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BACKGROUND: The nursing model of establishing a chemotherapy safety management supervisory group has guaranteed the safety and effectiveness of intravenous chemotherapy while reducing the adverse effects of chemotherapy and improving patient satisfaction and quality of life. OBJECTIVE: To explore the impact of establishing a nursing supervision group on improving the safety management of patients receiving chemotherapy in the oncology department. METHODS: We selected a total of 60 patients who underwent chemotherapy at the oncology department between January and June 2021 and assigned them to the control group. They received conventional chemotherapy safety management nursing care. We selected another 60 patients undergoing chemotherapy in the oncology department between July and December 2021 and assigned them to the observation group. They received a nursing intervention model facilitated by the chemotherapy safety supervision team. We compared the intervention effects in the two groups. RESULTS: Patient satisfaction was significantly higher in the observation group than in the control group (P < 0.05); the incidence of post-chemotherapy nausea and vomiting was significantly lower in the observation group than in the control group (P < 0.05); and the self-rating depression scale (SDS) and self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) scores of patients in the observation group were reduced (P < 0.05) and significantly lower than in the control group (P < 0.05). We used the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-core 30 (EORTC-QLQ-C30) and found a statistically significant difference in the quality of life of patients before the nursing intervention and on the day of discharge (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The establishment of a chemotherapy safety management supervisory group was effective in reducing the incidence of post-chemotherapy nausea and vomiting as well as the patient's psychological burden; it could also improve the quality of life of patients and their satisfaction with nursing care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial contamination poses a serious threat to human health and socioeconomics, and is a major problem for global public health. Herein, we fabricated Ti 3 C 2 T x /ZnONPs composite by using Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation broth to reduce ZnONPs in situ on few-layer Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene after etching and delamination treatment. Antibacterial experiments showed that the Ti 3 C 2 T x /ZnONPs composite exhibited significant antibacterial and antibiofilm activity against both Gram-negative E. coli and Gram-positive S. aureus. Moreover, the exploration of the antibacterial mechanisms demonstrated that Ti 3 C 2 T x /ZnONPs could inhibit and kill bacteria by disrupting bacterial cell wall/membrane, causing leakage of intracellular contents, interfering with metabolism and inducing oxidative stress. The synergistic effect of multiple antibacterial mechanisms can effectively prevent the evolution of resistance. Overall, as a novel inorganic antibacterial material, Ti 3 C 2 T x /ZnONPs composite holds a promising application in the antimicrobial field. [Display omitted] • Ti 3 C 2 T x /ZnONPs were prepared by a green in-situ synthesis method. • Ti 3 C 2 T x /ZnONPs possess excellent broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. • The antibacterial mechanism of Ti 3 C 2 T x /ZnONPs has been explored. • Ti 3 C 2 T x /ZnONPs have good biocompatibility and broad application prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spoof surface plasmons (SSPs) mimic characteristics of optical surface plasmons in microwave and terahertz frequencies. Manipulating SSPs has attracted widespread attention for extending plasmon applications into the low-frequency range. In this Letter, we show that spinning SSPs can be excited on a twisted groove (TG) metallic cylinder by oblique incident waves. The incident angle of waves and the twist angle of the grooves play essential roles in manipulating the propagation orientation and the rotation direction of spinning SSPs (SSSPs). Finally, we discuss an application of the SSSPs in topological photonic systems. By periodically arranging the TG cylinders, we show that this spinning feature will lead to topologically non-trivial bands in such a photonic crystal, where the topologically protected edge modes arise near the boundary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR) holds substantial promise for producing high‐value chemicals and fuels, drawing significant attention from both academia and industry. This work proposes an in‐situ electrodeposition method to prepare indium‐doped copper (Cu)‐based catalysts on carbon paper (Cu100Inx−CP, x=3.9, 4.5, 4.8, 5.1, and 7.6, denoting the molar ratio of In to Cu in the catalyst.). The catalysts Cu100Inx−CP were used for CO2RR to produce multi‐carbon (C2+) products. Characterization results showed that In was highly dispersed in the Cu particles at x<5.1. The Cu100In5.1−CP (containing 0.95 wt % In based on Cu) was very efficient for electrocatalytic CO2RR. The in‐situ Raman spectroscopy showed that Cu100In5.1−CP enhanced *CO intermediate adsorption and promoted the production of C2+ products due to the synergistic effect between In and Cu. In doping could suppress HER, enhanced *CO intermediate adsorption, and C−C coupling for the production of C2+ products in CO2RR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the supplier–retailer–consumer system, the retailer's replenishment and pricing strategies impact the entire transaction process, forming a comprehensive trading market. Suppliers offer advance-cash-credit payments to retailers, while retailers provide customers with cash-credit payment options. In the current health-conscious consumer market, purchasing decisions are influenced not only by commodity prices but also by the freshness of products, particularly perishable goods. Growing awareness of climate change and the advent of carbon emission policies have raised concerns about the environmental costs of business transactions. This study focuses on perishable products whose demand is influenced by both price and freshness. It explores the adoption of various payment methods by suppliers and retailers, as well as the impact of carbon emission cap-and-trade policies or carbon tax policies on management and pricing strategies. Suitable inventory models are established to determine the optimal replenishment and pricing strategies for maximizing the current value of total profit. We illustrate that the current value of total profit demonstrates joint concavity concerning both the selling price and the replenishment time. Finally, we verify the proposed models using numerical examples and present the findings of sensitivity analyses. The findings of this study yield several valuable insights for inventory management of perishable goods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The large-scale ingot of the 7xxx-series aluminum alloys fabricated by direct chill (DC) casting often suffers from foundry defects such as cracks and cold shut due to the formidable challenges in the precise controlling of casting parameters. In this manuscript, by using the integrated computational method combining numerical simulations with machine learning, we systematically estimated the evolution of multi-physical fields and grain structures during the solidification processes. The numerical simulation results quantified the influences of key casting parameters including pouring temperature, casting speed, primary cooling intensity, and secondary cooling water flow rate on the shape of the mushy zone, heat transport, residual stress, and grain structure of DC casting ingots. Then, based on the data of numerical simulations, we established a novel model for the relationship between casting parameters and solidification characteristics through machine learning. By comparing it with experimental measurements, the model showed reasonable accuracy in predicting the sump profile, microstructure evolution, and solidification kinetics under the complicated influences of casting parameters. The integrated computational method and predicting model could be used to efficiently and accurately determine the DC casting parameters to decrease the casting defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the differences in the anti-oxidant capabilities and related gene expressions of six-month-old Hu sheep with different testis sizes. A total of 201 Hu ram lambs were fed up to 6 months in the same environment. Based on their testis weight and sperm count, 18 individuals were selected and divided into large (n = 9) and small (n = 9) groups, with an average testis weight of 158.67 g ± 5.21 g and 44.58 g ± 4.14 g, respectively. The total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in testis tissue were tested. The localization of antioxidant-related genes, GPX3 and Cu/ZnSOD in testis were detected by immunohistochemistry. The GPX3, Cu/ZnSOD expression, and relative mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number were detected by quantitative real-time PCR. Compared with the small group, the T-AOC (2.69 ± 0.47 vs. 1.16 ± 0.22 U/mgprot) and T-SOD (22.35 ± 2.59 vs. 9.92 ± 1.62 U/mgprot) in the large group were significantly higher, whereas the MDA (0.72 ± 0.13 vs. 1.34 ± 0.17 nM/mgprot) and relative mtDNA copy number in the large group was significantly lower (p <.05). Immunohistochemistry results indicated that the GPX3 and Cu/ZnSOD were expressed in Leydig cells and seminiferous tubule. The expressions of GPX3 and Cu/ZnSOD mRNA in the large group were significantly higher than those in the small group (p <.05). In conclusion, Cu/ZnSOD and GPX3 widely expressed in the Leydig cells and seminiferous tubule, high expression of Cu/ZnSOD and GPX3 in a large group has a higher potential in addressing oxidative stress and contribute to spermatogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ovarian remnant syndrome (ORS) is a rare complication that occurs after oophorectomy, characterized by residual ovarian tissue causing pelvic pain, masses, and various symptoms. The clinical manifestations of ORS are nonspecific, and its diagnosis relies on histological examination. Since ORS typically represents a benign ovarian lesion, there have been few reported cases of malignant transformation. In this report, we presented a unique case of ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) arising from an ovarian remnant following salpingo-oophorectomy. Case presentation: Our patient was a 47-year-old female initially diagnosed with uterine myoma. She had previously undergone cesarean section and unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Transvaginal ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) scans revealed a soft tissue mass adjacent to the right lateral wall of the myometrium. The patient opted for transabdominal hysterectomy, left adnexal resection, laparoscopic omentectomy, appendectomy, and pelvic and abdominal lymphadenectomy. The final pathology results confirmed the diagnosis of OCCC, consistent with ORS. The patient subsequently received six cycles of intravenous chemotherapy using the carboplatin/paclitaxel (TC) regimen (paclitaxel liposomes 175 mg/m², carboplatin AUC 5). After 3 years of follow-up, the patient's condition remained normal. Conclusion: ORS can significantly impact patients' quality of life and pose challenges for clinicians. Complete excision of ovarian tissue during the initial surgery is crucial in preventing ORS recurrence and potential malignant transformation of ovarian remnants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce the error induced by overfitting or underfitting in predicting non-invasive fasting blood glucose (NIBG) levels using photoplethysmography (PPG) data alone, we previously demonstrated that incorporating HbA1c led to a notable 10% improvement in NIBG prediction accuracy (the ratio in zone A of Clarke's error grid). However, this enhancement came at the cost of requiring an additional HbA1c measurement, thus being unfriendly to users. In this study, the enhanced HbA1c NIBG deep learning model (blood glucose level predicted from PPG and HbA1c) was trained with 1494 measurements, and we replaced the HbA1c measurement (explicit HbA1c) with "implicit HbA1c" which is reversely derived from pretested PPG and finger-pricked blood glucose levels. The implicit HbA1c is then evaluated across intervals up to 90 days since the pretest, achieving an impressive 87% accuracy, while the remaining 13% falls near the CEG zone A boundary. The implicit HbA1c approach exhibits a remarkable 16% improvement over the explicit HbA1c method by covering personal correction items automatically. This improvement not only refines the accuracy of the model but also enhances the practicality of the previously proposed model that relied on an HbA1c input. The nonparametric Wilcoxon paired test conducted on the percentage error of implicit and explicit HbA1c prediction results reveals a substantial difference, with a p-value of 2.75 × 10–7. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatiotemporal evolutions of a one-dimensional collisionless decaying plasma bounded by two electrodes with an externally applied electrostatic field are studied by theoretical analyses and particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations with the ion extraction process in a laser-induced plasma as the major research background. Based on the theoretical analyses, the transport process of the charged particles including electrons and ions can be divided into three stages: electron oscillation and ion matrix sheath extraction stage, sheath expansion and ion rarefaction wave propagation stage and the plasma collapse stage, and the corresponding criterion for each stage is also presented. Consequently, a complete analytical model is established for describing the ion extraction flux at each stage during the decaying of the laser-induced plasmas under an electrostatic field, which is also validated by the PIC modeling results. Based on this analytical model, influences of the key physical parameters, including the initial electron temperature and number density, plasma width and the externally applied electric voltage, on the ratio of the extracted ions are predicted. The calculated results show that a higher applied electric potential, smaller initial plasma number density and plasma width lead to a higher ratio of the extracted ions during the first stage; while in this stage, the initial electron temperature shows little effect on it. Meanwhile, more ions will be extracted before the plasma collapse once a higher electric potential is applied. The theoretical model presented in this paper is helpful not only for a deep understanding to the charged particle transport mechanisms for a bounded decaying plasma under an applied electrostatic field, but also for an optimization of the ion extraction process in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-scale learning frameworks have been regarded as a capable class of models to boost semantic segmentation. The problem nevertheless is not trivial especially for the real-world deployments, which often demand high efficiency in inference latency. In this paper, we thoroughly analyze the design of convolutional blocks (the type of convolutions and the number of channels in convolutions), and the ways of interactions across multiple scales, all from lightweight standpoint for semantic segmentation. With such in-depth comparisons, we conclude three principles, and accordingly devise Lightweight and Progressively-Scalable Networks (LPS-Net) that novelly expands the network complexity in a greedy manner. Technically, LPS-Net first capitalizes on the principles to build a tiny network. Then, LPS-Net progressively scales the tiny network to larger ones by expanding a single dimension (the number of convolutional blocks, the number of channels, or the input resolution) at one time to meet the best speed/accuracy tradeoff. Extensive experiments conducted on three datasets consistently demonstrate the superiority of LPS-Net over several efficient semantic segmentation methods. More remarkably, our LPS-Net achieves 73.4% mIoU on Cityscapes test set, with the speed of 413.5FPS on an NVIDIA GTX 1080Ti, leading to a performance improvement by 1.5% and a 65% speed-up against the state-of-the-art STDC. Code is available at https://github.com/YihengZhang-CV/LPS-Net. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graph theory can be used to address problems with complex network structures. Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) involve complex abnormal connections between chambers, vessels, and organs. We proposed a new method to represent CHDs based on graph theory, wherein vertices were defined as the spaces through which blood flows and edges were defined by the blood flow between the spaces and direction of the blood flow. The CHDs of tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) and transposition of the great arteries (TGA) were selected as examples for constructing directed graphs and binary adjacency matrices. Patients with totally repaired TOF, surgically corrected d-TGA, and Fontan circulation undergoing four-dimensional (4D) flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were included as examples for constructing the weighted adjacency matrices. The directed graphs and binary adjacency matrices of the normal heart, extreme TOF undergoing a right modified Blalock–Taussig shunt, and d-TGA with a ventricular septal defect were constructed. The weighted adjacency matrix of totally repaired TOF was constructed using the peak velocities obtained from 4D flow MRI. The developed method is promising for representing CHDs and may be helpful in developing artificial intelligence and conducting future research on CHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The leverage of large volumes of web videos paired with the query (short phrase for searching the video) or surrounding text (long textual description, e.g., video title) offers an economic and extensible alternative to supervised video representation learning. Nevertheless, modeling such weakly visual-textual connection is not trivial due to query polysemy (i.e., many possible meanings for a query) and text isomorphism (i.e., same syntactic structure of different text). In this paper, we introduce a new design of mutual calibration between query and text to achieve more reliable visual-textual supervision for video representation learning. Specifically, we present Bi-Calibration Networks (BCN) that novelly couples two calibrations to learn the correction from text to query and vice versa. Technically, BCN executes clustering on all the titles of the videos searched by an identical query and takes the centroid of each cluster as a text prototype. All the queries constitute the query set. The representation learning of BCN is then formulated as video classification over text prototypes and queries, with text-to-query and query-to-text calibrations. A selection scheme is also devised to balance the two calibrations. Two large-scale web video datasets paired with query and title, named YOVO-3M and YOVO-10M, are newly collected for weakly-supervised video feature learning. The video features of BCN with ResNet backbone learnt on YOVO-3M (3M YouTube videos) obtain superior results under linear protocol on action recognition. More remarkably, BCN trained on the larger set of YOVO-10M (10M YouTube videos) with further fine-tuning leads to 1.3% gain in top-1 accuracy on Kinetics-400 dataset over the state-of-the-art TAda2D method with ImageNet pre-training. Source code and datasets are available at https://github.com/FuchenUSTC/BCN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particle shape and surface roughness affect both the macro- and micro-mechanical behaviour of natural sands. In geotechnical practice, the global shape of sands is generally characterized by visual comparison to reference charts or by static image analysis with a limited number of particles. Meanwhile, due to the difficulty in measuring surface roughness of sand grains, it is usually ignored in the quantification of particle morphology. In this study, the global shape of four types of natural sand, Leighton Buzzard sand (LBS), beach sand (BS), carbonate sand (CS), and completely decomposed granite soil (CDG), was measured by a dynamic particle shape analyser, and quantified using three parameters, i.e., aspect ratio, sphericity and convexity. The influence of mineralogy, depositional environment, and particle size on the global shape has been thoroughly discussed. Among the four sands, the shape descriptors of LBS are the highest, indicating the most spherical and rounded shape, because of the aqueous traction transportation. The sphericity of CDG increases with decreasing particle size due to the abrasion or collapsing of asperities of coarser particles under subsequent weathering. The surface roughness of LBS, BS and CS was successfully measured by an optical interferometer, and quantitatively characterized by the flattened root-mean square roughness (RMSf). The RMSf of particles with different mineralogy and sizes all tends to be stable at relatively larger size of field of view. Among the tested granular materials, the surface of CS particles is the roughest and most variable, and the finer the CS particles, the rougher the surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking as bioinspiration the remarkable acoustic absorption properties of moth wings, we develop a simple analytical model that describes the interaction between acoustic pressure fields, and thin elastic plates incorporating resonant sub-structures. The moth wing is an exemplar of a natural acoustic metamaterial; the wings are deeply subwavelength in thickness at the frequencies of interest, the absorption is broadband and the tiny scales resonate on the moth wing acting in concert. The simplified model incorporates only the essential physics and the scales are idealized to flat rigid rectangular plates coupled via a spring to an elastic plate that forms the wing; all the components are deep-subwavelength at desired frequencies. Based on Fourier analysis, complemented by phenomenological modelling, our theory shows excellent agreement with simulation mimicking the moth-wing structure. Moth wings operate as broadband sound absorbers employing a range of scale sizes. We demonstrate that a random distribution of scale sizes generates a broadband absorption spectrum. To further illustrate the potential of the model, we design a deeply sub-wavelength acoustic counterpart of electromagnetically induced reflectance. This article is part of the theme issue 'Wave generation and transmission in multi-scale complex media and structured metamaterials (part 2)'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addition to the significant role in physical activity, skeletal muscle also contributes to health through the storage and use of macronutrients associated with energy homeostasis. However, the mechanisms of regulating integrated metabolism in skeletal muscle are not well-defined. Here, we compared the skeletal muscle transcriptome from obese and lean control subjects in different species (human and mouse) and found that interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4), an inflammation-immune transcription factor, conservatively increased in obese subjects. Thus, we investigated whether IRF4 gain of function in the skeletal muscle predisposed to obesity and insulin resistance. Conversely, mice with specific IRF4 loss in skeletal muscle showed protection against the metabolic effects of high-fat diet, increased branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) level of serum and muscle, and reprogrammed metabolome in serum. Mechanistically, IRF4 could transcriptionally upregulate mitochondrial branched-chain aminotransferase (BCATm) expression; subsequently, the enhanced BCATm could counteract the effects caused by IRF4 deletion. Furthermore, we demonstrated that IRF4 ablation in skeletal muscle enhanced mitochondrial activity, BCAA, and fatty acid oxidation in a BCATm-dependent manner. Taken together, these studies, for the first time, established IRF4 as a novel metabolic driver of macronutrients via BCATm in skeletal muscle in terms of diet-induced obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To obtain additional insight into the genetic factors of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). First, we performed a transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) integrating human cerebellum-specific variant-expression/splicing correlations to identify ADHD susceptibility genes. Then, the associations between expression/splicing quantitative trait loci (eQTLs/sQTLs) of the transcriptome-wide significant genes and ADHD were observed in a case-control study of Han Chinese children. Furthermore, dual luciferase reporter gene assays were performed to validate the regulatory function of ADHD risk variants. Additionally, the transcription level of target genes in blood was detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assay. TWAS identified that the genetically regulated expression of MANBA in the cerebellum was significantly associated with ADHD risk. Furthermore, we observed a higher risk of ADHD and more severe clinical symptoms in subjects harbouring heterozygous (TC) or mutant homozygous (TT) genotypes of MANBA rs1054037 than CC carriers. The dual luciferase reporter gene assay revealed that the mutation of rs1054037(C > T) potentially upregulated MANBA expression by eliminating the binding site for hsa-miR-5591-3P. Finally, RT-qPCR showed that MANBA expression in blood samples of patients was significantly higher than that of controls. Taken together, these results suggest a role of MANBA in the development of ADHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial infections pose a serious threat to human health and socioeconomics worldwide. In the post-antibiotic era, the development of novel antimicrobial agents remains a challenge. Polyphenols are natural compounds with a variety of biological activities such as intrinsic antimicrobial activity and antioxidant properties. Metal-polyphenol obtained by chelation of polyphenol ligands with metal ions not only possesses efficient antimicrobial activity but also excellent biocompatibility, which has great potential for application in biomedical and food packaging fields. Herein, we developed metal-polyphenol coordination nanosheets named copper oxidized tannic acid quinone (CuTAQ) possessing efficient antibacterial and anti-biofilm effects, which was synthesized by a facile one-pot method. The synthesis was achieved by chelation of partially oxidized tannic acid (TA) with Cu2+ under mild conditions, which supports low-cost and large-scale production. It was demonstrated that CuTAQ exhibited high antibacterial activity via disrupting the integrity of bacterial cell membranes, inducing oxidative stress, and interfering with metabolism. In addition, CuTAQ exhibits excellent peroxidase catalytic activity and photothermal conversion properties, which play a significant role in enhancing its bactericidal and biofilm scavenging abilities. This study provides insights for rational design of innovative metal-polyphenol nanomaterials with efficient antimicrobial properties. • Metal-polyphenol nanosheets (CuTAQ) were prepared by a facile one-pot method. • CuTAQ possesses excellent peroxidase-like and photothermal properties. • CuTAQ significantly killed bacteria and eradicated biofilms at low concentrations. • The antibacterial mechanisms of CuTAQ against bacteria were explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Advances in MOF-based antibacterial hydrogels using different preparation methods. • The cross-linking mechanisms of MOF-based hydrogels are described. • The potential antibacterial mechanisms of MOFs against bacteria are elucidated. • Future challenges and directions of MOF-based hydrogels are highlighted. In response to the global risks posed by bacterial infections, especially drug-resistant bacteria, tremendous efforts have been devoted to develop new antibacterial materials with multi-component/multi-mechanism synergistic effects. In recent decades, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and hydrogel, which are both advanced materials that have attracted extensive attention due to their remarkable superiority, can be employed in combination to integrate their benefits and remedy respective drawbacks. Multiple selectivity of components and flexible designability of structures endow the MOF-based hydrogels with versatility, including efficient antibacterial ability, diverse bioactivity and improved biocompatibility, which have exhibited extraordinary potential in the antibacterial field. In this review, the synthesis, antibacterial mechanisms and applications of MOF-based antibacterial hydrogels are systematically described. We argue that understanding the antibacterial mechanisms of materials as well as the defense mechanisms of bacteria is crucial for the development of novel antibacterial materials and for minimizing resistance evolution. Furthermore, future research initiatives and remaining challenges are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We mainly study the nonexistence of quasi-harmonic spheres and harmonic spheres into spheres of any dimension which omits a neighbourhood of totally geodesic submanifold of co-dimension 2. We will show that such target admits no quasi-harmonic spheres and harmonic spheres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surfaces of soil grains are not perfectly smooth, especially examined at small scale. In geotechnical engineering, surface roughness has been found to be able to influence the inter-particle friction angle at micro scale and small-strain stiffness at macro scale. However, the quantity and quality of the studies on surface roughness of natural soils are still limited. In this study, the evolution of surface roughness of natural sand grains with increasing normal load was investigated by a single-particle compression apparatus. Thirty Leighton Buzzard sand (LBS) grains coarser than 2·36 mm were tested, and the surface roughness was measured before and after compression by an optical interferometer. The deformations of the asperities and of the bulk of the sand grains in the vicinity of the contact were mapped. Three stages were identified as the normal load increased: (a) plastic deformation of the asperities; (b) asperities and bulk plastic deformation; and (c) bulk only plastic deformation. At very small normal load, only the asperities were found to deform plastically, and the surface roughness of the sand grains decreases due to the flattening of the asperities. Within this regime, the load–displacement relationship of LBS grains under compression could be simulated by the modified Hertz model, which takes surface roughness into consideration. With increasing normal load, the bulk of the sand grains began to yield near the contact. The geometry of the surfaces of LBS grains in contact with the loading platen is the main factor that influences the plastic deformation of the bulk. Differently from the plastic deformation of the asperities, the plastic deformation of the bulk could both smoothen and roughen the surfaces. When plastic deformation of the bulk occurred, both Hertz and modified Hertz theory could not predict the load and displacement relationship of sand grains. Through analysing the cumulative distributions of surface roughness of 30 LBS grains at different normal loads by the Weibull function, the surface roughness was found to decrease dramatically with increasing normal load at first and then tended to be constant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myocardial fibrosis is the main morphological change of ventricular remodelling caused by cardiovascular diseases, mainly manifested due to the excessive production of collagen proteins. SRY-related high mobility group-box gene 9 (SOX9) is a new target regulating myocardial fibrosis. Bellidifolin (BEL), the active component of G. acuta, can prevent heart damage. However, it is unclear whether BEL can regulate SOX9 to alleviate myocardial fibrosis. The mice were subjected to isoproterenol (ISO) to establish myocardial fibrosis, and human myocardial fibroblasts (HCFs) were activated by TGF-β1 in the present study. The pathological changes of cardiac tissue were observed by HE staining. Masson staining was applied to reveal the collagen deposition in the heart. The measurement for expression of fibrosis-related proteins, SOX9, and TGF-β1 signalling molecules adopted Western blot and immunohistochemistry. The effects of BEL on HCFs, activity were detected by CCK-8. The result showed that BEL did not affect cell viability. And, the data indicated that BEL inhibited the elevations in α-SMA, Collagen I, and Collagen III by decreasing SOX9 expression. Additionally, SOX9 suppression by siRNA downregulated the TGF-β1 expression and prevented Smad3 phosphorylation, as supported by reducing the expression of α-SMA, Collagen I, and Collagen III. In vivo study verified that BEL ameliorated myocardial fibrosis by inhibiting SOX9. Therefore, BEL inhibited SOX9 to block TGF-β1 signalling activation to ameliorate myocardial fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative stress damages the structure of sperm and affects its fertility. Further maturation and storage of spermatozoa occur in the epididymis. Thus, a balanced environment between free-radical production and the antioxidant–enzyme system is important. This study aimed to investigate differences in antioxidative activity in epididymis between high and low fertility levels of Hu sheep. A total of 179 Hu ram lambs aged 56 days were fed up to 6 months in the same environment. After feeding trial, all rams were slaughtered. According to the epididymis weight, cauda sperm concentration, and histo-morphological observation, 18 individuals were selected and divided into low fertility (n = 9) and high fertility (n = 9) groups. The RNA sequencing results showed 1404 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), with 735 genes upregulated and 669 genes downregulated in the high fertility group compared with the low fertility group. Sixteen DEGs related to lipid metabolism and oxidative stress, including GPX3 , GPX5 , LRP1 , PLCB1 , CRISP2 , BSPH1 , and ACSBG1 , were screened by qPCR, and results were correlated well with the sequencing data. Antioxidative indices such as total antioxidant capacity (21.29 ± 5.97 vs. 30.23 ± 4.56 μM/gprot) and glutathione peroxidase (39.75 ± 7.61 vs. 68.84 ± 12.51 U/mgprot) increased in the high fertility group. However, the relative expression of mtDNA and malondialdehyde concentration (0.75 ± 0.15 vs. 0.54 ± 0.10 nmol/mgprot) and the reactive oxygen species (ROS) content significantly decreased (P < 0.05). Therefore, epididymis from high-fertility group had strong antioxidative activity and protected spermatozoa from ROS. [Display omitted] • The diameter of epididymal ducts was increased in epididymis with high fertility of Hu sheep. • RNA-Seq detected differences in epididymis cauda transcriptome. • There were 1404 differentially expressed genes between the high fertility and low fertility groups. • The genes affecting lipid metabolism and sperm maturation were screened out. • Epididymis from high fertility group had strong antioxidative activity, protecting spermatozoa from reactive oxygen species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myocyte enhancer factor 2C (MEF2C) is associated with hyperactivity and might be a novel risk gene for susceptibility to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Therefore, this study aimed to explore the association between MEF2C genetic variants and ADHD in the Chinese Han population. A total of 215 patients with ADHD and 233 controls were recruited for this study. The Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham version IV questionnaire was used to evaluate the clinical features of ADHD. In silico analysis was used to annotate the biological functions of the promising single nucleotide polymorphisms. Our findings indicated that MEF2C rs587490 was significantly associated with ADHD in the multiplicative model (OR = 0.640, p = 0.002). Participants with the rs587490 TT allele exhibited less hyperactivity/impulsivity than those with the rs587490 CC allele. Furthermore, the expression quantitative trait loci analysis suggested that rs587490 could regulate the gene expression of MEF2C in the hippocampus, putamen, thalamus, and frontal white matter. Our study concluded that the MEF2C rs587490 T allele is significantly associated with a reduced risk of ADHD in the Chinese Han population, which provides new insight into the genetic etiology of ADHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The genetic factors of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are far from fully elucidated. This study aims to get additional insight into the genetic structure of ADHD.Methods: First, a transcriptome-wide association study and summary data-based Mendelian randomization analysis were performed to identify ADHD susceptibility genes. Then, genetic variants influencing the expression of the identified susceptibility genes were tested for association with ADHD risk in a sample of Han Chinese children (543 cases and 560 controls). Dual-luciferase reporter gene assays and electrophoretic mobility shift assays were performed to verify the transcriptional regulatory functions of the identified ADHD-associated variants. Additionally, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was applied to quantify the expression levels of target genes in blood samples.Results: Both TIE1 and MED8 were identified as ADHD susceptibility genes. Furthermore, we first found the G allele of rs3768046 was significantly associated with an increased risk of ADHD (recessive model: GG vs AA+AG, OR= 1.659, 95% CI= (1.262, 2.181); additive model: GG vs GA vs AA, OR= 1.493, 95% CI= (1.179, 1.890)). Additionally, in vitro functional experiments revealed that rs3768046 might alter TIE1 expression by affecting the binding sites of transcription factors. Moreover, the expression level of TIE1 in the blood samples of patients was significantly higher than that of controls.Limitations: Given the moderate statistical power of this study, it is necessary to verify our findings in other larger samples.Conclusions: Together, this study presents the first systematic evidence of TIE1 with potential implications for the genetic basis of ADHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microbial induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) technique has been shown to immobilize a wide range of heavy metals. However, the MICP process for removing uranium-dominated composite heavy metals ignores the formation of substances such as uranyl carbonate, which can easily lead to uranium migration. Furthermore, the by-product ammonia is one of the bottlenecks limiting the application of MICP. In this work, the microbially induced struvite precipitation (MISP) method was used to enhance U immobilization while reducing by-product contamination. The results showed that the optimal uranium removal rate of the MISP process was increased by 82.98% compared to the MICP. Characterization results confirmed the co-precipitation of U with NH 4 + in the form of uramphite and struvite, while the participation of U changed the mineral crystal shape. Stability experiments showed that the maximum release of U from struvite was only 1.27%, which is much lower than the minimum release of U from CaCO 3. As a result, the MISP process both enhanced uranium immobilization efficiency, decreased the risk of uranium migration-release, and reduced the environmental impact of the by-product ammonia. These results provided a new perspective for studying U contamination remediation and its co-precipitation behavior in microbial mineralization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We measured the expression of the histone demethylase lysine-specific demethylase 5B (KDM5B) in the bowels of patients with Hirschsprung's disease (HSCR) and investigated the molecular mechanism by which KDM5B promotes the migration of neuronal PC12 cells. Methods: KDM5B expression was detected in the ganglionic and aganglionic colon of patients with HSCR (n = 10) and controls (n = 10). The expression and localization of KDM5B were assessed using immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence staining. Real-time PCR and Western blotting were performed to quantify KDM5B expression. The migration was determined using Transwell and wound-healing assays. G-LISA, GTPase pulldown and luciferase-based reporter gene assays were performed to evaluate the key components of Wnt/planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling in vitro. Results: Our current study showed that KDM5B colocalized with neurons. KDM5B expression was reduced in HSCR specimens, while the aganglionic segments showed the greatest reduction. KDM5B knockdown inhibited the migration of PC12 cells. Moreover, inhibition of KDM5B decreased the expression of key genes in the Wnt/PCP pathway, and its inhibitory effect on PC12 cell migration was reversed by Wnt5a treatment. Conclusions: KDM5B promotes neuronal migration via the Wnt/PCP pathway. A potential role for KDM5B in altered enteric nervous system development in HSCR warrants further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human microbiome is expected to be a new and promising tool for classification of human epithelial materials. Vaginal fluids are one of the most common biological samples in forensic sexual assault cases, and its identification is crucial to accurately determine the nature of the case. With the development of molecular biology technologies, the concept of vaginal microflora in different physiological states, ethnic groups, and geography is constantly improved. In this study, we conducted high-throughput sequencing of the V3–V4 hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA gene in vaginal samples from Henan, Guangdong, and Xinjiang populations, in an attempt to reveal more information about the vaginal microflora in different regions. The results showed that the bio-geographical factors might affect the relative abundance of some vaginal microflora, but there was no significant difference in the composition of dominant bacteria in the vagina, which was mainly composed of Lactobacillus and Gardnerella. However, prediction models based on the random forest algorithm suggested that we might be able to distinguish vaginal fluids from populations of different regions according to the species-level OTUs in low abundance. It is promising that microbiome-based methods could provide more personal information when being attempted to trace the origin of body fluids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a novel bidirectional isolated dc–dc converter with high voltage gain and wide input voltage, which can be applied to bidirectional power conversion systems. The proposed topology is composed of a bidirectional buck-boost converter and a forward-flyback converter; it has the advantage of higher voltage gain and has continuous current characteristic of the low-side port in step-up and step-down mode. In addition, the proposed topology also has the function of leakage inductance energy recovery, which can improve the efficiency of the converter, reduce the voltage surges on switches, and have the characteristics of zero voltage switching on certain switches. Finally, this paper implements a 500-W bidirectional dc–dc converter to verify the feasibility of the proposed topology. The low-side voltage of the proposed topology is 24, 48, and 55 V; the maximum efficiency in step-up mode are 94.2%, 95.6% and 96.9%, and the maximum efficiency are 92.6%, 94.2% and 94.5% in the step-down mode, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to establish anti-Mullerian hormone age-specific reference intervals and determine the correlation between the anti-Mullerian hormone concentration and age, body mass index and concentrations of follicle-stimulating hormones and luteinizing hormone in healthy Chinese girls. Methods: Serum anti-Mullerian hormone concentrations of 1702 healthy girls (0−12 years), recruited between March 2018 and December 2019, were determined using the Beckman Access 2 automated chemiluminescence immunoassay. Single-year-specific medians of anti-Mullerian hormone and effects of age, body mass index, follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone on anti-Mullerian hormone concentration were analysed. Results: The anti-Mullerian hormone median level continued increasing from birth, reached its peak at age 9 at 4.45 ng/mL (interquartile range [IQR] 2.58–6.90) and then gradually decreased. At age 12, the median reached 1.98 ng/mL (IQR 1.05–3.46). Age-specific reference intervals for anti-Mullerian hormone were established in healthy Chinese girls aged 0–12 years. Anti-Mullerian hormone concentrations showed a moderately positive correlation with age (r = 0.33, P < 0.001). In contrast, follicle-stimulating hormone (r = –0.29, P < 0.001) concentrations were weakly negatively correlated with the serum anti-Mullerian hormone concentration. Conclusion: We established single-year-specific reference intervals for anti-Mullerian hormone in Chinese girls using the Beckman chemiluminescent platform. This reference range can help clinicians accurately understand anti-Mullerian hormone secretion in healthy girls and promote its clinical use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A porous molecular crystal (PMC) assembled by macrocyclic cyclotetrabenzoin acetate is an efficient adsorbent for CO2 separations. The 7.1×7.1 Å square pore of PMC and its ester C=O groups play important roles in improving its affinity for CO2 molecules. The benzene walls of macrocycle engage in an apparent [π⋅⋅⋅π] interaction with the molecule of CO2 at low pressure. In addition, the polar carbonyl groups pointing inward the square channels reduce the size of aperture to a 5.0×5.0 Å square, which offers kinetic selectivity for CO2 capture. The PMC features water tolerance and high structural stability under vacuum and various gas adsorption conditions, which are rare among intrinsically porous organic molecules. Most importantly, the moderate adsorbate‐adsorbent interaction allows the PMC to be readily regenerated, and therefore applied to pressure swing adsorption processes. The eluted N2 and CH4 are obtained with over 99.9 % and 99.8 % purity, respectively, and the separation performance is stable for 30 cycles. Coupled with its easy synthesis, cyclotetrabenzoin acetate is a promising adsorbent for CO2 separations from flue and natural gases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A porous molecular crystal (PMC) assembled by macrocyclic cyclotetrabenzoin acetate is an efficient adsorbent for CO2 separations. The 7.1×7.1 Å square pore of PMC and its ester C=O groups play important roles in improving its affinity for CO2 molecules. The benzene walls of macrocycle engage in an apparent [π⋅⋅⋅π] interaction with the molecule of CO2 at low pressure. In addition, the polar carbonyl groups pointing inward the square channels reduce the size of aperture to a 5.0×5.0 Å square, which offers kinetic selectivity for CO2 capture. The PMC features water tolerance and high structural stability under vacuum and various gas adsorption conditions, which are rare among intrinsically porous organic molecules. Most importantly, the moderate adsorbate‐adsorbent interaction allows the PMC to be readily regenerated, and therefore applied to pressure swing adsorption processes. The eluted N2 and CH4 are obtained with over 99.9 % and 99.8 % purity, respectively, and the separation performance is stable for 30 cycles. Coupled with its easy synthesis, cyclotetrabenzoin acetate is a promising adsorbent for CO2 separations from flue and natural gases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We studied the stationary probability density and SR in a tumor growth model. • The model under the excitation of Lévy noise and Gaussian white noise. • Both kinds of noise can give rise to a noise-induced transition of the system. • The effect of Gaussian white noise on SNR is different from that of Lévy noise. The stationary probability density and stochastic resonance phenomenon of a tumor growth model under the excitation of Lévy noise and Gaussian white noise are investigated in this paper. The fourth-order Runge-Kutta method and the Janick-Weron algorithm are used to simulate the stationary probability density. Meanwhile, the signal-to-noise ratio(SNR) is studied as a function of Lévy noise intensity and Gaussian white noise intensity by numerical simulation respectively. The results indicate that: (i)both Lévy and Gaussian noise sources give rise to noise-induced transitions for the system, with a peculiarity that smaller stability indexα and Lévy noise intensity D enhance the likelihood of tumor cell death; (ii)both noise parameters and system parameters can induce the occurrence of stochastic resonance. However, the effect of Gaussian white noise on SNR is different from that of Lévy noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Germ cell-specific genes play an important role in establishing the reproductive system in sexual organisms and have been used as valuable markers for studying gametogenesis and sex differentiation. Previously, we isolated a vasa transcript as a germ cell marker to trace the origin and migration of germ cells in the oriental river prawn Macrobrachium nipponense. Here, we identified a new germ cell-specific marker MnTdrd RNA and assessed its temporal and spatial expression during oogenesis and embryogenesis. MnTdrd transcripts were expressed in high abundance in unfertilized eggs and embryos at cleavage stage and then dropped significantly during late embryogenesis, suggesting that MnTdrd mRNA is maternally inherited. In situ hybridization of ovarian tissue showed that MnTdrd mRNA was initially present in the cytoplasm of previtellogenic oocyte and localized to the perinuclear region as the accumulation of yolk in vitellogenic oocyte. Whole-mount in situ hybridization of embryos showed that MnTdrd-positive signals were only localized in one blastomere until 16-cell stage. In the blastula, there were approximately 16 MnTdrd-positive blastomeres. During embryonized-zoea stage, the MnTdrd-positive cells aggregated as a cluster and migrated to the genital rudiment which would develop into primordial germ cells (PGCs). The localized expression pattern of MnTdrd transcripts resembled that of the previously identified germ cell marker vasa, supporting the preformation mode of germ cell specification. Therefore, we concluded that MnTdrd, together with vasa, is a component of the germ plasm and might have critical roles in germ cell formation and differentiation in the prawn. Thus, MnTdrd can be used as a novel germ cell marker to trace the origin and migration of germ cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let R = 𝔽 q + u 𝔽 q , where q is a power of a prime number p and u 2 = 0. A triple cyclic code of length (r , s , t) over R is a set that can be partitioned into three parts that any cyclic shift of the coordinates of the three parts leaves the code invariant. These codes can be viewed as R [ x ] -submodules of R [ x ] / 〈 x r − 1 〉 × R [ x ] / 〈 x s − 1 〉 × R [ x ] / 〈 x t − 1 〉. In this paper, we study the generator polynomials and the minimum generating sets of this kind of codes. Some optimal or almost optimal linear codes are obtained from this family of codes. We present the relationship between the generators of triple cyclic codes and their duals. As a special class of triple cyclic codes, separable codes over R are discussed briefly in the end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyanide extraction dominates the gold smelting industry, which leads to the generation of large amounts of cyanide-containing wastewater. In this study, Aneurinibacillus tyrosinisolvens strain named JK-1 was used for cyanide wastewater biodegradation. First, we tested the performance of JK-1 in degrading cyanide under different conditions. Then, we screened metabolic compounds and pathways associated with cyanide degradation by JK-1. Finally, we explored the potential JK-1–mediated cyanide degradation pathway. Our results showed that the optimal pH and temperature for cyanide biodegradation were 7.0 and 30 °C, respectively; under these conditions, a degradation rate of >98% was achieved within 48 h. Untargeted metabolomics results showed that increased cyanide concentration decreased the abundance of metabolic compounds by 71.1% but upregulated 32 metabolic pathways. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment results revealed significant changes in amino acid metabolism pathways during cyanide degradation by JK-1, including cyanoamino acid metabolism, β-alanine metabolism, and glutamate metabolism. Differential metabolic compounds included acetyl-CoA, l -asparagine, l -glutamic acid, l -phenylalanine, and l -glutamine. These results confirmed that cyanide degradation by JK-1 occurs through amino acid assimilation. This study provides new insights into the mechanism of cyanide biodegradation, which can be applied in the treatment of cyanide wastewater or tailings. [Display omitted] • Screening of a cyanide degrading bacterial strain from cyanide tailings. • Optimal conditions for bacterial degradation of cyanide were determined. • A potential metabolic mechanism for cyanide degradation by bacteria was revealed. • Cyanide metabolism by JK-1 bacteria through amino acid assimilation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mega reclamation projects have been undertaken on the coral reefs. However, research on the geotechnical properties of the hydraulically filled carbonate sand is limited, and the impact of the initial fabrics from different densification methods on the mechanical behaviour of carbonate sand remains unclear. In this work, a systematic experimental investigation on the effect of initial fabric induced by sample preparation method on the mechanical behaviour of carbonate sand has been performed. Four sample preparation methods, including moist tamping, vibration, dry pluviation and water pluviation were adopted to reconstitute samples with distinct fabrics. It is found that, for a single preparation method, the particle breakage as well as the peak friction angle of carbonate sand is affected by the drainage condition significantly, and both the critical state friction angle (φ ' cs) and the compressibility (λ) of carbonate sand are strongly stress dependent. For samples prepared by different methods, an obvious divergence of critical state points can be seen in the specific volume and mean effective stress plane at low stress levels. The dry pluviation samples show the lowest φ ' cs and highest λ , due to the highest anisotropy. In contrast, moist tamping samples give the highest φ ' cs and lowest λ , due to the most isotropic fabric. • Drainage affects breakage and peak friction angle of carbonate sand obviously; • Critical friction angle and compressibility of carbonate sand are stress dependent; • Divergence of critical state points is seen at low stress levels; • Moist tamping samples give the highest φ ' cs and the lowest λ ; • Dry pluviation samples show the lowest φ ' cs and the highest λ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particle breakage alters particle size, shape, surface roughness, and co-ordination number, which in turn changes macro-mechanical behaviour including compressibility and shear strength. This study conducted a series of one-dimensional (1D) compression tests on quartz sands with different initial void ratios, ending the tests at various stress levels up to 13.5 MPa. The size and shape of particles were quantified using a dynamic particle shape analyser, while the surface roughness of thirty randomly selected particles for each sample was measured by an optical interferometer and quantified using flattened root-mean-square roughness (RMS f). The results demonstrate that a unique normal compression line is defined due to extensive particle breakage, with denser sample exhibiting a higher yield stress. Prior to yielding (vertical stress < 6 MPa), the changes in the three shape descriptors are limited, as the primary particle damage modes are abrasion and grinding. Conversely, at high stress level, a greater number of particles undergo splitting or explosive damage, leading to the creation of more irregularly shaped particles. The occurrence of plastic deformation at particle asperities under one-dimensional compression is identified, resulting in a decrease in surface roughness. This study highlights the significant role of the initial void ratio in shaping the evolution of surface roughness of particles under 1D compression. [Display omitted] • Change in particle shape is limited prior to yielding. • Breakage creates more irregularly shaped particles at high stress level. • Plastic deformation at particle asperities leads to decrease in surface roughness. • Initial void ratio affects significantly the evolution of surface roughness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification of biological traces provides vital evidence in forensic reconstruction at crime scenes, especially in sexual offences. Compared with traditional presumptive or confirmatory methods, the microbiome-based method has been proven to be of great value in body fluid identification. Mixture of body fluids or tissue is common in sexual assault cases; thus, it is essential to determine the sources of mixed samples. In this study, 60 samples consisting of skin, saliva, and a mixed model of saliva deposited on facial skin were collected from a population living in Guangdong. Through 16s rDNA high-throughput sequencing, we identified the predominant microbes in saliva samples, viz., Haemophilus parainfluenzae T3T1, Neisseria flava, Gemella haemolysans, Prevotella melaninogenica, and Actinomyces odontolyticus; in skin samples, Cutibacterium acnes and Corynebacterium tuberculostearicum were the predominant species. The microbial composition of the same body fluid or tissue is similar in different individuals. However, among different body fluids or tissue, the composition of microflora in saliva is more stable than that on skin. Additionally, the microbial community in the mixed model of saliva deposited on facial skin from the same and different individuals was clearly determined by the constituent fluids or tissue, apart from the differences among the donors. Overall, the microbiome-based method may have good potential as a tool for identifying single and mixed body fluid or tissue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For high speed multiplier implementation, the recursive architecture is a parallel and modular approach with low complexity. However, compared to the conventional array multiplier, it costs more area due to the interconnection between sub-modules. In this study, the multiplexer based multiplier is adopted as the lower-level multiplier in the recursive architecture because it outperforms the conventional array multiplier in terms of speed, area, and power consumption. To further improve the speed performance, the proposed hybrid architecture exploits the carry-select adders (CSL) for partial products accumulation. The design is synthesized using TSMC 0.18μm standard cell process. According to the experimental results, the propagation delay is reduced by 20.5% and 40.9% respectively, compared to the optimized mux-multiplier and the conventional array multiplier. In addition, we reduce the proposed architecture to a partially truncated circuit for error tolerant applications. Without affecting the speed, both the power consumption and circuit area are further reduced by 25% approximately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to explore the bacterial community composition and the functions of core microbiota in Eucommia ulmoides bark. The bark samples of E. ulmoides were collected from Wangcang Sichuan Province, Cili Hunan Province, and Zunyi Guizhou Province, in China, respectively. Through the high-throughput sequencing methods and techniques, the community composition, core microbiota, and function of the bacteria were studied. The bacterial community of E. ulmoides bark consisted of 9 phyla, 11 classes, 22 orders, 28 families, 31 genera, and 37 OTUs. At the genus level, the dominant genus was the unclassified bacteria of Cyanobacteria, with a relative abundance of 97.01%. The bacterial communities of E. ulmoides bark from different areas have their unique units except for the common microbiota. The core microbiota of bacteria included an unclassified genus of Cyanobacteria, an unclassified genus of Mitochondria, Pseudomonas, Sphingobium, Rhizobium, Novosphingobium, Enterobacter, Rhodococcus, Curtobacterium, and Ralstonia. FAPROTAX function prediction suggested that the core microbiota has a substantial potential for photoautotrophy, phototrophy, aerobic chemoheterotrophy, chemoheterotrophy. Ten taxa composed the core microbiota, and the majority of them were related to the pharmacologically active ingredients of E. ulmoides bark. The research provides a scientific basis for the biological marker of genuineness and microbial technology for improving the content of medicinal ingredients of E. ulmoides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exercise‐induced fatigue and exhaustion are interesting areas for many researchers. Muscle glycogen is critical for physical performance. However, how glycogen metabolism is manipulated during exercise is not very clear. The aim here is to assess the impact of interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4) on skeletal muscle glycogen and subsequent regulation of exercise capacity. Skeletal muscle‐specific IRF4 knockout mice show normal body weight and insulin sensitivity, but better exercise capacity and increased glycogen content with unaltered triglyceride levels compared to control mice on chow diet. In contrast, mice overexpression of IRF4 displays decreased exercise capacity and lower glycogen content. Mechanistically, IRF4 regulates glycogen‐associated regulatory subunit protein targeting to glycogen (PTG) to manipulate glucose metabolism in skeletal muscle. Knockdown of PTG can reverse the effects imposed by the absence of IRF4 in vivo. These studies reveal a regulatory pathway including IRF4/PTG/glycogen synthesis on controlling exercise capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High temperature is the main factor responsible for degrading the lubrication and antiwear properties of aero-lubricating oils. Accordingly, this study assessed the effects of thermal treatment of diester aviation lubricating oil and the associated mechanism. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analyses showed that low-molecular-weight compounds, such as monoesters, diesters, alcohols, and olefins, were the primary degradation products. An assessment of the degradation mechanism of bis(2-ethylhexyl)decanedioate showed that pyrolysis, resulting in the cleavage of β-C–H and C–C bonds, was the main process involved. Additional investigation using advanced polymer chromatography showed that the molecular weights of oil samples changed slightly at high temperatures, while the viscosity and viscosity-temperature index values were relatively stable. High-pressure differential scanning calorimetry established that the thermal oxidation stability of these oils decreased above 250°C. Finally, variations in the chemical compositions of the oil samples were found to be highly correlated with changes in physicochemical properties during thermal processing, with the formation of low-molecular-weight polar compounds greatly increasing the acid numbers of the oils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a sonic scattering problem of arbitrarily shaped, time-varying rigid surfaces is analytically solved by exploiting perturbation theory. The results demonstrate multi-frequency scattering characteristics resulting from a single moving object and the nonreciprocity from spinning components. The proposed approach is numerically verified, from audio through to ultrasonic frequencies, by full-wave simulation based on the finite-element method. This numerical simulation also validates the non-reciprocal phenomenon in such systems. In addition, the theory for multiple Floquet scattering of sound is built, which lays the foundation for advanced studies relevant to Floquet phononic crystals and novel time-varying sonic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Situational Judgment Tests for Teachers (SJTTs) were developed as an alternative to the existing evaluation programs for selecting student teachers. A Situational Judgment Test for Middle-school Teachers (SJTMT), a Situational Judgment Test for Primary-school Teachers (SJTPT), and a Situational Judgment Test for Early-childhood Teachers (SJTET) have been developed by 30, 20, and 10 senior teachers, respectively. We recruited a total of 5,039 Taiwanese university students as participants, to evaluate the reliability and validity of these SJTTs. The reliability coefficients of the booklets in the SJTMT, SJTPT and SJTET fell between.19 and.74. In regards to validity, a Rasch analysis revealed that most of the SJTTs' items fit the uni-dimensional Rasch model. Additionally, students who enrolled in teacher education programs have significantly higher scores on the SJTTs than those who did not attend these programs, providing known-group validity. An online SJTTs system was also set up to serve all the universities in Taiwan. This study discusses the construction and the practical application of SJTTs for the selection of student teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let R be the polynomial residue ring F q 2 + u F q 2 , where F q 2 is the finite field with q 2 elements, q is a power of a prime p, and u is an indeterminate with u 2 = 0. We introduce a Gray map from R to F q 2 p and study (1 - u) -constacyclic codes over R. It is proved that the image of a (1 - u) -constacyclic code of length n over R under the Gray map is a distance-invariant linear cyclic code of length pn over F q 2. We give some necessary and sufficient conditions for (1 - u) -constacyclic codes over R to be Hermitian dual-containing. In particular, a new class of 2 m -ary quantum codes is obtained via the Gray map and the Hermitian construction from Hermitian dual-containing (1 - u) -constacyclic codes over the ring F 2 2 m + u F 2 2 m . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of biphenylenes and their π-extended derivatives are easily prepared through tert -butyllithium-mediated cyclization of suitable halobiaryls and haloteraryls, respectively. The reactions proceed via the corresponding arynyl intermediates at low temperature (up to –20 °C). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complex RNA–RNA interactions underlie fundamental biological processes. However, a large number of RNA–RNA interactions remain unknown. Most existing methods used to map RNA–RNA interactions are based on proximity ligation, but these strategies also capture a huge amount of intramolecular RNA secondary structures, making it almost impossible to detect most RNA–RNA interactions. To overcome this limitation, we developed an efficient, genome-wide method, Capture Interacting RNA and Deep Sequencing (CIRDES) for in vivo capturing of the RNA interactome. We designed multiple 20-nt CIRDES probes tiling the whole RNA sequence of interest. This strategy obtained high selectivity and low background noise proved by qRT-PCR data. CIRDES enriched target RNA and its interacting RNAs from cells crosslinked by formaldehyde in high efficiency. After hybridization and purification, the captured RNAs were converted to the cDNA library after a highly efficient ligation to a 3′ end infrared-dye-conjugated RNA adapter based on adapter ligation library construction. Using CIRDES, we detected highly abundant known interacting RNA, as well as a large number of novel targets of U6 snRNA. The enrichment of U4 snRNA, which interacts with U6, confirmed the robustness of the identification of the RNA–RNA interaction by CIRDES. These results suggest that the CIRDES is an efficient strategy for genome-wide RNA–RNA interactome analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key-value (KV) stores play an increasingly critical role in supporting diverse large-scale applications in modern data centers hosting terabytes of KV items which even might reside on a single server due to virtualization purposes. The combination of the ever-growing volume of KV items and storage/application consolidation is driving a trend of high storage density for KV stores. Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR) represents a promising technology for increasing disk capacity, which however comes with the increased complexity of handling random writes. To take the best advantages of SMR drives, applications are expected to work in an SMR-friendly way. In this work, we present SEALDB, a Log-Structured Merge tree (LSM-tree) based key-value store that is specifically optimized for SMR drives via avoiding random writes and the corresponding write amplification on SMR drives. First, for LSM-trees, SEALDB collects and groups participating data of each compaction into sets. Using a set as the basic unit for compactions, SEALDB improves compaction efficiency by reducing random I/Os. Second, SEALDB creates variable sized bands on original HM-SMR drives, named dynamic bands. Dynamic bands store sets in an SMR-friendly way to eliminate the auxiliary write amplification from SMR drives. Third, SEALDB employs two light-weight garbage collection (GC) policies to further improve the space efficiency. We demonstrate the advantages of SEALDB via extensive experiments with various workloads. Overall, SEALDB delivers impressive performance compared with LevelDB, e.g., $3.42\times$3.42×/$2.65\times$2.65× faster for random writes (without or with GCs), and $3.96\times$3.96× faster for sequential reads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]