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The current study focuses on estimating the fatigue life of circular hollow section (CHS) gap TT-joints reinforced with carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets based on S–N curve method. In the S–N curve, the fatigue life of a tubular joint can be predicted from the hot spot stress (HSS) which can be easily calculated from the stress concentration factor (SCF) of the tubular joint. The SCF and the fatigue life of the CFRP-reinforced and unreinforced TT-joints under axial loads were experimentally measured. The experimental results show that the maximum SCF of CHS TT-joints reinforced with CFRP sheets decreases by 14%, and the fatigue life increases by 47%. Thereafter, finite element (FE) models for both CFRP-reinforced and unreinforced TT-joints were established and verified by the experimental results. A parametric study is also carried out to investigate the effects of the number of CFRP layers and the geometrical parameters on the SCF. Finally, through regression analysis on the numerical SCF results of 704 FE models, parametric equations are proposed to estimate the SCFs at the saddle and at the crown of CFRP reinforced CHS gap TT-joints. • Fatigue test on CFRP-strengthened CHS TT-joint was conducted. • Finite element model of CFRP-strengthened CHS TT-joint was built. • Parametric study of SCF for CFRP-strengthened CHS TT-joint was carried out. • Equations for predicting SCFs at critical positions of CFRP-strengthened CHS TT-joint was presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-precision disk resonator gyroscope has a high quality factor in order to improve the performance of the gyroscope, as the high quality factor can lead to a long starting time. In this paper, a control system of the driving loop of the disk MEMS resonant gyroscope with the quick start is designed. The control system has functions of quick frequency locking and fast step response. Coarse-precision mode transition system is designed for quick frequency locking. A large-small mode transition system is designed for fast step response. The correctness of the design is verified by circuit test. The test results show that the start-up time is reduced by over 80% compared with the traditional control loop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crack migration into the composite in adhesively bonded joints can cause a major degradation of strength. This usually occurs via cracks in the surface plies, but this paper demonstrates that crack migration can occur in joints even with 0° surface plies. The role of surface treatment is investigated by comparing grit blasted and plasma surface treatment before the secondary bonding process. Unidirectional Double Cantilever Beam specimens and quasi-isotropic Double Lap Joints with surface 0° plies were tested. It was found that with grit blasted specimens, crack migration occurred due to broken fibres present on the composite surface. Plasma treated specimens with no broken fibres on the surface failed in the adhesive with substantial increases in the Mode I fracture toughness and the strength of the double lap joints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote sensing technology is becoming mainstream for mapping the growing stem volume (GSV) and overcoming the shortage of traditional labor-consumed approaches. Naturally, the GSV estimation accuracy utilizing remote sensing imagery is highly related to the variable selection methods and algorithms. Thus, to reduce the uncertainty caused by variables and models, this paper proposes a combined strategy involving improved variable selection with the collinearity test and the secondary ensemble algorithm to obtain the optimally combined variables and extract a reliable GSV from several base models. Our study extracted four types of alternative variables from the Sentinel-1A and Sentinel-2A image datasets, including vegetation indices, spectral reflectance variables, backscattering coefficients, and texture features. Then, an improved variable selection criterion with the collinearity test was developed and evaluated based on machine learning algorithms (classification and regression trees (CART), k-nearest neighbors (KNN), support vector regression (SVR), and artificial neural network (ANN)) considering the correlation between variables and GSV (with random forest (RF), distance correlation coefficient (DC), maximal information coefficient (MIC), and Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) as evaluation metrics), and the collinearity among the variables. Additionally, we proposed a secondary ensemble with an improved weighted average approach (IWA) to estimate the reliable forest GSV using the first ensemble models constructed by Bagging and AdaBoost. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed variable selection criterion efficiently obtained the optimal combined variable set without affecting the forest GSV mapping accuracy. Specifically, considering the first ensemble, the relative root mean square error (rRMSE) values ranged from 21.91% to 30.28% for Bagging and 23.33% to 31.49% for AdaBoost, respectively. After the secondary ensemble involving the IWA, the rRMSE values ranged from 18.89% to 21.34%. Furthermore, the variance of the GSV mapped by the secondary ensemble with various ranking methods was significantly reduced. The results prove that the proposed combined strategy has great potential to reduce the GSV mapping uncertainty imposed by current variable selection approaches and algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a set of initial R-curves were measured for three different in-plane sizes using scaled Over-height Compact Tension (OCT) specimens and two different stacking sequences. The data reduction scheme was based on a Virtual Crack Closure Technique which is informed by the measured failure load and effective crack length. The R-curve effects were studied by using X-ray Computed Tomography to measure the crack length throughout fracture propagation. It was found that the initial R-curves measured from all three specimen sizes follow the same linearly increasing trend, with similar results for both stacking sequences. However, no plateau was seen on any of the measured R-curves, implying that even the largest specimens are not large enough to generate a full R-curve. a) Scaled OCT tests with two quasi-isotropic stacking sequences b) Initial R-curves showing the same linearly increasing trend but no plateau yet. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Arrhenius based stochastic degradation rate model • A capacity conversion path from random temperature to reference temperature • A new battery aging model under time-varying temperature condition • A novel online RUL prediction method under Bayesian framework Time-varying temperature condition has a significant impact on discharge capacity and aging law of lithium-ion battery. Consequently, a novel remaining useful life (RUL) prediction method for lithium-ion battery under time-varying temperature condition is developed in this paper. Firstly, a stochastic degradation rate model based on Arrhenius temperature model is proposed, and an interesting battery capacity conversion path from random temperature condition to reference temperature condition is established. Secondly, the aging model of lithium-ion battery under time-varying temperature condition is developed based on Wiener process, and a two-step unbiased estimation method based on maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) combined with genetic algorithm (GA) is proposed. Next, the random parameter is online updated under Bayesian framework. Then the probability density function (PDF) of the RUL for lithium-ion battery under time-varying temperature condition is derived. Finally, a case study is implemented to verify the effectiveness, and the results show that the proposed prediction method has higher accuracy and smaller uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new adaptive fault estimation scheme is proposed for a class of hyperbolic partial differential equations in this paper. The multiplicative actuator and sensor faults are considered. There are two cases that require special consideration: (1). only one type of fault (actuator or sensor) occurs; (2). two types of faults occurred simultaneously. To solve the problem of fault estimation, three challenges need to be solved: (1). No prior information of fault type is known; (2). Unknown faults are always coupled with state and input; (3). Only one boundary measurement is available. The original plant is converted to Observer canonical form. Two filters are proposed and novel adaptive laws are developed to estimate unknown fault parameters. With the help of the proposed update laws, the true state of the faulty plant can be estimated by the proposed observers composed of two filters. By selecting a suitable Lyapunov function, it is proved that under unknown external disturbance, the estimation errors of state parameters and fault parameters decay to arbitrarily small value. Finally, the validity of the proposed observer and adaptive laws is verified by numerical simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Labeled as a fast-growing tree species, eucalyptus has outstanding carbon sequestration capacity. Forest stock volume (FSV) is regarded as an important parameter for evaluating the quality of planted eucalyptus forests. However, it is an intractable problem to map FSV of planted eucalyptus forests using optical images because of growth characteristics of the crown and low saturation levels. To improve the accuracy of FSV in planted eucalyptus forests, time series Landsat 8 OLI (LC8) images and ZY-3 stereo images were acquired in the study area. Additionally, then, three composite images were proposed using acquired Landsat 8 OLI images based on the size and shape of eucalyptus crowns, and several spectra variables were extracted from these composite images. Furthermore, corrected canopy height model (CCHM) was also extracted from ZY-3 stereo images. Meanwhile, four models (random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), K-nearest neighbor (KNN), and multiple linear regression (MLR)) were used to estimate the FSV with various variable sets using the importance of the alternative variables ranked by RF. The results show that the sensitivity between proposed spectral variables and FSV is significantly improved using proposed composed images based on the growth characteristics of the crown, especially for young eucalyptus forests. After adding CCHM and stand age to the optimal variable set, the average relative root mean square error (rRMSE) of estimated FSV decreased from 41.01% to 29.94% for single LC8 images and from 32.64% to 26.47% for proposed composite LC8 images, respectively. After using the variable set extracted from composite LC8 images, the number of samples with overestimated FSV was significantly decreased for the young forest. Furthermore, forest height plays an important role in improving the accuracy of mapping FSV, whether young or mature eucalyptus forest. It was also proved that composite images related to crown close and CCHM have great potential to delay the saturation phenomenon for mapping FSV in planted eucalyptus forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Irregular hemorrhagic traumas always threaten the health of patients due to uncontrollable bleeding and wound infections. The traditional hemostatic materials show dissatisfactory hemostatic efficiency and antibacterial activity in solving these potential bleeding dangers. Herein, we proposed a kind of composites based on flexible wood membrane (FWM) loaded with chitosan/alginate derivative for accelerating rapid hemostasis and preventing infection. FWM was removed part of hemicellulose and lignin by using NaOH/Na 2 SO 3 mixture to obtain excellent flexibility while retaining the original porous structure, followed by loading silver nanoparticles on the FWM surface to prepare AgNPs-FWM as an antibacterial bio-carrier. Then, AgNPs-FWM was coated with polyoxyethylene stearate-modified chitosan and multi-aldehyde sodium alginate to fabricate the composites of chitosan/alginate/AgNPs-FWM (CSA/AgNPs-FWM) using in-situ Schiff base reaction. Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo experiments showed that the CSA/AgNPs-FWM composites exhibited lower BCI value (2.6 ± 1.3 %), more rapid hemostasis (26 s) and lower blood loss (67.8 mg) than that of the traditional materials. The possible mechanism for the hemostasis process was not only the high blood absorption capacity, but also the synergistic interaction between hydrophobic alkane chains, amino groups, aldehydes, hydroxyl groups and blood cells. Moreover, CSA/AgNPs-FWM showed exceptional superiorities in mechanical properties and antibacterial activity, which endowed composites high potential in hemostasis application for irregular external wound. • FWM with native porously microstructure and flexibility was designed as a green and safe biocarrier. • CSA/AgNPs-FWM could aggregate and stimulate blood cells/platelets, promoting blood coagulation. • CSA/AgNPs-FWM could achieve shape adaptation to the surrounding tissues and the wound cavities to protect injured tissue. • CSA/AgNPs-FWM exhibits rapid hemostasis and long-term antibacterial properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electron traps in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors were studied by combining theoretical and experimental methods. Energy levels about EC-0.9 eV due to irradiation are identified by deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS). Two electron traps, H1 (EC-0.63 eV) and H2 (EC-0.9 eV), were observed in the DLTS spectra. H1 was produced in device or material manufacturing, and H2 was caused by displacement damage. First, we reported that the signal peak of H2 can contribute from three defects labeled H2-1, H2-2, and H2-3 with energies EC-0.77 eV, EC-0.9 eV, and EC-0.98 eV, respectively. According to defect migration temperature and first principles calculation results, it is found that different configurations of di-nitrogen vacancy structures are the source of EC-0.77 eV and EC-0.9 eV signals. The defect of EC-0.98 eV is more stable at high temperatures, which may be related to gallium vacancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer, the predominant malignancy afflicting women, continues to pose formidable challenges despite advancements in therapeutic interventions. This study elucidates the potential of phototherapy, comprising both photothermal and photodynamic therapy (PTT/PDT), as a novel and promising modality. To achieve this goal, we devised liposomes coated with macrophage cell membranes including macrophage-associated membrane proteins, which have demonstrated promise in biomimetic delivery systems for targeting tumors while preserving their inherent tumor-homing capabilities. This integrated biomimetic delivery system comprised IR780, NONOate, and perfluorocarbon. This strategic encapsulation aims to achieve a synergistic combination of photodynamic therapy (PDT) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) therapy. Under near-infrared laser irradiation at 808 nm, IR780 demonstrates its ability to prolifically generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), including superoxide anion (O2•−), singlet oxygen, and hydroxyl radical (·OH). Simultaneously, NONOate releases nitric oxide (NO) gas upon the same laser irradiation, thereby engaging with IR780-induced ROS to facilitate the formation of peroxynitrite anion (ONOO−), ultimately inducing programmed cell death in cancer cells. Additionally, the perfluorocarbon component of our delivery system exhibits a notable affinity for oxygen and demonstrates efficient oxygen-carrying capabilities. Our results demonstrate that IR780-NO-PFH-Lip@M significantly enhances breast cancer cell toxicity, reducing proliferation and in vivo tumor growth through simultaneous heat, ROS, and RNS production. This study contributes valuable insights to the ongoing discourse on innovative strategies for advancing cancer therapeutics. • A biomimetic drug delivery system, designated as IR780-NO-PFH-Lip@M was developed. • Enhanced tumor cell affinity and cellular uptake efficiency were achieved. • Superior therapeutic efficacy by combining cytotoxic from ROS and ONOO- was shown. • Excellent biocompatibility and a reduced side effect profile were achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sintering process is the main process that affects the performance of ternary cathode materials. Due to the closed, continuous, and long-term characteristics of the sintering process carried out in a roller kiln, the reaction state including reaction degree, particle size, and etc., of the raw materials cannot be directly obtained through sampling detection, resulting in ineffective temperature control. This article mainly focuses on modeling the dehydration reaction stage of the sintering process to obtain the reaction state of the raw materials. Firstly, a two-sphere model is established based on Newton's second law and the particle volume conservation equation to describe the relationship between the particle radius and sintering temperature of lithium hydroxide and ternary precursor; Secondly, the chemical kinetic parameters of the dehydration reaction in the two-sphere model are obtained by combining the single heating rate scanning method with the multiple heating rate scanning method; Then, in order to improve the accuracy of the two-sphere model and reduce the impact of external environmental temperature changes, a physics-informed neural network model is constructed by combining the two-sphere model with the neural ordinary differential equation model. Finally, the effectiveness of the modeling method is verified through numerical simulation and empirical data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a multiscale framework capturing the primary interaction, displacement cascade generation and evolution, and realistic observable damaged structure based on Monte Carlo, Molecular Dynamics, and Object Kinetic Monte Carlo using an effective defect information transmitting scheme. The radiation effects of phosphorus-doped n-type silicon materials are simulated based on a multiscale framework, and the results are consistent with experimental observations. The simulation results show that, the incident particle type has a large effect on the concentrations and distribution of defects, which is closely related to the Primary Knock-On Atom (PKA) energy spectra and the defects evolution of defects. A negative correlation between defect concentration and fluence rate is attributed to the dissipation of subsequent PKA kinetic energy in the pre-cascade region. By comparing the interatomic bond length, we reveal that the doped atom can change displacement threshold energy, thereby affecting the defect concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advancement of acoustic metamaterials enables the highly efficient absorption of low-frequency noise with a subwavelength structure thickness, but the complexity of these structures often hinders their large-scale practical applications. Here, we propose a straightforward and compact acoustic metamaterial structure composed of Helmholtz resonators with side slits (HRSS) for low-frequency noise absorption. The introduction of side slits not only simplifies the overall structure but also allows for easy adjustment of acoustic characteristics. By adjusting the depth of the resonator within the slit across 25 distinct units, an absorption coefficient above 0.8 is realized from 470 to 930 Hz. This work demonstrates the extensive low-frequency sound absorption capability of HRSS, providing valuable insights into the design of future practical acoustic materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the electrochemical performance of batteries approaching the bottleneck gradually, it is increasingly urgent to solve the safety issue. Herein, all‐in‐one strategy is ingeniously developed to design smart, safe, and simple (3S) practical pouch‐type LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2||Graphite@SiO (NCM811||Gr@SiO) cell, taking full advantage of liquid and solid‐state electrolytes. Even under the harsh thermal abuse and high voltage condition (100 °C, 3–4.5 V), the pouch‐type 3S NCM811||Gr@SiO cell can present superior capacity retention of 84.6% after 250 cycles (based pouch cell: 47.8% after 250 cycles). More surprisingly, the designed 3S NCM811||Gr@SiO cell can efficiently improve self‐generated heat T1 by 45 °C, increase TR triggering temperature T2 by 40 °C, and decrease the TR highest T3 by 118 °C. These superior electrochemical and safety performances of practical 3S pouch‐type cells are attributed to the robust and stable anion‐induced electrode‐electrolyte interphases and local solid‐state electrolyte protection layer. All the fundamental findings break the conventional battery design guidelines and open up a new direction to develop practical high‐performance batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the escalating impact of climate change on agriculture and food security, gaining insights into the evolutionary dynamics of climatic adaptation and uncovering climate-adapted variation can empower the breeding of climate-resilient crops to face future climate change. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa subsp. sativa), the queen of forages, shows remarkable adaptability across diverse global environments, making it an excellent model for investigating species responses to climate change. In this study, we performed population genomic analyses using genome resequencing data from 702 accessions of 24 Medicago species to unravel alfalfa's climatic adaptation and genetic susceptibility to future climate change. We found that interspecific genetic exchange has contributed to the gene pool of alfalfa, particularly enriching defense and stress-response genes. Intersubspecific introgression between M. sativa subsp. falcata (subsp. falcata) and alfalfa not only aids alfalfa's climatic adaptation but also introduces genetic burden. A total of 1671 genes were associated with climatic adaptation, and 5.7% of them were introgressions from subsp. falcata. By integrating climate-associated variants and climate data, we identified populations that are vulnerable to future climate change, particularly in higher latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. These findings serve as a clarion call for targeted conservation initiatives and breeding efforts. We also identified pre-adaptive populations that demonstrate heightened resilience to climate fluctuations, illuminating a pathway for future breeding strategies. Collectively, this study enhances our understanding about the local adaptation mechanisms of alfalfa and facilitates the breeding of climate-resilient alfalfa cultivars, contributing to effective agricultural strategies for facing future climate change. Population genomic analyses are performed in thit study to unravel alfalfa's climatic adaptation and vulnerability to future climate change. It is found that intraspecific gene flow and interspecific introgression have introduced genes that facilitate adaptation to current and future climates. A total of 1671 candidate genes are identified as being associated with climatic adaptation, providing potential targets for the breeding of climate-resilient cultivars to cope with future climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: E-government development (EGD) is vital in enhancing the institutional quality and sustainable public service (SPS) delivery by eradicating corruption and cybersecurity crimes. Design/methodology/approach: The present study applied econometric fixed-effect (FE) regression analysis and random forest (RF) algorithm through machine learning for comprehensive estimations in achieving SPS. This study gauges the nexus between the EGD as an independent variable and public service sustainability (PSS) as a proxy of public health services as a dependent variable in the presence of two moderators, corruption and cybersecurity indices from 47 Asian countries economies from 2015 to 2019. Findings: The computational estimation and econometric findings show that EGD quality has improved with time in Asia and substantially promoted PSS. It further explores that exercising corruption control measures and introducing sound cybersecurity initiatives enhance PSS's quality and support the EDG effect much better. Practical implications: The study concludes that E-Government has positively impacted PSS (healthcare) in Asia while controlling cybersecurity and institutional malfunctioning made an E-Government system healthier and SPS development in Asia. Originality/value: This study added a novel contribution to existing E-Government and public services literature by comprehensively applied FE regression and RF algorithm analysis. Moreover, E-Government and cybersecurity improvement also has taken under consideration for PSS in Asian economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temporal connectives play a crucial role in marking the sequence of events during language comprehension. Although existing studies have shown that sentence comprehension can be modulated by temporal connectives, they have mainly focused on languages with grammatical tense such as English. It thus remains unclear how temporal information is processed in tenseless languages. The present study used event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine how world knowledge is retrieved and integrated in sentences linked by zhiqian (before) and zhihou (after) in Mandarin Chinese (e.g., After/Before going to the countryside, Grandpa went to the city because the air there was fresh and pure). The critical words (e.g., fresh) were either congruent or incongruent with world knowledge. Relative to the after-congruent sentences, the after-incongruent sentences evoked a P600 on critical words and a negativity on sentence-final words, whereas relative to before-congruent sentences, before-incongruent sentences showed no significant difference on critical words but a sustained negativity on sentence-final words. Additionally, before-congruent sentences elicited a larger sustained positivity (P600) than after-congruent sentences. The results suggest that before is more difficult to process than after in Mandarin Chinese, supporting the iconicity account of temporal relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multifunctional wound dressings are promising medical materials for various applications. Among them, dressings with antimicrobial activity, high biosafety, and real-time monitoring have attracted considerable research interest. Herein, a biodegradable hemostatic sponge comprising a chitosan skeleton and polyelectrolyte–surfactant complex (CS–PEC) was developed as a versatile wound dressing for wound pH monitoring and inhibition of bacterial infection. CS–PEC sponge with high porosity exhibited satisfactory fluid absorption capacity and biocompatibility, along with antibacterial properties against E. coli and S. aureus. In vivo experiments in rat liver trauma model revealed that wounds treated with the CS–PEC sponge recorded less blood loss (97.1 mg) and shorter hemostasis time (27.2 s) than those treated with commercial gelatin sponge (309.1 mg and 163.5 s, respectively). Furthermore, PECs based on unconventional luminescent molecules (L -C 16 -Hyp) were used as pH fluorescent indicators, which endowed the sponge with fluorescence-responsive behavior to wound pH changes in the range of 5.0–8.5. Visual images can be captured using a smartphone and converted to RGB color mode values for on-site assessment of wound status. This study sheds light on the design and application of unconventional luminescent materials in wound dressing and provides a smart and effective solution for wound management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel concurrent learning-based adaptive boundary observer designed to tackle the joint estimation problem of system states and unknown parameters for a class of hyperbolic partial differential equation systems under the circumstance of unsatisfied persistent excitation conditions. By leveraging concurrent learning technique, an adapted data points selection algorithm is employed concurrently with current data to construct the adaptation law of unknown parameters, which overcomes the limitations imposed by persistent excitation conditions and ensures exponential convergence of estimation errors of unknown parameters under finite excitation conditions. Furthermore, combining the ideas of backstepping and swapping filters on the basis of uncertain estimation, a concurrent learning-based adaptive boundary observer is designed, accompanied by rigorous theoretical analysis and proofs to demonstrate its capability of achieving exponential convergence in estimation. Finally, the corresponding illustrative simulations are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. • A concurrent learning adaptive boundary observer for hyperbolic PDE systems under FE. • Using historical stack matrix omits persistent excitation in joint estimation task. • Exponentially convergent parameter estimation based on adapted data selection rules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circadian clocks are endogenous timekeeping mechanisms that coordinate internal physiological responses with the external environment. EARLY FLOWERING3 (ELF3), PSEUDO RESPONSE REGULATOR (PRR9), and PRR7 are essential components of the plant circadian clock and facilitate entrainment of the clock to internal and external stimuli. Previous studies have highlighted a critical role for ELF3 in repressing the expression of PRR9 and PRR7. However, the functional significance of activity in regulating circadian clock dynamics and plant development is unknown. To explore this regulatory dynamic further, we first employed mathematical modeling to simulate the effect of the prr9/prr7 mutation on the elf3 circadian phenotype. These simulations suggested that simultaneous mutations in prr9/prr7 could rescue the elf3 circadian arrhythmia. Following these simulations, we generated all Arabidopsis elf3/prr9/prr7 mutant combinations and investigated their circadian and developmental phenotypes. Although these assays could not replicate the results from the mathematical modeling, our results have revealed a complex epistatic relationship between ELF3 and PRR9/7 in regulating different aspects of plant development. ELF3 was essential for hypocotyl development under ambient and warm temperatures, while PRR9 was critical for root thermomorphogenesis. Finally, mutations in prr9 and prr7 rescued the photoperiod-insensitive flowering phenotype of the elf3 mutant. Together, our results highlight the importance of investigating the genetic relationship among plant circadian genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A meta-surface-based arbitrary bandwidth filter realization method for terahertz (THz) future communications is presented. The approach involves integrating a meta-surface-based bandstop filter into an ultra-wideband (UWB) bandpass filter and adjusting the operating frequency range of the meta-surface bandstop filter to realize the design of arbitrary bandwidth filters. It effectively addresses the complexity of designing traditional arbitrary bandwidth filters and the challenges in achieving impedance matching. To underscore its practicality, the paper employs silicon substrate integrated gap waveguide (SSIGW) and this method to craft a THz filter. To begin, design equations for electromagnetic band gap (EBG) structures were developed in accordance with the requirements of through-silicon via (TSV) and applied to the design of the SSIGW. Subsequently, this article employs equivalent transmission line models and equivalent circuits to conduct theoretical analyses for both the UWB passband and the meta-surface stopband portions. The proposed THz filter boasts a center frequency of 0.151 THz, a relative bandwidth of 6.9%, insertion loss below 0.68 dB, and stopbands exceeding 20 GHz in both upper and lower ranges. The in-band group delay is 0.119 ± 0.048 ns. Compared to reported THz filters, the SSIGW filter boasts advantages such as low loss and minimal delay, making it even more suitable for future wireless communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of the strength of the pillar on the bearing characteristics of the backfill‐pillar system (BPS) based on the mechanism of backfill. Quantitative synergy relationships between backfill and pillar were defined and pointed out. There are four kinds of quantitative synergy relationships in the bearing process of the system. To verify the relationship, systems with different strengths of the pillar were selected to carry out numerical simulation experiments, and a mathematical calculation method to quantify synergy relationship in the BPS was designed. The results show that the system under the low strength of the pillar presents the overall increase in bearing characteristics, while the system under the high strength of the pillar presents "N"‐type bearing features. Four kinds of quantitative synergy relationships able to characterise the action mechanism between backfill and pillar in each stage of the bearing of the system. Through analysis and discussion, it was concluded that the essential reason for the difference in bearing characteristics is that the effect of displacement restraint, joint support, and passive compressive weaken with the increase of the strength of pillar. The effect of pillar strength on the internal synergy of BPS is well verified by numerical simulation test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corydalis austroshaanxiensis, a new species of Corydalis sect. Incisae Fedde (Papaveraceae) from Shaanxi, China, is described. It is most similar to C. pseudoincisa C.Y. Wu, Z.Y. Su & Lidén, but differs in the outer petals being retuse to emarginate, with dorsal crest (versus acuminate, rounded to shortly mucronate, without crest), lowermost pedicels that are conspicuously elongating and basally recurved in fruit (versus slightly elongating, straight, erect‐spreading), sepals that are 3–4 × ca 3 mm (versus 1.5–2.0 × ca 1.5 mm), lower petals that usually have a linear reddish tint at base (versus without reddish tint), capsules that are narrowly to broadly elliptic to obovoid (versus linear to narrowly oblong), and by the racemes corymbose, forming a very dense cluster of upper fruits (versus racemes not corymbose‐like, flower dense in anthesis, lax in fruit). The original materials of C. pseudoincisa is shown to be mosaic, and the original descriptions and illustrations annotated as C. pseudoincisa only fit in part C. pseudoincisa. A revised circumscription for C. pseudoincisa is thus provided. We suggest the need for caution when identifying additional specimens as paratypes that differ from the holotype in distinct characters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are regarded as a possible material platform for quantum information science and related device applications. In TMD monolayers, the dephasing time and inhomogeneity are crucial parameters for any quantum information application. In TMD heterostructures, coupling strength and interlayer exciton lifetimes are also parameters of interest. However, many demonstrations in TMDs can only be realized at specific spots on the sample, presenting a challenge to the scalability of these applications. Here, using multi-dimensional coherent imaging spectroscopy, we shed light on the underlying physics—including dephasing, inhomogeneity, and strain—for a MoSe2 monolayer and identify both promising and unfavorable areas for quantum information applications. We, furthermore, apply the same technique to a MoSe2/WSe2 heterostructure. Despite the notable presence of strain and dielectric environment changes, coherent and incoherent coupling and interlayer exciton lifetimes are mostly robust across the sample. This uniformity is despite a significantly inhomogeneous interlayer exciton photoluminescence distribution that suggests a bad sample for device applications. This robustness strengthens the case for TMDs as a next-generation material platform in quantum information science and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper develops an adaptive constrained tracking control technique for a class of 2 × 2 hyperbolic partial differential equation (PDE) systems with boundary actuator dynamics, which are described by a set of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) in the presence of unknown parametric nonlinearities. Since the control input only appears in the uncertain ODE subsystem rather than directly on the boundary of PDE subsystem, the control task becomes quite difficult and the existing direct boundary control approaches are ineffective. Moreover, in this paper, a more challenging problem is considered such that the controlled output and the states of ODE actuators are constrained. To this end, by utilizing finite and infinite dimensional backstepping techniques, barrier Lyapunov functions (BLFs) and adaptive methods, a novel adaptive tracking control approach is proposed. It is the first time that such a constrained tracking control problem is addressed for the PDE-ODE coupled systems considered in this paper. On the basis of the presented method, the rigorous theoretical proof is provided to show that the PDE controlled output and all the states of the ODE actuator stay within the predefined compact sets. Finally, the results are illustrated via a comparative numerical simulation. [Display omitted] • For a linear 2 × 2 hyperbolic PDE systems, the high-order unknown nonlinear actuator dynamics described by a set of ODEs are considered in the boundary point of the PDE. A tracking controller with adaptive dynamic compensation mechanism is developed such that the tracking control problem is addressed for the PDE-ODE coupled system considered in this paper. • For practical requirements for state constraints such as safe operations, physical limitations and so on, the Barrier Lyapunov function is employed to constrain the spatially distributed output of infinite-dimensional system and all the actuator states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this investigation, a pioneering approach involving the fusion of matrix fragments-related spectral data was proposed to improve the underperformance observed in raw meat and bone meal (MBM) when employed for species discrimination analysis. Initially, the MBM matrix was characterized as a binary mixture comprising bone fragment (BF) and meat fragment (MF). Subsequently, the disparities in near infrared (NIR), mid infrared (MIR), and Raman spectra between BF and MF samples were individually identified and elucidated. Following, the spectral fusion data related to matrix fragments were synthesized and subjected to analysis using principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) for species-specific evaluation. The suggested data fusion strategy was authenticated by its capacity to facilitate improved differentiation within the principal component space, along with reduced classification errors in PLS-DA. Further, complementarity of matrix fragments-related spectral variables for MBM species discrimination analysis was explicitly scrutinized and contributions to MBM derived from four species were meticulously traced. Additionally, the proposed analytical strategy for MBM could serve as a reference for the spectral characterization of other agricultural materials with complex matrices. • Spectral fusion data of MF and BF were firstly used to trace MBM species. • The proposed fusion strategy greatly improved the MBM species-specific analysis. • Contributions of fragments-related spectral variables for tracing MBM species were analyzed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work develops a network of adaptive boundary observers and studies the agreement between state and parameter estimates for a single target parabolic partial differential equation (PDE) system in the presence of structured and unstructured uncertainties. It is assumed that the unknown parameters take the form of either a structured uncertainty with unknown constant parameters or an unstructured uncertainty that can be neutralized by a radial basis function neural networks with unknown weights. The proposed adaptive observers consisting of m$$ m $$ agents in the network follow the structure of adaptive identifiers for the considered target PDE systems with the insertion of a penalty term in both the state and parameter estimates. Different from earlier efforts, the proposed adaptive laws include a penalty term of the mismatch between the parameter and state estimates generated by the other adjacent agents, which helps to accelerate the estimation of uncertainties. Additionally, the effects of these modifications on the agreement amongst the state and parameter estimates are investigated. Theoretical proofs are provided to show that the proposed approach guarantees the exponential convergence of estimation errors in the case of structured uncertainties and the ultimate boundedness of estimation errors in the case of unstructured uncertainties. Finally, numerical simulations are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the design methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wide range of applications and continuous demand for plastics is causing serious global environmental problems. Massive discharges of expanded polystyrene (EPS) are thought to be primarily responsible for the increased white pollution. Waste EPS has received wide attention in the development of innovative products. White light-emitting diodes pumped by a near-UV chip (n-UV WLEDs) are regarded as a very promising solid-state lighting. The performance of the n-UV WLED is largely determined by the properties of the tricolor luminescence materials. In this work, a blue-emitting polymer film for n-UV WLED applications was developed from waste EPS. First, using waste EPS as a raw material, benzimidazole groups were bonded to PS benzene rings by chemical reactions to obtain modified PS (PS-PBI). Then, a film based on PS-PBI was prepared by a simple solution drop-casting method. The PS-PBI film can emit intense blue light when irradiated with 365 nm light. An n-UV WLED pumped by a 365 nm UV chip was fabricated using PS-PBI film as the blue-emitting layer. The fabricated n-UV WLED shows excellent luminescence properties, such as a bright white light with color coordinates of (0.337, 0.331), a relatively low color temperature (CCT, 5270 K), and an especially high color rendering index (CRI, 93.6). The results prove that the blue-emitting PS-PBI film prepared from waste EPS is a very promising candidate for n-UV WLED applications. The strategy of converting waste EPS into a high-value-added blue-emitting film in this work provides a convenient and feasible approach for upcycling waste EPS, achieving significant environmental and economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of solar‐driven interfacial evaporation and electricity co‐generation is considered a promising approach to simultaneously alleviate freshwater scarcity and the energy crisis. However, affected by intermittent solar irradiation/uncontrollable weather, the overall performance of solar‐driven evaporation in the real world is greatly reduced. Herein, inspired by antifreeze proteins in beetles that survive in extreme climates, all‐weather solar‐driven interfacial evaporators with a sandwich structure are designed. The top and bottom layers composed of MnO2‐modified cotton cloth are used for photothermal conversion and water transport, meanwhile, the middle layer made of a phase change microcapsule/hydrogel composite serves for heat storage and release. Under 1 kW m−2 irradiation, the evaporator exhibits a high evaporation rate of 2.67 kg m−2 h−1 and an efficiency of 89.5%. In the dark, the heat released from the phase change layer supports an evaporation rate of 0.43 kg m−2 h−1, 3.6 times that of pure water. Additionally, assembled with a thermoelectric module, the hybrid device achieves a stable output electricity power of 0.42 W m−2 under 1‐sun illumination and a prolonged output for 30 min in the dark. This work provides a novel approach for full‐time solar‐powered steam‐electricity co‐generation and a proof of concept for biomimetic steam generation/heat management integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to derive sodium abundances and investigate the effects of non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) on the formation of H-band Na I lines, we update the sodium atomic model by incorporating collision rates with hydrogen from new quantum-mechanical calculations. The differential Na abundances for 13 sample stars are obtained by analyzing high-resolution H-band spectra from the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) and optical spectra under both local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) and NLTE conditions. Consistent abundances from both bands suggest that our updated atomic model is valid for studying the formation of H-band Na I lines. Our calculations show that, in our stellar parameter space, NLTE effects are negative and can result in corrections larger than −0.4 dex on optical lines. The corrections on H-band Na I lines are typically small, within about 0.05 dex, but not negligible if accurate sodium abundance is desired. We note that the [Na/Fe] ratios favor the theoretical galactic chemical model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to rational adaptation approaches of language processing, readers adjust their expectations of upcoming information depending on the distributional properties of the preceding language input. However, adaptation to sentence structures has not been systematically attested, especially not in second-language (L2) processing. To further our understanding of adaptive processes, we recorded electroencephalogram (EEG) from L1-Mandarin–L2-English speakers while they read English sentences containing a coordination ambiguity. This ambiguity was always resolved toward a less-preferred clausal coordination in the first half of the study, and towards a noun-phrase coordination in the second half. Group-level results suggest that L2 readers adapted but at a slow rate and a coarse level. Individuals differed in that some changed their processing strategies, and some did not. These findings suggest that adaptation is not a direct function of fine-grained input distributions, and are problematic for the idea that adaptation is important for language learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite progress in the diagnosis and treatment of proliferative lupus nephritis (PLN), the prognosis remains unfavorable. Previous investigations have suggested that the deficiency of regulatory T cells (Tregs) is involved in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and lupus nephritis (LN). But the prognostic value of Tregs in PLN remains controversial. This study aimed to investigate the association of Tregs with renal outcomes in patients with PLN. Methods: The baseline and follow-up data of patients with biopsy-proven PLN were collected in this study. All patients were divided into two groups according to whether the renal endpoint event occurred. Clinicopathologic features and therapeutic responses were compared between the two groups. Cox regression analyses curve fitting and threshold effect analysis were implemented to investigate the relationship between Tregs level and the long-term renal outcomes. The renal endpoint was defined as end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) or doubling the SCr value. Results: A total of 405 PLN patients were included. After a follow-up of 71.53 (53.13–97.47) months, 42 (10.4%) patients reached the renal endpoint. The Treg cell counts (16/μL) in the renal endpoint group were significantly decreased than that in the non-renal endpoint group (p < 0.001). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses showed that the high level of Tregs was an independent protective factor for the long-term renal prognosis of PLN. Smooth curve fitting of the generalized additive mixed model analysis indicated that the risk of renal endpoint first decreased with Tregs and then slightly increased along with Treg cell levels. The segmented linear model revealed that when Treg cell counts <46/μL, the risk of renal endpoint decreased by 6.8% for every 1 μL increase in Treg levels (p = 0.0029). Conclusion: Treg cell counts are closely related to the long-term renal outcomes of patients with PLN, and increasing Treg cell levels may play an important role in improving the prognosis of the kidney, but there may be a turning point (i.e., threshold effect) at the Treg cell counts that leads to directional changes in the renal outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective exploration is the key to achieving high returns for reinforcement learning. Agents must explore jointly in multi-agent systems to find the optimal joint policy. Due to the exploration problem and the shared reward, the policy-based multi-agent reinforcement learning algorithms face policy overfitting, which may lead to the joint policy falling into a local optimum. This paper introduces a novel general framework called Learning Joint-Action Intrinsic Reward (LJIR) for improving multi-agent reinforcement learners' joint exploration ability and performance. LJIR observes agents' state and joint actions to learn to construct an intrinsic reward online that can guide effective joint exploration. With the novel combination of Transformer and random network distillation, LJIR selects the novel states to give more intrinsic rewards, which help agents find the best joint actions. LJIR can dynamically adjust the weight of exploration and exploitation during training and keep the policy invariance finally. To ensure LJIR seamlessly adopts existing MARL algorithms, we also provide a flexible combination method for intrinsic and external rewards. Empirical results on the SMAC benchmark show that the proposed method achieves state-of-the-art performance in challenging tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to summarize the experience of precise nursing in 6 patients who experienced failed allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantations (allo-HSCTs) that underwent second allo-HSCT salvage treatment. The key points of nursing care included strictly implementing infection prevention and control measures to prevent secondary infections, precise symptom management to improve the graft survival rate of patients, formulating reasonable nutrition programs to meet their requirements, and paying attention to the psychological care of patients to enhance their self-confidence in overcoming diseases. The patients developed different degrees of complications in the process of transplantation. During the transplantation, 2 patients had oral mucositis, 2 had hemorrhagic cystitis, 3 had a perianal infection, and one had lower gastrointestinal bleeding. After careful treatment and nursing, the neutrophils transplanted in the 6 patients were alive at a median of 16.5 (13-20) days after the second allo-HSCT, and the patients were successfully transferred out of the laminar flow chamber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a graph G and integers a i ≥ 1 , the expression G → (a 1 , ... , a r) v means that for any r-coloring of the vertices of G there exists a monochromatic a i -clique in G for some color i ∈ { 1 , ... , r } . The vertex Folkman numbers are defined as F v (a 1 , ... , a r ; H) = min { | V (G) | : G is H-free and G → (a 1 , ... , a r) v } , where H is a graph. Such vertex Folkman numbers have been extensively studied for H = K s with s > max { a i } 1 ≤ i ≤ r . If a i = a for all i, then we use notation F v (a r ; H) = F v (a 1 , ... , a r ; H) . Let J k be the complete graph K k missing one edge, i.e. J k = K k - e . In this work we focus on vertex Folkman numbers with H = J k , in particular for k = 4 and a i ≤ 3 . A result by Nešetřil and Rödl from 1976 implies that F v (3 r ; J 4) is well defined for any r ≥ 2 . We present a new and more direct proof of this fact. The simplest but already intriguing case is that of F v (3 , 3 ; J 4) , for which we establish the upper bound of 135 by using the J 4 -free process. We obtain the exact values and bounds for a few other small cases of F v (a 1 , ... , a r ; J 4) when a i ≤ 3 for all 1 ≤ i ≤ r , including F v (2 , 3 ; J 4) = 14 , F v (2 4 ; J 4) = 15 , and 22 ≤ F v (2 5 ; J 4) ≤ 25 . Note that F v (2 r ; J 4) is the smallest number of vertices in any J 4 -free graph with chromatic number r + 1 . Most of the results were obtained with the help of computations, but some of the upper bound graphs we found are interesting by themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we demonstrate a SESAM mode-locked Tm:CaYLuAlO4 (a-cut) laser in the 2-μm spectral range. A birefringent filter (BF) is employed to shift the emission wavelength above 2 μm to support the stable mode locking through avoiding the structured water vapor absorption. Pulses as short as 288 fs are generated with a central wavelength of 2037 nm and an average power of 166 mW at a repetition rate of ~ 77.6 MHz. Moreover, wavelength tunable femtosecond laser with a tuning range from 2031.8 to 2081.1 nm is realized simply by rotating the birefringent filter around its surface normal. This work experimentally shows that birefringent filter is a simple and low-cost way to support the stable mode locking of Tm-bulk femtosecond lasers with an emission peak in the water vapor absorption region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation of crop wild relatives is critical for plant breeding and food security. The lack of clarity on the genetic factors that lead to endangered status or extinction create difficulties when attempting to develop concrete recommendations for conserving a citrus wild relative: the wild relatives of crops. Here, we evaluate the conservation of wild kumquat (Fortunella hindsii) using genomic, geographical, environmental, and phenotypic data, and forward simulations. Genome resequencing data from 73 accessions from the Fortunella genus were combined to investigate population structure, demography, inbreeding, introgression, and genetic load. Population structure was correlated with reproductive type (i.e., sexual and apomictic) and with a significant differentiation within the sexually reproducing population. The effective population size for one of the sexually reproducing subpopulations has recently declined to ~1,000, resulting in high levels of inbreeding. In particular, we found that 58% of the ecological niche overlapped between wild and cultivated populations and that there was extensive introgression into wild samples from cultivated populations. Interestingly, the introgression pattern and accumulation of genetic load may be influenced by the type of reproduction. In wild apomictic samples, the introgressed regions were primarily heterozygous, and genome-wide deleterious variants were hidden in the heterozygous state. In contrast, wild sexually reproducing samples carried a higher recessive deleterious burden. Furthermore, we also found that sexually reproducing samples were self-incompatible, which prevented the reduction of genetic diversity by selfing. Our population genomic analyses provide specific recommendations for distinct reproductive types and monitoring during conservation. This study highlights the genomic landscape of a wild relative of citrus and provides recommendations for the conservation of crop wild relatives. Author summary: Conservation genomics offers a comprehensive approach to understand the underlying genetic and environmental factors affecting the conservation of species. Despite its importance, the conservation genomics of most crop wild relatives remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the population fragmentation, inbreeding, gene flow, and genetic load of a citrus wild relative, Fortunella hindsii, using a combination of genomic, geographical, environmental, and phenotypic data, as well as forward simulations. Fortunella hindsii, listed on the registry of National Key Protected Wild Plants in China, has two types of reproduction, sexual and apomictic. Conservation genomics provided insights into the genetic diversity and structure, which are critical for developing effective conservation strategies. Our analysis also helped to assess the risks of hybridization and introgression from cultivated to wild populations. We found that different patterns of introgression and genetic load may be influenced by reproductive type; for example, deleterious variants may hide in the heterozygous state in apomictic populations. Sexually reproducing samples with the self-incompatibility mechanism can prevent rapid loss of genetic diversity caused by selfing. This study serves as an example of conservation genomics and the importance of utilizing important wild relatives of crops to inform broader conservation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, based on the information entropy and spatio-temporal correlation of sensing nodes in the Internet of Things (IoT), a Spatio-temporal Scope Information Model (SSIM) is proposed to quantify the scope of the valuable information of sensor data. Specifically, the valuable information of sensor data decays with space and time, which can be used to guide the system to make efficient sensor activation scheduling decisions for regional sensing accuracy. A simple sensing and monitoring system with three sensor nodes is investigated in this paper, and a single-step scheduling decision mechanism is proposed for the optimization problem of maximizing valuable information acquisition and efficient sensor activation scheduling in the sensed region. Regarding the above mechanism, the scheduling results and approximate numerical bounds on the node layout between different scheduling results are obtained through theoretical analyses, which are consistent with simulation. In addition, a long-term decision mechanism is also proposed for the aforementioned optimization issues, where the scheduling results with different node layouts are derived by modeling as a Markov decision process and utilizing the Q-learning algorithm. Concerning the above two mechanisms, the performance of both is verified by conducting experiments using the relative humidity dataset; furthermore, the differences in performance and limitations of the model are discussed and summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased gut permeability is implicated in the initiation and extent of the cytokine inflammatory response associated with exertional heat stroke (EHS). The primary objective of this study was to determine if a five amino acid oral rehydration solution (5AAS), specifically designed for the protection of the gastrointestinal lining, would prolong time to EHS, maintain gut function and dampen the systemic inflammatory response (SIR) measured during EHS recovery. Male C57/BL6J mice instrumented with radiotelemetry were gavaged with 150 μL of 5AAS or H2O, and ≈12 h later were either exposed to an EHS protocol where mice exercised in a 37.5°C environmental chamber to a self‐limiting maximum core temperature (Tc,max) or performed the exercise control (EXC) protocol (25°C). 5AAS pretreatment attenuated hypothermia depth and length (p < 0.005), which are indicators of EHS severity during recovery, without any effect on physical performance or thermoregulatory responses in the heat as determined by percent body weight lost (≈9%), max speed (≈6 m/min), distance (≈700 m), time to Tc,max (≈160 min), thermal area (≈550°C∙min), and Tc,max (42.2°C). EHS groups treated with 5AAS showed a significant decrease in gut transepithelial conductance, decreased paracellular permeability, increased villus height, increased electrolyte absorption and changes in tight junction protein expression pattern suggestive of improved barrier integrity (p < 0.05). No differences were witnessed between EHS groups in acute phase response markers of liver, circulating SIR markers, or indicators of organ damage during recovery. These results suggest that a 5AAS improves Tc regulation during EHS recovery through maintaining mucosal function and integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Autoimmune encephalitis (AE) is a heterogeneous group of inflammatory central nervous system disorders caused by a misdirected immune response against self‐antigens expressed in the central nervous system. The thymus is a central organ in the immune system and thymic tumors are thought to be possible initiators of many neurological disorders. Recently, there is growing evidence that thymomas are associated with autoimmune encephalitis. Aims: Our study initially explored the characteristics of patients with autoimmune encephalitis combined with thymoma. Methods: We used patient data from January 1, 2011 to October 1, 2021 from the PubMed, Web of Science, Ovid, and CNKI platforms to analyze overall demographics, frequency of symptoms and associations, and treatment prognosis outcomes. Results: A total of 68 patients were included. There were 39 female cases (57.4%). The mean age was 50 years (IQR 40–66 years). All had acute and subacute onset. The clinical manifestations were mostly cognitive changes (70.6%), mental disorders (57.4%), and epilepsy (50.0%). The most common neuronal antibody was alpha‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities were present in 81.0% of patients, mostly in the hippocampus, temporal lobe, and some in cortical and subcortical areas. Abnormalities in the electroencephalogram (EEG) in 69.8% of patients. Treatment involved immunotherapy and thymoma treatment, with 79.7% of patients improving after treatment. While 20.3% of patients had a poor prognosis. Further, 14.8% of patients relapsed. Mental disorders, autonomic dysfunction, sleep disturbances, anti‐Ma2, and thymoma untreated were more frequent in patients with poor prognosis. Conclusion: Thymoma‐associated autoimmune encephalitis is a unique disease entity. Long‐term follow‐up of chest CT findings is recommended for patients with autoimmune encephalitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tree crown diameter (CD) values, relating to the rate of material exchange between the forest and the atmosphere, can be used to evaluate forest biomass and carbon stock. To map tree CD values using meter-level optical remote sensing images, we propose a novel method that interprets the relationships between the spectral reflectance of pixels and the CD. The approach employs the spectral reflectance of pixels in the tree crown to express the diversity of inclination angles of leaves based on the radiative transfer model and the spatial heterogeneity of these pixels. Then, simulated and acquired GF-2 images are applied to verify the relationships between spatial heterogeneity and the tree CD. Meanwhile, filter-based and object-based methods are also employed to extract three types of variables (spectral features, texture features, and spatial heterogeneity). Finally, the tree CD values are mapped by four models (random forest (RF), K-nearest neighbor (K-NN), support vector machine (SVM), and multiple linear regression (MLR)), using three single types of variables and combinations of variables with different strategies. The results imply that the spatial heterogeneity of spectral reflectance is significantly positively correlated with tree CD values and is more sensitive to tree CD values than traditional spectral features and textural features. Furthermore, the ability of spatial heterogeneity to map tree CD values is significantly higher than traditional variable sets after obtaining stable features with appropriate filter window sizes. The results also demonstrate that the accuracy of mapped tree CD values is significantly improved using combined variable sets with different feature extraction methods. For example, in our experiments, the R2 and rRMSE values of the optimal results ranged from 0.60 to 0.66, and from 15.76% to 16.68%, respectively. It is confirmed that spatial heterogeneity with high sensitivity can effectively map tree CD values, and the accuracy of mapping tree CD values can be greatly improved using a combination of spectral features extracted by an object-based method and spatial heterogeneity extracted by a filter-based method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe1+yTe1−xSex is characterized by its complex magnetic phase diagram and highly orbital-dependent band renormalization. Despite this, the behavior of nematicity and nematic fluctuations, especially for high tellurium concentrations, remains largely unknown. Here we present a study of both B1g and B2g nematic fluctuations in Fe1+yTe1−xSex (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.53) using the technique of elastoresistivity measurement. We discovered that the nematic fluctuations in two symmetry channels are closely linked to the corresponding spin fluctuations, confirming the intertwined nature of these two degrees of freedom. We also revealed an unusual temperature dependence of the nematic susceptibility, which we attributed to a loss of coherence of the dxy orbital. Our results highlight the importance of orbital differentiation on the nematic properties of iron-based materials. Despite a significant amount of research, there are still many unknowns about the underlying mechanisms of the superconductivity in Fe-based superconductors, in particular the roles of magnetism and nematicity. Here, the authors investigate the compositional dependence of the nematic susceptibility in Fe1+yTe1−xSex and the interplay between nematic and spin fluctuations, as well as the effect of orbital differentiation on nematic instability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

THZ1, a CDK7 inhibitor, has potent antitumor effects in several cancers; however, its role in Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is unclear. We explored the effects and potential mechanisms of THZ1, alone and in combination with azacitidine (AZA), in AML cells and xenograft models. THZ1 decreased cell viability, induced apoptosis in a dose and time-dependent manner, induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest, decreased phosphorylated CDK1 and CDK2 expression, and inhibited RNA Pol II phosphorylation at multiple serine sites. The combination of AZA and THZ1 exhibited synergistic antileukemic effects in AML cell lines and primary cells with MCL1 and c-MYC downregulation. Moreover, the combination therapy significantly decreased tumor burden and prolonged animal survival in xenograft mice models. Our data demonstrate that CDK7 inhibition induces the apoptosis of AML cells and exerts a synergistic antileukemia effect with AZA in vitro and in vivo, which supports future exploration of this combination in clinical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: CD34+ cells have been used to treat the patients with heart failure, but the outcome is variable. It is of great significance to scrutinize the fate and the mechanism of CD34+ cell differentiation in vivo during heart failure and explore its intervention strategy. Methods: We performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of the total non-cardiomyocytes and enriched Cd34-tdTomato+ lineage cells in the murine (male Cd34-CreERT2; Rosa26-tdTomato mice) pressure overload model (transverse aortic constriction, TAC), and total non-cardiomyocytes from human adult hearts. Then, in order to determine the origin of CD34+ cell that plays a role in myocardial fibrosis, bone marrow transplantation model was performed. Furthermore, to further clarify the role of CD34 + cells in myocardial remodeling in response to TAC injury, we generated Cd34-CreERT2; Rosa26-eGFP-DTA (Cre/DTA) mice. Results: By analyzing the transcriptomes of 59,505 single cells from the mouse heart and 22,537 single cells from the human heart, we illustrated the dynamics of cell landscape during the progression of heart hypertrophy, including CD34+ cells, fibroblasts, endothelial and immune cells. By combining genetic lineage tracing and bone marrow transplantation models, we demonstrated that non-bone-marrow-derived CD34+ cells give rise to fibroblasts and endothelial cells, while bone-marrow-derived CD34+ cell turned into immune cells only in response to pressure overload. Interestingly, partial depletion of CD34+ cells alleviated the severity of myocardial fibrosis with a significant improvement of cardiac function in Cd34-CreERT2; Rosa26-eGFP-DTA model. Similar changes of non-cardiomyocyte composition and cellular heterogeneity of heart failure were also observed in human patient with heart failure. Furthermore, immunostaining showed a double labeling of CD34 and fibroblast markers in human heart tissue. Mechanistically, our single-cell pseudotime analysis of scRNA-seq data and in vitro cell culture study revealed that Wnt-β-catenin and TGFβ1/Smad pathways are critical in regulating CD34+ cell differentiation toward fibroblasts. Conclusions: Our study provides a cellular landscape of CD34+ cell-derived cells in the hypertrophy heart of human and animal models, indicating that non-bone-marrow-derived CD34+ cells differentiating into fibroblasts largely account for cardiac fibrosis. These findings may provide novel insights for the pathogenesis of cardiac fibrosis and have further potential therapeutic implications for the heart failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Lymphatic vessels are low-pressure, blind-ended tubular structures essential in maintaining tissue fluid homeostasis, immune cell transport, and lipid transport. More and more evidence showed that lymphangiogenesis might be closely related to the development of many diseases, and the intervention of lymphangiogenesis may be a new direction of disease treatment. This review aims to discuss the molecular mechanisms of lymphangiogenesis, the effect of lymphangiogenesis on tumor immune tolerance, the emerging role of meningeal lymphatics and cardiac lymphatics, and the promising applications of lymphangiogenesis in immunotherapy and bioengineering materials. The lymphatic system is a channel for fluid transport and cell migration, but it has always been controversial in promoting and suppressing cancer. VEGFC/VEGFR3 signaling has long been recognized as a major molecular driver of lymphangiogenesis. However, many studies have shown that the neural network of lymphatic signaling is complex. Lymphatic vessels have been found to play an essential role in the immune regulation of tumor metastasis and cardiac repair. This review describes the effects of lipid metabolism, extracellular vesicles, and flow shear forces on lymphangiogenesis. Moreover, the pro-tumor immune tolerance function of lymphatic vessels is discussed, and the tasks of meningeal lymphatic vessels and cardiac lymphatic vessels in diseases are further discussed. Finally, the value of conversion therapy targeting the lymphatic system is introduced from the perspective of immunotherapy and pro-lymphatic biomaterials for lymphangiogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Transplant arteriosclerosis is a major complication in long-term survivors of heart transplantation. Increased lymph flow from donor heart to host lymph nodes has been reported to play a role in transplant arteriosclerosis, but how lymphangiogenesis affects this process is unknown. Methods: Vascular allografts were transplanted among various combinations of mice, including wild-type, Lyve1 -CreERT2;R26-tdTomato, CAG -Cre-tdTomato, severe combined immune deficiency, Ccr2 KO, Foxn1 KO, and lghm / lghd KO mice. Whole-mount staining and 3-dimensional reconstruction identified lymphatic vessels within the grafted arteries. Lineage tracing strategies delineated the cellular origin of lymphatic endothelial cells. Adeno-associated viral vectors and a selective inhibitor were used to regulate lymphangiogenesis. Results: Lymphangiogenesis within allograft vessels began at the anastomotic sites and extended from preexisting lymphatic vessels in the host. Tertiary lymphatic organs were identified in transplanted arteries at the anastomotic site and lymphatic vessels expressing CCL21 (chemokine [C-C motif] ligand 21) were associated with these immune structures. Fibroblasts in the vascular allografts released VEGF-C (vascular endothelial growth factor C), which stimulated lymphangiogenesis into the grafts. Inhibition of VEGF-C signaling inhibited lymphangiogenesis, neointima formation, and adventitial fibrosis of vascular allografts. These studies identified VEGF-C released from fibroblasts as a signal stimulating lymphangiogenesis extending from the host into the vascular allografts. Conclusions: Formation of lymphatic vessels plays a key role in the immune response to vascular transplantation. The inhibition of lymphangiogenesis may be a novel approach to prevent transplant arteriosclerosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• There is a risk of homologous recombination when using BEVS. • We used efficient methods to reduce the homologous recombination rate of baculovirus. • These methods facilitate viral stability and integrity in BEVS. The baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS) is widely used for producing recombinant proteins. To achieve high expression level of recombinant proteins, baculoviral elements, such as enhancers, promoters, signal peptide coding sequences and 3′-UTR, have been extensively employed. There is a recombination risk derived from homologous sequences between viral genome and functional baculovirus-derived elements associated with foreign genes. Although homologous recombination have distinct biological functions, these potential adverse recombination may trigger a DNA fragment being inverted or looped out, resulting in the production of defective viruses and eventual yields declines of recombinant proteins. However, the risk of such homologous recombination has not been systematically assessed. Here, we measured the recombination rate using a promoter-less fluorescent reporter integrated with various lengths homologous of p10 coding region. Homologous fragments longer than 60 bp possess sufficient recombination probability and exerts effect on purity and integrity of virus. Shortening the length of homologous fragments and separating homologous fragments by point mutations can effectively reduce unfavorable recombination. These findings reveal a homologous recombination risk resulted from genome-homologous baculoviral elements and propose reliable strategies reducing recombination rate to facilitate viral stability and integrity in baculovirus expression vector system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2 at.% Tm, xat.% Dy:Y 2 O 3 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.5 and 1) transparent ceramics were fabricated via vacuum sintering. The microstructural properties of the prepared ceramics were determined using XRD and SEM. The absorption cross-section of 2 at.% Tm, 1 at.% Dy:Y 2 O 3 ceramic was 0.53 × 10−20 cm2 with the FWHM of 43.59 nm. The increased cross-section originates from a large overlapping range appearing in the absorption spectrum of the Dy3+:6H 15/2 → 6F 5/2 and Tm3+:3H 6 →6H 4 transitions. The J-O intensity parameters Ω 2 , Ω 4 and Ω 6 and the fluorescence characteristics of the pivotal luminescent level of the Dy3+ ions were investigated. Under 793 nm excitation, the emission cross section of the Tm,Dy:Y 2 O 3 ceramic at 3094 nm was 3.63 × 10−21 cm2 with the FWHM of 355 nm. The fluorescence lifetimes of Dy3+:6H 13/2 level of 2 at.% Tm, xat.% Dy:Y 2 O 3 (x = 0.1, 0.5 and 1) ceramics were fitted to be 357 μs, 282 μs and 149 μs, respectively. In order to explore the quenching mechanism of Tm3+:3F 4 level, the fluorescence lifetimes of Tm3+:3F 4 of the 2 at.% Tm, xat.% Dy:Y 2 O 3 ceramics (x = 0, 0.1, 0.5 and 1) were measured to be 4.878 ms, 462 μs, 104 μs and 61 μs, respectively. The possible energy transfer mechanisms between Tm3+ and Dy3+ ions are discussed. The results show that adding Tm3+ ions to Dy:Y 2 O 3 ceramics can effectively enhance the 2.9 μm MIR through energy transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]