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Well-defined polarization-electric field double hysteresis loops are rarely observed in pure NaNbO3 (NN) ceramics due to the metastability of the field-induced ferroelectric phase. In order to stabilize the antiferroelectric phase, various ABO3-type binary oxides were incorporated into a NaNbO3 ceramic, where the B-site is occupied with transition elements. In this work, CaSnO3 was chosen to construct the NaNbO3-based solid solution by reducing the Goldschmidt tolerance factor and ionic polarizability. X-ray diffraction patterns, transmission electron microscopy images, and Raman spectra indicate enhanced antiferroelectricity. Typical double hysteresis loops were also observed from polarization-electric field measurements in ambient conditions with slightly weakened maximum polarization as the content of CaSnO3 increased. Our results reveal the generality of this strategy and pave the way for various applications involving high-power energy for NaNbO3-based ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the primary causes of cancer-related death and resistance to cytotoxic chemotherapy is the major cause of mortality in HCC patients. miR-122 is a liver specific miRNA and is found to be reduced in HCC, however, the function of miR-122 in HCC chemosensitivity remains elusive. Methods We used qRT-PCR to measure expressions of miR-122, β-catenin and MDR1 in four HCC cell lines. And we assessed the effects of miR-122 or β-catenin on cell viability and apoptosis upon oxaliplatin (OXA) treatment by MTT assay and flow cytometry. In addition, we validated the interactions of miR-122/β-catenin and β-catenin/MDR1 by dual luciferase reporter assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP). Western blotting was used to determine the protein levels of β-catenin, Wnt1 and MDR1. In the end, we verified the anti-tumor effect of miR-122 in vivo by using mouse tumor xenograft model. Results We found that miR-122 was down-regulated in HCC cells. Up-regulation of miR-122 or inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling promoted HCC cells apoptosis and increased the sensitivity of HCC cells to OXA. On the molecular level, we showed that miR-122 directly targeted and suppressed Wnt/β-catenin pathway while β-catenin bound with MDR1 promoter and activated its transcription. Overexpression of miR-122 inhibited MDR1 expression via directly suppressing Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Conclusion Our study fully demonstrated that miR-122 inhibits MDR1 expression via suppression of Wnt/β-catenin pathway, thereby enhancing HCC sensitivity to OXA. Therefore, miR-122 could serve as a novel potential therapeutic target for HCC. Highlights • miR-122 is down-regulated and Wnt/β-catenin pathway is activated in HCC. • Overexpression of miR-122 increases HCC cells' sensitivity to OXA. • Overexpression of miR-122 suppresses Wnt/β-catenin pathway via targeting β-catenin. • β-catenin increases MDR1 expression by binding to the promoter of MDR1. • Overexpression of miR-122 increases OXA anti-tumor effect in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intravenous alteplase given in an appropriate time window has been recommended in guidelines and effects are on the decline over time. In general, the clinical decision is primarily based on whether ischemic stroke patients are sent to hospitals within the time window. However, some patients sent to the hospital over time limitations are eligible to receive intervention for recanalization due to good collateral circulation. In this dilemma, "tissue window" can be more reliable, which means using the penumbra as a major criterion for patient recruitment. Hence, we herein aim to address how could "tissue window" be a complementary approach when it does not conform to the time window's indication and affirming value of the later one. Some efforts obeying the time window are discussed first. In the later sections, we give the details of the definition of "tissue window", and then compare various neuroimaging techniques to determine the penumbra and summarize favorable patterns. Finally, we will focus on how the "tissue window" extends the therapeutic time window under specific circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this paper, a garnet-related type Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 material is synthesized by using a solid-state method. Then, the obtained Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 is investigated by X-ray diffraction method and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The prepared Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 material is first used as the lithium thermal electrolyte for its good ionic conductivity and safety at 550 °C. Compared with LiCl-LiBr-LiF molten salt electrolyte, the lithium thermal batteries using Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 material as the electrolyte have longer discharge time and higher melting point, resulting an increasing of the utilization rate of active substance by 20% at 550 °C under 80 mA/cm2. In addition, there was no Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 electrolyte overflowing during this discharge process, and which is beneficial to prolong the lithium thermal battery life and improve the lithium battery safety. Graphical abstract Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 electrolyte can increase the lithium thermal battery's discharge capacity and prevent the electrolyte overflowing, and thus improve the safety performance of thermal battery at 550 °C. Unlabelled Image Highlights • A solid electrolyte Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 is creatively applied into lithium thermal batteries. • Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 can prevent or reduce the electrolyte overflowing at 550 °C. • Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 can increase the safety performance of lithium battery at 550 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal properties of Cu(Ti)/SiO 2 and Cu(Zr)/SiO 2 systems have been investigated to evaluate the potential application for Cu metallization. Cu(Ti) and Cu(Zr) alloy films were directly deposited on SiO 2 /Si substrates and subsequently annealed in vacuum at various temperatures of 300°C–700 °C for 1 h. The microstructure, interface characteristics, and electrical properties of both samples were measured using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and leakage currents detector. Results suggest that Cu alloy films have strong Cu(111) texture after the addition of a small amount of Zr or Ti．The sharp decline of Cu and Si concentrations at the interface suggest that both Ti and Zr addition can prevent the inter-diffusion between Cu and substrate. The leakage current densities of Cu(Zr) and Cu(Ti) show that Zr is more stable element to self-forming diffusion layer for advanced Cu interconnects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a new class of l -cysteine electrocatalyst explored in this study, Au/CeO 2 composite nanofibers (CNFs) were employed to modify the screen printed carbon electrode (SPCE) to fabricate a novel l -cysteine (CySH) electrochemical sensor with high performance. Its electrochemical behavior and the roles of Au and CeO 2 in the composite toward electro-oxidation of CySH were elucidated and demonstrated using cyclic voltammetry and amperometry techniques for the first time through the comparison with pure CeO 2 NFs. More specifically, the Au/CeO 2 CNFs modified SPCE possessed greatly enhanced electrocatalytic activity toward CySH oxidation. An ultra high sensitivity of 321 μA mM −1 cm −2 was obtained, which is almost 2.7 times higher than that of pure CeO 2 NFs, revealing that the presence of Au imposed an important influence on the electrocatalytic activity toward CySH. The detailed reasons on such high performance were also discussed. In addition, the as-prepared sensor showed a low detection limit of 10 nM (signal to noise ratio of 3), a wide linear range up to 200 μM for the determination of CySH, an outstanding reproducibility and good long-term stability, as well as an excellent selectivity against common interferents such as tryptophan, tyrosine, methionine, ascorbic acid and uric acid. All these features indicate that the Au/CeO 2 composite nanofiber is a promising candidate as a new class of l -cysteine electrocatalyst in the development of highly sensitive and selective CySH electrochemical sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Filamentous fungi are emerging as attractive producers of natural products with novel structures, diverse bioactivities and unprecedented enzymology. But their genetic systems are poorly developed, especially in some non-model endogenic fungi, which have hampered our genetic manipulation of their natural product development. Calcarisporium arbuscula NRRL 3705 is an endophytic filamentous fungus rich in biosynthetic gene clusters and primarily producing mycotoxin aurovertins. Here we optimized Agrobacterium tumefaciens -mediated transformation (ATMT)-based efficient DNA introduction into C. arbuscula . By complementation of the monooxygenase gene aurC in ΔaurC mutant as a model, we showed that a strong but down-regulated promoter aurAp and three strong constitutive promoter gpdAp , tef1p and tubCp could be used for gene overexpression. Meanwhile, red fluorescence protein (RFP) was expressed in this fungus under the control of tubCp , potentially paving the way for enzyme localization determination during natural product biosynthesis. Furthermore, we developed efficient and convenient gene disruption in C. arbuscula based on ATMT, as exemplified by deletion of aurA in ΔaurC mutant. Our efficiency of deletion ran at about 40%. These results suggest that ATMT-based transformation for gene ectopic expression or deletion is an efficient strategy for genetic manipulation of C. arbuscula , and can be readily adapted to other rare filamentous fungi, potentially to promote discovery and development of natural products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: laryngeal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a common head and neck cancer with significant impact on quality of life due to its crucial roles in vocalization, airway protection, and swallowing. This retrospective study aims to evaluate the efficacy and larynx organ preservation of neoadjuvant treatment with PD-1 inhibitors in combination with paclitaxel (Albumin-bound) and cisplatin for locally advanced laryngeal and hypopharyngeal SCC. Methods: Medical records of consecutive patients diagnosed with histologically or cytologically confirmed locally advanced SCC of the larynx and hypopharynx, who received PD-1 inhibitor therapy at a single tertiary care center, were reviewed from January 1, 2019, to December 15, 2022. The patients were treated with a combination of PD-1 inhibitors, paclitaxel (Albumin-bound) 260mg/m2, and cisplatin 60mg/m2 (TP) as their first-line therapy. Survival outcomes, laryngectomy-free survival (LFS) rates and response rates were assessed. Results: The study cohort comprised 156 patients, predominantly male, with a median age of 60.4 years. The estimated one-year overall survival (OS) rate was 94.1%, two-year OS rate was 82.5%, one-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate was 80.4%, and two-year PFS rate was 66.3%. The one-year LFS was 86.4%, and the two-year LFS rate was 73.0%. The overall response rate after TP + PD-1 inhibitors therapy was 88.5%. Common treatment-associated adverse events included rash, thyroid function abnormalities, myelosuppression, and colitis. Conclusion: Neoadjuvant therapy with PD-1 inhibitors in combination with paclitaxel (Albumin-bound) and cisplatin showed promising efficacy and tolerability for larynx preservation in locally advanced laryngeal and hypopharyngeal SCC. The high response rates and favorable survival outcomes suggest this approach as a potential treatment option. Prospective randomized controlled trials are needed to further validate these findings and establish the role of immunotherapy in larynx preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production provides a promising route for the future hydrogen economy, being operational in the visible light domain with a potential use of solar radiation. An outdoor pilot demonstration of CPC-based photoreactors has been designed, installed and tested at the State Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow in Power Engineering to assess its effectiveness in solar photocatalytic hydrogen production. Nine sets of CPC-based photoreactors, each of which is 3.6 m 2 in area and 23 L in volume, are connected, controlled and operated in parallel. The high efficiency photocatalyst (Cd 1-x Zn x S), low concentration sacrifice agents (Na 2 S and Na 2 SO 3 ) and deionized water are the raw materials of the pilot system. Two operation models, viz. the natural circulation model and the gas disturbance model, are proposed considering the expense and the efficiency. From our observations, the slurry temperature inside the tubes rises by 20–30 °C from the ambient. The slurry velocity can reach 1.2 m/s in the gas disturbance model, but is as low as 3.5 cm/s in the natural circulation model. The average hydrogen productivity is 184.30 mL/min and accumulated to be 10.321 L/h in the natural circulation model, with the average solar radiation, photocatalyst concentration and sacrifice agents' concentration being 803.8 W/m 2 , 2.77 g/L and 0.1 mol/L, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A novel L‐cysteine (CysH) electrochemical sensor based on CeO2 nanofibers (NFs) modified screen printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs) was developed. The morphology and the structure of the as‐prepared CeO2 NFs were first characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X‐ray diffraction pattern (XRD), respectively. The electrochemical and electrocatalytic performances of the CeO2 NFs modified SPCEs were then evaluated using cyclic voltammetry and amperometry. Experimental results showed that the CeO2 NFs modified SPCEs possess excellent electrocatalytic activity toward the detection of CysH. Specifically, the developed electrochemical sensor demonstrated a high sensitivity of 120 μA mM−1 cm−2, a low detection limit of 20 nM (signal to noise ratio of 3) and a wide linear range up to 200 μM for the determination of CysH, which are among the best values reported in literature. In addition, good selectivity and outstanding intra‐ and inter‐electrode reproducibility have also been observed. Furthermore, the developed CysH sensor was applied to detect CysH spiked into human serum samples with remarkable accuracy. All these features indicate that CeO2 NFs hold great promise in the development of high performance electrochemical sensor for CysH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel CPC reactor for solar photocatalytic hydrogen production was designed and evaluated in the present study. Two operation models, namely the natural circulation model and the gas disturbance model, are proposed and illustrated from the viewpoints of thermodynamics and hydrodynamics. The designed photoreactor is operated under natural circulation for most of the time, with high pressure gas disturbing the sedimentary photocatalysts from time to time. The CPC parameters are designed according to the local meteorological conditions. The reactor performance such as the radiation distribution on the absorber tube, the absorbed solar irradiation, the critical flow rates and the hydrogen productivity are estimated and analyzed. An east-west orientated, north-south angle adjustable and truncated CPC with the concentration ratio of 4.12 is designed for the photoreactor. The required limiting settling velocity is much larger than the natural circulation velocity, which validates the necessity of gas disturbance. The estimated results show that the ideal mean hydrogen productivities are 2.9 L/h and 4.0 L/h in a typical spring and summer week respectively, with the photocatalyst being Cd 0.5 Zn 0.5 S. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Delicate engineering of chromaticity is required to faithfully reproduce colors in a backlit display, this is extremely difficult for green downconverters because the human eye is highly sensitive to green colors. The central challenge is to achieve finely tunable green emissions in the narrow range of 525–535 nm while keeping the full width at half maximum (FWHM) <25 nm at the same time. Here, a room‐temperature ion‐exchange‐mediated self‐assembly strategy for preparing FAPbBr3 (FA = CH(NH2)2+) nanoplates (NPs) to fulfill this goal is introduced. 2D layered OA2PbBr4 (OA is octadecylamine) NPs are first synthesized by spontaneous reprecipitation, and are then transformed into FAPbBr3 NPs through a OA+‐to‐FA+ exchange induced self‐assembly of HP monolayers. A c‐axis contraction in this process makes a relative large thickness variation in OA2PbBr4 NPs, which can be realized by simply varying the precursor concentration, only result in a small thickness change in subsequent FAPbBr3 NPs, thereby enabling finely tunable emissions in the range of 525–535 nm along with FWHM <25 nm and a quantum yield up to 85%. As a downconverter, the FAPbBr3 NPs realize an ultrapure green backlight that covers ≈95% Rec. 2020 standard in the CIE 1931 color space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solar chimney power plant is one method of large-scale solar energy utilization. Transient performances of the conventional solar chimney power plant (CSCPP) and sloped solar chimney power plant (SSCPP) have not been well discussed in the literature. In the present study, the full-year power capacity of the CSCPP and the SSCPPs with maximum solar radiation (MSR) angle and maximum power generation (MPG) angle were first simulated. The accumulated power generation of SSCPPs with different solar collector angles were then compared. The major factors influencing the accumulated power generation were finally discussed. It is found from the study that the SSCPP with MSR angle generates steadier power than the CSCPP and SSCPP with MPG angle throughout the year. The SSCPP with MPG angle generates higher power in the winter. The airflow temperature rise in the solar collector and the system height are the two major factors those influence the SCPP's power capacity and accumulated power generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of functional CeBiO x nanofibers (NFs) with different Ce:Bi molar ratios were successfully prepared by a facile two-step synthetic procedure including electrospinning and calcination. After systematic characterization of their morphology and structure/composition using various advanced techniques, the as-synthesized CeBiO x NFs were employed to modify screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) for the determination of fever reliever/pain reducer drug acetaminophen (AP) via both cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The results showed that the electrocatalytic activity of CeBiO x NFs was heavily dependent on Ce:Bi molar ratio and the Ce 0.75 Bi 0.25 O x NFs resulted in the highest electro-oxidation signal for AP among all Ce:Bi molar ratios tested in this study. Moreover, the Ce 0.75 Bi 0.25 O x NFs modified SPE showed a sensitivity of 360 μA mM −1 cm −2 , a low detection limit of 0.2 μM (signal to noise ratio of 3), a wide linear range up to 130 μM for DPV-based AP detection, and good intra- and inter-electrode reproducibility. Both the selectivity against uric acid, glucose, dopamine, ascorbic acid and the accuracy of the developed sensor for real sample analysis were also investigated using commercial paracetamol tablets and AP-spiked human serum samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A solar chimney PV/T power plant (SCPVTPP) is proposed. Mathematical models are established for the PV/T solar collector, the chimney, and the power conversion unit, respectively. Performances of the designed SCPVTPP are then simulated. The SCPVTPPs with different PV module areas are finally discussed. It is found that the PV cells hold the highest temperature in the solar collector. Temperature rise of the PV module has significant influences to its power generation. Without cooling, the PV power capacity has an average decrease of 28.71%. The contradictory influences of temperature rise and airflow cooling lead to an 11.81% decrease of the average power capacity. By adding the power generated by PVT, the total PV-related power contribution increases by 4.72%. With the increase of the solar collector ratio, the temperature rise and the wind velocity both first decrease then increase, the SCPP power productivity decreases linearly, and the PV power productivity increases linearly, whereas the PVT power productivity first increases linearly then increases superlinearly. There is a reversed solar collector ratio, exceeding which the PV generates most power. In this study, solar thermal power takes the major role when the solar PV area ratio is smaller than 0.055. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to summarize the imaging features of chronic radiation proctitis (CRP) on endorectal ultrasound (ERUS) and investigate the value of ERUS in the evaluation of disease activity. 40 CRP patients and 30 control patients were investigated by ERUS. Rectal wall thickness and layers, ulcers and rectovaginal fistulas were evaluated by B-mode ultrasound. Power Doppler imaging was used to evaluate the vascularity of the rectal wall using a semiquantitative score. Disease activity was calculated according to the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events 4.0 (CTCAE 4.0). Imaging findings for patients with mild and severe CRP were compared. For 30 patients in the control group, the average maximum thickness of the rectal wall was 3.07 ± 0.73 mm, with all exhibiting typical wall stratification and level 0 vascularity. For the 40 CRP patients, there was marked thickening of the rectal wall (average thickness = 9.42 ± 1.94 mm), which was significantly thicker than in the control group (p < 0.05). The rectal walls of the mild group were significantly thinner than those of the severe group (8.71 ± 1.67 mm vs. 10.00 ± 2.00 mm, p < 0.05). Among the 22 severe cases, 19 cases (19/22, 86.4%) exhibited hyper-vascularity (level IV) or blurred wall stratification (including hypo-echoic submucosa, ulcer and fistula); 12 of the 18 mild cases (166.7%) exhibited a vascularity of level III and typical wall stratification. A significant association (p < 0.05) was observed between stratification and vascularity of the rectal wall and CRP activity. When ERUS findings of blurred rectal wall stratification or increasing vascularity (level IV) were used to evaluate CRP activity, the sensitivity was 86.4% (95% confidence interval: 64.0-96.4) and the specificity was 66.7% (95% confidence interval: 41.2-85.6). Thickening of the rectal wall, blurred wall stratification and increased vascularity are characteristic ERUS findings of CRP. ERUS is helpful in the comprehensive evaluation of disease activity and may provide objective evidence during treatment planning and follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, fatigue failure mode, crack initiation, and early stage crack growth mechanism in Ti-6Al-4V alloys with different levels of microstructural inhomogeneity were investigated. The quantitative correlations between fatigue life, crack origin size, and early stage short crack growth, were analyzed and discussed. The interior early stage short crack growth rate was determined to be 10 −12 –10 −10 m/cycle. The high and very high cycle fatigue lives predicted based on crack initiation site size and early stage short crack growth rate agree well with real fatigue data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR) driven by the abuse of antibiotics is a global highlight challenge, calling for a rapid, economical and generalizable bacterial detection technology. Here, in case of urinary tract infections (UTIs), a naked-eye, antibody-free and multi-functional bacterial assessment platform was designed, which consisted of concanavalin A modified gold nanoparticles (ConA-AuNPs), vancomycin modified gold nanoparticles (Van-AuNPs), and polymyxin B modified Prussian blue nanoparticles (PMB-PBNPs). Based on the fast agglutination of bacterial cells induced by concanavalin A, ConA-AuNPs could aggregate on bacterial cells of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus , resulting in a visible color change due to alteration of surface plasmon resonance properties within 30 min. Besides, due to the different affinity of vancomycin and polymyxin B to bacteria, Van-AuNPs preferred to bind to Gram-positive bacteria, generating colorimetric response within 2–3 h; while PMB-PBNPs could be reduced colourless Prussian white (PW) by the prior Gram-negative bacterial metabolization in contrast to Gram-positive bacterial metabolization within 4–6 h. Combining our platform with antibiotics, the minimum inhibitory concentration of bacteria could be determined within 4–8 h, which was proved by incubating Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus with various antibiotics. The feasibility was verified by clinical samples, which was consistent with the classical clinical test within only 1/48 of the process timing. Therefore, this colorimetric nanoplatform orderly realized the rapid detection, species identification (Gram-positive and Gram-negative), and susceptibility evaluation of bacteria, satisfying multiple needs from timely clinical diagnosis to accurate medication guidance. • A rapid and convenient naked-eye detection strategy is developed for bacterial infection diagnosis. • Bacterial identification and antibiotic susceptibility evaluation capabilities are available for later medication guidance. • The designed method provides consistent results within only 1/48 of the process timing for the classical clinical UTI test. • The limit of detection is 104 CFU mL−1 for naked-eye detection and 102 CFU mL−1 for RGB analysis after imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonuniform linear arrays (NLAs) have attracted considerable attention owing to their capability to enhance the degrees of freedom (DOF) and increase the array aperture, which is essential for improving performance in terms of both the direction of arrival estimation and adaptive beamforming. This paper presents two new NLAs, namely interleaved coprime array (ICA) and augmented interleaved array (AIA). The ICA consists of two uniform linear subarrays, whose inter-element spacings are coprime integers. The ICA can obtain more uniform degrees of freedom (uDOF), while maintaining weak mutual coupling effects, because its configuration includes only minority sensors interleaved. The optimal configuration of the ICA is deduced using the principle of maximizing the uDOF. Moreover, the AIA geometry is obtained by removing a redundant element in the ICA and appropriately designing the location of the additional element. For a fixed total number of sensors, the AIA can gain more uDOF and DOF than the ICA, while exhibiting lower mutual coupling effects. The closed-form expressions for the properties of the proposed array structures involving an arbitrary number of sensors are also derived. Numerical simulations are performed to verify the superiority of the proposed arrays over other sparse arrays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PZT95/5 ferroelectric ceramics are widely utilized in pulsed power devices and the remanent polarization Pr of poled PZT95/5 can characterize the shock-driven energy density. However, this remanent polarization is difficult to be measured nondestructively. In this article, a series of pyroelectric tests of poled PZT95/5 ceramics were conducted near room temperature, from 25°C to 20°C. A linear relation between Pr and pyroelectric coefficient p was found, that is, Pr=1190.5( K)× p, which provides an effective way to nondestructively estimate the value of Pr of the poled PZT95/5 ceramics by measuring the pyroelectric coefficient p at room temperature. According to Devonshire's phenomenological theory, this result could be explained by a modified equation: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional methods to obtain solar radiation data are from weather stations, from solar radiation models, from commercial software databases and from field measurements. Few studies have been presented to compare the results from the four mentioned methods. Considering this, new daily diffuse solar radiation models for Northern China climates are first established in this study. The solar radiation models are then compared with open-access weather station data from China Meteorological Data Sharing System (CMDSS), with TRNSYS database data and with measured data in Xi'an. TRNSYS supplies the Typical Meteorological Year data, while the solar radiation models give the long-term annual average results. It is found that combining the sunshine duration and the day of the year together can establish a group of accurate diffuse solar radiation models. Good agreements are found between the CMDSS and the newly established solar radiation model calculating daily diffuse solar radiation. The diffuse solar radiation estimated by TRNSYS is a bit higher than that from the open-access website in summer half year. TRNSYS supplies the highest annual diffuse solar radiation. The TRNSYS database is of high significance to a solar system performance evaluation. The solar radiation models can be used for the solar system design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nonfragile cavity receiver is of high significance to the solar parabolic trough collector (PTC). In the present study, light distributions in the cavity under different tracking error angles and PTC configurations are analyzed. A new elliptical cavity geometry is proposed and analyzed. It is obtained from this study that light distribution on the tube receiver is asymmetrical when tracking error occurs. On increasing the tracking error angle, more lights are sheltered by the cavity outer surface. The PTC focal distance has negative correlation with the cavity open length, whereas the PTC concentration ratio has positive correlation with the cavity open length. Increasing the tracking error angle and increasing the PTC focal distance would both decrease the cavity blackness. Introducing a flat plate reflector at the elliptical cavity open inlet can largely increase the cavity darkness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is demonstrated that high density powder metallurgy (PM) Ti-6Al-4V alloy, with a finer prior-β grain size, can be achieved by vacuum sintering of TiH 2 compacts at the β-transus (1010 °C) temperature, taking advantage of the accelerated self-diffusion. The subsequent refinement of the coarse lamellar microstructure by hydrogenation-dehydrogenation treatment produces a high tensile strength (~ 1130 MPa) and ductile (~ 10%) alloy. The superior tensile strength and ductility result from the nanoscale Widmanstatten structure and the finer prior-β grain size, respectively, created by the two treatments. The results show a promising pathway to make high strength and ductile PM titanium alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new fatty acid, (2E,4E,6S)-6-hydroxydeca-2,4-dienoic acid (1), along with six known compounds (2-7), were isolated from the gorgonian-derived fungus Xylaria sp. C-2, collected from the South China Sea. The structure of 1 was elucidated by 1D, 2D NMR, and MS spectrometry. The absolute configuration of 1 was determined by using the modified Mosher's method. All of the isolated compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic and antibacterial activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new pseurotin A 3 ( 3 ), which was obtained from the fungus Aspergillus terreus was converted into its acetyl derivative ( 4 ). Optical rotation (OR), 13 C NMR, electronic circular dichroism (ECD) and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) were measured for (+)- 4 and computed for four possible isomers using quantum theory. Absolute configuration of (+)- 4 was finally assigned as (5 S ,8 S ,9 R ,10 S ,11 R, 12 Z ) by comparing the predicted OR, ECD and VCD spectra to the experimental data. Therefore, the new compound 3 should have the (5 S ,8 S ,9 R ,10 S ,11 R, 12 Z ) too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop a quick method for the preliminarily screening of mutant strains that can accumulate 9α-hydroxyandrost-4-ene-3,17-dione (9α-OH-AD), a high-throughput screening method was presented by applying the principle that 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) can react with ketones to produce precipitation. The optimal color assay conditions were the substrate androst-4-ene-3,17-dione (AD) concentration at 2.0 g/L, the ratio of AD to DNPH solution at 1:4, and the sulfuric acid and ethanol solution percentages in DNPH solution at 2% and 35%, respectively. This method was used to preliminarily screen the mutants of Rhodococcus rhodochrous DSM43269, from which the three ones obtained could produce more 9α-OH-AD. This DNPH color assay method not only broadens screening methods and increases screening efficiency in microbial mutation breeding but also establishes a good foundation for obtaining strains for industrial application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synchrotron X-ray radiography was used to in situ study the solute distribution and the dendritic growth during the bottom-up solidification of Sn–50 wt%Pb alloy under a traveling magnetic field (TMF) for the first time. The buoyance driven evolution and motion of the plumes containing Sn-rich melt are directly observed in the solidification front before the application of TMF. A forced melt flow from left to right is induced with the application of TMF, which results in the redistribution of the solute concentration (facilitate the solute transportation and reduce the local fluctuations considerably) and the change of the dendrite morphologies (promote/suppress the growth of the secondary arms, remelting and fragmentation of dendrites). Meanwhile, the concentration variations of Sn around the solidification front are quantitatively analyzed through the extraction of gray level from sequenced X-ray images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photochromic diarylethene derivatives cherishing phenolphthalein moieties were designed and constructed. We present efforts to investigate their versatile performances in multi-responsive properties with multiple stimuli of light, acid/base and temperature/heat. Results show their fluorescence could be on–off switched not only by different lights but also by acid/base. Besides lights and acid/base controllable colour change and fluorescence-changing, altering phase states could also tune their colours via different temperature, which is rare performance for diarylethene derivatives. Especially, the photocylization ratio is as high as 100% for compound 2o bearing two phenolphthalein groups. These versatile properties are helpful to the design of pH sensitive photoswitches, fluorescent sensors, and molecular logical gates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article was originally published online on 15 November 2023 missing an affiliation. All affiliations and identifiers are correct as they appear above. All online versions of this article were corrected on 20 November 2023.By Zhifei Wang; Shiguang Yan; Fei Cao; Zhichao Hong; Yuelong Xiong; Benxia Chen; Chenhong Xu and Genshui WangReported by Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author [Extracted from the article]

Statistically homogeneous pixel (SHP) selection is an important process in the distributed scatterer interferometric synthetic aperture radar (DS-InSAR) approach. However, prevalent methods struggle to appropriately balance the efficiency and accuracy of selection. To solve this problem, the authors of this study improved the Hypothesis Test of Confidence Interval (HTCI) to propose an adaptive method to select the level of saliency and confidence interval for the HTCI, called Adp-HTCI. The proposed method can accurately select homogeneous pixels while inheriting the high efficiency of the HTCI. Once homogeneous pixels have been chosen, the eigenvalue decomposition of the covariance matrix is used to optimize their phase and perform temporal processing. We used the proposed method along with data on 31 scenes from the Sentinel-1 satellite from 2 June 2021 to 28 May 2022 to monitor the deformation of the surface of the fire zone in the Sikeshu coalfield. The selection results of homogeneous pixels indicate that the proposed Adp-HTCI algorithm can increase the number of selected homogeneous pixels while ensuring the accuracy of the selection results, thereby enhancing the estimation accuracy and reliability of subsequent parameter solving. The DS-InSAR results showed that the cumulative maximum subsidence in the study area within a year reached—138 mm and the point density used by the DS-InSAR approach was 17.28 times higher than that used by the StaMPS approach. The results of cross-analysis with the results of StaMPS verified the accuracy of the DS-InSAR-based approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the interaction between acetic acid and methanogenic bacteria activity was investigated. The dry anaerobic digestion was conducted with four lab-scale reactors (R1–R4) and acetic acid at different concentrations were fed as additional substrate to R1–R4. The results showed that the population of acetocastic-utilizing methanogens decreased along with the increasing of acetic acid, in which the concentration was above 120,000 mg·L–1during the stable stage with coefficient of 0.8984. The activity of methanogenic microorganisms in R2 was the best of all reactors. The maximal biogas production rate in R2 was 1.73 m3m–3day–1with the methane content of 55%. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Influence of annealing process on the diffusion barrier property and thermal stability for Cu(V) barrier-less metallization has been investigated. The Cu(V) films were deposited on SiO 2 /Si substrates by magnetron sputtering, then Some Cu(V)/SiO 2 /Si samples were field-assisted annealed (−20 V) without breaking the vacuum, Another samples were vacuum-annealed without FAA. After annealing, compared with the samples without FAA, the samples with FAA has lower resistivity and higher Cu(111) signal. According to XPS results, the segregation of V at the interface in the samples with FAA is a little more than that without FAA, the thickness of the self-formed layer for samples with FAA is a little thicker than that of the samples without FAA detected by TEM. The results suggest that the FAA process can improve the thermal stability and the diffusion barrier property for the Cu(V)/SiO 2 /Si interconnection system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The properties of Cu(V) alloy films were investigated to evaluate its potential use as self-forming diffusion barrier in copper metallization. Cu(V) alloy films were deposited on SiO 2 /Si substrates by magnetron sputtering. Cu(V)/SiO 2 /Si systems were subsequently annealed at various temperatures and analyzed by four-point probe measurement (FPP), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). After annealed at 500 °C, the resistivity of the Cu(V) films reduced to 3.1 μΩ cm, there is no obvious increase in resistivity. XRD suggest that Cu alloy film has preferential (111) crystal orientation and no extra peak corresponding to Cu and Si even after annealed at 500 °C. According to TEM results, a self-formed thin layer with the thickness of about 8 nm is observed at the interface between Cu alloy and the SiO 2 /Si substrate in the sample annealed at400 °C. As XPS results, after annealed at 400 °C and 500 °C, V atoms are observed at the surface of the Cu(V) films and the interface of the Cu(V) and SiO 2 /Si. The formation of the self-formed thin layer is probably due to the separation of V at the interface. The sharp declines of the Cu and Si concentrations at the interface indicate a lack of inter-diffusion between Cu and SiO 2 /Si. Adding small amounts of V to Cu film can improve the barrier performance and thermal stability compared with pure Cu contact systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soluble solids content (SSC) is one of the main parameters for evaluating the nutritive value of strawberry ( Fragaria × ananassa ), which is affected by a number of factors including genetics, environmental conditions and cultivation practices. In this study, we found that there was a positive correlation between SSC and phosphorus (P) content in fully ripened strawberry fruits. The positive correlation between SSC and P content was first verified among 24 strawberry cultivars with the correlation coefficient r = 0.95. Furthermore it was also verified among strawberry fruits harvested at different dates ( r = 0.96) and among different parts (top, middle and bottom) of strawberry fruits ( r = 0.87). To provide further confirmation, plants of strawberry cultivar ‘Yanli’ in solar greenhouse with the conventional cultivation management were irrigated with different concentrations of P fertilizer (phosphoric acid) once a week from the beginning of white stage and the result showed that P content and SSC in fruits from plants treated with 6.0 mM phosphoric acid increased 45.0% and 16.7%, respectively. Photosynthetic rate (Pn) and water use efficiency (WUE) of phosphoric acid treated plants increased 28.8% and 16.1% compared with the control plants. Our research lays the theoretical basis for improving the flavor of strawberry by applying P fertilizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1991, Hornik proved that the collection of single hidden layer feedforward neural networks (SLFNs) with continuous, bounded, and non-constant activation function σ is dense in C( K) where K is a compact set in ℝ (see Neural Networks, 4(2), 251-257 (1991)). Meanwhile, he pointed out 'Whether or not the continuity assumption can entirely be dropped is still an open quite challenging problem'. This paper replies in the affirmative to the problem and proves that for bounded and continuous almost everywhere (a.e.) activation function σ on ℝ, the collection of SLFNs is dense in C( K) if and only if σ is un-constant a.e.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerebral ischemic-reperfusion injury as an inflammatory and microcirculation dysfunction pathological condition negatively affects the clinical outcome of stroke patients. The novel inflammatory procoagulant protein fgl2 has been reported to play a role in some inflammatory and coagulation dysregulation diseases. This study aimed to examine the relationship between fgl2 expression and infarct size in an acute cerebral ischemic-reperfusion rat model. We studied fgl2 mRNA and protein expressions in cerebral tissue and peripheral macrophages, and the expressions of several inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-1β, MCP-1, and IL-8) in serum samples from rats with acute cerebral ischemic-reperfusion injury. Fiber microthrombosis in situ contributed to the microvascular thrombosis in acute cerebral ischemic-reperfusion injury, and fgl2 expression tended to strongly correlate with cerebral infarct size. The expression levels of the other inflammatory factors significantly increased but weakly correlated with cerebral infarct size. These findings support the potential of fgl2 level as a novel biomarker of acute cerebral ischemic-reperfusion injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple mechanisms of fatigue crack initiations from pores leading to short-term and long-term fatigue life have been observed in a powder metallurgy (PM) Ti–6Al–4V alloy made by the hydrogen sintering and phase transformations (HSPT) process. The pores in the sintered alloy could be classified into two groups; type-I being caused by particle interstices that did not fully close during sintering (sinter-pores) and the type-II originating from larger voids that did not close during powder packing (cave-pores). The fatigue life trends can be classified by the type and the location of pore from which the crack initiated. Interestingly, the two types of pores, and the two different locations (surface versus interior) from which the cracks initiated lead to four distinct S–N trends in the fatigue data. When the stress amplitude level and the pore size were accounted for through initial stress intensity factors, the fatigue data reduced to dual S–N fatigue curves. The results offer new insights into how pores, especially their type and size, and location control the fatigue behavior of PM Ti–6Al–4V alloy. Large improvements in fatigue life can be obtained if the large cave-pores are eliminated or their volume density reduced to very low levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twelve new 9,10-secosteroids designated as subergorgiaols A–L ( 1 – 12 ), along with four known analogues ( 13 – 16 ), were isolated from the gorgonian Subergorgia rubra collected from the South China Sea . Their planar structures and the relative configurations were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic methods including NOESY spectra. The absolute configuration of 1 was established by a dimolybdenum tetraacetate [Mo 2 (AcO) 4 ] induced circular dichroism (ICD) procedure and the modified Mosher’s method. Compounds 1 – 12 represent the first series of 9,10-secosteroids characterized with a hydroxy group at C-8, which are 8-OH derivatives of astrogorgiadiols/calicoferols. Compound 4 exhibited cytotoxicity against the cervical carcinoma cell line (CaSki) with an IC 50 value of 2.4 μM, and 6 showed toxicity toward brine shrimp Artemia salina with an LC 50 value of 2.0 μM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe the epidemiological characteristics of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Nanchang city during 2008-2012 and to detect potential temporal-spatial clusters. Methods: Data on HFMD in Nanchang City during 2008-2012 were derived from the National Notifiable Infectious Disease Reporting System (NNIDRS). We used descriptive methods to describe the epidemiological characteristics of HFMD. Space-time scan statistic, based on the Space-Time Permutation model, was adopted to determine the presence of space-time interaction clusters of HFMD in Nanchang. Results: There were 29 062 HFMD cases reported in Nanchang during 2008-2012. The annual average incidence rate was 118.56 per 100 000 inhabitants. There were two peaks in HFMD occurrence. Children aged 0-5 years accounted for 92.91% of cases. Scattered children (children not in nursery or kindergarten) accounted for 73.72%. There was a male predominance, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.82:1. Three space-time interaction clusters were explored including one most likely cluster and two secondary clusters from 2008 to 2012. Conclusions: Males and preschool children, especially in the 0-5-year age group, were more susceptible to HFMD and we should take measures to control their vulnerability. There were two peaks in HFMD occurrence, one during the summer (between April and July) and one in the autumn (between September and December). Northwest, middle east, and north Nanchang were the spatial-temporal clusters, so future public health planning and resource allocation should be focused on these areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synchrotron X-ray radiography was used to in situ study the interface diffusion behavior and microstructural evolution during the melting and solidification of Al/Cu bimetal. During the solidification, the dendritic growth around the interface is mainly dominated by the variation of Cu concentration and thermal field. Four transition zones of solute profile around the interface were identified to be I (α-Al), II (Al + Al 2 Cu), III (Al 2 Cu) and IV (AlCu, Al 3 Cu 4 and Al 2 Cu 3 ), respectively. During the melting, the concentration variations of Al and Cu around the interface were quantitatively analyzed through the extraction of gray level from sequenced X-ray images. The diffusion coefficients of Cu in liquid Al were calculated from the known concentration variations by an inverse method based on Fick’s second law. The diffusion coefficients of Cu in Al were found to follow linear Arrhenius equation dependencies with the pre-exponential factor of 2.83 × 10 −5 m 2 s −1 and the activation energy of 96.0 kJ mol −1 in a temperature range of 893–970 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel differential evolution adaptive metropolis algorithm (DREAM) is presented, which combines the advantages of differential evolution algorithm and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampler. DREAM solves an important problem in MCMC, namely that of choosing an appropriate scale and orientation for the jumping distribution. Meanwhile, it can make a good trade-off between population diversity and convergence for differential evolution algorithm. Moreover, multi-objective DREAM is proposed based on the modified fitness assignment and external archive strategy, which is applied in parameter optimization of CMD-3PAR hydrologic model in the Min River Basin. The results show that DREAM is capable to infer the posterior distribution of model parameters, and multi-objective differential evolution adaptive metropolis (MODREAM) is capable to generate a lot of non-dominated solutions with wide and uniform distribution for decision-makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the photon absorption in a suspended photocatalytic reactor was simulated by adopting Monte Carlo method and the six-flux radiation absorption-scattering model. Different photocatalyst concentrations, i.e. uniform concentrations, linearly increasing concentration gradients and linearly decreasing concentration gradients, were taken into account. Simulation results indicated that increasing the photocatalyst concentration would cause higher photon absorption in the front layer but faster attenuation along the photon transfer direction. To the dilute solutions, the top layer photon loss was linearly influenced by the photocatalyst concentration. And the increasing concentration gradient resulted in higher photon absorption than the decreasing concentration gradient. The present work is expected to be of effective value for obtaining the optimal operating parameters for industrial photocatalytic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]