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This study investigates the resilience of various industries in China stock market against geopolitical risk (GPR). Using TVP-VAR-SV analysis, time-varying effects of GPR on China stock market is first measured and based on the results, absorption intensity and absorption duration are constructed as indicators for assessing industries' resilience. Empirical results show that: (1) the impact of GPR on industries in China stock market is time-varying and is more significant in the short and medium run than in the long run. (2) GPR on all the industries turns from positive to negative in both short and medium run, except for coal industry. (3) The absorption intensity and absorption duration of the selected industries show opposite trends, which indicates that these industries can adapt and absorb the larger GPR shocks, while the smaller GPR shocks require more time to be digested. (4) Both absorption intensity and duration show trend mutation when facing with major GPR events. Our findings provide crucial insights to investors and policymakers in China stock markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a challenge in the construction of a "seamless forecast" system, improving the prediction skills of subseasonal forecasts is a key issue for meteorologists. In view of the evolution characteristics of numerical models and deep-learning models for subseasonal forecasts, as forecast times increase, the prediction skill for high-frequency components will decrease, as the lead time is already far beyond the predictability. Meanwhile, intraseasonal low-frequency components are essential to the change in general circulation on subseasonal timescales. In this paper, the Global Subseasonal Forecast Model (GSFM v1.0) first extracted the intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) components of atmospheric signals and used an improved deep-learning model (SE-ResNet) to train and predict the ISO components of geopotential height at 500 hPa (Z500) and temperature at 850 hPa (T850). The results show that the 10–30 day prediction performance of the SE-ResNet model is better than that of the model trained directly with original data. Compared with other models/methods, this model has a good ability to depict the subseasonal evolution of the ISO components of Z500 and T850. In particular, although the prediction results from the Climate Forecast System Version 2 have better performance through 10 days, the SE-ResNet model is substantially superior to CFSv2 through 10–30 days, especially in the middle and high latitudes. The SE-ResNet model also has a better effect in predicting planetary waves with wavenumbers of 3–8. Thus, the application of data-driven subseasonal forecasts of atmospheric ISO components may shed light on improving the skill of seasonal forecasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From 19 July 2022 to 31 August 2022, a rare persistent drought and heat event occurred in the middle of the Yangtze River basin (MYRB). Normalized difference vegetation Index (NDVI) over 25% of the area decreased more than 0.05 compared with the climatology, causing extremely agricultural drought disaster and economic losses to China. Previous studies have shown that the occurrence of compound drought and heat events (CDHEs) in the MYRB was associated with intra-seasonal oscillations (ISOs) from different latitudes. Nevertheless, what was the role of ISOs at different latitudes in the formation of the CDHE? To address this question, this paper designed a numerical simulation experiment of partial lateral forcing to investigate the changes in meteorological elements by removing the signals of ISOs on different lateral boundaries. We found that the wave series formed in the upper troposphere at 200 hPa played a significant role in the occurrence of the CDHE in the northern part of the MYRB in this progress. It was found that the ISO component of the northern boundary caused the mean temperature to rise by 2.4 °C and aggravated the drought in 53.7% of the region. On the other hand, the anticyclone anomaly in the lower troposphere at 800 hPa had a continuous impact on the southern and eastern boundaries. It was found that the ISO component of these two boundaries can increase the average temperature by 1.93 °C in the MYRB and intensify the drought in 49.7% of the area. In the developing period of the CDHE, the South Asian high and the Western North Pacific subtropical high were coupled with each other and jointly controlled the MYRB, so that the significant positive geopotential height anomaly stayed above the MYRB for a long time, which was conducive to the development of local subsidence. The results of this paper will help to better understand the formation mechanism of CDHEs in the MYRB and assist meteorologists to prevent and forecast the occurrence of CDHEs in advance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the idea of green aviation and environmental protection has received increasing attention from the aviation industry. Hydrogen energy has an important role in the transition to low-carbon energy systems. To address that, this article conducts the technoeconomic analysis for the hydrogen energy system, photovoltaic energy, battery storage system, electric auxiliary power unit (APU) of aircraft, and electric vehicles (EVs) into the electrified airport energy system. Specifically, the model quantifies aircraft electrical load based on passenger’ travel behavior, establishes a corresponding APU load characteristic model, and establishes an EV charging load profile based on the flight schedule and sequencing algorithm. A mixed-integer linear programming optimization method based on life cycle theory was proposed to minimize the total costs of hydrogen-integrated energy systems for airports (HIES). However, the resilience advantages of hydrogen energy concerning power failure are little explored in existing academic research. Thus, a resilience assessment method and improvement measure were proposed for HIES. Case studies have been conducted under different optimal hydrogen energy integration configurations and disaster times with resilience assessment by considering periods when the power supply capacity of the grid is insufficient. The results show the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seismic events and aftershocks can cause devastating impacts on overground and underground energy system infrastructure. This article designs a novel approach to restore energy system functionality in response to seismic stresses by using coordinated dynamic system reconfiguration and operation. First, the impact of seismic stresses on system infrastructure is evaluated, considering critical system components, including electricity lines, substations, gas pipes, and operable units including combined heat pump (CHP), electrolyser, soft open point (SOP), energy storage units. Load curtailment is assumed to be caused by system branch overloading, reversed gas flows, and isolated branches. The objective of the proposed operation method is to maximize overall system restoration capability. Responding to seismic stresses and aftershocks, storage, SOPs and coupling components are dynamically operated to restore both gas and electricity supply thus reducing losses. A service index is quantified by considering both load curtailment and recovery time. A representative integrated electricity and gas system is employed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Results illustrate that the adverse impact of seismic stresses can be effectively reduced with the proposed model. This work provides system operators a powerful tool to restore the functionality of energy systems under seismic events, helping maintain supply security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seismic events can severely damage both electricity and natural gas systems, causing devastating consequences. Ensuring the secure and reliable operation of the integrated energy system (IES) is of high importance to avoid potential damage to the infrastructure and reduce economic losses. This article proposes a new optimal two-stage optimization to enhance the reliability of IES planning and operation against seismic attacks. In the first stage, hardening investment on the IES is conducted, featuring preventive measures for seismic attacks. The second stage minimizes the expected operation cost of emergency response. The random seismic attack is modeled as uncertainty, which is realized after the first stage. An explicit damage assessment model is developed to define the budget set of the uncertain seismic activity. Based on the survivability of transmission lines and gas pipelines of IES, an optimal system investment plan is developed. The problem is formulated as a two-stage distributionally robust optimization (DRO) model, which is tested on an integrated IEEE 30-bus system and 20-node gas network. Case studies demonstrate that the two-stage DRO outperforms robust optimization and a single-stage optimization model in terms of minimizing the investment cost and expected economic loss. This article can help system operators to make economical hardening and operation strategies to improve the reliability of IES under seismic attacks, thus managing a more robust and secure energy system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In clinical trials, smoking‐cessation aids (SCAs) have proven to be effective at improving the odds of smoking cessation. Because of the effectiveness of SCAs in these settings, many countries have adopted the coverage of SCAs to reduce tobacco use. However, the effect of such coverage on tobacco use is ambiguous. On one hand, the coverage may have the intended effect and reduce tobacco use. On the other hand, the coverage may cause beneficiaries to participate in tobacco use more as the drug coverage protects beneficiaries from future costs associated with tobacco use. To understand the effect of SCA coverage, we examine it using 2008–2012 Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey and a difference‐in‐differences approach. We find that SCA coverage increases cigarette and cigarillo use. Moreover, the effect of SCA coverage on tobacco use is stronger in men and in those with at least a college education. Our results point to the unintended consequences of the coverage of SCAs on tobacco use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obtaining a full view and complete information of the surrounding dynamics is of great significance for a plethora of applications in sensing, imaging, navigation, and orientation. However, conventional spatial spectrum methods heavily rely on a priori knowledge with a trial‐and‐error solution fashion, leading to a great challenge to estimate complete information in volatile scenarios. Inspired by the mechanism of the jumping spider (Salticidae), here a universal detection approach driven by an intelligent antenna array, with the usage of amplitude‐only information as inputs, is introduced. The applied machine learning method can process the received time‐varying signals in one single feed‐forward computation, bypassing a heavy recline on prior knowledge of the array structure. As a demonstration, a compact eight‐port antenna array is designed for simultaneous attainments of frequency, direction of arrival, and polarization, covering the entire microwave X band. Both the simulated and experimental results show that the average accuracies for the azimuth angle, elevation angle, and polarization are up to 98%, with a millisecond detection time. Different from conventional methods, the strategy herein does not involve a complex beamforming network and a time‐consuming trial‐and‐error solution fashion, allowing a big step toward a miniaturized, integrated, and cost‐effective detector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seismic events can cause devastating impacts on both overground and underground energy system infrastructure. This paper proposes a methodology to evaluate the impact of seismic events on the security of integrated electricity and gas system, mainly focusing on pipelines leakage and connection loss of electricity transmission lines. A stochastic model is used to formulate the damage level based on earthquake severity. The seismic impact on the integrated system is classified according to the levels of pipe leak and electricity line failure. Load curtailment due to limited generation capacity and overloaded transmission lines is thereafter quantified. Seismic intensity is generated randomly based on Monte Carlo simulation so that a certain seismic intensity can be related to relevant load curtailment. An integrated energy system with a 30-busbar electricity system and a 6-node natural gas network is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results clearly illustrate damage consequences under seismic events in terms of both probability and severity levels. This work can inform resilience enhancement scheme design based on the vulnerability performance and impact of both systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID‐19 has led many governments to impose lockdowns in efforts to reduce the spread of the virus. One of the many consequences of the lockdown is a reduction in crime. We apply a difference‐in‐differences approach to the 2018–2020 Crime Statistics to investigate the effect of the 2020 lockdown on crime victimization in Japan. We find that the 2020 lockdown leads to 12.7% and 20.9% declines in violent and property crime victimization rates per 100,000 people, respectively. Moreover, we observe that premeditated crimes, such as breaking‐and‐entering and sexual assault, decline more than non‐premeditated crimes, such as homicide. We also explore the heterogeneous effects of the lockdown by age groups. We observe that there is a significant decline in sexual assault victimization for those between the ages of 0 and 29, and there are significant declines in overall violent and property crime victimizations and their subtypes for those between ages of 30 and 59. Finally, we show that there is an improvement in suicide rates, which suggests that better mental health is the mechanism partially mediating the relationship between lockdown and crime victimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hurricane events can cause severe consequences to the secure supply of electricity systems. This article designs a novel two-stage approach to minimize hurricane impact on distribution networks by automatic system operation. A dynamic hurricane model is developed, which has a variational wind intensity and moving path. The article then presents a two-stage resilience enhancement scheme that considers predisaster strengthening and postcatastrophe system reconfiguration. The pre-disaster stage evaluates load importance by an improved PageRank algorithm to help deploy the strengthening scheme precisely. Then, a combined soft open point and networked microgrid strategy is applied to enhance system resilience. Load curtailment is quantified considering both power unbalancing and the impact of line overloading. To promote computational efficiency, particle swarm optimization is applied to solve the designed model. A 33-bus electricity system is employed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results clearly illustrate that the impact of hurricanes on load curtailment, which can be significantly reduced by appropriate network reconfiguration strategies. This model provides system operators a powerful tool to enhance the resilience of distribution systems against extreme hurricane events, reducing load curtailment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Countries seeking to move away from a purely fee‐for‐service (FFS) system may consider a hybrid approach whereby only some procedures are paid by FFS while others are paid prospectively. Yet little evidence exists whether such a hybrid payment system contains overall costs without adverse influences on health outcomes. In 2003, Japan experienced a reform from FFS to a hybrid payment system in which only some inpatient procedures were paid prospectively. We exploit this reform to test how such a hybrid system affects overall costs and health outcomes. Briefly, we find that healthcare providers responded opportunistically to the reform, moving some procedures out of the bundled inpatient setting to FFS services, leading to no reduction in cost. There was some evidence of a moderate deterioration in health outcomes, in terms of a decline in the probability of symptoms being cured at discharge. In sum, our results suggest that in some cases, a hybrid payment system can be non‐superior to either FFS or prospective payment system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy hub system (EHS) incorporating multiple energy carriers, storage, and renewables can efficiently coordinate various energy resources to optimally satisfy energy demand. However, the intermittency of renewable generation poses great challenges on optimal EHS operation. This article proposes an innovative distributionally robust optimization model to operate EHS with an energy storage system (ESS), considering the multimodal forecast errors of photovoltaic (PV) power. Both battery and heat storage are utilized to smooth PV output fluctuation and improve the energy efficiency of EHS. This article proposes a novel multimodal ambiguity set to capture the stochastic characteristics of PV multimodality. A two-stage scheme is adopted, where 1) the first stage optimizes EHS operation cost, and 2) the second stage implements real-time dispatch after the realization of PV output uncertainty. The aim is to overcome the conservatism of multimodal distribution uncertainties modeled by typical ambiguity sets and reduce the operation cost of EHS. The presented model is reformulated as a tractable semidefinite programming problem and solved by a constraint generation algorithm. Its performance is extensively compared with widely used normal and unimodal ambiguity sets. The results from this article justify the effectiveness and performance of the proposed method compared to conventional models, which can help EHS operators to economically consume energy and use ESS wisely through the optimal coordination of multienergy carriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a novel recurrent neural network (RNN)–based model that combines the remembering ability of unitary evolution RNNs with the ability of gated RNNs to effectively forget redundant or irrelevant information in its memory. We achieve this by extending restricted orthogonal evolution RNNs with a gating mechanism similar to gated recurrent unit RNNs with a reset gate and an update gate. Our model is able to outperform long short-term memory, gated recurrent units, and vanilla unitary or orthogonal RNNs on several long-term-dependency benchmark tasks. We empirically show that both orthogonal and unitary RNNs lack the ability to forget. This ability plays an important role in RNNs. We provide competitive results along with an analysis of our model on many natural sequential tasks, including question answering, speech spectrum prediction, character-level language modeling, and synthetic tasks that involve long-term dependencies such as algorithmic, denoising, and copying tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new nonlinear lumped parameter equivalent circuit model is proposed to calculate the core losses of a novel 16/10 segmented rotor switched reluctance motor (SSRM) for belt-driven starter generators. The model investigates the hysteresis, eddy current and anomalous losses by using the method of energy conservation. Four parameters are introduced in the proposed model to consider the effects of saturation and leakage flux in SSRM. They are the incremental leakage inductance, the incremental equivalent winding resistance, the incremental magnetizing inductance, and the incremental equivalent core-loss resistance. This model can overcome the hysteresis effects of winding resistance and leakage inductance on the current, and improve the accuracy of the parameters. To illustrate the advantages of the proposed model, an experiment platform is developed. Experimental results show that the proposed model can significantly improve the calculation accuracy of core losses of the SSRM. The accuracy is better than the conventional Epstein frame method. The proposed core-loss model and analysis method can be applied to other kinds of switched reluctance motors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Artificial neural networks are computational network models inspired by signal processing in the brain. These models have dramatically improved performance for many machine-learning tasks, including speech and image recognition. However, today's computing hardware is inefficient at implementing neural networks, in large part because much of it was designed for von Neumann computing schemes. Significant effort has been made towards developing electronic architectures tuned to implement artificial neural networks that exhibit improved computational speed and accuracy. Here, we propose a new architecture for a fully optical neural network that, in principle, could offer an enhancement in computational speed and power efficiency over state-of-the-art electronics for conventional inference tasks. We experimentally demonstrate the essential part of the concept using a programmable nanophotonic processor featuring a cascaded array of 56 programmable Mach-Zehnder interferometers in a silicon photonic integrated circuit and show its utility for vowel recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We model the dynamics of magnetization in an artificial analogue of spin ice specializing to the case of a honeycomb network of connected magnetic nanowires. The inherently dissipative dynamics is mediated by the emission and absorption of domain walls in the sites of the lattice, and their propagation in its links. These domain walls carry two natural units of magnetic charge, whereas sites of the lattice contain a unit magnetic charge. Magnetostatic Coulomb forces between these charges play a major role in the physics of the system, as does quenched disorder caused by imperfections of the lattice. We identify and describe different regimes of magnetization reversal in an applied magnetic field determined by the orientation of the applied field with respect to the initial magnetization. One of the regimes is characterized by magnetic avalanches with a 1/n distribution of lengths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics were investigated in an agricultural soil to which three types of sludge were repeatedly applied: fresh municipal sludge (FSS1), fresh mixed sludge (mainly industrial sludge) (FSS2), and dry heat-treated municipal sludge (DSS). The percentages of microplastics <1.0 mm were 24.3 and 28.7–59.1 % in unamended and amended soils, respectively. Particles of this size accounted for 47.1–60.0 % of microplastics in different sludges and polymers of particle size <100 μm occurred in all soil samples and sludges examined. Fibers were the commonest microplastic type, ranging from 66.7 to 82.5 % in soil and 89.4–97.2 % in sludges. Polyester (PES) and polypropylene (PP) accounted for ~80 % of the total microplastics found in soil and poly-(styrene:acrylate) (PS-AC) microspheres were found in all sludge-amended soil samples examined. There was also a pronounced weathering effect on the surfaces of the microplastics in soil. Nine years of repeated sludge application led to the accumulation of microplastics in the soil. The abundance of microplastics was significantly higher in the municipal sludge (149.2 ± 52.5 particles kg−1) than in the mixed (68.6 ± 21.5 particles kg−1) or dried (73.1 ± 15.4 particles kg−1) sludge and this was related to the microplastic abundance in the sludges. This field study confirms that sludges are drivers of soil microplastic pollution and measures are required to minimize the inputs of microplastics to agricultural land. [Display omitted] • Fibrous microplastics are the main shape of microplastics in sludge and amended soil. • The most commonly found microplastic types were polyester and polypropylene in soil. • Fibrous and fragmentary microplastics in soil displayed different weathered surfaces. • The abundance of microplastics in amended soils relates to that in applied sludge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melanoma is a highly malignant tumor in the body. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to be involved in the development of various tumors. Emerging evidence demonstrates the critical role of lncRNAs in melanoma development. In this study, we aimed to investigate the expression, biological function and regulatory mechanism of LINC00662 in melanomas. First, we found that LINC00662 was up-regulated in melanoma tissues and cell lines. High expression of LINC00662 in melanomas was associated with a poor patient prognosis. Silencing of LINC00662 suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of melanoma cells in vitro and in vivo , while overexpression of LINC00662 promoted melanoma cell proliferation in vitro . Bioinformatics analysis, dual-luciferase assay, and RIP assay confirmed that LINC00662 competitively regulated miR-107. Silencing of LINC00662 upregulated miR-107 expression in a melanoma cell line. Inhibition of miR-107 significantly reversed the inhibitory effect of LINC00662 silencing on cell proliferation and migration. Furthermore, POU3F2 was validated as a downstream target of LINC00662/miR107 and was downregulated when LINC00662 was silenced. Overexpressing POU3F2 attenuated the effect of si-LINC00662 on cellular functions. In addition, the results also showed that the β-catenin pathway was involved in a si-LINC00662-induced function in melanoma. Overall, our results confirmed that LINC00662 promoted melanoma progression by sponging miR107 and inducing POU3F2, highlighting the mechanism of the LINC00662/miR-107/POU3F2 axis in melanoma cell proliferation and invasion., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists., (© The author(s).)

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of various fibrotic diseases, but the potential biological function and expression profile of circRNAs in keloids remain unknown. Herein, microarray technology was applied to detect circRNA expression in four patient-derived keloid dermal fibroblasts (KDFs) and normal dermal fibroblasts (NDFs). A total of 327 differentially expressed (DE) circRNAs (fold change > 1.5, p < 0.05) were identified with 195 upregulated and 132 downregulated circRNAs. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses showed that the upregulated circRNAs were mainly enriched in the cytoskeleton and tight junctions, while the downregulated circRNAs were related to morphogenesis of the epithelium and axonal guidance. To explore the function of DE circRNAs, a circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network, including five circRNAs, nine miRNAs, and 235 correlated mRNAs, was constructed using bioinformatics analyses. The expression of five DE circRNAs was validated by qRT-PCR in 18 pairs of KDFs and NDFs, and hsa&#95;circ&#95;0006867 showed promising regulatory function in keloids in vitro . Silencing hsa&#95;circ&#95;00006867 suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of keloid fibroblasts. RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays indicated that hsa&#95;circ&#95;00006867 may serve as a platform for miRNA binding to Argonaute (AGO) 2. In addition, hsa-miR-29a-5p may be a potential target miRNA of hsa&#95;circ&#95;00006867. Taken together, our research provided multiple novel clues to understand the pathophysiologic mechanism of keloids and identified hsa&#95;circ&#95;0006867 as a biomarker of keloids., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Pang, Lin, Sun, Hu, Dai, Shen, Xu and Xu.)

The ability to control the propagation direction of light has long been a scientific goal. However, the fabrication of large-scale optical angular-range selective films is still a challenge. This paper presents a polymer-enabled large-scale fabrication method for broadband angular-range selective films that perform over the entire visible spectrum. Our approach involves stacking together multiple one-dimensional photonic crystals with various engineered periodicities to enlarge the bandgap across a wide spectral range based on theoretical predictions. Experimental results demonstrate that our method can achieve broadband transparency at a range of incident angles centered around normal incidence and reflectivity at larger viewing angles, doing so at large scale and low cost.

Background We have previously reported the feasibility of noninvasive stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) as a novel approach for renal denervation. Methods and Results Herein, from a translational point of view, we assessed the antihypertensive effect and chronological evolution of SBRT-induced renal nerve injury within 6 months in a hypertensive swine model. Hypertension was induced in swine by subcutaneous implantation of deoxycorticosterone acetate pellets in combination with a high-salt diet. A single dose of 25 Gy with SBRT was delivered for renal denervation in 9 swine within 3.4±1.0 minutes. Blood pressure levels at baseline and 1 and 6 months post-SBRT were comparable to control (n=5), whereas renal norepinephrine was significantly lower at 6 months ( P <0.05). Abdominal computed tomography, performed before euthanasia and renal function assessment, remained normal. Standard semiquantitative histological assessment showed that compared with control (1.4±0.4), renal nerve injury was greater at 1 month post-SBRT (2.3±0.3) and peaked at 6 months post-SBRT (3.2±0.8) ( P <0.05), along with a higher proportion of active caspase-3-positive nerves ( P <0.05). Moreover, SBRT resulted in continuous dysfunction of renal sympathetic nerves and low level of nerve regeneration in 6 months by immunohistochemistry analysis. Conclusions SBRT delivering 25 Gy for renal denervation was safe and related to sustained reduction of sympathetic activity by aggravating nerve damage and inhibiting nerve regeneration up to 6 months; however, its translation to clinical trial should be cautious because of the negative blood pressure response in the deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt hypertensive swine model.