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• Combined with the actual site groundwater characteristics. • Discussed the design of MFCs, including configuration and size, electrode, membranes and separators, contaminants. • Reviewed the progress of research on groundwater removal with MFCs in the last decade. • Considerd the efficiency and practicability of MFCs. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have become more prevalent in groundwater remediation due to their capacity for power generation, removal of pollution, ease of assembly, and low secondary contamination. It is currently being evaluated for practical application in an effort to eliminate groundwater pollution. However, a considerable majority of research was conducted in laboratories. But the operational circumstances including anaerobic characteristics, pH, and temperature vary at different sites. In addition, the complexity of contaminants and the positioning of MFCs significantly affect remediation performance. Taking the aforementioned factors into consideration, this review summarizes a bibliography on the application of MFCs for the remediation of groundwater contamination during the last ten decades and assesses the impact of environmental conditions on the treatment performance. The design of the reactor, including configuration, dimensions, electrodes, membranes, separators, and target contaminants are discussed. This review aims to provide practical guidance for the future application of MFCs in groundwater remediation. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ophiocordyceps sinensis (syn. Cordyceps sinensis) is a valuable medicinal fungus in traditional Chinese medicine, and one or more polysaccharides are the key constituents with important medical effects. Glycogen as a functional polysaccharide is widely identified in eukaryotes including fungi. However, there is no definitive report of glycogen presence in O. sinensis. In this study, we carefully fractionated polysaccharides from cultivated caterpillar fungus O. sinensis , which were then characterized via methods for glycogen analysis. According to the results, 1.03 ± 0.43 % of polysaccharides were quantified via amyloglucosidase digestion in the whole cultivated caterpillar fungus, which had a typical spherical shape under transmission electron microscope with an average peak radius of 37.63 ± 0.57 nm via size exclusion chromatography and an average chain length of 12.47 ± 0.94 degree of polymerization via fluorophore-assisted capillary electrophoresis. Taken together, this study confirmed that the polysaccharides extracted form O. sinensis were mostly glycogen. • Cultivated caterpillar fungus O. sinensis stores 1.03 ± 0.43 % of glycogen. • Spherical glycogen particles were identified with peak radius at 37.63 ± 0.57 nm. • Average chain length of O. sinensis glycogen was 12.47 ± 0.94 DP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the molecular gas properties, especially the dense molecular gas in NGC 1614, using the ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/ submillimeter Array) high resolution archival data of 12 CO(1-0), 13 CO(1-0), 12 CO(3-2), 12 CO(6-5), HCN(3-2), HCO + (3-2), HCN(4-3), and HCO + (4-3). From the high-resolution integrated intensity maps, a ring structure was detected in the central region (< 1 kpc), and the molecular gas mainly distributes in the central region while there is little gas in the nucleus. The 12 CO(1-0) shows an extended structure to the south, north, and southeast, and CO (J ⩾ 3 , J is the quantum number of rotational vibration levels), HCN, and HCO + show that the dense gas mainly concentrated in the central region. Similarly, HCN(4-3)/ 12 CO(1-0) and HCO + (4-3)/ 12 CO(1-0) ratio maps show that the dense molecular gas is mainly concentrated in the ring of the central region. The HCN/HCO + ratios show that the different regions of the starburst ring might have different excitation conditions. The variations of HCN/HCO + values in different region of central region may be due to the gas density and temperature. For HCN/HCO + (4-3) ratio map, the higher intensity values (∼ 0.44 ± 0.04) were obtained in the eastern and western region of the ring, compared to the northern and southern region (∼ 0.35 ± 0.03). For HCN/HCO + (3-2) ratio map, the higher values (∼ 0.38 ± 0.04) are distributed at peak location of HCN(3-2) emission, while the lower values (∼ 0.3 ± 0.03) are distributed at the northwestern and southeastern region of the ring. The mechanism of variations of HCN/HCO + values in the central region of the galaxy has been discussed in the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To make full use of the flexible adjustment capability of DC tie-lines in multiarea AC/DC systems and to coordinate the generation resources and load demand of multiarea AC/DC systems, this paper presents an intraday two-stage hierarchical optimal scheduling model for multiarea AC/DC systems based on analytical target cascading (ATC). To avoid repeated adjustment and overadjustment of DC tie-lines after wind power integration, a two-stage rolling coordinated scheduling model for the area subsystem based on model predictive control (MPC) is proposed. The two-stage rolling coordinated scheduling method takes into consideration the influence of the predicted value in the future finite time domain and the latest measured DC tie-line power on the current scheduling state. Based on the ATC and the area decomposition criterion of the AC/DC grid, an optimal scheduling model for the upper-level system is proposed that takes into consideration the DC tie-line adjustment constraints and the area coupling constraints. The optimal scheduling model for the upper-level system formulates the two-stage DC tie-line plan for the multiarea AC/DC system, and the two-stage rolling coordinated scheduling model of the area subsystem solves the subproblems of the generation plan for each area subsystem in a parallel manner considering the area coupling constraints. The proposed method can achieve intraday two-stage decoupling scheduling of multiarea AC/DC systems and promote the cross-area consumption of large-scale wind power through flexible adjustment of the DC tie line. This approach also reduces the communication burden between the area subsystems and ensures the efficiency of the solution algorithm. • Based on analytical target cascading technology (ATC), we integrate the hierarchical control structure of decomposition-coordination into the model predictive control (MPC) method to achieve decentralized dispatch for multiarea AC/DC systems. • A two-stage rolling coordinated scheduling model for the area subsystem considering the area coupling constraints based on the MPC is proposed. • Based on the ATC and the area decomposition criterion of the AC/DC grid, an optimal scheduling model for the upper-level system is proposed. • Flexible adjustment of the DC tie-line and decoupling scheduling of multiarea AC/DC systems are achieved. • The hierarchical optimal scheduling model reduces the communication burden between the subsystems and ensures the efficiency of the solution algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Convolutional block attention module is included in the proposed model. • The proposed multiple-input end-to-end model can handle CCT and CXR images simultaneously. • Multiple-way data augmentation is employed to overcome overfitting problem. • The proposed model gives more accurate performances than individual modality. • The proposed model offers better performances than state-of-the-art approaches. COVID-19 has caused 3.34m deaths till 13/May/2021. It is now still causing confirmed cases and ongoing deaths every day. This study investigated whether fusing chest CT with chest X-ray can help improve the AI's diagnosis performance. Data harmonization is employed to make a homogeneous dataset. We create an end-to-end multiple-input deep convolutional attention network (MIDCAN) by using the convolutional block attention module (CBAM). One input of our model receives 3D chest CT image, and other input receives 2D X-ray image. Besides, multiple-way data augmentation is used to generate fake data on training set. Grad-CAM is used to give explainable heatmap. The proposed MIDCAN achieves a sensitivity of 98.10±1.88%, a specificity of 97.95±2.26%, and an accuracy of 98.02±1.35%. Our MIDCAN method provides better results than 8 state-of-the-art approaches. We demonstrate the using multiple modalities can achieve better results than individual modality. Also, we demonstrate that CBAM can help improve the diagnosis performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This work proposes a Modified VGG19 deep-learning architecture to diagnose the Chest X-Rays. • This work computes the essential handcrafted features from the Chest X-Rays. • This work introduces an Ensemble of Features Scheme (EFS) by integrating the deep-features and the handcrafted features. • Serial fusion and PCA based selection is implemented in EFS to choose primary feature set. • Experimental results demonstrate superior performance of Modified VGG19 in comparison with AlexNet, VGG16, VGG19 and ResNet50. Pneumonia is one of the major illnesses in children and aged humans due to the Infection in the lungs. Early analysis of pneumonia is necessary to prepare for a possible treatment procedure to regulate and cure the disease. This research aspires to develop a Deep-Learning System (DLS) to diagnose the lung abnormality using chest X-ray (radiograph) images. The proposed work is implemented using; (i) Conventional chest radiographs and (ii) Chest radiograph treated with a threshold filter. The initial experimental evaluation is carried out using the traditional DLS, such as AlexNet, VGG16, VGG19 and ResNet50 with a SoftMax classifier. The results confirmed that, VGG19 provides better classification accuracy (86.97%) compared to other methods. Later, a customized VGG19 network is proposed using the Ensemble Feature Scheme (EFS), which combines the handcrafted features attained with CWT, DWT and GLCM with the Deep-Features (DF) achieved using Transfer-Learning (TL) practice. The performance of customized VGG19 is tested using different classifiers, such as SVM-linear, SVM-RBF, KNN classifier, Random-Forest (RF) and Decision-Tree (DT). The result confirms that VGG19 with RF classifier offers better accuracy (95.70%). When the similar experiment is repeated using threshold filter treated chest radiographs, the VGG19 with RF classifier offered superior classification accuracy (97.94%). This result confirms that, proposed DLS will work well on the benchmark images and in the future, it can be considered to diagnose clinical grade chest radiographs. To create your abstract, type over the instructions in the template box below. Fonts or abstract dimensions should not be changed or altered. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Two-compartment neuron model is used to simulate the real morphology of neurons. • Effects of both neuronal morphology and time delay on inverse stochastic resonance phenomenon are studied. • Neuronal morphology influences number of stable states and inverse stochastic resonance (ISR) phenomenon. • ISR effect occurs within the bistable state region of parameters space. • Multiple ISR phenomenon is induced by time delay. Inverse stochastic resonance (ISR) is a depression phenomenon of firing activity of neuron with respect to noise, and the characteristics of neural systems are determined by neuronal morphology. The effects of neuronal morphology on ISR remain unknown. Here, ISR effect in two-compartment neuron model is investigated. It is found that the neuronal morphology influences the number of stable states of neuronal discharge, thereby governs ISR effect. The ISR effect appears within the parameters region of bistable state, which is consistent with prior experimental and theoretical findings. With the increasing of time delay, average firing rate of neuron exhibits multiple local minima, which is known as multiple ISR. Time delay and coupling strength affect neuronal firing pattern by altering phase of stimulus and strength of autaptic current. These results may provide a novel perspective on ISR effect in nervous system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The impact of precipitation, slope, and swamp wetland ratio on water yield is not affected by spatial scale and watershed. • Identifying key areas for ecosystem services combined with multiple scenarios can help to take ecological restoration. • The water yield in the Baihe basin is more sensitive on climate change, while the water yield in the Heihe basin is more easily affected by land use changes. • The economic development and ecosystem services can both be ensured by wetland ecological restoration. Water supply is one of the core ecosystem services functions for wetland. Due to the important status of Zoige wetland, assessment of water supply in Zoige wetland is significant for ecological security all over the world. In this paper, Heihe and Baihe basins in Zoige wetland were taken as research objects, the water yield module of the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) model was used to spatially quantify water supply, with the aims of revealing the driving mechanism of water supply under different basins and spatial scale. We observed the spatial pattern change of water yield under baseline and eleven future scenarios and used the ANOVA of repeated measures and multiple linear regression model to explore the patterns and driving factors of water supply in Heihe and Baihe rivers basins. The research results were as follow. (1) The precipitation is main factor to improve water yield, but this intensity is different in different basins and spatial scale. Topography, climate, vegetation, and percentage of wetland conditions have important impacts on water yield services. However, the impacts of these conditions on water yield were various significantly across different watersheds and spatial scales (excluding factors such as precipitation, slope, and percentage of swamp wetland). (2) The spatial pattern of water yield main was affected by land use change and the amount of water yield main was affected by future climate change. (3) Water yield in the Baihe basin was more sensitive to climate change, while the Heihe basin is more sensitive to land use changes. Wetland ecological restoration strategies can effectively improve regional water yield, especially in the Heihe basin. (4) In all scenarios, the southeast regions of the study region were both the main hot spots of water yield. Wetland ecological restoration strategies have added hot spots in the north regions of the Baihe river basin, reduced hot spots in the middle-south regions of the Heihe basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional lateral flow immunoassays (LFIA) suffer from insufficient sensitivity, difficulty for quantitation, and susceptibility to complex substrates, limiting their practical application. Herein, we developed a polyethylenimine (PEI)-mediated approach for assembling high-density Au nanoshells onto Fe 3 O 4 nanoclusters (MagAu shell) as LFIA labels for integrated enrichment and photothermal/colorimetric dual-mode detection of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein (N protein). PEI layer served not only as "binders" to Fe 3 O 4 nanoclusters and Au nanoshells, but also "barriers" to ambient environment. Thus, MagAu shell not only combined magnetic and photothermal properties, but also showed good stability. With MagAu shell , N protein was first separated and enriched from complex samples, and then loaded to the strip for detection. By observation of the color stripes, qualitative detection was performed with naked eye, and by measuring the temperature change under laser irradiation, quantification was attained free of sophisticated instruments. The introduction of Fe 3 O 4 nanoclusters facilitated target purification and enrichment before LFIA, which greatly improved the anti-interference ability and increased the detection sensitivity by 2 orders compared with those without enrichment. Moreover, the high loading density of Au nanoshells on one Fe 3 O 4 nanocluster enhanced the photothermal signal of the nanoprobe significantly, which could further increase the detection sensitivity. The photothermal detection limit reached 43.64 pg/mL which was 1000 times lower than colloidal gold strips. Moreover, this method was successfully applied to real samples, showing great application potential in practice. We envision that this LFIA could serve not only for SARS-CoV-2 detection but also as a general test platform for other biotargets in clinical samples. [Display omitted] • High loading density of Au nanoshells on one Fe 3 O 4 nanocluster. • Integration of purification, enrichment and detection. • Ultrasensitive colorimetric/photothermal detection of SARS-CoV-2 N protein. • Accurate detection of real samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hodgkin–Huxley neurons can be used as logic gates to perform reliable logic operations under an optimal noise intensity window. Fluctuations in ion concentrations inside and outside the neuron cell generate time-varying electromagnetic fields regulating neuronal dynamics. In this paper, a modified Hodgkin–Huxley neuron model is used to report the phenomenon of logical stochastic resonance under electromagnetic effects. The results show that electromagnetic induction affects the speed of neuronal response when switching to logic signals. Appropriately reducing the magnitude of the external bias current allows Hodgkin–Huxley neurons to perform reliable logic operations while consuming less energy. However, regulating the signal strength requires a trade-off between the reliability of logic operations and energy consumption. We further extend the logical stochastic resonance effect to neuronal networks. It is found that an appropriate increase in coupling strength has a favorable impact on system logic operations. The dynamical mechanism is explained in terms of bifurcation diagrams and phase space. Finally, we also compare the difference in the reliability of logical operations between small-world and scale-free networks. Small-world networks outperform scale-free networks for logical operations. Our results contribute to the study of neuronal simulation circuits with logic computation functions, and provides important clues for building new neuron-based logic devices with high energy efficiency. • Electromagnetic induction affects the speed of neuronal response when switching logic signals. • Reducing external bias current enables HH neurons for efficient, reliable logic operations with lower energy consumption. • Adjusting the signal strength requires a trade-off between the reliability of the logic operation and the energy consumption. • In neural networks, increasing coupling strength benefits reliable logic operations. • Small-world networks outperform scale-free networks in logical operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Unclonable plasmonic security labels with multiscale random features are designed for high encoding capacity. • A robotic wet-chemical system is invented for mass-produced fabrication. • Plasmonic nanostructures and random features are variously modulated by in situ substrate growth. Plasmonic physical unclonable function (PUF) labels have been proven to be an effective anti-counterfeiting strategy, but their high tunability and multi-encoded capabilities remain to be explored for higher encoding capacity (EC). Herein, the PUF labels with high security level are prepared, which are constructed by the micro-domains of plasmonic nanostructures. The micro-domains are formed by mask-assisted ultraviolet (UV) exposure and 50 nm gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) electrostatic adsorbed on the unexposed area. And a robotic wet-chemical system is invented to modulate the in situ epitaxial growth of Au NPs by programming the growth conditions for human-free preparation and mass production. Three random processes, including mask-assisted UV photochemical reaction, electrostatic self-assembly, and in situ epitaxial growth, make sure multiscale random features. Thus, two-dimensional views with different resolutions can be obtained by three random optical imaging signals-bright field (BF), Raman imaging (RI), and dark field (DF), and the random signals will change with the modulation methods, leading to higher EC. Through analyzing the random features, a robust image authentication system is built, and the EC is calculated as 1.8 × 104966 in a 50 × 50 μm2 domain for each modulation method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A nonlinear device is presented for simultaneous vibration absorption and energy harvesting. This device is composed of a nonlinear energy sink and a piezoelectric energy harvester (NES-EH), and its core component is the simply-supported bi-stable piezoelectric composite laminate (BPCL). Its outstanding advantages are light weight, simple and reliable structure. The theoretical model is developed to model a harmonically excited linear oscillator coupled with NES-EH. The Runge–Kutta method and the harmonic balance method (HBM) are used to solve the theoretical model numerically and analytically. The vibration suppression efficiency is utilized to quantify the vibration absorption performance, while the energy harvesting performance is assessed by bandwidth for energy harvesting and maximum voltage within the bandwidth. The effects of the excitation amplitude, the concentrated mass of NES-EH, the length and width of BPCL, and the load resistance are considered on the performances of NES-EH. The vibration absorption and energy harvesting performances of NES-EH can be improved by adjusting these parameters. In addition, the proposed NES-EH can achieve the goal of higher power density and normalized power density under low-amplitude excitation and simultaneously have a good vibration absorption effect. Finally, approximate analytical solutions are obtained by using HBM to exhibit various bifurcations and singularities. • Simply-supported bi-stable piezoelectric composite is first used to integrate vibration absorption and energy harvesting. • NES-EH has advantages of light weight, simple and reliable structure dueto no high strength frame or external device. • Mathematical modeling is developed to forecast the performances of NES-EH. • The effects of excitation amplitude, concentrated mass of NES-EH, geometries of BPCL, and load resistance are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the major feature of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), desmoplastic stroma poses a significant obstacle for treatment. Recent studies revealed that connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) aggravates the fibrotic environment and drives cancer initiation and progression, thus suggesting CTGF as a novel target for PDAC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We analysed over 450 references from all well-famed databases. • We provided a comprehensive survey on multimodal data fusion in neuroimaging. • This review encompassed current challenges & applications, strengths &limitations. • Fundamental fusion rules, and fusion quality assessment methods were reviewed. • Atlas-based fusion segmentation, quantification, & applications were reviewed. Multimodal fusion in neuroimaging combines data from multiple imaging modalities to overcome the fundamental limitations of individual modalities. Neuroimaging fusion can achieve higher temporal and spatial resolution, enhance contrast, correct imaging distortions, and bridge physiological and cognitive information. In this study, we analyzed over 450 references from PubMed, Google Scholar, IEEE, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and various sources published from 1978 to 2020. We provide a review that encompasses (1) an overview of current challenges in multimodal fusion (2) the current medical applications of fusion for specific neurological diseases, (3) strengths and limitations of available imaging modalities, (4) fundamental fusion rules, (5) fusion quality assessment methods, and (6) the applications of fusion for atlas-based segmentation and quantification. Overall, multimodal fusion shows significant benefits in clinical diagnosis and neuroscience research. Widespread education and further research amongst engineers, researchers and clinicians will benefit the field of multimodal neuroimaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As is reported, the photocatalytic activity will increase significantly when TiO 2 nanoparticles are agglomerated into TiO 2 nanofibers (NFs), but the photocatalytic activity enhancement mechanisms are still not fully understood. As is widely accepted, the optical absorption process plays a key role in photocatalysis, and it can even be said that the optical absorption capability of the photocatalyst directly determines its photocatalytic activity, while the influence of the structure on the optical absorption characteristics of TiO 2 has largely been ignored in the existing explanations. In this paper, optical simulations are introduced into analyzing optical characteristics of TiO 2 Nanofibers with which, the photocatalytic activity enhancement mechanism is further discussed, and a photocatalytic activity enhancement mechanism of TiO 2 Nanofibers is proposed. • Optical absorption characteristics of the TiO 2 NFs are studied. • A photocatalytic activity enhancement mechanism of TiO 2 Nanofibers is proposed. • Optical simulations are introduced into analyzing optical characteristics of TiO 2 Nanofibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intermetallic compound (IMC) produced through an interfacial reaction between Sn-0.7wt.%Cu-0.2wt.%Cr (SC-Cr) solder and a Cu substrate was evaluated at 100 °C, 125 °C, and 150 °C for 1000 h and after ten reflows. The comparable study on the interfacial reaction for Sn-0.7wt.%Cu (SC07) and Sn-3.0wt.%Ag-0.5wt.%Cu (SAC) with a Cu substrate was also conducted. In the SC-Cr/Cu system, the Cr compounds that precipitated near the interface during thermal treatment effectively suppressed the growth of all IMCs including Cu 3 Sn, resulting in a slow production of Kirkendall voids. The shear strength decreased as the thermal aging and number of multiple reflows increased. However, the SC-Cr/Cu system showed a superior bonding strength under high shear rate conditions compared with SAC/Cu and SC/Cu systems. The activation energies were determined to be 73.52 kJ/mol for the SAC305/Cu system, 57.31 kJ/mol for the SC07/Cu system, and 77.96 kJ/mol for the SC-Cr/Cu system. • The addition of Cr in the SnCu/Cu system effectively suppressed the growth of the interfacial IMC during diffusion based on the Cr phase precipitated near the Cu 6 Sn 5 grain. • In the SC-Cr/Cu system, the growth of Cu 3 Sn was suppressed during the thermal treatment, resulting in a slow production of Kirkendall voids. • Ultimately, the results described above suggest that the addition of Cr in the SnCu/Cu system effectively suppresses the IMC growth as well as the formation of Kirkendall voids at the interface, resulting in excellent mechanical strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prepared pristine SnO 2 nanoparticles (NPs) and Au@SnO 2 core-shell (C-S) nanocomposites for xylene gas sensing. A simple chemical synthesis was used to synthesize Au@SnO 2 C-S nanocomposites. Xylene sensing measurements showed that the response of Au@SnO 2 C-S nanocomposites was better than that of pristine SnO 2 nanoparticles (NPs), demonstrating promising effects of Au@SnO 2 C-S structure for xylene sensing. At 350 °C, it disclosed a good response of 27.9 (50 ppm) to xylene, and the best response of SnO 2 to 50 ppm of this gas was 13.04 at 450 °C. Furthermore, Au@SnO 2 C-S nanocomposites showed better selectivity to xylene compared to pristine SnO 2 NPs. The Au catalytic effect and the generation of Au-SnO 2 Schottky barriers and a special structure of Au@SnO 2 C-S nanocomposite with high porosity were accounted for via the high-performance Au@SnO 2 C-S gas sensor. The results achieved here highlight the promising combination of Au and SnO 2 for xylene sensing. • Synthesis of pristine and Au@SnO 2 C-S nanocomposite gas sensors for xylene sensing studies. • Au@SnO 2 C-S nanocomposite gas sensor showed enhanced response to xylene gas. • Au@SnO 2 C-S nanocomposite gas sensor revealed good selectivity, stability and repeatability. • Response in the presence of water vapor also was studied. • Sensing mechanism is described in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an analytical method is proposed for analyzing the dynamic behavior of cross-ply laminated combined conical–cylindrical shells. First, the exact impedance solution for each substructure is derived from the governing equations for laminated thin shells, then the total impedance matrix in the global coordinates of the combined structure with arbitrary boundary conditions is assembled by displacement continuity and force balance at the joined interface. The results for free and forced vibrations are compared and validated against published and finite-element results, and remarkable advantages in computational accuracy and efficiency of this impedance synthesis method are presented through vibration characteristics compared with the finite-element method. Finally, how the boundary conditions, semi-vertex angle, and ply angle affect the natural frequencies and dynamic responses of this joined shell is investigated. • An analytical method is developed for vibration analysis of laminate combined shells. • The present method is an accurate analytic method based on the exact solutions of motion equations. • The present method is of rapid convergence, excellent flexibility, and high efficiency. • Parameters analysis of composite can give suggestions for the application in practical engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In arid ecosystems, foliar water uptake (FWU) plays an important role in improving plant physiological performance. However, the structural and physiological response mechanism of FWU between male and female woody desert plants has not been reported. Using the dioecious desert woody plant Populus euphratica , the current study explored the structural and physiological response mechanism of male and female P. euphratica leaves to water absorption via an FWU capacity experiment based on leaf epidermal cell wall components and cell structure, osmotic adjustment, and oxidative metabolism indicators. The results showed that both male and female P. euphratica plants could absorb water through leaves. The per unit area of leaf water absorption (AFWU) and the leaf absorption speed (k) of female P. euphratica were higher than those of male P. euphratica , and the TFWU was approximately twice that of male P. euphratica. The leaf thickness (LT), palisade tissue thickness (TP) and the contents of cellulose and pectin of female were significantly larger than those of male P. euphratica. The contents of sucrose, glucose, soluble sugar, proline and peroxidase in female leaves were significantly higher than those in male leaves. Multivariate factor analysis showed that the AFWU of the leaves was strongly correlated with glucose, cellulose, TP, and catalase, and the k was strongly correlated with starch, pectin, LT, and malondialdehyde. The FWU capacity of female P. euphratica was stronger than that of male P. euphratica , which was caused by the difference in cell structure and osmotic regulatory substances. These results provide a new perspective for understanding the water utilization mechanism reproduction strategy of dioecious plants. • The foliar water uptake capacity of dioecious plant differs between the sexes. • The foliar water uptake capacity could be affected by cell structure and components of leaves. • The relationship between foliar water uptake capacity and physiological regulation exists in Populus euphratica. • Osmotic regulation and oxidative metabolism affected FWU capacity by influencing cell wall components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the thermal reliabilities of sintered Cu joints were investigated under aging and in thermal shock environments. Sintered Cu joints were maintained for 2000 h and 2000 cycles in high-temperature (200 °C) and thermal shock (from −45 to 175 °C) environments, respectively. Subsequently, the microstructural changes, Cu-oxide formation, and bonding strengths of the joints were evaluated. The initial shear strengths of the chips with bare copper and ENIG surfaces were 40.84 and 36.44 MPa, respectively, and after a 2000-h aging test, the strengths decreased to as 39.84 and 18.58 MPa, respectively. With an increase in the aging time under an aging environment of 200 °C, the internal porosity decreased owing to the formation of Cu 2 O and additional diffusion between the particles. Therefore, the shear strength of the chips with bare copper surfaces was maintained throughout the aging tests, whereas that of the electroless nickel immersion gold chip decreased owing to the formation of Kirkendall voids at the interface, which were attributed to the different diffusion rates of Cu and Au. In addition, Au 3 Cu, AuCu, and AuCu 3 interfacial intermetallic compounds were formed between the Au and Cu layers after the aging test was performed at 200 °C for 2000 h. Copper oxide formed during the thermal shock test caused delamination at the interface because the coefficient of thermal expansion mismatched with that of pure Cu. Understanding this intrinsic Cu oxidation mechanism will widen the prospects for the application of Cu sintering in various devices. • After aging test, the shear strength of the Cu chip was maintained. However, the shear strength of the ENIG chip decreased. • The Cu chip fractured inside the sintered Cu. In contrast, the ENIG chip fractured between Au and the sintered Cu. • After the aging test, the shear strength was decreased due to the fast diffusion rate of Cu to Au. • During thermal shock testing, both Cu and ENIG chips cracked. • This crack was caused by the CTE mismatch of Cu and Cu oxide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Percolation behavior of electrical conduction that is related to the formation of conductive networks has been well demonstrated in conductive polymer composites (CPC). However, the electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding of CPC is normally very low at the percolation threshold due to the different mechanism. Here, we first predicted the percolation behavior of EMI shielding existing in CPC because the EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) was mainly dependent on the conductivity of CPC if assuming the constantly magnetic permeability. In practice, we also found the percolation behavior of EMI shielding in the multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) filled poly(l -lactide) (PLLA) with good dispersion and isotactic polypropylene (iPP) with poor dispersion. Furthermore, the percolation threshold of EMI shielding was higher than the percolation threshold of electrical conduction. The percolation thresholds of EMI shielding and electrical conduction were ∼2.00 and ∼0.40 vol% for PLLA/MWCNT nanocomposites, and ∼5.40 and ∼1.40 vol% for iPP/MWCNT nanocomposites, respectively. The SEM and TEM image shows the sparse and dense MWCNT network near the percolation threshold of electrical conduction and EMI shielding, respectively, indicating that the sparse network of MWCNT can create high electrical conductivity as long as the formation of conductive paths. However, the high performance EMI shielding requires dense network of MWCNT. Graphical abstract Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract The hydroxylation of naphthoquinone derivatives using tetrabutylammonium iodide as a catalyst and tert -butyl hydroperoxide as an oxidant is reported. Based on this new protocol, the synthesis of the drug, parvaquone and lapachol was achieved. Highlights • TBAI-TBHP catalyzed hydroxylation of naphthoquinone derivatives. • This protocol is tolerant of a number of challenging substrates (up to 19 examples). • the synthesis of the drug, parvaquone and lapachol, was achieved by this new protocol. • A plausible mechanism was proposed for the new protocol. Abstract We have developed an effective and environmentally benign procedure for the hydroxylation of naphthoquinone derivatives by using tetrabutylammonium iodide as a catalyst and tert -butyl hydroperoxide as an oxidant. This methodology provides a facile protocol for the synthesis of some new naphthoquinone-based hydroxylates in satisfactory yields and broad substrate scope. Based on this new protocol, the synthesis of the drug, parvaquone and lapachol, was achieved. Furthermore, based on the observations of control experiments and the results previously reported, we proposed a plausible mechanism for the hydroxylation of naphthoquinone derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anisotropic conductive composites with segregated conductive networks were constructed in poly( l- lactide)/poly(ε-caprolactone)/multi-walled carbon nanotubes/nickel (PLLA/PCL/MWCNT/Ni) composites by aligning Ni particles using a low magnetic field. Firstly, MWCNTs were melt-mixed with PLLA to form PLLA/MWCNT composites and then pulverized into microscale PLLA/MWCNT particles 425–850 μm in size. Later, the Ni particles were dispersed in PCL to yield PCL/Ni composites and then mixed with PLLA/MWCNT particles at 100 °C, a temperature lying in between the melting temperatures of PCL and PLLA. The coated PLLA/MWCNT particles were compressed to form PLLA/PCL/MWCNTs/Ni composites with segregated structures. A remarkable conductive anisotropy was observed in the segregated samples after magnetic alignment in a low magnetic field of ∼47.5 mT at 100 °C for 30 min. The electrical conductivity of the segregated samples diametrically increased in the direction parallel to the magnetic field, but decreased in the direction perpendicular to the magnetic field after the magnetic alignment of Ni particles in the PCL phase. Electrical conductivity in the parallel direction was almost eight orders of magnitude higher than that in the perpendicular direction at 3.0 wt% Ni and 0.7 wt% MWCNTs. Conductive anisotropy in the segregated systems could also be easily regulated by controlling the treatment time or changing the direction of the magnetic field. However, electrical conductivity could be maintained in both vertical and parallel directions in conventional composites after magnetic treatment because Ni particles preferably dispersed in the continuous PLLA phase, in which the Ni particles cannot be aligned at 100 °C. In addition, these segregated samples with alignment of Ni particles also exhibited the mechanical enhancement and high-performance electromagnetic interference shielding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TMAB001 is a humanized rabbit monoclonal antibody (mAb) designed to bind and neutralize human vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-165. The purpose of the study was to investigate the pharmacokinetics (PK) and ocular tissue distribution after a single intravitreal (IVT) dose in rabbits and monkeys. Rabbits (2.5 mg/eye; n = 40) and monkeys (2.5 mg/eye; n = 12) received TMAB001 as a bilateral IVT dose. TMAB001 concentrations were measured in ocular tissues in all rabbits and monkeys by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). TMAB001 and VEGF concentrations were measured in serum of monkeys by ELISA. Following a single bilateral IVT injection of TMAB001 2.5 mg/eye, the highest concentration was in vitreous humor, followed by retina and choroid, and the lowest concentration was in lens. In rabbits, TMAB001 was still detectable in ocular tissues at day 21 after single IVT dose, with the highest level in the vitreous humor and then retina, with longest t 1/2 in aqueous humor and shortest t 1/2 in choroid. In monkeys, t max in serum was 43 h and t 1/2 was approximately 5.5 days. C max in serum was much lower than that in vitreous, nearly 1/200. After IVT injection of TMAB001, total VEGF concentrations in serum and ocular tissues increased over time. VEGF concentration in retina and choroid increased over time, up to 336 h after administration. This study demonstrated that TMAB001 could reach the drug target sites–retina and choroid after a single bilateral IVT administration in rabbits and monkeys, with a long t 1/2 in vitreous humor. TMAB001 also showed strong capability to neutralize VEGF. The study further confirmed that full-length antibodies can also efficiently diffuse and distribute in ocular tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing visible security ink with simple preparation, high optical stability and interference-free secret signals are critical to hiding security information. Here, two Prussian blue analogue encapsulated gold nanoparticles (Au@PBA NPs) with different triple-bond Raman emissions were synthesized to prepared novel red inkjet inks for security labels. And the ink formulation was well optimized to obtain suitable surface tension and viscosity. The labels contain public information in red as well as secret information that can only be acquired using Raman spectroscopy. With the visible public information on the labels, the secret information is not easy to be noticed. Also, the secret information written by the triple-bond Raman scattering is readily identifiable without interference. This method improves the security of secret information transmission, providing a new strategy for information hiding technology. [Display omitted] • Two Prussian-blue analogue encapsulated gold nanoparticles (Au@PBA NPs) are used for visible security ink. • Secret information is written by triple-bond Raman scattering. • Patterns with hidden security messages are obtained by inkjet printing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A bi-stable device is presented for simultaneous vibration absorption and energy harvesting by introducing the piezoelectric element into the bi-stable nonlinear energy sink (BNES), which is called the bi-stable piezoelectric absorber (BPZA). BPZA only consists of the cantilever bi-stable piezoelectric composite laminate (BPCL) and tip masses. This BPZA is a lightweight, simple and reliable structure since it does not need any external devices to maintain bistability. A finite element model (FEM) and an equivalent theoretical model are developed to model a harmonically excited linear oscillator coupled with BPZA. The Runge-Kutta method is used to solve the theoretical model numerically. The effects of the excitation amplitude, the tip mass of BPZA and the load resistance are considered on the vibration suppression efficiency and energy harvesting of BPZA. The results show adjusting these parameters can improve the vibration suppression efficiency and energy harvesting of BPZA. In addition, the experimental prototype is prepared and verifies the rightness of the finite element model and theoretical model. The BPZA achieves the goal of higher power density at lower acceleration and simultaneously has a good vibration absorption effect. Maximum power of 15.8mW is generated at an excitation frequency of 22 Hz and acceleration of 0.5 g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

These days, realization of technology for automotive electronics is important for convenience and safety in automobile industries. Although technology development is continuously progressing, various problems associated with the reliability of automotive electronics have arisen. In this study, combined vibration tests were performed to determine the reliability of various solders under harsh environments: Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu (SAC305), Sn0.7Cu and Sn-0.5Cu-0.01Al-0.005Si-0.008Ge (SnCuAl(Si)) solder (in wt%). The Pb-free solder balls were used on electroplating nickel finished Cu pads of a fine ball grid array (FBGA) package. The BGA packages mounted with solder balls were set up on electroless nickel-immersion gold (ENIG) finished Cu pads of a daisy-chained printed circuit board (PCB). The combined random vibration test was performed under 2.5 G rms in the range of 400 to 2000 Hz in the temperature range of −45 to 125 °C and was continued until 500 cycles. The reliability of the solder joint was determined by measuring the electrical resistance using a multi-meter. The resistance gradually increased and finally approached infinity. In addition, the IMC thicknesses increased during the combined random vibration test, which affected the fracture behavior. To determine the reliability of the solders, the number of failures of solders and the crack morphology and propagation in each solder were evaluated. Among the three solders, the SnCuAl(Si) solder demonstrated the best reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a DNA amplification approach characterized by high sensitivity and specificity. In “digital LAMP”, small quantities of both template DNA and reagents are encapsulated within a droplet or microwell, allowing for analysis of precious nucleic acid samples in shorter amounts of time relative to traditional DNA amplification protocols (e.g., PCR) with an improved limit of detection. In this study, an integrated, self-driven microfluidic chip was designed to carry out digital LAMP. The entire quantification process could be automatically performed on this chip via capillary forces enabled through microwells comprised of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surfaces coated with a hydrophilic film; no external pumps were required. Moreover, digitized droplets could be separated from each other by normally-closed microvalves. The contact angle of the hydrophilic film-coated PDMS surface was only 14.3°. This is the first time that a rapid (30 min) and simple method has been used to create hydrophilic PDMS surfaces that allow for digital LAMP to be performed in a self-driven microfluidic device. As a proof of concept, amplification of a gene specific to a vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus strain was performed on the developed microfluidic chip within 30 min, and the limit of detection was only 11 copies with a volume of 30 μL. This device may therefore become a promising tool for clinical diagnosis and point-of-care applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shear strength and interface characteristics of a new Pb-free solder, Sn-0.7Cu-0.2Cr (in wt.%) alloy, were estimated to evaluate its suitability for automobile electronics modules. The mother alloy of this environmentally friendly Sn-0.7Cu-0.2Cr solder, which has a moderate melting temperature of about 231 °C, was fabricated first, and 300 μm-diameter solder balls were made from this mother alloy. Then, prototype modules were fabricated by reflow using the solder balls. A shear test was performed, and the interface microstructures were observed after aging under various conditions. For comparison, the commercial Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu and Sn-0.7Cu solders were also tested. After aging at 125 and 150 °C, the shear strength of the Sn-0.7Cu-0.2Cr solder joint was lower than that of the Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu joint but higher than that of the Sn-0.7Cu joint. An irregular intermetallic compound (IMC) layer also grew, and its average thickness was measured for each aging condition. The thickness of the IMC layer of the Sn-0.7Cu-0.2Cr solder joint was smaller than those of the other two solder joints. From these results, it is expected that the new solder will be more reliable than other commercial solders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reaction of ( μ -SCH 2 CH 2 CH 2 S- μ )Fe 2 (CO) 6 ( 1 ) with 2-(diphenylphosphino)benzaldehyde in the presence of Me 3 NO·2H 2 O yielded monosubstituted complex ( μ -SCH 2 CH 2 CH 2 S- μ )Fe 2 (CO) 5 [Ph 2 P(2-C 6 H 4 CHO)] ( 3 ) and disubstituted complex ( μ -SCH 2 CH 2 CH 2 S- μ )Fe 2 (CO) 4 [Ph 2 P(2-C 6 H 4 CHO)] 2 ( 4 ) in 47% and 23% yields, respectively, whereas reaction of [ μ -SCH 2 CH(CH 3 )S- μ ]Fe 2 (CO) 6 ( 2 ) with 2-(diphenylphosphino)benzaldehyde and Me 3 NO·2H 2 O afforded monosubstituted complex [ μ -SCH 2 CH(CH 3 )S- μ ]Fe 2 (CO) 5 [Ph 2 P(2-C 6 H 4 CHO)] ( 5 ) in 92% yield. In addition, reactions of 1 or 2 with isopropyldiphenylphosphine in the presence of Me 3 NO·2H 2 O gave monosubstituted complexes ( μ -SCH 2 CH 2 CH 2 S- μ )Fe 2 (CO) 5 [Ph 2 PCH(CH 3 ) 2 ] ( 6 ) and [ μ -SCH 2 CH(CH 3 )S- μ ]Fe 2 (CO) 5 [Ph 2 PCH(CH 3 ) 2 ] ( 7 ) in 84% and 75% yields, respectively. The new complexes 3 – 7 were characterized by elemental analysis, spectroscopy as well as X-ray crystallography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neovascular age-related macular degeneration, characterized by abnormal choroidal neovascularization (CNV), is a major cause of blindness worldwide. Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antibodies have demonstrated significant efficacy in improving visual acuity. TMAB001 is a new recombinant humanized rabbit anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody. It presents high activities in vitro studies. In the binding affinity assay, TMAB001 exhibited a high binding capability to VEGF with an affinity constant of 10 − 11 M. In the receptor antagonist activity assay, IC 50 of TMAB001 was 0.15 μg/ml. In a cell-based assay, TMAB001 inhibited VEGF 165 -induced HUVEC cells proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, in the rhesus monkey model of laser-induced CNV, results showed the growth and leakage of experimental CNV were significantly decreased with a single bilateral intravitreal injection of TMAB001, and the grade 4 lesions were complete absence in TMAB001 groups. The efficacy of TMAB001 was maintained for at least 28 days. In a mice model of oxygen-induced retinopathy, the retina fluorescence leakage was reduced and the vascular morphology in retina was normalized by TMAB001 intraperitoneal administration. In conclusion, those results indicate that TMAB001 might be a potential drug candidate for wet AMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted MD simulation to investigate the general electrohydrodynamic behavior of droplets of imidazolium-based ionic liquids composed of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium (EMIM) anion and either bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (NTf2) or ethylsulfate (ES) cation. The cation depletion phenomena observed in the previous work [J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 5 3021 (2014)] is analyzed in detail to clarify its mechanism. Shape deformation due to electric stress and the ion distributions inside the droplet are calculated with 200 ion pairs and the intermolecular interactions between ions are directly analyzed. Together with an analytical interpretation of the conducting droplet in an electric field, we show that the MD simulation successfully explains the mechanism of selective ion depletion of an ionic liquid droplet in an electric field, and the retreating motion of the droplet observed by experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reaction of metallodithiolate ligand Ni(bme-dach ∗ ) [bme-dach ∗ = N , N ′-bis(mercaptoethyl)-1,4-diazacyclohexane] with Pd[P(4-C 6 H 4 CH 3 ) 3 ] 2 Cl 2 in the presence of NH 4 PF 6 yielded a heterobimetallic complex {Ni(bme-dach ∗ )Pd[P(4-C 6 H 4 CH 3 ) 3 ] 2 }[PF 6 ] 2 ( 1 ) in 43% yield. However, reaction of Ni(bme-dach ∗ ) with Pd(dppm)Cl 2 [dppm = 1,1-bis(diphenylphosphino)methane] resulted in the formation of a mononuclear Pd complex [Pd(dppm) 2 ][PF 6 ] 2 ( 2 ) via dissociation between Pd–P bonds. Moreover, reaction of Ni(bme-dach ∗ ) with Pd(dppv)Cl 2 [dppv = cis -1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethylene] in the presence of NH 4 PF 6 afforded an expected product [Ni(bme-dach ∗ )Pd(dppv)][PF 6 ] 2 ( 3 ) in 80% yield as well as an unexpected product {Ni(bme-dach ∗ )[Pd(dppv)Cl] 2 }[PF 6 ] 2 ( 4 ) as a byproduct. The new complexes 1 and 3 were characterized by elemental analysis, 1 H NMR and 31 P{ 1 H} NMR spectroscopy. In addition, the structures of the complexes 1 – 4 were confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melt-blending poly( l -lactide) (PLLA) with elastomers has been well demonstrated to improve toughness of PLLA. Here, we show a poly( d -lactide) (PDLA) grafted thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) (TPU-g-PDLA) toughed PLLA with simultaneous formation of few amount stereocomplex crystallites (SCs) which exhibited higher efficient toughening than that of PLLA with TPU. The TPU-g-PDLA was prepared by the in-situ melt-reaction of TPU and PDLA with 4, 4’-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI). A comparative study on morphology, rheological and crystallization behavior was also carried in PLLA/TPU, PLLA/TPU-g-PDLA and PLLA/TPU/PDLA samples. The PLLA/TPU-g-PDLA samples show the highest crystallization rate, complex viscosity, impact strength and tensile strength among PLLA/TPU, PLLA/TPU-g-PDLA and PLLA/TPU/PDLA samples, indicating that the higher interfacial interaction between TPU-g-PDLA and PLLA. Furthermore, TPU chains in TPU-g-PDLA were thought to break the intermolecular interaction of PLLA and rapid its crystallization and increase crystallinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNase I Hypersensitive sites (DHS) are the regions that are sensitive to cleavage by the DNase I enzyme. Knowledge regarding these sites is helpful for decryption of the functions of non-coding genomic regions. Various biological processes need its intervention. Traditional techniques are laborious and time-consuming to predict DHS sites. Particularly, with the avalanche of DNA sequences generated in the post-genomic era, the development of computational approaches is highly essential to precisely and timely predict DHS sites in DNA sequences. The existing feature encoding schemes such as pseudo dinucleotide composition, pseudo trinucleotide composition etc. cannot effectively express features from DHS sequences. In the current study, we proposed a new computational technique to predict DHS sites which uses Un-biased Pseudo Trinucleotide Composition (Unb-PseTNC) strategy to extract nominal descriptors from the DHS benchmark dataset and avoid biasness among the classes during the classification phase. Several classification algorithm including Support vector machine (SVM), probabilistic neural network and k-nearest neighbor are employed to classify extracted features. It was observed that SVM in conjunction with Unb-PseTNC outperforms other techniques. By comparing with other existing predictors, it was perceived that our proposed method achieved higher prediction rates by applying rigorous jackknife test. This indicates that the proposed model will become a useful tool to predict DHS sites and can also be utilized for in-depth study of DNA and genome analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The boiling heat transfer coefficient (HTC) and critical heat flux (CHF) of a TiO 2 -coated surface (TCS) were investigated in pool boiling with increasing saturated temperature at the pressurized conditions ranged from 1.0 to 4.1 bar. TCS increased HTC in comparison with a reference surface coated with SiO 2 (SCS) under the pressure ranged from 1.0 to 4.1 bars. CHF of TCS was higher than SCS at pressure of 4.1 bar while lower below 4.1 bar. Measurement of the contact angle of a water droplet on the tested surfaces after heat treatment showed a wettability increase of TCS, a contact angle reduction from 83.1° to 32.7° when the heat treatment temperature changed from 100 °C to 200 °C. No such change was observed for SCS. This contact angle change after heating suggests that the wetting transition of TCS is a key factor in the enhancement of both HTC and CHF in boiling. TCS is hydrophobic at a low wall temperature and becomes hydrophilic as the wall temperature increases. Hydrophobicity of TCS at low wall temperatures explains the improved HTC over SCS near the boiling inception point and low heat flux regime, and hydrophilicity at high wall temperatures explains the increase of CHF. The transition in the wettability of TiO 2 appeared to be involved in CHF enhancement. The thermally-induced wetting transition of TiO 2 provides a simple and innovative means for enhancing both HTC and CHF with no additional treatment; as such, we refer to TiO 2 as a ‘smart’ surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphological control has been efficiently used to improve the properties of polymer blends/composites. Here we introduce a non-invasive approach to regulate the morphologies of isotactic polypropylene (iPP)/linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) blends via magnetic self-organization. First, ferric oxide (Fe 3 O 4 ) particles are added into LLDPE melts to form an LLDPE + Fe 3 O 4 master batch. Second, the master batch is melt-mixed with iPP to form the iPP/(LLDPE + Fe 3 O 4 ) composites with a random distribution of LLDPE + Fe 3 O 4 droplets. Finally, the randomly distributed Fe 3 O 4 particles self-organize into particle chains in a magnetic field, which induce LLDPE droplets to coalesce with each other to form a strip morphology. The composites with a parallel strip morphology exhibited mechanical enhancement in comparison to the composites with the droplet morphology. For example, the Young's modulus and storage moduli (at − 30 °C) of the 80/20–10 composites, where the iPP/(LLDPE + Fe 3 O 4 ) ratio is 80/20, and the content of Fe 3 O 4 particles in LLDPE is 10 wt%, with a parallel strip morphology along the tensile direction being 12 and 36% higher than that of the samples with the droplet morphology, respectively. Complex viscosity of the samples with the strip morphology is lower than that of the samples with the droplet morphology because of interfacial slip. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Stroke is a major public health concern with high rates of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Cerebral ischemia and infarction are commonly associated with stroke. Currently used medications, though effective, are also associated with adverse effects. Development of effective neuroprotective agents with fewer side effects would be of clinical value. We evaluated the effects of Withaferin A (WA), a steroidal lactone derived from the plant Withania somnifera , on experimentally induced cerebral infarction. Materials and methods The ability of WA to inhibit neuroapoptosis and modulate vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) migration and PI3K/Akt signaling was assessed. Separate groups of Sprague Dawley rats were subjected to cerebral occlusion and reperfused for 24 h. Results WA treatment (25, 50 or 100 mg/kg bodyweight) significantly reduced the infarct area in a carotid ligation model; WA reduced intimal hyperplasia and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-positive cell counts. Western blotting analysis revealed significantly suppressed PI3K/Akt signaling following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. WA supplementation was found to downregulate apoptotic pathway proteins. WA suppressed PTEN and enhanced p-Akt and GSK-3β levels and elevated mTORc1, cyclinD1 and NF-κB p65 expression, suggesting activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway. In vitro studies with PDGF-stimulated A7r5 cells revealed that WA exposure severely downregulated matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-2 and -9 and inhibited migration of A7r5 cells. Additionally, WA reduced the proliferation of A7r5 cells significantly. Conclusions WA exerted neuroprotective effects by activating the PI3K/Akt pathway, modulating the expression of MMPs, and inhibiting the migration of VSMCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cancer is a disease that involves abnormal cell growth and can invade or metastasize to other tissues. It is known that several factors are related to its initiation, proliferation, and invasiveness. Recently, it has been reported that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can participate in specific functional pathways and further regulate the biological function of cancer cells. Studies on lncRNAs are therefore helpful for uncovering the underlying mechanisms of cancer biological processes.Methods: We investigated cancer-related lncRNAs using gene ontology (GO) terms and KEGG pathway enrichment scores of neighboring genes that are co-expressed with the lncRNAs by extracting important GO terms and KEGG pathways that can help us identify cancer-related lncRNAs. The enrichment theory of GO terms and KEGG pathways was adopted to encode each lncRNA. Then, feature selection methods were employed to analyze these features and obtain the key GO terms and KEGG pathways.Results: The analysis indicated that the extracted GO terms and KEGG pathways are closely related to several cancer associated processes, such as hormone associated pathways, energy associated pathways, and ribosome associated pathways. And they can accurately predict cancer-related lncRNAs.Conclusions: This study provided novel insight of how lncRNAs may affect tumorigenesis and which pathways may play important roles during it. These results could help understanding the biological mechanisms of lncRNAs and treating cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the vibration band gap characteristics of a liquid-filled composite pipeline. The transfer matrix method is used to create a one-dimensional fluid–structure interaction model of the composite pipeline from the constitutive equation, physical equations, and boundary conditions of the anisotropic material. A phononic crystal pipeline is designed with a periodic arrangement on the axial pipe wall. The method used to analyze the fluid–structure interaction of liquid-filled composite and phononic crystal pipelines is verified by comparing responses with finite-element method results. The results' agreement demonstrates the method's and calculation code's correctness. Furthermore, the band gaps for an empty composite phononic crystal pipe, water hammer, and a liquid-filled pipe are calculated by Bloch vector theory, and the effects of fluid–structure interaction and the composite parameters on the three band gap characteristics are analyzed. The numerical results show that Poisson's coupling affects the band gap at some frequency points, while the laying angle and fiber volume fraction in the composite pipe influence the band gap length and amplitude change. The research results of this paper provide a reference for the design and vibration control of liquid-filled composite pipelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE) is a key regulator of blood pressure as its critical role in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone and kallikrein-kinin systems. Although a variety of natural and food peptides have been discovered to possess ACE-inhibitory activity over the past decades, they cannot be directly used as drugs due to their low efficiency and bad bioavailability. In this study, the intermolecular interaction of ACE with a snake venom inhibitor of bradykinin potentiating peptide b (BPPb) was investigated systematically at structural and energetic levels. The C-terminal region of the peptide can tightly pack against the enzyme active site and is primarily responsible for the enzyme inhibition. A tetrapeptide that covers the C-terminal region of BPPb exhibited a satisfactory ACE-inhibitory profile, which was used as start to generate a number of phenylalanine (Phe)-containing antihypertensive peptide inhibitors. The ortho -, meta - and para -positions of peptide Phe−2 phenyl moiety were systematically substituted with halogen atoms. It is revealed that bromine substitution separately at the meta - and para -positions can considerably improve the peptide inhibitory activity by 7.6-fold and 3.7-fold by forming a bifurcated halogen-bonding system with ACE His513 and Val518 residues as well as a binary halogen-bonding system with ACE Glu384 residue, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information transmission delays are inherent in neuronal systems and significantly influence their dynamic properties. Recent studies have shown that delay-induced multiple resonances occur when delays in synaptic transmission are taken into account. We reveal the influence of topology on the delay-induced multiple resonances phenomenon in locally driven systems in this paper. It is expressed as the maximum value of the Fourier coefficient, which occurs at an integer multiple of T / N , where T is the external signal period or the neuronal intrinsic oscillation period, N is determined by the topology of the network. We briefly discuss the obtained results with the underlying reasons in terms of the network's topology. The emergence of delay-induced multiple resonances depends on the interaction of the delay enhancement effect and the delay inhibition effect. In the case of weak coupling, the signal response performance is enhanced over a wider range of delay windows, which is dominated by delay enhancement effects. These results may provide a novel perspective on weak signal response and transmission in delay-coupled neural networks. • The weak signal detection and transmission performance of neuronal systems is enhanced by chaotic activity. • The signal detection performance of the system as a function of delay demonstrated both high and low. • Signal detection performance is enhanced when the N times the delay matches the signal period, with N related to the topology of the system. • Resonance peaks occur when the N times the delay matches the signal period, with N related to the topology of the system. • Appropriate coupling strengths can be selected to broaden the delay range of the resonance enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) contributes to intimal hyperplasia and other vascular diseases. Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) has been recognized as a proliferative inhibitor of VSMCs and is likely to be an important regulator of VSMC migration. The underlying mechanism of pyrogallol on the VSMC migration is not fully understood. This study attempted to dissect the role of Cav-1 and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) in VSMC migration and to investigate the effect of pyrogallol on VSMC mobility during carotid artery ligation mice. The mRNA expression of MMP-3 and MMP-13 was down-regulated in cultured VSMC prepared from Cav-1-deficient (Cav-1 KO) mice whereas MMP-14 expression was up-regulated. Pyrogallol effectively inhibited the migration of Cav-1 KO VSMC by promoting the expression of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-2. Pyrogallol also inhibited the migration of Cav-1 wild type (WT) VSMC, however, by increasing TIMP-1 expression and repressing MMP-2 activity. In a parallel in vivo study, intra-peritoneal (ip) of pyrogallol to carotid artery ligated mice significantly suppressed intima formation in mice carotid artery. Furthermore, the proMMP-9 activity in pyrogallol-treated mice serum significantly increased from Day 0 to Day 2 and decreased from Day 2 to Day 7 in a time-dependent manner. In addition, WT mice treated with pyrogallol had significantly reduced neointima formation, whereas no differences were observed in Cav-1 knock out (KO) mice. These results suggest that pyrogallol not only inhibited VSMC migration but also effectively diminishes the severity of neointima hyperplasia, implying that pyrogallol possesses potential anti-atherogenic effects for the treatment of vascular diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The CO 2 adsorption performance of MgO in the presence of water vapor is of great importance for CO 2 capture and was studied in a fixed bed in this work. With the relative humidity at 50 °C increased from 30% to 70%, the CO 2 adsorption capacity of MgO increased from 0.82 mol/kg to 3.42 mol/kg correspondingly. The CO 2 adsorption capacity could reach as high as 3.54 mol/kg at adsorption temperature of 75 °C and a concentration of water vapor of 8.547% v/v. But the time to equilibrium increased due to the restrained CO 2 diffusion caused by the condensation of water vapor. Results on cycle experiments implied that condensed water would accelerate the aggregation of MgO particles. It was also found that when the temperature was higher than 100 °C, the condensation of water vapor would not happen and the porous structure would keep stable in the cycling adsorption. When the adsorption temperature is between 100 °C and 110 °C, the degradation of porous structure could be eliminated and the increase of CO 2 adsorption capacity could be achieved at the same time. This work indicates that MgO is a promising candidate for CO 2 capture from wet flue gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an analytical impedance synthesis method (ISM) is proposed to analyze the vibration characteristics of a pipe-hull coupled system, in which the hull of a submarine can be simplified to a combined conical-stiffened cylindrical-hemisphere shell. Wave solution and power series solution are used to describe the displacement of cylindrical and conical shell respectively. Rib stiffened and bulkhead are modeled as annular plate and circular plate. Based on exact general solutions, the impedance matrix of each segment is established separately and assembled in the global coordinate by displacement continuity and force balance boundary conditions. Natural frequency and forced responses are compared with open literature and FEM results to verify the correctness of the method. In the numerical examples, the effects of direction of external force and stiffness of support on the forced vibration characteristics are discussed, which can provide some guides for acoustic design of pipe in submarine. • Fluid structure interaction model of three dimensional fluid filled pipe system is established by impedance synthesis method. • Vibration analysis of conical-stiffened cylindrical shells by analytical method. • Three dimensional pipe system is coupled with hull, which is simplified as combined shell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • It is proposed that the effect of synaptic formation in hippocampus on cognitive function after traumatic brain injury. • It is proposed for the first time that resveratrol regulates synaptophysin through SIRT1 / PGC-1 pathway, changes synapses and affects cognitive function. • SIRT1 inhibitor ex-527 and agonist srt1720 were introduced into the study and verified in many aspects. • Resveratrol may improve cognition by protecting synapses. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the most common form of craniocerebral injury. Post-TBI neurological impairment is often accompanied by cognitive dysfunction. The potential molecular mechanisms of post-TBI cognitive impairment are not well characterized. Resveratrol, a natural polyphenolic agent, has been shown to improve cognitive function in neurological disorders and aging models through its anti-inflammatory activity. However, whether it can affect synapses to improve cognitive function and the potential mechanisms are not clear. Synapse plays an important role in cognitive function, and synaptophysin(SYN) is one of the important factors involved in synapse formation. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) has a neuroprotective effect via its effect on various biological processes, such as inflammation, metabolism, apoptosis, and autophagy. The results of this research suggest that resveratrol increases synaptophysin by activating the SIRT1/PGC-1 pathway and improves post-TBI cognitive function. Use of SIRT1 inhibitor (EX-527) and agonist (SRT1720) in the mice experiments verified the effect and mechanism of action of resveratrol in improving cognitive function. Our study identifies potential therapeutic targets for post-TBI cognitive dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We use CWF to decompose the image into base and detail layers, which enables the target edges of the fused image to be more clearly. • We use gamma correction for IR image salient target extraction and propose a method to calculate parameters adaptively according to the image content to make it more suitable for base layer fusion. • We propose an optimization model for synchronous fusion and noise reduction in the detail layer and solve it with the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM). A new saliency-based multi-band image synchronous fusion method is proposed. First, combined window filtering is used to decompose the image into base and detail layers to better protect the edges of the image. Second, gamma correction is used for infrared image salient region extraction. To make it more applicable to the base layer fusion, we propose a method to calculate the parameters adaptively according to the image content. Consequently, the fusion result can better retain the thermal radiation information of the target. We then consider both the image quality and the amount of information contained in the image and construct an optimization model for synchronous fusion and noise reduction of detail layers to reduce the influence of noisy images on the fusion results. Finally, the fused base and detail layers are combined to obtain the final image. Our proposed method is evaluated and compared with representative methods, both qualitatively and quantitatively, applied to the TNO dataset. The results demonstrate that the proposed method aligns with human visual observation in highlighting salient targets and retaining valid detail information. The quality metrics are better than the comparison methods on the whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Specify the significance of multimodality data fusion in neuroimaging. • Summarize the challenges of multimodality data fusion in neuroimaging. • Provide recent research advances in multimodality data fusion in neuroimaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This prospective study aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy of shear wave elastography (SWE) with that of shear wave dispersion (SWD) in evaluation of hepatic fibrosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma before resection.Method: A total of 210 consecutive patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who were scheduled to undergo hepatectomy were prospectively enrolled, pre-operative SWE and SWD examinations were performed. Fibrosis staging and necroinflammatory activity were determined histopathologically according to the Scheuer standard. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with SWE and SWD values. The performance of SWE and SWD were determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.Results: Both SWE and SWD values of liver were highly correlated with liver fibrosis stage and necroinflammatory activity (p < 0.05). Both SWE and SWD values were significantly different among the patients with different stages of liver fibrosis (p < 0.001). ROC analysis revealed that SWE that predicted substantial fibrosis (S ≥ 2), severe fibrosis (S ≥ 3) and cirrhosis (S = 4) were 0.895, 0.877 and 0.854, the SWD that predicted substantial fibrosis (S ≥ 2), severe fibrosis (S ≥ 3) and cirrhosis (S = 4) were 0.857, 0.815 and 0.791. SWE had better diagnostic performance than SWD in predicting severe fibrosis (S ≥ 3) and cirrhosis (S = 4).Conclusions: Both SWE and SWD are useful, accurate and non-invasive methods for evaluating hepatic fibrosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma adapted to hepatectomy, SWE is a more accurate imaging modality than SWD in predicting severe fibrosis (S ≥ 3) and cirrhosis (S = 4). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]