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Drought and salt stress are important limiting factors that affect crop growth and yield. As a newly recognized plant hormone, melatonin can participate in the regulation of plant stress tolerance and enhance the tolerance of plants to adversity. In this study, the effects of melatonin (150 µmol·L−1) on agronomic traits, osmotic adjustment substances, antioxidant enzyme activities, and reactive oxygen species content in C. esculentus under different salt (0 and 200 mmol·L−1 NaCl), drought (70% field capacity, 50% field capacity), and salt–drought (200 mmol·L−1 NaCl + 50% field capacity) stress conditions were determined using a pot experiment. Spraying with 150 µmol·L−1 of melatonin effectively improved the plant height, number of blades, biomass, and root growth of C. esculentus seedlings under salt, drought, and combined stress. In addition, this treatment also increased the relative water content, superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase activities, and soluble sugar content of the blades and decreased the relative electroconductivity conductivity and proline, malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and superoxide anion contents. A comprehensive analysis showed that spraying the plants with exogenous melatonin could increase the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the accumulation of osmotic adjustment substances in C. esculentus blades under salt and drought stress, effectively remove excessive reactive oxygen species, alleviate oxidative damage, and enhance the ability of C. esculentus to resist salt and drought stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wetting boundary condition for handling contact line dynamics on three-dimensional curved geometries is developed in the lattice Boltzmann color-gradient framework. By combining the geometrical formation and the prediction-correction wetting scheme, the present wetting boundary condition is able to avoid the necessity to select an appropriate interface normal vector from its multiple solutions in the previous prediction-correction method. The effectiveness and accuracy of the wetting boundary condition are first validated by several benchmark cases, namely a droplet resting on a flat surface and on a solid sphere, and the spontaneous imbibition into a cylindrical tube. We then use the color-gradient model equipped with the developed wetting boundary condition to study the trapping behavior of a confined droplet in a microchannel with a cylindrical hole on the top surface, in which the effects of the hole radius and the droplet radius are identified for varying capillary numbers. Results show that the simulated critical capillary numbers, below which the droplet would be anchored by the hole, and the steady-state shapes of the anchored droplet generally match well with their theoretical solutions. The critical capillary number is found to decrease by either decreasing the hole radius or increasing the droplet radius, which is attributed to the weakened anchoring surface energy gradient and the enhanced driving force from outer flow, respectively. In addition, we show that the previous theoretical solutions are valid only when the initial droplet radius is greater than twice the height of the channel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have fully discussed the relationship between family socioeconomic status (SES) and achievement, but few of them regarded urban–rural differences as the moderating factor, which is an essential issue in urban–rural educational equalization in terms of educational outcomes. This study discusses the urban–rural heterogeneous effect of family SES on achievement and manifests the mediating role of education-related cultural factors. Based on the China Education Panel Survey data of 18,672 junior high school students, this study found the following: (1) family SES had a weaker positive effect among rural children than among urban children; (2) the urban–rural heterogeneous effect could be mediated by education-related cultural factors, i.e., learning environments and beliefs; and (3) in this regard, contemporary China is experiencing cultural reproduction rather than a cultural mobility mode. In Conclusion, although the urban–rural achievement gap will be maintained or even expanded in China, improving rural children's learning environments and beliefs opens up the possibility of alleviating disadvantages in achievement resulting from family socioeconomic disadvantages. Therefore, narrowing down the urban–rural achievement gap from a cultural perspective provides policy implications for educational development in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wetting boundary condition for dealing with moving contact lines on complex surfaces is developed in the lattice Boltzmann color-gradient model. The wetting boundary condition is implemented by combining the geometrical formulation of contact angle and the idea of the prediction–correction wetting scheme, which not only produces the desired contact angles with high accuracy but also avoids the necessity to select an appropriate interface normal vector from multiple solutions that satisfy the contact angle condition. Through the implementation in the framework of color-gradient model, the developed wetting boundary condition is validated against analytical solutions by a series of benchmark cases, including a droplet resting on a cylindrical surface and on a tilt wall, a liquid film migrating between two parallel plates, and the forced imbibition into a pore doublet. The simulation results of static contact angles show that the wetting boundary condition is able to simulate arbitrary values of contact angle and leads to negligible mass leakage across the boundary. For dynamic problems, the wetting boundary condition is found to correctly capture the imbibition dynamics under various flow and viscosity ratio conditions and produce dynamic contact angles that match well with the Cox–Voinov law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly (lactic acid) (PLA) is a promising green substitute for conventional petroleum-based plastics in a variety of applications. However, the wide application of PLA is still limited by its disadvantages, such as slow crystallization rate, inadequate gas barrier, thermal degradation, etc. In this study, lignin (1, 3, 5 PHR) was incorporated into PLA to improve the thermal, mechanical, and barrier properties of PLA. Two low-viscosity epoxy resins, ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EGDE) and poly (ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether (PEGDE), were used as compatibilizers to enhance the performance of the composites. The addition of lignin improved the onset degradation temperature of PLA by up to 15 °C, increased PLA crystallinity, improved PLA tensile strength by approximately 15%, and improved PLA oxygen barrier by up to 58.3%. The addition of EGDE and PEGDE both decreased the glass transition, crystallization, and melting temperatures of the PLA/lignin composites, suggesting their compatabilizing and plasticizing effects, which contributed to improved oxygen barrier properties of the PLA/lignin composites. The developed PLA/lignin composites with improved thermal, mechanical, and gas barrier properties can potentially be used for green packaging applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a rare disease with unclear diagnostic criteria among the children and adolescents. The purpose of this study is to describe the clinical features of pediatric Sjögren's syndrome and validate with Japanese diagnostic guidelines criteria of 2018. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the clinical data of a cohort of 54 patients with pediatric Sjögren's syndrome admitted to our hospital over a total of 10 years from September 2013 to September 2022. Results: The ratio of females to males was 49:5 among the 54 children (34 cases of primary SS and 20 cases of secondary SS), the average age of onset of symptoms for the first time was 9.9 years, and the average age at diagnosis was 10.2 years. In terms of subjective symptoms, 7 cases (13.0%) presented with dry mouth and 5 cases (9.3%) reported dry eyes. The positive rates were 9.3% for Schirmer I test, 70.4% for salivary gland function test, and 55.6% for salivary gland ultrasonography. The positive rates were 94.4% for Anti-Ro/SSA antibodies, 66.7% for Anti-La/SSB antibodies, 88.9% for ANA, 59.3% for RF, and the elevation rate of IgG was 63.0%. Among the EULAR Sjögren's syndrome disease activity index (ESSDAI) domains, the biological, constitutional, glandular, cutaneous, and lymphadenopathy domains were most involved. Treatment consisted of glucocorticoids in 88.9% of the patients in our study and hydroxychloroquine in 92.6%. As per the Japanese version of the clinical practice guidance for Sjögren's Syndrome in pediatric patients (2018), 5 cases were identified as Definite SS, 35 cases as Probable SS, and 14 cases as Possible SS. With respect to primary and secondary SS, there was essentially no significant difference between the groups in any of the above aspects. Conclusions: Patients with pediatric SS presented with a wide spectrum of clinical features, a low prevalence of reported symptoms of dry mouth and dry eyes, and various clinical manifestations with multi-system involvement. These are similar to other pediatric study cohorts in terms of epidemiology, auxiliary investigation results, disease activity scores, and treatment. The coincidence between our study and the Japanese version of the clinical practice guidance for Sjögren's Syndrome in pediatric patients (2018) is good for the diagnosis of pediatric SS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought stress is a common environmental challenge that plants face, severely constraining plant growth and reducing crop yield and quality. Several studies have highlighted distinct responses between monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants. However, the mechanisms underlying flax tolerance to abiotic stress, such as drought, remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics and the genome-wide gene expression of oil flax and fiber flax in response to drought stress. The results revealed that drought stress caused significant wilting of flax leaves. Within the first 24 h of stress, various physiological and biochemical characteristics exhibited rapid responses. These included fresh weight, relative water content (RWC), proline, soluble protein, soluble sugar, superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) in the leaves or roots of flax. Additionally, drought stress led to a significant rise in lignin content in fiber flax. In addition, the transcriptome analysis demonstrated genome-wide variations in gene expression induced by drought stress. Specifically, genes associated with photosynthesis, proline biosynthesis, and phytohormone metabolism exhibited significant differences in expression levels under stress conditions in flax. These findings highlight the rapid response of flax to drought stress within a short-term period. Our experiment also revealed that, although there were variations in the levels of small compound content or gene expression between Longya10 and Fany under drought stress, most stress-resistance responses were similar. Furthermore, the results provide additional evidence supporting the existence of mechanisms underlying the response to drought stress in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saline–alkali stress is a significant abiotic stress factor that impacts plant growth, development, and crop yield. Consistent with the notion that genome-wide replication events can enhance plant stress resistance, autotetraploid rice exhibited a higher level of tolerance to saline–alkali stress than its donor counterparts, which is reflected by differential gene expression between autotetraploid and diploid rice in response to salt, alkali, and saline–alkali stress. In this study, we investigated the expression of the transcription factors (TFs) in the leaf tissues of autotetraploid and diploid rice under different types of saline–alkali stress. Transcriptome analysis identified a total of 1040 genes from 55 TF families that were altered in response to these stresses, with a significantly higher number in autotetraploid rice compared to diploid rice. Contrarily, under these stresses, the number of expressed TF genes in autotetraploid rice was greater than that in diploid rice for all three types of stress. In addition to the different numbers, the differentially expressed TF genes were found to be from significantly distinct TF families between autotetraploid and diploid rice genotypes. The GO enrichment analysis unraveled that all the DEGs were distributed with differentially biological functions in rice, in particular those that were enriched in the pathways of phytohormones and salt resistance, signal transduction, and physiological and biochemical metabolism in autotetraploid rice compared to its diploid counterpart. This may provide useful guidance for studying the biological roles of polyploidization in plant resilience in response to saline–alkali stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lutetium dihydride LuH2 is stable at ambient conditions. Here we show that its color undergoes sequential changes from dark blue at ambient pressure to pink at ∼ 2.2 GPa and then to bright red at ∼ 4 GPa upon compression in a diamond anvil cell. Such a pressure-induced color change in LuH2 is reversible and it is very similar to that recently reported in the N-doped lutetium hydride [ Nature 615, 244 (2023)]. However, our preliminary resistance measurements on LuH2 under pressures up to ∼ 7 GPa evidenced no superconductivity down to 1.5 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presented the possible mechanism of arthritis damaged changes in cartilage's interstitial fluid flowing behavior. Firstly, the analytical solutions for the pore fluid pressure and velocity in the idealized cartilage defect model were obtained, which are employed to validate the finite element (FE) method. Then according to the MRI data, an articular cartilage FE model was developed to study the effects of defect characteristics on its poroelastic behaviors. The results showed the interstitial fluid pressure and velocity in defected articular cartilage is diminished, moreover, this trend is even more severe as the defect radius or thickness increased. As the development of osteoarthritis goes, the fluid velocity is decreased and cause the even serious nutrients loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lacto- N -fucopentaose V (LNFP V) is a typical human milk pentasaccharide. Multi-enzymatic in vitro synthesis of LNFP V from lactose was reported, however, microbial cell factory approach to LNFP V production has not been reported yet. In this study, the biosynthetic pathway of LNFP V was examined in Escherichia coli. The previously constructed E. coli efficiently producing lacto- N -tetraose was used as the starting strain. GDP-fucose pathway module and a regio-specific glycosyltransferase with α 1,3-fucosylation activity were introduced to realize the efficient synthesis of LNFP V. The α 1,3/4-fucosyltransferase from Bacteroides fragilis was selected as the best enzyme for in vivo biosynthesis of LNFP V from nine candidates, with the highest titer and the lowest by-product accumulation. A beneficial variant K128D was obtained to further enhance LNFP V titer using computer-assisted site-directed mutagenesis. The final strain EW10 could produce 25.68 g/L LNFP V by fed-batch cultivation, with the productivity of 0.56 g/L·h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tissue culture is an important experimental technique widely used for plant transformation and can induce somaclonal variation that is shown to be associated with genetic and epigenetic changes. However, the molecular basis of somaclonal variation and plant cell response to tissue culture has yet to be fully understood. In this study, we investigated gene expression, DNA methylation, and small RNA changes in regenerated lines (RL) compared with the wild-type progenitor plants (WT) of rice cv. Hitomebore. Using microarray, we identified many genes that were differentially expressed in the shoot-tip tissue and showed that TEs were generally activated in RL. Methylation Sensitive Amplification Polymorphism (MSAP) analysis of 5′CCGG sites combined with bisulfite sequencing detected a generally reduced DNA methylation in the RL lines. Small RNA sequencing analysis detected widespread changes in small RNA accumulation between RL and WT. In particular, repeat and TE-associated 24-nt size class of small RNAs, the inducer of RNA-directed DNA methylation, was in general down-regulated in RL, consistent with reduced CHG and CHH methylation at some of the differentially methylated TE loci. A large number of differentially expressed miRNAs were identified in RL and WT lines, including known and novel miRNAs. The expression of some of these miRNAs exhibited inverse correlation with the predicted target genes, suggesting a regulatory function. The RL plants looked similar to WT plants under normal conditions but showed significant phenotypic alterations under abiotic stress conditions. The widespread changes in DNA methylation, small RNA accumulation and gene expression in regenerated plants supports the role of epigenetic changes in tissue culture-induced somaclonal variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saline−alkaline stress is a critical abiotic stress that negatively affects plants' growth and development. Considerably higher enhancements in plant tolerance to saline−alkaline stress have often been observed in polyploid plants compared to their diploid relatives, the underlying mechanism of which remains elusive. In this study, we explored the variations in morphological and physiological characteristics, phytohormones, and genome-wide gene expression between an autotetraploid rice and its diploid relative in response to alkaline stress. It was observed that the polyploidization in the autotetraploid rice imparted a higher level of alkaline tolerance than in its diploid relative. An eclectic array of physiological parameters commonly used for abiotic stress, such as proline, soluble sugars, and malondialdehyde, together with the activities of some selected antioxidant enzymes, was analyzed at five time points in the first 24 h following the alkaline stress treatment between the diploid and autotetraploid rice. Phytohormones, such as abscisic acid and indole-3-acetic acid were also comparatively evaluated between the two types of rice with different ploidy levels under alkaline stress. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that gene expression patterns were altered in accordance with the variations in the cellular levels of phytohormones between diploid and autotetraploid plants upon alkaline stress. In particular, the expression of genes related to peroxide and transcription factors was substantially upregulated in autotetraploid plants compared to diploid plants in response to the alkaline stress treatment. In essence, diploid and autotetraploid rice plants exhibited differential gene expression patterns in response to the alkaline stress, which may shed more light on the mechanism underpinning the ameliorated plant tolerance to alkaline stress following genome duplication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A three-dimensional lattice Boltzmann method, which couples the color-gradient model for two-phase fluid dynamics with a lattice diffusion-advection scheme for the elastic stress tensor, is developed to study the deformation and breakup of a Newtonian droplet in the Giesekus fluid matrix under simple shear flow. This method is first validated by the simulation of the single-phase Giesekus fluid in a steady shear flow and the droplet deformation in two different viscoelastic fluid systems. It is then used to investigate the effect of Deborah number De , mobility parameter α , and solvent viscosity ratio β on steady-state droplet deformation. We find for 0.025 < α < 0.5 that as De increases, the steady-state droplet deformation decreases until eventually approaching the one in the pure Newtonian case with the viscosity ratio of 1 / β , which is attributed to the strong shear-thinning effect at high De. While for lower α , the droplet deformation exhibits a complex nonmonotonic variation with De. Under constant De , the droplet deformation decreases monotonically with α but increases with β. Force analysis shows that De modifies the droplet deformation by altering the normal viscous and elastic stresses at both poles and equators of the droplet, while α mainly alters the normal stresses at the poles. Finally, we explore the roles of De and α on the critical capillary number C a cr of the droplet breakup. By establishing both Ca – De and Ca – α phase diagrams, we find that the critical capillary number increases with De or α except that a plateau critical capillary number is observed in Ca – De phase diagram. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positive relationships between structural diversity and forest productivity have been documented in controlled experiments and early secondary forests, however, negative relationships have also been observed in late successional forests. The mechanisms causing observed relationships between structural diversity and productivity are not well‐established, but complementarity among crowns and asymmetric competition have been suggested.We used LiDAR and repeated census data to examine the relationship between canopy structural diversity and productivity in nine 1‐ha subtropical forest plots along a disturbance gradient in southeastern China. We quantified the relative importance of community composition, species diversity, canopy structural diversity, leaf area index (LAI) and disturbance regime on productivity using piecewise structural equation modelling. We also tested how vertical leaf area distribution affected productivity.Contrary to many prior observations, we found a negative relationship between canopy structural diversity and forest productivity. The negative effect may stem from asymmetric competition between overstorey and understorey leaves, leading to a lower leaf area efficiency (i.e. wood production per leaf area). Asymmetric competition was suggested by a negative relationship between understorey leaf area and total productivity. Changes in community composition over the disturbance gradient, but not species diversity, had a significant effect on productivity.Synthesis. Our study suggests that leaf area and canopy structural diversity have contrasting effects on productivity in this subtropical forest, and this needs to be considered when estimating rates of carbon sequestration in secondary forests. The negative effect of asymmetric competition on productivity is comparable to that of the shift in species composition over succession, highlighting the role of canopy structural diversity in shaping forest productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This letter presents a feasible and cost‐effective approach to realize closed laminated core, which is used to realize on silicon integrated thin film inductors. The closed laminated core is fabricated by electroplating magnetic layers with an oxide insulation layer sputtered in‐between. This is compatible with the back end of line (BEOL) processes. The prototype of the thin film inductor with closed laminated core shows less degradation of AC inductance and smaller AC resistance at high frequencies than the variant with a solid core. Furthermore, it is tested in a 20‐MHz DC–DC converter. The peak efficiency of 80% was achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A mathematical model is developed for penetration lengths in a pore doublet with arbitrary initial interface location. • The effects of initial interface location, capillary number, viscosity ratio and width ratio are investigated. • Phase diagrams are presented for the occurrence of backflow in a pore doublet. • The capillary valve effect is found to inhibit backflow in pore networks. Backflow is a typical flow phenomena in two-phase displacement, but it is rarely studied in the forced imbibition and it remains unknown if the backflow occurs in forced imbibition into a porous medium. In this paper, we focus on the forced imbibition and investigate the backflow behavior in pore doublet (PD) models and in dual-permeability pore networks. Inspired by Gu et al. (2021) and Shan et al. (2023), a general mathematical model is first developed to predict the evolution of the penetration length of wetting fluid in a PD with arbitrary initial interface locations. Based on the analytical predictions and numerical simulations, we then study the influence of initial interface location, capillary number, viscosity ratio, and channel width ratio on the backflow. Results show that the backflow in a PD is mainly attributed to high flow rate in narrow channel, driven by the dominant capillary force. To supplement the insufficiency of inlet flow rate, the fluid in wide channel has to flow backwards to fill the narrow channel. The backflow strengthens with the decrease of capillary number or viscosity ratio, but it exhibits non-monotonic variation with initial interface location and channel width ratio. Moreover, the phase diagrams showing the critical conditions for the occurrence of backflow are established in terms of capillary number, viscosity ratio and channel width ratio. Finally, numerical simulations are conducted to explore the occurrence of backflow in three different dual-permeability pore networks. It is found that the backflow does not occur in dual-permeability pore networks due to the low flow rate caused by overlap event and pronounced tortuosity in the low permeability zone, or occurs only in the early stage when the capillary valve effect does not work. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This letter demonstrates an on-silicon integrated thin film coupled inductor using a novel cascade matrix concept to suit multiphase integrated voltage regulator (IVR) applications. The novel cascade matrix coupled (CMC) stripline inductor facilitates all-phase-coupled configuration to reduce the phase ripple current in IVRs. It also shows excellent scalability and neat floor planning. Moreover, the proposed CMC inductor uses double layer metal scheme for windings and interconnects, which significantly reduces the ac winding resistance. A four-phase CMC inductor has been successfully fabricated on-silicon substrate and characterized, which uses conventional thin film magnetic core deposition process to achieve in-plane magnetic uniaxial anisotropy. The device occupies 3.2 × 1.7 mm2 floor area and provides 19.5 nH phase inductance with 120 mΩ dc resistance. The saturation current for each phase is up to 0.4 A when the phase inductance drops by approximately 20%. The coupling coefficient between any two phases of the proposed CMC inductor is 0.27, much higher and more controllable than that of toroid core-based coupled inductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the anomalous charge density wave (CDW) state evolution and dome-like superconductivity in CuIr2Te4âˆ' x Se x (0 â©˝ x â©˝ 0.5) series. Room temperature powder x-ray diffraction (XRD) results indicate that CuIr2Te4âˆ' x Se x (0 â©˝ x â©˝ 0.5) compounds retain the same structure as the host CuIr2Te4 and the unit cell constants a and c manifest a linear decline with increasing Se content. Magnetization, resistivity and heat capacity results suggest that superconducting transition temperature (T c) exhibits a weak dome-like variation as substituting Te by Se with the maximum T c = 2.83 K for x = 0.1 followed by suppression in T c and simultaneous decrease of the superconducting volume fraction. Unexpectedly, the CDW-like transition (T CDW) is suppressed with lower Se doping (0.025 â©˝ x â©˝ 0.2) but re-emerges at higher doping (0.25 â©˝ x â©˝ 0.5). Meanwhile, the temperature-dependent XRD measurements show that the trigonal structure is stable at 20 K, 100 K and 300 K for the host sample and the doping composition with x = 0.5, thus we propose that the behavior CDW-like transition arises from the disorder effect created by chemical doping and is not related to structural transition. The lower and the upper critical fields of these compounds are also addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), highlights major gaps in our knowledge on the prevention control and cross‐species transmission mechanisms of animal coronaviruses. Transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), and porcine delta coronavirus (PDCoV) are three common swine coronaviruses and have similar clinical features. In the absence of effective treatments, they have led to significant economic losses in the swine industry worldwide. We reported that indoles exerted potent activity against swine coronaviruses, the molecules used included melatonin, indole, tryptamine, and L‐tryptophan. Herein, we did further systematic studies with melatonin, a ubiquitous and versatile molecule, and found it inhibited TGEV, PEDV, and PDCoV infection in PK‐15, Vero, or LLC‐PK1 cells by reducing viral entry and replication, respectively. Collectively, we provide the molecular basis for the development of new treatments based on the ability of indoles to control TGEV, PEDV, and PDCoV infection and spread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) plays a pivotal role in metabolism. Convenient detection of NADH and its related metabolites has the pursuit of point-of-care and clinical analysis. Here, we propose a polymer dots (Pdots)-based NADH-sensitive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor for detection of NADH and three metabolites. Pdots acted as the efficient ECL emitters without additional modification to construct this biosensor. Specially, NADH both acted as the final detection target and at the same time as the bio-coreactants to sensitively influence the ECL intensities, in which NADH was generated or consumed in the presence of the target analyte and their specific enzyme. For glucose and lactic acid detection, NAD+ was reduced to NADH to generate an enhanced ECL signal. Conversely, for pyruvate detection, NADH was consumed to further decrease the ECL. The designed Pdots-based ECL biosensor showed wide detection ranges, high selectivity and low limits of detection of 4.6 μM, 0.7 μM and 0.5 μM for the analysis of three analytes, respectively. This strategy was successfully applied in quantifying the concentrations of glucose, lactic acid and pyruvate in human serum, which also has the potential to be implemented as a powerful and fast tool for ECL sensing of NADH and other related metabolites for point-of-care use and disease monitoring. [Display omitted] • A polymer dot-based NADH-sensitive electrochemiluminescent biosensor is developed. • The biosensor realized convenient and universal analysis of multiple metabolites. • The biosensor had high sensitivity and wide detection range for three metabolites. • The strategy is competent for target analysis in the serum samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We have designed and fabricated a new type 3D nonlinear photonic crystal containing two-layer fork-shaped χ(2) gratings. Different from the periodic fork structures in Nat. Commun. 10 , 4193 (2019), these fork gratings are aligned in an antiparallel configuration. In this way, we are able to study the interference of these layers in the context of nonlinear wave front shaping, instead of pure energy flow in Nat. Commun. 10 , 4193 (2019). • We show 3D nonlinear photonic crystals have advantages over the one- and two-dimensional peers because the multiple χ(2) layers can lead to their own nonlinear diffracted second harmonics and their subsequent interference offers more possibilities to generate structured beams at the harmonic frequency. According to the best of our knowledge, no similar study has been conducted prior to this work. We show that nonlinear diffraction in nonlinear photonic crystal offers a convenient way to generate structured light at new frequencies. To this end we fabricate a 3D nonlinear photonic crystal containing two layers of fork-shaped ferroelectric domain gratings. Illumination of the structure by a fundamental Gaussian beam leads to the generation of two co-propagating second harmonic vortices with opposite topological charges, whose subsequent interference forms Hermite–Gaussian (HG) beams in far field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stamping process produces thin-walled structures that, in general, have uniform wall thickness and no enclosed cavity. However, it is difficult to satisfy the above geometric requirements with the current density-based topology optimization method, since configuring the related geometric constraints is challenging. In order to solve this problem, a topology optimization method for stamping structures based on a directional density field is proposed. Specifically, the directional density field is developed to enable the adding and removing of materials only along the stamping direction, so as to avoid internal voids and concave features. The geometric control for uniform wall thickness is realized by tuning the truncation threshold of the Heaviside projection that processes the directional density field into the 0–1 binary field. At the same time, a calibrated filter radius of the truncation thresholds will facilitate the drawing angle control of the stamping ribs. The effectiveness of the established method has been verified by a number of numerical case studies. Results show that the proposed method can perform topology optimization for stamping structures with tunable uniform thickness and drawing angle control of the ribs. No internal voids or undercuts appear in the results. The results also disclose that a constant truncation threshold increment does not guarantee uniform wall thickness, and varying the threshold increments through surface offset and polynomial fitting is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • IRMOF-3 nanosheets are filled into glass fiber filters to prepare MOF nanosheet-filled membranes. • GCMC simulations suggest a synergistic H 2 /CO 2 separation mechanism based on selective adsorption and size exclusion. • The H 2 /CO 2 selectivity reaches 1341 ± 134. Metal-organic framework (MOF) nanosheets have been identified as promising membrane materials for various separation applications. However, the development of MOF nanosheet membranes for practical applications is impeded by the difficulties in preparing ultrathin nanosheets and the limitations of conventional membrane production methods. For the first time, conveniently prepared and purified isoreticular MOF-3 (IRMOF-3) nanosheets are filled into macroporous glass fiber (GF) filters to prepare IRMOF-3 nanosheet-filled GF (IRMOF-3@GF X , X = filling amount expressed in mg) membranes. The IRMOF-3@GF 2.0 membrane exhibits an impressively high H 2 /CO 2 selectivity of 1341 ± 134, and the H 2 permeance reaches 974 ± 41 gas permeance units (GPU). In addition, the IRMOF-3@GF 2.0 membrane shows excellent durability with no performance degradation during a 150-h test. Grand Canonical Monte Carlo simulations are performed to investigate the H 2 /CO 2 separation mechanism and the results suggest a synergistic separation mode based on selective adsorption and size exclusion. The innovative filled-membrane fabrication route and the presented gas separation mechanism offer a new strategy to design and prepare MOF nanosheet-based gas separation membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene oxide (GO)-based membranes have been widely studied for various separation applications, but it is highly desirable to tailor their structure for the separation of small molecules such as hydrogen. Herein, we demonstrate the fabrication of a thin GO membrane by using a low-cost and highly gas permeable glass fiber (GF) filter as a porous substrate. By partial thermal reduction of GO, the interlayer channel size of the GF-supported GO membrane is precisely tailored for molecular sieving, leading to extraordinarily enhanced hydrogen separation performance. With the synergistic effect of retained functional-group interactions, the quasi-reduced GO (q-rGO) membrane displays a H 2 permeance of 783 ± 50 gas permeance units (GPU) and an impressive H 2 /CO 2 separation factor as high as 3636 ± 312, which is the highest selectivity for H 2 /CO 2 reported thus far. In addition, the q-rGO membrane exhibits excellent durability with no performance degradation during a 120-h test. Our results represent a key step toward GO membrane-based molecular sieving applications. [Display omitted] • The interlayer spacing of graphene oxides is tailored by partial reduction at a lower temperature. • The precisely tailored interlayer spacing enhances the channel-size sieving effect. • The H 2 /CO 2 separation factor reaches 3636 ± 312. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The Co@NCNT and Ni@NCNT catalysts were synthesized using the calcination method. • The Co@NCNT and Ni@NCNT catalysts exhibited good electrocatalytic activity for the ORR. • Their electrocatalytic activity of both catalysts was due to the rich N-doped active C sites. • The good catalytic activity was also due to synergistic reaction between Co (Ni) and NCNTs. Electrocatalysts based on nanosized cobalt or nickel particles encapsulated by nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (M@NCNTs (M = Co or Ni)) were synthesized using the calcination method. They were served as the catalyst toward an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The results implied that the M@NCNT electrocatalysts had ORR catalytic activity in an alkaline electrolyte. The half-wave potential (E 1/2) on the Co@NCNT catalyst reached 0.881 V, which was higher than for commercial Pt/C (0.856 V). The M@NCNT electrocatalysts exhibited good stability in the ORR. After 3000 cycles, the E 1/2 for the Co@NCNTs was almost completely unchanged, whereas for the Ni@NCNTs, shifted negatively to 19 mV, was less than for commercial Pt/C (34 mV). These promising electrochemical properties were due to abundant active carbon sites and the synergistic reaction between Co/Ni and NCNTs. Density functional theory calculations indicated that the OOH had strong absorption on the C atoms (adjacent to pyridinic N) in the Co@NCNT and Ni@NCNT catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the continually increasing thermal load caused by the rising gas temperature in the inlet of radial-flow turbines, this paper proposes the use of axial hole air-entraining cooling to cool the turbine shaft and turbo wheel back-disc. The cooling effect of this technique, as well as its influence on the aerodynamic performance of turbines, were investigated through numerical simulations. The results demonstrate that the axial hole air-entraining cooling technique can significantly improve the local cooling efficiency of the turbine back-disc. Under a blowing ratio of 0.25 %, the local cooling efficiency increased by 154 %, and the temperature decreased by up to 233 K. The maximum temperature on the surface of the turbine shaft at the floating bearing location decreased significantly, thus reducing the coking risk of the lubricating oil. When the blowing ratio was within 0.5 %, the impact of this cooling technique on the overall turbine performance was negligible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

l -Fucose is a functional deoxyhexose prevalent in various organisms. Particularly, it is the general backbone unit of the polysaccharides of many edible brown algae; it is also a human-identical milk monosaccharide and has been proposed for use in infant formula as a functional ingredient. This review aims to provide a detailed overview of the occurrence and physiological effects of l -fucose. We have reviewed various strategies for preparing l -fucose, including algal extraction, enzymatic production, and microbial synthesis using metabolic engineering approaches. l -Fucose is an important polysaccharide obtained from various microorganisms, algae, and plants. In mammals, they occur as N - and O -linked glycans in glycoproteins and glycolipids that perform important physiological functions. l -Fucose has prebiotic activity, protects intestinal barrier function, improves lipid metabolism, exhibits antitumor activity, and slows skin aging; thus, it can potentially be used as a bioactive component in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmetic industries. l -Fucose is easily manufactured from algae and can be produced via chemical, enzymatic, and microbial synthesis. • l -Fucose is a functional deoxy hexose widely occurring in various organisms. • It has a potential as a bioactive component in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmetic industries. • It is easy to be industrially prepared from l -fucose-enriched fucoidan in brown algae. • High substrate cost currently limits large-scale enzymatic synthesis of l -fucose. • Metabolic engineering-based microbial synthesis shows advantages of low cost and high efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The Fe 3 C@NCNTs was successfully synthesized using one-step calcination method. • The Pd nanoparticles were loaded onto the surface of the Fe 3 C@NCNT electrocatalyst. • The synergistic effect of Pd enhanced the catalytic activity of the Pd/Fe 3 C@NCNTs. • The Pd/Fe 3 C@NCNT electrocatalyst had excellent catalytic activity for ORR and EOR. • The electrocatalytic activity of Pd/Fe 3 C@NCNTs was superior to commercial Pd/C and Pt/C. Iron carbide-encapsulated nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (Fe 3 C@NCNTs) and Pd that is loaded onto Fe 3 C@NCNTs (Pd/Fe 3 C@NCNTs) electrocatalysts were synthesized. The valence state of Pd that was loaded onto the Pd/Fe 3 C@NCNTs surface is in the Pd0 and Pd2+ forms and Pd0 is the main form. The electrochemical measurement results imply that the Fe 3 C@NCNT catalyst exhibits an electrocatalytic property in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The Pd/Fe 3 C@NCNT electrocatalyst has a good catalytic property toward ORR and ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) in an alkaline solution. The half-wave potential (E 1/2) on the Pd/Fe 3 C@NCNT electrocatalyst toward the ORR can reach 0.904 V, which is higher than that on commercial 20 wt% Pt/C (0.856 V). The forward oxidation peak current density (j f) on the Pd/Fe 3 C@NCNT electrocatalyst for ethanol oxidation is 1.655 A mg−1, which is larger than that on commercial 10 wt% Pd/C (0.430 A mg−1). The excellent electrocatalytic property of the Pd/Fe 3 C@NCNT electrocatalyst is contributed to the many active sites and synergistic effects between Pd and Fe 3 C@NCNTs. The density functional theory (DFT) calculation result implies that the electron mobility increases in the recombination area for Pd and Fe 3 C@NCNTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Members of tumour necrosis factor superfamily (TNFSF) and TNF receptor superfamily (TNFRSF) have crucial roles in many important biological processes such as cell proliferation, cell death, development, survival, immunity, and various diseases. The human TNFSF consists of 19 ligands and 29 receptors. Compared with those in human, fish have most of the TNFSF and receptors that have been found in mammals, while some of the homologues are specific or lost in fish. Especially, no systematic report on the identification of TNFSF ligands and their receptors in S. schlegelii. Therefore, to investigate the characterization and molecular evolution of TNFSF and TNFRSF genes in Sebastes schlegelii, we performed a genome-wide survey and identified 14 TNFSFs and 24 TNFRSFs from S. schlegelii. In S. schlegelii , we found duplication events occurred in TNFSF2, TNFSF6, TNFSF10, TNFSF13, TNFSF14, TNFRSF5, TNFRSF6, TNFRSF6B, TNFRSF10B, TNFRSF16, and TNFRSF19 genes. Among which, the tandem duplications events occurred in TNFSF13 and TNFRSF6, and the whole genome duplications events occurred in the remaining TNFSF and TNFRSF genes. Based on the molecular phylogenetic analysis, 14 TNFSFs were divided into three different clusters and 24 TNFRSFs were classed as three distinct subgroups, respectively. Meanwhile, protein domains and motifs analysis revealed that TNFSF contain homology domain (THD), and TNFRSF have typical cysteine-rich domains (CRDs). Synteny results indicates that the TNFSFs and TNFRSFs neighborhood genes have taken place great changes compared to those in human, fugu and zebrafish. Meanwhile, qRT-PCR results demonstrated that most TNFSFs and TNFSRSFs were significantly differentially expressed in gill, skin and intestine after E. tarda infection with time-dependent manners. In addition, protein-protein interaction network (PPI) analysis indicated that the most related genes connecting to TNFSF and TNFRSFs were TNFSF ligands and receptors. In summary, this study provided a new understanding for characterization and evolution of the TNFSF genes and their receptors in S. schlegelii. • 14 TNFs and 24 TNFRs were identified in S. schlegelii. • 14 TNFs were divided into three different clusters and 24 TNFRs were classed as three distinct subgroups. • TNF contain homology domain, and TNFR have typical cysteine-rich domains (CRDs). • qRT-PCR results demonstrated that most TNFs and TNFSRs were significantly differentially expressed after E. tarda infection. • PPI analysis indicated that the most related genes connecting to TNF and TNFRs were TNF ligands and receptors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have recently aroused enormous attention, due to large anti-Stokes shifts, weak autofluorescence, less photodamage and photobleaching, as well as deeper tissue penetration. Owing to their advantageous photophysical properties, UCNPs have been widely applied in analytical and biomedical research fields, such as sensing, imaging, and therapy. This review mainly focuses on recent advances in chromophore-assembled upconversion nanoprobes (UC nanoprobes) for chemo/biosensing. We first demonstrate the principle for constructing UC nanoprobes, and then give a detailed summary of chromophore loading strategies. Furthermore, recent achievements on the construction and application of chromophore-loaded UC nanoprobes are summarized. Also, the current challenges and future prospects of UC nanoprobes are discussed as a conclusion. We expect this review will offer valuable guidance on the selection of chromophores and their loading strategies to further facilitate the fabrication and applications of chromophore-assembled UC nanoprobes. [Display omitted] • An overview of chromophore-assembled UC nanoprobe for chemo/biosensing has been proposed. • The chromophore loading strategies have been summarized. • The commonly used chromophores for overlapping the luminescence of UCNPs have been presented. • The detection of various targets can be achieved by changing the recognition unit of chromophores. • Future perspectives and challenges of UC nanoprobes have been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quantitative detection of single cell secretions is always limited by their accurate collection and the heterogeneity of different cells. In this work, a confined electrochemiluminescence (ECL) imaging microarray (CEIM) chip was designed to capture single or a few cells in each cylindrical microwell for high-throughput quantitation of cell-secreted dopamine (DA). The ITO surface at the bottom of microwells was functionalized with the film of DA aptamer modified coreactant-embedded polymer dots (Pdots), which endowed the chip with the abilities to both in situ recognize the target DA secreted from the cells and emit the ECL signal for responding the secreted target without need of any additional coreactant. At the applied potential of +1.4 V, the Pdots in the film emitted strong ECL signal, which could be quenched by the electrochemical oxidation product of DA in individual microwell for sensitive detection of single cell-released DA. The practicability of the proposed CEIM chip along with the ECL imaging and biosensing strategy was demonstrated by evaluating the amounts of single cell-released DA in different microwells under hypoxia stimulation. This protocol revealed the heterogeneity of cell secretion, and could be extended for quantitation of other secretions from different kinds of single cells. • A confined electrochemiluminescence imaging microarray is designed to capture single or a few cells in each microwell. • The microwell can collect the cell-secreted dopamine to realize its high-throughput quantitation. • Coreactant-embedded polymer dots modified with aptamer can recognize the dopamine and emit detection signal. • The dopamine amounts released from different cells under hypoxia stimulation have been evaluated with this protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how strategic inventory affects pricing decisions and contractual outcomes of a dual-channel supply chain with the consideration of corporate social responsibility. To highlight the role of CSR, we first extend the existing understanding of dual-channel supply chain dynamics to a for-profit dynamic setting. Thereafter, we analyze two cases where either the retailer or the supplier may be socially responsible. We find that although the presence of dual distribution arrangements can suppress retailer strategic inventory buildup, it may also lead to the retailer preferring the dynamic contract even for a sufficiently high holding cost, which is not the case in the single channel. We further show that the retailer's strategic inventory decision is influenced by the level of social concern, supplier's direct selling efficiency, and inventory holding cost. The retailer's (supplier's) social concern increases (decreases) the strategic inventory quantity, which significantly alters the contractual outcomes of the dual-channel supply chain. Interestingly, we find that although either channel member's social concern or strategic inventory can alleviate double-marginalization effect, their interference may result in lower firm profit and supply chain inefficiency. • We study strategic inventory in a socially responsible dual-channel supply chain. • The presence of supplier's direct selling suppresses retailer's strategic inventory buildup. • Retailer may prefer the dynamic contract even for sufficiently high holding costs. • Interference between social concern and strategic inventory may lower supply chain efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel method was proposed to realize the ultrasonic loading in MD simulation. • Ultrasound can make more phenol absorbed on SWNTs. • Ultrasound can enhance the interaction energy of SWNTs and phenol. • Ultrasound can weaken the hydrogen bond between phenolic hydroxyl and water. • Density distribution of water around SWNTs changes only under negative pressure. In this article, the effect of ultrasound on the adsorption of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) to phenol was investigated by performing an all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. During the simulation process, a novel convenient method based on segmented simulation was proposed to realize the loading of ultrasonic boundary condition in MD simulation, which was realized by controlling the pressure changing as the positive and negative square wave. For evaluating the adsorption effect, structural parameters, interaction energies, hydrogen bond and number density distribution of water molecules were examined, and then an experiment was performed for verifying the conclusions of MD simulation. The results show that the external ultrasound can increase the amount of phenol around SWNTs, enhance the interaction energy between SWNTs and phenol molecules and weaken the hydrogen bond between phenol hydroxyl group and water molecules. These results indicate that the presence of ultrasound can promote the adsorption of carbon nanotubes to phenol. The experimental results for verification show that under ultrasound action, the concentration of the phenol solution is lower after adsorbed by SWNTs, which means that the adsorption of SWNTs to phenol has been promoted. In addition, the density distribution of water molecules decreases significantly only when the ultrasound generates negative pressure in the aqueous solution, which proves the correctness of the ultrasonic loading method proposed in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous recent studies reported that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) also exists in the peripheral blood to regulate the proliferation, differentiation and survival of lymphocytes. Besides the role of BDNF in neuron repair, circulatory BDNF also enhances the proliferation and reduces apoptosis of lymphocytes. Peripheral lymphocytes express both BDNF and its receptors. Increasing evidence has indicated that altered BDNF serum levels significantly affect patients with autoimmune inflammatory diseases and may also be linked to the pathogenesis of diseases. For instance, systemic lupus erythematosus, an autoimmune inflammatory disease involving multiple organs, is frequently linked to altered B lymphocyte function, imbalance of T-cell subpopulations and loss of immune tolerance, which dysregulates the immune regulatory network with excessive secretion of inflammatory cytokines. The present review summarized studies that suggest a potential link between circulatory BDNF and autoimmune inflammatory diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper made an in-depth analysis of the articulation between a substation's design parameters and water supply and drainage structure quantities and costs, innovatively built a hierarchical structure model of influencing factors of quantities, and eventually extracted the key parameters affecting quantities. Meanwhile, the influence path of the price level change on the water supply and drainage structure costs was also analyzed in this paper. The BP neural network model and linear regression model were employed to estimate the ontology engineering cost and the price difference due to preparation time, so as to realize the purpose of quickly estimating the cost of substation water supply and drainage structure by knowing a few key parameters. Through calculation and stimulated analysis, the error of the model is controlled within ±3%, which provides an effective tool for quickly estimating the cost of substation water supply and drainage structure. Therefore, this model has practical significance and application value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel acylhydrazide‐based gelator (BE) was successfully built without the use of traditional fluorescent groups. Surprisingly, in 1,2‐propanediol, the BE can further self‐assemble into a stable supramolecular gel (OBE) and display significant blue‐white aggregation‐induced enhanced emission (AIEE). Interestingly, based on the excellent coordination capacity of acyl hydrazone bonds, the OBE demonstrated a sensitive response to Pd2+ and Fe3+, with corresponding lowest limits of detection of 21.8 and 37.3 ppb, respectively. More interesting, H2PO4− could only be constantly recognized by the Pd‐OBE (Pd2+ coordinated with OBE). Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), density functional theory (DFT) and rheological measurements, the self‐assembly process of OBE, and the ion recognition sensing mechanism were extensively examined. Moreover, xerogel OBE as supporter, a novel heterogeneous catalyst Pd/OBE is prepared. The catalyst displays outstanding activity and stability for Suzuki coupling reactions in water. It can be easily reused for at least five runs with no decrease in the catalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction/Aims: GNE myopathy is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by pathogenic variants in the GNE gene, which is essential for the sialic acid biosynthesis pathway. Although over 300 GNE variants have been reported, some patients remain undiagnosed with monoallelic pathogenic variants. This study aims to analyze the entire GNE genomic region to identify novel pathogenic variants. Methods: Patients with clinically compatible GNE myopathy and monoallelic pathogenic variants in the GNE gene were enrolled. The other GNE pathogenic variant was verified using comprehensive methods including exon 2 quantitative polymerase chain reaction and nanopore long‐read single‐molecule sequencing (LRS). Results: A deep intronic GNE variant, c.862+870C>T, was identified in nine patients from eight unrelated families. This variant generates a cryptic splice site, resulting in the activation of a novel pseudoexon between exons 5 and 6. It results in the insertion of an extra 146 nucleotides into the messengerRNA (mRNA), which is predicted to result in a truncated humanGNE1(hGNE1) protein. Peanut agglutinin（PNA） lectin staining of muscle tissues showed reduced sialylation of mucin O‐glycans on sarcolemmal glycoproteins. Notably, a third of patients with the c.862+870C>T variant exhibited thrombocytopenia. A common core haplotype harboring the deep intronic GNE variant was found in all these patients. Discussion: The transcript with pseudoexon activation potentially affects sialic acid biosynthesis via nonsense‐mediated mRNA decay, or resulting in a truncated hGNE1 protein, which interferes with normal enzyme function. LRS is expected to be more frequently incorporated in genetic analysis given its efficacy in detecting hard‐to‐find pathogenic variants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structures, stabilities, bonding characters, electronic and vibrational properties of bimetallic NaMgn (n = 2–11) clusters have been comprehensively studied by CALYPSO code within DFT calculations. The results show that the geometries of the most stable NaMgn clusters evolve from 2D to 3D framework at n = 3, and appear the triangular prism-based structural unit at n = 8. Most can be viewed as a substituted structure of the corresponding magnesium clusters. The Na atom occupies the convex site of the NaMgn motifs. Positive charges of all Na atoms signify the charge transfers from Na to Mg in said clusters. Stability studies suggest the outstanding stability of the NaMg9 cluster in the size range of n = 2–11. Analysis of bonding nature reveals mixed covalent and metallic Na-Mg and Mg-Mg bonds with delocalized nature in NaMg9, in which the bond strength of the Na-Mg bond is lower than that of the Mg-Mg bond. The simulated IR and Raman spectra could provide additional ways to identify the structure of the NaMgn clusters in the following experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its inception in 2000, Mississippi's pavement warranty programme has been used to manage the maintenance activities of the warranty pavement projects. To determine whether a specific maintenance treatment is required on a warranty pavement section, distress measurements are taken and compared against warranty distress thresholds for each distress type. Then, the decisions of what maintenance treatments and scopes should be applied are made by following the warranty specifications. This study aims to identify factors that influence past maintenance decisions and predict future maintenance needs for warranty projects based on past decisions. Statistical methods were employed to identify the relationship between the maintenance decisions and relevant factors based on the historical data of the warranty projects. Moreover, logistic regressions were performed to develop a comprehensive maintenance decision-making prediction model for the warranty pavements. The analysis results showed that the distress measurements at low and medium severity levels in numerical variables and project location and distress type in categorical variables have stronger effects than the others on decisions. The mixed-effects logistic regression model could provide a high accuracy in predicting the remedial actions, which could further provide a trend prediction for the maintenance decision of a warranty pavement section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In evolutionary dynamics, the population structure and multiplayer interactions significantly impact the evolution of cooperation levels. Previous works mainly focus on the theoretical analysis of multiplayer games on regular networks or pairwise games on complex networks. Combining these two factors, complex networks and multiplayer games, we obtain the fixation probability and fixation time of the evolutionary public goods game in a structured population represented by a signed network. We devise a stochastic framework for estimating fixation probability with weak mistrust or strong mistrust mechanisms and develop a deterministic replicator equation to predict the expected density of cooperators when the system evolves to the equilibrium on a signed network. Specifically, the most interesting result is that negative edges diversify the cooperation steady state, evolving in three different patterns of fixed probability in Erdös–Rényi signed and Watts–Strogatz signed networks with the new "strong mistrust" mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • 3D porous CuS/carbon octahedron was prepared by in-situ sulfidation of Cu-MOF. • As-prepared materials can provide excellent conductivity and numerous active sites. • The sensor displayed enhanced electrochemical activity for sensing of AA. • Constructed sensor exhibited low detection limit, good reproducibility and stability. • This method could put into use for the drug monitoring and clinical diagnosis. Sensitive and reliable detection of the antioxidant ascorbic acid (AA) is crucial for biosensing and food safety applications. Herein, CuS/carbon composites (CuS@C-c) with porous octahedral structure were successfully fabricated by pre-carbonization and then sulfidation of the precursor Cu-MOF templates, which allowed for the in-situ encapsulation of CuS into the carbon matrix, simultaneously endowing the CuS@C-c with high conductivity and rigid structure protection. Benefiting from the unique structural features, the CuS@C-c displayed significantly improved electrochemical performance compared with hydrothermal disordered structural products (CuS@C-h). The CuS@C-c was employed for preparing the modified electrode and exhibited distinguished electrocatalytic oxidation of AA with a wide linear range of 0.1–1000.0 μmol/L and a low detection limit of 0.03 μmol/L, which could be attributed to synergistic contributions of CuS and carbon matrix, as well as their unique 3D open porous structure, which provided abundant accessible active sites and accelerating electron transfer. The developed electrode showed good anti-interference ability, long-term stability, and reproducibility and was able to efficiently detected AA contents in pharmaceuticals and human urine samples with acceptable recoveries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The caspase, functioning as a proteinase, plays a crucial role in eukaryotic cell apoptosis, regulation of apoptosis, cellular growth, differentiation, and immunity. The identification of caspase gene family in Sebastes schlegelii is of great help to understand its antimicrobial research. In S. schlegelii , we totally identified nine caspase genes, including four apoptosis initiator caspases (caspase 2, caspase 8, caspase 9 and caspase 10), four apoptosis executioners (caspase 3a, caspase 3b, caspase 6 , and caspase 7) and one inflammatory executioner (caspase 1). The duplication of caspase 3 genes on chr3 and chr8 may have been facilitated by whole genome duplication (WGD) events or other complex evolutionary processes. In general, the number of caspase genes relatively conserved in high vertebrates, while exhibiting variation in teleosts. Furthermore, syntenic analysis and phylogenetic relationships analysis supported the correct classification of these caspase gene family in S. schlegelii , especially for genes with duplicated copies. Additionally, the expression patterns of these caspase genes in different tissues of S. schlegelii under healthy conditions were assessed. The results revealed that the expression levels of most caspase genes were significantly elevated in the intestine, spleen, and liver. To further investigate the potential immune functions of these caspase genes in S. schlegelii , we challenged individuals with A. salmonicida and V. anguillarum, respectively. After infection with A. salmonicida , the expression levels of caspase 1 in the liver and spleen of S. schlegelii remained consistently elevated throughout the infection time points. The expression levels of most caspase family members in the intestine exhibited significant divergence following V. anguillarum infection. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the caspase gene families in S. schlegelii , thereby establishing a solid foundation for further investigations into the functional roles of these caspase genes. [Display omitted] • Nine caspase family members were identified in S. schlegelii. • The caspase genes including 4 executioner genes, 4 initiator genes, and 1 inflammatory gene. • Most caspase genes showed high expression levels in intestine, spleen, and liver. • Most caspase genes in liver and spleen were significantly induced by A. salmonicida infection. • The expression pattern of caspase gene was different after the infection of V. anguillarum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Propose an entropy index selection strategy for the Masi entropy thresholding. • Propose the DP framework of the multilevel Masi entropy thresholding. • Propose an adaptive efficient Masi entropy multilevel thresholding based on DP. • Verify the performance of the proposed method on different benchmark data sets. Masi entropy multilevel thresholding can utilize additive and non-extensive information in images to effectively segment a complex image. However, the entropy index of Masi entropy cannot be selected automatically, and the time complexity of the multilevel algorithm by exhaustive searching grows exponentially with the increase of the threshold numbers. To address these two problems, an adaptive entropy index selection strategy based on image histogram information is proposed first. To improve the computation efficiency, an efficient solution for the adaptive Masi entropy multilevel thresholding algorithm based on dynamic programming (DP + AMasi) is also proposed. The DP + AMasi algorithm is compared with the Masi entropy multilevel thresholding algorithm by exhaustive search and state-of-the-art metaheuristic algorithms on three benchmark datasets. The effectiveness of the DP + AMasi is verified by fitness function values, Uniformity Measure, Davies Bouldin index, and CPU run time. In addition, the Wilcoxon test is used to analyze the differences between algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Centrifugal rotation is one of the most important techniques for separating and purifying particles or cells, which enables broad applications in biomedicine and chemistry. To study the separation mechanism of the rotating flow, a lattice Boltzmann method is developed to simulate particulate flows in the rotating coordinate system, where the centrifugal and Coriolis forces are exerted not only on the fluid but also on the particles. This method is first validated by simulation of two benchmark cases, namely, the external force driven flow in the rotating coordinate system and the motion of a single particle in a rotating fluid disk. It is then used to investigate the dynamics of a single particle, two particles and a particle cluster in a rotating channel. Results show that the centrifugal force and Coriolis force drive the particle to move toward the outlet and toward the bottom wall, respectively, and decreasing particle size can reduce the hydrodynamic resistance, thus making the particle move faster. In the two-particle system, the particle-particle interaction is found to play an important role, which could cause the downstream particle to move first downward and then upward when the particle mass is small, or to exhibit a damped oscillation behavior when the particle mass is large. By simulating the motion of a particle cluster, we demonstrate the capability of the rotating channel to screen particles with different sizes or masses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bimetallic sodium-doped magnesium cluster cations, NaMgn+(n= 2–12), have been investigated through a synergetic combination of the CALYPSO code and DFT calculations. The results reveal that the lowest-energy structures of NaMgn+ exhibit linear, planar, triangular pyramid, pentagonal pyramid, and triangular prism topologies. The structures can be described as a substituted geometry of pure Mg clusters at the small size. Starting from n = 9, the dominant structures transform into a triangular prism-based configuration. Like anionic and neutral NaMgn clusters, the Na atom prefers the peripheral regions of the Mgn framework. Stability studies indicate NaMg4+ and NaMg10+ to be the~most stable clusters, which may benefit from their closed-shell electron structures. Analysis of the bonding nature shows stronger Mg-Mg interaction than the Na-Mg interaction in the NaMg4+ and NaMg10+ clusters. The reason is that covalent bonds are formed in the Mg-Mg regions, while there is no aggregation of electron density in the Na-Mg regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]