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The social motivation hypothesis proposes that the social deficits of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are related to reward system dysfunction. However, functional connectivity (FC) patterns of the reward network in ASD have not been systematically explored yet. The reward network was defined as eight regions of interest (ROIs) per hemisphere, including the nucleus accumbens (NAc), caudate, putamen, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), amygdala, and insula. We computed both the ROI-wise resting-state FC and seed-based whole-brain FC in 298 ASD participants and 348 typically developing (TD) controls from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange I dataset. Two-sample t -tests were applied to obtain the aberrant FCs. Then, the association between aberrant FCs and clinical symptoms was assessed with Pearson's correlation or Spearman's correlation. In addition, Neurosynth Image Decoder was used to generate word clouds verifying the cognitive functions of the aberrant pathways. Furthermore, a three-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted to examine the effects of gender, subtype and age on the atypical FCs. For the within network analysis, the left ACC showed weaker FCs with both the right amygdala and left NAc in ASD compared with TD, which were negatively correlated with the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) total scores and Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) total scores respectively. For the whole-brain analysis, weaker FC (i.e., FC between the left vmPFC and left calcarine gyrus, and between the right vmPFC and left precuneus) accompanied by stronger FC (i.e., FC between the left caudate and right insula) were exhibited in ASD relative to TD, which were positively associated with the SRS motivation scores. Additionally, we detected the main effect of age on FC between the left vmPFC and left calcarine gyrus, of subtype on FC between the right vmPFC and left precuneus, of age and age-by-gender interaction on FC between the left caudate and right insula. Our findings highlight the crucial role of abnormal FC patterns of the reward network in the core social deficits of ASD, which have the potential to reveal new biomarkers for ASD. • Systematic exploring of reward network's abnormal functional connectivity (FC) patterns in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) • Evaluating the effects of gender, subtype and age on the abnormal FC • Analysis based on a large-scale multi-site dataset ensures the reliability of the findings • Reduced anterior cingulate cortex-limbic, decreased anterior-posterior, and enhanced caudate-insula FC were revealed in ASD [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past decade has witnessed significant advances in the systemic treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Nevertheless, the newly developed treatment strategies have not achieved universal success and HCC patients frequently exhibit therapeutic resistance to these therapies. Precision treatment represents a paradigm shift in cancer treatment in recent years. This approach utilizes the unique molecular characteristics of individual patient to personalize treatment modalities, aiming to maximize therapeutic efficacy while minimizing side effects. Although precision treatment has shown significant success in multiple cancer types, its application in HCC remains in its infancy. In this review, we discuss key aspects of precision treatment in HCC, including therapeutic biomarkers, molecular classifications, and the heterogeneity of the tumor microenvironment. We also propose future directions, ranging from revolutionizing current treatment methodologies to personalizing therapy through functional assays, which will accelerate the next phase of advancements in this area. Precision treatment promises to fundamentally transform the current "one-size-fits-all" approach in managing advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Yang et al. review various strategies for achieving precision treatment in HCC and outline several future directions that could lead to more effective and personalized care for patients with HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inattention is a key characteristic of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Specific brain abnormalities associated with this symptom form a discernible pattern related with ADHD in children (i.e., ADHD related pattern) in our earlier research. The developmental processes of segregation and integration may be crucial to ADHD. However, how brains reconfigure these processes of the ADHD related pattern in different subtypes of ADHD and across sexes remain unclear. Nested-spectral partition method was applied to identify effects of subtype and sex on segregation and integration of the ADHD related pattern, using 145 ADHD patients and 135 typically developing controls (TDC) aged 7–14. Relationships between the measures and inattention symptoms were also investigated. Children with ADHD exhibited lower segregation of the ADHD related pattern (p = 1.17 × 10−8) than TDCs. Only the main effect of subtype was significant (p = 1.14 × 10−5). Both ADHD-C (p = 2.16 × 10−6) and ADHD-I (p = 2.87 × 10−6) patients had lower segregation components relative to the TDC. Moreover, segregation components were negatively correlated with inattention scores. This study identified impaired segregation in the ADHD related pattern of children with ADHD and found shared neural bases among different subtypes and sexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lesions with a high uptake of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) on positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET-CT) can be benign and malignant. New radiotracers, such as the gallium 68 (68Ga)–labeled fibroblast activation protein inhibitor 4 (FAPI-04), could be used to diagnose colorectal carcinoma. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of 68Ga-FAPI-04 PET in differentiating benign from malignant 18F-FDG-avid colorectal lesions. An azoxymethane/dextran sodium sulfate (AOM/DSS)–induced rat colorectal tumor model was developed. Double-tracer 68Ga-FAPI-04 and 18F-FDG PET-CT were applied in the rat model and 22 patients. The PET-CT data were analyzed with enteroscopy, histopathologic observations, immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining, and radioautography results. One hundred seventy-two patients with pathologically confirmed colorectal lesions were enrolled in FAP IHC staining. We found that 68Ga-FAPI-04 PET-CT imaging accurately distinguished the malignant from benign inflammatory lesions in an AOM/DSS-induced rat colorectal tumor model. Of 22 patients with gastric cancer but without colorectal carcinoma, 8 had 18F-FDG uptake in the colorectum, but 68Ga-FAPI-04 PET was negative in these sites. An inflammatory lesion or adenoma did not interfere with 68Ga-FAPI-04 PET imaging. Among the 18F-FDG-avid colorectal lesions, 80 of 94 pathologically malignant lesions (85.1%) were FAP-positive, and only 16 of the 78 premalignant or benign lesions (20.5%) had a weak 68Ga-FAPI-04 uptake. 68Ga-FAPI-04 PET-CT could be used to distinguish between benign and malignant 18F-FDG-avid colorectal lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead ions (Pb2+) as a typical toxic contaminant in the water resources cause health risk. In order to selectively remove Pb2+ from water, a novel adsorptive composite bead was prepared via introducing different functional metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) into alginate (Alg) hydrogel. The hydrogel-MOFs composite beads possessed the excellent adsorption towards Pb2+. The sulfonic-functionalized A-U6S composite beads showed the best adsorption performance of Pb2+ with the adoption capacity of 400.5 mg g-1 among three tested hydrogel-MOFs composite beads due to the specific affinity between Pb2+ and -SO 3 H. The Langmuir adsorption and pseudo-second-order kinetic models validated that Pb2+ was adsorbed by A-U6S in the manner of monolayer chemisorption on the surface of A-U6S composite beads. The thermodynamics study indicated that the interaction between A-U6S and Pb2+ was spontaneous and endothermic. Meanwhile, A-U6S showed higher adsorption capacity of Pb2+ in the coexistence of Cu2+, Cd2+, Zn2+ and Ca2+, exhibiting excellent selective adsorption towards Pb2+. The selectivity factors of Pb2+ versus Cu2+, Cd2+, Zn2+, and Ca2+ were 5.4, 5.7, 6.1 and 9.1. A-U6S composite beads can be reused five times with stable adsorption ability towards Pb2+ and till reached 94.2% of pristine adsorption capacity. Moreover, UiO-66(SO 3 H) powder can be collected and recycled after degradation of Alg by H 2 O 2 solution. The functionalized hydrogel-MOFs composite beads and the strategy for reuse and recycle of composite materials by the present study have great potential for practical applications in water purification treatment. [Display omitted] • Composite beads using alginate and UiO-66(SO 3 H) was synthesized. • The selective adsorption of composite beads for Pb2+ depends on sulfonic groups. • Alginate hydrogel assisted easy separation and recycle of composite beads. • Degradation of alginate in composite beads realized the recycle of UiO-66(SO 3 H). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous materials such as 5A molecular sieve (5A) display huge thermal resistance due to high porosity and lots of voids between grains that is negative to hydrogen isotope separation engineering. Generally, introducing thermal conductive fillers contributes to reducing thermal resistance while results in decreasing volume ratio of porous materials and then certainly causes declined hydrogen adsorption capacity. Here, a liquid polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is pressed into the voids between 5A grains, which is further developed into a silicon, oxygen and carbon (SiOC) structure suffering from 350 °C sintering. 5A/SiOC composite at 10 wt% polydimethylsiloxane (5A/SiOC10) displays 0.74 W/mK of thermal conductivity, which is about 300% higher than that of neat 5A. More importantly, enhanced rather than reduced hydrogen adsorption capacities at a fixed volume of the composite are determined. 5A/SiOC10 shows adsorption capacities of H 2 (175.4 mL/cm3) and D 2 (188.4 mL/cm3) while neat 5A shows that of H 2 (171.6 mL/cm3) and D 2 (165.8 mmol/cm3) at 77 K with 1 bar. Besides, enhanced thermal conductivity of porous materials shortens the cycle time of hydrogen isotope separation that contributes to reducing energy consumption. This work proposes a novel strategy on void filling to tailor thermal resistance of porous materials, which open a window to improve hydrogen isotope separation with thermal management materials. [Display omitted] • Enhanced thermal conductivity without at the expense of hydrogen adsorption capacity of porous materials. • A close relationship between thermal conductivity and hydrogen adsorption of porous materials is constructed. • Thermal resistance of porous materials is effectively tailored with void filling. • Cycle time of hydrogen isotope separation process tends to be shortened for reducing energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orange-yellow luminescent Y 2- x Sr 1- y Al 4 SiO 12 : x Ce3+, y Mn2+ (x = 0.04–0.06, y = 0.1–0.6, abbreviated as YSAS: x Ce3+, y Mn2+) phosphors with garnet structure were prepared by the high temperature solid-phase method. The matrix energy band is calculated by DFT, where YAG is 4.535 e V and YSAS is 4.874 e V. The Rietveld refinement of the XRD data indicates that Ce3+ mainly replaces the Y3+ sites, while Mn2+ selectively occupies. The Gaussian peaks of the fluorescence spectrum prove that Mn2+ occupies two luminescent centers, which are further determined by Van Uitert's empirical formula. The doping of Ce3+/Mn2+ units can effectively enhance the structural rigidity of the YAG host and promote the red-shift of the emission peak position of Mn2+. The fluorescence decay kinetics test proves that Ce3+ can transfer energy to Mn2+, and the transfer efficiency reaches 72.08% at y = 0.5. The thermal stability test of the phosphor shows the luminous intensity at 473 K still maintains 86% of the room temperature. The phosphor prepared in this experiment was combined with a blue light chip to make a w-LED device, and the performance showed Ra = 86.1, CCT = 5168 K. The above results show that the emission color of the garnet structure can be tuned by energy transfer, which is attractive for future applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to advances in medical treatments, a substantial proportion of heart failure (HF) patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (EF, HFrEF) have experienced partial or complete recovery of EF, termed HFrecEF, and markedly improved clinical outcomes. In the present study, we sought to investigate the relationship between glycemic control and the incidence of HFrecEF in hospitalized HFrEF patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A total of 463 hospitalized T2DM patients with HFrEF were consecutively enrolled. Follow-up echocardiogram was performed after around 12 months. Patients who had an absolute EF improvement ≥10% and a second EF > 40% were classified into HFrecEF, and those who did not meet these criteria were defined as persistent HFrEF. During the 12-month follow-up, 44.5% of T2DM patients developed HFrecEF. Patients with HFrecEF had significantly lower HbA1c level than those with persistent HFrEF (6.5% [IQR 5.8% ∼ 7.2%] vs. 6.7% [IQR 6.1% ∼ 7.8%], P = 0.003), especially in HF of an ischemic etiology. HbA1c levels were inversely correlated with changes in EF during follow-up. After multivariate adjustment, every 1% increase in HbA1c conferred a 17.4% (OR: 0.826 [95% CI 0.701–0.968]) lower likelihood of HFrecEF. Compared to patients with good glycemic control (HbA1c ≤ 6.2%), those with poor glycemic control (HbA1c > 7.1%) had a 52.0% (OR: 0.480 [95% CI 0.281–0.811] decreased likelihood of HFrecEF. This study demonstrates that uncontrolled HbA1c level is associated with compromised development of HFrecEF in T2DM patients with HF, especially in those with an ischemic etiology. • Higher HbA1c level is independently associated with compromised development of HFrecEF in patients with type 2 diabetes. • Ischemic heart failure is more prone to be affected by hyperglycemia during myocardial functional recovery. • Assessing HbA1c levels aids in prediction of myocardial functional recovery in heart failure patients with type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution coupled with simultaneous pollutant degradation is a promising but challenging strategy for both wastewater treatment and renewable energy production. In this work, a series of direct Z-scheme heterostructural catalysts, denoted as CeO 2 /Cu–I-bpy, were designed and constructed by in-situ synthesizing CeO 2 nanoparticles on the surface of a coordinate polymer, named Cu–I-bpy. The simultaneous photocatalytic evolution of hydrogen and photo-degradation of organic pollutants was successfully achieved with this hybrid catalyst, even without any co-catalyst. The hybrid catalyst exhibited a 6.9 folds higher hydrogen evolution efficiency than the corresponding individual photo-reduction catalyst (Cu–I-bpy here), and 2.5 times degradation rate of the corresponding individual photo-oxidation catalyst (CeO 2 here), after optimizing the CeO 2 loading. After extensively characterized via XRD, XPS, Raman spectroscopy, UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy, SEM, TEM, BET, photo-electrochemical method and photoluminescence, it was found that the hybrid catalysts show higher charge separation and transfer efficiency than corresponding individual CeO 2 and Cu–I-bpy. Further mechanism investigation via active species trapping, EPR and electron flow experiments indicates a direct Z-scheme charge transfer mechanism in the CeO 2 /Cu–I-bpy, which not only boosts the photogenerated electron-hole separation efficiency, but also retains the high reduction and oxidation ability the corresponding individual catalyst for hydrogen evolution and pollutant degradation, respectively. This work demonstrates the possibilities of turning waste water into energy resources using carefully designed photocatalytic systems. [Display omitted] • A series of CeO 2 /Cu–I-bpy heterostructures was synthesized. • They show simultaeous photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and dye degradation. • CeO 2 /Cu–I-bpy shows good photocatalytic performance without co-catalyst. • A direct Z-scheme charge transfer mechanism is revealed for CeO 2 /Cu–I-bpy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyrolusite tailings (PTs) is a solid waste discharged from the mining of high grade pyrolusite, and is also regraded as an important secondary resource of manganese. However, its extraction requires an expensive reductant used for the reduction of Mn(IV) to low valence. In this paper, an innovative process using in situ redox interaction of PTs with waste copperas (as reductant and sulfating agent) followed by water leaching for efficient manganese extraction was proposed. The in situ redox interaction mechanism was investigated systematically. At lower temperatures (＜500 °C), Fe(II) was the main reductant by direct solid-to-solid reaction. In the temperature range of 500–650 °C, the Mn(IV) in PTs was reduced to Mn(II) due to the synergistic effect of Fe(II) and SO 2 , and then Mn(II) was sulfated into water-soluble MnSO 4. The reduction of Fe(III) into Fe(II) by SO 2 occurred i.e. the Fe(II)⇌Fe(III) redox cycle. And the generated FeSO 4 continued to react with PTs, indicating that the Fe(II)⇌Fe(III) redox cycle facilitated the extraction of manganese. Furthermore, high roasting temperatures caused MnSO 4 to decompose into insoluble Mn 2 O 3 , inhibiting the extraction. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A suitable carrier for flax lignans using Soybean protein isolated (SPI) - κ-carrageenan (KC) hydrogels was developed. The effects of KC concentration on the stability of hydrogels were investigated, as well as water holding capacity (WHC), syneresis and morphological changes. A solid-like gel network and viscoelasticity of composite hydrogels were confirmed by rheological behavior test. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) displayed a dense and uniform structure for hydrogels with the optimum KC concentration (0.6 %). Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) curves suggested lignan might interact with SPI and KC by hydrogen bonding or hydrophobic effects. The release of flax lignans in hydrogels was followed with Fick diffusion in simulated gastric fluids (SGF) and non-Fickian diffusion in simulated intestinal fluids (SIF), respectively. The cumulative release rate of flax lignan in complex gels (46.00 %) was lower than that of pure SPI hydrogels (77.43 %) at the end of digestion. The results indicated that KC protected the protein by hindering the accession of digestive enzymes into the hydrogels, thus resulting in a reduction of gel matrix erosion and lignan release during digestion. These findings shield a light on SPI-KC hydrogels as carriers for water-soluble bioactive compounds in food and pharmaceutical industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Camk2b-induced differential proteomic profiling by iTRAQ-based quantitative approach. • Several candidate target proteins were directly affected by Camk2b dysexpression. • Camk2b-Mapk3 as a new potential pathway affected expression of the synaptic proteins and thereby synaptogenesis. Recent studies have demonstrated that Camk2b expression is modified in neuropsychiatric illnesses and potentially affects synaptic plasticity. However, the molecular events arising from Camk2b dysregulation are not fully elucidated and need to be comprehensively explored. In the present study, we first induced over-expression and under-expression of Camk2b in cultured rat hippocampal neurons through transfection with lentivirus plasmids. Then isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based quantitative proteomics followed by bioinformatics analyses were carried out to explore the impacts of Camk2b dysexpression on the proteome of the neurons. Compared with the respective controls, a total of 270 proteins in the Camk2b-overexpression group and 209 proteins in the Camk2b-underexpression group were experienced a divergence in expression. Gene ontology and pathway analyses indicated that Camk2b overexpression and under-expression respectively induced two different change profiles of protein expressions and functions, reflecting the potential differences in cellular processes and biological events. Through cross comparison, several candidate target proteins regulated directly by Camk2b were revealed. Further network and immunoblot analyses demonstrated that Mapk3 could be an important linker and Camk2b-Mapk3 might serve as a new potential pathway affecting the expression of synaptic proteins in hippocampal neurons. Collectively, the present results offer a new comprehension of the regulatory molecular mechanism of Camk2b and thereby increase our understanding of Camk2b-mediated synaptogenesis in synaptic plasticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional method for preparing boron carbon nitride (BCN) usually involves solvents in the pretreatment process before pyrolysis at high temperature. Here, we report that highly porous BCN with controllable 3D morphology can be synthesized successfully by rapid solvent-free ball milling followed by pyrolysis processes using B 2 O 3 , dicyandiamide (DCD) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as the sources of B, N and C, respectively. It is found that the porosity of the synthesized BCN varies from the amount of carbon source and the maximum specific surface area of 1386.7 m2g-1 with pore volume of 1.13 cm3g-1 can be achieved. The as-synthesized porous BCN materials exhibit excellent sorption capacities for methyl blue (MB), Congo red (CR) and basic yellow-1 (BY) up to 1220, 865.2 and 560 mgg−1, respectively. Such outstanding adsorption performance is mainly due to the high porosity with polar surface of the BCN. Furthermore, the BCN can be easily regenerated by combustion in air at 400 °C and used repeatedly. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterocyclic amines (HCAs), which are known carcinogens in thermally processed foods, were investigated in roast lamb patties under various time and temperature conditions. HCAs in lamb products roasted at some temperatures increased with roasting time. An exponential model with a time factor fit well for the production of HCAs. The mean pH and cooking loss at various temperatures were also determined. The mean pH decreased as the temperature increased. Coreopsis extract was added to lamb patties roasted at 230°C for 15 min per side. The amount of coreopsis extract added had a significant effect on HCA development. A weak positive relationship was observed between the antioxidant activity of the lamb patty with the coreopsis extract and the inhibitory effect of coreopsis extract on various HCAs, with a correlation coefficient of 0.14 to 0.44 (P > 0.05). Coreopsis extract containing flavonoids can be a beneficial additive for production of barbecue meat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterocyclic amines (HCAs), which are known carcinogens in thermally processed foods, were investigated in roast lamb patties under various time and temperature conditions. HCAs in lamb products roasted at some temperatures increased with roasting time. An exponential model with a time factor fit well for the production of HCAs. The mean pH and cooking loss at various temperatures were also determined. The mean pH decreased as the temperature increased. Coreopsis extract was added to lamb patties roasted at 230°C for 15 min per side. The amount of coreopsis extract added had a significant effect on HCA development. A weak positive relationship was observed between the antioxidant activity of the lamb patty with the coreopsis extract and the inhibitory effect of coreopsis extract on various HCAs, with a correlation coefficient of 0.14 to 0.44 (P >0.05). Coreopsis extract containing flavonoids can be a beneficial additive for production of barbecue meat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supraorbital keyhole craniotomy is a minimally invasive approach used to access the parasellar region with advantages of decreased cortical exposure, simple closure, and decreased risk of postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leak. The incision of this approach, however, has raised cosmetic concerns, especially for pediatric patients. The aim of this study is to assess postoperative complications and cosmeses of the supraorbital keyhole approach for resection of intracranial lesions in pediatric patients. A literature search of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases was performed on June 1, 2021, searching for all studies of pediatric patients undergoing supraorbital keyhole craniotomy for surgical resection of lesions in the anterior fossa/sellar region. Of 729 unique hits, 15 supraorbital keyhole studies reporting on 177 pediatric cases were included in the final review. Quality of all included studies was moderate. Overall, the surgery was well tolerated with a low number of severe adverse events. A wide variety of pathologies were treated with this approach. Complications of surgery included changes in vision, epidural hematoma, subdural hematoma, cerebrospinal fluid leak, and wound infection. At 6 weeks of follow-up, surgical scars in most patients were noted to be minimally detectable. At 3–6 months of follow-up, scars were no longer visible. Cosmetic complications included 5 bone defects, 1 split eyebrow, and 1 case of ptosis. This study suggests that supraorbital keyhole craniotomy is a safe and effective approach to access the parasellar region in pediatric patients with excellent cosmetic outcomes reported across multiple institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dimeric prodrug-based carrier-free nanomedicines have been recognized as promising candidate for tumor chemotherapy. The molecular structure of the dimeric prodrugs has been widely investigated, including the intracellular stimuli responsibilities and their sensitivity, but their aggregation structure has not been explored by now. Here, the effect of aggregation structures of dimeric prodrug-based carrier-free nanomedicines for tumor chemotherapy was investigated with a reduction-triggered doxorubicin dimer (D-DOXss) as model. Different aggregation structures could be achieved with various fabrication strategies, by controlling the formation of the π–π stacking interactions between the conjugated anthraquinone ring in doxorubicin (DOX), leading to distinct drug release performance and in vitro anti-tumor efficacy. The finding is expected to open new ideas for the future design and development of chemotherapeutic formulations. [Display omitted] • Aggregation structure of dimeric prodrug was controlled by fabrication strategies. • Affecting the cytotoxicity of the dimeric prodrug-based carrier-free nanomedicines. • Due to the π–π stacking between the dimeric prodrugs in different degrees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional preference analysis methods often implicitly neglect the influence of online review reliability and cannot fully consider customer psychological needs, e.g., reference-level dependence and interactions among criteria, which results in insufficient explanatory power and prediction of customer behavior. In this paper, an evidence theory-based multicriteria group decision-making (MCGDM) method for evaluating the comprehensive preferences of customers is proposed, and a recommendation framework for different customer types is developed in which probabilistic linguistic term sets (PLTS) are utilized to determine the evaluation information of customer groups from online reviews. As conflicting reviews with various opinions constitute multiple information sources, evidence theory is applied to consider the reliability of sources when integrating multisource information, thus reducing the impact of unreliable information on the final results. In addition, complex interactions between criteria are considered by using a level-dependent Choquet integral, which is regarded as an efficient tool for simulating customer psychological behavior. The framework can distill large volumes of qualitative data into quantitative insights into the factors influencing customer purchase decisions so that social platforms can make more informed recommendations. To verify the feasibility of this method, a real case study is conducted. The result indicates that this method can provide new ideas for customer preference analysis based on online reviews, and can provide product recommendations for different customer groups. Based on the above, the proposed evidence theory-based MCGDM method effectively improves the accuracy of the utilization of online reviews in management engineering theory and practice in tourism industry and other aspects. • Combine evidence theory with MCGDM to reduce the impact of unreliable online reviews. • Apply probabilistic linguistic term sets to express large-scale customers' preferences. • Construct preference model reflecting customers' subjective psychological factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heteroaggregation between polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNPs) and soot nanoparticles (STNPs) in aquatic environments may affect their fate and transport. This study investigated the effects of particle concentration ratio, electrolytes, pH, and humic acid on their heteroaggregation kinetics. The critical coagulation concentration (CCC) ranked CCC PSNPs > CCC PSNPs-STNPs > CCC STNPs , indicating that heteroaggregation rates fell between homoaggregation rates. In NaCl solution, as the PSNPs/STNPs ratio decreased from 9/1 to 3/7, heteroaggregation rate decreased and CCC PSNPs-STNPs increased from 200 to 220 mM due to enhanced electrostatic repulsion. Outlier was observed at PSNPs/STNPs= 1/9, where CCC PSNPs-STNPs = 170 mM and homoaggregation of STNPs dominated. However, in CaCl 2 solution where calcium bridged with STNPs, heteroaggregation rate increased and CCC PSNPs-STNPs decreased from 26 to 5 mM as the PSNPs/STNPs ratio decreasing from 9/1 to 1/9. In composite water samples, heteroaggregation occurred only at estuarine and marine salinities. Acidic condition promoted heteroaggregation via charge screening. Humic acid retarded or promoted heteroaggregation in NaCl or CaCl 2 solutions by steric hindrance or calcium bridging, respectively. Other than van der Waals attraction and electrostatic repulsion, heteroaggregation was affected by steric hindrance, hydrophobic interactions, π − π interactions, and calcium bridging. The results highlight the role of black carbon on colloidal stability of PSNPs in aquatic environments. [Display omitted] • Stability of homo- and heteroaggregation ranked CCC PSNPs > CCC PSNPs-STNPs > CCC STNPs. • Decreasing PSNPs/STNPs ratio generally retarded heteroaggregation in NaCl solution. • Reducing PSNPs/STNPs ratio promoted heteroaggregation in CaCl 2 solution via bridging. • PSNPs and STNPs underwent heteroaggregation at salinity levels of estuary and ocean. • Heteroaggregation was promoted in HA-CaCl 2 solution but retarded in HA-NaCl solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fragility of the skeleton and poor bioaccessibility limit Silica aerogel's application in the food industry. In this study, composite gels were obtained by cross-linking pea proteins isolate (PPI) with Tetraethoxysilane (TEOS)to improve the bioavailability of silica-derived aerogels. It indicated that TEOS first condensed with H+ to form secondary particles and then complexed with PPI via hydroxyl groups to form a composite aerogel. Meanwhile, the PPI-Si composite aerogel formed a dense mesoporous structure with a specific surface area of 312.5 g/cm3. This resulted in a higher oil holding percentage of 89.67 % for the PPI (10 %)-Si aerogel, which was 34.1 % higher than other studies, leading to a more stable oleogel. Finally, as a delivery system, the composite oleogel not only could significantly increase the bioaccessibility rate by 27.4 % compared with silica aerogel, but also could efficiently inhibit the premature release of curcumin in the simulated gastric fluids, while allowed sustainably release in the simulated intestinal fluids. These results provided a theoretical basis for the application of silica-derived aerogels in food and non-food applications. • Pea protein can enhance the pore structure of silica aerogel. • TEOS cross-linked with pea protein through secondary particle and hydroxyl groups. • PPI-Si aerogel mesoporous structure had favorable oil trapping function and form a stable oleogel. • PPI-Si oleogel effectively retarded the release of curcumin, with a small intestinal release rate of 55.48 %. • PPI-Si oleogel retarded oxidation of encapsulated curcumin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional preference analysis methods often implicitly neglect the influence of online review reliability and cannot fully consider customer psychological needs, e.g., reference-level dependence and interactions among criteria, which results in insufficient explanatory power and prediction of customer behavior. In this paper, an evidence theory-based multicriteria group decision-making (MCGDM) method for evaluating the comprehensive preferences of customers is proposed, and a recommendation framework for different customer types is developed in which probabilistic linguistic term sets (PLTS) are utilized to determine the evaluation information of customer groups from online reviews. As conflicting reviews with various opinions constitute multiple information sources, evidence theory is applied to consider the reliability of sources when integrating multisource information, thus reducing the impact of unreliable information on the final results. In addition, complex interactions between criteria are considered by using a level-dependent Choquet integral, which is regarded as an efficient tool for simulating customer psychological behavior. The framework can distill large volumes of qualitative data into quantitative insights into the factors influencing customer purchase decisions so that social platforms can make more informed recommendations. To verify the feasibility of this method, a real case study is conducted. The result indicates that this method can provide new ideas for customer preference analysis based on online reviews, and can provide product recommendations for different customer groups. Based on the above, the proposed evidence theory-based MCGDM method effectively improves the accuracy of the utilization of online reviews in management engineering theory and practice in tourism industry and other aspects. • Combine evidence theory with MCGDM to reduce the impact of unreliable online reviews. • Apply probabilistic linguistic term sets to express large-scale customers' preferences. • Construct preference model reflecting customers' subjective psychological factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep learning has driven remarkable advancements in medical image segmentation. The requirement for comprehensive annotations, however, poses a significant challenge due to the labor-intensive and expensive nature of expert annotation. Addressing this challenge, we introduce a multiple mixed-supervisory signals learning (MSL) strategy, MixSegNet, that synergistically harnesses the benefits of Fully-Supervised (FSL), Weakly-Supervised (WSL), and Semi-Supervised Learning (SSL). This approach enables the utilization of various data-efficient annotations for network training, promoting efficient medical image segmentation within realistic clinical scenarios. MixSegNet concurrently trains networks with a combination of limited dense labels, a larger proportion of cost-efficient sparse labels, and unlabeled data. The networks utilized in this system comprise Vision Transformer (ViT) and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), which work together via an effective strategy including network self-ensembling and label dynamic-ensembling. This strategy adeptly handles the training challenges arising from datasets with limited or absent supervisory signals. We validated MixSegNet on a public Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) cardiac segmentation benchmark dataset. It demonstrated superior performance compared to 21 other SSL or WSL baseline methods under similar labeling-cost conditions, as supported by comprehensive evaluation metrics, and slightly outperform classical FSL methods. The code for MixSegNet, all baseline methods, and the data pre-processing techniques with the datasets for different annotation situations are available at https://github.com/ziyangwang007/MixSegNet. [Display omitted] • MixSegNet: Innovating medical image segmentation with mixed-supervision. • A novel data pre-processing method: Mimicking real-world clinical annotation diversity. • Utilizing CNN and ViT: Enhanced feature extraction in segmentation with multiple networks. • Benchmarking success: MixSegNet excels in MRI cardiac segmentation against various methods. • Promoting openness: MixSegNet, datasets and baseline methods are publicly accessible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1-Naphthol is an important raw material for organic synthesis such as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, dyes, and also the main metabolite of pesticide carbaryl and naphthalene, as well as a common aromatic pollutant in the environment. Microorganisms are the main driving force responsible for the degradation and transformation of 1-naphthol in the environment. Although many 1-naphthol degrading strains have been reported, strain resources with strong environmental adaptability and degradation ability from the marine environment are still relatively scarce. In this study, a 1-naphthol-degrading bacterial strain, Micrococcus sp. strain 2A, was isolated from seawater. The strain completely degraded 1-naphthol by co-metabolism under strong alkaline (pH = 11) and high salt (4 M NaCl) conditions. 1,2-Dihydroxynaphthalene, 2-hydroxychromene-2-carboxylate, 2-hydroxybenzal pyruvate, salicylaldehyde, and salicylate were identified during 1-naphthol degradation. The functional gene orf2030 responsible for the initial degradation of 1-naphthol was also postulated by genome sequencing and comparative proteome analysis. The bioaugmentation test showed that strain 2A could completely remove 0.3 mM 1-naphthol in the wastewater within 144 h. Our study not only enriches the theory of marine microbial metabolism of 1-naphthol but also provides strain resources and technical reserves for the bioremediation of 1-naphthol in high salinity and strong alkaline fine chemical synthetic wastewater. [Display omitted] • Novel Micrococcus sp. 2A was isolated and characterized. • Strain 2A can degrade 1-naphthol under high salt (4 M NaCl) and strong alkaline (pH = 11) condition. • Five degradation intermediates were identified as 1-naphthol degradation products. • A potential 1-naphthol degradation gene was identified by proteome analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The secondary loop system of Hua-long Pressurized Reactor is established. • Steady-state data and dynamic response processes are presented. • Nuclear power unit abnormal operating conditions are simulated. • Model could be used for control strategy development and the results provide reference for safety criteria. Dynamic simulations of nuclear power plant behaviors are critical in plants' lifecycle. However, accurate modeling of nuclear plants is quite a challenge due to the intrinsic complexity involved in the highly coupled processes. In this study, a dynamic model is established to investigate the dynamic characteristics of the secondary circuit system of HPR1000. Specifically, the major components are modeled using lumped parameter method. In addition, model validation is carried out according to the operational data of plants, in which three typical abnormal operating conditions were simulated and analyzed. The results show that the developed model has an error of less than 5% during steady state modeling, and the dynamic response is consistent with the actual operation performance of the plants. Therefore, the dynamic model could be used for control strategy development and accident simulation of the HPR1000. And the simulation provides a basis for the establishment of safety criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design of composition and microstructure can effective improve the structural and neutron shielding properties of neutron shielding materials. Based on the shielding standard of 30%B 4 C/Al, an Al-6Mg-5Gd (wt%) alloy was designed by Shmakov-Yamamoto model and successfully fabricated by Powder Metallurgy-based routines (e.g., powder fabrication, spark plasma sintering and hot extrusion techniques). By the rapid solidification in the atomization process, the submicron cell structures were formed in powders. Due to the difference in the original powder size, the as-sintered alloys had heterogeneous microstructures, leading to the bimodal grain structures of as-extruded alloys. During these processes, the formation of nano-sized τ(C15) (Al 4 MgGd) phase in combination with its firstly observed transformation behavior showed the great impacts on microstructure evolutions. Therefore, the as-extruded alloy exhibited the superior yield strength (335±7 MPa), ultimate tensile strength (462±5 MPa) and elongation (10.2±0.3%). Through the neutron absorption test, the as-extruded alloy showed the comparable of macroscopic transmission cross section with 30%B 4 C/Al. In comparison with the available Al-based neutron shielding materials, our report exhibited the best unification of mechanical and functional properties. The underlying mechanisms for synergic strength-ductility behavior were discussed on the nano-sized phase strengthening, α-Al/τ interface modulation, and bimodal grain features. Critically, this work designed and studied a high-performance neutron shielding material, shedding light on the advanced structural-functional integrated materials. [Display omitted] • High performance Al-6Mg-5Gd neutron shielding alloys were designed and fabricated. • Alloys showed microstructures of bimodal grains, nano Laves phase and coherent interface. • Laves phase transformation from C15-C36 phases was firstly reported in Al-Mg-Gd system. • Based on the sufficient shielding property, the superior strength-ductility behavior was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asphalt crack repair materials, known as crack sealants, are directly exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation in asphalt pavements. This exposure causes the gradual aging and deterioration of both their surface and internal properties. To study this phenomenon, the sealant was subjected to UV irradiation for a range of 0–385 hours, with the basic properties of the aged sealant tested every 55 hours. Several techniques were employed to investigate the changes in the internal chemical composition of the sealant, including Fluorescence microscopy (FM), gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The results revealed that the UV aging of the sealant mainly occurs in the thinner surface layer, which becomes progressively lighter in color. Notably, obvious surface cracks form after aging process. The cone penetration and softening point of the sealant exhibit an exponential or logarithmic change corresponding to the aging time. The most pronounced changes occur during the early stages of UV aging, with the properties tending to stabilize after approximately 220 h of aging. In addition, the FM images showed that the dispersed polymer particles within the sealant gradually transform into a continuous network structure after aging over time. The GPC spectrum of the aged sealant shifts to the left, indicating an increase in molecular weight, particularly in the polymer modifier. This is consistent with the transformation observed in the FT-IR analysis, which demonstrates that UV irradiation leads to the breaking and recombination of polymer chemical bonds in the sealant. The FT-IR analysis reveals the conversion of monosubstituted benzene to polysubstituted benzene in the polymer modifier, which also correlates with the formation of the network structure observed in the FM images and the increase in molecular weight detected in the GPC spectrum of the polymer modifier. • UV aging of the sealant only exists in its surface, and obvious surface cracks appeare after aging. • Cone penetration and softening point changes exponentially or logarithmically with UV aging time. • Polymer particles dispersed in sealant gradually change into continuous network structure after aging. • The styrene of monosubstituted benzene in polymer gradually changes into poly-substituted benzene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyridyl-conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) were synthesized and discovered that the catalyst with a five-membered heterocycle could facilitate O 2 reduction and H 2 O oxidation into H 2 O 2 under photo-irradiation. The electronic state structure of the CMPs was further modulated by incorporating aldehyde-based monomers containing five-membered heterocycles. It was observed that the introduction of an electron-donating thiophene ring (Th-CMP) or a furan ring (Fu-CMP) significantly increased the H 2 O 2 production yield. Remarkably, the H 2 O 2 yield from Th-CMP in pure water and O 2 , without the need for any sacrificial agents, achieved 855 μM h−1, which surpasses most of the reported organic polymer photocatalysts. Mechanism researchs indicated Thiophene groups not only expanded the range for visible light absorption, but also facilitates the separation and migration of charge carriers, thereby providing favorable conditions for H 2 O 2 generation. This study presents a promising and innovative direction to designing cost-effective and efficient CMPs for the photocatalytic generation of H 2 O 2. [Display omitted] • Th-CMP has significant carrier separation efficiency. • Th-CMP has excellent photocatalytic properties for the generation of H 2 O 2. • A mechanism for the photocatalytic generation of H 2 O 2 by Th-CMP was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The randomized crossover design is better than a randomized controlled design because it is less biased by individual differences. • The BIS of remimazolam was greater than that of propofol during the induction and maintenance of general anesthesia. • The correlation between the BIS and the depth of anesthesia induced by remimazolam needs to be further studied. Remimazolam is a safe and effective new benzodiazepine sedative that has unique advantages in anesthesia induction and maintenance. The differences in the electroencephalogram bispectral index (BIS) during general anesthesia between propofol and remimazolam deserve further exploration. Single-center randomized crossover study. Patients who required multiple hysteroscopic surgery were randomly assigned to use remimazolam (0.27 mg/kg for induction and 1 mg/kg/h for maintenance) first and then propofol (2.0 mg/kg for induction and 6 mg/kg/h for maintenance) during hysteroscopic surgery again 3 months later, or in the opposite order. Both drugs were used at the latest ED 95 for unconsciousness. The BIS values (primary endpoint), intraoperative conditions, and incidence of adverse reactions (secondary endpoints) were compared at each time point. BIS values were analyzed with a mixed model of repeated measurements (MMRM). Seventeen patients completed the study. The lowest BIS value in the remimazolam regimen was significantly higher than that in the propofol regimen (p = 0.001). The MMRM analysis of the BIS values revealed significant differences between the regimens at each time point (p < 0.001). The intraoperative diastolic blood pressure and heart rate changes were smaller, the recovery was faster, and there were fewer adverse reactions and less injection pain, but a greater incidence of intraoperative body movement and hiccups, in the remimazolam regimen. The trial indicated that remimazolam maintained a higher BIS level than propofol. The correlation between the BIS and the depth of anesthesia induced by remimazolam needs to be further studied. This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: ChiCTR2200064551 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defect detection of laminated composite plates using ultrasonic guided waves is of great interest nowadays. Nevertheless, it is still a challenging problem to reconstruct the true shape of defects in anisotropic materials. The inverse method proposed in this paper can directly reconstruct the specific shape of defects. Moreover, this method does not need iteration, is simple in form and easy to use. A three-step strategy of this method is performed as follows: Firstly, based on boundary integral equation and Born approximation assumption, flaw shape function and reflection coefficients form a set of Fourier transform pairs; Secondly, we propose an efficient way to quickly obtain Green's function and bring it to step 1. Finally, the actual shape and location of flaws can be inversely reconstructed by reflection coefficients in the whole frequency domain obtained by modified boundary element method (BEM). This method is implemented to reconstruct cavity-type flaws at the interface in a laminated composite plate. The correctness and effectiveness of the proposed method is finally validated for several benchmark problems, and the effect of frequency range, flaw size and mode selection on accuracy of the inverse reconstruction are discussed in detail. [Display omitted] • Accurate reconstruction of locations and shapes of multiple defects. • Finer flaw shape images with high-frequency range scattering data. • Sensitivity to small defects. • Fundamental guided wave mode recommended for flaw reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Viruses exploit a common survival strategy of inducing host cell polyribonucleotide nucleotidyltransferase 1 (PNPT1). • PNPT1 mitigates the integrated stress response mediated by mitochondrial double-stranded RNAs (mt-dsRNAs) during viral propagation. • PNPT1 depletion inhibits pan-viral propagation by activating the mt-dsRNA-RNA-activated protein kinase-eukaryotic initiation factor 2α signal axis. • The PNPT1 inhibitor, lanatoside C, was identified as a potent blocker of pan-viral propagation. For successful viral propagation within infected cells, the virus needs to overcome the cellular integrated stress response (ISR), triggered during viral infection, which, in turn, inhibits general protein translation. This paper reports a tactic employed by viruses to suppress the ISR by upregulating host cell polyribonucleotide nucleotidyltransferase 1 (PNPT1). The propagation of adenovirus, murine cytomegalovirus and hepatovirus within their respective host cells induces PNPT1 expression. Notably, when PNPT1 is knocked down, the propagation of all three viruses is prevented. Mechanistically, the inhibition of PNPT1 facilitates the relocation of mitochondrial double-stranded RNAs (mt-dsRNAs) to the cytoplasm, where they activate RNA-activated protein kinase (PKR). This activation leads to eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (eIF2α) phosphorylation, resulting in the suppression of translation. Furthermore, by scrutinizing the PNPT1 recognition element and screening 17,728 drugs and bioactive compounds approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, lanatoside C was identified as a potent PNPT1 inhibitor. This compound impedes the propagation of adenovirus, murine cytomegalovirus and hepatovirus, and suppresses production of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 spike protein. These discoveries shed light on a novel strategy to impede pan-viral propagation by activating the host cell mt-dsRNA-PKR-eIF2α signalling axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study considers the core issue of evaluating flows created by general distributions of sources and dipoles over panels (typically flat/curved triangles/quadrilaterals) used to approximate the surface of a body (ship or offshore structure) in usual implementations of the Green function and boundary integral method in marine hydrodynamics. This crucial basic issue is considered – within the framework of the Fourier–Kochin (FK) method – for four classes of flows in deep-water ship and offshore hydrodynamics: diffraction-radiation of regular waves by an offshore structure, and flow around a ship that advances at a constant speed V in calm water or in regular waves of (encounter) frequency ω in the regimes τ ≡ ω V / g < 1 / 4 or 0. 3 ≤ τ where g is the acceleration of gravity; diffraction-radiation of regular waves by an offshore structure in water of uniform finite depth is also considered. Two notable features of the Green functions G used in the study of these five classes of flows are that (i) they are based on optimal decompositions into Rankine and Fourier components G R and G F , and that (ii) these Green functions are consistent. In particular, a new representation of the Green function for flows around ships advancing in regular waves at τ < 1 / 4 that is consistent with the Green functions for the special cases V = 0 or ω = 0 is given. The study also provides a complete and largely self-contained account of the FK method for evaluating the Fourier component ϕ F in the Rankine–Fourier decomposition ϕ R + ϕ F of the velocity potential ϕ (and the related velocity) of the flow created by a general distribution of singularities. An essential element of this FK theory is an optimal waves/local-effects (WL) decomposition ϕ F = ϕ W + ϕ L , given for a general dispersion relation associated with a broad class of dispersive waves, in which the component ϕ W represents the (far-field and near-field) waves contained in ϕ F and the component ϕ L corresponds to a non-oscillatory local disturbance that is mostly significant in a small near-field region. Applications of this general WL decomposition to the five classes of flows in marine hydrodynamics of primary interest in the study yield simple analytical flow representations – for general compact distributions of singularities – that offer two notable advantages over the classical direct Green function method: (i) Integration over hull-surface panels within the FK method only involves smooth ordinary functions , which are incomparably simpler than the highly singular functions G F and ∇ G F , and (ii) The computations related to G F and ∇ G F in the FK theory – implemented in the manner expounded in the study – are proportional to the number N of panels that approximate the body surface, whereas common panel methods require O (N 2) computations. Thus, the Fourier–Kochin method and the optimal Rankine–Fourier decompositions and optimal waves/local-flow decompositions given in the study lay the foundation of a new type of computational methods, which offers two compelling advantages over the classical 'direct Green function method' steadfastly applied in the past fifty years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reinforcement learning (RL) is an artificial intelligence algorithm that can learn adaptive optimal control law online. In view of the fact that the previous control approaches were usually overly dependent on the model parameters of system, and most existing RL methods are based on state feedback, their application in actual industrial production is limited. Additionally, developing accurate process system models and ensuring the closed-loop system's control performance is more challenging, as modern businesses place a premium on product quality and economic efficiency. As a result, this work introduces a novel data-driven two-dimensional (2D) off-policy Q -learning method based on output feedback is used to achieve optimal tracking control for batch process. First, the error between the actual output and the given set-point is extended to the system to ensure the good tracking performance. Second, by analyzing the relationship between the value function and the Q -function obtained from the 2D system's performance index, the 2D Bellman equation is obtained in terms of output feedback that is independent of the model parameters. The optimal control problem can be effectively solved by the proposed method in this paper when the policy iteration is executed using only the measurement data of system along the batch and time directions. Following that, the proposed approach's unbiasedness and convergence are strictly confirmed. Finally, the simulation results for the injection molding process demonstrate that the proposed method is capable of determining the optimal control law as the number of batches is growing increasingly. • Compared to the 1D Q-learning-based output feedback control method, the control law gain obtained by the proposed method has a smaller deviation and a faster convergence speed. • In contrast to a recent 2D method proposed for solving optimal tracking control problems based on state feedback, the method described in this paper can effectively resolve the problem of unmeasurable states encountered in industrial production process. • Not only does the proposed 2D RL have the merit in immunity to detection noise for the obtained solution, but it also eliminates the need for a state matrix during the learning process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Low-dimensional multi-oxides nanosheet were synthesized successfully by one-step synthesis. • Co-Mn-SnO 2 solid solution promoted the efficient electron interaction for catalysis. • Increased adsorbed oxygen, Mn3++Mn4+, Sn4+ and more acidity on Lewis acid sites were obtained. • E-R and l -H mechanisms co-existed on Co-Mn-SnO 2 surface in SCR reaction process. • L-NH 3 species and bidntate nitrate were the main active species at high temperatures. NH 3 -SCR performances were explored to the relationship between structure morphology and physio-chemical properties over low-dimensional ternary Mn-based catalysts prepared by one-step synthesis method. Due to its strong oxidation performance, Sn-MnOx was prone to side reactions between NO, NH 3 and O 2 , resulting in the generation of more NO 2 and N 2 O, here most of N 2 O was driven from the non-selective oxidation of NH 3 , while a small part generated from the side reaction between NH 3 and NO 2. Co or Ni doping into Sn-MnOx as solid solution components obviously stronged the electronic interaction for actively mobilization and weakened the oxidation performance for signally reducing the selective tendency of side reactions to N 2 O. The optimal modification resulted in improving the surface area and enhancing the strong interaction between polyvalent cations in Co/Ni-Mn-SnO 2 to provide more surface adsorbed oxygen, active sites of Mn3+ and Mn4+, high-content Sn4+ and plentiful Lewis-acidity for more active intermediates, which significantly broadened the activity window of Sn-MnOx, improved the N 2 selectivity by inhibiting N 2 O formation, and also contributed to an acceptable resistances to water and sulfur. At low reaction temperatures, the SCR reactions over three catalysts mainly obeyed the typical Elye-rideal (E-R) routs via the reactions of adsorbed l -NH x (x = 3, 2, 1) and B-NH 4 + with the gaseous NO to generate N 2 but also N 2 O by-products. Except for the above basic E-R reactions, as increasing the reaction temperature, the main adsorbed NO x -species were bidentate nitrates that were also active in the Langmuir-Hinshelwood reactions with adsorbed l -NH x species over Co/Ni modified Mn-SnO 2 catalyst. Probable surface SCR reaction pathways over Ni/Co-modified Mn-SnO 2 were put forward to follow the basic Elye-Rideal reactions between gaseous NO with adsorbed l -NH x on Lewis acid sites at low temperature while also obey the Langmuir-Hinshelwood routes of main active bidentate nitrates with l -NHx as increasing the reaction temperature. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Singular value decomposition (SVD) has played a crucial role in mathematics and applied mathematics, particularly in the field of practical engineering technology, which is almost indispensable in these fields. However, incomplete information caused by uncertainties from multiple sources and fluctuations in inherent properties during engineering practice can seriously interfere with obtaining singular values. Based on the convex set uncertainty theory, a novel convex set-oriented singular value decomposition (CSSVD) is proposed to overcome the limitations of using the nominal SVD method. The CSSVD aims to accurately and efficiently calculate the uncertainty bounds of singular values and vectors through the bounds and correlations of initial uncertainty parameters. Traditional probability methods rely on a sufficient sample size, and when the sample size is insufficient, accurate results cannot be obtained. However, the CSSVD method is based on set theory and can still demonstrate excellent performance in scenarios with small samples. This study investigates the detailed derivation steps of the proposed CSSVD method, taking into consideration properties such as normalization, orthogonality, and Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) to verify the accurate bounds of convex sets. The proposed method is finally applied to several numerical examples to demonstrate its superiority. This includes verifying singular values and vectors, handling high-order matrices, matrices with close singular values, and rectangular matrices. An application of image denoising is also used to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rational design and modulation of oxygen electrocatalytic microenvironment are crucial for achieving high performance in rechargeable Zn-air batteries (RZABs). We report a high-efficiency bifunctional electrocatalyst based on S, N codoped carbon fibers confining carbon nanocapsules attached with Co 9 S 8 nanoparticles to customize the oxygen electrocatalytic microenvironment. The inner carbon nanocapsules function as a "gas buffer", while the outer fiber skeleton acts as a self-supporting structure, which jointly refine the oxygen electrocatalytic microenvironment and improve accessibility of the active sites. Such a unique nanostructure proves advantageous for O 2 adsorption/diffusion and mitigation of local pH changes during oxygen reduction reaction, and favors the release of generated O 2 and the transfer of interfacial electron during the oxygen evolution reaction as well. The constructed liquid RZABs deliver a large peak power density (280 mW cm−2) and robust cyclability (1200 h at 10 mA cm−2), and the assembled quasi-solid state flexible RZABs further indicate long-term durability. [Display omitted] • S, N codoped carbon fibers confining carbon nanocapsules attached with Co 9 S 8 NPs are constructed. • DFT confirms the curved structures can optimize the free energy of Co 9 S 8 for intermediates. • CNC/Co 9 S 8 @SNCF exhibits outstanding pH-universal ORR performance and OER activity. • The Zn-air battery shows a large peak power density (280 mW cm−2) and robust cyclability (1200 h at 10 mA cm−2). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) has emerged as a global threat due to its high mortality in clinical patients. However, the specific mechanisms underlying this increased mortality remain unclear. The objective of this study is to investigate how the development of a resistance phenotype contributes to the significantly higher mortality associated with this pathogen. To achieve this, a collection of isogeneic strains was generated. The clinical carbapenem-susceptible K. pneumoniae (CSKP) strain HKU3 served as the control isolate, while HKU3-KPC was created through conjugation with a bla KPC-2 -bearing plasmid and served as clinical CRKP strain. Using a sepsis model, it was demonstrated that both HKU3 and HKU3-KPC exhibited similar levels of virulence. Flow cytometry, RNA-seq, and ELISA analysis were employed to assess immune cell response, M1 macrophage polarization, and cytokine storm induction, revealing that both strains elicited comparable types and levels of these immune responses. Subsequently, meropenem was utilized to treat K. pneumoniae infection, and it was found that meropenem effectively reduced bacterial load, inhibited M1 macrophage polarization, and suppressed serum cytokine production during HKU3 (CSKP) infection. However, these effects were not observed in the case of HKU3-KPC (CRKP) infection. These findings provide evidence that the high mortality associated with CRKP is attributed to its enhanced survival within the host during antibiotic treatment, resulting in a cytokine storm and subsequent host death. The development of an effective therapy for CRKP infections could significantly reduce the mortality caused by this pathogen. • KPC-bearing plasmids do not alter the virulence of CRKP. • CRKP induces polarization of M1 macrophages and triggers a cytokine storm. • Acquired antibiotic resistance may play a main role in the high in-hospital mortality associated with CRKP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The single-use personal protective equipment such as latex gloves causes severe pollution and resource waste. It is still a challenge to degrade waste vulcanized diene-based rubbers for chemical recycling. Here, the metathetic degradation of the waste vulcanized diene-based rubbers was investigated with latex gloves as an example with styrene and methyl acrylate (MA) as CTA in open or closed system, respectively. Traceless metathetic degradation was achieved with styrene in closed system, without any CTA residue in the degraded product, like ethenolysis. The traceless metathetic degradation mechanism was proposed as following: the self-metathesis of styrene was suppressed in closed system, the CTA residues in the end-capped products was eliminated by the cross-metathesis with the excessive styrene. Therefore, a mild "ethenolysis" was realized for the recycle of waste vulcanized natural rubbers in the production of new rubber products, regardless of CTA residues. [Display omitted] • Metathetic degradation of the waste vulcanized rubbers was investigated in closed or open system. • Traceless metathetic degradation was achieved with excessive styrene as CTA in closed system. • As a mild "ethenolysis" of waste vulcanized natural rubbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Impaired myocardial anatomy and function in diabetic mice. • Diabetes induces alterations in macrophage polarity. • M1 macrophages activate fibroblasts via IL-1β to induce myocardial fibrosis in diabetes. Diabetes is a global health problem whose common complication is diabetic cardiomyopathy, characterized by chronic inflammation of the heart muscle. Macrophages are the main white blood cells found in the resting heart. Therefore, we investigated the underling mechanism of macrophage on myocardial fibrosis in diabetes. Here, echocardiography was utilized to evaluate cardiac function, and the degree of myocardial fibrosis was assessed using Masson's trichrome staining, followed by single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to analyze the phenotype, function, developmental trajectory, and interactions between immune cells, endothelial cells (ECs), and fibroblasts (FBs) in the hearts of db/db mice at different stages of diabetes. Macrophages and cardiac fibroblasts were also co-cultured in order to study the signaling between macrophages and fibroblasts. We found that with the development of diabetes mellitus, myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis occurred that was accompanied by cardiac dysfunction. A significant proportion of immune cells, endothelial cells, and fibroblasts were identified by RNA sequencing. The most significant changes observed were in macrophages, which undergo M1 polarization and are critical for oxidative stress and extracellular matrix (ECM) formation. We further found that M1 macrophages secreted interleukin-1β (IL-1β), which interacted with the receptor on the surface of fibroblasts, to cause myocardial fibrosis. In addition, crosstalk between M1 macrophages and endothelial cells also plays a key role in fibrosis and immune response regulation through IL-1β and corresponding receptors. M1 macrophages mediate diabetic myocardial fibrosis through interleukin-1β interaction with fibroblasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a high-performance impedance humidity sensor based on defect control TiO 2 /CdS heterostructure was synthesized by hydrothermal method, and the influence of surface vacancy defects on sensing performance was analyzed by first principles based on density functional theory (DFT). Calculation results show that a large number of surface oxygen and sulfur vacancies appear on the surface of TiO 2 and CdS, resulting in a great enhancement of the physical/chemical adsorption energy of TiO 2 and CdS on water molecules, which is conducive to TiO 2 /CdS to capture more water molecules and improving the humidity sensitivity performance of the sensor. Experiments show that the regulation of surface vacancy defects of composite materials can effectively improves responsivity, linearity and hysteresis of TiO 2 /CdS humidity sensor. Compared with TiO 2 and CdS, the TiO 2 /CdS humidity sensor exhibits high sensitivity (63459), fast response/recovery time (7/5 s), low hysteresis (∼3.5 %), good repeatability and long-term stability in a range of 11–95 % RH. This study not only provides an idea for designing defective TiO 2 /CdS high-performance humidity sensors, but proposes a new understanding for exploring the underlying mechanism of sensor performance. • Proposing defect control as an effective method to enhance TiO 2 /CdS-based sensors. • DFT calculation was used to study the effects of surface defects on TiO 2 /CdS sensors. • Surface vacancy defects were favorable to the adsorption of water molecules. • Surface vacancy defects improves the performance of TiO 2 /CdS humidity sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trajectory prediction is an important topic in intelligent transportation research. This study considers in-depth, the diversity and complexity of spatial–temporal trajectory, proposes a feature extraction method based on representation learning, and further designs and implements a short-term spatial–temporal vehicle trajectory prediction model on this basis. First, we propose a feature representation method aiming at the potential preference features of spatial–temporal vehicle trajectory space, so as to accurately represent the vehicle preference features. Second, considering the complexity of the topology of the road Network of vehicles and the fact that (Graph Convolutional Network, GCN) can learn the node features of the network structure, a feature extraction method based on GCN is proposed, which achieves the goal of vectorizing the road Network structure into a low-dimensional dense vector. Finally, a feature fusion method is proposed to comprehensively predict trajectory. Experiments show that this model not only effectively and comprehensively represent the trajectory features, but also synthesize the spatial features, temporal features and trajectory preference features, and finally obtains improved prediction results. • Feature extraction method accurately represents vehicle preference features. • GCN-based approach vectorizes complex road network structure. • Model synthesizes spatial–temporal features for improved prediction results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dual modal image pairs can provide complementary feature information and overcome the limitations of single modal object detection algorithms, thus improving detection performance. In order to fully utilize the features of different modalities, this paper proposes a dual-branch fusion detection network that can simultaneously input both infrared and visible modalities for object detection. The method is based on YOLOv5-s, and two attention modules are proposed according to the characteristics of different modalities to enhance the expression capability of infrared and visible image feature information respectively; At the same time, a dual modal fusion module is designed for cross-modal information complementarity by fusing features from corresponding scales of both modalities; Finally, a feature enhancement module is proposed to improve the multi-scale feature fusion capability. The algorithm is validated on the KAIST, FLIR, and GIR datasets and compared with classic single modal and dual modal detection algorithms. Experimental results show that, compared with the baseline algorithm YOLOv5-s alone detecting visible and infrared images separately, the proposed algorithm improves the detection accuracy by 17.6% and 5.9% on the KAIST dataset respectively, and 19.1% and 13% on the FLIR dataset respectively. The proposed algorithm also has a significant advantage in detection accuracy on the self-built GIR dataset. • Enhancing object detection accuracy by dual modal feature fusion. • Building a dual-branch network for concurrent infrared and visible image processing. • Designing attention modules, dual modal fusion, and feature enhancement for accuracy. • Showing significant accuracy enhancements across KAIST, FLIR, and GIR datasets. • Offering a practical, effective solution for widespread object detection applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the Zr-Mg bimetallic catalyst is prepared and used to facilitate the conversion of the waste mask to hydrocarbon-rich fuels. The effects of the catalyst and the reaction atmosphere on pyrolysis behaviors of different layers of the mask are discussed, and the interactions between CO 2 and the catalyst are analyzed. The results showed that the synthesized catalyst significantly promoted the conversion of long-chain hydrocarbons to short-chain hydrocarbons. Compared with pyrolysis alone under N 2 atmosphere, the relative contents of hydrocarbon compounds obtained by catalytic pyrolysis in the inner layer and middle layer increased by 12.21% and 16.24%, respectively. Additionally, the relative content of olefins in the liquid product increased by 9.62%. When the pyrolysis atmosphere was changed from N 2 to CO 2 , the selectivity of the cycloalkanes was significantly enhanced. Also, the interactions between CO 2 and the catalyst improved the selectivity of C 2 H 6. These works provide important support for the effective disposal of masks and an in-depth understanding of the CO 2 -assisted pyrolysis process. • A catalyst that promotes the generation of hydrocarbon-rich fuels is synthesized. • The selectivity of short-chained liquid hydrocarbons is increased by 13.87%. • The CO 2 promotes the generation of C 3 H 6 in gaseous hydrocarbon products. • Effects of CO 2 and catalyst converting mask into hydrocarbon-rich fuels are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, boroaluminizing treatment was applied to obtain coatings on Inconel 718 nickel-based alloy. The microstructure of these coatings was characterized using scanning electron microscopy, electron probe microanalysis, X-ray diffraction, and other techniques. The results indicate that the boroaluminizing layer obtained at 1050 °C for 10 h is dense, with a relatively thick diffusion layer and no apparent defects. The boroaluminizing layer mainly consists of Ni 3 Al, Ni 2 Al 3 , Ni 4 B 3 phases. The growth mechanism of boroaluminizing layer was also discussed. Subsequently, boroaluminized samples and Inconel 718 alloy were tested using a nanoindentation instrument, electrochemical workstation, and friction-wear testing machine. The results demonstrate that the boroaluminizing treatment significantly improves the corrosion resistance and frictional performance of Inconel 718 alloy. The surface hardness has increased by three times compared to the base material. Moreover, the predominant wear mechanisms of the samples are adhesive and abrasive wear. • The wear performance of Inconel 718 have been improved through boroaluminizing. • The corrosion resistance of Inconel 718 have been improved with boroaluminizing. • The hardness gradient of the boroaluminizing layer exhibits a gentle transition. • Inconel 718 exhibits only slight abrasive wear after boroaluminizing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Eigenvalue and eigenvector-based methods of optimal sensor placement are introduced. • The uncertainty propagation is realized using dimension-wise analysis with interval numbers. • Multi-objective robust optimization of sensor placement is constituted and solved by NSGA-II. • The interval fronts of Pareto are applied to determine the optimum number of sensors. • The obtained sensor configuration is with the economical number and robust performances. Considering the multi-performance development of complex systems and the requirement of structural modal identification with typical uncertainties, the nominal single-objective optimization method is not suitable for sensor placement. Therefore, by combining conventional optimal sensor placement with non-probabilistic theory, this study proposes an uncertainty-oriented multi-objective robust optimization method for optimal sensor placement. The Fisher information matrix and ill-posedness comprise one eigenvalue-based optimization objective, and the mean and minimum off-diagonal values in the modal assurance criterion comprise another. Considering the high-cost limitation of the statistical method for handling uncertainties, uncertainty propagations are realized by a dimension-wise analysis with better accuracy and efficiency, thus avoiding the overestimation incurred by the classical Taylor expansion method. The multi-objective robust optimization is established by uncertain eigenvalue- and eigenvector-based indices with interval numbers and solved using the multi-objective optimization algorithm. Considering the solution sets located at the Pareto front, an interval possibility was developed using interval Pareto fronts to determine the optimal number of sensors. A numerical example demonstrated the validity of the proposed method with an optimal number of sensors and corresponding configurations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A force reconstruction method for uncertain structures instead of direct measurement is proposed in this paper. Considering the multi-source uncertainties as unknown-but-bounded (UBB) parameters including unknown structural dynamics and measurement errors, this study proposed a novel force reconstruction method using an interval strategy-based regularization approach with truncated singular value decomposition (TSVD). To overcome the drawbacks of incompleted models and limited information, the overall modelling and inversion of the interval force are reconstructed based on the non-probabilistic uncertainty theory. First, The interval uncertainty-based kernel function for force inversion is deduced using the second-order interval perturbation method, in which the uncertainties of the reconstructed force originate from the uncertain singular values and measurement errors. Based on the regularization of the TSVD, the interval bounds of the singular values can be accurately obtained. Combining the two typical regularization approaches, a novel interval strategy-based regularization approach is proposed to optimize the best regularization parameter based on the uncertain interval distribution of singular values. This novel strategy can not only balance the two typical regularization approaches but also reduce the burden of force inversion. Two numerical examples including a truss and space capsule are applied to access the proposed method, and the estimated accurate force can prove the effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imaging the vibrations of nanomechanical resonators means measuring their flexural mode shapes from the dependence of their frequency response on in-plane position. Applied to two-dimensional resonators, this technique provides a wealth of information on the mechanical properties of atomically-thin membranes. We present a simple and robust system to image the vibrations of few layer graphene (FLG) resonators at room temperature and in vacuum with an in-plane displacement precision of ≈0.20 μ m. It consists of a sturdy vacuum enclosure mounted on a three-axis micropositioning stage and designed for free space optical measurements of vibrations. The system is equipped with ultraflexible radio frequency transmission lines to electrically actuate resonators. With it we characterize the lowest frequency mode of FLG resonators by measuring its frequency response as a function of position on the membrane and by extracting its effective mass. We use the background noise of the undriven vibrational spectrum to calibrate in-plane displacement. Finally, we measure the first three vibration modes of a resonator whose membrane is partially folded and find that folds locally suppress vibrations. • Flexural vibrations of few layer graphene resonators are imaged by moving a large vacuum enclosure. • The effective mass of the fundamental mode is measured. • Background noise of the undriven vibrational spectrum is used to calibrate in-plane displacement. • Ultraflexible transmission lines are developed to drive resonators at radio frequencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To utilize space solar energy efficiently, this study focuses on the optimization of multi-rotary joints space solar power satellite (MR-SSPS), which is designed to efficiently collect and transmit solar energy to Earth. A constraint multi-objective optimization model is proposed for the MR-SSPS, which encompasses three objectives: truss mass, structural stiffness, and attitude control energy. A bi-level optimization method is proposed, considering the characteristics of the structure and attitude control models. The first-level optimizes the structure of the solar array system and truss, while the second-level optimizes the attitude controller. The mass and certain structural parameters serve as correlation variables linking the two levels. To enhance efficiency, a database and parallel computing are employed. Compared to the traditional multi-objective optimization approach, the proposed bi-level method achieves better solutions in both accuracy and efficiency. The optimized MR-SSPS structure meets attitude control accuracy constraints while reducing mass and energy consumption. This research provides insights into the design of MR-SSPS and demonstrates the effectiveness of the bi-level optimization approach for complex engineering problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Sepiolite (SEP) were developed to modify carbon membranes. • SEP addition effectively adjusted the structure and property of membranes. • SEP addition largely improved the separation performance of membranes. • The optimum separation performance was 6062 Barrer and 27.4 for O 2 /N 2 gas pairs. The development of promising dopants is essential for fabricating mixed matrix membranes with high gas separation performance. Here, mixed matrix carbon membranes (MMCMs) were produced by using polyimide as precursor and sepiolite as dopants on plate phenolic resin-based carbon supports via the processes of membrane formation and pyrolysis. The thermal stability, surface functional groups, microstructure and morphology of membrane samples were characterized by the thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope, respectively. The effects of sepiolite amount on the microstructure and property of MMCMs were investigated. Besides, the change tendency of gas permeation with permeation temperature and permeation pressure was further examined. The results showed that the addition of sepiolite enhanced the thermal stability of the precursor membranes and the microstructural compactness of resultant MMCMs. Especially, it greatly improved the gas permeability and selectivity of MMCMs. The maximum separation performance was reached for MMCMs made by the sepiolite content of 0.2%, with the gas permeabilities of 8412.9 Barrer (H 2), 6711.5 Barrer (CO 2), 6062.0 Barrer (O 2) and 220.9 Barrer (N 2), and the selectivities of 38.1 (H 2 /N 2), 30.4 (CO 2 /N 2) and 27.4 (O 2 /N 2). Moreover, the MMCMs can directly concentrate the mole fraction of O 2 from compressed air to 93%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]