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We consider a class of finite-dimensional and infinite-dimensional locally coupled systems of periodic Hill-type equations with impacts. First, for finite dimensional systems, with assumptions of superlinearity on the restoring forces and boundedness on the coupling terms, we show the twist properties of the Poincaré maps on the suitably large torus in each sub-phase plane. Then, by a high-dimensional zero point theorem, it is proved the existence of infinitely many symmetric harmonic and subharmonic bouncing solutions. Second, we consider an infinite-dimensional system as a limit case of a sequence of finite-dimensional systems. By a detailed discussions for taking limits, it is proved that a sequence of even and periodic bouncing solutions of some finite-dimensional systems can converge to an even and periodic bouncing solution of the infinite-dimensional system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nanoporous TiMnCoCN compound with intriguing self-adjusting capability for the acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) achieves superior electrocatalytic activity and long-term durability. [Display omitted] • A nanoporous TiMnCoCN compound is fabricated by applying the nanoscale Kirkendall effect. • The unique self-adjusting structure achieves excellent acidic oxygen evolution reaction performance. • Inert TiO 2 and N/C incorporation in reconstructed surface layer build the distinctive structure. Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts in acidic media, except for precious IrO 2 , have difficulty realizing good electrocatalytic activity and high electrochemical stability simultaneously. However, the scarcity of IrO 2 as an acidic OER electrocatalyst impedes its large-scale application in hydrogen generation, organic synthesis, nonferrous metal production and sewage disposal. Herein, we report the design and fabrication of a nanoporous TiMnCoCN compound based on the nanoscale Kirkendall effect, possessing an intriguing self-adjusting capability for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in a 0.5 M H 2 SO 4 solution. The nanoporous TiMnCoCN compound electrode for the acidic OER displays a low overpotential of 143 mV for 10 mA cm−2 and exhibits no increase in potential over 50,000 s, which is ascribed to the self-adjusting ability, Carbon/nitrogen (C/N) incorporation and nanoporous architecture. The concentration of inert TiO 2 on the reconstructed surface of the compound can self-adjust with the change in OER potential via a cobalt-dissolved vacancy approach according to the stabilization requirement. In this work, the self-reconstruction law of surface structure was discovered, providing a novel strategy for designing and fabricating nonnoble OER electrocatalysts with superior catalytic performance and robust stability in acidic media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition metals and PFRs mainly participated in the single-electron pathway via activating PMS to generate a large amount of ROS, while the graphitic N -containing carbon matrix with π-π* shake up and C O groups acted as the electron mediator to favor the two-electron transfer and directly oxidized the BHA through the ternary activated outer-sphere complexes. [Display omitted] • The introducing of carbon source changed the surface electrification. • Both single-electron and two-electron pathway involved in the oxidation process. • PFRs and transition metals could activate PMS to produce abundant ROS. • N -containing carbon with prone to act as electron mediator and sacrifier. In this study, a novel carbon-wrapped-iron hierarchical porous catalyst (Fe/C-Mn 800) was prepared from electrolytic manganese residue (EMR) and sewage sludge (SS), which showed outstanding degradation ability toward benzohydroxamic acid (BHA, nearly 90 % was removed within 60 min) with low metal leaching rate. Mechanism exploration found transition metal ions (Fe and Mn) can serve as electron acceptors and facilitate the generation of persistent free radicals (PFRs). These transition metal ions and PFRs mainly participated in the single-electron pathway via activating PMS to generate a large amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS). While the electron negative graphitic N and C O groups not only improve the electronegatively of catalyst, but also acted as the electron sacrificers to favor the electron transfer and directly oxidized the absorbed BHA through the ternary activated outer-sphere complexes. Eley–Rideal (E-R) and Langmuir–Hinshelwood (L-H) analysis further demonstrated the crucial role of pre-adsorption during the degradation process. This work provided a deep insight into the degradation mechanism of metal/carbon composite and promising opportunity widened the horizon of the high-value utilization of EMR and SS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) can regulate plant growth and thus modulate the accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). However, the effect of endogenous IAA on PAHs accumulation and its influencing factors remains unclear. To unravel this, two different IAA expression genotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana , i.e. , IAA-underproducing yucca1D [YUC1] mutant and wild type [WT]) were selected and treated with different fluoranthene (Flu) concentrations (0 mg/L [CK], 5 mg/L [Flu5], and 20 mg/L [Flu20]) to reveal the impact mechanism of endogenous IAA on Flu uptake by plants. The results indicated that under Flu5 treatment, the bioconcentration factors (BCF) and translocation factors (TF) of Flu in WT were 41.4 % and 14.3 % higher than those in YUC1. Similarly, under Flu20 treatment, the BCF and TF of Flu in WT were also 42.2 % and 8.2 % higher than those in YUC1. In addition, the BCF and TF were 72.5 % and 35.8 % higher under Flu5 treatment compared to Flu20 treatment for WT, and 73.4 % and 28.6 % higher respectively for YUC1. Moreover, WT exhibited higher plant growth (biomass, root morphology indicators [root length, root area and number of tips]) and IAA content compared to YUC1 under identical Flu treatments. Plant growth and IAA content declined with the increase of Flu concentration in both YUC1 and WT leaves compared with CK treatment. Conversely, in WT roots, root biomass and morphology indicators promoted followed by a decrease as the concentration of Flu increased. Additionally, the antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, POD, and CAT) of WT were 11.1 %, 16.7 %, and 28.9 % higher than those of YUC1 under Flu5 treatment, and 13.6 %, 12.9 %, and 26.5 % higher under Flu20 treatment. Compared with CK treatment, SOD and POD activities promoted with increasing Flu concentration, whereas CAT activities decreased. Variability separation analysis revealed that level of IAA primarily influenced Flu accumulation in WT or under Flu5 treatments, whereas antioxidant enzyme activity primarily affected Flu accumulation in YUC1 or under Flu20 treatments. Exploring the relationship between the IAA synthesis gene YUCCA and IAA levels, alongside Flu accumulation, could yield novel insights into the regulation of PAH accumulation in plants. [Display omitted] • Bioconcentration factor (BCF) of WT was higher than that of YUC1 under identical Flu treatments. • BCF was higher under Flu5 treatment than under Flu20 treatment in the same genotypes. • Transpiration rate can influence Flu transport in Arabidopsis thaliana. • IAA was the key factor for Flu accumulation in WT or under Flu5 treatment. • Antioxidant enzyme activity was important for Flu accumulation in YUC1 or under Flu20 treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd), which accumulates in tobacco leaves, enters the human body through inhalation of smoke, causing harmful effects on health. Therefore, identifying the pivotal factors that govern the absorption and resistance of Cd in tobacco is crucial for mitigating the harmful impact of Cd. In the present study, four different Cd-sensitive varieties, namely, ZhongChuan208 (ZC) with resistance, ZhongYan100 (ZY), K326 with moderate resistance, and YunYan87 (YY) with sensitivity, were cultivated in hydroponic with different Cd concentrations (20 µM, 40 µM, 60 µM and 80 µM). The results indicated that plant growth was significantly decreased by Cd. Irrespective of the Cd concentration, ZC exhibited the highest biomass, while YY had the lowest biomass; ZY and K326 showed intermediate levels. Enzymatic (APX, CAT, POD) and nonenzymatic antioxidant (Pro, GSH) systems showed notable variations among varieties. The multifactor analysis suggested that the ZC and ZY varieties, with higher levels of Pro and GSH content, contribute to a decrease in the levels of MDA and ROS. Among all the Cd concentrations, ZC exhibited the lowest Cd accumulation, while YY showed the highest. Additionally, there were significant differences observed in Cd distribution and translocation factors among the four different varieties. In terms of Cd distribution, cell wall Cd accounted for the highest proportion of total Cd, and organelles had the lowest proportion. Among the varieties, ZC showed lower Cd levels in the cell wall, soluble fraction, and organelles. Conversely, YY exhibited the highest Cd accumulation in all tissues; K326 and ZY had intermediate levels. Translocation factors (TF) varied among the varieties under Cd stress, with ZC and ZY showing lower TF compared to YY and K326. This phenomenon mainly attributed to regulation of the NtNramp3 and NtNramp5 genes, which are responsible for the absorption and transport of Cd. This study provides a theoretical foundation for the selection and breeding of tobacco varieties that are resistant to or accumulate less Cd. [Display omitted] • At any given cadmium concentration, the cadmium accumulation in highly resistant varieties (ZC) is lower compared to that in sensitive varieties (YY). • High Pro and GSH content in resistant varieties (ZC) mitigated the damage caused by ROS. • NtNramp3 and NtNramp5 genes were the key factors to regulate cadmium accumulation in tobacco. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the synergistic role of nanosizing effect and hierarchical structure, NiMn/NiMn-LDH/ppy-C composite delivers superior supercapacitive cycling stability with almost no decay of capacity retention after 40,000 cycles at 5 A g−1. Moreover, the underlying mechanism of phase-transformation from NiMn/ppy-C into NiMn/NiMn-LDH/ppy-C during electro-chemical activation has been comprehensively established by structural and valence probes. [Display omitted] For micron-sized nickel-based hydroxides sheets, the reaction and migration of anions/water molecules in the inner region tends to lag behind those along the edge, which can cause structure mismatch and capacity degradation during cycles. Nanosizing and structure design is a feasible solution to shorten the ion/electron path and improve the reaction homogeneity. Herein, this study reports a novel three-stage strategy (self-assembly of NiMn-LDH/ppy-C — reduction to NiMn/ppy-C — in situ phase transformation into NiMn/NiMn-LDH/ppy-C) to reduce the sheet size of NiMn-LDH to nanometer. Triggered by electrochemical activation, NiMn-LDH nanosheets can hereby easily and orderly grow on the exposed active (1 1 1) crystal plane of Ni to establish NiMn-LDH/NiMn heterostructure around ppy-C. Importantly, nanosizing and hierarchical structure play a synergistic role to maintain structural integrity and to promote the electron/mass transfer kinetics. The NiMn/NiMn-LDH/ppy-C composite delivers superior cycling stability with almost no decay of capacity retention after 40,000 cycles at 5 A g−1. Our hierarchical morphology modulation provides an ingenious, efficient way to boost the performance of Ni-based layered hydroxide materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Magnetic TRGO@Ni hybrid was prepared by hydrothermal and in situ thermal reduction. • Nacre-like layered CNF/TRGO@Ni film was assembled via a facile vacuum filtration. • The film showed excellent conductivity, EMI shielding performance and flexibility. • Impedance mismatch, multireflection and synergetic loss are shielding mechanisms. Flexible and ultrathin electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding films are urgently required to manage increasingly serious radiation pollution. In this work, the EMI shielding performance and flexibility of conductive polymer films were addressed by assembling magnetic graphene-based hybrid and cellulose nanofiber (CNF). Briefly, magnetic graphene hybrid anchored by Ni nanoparticles (TRGO@Ni) was synthesized by in situ thermal reduction. Then, highly flexible and ultrathin CNF/TRGO@Ni film with "brick-mortar" layered structure was assembled via a facile vacuum filtration method. As expected, CNF/TRGO@Ni film with 50 wt% filler loading exhibits an enhanced electrical conductivity (262.7 S/m) and EMI shielding effectiveness (32.2 dB) comparing to CNF/TRGO film. Moreover, the excellent mechanical flexibility of CNF/TRGO@Ni film results in that the electrical conductivity and EMI SE only declines by 7.5% after bending 1000 cycles. The EMI shielding mechanism is attributed to the combination of enhancing impedance mismatch, multireflection in "brick-mortar" lamellar structure and endowing synergetic loss by graphene and Ni nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon-carbon composite is recognized as one of the most promising next-generation anodes for high-energy lithium-ion batteries, especially silicon-graphite composites. Herein, cost-efficient and scalable submicron/micron silicon particles are stabilized in a robust graphite-carbon architecture by solid-phase ball milling and liquid-phase coating methods. The obtained silicon-graphite-carbon composite with a stable encapsulated sandwich-like architecture exhibits impressive lithium storage performance, including high initial Coulombic efficiency of 83.7%, outstanding cycle stability and remarkable rate capability. Even at high loadings of 4 mg cm−2, it still exhibits great reversible capacity with 620 mA h g−1 after 100 cycles at 0.2 C. Furthermore, 8 wt% silicon-graphite-carbon composites as additives are applied into the full cell with a designed capacity of 1000 mA h, and the full cell displays superior cycle stability with high capacity retention of 85% after 100 cycles. In addition, the scalable and low-cost preparation makes it enormous application value and huge commercial prospect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxygen–vacancy–reinforced perovskite promoting polysulfide conversion for lithium–sulfur batteries is investigated, which assist to guide the effect of defect concentration on the adsorption and catalytic properties of perovskites materials. [Display omitted] Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) are considered to be one of the most promising energy storage systems because of the ultrahigh energy density. However, their shuttle effect and slow redox kinetics seriously hinder the development of LSBs. To solve these issues, the perovskite La 1-x Sr x MnO 3-δ (x = 0–0.5) with different oxygen vacancy concentrations were prepared by a facile liquid–phase synthesis and followed by the thermal annealing. The La 1-x Sr x MnO 3-δ can not only anchor lithium polysulfides (LiPSs), but also catalyze the conversion of LiPSs. The detailed kinetic analysis and density functional theory calculations reveal that the optimal level of oxygen vacancies can effectively increase the binding energy between perovskites and LiPSs, and effectively promote the LiPS conversion kinetics. The S/La 0.6 Sr 0.4 MnO 3-δ cathode with a moderate oxygen vacancy concentration exhibits high rate performance and ultrahigh capacity retention of 93.2% after 150 cycles at 0.1 C, which provides a potential for practical applications of LSBs. This work reveals the application of perovskite materials in the development of advanced LSBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) effluent often contains a significant amount of residual organic pollutants and nutrients, causing disturbance to the coastal effluent receiving areas (ERA). Microbial communities in coastal ERA sediments may benefit from the coexistence of organic pollutants and nutrients, promoting the emergence of versatile taxa that are capable of eliminating these substances simultaneously. However, the identification and exploration of versatile taxa in natural environments under anthropogenic disturbances remain largely uncharted territory. In this study, we specifically focused on the versatile taxa coupled by the degradation of aromatic compounds (ACs) and denitrification, using Hangzhou Bay in China as our study area. We explored how WWTPs effluent disturbance would affect the versatile taxa, and particularly examined the role of disturbance intensity in shaping their composition. Intriguingly, we found that versatile taxa were mainly derived from denitrifiers like Pseudomonas , suggesting the fulfilled potential of denitrifiers regarding ACs degradation. We also discovered that moderate disturbance stimulated the diversity of versatile taxa, resulting in strengthened functional redundancy. Through correlation network analysis, we further demonstrated that moderate disturbance enhanced the community-level cooperation. Thus, moderate disturbance serves as a catalyst for versatile taxa to maintain community function, making them more resilient to effluent disturbances. Additionally, we identified COD and NO 3 −-N concentrations as significant environmental factors influencing the versatile taxa. Overall, our findings reveal the role of effluent disturbances in the promotion of versatile taxa, and highlight moderate disturbance can foster more robust versatile taxa that are better equipped to handle effluent disturbances. [Display omitted] • Versatile taxa were firstly identified in coastal effluent-receiving area. • Denitrifiers contributed nearly all versatile taxa. • Moderate disturbance greatly stimulated versatile taxa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd), one of the most toxic heavy metals, has been extensively studied by environmental scientists because of its detrimental effects on plants, animals, and humans. Increased industrial activity has led to environmental contamination with Cd. Cadmium can enter the food chain and pose a potential human health risk. Therefore, reducing the accumulation of Cd in plant species and enhancing their detoxification abilities are crucial for remediating heavy metal pollution in contaminated areas. One innovative technique is nano-phytoremediation, which employs nanomaterials ranging from 1 to 100 nm in size to mitigate the accumulation and detrimental effects of Cd on plants. Although extensive research has been conducted on using nanomaterials to mitigate Cd toxicity in plants, it is important to note that the mechanism of action varies depending on factors such as plant species, level of Cd concentration, and type of nanomaterials employed. This review aimed to consolidate and organize existing data, providing a comprehensive overview of the effects and mechanisms of nanomaterials in enhancing plant resistance to Cd. In particular, its deep excavation the mechanisms of detoxification heavy metals of nanomaterials by plants, including regulating Cd uptake and distribution, enhancing antioxidant capacity, regulating gene expression, and regulating physiological metabolism. In addition, this study provides insights into future research directions in this field. • Analyzed the application of nanomaterials to plants. • Pathways for plant uptake of nanomaterials elucidated. • The research progress on enhancing cadmium resistance of plants by nanomaterials was reviewed. • The roles and mechanisms of nanomaterials in reducing cadmium toxicity in plants are reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study focused on the bioaccumulation and cytotoxicities of Cd2+, CdSe quantum dots (QDs) and CdSe/ZnS QDs in Escherichia coli (E. coli , represents prokaryotic system) and Phanerochaete chrysosporium (P. chrysosporium , represents eukaryotic system), respectively. Two types of QDs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering. The inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer results showed that the bioaccumulation amounts of CdSe QDs by E. coli and P. chrysosporium were larger than those of CdSe/ZnS QDs due to the smaller particle size and less negative surface charges of CdSe QDs. Confocal microscopy and TEM results showed that there was an interaction between QDs and cells, and QDs have entered into the cells eventually, leading to the change of cell morphology. Plasma membrane fluidities and membrane H+-ATPase activities of E. coli and P. chrysosporium decreased gradually with the increasing concentrations of Cd2+, CdSe and CdSe/ZnS QDs. Results of the cell viabilities and intracellular reactive oxygen species levels indicated that the induced cytotoxicities were decreased as follows: CdSe QDs > CdSe/ZnS QDs > Cd2+. These findings suggested that the cytotoxicity of QDs was not only attributed to their heavy metal components, but also related to their nanosize effects which could induce particle-specific toxicity. The above results offer valuable information for exploring the cytotoxicity mechanism of QDs in prokaryote and eukaryote. Image 1 • CdSe QDs were more easily absorbed by cells as compared to CdSe/ZnS QDs. • P. chrysosporium was more sensitive to Cd2+, CdSe and CdSe/ZnS QDs than E. coli. • The intracellular ROS level was dependent on the intracellular concentration of QDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil ecosystems surrounding chromium slag undergo continuous harsh physicochemical conditions due to multiple heavy metals contamination. Previous studies of soil microbial communities mainly focused on surface soil layer, while little was known about the depth-related distributions of the microbial communities in chromium (Cr)-contaminated soil. In this study, a comprehensive analysis of depth-related distributions of microbial communities in Cr-contaminated soil was carried out by Illumina sequencing of 16s rRNA genes. The results revealed that bacterial diversities at 0 cm depth layer were significantly higher than those below 20 cm depths. And there was a remarkable difference in bacterial compositions along with the sampling depths especially for the dominant phyla of Proteobacteria , Actinobacteria , Chloroflexi and Fimicutes (p < 0.05). While the archaea accounted for a relatively low proportion of the microbes and showed stability in the compositions with the predominant phyla of Thaumarchaeota and Euryarchaeota. The linear discriminate analysis (LDA) and effect size (LEfSe) analysis showed that there were thirty-seven kinds of biomarker microbes existing in the five soil layers with LDA threshold of 4.0, and each layer showed distinct microbial divisions, indicating that microbes with different biological functions might survive along with the sampling depths. The environmental variables including total chromium (Cr), Cr(Ⅵ), Mn, Ni, and Zn had considerable influences on microbial community composition in the contaminated soil. A total of 25 Cr(Ⅵ)-reducing strains were further isolated and identified, which were phylogenetically affiliated to Proteobacteria , Actinobacteria and Firmicutes. Among the isolated Cr(Ⅵ)-reducing strains, Bacillus stratosphericus was the first time to be reported with Cr(Ⅵ) reducing capacity. Image 1 • Microbial community in Cr-contaminated soil was studied by 16s rRNA genes amplicon. • Significant differences of diversities and compositions among layers were found. • Proteobacteria was the domiant phylum but relative abundance significantly varied. • Thirty-seven biomarker microbes were found among five soil depth layers. • Twenty-five Cr (Ⅵ)-reducing strains were isolated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We improve the results in the following two aspects by Grébert and Paturel in [28] and prove that a linear Schrödinger equation on R d with harmonic potential | x | 2 and small t -quasiperiodic potential as i u t − Δ u + | x | 2 u + ε V (ω t , x) u = 0 , (t , x) ∈ R × R d reduces to an autonomous system for most values of the frequency vector ω ∈ R n. Firstly, we assume the potential V (θ , ⋅) is only in C β (T n , H s (R d)) with β large enough. Secondly, the condition on s is better than [28]. As a consequence any solution of such a linear PDE is almost periodic in time and remains bounded in some suitable Sobolev norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract For any n ≥ 3 and q ≥ 3 , we prove that the Equality function (= n) on n variables over a domain of size q cannot be realized by matchgates under holographic transformations. This is a consequence of our theorem on the structure of blockwise symmetric matchgate signatures. This has the implication that the standard holographic algorithms based on matchgates, a methodology known to be universal for #CSP over the Boolean domain, cannot produce P-time algorithms for planar #CSP over any higher domain q ≥ 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Butylparaben (BuP) is a common antibacterial preservative utilized extensively in food, medical supplies, cosmetics, and personal care products. The current study reports the use of Zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos to investigate potential developmental toxicity caused by exposure to BuP. The development of Neural crest cells (NCCs) is highly active during gastrulation in Zebrafish embryos. Thus, we utilized 0.5 mg/L, 0.75 mg/L, and 1 mg/L BuP solutions, respectively, in accordance with the international safety standard dosage. We observed severe craniofacial cartilage deformities, periocular edema, cardiac dysplasia, and delayed otolith development in the Zebrafish larvae 5 days after exposure. The oxidative stress response was significantly enhanced. In addition, the biochemical analysis revealed that the activities of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were significantly reduced relative to the control group, whereas the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) was significantly elevated. Furthermore, ALP activity, a marker of osteoblast activity, was also reduced. Moreover, the RT-qPCR results indicated that the expression of chondrocyte marker genes sox9a, sox9b, and col2a1a was down-regulated. In addition, the morphology of maxillofacial chondrocytes was altered in Zebrafish larvae, and the proliferation of cranial NCCs was inhibited. Accordingly, our findings indicate that strong oxidative stress induced by BuP inhibits the proliferation of NCCs in larval Zebrafish, leading to craniofacial deformities. • BuP can cause developmental toxicity and craniofacial deformities in zebrafish. • BuP inhibits the proliferation of neural crest cells. • Craniofacial deformities caused by BuP is related to oxidative stress. • BuP injures the craniofacial bone development of non-target species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feature upsampling is a fundamental operation in modern deep network architectures. Existing upsamplers, however, are prone to cause negative upsampling—performance of an upsampler falls behind naive interpolation. For instance, the recent dynamic upsampler CARAFE is the best performing operator in semantic segmentation, but it turns out to be the worst one in image matting. In this work, we present robuSt bIlatERal featuRe upsAmpler (SIERRA), a simple, task-robust, plug-and-play, and ultra lightweight upsampler. Its key idea is to use an efficient gradient-prior kernel to modulate a (shifted) distance-prior kernel to control which feature points participate in interpolation, which shares a similar spirit to joint bilateral filtering (JBF). Yet, in contrast to JBF that requires high-res guidance, SIERRA generates kernels from the low-res decoder feature alone. Extensive experiments demonstrate the superiority and robustness of SIERRA on five dense prediction tasks. Code will be available online. • We apply the idea of bilateral kernels to feature upsampling. • We present a task-robust, plug-and-play, and ultra lightweight upsampler SIERRA. • We demonstrate the robustness and practicality of SIERRA and its variant on five dense prediction tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prove a complexity dichotomy theorem for the eight-vertex model. For every setting of the parameters of the model, we prove that computing the partition function is either solvable in polynomial time or #P-hard. The dichotomy criterion is explicit. For tractability, we find some new classes of problems computable in polynomial time. For #P-hardness, we employ Möbius transformations to prove the success of interpolations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of the electrokinetic remediation process on the removal of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) was evaluated with different influencing factors. With chlortetracycline (CTC), oxytetracycline (OTC), and tetracycline (TC) as template chemicals, the removal of both ARB and ARGs was enhanced with the increase of voltage gradient (0.4–1.2 V cm −1 ) and prolonged reaction time (3–14 d). The greatest removal (26.01–31.48% for ARB, 37.93–83.10% for ARGs) was obtained applying a voltage of 1.2 V cm −1 , leading to the highest electrical consumption. The effect of polarity reversal intervals on the inactivation ratio of ARB followed the order of 0 h (66.06–80.00%) > 12 h (17.07–24.75%) > 24 h (10.44–13.93%). Lower pH, higher current density, and more evenly-distributed voltage drop was observed with a polarity reversal interval of 12 h compared with that of 24 h, leading to more efficient electrochemical reactions in soil. Compared with sul genes, tet genes were more vulnerable to be attacked in an electric field. It was mainly attributed to the lower abundance of tet genes (except tet M) and the varied effects of electrokinetic remediation process on different ARGs. Moreover, a relatively less removal ratio of tet C and tet G was obtained mainly due to the mechanism of the efflux pump upregulation. Both tet and sul genes were positively correlated with TC-resistant bacteria. The efflux pump genes like tet G and the cellular protection genes like tet M showed different correlations with ARB. This study enhances the current understanding on the removal strategies of ARB and ARGs, and it provides important parameters for their destruction by the electrokinetic treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prove a complexity dichotomy theorem for the six-vertex model. For every setting of the parameters of the model, we prove that computing the partition function is either solvable in polynomial time or #P-hard. The dichotomy criterion is explicit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of microbial communities during the electrokinetic treatment of antibiotic-polluted soil (EKA) was investigated with chlortetracycline (CTC), oxytetracycline (OTC) and tetracycline (TC) as template antibiotics. The total population of soil microorganisms was less affected during the electrokinetic process, while living anti-CTC, anti-OTC, anti-TC and anti-MIX bacteria were inactivated by 10.48%, 31.37%, 34.76%, and 22.08%, respectively, during the 7-day treatment compared with antibiotic-polluted soil without an electric field (NOE). Accordingly, samples with NOE treatment showed a higher Shannon index than those with EKA treatment, indicating a reduction of the microbial community diversity after electrokinetic processes. The major taxonomic phyla found in the samples of EKA and NOE treatment were Proteobacteria , Bacteroidetes , Firmicutes and Actinobacteria . And the distribution of Actinobacteria , Cyanobacteria , and Chloroflexi was greatly decreased compared with blank soil. In the phylum Proteobacteria , the abundance of Alphaproteobacteria was greatly reduced in the soils supplemented with antibiotics (from 13.40% in blank soil to 6.43–10.16% after treatment); while Betaproteobacteria and Deltaproteobacteria showed a different trend with their abundance increased compared to blank soil, and Gammaproteobacteria remained unchanged for all treatments (2.36–2.78%). The varied trends for different classes indicated that the major bacterial groups changed with the treatments due to their different adaptability to the antibiotics as well as to the electric field. Sul I being an exception, the reduction ratio of the observed antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) including tet C, tet G, tet W, tet M, intI 1, and sul II in the 0–2 cm soil sampled with EKA versus NOE treatment reached 55.17%, 3.59%, 99.26%, 89.51%, 30.40%, and 27.92%, respectively. Finally, correlation analysis was conducted between antibiotic-resistant bacteria, ARGs and taxonomic bacterial classes. It was found that sul II was the most representative of many different bacteria among the seven ARGs studied. This is the first report on the changes in microbial communities before and after EKA, and the present results demonstrated that the application of EKA is a useful and effective approach to suppressing both antibiotic resistant microorganisms and ARGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that SJL mice are susceptible to Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV)-induced demyelinating disease while C57BL6 (B6) and B10 mice are resistant, and H-2 s on a B10 background (B10.S) contributes modestly to susceptibility. A recent study linked two IRF3 non-conservative mutations in SJL compared to B10.S mice to resistance to TMEV infection of SJL peritoneal-derived macrophages, an observation of practical interest in light of the central role of IRF3 transcription factor in the type I interferon (IFN) response. However, we did not find these non-conservative mutations among SJL, B10.S, B6 and B10 mice in the IRF3 amino acid sequence, and show SJL bone marrow-derived macrophages infected with TMEV exhibit increased virus RNA replication and infectious virus yields as well as greater IL-6 production than C57Bl strain (including B10.S) cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of nanotechnology has aroused considerable attentions toward understanding the effects of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) on the propagation of antibiotic resistance. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2) is an extensively used ENM and poses potential risks associated with environmental exposure; nevertheless, the role of MoS 2 toward antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) transfer remains largely unknown. Herein, it was discovered that MoS 2 nanosheets accelerated the horizontal transfer of RP4 plasmid across Escherichia coli in a dose-dependent manner (0.5–10 mg/L), with the maximum transfer frequency 2.07-fold higher than that of the control. Integration of physiological, transcriptomics, and metabolomics analyses demonstrated that SOS response in bacteria was activated by MoS 2 due to the elevation of oxidative damage, accompanied by cell membrane permeabilization. MoS 2 promoted bacterial adhesion and intercellular contact via stimulating the secretion of extracellular polysaccharides. The ATP levels were maximally increased by 305.7 % upon exposure to MoS 2 , and the expression of plasmid transfer genes was up-regulated, contributing to the accelerated plasmid conjugation and increased ARG abundance in soil. Our findings highlight the roles of emerging ENMs (e.g., MoS 2) in ARGs dissemination, which is significant for the safe applications and risk management of ENMs under the development scenarios of nanotechnology. • MoS 2 nanosheets at 0.5–10 mg/L accelerated the horizontal transfer of ARGs in soil. • Bacterial SOS response and membrane permeabilization contributed to conjugation. • Nano-MoS 2 stimulated EPS secretion and cell adhesion, promoting plasmid transfer. • MoS 2 assisted ARGs propagation by up-regulating plasmid transfer genes and ATP. • The modulation effect of MoS 2 on the ARGs transfer in soil was firstly proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An innovative hydrothermal synthesis strategy of heteroatom-containing zeolite, in this case Sn-Beta, via interzeolite transformation is reported in present study. To the best of our knowledge, this prepared Sn-Beta zeolite possesses the highest isolated Sn contents (3.03 wt% or Si/Sn molar ratio of 63) in comparison to other hydrothermally synthesized ones. The success of this synthesis strategy to Sn-Beta synthesized from MWW silica is mainly due to its nucleating and growing readily compared with those prepared from amorphous silica source. The introduction of Beta seeds and the structural similarity between the parent zeolite (MWW) and the targeted zeolite ( * BEA) are found to be indispensable factors in the crystallization of Sn-Beta zeolite. The obtained Sn-Beta zeolites possess isolated tetrahedral Sn 4+ in the framework and high hydrophobicity. Additionally, lowering the molar ratio of H 2 O 2 to cyclohexanone and moderately reducing reaction time are proved to be effective methods to improve the selectivity of ε-caprolactone in the Baeyer–Villiger oxidation of cyclohexanone with H 2 O 2 using Sn-Beta as Lewis catalyst. Thus, the prepared Sn-Beta zeolite demonstrated promising catalytic properties, especially for the desired products selectivity, in the Baeyer–Villiger oxidation of ketones as well as the isomerization–esterification reaction of dihydroxyacetone in ethanol, far outperforming the conventional Sn-Beta-F catalyst, which were attributed mainly to its high Sn content in the framework and excellent diffusion properties resulting from the relatively small crystal size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a rotational contour signatures (RCS) method for both real-valued and binary descriptions of 3D local shape. RCS comprises several signatures that characterize the 2D contour information derived from 3D-to-2D projection of the local point cloud. The inspiration of our encoding technique comes from that when viewing towards an object, its contour is an effective and robust cue for representing its shape. In order to achieve a comprehensive geometry encoding, the local surface is continually rotated in a predefined local reference frame (LRF) so that multi-view information is obtained. A peculiar trait of our RCS method is its seamless extension to binary representations to accelerate feature matching and reduce storage consumption. Specifically, we resort to three techniques, i.e., thresholding, quantization and geometrical binary encoding, to generate RCS binary strings. In contrast to 2D image area, there are quite rare 3D binary descriptors yet in 3D computer vision. We deploy experiments on three standard datasets including shape retrieval, 3D object recognition and 2.5D point cloud view matching scenarios with a rigorous comparison with six state-of-the-art descriptors. The comparative outcomes confirm numerous merits of our RCS method, e.g., highly discriminative, compact, computational efficient and robust to many nuisances including noise, mesh resolution variation, clutter and occlusion. We also show the versatility of RCS in matching of both LiDAR and Kinect point clouds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traveling wave solutions of a reaction–diffusion model with general functional responses are considered in this paper. A necessary and sufficient condition is established for the existence of traveling wave solutions. Moreover, the minimum speed, asymptotic behavior and uniqueness of traveling wave solutions are also obtained in relation to the interaction parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Happiness and sadness have discrete neural representations in terms of FC profiles. • Emotions are represented in distributed networks rather than a single network. • VN and DMN contribute to distinct representation of sustained emotional experience. • Temporal accumulative emotional experiences are reflected in neural representations. Determining and decoding emotional brain processes under ecologically valid conditions remains a key challenge in affective neuroscience. The current functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) based emotion decoding studies are mainly based on brief and isolated episodes of emotion induction, while sustained emotional experience in naturalistic environments that mirror daily life experiences are scarce. Here we used 12 different 10-minute movie clips as ecologically valid emotion-evoking procedures in n = 52 individuals to explore emotion-specific fMRI functional connectivity (FC) profiles on the whole-brain level at high spatial resolution (432 parcellations including cortical and subcortical structures). Employing machine-learning based decoding and cross validation procedures allowed to investigate FC profiles contributing to classification that can accurately distinguish sustained happiness and sadness and that generalize across subjects, movie clips, and parcellations. Both functional brain network-based and subnetwork-based emotion classification results suggested that emotion manifests as distributed representation of multiple networks, rather than a single functional network or subnetwork. Further, the results showed that the Visual Network (VN) and Default Mode Network (DMN) associated functional networks, especially VN-DMN, exhibited a strong contribution to emotion classification. To further estimate the temporal accumulative effect of naturalistic long-term movie-based video-evoking emotions, we divided the 10-min episode into three stages: early stimulation (1∼200 s), middle stimulation (201∼400 s), and late stimulation (401∼600 s) and examined the emotion classification performance at different stimulation stages. We found that the late stimulation contributes most to the classification (accuracy=85.32%, F1-score=85.62%) compared to early and middle stimulation stages, implying that continuous exposure to emotional stimulation can lead to more intense emotions and further enhance emotion-specific distinguishable representations. The present work demonstrated that sustained happiness and sadness under naturalistic conditions are presented in emotion-specific network profiles and these expressions may play different roles in the generation and modulation of emotions. These findings elucidated the importance of network level adaptations for sustained emotional experiences during naturalistic contexts and open new venues for imaging network level contributions under naturalistic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contamination of organoarsenic is becoming increasingly prominent while SR-AOPs were confirmed to be valid for their remediation. This study has found that the novel metal/carbon catalyst (Fe/C–Mn) prepared by solid waste with hierarchical pores could simultaneously degrade roxarsone (ROX) and remove As(V). A total of 95.6% of ROX (20 mg/L) could be removed at the concentration of 1.0 g/L of catalyst and 0.4 g/L of oxidant in the Fe/C–Mn/PMS system within 90 min. The scavenging experiment and electrochemical test revealed that both single-electron and two-electron pathways contributed to the ROX decomposition. Spectroscopic analysis suggested the ROX has been successfully mineralized while As(V) was fixed with the surface Fe and Mn. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation and chromatographic analysis indicated that the As7, N8, O9 and O10 sites of ROX molecule were vulnerable to being attacked by nucleophilic, electrophilic and radical, resulting in the formation of several intermediates such as phenolic compounds. Additionally, the low metal leaching concentration during recycling and high anti-interference ability in various water matrices manifested the practicability of Fe/C–Mn/PMS system. • The acidic condition was beneficial for the ROX degradation. • ROX has been mineralized while As(V) was fixed with the surface Fe. • Both single-electron and direct-electron ways contributed to the degradation. • The Fe/C–Mn could simultaneously degrade ROX and remove/fix As(V). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the burgeoning contamination of surface waters threatening human health, the genotoxic effects of surface waters have received much attention. Because mutagenic and carcinogenic compounds in water cause tumors by different mechanisms, a battery of bioassays that each indicate a different mode of action (MOA) is required to evaluate the genotoxic effects of contaminants in water samples. In this study, 15 water samples from two source water reservoirs and surrounding rivers in Shijiazhuang city of China were evaluated for genotoxic effects. Target chemical analyses of 14 genotoxic pollutants were performed according to the Environmental quality standards for surface water of China. Then, the in vitro cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay, based on a high-content screening technique, was used to detect the effect of chromosome damage. The SOS/ umu test using strain TA1535/pSK1002 was used to detect effects on SOS repair of gene expression. Additionally, two other strains, NM2009 and NM3009, which are highly sensitive to aromatic amines and nitroarenes, respectively, were used in the SOS/ umu test to avoid false negative results. In the water samples, only two of the genotoxic chemicals listed in the water standards were detected in a few samples, with concentrations that were below water quality standards. However, positive results for the CBMN assay were observed in two river samples, and positive results for the induction of umu C gene expression in TA1535/pSK1002 were observed in seven river samples. Moreover, positive results were observed for NM2009 with S9 and NM3009 without S9 in some samples that had negative results using the strain TA1535/pSK1002. Based on the results with NM2009 and NM3009, some unknown or undetected aromatic amines and nitroarenes were likely in the source water reservoirs and the surrounding rivers. Furthermore, these compounds were most likely the causative pollutants for the genotoxic effect of these water samples. Therefore, to identify causative pollutants with harmful biological effects, chemical analyses for the pollutants listed in water quality standards is not sufficient, and single-endpoint bioassays may underestimate adverse effects. Thus, a battery of bioassays based on different MOAs is required for the comprehensive detection of harmful biological effects. In conclusion, for genotoxicity screening of surface waters, the SOS/ umu test system by using different strains combined with the CBMN assay was a useful approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green innovation facilitates high-quality economic development and ecological environmental protection. Herein, the minimum distance to strong efficient frontier (MinDS) model was used to measure green innovation efficiencies (GIEs) of 30 Chinese provinces over a period of 21 years (2000–2020). Gini coefficient decomposition and kernel density estimation methods were used to analyze the regional differences of GIE. Spatial correlation was estimated to analyze spatial-spillover effects and spatial convergence of the GIE. China's GIE has shown an increasing trend with significant spatial differences in GIE among provinces. Regional differences and transvariation intensity are the primary sources of spatial differences in GIE. Regional differences in GIE have decreased, except for eastern regions. The results of spatial convergence estimation suggest spatial absolute and conditional convergence in all regions. Therefore, for the GIE improvement in China, the effects of economic level, industrial structure, and environmental regulations must be considered. • The MinDS method is used to measure the efficiency of green innovation (GIE). • GIE shows significant spatial dependence in neighboring regions. • Differences in GIE between central and western regions are constricting. • Spatial conditional convergence is faster than spatial absolute convergence. • Policies should encourage regional coordination for sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd) is a ubiquitous toxic metal and environmental pollutant. Increasing studies have shown that Cd exposure increases the incidence of various endocrine system diseases, including thyrotoxicity reflected by thyroid structural damage and endocrine toxicity. However, the observed outcomes are complex and conflicting, leading to the mechanism of Cd-induced thyrotoxicity remaining obscure. In this study, 4-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were given 2 or 7 mg/kg Cadmium Chloride (CdCl 2) intragastrically for 4 and 8 weeks, and the Cd-mediated thyrotoxicity was evaluated by determining alterations in thyroid structure and endocrine function, and alterations of oxidant stress, apoptosis, and pyroptosis. Our data showed that Cd exposure could reduce body weight and induce thyrotoxicity by impairing thyroid follicular morphology and endocrine function, accompanied by elevated oxidative stress and apoptosis, macrophage infiltration, and inflammatory cytokine secretion. Importantly, Cd significantly promoted thyroid follicular cell pyroptosis by increasing Nlrp3, Asc, Caspase-1, Gsdmd, IL-1β, and IL-18 expression. Mechanistical analysis suggested that Cd treatment could inhibit antioxidant pathway by downregulating antioxidant response protein, Nrf2, and upregulating its negative feedback regulator, Keap1. Collectively, our in vivo findings suggest that Cd exposure could facilitate thyroid follicular cell pyroptosis by inhibiting Nrf2/Keap1 signaling, thereby disrupting thyroid tissue structure and endocrine function, which offers novel insights into the Cd-mediated detrimental consequences on thyroid homeostasis. • Cd exposure reduces body weight, disrupts thyroid structure and hormone homeostasis. • Cd exposure facilitates apoptosis of thyroid and inflammatory response in thyroid. • Cd augments pyroptosis of thyroid follicular cell by suppressing Nrf2/Keap1 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochar, a cost-effective amendment, has been reported to play pivotal roles in improving soil fertility and immobilizing soil pollutants due to its well-developed porous structure and tunable functionality. However, the properties of biochar and soils can vary inconsistently after field application. This may affect the remediation of biochar on heavy metal (HM)-contaminated soil being altered. Therefore, we selected lettuce as a model crop to determine the effects of short-term, long-term, and reapplication of biochar on soil physicochemical properties, microbial community, HM bioavailability, and plant toxicity. Our investigation revealed that the long-term application of biochar remarkably improved soil fertility, increased the relative abundance of the phylum Proteobacteria which was highly resistant to HMs, and reduced the abundance of phylum Acidobacteria. These changes in soil properties decreased the accumulation of Cd and Pb in lettuce tissues. The short- and long-term applications of biochar had no substantial effects on biomass, quality, and photosynthesis of lettuce. Moreover, the short-term and reapplication of biochar had no significant effects on soil bacterial communities but decreased the accumulation of Cd and Pb in lettuce tissues. It showed that the changes in the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil after long-term application of biochar promoted the remediation of HM-contaminated soil. Furthermore, microbial community compositions varied with metal stress and biochar application, while the relative abundance of the phylum Actinobacteria in HM-contaminated soil with long-term biochar application was markedly higher than in HM-contaminated soil without biochar application. • Different biochar application had different remediation effects on the soil. • Long-term application of biochar can change the microbial community composition of the soil. • Long-term and reapplication of biochar can effectively decrease the bioaccumulation of HMs in soil. • Long-term and reapplication of biochar decrease the accumulation of HMs in lettuce. • Biochar application had no effects on photosynthesis and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of lettuce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate whether vector representations encoding latent topic proportions that capture similarities to MeSH terms can improve performance on biomedical document retrieval and classification tasks, compared to using MeSH terms.Materials and Methods: We developed the TopicalMeSH representation, which exploits the 'correspondence' between topics generated using latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) and MeSH terms to create new document representations that combine MeSH terms and latent topic vectors. We used 15 systematic drug review corpora to evaluate performance on information retrieval and classification tasks using this TopicalMeSH representation, compared to using standard encodings that rely on either (1) the original MeSH terms, (2) the text, or (3) their combination. For the document retrieval task, we compared the precision and recall achieved by ranking citations using MeSH and TopicalMeSH representations, respectively. For the classification task, we considered three supervised machine learning approaches, Support Vector Machines (SVMs), logistic regression, and decision trees. We used these to classify documents as relevant or irrelevant using (independently) MeSH, TopicalMeSH, Words (i.e., n-grams extracted from citation titles and abstracts, encoded via bag-of-words representation), a combination of MeSH and Words, and a combination of TopicalMeSH and Words. We also used SVM to compare the classification performance of tf-idf weighted MeSH terms, LDA Topics, a combination of Topics and MeSH, and TopicalMeSH to supervised LDA's classification performance.Results: For the document retrieval task, using the TopicalMeSH representation resulted in higher precision than MeSH in 11 of 15 corpora while achieving the same recall. For the classification task, use of TopicalMeSH features realized a higher F1 score in 14 of 15 corpora when used by SVMs, 12 of 15 corpora using logistic regression, and 12 of 15 corpora using decision trees. TopicalMeSH also had better document classification performance on 12 of 15 corpora when compared to Topics, tf-idf weighted MeSH terms, and a combination of Topics and MeSH using SVMs. Supervised LDA achieved the worst performance in most of the corpora.Conclusion: The proposed TopicalMeSH representation (which combines MeSH terms with latent topics) consistently improved performance on document retrieval and classification tasks, compared to using alternative standard representations using MeSH terms alone, as well as, several standard alternative approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to large variations in shape, appearance, and viewing conditions, object recognition is a key precursory challenge in the fields of object manipulation and robotic/AI visual reasoning in general. Recognizing object categories, particular instances of objects and viewpoints/poses of objects are three critical subproblems robots must solve in order to accurately grasp/manipulate objects and reason about their environments. Multi-view images of the same object lie on intrinsic low-dimensional manifolds in descriptor spaces (e.g. visual/depth descriptor spaces). These object manifolds share the same topology despite being geometrically different. Each object manifold can be represented as a deformed version of a unified manifold. The object manifolds can thus be parameterized by its homeomorphic mapping/reconstruction from the unified manifold. In this work, we develop a novel framework to jointly solve the three challenging recognition sub-problems, by explicitly modeling the deformations of object manifolds and factorizing it in a view-invariant space for recognition. We perform extensive experiments on several challenging datasets and achieve state-of-the-art results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Holographic algorithms with matchgates are a novel approach to design polynomial time computation. They use Kasteleyn's algorithm for perfect matchings, and more importantly a holographic reduction. The two fundamental parameters of a holographic reduction are the domain size k of the underlying problem and the basis size ℓ . A holographic reduction transforms the computation to matchgates by a linear transformation that maps to (a tensor product space of) a linear space of dimension 2 ℓ . We prove a sharp basis collapse theorem, which shows that for domain size 3 and 4, all non-trivial holographic reductions can be expressed with a basis of size 1 or 2, respectively. The main proof techniques are Matchgate Identities and a Group Property of matchgate signatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxygen injection is a commonly used mitigation strategy for sulfide control in sewers. Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is also produced in sewers. Oxygen injection may reduce methane generation/emission, but could potentially lead to N2O production due to the development of a nitrifying microbial community. The impact of oxygen dosing for sulfide control in sewers on CH4 and N2O production was assessed in this study in laboratory sewer reactors. Results showed that oxygen injection is able to reduce CH4 formation in sewers, although full control of CH4 was not achieved, likely due to partial oxygen penetration into sewer biofilm. The experimental results also revealed a nitrogen loss of around 5 mN/L. However, no significant N2O accumulation was detected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dominant approach in investigating the individual reliability for event-related potentials (ERPs) is to extract peak-related features at electrodes showing the strongest group effects. Such a peak-based approach implicitly assumes ERP components showing a stronger group effect are also more reliable, but this assumption has not been substantially validated and few studies have investigated the reliability of ERPs beyond peaks. In this study, we performed a rigorous evaluation of the test-retest reliability of ERPs collected in a multisensory and cognitive experiment from 82 healthy adolescents, each having two sessions. By comparing group effects and individual reliability, we found that a stronger group-level response in ERPs did not guarantee higher reliability. A perspective of neural oscillation should be adopted for the analysis of reliability. Further, by simulating ERPs with an oscillation-based computational model, we found that the consistency between group-level ERP responses and individual reliability was modulated by inter-subject latency jitter and inter-trial variability. The current findings suggest that the conventional peak-based approach may underestimate the individual reliability in ERPs and a neural oscillation perspective on ERP reliability should be considered. Hence, a comprehensive evaluation of the reliability of ERP measurements should be considered in individual-level neurophysiological trait evaluation and psychiatric disorder diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Model selection (lag order selection and coefficient matrices substructures determination) is an integral part of statistical analysis of vector autoregression (VAR) models. This paper proposes a two-step shrinkage method for VAR model selection. The proposed method can be implemented through a simple algorithm. The resulting estimator is unbiased and subset-selection consistent, and the estimator of the nonzero components of the true parameter vector has asymptotically normal distribution. Limited finite sample Monte Carlo studies suggest that the proposed method outperforms existing alternatives in terms of accuracy in lag order estimation, forecasting and impulse response analysis. We also apply the proposed method to a multivariate macroeconomic time series for illustration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Two Gemini surfactants with very similar structure but different spacer rigidity, namely 1-dodecanaminium,N,N′-[[(2E)-1,4-dioxo-2-butene-1,4-diyl]bis(oxy-2,1-ethanediyl)]bis[N,N-dimethyl-,bromide] (12-fo-12) and 1-dodecanaminium, N,N′-[(1,4-dioxo-1,4-butanediyl)bis(oxy-2,1-ethanediyl)] bis[N,N-dimethyl-, bromide] (12-su-12), and their monomeric counterpart 1-dodecanaminium, N-[2-(acetyloxy)ethyl]-N,N-dimethyl-, bromide (DTAAB) were synthesized and their aggregation behavior in aqueous solutions was studied by measurements of surface tension, conductivity, isothermal titration calorimetry, dynamic light scattering, and transmission electron microscopy. It was found that the Krafft point of 12-fo-12 was 18.6°C, significantly higher than that of 12-su-12 (7.6°C) and DTAAB (<0°C). The minimum surface areas per surfactant A min at the water–air interface of DTAAB, 12-su-12, and 12-fo-12 were determined. It was found that the value of A min of DTAAB was larger than half that of 12-su-12 but smaller than half that of 12-fo-12. The values of the degree of association β of the three surfactants were found to be in a sequence of DTAAB>12-su-12>12-fo-12, which was in accord with the sequence of the entropy of micellization. The enthalpies of micellization of the two Gemini surfactants were found to be more negative than double that of DTAAB, and 12-fo-12 had the most negative standard enthalpy of micellization. It was also found that 12-su-12 and DTAAB formed micelles in aqueous solutions, while 12-fo-12 could form micelles and vesicles dependent on the concentration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Novel organic nanoparticles self-assembled from the hexa[p-(carbonyl glycin methyl ester) phenoxy] cyclotriphosphazene (HGPCP) were prepared by a simple solution method. The as-prepared nanoparticles were extensively characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, TGA, and fluorescence spectrum. The size of nanoparticles was increased with increasing the HGPCP concentration in solution. The effect of reaction conditions on the particle size and stability was further investigated. Based upon the experimental results, a growth mechanism was proposed for the formation of the nanoparticles. The obtained nanoparticles were highly thermal stable and exhibited strong fluorescent emission, which could be potential candidates for drug-loading carriers and tracer drug delivery. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The coexistence of quasi-periodic solutions and blow-up phenomena in a class of higher dimensional Duffing-type equations is proved in this paper. Moreover, we show that the initial point sets for both kinds of solutions are of infinite Lebesgue measure in the phase space. For the part of quasi-periodic solutions, the tool we used is the small twist theorem for higher dimensional cases. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Niemann–Pick C (NPC) disease is a lethal neurodegenerative disorder affecting cellular sterol trafficking. Besides neurodegeneration, NPC patients also exhibit other pleiotropic conditions, indicating that NPC protein is required for other physiological processes. Previous studies indicated that a sterol shortage that in turn leads to a shortage of steroid hormones (for example, ecdysone in Drosophila) is likely to be the cause of NPC disease pathology. We have shown that mutations in Drosophila npc1, one of the two NPC disease-related genes, leads to larval lethal and male infertility. Here, we reported that npc1 mutants are defective in spermatogenesis and in particular in the membrane-remodeling individualization process. Interestingly, we found that ecdysone, the steroid hormone responsible for the larval lethal phenotype in npc1 mutants, is not required for individualization. However, supplying 7-dehydrocholesterol can partially rescue the male infertility of npc1 mutants, suggesting that a sterol shortage is responsible for the spermatogenesis defects. In addition, the individualization defects of npc1 mutants were enhanced at high temperature, suggesting that the sterol shortage may lead to temperature-sensitive defects in the membrane-remodeling process. Together, our study reveals a sterol-dependent, ecdysone-independent mechanism of NPC1 function in Drosophila spermatogenesis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We study various spaces of module maps on the dual of a Banach algebra A, and relate them to topological centres. We introduce an auxiliary topological centre for the left quotient Banach algebra of . Our results indicate that is indispensable for investigating properties of module maps over and for understanding some asymmetry phenomena in topological centre problems as well as the interrelationships between different Arens irregularity properties. For the class of Banach algebras of type (M) introduced recently by the authors, we show that strong Arens irregularity can be expressed both in terms of automatic normality of -module maps on and through certain commutation relations. This in particular generalizes the earlier work on group algebras by Ghahramani and McClure (1992) and by Ghahramani and Lau (1997) . We link a module map property over to the space of weakly almost periodic functionals on A, generalizing a result by Lau and Ülger (1996) for Banach algebras with a bounded approximate identity. We also show that for a locally compact quantum group , the quotient strong Arens irregularity of can be obtained from that of and can be characterized via the canonical -module structure on . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, we study the existence of harmonic and subharmonic solutions of a class of non-smooth Hamiltonian systems, then apply its results to the vibration problems Infinitely many harmonic and subharmonic bouncing solutions are always obtained if satisfies some coercive conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Let A be a Banach algebra with a faithful multiplication and be the quotient Banach algebra of with the left Arens product. We introduce a natural Banach algebra, which is a closed subspace of but equipped with a distinct multiplication. With the help of this Banach algebra, new characterizations of the topological centre of are obtained, and a characterization of by Lau and Ülger for A having a bounded approximate identity is extended to all Banach algebras. The study of this Banach algebra motivates us to introduce the notion of SIN locally compact quantum groups and the concept of quotient strong Arens irregularity. We give characterizations of co-amenable SIN quantum groups, which are even new for locally compact groups. Our study shows that the SIN property is intrinsically related to topological centre problems. We also give characterizations of quotient strong Arens irregularity for all quantum group algebras. Within the class of Banach algebras introduced recently by the authors, we characterize the unital ones, generalizing the corresponding result of Lau and Ülger. We study the interrelationships between strong Arens irregularity and quotient strong Arens irregularity, revealing the complex nature of topological centre problems. Some open questions by Lau and Ülger on are also answered. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents the results of an optimization study on the toxicity of 91 aliphatic and aromatic compounds as well as a small subset of pesticides to algae Chlorella vulgaris, which was accomplished by using quantitative structure–activity relationships (QSAR). The linear (HM) and the nonlinear method radial basis function neural networks (RBFNN) were used to develop the QSAR models and both of them can give satisfactory prediction results. At the same time, by interpreting the descriptors, we can get some insight into structural features (molecular surface area, electrostatic repulsion, and hydrogen bonds) related to the toxic action. Finally, a detailed analysis on the model application domain defined the compounds, whose estimation can be accepted with confidence. The results of this study suggest that the proposed approaches could be successfully used as a general tool for the estimate of novel toxic compounds. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Oxyfluorfen (OXY) is widely used in agriculture as a herbicide, resulting in its continuous accumulation in the environment. The presence of OXY can be detected in soil and rivers. However, until now, the potential toxicity of OXY to aquatic organisms has not been evaluated. In this study, zebrafish was used as a model animal to evaluate OXY-induced liver toxicity. The study found that 0.25, 0.5, and 1 mg/L of OXY affected the early development of zebrafish and severely damaged the lipid and sugar metabolism in the liver of zebrafish larvae. Furthermore, a metabolic function disorder caused liver damage. OXY also caused inflammation by upregulating the inflammatory factors IL-6 , IL-8 , and TNF-α , and activated the apoptotic pathway to inhibit hepatocyte proliferation, resulting in zebrafish liver toxicity. Our research showed that OXY had certain toxic effects on zebrafish development and liver and could cause potential harm to other aquatic organisms and humans. • OXY can cause liver toxicity in zebrafish. • OXY causes hepatotoxicity by inhibiting hepatocyte proliferation and inflammation. • Liver damage caused by OXY is related to the lipid metabolism and glycolytic ability of the liver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The main aim of this paper is to develop some basic theories of stochastic functional differential equations (SFDEs). Firstly, we establish stochastic versions of the well-known Picard local existence–uniqueness theorem given by Driver and continuation theorems given by Hale and Driver for functional differential equations (FDEs). Then, we extend the global existence–uniqueness theorems of Wintner for ordinary differential equations (ODEs), Driver for FDEs and Taniguchi for stochastic ordinary differential equations (SODEs) to SFDEs. These show clearly the power of our new results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, we investigate the existence of solutions of impulsive delay differential equation New global existence theorems are established without assuming the global existence of solutions of the corresponding continuous equation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper we estimate the dilatation function of the Beurling–Ahlfors extension in the most general case. By introducing -function, we obtain an inequality which is sharp up to a constant. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]