius. Such an excess naturally arises in our model as a result of sample variance. Up to 20  per cent of the simulated projected radial distributions show excess counts similar to the observations, which are however, because of background/foreground AGN and hence, not physically associated with the cluster. Our analysis emphasizes the importance of projection effects and shows that current observations of z ≈ 1 clusters remain inconclusive on the activation of SMBHs during infall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: According to the 5th edition of the Japanese Guidelines for the Treatment of Gastric Cancer, proximal gastrectomy is recommended for patients with early upper gastric cancer who can retain the distal half of the residual stomach after R0 resection. However, a large number of recent clinical studies suggest that surgical indications for proximal gastrectomy in the guidelines may be too narrow. Therefore, this meta-analysis included patients with early and advanced gastric cancer and compared short- and long-term postoperative outcomes between the two groups. At the same time, we only had high-quality clinical studies such as propensity score-matched studies and randomized controlled trials, which made our research more authentic and credible. Methods: Data were retrieved from PubMed, EMBASE, Medline, and Cochrane Library up to June 2023, and included treatment outcomes after proximal gastrectomy with double-tract reconstruction and total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction. The primary results were Early-phase complications(Anastomotic leakage, Anastomotic bleeding, Abdominal abscess, Abdominal infection, Pulmonary infection, Incision infection, Intestinal obstruction, Dumping syndrome, Pancreatic fistula), Late-phase complications(Intestinal obstruction, Anastomosis stricture, Dumping syndrome, Reoperation, Internal hernia, Incidence of endoscopic gastroesophageal reflux), Serious complications (≥ Grade III C-D score), Quality of life[Gastroesophageal reflux symptom evaluation (Visick score)(≥ III), Los Angeles classification(C or D)], Nutritional status(Hemoglobin, Receipt of vitamin B12 supplementation), Oncologic Outcomes(The 5-year overall survival rates). Secondary outcomes were surgical outcomes (Operative time, Estimated blood loss, Postoperative hospital stay, Number of harvested lymph nodes, Gas-passing, Postoperative mortality).The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool and Newcastle‒Ottawa scale were used to assess the quality of the included studies. Results: After screening, 11 studies were finally included, including 1154 patients. Results from the combined literature showed that total gastrectomy had a significant advantage over proximal gastrectomy with double-tract reconstruction in mean operating time (MD = 4.92, 95% CI: 0.22∼9.61 P = 0.04). However, meta-analysis results showed that Hemoglobin (MD = 7.12, 95% CI:2.40∼11.84, P = 0.003) and Receipt of vitamin B12 supplementation (OR = 0.12, 95% CI:0.05∼0.26, P < 0.00001) in the proximal gastrectomy with double-tract reconstruction group were better than those in the total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction group. There is no significant difference between the proximal gastrectomy with double-tract reconstruction and the total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction group in Early-phase complications(OR = 1.14,95% CI:0.79∼1.64, P = 0.50), Late-phase complications(OR = 1.37,95% CI:0.78∼2.39, P = 0.27), Gastroesophageal reflux symptom evaluation (Visick score)(≥ III)(OR = 0.94,95% CI:0.14∼1.07 P = 0.07), Los Angeles classification(C or D)(OR = 0.33,95% CI:0.01∼8.21, P = 0.50), the 5-year overall survival rates (HR = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.83 ~ 1.23, P = 0.89). Conclusion: Proximal gastrectomy with double-tract anastomosis is a safe and feasible treatment for upper gastric carcinoma. However, the operating time was slightly longer in the proximal gastrectomy with double-tract group compared to the total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y group. The two groups were comparable to the total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y group in terms of serious complications (≥ Grade III C-D score), early-phase complications, late-phase complications, and quality of life. Although the scope of proximal gastrectomy is smaller than that of total gastrectomy, it does not affect the 5-year survival rate, indicating good tumor outcomes for patients. Compared to total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y group, proximal gastrectomy with double-tract reconstruction had higher hemoglobin levels, lower probability of vitamin B12 supplementation, and better long-term efficacy. In conclusion, proximal gastrectomy with double-tract reconstruction is considered one of the more rational surgical approaches for upper gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of foraminoplasty using large-channel endoscopy during TESSYS on the biomechanics of the lumbar spine. Methods: A complete lumbar spine model, M1, was built using 3D finite elements, and models M2 and M3 were constructed to simulate the intraoperative removal of the superior articular process of L5 using a trephine saw with diameters of 5 mm and 8.5 mm, respectively, and applying normal physiological loads on the different models to simulate six working conditions—anterior flexion, posterior extension, left-right lateral bending, and left-right rotation—to investigate the displacement and facet joint stress change of the surgical segment, and the disc stress change of the surgical and adjacent segments. Results: Compared with the M1 model, the M2 and M3 models showed decreased stress at the L4-5 left FJ and a significant increase in stress at the right FJ in forward flexion. In the M2 and M3 models, the L4-5 FJ stresses were significantly greater in left lateral bending or left rotation than in right lateral bending or right rotation. The right FJ stress in M3 was greater during left rotation than that in M2, and that in M2 was greater than that in M1. The L4-5disc stress in the M3 model was greater during posterior extension than that in the M1 and M2 models. The L4-5disc stress in the M3 model was greater in the right rotation than in the M2 model, and that in the M2 model was greater than that in the M1 model. Conclusion: Foraminoplasty using large-channel endoscopy could increase the stress on the FJ and disc of the surgical segment, which suggested unnecessary and excessive resection should be avoided in PTED to minimize biomechanical disruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a persistent inflammatory condition that specifically targets the colon and rectum. Existing therapies fail to adequately address the clinical requirements of people suffering from this ailment. Despite the acknowledged potential of nanomedicines in the field of anti-inflammatory treatment, their widespread use in clinical settings is impeded by their expensive nature and the uncertainty surrounding their safety profiles. This study illustrates that two naturally occurring phytochemicals, Costunolide (COS) and Glycyrrhizic acid (GA), form carrier-free, multifunctional spherical nanoparticles (NPs) through noncovalent interactions, such as π–π stacking and hydrogen bonding. The COS-GA NPs displayed a synergistic anti-inflammatory effect, providing much more evidently improved therapeutic benefits for dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced UC mice due to more effective reduction in inflammation and oxidative stress than did equal dosages of COS or GA used alone. In addition, COS-GA NPs have biocompatibility and biosafety properties unique to them. This study will serve as affirmation of the potential of COS-GA NPs as innovative natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities and also such agents as drug discovery in UC, leading possibly to better outcomes in people living with this disabling condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), as a novel energy harvesting technology, has garnered widespread attention. As a relatively young field in nanogenerator research, investigations into various aspects of the TENG are still ongoing. This review summarizes the development and dissemination of the fundamental principles of triboelectricity generation. It outlines the evolution of triboelectricity principles, ranging from the fabrication of the first TENG to the selection of triboelectric materials and the confirmation of the electron cloud overlapping model. Furthermore, recent advancements in TENG application scenarios are discussed from four perspectives, along with the research progress in performance optimization through three primary approaches, highlighting their respective strengths and limitations. Finally, the paper addresses the major challenges hindering the practical application and widespread adoption of TENGs, while also providing insights into future developments. With continued research on the TENG, it is expected that these challenges can be overcome, paving the way for its extensive utilization in various real-world scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photocatalytic uranium extraction from radioactive nuclear wastewater and seawater is critical for promoting the sustainable advancement of nuclear industry, but the complexity of real-world environments, particularly the occurrence of anoxic and oxygen-enriched states, presents significant challenges to effective uranium extraction. Here, a layered hollow core–shell structure of Bi2O3/g-C3N4 Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst has been designed and successfully applied for photocatalytic uranium extraction in both aerobic and oxygen-free conditions, and the extraction efficiency of uranium can reach 98.4% and 99.0%, respectively. Moreover, the photocatalyst still has ultra-high extraction efficiency under the influence of pH, inorganic ions, and other factors. The exceptional capability for uranium extraction is on the one hand due to the distinctive hollow core–shell architecture, which furnishes an abundant quantity of active sites. On the other hand, benefiting from the suitable band gap structure brought by the construction of Z-scheme heterojunction, Bi2O3/g-C3N4 exhibits current densities (1.00 µA/cm2) that are 5.26 and 3.85 times greater than Bi2O3 and g-C3N4, respectively, and the directional migration mode of Z-scheme carriers significantly prolongs the lifetime of photogenerated charges (1.53 ns), which separately surpass the pure samples by factors of 5.10 and 3.19. Furthermore, the reaction mechanism and reaction process of photocatalytic uranium extraction are investigated in the presence and absence of oxygen, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Main conclusion: In this review, we summarize how chlorophyll metabolism in angiosperm is affected by the environmental factors: light, temperature, metal ions, water, oxygen, and altitude. The significance of chlorophyll (Chl) in plant leaf morphogenesis and photosynthesis cannot be overstated. Over time, researchers have made significant advancements in comprehending the biosynthetic pathway of Chl in angiosperms, along with the pivotal enzymes and genes involved in this process, particularly those related to heme synthesis and light-responsive mechanisms. Various environmental factors influence the stability of Chl content in angiosperms by modulating Chl metabolic pathways. Understanding the interplay between plants Chl metabolism and environmental factors has been a prominent research topic. This review mainly focuses on angiosperms, provides an overview of the regulatory mechanisms governing Chl metabolism, and the impact of environmental factors such as light, temperature, metal ions (iron and magnesium), water, oxygen, and altitude on Chl metabolism. Understanding these effects is crucial for comprehending and preserving the homeostasis of Chl metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MgO and Na2CO3 are used instead of strong alkalis (e.g., NaOH, NaOH+Na2SiO3) to prepare alkali-activated slag cement, achieving the promotion and use of green-economic alkali activators. In this study, the hydration reaction kinetics, hydration products, mechanical evolution, and microstructure characteristics of MgO-Na2CO3 activated slag (MNAS) system are studied. The results show that adding Na2CO3(>1%) prolongs the time of the second exothermic diffraction peak, and inhibits the hydration of the MNAS system in the early stage. The addition of Na2CO3 increases the 28 day compressive strength of the MNAS system. However, at 90 days, with the higher content of Na2CO3 , the SiO4, and AlO4 at the Q2 site are dechained, the peak value at the Q0 site increases, the mean chain length (MCL) of the gel phase decreases, the total pore volume increases, cracks appeared in the internal structure, and the compressive strength decreases. Na2CO3 mixing of 3%, 5%–8%, and 10% is appropriate when using S-type, M-type, and R-type MgO. The MNAS system is excellent from the aspects of CO2 emission, energy consumption, and cost of the alkali-activated materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing superporous hemostatic sponges with simultaneously enhanced permeability and mechanical properties remains challenging but highly desirable to achieve rapid hemostasis for non-compressible hemorrhage. Typical approaches to improve the permeability of hemostatic sponges by increasing porosity sacrifice mechanical properties and yield limited pore interconnectivity, thereby undermining the hemostatic efficacy and subsequent tissue regeneration. Herein, we propose a temperature-assisted secondary network compaction strategy following the phase separation-induced primary compaction to fabricate the superporous chitosan sponge with highly-interconnected porous structure, enhanced blood absorption rate and capacity, and fatigue resistance. The superporous chitosan sponge exhibits rapid shape recovery after absorbing blood and maintains sufficient pressure on wounds to build a robust physical barrier to greatly improve hemostatic efficiency. Furthermore, the superporous chitosan sponge outperforms commercial gauze, gelatin sponges, and chitosan powder by enhancing hemostatic efficiency, cell infiltration, vascular regeneration, and in-situ tissue regeneration in non-compressible organ injury models, respectively. We believe the proposed secondary network compaction strategy provides a simple yet effective method to fabricate superporous hemostatic sponges for diverse clinical applications. Developing porous hemostatic sponges remains challenging. Here, authors proposed a temperature-assisted secondary network compaction strategy following the phase separation induced primary compaction to fabricate the superporous chitosan sponges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's "the Belt and Road Initiative" (BRI) is a top-level cooperation initiative among countries proposed by China, which has promoted China's cooperation with relevant countries in various aspects and fields. Research reports from think tanks and experts on the evaluation, analysis, and research conclusions of the BRI can reflect the stance, opinions, and demands of various countries abroad regarding the initiative. This paper takes the BRI reports of important think tanks in the " Global Go To Think Tank Index Report 2020" as the subject of its research, and analyzes the key points and development trends of foreign think tank research on the BRI by using text mining, topic evolution, and social network analysis. It provides reasonable suggestions and ideas for promoting the construction of the BRI and deepening related cooperation in China. Research shows that the thematic distribution of research reports on the BRI by think tanks is mainly focused on the fields of politics, economy, and military. The research areas are relatively stable, and there is not a strong trend of thematic evolution. The evolution paths are also mainly distributed in the fields of politics, economy, and military. There are not many expansions in the thematic evolution directions over the years, and there is a strong inheritance of themes. The connection between research themes and the main purpose of the BRI is somewhat inadequate, indicating a certain limitation in the understanding of the BRI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in various fields highlights the need for it to be both accurate and fair. Biased medical AI systems pose significant potential risks to achieving fair and equitable healthcare. Here, we show an implicit fairness learning approach to build a fairer ophthalmology AI (called FairerOPTH) that mitigates sex (biological attribute) and age biases in AI diagnosis of eye diseases. Specifically, FairerOPTH incorporates the causal relationship between fundus features and eye diseases, which is relatively independent of sensitive attributes such as race, sex, and age. We demonstrate on a large and diverse collected dataset that FairerOPTH significantly outperforms several state-of-the-art approaches in terms of diagnostic accuracy and fairness for 38 eye diseases in ultra-widefield imaging and 16 eye diseases in narrow-angle imaging. This work demonstrates the significant potential of implicit fairness learning in promoting equitable treatment for patients regardless of their sex or age. Biased medical artificial intelligence systems pose significant potential risks to achieving fair and equitable healthcare. Here, we demonstrate a fairer ophthalmology AI that mitigates sexism and ageism through implicit fairness learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the finite element model of molten pool flow-evaporation during laser micro-texture processing on metal surfaces was established by COMSOL software. The influence of surface tension, capillary force, and thermal capillary force on molten pool flow is considered in the numerical model, and the influence of recoil pressure generated by evaporating gas on molten pool flow and the solidification process is also fully considered. The numerical results show that with the increase of laser radiation time or laser power, the velocity and pressure of evaporating gas also increase gradually, and the diameter and depth of the formed texture also show an obvious upward trend. In addition, through the research of texture morphology characteristics and plasma formation during laser micro-texture processing, it can be found that when the laser power and radiation time increase to a certain extent, the plasma changes from a stable suspension phenomenon to a periodic evolution characteristic. Finally, the machining mechanism and reliability of laser micro-texture are revealed by comparing the simulation and experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To analyze the structural characteristics of a human hand, data collection gloves were worn for typical grasping tasks. The hand manipulation characteristics, finger end pressure, and finger joint bending angle were obtained via an experiment based on the Feix grasping spectrum. Twelve types of tendon rope transmission paths were designed under the N + 1 type tendon drive mode, and the motion performance of these 12 types of paths applied to tendon-driven fingers was evaluated based on the evaluation metric. The experiment shows that the designed tendon path (d) has a good control effect on the fluctuations of tendon tension (within 0.25 N), the tendon path (e) has the best control effect on the joint angle of the tendon-driven finger, and the tendon path (l) has the best effect on reducing the friction between the tendon and the pulley. The obtained tendon-driven finger motion performance model based on 12 types of tendon paths is a good reference value for subsequent tendon-driven finger structure design and control strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: HIF-1α is thought to be a novel regulator which contributes to carcinogenesis. However, the mechanism underlying the effect of HIF-1α in gliomas remains largely unknown. Methods: In the research, we demonstrate that HIF-lα mRNA and protein levels are elevated in glioma cells. The colony formation assays, transwell assays, and wound-healing assays showed that overexpression of HIF-1α promoted proliferation and invasion of glioma cells. Results: Overexpression of HIF-lα also increased the expression of inflammatory factors related to pyrolysis (TNF-α, IL-10, and IL-1β) and protein related to pyrolysis signal pathway (NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1, GSDMD, and GSDME). Conclusions: Therefore, we speculate that HIF-1α promotes the proliferation and invasion of glial cells by regulating pyrolysis pathway. These results might provide a novel strategy and target for treatment of glioma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nano-graphene lubricating oil with appropriate concentration shows excellent performance in reducing friction and wear under different working conditions of diesel engines, and has been widely concerned. Lubricating oil has a significant impact on particulate matter (PM) emissions. At present, there are few studies on the impact of nano-graphene lubricating oil on the physicochemical properties of PM. In order to comprehensively evaluate the impact of nano-graphene lubricating oil on diesel engines, this paper mainly focused on the effects of lubricating oil nano-graphene additives on the particle size distribution and physicochemical properties of PM. The results show that, compared with pure lubricating oil, the total number of nuclear PM and accumulated PM of nano-graphene lubricating oil is significantly increased. The fractal dimension of PM of nano-graphene lubricating oil increases and its structure becomes more compact. The average fringe separation distance of basic carbon particles decreases, the average fringe length increases. The degree of ordering and graphitization of basic carbon particles are higher. The fringe tortuosity of basic carbon particles decreases, and the fluctuation of carbon layer structure of basic carbon particles decreases. Aliphatic substances in PM are basically unchanged, aromatic components and oxygen functional groups increase. The initial PM oxidation temperature and burnout temperature increase, the maximum oxidation rate temperature and combustion characteristic index decrease, and the activation energy increases, making it more difficult to oxidize. This was mainly caused by the higher graphitization degree of PM of nano-graphene lubricating oil and the increased content of aromatic substances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rotator cuff injury (RCI) is a common musculoskeletal ailment and a major cause of shoulder pain and limited functionality. The ensuing pain and restricted movement significantly impact overall quality of life. This study aims to systematically review the effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) on RCI. Methods: This protocol follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols. A literature search, spanning inception to November 1, 2023, will include databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, Scopus, MEDLINE, EMBASE, EBSCO, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) to identify ESWT studies for RCI treatment. Excluding retrospectives, bias risk will be assessed with the Cochrane tool. Two researchers will independently screen, extract data, and evaluate bias risk. Revman 5.3 software will be used for data analysis. Results: This study aims to objectively and comprehensively evaluate the effectiveness and safety of randomized controlled trials of ESWT in the treatment of RCI, and analyze in detail the effect of ESWT in the treatment of RCI. Results will be analyzed using the Pain Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Constant-Murley score, University of California Los Angeles score (UCLA), and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons form (ASES). If applicable, subgroup analysis will also be performed to divide patients into groups according to the energy level of ESWT, the time of intervention, and the degree of tearing of RCI. Finally, the results are submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Discussion and conclusion: There is existing evidence suggesting that ESWT may contribute to the amelioration of pain and functional limitations associated with Rotator Cuff Injury (RCI). This systematic review aims to update, consolidate, and critically evaluate relevant evidence on the effects of ESWT for RCI. The anticipated outcomes may serve as a valuable reference for clinical ESWT practices, covering treatment methods, timing, and intensity. Moreover, this review aspires to provide high-quality evidence addressing the impact of ESWT on RCI-related pain. Simultaneously, the findings of this systematic review are poised to offer guidance to clinicians and rehabilitation therapists. This guidance is intended to enhance the management of pain and functional impairments experienced by individuals with RCI, ultimately leading to improvements in their physical well-being. Trial registration: Protocol registration numberCRD42023441407. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42023441407. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rotator cuff tendinopathy (RCT) is a widespread musculoskeletal disorder and a primary cause of shoulder pain and limited function. The resulting pain and limited functionality have a detrimental impact on the overall quality of life. The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review of the effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) for RCT. Methods: The literature search was conducted on the following databases from inception to February 20, 2024: PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, Scopus, MEDLINE, EMBASE, EBSCO, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were checked to identify the potential studies exploring the effect of ESWT for the treatment of Rotator cuff tendinopathy (Calcification or non-calcification), control group for sham, other treatments (including placebo), without restriction of date, language. Two researchers independently screened literature, extracted data, evaluated the risk of bias in the included studies, and performed meta-analysis using RevMan 5.3 software. Results: A total of 16 RCTs with 1093 patients were included. The results showed that compared with the control group, ESWT for pain score Visual Analogue Scale/Score (VAS) (SMD = -1.95, 95% CI -2.47, -1.41, P < 0.00001), function score Constant-Murley score (CMS) (SMD = 1.30, 95% CI 0.67, 1.92, P < 0.00001), University of California Los Angeles score (UCLA) (SMD = 2.69, 95% CI 1.64, 3.74, P < 0.00001), American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons form (ASES) (SMD = 1.29, 95% CI 0.93, 1.65, P < 0.00001), Range of motion (ROM) External rotation (SMD = 1.00, 95% CI 0.29, 1.72, P = 0.02), Total effective rate (TER) (OR = 3.64, 95% CI 1.85, 7.14, P = 0.0002), the differences in the above results were statistically significant. But ROM-Abduction (SMD = 0.72, 95% CI -0.22, 1.66, P = 0.13), the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Currently limited evidence suggests that, compared with the control group, ESWT can provide better pain relief, functional recovery, and maintenance of function in patients with RCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphite is the most commonly used large-area cathode material in the high-power vacuum electron device for its long life and good repetitive-frequency performance, but its particle size selection scheme has not been elucidated. Therefore, in the present work, the explosive electron emission properties of flake graphite large area explosive electron emission cathodes with varied particle sizes are studied. The 320 mesh flake graphite has a current delay reduction of 0.2–0.9 ns compared to other samples at the same peak voltage. According to the Murphy–Good equation, the emission performance of each sample during the priming stage was calculated, and the threshold characteristics of 320 mesh flake graphite were significantly better than the other samples. After the space charge limited current is formed, the plasma expansion rate of all samples is 1.2 ± 0.2 cm / μ s with a difference not exceeding 4 % between samples. Our research provides a strong basis for the selection of raw materials for graphite based large area explosive electron emission cathodes and contributes to the development of cross-field high-power vacuum devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to develop a fault detection system designed specifically for wind turbine gearboxes. It proposes a hybrid fault diagnosis algorithm that combines scatter plot analysis with the visual geometric group (VGG) technique to identify various fault types, including gear rust, chipping, wear, and aging. To capture vibration signals, a three-axis vibration sensor was integrated with a NI-9234 DAQ card. Digital signal processing techniques were employed to actively filter out noise from the captured signals. Gaussian white noise was incorporated into the training data to enhance the noise resistance of the network model, which was then utilized for scatter plot generation. The VGG technique was subsequently applied to identify faults. The testing data were collected at two different speeds, with 1500 samples taken at each speed, totaling 3000 samples. For both training and testing, 400 samples of each fault type were employed for training, while 200 samples were allocated for testing. The test results demonstrated an overall identification accuracy of 97.7% for both the no-fault gearbox and the four-fault states, underscoring the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The emergence and expansion of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae infections is a concern due to the lack of 'first-line' antibiotic treatment options. The ceftazidime/avibactam is an important clinical treatment for carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae infections but there is an increasing number of cases of treatment failure and drug resistance. Therefore, a potential solution is combination therapies that result in synergistic activity against K. pneumoniae carbapenemase: producing K. pneumoniae (KPC-Kp) isolates and preventing the emergence of KPC mutants resistant to ceftazidime/avibactam are needed in lieu of novel antibiotics. Methods To evaluate their synergistic activity, antibiotic combinations were tested against 26 KPC-Kp strains. Antibiotic resistance profiles, molecular characteristics and virulence genes were investigated by susceptibility testing and whole-genome sequencing. Antibiotic synergy was evaluated by in vitro chequerboard experiments, time-killing curves and dose–response assays. The mouse thigh model was used to confirm antibiotic combination activities in vivo. Additionally, antibiotic combinations were evaluated for their ability to prevent the emergence of ceftazidime/avibactam resistant mutations of bla KPC. Results The combination of ceftazidime/avibactam plus meropenem showed remarkable synergistic activity against 26 strains and restored susceptibility to both the partnering antibiotics. The significant therapeutic effect of ceftazidime/avibactam combined with meropenem was also confirmed in the mouse model and bacterial loads in the thigh muscle of the combination groups were significantly reduced. Furthermore, ceftazidime/avibactam plus meropenem showed significant activity in preventing the occurrence of resistance mutations. Conclusions Our results indicated that the combination of ceftazidime/avibactam plus meropenem offers viable therapeutic alternatives in treating serious infections due to KPC-Kp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On February 22, 2023, a devastating landslide occurred on the mining slope of an open-pit coal mine in Inner Mongolia, China, leading to the mining area being buried and 53 fatalities. The source area of the landslide measured approximately 500 m in both length and width, with an estimated volume of the deposited material reaching approximately 5 million cubic metres. Based on the severe impact of this incident, our study conducted preliminary research using a combination of methodologies, including particle image analysis, synthetic aperture radar interferometry, interpretation of optical remote sensing data, and post-event news reports analysis. The results indicated that the landslide lasted 23 s from initiation to cessation of movement. The historical deformation indicated that prior to the resumption of the mining activities, only localized deformation was observed at the rear edge of the landslide. However, when mining activities resumed in April 2021 and extended to the vicinity of the north slope, the deformation range and rate in the source area of the landslide rapidly increased. The investigation deduced that the soft foundation at the slope bottom and mining activities are the primary causative factors of this event. Mining activities, which stripped coal seams within the slope and surface rock masses, led to the expansion of tension cracks within the landslide body, weakening resisting forces at the leading edge and thus playing a significant role in destabilizing the landslide body. The evolution of the landslide from incubation to instability could be divided into four stages: early microcrack development, slow creep, accelerated deformation after resumption of mining, and ultimate instability. Therefore, it is of great significance to advance real-time deformation monitoring and early warning systems specifically those designed for mining slope areas by comprehensive measures. Furthermore, enhancing the high-frequency monitoring capabilities of synthetic aperture radar satellites is crucial to reducing the occurrence of these catastrophic events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although spray technology is widely used, research on spray flow is limited by the complexity of its flow field. To simplify the spray simulation, this work proposed an orifice section velocity fitting method, which can simplify the calculation of the flow field inside the nozzle by using a set of special velocity fitting equations as boundary conditions. For the application and verification of the method, the characteristics of methyl nonafluorobutyl ether (HFE7100) flash spray under temperature influence were experimentally studied in this paper using phase Doppler particle analyzer equipment and compared the results of simulation and experiment. The comparison results show that the simulation and experimental results of the spray axial velocity distribution have good consistency at different temperatures. The simulation results show that the swirling flow in the orifice is stronger when the temperature is lower than the boiling point and the spray velocity isosurface is conical. The swirling flow in the nozzle is attenuated by flash evaporation when the temperature increases above the boiling point, while the spray velocity isosurface changes to a bell shape. The experimental results show that the spray velocity increases with increasing evaporation caused by increasing temperature and that the spray axial velocity distribution also changes from a saddle shape to a single peak shape. The spray droplet size increased significantly under the influence of flash evaporation, but the spatial distribution maintained a saddle shape. This study can provide a reference for spray simulation analysis and the study of flash spray characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reversible upconversion luminescence (RUCL) through defect engineering holds great promise for various applications, including photoswitches, information recording, and storage devices. However, the reversible photoluminescence in inorganic crystals is rarely reported. Crucially, the underlying mechanism of reversible luminescence remains unclear, which challenges the design of high‐performance reversible luminescence inorganic materials. Herein, an anomalous RUCL in a class of β‐Ba2ScAlO5:Yb3+/RE3+ (RE = Er, Ho, Tm, Tb, Sm, or Eu) phosphors is reported. By alternating annealing environments (air or hydrogen), a robust and repeatable cycle of luminescence and quenching is observed. The first‐principles calculations reveal that porous β‐Ba2ScAlO5:Yb3+/RE3+ can host oxygen interstitials (during annealing in air) with a low formation energy. The interstitial oxygen state, close to the Yb 4f state, leads to luminescence quenching. Removal of oxygen interstitials (during annealing in hydrogen) can restore the luminescence by initiating radiative energy transfer. Experimentally, the existence of interstitial oxygen is confirmed with neutron diffraction technology. It is worth noting that the strong chemical bonds in crystals make adding and removing anion vacancies challenging, unlike the more "free" interstitials. The findings offer new insights into manipulating upconversion luminescence in inorganic crystals by defect engineering and provide motivation for future research in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of highway microgrids is evolving into a new highway energy system that integrates "Source-Network-Load-Storage". This paper provides a comprehensive evaluation of expressway microgrids from the perspective of transportation and energy integration. An index model is set up that considers the economy, technology, and environment. The grey evaluation method, on the strength of analytic hierarchy process–entropy weight method, shows that the integrated microgrid of "source-network-load-storage" promotes energy sustainability, supply reliability, and sustainable environmental development. When compared to different evaluation methods for microgrid planning schemes, our method yields the highest score of 0.9127, indicating superior results. This approach is suitable for the multicomponent evaluation system of expressway microgrids and allows for scientifically evaluating microgrid planning schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice production is the agricultural activity with the highest energy consumption and carbon emission intensity. Water and fertilizer management constitutes an important part of energy input for rice production and a key factor affecting greenhouse gas emissions from paddy fields. Water–fertilizer integration management (AIM) is an automated water and fertilizer management system for large-scale rice production, which can effectively save water and fertilizer resources. At present, the energy utilization and environmental impact of AIM in rice production are not clear. To clarify whether AIM is a water and fertilizer management measure that combines energy conservation and carbon emission reduction, a comparative study between the widely used farmers' enhanced water and fertilizer management (FEM) in China and AIM was conducted in this paper. Field experiments were conducted to evaluate the rice yield, carbon emission, energy utilization, and economic benefits of the two management methods. The results showed that AIM reduced water and fertilizer inputs, energy inputs, and economic costs by 12.18–28.57%, compared to FEM. The energy utilization efficiency, energy profitability, and energy productivity under AIM were improved by 11.30–12.61%. CH4 and N2O emissions and carbon footprint were reduced by 20.79%, 6.51%, and 16.39%, respectively. Compared with FEM, AIM can effectively improve the utilization efficiency of water and fertilizer resources and reduce carbon emissions. This study presents a mechanized water and fertilizer management approach suitable for large-scale rice production systems in China. By analyzing rice yield, resource utilization efficiency, and environmental benefits, AIM can serve as a crucial management strategy for enhancing productivity, economic returns, and environmental conservation within profitable rice production systems. In the future, further investigation into the impact of AIM on the microbial mechanisms underlying rice yield formation and greenhouse gas emissions is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimized catalytic properties and reactant adsorption energy played a crucial role in promoting CO2 electrocatalysis. Herein, Cu7S4/Cu underwent in situ dynamic restructuring to generate S−Cu2O/Cu hybrid catalyst for effective electrochemical CO2 reduction to formate that outperformed Cu2O/Cu and Cu7S4. Thermodynamic and in situ Raman spectra revealed that the optimized adsorption of the HCOO* intermediate on S−Cu2O/Cu was regulated and the H2 pathway (surface H) was suppressed by S‐doping. Meanwhile, Cu7S4/Cu nanoflowers created abundant boundaries for ECR and strengthened the CO2 adsorption by inducing Cu. These findings provide a new perspective on synthetic methods for various electrocatalytic reduction processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics of leaves result from the long-term adaptation of plants to their environment and are closely related to plant growth and development. In this study, 37 prickly ash germplasm resources from 18 production areas were utilized as the subjects of research. Logistic equations, principal component analysis, and cluster analysis were employed to comprehensively evaluate the leaf traits of prickly ash germplasm resources, with an analysis of their correlation with ecological and geographical factors in the production areas. The results showed that the leaf traits of prickly ash germplasms of different origins are substantially different and diverse. The coefficient of variation for the 14 leaf traits was greater than 10%. The coefficient of variation of the compound leaflet number was the highest among all the considered leaf traits, and the coefficient of variation of leaf thickness was the lowest, at 49.86% and 11.37%, respectively. The leaf traits of the prickly ash germplasm originating from Chongqing in Yongchuan, Chongqing in Rongchang, and Yunnan in Honghe ranked highest, whereas the leaf traits of the prickly ash germplasm from Henan in Jiaozuo, Gansu in Tianshui, and Shanxi in Yuncheng ranked lowest. The results of the correlation analysis showed that among the ecological and geographical factors of the origins, latitude had the strongest correlation with the leaf traits of the prickly ash germplasm. As latitude increased, the leaves of prickly ash gradually decreased in size, weight, and leaf shape index. The factor with the second strongest correlation was temperature. The leaves of the prickly ash germplasm originating from warmer climate areas were larger and heavier than those from areas with colder climates. Altitude and longitude did not significantly affect the leaf traits of the prickly ash germplasm, but at similar latitudes, the leaves of the prickly ash germplasm in high-altitude areas were smaller, and the leaves of the prickly ash germplasm in low-altitude areas were larger. These findings can provide valuable references for breeding and the sustainable utilization of new varieties of prickly ash resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of photovoltaic power generation, how to improve the photovoltaic grid connection rate is an urgent problem to be solved. This article proposes an optimized scheduling method for the water and photovoltaic complementary system, taking into account the operation strategy of pump stations to improve the photovoltaic grid connection rate. Firstly, a multiobjective optimization scheduling model is constructed to consider both power generation and output fluctuation, and the uncertainty of photovoltaic power generation is analyzed from multiple perspectives. Then, taking the cascade hydropower stations and surrounding photovoltaic power stations in a river basin in Sichuan as an example, the operation strategy of pump stations is introduced into the water and photovoltaic complementary system, considering different weather scenarios, to reduce the photovoltaic curtailment rate. The study verifies that the introduction of pump stations can effectively increase the photovoltaic grid connection rate, and quantitatively analyzes the pump station capacity configuration under different photovoltaic penetration rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environmental stability of barium calcium aluminate for impregnated cathodes is significant for storing impregnants and fabricating thermionic cathodes. In this work, two types of phase structures are obtained in the 612‐type aluminate. The Ba3CaAl2O7 single‐phase structure is obtained if the crucible is uncovered after sintering for 300 min at 1200°C. In contrast, the Ba3Al2O6 and BaCO3 dual‐phase structure is achieved by suppressing the solid‐state reaction by covering the crucible and reducing the sintering duration to 75 min. The dual‐phase sample exhibits superior environment stability to the single‐phase one when exposed to moist air. The reason could be attributed to the smaller specific surface area and total pore volume of the dual‐phase sample due to the incomplete liberty of gases in sintering. Because of their identical compositions, the cathodes impregnated with different sintered phases possess comparable electron emission capacities. This work provides an effective process to synthesize 612‐aluminate with good environmental stability and emissive capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sarcasm poses a significant challenge for detection due to its unique linguistic phenomenon where the intended meaning is often opposite of the literal expression. Current sarcasm detection technology primarily utilizes multi-modal processing, but the connotative semantic information provided by the modality itself is limited. It is a challenge to mine the semantic information contained in the combination of sarcasm samples and external commonsense knowledge. Furthermore, as the essence of sarcasm detection lies in measuring emotional inconsistency, the rich semantic information may introduce excessive noise to inconsistency measurement. To mitigate these limitations, we propose a hierarchical framework in this paper. Specifically, to enrich the semantic information of each modality, our approach uses sentiment dictionaries to obtain the sentiment vectors by evaluating the words extracted from various modalities, and then combines them with each modality. Furthermore, in order to mine the joint semantic information implied in the modalities and improve measurement of emotional inconsistency, the emotional information representation obtained by fusing each modality's data is concatenated with the sentiment vector. Then, cross-modal fusion is performed through cross-attention, and, finally, the sarcasm is recognized by fusing low-level information in the cross-modal fusion layer. Our model is evaluated on a public multi-modal sarcasm detection dataset based on Twitter, and the results demonstrate its superiority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the impact of vergence dysfunction on myopia progression in children with Defocus incorporated multiple segments (DIMS) spectacle lenses. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively enrolled children prescribed DIMS spectacle lenses to slow myopic progression. Baseline vergence dysfunction was determined according to phoria at distance and near. Axial length (AL) measurement and cycloplegic subjective refraction were performed before fitting the lenses and at six-month and one-year follow-ups. The six-month and one-year AL and spherical equivalent (SE) change from baseline were calculated and compared in subgroups stratified with the type of vergence dysfunction. Results: Two hundred and ninety-two myopic children were included. Significant AL elongation and SE progression were observed at six months and one year (P < 0.05 for all comparisons). Multiple regression demonstrated that AL elongation at six months (P < 0.001) and one year (P < 0.001) was negatively correlated with age, and SE progression at six months was associated with age (P = 0.002). The AL elongation at six months in children with convergence excess was significantly greater than in normal myopic subjects (P = 0.011) and subjects with convergence insufficiency (P = 0.008), divergence excess (P = 0.007), divergence insufficiency (P = 0.024) and basic esophoria (P = 0.048) at six months. Conclusion: The present research demonstrated that vergence dysfunction influences myopia progression for myopic children with DIMS, and the children with convergence excess suffer from the greatest myopia progression among different types of vergence dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study takes the fruit of Rosa roxburghii Tratt (RRT) as a fermentation substrate and carries out a quantitative visual analysis of the domestic and foreign literature on screenings of five different lactic acid bacteria to obtain a fermentation broth. Systemic anti-photoaging effects are analyzed at the biochemical, cellular, and molecular biological levels. DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging activities are used to verify the antioxidant capacity of the RRT fruit fermentation broth in vitro. Human embryonic skin fibroblasts (HESs) are used to establish a UVA damage model, and the antioxidant capacity of the RRT fruit fermentation broth is verified in terms of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant enzyme activity. RT-qPCR and ELISA are used to detect the expression of TGF-β/Smad, MMPs, and the MAPK/AP-1 and Nrf2/Keap-1 signaling pathways in order to explore the anti-oxidation and anti-photoaging effects of the RRT fruit fermentation broth by regulating different signaling pathways. The results show that an RRT fruit fermentation broth can effectively protect cells from oxidative stress caused by UVA and has significant anti-photoaging effects, with the co-cultured Lactobacillus Yogurt Starter LYS-20297 having the highest overall effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During precision sowing, the contact process between the soil and seeds cannot be ignored. The constitutive relationship of soil is relatively complex, with characteristics such as high nonlinearity, while the contact mechanism between the soil and seeds is unclear. To better understand the contact between seeds and soil, it is necessary to establish a reasonable contact model. Ellipsoidal seeds, such as soybean, red bean, and kidney bean seeds, were adopted as research objects. In this paper, we used the discrete element method to establish an ellipsoidal seed–soil contact model. The JKR + bonding model was adopted for describing the adhesion between soil particles, and the Hertz–Mindlin new restitution (HMNS) model was used for ellipsoidal seed particles to eliminate the multiple contact point issue when modeling with the multi-sphere filling method. Moreover, both simulations and experiments were conducted to calibrate the interaction parameters between soil and seeds. The path of steepest ascent test and Box‒Behnken design (BBD) tests were also used, as well as direct shear tests. Thus, certain soil parameter values were obtained, namely the JKR surface energy was 4.436 J/m2, the normal stiffness per unit area was 2.86 × 106 N/m3, the shear stiffness per unit area was 5.54 × 105 N/m3, the critical normal stress was 1833 Pa, and the critical shear stress was 3332 Pa. In addition, the simulation parameters for ellipsoidal seeds were obtained from previous works. Moreover, to obtain more accurate ellipsoidal seed–soil interaction parameters, collision tests, static friction tests, and rolling friction tests were adopted. A single-factor test was used to calibrate the ellipsoidal seed–soil interaction parameters. The calibration results were as follows: the collision restitution coefficients of ellipsoidal seeds with soil were all 0.25. The static friction coefficient of soybeans with soil was 0.6, that of red beans with soil was 0.65, and that of kidney beans with soil was 0.5. The rolling friction coefficient of soybeans with soil was 0.1, that of red beans with soil was 0.14, and that of kidney beans with soil was 0.14. Finally, the rationality of parameter selection was verified through piling tests between ellipsoidal seeds and soil. The relative error of the angle of repose of soybean/soil was 2.99%, that of red bean/soil was 0.60%, and that of kidney bean/soil was 0.55%. Thus, the feasibility and rationality of the contact models between the ellipsoidal seeds and soil established in this paper, as well as the parameter selection, were verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an additive margin network with adaptive feature recalibration, AMNets, for handling a wide range of visual tasks, is proposed. The new AMNets consists of three improvements on convolutional neural networks: (1) squeeze‐and‐excitation mechanism was embedded into the the residual block of single layer to improve the performance of the classification, (2) softmax loss was replaced by the additive margin softmax loss to minimize intra‐class variance and maximize inter‐class variance, and (3) Adam optimizer was exploited to update iteratively the network parameters. Experiments on the Brain Stroke CT Image Dataset show that our additive margin network is quite effective to improve state‐of‐the‐art algorithms. Network algorithms have been extensively used in medical image field to pursuit a more accuracy of disease recognition. This paper proposes AMNets, an additive margin network with adaptive feature recalibration for handling a wide range of visual tasks in medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new species of the genus Dugesia from Southern China are described by applying an integrative approach, including morphological, karyological, histological, and molecular information. In the molecular phylogenetic tree, the two new species, Dugesia pendula Chen & Dong, sp. nov. and Dugesia musculosa Chen & Dong, sp. nov., fall into an Eastern Palearctic/Oriental clade and an Oriental/Australasian clade, respectively, while sharing only a rather distant relationship. The separate specific status of the two new species is supported also by their genetic distances. Dugesia pendula is characterized by the following features: symmetrical openings of the oviducts into the bursal canal, a duct between seminal vesicle and diaphragm, small diaphragm, dorsally located seminal vesicle, a penis papilla suspended from the dorsal wall of the male atrium, and mixoploid karyotype with diploid complements of 2 n = 2 x = 14 + 0 − 1 B-chromosome and triploid complements of 2 n = 3 x = 21 + 0 − 1 B-chromosome, with all chromosomes being metacentric. Dugesia musculosa is characterized by the following features: asymmetrical openings of the oviducts into the bursal canal; a ventrally displaced ejaculatory duct with a terminal opening; two diaphragms; a bursal canal provided with a strong, thick layer of circular muscle, which extends from the copulatory bursa to the common atrium and gonoduct; the left vas deferens opening at the midlateral wall of the seminal vesicle, while the right sperm duct opens at the dorsolateral wall of the seminal vesicle; and karyotype consisting of complicated diploid and aneuploid mosaicism, with diploid complements of 2 n = 2 x = 16 and 2 n = 2 x = 16 − 1 7th-18th, with all chromosomes being metacentric. The uncommon karyotypes, combined with the asexual reproduction of aneuploid animals, are evaluated in the context of the relationship between ploidy levels and reproductive modalities in the genus Dugesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanically and electrochemically stable and ionically conducting solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) is important for the stabilization of metal anodes. Since SEIs are originally absent in aqueous zinc metal batteries (AZMBs), it is very challenging to suppress water‐induced side reactions and dendrite growth of Zn metal anodes (ZMAs). Herein, a gradient‐structured and robust solid gradient SEI, consisting of B,O‐inner and F,O‐exterior layer, in situ formed by hydrated eutectic electrolyte for the homogeneous and reversible Zn deposition, is demonstrated. Moreover, the molar ratio of acetamide to Zn salt is modulated to prohibit the water activity and the hydrolysis of BF4− as well as to achieve high ionic conductivity owing to the regulation of the solvation sheath of Zn2+. Consequently, the eutectic electrolyte allows Zn||Zn symmetric cells to achieve a cycling lifespan of over 4400 h at 0.5 mA cm−2 as well as Zn||PANI full cells to deliver a high capacity retention of 73.2% over 4000 cycles at 1 A g−1 and to demonstrate the stable operation at low temperatures. This work provides the rational design for the hydrated eutectic electrolyte and the corresponding gradient SEIs for dendrite‐free and stable Zn anodes even under harsh conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, high-entropy (HE) materials have attracted increasing interest in various fields due to their unique characteristics. Rare earth (RE) elements have a similar atomic radius and gradually occupied 4f orbitals, endowing them with abundant optical, electric, and magnetic properties. Furthermore, HE-RE materials exhibit good structural and thermal stability and various functional properties, emerging as an important class of HE materials, which are on the verge of rapid development. However, a comprehensive review focusing on the introduction and in-depth understanding of HE-RE materials has not been reported to date. Thus, this review endeavors to provide a comprehensive summary of the development and research status of HE-RE materials, including alloys and ceramics, ranging from their structure, synthesis, and properties to applications. In addition, some distinctive issues of HR-RE materials related to the special electronic structure of RE are also discussed. Finally, we put forward the current challenges and future development directions of HE-RE materials. We hope that this review will provide inspiration for new design ideas and valuable references in this emerging field in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]