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• Generalization of diagnosis model is improved on new hard disks without faults. • New faulty samples of hard disks could be generated from healthy samples. • Distribution discrepancy between different types of hard disks could be decreased. • End-end EM-based training strategy guarantees a good accuracy and convergence. Intelligent fault diagnosis of hard disks becomes significantly important to guarantee reliability of current cloud-based industrial systems. Most intelligent diagnostic methods are commonly based on assumptions that data from different disks are subject to the same distribution and there are sufficient faulty samples for training the models. However, in reality, there are types of hard disks from different manufacturers and their SMART encoding varies widely across manufacturers. It results in distribution discrepancy among disks and influences the generalization of machine learning methods. Moreover, hard disks usually work in healthy state that faulty events rarely happen on most of them, or especially never occur on new ones. Thus, this paper proposes a deep generative transfer learning network (DGTL-Net) for intelligent fault diagnostics on new hard disks. The DGTL-Net combines the deep generative network that generates fake faulty samples and the deep transfer network that solves the problem of distribution discrepancy between hard disks. An iterative end-end training strategy is also proposed for DGTL-Net to get the most optimal parameters of generative and transfer network simultaneously. Experiments have been conducted to prove that our method achieves better performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimization with edge contact avoidance and contact stress minimization is essential for gear design. Due to the complex geometry of modified helical face gear drives, it is complicated to find the optimal design parameters with the consideration of issues including loading, assembly errors, and edge contact. As the finite element method is tedious and time-consuming, an optimization model with a simplified algorithm of the loaded tooth contact analysis with errors (ELTCA) for modified helical face gears is presented, and it can programmatically optimize the contact stress with edge contact avoidance. Firstly, a simplified ETCA algorithm is introduced, which reduces the five unknowns in the traditional contact equations to three. Secondly, the LTCA is analytically implemented according to the Hertz theory. Subsequently, an optimization model with the objective function of avoiding edge contact and reducing maximum contact stress is proposed. Furthermore, the proposed model is applied to reveal the effects of design parameters and assembly errors on the optimized contact path and stress. The results show that the optimization model is accurate and efficient; the design parameters and assembly errors have great effects on the meshing of modified helical face gears. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-phase high-entropy perovskite ceramics (Ln 0.2 Gd 0.2 La 0.2 Nd 0.2 Sm 0.2)MnO 3 (Ln-GLNSMO HEPCs) have been synthesized using solid-state reactions. The effect of A-site rare-earth ions (Ln = Eu, Ho, Yb) on the structure and magnetic properties was systematically investigated. The results show that all samples are orthorhombic phases (with a space group of Pbnm) and exhibit a strong crystallization trend sintered at 1300 °C for 16 h. All the HEPCs are composed of irregular spherical particles with smooth surfaces and show obvious hysteresis effects at T = 5 K. The changing Mn–O bond distance, Mn–O–Mn bond angle and the increase of Mn4+ ion concentration enhance the double exchange effect of Mn3+-O2--Mn4+, leading to different magnetic interactions. The residual magnetization M r (coercivity H c) of the samples is significantly enhanced, which is increasing from 0.13 emu/g (16.34 Oe) to 3.17 emu/g (97.07 Oe) due to the increase of configuration entropy, lattice distortion and the double exchange effect (DE). In addition, there is a strong relationship between the magnetic properties and the average radius of the A-site ions, in which Ho-GLNSMO HEPCs have a high M s magnetism. This work is a valuable reference for the magnetic regulation of high-entropy ceramics based on rare-earth and entropy-stabilized perovskite types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) prevention requires early detection and removal of adenomas. We aimed to develop a computational model for real-time detection and classification of colorectal adenoma. Computationally constrained background based on real-time detection, we propose an improved adaptive lightweight ensemble model for real-time detection and classification of adenomas and other polyps. Firstly, we devised an adaptive lightweight network modification and effective training strategy to diminish the computational requirements for real-time detection. Secondly, by integrating the adaptive lightweight YOLOv4 with the single shot multibox detector network, we established the adaptive small object detection ensemble (ASODE) model, which enhances the precision of detecting target polyps without significantly increasing the model's memory footprint. We conducted simulated training using clinical colonoscopy images and videos to validate the method's performance, extracting features from 1148 polyps and employing a confidence threshold of 0.5 to filter out low-confidence sample predictions. Finally, compared to state-of-the-art models, our ASODE model demonstrated superior performance. In the test set, the sensitivity of images and videos reached 87.96% and 92.31%, respectively. Additionally, the ASODE model achieved an accuracy of 92.70% for adenoma detection with a false positive rate of 8.18%. Training results indicate the effectiveness of our method in classifying small polyps. Our model exhibits remarkable performance in real-time detection of colorectal adenomas, serving as a reliable tool for assisting endoscopists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The delamination damage distribution induced by multi-impact was identified. • The sensitivity of axial compression performance to impact damage was studied. • Proposed FE model provided accurate predication for CAI scenario of braided tube. In this study, damage behaviors and residual crashworthiness characteristics of braided composite tube with transverse pre-impact damages subjected to axial compression were investigated by experimental and numerical methods. The compression tests were conducted on intact, single impact and repeated impact tubes at identical, adjacent and opposite positions to analyze the effects of impact damages. A multi-step finite element model considering the progressive damage characteristics was developed in ABAQUS/Explicit to predict the failure behaviors of braided tube. It was found that the damage behavior and residual performance of braided tube subjected to axial compression were dominated by impact induced delamination distribution with respect to area and position. A relatively small delamination area induced by single impact resulted in similar progressive folding damage mode and energy absorption capacity as in intact tube. For repeated impact, delamination with increased area at identical position leaded to local buckling damage mode, while small delamination areas distributed at adjacent and opposite positions caused U-shape and W-shape fracturing damage modes, respectively. Consequently, the transformation of damage mode resulted in significantly reduced residual crashworthiness characteristics in repeated impact tubes compared to intact and single impact tubes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Braided composite laminates allow a reinforcement architecture design method of varying ply-to-ply braided structure instead of rotating fiber orientation in traditional unidirectional laminates. The stacking sequence sensitivities of braided laminates subjected to low-velocity impact were experimentally studied. Uniform ([±45° 6 ]) and non-uniform ([±30° 2 /±45° 2 /±60° 2 ]) architectures were designed to evaluate the effect of braided structure on impact performance. In addition, non-uniform laminate was impacted on both sides to identify the role of impact side on the failure mode. Quasi-static indentation was conducted to understand the damage initiation and propagation of braided laminates. The experimental results show that braided ply with high crimp level in impact side induced the main cracks along the load-carrying yarn, causing that the laminate failed in a kink-band dominated mode. For braided ply with low crimp level, a micro-buckling damage was found in the impact side, leading to the delamination dominated failure mode. It was also found that uniform braided laminate presents inferior impact resistance with respect to lower peak load and more concentrated damage because the kink-band can propagate into the specimen along braiding yarn easily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the synergistic effect of 3D orthogonal woven structure and asymmetric carbon/glass hybridization on impact response was studied by experimental and numerical methods. The hybrid 3D orthogonal woven (H3DOW) composite plates were manufactured on a home-made 3D weaving machine. Impacts with various energies 42.9, 54.9, 66.9 and 78.9 J were applied to carbon (CG) and glass (GC) sides. The impact response was examined using fracture morphology observation and mechanical curves. Yarn-level finite element models including failure criteria and progressive damage law were established in ABAQUS/Explicit to compare the structural deformation and damage behavior. The impact side significantly influences the failure modes of H3DOW materials. GC specimen failed through delamination between carbon layers at non-impact side and subsequent fiber tensile breakage, whereas the crushing damage in the carbon yarn located in the impact-side and large area debonding between yarn and matrix resin in superficial layers was the dominant failure mode in CG specimen. This caused the CG configuration to exhibit better impact resistance with respect to the perforation threshold energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-crimp fabric reinforced polymer (NCFRP) composite is a suitable choice as structure material in aerospace use. One of the most important issues related to adiabatic failure is the correlation among temperature elevation, adiabatic shear band and failures of the material. In this study, impulsive damage and failure modes with temperature rise in biaxial NCFRP composite specimens were investigated under increased strain rates from 200/s to 2500/s. Path and distribution of temperature rise were experimentally characterized when the composite was subjected to in-plane and out-plane impulsive compression. It is found that (i) localized temperature can rise above a hundred degrees Celsius, reaching or even exceeding the T g of the resin matrix and polyester tricot in specimen, which causes stress concentration and subsequent failure in warp/weft fiber tows in localized positions. (ii) For the out-of-plane compression, the localized temperature rise indicates dispersed inter-layer shear deformation in the biaxial NCFRP composite by stress wave mismatch effect. With the increase of strain rate, intensive temperature rise is a good announcement for an adiabatic shear band quickly and thoroughly splitting the specimen. (iii) For the in-plane compression, slight impact loading triggers small debonding and cracking along warp/weft fiber tows or at the fiber-matrix interface by fiber tows microbuckling effect. With the increase of strain rate, the localized temperature rise reveals that single shear band is developed and further evolved into zigzag shear bands, while catastrophic delamination failure is the dominant mode at higher strain rate. Higher temperature values at kinking positions are caused by fiber tows buckling-fold effect. Thermal degradation effect imperils the polymeric matrix and tricot around the kinking positions where bridging cracking, obstructing the spread of adiabatic shear band, and leading to the pull-out/breakage/splitting damages of warp/weft fiber tows. (iv) This work indicates that high-speed thermographic technology is an important method for investigating the dynamic behavior of composite materials. Localized temperature rise is an effective indicator in complex correlation with the multiple physical interaction including the adiabatic shear band, matrix/tricot softening, fiber tows kinking, localized damages and failures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The effect of ply number on the impact response was identified. • The effect of impact damage on the residual axial compression behavior was analyzed. • The proposed two-step FE model predicted accurately the damage behaviors of braided tube. In this study, transverse low-velocity impact response and residual axial compression behavior of braided composite tube with different ply number was investigated by experimental and numerical methods. The transverse low-velocity impact tests with 5.6 J energy were conducted on the composite tubes. The quasi-static axial compression performance of intact and pre-impacted tubes was compared to evaluate the effect of impact damage. A two-step finite element (FE) model was also established to reveal damage mechanisms of braided tube under impact loading and following axial compression. It was found that the wall thickness had a significant influence on the impact response. Obvious structural deformation occurred in 2-ply tube when subjected to impact loading, resulting in a large projected delamination area. In following axial compression process, the delamination failure significantly reduced the local compression stiffness and caused a structural instability, which led to a buckling failure mode. In contrast, increasing bending stiffness of 3 or 4-ply tube suppressed its structural deformation during impact, leading to a confined projected delamination area and therefore the buckling of tube wall was prevented effectively when subjected to axial compression. For all impacted tubes, the transition of failure mode from progressive folding mode in intact tube led to a lower energy absorption capacity per composite ply, especially for 2-ply tube. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The allowable safety factors of slope stability for rockfill dams in Chinese design codes are defined irrespective of dam heights and are mainly based on the engineering experiences with respect to the rockfill dams which are lower than 200 m. It is well known that safety margins for different structures are not comparable when safety factors are taken as the measure of safety margin. Thus whether the current allowable safety factors are applicable to the rockfill dams with heights of over 200 m has been controversial in the engineering and academic field. Reliability is well known as a unified measure of safety margin for different structures. Therefore, the slope safety margins of rockfill dams with different heights can be compared in terms of slope reliability indices derived from probabilistic methods. Based on the statistical analysis of nonlinear shear strength parameters of rockfills from 14 Chinese dams, the slope reliabilities of fictitious rockfill dams of different heights designed with equal allowable safety factor are calculated and compared in this paper. It is shown that the slope failure risk of higher dams is larger than that of lower dams if the dams are designed with equal allowable safety factor rather than equal reliability. Therefore, from the perspective of maintaining consistent slope reliability levels among rockfill dams with different heights, the allowable safety factors should be prescribed in terms of dam height, i.e. the allowable safety factor for higher dams should be larger than that for lower dams. • Slope stability analysis of high rockfill dams using fixed allowable safety factor may induce misleading assessment. • Safety margins for rockfill dams designed with fixed allowable safety factor are not identical in terms of reliability. • The allowable safety factors should be prescribed in terms of dam height. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coking wastewater is highly toxic and refractory industrial wastewater, and is thus extremely challenging to treat. Currently, most treatment technologies focus on degrading carbonaceous pollutants, while insufficient attention is placed on ammonium nitrogen (NH 4 +-N), the most important nitrogenous contaminant in coking wastewater and with a high biological toxicity. In the current study, we developed an integrated electrochemical system comprising two three-dimensional electrochemical reactors (3DERs), two three-dimensional biofilm electrode reactors (3DBERs) and one three-dimensional biofilm electrode reactor for denitrification (3DBER-De) to treat coking wastewater rich in NH 4 +-N. Our integrated system is able to remove 70.7% of total nitrogen (TN) at the low energy consumption of 1.29 kWh m−3, and can reduce COD by 55.8%. The 3DERs primarily degrade NH 4 +-N, nitrate nitrogen (NO 3 −-N), and COD by electrochemical redox reactions, while the 3DBERs convert residual NH 4 +-N to NO 3 −-N by fusing biofilm and electricity. Moreover, the 3DBER-De further eliminates NO 3 −-N by bio-electrochemical denitrification. The coking wastewater is purified as it flows through the integrated treatment system, with only a few hydrocarbon residuals detected that are able to be readily biodegraded by conventional biological treatments. The proposed 3DERs/3DBERs/3DBER-De system provides a new solution for coking wastewater with high concentrations of NH 4 +-N. Image 1 • Ammonia-rich coking wastewater is treated by an integrated electrochemical system. • 3DERs are responsible for partial removal of NH 4 +-N, NO 3 −-N and COD. • 3DBERs convert NH 4 +-N to NO 3 −-N by nitrification. • 3DBER-De eliminates NO 3 −-N by denitrification. • 70.7% of TN and 55.8% of COD are removed at energy consumption of 1.29 kWh/m3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interoperations of endpoint devices are generally achieved by gateways in Internet of Things (IoT) systems. However, the gateways mainly focus on networking communication, which is lack of data logic control capabilities. The microcontrollers with embedded intelligence could work as an intermediate device to help the interconnections of the endpoint devices. Moreover, they could help control the endpoint devices. In this paper, a microcontroller architecture with intelligent and scalable characteristics is proposed. The intelligence means that the microcontroller could control the target endpoint devices by its logical circuits, and the scalability means that the microcontroller architecture could be easily extended to deal with more complex problems. Two real world industrial implementations of the proposed architecture are introduced. The implementations show that the microcontroller is important to provide the intelligent services to users in IoT systems. Furthermore, a simulation experiment based on the cloud model is designed to evaluate the proposed method. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Culturable and molecular fecal indicator removal was monitored during activated sludge wastewater treatment. • CrAssphage statistically correlated with adenovirus, polyomavirus, and somatic coliphage. • Molecular viral indicators were consistently detected in the final effluent, unlike bacterial indicators. • Literature review suggests site-specific variability of fecal indicator removal during wastewater treatment. Wastewater treatment plants are typically monitored using fecal indicator bacteria to ensure adequate microbial water quality of the treated effluent. Fecal indicator bacteria exhibit poor correlation with virus fate in the environment, including during wastewater treatment. Viral-based microbial source tracking methods have the potential to overcome this limitation. The recently discovered human gut bacteriophage crAssphage is a promising viral human fecal indicator. In this current study, primary influent, primary effluent, secondary effluent, and final effluent of a conventional activated sludge wastewater treatment plant were analyzed for a suite of fecal indicators to evaluate the suitability of crAssphage as a wastewater process indicator for virus removal. CrAssphage was the most abundant fecal indicator measured through the wastewater treatment process. Culturable and molecular bacterial fecal pollution indicators showed higher removal than viral fecal pollution indicators, including crAssphage, confirming the necessity of a viral-specific fecal monitoring target. CrAssphage was strongly correlated with adenovirus and polyomavirus molecular indicators through the wastewater treatment process. Literature comparison demonstrated site-specific removal of molecular fecal indicators during wastewater treatment highlighting the need for local performance validation. The high abundance of crAssphage and correlation with pathogenic viruses suggests the potential suitability of crAssphage as a viral fecal pollution process indicator during wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation is aimed to study the dynamic failure behavior of 3-D braided carbon/epoxy composite by capturing the high-speed infrared image and simulating the temperature-rise response under high strain-rate compression. It is found that localized temperature rise is a good indication in damage and failure of the 3-D braided composite. Localized temperature can rise above a hundred degrees Celsius, reaching or even exceeding the T g of the matrix resin and imperiling the polymer along damage regions in specimen. Temperature rise in localized paths of the specimens was caused by adiabatic shear along the boundaries of braided fibers or inside the fiber bundles. Sustaining decrease in stress after the peak strength is related to shear deformation, temperature rise and progressive damage. There is a correlation among localization of temperature rise, adiabatic shear band, resin softening, damages and failures in the 3-D braided carbon/epoxy composite under dynamic compression loading. For the out-of-plane compression, temperature always conducts from the broken interface to the inside of the fiber bundles along the radial, which will lead to the weakening of resin in fiber bundles. And damages, penetrating cracks and openings are verified with 'X'-shape localization of temperature rise. With the increase of strain rate, localization of temperature rise indicates that adiabatic shear bands begin to connect together to form larger and longer paths by the mutual shear effect among adjacent fiber bundles. For the in-plane compression, multi-cracks are found by observing the independent 'zigzag' shear bands converting to dependent 'zigzag' network. The temperature is easily localized at the crimp position of fiber bundle when they forming the 'zigzag' localization along the braiding paths of fiber bundles. However, some regions in 3-D braided carbon/epoxy composite have not experienced plastic shear deformation, which are isolated among 'zigzag' adiabatic shear network and their boundaries are the very paths for localized temperature rise. • Temperature rise in 3-D braided carbon/epoxy composite under dynamic loading is associated with damage and failure. • The localized temperature rise can be observed by high-speed infrared imaging and simulated by mesostructural modeling. • There is a correlation among localization of temperature rise, adiabatic shear band, resin softening, damages and failures in the 3-D braided carbon/epoxy composite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to characterize and assess the effect of fabric structure on the damage resistance subjected to low velocity impact. Composite panels reinforced by layered unidirectional (LU), layered woven (LW) and 3D orthogonal woven (OW) fabric were prepared respectively and the impact tests were carried out on a low-velocity testbench. Finite element models at yarn-level were established to numerically investigate the material deformation and failure mechanism. The impact tests showed that the OW composite possessed better impact resistance with respect to impact-induced deformation and inelastic energy absorption. The roles of the z-binder have also been identified through comparison of impacted morphology and numerical results. The z-binder serves as cracking trigger due to the weak debonding with resin pocket around it and its zig-zag configuration impedes the growth of delamination by damage deflection. Therefore, the discontinuous resin damage in 3D composite allows the enhancement of impact resistance instead of delamination failure in the 2D panel. In addition, the in-plane interlacement of woven fabric causes that primary yarn breaks in the high stress region and forms a circle damage area, whereas the penetrating cracking along the fiber orientation of superficial layer is induced in the unidirectional composite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic joint disease characterized by cartilage degeneration. Autophagy is associated with chondrocyte homeostasis and exhibits a role in protecting against OA pathogenesis. Geniposide (GEN), an iridoid glycoside extracted from Eucommia ulmoides Oliv, acts as an activator of GLP-1R, which can stimulate autophagy. The AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway participates in the mediation of autophagy, and GLP-1R may act as an upstream factor of AMPK. However, whether GEN mediates the autophagic responses by activating the GLP-1R/AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway in OA chondrocytes is still unclear. In the current study, attenuated autophagy in MIA-induced rat OA models was observed, as shown by up-regulated expression of p62 and down-regulated expression of Beclin-1 and LC3-II/I. GEN stimulated autophagy and protected OA cartilage by up-regulating GLP-1R expression. In addition, GEN could enhance AMPK phosphorylation and down-regulate mTOR expression in IL-1β-treated C28/I2 cells. Inhibition of AMPK or activation of mTOR could reverse the stimulatory effects of GEN on autophagy. Furthermore, a GLP-1R inhibitor Exendin 9–39 could eliminate the chondroprotective effects of GEN by suppressing the AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway. Conclusively, Geniposide exhibits protective effects against osteoarthritis development by stimulating autophagy via activating the GLP-1R/AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway. [Display omitted] • GEN exhibited protective activity against osteoarthritis. • GEN improved osteoarthritic cartilage by activating autophagy. • GEN activated autophagy by mediating the AMPK/mTOR pathway. • GEN activated autophagy in GLP-1R-dependent manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, single-phase (Ce 0.2 Zr 0.2 La 0.2 Sm 0.2 Nd 0.2)O 2-δ high-entropy fluorite oxides (HEFOs) were successfully prepared by conventional solid-phase reaction method and crystal structure and microstructure were studied in-depth. Single-phase (Ce 0.2 Zr 0.2 La 0.2 Sm 0.2 Nd 0.2)O 2-δ is formed at 1600 °C for 12 h, and five cationic elements are uniformly distributed without any segregation at the micrometer and nanometer scales. And the XRD patterns with Rietveld refinement reveal the formation of single-phase fluorite structure of (Ce 0.2 Zr 0.2 La 0.2 Sm 0.2 Nd 0.2)O 2-δ. The SAED patterns on the [0 1 ‾ 1] band axes are similar to the diffraction patterns of face-centered cubic fluorite structure, and the standard deviation of the cation radius (coordination VIII) distribution of the specimens is 0.1277, which is again identified as forming a single-phase fluorite structure. The bulk specimens are solid compacts free of obvious cracks with randomly distribution porosity at a rare level, and the powder specimens are irregular fragmented shapes with an average particles size of 5.41 μm. The average cation radius and interplanar spacings becomes larger compared with standard fluorite structure of CeO 2 due to the cation radius of La3+, Sm3+ and Nd3+ are larger than that of Ce4+, leading to an increase in lattice parameters of the HEFOs. In addition, the concentration of Ce3+ in the Ce cation is only 8.1 %, and the δ -value is calculated to be 0.3081 based on the content of all cations per mole of the substance, which indicates that the composition of the prepared specimen is (Ce 0.2 Zr 0.2 La 0.2 Sm 0.2 Nd 0.2)O 1.6919. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, single-phase (Ce 0.2 Zr 0.2 La 0.2 Sm 0.2 Nd 0.2)O 2-δ high-entropy fluorite oxides (HEFOs) were successfully prepared by conventional solid-phase reaction method and crystal structure and microstructure were studied in-depth. Single-phase (Ce 0.2 Zr 0.2 La 0.2 Sm 0.2 Nd 0.2)O 2-δ is formed at 1600 °C for 12 h, and five cationic elements are uniformly distributed without any segregation at the micrometer and nanometer scales. And the XRD patterns with Rietveld refinement reveal the formation of single-phase fluorite structure of (Ce 0.2 Zr 0.2 La 0.2 Sm 0.2 Nd 0.2)O 2-δ. The SAED patterns on the [0 1 ‾ 1] band axes are similar to the diffraction patterns of face-centered cubic fluorite structure, and the standard deviation of the cation radius (coordination VIII) distribution of the specimens is 0.1277, which is again identified as forming a single-phase fluorite structure. The bulk specimens are solid compacts free of obvious cracks with randomly distribution porosity at a rare level, and the powder specimens are irregular fragmented shapes with an average particles size of 5.41 μm. The average cation radius and interplanar spacings becomes larger compared with standard fluorite structure of CeO 2 due to the cation radius of La3+, Sm3+ and Nd3+ are larger than that of Ce4+, leading to an increase in lattice parameters of the HEFOs. In addition, the concentration of Ce3+ in the Ce cation is only 8.1 %, and the δ -value is calculated to be 0.3081 based on the content of all cations per mole of the substance, which indicates that the composition of the prepared specimen is (Ce 0.2 Zr 0.2 La 0.2 Sm 0.2 Nd 0.2)O 1.6919. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase transition behaviors of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) nanogels with different compositions induced by (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and ethyl gallate (EG) has been investigated systematically. Monodisperse poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-N-hydroxymethyl acrylamide) (P(NIPAM-co-NMAM)) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (P(NIPAM-co-HEMA)) nanogels with different feeding monomer ratios were prepared by emulsion polymerization. P(NIPAM-co-NMAM) nanogels exhibit rapid isothermal phase transition behavior in EGCG solutions with low concentration (10−3 mol/L) in less than 10 minutes. The thermosensitive phase transition behaviors of nanogels are affected not only by the copolymerized monomers but also by the concentrations of EGCG and EG in aqueous solutions. Nanogels remain in a shrunken state and do not exhibit thermosensitive phase transition behaviors in EGCG solutions (≥5 mmol/L), whereas they display thermo-responsive phase transition behaviors in EG solutions. The volume phase transition temperature (VPTT) shifts to lower temperatures with increasing EG concentration. The diameters of P(NIPAM-co-NMAM) nanogels decrease with increasing EG concentration at temperatures between 29 and 33 °C. In contrast, the diameters of P(NIPAM-co-HEMA) nanogels increase with increasing EGCG concentration at temperatures between 37 and 45 °C. The results demonstrate the potential of nanogels for simple detection of EG and EGCG concentrations in aqueous solutions over a wide temperature range, and EGCG can serve as a signal for the burst-release of drugs from the P(NIPAM-co-NMAM)-based carriers at physiological temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the high-resolution, high signal-to-noise-ratio spectra from the Keck/HIRES, we have analyzed the barium abundances of 602 stars. The parameter space of our sample are in the range of 4700 < < 6100 K, −0.1 < [Fe/H] < 0.6 dex, and 2 < log g < 5 dex. It is found that the nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) effects are large for barium, and the barium abundances can be underestimated by up to 0.2 dex compared to the the local thermodynamic equilibrium analysis for lines at 5853 and 6141 Å. In addition, the average barium abundances of the high- and low-α stars are −0.10 and 0.00 dex, respectively, and higher [Ba/Fe] corresponds to a lower [Mg/Fe] ratio. We note that there are 18 Ba-rich stars (with [Ba/Fe] > 0.3 in NLTE), which contains six dwarfs and 12 giants. The Ba-rich objects make up around 3% in our sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonlinear stiffness composite helical spring has gained considerable attention due to its significant lightweight effect and reliable nonlinear stiffness function. Those performance of helical spring is of great significance to the energy saving and comfort improvement of automobiles. In this paper, the design method of nonlinear stiffness composite helical spring using typical materials and ply scheme was put forward. The FEM models of different ply schemes were established. Combined with ABAQUS software and the secondary development subroutine, the strength and fatigue simulation analysis of circular tubes with typical ply schemes was carried out. Then the samples using different ply schemes were prepared. The failure type, stiffness attenuation rate, and height attenuation rate of springs were obtained through the strength test under extreme condition (compression state) and the fatigue test under the full-load condition. Finally, the best ply scheme and typical damage types were obtained. Comparing the test results with the simulation results, a method that can accurately predict the strength and fatigue failure of the nonlinear stiffness composite helical spring was verified. This study can provide a systematic ply scheme design method for the fatigue reliability design of composite structures with circular tube shape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A kind of effective acidic polymeric ionic liquid was developed for ethylene hydroesterification. • The crucial role of hydrogen bond in ethylene hydroesterification was identified. • The detailed mechanism of ethylene hydroesterification was proposed using in - situ spectroscopic characterization. • The kinetic behavior of ethylene hydroesterification was revealed. Hydroesterification of ethylene with carbon monoxide (CO) and methanol (MeOH) for preparing methyl propionate (MP) has stimulated researcher's attention in recent years. Herein, the palladium-phosphine catalyzed ethylene hydroesterification with the promotion of acidic poly ionic liquids (APILs) for direct MP synthesis was developed. Series of APILs samples having different anions and acid densities were prepared and their structural properties were characterized by employing NMR, FTIR, TG and XPS. The anion type and acid density in APILs shown great influence on the catalytic performance due to the electronic effect and proton supply capacity related to Pd-H species formation. The hydrogen bond formed through the interaction between the anion of APILs and methanol could effectively promote the ethylene hydroesterification. The substrate extension experiments revealed the polarity and steric hindrance of alcohol would impact ethylene conversion. The mechanistic studies using in-situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier-transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) unraveled that the hydroesterification started with the activation of palladium complex to Pd-H species by CO, followed by the sequential formation of Pd-C 2 H 4 , Pd-alkyl and Pd-acyl intermediate species and consequential product MP. As a result, 94.4 % ethylene conversion could be achieved with 100 % selectivity toward MP at 80 °C and 2 MPa. No obvious deactivation behavior was observed for this kind of palladium catalyst after ten recycling experiments. The kinetic studies revealed the activation energy of ethylene hydroesterification is 59.3 kJ/mol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hematite is an excellent catalyst for solar water splitting but its practical performance is still low. In this work, a hetero phase of β-Fe 2 O 3 was firstly introduced in α-Fe 2 O 3 to optimize the internal structure, which can synergistically work with oxygen vacancy to enhance the charge extraction, facilitate the charge transport, and suppress the electron-hole recombination. As a result, the obtained hematite exhibits a high initial photocurrent of 2.72 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE, and can be well coupled with various further modifications such as P, Hf, and FeNiOOH to achieve an excellent photocurrent of 5.24 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE with a good stability over 100 h. Moreover, it can realize a benchmark solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of 5.3% when connected to a commercial Si solar cell. The low cost, efficient, and stable hematite-based photoanodes may pave the way for practical solar water splitting. [Display omitted] • β-Fe 2 O 3 in hematite has been firstly reported to improve the PEC performance. • Hetero phase and oxygen vacancy can effectively enhance the bulk charge utilization. • It can achieve a high and stable photocurrent of 5.24 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V RHE. • A benchmark solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of 5.3% can be obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MOF-derived XMn 2 O 4 (X = Zn, Co, Cu, Ni) nanomaterials achieve superior electrochemical performance for lithium storage. [Display omitted] • Two methods are proposed for the synthesis of XMn 2 O 4 (X = Zn, Co, Cu, Ni). • MOF-derived anodes exhibit excellent electrochemical capabilities compared with the ones obtained by simple coprecipitation. • Lithium storage capacity and rate performance of XMn 2 O 4 is best when X = Zn. • DFT calculations are performed to demonstrate that ZnMn 2 O 4 as an anode material is conducive to the diffusion of Li+. Bimetallic spinel transition metal oxides play a major part in actualizing eco-friendly electrochemical energy storage systems (ESSs). However, structural precariousness and low electrochemical capacitance restrict their actual implementation in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). To address these demerits, the sacrificial template approach has been considered as a prospective way to strengthen electrochemical stability and rate performance. Herein, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) derived XMn 2 O 4 -BDC (H 2 BDC = 1,4-dicarboxybenzene, X = Zn, Co, Cu, Ni) are prepared by a hydrothermal approach in order to discover the effects of various metal cations on the electrochemical performance. Among them, ZnMn 2 O 4 -BDC displays best electrochemical properties (1321.5 mAh g−1 at the current density of 0.1 A g−1 after 300 cycles) and high efficiency with accelerated Li+ diffusivity. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirm the ZnMn 2 O 4 possesses the weakest adsorption energy on Li+ with a minimized value of −0.92 eV. In comparison with other XMn 2 O 4 through traditional fabrication method, MOF-derived XMn 2 O 4 -BDC possesses a higher number of Li+ transport channels and better electric conductivity. This tactic provides a feasible and effective method for preparing bimetallic transition metal oxides and enhances energy storage applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) threatens public health all over the world. It is well-accepted that the immune cells in peripheral blood are widely involved in the pathological process of COVID-19. However, hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs), as the main source of peripheral immune cells, have not been well studied during COVID-19 infection. We comprehensively revealed the transcriptome changes of peripheral blood HSPCs after COVID-19 infection and vaccination by single-cell RNA-seq. Compared with healthy individuals, the proportion of HSPCs in COVID-19 patients significantly increased. The increase in the proportion of HSPCs might be partly attributed to the enhancement of the HSPCs proliferation upon COVID-19 infection. However, the stemness damage of HSPCs is reflected by the decrease of differentiation signal, which can be used as a potential specific indicator of the severity and duration of COVID-19 infection. Type I interferon (IFN-I) and translation signals in HSPCs were mostly activated and inhibited after COVID-19 infection, respectively. In addition, the response of COVID-19 vaccination to the body is mild, while the secondary vaccination strengthens the immune response of primary vaccination. In conclusion, our study provides new insights into understanding the immune mechanism of COVID-19 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dedicated equipment, which is widely used in many different types of vehicles, is the core system that determines the combat capability of special vehicles. Therefore, assuring the normal operation of dedicated equipment is crucial. With the increase in battlefield complexity, the demand for equipment functions is increasing, and the complexity of dedicated equipment is also increasing. To solve the problem of fault diagnosis of dedicated equipment, a fault diagnosis algorithm based on CNN-LSTM was proposed in this paper. CNN and LSTM are used in the model adopted by the algorithm to extract spatial and temporal features from the data. CBAM is used to enhance the model's accuracy in identifying faults for dedicated equipment. Data on dedicated equipment faults were obtained from a hardware-in-loop simulation platform to verify the model. It is demonstrated that the proposed fault diagnosis algorithm has high recognition ability for dedicated equipment by comparing it to other neural network models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oily sludge, as a critical hazardous waste, requires appropriate treatment for resource recovery and harmfulness reduction. Here, fast microwave-assisted pyrolysis (MAP) of oily sludge was conducted for oil removal and fuel production. The results indicated the priority of the fast MAP compared with the MAP under premixing mode, with the oil content in solid residues after pyrolysis reaching below 0.2%. The effects of pyrolysis temperature and time on product distribution and compositions were examined. In addition, pyrolysis kinetics can be well described using the Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS) and the Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO) methods, with the activation energy being 169.7–319.1 kJ/mol in the feedstock conversional fraction range of 0.2–0.7. Subsequently, the pyrolysis residues were further treated by thermal plasma vitrification to immobilize the existing heavy metals. The amorphous phase and the glassy matrix were formed in the molten slags, resulting in bonding and, hence, immobilization of heavy metals. Operating parameters, including working current and melting time, were optimized to reduce the leaching concentrations of heavy metals, as well as to decrease their volatilization during vitrification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, tests of plug-pin joints are conducted in order to obtain their mechanical parameters, including semi-rigid property. To solve the difficulties of multi-point displacement measurements for small joints, this investigation proposes a visionbased measurement system based on the principle of binocular stereo vision to improve measurement accuracy. Accurate subpixel location is achieved according to a template-matching algorithm based on grayscale. Joint performance, including horizontal bar joint tension and compression, semi-rigidity between horizontal bars and upright rods and bracing tension and compression, is investigated in order to acquire joint failure modes as well as load and displacement (or moment and rotation angle) curves. Through data fitting, multi-linear simplified models are proposed to illustrate the joints' mechanical performance. This paper also investigates geometric imperfection of temporary member structure with plug-pin joints based on several substructure models and temporary grandstand units using a total station theodolite. The probabilistic models of initial member out-of-straightness and story frame out-of-plumb have been acquired, which can be used into Monte Carlo simulation to create stochastic model of the temporary member structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A double-layer coating strategy is used to enhance the performance of SiO x anode. • The dual-shell structure consists of an Sn inner layer and N-doped outer layer. • The inner Sn can improve electronic conductivity and charge transfer kinetics. • The outer N-doped carbon shell can further maintain the structural integrity. • The dual-shell SiO x /C@Sn@NC anode exhibits excellent lithium storage ability. SiO x -based anode materials (0 < x < 2) have been regarded as an appealing candidate for anode material of commercial Lithium-ion batteries accounting for their ultrahigh theoretical capacity and low cost. However, its large-scale applications have been hampered by the serious volume expansion during repeated cycles, low intrinsic conductivity and unsatisfactory initial Coulombic efficiencies. Herein, to address these inherent deficiencies, a hierarchical SiO x -based anode with double-layer coatings of Sn inner layer and N-doped carbon outer shell is elaborately designed by a facile two-step hydrolysis process and polymer coating technology. Benefiting from the "synergistic effect" between Sn and SiO x at different working potentials and a well-designed double-layer coating structure, the resultant SiO x /C@Sn@NC anode displays excellent electrochemical properties, including an enhanced initial Coulomb efficiency (73.3%) efficiency, higher reversible capacity (991 mAh g−1) and superior long lifespan. Moreover, comprehensive characterization based on the reaction kinetics and structural stability proved that such enhanced ICE and cycling stability of anode material stem from its unique double-layer coating structure and multiple active components, which can significantly improve the diffusion of ion and charge transport, stabilize solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer and absorb the expansion stress of electrode. Therefore, this study provides an efficient and feasible strategy to overcome the limitations of high-capacity SiO x -based anode materials via hybridization design with various active components and a double-layer coating strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of vision impairment and blindness among diabetics. We aimed to explore whether long-term exposure to residential greenness was beneficial to DR. We used data from a large-scale, cross-sectional screening survey conducted in 129 cities of 27 provincial regions of China from 2018 to 2021 among patients with diabetes. We measured residential greenness exposure as the 3-year average of annual maximum Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) at a spatial resolution of 250 m. DR was assessed by ophthalmologists based on fundus photographs. The primary outcome was DR, and secondary outcome included DR severity status (i.e., nonproliferative and proliferative), hallmarks of retinal lesions and macular oedema. A total of 484,380 adult participants with diabetes were included in the current analysis, and 15.7% of them were diagnosed with DR. NDVI was inversely and linearly associated with DR prevalence, and an increment of 0.1 NDVI was associated with a 10% (9%–10%) decrease in DR prevalence. Significant and inverse associations were further found for nonproliferative and proliferative DR, hallmarks of lesions and macular oedema. The association between greenness and DR was stronger among participants who were older, obese, lived in the south, had longer duration of diabetes or did not take antidiabetic medications. This large-scale nationwide study provides the first-hand epidemiological evidence on the associations of residential greenness with DR. Our findings highlight the importance of residential greenness in alleviating DR risk especially in an era of aging and urbanization. • The first to examine the relationship between greenness and diabetic retinopathy (DR). • Greenness exposure was almost linearly associated with decreased odds of DR. • Greenness was inversely associated with nonproliferative and proliferative DR. • Greenness was inversely associated with hallmarks of DR and macular oedema. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on Doppler radar observation and reanalysis data, the statistical characteristics of mesovortices (MVs) during the first rainy season (April–June) in Guangdong, South China, from 2017 to 2019 are studied, including their spatiotemporal distributions, structural features and favorable environmental conditions. The results show that the MVs usually exhibit short lifetimes; about 70% last for less than 30 min. The intensity and horizontal scale of the MVs are proportional to their lifetime. Long-lived MVs have larger horizontal scales and stronger intensities than short-lived ones. The MVs are mainly observed over the Pearl River Delta region, followed by western Guangdong Province, but relatively fewer in both eastern and northern Guangdong Province. The uneven spatial distribution of the MVs is closely related to the differences in the topographical features and the environment conditions over South China. MVs are prone to form over flat regions. The Pearl River Delta and eastern Guangdong regions are relatively flat compared to the more mountainous western and northern Guangdong regions. Moreover, the monsoonal south-westerlies, water vapor flux, atmospheric instability and vertical wind shear over southwest Guangdong are significantly larger than those in other regions and are favorable for the formation of MVs. The occurrence frequencies of MVs in central and southern parts of Guangdong display similar diurnal variations, reaching the peak during the late afternoon and early evening while dropping to the minimum overnight. However, the situation is opposite in northern Guangdong, with the peak overnight and the minimum during the late afternoon and early evening. The regional differences in diurnal variation are likely related to the moving direction of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) in Guangdong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve a wide range and high accuracy detection of the vacuum level, for example, in an encapsulated vacuum microcavity, a composite-type MEMS Pirani gauge has been designed and fabricated. The Pirani gauge consists of two gauges of different sizes connected in series, with one gauge having a larger heat-sensitive area and a larger air gap for extending the lower measurable limit of pressure (i.e., the high vacuum end) and the other gauge having a smaller heat-sensitive area and a smaller air gap for extending the upper measurable limit. The high-resistivity titanium metal was chosen as the thermistor; SiNx was chosen as the dielectric layer, considering the factors relevant to simulation and manufacturing. By simulation using COMSOL Multiphysics and NI Multisim, a range of measurement of 2 × 10−2 to 2 × 105 Pa and a sensitivity of 52.4 mV/lgPa were obtained in an N2 environment. The performance of the fabricated Pirani gauge was evaluated by using an in-house made vacuum test system. In the test, the actual points of measurement range from 6.6 × 10−2 to 1.12 × 105 Pa, and the highest sensitivity is up to 457.6 mV/lgPa. The experimental results are better in the range of measurement, sensitivity, and accuracy than the simulation results. The Pirani gauge proposed in this study is simple in structure, easy to manufacture, and suitable for integration with other MEMS devices in a microcavity to monitor the vacuum level therein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Due to its progressive nature, early evaluation and timely prediction of legal blindness are important in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). We examined the association between early-stage variation in central retinal thickness (CRT) and long-term visual outcomes in patients with nAMD. Methods: We included 103 nAMD patients who were administered anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF). Participants were considered qualified if they were (1) 50 years and older, (2) treatment-naïve, (3) received standard anti-VEGF treatment and had complete baseline information. We further excluded patients with less than 1-year follow-up data and those who experienced best corrected visual acuity ≤35. Early-stage variability in CRT was measured as the first-year coefficient of variability (CV) of CRT. Patients were then classified into the high-variability and low-variability groups according to the X-tile. A product-limit plot was used to demonstrate the differences and tested with the log-rank test. The association between first-year variability and visual outcomes was quantified using Cox regression models. Time-to-event primary endpoint was the overall visual preservation (OVP) rate, defined as the time from the first injection to legal blindness, i.e., best corrected visual acuity ≤35 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) letters. Results: A threshold of 20% of first-year CV in CRT was used to categorize 76 qualified patients into high variability (35, 46.1%) and low variability (41, 53.9%). The 5- and 10-year OVPs for patients with high versus low variability were 76% versus 48% and 59% versus 22%, respectively. High early-stage CRT variability showed a significantly higher risk of legal blindness. Even after adjusting for the demographic and clinical features, the variability remained significant (HR = 2.39, 95% CI: 1.20–4.78). Conclusion: First-year variability of CRT was predictive of long-term visual outcomes in patients with nAMD, and 20% of the variability could be used as a clinically convenient threshold to qualitatively classify patients into high- and low-variability groups. The current study is important for identifying high-risk populations and for long-term disease management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triaxial braided composites employed as structural components need to be drilled for mechanical connections. This study is to investigate the thrust force, temperature elevation, and drilling-induced damages with varying machining parameters in the drilling of triaxial braided CFRP. A high-resolution infrared thermography was carried out to capture the temperature of the panel side surface and the drill-exit surface of CFRP. The damage characteristic of drilled hole was evaluated, and a relationship between force, temperature, and hole damage was established. The obtained results indicate that the temperature of triaxial braided CFRP was mainly transferred along the fiber direction. The temperature isothermal at the drill-exit surface developed from polygonal to roughly circular with the increase of drilling depth. The braided yarns tended to deflect, and induced poorly cut fibers due to the more heat generation with the low feed, making the matrix behaved from brittle to ductile and therefore resulting in more burrs. The increase of spindle speed could restrain the burrs. A larger thrust force with high feed will result in fiber-resin debonding and more tearing defects. The delamination occurred at the interface of fiber bundles at the outermost layer with high thrust force and cracks propagated along the yarn direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has improved the prospects for many individuals with diseases affecting motor control, and recently it has shown promise for improving cognitive function as well. Several studies in individuals with Alzheimer disease and in amnesic rats have demonstrated that DBS targeted to the fimbria-fornix, the region that appears to regulate hippocampal activity, can mitigate defects in hippocampus-dependent memory. Despite these promising results, DBS has not been tested for its ability to improve cognition in any childhood intellectual disability disorder. Such disorders are a pressing concern: they affect as much as 3% of the population and involve hundreds of different genes. We proposed that stimulating the neural circuits that underlie learning and memory might provide a more promising route to treating these otherwise intractable disorders than seeking to adjust levels of one molecule at a time. We therefore studied the effects of forniceal DBS in a well-characterized mouse model of Rett syndrome (RTT), which is a leading cause of intellectual disability in females. Caused by mutations that impair the function of MeCP2 (ref. 6), RTT appears by the second year of life in humans, causing profound impairment in cognitive, motor and social skills, along with an array of neurological features. RTT mice, which reproduce the broad phenotype of this disorder, also show clear deficits in hippocampus-dependent learning and memory and hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Here we show that forniceal DBS in RTT mice rescues contextual fear memory as well as spatial learning and memory. In parallel, forniceal DBS restores in vivo hippocampal long-term potentiation and hippocampal neurogenesis. These results indicate that forniceal DBS might mitigate cognitive dysfunction in RTT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical simulation is a key means to evaluate the forming performance of 3D woven preforms (3DWPs). However, the macroscopic continuous model of 3DWPs cannot predict the orientation and deformation of yarns, while the microscopic discrete model is unsuitable for large-size samples forming simulation due to computational constraints. A novel mesoscopic hybrid element yarn model is thus proposed to establish a large-size 3D woven virtual yarn preform (VYP) model and the L-shaped virtual forming simulation model. The L-shaped forming experiment of the 3DWP is designed and executed, and the accuracy of the numerical simulation models is verified from three aspects: the mechanical curve, the sample's macroscopic morphology, and the local meso -structure features. Subsequently, the deformation behavior of the yarn structure inside the 3DWP during the L-shaped forming process is analyzed by combining experimental and simulation results. Furthermore, the effects of the L-shaped angle and chamfer radius on the deformation behavior of the 3DWP are studied, which helps guide the structural design of 3DWPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by complex clinical symptoms and multi-organ damage. One of the most prevalent complications of SLE is lupus nephritis (LN). Rutin, a natural flavonoid compound found in various plants used in traditional Chinese medicine, has shown promising anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and renal protective effects. In our study, we treated MRL/lpr mice, a model known for spontaneously developing LN, with Rutin. Our findings reveal that Rutin markedly reduced serum cytokine and autoantibody levels and decreased inflammatory cell infiltration in renal tissues, thereby ameliorating kidney pathology. In vitro experiments indicated that Rutin's therapeutic effect on LN is linked to its significant reduction of oxidative stress in T cells. Further investigations suggest that Rutin enhances oxidative stress management through the modulation of Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ). We observed that Rutin modulates PPARγ activity, leading to reduced transcriptional activity of NF-κB and STAT3, which in turn inhibits the secretion of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-17. In summary, Rutin can exert an antioxidant effect by regulating PPARγ and shows therapeutic action against LN. [Display omitted] • Rutin ameliorates lupus-like symptoms in MRL/lpr mice by improving hematologic and renal histopathological conditions. • Rutin mitigates T cell oxidative stress through the PPARγ. • PPARγ interacts with STAT3 and NFκB, resulting in reduced STAT3 and NFκB activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student Dropout Prediction (SDP) is pivotal in mitigating withdrawals in Massive Open Online Courses. Previous studies generally modeled the SDP problem as a binary classification task, providing a single prediction outcome. Accordingly, some attempts introduce survival analysis methods to achieve continuous and consistent predictions over time. However, the volatility and sparsity of data always weaken the models' performance. Prevailing solutions rely heavily on data pre-processing independent of predictive models, which are labor-intensive and may contaminate authentic data. This paper proposes a Survival Analysis based Volatility and Sparsity Modeling Network (SAVSNet) to address these issues in an end-to-end deep learning framework. Specifically, SAVSNet smooths the volatile time series by convolution network while preserving the original data information using Long-Short Term Memory Network (LSTM). Furthermore, we propose a Time-Missing-Aware LSTM unit to mitigate the impact of data sparsity by integrating informative missingness patterns into the model. A survival analysis loss function is adopted for parameter estimation, and the model outputs monotonically decreasing survival probabilities. In the experiments, we compare the proposed method with state-of-the-art methods in two real-world MOOC datasets, and the experiment results show the effectiveness of our proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whiting 1 is a faint and young globular cluster in the halo of the Milky Way, and was suggested to have originated in the Sagittarius spherical dwarf galaxy (Sgr dSph). In this paper, we use the deep DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys to explore tentative spatial connection between Whiting 1 and the Sgr dSph. We redetermine the fundamental parameters of Whiting 1 and use the best-fitting isochrone (age Ď„ = 6.5 Gyr, metallicity Z = 0.005 and d ⊙ = 26.9 kpc) to construct a theoretical matched filter for the extra-tidal features searching. Without any smooth technique to the matched filter density map, we detect a round-shape feature with possible leading and trailing tails on either side of the cluster. This raw image is not totally new compared to old discoveries, but confirms that no more large-scale features can be detected under a depth of r < =22.5 mag. In our results, the whole feature stretches 0°.1â€"0°.2 along the orbit of Whiting 1, which gives a much larger area than the cluster core. The tails on both sides of the cluster align along the orbital direction of the Sgr dSph as well as the cluster itself, which implies that these debris are probably stripped remnants of Whiting 1 by the Milky Way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Failure mechanism of complex profile component is always different from that of conventional plate counterpart due to the coupling effect of material and structure. In this work, the low-velocity impact (LVI) and compression after impact (CAI) behaviors of Ω-shape hybrid carbon/Kevlar 3 D orthogonal woven (3DOW) composite made for vehicle B-pillar were comprehensively studied by mechanical tests and mesoscale finite element (FE) analysis at component level, high-speed infrared (IR) thermal imaging, acoustic emission (AE) detection, and microscopic damage morphology characterization. It is found that a through-thickness stress concentration ring leads to high stress state and damage zone penetrating from the impact side to non-impact side along the ring path instead of at the lowest impactor position. The slope effect can not only help the stress conduction downward, but also inhibit the damage propagation from the impact side to the slope. Impact-induced cracks are concentrated around the R corners and extended along the axial direction of the specimen, forming the strip-shaped damage concentration zone along the upper eave of the slope. The Progressive Top-Down Crushing (PTDC) mode of compression after impact is due to the complex deformation process of each yarn such as squeezing, folding and eversion in the crushing process from the top of specimen. And the Middle Indentation Fracture (MIF) mode is the result of bending instability and abrupt fracture. This work presents a reference significance for the further development of composite strengthening components in vehicle bodywork. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the problems of poor exploration ability and convergence speed of traditional deep reinforcement learning in the navigation task of the patrol robot under indoor specified routes, an improved deep reinforcement learning algorithm based on Pan/Tilt/Zoom(PTZ) image information was proposed in this paper. The obtained symmetric image information and target position information are taken as the input of the network, the speed of the robot is taken as the output of the next action, and the circular route with boundary is taken as the test. The improved reward and punishment function is designed to improve the convergence speed of the algorithm and optimize the path so that the robot can plan a safer path while avoiding obstacles first. Compared with Deep Q Network(DQN) algorithm, the convergence speed after improvement is shortened by about 40%, and the loss function is more stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Advantages of asymmetric hybridization on impact resistance and resilience. • Rules of external damage area and internal crack volume distribution. • Damage mechanism of carbon/Kevlar hybridization laminates. The ply structure has a significant effect on the impact resistance and failure behavior of composite laminates. In this paper, carbon/Kevlar hybrid fabric reinforcements were prepared with different Kevlar ratio (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%) by replacing carbon fabric plies on the non-impact side by Kevlar plies. The low-velocity impact tests for all configurations were carried out under 15 J and 25 J energy respectively. The results show that the maximum deflection, impact duration, impact absorption energy and absorption energy efficiency of hybrid laminates increased with the Kevlar hybrid ratio, whereas the peak force presented a decreasing trend, which indicates that the adding of Kevlar layer makes the laminates more ductile than non-hybrid carbon structure. The damage mechanism of the carbon fiber ply was brittle fiber fracture, resin cracking and resin shedding, while the fibers pull-out and tows splitting was found in Kevlar ply. The critical structural damages start from the non-impact side and evolve to the impact side. And the rules of internal crack volume distribution with Kevlar plies are consistent with the trend of external damage area on the non-impact side. It is suggested that in order to take into account the peak strength and excellent structural resilience, Kevlar asymmetric-hybrid ratio of 25% is the most appropriate. The reason is that an appropriate small ratio of Kevlar cushion ply can not only effectively avoid the tensile fracture at non-impact side happened in the non-hybrid carbon structure, but also withstand enough impact load by maintaining a high carbon fiber content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Self-assembly by electrostatic interaction between silane and MOF ligand. • The activation mechanism of electrochemical inert metal Co in SiO x materials was investigated. • The catalytic action of atomic Co site activates Si O bond and Li O bond to increase SiO x capacity and coulomb efficiency. • High mechanical strength and high conductivity Co nanoparticles enhance the conductivity and cycling stability of SiO x. The ultra-high theoretical capacity of silicon-based (Si) materials makes them promising anode materials for high energy density lithium-ion batteries. Unfortunately, the dramatic volume change (∼300%) and low electrical conductivity of silicon have severely hindered the commercial use of silicon anodes. Silicon suboxide (SiO x) is one of the ideal candidates for high energy density batteries due to its reduced swelling and lower cost as compared to silicon. However, it remains a huge challenge to address the low conductivity, low (initial) coulombic efficiency and apparent volume effects of SiO x. In this paper, SiO x /Co@C composite anode materials loaded with metal Co nanoparticles were uniformly and efficiently prepared by using 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES) as silicon source and Co-MOF as Co source via molecular self-assembly strategy. The experimental results and density functional theory (DFT) calculation showed that the catalytic action of embedded Co nanoparticles had activated the silico-oxygen bond of SiO x and the irreversible product Li 2 O, thereby improving the initial coulombic efficiency (ICE) and enhancing the reversible capacity. At the same time, the metal Co with mechanical rigidity and electrical conductivity alleviated the volume fluctuation during alloying and improved the charge transfer capacity and ion transport rate of the composite. When compared with SiO x @C anodes, SiO x /Co@C-600 composites showed higher initial CE, superior cyclic stability and good rate performance. In particular, the successful matching of the anode with the lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode in full cell systems validated the possibility of its practical application. This work provides important insights into the application of Si-based materials in lithium-ion battery electrode materials and the development of high energy density batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A temperature component is given by theoretical inference and parameter optimization. • Separate modeling technique is proposed based on ICEEMDAN and clustering analysis. • The ET-SMT-DELM model is established by a multi-output deep extreme learning machine. • The proposed model has high accuracy, credibility and interpretability. The anatomy of service status through health monitoring models is essential to long-term structural safety. Since deformation is the intuitive representation of the dam's operating condition, it is crucial to investigate the deformation monitoring model with high accuracy and strong interpretability for the safety management of high arch dams. A novel deformation monitoring model is proposed by incorporating impulse response-based equivalent temperature (ET) and machine learning-aided separate modeling technique (SMT). This methodology has three main sources of novelty. First, the impulse response-based equivalent temperature and corresponding temperature component are derived from heat transfer and temperature convolution theories. Then, the model parameters are identified by an improved firefly algorithm. Second, the components in the monitored displacement are progressively stripped out by clustering analysis, separation under equal water level conditions, and a robust signal decomposition technique. Third, the separated deformation components and environmental factors are modeled by the multi-output deep extreme learning machine (DELM) with autoencoder, and the monitoring model ET-SMT-DELM is thus established. The world's highest arch dam is selected to illustrate the proposed model, and the prediction accuracy, early warning performance, component shares, and impulse response mechanism are comprehensively investigated by comparing with several typical baseline models. The results show that the overfitting of the proposed model is reduced, and the prediction and early warning performance is significantly improved. The resulting temperature impulse response function and component shares imply that the interpretability of the model is also enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately identifying various meso-morphological features and sub-phases within the damaged braided composite fabric is crucial for assessing the mechanical properties of composites under complex loading conditions and different processing parameters. However, obtaining 3D reconstructions that can be quantitatively analyzed is still a challenge, primarily due to the low contrast of the meso-morphological features (yarn tow and matrix crack networks). In this work, a new data enhancement algorithm is proposed to generate a realistic-looking artificial training dataset for enriching the information of the meso-morphological features. Then, the effect of various training networks and training parameters (the size of real and hybrid training dataset, number of epochs) on segmentation performance were examined. Finally, the meso-morphological features were statistically analyzed to accurately evaluate the mechanical properties of the composite material. The work presented here provides an effective tool that enables the quantitative analysis of the dynamic crack evolution process under the axial load of the composite materials. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IR-drop is a fundamental constraint by almost all integrated circuits (ICs) physical designs, and many iterations of timing engineer change order (ECO), IR-drop ECO, or other ECO are needed before design signoff. However, IR-drop analysis usually takes a long time and wastes so many resources. In this work, we develop a fast dynamic IR-drop predictor based on a machine learning technique, XGBoost, and the prediction method can be applied to vector-based and vectorless IR-drop analysis simultaneously. Correlation coefficient is often used to characterize the symmetry of prediction data and golden data, and our experiments show that the prediction correlation coefficient is more than 0.96 and the average error is no more than 1.3 mV for two industry designs, which are of 2.4 million and 3.7 million instances, respectively, and that the analysis is speeded up over 4.3 times compared with the IR-drop analysis by commercial tool, Redhawk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims. Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is characterized by recurrence and poor quality of life. Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) mainly occurs in patients with chronic liver diseases and often presents with HE. Several predictive models have been proposed to predict the outcomes of these patients. Our study is aimed at identifying associated risk factors and the prognostic accuracies of predictive models in HE patients with or without ACLF. Methods. Patients with liver cirrhosis were retrospectively enrolled. Risk factors were evaluated by multivariate regression analyses. The predictive capabilities of models were calculated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses and compared by the DeLong tests. Outcomes were defined as in-hospital mortality, HE severity, and ACLF occurrence. Results. In multivariate regression analyses, serum biomarkers neutrophil and total bilirubin (TBIL) were independently correlated with in-hospital death. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were independent serum biomarkers associated with HE severity. Hemoglobin, TBIL, BUN, and international normalized ratio (INR) were significant indicators associated with ACLF incidence. For prediction of in-hospital mortality, Child-Pugh was superior to the others in the whole patients, while NLR showed the best capability in the ACLF group. Conclusion. In cirrhotic patients present with HE, BUN is a risk factor associated with HE severity and ACLF incidence. Child-Pugh and NLR scores may be effective prognosticators in patients with HE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) establish the persistent, life-long infection primarily at the latent status, and associate with certain types of tumors, such as B cell lymphomas, especially in immuno-compromised individuals including people living with HIV (PLWH). Lytic reactivation of these viruses can be employed to kill tumor cells harboring latently infected viral episomes through the viral cytopathic effects and the subsequent antiviral immune responses. In this study, we identified that polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is induced by KSHV de novo infection as well as lytic switch from KSHV latency. We further demonstrated that PLK1 depletion or inhibition facilitates KSHV reactivation and promotes cell death of KSHV-infected lymphoma cells. Mechanistically, PLK1 regulates Myc that is critical to both maintenance of KSHV latency and support of cell survival, and preferentially affects the level of H3K27me3 inactive mark both globally and at certain loci of KSHV viral episomes. Furthremore, we recognized that PLK1 inhibition synergizes with STAT3 inhibition to efficiently induce KSHV reactivation. We also confirmed that PLK1 depletion or inhibition yields the similar effect on EBV lytic reactivation and cell death of EBV-infected lymphoma cells. Lastly, we noticed that PLK1 in B cells is elevated in the context of HIV infection and caused by HIV Nef protein to favor KSHV/EBV latency. Author summary: KSHV is a large double-stranded DNA virus belonging to human gamma-herpesviruses and capable of establishing the long-term persistent infection, which causes cancers under immunocompromised states, such as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). There are currently still no effective therapies to specifically treat KSHV-associated tumors, nor eliminate its persistent infection. In this study, we illustrated that PLK1 is upregulated by KSHV, which in return suppresses KSHV lytic infection. We further demonstrated that PLK1 is a novel host target that can be inhibited pharmacologically to benefit the viral oncolysis for promotion of KSHV lytic reactivation and elimination of KSHV-positive lymphoma cells, particularly for people living with HIV (PLWH). PLK1 inhibitors also exerted the similar effect on EBV that is the other member of human gamma-herpesvirus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dam is an important part of the national infrastructure, and its safety has been widely concerned. Risk identification of dams plays a significant role in risk assessment and control. Finding out some critical failure paths through adopting timely measures can help reduce the risk occurrence probability effectively. This paper develops an identification method based on the credibility and the interval analytic hierarchy process (IAHP) methods, namely, consistency and difference-based interval analytic hierarchy process (CDB-IAHP) method, to identify the critical failure paths of dams exactly considering the dynamic cognition degree of decision-makers. Based on the fault tree analysis (FTA) method, the framework and analysis for critical failure paths identification of a gravity dam and an Earth-rockfill dam are conducted and made. The results show that the critical failure paths obtained by the proposed method are in line with the statistical data, and the importance of disaster causing factors has some difference with the traditional method. Additionally, some engineering and nonengineering measures are suggested to reduce the impact of potential failure paths. The applications demonstrate that the proposed method shows good applicability for risk analysis and critical failure path mining of dams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]