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Electroplating enhances the mechanical, thermal, and tribological properties of components in industries like aerospace, computing, pharmaceuticals, and telecommunications. To achieve high-quality electroplated coatings, control of process parameters is essential. This study focuses on the challenges associated with the black nickel electroplating process, particularly its nonlinearity which makes traditional linear methods inadequate. We employed machine learning techniques to develop models capable of predicting defects, coating colour, and coating mass specifically for black nickel electroplating process adhering to the MIL-P-18317 specification, a boric acid-free method that is more environmentally friendly but more sensitive to bath conditions, hence making process optimization more challenging. Our research addresses significant gaps in the literature, focusing on boric acid-free black nickel plating, which requires unique modelling approaches different from other electroplating processes. Unlike previous studies that mainly focused on predicting coating mass, our models also predict defects and colour, ensuring comprehensive quality control. The best-performing models achieved an F1 score of 0.9875 for defect prediction, an F1 score of 0.95 for colour prediction, and R 2 = 0.9561, MAE = 0.0039, and MSE = 0.00001 for mass prediction. Additionally, we developed a novel optimization algorithm based on these models to fine-tune process parameters, ensuring that the resulting coatings meet strict standards for quality, appearance, and productivity. The validity of our approach was confirmed through experimental results. This research demonstrates how machine learning can help surface finishers, by providing effective strategies for optimizing processes in nonlinear scenarios, thereby improving product quality and productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two dimensional (2D) crystals have attracted strong interest as a new class of proton-conducting materials that can block atoms, molecules and ions while allowing proton transport through the atomically thin basal planes. Although 2D materials exhibit this perfect selectivity, the reported proton conductivities have been relatively low. Here we show that vacancy-rich titania monolayers are highly permeable to protons while remaining impermeable to helium with proton conductivity exceeding 100 S cm−2 at 200 °C and surpassing targets set by industry roadmaps. The fast and selective proton transport is attributed to an extremely high density of titanium-atom vacancies (one per square nm), which effectively turns titania monolayers into angstrom-scale sieves. Our findings highlight the potential of 2D oxides as membrane materials for hydrogen-based technologies. This study shows that vacancy-rich titania monolayers are highly permeable to protons while remaining impermeable to helium with proton conductivity exceeding 100 S cm−2 at 200 °C and surpassing targets set by industry roadmaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distribution of brain metastases (BMs) in patients with lung cancer may be associated with the primary tumor-related factors and cerebral small vascular diseases (CSVDs). The aim of this study was to investigate the potential effects of the above factors on the distribution of BMs. A total of 5,788 lesions in 823 patients with BMs from lung cancer were enrolled. The numbers of BMs and CSVDs in 15 brain regions were determined. CSVDs include recent small subcortical infarcts (RSSIs), perivascular spaces, and lacunes of presumed vascular origin (LPVOs). We collected the number of CSVDs, and primary tumor-related factors (including clinical and imaging features) in lung cancer patients with BMs. Univariate and multivariate linear regression were utilized to analyze the potential influence of the above factors on the number of BMs in 15 brain regions. In addition, we performed subgroup analyses of all patients with adenocarcinoma (AD), female patients with AD, male patients with AD, and patients with small cell lung cancer. Univariate linear regression analyses showed that bone metastasis, adrenal metastasis, RSSIs, and LPVOs were associated with the number of BMs in over half of the examined brain regions. Only the independent association of LVPOs persisted in the multivariate linear regression analyses, and similar phenomenon was found in the subgroup analyses. In conclusion, the distribution of BMs in lung cancer patients appears to be associated with the presence of LVPOs, while primary tumor-related factors have less influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The risk factors in banking have been considered an undesirable carryover variable by the literature. Methodologically, we consider the risk factor using loan loss reserves as a desirable carryover input with dynamic characteristics, which provides a new framework in the dynamic network Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) modelling. We substantiate our formulation and results using novel techniques for causal modelling to ensure that our dynamic network model admits a causal interpretation. Finally, we empirically examine the impact of risk from various economic sectors on efficiency. Our results show that the inefficiencies were volatile in Chinese banking over the period 2013–2020, and we further find that the state-owned banks experienced the highest levels of inefficiency and volatility. The findings report that credit risk derived from the agricultural sector and the Water Conservancy, Environment and Public Facilities management sector decreases bank efficiency, while credit risk derived from the wholesale and retail sector improves bank efficiency. The results of our innovative causal modelling show that our pioneering modelling on the role of loan loss reserves is valid. In addition, from an empirical perspective, our second-stage analysis regarding the impact of risk derived from different economic sectors on bank efficiency can be applied to other banking systems worldwide because of our successful validation from causal modelling. Our attempt to incorporate causal inference into DEA can be generalized to future studies of using DEA for performance evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The substitution of microbial fertilizer for chemical fertilizer can not only improve soil fertility but also effectively enhance rice quality. To investigate the effect of different amounts of combined application of chemical fertilizer and microbial fertilizer on the amylose content of rice, this study adopts theoretical calculations to compare the preprocessed Raman spectroscopy information of rice with reduced fertilization and establishes a recognition model for the amylose content of rice, which is used to detect the amylose content in rice. Based on the amylose spectral values measured by Raman spectroscopy and the known starch structure and functional groups, the Raman peaks are mainly distributed in the range of 400 cm− 1 to 1400 cm− 1. The Raman characteristic peaks at 483 cm− 1, 869 cm− 1, 933 cm− 1, 1082 cm− 1, 1126 cm− 1, 1335 cm− 1, 1385 cm− 1, and 1455 cm− 1 exhibit strong vibration modes, which are consistent with its main nutrient component of amylose. By comparing the measured amylose content in the regions treated with microbial fertilizer combined with different amounts of reduced fertilization and the spectral intensity values of amylose measured by Raman spectroscopy, the results show that the treatment of combining conventional amounts of microbial fertilizer with different amounts of reduced chemical fertilizer exhibits a decreasing trend in the amylose content of rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highrise tower atop short columns in Nantong, China was threatened by excavation of a subway station nearby. Although an elaborate protection plan composed of isolation piles, artificial recharge and underpinning was executed throughout the excavations, the tower underwent unacceptable settlements and notable inclinations. In combination of field measurements and numerical simulations, this paper investigates the tower's responses to the adjacent excavations, examines the effects of adopted protection plans and explores potential effective protection plans. First, the responses of the tower and the effectiveness of the three implemented measures were examined, and the contributory factors triggering intolerable tower deformations were identified; then, the effects of primary protection parameters were quantified, including the length, stiffness and layout of isolation piles, the water level surrounding recharge wells after recharging and the depth and location of wells, and the length of underpinning piles. It reveals that the underpinning plan had the best protection effect, followed by isolation piles and recharging wells. Construction timing of protection measures and termination manners of recharging are two critical factors in restraining tower deformations. Moreover, underpinning the tower with 36-m long steel pipe piles solely before implementation of adjacent excavations could be another optimal protection scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past century, there have been great achievements in identifying resistance (R) genes and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) as well as revealing the corresponding molecular mechanisms for resistance in rice to major diseases and insect pests. The introgression of R genes to develop resistant rice cultivars has become the most effective and eco-friendly method to control pathogens/insects at present. However, little attention has been paid to durable and broad-spectrum resistance, which determines the real applicability of R genes. Here, we summarize all the R genes and QTLs conferring durable and broad-spectrum resistance in rice to fungal blast, bacterial leaf blight (BLB), and the brown planthopper (BPH) in molecular breeding. We discuss the molecular mechanisms and feasible methods of improving durable and broad-spectrum resistance to blast, BLB, and BPH. We will particularly focus on pyramiding multiple R genes or QTLs as the most useful method to improve durability and broaden the disease/insect spectrum in practical breeding regardless of its uncertainty. We believe that this review provides useful information for scientists and breeders in rice breeding for multiple stress resistance in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study contributes to the literature by addressing the relevance of low-carbon finance efficiency and making significant contributions. We employ a simple weighted linear programming (LP) approach to estimate efficiency and compute entity scores with minimal optimization background, enhancing accessibility. Our study investigates interrelationships among the factors of production and outputs in estimating the efficiency of low-carbon finance, including financial index (renewable energy investment), renewable electricity output, renewable production, financial risk index, GDP, and research and development expenses, using the stochastic structural relationship programming (SSRP) model. Analyzing China, India, Brazil, and the USA, our findings show that China and the USA outperform other countries in low-carbon finance efficiency. This sheds light on comparative performance and variations across different contexts. A minimal initial overall renewable production plays an important role for the countries with lower financial indices to improve, while those with high indices should increase their focus on the energy sector. We identify a spillover effect of renewable production on financial index and financial risk index, emphasizing the positive relationship between renewable energy investments and overall financial outcomes. Integrating renewable energy initiatives into financial strategies brings potential benefits. This study significantly contributes to the literature on low-carbon finance efficiency, offering vital policy implications for sustainable finance and renewable energy sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synchronous research and analysis of total and active soil microbial communities can provide insight into how these communities are impacted by continuous cropping years and pathogen infection. The diversity of total and active bacteria in rhizospheric soil of 2-year-old and 3-year-old healthy and diseased Panax notoginseng can comprehensively reveal the bacterial response characteristics in continuous cropping practice. The results showed that 4916 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were found in the rhizospheric soil bacterial community of P. notoginseng at the DNA level, but only 2773 OTUs were found at the RNA level. The rhizospheric environment had significant effects on the active and bacterial communities, as indicated by the number of OTUs, Shannon, Chao1, Faith's phylogenetic diversity (Faith's PD), and Simpson's diversity indexes. The DNA level can better show the difference in diversity level before and after infection with root rot. The bacterial Chao1 and Faith's PD diversity indexes of 2-year-old root rot-diseased P. notoginseng rhizospheric soil (D2) were higher than that of healthy plants, while the bacterial Shannon diversity index of 3-year-old root rot-diseased P. notoginseng rhizospheric soil (D3) was the lowest in the total bacteria. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) illustrated that the total bacterial species composition changed markedly after root rot disease. There were significant differences in the composition of active bacterial species between the 2-year and 3-year rhizospheres. In conclusion, the total and active edaphic rhizospheric bacterial communities could provide important opportunities to understand the responses of bacteria to continuous cropping of P. notoginseng. Differential responses of total and active edaphic rhizosphere bacterial communities to continuous cropping of Panax notoginseng [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Histone lysine crotonylation, an evolutionarily conserved modification differing from acetylation, exerts pivotal control over diverse biological processes. Among these are gene transcriptional regulation, spermatogenesis, and cell cycle processes. However, the dynamic changes and functions of histone crotonylation in preimplantation embryonic development in mammals remain unclear. Here, we show that the transcription coactivator P300 functions as a writer of histone crotonylation during embryonic development. Depletion of P300 results in significant developmental defects and dysregulation of the transcriptome of embryos. Importantly, we demonstrate that P300 catalyzes the crotonylation of histone, directly stimulating transcription and regulating gene expression, thereby ensuring successful progression of embryo development up to the blastocyst stage. Moreover, the modification of histone H3 lysine 18 crotonylation (H3K18cr) is primarily localized to active promoter regions. This modification serves as a distinctive epigenetic indicator of crucial transcriptional regulators, facilitating the activation of gene transcription. Together, our results propose a model wherein P300-mediated histone crotonylation plays a crucial role in regulating the fate of embryonic development. Histone crotonylation has been shown to regulate transcription in multiple settings, but its role during preimplantation development has not been examined. Here they show that P300 regulated crotonylation during embryonic development and that H3K18cr marks active promoters in embryos, crucial for transcriptional activation and embryonic fate determination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review explores the integration of sparse representation and compressed perception in optical image reconstruction. Beginning with an in-depth examination of sparse representation techniques, including dictionary learning and sparse coding, the study introduces a novel paradigm by incorporating compressed perception principles. The methodology aims to optimize efficiency, data storage, and reconstruction quality. The review delves into optimization strategies, adaptive techniques, multi-scale considerations, and real-time implementation, offering a comprehensive analysis of the current landscape. By synthesizing existing knowledge and proposing innovative approaches, this review contributes to advancing optical image reconstruction, promising future breakthroughs at the intersection of sparse representation and compressed perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the effect and mechanism of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) by modulating the AMPK-SIRT1 signaling and mitophagy in rats. Three-month-old female Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats were randomized and injected intraperitoneally with sesame oil as the control or deoxyvinylcyclohexene (VCD) to induce DOR. The VCD-injected rats were randomized and injected subcutaneously with vehicle as the model group or with DHEA for 21 days as the DHEA group. After being identified in proestrus, rat blood samples were collected to prepare serum samples, and their ovarian tissues were dissected. Compared with the controls, significantly lower serum estradiol (E2), anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), and inhibin B (IHNB) and higher follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels were detected in the model group (DOR rats). The model group of rats displayed an increase in follicular atresia and a decrease in ovarian volume and the number of growing follicles and corpus luteum, accompanied by increased frequency of oocyte apoptosis and reduced levels of mitochondrial function. Furthermore, significantly higher levels of the AMPK-SIRT1 signaling and mitophagy were observed in the ovaries of rats in the model group. In contrast, treatment with DHEA significantly ameliorated the hormone disorder and morphological changes in the ovaries, reduced the frequency of apoptotic oocytes, and improved mitochondrial function in the ovaries of DOR rats. Mechanistically, DHEA treatment significantly attenuated the AMPK-SIRT1 signaling and mitophagy in the ovaries of DOR rats. DHEA treatment reduced the severity of DOR and enhanced ovarian reserve function by attenuating the AMPK-SIRT1 signaling and mitophagy in the ovaries of rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pain is a pervasive symptom in lung cancer patients during the onset of the disease. This study aims to investigate the connectivity disruption patterns of the whole-brain functional network in lung cancer patients with cancer pain (CP+). We constructed individual whole-brain, region of interest (ROI)-level functional connectivity (FC) networks for 50 CP+ patients, 34 lung cancer patients without pain-related complaints (CP−), and 31 matched healthy controls (HC). Then, a ROI-based FC analysis was used to determine the disruptions of FC among the three groups. The relationships between aberrant FCs and clinical parameters were also characterized. The ROI-based FC analysis demonstrated that hypo-connectivity was present both in CP+ and CP− patients compared to HC, which were particularly clustered in the somatomotor and ventral attention, frontoparietal control, and default mode modules. Notably, compared to CP− patients, CP+ patients had hyper-connectivity in several brain regions mainly distributed in the somatomotor and visual modules, suggesting these abnormal FC patterns may be significant for cancer pain. Moreover, CP+ patients also showed increased intramodular and intermodular connectivity strength of the functional network, which could be replicated in cancer stage IV and lung adenocarcinoma. Finally, abnormal FCs within the prefrontal cortex and somatomotor cortex were positively correlated with pain intensity and pain duration, respectively. These findings suggested that lung cancer patients with cancer pain had disrupted connectivity in the intrinsic brain functional network, which may be the underlying neuroimaging mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead (Pb2+) toxification is a concerning, unaddressed global public health crisis that leads to 1 million deaths annually. Yet, public policies to address this issue have fallen short. This work harnesses the unique abilities of crown ethers, which selectively bind to specific ions. This study demonstrates the synergistic integration of highly-scalable silicon photonics, with crown ether amine conjugation via Fischer esterification in an environmentally-friendly fashion. This realizes an integrated photonic platform that enables the in-operando, highly-selective and quantitative detection of various ions. The development dispels the existing notion that Fischer esterification is restricted to organic compounds, facilitating the subsequent amine conjugation for various crown ethers. The presented platform is specifically engineered for selective Pb2+ detection, demonstrating a large dynamic detection range, and applicability to field samples. The compatibility of this platform with cost-effective manufacturing indicates the potential for pervasive implementation of the integrated photonic sensor technology to safeguard against societal Pb2+ poisoning. Lead toxification in society is a public health crisis. The exposure to lead poisoning gives rise to a multitude of health issues. In this work, a chip-scale photonic platform that enables the highly quantitative detection of lead is demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrochemical behavior of Ni(II) ions at a glassy carbon electrode was studied using choline chloride–ethylene glycol (ChCl-EG) and ethylene glycol (EG) as solvents. The deposition behavior of Ni(II) was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) tests. The results showed that the reduction of Ni(II) in both non-aqueous solvents was an irreversible process controlled by diffusion, and that the cathodic efficiency and the diffusion coefficient of Ni(II) in EG were higher. The nucleation process of Ni was investigated in detail by chronoamperometry (CA) experiments, and the results showed that the reactions of Ni in EG and ChCl-EG conformed to the three-dimensional transient nucleation mechanism and continuous nucleation mechanism. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to study the microscopic morphology and phase composition of the \nickel plating, and it was verified that different species of complex anions [NiCl3(EG)3]− and [NiCl4]2− affected the morphology and density of \nickel metal, and that the nickel plating in EG had small "needle-like" nuclei. The corrosion resistance of the nickel plating was investigated by polarization curves and AC impedance tests, and the results showed that the nickel plating obtained by electrodeposition in EG and EG-NaCl had the best corrosion resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aptamers, as a kind of small-molecule nucleic acid, have attracted much attention since their discovery. Compared with biological reagents such as antibodies, aptamers have the advantages of small molecular weight, low immunogenicity, low cost, and easy modification. At present, aptamers are mainly used in disease biomarker discovery, disease diagnosis, treatment, and targeted drug delivery vectors. In the process of screening and optimizing aptamers, it is found that there are still many problems need to be solved such as the design of the library, optimization of screening conditions, the truncation of screened aptamer, and the stability and toxicity of the aptamer. In recent years, the incidence of liver-related diseases is increasing year by year and the treatment measures are relatively lacking, which has attracted the people's attention in the application of aptamers in liver diseases. This article mainly summarizes the research status of aptamers in disease diagnosis and treatment, especially focusing on the application of aptamers in liver diseases, showing the crucial significance of aptamers in the diagnosis and treatment of liver diseases, and the use of Discovery Studio software to find the binding target and sequence of aptamers, and explore their possible interaction sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil spills are significant environmental events that can harm marine life and human health globally. Booms, skimmers, dispersants and burning have drawbacks such as instability in strong currents and high costs, and can themselves cause environmental damage. Bioremediation using oil-degrading bacteria has been widely used but faces the risk of the bacteria being washed away under strong winds and currents, thus lowering their effectiveness. To enhance oil degradation effectiveness, immobilisation is commonly used to attach bacteria onto carriers which thereby act as a shield for the bacteria under harsh conditions. In this study, kapok fibre was used as an oil sorbent and carrier for bacterial immobilisation of Acinetobacter venetianus RAG-1. Kapok fibres were chosen due to their hollow lumen and waxy layer, which can be altered through acetylation to increase their hydrophobicity for potentially improved oil absorption and bacterial immobilisation. The highest degree of substitution achieved was 2.06 ± 0.05 using acetic anhydride with 0.2% sulphuric acid at 90 °C for an hour. The results showed that acetylated kapok fibres had a lower oil absorption capacity but higher reabsorption ratio than raw kapok fibres, which leads to better reusability. Scanning electron microscopy and viable cell counts showed that the bacteria were successfully immobilised onto kapok fibres. The number of bacteria immobilised showed no significant difference between acetylated and raw kapok fibres despite acetylated fibres having a rougher surface. Bacteria-immobilised acetylated fibres are effective as a reusable oil sorbent for their greater reabsorption ratio and likely to degrade oil simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Decreased ovarian reserve function is mainly characterized by female endocrine disorders and fertility decline. Follicular fluid (FF) exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to regulate the function of granulosa cells (GCs). The present study explored differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) in patients with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR). Methods: FF was collected from 12 DOR patients and 12 healthy controls. DEmiRNAs between the two groups were identified and analyzed using high-throughput sequencing technology and validated by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Results: A total of 592 DEmiRNAs were identified using high-throughput miRNA sequencing, of which 213 were significantly upregulated and 379 were significantly downregulated. The sequencing results were further validated by RT-qPCR. These DEmiRNA target genes were mainly involved in the cancer pathway, phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathway, regulation of actin cytoskeleton signaling pathway, and biological processes related to protein binding, nucleoplasm, cytoplasm, and cell membrane. Conclusion: FF exosomal miRNAs are significantly differentially expressed in DOR patients versus non-DOR patients, underscoring their crucial role in regulating the pathogenesis of DOR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detection of double Joint photographic experts group (JPEG) compression is a major part of image forensics, especially double JPEG compression detection with the same quantization matrix is still a challenging problem. Detection of double JPEG compression for different quantization matrices has achieved good performance so far, and some methods for detecting the same quantization matrix have been proposed. However, most methods designed for grayscale images, where they utilize only truncation and rounding errors, not fully exploiting all the useful information of color JPEG images. In addition, there is no suitable model to analyze the convergence of JPEG images. These results in poor accuracy of the double compression detection for color JPEG images with the same quantization matrix. To solve this problem, we propose an effective method that utilizes third-order polynomial fitting for error convergence curves. Firstly, five successive compressions are used to extract the quantization error, dequantization error, coefficient error, and truncation error in each compression and decompression process. Secondly, based on the convergence characteristics of these four types of error information, a third-order polynomial model and least squares are applied for the fit, and then, the slope of each point of the fitted curve and the difference of the slopes are used as convergence characteristics. Moreover, the fitted curves predict the pre-compression state, which can effectively amplify the gap between single and double compression. Finally, support vector machines (SVM) are used to train and predict the final features. The experiments illustrate that the proposed method enhances accuracy by 2–3% compared to the most recent method and by approximately 15% compared to the earlier method in multiple datasets, including NRCS, MIXDATA, and MIXDATA-I. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Esophagogastric variceal bleeding (EVB) is one of the common digestive system emergencies with poor prognosis and high rate of rebleeding after treatment. To explore the effects of endoscopic therapy and drug therapy on the prognosis and rebleeding of patients with EVB, and then select better treatment methods to effectively improve the prognosis. From January 2013 to December 2022, 965 patients with EVB who were hospitalized in gastroenterology Department of the 940 Hospital of Joint Logistic Support Forces of PLA were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into endoscopic treatment group (ET, n = 586) and drug treatment group (DT, n = 379). Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed in both groups, and the general information, efficacy and length of hospital stay were recorded. The patients were followed up for 3 months after bleeding control to determine whether rebleeding occurred. There were 286 cases in each group after PSM. Compared with DT group, ET had higher treatment success rate (P < 0.001), lower rebleeding rate (P < 0.001), lower mortality rate within 3 months, and no significant difference in total hospital stay (P > 0.05). Compared with drug therapy, endoscopic treatment of EVB has short-term efficacy advantages, and can effectively reduce the incidence of rebleeding and mortality within 3 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the use of loan loss reserves (LLRs) in the banking production process and treats it as one variable with a dual role. We establish a three-stage network Data Envelopment Analysis model to address this issue. Using a sample of 43 Chinese commercial banks over the period 2011–2019, the results show that the banks with the ratio between LLRs and total loans less than 1% have higher level of efficiency compared to the ones holding the ratio greater than 1%. The results show that when excluding LLRs in the production process, the efficiency scores are significantly inflated. We find that small and medium sized banks are more efficient than their big counterparts, however, the results show that big banks hold more than enough amounts of LLRs than the one required by the regulatory authority. When LLRs are excluded from the production process, it shows that big banks perform better than small and medium sized banks. Our findings show that less liquid banks perform better than the ones with higher levels of liquidity no matter in which way LLRs are treated. Finally, we find that lower capitalized banks, compared to the ones with high levels of capitalization, are less efficient. however, it shows that higher capitalized banks consistently keep more than 1% LLRs out of total loans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Halogenation of pyrrole requires strong electrophilic reagents and often leads to undesired polyhalogenated products. Biocatalytic halogenation is a highly attractive approach given its chemoselectivity and benign reaction conditions. While there are several reports of enzymatic phenol and indole halogenation in organic synthesis, corresponding reports on enzymatic pyrrole halogenation have been lacking. Here we describe the in vitro functional and structural characterization of PrnC, a flavin-dependent halogenase that can act on free-standing pyrroles. Computational modeling and site mutagenesis studies identified three key residues in the catalytic pocket. A moderate resolution map using single-particle cryogenic electron microscopy reveals PrnC to be a dimer. This native PrnC can halogenate a library of structurally diverse pyrrolic heterocycles in a site-selective manner and be applied in the chemoenzymatic synthesis of a chlorinated analog of the agrochemical fungicide Fludioxonil. Pyrroles are an important scaffold in medicinal chemistry with various bioactivities; however, the selective chemical halogenation of pyrroles remains challenging. Here, the authors develop an enzymatic site-selective chlorination of pyrrolic heterocycles by a flavin-dependent halogenase PrnC and apply it to the chemoenzymatic synthesis of a chlorinated analogue of the fungicide Fludioxonil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under high ground water levels, thick multi-aquifer sandy strata without acquitards threaten the safe construction of underground structures, which frequently caused severe ground subsidence and damages to adjacent urban environments. Despite this, currently few researches about the hydraulic and ground responses due to pumping in such strata were available in literature. Construction of subways in Nantong, a typical coastal city located at the estuary area of the Yangtze River in China and featuring thick water-rich sandy strata, provided a rare chance for investigation on this topic. Based on comprehensive field pumping tests, both the hydraulic and ground response of the full-profile water-rich sandy strata due to dewatering were explored first. Then, both analytical and numerical methods were adopted for in-depth analyses. The results indicate that due to the absence of acquitards, there existed a strong hydraulic connection between the aquifers. Apart from the hydraulic parameters, the hydraulic recharge between aquifers has impact on the hydraulic performance as well when pumping was carried out at different burial depths. On the basis of considering the hydraulic performance of aquifers and the hydraulic connection between them, the optimal pumping scheme for underground construction or domestic water use was discussed. The findings of this study provide an insight into the distinctive full-profile water-rich sandy strata and can help engineers adopt appropriate measures to deal with pumping works under similar geohydrology conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identification of the risk factors and the high-risk groups which are most vulnerable is critical in COVID-19 disease management at a population level. Evaluating the efficacy of vaccination against infections is necessary to determine booster vaccination strategies for better protection in high-risk groups. In this study, we recruited 158 mRNA-vaccinated individuals during the Delta wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections in Singapore and examined the antibody profiles of infected individuals. We found that, despite high exposure due to communal living conditions in proximity, 4% of individuals (6/158) had PCR-confirmed infections and 96% (152/158) remained uninfected. Time-course analysis of the antibody profile at the start and the end of quarantine period showed Delta-specific boosting of anti-spike antibody response in 57% of the uninfected individuals (86/152). In the remaining 43% of the uninfected individuals (66/152) with no Delta-specific antibody boost, we found a higher Delta-specific antibody response at the start of quarantine period, which correlated with higher Delta pseudovirus neutralizing capacity. Our findings indicate that a higher basal variant-specific antibody response in the mRNA-vaccinated individuals contributes to better protection against infections by the new emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus infection COVID-19 killed millions of people around the world in 2019-2022. Hospitals were in the forefront in the battle against the pandemic. This paper proposes a novel approach to assess the effectiveness of hospitals in saving lives. We empirically estimate the production function of COVID-19 deaths among hospital inpatients, applying Heckman's two-stage approach to correct for the bias caused by a large number of zero-valued observations. We subsequently assess performance of hospitals based on regression residuals, incorporating contextual variables to convex quantile regression. Data of 187 hospitals in England over a 35-week period from April to December 2020 is divided in two sub-periods to compare the structural differences between the first and second waves of the pandemic. The results indicate significant performance improvement during the first wave, however, learning by doing was offset by the new mutated virus straits during the second wave. While the elderly patients were at significantly higher risk during the first wave, their expected mortality rate did not significantly differ from that of the general population during the second wave. Our most important empirical finding concerns large and systematic performance differences between individual hospitals: larger units proved more effective in saving lives, and hospitals in London had a lower mortality rate than the national average. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for animals and humans. Se biofortification and Se functional agriculture are emerging strategies to satisfy the needs of people who are deficient in Se. With 200 km2 of Se-excess area, Enshi is known as the "world capital of Se." Cardamine enshiensis (C. enshiensis) is a Se hyperaccumulation plant discovered in the Se mine drainage area of Enshi. It is edible and has been approved by National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China as a new source of food, and the annual output value of the Se-rich industry in Enshi City exceeds 60 billion RMB. This review will mainly focus on the discovery and mechanism underlying Se tolerance and Se hyperaccumulation in C. enshiensis and highlight its potential utilization in Se biofortification agriculture, graziery, and human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional Lerner index is limited in its capacity to estimate the level of competition in the economic sector from the perspective that it mainly focuses on the overall level of market power for each individual decision-making unit. Recently, Fukuyama and Tan (J Oper Res Soc, 73:445–453, 2022) estimated the Lerner index by applying the nonparametric data envelopment analysis (DEA) to calculate the marginal cost, which is an important component in the estimation of the Lerner index. Our study further extends the study of Fukuyama and Tan (J Oper Res Soc, 73:445–453, 2022) by estimating the marginal cost under the DEA in a multi-product setting. Our proposed methodology benefits from the ability to find positive marginal costs for all the products and specifies all decision-making units are profit maximizers. In order to achieve this, the marginal cost is estimated by referring to the nearest point on the best practice cost-efficient frontier for the profit-maximizing firms. We then apply our innovative method to the Chinese real estate industry. The result shows that the Chinese real estate industry has higher market power in the residential commodity housing market than that in the commodity housing market. This is also the case for different geographical areas in China. Overall, for both of these two different markets, the level of market power experiences a level of volatility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This work integrated field investigation results with laboratory experiments to investigate the interaction of rhizosphere soil microorganisms in the continuous cropping of Panax notoginseng and saponins, providing a scientific foundation for overcoming P. notoginseng continuous cropping obstacles. Methods: The concentrations of saponins were measured using UPLC–MS/MS, and the microbes in the P. notoginseng rhizosphere soil were sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq high-throughput platform. Results: The concentrations of ginsenoside Rd, ginsenoside Rg2, ginsenoside Rg1, ginsenoside Re, ginsenoside Rb1 and notoginsenoside R1 in the rhizospheric soil of infected P. notoginseng increased considerably. The P. notoginseng rhizospheric soil rapidly degraded saponins in the following order: ginsenoside Rd > ginsenoside Rg1 > notoginsenoside R1 > ginsenoside Re > ginsenoside Rg2 > ginsenoside Rb1. Saponins substantially enhanced the fungal Chao1 index, and Rd had the greatest effect. Saponins shifted the microbial community architecture and abundance in the rhizosphere soil. Ginsenoside Re stimulated the growth of Rhodotorula and Alternaria, ginsenoside Rg1 significantly increased the production of Spizellomyces, ginsenoside Rd promoted the proliferation of Aureobasidium, and notoginsenoside R1 fostered the growth of Alternaria. Further investigations showed that increases in Plectosphaerella and Clonostachys were directly and positively related to notoginsenoside R1, ginsenoside Rg1, and ginsenoside Rb1, while an increase in Ilyonectria was strongly and positively related to ginsenoside Rb1 and ginsenoside Rg2. Conclusions: The six saponins have the potential to shape the structure of the microbial community of the P. notoginseng rhizospheric soil, and enrichment in particular saponins lays the foundation for the emergence and proliferation of pathogenic fungi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine the extracellular volume (ECV) fraction derived from equilibrium contrast-enhanced CT for predicting pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Methods: The ECV fraction before NCRT (ECVpre) and/or ECV after NCRT (ECVpost) of rectal tumors was assessed, and ECVΔ was calculated as ECVpost − ECVpre. The histopathologic tumor regression grading (TRG) was assessed. pCR (TRG 0 grade) was defined as the absence of viable tumor cells in the primary tumor and lymph nodes. Demographic and clinicopathological characteristics and ECV fraction were compared between the pCR and non-pCR groups. A mixed model was constructed by logistic regression. The performance for predicting pCR was assessed with the area under the receiver-operator curve (AUC). The AUCs of the different methods were compared by the method proposed by DeLong et al. Results: Seventy-five patients were included; 17 achieved pCR, and 58 achieved non-pCR. The ECVpost (17.05 ± 2.36% vs. 29.94 ± 1.20%; p < 0.001) and ECVΔ (− 17.01 ± 3.01% vs. 0.44 ± 1.45%; p < 0.001) values in the pCR group were significantly lower than those in the non-pCR group. The mixed model that combined ECVpost with ECVΔ achieved an AUC of 0.92 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.81–0.98), which was higher than that of ECVpost (AUC, 0.91 (95% CI = 0.80–0.97); p = 0.60) or ECVΔ (AUC, 0.90 (95% CI = 0.79–0.97); p = 0.61). Conclusions: ECVpost and ECVΔ determined by using equilibrium contrast-enhanced CT were useful in distinguishing between pCR and non-pCR patients with LARC who received NCRT. Key Points: • ECVpostand ECVΔ(ECVpost− ECVpre) differed significantly between the non-pCR and pCR groups. • ECVprecannot be used to predict the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. • ECVpostcombined with ECVΔhad the best performance with an AUC of 0.92 for predicting pCR after NCRT in LARC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern SAT solvers can emit independently-checkable proof certificates to validate their results. The state-of-the-art proof system that allows for compact proof certificates is propagation redundancy (PR ). However, the only existing method to validate proofs in this system with a formally verified tool requires a transformation to a weaker proof system, which can result in a significant blowup in the size of the proof and increased proof validation time. This article describes the first approach to formally verify PR proofs on a succinct representation. We present (i) a new Linear PR (LPR) proof format, (ii) an extension of the DPR-trim tool to efficiently convert PR proofs into LPR format, and (iii) cake_lpr, a verified LPR proof checker developed in CakeML. We also enhance these tools with (iv) a new compositional proof format designed to enable separate (parallel) proof checking. The LPR format is backwards compatible with the existing LRAT format, but extends LRAT with support for the addition of PR clauses. Moreover, cake_lpr is verified using CakeML 's binary code extraction toolchain, which yields correctness guarantees for its machine code (binary) implementation. This further distinguishes our clausal proof checker from existing checkers because unverified extraction and compilation tools are removed from its trusted computing base. We experimentally show that: LPR provides efficiency gains over existing proof formats; cake_lpr 's strong correctness guarantees are obtained without significant sacrifice in its performance; and the compositional proof format enables scalable parallel proof checking for large proofs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E26 transformation specific or E twenty-six (ETS) protein family consists of 28 transcription factors, five of which, named ETS1/2, PU.1, ERG and EHF, are known to involve in the development of liver fibrosis, and are expected to become diagnostic markers or therapeutic targets of liver fibrosis. In recent years, some small molecule inhibitors of ETS protein family have been discovered, which might open up a new path for the liver fibrosis therapy targeting ETS. This article reviews the research progress of ETS family members in the development liver fibrosis as well as their prospect of clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The irreversible loss of cardiomyocytes in the adult heart following cardiac injury leads to adverse cardiac remodeling and ventricular dysfunction. However, the role of B cells in cardiomyocyte proliferation and heart regeneration has not been clarified. Here, we found that the neonatal mice with B cell depletion showed markedly reduced cardiomyocyte proliferation, leading to cardiac dysfunction, fibrosis scar formation, and the complete failure of heart regeneration after apical resection. B cell depletion also significantly impaired heart regeneration and cardiac function in neonatal mice following myocardial infarction (MI). However, B cell depletion in adult mice suppressed tissue inflammation, inhibited myocardial fibrosis, and improved cardiac function after MI. Interestingly, B cell depletion partially restricted cardiomyocyte proliferation in adult mice post-MI. Single-cell RNA sequencing showed that cardiac B cells possessed a more powerful ability to inhibit inflammatory responses and enhance angiogenesis in the postnatal day 1 (P1) mice compared with P7 and adult mice. Besides, the proportion of cardioprotective B cell clusters with high expression levels of S100a6 (S100 calcium-binding protein A6) and S100a4 (S100 calcium-binding protein A4) was greatly decreased in adult heart tissues compared with neonatal mice after cardiac damage. Thus, our study discovers that cardiac B cells in neonatal mice are required for cardiomyocyte proliferation and heart regeneration, while adult B cells promote inflammation and impair cardiac function after myocardial injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pipe-roof Pre-construction Method (PPM) is a pre-reinforcement method widely adopted in shallow large section tunnelling in the urban area. As one of the key indexes needed to be controlled, ground surface settlement and axis deviations induced by pipe-roof tunnelling attract increasing attention, but the interaction between socketed pipes (ISP), including shielding and constraint effects, has been lack of consideration in practice. By incorporating deformation coefficient and deviation coefficients, this paper proposed a new analytical method to account for the effect of ISP on the ground movement. Then, a numerical model to consider ISP and sequential jacking process was established and a series of simulations were carried out for a large pipe-roof tunnelling project. By comparing with the analytical results, the deviation coefficients were determined for the proposed model and the effect of ISP on the surface settlement was further revealed. Finally, the rationality and effectiveness of the proposed method were confirmed by contrasts with traditional methods and numerical calculations. The results show that an approximately 37% error rate could be reduced by the new method. This research is helpful for a better understanding of the effect of ISP, and therefore benefits the effective prediction and control of the surface settlement induced by pipe-roof tunnelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "Green revolution" gene sd1 has been used widely in the breeding of modern rice varieties for over half a century. The application of this gene has increased rice yields and thereby supported a significant proportion of the global population. The use of a single gene, however, has raised concerns in the scientific community regarding its durability, especially given the bottleneck in genetic background and the need for large input of fertilizer. New dwarfing or semi-dwarfing genes are needed to alleviate our dependence on the sole "Green revolution" gene. In the past few years, several new dwarfing and semi-dwarfing genes as well as their mutants have been reported. Here, we provide an extensive review of the recent discoveries concerning newly identified genes that are potentially useful in rice breeding, including methods employed to create and effectively screen new rice mutants, the phenotypic characteristics of the new dwarfing and semi-dwarfing mutants, potential values of the new dwarfing and semi-dwarfing genes in rice breeding, and potential molecular mechanisms associated with the newly identified genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mutations in Ras family proteins are implicated in 33% of human cancers, but direct pharmacological inhibition of Ras mutants remains challenging. As an alternative to direct inhibition, we screened for sensitivities in Ras-mutant cells and discovered 249C as a Ras-mutant selective cytotoxic agent with nanomolar potency against a spectrum of Ras-mutant cancers. 249C binds to vacuolar (V)-ATPase with nanomolar affinity and inhibits its activity, preventing lysosomal acidification and inhibiting autophagy and macropinocytosis pathways that several Ras-driven cancers rely on for survival. Unexpectedly, potency of 249C varies with the identity of the Ras driver mutation, with the highest potency for KRASG13D and G12V both in vitro and in vivo, highlighting a mutant-specific dependence on macropinocytosis and lysosomal pH. Indeed, 249C potently inhibits tumor growth without adverse side effects in mouse xenografts of KRAS-driven lung and colon cancers. A comparison of isogenic SW48 xenografts with different KRAS mutations confirmed that KRASG13D/+ (followed by G12V/+) mutations are especially sensitive to 249C treatment. These data establish proof-of-concept for targeting V-ATPase in cancers driven by specific KRAS mutations such as KRASG13D and G12V. Cancers with common KRAS mutations can be treated with an inhibitor of lysosomal acidification in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tetraruthenium tetrahydrido carbonyl cluster Ru4(µ-H)4(CO)12 (1) reacts with diphenylvinylphosphine under thermal activation to give the substitution products Ru4(µ-H)4(CO)12−n(κ1-Ph2PCH=CH2)n, (2) (n = 3 (a); 4 (b)). Both 2a and 2b have been completely characterized, including by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Each of the diphenylvinylphosphine ligands in 2a and 2b is terminally bound, via the phosphorus atom, to a different ruthenium metal center, while the hydride positions in the Ru4(µ-H)4 cores retain the D2d symmetry of the parent cluster 1. Clusters 2a and 2b were able to retain their structural integrity at elevated temperatures. Thermolysis of Ru4(μ-H)4(CO)12 (1) in cyclohexane with diphenylvinylphosphine afforded the tri- and tetra-substituted derivatives Ru4(μ-H)4(CO)9(κ1-Ph2PCH=CH2)3 (2a) and Ru4(μ-H)4(CO)8(κ1-Ph2PCH=CH2)4 (2b). For both substituted clusters, the diphenylvinylphosphine ligands are bound terminally to the tetraruthenium core via the phosphorus atoms while the hydride positions retain the D2d symmetry of the parent cluster 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study proposes a new DEA model to evaluate the efficiency of 39 Chinese commercial banks over the period 2010–2018. The paper also, in the second stage, investigates the inter-relationships between efficiency and some bank-specific variables (i.e. bank profitability, bank size, expenses management, traditional business and non-traditional business) under the Robust Endogenous Neural Network Analysis. The findings suggest that the sample of Chinese banks experiences a consistent increase in the level of bank efficiency up to 2015; the efficiency score is 0.915, after which the efficiency level declines and then experiences a slight volatility, while finally ending up with an efficiency score of 0.746 by the end of 2018. We also find that among different bank ownership types, the state-owned banks have the highest efficiency, the rural commercial banks are found to be least efficient and the foreign banks experience the strongest volatility over the examined period. The second-stage analysis shows that bank size exerts a positive influence on the development of non-traditional banking business and a proactive expense management, bank size and non-traditional businesses have a positive impact on efficiency levels, while bank profitability, traditional businesses and expenses management have negative influences on bank efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, radial models of multi-stage fuzzy DEA and DEA-R networks are first proposed based on liquidity ratios with desirable and undesirable outputs for evaluating a set of decision-making units (DMUs). Second, non-radial models are proposed based on the Slacks-Based Measure of Inefficiency (SBMI) and a Directional Non-Radial (DNR) model. On the one hand, the similarity of DEA and DEA-R models, as well as adherence to the axioms in constructing the production possibility set (PPS), has provided the possibility to model the restrictions of the aforementioned models; on the other hand, for efficiency calculation, different objective functions (radial and non-radial) have been used in a multi-stage network structure with fuzzy data. The models proposed for calculating the efficiency of the first, second, and third stages, as well as the overall network, in multi-stage networks therefore take the form of a fuzzy linear programming model that has been converted into linear programming. The advantage to the present article, aside from the linearity of the multi-stage fuzzy network models, is that we can model the corresponding models in DEA and DEA-R-based purely on liquidity ratios with desirable and undesirable outputs. Finally, focusing on a multi-stage network in the Iranian education system while considering fuzzy data, the efficiency and inefficiency of the DMUs are calculated based on liquidity ratios with desirable and undesirable outputs. It can be observed that in the SBMI model, the overall efficiency scores in DEA and DEA-R models are 58% and 45%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of chemotherapy-associated steatohepatitis, quantitate the epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) volume in breast cancer patients, and explore the mediating effect of liver fat content on EAT volume in breast cancer patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Methods: From October 2018 to April 2020, patients were retrospectively reviewed and divided into breast cancer non-NAC and NAC groups. The prevalence of chemotherapy-associated steatohepatitis was evaluated through quantitative MRI mDIXON-Quant examinations by using defined proton density fat fraction cutoffs of liver fat. The EAT volume was quantified on chest CT by semi-automatic volume analysis software. Bootstrap analysis was used in the breast cancer NAC group to test the significance of the mediating effect of liver fat content on EAT volume. Results: A total of 662 breast cancer patients (non-NAC group: 445 patients; NAC group: 217 patients) were included. The prevalence of chemotherapy-associated steatohepatitis in the NAC group was significantly higher than the prevalence of hepatic steatosis in the non-NAC group (42.8% vs. 33.3%, p < 0.001). EAT volume was measured in 561 of 662 breast cancer patients, and was significantly higher in the NAC group than in the non-NAC group (137.26 ± 53.48 mL vs. 125.14 ± 58.77 mL, p = 0.020). In the breast cancer NAC group, the indirect effect of liver fat content on EAT volume was 2.545 (p < 0.001), and the contribution rate to the effect was 69.1%. Conclusions: EAT volume was significantly higher in the BC-NAC group than in the BC-non-NAC group. Key Points: • The prevalence of CASH was as high as 42.8% in BC patients. • NAC significantly increased the EAT volume in BC patients. • The liver fat content caused the change of EAT volume through mediating effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a retraction note for an article titled "Development of a Numerical Model to Calculate Heat Transfer in a Cement-Based Material Incorporated with Expanded Perlite Filled with Aerogel." The article has been retracted by the Editor-in-Chief because it contains material that overlaps with Dr. Liang Wang's PhD thesis without his consent. The authors of the article, Honglin Zhang, Yong Tan, Ge Wang, and Yao Nan, disagree with the retraction. The publisher, Springer Nature, remains neutral in this matter. [Extracted from the article]

In this paper, we analyze the temporal dependence in energy prices and demand using daily data of Portugal and Spain over the period 2007–2017. The methodology used is based on a stochastic Hidden Markov Model and the results indicate first that all significant relationships between energy prices and demands were found to be positive; second, spot prices are only time dependent on future prices and spot energy, while future energy is solely time dependent on spot energy behavior; third, future prices are not only autocorrelated but also time-dependent with spot energy and future energy demands level; and finally, spot energy is autocorrelated and time-dependent with future prices and future energy. Policy implications of the results obtained are presented at the end of the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Criminal investigative work entails a diverse array of tasks and responsibilities, ranging from interviewing suspects and victims to managing the paperwork and necessary follow-ups for each case. The present study sought to evaluate the workload and workload impacts of police investigators in a metropolitan police agency. The NASA-Task Load Index (NASA-TLX), a well-established human factor measure of workload, was administered on 759 investigators as a quantitative measure of workload. Subsequently, 49 investigators participated in focus group discussions to provide deeper insight into their workload experiences. The results indicate that police investigators reported a markedly high level of workload when compared to similar human factor studies in the literature. Findings of the focus group discussions attributed the perceived high workload to various contributors such as operational challenges, dealing with the public and external agencies, as well as organisational challenges. Interventions to manage the heavy workload were discussed. The human factors approach can be a suggested approach to understand the task load of police officers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been limited studies on corrosion behaviour of post-processed electron beam melted (EBM) Ti6Al4V, given that the factors affecting corrosion resistance of AM Ti6Al4V remain unclear. This paper proposes using heat treatment method to improve the pitting corrosion resistance of EBM Ti6Al4V. Different treatment profiles alter the microstructure of EBM Ti6Al4V. A clear trend is observed between microhardness and α lath width. As-printed EBM Ti6Al4V exhibits an inferior pitting potential, while heat treatment provided a significant improvement in the corrosion resistance. This study finds that the β phase fraction is a better indicator than the α lath width for pitting corrosion resistance. Solution air-cooled and ageing heat-treated EBM Ti6Al4V exhibits good mechanical and corrosion properties, and even performs better than commercial cast Ti6Al4V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The induction of hairy root cultures is a useful platform with many merits, making it an attractive system for plant biochemistry and molecular biology. To examine whether methyl jasmonate (MeJA) is related to a signal transduction pathway resulting in the elucidation of rosmarinic acid (RA) synthesis in Prunella vulgaris, we treated the hairy roots with MeJA and determined the accumulation of RA, total phenolics (TP), and total flavonoids (TF). We found that 100 μM MeJA exhibited the optimum induction efficiency. Therefore, the time course characterization of hairy root culture with 100 μM MeJA was performed to evaluate the exposure performance over eight days. During that period, RA was 1.7 times the maximum accumulations 5 days after the addition of MeJA, TP and TF were 2.0 times and 2.4 times higher than that of the untreated hairy roots, respectively. We checked the expression levels of genes transcripts associated with RA synthetic pathway as well. Correlation analysis showed that RA accumulation is significantly correlated with the transcripts expression of PvHPPR, PvPAL, PvC4H, Pv4CL1, Pv4CL2, and PvCYP98A101, while it did not reach a prominent relationship with transcripts of PvTAT and PvRAS. Taken together, the results of our study suggest that MeJA can be used as an efficient elucidation for the future scale-up of hairy root cultures of P. vulgaris for the yield of RA in a bioreactor system. Key message: Methyl jasmonate with 100 μM presented the optimum induction efficiency in the production of rosmarinic acid, total flavonoids, and total phenolics in hairy roots of Prunella vulgaris. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The empirical conclusions regarding the influence of innovation on green total factor productivity (GTFP) are relatively mixed. Based on China's provincial panel data from 1999 to 2015, this paper uses the number of patent applications to measure regional innovation capacity, and comprehensively examines the linear and nonlinear effects of innovation on GTFP. Our results show that innovation plays a leading role in promoting GTFP growth in China in general. However, two different types of patents, invention patents, and non-invention patents have heterogeneous impacts on China's green growth under the difference of innovation level. Additionally, the relationship between innovation and China's GTFP also differs significantly before and after 2009. A further nonlinear effect analysis based on a panel threshold model reveals that the impact of innovation on GTFP is higher with the rise of human capital, knowledge stock, and financial development. However, only the appropriate environmental regulation stringency is conducive to promoting the influence of innovation on China's green growth. Overall, our findings contribute to a better understanding regarding the impact of innovation on GTFP in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]