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The ambient air quality standard (AAQS) is a vital policy instrument for protecting the environment and human health. Hainan Province is at the forefront of China's efforts to protect its ecological environment, with an official goal to achieve world-leading air quality by 2035. However, neither the national AAQS nor the World Health Organization guideline offers sufficient guidance for improving air quality in Hainan because Hainan has well met the former while the latter is excessively stringent. Consequently, the establishment of Hainan's local AAQS becomes imperative. Nonetheless, research regarding the development of local AAQS is scarce, especially in comparatively more polluted countries such as China. The relatively high background values and significant interannual fluctuations in air pollutant concentrations in Hainan present challenges in the development of local AAQS. Our research proposes a world-class local AAQS of Hainan Province by reviewing the AAQS in major countries or regions worldwide, analyzing the influence of different statistical forms, and carefully evaluating the attainability of the standard. In the proposed AAQS, the annual mean concentration limit for PM2.5, the annual 95th percentile of daily maximum 8-h mean (MDA8) concentration limit for O3, and the peak season concentration limit for O3 are set at 10, 120, and 85 μg/m3, respectively. Our study indicates that, with effective control policies, Hainan is projected to achieve compliance with the new standard by 2035. The implementation of the local AAQS is estimated to avoid 1,526 (1,253–1,789) and 259 (132–501) premature deaths attributable to long-term exposure to PM2.5 and O3 in Hainan in 2035, respectively.

Media reports and the number of rumors in the media have an important impact on the spread of rumors. Currently, studies that consider these two factors comprehensively on rumor propagation are uncommon. It is better to consider both effects comprehensively than to consider one of them alone. In this paper, we established a new propagation model, which regards the number of rumors in the media as a subclass that changes with time, and then comprehensively considered the effect of these two factors on the process of rumor propagation. We proved the existence and stability of equilibrium points of the model. Then, we selected two reasonable control variables: science popularization intensity and punishment intensity. We find that the control effects are optimal when these two control variables take the maximum value. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulation results showed that positive media publicity can reduce the spread of rumors, but cannot stop the spread of rumors. And under the parameters given in this paper, the optimal control parameter values satisfying the constraints can be calculated through quantitative analysis. This method provided a new idea for studying the optimal control of rumor propagation.

Background: Neonatal lupus erythematosus (NLE) is an acquired autoimmune disease. NLE with liver function damage and cytomegalovirus colonization is rarely reported. Methods: This case describes a newborn male's laboratory testing found sustained liver function damage when he came to see the doctor due to oral candidiasis. The cause was identified through clinical symptoms, laboratory tests, auxiliary examinations, and family history of the patient. Results: The final diagnosis of the child was NLE with liver function damage and cytomegalovirus colonization according to comprehensive analysis and follow-up observation. Conclusions: NLE and cytomegalovirus colonization can both lead to liver function damage. When the organ function of newborns is abnormal, it is necessary to promptly investigate the cause and determine whether it is NLE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Right heart failure is a common complication after cardiac surgery, and its mortality remains high. The medical management and veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation has shown significant improvement in the majority of cases. However, a minority of patients may still require long-term mechanical circulatory support or heart transplantation. Balloon atrial septostomy is a new method for the prevention and treatment of right heart failure, which may avoid the patient’s dependence on mechanical circulatory support. We used this method to try to treat patients with right heart failure after cardiac surgery, and all received good benefits. Therefore, we selected several representative cases to report, in order to guide other qualified cardiac surgeons to carry out relevant clinical practice.

In the present study, a field establishment was initiated in 2018 with eight treatment conditions using biochar application rates of 0, 10, 20, or 30 t/ha and nitrogen application rates of 0 or 150 kg/ha. After two years, the impact of biochar on carbon-nitrogen distributions, soil aggregate stability, and wheat yields was then assessed. The predominant mechanical aggregates after two years were > 5 mm and 2-5 mm granular aggregates, with notable increases in the amounts of these aggregates following the application of biochar with or without nitrogen that coincided with an increase in soil aggregate mechanical stability. Relative to control conditions, aggregate mean weight diameter (MWD) and geometric weight diameter (GMD) values rose by 17.6% and 24.3% for biochar with nitrogen treatment (N: 150 kg/ha; biochar: 20 t/ha), respectively. Biochar application alone and the application of both biochar and nitrogen fertiliser were associated with 6.4-20.2% and 20.7-42.7% increases in spring wheat yields, respectively. Overall, the results of these analyses highlight the value of applying biochar to improve soil quality and boost crop yields proximal to the study site. This study provided the scientific basis for the rational fertilisation and scientific management of biochar combined with nitrogen fertiliser in the irrigation area of Northern Xinjiang, China.

Shotcrete is widely used in civil engineering as a supporting structure. In this paper, the compressive behavior of ultra-high-performance shotcrete (UHPSC) with different steel fiber content by volume (0, 0.5%, 0.75%, 1%, 1.25%, 1.5%) was investigated. The results showed that the failure pattern of UHPSC was changed from brittle failure to ductile failure with the increase in steel fiber content. The compressive strength, peak strain and compressive toughness of UHPSC increased with the increase in steel fiber content, but the elastic modulus and Poisson’s ratio did not change significantly. With content of 1.5% steel fibers, its axial compressive strength, peak strain and compressive strain energy were 122.7 MPa, 3749 με and 0.269 MPa, respectively, increased by 14%, 23.5% and 55.5% compared with those without steel fiber. The peak strain and compressive toughness were higher than that of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC), while the elastic modulus of UHPSC was lower than that of UHPC. Based on the experimental data, the relationship between compressive strength, peak strain, compressive toughness and the change in the characteristic value of steel fiber content (λf) were revealed. The uniaxial compressive constitutive model of UHPSC with different steel fiber content was established and reflected the change rule of the shape parameter of α (constitutive model ascending section) and β (constitutive model descending section) with λf. The experimental results were in good agreement with the model calculation results, which can provide theoretical support for the structural design of UHPSC.

Caffeine has attracted significant attention from researchers in the sports field due to its well-documented ergogenic effects across various athletic disciplines. As research on caffeine continues to progress, there has been a growing emphasis on evaluating caffeine dosage and administration methods. However, investigations into the optimal timing of caffeine intake remain limited. Therefore, this narrative review aimed to assess the ergogenic effects of caffeine administration at different times during the morning (06:00 to 10:00) and evening (16:00 to 21:00). The review findings suggest that circadian rhythms play a substantial role in influencing sports performance, potentially contributing to a decline in morning performance. Caffeine administration has demonstrated effectiveness in mitigating this phenomenon, resulting in ergogenic effects and performance enhancement, even comparable to nighttime levels. While the specific mechanisms by which caffeine regulates circadian rhythms and influences sports performance remain unclear, this review also explores the mechanisms underlying caffeine’s ergogenic effects, including the adenosine receptor blockade, increased muscle calcium release, and modulation of catecholamines. Additionally, the narrative review underscores caffeine’s indirect impact on circadian rhythms by enhancing responsiveness to light-induced phase shifts. Although the precise mechanisms through which caffeine improves morning performance declines via circadian rhythm regulation necessitate further investigations, it is noteworthy that the timing of caffeine administration significantly affects its ergogenic effects during exercise. This emphasizes the importance of considering caffeine intake timing in future research endeavors to optimize its ergogenic potential and elucidate its mechanisms.

Hollow structures reduce weight without compromising load-bearing capacity and are widely used. The new Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Polymer high-strength thin-walled inner mold simplifies internal cavity construction and boosts structural performance. This study first investigates the influence of a GFRP high-strength thin-walled circular tube on the cross-sectional load-carrying capacity of hollow slabs. Then, a formula for the bending load-carrying capacity of the section under the action of the tube is derived. The results indicate that when the height of the concrete compression zone meets certain conditions, GFRP high-strength thin-walled circular tubes can improve the ultimate load-carrying capacity of the hollow floor slabs. In order to achieve a more economical design, the bending moment modification of a GFRP high-strength thin-walled circular tube of a continuous slab was studied. Research has found that the bending moment modulation limit for a continuous slab is 35.65% when it is subjected to a load of Pu=24 kN. Experimental analysis has shown that the results are generally consistent with the calculations. In practical engineering, the application of a GFRP high-strength thin-walled circular tube of continuous slabs has limitations. Therefore, this study investigated a GFRP high-strength thin-walled honeycomb core slab and found that its ultimate load-bearing capacity is greater compared to waffle slabs. In addition, the stress performance of the GFRP high-strength thin-walled honeycomb core internal mold is superior, making it more promising for practical applications.

To repair reinforced concrete beams efficiently in a limited building space, the four-sided application of a reinforcing thin layer of reactive powder concrete (“RPCTL”) was proposed to improve the bending capacity of the members. Static flexural tests of one comparison beam and five reinforced beams were completed on a four-point centralized loading device. Changes in deflection, cracks, stresses, and damage characteristics of the specimens were measured under various levels of loading. The test results showed that the damage patterns of the reinforced specimens were dominated by the yielding of longitudinal tensile reinforcement at the bottoms of the beams and the crushing of the cementitious material in the top compression zones of the beams. The cracking load greatly increased by 1.42 to 7.12 times, and the ultimate bearing capacity increased by 0.29 to 1.41 times. The distribution characteristics and dynamic changes in the displacement, stress, and damage of the specimens were dynamically simulated by finite element software. The effects of reinforcement and initial load-holding level on the reinforcement effect were investigated. A bending capacity calculation formula for RPCTL reinforcement technology is proposed that aligns with the test results and can provide a reference for the design of RPCTL reinforcement.

Hydrogels are highly porous three-dimensional crosslinked polymer networks consisting of hydrophilic polymers, employed most practically in medicine and industry, often as biosensors. Simple hydrogels suffer limitations in their mechanical properties, such as tensile and compression, and freeze at sub-zero temperatures, which compromise their ability as useful biosensors. In this study, the incorporation of L-ornithine-based zwitterionic monomer (OZM), titanium carbide (MXene), and glycerol within polyacrylamide hydrogels was used to prepare a novel polyacrylamide/polyL-ornithine-based zwitterion/MXene (PAM/Porn/MXene) hydrogel to improve the mechanical, adhesion, and anti-freezing properties of pure polyacrylamide hydrogels. This study also analyzed the mechanical strength (tensile and compression), adhesion, and anti-freezing properties of a novel PAM/Porn/MXene hydrogel at 1%, 4%, and 10% MXene concentrations to establish to what extent the conductive MXene material enhanced these properties and concluded that the tensile and compressive properties improved linearly with the increase in the concentrations of MXene, adhesion decreased with the increased MXene concentrations, and synergistic interaction between MXene and OZM significantly improved the anti-freezing properties up to –80 °C.

The huge demand for sand and gravel resources in road engineering construction leads to excessive consumption of resources and environmental damage. Recycling waste concrete and industrial solid waste as a road material is a promising alternative. In order to explore the application of these solid wastes in the road base, this paper studies the effect of adding lithium slag activated by an alkaline activator, fly ash (FA) and a combination of the two on the compressive strength, splitting strength and shrinkage performance of recycled cement-stabilized macadam mixture (RCSM). The optimum content of recycled aggregate (RA), alkali-activated lithium slag (AALS) and FA in composite-improved RCSM was optimized using a response surface method (Box–Behnken), and the microscopic characteristics of the mixture were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results show that the optimum dosage of AALS, FA and RA determined by the response surface method is 15%, 10% and 40%, respectively. Compared with the cement-stabilized macadam mixture (CSM) with 40% RA, the 28 d compressive strength and 28 d splitting strength of the composite-improved RCSM are increased by 26.8% and 22.9%, respectively, and the dry shrinkage coefficient and average temperature shrinkage coefficient are decreased by 25.8% and 14.8%, respectively. Microscopic tests show that AALS and FA participate in the hydration reaction, generate more hydrated silicate (C-S-H) and ettringite (AFt), refine pores, effectively improve the performance of the internal interface transition zone of the mixture, make the microstructure of the mixture denser, and improve the strength and shrinkage performance of RCSM. This study provides technical support for the reuse of resources and the sustainable development of road construction.

In this paper, we investigate the orbit-adjustment problem of satellite systems in the presence of nonlinear uncertainties in kinematics and dynamics. We propose a novel direct adaptive fuzzy control scheme with prescribed tracking accuracy to address uncertain nonlinear dynamics by employing advanced fuzzy logic systems and integrating a class of sophisticated smooth functions, thereby ensuring convergence of the tracking error within a precisely defined interval. The ingeniously designed control scheme guarantees negative semi-definiteness of the Lyapunov function, ensuring boundedness for all variables. Moreover, our groundbreaking control approach requires only one adaptive law, completely eliminating any direct correlation with the number of nonlinear functions. Simulation results unequivocally validate the remarkable effectiveness and superiority of our innovative control approach.

BackgroundAfatinib is mainly used to treat advanced non-small cell lung cancer, but its therapeutic effect on hepatocellular carcinoma is still unclear.MethodsOver 800 drugs were screened by CCK8 technology and afatinib was found to have a significant inhibitory effect on liver cancer cells. The expression of PDL1 in tumor cells treated with drugs were detected by qRT-PCR and Weston Blot experiments. The effects of afatinib on the growth, migration and invasion of HCC cells were evaluated using wound healing, Transwell, and cell cloning assays. The in vivo effects of afatinib in combination with anti-PD1 were evaluated in C57/BL6J mice with subcutaneous tumorigenesis. Bioinformatics analysis was performed to explore the specific mechanism of afatinib's inhibition of ERBB2 in improving the expression level of PD-L1, which was subsequently verified through experiments.ResultsAfatinib was found to have a significant inhibitory effect on liver cancer cells, as confirmed by in vitro experiments, which demonstrated that it could significantly suppress the growth, invasion and migration of HCC cells. qRT PCR and Weston Blot experiments also showed that Afatinib can enhance the expression of PD-L1 in tumor cells. In addition, in vitro experiments confirmed that afatinib can significantly enhance the immunotherapeutic effect of hepatocellular carcinoma. Afatinib’s ability to increase PD-L1 expression is mediated by STAT3 activation following its action on HCC cells.ConclusionAfatinib enhances PD-L1 expression in tumor cells through the STAT3/PD-L1 pathway. The combination of afatinib and anti-PD1 treatment significantly increases the immunotherapeutic effect of HCC.

Abstract In recent decades, the continuous depletion of fossil fuels and the increasingly serious environmental issue have aroused wide attention on the development of biopolymers based on renewable biomass. Lignin is the second most abundant organic bio‐based macromolecule second to cellulose, and it can be widely found in plants. Furthermore, various phenol derivatives can be obtained by their depolymerization processes. The development of bio‐renewable polymeric materials originating from lignin‐derivative phenol monomers, such as vanillin, syringaldehyde, eugenol, vanillyl alcohol, vanillic acid, and ferulic acid, will not only valorize the bio‐sourced materials but also effectively reduce petroleum resource consumption and mitigate the environmental pollution. Therefore, an updated overview of the synthesis processes of these bio‐based polymers developed in the past decade, which includes both thermosets and thermoplastics such as epoxy, phenolic, polyimine, polybenzoxazine, polyurethane, and polyesters, are elucidated. In addition, the applications of these bio‐based polymers and their composites in flame‐retarded materials, degradable and reprocessable materials, dielectric materials, optoelectronic materials, as well as smart responsive materials are also intensively discussed. In line with the gradual development of synthesis technologies, we believe that derivatives of lignin will turn into one of the most promising materials to be considered for the preparation of high‐performance and functional bio‐based polymer materials.

A randomized block field experiment was conducted in the irrigated area of northern Xinjiang, China, to clarify the effects of biochar (0, 30 × 103 kg·hm−2 (B)) combined with nitrogen (0, 150 (N1), and 300 kg·hm−2 (N2)) on soil fertility, which was represented by CK, B, N1, N2, BN1, and BN2, respectively. The performance of eleven indices related to soil chemical, physical, and biological properties was evaluated by factor analysis and cluster analysis to determine the most appropriate mode for soil fertilization and to identify the main soil environmental factors affecting wheat yield under biochar combined with nitrogen. The results indicated that the first factor was the activity factor, including the Shannon index, McIntosh index, and Simpson index. The second factor was the available nutrient factor, including organic matter, available phosphorus, and available potassium. Factor 3 can be taken as the nutrient-supplying and retaining factor containing total phosphorus, total potassium, and bacterial quantity. The highest score of soil quality was observed in the BN1 treatment, followed by the BN2 and B treatments, which were almost in line with the results of wheat yields. Cluster analysis classified six treatments into four main groups on the basis of the measured parameters, which was mostly consistent with the results of soil quality scores. Considering both economic and environmental benefits, 30 × 103 kg·hm−2 biochar combined with 150 kg·hm−2 nitrogen was the best combination to restore crop productivity and soil quality and to achieve nitrogen decrease and benefit increase. This study provided the scientific basis for the rational fertilization and scientific management of biochar combined with nitrogen fertilizer in the irrigated area of northern Xinjiang, China.

To describe the hysteresis nonlinearities in smart actuators, numerous models have been presented in the literature, among which the Preisach operator is the most effective due to its capability to capture multi-loop or sophisticated hysteresis curves. When such an operator is coupled with uncertain nonlinear dynamics, especially in noncanonical form, it is a challenging problem to develop techniques to cancel out the hysteresis effects and, at the same time, achieve asymptotic tracking performance. To address this problem, in this paper, we investigate the problem of iterative inverse-based adaptive control for uncertain noncanonical nonlinear systems with unknown input Preisach hysteresis, and a new adaptive version of the closest-match algorithm is proposed to compensate for the Preisach hysteresis. With our scheme, the stability and convergence of the closed-loop system can be established. The effectiveness of the proposed control scheme is illustrated through simulation and experimental results.

In this study, 11 PSRPC column specimens were designed and fabricated in order to investigate the stressing performance of incompletely prefabricated steel reactive powder concrete (PSRPC) columns and were subjected to static loading tests. The effects of the strength grade and steel content of reactive powder concrete (RPC) on the axial compression performance of PSRPC columns and the effects of the steel content and eccentricity on the eccentricity performance of PSRPC columns were investigated. The test results show that the external prefabricated RPC, the internal steel section and the internal cast-in-place RPC of the PSRPC column work well together. The damage morphology of the specimens and the load–displacement and strain relationships were analysed, and the damage mechanism and the main factors influencing the compressive load capacity of the PSRPC columns were investigated. The test results are compared with the calculation results of the Chinese code (JGJ 138-2016) and the European and American codes (AISC-LRFD), and the applicability of the existing codes is discussed. Based on the hoop restraint action and limit state design method, formulae for calculating the axial and partial compression load capacity of PSRPC columns were established. The calculated values were in good agreement with the test values, and the calculation errors were within 10%.

Increasing evidence indicates that quiescent cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a root cause of chemoresistance. SET domain-containing protein 4 (SETD4) epigenetically regulates cell quiescence in breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs), and SETD4-positive BCSCs are chemoradioresistant. However, the role of SETD4 in chemoresistance, tumor progression, and prognosis in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients is unclear. Here, SETD4-positive cells were identified as quiescent lung cancer stem cells (qLCSCs) since they expressed high levels of ALDH1 and CD133 and low levels of Ki67. SETD4 expression was significantly higher in advanced-stage NSCLC tissues than in early-stage NSCLC tissues and significantly higher in samples from the chemoresistant group than in those from the chemosensitive group. Patients with high SETD4 expression had shorter progression-free survival (PFS) times than those with low SETD4 expression. SETD4 facilitated heterochromatin formation via H4K20me3, thereby leading to cell quiescence. RNA-seq analysis showed upregulation of genes involved in cell proliferation, glucose metabolism, and PI3K-AKT signaling in activated qLCSCs (A-qLCSCs) compared with qLCSCs. In addition, SETD4 overexpression facilitated PTEN-mediated inhibition of the PI3K-mTOR pathway. In summary, SETD4 confers chemoresistance, tumor progression, and a poor prognosis by regulating CSCs in NSCLC patients.

The LiDAR and photogrammetric point clouds fusion procedure for building extraction according to U-Net deep learning model segmentation is provided and tested. Firstly, an initial geo-localization process is performed for photogrammetric point clouds generated using structure-from-motion and dense-matching methods. Then, point cloud segmentation is carried out based on U-Net deep learning model. The precision of the U-Net model for buildings extraction reachs 87%, with F-score of 0.89 and IoU of 0.80. It is shown that the U-Net method is effective for high-resolution image extraction. The detailed information can accurately be identified and extracted, such as vegetation located between buildings and roads. After segmentation, each chunk of the LiDAR and photogrammetric point clouds are finely registered and merged based on the iterative closest point algorithm. Finally, the fused point clouds are obtained. It shows that the structure and shape of the buildings could be delineated from the fused point clouds when both enough ground points and a higher point density are available. Furthermore, color information improves both visualization effect and properties identification. The experiments are conducted to extract individual buildings from three types of point clouds in three plots. A DoN (Difference of Normals) approach is used to isolate 3D buildings from other objects in densely built-up areas. It shows that most building extraction results have a Precision > 0.9 and favorable Recall and F-score values. Although the LiDAR extraction results have some advantages over the photogrammetric and fused ones in terms of Precision, the Recall and F-score results appear best for the fused point clouds. It shows that the fused data contains a high point density and RGB color information and could improve the building extraction.

In this paper, the tracking control problem of a class of fuzzy approximation-based noncanonical nonlinear systems with hysteresis inputs is investigated, where the fuzzy weight matrix is not available for measurement, and the hysteresis nonlinearities are modeled by the Prandtl–Ishlinskii operator. Due to the coupling effects, the plant input containing hysteresis is unknown. To solve the problem, two adaptive control schemes are developed. The first is a Lyapunov-based scheme, and the second is a gradient-based scheme. For convenience, only the relative-degree-one case is taken into account in design and analysis. With the proposed schemes, it can be proved that all signals in the closed-loop system are bounded, and the tracking error converges to a small region around zero. Simulation results show that the maximum steady-state error converges to [−0.0131,0.0183]μm and [−0.0139,0.0161]μm with two control schemes, which confirms the obtained results.

The existence of the physiological tremor of the human hand significantly affects the application of tele-operation systems in performing high-precision tasks, such as tele-surgery, and currently, the process of effectively eliminating the physiological tremor has been an important yet challenging research topic in the tele-operation robot field. Some scholars propose using deep learning algorithms to solve this problem, but a large number of hyperparameters lead to a slow training speed. Later, the support-vector-machine-based methods have been applied to solve the problem, thereby effectively canceling tremors. However, these methods may lose the prediction accuracy, because learning energy cannot be accurately assigned. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a broad-learning-system-based tremor filter, which integrates a series of incremental learning algorithms to achieve fast remodeling and reach the desired performance. Note that the broad-learning-system-based filter has a fast learning rate while ensuring the accuracy due to its simple and novel network structure. Unlike other algorithms, it uses incremental learning algorithms to constantly update network parameters during training, and it stops learning when the error converges to zero. By focusing on the control performance of the slave robot, a sliding mode control approach has been used to improve the performance of closed-loop systems. In simulation experiments, the results demonstrated the feasibility of our proposed method.

In this paper, a fixed-time adaptive neural control scheme is proposed to solve the prescribed tracking problem of robot manipulators in the presence of uncertain dynamics, and stuck-type actuator failures which are unknown in time, pattern, and values. Technically, the combination of neural networks and adaptive control is used to handle the uncertainties in system dynamics, an adaptive compensation mechanism is designed to accommodate the failures occurring in actuators, and also a systematic design procedure based on the prescribed performance bounds is presented to establish the conditional inequality for ensuring fixed-time stability. With our scheme, it can be proved rigorously that the tracking errors in joint space can always be kept within the prescribed bounds, and converge to a small region of zero in a bounded settling time, in addition to the closed-loop signal boundedness. The proposed scheme is validated through simulations.

Cancer has become one of the greatest threats to human health, and new technologies are urgently needed to further clarify the mechanisms of cancer so that better detection and treatment strategies can be developed. At present, extensive genomic analysis and testing of clinical specimens shape the insights into carcinoma. Nevertheless, carcinoma of humans is a complex ecosystem of cells, including carcinoma cells and immunity-related and stroma-related subsets, with accurate characteristics obscured by extensive genome-related approaches. A growing body of research shows that sequencing of single-cell RNA (scRNA-seq) is emerging to be an effective way for dissecting human tumor tissue at single-cell resolution, presenting one prominent way for explaining carcinoma biology. This review summarizes the research progress of scRNA-seq in the field of tumors, focusing on the application of scRNA-seq in tumor circulating cells, tumor stem cells, tumor drug resistance, the tumor microenvironment, and so on, which provides a new perspective for tumor research.

In the present study, a ground-based counterflow virtual impactor (GCVI) was used to sample cloud droplet residual (cloud RES) particles, while a parallel PM2.5 inlet was used to sample cloud-free or cloud interstitial (cloud INT) particles. The mixing state of black carbon (BC)-containing particles and the mass concentrations of BC in the cloud-free, RES and INT particles were investigated using a single-particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SPAMS) and two aethalometers, respectively, at a mountain site (1690 ma:s:l:) in southern China. The measured BC-containing particles were extensively internally mixed with sulfate and were scavenged into cloud droplets (with number fractions of 0.05-0.45) to a similar (or slightly lower) extent as all the measured particles (0.07-0.6) over the measured size range of 0.1-1.6 μm. The results indicate the preferential activation of larger particles and/or that the production of secondary compositions shifts the BC-containing particles towards larger sizes. BC-containing particles with an abundance of both sulfate and organics were scavenged less than those with sulfate but limited organics, implying the importance of the mixing state on the incorporation of BC-containing particles into cloud droplets. The mass scavenging efficiency of BC with an average of 33% was similar for different cloud events independent of the air mass. This is the first time that both the mixing state and cloud scavenging of BC in China have been reported. Our results would improve the knowledge on the concentration, mixing state, and cloud scavenging of BC in the free troposphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, a ground-based counterflow virtual impactor (GCVI) was used to sample cloud droplet residual (cloud RES) particles, while a parallel PM2.5 inlet was used to sample cloud-free or cloud interstitial (cloud INT) particles. The mixing state of black carbon (BC)-containing particles in a size range of 0.1-1.6 μm and the mass concentrations of BC in the cloud-free, RES and INT particles were investigated using a single particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SPAMS) and two aethalometers, respectively, at a mountain site (1690 m a.s.l.) in southern China. The measured BC-containing particles were internally mixed extensively with sulfate, and were activated into cloud droplets to the same extent as all the measured particles. The results indicate the preferential activation of larger particles and/or that the production of secondary compositions shifts the BC-containing particles towards larger sizes. BC-containing particles with an abundance of both sulfate and organics were activated less than those with sulfate but limited organics, implying the importance of the mixing state on the incorporation of BC-containing particles into cloud droplets. The mass scavenging efficiency of BC with an average of 33 % was similar for different cloud events independent of the air mass. This is the first time that both the mixing state and cloud scavenging of BC in China have been reported. Since limited information on BC-containing particles in the free troposphere is available, the results also provide an important reference for the representation of BC concentrations, properties, and climate impacts in modeling studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the study, we propose a novel adaptive visual servoing control scheme for robotic manipulators with kinematic and dynamic uncertainties, where the camera used is uncalibrated, which implies that its intrinsic and extrinsic parameters are unavailable for measurement. For our scheme, a depth-independent composite Jacobian matrix is constructed to make visual parameters and robotic physical parameters appear linearly in a parametrized uniform form so that an adaptive algorithm can be developed to estimate their values. With the raised adaptive algorithm, the potential singularity of the Jacobian matrix can be well circumvented by updating estimated parameters in an appropriate tiny range of actual values. With our scheme, the asymptotic convergence of the image tracking error to zero is established successfully, in addition to the signal boundedness of the closed-loop system. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme is confirmed by simulation results based on a 6-DOF PUMA manipulator.

Abstract Background Spindle cell sarcomas of the right atrium are extremely rare primary cardiac tumours, with very few cases reported in the medical literature. Pseudoaneurysms caused by cardiac spindle cell sarcoma have never been reported worldwide. Case presentation A 32-year-old woman was referred to our hospital for recurrent pericardial haemorrhagic effusion and pleural effusion. Three-dimensional transthoracic echocardiogram, contrast chest CT, and contrast MRI revealed a pseudoaneurysm on the right side of the right atrium with a thrombus. There was a defect between the pseudoaneurysm and the right atrium. PET-CT suggested that FDG metabolism inhomogeneity increased in the mass in the right atrium. Exfoliative cytology detection of massive pericardial effusion and pleural effusion revealed no tumour cells. Spindle cell sarcoma of the right atrium was not confirmed until the patient underwent right thoracic exploration and biopsy. Before a confirmed diagnosis, symptomatic treatment, such as chest effusion and pericardium effusion drainage, and transfusion of red blood cells were mainly used to relieve the patient’s symptoms. Unfortunately, the patient was lost to optimal treatments and passed away 20 days after the pathological diagnosis was made. Conclusion The prognosis of spindle cell sarcomas remains poor due to delays in diagnosis, early metastasis and few available therapeutic options. Recurrent pericardial effusion and pleural effusion, especially in the nature of haemorrhagic effusion, and/or right atrial pseudoaneurysm shown on the transthoracic echocardiogram must be considered and highly suspected as malignancy by patients and physicians. If the diagnosis cannot be confirmed, histopathology should be performed as soon as possible to avoid losing the best treatment opportunity.

If the product supply shortage during the sales period, customers will turn to other company, so the enterprise will shortage the sales opportunity. The enterprise can predict product demands, and manages the product sales. To use the supply chain management prediction system to improve the bottleneck of the inventory; thus, the hot sales product has more critical time utilization and the inventory status reflected quickly in Internet of Things (IoT). Because replenishment model cannot show the actual quantity of products on the store shelves. Therefore, this article proposed the intelligent agent-based predict system, that agent-based serves as framework to construct an integrated predict system, use radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to design the intelligent product predict shelf to extract products message, and the service oriented architecture to develop an predict information to provide the product as recommend customer services. The result of the paper, to propose an agent-based cloud computing service platform in IoT, and intelligent agents with SOA as backend cloud services. To build a prototype predict system with performance analysis. The results proved that the predict system architecture for intelligent agent-based predict system could increase operation performance and enhance effectively for customer service quality for hot sale products.

This paper provides a practical procedure for fusing LiDAR and photogrammetric point clouds for the extraction of tree metrics. Aerial photogrammetric point clouds are first generated using the structure-from-motion and dense-matching methods. Registration of the LiDAR and photogrammetric point clouds is then performed using an onboard global positioning system and inertial measurement unit. However, due to systematic deviations, it is impossible to directly merge the two types of point cloud. Therefore, an urban street network obtained from the OpenStreetMap digital mapping system is utilized for point cloud segmentation. After segmentation, each chunk is finely registered and merged based on the iterative closest point algorithm, allowing the two types of data to be accurately co-registered and a fused point cloud obtained. Finally, we conducted experiments to extract stand and individual tree metrics from fused point clouds created for two study plots. The height distributions of the fused point clouds were highly consistent with LiDAR data, with the 5%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 90%, and 95% height percentiles showing acceptable similarities. The height distribution of individual trees was also consistent with that of field measurements. Furthermore, the fused point clouds contain a high point density and RGB color information, which allow shape delineation and estimation of tree health status. This comprehensive analysis demonstrates that this procedure provides a practical way to inventory tree stands and individuals in urban areas.

Point clouds derived from LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and photogrammetry systems are used to extract building footprints in dense urban areas. Two extraction methods based on DSM (Digital Surface Model) images and point clouds are comprehensively evaluated and compared. Firstly, photogrammetric point clouds are generated from aerial images of downtown Guangzhou, China, and compared with corresponding LiDAR point clouds. Then, DSM images are created using these point clouds and a threshold segmentation method is applied for building extraction. Although regularized buildings can be extracted according to the selection of appropriate height thresholds for the LiDAR DSM and photogrammetric DSM, blurry building boundaries exist for results of photogrammetric DSM when high trees are available nearby. LiDAR DSM extraction performs better in terms of Precision, Recall, and $F$ -score metrics. A DoN (Difference of Normals) approach based on point cloud datasets is also quantitatively and qualitatively demonstrated. Our experiments show that when a suitable radius threshold is selected, the method provides satisfactorily normal calculation results and can successfully isolate building roofs from other objects in densely built-up areas. The majority of building extraction results have a precision >0.9 and favorable Recall and $F$ -score results. There is high consistency between photogrammetric and LiDAR point clouds. Although LiDAR provides higher extraction accuracy, photogrammetry is also useful for its more convenient acquisition and higher point cloud densities.

In this paper, glass powder (GP) was used as a partial replacement of cement and the effects of different levels of GP replacement on the mechanical and durability properties of modified polystyrene particle concrete were investigated, and the mechanism of action was analysed using x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and CT techniques. The study results show that GP reduces the early strength of modified polystyrene particle concrete. When the substitution rate of GP is not more than 20%, it can improve the late compressive strength and splitting tensile strength of modified polystyrene granular concrete and enhance the chloride ion permeability and frost resistance. When the substitution rate of GP reaches 30% and above, it is unfavourable to the mechanical properties and durability of modified polystyrene granular concrete.20% is the best substitution rate of GP in modified polystyrene grainy concrete. The thermal conductivity of modified polystyrene particulate concrete tends to decrease and then increase with the increase of the GP substitution rate. The best thermal performance is achieved when the GP substitution rate is 10%. It can be attributed to the fact that the appropriate amount of GP can improve the internal microstructure of the modified polystyrene particle concrete and optimise the pore structure.

Multi-level studies have shown that Rhodiola rosea (RHO) and Caffeine (CAF) have the potential to be nutritional supplements to enhance physical performance in resistance exercise-untrained and -trained subjects. This study examined the synergistic effects of RHO (262.7 mg/kg for rats and 2.4 g for volunteers) and CAF (19.7 mg/kg for rats and 3 mg/kg for volunteers) supplementation on improving physical performance in rats, resistance exercise-untrained volunteers and resistance exercise-trained volunteers. Rats and volunteers were randomly grouped into placebo, CAF, RHO and CAF+RHO and administered accordingly with the nutrients during the training procedure, and pre- and post-measures were collected. We found that RHO+CAF was effective in improving forelimb grip strength (13.75%), erythropoietin (23.85%), dopamine (12.65%) and oxygen consumption rate (9.29%) in the rat model. Furthermore, the current results also indicated that the combination of RHO+CAF significantly increased the bench press one-repetition maximum (1RM) (16.59%), deep squat 1RM (15.75%), maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) (14.72%) and maximum repetitions of 60% 1RM bench press (22.15%) in resistance exercise-untrained volunteers. Additionally, despite the excellent base level of the resistance exercise-trained volunteers, their deep squat 1RM and MVIC increased substantially through the synergistic effect of RHO and CAF. In conclusion, combined supplementation of RHO+CAF is more beneficial in improving the resistance exercise performance for both resistance exercise-untrained and -trained volunteers. The present results provide practical evidence that the synergies of RHO and CAF could serve as potential supplementary for individuals, especially resistance exercise-trained subjects, to ameliorate their physical performances effectively and safely.

While master-slave teleoperated robotic systems have extensive applications in practice, the physiological tremors can easily affect the control accuracy and even destroy the stability of the closed-loop control systems during operation. Hence, the development of some effective approaches for counteracting physiological tremors is of both theoretical and practical importance. In this paper, a broad learning network-based filter integrating a deep learning network and modified incremental learning algorithms is proposed to reconstruct and compensate for tremor signals. To strengthen the recognition of correlations between different moments, the lateral connectivity structure is adopted to obtain multi-scale feature maps. Each feature window is obtained from multi-scale feature maps generated by the convolutional neural network, which has an advantage that makes the feature nodes fuse the feature information of long time series and short time series by the lateral connection. The broad learning network is a unique construction, which only needs to obtain the input and the output to conveniently calculate the connection weights by the pseudo-inverse without involving backpropagation. It is known that the relation between the data X and the label Y can be represented as XW=Y, and the solution W can be obtained by the pseudo-inverse W=X+Y. In addition, to guarantee the ill-posed problem, a ridge regression algorithm is used for the pseudo-inverse calculation. The effectiveness of our raised network architecture is illustrated by comparative simulation and experiment results.

Anypath routing is a hot research topic for QoS guarantee in wireless mesh networks (WMNs). According to time-varying characteristics of WMNs and the idea of anypath routing, a system network modeling method is proposed to address the multiple constrained optimization anypath problem. It focuses on the application of WMNs; under various QoS constraints, it satisfies a specific constraint and approaches other QoS constraints from an approximate perspective. A heuristic multi-constrained anypath algorithm with a time complexity as Dijkstra is proposed for the problem, and the algorithm is proved to be a K-1 approximation algorithm. The feasibility of the algorithm is verified, then its computational efficiency and performance are evaluated through simulation experiments, respectively. According to the application characteristics of wireless networks, the algorithm is suitable for WMNs and has good compatibility with existing routing protocols.

The demands for model accuracy and computing efficiency in fault warning scenarios are increasing as high-speed railway train technology continues to advance. The black box model is difficult to interpret, making it impossible for this technology to be widely adopted in the railway industry, which has strict safety regulations. This paper proposes a fault early warning machine learning model based on feature contribution and causal inference. First, the contributions of the features are calculated through the Shapley additive explanations model. Then, causal relationships are discovered through causal inference models. Finally, data from causal and high-contribution time series are applied to the model. Ablation tests are conducted with the Naïve Bayes, Gradient Boosting Decision Tree, eXtreme Gradient Boosting, and other models in order to confirm the efficiency of the method based on early warning data regarding the on-site high-speed train traction equipment circuit board failure. The findings indicate that the strategy improves the evaluation markers, including the early warning accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score, by an average of more than 10%. There is a 35% improvement in the computing efficiency, and the model can provide feature causal graph verification for expert product decision-making.

For building environments, meteorological factors such as daily mean temperature, extreme temperature and seasonal temperature changes, are essential, as they impact building structures significantly. Due to the importance of detailed and accurate temperature data, and taking Beijing, China, as an example, this paper developed a fast and effective interpolation method to extract hourly meteorological data, based on 30 years’ raw meteorological data. With the interpolated data, this paper defined the extreme weather for buildings. Moreover, a temperature model based on probability and statistical analysis was constructed, and the general climate standard for days and extreme climate for typical days with different return periods were obtained. Furthermore, meteorological models for standard annual temperature were also achieved, reflecting the daily variation and annual variation of temperature, and can provide continuous-numerical-simulation parameters for analyzing daily and annual temperature. According to the daily temperature difference obeys the Gumble Distribution, the daily temperature difference in different return periods and extreme climates is obtained by analysis. Therefore, annual temperature ranges of different recurrence intervals and extreme climate are also achieved, and the annual temperature ranges can be used to analyze the effect of different recurrence intervals and extreme weather on building structures.

Betweenness centrality (BC) is widely used to identify critical nodes in a network by exploring the ability of all nodes to act as intermediaries for information exchange. However, one of its assumptions, i.e., the contributions of all shortest paths are equal, is inconsistent with variations in spatial interactions along these paths and has been questioned when applied to spatial networks. Hence, this paper proposes a spatial interaction incorporated betweenness centrality (SIBC) for spatial networks. SIBC weights the shortest path between each node pair according to the intensity of spatial interaction between them, emphasizing the combination of a network structure and spatial interactions. To test the rationality and validity of SIBC in identifying critical nodes and edges, two specific forms of SIBC are applied to the Shenzhen street network and China's intercity network. The results demonstrate that SIBC is more significant than BC when we also focus on the network functionality rather than only on the network structure. Moreover, the good performance of SIBC in robustness analysis illustrates its application value in improving network efficiency. This study highlights the meaning of introducing spatial configuration into empirical models of complex networks.

Abstract Background Ziziphora bungeana Juz. is a folk medicine from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The herb or the aerial parts of it have been used to medicinally treat cardiovascular diseases. Flavonoids are the main pharmacologically active ingredients in Z. bungeana. Identification of the tissue-specific distribution of flavonoids in Z. bungeana is crucial for effective and sustainable medicinal use of the plant. Furthermore, understanding of the biosynthesis pathways of these flavonoids in Z. bungeana is of great biological significance. Methods The flavonoids from different tissues of Z. bungeana were identified using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). The full-length transcriptome of Z. bungeana was determined using a strategy based on a combination of Illumina and PacBio sequencing techniques. The functions of differentially expressed unigenes were predicted using bioinformatics methods and further investigated by real-time quantitative PCR and phylogenetic relationship analysis. Results Among the 12 major flavonoid components identified from Z. bungeana extracts, linarin was the most abundant component. Nine flavonoids were identified as characteristic components of specific tissues. Transcriptome profiling and bioinformatic analysis revealed that 18 genes were putatively involved in flavonoid biosynthesis. The gene expression and phylogenetic analysis results indicated that ZbPALs, Zb4CL3, ZbCHS1, and ZbCHI1 may be involved in the biosynthesis of the main flavonoid intermediate. ZbFNSII, ZbANS, and ZbFLS may be involved in the biosynthesis of flavones, anthocyanins, and flavonols, respectively. A map of the biosynthesis pathways of the 12 major flavonoids in Z. bungeana is proposed. Conclusions The chemical constituent analysis revealed the compositions of 9 characteristic flavonoids in different tissues of Z. bungeana. Linarin can be hydrolysed into acacetin to exert a pharmaceutical role. Apigenin-7-O-rutinoside is hypothesised to be the precursor of linarin in Z. bungeana. There was greater content of linarin in the aerial parts of the plant than in the whole herb, which provides a theoretical basis for using the aerial parts of Z. bungeana for medicine. These results provide a valuable reference for further research on the flavonoid biosynthesis pathways of Z. bungeana and will be significant for the effective utilisation and ecological protection of Z. bungeana.

The construction of subways, hydroelectric stations and water substations is exposed to stray currents, which can accelerate concrete corrosion. The influence of stray currents on reinforced concrete structures is unclear. In this paper, the influence of concrete strength grade, reinforcement diameter and stray current intensity on the extent of reinforcement corrosion and calcium ion dissolution were investigated, and the damage of reinforcement and calcium ion corrosion to concrete strength was investigated by simulating a stray current environment and conducting an electrified acceleration test. The test results show that the higher the strength grade of concrete, the lower the stray current intensity and the smaller the corrosion rate and calcium ion dissolution rate of reinforcement; with the increase in the diameter of reinforcement the corrosion rate decreases, but the calcium ion dissolution rate is not affected by reinforcement diameter. The damage effect of reinforcement corrosion on concrete compressive strength is more obvious than that of calcium ion corrosion.

In view of the disadvantages of polycarboxylic acid grinding aids, such as poor reinforcement effect and cumbersome synthesis process, a new type of polycarboxylic acid grinding aid was prepared to meet the requirements of multifunctional admixture for cement concrete. The polycarboxylate grinding aid (PC) was prepared using acrylic acid, sodium allyl sulfonate, and isoprenol polyoxyethylene ether (TPEG) as raw materials, and ammonium persulfate as initiator in the nitrogen atmosphere. The effect of PC and its compound with triethanolamine (TEA) and triisopropanolamine (TIPA) on cement particle size and strength, and hydration process and structures of hydrated products were investigated. Moreover, the grinding mechanism of grinding aids was also proposed. The results indicate that the PC has good performance in both grinding and high-efficiency water-reducing. The average particle diameter of cement was reduced by 3.65 μm when 0.03 wt% of PC was added as grinding aid. Moreover, a high initial fluidity of the cement paste, 290 mm, could be reached when 0.08 wt% of PC was added. The fluidity loss of cement paste after 30 min and 60 min was 265 mm and 260 mm, respectively. After PC compounding with TEA and TIPA, 4.07 μm and 4.7 μm of the average particle size of the cement can be reduced, respectively. Based on the investigations on the hydration rate of cement hydration, the phases, and the microstructures of the hardened slurry, it could be concluded that grinding aids can change the hydration process of cement and improve the morphologies and structures of hydration products without influence on the type of hydrated products. Note that the compounded grinding aids, such as PC with TEA or PC with TIPA, can more effectively enhance the early and late strength of cement. This shows excellent comprehensive performance. In this study, a new type of polycarboxylic acid grinding aid was prepared to meet the requirements of the versatility of cement concrete additives, and to simplify the synthesis process, reduce production costs, improve the grinding effect, and improve the performance of cement concrete.

Autoclaved aerated concrete wallboard (AACW) has been widely used as a building envelope component in the infill walls of frame structures, which has broad prospects for development and utilization. However, the cracking of AACW has become a pressing problem, and this problem needs be solved or relieved effectively. We need an effective control method to reduce the cracking problem of AACW. It is necessary to study the interrelationship between the moisture content and the dry shrinkage of AACW. In this paper, a moisture content test and a drying shrinkage test of AACW were conducted, to understand the effect of the moisture content on the drying shrinkage performance of AACW. In addition, the moisture content of AACW with time was explored, and changes in the dry shrinkage value of AACW with the moisture content of AACW were obtained. According to the results and the conditions and the hypothesis of the test, the drying shrinkage value of AACW increases with time, and the drying shrinkage speed was fast in the early stage and tended to be stable in the later stage. In AACW, the drying shrinkage value and the relative humidity have a notable negative correlation. In addition, there was a positive correlation between the drying shrinkage value and the initial moisture content and the ambient temperature. When the AACW lost water from its initial moisture content to the equilibrium moisture content, the accumulated dry shrinkage value of AACW increased with the water loss. Moreover, a time-varying model of the moisture content and a prediction model of the equilibrium moisture content of AACW were established, and time-varying models of the drying shrinkage value of AACW with different initial moisture contents were proposed. The results provide a scientific basis for the reasonable maintenance and profitable control of drying shrinkage cracking of AACW.

Cross-regional technology transfer is an important driving force for achieving the coordinated development of technology resources and breaking down China's provincial technical barriers. Due to the imbalance in China's technology development level, it is difficult to achieve comprehensive revitalization policies. Therefore, improving the efficiency of technology transfer is an effective way to solve this problem. This paper selects the relevant data of 31 provinces and regions in China in 2019 for analysis, uses factor analysis to measure the efficiency of technology transfer, and then proposes a technology transfer improvement path through QCA clear set configuration analysis. The study found that the development of technology transfer efficiency in 31 provinces and regions in China is extremely unbalanced. The improvement paths that effectively break this unbalanced development status can be summarized into 4 types, namely, the "intermediary-environment" leading path, weak "intermediary-R&D-environment" leading path, strong "intermediary-R&D-environment" leading path and "intermediary-economic" leading path. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigated, for the first time, the role of nanosized lignin (LNP), in comparison with microlignin (LMP), when introduced at two different weight amounts (5% and 10 wt%) in bulk phenol–formaldehyde resol as adhesive. Morphological analysis was performed to check out the dispersion and interfacial bonding of lignin in the phenolic resin. The curing process has been examined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), while the thermal stability of the composites has been evaluated by using thermogravimetric (TGA) and thermo-mechanical (TMA) analysis. Results exhibited that small amount of lignin could both favor the thermal cure reaction, due to its abundance of phenylpropane units, and the initial thermal resistance could be consequently improved, especially when the nano-sized lignin was used. Meanwhile, the effect of micro- and nano-modification on tensile shear strength of wood lap joints based on lignin-phenol–formaldehyde resol adhesives was also analyzed. Results showed that 5 wt% of LNP could positively increase the shear strength from 8.7 to 10.9 MPa, opening the possibility of using environmental friendly nanoscale lignin in cross linked traditional phenol wood adhesives with enhanced adhesion performance, strongly related to nanoparticles higher specific surface area and reactivity. Keywords: A. Resol resin, A. Lignin micro/nanoparticles, B. Thermal properties, D. Shear test

In order to study the impact resistance of light steel keel and lightweight concrete of composite walls (LSKLCW) under low-velocity impact, four composite wall specimens were designed to conduct dynamic simulation impact tests, and the failure mode, time-history curves of strain and displacement were analyzed and studied using test equipment and a loading system. The results show that the failure characteristics of the composite wall sample were elastic–plastic. Moreover, the vertical displacement and strain at the most unfavorable collision point were linearly related to the impingement height. Furthermore, the capacity of the composite wall (such as crack resistance, elastic–plastic deformation and energy dissipation) was affected by the concrete strength and the arrangement of the light steel netting. In addition, the impact resistance of the wall was significantly improved when the concrete strength was enhanced and the light steel netting was installed. Lastly, the test results were fitted and verified through the impact force calculation model of the composite wall, and then the accuracy of the test model was analyzed. The certain experimental basis and theoretical analysis basis for the impact resistance research of the composite wall can be provided by these research results.

Ischemic heart disease is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. We previously demonstrated that acacetin protects against myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury in rats, although the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we investigated the effects of acacetin on autophagy during hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury by exposing H9c2 myocardial cells to H/R with or without acacetin pretreatment during hypoxia. Our results show that acacetin significantly increased cell viability in a dose-dependent manner, enhanced antioxidant capacity, and suppressed protein apoptosis of rat cardiomyocytes H9c2 cells following H/R injury. In addition, lentiviral infection of H9c2 cardiomyocytes revealed that acacetin pretreatment significantly enhanced the fluorescence intensity of autophagy proteins Beclin 1, LC3-II, and p62. These results indicate that acacetin protected H9c2 cardiomyocytes from H/R damage by enhancing autophagy. Moreover, we found that application of acacetin increased activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, whereas cotreatment with the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 reversed the inhibition of apoptosis and autophagy induced by acacetin. In conclusion, acacetin mitigated H/R injury by promoting autophagy through activating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.