Search

Purpose: To present thyroid hormones (THs) cutoff values to assess the association of THs and glucose metabolism in obese patients with euthyroid function. Methods: This study investigated 445 obese patients (235 females and 210 males) with euthyroid function received treatment in the department of endocrinology of shanghai 10th people's hospital from 2011 to 2019, with the median age of 29 years (interquartile range 22-35 years). The cut-offs for thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3) and free thyroxine (FT4) were 2mIU/L, 16mIU/L, and 5mIU/L, respectively. Results: Fasting blood glucose (FBG) and 2h-glucose (BG120) were significantly higher in low FT3 (P<0.05) and high FT4 patients (P<0.05). In patients with TSH under 2mIU/L, a low FT3 group was robustly associated with higher FBG and BG120 levels (P<0.05). In patients with TSH under 1.5mIU/L, additional association with lower fasting and 2h-insulin (P<0.05) could be found. FT3 had no predictive value in high TSH patients. In patients TSH over 1.5 or 2mIU/L, a high FT4 group was robustly associated with higher FBG and BG120 levels (P<0.05). FT4 had no predictive value in low TSH patients. Patients with TSH over 2mIU/L, high FT4 group had a crude odds ratio of 2.65(95% Confidence interval 1.40-5.03, P=0.003) for FBG compared with low FT4 and remained significant after adjustments for age, gender and body mass index. Similar results could be obtained in patients with TSH over 1.5mIU/L. Conclusions: A combination of TSH and FT4/FT3 instead of only one thyroid hormone indicator had predictive value of glucose metabolism in obese patients with euthyroid function. Disclosure: J. Zhang: None. G. Li: None. X. Cheng: None. X. Wang: None. M. Jayachandran: None. Y. Huang: None. S. Qu: None. Funding: National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFC1314100); National Natural Science Foundation of China (81970677); Shanghai Pujiang Program (2019PJD040); Effect of ApoC3 High Expression on Islet Cells and Related Molecular Mechanism (03.05.18.002) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A detailed study of the physical properties of the intermetallic superconductor LaRh3 was presented. • A much lower zero-temperature upper critical field is found for LaRh3, in sharp contrast to that of the isostructural LaIr3. • LaRh3 was categorized as a weak-coupling BCS superconductor with an isotropic s-wave gap. Electrical resistivity, magnetic susceptibility, and heat capacity of the intermetallic superconductor LaRh 3 are systematically studied. LaRh 3 crystallizes in the PuNi 3 -type rhombohedral structure, which displays a sharp superconducting transition at temperature ≈ 2.6 K on both the electrical resistivity and magnetic susceptibility curves. The magnetization hysteresis loop indicates that LaRh 3 is a type-II superconductor. The estimated zero-temperature upper critical field μ 0 H c 2 (0) is around 0.8 T, which locates far below the Pauli limit, indicating possible conventional superconductivity. Further analysis on the heat capacity data reveals that LaRh 3 is a weak-coupling BCS superconductor with an isotropic s -wave gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Stabilization effect of VMA on entrained air bubbles in fresh concrete was clarified. • Improvement of VMA on air voids system of hardened vibrated concrete was validated. • The relation of air-void system parameters to rheological properties was presented. The influence of viscosity-modifying agent (VMA) on air-void system of self-compacting concrete has attracted considerable attention in recent years. But for conventional concrete with a sharp loss of air content due to vibration operation, the role of VMA on air-void system remains unclear. This paper aims to validate and clarify the positive effects of VMA on air bubbles stability and air voids homogeneity in vibrated concrete. Three typical VMAs with variable dosages were incorporated to prepare twenty air-entrained fresh mixtures. Rheological properties of mortar matrix portion of fresh concrete, surface tension of aqueous solution and time-dependent air content were evaluated for every mix. The air-void system in hardened concrete was inspected at three casting depths of prism specimen. Results showed that the surface tension of VMA solution played a key role in the stabilization effect on air bubbles, which strongly varied with VMA molecules. A higher plastic viscosity induced by the higher VMA dosage was favorable for maintaining the homogeneous distribution of entrained small air bubbles and reducing the formation of large voids in vibrated concrete. Therefore, a proper incorporation of VMA can improve the freeze-thaw resistance of vibrated concrete with lower spacing factor and smaller chord length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The differences in microstructural characteristics, mechanical properties, and corrosion behavior of the as-cast and solution-treated Mg-xGd-1.5Nd-0.5Zn-0.5Zr alloys (Mg-xGd, x = 1, 3, and 5) were studied and discussed. The as-cast Mg-xGd alloys mainly consisted of an α-Mg and island-like eutectic (Mg,Zn)3RE phase, a few cuboidal phases (REH2), and a ZnZr phase. With the increase of Gd content, the grain sizes of the as-cast Mg-xGd alloys decreased. Compared to the microstructure of the as-cast Mg-xGd alloys, the eutectic (Mg,Zn)3RE phase disappeared and the cuboidal REH2 phases existed in the solution-treated Mg-xGd alloys. A large amount of ZnZrx phase was precipitated from α-Mg in the Mg-3Gd alloy and demonstrates a flower-like distribution. The ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and yield strength (YS) of the solution-treated Mg-xGd alloys increased with an increasing Gd content, with the UTS and YS of the Mg-5Gd alloys reaching 217.5 and 125.2 MPa, respectively. Immersion and electrochemical tests showed that the as-cast Mg-3Gd alloy presented the best corrosion resistance with a corrosion rate of 0.285 mm/yr. The corrosion resistance of the solution-treated Mg-3Gd alloy attained the lowest value (0.973 mm/yr), due to the large quantities of ZnZrx with a flower-like phase distribution, forming series of galvanic couple groups with the α-Mg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An innovative way for extracting the information hiding in daily driving data. • 40% of the truckers tend to drive in a substantially dangerous way. • The explained variance proportion of different truckers vary distinctly. • Dangerous truckers are less likely to overspeed on holidays or rainy days. This study analyzed the potentially dangerous driving behaviors of commercial truck drivers from both macro and micro perspectives. The analysis was based on digital tachograph data collected over an 11-month period and comprising 4373 trips made by 70 truck drivers. First, different types of truck drivers were identified using principal component analysis (PCA) and a density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN) at the macro level. Then, a multilevel model was built to extract the variation properties of speeding behavior at the micro level. Results showed that 40% of the truck drivers tended to drive in a substantially dangerous way and the explained variance proportion of potentially extremely dangerous truck drivers (79.76%) was distinctly higher than that of other types of truck drivers (14.70%˜34.17%). This paper presents a systematic approach to extracting and examining information from a big data source of digital tachograph data. The derived findings make valuable contributions to the development of safety education programs, regulations, and proactive road safety countermeasures and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of novel cis-4-substituted proline analogues were designed and synthesized. Highly stereoselective alkylations at the γ-position of glutamic ester 2 were achieved, followed by reduction, mesylation, and cyclization to afford the title compounds 1 in good yields and high diastereoselectivity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The investigation of lightning impulse (LI) breakdown characteristics in long oil gaps with insulating liquids is of utmost importance for the design of high-voltage, large-capacity transformers. This study focuses on analyzing the negative LI breakdown characteristics of two types of insulating oils, namely high viscosity natural ester soybean oil (SO) and low viscosity modified natural ester palm fatty acid ester (PFAE), under long oil gap conditions. The research includes testing and analyzing the voltage and current waveforms, LI breakdown voltage, and streamer discharge development speed of these liquids across oil gaps ranging from 25 mm to 105 mm. The findings demonstrate that the breakdown voltage of both insulating oils tends to increase as the oil gap distance widens. At a 25 mm gap, the average breakdown voltage of PFAE is not significantly different from that of SO. However, at a 105 mm gap, the average breakdown voltage of PFAE surpasses that of SO by 46.29%. Weibull distribution analysis is applied to the LI breakdown voltage data of the two insulating liquids, resulting in empirical formulas for breakdown voltage as a function of oil gap width at failure probabilities of 1%, 50%, and 90%. The discharge development rate of PFAE is lower than that of SO, especially in the oil gap of 105 mm. With the increase of the oil gap, the streamer development rate of the two insulating oils showed a trend of increasing. Using density functional theory based on first principles, the study investigates changes and discrepancies in parameters such as ionization potential, electron affinity, softness, excitation energy, and molecular surface electrostatic potential of the two insulating liquids with varying electric field strengths. The atomic and molecular scale analysis reveals the primary factors contributing to the contrasting macroscopic lightning shock breakdown characteristics of SO and PFAE. The comprehensive combination of experimental and simulation results suggests that PFAE exhibits greater potential for implementation in high-voltage, large-capacity transformers compared to SO. This study aims to bridge the gap in knowledge regarding the LI breakdown characteristics of different natural esters in long oil gaps. The experimental and theoretical findings presented in this paper provide a foundation for the practical application of natural esters and modified natural esters in high-voltage and large-capacity transformers. • Comparative analysis of lightning impulse breakdown characteristics of natural esters and modified natural esters. • The microscopic parameters of natural esters and modified natural esters were analyzed based on first principles. • The ionization energy and excitation energy of modified natural ester are larger than those of natural ester. • The lightning impulse breakdown voltage of modified natural ester under long oil gap is higher than that of natural ester. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated if poly‐lactic acid (PLA) nanopillar array can trigger the differentiation of human epicardial (ADSCs) (heADSCs) into cardiomyocyte‐like cells and explored the effects of these cardiomyocyte‐like cells on myocardial infarction (MI) in vivo. PLA nanopillar array (200 nm diameter) and plain PLA film (PLA planar) induced heADSCs were marked with carboxyfluorescein. After 7 days, the expressions of myocardiocyte‐specific genes were significantly enhanced in cells seeded on PLA nanopillar array compared with that on PLA planar, especially CACNA1C, KCNH2, and MYL2 genes (p < 0.05). However, the expressions of cardiac troponin T (cTNT), KCNQ1, and KCNA5 were lower than those in PLA planar‐induced heADSCs (p < 0.05), whereas GATA4 tended to increase with time. The cells with positively stained α‐actinin and cTNT were elevated in heADSCs induced by PLA nanopillar array compared with those induced by PLA planar only (p < 0.05). In vivo experiments showed that cardiac function was improved after injecting PLA‐nanopillar array‐induced heADSCs into the ischemic heart (p < 0.05, compared with PLA planar + MI group). Furthermore, tyrosine hydroxylase density was significantly lower (p < 0.05). PLA nanopillar array directly drives the differentiation of heADSCs into cardiomyocyte‐like cells, and the induced heADSCs exhibit a protective effect on ischemic myocardium by improving cardiac function in MI rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multi-band dual-chirp linearly frequency modulated (LFM) signal-generation scheme with doubled chirp bandwidth and flexible center frequency and band numbers is proposed. In the scheme, the polarization multiplexed multi-tone optical signals with chirped phases are generated via a dual-polarization dual-parallel Mach–Zehnder modulator (DPMZM) cascaded with a polarization modulator. The two polarization multiplexed lightwaves are recombined as two linearly polarized beams by a polarization beam splitter and are detected by a balanced photodiode with a photocurrent that includes the multi-band dual-chirp LFM signal with doubled bandwidth and multiplied central frequencies but does not have a dc component. Since the orders and numbers of the generated optical sidebands are changed by adjusting the bias voltages of a DPMZM, we can obtain the multi-band dual-chirp LFM signal flexibly. Based on simulation, four-band, six-band and two seven-band dual-chirp LFM signals are generated with four groups of bias voltage configurations. For each case, every dual-chirp LFM signal of the generated multi-band dual-chirp LFM signal has a 5-GHz bandwidth and a time-bandwidth product of 512. The auto-correlations and ambiguity function of the generated LFM signal show good performance of pulse compression and range-Doppler resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The built environment can contribute to the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by facilitating human mobility and social contacts between infected and uninfected individuals. However, mobility data capturing detailed interpersonal transmission at a large scale are not available. In this study, we aimed to objectively assess the influence of key built environment factors, which create spaces for activities—"inferred activity" rather than "actually observed activity"—on the spread of COVID-19 across townships in China at its initial stage through a random forest approach. Taking data for 2994 township-level administrative units, the spread is measured by two indicators: the ratio of cumulative infection cases (RCIC), and the coefficient of variation of infection cases (CVIC) that reflects the policy effect in the initial stage of the spread. Accordingly, we selected 19 explanatory variables covering built environment factors (urban facilities, land use, and transportation infrastructure), the level of nighttime activities, and the inter-city population flow (from Hubei Province). We investigated the spatial agglomerations based on an analysis of bivariate local indicators of spatial association between RCIC and CVIC. We found spatial agglomeration (or positive spatial autocorrelations) of RCIC and CVIC in about 20% of all townships under study. The density of convenience shops, supermarkets and shopping malls (DoCSS), and the inter-city population flow (from Hubei Province) are the two most important variables to explain RCIC, while the population flow is the most important factor in measuring policy effects (CVIC). When the DoCSS gets to 21/km2, the density of comprehensive hospitals to 0.7/km2, the density of road intersections to 72/km2, and the density of gyms and sports centers to 2/km2, their impacts on RCIC reach their maximum and remain constant with further increases in the density values. Stricter policy measures should be taken at townships with a density of colleges and universities higher than 0.5/km2 or a density of comprehensive hospitals higher than 0.25/km2 in order to effectively control the spread of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manually annotating remote sensing images is laborious work, especially on large-scale datasets. To improve the efficiency of this work, we propose an automatic annotation method for remote sensing images. The proposed method formulates the multi-label annotation task as a recommended problem, based on non-negative matrix tri-factorization (NMTF). The labels of remote sensing images can be recommended directly by recovering the image–label matrix. To learn more efficient latent feature matrices, two graph regularization terms are added to NMTF that explore the affiliated relationships on the image graph and label graph simultaneously. In order to reduce the gap between semantic concepts and visual content, both low-level visual features and high-level semantic features are exploited to construct the image graph. Meanwhile, label co-occurrence information is used to build the label graph, which discovers the semantic meaning to enhance the label prediction for unlabeled images. By employing the information from images and labels, the proposed method can efficiently deal with the sparsity and cold-start problem brought by limited image–label pairs. Experimental results on the UCMerced and Corel5k datasets show that our model outperforms most baseline algorithms for multi-label annotation of remote sensing images and performs efficiently on large-scale unlabeled datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modified natural ester (MNE) has significant potential for application in transformers as an environmentally friendly and renewable energy source. In comparison to natural esters, MNE offers notable advantages in terms of viscosity and power frequency breakdown voltage. However, the lightning impulse breakdown characteristics of MNE and the atomic-scale microscopic mechanisms related to its discharge characteristics remain unclear. Understanding the lightning impulse breakdown characteristics of MNE is crucial for ensuring the safe operation of transformers. In this paper, the density functional theory is used to calculate the change law of the microscopic parameters related to the discharge characteristics of MNE under the electric field under the action of electric field, so as to theoretically evaluate the lightning impulse discharge behavior of MNE. The results reveal that the electronic and geometric structures of MNE molecules are influenced by electric fields, which is the primary factor contributing to the variations in microscopic parameters under different electric field strengths. As the electric field intensity increases, the dipole moment of MNE tends to increase, while the ionization potential and excitation energy of MNE tend to decrease. The decrease of ionization potential, excitation energy and energy gap of MNE molecules is about 6.61%–68.01%, 4.34%–47.66% and 2.01%–69.23%. By comparing the calculated results of mineral oil, natural ester, and MNE microparameters, it can be inferred that the lightning impulse breakdown behavior of MNE is similar to that of natural ester and lightning impulse breakdown voltage of MNE is higher than that of natural ester but still lower than that of mineral oil. The average negative polarity lightning impulse voltages of MNE, natural ester and mineral oil in the 85 mm oil gap are about 245 kV, 199 kV and 304 kV, respectively. The test results confirmed the simulation conclusions. This study provides robust theoretical support for understanding the lightning impulse breakdown characteristics of MNE and ensuring its safe operation in transformers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although deformations are mostly insignificant, they can be catastrophic when accumulated to certain amounts. Precise point positioning (PPP) can work with one receiver, preventing problems caused by the base station constrain upon employment of current methods such as real-time kinematics (RTK). However, current methods employing PPP focus on high-frequency monitoring such as earthquake or geological calamity monitoring, and these methods are not suitable for structures. Thus, this study proposes a new method for the deformation monitoring of structures via PPP. First, we obtained the coordinate sequence of structures via static PPP when setting the interval. Then, we transformed the coordinates to the same coordinate system with the same basis. Finally, we decomposed the sequences via empirical mode decomposition (EMD) to obtain a low-frequency part, which is the deformation of the target structure. The result of the monitoring experimentation on IGS stations shows that the monitoring index, S d , of the sequence under different intervals using this method could be 1–2 mm on average in the directions of E, N, and U, which is much better than the original monitoring sequence. Alongside that, it prevented a fall in accuracy when the interval decreased. Therefore, all results proved the feasibility and validity of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The change law of mineral oil molecule excitation process under strong electric field. • The influence of the molecular structure of mineral oil on the excitation process was studied. • The electron transfer in excitation process of mineral oil molecules was discussed in detail. Studying the excitation process of mineral oil molecules under the influence of electric fields and different environments is crucial for understanding the development of insulating oil streamer discharge at the atomic scale. In this paper, based on density functional theory, quantitative characteristic descriptors, hole-electron distribution, and transition density matrix (TDM) analysis, the excitation energies of the first five excited states are used to analyse the excitation process of mineral oil molecules under various conditions. The results obtained under four different electric field strengths (0, 0.0001 a.u., 0.001 a.u. and 0.01 a.u.) and three different environments (vacuum, mineral oil, and natural ester) are compared. The results show that for electric field strengths ranging from 0 to 0.001 a.u., the excitation types of the three mineral oil molecules are localized excitations. However, when the electric field intensity reaches 0.01 a.u., the excitation type of mineral oil molecules changes to charge transfer excitation due to the strong electric field. There are significant differences in the positions of holes and electrons in the excitation processes of the mineral oil molecules under different conditions. While the excitation process of chain hydrocarbon molecules under vacuum and in solution exhibits some differences, the excitation processes of dicycloalkanes and aromatic hydrocarbons are not affected by environmental factors. The electronic transitions in the excitation process of chain hydrocarbons and dicycloalkanes are sigma->sigma* transition processes, whereas in aromatic hydrocarbons, it is primarily pi->pi* transition processes. Compared to pi orbitals, sigma orbitals are lower energy empty orbitals, and sigma* orbitals are higher energy empty orbitals. As a result, the excitation energies of the chain hydrocarbons and dicycloalkanes are higher than that of aromatic hydrocarbons. Furthermore, a strong electric field changes the excitation type of mineral oil molecules, accompanied by a significant decrease in their excitation energy. The selection of insulating oil molecules, whose excitation process is sigma->sigma* or modifying the transition mode of electrons in the excitation process through doping and modification, is an important approach to improve the excitation energy of insulating oil. The findings of this research have the potential to enhance our understanding of the microscopic mechanisms that influence the development of streamer discharge in liquid insulating materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have demonstrated that the intestinal abundance of Bacteroides uniformis is significantly higher in healthy controls than that in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). However, what effect B. uniformis has on the development of UC has not been characterized. Here, we show for the first time that B. uniformis F18-22, an alginate-fermenting bacterium isolated from the healthy human colon, protects against dextran-sulfate-sodium (DSS)-induced UC in mice. Specifically, oral intake of B. uniformis F18-22 alleviated colon contraction, improved intestinal bleeding and attenuated mucosal damage in diseased mice. Additionally, B. uniformis F18-22 improved gut dysbiosis in UC mice by increasing the abundance of anti-inflammatory acetate-producing bacterium Eubacterium siraeum and decreasing the amount of pro-inflammatory pathogenetic bacteria Escherichia-Shigella spp. Moreover, B. uniformis F18-22 was well-tolerated in mice and showed no oral toxicity after repeated daily administration for 28 consecutive days. Taken together, our study illustrates that B. uniformis F18-22 is a safe and novel probiotic bacterium for the treatment of UC from the healthy human colon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The data-driven fault diagnosis method has achieved many good results. However, classical convolutional and recurrent neural networks have problems with large parameters and poor anti-noise performance. To solve these problems, we propose a lightweight shifted windows transformer based on inverted residual structure and residual multi-layer perceptron (IRMSwin-T) for fault diagnosis of rolling bearings. First, the original data are expanded by using overlapping sampling technology. Then, the collected one-dimensional vibration signals are vector serialized by using the patch embedding strategy. Finally, the IRMSwin-T network is developed to extract features of vector sequences and classify faults. The experimental results showed that compared with mainstream lightweight models, the IRMSwin-T model in this paper has fewer parameters and higher diagnostic accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel scheme is proposed to enlarge the spurious free dynamic range (SFDR) of microwave photonic (MWP) link by using dual-parallel Mach-Zehnder modulator, which modifies the single sideband signal and replaces the optical carrier with an unmodulated one to remove the optical main sources of third-order intermodulation distortion (IMD3). Simulation results show that the IMD3 and fifth-order intermodulation distortion can be suppressed greatly even when the modulation depth increases to a high value, and the link is limited by seventh-order intermodulation distortion and the SFDR is improved by 34.2 dB Hz in a 1-Hz bandwidth. The error vector magnitude of the MWP link with the proposed scheme is improved significantly for the transmitted 1-Gbit/s 16- quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) signal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterioplankton plays a key role in nutrient cycling and is closely related to water eutrophication and algal bloom. We used high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing to profile archaeal and bacterial community compositions in the surface water of Lake Taihu. It is one of the largest lakes in China and has suffered from recurring cyanobacterial bloom. A total of 81 water samples were collected from 9 different sites in 9 different months of 2012. We found that temporal variation of the microbial community was significantly greater than spatial variation (adonis, n = 9999, P < 1e−4). The composition of bacterial community in December was similar to that in January, and so was the archaeal community, suggesting potential annual periodicity. Unsupervised K-means clustering was used to identify the synchrony of abundance variations between different taxa. We found that the cluster consisting mostly of ACK-M1, C111 (members of acIV), Pelagibacteraceae (alfV-A) and Synechococcaceae showed relatively higher abundance in autumn. On the contrary, the cluster of Comamonadaceae and Methylophilaceae (members of lineage betI and betIV) had higher abundance in spring. The co-occurrence relationships between taxa were greatly altered during the cyanobacterial bloom according to our further network module analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study experimented with air-water up-flow in a 65 mm × 2 mm narrow rectangular duct. Forty-two flow conditions were acquired with the ⟨ j g ⟩ : 0.47–8.58 m/s, the ⟨ j f ⟩ : 0.1–1.5 m/s, involving the void fraction: 2.75%–85.7%. The high-speed camera was located at z / D H = 154.6, 309.2, and 463.8. For calculating the void fraction, interfacial area concentration (IAC), and bubble number density (BND) under various cases, an image processing scheme was proposed combining the non-overlapping characteristic of bubbles in the narrow gap. There are good consistencies between the void fraction of all conditions, the IAC of bubbly flow and the models, respectively. Group-1 and Group-2 parameters' evolution laws were discussed under the mechanisms of breakup, coalescence and pressure drop. Gas phase expansion was constantly influencing the parameters. The Group-1 bubbles' substantial coalescence will decrease the total void fraction under the experimental cases located at the transition line of bubbly to slug or churn flow. Furthermore, the change of IAC influenced by the bubble breakup and coalescence was more remarkable than that of the void fraction, which the BND showed. Moreover, the change of IAC with the gas or liquid rate was not invariable under different superficial gas or liquid velocity, which was concerned with the transition mechanism of flow patterns. The database obtained will be helpful for the verification of the current interfacial area transport equation (IATE), especially for a higher void fraction. • The air-water experiment in the 65 mm × 2 mm narrow rectangular duct includes four flow regimes, involving the void fraction: 2.75%–85.7%, and 42 flow conditions. • For the high void fraction images with vague interfacial structures, manual identification is used additionally to identify the two-phase boundary. Through a number of identification tasks, we obtained the original data. • The axial development laws of interfacial area concentration are analyzed under four flow regimes combining the flow regime map rather than only bubble flow or slug flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyanobacterial blooms represent a significant environmental problem, threatening aquatic ecosystems worldwide. Caused by the eutrophication of water bodies and global climate change, these blooms have altered freshwater ecosystems worldwide during recent decades. Although cyanobacterial blooms are typically caused by blue-green cyanobacteria, which derive their color from the phycocyanin pigment, other pigmented cyanobacterial blooms have been frequently observed in water bodies. These blooms pose a serious environmental threat to inland waters, endangering global public health and aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, comprehending the mechanism of color variation in cyanobacterial blooms is crucial for revealing the outbreak mechanism and implementing effective prevention and control measures. This study developed a human–machine interactive workflow for extracting cyanobacterial blooms and recognizing their colors based on the Forel-Ule index and Sentinel-2 MultiSpectral Instrument data. Using this workflow, the authors conducted spatiotemporal analysis and statistical analysis of bloom color for cyanobacterial blooms in four typical eutrophic lakes from 2019 to 2022. The findings indicated a declining trend in cyanobacterial blooms across the four studied lakes over the years, among which Hulun Lake experienced an annual increase in cyanobacterial blooms and emerged as the lake with the most severe outbreak of such blooms in 2022. The yellowing status of cyanobacterial blooms varied among the four lakes, with Taihu Lake and Dianchi Lake exhibiting a relatively high proportion of green-yellow and yellow cyanobacterial blooms, followed by Chaohu Lake, whereas Hulun Lake had the lowest occurrence. The workflow developed in this study was implemented in Google Earth Engine and provided an automated, integrated, and rapid monitoring solution for the long-term monitoring and color recognition of cyanobacterial blooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The study of the distinct structure and function of the human central nervous system, both in healthy and diseased states, is becoming increasingly significant in the field of neuroscience. Typically, cortical and subcortical tissue is discarded during surgeries for tumors and epilepsy. Yet, there is a strong encouragement to utilize this tissue for clinical and basic research in humans. Here, we describe the technical aspects of the microdissection and immediate handling of viable human cortical access tissue for basic and clinical research, highlighting the measures needed to be taken in the operating room to ensure standardized procedures and optimal experimental results. Methods: In multiple rounds of experiments (n = 36), we developed and refined surgical principles for the removal of cortical access tissue. The specimens were immediately immersed in cold carbogenated N-methyl-D-glucamine-based artificial cerebrospinal fluid for electrophysiology and electron microscopy experiments or specialized hibernation medium for organotypic slice cultures. Results: The surgical principles of brain tissue microdissection were (1) rapid preparation (<1 min), (2) maintenance of the cortical axis, (3) minimization of mechanical trauma to sample, (4) use of pointed scalpel blade, (5) avoidance of cauterization and blunt preparation, (6) constant irrigation, and (7) retrieval of the sample without the use of forceps or suction. After a single round of introduction to these principles, multiple surgeons adopted the technique for samples with a minimal dimension of 5 mm spanning all cortical layers and subcortical white matter. Small samples (5–7 mm) were ideal for acute slice preparation and electrophysiology. No adverse events from sample resection were observed. Conclusion: The microdissection technique of human cortical access tissue is safe and easily adoptable into the routine of neurosurgical procedures. The standardized and reliable surgical extraction of human brain tissue lays the foundation for human-to-human translational research on human brain tissue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leukocyte common antigen-related phosphatase (LAR) is widely expressed in the central nervous system and is known to regulate a variety of processes including cell growth, differentiation, and inflammation. However, little is currently known about LAR signaling mediated neuroinflammation after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). The objective of this study was to investigate the role of LAR in ICH using autologous blood injection-induced ICH mouse model. Expression of endogenous proteins, brain edema and neurological function after ICH were evaluated. Extracellular LAR peptide (ELP), an inhibitor of LAR, was administered to ICH mice and outcomes were evaluated. LAR activating-CRISPR or IRS inhibitor NT-157 was administered to elucidate the mechanism. The results showed that expressions of LAR, its endogenous agonist chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) including neurocan and brevican, and downstream factor RhoA increased after ICH. Administration of ELP reduced brain edema, improved neurological function, and decreased microglia activation after ICH. ELP decreased RhoA and phosphorylated serine-IRS1, increased phosphorylated tyrosine-IRS1 and p-Akt, and attenuated neuroinflammation after ICH, which was reversed by LAR activating-CRISPR or NT-157. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that LAR contributed to neuroinflammation after ICH via RhoA/IRS-1 pathway, and ELP may be a potential therapeutic strategy to attenuate LAR mediated neuroinflammation after ICH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Intralymphatic immunotherapy (ILIT) is short-course administration of allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT). This study is aimed at assessing the clinical efficacy and safety of ILIT in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR). Methods. MEDLINE, PUBMED, and Cochrane Library were used to conduct electronic searches for clinical trials comparing ILIT and placebo in patients with AR. The final search took place on August 24, 2022. Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions was used to assess the risk of bias in the included studies. The outcomes included combined symptom and medication scores (CSMS), visual analog scale (VAS), allergic rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life (RQLQ), Skin-prick test (SPT), and adverse events (AEs). Data were synthesized as mean difference (MD)/standard mean difference (SMD) or risk difference (RD) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results. Thirteen studies (454 participants) were included in this study. The ILIT group had better clinical improvement on the CSMS (random effects model, SMD-0.85, 95% CI [-1.58, -0.11], P = 0.02) and RQLQ (fixed-effects model, MD-0.42, 95% CI [0.69, 0.15], P = 0.003) than the placebo group. The booster injection was beneficial for CSMS (P < 0.0001), and the 4-week injection interval was superior to the 2-week injection period for improving VAS (P < 0.0001). Local swelling or erythema was the main AE following injection (random effects model, RD 0.16, 95% CI [0.05, 0.27], P = 0.005). Discussion. For individuals with AR, ILIT is safe and effective. ILIT alleviates clinical symptoms and reduces pharmaceutical consumption without causing severe AEs. However, the validity of this study is compromised by the substantial heterogeneity and risk of bias in the included researches. RegistrationCRD42022355329. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are expected to bring various changes in people's lives. Such expected changes in life may affect people's decisions on the ownership of privately-owned AVs (PAVs) and even future travel demand structure. However, such effects remained unclear due to the lack of relevant studies. By targeting young people, this study fills this research gap by implementing a nation-wide expectation and stated preference (SP) survey in Japan, by comparing with older people. In the survey, respondents first reported their expected changes in life caused by AVs and then chose the most preferred vehicle from a choice set with three types of PAVs (conditional, high, and full automation) and a conventional car. The survey was implemented in 2016 and 3,006 valid SP responses were collected from 1,002 respondents (417 are young people). It is found that young people expected more changes in life and are more likely to choose PAVs with high and full automation than older people, which is consistent with the reported willingness-to-pay. By estimating a mixed logit model with panel data, it is revealed that expected changes in life affect the two age groups' choices of PAVs. There are more inconsistent influences of expected changes in life between the two groups than consistent influences, suggesting the presence of age-related structural differences of responses to future expectations. Diverse responses to future expectations are revealed, which policy implications are discussed. The findings support a life-oriented paradigm shift of travel behavior research and cross-sectoral transport policymaking and future sustainable society design. • Young and older people respond to expected changes in life in an opposite way, mostly. • Expected increases in in-vehicle activities could promote the ownership of AVs. • Influences of young people's expected changes in life differ across types of AVs. • Expected relocation to suburbs does not necessarily encourage the ownership of AVs. • Using AV as a moving home/office/hotel does not affect the ownership of advanced AVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the help of automated fare collection systems in the metro network, more and more smart card (SC) data has been widely accumulated, which includes abundant information (i.e., Big Data). However, its inability to record passengers’ transfer information and factors affecting passengers’ travel behaviors (e.g., socio-demographics) limits further potential applications. In contrast, self-reported Revealed Preference (RP) data can be collected via questionnaire surveys to include those factors; however, its sample size is usually very small in comparison to SC data. The purpose of this study is to propose a new set of approaches of estimating metro passengers’ path choices by combining self-reported RP and SC data. These approaches have the following attractive features. The most important feature is to jointly estimate these two data sets based on a nested model structure with a balance parameter by accommodating different scales of the two data sets. The second feature is that a path choice model is built to incorporate stochastic travel time budget and latent individual risk-averse attitude toward travel time variations, where the former is derived from the latter and the latter is further represented based on a latent variable model with observed individual socio-demographics. The third feature is that an algorithm of combining the two types of data is developed by integrating an Expectation-Maximization algorithm and a nested logit model estimation method. The above-proposed approaches are examined based on data from Guangzhou Metro, China. The results show the superiority of combined data over single data source in terms of both estimation and forecasting performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we have proposed a polarization-division multiplexing (PDM) single-sideband optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (SSB-OOFDM) scheme with signal-signal beat interference cancellation receivers with balanced detection (ICRBD). This system can double channel capacity and improve spectrum efficiency (SE) with the reduced guard band (GB) due to the PDM. Multiple input multiple output (MIMO) technique is used to solve polarization mode dispersion (PMD) associated with channel estimation and equalization. By simulation, we demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed technique for a 2 × 40 Gbit/s 16-QAM SSB-PDM-OOFDM system according to the error vector magnitude (EVM) and the constellation diagrams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigated the spatial distribution of steel fibers and air bubbles in UHPC cylinder specimen by using X-ray CT system. Four levels of superplasticizer dosage were adopted to obtain cement mortar mixtures with different rheological properties and then steel fibers were added by volume of 1%, 2% and 3% for every cement mortar mixture respectively. Cylindrical specimens with diameter of 100 mm and height of 200 mm were prepared under the same condition for every mixture and the content of steel fibers and air bubbles at different casting depth was determined by X-ray CT measurement. On the other hand, the cylinder specimen was cut into four pieces for evaluating the splitting tensile strength variation with the casting depth. The results reveal that steel fibers and air bubbles are uniformly distributed in UHPC specimen when the fresh mixture is prepared by adding a lower dosage of superplasticizer. This homogeneity is also proved by the splitting tensile strength for samples at different depths. When the yield stress of fresh mortar was reduced by the higher dosage of superplasticizer, the steel fiber sedimentation and air bubble rise occurred and the splitting tensile strength was significantly decreased at the top portion of cylinder specimen. The influence of steel fiber content on splitting tensile strength can be regressed into a good quadratic equation. Therefore, the balance between homogeneity and flowability should be fully considered for manufacturing UHPC elements with a high depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Life satisfaction in China declined dramatically precisely at the time of its unprecedented economic growth and poverty reduction. We posit that a “progress paradox” is among the possible channels explaining these contrasting trends. Using data from the Chinese Livelihood Survey, we explore the role of reported physical and psychological health. The standard correlates of life satisfaction—such as age, income, and health—hold. In addition, we find that those with insufficient rest and leisure are significantly less satisfied. Urban, educated respondents are more likely to report depression, while rural and uneducated respondents are more satisfied with their lives and are less likely to report poor mental health. We also find that insufficient rest, stress, and low life satisfaction have a strong correlation with mental health problems. Given the gains in growth and poverty reduction in China, it is time to consider policies that focus on quality of life and mental illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spectrum of data-driven fault diagnosis models is greatly expanded by deep learning. However, classical convolution and multiple branching structures have their faults in computational complexity and feature extraction. To address these issues, we propose an improved re-parameterized visual geometry group (VGG) network (RepVGG) for rolling bearing fault diagnosis. In order to meet the requirements of neural networks for the amount of data, data augmentation is performed to increase the amount of original data. Then, the original one-dimensional vibration signal is processed into a single-channel time–frequency image using the short-time Fourier transform and converted into a three-channel color time–frequency image using pseudo-color processing technology. Finally, the RepVGG model with an embedded convolutional block attention mechanism structure is developed to extract defect features from three-channel time–frequency images and perform defect classification. Two datasets of vibration data from rolling bearings are used to demonstrate the strong adaptability of this method compared with other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Algal blooms have seriously affected the production and life of people and real-time detection of algae in water samples is a powerful measure to prevent algal blooms. The traditional manual detection of algae with a microscope is extremely time-consuming. In recent years, although there have been many studies using deep learning to classify and detect algae, most of them have focused on the relatively simple task of algal classification. In addition, some existing algal detection studies not only use small datasets containing limited algal species, but also only prove that object detection algorithms can be applied to algal detection tasks. These studies cannot implement the real-time detection of algae and timely warning of algal blooms. Therefore, this paper proposes an efficient self-organized detection system for algae. Benefiting from this system, we propose an interactive method to generate the algal detection dataset containing 28,329 images, 562,512 bounding boxes and 54 genera. Then, based on this dataset, we not only explore and compare the performance of 10 different versions of state-of-the-art object detection algorithms for algal detection, but also tune the detection system we built to its optimum state. In practical application, the system not only has good algal detection results, but also can complete the scanning, photographing and detection of a 2 cm × 2 cm, 0.1 mL algal slide specimen within five minutes (the resolution is 0.25886 μ m/pixel); such a task requires a well-trained algal expert to work continuously for more than three hours. The efficient algal self-organized detection system we built makes it possible to detect algae in real time. In the future, with the help of IoT, we can use various smart sensors, actuators and intelligent controllers to achieve real-time collection and wireless transmission of algal data, use the efficient algal self-organized detection system we built to implement real-time algal detection and upload the detection results to the cloud to realize timely warning of algal blooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is a clean, efficient and economic energy, which is mainly transported by LNG carriers in the marine industry. Possible spilling of cryogenic LNG puts safety of crew in danger due to fire and explosion hazards. Taking into account various uncertainties, a modified fault tree model for LNG spill accident during LNG carriers’ handling operations is constructed in this study. Human factor analysis is introduced with a goal to predict human errors in LNG carriers’ handling operation. Finally, the results of the Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) and Human Reliability Analysis (HRA) are combined, so that risks can be assessed using Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS). Comparing the results of risk assessment with the traditional FTA and corresponding criterion set, an important reference for LNG carrier management is provided for administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A fragment-based hit screening resulted in several fragment inhibitors of the ZIKV NS2B/NS3 protease. • Crystal structures of the ZIKV NS2B/NS3 protease in complex with a tetrapeptide and a fragment were determined, revealing the detailed but distinct protease-inhibitor interaction patterns. • A novel inhibitor with a higher ligand-binding efficiency was designed based on two complex structures. Zika virus (ZIKV) has been a serious public health problem, and there is no vaccine or drug approved for the prevention or treatment of ZIKV yet. The ZIKV NS2B/NS3 protease plays an important role in processing the virus precursor polyprotein and is thus a promising target for antiviral drugs development. In order to discover novel inhibitors of this protease, we carried out a fragment-based hit screening and characterized protein-inhibitor interactions using the X-ray crystallography together with isothermal titration calorimetry. We reported two high-resolution crystal structures of the protease (bZiProC143S) in complex with an active fragment as well as a tetrapeptide, revealing that there is domain swapping in the protein structures and two ligands only occupy the substrate-binding pocket of one copy in a symmetric unit. Based on the detailed binding modes of two ligands revealed by crystal structures, we designed a novel inhibitor which inhibits the NS2B/NS3 protease with a higher potency than the fragment and possesses a higher ligand-binding efficiency and a comparable IC 50 compared to the tetrapeptide. These results thus provide a structural basis and valuable hint for development of more potent inhibitors of the ZIKV NS2B/NS3 protease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pituitary stalk interruption syndrome (PSIS), characterized by thinning or disappearance of the pituitary stalk, hypoplasia of the anterior pituitary, and an ectopic posterior pituitary, can lead to congenital combined pituitary hormone deficiency. There is a high prevalence of various metabolic disorders, including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), in this population. Objective: To investigate the characteristics of NAFLD in Chinese adult patients with PSIS and its association with growth hormone deficiency. Design: Retrospective cross‐sectional study in a tertiary referral center of China. Patients: Adult patients with PSIS diagnosed, followed up between September 2019 and August 2021, were consecutively enrolled. Measurements: Abdominal ultrasonography images were evaluated and noninvasive fibrosis scores were determined to assess the severity of NAFLD. Anthropometric, clinical, and biochemical parameters were compared between patients with and without NAFLD. Logistic regression was performed to assess the independent effects of insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1) on NAFLD. Results: A total of 93 patients (77 men, 16 women, mean age: 29.6 ± 7.1 years) were included. The prevalence of NAFLD and advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis was 50.5% and 4.3%, respectively. Insufficient hormone therapy and prominent metabolic disorders, including central obesity, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome, were more common in the NAFLD (+) group. After adjusting for multiple variables, IGF‐1 <−2 standard deviation score (SDS) was found to be associated with an increased prevalence of NAFLD (odds ratio [OR]: 4.92, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.21–24.55, p =.035). Per 1 SDS increase in IGF‐1 was associated with a 27% lower risk of NAFLD (OR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.52–0.97, p =.042). Conclusion: NAFLD is a frequent comorbidity among Chinese adult patients with PSIS and is strongly associated with lower IGF‐1 levels. Timely and appropriate hormone replacement, particularly growth hormone may contribute to decreasing the risk of NAFLD in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Welding distortion prediction and mitigation of SUS301 stainless steel sheet with thermo-elastic-plastic FE analysis is demonstrated. • 2A hybrid welding method combining laser welding and Vortex tube compressed air refrigeration (VTCAR) heat sink techniques was further investigated. • Tendon force was introduced to evaluate welding induced buckling deformation and stress under different heat sink processes. • A finite element model was established to analyze heat sink assisted laser welding SUS301 stainless steel with thickness of 0.6 mm. • The stress and deformation mechanisms are numerically analyzed based on the inherent strain theory. In order to control and eliminate the welding induced welding deformation of thin stainless steel a laser welding method assisted by a new type of synchronous trailing cold air heat sink is first proposed in this paper. This kind of heat sink is obtained by using vortex tube compressed air refrigeration (VTCAR), which is safe, of low cost and easy to be implemented compared with other commonly used heat sinks such as argon-water mixture, liquid nitrogen, etc. Then, a thermo-elastic-plastic multi physical field coupling numerical model of laser welding with a cold air heat sink located at the rear of laser beam is established, and the effects of the places where the VTCAR heat sink is exerted and heat sink parameters including the heat sink strength and the distance between the heat sink and the laser beam on the welding induced welding deformation are numerically studied. Such two cases as the heat sink is located on the top and bottom surface of the sample respectively are considered. The simulation results show that the cold source exerted on the top surface has the more significant effect than that on the bottom surface under the same heat sink parameters, and the position of heat sink, exactly speaking, the distance between the cold source and the laser beam, has a decisive effect on reducing welding induced buckling. The smaller the distance, the smaller the welding induced buckling. At the heat sink strength of 200 ml and the distance of 5 mm, the equivalent residual stress decreases by 8.09%, and the maximum welding induced deformation decreases by 31.62%. Thirdly, experiments of laser welding with a synchronous trailing VTCAR heat sink are carried out onSUS301L thin sheet. It can be seen that the specimen appears a saddle shape after welding. The coordinate values of the points on the outer plane of the post weld specimen are measured by three coordinates measuring machine, from which the actual welding deformation can be obtained. Both the specimen shape and the measured welding deformation value are in good agreement with the simulation results based on the large deformation theory, which verifies the correctness and the accuracy of the above simulation model. Finally, the mechanism of the synchronous trailing VTCAR heat sink in eliminating the deformation is discussed by inherent strain theory. In the cooling stage during laser welding, the heat sink not only reduces the temperature field of the base metal near the weld, but also makes the typical comet characteristics at the tail of the weld pool disappear and become a flat temperature profile, which effectively reduces the temperature gradient in the weld area and weakens the longitudinal tensile plastic strain of the weld specimens, and eventually reduces Tendon force and the welding inherent strain. There is a high consistency between Tendon force and the welding deformation, so Tendon force can be taken as the basis for evaluating the welding induced welding deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Trailing ultrasonic assisted laser welding (T-ULW) is proposed to weld 0.6 mm thick stainless steels sheet. • The theoretical model of ultrasonic assisted laser welding is established. • The welding temperature fields in (T-ULW) and LW are numerically simulated. • T-ULW helps to refine the grain of weld and enhance the mechanical properties of welded joint. Ultrasonic assisted laser welding (ULW) is a newly developed welding method. In this paper, a new kind of ultrasonic assisted laser welding method, which is named trailing ultrasonic assisted laser welding (T-ULW) is proposed. First, the welding temperature fields as well as the weld pool temperature evolution in trailing ultrasonic assisted laser welding (T-ULW) and conventional laser welding (LW) are numerically simulated, and the shapes of the molten pools during T-ULW and LW are observed by a high-speed camera monitoring system. Both the simulation and monitoring results show that ultrasonic can reduce the temperature gradient of the weld pool and prolong the solidification time. Then, such three kinds of welding methods as T-ULW, common fixed-position ultrasonic assisted laser welding (F-ULW) and LW are used to weld SUS301 stainless steel sheet with a thickness of 0.6 mm respectively, and their performances are comparatively investigated by analyzing the experimentally-obtained macro morphologies, microstructures of welded joints. Macro morphology analysis results show that ultrasonic vibration not only elongates the molten pool, but also changes the cross-sectional shapes of the welds in such a way that decreases the top width and increases the bottom width. Microstructure analysis results indicate that the fusion zone of the welds obtained by T-ULW is uniformly distributed mainly by the refined equiaxed grains. Subsequently, the crystal refinement mechanisms of the welds in ultrasonic-assisted laser welds of SUS301 stainless steel are theoretically analyzed and experimentally verified, which show that due to ultrasonic disturbance, the temperature gradient of the molten pool is decreased, a stress field is generated in the welds and a so-called ultrasonic cavitation effect is produced in the molten pool. Such three mechanisms play very important roles in refining crystals in different ways that the decreased temperature gradient provides a good nucleation condition for the growth of equiaxed dendrite, and both the generated stress and ultrasonic cavitation cause the grain boundary to fracture, thereby form more new grain boundary, which finally lead to form fine and uniform grains in the welds. Finally, the mechanical properties of the joints are measured, and the results demonstrated that ultrasonic assisted laser welding especially T-ULW enables not only to increase the tensile strength of the welds, but also to improve the ductility of the welds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lightning impulse breakdown strength of natural ester is lower than that of mineral oil. This article focuses on a discharge mechanism difference analysis of natural ester and mineral oil under a strong impulse electric field (EF). Based on density functional theory (DFT), the ionization energy, electron affinity (EA), and excitation energy of natural ester and mineral oil were calculated under different EF strengths. The microparameters related to the discharge of natural ester and mineral oil were compared, showing that the former has a lower ionization energy and a larger dipole moment. This quality makes natural ester more likely to ionize and produce electrons, which more easily promotes the formation of electron avalanches and streamer. Meanwhile, natural ester molecules are more prone to transition from the ground state to the excited state than mineral oil molecules, exacerbating the photon release and formation of discharges in natural ester. The greater conductivity of natural ester leads to its dispersion and the rapid development of discharge streamers. In addition, an electrostatic potential (ESP) analysis on molecular surfaces was used to predict the active sites of the oil molecular structure. This article provides help for understanding the relationship between the micromolecular structure and the macroscopic discharge characteristics for different types of oil molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study developed a risk scoring tool and examined its applicability using data from the Kihon Checklist cohort dataset for 19 months to predict the transition from no certification for long‐term care to long‐term care level 3 or above. Methods: Data were collected from 26 357 functionally independent, community‐dwelling older adults in a Japanese city who answered the Checklist in 2014 and were followed for 19 months. Individuals certified for long‐term care during the follow‐up period were classified into three levels depending on their certification status: low, moderate, and high long‐term care levels. Relationships between the Kihon Checklist domains and high long‐term care levels were examined using the logistic regression model. A score chart predicting incidents of high long‐term care levels was created to facilitate its applicability. Results: As of 2016, 971 participants were certified for long‐term care (3.7%), of which 168 (0.6%), 357 (1.4%), and 446 (1.7%) were certified as high, moderate, and low long‐term care levels, respectively. Variables associated with the certification of high long‐term care level included difficulties in activities of daily living, a decline in locomotor and cognitive function in the Kihon Checklist domains, and age. The score chart was created based on these variables and demonstrated excellent discriminatory ability, with an area under curve of 0.817 (95% confidence interval: 0.785–0.849). Conclusions: The Kihon Checklist can predict the future development of a high degree of dependency. The score chart we developed can be easily implemented to identify older adults at high risk with reasonable accuracy. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2022; 22: 797–802. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma is one of the major causes of death among NPC patients. However, there are no international guidelines for the treatment of patients with recurrent NPC now. In this article, we summarize past publications on clinical research and mechanistic studies related to recurrent NPC, combined with the experience and lessons learned by our institutional multidisciplinary team in the treatment of recurrent NPC. We propose an objective protocol for the treatment of recurrent NPC. Recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), which occurs in 10–20% of patients with primary NPC after the initial treatment modality of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), is one of the major causes of death among NPC patients. Patients with recurrent disease without distant metastases still have a chance to be saved, but re-treatment often carries more serious toxicities or higher risks. For this group of patients, both otolaryngologists and oncologists are committed to developing more appropriate treatment regimens that can prolong patient survival and improve survival therapy. Currently, there are no international guidelines for the treatment of patients with recurrent NPC. In this article, we summarize past publications on clinical research and mechanistic studies related to recurrent NPC, combined with the experience and lessons learned by our institutional multidisciplinary team in the treatment of recurrent NPC. We propose an objective protocol for the treatment of recurrent NPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the analysis of the airborne bistatic synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging geometric mode, an extended nonlinear chirp scaling algorithm is employed to simulate and verify the imaging effect of the bistatic SARs. A gradient theory-based two-dimensional resolution bistatic SAR model is proposed, and the constraints of the multi-platform flight trajectory parameters meeting the imaging accuracy of the bistatic SAR are analyzed. Finally, through the bistatic SAR imaging simulation of cooperative flight trajectories under various situations, the spatial configuration constraint envelope between the flight vehicles to achieve the optimal resolution is revealed. The results of this paper will provide a theoretical reference for the SAR application in formation flight control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) is an effective therapy for allergic rhinitis (AR), but some AR patients still do not benefit from it. Nasal nitric oxide (nNO) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS/NOS2) act important roles in AR. This study aims to explore the abilities of serum NOS2 and nNO in predicting the clinical efficacy of SCIT in AR patients. Methods. We recruited 40 healthy controls (HCs) and 120 AR patients in this study. Serum NOS2 and nNO levels were compared between the two groups. In the AR group, patients underwent and finished 1-year of SCIT, and divided into the effective and ineffective groups, and the relationships between serum NOS2 and nNO levels and efficacy of SCIT were evaluated. Results. The serum NOS2 and nNO levels were higher in AR patients than HCs. In the effective group, the serum NOS2 and nNO levels were increased than the ineffective group. ROC curves presented that a combination of serum NOS2 and nNO exhibited promising predictive ability in predicting the clinical efficacy of SCIT. Conclusions. Serum NOS2 and nNO levels were enhanced in AR patients and might affect the efficacy of SCIT. The combined use of serum NOS2 and nNO levels could be a reliable and useful method for predicting the clinical efficacy of SCIT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce the continuously increasing energy consumption in the household sector, including residential and private transport sectors, it is important to design a proper policy scheme to regulate household energy demand. However, determining how to evaluate the collective effect of multiple countermeasures in one policy scheme on household energy related behavior is very challenging; furthermore, the potential interactions between policies due to the timing effect cannot be overlooked. Under these concerns, this study provides a quantitative methodology by developing a DAEDMS (dynamic active energy demand management system) that can evaluate the overall effects of urban planning, soft policies for improving household/individual awareness, technology-improvement/rebate policies, market end-use diffusion control, and social-interaction oriented policies. The timing effect is directly incorporated by allowing the free setting of the execution period for each policy. Building on this demand management system, the quantified policy schemes and the pathways that can reach the target of energy conservation become straightforward, providing helpful support for policy planning. Besides, the variant effectiveness of policy schemes due to different policy timings admonishes the policy makers to realize that the current fragmented regime of policy making between different departments is undesirable for capturing the genuine effect of all of the policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A hybrid microgrid driven by solar energy for building is established. • An optimal dispatch strategy for a hybrid microgrid is proposed. • System performance is analyzed under isolated/grid-connected operation mode. • Operation characteristic is investigated on power selling/purchasing conditions. The optimal dispatch for hybrid microgrids is the crucial approach to decrease maintenance costs and enhance operational reliability. This paper aims to provide a feasible solution for the optimal dispatch of a solar thermal-photovoltaic hybrid microgrid. A distributed energy system of a building is established and the power load is analyzed. Operation parameters are optimized for hybrid microgrid in isolated operation mode and grid-connected operation mode. The operation performance with adequate and inadequate solar irradiation is evaluated by using fixed dispatch and optimal dispatch strategy. In addition, the performance of hybrid microgrid under power selling and purchasing conditions are analyzed. Results show that the operation mode of building hybrid microgrid can be adjusted to isolated/grid-connection modes based on actual power requirements. The optimal dispatch strategy shows great advantages on both solar adequate and inadequate conditions under isolated operation mode for hybrid microgrid, at most 14.3 % lower for maintenance than that of fixed strategy. In addition, the power selling to the external power grid can significantly improve the profit of the hybrid microgrid and generate earnings of $6102.1 per year under optimal dispatch. The research can offer an analysis approach for hybrid microgrid, and further increase clean energy utilization efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homogenization treatment and equal channel angular pressing was applied to Mg–Y–Nd–Zr alloy cast ingot. Uniform grains with a grain size of ~1.5 μm and spherical secondary-phase preferentially located at the grain boundaries were obtained. Excellent high-strain rate superplasticity of 860% and 960% was achieved at 500 °C, 1×10 −1 s −1 and 475 °C, 2×10 −2 s −1 , respectively, for the first time such a high-strain rate superplasticity was achieved in magnesium alloys processed by ECAP. The maximum elongation of 1120% was achieved at 475 °C, 3×10 −3 s −1 . They were attributed to the thermal stability of uniform fine-grain microstructure and the coordination function of secondary-phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Objective The aim of this study was to describe an outbreak of Burkholderia stabilis colonization among patients in a nasal ward. Methods Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was used for the molecular typing of B. stabilis isolates. Microbiological records were reviewed to delineate the colonization outbreak period. One hundred seventy-one cultures of environment and equipment samples from the nasal ward were performed to trace the source of contamination. Infection control measures were taken in order to end the outbreak. Results All B. stabilis isolates were identified as a new MLST type, ST821. A total of 53 patients carried this B. stabilis in the nasal ward between March and September 2013, which was defined as the outbreak period. The source of the colonization was not determined because all environment cultures were negative for Burkholderia cepacia complex. No further B. stabilis carriers have been found in the ward since the implementation of interventions. Conclusions Attention must be paid to asymptomatic colonization in order to identify outbreaks early. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to better inform transportation decision makers of the criticality of transportation infrastructure, this paper explores an accessibility-based criticality prioritization methodology to identify and prioritize critical transportation infrastructure. In particular, the methodology evaluates the network-wide impacts of infrastructure degradation based on the increase in travel cost taking origin importance, destination attractiveness, and traffic congestion into account. The methodology is applied to the road network of Hillsborough County, Florida, threatened by flood risk from storm surge, sea-level rise, and intense precipitation. Light detection and ranging digital elevation data, transportation infrastructure and network data, and zone-based population data of the county are processed for analysis. The approach yields results of not only the criticality of transportation infrastructure under flooding impact but also the most vulnerable zones as a result of infrastructure inundation. The results show that some infrastructure is critical to adjacent areas, while some becomes important to a much broader region. The results further demonstrate that the infrastructure is more critical if it serves more people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aberrant epidermal growth factor (EGF)-dependent signaling plays a key role in the progression of human carcinomas. We found that TIP30, a tumor suppressor protein, translocated into the nucleus of human lung adenocarcinoma cells following EGF treatment, and the selective inhibitors of EGFR signaling pathways blocked this effect. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays revealed that TIP30 negatively regulated EGF-dependent transcriptional activation of CCND1 through a HDAC1-dependent mechanism. In lung adenocarcinoma patients, the level of nuclear TIP30 was inversely correlated with that of EGFR and cyclin D1. These findings suggest that nuclear TIP30-induced downregulation of cyclin D1 transcription antagonizes EGFR signaling and suppresses tumorigenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A kind of high salt tolerant amphiphilic polymer PANC was synthesized. • The viscosity of PANC increased with the increase of salt concentration, exhibiting a phenomenon of salt thickening. • The salt thickening mechanism of PANC was revealed. Polymer flooding is the most reliable method for the petroleum industry to further enhance oil recovery from the developed oil field and to keep the total oil production. For the reservoirs with high salinity, traditional polymer fluids, for example partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM), are failed to improve oil recovery rate due to the molecular agglomeration caused by compression-diffusion electric double layer. By optimizing the copolymerization of cyclic structure monomer n-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP) and long-chain hydrophobic monomer cetyl dimethyl allyl ammonium chloride (C 16 DMAAC), a high salt tolerant amphiphilic polymer P(AM/NVP/C 16 DMAAC), abbreviated as PANC, is synthesized. The optimal polymerization conditions were determined depending on the apparent viscosity measured by the rheometer. The microstructure of the polymer was evaluated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The viscosity of 2000 mg/L PANC increased to 42.7 mPa·s at the salinity of 11.6 × 104 mg/L and temperature of 40 °C, while the viscosity of HPAM was only 7.3 mPa·s under the same condition. The viscosity of PANC was 479 % higher than that of HPAM, indicating the remarkable salt tolerant property of PANC. The viscosity of PANC increased from 12 mPa·s to 42.7 mPa·s when the salinity increased from 1 × 104 mg/L to 11.6 × 104 mg/L. By comparing the salt resistance of polymer PANC and polymer P(AM/AA/C 16), abbreviated as AP-C 16 , indicating that NVP enhanced the rigidity of the PANC molecular chain, and hindered the shrinkage and curling of the molecular chain after salt addition. The inclusion effect of β-cyclodextrin on the hydrophobic groups of PANC indicated that PANC increased viscosity through the hydrophobic association of C 16 DMAAC. Furthermore, PANC showed a salt thickening ability due to the synergy effect of C 16 DMAAC and NVP. As such, the salt tolerant amphiphilic polymer PANC offers a novel polymer flooding material for oil displacement, especially under a high-salinity condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Infusion of multi-source remote sensing data is imperative for species-level classifications of grasslands. • In species-level classifications, hydrology, polarization and terrain features are crucial for improving accuracy. • Classification uncertainties may be linked to the evolution and management of grasslands. The distribution of grassland communities significantly influences biodiversity conservation and resource management. Remote sensing datasets, such as Sentinel land cover images with high spatial and temporal resolution, have been commonly employed to simulate the distribution and community structure of plant species in grasslands. Nevertheless, the precision of grassland and community classification requires further enhancement for more effective grassland management. In response, our study presents a dynamic workflow for simulating the distribution of grassland plant species under different hydroclimatic conditions. Leveraging a random forest classifier with multi-source remote sensing features, we mapped the distribution of nine plant communities and six types of land cover in the upstream grasslands of the Xilingol River Basin, Inner Mongolia from 2017 to 2022. Utilizing the Google Earth Engine platform, our findings reveal a remarkable consistency in the overall spatiotemporal accuracy and classification precision of grassland communities across different years, even under varying hydroclimatic conditions. When critical features were carefully selected, the integration of Sentinel-1 (C-band synthetic aperture radar), Sentinel-2 (surface reflectance), SRTM DEM 30 m (Digital Elevation Model data), and MOD16A2.006 (evapotranspiration/latent heat flux product) data yielded a high overall accuracy ranging from 87.0 % to 89.5 % over multiple years. Our study not only determined the spatial patterns of various grassland plant communities but also explored the mechanism of their responses to different hydroclimatic conditions. The proposed approach holds practical implications for fine-scale grassland classification, providing valuable support for landscape classification and monitoring efforts. Furthermore, the insights derived from our findings offer valuable guidance for land managers and policymakers, aiding them in making informed decisions related to grassland conservation and sustainable land use planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Prevalent quality assessment of drying materials with solar energy was reviewed. • The potential application of solar drying for high-quality dried products was introduced. • The physical and chemical mechanisms of quality transformation during drying process were clarified. Solar energy is a green and renewable clean energy. Using this as main or auxiliary energy to dry agricultural materials could reduce energy consumption and improve product quality. In the drying process of agricultural materials, not only drying technologies but also drying parameters would affect the quality of materials. This paper provides a guided technological tour on solar drying through a literature research. An overview about the drying technologies to evaluate the drying quality, such as traditional sun drying, solar tunnel drying, solar greenhouse drying, solar-assisted drying system, is presented to demonstrate advances and application potential of solar drying. Finally, variable temperature drying is preliminarily proposed and tested to verify its superiority of energy saving and drying quality improvement. The literature research in this paper gives a reference on the effective application of solar drying through specifying the mechanisms of quality transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]