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The design of ion conductive functional side chains is critical to tune the selectivity of protons to vanadium ions in ion conductive membranes for vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs); however, it is far from satisfactory. Herein, the concept of a quinone convertible sulfated ion conductive side chain is proposed with tunable Donnan effect and strong proton conducting ability. The electrically neutral phenol group in the side chain will be chemically converted to quinone of lower electronegativity in situ in the highly acidic VRFB operating environment, which leads to about a 5 fold increase in zeta potential to repel vanadium ions. Meanwhile the sulfate ester cationic exchange group in the side chain dominates the well-formed ion clusters (7.85 nm) and hydrogen bonding for fast proton conduction. With a quinone group capacity (IECQ) of 2.43 mmol g−1 in the polybenzimidazole (PBIPhOSO3-q-2.43), the low area resistance (0.23 Ω cm2) and vanadium permeability (3.2 × 10−9 s cm−2) contribute to about a 16.5 fold increase in H+/Vn+ selectivity as compared with the Nafion 212 membrane. The corresponding VRFB shows a low discharge capacity decay rate (0.31% per cycle) and high energy efficiency (87.7%) at 100 mA cm−2 and remains stable during the 500 cycle test. The performance is superior to that of the most recently reported amphiprotic ion conductive membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a 3-bit circularly polarized reconfigurable reflectarray is proposed. The array consists of 64 units in an 8 × 8 configuration, with each unit containing a circular metal patch loaded with phase-delay lines and eight PIN diodes. To independently control each unit, a corresponding DC control circuit was designed and tested with the array. In the bandwidth of 3.43–3.71 GHz, the circularly polarized reconfigurable reflectarray achieved a gain of 16 dB, an aperture efficiency of 27%, an axial ratio of ≤3 dB, an operating bandwidth of 8%, and a beam scanning range of ±60°. The circularly polarized reconfigurable reflectarray can also achieve a good dual-beam radiation performance after testing. The 3-bit circularly polarized reconfigurable reflectarray proposed in this paper offers several advantages, including low loss, high aperture efficiency, a wide beam scanning range, and excellent stability in wide-angle oblique incidence. It has potential applications in low-cost phased array, satellite communications, and deep space exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In recent years, insulin eye drops have attracted increasing attention from researchers and ophthalmologists. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and possible mechanism of action of insulin eye drops in diabetic mice with corneal wounds. Methods: A type 1 diabetes model was induced, and a corneal epithelial injury model of 2.5 mm was established. We used corneal fluorescein staining, hematoxylin-eosin (H-E) staining and the Cochet-Bonnet esthesiometer to examine the process of wound healing. Subsequently, the expression levels of Ki-67, IL-1β, β3-tubulin and neuropeptides, including substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), were examined at 72 h after corneal injury. Results: Fluorescein staining demonstrated an acceleration of the recovery of corneal epithelial injury in diabetic mice compared with the saline treatment, which was further evidenced by the overexpression of Ki-67. Moreover, 72 h of insulin application attenuated the expression of inflammatory cytokines and neutrophil infiltration. Remarkably, the results demonstrated that topical insulin treatment enhanced the density of corneal epithelial nerves, as well as neuropeptide SP and CGRP release, in the healing cornea via immunofluorescence staining. Conclusions: Our results indicated that insulin eye drops may accelerate corneal wound healing and decrease inflammatory responses in diabetic mice by promoting nerve regeneration and increasing levels of neuropeptides SP and CGRP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) are a new generation of energy conversion technology that excels proton exchange membrane fuel cells in terms of oxygen reduction kinetics. The development of high-performance and durable anion exchange membranes (AEMs) has been a top priority for AEMFCs. In this work, we design and fabricate a novel series of AEMs by co-polymerizing tetraphenylmethane with 1-methyl-4-piperidone and p-terphenyl and subsequent quaternization of the resulting polymer. This strategy creates four-arm star shaped polymer components in the fabricated AEMs so that the polymer chain packing density is lowered, creating a high fraction of free volume in the membrane, which can help build ion channels with lower OH− transport resistance. The resulting qPTTP-7 AEM shows a markedly improved ion conductivity (142.71 mS cm−1 at 80 °C). After 1000, 2000 and 3000 h treatments in 1 M NaOH at 80 °C, the membrane showed an ion conductivity retention rate of 98%, 93% and 86%, respectively. With such an AEM, the H2–O2 single cell yields a peak power density of 1.37 W cm−2 at 80 °C, and the fuel cell can operate at a constant current over 150 h without much voltage decay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keratoconus (KC) is a progressive degenerative disease that usually occurs bilaterally and is characterized by corneal thinning and apical protrusion of the cornea. Oxidative stress is an indicator of the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and KC keratocytes exhibit increased ROS production compared with that of normal keratocytes. Therefore, oxidative stress in KC keratocytes may play a major role in the development and progression of KC. Here, we investigated the protective effect of sulforaphane (SF) antioxidants using a hydrogel-simulated model of the cell mechanical microenvironment of KC. The stiffness of the KC matrix microenvironment in vitro was 16.70 kPa and the stiffness of the normal matrix microenvironment was 34.88 kPa. Human keratocytes (HKs) were cultured for 24 h before observation or drug treatment with H2O2 in the presence or absence of SF. The levels of oxidative stress, nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf-2) and antioxidant response element (ARE) were detected. The high-stress state of HKs in the mechanical microenvironment of KC cells compensates for the activation of the Nrf-2/ARE signaling pathway. H2O2 leads to increased oxidative stress and decreased levels of antioxidant proteins in KC. In summary, SF can reduce endogenous and exogenous oxidative stress and increase the antioxidant capacity of cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an ultra-wideband electrically small antenna based on distributed passive network loading is proposed. Based on the Vivaldi antenna theory, magnetic dipole antenna theory, and distributed loading theory, the electrically small antenna achieves the purpose of being wideband using a three-dimensional design of a planar Vivaldi antenna structure under limited space constraints. At the same time, the magnetic dipole antenna is introduced to effectively expand the low-frequency bandwidth of the electrically small antenna without increasing the aperture size. Finally, through the distributed passive network loading, the wideband-conjugated matching of the electrically small antenna is achieved without increasing the size of the electrically small antenna. The −6 dB bandwidth of the electrically small antenna is 0.2 GHz–3 GHz, and the overall size is 0.06 λ0 × 0.05 λ0 × 0.12 λ0, where λ0 is the wavelength of the lowest frequency of the antenna. One sample of the proposed UWB electrically small antenna is fabricated and tested. Good agreement between simulation results and measurement results are obtained. The design method of UWB electrically small antenna proposed in this paper can be applied to the base station antenna, low-frequency detection, microwave sensing, and microwave measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Homeodomain-leucine zipper (HD-Zip) transcription factors are plant-specific and play important roles in plant defense against environmental stresses. Identification and functional studies have been carried out in model plants such as rice, Arabidopsis thaliana, and poplar, but comprehensive analysis on the HD-Zip family of Salix suchowensis have not been reported. Results: A total of 55 HD-Zip genes were identified in the willow genome, unevenly distributed on 18 chromosomes except for chromosome 19. And segmental duplication events containing SsHD-Zip were detected on all chromosomes except chromosomes 13 and 19. The SsHD-Zip were classified into 4 subfamilies subfamilies (I-IV) according to the evolutionary analysis, and members of each subfamily shared similar domain structure and gene structure. The combination of GO annotation and promoter analysis showed that SsHD-Zip genes responded to multiple abiotic stresses. Furthermore, the results of qPCR analysis showed that the SsHD-Zip I gene exhibited different degrees of expression under salt stress, PEG treatment and heat treatment. Moreover, there was a synergistic effect between SsHD-Zip I genes under stress conditions based on coregulatory networks analysis. Conclusions: In this study, HD-Zip transcription factors were systematically identified and analyzed at the whole genome level. These results preliminarily clarified the structural characteristics and related functions of willow HD-Zip family members, and it was found that SsHox34, SsHox36 and SsHox51 genes were significantly involved in the response to various stresses. Together, these findings laid the foundation for further research on the resistance functions of willow HD-Zip genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Evidence on the prognostic impact of malnutrition was focused on patients with advanced kidney disease. The relationships between malnutrition and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients with different severity of chronic kidney disease (CKD) have not been adequately addressed. We aimed to reveal the prevalence of malnutrition and its prognostic value in patients with different severity of CKD undergoing coronary angiography (CAG). Methods: This was a multicenter, longitudinal, and retrospective cohort study of 12,652 patients with non-dialysis dependent CKD (defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) undergoing CAG from five tertiary hospitals between January 2007 and December 2020. The controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score was applied to assess nutritional status. Cox regression models and competing risk Fine and Gray models were used to examine the relationships between malnutrition, all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Further stratified analysis was performed according to baseline CKD severity (mild, moderate and severe, defined by eGFR < 30, 30–44 and 45–59 ml/min/1.73 m2). Results: During a median follow-up of 5.5 years (interquartile range: 3.2 to 8.6 years), 3801 patients (30.0%) died, and 2150 (17.0%) definitely died of cardiovascular disease. After controlling for confounders, patients had higher all-cause mortality (mild, moderate, and severe vs. absent: HR 1.27, 95 CI % [1.17–1.39]; HR 1.54, 95 CI % [1.39–1.71]; HR 2.22, 95 CI % [1.78–2.77], respectively; P for trend < 0.001) and cardiovascular mortality (mild, moderate and severe vs. absent: HR 1.35, 95 CI % [1.21–1.52]; HR 1.67, 95 CI % [1.45–1.92]; HR 2.10, 95 CI % [1.55–2.85], respectively; P for trend < 0.001) with the severity of malnutrition. In further stratified analysis, a similar prognostic impact of malnutrition was observed in patients with mild to moderate CKD, while mild malnutrition did not seem to have a consistent effect on severe CKD patients. Conclusion: Malnutrition is common among patients with mild to severe CKD undergoing CAG and is strongly associated with increased risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Malnutrition seems to have a modestly stronger impact on mortality in patients with mild to moderate CKD. This study was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov as NCT05050877. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Agaricus bisporus (A. bisporus) is highly valued for its nutritional benefits and delicious taste, making it one of the most widely cultivated, highest yielding, and most consumed edible mushrooms worldwide. The yield and quality of A. bisporus were affected by its culture medium and environment. Among the culture base, the precise impact of calcium on A. bisporus cultivation and the dynamic changes in calcium concentration and chemical environment during the cultivation process remain unclear. This study aims to investigate the changes in calcium content and forms during the growth of A. bisporus and their implications for mushroom growth and nutrition. Results: Through the analysis of samples collected during the composting phase, mycelial development phase, and A. bisporus harvesting phase, the role of calcium in the growth process of button mushrooms is revealed. During the composting phase, the calcium content remains relatively stable, suggesting a consistent calcium source in the compost. The fermentation process shows a significant decrease in carbon content and an increase in oxygen content, indicating the degradation and oxidation of organic matter. In the mycelial development phase, both the cover soil and compost experience a decrease in calcium content, with a more pronounced reduction observed in the covering soil, indicating its primary role as an energy source for enzymatic activity and metabolic processes of the mycelium. During the A. bisporus harvesting phase, the changes in calcium, carbon, and oxygen content become less prominent, indicating a stable state of fruiting bodies growth that no longer requires a significant supply of organic matter. Conclusions: Analysis of calcium forms reveals the presence of different calcium compounds, likely influenced by soil calcium sources, microbial activities, and mushroom metabolic byproducts. Calcium plays a crucial regulatory role in the growth and quality of A. bisporus. This study provides valuable insights into the significance of calcium in A. bisporus growth and offers theoretical guidance for optimizing mushroom production and quality improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To imitate the constraints of topographic conditions, turning pools with different angles, such as 90° and 180°, are set in fish passage arrangements. If the mainstream in the turning pool is close to the wall and the recirculation zone is too large, it will have an adverse effect on fish migration. Taking the 180° turning pool as an example, five types of arrangements without and with additional rectifier baffles are proposed to optimize the body shape of the turning pool. A three-dimensional numerical simulation method is used to compare and analyze the different arrangement schemes. The results show that adding rectifier baffles can adjust the flow structure in the 180° turning pool. The arrangement adding rectifier baffles at the two three-equidistant points of the 180° turning pool and tilting 15° inward outperforms others in this study. This arrangement can center the mainstream, reduce turbulent kinetic energy, significantly decrease the flow velocity along the course, downscale the recirculation zone, and decrease the overall flow velocity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After consideration of a supply chain consisting of a manufacturer and a retailer, this paper uses a two-stage Stackelberg game to explore the production decision as well as the government cap setting with wholesale price and revenue sharing contracts under cap-and-trade regulation. We also compare the total carbon emission and social welfare with the two contracts. We list some main conclusions. Firstly, we find that the government's over-allocated carbon credits may damage the manufacturer's profit with wholesale price or revenue sharing contract, which can increase the difficulty of implementing cap-and-trade regulation. Secondly, we detect that the optimal cap under the two contracts is decreasing or constant in the environmental concern parameter, which means that the government should keep the optimal cap unchanged under the low or high environmental concern parameter, and decrease the cap when the middle environmental concern parameter increases. Thirdly, we show that using green technology may increase the total carbon emission. Finally, we discover that the social welfare with wholesale price contract is less (larger) than that with revenue sharing contract under low (high) value of the environmental concern parameter, and the social welfare with the two contracts is equal to each other under middle value of the environmental concern parameter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crystallization process in small droplet possessed wide engineering applications in micromaterial fabrication and fine crystal screening. Herein, hydrophilic sessile platform via 3D printing technology was developed to facilely construct the interfacial confined droplets (ICDs) with a designed contact angle by conveniently regulating the droplet volume. The micro‐flows inside the droplet were adjusted by controlling the intensity of Marangoni flow and capillary flow within different droplet shapes (i.e., contact angle), which were verified by experimental and simulative results. Especially for the 120° ICD, the micro‐flows, achieved by the coordination of Marangoni flow and capillary flow, could convey solutes toward droplet center and harvest a standard cubic crystal at sessile platform center. These results indicated that ICD and sessile platform possessed great potential on high‐quality crystal screening and crystallization technique development, which additionally enriched the research strategy on crystal engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) patients with increased urinary albumin creatinine ratio (uACR) have higher risk of mortality, while it is unclear in DM patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Methods: We analysed 2832 DM patients with ASCVD in this multi-center registry cohort study Cardiorenal ImprovemeNt II (CIN-II) in 5 Chinese tertiary hospitals from 2007 to 2020. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to their uACR level (normal group: uACR < 30mg/g, moderately increased group: 30mg/g≤ uACR < 300mg/g, severely increased group: 300mg/g≤ uACR). The main outcome of the study was cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality. Results: During a median follow-up of 2.1 years, among 2832 patients (mean age: 63.3 ± 9.9 years, 29.1% women), 434 patients (15.3%) had moderately increased uACR, and 203 patients (7.2%) had severely increased uACR. Compared to patients in normal group, patients had higher cardiovascular mortality in moderately increased group and severely increased group (2.5% vs 9.9% vs 16.7%, P < 0.001), as well as all-cause mortality. After adjusting confounders, the risk of cardiovascular mortality remained higher in moderately increased group (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 3.13; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.04– 4.81) and severely increased group (aHR: 4.54; 95% CI: 2.58– 8.01) than in normal group, as well as all-cause mortality. Conclusion: In our study, we found nearly a quarter of DM patients with ASCVD had increased uACR, and they have over 2- or 3-fold risk of cardiovascular mortality than those with normal uACR. UACR is a helpful indicator for risk stratification and treatment target for DM patients with ASCVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Targeted and high throughput manufacture of crystalline biominerals with diverse morphologies is of importance, due to the significant impact of shape and texture on the material properties, while tunable morphosynthesis of crystalline is restrained by the proper ion transfer process during the reactive crystallization, and is commonly regulated using organic soluble additives. Herein, Janus membranes (JMs) are facilely produced for the continuous confined reactive crystallization of calcium carbonate. Fabricated JM simultaneously achieves rapid and uniform directional CO32− ions transfer in the aqueous solution through the straight, uniform nanoscale hydrophilic channels, and the interfacial reactive crystallization is generated with confined ion adsorption and gating effect at the hydrophobic side. Hollow CaCO3 microcomposites via JM system are continuously and directly synthesized in the aqueous system without any assisted organic solvent or polymer additive, which is green and highly efficient. In addition, the reversed ion transfer direction in JM can be ideally managed resulting in highly selective manufacturing of cube or sphere‐type microcomposites. This study provides a feasible route for the rapid production of advanced particle materials with tunable morphology, displaying great potential applications of JM in material engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we propose a backstepping (BS)-based direct power control (DPC) strategy for the dual-cage rotor brushless doubly fed induction generator (DCR-BDFIG). The relationship between the power winding (PW) output power and the control winding (CW) voltage is derived according to the complete mathematical model of DCR-BDFIG. Based on that, a BS-based DPC controller, also known as a nonlinear controller, is designed with the global asymptotic stability analyzed for the grid-connected DCR-BDFIG. Compared with the dual-closed-loop control in the advanced vector control method, only single-closed-loop is required for the PW power in the proposed BS-based control scheme, and thus it has more simple structure and faster responses. The global stability of the proposed control scheme can be easily guaranteed with a Lyapunov function properly selected. In addition, in order to improve the performance of the proposed BS-based DPC strategy under unbalanced network, the resonant controller is introduced to suppress the oscillating components in the PW power, PW current, and CW current, whose harmonic order is twice of the grid frequency referring to the synchronous reference frame. Finally, the detailed experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interconnective sieving pores are fabricated by the hydrolysis of ionic clusters in precursor ion-conductive membranes to provide a versatile strategy for the proton transport-ion selectivity trade-off in vanadium flow batteries. The sulfate ester group has higher acidity than the well-formed hydrophilic ionic clusters in the precursor dense membrane and converts into smaller hydroxyl groups by subsequent hydrolysis, producing numerous angstrom-scale pores (4–8 Å) as independent H+/Vn+ ion sieving units. Meanwhile, the collapse of electrostatic interactions between the precursor sulfate ester groups and the membrane swelling during hydrolysis induced interconnection of the hydrated ionic clusters; therefore, the converted hydroxyl groups tend to disperse in the hydrophilic domains to form the interconnected collection of numerous sieving pores as broad proton conductive channels. By tuning the porous morphology by ion exchange capacity, excellent cell performance is achieved (high energy efficiency of 85.8%, low discharge capacity decay of 0.22% per cycle, and stable operation of 1000 charge–discharge cycles at 100 mA cm−2), which is better than that of Nafion 212 and most contemporary porous membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The permanent magnet synchronous motor is the most commonly used motor in servo systems. Torque ripple caused by the variation of the airgap magnetic field limits the steady-state performance of the servo system. In this article, a novel torque ripple model is established based on the general airgap field modulation theory. A compound control algorithm based on the current feedforward algorithm is proposed to suppress the torque ripple caused by the field modulation behavior. Finite element analysis simulation is conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed torque ripple model. Experimental results on a prototype machine show that the proposed torque ripple model is valid and the proposed control algorithm can effectively reduce the torque ripple and improve the steady-state performance of the servo system at medium or high speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a model reference adaptive system (MRAS) speed observer based on the power winding (PW) active power and reactive power for dual-cage rotor brushless doubly fed induction generator (DCR-BDFIG). The mathematical relationship between the PW current and control winding (CW) current is derived first. Then, to reduce costs and to improve the reliability, a PW power-MRAS-based speed observer is designed with the stability analyzed. In the proposed speed observer, the PW power is selected as the reference model since it is relatively readily available and smooth due to the clamped PW voltage under grid-connected condition. In addition, only the CW current is required to be measured for the estimated PW power of the adaptive model, being simple and easy implemented. Finally, combining the proposed speed observer and the grid-connected power control system, a complete speed sensorless control system for grid-connected DCR-BDFIG is designed and implemented to regulate the active power and reactive power independently. The detailed simulation and experiments are carried out, showing that the estimated rotor speed can track its real values with minor steady-state errors and fast transient responses. Both simulation and experiments verify the effectiveness of the proposed speed sensorless control method for DCR-BDFIG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Financial compensation is an effective marketing tool to deal with delivery delay issues in online retailing. In this paper, we develop an analytical model to study two different compensation policies prevalent in practice: uniform compensation and discriminated compensation. By endogenizing the customers' choice behavior, we first characterize the optimal retail price and compensation level for these different compensation cases. Then, we conduct a sensitivity analysis of the optimal solutions with respect to driving factors. The results show how the retailer's delivery quality, as well as the product characteristics, affect the optimal compensation and pricing policies, leading to interesting insights. For example, we show that the retailer optimally adopts a more generous compensation policy when the relative delay time becomes longer under the uniform compensation policy, but a lower retail price with a constrictive compensation policy can be a good choice for the retailer under discriminated compensation case. Through comparison to the benchmark case, we identify the impacts of the delay compensation policies from three aspects: the profit margin effect, total demand effect, and return rate effect. Then, the aggregate effect analysis verifies the profit implications of the compensation policies. The results show that the retailer is worse off due to deploying a compensation policy when both the cost-value rate and delay probability are sufficiently large. Furthermore, we also compare the optimal solutions, customer choice behavior, and retailer performance for these two compensation cases. The analytical and numerical insights can serve as a reference for internet retailers facing delivery delay problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Neutrophils remain at the top of congenital and adaptive immune systems. The past 20 years witnessed a steep rise in the interest in neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which are a novel type of anti-pathogen mechanism coordinated with neutrophils. However, accumulating data revealed that excessive NETs in the host were associated with exacerbated inflammation, thrombosis, and autoimmunity. Increasing evidence found the participation of NETs in the pathophysiological process of many infectious and sterile diseases in the ocular system. Therefore, we discussed the role of neutrophil extracellular traps in the ocular system in this review. Methods: Articles were searched on PubMed, Embase and Web of science up to December 2021. Results: In this review, we exhibited the protective role of neutrophils patrolling the ocular surface from invading pathogens and their contribution to exacerbated inflammation and thrombogenesis in some ocular diseases. We also discussed the physiological and pathological processes of NET generation to identify novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets to interrupt immoderate NET formation and alleviate NET-induced harmful effects. Conclusions: Neutrophils and NETs are quite important for immune responses in the ocular system, while their negative effects on ocular tissue should also be emphasized, which could serve as novel biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study was performed to investigate the association between symptoms and signs in patients with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).Methods: Data were obtained from 122 MGD patients who were recruited for intense pulsed light therapy from November 2017 to April 2018 and the severity of their symptoms and signs at baseline were observed and recorded. Spearman correlation analyses were performed to analyze the relationships between SPEED score and signs. Subjects were divided into different subgroups based on possible influencing factors, and the differences in symptoms and signs were compared between different subgroups. Then influencing factors were controlled by regression analysis to explore the relationship between symptoms and signs and the strong factors affecting symptoms and signs.Results: Analysis of baseline data showed that SPEED scores were not correlated with TBUT, CFSS, MGYSS or any index of eyelid margin abnormality (p > 0.05). In addition, abnormalities of lid margins, including hyperemia, thickening, rounding, hyperkeratinization, and telangiectasia around orifices, were more likely to occur in older patients, menopausal patients, and patients living in northern China. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that there was still no correlation between symptoms and signs (p > 0.05) after adjusting for influencing factors. Further analysis suggested that each influencing factor has different effects on symptoms and signs, among which menopause affects the SPEED score (R = -4.112, p = 0.025), and age and region have significant effects on eyelid margin abnormalities.Conclusions: In conclusion, the results demonstrated a poor correlation between symptoms and signs in MGD patients. Age, hormone, and a dry environment may influence the disease, which suggests that the severity of the disease needs to be comprehensively assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The association between prothrombin time-international normalized ratio (PT-INR) and long-term prognosis among patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) without atrial fibrillation or anticoagulant therapy was still unclear. We analyzed the association of PT-INR levels and long-term mortality in a large cohort of CAD patients without atrial fibrillation or using of anticoagulant drugs.Methods: We obtained data from 44,662 patients who were diagnosed with CAD and had follow-up information from January 2008 to December 2018. The patients were divided into 4 groups (Quartile 1: PT-INR ≤ 0.96; Quartile2: 0.96 < PT-INR ≤ 1.01; Quartile3: 1.01 < PT-INR ≤ 1.06; Quartile4: PT-INR > 1.06). The main endpoint was long-term all-cause death. Kaplan-Meier curve analysis and Cox proportional hazards models were used to investigate the association between quartiles of PT-INR levels and long-term all-cause mortality.Results: During a median follow-up of 5.25 years, 5613 (12.57%) patients died. We observed a non-linear shaped association between PT-INR levels and long-term all-cause mortality. Patients in high PT-INR level (Quartile4: PT-INR > 1.06) showed a significantly higher long-term mortality than other groups (Quartile2 or 3 or 4), (Compared with Quartile 1, Quartile 2 [0.96 < PT-INR ≤ 1.01], aHR = 1.00, 95% CI 0.91-1.00, P = 0.99; Quartile 3 [1.01 < PT-INR ≤ 1.06], aHR = 1.10, 95% CI 1.01-1.20, P = 0.03; Quartile 4 [PT-INR > 1.06], aHR = 1.33, 95% CI 1.22-1.45, P < 0.05).Conclusions: Our study demonstrates high levels of PT-INR were associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new dual-stator brushless doubly-fed induction machine with a staggered dual cage rotor is proposed, with emphasis on the general interconnection rule of the conductor bars for the staggered dual cage rotor. Since the squirrel cage rotor offers the merits of robustness, reliable structure, high slot filling factor, and low rotor resistance comparing to the wound rotor, it is introduced to the dual-stator brushless doubly-fed induction machine to solve the problems of high copper loss and unreliable rotor structure for the dual-stator brushless doubly-fed induction machine with a wound rotor. The originality of this article is to investigate the interconnection rule of conductor bars between the inner and outer cages. The constraint condition that is supposed to be satisfied is deduced by using the rotating magneto-motive force theory, based on which diverse slot/pole combinations are investigated. The performance comparison between the existing and proposed machines is conducted. Finally, a prototype is designed and fabricated. The experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed topology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have permanent, nanometer‐scale pores endowed with high porosity and thermal and chemical stability, which is widely used as composite membranes and applied in the field of separation. Conventional methods for preparing composite membranes, such as spray coating, spin coating, and pressure‐assisted or vacuum‐assisted filtration, have problems such as the selective layer can easily fall off. Here, an integrated casting–precipitation–evaporation method is proposed to prepare flexible COF composite membranes (DPBI/HTpBD). The DPBI/HTpBD composite membranes constructed with hollow spherical shell COF selective layer (HTpBD) and porous supporting layer are designed and applied in a vanadium flow battery. The excellent coulombic efficiency (CE, 99.5%) and voltage efficiency (VE, 81.1%) of batteries (180 mA cm−2) are achieved by the nanometre‐scale pores of the hollow spherical shell COF selective layer. In addition, the rigid pore structure inside COF bonded by covalent bonds endows the DPBI/HTpBD composite membranes with outstandingly high temperature stability. Compared to that of the Nafion 212 and DPBI pristine membranes (CE reduces by 5.2%, 3.3%), the CE of DPBI/HTpBD‐9 composite membrane‐based cell only reduces by 0.9% as the temperature increases from 25 to 55 °C. This work provides a new preparation method for high ion‐selective and high temperature stable battery membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two‐level trade‐credit mode, in which both supplier and retailer provide trade credit to their buyers, is prevalent in several types of markets. This paper investigates the optimal trade credits provided by the supplier and retailer, and the optimal order quantity, assuming credit‐dependent demand in a newsvendor model. The strategic interaction between the supplier and retailer is modeled as a Stackelberg game with the supplier as the leader. We provide conditions under which the optimal decisions on trade credits and order quantity can be uniquely determined, which enable us to examine the relationship between the optimal trade credits and describe conditions providing them. We also compare the credit contract and price contract in profit, consumer surplus, social welfare, double marginalization, and supply chain coordination, and our analysis shows that the trade‐credit contract amounts to an alternative for the price contract. Finally, we use several numerical examples to illustrate the theoretical results and provide managerial insights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designing membranes with highly ion-selective conductivity is one of the key questions for the large-scale application of redox flow batteries, which can unlock the potential of the renewable energy industry. The selectivity of ion exchange membranes is usually limited by the larger size of the nanochannels than that of redox-active ions. Herein, sub-1-nanometer channels of membranes were constructed through covalently bonding the polysilsesquioxane nanocages with multiple branched amino groups onto a polymer material. The synergistic effect of super hydrophilicity, extra functional amino groups and matched sub-1-nanometer sieve structure accomplished the sieving of proton to redox-active ions and ensured fast proton conduction. The ultrahigh proton-selective conductivity of 1.18 × 1011 mS s cm−3 enabled high electrochemical performance and surprisingly excellent durability over 7000 cycles (>4000 deep cycles for energy applications) even in the harsh environment of a vanadium flow battery. These results indicated that the new membrane design with multi-scale ion-sieving nanochannels is promising for high-efficiency and durable redox flow batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Seizure originates from different pathological substrate; however, the same pathologies may have distinct mechanisms underlying seizure generation. We aimed to improve the understanding of such mechanisms in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) by investigating the stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) ictal onset patterns (IOPs). Methods: We analyzed data from a cohort of 19 consecutive patients explored by SEEG and had 1–3-year seizure-freedom following temporal lobe resection. Results: Six IOPs were identified. They were low voltage fast activity (LVFA) (36.5%), rhythmic spikes or spike-waves at low frequency and with high amplitude (34.1%), runs of spikes (10.6%), rhythmic sharp waves (8.2%), low frequency high amplitude repetitive spiking (LFRS) (7.1%), and delta activity (3.5%). All six patterns were found in patients with mesial temporal onset and only two patterns were found in patients with temporal neocortical onset. The most prevalent patterns for patients with mesial temporal onset were rhythmic spikes or spike-waves, followed by LVFA with a mean discharge rate 74 Hz. For patients with temporal neocortical onset, the most prevalent IOP pattern was LVFA with a mean discharge rate 35 Hz, followed by runs of spikes. Compared with Lateral TLE (LTLE), the duration between the onset of the IOPs to the onset of the symptom was longer for patients with MTLE (Mesial TLE) (MTLE:55.7 ± 50.6 s vs LTLE:19.5 ± 16.4 s). Conclusion: Multiple IOPs underlie seizure generation in patients with TLE. However, the mesial and lateral temporal lobes share distinct IOPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We look at a Bertrand model in which each firm may be unreliable with random yield, so the total quantity brought into market is uncertain. Under mild conditions, the Bertrand model with random yield has a unique Nash equilibrium, in which the prices and production quantities are determined by each firm’s production cost and reliability. In the case of symmetric firms, we compare Bertrand competition with Cournot competition by numerical examples, and find that Bertrand competition yields lower prices and less profits than Cournot competition. Furthermore, in the case of symmetric firms with 0–1 yields, we explicitly show that Bertrand competition yields lower prices and less profits than Cournot competition, and the comparison between the quantities of Bertrand and Cournot competition is dependent on the value of reliability. When the reliability is high, Cournot competition yields less quantities than Bertrand competition. Otherwise, the other hand holds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a robustness-improved control method combining super-twisting sliding mode control (ST-SMC) based control winding (CW) current controller and PI-based power regulator for cascaded brushless doubly fed induction generator (CBDFIG). To reduce the computation burden of the controller, the strong robustness and the fast dynamic response of the ST-SMC is extremely suitable for the inner CW current loop whose control period is smaller than that in the outer power loop. Therefore, the state-space model of CBDFIG is derived and a robust CW current controller is designed based on the ST-SMC with the stability analyzed. In addition, according to the relationship among the electrical variables of CBDFIG deduced, a PI-based power regulator is designed with the stability analyzed and the parameters selected to achieve a satisfying steady-state performance. Finally, the simulation and experimental results based on a 5-kW prototype CBDFIG demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Contrast-associated acute kidney injury (CA-AKI) is a common complication with poor prognosis after coronary angiography (CAG). With the prevention methods widely being implemented, the temporal trends of incidence and mortality of CA-AKI are still unknown over the last five years. The study aims to determine the incidence and prognosis of CA-AKI in China.Methods: This retrospective cohort study was based on the registry at Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital in China (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04407936). We analyzed data from hospitalization patients who underwent CAG and with preoperative and postoperative serum creatinine (Scr) values from January 2013 to December 2017.Results: 11,943 patients were included in the study, in which the mean age was 63.01 ± 10.79 years and 8,469 (71.1 %) were male. The overall incidence of CA-AKI was 11.2 %. Compared with 2013, the incidence of CA-AKI in 2017 was significantly increased from 9.7 to 13.0 % (adjusted odds ratios [aOR], 1.38; 95 %CI, 1.13-1.68; P-value < 0.01, P for trend < 0.01). The temporal trends of incidence among patients of different ages and genders yielded similar findings. During a standardized follow-up of 1 year, 178 (13.7 %) CA-AKI patients died in total, which showed no obvious decreased trend in this 5 five years from 21.1 to 16.5 (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.72; 95 %CI, 0.36-1.45; P-value = 0.35, P for trend = 0.24).Conclusions: Our Chinese cohort showed that the incidence of CA-AKI increased significantly, while CA-AKI associated mortality showed no obvious decreased trend in the last five years. Our findings support more active measures to prevent CA-AKI and improve the prognosis of CA-AKI patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate localization of the epileptogenic zone (EZ) is a key factor to obtain good surgical outcome for refractory epilepsy patients. However, no technique, so far, can precisely locate the EZ, and there are barely any reports on the combined application of multiple technologies to improve the localization accuracy of the EZ. In this study, we aimed to explore the use of a multimodal method combining PET-MRI, fluid and white matter suppression (FLAWS)—a novel MRI sequence, and high-frequency oscillation (HFO) automated analysis to delineate EZ. We retrospectively collected 15 patients with refractory epilepsy who underwent surgery and used the above three methods to detect abnormal brain areas of all patients. We compared the PET-MRI, FLAWS, and HFO results with traditional methods to evaluate their diagnostic value. The sensitivities, specificities of locating the EZ, and marking extent removed versus not removed [RatioChann(ev)] of each method were compared with surgical outcome. We also tested the possibility of using different combinations to locate the EZ. The marked areas in every patient established using each method were also compared to determine the correlations among the three methods. The results showed that PET-MRI, FLAWS, and HFOs can provide more information about potential epileptic areas than traditional methods. When detecting the EZs, the sensitivities of PET-MRI, FLAWS, and HFOs were 68.75, 53.85, and 87.50%, and the specificities were 80.00, 33.33, and 100.00%. The RatioChann(ev) of HFO-marked contacts was significantly higher in patients with good outcome than those with poor outcome (p < 0.05). When intracranial electrodes covered all the abnormal areas indicated by neuroimaging with the overlapping EZs being completely removed referred to HFO analysis, patients could reach seizure-free (p < 0.01). The periphery of the lesion marked by neuroimaging may be epileptic, but not every lesion contributes to seizures. Therefore, approaches in multimodality can detect EZ more accurately, and HFO analysis may help in defining real epileptic areas that may be missed in the neuroimaging results. The implantation of intracranial electrodes guided by non-invasive PET-MRI and FLAWS findings as well as HFO analysis would be an optimized multimodal approach for locating EZ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is significantly associated with improved prognosis in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). However, LDL-C reduction does not decrease all-cause mortality among CAD patients when renal function impairs. The association between low baseline LDL-C (< 1.8 mmol/L) and mortality is unknown among patients with CAD and advanced kidney disease (AKD). The current study aimed to evaluate prognostic value of low baseline LDL-C level for all-cause death in these patients.Methods: In this observational study, 803 CAD patients complicated with AKD (eGFR < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2) were enrolled between January 2008 to December 2018. Patients were divided into two groups (LDL-C < 1.8 mmol/L, n = 138; LDL-C ≥ 1.8 mmol/L, n = 665). We used Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox regression analyses to assess the association between baseline low LDL-C levels and long-term all-cause mortality.Results: Among 803 participants (mean age 67.4 years; 68.5% male), there were 315 incidents of all-cause death during a median follow-up of 2.7 years. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that low LDL-C levels were associated with worse prognosis. After adjusting for full 24 confounders (e.g., age, diabetes, heart failure, and dialysis, etc.), multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that lower LDL-C level (< 1.8 mmol/L) was significantly associated with higher risk of all-cause death (adjusted HR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.01-1.89).Conclusions: Our data demonstrated that among patients with CAD and AKD, a lower baseline LDL-C level (< 1.8 mmol/L) did not present a higher survival rate but was related to a worse prognosis, suggesting a cautiousness of too low LDL-C levels among patients with CAD and AKD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the widespread application of immune checkpoint inhibitors, a series of adverse events (AEs) related to treatment resulting from alterations in the immune system have emerged that warrant attention. The present study report the case of a patient with reactive cutaneous capillary endothelial proliferations (RCCEPs) on the eye lid, following treatment with the programmed cell death protein 1 inhibitor camrelizumab (SHR-1210) for stage IIa2 well- to moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix. Although RCCEPs have been revealed to be the most common AEs of SHR-1210, they are usually distributed on the head, neck, trunk and extremities. The current study presents a rare case of ocular RCCEPs induced by SHR-1210. Prompt diagnosis and treatment of immune-related AEs is crucial for the optimal management of patients. Although RCCEPs are usually slight-risk toxicities that pose no threat to the continuity of treatment, lesions with unusual distributions that cause disturbances in normal life require proper treatment, such as surgical excision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hydrophilic–hydrophobic microphase separation structure is essential for anion exchange membranes (AEMs) to balance ion conduction and mechanical strength. However, continuous hydrophobic microphase will inevitably become a barrier for ion conduction between dispersed hydrophilic ionic clusters. In this study, throughout ion conductive highway networks are constructed in quaternized polybenzimidazole (PBI) AEMs, in which OH− could break through the hydrophobic polymer backbone by forming dense hydrogen bond networks with pyridine nitrogen (–N＝) in PBI repeating units, and a tri-cationic/non-cationic ether pendant side chain is proposed to greatly improve ionic aggregation that was still difficult to achieve in reported quaternized PBI membranes. The molecular dynamics simulation indicates comparable OH− coordination through ionic bonds in hydrophilic microphase and hydrogen bonds in the hydrophobic microphase. The as-prepared membranes exhibit excellent toughness to fabricate ultrathin self-supporting AEMs (10 μm) with low ohmic resistance. H2/O2 fuel cells achieves a high peak power density of about 1162.3 mW cm−2 at a large current density of 2749.5 mA cm−2, which is the highest value among recently reported PBI-based AEMs and multi-cation side-chain type AEMs. The design of throughout conductive highway network makes the highly stable commercial PBI material one of the best candidates for AEMFCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The mechanisms of vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) for the treatment of drug‐resistant epilepsy (DRE) remain unclear. This study aimed to measure spontaneous brain activity changes caused by VNS in DRE patients using resting‐state functional MRI (rs‐fMRI). Methods: The rs‐fMRI scans were performed in 16 DRE patients who underwent VNS surgery. Amplitude of low‐frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo) was generated and examined using paired sample t‐test to compare activity changes at different current intensity stage. The preoperative and postoperative ALFF/ReHo were also compared in eight responders (≥50% reduction of seizure frequency three months after surgery) and eight nonresponders using paired sample t‐test. Results: The significant ALFF and ReHo changes were shown in various cortical/subcortical structures in patients under different current intensity. After three months of stimulation, responders exhibited increased ALFF in the right middle cingulate gyrus, left parahippocampal gyrus, and left cerebellum, and increased ReHo in the right postcentral gyrus, left precuneus, left postcentral gyrus, right superior parietal gyrus, right precentral gyrus, and right superior frontal gyrus. Nonresponders exhibited decreased ALFF in the left temporal lobe and right cerebellum, increased ALFF in bilateral brainstem, decreased ReHo in bilateral lingual gyri, and increased ReHo in the right middle frontal gyrus and right anterior cingulate gyrus. Conclusions: The spontaneous neural activity changes in DRE patients caused by VNS were in an ongoing process. Increased ALFF/ReHo in frontal cortex, cingulate gyri, precentral/postcentral gyri, parahippocampal gyri, precuneus, parietal cortex, and cerebellum may implicate in VNS‐induced improvement in seizure frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study a newsvendor problem with capital constraint and demand forecast update. The newsvendor has two instants to order from a supplier prior to a single selling season. While the demand is uncertain, the newsvendor can improve the forecast by utilizing the market signal observed between the first and second instants. We analyze the newsvendor’s optimal ordering policy in two cases: risk-neutrality and risk-aversion. Our analysis suggests that the optimal policy in each case is characterized by a critical value: a target safety capital. Under this policy, part of capital is left to use at instant 2 if and only if the initial capital is above the target safety capital. When this happens, the order quantity at instant 1 decreases as the initial capital increases. We further analyze the effect of information update on the newsvendor’s ordering policy. Our results indicate that more capital should be left to use at instant 2 when the correlation coefficient between market information and demand becomes large or when the newsvendor is more risk-averse. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To collect permeability data and establish its database of fertilizer nutrients and water vapor through different polymer membranes for the development of polymer-coated fertilizer, the permeabilities of N-, P-, and K-nutrient from saturated aqueous of urea, NaH2PO4 and KCl solution and the permeability of water vapor through the membranes of poly lactic acid (PLA), its blends with polystyrene (PS), and its composites with humic acid (HA) particles were determined experimentally at the temperatures of 288, 298, and 308 K, respectively. The effects of the addition of PS and HA particles, temperature, and coating thickness on the permeability of fertilizer nutrient and water vapor were investigated. It was found that the addition of PS and HA increased the permeability for both the fertilizer nutrients and water vapor. The increase in temperature raised the permeability of N-, P-, and K-nutrient while decrease the permeability of water vapor in the range studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a dual-objective control method using a sliding-mode control (SMC)-based control winding (CW) current controller for cascaded brushless doubly fed induction generator (CBDFIG), where the smooth grid synchronization and flexible grid-connected power regulation are achieved with the same CW current controller. A so-called virtual grid flux method is introduced to obtain the CW current reference value for the grid synchronization. In addition, according to the relationship between the power winding (PW) power and CW current, a novel direct power control method is proposed for CBDFIG. Furthermore, a unified form of the CW current references is investigated to achieve the dual-objective control for CBDFIG, where no mode switching operation is required and constant switching frequency can be achieved in both the control processes with space vector pulsewidth modulation. The proposed control method shows a strong robustness against the grid voltage disturbances, which is necessarily required in both the grid synchronization and grid-connected power regulation. The simulation and experiments are conducted to validate the effectiveness of the proposed control method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Droplet evaporative crystallization on microscale heterogeneous surface is a vivid topic in chemical engineering, bioengineering, nanomaterials, and so on. Here, 3D printed interfacial matrix platform with regular pillar convexity and tunnel structure is fabricated to reveal the mechanism of the interfacial micro droplet crystallization. Element‐based rotation volume model is established to simulate the concentration and nucleation barrier distribution during the microscale process. Sodium urate monohydrate and NaCl crystallization on the pillar convex structure both confirm that confined capillary flow in the micro droplet and initial nucleation condition dominate the nucleation, growth control and particle distribution. Droplet crystallization stretches over the tunnel structure reveal an interesting phenomenon that two regions possessing distinct‐different nucleation barriers can isolated obtain the crystal particles from nanoscale to even millimeter scale. The fabricated platform and the capillary circulation transfer theory unfold a potential approach to harvest high value‐added crystals with specific morphology and desire sizes distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metal contamination of agricultural soil has become a critical issue worldwide. A sustainable approach to mitigate heavy metal contamination is extremely important. Phytoremediation has been proved to be a well alternative for soil remediation as cost-effective, environment friendly, and esthetically pleasing. This review briefly elucidates heavy metal tolerance, uptake, and the corresponding mechanism in cotton, and discusses the risk of heavy metal residues and the socioeconomic benefits, to further assess cotton planting for phytoremediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils. Cotton plant has a relatively large biomass, a profuse toot system, and exhibits very excellent tolerance and enrichment capacity of heavy metals. Heavy metals residue in cotton was low. Especially, the content of heavy metal in the fiber, the main product of cotton, is obviously negligible. In brief, cotton as a fiber crop can be a promising candidate for phytoremediation of contaminated soils with heavy metals, which could minimize the risk of human food chain contamination and benefit in ecological and socioeconomic terms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate changes in intraocular pressure (IOP) and axial length (AL) on the ascent to high altitude from Beijing to Lhasa. Patients and methods: Twenty volunteers (17 men, 3 women) who had been sent to work in Lhasa, Tibet for more than 6 months were enrolled. One of their journeys from Beijing to Lhasa was chosen as the time for the examination. IOP, AL, corneal curvature (K), and blood pressure (BP) were measured in Beijing (altitude 43 m) and Lhasa (altitude 3658 m). Their first examination was conducted at least 1 day before arriving in Lhasa and the second examination after they had stayed in Lhasa for 7 days. The data from the highland and lowland examinations were analyzed with a paired-sample T test and Pearson's correlation coefficient was calculated for the association between IOP and average BP. Results: The mean IOP was 12.65±2.34 mmHg in Beijing and 14.85±3.1 mmHg in Lhasa. The mean AL was 24.61±1.50mm in Beijing, and 24.98±1.45 mm in Lhasa. The IOP and AL showed a significant elevation in highland compared with lowland (P<0.05). The mean K was 43.58±2.25 D in Beijing and 43.56±2.21 D in Lhasa and no significant difference was found in this study (P>0.05). A positive correlation between variance of IOP and ACD was found (r = 0.475, P<0.05) and no correlation between IOP and average BP was noted. Conclusions: High altitude may lead to a small but significant change in IOP and axial length. However, the shape of the corneal surface was not influenced by the hypobaric and hypoxic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Genipin (GP) is a safe method for corneal crosslinking, even for very thin corneas. However, there have been no reports on the optimal GP concentration range to use in vivo for corneal crosslinking. Objectives: To investigate the safety of corneal crosslinking after a 24-h incubation with different concentrations of GP. Methods: Twenty New Zealand white rabbits were divided into a phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) group, 0.2% GP crosslinking (GP-CXL) group, 0.25% GP-CXL group, and 0.3% GP-CXL group. Before and after surgery, the operated eyes of each group were characterized by confocal microscopy, and corneal buttons were excised for endothelium staining and electron microscopy. Results: The keratocyte structures in each GP group appeared to be similar to those in the PBS group. Through the confocal microscopy, the changes in corneal endothelial cell density also did not significantly differ among groups. There was a significant difference in apoptosis between the 0.3% GP-CXL and PBS groups (p < 0.05) and between the 0.3% GP-CXL and 0.25% GP-CXL groups (p < 0.05), but there were no significant differences between the 0.2 and 0.25% GP-CXL groups compared to the PBS group. Transmission electron microscopy showed endothelial cell damage in the 0.3% GP-CXL group, with minimal endothelial cell damage in the other groups. Conclusions: Treatment of rabbit corneas with ≤0.25% GP resulted in minimal toxicity to keratocytes and endothelial cells, suggesting that it is a safe crosslinking agent at those concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]