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Immune checkpoint inhibitors provide a definite survival benefit for patients with driver‐negative advanced non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but predictors of efficacy are still lacking. There may be a relationship between immune inflammatory state and tumor immune response. We explored the relationship of serum neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) with infiltrating cells in the tumor tissues of patients with NSCLC as well as their relationship with the therapeutic efficacy of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD‐1) inhibitors. Serum myeloperoxidase (MPO)‐double‐stranded DNA (dsDNA) was detected as a marker of NET serum concentration. T cells were detected by immunohistochemical staining, and neutrophils were counted by MPO immunofluorescence staining. Of the 31 patients with NSCLC, a longer progression‐free survival after PD‐1 inhibitor treatment was associated with higher levels of CD3+ T cells, a lower neutrophil : CD3+‐T‐cell ratio (NEU/CD3+) and lower neutrophil : CD8+‐T‐cell ratio (NEU/CD8+) in tumor tissues. Patients with higher serum NETs were more likely to develop progressive disease after treatment (P = 0.003) and to have immune‐related adverse events (IrAEs) as well as higher NEU/CD3+ and NEU/CD8+. The combined model of serum NETs, CD8+ T cells, and tumor proportion score (TPS) significantly improved the prediction of PD‐1 inhibitor efficacy [P = 0.033; area under the curve (AUC) = 0.881]. Our results indicate that serum NETs are effective predictors of PD‐1 inhibitor response and reflect the tissue neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio and IrAE levels. The combined model of serum NETs, CD8+ T cells, and TPS is a powerful tool for predicting the efficacy of PD‐1 inhibitor treatment in patients with NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fatty acyl‐CoA reductase (FAR) is one of the key enzymes, which catalyses the conversion of fatty acyl‐CoA to the corresponding alcohols. Among the FAR family members in the brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens), NlFAR7 plays a pivotal role in both the synthesis of cuticular hydrocarbons and the waterproofing of the cuticle. However, the precise mechanism by which NlFAR7 influences the formation of the cuticle structure in N. lugens remains unclear. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the impact of NlFAR7 through RNA interference, transmission electron microscope, focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB‐SEM) and lipidomics analysis. FIB‐SEM is employed to reconstruct the three‐dimensional (3D) architecture of the pore canals and related cuticle structures in N. lugens subjected to dsNlFAR7 and dsGFP treatments, enabling a comprehensive assessment of changes in the cuticle structures. The results reveal a reduction in the thickness of the cuticle and disruptions in the spiral structure of pore canals, accompanied by widened base and middle diameters. Furthermore, the lipidomics comparison analysis between dsNlFAR7‐ and dsGFP‐treated N. lugens demonstrated that there were 25 metabolites involved in cuticular lipid layer synthesis, including 7 triacylglycerols (TGs), 5 phosphatidylcholines (PCs), 3 phosphatidylethanolamines (PEs) and 2 diacylglycerols (DGs) decreased, and 4 triacylglycerols (TGs) and 4 PEs increased. In conclusion, silencing NlFAR7 disrupts the synthesis of overall lipids and destroys the cuticular pore canals and related structures, thereby disrupting the secretion of cuticular lipids, thus affecting the cuticular waterproofing of N. lugens. These findings give significant attention with reference to further biochemical researches on the substrate specificity of FAR protein, and the molecular regulation mechanisms during N. lugens life cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought stress is a central environmental factor that severely limits maize production worldwide. Root architecture plays an important role in drought tolerance and can be targeted in breeding programmes. Here, we conducted phenotyping of root architecture under different water treatments for 373 maize inbred lines, representative germplasm from both China and the United States in different breeding eras. We found that seminal root length in response to drought stress experienced convergent increase during breeding in both countries. Using a genome‐wide association study, we identified a total of 221 associated loci underlying 13 root traits under well‐watered and water‐stressed conditions. These loci harboured many reported root‐ and abiotic stress‐related genes. Furthermore, a total of 75 strong candidate genes were prioritised by integrating candidate genes associated with seminal root length and differentially expressed genes in seminal root. One of high‐confidence candidate genes, ZmCIPK3 was functionally characterised and probably plays a role in enhancing drought tolerance through regulating seminal root growth. This study provides valuable information for genetic improvement of root architecture and drought tolerance in maize. SUMMARY STATEMENT: This study reports the root architecture changes associated with drought stress in maize seedlings, loci and high‐confidence candidates underlying root traits, and overexpression of ZmCIPK3 exhibiting improved drought tolerance through regulating seminal root growth, laying the foundation for genetic improvement of drought tolerance in maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reduced graphene‐oxide (RGO)‐based electrodes in supercapacitors deliver high energy/power capacities compared to typical nanoporous carbon materials. However, extensive critical analysis of literature reveals enormous discrepancies (up to 250 F g−1) in the reported capacitance (variation of 100–350 F g−1) of RGO materials synthesized under seemingly similar methods, inhibiting an understanding of capacitance variation. Here, the key factors that control the capacitance performance of RGO electrodes are demonstrated by analyzing and optimizing various types of commonly applied electrode fabrication methods. Beyond usual data acquisition parameters and oxidation/reduction properties of RGO, a substantial difference of more than 100% in capacitance values (with change from 190 ± 20 to 340 ± 10 F g−1) is found depending on the electrode preparation method. For this demonstration, ≈40 RGO‐based electrodes are fabricated from numerous distinctly different RGO materials via typically applied methods of solution (aqueous and organic) casting and compressed powders. The influence of data acquisition conditions and capacitance estimation practices are also discussed. Furthermore, by optimizing electrode processing method, a direct surface area governed capacitance relationship for RGO structures is revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sanguisorba is a small genus which consists of about 15 species widely distributed in North America and Eurasia. Previous studies on Sanguisorba are useful for understanding its phylogeny and chloroplast (cp) genome evolution, however, the cp genome resources of Sanguisorba are still limited, and the phylogeny and molecular dating for Sanguisorba and its relatives still need to be further explored. Here, we report four cp genomes of Sanguisorba and conduct comparative analysis of these four Sanguisorba cp genomes plus five previously published ones. The nine cp genomes have a typical quadripartite structure with a total length of 154 282–155 730 bp and their gene content, gene structure and gene order are relatively conserved. Analysis of single copy (SC)/inverted repeat (IR) boundaries shows only very slight boundary differences among the Sanguisorba cp genomes. Eight variation hotspots were screened as excellent candidate markers for future studies in Sanguisorba. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that Sanguisorba is monophyletic and a member of Agrimonieae subtribe Sanguisorbinae. Within Sanguisorba, S. filiformis is the sister group of the six other taxa in the present sampling. Estimation of divergence times indicates that the subtribes Agrimoniinae and Sanguisorbinae diverged at the transition between the Oligocene and the Miocene, and divergent times of Agrimonieae genera ranged from the late Miocene to the Middle Pleistocene. This study enriches the available cp genome resources of Sanguisorba, and it is of great significance to further study of the phylogeny and evolution of Sanguisorba and its relatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many holo‐ and hemimetabolous insects enhance their eggshells during embryogenesis by forming a serosal cuticle (SC). To date, scholarly understanding of the SC composition and SC‐related gene functions has been limited, especially for hemimetabolous insects. In this study, we initially performed transmission electron microscopic (TEM) observation and chitin staining of the SC in Nilaparvata lugens, a hemimetabolous rice pest known as the brown planthopper (BPH). We confirmed that the SC was a chitin‐rich lamellar structure deposited gradually during the early embryogenesis. Parental RNA interference (RNAi) against Nilaparvata lugenschitin synthase 1 (NlCHS1) in newly emerged and matured females resulted in decreases of egg hatchability by 100% and 76%, respectively. Ultrastructural analyses revealed loss of the lamellar structure of the SC in dsNlCHS1‐treated eggs. According to temporal expression profiles, five cuticle protein coding genes, NlugCpr1/2/3/8/90, were specifically or highly expressed during the SC formation period, and NlugCpr1/2/3/90 were further detected in 72 h eggshells extract by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry. NlugCpr2/3/90 were likely three SC‐specific cuticle proteins. TEM observations of the SC following parental RNAi against NlugCpr1/2/3/8/90 demonstrated that NlugCpr3/8/90 were essential for SC formation. The study provided an understanding of the SC formation process and SC‐related cuticle proteins in BPHs, which offer potential targets for pest control in the egg stage as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an ordinary alteration mineral in the process of fluid–rock interaction, chlorite (most especially its chemical composition) has the potential to become an effective tool to reveal the physicochemical conditions during alteration and help exploration. However, its elemental characteristics during the chloritization process are yet to be clearly understood. The Dehua‐Youxi‐Yongtai (DYY) ore district in south‐east China is one of the potential areas of gold and polymetallic deposits. Lying in the north‐west section of the DYY ore district, the Donghua area is notable for its remarkable metallogenic potential, and porphyry‐epithermal systems might have developed in the area. This study focuses on the elemental characteristics of chlorite in the Donghua area as footprints of the alteration process and mineralization vectoring. According to the geological features and occurrences, the chlorite from Donghua can be divided into two generations: (a) Chlorite I is closely related to chloritization developed in intrusive and volcanic rocks (Permian quartz monzobiorite and Jurassic volcanic rocks of Changlin Formation), and (b) chlorite II is accompanied by superimposed hydrothermal overprinting. The alteration process suggested by overprinting chlorite II can be regarded as almost coeval with the ca. 154–153 Ma magmatic event, and chlorite II is later than chlorite I generation. According to the geothermometry of the chlorite in Donghua, chlorite I might have crystallized on the temperature of 180–240°C with a peak of ~200°C, and the overprinting chlorite II might have experienced two episodes of hydrothermal/epithermal fluid pulsing. The mineral geochemistry of the trace elements in the two generations of the chlorite in Donghua shows different characteristics. The replacement of Mg2+ by Fe2+ plays an important role for ionic substitution in the octahedral position, especially for chlorite II. The other occasion might be Mg and Fe jointly entering the octahedral position as well as Mg‐ and Fe‐AlVI substitution mechanisms. The enrichment of Mg especially in chlorite II suggests low‐grade oxidation and acid conditions, which might be beneficial for the transportation of metallogenic substances. The obvious differences of Co and Ni are remarkable aspects of the trace elements of chlorite in Donghua, resulted by the ion substitution and function of different octahedral site preference energy. The mineral chemistry of chlorite II from Donghua can be helpful for targeting and exploration vectoring in the DYY ore district. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

0.70BiFeO3‐0.30BaTiO3 (0.70BF‐0.30BT) ceramics have been widely concerned because of their potential applications for high‐temperature piezoelectric devices. In this work, a series of dense 0.70BF‐0.30BT ceramics with average grain size variation from 0.55 to 6.0 μm were prepared. XRD results indicate that 0.70BF‐0.30BT ceramics show the coexistence of rhombohedral and pseudo‐cubic phases and the volume fraction of the rhombohedral phase increase with the grain size. The dielectric, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties increase with the grain size initially from 0.55 to 5.0 μm and then decrease slightly. Values of d33, Pr, and εr, of 0.70BF‐0.30BT ceramics with the grain size of 5.0 μm are 185 pC/N, 21.2 μC/cm2, and 638, respectively, about five times higher than those ceramics with fine‐grain of 0.55 μm. Of particular importance is that 0.70BF‐0.30BT ceramics with large grain sizes possess better piezoelectric thermal stability due to the much stabler poled domain state with the rising temperature. The detailed structural studies indicate that the enhanced electric properties are owing to the significantly improved domain motion and the increased lattice distortion. This clarifying the relationship between electrical properties and grain size offers a novel way of improving the performances of piezoceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise: The distribution of genetic diversity on the landscape has critical ecological and evolutionary implications. This may be especially the case on a local scale for foundation plant species because they create and define ecological communities, contributing disproportionately to ecosystem function. Methods: We examined the distribution of genetic diversity and clones, which we defined first as unique multilocus genotypes (MLG), and then by grouping similar MLGs into multilocus lineages. We used 186 markers from inter‐simple sequence repeats (ISSR) across 358 ramets from 13 patches of the foundation grass Leymus chinensis. We examined the relationship between genetic and clonal diversities, their variation with patch size, and the effect of the number of markers used to evaluate genetic diversity and structure in this species. Results: Every ramet had a unique MLG. Almost all patches consisted of individuals belonging to a single multilocus lineages. We confirmed this with a clustering algorithm to group related genotypes. The predominance of a single lineage within each patch could be the result of the accumulation of somatic mutations, limited dispersal, some sexual reproduction with partners mainly restricted to the same patch, or a combination of all three. Conclusions: We found strong genetic structure among patches of L. chinensis. Consistent with previous work on the species, the clustering of similar genotypes within patches suggests that clonal reproduction combined with somatic mutation, limited dispersal, and some degree of sexual reproduction among neighbors causes individuals within a patch to be more closely related than among patches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead‐free 0.75BiFeO3–0.25BaTiO3 (0.75BF–0.25BT) ceramics have been extensively studied because of their high Curie temperature. The aging behavior and thermal stability of piezoceramics play decisive roles in their device applications. In this work, effects of Mn doping on the phase structure, aging behavior, and thermal stability of 0.75BF–0.25BT ceramics were characterized and related mechanisms were investigated. With the increase in Mn content, the typical rhombohedral phase of 0.75BF–0.25BT ceramics changed to the coexistence of pseudo‐cubic and rhombohedral phases. Mn modification enhanced the aging behavior and thermal stability of ceramics obviously. The aging rates of d33 and kp for 0.75BF‐0.25BT ceramics with 1.0 mol% Mn are 1.3% and 1.1%, respectively, which are only 1/4 those values for the undoped ceramics. The variation of εr of 0.75BF‐0.25BT ceramics with 1.0 mol% Mn is half of undoped ceramics under 500℃. The depoling temperature of 0.75BF‐0.25BT ceramics with 1.0 mol% Mn was 450℃, which is about 200℃ higher than that of undoped ceramics. The enhanced aging behavior results from the decreased defect concentrations, and the better thermal stability is owing to the significantly improved poling state due to the enhanced resistivity, large grain size, and decreased crystal distortion by Mn modification. These results reflect that a proper amount of Mn doping is an effective way to enhance the aging behavior and electric thermal stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the operation of the power transformer, the fault location often occurs in the winding, and the fault phenomenon caused by insufficient short‐circuit withstand ability of the winding is particularly prominent. Based on this problem, this article proposes an improved symplectic geometry mode decomposition (ISGMD) algorithm to evaluate the short‐circuit withstand ability of winding. The realization method is to use the algorithm to perform time‐frequency decomposition of the vibration signal of the transformer, calculate time‐domain eigenvalues of the symplectic geometry components to constitute the eigenvector, utilize principal component analysis to reduce dimensionality of the data. Finally, apply the obtained data to train and test the extreme learning machine. The correctness of the algorithm is analyzed by simulating vibration signals. At last, the experiment is designed and the evaluation standard is proposed, and the practicability of the intelligent evaluation model based on the method is verified. © 2021 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Device degradation behaviors of n‐channel low‐temperature polycrystalline silicon thin film transistors under negative bias stress and positive bias stress were investigated. It was found that the threshold‐voltage has a two‐stage degradation, shifting to different direction with time. The mobility and the subthreshold swing SS both show a dependence on the stress time. It was determined that the interface trap states, the grain boundary trap states, and electron trapping together dominate the time‐dependent degradation behaviors. The trap is caused by the rupture of Si─H and Si─O bonds. A comprehensive model is proposed to explain the time‐dependent degradation behaviors clearly. In addition, after removing the stress, the recovery behaviors of threshold voltage Vth can be observed, which provide the evidence supporting the degradation model proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This article addresses the problem of global adaptive finite‐time control for a class of p‐normal nonlinear systems via an event‐triggered strategy. A state feedback controller is first designed for the nominal system by adding a power integrator method. Then, by the skillful design of adaptive dynamic gain mechanism, a novel event‐triggered controller is constructed for uncertain nonlinear system without homogeneous growth condition. It is proved that the global finite‐time stabilization of p‐normal nonlinear systems is guaranteed and the Zeno phenomenon is excluded. Finally, two examples are presented to indicate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bombyx mori cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (BmCPV) is a major pathogen of the economic insect silkworm, Bombyx mori. Virus‐encoded microRNAs (miRNAs) have been proven to play important roles in host–pathogen interactions. In this study we identified a BmCPV‐derived miRNA‐like 21 nt small RNA, BmCPV‐miR‐1, from the small RNA deep sequencing of BmCPV‐infected silkworm larvae by stem‐loop quantitative real‐time PCR (qPCR) and investigated its functions with qPCR and lentiviral expression systems. Bombyx mori inhibitor of apoptosis protein (BmIAP) gene was predicted by both target prediction software miRanda and Targetscan to be one of its target genes with a binding site for BmCPV‐miR‐1 at the 5′ untranslated region. It was found that the expression of BmCPV‐miR‐1 and its target gene BmIAP were both up‐regulated in BmCPV‐infected larvae. At the same time, it was confirmed that BmCPV‐miR‐1 could up‐regulate the expression of BmIAP gene in HEK293T cells with lentiviral expression systems and in BmN cells by transfecting mimics. Furthermore, BmCPV‐miR‐1 mimics could up‐regulate the expression level of BmIAP gene in midgut and fat body in the silkworm. In the midgut of BmCPV‐infected larvae, BmCPV‐miR‐1 mimics could be further up‐regulated and inhibitors could lower the virus‐mediated expression of BmIAP gene. With the viral genomic RNA segments S1 and S10 as indicators, BmCPV‐miR‐1 mimics could up‐regulate and inhibitors down‐regulate their replication in the infected silkworm. These results implied that BmCPV‐miR‐1 could inhibit cell apoptosis in the infected silkworm through up‐regulating BmIAP expression, providing the virus with a better cell circumstance for its replication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The xBiFeO3‐(1‐x)Ba(Zr0.02Ti0.98)O3 + 1.0 mol% MnO2 (xBF‐BZT) lead‐free piezoelectric ceramics were prepared by conventional solid‐state reaction method. The structure, dielectric, and piezoelectric properties were studied. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that xBF‐BZT ceramics exhibited pure perovskite structure with the coexistence of tetragonal and rhombohedral phases (0.66 ≤ x ≤ 0.74). The Curie temperature Tc, the dielectric constant εr (1 kHz), dielectric loss tanδ (1 kHz), piezoelectric constant d33, coercive field Ec (80 kV/cm), and remnant polarization Pr (80 kV/cm) of 0.7BF‐0.3BZT‐Mn ceramics were 491°C, 633, 0.044, 165 pC/N, 35.6 kV/cm, and 22.6 μC/cm2, respectively. The unipolar strain of 0.7BF‐0.3BZT reached up to 0.20% under the electric field of 60 kV/cm, which is larger than that (0.15%) of BiFeO3–BaTiO3 ceramics. These results indicated that the xBF‐BZT ceramics were promising candidates for high‐temperature piezoelectric materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study intended to explore the relation between heart rate recovery at 1 minutes (HRR1) during the recovery phase of cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) and exercise capacity in female systemic lupus erythematosus associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (SLE‐PAH) patients. Methods: Twenty‐one female SLE‐PAH patients underwent right heart catheterization (RHC), pulmonary function test (PFT) and CPET. Forty‐two healthy subjects matched with SLE‐PAH patients in age, sex and BMI were recruited as a control group. The correlations between HRR1 with clinical and CPET parameters were performed. Results: Peak HR, ΔHR, HRR1, Peak HR‐warm HR1min, Peak HR‐warm HR2min and CR were significantly lower in SLE‐PAH than in controls (P < .01). Increased incidence of CRI was seen in SLE‐PAH. Except for the Peak PETO2, which was higher in controls, all other CPET parameters were lower in SLE‐PAH. SLE‐PAH patients with HRR1 ≥ 16 had longer 6MWD, lower NT‐proBNP, better percent of predicted gas transfer index or diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLco% pred) as well as better CO and CI. Peak HR, ΔHR, HRR1, Peak HR‐warm HR1min, Peak HR‐warm HR2min, CR, Peak Load, Peak VO2, Peak PETCO2, OUEP and OUES were lower and duration of exercise was shorter in patients with HRR1 < 16. HRR1 had positive correlation with 6MWD, DLco% pred, CO, CI and some key CPET parameters. Conclusions: HRR1 is an easily obtained auxiliary parameter in SLE‐PAH patients to reflect an altered autonomic tone. SLE‐PAH patients with HRR1 < 16 have more severe hemodynamics, worse clinical findings and marked oxygen uptake inefficiency than those with HRR1 ≥ 16. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) because of lung cancer has been sufficiently studied, nevertheless, little is known regarding the discrepancy of clinical characteristics and predictive factors among different presentations of VTE because of lung cancer. Objectives: This study was designed to investigate the distinction of clinical characteristics and predictive factors among different presentations of VTE because of lung cancer. Methods: All patients concomitant lung cancer and VTE were stratified into three groups: pulmonary embolism (PE) group in which patients had sole PE, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) group with sole DVT and concomitance group with both PE and DVT. Results: Concomitance of PE and DVT (28.2 days) mostly occurred at the early stage after the diagnosis of lung cancer, by contrast with DVT (63.6 days) which did at the latest stage, whereas PE (36.7 days) generally developed intermediately in between (P = .02). In a Kaplan‐Meier analysis, the cumulative survival rate of DVT group was higher than that of concomitance group, whereas the rate of PE group lied in between. (P = .002) The strongest correlated factors with the development of DVT, PE and concomitance were adenocarcinoma (HR 3.27, P = .003), chemotherapy (HR 2.62, P = .005) and D‐Dimer (HR 3.88, P < .001), respectively. The strongest correlated factors with the mortality of DVT, PE and concomitance were comorbidity (HR 2.32, P = .003), metastasis (HR 3.12, P < .001), and metastasis (HR 4.29, P < .001), respectively. Conclusion: Concomitance of DVT and PE represents the severest state of lung cancer, the earliest occurrence of VTE, and the worst survival rate, whereas DVT stands for the mildest condition of lung cancer and stablest pattern of VTE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, a directional wireless multimedia sensor network is a popular environment for solving the task assignment problem. Achieving long‐term frontal monitoring of moving objects is a crucial challenge for scholars in this field. Utilizing directional sensors equipped with energy harvesting is an effective technique to enhance network performance. In this way, the energy of nodes is no longer limited to batteries and can result in better frontal monitoring. In this method, each sensor categorizes tasks based on its own energy, allowing the determination of task execution nodes through bidding. The present study proposes a distributed algorithm for directional task assignment, EN‐DADA, based on energy harvesting. The task was first classified to determine the candidate node set that could execute the task, and then the task assignment was determined according to the monitoring income of each node in the candidate node set. The comparative analysis confirmed that the proposed method had advantages in terms of task revenue and network lifetime when using the same energy harvesting model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In this paper, the practical leader‐following consensus via the sampled‐data protocol is investigated for second‐order nonlinear multiagent systems with external disturbances, where the velocity information of all agents are assumed to be unmeasurable. The consensus problem of the multiagent system is first transformed to a stabilization problem of the constructed error system. Because of the unknown of the agents' velocities, an observer is then proposed for the constructed error system to estimate the velocity errors. By the backstepping approach, a new protocol is designed with only position measurements and sampled‐data information. Furthermore, the upper bound of the sampling period is given. It is proved that the practical leader‐following consensus can be achieved by the proposed sampled‐data protocol with a proper sampling period. The result is then extended to the multiagent systems with multiple leaders. Finally, two numerical examples are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the designed protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The volcanic‐hosted Xiangshan uranium orefield is the largest uranium deposit in South China. Recent exploration has discovered extensive Pb–Zn mineralization beneath the uranium orebodies. Detailed geological investigation reveals that the major metallic minerals include pyrite, sphalerite, galena, and chalcopyrite, whilst the major non‐metallic minerals include quartz, sericite, and calcite. New δ18Ofluid and δDfluid data indicate that the ore‐forming fluids were mainly derived from magmatic, and the sulfide δ34S values (2.2–6.9‰) suggest a dominantly magmatic sulfur source. The Pb isotope compositions are homogeneous (206Pb/204Pb = 18.120–18.233, 207Pb/204Pb = 15.575–15.698, and 208Pb/204Pb = 37.047–38.446). The 87Sr/86Sr ratios of sulfide minerals range from 0.7197 to 0.7204, which is much higher than volcanic rocks and fall into the range of metamorphic basement. Lead and strontium isotopic compositions indicate that the metallogenic materials probably were derived from metamorphic basement. Pyrite Rb–Sr dating of the ores yielded 131.3 ± 4.0 Ma, indicating that the Pb–Zn mineralization occurred in the Early Cretaceous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This paper investigates the stabilization problem of sampled‐data output feedback for a class of uncertain switched nonlinear systems in nonstrict‐feedback form. An observer is designed to estimate the unmeasured states, and a sampled‐data controller is obtained by discretizing the virtual controller that is constructed via the dynamic surface control method. It is proved that the designed sampled‐data controller can render all states of the resulting closed‐loop system to converge to a neighborhood of the origin for the arbitrary switching signal, and an allowable sampling period is also given. Finally, 2 examples are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper proposes a three-dimensional buckling finite element method (FEM) to calculate the tilt limit force of the rectangular winding of an amorphous alloy transformer. The short-circuit leakage magnetic FEM is used to calculate the axially distributed force of the transformer. The maximum axial compression force is obtained by integrating the short-circuit distributed force along the axial height of the winding. The model is used to characterize the axial stability of the transformer by means of the maximum compression force and the size of the tilt limit force, and thus to formulate the evaluation criterion of the axial instability of the amorphous alloy transformer. The proposed method is verified by the calculation results of the tilt limit force and by checking the axial stability of the rectangular winding of an actual amorphous alloy transformer. The analysis results show that reducing the size difference of the rectangular winding between the long side and the short side and increasing the width of the wire will improve the tilt limit force. Experimental results of the short-circuit test on several amorphous alloy transformers verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. © 2017 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the probe response of a cavity optomechanical system with periodic modulation of the optomechanical coupling is investigated. The modulation arises from the beat effect between two external coherent driving lights, with the beat frequency matching the modulation frequency. The transmission coefficient is derived for the probe field and significant amplification, rather than absorption in the conventional optomechanically induced transparency schemes, is observed near the transparent point when the modulation is introduced. In addition, the coupling modulation can also enhance the slow light effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This article presents an inline waveguide to suspended stripline (SSL) transition. The transition adopts unilateral finline to transform the input waveguide TE10 mode to SSL Quasi-TEM mode. The module of the transition is split into two halves along the center of the waveguide E-plane. The substrate is flip mounted on the grooves of the lower half of the module. The finline is extended to the mounting groove and bonded to the waveguide channel. The waveguide feed direction is inline with the SSL wave transmission direction, and DC/IF return path is also provided by the finline. A G-band prototype is designed and fabricated. The measured results show that the insertion loss is 1.3 to 2 dB at frequencies from 140 to 213 GHz, with return loss more than 10 dB. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 59:729-732, 2017 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

miRNAs Regulate hERG Background The human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) is the major molecular component of the rapidly activating delayed rectifier K+ current (Ikr). Impairment of hERG function is believed to be a mechanism causing long-QT syndromes (LQTS). Growing evidences have shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in functional modulation of the hERG pathway. The purpose of this study was to screen and validate miRNAs that regulate the hERG pathway. The miRNAs identified in this study will provide new tools to assess the mechanism of LQTS. Methods Six miRNAs were selected by algorithm predictions based on potential interaction with hERG. The effects of each miRNA on hERG were assessed by use of the Dual-Luciferase Reporter assay system, qRT-PCR, Western blotting, and confocal fluorescence microscopy. Furthermore, whole-cell patch clamp technique was used to validate the effect of miR-103a-1 on the electrophysiological characteristic of the Ikr of the hERG protein channel. Results miR-134, miR-103a-1, miR-143, and miR-3619 significantly downregulated luciferase activity (P < 0.05) in a reporter test system. These 4 miRNAs significantly suppressed expression of hERG mRNA and protein in U2OS cells (P < 0.05).Corresponding AMOs rescued expression of hERG mRNA and protein. Confocal microscopy showed that all 4 miRNAs reduced the expression of both immature and mature hERG protein. miR-103a-1 decreased the maximum current and tail current amplitudes of hERG channel. Conclusions Expression and functions of hERG are regulated by specific miRNAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: In this study, soy protein isolate/sugar beet pectin (SPI/SBP) emulsion gelswere prepared through an enzymatic gelation process. The effects of emulsifier (SBP, SPI or SPI/SBP complex) and emulsification process on the microstructure, texture, breakdown properties and aroma release behavior of resulting emulsion gels were investigated. RESULTS: Oil emulsification by SBP/SPI complex resulted in a higher amount of emulsifier absorbing on the oil-water interface than by SBP and SPI alone, indicating that a more compact interfacial network was formed. Flocculation of oil droplets was observed and corresponding emulsion gels exhibited lower fracture force and strain when the oil was emulsified by SPI and SBP/SPI complex. Moreover, emulsion gels with small droplets produced a greater quantity of small fragments after mastication. However, microstructure did not have a significant effect on breakdown properties of emulsion gels. Headspace gas chromatography analysis showed that the release rate of ethyl butyrate before and aftermasticationwas significantly lower in emulsion gel with more compact network, but the release of aroma compounds with higher hydrophobicity did not show a significant influence of the microstructure and texture of emulsion gel. CONCLUSION: This finding provides a useful application for designing semi-solid foods with desirable flavor perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By assembling CoII ions and a combination of 5-(4-pyridyl)tetrazole (4-ptz) and formate ions, two distinct metal-organic frameworks, [Co3(4-ptz)5(HCOO)(H2O)2] and [Co3(4-ptz)4(dmf)2(HCOO)2 ] (dmf= N, N′-dimethylformamide), were synthesized. They were both characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and powder X-ray diffraction. Structural analyses revealed that by slightly modulating the coordination environment of the trinuclear cobalt cluster, two complexes were formed featuring unusual six-connected nets reminiscent of a pyrazole-type linear trinuclear cobalt cluster as compared with the classic eight-connected bcu topology. In addition, [Co3(4-ptz)5(HCOO)(H2O)2] interacted strongly with CO2, with an adsorption enthalpy of 29.2 kJ mol−1, and in a selectivity study, the uptake ratios of CO2/N2 (from a 15:85 mixture) and CO2/CH4 (50:50 mixture) were 77.6 and 37.7, respectively. Magnetic studies on both complexes revealed weak antiferromagnetic coupling between the CoII ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The design approach of a W‐band single diode fundamental mixer is presented here. This mixer features planar structure easy for integrating and high intermediate frequency (IF). The mixer consists of a diplexer formed by a hammer‐head lowpass filter and a coupled line with open stubs, a broadband bandpass filter (BPF) using short stubs, a series diode, and the matching networks. This mixer covers IF signal up to 18 GHz by optimizing the frequency response of the diplexer, the radio frequency (RF) BPF, and the matching networks. Two open stubs are attached to both ends of the RF BPF, in order to add a transmission zero at local oscillator (LO) frequency. By this way, the required out‐of‐band rejection is fulfilled with lower order BPF, thus reducing the in‐band insertion loss. In addition, the coupled line with open stubs has low insertion loss at LO frequency, while having a transmission zero at RF frequency. All of the techniques above lead to a low loss high IF mixer. The measured conversion loss is 6.7–10 dB with 8–19 GHz IF and 82 GHz LO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dual-pH switchable zwitterionic copolymer, poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate-co-acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (poly(DMAEMA-co-AM-co-AA)), is synthesized by random copolymerization. Characterized by a sharp change in solution turbidity, the conformation of such polymers in aqueous solutions can be switched at both acidic (low pH) and alkaline (high pH) conditions, with the switching pH being finely tunable by controlling the molar ratio of cationic and anionic functional groups of the copolymer. Study with quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation confirm the origin of the conformational change from electrostatic attractions between cationic DMAEMA and anionic AA functional groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objective The responses of oxygen uptake efficiency (OUE) during cardiopulmonary exercise training (CPET) have not been reported in patients with pulmonary hypertension. We aimed to investigate the differences in OUE between patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension ( CTEPH). Methods Forty-four patients with IPAH and 29 patients with CTEPH were retrospectively enrolled into our study. All patients underwent right-heart catheterization, pulmonary function test and performed the 6-min walk test and CPET. Results We found that oxygen uptake efficiency plateau (OUEP) and oxygen uptake efficiency at anaerobic threshold (OUE@AT) was significantly higher in IPAH than that in CTEPH (both P = 0.002). However, patients with CTEPH had lower mean pulmonary artery pressure, pulmonary vascular resistance and transpulmonary gradient (all P < 0.05). The correlation between OUEP and heart rate at anaerobic threshold (HR_AT) was significant (r = 0.376, P < 0.05); however, no statistically significant correlation was found with ventilation at anaerobic threshold (VE_AT) (r = −0.074, P > 0.05) in patients with IPAH. In patients with CTEPH, both anaerobic threshold (r = 0.307, P > 0.05) and VE_AT (r = −0.709, P < 0.0001) were reduced. OUEP were higher in WHO functional class I/ II patients than in WHO functional class III/ IV patients (all P < 0.05). Conclusions OUEP and OUE@ AT are higher in IPAH than that in CTEPH not in proportion to haemodynamics, probably due to differences in cardiac function and pulmonary vascular occlusion. OUEP correlates well with the exercise capacity and the severity of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three coordination polymers, namely {[Cu(5-nipa) (L22)](H2O)2}n (1), [Zn(5-nipa)(L22)(H2O)]n (2), and {[Cd2(5-nipa) 2(L22)(H2O)3](H2O)3.6}n (3), were prepared under similar synthetic method based on 1,2-(2-pyridyl)-1,2,4-triazole (L22) and ancillary ligand 5-nitro-isophthalic acid (5-H2nipa) with CuII, ZnII, and CdII perchlorate, respectively. All the complexes were characterized by IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) patterns. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction indicates that complexes 1 and 2 show similar 1D chain structures, whereas complex 3 exhibits the 2D coordination network with hcb topology. The central metal atoms show distinct coordination arrangements ranging from distorted square-pyramid for CuII in 1, octahedron for ZnII in 2, to pentagonal- bipyramid for CdII in 3. The L22 ligand adopts the same (η3,μ2) coordination fashion in complexes 1-3, while the carboxyl groups of co-ligand 5-nipa2- adopt monodentate fashion in 1 and 2 and bidentate chelating mode in 3. These results indicate that the choice of metal ions exerts a significant influence on governing the target complexes. Furthermore, thermal stabilities of complexes 1-3 and photoluminescent properties of 2 and 3 were also studied in the solid state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, aluminum nitride ( AlN) ceramics were first prepared by aqueous gelcasting. The effect of various parameters such as concentration of N, N-dimethylacrylamide ( DMAA, as monomers), N, N′-methylenbisacrylamide ( MBAM, as cross-linking agent), ammonium persulfate amount ( APS, as initiator), solid content and polymerization temperature on AlN ceramics was discussed for aqueous gelcasting system. Finally, drying methods of aqueous gelcasting AlN green bodies were investigated. Aqueous gelcasting AlN ceramics, sintered at 1850°C for 4 h, had homogeneous grain size and little grain boundary phase, and the relative density, flexural strength and thermal conductivity of aqueous gelcasting AlN ceramics were 99.9%, 333(±10) MPa, 136(±9) W/(m·K), respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

4-{(R)-(3-Aminophenyl)[4-(4-fluorobenzyl)-piperazin-1-yl]methyl}-N,N-diethylbenzamide (AZD2327) is a highly potent and selective agonist of the δ-opioid receptor. AZD2327 and N-deethylated AZD2327 (M1) are substrates of cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A4) and comprise a complex multiple inhibitory system that causes competitive and time-dependent inhibition of CYP3A4. The aim of the current work was to develop a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model to predict quantitatively the magnitude of CYP3A4 mediated drug-drug interaction with midazolam as the substrate. Integrating in silico, in vitro and in vivo PK data, a PBPK model was successfully developed to simulate the clinical accumulation of AZD2327 and its primary metabolite. The inhibition of CYP3A4 by AZD2327, using midazolam as a probe drug, was reasonably predicted. The predicted maximum concentration (Cmax) and area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) for midazolam were increased by 1.75 and 2.45-fold, respectively, after multiple dosing of AZD2327, indicating no or low risk for clinically relevant drug-drug interactions (DDI). These results are in agreement with those obtained in a clinical trial with a 1.4 and 1.5-fold increase in Cmax and AUC of midazolam, respectively. In conclusion, this model simulated DDI with less than a two-fold error, indicating that complex clinical DDI associated with multiple mechanisms, pathways and inhibitors (parent and metabolite) can be predicted using a well-developed PBPK model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of benzoyl diarylamine/ether derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their activity against human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV) in MT-4 cells. Three compounds ( 3b, 5a, and 6a1) exhibited moderate activities against wild-type (wt) HIV-1 with EC50 values ranging from 11 to 56 μ m. Among them, compound 5a was the most potent inhibitor with a novel chemical skeleton, affording a new lead compound for further molecular optimization. An enzyme assay was also implemented to confirm the binding target of the active compounds represented by 6a1. Molecular simulation studies on compound 5a, 6a1, and 7a4 were carried out to understand their binding mode with wt HIV-1 reverse transcriptase ( RT) and provided useful information for further rational design of NNRTIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The isolated subclavian artery is a rare malformation of the aortic arch. Pathophysiologically, as the isolated subclavian artery is connected to the ipsilateral pulmonary artery through the ipsilateral ductus arteriosus and vertebral artery, blood is easily "stolen" from the subclavian artery. [Extracted from the article]

The non-alcoholic fatty liver disease ( NAFLD) fibrosis score ( NFS) has emerged as a useful predictor of long-term outcome in NAFLD patients. We evaluated the predictive performance of the NFS for overall mortality in a Chinese population with NAFLD. All NAFLD patients diagnosed ultrasonographically at Xixi Hospital of Hangzhou between 1996 and 2011 were retrospectively recruited to the study. Outcome was determined by interview and causes of death were confirmed by medical records. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve ( AUCROC) was used to determine the predictive accuracy of the NFS, BARD (body mass index, aspartate aminotransferase ( AST)/alanine aminotransferase ( ALT) ratio, diabetes) score, FIB-4 index and the AST/platelet ratio index ( APRI) for mortality. Data from a total of 180 eligible patients (median age 39 years; 96 men) were analysed, with 12 deaths over a median follow-up period of 6.6 years (range 0.5-14.8 years). Using Cox model analysis, the NFS as a continuous variable was identified as the only predictor for all-cause mortality (hazard ratio 2.743, 95% confidence interval ( CI) 1.670-4.504). The NFS yielded the highest AUCROC of 0.828 (95% CI 0.728-0.928, P < 0.05), followed by the FIB-4 index, APRI and BARD score ( AUCROC 0.806 ( P < 0.05), 0.732 ( P < 0.05) and 0.632, respectively). The data indicated that the NFS is a useful predictor of 6.6-year all-cause mortality for Chinese patients with NAFLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recognition of bird species by their sounds can bring considerable significance to both ecologists and ornithologists for measuring the biodiversity in the reserves, and studying climate changes. In this letter, we propose an efficient method based on an extreme learning machine (ELM) to classify bird sounds of 86 species of birds in very limited training and testing time. Experimental results prove that, the proposed ELM method can achieve the best recognition performance (81.1 %, unweighted average recall) compared with K-nearest neighbours ( K-NN), support vector machines (SVM), neural networks (NN), and deep neural networks (DNN) pre-trained by an autoencoder. In addition, ELM requires the least total time for training and testing (2.047 ± 0.034 s). © 2016 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In this article, an adaptive neural fault‐tolerant decentralized tracking control problem is investigated for switched stochastic large‐scale uncertain nonlinear systems, in which time‐varying delay and unknown control coefficient are under consideration. By incorporating the quadratic Lyapunov function and Lyapunov Krasovskii function into the backstepping approach, an adaptive neural fault‐tolerant decentralized control strategy is proposed, which ensures that signals in the closed‐loop system are stable in probability and the tracking error converges to a small neighborhood of the origin under arbitrary switching. At last, to verify the presented strategy is feasible, a simulation example is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the consensus tracking problem with predefined transient and steady performance requirements for a class of nonstrict‐feedback nonlinear multi‐agent systems (MASs) with input quantization under a directed graph. Based on prescribed performance error transformation methods and command filtered backstepping techniques, a novel observer‐based adaptive control protocol is proposed, where neural observers are designed to estimate unmeasurable states and radial basis function neural networks are constructed to compensate command filter errors. The proposed protocol can be applied to a more general class of nonlinear MASs with nonstrict‐feedback nonlinear dynamics and unmeasurable states information. It is strictly proved that all signals in the whole MAS are semi‐globally uniformly ultimately bounded and both the transient and steady performances of the consensus tracking errors satisfy prescribed performance requirements. Finally, three numerical examples are presented to validate the effectiveness of the proposed protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the expression of p27 has been regarded as a prognostic parameter in human liver cancer since the implication of decreased p27 expression levels in the genesis and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the molecular mechanism linking p27 deficiency and HCC development is still unclear. Here, we report an increase in tumorigenesis and progression as well as an enhanced inflammatory response in p27 deficient mice (p27−/−) and hypothesize the possible mechanism. We show that p27−/− mice display increased proliferation and decreased apoptosis of tumor cells, accompanied by an increase in the serum inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α. Furthermore, our data indicated that the increased number and signal transducers and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) phosphorylation status of infiltrated inflammatory cells was accompanied by increased IL-6 and TNF-α mRNA levels in tumor and normal liver tissue in the p27−/− mice. Moreover, using tumor cell and splenocytes co-culture and tumor homologous transplantation, we validated our hypothesis in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, these data demonstrate that the loss of p27 promotes carcinogens-induced HCC genesis and progression via the elevation of inflammatory cytokines and the augmented activation of STAT3 signaling in tumor cells and infiltrated inflammatory cells. Altogether, the loss of the cyclin kinase inhibitor p27, traditionally regarded as a consequence of DNA damage, can in turn promote HCC progression through enhancing the inflammatory response, potentially representing a promising therapeutic target in the prevention of HCC genesis and progression. J. Cell. Physiol. 228: 1967-1976, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insects are ectotherms and their ability to resist temperature stress is limited. The immediate effects of sub-lethal heat stress on insects are well documented, but longer-term effects of such stresses are rarely reported. In this study, survival, development and reproduction of the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) biotype B, were compared over five consecutive generations at 27, 31 and 35 °C and for one generation at 37 °C. Both temperature and generation significantly affected the fitness of the whitefly. These impacts were more dramatic with increasing generations and temperatures. Among the experimental temperatures, the most favorable for development and reproduction were 27 °C and 31 °C. At 27 °C, survival, development and fecundity were all stable over these five generations. At 31 °C, immature survival rate was the highest in the fifth generation, but female fecundities decreased in the fourth and fifth generations. At 35 °C, egg hatching rate, immature survival rate and female fecundity decreased significantly in the fourth and fifth generations. At 37 °C, survival of B. tabaci was not adversely affected, but female fecundity at 37 °C was less than 10% of that at 27 °C or 31 °C. These results demonstrate that the lethal high temperature for B. tabaci is over 37 °C, and the whitefly population continued expanding in the five generations at 35 °C. The ability of B. tabaci biotype B to survive high temperature stress will play an important role in its population extension under global warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persistent organic pollutants pose a great threat to amphibian populations, but information on the bioaccumulation of contaminants in amphibians remains scarce. To examine the tissue distribution and maternal transfer of organic halogenated pollutants (OHPs) in frogs, seven types of tissues from black‐spotted frog (muscle, liver, kidney, stomach, intestine, heart, and egg) were collected from an e‐waste–polluted area in South China. Among the seven frog tissues, median total OHP concentrations of 2.3 to 9.7 μg/g lipid weight were found (in 31 polychlorinated biphenyl [PCB] individuals and 15 polybrominated diphenyl ether [PBDE], dechlorane plus [syn‐DP and anti‐DP], bexabromobenzene [HBB], polybrominated biphenyl] PBB153 and ‐209], and decabromodiphenyl ethane [DBDPE] individuals). Sex‐specific differences in contaminant concentration and compound compositions were observed among the frog tissues, and eggs had a significantly higher contaminant burden on the whole body of female frogs. In addition, a significant sex difference in the concentration ratios of other tissues to the liver was observed in most tissues except for muscle. These results suggest that egg production may involve the mobilization of other maternal tissues besides muscle, which resulted in the sex‐specific distribution. Different parental tissues had similar maternal transfer mechanisms; factors other than lipophilicity (e.g., molecular size and proteinophilic characteristics) could influence the maternal transfer of OHPs in frogs. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;43:1557–1568. © 2024 SETAC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In this work, soy protein isolates (SPIs) were subjected to microparticulation, turning soy protein ingredients into microparticles with improved thermal stability which could be used in high‐protein foods. The pH is a critical determinant in microparticulation. Our work is mainly to investigate the effect of pH on the formation and properties of protein microparticles. To clarify the effects of pH conditions on the properties of the resulting particles, microparticulation was performed at different pH conditions (7.0, 6.0 and 5.0). Aggregation behaviours described by the parameters calculated from the protein dispersion viscosity combined with the observation of the morphology change were used to analyse the particle formation process. For the microparticles prepared at pH 5.0, soy proteins were more inclined to aggregate into clusters on a micro‐scale which had a flexible conformation. After spray drying, This powder could be easily dispersed in water, creating a dispersion with a protein concentration of 10 wt%. At this concentration, the thermal gelation capacity of the proteins was observed to decrease. Conversely, the tendency of protein aggregation was largely restricted when soy protein microparticulation was carried out at pH 7.0. As these soy protein particles in nano‐scale were dispersed in water, a decrease rather than an increase was recorded in the viscosity of this dispersion after it was heated, suggesting that these particles had improved thermal stability. This work has demonstrated that implementing appropriate pH conditions during microparticulation can prepare soy protein particles with different sizes and rheological properties, which might meet the demands of various food processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary This article handles the probability‐guaranteed state estimation problem for a class of nonlinear memristive neural networks (MNNs) by using an event‐triggered mechanism. Both time‐varying delays and incomplete measurements are considered in the MNNs dynamics. To mitigate the impact of limited communication bandwidth, a communication protocol is proposed that incorporates an encoding–decoding technique in addition to an event‐triggered scheme. The aim is to devise a state estimator that can estimate the states of MNNs, ensuring that the state estimation error falls within the required ellipsoidal area with a desired chance. We obtain sufficient conditions for the feasibility of the addressed problem, where the requested gains can be found iteratively by solving certain convex optimization problems. On the basis of the proposed framework, some issues are further presented to determine locally optimal estimator parameters according to different specifications. Finally, we utilize an illustrative numerical example to show the validity of our provided theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Although persistent hepatitis B virus ( HBV) infection is a major cause of hepatocellular carcinoma ( HCC), the mechanisms of oncogenesis remain obscure. Aims To determine whether the findings that HBV basal core promoter ( BCP) A1762T, G1764A double mutations, pre-S deletions and a combination of both are risk factors of HCC are supported by geographical epidemiology. Methods Study subjects were recruited from Long An county, where the incidence of HCC is the highest, and five other counties in Guangxi, where the HCC incidence is lower and varies among them. The Pre-S region and BCP of HBV from all study subjects were amplified and sequenced and the data were analysed using chi-squared tests. Results The prevalence of BCP and pre-S mutations differs significantly (χ2 = 9.850, 5.135, respectively, all P < 0.01) between Long An and the other counties. However, the prevalence of combined BCP and pre-S mutations does not differ significantly (χ2 = 1.510, P > 0.05). These mutations are less frequent in the young but the prevalence of pre-S deletions does not increase with age. The prevalence of these mutations does not differ significantly between men and women but is significantly higher in Zhuang than the other ethnic populations. Among the other five counties, the prevalence of BCP mutations in counties where the HCC incidence is high is significantly higher than that of counties where the HCC incidence is low. Conclusions Combined BCP double mutations and pre-S deletion may not increase the risk of HCC, although these mutations are a risk factor of HCC when they present alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The photophysics and photochemistry of pyrazine (C4H4N2, D2h) after excitation to the S2 (1 1B2u, 1ππ*) electronic state were studied by using the resonance Raman spectroscopy and complete active space self-consistent field method calculations. The B-band resonance Raman spectra in cyclohexane solvent were obtained at 266.0, 252.7, and 245.9 nm excitation wavelengths to probe the structural dynamics of pyrazine in the S2 (1 1B2u, 1ππ*) state. Three electronic states 1 1B3u, 1 1B1g, and 1 1B2g were found to couple with the S2 (1 1B2u, 1ππ*) state. Two conical intersection (CI) points CI[ S2(B2u)/ S1(B3u)] and CI[ S1/ S0] and one transition state of the isomerization between pyrazine and pyrimidine were predicted to play important roles in the photochemistry of pyrazine. On the basis of the calculations, the mechanism of the photoisomerization reaction between pyrazine and pyrimidine has been proposed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contribution of this investigation lies in solving a sampled‐data output feedback stabilization problem for a class of upper‐triangular stochastic nonlinear systems in p$$ p $$‐normal structure with unavailable states and uncertain time‐varying input delay. A reduced‐order observer with the available sampled output detection is developed for the focused system to estimate its unavailable states, and under such observer, a sampled‐data output feedback stabilizer is constructed by combining the backstepping and adding a power integral techniques. Through selecting the appropriate Lyapunov–Krasovskii functionals, we can demonstrate that the adverse influences caused by the uncertain time‐varying delays in the resulting closed‐loop system can be restricted effectively by the constructed stabilizer, and further, by following the stochastic differential theories, the global stability of the considered resulting closed‐loop system can be analyzed under the suitable design parameters and allowable sampling period. Finally, two examples are given to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]