Search

Objective: To identify major contributors, current research status, and to forecast research trends and future development prospects on acupuncture and moxibustion therapy for herpes zoster (HZ) and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). Methods: A systematic search was conducted on the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Weipu, WanFang databases, and the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC), PubMed, and Scopus databases. The search strategy included relevant terms for HZ, PHN, acupuncture, and moxibustion. The reference type was limited to articles or reviews, with a publication date from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2023. Data analysis was performed using CiteSpace software, focusing on author, institution, source, and keyword distributions, and temporal trends. Results: A total of 1612 publications were identified from both Chinese and English databases. The analysis revealed a rising trend in publication numbers in the English database, with a significant increase observed in 2020. In the Chinese database, publication activity exhibited two peaks in 2019 and 2023. Guohua Lin and Jingchun Zeng were the most prolific authors in the Chinese and English databases, respectively. The Chengdu University of TCM and Zhejiang Chinese Medicine University were the most active institutions. The keyword analysis revealed "herpes zoster" as the most frequent keyword in the Chinese database, while "postherpetic neuralgia," "acupuncture," and "management" were prominent in the English database. The study also identified several therapeutic approaches, including fire needle therapy and electroacupuncture, which have shown efficacy in treating HZ and PHN. Animal studies provided insights into the mechanisms of these therapies, suggesting potential modulation of neuroinflammatory markers and intracellular signaling pathways. Conclusion: The bibliometric analysis underscores the growing interest in acupuncture and moxibustion therapy for HZ and PHN. It highlights the contributions of key authors and institutions while pinpointing potential areas for future research. The study advocates for the necessity of large‐scale, multi‐center clinical trials and further basic mechanical research to optimize these therapies. Moreover, it also emphasizes the importance of international collaboration to strengthen the evidence base and expand the global impact of this traditional treatment modality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to explore the incidence of occult lymph node metastasis (OLM) in clinical T1 − 2N0M0 (cT1 − 2N0M0) small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients and develop machine learning prediction models using preoperative intratumoral and peritumoral contrast-enhanced CT-based radiomic data. Methods: By conducting a retrospective analysis involving 242 eligible patients from 4 centeres, we determined the incidence of OLM in cT1 − 2N0M0 SCLC patients. For each lesion, two ROIs were defined using the gross tumour volume (GTV) and peritumoral volume 15 mm around the tumour (PTV). By extracting a comprehensive set of 1595 enhanced CT-based radiomic features individually from the GTV and PTV, five models were constucted and we rigorously evaluated the model performance using various metrics, including the area under the curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA). For enhanced clinical applicability, we formulated a nomogram that integrates clinical parameters and the rad_score (GTV and PTV). Results: The initial investigation revealed a 33.9% OLM positivity rate in cT1 − 2N0M0 SCLC patients. Our combined model, which incorporates three radiomic features from the GTV and PTV, along with two clinical parameters (smoking status and shape), exhibited robust predictive capabilities. With a peak AUC value of 0.772 in the external validation cohort, the model outperformed the alternative models. The nomogram significantly enhanced diagnostic precision for radiologists and added substantial value to the clinical decision-making process for cT1 − 2N0M0 SCLC patients. Conclusions: The incidence of OLM in SCLC patients surpassed that in non-small cell lung cancer patients. The combined model demonstrated a notable generalization effect, effectively distinguishing between positive and negative OLMs in a noninvasive manner, thereby guiding individualized clinical decisions for patients with cT1 − 2N0M0 SCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stability is the most pressing challenge hindering the commercialization of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), and previous efforts focused more on enhancing the resistance of PSCs to external stimulus. Here, we found that the indium tin oxide (ITO) will deteriorate the photovoltaic performance of PSCs through positive feedback cycles. Specifically, the perovskite degradation products will cross the electron transport layer to chemically etch the electrode ITO to generate In3+, which will migrate upwards into the perovskite film. Then, the reaction that corrodes ITO consumes the decomposition products of perovskite and shifts the balance of the perovskite decomposition reaction, further promoting the degradation and thus falling into a positive feedback cycle. Moreover, the In3+ in the perovskite film was found to accumulate at the upper surface, which would lead to n‐type doping of perovskite film to form the energy barrier for interface carrier extraction. Subsequently, the chelating molecule ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt (EDTA‐2Na) was introduced onto ITO to firmly chelate the In3+ and prevent it from migrating upward, thus breaking this internal positive feedback cycle and significantly enhancing the efficiency and stability of PSCs. This work provides new perspectives for understanding the mechanism of photovoltaic performance loss and ionic transport in PSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reflection in the image not only significantly reduces the image quality, but also seriously affects the subsequent computer vision tasks. So proposed a single image reflection removal cascaded algorithm using non local correlation and contrast constraint. This algorithm utilizes a dual-branch approach for LSTM-based information propagation across cascades. It employs reflection and background features to complement each other and iteratively refine prediction accuracy, ensuring mutual enhancement of the two branches' prediction results. To facilitate training for multiple cascade steps, a positivenegative contrastive regularization loss is introduced. This loss treats background images and original images' features as positive and negative samples, respectively. This ensures that the target image is brought closer to the background image while moving away from the original image in the representation space, narrowing the prediction range and effectively alleviating the ill-posed problem. Additionally, an efficient, low-computational-cost non-local correlation prediction module is proposed, capable of capturing contextual information for all pixels along cross paths. Through further cascade operations, each pixel captures long-distance dependencies across the entire image, enabling the use of surrounding point information to predict background information obscured by strong reflections. Experimental results demonstrate that, compared to current algorithms, the proposed algorithm achieves superior results and exhibits robust performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell (UCMSC) transplantation has been deeply explored for premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) disease. However, the associated mechanism remains to be researched. To explore whether and how the microRNA 21 (miR-21) functions in POI mice with UCMSCs transplantation, the autoimmune-induced POI mice model was built up, transplanted with or without UCMSCs transfect with the LV-hsa-miR-21-5p/LV-hsa-miR-21-5p-inhibition, with the transfection efficiency analyzed by QRT-PCR. Mice hormone secretion and the anti-Zona pellucida antibody (AZPAb) levels were analyzed, the ovarian morphological changes and folliculogenesis were observed, and the ovarian apoptosis cells were detected to evaluate ovarian function. The expression and localization of the PTEN/Akt/FOXO3a signal pathway-related cytokines were analyzed in mice ovaries. Additionally, the spleen levels of CD8 + CD28-T cells were tested and qualified with its significant secretory factor, interleukin 10 (IL-10). We found that with the LV-hsa-miR-21-5p-inhibition-UCMSCs transplantation, the mice ovarian function can be hardly recovered than mice with LV-NC-UCMSCs transplantation, and the PTEN/Akt/FOXO3a signal pathway was activated. The expression levels of the CD8 + CD28-T cells were decreased, with the decreased levels of the IL-10 expression. In contrast, in mice with the LV-hsa-miR-21-5p-UCMSCs transplantation, the injured ovarian function can be reversed, and the PTEN/AKT/FOXO3a signal pathway was detected activated, with the increased levels of the CD8 + CD28-T cells, and the increased serum levels of IL-10. In conclusion, miR-21 improves the ovarian function recovery of POI mice with UCMSCs transplantation, and the mechanisms may be through suppressing the PTEN/AKT/FOXO3a signal pathway and up-regulating the circulating of the CD8 + CD28-T cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes is a chronic medical condition that may induce complications such as poor wound healing. Stem cell therapies have shown promise in treating diabetic wounds with pre‐clinical and clinical studies. However, little bibliometric analysis has been carried out on stem cells in the treatment of diabetic wounds. In this study, we retrieved relevant papers published from January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2023, from Chinese and English databases. CiteSpace software was used to analyze the authors, institutions, and keywords by standard bibliometric indicators. Our analysis findings indicated that publications on stem cells in the treatment of diabetic wounds kept increasing. The most prolific author was Qian Cai (n = 7) and Mohammad Bayat (n = 16) in Chinese and English databases, respectively. Institutions distribution analysis showed that Chinese institutions conducted most publications, and the most prolific institution was the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital (n = 9) and Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (n = 17) in Chinese and English databases, respectively. The highest centrality keyword in Chinese and English databases was "wound healing" (0.54) and "in vitro" (0.13), respectively. There were 8 and 11 efficient and convincing keyword clusters produced by a log‐likelihood ratio in the Chinese and English databases, respectively. The strongest burst keyword was "exosome" (strength 3.57) and "endothelial progenitor cells" (strength 7.87) in the Chinese and English databases, respectively. These findings indicated a direction for future therapies and research on stem cells in the treatment of diabetic wounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Candlesticks are widely used as an effective technical analysis tool in financial markets. Traditionally, different combinations of candlesticks have formed specific bullish/bearish patterns providing investors with increased opportunities for profitable trades. However, most patterns derived from subjective expertise without quantitative analysis. In this article, combining bullish/bearish patterns with ensemble learning, we present an intelligent system for making stock trading decisions. The Ensemble Classifier through Multimodal Perturbation (ECMP) is designed to generate a diverse set of precise base classifiers to further determine the candlestick patterns. It achieves this by: first, introducing perturbations to the sample space through bootstrap sampling; second, employing an attribute reduction algorithm based on neighborhood rough set theory to select relevant features; third, perturbing the feature space through random subspace selection. Ultimately, the trading decisions are guided by the classification outcomes of this procedure. To evaluate the proposed model, we apply it to empirical investigations within the context of the Chinese stock market. The results obtained from our experiments clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the lattice Boltzmann method is utilized to simulate flow boiling within a microchannel featuring a micro-pillar surface. This investigation aims to explore the impacts of micro-pillar shape and quantity on the flow boiling characteristics across various superheats and Reynolds numbers (Re). A systematic examination is conducted on three types of micro-pillars, five quantities of micro-pillars, four Re values, and 18 superheat levels. The mechanisms contributing to enhanced heat transfer in flow boiling are elucidated through a comprehensive analysis of bubble dynamics, temperature and velocity fields, local and transient heat fluxes, and boiling curves. Moreover, the critical heat fluxes (CHF) of all surfaces are evaluated to identify the superior micro-pillar configurations. The findings revealed that microchannels with micro-pillar surfaces induce more vortices compared to those with smooth surfaces, attributable to the combined effects of bubble dynamics and micro-pillars. Bubble patterns and boiling curves demonstrated the significant impact of micro-pillar geometrical shapes on the boiling regime and heat transfer performance. As flow boiling progressed, an increase in micro-pillar quantity and Re can mitigate the fluctuation and decline rate in transient heat flux, respectively. Among the three types of micro-pillar surfaces, the circular shape exhibited the highest flow boiling performance, followed by the triangular and rectangular shapes. For all surfaces, the CHF increased with Re, and each micro-pillar type displayed an optimal quantity for achieving maximum CHF, with the highest increase reaching 45.2%. These findings are crucial for optimizing microchannel designs to enhance flow boiling heat transfer efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignant tumor originating in the nasopharyngeal epithelium with a high incidence in southern China and parts of Southeast Asia. The current treatment methods are mainly radiotherapy and chemotherapy. However, they often have side effects and are not suitable for long‐term exposure. Natural products have received more and more attention in cancer prevention and treatment because of their its high efficiency, low toxic side effects, and low toxicity. Natural products can serve as a viable alternative, and this study aimed to review the efficacy and mechanisms of natural products in the treatment of NPC by examining previous literature. Most natural products act by inhibiting cell proliferation, metastasis, inducing cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis. Although further research is needed to verify their effectiveness and safety, natural products can significantly improve the treatment of NPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All‐liquid molding can be used to transform a liquid into free‐form solid constructs, while maintaining internal fluidity. Traditional biological scaffolds, such as cured pre‐gels, are normally processed in solid state, sacrificing flowability and permeability. However, it is essential to maintain the fluidity of the scaffold to truly mimic the complexity and heterogeneity of natural human tissues. Here, this work molds an aqueous biomaterial ink into liquid building blocks with rigid shapes while preserving internal fluidity. The molded ink blocks for bone‐like vertebrae and cartilaginous‐intervertebral‐disc shapes, are magnetically manipulated to assemble into hierarchical structures as a scaffold for subsequent spinal column tissue growth. It is also possible to join separate ink blocks by interfacial coalescence, different from bridging solid blocks by interfacial fixation. Generally, aqueous biomaterial inks are molded into shapes with high fidelity by the interfacial jamming of alginate surfactants. The molded liquid blocks can be reconfigured using induced magnetic dipoles, that dictated the magnetic assembly behavior of liquid blocks. The implanted spinal column tissue exhibits a biocompatibility based on in vitro seeding and in vivo cultivating results, showing potential physiological function such as bending of the spinal column. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Redox-active organic/polymeric materials and carbon/small-sulfur composites are promising electrode materials for developing affordable, lightweight, and sustainable batteries because of their low cost, abundance, low carbon footprint, and flexible structural tunability. This feature article summarized the key aspects of the research related to organic batteries and Li–S batteries (LSBs) based on organic/polymeric/sulfur materials for next-generation sustainable energy storage. An in-depth discussion for organic electrode materials in alkali-ion, multivalent metal, all-solid-state, and redox flow batteries is provided. State-of-the-art LSBs under high mass loading and lean electrolyte conditions for practical applications is also covered. The challenges, reaction mechanisms, strategies, approaches, and developments of organic batteries and LSBs are discussed to offer guidance for rational structure design and performance optimization. This feature article will contribute to the development and commercialization of affordable, lightweight, and sustainable batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the evolution of stress on the ring and segment interfaces during the construction process of the concrete encapsulation of the main arch ring in a rigid-frame arch bridge, alongside its impact on the ultimate load-bearing capacity of the main arch ring, a 1:10 scale model experiment was conducted by taking the 600 m Tian'e Longtan Bridge as the prototype. The key cross-section concrete strain data were collected during the entire construction process of the main arch ring via fiber-optic strain sensors, which were used to investigate the stress evolution at ring and segment interfaces. ANSYS APDL was employed to simulate the ultimate bearing capacity under various loading conditions of two different finite element models, which were, respectively, formed segmentally and by single pouring. The results revealed that (1) after the closure of the concrete encapsulation of the main arch ring, the concrete stress in the cross-section exhibits significant stress disparities. At the same cross-section, the level of the web concrete stress can reach 76% of the floor concrete stress, while the roof concrete stress level is less than 20% of the floor concrete stress. (2) At the junction of two adjacent work planes, there are considerable differences in the stress levels of the concrete on both sides. After the closure of the main arch ring, the intersegment stress ratios of the floor, web, and roof concrete are 60~70%, 40~60%, and 0~5%, respectively. (3) Loading conditions remarkably affected the ultimate bearing capacity of the main arch ring. Under mid-span loading and 1/4 span symmetrical loading conditions, compared to single-pour concrete encapsulation, the ultimate bearing capacity of the main arch ring with concrete encapsulated by segmented and ring-divided pouring decreased by 19.16% and 5.23%, respectively, compared to single-pour concrete encapsulation. This suggests that the non-uniformity of stress distribution in the concrete sheath can lead to reductions in the ultimate bearing capacity of the arch ring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In perovskite solar cells (PSCs), the buried interface containing high concentrations of defects is critical for efficient charge extraction toward high‐performance device. Herein, porous organic cage (POC) is introduced between tin dioxide and perovskite to spontaneously reconstitute the buried interface. Through the chemical linkage formed by polydentate chelation of POC with SnO2 and perovskite, the buried interface achieves greatly reduced defect density and enhanced carrier extraction. More importantly, it is found that iodide ions in aged devices to migrate down to the electron transport layer and even invade the ITO electrode, changing the work function of ITO. This detrimental effect can be well resolved by POC since the host‐guest interaction of POC can effectively suppress the iodide ions trying to migrate downward. As a result, the PSC fabricated by POC‐restructured strategy yields a superior PCE of 24.13%. Moreover, the unencapsulated PSCs exhibit conspicuous improved long‐term stability and retain 93% of its initial efficiency after 5000 h in ambient condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most malignant and challenging type of astrocytoma and also notoriously acknowledged as the most common primary brain tumor globally. Currently, chemotherapy is the most master therapy for tumor and is essential in clinical treatment for GBM. Nevertheless, the characterization of chemotherapy resistance seriously hinders clinical chemotherapy treatment. Accordingly, there are imperious demands for the exploitation of novel chemosensitizer to promote the efficacy of chemotherapy. Our current study was conducted to probe into the potential impacts of microRNA (miR)-640 on the chemosensitivity in GBM and the associated underlying mechanism. Initially, TargetScan software was utilized to predict the targeted genes of miR-640, and the target relationship between miR-640 and Bcl-2-modifying factor (BMF) was validated by double luciferase report assay. Additionally, to explore the role of miR-640/BMF in U251 cells, miR-640 inhibitor/BMF-siRNA was used. U251 cells were processed with 100 μM temozolomide (TMZ) and detected with CCK-8 kit. Eventually, RT-qPCR and Western blotting were used for evaluating Bcl-2, Bax mRNA, and protein expression level. Flow cytometry analysis was performed to measure cellular apoptosis. Initially, the results indicated that BMF was the target gene of miR-640. MiR-640 negatively regulated BMF expression in GBM cells. Besides, the findings revealed that miR-640 inhibition significantly inhibited U251 cell proliferation, promoted cell apoptosis, and increased the sensitivity of GBM cells to TMZ by targeting BMF. Moreover, BMF overexpression significantly suppressed U251 cell proliferation, induced cell apoptosis, and increased the sensitivity of GBM cells to TMZ. Inhibition of miR-640 expression enhances chemosensitivity of human GBM cells to TMZ by targeting BMF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peach is a popular and important tree fruit widely produced in the world, and the production of high-quality peach fruit does require management of pests and diseases. In this review, major peach diseases from China, Spain, and USA are described in detail for the benefit of producers, consultants, researchers, and other interested parties. Minor diseases of concern in these countries are also described. Current progress on pathogen resistance to major chemical classes of fungicides as well as current resistance management practices are discussed. Specific cultural practices applied in China, Spain, and USA are also described to provide an overview of peach disease management. A ‘Future Outlook’ section is included at the end of this review to highlight the challenges and opportunities for disease management in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Prognoses for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) between categories T2 and T3 in the Eighth American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system were overlapped. We explored the value of skull base invasion (SBI) subclassification in prognostic stratification and use of induction chemotherapy (IC) to optimize T2/T3 categorization for NPC patients. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 1752 NPC patients from two hospitals. Eight skull base bone structures were evaluated. Survival differences were compared between slight SBI (T3 patients with pterygoid process and/or base of the sphenoid bone invasion only) and severe SBI (T3 patients with other SBIs) with or without IC using random matched-pair analysis. We calculated the prognosis and Harrel concordance index (C-index) for the revised T category and compared IC outcomes for the revised tumor stages. Results: Compared to severe SBI, slight SBI showed better 5-year overall survival (OS) (81.5% vs. 92.3%, p = 0.001) and progression-free survival (PFS) (71.5% vs. 83.0%, p = 0.002). Additional IC therapy did not significantly improve OS and PFS in slight SBI. The proposed T category separated OS, PFS, and locoregional recurrence-free survival in T2 and T3 categories with statistical significance. An improved C-index for OS prediction was observed in the proposed T category with combined confounding factors, compared to the AJCC T staging system (0.725 vs. 0.713, p = 0.046). The survival benefits of IC were more obvious in the advanced stage. Conclusions: NPC patients with slight SBI were recommended to downstage to T2 category. The adjustment for T category enabled better prognostic stratification and guidance for IC use. Key Points: • For nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients in T3 category, slight skull base invasion was a significant positive predictor for OS and PFS. • NPC patients with slight SBI might not gain significant survival benefits from induction chemotherapy. • Downstaging slight SBI NPC patients to T2 category would make a more accurate risk stratification, improve the predicting performance in OS, and have a better guidance in the use of IC for patients in advanced stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we give comprehensive analyses for event shape observables in electron-positron annihilation by using the Principle of Maximum Conformality (PMC) which is a rigorous scale-setting method to eliminate the renormalization scheme and scale ambiguities in perturbative QCD predictions. Conventionally the renormalization scale and theoretical uncertainties in event shape observables are often evaluated by setting the scale to the center-of-mass energy s . The event shape distributions using this conventional scale setting are plagued by the large renormalization scale uncertainty and underestimate the experimental data. Moreover, since the renormalization scale is simply fixed to the center-of-mass energy s , only one value of the coupling αs at the single scale s can be extracted. In contrast, the PMC renormalization scales are determined by absorbing the nonconformal β contributions that govern the behavior of the running coupling via the Renormalization Group Equation (RGE). The resulting PMC scales change with event shape kinematics, reflecting the virtuality of the underlying quark and gluon subprocess. The PMC scales thus yield the correct physical behavior of the scale and the PMC predictions agree with precise event shape distributions measured at the LEP experiment. More importantly, we can precisely determine the running of the QCD coupling constant αs(Q2) over a wide range of Q2 in perturbative domain from event shape distributions measured at a single center-of-mass energy s . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colletotrichum species are important plant pathogens, causing anthracnose in virtually every crop grown throughout the world. However, little is known about the species that infect watermelon. A total of 526 strains were isolated from diseased watermelon samples of eight major watermelon growing provinces in China. Phylogenetic analyses using seven loci (ITS, gadph, chs-1, his3, act, tub2, and gs) coupled with morphology of 146 representative isolates showed that they belonged to 12 known species of Colletotrichum, including C. aenigma, C. chlorophyti, C. fructicola, C. jiangxiense, C. karstii, C. magnum, C. nymphaeae, C. nigrum, C. orbiculare, C. plurivorum, C. sojae, and C. truncatum and three new species, here described as C. citrulli, C. kaifengense, and C. qilinense. Colletotrichum orbiculare was the dominant species. Pathogenicity tests revealed that all isolates of the species described above were pathogenic, with C. magnum and C. kaifengense being the most aggressive to leaves and fruits, respectively. This is the first report of C. aenigma, C. chlorophyti, C. fructicola, C. jiangxiense, C. nymphaeae, C. nigrum, C. plurivorum, and C. sojae on watermelon. These findings shed light on the Colletotrichum spp. involved in watermelon anthracnose and provide useful information for implementing effective control of watermelon anthracnose in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Pool Boiling on structured surface with different arrangement of hydrophobic and hydrophilic micro-pillars was investigated. • Boiling enhancement mechanism was revealed by a 3D hybrid cascaded lattice Boltzmann method. • Partially mixed structured surfaces prove effective in limiting the occurrence of film boiling. • There exists an optimal width and arrangement of micro-pillars for boiling heat transfer. This study explores pool boiling performance of three-dimensional structured surfaces featuring square micro-pillars. The investigation employs the hybrid cascaded lattice Boltzmann method (CLBM) in conjunction with finite difference method (FDM). Four types of structured surfaces are considered: homogeneous hydrophilic surface (HHS), fully mixed surface (FMS), linear mixed surface (LMS), and staggered mixed surface (SMS). FMS alters all hydrophilic top surfaces of the micro-pillars into hydrophobic top surfaces. LMS and SMS are partially mixed surfaces in which hydrophilic and hydrophobic micro-pillars are arranged in linear and staggered, respectively. The numerical results revealed that the transition boiling interval for the partially mixed surface is notably broader than that of the HHS and FMS configurations. Among varying micro-pillar widths, all mixed surfaces attain their peak critical heat flux (CHF) at a consistent optimal width, with the SMS configuration displaying the highest CHF. In the SMS configuration, the maximum CHF difference between micro-pillars with different widths reaches 35.3%, and the CHF value increase by 46.3% compared with the HHS configuration under the optimal width. Furthermore, the SMS configuration can reduce the retention of bubbles within the gaps between micro-pillars and preventing heat accumulation on the surface. Therefore, applying a structured surface featuring staggered hydrophilic and hydrophobic micro-pillars not only enhances heat transfer but also provides equipment protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A fluorescent sensor probe（Cu, N-CDs） for detecting Cu2+ and amoxicillin has been developed. • The detection mechanism of Cu2+ and amoxicillin involves dynamic quenching and electrostatic adsorption reactions, resulting in fluorescence changes. • The detection of actual samples confirms its applicability in the field of food safety and environmental pollution. A novel fluorescence-based probe represented as Cu, N-CDs, was developed for the dual sensing detection of Cu2+ and amoxicillin (AMO), which had a high quantum yield up to 60.08 %, along with excellent photoluminescent properties and remarkable stability. When detecting Cu2+, the fluorescence signal from Cu, N-CDs probe experienced quenching due to photoinduced electron transfer (PET). Subsequently, the introduction of AMO led to the recovery of the probe's fluorescence. This recovery was likely attributed to the superior affinity between Cu2+ and AMO, resulting in the displacement of Cu2+ from the Cu, N-CDs and blocked the PET process. Notably, the detection limits of Cu2+ and AMO were determined 18 nM and 9 nM, respectively. We further demonstrated the practical utility of the Cu, N-CDs probe through its successful application in the analysis of Cu2+ and AMO in Chinese herbal medicine and milk samples. Overall, our findings highlighted the potency of Cu, N-CDs as versatile and effective tools for the detection of Cu2+ and AMO, paving the way for their broad applications in the safety analysis of food and pharmaceutical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peach is a popular and important tree fruit widely produced in the world, and the production of high-quality peach fruit does require management of pests and diseases. In this review, major peach diseases from China, Spain, and USA are described in detail for the benefit of producers, consultants, researchers, and other interested parties. Minor diseases of concern in these countries are also described. Current progress on pathogen resistance to major chemical classes of fungicides as well as current resistance management practices are discussed. Specific cultural practices applied in China, Spain, and USA are also described to provide an overview of peach disease management. A 'Future Outlook' section is included at the end of this review to highlight the challenges and opportunities for disease management in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In recent years, preoperative nutrition has received great attention, especially for patients who received surgical reconstruction of the digestive tract such as esophagectomy. Preoperative nutrition therapy was reported to accelerate the patient's postoperative recovery. In addition, immune suppression, nausea, and vomiting may lead to poor immune and nutritional status of patients with esophageal cancer who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), which is not conducive to surgery. Therefore, preoperative nutritional treatment is necessary for patients with esophageal cancer who underwent NAC.Method: Patients with esophageal cancer who received NAC at Nanjing Jinling Hospital from January 2018 to September 2020 were retrospectively identified. Patients were divided into enteral immunonutrition (EIN) group (those who received a conventional diet and immunonutrition supplement, Peptisorb, Nutricia, 500 mL/day * 7 via oral intake), and control group (those who only received a conventional diet were divided into). The primary outcomes were immune and nutritional indicators changes, including immunoglobulin M (IgM), immunoglobulin A (IgA), immunoglobulin G (IgG), and albumin (ALB), which were measured at preoperative day (PRD) 7, PRD-1, postoperative day (POD) 1 and POD-7. The secondary outcomes were postoperative complications, adverse reactions, and length of hospital stay.Results: A total of 124 eligible patients were included in the study, with 21 patients in EIN group. After 1:2 matching, significant difference in baseline characteristics between the two groups was not observed (EIN: n = 21, Control group: n = 42). Compared with the control group, the IgA is significantly increased in the EIN group at POD-7 (p = 0.017). However, we observed that the IgM level in the control group was significantly higher than those in the EIN group at POD-7 (p = 0.007). The incidence of pneumonia and total complications in the EIN group were significantly lower than those in control group (p = 0.024, p = 0.028, respectively). There is no significant difference in ALB and adverse reactions between two groups (p = 0.303, p = 0.108, respectively).Conclusion: Immunonutritional supplement after NAC is an effective strategy to improve the postoperative immune status of esophageal cancer patients and could reduce the incidence of infectious complication. More well-designed prospective studies are needed to verify and update our finding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boron and carbon contents are the main factors influencing the properties of high-boron steel. In this study, experimental samples with different boron-to-carbon ratios (%B/%C) were prepared. The microstructures of the different samples were observed, and their hardness, bending strength, and impact toughness were investigated. Results show that the main microstructures in the investigated high-boron steel samples are the eutectic Fe2B structure with a fishbone shape and the ternary peritectic Fe3(C, B) structure with a chrysanthemum shape. When the boron content is 2.5wt.% and the carbon content is 0.43wt.% (i.e., %B/%C=5.82), the overall mechanical properties of the alloy are the best. The alloy's hardness, bending strength and impact toughness reach their maximums, which are 67.3 HRC, 1,267.36 MPa and 6.19 J·cm-2, respectively. The optimized alloy is compared with conventional materials exhibiting excellent wear resistance (namely, high-manganese steel and high-chromium cast iron) through two-body and three-body abrasion tests. The wear resistance of this high-boron steelinvestigated in this work is found to be superior to those of the more common materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Mixed-halide blue perovskites CsPb(Br/Cl) 3 are considered promising candidates for developing efficient deep-blue perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs), but their low photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY), environmental instability, and poor device performance gravely inhibit their future development. Here, we employ a heteroatomic Cu2+ doping strategy combined with post-treatment Br− anion exchange to prepare high-performance deep-blue perovskites CsPb(Br/Cl) 3. The Cu2+ doping strategy significantly decreases the intrinsic chlorine defects, ensuring that the inferior CsPbCl 3 quantum dots are transformed into two-dimensional nanosheets with enhanced violet photoluminescence and increased exciton binding energy. Further, with the post-treatment Br− anion exchange, the as-prepared CsPb(Br/Cl) 3 nanosheets with more radiation recombination and less ion migration present an enhanced PLQY of 94% and better humidity stability of 30 days. Based on the optimized CsPb(Br/Cl) 3 , we fabricated deep-blue PeLEDs with luminescence emission at 462 nm, a maximum luminance of 761 cd m−2, and a current density of 205 mA cm−2. This work puts forward a feasible synthesis strategy to prepare efficient and stable mixed-halide blue perovskite CsPb(Br/Cl) 3 and related blue PeLEDs, which may promote the further application of mixed-halide perovskites in the blue light range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boiling heat transfer is extensively employed in diverse engineering fields because of its superior heat transfer characteristics. Pool boiling on a heated plane or around a heated wire has received significant attention. However, the combination of both a heated plane and a heated wire in a pool boiling system has not been sufficiently investigated. In this study, a hybrid lattice Boltzmann (LB) method is employed to investigate the boiling heat transfer characteristics of a system, where a cylindrical heater (heated wire) is placed above a horizontal smooth flat heater. The flow field is simulated using the pseudopotential LB model, and the temperature field is simulated using the finite-difference (FD) method. In the simulation, the conjugate heat transfer involving both the solid and fluid phases is considered. The numerical results show that the boiling curve for different positions of the cylindrical heater is significantly different compared with the case without the cylindrical heater. However, the boiling curve is slightly affected by variations in the temperature of the cylindrical heater. Different boiling phases, including the onset of nucleate boiling (ONB), the critical heat flux (CHF), and film boiling are clearly observed. By moving the cylindrical heater away from the flat heater, the CHF value of the flat heater increases, and the CHF value corresponding to superheating decreases. When the distance between the two heaters is small, the CHF value is lower than that in the case without the cylindrical heater. The lowest CHF value is observed when the cylindrical heater is attached to the flat heater. During the steady film boiling phase, the heat transfer performance is less affected by the cylindrical heater when the distance between the two heaters is large. However, by placing the cylindrical heater to an optimal position, the heat transfer performance during the steady film boiling phase can be significantly improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fuzzy cognitive maps (FCMs) with the abilities of knowledge representation and causal reasoning have been widely applied in the control-related fields of multi-agent systems (MAS), such as the mobile robots and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). From the perspective of system applications, the cooperative control of group behaviors is a meaningful topic in this community, where the synchronization of agents is one of fundamental issues. However, how to achieve the synchronization of FCM-based control mechanism is still an open problem. In this article, two finite state fuzzy cognitive map systems with unidirectional coupling in the drive-response configuration are introduced. By utilizing matrix semi-tensor product (STP), the coupling dynamical systems are transformed into algebraic forms, based on which the necessary and sufficient conditions for complete synchronization are presented. The corresponding theoretical proofs are given and quantitative analysis are implemented. Finally, several experiments are given to prove the effectiveness of the proposed methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence suggests that ferroptosis participates in kidney injury. However, the role of ferroptosis in antimony (Sb) induced nephrotoxicity and the mechanism are unknown. Here, we demonstrated that Sb induced injury in renal tubular epithelial cells (RTECs) and ferroptosis. Inhibition of ferroptosis reduced RTECs injury. Besides, elimination of reactive oxygen species (ROS) alleviated ferroptosis and RTECs injury. Moreover, exposure to Sb not only increased the co-localization of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) and LAMP1, but also decreased the levels of MEF2D and LRRK2, while increased the levels of HSC70, HSP90, and LAMP2a. These findings suggest that Sb activates chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), enhances lysosomal transport and subsequent degradation of GPX4, ultimately leads to ferroptosis. Additionally, up-regulation of lysosomal cationic channel, TRPML1, mitigated RTECs injury and ferroptosis. Mechanistically, up-regulation of TRPML1 mitigated the changes in CMA-associated proteins induced by Sb, diminished the binding of HSC70, HSP90, and TRPML1 with LAMP2a. Furthermore, NAC restored the decreased TRPML1 level caused by Sb. In summary, deficiency of TRPML1, secondary to increased ROS induced by Sb, facilitates the CMA-dependent degradation of GPX4, thereby leading to ferroptosis and RTECs injury. These findings provide insights into the mechanism underlying Sb-induced nephrotoxicity and propose TRPML1 as a promising therapeutic target. [Display omitted] • Antimony (Sb) induced ferroptosis in renal tubular epithelial cells (RTECs) which ultimately led to nephrotoxicity. • Sb activated chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), enhanced lysosomal transport and subsequent degradation of GPX4, thereby resulted in ferroptosis in RTECs. • Deficiency of TRPML1 facilitated the CMA-dependent degradation of GPX4 and ferroptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TiO2 is one of the most broadly employed electron transport materials in n‐i‐p structure perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Low‐temperature non‐hydrolyzed sol–gel method is developed to prepare TiO2 in order to simplify the fabrication process and match with the planar structure PSCs. Conventional low‐temperature TiO2 film using organic solvents as dispersants makes direct doping challenging due to limited solubility. Here, a newly developed water‐based TiO2 solution is directly doped with different alkali chlorides, resulting in better conductivity, compatible energy level matching, and enhanced charge extraction in terms of electron transport layer (ETL) for PSCs. As a result, a power conversion efficiency of 23.15% is achieved based on NaCl‐doped TiO2 with competitive storage stability and light stability. The water‐based TiO2 ETL for more general doping of various solutes opens up a new avenue for environmental‐friendly manufacturing superior ETL toward high‐efficiency and stable perovskite photovoltaic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The isomerization–dehydration cascade conversion on the saccharide platform is a pivotal route for biomass valorization, although it exhibits a specific reaction complexity that makes achieving an efficient conversion a highly technical challenge. The rational design of novel versatile solid acids is deemed to be the key to improving the cascade catalytic performance. In this paper, a dual-functional carbon-based solid acid catalyst (DFCSA) with tunable Brønsted/Lewis acid sites was developed for the cascade conversion of saccharides. The combined modification of H3PO4 and HNO3 on the carbon substrate contributed to the grafting of protonated moieties with a reasonably porous structure. With the aid of AlPO4, which has an orthorhombic crystal structure, the newly developed catalyst was able to achieve good performance for the subsequent hydrothermal conversion. Under optimal conditions, glucose and xylose were transformed with high product yields: 38.2 mol% levulinic acid and 69.7 mol% furfural, respectively. In addition, the catalyst displayed excellent hydrothermal stability, with only a slight degradation in activity after 10 cycles, which was ascribed mainly to the high thermal stability of AlPO4 and the firm grafting of the surface functional groups. As shown by the kinetic analysis, the DFSCA catalyst had a higher conversion rate and lower activation energy in the cascade conversion of xylose than that of glucose, leading to a better yield of furfural. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Questions: What are the characteristics of the spatial patterns of soil seed banks (SSBs) at local scales? How does the spatial distribution of SSBs relate to above‐ground vegetation? Location: The piedmont plain of the eastern slope of Gandur mountain, Wuhai, northwestern China. Methods: A plot of 50 m × 50 m square, divided into 100 quadrats (5 m × 5 m) and 100 subquadrats (1 m × 1 m), was prepared to conduct a field survey of vegetation and SSB sampling. We analyzed the spatial pattern of 196 samples at different scales and directions with geostatistical analysis. The relationship between above‐ground vegetation and SSB was quantified by integrating geostatistics, point pattern analysis, and spatial comparison (IGPS). Results: The SSB density in the study area was 404.5 ± 352 seeds·m−2. SSBs of shrub species and herbaceous species Ⅱ (occurring only below‐ground) had a moderate spatial autocorrelation, and their spatial dependence increased with increasing scale. The SSB of herbaceous species Ⅰ (occurring both above‐ground and below‐ground) had great spatial autocorrelation, and its spatial dependence showed an initial decrease and then increased. Furthermore, SSBs showed lower spatial heterogeneity in the prevailing wind direction than in other directions. The spatial patterns of SSBs of shrub species and herbaceous species Ⅰ correlated with shrubs within a specific range, but not with herbs, while the SSB of herbaceous species Ⅱ did not have a spatial relationship with above‐ground vegetation. Conclusion: The spatial pattern of SSBs had scale dependence features, which exhibited clustered distribution at a certain scale, and were significantly correlated with above‐ground shrubs. Therefore, we suggest subsampling larger quadrats with smaller sample units near shrubs in desert areas. Our workflow seems efficient for determining the spatial pattern of SSBs at medium small scale in arid areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Impatiens L. is a genus of complex taxonomy that belongs to the family Balsaminaceae (Ericales) and contains approximately 1000 species. The genus is well known for its economic, medicinal, ornamental, and horticultural value. However, knowledge about its germplasm identification, molecular phylogeny, and chloroplast genomics is limited, and taxonomic uncertainties still exist due to overlapping morphological features and insufficient genomic resources. Results: We sequenced the chloroplast genomes of six different species (Impatiens chlorosepala, Impatiens fanjingshanica, Impatiens guizhouensis, Impatiens linearisepala, Impatiens loulanensis, and Impatiens stenosepala) in the karst area of China and compared them with those of six previously published Balsaminaceae species. We contrasted genomic features and repeat sequences, assessed sequence divergence and constructed phylogenetic relationships. Except for those of I. alpicola, I. pritzelii and I. glandulifera, the complete chloroplast genomes ranging in size from 151,366 bp (I. alpicola) to 154,189 bp (Hydrocera triflora) encoded 115 distinct genes [81 protein-coding, 30 transfer RNA (tRNA), and 4 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes]. Moreover, the characteristics of the long repeat sequences and simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were determined. psbK-psbI, trnT-GGU-psbD, rpl36-rps8, rpoB-trnC-GCA, trnK-UUU-rps16, trnQ-UUG, trnP-UGG-psaJ, trnT-UGU-trnL-UAA, and ycf4-cemA were identified as divergence hotspot regions and thus might be suitable for species identification and phylogenetic studies. Additionally, the phylogenetic relationships based on Maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) of the whole chloroplast genomes showed that the chloroplast genome structure of I. guizhouensis represents the ancestral state of the Balsaminaceae family. Conclusion: Our study provided detailed information about nucleotide diversity hotspots and the types of repeats, which can be used to develop molecular markers applicable to Balsaminaceae species. We also reconstructed and analyzed the relationships of some Impatiens species and assessed their taxonomic statuses based on the complete chloroplast genomes. Together, the findings of the current study might provide valuable genomic resources for systematic evolution of the Balsaminaceae species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polypyrrole (PPy) is a promising candidate for supercapacitor electrode materials owing to its high electric conductivity and large specific capacitance. However, the poor cycling performance and the mechanical deformation of PPy remain to be challenges. Here, PPy/Ni2Ploaded graphene oxide (PPy/Ni2P/GO) is fabricated via a simple ball-milling process. The as-prepared PPy/Ni2P/GO composites exhibit a high specific capacitance of 741.5 F g-1 at 1 A g-1, good rate capability (81.4% of capacitance at 10 A g-1), and long-term cycling stability (89.76% retention after 5000 cycles at 1 A g-1).When used in the asymmetric supercapacitor, the PPy/Ni2P/GO//AC (active carbon) device exhibits the energy density of 61 Wh kg-1 at the power density of 849.8 W kg-1 and excellent cycling performance (89.4% capacitance retention after 3000 cycles at 10 A g-1). The excellent electrochemical performance is owed to the high surface area and high hydrophilicity of the PPy/Ni2P/GO composites, coupled with good electron conductivity of the graphene oxide, which lead to reduced ion diffusion lengths and low charge transfer resistance. These results demonstrate that PPy/Ni2P/GO composites are promising as electrodes for supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To combine the conflicting properties of impact resistance, stiffness, and toughness, we focused on composite materials reinforced with cellulose nanofibers and polymers with movable cross-links using cyclic macromonomers and analyzed their mechanical properties through experiments and computational simulations. Based on the experimental foundation, the mechanical properties of cellulose nanofibers modified with citric acid and flexible crosslinked polymer composites using cyclodextrin were investigated. On the other hand, multi-scale finite element analysis simulation based on homogenization theory was employed to systematically clarify the effects of aspect ratio and content ratio of cellulose fibers by considering polymer blending and modification of molecular structure in the base material. For modification of the matrix polymers and the fiber morphologies, the elastic modulus of the cellulose composite was comprehensively organized by the fiber contribution based on strain energy. A design method for cellulose composites based on fiber contribution proportion was also developed. The design method was applied to a new cellulose composite with a different polymer of the matrix, and it was demonstrated that the elastic modulus can be predicted with an error of less than 10 %. [Display omitted] • Cellulose composites based on polymers with movable cross-links were constructed. • Cellulose fibers were effective in improving the elastic modulus of composites. • Multiscale simulations allowed quantification of fiber contribution in cellulose composites. • A design method for cellulose composites based on fiber contribution proportion was developed. • The design method was applied to a new blend of polymers and its usefulness could be demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pairs trading is a popular classic neutral trading strategy in financial market. Deep reinforcement learning (DRL) has been widely used to improve the performance of this strategy. However, most works primarily focused on setting trading signals, but ignored selecting appropriate trading pairs. In this paper, a novel two-level reinforcement learning framework is proposed, where both pair selection and trading thresholds setting are involved. For pair selection, an Extended Option-Critic (EOC) method is utilized, which allows the agent to select trading pair on non-fixed length of time intervals. For trading thresholds setting, a three-agent Multi-Agent Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (MADDPG) method is used for setting the opening and stop-loss thresholds as well as decide whether to trade. The simulation results in the Chinese futures market demonstrate that our proposed method achieves higher returns compared to traditional methods and popular reinforcement learning approaches. • A novel two-level reinforcement learning framework for future trading is proposed. • Extended Option-Critic method for non-fixed length of time intervals. • MADDPG method with the cooperation of three agents for trading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Alkaline pretreatment of LCB was essential to achieve open one-pot production of PHB. • Open one-pot fermentation significantly promoted enzymatic hydrolysis of LCB. • Multi-objective optimization maximized the value of one-pot production of PHB. • Developed an open dual one-pot fermentation for whole LCB components conversion. • The open dual one-pot-fed-batch fermentation produced 20.88 g/L of PHB. The high cost associated with polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) production demands immediate attention to advance its commercial viability. Herein, we innovatively construct highly efficient production of PHB from low-cost lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) using an open one-pot fermentation by the alkali-halophilic Halomonas alkalicola M2 developed in our previous work. We first develop alkaline pretreatment of LCB to achieve open one-pot fermentation and efficient conversion. Multi-objective optimization of fermentation conditions produces 103.421 mg/L of PHB with a content of 14.437 % and effectively promotes saccharification with cellulose and xylan enzymatic efficiencies of 82.948 % and 73.710 %, respectively. We then develop an open dual one-pot fermentation process, involving the conversion of lignin- and lignin-derived compounds-enriched slurry in the first pot and subsequent polysaccharide conversion in the second pot, to achieve efficient whole LCB components conversion, yielding a record 9.57 g/L of PHB. More importantly, we extend an open dual one-pot-fed-batch fermentation, producing 0.80 g/L of PHB with 27.69 % content in the first pot and 20.08 g/L of PHB with 61.86 % content in the second pot, showing significantly higher than many reported strains. Overall, this work demonstrates the effectiveness of utilizing cheap LCB in a newly designed fermentation process to produce PHB efficiently, representing a significant advancement in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characterization of organic nanopores across the entire range is essential for gas storage and productivity evaluation of marine shale. To achieve a precise and comprehensive analysis of organic nanopore properties, an integration method of helium ion microscope (HIM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM), as well as focused ion beam-HIM (FIB-HIM) and FIB-SEM, was proposed. This integration method extends the organic pore imaging and quantitative analysis to below 10 nm. Results demonstrate that organic pores below 10 nm significantly impact the evaluation of shale gas storage and productivity by contributing to the porosity and specific surface area and altering pore size distribution and connectivity characteristics. The surface porosity increases by 10.73%, while the specific surface area increases by 76% according to the integration method. The integrated pore size distribution converts the unimodal PSD from the stitched SEM mosaic to a multimodal PSD, supporting the multi-stage formation mode of organic nanopores: larger bubble pores appear with oil generation at the early stage, while smaller spongy pores appear with gas generation at the later stage. The organic pores revealed by FIB-HIM have higher coordination numbers and a higher proportion of inner-connected volume, showing the more complex connectivity characteristics. Despite limitations due to heterogeneity and inadequate resolution, these novel insights by the integration method highlight the importance of exploring organic pores at the nanoscale and have the potential to inform further research in this field. • Organic nanopore size distribution in marine shale is corrected to a multimodal curve by the integration of HIM and SEM. • Organic nanopores beyond the SEM resolution significantly impact the evaluation of shale gas storage and productivity. • The integration of HIM and SEM provides more accurate and representative characteristics of organic pores in marine shale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Citricoccus sp. P2 degraded 44.63% of lignin and produced 23.96% of lipid content. • Citricoccus sp. P2 has demonstrated high effectiveness in LDCs conversion. • Genome sequencing revealed a biological funneling pathway for LDCs into lipid. • Lipid yield was 0.39 g/g LMS-treated lignin. • Non-sterilized fermentation efficiently improved lipid production from LDCs. Lignin-derived compounds (LDCs) bioconversion into lipids is a promising yet challenging task. This study focuses on the isolation of the ligninolytic bacterium Citricoccus sp. P2 and investigates its mechanism for producing lipids from LDCs. Although strain P2 exhibits a relatively low lignin degradation rate of 44.63%, it efficiently degrades various concentrations of LDCs. The highest degradation rate is observed when incubated with 0.6 g/L vanillic acid, 0.6 g/L syringic acid, 0.8 g/L p-coumaric acid, and 0.4 g/L phenol, resulting in respective lipid yields of 0.16 g/L, 0.13 g/L, 0.24 g/L, and 0.13 g/L. The genome of strain P2 provides insights into LDCs bioconversion into lipids and stress tolerance. Moreover, Citricoccus sp. P2 has been successfully developed a non-sterilized lipid production using its native alkali-halophilic characteristics, which significantly enhances the lipid yield. This study presents a promising platform for lipids production from LDCs and has potential to promote valorization of lignin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) storage tanks can ensure national energy sufficiency, but they are vulnerable to earthquakes. Although ordinary seismic isolation bearings can effectively reduce the base shear force and overturning moment, they tend to amplify the height of the sloshing wave. In this paper, a hybrid vibration control method for LNG storage tanks is proposed, paralleling the series viscous mass damper (SVMD) devices with Lead-core rubber bearings (LRB). The seismic mitigation effects of this parallel seismic isolation scheme were investigated. First, three-dimensional finite element models of fixed base, LRB isolated and SVMD isolated tanks were established, and nonlinear time history analyses were performed for the three types of tanks to compare the seismic responses. It was concluded that SVMD can effectively control the sloshing wave height. In addition, the effects of site types, storage liquid heights, and SVMD's performance parameters on the seismic mitigation effects were also studied. It was found that the softer the site soil, the higher the storage liquid height would make seismic isolation less efficient. The increase of SVMD's additional equivalent mass reduces the sloshing wave height, increases the shear-to-weight ratio, and has little influence on the base displacement. The increase of SVMD's additional equivalent damping reduces the sloshing wave height, base shear force, and base displacement of the tank. The final conclusion is that SVMD can effectively control the sloshing wave height and has a good seismic mitigation effect. • Proposed a hybrid vibration control method for LNG storage tanks, paralleling the series viscous mass damper (SVMD) devices with lead-core rubber bearings (LRB). • Investigated the seismic mitigation effects of this parallel seismic isolation scheme, including the sloshing wave height, shear-to-weight ratio, base displacement, maximum effective stress and hydrodynamic pressure. • Studied the effects of site types, storage liquid heights and SVMD's performance parameters on the seismic mitigation effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Soil seed bank had considerable density with sizeable proportion of persistent seed in the arid mining areas. • Mild-to-moderate disturbance had limited negative effects on the soil seed bank and its restoration potential. • The persistent seed bank was mainly affected by soil gravel/silt content, moisture, pH and organic matter. • The transient seed bank was mainly affected by aboveground vegetation positively. Close-to-nature restoration of mining areas is becoming widely recognized for its promotion of ecosystem resilience and risk mitigation of biodiversity losses. Soil seed banks can serve as a direct source of natural restoration, as well as a buffer against environmental changes in vulnerable ecosystem. However, in arid mining area, it remains unclear how the anthropogenic disturbances affect the seed banks and what its potential for vegetation restoration. We conducted a field study to investigate the variation of aboveground plant communities and seed banks along the disturbance gradient in an opencast mining area in arid desert of northwestern China. Furthermore, we detected the influence path of disturbance on seed bank density and richness at different layers. The seed bank had considerable density, with persistent seed accounting for 46%. The density had no significant differences along the none-to-moderate disturbance gradient but decreased significantly at the severe level. Meanwhile, the richness had significant differences among all disturbance levels with the highest value at mild level. There were low similarities between soil seed bank and aboveground vegetation, and their species composition was distinctly different. The anthropogenic disturbances reduced soil seed bank directly. Besides, it indirectly decreased the density of persistent seed bank at shallow layer via the negative impact on silt content. In contrast, disturbance indirectly reduced transient seed density and richness mainly via the positive effect on aboveground vegetation. Briefly, mild-to-moderate disturbance had limited negative effects on the soil seed bank and its restoration potential in the arid mining region. Our study highlights the soil seed banks as supplementary indicator to reflect ecological degradation and the significance for ecosystem recovery. The results could be useful in protection and management projects for the restoration of arid mining areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignin bioconversion into polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) has emerged as a promising valorization, however, it is suffering from inadequate conversion efficiency. Herein, an efficient strategy for addressing this challenge by employing an alkali-halophilic strain Halomonas alkalicola M2 is developed. Up to 58.5% of lignin is degraded when incubates in the non-sterilized lignin (NSL) medium under a glucose concentration of 1.055 g/L, peptone concentration of 0.596 g/L, and incubation time of 6.89 d, demonstrating enhanced proficiency compared to thermally sterilized lignin (TSL) method due to the improved cell growth, lignin-degrading enzyme activities, and secreted protein contents. Consequently, PHB production demonstrates a 50% increase using NSL method compared to TSL method. A separate route of enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) is proposed to further improve the PHB production, resulting in a record yield of PHB which is 1.89 g/L. This work creatively develops a non-sterilization strategy to improve PHB production from lignin, showing great potential for promoting biological lignin valorization. [Display omitted] • Non-sterilization efficiently increased the lignin degradation rate to 58.5%. • NSL produced higher cell growth, enzyme activity, and secreted protein contents. • Approximately 1.5-fold PHB titer was produced in the NSL medium. • Developed a non-sterilized SHF with a record yield of 1.89 g/L PHB production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the prognostic significance of MR-detected mandibular nerve involvement (MNI) and its value for induction chemotherapy (IC) administration in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and T4 disease. Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 792 non-metastatic, biopsy-proven NPC patients. Univariate and multivariate analysis were used to evaluate potential prognosticators. The inter-observer agreement was assessed by the kappa values. Results: MR-detected MNI was observed in 141 (72.3%) patients among 195 patients with T4 disease, with excellent agreement between the readers (kappa = 0.926). Patients with MR-detected MNI presented better 5-year overall survival (OS) (hazard ratio [HR], 0.40; P = 0.006) than those with MR-negative MNI. Of these patients, IC treatment was verified as an independent factor (HR: 0.35; P = 0.014) with preferable effect on OS. Conclusion: MR-detected MNI could serve as an independent favorable prognostic predictor for OS in NPC patients with stage T4, which should be considered for stratifying these patients for IC administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the Aramid yarn and the epoxy resin were used to produce the composite material. The influence of the internal parameters of the material on its anti-stab performance at initial damage was investigated by a combination of practical experimentation and simulation. In the simulation part, a 1:1 material model was established by finite element software. On the basis of a previous experiment, the interface between the yarn and the resin was optimized to ensure that the simulation results matched the actual experimental results as closely as possible. Using the optimized model, the variation rule of the anti-stab performance of the material was studied by adjusting its parameters. The variation parameters comprised the ratio of the axial and radial elastic modulus of the yarn (E L /E T), the ratio of the tensile strength of the yarn to the shear strength of the resin (σ F /σ R), and the diameter of the yarn (R F). The experiments revealed that as the E L /E T ratio increased the stab-proof performance of the material deteriorated. The stab-proof performance of the material improved as the E L or the diameter of the yarn increased, but deteriorated as the σ F /σ R ratio increased. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • An alkali-halophilic was isolated for lignin degradation and PHA production. • An open unsterile PHA production from lignocellulose was developed. • A record yield of 2.1 g/L PHA was produced from the APL. • A total of 5.9 g PHA was accumulated from 100 g bamboo powder. The alkali-halophilic Halomonas alkalicola M2 was isolated and developed for an open unsterile polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) fermentation from lignocellulose at pH 10.0 and NaCl 70 g/L. The alkaline pretreatment liquid (APL) was converted into PHA by the strain, which was significantly affected by the cultural conditions, including pH, NaCl concentration, nitrogen source, and APL concentration. The extracted PHA was composed of three monomers and similar in physicochemical properties to conventional short chain-length PHA. A record yield of 2.1 and 5.9 g of PHA was accumulated from 100 g dry bamboo powder (BP) by using APL and APL combined with hydrolysate during a 48-h open unsterile fermentation process, respectively. In summary, the alkali-halophilic H. alkalicola M2 achieved the open unsterile fermentation for lignocellulose efficient bioconversion into PHA under high alkalinity and salinity conditions and would be an ideal producer in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-performance yarns are widely used to produce protective fabrics, including stab-resistant materials. The most common approach to studying the mechanism of puncture prevention is to use simulation to assist analysis. However, the anisotropy of the yarn is often overlooked during simulation owing to various factors. In fact, there is a marked difference between the axial and radial properties of a yarn. This may lead to large errors in research. In the present study, a composite material with a grid structure for puncture analysis was designed to investigate the influence of yarn anisotropy on the accuracy of simulation results. The present study combined an actual experiment with a simulation. In the actual experiment, Kevlar yarn/epoxy resin was used to prepare a mesh composite with a spacing of 1 mm. In the simulation, a 1:1 simulation model of composite material was established using finite element software. A simulated puncture experiment was conducted based on the actual experimental conditions and material parameters. After considering yarn anisotropy, the simulation results were closer to the actual experimental results. The simulation revealed that the main failure modes of the mesh material were the fracture of the resin and the bending deformation of the yarns at the junctions, while the surrounding areas were almost unaffected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large lateral deformation in almost level liquefiable ground has been observed during past strong earthquakes, which cannot be explained by the same driving force as that in sloping ground. This study proposes a Rayleigh wave-shear wave coupling mechanism for this phenomenon, which is evaluated on the element and site levels. A simple element level elasto-plastic force–displacement model reveals that the combination of the symmetrical shear force with the asymmetrical shear resistance under Rayleigh wave-shear wave coupling can be a major contributor for the accumulation of lateral soil deformation. Finite element method numerical results for a site level ground model shows that Rayleigh wave-shear wave coupling can induce significantly greater lateral displacement compared to pure shear wave input, and further highlight the importance of soil liquefaction for this phenomenon. The amplitudes and frequencies of the shear wave and the Rayleigh wave and their phase difference are shown to affect the accumulation of lateral deformation. The findings of Rayleigh wave-shear wave coupling induced lateral deformation are consistent with observations in past earthquakes, and should be considered in geotechnical earthquake engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maternal nutrition plays a critical role in energy metabolism of offspring. We aim to elucidate the effect of long-term intermittent fasting (IF) before pregnancy on health outcomes of offspring. Here we show long-term IF before pregnancy disrupts intestinal homeostasis of offspring with subsequent disorder of glucose and lipid metabolism. This occurs through the reduction in beneficial microbiota such as Lactobacillus_intestinalis. Our observations further support the concept that intestinal microbiota in offspring is vulnerable to maternal nutrition, and its homeostasis is critical for the integrity of intestinal barrier and metabolic homeostasis. Long-term intermediate fasting before pregnancy in mice disrupts intestinal homeostasis of offspring with subsequent glucose and lipid metabolism disorder, mediated by a reduction in beneficial microbiota such as Lactobacillus intestinalis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An unmanned aerial vehicles assisted height transmission method is proposed. • The uncertainty sources of the proposed method are analyzed. • Experiments show it can achieve an accuracy comparable with third-level levelling. • Higher efficiency can be obtained between obstructed benchmarks. When benchmarks are blocked by obstacles such as buildings, woods, hills, etc., it is time- and energy-consuming to acquire the height differences between them through classical geometric levelling because of the detour. Therefore, this paper proposes the combination of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and robotic total stations in determining height differences across obstacles. Carrying a 360° prism as the target and hovering in the air, the UAV can be sighted by both calibrated and synchronized robotic total stations near two benchmarks to conduct synchronous observations with the help of the automatic target recognition (ATR) and tracking systems. And the height difference between them can be calculated based on the principle of trigonometric levelling. The uncertainty sources that affect the accuracy of the proposed method are analyzed and the main observation procedures for practical use are provided. The results of experiments verify the feasibility, effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]