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Motivation: Applications of the Internet of Things (IoT) have taken a central stage of consumer product innovation. While there is much discussion on wearable electronics, smart cities, etc., it is unclear whether the enthusiasm surrounding IoT is merely hype or interest in the underlying business economic models. Premise: We introduce Internet of Things through its applications, which we categorize and relate to the recent advances in business intelligence and big data. We highlight unifying themes of Internet of Things and the methodologies for analyzing them, as well as elaborate on the promising developments in this field, including innovations combining Internet of Things and InsureTech and Artificial Intelligence. Approach: To this end, we survey industry applications of the IoT and delve into several case studies. Results: We find that the advance of IoT technology and Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) empowers the retail, industrialization, and finance industries to accelerate the pace of digital transformation. Applications of the IoT have dramatically shifted strategies and structures of firms as they race toward the digitization. Conclusion: Our framework for thinking about IoT and the cases we highlight can guide researchers interested in this area for further innovation or academic research. Keywords: code system, geolocation, Global Positioning System (GPS), Internet of Things (IoT), IoT ecosystem, image sensors, point of sale (POS), Quick Response (QR) code JEL Classification Codes: 014, 030, 031, INTRODUCTION One important source of alternative data is the Internet of Things (IoT), which has become prominent in tech innovations and generated a large amount of data across various industries [...]

Cyetpyrafen is a recently developed acaricide. The citrus red mite, Panonychus citri(McGregor), has developed significant resistance to cyetpyrafen. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the cyetpyrafen resistance in P. citriremains unclear. Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) play a critical role in arthropod pesticide resistance. This study showed that GSTs were potentially related to the resistance of P. citrito cyetpyrafen through synergistic experiments and enzyme activity analysis. An omega-family GST gene, PcGSTO1,was significantly up-regulated in the egg, nymph, and adult stages of the cyetpyrafen-resistant strain. Additionally, silencing of PcGSTO1significantly increased the mortality of P. citrito cyetpyrafen and recombinant PcGSTO1 demonstrated the ability to metabolize cyetpyrafen. Our results indicated that the overexpression of PcGSTO1is associated with cyetpyrafen resistance in P. citri, and they also provided valuable information for managing resistance in P. citri.

Survey of road cracks in a timely, complete, and accurate way is pivotal to pavement maintenance planning. Motivated by the increasingly heavy task of identifying cracks, researchers have developed extensive crack segmentation models based on Deep learning (DL) methods with significantly different levels of accuracy, efficiency, and generalizing capacity. Although many of the models provide satisfying detection performance, why these models work still needs to be determined. The objective of this study is to survey recent advances in automated DL crack recognition and provide evidence for their underlying working mechanism. We first reviewed 54 DL crack recognition methods to summarize critical factors in these models. Then, we conducted a performance evaluation of fourteen famous semantic segmentation models using the quantitative metrics: F-1 score and mIoU. Then, the effective receptive field and class activation map of the included models are visualized to demonstrate the training results as qualitative evaluation. Based on the literature review and comparison results, larger kernel size, feature fusion, and attention module all contribute to the improvement of model performance. Striking a balance between increasing the effective receptive field and computational/memory efficiency is the key to designing DL crack segmentation models. Finally, some potential directions and suggestions for future development are provided, such as developing semi-supervised or unsupervised learning for the high cost of pixel-level labeling.

Byline: Teng. Ma, Lin. Cong, Jingxu. Xu, Chencui. Huang, Qianli. Ma, Qianqian. Hua, Xiaojiao. Li, Zhaoqin. Huang, Ximing. Wang, Yunchao. Chen Aims: We investigated the predictive value of a computed [...]

Deep reinforcement learning (RL) has succeeded in robotic manipulation applications. However, training robots in the real world is challenging due to sample efficiency and safety concerns. Sim-to-real transfer has been proposed to address the aforementioned concerns but introduces the reality gap. In this work, we introduce a sim-to-real learning framework for vision-based assembly tasks and perform training in a simulation environment by employing raw image inputs from a single camera to address the aforementioned issues. We build a robotic Peg-in-Hole (PiH) training environment that requires low-level simulation knowledge. We also present a domain adaptation method based on a cycle-consistent generative adversarial network (CycleGAN) and a force control transfer approach to bridge the reality gap. The proposed framework, trained in a simulation environment with different environmental scenes, can be successfully transferred to a real PiH setup with a UR5e robot. We then reproduce these results with a Diana7 robot and different peg shapes to verify the generalization ability of the framework.

Background: Emerging evidence has linked elevated resting heart rate (RHR) with poor cognitive function in older adults, but the mechanisms underlying their association are poorly understood. Methods: This population-based cross-sectional study included 4510 dementia-free participants (age ≥ 65 years; 56.9% females; 38.3% no formal education) in the baseline examination of the Multidomain Interventions to Delay Dementia and Disability in Rural China study. Of these, 1,386 had data on serum proinflammatory cytokines and adhesion molecules. RHR was measured using 12-lead electrocardiograph. We used the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and a neuropsychological test battery to assess cognitive function. Data were analyzed using the general linear and restricted cubic splines models. Results: People with high RHR were more likely to have cardiometabolic diseases and worse cognitive function (p< 0.05). There was an inverted J-shaped association of RHR with MMSE and attention scores. Having RHR ≥ 80 bpm (vs. 60–69 bpm) was significantly associated with the multivariable-adjusted β coefficients of − 0.58 [95% confidence interval (CI), − 1.00, − 0.16] for MMSE score and − 0.08 (− 0.15, − 0.01) for attention score. In the serum biomarker subsample, RHR was linearly associated with serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) (β coefficient = 0.19; 95%CI 0.14, 0.24), IL-8 (0.08; 0.02, 0.13), IL-10 (0.09; 0.04, 0.15), tumor necrosis factor-α (0.06; 0.01, 0.11), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (0.09; 0.04, 0.15), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (0.16; 0.11, 0.22), and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (0.11; 0.06, 0.16). Conclusions: There is an inverted J-shaped association of RHR with attention and global cognition. Poor cognitive function and high RHR may be linked through systemic low-grade inflammation and endothelial injury.

ABSTRACT Bio-binder can be partially substituted for petroleum bituminous binder in highway engineering, providing with economic, social and environmental benefits. Biomass commonly used as a renewable energy source is a [...]

Many factors affect the performance of rehabilitative treatments for asphalt concrete pavements. However, which factors have been causing the deterioration of their long-term performance is still unclear. We considered the nested and panelled structure of pavement performance data and the unobserved heterogeneity among sites using multilevel Bayesian regression models. We incorporated alligator cracking, rutting and roughness represented by the international roughness index (IRI) as performance indicators. To verify the existence of unobserved heterogeneity, we adopted an iterative modelling path by adding the per-state or per-climatic region random parameters into the models. We then based our inference of the significant factors on the chosen models that are predictive and causally sound. The results show that there existed considerable heterogeneity among different sites and climatic regions. Including per-state or per-region intercepts improved the models’ predictive capacity and accounted for the unobserved heterogeneity.

Visually identifying the molecular changes in single cells is of great importance for unraveling fundamental cellular functions as well as disease mechanisms. Herein, we demonstrated a mass spectro-microtomography with an optimal voxel resolution of ∼300 × 300 × 25 nm3, which enables three-dimensional tomography of chemical substances in single cells. This mass imaging method allows for the distinguishment of abundant endogenous and exogenous molecules in subcellular structures. Combined with statistical analysis, we demonstrated this method for spatial metabolomics analysis of drug distribution and subsequent molecular damages caused by intracellular drug action. More interestingly, thanks to the nanoprecision ablation depth (∼12 nm), we realized metabolomics profiling of cell membrane without the interference of cytoplasm and improved the distinction of cancer cells from normal cells. Our current method holds great potential to be a powerful tool for spatially resolved single-cell metabolomics analysis of chemical components during complex biological processes.

Herein, a numerical simulation with simultaneous heat and mass transfers is carried out to investigate the scrap melting characteristics in molten steel after model verification by published experimental data. The numerical results show that the scrap melting stages consist of the frozen shell formation stage, the frozen shell remelting stage and the parent scrap melting stage. The heat transfer coefficient and the carbon mass transfer coefficient between the scrap and the molten steel are, respectively, in the range of 4209–6249 W m−2K−1and 6.4 × 10–5m s−1. Meanwhile, the effects of process parameters on scrap melting time were studied. An increase in the scrap preheating temperature Tscrap, the molten steel temperature Tsteeland the carbon content of molten steel Csteel, and a decrease in the scrap thickness dscrap, can reduce the frozen shell existence time, as well as the scrap melting time. On this basis, a quantitative relationship between the aforementioned process parameters and the scrap melting time is obtained to predict the formation of frozen shell (Ψ), which provides process guidance for shortening the scrap melting time. The quantitative relationship is expressed as: lnΨ=311.32-2.34lnTscrap-39.99lnTsteel-0.08lndscrap-0.57lnCsteel.

ABSTRACT Moisture damage is one main distress type of premature asphalt pavement and affects its long term performance characteristics. Therefore, it is important to inspect the permeability behavior of asphalt [...]

ABSTRACT Many polymers have popularly been used in asphalt paving industry to improve the resistances of rutting, fatigue, low temperature cracking and etc. Using a low percentage of ground tire [...]

Meat qualities of free-range chicken (Xuan-Zhou) (XZ-FRC) are closely associated with slaughter age and directly influence the economic benefits of supplier and consumer's preference. Understanding of the relationship between meat qualities and ages will be of prime important to explore a better slaughter age of XZ-FRC. In this study, the quality traits of breast and thigh muscles from XZ-FRCs at 9 to 14 wk were analyzed to establish a relatively reliable method for selecting a better slaughter age. The results showed that the effects of slaughter ages on color (CIE L*, a* and b* values), shear force, centrifugal loss, and flavor of XZ-FRCs were significant (P< 0.05). There were greater differences in meat qualities, whatever breast or thigh muscles, between same or different ages. Eleven feature indexes used for colligation evaluation of slaughter age were selected by combining the quality characteristics and data analysis. The score of colligation evaluation for XZ-FRCs at 12 wk was higher than that at 9 and 14 wk, suggesting that the 12 wk was an optimal slaughter age. This work would provide a reference method that helps the producers of livestock and poultry to select a better slaughter age.

Due to the worldwide epidemic of allergic disease and a cure nowhere in sight, there is a crucial need to explore its pathophysiological mechanisms. As allergic disease has been associated with gut dysbiosis, we searched for a possible mechanism from the perspective of the molecular interface between host and microbiota with concurrent metabolomics and microbiome composition analysis. Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with Artemisiapollen extract to stimulate a hyper reaction to pollen. This hyper reaction decreased the circulation of valine, isoleucine, aspartate, glutamate, glutamine, indole-propionate (IPA), and myo-inositol, and reduced short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in feces. Several beneficial genera belonging to Ruminococcaceae, Lachnospiraceae, and Clostridiales declined in the model group, whereas Helicobacterand Akkermansiawere only expressed in the model group. Furthermore, the expression of intestinal claudin-3 and liver fatty acid binding protein was downregulated in the model group and associated with metabolic changes and bacteria.Our results suggest that alterations in amino acids as well as their derivatives (especially valine, and IPA which is the reductive product of tryptophan), SCFAs, and the gut microbiome (specifically Akkermansiaand Helicobacter) may disrupt the intestinal barrier function by inhibiting the expression of claudin proteins and affecting the mucus layer, which further results in hay fever.

Study Design: Systematic review.Objective: The authors aimed to systematically compare the effectiveness and safety of endoscopic discectomy (ED) with non-endoscopic discectomy (NED) for treatment of symptomatic lumbar disc herniation (LDH).Methods: A systematic search was performed on PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and China National Knowledge Infrastructure for randomized controlled trial from inception until August 13, 2020. Trials which investigated multiple operative approaches on lumbar disc herniation were identified without language restrictions.Results: In total, 25 trials involving 2258 patients with symptomatic LDH were included. Twenty trials performed the comparison between ED and NED. Five trials performed the comparison between percutaneous endoscopic transforaminal discectomy (PETD) and percutaneous endoscopic interlaminar discectomy (PEID). The operative time of micro-endoscopic discectomy (MED) was longer than open discectomy (OD). The length of hospital stay of percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) was shorter than fenestration discectomy (FD). Significant differences in intraoperative blood loss volumes were found between PELD with FD and MED with OD. The complication rate of PELD was lower than FD (PELD: 4.3%; FD: 14.6%) and the complication rate of full-endoscopic discectomy (FE) was lower than microscopic discectomy (MD) (FE: 13.4%; MD: 32.1%).Conclusions: PELD and FE have the advantage of limiting intraoperative damages. ED and NED can be both considered sufficient to achieve good clinical outcomes. PETD and PEID are able to achieve similar results but the learning curve of PETD was steeper. More independent high-quality RCTs with sufficiently large sample sizes performing cost-effectiveness analyzes are needed.

Background: We aimed to explore the association of sleep duration with depressive symptoms among rural-dwelling older adults in China, and to estimate the impact of substituting sleep with sedentary behavior (SB) and physical activity (PA) on the association with depressive symptoms. Methods: This population-based cross-sectional study included 2001 rural-dwelling older adults (age ≥ 60 years, 59.2% female). Sleep duration was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. We used accelerometers to assess SB and PA, and the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale to assess depressive symptoms. Data were analyzed using restricted cubic splines, compositional logistic regression, and isotemporal substitution models. Results: Restricted cubic spline curves showed a U-shaped association between daily sleep duration and the likelihood of depressive symptoms (P-nonlinear &lt; 0.001). Among older adults with sleep duration &lt; 7 h/day, reallocating 60 min/day spent on SB and PA to sleep were associated with multivariable-adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 0.81 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.78–0.84) and 0.79 (0.76–0.82), respectively, for depressive symptoms. Among older adults with sleep duration ≥ 7 h/day, reallocating 60 min/day spent in sleep to SB and PA, and reallocating 60 min/day spent on SB to PA were associated with multivariable-adjusted OR of 0.78 (0.74–0.84), 0.73 (0.69–0.78), and 0.94 (0.92–0.96), respectively, for depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Our study reveals a U-shaped association of sleep duration with depressive symptoms in rural older adults and further shows that replacing SB and PA with sleep or vice versa is associated with reduced likelihoods of depressive symptoms depending on sleep duration.

Successful islet transplantation depends on the infusion of sufficiently large quantities of islets, of which only ~30% become stably engrafted. Rapid and adequate revascularization of transplanted islets is important for islet survival and function. Delayed and insufficient revascularization can deprive islets of oxygen and nutrients, resulting in islet cell death and early graft failure. To improve islet revascularization, we delivered human vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) cDNA to murine islets, followed by transplantation under the renal capsule in diabetic mice. Diabetic animals receiving a marginal mass of 300 islets that were pretransduced with a VEGF vector exhibited near normoglycemia. In contrast, diabetic mice receiving an equivalent number of islets that were transduced with a control vector remained hyperglycemic. Immunohistochemistry with anti-insulin and anti-CD31 antibodies revealed a relatively higher insulin content and greater degree of microvasculature in the VEGF vector-transduced islet grafts, which correlated with significantly blood glucose profiles and enhanced insulin secretion in response to glucose challenge in this group of diabetic recipient mice. These results demonstrate that VEGF production in islets stimulates graft angiogenesis and enhances islet revascularization. This mechanism might be explored as a novel strategy to accelerate islet revascularization and improve long-term survival of functional islet mass posttransplantation., Islet transplantation is considered a potentially curative treatment for type 1 diabetes (1,2). However, this protocol depends on the infusion of sufficiently large amounts of islets (> 11,000 islet equivalent/kg [...]

Study Design: Meta-analysis.Objective: To systematically compare the effectiveness and safety of vertebral augmentation procedure (VAP) with non-surgical management (NSM) for the treatment of osteoporotic vertebrate compression fractures (OVCFs).Methods: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses with the comparison between VAP and NSM were identified to extract randomized controlled trials from electronic database. Additionally, recently published RCTs were identified. Two researchers independently extracted the data. The primary outcome of this meta-analysis was pain relief evaluated by visual analogue scale (VAS).Results: Twenty RCTs involving 2566 patients with painful OVCFs were included. Significant differences were found between percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) and conservative treatment (CT) in VAS at each time point during follow-up period. The differences of VAS were not significant between PVP and sham procedure at most time points during follow-up period. In subgroup analysis based on fracture type and fracture location, significant differences of VAS were found between PVP and CT and were not found between PVP and sham procedure. In subgroup analysis of duration of back pain, significant differences were found between PVP and CT in VAS at 1 week, 3 month and 1 year. And the differences of VAS were not significant between PVP and CT at 1 month and 6 month.Conclusion: BKP is considered sufficient to achieve good clinical outcomes. PVP is associated with on beneficial effect on treatment of painful OVCFs compared with sham procedure. The indication and timing of VAP need further research. More independently high-quality RCTs with sufficiently large sample sizes reporting cost-effectiveness are needed.

This study investigated the effects of subsurface drainage on the long-term performance of pavements. The Specific Pavement Study 1 (SPS-1) experiment of the Long-Term Pavement Performance Program (LTPP) was selected to extract performance data. Four types of cracking, rut depth, and International Roughness Index (IRI) were used as the performance indicators. Other relevant factors affecting the pavement performance were also considered: surface thickness, base type, base thickness, subgrade soil classification, total thickness, age, and climatic conditions. The significant factors to long-term performance were identified using two methods: exploratory data analyses and mixed-effects models (MEMs). Results from the analyses showed that drainage only substantially affected the transverse cracking (TC) and rutting and had little effect on the other performance indicators. Sections in the dry and non-freeze region had the best riding quality and exhibited the least alligator cracking, non-wheelpath longitudinal cracking (NWPLC), and TC, but this climatic condition worsened the wheelpath longitudinal cracking (WPLC). The use of drainage in sections from the wet-freeze (WF) region significantly retarded the development of distress. For drained sections, the base comprising an asphalt-treated base over a permeable asphalt-treated base (PATB) better sustained the smoothness and resisted rutting. For undrained sections, the asphalt-treated base was a superior alternative. Sections on sites with fine subgrade showed less WPLC, NWPLC, and TC, while those on coarse subgrade sites showed less alligator cracking and better riding quality. Sections on sites with fine subgrade showed less WPLC, NWPLC, and TC, while those on coarse subgrade sites showed less alligator cracking and better riding quality.

To study the effects of the hard segment content of Polyurethane (PU) on the performances of polyurethane porous mixture (PPM), three PUs with different hard segment contents are selected in this paper. Firstly, the properties including hardness, elongation, e-modulus of PU were tested. Secondly, the cantabro test was used for analyzing the effect of hard segment content on the cantabro losses of the open-graded friction course 16 (OGFC16), OGFC13 and OGFC10 at the different immersed times and temperatures. Thirdly, the freeze–thaw splitting test, rutting test, friction coefficient test and three-point bending test were used for studying the road performances of OGFC13. The results of tests show that the elongation decreases with the increasing of hard segment content. The water and temperature have significant effects on the cantabro losses of PPM. The cantabro loss of PPM increases with the increasing of the immersed time and temperature. And the cantabro losses of PPM are higher than that of asphalt mixture (AM) overall. In terms of the road performance, the hard segment content of PU has a significant effect on the cantabro losses of PPM, has no effect on the tensile strength ratio (TSR). Therefore, the hard segment content of PU has a significant effect on the water stability of PPM in some cases. Besides, the hard segment content has a significant effect the dynamic stability, flexural strength and flexural tensile strain of PPM, has an effect on anti-skid ability in some cases. In the whole, the PU with smaller hard segment content is beneficial to has better road performances. Finally, the PU with the hard segment content from 41% to 51% is recommended.

As the world's population is aging, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has become a big concern since AD has started affecting younger people and the population of AD patients is increasing worldwide. It has been revealed that the neuropathological hallmarks of AD are typically characterized by the presence of neurotoxic extracellular amyloid plaques in the brain, which are surrounded by tangles of neuronal fibers. However, the causes of AD have not been completely understood yet. Currently, there is no drug to effectively prevent AD or to completely reserve the symptoms in the patients. This article reviews the pathological features associated with AD, the recent progress in research on the drug development to treat AD, especially on the discovery of natural product derivatives to inhibit Aβ peptide aggregation as well as the design and synthesis of Aβ peptide aggregation inhibitors to treat AD.

A nine cyclic peptide (TCP-1) showed excellent specificity for colon cancer. TCP-1 binds with human tumor tissues at early stages and mice tumor with diameters of 1-4 mm, suggesting that TCP-1 may be used for early diagnosis of colon cancer. The mechanism of the targeted binding of TCP-1 to colon cancer was also studied using immunoprecipitation, LC-MS and bioinformatics. After screening and identifying of the possible binding target proteins of TCP-1, keratin, type II cytoskeletal 5 was speculated to be the specific binding target protein of TCP-1 in human tumor tissue. Pharmacokinetics studies were conducted to investigate the target-mediated drug disposition of the new tumor-specific peptide by LC-MS/MS. The tissue distribution study showed that TCP-1 was found only in colon tumors (the target site) in tumor mice did not bind to any other tissues. Conjugating TCP-1 to tumor markedly increased its removal rate from blood circulation but mildly extended its staying time in vivo. In tumor mice, a lower AUC of TCP-1 (reduced by almost 35%) and 2-fold higher clearance were found compared to that of normal mice. The proposed metabolic pathway of TCP-1 in the kidney was also determined using LC-MSn-IT-TOF. The high specificity and low toxicity of the peptide may be caused by its extremely tight binding to the targets. Potential applications for future clinical use, including MRI and PET/CT were also explored, and this research may promote the development of colon cancer diagnostic technology research and provide new ideas and technical routes for tumor diagnostic technology.

The multivariate finite normal mixture model is one of the most commonly used tools to analyze a heterogeneous data. When using the multivariate finite normal mixture model, one is usually interested in knowing whether a homoscedastic mixture model can be used to simplify the model. The likelihood ratio test (LRT) is the most popular statistic tool to choose between two nested models. Under the null model of a homoscedastic multivariate normal mixture, the asymptotic χ2distribution is commonly used to approximate the null distribution of the LRT statistic. However, it is demonstrated using numerical studies that the χ2distribution approximation is not satisfactory and fails to control the nominal type I error unless the sample size is larger than 2000, the mixture components are well-separated, and the singular solutions are avoided. A parametric bootstrap method is further proposed to approximate the distribution of the LRT statistic and its effectiveness is evaluated through extensive numerical studies.

An epidemic caused by an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in China in December 2019 has since rapidly spread internationally, requiring urgent response from the clinical diagnostics community. We present a detailed overview of the clinical validation and implementation of the first laboratory-developed real-time RT-PCR test offered in the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital system following the Emergency Use Authorization issued by the US Food and Drug Administration. Nasopharyngeal and sputum specimens (n= 174) were validated using newly designed dual-target real-time RT-PCR (altona RealStar SARS-CoV-2 Reagent) for detecting SARS-CoV-2 in upper respiratory tract and lower respiratory tract specimens. Accuracy testing demonstrated excellent assay agreement between expected and observed values and comparable diagnostic performance to reference tests. The limit of detection was 2.7 and 23.0 gene copies per reaction for nasopharyngeal and sputum specimens, respectively. Retrospective analysis of 1694 upper respiratory tract specimens from 1571 patients revealed increased positivity in older patients and males compared with females, and an increasing positivity rate from approximately 20% at the start of testing to 50% at the end of testing 3 weeks later. Herein, we demonstrate that the assay accurately and sensitively identifies SARS-CoV-2 in multiple specimen types in the clinical setting and summarize clinical data from early in the epidemic in New York City.

In order to improve the wettability and bonding performance of the interface between carbon fiber and aluminum matrix, nickel- and copper-coated carbon fiber-reinforced aluminum matrix composites were fabricated by the squeeze melt infiltration technique. The interface wettability, microstructure and mechanical properties of the composites were compared and investigated. Compared with the uncoated fiber-reinforced aluminum matrix composite, the microstructure analysis indicated that the coatings significantly improved the wettability and effectively inhibited the interface reaction between carbon fiber and aluminum matrix during the process. Under the same processing condition, aluminum melt was easy to infiltrate into the copper-coated fiber bundles. Furthermore, the inhibited interface reaction was more conducive to maintain the original strength of fiber and improve the fiber–matrix interface bonding performance. The mechanical properties were evaluated by uniaxial tensile test. The yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and elastic modulus of the copper-coated carbon fiber-reinforced aluminum matrix composite were about 124 MPa, 140 MPa and 82 GPa, respectively. In the case of nickel-coated carbon fiber-reinforced aluminum matrix composite, the yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and elastic modulus were about 60 MPa, 70 MPa and 79 GPa, respectively. The excellent mechanical properties for copper-coated fiber-reinforced composites are attributed to better compactness of the matrix and better fiber–matrix interface bonding, which favor the load transfer ability from aluminam matrix to carbon fiber under the loading state, giving full play to the bearing role of carbon fiber.

There are inevitable defects for direct composition control in distillation processes, and temperature inference control is an alternative means. To make the temperature of an intermediate stage stable is a dominant method in temperature control. However, even with a satisfactory response in the stage temperature, there could still be product composition offsets. To solve this problem, we explore the relative stability of the composition profile pattern in distillation columns and present a modeling method based on the profile pattern. We then establish a dynamic relationship between the controlled temperature and the product composition according to this relative stability and utilize this method in closed-loop control. The temperature set-point is adjusted adaptively according to the state of the profile pattern, and the purity offsets could be decreased or eliminated. Conventional and heat integrated distillation columns are both illustrated in the simulation study. We develop two main types of control schemes for the two processes to investigate the effects of adaptive control methods. These control schemes are discussed to explain how to choose suitable methods for different situations.

Freeze-thaw cycling is a widely used experiment for characterizing the moisture susceptibility of asphalt mixture. Moreover, it can also be used as a simulation for pavement moisture damage in northern latitudes. To investigate the effect of freeze–thaw cycles on the performance deterioration of asphalt mixtures, three types of dense graded asphalt mixture specimens with different asphalt contents were prepared. These specimens were performed freeze–thaw cycles with the maximum cycles being ten times. Volumetric parameter measurements and Indirect Tensile Strength (IDT) test were carried out after one, three, five, and ten cycles. Based on the phenomenological method and macro damage mechanics, the damage variable composed of Strain Energy Density (SED) was presented to characterize the performance deterioration of asphalt mixture. Three types of models were chosen to perform regression analysis between the damage variable and freeze–thaw cycles. The results indicate that with the increase of freeze–thaw cycles, IDT strength and the Tensile Strength Ratio (TSR) decrease while Bulk Relative Density (BRD) increases first afterward decreases. It is suggested that the internal air-voids in specimens turn into open air-voids between five cycles and ten cycles. Compared to the other two models, S-typed Sigmoidal Logistic function is more suitable to describe the damage growth due to freeze–thaw cycles. Another finding is that an appropriate increase of asphalt content has a positive effect on slowing the damage growth in asphalt mixture.

Mixed-dimensional van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures composed of one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) materials have exhibited great potential in nanoelectronics and nano-optoelectronics. In this study, we present a vertical point p–n junction (VPpnJ), in which a vertical stacked molybdenum disulfide/tungsten diselenide p–n junction is sandwiched between two cross-stacked metallic carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The device can be transformed from p–n junction to n–n junction viagate modulation. As a photodetector, the VPpnJ device can work in three different modes by setting the appropriate gating voltages. The photosensitive areas are localized around the top CNT, bottom CNT, and the cross point at VG= −10 V, 10 V, and ∼0 V, respectively. In the p–n regime at the negative gate voltage, the VPpnJ device showed an obvious photovoltaic effect. The external quantum efficiency of the VPpnJ can reach 42.7%. The electrical control of the electronic and optoelectronic characteristics can be mainly attributed to the gate-tunable interfacial built-in electric fields in the heterostructures. The progress also reveals the functional diversity of such 1D/2D mixed-dimensional heterostructures, which will be prospects for future nanoelectronics and nano-optoelectronics.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and associated factors of poor sleep quality among community-dwelling elderly population in a rural area of Northern China. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in August–December 2014 and recruited 2195 participants who were aged 65 years or older and living in Yanlou Town of Yanggu County in western Shandong Province, China. Data on demographics, health-related behaviors, and clinical conditions were collected through structured interviews. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess the sleep quality and patterns. Poor sleep quality was defined as a PSQI score > 7. We employed multiple logistic models to relate poor sleep quality to various factors. Results: The overall prevalence rates of poor sleep quality were 33.8% in the total sample, 39.2% in women and 26.3% in men (P&lt; 0.01). The most common abnormal sleep domains were prolonged sleep latency (39.7%), decreased sleep duration (31.0%), and reduced habitual sleep efficiency (28.8%). Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that poor sleep quality was significantly associated with female sex (OR = 1.76, 95% CI 1.46–2.12) and clinical comorbidities such as hypertension (OR = 1.28, 95% CI 1.06–1.54), coronary heart disease (OR = 1.60, 95% CI 1.27–2.00), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR = 1.82, 95% CI 1.34–2.49). Conclusions: The sleep disorders were highly prevalent among the elderly in rural China. Modifiable risk factors such as cardiometabolic risk factors and disorders were associated with poor sleep quality, which might be potential targets for interventions to improve sleep quality in elderly population.

A nonlinear-model-based control scheme for concentration profile position control of a heat integrated distillation column (HIDiC) is presented. First, a nonlinear wave model of the HIDiC is introduced to describe the concentration profile and its propagation velocity. Second, a distributed concentration wave profile velocity is developed to analyze the degree of the entire concentration profile deformation. Then, on the basis of the distributed wave velocity, a model updating method is proposed to determine a proper model parameter updating frequency so as to reduce the computing redundancy while guaranteeing the model accuracy. Finally, the nonlinear wave model and its updating method are combined to generate a model-based control scheme for the HIDiC, and controllers based on different model updating strategies are compared to evaluate the performance of the proposed model updating method.

Neurotrophic keratopathy (NK) is a degenerative corneal condition resulting from corneal nerve injury. Current therapies, including the recombinant human nerve growth factor (rhNGF) therapy, requires continuous administration. This study aims to develop a novel and highly effective gene therapy strategy for the prevention and treatment of NK.

Accurate monitoring of tetracycline (TC) residues in the environment is crucial for avoiding contaminant risk. Herein, a novel TC biosensor was facilely designed by integrating silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) into the porphyrin metal–organic matrix (Ag@AgPOM) as a bifunctional electrochemiluminescence (ECL) probe. Different from the step-by-step synthesis of the co-reaction accelerator and ECL emitter, the co-reaction accelerators Ag NPs were in situ-grown on the surface of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis (4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin (TCPP) via a simple one-pot approach. Symbiotic Ag NPs on Ag@AgPOM formed an intimate interface and increased the collision efficiency of the ECL reaction, achieving the ECL enhancement of TCPP. Under the optimized conditions, the ternary ECL biosensor showed a wide linear detection range toward TC with a low detection limit of 0.14 fmol L–1. Compared with the traditional HPLC and ELISA methods, satisfied analytical adaptability made this sensing strategy feasible to monitor TC in complex environmental samples.

Overexpression of carboxyl/cholinesterase (CCE) genes has been reported to be associated with many cases of pesticide resistance in arthropods. However, it has been rarely documented that CCEgenes participate in spirodiclofen resistance in Panonychus citri. In previous research, we found that spirodiclofen resistance is related to increased P450 and CCE enzyme activities in P. citri. In this study, we identified two CCEgenes, PcCCE3and PcCCE5, which were significantly upregulated in spirodiclofen-resistant strain and after exposure to spirodiclofen. RNA interference of PcCCE3and PcCCE5increased the spirodiclofen susceptibility in P. citri. In vitro metabolism indicated that PcCCE3 and PcCCE5 could interact with spirodiclofen, but metabolites were detected only in the PcCCE3 treatment. Our results indicated that PcCCE3 participates in spirodiclofen resistance through direct metabolism, and PcCCE5 may be involved in the spirodiclofen resistance by passive binding and sequestration, which provides new insights into spirodiclofen resistance in P. citri.

Masks modified asphalt (MMA) offers a solution to pollution caused by discarded medical masks. Mixing temperature plays a crucial role in storage stability and even rheological performance of MMA. Traditional selection method overly relies on trial-and-error experiment, neglecting the convenience offered by computational chemistry. Furthermore, previous literature lacks precise elucidation of MMA’s physical modification mechanism, especially concerning the binding mode and energy composition. To address these issues, the optimal mixing temperature for MMA was recommended based on molecular dynamics. The rationality of recommended temperature was validated through laboratory tests, simultaneously investigating the impact of heating time. Fluorescence microscopy and multi-band spectroscopy were employed to acquire the microstructure. Binding modes in MMA were determined using binding sites exploration, evaluating the energy composition of each binding mode through quantum chemistry. The interaction mechanism was explained based on surface properties of isolated molecules. Results indicated that 170℃ was the recommended optimal mixing temperature derived from mixing free energy and Flory-Huggins interaction parameter. The fluctuations in softening point difference (ΔTR&B) and separation ratio (RS) concurrently tended towards stability, thereby validating the reliability of recommended temperature. Moreover, even after 72 h heating, MMA prepared at recommended temperature remained within a reasonable range concerning ΔTR&B, RS, and microscopic structure. Perpendicular, parallel, toroidal, and spherical modes emerged in MMA. Perpendicular and parallel modes exhibited the highest binding energies, while circular mode demonstrated the lowest. Binding energy is primarily governed by van der Waals interaction, attributed to the dominance of dispersion term on MMA’s molecular surface. Besides, due to the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in asphalt molecules, electrostatic interaction contributed to specific molecular bindings.

Objective This study was performed to determine the risk factors associated with peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC)-related venous thrombosis in patients of advanced age (>65 years).Methods In total, 549 hospitalized patients aged 66 to 104 years who were undergoing PICC placement from January 2008 to December 2014 were enrolled. Symptomatic venous thrombosis was confirmed by B-mode or Doppler ultrasonography in the presence of clinical signs. Logistic regression analysis was performed on the variables of interest to identify the risk factors for thrombosis. Odds ratios (ORs) with the corresponding 95% confidence intervals were generated.Results Of the 549 patients with PICC placement, 106 (19.3%) developed PICC-associated venous thrombosis, 84 cases of which were symptomatic. The logistic regression results revealed that PICC-related venous thrombosis was associated with a history of venous thrombosis (OR, 6.745 [3.237–14.056]), number of lumens (OR, 1.934 [1.362–2.572] and OR, 3.762 [1.672–5.932] for dual and triple lumens, respectively), and PICC gauge (OR, 1.821 [1.256–2.537] and OR, 3.864 [1.367–8.251] for 5-Fr and 6-Fr, respectively).Conclusions A history of thrombosis, high number of lumens, and large-gauge catheters were strong risk factors for patients aged >65 years undergoing PICC placement.

Accurate and timely surveying of airfield pavement distress is crucial for cost-effective airport maintenance management. Deep learning (DL) approaches, leveraging advancements in computer science and image acquisition techniques, have become the mainstream for automated airfield pavement distress detection. However, fully-supervised DL methods require a large number of manually annotated ground truth labels to achieve high accuracy. To address the challenge of limited high-quality manual annotations, we propose a novel end-to-end distress detection model called WSDD-CAM (Class Activation Map informed Weakly-Supervised Distress Detection). Based on YOLOv5, WSDD-CAM consists of an efficient backbone, a classification branch, and a localization network. By utilizing CAM (Class Activation Map) information, our model significantly reduces the need for manual annotations, automatically generating pseudo bounding boxes with a 71% overlap with the ground truth. To evaluate WSDD-CAM, we tested it on a self-made dataset and compared it with other weakly-supervised and fully-supervised models. The results show that our model achieves 49.2% mean average precision (mAP), outperforming other weakly-supervised methods and even approaching state-of-the-art fully-supervised methods. Additionally, ablation experiments confirm the effectiveness of our architecture design. In conclusion, our WSDD-CAM model offers a promising solution for airfield pavement distress detection, reducing manual annotation time while maintaining high accuracy. This efficient and effective approach can significantly contribute to cost-effective airport maintenance management.

Background: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can be used as salvage therapy for multitrauma patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) when conventional treatment fails to maintain oxygenation. However, controversy exists between ECMO application and the risk of bleeding due to systemic anticoagulation during the treatment. Non-heparin introduction seems to be a possible solution for this dilemma, owing to technical improvements in the device and management methods of ECMO. Case presentation: A 58-year-old woman suffered from blunt thoracic, pelvic, and right lower limb fractures due to a falling accident, which resulted in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Although the patient received intubation and mechanical ventilation (MV), respiratory failure was not alleviated. Venous-venous (V-V) ECMO was used as a salvage therapy. With the support of V-V ECMO, we safely cleared blood clots in the bronchus and avoided secondary lung injury caused by pressure trauma and oxygen poisoning of the MV. We introduced heparin-free ECMO management as a solution to reduce the risk of bleeding associated with pulmonary contusion and other organ injuries. To prevent thrombosis, we set the blood rate of ECMO to 4.0 L/min, which is much higher than the usual parameter. During ECMO, coagulation factors, such as prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, and D-dimer, were examined. ECMO was maintained for 5 days without any complications; MV was stopped on the 13th day, extubated on the 24th day, and discharged from ICU on the 28th day. Conclusion: ECMO with non-heparin could be an optimal treatment for multitrauma patients with ARDS when traditional treatment cannot sustain oxygenation. High blood flow rate could prevent thrombosis through ongoing ECMO therapy without systemic anticoagulation. In addition, monitoring D-dimer value change (Δ D-dimer) may be better than D-dimer value in predicting clot formation in the membrane oxygenator.

Background: Atherosclerosis (AS), a significant contributor to cardiovascular disease (CVD), is steadily rising with the aging of the global population. Pyroptosis and apoptosis, both caspase-mediated cell death mechanisms, play an essential role in the occurrence and progression of AS. The human pineal gland primarily produces melatonin (MT), an indoleamine hormone with powerful anti-oxidative, anti-pyroptotic, and anti-apoptotic properties. This study examined MT’s anti-oxidative stress and anti-pyroptotic effects on human THP-1 macrophages treated with nicotine. Methods: In vitro, THP-1 macrophages were induced by 1 µM nicotine to form a pyroptosis model and performed 30 mM MT for treatment. In vivo, ApoE-/-mice were administered 0.1 mg/mL nicotine solution as drinking water, and 1 mg/mL MT solution was intragastric administrated at 10 mg/kg/day. The changes in pyroptosis, apoptosis, and oxidative stress were detected. Results: MT downregulated pyroptosis, whose changes were paralleled by a reduction in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, reversal of sirtuin3 (SIRT3), and Forkhead box O3 (FOXO3α) upregulation. MT also inhibited apoptosis, mainly caused by the interaction of caspase-1 and caspase-3 proteins. Vivo studies confirmed that nicotine could accelerate plaque formation. Moreover, mice treated with MT showed a reduction in AS lesion area. Conclusions: MT alleviates pyroptosis by regulating the SIRT3/FOXO3α/ROS axis and interacting with apoptosis. Importantly, our understanding of the inhibitory pathways for macrophage pyroptosis will allow us to identify other novel therapeutic targets that will help treat, prevent, and reduce AS-associated mortality.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal human malignancies, partly because of its propensity for metastasis. However, highly metastatic human pancreatic cancer cell lines suitable for studies of metastasis are currently lacking. Here we established two highly metastatic human pancreatic cancer cell lines, MIA PaCa-2 In8 and Panc-1 In8, by Matrigel induction assay. The cell lines were further characterized both in vitroand in vivo. MIA PaCa-2 In8 and Panc-1 In8 cells demonstrated increased migration and invasion compared with their respective parental cells. Following injection into nude mice, MIA PaCa-2 In8 and Panc-1 In8 cells resulted in more pulmonary metastases compared with the parental cells. Furthermore, analyses of mRNA, long non-coding RNA, micro RNA, and methylation profiling revealed that these factors were aberrantly regulated in the highly metastatic cells, indicating that they probably affected metastasis. We thus established and characterized two highly metastatic human pancreatic cell lines that could be used as valuable tools for future investigations into the pathogenesis, metastasis, and potential treatment of human pancreatic cancer.

Graphene is receiving significant attention for use in optoelectronic devices because it exhibits a wide range of desirable electrical properties. Although modified graphene that is fabricated on quantum dots (or similar integration strategies) has shown promise, it has not met the requirements for high-speed applications and highly sensitive detection. Herein, we report ion-modulated graphene composite nanostructures that were incorporated into photodetectors. We focus on the dynamical properties of the novel photodetectors, and they exhibit extraordinary photoelectric performances (photoresponsivity ∼1 A/W, response time ∼100 μs) over a broad range of wavelengths from 405 to 1064 nm (the maximum external quantum efficiency is greater than 300% at 635 nm with a 10 kHz chopping frequency). A theoretical model is proposed in this paper, and it is in good agreement with our experimental results. The dynamic analyses further confirmed the dissociation and recombination of ion–electron bound states to be responsible for the fast and sensitive photoresponse from the composite samples. Although ion-modulated optoelectronic nanomaterials are rarely studied, they require further exploration as they offer new insights and alternatives in nanomaterial research.

This paper presents an efficiency-enhanced low-profile zero-voltage-transition (ZVT) synchronous non-inverting buck-boost converter for 48-V tens-of-Watt output applications. By only using three auxiliary components shared between two switching nodes, zero-voltage switching (ZVS) of all four power switches and zero-current switching of the auxiliary switch are achieved in the proposed converter to minimize the switching power loss. Compared with the existing ZVT topologies, the proposed converter reduces the required number of auxiliary components, thereby decreasing the converter volume and power loss. In addition, the proposed converter can be configured into the buck mode with full ZVS capability to support a wide input range from 36 V to 90 V. Experimental results show that the proposed converter can operate at 1 MHz and deliver a maximum output power of 75 W. The measured peak power efficiencies achieve 92.5% and 96.3% in the buck-boost mode and buck mode, respectively. Compared with the state-of-the-art ZVS-based buck-boost counterpart, the proposed converter reduces the volume of the auxiliary circuit by ~2 times even with 28% increase in the maximum load current and two times reduction in the switching frequency, and provides higher peak power efficiencies in both buck-boost and buck modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cysteine protease cathepsins have traditionally been considered as lysosome-restricted proteases that mediate proteolysis of unwanted proteins. However, studies from the past decade demonstrate that these proteases are localized not only in acidic compartments (endosomes and lysosomes), where they participate in intracellular protein degradation, but also in the extracellular milieu, plasma membrane, cytosol, nucleus, and nuclear membrane, where they mediate extracellular matrix protein degradation, cell signalling, and protein processing and trafficking through the plasma and nuclear membranes and between intracellular organelles. Studies in experimental disease models and on cathepsin-selective inhibitors, as well as plasma and tissue biomarker data from animal models and humans, have verified the participation of cysteinyl cathepsins in the pathogenesis of many cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, cardiac hypertrophy, cardiomyopathy, abdominal aortic aneurysms, and hypertension. Clinical trials of cathepsin inhibitors in chronic inflammatory diseases suggest the utility of these inhibitors for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and associated complications. Moreover, development of cell transfer technologies that enable ex vivo cell treatment with cathepsin inhibitors might limit the unwanted systemic effects of cathepsin inhibition and provide new avenues for targeting cysteinyl cathepsins. In this Review, we summarize the available evidence implicating cysteinyl cathepsins in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases, discuss their potential as biomarkers of disease progression, and explore the potential of cathepsin inhibitors for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

The dividing wall column (DWC) is considered as a major breakthrough in distillation technology and has good prospect of industrialization. Model predictive control (MPC) is an advanced control strategy that has acquired extensive applications in various industries. In this study, MPC is applied to the process for separating ethanol, n-propanol, and n-butanol ternary mixture in a fully thermally coupled DWC. Both composition control and temperature inferential control are considered. The multiobjective genetic algorithm function “gamultiobj” in Matlab is used for the weight tuning of MPC. Comparisons are made between the control performances of MPC and PI strategies. Simulation results show that although both MPC and PI schemes can stabilize the DWC in case of feed disturbances, MPC generally behaves better than the PI strategy for both composition control and temperature inferential control, resulting in a more stable and superior performance with lower values of integral of squared error (ISE).

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is characterized by arterial wall inflammation and matrix degradation. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-22 and -29 and pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-18 (IL18) are present in human hearts. IL18 may regulate MMP-22 and -29 expression, which may correlate with CHD progression. Immunoblot analysis showed that IL18 induced MMP-22 expression in human aortic smooth muscle cells. The Mann Whitney test from a prospective study of 194 CHD patients and 68 non-CHD controls demonstrated higher plasma levels of IL18, MMP-22 and -29 in CHD patients than in the controls. A logistic regression test suggested that plasma IL18 (odds ratio (OR)=1.131, P=0.007), MMP-22 (OR=1.213, P=0.040), and MMP-29 (OR=1.198, P=0.033) were independent risk factors of CHD. Pearson’s correlation test showed that IL18 (coefficient (r)=0.214, P=0.045; r=0.246, P=0.031) and MMP-22 (r=0.273, P=0.006; r=0.286, P=0.012) were associated with the Gensini score before and after adjusting for potential confounding factors. The multivariate Pearson’s correlation test showed that plasma MMP-22 levels correlated positively with high-sensitive-C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (r=0.167, P=0.023), and MMP-29 levels correlated negatively with triglyceride (r=−0.169, P=0.018). Spearman’s correlation test indicated that plasma IL18 levels associated positively with plasma MMP-22 (r=0.845, P<0.001) and MMP-29 (r=0.548, P<0.001). Our observations suggest that IL18, MMP-22 and -29 serve as biomarkers and independent risk factors of CHD. Increased systemic IL18 in CHD patients may contribute to elevated plasma MMP-22 and -29 levels in these patients. 探讨冠心病患者血浆白细胞介素18(IL18)水平是否与基质金属蛋白酶-22 和-29(MMP-22 和MMP-29)的表达水平相关, 以及此类患者血浆中MMP-22 及MMP-29 水平是否升高。 首次证实在动脉粥样硬化过程中炎症反应可能促进MMP-22 及MMP-29 的表达, IL18 是冠心病患者中调控MMP 表达的炎症因子之一。 通过免疫印迹分析检测IL18 对人体动脉平滑肌细胞MMP-22 的表达; 通过Mann Whitney 检验对来自于194 例冠心病患者和68 例对照组的前瞻性研究进行分析; 通过logistic 回归分析冠心病的独立风险因素; 通过Pearson 相关性分析IL18 和MMP-22 的表达水平与冠状动脉Gensini 积分的相关性; 通过多变量Pearson 相关性分析血浆MMP-22 水平与超敏C 反应蛋白(hs-CRP)及甘油三酯水平的相关性; 通过Spearman 相关性分析血浆IL18 水平与MMP-22 和MMP-29 的相关性。 冠心病患者血浆IL18 水平升高可能导致此类患者血浆MMP-22和MMP-29水平升高。IL18、MMP-22和MMP-29 可能是冠心病的生物标记物和独立风险因素。