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The observation of gravitational wave enables human to explore the origin, formation and evolution of universe governed by the gravitational interaction and the nature of gravity beyond general theory of relativity. The groundbreaking discovery of Gravitational Wave by Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory provides a brand-new observation way. While detecting gravitational wave on ground is limited by noises and test scale, space detection is an optimized alternative to learn rich sources in range of 0.1 mHz–1 Hz. Considering the great significance of space gravitational wave detection, ESA proposed LISA project, CAS also proposed Taiji project. Due to the extremely weak gravitational wave signal and high measurement accuracy requirement, the spaceborne GW observation antenna is accomplished by three spacecrafts constitute isosceles triangle formation intersatellite interferometer. The arm length of the interferometer reaches millions of kilometers between them, and the measurement accuracy reaches pico-meter magnitude. There are many key technologies including pm magnitude space laser interferometer metrology, drag-free control using TM of Gravity Reference Sensor, μ N micro thruster, ultra-clean & ultra-stable spacecraft, etc. This paper focuses on key technologies of the ultra-clean & ultra-stable spacecraft, analyzing the design of mechanical, thermal control and magnetic clean. Moreover, it reports the preliminary results of the technological breakthrough. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the problem of low resources utilization of rotating blades in the selection process of aeroengine fan rotor blades, this paper takes the first-order bending dispersion, first-order torque dispersion, and gravitational moment difference of rotor blades as the selection criteria and takes the minimum remaining blades as the optimization goal. An intelligent selection algorithm of blades based on the collocation degree of blades is proposed and achieves the efficient selection and full utilization of rotating blades. Aiming at the problem of multiple installations and multiple adjustments and low assembly success rate of fan rotor blades, this paper takes the gravity moment difference of the two blades at the diagonal position of 180° as the constraint and takes the minimum residual unbalance as the optimization objective, adopts the improved simulated annealing algorithm to optimize the assembly sequence of rotating blades, and greatly reduces the residual unbalance of blades, which is beneficial to reduce the number of assembly adjustments of blades. The optimizing selection and optimizing matching methods of rotating blades realize the full utilization and efficient assembly of blades and lays a foundation for the reliability and robustness of the assembly quality and service performance of blades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum species complex is an important soil-borne disease worldwide that affects more than 450 plant species, including peanut, leading to great yield and quality losses. However, there are no effective measures to control bacterial wilt. The reason is the lack of research on the pathogenic mechanism of bacterial wilt. Results: Here, we report the complete genome of a toxic Ralstonia solanacearum species complex strain, Rs-P.362200, a peanut pathogen, with a total genome size of 5.86 Mb, encoding 5056 genes and the average G + C content of 67%. Among the coding genes, 75 type III effector proteins and 12 pseudogenes were predicted. Phylogenetic analysis of 41 strains including Rs-P.362200 shows that genetic distance mainly depended on geographic origins then phylotypes and host species, which associated with the complexity of the strain. The distribution and numbers of effectors and other virulence factors changed among different strains. Comparative genomic analysis showed that 29 families of 113 genes were unique to this strain compared with the other four pathogenic strains. Through the analysis of specific genes, two homologous genes (gene ID: 2_657 and 3_83), encoding virulence protein (such as RipP1) may be associated with the host range of the Rs-P.362200 strain. It was found that the bacteria contained 30 pathogenicity islands and 6 prophages containing 378 genes, 7 effectors and 363 genes, 8 effectors, respectively, which may be related to the mechanism of horizontal gene transfer and pathogenicity evaluation. Although the hosts of HA4–1 and Rs-P.362200 strains are the same, they have specific genes to their own genomes. The number of genomic islands and prophages in HA4–1 genome is more than that in Rs-P.36220, indicating a rapid change of the bacterial wilt pathogens. Conclusion: The complete genome sequence analysis of peanut bacterial wilt pathogen enhanced the information of R. solanacearum genome. This research lays a theoretical foundation for future research on the interaction between Ralstonia solanacearum and peanut. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Analysis of intraocular cytokines in aqueous or vitreous humor is one of the most effective methods to assist in the diagnosis of VRL. • Aqueous humor could be used to assist in the diagnosis of vitreoretinal lymphoma (VRL) by detecting IL-6 and IL-10. • The use of aqueous humor to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy is equivalent to that of vitreous fluid. Vitreoretinal lymphoma (VRL) is a subtype of central lymphoma, which at present is hard to diagnose. The gold standard of VRL diagnosis is vitreous cytology, but the vitreous specimen needs to be obtained by the invasive surgery of vitrectomy. Aqueous humor is easier to obtain, has better stability, and has a lower operating risk than vitreous specimens. We studied the diagnostic value of interleukin 10 (IL-10), IL-10/ IL-6 ratio and interleukin score for intraocular lymphoma diagnosis (ISOLD) in both vitreous and aqueous humor for vitreoretinal lymphoma, to determine if aqueous humor could be used to assist in the diagnosis of vitreoretinal lymphoma (VRL) by detecting IL-6 and IL-10. The area under ROC curve (AUC) of vitreous fluid IL-10, IL-10/IL-6 ratio and ISOLD at the diagnosis of VRL diagnosis were 93.5%, 93.6% and 93.8%, respectively. The AUC of the aqueous humor IL-10, IL-10/IL-6 and ISOLD for VRL diagnosis were 83.8%, 72.8% and 85.9%, respectively. Aqueous humor can thus replace vitreous humor as a potential sample type for the diagnosis of intraocular lymphoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classifying mental disorder is a big issue in psychology in recent years. This article focuses on offering a relation between decision tree and encoding of fMRI that can simplify the analysis of different mental disorders and has a high ROC over 0.9. Here we encode fMRI information to the power-law distribution with integer elements by the graph theory in which the network is characterized by degrees that measure the number of effective links exceeding the threshold of Pearson correlation among voxels. When the degrees are ranked from low to high, the network equation can be fit by the power-law distribution. Here we use the mentally disordered SHR and WKY rats as samples and employ decision tree from chi2 algorithm to classify different states of mental disorder. This method not only provides the decision tree and encoding, but also enables the construction of a transformation matrix that is capable of connecting different metal disorders. Although the latter attempt is still in its fancy, it may have a contribution to unraveling the mystery of psychological processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Gene therapy can be classified as in vivo or ex vivo. • Gene therapy has developed rapidly from World to China Mainland. • In vivo approach is easier to get launched as IND. • The most promising gene therapy for solid tumors in vivo is oncolytic virus. Gene therapy involves the introduction of new genes into cells, to modify or manipulate the expression of a gene or to alter the biological properties, for the purpose of treating disease. It is designed to treat genetic diseases at their root, by correcting the mutation responsible, its success in treatment of blood cancers and rare diseases is encouraging, and it is also beginning to show promising effects against solid tumors. Here, we comprehensively analyze all the active clinical trials of gene therapy for solid tumors from January 2010 to April 2020. Our analysis highlights the increasing trends in gene therapy trials in China and elsewhere, as well as the potential of oncolytic viruses as gene therapy products for solid tumors in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pressurized O 2 /H 2 O combustion is a potential CCS technology. In this study, a pressurized horizontal furnace was used to prepare pyrolysis char under pressurized inert atmosphere, and then a pressurized drop tube furnace was used to carry out char combustion under pressurized O 2 /H 2 O atmosphere (5% O 2 , 20% H 2 O) at the same pressure and temperature as the pyrolysis process. The carbon conversion of char under different pressures (0.4/0.7/1.0 MPa), temperatures (900/950/1000 °C), and residence time (1.38/2.76/4.14 s) was studied by proximate analysis. The random pore model was used to calculate reaction kinetic parameters of char combustion at different pressures. The results show that when the pressure increased from 0.4 MPa to 0.7 MPa, the carbon conversion increased significantly, with the increment reaching up to 9.90 percentage points. The marginal diminishing effect became significant when the pressure was greater than 0.7 MPa. The reaction activation energy and pre-exponential factor at 0.4/0.7/1.0 MPa were 66.53/66.29/35.79 kJ/mol and 20.54/36.84/1.69 s−1, respectively. • Pressurization promote carbon conversion of char combustion in O 2 /H 2 O atmosphere. • The promotion of pressurization weakened when pressure was greater than 0.7 MPa. • Activation energy at 0.4/0.7/1.0 MPa was 66.53/66.29/35.79 kJ/mol, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is one of the most promising bio-based polyester with great potential to replace for the petroleum-based polymers, which can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, the inherent brittleness of PLA seriously restricts its broad applications. Herein, PLA/poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)/ethylene methyl acrylate-glycidyl methacrylate (EMA-GMA) ternary blends with different phase structures were prepared through reactive blending. The reactions between the epoxy groups of EMA-GMA and the carboxyl and hydroxyl end groups of PLA and PCL and were evidenced from the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, dynamic mechanical analysis and rheological results. The atomic force microscopy (AFM) images clearly revealed the formation of stack structure of the PCL and EMA-GMA minor phases in PLA/PCL/EMA-GMA (80/15/5) blend, and core-shell particle structures in PLA/PCL/EMA-GMA (80/10/10) and (80/5/15) blends. In terms of elongation at break and impact toughness, PLA/PCL/EMA-GMA (80/5/15) blend presents the best properties among all the compositions. Moreover, it also behaved excellent stiffness-toughness balance. The toughening mechanism can be ascribed to the formation of core-shell structure and the existence of interfacial adhesion in the ternary blends. This work can provide guide for the preparation and design of PLA-based partially renewable supertough materials that can compete with conventional petro-derived plastics. • PLA/PCL/EMA-GMA ternary blends with different phase structures were fabricated. • Reactions of EMA-GMA with PLA and PCL were evidenced. • AFM images clearly revealed stack or core-shell structures of minor phases in PLA. • PLA/PCL/EMA-GMA (80/5/15) shows the best toughness and stiffness-toughness balance. • Core-shell structure of minor phases is mainly responsible for toughening of PLA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to observe the transformation of Chinese universities into think tanks and the adoption of new forms of promoting knowledge transfer in the social sciences, addressing the current lack of quantitative research on this topic in academia. The study introduces a two-stage network DEA and Malmquist index to analyze the transfer of social sciences in universities. The transfer process is divided into scientific research and knowledge transfer stages, and their changes from 2011 to 2019 are measured. The findings are as follows: Firstly, from 2011 to 2019, the global efficiency of universities increased from 0.415 to 0.469. Research efficiency improved from 0.506 to 0.597, and transfer efficiency increased from 0.117 to 0.218. This indicates intensified competition in both research and transfer stages, although knowledge transfer is still at a relatively low level. Secondly, the overall efficiency of universities declined by an average of 1.5 % per year. Research efficiency declined by 2.8 % per year, while transformation efficiency improved by 9.6 % per year. Thirdly, the decline in efficiency is not due to a reduction in the academic competence of the university but is influenced by publishing factors. Additionally, the potential for improvement in transfer efficiency is limited by the number of senior officials and their attention resources. Lastly, due to the regulation that research reports are equivalent to journal papers in Chinese universities, there may be signs of knowledge transfer replacing basic research in a few universities. This could potentially harm the basic research of Chinese social sciences. The experience of Chinese universities can provide a reference for promoting the knowledge transfer of social sciences in other countries. • The study examines the knowledge transfer efficiency of Chinese universities as think tanks in social sciences. • The article addresses the lack of quantitative research on knowledge transfer in social sciences. • The analysis employs a two-stage network DEA and Malmquist index. • The findings reveal an increase in transfer efficiency of universities and a decrease in research efficiency. • The experience of Chinese universities provides a reference for promoting knowledge transfer in social sciences globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we designed/developed a mixed fluorescence system with europium metal-organic framework (EDB) and zinc metal-organic framework (ZBNB). At the 270-nm excitation wavelength, the EDB-ZBNB dually emitted at 425 and 615 nm and displayed blue solution under 365-nm UV lamp. When HOCl was fortified, the 425-nm blue emission dropped progressively, while the 615-nm red emission was relatively stable. Upon addition of ClO−, the shortened fluorescence lifetime demonstrated that the quenched 425-nm fluorescence of ZBNB was owing to the occurrence of dynamic quenching effect. Besides, amino groups are protonated in water to form -NH3+, which interact with ClO− to form hydrogen bonds, reduce the distance between -NH3+ and ClO−, produce energy transfer and result in fluorescence quenching. The ratiometric fluoroprobe provided a significant color change from blue to red, making HOCl detection visual and rapid. This fluorescent probe overcome the disadvantage of conventional redox-based fluorescent probes that can be interfered by MnO4− and other oxidants with stronger oxidizing capacity than free ClO−. Furthermore, a smartphone-based portable sensing platform was developed based on EDB-ZBNB. By using a "Thingidentify" software on smartphone, the sensing platform was used to detect HOCl in waters with a low detection limit of 28.0 nM and the fortified recoveries of 98.87–103.60%. Thus, this study provides a novel and promising platform for the detection of free ClO− in monitoring water quality. [Display omitted] • A fluorescent probe for detection of hypochlorous acid was designed for the first-time using MOF combined with smartphone. • Ratiometric fluorescent sensor constructed by two MOFs enhance the stability of fluorescent material fordetection. • The fluorescent probe for detecting hypochlorous acid has a quite low LOD as 28.0 nM. • Strong oxidant has no effect on the detection process of this probe. • Hypochlorous acid in lakes and domestic water can be stably and efficiently detected by this probe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO, EC 1.3.3.4) is the last common enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway in the synthesis of heme and chlorophyll. The high-frequency use of PPO inhibitor herbicides has led to the gradual exposure of pesticide damage and resistance problems. In order to solve this kind of problem, there is an urgent need to develop new PPO inhibitor herbicides. In this paper, 16 phenylpyrazole derivatives were designed by the principle of active substructure splicing through the electron isosterism of five-membered heterocycles. Greenhouse herbicidal activity experiments and in vitro PPO activity experiments showed that the inhibitory effect of compound 9 on weed growth was comparable to that of pyraflufen-ethyl. Crop safety experiments and cumulative concentration experiments in crops showed that when the spraying concentration was 300 g ai/ha, wheat, corn, rice and other cereal crops were more tolerant to compound 9 , among which wheat showed high tolerance, which was comparable to the crop safety of pyraflufen-ethyl. Herbicidal spectrum experiments showed that compound 9 had inhibitory activity against most weeds. Molecular docking results showed that compound 9 formed one hydrogen bond interaction with amino acid residue ARG-98 and two π-π stacking interactions with amino acid residue PHE-392, indicating that compound 9 had better herbicidal activity than pyraflufen-ethyl. It shows that compound 9 is expected to be a lead compound of phenylpyrazole PPO inhibitor herbicide and used as a herbicide in wheat field. [Display omitted] • The active fragments of target compounds are from different commercial herbicides. • The PPO inhibitory activity (IC 50) of all target compounds were determined. • The herbicidal spectrum experiment of compound 9 was carried out. • The mechanism of action of target compounds was studied by molecular docking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we performed coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CGMD) simulations of G3, G4, and G5 polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers grafting with fatty acid (FTA) chains. The FTA chains of varying length and grafting densities (50% and 100% of surface terminals) correspond to pH 7 and 5, respectively. Our findings suggested that the structural properties of dendrimers were determined by dendrimer generation, polymerization degrees, and pH. With one exception, the size of the FTA grafting dendrimer shrank after fatty acid attachment. Because of the protonation of the dendrimer's interior amines at low pH, the FTA chains are distributed at the dendrimer's surface group. At pH 7, the FTA chains that have aggregated in the interior of the dendrimer cause chain crowding. Our research provided references on drug encapsulation and the lower toxicity of these hydrophobically modified nanoparticles. [Display omitted] • Attaching the FTA to the dendrimer, the size of the dendrimers decreased from 1.2% to 30.3% in two pH. • At neutral pH, FTA chains exhibited an aggregation behavior in the interior of the dendrimer. • At low pH, some dendrimers, especially G5-F4-5-50%, exhibited near spherical morphology and presented the attached FTA chains at the dendrimer surface, in agreement with recent experiment. • Hydrophobically modified PAMAM dendrimers which blocked positive charges performed lower toxicity than unmodified dendrimers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of PAI implant energy on the performance of MOSFET devices with varying threshold voltages is investigated using a commercial 28 nm CMOS platform. Physical and electrical characterization have first time revealed that, while high-energy cold PAI has little influence on vertical doping distribution, it has a disproportionate effect on device performance with different Vt flavors. This observation can be attributed to horizontal EOR damage. The findings emphasize the significance of fine-tuning PAI implant settings for each Vt flavor in multi-Vt SoCs in order to maintain high performance and ensure consistent device behavior across multiple Vt flavors. • Pre-amorphization implantation (PAI) has a disproportionate effect on device performance with different Vt flavors. • Dose-dependent Transient enhanced diffusion (TED) in the vicinity of the horizontal End of Range (EOR) damage region has been identified as the root cause of this Vt-dependent phenomenon. • Careful optimizing PAI implant parameters for each Vt flavor in multi-Vt SoCs is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is known to inhibit breast cancer in the rat. Here we investigated whether DHA itself or select metabolites can account for its antitumor action. We focused on metabolites derived from the lipoxygenase (LOX) pathway since we previously showed that they were superior anti-proliferating agents compared to DHA; 4-OXO-DHA was the most potent. A lipidomics approach detected several LOX-metabolites in plasma and the mammary gland in rats fed DHA; we also identified for the first time, 4-OXO-DHA in rat plasma. In a reporter assay, 4-OXO-DHA and 4-HDHA were more effective activators of PPARɣ than DHA. In breast cancer cell lines, 4-OXO-DHA induced PPARɣ and 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH) but inhibited the activity of NF-κB and suppressed PI3K and mTOR signaling. Because of the structural characteristics of 4-OXO-DHA (Michael acceptor), not shared by any of the other hydroxylated-DHA, we used MS and showed that it can covalently modify the cysteine residue of NF-κB. We have also shown that the chemopreventive effect of DHA is associated with significant reduction of PGE2 levels, in both rat mammary tumors induced by MNU and non-involved mammary tissues. Collectively, our results indicate that 4-OXO-DHA is the metabolite of choice in future chemoprevention studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a new index, polarization-conversion ratio (PCR) to characterize depolarized bistatic scattering from rough surfaces with dielectric inhomogeneity and spatial anisotropy. We then investigate the dependence of PCR on both surface and radar parameters. Numerical results show that the distribution of PCR on the scattering plane varies with the polarization state of the incident wave and incident angle. The PCR clusters more in the cross-plane for horizontally polarized incidence. However, for vertically polarized incidence, the PCR disperses as “triangular shape” on the whole scattering plane with a sharp valley occurring in the incident plane. The following points can be drawn: 1) the inhomogeneity effectively enhances the PCR in the cross-plane; 2) the effect of anisotropy on the PCR is relatively weak, because the scattering is less affected by correlation length; 3) the impacts of surface rms height on the PCR are negative on the whole scattering plane; and 4) as the background permittivity increases, at the horizontally polarized incidence, the PCR is enhanced in the backward and forward regions, while at vertically polarized incidence, it is enhanced in the incident plane and the forward region. As is demonstrated, the PCR is an effective measure of the sensitivity of depolarization, making it potentially useful as a new reliable index for surface parameter inversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to clinically validate the Hill–Sachs interval to glenoid track width ratio (H/G ratio) compared with the instability severity index (ISI) score for predicting an increased risk of recurrent instability after arthroscopic Bankart repair. Methods: A retrospective evaluation was performed using data from patients with anteroinferior shoulder instability who underwent arthroscopic Bankart repair with a follow-up period of at least 24 months. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the optimal cut-off values for the H/G ratio and the ISI score to predict an increased risk of recurrent instability. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the two methods and the sensitivity and specificity of their optimal cut-off values were compared. Results: A total of 222 patients were included, among whom 31 (14.0%) experienced recurrent instability during the follow-up period. The optimal cut-off values for predicting an increased risk of recurrent instability were an H/G ratio of ≥ 0.7 and ISI score of ≥ 4. There were no significant differences between the AUC of the two methods (H/G ratio AUC = 0.821, standard error = 0.035 and ISI score AUC = 0.792, standard error = 0.04; n.s.) nor between the sensitivity and specificity of the optimal cut-off values (n.s. and n.s., respectively). Conclusions: The H/G ratio is comparable to the ISI score for predicting an increased risk of recurrent instability after arthroscopic Bankart repair. Surgeons are recommended to consider other strategies to treat anterior shoulder instability if H/G ratio is ≥ 0.7. Level of evidence: III. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces a robust frequency domain empirical likelihood inference procedure for the parametric component in the spectral densities of stationary processes. We construct the empirical likelihood function by using a new spectral estimating function to achieve robustness against contamination in the spectral density. Simulation studies demonstrate the good performance of the proposed robust frequency domain empirical likelihood method, which produces more accurate confidence regions than the ordinary empirical likelihood counterpart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, an optical depth-sensing system whose focus distance was equal to its object distance was constructed by using a lens with a shortened depth of field. In addition to a mechanical control lens that captured two-dimensional images, a set of negative microlens array films used to shorten the depth of field was installed in this system. The developed system can scan a region and obtain the relationship curve between the focus distance and the motor step. Depth information is acquired by discerning the sharpness of the object's outline and determining whether the captured object is in focus. The motor step is initialized when the object is in focus. The optical path of the developed system is simple, and its volume is minimal; thus, the developed system is suitable for being combined with cell phone lenses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatiotemporal coverage of a Moon-based synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is analyzed based on the imaging geometry, upon which the spatial coverage and image formulation rely. The distance from the Earth to the Moon-based SAR and bounds of the grazing and azimuthal angles jointly determine the coverage area on the Earth’s surface. Meanwhile, the ground coverage of the Moon-based SAR is determined by the bounds of the grazing and azimuthal angles and geographic coordinates of the nadir point at a specified time. Moreover, the temporal variation in the spatial coverage is pertinent to the temporally varying nadir point of the Moon-based SAR on the Earth’s surface. Furthermore, numerical simulations using the lunar ephemeris data are carried out to complement the analysis and to illustrate the spatiotemporal coverage. Finally, a guideline for the optimal site selection of a Moon-based SAR is proposed. In conclusion, a Moon-based SAR has the potential to perform long-term, continuous Earth observations on a global scale to enhance our capability to understand the planet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the problems of the lack of abnormal instances and the lag of quality anomaly discovery in quality database, this paper proposed the method of recognizing quality anomaly from the quality control chart data by probabilistic neural network (PNN) optimized by improved genetic algorithm, which made up deficiencies of SPC control charts in practical application. Principal component analysis (PCA) reduced the dimension and extracted the feature of the original data of a control chart, which reduced the training time of PNN. PNN recognized successfully both single pattern and mixed pattern of control charts because of its simple network structure and excellent recognition effect. In order to eliminate the defect of experience value, the key parameter of PNN was optimized by the improved (SGA) single-target optimization genetic algorithm, which made PNN achieve a higher rate of recognition accuracy than PNN optimized by standard genetic algorithm. Finally, the above method was validated by a simulation experiment and proved to be the most effective method compared with traditional BP neural network, single PNN, PCA-PNN without parameters optimized, and SVM optimized by particle swarm optimization algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We read with great interest the article by Figueiredo et al[1] regarding lower hand grip in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), for which it was demonstrated that patients with RA presented with lower bone strength of 2nd metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint through a finite element analysis (FEA) using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) scan. Lower hand grip in rheumatoid arthritis patients is associated with low finite element analysis using high resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography scan of the 2nd metacarpophalangeal joint. For instance, small and large joints such as knee joints differ in many ways.[[3]] The application of FEA to knee joints is mostly the evaluation of surgery or implants[5] and it can also be used to evaluate hip contact mechanics.[6] As a result, we believe it would be more comprehensive to generalize FEA from small joints to large joints to meet clinical criteria. [Extracted from the article]

It was widely recognized that the procedure of ultrasound-guided lumbar and sacral plexus block is required to be performed in a lateral decubitus position that patients' hips and knees were bended. It is difficult, however, for patients with hip fractures to change position because of severe pain and confined movements. We here reported a new modified combination of ultrasound-guided lumbosacral plexus block with anterior quadratus lumborum block in supine position that had been successfully applied in one elderly patient who underwent hip surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bartlett correction is a desirable feature of the likelihood inference, which yields the confidence region for parameters with improved coverage probability. This study examines the Bartlett correction for the frequency domain empirical likelihood (FDEL), based on the Whittle likelihood of linear time series models. Nordman and Lahiri (Ann Stat 34:3019–3050, 2006) showed that the FDEL does not have an ordinary Chi-squared limit when the innovation is non-Gaussian with unknown variance, which restricts the use of the FDEL inference in time series. We show that, by profiling the innovation variance out of the Whittle likelihood function, the FDEL is Chi-squared-distributed and Bartlett correctable. In particular, the order of the coverage error of the confidence region can be reduced from O (n - 1) to O (n - 2) . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article attempts to examine the Brewster effect of incoherent scattering from a lossy inhomogeneous rough surface with a vertical dielectric profile. Five typical dielectric profiles are selected for the purpose of illustration. In calculating the reflection coefficients, a transition model is used to convert the angle of incidence to local incidence, which accounts for the surface roughness. Numerical results show that the Brewster angle gradually moves to the large incident angle with an increase in the background dielectric constant and in the surface root-mean-squared (rms) height. The angular dependence of reflection coefficients, both the level and the trend, is slightly affected by the correlation length. The scattering strength is much more sensitive to the rms height than to the correlation length. The results could be useful in the retrieval of vertical soil moisture content when proper radar observation is available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the concept of edge computing, some service and data should be moved from the centralized data server to the data source for enhancing the computational efficiency especially for real-time applications, e.g., production monitoring. In the manufacturing industries, most of the data sources are equipment. Deploying the application programming interface (API) services near the data source is the common solution. However, keeping the consistency of the production configuration between API servers and the manufacturing data center with minimum resource is a critical problem in terms of the computational efficiency and the speed of response. In this paper, we propose the partition and pass (PnP) mechanism to synchronize the production line settings saved in the API servers with that in the data center. From the analysis results, we show that the approximation ratio is 2 compared with current solutions including the time-based approach and the counter-based approach. It means that the proposed PnP only needs one half computing cost to finish the same number of products with that required by current solutions. Based on the simulation results, the PnP only requires 31% computation time to finish the synchronization process which matches the analysis results. Moreover, we provide a case study to show that the proposed PnP captures more events than current solutions. In other words, applying PnP in the production line will increase the computation performance to synchronize the production configuration between API servers and data center in saving manufacturing data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coarse-grained molecular dynamic simulations are adopted to study the interaction of octamer (C60 fullerenes and their various derivatives – fullerenols) with DPPC lipid membranes. It is found that the translocation process of the octamer depends on the forms and proportion of functionalised modification. Our research suggests that the octamer was difficult to move into the core of lipid membrane, with the increase in patchy-modified hydroxyl groups. In addition, PMF calculations show that the functionalised fullerene polymers inserted into or adsorbed onto the bilayer are strongly energetically favourable. Our study provides reference information about the reduced toxicity of functionalised fullerene polymer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a rare type of primary extranodal lymphoma (PEL). MYD88L265P mutation has been observed in up to 75% of PCNSL cases, however, the validity and sensitivity of digital PCR in detecting this mutation remains to be elucidated. A total of 44 PCNSL patients, 15 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma not otherwise specified (DLBCL-NOS) patients and 13 other PEL patients were enrolled in the present study. The abilities of reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) to detect the MYD88L265P mutation in cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) samples were compared. The results suggested that ddPCR showed superior mutation detection sensitivity when compared with RT-qPCR (58 vs. 15%; P<0.05). The MYD88L265P mutation was significantly associated with increased MYD88 protein overexpression in PCNSL brain tissue samples (P<0.05). Analysis of MYD88L265P mutation status in CSF and vitreous fluid samples using ddPCR may be a promising technique for minimally invasive confirmation of PCNSL diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Chronic exposure to MC-LR has adverse effects on glucose metabolism. • MC-LR is able to enter pancreatic β cells and exhibit cytotoxicity. • MC-LR plays a crucial role in contributing to the development of diabetes. This study aimed to investigate the toxic effects of microcystin-LR (MC-LR), which is released from several bloom-forming cyanobacteria, on the glucose metabolism of pancreatic β cells in vivo and in vitro. Male mice and the pancreatic MIN6 cells were respectively treated with varying concentrations of MC-LR. After 3- or 6- months of MC-LR exposure, increase in the body weight of mice was found to be inhibited, and the structure of their pancreatic tissues was damaged with impaired glucose tolerance and impaired insulin secretion. Further, these toxic effects became more pronounced with time and with increased dosages. Direct cytotoxic effects of MC-LR were observed in the MIN6 pancreatic β-cells possibly due to their expression of the MC-LR specific transporter. MC-LR entered the MIN6 cells that significantly reduced the cell viability. Both in viv o and in vitro experiments demonstrated that MC-LR was able to induce apoptosis, possibly associated with mitochondrial damage. Above all, these findings implied that MC-LR may be transported into the pancreatic β cells and cause subsequent cytotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, an interferometric method was proposed for the simultaneous measurement of phase retardation and fast-axis azimuth angle of a wave plate by using a Mach–Zehnder interferometer. The wave plate to be tested is placed in one of the light passages in the interferometer, and two analyzers with transmission axes at horizontal and vertical orientations are arranged at the two output regions. When a linearly polarized laser light beam is passed through the interferometer, two interference light beams are simultaneously generated. Through an analysis of the intensities of the two light beams, the phase retardation and fast-axis azimuth angle of the tested wave plate can be simultaneously determined using specially derived equations. The feasibility of the proposed method was demonstrated using measurements of zero-order half-wave and zero-order quarter-wave plates. The proposed method is easy to operate, enables rapid measurement, and has high stability and accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, absolute-phase total internal reflection heterodyne interferometry is proposed for measuring a full-field refractive index. In this method, an optical configuration of prism-based total internal reflection is used. If an electro-optical modulator is driven by a sawtooth wave with an amplitude lower than the half-wave voltage, heterodyne interferometric signals can be generated in segment mode. After a camera has captured these discrete interferometric signals, the optimum signal segment can be analyzed; a specific time segment can be inserted so that the interferometric signals of every pixel can be fitted as a continuous sinusoidal wave; a least-squares sine-fitting algorithm can extract the initial phase. Finally, the absolute phase can be calculated by subtraction of the characteristic phase, and the full-field refractive index can be obtained. To prove the feasibility of the proposed method, the different combinations of specimens were measured, including air, water, glycerol, and castor oil. The experimental data correspond well with the theoretical values. This method features simple operation, low influence of environmental disturbance, rapid measurement, and high resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A polyoxometalate hosting Ag+, [AgP5W30O110]14−, has been studied for its sustained and controlled release of Ag+ triggered by Na+ replacement at room temperature for long-lasting bacteriostasis, whose antibacterial activity is not eliminated after repeated exposure tests because of the protection of Ag+ by the polyoxometalate skeleton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil moisture is a pivotal hydrological variable that links the terrestrial water, energy, and carbon cycles. In this article, a new soil moisture (SM) index (SMI), which aims to capture the temporal variability of SM, irrespective of cloud cover and solar illumination, was developed by using the L-band SM active passive (SMAP) radiometer observations. The SMI was proposed on the basis of two key foundations: 1) vegetation and roughness have similar effects on “depolarization” of microwave emission, while SM enhances polarization differences and 2) vegetation and roughness generally impose positive effects on surface emissivity, while SM and emissivity are negatively correlated. Based on the two physical principles, it is possible to decouple the effects of SM and those of vegetation and surface roughness in a 2-D space independent of vegetation type and roughness condition. The proposed SMI was then validated by in situ measurements from five dense SM networks covering different vegetation and climatic conditions and also compared with SMAP passive and European space agency climate change initiative (ESA CCI) SM products at a coarse resolution of 36 km, and SMAP-enhanced passive and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) advanced microwave scanning radiometer (AMSR2) SM products at a medium resolution of 9 km. The results show that the new SMI is able to well reproduce the temporal dynamic of SM with a favorable averaged correlation coefficient value of 0.87 and 0.84 at 36 and 9 km, respectively, higher than that of SMAP passive (0.80), SMAP-enhanced passive (0.77), ESA CCI (0.69), and JAXA AMSR2 (0.53). After removing the systematic differences between satellite and site-specific SM data by using the cumulative distribution function (CDF) matching technique, the SMI can achieve an average root mean squared error (RMSE) of 0.031 and 0.036 m3m−3 at 36 and 9 km during the validation period, respectively, lower than that of the satellite SM products. In addition to surface temperature, the SMI does not need any further information from other sensors [e.g., the optical normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) or leaf area index (LAI) data] to guarantee an all-weather monitoring. Therefore, it has great potential to estimate SM variability on a global scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Brain tumors cause significant morbidity and mortality due to rapid progression and high recurrence risks. Reliable biomarkers to improve diagnosis thereof are desirable. Objective: This work aimed to identify panels of biomarkers for diagnostic purposes using cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-based metabolomics. Methods: A cohort of 163 histologically-proven patients with brain disorders was involved. Comprehensive CSF-based metabolomics was achieved by liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight spectrometric (LC-Q/TOF–MS) and multivariate statistical analyses. The diagnostic performance of the metabolic markers was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curves. Results: A total of 508 ion features were detected by the LC-Q/TOF–MS analysis, of which 27 metabolites were selected as diagnostic markers to discriminate different brain tumor types. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.91 for lung adenocarcinoma patients with brain metastases (MBT) vs. lung adenocarcinoma patients without brain metastases (NMBT), 0.83 for primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) vs. secondary central nervous system involvement of systemic lymphoma (SCNSL), 0.77 for PCNSL vs. MBT, 0.87 for SCNSL vs. MBT, 0.86 for MBT vs. nontumorous brain diseases (NT), and 0.80 for PCNSL vs. NT. Perturbed metabolic pathways between the comparisons related mainly to amino acids and citrate metabolism. Conclusions: CSF-based metabolomics to a large extent reliably identifies significant metabolic differences between different brain tumors and shows great potential for diagnosis of brain tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N-doped graphene (NG)/TiO2 composites were prepared by a two-step hydrothermal method using HF as the surface etchant and urea as the nitrogen source. The morphology, structure, and bonding conditions of the NG/TiO2 composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS), and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The effects of NG on the lifetime of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, adsorption capacity, and photocatalytic activity of the composite photocatalysts were also investigated. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated under ultraviolet light and sunlight irradiation. The recovery testing was completed under ultraviolet light irradiation. The results show that TiO2 was uniformly loaded on the NG surface by chemical bonding. The introduction of NG effectively inhibited the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and improved both the adsorption capacity and photocatalytic activity of the composites. The 7 wt % NG/TiO2 showed the best adsorption capacity of methyl orange (MO). The best photocatalytic activity occurred for 5 wt % NG/TiO2 composites, and after four recovery tests, the photocatalytic degradation of MO under 60 min ultraviolet light irradiation exceeded 90%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigated the effects of surface sliding discharge of a dielectric barrier discharge (SL-DBD) plasma actuator on the boundary layer flow using the time-resolved particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique. According to the PIV measurements, the peak-shaped mean jet flow is induced by the SL-DBD plasma actuator in quiescent air. Under the freestream of U∞ = 6 m/s on the flat plate, the results show that the streamwise velocity fluctuation induced by SL-DBD plasma is increased pronouncedly at the downstream of the actuator. Meanwhile, the mean flow velocity increases obviously in the downstream of the actuator. The instantaneous results show the formation of the vorticity at the bottom of the boundary layer after the plasma excitation. In addition, the vorticity has the behavior to lift up, possibly because of the induced peak-shaped jet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moments and cumulants are involved in statistical analysis for a wide range of fields. A natural and popular approach to moment and cumulant estimation is based on the sample average. However, it is well known that these sample estimates usually perform poorly. In this paper, we derive uniformly minimum-variance unbiased estimator for raw moment, centred moment, and cumulant of any order for a number of common distributions. Extensive simulation studies demonstrate that the proposed estimators can perform much better than the corresponding sample average estimators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methane steam reforming (MSR) is studied experimentally and numerically. The intrinsic kinetics of the reaction are determined using a micro fluidized bed with a catalyst containing more than 50 wt % NiO/α-Al 2 O 3. Intrinsic kinetic models are developed for parallel and serial reaction mechanisms, but the parallel mechanism is found to better match the experimental data. The activation energies for CO and CO 2 formation are 81.69 kJ/mol and 59.38 kJ/mol, respectively, and the pre-exponential factors are 316.6 mol/(g h kPa0.85) and 0.00263 mol/(g h kPa3.1), respectively. As the reaction temperature increases, the rate of CO formation increases and that of CO 2 decreases. At 800 °C, almost all the CH 4 is converted to CO and H 2 , and the methane conversion rate (X CH4), the hydrogen production rate (Y H2), and the CO selectivity (S CO) are 92.28%, 3.34, and 0.99, respectively. The effects of the steam-to-carbon ratio (S/C), inlet velocity, and preheating temperature at different reaction temperatures are simulated using the FLUENT software package. As S/C increases, X CH4 and Y H2 increase, but S CO decreases. The higher the reaction temperature, the less S/C promotes X CH4 and Y H2. When the reaction temperature is 700 °C and the inlet velocity is 0.2 m/s (residence time is 0.5 s), X CH4 is above 95%, and changes in the inlet velocity strongly influence the formation of CO. With increasing preheating temperature, X CH4 , Y H2 , and S CO all increase gradually. • Intrinsic kinetics of MSR was studied in a micro fluidized bed. • The model was tested by mathematical statistics. • Parallel reaction mechanism best describes MSR. • CH 4 is almost completely converted into CO and H 2 at 800 °C. • Residence time has a great influence on CO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: Soft mesoporous organosilica nanoplatforms modified with hyaluronic acid and cyanine 5.5 are constructed. Therapeutic efficacy of the soft nanoplatforms on tumor is higher both in vitro and in vivo after loading photosensitizer chlorin e6 compared to that of stiff counterparts.To date, the ability of nanoplatforms to achieve excellent therapeutic responses is hindered by short blood circulation and limited tumor accumulation/penetration. Herein, a soft mesoporous organosilica nanoplatform modified with hyaluronic acid and cyanine 5.5 are prepared, denoted SMONs-HA-Cy5.5, and comparative studies between SMONs-HA-Cy5.5 (24.2 MPa) and stiff counterparts (79.2 MPa) are conducted. Results indicate that, apart from exhibiting a twofold increase in tumor cellular uptake, the soft nanoplatforms also display a remarkable pharmacokinetic advantage, resulting in considerably improved tumor accumulation. Moreover, SMONs-HA-Cy5.5 exhibits a significantly higher tumor penetration, achieving 30-μm deeper tissue permeability in multicellular spheroids relative to the stiff counterparts. Results further reveal that the soft nanoplatforms have an easier extravasation from the tumor vessels, diffuse farther in the dense extracellular matrix, and reach deeper tumor tissues compared to the stiff ones. Specifically, the soft nanoplatforms generate a 16-fold improvement (43 vs. 2.72 μm) in diffusion distance in tumor parenchyma. Based on the significantly improved blood circulation and tumor accumulation/penetration, a soft therapeutic nanoplatform is constructed by loading photosensitizer chlorin e6 in SMONs-HA-Cy5.5. The resulting nanoplatform exhibits considerably higher therapeutic efficacy on tumors compared to the stiff ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An alternative method is proposed for simultaneously measuring the phase retardation and fast axis angle of a wave plate by utilizing a radially polarized symmetric light beam. A horizontal polarized laser is passed through a spatial filter, a zero-order vortex half-wave retarder, for measuring the light beam. An analyzer and a charge-coupled device are used for the measurement. The charge-coupled device captures two intensity variation patterns before and after a wave plate to be tested is rotated by 45° in any initial fast axis angle direction. Through analysis of the intensity values, the phase retardation and fast axis angle of the wave plate to be tested can be accurately determined using mean calculation. To validate the proposed method, half-wave and quarter-wave plates were measured experimentally. The measurement errors of phase retardation and fast axis angle were approximately 0.087° and 0.094°, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

River-blocking events induced by tributary debris flows occur frequently in mountainous areas. If a dam formed by a river-blocking debris flow were damaged, a massive outburst flood could induce downstream hazards. Therefore, early identification of areas potentially at risk of river blocking is essential for hazard mitigation, particularly in extensive mountainous areas. This study proposed a dimensionless volume index (DVI) to evaluate river-blocking formation by considering the relationship between the deposition volume of a tributary debris flow in a river and the minimum river-blocking volume. The values of both parameters can be established based on the theory of debris flow run-out distance, deposition width, and deposition thickness with consideration of the effects of drag force, hydrostatic force, and buoyancy. The efficacy of the proposed method was demonstrated through two case studies of mainstream blocking/nonblocking by tributary debris flow events in Taiwan during Typhoon Morakot. The results indicated that early identification of river blocking could be achieved using the DVI based on a pre-established database of potential debris flow hazard areas, including local site information, rainfall intensities at potential debris flow hazard areas under varying recurrence periods, and mainstream discharge at varying recurrence periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Run Zao Zhi Yang capsule (RZZYC) has been widely applied for eczema treatment as a traditional Chinese medicine, while its efficacy has not been scientifically investigated. Objective: We conducted this multiple-centers, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to investigate the effectiveness and safety of RZZYC on the treatment of patients with mild to moderate chronic eczema. Methods: 240 patients were randomly assigned into the experimental group and the placebo group. The primary efficacy indicator was the Eczama Area and Severity Index (EASI) score at week 4. The patient with an EASI score that decreases more than 95% from baseline (EASI 95) was judged as cured. The cured patients were followed up for another 8 weeks. The differences on EASI, Visual Analogue Score (VAS), and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) score were compared. Results: The proportions of EASI 95 and EASI 60 in the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group at week4 (p =.002 and p <.001, respectively), the VAS score decreased more significantly in the experimental group at week 4. After 8 weeks follow-up, no difference on recurrence rate and adverse event rate between the two groups was observed. Conclusion: RZZYC provides a good effect on the treatment of mild-to-moderate chronic eczema with a low recurrence and tolerable adverse events, and is a potential treatment that may be implemented in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction of an electromagnetic wave with a relativistic ionization front with frequency up-conversion has been demonstrated by the particle-in-cell (PIC) method. In the PIC simulation, the plasma ionization front is formed by using an electron beam ionizing the background gas. The PIC results are in good agreement with the basic analytic theory. In addition, the charged particles are modulated in the interaction area observed in the PIC simulation, which is hardly obtained by other methods. Based on the verified PIC methods, a relativistic hollow ionization front for frequency up-conversion of microwave to terahertz radiation is proposed for increasing the reflection cross section. Finally, the reflected energy can be increased by at least 3 orders of magnitude compared to the traditional methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the properties of bistatic scattering from an inhomogeneous rough surface, which, in this paper, is modeled by the transitional layer as a function of depth. The lower medium of the rough surface is horizontally uniform but vertically inhomogeneous. Both linear and circular polarizations are investigated in light of the dependences of transition rate, background dielectric constant, and surface roughness. The presence of dielectric inhomogeneity generally leads to several features that do not appear in the homogeneous surface, such as the scattering coefficient on the whole scattering plane is enhanced; the dynamic range of HH and VV over the azimuth plane is reduced; HV can be greater than VH; and the difference of LR and RR is decreased. With the increasing transition rate, the scattering coefficients for both the linear and circular polarizations are enhanced. As the background dielectric constant increases, the scattering responses of the linear and circular polarizations are quite different. For the linear polarization, HH exhibits a stronger angular dependence; VV reduces in the forward region and enhances notably in the backward region; and HV decreases but VH increases. For circular polarizations, the cross-polarized LR increases in the backward region but decreases in the forward region, and the copolarized RR enhances on the whole scattering plane. With the increasing surface roughness, the scattering coefficient becomes more evenly distributed over the entire scattering plane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the polarized backscattering of spatially anisotropic rough surfaces. To better explore the physical mechanisms that control the azimuthal dependence of the backscattering from anisotropic surfaces, the effects of surface roughness [correlation length and root-mean-square (rms) height], dielectric constant, and radar parameters from anisotropic surfaces are studied. The advanced integral equation model (AIEM) is used to simulate both co- and cross-polarized backscattering coefficients, including the single and multiple scattering. Numerical results suggest that the multiple scattering exhibits a stronger azimuthal dependence for HH than VV polarization, especially more so at a larger incident angle. For weakly anisotropic surface, the azimuthal variation of backscattering tends to be a sinusoidal-like pattern. However, with the enhancement of anisotropy, such a scattering pattern is distorted, and the sharp dip appears at up/down direction. As the rms height and dielectric constant increase, the scattering is enhanced on the whole. The HH/VV ratio at lower dielectric constant is greater than that at higher one. In comparison, scattering shows stronger dependence on anisotropy at lower dielectric constant, especially at a larger incident angle. As an application example, we compare the model predictions with reported measurements from two different sites. Preliminary results are quite encouraging, and thus, the analysis presented in this paper is potentially useful to predict and interpret backscattering from crop field surface, where strong anisotropic surfaces commonly present due to plowing or raking practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind wave spectrum describes the quasi-periodic nature of the ocean surface oscillations and plays an indispensable role in the study of microwave electromagnetic scattering from sea surface. A reliable spectrum model suitable for radar cross section (RCS) predictions at different radar frequencies is desired. This paper evaluated the performances of five common spectrum models (i.e., Fung spectrum, Durden–Vesecky spectrum, Apel spectrum, Elfouhaily spectrum, and the newest version of Hwang spectrum, H18) on the normalized radar backscattering cross section (NRBCS) simulations based on advanced integral equation model (AIEM) at L-, C-, X-, and Ku-bands versus incidence angle, wind direction, and wind speed by comparing with the model and measured data for validation. These results indicate no single wave spectrum of them is satisfying for all the four radar frequencies, e.g., Apel and H18 spectra are better for L- and C-bands, Apel spectrum for X-band, and Elfouhaily and H18 spectra for Ku-band. Given this, three average composite spectrum models are constructed using different spectral models (i.e., all five spectra, Apel + Elfouhaily + H18, and Apel + H18) to simulate NRBCSs, similar to that of the individual spectrum model. It is concluded that the combination of Apel and H18 spectra overall performs best among the individual one and other composited spectra in like-polarized NRBCSs versus incidence angles, wind directions, and wind speeds, for wind speed greater than 30 m/s where the combination of the five spectra work well at Ku-band. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bartlett correction constitutes one of the attractive features of empirical likelihood because it enables the construction of confidence regions for parameters with improved coverage probabilities. We study the Bartlett correction of spatial frequency domain empirical likelihood (SFDEL) based on general spectral estimating functions for regularly spaced spatial data. This general formulation can be applied to testing and estimation problems in spatial analysis, for example testing covariance isotropy, testing covariance separability as well as estimating the parameters of spatial covariance models. We show that the SFDEL is Bartlett correctable. In particular, the improvement in coverage accuracies of the Bartlett‐corrected confidence regions depends on the underlying spatial structures. The Canadian Journal of Statistics 47: 455–472; 2019 © 2019 Statistical Society of Canada [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of ruthenium hydride compounds containing substituted bidentate pyrrole‐imine ligands were synthesized and characterized. Reacting RuHCl(CO)(PPh3)3 with one equivalent of [C4H3NH(2‐CH=NR)] in ethanol in the presence of KOH gave compounds {RuH(CO)(PPh3)2[C4H3N(2‐CH=NR)]} where trans‐Py‐Ru‐H 1, R = CH2CH2C6H9; cis‐Py‐Ru‐H 2, R = Ph‐2‐Me; and cis‐Py‐Ru‐H 3, R = C6H11. Heating trans‐Py‐Ru‐H 1 in toluene at 70°C for 12 hr resulted a thermal conversion of the trans‐Py‐Ru‐H 1 into its cis form, {RuH(CO)(PPh3)2[C4H3N(2‐CH=NCH2CH2C6H9)]} (cis‐Py‐Ru‐H 1) in very high yield. The 1H NMR spectra of trans‐Py‐Ru‐H 1, cis‐Py‐Ru‐H 2, cis‐Py‐Ru‐H 3, and cis‐Py‐Ru‐H 1 all show a typical triplet at ca. δ–11 for the hydride. The trans and cis form indicate the relative positions of pyrrole ring and hydride. The geometries of trans‐Py‐Ru‐H 1, cis‐Py‐Ru‐H 1, and cis‐Py‐Ru‐H 3 are relatively similar showing typical octahedral geometries with two PPh3 fragments arranged in trans positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soft nanoparticles have attracted increasing attention in biomedical fields because of their unique biological behaviors such as long circulation and high cellular uptake. However, previously reported soft nanoparticles are generally spherical or torispherical in shape, and non-spherical soft nanoparticles are rarely reported because of the shape is thermodynamically unstable for typical soft materials (e.g., liposomes and micelles). Herein, soft mesoporous organosilica nanorods with gold plasmonic core protected with poly-ethylene imine (GNR@SMON/PEI) have been successfully synthesized, for the first time, by a dispersive-protection etching method, in which rod-like solid mesoporous organosilicas with gold nanorod are firstly shielded with PEI (GNR@MON/PEI) and then etched with aqueous NaOH solution. The prepared GNR@SMON/PEI inherits the rod morphology of the mother particle, showing wrinkled morphology and excellent dispersity thanks to the dispersive-protection effect of PEI. In addition, the GNR@SMON/PEI possesses a uniform size (174 × 105 nm), well-defined mesopores (3.9 nm), high surface area (355 m2/g) and large pore volume (0.35 m3/g). Notably, the soft GNR@SMON/PEI exhibits significantly lower Young's modulus (120.2 MPa) in contrast with the hard counterpart (361.4 MPa). Furthermore, after being decorated with hyaluronic acid (HA), the soft GNR@SMON/PEI-HA exhibits excellent in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility. The soft GNR@SMON/PEI-HA has achieved 3-fold cellular uptake efficiency in contrast with the hard one, indicating great potential for biomedical applications. Taken together, this work reports the controllable synthesis of a soft mesoporous nanorod with high cellular uptake efficiency, providing a vital strategy for the synthesis of non-spherical soft nanoparticles and a new nanoplatform for various biomedical applications in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A stable Cu-based catalyst is fabricated by forming Cu–LaO x interfaces. • LaO x not only improves CO 2 adsorptionbut also enhances the dispersion of Cu NPs. • A CO 2 conversion of 6% with a selectivity of 81.2% to methanol without deterioration for 100 h is achieved. • Intermediates of methoxy and formate species are detected by in situ FTIR. • The formate route is preferable in methanol formation at Cu–LaO x interfaces. The direct hydrogenation of CO 2 to methanol has become a very active research field because CO 2 can be prospectively recycled to mitigate greenhouse effect and store clean synthetic fuels. This reaction can be catalyzed by supported Cu catalysts and the catalysts display strong support or promoter effects. Sintering of Cu species accelerates the separation of Cu–oxide interfaces, reduces the active component, and diminishes the methanol selectivity. In this work, we report a Cu catalyst supported on La-modified SBA-15, where the Cu–LaO x interface is generated through the interaction of highly dispersed Cu nanoparticles with LaO x species bedded into the SBA-15 pore wall. The optimized Cu 1 La 0.2 /SBA-15 catalyst can achieve methanol selectivity up to 81.2% with no deterioration in activity over 100 h on stream compared with the La-free catalyst. A thorough study reveals that La species not only significantly improve the CO 2 adsorption but also enhance Cu dispersion to produce well-dispersed active sites. The H/D exchange experiments show that the methanol synthesis displays a strong thermodynamic isotope effect and the Cu–LaO x interface plays a crucial role for the methanol synthesis rate in CO 2 /D 2 feed. In situ DRIFTS studies reveal that *HCOO and *OCH 3 species are the key intermediates formed during the activation of CO 2 and methanol synthesis over the Cu 1 La 0.2 /SBA-15 catalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, effects of the earth’s curvature and lunar revolution on the performance of the moon-based synthetic aperture radar (SAR) are examined by a comprehensive analysis of the motion-induced Doppler frequency and Doppler rate on which azimuthal imaging relies. The motion effects include the earth’s self-rotation related to the earth’s curvature and lunar revolution around the earth. An extended hyperbolic range equation (EHRE) is proposed in line of the equivalent velocity and equivalent squint angle, and then the signal model based on the EHRE is established to simulate the moon-based SAR image from which the imaging performance is analyzed. Theoretical analyses show that the earth’s curvature is a dominant factor in determining the moon-based SAR’s Doppler and azimuthal resolution. Furthermore, the earth’s curvature distorts the SAR image by way of rotating the azimuth imaging from the cross-range direction within a certain skewed angle. The overall effects of lunar revolution generate a velocity correction factor and a deviate squint angle, which subsequently deteriorate the azimuthal resolution and image focusing. Results also show that effects of the earth’s curvature and lunar revolution are in connection with relative positions of the ground target and moon-based SAR. To this end, numerical simulations using point target response is carried out to accentuate the necessary for taking account of the Doppler error induced by the lunar revolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]