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Radiotherapy has been demonstrated to be one of the most significant treatments for cervical cancer, during which accurate and efficient delineation of target volumes is critical. To alleviate the data demand of deep learning and promote the establishment and promotion of auto-segmentation models in small and medium-sized oncology departments and single centres, we proposed an auto-segmentation algorithm to determine the cervical cancer target volume in small samples based on multi-decoder and semi-supervised learning (MDSSL), and we evaluated the accuracy via an independent test cohort. In this study, we retrospectively collected computed tomography (CT) datasets from 71 pelvic cervical cancer patients, and a 3:4 ratio was used for the training and testing sets. The clinical target volumes (CTVs) of the primary tumour area (CTV1) and pelvic lymph drainage area (CTV2) were delineated. For definitive radiotherapy (dRT), the primary gross target volume (GTVp) was simultaneously delineated. According to the data characteristics for small samples, the MDSSL network structure based on 3D U-Net was established to train the model by combining clinical anatomical information, which was compared with other segmentation methods, including supervised learning (SL) and transfer learning (TL). The dice similarity coefficient (DSC), 95% Hausdorff distance (HD95) and average surface distance (ASD) were used to evaluate the segmentation performance. The ability of the segmentation algorithm to improve the efficiency of online adaptive radiation therapy (ART) was assessed via geometric indicators and a subjective evaluation of radiation oncologists (ROs) in prospective clinical applications. Compared with the SL model and TL model, the proposed MDSSL model displayed the best DSC, HD95 and ASD overall, especially for the GTVp of dRT. We calculated the above geometric indicators in the range of the ground truth (head-foot direction). In the test set, the DSC, HD95 and ASD of the MDSSL model were 0.80/5.85 mm/0.95 mm for CTV1 of post-operative radiotherapy (pRT), 0.84/ 4.88 mm/0.73 mm for CTV2 of pRT, 0.84/6.58 mm/0.89 mm for GTVp of dRT, 0.85/5.36 mm/1.35 mm for CTV1 of dRT, and 0.84/4.09 mm/0.73 mm for CTV2 of dRT, respectively. In a prospective clinical study of online ART, the target volume modification time (MTime) was 3–5 min for dRT and 2–4 min for pRT, and the main duration of CTV1 modification was approximately 2 min. The introduction of the MDSSL method successfully improved the accuracy of auto-segmentation for the cervical cancer target volume in small samples, showed good consistency with RO delineation and satisfied clinical requirements. In this prospective online ART study, the application of the segmentation model was demonstrated to be useful for reducing the target volume delineation time and improving the efficiency of the online ART workflow, which can contribute to the development and promotion of cervical cancer online ART. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The renovation and revitalization of vernacular architecture are pivotal in sustainable rural development. In regions like Shangri-La, traditional structures not only safeguard cultural heritage but also provide a foundation for enhancing local communities' living conditions. However, these villages face growing challenges, including infrastructure decay, cultural erosion, and inadequate adaptation to modern living standards. Addressing these issues requires innovative research approaches that combine heritage preservation with the integration of contemporary functionality. This study employs a research-by-design approach, focusing on the Shanpian House as a case study, to explore how pre-planning and post-evaluation methods can revitalize traditional vernacular architecture. The pre-planning phase utilizes field surveys and archival research to assess spatial, cultural, and environmental conditions, framing a design strategy informed by field theory. In doing so, it evaluates how traditional architectural elements can be preserved while introducing modern construction techniques that meet current living standards. The post-evaluation phase, conducted through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, assesses user satisfaction, focusing on the impact of architectural esthetics, structural stability, and material choices. Key findings from an OLS regression highlight the strong positive correlation between architectural style, structural choices, and cultural relevance with resident satisfaction. The research emphasizes that design elements such as structural details, materials, and infrastructure upgrades are critical in shaping perceptions of both functionality and cultural identity. Interestingly, the model reveals that improving architectural esthetics, alongside modern indoor features such as network connectivity, has a significant impact on enhancing overall resident satisfaction (significance level: 0.181). This study contributes to the broader discourse on sustainable building renovation by demonstrating how traditional architecture can be thoughtfully adapted for contemporary use and also proposes a paradigm shift in the renovation of historic buildings, advocating for a balance between preservation and modernization. The application of sustainable materials, digital modeling, and innovative construction techniques further ensures that these traditional structures meet the demands of modern civilization while maintaining their cultural integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frequent wind erosion events in semi‐arid regions can lead to significant atmospheric microplastic (MP) emissions from croplands. We examine observed and predicted characteristics of atmospheric MPs over cropland in Northern China. Measurements showed that fibers were the predominant morphology, accounting for 69% of the 198 observed MPs. The observed atmospheric MP abundance varied widely, averaging 0.088 # m−3 in the absence of air masses passing through near‐surface croplands and increasing significantly to 0.26 # m−3 when such air masses were present. The predictions of deposition flux for atmospheric MPs over croplands indicated a spatial variation ranging from less than 0.5 g km−2 day−1 in the north to over 15 g km−2 day−1 in the south, corresponding to an average of approximately 13.3 g km−2 day−1. Our findings highlight the dual role of surface soil as both a potential source and sink of atmospheric MPs, underscoring the need for further research on the regional dynamics of wind‐driven MP emissions and their associated ecosystem health risks in semi‐arid croplands. Plain Language Summary: We studied the presence and characteristics of atmospheric MPs over cropland in Northern China by measuring and predicting their distribution. Our measurements showed that fibers comprised 69% of the 198 observed MPs. The observed abundance of atmospheric MPs increased from 0.088 to 0.26 # m−3 when influenced by air masses passing near‐surface croplands. Predictions showed that the deposition flux of MPs varies across the region, ranging from less than 0.5 to more than 15 g km−2 day−1. This study indicates that cropland soils can release MPs into the air and capture them from the atmosphere. It calls for more research on how wind‐driven MP emissions impact the environment and health in semi‐arid regions. Key Points: Fibers were the most prevalent of atmospheric MPs over cropland of Northern ChinaObserved atmospheric MP abundance increased from 0.088 to 0.26 # m−3 when influenced by air masses passing through near‐surface croplandsCropland surface soil serves as both an emission potential source and a sink for atmospheric MPs [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional computer with von Neumann architecture has the characteristics of separate storage and computing units, which leads to sizeable time and energy consumption in the process of data transmission, which is also the famous "von Neumann storage wall" problem. Inspired by neural synapses, neuromorphic computing has emerged as a promising solution to address the von Neumann problem due to its excellent adaptive learning and parallel capabilities. Notably, in 2016, researchers integrated light into neuromorphic computing, which inspired the extensive exploration of optoelectronic and all-optical synaptic devices. These optical synaptic devices offer obvious advantages over traditional all-electric synaptic devices, including a wider bandwidth and lower latency. This review provides an overview of the research background on optoelectronic and all-optical devices, discusses their implementation principles in different scenarios, presents their application scenarios, and concludes with prospects for future developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The characteristic of RENT3B in cancer remains ambiguous. We aimed to study the relationship between RENT3B and immune infiltration in liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC). Patients and methods: We investigated the expression levels of RENT3B using ONCOMINE and TIMER databases, and assessed the interrelationship between RENT3B expression and survival using PrognoScan, GEPIA, and Kaplan–Meier plotter. Additionally, we examined the association between RENT3B and immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME), as well as markers of immune cells, using TIMER. Subsequently, we performed prognostic analysis based on the expression level of RENT3B within specific immune cell subgroups. Furthermore, we evaluated the promoter methylation profile of RENT3B between tumor and normal tissues in LIHC and LUSC using the DNMIVD database. Results: RENT3B exhibited increased levels in both in LIHC and LUSC. High RENT3B expression was associated with unfavorable prognosis in LIHC, whereas it indicated a beneficial prognosis in LUSC. In LIHC, the expression of RENT3B positively correlated with immune infiltration levels of B cells, CD4 + T cells, CD8 + T cells, neutrophils, macrophages, and dendritic cells. However, in LUSC, the expression of RENT3B showed a negative correlation with immune infiltration levels of B cells, CD8 + T cells, neutrophils, macrophages, and dendritic cells. RENT3B exhibited positive correlations with 42 immune markers in LIHC, while it displayed negative associations with 10 immune markers in LUSC. Despite variations in immune cell enrichment and reduction subgroups, high RENT3B expression consistently indicated poor prognosis in LIHC, whereas it remained favorable in LUSC. Additionally, there were no significant differences observed in RENT3B promoter methylation between tumor and normal tissues in both LIHC and LUSC. Conclusion: RENT3B can affect the overall tumor prognosis and is associated with immune infiltration, especially in LIHC and LUSC. Consequently, RENT3B can become a prognostic biomarker for LIHC and LUSC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) have tunable chemical structures, orderly pore structures, and modifiable surface functional groups making them a promising material for environmental remediation. However, their rigid powder morphology poses significant challenges for customizing MOF structures with adjustable mechanical properties. Here, we synthesis the stretchable UV‐curable MOF hydrogels through high‐resolution digital light processing 3D printing, and evaluated its adsorption effect on seven common dyesand.The results showed that it had selective adsorption effect on methylene blue (MB), and the adsorption effect increased with the increase of the initial concentration of MB: its adsorption capacity on 6 mgL−1, 12 mgL−1 and 24 mgL−1 MB solution reached 13.55 mgg−1, 26.31 mgg−1 and 50.70 mgg−1 respectively. Compared to powdered MOFs, the 3D‐printed MOF (Cu‐BTC) exhibited superior adsorption for dye and radioactive pollution, with methylene blue adsorption increasing from 8.93 mgg−1 to 25.05 mgg−1 and I2 adsorption from 141.56 mgg−1 to 792.65 mgg−1. Furthermore, the 3D‐printed MOF structure proved easily cleanable with dilute HCl and reusable over five times without degradation. In addition, our study highlighted the suitability of the 3D‐printed MOF for CO2‐sensing devices, demonstrating its broad applicability in environmental remediation and sensing technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the risk factors and prognostic factors that affect the long-term clinical outcomes of acute retinal necrosis (ARN). Methods: A retrospective study of patients with ARN who underwent treatment and completed follow-up in our ophthalmology department from 2011 to 2021 was conducted. The incidence and risk factors of retinal detachment (RD) and prognostic factors affecting long-term clinical outcomes, such as late-onset RD and final vision loss (< 20/200), were analyzed. Results: Totally 59 ARN patients (65 eyes) with an average follow-up of 48.9 months were enrolled. During the follow-up period, RD occurred in 34 eyes (52.3%). The risk factors for RD included quadrants of involved retinal necrosis (odds ratio [OR], 4.181; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.950–10.834) and initial intraocular viral load (OR, 1.721; 95% CI, 1.071–3.083). Early intravitreal antiviral treatment (OR, 1.204; 95% CI, 1.040–1.480) was independently associated with a decreased risk of late-onset RD. The factors independently associated with an increased risk of final vision loss were worse initial visual acuity (OR, 3.895; 95% CI, 1.551–13.662) and late-onset RD (OR, 8.043; 95% CI, 1.380–67.216). In addition, we utilized the fluctuating magnitude of viral load to quantify the extent of its reduction in comparison to its original value following the initial intravitreal antiviral injection (IAI). This ratio was strongly related to initial intraocular IL-8 concentration (Spearman correlation coefficient=-0.741, P = 0.000) and moderately related to the initial degree of aqueous flare (Spearman correlation coefficient=-0.508, P = 0.010). Conclusion: RD is a common and severe complication of ARN with multiple risk factors, such as initial retinitis involvement area and initial intraocular viral load. Active local antiviral therapy may reduce the risk of late-onset RD. The antiviral medication should be adjusted according to the inflammatory state. Therefore, timely detection of causative viruses and intensive systemic and local antiviral therapy is crucial for preserving visual function in ARN patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to develop and validate a nomogram for predicting overall survival (OS) in Asian patients with Esophageal Cancer (EC). Data from Asian EC patients were collected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The patients were randomly divided into training and validation cohorts in a 7:3 ratio. The Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression was used for initial variable selection, followed by multivariate Cox regression analysis to identify independent prognostic factors. A nomogram was subsequently constructed based on these factors. The predictive performance of the nomogram was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and calibration curves, while the clinical utility of the nomogram was assessed through decision curve analysis (DCA). The LASSO regression and multivariate Cox regression analysis identified age, sex, marital status, tumor size, M stage, surgery, and chemotherapy as independent prognostic factors. The ROC curve results demonstrated that the area under the curve (AUC) values for predicting 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year OS in the training cohort were 0.770, 0.756, and 0.783, respectively. In the validation cohort, the AUC values were 0.814, 0.763, and 0.771, respectively. Calibration curves indicated a high concordance between predicted and actual OS. The DCA demonstrated that the nomogram has significant clinical applicability. This nomogram provides reliable predictions and valuable guidance for personalized survival estimates and high-risk patient identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the future, network will necessitate flexible, resilient, and scalable frameworks to accommodate evolving and diverse services. Intent-driven network provides a practical and feasible new idea for addressing this challenge. Specifically, intent-driven loop allows network administrators to focus less on intricate configuration details and more on expressing service requirements, facilitating autonomous and reliable services. Firstly, this work analyzes new challenges emerging in the field of cybersecurity. Subsequently, it introduces the methodology and key technologies of intent-driven network, proposing a lifecyle intent-driven architecture based on intent-driven network. Secondly, a method of reasoning for resilience strategies in introduced in intent-driven network security services. The practical application of intent-driven network involves the generation, transition, policy formulation, and deployment of intents, thereby ensuring the continuous online availability of network services even in the event of network failures. This reflects the entire lifecyle of an intent-driven network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Channel constructions significantly impact river hydrodynamics, subsequently influencing river ecosystems. To mitigate the negative influence of channel construction and protect fish habitat, it is essential to evaluate fish habitat suitability through the integration of hydrodynamic and habitat models. This study models channel constructions on both the left and right riverbanks to evaluate habitat suitability for Four Major Chinese Carps and the Chinese sturgeon. Initially, flow velocity, water depth and grain size are simulated, followed by an assessment of habitat conditions using the Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) for three distinct construction strategies. Results reveal that constructing channels on the left bank mitigates adverse effects on fish habitat, while constructions on the right bank and both riverbanks lead to habitat degradation. Long‐term effects on riverbed elevation and fish habitat suitability post‐construction were also investigated. Notably, the Four Major Chinese Carps consistently demonstrate greater suitability for the studied river, regardless of flow rate or construction strategies, in comparison to the Chinese sturgeon. These findings underscore diverse responses to channel construction, providing valuable insights for identifying critical habitat areas for endemic fish conservation. This research presents a robust framework for assessing fish ecology in river systems, offering support for conservation decision‐makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address fine-grained access control, secure sharing, and encrypted key updates in a one-to-many model, a multi-keyword attribute-based searchable encryption scheme with proxy re-encryption for cloud storage was proposed. The access tree was enhanced with node information for fine-grained control over ciphertext read and write permissions. The keyword encryption process was optimized for trapdoor indistinguishability and restricted user search capabilities. Re-encryption updated ciphertext and keys, preventing malicious access by revoked users. A blockchain-based verification algorithm was designed to detect tampering of third-party data. The DBDH and DDH hard problems proved the scheme's keyword ciphertext security and trapdoor security. Experiments show the proposed scheme secures data and keys during key generation, trapdoor, and index generation, and correctness verification. It also demonstrates higher efficiency in time overhead, ensuring privacy and key safety while maintaining high efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An attached cantilever scaffold, which mainly consists of a cantilever horizontal steel beam and a diagonal bar, is a new type of cantilever scaffold. The upper end of the diagonal bar is attached to an upper floor slab by a hinge, while the lower end is connected to a cantilever beam. Therefore, the position of the lower suspension point has a significant impact on the overall mechanical performance. However, current research on this topic is limited. Thus, in this study, we aim to optimize the mechanical behavior by changing the lower suspension point position. An optimization methodology based on the genetic algorithm is proposed. This methodology has been demonstrated to be efficient and accurate enough to determine the optimal lower suspension point position of a diagonal bar. The effects of different beam cross-sections, diagonal bar diameters, and upper suspension point positions are further investigated. The bearing capacity is shown to improve by more than 100% and 30% for hinged and rigidly connected cantilever beams when the proposed optimization methodology is adopted. The analysis in this study can serve as a reference for the optimal design of an attached cantilever scaffold and can provide a theoretical basis for developing related design software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Root system architecture is pivotal for the acquisition of water and nutrients in maize, serving as an essential foundation for achieving high and stable yields. Identification of the genetic components and natural variations determining root traits may facilitate molecular breeding of maize varieties with better root traits. Melatonin plays an important role in plant physiology and development. In this study, nine melatonin biosynthesis genes were re-sequenced in 348 inbred lines, 68 landraces, and 32 teosintes to investigate variations related to maize root traits. The analysis of nucleotide diversity suggested that these genes may have undergone selection, particularly within their promoter regions. Marker–trait association analysis identified 26 variants significantly associated with six root traits. Five variations within the ZmTDC4 promoter were significantly correlated with both total root length (TRL) and lateral root length (LRL). Among these, SNP-1784 explained the most phenotypic variation of root traits, including TRL and LRL, that has undergone selection throughout maize domestication and improvement. Furthermore, knockout of ZmTDC4 in maize resulted in a pronounced reduction in root length, underscoring its critical role in root development. Collectively, these findings elucidate the role of melatonin synthesis genes in root development and identified favorable alleles, thus providing key loci for breeding maize varieties with superior root systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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To improve the efficiency of multi-material additive manufacturing and enhance the safety of multi-robot cooperative printing with uncertain execution delays, a dual-robot cooperative path planning method is proposed for layer-by-layer printing. In the proposed algorithm, the description of the printing region is reconstructed by simply using the rectangular envelope region and a two-dimensional directed line segment. The adjacency list of the printing region is established to guide the optimization direction. Therefore, redundant information about the printing region is effectively removed, which is conducive to the optimization of the problem. A multi-round cooperation strategy with multiple synchronous starting points is proposed to accommodate uncertain execution delays by separating the space of the dual-robot printing area, so as to avoid the potential collision risk of dual-robot. To further optimize the printing efficiency, local strategies are used to reduce the makespan. Hence, a better printing order can be obtained, and states of cooperative and non-cooperative printing can be unified. In addition, the corresponding NC control strategy is designed for the industrial application of the cooperative strategy. The simulation result shows that the method proposed in this paper can effectively reduce the makespan of dual-robot cooperative additive manufacturing, and accommodate the uncertain execution delays of the dual-robot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis) is a critically endangered, large migratory fish that serves as a vital indicator of ecological status of marine and river environments. Conservation efforts for Chinese sturgeon primarily focus on freshwater rearing, potentially leading to smaller adult sizes and higher disease incidence due to limited exposure to marine environments. Thus, it is imperative to study the behavioural characteristics and marine life history of artificially reared populations in seawater environments. In this study, acoustic telemetry technology was employed to investigate the behaviour of the Chinese sturgeon. We deployed an acoustic array at a nearshore-fenced marine farm on Bailong Island and conducted a one-year (December 2020–December 2021) tracking of ten acoustic-tagged fish, comprising five adults and five juveniles. We generated distribution heat maps and analysed displacement during typhoons and tidal events to differentiate activity levels. Annual distribution revealed areas of distinct increased density, with adults displaying a denser distribution compared to the more scattered pattern observed in juveniles. Rhythmic behaviour in response to tidal cycles was observed. During typhoon periods, individuals exhibited reduced activity levels but increased concentration, with no significant diurnal behavioral variations. These age-specific and environmentally responsive habitat preferences provide valuable supplementary insights into the species' life history and potential conservation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient delivery of therapeutic agents to the lesion site or specific cells is an important way to achieve "toxicity reduction and efficacy enhancement". Macrocycles have always provided many novel ideas for drug or gene loading and delivery processes. Specifically, macrocycles represented by crown ethers, cyclodextrins, cucurbit[n]urils, calix[n]arenes, and pillar[n]arenes have unique properties, which are different cavity structures, good biocompatibility, and good stability. Benefited from these diverse properties, a variety of supramolecular drug delivery systems can be designed and constructed to effectively improve the physical and chemical properties of guest molecules as needed. This review provides an outlook on the current application status and main limitations of macrocycles in supramolecular drug delivery systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Point cloud completion is a fundamental task to enhance the completeness and authenticity of point cloud data captured in the real world. Existing mainstream methods tend to obtain the complete point cloud by refining or up-sampling the coarse point cloud in a coarse-to-fine manner. However, these methods ingore the long-distance correlations between point clouds and obtain blurred topological structures, leading to potential challenges for downstream tasks. In this paper, we present a novel point cloud completion model, called TopologyFormer. After obtaining a coarse point cloud, our model restores the missing topology structure by directly reconstructing the coarse point cloud itself instead of relying on point displacements for refining or up-sampling the coarse point cloud. Specifically, the proposed method contains three main components, a Structure Completion Network, a topology reconstruction module and a feature enhancement module, the latter two of which compose a Topology-Aware Reconstruction Network. The structure completion network considers long-range correlations among different parts of the point cloud and emphasizes the global geometric structure of the incomplete point cloud, which completes the missing point cloud into an intermediate representation. The topology reconstruction module receives the intermediate representation from the structure completion network to recover the local shapes and even point distribution, aiming to generate a point cloud with a higher-quality topology. Furthermore, the feature enhancement module ensures more reliable topology information and allows further use of the global feature obtained by the structure completion network. Extensive experiments on public benchmarks including ShapeNet and real-scanned dataset KITTI demonstrate that our method is superior to the existing state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has led to significant fluctuations in marine ecosystems, including alterations in the structure and function of food webs and ecosystem status. Coastal ecosystems are critical to the functioning of the earth's life-supporting systems. However, temporal variations in most of these ecosystems have remained unclear so far. In this study, we employed a linear inverse model with Markov Chain Monte Carlo (LIM-MCMC) combined with ecological network analysis to reveal the temporal variations of the food web in Haizhou Bay of China. Food webs were constructed based on diet composition data in this ecosystem during the year of 2011 and 2018. Results indicated that there were obvious temporal variations in the composition of food webs in autumn of 2011 and 2018. The number of prey and predators for most species in food web decreased in 2018 compared with 2011, especially for Trichiurus lepturus, zooplankton, Amblychaeturichthys hexanema, and Loligo sp. Ecological network analysis showed that the complexity of food web structure could be reflected by comprehensive analysis of compartmentalized indicators. Haizhou Bay ecosystem was more mature and stable in 2011, while the ecosystem's self-sustainability and recovery from disturbances were accelerated from 2011 to 2018. These findings contribute to our understanding of the dynamics of marine ecosystems and highlight the importance of comprehensive analysis of marine food webs. This work provides a framework for assessing and comparing temporal variations in marine ecosystems, which provides essential information and scientific guidance for the Ecosystem-based Fisheries Management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we acquired conch-shell Hydroxyapatite (cHA)with a mean size of 99.41 nm using a microwave-assisted method, and hydroxypropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride chitosan (HACC) with a molecular weight of 41 kDa was synthesized from deacetylated chitosan. These two additives were added to plain PMMA bone cement, improving its biological activity. It was shown that the addition of cHA and HACC balanced the mechanical performance and porosity of the implant, improving its biocompatibility with mouse pre-osteoblasts (MC3T3-E1). A composite cement with 30 wt% cHA and 0.5 wt% HACC significantly enhanced mineralization efficiency, protein adsorption, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cable-stiffened steel columns (CSSC) have a high load-carrying capacity and strong stability compared to ordinary steel columns. In practical engineering, the connection between the crossarm and main column of a CSSC is usually welded. However, the welding-residual stress adversely affects the steel column. In this study, pre-cast CSSCs, with a pinned connection between the crossarm and main column, are presented. The new type of pre-cast CSSCs avoid the welding-residual and are easy to disassemble. A model test and numerical analysis of its global stability behavior under eccentric compression is conducted. Based on the analysis, the buckling modes of these columns are defined and a method for determining the governing imperfection in a nonlinear buckling analysis is proposed. The effects of slenderness ratio, cross-arm length, cable diameter, and other parameters on the load-carrying capacities of the columns are investigated using the proposed method. The results of this study can be used as a reference for the engineering designs and specifications of pre-cast CSSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes an improved mixed-variable quantum particle swarm optimization (QPSO) algorithm capable of optimizing both continuous and discrete variables. The algorithm is applied to the wind resistance optimization of a cable-stiffened, single-layer spherical reticulated shell (SLSRS), optimizing discrete variables like member dimensions and cable dimensions alongside continuous variables such as cable prestress. Through a computational case study on an SLSRS, the optimization results of the proposed QPSO method are compared with other optimization techniques, validating its accuracy and reliability. Furthermore, this study establishes a mathematical model for the wind resistance optimization of cable-stiffened SLSRSs and outlines the wind resistance optimization process based on the mixed-variable QPSO algorithm. The optimization of these structures reveals the strong stability and global search capabilities of the proposed algorithm. Additionally, the comparison of section optimization and shape optimization highlights the significant impact of the shell shape on steel usage and costs, underscoring the importance of shape optimization in the design process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the good planarity of conjugated backbone and high charge carrier mobilities, thienoisoindigo (TIIG)‐based polymers show great potential in organic electronic devices. In this work, two TIIG‐based D‐A conjugated polymers (PTIIG‐3T and PTIIG‐2T‐EDOT) were designed and synthesized, which exhibit high lying highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level and can be facilely doped by FeCl3. Compared with PTIIG‐3T, one thiophene unit in the donor building block is replaced by 3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) in PTIIG‐2T‐EDOT, and PTIIG‐2T‐EDOT shows a higher HOMO level with slightly higher coplanarity than PTIIG‐3T, which induce an enhancement in electrical conductivity after oxidation doping. After proper doping, doped PTIIG‐2T‐EDOT film achieved a higher TE power factor of 17.9 μW m−1 K−2 than that of PTIIG‐3T due to its higher conductivity. The results indicate that TIIG unit is a promising building block for future high‐performance conjugated polymers for thermoelectric applications, and incorporation of the EDOT unit into D‐A conjugated polymers could be an effective way to develop high performance thermoelectric polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preserving the privacy of the ever-increasing multimedia data on the cloud while providing accurate and fast retrieval services has become a hot topic in information security. However, existing relevant schemes still have significant room for improvement in accuracy and speed. Therefore, this paper proposes a privacy-preserving image–text retrieval scheme called PITR. To enhance model performance with minimal parameter training, we freeze all parameters of a multimodal pre-trained model and incorporate trainable modules along with either a general adapter or a specialized adapter, which are used to enhance the model's ability to perform zero-shot image classification and cross-modal retrieval in general or specialized datasets, respectively. To preserve the privacy of outsourced data on the cloud and the privacy of the user's retrieval process, we employ asymmetric scalar-product-preserving encryption technology suitable for inner product calculation, and we employ distributed index storage technology and construct a two-level security model. We construct a hierarchical index structure to speed up query matching among massive high-dimensional index vectors. Experimental results demonstrate that our scheme can provide users with secure, accurate, fast cross-modal retrieval service while preserving data privacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strong impacts and vibrations exist in various structures of rice combine harvesters in harvesting, so the bolt connection structure on the harvesters is prone to loosening and failure, which would further affect the service life and working efficiency of the working device and structure. In this paper, based on the vibration signal acquisition experiment on the bolt and connection structure of the vibrating screen on the harvester, failure feature identification is studied. According to the sensitivity analysis results and the primary extraction of the time-frequency feature, most features have limitations on the identification of failure features of vibrating screen bolts. Therefore, based on the establishment of a high-dimensional feature matrix and multivariate fusion feature matrix, the validity of the feature set was verified based on the whale optimization algorithm. And then, based on the SVM method and high-dimensional mapping of the kernel functions, the high-dimensional feature matrix is trained by the LIBSVM classification decision model. The identify success rates of time domain feature matrix A, frequency domain feature matrix B, WOA-VMD energy entropy matrix C, and normalized multivariate fusion feature matrix G are 64.44%, 74.44%, 81.11%, and more than 90%, respectively, which can reflect the applicability of the failure state identification of the normalized multivariate fusion feature matrix. This paper provided a theoretical basis for the identification of a harvester bolt failure feature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transient ischemic attack (TIA) is an early warning sign of stroke and death, necessitating suitable animal models due to the associated clinical diagnostic challenges. In this study, we developed a TIA model using flexible spatially targeted photothrombosis combined with real-time blood flow imaging feedback. By modulating the excitation light using wavefront technology, we precisely created a square light spot (50 × 250 µm), targeted at the distal middle cerebral artery (dMCA). The use of laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) provided real-time feedback on the ischemia, while the excitation light was ceased upon reaching complete occlusion. Our results demonstrated that the photothrombus formed in the dMCA and spontaneously recanalized within 10 min (416.8 ± 96.4 s), with no sensorimotor deficits or infarction 24 h post-TIA. During the acute phase, ischemic spreading depression occurred in the ipsilateral dorsal cortex, leading to more severe ischemia and collateral circulation establishment synchronized with the onset of dMCA narrowing. Post-reperfusion, the thrombi were primarily in the sensorimotor and visual cortex, disappearing within 24 h. The blood flow changes in the dMCA were more indicative of cortical ischemic conditions than diameter changes. Our method successfully establishes a photochemical TIA model based on the dMCA, allowing for the dynamic observation and control of thrombus formation and recanalization and enabling real-time monitoring of the impacts on cerebral blood flow during the acute phase of TIA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adsorption behavior of gold thiosulfate ions on the surface of kaolinite was studied using a combination of experimental research and quantum chemical calculations. Under the condition of a stirring time of 30 min, a stirring speed of 500 r·min−1, and a mass ratio of 30% kaolinite in the slurry, when the initial gold concentration of 56.50 mg·L−1,the adsorption rate of gold-thiosulfate ions from a kaolinite-containing solution was 7.44%. The results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) showed that the physical and chemical adsorption of kaolinite and gold thiosulfate occurred in solution. Quantum chemical calculations were performed using the CASTEP module in Materials Studio. The adsorption energy of gold thiosulfate on the surface of kaolinite (001) was calculated as − 438.01 kJ·mol−1.The calculated H76–O289 distance was 1.615 Å. Mulliken Charge population analysis and bond population analysis showed that gold thiosulfate ions form relatively stable bonds on the kaolinite surface (001). In the process of thiosulfate immersion, part of gold is adsorbed by kaolinite, which affects the extraction of gold. These results indicate that during the leaching process of gold thiosulfate, kaolinite has the ability to "catch" gold, which affects the leaching efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Bile acids (BAs), as signaling molecules to regulate metabolism, have received considerable attention. Genipin is an iridoid compound extracted from Fructus Gradeniae, which has been shown to relieve adiposity and metabolic syndrome. Here, we investigated the mechanism of genipin counteracting obesity and its relationship with BAs signals in diet-induced obese (DIO) rats. Methods: The DIO rats were received intraperitoneal injections of genipin for 10 days. The body weight, visceral fat, lipid metabolism in the liver, thermogenic genes expressions in brown fat, BAs metabolism and signals, and key enzymes for BAs synthesis were determined. Key findings: Genipin inhibited fat synthesis and promoted lipolysis in the liver, and upregulated thermogenic gene expressions in brown adipose tissue of DIO rats. Genipin increased bile flow rate and upregulated the expressions of aquaporin 8 and the transporters of BAs in liver. Furthermore, genipin changed BAs composition by promoting alternative pathways and inhibiting classical pathways for BAs synthesis and upregulated the expressions of bile acid receptors synchronously. Conclusions: These results suggest that genipin ameliorate obesity through BAs-mediated signaling pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate whether galangin (Gal) affects the proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis of osteosarcoma MG63 cells by regulating the cGAS/STING signaling pathway. Methods: Human osteosarcoma MG63 cells were cultured in vitro and treated with Gal at concentrations of 0, 5, 15, 25, 50, 100 and 200 μmol/L for 48 hours, and the effect of Gal on cell viability was detected by CCK-8 method. MG63 cells were divided into the control group (untreated cells), the Gal low concentration group (Gal-L group, treated with 50 μmol/L Gal), the Gal high concentration group (Gal-H group, treated with 100 μmol/L Gal), and the Gal-H+STING inhibitor group (Gal-H+H-151 group, treated with 100 μmol/L Gal+8 μmol/L H-151). EdU staining method, scratch healing test, Transwell chamber method and flow cytometry were used to detect cell proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis of cells in each group. Western blot was applied to detect the expression levels of cGAS and STING proteins in cells of each group. Results: Compared with the control group, the proliferation activity, migration, and invasion abilities of the cells in the Gal-L and Gal-H groups were significantly decreased (all P<0.05); the apoptosis rate and the expression levels of cGAS and STING proteins were significantly increased (all P<0.05). Compared with the Gal-H group, the proliferation activity, migration, and invasion abilities of the cells in the Gal-H+H-151 group were significantly increased (all P<0.05); the apoptosis rate and the expression levels of cGAS and STING proteins were significantly decreased (all P<0.05). Conclusion: Gal may inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion and promote the apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells by activating the cGAS/STING signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nutritional composition and overall quality of maize kernels are largely determined by the key chemical components: protein, oil, and starch. Nevertheless, the genetic basis underlying these nutritional quality traits during grain filling remains poorly understood. In this study, the concentrations of protein, oil, and starch were studied in 204 recombinant inbred lines resulting from a cross between DH1M and T877 at four different stages post-pollination. All the traits exhibited considerable phenotypic variation. During the grain-filling stage, the levels of protein and starch content generally increased, whereas oil content decreased, with significant changes observed between 30 and 40 days after pollination. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping was conducted and a total of 32 QTLs, comprising 14, 12, and 6 QTLs for grain protein, oil, and starch content were detected, respectively. Few QTLs were consistently detectable across different time points. By integrating QTL analysis, global gene expression profiling, and comparative genomics, we identified 157, 86, and 54 differentially expressed genes harboring nonsynonymous substitutions between the parental lines for grain protein, oil, and starch content, respectively. Subsequent gene function annotation prioritized 15 candidate genes potentially involved in regulating grain quality traits, including those encoding transcription factors (NAC, MADS-box, bZIP, and MYB), cell wall invertase, cellulose-synthase-like protein, cell division cycle protein, trehalase, auxin-responsive factor, and phloem protein 2-A13. Our study offers significant insights into the genetic architecture of maize kernel nutritional quality and identifies promising QTLs and candidate genes, which are crucial for the genetic enhancement of these traits in maize breeding programs. Supplementary Material Supplementary Material File [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen (N) availability determines higher plant productivity and yield. However, the molecular mechanisms governing N acquisition and utilization remain largely unknown in maize. In this study, ATAC-seq, RNA-seq, and Ribo-seq analyses were conducted in maize roots under different N supply conditions. A set of differentially expressed genes enriched in N and phenylpropanoid metabolisms at both the transcription and translation levels were highlighted. Interestingly, less than half of low-N responsive genes were shared between transcription and translation. The alteration of translational efficiency (TE) is also an important mechanism by which maize responds to LN. In addition, we identified low-N-induced open chromatin regions (OCRs) and observed an enrichment of transcription factor (TF) binding motifs. Furthermore, we constructed a transcriptional regulatory network for maize roots subjected to low-N. These findings extend our understanding of N availability response and provide new insights for improving N use efficiency (NUE). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic fertilizers produced from agricultural waste materials using earthworms have many advantages. The impact of vermicompost bio-organic fertilizer (VcF) prepared from waste mushroom bran on the quality of Chinese herbal medicine and soil health deserves attention. We conducted a field experiment to explore the quality of Rhizoma atractylodis and soil, using chemical fertilizer and VcF at dosages of 30 t·ha−1 and 40 t·ha−1. The results demonstrated that VcF significantly increased the contents of atractylenolide II, β-eudesmol, atractylenol, and atractylenolone by 34%, 175%, 72%, and 24%, respectively, along with a 70% increase in yield compared to the control. VcF significantly increased the available phosphorus content and the activity of the soil enzymes (α-Galactosidase, β-Galactosidase, and peroxidase), while reducing the nitrate nitrogen content. The addition of vermicompost did not change the soil bacterial diversity, while it significantly increased the soil fungal diversity. VcF improved the soil fungal diversity and significantly enhanced the relative abundance of the bacterial phylum Actinobacteriota and WPS-2, as well as the fungal phylum Ascomycota. Vermicompost significantly increased the relative abundance of bacteria phylum Actinobacteriota and WPS-2, as well as the fungi phylum Ascomycota. Actinobacteria mainly participate in the decomposition of detritus and the heterotrophic nutrient cycle. A Principal Coordinates Analysis of the soil bacterial and fungi communities suggested a significant impact of vermicompost application on the community structure of the soil bacteria. Conversely, no significant variance was detected in the bacterial community composition across the two levels of vermicompost. This study contributes to the enhancement of fertilization strategies for Atractylodes macrocephala, broadens the application scope of vermicompost, and advances the growth of organic agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerebral hyperperfusion (CHP) occurred frequently after direct superficial temporal artery–middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) bypass surgery for moyamoya disease (MMD). We analyzed cortical microvascular density (CMD) and the change of cerebral blood flow (LΔCBF) using intraoperative laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) on 130 hemispheres of 95 consecutive adult patients with MMD. The demographic characteristics, cortical hemodynamic sources, bypass methods, intraoperative blood flow data, and relative CBF changes on single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) examination (SΔrCBF) were compared between the groups with and without CHP. The median values for CMD, LΔCBF, and SΔrCBF were significantly higher in the CHP group than in the non-CHP group (CMD 0.240 vs 0.206, P = 0.004; LΔCBF 2.285 vs 1.870, P < 0.001; SΔCBF 1.535 vs 1.260, P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that hemodynamic sources of recipient parasylvian cortical arteries from MCA (M-PSCAs), end-to-side (E-S) bypass method, CMD ≥ 0.217, and LΔCBF ≥ 1.985 were the risk factors for CHP. Intraoperative LSCI was useful for evaluating hemodynamics and predicting CHP in patients with MMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has led to significant fluctuations in marine ecosystems. As a component of the food web, the trophic diversity and spatiotemporal changes of fish communities are crucial for understanding ecosystems. In recent years, stable isotope analysis has been increasingly used as a comprehensive tool for quantitative assessment of trophic diversity to explore spatiotemporal variations in fish community diversity. This study is based on carbon (δ 13C) and nitrogen (δ 15N) stable isotope analysis using different biomass-weighted isotope diversity indices, including isotopic divergence index (IDiv), isotopic dispersion index (IDis), isotopic evenness index (IEve), and isotopic uniqueness index (IUni). The overall results indicate that IDis, IEve, and IUni values of fish communities were relatively low, while IDiv was relatively high in the Haizhou Bay ecosystem. IDiv, IDis, IEve, and IUni were lower in autumn than in spring; IDiv and IDis were relatively higher in offshore waters, while IEve and IUni were relatively higher in inshore waters. The changes in species composition and intensive pelagic–benthic coupling in Haizhou Bay may lead to significant spatiotemporal variations in the trophic diversity of fish communities in the area. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating trophic relationships into ecosystem models, which will help to enhance our understanding of the complexity of the trophic structure of fish communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bolts and connections of each working part of a rice combine harvester can suffer from severe instantaneous impacts and alternating loads, and these strong impacts and loads cause instantaneous fracture and fatigue failure of the bolt face and even the loosening, detachment, and fracture of the bolt. The main vibration directions and the most complex vibration parts of the bolts and connections in the main working parts of a combine harvester under time-variable multiload excitation were obtained through the analysis of response signals in terms of time-domain and frequency–domain characteristics via a vibration response experiment. This study revealed that the random peak value of the vibrating screen is 12.5622, which is the severe impact and collision standard. For the vibrating screen, the local peak in the 4-Y direction was the main load of the destroying bolt connection (the impact reached 60.57 m/s2, 96.91 m/s2) and the vibration energy intensity in the 4-Z direction was mainly concentrated at 12.42 m/s2, which is the maximum vibration energy value in the three directions (the peak vibration value reached 109~115.68 m/s2), so the bolted connections of the vibrating screen are the most vulnerable to destruction. Therefore, a kinetic model and a microscopic response model of a vibrating screen were established via the centralized mass method to explore the kinetic response characteristics of bolted structures subjected to multiple excitation loads, thus providing a mathematical model for identifying the features of bolted connections based on static characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent discovery of superconductivity in La3Ni2O7−δ under high pressure with a transition temperature around 80 K (ref. 1) has sparked extensive experimental2–6 and theoretical efforts7–12. Several key questions regarding the pairing mechanism remain to be answered, such as the most relevant atomic orbitals and the role of atomic deficiencies. Here we develop a new, energy-filtered, multislice electron ptychography technique, assisted by electron energy-loss spectroscopy, to address these critical issues. Oxygen vacancies are directly visualized and are found to primarily occupy the inner apical sites, which have been proposed to be crucial to superconductivity13,14. We precisely determine the nanoscale stoichiometry and its correlation to the oxygen K-edge spectra, which reveals a significant inhomogeneity in the oxygen content and electronic structure within the sample. The spectroscopic results also reveal that stoichiometric La3Ni2O7 has strong charge-transfer characteristics, with holes that are self-doped from Ni sites into O sites. The ligand holes mainly reside on the inner apical O and the planar O, whereas the density on the outer apical O is negligible. As the concentration of O vacancies increases, ligand holes on both sites are simultaneously annihilated. These observations will assist in further development and understanding of superconducting nickelate materials. Our imaging technique for quantifying atomic deficiencies can also be widely applied in materials science and condensed-matter physics.Direct visualization of oxygen vacancies and self-doped ligand holes reveals the role of ligand oxygen in La3Ni2O7−δ and provides further understanding of superconducting nickelate materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing demand for wearable electronics has driven the development of flexible thermoelectric (TE) generators which can harvest waste body heat as a renewable power source. Despite carbon nanotube (CNT) yarns have attracted significant attention as a promising candidate for TE materials, challenges still exist in improving their TE efficiency for commercial applications. Herein, we developed high performance CNT/polyaniline (PANI) yarns by engineering the coating of polyaniline emeraldine base (PANIeb), in which CNT yarns were firstly coated by PANIeb layer and further doped by HCl vapor treatment. With the incorporation of PANIeb, σ and S were simultaneously increased to 1796 S cm−1 and 74.8 μV K−1 for CNT/PANIeb 4–2d fibers, respectively. Further HCl vapor treatment induced greatly increased σ to 3194 S cm−1, but maintained be 83 % value before doping, giving rise to the highest power factor of 1224 μW m−1K−2, higher than pristine CNT yarns of 576 μW m−1K−2. Combining outstanding high TE performance and bending durability, a flexible TE generator was constructed to deliver high out power of 187 nW with temperature gradients of about 30 K. These results demonstrate the potential promise of high‐performance CNT/PANI‐HCl yarns to harvest waste body heat for sustainable power supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the dynamics of the ratio-dependent type prey–predator model with different free boundaries. The two free boundaries, determined by prey and predator, respectively, implying that they may intersect with each other as time evolves, are used to describe the spreading of prey and predator. Our primary focus lies in analyzing the long-term behaviors of both predator and prey. We establish sufficient conditions for the spreading and vanishing of prey and predator. Furthermore, in cases where spread occurs, we offer estimates for the asymptotic spreading speeds of prey and predator, denoted as u and v, respectively, as well as the asymptotic speeds of the free boundaries, denoted by h and g. Our findings reveal that when the predator's speed is lower than that of the prey, it leads to a reduction in the prey's asymptotic speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

River reconstructions, encompassing flood and erosion control along with the restoration of fish habitat, can alter hydrodynamics within the constructed channel, thereby impacting fish habitat. This study aimed to assess the influence of specific river reconstruction practices, particularly spur dikes, on both hydrodynamics and fish habitat, to optimize the design of spur dike constructions for fish habitat restoration. The study utilized ecohydraulic modeling to examine the design of river reconstruction strategies and provide valuable insights on their efficacy, with a focus on refining these practices to enhance the suitability of habitat for Myxocyprinus asiaticus (Chinese Sailfin Sucker) in the Yangtze River. We used various flow rates and time periods to test hydrodynamic and habitat responses and long-term stability of the restoration schemes. The results suggested that the habitat quality of all the tested cases increased with flow rates and then decreased. Modelling results indicated a ranking of the habitat status from high to low in the following scenarios: baseline channel without riverbank constructions, with straight or T-shaped spur dikes installed on a single riverbank, and with straight or T-shaped spur dikes installed on both riverbanks. For post-effects of the restoration strategies, each approach would scour the riverbed. Installing spur dikes on both riverbanks would severely degrade the fish habitat suitability level, with the overall suitability index decreasing over time. In summary, installation of spur dikes along a single riverbank minimized the impact on the suitability of fish habitats and was the preferred scenarios to optimize habitat suitability for Chinese Sailfin Sucker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In heavy-ion collisions at intermediate energies, the production and propagation of Δ particles are crucial to understanding the nuclear equation of state and inferring the properties of nuclear matter at high densities. Based on the self-consistent relativistic Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck (RBUU) transport theory, by introducing the isovector ρ meson exchange into the effective Lagrangian and adopting the density-dependent coupling constants, the detailed expressions for isospin-dependent in-medium N Δ → N Δ elastic cross sections σ N Δ ∗ have been calculated. The energy and density dependence of the isospin-related σ N Δ ∗ as well as the total contributions of σ , ω and ρ meson fields are analyzed. It is found that the total σ N Δ ∗ has a sensitive center-of-mass energy dependence at lower energies while exhibiting a slight increase as the center-of-mass energy increases. The isospin effect between different isospin-separated channels weakens as the energy and/or density increases. The isospin effect on the density- and energy-dependent in-medium N Δ elastic cross sections is dominantly caused by the delicate balance of the isovector ρ meson exchange. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The downstream migration of fish is impacted by accelerating flow. This study coupled computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling and laboratory observations to investigate the effects of two different accelerating flow hydrodynamics on the swimming behaviours of two fish species. The silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) were chosen as target fish species and four hydrodynamic parameters were selected as main indicators to affect fish swimming behaviours. Four specific swimming behaviours were classified in the contraction flume based on fish downstream trajectories. The results indicated that high accelerating flow, low turbulent kinetic energy (Tke) and shear stress generated the symmetric distribution of fish along two boundaries of the contraction flume. It also indicated that discharge increase would increase the fish entrainment risk from intakes to diversion pipe, while two fish species exhibited different swimming behaviour patterns. Velocity and velocity gradient had more significant effects than other hydrodynamic parameters on fish swimming strategies. There was mutual compensation among fish tail-beat frequency, angle and amplitude. The results illustrated the relationship between the swimming behaviours and hydrodynamics, which could contribute to understanding the fish downstream migration behaviours in accelerating flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cable-stiffened single-layer latticed shell is an innovative structural design that achieves a perfect balance between lightweight and stability by combining cables and a latticed shell. However, the study on dynamic response and failure mechanism of cable-stiffened single-layer latticed shell under seismic action is still lacking. Therefore, small-scale shaking table tests of two kinds of single-layer spherical latticed shells are carried out; the dynamic response and failure mode of the two shells under sine wave earthquake are investigated by using time history analysis. The conclusions show that the introduction of the prestressed cable plays an important role in improving the seismic performance of the single-layer latticed shell, and the cable-stiffened single-layer latticed shell has better load capacity and seismic performance under earthquake action than the ordinary single-layer latticed shell structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Innate immunity significantly contributes to SSc pathogenesis. TLR8 is an important innate immune mediator that is implicated in autoimmunity and fibrosis. However, the expression, mechanism of action, and pathogenic role of TLR8 in SSc remain unclear. The aim of this study was to explore the roles and underlying mechanisms of TLR8 in SSc. Methods The expression of TLR8 was analysed, based on a public dataset, and then verified in skin tissues and skin fibroblasts of SSc patients. The role of TLR8 in inflammation and fibrosis was investigated using a TLR8-overexpression vector, activator (VTX-2337), inhibitor (cu-cpt-8m), and TLR8 siRNA in skin fibroblasts. The pathogenic role of TLR8 in skin inflammation and fibrosis was further validated in a bleomycin (BLM)-induced mouse skin inflammation and fibrosis model. Results TLR8 levels were significantly elevated in SSc skin tissues and myofibroblasts, along with significant activation of the TLR8 pathway. In vitro studies showed that overexpression or activation of TLR8 by a recombinant plasmid or VTX-2337 upregulated IL-6, IL-1β, COL I, COL III and α-SMA in skin fibroblasts. Consistently, both TLR8-siRNA and cu-cpt-8m reversed the phenotypes observed in TLR8-activating fibroblasts. Mechanistically, TLR8 induces skin fibrosis and inflammation in a manner dependent on the MAPK, NF-κB and SMAD2/3 pathways. Subcutaneous injection of cu-cpt-8m significantly alleviated BLM-induced skin inflammation and fibrosis in vivo. Conclusion TLR8 might be a promising therapeutic target for improving the treatment strategy for skin inflammation and fibrosis in SSc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As global arid conditions worsen and groundwater resources diminish, drought stress has emerged as a critical impediment to plant growth and development globally, notably causing declines in crop yields and even the extinction of certain cultivated species. Numerous studies on drought resistance have demonstrated that DNA methylation dynamically interacts with plant responses to drought stress by modulating gene expression and developmental processes. However, the precise mechanisms underlying these interactions remain elusive. This article consolidates the latest research on the role of DNA methylation in plant responses to drought stress across various species, focusing on methods of methylation detection, mechanisms of methylation pattern alteration (including DNA de novo methylation, DNA maintenance methylation, and DNA demethylation), and overall responses to drought conditions. While many studies have observed significant shifts in genome-wide or gene promoter methylation levels in drought-stressed plants, the identification of specific genes and pathways involved remains limited. This review aims to furnish a reference for detailed research into plant responses to drought stress through epigenetic approaches, striving to identify drought resistance genes regulated by DNA methylation, specific signaling pathways, and their molecular mechanisms of action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3He is a splendid neutron detection material due to its high neutron reaction cross section, gaseous state, and nonelectronegative and nonpoisonous nature. With the worldwide problem of the "3He supply crisis" arising, boron-lined gaseous neutron detectors are being widely used in neutron detection to replace 3He neutron detectors. In this work, to reduce the scattering neutron background coming from the substrate of a boron-lined neutron detector in the application of neutron scattering, a new design of the boron-lined gaseous neutron detector composed of a boron-lined multichip converter and a multiwire proportional chamber was proposed. The electron drift efficiency matrix simulated by Garfield++ (Version 2023.4) and the values and positions of electron energy deposition simulated by Geant4 were obtained. The α, 7Li, and total charged particle energy deposition spectra were acquired via coupling calculations of the electron drift efficiency matrix and the values and positions of electron energy deposition, and the width of the slit was selected as 3 mm. The boron-lined multilayer converter neutron detector (BMCND) was tested using a 241Am–239Pu mixture α source, and the total count rate of α charged particles was measured as 599.5 s−1, which is 89% of the theoretical α particle emission rate of 672.9 s−1. The drift voltage experiments showed that 1200 V is enough to acquire a relatively ideal count, and a 2500 V drift voltage was confirmed, considering the higher count and instrument safety. We also performed the neutron detection experiments using a photo-neutron source, and a characteristic spectrum shape of "two stairs" was measured. When borated polyethylene was used to shield the BMCND, the detected total count decreased while keeping the characteristic spectrum shape, demonstrating that the BMCND was equipped with the ability to detect neurons, indicating that BMCNDs have the potential to be an outstanding 3He alternative neutron detector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combination of aerated flows and a high-pressure environment in a stilling basin can result in the supersaturation of total dissolved gas (TDG) downstream of hydraulic projects, posing an ecological risk to aquatic populations by inducing gas bubble disease (GBD) or other negative effects. There is limited literature reporting TDG mass transfer experiments on a complete physical dam model; most existing research is based on measurements in prototype tailwaters. In this study, TDG mass transfer experiments were conducted on a physical model of an under-constructed dam, with TDG-supersaturated water as the inflow, and TDG concentrations were meticulously monitored within the stilling basin. The measurements indicate that the TDG saturation at the outlet of the stilling basin decreased by 13.7% and 10.6% compared to the inlet for the two cases, respectively. Subsequently, an improved TDG prediction model was developed by incorporating a sub-grid air entrainment model and a phase-constrained scalar model. The numerical simulation results were compared with experimental data, indicating a maximum error in TDG saturation at all measured points of less than ± 3%. Moreover, the TDG saturation showed an error of only ± 0.3% at the outlet of the stilling basin. This model has broad applicability to various flow types for obtaining TDG mass transfer results and evaluating mitigation measures of TDG supersaturation to reduce the harmful effects on aquatic ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adsorption stability, geometry, and electronic and magnetic properties of H2S adsorbed on pristine, vacancy defected, and transition metal (TM)-doped phosphorene-graphene (PG) heterostructures were calculated using density functional theory. In pristine and vacancy defected PG systems, the interaction between H2S and the heterostructure was weak, and the mechanism was physical adsorption. After TM-doping (Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, and Ni), the strong orbital hybridisation between the dopant and H2S significantly enhanced the interaction between H2S and the doped heterostructures, and the physisorption mechanism of H2S changed to chemical adsorption. The adsorption energy and desorption time of H2S molecules on Mn-doped PG heterostructures was suitable, which can be applied as sensors to detect H2S gas. The density of states of Cr- and Mn-doped PG heterostructures exhibited asymmetric electron spin states, indicating the existence of magnetic moments. Thus, introducing defects and TM dopants on PG heterostructures can improve H2S sensitivity, providing a theoretical basis for developing gas detection sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]