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Spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to any part of the spinal cord resulting in paralysis, bowel and/or bladder incontinence, and loss of sensation and other bodily functions. Current treatments for chronic SCI are focused on managing symptoms and preventing further damage to the spinal cord with limited neuro-restorative interventions. Recent research and independent clinical trials of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) or intensive neuro-rehabilitation including neuro-robotics in participants with SCI have suggested potential malleability of the neuronal networks for neurological recovery. We hypothesize that epidural electrical stimulation (EES) delivered via SCS in conjunction with mental imagery practice and robotic neuro-rehabilitation can synergistically improve volitional motor function below the level of injury in participants with chronic clinically motor-complete SCI. In our pilot clinical RESTORES trial (RESToration Of Rehabilitative function with Epidural spinal Stimulation), we investigate the feasibility of this combined multi-modal approach in restoring volitional motor control and achieving independent overground locomotion in participants with chronic motor complete thoracic SCI. Secondary aims are to assess the safety of this combination therapy including the off-label SCS usage as well as improving functional outcome measures. To our knowledge, this is the first clinical trial that investigates the combined impact of this multi-modal EES and rehabilitation strategy in participants with chronic motor complete SCI. Two participants with chronic motor-complete thoracic SCI were recruited for this pilot trial. Both participants have successfully regained volitional motor control below their level of SCI injury and achieved independent overground walking within a month of post-operative stimulation and rehabilitation. There were no adverse events noted in our trial and there was an improvement in post-operative truncal stability score. Results from this pilot study demonstrates the feasibility of combining EES, mental imagery practice and robotic rehabilitation in improving volitional motor control below level of SCI injury and restoring independent overground walking for participants with chronic motor-complete SCI. Our team believes that this provides very exciting promise in a field currently devoid of disease-modifying therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extent to which populations will successfully adapt to continued warming temperatures will be a crucial factor in determining future health burdens. Previous health impact assessments of future temperature-related mortality burdens mostly disregard adaptation or make simplistic assumptions. We apply a novel evidence-based approach to model adaptation that takes into account the fact that adaptation potential is likely to vary at different temperatures. Temporal changes in age-specific mortality risk associated with low and high temperatures were characterised for Scotland between 1974 and 2018 using temperature-specific RR ratios to reflect past changes in adaptive capacity. Three scenarios of future adaption were constructed consistent with the SSPs. These adaptation projections were combined with climate and population projections to estimate the mortality burdens attributable to high (above the 90th percentile of the historical temperature distribution) and low (below the 10th percentile) temperatures up to 2080 under five RCP-SSP scenarios. A decomposition analysis was conducted to attribute the change in the mortality burden into adaptation, climate and population. In 1980–2000, the heat burden (21 deaths/year) was smaller than the colder burden (312 deaths/year). In the 2060–2080 period, the heat burden was projected to be the highest under RCP8.5-SSP5 (1285 deaths/year), and the cold burden was the highest under RCP4.5-SSP4 (320 deaths/year). The net burden was lowest under RCP2.6-SSP1 and highest under RCP8.5-SSP5. Improvements in adaptation was the largest factor reducing the cold burden under RCP2.6-SSP1 whilst temperature increase was the biggest factor contributing to the high heat burdens under RCP8.5-SSP5. Ambient heat will become a more important health determinant than cold in Scotland under all climate change and socio-economic scenarios. Adaptive capacity will not fully counter projected increases in heat deaths, underscoring the need for more ambitious climate mitigation measures for Scotland and elsewhere. • A novel evidence-based approach is used to reflect adaptation to extreme temperatures. • Future health burdens associated with extreme temperatures are affected by adaptation. • The projected deaths related to extreme heat are higher than cold in Scotland by 2080. • More than half of the increase in the heat burden by 2080 is attributable to global warming. • The net temperature burden is lowest under RCP2.6-SSP1 and highest under RCP8.5-SSP5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Methods for adaptation projections are varied, with no consistent method established. • Many methods of including adaptation in projections are not based on evidence. • Including adaptation in projections considerably influences estimated mortality. • Combination or framework methods have been developed in more recent years. • Adaptation uncertainty should be included in future health impact assessments. Exposure to high and low ambient temperatures can cause harm to human health. Due to global warming, heat-related health effects are likely to increase substantially in future unless populations adapt to living in a warmer world. Adaptation to temperature may occur through physiological acclimatisation, behavioural mechanisms, and planned adaptation. A fundamental step in informing responses to climate change is understanding how adaptation can be appropriately accounted for when estimating future health burdens. Previous studies modelling adaptation have used a variety of methods, and it is often unclear how underlying assumptions of adaptation are made and if they are based on evidence. Consequently, the most appropriate way to quantitatively model adaptation in projections of health impacts is currently unknown. With increasing interest from decisionmakers around implementation of adaptation strategies, it is important to consider the role of adaptation in anticipating future health burdens of climate change. To address this, a literature review using systematic scoping methods was conducted to document the quantitative methods employed by studies projecting future temperature-related health impacts under climate change that also consider adaptation. Approaches employed in studies were coded into methodological categories. Categories were discussed and refined between reviewers during synthesis. Fifty-nine studies were included and grouped into eight methodological categories. Methods of including adaptation in projections have changed over time with more recent studies using a combination of approaches or modelling adaptation based on specific adaptation strategies or socioeconomic conditions. The most common approaches to model adaptation are heat threshold shifts and reductions in the exposure–response slope. Just under 20% of studies were identified as using an intervention-based empirical basis for statistical assumptions. Including adaptation in projections considerably reduced the projected temperature-mortality burden in the future. Researchers should ensure that all future impact assessments include adaptation uncertainty in projections and assumptions are based on empirical evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present day, when centralized energy storage technology is becoming increasingly mature, the cooperative energy sharing framework between the combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) systems and a shared energy storage provider (SESP) can effectively promote the local consumption of renewable energy and reduce the social energy cost. In this study, the optimal operation models of CCHP and SESP are first developed by considering the electric energy trading of the CCHP and the SESP. Then the CCHP–SESP cooperative operation model is established based on Nash bargaining theory, followed by equating it into two subproblems of coalition social energy cost minimization and electric energy trading payment negotiation. The alternating direction method of multipliers approach is introduced to solve the energy‐sharing problems in a distributed way. Numerical simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed energy‐sharing framework. Simulation results show that the proposed bargaining‐based energy‐sharing framework can significantly reduce the social energy cost and improve the utilization rate of energy storage resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bipolar redox‐active organic molecule (BROM) is a feasible strategy to address the cross‐contamination issue of the electrolyte and, thus, improve the stability of the flow battery. Herein, a highly‐soluble BROM is developed by combining the 2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine‐1‐oxyl (TEMPO) and viologen moieties, and extensive characterizations are performed to evaluate its applicability in flow battery. Salient findings are as follows. First, the compound, viz. 1‐(1‐oxyl‐2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidin‐4‐yl)‐1′‐(3‐(trimethylammonio)propyl)‐4,4′‐bipyridinium trichloride ((TPABPy)Cl3), features highly hydrophilic groups and yields a high aqueous solubility of 1.76 m. Second, the electrochemical result reveals that the (TPABPy)Cl3 displays two pairs of highly reversible peaks at −0.56 and 0.76 V, which respectively correspond to the viologen and TEMPO moieties. The electronic structure during the redox reactions is identified by both the density functional theory calculation and the electron paramagnetic resonance. Third, the flow battery fed with the 1.0 m (TPABPy)Cl3 solution delivers a high capacity of 25 Ah L−1 and a superior stability over the non‐bipolar counterparts. More to the point, the capacity decay can be effectively recovered by applying the polarity‐inversion rebalance strategy on the BROM. In summary, this work provides a molecular engineering way to rationally design a BROM to improve the capacity and stability of aqueous organic redox flow batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ouzo droplet is a multicomponent liquid comprising ethanol, water, and anise oil, each possessing distinct thermophysical properties, volatility, and mutual miscibility. Evaporation leads to the complex physicochemical process of coupled mass and heat transfer, spontaneous emulsification, and liquid–liquid phase separation, known as the ouzo effect. An acoustically levitated ouzo droplet undergoes five characteristic stages of evaporation based on temporal temperature variation. Such levitated droplet shows a significantly longer lifespan upon evaporation because of the thermal isolation in air, as well as a drastic initial cooling. Sessile droplets, on the other hand, have heat transferred from the surroundings via the substrate to replenish latent heat of vaporization. A conductive substrate thus helps the droplet to stay close to the ambience and a shorter lifespan. A rudimentary theoretical model based on dimensional analysis is developed and shows consistency with measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We fitted 75 pulses from 44 gamma‐ray burst (GRB) prompt emission lightcurves, including four short ones and 40 long ones. Each pulse is fitted by a fast‐rising exponential‐decay (FRED) model. The statistical properties of these pulses are analyzed and compared with previous works. We found that the FRED model is almost suitable to describe all the pulses. We reconfirmed that there is a linear correlation between the full width at half maximum FWHM$$ \mathrm{FWHM} $$ and the pulse rising time Trise$$ {T}_{\mathrm{rise}} $$, which supports the idea that the individual pulse is emitted at once within one explosion. Moreover, we found that several pulses do not obey the FWHM−Trise$$ \mathrm{FWHM}-{T}_{\mathrm{rise}} $$ correlation, this implies that the radiation process of the prompt emission especially in the multi‐pulse GRBs might involve more than one type and even possibly change with time. The innovation of this work lies in examining the statistical characteristics of lightcurves of both long and short‐duration GRBs and re‐evaluating the applicability of empirical relationships discovered by predecessors to both types of GRBs while paying special attention to the existence of outlier pulses. This work has positive implications for further exploring the diversity of GRB prompt radiation mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stable and efficient partial nitrification reaction and nitrite accumulation are essential for the operation of partial nitrification-anaerobic ammonia oxidation process. This paper investigated the changes in the performance of a partial nitrification bioreactor during the domestication process. After 40 days of domestication, the partial nitrification reaction remained stable, the nitrite accumulation rate (NAR) increased significantly to 85.7%, and the NO2--N/NH4+-N ratio stabilized at 1.25 ± 0.04. Both diversity indices (Simpson and Shannon) and richness indices (Ace and Chao1) tend to decrease with domestication. Nitrosomonas as a typical ammonia oxidizing bacterium it increased its relative abundance in the reactor from 0.02 ± 0.007% at P1 to 11.6 ± 2.2% at P2, and at P3 stage the denitrifying functional bacteria norank_f_AKYH76, Dokdonella and unclassified_f_Comamonadaceae reached 33.4 ± 12.5%, 18.8 ± 1.8%, and 10.1 ± 1.3%, respectively, and the increase in the relative abundance of these functional species was also consistent with the accumulation of nitrite nitrogen in the reactor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The relationship between moving bodies on the rotary table is presented based on kinematic theory. • Separately identification method for position independent geometric errors by double ball bar is presented. • A novel optimization identification method for identification of position dependent geometric errors is proposed. • The influence of installation errors on geometric errors identification is investigated based on sensitivity analysis. For the redundancy in definition of position independent geometric errors(PIGEs) and position dependent geometric errors(PDGEs), it is difficult to identify all geometric errors of rotational axis simultaneously. A novel identification method using boundaryless constraint optimization method(BCOM) is established to improve PIGEs and PDGEs identification accuracy of rotary axis. For PIGEs, the two different dimension errors are identified separately based on least square method through appropriate measurement direction by double ball bar(DBB), and thus decrease condition number of identification matrix. For PDGEs, the B-spline curve is applied to fit the geometric errors and the objective function has been established. Several measurement paths are conducted and geometric errors are figured out by iterations of objective function. Furthermore, setup errors of DBB are investigated and discussed based on the sensitivity analysis. Finally, Simulations and experiments are conducted and their results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mosquitoes (Anopheles sinensis), widely geographically distributed in Asia including China, are the primary vector of the malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax and other parasitic diseases such as Malayan filariasis. An. sinensis can survive through low winter temperatures. Aquaporin channels are found in all life forms, where they facilitate environmental adaptation by allowing rapid trans‐cellular movement of water (classical aquaporins) or water and solutes such as glycerol (aquaglyceroporins). Here, we identified and characterized 2 aquaporin (AQP) homologs in An. sinensis: AsAQP2 (An. sinensis aquaglyceroporin) and AsAQP4 (An. sinensis aquaporin). When expressed in frog (Xenopus laevis) oocytes, AsAQP2 transported water, glycerol, and urea; AsAQP4 transported only water. Water permeation through AsAQP2 and AsAQP4 was inhibited by mercuric chloride. AsAQP2 expression was slightly higher in adult female mosquitoes than in males, and AsAQP4 expression was significantly higher in adult males. The 2 AsAQPs were highly expressed in Malpighian tubules and midgut. AsAQP2 and AsAQP4 expression was up‐regulated by blood feeding compared with sugar feeding. At freezing point (0 °C), the AsAQP4 expression level increased and An. sinensis survival time reduced compared with those at normal temperature (26 °C). At low temperature (8 °C), the AsAQP2 and AsAQP4 expression levels decreased and survival time was significantly longer compared with those at 26 °C. These results suggest that AsAQP2 and AsAQP4 have roles in water homeostasis during blood digestion and in low temperature adaptation of A. sinensis. Together, our results show that the 2 AQPs are important for mosquito diuresis after blood feeding and when exposed to low temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a ligand‐to‐metal charge‐transfer (LMCT) process that used ferric (III) chloride as efficient chlorination reagent to mediate the vicinal dichlorination of alkenes. Under 420 nm LED light, the easily available and safe ferric (III) chloride could facilitate various alkenes to transform as 1,2‐dichloride compounds with good to excellent yields (19 examples). The strategy showed a more economic protocol than CuCl2, and provided a significant reference for the light‐Induced dichlorination in industrial catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A spherical inclusion is embedded in a soft gel block. A vertical force is applied on the gel surface by means of a spherical indenter. The loading axis is not aligned with the inclusion but placed at a horizontal offset displacement from the inclusion. The measurement of indentation force and inclusion trajectory are compared to the computational results from two-dimensional (2D) Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulations. A discernible instability emerges when the indentation reaches a critical depth, in accordance with the Southwell instability theory. The three-dimensional (3D) trajectory shows distinct features that were previously not captured by the 2D FEA simulations. • Cancer tumor in body tissue is modeled as solid spherical inclusion embedded in a soft gel matrix. • Indentation on gel surface leads to unstable lateral motion of an inclusion aligned with the loading axis. • Behavior of off-axis inclusions can be predicted by the classical Southwell instability theory. • Mechanical force on the indenter is consistent with finite element analysis. • A viable model is established for palpation mechanics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]