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On a narrow warship platform, the coordinated use of shipborne weapon systems may cause firepower conflicts, which seriously endangers the ship safety. Meanwhile, with directed-energy weapons mounted on ships, firepower conflicts between weapons become a “high probability event”. Aiming at the problem of firepower safety control, based on the research about the collision probability model of air crafts and space targets and according to the cone of fire model of conventional weapons and directed-energy weapons, this paper solved the firepower conflict probabilities between conventional weapons as well as between conventional weapons and directed-energy weapons respectively using the methods of probability theory, and established the firepower safety control model. Then the calculation of firepower conflict probability was carried out using the dimensionality reduction method based on the equivalent conversion of polar coordinates and the power series method based on Laplace transform. The simulation results revealed that the proposed model and calculation methods are effective and reliable, which can provide theoretical basis and technical support for resolution of firepower conflicts between weapons.

The unique role of the spatial distribution of crystallizable emulsifiers in regulating the structure and properties of double emulsions has been gradually recognized. Herein, we utilized crystallizable monoglycerides of different carbon chain length (GMS/GMP/GML) to "structuring" the intermediate oil phase of double emulsions during a two-stage emulsification process followed by a cooling treatment. A ternary eigenvector (I, M, E) based on the numerical processing of polarization images was invented to quantitatively characterize the distribution pattern of monoglycerides. Crystallization kinetics analysis and dissipative particle dynamic simulation were then employed to reveal the regulatory mechanism for the site-specific interface distribution behavior. Results suggested that the distribution pattern of monoglycerides could be pricesly tuned as the internal interface-, external interface- or oil-phase dominated one in double emulsions. The surface activity as well as crystallization rates of monoglycerides dominated the interfacial distribution kinetics, and the cooling gradient along the interface region further regulated their interfacial distribution potential. Specificly, shorter crystallization time (t

Refractory or recurrent immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) patients suffer from the dual threat of high mortality and drug toxicity in addition to a very poor quality of life. Previous studies have shown that high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) can promote the development of rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and other autoimmune diseases. However, there is still a lack of research on the role of HMGB1 in the pathogenesis of ITP and whether it can be used as a predictor of efficacy and prognosis.20 patients of adult ITP with splenectomy were chosen as the experimental group, while 19 adults underwent splenectomy for traumatic splenic rupture without other diseases as the control group. We measured the expression of HMGB1, RORγt and Foxp3 in spleen tissues by immunohistochemistry. Another 50 patients, of which 20 were newly diagnosed without treatment and 30 were refractory ITP, and 25 healthy controls were enrolled to analyse the expression levels and mRNA levels of HMGB1, RORγt and Foxp3 in peripheral blood by Western blot and RT-qPCR. The expression of HMGB1, IL-17 and IL-10 in serum was assayed by ELISA. PBMCs from newly diagnosed ITP patients were cultured in vitro which stimulated with recombinant humanHMGB1 (rHMGB1) and its inhibitors, in which the expressions of RORγt and Foxp3 were measured.The expression of HMGB1 in the spleen with refractory ITP was significantly higher, while Foxp3 was decreased. A significant negative correlation was found between HMGB1 and Foxp3, and the overexpression of HMGB1 was significantly correlated with poor efficacy after splenectomy. The expression of HMGB1 and IL-17 increased and showed a positive correlation in serum, while IL-10 decreased and was negatively correlated with HMGB1. In PBMCs, the expression of HMGB1 and RORγt increased, while Foxp3 decreased, and the differences were more obvious in the refractory chronic ITP group. In a coculture system with PBMCs of untreated ITP patients, rHMGB1 increased RORγt expression and decreased Foxp3 expression, while an antiHMGB1 antibody partially corrected the above changes.Our results suggest that HMGB1 is associated with the imbalance of Treg/Th17 cells and is involved in the pathogenesis of ITP.

To understand the current status of germplasm resources of Penaeus japonicus, in this study, genetic diversity was analyzed based on morphometric analysis and fluorescent microsatellite markers. For morphometric analysis, the cumulative ratios of the PC1 and PC2 (85.90%) were greater than 75%, which can explain the morphological variation among populations. For microsatellite analysis, the allele number in 10 microsatellite loci ranged from 27 to 53, and the effective allele number ranged from 21 to 42. The observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.463 to 0.983, whereas expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.932 to 0.966, and the average polymorphism information content was 0.947, which indicated a high level of genetic diversity. The unbiased genetic distance among populations ranged from 0.230 to 0.431, and the genetic similarity coefficient ranged from 0.654 to 0.782. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that the genetic variation within individuals was the main source of variation, accounting for 88.55%, and only 1.49% of the genetic variation came from among populations.

LncRNAs and miRNAs are correlated with the pathogenesis of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI). Whether lncRNA ROR or miR-185-5p plays a crucial role in MIRI is still unclear. In in-vitro, human cardiac myocytes (HCMs) were treated with hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R). Wistar rats were used to set up an in-vitro I/R model by means of recanalization after ligation. Evaluation of the myocardial injury marker lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in HCMs cells was performed. The expression of miR-185-5p and ROR, IL-1β, and IL-18 were detected by qRT-PCR. ELISA was also performed to evaluate the secretion of IL-1β and IL-18. Western blotting was carried out to determine CDK6, NLRP3, GSDMD-N, ASC, and cleaved-caspase1 protein expression. The relationship between miR-185-5p and CDK6 or ROR was confirmed by a dual-luciferase reporter assay. Our findings revealed that H/R treated HCMs showed a significantly decreased miR-185-5p expression and increased expression of CDK6 and ROR. ROR knockdown reduced H/R induced pyroptosis and inflammation, while knockdown of miR-185-5p accelerated the effect. Furthermore, miR-185-5p was negatively regulated and absorbed by ROR in HCMs. Overexpression of miR-185-5p reversed the H/R-induced cell pyroptosis and upregulation of LDH, IL-1β, and IL-18. In HCMs, miR-185-5p was also negatively regulated and related to CDK6 expression. Moreover, overexpression of CDK6 significantly inhibited the effects of miR-185-5p mimics on the inflammatory response and pyroptosis of HCMs. Knockdown of ROR alleviated H/R-induced myocardial injury by elevating miR-185-5p and inhibiting CDK6 expression. Taken together, our results show that the ROR/miR-185-5p/CDK6 axis modulates cell pyroptosis induced by H/R and the inflammatory response of HCMs.

Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) infections present great challenges in clinical practices with high mortality. The aim of this study is to identify the impact of CRAB infections on acute pancreatitis (AP).A case-control study was performed via collecting data from March 1st, 2016 to August 1st, 2020 in two comprehensive teaching hospital. Clinical data of the CRAB-positive AP patients were analyzed and compared to a matched control group (case-control ratio of 1:1). Comparisons were preformed between with/without CRAB infections and multiple organ failure (MOF), respectively. Independent risk factors of overall mortality were determined via univariate and multivariate analyses.CRAB infections were associated with higher mortality (49.2% vs. 23.0%, P 0.01). CRAB combined with MOF increased a mortality up to 90% (P 0.01). MOF (Odds ratio (OR) = 21.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 5.26-87.80, P 0.01), CRAB infections (OR = 3.58, 95%CI = 1.24-10.37, P = 0.02) and hemorrhage (OR = 3.70, 95%CI = 1.21-11.28, P = 0.02) were independent risk factors of overall mortality. Lung was the most common site of strains (37 of 82). CRAB strains were highly resistant (60%) to ten of eleven common antibiotics, except for tigecycline (28%).High mortality rate in AP patients was associated with CRAB infections and further increased when CRAB infections combined with MOF.

To accelerate the practical application of Li–O2 batteries. A catalyst with outstanding oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction catalytic activity is required. Here, in-situ growth ZIF-67 within three-dimensional nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (3D-N/rGO) layers was used to investigate a bifunctional catalyst. The inner space is supported by ZIF-67 particles, while 3D-N/rGO extends a suitable three-phase reaction interface and enhances O2 adsorbability. When assembled battery with normal electrolyte, it delivered a high specific capacity of 12028 mAh g−1, and stabilised for 203 cycles at 200 mA g−1 with a limited capacity of 500 mAh g−1. When LiBr-gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) was used instead of electrolyte the lithium metal anode, the polarisation value of LiBr-GPE in Li/Li batteries was only about 0.0384 V after continuous working for 1600 h. When used as a cathode catalyst in Li–O2 batteries, the electrode performance was doubled compared with using the normal electrolyte. These findings pave the way for developing of all-encompassing battery materials with high capacity and long cycle life.

A direct carbon solid oxide fuel cell is a new technology for clean and efficient utilization of carbon resources to generate electricity, with the advantages of high power generation efficiency and wide available fuel flexibility. Biomass, in virtue of large specific surface area, numerous oxygen-containing functional groups which can promote the electrooxidation of carbon, and low ash content which can increase the cell stability, reveals promising feasibility as a fuel for direct carbon fuel cells. Here we report a high-performance direct carbon fuel cell utilizing Chinese parasol leaf biochar as fuel, among which Ag–Gd0.1Ce0.9O2-δ and Al2O3 doped yttria-stabilized zirconia are employed as symmetrical electrodes and electrolyte materials, respectively. The cell with pure leaf biochar fuel gives a maximum power density of 249 mW cm−2 and an open circuit voltage (OCV) of 1.008 V at 850 °C while an improved performance of 272 mW cm−2 and OCV of 1.01 V are achieved for the cell fuelled by Fe catalyst-loaded leaf biochar. The above results demonstrate that Chinese parasol leaf biochar can be applied as a potential fuel for high performance direct carbon solid oxide fuel cells.

Owing to their unique abilities to manipulate, label, and image individual molecules in vitro and in cellulo, single-molecule techniques provide previously unattainable access to elementary biological processes. In imaging, single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET) and protein-induced fluorescence enhancement in vitro can report on conformational changes and molecular interactions, single-molecule pull-down (SiMPull) can capture and analyze the composition and function of native protein complexes, and single-molecule tracking (SMT) in live cells reveals cellular structures and dynamics. In labeling, the abilities to specifically label genomic loci, mRNA, and nascent polypeptides in cells have uncovered chromosome organization and dynamics, transcription and translation dynamics, and gene expression regulation. In manipulation, optical tweezers, integration of single-molecule fluorescence with force measurements, and single-molecule force probes in live cells have transformed our mechanistic understanding of diverse biological processes, ranging from protein folding, nucleic acids-protein interactions to cell surface receptor function.

The mental rotation task is a particular spatial skill that helps people process visual information and is associated with intelligence and academic performance. Previous studies have found consistent sex difference in mental rotation. However, the neural mechanism of the sex-related difference in mental rotation remains unclear. This study investigates the association between sex, mental rotation and the functional connectivity (FC) of resting-state networks (RSNs) to explore neural correlates of different mental rotation abilities between males and females. Compared with females, males performed better on the mental rotation test. The mental rotation scores were significantly correlated with the special FC between the default mode network (DMN) and salience network (SN). The results of the mediation analysis revealed that the special FC between the DMN and SN mediated the association between sex and mental rotation. Based on these findings, males had higher FC between the DMN and SN, which subsequently promoted their mental rotation performance. These results emphasized the importance of sex in spatial cognition studies of both healthy people and individuals with neuropsychiatric disorders and deepened our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying sex difference in mental rotation.

Direct carbon solid oxide fuel cells (DC-SOFCs) are recognized as an efficient energy conversion device. With regard to their operation mechanism, the reverse Boudouard reaction rate is the crucial factor influencing cell performance. In this work, a new-type catalyst derived from industrial barium slag (BS) was first developed to enhance the reverse Boudouard reaction and DC-SOFC performance. The chemical composition and micro-morphologies of BS and barium slag-derived catalyst (BSC) were characterized in detail. The superiorities of BS and BSC were reflected in the enhanced DC-SOFC performance and high fuel utilization. The single cell fueled by BSC-loaded carbon yielded the best output of 249 mW cm−2 at 850 °C. This result was comparable to the 266 mW cm−2 output of a hydrogen-fueled SOFC due to the superior catalytic activity of metallic catalysts toward carbon gasification. The advantage of the BSC was also observed in the durable operation of the corresponding DC-SOFCs, which lasted for 36.2 h at 50 mA with the fuel utilization of 29.0%. This work provides a new channel for green and efficient utilization of BS and other industrial residues, and a novel option to the development of energy conversion technology.

Receptor activator of NF-κB (RANK) expression is increased in podocytes of patients with diabetic nephropathy. However, the relevance of RANK to diabetic nephropathy pathobiology remains unclear. Here, to evaluate the role of podocyte RANK in the development of diabetic nephropathy, we generated a mouse model of podocyte-specific RANK depletion (RANK-/-Cre T), and a model of podocyte-specific RANK overexpression (RANK TG), and induced diabetes in these mice with streptozotocin. We found that podocyte RANK depletion alleviated albuminuria, mesangial matrix expansion, and basement membrane thickening, while RANK overexpression aggravated these indices in streptozotocin-treated mice. Moreover, streptozotocin-triggered oxidative stress was increased in RANK overexpression but decreased in the RANK depleted mice. Particularly, the expression of NADPH oxidase 4, and its obligate partner, P22phox, were enhanced in RANK overexpression, but reduced in RANK depleted mice. In parallel, the transcription factor p65 was increased in the podocyte nuclei of RANK overexpressing mice but decreased in the RANK depleted mice. The relevant findings were largely replicated with high glucose-treated podocytes in vitro. Mechanistically, p65 could bind to the promoter regions of NADPH oxidase 4 and P22phox, and increased their respective gene promoter activity in podocytes, dependent on the levels of RANK. Taken together, these findings suggested that high glucose induced RANK in podocytes and caused the increase of NADPH oxidase 4 and P22phox via p65, possibly together with the cytokines TNF- α, MAC-2 and IL-1 β, resulting in podocyte injury. Thus, we found that podocyte RANK was induced in the diabetic milieu and RANK mediated the development of diabetic nephropathy, likely by promoting glomerular oxidative stress and proinflammatory cytokine production.

Background Infection with multi-drug–resistant organisms (MDROs) is a life-threatening disease among abdominal solid organ transplantation recipients. Reports of donor-derived (DD) MDRO infections were few, but adverse clinical outcomes were severe, such as death or graft loss. Methods The medical records of 68 donation after citizens’ death donors with MDRO infections and 20 recipients transmitted with infections between October 1, 2015, and September 1, 2020, were reviewed according to the Declaration of Helsinki and the Declaration of Istanbul. There were no grafts from prisoners, and no donors were not coerced or paid. Results Prevalence and mortality of DD-MDRO infection among abdominal solid organ transplantation recipients were 2.3% and 18.1%, respectively. The prevalence rate of DD-MDR gram-negative bacterial infection was higher than that of gram-positive bacterial infection (1.7% vs 0.6%). Negative culture of specimens occurred in 9 of 68 donors. Recipients with DD-MDR gram-negative bacterial infections had a significantly lower survival rate compared with DD-MDR gram-positive bacterial infections (P = .046). Conclusions Donation after citizens’ death donors and recipients had high MDRO infection rates, and gram-negative bacteria were the predominant pathogens. When a possible DD-MDRO infection occurs, there may be adverse outcomes with limited choice of antibiotics. A nationwide surveillance and communication network needs to be established in China.

Jiangtao Hu is currently a postdoctoral research associate at Battery Materials & Systems Group at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). He obtained his PhD degree from Peking University, China in 2018. His research interests mainly lie in fundamental research of structure chemistry, exploring functional materials for energy storage and conversion applications. Bingbin Wu is currently a scientist at Battery Materials & Systems Group at PNNL. He received his PhD in physical chemistry from Wuhan University, China in 2013. Prior to joining PNNL, he was a senior engineer at Amperex Technology Limited where he developed high-energy-density rechargeable Li metal batteries for 3 years. His research interest is to develop high-energy-density and safe lithium batteries for energy storage applications from material and cell design point of view. Sujong Chae is currently an assistant professor at Pukyong National University (PKNU), Republic of Korea. He received his PhD from the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Republic of Korea under the supervision of Professor Jaephil Cho. Then, he carried out his research as a postdoctoral research associate at PNNL. His research interests include the practical development of Si anodes for high-energy lithium-ion batteries. Joshua Lochala is currently a postdoctoral research associate at Battery Materials & Systems Group at PNNL. He received his PhD from the University of Arkansas under the supervision of Dr. Jie Xiao. His research focuses on understanding fundamentals of Li metal protection and its surface properties. He currently works on applying Li metal in high-energy pouch cells at PNNL. Yujing Bi is currently a postdoctorate research associate at Battery Materials & Systems Group at PNNL. He earned his PhD from University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2017 after completing his PhD research in Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology & Engineering and University of Western Ontario. Before joining PNNL, he worked as postdoctoral researcher at Utah State University to develop electrolyte and materials for multivalent ion batteries. His present research is devoted to fundamental study of battery material science and develop the battery material technologies. Jie Xiao is currently a Laboratory Fellow and Technical Group Manager of Battery Materials & System Group at PNNL. Dr. Xiao obtained her PhD in Materials Chemistry from State University of New York, Binghamton. Her research interest spans from materials synthesis, electrochemical kinetics, to battery prototyping and manufacturing for electrochemical energy storage. She has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers, 2 book chapters, and holds 17 US patents in the area of energy storage research area. Dr. Xiao has been named top 1% Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researcher since 2017.

This note shows that if { ν , a } is a pair of positive constants and U = ( U 1 , U 2 , U 3 ) , as a weak solution to the Leray equation − ν Δ U + a U + a ( y ⋅ ∇ ) U + ( U ⋅ ∇ ) U + ∇ P = 0 = div U in R 3 , satisfies { U i U j ∈ div ( L 1 q ∞ , − q γ 3 ( R 3 ) ) 3 for i , j ∈ { 1 , 2 , 3 } ; ( q , γ , U ) ∈ ( 1 , ∞ ) × ( max ⁡ { − q , 3 − 2 q } , 3 ] × ( W 1 , q q − 1 ( R 3 ) ) 3 or ( q , γ ) ∈ [ 2 , ∞ ) × ( 0 , 3 ] , then U vanishes identically.

As a mature technology, electroless Ni–P alloy coating is widely applied in the protection of chemical equipment and pipelines owing to its excellent corrosion resistance, but its application and long-term service evaluation in the field of high-sulfur oil and gas are rare. Therefore, the time-dependent corrosion behavior of Ni–P coating, which was plated on the L360 steel surface, was investigated in a saturated H2S medium by the method of surface analysis. The results indicate that Ni–P coating with a thickness of about 52.6 μm could significantly reduce the corrosion rate compared with uncoated pipeline steel. This is related to the structure of the dense, protective film on the surface. The uncoated pipeline steel suffered local corrosion during the immersion process, and then it developed into uniform corrosion with the formation of a large number of corrosion products. In comparison, Ni–P coatings corroded relatively mildly with only a thin corroded layer. However, during prolonged corrosion testing, the corrosive medium penetrated the coating/substrate interface at inherent defects, leading to severe local corrosion of the substrate.

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) has been widely utilized in civil engineering due to its superior mechanical properties and durability. However, there is limited knowledge on the interface shear behavior in UHPC composite structures. In this study, twelve push-out tests, with testing variables of the types of precast girder, the types of precast slab and the shear reinforcement ratios, were conducted to examine the shear performance of UHPC-filled pocket connection between precast UHPC girders and full-depth precast concrete slabs. Based on the analysis of the experimental results, the reinforcements across the joint could significantly improve both of the interface shear capacity and residual shear resistance. Additionally, both the precast slab types and precast girder slab types have an apparent influence on the interface shear strength. Besides, all the parameters investigated in this study played an essential role in the interface shear slippages at the ultimate stress. Furthermore, the experimental results in this study can rarely be predicted well by typical equations developed in current design codes and previous studies. Therefore, a more accurate equation was developed to predict the interface shear transfer stress between precast UHPC girder and full-depth precast concrete slab with a UHPC-filled pocket connection.

Extra-intestinal manifestations (EIMs) of the eyes are found in IBD patients, but the underlying pathogenesis remains unknown. To investigate the pathogenesis of IBD-associated retinal dysfunction, chronic colitis was induced in mice by oral administration of dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). Electroretinography (ERG) was performed to evaluate retinal function. Retinal neuron degeneration was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Colitic mice displayed aberrant amplitudes of ERG a-, b-wave and oscillatory potentials (OP). Importantly, we observed severe degeneration of bipolar and ganglion cells. In contrast, outer retinal neurons (mainly photoreceptor cells) are mildly affected by colitis. Moreover, retinal inflammatory responses were significantly upregulated during colitis, including microglia activation, lymphocyte infiltration and cytokine/chemokine production. Notably, mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule 1 (MAdCAM-1) was upregulated in retinal microvessels, especially the superficial and deep plexuses, and recruited gut-homing CD4+ T cells to be co-localized with bipolar and ganglion cells during colitis. Expectedly, in vivo depletion of CD4+ T cells or blockade of MAdCAM-1 greatly alleviated colitis-induced retinal inflammatory responses and neuron degeneration. Therefore, our data provide novel insight into the pathogenesis of IBD-associated retinal dysfunction, and targeted immune therapy directly against MAdCAM-1 might provide a novel approach in the management of eye EIM of IBD.