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Gas migration behaviour in saturated, compacted bentonite, especially under rigid-boundary conditions, is controversial. Gas breakthrough phenomena, observed under higher pressure gradient conditions in laboratory experiments, are described in literatures by adopting visco-capillary or dilatancy-controlled flow concept. Since, under rigid-boundary conditions, volumetric expansion is restricted and/or water dissipation is not detected, these concepts cannot be implemented satisfactorily. Instead, a diffusion and solubility-controlled (DSC) flow concept was previously found to be adequate for describing the behaviours at lower temperatures (20 °C). The DSC concept describes gas breakthrough as a function of gas solubility. Breakthrough occurs when concentration of dissolved gas reaches or surpasses the solubility limit in the entire specimen. In this work, the DSC flow concept is applied to validate gas migration and breakthrough experiments conducted at higher temperatures, e.g. 40 and 60 °C. Good agreements are observed between the experimental and predicted results, suggesting that the DSC flow concept can be applied to describe gas migration behaviour satisfactorily in rigidly confined saturated bentonites (under constant volume conditions) for various temperature regimes. Results also show that helium dissolution and diffusion processes in saturated bentonite are sensitive to test temperature and pressure conditions. The processes become more stable with increasing gas injection pressure and ambient temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Meigs' syndrome is a rare gynecological disease characterized by the triad of benign ovarian tumor, ascites, and pleural effusion. Ovarian malignancies should be highly suspected in a postmenopausal woman with a pelvic mass, ascites, hydrothorax, and an elevated carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) level. It can be challenging to make a preoperative diagnosis of Meigs' syndrome. In this report, we present a case of Meigs' syndrome caused by an ovarian fibrothecoma and review the relevant literature to raise awareness and avoid misdiagnosis. Case Presentation: An 82-year-old woman with a 2-week history of abdominal distension was admitted to the Department of Gynecology. Ultrasound and thoracoabdominal computed tomography scans showed a left-sided hypoechoic mass in the pelvic cavity with bilateral pleural effusion and massive ascites. The CA125 concentration was 1040 U/mL (normal, 0– 35 U/mL). With a working diagnosis of ovarian malignancy, the patient underwent ultrasound-guided fine-needle puncture of the pelvic mass and paracentesis to drain the ascites. The fine-needle puncture and paracentesis fluid analysis results revealed that the ascites did not contain any tumor cells, and the pelvic mass was identified as a spindle cell tumor. Immunohistochemistry confirmed that it was a sex-cord stromal tumor. Total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral adnexectomy were performed under general anesthesia. The pathology results confirmed the mass to have been an ovarian fibrothecoma. At the 2-month postoperative follow-up, the ascites and hydrothorax had resolved and not recurred, and the CA125 level was normal. Conclusion: Despite the high suspicion of ovarian carcinoma in postmenopausal women presenting with pelvic mass, ascites, pleural effusion, and elevated CA125, Meigs' syndrome should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macroalgae have been a key ecological component of marine ecosystems since the Proterozoic period and are common fossil forms in Cambrian Burgess Shale‐type Lagerstätten. However, in most cases, it is difficult to place these early fossil algae into modern groups because little distinctive morphology is preserved. Here, we describe a new form of macroalgae, Qingjiangthallus cystocarpium gen. & sp. nov., from the Qingjiang biota of South China. The new taxon is represented by 546 specimens remarkably preserved with characteristics that allow a phylogenetic placement into crown groups of red algae. Centimeter‐sized thalli resemble members of the extant Rhodymeniophycidae (a subclass of the class Florideophyceae), and hence suggest a florideophycean affinity, which indicates that ahnfeltiophycidaen and rhodymeniophycidaen algae may have diverged at least 518 Ma, accordant with estimations of molecular studies. The presence of possible cystocarps on Qingjiangthallus thalli suggests that evolutionary innovation of a triphasic life cycle in red algae may have occurred no later than the Early Cambrian. The branching patterns and branch width of Qingjiangthallus are consistent with the coarsely dichotomously branched morphogroup, which was previously present in the Ediacaran, Ordovician, and afterward, but absent in the Cambrian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with osteosarcoma and synchronous lung metastasis (SLM) have poor survival. This study aimed to explore the epidemiology data and construct a predictive nomogram to identify cases at risk of SLM occurrence among pediatric and young adulthood osteosarcoma patients. Methods: All data were extracted from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results 17 registries. The age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) and annual percentage change was evaluated, and reported for the overall population and by age, gender, race, and primary site. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify risk factors associated with SLM occurrence, then significant factors were used to develop the nomogram. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and calibration curve were used to evaluated the predictive power of the nomogram. Survival analysis was assessed by the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test. Multivariate Cox analysis was used to determine the prognostic factors. Results: A total of 278 out of 1965 patients (14.1%) presented with SLM at diagnosis. The ASIR increased significant from 0.46 to 0.66 per 1,000,000 person-years from year 2010 to 2019, with an annual percentage change of 3.5, mainly in patients with age 10–19 years, male and appendicular location. All patients were randomly assigned into train cohort and validation cohort with a spilt of 7:3. In the train cohort, higher tumor grade, bigger tumor size, positive lymph nodes and other site-specific metastases (SSM) were identified as significant risk factors associated with SLM occurrence. Then a nomogram was developed based on the four factors. The AUC and calibration curve in both train and validation cohorts demonstrated that the nomogram had moderate predictive power. The median cancer-specific survival was 25 months. Patients with age 20–39 years, male, positive lymph nodes, other SSM were adverse prognostic factors, while surgery was protective factor. Conclusions: This study performed a comprehensive analysis regarding pediatric and young adulthood osteosarcoma patients had SLM. A visual, clinically operable, and easy-to-interpret nomogram model was developed for predicting the risk of SLM, which could be used in clinic and help clinicians make better decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universal chemotherapy in glioblastoma patients causes chemoresistance and further limits immune cells by creating an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment that are difficult to solve by single‐drug therapeutic approaches. Here, this work designs hybrid drug‐loaded nanoliposomes by co‐loading the chemotherapeutic drug temozolomide (TMZ) and nitric oxide (NO) prodrug JS‐K with sphingosine‐1‐phosphate molecules (S1P) on the surface. The S1P‐S1P receptors axis endows nanoliposomes with rapid targeting and lysosomal escaping capability. Then, fine‐tuned TMZ release and NO gas production following JS‐K release in glioma microenvironment decrease chemoresistance and increase tumor immunogenicity through inhibiting the cellular autophagy as well as inducing mitochondrial dysfunction. RNA sequencing analysis demonstrates that the NO gas generation reprograms glioma microenvironment immune and inflammation‐related pathways. The positive immune response in turn effectively activates the enhanced efficacy of chemotherapy. NO gas generated nanoliposomes thus have attractive paradigm‐shifting applications in the treatment of "cold" tumors across a range of immunosuppressive indications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are crystalline porous polymers with the characteristics of a large specific surface area, controllable pore structures, high stability, and low mass density. Herein, we demonstrate the development of an exogenous coreactant-free electrochemiluminescent sensor based on a hydrazone-linked COF for sensing glucose. We synthesized a TFPPy-DMeTHz-COF with the hydrazone bond as the linkage and 2,5-dimethoxyterephthalohydrazide (DMeTHz) and 1,3,6,8-tetrakis(4-formylphenyl)pyrene (TFPPy) as the monomers. The obtained TFPPy-DMeTHz-COF exhibits high electrochemiluminescence (ECL) efficiency (21.7%) without either the addition of any coreactants or the removal of dissolved O2, and the ECL signal intensity of the TFPPy-DMeTHz-COF is 6.6 and 113-fold higher than those of TFPPy and DMeTHz, respectively. The enhanced ECL emission of the TFPPy-DMeTHz-COF is induced by OH− in PBS, and the ECL signal exhibits linear dependence on the pH value in the range from 3 to 10. When glucose is present, the addition of glucose oxidase (GOx) to the O2-containing solution generates gluconic acid, and the resultant gluconic acid can induce the decrease of the pH value and the quenching of the ECL emission of the TFPPy-DMeTHz-COF. This exogenous coreactant-free electrochemiluminescent sensor exhibits good selectivity, excellent stability, and high sensitivity with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.031 μM, and it can accurately detect glucose in human serum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigation of thermal effects on gas migration behavior in saturated bentonite materials is of great significance for the assessment of long-term safety and performance efficiency of a deep geological repository. In this study, a self-designed experimental apparatus was employed and the systemic water infiltration and subsequent gas injection experiments were performed on compacted GaoMiaoZi (GMZ) bentonite under temperature-controlled flexible conditions. Results show that both the capillary displacement and gas-induced pathway dilation played important roles for advective movement of gas through compacted bentonite, due to the reduction of water content and increases in specimen volume observed during gas injection tests. Experimental results also reveal that gas transport through saturated bentonite was extremely slow with an effective (apparent) gas permeability ranged from 1.12 × 10−23 to 1.25 × 10−22 m2. The confining pressure effects on the effective gas permeability depend on temperature. As the confining pressure increased from 3 to 7 MPa, the effective gas permeability decreased almost one order of magnitude for bentonite tested at 20 °C, while no obvious influence could be observed for higher temperatures. Meanwhile, at a same confining pressure, the impact of the gas injection pressure on the effective gas permeability could be neglected under lower temperature conditions, while the gas permeability showed a constant decreasing trend with increasing gas injection pressure at temperatures of 40 and 60 °C. This observation could be attributed to the relative importance of diffusional and advective gas fluxes at different temperatures. Moreover, as temperature continuously increased, the dominant mechanism for gas advection would convert from the dilatancy-controlled flow to visco-capillary flow under temperature-controlled flexible conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuclear entrance and stability of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), the smallest virus in mammals, are crucial for its infection and replication. However, the mechanisms are not fully understood. Here, we found that the PCV2 virion maintains self-stability via the host importin 5 (IPO5) during infection. Coimmunoprecipitation combined with mass spectrometry and glutathione S-transferase pulldown assays showed that the capsid protein (Cap) of PCV2 binds directly to IPO5. Fine identification demonstrated that the N-terminal residue arginine24 of Cap is the most critical to efficient binding to the proline709 residue of IPO5. Detection of replication ability further showed that IPO5 supports PCV2 replication by promoting the nuclear import of incoming PCV2 virions. Knockdown of IPO5 delayed the nuclear transport of incoming PCV2 virions and significantly decreased the intracellular levels of overexpressed PCV2 Cap, which was reversed by treatment with a proteasome inhibitor or by rescuing IPO5 expression. Cycloheximide treatment showed that IPO5 increases the stability of the PCV2 Cap protein. Taken together, our findings demonstrated that during infection, IPO5 facilitates PCV2 replication by directly binding to the nuclear localization signal of Cap to block proteasome degradation. IMPORTANCE Circovirus is the smallest virus to cause immune suppression in pigs. The capsid protein (Cap) is the only viral structural protein that is closely related to viral infection. The nuclear entry and stability of Cap are necessary for PCV2 replication. However, the molecular mechanism maintaining the stability of Cap during nuclear trafficking of PCV2 is unknown. Here, we report that IPO5 aggregates within the nuclear periphery and combines with incoming PCV2 capsids to promote their nuclear entry. Concurrently, IPO5 inhibits the degradation of newly synthesized Cap protein, which facilitates the synthesis of virus proteins and virus replication. These findings highlight a mechanism whereby IPO5 plays a dual role in PCV2 infection, which not only enriches our understanding of the virus replication cycle but also lays the foundation for the subsequent development of antiviral drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species of the genus Oreolalax displayed crucial morphological characteristics of vertebrates transitioning from aquatic to terrestrial habitats; thus, they can be regarded as a representative vertebrate genus for this landing phenomenon. But the present phylogenetic status of Oreolalax omeimontis has been controversial with morphological and molecular approaches, and specific gene rearrangements were discovered in all six published Oreolalax mitogenomes, which are rarely observed in Archaeobatrachia. Therefore, this study determined the complete mitogenome of O. omeimontis with the aim of identifying its precise phylogenetic position and novel gene arrangement in Archaeobatrachia. Phylogenetic analysis with Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood indicates O. omeimontis is a sister group to O. lichuanensis, which is consistent with previous phylogenetic analysis based on morphological characteristics, but contrasts with other studies using multiple gene fragments. Moreover, although the duplication of trnM occurred in all seven Oreolalax species, the translocation of trnQ and trnM occurred differently in O. omeimontis to the other six, and this unique rearrangement would happen after the speciation of O. omeimontis. In general, this study sheds new light on the phylogenetic relationships and gene rearrangements of Archaeobatrachia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With the increasing coverage of antiretroviral therapy, concerns for the emergence and transmission of HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) are arising. HIVDR was divided into 5 levels: sensitive, potentially resistant, low resistant, intermediate resistant, and high resistant. Most of the articles on HIVDR involved low-level, intermediate-level, and high-level drug resistance to antiretroviral drug, and few articles deal with potential drug resistance. Treatment failure associated with the level of low-level, intermediate-level, and high-level resistance to antiretroviral drug has been reported. However, whether virological failure (VF) is related to potential resistance remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to describe the situation of potential resistance to antiretroviral drug and whether it is related to VF. Methods: We analyzed the demographic, behavioral information, medical history, and drug resistance–associated mutation data from subjects. Drug resistance mutations at baseline and time of failure in patients suffering VF were detected by using the Vela automated next-generation sequencing platform. The χ2 test or Fisher exact test and logistic regression were used to assess the risk factors that contribute to VF in the potential drug-resistant people. Results: The prevalence of overall pretreatment drug resistance was 7.06% (233/3300), and the prevalence of pretreatment potential resistance was 8.79% (290/3300). All these patients with pretreatment potential first-line drugs resistance showed potential resistance to nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), and some of them had potential drug resistance to NNRTIs and NRTIs or NNRTIs and PIs; among these patients, 94.71% (179/189) had V179 D/E mutations. The VF rate of first-line treatment for potentially resistant people is 17.99%. CD4+ T-cell count ≤200 cells/L at antiretroviral therapy initiation are risk factors for the failure of first-line treatment. Conclusions: The prevalence of potential drug resistance among individuals with HIV and the VF rate of first-line treatment for potential drug-resistant people were high. To better optimize clinical management, prevention, and control of HIV, attention should be devoted to the potential resistance of nonnucleoside drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acoustic array bunching is an effective method to realize the directional radiation of underwater plasma sound source (UPSS). The prebreakdown time is one of the decisive factors for the performance of acoustic array bunching. The working characteristics of the underwater plasma sound source and the prebreakdown process of underwater plasma arc discharge are deeply analyzed. The precondition of plasma sound source array bunching is given by analyzing the waveforms of electrical signals and acoustic signals. Through the experiments of arc discharge based on different aqueous solutions, a feasible scheme of underwater plasma sound source array bunching in salt water is proposed. Through the arc discharge experiments based on different system discharge parameters, the variation of prebreakdown time under the influence of different charging voltage, conductivity, and other parameters was studied. The experimental results show that the prebreakdown time decreases with the increase of charging voltage and conductivity. At the same time, the discharge current increases, the oscillation time decreases, and the energy injection rate on the electrode accelerates. The research results are helpful to understand the prebreakdown mechanism of plasma sound source and optimize the underwater plasma sound source array bunching scheme and the acoustic shock wave waveform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Duplicated control regions have been reported several times in the tree frog family Rhacophoridae, and previous studies have mostly relied on sequence analysis to reconstruct their evolution. This is the first study to employ a phylogenetic method to demonstrate the existence of concerted and parallel evolution succinctly and intuitively in the duplicated control regions of the family Rhacophoridae. Phylogenetic relationships were also used to illustrate the parallel evolution of ATP8 loss of function in the genus Polypedates. In general, this study elucidated the evolutionary patterns and pathways of mitochondrial gene rearrangement of the family Rhacophoridae from a phylogenetic perspective, which aids in understanding the evolutionary history of this fascinating tree frog taxon from a molecular evolution standpoint. New developments in sequencing technology and nucleotide analysis have allowed us to make great advances in reconstructing anuran phylogeny. As a clade of representative amphibians that have radiated from aquatic to arboreal habitats, our understanding of the systematic status and molecular biology of rhacophorid tree frogs is still limited. We determined two new mitogenomes for the genus Polypedates (Rhacophoridae): P. impresus and P. mutus. We conducted comparative and phylogenetic analyses using our data and seven other rhacophorid mitogenomes. The mitogenomes of the genera Polypedates, Buergeria, and Zhangixalus were almost identical, except that the ATP8 gene in Polypedates had become a non-coding region; Buergeria maintained the legacy "LTPF" tRNA gene cluster compared to the novel "TLPF" order in the other two genera; and B. buergeri and Z. dennysi had no control region (CR) duplication. The resulting phylogenetic relationship supporting the above gene rearrangement pathway suggested parallel evolution of ATP8 gene loss of function (LoF) in Polypedates and CR duplication with concerted evolution of paralogous CRs in rhacophorids. Finally, conflicting topologies in the phylograms of 185 species reflected the advantages of phylogenetic analyses using multiple loci. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring cost-effective and highly active electrocatalysts is of great significance for sustainable electrochemical NH3 synthesis. Palladium (Pd)-based catalysts have been unanimously considered as one of the most efficient catalysts for the nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR). Herein, self-supported mesoporous Pd film with partial oxidation on Ni foam (mPd-PdO/NF) was synthesized through the micelle-assisted chemical replacement method coupled with air oxidation under 260 °C, and the mPd-PdO/NF electrocatalyst exhibited superior NRR performance with the maximum values of r NH3 (24.8 mg hâˆ'1 mgcat.âˆ'1) and FE (16.64%) were obtained at âˆ'0.1 V, relative to the single counterparts (mPd/NF and mPdO/NF). It is proposed that both metallic Pd and its oxide domains when co-existing with a phase boundary between them can facilitate nitrogen activation and hydrogenation, resulting in an enhanced NRR performance. This work provides an inspiring strategy for the rational design of highly active and durable metalâ€"metalâ€"oxide nanoarchitectonics for ammonia electrosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To ensure the long-term safety and performance efficiency of a deep geological repository for disposal of high-level radioactive waste, understanding and assessment of gas migration behaviour in its engineered barrier system are of significant importance. In this study, a coupled gas transport model is utilised to simulate and to analyse a series of gas injection/breakthrough experiments on saturated bentonite under rigid boundary or constant volume conditions. To explain the laboratory gas migration and breakthrough results, a diffusion and solubility-controlled gas transport mechanism, instead of controversial visco-capillary flow or dilatancy-controlled flow mechanisms, is implemented in the model. The aim is to examine the extent to which this mechanism can describe helium migration and breakthrough behaviours in rigidly confined, saturated bentonite specimens. The predicted results are found to be in good agreement, both qualitatively and quantitatively, with the observed experimental results indicating the adequacy of this mechanism to describe the transport processes. The model represents the gas breakthrough phenomenon as a function of gas solubility. When the dissolved concentration of the injected gas reaches the maximum soluble concentration in the entire porewater domain, gas breakthrough occurs. Since, the system reaches a steady state and no further gas can be dissolved in the rigidly confined specimens, any injected/dissolved gas must be equated by the amount dissipated to comply with the principle of mass conservation. The maximum solution concentrations of helium are predicted to be 2.01 × 10–5, 7.75 × 10–5, 1.07 × 10–4 mol/L for GMZ bentonite specimens with dry densities of 1.3, 1.5 and 1.7 g/cm3, respectively. The analysis of the injection pressure effects on gas migration behaviour revealed that, if sufficient time is permitted, gas breakthrough may occur at pressures lower than the laboratory observed injection pressures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a simple absorber composed of a Fabry–Pérot (FP) cavity and an array of an Au nanodisk is investigated via the temporal coupled-mode theory and numerical simulations, which enable perfect narrow-band absorption in the visible and near-infrared regions. The absorption of the optimized structure exceeds 99.9% at specific wavelengths, which is primarily attributed to the critical coupling between the FP cavity and the Au nanodisk array. Moreover, by modulating the length of the FP cavity, perfect absorption of multiple narrowbands is achieved. Compared with other results, the hybrid structure has the advantages of high efficiency and tunable multiple narrowband absorption in both visible and near-infrared wavebands, as well as excellent angular tolerance. We argue that this hybrid structure provides a promising route to utilize the FP cavity for designing multiple narrow-band absorbers, which can be used as optical filters, thermophotovoltaics, and biosensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agglomeration of fine particles, particularly PM2.5, into larger particles, has been a pivotal focus in the battle against atmospheric haze, garnering significant attention in regions addressing this challenge. In this study, a molecular dynamics (MD) simulations-based approach was proposed for the rapid screening of chemical agents and optimal operating conditions for the improved agglomeration of particulate matter in coal-fired power plants. Our findings reveal a distinct hierarchy in agglomeration effectiveness of chemical agents, with the following order: glucose/mannose > carboxylic acid (-COOH-) > nitrate (-ONO 2) > hydroxyl (-OH) > ester (-COOC-) > aldehyde (-CHO). Additionally, an exploration delves into fifteen water-soluble polymers, including soluble starch, carboxyl methylcellulose, etc. Remarkably, soluble starch emerges as the most promising agent for the agglomeration of fine particles. Through analyses of interaction energy and the Radial Distribution Function, it is evident that neutral conditions and a temperature at 378 K offer the most conducive environment for chemical agglomeration. Empirical experiments confirmed the outstanding performance of soluble starch in the agglomeration of fine particulate matter, resulting in the excellent fine particles agglomeration performance. [Display omitted] • A novel approach fusing MD simulations and tests for agglomeration agent evaluation. • Effectiveness ranking of chemical agglomerant functional groups was obtained. • The study identifies soluble starch and XTG as highly promising agglomerating agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A calculation method for the design of a new earthquake-resilient semi-rigid joint was proposed, and its accuracy was verified through cyclic loading tests. Finite element model analysis was performed to investigate the energy dissipation capacity of the new joint. The deformation characteristics, energy dissipation capacity, and stiffness of energy dissipators with different shapes and lengths were compared. Subsequently, the computational method was improved. The parametric analysis results revealed the excellent seismic performance of the joint; the energy dissipator dissipated more than 75% of the energy. Furthermore, we assessed the influence of the area, shape, and length of the energy dissipators on their energy dissipation capacity. Increasing β (the ratio of the flange to web area in the energy-dissipating core area) and γ (the slenderness ratio of the energy-dissipating core area) resulted in an initial rise in the energy dissipation capacity followed by a decrease. The recommended values for β and γ are 0.67 and 7.71–9.21, respectively. • Novel beam-column joints with recoverable function are proposed, their seismic performance is verified through tests. • A simple and effective method for calculating the load carrying capacity of joints is proposed. • Provide suggested cross-section shapes and length intervals for energy dissipators after finite element analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a critical role in innate and adaptive immune responses. Thus, we aimed to identify ideal subtypes for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) based on immune-related lncRNAs. Methods: TCGA HNSCC cohort was divided into two datasets (training and validation dataset), and 960 previously characterized immune-related lncRNAs were extracted for non-negative matrix factorization analysis. We characterized our HNSCC subtypes based on biological behaviors, immune landscape and response to immunotherapy in both training and validation cohort. A lncRNA-signature was generated to predict our HNSCC subtypes, and essential lncRNAs involved in tumor microenvironment (TME) were identified. Results: We developed and validated two HNSCC subtypes (C1 and C2) based on the 70 lncRNAs in the training and validation cohort. C2 subtype displayed good prognosis, high immune cell infiltration, immune-related genes expression and sensitivity to PD-1 blockade. C1 subtype was associated with high activity of mTORC1 signaling and glycolysis as well as high fraction of inactive immune cells. Finally, we generated a 31-lncRNA signature that could predict our above subtypes with high accurate. Additionally, TRG-AS1 was identified as the essential lncRNA involving TME formation. Knockdown of TRG-AS1 inhibited the expression of HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C, CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL11. High expression of TRG-AS1 indicated a favorable prognosis in HNSCC and anti-PD-L1 cohort (IMvigor210). Conclusions: Our study establishes a novel HNSCC classification on the basis of 31-lncRNA, helping to identify beneficiaries for anti-PD-1 treatment. In addition, a critical lncRNA TRG-AS1 is identified as a new potential prognosis biomarker as well as therapeutic target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that causes toxoplasmosis. Urine is an easily obtained clinical sample that has been widely applied for diagnostic purposes. However, changes in the urinary proteome during T. gondii infection have never been investigated. Methods: Twenty four-hour urine samples were obtained from BALB/c mice with acute infection [11 days post infection (DPI)], mice with chronic infection (35 DPI) and healthy controls, and were analyzed using a label-free liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry analysis. Results: We identified a total of 13,414 peptides on 1802 proteins, of which 169 and 47 proteins were significantly differentially expressed at acute and chronic infection phases, respectively. Clustering analysis revealed obvious differences in proteome profiles among all groups. Gene ontology analysis showed that a large number of differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) detected in acute infection were associated with biological binding activity and single-organism processes. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that the majority of these DEPs were involved in disease-related and metabolic pathways. Conclusions: Our findings revealed global reprogramming of the urine proteome following T.gondii infection, and data obtained in this study will enhance our understanding of the host responses to T. gondii infection and lead to the identification of new diagnostic biomarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stochastic resonance can detect weak periodic signals from strong background noise without loss of signal energy. However, the classical bistable stochastic resonance has the inherent output saturation defect, which limits the detection performance of system. And it is more difficult to detect signal with strong background noise. In this article, we constructed improved unsaturated bistable stochastic resonance to overcome this shortcoming. The improved bistable potential function makes the output signal more easily oscillate in two potential wells. To improve the stability and the accuracy of the method, we further propose an adaptive improved unsaturated bistable stochastic resonance (AIUBSR) by constructing a synthetic index (SI). The SI combines zero‐crossing ratio and structural correlation coefficient, which can measure the periodicity of output signal and the accuracy of detective frequency at the same time. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulations show that the proposed AIUBSR can have good weak signal detection capability in strong background noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While numerous studies have evaluated the real-world performance of rapid antigen tests (RATs), data on the effect of Omicron sublineages such as XBB and reinfections on RAT performance is limited. We assessed the performance of RATs and factors associated with RAT-negative results among individuals who tested SARS-CoV-2-positive by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Methods: We conducted a retrospective study among Singapore residents who underwent testing for SARS-CoV-2 with RAT (Acon Flowflex or SD Biosensor) and RT-PCR in the same clinical encounter between 9 May 2022 and 21 November 2022. RT-PCR served as a reference standard for RAT performance. Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratios (OR) of factors associated with negative RAT results among RT-PCR-positive cases. Results: Of 8,620 clinical encounters analysed, 3,519 (40.8%) were SARS-CoV-2-positive on RT-PCR. Overall sensitivity and specificity of RAT was 84.6% (95% CI 83.3–85.7%) and 99.4% (95% CI 99.1–99.6%) respectively. Acon Flowflex consistently achieved higher sensitivity and specificity than SD Biosensor test kit. Among RT-PCR-positive cases, individuals who had a previous documented SARS-CoV-2 infection, coinfection with another respiratory pathogen or tested ≥ 6 days from symptom onset had higher odds of testing RAT-negative, but the associations were attenuated after adjustment for cycle threshold values (proxy for viral load). There was no significant difference in RAT performance between Omicron sublineages BA.2, BA.5 and XBB.1. Conclusion: Diagnostic performance of RAT was not affected by changes in predominant circulating Omicron sublineages. However, reinfection cases may be under ascertained by RAT. In individuals with a previous SARS-CoV-2 infection episode or symptom onset ≥ 6 days prior to testing, a confirmatory RT-PCR may be considered if there is high clinical suspicion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing multifunctional materials with oil/water separation, dye adsorption, and antibacterial activities presents an enticing prospect for wastewater treatment. In this paper, a three-dimensional (3D) porous cellulose (CE)/quaternized cellulose (QCE) composite aerogel with super-wettability through co-deposition of polydopamine (PDA) and polyethylenimine (PEI) is reported. The PDA/PEI coating endows the aerogel with superhydrophilicity (WCA = 0°), and the QCE act as an anionic dye sorbent at the same time, endowing the material with antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli). Oil/water mixtures can be separated on an as-prepared aerogel with high efficiency (>99%), even when the filtration was repeated 10 times, and the as-prepared aerogel can also separate oil-in-water emulsions. Moreover, the as-prepared aerogel exhibited excellent adsorption performance for alizarin red, with a calculated maximum adsorption capacity of 454.545 mg g−1. Besides, our modification also endowed the aerogel with antibacterial and anti-oil-fouling activities. The inhibition zone test verified the efficient elimination of E. coli. This work may open a new avenue for designing versatile aerogel with multiple functions for waste water remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the gas migration mechanism in an initially saturated bentonite is of great importance for evaluation of the long-term performance of a deep geological repository for disposal of high-level radioactive wastes. Previous researches usually neglect the gas diffusion process, but adopted the advective gas flow theory (visco-capillary flow or dilatant gas flow) to describe the gas transport in the initially water-saturated bentonite clays. In this study, gas migration process was regarded as results of a combination of diffusive transport of dissolved gas through pore water and advective flow along the gas pathways formed in the bentonite matrix. Meanwhile, dilation of the gas flow pathways with variation of the external stress and gas pressure during the advective flow was also considered. Based on this concept, a new model was proposed to describe the advective and diffusive gas transports with consideration of temperature. Validation was conducted using the gas injection tests performed under different boundary conditions in literature. Comparisons show that the diffusion and advection-controlled process provided by the proposed model can effectively simulate gas transport in the compacted GMZ bentonite. For gas migration under lower injection pressures, the contributions of advective gas flow to the gas flux are comparable to that of diffusion. With the increase of the injection pressure, the advective gas fluxes would gradually dominate over the diffusive transport. Meanwhile, predicted degree of saturation of the compacted bentonite is maintained at above 99% during the whole gas migration process, indicating that advective movement of gas was highly discrete in initially saturated bentonite. • Gas migration process was regarded as a combination of diffusive and advective gas flow. • Flow paths dilate with variations of the external stress and gas pressure applied. • A model was proposed to describe the advective and diffusive gas transport with consideration of temperature. • Advective gas flux would gradually dominate over the diffusive transport with increasing injection pressure. • The advective movement of gas was highly discrete in an initially saturated bentonite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MoC/MoO 2 nano dots (QDs) heterostructure and defect engineering can promote each other to deliver electrons to the carbon substrate. Eventually, driven by the electronic modulation of multi-interface, MoC/MoO 2 -NCF can effectively accelerate the overall reaction kinetics. [Display omitted] The design and fabrication of advanced counter electrodes (CEs) for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are limited by the scarcity of active sites and poor durability. Herein, we report the controlled preparation of a heterostructured nanoreactor CE based on defect-rich N -doped carbon nanoflowers (NCF) encapsulating MoC/MoO 2 nano dots (NDs) in a well-defined heterophase (MoC/MoO 2 -NCF). The MoC/MoO 2 NDs were uniformly dispersed on the NCF, and the NCF limited the size of the MoC/MoO 2 NDs and prevented their agglomeration, thus maximizing the electrochemically active surface area of MoC/MoO 2. Moreover, the synergistic effect between the MoC/MoO 2 interface and the N -defects is conducive to the full exposure of the active sites. Furthermore, theoretical calculations revealed that the MoC/MoO 2 heterojunction played a unique role in modulating the electronic structure and regulating the adsorption energy of tri-iodide in the iodide reduction reaction. The MoC/MoO 2 -NCF CEs in DSSCs demonstrated a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 9.92% and high durability, exceeding the PCE (8.36%) and durability of Pt CEs. Overall, this study offers insights into the controlled synthesis of high-performance Mo-based composite CE materials for DSSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Viral nucleic acid testing of intraocular fluid using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a major laboratory examination in the diagnosis of acute retinal necrosis (ARN). Importantly, false negative PCR results may occur in several special situations. We reported a case of ARN with a negative PCR result in the aqueous humour in the very early stages of disease. Case presentation: A female patient presented to the ophthalmologist with complaints of blurred vision and redness in her left eye. Her medical history included ARN in her right eye 10 years prior. Although the result of the aqueous viral analysis by PCR in her left eye was negative the first time (one day after the appearance of ocular symptoms), ARN in her left eye was presumed based on the clinical signs. With timely antiviral and anti-inflammatory treatments, the retinal lesions diminished. The viral load of herpes simplex virus (HSV) turned positive (7.25 × 103 copies/mL) one week later, increased to 2.49 × 105 copies/mL after three weeks, and finally turned negative about five weeks after the onset of disease. The initial HSV-IgG level in the aqueous humour was 0.01 U/mL and increased to 222.64 U/mL in the final sampling. Conclusions: The results of PCR analysis can be negative in the very early stages of ARN. Diagnosis of ARN should be made based on the clinical features, and antiviral treatments should not be delayed. Repeated PCR analysis of the aqueous humour is necessary to confirm the diagnosis and monitor the disease process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A temperature controlled triaxial apparatus was developed for investigating gas transport in geomaterials. • A gas flux detection unit including a microprocessor and four flowmeters was designed to measure gas outflow. • Eddy current sensors were well located for non-contact measurement of specimen deformation. • Verification tests were performed on the developed apparatus using Gaomiaozi (GMZ) bentonite. The gas flow in geological materials with ultra-low permeability can vary dramatically, i. e., from almost no measurable quantity of gas before breakthrough to a massive gas flux at breakthrough. It is a great challenge to realize the whole process measurement of gas transport in saturated geomaterials with ultra-low permeability. In this work, a newly designed temperature-controlled triaxial apparatus was developed. In which, a water-to-gas-exchanger was designed for precise injection of gas at a constant pressure or constant injection rate, due to that water is less compressible and much more difficult to leak through the seal of a regulator. Meanwhile, eddy current sensors and displacement transducer with high resolutions were utilized to accurately measure the specimen deformation at different locations in a non-contact way to explore the mechanism of gas entry and breakthrough. In addition, a gas flow detection device that contains four gas flowmeters with different measurement ranges and can automatically switch between these flowmeters was developed to monitor the gas outflow of the whole process. To validate the performance of the developed apparatus, systematic gas injection tests on Gaomiaozi (GMZ) bentonite were conducted, during which the helium gas was injected in a constant rate. Real-time data on inlet gas pressure, gas outflow rate, stress state (both isotropic and axial stresses) and volume deformation (both axially and radially) were monitored. Results show that the developed apparatus could successfully capture the gas entry and the subsequent breakthrough points of the compacted bentonite with ultralow permeability. For compacted bentonite with high saturation, capillary flow, dilatant flow and interfacial leakage could co-exist during the gas transport process and the dominated mechanism was closely related to the gas injection pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Least squares reverse time migration (LSRTM) imaging is the one of the most accurate methods for migration imaging at present, and Polak–Ribiere–Polyak conjugate gradient (PRPCG) for LSRTM has the good numerical performance but weak convergence, so we construct an optimization factor to improve the iteration direction of the gradient, which can automatically generate a sufficient descent direction. The improved PRPCG (IPRPCG) can reduce the data residual values and speed up the iteration. And the illumination preconditioned (IP) operator is employed to IPRPCG-LSRTM which solves the problem of low resolution due to the insufficient iterative gradient information. In this paper, the experiments show that the imaging results of the proposed method (IPRPCG-IP-LSRTM) is improved greatly in detail characterization and events continuity, the iterative curve converged faster significantly, and the normalized data residual was reduced by 6.55% on average, which improved the accuracy of migration imaging effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate the construction of a dual-mode biosensor based on fully-π conjugated covalent organic framework (COF) and cobalt oxyhydroxide (CoOOH) nanoflakes for electrochemiluminescent (ECL) and electrochemical sensing of alkaline phosphatase (ALP). The fully-π conjugated COF with sp2 carbon-linkage is synthesized through Knoevenagel polycondensation of 2, 5-dimethoxy-terephthalaldehyde (DMTA) and 1,3,5-tris(4-cynomethylphenyl)benzene (TCPB), and it acts as an efficient ECL emitter whose signal is 41 and 125-fold higher than those of TCPB and DMTA. The ECL signal of TCPB-DMTA-COF may be quenched by CoOOH nanoflakes through electrochemiluminescent resonance energy transfer, and meanwhile CoOOH promotes the oxidation of o-phenylenediamine (o -PD) to generate a high differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) signal. When ALP is present, it hydrolyzes L -ascorbic acid-2-phosphate (AAP) to produce L -ascorbic acid (AA). AA can reduce CoOOH to Co2+, resulting in the decomposition of the CoOOH nanoflakes and consequently the recovery of ECL signal and the decrease of DPV peak current. This dual-mode biosensor can efficiently eliminate the errors associated with personnel operation and experimental factors, leading to more reliability and accuracy than single-mode biosensor. Moreover, this dual-mode biosensor can be applied for specifically sensing ALP in human serums and screening the inhibitors, with potential applications in biomedical researches. • We construct a dual-mode biosensor based on fully-π conjugated covalent organic framework and cobalt oxyhydroxide nanoflakes. • This dual-mode biosensor enables electrochemiluminescent and electrochemical sensing of alkaline phosphatase. • This dual-mode biosensor can be applied for specifically sensing ALP in human serums. • This dual-mode biosensor can be used for screening the inhibitors [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical nitrite reduction reaction (NO 2 −RR) to synthesize NH 3 is a green and sustainable technology. Herein, we report porous-rich Pd/CuO nano-olives (Pd/CuO NOs) with heterointerfaces for efficient NO 2 −RR. The porous structure of Pd/CuO NOs provides abundant channels for molecular permeation and increases the accessible active sites between the reactant and the catalyst. More importantly, the Pd/CuO heterointerfaces spontaneously establish a built-in electric field in the interfacial region, which favorably adjusts the electronic structure of Pd and Cu sites and optimizes the adsorption of NO 2 − and reaction intermediates. Benefiting from structural advantages and interfacial engineering, the Pd/CuO NOs exhibit excellent NO 2 −RR performance (NH 3 yield rate: 906.4 μg h−1 mg−1 cat. , NH 3 Faradaic efficiency: 91.8%, NH 3 selectivity: 94.9%) at − 1.5 V. This work provides a powerful route for fabricating porous-rich heterostructures with local charge polarization and provides a promising strategy for design of efficient catalysts for various electrocatalytic and electrosynthesis applications, beyond NO 2 −RR. [Display omitted] • Pd/CuO nano-olives were prepared via a two-step synthesis strategy. • The catalysts possess porous-rich structure and abundant Pd/CuO heterointerfaces. • The catalysts exhibit excellent performance for nitrite reduction reaction. • The strategy provides a novel strategy for preparing porous-rich 2D heterostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Hg0 was removed efficiently from syngas over Fe7SC by adding external O 2. • The introduction of O 2 promoted the oxidation of H 2 S to form S active sites. • Hg0 removal form syngas was proposed to follow the Eley–Rideal mechanism. • HgS was the main mercury species on surface of used sorbent. In this study, a Fe7SC sorbent was prepared via hydrothermal impregnation and used to eliminate Hg0 from simulated syngas. A certain amount of oxygen was introduced to induce targeted H 2 S oxidation to form active surface sulfur species for the enhanced capture of Hg0 over Fe7SC. The effects of the introduced oxygen, temperature, and syngas composition (H 2 S, CO, H 2 , and H 2 O) on Hg0 adsorption performance were investigated. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Hg0-temperature programmed desorption, and density functional theory calculations were performed to elucidate the Hg0 removal mechanism. Fe7SC exhibited a superior Hg0 removal performance (approximately 99.2%) in the presence of H 2 S + O 2 at 150 °C. The interaction between H 2 S and the introduced oxygen was responsible for its superior Hg0 capture capacity. CO and H 2 suppressed Hg0 adsorption, and H 2 O inhibited Hg0 removal owing to competitive adsorption. Results of the Bangham kinetic analysis indicate that Hg0 surface chemisorption is the primary rate-controlling step. Hg0 adsorption on the Fe7SC sorbent may follow the Eley–Rideal mechanism, in which the active sulfur species generated from H 2 S oxidation react with gaseous Hg0 to form HgS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Fe-Ti spinel exhibited more than 92% Hg0 removal efficiency at 120–180 °C. • Hg0 reaction with H 2 S over Fe-Ti spinel followed the Eley-Rideal mechanism. • Reaction pathway of Hg0 capture was proposed according to characterizations and DFT. A magnetic Fe-Ti spinel sorbent was synthesized by the co-precipitation method and applied to remove gaseous Hg0 from syngas. A superior Hg0 removal performance was achieved in the temperature range of 120–180 °C, and the highest an average removal efficiency of was approximately 95% at 150 °C under simulated syngas. H 2 S was adsorbed on the Fe-Ti spinel surface，which generated active sulfur species, and enhanced the Hg0 removal efficiency significantly. CO, H 2 and H 2 O variably suppressed the Hg0 removal performance. H 2 S-pretreatment, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Hg0-temperature programmed desorption (Hg0-TPD) results demonstrated that Hg0 reacted with H 2 S over Fe-Ti spinel followed the Eley-Rideal mechanism, in which gas-phase Hg0 reacted with the active surface sulfur species generated from H 2 S oxidation and formed surface-bonded HgS. The surface Fe3+ and surface-active oxygen species were involved in the H 2 S and Hg0 adsorption and transformation process. Stability and regeneration cycling experiments indicated that Fe-Ti spinel exhibited excellent stability for Hg removal and great regeneration ability. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations showed that H 2 S underwent strong chemisorption on the Fe-Ti spinel surface with an adsorption energy of −116.988 kJ/mol, and then H 2 S further dissociated on the sorbent surface to generate active sulfur species, which reacted strongly with gas-phase Hg0 to form HgS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The performance changes of an engineering ship with one mooring line failure are analyzed through a fully coupled dynamic analysis program, which can consider the coupling effect between the structure motion and mooring line dynamics. • Full OTF method and Newman's approximation method are compared to calculate the second-order wave excitation force. • The relationship between the spectral peak period and the STD of the slow-drift motion is analyzed. • The suspending length of the mooring line is used to analyze the tension variation of the remaining mooring lines under damaged mooring conditions. • The transient effect of the slow-drift motions is observed through the transient and non-transient simulations. This paper analyzed the performance changes of an engineering ship with mooring line failure. The nonlinear numerical model of the hull-mooring system was established through a fully coupled dynamic analysis program - ANSYS/AQWA. At a certain time, one of the four mooring lines was intentionally disconnected. The dynamic responses of the ship, the mooring line tension and the transient effects of the slow-drift motions with mooring line failure were investigated in detail under the environmental conditions. After a series of numerical simulations were conducted, the results showed that the accidental failure of one mooring line changes the watch circle of the ship and causes the tension redistribution of the damaged mooring system. In addition, the results also indicated that the current practice should consider the transient effects after the mooring line breaks because it may cause the transient overshoot of the slow-drift motion. Consequently, it is necessary to evaluate the safety condition of the ship with mooring line failure in advance. This study could give a profound understanding of the influence of mooring line failure and have reference value in the design of the mooring system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a deep geological repository for disposal of high-level radioactive waste, understanding of gas migration behavior in bentonite materials is one of the most important issues for safety assessment of the repository. This study tries to provide insights into gas transport properties in saturated bentonite tested under a constant-volume condition using the residual capillary pressure (RCP) technique. In this regard, a test setup was developed and gas injection tests were conducted on saturated GaoMiaoZi (GMZ) bentonite specimens using the RCP technique. Among which, some specimens that experienced initial gas breakthrough processes were re-saturated and re-submitted to conduct the subsequent gas injection tests. During the tests, gas permeability and gas breakthrough pressures were measured. Gas migration mechanism at lower gas injection pressures was analyzed and the influence of repetitive breakthroughs on sealing efficiency of saturated GMZ bentonite was discussed. Results show that as dry density increases from 1.3 to 1.7 g/cm3, gas breakthrough pressure increases from 1.37 to 8.56 MPa. Explanations to this conclusion could be that with increasing dry density, the proportion of large pores decreases and the strongly adsorbed water on the surface of minerals increases, leading to harder capillary displacement of pore water and thus a higher gas breakthrough pressure. Meanwhile, both diffusion and advection could play significant roles during the gas migration process at lower injection pressures, while advection could gradually become the dominant transport mechanism as gas injection pressures increase to higher values. Finally, after experienced a gas breakthrough process, the breakthrough pressure of compacted bentonite specimen might not recover to its initial value by re-saturating the specimen, indicating that degradation of sealing capacity of the bentonite materials induced by gas breakthrough process is irreversible. • Gas migration mechanism was explored using the residual capillary pressure (RCP) technique. • Maximum effective gas permeability is closely related to the proportion of large pores in the specimen. • Both diffusion and advection are important during the gas migration process at lower injection pressures. • Sealing capacity degradation of the bentonite induced by gas breakthrough process is irreversible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providing stable and reliable power supply for offshore equipment with special power requirements, such as marine data platforms and marine buoys far away from the coast is currently topical research issue. At present, most of these devices use photovoltaic power generation or install high-capacity batteries and carry out regular replacement of electricity supply schemes. Due to the high dependence of photovoltaic power generation on solar radiation and the high cost arising from frequent battery replacements, wave energy is considered as a solution. Wave energy converters (WECs) are devices that convert the energy stored in waves into electrical energy, and its main advantage is the sustainable supply of electricity. In this article, a new built-in wave energy converter with high reliability and low maintenance costs is proposed and investigated for marine data buoys. Its core is a direct-drive energy conversion unit based on a magnetic lead screw design. The device can passively follow the pitching state of the buoy under the impact of waves to maximize its power generation. The proposed WEC is introduced and investigated through model analysis and prototype experiments. The experimental results confirm the power generation performance of a 50 kg power generation prototype and show the advantages of the proposed device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fixed gravity-based structure (GBS) platform has been widely constructed offshore in support of exploring and drilling activities for oil and gas industry. The aim of the present study is to investigate the wave-induced instantaneous liquefaction of a poro-elastic seabed around a GBS offshore platform, including the consideration of the effect from the platform deck. Our approach is using an integrated three-dimensional numerical model that developed based on the Finite Volume method (FVM) in OpenFOAM. In addition, a protection system for the GBS platform has been proposed and its effect on the prevention of the wave-induced momentary liquefaction have been demonstrated. A series of simulations are performed, including a consolidation process, the fluid–structure–seabed interactions and the wave-induced liquefaction and shear failure near the GBS. Numerical results reveal that the proposed protection system can significantly reduce the wave forces and the liquefaction depth in front of the platform. The parametric study reveals that the wave height and current velocity have significant impact on the seabed liquefaction in the vicinity of the GBS offshore platform. The protecting effect of the protection piles decreases with increasing of the column spacing and the distance from the GBS. • A 3D model for Fluid–Seabed–Structure Interactions around a gravity-based offshore platform. • Wave over-topping increases wave force on structure and liquefaction in front of a platform deck. • The proposed protection system will reduce maximum liquefaction depth at the toe of the GBS platform by 15.4%. • A variation of protection with special-shape piles better prevents seabed liquefaction. • The protecting effect of the piles decrease with increase of column spacing and distance from the GBS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) offers cloud computing capabilities at the edge of the network. Growing demand for low-latency services requires Service Function Chains (SFCs) to be scaled up beyond MEC network to core network. To adapt to network dynamics and provide low-latency services, being able to migrate SFCs when needed is of paramount importance. However, migration of SFCs among edge and core networks such that average latency is optimized as well as considering resource consumption is an intractable challenge because improper migration of Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) results in failure of meeting the requirements of network policies. In this paper, we investigate SFCs in edge-core networks and model the Latency-aware Edge-Core SFCs Migration problem based on open Jackson networks. Two SFC migration algorithms, i.e., Profit-driven Heuristic Search (PHS) and Average Utilization Based (AUB), are proposed to efficiently optimize average latency of all SFCs in edge-core networks. Extensive evaluation results show that PHS optimizes average latency by 19.5%, while AUB can further reduce average latency by up to 36.9% by allowing a marginally higher number of VNF migrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical experiments are conducted in a large-scale wave flume to investigate the nonlinear states of an oscillating water column in waves. A four-state classification (sloshing, piston, freak, and trapping states) is proposed to characterize the free-surface behaviors in the cylindrical chamber. The error range of the linearized potential-flow theory for the description of the sloshing- and piston-state internal wave motion is evaluated. This study, for the first time, identifies the phenomenon of freak-state resonance, which features a steep surface hump with wave overturning or water jets in the cylindrical chamber. This special resonance is triggered by the second-order nonlinear component of the incident waves, which cannot be predicted by the analytical solution. The transverse waves observed in the trapping state cannot be analytically predicted, neither. The instantaneous free surface in the cylinder is reconstructed using the Delaunay-refinement algorithm to investigate the volume fluctuation of the water body in the cylinder. A detrending procedure is applied to decompose each volume fluctuation history into trend and oscillatory components. The analytical solution accurately describes the amplitude of the oscillatory component in the sloshing state but overpredicts that in the piston state. The relationship between histories of the volume fluctuation of the internal water body and the measured wave elevation is identified in sloshing and piston states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a strategy of anti-freezing organic hydrogel system is proposed, which can be used as a medical gel dressing for the prevention and treatment of frostbite in extra cold regions. The supramolecular polymer organic hydrogel is a double network gel dressing. β-Cyclodextrin and azobenzene groups form the first supramolecular network through supramolecular host-guest interaction, and acrylamide copolymerization with crosslinker forms the second layer of covalent network. Compared with acrylamide hydrogels, the stress required to reach the same strain at –25°C is 12 times higher than that at 25°C, while the stress required by organic hydrogels at the same conditions slightly changes, indicating that organic hydrogels also show good flexibility at low temperatures. At the same time, double-network organic hydrogel could recover to 70% of original tensile capacity after self-healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Since the last local case of diphtheria in 1992, there had not been any case in Singapore until an autochthonous case was reported in 2017. This fatal diphtheria case of a migrant worker raised concerns about the potential re-emergence of locally transmitted toxigenic diphtheria in Singapore. We conducted a seroprevalence study to assess the immunity levels to diphtheria among migrant workers in Singapore. Methods: Residual sera from migrant workers who hailed from Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines were tested for anti-diphtheria toxoid immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies. These migrant workers previously participated in a survey between 2016 and 2019 and had provided blood samples as part of the survey procedure. Results: A total of 2176 migrant workers were included in the study. Their overall mean age was 27.1 years (standard deviation 5.0), range was 20–43 years. The proportion having at least basic protection against diphtheria (antitoxin titres ≥ 0.01 IU/ml) ranged from 77.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 72.8 – 82.3%) among migrant workers from Bangladesh to 96.7% (95% CI 92.5 – 98.6%) in those hailing from Malaysia. The proportion showing full protection (antitoxin titres ≥ 0.10 IU/ml) ranged from 10.1% (95% CI 6.5 – 15.4%) in Chinese workers to 23.0% (95% CI 17.1 – 30.3%) in Malaysian workers. There were no significant differences in the proportion with at least basic protection across birth cohorts, except for those from Bangladesh where the seroprevalence was significantly lower in younger migrant workers born after 1989. Conclusions: The proportions having at least basic protection against diphtheria in migrant workers from five out of seven Asian countries (India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines) were higher than 85%, the threshold for diphtheria herd immunity. Seroprevalence surveys should be conducted periodically to assess the level of immunity against diphtheria and other vaccine preventable diseases in migrant worker population, so that appropriate interventions such as booster vaccination can be implemented proactively to prevent sporadic outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • We report in situ nonlinear microscopic images on plasmon-enhanced CARS and plasmon-Induced TPEF of non-fluorescent microorganism. • Our unique synthesized Au@Ag nanorods provide with two distinct SPR at 400 and 800 nm, respectively, which can efficiently induce linear fluorescence signals of E. coli. • Our unique synthesized Au@Ag nanorods can enhance TPEF, and CARS imaging of E. coli and S. aureus. • Furthermore, calculations with CASSCF reveals the hot electrons of SPs can efficiently induce the biological fluorescence of non-fluorescent flavin nucleotides on the surface of E. coli. • This novel mechanism is expected to guide the development and application of new microbial detection reagents. • Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria can be well distinguished by nonlinear microscopic imaging of the CARS signal at 1589 cm-1. • Benefit by the strong penetrability of non-linear optical signals, it is expected to realize in situ real-time detection and classification of pathogenic microbial infections in vivo. In this work, we report in situ nonlinear microscopic images on plasmon-enhanced coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) and plasmon-Induced two-photon excited fluorescence （TPEF)of non-fluorescent microorganism. Our unique synthesized Au@Ag nanorods provide with two distinct surface-plasmon resonance (SPR) at 400 and 800 nm, respectively, which can efficiently induce linear fluorescence signals of E. coli but also enhance the nonlinear optical spectroscopy signals of TPEF, and coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) imaging of E. coli and S. aureus. Furthermore, calculations with complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) reveals the hot electrons of SPs can efficiently induce the biological fluorescence of non-fluorescent flavin nucleotides on the surface of E. coli. This novel mechanism is expected to guide the development and application of new microbial detection reagents. Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria can be well distinguished by nonlinear microscopic imaging of the CARS signal at 1589 cm−1. Benefit by the strong penetrability of non-linear optical signals, it is expected to realize in situ real-time detection and classification of pathogenic microbial infections in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a 3D model is developed to investigate the foundation stability around breakwaters at a river mouth, where both ocean waves and river currents are considered. The present model consists of flow and seabed sub-models. In the flow sub-model, the VARANS equations is used to describe hydrodynamic process, while the dynamic u − p approximation is employed in the seabed sub-model. Based on the integrated model, both oscillatory and residual liquefaction phenomenon is investigated by adopting the poro-elastic and poro-elastoplastic seabed models, respectively. The numerical results reveal that the breakwaters at the river mouth with the river current significantly alter the hydrodynamic properties around breakwater heads. Furthermore, the dynamic soil responses and liquefaction zones predicted by the poro-elastic and poro-elastoplastic seabed models show the completely different development trend, which the latter seabed has more intense and severe reactions. The parametric study indicates that the breakwater foundation is more likely to be liquefied in a loosely deposited soil under larger waves. The river currents can exacerbate the liquefaction condition in the region near breakwater heads. In addition, the pore pressure is smaller in front of a milder slope of breakwater flank and a round breakwater head with a smooth slope. • 3D poro-elastoplastic model for stability analysis around breakwater heads at a river mouth. • The soil liquefaction is more serious in a poro-elastoplastic seabed than a poro-elastic seabed. • The breakwater foundation is likely to be liquefied in loosely seabed with poor drainage condition. • The river currents can exacerbate the liquefaction around breakwater heads. • A milder slope of breakwater flank can prevent liquefaction around it to some extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dots (CDs) are known as the rising star of carbon-based nanomaterials and, by virtue of their unique structure and fascinating properties, they have attracted considerable interest in different fields such as biological sensing, drug delivery, photodynamic therapy, photocatalysis, and solar cells in recent years. Particularly, the outstanding electronic and optical properties of the CDs have attracted increasing attention in biomedical and photocatalytic applications owing to their low toxicity, biocompatibility, excellent photostability, tunable fluorescence, outstanding efficient up-converted photoluminescence behavior, and photo-induced electron transfer ability. This article reviews recent progress on the synthesis routes and optical properties of CDs as well as biomedical and photocatalytic applications. Furthermore, we discuss an outlook on future and potential development of the CDs based biosensor, biological dye, biological vehicle, and photocatalysts in this booming research field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report external electric field manipulates sequential and super-exchange charge transfer in donor-bridge-acceptor (D-B-A) system in two-photon absorption (TPA). Our results reveal that the orientation and absorption strength of sequential and super-exchange charge transfer excitons can be well manipulated in D-B-A system in TPA. The energy levels and absorption intensity of electronic transitions in one-photon absorption (OPA), as the intermediate state in TPA, are strongly influenced by external electric field, which provides a great opportunity for strong absorption with different charge transfer characteristics in TPA of D-B-A. Also, the optical properties of lowest charge transfer excited state under different external electric fields are also investigated in OPA. Our results can provide deeper understanding of external electric field in controlling sequential and super-exchange charge transfer in D-B-A system in TPA. [Display omitted] • External electric field manipulates sequential and super-exchange charge transfer in donor-bridge-acceptor (D-B-A) system in two-photon absorption (TPA). • The orientation and absorption strength of sequential and super-exchange charge transfer excitons can be well manipulated in D-B-A system in TPA. • The electronic transitions in one-photon absorption (OPA), as the intermediate state in TPA, are strongly influenced by external electric field. • The optical properties of lowest charge transfer excited state under different external electric fields are also investigated in OPA. • Our results can provide deeper understanding of external electric field in controlling sequential and super-exchange charge transfer in D-B-A system in TPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasingly stringent pollutant emission standards pose a new challenge to the control of air pollutants in China's iron and steel industry (ISI). This study quantified and compared the environmental and economic effects of three typical sintering flue gas ultra-low emission treatment technologies in China's ISI, namely, semi-dry flue gas desulfurization + semi-dry flue gas denitration with O 3 + bag filter (SSOB), wet flue gas desulfurization + wet electrostatic precipitator + selective catalytic reduction denitration (WWS), and semi-dry flue gas desulfurization + bag filter + selective catalytic reduction denitration (SBS) by conducting a life cycle assessment coupled with life cycle costing method. Using 1 ton of sinter as the functional unit and "cradle to gate" as the system boundary, the environmental impact of the three treatment technologies is 0.1822, 0.1298, and 0.117, respectively and the total economic cost is 11.622, 10.353, and 10.435 RMB, respectively. The ozone oxidation, semi-dry flue gas desulfurization (FGD), and semi-dry flue gas denitration processes are the key processes of SSOB with electricity, liquid oxygen, and sodium sulfite as key substances. Wet flue gas desulfurization process and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) denitration process are the key processes in WWS while electricity is the key substance. Semi-dry FGD and SCR denitration are the key processes in SBS, with electricity and lime as the key substances. SBS has optimal environmental performance, while WWS has lowest economic costs. Optimization suggestions for each technology are presented based on the influence degree of key processes. The research findings will be valuable for the selection and optimization of ultra-low emission technologies of ISI. [Display omitted] • Environmental impact of SSOB, WWS, SBS for sintering flue gas are compared via LCA. • Power contributes the most to the environmental impact of the three technologies. • SSOB technology has the largest environmental impact and economic costs. • SBS has the best environmental benefits, while WWS has the best economic costs. • The systematic optimization scheme is proposed based on the research findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pt/CoO x -Ov catalysts with appropriate oxygen vacancy coordination and Pt particles size exhibit enhanced catalytic activity and selectivity toward α, β-unsaturated aldehyde hydrogenation reaction due to the synergy between Pt and oxygen vacancy. [Display omitted] • Pt/CoO x -Ov catalysts with adjustable oxygen vacancy (Ov) and Pt size are synthesized by ALD. • The Pt-Ov synergy and dual-site hydrogenation through hydrogen spillover were demonstrated. • The variation of Ov has an important influence on the selectivity of unsaturated alcohol. • The optimized Pt40/CoO x -Ov catalysts with appropriate Ov and Pt size present excellent activity and selectivity. Constructing high-efficiency catalysts with high activity and selectivity is the long-term pursuit in heterogeneous catalysis field. Metal–oxygen vacancy (Ov) synergy provides a promising route to realizing the goal. In this study, the Pt/CoO x catalysts with Pt–Ov dual sites are designed by atomic layer deposition (ALD) for selective hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde, and the Ov property, Pt size and the spatial relationship of Pt and CoO x can be well modulated. Experimental and theoretical investigations indicate that the substrate and hydrogen can be activated on Ov and Pt nanoparticles, respectively. The Ov introduced by ALD not only preferentially activates C O bond of CALD to achieve high selectivity to CALA, but also enhances the ability to dissociate hydrogen on Pt nanoparticles through Pt-Ov electron transfer. Importantly, the optimized Pt40/CoO x -Ov catalysts with suitable Ov coordination and Pt sizes (2.5 nm) show lower adsorption energy for reactant molecules, obtaining significantly enhanced activity with a turnover frequency value of 202.5 mol CALD ·mol Pt -1·min−1 and obviously improved selectivity of desired products (93 %). This work offers a fundamental understanding of Pt–Ov synergy toward hydrogenation of unsaturated compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) can cause a variety of malignancies. Ganciclovir (GCV) is one of the most efficient drugs against KSHV, but its non-specificity can cause other side effects in patients. Nucleic acid miR-34a-5p can inhibit the transcription of KSHV RNA and has great potential in anti-KSHV therapy, but there are still problems such as easy degradation and low delivery efficiency. Here, we constructed a co-loaded dual-drug nanocomplex (GCV@ZIF-8/PEI-FA+miR-34a-5p) that contains GCV internally and adsorbs miR-34a-5p externally. The folic acid (FA)-coupled polyethyleneimine (PEI) coating layer (PEI-FA) was shown to increase the cellular uptake of the nanocomplex, which is conducive to the enrichment of drugs at the KSHV infection site. GCV and miR-34a-5p are released at the site of the KSHV infection through the acid hydrolysis characteristics of ZIF-8 and the "proton sponge effect" of PEI. The co-loaded dual-drug nanocomplex not only inhibits the proliferation and migration of KSHV-positive cells but also decreases the mRNA expression level of KSHV lytic and latent genes. In conclusion, this co-loaded dual-drug nanocomplex may provide an attractive strategy for antiviral drug delivery and anti-KSHV therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 2019, two clusters of measles cases were reported in migrant worker dormitories in Singapore. We conducted a seroprevalence study to measure the level of susceptibility to measles among migrant workers in Singapore.Methods: Our study involved residual sera of migrant workers from seven Asian countries (Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines) who had participated in a survey between 2016 and 2019. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody levels were first measured using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test kit. Those with equivocal or negative IgG results were further evaluated using plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT).Results: A total of 2234 migrant workers aged 20-49 years were included in the study. The overall prevalence of measles IgG antibodies among migrant workers from the seven Asian countries was 90.5% (95% confidence interval 89.2-91.6%). The country-specific seroprevalence ranged from 80.3 to 94.0%. The seroprevalence was significantly higher among migrant workers born in 1965-1989 than those born in 1990-1999 (95.3% vs. 86.6%, p < 0.0005), whereas there was no significant difference by gender (90.8% in men vs. 89.9% in women, p = 0.508). 195 out of 213 samples with equivocal or negative ELISA results were tested positive using PRNT.Conclusion: The IgG seroprevalence in migrant workers was below the herd immunity threshold of 95% for measles. Sporadic outbreaks may occur in susceptible individuals due to high transmissibility of measles virus. Seroprevalence surveys can help identify susceptible subgroups for vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Since the last local case of diphtheria in 1992, there had not been any case in Singapore until an autochthonous case was reported in 2017. This fatal diphtheria case of a migrant worker raised concerns about the potential re-emergence of locally transmitted toxigenic diphtheria in Singapore. We conducted a seroprevalence study to assess the immunity levels to diphtheria among migrant workers in Singapore.Methods: Residual sera from migrant workers who hailed from Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines were tested for anti-diphtheria toxoid immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies. These migrant workers previously participated in a survey between 2016 and 2019 and had provided blood samples as part of the survey procedure.Results: A total of 2176 migrant workers were included in the study. Their overall mean age was 27.1 years (standard deviation 5.0), range was 20-43 years. The proportion having at least basic protection against diphtheria (antitoxin titres ≥ 0.01 IU/ml) ranged from 77.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 72.8 - 82.3%) among migrant workers from Bangladesh to 96.7% (95% CI 92.5 - 98.6%) in those hailing from Malaysia. The proportion showing full protection (antitoxin titres ≥ 0.10 IU/ml) ranged from 10.1% (95% CI 6.5 - 15.4%) in Chinese workers to 23.0% (95% CI 17.1 - 30.3%) in Malaysian workers. There were no significant differences in the proportion with at least basic protection across birth cohorts, except for those from Bangladesh where the seroprevalence was significantly lower in younger migrant workers born after 1989.Conclusions: The proportions having at least basic protection against diphtheria in migrant workers from five out of seven Asian countries (India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines) were higher than 85%, the threshold for diphtheria herd immunity. Seroprevalence surveys should be conducted periodically to assess the level of immunity against diphtheria and other vaccine preventable diseases in migrant worker population, so that appropriate interventions such as booster vaccination can be implemented proactively to prevent sporadic outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Since the last local case of diphtheria in 1992, there had not been any case in Singapore until an autochthonous case was reported in 2017. This fatal diphtheria case of a migrant worker raised concerns about the potential re-emergence of locally transmitted toxigenic diphtheria in Singapore. We conducted a seroprevalence study to assess the immunity levels to diphtheria among migrant workers in Singapore. Methods: Residual sera from migrant workers who hailed from Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines were tested for anti-diphtheria toxoid immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies. These migrant workers previously participated in a survey between 2016 and 2019 and had provided blood samples as part of the survey procedure. Results: A total of 2176 migrant workers were included in the study. Their overall mean age was 27.1 years (standard deviation 5.0), range was 20–43 years. The proportion having at least basic protection against diphtheria (antitoxin titres ≥ 0.01 IU/ml) ranged from 77.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 72.8 – 82.3%) among migrant workers from Bangladesh to 96.7% (95% CI 92.5 – 98.6%) in those hailing from Malaysia. The proportion showing full protection (antitoxin titres ≥ 0.10 IU/ml) ranged from 10.1% (95% CI 6.5 – 15.4%) in Chinese workers to 23.0% (95% CI 17.1 – 30.3%) in Malaysian workers. There were no significant differences in the proportion with at least basic protection across birth cohorts, except for those from Bangladesh where the seroprevalence was significantly lower in younger migrant workers born after 1989. Conclusions: The proportions having at least basic protection against diphtheria in migrant workers from five out of seven Asian countries (India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines) were higher than 85%, the threshold for diphtheria herd immunity. Seroprevalence surveys should be conducted periodically to assess the level of immunity against diphtheria and other vaccine preventable diseases in migrant worker population, so that appropriate interventions such as booster vaccination can be implemented proactively to prevent sporadic outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The power of online social networks to propagate information within communities and from one community to the next is undeniable. Both network structure and information propagation affect each other; they restrict and cooperate with each other. However, they can also dynamically reshape the network topology of user's social relationship in this process. The above process ultimately forms a feedback loop: the network structure affects how information spreads, while information propagation reshapes network topologies, so both evolve in concert over time. Using information propagation trees (IPT) of posts from the Sina Weibo microblogging site, we conducted a null model-based analysis to determine the influence of community structures on information propagation. We first generated randomized copies of the IPTs and then mined community structures from the originals and copies for comparison. An in-depth examination of the results in terms of improved significant profile, the length of information propagation path, and the relevance of the nodes in the propagation path indirectly reveals the inhibitory effect of community structures on information propagation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]